House votes to authorize Biden impeachment inquiry
The House has voted to formalize its impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Wednesday, taking a critical step that GOP leaders have argued is necessary to force the White House into complying with their investigation. The measure passed 221 to 212, with every Republican voting in favor of it and all present Democrats voting against. Light cheering could be heard on the GOP side of the chamber after the measure passed, with pin drop silence on the Democratic side. “We are now at a pivotal moment in our investigation. We will soon depose and interview several members of the Biden family and their associates about these influence peddling schemes. But we are facing obstruction from the White House,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said on the House floor ahead of the vote. “The White House is seeking to block key testimony from current and former White House staff. It is also withholding thousands of records from Joe Biden’s time as Vice President. President Biden must be held accountable for his lies, corruption, and obstruction. We have a duty to provide the accountability and transparency that Americans demand and deserve.” HOUSE OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT QUIETLY MEETING WITH GOP LAWMAKERS IN EFFORT TO QUASH IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: SOURCES The GOP-led committees on Oversight, Ways & Means and the Judiciary have been investigating Biden over accusations he had leveraged his office of vice president in the Obama administration to enrich his family through foreign businesses. It’s been heavily centered on one of the president’s brothers, James Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden — who is under federal investigation for tax and firearm-related charges. COMER DEFENDS PRIVATE DEPOSITION OF HUNTER BIDEN, VOWS TO RELEASE TRANSCRIPT AND HOLD PUBLIC HEARING Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September, but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital that the White House “requested” the House vote itself. “The White House sent a letter…saying that the subpoenas [Republicans] had served will not be honored and won’t even be recognized without a full vote of the House. So our speaker has done exactly what I would expect he would do as a lawyer. We’re going to honor that. We’re going to go ahead and do a full floor vote,” Emmer said. “He knows we’re probably going to have to go to court to enforce these anyway, so might as well eliminate any of the objections that they have.” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital that Republicans were undertaking their vote because they recognize the gravity of impeachment proceedings. NOTORIOUS MOBSTER STUNNED BY LATEST HUNTER BIDEN ALLEGATIONS: ‘MIND-BLOWING’ “We don’t want to minimize what it means to have an impeachment, which I think is what the Democrats did. We want to be able to have that tool to be a significant tool to hold presidents accountable,” she said. “We don’t want it just to be a knee jerk reaction.” Judiciary Committee member Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., said similarly, “I think the House Republicans will follow the facts where they lead…will make sure that we have the facts, and that we present the facts to the American people.” In a statement following the vote, Biden accused House Republicans of wasting time with political attacks and avoiding critical issues facing the nation. “We have to address the situation at our southern border, and I am determined to try to fix the problem. We need funding to strengthen border security, but Republicans in Congress won’t act to help,” Biden said. Biden said he is also working to “make sure inflation keeps going down and job growth keeps going up” — but accused Congress of refusing to help him. “Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies. Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts,” Biden said. The vote comes hours after Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance outside of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning. He had been scheduled to appear for a closed-door deposition with the Oversight Committee, but instead he delivered a brief statement to reporters on his father’s professed innocence before departing Capitol Hill altogether.
AOC defends Hunter Biden after refusal to testify before Congress; GOP just ‘story telling at this point’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, defended Hunter Biden on Wednesday amid criticism by Republicans after he refused to testify before lawmakers behind closed doors. The president’s son was subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. He instead held a press conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill in which he refused to sit for a deposition while declaring that his father was never involved in his business dealings. Republicans have threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress. HUNTER BIDEN WILL NOT SIT FOR DEPOSITION BY GOP, SAYS FATHER NOT ‘FINANCIALLY’ INVOLVED IN HIS BUSINESS Ocasio-Cortez joined a press conference with fellow Democrats to criticize Republicans where she said Biden was attempting to comply with the subpoena. “It’s also important to note, that not only is the committee not allowing Hunter Biden to testify publicly, but they have not called a single witness, a single first-hand witness to any of their allegations,” she said. “They haven’t allowed anybody to testify publicly, because they do not have a single witness to any of their alleged allegations. They don’t.” “We have asked virtually every single person that has come to testify for this committee, ‘Have you seen, witnessed, participated, in a room, anything with first-hand testimony of any of what is being alleged?’” And every single witness that they have called before us has said, ‘No, I haven’t seen anything, didn’t hear anything, wasn’t party to anything,” she added. WH SPURNS BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ AHEAD OF LIKELY IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY VOTE, HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION “So this is just story telling at this point.” During his press conference, Biden defended the president and said critics have “belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service. For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.” “My father was not financially involved in my business,” he said, saying the elder Biden was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese investments and others in the United States. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said they would start proceedings to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress. “Today, the House will vote on an impeachment inquiry resolution to strengthen our legal case in the courts as we face obstruction from the White House and witnesses,” both lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Today’s obstruction by Hunter Biden reinforces the need for a formal vote. President Biden and his family must be held accountable for their corruption and obstruction. And we will provide that to the American people.”
WATCH: White House says Biden ‘proud’ of Hunter despite mounting legal issues, subpoena defiance
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were “proud” of their son, Hunter, despite his defiance of a subpoena to testify before Congress and his mounting legal issues. “When it comes to the president and the first lady, they are proud of him continuing to rebuild his life. They are proud of their son,” Jean-Pierre said when asked during the White House press briefing whether Biden had watched Hunter’s press conference outside the U.S. Capitol earlier in the day announcing his decision not to comply with the subpoena issued by House Republicans. “The president was certainly familiar with what his son was going to say. And I think what you saw was from the heart, from his son,” she added. SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GROWS WITH A NOTABLE LEVEL OF DEMOCRAT BACKING: POLL When asked if Biden was okay with Hunter defying the subpoena, Jean-Pierre refused to “get into the specifics” surrounding the president’s view. She also wouldn’t say the last time Biden and Hunter had spoken, noting those were “private” conversations. Jean-Pierre was later pressed on Biden previously stating that people who defied congressional subpoenas should be prosecuted, comments he made in 2021 amid a probe into the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, but she declined to comment. HUNTER BIDEN FACES BACKLASH AFTER DEFYING SUBPOENA WITH PRESS CONFERENCE ‘STUNT’: ‘HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT!’ “I don’t have anything to add to what you have, what you just quoted me from the president. I just don’t have anything to add,” she said. At his press conference Wednesday morning, Hunter offered to testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee, but declined to show for his scheduled closed-door deposition for which he was subpoenaed. He maintained that his father “was not financially involved” in the business dealings for which House Republicans are investigating him, and said there was “no evidence because it did not happen.” WH SPURNS BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ AHEAD OF LIKELY IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY VOTE, HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION In his statement, Hunter blasted “MAGA” Republicans who he said “invaded” his privacy, “attacked” his family, and “ridiculed my struggle with addiction.” Hunter is also facing a number of federal charges in California after being indicted last week. The nine charges allege a “four-year scheme” when he did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Judge pauses Jan. 6 case against Trump amid former president’s appeal to dismiss
The judge presiding over the case against former President Trump and his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election acknowledged she does not have jurisdiction over the matter while it is pending before the Supreme Court, and put a pause on the case against the Republican 2024 frontrunner until the high court determines its involvement. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether former President Trump can be prosecuted on charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. TRUMP LEGAL TEAM FILES MOTION TO PAUSE PROCEEDINGS PENDING APPEAL A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but Trump said he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court — the usual next step in the process — and have the Supreme Court take up the matter directly. The Supreme Court, late Monday, asked Trump’s lawyers to respond to the special counsel’s motion by next Wednesday, December 20 — two days later than Smith had requested. Lawyers for former President Donald Trump filed a motion Tuesday urging Judge Tanya Chutkan to pause proceedings against Trump in the Jan. 6 case while his appeal is pending. SUPREME COURT: TRUMP MUST RESPOND TO SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY PETITION BEFORE CHRISTMAS Chutkan, in a filing Wednesday, said she “agrees with both parties that Defendant’s appeal automatically stays any further proceedings that would move this case towards trial or impose additional burdens of litigation on Defendant.” “Accordingly, and for clarity, the court hereby stays the deadlines and proceedings scheduled by its Pretrial Order, as amended,” Chutkan wrote. Chutkan added that if Trump “asks the court reviewing his immunity appeal to also take a temporary jurisdiction over the enforcement of those measures, and that court agrees to do so, this court of course will be bound by that decision.” SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH TO USE DATA FROM TRUMP’S PHONE IN ELECTION INTERFERENCE TRIAL: COURT FILING The trial was set to begin March 4, but now that start date could be delayed. Chutkan said that she would reconsider the trial date at the completion of the appeals process. Trump, in August, pleaded not guilty in federal court to all four federal charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. The Supreme Court’s next scheduled conference day for consideration of such matters is Jan. 5, 2024. The court’s brief order did not signal what it ultimately would do.
Three court of criminal appeal judges up for reelection targeted by Ken Paxton’s political revenge machine
Paxton promised to go after the Republican judges over their 2021 ruling that struck down the attorney general’s ability to unilaterally prosecute voter fraud.
New Freedom Caucus leader fires warning shot as conservatives rebel against must-pass defense bill
EXCLUSIVE: The new chair of the House Freedom Caucus is sending a somber warning to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leaders as Congress readies to pass its annual defense policy bill Thursday. “I’ll just say I think it’s a terrible mistake. A colossal failure,” Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday afternoon. When pressed on whether House Republican leaders could face retribution from their right flank, Good smiled slightly and said again, “I think it’s a terrible mistake. I think it’s a colossal failure.” GOP hardliners have been criticizing House Republicans over this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) after the text of the compromise with the Democrat-controlled Senate removed a number of conservative policy goals on transgender surgeries and abortion, among others. CHINA BOOSTS MILITARY SPENDING BY BILLIONS AS US WARNS OF POTENTIAL TAIWAN INVASION They’re also angry about its inclusion of a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) Section 702, which critics say has been misused to spy on private U.S. citizens without a warrant. Supporters of the tool say it’s critical to prevent terror attacks from overseas. That provision is also opposed by several progressives. “I think the NDAA/FISA combination represents everything that’s wrong with Washington. I think it’s an abysmal failure,” Good said. “We passed a good NDA back in the summer … that reversed the harmful, woke, damaging policies by the Biden administration that are destroying our military.” PENTAGON’S $1.8 BILLION AI REQUEST KEEPS US IN ‘RACE TO ACHIEVE SUPERIORITY’ OVER CHINA The House Freedom Caucus is circulating an internal talking points memo to members arguing that negotiation over the NDAA was done “behind closed doors” rather than through the conference committee appointed by the House and Senate to negotiate. The memo, which a source sent to Fox News Digital, also pointed out that the White House has signaled President Biden will sign the bill if it gets to his desk. “It’s no surprise that the Biden administration has blessed the bill and urged its passage as it surrenders on many of the policies that House Republicans claim to fight for,” the memo said. House leaders are bringing the NDAA to the floor under suspension of the rules, meaning it will forgo an initial procedural vote but will need two-thirds support, rather than a simple majority, to pass. SENATE AND HOUSE HEADED FOR SHOWDOWN OVER DEFENSE BILL “You had a four corners backroom secret deal that’s now being brought under suspension of the rules because they fear it wouldn’t pass … otherwise, when they’re attaching FISA to it,” Good said Wednesday. “I’m doing everything I can to influence members to vote against it. It takes a two-thirds vote. That means we need close to half of Republicans to vote against it, depending on how many Democrats might vote against it, for probably different reasons. But it’s an abysmal failure.” The NDAA is expected to get a vote Thursday morning if it passes the Senate by then. Good’s warning comes after more than 50 lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, signed a letter to congressional leaders on their opposition to a “clean” extension of the current FISA in late November.
Democrats fume over reported Biden offer to reinstate Title 42-type migrant expulsions: ‘Truly shameful’
Democrats in the House and Senate are furious at reports that the White House is open to new restrictions on asylum at the border to get a deal done on its supplemental funding request — with lawmakers accusing the White House of “selling out” migrants to appease Republicans. “It is truly shameful that President Biden and his administration are considering selling out migrants and asylum seekers in order to placate extreme Republicans who are jeopardizing our national security and that of our allies just to score a political point,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement. Talks have been ongoing between lawmakers and the administration over a supplemental funding request that includes border funding as well as aid for Israel and Ukraine. The border section would be around $14 billion of the approximately $106 billion package. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN A SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS But Republicans have said that the package does not include enough restrictions on asylum and the use of humanitarian parole, and want measures in place to curb the release of migrants into the U.S. Lawmakers argue that those releases are acting as a pull factor for more migrants to come to the border. As talks appeared to stall, with some Democrats opposed to policy changes to restrict asylum, President Biden indicated last week that he was open to “significant compromises” on the matter. CBS News reported Tuesday that the administration has now indicated it is open to a new border authority similar to Title 42 — the COVID-era order that allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border until May this year — but without the necessity of a public health justification. The administration was reportedly also open to a nationwide expansion of expedited removal, which allows for recently-entered migrants to be quickly removed if they do not meet the initial asylum standard. It is currently only being used at and near the border. CBS reported that the White House was willing to mandate the detention of certain migrants as their claims are considered. The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, but the White House told CBS that it “has not signed off on any particular policy proposals or final agreements, and reporting that ascribes determined policy positions to the White House is inaccurate.” 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS “The President has said he is open to compromise and we look forward to continued conversations with Senate negotiators as we work toward a bipartisan package,” spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said. Left-wing Democrats tore into the administration and accused it of trying to revive Trump-era practices on the border and immigration. Menendez said it was “the height of absurdity that the Biden administration is putting forward, with a straight face, callous and inhumane changes to our immigration system that President Trump could only have dreamed of accomplishing.” “There is no excuse for entertaining failed Trump-era immigration policies,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said. “These cruel, extreme policies are a complete nonstarter for me and many other congressional Democrats,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said. “We need real, humane solutions to our immigration system and simply cannot be trading unworkable, permanent policy changes for one-time funding.” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., called the reported proposals “Deplorable. Irresponsible. Unacceptable.” “The fact we are considering exchanging the lives of asylum seekers for Ukrainian lives is draconian & immoral,” she said. Meanwhile, some Democrats have said that they would require any policy changes to be accompanied by a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants already in the U.S. It is also unclear if any compromise package would have enough votes to get through the GOP-controlled House, where top lawmakers have previously demanded the entirety of the Republican border security package be included as part of any agreement. Meanwhile, there were another 10,000+ encounters at the southern border on Tuesday alone, the latest in a surge that has left multiple sectors overwhelmed.
Longtime Kentucky Senate leader Damon Thayer says he won’t seek reelection in 2024
Damon Thayer, a mainstay in the Kentucky Senate who played a key role in legalizing sports wagering and helped shape rafts of conservative policies, said Wednesday that he won’t run for reelection next year. Thayer has spent more than a decade as majority floor leader in the GOP-led Senate, putting him at the forefront of the chamber’s activities. He is the longest-serving Republican to serve in that leadership post in Kentucky history, according to a release announcing his decision not to seek another term. KENTUCKY DEMOCRAT WINS SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL SEAT IN STATE’S GOP-DOMINATED SENATE “I have accomplished most of the political and policy goals I set out to achieve,” Thayer said in the release. “I am grateful to the residents of the 17th District who granted me the honor of representing them in the Senate, and to my colleagues in the GOP caucus for the privilege of being their majority leader.” The Georgetown Republican, who has a year remaining in his current term, said he made the decision to step down after next year after conversations with his adult children, close friends and colleagues. The end of his term will mark 22 years in the Senate and 12 of them as majority floor leader. His district includes Grant and Scott counties and portions of Fayette and Kenton counties. Thayer achieved one of his long-running policy goals this year when a bill to legalize sports betting in Kentucky won final legislative approval shortly before the session ended. The measure cleared the last hurdle in the Senate after days of uncertainty over whether backers could muster enough support. During the debate, Thayer said: “We love our sports in the commonwealth. And people want to be able to make the choice — of their own free will — to make a wager on a sports event.” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear recently said that Kentucky has collected stronger than projected tax revenues from sports wagering in the weeks since betting on ballgames started. Thayer has been a frequent critic of the governor, but the two found common ground on the sports wagering issue. Thayer gained a reputation as a leading advocate for Kentucky’s thoroughbred racing, bourbon and tourism industries. He supported of legislation for wagering on historical racing machines — a lucrative revenue source tapped into by the state’s racetracks. Historical racing machines allow people to bet on randomly generated, past horse races. The games typically show video of condensed horse races. The tracks have reinvested some of the revenue to make Kentucky’s horse racing circuit more competitive. He backed a measure to phase out the property tax on the value of barrels of aging spirits — a key issue for bourbon producers. And he secured $75 million for tourism recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Thayer’s conservative credentials included support for right-to-work legislation and repeal of prevailing wage. He supported a tax overhaul in 2022 that will phase out individual income taxes in Kentucky. His fellow Republican, Senate President Robert Stivers, said Wednesday that Thayer “has brought such conviction and passion to creating conservative legislation in Kentucky.” With one year left in his term, Thayer said he will pursue the Senate GOP’s policy goals with the “vigor and enthusiasm people have come to expect” in the 2024 session, which begins in early January. Another Georgetown Republican, state Rep. Phillip Pratt, announced on the same day that he won’t seek another term in 2024. Pratt is chairman of the House Small Business and Information Technology Committee. Pratt said he will serve the remainder of his current term, adding that he hopes to “have an opportunity to accomplish a few more things before it ends.”
Biden admin agency quietly leaned on Soros and other billionaire-backed groups for key policy roles
A Biden administration agency has quietly leaned on a web of technology and antitrust advocacy groups funded by George Soros and other progressive billionaires for critical policy and enforcement roles, Fox News Digital has learned. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), tasked with protecting consumers, has previously faced criticism over its “revolving door” with regulated industries. Now, it has not only relied on a handful of groups for their expertise but has pulled individuals from a network funded by the same small collection of affluent Democrat donors for crucial government positions. It’s the latest illustration of how the Biden administration has counted on outside organizations that receive considerable funding from progressive benefactors. Soros’ Open Society Foundations, for instance, has also bankrolled an organization called Governing for Impact that works behind the scenes with the administration on policy and has boasted of implementing dozens of regulatory agenda items in its internal documents. “Our grantees give voice to people outside of Washington, in Washington,” an Open Society Foundations spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We’re proud of our work and our grantees’ work to protect the interests of people in the United States who are all too often excluded from the policymaking process.” SECRETIVE SOROS-FUNDED GROUP WORKS BEHIND THE SCENES WITH BIDEN ADMIN ON POLICY, DOCUMENTS SHOW Under chair Lina Khan, the FTC has faced accusations of sidelining career staff as it appears to have relied on dark money nonprofits. Earlier this year, Christie Wilson, the sole Republican on the commission, stepped down and admonished Khan in her resignation letter. “Under her leadership, knowledgeable career staff have been scorned and sidelined,” Wilson charged in her March resignation letter. “Most notably, early in her tenure, a gag order was imposed on staff that prevented them from engaging in consumer and business education – a vote of no confidence in our staff and a disservice to those we serve.” Khan has turned to the groups backed by the cadre of deep-pocketed donors and institutions for personnel hires within the commission, many of whom assisted from leadership positions, as she’s pursued a forceful antitrust strategy that mirrors the organizations’ committed goals. The FTC refused to comment for this story. Earlier this year, Khan tapped Sarah Miller, who previously led the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), an antitrust advocacy group, as a “special adviser.” AELP’s financial backers have included Soros’ Open Society Foundations, Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network and the Ford Foundation. According to tax documents and grant databases, each organization provided AELP between $200,000 and $500,000. Miller is married to former Bernie Sanders aide Faiz Shakir, the founder of another leading antitrust advocacy organization called More Perfect Union (MPU). MPU and its affiliated advocacy arm, More Perfect Union Action, have also received hundreds of thousands in backing from the Soros, Omidyar and Ford networks. When Miller moved to the FTC, her former group, AELP, made her husband Shakir its interim leader. At the time, AELP also elevated former Omidyar Network consultant Nidhi Hedge to its managing director position, a press release on its website stated, underlining the intimacy of the network. Politico reported that Miller was elevated to Khan’s chief of staff in November after acting as her aide. SOROS NONPROFIT DONATED OVER $1M TO GROUP THAT PREVIOUSLY BAILED OUT SUSPECT CHARGED IN DEADLY TEXAS SHOOTINGS “The American Economic Liberties Project is a nonpartisan, independent, mission-oriented organization that does not accept any corporate donations,” Jimmy Wyderko, an AELP spokesperson, told Fox News Digital, adding that their group publishes “original policy research and submits feedback on rules when agencies ask for public comment – as do many other civil society organizations, trade associations, small business owners, and workers.” “We have been glad to see FTC Chair Khan and other enforcers take on the work of serving the public interest on behalf of entrepreneurs, small businesses, consumers, and workers,” Wyderko said. “Sarah Miller is a seasoned policy adviser who has served in multiple roles in the government throughout her career, and we were proud to see her join the FTC.” “For decades, there has been a revolving door between big business and government that has hurt small businesses and working people, and we are glad to see this FTC hire professionals who are dedicated to serving its mission, not former Amazon and Meta lobbyists,” Wyderko continued. The FTC has also looked to another nonprofit called the AI Now Institute, which focuses on artificial intelligence as an antitrust issue. Over the past few years, the agency has quietly enlisted several of its employees as officials at one time or another. The FTC appointed AI Now founder Meredith Whittaker as a “senior adviser on artificial intelligence” in 2021. The following year, Khan brought AI Now’s director of policy and research, Rashida Richardson, aboard as her “attorney adviser.” The FTC appointed at least four other AI Now staffers – Amba Kak, Sarah Myers West, Alejandro Calcaño and Varoon Mathur – to advisory roles. In fact, the FTC had effectively tapped AI Now’s entire organization, as every individual now listed as a “team” member on the group’s website had been called upon to advise the commission in recent years. The FTC initially hired Kak and West for technical and advisory roles without noting work on enforcement matters. However, in August 2022, the FTC amended their job descriptions to include “supporting Bureau staff on cases and enforcement matters” and “collaborating closely with staff and leadership to provide insights on emerging tech issues and market development trends that could lead to enforcement efforts.” SOROS PUSHED $15M TO NONPROFIT LINKED TO BIDEN SUPER PAC TO TEST ‘CRITICAL’ POLICY ISSUES, TAX DOCS REVEAL AI Now has obtained funding from the three progressive networks like the other two organizations. Its website lists just four donors, including Soros’ Open Society Foundations, Omidyar’s network, the Ford Foundation and Luminate, which Pierre and Pam Omidyar established, the Omidyar Group’s website states. The FTC has credited individuals from AI Now that it previously brought on as advisers with helping craft policy and messaging in at least two posts on its website this
Democrat senator blasts ‘failure’ of university leaders to protect Jewish students, asks Biden admin to review
EXCLUSIVE: Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen is urging Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to take a “comprehensive review” of university harassment policies amid rising antisemitism on college campuses and what she called a “failure” of leadership at those institutions to protect Jewish students. Rosen, D-Nev., penned a letter obtained by Fox News on Wednesday to Cardona to share “significant concerns” on the matter, just days after university presidents testified on Capitol Hill. HARVARD STUDENT PANS UNIVERSITY’S EFFORT TO CLEAN UP STANCE ON JEWISH GENOCIDE: ‘HAD A CHANCE UNDER OATH’ “I write with significant concerns about rising antisemitism at institutions of higher education and the failure of college and university leadership to protect Jewish students from harassment and discrimination,” Rosen wrote. “Jewish Americans across the country were horrified by last week’s hearing in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where three leading university presidents failed to unequivocally state that calling for the genocide of the Jewish people would inherently violate their schools’ respective harassment policies or codes of conduct.” “In light of this disturbing testimony, and in order to protect students from antisemitic discrimination, I urge the Department of Education to undertake a comprehensive review of college and university harassment policies and codes of conduct to ensure that they comply with federal civil rights requirements for institutions of higher education,” Rosen wrote. ELISE STEFANIK SAYS SHE WAS LEFT ‘SHAKEN’ BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS’ ‘PATHETIC’ ANSWERS ABOUT ANTISEMITISM Rosen, citing the Dec. 5 hearing, said lawmakers posed questions regarding campus antisemitism to presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.) “When asked if ‘calling for the genocide of Jews’ would constitute bullying or harassment under Penn’s code of conduct, then-president Liz Magill answered that it was a ‘context-dependent decision’ and that such a statement would be harassment if ‘the speech turns into conduct,’” Rosen said, citing testimony from the university presidents. “The presidents of Harvard and MIT then gave similar, troubling answers to the same question.” “While all three presidents and their respective universities quickly went into damage control mode in the aftermath of the hearing – and one president even resigned her post – excuses and apologies don’t change the fact that leaders of some of our nation’s top schools refused to publicly acknowledge that calling for the genocide of Jews is harassment,” Rosen continued, adding that this “lack of moral clarity fails students across American college campuses.” Magill resigned from Penn over the weekend. Harvard President Claudine Gay was also under fire, but the university decided not to fire her. Rosen, pointing to the Anti-Defamation League, said there have been “over 400 antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses since Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, compared with 33 antisemitic incidents during the same period last year.” “At a time when Jewish students are experiencing rising antisemitism, schools have a legal responsibility to protect their students from discrimination and harassment,” Rosen said. HARVARD BOARD STANDS BY EMBATTLED PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY, ADMITS ‘INADEQUATE CITATION’ IN SOME WRITINGS Rosen, last month, urged the Education Department to remind school administrators of their “responsibility” to protect the students and of the “consequences that will follow if they fail to act.” Rosen applauded the department for doing so, and for its move to implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, including the launch of an Antisemitism Awareness Campaign. “However, last week’s hearing is a stark reminder that far more work needs to be done to protect Jewish students on college campuses, including by ensuring their codes of conduct prohibit antisemitic harassment and discrimination,” Rosen said. “As I discussed with Assistant Secretary Catherine Lhamon, just because a student has a First Amendment right to make a harassing statement does not relieve university administrators from their Title VI obligations to protect their students from such harassment.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rosen again urged Cardona to “undertake a comprehensive review of college and university harassment policies and codes of conduct to ensure that they meet federal civil rights requirements for protecting students from prohibited harassment and discrimination, including antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”