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  11. <title>Washington Free Beacon</title>
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  31. <title>WATCH: Joe Biden&#039;s Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 91)</title>
  32. <link>https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-91/</link>
  33. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thaleigha Rampersad]]></dc:creator>
  34. <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 09:00:42 +0000</pubDate>
  35. <category><![CDATA[Biden Administration]]></category>
  36. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  37. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/</guid>
  38.  
  39. <description><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden doesn't know where he is or in which decade he is living. He certainly doesn't know the meaning of the words on the teleprompters he can barely read. "Four more years. Pause," the 81-year-old president said this week in what was merely his most recent Ron Burgundy moment.</p>
  40. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-91/">WATCH: Joe Biden&#039;s Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 91)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  41. ]]></description>
  42. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden doesn't know where he is or in which decade he is living. He certainly doesn't know the meaning of the words on the teleprompters he can barely read. "Four more years. Pause," the 81-year-old president said this week in what was merely his most recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3zfP14pLxc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron Burgundy</a> moment.</p>
  43. <p>This week Biden praised the work of "Schumer Leader" in the U.S. Senate, urged Americans to "choose freedom over democracy," and went on Howard Stern's radio show to brag about all the "very salacious photos" women used to send him. In other news, Biden's handlers have started <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/26/biden-walkers-white-house-marine-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener">walking</a> alongside him on the White House grounds in order to obscure his stiff-jointed old man gait. Everything is fine.</p>
  44. <p>Have a great weekend!</p>
  45. <p><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-90/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 90</strong></a></p>
  46. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-89/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 89</a></strong></p>
  47. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-88/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 88</a></strong></p>
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  131. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 4</a></strong></p>
  132. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-senior-moment-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 3</a></strong></p>
  133. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/joe-biden-senior-moment-video-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 2</a></strong></p>
  134. <p><strong><a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/joe-biden-senior-moment-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Biden's Senior Moment of the Week Vol. 1</a></strong></p>
  135. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watch-joe-bidens-senior-moment-of-the-week-vol-91/">WATCH: Joe Biden&#039;s Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 91)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  136. ]]></content:encoded>
  137. </item>
  138. <item>
  139. <title>Biden’s Pier Gets Pummeled—Along With His Foreign Policy</title>
  140. <link>https://freebeacon.com/columns/bidens-pier-gets-pummeled-along-with-his-foreign-policy/</link>
  141. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Watson]]></dc:creator>
  142. <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 09:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
  143. <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category>
  144. <category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
  145. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  146. <category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
  147. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  148. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  149. <category><![CDATA[National Security]]></category>
  150. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884588</guid>
  151.  
  152. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stung by the charge of indifference to Palestinian suffering, President Joe Biden attempted to refute the accusations during his State of the Union address. "It’s heartbreaking," he said about the cost of the war to Gazan civilians, so "tonight, I am directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier." This "would enable a massive increase" in the humanitarian assistance reaching the beleaguered people of Gaza.</p>
  153. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/columns/bidens-pier-gets-pummeled-along-with-his-foreign-policy/">Biden’s Pier Gets Pummeled—Along With His Foreign Policy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  154. ]]></description>
  155. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Stung by the charge of indifference to Palestinian suffering, President Joe Biden attempted to refute the accusations during his State of the Union address. "It’s heartbreaking," <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said</a> about the cost of the war to Gazan civilians, so "tonight, I am directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier." This "would enable a massive increase" in the humanitarian assistance reaching the beleaguered people of Gaza.</p>
  156. <p>This week, Hamas and its allies sent their reply to Biden: Drop dead. As preliminary construction started, terrorists bombarded the site, damaging several pieces of American equipment. This misadventure illustrates the core problem of Biden’s foreign policy. As much as some Democrats want to abandon Israel and cater to the Palestinians, the rest of the party realizes they cannot do it. Biden is trying to keep his party united by restraining Israel and loudly proclaiming his support for the people of Gaza. But his publicity stunts, like the pier project, are accomplishing very little. The region is still on the brink of war, and the Democrats’ Middle East consensus is faltering.</p>
  157. <p>Democrats care about the Palestinians as much or more than any of their neighbors in the region do, but the Biden team’s other ambitions outweigh those concerns. When Biden came into office, he and his team hoped to placate Iran enough to allow for a graceful exit from the Middle East. Much to their surprise, the Iranians contemptuously tossed aside several invitations to reenter the Obama nuclear deal. The administration nevertheless relaxed American sanctions. The mullahs pocketed the concessions, nearly quintupled their <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/irans-oil-exports-have-soared-during-quiet-diplomacy-with-u-s-7a430a60" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oil exports</a>, brought in tens of billions of dollars in revenue, and more than tripled their <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-hamas-secretly-built-mini-army-fight-israel-2023-10-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funding of Hamas</a>, from $100 million to $350 million the year before their murderous rampage. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser who had played a key role in the nuclear deal, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/us/politics/jake-sullivan-foreign-affairs-israel-middle-east.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confidently asserted</a> in <i>Foreign Affairs</i> on October 2 that the Middle East "is quieter than it has been for decades."</p>
  158. <p>When Hamas attacked Israel five days later, the entire Middle East came to the brink of all-out war. Much to the chagrin of the peaceniks, no one could prevent Israel from striking back entirely. The major question was if Jerusalem would retaliate against Hamas, who carried out the attack, or make Iran pay for its support of Hamas and ongoing campaign to destroy Israel. The Biden team, terrified of escalation and a wider war in the Middle East, made clear an Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza was more palatable than a region-wide confrontation with Iran. For the White House, destroying command posts that Hamas deliberately and systematically intermixed with civilian housing was better than forcing Hamas’s benefactors to stop and then sweeping out the weakened terrorists.</p>
  159. <p>This strategy has considerable downsides for the civilians caught in the crossfire, but it created some benefits for Biden. A serious confrontation with Iran's axis of resistance could tear apart the Democratic Party, which has made its belated opposition to the Iraq war a core part of its identity. The anti-Israel wing of the party is loud and growing in strength, but it is only a part of the larger faction that wants to appease Iran and get out of the region.</p>
  160. <p>The problem is Biden has divided that region. The war in Gaza stalled Israel's integration with its Arab neighbors, who are not going to tear up their relations with Israel but are prevented by public opinion from openly drawing closer to Jerusalem while the war rages. By contrast, when the Gulf Arabs <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/how-the-u-s-forged-a-fragile-middle-eastern-alliance-to-repel-irans-israel-attack-4a1fbc00" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provided</a> Israel with intelligence to stop Iran's recent barrage of hundreds of missiles and drones, and the Jordanians even shot down some Iranian munitions themselves, they showed that a substantial part of the Arab world is still willing to confront Iran as long as the Americans show up.</p>
  161. <p>Biden has tried to unite his party at the expense of this divide, but it is not clear how long he can do so. Thus far, he has tried to tap dance his way through the war by halfheartedly supporting Israel while loudly expressing his displeasure about the conduct of the war and undertaking publicity stunts like the Gaza pier. This has been too clever by half, alienating the Arab Americans in Michigan he is desperately trying to court for his reelection campaign while also disgusting considerable portions of the larger pro-Israel electorate—and dismaying his regional partners to boot.</p>
  162. <p>More trouble for Biden lurks around the corner. He may yet succeed in preventing an Israeli offensive in Rafah, which is the only realistic option for destroying Hamas but would likely cause tremendous collateral damage. At the same time, Hezbollah's missile and rocket attacks have made much of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/world/middleeast/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-border.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">northern Israel</a> uninhabitable, and so far Iran has not been willing to rein in its Lebanese minions. The region remains on the brink of the massive war that Biden is desperate to avoid.</p>
  163. <p>That war might force the United States to lead Israel and its Arab allies into battle against Iran, but it might also doom Biden's reelection chances. Regardless of the consequences of that war, if it happens, the Palestinians will not be anyone’s priority.</p>
  164. <p><i>Mike Watson is the associate director of Hudson Institute's Center for the Future of Liberal Society.</i></p>
  165. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/columns/bidens-pier-gets-pummeled-along-with-his-foreign-policy/">Biden’s Pier Gets Pummeled—Along With His Foreign Policy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  166. ]]></content:encoded>
  167. </item>
  168. <item>
  169. <title>UCLA Med School Launches Review Of ‘Health Equity’ Course But Warns That Whistleblowers Could Be Disciplined</title>
  170. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/ucla-med-school-launches-review-of-health-equity-course-but-warns-that-whistleblowers-could-be-disciplined/</link>
  171. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Sibarium]]></dc:creator>
  172. <pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 01:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
  173. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  174. <category><![CDATA[DEI]]></category>
  175. <category><![CDATA[Higher Education]]></category>
  176. <category><![CDATA[Medical Ethics]]></category>
  177. <category><![CDATA[UCLA]]></category>
  178. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884924</guid>
  179.  
  180. <description><![CDATA[<p>The University of California, Los Angeles medical school is launching a probe of its controversial "health equity" class—and warning whistleblowers they could be punished if any more information leaks about it. The dean of the medical school, Steven Dubinett, announced Friday that his office had formed a task force to review all first-year courses, including [&#8230;]</p>
  181. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/ucla-med-school-launches-review-of-health-equity-course-but-warns-that-whistleblowers-could-be-disciplined/">UCLA Med School Launches Review Of ‘Health Equity’ Course But Warns That Whistleblowers Could Be Disciplined</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  182. ]]></description>
  183. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The University of California, Los Angeles medical school is launching a probe of its controversial "health equity" class—and warning whistleblowers they could be punished if any more information leaks about it.</span></p>
  184. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The dean of the medical school, Steven Dubinett, announced Friday that his office had formed a task force to review all first-year courses, including "Structural Racism and Health Equity," after the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Washington Free Beacon </span></i><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/pedagogical-malpractice-inside-ucla-medical-schools-mandatory-health-equity-class/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">published</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> materials from the mandatory class. But the school isn’t happy about having its hand forced.</span></p>
  185. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Message-to-the-DGSOM-community.pdf">email to students and faculty</a>, Dubinett implied that the leaks were an "attempt to intimidate" the medical school and hinted that future leakers could face discipline—especially if they record lectures. </span></p>
  186. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Recording class sessions is not permitted without express consent from the instructor and class participants," Dubinett wrote. That warning appears to be a reference to an earlier incident in which a guest lecturer, Lisa Gray Garcia, led the required course in chants of "Free, Free Palestine" as well as a prayer to "Mamma Earth," part of which was </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/ucla-med-school-requires-students-to-attend-lecture-where-speaker-demands-prayer-for-mama-earth-leads-chants-of-free-palestine/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">caught on tape</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and thrust the course into the national spotlight.  </span></p>
  187. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Doxxing or publishing, posting or identifying private information of faculty, staff, trainees or students in any public forum, including social media, is contrary to UCLA policy and our core values of mutual respect and inclusion," Dubinett continued. "Guidelines for overseeing invited guest speakers are being developed that will address adherence to our policies."</span></p>
  188. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The veiled threats come days after the full syllabus for the course went viral online and sparked outrage from prominent doctors—including former Harvard Medical School dean Jeffrey Flier—who said it was filled with unscientific claptrap and called for an investigation. Leaked readings claimed that weight loss is a "hopeless endeavor," described "anti-capitalist politics" as a tenet of "disability justice," and advocated for abolishing the police. </span></p>
  189. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The syllabus was designed with input from Shamsher Samra, a professor of emergency medicine who has </span><a href="https://medium.com/@antiracistsatwork/the-struggle-for-palestinian-liberation-is-antiracism-work-35f195531d6d"><span style="font-weight: 400;">endorsed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> "Palestinians’ right to return" and </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34010780/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">published research</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on the "health of border abolition." Though the course initially included an exercise that separated students by race, that lesson was canceled in January after it </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ucla-school-of-medicine-antiracism-course-do-no-harm-office-of-civil-rights-8143c3ae"><span style="font-weight: 400;">became the subject </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">of a local civil rights complaint.</span></p>
  190. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Disturbed in part by the incident with Gray-Garcia, some Jewish faculty at the medical school have </span><a href="https://jewishjournal.com/community/370323/jewish-ucla-faculty-speak-out-against-antisemitism-during-uc-regents-health-committee-meeting/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">spoken out</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> against the course, saying it perpetuates an "oppressor vs. oppressed" framework that fuels anti-Semitism. Dubinett alluded to those concerns in his email on Friday, which he said had been sparked by "tensions" over "the conflict in the Middle East." Like many university administrators since the October 7 attacks, he did not mention Jews specifically and appeared to suggest that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia were equally widespread, condemning them both in the same breath.</span></p>
  191. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We reiterate our stance against racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination, harassment, intimidation or retaliation," Dubinett wrote. "We have an unwavering commitment to raise awareness of the persistent structural factors and social drivers that cause disproportionate disease and poor outcomes among marginalized communities."</span></p>
  192. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">UCLA medical school did not respond to a request for comment.</span></p>
  193. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The email, which was also signed by UCLA Health CEO John Mazziotta, said the school would be responding to concerns about anti-Semitism by giving diversity officials more say in the curriculum.</span></p>
  194. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"JEDI teams and vice chairs will provide input for course lecturers and course topics to strengthen medical school course stands," the email says, referring to the medical school’s office of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. That office sponsored a </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/revolutionary-suicide-ucla-psychiatrists-cheer-self-immolation-in-leaked-audio/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">talk this month</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that glorified self-immolation as a form of "revolutionary suicide" and told psychiatrists to "embed your practice with an anti-colonial lens."</span></p>
  195. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Fostering a safe, respectful and professional environment is essential for training our future physicians," Dubinett wrote. "Our missions in education, research, clinical care and community engagement are our highest priorities."</span></p>
  196. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/ucla-med-school-launches-review-of-health-equity-course-but-warns-that-whistleblowers-could-be-disciplined/">UCLA Med School Launches Review Of ‘Health Equity’ Course But Warns That Whistleblowers Could Be Disciplined</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  197. ]]></content:encoded>
  198. </item>
  199. <item>
  200. <title>Columbia Student Protesters Demand an Apology From President Shafik: &#039;We Believe That It&#039;s on the Table&#039;</title>
  201. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-demand-an-apology-from-president-shafik-we-believe-that-its-on-the-table/</link>
  202. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Costescu]]></dc:creator>
  203. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:26:56 +0000</pubDate>
  204. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  205. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  206. <category><![CDATA[BDS]]></category>
  207. <category><![CDATA[College Students]]></category>
  208. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  209. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  210. <category><![CDATA[Higher Education]]></category>
  211. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  212. <category><![CDATA[Police]]></category>
  213. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  214. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884882</guid>
  215.  
  216. <description><![CDATA[<p>Student leaders behind the Columbia University "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment revealed a new demand in their negotiations with school officials: an apology letter from president Minouche Shafik, which they say is "on the table" as they remain in the encampment more than a week after launching it.</p>
  217. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-demand-an-apology-from-president-shafik-we-believe-that-its-on-the-table/">Columbia Student Protesters Demand an Apology From President Shafik: &#039;We Believe That It&#039;s on the Table&#039;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  218. ]]></description>
  219. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>MANHATTAN—Student leaders behind the Columbia University "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment revealed a new demand in their negotiations with school officials: an apology letter from president Minouche Shafik, which they say is "on the table" as they remain in the encampment more than a week after launching it.</p>
  220. <p>"This is the right thing for the university president to do. It's not an expectation, it's a demand, and we believe that it's on the table," said Mahmoud Khalil, an international student who is leading negotiations with the school on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest.</p>
  221. <p>"Now, we are in negotiation about the language of that letter … to actually apologize to the Columbia community, not necessarily for the pro-Palestine community, but about the damage that has been done here on campus."</p>
  222. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  223. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Student organizers demand president Shafik apologize for 'the damage that has been done here on campus." <a href="https://t.co/jt8HqwwOL6">pic.twitter.com/jt8HqwwOL6</a></p>
  224. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783962618589282418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  225. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  226. <p>Such an apology from Shafik would mark a stunning turnaround roughly 10 days after she testified before Congress on campus anti-Semitism. Shafik pledged to take action to combat the issue and condemned chants such as, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," as well as calls for "intifada," which students have espoused from the encampment.</p>
  227. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  228. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">'There is only one solution. Intifada revolution."</p>
  229. <p>'Long live the intifada." <a href="https://t.co/BynAcaf3wG">pic.twitter.com/BynAcaf3wG</a></p>
  230. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783683783218155767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  231. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  232. <p>As she testified, student protesters assembled the unauthorized encampment that has plagued the school ever since. While Shafik sent in New York City police to arrest participants shortly thereafter, students quickly rebuilt the encampment. Shafik has thus far declined to bring police to campus again.</p>
  233. <p>Khalil revealed the demand for Shafik to apologize during a Friday afternoon press conference, which came roughly 12 hours after Shafik's deadline to clear the encampment <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-lets-48-hour-deadline-slide-with-no-action-against-student-protesters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came and went without incident</a>. Khalil said he is now engaged in "open negotiation" with the university with no looming deadline.</p>
  234. <p>"The 48 hour period is now off the table, and it's an open negotiation with the university?" a reporter asked Khalil. "Exactly. Now we are in an open negotiation with the administration," he replied. "Again, we don't trust this university to uphold its word."</p>
  235. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  236. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">48-hour deadline is off the table: 'Now we are in an open negotiation with the administration." <a href="https://t.co/p5CzvIQiBV">pic.twitter.com/p5CzvIQiBV</a></p>
  237. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783963588215906664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  238. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  239. <p>With no deadline, it's unclear how or when the encampment will end. Columbia officials have repeatedly denied claims that they've authorized law enforcement to come back to campus, though Khalil said the school has given no assurances that they will refrain from doing so in the future.</p>
  240. <p>"As of now there are no assurances from the university that no NYPD or any other law enforcement, including the National Guard, will be brought into the university."</p>
  241. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  242. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;As of now there are no assurances from the university that no NYPD or any other law enforcement, including the National Guard, will be brought into the university.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/V1guR00Nea">pic.twitter.com/V1guR00Nea</a></p>
  243. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783964467576848489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  244. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  245. <p>The conclusion could depend on Columbia's willingness to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/divestment-israel-college-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divest from companies</a> that do business with Israel, including corporate giants such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Khalil said divestment negotiations are at an "impasse."</p>
  246. <p>"Since we returned to the table yesterday, we made progress with the university. It's not a significant progress," Khalil said. "In some areas regarding the statement of the president, there is some progress."</p>
  247. <p>"However, our main demand—divestment from the Israeli occupation—there's an impasse in that one particular demand."</p>
  248. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  249. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Negotiations are at an 'impasse," with very little progress made. <a href="https://t.co/nGDlMO1WFQ">pic.twitter.com/nGDlMO1WFQ</a></p>
  250. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783965225324048489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  251. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  252. <p>Columbia University did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
  253. <p>As open negotiations continue, Khalil assured Shafik that the student protesters will not back down.</p>
  254. <p>"When they tried to clear it last week, we prevailed," Khalil said. "If they want to once again bring NYPD or any law enforcement, we will prevail."</p>
  255. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  256. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;When they tried to clear it last week (the encampment,) we prevailed … If they want to once again bring NYPD or any law enforcement, we will prevail.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nqQXHE1YRL">pic.twitter.com/nqQXHE1YRL</a></p>
  257. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783966004122439955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  258. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  259. <p>Organizers were also asked about undergraduate Khymani James—a protest leader who has <a href="https://x.com/CampusJewHate/status/1783559288071319650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for the death of "Zionists"—but referred reporters to Columbia University Apartheid Divest's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6OjM0KOfcC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on the matter.</p>
  260. <p>"Khymani’s words in January do not reflect his views, our values, nor the encampment’s community agreements," the group said. "We are students with a right to learn and grow. In the same way some of us were once Zionists and are now anti-Zionists, we believe unlearning is always possible and that no human being is static."</p>
  261. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-demand-an-apology-from-president-shafik-we-believe-that-its-on-the-table/">Columbia Student Protesters Demand an Apology From President Shafik: &#039;We Believe That It&#039;s on the Table&#039;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  262. ]]></content:encoded>
  263. </item>
  264. <item>
  265. <title>Northwestern Professors Encourage Students To Skip Class To Join Anti-Israel Encampment</title>
  266. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/northwestern-professors-encourage-students-to-skip-class-to-join-anti-israel-encampment/</link>
  267. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Alana Goodman]]></dc:creator>
  268. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 20:20:48 +0000</pubDate>
  269. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  270. <category><![CDATA[Activists]]></category>
  271. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  272. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  273. <category><![CDATA[Jewish Community]]></category>
  274. <category><![CDATA[Northwestern]]></category>
  275. <category><![CDATA[Northwestern Law School]]></category>
  276. <category><![CDATA[Professors]]></category>
  277. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  278. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884651</guid>
  279.  
  280. <description><![CDATA[<p>Northwestern University professors are encouraging students to skip classes to attend anti-Israel demonstrations on campus, and some are even moving their lessons to the site of the protest encampment, according to emails obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.</p>
  281. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/northwestern-professors-encourage-students-to-skip-class-to-join-anti-israel-encampment/">Northwestern Professors Encourage Students To Skip Class To Join Anti-Israel Encampment</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  282. ]]></description>
  283. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Northwestern University professors are encouraging students to skip classes to attend anti-Israel demonstrations on campus, and some are even moving their lessons to the site of the protest encampment, according to emails obtained by the <i>Washington Free Beacon</i>.</p>
  284. <p>The faculty messages are in defiance of campus administrators and police, who warned they would arrest trespassers who set up an anti-Israel tent city on Northwestern's Deering Meadow lawn on Thursday. Campus police have yet to remove over 100 protesters who gathered there as of Friday afternoon, as professors encouraged their students to join in.</p>
  285. <p>"In light of artist tradition, studies, activism, and movements, tomorrow discussion will be held in Deering Meadow," wrote Isaac Vazquez, a Northwestern art history lecturer, in an email to students on Thursday. "If you're already there, I'll see you."</p>
  286. <p>Graduate student lecturer Maximiliano Cervantes emailed students that "class will be canceled tomorrow. I welcome everyone to join in front of Deering during class. This is relevant to Professor Feldman's lecture on art and action."</p>
  287. <p>In another email, assistant law professor Jesse Yeh told his students to let him know if they "need to miss class or need extension on your assignment for any reason."</p>
  288. <p>"This includes if you need to miss class for an extended period of time to exercise your right to protest," he added. "In Solidarity."</p>
  289. <p>Faculty members have openly joined the encampment and on Thursday even fought with police who attempted to approach the protesters.</p>
  290. <p>Northwestern journalism professor Steven Thrasher, who has written for the <i>New York Times</i> and been interviewed on NPR, was filmed scuffling with police trying to enter the encampment, according to video reviewed by the <i>Free Beacon</i>.</p>
  291. <p>Thrasher encouraged other professors to form a human chain to prevent police from arresting the protesters.</p>
  292. <p>"We locked arms and kept the police at bay. They retreated. 24 hours later the camp is still up," he <a href="https://twitter.com/thrasherxy/status/1783844020386505196" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. "We will continue to protect our students. We will put our bodies on the line to protect our students."</p>
  293. <p>Even though the administration warned participants that they would be arrested, the encampments continued to grow through Friday, with activists announcing that they have no intention of backing down.</p>
  294. <p>"We are officially entering our second day in the liberation zone and are committed to staying as long as it takes for [Northwestern] to accept our demands," the protest organizers wrote in a post on Telegram.</p>
  295. <p>A Northwestern spokesman told the <em>Free Beacon</em> that the school is aware of these incidents and is taking action.</p>
  296. <p>"We are aware of a small number of instances in which such emails were sent to students. We have conveyed with departments and programs that this is completely inappropriate," Northwestern spokesman Jon Yates told the <em>Free Beacon</em>.</p>
  297. <p>The university is also investigating Thrasher's confrontation with police.</p>
  298. <p>"We are investigating and if [Thrasher] used force on University personnel, he will be disciplined," said Yates.</p>
  299. <p>Alumni and student parents have accused Northwestern president Michael Schill of failing to combat anti-Semitism on campus, where anti-Israel protesters have <a href="https://twitter.com/OGAride/status/1721047935314710892" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> the Hamas flag at student demonstrations. The Department of Education is investigating alleged anti-Jewish incidents at the school.</p>
  300. <p>Wendy Khabie, the mother of a Northwestern student and a member of a group called the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern, said she was concerned about Jewish students' safety on campus.</p>
  301. <p>Images from the protests have shown activists promoting terrorism and anti-Semitic violence. One protester on Thursday was photographed wearing a shirt with a picture of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida.</p>
  302. <p>"The administration is not handling this the way it should be handled," Khabie told the <i>Free Beacon</i> on Friday. "They met for hours with members of the protesting encampment … that hasn't helped, that hasn't worked."</p>
  303. <p>"Make good on your word," she said, referring to administrators. Trespassers "were warned that arrests would be made."</p>
  304. <p>Witnesses said Northwestern police are also refusing to enforce basic laws at the encampment, for fear of provoking the crowd. A local man, John Brinkman, told the <i>Free Beacon</i> that a protester sneaked up behind him and stole American and Israeli flags that he was carrying near the encampment.</p>
  305. <p>The American flag belonged to Brinkman's father, a Korean War veteran, and had been in the family for 80 years, Brinkman said.</p>
  306. <p>Brinkman said he asked police to help him retrieve the flags—which the protester had stashed in a tent—but the officers were under orders to "stand down due to administrative directives."</p>
  307. <p>"They were not allowed to intervene … they said it would be basically an act of provocation," Brinkman said. "Obviously I'll never get my hands back on [the flags]."</p>
  308. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/northwestern-professors-encourage-students-to-skip-class-to-join-anti-israel-encampment/">Northwestern Professors Encourage Students To Skip Class To Join Anti-Israel Encampment</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  309. ]]></content:encoded>
  310. </item>
  311. <item>
  312. <title>Biden Walks With Aides To Hide &#039;Halting and Stiff Gait&#039;: Report</title>
  313. <link>https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-walks-with-aides-to-hide-halting-and-stiff-gait-report/</link>
  314. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matthew Xiao]]></dc:creator>
  315. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 20:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
  316. <category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
  317. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  318. <category><![CDATA[White House]]></category>
  319. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884750</guid>
  320.  
  321. <description><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden is now having aides walk with him across the South Lawn in an effort to minimize public focus on his "halting and stiff gait," according to a Friday report.</p>
  322. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-walks-with-aides-to-hide-halting-and-stiff-gait-report/">Biden Walks With Aides To Hide &#039;Halting and Stiff Gait&#039;: Report</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  323. ]]></description>
  324. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden is now having aides walk with him across the South Lawn in an effort to minimize public focus on his "halting and stiff gait," according to a Friday report.</p>
  325. <p>"With aides walking between Biden and journalists' camera position outside the White House, the visual effect is to draw less attention to the 81-year-old's halting and stiff gait," <em>Axios</em> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/26/biden-walkers-white-house-marine-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> in the report.</p>
  326. <p>For more than three years, Biden has mostly walked alone across the South Lawn to get to the presidential helicopter, Marine One, when departing from and returning to the White House. Beginning in mid-April, however, the president was accompanied by staffers or lawmakers 9 out of 10 times he walked to and from the helicopter, obscuring him from camera view.</p>
  327. <p>White House spokesman Andrew Bates downplayed the change, saying that Biden has been "fully visible except for a few seconds" during his recent walks.</p>
  328. <p>But even some of Biden's advisers have raised concerns about videos that show the president's awkward walking style, according to the report. The videos may accentuate public perceptions about Biden being too old to serve four more years as president, unnamed advisers suggested to <em>Axios</em>.</p>
  329. <p>Biden's doctor in late February released a report that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/politics/biden-health-physical.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attributed</a> the president's stiff gait and occasional halting to "significant spinal arthritis, mild post-fracture foot arthritis and a mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet."</p>
  330. <p>A <em>New York Times</em>/Siena College poll in March <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/us/politics/biden-age-trump-poll.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that 73 percent of registered voters say that Biden is "too old to be an effective president," with only 42 percent of respondents saying the same about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.</p>
  331. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-walks-with-aides-to-hide-halting-and-stiff-gait-report/">Biden Walks With Aides To Hide &#039;Halting and Stiff Gait&#039;: Report</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  332. ]]></content:encoded>
  333. </item>
  334. <item>
  335. <title>Biden Changes Tone, Says He Would Be &#039;Happy&#039; To Debate Trump</title>
  336. <link>https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-changes-tone-says-he-would-be-happy-to-debate-trump/</link>
  337. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Washington Free Beacon Staff]]></dc:creator>
  338. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
  339. <category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
  340. <category><![CDATA[2024 Election]]></category>
  341. <category><![CDATA[Debate]]></category>
  342. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  343. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  344. <category><![CDATA[Swing State]]></category>
  345. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884666</guid>
  346.  
  347. <description><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden said Friday that he would be "happy" to debate former president Donald Trump ahead of the November election.</p>
  348. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-changes-tone-says-he-would-be-happy-to-debate-trump/">Biden Changes Tone, Says He Would Be &#039;Happy&#039; To Debate Trump</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  349. ]]></description>
  350. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>President Joe Biden said Friday that he would be "happy" to debate former president Donald Trump ahead of the November election.</p>
  351. <p>Radio host Howard Stern raised the question during his interview with Biden. "I am somewhere, I don't know when, but I'm happy to debate him," Biden <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1783883142585012254" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a>.</p>
  352. <p>Biden had long been circumspect about whether he would debate the presumptive GOP nominee. When asked the same question last month, Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/08/remarks-by-president-biden-before-air-force-one-departure-joint-base-andrews-md-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, "It depends on his behavior."</p>
  353. <p>Trump, who did not participate in the Republican primary debates, has repeatedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/us/politics/biden-debate-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenged</a> Biden, saying he will debate the president "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."</p>
  354. <p>Earlier this month, a group of television networks and other news organizations took the unusual step of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/14/media/news-organizations-post-open-letter-urging-biden-and-trump-to-debate-ahead-of-2024-election/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posting</a> an open letter that urged Trump and Biden to debate ahead of the election.</p>
  355. <p>Trump campaign official Chris LaCivita responded to the news on X, formerly Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/lacivitac/status/1783880838410653877?s=46&amp;t=Azo0d1U5RN8XRFQ65gJKiA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a>, "Ok let's set it up!"</p>
  356. <p>Recent <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/04/25/realclearpolitics_new_polls_show_trump_ahead_in_six_of_seven_swing_states.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polling</a> shows Trump tied with Biden nationally, with Trump ahead in six of seven swing states.</p>
  357. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-changes-tone-says-he-would-be-happy-to-debate-trump/">Biden Changes Tone, Says He Would Be &#039;Happy&#039; To Debate Trump</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  358. ]]></content:encoded>
  359. </item>
  360. <item>
  361. <title>Guest Column: Help! The Anti-Semitic Freak Leading Protests at Columbia Is Holding Me Captive as His &#039;Emotional Support&#039; Slave</title>
  362. <link>https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/satire/guest-column-help-the-anti-semitic-freak-leading-protests-at-columbia-is-holding-me-captive-as-his-emotional-support-slave/</link>
  363. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrew Stiles]]></dc:creator>
  364. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
  365. <category><![CDATA[Satire]]></category>
  366. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  367. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  368. <category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
  369. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  370. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  371. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/</guid>
  372.  
  373. <description><![CDATA[<p>This week the Washington Free Beacon reported on Aidan Parisi, a leading figure in the anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University, refused to leave campus after being suspended for supporting terrorism. The 27-year-old student told the New York Times he was "fighting his eviction" because he couldn't bear the thought of having to find new housing "that would accept his emotional support rabbit."</p>
  374. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/satire/guest-column-help-the-anti-semitic-freak-leading-protests-at-columbia-is-holding-me-captive-as-his-emotional-support-slave/">Guest Column: Help! The Anti-Semitic Freak Leading Protests at Columbia Is Holding Me Captive as His &#039;Emotional Support&#039; Slave</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  375. ]]></description>
  376. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This week the <em>Washington Free Beacon </em>reported that <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/he-refused-to-leave-columbia-when-he-was-suspended-two-weeks-later-hes-still-there-and-leading-the-protests-roiling-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aidan Parisi</a>, a leading figure in the anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University, refused to leave campus after being suspended for supporting terrorism. The 27-year-old student told the <em>New York Times </em>he was "fighting his eviction" because he couldn't bear the thought of having to find new housing "that would accept his emotional support rabbit."</p>
  377. <p>We reached out to the rabbit, who goes by Arnold despite wearing a tiny keffiyeh that says "Señor Kween Arafat, Esq.," and asked him to weigh in on the controversy. He provided the following statement:</p>
  378. <p><em>My fellow Americans,</em></p>
  379. <p><em>You have not known true despair until you've been held captive in a rank college dorm room, forced to perform "emotional support" services for a loudmouth moron with nonconforming gender orientation, and a "stay woke" tattoo, when all you can do is listen to the mob of freaks outside demanding someone else's "liberation" and the death of all Jews.</em></p>
  380. <p><em>No one wants to die a slave. I certainly don't, but the feckless cowards at Columbia University are determined to inflict on me this tragic fate. My human master, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/he-refused-to-leave-columbia-when-he-was-suspended-two-weeks-later-hes-still-there-and-leading-the-protests-roiling-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aidan Parisi</a>, was suspended earlier this month but has refused to leave. Alas, the people in charge don't have the balls to enforce their own decisions. If they actually made him leave, I could seek temporary refuge with a friend or neighbor. Maybe they would do the merciful thing and put me out of my misery.</em></p>
  381. <p><em>If you're reading this, what I beg of you—what I'm demanding—is the following: 1) freedom to choose my own master, 2) comfortable quarters and an area in which to relieve myself, 3) an attractive female girlfriend with whom to fornicate, 4) relocation to anywhere outside New York City. The dorms here smell like weed and body odor; the "fresh air" smells like trash. </em></p>
  382. <p><em>Please release me from this hell. </em><em>You would not believe the conversations I've had to sit through while being poked and prodded, debates over questions like "if a hot terrorist slid into your DMs would you send nudes?" I'm a longtime Whitney Houston fan, and I really can't take another a cappella rendition of "I Will Always Hunts Jews," or even worse, that other one that goes like:</em></p>
  383. <p><em>Had to have high, high hopes Intifada<br aria-hidden="true" />River to the sea, no Jews, no nada<br />
  384. Rockets in the sky, genocide in Gaza</em><em><br aria-hidden="true" />Always had high, high hopes<br aria-hidden="true" /></em></p>
  385. <p><em>Aidan has never finished reading a book. He's never watched an entire film, or listened to a single song in its entirety. </em><em>I don't think these people have any idea what they're protesting. They just don't have anything better to do. These moments are like the big game for people who never played sports. I would never choose to hang out with these entitled brats. I'm tired of suffering while they do civil rights era cosplay for terrorism. For the love of God, deliver me from evil.      </em></p>
  386. <p><i>Sincerely,</i></p>
  387. <p><em>Arnold, aka Señor Kween Arafat, Esq.</em></p>
  388. <p><em>Emotional Support Bunny</em></p>
  389. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/satire/guest-column-help-the-anti-semitic-freak-leading-protests-at-columbia-is-holding-me-captive-as-his-emotional-support-slave/">Guest Column: Help! The Anti-Semitic Freak Leading Protests at Columbia Is Holding Me Captive as His &#039;Emotional Support&#039; Slave</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  390. ]]></content:encoded>
  391. </item>
  392. <item>
  393. <title>ALERT: Jeffrey Toobin Back on Zoom (NSFW)</title>
  394. <link>https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/media/alert-jeffrey-toobin-back-on-zoom-nsfw/</link>
  395. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrew Stiles]]></dc:creator>
  396. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:15:58 +0000</pubDate>
  397. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  398. <category><![CDATA[Satire]]></category>
  399. <category><![CDATA[CNN]]></category>
  400. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  401. <category><![CDATA[Jeffrey Toobin]]></category>
  402. <category><![CDATA[MSNBC]]></category>
  403. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/</guid>
  404.  
  405. <description><![CDATA[<p>Jeffrey Toobin, the former CNN legal analyst who defiled himself (and his entire dumb profession) by masturbating on a Zoom call with colleagues, is officially back on the video conferencing platform.</p>
  406. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/media/alert-jeffrey-toobin-back-on-zoom-nsfw/">ALERT: Jeffrey Toobin Back on Zoom (NSFW)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  407. ]]></description>
  408. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>Warning</strong>: The following contains graphic descriptions that may be disturbing to some readers. </em></p>
  409. <p>Jeffrey Toobin, the former CNN legal analyst who defiled himself (and his entire dumb profession) by masturbating on a Zoom call with colleagues, is officially back on the video conferencing platform.</p>
  410. <p><em>Politico</em> magazine <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/04/23/anti-trump-legal-pundits-calls-00153300" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Toobin, who regularly appears on CNN despite being fired by the network in 2022, has been joining other anti-Trump law pundits on a weekly Zoom call to coordinate messaging on CNN, MSNBC, and other left-wing media platforms.</p>
  411. <p>Norm Eisen, a former Obama adviser and CNN legal analyst who helped Democrats prosecute Trump's first impeachment trial, hosts the off-the-record sessions. Along with Toobin, regular attendees include anti-Trump commentator Bill Kristol, left-wing Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, and Lincoln Project cofounder George Conway. That sounds an awful lot like <em>collusion</em>.</p>
  412. <p>This past week, Toobin and his legal conspirators have been discussing Trump's latest trial in New York City, which involved alleged payments of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, with whom Trump was allegedly having an affair. CNN made sure to invite Toobin to provide analysis, given his experience in the field of mistress bribery.</p>
  413. <p>Toobin, who routinely provides expert commentary on abortion as well, reportedly offered his much younger mistress "money if she'd have an abortion" after getting her pregnant with his child in 2008. This was after the CNN journalist "questioned the paternity, balked at submitting to a test, and vowed to take no responsibility for a baby he wasn't sure was his," according to the <em>New York Times</em>.</p>
  414. <p>These other legal pundits had better watch out, for a couple of reasons: 1) You never know what Toobin is going to do on a Zoom call when he thinks no one is watching, and 2) The mistress who got pregnant, Casey Greenfield, was the daughter of Toobin's colleague at CNN. Ick.</p>
  415. <p><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1884468" src="https://s2.freebeacon.com/up/2024/04/toobin-zoom2.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="500" srcset="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2.jpg 1000w, https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2-300x150.jpg 300w, https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2-768x384.jpg 768w, https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2-736x368.jpg 736w, https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2-700x350.jpg 700w, https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toobin-zoom2-50x25.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  416. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/media/alert-jeffrey-toobin-back-on-zoom-nsfw/">ALERT: Jeffrey Toobin Back on Zoom (NSFW)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  417. ]]></content:encoded>
  418. </item>
  419. <item>
  420. <title>Columbia Lets 48-Hour Deadline Slide With No Action Against Student Protesters</title>
  421. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-lets-48-hour-deadline-slide-with-no-action-against-student-protesters/</link>
  422. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Costescu]]></dc:creator>
  423. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:05:34 +0000</pubDate>
  424. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  425. <category><![CDATA[Activists]]></category>
  426. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  427. <category><![CDATA[College Students]]></category>
  428. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  429. <category><![CDATA[Professors]]></category>
  430. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  431. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884549</guid>
  432.  
  433. <description><![CDATA[<p>More than a week after its formation, the "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment at Columbia University lives on, with school president Minouche Shafik letting her 48-hour deadline to clear the area slide without taking action against student protesters.</p>
  434. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-lets-48-hour-deadline-slide-with-no-action-against-student-protesters/">Columbia Lets 48-Hour Deadline Slide With No Action Against Student Protesters</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  435. ]]></description>
  436. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>MANHATTAN—More than a week after its formation, the "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment at Columbia University lives on, with school president Minouche Shafik letting her 48-hour deadline to clear the area slide without taking action against student protesters.</p>
  437. <p>Student protesters celebrated another night in the encampment late Thursday with chants of "There is only one solution, intifada revolution" and "Long live the intifada." Those chants came just hours before the university's 48-hour deadline to clear the encampment was set to expire.</p>
  438. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  439. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">'There is only one solution. Intifada revolution."</p>
  440. <p>'Long live the intifada." <a href="https://t.co/BynAcaf3wG">pic.twitter.com/BynAcaf3wG</a></p>
  441. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783683783218155767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  442. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  443. <p>The students appeared to prepare for their arrest as the deadline approached, with student leaders informing protesters of their "jail support infrastructure." Instead, Columbia officials <a href="https://communications.news.columbia.edu/news/campus-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a statement</a> just before midnight saying their talks with the protesters "have shown progress and are continuing as planned."</p>
  444. <p>"There is a rumor that the NYPD has been invited to campus this evening," the school said. "This rumor is false."</p>
  445. <p>The student group coalition behind the protest, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, celebrated the announcement in an Instagram post with the caption "NO SWEEP TONIGHT."</p>
  446. <p><img loading="lazy" src="https://s1.freebeacon.com/up/2024/04/IMG_4200-473x1024.png" alt="" width="473" height="1024" /></p>
  447. <p>It is now unclear whether the school has another deadline set for students to clear the encampment, which they formed on April 17, the day of Shafik's congressional testimony on campus anti-Semitism.</p>
  448. <p>While Shafik authorized New York City police to enter campus and arrest unauthorized participants one day later, the student protesters quickly formed another camp, which has stayed up since.</p>
  449. <p>Students prepared for another wave of arrests Tuesday night, pledging to "defend the encampment" and "rally" for their "comrades." But those arrests never came, with Shafik pushing back a midnight deadline to clear the encampment—first to 8 a.m., then to 48 hours.</p>
  450. <p>Late Thursday night, Shafik issued the statement saying the negotiations between the university and the student protesters "have shown progress" and are ongoing. Columbia University did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
  451. <p>The students are also targeting the school through Palestine Legal, a nonprofit that represents students who "stand for justice in Palestine." The group <a href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2024/4/25/columbia-students-file-civil-rights-complaint-after-nypd-arrests-national-guard-threat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a civil rights complaint against the New York Police Department over the arrest of more than 100 students, who were also suspended by the university. The group is representing four Columbia students and the school's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.</p>
  452. <p>"Today, Palestine Legal filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights," the group said in a Thursday statement, "demanding an investigation into Columbia University's discriminatory treatment of Palestinian students and their allies, including by inviting NYPD officers in riot gear … to arrest over a hundred students peacefully protesting Israel's genocide last week."</p>
  453. <p>Protests held near the entrance to Columbia's campus have <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/arab-israeli-journalist-assaulted-at-columbia-university-forced-to-cancel-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned violent</a>. Last week, Arab-Israeli journalist Yoseph Haddad was pushed, punched in the face, and told to kill himself during an encounter with people he called "pro-terrorist protesters'' positioned near the Columbia gates. Haddad was scheduled to speak on campus that night but was forced to cancel the event.</p>
  454. <p>Within the campus gates, meanwhile, a group of Jewish students was <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-university-campus-unravels-in-face-of-anti-semitic-eliminationist-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">targeted by student protesters</a> over the weekend. The group went out on campus Saturday night with an Israeli flag, which was stolen. Pro-Hamas agitators later attempted to burn it. The group was assaulted, splashed with water, and followed by protesters, according to one of the students.</p>
  455. <p>At a press conference led by student protesters Thursday afternoon, organizers <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-urge-reporters-to-leave-campus-schedule-presser-for-12-hours-after-expiration-of-schools-negotiation-deadline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they "will remain in this encampment until we achieve all of our demands," which are for Columbia "to divest, disclose, and amnesty for all" students and faculty disciplined. The students have also scheduled another presser for 2:30 p.m. Friday.</p>
  456. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-lets-48-hour-deadline-slide-with-no-action-against-student-protesters/">Columbia Lets 48-Hour Deadline Slide With No Action Against Student Protesters</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  457. ]]></content:encoded>
  458. </item>
  459. <item>
  460. <title>Exclusive: Notes From Princeton Activists Show Coordination Between Campus Radicals and Outside Groups Aimed at Outfoxing University Administrators</title>
  461. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/exclusive-notes-from-princeton-activists-show-coordination-between-campus-radicals-and-outside-groups-aimed-at-outfoxing-university-administrators/</link>
  462. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Sibarium]]></dc:creator>
  463. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:23:19 +0000</pubDate>
  464. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  465. <category><![CDATA[Activists]]></category>
  466. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Semitism]]></category>
  467. <category><![CDATA[College Campuses]]></category>
  468. <category><![CDATA[College Students]]></category>
  469. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  470. <category><![CDATA[Princeton]]></category>
  471. <category><![CDATA[Professors]]></category>
  472. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  473. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884387</guid>
  474.  
  475. <description><![CDATA[<p>Organizers of the Columbia University encampment advised activists at Princeton on how to take over their own campus, giving them tips on disrupting university operations and stressing that there is "safety in numbers," according to documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.</p>
  476. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/exclusive-notes-from-princeton-activists-show-coordination-between-campus-radicals-and-outside-groups-aimed-at-outfoxing-university-administrators/">Exclusive: Notes From Princeton Activists Show Coordination Between Campus Radicals and Outside Groups Aimed at Outfoxing University Administrators</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  477. ]]></description>
  478. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Organizers of the Columbia University encampment advised activists at Princeton on how to take over their own campus, giving them tips on disrupting university operations and stressing that there is "safety in numbers," according to documents obtained by the <i>Washington Free Beacon</i>.</p>
  479. <p>The tips were dispensed last week during a meeting between Aditi Rao, a Ph.D. student at Princeton who has <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231027085431/https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/10/princeton-news-broadfocus-israel-palestine-walkout-protest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> calls for intifada, and members of Columbia's encampment. Rao relayed the advice to her fellow Princeton activists in a strategy session last Saturday, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Camp-Meeting-4_20.html.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes from which</a> were obtained by the <i>Free Beacon</i>.</p>
  480. <p>The Columbia organizers had spent weeks hashing out a plan to kneecap the university's core functions and put administrators in an impossible position. If activists at Princeton wanted to pull off a similar coup, there were some things they should know.</p>
  481. <p>Pick a site "that is public and that [the] University needs," Columbia's organizers advised, noting that they had targeted the quad where commencement takes place. "Don't pick the site of historic occupations," such as libraries or the president's office, since the university will simply move its operations to a "different building."</p>
  482. <p>Finding the right target could take time, the organizers said. At Columbia, they were "planning for over a month."</p>
  483. <p>The meeting notes, which have not been previously reported, are part of a tranche of documents that detail how a highly organized group of activists—including dozens of faculty—planned to paralyze Princeton by copying the Columbia playbook. Key to their strategy was the anticipated fecklessness of administrators, who at Columbia have <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-president-shafik-extends-deadline-to-clear-encampment-12-am-8-am-48-hours/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused to enforce</a> their own deadlines to clear the encampment and, in past protests, would <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/23/us-news/12-columbia-university-students-who-were-disciplined-for-anti-israel-protest-had-suspension-rescinded-lawyer-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinstate students</a> within days of suspending them.</p>
  484. <p>"Columbia thinks they will get suspensions cleared," notes from the meeting read.</p>
  485. <p>As anti-Israel encampments consume campuses across the country—the latest was set up at <a href="https://twitter.com/pslnational/status/1783464271914938675" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Washington University</a> on Thursday—some activists have portrayed the chaos as a spontaneous response to a six-month-old war, triggered by organic horror at its mounting humanitarian toll. The materials from Princeton undercut that narrative, offering a rare look at the planning and coordination that have shaped these protests and made them so hard for universities to navigate.</p>
  486. <p>Part of the playbook involves leveraging outside activists, including activist attorneys, to overwhelm campuses while shielding students from legal blowback. The group at Princeton "already has contacts with local Pro-Palestine orgs who are ready to mobilize," <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Camp-Meeting-4_21.html.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes from a Sunday planning session</a> state, and will "turn to local civil rights groups" if "students of color" get arrested.</p>
  487. <p>Led largely by graduate students, the group also retained Palestine Legal, which represents students who "stand for justice in Palestine," for advice on protest tactics, according to audio from a Wednesday Zoom call obtained by the <i>Free Beacon</i>. Rao and Palestine Legal did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
  488. <p>Columbia's encampment has been especially controversial because many protesters—including some who <a href="https://twitter.com/StopAntisemites/status/1782090185892561000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appear to be affiliated</a> with the university—have hurled anti-Semitic insults at Jewish students and even <a href="https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1781882805015744826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called for their execution</a>. Those optics seem to be top of mind for the Princeton organizers, who on Monday received media training from the Institute for Middle East Understanding, a nonprofit that offers "digital resources about Palestine."</p>
  489. <p>Led by the institute's communications manager, Amber Von Schassen, who declined to comment on the record, the training advised organizers to "be wary of academic jargon" and to "emphasize free speech" as an "American value," according to notes from the training <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Media-training-document.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported by <i>National Review</i></a>.</p>
  490. <p>There are "lots of free speech ppl at Princeton," notes from the Saturday meeting read. Some professors "won't rally around Pro-Palestine but will organize around free speech and for student rights."</p>
  491. <p>To that end, the group conducted outreach to faculty and assembled a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faculty-Contacts.xlsx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spreadsheet</a> of those supportive of the planned protest. Some—including Nancy Coffin, the director of Princeton's Arabic language program—even agreed to hold courses inside the encampment once it was set up, according to the spreadsheet, which indicates that over 20 professors expressed some level of support. Coffin did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
  492. <p>The students seem to be banking on their faculty allies to bail them out in the event they are suspended. "Expulsion is highly unlikely," an <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Onboarding-Info.doc.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">onboarding document</a> for potential protesters claims, because "we know that at least 2 faculty members" on the academic discipline committee "are in the Faculty for Justice in Palestine." The <i>Free Beacon </i>was unable to verify the identities of those faculty members.</p>
  493. <p>Princeton's activists are also receiving help from the National Lawyers Guild, according to <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Camp-Notes-4_23.html.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes from a Tuesday meeting</a>, and have "secured a criminal defense attorney to be on call" for any arrests.</p>
  494. <p>That attorney, who is not named in the notes, "expects that everyone arrested will be released quickly," the meeting minutes say. Like New York State, New Jersey "has no cash bail."</p>
  495. <p>All of the planning went up in flames Thursday morning when 50 students tried to set up an encampment outside Princeton's Firestone Library. Five minutes and two arrests later, the protest transitioned to a <a href="https://twitter.com/abigailandwords/status/1783457689902739841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tentless sit-in</a> as Princeton security arrived on the scene, according to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/princeton-encampment-lasts-five-minutes-protest-continues-as-sit-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>National Review</i></a>. The activists, who had initially planned to shut down a major campus thoroughfare, only managed to occupy a <a href="https://twitter.com/abigailandwords/status/1783457689902739841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small corner</a> of a large quad.</p>
  496. <p>Though the sit-in swelled by the afternoon, the university has so far kept it on a tight leash, <a href="https://twitter.com/aditilrao/status/1783529058099196176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly removing</a> an attendee—former <i>New York Times</i> Middle East bureau chief Chris Hedges—for using a megaphone. The crackdown came after Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber warned that the university would not tolerate encampments, writing in an <a href="https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2024/04/princeton-opinion-opguest-christopher-eisgruber-student-protest-encampments-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a> Thursday morning that they violate school policy and "can create health and safety risks."</p>
  497. <p>The forceful response appears to have caught the organizers off guard: In meeting notes from Tuesday, they wrote that they were "not expecting [the] same push back as at NYU, Columbia."</p>
  498. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/exclusive-notes-from-princeton-activists-show-coordination-between-campus-radicals-and-outside-groups-aimed-at-outfoxing-university-administrators/">Exclusive: Notes From Princeton Activists Show Coordination Between Campus Radicals and Outside Groups Aimed at Outfoxing University Administrators</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  499. ]]></content:encoded>
  500. </item>
  501. <item>
  502. <title>Columbia Student Protesters Urge Reporters To Leave Campus, Schedule Presser for 12 Hours After Expiration of School&#039;s Negotiation Deadline</title>
  503. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-urge-reporters-to-leave-campus-schedule-presser-for-12-hours-after-expiration-of-schools-negotiation-deadline/</link>
  504. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Costescu]]></dc:creator>
  505. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
  506. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  507. <category><![CDATA[College Students]]></category>
  508. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  509. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  510. <category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>
  511. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  512. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884378</guid>
  513.  
  514. <description><![CDATA[<p>As the "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment at Columbia University lives on for a ninth day, student organizers spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon, urging them to leave campus before nightfall. They also scheduled another presser for Friday afternoon—roughly 12 hours after the school's apparent deadline to vacate the encampment expires.</p>
  515. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-urge-reporters-to-leave-campus-schedule-presser-for-12-hours-after-expiration-of-schools-negotiation-deadline/">Columbia Student Protesters Urge Reporters To Leave Campus, Schedule Presser for 12 Hours After Expiration of School&#039;s Negotiation Deadline</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  516. ]]></description>
  517. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>MANHATTAN—As the "Gaza Solidarity" tent encampment at Columbia University lives on for a ninth day, student organizers spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon, urging them to leave campus before nightfall. They also scheduled another presser for Friday afternoon—roughly 12 hours after the school's apparent deadline to vacate the encampment expires.</p>
  518. <p>Sueda Polat, a Columbia graduate student who is negotiating with the school on behalf of student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest, said those negotiations "have resumed as of earlier this morning" and are "currently ongoing." She was followed by undergraduate student Khymani James, a protest leader and CUAD spokesman, who urged reporters to leave campus by 4 p.m. and scheduled another press conference for 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.</p>
  519. <p>James's announcement suggests student protesters expect to remain in their encampment for another 24 hours—despite a fast-approaching deadline from university president Minouche Shafik to clear the area.</p>
  520. <p>Late Tuesday night, Shafik issued a statement setting a "deadline of midnight tonight to reach agreement" or clear the encampment. After protesters pledged to resist, university officials released a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-president-shafik-extends-deadline-to-clear-encampment-12-am-8-am-48-hours/">3 a.m. statement</a> saying they would "continue conversations for the next 48 hours."</p>
  521. <p>That means the deadline should have expired between midnight and 3 a.m. early Friday morning, roughly 12 hours prior to the student protesters' next press conference. Still, student protesters seemed unconcerned by the looming deadline, with student leader Mahmoud Khalil, an international student, saying the protesters "will remain in this encampment until we achieve all of our demands."</p>
  522. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  523. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">'We will remain in this encampment until we achieve all of our demands." <a href="https://t.co/UHGrPPMi8R">pic.twitter.com/UHGrPPMi8R</a></p>
  524. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783581482901983270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  525. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  526. <p>Outside of campus, a flyer being distributed around New York City referenced the "deadline for negotiations" and issued a "call to action" to "support our Palestinian brothers and sisters" and "resist racist NYPD intimidation."</p>
  527. <p>"Conceal your identity," the flyer said. "Be ready for a fight."</p>
  528. <p><img loading="lazy" src="https://s2.freebeacon.com/up/2024/04/flyer-762x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="762" height="1024" /></p>
  529. <p>Later on Thursday evening, student protesters seemed to anticipate their impending arrest, with leaders giving a crash course on their "jail support infrastructure." Just before midnight, however, Columbia issued a statement touting "ongoing discussions between the University and the student protestors."</p>
  530. <p>"There is a rumor that the NYPD has been invited to campus this evening," the school's <a href="https://communications.news.columbia.edu/news/campus-updates">statement</a> said. "This rumor is false."</p>
  531. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  532. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Organizers give crash course to campers on what happens when arrested— 'our jail support infrastructure" is ready to go</p>
  533. <p>Protest is imminent. <a href="https://t.co/UW15FxkiZH">pic.twitter.com/UW15FxkiZH</a></p>
  534. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783657555161461067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  535. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  536. <p>During a Wednesday afternoon press call, Columbia officials said they were "making important progress" in their negotiations with students. But Polat appeared to rebut the school's association.</p>
  537. <p>She said negotiations resumed "earlier this morning" after a "30 hours of a pause," suggesting student protesters and university leaders did not hold negotiations Wednesday.</p>
  538. <p>"Negotiations have resumed as of earlier this morning and progress is being made after 30 hours of a pause on negotiations," Polat said. "They have just proceeded and are currently ongoing."</p>
  539. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  540. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">It is Day 9 at the Columbia encampment. </p>
  541. <p>Students say negotiations have resumed after a 30-hour pause.</p>
  542. <p>Follow along for more updates.<a href="https://twitter.com/FreeBeacon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FreeBeacon</a> <a href="https://t.co/k8ZYzk6PKj">pic.twitter.com/k8ZYzk6PKj</a></p>
  543. <p>&mdash; Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaCostescu/status/1783579031385862461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  544. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  545. <p>Columbia University did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
  546. <p>In addition to the update on negotiations, student protesters repeated claims that the school threatened to call in the National Guard on Tuesday. Columbia's head of communications, Ben Chang, has called those claims "untrue" and "unsubstantiated."</p>
  547. <p>Student protesters also addressed the House GOP delegation, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), that visited campus Wednesday. James referred to the delegation as "right-wing fascist politicians."</p>
  548. <p>Shortly before James delivered those remarks, a social media video circulated that shows him calling for "Zionists" to die.</p>
  549. <p>"Zionists, they don't deserve to live comfortably, let alone, Zionists don't deserve to live," he said in the video.</p>
  550. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
  551. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just when we thought we’ve seen the worst from <a href="https://twitter.com/Columbia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Columbia</a> student Khywani James, it gets even worse. </p>
  552. <p>In this video, he says that 'Zionists don’t deserve to live comfortably" and 'Zionists don’t deserve to live."</p>
  553. <p>Why is this person a student at <a href="https://twitter.com/Columbia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Columbia</a>? He is a danger and… <a href="https://t.co/y7beySCGon">https://t.co/y7beySCGon</a> <a href="https://t.co/J34OZnQxAK">pic.twitter.com/J34OZnQxAK</a></p>
  554. <p>&mdash; Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus (@CampusJewHate) <a href="https://twitter.com/CampusJewHate/status/1783559288071319650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
  555. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  556. <p><strong>Update 1:40 a.m.:</strong> This piece has been updated with additional information.</p>
  557. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-student-protesters-urge-reporters-to-leave-campus-schedule-presser-for-12-hours-after-expiration-of-schools-negotiation-deadline/">Columbia Student Protesters Urge Reporters To Leave Campus, Schedule Presser for 12 Hours After Expiration of School&#039;s Negotiation Deadline</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  558. ]]></content:encoded>
  559. </item>
  560. <item>
  561. <title>Putting the DEI in the DIB</title>
  562. <link>https://freebeacon.com/national-security/putting-the-dei-in-the-dib/</link>
  563. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Washington Free Beacon Editors]]></dc:creator>
  564. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:51:54 +0000</pubDate>
  565. <category><![CDATA[National Security]]></category>
  566. <category><![CDATA[Anti-Racism]]></category>
  567. <category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
  568. <category><![CDATA[DEI]]></category>
  569. <category><![CDATA[National Defense]]></category>
  570. <category><![CDATA[Russia]]></category>
  571. <category><![CDATA[Weapons]]></category>
  572. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884312</guid>
  573.  
  574. <description><![CDATA[<p>Defense experts and sensible law and policymakers are focused on whether the United States can get itself on a war footing if Xi Jinping invades Taiwan. </p>
  575. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/putting-the-dei-in-the-dib/">Putting the DEI in the DIB</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  576. ]]></description>
  577. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Defense experts and sensible law and policymakers are focused on whether the United States can get itself on a war footing if Xi Jinping invades Taiwan.</p>
  578. <p>Comparisons have been drawn to Franklin Roosevelt’s "Arsenal of Democracy" and the "greatest generation" that mobilized America’s industrial might into a defense industrial base (DIB) that could equip the militaries of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union simultaneously during World War II.</p>
  579. <p>But this generation has different priorities than ensuring that Ukraine beats back Russian aggression, Israel defeats Hamas, and Taiwan deters a revanchist China. Our defense leaders are focused on putting the D-E-I in the D-I-B.</p>
  580. <p>Last week, the head of one of America’s defense giants, Kathy Warden of Northrop Grumman, was named chair of the board of <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catalyst-welcomes-northrop-grumman-ceo-kathy-warden-as-new-board-chair-302120459.html#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%2C%20April%2018%2C%202024,woman%20to%20chair%20the%20Board." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catalyst</a>, a global nonprofit promoting gender equity and workplace inclusion.</p>
  581. <p>Warden should be focused on ramping up B-21 bomber production given the<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-16/b-21-stealth-bomber-s-first-flight-slips-in-pentagon-update?embedded-checkout=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> program’s delays</a>. And one would think the<a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/northrop-grumman-1-56-billion-loss-b-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $1.5 billion charge</a> her shareholders took as a result of inflation and supply chain issues also merits attention.</p>
  582. <p>Instead, Warden and Catalyst are spearheading a "<a href="https://www.catalyst.org/?RefID=press_release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global DEI transformation</a>" and "<a href="https://www.catalyst.org/reports/empathy-antiracism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leveraging empathy to build antiracist organizations</a>." Other Catalyst initiatives encourage business leaders to explore "<a href="https://www.catalyst.org/2024/04/08/tanya-talaga-seven-fallen-feathers-book-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indigenous life in Canada</a>" and "<a href="https://www.catalyst.org/topics/engaging-men/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flexible masculinities at work</a>," while a <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/webinar-recording-still-making-the-case-for-dei-drop-the-spreadsheet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">webinar</a> from the nonprofit says DEI "shouldn't require a bottom-line justification."</p>
  583. <p>Meanwhile, the<a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2023/03/dod-rejiggers-96-billion-sentinel-icbm-program-to-minimize-delay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $96 billion Sentinel</a> ICBM program that Northrop Grumman is developing is at least<a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2024-03/news/sentinel-icbm-exceeds-projected-cost-37-percent" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 37 percent over budget</a> and two years late. It could actually be canceled as part of a congressionally mandated review process for programs that have fallen woefully behind.</p>
  584. <p>Not to worry, though. Last month, at Catalyst's <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/2024/03/14/2024-catalyst-awards-summary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annual awards show</a>, Hillary Clinton <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/solution/hillary-clinton-catalyst-awards-gender-parity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offered attendees</a> "practical advice on how to challenge systemic barriers" and achieve "gender parity." Can you hear Xi cowering in fear?</p>
  585. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/putting-the-dei-in-the-dib/">Putting the DEI in the DIB</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  586. ]]></content:encoded>
  587. </item>
  588. <item>
  589. <title>Ilhan Omar and Daughter Show Face at Columbia Protest</title>
  590. <link>https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/ilhan-omar-and-daughter-show-face-at-columbia-protest/</link>
  591. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matthew Xiao]]></dc:creator>
  592. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:40:06 +0000</pubDate>
  593. <category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
  594. <category><![CDATA[Antisemitism]]></category>
  595. <category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
  596. <category><![CDATA[Ilhan Omar]]></category>
  597. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884267</guid>
  598.  
  599. <description><![CDATA[<p>Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and her daughter Isra Hirsi, a Barnard student who was arrested and suspended from Columbia University last week for her role in anti-Israel protests on campus, attended another anti-Israel demonstration at Columbia together on Thursday.</p>
  600. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/ilhan-omar-and-daughter-show-face-at-columbia-protest/">Ilhan Omar and Daughter Show Face at Columbia Protest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  601. ]]></description>
  602. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and her daughter Isra Hirsi, a Barnard student who was arrested and suspended from Columbia University last week for her role in anti-Israel protests on campus, attended another anti-Israel demonstration at Columbia together on Thursday.</span></p>
  603. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Omar posed for a photograph with her daughter and answered a reporter’s question near the protesters’ encampment in front of Columbia’s Low Memorial Library, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/houmanhemmati/status/1783543173882736965"><span style="font-weight: 400;">according</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to an X post on Thursday.</span></p>
  604. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-university-campus-unravels-in-face-of-anti-semitic-eliminationist-protests/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">anti-Israel protests</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at Columbia, which began last Wednesday with hundreds of students establishing an </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/columbia-suspends-arrests-anti-israel-student-protesters/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">encampment</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on a campus lawn to demand the university divest from Israel, reached a fever pitch when more than 100 student protesters, including the Minnesota congresswoman’s <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/columbia-suspends-arrests-anti-israel-student-protesters/">daughter</a>, were </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/20/nyregion/arrested-columbia-students-suspended.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">arrested</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by New York City police and suspended from Columbia.</span></p>
  605. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The crackdown, however, did little to quell the protests. Columbia has since </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/23/us-news/columbia-university-moves-to-hybrid-classes-for-rest-of-semester/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">canceled</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in-person classes for the rest of the spring semester, leading House speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and other Republican representatives to </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/watch-house-republicans-slam-anti-semitic-protesters-on-columbias-campus/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">call for</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the resignation of Columbia president Minouche Shafik.</span></p>
  606. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Omar on Monday </span><a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1782479944699814394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the arrested and suspended protesters "were peacefully protesting and have now ignited a nationwide Gaza Solidarity movement. ... This is more than the students hoped for and I am glad to see this type of solidarity."</span></p>
  607. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"But to be clear, this [is] about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that," Omar added.</span></p>
  608. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Omar, a member of the progressive group of House Democrats known as the "Squad," has faced </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/congress-boots-anti-semitic-democrat-ilhan-omar-from-foreign-affairs-committee/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">censure</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from her colleagues for repeatedly engaging in </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ilhan-omar-controversies-anti-semitism"><span style="font-weight: 400;">anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
  609. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/ilhan-omar-and-daughter-show-face-at-columbia-protest/">Ilhan Omar and Daughter Show Face at Columbia Protest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  610. ]]></content:encoded>
  611. </item>
  612. <item>
  613. <title>As California Voters Sour on Cash Reparations, State Dems Push Subsidized Property Taxes and Expedited Business Licenses Instead</title>
  614. <link>https://freebeacon.com/california/as-california-voters-sour-on-cash-reparations-state-dems-push-subsidized-property-taxes-and-expedited-business-licenses-instead/</link>
  615. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Susannah Luthi]]></dc:creator>
  616. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
  617. <category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
  618. <category><![CDATA[Democrats]]></category>
  619. <category><![CDATA[Gavin Newsom]]></category>
  620. <category><![CDATA[Reparations]]></category>
  621. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884132</guid>
  622.  
  623. <description><![CDATA[<p>California Democrats are finding ways to make reparations to black descendants of slaves that don’t include direct cash payments, as voters overwhelmingly reject the idea of money handouts. Instead, they are moving ahead with ideas like subsidized property taxes and expedited business licenses–which experts say may violate constitutional guarantees of equal treatment.</p>
  624. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/california/as-california-voters-sour-on-cash-reparations-state-dems-push-subsidized-property-taxes-and-expedited-business-licenses-instead/">As California Voters Sour on Cash Reparations, State Dems Push Subsidized Property Taxes and Expedited Business Licenses Instead</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  625. ]]></description>
  626. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">California Democrats are finding ways to make reparations to black descendants of slaves that don’t include direct cash payments, as voters overwhelmingly reject the idea of money handouts. Instead, they are moving ahead with ideas like subsidized property taxes and expedited business licenses—which experts say may violate constitutional guarantees of equal treatment.</span></p>
  627. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">California’s emerging reparations package includes two contentious proposals that would single out reparations-eligible black Californians for special treatment: <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one</a> would order all the state’s professional licensing bodies to expedite their applications, while <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another</a> would subsidize their property taxes by up to $4,000. The package would create the</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> "</span><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1403" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">California American Freedman Affairs Agency</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">"—a permanent state bureaucracy—to decide which Californians should receive reparations benefits and to make sure they are doled out. It would be funded through a </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/california-dem-introduces-bill-to-divert-surplus-funds-to-reparations-amid-historic-budget-deficit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">separate proposal</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to siphon off budget reserves specifically for reparations.</span></p>
  628. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These bills, which lawmakers have been quietly pushing after California’s headline-nabbing reparations task force last June </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">issued a 1,100 page </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/california/the-craziest-recommendations-from-californias-reparations-task-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">report</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> full of costly policy demands, have easily cleared committee vetting without substantive debate and appear to have the support to pass the legislature’s approval. They are far more modest than many of the reparations panel’s recommendations such as </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/california/california-reparations-1-2-million/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cash payments</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which the </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/california-voters-reject-reparations-for-slavery-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">majority of Californians</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> oppose and which </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/california/gavin-newsom-reparations-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newsom</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/california/san-franciscos-black-community-turns-on-naacp-president-who-criticized-reparations-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">black leaders</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">have refused to endorse.</span></p>
  629. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even so, critics say giving black residents preference for work licenses and helping them with property taxes could open up the state to constitutional challenges, since these policies may violate guarantees of equal treatment of citizens regardless of race, as well as last year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ban on </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/the-supreme-courts-affirmative-action-ruling-is-already-having-an-impact-you-might-be-surprised-where/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">affirmative action</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
  630. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Andrew Quinio, an attorney with the public interest law firm Pacific Legal Foundation, told lawmakers Tuesday that the occupational licensing bill could hurt all Californians who have to apply for these permits to work. Some two million people in the Golden State, or one in six workers, have to be licensed to do their jobs—from contractors to landscapers, hairdressers, teachers, and realtors.</span></p>
  631. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"By passing [this bill], you will be telling these hard-working Californians that their spot in line in order to get a license is dependent on their race," Quinio said. "That is plainly unconstitutional."</span></p>
  632. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lee Ohanian, UCLA economics professor and senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, said the measure "would seem to run afoul" of civil rights law and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. A spokesman for the bill’s author did not respond to a request for comment.</span></p>
  633. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quinio noted that the property tax measure, authored by former reparations task force member and state senator Steven Bradford, raises similar constitutional questions—a claim Bradford’s office shrugged off. The lawmaker’s spokesman said the legislation has precedent in a longtime state program that refunded some property tax for elderly, disabled, and blind Californians.</span></p>
  634. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet Quinio said the policies can’t be correlated.</span></p>
  635. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Being African American is not a disability, so they aren’t on the same level," he said. "When you have an immutable characteristic like race being equated with getting tax subsidies, you’ll be running into constitutional issues that would absolutely be subject to strict scrutinies."</span></p>
  636. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Around California, cities and counties have already been fighting challenges to various race-based benefit programs. Californians for Equal Rights last year </span><a href="https://media.graphassets.com/02LNdMEySkSAdFz88cqC" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">filed suit</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> against four "universal basic income" programs in San Francisco that </span><a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/universal-basic-income-hits-the-bay-area-if-youre-black/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">target certain racial groups</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The Pacific Legal Foundation has taken up a </span><a href="https://pacificlegal.org/case/cfer-homebuyers-san-diego-discrimination/#:~:text=Represented%20by%20Pacific%20Legal%20Foundation,time%20homebuyers%2C%20regardless%20of%20race" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">separate case</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">against San Diego for offering tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for first-time homeowners who are "black, indigenous, or people of color."</span></p>
  637. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/california/as-california-voters-sour-on-cash-reparations-state-dems-push-subsidized-property-taxes-and-expedited-business-licenses-instead/">As California Voters Sour on Cash Reparations, State Dems Push Subsidized Property Taxes and Expedited Business Licenses Instead</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  638. ]]></content:encoded>
  639. </item>
  640. <item>
  641. <title>NYU Encampment Organizers Encourage Protesters To Join Pro-Hamas ‘Resistance Network’</title>
  642. <link>https://freebeacon.com/campus/nyu-encampment-organizers-encourage-protesters-to-join-pro-hamas-resistance-network/</link>
  643. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Meghan Blonder]]></dc:creator>
  644. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 19:45:15 +0000</pubDate>
  645. <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category>
  646. <category><![CDATA[College Students]]></category>
  647. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  648. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  649. <category><![CDATA[New York University]]></category>
  650. <category><![CDATA[Palestinians]]></category>
  651. <category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
  652. <category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
  653. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884069</guid>
  654.  
  655. <description><![CDATA[<p>Anti-Israel protest organizers at New York University protesters encouraged their followers to get "plugged into" a Telegram channel that routinely promotes Hamas and other terrorist organizations.</p>
  656. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/nyu-encampment-organizers-encourage-protesters-to-join-pro-hamas-resistance-network/">NYU Encampment Organizers Encourage Protesters To Join Pro-Hamas ‘Resistance Network’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  657. ]]></description>
  658. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Anti-Israel protest organizers at New York University encouraged their followers to get "plugged into" a Telegram channel that routinely promotes Hamas and other terrorist organizations.</p>
  659. <p>A Telegram chat channel created by NYU protest organizers referred their followers to the "Resistance News Network," an account which advertised communications from Hamas’s commander in chief Mohammed Deif, who advertised the Oct. 7 massacres in Israel, and encouraged people to take up arms.</p>
  660. <p>"Eyes on Gaza, eyes on Rafah, eyes on students everywhere. Make sure you’re plugged into Resistance News Network," the NYU Encampment Updates account wrote, linking to the channel. The organizers’ promotion of the radical channel was first <a href="https://x.com/GSDeutch/status/1783308095692705793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">observed</a> by <em>Jewish Insider</em> and confirmed by the <em>Washington Free Beacon</em>.</p>
  661. <p>The Resistance News Network has a pinned post at the top of their feed that features a video announcing the Al-Aqsa Flood which resulted in 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds held hostage.</p>
  662. <p>"BREAKING: The commander-in-chief of the Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, announces the Al-Aqsa Flood battle in a historic speech: ‘They attacked the stationed worshippers and desecrated Al-Aqsa, and we have previously warned them,’" the account wrote.</p>
  663. <p>The Telegram channel’s "posts include the explicit promotion of U.S. State Department-designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), often providing English translations of communiques and propaganda from groups such as Hamas and its Al Qassam Brigades, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ansar Allah (the Houthis), Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Hezbollah," the Anti-Defamation League <a href="https://extremismterms.adl.org/glossary/resistance-news-network-rnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes</a>.</p>
  664. <p>This comes as anti-Semitic tent encampments have sprung up on college campuses around the nation, beginning with Columbia University.</p>
  665. <p>NYU Students for Justice in Palestine and Faculty for Justice in Palestine, which <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6EExhzuBlZ/?igsh=OXFkd21yOXd0N3Ay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> the encampment, did not return requests for comment.</p>
  666. <p>Student protesters at NYU and Columbia <a href="https://x.com/ColumbiaSJP/status/1782241294858719676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claim</a> to be part of an anti-war movement that rejects hate toward Jews and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6EH38dt2a_/?igsh=MTl6NTViMDUwNHBoNg==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrates</a> Judaism. Columbia Law students told Jewish students that the police presence on campus made them feel "<a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-law-students-tell-jewish-classmates-police-presence-on-campus-makes-them-feel-unsafe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unsafe</a>."</p>
  667. <p>One protester, though, held a sign that <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-university-campus-unravels-in-face-of-anti-semitic-eliminationist-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read</a> "Al-Qasam’s next target" in front of Jewish students holding the Israeli flag, in reference to Hamas’s military wing that conducted the Oct. 7 attack.</p>
  668. <p>Protests <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-university-campus-unravels-in-face-of-anti-semitic-eliminationist-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unraveled</a> into violence when pro-Hamas agitators attempted to burn the flag. The group of Jewish students was assaulted, splashed with water, and <a href="https://x.com/ShaiDavidai/status/1781927146341961909" target="_blank" rel="noopener">followed</a> by protesters, according to one of the students.</p>
  669. <p>"Public safety was nowhere to be found. Columbia has lost its campus," one of the targeted Jewish students said. "This is why Jewish students don't feel safe. Because they are not."</p>
  670. <p>Anti-Israel student groups have also <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/iran-wasnt-attacking-israel-berkeley-student-group-rallies-behind-iran-after-missile-attack/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rallied</a> behind Iran, which backs Hamas, after it launched an unprecedented missile attack against Israel, saying it was justified.</p>
  671. <p>"Iran wasn’t attacking Israel. It was responding," Berkeley Bears for Palestine wrote in a post. The post was accompanied by a second claiming that Iran attacked Israel because it refused a Gaza ceasefire.</p>
  672. <p>George Washington University Students for Justice in Palestine similarly blamed Israel for the Iranian attack, claiming that the Islamic Republic "is retaliating, not instigating a conflict."</p>
  673. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/nyu-encampment-organizers-encourage-protesters-to-join-pro-hamas-resistance-network/">NYU Encampment Organizers Encourage Protesters To Join Pro-Hamas ‘Resistance Network’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  674. ]]></content:encoded>
  675. </item>
  676. <item>
  677. <title>Biden Admin Silent on Turkey&#039;s Sponsorship of Hamas in Counterterrorism Talks</title>
  678. <link>https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks/</link>
  679. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Adam Kredo]]></dc:creator>
  680. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 19:20:04 +0000</pubDate>
  681. <category><![CDATA[Biden Administration]]></category>
  682. <category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
  683. <category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
  684. <category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
  685. <category><![CDATA[Hostages]]></category>
  686. <category><![CDATA[ISIS]]></category>
  687. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  688. <category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
  689. <category><![CDATA[Palestinians]]></category>
  690. <category><![CDATA[Recep Tayyip Erdogan]]></category>
  691. <category><![CDATA[State Department]]></category>
  692. <category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
  693. <category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>
  694. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884123</guid>
  695.  
  696. <description><![CDATA[<p>The State Department’s top counterterrorism official was in Turkey this week for meetings, but missing from her schedule were discussions about Hamas—an omission that isn’t going unnoticed on Capitol Hill.</p>
  697. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks/">Biden Admin Silent on Turkey&#039;s Sponsorship of Hamas in Counterterrorism Talks</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  698. ]]></description>
  699. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The State Department's top counterterrorism official was in Turkey this week for meetings, but missing from her schedule were discussions about Hamas—an omission that isn't going unnoticed on Capitol Hill.</p>
  700. <p>Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, landed in Ankara on Monday to discuss regional operations with Turkish leadership. Richard was in the country to shore up support for the "defeat of terrorist organizations such as PKK, DHKP-C, and ISIS in Syria and Iraq," according to a <a href="https://www.state.gov/coordinator-for-counterterrorism-ambassador-elizabeth-richard-travel-to-turkiye/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notification</a> issued by the State Department.</p>
  701. <p>Hamas—the region's central Iran-backed terrorist group, which <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-hosted-hamas-leader-amid-growing-criticism-over-inaction-in-gaza/7581045.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receives</a> financial and logistical support from Turkey—does not appear to be one of the agenda items, indicating that the Biden administration is hesitant to raise the issue even at a time when the terror group is waging war on Israel and sowing discord throughout the Middle East.</p>
  702. <p>Asked whether Hamas would come up in discussions, a State Department official said he was looking into the matter and then did not respond to subsequent <em>Washington Free Beacon</em> inquiries.</p>
  703. <p>Questions surrounding Richard's hesitance to raise the issue come amid a failure by other top Biden administration officials to press major Arab players about their support for Hamas. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, who is in Brussels this week, did not mention Hamas during a 30-minute briefing with reporters on "Israel and the broader region." In March, the Biden administration <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/state-department-hosted-qatari-official-who-praised-hamas-terrorism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> a Qatari delegation that included an official who has praised Hamas terrorists and called for missile strikes on Israel. The issue has taken on renewed significance in recent days after Hamas released a video showing it <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/25/hamas-video-of-gaza-captive-hersh-goldberg-polin-triggers-israel-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tortured</a> an Israeli-American hostage who is now missing parts of his arm.</p>
  704. <p>Many regional experts <a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/turkey-united-states-and-israel-hamas-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">see</a> Turkey's ties to Hamas, which operates an office in the country, as a roadblock in U.S. relations with Ankara. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-hosted-hamas-leader-amid-growing-criticism-over-inaction-in-gaza/7581045.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh earlier this week, when Richard was in the country for talks. Erdoğan also <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/20/turkeys-erdogan-urges-palestinian-unity-after-meeting-hamas-chief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed</a> during those meetings to "defend the Palestinian struggle."</p>
  705. <p>On Capitol Hill, Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the State Department's posture on the conflict, as well as its failure to secure the release of hostages.</p>
  706. <p>"The Biden administration is committed to making sure Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups survive," said one senior Republican congressional official who works on State Department issues. "They publicly and privately are pressuring Israel not to take action against those groups. So of course [Richard] can't bring them up in press conferences and press releases, let alone coordinate against them."</p>
  707. <p>Lawmakers, the source said, worry the hostage issue is taking a backseat as the Biden administration shifts focus to a pressure campaign meant to force Israel into inking a ceasefire and pumping humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.</p>
  708. <p>Leaf's Wednesday <a href="https://www.state.gov/digital-press-briefing-with-the-assistant-secretary-of-state-for-near-eastern-affairs-barbara-leaf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">briefing</a> generated similar questions when she failed to mention both Hamas and its hostages in a nearly 30-minute question-and-answer session with reporters.</p>
  709. <p>An invite to the briefing <a href="https://twitter.com/GSDeutch/status/1783293215317131751?t=_VewJzna-CSS4orJS-4rGw&amp;s=19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Leaf would provide "an overview of developments in Israel and the broader region."</p>
  710. <p>But Leaf's primary focus was increasing aid into the Gaza Strip and providing political support for the Palestinian government. The Biden administration's focus on these issues comes amid mounting pressure from the Democratic Party's far-left flank, which wants the United States to punish Israel and force the Jewish state to leave Hamas intact.</p>
  711. <p>During the press conference, Leaf said she is working with regional partners to "substantially increase the flow of lifesaving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza" and "forge a consensus on a post-conflict vision for Gaza." The United States is also examining "ways by which the international community can bolster support to the Palestinian Authority and to the Palestinian public generally," according to Leaf.</p>
  712. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-admin-silent-on-turkeys-sponsorship-of-hamas-in-counterterrorism-talks/">Biden Admin Silent on Turkey&#039;s Sponsorship of Hamas in Counterterrorism Talks</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  713. ]]></content:encoded>
  714. </item>
  715. <item>
  716. <title>Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier Construction Site Off Gaza: Report</title>
  717. <link>https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/terrorists-attack-us-humanitarian-pier-construction-site-off-gaza-report/</link>
  718. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matthew Xiao]]></dc:creator>
  719. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 16:20:34 +0000</pubDate>
  720. <category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
  721. <category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
  722. <category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
  723. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  724. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884018</guid>
  725.  
  726. <description><![CDATA[<p>Gazan terrorists on Wednesday launched mortar shells at a site off the coast of Gaza where the United States is planning to construct a floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid, according to a report from Israeli outlet i24NEWS.</p>
  727. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/terrorists-attack-us-humanitarian-pier-construction-site-off-gaza-report/">Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier Construction Site Off Gaza: Report</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  728. ]]></description>
  729. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gazan terrorists on Wednesday launched mortar shells at a site off the coast of Gaza where the United States is planning to construct a floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid, according to a report from Israeli outlet </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">i24NEWS</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
  730. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mortar attack damaged American engineering equipment and left one person injured, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">i24NEWS </span><a href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-exclusive-u-s-humanitarian-pier-attacked-during-construction-work-off-gaza-coast"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on Thursday. The United States could </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-to-begin-construction-of-gaza-pier-as-rafah-invasion-looms-df1368b6"><span style="font-weight: 400;">start</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> building the humanitarian pier as early as this weekend, with the Israel Defense Forces reportedly in charge of </span><a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/04/us-says-israel-boosted-gaza-aid-flow-after-convoy-strike-more-needed#ixzz8YGk9SrzO"><span style="font-weight: 400;">providing</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> security during the construction.</span></p>
  731. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">President Joe Biden first </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-announce-gaza-aid-port-construction-state-union-speech-2024-03-07/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">announced</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the pier’s construction during his State of the Union address on March 7. U.S. military personnel will assemble the floating pier, an 1,800-foot-long causeway attached to the coast of northern Gaza, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder </span><a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3702071/dod-to-construct-pier-to-deliver-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the day after Biden’s speech.</span></p>
  732. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"As the president has said, not enough aid is getting in [to Gaza]," Ryder said, noting the pier is expected to help deliver "up to 2,000,000 meals in a day."</span></p>
  733. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"At no time will we require U.S. forces to actually go on the ground," Ryder added. "Our role will be essentially to provide the service of getting [the aid] to the causeway, at which point it will then be distributed."</span></p>
  734. <p>Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that the humanitarian pier would endanger U.S. troops deployed to manage it, with over a dozen members of the Senate Armed Services Committee last month <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2024/03/senate-armed-services-republicans-gaza-israel-hamas/">warning</a> Biden that the plan "appears to ignore force protection issues entirely, against an enemy that tries to kill Americans every day."</p>
  735. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/terrorists-attack-us-humanitarian-pier-construction-site-off-gaza-report/">Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier Construction Site Off Gaza: Report</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  736. ]]></content:encoded>
  737. </item>
  738. <item>
  739. <title>US Economy Sees Low Growth, High Inflation in Q1</title>
  740. <link>https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/us-economy-sees-low-growth-high-inflation-in-q1/</link>
  741. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuters]]></dc:creator>
  742. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 15:05:52 +0000</pubDate>
  743. <category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
  744. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
  745. <category><![CDATA[Inflation]]></category>
  746. <category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
  747. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1884015</guid>
  748.  
  749. <description><![CDATA[<p>U.S. economic growth in the first quarter fell below the Federal Reserve's estimates of the economy's long-run potential for the first time in nearly two years, but the signs of slowing were accompanied with fast inflation that, if sustained, would pose a particular dilemma for the central bank.</p>
  750. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/us-economy-sees-low-growth-high-inflation-in-q1/">US Economy Sees Low Growth, High Inflation in Q1</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  751. ]]></description>
  752. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>U.S. economic growth in the first quarter fell below the Federal Reserve's estimates of the economy's long-run potential for the first time in nearly two years, but the signs of slowing were accompanied with fast inflation that, if sustained, would pose a particular dilemma for the central bank.</p>
  753. <p>Fed officials through much of their battle with a pandemic-driven breakout of inflation said they thought it would take a period of below-trend growth to really bring price pressures into line, and the 1.6 percent rate of expansion registered in the first quarter met that mark after a period above the central bank's median 1.8 percent estimate of noninflationary potential.</p>
  754. <p>But prices have remained sticky, with the personal consumption expenditures price index over the first quarter rising at a 3.4 percent annual rate versus the Fed's 2 percent target.</p>
  755. <p>Investors and analysts at first blush put more weight on the high inflation figure than on the signs the economy may finally be cooling as the Fed has expected.</p>
  756. <p>Data from the CME Group's FedWatch tool showed the probability of an initial Fed rate cut slipping across the board, with a June cut now given less than 10 percent odds, bets on a September cut slipping to about 58 percent, and a second cut in December given less than even odds.</p>
  757. <p>There are reasons to think the 1.6 percent first-quarter growth rate overstates any weakness in the economy, said Nationwide Financial Market economist Oren Klachkin, with sizeable drags from imports and inventories unlikely to persist through the year.</p>
  758. <p>But "inflation isn’t in a place where the Fed can be confident the 2 percent goal is within reach," Klachkin said. "A higher-for- longer interest rate environment will likely prevail."</p>
  759. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/us-economy-sees-low-growth-high-inflation-in-q1/">US Economy Sees Low Growth, High Inflation in Q1</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  760. ]]></content:encoded>
  761. </item>
  762. <item>
  763. <title>For Bob Casey&#039;s Lobbyist Brother-in-Law, the Senator&#039;s Door Is Always Open</title>
  764. <link>https://freebeacon.com/democrats/for-bob-caseys-lobbyist-brother-in-law-the-senators-door-is-always-open/</link>
  765. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chuck Ross]]></dc:creator>
  766. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
  767. <category><![CDATA[Democrats]]></category>
  768. <category><![CDATA[Bob Casey]]></category>
  769. <category><![CDATA[Campaign Donors]]></category>
  770. <category><![CDATA[Health Care]]></category>
  771. <category><![CDATA[Lobbying]]></category>
  772. <category><![CDATA[Lobbyists]]></category>
  773. <category><![CDATA[Pennsylvania]]></category>
  774. <category><![CDATA[Pennsylvania Senate]]></category>
  775. <category><![CDATA[Senate Democrats]]></category>
  776. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://freebeacon.com/?p=1882962</guid>
  777.  
  778. <description><![CDATA[<p>As Pennsylvania state auditor, Bob Casey disclosed to state ethics officials that his relationship with his lobbyist brother-in-law could be "perceived to constitute a conflict of interest." More than two decades later, Casey has opened his Senate office to one of that brother-in-law’s clients.</p>
  779. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/for-bob-caseys-lobbyist-brother-in-law-the-senators-door-is-always-open/">For Bob Casey&#039;s Lobbyist Brother-in-Law, the Senator&#039;s Door Is Always Open</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  780. ]]></description>
  781. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As Pennsylvania state auditor, Bob Casey disclosed to state ethics officials that his relationship with his lobbyist brother-in-law could be "perceived to constitute a conflict of interest." More than two decades later, Casey has opened his Senate office to one of that brother-in-law’s clients.</p>
  782. <p>Patrick Brier, Casey’s brother-in-law, began lobbying for the Rehabilitation and Care Providers Association (RCPA) in 2015 through his consulting firm, Brier Dlugolecki Strategies. Since then, Casey, the chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, has introduced several bills supported by the group and appeared at events sponsored by the organization, which has showered the senator with praise and awards.</p>
  783. <p>Casey, who faces his toughest reelection campaign this year has faced scrutiny over his family’s business dealings. The Democrat tapped a partner at his younger brother Matt’s personal injury firm to help select federal judicial nominees. The firm, Ross Feller Casey, has <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/20/sen-caseys-campaign-took-220k-from-brothers-law-firm-had-partner-pick-judicial-noms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributed</a> more than $220,000 to Casey’s campaign. Another sibling, Patrick Casey, is a lobbyist at Dentons LLC, which recently began lobbying for a blacklisted Chinese tech firm, an issue of pertinence to Casey’s role on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Casey’s campaign <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/01/sen-bob-casey-campaigns-paid-500k-to-sisters-printing-company/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has paid</a> his sister’s printing company $500,000 over the past decade.</p>
  784. <p>Casey’s alliance with the RCPA, which represents 400 rehab and disability facilities in the Keystone State, was highlighted in 2022 when the group issued a "thank you" <a href="https://paproviders.org/letter-of-thanks-to-senator-casey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Casey for his "steadfast leadership" in promoting two bills backed by RCPA and its members. Casey has appeared at events for the organization, and was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paproviders/posts/1252890828102962" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> its "legislative leadership award" in 2016, given to lawmakers who support legislative issues "on behalf of RCPA and its members."</p>
  785. <p>A top aide to Casey, Michael Gamel-McCormick, spoke at RCPA’s <a href="https://paproviders.org/tag/michael-gamel-mccormick/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annual meeting</a> in 2019 and <a href="https://paproviders.org/rcpa-human-resources-meeting-notice-and-request-for-information/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with</a> RCPA and its members in 2020 for a discussion on "federal health-care-related issues critical to RCPA members."</p>
  786. <p>Brier Dlugolecki, which started lobbying for RCPA in 2015, also sponsors fundraisers for RCPA’s political action committee, which <a href="https://www.paproviders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/RCPA-PAC-FAQs.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aims</a> to build "key relationships in both state and federal government with lawmakers who are supportive of our members’ interests."</p>
  787. <p>Casey’s links to Brier, his campaign manager for the 1996 state auditor race, have raised ethics concerns before.</p>
  788. <p>In 1998, Casey conducted an audit of Pennsylvania nursing homes and found dozens were mismanaging finances. One of the commonwealth’s worst offenders, Valley Crest, was largely spared in the report even though federal investigators later found it overbilled Medicare by $2 million. Brier, then at the firm Stevens &amp; Lee, was a lobbyist for Valley Crest and negotiated with Medicare on behalf of the nursing home, the<em> Wilkes-Barre Times Leader</em> <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/archive/1020616/audit-has-casey-on-spot-the-democratic-candidates-spokeswoman-takes-issue-with-claims-he-did-not-lookcritically-enough-at-valley-crests-books" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. One Democratic county official suggested Brier’s firm was hired because of his ties to Casey, and said Brier should not have been involved in the negotiations because he was "too connected."</p>
  789. <p>Last year, Casey steered a $200,000 grant to Maternal &amp; Family Health Services, a nonprofit that hired Brier as a lobbyist in 2021, the news outlet <em>Broad + Liberty</em> <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2023/10/31/another-potential-conflict-of-interest-between-senator-casey-and-his-lobbyist-relatives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Casey held roundtable events with Maternal &amp; Family Health Services in 2022.</p>
  790. <p>Casey is not required to disclose potential conflicts of interest with family members. Federal regulations prohibit senators from allowing staffers to meet with immediate family members who are lobbyists, though it is not clear whether that would apply to a senator’s in-laws.</p>
  791. <p>Brier did not respond to a request for comment. But he said last year he "does not engage in any federal lobbying work whatsoever." Casey, whose office did not respond to comment requests, said in 2002, amid questions about his state auditor work, that he "avoids conversations" with his brother-in-law about government work.</p>
  792. <p>Casey noted at the time that he submitted ethics filings from 1996 to 2000 that disclosed that his family ties to Brier were an "affiliation (that) could reasonably be perceived to constitute a conflict of interest," the <em>Times Leader</em> reported.</p>
  793. <p>Brier has touted his work for federal candidates. His <a href="https://www.mbklaw.com/attorney/patrick-j-brier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biography</a> at his law firm, Myers Brier Kelly, says he "counsels numerous federal, state and local candidates" on campaign fundraising issues.</p>
  794. <p>RCPA is keenly interested in lobbying on federal issues. It tracks federal legislation related to the rehabilitation clinic industry. Its political action committee encourages support from members in order to "achieve greater political potency for our provider members." The trade group did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
  795. <p>Brier has <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00431056&amp;committee_id=C00439992&amp;committee_id=C00545830&amp;contributor_name=brier%2C+patrick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributed</a> $22,000 to Casey’s campaign and affiliated political action committees since 2009. His partner, Paul Dlugolecki, has contributed $3,000 to Casey since last year. Richard Edley, the chief executive of RCPA, contributed $4,950 to Casey’s campaign and PAC, according to campaign finance <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00431056&amp;committee_id=C00439992&amp;committee_id=C00545830&amp;contributor_name=edley%2C+richard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records</a>.</p>
  796. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/for-bob-caseys-lobbyist-brother-in-law-the-senators-door-is-always-open/">For Bob Casey&#039;s Lobbyist Brother-in-Law, the Senator&#039;s Door Is Always Open</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://freebeacon.com">Washington Free Beacon</a>.</p>
  797. ]]></content:encoded>
  798. </item>
  799. </channel>
  800. </rss>
  801.  
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