West

UCLA locks doors on conservative students, preventing them from hosting pro-Israel event: YAF

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2024

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UCLA locks doors on conservative students, preventing them from hosting pro-Israel event: YAF

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UCLA prevented conservative students on campus from hosting the founder of Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer, for a pro-Israel event, according to the student group.

“I am deeply disappointed in UCLA’s failure to protect our First Amendment rights,” Matthew Weinberg, chairman of UCLA Young Americans for Freedom chapter, said in a YAF press release. “All we wanted was a successful Pro-Israel event where people of all backgrounds and viewpoints can engage in the free exchange of ideas and hear a different perspective not heard across university campuses, and the school made that impossible. This is nothing but an act of pure cowardice.”

The Young American’s Foundation, a nonprofit conservative youth organization, invited Spencer to deliver a speech on Wednesday, but “the doors of the Bruin Viewpoint Room were locked,” according to YAF.

Fox News Digital previously reported that UCLA has not responded to the YAF chapter’s request to host Spencer, despite filing for approval weeks prior.

‘AN ACTUAL REVOLUTION’: COMMUNIST PARTY ORGANIZER REVEALS TRUE MISSION AT UCLA ANTI-ISRAEL RALLY

Police arrest multiple protesters who gathered in a UCLA campus parking garage on May 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Weinberg told Fox News Digital earlier this month that he initially did not receive any word regarding the application from school leaders. He did eventually meet with administrators overseeing student engagement, but was told “there is no timeframe” for approving Spencer as a speaker.

UCLA SILENT ON APPROVING ANTI-JIHAD CAMPUS SPEAKER EVENT AMID CAMPUS PROTESTS

“The fact that the school prioritizes agitators, some who aren’t even students, that are clearly violating campus policy and have been physically assaulting Jewish students, over students who engage in the free exchange of ideas like people in our chapter to me is absurd and demonstrates cowardice. It demonstrates a lack of moral clarity and this needs to be addressed,” Weinberg said earlier this month.

Weinberg said he was planning to carry on with the event and was hoping “for the best.”

Anti-Israel students set up an encampment in support of Gaza on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. (Grace Yoon/Anadolu via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, however, university officials told the chapter “that the event would need to be moved to a low-traffic, remote location – an unacceptable last minute change that would have significantly impacted the event’s attendance and impact,” according to YAF’s press release, which said the ordeal is “a clear violation of students’ constitutional rights.”

The group’s press release added that “for weeks, UCLA administrators have stalled the approval process in a clear attempt to ensure the event would not happen.”

JEWISH STUDENT DEFIES ANTI-ISRAEL RADICALS WHO ‘STALKED’ HIM ON CALIFORNIA CAMPUS: WON’T BE ‘SILENCED’

University officials reportedly initially told the group that “it would be too dangerous to host an event” that holds contrary views to agitators on campus who had established an anti-Israel encampment on campus. YAF and Mountain States Legal Foundation pushed back on the school that not granting permission to host Spencer was an “unconstitutional use of the heckler’s veto.”

Robert Spencer, founder of Jihad Watch (Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

The conservative student group argued that legal pressure appeared to “prompt the university to reconsider” their plan to stall the event, but “unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case.”

“While the chapter boldly withstood these attacks, and things appeared to be moving forward, there was simply nothing they could do about the locked door, which administrators refused to open.”

Fox News Digital reached out to UCLA for comment on Sunday, but did not immediately receive a reply. A school official did tell the College Fix that “there is misinformation circulating that the Young America’s Foundation event at UCLA on Wednesday evening was canceled by the university.”

USC STUDENT RECOUNTS DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER GRADUATION COMMENCEMENT WAS CANCELED DUE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS

“This is incorrect,” the spokeswoman said. “The event took place in the designated location after it shifted to a closed, recorded event as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.”

Weinberg pushed back on the school’s response, saying the event never took place, while lamenting to the outlet that UCLA’s campus has become hostile to Jewish students.

Anti-Israel students rally on the UCLA campus on Oct. 12, 2023. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“The beauty of this event is that all are welcome, and we highly encourage students with opposing viewpoints to come and ask Robert any questions they would like. After all, the only way to move forward and create peace is to have an open dialogue,” he told the College Fix.

UCLA FINALLY ASKS FOR FBI HELP — BUT TO INVESTIGATE PRO-ISRAEL SUPPORTERS

“Bringing Robert Spencer allows us to present an alternative perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as the Israel-Hamas war that is not typically heard on college campuses,” Weinberg said.

Spencer said in YAF’s press release that schools such as UCLA are “radioactive wastelands” of left-wing politics.

“UCLA and other universities today are not institutions of higher learning; they are radioactive wastelands of hard-left indoctrination,” Spencer said.

Graffiti at the Powell Library on the UCLA campus on April 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Anti-Israel protests have broken out on college campuses nationwide, notably in New York City and at UCLA and USC in Los Angeles. Anti-Israel protests on Columbia University’s campus spiraled last month, when agitators were seen on camera with a poster outlining that Jewish students on campus would become Al-Qasam’s “next targets,” referring to terrorist organization Hamas’ military wing. That same weekend, a rabbi at Columbia warned Jewish students to leave campus immediately until the situation was quelled.

UCLA STUDENT SLAMS UNIVERSITY FOR ‘ENCOURAGING VIOLENCE,’ TURNING CAMPUS INTO ‘WAR ZONE’: ‘THIS IS A DISGRACE’

Protests also broke out on UCLA’s campus last month, including agitators establishing an encampment demanding the elite public school cut financial ties with Israel. Following a nine-hour standoff between radicals on campus, police were able to clear the encampment earlier this month and made hundreds of arrests.

CALIFORNIA STATE OFFICIALS CONDEMN VIOLENT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS AT UCLA

Weinberg joined “Fox & Friends” following police dismantling the encampment, saying the school was “encouraging students to engage in violence.”

“This is a disgrace. To me, this looks like a war zone,” Weinberg said. “It demonstrates to me that the school is run by a bunch of cowards… It demonstrates to me the lack of moral clarity, and it also demonstrates to me the degradation of our society.”

“They are encouraging students to engage in violence,” he said. “I know some students on the undergraduate level whose professors said, ‘Don’t worry about class. Just go to the protests and stand against Israel.’”

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

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Montana

Montana AG letter alleges Helena violates law banning ‘sanctuary cities’

Published

52 minutes ago

March 10, 2026

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Montana AG letter alleges Helena violates law banning ‘sanctuary cities’

HELENA — On Monday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sent a letter to the City of Helena claiming the municipality is not in compliance with the state’s law banning “sanctuary cities.” The letter comes just under a month after the State of Montana launched an investigation into a city resolution on Helena Police policy and Helena’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

In the letter, Knudsen laid out the ways he believes the city’s resolution violated state law. The attorney general gave Helena 15 days to respond or reverse the policy. If the city does not comply, his office will pursue legal action.

“Helena’s resolution appears to contain blatant violations of this law,” wrote Knudsen.

MTN News

On January 26, 2026, the City of Helena adopted a resolution clarifying when and how the Helena Police Department will cooperate with federal immigration officials. The vote was 4 to 1. The Helena commission seats and the mayor are elected in non-partisan races.

In the letter, Knudsen alleges the resolution established “a broad sanctuary city policy” that seeks to protect every illegal immigrant, regardless of whether the individual had committed a serious crime or not. The state further claims the resolution gives illegal immigrants “special privileges” in plea deals and establishes a “free-for-all policy” where a police officer can request the unmasking of Department of Homeland Security and ICE officers.

Knudsen has requested that the City of Helena, in their response, specifically describe in detail how the resolution complies with Montana law, provide emails and correspondence from city staff and the commission regarding the resolution.

Helena City manager Alana Lake told MTN in a statement: “The City of Helena is aware of the issues being raised by the Attorney General’s Office and is reviewing the matter. While we cannot discuss the details of a potential legal issue, the City is committed to transparency and compliance with the law. The City takes these matters seriously and will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities while remaining focused on serving our community.”

Passed in 2021, Montana House Bill 200 prohibits a state agency or local government from implementing any policy that prevents employees or departments from communicating with federal agencies regarding immigration or citizenship status for lawful purposes. It also states governments must comply with immigration detainer requests if they are lawfully made.

HB 200 was backed by Republicans and passed with only Republican votes. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the legislation into law on March 31, 2021.

Passage of the resolution by the Helena City Commission has drawn ire from conservative voices in Montana politics and on the national level.

The resolution said the commission supported the Helena Police Department avoiding “committing its resources to federal action for which it has no authority,” such as entering into an agreement with the federal government to directly enforce immigration laws. Under federal law, immigration enforcement is conducted by federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. However, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, state and local governments can voluntarily enter into 287 (g) agreements with the federal government that allow them to enforce immigration laws.

The commission further supported HPD’s policy not to stop, detain, or arrest a person solely on suspected violations of immigration law, including assisting other agencies in an arrest based solely on immigration law.

DEEPER LOOK: Helena has seen a growing debate over ICE and local police involvement

In the resolution, the commission also supported an HPD officer, using their own discretion, requesting the identification and unmasking of a Department of Homeland Security Officer if the HPD officer “feels it will not be interfering with the actions of federal officers exercising their jurisdiction.”

“This adversarial relationship by local law enforcement toward federal officers itself undermines public safety and forces immigration officers to fear for their safety when they are simply carrying out their lawful duties,” wrote Knudsen.

The resolution further supports the City of Helena’s policy not to consider immigration consequences in a plea agreement with a defendant.

The commission also supports the City of Helena not disclosing any sensitive information about any person – including immigration status, sexual orientation, or social security number – except as required by law.

“This is a restriction that directly conflicts with Montana’s prohibition on sanctuary jurisdictions, specifically ‘sending to, receiving from, exchanging with, or maintaining for a federal, state, or local government entity information regarding a person’s citizenship or immigration status for a lawful purpose,’” the attorney general wrote.

If a government is found to be violating Montana’s law banning “sanctuary cities”, the state could fine them $10,000 every five days, prevent them from receiving new grants from the state, and have their projects with the state re-prioritized. A government in violation can avoid penalties by becoming compliant with the law within 14 days of being notified of the violation.

Read the full letter from the Montana Attorney General to the City of Helena:

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Nevada

Visitors flock to Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada for rare superbloom

Published

1 hour ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Visitors flock to Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada for rare superbloom – CBS Baltimore

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Visitors are flocking to Death Valley National Park for a rare superbloom.

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New Mexico

Tanya Tucker to perform at New Mexico State Fair

Published

1 hour ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Tanya Tucker to perform at New Mexico State Fair

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will perform at the 2026 New Mexico State Fair, officials announced Tuesday.

Tucker will take to the stage Friday, Sept. 18, after the Chevron PRCA rodeo. The Grammy Award-winning icon has racked up 10 No. 1 country hits since her first hit, “Delta Dawn,” at age 13.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the legendary Tanya Tucker to the New Mexico State Fair,” said Dan Mourning, general manager of the New Mexico State Fair. “Tanya is one of the greatest icons in country music history and is the perfect fit for the Fair.”

Tucker has 23 Top-40 albums and 56 Top 40 singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has won two Country Music Association awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, three CMT Awards and two Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Song.

Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m.

Here is the full 2026 New Mexico State Fair rodeo-concert lineup:

Friday, Sept. 11

Turnpike Troubadours with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Saturday, Sept. 12

Ian Munsick with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Wednesday, Sept. 16

Chevron PRCA Standalone Rodeo

Thursday, Sept. 17

Everclear with Chevron PRCA Rodeo

Friday, Sept. 18

Tanya Tucker with Chevron PRCA Rodeo