Stefanik grills NYC schools chief on pro-Hamas teacher kept on payroll after antisemitic riot
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., grilled New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks on Wednesday about a pro-Hamas teacher and the principal of Hillcrest High School, where an antisemitic riot unfolded in the hallways following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel, having so far remained on the payroll despite promised consequences. During a line of questioning by Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., Banks testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee that the former principal of Hillcrest High School in the Jamaica Hills neighborhood of Queens, still draws a paycheck from New York City Public Schools months after approximately 400 students roved the halls on Nov. 20, demanding the ouster of a Jewish educator after learning she attended a rally in support of Israel. Stefanik doubled down on Banks, who repeatedly said the principal was “removed” from that role but was not terminated by the department. Banks said he could not confirm whether the former Hillcrest High School principal now serves as director of teacher development and evaluation, and Stefanik demanded clarification on his new role by the end of the day. “That’s concerning to me that you have him in a senior position, and what’s very concerning about these hearings is that we’re getting lip service but a lack of enforcement, a lack of accountability,” Stefanik said. “And these rules and policies matter whether it’s teachers, administrators or students violating the rules.” Stefanik also pointed to Origins High School in Brooklyn, where reports claimed 40 to 50 students in October marched through the hallways chanting “Death to Israel” and “Kill the Jews.” COMER CANCELS DC ANTISEMITISM HEARING AFTER BOWSER, POLICE ‘FINALLY’ DISMANTLE GWU ENCAMPMENT The congresswoman said an “independent investigation found that a teacher, who teaches global history, was told by a student, ‘I wish you were killed’” and “another student called her ‘a dirty Jew,’ and the student said he wished Hitler could have hit more Jews, including her.” But Banks said a New York City Public Schools probe “found no evidence that there was any movement through the halls saying ‘Death to the Jews.’” “And I treat that very, very seriously. That was reported in the papers,” Banks said. “We have found no evidence that that actually happened. What we have found are a wide range of deeply troubling, antisemitic things that have happened at Origins High School. This is the one case that has troubled me the most, Congresswoman, I will tell you that.” Banks said a “number of students” were suspended from Origins High School, but the case is “now is under litigation.” “I’m being advised not to speak to the specific things that have happened there, but just know that I have visited that school after these allegations have come up,” he said. “I’ve met with parents, families, staff, students. I’m deeply troubled by what is happening there, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it. I can’t say more because this is now under litigation.” “You understand our concern, though, as policymakers,” Stefanik said, “when we have witnesses testify, whether it’s Columbia University, Penn, Harvard or New York City … when there’s a lack of enforcement and accountability, that there is a set of rules but that individuals who violate those rules are not held accountable.” In the fiery exchange, Stefanik also pressed for information on “teacher-led walkouts,” but Banks said he was only aware of student walkouts. Stefanik noted that a teacher at Gotham Tech High School in Queens posted images of a Hamas paraglider on his social media and repeatedly referred to “so-called Israel.’” “This is highlighting a Hamas paraglider who slaughtered Jews – we all have seen the horrific footage – who cooked babies. These are terrorists. What disciplinary action has been taken against this teacher?” she asked. NYC CHANCELLOR DENIES HIGH SCHOOLERS WHO STORMED HALLS DEMANDING JEWISH TEACHER’S OUSTER ARE ‘RADICALIZED’ “First of all, I [just want] to say I think what that employee did was absolutely disgusting, absolutely disgusting,” Banks responded, but he repeatedly declined to specify what action was taken against the teacher. “I cannot give you, on this specific employee; we did in fact take action,” he said. Stefanik retorted, “You can give us an answer. You’re choosing not to. That’s unacceptable.” “We suspended a number of students who were the leaders at Hillcrest High School, No. 1,” Banks said earlier. “No. 2, we removed the principal of that school for lack of leadership and oversight. I don’t know how to make it much clearer. I condemn clearly – what happened at Hillcrest was a complete act of antisemitism. It will not stand on my watch. We responded. And I don’t know how to make it in English.” The committee summoned school administrators from New York, California and Maryland to testify about how antisemitic protests and harassment have impacted K-12 education, beyond college campuses alone. Banks testified that since Oct. 7, New York City Public Schools has removed, disciplined or is in the process of disciplining at least a dozen staff and school leaders, including the removal of a principal in the middle of a school year. He said the school system also suspended at least 30 students and has involved the NYPD when hate crimes are committed. Banks testified that all 1,600 principals have been retrained on the discipline code. “Keeping schools safe is in my DNA. When antisemitism rears its head, I believe we must respond,” Banks said, noting “New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel.” “Since Oct. 7, our students and staff — Jewish and Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian — have suffered immensely,” Banks testified earlier Wednesday. “We’ve had 281 incidents since Oct. 7, approximately 42% were antisemitic and 30% were Islamophobic. And so this is an issue that rages on both sides. We take every single one of those very, very seriously. We investigate, and then we initiate the appropriate level of conduct.”
WATCH: Dem governor swarmed by anti-Israel agitators while celebrating daughter’s college graduation
Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was swarmed by a group of anti-Israel protesters last week as she celebrated her daughter’s college graduation at a local restaurant. The exchange occurred at Bobcat Bonnie’s, a brunch-style restaurant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, not far from the University of Michigan, when a group screaming about “genocide” in Gaza approached Whitmer. “How do you justify genocide?” the protesters repeatedly screamed as Whitmer’s security detail blocked them from coming into contact with her. WATCH: DEM SENATE CANDIDATE CAUGHT ON VIDEO SCREAMING AT REPORTER OVER CONTROVERSIAL POLICE REMARK The protesters continued screaming, asking how Whitmer was able to “sleep at night,” and what she was doing to help Palestinian children. “I appreciate you raising your voice in here. I’m at a graduation meal with my daughter,” Whitmer responded to the group before being interrupted. “What about all of the children that are in mass graves? What about them?” one of the protesters yelled as Whitmer asked them to “respectfully” not be disruptive. Whitmer responded that the situation in Gaza was “heartbreaking.” BILLIONAIRE FAMILY BANKROLLING BOTH ANTI-ISRAEL GROUPS AND THESE BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRATS The governor previously condemned chants of “death to America” from anti-Israel protesters at a Dearborn rally in Michigan last month after facing criticism for taking more than a week to do so despite the Biden administration condemning the “abhorrent and antisemitic remarks in the strongest terms” almost immediately. “This hateful rhetoric is unacceptable, and does not represent Michigan or Dearborn,” Whitmer’s office told Fox News Digital at the time. “The Dearborn community is full of hardworking, proud Americans. Our state is diverse, and we are proud of it.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Whitmer’s office for comment.
Fox News Politics: Literal Brain Worms
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening? -Biden pauses munition shipments to Israel over Rafa operation -College agitators to be sent to Gaza under new House Bill -Billionaire’s family financing both Democrat campaigns and anti-Israel protests Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed in a years-old deposition that doctors told him a parasitic worm had eaten part of his brain before dying in his skull. Kennedy said he had been experiencing “cognitive problems,” memory loss and brain fog, and feared he was suffering from a brain tumor during a deposition in his 2012 divorce proceedings, the New York Times first reported. RFK’s campaign told the Times he made a full recovery from the brain fog and other symptoms after changing his diet (he also blamed mercury poisoning), and he had no aftereffects from the parasite. RFK recently reignited his call to debate former President Trump, suggesting “perfect neutral territory” at the upcoming Libertarian Party convention. But the Kennedy scion isn’t the only presidential candidate facing questions about cognition. Jon Stewart recently blasted Biden (81) as “so f—ing old” during a comedy set — and pointed out that Trump (77) isn’t much younger. “Why are we allowing this?” Stewart asked a Los Angeles crowd at Netflix’s comedy festival on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “And now we’re going to have a president that’s [one of] the two oldest people that have ever run for the office of the presidency.” TRUMP ON TRIAL: Top 5 moments of Trump trial after ‘salacious’ Stormy Daniels testimony …Read more FACE OFF: State AG promises to use little-known law for felony charges against anti-Israel agitators …Read more ‘HE’S SO F—ING OLD!’: Jon Stewart says Biden ‘shouldn’t be president’ in shocking comedy set …Read more ONE-WAY TICKET: Republican wants to send college anti-Israel agitators to Gaza …Read more ACTION TAKEN: Comer cancels DC antisemitism hearing, after police ‘finally’ dismantled GWU encampment …Read more ROOT OF ALL EVIL: Billionaire’s family bankrolling both anti-Israel groups and these battleground Democrats …Read more HOLD: Biden administration confirms paused shipment of bombs to Israel over opposition to operation in Rafah …Read more CRIMINAL REFERRAL: House GOP goes after ‘convicted liar’ Michael Cohen, asks DOJ to investigate most recent lies …Read more TRUMP CARD: Trump shows support for one of MTG’s key demands amid Johnson ouster threats …Read more ON THE VERGE: Wife of Biden’s national security adviser gets ready to run for Congress in key battleground state …Read more ‘SHAMEFUL’: GOP lawmaker says Biden threw Jews ‘under the bus’ to appease one key voting bloc …Read more BUILD BACK BETTER: Trump says keeping FBI in DC will be ‘centerpiece of my plan’ rebuilding capital city …Read more ‘PERFECT NEUTRAL TERRITORY’: RFK Jr continues push for Trump debate, suggests time and place …Read more THIS AIN’T TEXAS: Cruz team slams Lone Star Dems for giving ‘radical’ blue state gov keynote slot at convention …Read more ‘HE’S A PHONY’: Gov Newsom roasted over Golden Gate Bridge tourism video …Read more HOT WATER: GOP keeps pressure on NPR amid political bias scandal …Read more ‘LEARN THE LAW’: Fani Willis suggests she won’t testify in ‘unlawful’ Georgia Senate probe …Read more ‘SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA’: Vatican preparing ‘guidelines’ for ‘apparitions’ …Read more GEORGIA APPEALS: Georgia court of appeals to review Trump’s bid to disqualify DA Fani Willis …Read more DON’S DEFIANCE: Trump recites line from 1775 to judge who threatened to jail him for violating gag order …Read more TIMES UP: New York Times is being punished for not being ‘sufficiently worshipful of Joe Biden’: Taibbi …Read more ‘DISASTROUS’ TESTIMONY: CNN legal analyst taken aback by Stormy Daniels’ admission …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Critics pan Biden plan to bring Gaza refugees into US: ‘Terrorists entering our homeland’
A possible Biden administration plan to begin allowing refugees from Gaza into the U.S. has faced significant pushback, with critics calling attention to potential national security risks. “We demand that your administration cease planning for accepting Gazan refugees until you adequately answer our concerns and focus your attention instead on securing the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas,” read a letter to President Biden signed by 36 Republican senators last week. The letter came after CBS News reported that the Biden administration was considering multiple plans to bring Gazan refugees to the U.S., with senior officials discussing the possibility of accepting refugees who have immediate family members already in the United States, according to documents reviewed by the outlet. One of the proposals floated by the administration involves using the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to bring people who have connections to the U.S. to the country after they escape the war-torn area through neighboring Egypt. Another proposal calls for the U.S. to consider welcoming people out of Gaza and processing them as refugees if they have American relatives. WHITE HOUSE CONSIDERS ACCEPTING SOME PALESTINIANS FROM GAZA AS REFUGEES AMID ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Any refugees from Gaza would have to pass a series of medical and security screenings, with those who are eligible being flown to the U.S. with refugee status. But doubts remain about just how well the U.S. would be able to screen individuals from the war-torn area, raising concerns about the national security implications of such a program. “One wonders how well thought-through such a plan is and how it is good for us,” William Ruger, a Trump administration nominee for ambassador to Afghanistan and president of the American Institute for Economic Research, told Fox News Digital. “Who’s going to do the vetting? Who’s going to pay? What will be the consequences here at home? Is the U.S. meant to deal with and pay for the consequences of the decisions that other actors make in the world simply because we are a powerful country?” Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, shared similar concerns, telling Fox News Digital that allowing in refugees from Gaza would open “a horrendous amount of problems.” “It would be impossible,” Mills said when asked if refugees from Gaza could be properly vetted. “We just do not know, writ large, what level of commitment or understanding most of the people that come into the United States at these levels have to the American project.” WHY MIDEAST NEIGHBORS WON’T OFFER REFUGE TO PALESTINIANS STUCK IN GAZA WAR ZONE Meanwhile, some critics have pointed to the public support Hamas enjoys among many Gazans. Writing in the New York Post, Center for Immigration Studies senior national security fellow Todd Bensman pointed to polling that showed a majority of Gazans support the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Bensman also argued that many in Gaza have “long viewed” the U.S. as an enemy, pointing to a 2013 poll that showed 76% of the population view the U.S. as more of an enemy. “I do not think it’s possible to sufficiently vet most Gazans, even children, who are thoroughly saturated, marinated, indoctrinated, from school, mosque, and summer camp, parents and family, the doctrines of hatred and killing,” Bensman told Fox News Digital. Bensman also questioned why the U.S. should be the country responsible for taking in Gazan refugees, arguing that there are plenty of other countries in the region that are “perfectly equipped to take on more refugees.” The 36 Republican senators hit on similar themes in their letter to Biden, warning of the dangers that the possibility of “terrorists entering our homeland is no hypothetical matter.” “With more than a third of Gazans supporting the Hamas militants, we are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States,” the senators wrote. URBAN WARFARE EXPERT SAYS ISRAELI MILITARY TAKING UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO PROTECT GAZA CIVILIANS Lisa Daftari, the editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk and a terrorism expert, told Fox News Digital that any plan to bring Gazans to the U.S. as refugees would have to “be done lawfully and with due process.” “It seems the Biden administration has employed a ‘make-it-up-as-you-go-along’ foreign policy in dealing with fallout from the Gaza/Israel war, “Daftari said. Daftari argued that “there are many issues” the White House would have to consider with such a policy, adding that “the main one is concerning U.S. national security.” “The challenge in allowing these individuals into the country is that it is impossible to have proper vetting,” Daftari said. “The mess at our southern border should serve as the cautionary tale as to date, Border Patrol has encountered over 200 individuals whose names have appeared on the national terror watchlist, and that is not taking into account the dozens or more who have evaded authorities and are currently in this country.” The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
China could ‘overwhelm’ US military bases as Biden shows ‘alarming lack of urgency’: House committee chair
EXCLUSIVE: The new chairman of the House China Committee says there is an “alarming lack of urgency” from the Biden administration to adopt defensive measures to protect American military bases in the Indo-Pacific against potential attacks from China. House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., who took the helm last month after the departure of Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., outlined his concerns in a letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro. TOP REPUBLICAN SOUNDS ALARM ON US TERRITORY BEING ‘HIGHLY VULNERABLE’ TO CHINESE MISSILES “American military bases in the Indo-Pacific are under threat. With its current strike capabilities, China can attack U.S. bases in the region, including those on U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,” Moolenaar warned, adding that a new unclassified analysis suggests China “has enough weapons to overwhelm our air and missile defenses protecting those bases.” Moolenaar warned that strikes on U.S. bases “could immobilize vital air assets, disrupt logistical chains, and significantly weaken our ability to respond in a conflict.” Moolenaar said his committee received information that shows “an alarming lack of urgency by the Department of Defense in adopting defensive measures.” “U.S. bases in the region have almost no hardened aircraft shelters compared to Chinese military bases,” he said. “In addition, a DoD regulation involving World War II-era munitions is substantially delaying and driving up the costs of construction projects in Guam and [the Northern Mariana Islands] aimed at building a more resilient posture for our forces to withstand Chinese attacks and continue operations.” Moolenaar added: “We urge immediate changes.” Moolenaar sent the letter to military leaders, along with a number of his congressional colleagues, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Reps. Robert Wittman, R-Va., Blaine Luetkeymeyer, R-Mo., Andy Barr, R-Ky., Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., Darin LaHood, R-Ill., Neal P. Dunn, R-Fla., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Michelle Steel, R-Calif., Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, and Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., also signed onto the letter. Moolenaar and his colleagues said U.S. bases and air assets are “highly vulnerable to Chinese strikes.” “Unsurprisingly, in recent war games simulating a conflict with China over Taiwan, 90% of U.S. aircraft losses occurred on the ground, rather than from air combat,” he explained. Moolenaar pointed to “passive defenses” as the most cost-effective way to improve security at bases, calling for hardened aircraft shelters, underground bunkers and more. INFLUX OF ILLEGAL CHINESE MIGRANTS THREATENS US TERRITORY, ISLAND MUST SHOW ‘STRENGTH OF THE NATION’ “Robust passive defenses can help minimize the damage of missile attacks by increasing our forces’ ability to withstand strikes, recover quickly, and effectively continue operations,” he said. Moolenaar explained that China has 800 hardened aircraft shelters, in comparison to the United States’ just 100 on bases in Guam, Mariana Islands, Japan and South Korea. Moolenaar is now demanding the Pentagon officials provide information on the steps they have taken to enhance passive defenses to protect U.S. bases and forces in the Indo-Pacific, including in Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, minor outlying islands, and allied and partner territory. Moolenaar is also asking what plans the Pentagon has to create hardened shelters and bunkers to protect U.S. forces and whether they plan to request additional funding for base resilience construction projects. “Our bases in the Indo-Pacific are unacceptably vulnerable to Chinese strikes,” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital. “We don’t have enough hardened shelters to protect our aircraft and personnel.” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital that the Pentagon’s “own regulations are significantly delaying critical construction projects.” REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER TOP BIDEN OFFICIAL INVITED CCP LEADERS TO SENSITIVE NATIONAL SECURITY SITE “We’re years behind the mark to harden our bases,” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital. “Today, I’m imploring Pentagon leaders to begin this critical construction before China decides it’s too late.” Moolenaar’s warning comes as his congressional colleagues have pointed, specifically, to Guam as a region in need of additional attention. Guam is the westernmost U.S. territory in the Indo-Pacific region and home to about 170,000 U.S. citizens. The Department of Defense owns approximately a quarter of the land on Guam and has a military force of nearly 7,000 active-duty service members on the island. Guam hosts Naval Base Guam, the Navy’s only submarine base in the western Pacific, as well as Anderson Air Force Base, a large air base able to host U.S. strategic bombers and fighters. But Guam is significantly closer to Beijing than it is to Hawaii, and is within range of nuclear-capable missiles owned by the People’s Republic of China and North Korea. U.S. officials have warned that China has spent decades developing both short- and intermediate-range missiles that can target Guam.
Police dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment at University of Houston, arrest two students
The University of Houston joins other Texas colleges that have cracked down on recent campus protests.
Texans in Congress stay silent on Cuellar indictment, unlike with Santos and Menendez before him
Some Texans called on Sen. Bob Menendez and former Rep. George Santos to resign amid their own scandals, but have been silent about the Laredo Democrat.
Jewish student defies anti-Israel radicals who ‘stalked’ him on California campus: Won’t be ‘silenced’
What was supposed to be a memorable day of taking photos at USC’s historical spots on campus soon spiraled into a Jewish graduate student confronting antisemitism head-on at the prestigious school that’s been rocked by anti-Israel radicals, the student recounted to Fox News Digital. “I was walking around my campus to some of the more historic parts to get a good picture, and I was followed. Two individuals from that encampment, they stalked us, and they harassed us. They followed us for a good 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes. Really wanted to come up to us to get in our faces,” graduate student Mark Rayant told Fox News Digital in an interview this month. Rayant is graduating with a master’s degree this year, but like his fellow students, will not enjoy a full graduation ceremony due to the anti-Israel agitators that have run rampant on the school. USC was the first major university in the nation to cancel its main graduation ceremony due to radical protesters, which was soon followed by universities such as Emory and Columbia also canceling ceremonies. Los Angeles police clad in riot gear flanked the campus this weekend, removing agitators from an anti-Israel encampment, where students and outside protesters demanded the school cut financial ties with Israel. A student-led group called the USC Divest from Death Coalition detailed a list of six demands, including “no policing on campus,” “full amnesty” for those associated with the school who are reprimanded for the protests, and ending study abroad programs in Israel. USC STUDENT RECOUNTS DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER GRADUATION COMMENCEMENT WAS CANCELED DUE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS The removal of the encampment on Sunday was the second time police swept the campus and removed protesters since last month. Graduation ceremonies, apart from the main ceremony, kick off this week, with Rayant explaining to Fox News Digital that he and a buddy recently decided to take graduation photos ahead of officially securing their diplomas. “I came to campus to take some graduation photos for my family, you know, for the memories of it. And I came wearing a shirt that I got at one of the Jewish organizations, wearing the dog tags to represent the hostages that are still in captivity, many of them are American citizens,” Rayant said. He then noticed a pair of anti-Israel agitators following him as he toured campus, he said. “Their attempts are to bully us, to intimidate us, and to instill fear in us, to try to silence us. To try to make us disappear. But they won’t do it,” he continued. ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENT PROTESTS THREATEN TO CANCEL GRADUATION CEREMONIES IN REPEAT OF COVID ERA Rayant said he took matters into his own hands and confronted the agitators, describing that Jews on campus will not be “silenced” by radicals. “I walked up to them. And I said, you know, ‘If you’re going to be brave, if you really want to follow me, why don’t you come and take a picture with me?’ I told them, I wasn’t afraid of them. I wasn’t going to let them intimidate us. Because we deserve to be here too. I’ve worked very hard at this institution, I worked extremely hard to give back to my community, to build organizations that help people in need, and I deserve to celebrate my graduation. Whether these bullies and these aggressors want to intimidate us out of our celebration or not, we deserve that,” he said. USC VALEDICTORIAN WHO HAD SPEECH CANCELED ‘NOT APOLOGETIC,’ DEFENDS CALL TO ABOLISH ISRAEL IN ITS CURRENT FORM The agitators, one of whom Rayant believes is a student, hung around for a little bit after they were confronted, he recounted. The graduate student and his friend then left the area and did not see the agitators again. Rayant said he plans to report the alleged student to campus officials. ‘SCREAMING AND CURSING’ ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS DESCEND ON SENATOR’S HOME MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES The engineering grad reflected on the Holocaust during his conversation with Fox News Digital, explaining that though his family members who survived the Holocaust have since passed, he speaks with another survivor amid the campus chaos. “I’ve been very blessed as a part of my community to have contact with Holocaust survivors that are still alive today. Unfortunately, my grandparents have now passed. May their memories be a blessing. But I have a Holocaust survivor that I’m in constant contact with,” he said. Rayant said his mentor described that he’s never seen anything “on this level,” even when he was sent to Auschwitz. “What he told me when I asked him… ‘Have you seen anything like this since you were a little boy, before you were taken to Auschwitz?’ And what he told me was, ‘In my lifetime, even when I was arrested and taken to Auschwitz, I never saw anything on this level. It was not this out in the open, because the Germans knew that Western society around them did not condone that type of behavior. And so they tried to be secretive about it. And they tried to cover it up, and the hatred was there, but it was less noticeable and in your face. This is different. You have people all across the world chanting for death, wishing death upon Jewish people and attacking them openly. You know, it’s on a scale that’s completely unprecedented,’” he continued. USC SPARKS BACKLASH FOR CANCELING MAIN STAGE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY: ‘CAVING TO CAMPUS TERRORISTS’ Rayant said students have been indoctrinated by “outside forces” with “radical” ideologies that have turned them against American values. “These are people with Marxist ideology. They have Marxist values. They want to destroy and undermine, and watch our institutions burn. They want to see America crumble. They don’t like capitalism. They don’t like what America stands for, and they need to be stopped,” he said. USC’s main graduation ceremony began to unravel last month, when a student holding anti-Israel views was chosen as valedictorian, before the school pulled her speech, citing safety concerns.
New poll reveals how many Dems agree with demands of anti-Israel campus protesters
Democrats are divided over the anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country this spring over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, according to a new national poll. And the USA Today/Suffolk University survey released on Wednesday indicates that Republicans are mostly united in their opposition to the demonstrations, some of which have turned violent in recent weeks. The protests in support of Palestinians have grabbed plenty of attention on cable news and online coverage. Demonstrators have criticized President Biden’s support for Israel in its battle with Hamas and have called on colleges and universities to cut financial ties with the government in Jerusalem. HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE CAMPUS PROTESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY According to the poll, 32% of Democrats questioned say they support the demonstrations, with 38% saying they agree with the protesters’ demands but oppose the way they are conducting themselves. Seventeen percent of Democrats said they oppose the protests. GOP RAMPS UP ATTACKS ON DEMOCRATS OVER ANTI-ISRAEL COLLEGE CAMPUS PROTESTS It’s a different story with Republicans, 81% of whom said they oppose the protests. Four percent of Republicans questioned said they support the demonstrations, with 9% saying they agree with the protesters’ demands but oppose the way they are conducting themselves. Among all voters, the poll spotlights a generational divide. “Support for the protests was highest among younger voters,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, wrote in the poll’s release. “The oldest voters, those 65 and older, is the age group that is the most supportive of Biden, followed by those ages 35 to 49. These older voters are also the most aligned against the protests.” Asked whether the anti-Israel demonstrations reflect antisemitism, 41% said yes and 40% said no. The Suffolk University poll for USA Today was conducted April 30-May 3, with 1,000 registered voters nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
House GOP eyes election safeguards to block ‘dangerously high number’ of illegal immigrants from voting
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled legislation on Wednesday aimed at blocking non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections. Johnson held a high-profile press conference at the base of the U.S. Capitol to promote the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act alongside the bill’s leaders in the House and Senate, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The speaker warned that a “dangerously high number” of illegal immigrants are able to vote in U.S. elections and said it could even affect who wins or loses. “Due to the wide open border that the Biden administration has refused to close, in fact, that they engineered to open, we now have so many non-citizens in the country that if only one out of 100 of those voted, they would cast hundreds of thousands of votes,” Johnson said. CARDONA GRILLED OVER BIDEN STUDENT LOAN HANDOUTS FOR CAMPUS ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ‘BREAKING THE LAW’ “And since our elections are so razor-thin…and a few states decide the makeup of Congress and who is elected to the White House, this is a dangerously high number, and it is a great concern to millions and millions of Americans. It could obviously change the outcome of our elections.” Johnson later conceded that it’s not known how many illegal immigrants or non-citizens have voted in U.S. elections, but said the bill would definitely stop any instances of it from taking place. “States are not allowed right now to prove if somebody claims on that simple form that they’re a citizen, they can vote. They’re not allowed to prove whether it’s true or not. We all know intuitively that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections, but it’s not been something that is easily provable,” he said. “We don’t have that number. This legislation will allow us to do exactly that. It will prevent that from happening.” REPUBLICANS BELIEVE COLLEGE CAMPUS CHAOS WORKS IN THEIR FAVOR Roy, meanwhile, told reporters that a majority of the American populace supports stronger voter ID protections. “We’re here for the simple proposition supported by the vast majority of the American people, that only citizens of the United States should vote. That we should have documentary proof. That we should have a system to guarantee that only citizens of the United States vote in federal elections,” Roy said. Also in attendance at the press conference were former Trump administration officials Stephen Miller and Hogan Gidley, now top officials at conservative think tank America First Policy Institute. BORDER PATROL SECTOR STOPS HUNDREDS OF CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN JUST TWO DAYS AS NUMBERS SOAR CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It is dangerous lunacy to ignore the law and allow people who are not American citizens to vote in American elections,” Gidley said. Johnson did not answer shouted questions from Fox News Digital about when he wants the bill to hit the House floor.