What we’re reading: Indonesian volcano erupts, federal court blocks Texas’s redrawn voting map and more

By Katelyn Purdom, Staff Writer

Published Nov 20, 2025

In this photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Semeru releases volcanic materials during an eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Badan Geologi via AP)

Harvard University President Lawrence Summers is shown during Harvard’s 353rd commencement ceremonies, June 10, 2004, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Larry Summers leaves Harvard following the release of Epstein-related emails

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Henry “Larry” Summers went on leave from his Harvard University positions on Wednesday, Nov. 19, after newly released emails highlighted his friendly relationship with convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to AP News.

Summers, who used to be the president of the university, doubled as an economics professor and the director of Harvard’s Center for Business and Government.

Summers’ co-instructors will continue teaching his remaining classes this semester and he is not slated to teach in the spring, according to The Harvard Crimson.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Harvard announced it would be launching an investigation into individuals at the university associated with Epstein, including Summers, according to another article by The Harvard Crimson.

MLB signs new three-year media deals with NBC, Netflix and ESPN

Major League Baseball announced its new three-year media deal with NBC, Netflix and

The new deal creates a shift in how baseball will be broadcasted, combining traditional networks and streaming services (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

ESPN on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The deal is set to start at the beginning of the 2026 season, reshaping how MLB is consumed by fans, according to The Washington Post.

The three new partnerships will average to about $800 million per year and gives NBCUniversal exclusive rights to Sunday Night Baseball, according to CNBC.

Mount Semeru erupts, forcing mass evacuations on Indonesia’s Java Island

Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Indonesia’s Java Island, erupted 10 times Wednesday night, prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate the area.

Pyroclastic flow, a current of volcanic ash, gas and rock, travelled 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) from the mountain’s peak, emerging from a 2-kilometers-high cloud of ash, according BBC.

People carry their belongings as they evacuate their homes at a village affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Wawan Sugiarto)

Emergency responders have been deployed, assisting in the evacuation of 956 people. Most were relocated to shelters set up in schools, mosques and government buildings, Reuters reported.

Local officials said three Java residents suffered burns. Search teams continue to sweep the area, looking for anyone who may still be trapped.

Mount Semeru’s last major eruption occurred in December 2021, killing 51 people and blanketing several nearby villages in ashes.

Federal judges strike down Texas’s redrawn voting map in racial gerrymandering ruling

The U.S. Federal Court turned down Texas’s redrawn voting maps in claiming the new districts were radically gerrymandered for Republican favoritism, according to the BBC.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott filed an appeal against the 2-to-1 U.S. Federal Court ruling. In the meantime, the state will have to use the ones created by the Texas legislature in 2021.

The ruling leans heavily on the Department of Justice’s summer letter as evidence that Texas intentionally relied on race during its redistricting process, according to NBC News.