Jewish groups sue University of California for ‘longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism’ at Berkeley
Jewish groups are suing the University of California Regents, President Michael Drake and other school officials for what they assert is the “longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism” on UC Berkeley’s campus. In a 36-page complaint filed Tuesday, the Brandeis Center and the Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education (JAFE) allege “inaction” by UC Berkeley and Berkeley Law has allowed antisemitism to grow on campus. The groups say since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, antisemitism on campus “has erupted in on-campus displays of hatred, harassment, and physical violence against Jews.” The groups argue courts must now intervene to protect the civil rights of Jewish students and faculty and end “anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment.” University of California officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. UC BERKELEY TAKES FIRE AFTER EXTRA CREDIT OFFERED IN CLASS FOR ATTENDING PRO-PALESTINIAN STUDENT ‘WALKOUT’ The lawsuit points to several examples of Jewish students being harassed by pro-Palestinian protesters at UC Berkeley. During one rally, a Jewish undergrad draped in an Israeli flag was allegedly assaulted by two protesters “who struck him in the head with a metal water bottle,” the Brandeis Center said in a news release. The group also cited examples of pro-Palestinian rallies that honored Hamas terrorists who brutally massacred more than 1,200 Israelis Oct. 7 as “martyrs” and featured chants such as “intifada” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which are seen as calls for the elimination of Israel. But the focus of the complaint is a 2022 pledge by 23 student organizations to boycott pro-Israel speakers because of their “support of Zionism” and “the apartheid state of Israel.” The Brandeis Center argues the ban violates federal law and university policies by denying Jewish law students networking opportunities afforded to other groups and discriminates against them in other ways. “The antisemitism Berkeley’s Jewish students find themselves embroiled in today did not start on Oct. 7,” said Kenneth L. Marcus, former U.S. assistant secretary of education for the Bush and Trump administrations. He’s the founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center and a graduate of UC Berkeley’s law school. “It is a direct result of Berkeley’s leadership repeatedly turning a blind eye to unfettered Jew hatred.” US DEPT OF EDUCATION OPENS INVESTIGATION OF HARVARD OVER ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS “The school is quick to address other types of hatred, but why not antisemitism?” he continued. “Berkeley, once a beacon of free speech, civil rights and equal treatment of persons regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender and sexual preference, is heading down a very different and dangerous path from the one I proudly attended as a Jewish law student.” The Jewish groups are asking a court to require the University of California sytem to enforce its policies and prohibit discrimination against Jewish students, faculty and invited speakers. They reject arguments voiced by university leaders that punishing anti-Israel speech and actions would be “viewpoint discrimination,” arguing that “Zionist” speakers are being excluded “because of who they are,” not what they say. “Making Jews renounce that core component of their identity to participate in a student organization is no different than asking members of the LGBTQ community to remain ‘in the closet’ as the cost of membership — a cost that is not imposed on other students who are free to participate fully in those organizations without disavowing or hiding their identities,” said Rachel Lerman, vice chair and general counsel at the Brandeis Center and also a graduate of UC Berkeley Law School. The lawsuit comes during a wave of antisemitism on college campuses following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. High-profile incidents of discrimination against Jews and violent speech by pro-Palestinian activists have led the Biden administration to investigate alleged civil rights violations at the nation’s top schools. NY OFFICIAL DEMANDS RESIGNATION OF COLLEGE PRESIDENT WHO CLAIMED ‘COMPLEX HISTORY’ AFTER HAMAS TERROR ATTACK The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is opening an investigation into Harvard University, for example, to probe whether Harvard “failed to respond to alleged harassment of students based on their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry and/or Israeli) in a manner consistent with the requirements of Title VI,” according to a letter from the OCR Boston Office dated Tuesday. The investigation came in response to a complaint about a first-year Israeli student at Harvard Business School who was reportedly shoved and accosted by pro-Palestinian protesters during a “die in” demonstration in October at the Massachusetts campus to protest Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the Gaza Strip. The investigation was revealed the same day it was announced college presidents from Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania will testify on Capitol Hill about rampant antisemitism on their campuses that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks. The Department of Education reached a settlement with the University of Vermont in April over a complaint brought by the Brandeis Center that the school failed to respond adequately to antisemitic harassment of Jewish students. The department is investigating four other Brandeis Center complaints at SUNY New Paltz, the University of Southern California (USC), Brooklyn College and the University of Illinois, the group said. The complaint was filed in the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Dem-run city expands asylum assistance to migrants amid stinging budget cuts due to raging crisis
New York City is expanding assistance to asylum seekers to help them complete applications for asylum, work authorization, and other programs — as the city continues to grapple with a migrant crisis that has led to massive budget cuts. Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the Asylum Application Help Center — which allows illegal immigrants to apply for asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and work authorization if eligible. The city will open two satellite sites to assist with applications, the city announced. It will use state funding to provide the sites. Migrants can arrange one-on-one appointments at help centers, where trained staff will provide “individualized support” based on their needs, the city said. The city has been dealing with a migrant crisis that Adams has warned could “destroy” the city. The more than 140,000 migrants the city has seen since last year represent only a fraction of the millions who have been encountered at the border since the crisis began in 2021, but it has overwhelmed the sanctuary city’s social services — with officials demanding more help from the federal government. ADAMS WARNS NEW YORKERS THAT ‘WE CANNOT STOP’ MIGRANTS FROM SLEEPING ON THE STREETS So far, the city has helped process 7,200 asylum applications, more than 2,900 work authorizations and 2,900 TPS applications. TPS allows nationals from certain countries to be protected from deportation and to apply for work permits if their country is designated for TPS by the federal government. The Biden administration recently designated Venezuela for TPS, protecting nearly 500,000 migrants. Meanwhile, a separate Resettlement Working Group will “connect with leaders of cities dealing with large influxes of asylum seekers, as well as with cities in need of people to fill vacant jobs.” It’s one of a number of moves the city has made to move migrants out of the city and elsewhere in their country. In a statement, Adams continued to blame the federal government for the crisis, despite the funding it has already received from the government and moves the administration has made to expedite work permits. “While we continue to call for a national strategy to solve a national crisis, New York City continues to do its part to support asylum seekers,” Adams said in a statement. “For over a year, we have asked the federal government to put forward a resettlement strategy, expedite work authorizations for asylum seekers, and provide New York City with much-needed and meaningful financial support. ADAMS SAYS ‘DC HAS ABANDONED US’ AS NYC SLASHES BUDGETS OVER MIGRANT CRISIS “In the absence of that national strategy, New York City continues to lead — building out the legal and resettlement infrastructure needed to address this crisis. We hope the federal government will join us in these efforts and finish the job they started.” The latest expansion comes after the city slashed budgets across multiple departments, including education, policing and sanitation, earlier this month. Adams said the cuts are due to the city having spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis and nearly $11 billion expected to be spent in 2024 and 2025. NEW YORK CITY TO REDUCE POLICE NUMBERS, SLASH BUDGETS DUE TO BILLIONS SPENT ON MIGRANT CRISIS The New York Police Department will freeze hiring to bring numbers below 30,000 by the end of fiscal year 2025 from over 33,000. There will also be deep cuts to education, including the universal pre-kindergarten program, and sanitation. The budget cuts drew fury from the city’s teachers and police unions, but Adams has repeatedly said their anger should be directed elsewhere. “I tell people all the time when they stop me on the subway system, ‘Don’t yell at me, yell at DC,’” Adams said on Monday, according to Politico. “We deserve better as a city.” But the Biden administration has pointed to more than $770 million it has given out to support communities taking in migrants in the last year and recommendations its teams of experts have made. It has also deployed personnel to help with authorizing work permits and to educate migrants on the immigration system, a DHS official said recently. Separately, the White House has requested an additional $14 billion in emergency funding for border operations, which includes an additional $1.4 billion in grants to help local governments and nonprofits. Adams warned last week that New Yorkers could soon see the crisis spilling out onto the streets. “Believe it or not, there are migrant and asylum seekers who are saying, ‘We want to sleep on the streets.’ And so people have a right to do so, we need to be clear on that in New York City, because of the city council’s actions people have a right to sleep on the streets that we cannot stop. I want New Yorkers to understand that,” he said.
Florida elections official’s death outside Capitol meeting room went unnoticed for 24 minutes, report claims
A Florida official was dead or dying in a hallway in the governor’s office complex for 24 minutes before anyone noticed he had collapsed after leaving a meeting last year. Peter Antonacci, 74, had held several government positions before Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to serve as the first director of the Office of Election Crimes and Security. DeSantis created the office last year. SUPREME COURT DENIES DESANTIS IN LEGAL BATTLE OVER DRAG QUEEN BAN But two months into the job, Antonacci attended a meeting in a conference room at the Capitol. He left early and the meeting room door closed behind him, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report on the death. More than 20 minutes later, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass stepped into the hallway to have a conversation with another meeting attendee when Antonacci’s body was found. Glass began chest compressions and an effort to use an automatic defibrillator failed to revive him, according to the report. DeSantis wasn’t at the meeting, said his spokesman Jeremy Redfern. The only two doorways into the room lead to a non-public entrance into the governor’s office and a public entrance leading to the Capitol’s first floor. The hallway is windowless and doors are usually kept shut during meetings. Typically, people do not use the hallway unless going to or from a meeting. The Capitol Bulldog last weekend reported details of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s report on the death. The Associated Press independently reviewed the report, which states Antonacci had a long history of heart disease and surgery.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Democrats’ gambit to expel Santos – or embarrass the GOP
FOX is told that the House Republican leadership has not made a decision about how to handle efforts to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) this week. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) is essentially calling the GOP’s bluff to either vote to expel Santos – or make it look like Republicans are protecting the New York Republican. Garcia re-introduced a terse, privileged resolution to expel Santos. The resolution simply states that “Pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States, Representative George Santos, be, and he hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives.” The Garcia resolution is “privileged.” That means the House must consider it by Thursday at the latest. A similar resolution calling for the expulsion of Santos – authored by Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) – is not privileged. Guest’s resolution is much more detailed, citing the House Ethics Committee report on Santos. By not crafting his resolution in a manner that is “privileged,” the House is not compelled to bring up Guest’s measure right away. Moreover, the House GOP leadership has not scheduled any action on Guest’s plan. One senior House GOP leadership source indicated to FOX that the House may tangle with Guest’s resolution on Friday. But the Garcia gambit may supersede that. And it could put GOP members in a pickle. THIRD TIME THE CHARM: WILL GEORGE SANTOS SURVIVE THE LATEST MOVE TO OUST HIM FROM THE HOUSE? Scores of Republicans were unwilling to expel Santos before there was an Ethics Committee report. The Ethics panel produced a scathing report before Thanksgiving. That increased the number of members who were willing to expel Santos. But Santos has not been convicted in a court of law. The House has only expelled five members in history: three for siding with the Confederacy. The other two – former Rep. Ozzie Myers (D-Pa.) and the late Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio) – were convicted. FOX is told there is still consternation among some Republican leaders and rank-and-file GOP members about expelling Santos. They cite the fact that Santos has yet to be convicted. A number of Republicans are worried about the precedent that expelling Santos would set – sans a conviction in a court of law. HUNTER BIDEN AGREES TO HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TESTIMONY FOX is also told there is increasing concern about the GOP’s dwindling majority if the House were to expel Santos. That comes even as Republicans add a new member to their ranks tonight: Rep.-elect Celeste Maloy (R-Utah). Democrats would enjoy nothing more than watching Republicans sweat over how to handle another vote to expel Santos. The House has already killed two resolutions to expel Santos this year. It’s possible Republicans could move to table or kill a resolution to expel Santos. So, the actual roll call vote would be one step removed from expulsion. Democrats would point to that vote as Republicans using the motion to table as a fig leaf, trying to protect Santos. Democrats will document that roll call vote and use it against Republicans on the campaign trail in 2024. However, if the House votes to expel Santos, the deed is done. And Democrats can crow that it took Democrats to expel Santos. They will argue that the House Republican leadership lacked the moral fiber to call a vote to expel Santos. The worst possible scenario for Republicans – and it may be in play – is for the House to actually hold a straight up or down vote on expelling Santos – and have it fail. CALIFORNIA DEM TO INTRODUCE PRIVILEGED RESOLUTION TO EXPEL GEORGE SANTOS FROM CONGRESS Democrats certainly don’t believe Santos ought to be a member of the House. But Democrats would highlight a failed expulsion vote as a GOP effort to protect Santos. The reason a failed expulsion vote is in play? The bar for expulsion is high. It takes a two-thirds vote to expel. It’s about the math: 290 yeas if all 435 House members (once Maloy is sworn-in) cast ballots. Failed expulsion votes are even more rare than actual expulsions. There have only been three failed expulsions in House history. The House failed to kick out Rep. Preston Brooks (D-S.C.) after he nearly caned to death Sen. Charles Sumner (R-Mass.) in the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol in 1856. The House also failed to expel Rep. Lovell Rosseau (D-Ky.) after he assaulted Rep. Josiah Grinnell (R-Iowa) in 1866. The House then failed to bounce former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) from the House in 1990 for his connection with a gay, male prostitute.
GOP leadership says national security package must include stricter border policies to pass Senate
Senate Republicans are vowing to block the passage of President Biden’s $106 billion national security package out of the upper chamber unless it includes increased security and asylum reforms at the southern border. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., urged Democrats to negotiate with Republicans on stricter border policies to stop the influx of migrants into the United States. Republicans have been arguing for weeks that the current national security package lacks a proper strategy. “I called the president last week to make sure he understood that there wouldn’t be a bill without a credible effort to get on top of our disastrous southern border situation,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday after the GOP’s weekly luncheon resumed following the Thanksgiving recess. “I hope that made the point, because I think on our side, I’ve been the most enthusiastic supporter of the underlying bill, but this has to be part of it,” he said. SCHUMER TO SEND BIDEN’S $106 BILLION SUPPLEMENTAL PACKAGE REQUEST TO SENATE FLOOR AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., called the White House’s border security “a complete and utter failure” and said “there is no way” a supplemental will make its way out of the House and Senate “if it doesn’t address the national security crisis at our border.” “We will insist on it,” he said. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of the appropriations committee, slammed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for scheduling federal nominations this week instead of roll calls on appropriations bills. “He’s squandering good time and resources,” she said. The White House’s supplemental request, which was sent to Congress in October, includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel (with $10.6 billion allocated for military aid), $13.6 billion for some border security provisions, and significant investments in Indo-Pacific security assistance, totaling around $7.4 billion. Additionally, there’s $9 billion earmarked for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. The supplemental request only proposes more money to speed up the processing of migrants, but no policy reforms, setting up a showdown between Congress and the president. SEN MARSHALL URGES GOP TO SAY ‘HELL NO’ TO SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING REQUEST WITHOUT TIGHTER BORDER SECURITY Meanwhile, Schumer blamed Republicans for the package’s “holdup” in a Dear Colleague letter sent on Sunday night. “The biggest holdup to the national security assistance package right now is the insistence by our Republican colleagues on partisan border policy as a condition for vital Ukraine aid. This has injected a decades old, hyper-partisan issue into overwhelmingly bipartisan priorities,” Schumer said in the letter. On Tuesday, Schumer reiterated that point in a press conference following the caucus’ luncheon. Schumer said “a handful of Republicans have dangerously tried to link Ukraine aid” to border security. Negotiations between Democrat and Republican senators continued over the Thanksgiving recess, and Schumer told reporters, “Republicans are making it difficult” for a bipartisan aid bill. McConnell also said Tuesday he received a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thanksgiving. The minority leader said, “It’s important we don’t pressure the Israelis into a point where they can’t achieve their goal” in Gaza. McConnell has been a staunch supporter of tying Israel and Ukraine aid together in the supplemental – another sticking point for a faction of GOP lawmakers who want the two voted on separately. Schumer also wants Israel and Ukraine to remain in one package. Schumer called an all-senators classified briefing on the situation in Ukraine this week.
Biden campaign allies Pelosi, Gov. Cooper float message Trump is ‘coming for your health care’
President Biden’s campaign board members former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democrat North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called former President Trump’s call to replace Obamacare an “assault.” Pelosi and Cooper, respectively the chair and a member of the Biden campaign’s National Advisory Board, spoke to the press on a Tuesday conference call regarding Trump’s pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if elected president in 2024. Pelosi began by calling the former president’s comment a “dire threat to the health and well-being of America’s families.” TRUMP BLASTS AMERICAN LEADERS AS NO US CITIZENS ARE AMONG HAMAS HOSTAGES RECENTLY RELEASED “This weekend, the former president reminded us that he is hellbent on destroying the Affordable Care Act. In doing so, he’s making an assault on the financial and health security of America’s families,” Pelsoi said. Pelosi repeated claims that Trump’s calls to repeal Obamacare — officially known as the ACA — were an “assault” and that the leading 2024 GOP contender is “coming for your health care” “When he says he’s going after our health care, believe him,” the Democrat said, suggesting that under President Biden’s leadership, “healthcare is more affordable and accessible than ever before.” In a continued pointed conversation around the former president, Cooper added that “Donald Trump is great at reading the room full of conspiracy theorists, but clueless in reading the room of everyday Americans who need health insurance.” The Democrats made more claims on behalf of Biden’s re-election efforts, suggesting that if elected, Trump would “hurt millions of Americans” and we need to “preserve our democracy.” “Donald Trump is clearly speaking in autocratic tones, and he has a lot of followers who prefer an autocracy over a democracy as long as their guy’s in power,” Cooper continued. Over the weekend on TruthSocial, Trump said he was heavily looking at “alternatives” to Obamacare — the white whale from his first administration. “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives,” Trump wrote. IF MANCHIN RUNS FOR PRESIDENT, WILL HE BE A SPOILER AND THROW THE ELECTION TO TRUMP? “We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it,” he continued, referencing the late Senator John McCain, R-Ari., who blocked Trump’s repeal efforts in 2017. “It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!” Trump’s post comes as he aims to take back the White House from Biden in the 2024 presidential election. The former president is the front-runner in the GOP field that has been whittling its numbers down after several debates. Still, for Trump to get his rematch with Biden, he will have to go through several high-profile Republicans, including his former protégé Governor Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and his former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed reporting.
Kansas scraps ‘ugly as sin’ license plate redesign rebuked by public
Kansas has had enough problems with some outsiders seeing it as flyover country, so perhaps it didn’t need a new license plate that many people saw as ugly and drab. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that in response to criticism of a new navy blue and deep gold plate, she had slammed the brakes on its production — only six days after her office unveiled the design. Facing a threat that the Republican-controlled Legislature would intervene, she promised an eventual public vote on several possible designs. The now-disfavored design was mostly gold with a navy strip across the top, navy numbers and no art. It was a sharp break with the current plate, which is pale blue with navy letters and numbers and features an embossed representation of the state seal, mostly in white. Those plates have deteriorated over the years, and many are difficult for law enforcement to read, according to the state Department of Revenue, which issues them. HOMEMADE LICENSE PLATE ON STOLEN CAR LEADS TO CALIFORNIA WOMAN’S ARREST Starting in March, motorists would have been required to buy a new plate for 50 cents when they renewed a vehicle’s annual registration. To avoid using the new plate, they would have had to opt for a specialized one and pay an additional $45. Kelly initially praised the new design as promoting the state’s optimism. The bottom featured the first half of the state motto, “To the stars,” in navy blue script. The second half of the motto is, “through difficulties,” perhaps an apt description of the opposition she would immediately face after introducing the plate, despite her administration’s professed good intentions. Kris Kobach, the state’s Republican attorney general, tweeted that the design closely resembled a New York plate known as “Empire Gold.” A driver quoted by Fox4 television in Kansas City was reminded of the black and gold colors of the University of Missouri, once the arch-nemesis of the University of Kansas in a tame version of the states’ border fighting before and during the Civil War. KANSAS HIGHWAY PATROL PROHIBITED FROM UNFAIR STOPS AND SEARCHES FOR OUT-OF-STATE DRIVERS With legislators set to reconvene in January, Republicans were prepared to mandate a pause and public comment. Lawmakers earlier this year authorized spending up to $9.8 million on producing new plates, and tapping leftover federal coronavirus pandemic relief dollars to cover much of the cost. Even a Democratic legislator responded to the new design by tweeting, “Absolutely not.” The Kansas Reflector’s opinion editor deemed it “ugly as sin” in a column under a headline calling it “slapdash and dull.” And dull isn’t good for a state long associated in the popular mind with the drab-looking, black and white parts of the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” its sometimes spectacular prairie vistas notwithstanding. “I’ve heard you loud and clear,” Kelly said in a statement issued Tuesday by her office. “Elected officials should be responsive to their constituents.”
Massachusetts Gov. Healey unveils climate blueprint for coastal communities
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey unveiled a new strategy Tuesday that she said will help the state’s 78 coastal communities work together to better cope with the challenges brought on by climate change. One element of the “ResilientCoasts” initiative is grouping distinct geographic regions that share similar landscape characteristics and face similar climate hazards, dubbed “coastal resilience districts.” Massachusetts has more than 1,500 miles of coastline that spans salt marshes, beaches, rocky shores, dunes, ports and harbors, as well as residential and commercial areas. The program’s goal is to help the communities within each district come up with tailored policies and strategies to address the impacts of climate change, and to pursue federal funds. MASSACHUSETTS INITIATES $5 MILLION GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES Other goals of the strategy announced Tuesday include creating nature-based solutions for coastal erosion — including flood protection — streamlining the permitting process, and making sure future resiliency projects take into consideration the latest projected rise in sea level. “Climate change poses a very real threat to our coastal way of life, but it also presents a unique opportunity for us to build communities that are safer and more equitable,” Healey said. Many of those who live in the flood plain are also some of the state’s most vulnerable. Of the nearly 2.5 million people living in coastal communities in Massachusetts, about 55% live in areas that include communities of color, low-income populations and with residents facing language barriers, according to the administration. Massachusetts could see sea level rise by up to 2.5 feet by 2050 compared to 2008 if global emissions aren’t dramatically reduced, with both tidal and storm-related flooding projected to increase, according to the administration. The initiative is the latest effort by the state to confront the effects of climate change, including strategies to bring the state closer to its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. MA DENIES REQUEST TO DUMP OVER 1M GALLONS OF DEFUNCT NUCLEAR PLANT’S WASTEWATER INTO CAPE COD BAY Alison Bowden, interim state director of The Nature Conservancy, said Massachusetts needs to take action to protect habitats, shorelines and ecologically vital landscapes. “We can make a significant difference in protecting our coastal areas against sea level rise and erosion,” Bowden said. That rise could come at a hefty cost. By 2070, statewide average costs to coastal structures could be more than $1 billion per year, according to Healey. The total value of structures in the state’s flood plain for a hundred-year storm is about $55 billion, of which about $40 billion is residential, $12 billion is industrial and $2.5 billion is commercial.
Riley Gaines, women leaders to testify before House panel on protecting girls’ sports from Biden policies
FIRST ON FOX: A House Oversight subcommittee will be hosting NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines and other women leaders in a hearing next week, Fox News Digital has learned. House Oversight Subcommittee on Health chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., announced on Tuesday that Gaines, Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Sarah Parshall Perry, and former Oberlin College head women’s lacrosse coach Kim Russell will be attending next week’s hearing titled “The Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX.” The hearing — set for Tuesday, December 5 at 2 p.m. — will delve into the Biden administration’s proposed rules changes to Title IX to expand the definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity. RILEY GAINES SAYS ‘TRANSPHOBE’ ACCUSATIONS CARRY ‘LITERALLY NO WEIGHT’ The proposed Title IX rules change would mean a school or college could not ban transgender athletes from competing. McClain told Fox News Digital that “Congress must do everything it can to protect women’s sports.” “The Biden Administration is putting women’s safety, privacy, and opportunities at risk by dismantling Title IX,” McClain said. “We look forward to hearing from Riley Gaines and other witnesses firsthand about how these rules changes harm fairness and protection for women in women’s sports across the country,” the congresswoman continued. Gaines has been a vocal supporter of women’s sports and has pushed back against male-to-female transgender athletes from competing against women. The two-time Olympic trial qualifier torched the Biden administration’s Title IX rule change proposal in June, calling the “rewrite” of the policy protecting women “an abomination.” “The rewrite of Title IX is an abomination. It’s equating sex to gender identity, which means men would live in dorm rooms with women,” Gaines said during the June 21 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “Men would have full access to bathrooms, changing areas, locker rooms,” she continued. “Men could join sororities, which we’re seeing happening. It’s happening at the University of Wyoming. Men can take academic and athletic scholarships away from women.” “In this new rewrite, it’s actually sexual harassment if you misgender a trans-identified individual. It’s sexual harassment that if you’re in a dorm room and you’re a woman and you feel uncomfortable sharing this room and you complain and asked to be moved — you’re guilty of sexual harassment.” The House hearing comes just weeks after two longtime Kappa Kappa Gamma alumni were removed from the organization for advocating the sorority admit only biological women only. After being affiliated with Kappa Kappa Gamma for over 50 years at the University of Wyoming, Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith found out they were expelled from the sorority after fundraising and supporting a lawsuit that aimed to remove transgender member Artemis Langford. Levang, a past Kappa Kappa Gamma National Foundation president, said she was saddened by the decision to be removed from the organization. “My heart was saddened when the current six council members voted me out. However, I will not be quiet about the truth,” she said in a press release released by the Independent Women’s Forum. Tuck-Smith said she was also disappointed and added that she will educate people on the “dangers” of diversity, equity and inclusion. Fox News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed reporting.
Border agents across US asked to virtually process migrants amid surge at southern border: report
U.S. Border Patrol agents along the northern and coastal borders are being asked to help their colleagues at the U.S.-Mexico border by expediting the virtual processing of illegal immigrants, according to a memo. The memo, obtained by the Daily Caller, said that as of Monday, the USBP had more than 19,100 migrants in custody. “We need Northern/ coastal sectors to ramp up their virtually processing support over the weekend,” the message states. “In general, USBP [U.S. Border Patrol] did a good job managing in-custody numbers throughout the Thanksgiving week, however, the in-custody numbers have now increased due to an average number of low bookouts versus encounters.” BORDER PATROL SAYS IT’S PAUSING SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEAL WITH MIGRANT SURGE Virtual processing involves agents meeting with migrants on a video call. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Much of the Border Patrol’s resources have been directed to sectors in Texas, Arizona and California. On Monday, the CBP announced that it will temporarily suspend and reduce vehicle processing at ports of entry in Texas and Arizona, in response to a surge in migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border. Vehicle processing operations at Eagle Pass International Bridge 1 in Eagle Pass, Texas will be temporarily suspended and vehicle processing will be reduced in Lukeville, Arizona. WHITE HOUSE, SENATE DEMS REJECT GOP BORDER SECURITY PROPOSALS: ‘TOTAL NON-STARTER’ The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector in Arizona reported having 15,300 illegal crossings last week, marking the highest weekly total ever. “At this time, all available personnel are needed to address the unprecedented flow,” John Modlin, chief patrol agent of the Tucson Sector, posted to X on Sunday. “The social media team will return once the situation permits.” The actions are being taken to allow CBP to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody. Migrants at the southern border hit the highest-ever number for October last month, with more than 240,000 people encountered, officials announced earlier this month. There were 240,988 encounters at the border in October, CBP said. That’s higher than the 231,529 recorded in October last year and the 164,837 encountered in 2021. In Oct 2020, there were just 71,929 encounters. The number is down from the 269,735 encounters in September, which marked the highest monthly total ever. FY 23 saw a record 2.4 million encounters overall. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.