Latest news with #JointTaskForcetoCombatAnti-Semitism
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump ramps up antisemitism crackdown following killings of Israeli Embassy staffers
The White House is ramping up its crackdown on antisemitism in the wake of the Washington shooting that left two young Israeli Embassy staffers dead Wednesday night. The administration has for months taken action against antisemitic activity, with a particular focus on stripping colleges of funding — most notably Harvard — as a way to address discrimination. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that as of Thursday, the threat level has been increased for all Americans. 'I can tell you security has been increased here as of last night. Our U.S. Marshals are working hand in hand to make sure our embassy is safe, our ambassador is safe, and again please know that everything we know now — it's an ongoing investigation,' she said, talking to reporters outside the Capital Jewish Museum, which was the site of the shooting. 'Whether you are Jewish or not, be vigilant.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a briefing outlined actions the administration has already taken to combat antisemitism, including an executive order that the president signed to form the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism and steps to revoke student visas. The revocation of visas has been widely criticized by those who say it is punishing people in the United States who are engaging in free speech. President Trump condemned the shooting Thursday morning, saying the suspect's actions were 'based obviously on antisemitism' and calling for an end to 'hatred and radicalism.' The president also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the shooting. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, approached a group of four individuals leaving a museum event and shot and killed the two victims at close range, law enforcement officials said. The suspect then walked into the museum, was apprehended and after he was in custody, shouted, 'Free, free Palestine.' The two victims have been identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. 'The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society,' Leavitt told reporters, adding that the Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator. Bondi also spoke with Netanyahu after the shooting and, according to the Israeli leader's office, she conveyed to him that Trump 'is involved in managing the event, and that the U.S. will bring the murderer to justice.' The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terror, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on social platformX that the penalties against the shooter 'will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads.' Most of the actions taken by the administration to fight antisemitism have been focused on college campuses and have been divisive. The administration has threatened 60 colleges and universities with cuts to their federal funding if they did not do more to shield their Jewish students on campus from discrimination. In an interview on 'The Hugh Hewitt Show,' Trump also recently suggested pulling the tax-exempt status of any college with antisemitism problems. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week it would terminate $60 million in grants to Harvard University, bringing the total amount of federal money taken away from the university under Trump to near $3 billion. Earlier this month, the administration launched a review into alleged recent antisemitic activity at the University of Washington and its affiliates after about 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on campus. And the administration in March cut $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University amid an antisemitism probe into the school. Leavitt mentioned antisemitic crackdowns on college campuses Thursday, as well as the response from Democrats. She called it 'despicable' that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) did not answer a question at the U.S. Capitol about the shooting and later posted on X that she was 'appalled' by it. 'Frankly, we have seen a rise in antisemitic protests, pro-Hamas protests, of terrorist sympathizers,' the press secretary said. 'We saw them on our college campuses and we have seen the Democrat Party turn a blind eye and, in some cases, actually embrace such antisemitic, illegal behavior. And that's why this administration has done more than any administration in history to crack down on antisemitism.' In a recent Jewish Voters Resource Center poll, 64 percent of respondents said they either 'strongly disapprove' or 'somewhat disapprove' when it comes to what Trump is doing combatting antisemitism. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump ramps up antisemitism crackdown following killings of Israeli embassy staffers
The White House is ramping up its crackdown on antisemitism in the wake of the Washington shooting that left two young Israeli embassy staffers dead on Wednesday night. The administration has for months taken action against antisemitic activity, with a particular focus on stripping colleges of funding— most notably Harvard— as a way to address discrimination. Attorney general Pam Bondi said that as of Thursday, the threat level has been increased for all Americans while talking to reporters outside the Capital Jewish Museum, which was the site of the shooting. 'I can tell you security has been increased here as of last night. Our U.S. Marshalls are working hand in hand to make sure our embassy is safe, our ambassador is safe, and again please know that everything we know now — it's an ongoing investigation,' she said. 'Whether you are Jewish or not, be vigilant.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a briefing outlined actions the administration has already taken to combat antisemitism, including an executive order that the president signed to form the 'Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism' and steps to revoke student visas. The revocation of visas has been widely criticized by those who say it is punishing people in the United States who are engaging in free speech. Trump on Thursday morning condemned the shooting, saying the suspect's actions were 'based obviously on antisemitism' and calling for an end to 'hatred and radicalism.' The president also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the shooting. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, approached a group of four individuals leaving a museum event and shot and killed the two victims at close range, law enforcement officials said. The suspect then walked into the museum, was apprehended and after he was in custody, shouted, 'Free, free Palestine,.' The two victims have been identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. 'The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society,' Leavitt told reporters, adding that the Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator. Bondi also spoke with Netanyahu after the shooting and, according to the Israeli leader's office, she conveyed to him that Trump 'is involved in managing the event, and that the U.S. will bring the murderer to justice.' The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terror and deputy director Dan Bongino said on X that the penalties against the shooter 'will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads.' Most of the actions taken by the administration to fight antisemitism have been focused on college campuses and have been divisive. The administration has threatened \60 colleges and universities to have their federal funding cut if they did not do more to shield their Jewish students on campus from discrimination. Trump also recently suggested pulling the tax-exempt status of any college with antisemitism problems on the 'The Hugh Hewitt Show.' The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week it would be terminating $60 million in grants to Harvard, bringing the total amount of federal money taken away from the university under Trump to near $3 billion. Earlier this month, the administration launched a review into alleged recent antisemitic activity at the University of Washington and its affiliates after about 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on campus. And, the administration is March cut $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University amid an antisemitism probe into the school. Leavitt mentioned antisemitic crack downs on college campuses on Thursday, as well as the response from Democrats. She called it 'despicable' that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) did not answer a question at the U.S. Capitol about the shooting and later posted on X that she was 'appalled' by it. 'Frankly, we have seen a rise in antisemitic protests, pro-Hamas protests, of terrorist sympathizers,' the press secretary said. 'We saw them on our college campuses and we have seen the Democrat party turn a blind eye and, in some cases, actually embrace such antisemitic, illegal behavior. And that's why this administration has done more than any administration in history to crack down on antisemitism.' In a recent Jewish Voters Resource Center poll, 64 percent of respondents said they either 'strongly disapprove' or 'somewhat disapprove' when it comes to what Trump is doing combatting antisemitism.
New York Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mayor Adams takes page out of Trump's playbook, launches task force to fight antisemitism
Mayor Adams took a page from President Trump's playbook and announced the city's own antisemitism task force – after years of local Jewish groups pushing for action. Hizzoner rolled out a new Office to Combat Antisemitism in City Hall on Tuesday ahead of his weekly off-topic presser with the aim of making sure no city funds flow to any group or organization that promotes hate against Jewish people. The agency will be tasked with monitoring court cases and working with the Law Department on which cases the city should join or bring, as well as advising the administration on potential executive orders. Advertisement 'The Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism will be the first of its kind in a major city across the nation, and will tackle antisemitism in all of its forms,' Adams said. 3 The new office comes after years of rising numbers of anti-semitic incidents. Paul Martinka 'The office will work to ensure city-funded entities and city agencies do not permit different forms of antisemitism,' he added. Advertisement The new office — which, as of Tuesday had executive director Moshe Davis as its sole employee — seemingly mimicked Trump's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism that has gone to war with universities over alleged antisemitism on campus. Earlier on Tuesday, the feds revoked another $450 million from Harvard after the school was found to have 'repeatedly failed' to tamp down on antisemitism and other racial discrimination. 3 The initiative mirrors Trump's task force that has targeted higher education. ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The mayor, though, couldn't point to any groups when pressed on what antisemitic groups have benefited from taxpayer dollars — only the city's schools, which twice sent out radicalized messages in newsletters. Advertisement Adams' bare bones announcement comes after years of increases in antisemitic hate crimes and was praised by some who have called on the city to do more. 'We expect the Mayor's office to use its legal authority to root out systemic Jew-hatred in all city agencies and offices and take proactive steps to end the tyranny of terror that silences and excludes Jewish New Yorkers in schools, at work, and in the city's streets,' the group End Jew Hatred said in a statement. 3 Mayor Eric Adams was flanked by a number of people in the Jewish community for the announcement. Paul Martinka However, others skewered the mayor and claimed he was using the office in his longshot reelection bid in the general election in November. Adams dropped out of a crowded Democratic Party primary and is expected to run on an independent ballot line, 'EndAntiSemitism.' Advertisement 'It's insulting. It's pathetic,' said Dov Hikind, former Brooklyn assemblyman and founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. 'Where has he been? Jew hatred was bad three years ago and it's 10 times worse after Oct. 7, 2023. He didn't know? 'He's creating a task force in the bottom of the ninth inning,' he railed, adding, 'There's no question he's pandering.' Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a seemingly nearly identical slate of initiatives, following a City Council law requiring the creation of an Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Adams dodged questions about the timing of the new office, only pointing to the 62% of hate crimes this year being antisemitic. Antisemitism has continuously accounted for an outsized portion of hate crime in the Big Apple, dating back to 2019 when more than 60% were anti-Jewish incidents. Over the past two years, the NYPD has reported 325 and 350 antisemitic incidents, accounting for 48% and 52% of all hate crimes in 2023 and 2024, respectively, according to police data. Political operative Hank Sheinkopf told The Post he believed the pandering would pay off for Adams in the general, as he aligns himself opposite of state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is second in polls in the Democratic race after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and could be on the Working Families Party line come November. 'It's smart. It engages Mamdani, not [Andrew] Cuomo,' Sheinkopf added. 'He's not the first incumbent — or the last — to use his office for political gain.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration cuts $450M more in Harvard grants, alleging antisemitism
President Trump's administration announced that it is cutting another $450 million in grants for Harvard University, alleging the school has failed to combat 'pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment' on campus. The reduction, which was announced by the White House's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism on Tuesday morning, comes on top of the $2.2 billion federal funding slashed from the Ivy League school last week. 'Harvard's campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination. This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it's not academic freedom; it's institutional disenfranchisement,' the task force said in a statement. 'There is a dark problem on Harvard's campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school's claim to taxpayer support.' The Hill has reached out to Harvard for comment. Apart from cutting funding, the administration has threatened to revoke the Massachusetts-school's tax-exempt status, with Trump slamming the institution as a 'threat to democracy' and a 'Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE.' Harvard filed a suit in late April over the administration's funding cuts, alleging the White House was violating the First Amendment and asking for the federal funds to be reinstated. The administration has asked the elite school to do away with its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and alter its hiring and admissions processes. Earlier this month, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to the school, informing it that it is no longer eligible for new federal research grants until it is able to 'demonstrate responsible management.' Harvard University President Alan Garber responded to McMahon this week, writing that both the school and the administration 'share common ground on a number of critical issues, including the importance of ending antisemitism and other bigotry on campus.' Garber, in the letter, added that those shared goals are 'undermined and threatened by the federal government's overreach into the constitutional freedoms of private universities and its continuing disregard of Harvard's compliance with the law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration cuts another $450 million from Harvard
The Trump administration announced another round of cuts to Harvard University, this time amounting to $450 million in grants on top of the $2.2 billion already frozen, according to a Tuesday letter. Eight federal agencies are involved in the termination of the grants. The federal government pointed to 'pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment' as continuing reasons for cutting federal funding. 'Harvard's campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination. This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it's not academic freedom; it's institutional disenfranchisement. There is a dark problem on Harvard's campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school's claim to taxpayer support,' the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said. Read more: Harvard changes admissions policy, offering foreign students a 'backup plan' The announcement comes after Harvard University President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon that they share the same 'common ground,' but the university 'will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear.' Garber pushed back on the administration through a lawsuit in April. The institution argues that its constitutional rights had been violated by the government's threats to pull billions of dollars in funding if the school didn't comply with demands for an overhaul. 'No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue," the suit read. On April 29, Harvard published two long-awaited reports from Harvard's task forces on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias and anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. Each detailed community feelings of hurt and alienation inflicted by peers and Harvard officials. The Tuesday letter, from the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, pointed to the report on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias published by Harvard, laying out the way Israel, Jewish and Israeli Harvard University students and faculty felt shunned and silenced, regardless of which side they supported. The federal task force didn't mention the other report, which was focused on anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. 'Jewish students were subjected to pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation, with no meaningful response from Harvard's leadership,' the federal task force said. The federal task force also pointed to the civil rights offices of both the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, investigating the Harvard Law Review, based on reports of 'race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal.' An undocumented student's story: Why it's hard to be here no matter who is president Jennifer Coolidge tells Emerson grads to 'just friggin' go for it' State lawmakers float new tax on Mass. colleges as higher ed faces federal firestorm These are 4 of the most impactful cuts to higher ed in Trump's proposed budget MIT sues federal science agency over cuts to 'crucial research' Read the original article on MassLive.
