Politics
House GOP demands elite universities counteract 'dangerous' anti-Israel protests in the fall semester
EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are spearheading efforts to demand elite universities counteract the threat of anti-Israel protests on campuses in the upcoming fall semester amid their ongoing investigation into a “disturbing pattern of antisemitic activity” on campuses.
The House Ways and Means and the Education and the Workforce committees sent a letter to 10 high-profile colleges on Thursday, asking the universities to provide details on what measures they will be taking to protect Jewish students next semester and prevent antisemitic unrest similar to that of the spring semester.
“Refusals to impose basic discipline, hold bad actors accountable, and restore order on campus in the face of disruptions, violence, and hate will make life worse for all students, including Jewish students,” the letter read.
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chair of the Ways and Means Committee, charged that some colleges, such as Columbia University – which canceled its spring commencement ceremony amid protests – did not discipline anti-Israel agitators on its campus.
ANTI-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATORS BURN AMERICAN FLAG OUTSIDE CHICAGO CONSULATE ON 2ND NIGHT OF DNC
Protesters gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14, 2023. Thousands of Palestinians sought refuge on Oct. 14 after Israel warned them to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip before an expected ground offensive against Hamas, one week on from the deadliest attack in Israeli history. (Joseph Prezioso)
“The Ways and Means Committee has broad jurisdiction over the U.S. tax-code and the generous tax benefits American universities enjoy,” Smith said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “In recent weeks, we have learned institutions like Columbia University have grossly mishandled disruptions on campus and refused to expel or discipline a single student who took over and occupied a campus building. That is unacceptable.”
The committees have been leading an investigation into antisemitism on college campuses since April that they say has “uncovered a deeply worrisome, systemic culture of antisemitism at a large number of elite American universities across the country.”
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Pointing to the hundreds of anti-Israel agitators who recently protested and burned the American flag outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint-address to Congress, the letter emphasized that the threat of similar coordinated events on college campuses by these groups remains high.
“The problem of antisemitic harassment, disruption, and violence has not been resolved. Based on the evidence available, these disruptions are likely to return to campuses this fall and you must be prepared to act,” they wrote.
“Without severe disciplinary action and clear, enforced campus policies designed to prevent harassment and intimidation, these elite institutions are giving radical students and organizations the greenlight to continue taking our higher education system hostage and creating a campus environment unsafe for Jewish students. University administrators should take this as a warning to right the ship.”
New York Police Department officers detain dozens of anti-Israel students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building near Gaza Solidarity Encampment earlier in New York City on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar)
The members of Congress also highlighted the implications such protests have on student’s safety and ability to receive an education.
Recipients of the letter included Barnard College, the University of California Berkeley, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University and the University of California Los Angeles. Several of the universities responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the letter.
A spokesperson for Northwestern University told Fox News Digital that they are updating their code of conduct ahead of the new school year amid the spike in antisemitism.
“The University is committed to ensuring appropriate steps are taken to combat the spike in antisemitism at Northwestern, which is reflective of a disturbing trend across the country,” a spokesperon for Northwestern told Fox News Digital. “The University is in the process of updating its Student Code of Conduct and our Demonstration Policy, as well as the establishment of a new Display Policy. We also are enhancing on-campus security, community resources and educational opportunities, as was outlined in President Schill’s message to our community earlier this week.”
A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts a University Public Safety officer at the campus’ Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Cornell University said that they “have received the letter and will respond to the Committees’ questions.”
Similarly, Rutgers told Fox that “the university received the letter and will respond directly to the House Ways and Means Committee and Education and Workforce Committee.”
“Columbia is committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination and taking sustained, concrete action toward a campus where everyone in our community can thrive. We have been working diligently to review and enhance our policies ahead of the fall semester and we are reviewing the letter,” a Columbia spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement in response to the letter.
“Rutgers stands against hate in all its pernicious forms,” the university said in a statement to Fox. “The university strives to be a safe and supportive environment for all our students, faculty, and staff. We reject absolutely intolerance based on religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or political views.”
Berkeley directed Fox to a recent message sent from the President of the UC system to students, staff, and faculty on the Berkeley campus and across the UC system.
The president wrote: “We actively encourage members of all UC communities to make your voices heard on issues that matter to you … the University must of course comply with UC, state, and federal policies that protect the rights of expressive activity, provide safeguards for state and federally protected identities, and ensure safe and timely and full access to our campuses for all.”
Anti-Israel demonstrators outside the Stern School of Business at New York University in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Stephanie Keith)
When reached by Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania declined to comment.
Efforts to reach Barnard College, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California Los Angeles were unsuccessful.
Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said that “Jewish students have a right to a safe learning environment, and without a plan, they’ll be forced into the same hostile and dangerous situation they left last semester.”
“Universities should have spent every possible minute of their summer ‘break’ making sure that those responsible for the chaos last semester don’t return and that they have a plan in place to handle potential violence going forward,” Foxx said in a statement. “If they didn’t, they owe their students answers.”
The letter asked the universities to share what new policies and disciplinary procedures are in place to deter protests on the campus this fall.
So what is former President Trump “like”? Speakers at the Democratic National Convention have some ideas, and this week they’ve offered up plenty of comparisons — and punchlines.
Neighbor with a leaf blower
Former President Obama, speaking at the convention in Chicago on Tuesday night, likened the 45th president to a noisy neighbor:
“The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size. It just goes on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.
“From a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous.”
Ex-boyfriend
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York got laughs Wednesday with this comparison:
“Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away. He has spent the last four years spinning the block trying to get back into a relationship with the American people. Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”
Communist dictator
Republican commentator Ana Navarro, noting on Tuesday that Trump has called Vice President Kamala Harris a communist, said, “I fled communism from Nicaragua when I was 8 years old.” The experience, she said, taught her a thing or two about dictators:
“Let me tell you what communist dictators do, and it’s never just for one day. They attack the free press, they call them the enemy of the people, like [Daniel] Ortega does in Nicaragua.
“They put their unqualified relatives into cushy government jobs so they can get rich off their positions, like the Castros do in Cuba. And they refuse to accept legitimate elections when they lose and call for violence to stay in power, like [Nicolas] Maduro is doing right now in Venezuela. Now you tell me something: Do any of those things sound familiar?”
Bad boss
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, of Illinois, on Monday, told the convention that Trump’s record was defined by failure:
“To put it another way, Donald Trump is like a bad boss.
“You want time off to take care of your sick parents. Ask Donald Trump: denied. In Donald Trump’s America, there is no paid family leave. Want to have a child but need IVF? Too bad. That’s shut down, too.
“Want a pay raise? Too bad, the boss just gave himself one, so there’s nothing left for you. Trump reminds us of a boss we all had. The guy who thinks he’s a very stable genius but is driving the company into the ground.”
Operatic tenor
Then on Wednesday night, former President Clinton called Trump a narcissist, evoking the image of a tenor warming up before the opera — “trying to get his lungs open by singing me, me, me, me, me, me.”
FIRST ON FOX: Eight vulnerable Democrats in tight political races are being taken to task for their voting records that are remarkably in line with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sens. Bob Casey, D-Penn., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., are all being targeted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in its latest round of ads.
The various videos feature Harris discussing the pressure Americans are feeling due to rising prices at a recent campaign rally in North Carolina, where she also unveiled her economic agenda.
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From left to right, Sens. Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin and Bob Casey. (Getty Images: Anna Moneymaker, Drew Angerer, Ethan Miller, Sarah Silbiger)
“The bills add up. Food, rent, gas, back to school clothes, prescription medications,” she is seen telling the crowd in the new ads.
The videos, which each feature a different Democrat and slam them for their significantly high percentage of votes in line with Biden and Harris, are part of a five-figure purchase and will appear on digital platforms.
In the 117th Congress, each of the lawmakers voted with the administration over 91% of the time, per FiveThirtyEight.
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The NRSC’s ads further remind viewers of Harris’ current role as vice president in Biden’s administration, showing her touting “Bidenomics” in a separate clip.
“Senate Democrats partnered with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to set the American economy on fire with massive spending bills that turbo charged inflation. They won’t be able to cover up their records rubber-stamping the Harris-Biden agenda has made everyday life unaffordable for Americans across the country,” said NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou in a statement.
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Rep. Elissa Slotkin is running against Mike Rogers in Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Democrats are at a disadvantage with the 2024 Senate election map, as several incumbents in battleground and Republican states are in competitive races. Republicans, conversely, enjoy relatively good standing to win all of their incumbents’ re-election races.
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Rep. Ruben Gallego will face off against Kari Lake in Arizona. (Getty Images)
There are three “toss-up” races, according to non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. These include match ups in Michigan, Ohio and Montana, which are all currently held by Democrats. Races in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona are rated as “Lean Democratic” and are each also currently held by senators in the Democratic caucus.
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Sen. Martin Heinrich is battling for re-election in New Mexico. (Getty Images)
While the NRSC included an ad against Heinrich in its buy, the New Mexico senator’s race is still considered “Solid Democratic.”
The new ads come as the Harris campaign appears to be demonstrating a separation between the vice president and the Biden administration, despite her serving alongside him the entire time.
The attacks against the vulnerable Democrats on their voting records with Biden and Harris, as well as the economy, also follow the recent unveiling of Harris’ controversial economic plan, which includes price-controls.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Malynda Hale angled her iPhone toward her face and filmed a quick selfie video as she headed over to the first day of the Democratic National Convention.
“I’m already annoyed and it’s not even 8:30. Nobody knows anything and this is very confusing,” the 38-year-old influencer says in the clip, which she immediately uploaded to her 53,000 Instagram followers. “I’m gonna give you the real, unfiltered version of what it’s like to be at the DNC.”
Hale, a singer and actress from Northridge, is one of more than 200 social media influencers who received credentials — a first for the DNC — to attend the four-day convention. In granting digital content creators access to delegates, studio space and events, Kamala Harris’ campaign hopes they will use their vast online followings to promote the party’s message and galvanize young voters, who showed deep apathy about President Biden’s bid for reelection.
“They obviously view us as a direct line to this demographic, because a lot of them are bypassing traditional media to see what the influencers and the public figures and creators that they follow are saying about political events,” Hale said in an interview with The Times. “It’s a great idea to kind of use us as, like, a democratic liaison to certain generations.”
Malynda Hale grew her social media following during the pandemic when she began speaking about social justice issues. Her trip to the DNC was sponsored by Stand Up America, which paid for flights for her family and an Airbnb in Chicago.
(Malynda Hale)
Since arriving in Chicago over the weekend, Hale has been unleashing a quick-fire barrage of Instagram stories, reels, grid photos and TikTok videos, capturing the glam and grind of being a chosen influencer.
In more than 50 posts uploaded to her social channels on Monday alone, she chronicled her difficulties picking up her badge, the scene at the creator lounge at the United Center and her view from the arena floor before the evening’s speakers took the stage (“Our actual seats are in the nosebleeds,” she says into the camera).
The trip to Chicago for Hale, whose following swelled during the pandemic when she began speaking out about social justice issues, was sponsored by Stand Up America; the nonprofit organization paid for flights for her and four family members and covered the cost of their Airbnb.
It’s a great idea to kind of use us as, like, a democratic liaison to certain generations.
— Malynda Hale, a social media influencer from Northridge
As Harris has kept her distance from the mainstream news media, the decision to open the door to influencers is a reflection of her campaign’s belief that social media creators are an important conduit for getting its message to voters.
A few were even invited to make speeches to rally support for Harris, sharing the same spotlight reserved for her and her running mate Tim Walz, as well as powerful Democrats including Barack and Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
On the sidelines of the convention Monday, influencers were provided a special pavilion and luxury box. Democratic aides brought officials over to a “blue carpet” to be interviewed by the social media stars. In the convention hall, some had positioned ring lights to better capture themselves during the more marquee events.
L.A. drag queen and social media influencer BenDeLaCreme at the United Center on Monday.
(Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times)
One of the most recognizable social media personalities on the blue carpet was drag queen BenDeLaCreme. “You see how I come dressed for the DNC? Very demure, very mindful,” she said in an Instagram reel, giving her 1.1 million followers a close-up look at her towering bouffant, dramatic makeup and swirly black, white and pink dress.
BenDeLaCreme, who lives in Los Angeles, came to the convention with Drag PAC. The political action committee was founded by drag queens “to bring awareness to Gen Z voters of how important their voice really is, and try to engage more of Gen Z in this year’s election,” she said in an interview with The Times.
Creators have been able to democratize the idea of celebrity and influence, so it’s only natural that the White House wants to strengthen their connections to this important community.
— Loren Piretra, an influencer and the chief marketing officer of creator platform Fanfix
And appearing at the DNC was an opportunity to draw attention to the personal causes she supports.
“The drag community is also here to protect our trans siblings,” said BenDeLaCreme, who spoke on a panel hosted by the LGBTQ+ Caucus earlier in the day. “We in the queer community know that we can’t go anywhere without protecting reproductive rights, without protecting people of color.”
Actress Charlize Theron, left, and activist Deja Foxx at the Global Citizen Festival at Central Park in New York last year. Foxx was one of the influencers invited to speak at the DNC this week.
(Yuki Iwamura / Associated Press)
The DNC’s speaker lineup on Monday night featured 24-year-old Deja Foxx, a Columbia University graduate who spoke about reproductive rights, an issue that has given Democrats ammunition against the Republicans after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned federal abortion protections.
“For young people, this is a fight for our future,” said Foxx, who has more than 141,000 followers on TikTok and 54,000 on Instagram.
The party’s outreach to prominent influencers extends beyond the DNC.
Loren Piretra, an influencer from Brentwood and chief marketing officer of creator platform Fanfix, at last week’s White House Creator Economy Conference in Washington.
(Loren Piretra)
President Biden’s administration last week hosted the first White House Creator Economy Conference in Washington. The one-day gathering brought together a group of digital creators and industry professionals to discuss pressing issues within the creator economy, including privacy, AI and mental health.
Loren Piretra, an influencer from Brentwood, was among those invited to attend the conference, which included time with President Biden.
“This is a massive industry, and it’s time that it’s taken seriously,” said Piretra, who is also chief marketing officer of Los Angeles creator platform Fanfix. “Creators have been able to democratize the idea of celebrity and influence, so it’s only natural that the White House wants to strengthen their connections to this important community.”
Times staff writer Noah Bierman in Chicago and Bloomberg contributed to this report.
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