Latest news with #ChristopherRufo
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: The lurking agenda in the argument for having more babies
The editorial about women having fewer children is shameful ('Should we worry about American women having fewer kids?' May 4). There is a pathetic patronizing attempt to walk the misogynistic message back with the reassurance that of course the Tribune Editorial Board supports any choice a person makes about childbirth. Overall, however, this editorial is a more sophisticated-sounding message than usual that woman are baby-making machines who just don't know what they should be doing to maintain the vitality of this country and perhaps we can remind them. Women are indeed making different choices than 50 years ago. We are more educated, on the whole, with more opportunities for fulfilling our aspirations. The editorial board notes that many women now earn college degrees and prioritize career. The implication is that they really be having children instead, such as the editorial's examples of women in Afghanistan and Yemen. We all are aware of the tragic status of women in those countries. But perhaps that is embedded in the editorial's message. Women have forgotten their role and place in society? Wouldn't this all be better if women did not care so much about other aspects of their lives and just did their duty as defined by the patriarchy? The board also leaves out other considerations that people have for delaying or not having children: the environmental crisis, for one example. Yes, work for better child care and parental leave, which is essential for those who choose to have children, but respect the growing numbers of men and women who are making other choices. And search for what agenda lurks underneath what appears to be a reasonable argument. In the meantime, if the board insists on talking about women's bodies, please consider impassioned editorials about, for example, abortion and contraception access, equitable research on women's health concerns, and the miserable mortality rate in childbirth, particularly among women of reference to the editorial 'Should we worry about American women having fewer kids?': One viable solution is to relax our collective sphincter muscle about . Newly arriving immigrants tend to be younger, healthier and fertile. This would would add to our population. As a 76-year-old Black American woman, I know that it has happened before in our country. Successive waves of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and Ireland weren't readily accepted due to their traditions, foreign tongues, different foods and, of course, their poverty. But with the passage of time, they became Americans. And then, as now, we the people of the United States of America became changed, as reflected in the foods we eat, our entertainment and our fashion. Look at them now — so many 'ethnic' success stories. Some opponents of present immigration benefited from past immigration, such as Christopher Rufo and Steven MillerThere are two main reasons the 'brilliant' (as the Tribune Editorial Board calls him) Elon Musk wants more babies. First, he wants more white babies, because he fears, like other white supremacists, that nonwhites will take over by outbreeding. Musk and his ilk see this the pathway to civilizational wrack and ruin. There are more than a few people in the MAGA hierarchy who are totally on board with this assessment. The second reason is to defend corporate capitalism, which survives only by ever-expanding markets for ever-expanding profits. It won't be sufficient to simply hollow out government resources and plunder public treasuries, although that will continue to occur. Capitalism needs a new baby boom (and the editorial mentions 'baby boom' approvingly) in order to keep demand spiking upward. Resources might be getting scarcer as the world's population soars past sustainability tipping points, but the eyes of capitalists will never be cast anywhere else but on their own balance sheets. We do need babies and families, as the editorial board says, to replace the current population, but a stable, sustainable Earth requires limits to growth and population. Make family life more affordable by fully funding perinatal care programs, housing assistance and day care programs. Raise wages and expand parental leave benefits. Our nation needs more of a commitment to, and investment in, people in general, not merely to have more kids but to have the means to achieve a more decent life. Yet we are called upon only to make more sacrifices of our social framework in order to provide billionaires like Musk with further tax cuts. How is that pro-family? Quality, not quantity, of life is what matters. Let's do first thought after reading the editorial was: Is someone trying out material for 'Saturday Night Live' or possibly a remake of 'The Boys From Brazil'? I applaud the Tribune Editorial Board for refraining from saying women should remain barefoot and pregnant. Remember, in general, men regulated women to second-class citizen status in this country. If the board wants women to have more babies, then give us back the right to control our own bodies, the right to say 'no' and in the workplace and at home. Perhaps the board should be wondering why we would want to bring more children into today's world. Who would knowingly want to bring new life into an authoritarian society?While I admire Timothy Shriver's larger point in his op-ed ('Pritzker, if you want to solve problems, lose the contempt,' May 8) that contempt should not be a part of our political discourse, I cannot let Shriver's blatant hypocrisy go without its own share of my own contempt. That horse is out of the barn, released by Republicans, and enabled by media pretending that old norms apply when they do not and have not since 2015, when Donald Trump began his first presidential campaign by impugning all Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists. Pretty contemptible, yes? When any Democratic politician, including Gov. JB Pritzker, dares to stand up to extreme Republican rhetoric with any language beyond polite pablum and pious platitudes, pundits tell Democrats to lower the volume, cut the contempt and be nice. Democrats might alienate some putative centrist voter, and it just lowers the dignity of our political discourse. Heaven forbid Democrats do such damage to our precious polite political discourse! Meanwhile, Republicans such as our current president spew contempt like volcanoes of hatred, prejudice and madness. And that's regrettable, but Democrats should be nice? While the Republican lava flow of contempt incinerates our constitutional separations of powers, our economy and (especially for women) our very bodily liberty, we must be Timothy Shriver's thoughts are pleasant enough for a normal person, one just needs to recognize who Gov. JB Pritzker is addressing. President Donald Trump is the most offensive bully and contempt-monger in the history of the U.S. presidency. Pritzker must fight fire with fire.
Wall Street Journal
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Meet MAGA's Favorite Communist
Christopher Rufo is perhaps the most potent conservative activist in the U.S. Last year, he led the campaign that pressured Harvard University into replacing Claudine Gay as its president. His crusades against critical race theory and DEI in higher education have shaped President Trump's aggressive policies toward elite universities like Harvard, which the administration targeted this week with a $2.26 billion funding freeze. For the past year, Rufo has been working on a book called 'How the Regime Rules,' which he describes as a 'manifesto for the New Right.' At its core is a surprising inspiration: the Italian Communist thinker Antonio Gramsci, a longtime boogeyman of American conservatives. 'Gramsci, in a sense, provides the diagram of how politics works and the relationship between all of the various component parts: intellectuals, institutions, laws, culture, folklore,' said Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Betting Against America
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. Editor's note: The week of the Masters – and certainly the Thursday and Friday of it – should be considered national holidays. But they are not – therefore, I offer you an abbreviated War Notes so you and I can get back to what we should be doing – eating pimento cheese sandwiches and watching golf. Reckoning: Finally, America's elite universities face a reckoning over: Their wildly illiberal neo-Marxist views and the pulling of federal funding. Listen to conservative activist Christopher Rufo on The New York Times' 'The Daily' podcast: 🎤 'And so look, reforming institutions, you have to deal with three things. The raw material of politics is money, power, and status. And so as I run campaigns, for example, the successful campaign to oust the president of Harvard University at the beginning of last year, that's what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about how can we take away their money? How can we take away their power? How can we take away their status to the point that we're causing so much pain to the decision-makers, in this case, the members of the Harvard Corporation, so that they have to change?' Their insane endowments – some are the size of a small country's GDP – yet rising tuition on degrees with no ROI – think a Ph.D. for $300k in feminist poetry. Hear what Scott Galloway had to say: 'If you're in the top 1% income earning a kid in a top 1% household you're 77 times more likely to get into an elite school than the bottom 99. Is that what America's about? So I believe that if you are not growing your freshman class faster than population growth and you have an endowment over a billion dollars, I think you should lose your tax-free status because you're no longer a public servant. You're a hedge fund with classes.' The growing realization by much of America is that a 4-year degree is no longer the ticket to a better life than their parents. Watch tonight: Chris Cilliza on whether American universities are just another institution that President Trump will destroy or if they destroyed themselves. For the first time in a major financial crisis, people are betting against America. Typically, in a financial crisis, everyone buys U.S. Treasury bills because the safest bet is in the full faith and credit of the United States. The price of treasuries goes up with higher demand, and then the yield goes down. This has allowed the government (whichever party is in control) incredible flexibility in past crises. Think about all the debt issued during COVID at very low interest rates. People wanted security, and the United States provided that. For the first time, the opposite is happening. The yield on treasuries is going up, and the price is going down – more people are selling than buying. Yes, I know this is an overly simplistic view, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. The lack of demand for treasuries at a time of financial panic is different and dangerous. As Axios puts it, 'The world's hot new trade is 'sell America.'' As we told you when President Biden told everyone the economy was great, people don't need to be told how to feel – and right now, Americans are scared. So is the rest of the world. Consumer confidence is at its second lowest since 1952 – Trump must address this by something other than saying how many great deals he will do. The tariff policy is all over the place. Will tariffs pay off our national debt, or are they negotiating tools? They can't be both. Trump's goals appear ever-changing and ill-defined. Are we uniting the world against China, or is this about bringing iPhone manufacturing to America? The world no longer sees America as an honest friend and ally. This is the biggest problem: If America first becomes America alone, then China will fill the void. We have spent the past 10 days largely defending President Trump for a Ronald Reagan-like gamble to confront China and level the playing field. 💪 Trump and his team must figure out a way to do it that makes America stronger while taking this gamble. Yes, but China and the Democrats keep undermining him. Reality: He is the president – it's his job to figure it out, sell it to the American people and stay the course. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The Conservative Activist Pushing Trump to Attack U.S. Colleges
Over the past five years, the activist Christopher Rufo has spearheaded the conservative critique of and assault on critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, organizing effective campaigns against government offices, corporations and American universities. In the process, Mr. Rufo has become an influential voice in the ear of the Trump administration as it turns his strategy into a wide-ranging government crackdown on higher education. Michael Barbaro speaks to Mr. Rufo about how far his agenda will go.
Chicago Tribune
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Facing anti-DEI investigations, colleges cut ties with nonprofit targeted by conservatives
Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and Latino students pursue business degrees. But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program known as The PhD Project in social media posts that caught the attention of Republican politicians. The program is now at the center of a Trump administration campaign to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education. The U.S. Education Department last week said it was investigating dozens of universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to the nonprofit organization. That followed a warning a month earlier that schools could lose federal money over 'race-based preferences' in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life. The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries. Many scrambled to distance themselves from The PhD Project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and higher education faculty. The rollout of the investigations highlights the climate of fear and uncertainty in higher education, which President Donald Trump's administration has begun policing for policies that run afoul of his agenda even as he moves to dismantle the Education Department. The Trump administration asked colleges to explain ties to The PhD Project There is a range of nonprofits that work to help minority groups advance in higher education but The PhD Project was not well known before Rufo began posting on X about its work with colleges, said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, an association of college presidents. 'It's not hard to draw some lines between that incident and why 45 institutions that were partners with The PhD Project are getting this investigation announced,' he said. The 45 colleges under investigation for ties to the organization include public universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of California, Berkeley, along with private schools like Yale, Cornell, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Education Department sent letters to the universities informing them its Office for Civil Rights had received a complaint and they were under investigation for allegedly discriminating against students on the basis of race or ethnicity because of a past affiliation with The PhD Project. The letters set a March 31 deadline for information about their relationship with the nonprofit. In a statement, the PhD Project said it aims to 'create a broader talent pipeline' of business leaders. 'This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision,' it said. Colleges tread carefully on inquiries that threaten federal funding Public reaction from the universities' leadership has been minimal and cautious, with most issuing brief statements saying they will cooperate with investigators and refusing further comment. Colleges may see reason not to push back. The Trump administration has shown willingness to withhold federal funding over issues involving antisemitism allegations, diversity programs and transgender athletes. At Columbia University, under fire for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, the administration pulled $400 million in federal money and threatened billions more if it does not comply with its demands. 'There is a concern that if one university steps up and fights this then that university will have all of their funding cut,' said Veena Dubal, general counsel for the American Association of University Professors. 'They are being hindered not just by fear but a real collective action problem. None of these universities wants to be the next example.' Some colleges moved swiftly to stop working with The PhD Project. The University of Kentucky said it severed ties with the nonprofit on Monday. The University of Wyoming said in a statement that its college of business was affiliated with the group to develop its graduate student pipeline, but it plans to discontinue its membership. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas issued a statement saying three professors participated in the program, but two no longer work at the university and a third was killed in a shooting on campus in 2023. Arizona State said its business school is not financially supporting The PhD Project this year and it told faculty in February the school would not support travel to the nonprofit's conference. A campaign against the nonprofit's work began on social media Similar fallout came in Texas earlier this year, when Rufo began posting on X about the PhD Project. 'Texas A&M is sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference,' Rufo posted on Jan. 13. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, accused the university of 'supporting racial segregation and breaking the law.' The next day Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbot posted on X that the university 'president will soon be gone' unless he immediately 'fixed' the matter. Texas A&M responded by withdrawing from the conference, and soon after at least eight other Texas public universities that had participated previously in The PhD Project's conference also withdrew, the Texas Tribune reported. Rufo has not responded to a request for comment. Some of the schools under investigation raised questions about where the complaints against them originated. Montana State University said it follows all state and federal laws and was 'surprised' by the notice it received and 'unaware of any complaint made internally with regards to The PhD Project.' Six other colleges are being investigated for awarding 'impermissible race-based scholarships,' the Education Department said. Additionally, the University of Minnesota is being investigated for allegedly operating a program that segregates students on the basis of race. At the University of California, Berkeley, hundreds gathered Wednesday on the campus known for student protests. But this one was organized by faculty, who stood on the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the birthplace of the free speech movement in the 1960s. 'This is a fight that can be summed up in five words: Academic freedom is under assault,' Ula Taylor, a professor of African American studies, said to the crowd. In a campus email Monday, Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons did not specifically mention the investigation targeting his school. But he described the federal government's actions against higher education as a threat to the school's core values. 'A Berkeley without academic freedom, without freedom of inquiry, without freedom of expression is simply not Berkeley,' Lyons said. 'We will stand up for Berkeley's values and defend them to the very best of our ability.'
