The Full Belmonte, 5/2/2024
House passes antisemitism bill over complaints from First Amendment advocates
Critics argue the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which gained overwhelming GOP and Democratic support, is an effort to silence criticism of Israel
“House Republicans are seeking to unite their unruly majority around an evergreen conservative cause, devising a strict response to the wave of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled college campuses across the country in recent weeks.
GOP leaders this week announced plans for new oversight investigations of elite universities where — in the words of House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) — “pro-terrorist anti-Semites [are] taking over.” And on Wednesday, they passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which its advocates said would empower the federal government to crack down on anti-Israel protests on campuses by codifying a definition of antisemitism that encompasses not just threats against Jews, but also certain criticisms of Israel itself.
‘We must give the Department of Education the tools to … hold college administrators accountable for refusing to address antisemitism on their campuses,’ said Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.), the bill’s lead sponsor.
The bill was approved by a vote of 320-91, with a majority of Democrats — 133 — joining Republicans.
(Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post)
Lawler’s bill — with 61 co-sponsors, including 15 Democrats — would create ‘a clear definition of antisemitism’ in U.S. law that the Education Department could then use to cut off funding to academic institutions found to tolerate such behaviors. The definition, however, has drawn fierce opposition from First Amendment advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union and liberal Democrats, who say it veers sharply into the realm of restricting political views.
It’s unclear what the bill’s prospects are in the Democratic-controlled Senate or how the White House views it. Previous iterations failed to muster sufficient support in Congress, but both its supporters and opponents say the ongoing protests and a rise in antisemitism since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel have injected fresh momentum….” Read more at Washington Post
Biden to console families of officers gunned down in Charlotte
“President Joe Biden will reprise his role as consoler-in-chief on Thursday when he meets privately with the families of four law enforcement officers killed in a shooting earlier this week in North Carolina.
Biden was already scheduled to travel Thursday to Wilmington, North Carolina, to deliver a speech on rebuilding infrastructure and creating good-paying jobs. The White House added a stop in Charlotte to his itinerary.
•The four officers were killed Monday when a gunman with a high-powered rifle opened fire while a task force was attempting to serve a felony warrant in Charlotte. Multiple officers were hit.
•Killed were Sam Poloche, 42, and Alden Elliot, 46, both with the state's Department of Adult Correction; Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina; and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Joshua Eyer, 31.
•Four other officers were wounded in the attack. The gunman, identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., exited the house with a firearm and was fatally shot by police.” [USA Today]
The crime scene where law enforcement officers were serving a warrant on April 30, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sean Rayford, Getty Images
Arizona Senate votes to repeal near-total 1864 abortion ban
“Arizona lawmakers took a significant step Wednesday toward blocking a Civil War-era abortion ban after state senators repealed the measure the Arizona Supreme Court said last month could stand. The vote fell largely on party lines, with two Republican state senators breaking from the chamber's GOP majority to back repealing the ban. Along with banning abortions in all situations except life-threatening medical emergencies, the law imposes prison terms for doctors and others who aid in an abortion. The repeal will head to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, for her signature.” Read more at USA Today
Police raided a Columbia University building and arrested multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had occupied Hamilton Hall. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday was on the campus as the clearing operation began.
PHOOT: STEPHANI SPINDEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
Hundreds of protesters were arrested across several campuses as universities and law enforcement said outsiders were responsible for the escalating violence.
“They accused people unaffiliated with the schools of joining or intensifying protests ( read for free) of the Israel-Hamas war. Police have cracked down on pro-Palestinian encampments at Columbia, UCLA and other schools. With academic life disrupted, university leaders have grappled over how to tame the demonstrations without disrupting speech rights. Many Jewish students have said they feel unsafe amid rising antisemitism while protesters have said their demonstrations are peaceful. Protesters are calling on their universities to divest themselves of investments in companies doing business with Israel.” [Wall Street Journal]
Hundreds of campus protesters face charges. Will they go to prison?
“Hundreds of U.S. college students arrested this week while protesting the war in Gaza face criminal charges. But how those charges play out – and whether they will stick – remains a key question. On Tuesday, New York police arrested nearly 300 people at Columbia University and the City College of New York. Scores of cases at other universities have already been dropped. Experts say prosecutors will need strong evidence to gain convictions – if the cases even get to trial or past initial court appearances.” Read more at USA Today
”United Methodist Church Votes to End Ban on Ordaining Gay Clergy - The role of LGBT people has divided the denomination for decades.” [Wall Street Journal]
Harvey Weinstein will have a retrial in his New York rape case.
“What to know: The disgraced 72-year-old former film producer’s 2020 conviction for rape was overturned last week by New York’s highest court, which found his trial was unfair.
Zooming out: The case will be retried after Labor Day, a judge said yesterday. He remains in prison for a separate rape conviction. His accusers launched the #MeToo movement in 2017.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Bird flu
“Ongoing testing of milk and dairy products by the FDA has not found any active H5N1 bird flu virus in nearly 300 samples of items purchased in grocery stores, the agency said Wednesday. The FDA has tested samples of milk and other kinds of products made from milk, like cheese and sour cream, as well as products made with milk powder, such as infant and toddler formula. This comes as the government is also testing samples of raw and cooked ground beef purchased at grocery stores to evaluate and contain a bird flu outbreak among dairy cows that has spread to about three dozen herds in nine states. The highest concentration of infected cattle is in Texas, where 12 herds have tested positive.” [CNN]
Interest rates
“The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it is holding interest rates at their current levels for the sixth straight meeting. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues previously penciled in three rate cuts this year, but that now looks very much in doubt. Questions had even been raised as to whether the economy is so hot that the Fed may need to hike rates, but Powell dispelled that notion in his post-meeting news conference. He said a persistently strong economy, coupled with inflation continuing to stall, would simply result in the Fed holding off on cutting rates, but added that an ‘unexpected weakening in the labor market’ could speed up the timing of the first cut. Data shows the job market overall remains robust, with unemployment still under 4% and employers continuing to hire workers at a brisk pace.” [CNN]
Trump flip-flops on early voting
Former President Trump, seen in silhouette, arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis., yesterday. Photo: Morry Gash/AP
“After years of calling voting by mail ‘corrupt’ and ‘crooked,’ Donald Trump and GOP committees are scrambling to convince their voters that it's safe and secure ahead of the election, Axios' Alex Thompson writes.
Why it matters: Democrats have built a large mail-in voting advantage over the GOP in swing states that could decide the election.
Many Republican voters have bought into Trump's distrust of voting by mail.
But Trump — who has long cited mail-in voting in questioning the results of the 2020 election — abruptly shifted his public messaging this month.
‘ABSENTEE VOTING, EARLY VOTING, AND ELECTION DAY VOTING ARE ALL GOOD OPTIONS,’ he posted on Truth Social.
‘REPUBLICANS MUST MAKE A PLAN, REGISTER, AND VOTE!’
Zoom in: In Pennsylvania, three Republican groups spent $1.5 million ahead of last week's primary to organize supporters to vote by mail.
The groups will spend at least $8.5 million more on the campaign before November, according to a spokesperson.
As part of their messaging, the groups emphasize that members of the military have trusted mail-in voting for decades.
Donald Trump Jr. also appears in ads for the effort: ‘Pennsylvania, I need you to join the mail-in voting list today,’ he says to the camera, before pointing to a website, SkipTheLinePA.vote.
Reality check: It might be too late to rebuild the trust in vote-by-mail that Trump tore down after the 2020 election.
Trump railed against the practice just two months ago. In Michigan on Feb. 27, he said: ‘Mail-in voting is totally corrupt ... Get that through your head.’
Zoom out: While the GOP's political apparatus is all-in on mail-in and early voting, the practice is still running into headwinds among some grassroots organizers.
Tyler Bowyer, chief operating officer of the student arm of the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA, recently said: ‘We're not trying to encourage more people to get on the early voting list.’
‘If you vote too early, you're basically telling Democrats how many votes they need to win,’ he said.” [Axios]
“A historic defense pact that could reshape the Middle East is nearing completion, sources say, almost seven months after it was knocked off course by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
The deal, pursued by the US and Saudi Arabia, faces major obstacles.
To secure the 67 votes in the US Senate to become a binding treaty, as Riyadh insists, it almost certainly needs Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. And that in turn requires an end to the Gaza conflict and an Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state.
WATCH: Jane Harman, National Defense Strategy Commission chair, discusses US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel. Source: Bloomberg
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition relies on support from far-right politicians, would risk the collapse of his government if he overrides their objections to stop the offensive and sign up to a two-state solution.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who faces criminal charges for corruption, would have to confront voters overwhelmingly opposed to making any concessions to the Palestinians because they see that as a reward for Hamas.
The defense pact could transform the balance of power in the region and cement US interests.
A three-way alliance with Israel would deal a huge blow to Iran, which supports proxy groups across the Middle East and last month sparked fears of an all-out war when it directly attacked Israel for the first time in retaliation for a deadly strike on its diplomatic compound in Damascus.
But time is running out as US President Joe Biden may be not be in office next January. If Donald Trump returns to the presidency, securing Democrats’ support will be much harder.
The pro-Palestinian protests across American college campuses carry a political risk for Biden, especially among young voters. Saudi Arabia is clamping down on anti-Israeli sentiment while pursuing diplomatic efforts with the Jewish state.
It’s a precarious moment for a volatile region, but the rewards of success could be substantial.” — Henry Meyer [Bloomberg]
Benjamin Netanyahu. Photographer: Abir Sultan/AFP/Getty Images
“UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be in a perilous position if his governing Conservatives suffer significant losses in local elections today. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, which has led in national polling for months, is seeking to make gains in key battlegrounds across the Midlands and North of England that may serve as a harbinger of a general election that Sunak must hold within nine months.” [Bloomberg]
First Detentions
People protest against the Rwanda deportation act outside Downing Street in London on May 1.Carl Court/Getty Images
“British authorities began detaining migrants on Wednesday as part of a controversial immigration plan under which asylum-seekers who arrived illegally in Britain after Jan. 1, 2022, will be deported to Rwanda. Those deemed to have arrived illegally are asylum-seekers who came to the United Kingdom without authorization from another safe country, essentially meaning those who arrived by dinghy via the English Channel.
Details on timing and who will be selected for initial flights are still unclear; however, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he aims to begin departures in July, with commercial charter planes already booked and an airport now on standby. A senior U.K. minister said on Tuesday that the United Kingdom expects to deport 5,700 people this year—a number that Rwanda agreed to ‘in principle’—but authorities have located only around 2,100 migrants for detention so far.
‘Our dedicated enforcement teams are working diligently to promptly apprehend those without lawful status so that we can expedite the departure of flights,’ Home Secretary James Cleverly said Wednesday.
Under the so-called Safety of Rwanda Act, which the U.K. Parliament passed last Tuesday, the asylum-seekers will be sent to the Rwandan capital of Kigali to either be granted asylum there or be sent to a third country. The Sunak government believes that this policy will help discourage people from trying to make the dangerous trek from France across the English Channel via small dinghies. More than 7,600 migrants have arrived in Britain this year using this route, a 14 percent increase from record levels documented in 2022. Just last Tuesday, five migrants, including a child, died while trying to cross the channel.
Condemnation of the policy remains fierce, with the opposition Labour Party calling it unworkable. The U.K. Supreme Court unanimously ruled last November that the plan was unlawful, as it would put asylum-seekers at ‘risk of ill-treatment’ because Rwanda could send them back to their countries of origin. Last week, Parliament ruled that Rwanda was a ‘safe country,’ but concerns still stand. ‘This government has lost [its] last ounce of humanity,’ the British charity Freedom From Torture posted on X on Wednesday.
In response to the act’s passage last week, Ireland announced that it plans to enact emergency legislation by the end of May allowing Dublin to send asylum-seekers who cross into Ireland via Northern Ireland back to the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and shares an open border with Ireland.
Senior Irish officials worry that migrants who fear being deported to Rwanda will instead travel to Ireland. This comes as Dublin already faces high European immigration numbers from Ukraine, exemplified on Wednesday when local authorities dismantled a tent city of hundreds of asylum-seekers in central Dublin. ‘This country will not in any way, shape, or form provide a loophole for anybody else’s migration challenges,’ Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said last Sunday.
On Tuesday, the Irish government approved a plan to redesignate the U.K. as a ‘safe country’ for asylum-seekers to return to, paving the way for this process to begin. But Sunak is ‘not interested’ in accepting asylum-seekers from Ireland, arguing that the U.K. will only take back these migrants if Britain establishes a broader agreement with the European Union to return them to France, where many of them begin their journeys across the English Channel.” [Foreign Policy]
“Military drill warnings. Taiwan’s top security official said on Wednesday that the island is on alert for potential Chinese military exercises in the region as the inauguration of Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te draws near. Beijing does not recognize Taipei’s sovereignty and strongly dislikes Lai, whom it views as being in favor of Taiwan’s independence. Lai will take office on May 20.
China usually conducts military drills from June to November, which would be directly after Lai’s inauguration. In the past, Beijing has used such exercises to pressure Taiwan. The number of Chinese aircraft that crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait or entered the island’s air defense identification zone surged by 50 percent in the first six months of 2023, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. And this year alone, Taiwan has reportedly observed China carrying out nighttime ‘joint combat readiness patrols’ three times, which Taipei says is a new development.” [Foreign Policy]
“Crackdown on dissent. Protests against Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill escalated on Tuesday, when security forces used water cannons, tear gas, and stun grenades against demonstrators in Tbilisi, the capital. The proposed legislation, which passed its second of three parliamentary readings on Wednesday, would require nongovernmental organizations and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as ‘agents of foreign influence.’
Locals reported physical attacks against protesters, including Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of Georgia’s largest opposition party, the United National Movement. He posted a photo on X early Wednesday of his bloodied face. Rights activists argue that the bill is similar to legislation in Russia that the Kremlin uses to crack down on dissent. The ruling Georgian Dream party hopes to sign the bill into law by mid-May.” [Foreign Policy]
“As many as a million Russians fled abroad in the first year of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Now thousands are returning home, delivering a propaganda victory to the Kremlin and a boost to Putin’s war economy. Facing rejections when renewing residence permits, difficulties with transferring work and money abroad, and limited destinations that still welcome them, many are quietly opting to end their self-exile.” [Bloomberg]
“Jacob Zuma has staged a dramatic comeback and is shaking up South African politics six years after being ousted following a scandal-tainted presidency. The charismatic 82-year-old is leading a new party that may win enough support to see Zuma regain significant clout after May 29 elections, with the ruling African National Congress at risk of losing its majority.” [Bloomberg]
Zuma at a party rally outside his homestead in KwaZulu-Natal province on April 25. Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg
“Billionaires Howard Lutnick, John Paulson and Woody Johnson are among the donors hosting a Manhattan fundraiser for Trump on May 14. The presumptive US Republican nominee is looking to build his 2024 financial war chest while a criminal trial limits his campaigning for the November election.” [Bloomberg]
“China’s largest and most advanced warship began its first sea trial, enhancing the navy’s capability to project power in the Indo-Pacific region. But unlike America’s fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the Fujian is conventionally powered, which could limit its range and the duration of its deployments.” [Bloomberg]
“The US warned Georgia is risking relations with NATO and the European Union by pursuing a ‘Kremlin-inspired’ law targeting non-governmental organizations that has triggered massive protests in the capital, Tbilisi.” [Bloomberg]
“Venezuela will increase workers’ monthly income by 30% as Nicolás Maduro seeks to bolster support ahead of presidential elections in July.” [Bloomberg]
“Biden included US ally Japan along with rivals China and Russia in a list of countries he called “xenophobic” in a speech at a campaign fundraising event in Washington.” [Bloomberg]
America’s child care crisis is holding back moms without college degrees
“The limited availability and high costs of quality child care are holding back American moms without college degrees. Women’s participation in the workforce has recovered from the pandemic, reaching historic highs in December. But that masks a lingering employment crisis among moms who lack a college degree. Read more.
Why this matters:
The dilemma is common in the United States. In 2022, more than 1 in 10 young children had a parent who had to quit, turn down or drastically change a job in the previous year because of child care problems. And that burden falls most on mothers, who shoulder more child-rearing responsibilities and are far more likely to leave a job to care for kids.
The gap in employment rates between mothers who have a four-year degree and those who don’t has only grown. In interviews, mothers across the country shared how the seemingly endless search for child care, and its expense, left them feeling defeated. It pushed them off career tracks, robbed them of a sense of purpose, and put them in financial distress.” [AP News]
A new study is reassuring about the safety of menopause hormone drugs.
“The background: In 2002, a landmark study linked drugs used to alleviate menopause symptoms to increased risk of disease, causing millions to abandon them.
What’s new? A long-term follow-up, published yesterday, suggests those fears were overblown and the drugs are relatively safe for short-term treatment in women under 60.
In related news: Senators, backed by Oscar winner Halle Berry, will today unveil a $275 million bill to boost menopause care.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Johnson & Johnson said it has reached a $6.5 billion settlement to resolve nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits claiming its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer.” [Washington Post]
Experts fear ‘catastrophic’ college declines thanks to botched FAFSA rollout
“The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, went through a massive overhaul that was supposed to make it simpler and shorter. But a series of blunders by the Education Department made it harder than ever, delaying college decisions by months and raising fears that hundreds of thousands of students will forgo college entirely.” Read More at AP News
A cat shipped herself 630 miles in a box and lived to tell the tale.
Galena went missing April 10. (Brandy Hunter)
“Who’s that? Galena, a 6-year-old cat who lives in Utah. She climbed into a box with some boots and was found six days later at an Amazon return warehouse in Southern California.
How did it happen? She’s a quiet cat who loves to hide and doesn’t weigh much, Galena’s owners said. Her microchip got her home, where she’s in good health.”
Read this story at Washington Post
SPORTS
Brittney Griner Mickalene Thomas for The New York Times
“Basketball: In an interview with The Times Magazine, Brittney Griner discussed her time in Russian prison and her path to recovery.” [New York Times]
“N.B.A.: Both the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics routed playoff opponents. The Mavericks took a 3-2 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Celtics eliminated the Miami Heat.” [New York Times]
“M.L.B.: The league suspended four players involved in a brawl between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.” [New York Times]
“Lives Lived: Olga Fikotova Connolly won a gold medal in track and field for Czechoslovakia in the 1956 Olympics and watched Harold Connolly of the U.S. win one the next day. They married in 1957 in a Cold War romance that breached the iron curtain. She died at 91.” [New York Times]
“Duane Eddy, a virtuoso who influenced a generation of guitarists with his rock ’n’ roll twang, died at 86.” [New York Times]