DOJ Finds George Washington University Allowed Anti-Semitism
'Every student has the right to equal educational opportunities without fear of harassment or abuse,' Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement.
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Politico
12 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump Bruins a good time at UCLA
BILLION-DOLLAR BATTLE: The Trump administration's battle to dominate higher education has come to California — and this time, it involves one of the country's largest university systems and the taxpayers who help fund it. The University of California, Los Angeles is in court today over more than half a billion dollars the federal government has frozen over antisemitism allegations stemming from last year's Israel-Gaza campus demonstrations. During virtual arguments this afternoon, Judge Rita F. Lin sounded skeptical of some of the administration's arguments, questioning how the Trump administration's explanation that the cuts were an 'indefinite suspension' rather than a 'termination' would comply with a prior ruling. The hearing came days after Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted Donald Trump's demand for $1 billion from UCLA in return for millions of dollars in frozen federal research grants, describing the president's move as an attempt to 'silence academic freedom.' Newsom also floated the idea of another lawsuit. 'He has threatened us through extortion with a billion-dollar fine unless we do his bidding,' the governor told reporters on Friday. Asked about a potential lawsuit, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt today said the governor could 'bring it on,' repeating a refrain Newsom frequently uses against Trump. Here's what we're watching after a week of rapid-fire developments. UCLA is the first public institution the Trump administration has targeted. The president has successfully gone after a handful of prestigious private schools, settling with Brown and Columbia in exchange for keeping their funding. Harvard is also reportedly close to a settlement, and George Washington University appears to be next on Trump's hit list. UCLA's status as a taxpayer-funded school means any major financial moves could have a trickle-down effect on the University of California system and the state, as a whole. It also gives state leaders more say over its actions, although they haven't always agreed with university leaders' decisions — lest we forget the demise of the Pac-12 over Newsom's objections. It's about the money, but it's not just about the money. Trump is using federal funding as leverage to force policy changes at UCLA, as he's done at the other schools that have settled. His administration wants the university to stop giving scholarships based on race or ethnicity, end DEI incentives for hiring, stop using proxies for race in its admissions process and share information on test scores, grade point averages and applicant race. Assembly Budget Chair Jesse Gabriel told Playbook it's 'hard to take this seriously,' and it seems more related to 'political gamesmanship.' 'They're asking for a billion-dollar settlement in exchange for not removing roughly $500 million in funding,' he said. 'It just doesn't make any sense. So there's a couple pieces of this that just don't add up.' Trump says the settlement is about antisemitism. California Jewish leaders disagree. The president's administration is using the protest movement and related claims of discrimination to exercise authority over UCLA. But the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California today released a statement saying it 'strongly opposes' Trump's push for a settlement, saying the move would 'drive a wedge between the Jewish community and other vulnerable groups that are harmed.' 'As a public institution, such a settlement would ironically divert public funds from other initiatives, including those that combat antisemitism and hate,' the group said. UCLA already paid $6.5 million to settle a separate case brought by Jewish students and a professor related to pro-Palestinian encampments protesters constructed on campus last year. Gabriel and his Legislative Jewish Caucus co-chair Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco, both said rising antisemitism is real, but they've been encouraged to see changes enacted by UCLA's new chancellor, Julio Frenk. They said Trump's settlement demand isn't really about protecting Jewish students. 'He does not care about Jews or antisemitism,' Wiener told Playbook. 'He is using Jews as human shields to accomplish his actual political goals, which are to consolidate control over universities and to destroy scientific research.' University of California leaders are still figuring out their next move. The UC Board of Regents held an emergency meeting about the settlement yesterday and 'discussed a path forward' without taking any action. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis' team said she was present for the meeting. Newsom's office confirmed he was not in attendance. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GOING DIRECT: OpenAI has appealed directly to Newsom in a letter obtained exclusively by California Decoded, suggesting California should consider AI companies that sign onto national and international AI agreements as compliant with state AI rules. The letter, dated Monday from OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane, comes as Sacramento continues to debate key AI legislation, including Wiener's SB 53, which would require AI companies divulge their safety testing protocols and would establish whistleblower protections for their workers. Lehane recommended 'that California take the lead in harmonizing state-based AI regulation with emerging global standards' when it comes to the technology, dubbing it the 'California Approach.' OpenAI and other developers have already signed onto, or plan to sign onto, the EU's AI code of practice and committed to conducting national security-related assessments of their programs, both voluntary commitments, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said: 'We have received the letter. We don't typically comment on pending legislation.' The letter offers Newsom something of an off-ramp this year, after he vetoed Wiener's broader SB 1047 AI safety bill last year that would have required programs to complete pre-release safety testing. — Chase DiFeliciantonio If you like this excerpt from POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded, you can request a demo here. IN OTHER NEWS MUSICAL CHAIRS: Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones today threw cold water on rumors he might take advantage of Democratic redistricting efforts to mount a congressional campaign — although he doesn't seem to fully rule it out, either. 'Despite unfounded rumors and political gossip, I am not considering a run for Congress because of redistricting,' Jones said in a statement to Playbook. 'I strongly oppose Gavin Newsom's redistricting scheme,' he added. 'Senate Republicans will fight this unfair political power grab that silences Californians and undermines our Constitution.' The San Diego-area Republican, whose final term ends next year, lives in an area with two deep-blue congressional districts that could become more purple as Democrats try to pick up five new seats. As we've reported, San Diego Reps. Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs are preparing to add Republicans as Democrats draw a new map in response to Texas GOP redistricting. TOUTING TELEWORK: A long-awaited state audit of Newsom's return-to-office mandate for state employees was critical of the governor's push to require in-person work. Newsom ordered state workers back to the office for two days per week in 2024 and four days earlier this year, although he postponed the more stringent directive before it took effect. The audit says reducing state office space in response to telework could save the state $225 million. It also said the governor's office 'did not gather some important information about departments' office space needs or the associated costs before directing state employees to work an increasing number of days per week in the office.' GOP Assemblymember Josh Hoover, who's been an advocate of telework, released a statement promoting the report. 'The findings of the audit make clear that providing telework options for state employees in the jobs where it makes sense has substantial benefits for workers, taxpayers, state agencies, commuters, and the environment,' he said. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Black leaders say Trump's criticisms of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and other cities smack of racism. (POLITICO) — Democratic members of Congress are accusing the Trump administration of cleaning up a basement ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles ahead of their visit. (Los Angeles Times) AROUND THE STATE — The California High Speed Rail Authority wants lawmakers to help the agency resolve land-use conflicts that are slowing the expensive project. (Fresno Bee) — Advocates are urging officials to preserve video evidence of San Diego County jail deaths after surveillance footage from one incident was erased. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Politico
42 minutes ago
- Politico
Judge orders ICE to stop forcing detainees to sleep on dirty concrete floors
Kaplan indicated at a hearing Tuesday that his short-term restraining order would be followed quickly by consideration of the detainees' motion for a longer-term injunction and the certification of a class action that would provide more sweeping protections for those detained by ICE. The judge's order comes amid broader national concerns about the conditions ICE detainees have been subjected to amid the Trump administration's mass deportation and pressure to ramp up arrests. Facilities meant for short-term detention have become overcrowded and used for more prolonged confinement, with strains on supplies and access to attorneys. A federal judge in California ruled last month that conditions at a temporary facility in Los Angeles were similarly deficient, requiring ICE officials to provide for more robust access to detainees' lawyers. The New York-focused lawsuit was filed by Sergio Alberto Barco Mercado, a citizen of Peru who lives in New Jersey with his wife and two young children. According to court papers, Barco Mercado was detained by ICE on Friday after appearing for a court date at the Manhattan building that houses immigration offices and short-term detention facilities. Barco Mercado's lawsuit said the detainees are given no access to medical care, showers or changes of clothes. At Tuesday's hearing, a lawyer for Barco Mercado told the judge that between 40 and 90 people are forced to share one or two toilets in open view of the holding cells. 'They are also being subjected to unsanitary and unsafe conditions, sleeping for days or weeks on a concrete floor with only an aluminum blanket, often with insufficient space to even lie down, often sleeping near the toilets,' the lawyer, Heather Gregorio, said. Gregorio also said it was difficult to have a private phone conversation with her client while he was detained. The phone call was limited to one or two minutes, with a guard standing next to Barco Mercado, who 'could hear a second person breathing audibly on the line,' Gregorio said. Gregorio said detainees are given 'two, essentially inedible, small meals a day.' A Justice Department lawyer, Jeffrey Oestericher, responded: 'I'm told it's two nutritious meals. But as far as the specifics — whether it's military meals — I don't have the specifics on that.'
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Judge mandates ICE improve Manhattan holding facility conditions
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily ordered Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to improve conditions for migrants it detains in a federal building in downtown Manhattan. Civil rights groups raised alarm to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan about conditions in the facility, saying migrants were overcrowded, subjected to extreme temperatures and not provided sufficient access to medication and counsel. The Justice Department acknowledged migrants were only being given two meals per day and not provided with their medication or sleeping mats. But the government contested other accusations and argued the judge shouldn't intervene because there wasn't presently overcrowding. 'There seems to be quite a gap between the ICE standards, indeed, and what's really happening,' Kaplan said at a hearing earlier in the day. He ordered ICE to provide various items to the migrants upon request, including clean clothing, soap, feminine hygiene products, bedding mats, additional blankets, and access to medication and medical personnel. Migrants must also be given bottled water and a third meal if they want it. Kaplan's five-page ruling additionally mandates immigration officials set up dedicated telephone lines so migrants can call an attorney unmonitored within 24 hours of being detained. They must be allowed to make additional calls every additional 12 hours. The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. 'Today's order sends a clear message: ICE cannot hold people in abusive conditions and deny them their Constitutional rights to due process and legal representation,' said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case, in a statement. 'We'll continue to fight to ensure that peoples' rights are upheld at 26 Federal Plaza and beyond,' Cho continued. The ruling lasts up to two weeks, and the judge is set to soon consider whether to grant a longer injunction. 'This is a first step, in my view,' Kaplan said at the hearing. 'And my conclusion here is that there is a very serious threat of continuing irreparable injury, given the conditions that I've been told about,' he continued. 'I have no enforceable way of assuring that any progress that, in fact, has been made won't backslide very quickly.' Kaplan is an appointee of former President Clinton. ICE has setup the holding facility in an office building at Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan. Civil rights groups have accused ICE of using it to support systematic arrests migrants who appear for immigration court proceedings in the building. At Tuesday's hearing, Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Oestericher said only 26 individuals were currently behind held in the facility, which consists of four rooms. The plaintiffs had said as many as 90 people were recently held in just several hundred square feet. 'Present conditions are relevant,' Oestericher told the judge. 'To the extent they are talking about overcrowding, it does not appear presently that there is overcrowding.' Oestericher said he didn't have firm numbers yet on the facility's recent history because of the fast speed of the case but he would provide that answer to the court. 'I think we all agree that conditions at 26 Federal Plaza need to be humane, and we obviously share that belief. I think there is some factual disagreement,' he said. Democrats have increasingly taken aim, too. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), whose district includes the facility, is suing the Trump administration over allegations he was unlawfully denied access to tour it in June. ICE personnel told him they weren't obligated to provide access because it is not a 'detention facility.'
