Latest news with #TheForward
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nike apologizes for using phrase associated with Holocaust in London Marathon ads
Nike's ad campaign for this month's London Marathon led to some major faith-related pushback. Spectators and social media users took issue with a billboard that said 'Never Again. Until Next Year,' arguing that Nike should have avoided the phrase 'Never Again,' which is generally associated with the Holocaust. 'Never Again is as iconic a phrase as Just Do It. Nike should know better,' wrote Bill Ackman, a prominent hedge fund manager, on X. In a follow-up post, Ackman said it's hard to imagine why no one at Nike raised concerns about the ad. 'I assume that this was unintentional, but it is hard to imagine that there was no one at Nike, on the marketing team, at their advertising firm, banner manufacture etc. who didn't know or who didn't think to Google the words 'Never again,'' he wrote. Similarly, Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights lawyer, described the ad as 'in poor taste' in an X post. 'Seriously Nike? You posted this massive billboard in London for the Marathon. I don't believe for a second there was any ill malice, but please understand the concern with using the words 'Never Again', what they represent and why this was in poor taste,' he wrote. In a Monday statement to reporter Louis Keene of The Forward, Nike apologized for any harm it caused with the billboards. The company noted in its statement that the London Marathon ad campaign was built around phrases commonly used by runners. Another billboard in the series read 'Remember why you signed up for this.' 'The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled 'Winning Isn't Comfortable,' built on runners' insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible,' Nike's statement said. Although the Nike drama is unique, 'Never Again' has been used outside the context of the Holocaust before. For example, after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students used the hashtag #NeverAgain to promote protests in favor of gun control across the country, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The students, like Nike, faced pushback over their use of the phrase. 'For a second it felt like cultural appropriation, but I doubt the kids knew this or did it intentionally,' one Jewish woman observed on social media at the time, as the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. The article noted that the phrase became associated with the Holocaust in the 1960s and 1970s. It was originally a call to armed resistance, but it's been transformed into a message of peace. The 'violent call for action was adapted by American Jewish establishment groups and Holocaust commemoration institutions as a call for peace, tolerance and heeding the warning signs of genocide,' per Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The London Marathon took place on Sunday. Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men's race in 2:02:27. according to The Associated Press. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:15:50.
CNN
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘A great friend': Audio undercuts Trump US attorney nominee's disavowal of alleged Nazi sympathizer
Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia and nominee to serve in the role permanently, says he now regrets praising a Capitol rioter who is an alleged Nazi sympathizer — claiming he was unaware of the man's extremist views at the time. 'I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I've now seen it,' Martin told The Forward, a Jewish publication, last week after previously calling the rioter, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 'extraordinary.' 'At the time, I didn't know it,' Martin said. But a CNN KFile review of Martin's podcast shows he repeatedly praised Hale-Cusanelli in interviews with him, including two where they openly discussed — and dismissed — allegations that Hale held pro-Nazi views, including an infamous photo of Hale posing with a Hitler-style mustache. Martin hosted Hale-Cusanelli at least five times on podcasts in 2024, including his show 'The Pro-America Report with Ed Martin.' The interviews were conducted well after Hale's Nazi sympathies had been widely reported in media coverage and documented in court records. In the January 2024 episode, Martin and Hale-Cusanelli discussed how media coverage before his trial portrayed him as a far-right extremist and 'the reincarnation of the Führer.' Martin described the coverage as 'character assassination' and a 'caricature' of Hale. In the July 2024 episode, Martin explicitly referenced the infamous Hitler-style mustache photo and framed it as an attempt to smear Hale and other Trump supporters as antisemitic. 'Again, you know, not your best moment,' Martin told Hale-Cusanelli on air in July 2024, referring to the photo. 'But not illegal.' Martin repeatedly referred to Hale-Cusanelli as 'a great friend' and 'an amazing guy,' and said they had grown close after his release from prison. Martin's disavowal of Hale-Cusanelli's comments comes as he faces a tough confirmation battle to become DC's top prosecutor as Democrats try to stall the process and force Republicans to hold a hearing on his nomination. A bipartisan group of senators have submitted over 500 questions for Martin to respond to, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said at a committee meeting earlier this month. Among his own questions, Grassley asked Martin about Hale-Cusanelli, a source familiar with the process told CNN. Martin's status as acting US attorney expires on May 20, according to federal law, setting up a tight timeline for him to get confirmed by the Senate. A spokesperson for Martin declined to comment to CNN beyond the public apology when asked if Martin had discussed his ties to Hale-Cusanelli with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The spokesperson also pointed to Martin telling The Forward that he was 'unaware of the full scope of his repulsive behavior,' which, Martin said, is 'clearly far more serious than a singular act that, by itself, might look like a mistake.' Hale-Cusanelli, an Army reservist who previously worked as a security contractor at a Naval base, was convicted of breaching the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and sentenced to four years in prison in 2022. An internal Navy investigation uncovered numerous incidents in which Hale-Cusanelli promoted racist and antisemitic views. Colleagues told investigators Hale-Cusanelli made daily disparaging comments about Jews and one recalled Hale-Cusanelli saying, 'Hitler should have finished the job.' At his trial, Hale-Cusanelli denied that he is a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer. He said that his comments were 'ironic' and a form of 'self-deprecating humor' he used with friends. 'I'm half Jewish and half Puerto Rican,' Hale-Cusanelli testified, telling jurors that his comments were meant to be ironic. 'I know it's offensive. I know it bothers a lot of people. I know it's repugnant.' Hale-Cusanelli was released from prison in late 2023 and spent the next year on a media blitz tour to discuss his incarceration, including appearing on Martin's podcast. 'Tim Hale is an extraordinary guy. I've gotten to know him really well. I'd say we're friends over the last few years, and especially in the last month since he's been out of jail,' Martin said when hosting Hale-Cusanelli in July 2024. On that program, Martin made clear he was aware of the Nazi allegations levied against Hale-Cusanelli, twice-bringing it up. 'The leaking of the photo where, you know, you resemble, uh, Hitler - or whatever - goofing around, whatever that is, that was done in such a way that you had to live with it everywhere you turned,' he said. 'They used your phone and took a photo and leaked a photo to say, 'Ah, look. These people, these people, MAGA people are antisemitic,'' Martin said. 'And the photo was of you, I've heard you say it before, you know, you had like a mustache shaved in such a way that you looked vaguely like Hitler and making jokes about it.' The photo was recovered from Hale-Cusanelli's cell phone and included in the initial criminal complaint filed by the Justice Department when it indicted Hale-Cusanelli in March 2021 – not in a leak like Martin claimed. Martin then asked Hale-Cusanelli if he had ever attended a Nazi rally. 'No, I have not,' Hale-Cusanelli responded. 'I wouldn't know where to find one.' The episode was the second time that Martin and Hale-Cusanelli discussed the allegations of Nazi sympathies. In the January appearance, Martin lamented that Hale-Cusanelli was 'tried in the media' and that he was a victim of 'character assassination' before he was on trial. 'l'll be the first one to admit, to admit that I haven't always been a great person throughout my life,' replied Hale-Cusanelli. 'I have a very dark sense of humor. And frankly, a wannabe actor, a comedian. And so, you know, I kind of dug my own grave to some extent when it comes to, you know, saying horrible things to get a few chuckles out of five people.' 'And ultimately they were able to portray me as a far-right extremist, they were able to portray me as basically the reincarnation of the Fuhrer. Unfortunately, that's – part of that is my fault. But, you know, at the end of the day, being a jerk is not a crime.' Martin's ties to Hale-Cusanelli have come under scrutiny as his nomination is considered by the Senate. A previous review by CNN's KFile found that Martin failed to report in his Senate paperwork nearly 200 media appearances he made over the past few years, many of which were on far-right programs and Russian-state media. The Washington Post reported that Martin failed to disclose more than 150 appearances on Russian state TV. The paperwork is reviewed by staffers and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to evaluate nominees. While it is common for nominees from either party to amend their paperwork, and Martin himself acknowledged that there 'may be other materials I have been unable to identify, find or remember,' Martin's initial disclosures failed to capture the vast majority of his media appearances over the years. 'I regret the errors and apologize for any inconvenience,' Martin wrote in one disclosure update he filed earlier in April. Congressional Democrats have sought probes into Martin's prosecutorial conduct and have raised concerns about Martin's missing disclosures. They even requested a confirmation hearing for Martin – a rare step taken for US Attorney nominations. But a spokesperson for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley told CNN that the senator does not intend to hold hearings on Martin's nomination.
CNN
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘A great friend': Audio undercuts Trump US attorney nominee's disavowal of alleged Nazi sympathizer
Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia and nominee to serve in the role permanently, says he now regrets praising a Capitol rioter who is an alleged Nazi sympathizer — claiming he was unaware of the man's extremist views at the time. 'I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I've now seen it,' Martin told The Forward, a Jewish publication, last week after previously calling the rioter, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 'extraordinary.' 'At the time, I didn't know it,' Martin said. But a CNN KFile review of Martin's podcast shows he repeatedly praised Hale-Cusanelli in interviews with him, including two where they openly discussed — and dismissed — allegations that Hale held pro-Nazi views, including an infamous photo of Hale posing with a Hitler-style mustache. Martin hosted Hale-Cusanelli at least five times on podcasts in 2024, including his show 'The Pro-America Report with Ed Martin.' The interviews were conducted well after Hale's Nazi sympathies had been widely reported in media coverage and documented in court records. In the January 2024 episode, Martin and Hale-Cusanelli discussed how media coverage before his trial portrayed him as a far-right extremist and 'the reincarnation of the Führer.' Martin described the coverage as 'character assassination' and a 'caricature' of Hale. In the July 2024 episode, Martin explicitly referenced the infamous Hitler-style mustache photo and framed it as an attempt to smear Hale and other Trump supporters as antisemitic. 'Again, you know, not your best moment,' Martin told Hale-Cusanelli on air in July 2024, referring to the photo. 'But not illegal.' Martin repeatedly referred to Hale-Cusanelli as 'a great friend' and 'an amazing guy,' and said they had grown close after his release from prison. Martin's disavowal of Hale-Cusanelli's comments comes as he faces a tough confirmation battle to become DC's top prosecutor as Democrats try to stall the process and force Republicans to hold a hearing on his nomination. A bipartisan group of senators have submitted over 500 questions for Martin to respond to, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said at a committee meeting earlier this month. Among his own questions, Grassley asked Martin about Hale-Cusanelli, a source familiar with the process told CNN. Martin's status as acting US attorney expires on May 20, according to federal law, setting up a tight timeline for him to get confirmed by the Senate. A spokesperson for Martin declined to comment to CNN beyond the public apology when asked if Martin had discussed his ties to Hale-Cusanelli with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The spokesperson also pointed to Martin telling The Forward that he was 'unaware of the full scope of his repulsive behavior,' which, Martin said, is 'clearly far more serious than a singular act that, by itself, might look like a mistake.' Hale-Cusanelli, an Army reservist who previously worked as a security contractor at a Naval base, was convicted of breaching the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and sentenced to four years in prison in 2022. An internal Navy investigation uncovered numerous incidents in which Hale-Cusanelli promoted racist and antisemitic views. Colleagues told investigators Hale-Cusanelli made daily disparaging comments about Jews and one recalled Hale-Cusanelli saying, 'Hitler should have finished the job.' At his trial, Hale-Cusanelli denied that he is a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer. He said that his comments were 'ironic' and a form of 'self-deprecating humor' he used with friends. 'I'm half Jewish and half Puerto Rican,' Hale-Cusanelli testified, telling jurors that his comments were meant to be ironic. 'I know it's offensive. I know it bothers a lot of people. I know it's repugnant.' Hale-Cusanelli was released from prison in late 2023 and spent the next year on a media blitz tour to discuss his incarceration, including appearing on Martin's podcast. 'Tim Hale is an extraordinary guy. I've gotten to know him really well. I'd say we're friends over the last few years, and especially in the last month since he's been out of jail,' Martin said when hosting Hale-Cusanelli in July 2024. On that program, Martin made clear he was aware of the Nazi allegations levied against Hale-Cusanelli, twice-bringing it up. 'The leaking of the photo where, you know, you resemble, uh, Hitler - or whatever - goofing around, whatever that is, that was done in such a way that you had to live with it everywhere you turned,' he said. 'They used your phone and took a photo and leaked a photo to say, 'Ah, look. These people, these people, MAGA people are antisemitic,'' Martin said. 'And the photo was of you, I've heard you say it before, you know, you had like a mustache shaved in such a way that you looked vaguely like Hitler and making jokes about it.' The photo was recovered from Hale-Cusanelli's cell phone and included in the initial criminal complaint filed by the Justice Department when it indicted Hale-Cusanelli in March 2021 – not in a leak like Martin claimed. Martin then asked Hale-Cusanelli if he had ever attended a Nazi rally. 'No, I have not,' Hale-Cusanelli responded. 'I wouldn't know where to find one.' The episode was the second time that Martin and Hale-Cusanelli discussed the allegations of Nazi sympathies. In the January appearance, Martin lamented that Hale-Cusanelli was 'tried in the media' and that he was a victim of 'character assassination' before he was on trial. 'l'll be the first one to admit, to admit that I haven't always been a great person throughout my life,' replied Hale-Cusanelli. 'I have a very dark sense of humor. And frankly, a wannabe actor, a comedian. And so, you know, I kind of dug my own grave to some extent when it comes to, you know, saying horrible things to get a few chuckles out of five people.' 'And ultimately they were able to portray me as a far-right extremist, they were able to portray me as basically the reincarnation of the Fuhrer. Unfortunately, that's – part of that is my fault. But, you know, at the end of the day, being a jerk is not a crime.' Martin's ties to Hale-Cusanelli have come under scrutiny as his nomination is considered by the Senate. A previous review by CNN's KFile found that Martin failed to report in his Senate paperwork nearly 200 media appearances he made over the past few years, many of which were on far-right programs and Russian-state media. The Washington Post reported that Martin failed to disclose more than 150 appearances on Russian state TV. The paperwork is reviewed by staffers and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to evaluate nominees. While it is common for nominees from either party to amend their paperwork, and Martin himself acknowledged that there 'may be other materials I have been unable to identify, find or remember,' Martin's initial disclosures failed to capture the vast majority of his media appearances over the years. 'I regret the errors and apologize for any inconvenience,' Martin wrote in one disclosure update he filed earlier in April. Congressional Democrats have sought probes into Martin's prosecutorial conduct and have raised concerns about Martin's missing disclosures. They even requested a confirmation hearing for Martin – a rare step taken for US Attorney nominations. But a spokesperson for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley told CNN that the senator does not intend to hold hearings on Martin's nomination.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Top D.C. Prosecutor Apologizes for Lauding Nazi Sympathizer as ‘Extraordinary Man'
Ed Martin, Donald Trump's top prosecutor in Washington, D.C., claimed he had no idea that a Jan. 6 defendant, whom he once praised as 'an extraordinary man,' was a known Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist. It is bullshit, not only because Hale-Cusanelli extremist history is both public and well documented, but because Hale and Martin have directly interacted in the past. Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a former Army reservist and Navy security guard, gained notoriety as a Jan. 6 defendant convicted on charges related to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. While the charges against Hale-Cusanelli were non-violent, his public persona and social media presence were littered with racist and extremist statements and views. In one now notorious selfie, Hale-Cusanelli sports a Hitleresque mustache with a hand to his chest in the first motion of a Nazi salute. According to court documents, former Navy service members who spoke to investigators said that Hale-Cusanelli had once said that 'Hitler should have finished the job,' and that 'babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead.' In September, Martin described Hale-Cusanelli as an 'extraordinary man' and 'leader,' while presenting an award to him at an event at Trump's Bedminster golf club. In an interview with The Forward, Martin said that he was 'sorry' for his praise of Hale-Cusanelli. 'I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I've now seen it,' Martin told The Forward. 'At the time, I didn't know it.' 'I certainly didn't know all the terrible things that he said and how he had acted. I think that's terrible, and I denounced it completely. I hate it. I hate that it happened,' he added. It's hard to see how Martin could have been unaware of Hale-Cusanelli's history, as he himself represented Jan. 6 defendants — and Hale-Cusanelli's case was one of the most prominent at a national level. The apology comes as Martin, currently Trump's interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, seeks Senate confirmation to lose the interim moniker and hold the role permanently. Senate Democrats have urged Republicans to hold a confirmation hearing — which is uncommon for U.S. attorney nominees — given Martin's track record so far. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who announced he was putting a hold on Martin's nomination, recently told Rolling Stone that when Democrats 'outlined all of the list of horribles that [Martin's] been engaged in, Republicans seem genuinely surprised.' 'While U.S. attorney nominees don't generally get much scrutiny, this one really needs to,' Schiff says. 'And if they end up confirming him anyway, we're going to make sure that they own him, that they're forced to wrap their arms around him as he's wrapped his arms around Nazi sympathizers.' As the interim U.S. attorney, Martin has spent his few months declaring himself a legal attack dog for the president. In February, Martin referred to himself and the prosecutors in his office as 'President Trumps' lawyers.' Martin has pledged to 'protect' staffers working for Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency. On Thursday, Martin was featured in a Justice Department press release touting misdemeanor charges filed against a man accused of vandalizing Teslas in Washington. The press release quoted Martin as calling the Tesla Takedown movement — a nonviolent protest campaign — 'domestic terrorism.' Martin was previously an active figure in the 'Stop the Steal' movement, which boosted Trump's false claims about the 2020 election and sought to help him overturn the results. Schiff and Sen. Alex Padilla, California's other Democratic senator, recently said that 'Martin's record and deeply problematic conduct merit heightened scrutiny and more than justify the full [Judiciary] Committee questioning him under oath.' More from Rolling Stone Pam Bondi Stars in Trump's Made-for-TV Justice Department Trump Is Working to 'Drain' the D.C. Prosecutor's Office and Make It MAGA Trump's D.C. Prosecutor Didn't Sign Arrest Warrant for MAGA Lawmaker Accused of Assault Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Not in our name': Jews in NYC say Trump attacks on Gaza activists not about fighting antisemitism
NEW YORK — As the Trump administration escalates its campaign against international students and Palestinian activists, Jewish New Yorkers are increasingly refuting the idea that the president's efforts are actually about fighting antisemitism. After Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested at his U.S. citizenship test in Vermont, a group of his Israeli classmates penned a letter against his detainment, which they called immoral. A day later, a wide-ranging coalition of Jewish organizations issued a statement rejecting what they call a 'false choice' between Jewish safety and protecting democratic principles. 'Trump doesn't give a damn about Jews,' said Sarah Chinn, an English professor at Hunter College who has family in Israel. 'This is part of a concerted attack on higher education — that's it.' During a nationwide day of campus protests, one Jewish speaker in Lower Manhattan said he felt compelled to speak out against Trump's deportation efforts as Jews 'of conscience.' Further uptown, a leftist Jewish group held a 'Seder in the Streets,' where activists condemned the federal government's actions. For Aharon Dardik, 24, an Israeli-American student at Columbia, the Trump administration's crackdown is not only the stuff of headlines, but an active threat to his friends. Dardik, who helped found a Jewish group at Columbia calling for a ceasefire, and Mahdawi took a class together on peacemaking and negotiations. They were working on a 65-page framework for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when the activist started pulling back from daily life. After Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian activist at Columbia, was detained on March 8, Mahdawi stopped texting friends, relying on the encrypted messaging platform Signal for communication, before a 'self-imposed house arrest' because he feared the government, Dardik said. He was detained Monday by federal immigration authorities. 'As Israelis who knew him very well, we wanted to write a bit about more broadly, what it means for the administration to be doing this in our name,' Dardik said, 'and how simple it was for us, as people who know Mohsen well, to see how preposterous of an understanding of Jewish interests the United States government has — if it's something they care about at all.' Dardik and his classmates' open letter topped 400 signatures by the end of the week. 'Many of us experienced the past year and a half on Columbia's campus in a deeply personal and emotional way,' read the memo, which was first published in the Jewish news outlet The Forward. 'We are deeply impacted by the experiences of antisemitism and hate on our campus, and disheartened by the lack of nuanced dialogue on campus and within society at large about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' 'However, we adamantly oppose the use of the immigration system as a punitive political tool and an alternative to the criminal justice system when no crime has been committed.' On Tuesday, American Jewish organizations from three denominations — Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism — released a joint statement against holding activists for constitutionally-protected speech and threats to federal research funding. 'We at JCPA have been speaking out on this since the first arrest, making clear that two things are true at the same time,' said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Manhattan-based Jewish Council for Public Affairs, which convened the groups. Spitalnick went on to say that she met last week with about 50 Jewish students at Columbia, part of a leadership program at Hillel, who shared the feelings of American Jews more broadly: 'The deep, rightful concerns they have about how their university has handled antisemitism over the last year and a half — and concerns that the administration is now exploiting that fear.' The Trump administration has defended its actions, saying it is a privilege and not a right to study on American college campuses. In recent weeks, the federal government has taken immigration action against visa and some green card holders for pro-Palestinian activism and minor legal infractions, such as a speeding ticket. In the cases of Khalil and Mahdawi, the government alleged their advocacy could have an adverse effect on foreign policy interests to combat antisemitism. (Their lawyers deny the claim.) The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, an organization formed during last school year's campus protests, has reviled both activists on social media and questioned public sympathy for them in the aftermath of their arrests. But Chinn, the professor at Hunter, part of the City University of New York system, said antisemitism is 'clearly pretext' for the Trump administration's actions. 'I understand why some diaspora Jews feel very connected to Israel. It's like in your bones,' Chinn said. 'The same way if you're a child or grandchild of a Palestinian refugee, this is generational trauma.' 'I don't think being angry is by definition violent.' On Thursday, hundreds of faculty and students from Columbia, CUNY and other New York colleges participated in a national day of action for higher education, where students and faculty held rallies on campus, before marching from Washington Square Park to Foley Square. Jonah Inserra, a New York University student and member of its graduate student union, started his speech in the Federal Plaza, just steps away from where Khalil was first held in immigration court, by arguing for the importance of standing up 'as a Jew of conscience.' 'We at NYU have so far been spared the kidnappings and arbitrary arrests of organizers and protesters,' said Inserra. But he accused college administrators of missing the moment to get organized. 'The total abdication of responsibility for the lives and well-beings of their students by the highest levels of university administration has left the task of securing our safety and our futures wholly to us,' he continued. 'And the number of people here today tells me that we are rising to meet the occasion.'
