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Friday, April 5, 2024

Biden Holds Call With Netanyahu, Demands Ceasefire and Threatens to Deny Aid

Wall Street Journal: President Biden called Thursday for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which came days after seven aid workers were killed, the White House said. He also called on Israel to take immediate steps “to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers” and “made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” according to the White House statement. The White House account signaled a more confrontational approach from Biden toward Netanyahu and suggested for the first time that the White House could reassess its assistance and political support for Israel in its six-month-old war (Daily Wire). Reuters: The statement reflected a sharp change in Biden’s tone and, for what appears to be the first time, a set of strings attached to continued U.S. support. Biden staunchly supported Israel, even when other governments sought to put more pressure on Israel (Reuters).

Catherine Herridge to Testify Before House Judiciary Committee About Free Press

New York Post: Catherine Herridge — the ex-CBS News correspondent who saw her files seized by the network after her controversial firing in February — is set to break her silence before the House Judiciary Committee. The acclaimed investigative journalist — known for her reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — will testify next week before the powerful panel on the still-murky circumstances surrounding her exit from CBS News, according to a source close to the situation. The potentially explosive hearing — titled “Fighting for a Free Press: Protecting Journalists and their Sources” — will take place on April 11 (New York Post).

Harvard to Hold Segregated Graduation Ceremonies

National Review: Harvard University’s Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging will once again host “affinity celebrations” at its 2024 commencement. Harvard plans to hold a “Disability Celebration,” a “Global Indigenous Celebration,” an “Asian American, Pacific Islander, Desi-American (APIDA) Celebration,” a “First Generation-Low Income Celebration,” a “Jewish Celebration,” a “Latinx Celebration,” a “Lavender Celebration” — which refers to LGBT students — a “Black Celebration,” a “Veterans Celebration,” and an “Arab Celebration.” The university will also hold a central commencement ceremony for students of all backgrounds. DEI ideology is so deeply ingrained in the university’s culture that Harvard requires applicants for professorship positions to submit descriptions of their “orientation toward diversity, equity, and inclusion practices,” Harvard Law School professor Randall L. Kennedy wrote in an op-ed in the Harvard Crimson (National Review).

University of Texas Dismisses 60 Staffers in DEI Positions

Texas Tribune: The University of Texas at Austin has laid off dozens employees who used to work in diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The university fired about 60 people and some of the offices where they worked are expected to close by May 31, according to a joint letter from the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors and the Texas chapter of the NAACP. The changes aim to bring the university into fuller compliance with Senate Bill 17, a state law approved last year that bans DEI initiatives in public universities and went into effect in January (Texas Tribune). Daily Wire: Republican-led states across the country, from Florida to Alabama, have enacted bans on DEI in higher education amid criticism of schools prioritizing identity over education and merit (Daily Wire).

Judge Orders Government Must House Illegal Immigrant Children

Just the News: A federal judge ordered the U.S. government to “expeditiously” house children who illegally enter the country, instead of allowing the children to remain in open-air locations along the border. The order issued late Wednesday evening by California-based U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee was mostly in favor of the attorneys representing the minors in the class-action lawsuit. The decision established that the Department of Homeland Security had legal custody of the children, who are thus entitled to rights and protections even before being formally processed (Just the News). New York Times: A senior official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection said he could not comment on the legal matter, but emphasized that the current immigration system was not equipped to handle the influx of migrants arriving at the border. He noted that court rulings did not come with additional resources to make the orders more achievable (New York Times).

Illegal Immigrant, Deported Seven Times Prior, Arrested for Murder

News Nation: A migrant man is facing charges of aggravated murder following the discovery of a body in an alley in Hamilton, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. Fermin Garcia-Gutierrez, 46, has entered the U.S. illegally multiple times from Mexico and encountered the U.S. legal system several times, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones. Garcia-Gutierrez, who has been deported from the U.S. seven times, has also been jailed 11 times, Jones said, with his first arrest dating back to 2001. Police allege Garcia-Gutierrez used at least seven different names and three different birth dates (News Nation). Daily Caller: Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones blasted President Joe Biden over the situation on the border in the Friday press conference, saying that 999 illegal immigrants had been housed in the county jail at a cost of over $1.8 million. According to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 849,469 illegal immigrants have been encountered to date in fiscal year 2024 (Daily Caller).

Florida Supreme Court Maintains Abortion Ban

WNG: This week, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a 15-week limitation on abortion. The justices concluded that “there is no basis under the Privacy Clause to invalidate the statute.” This ruling cleared the way for a second Florida law, the Heartbeat Protection Act, which protects unborn life after six weeks’ gestation, to take effect on May 1. What happened to get Florida there? The Florida legislature determined that, with certain exceptions for the life, health of the mother, and fetal anomalies, abortions should not occur past 15 weeks gestation. At fifteen weeks’ gestation babies can move and stretch, kick, and work on breathing, swallowing, and sucking motions. They can likely feel pain (WNG). ABC: Florida, despite its 15-week limit, has been a key point of access to women across the southeastern U.S. living in states that have ceased nearly all abortion services due to bans. At least 14 states have ceased nearly all abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion rights (ABC).

Democrats Upset With Female Soccer Team Because of Sponsor

Daily Wire: The Utah Royals, a women’s professional soccer club based in Salt Lake City, faced criticism for their jerseys and stadium, which are named after their sponsor — America First Credit Union, from leftists who claim the term “America First” is rooted in “fascism” and “racism.” Former President Trump first outlined his “America First” perspective as a presidential candidate in April 2016, when he stated, “America first will be the major and overriding theme of my administration” (Daily Wire). Axios: In 2022, Real Salt Lake announced the stadium in Sandy was being renamed America First Field. It had previously been called Rio Tinto Stadium. America First Credit Union declined to answer questions surrounding their relationship with the women’s soccer club moving forward and whether there had been talks about removing their logo from the jerseys (Axios).

Jobless Claims Rise to Highest Rate Since January

Washington Examiner: The number of new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased by 9,000 to 212,000 last week, the highest level since January. The reading marks the highest number of jobless claims in months and shows the labor market might be taking on a bit of water as the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates high and teases another upward rate revision. Jobless claims are seen as a proxy for layoffs — if more people are claiming unemployment insurance, it suggests workers are getting laid off. The new numbers are in line with some expectations the labor market will soften (Washington Examiner). Reuters: Though layoffs increased to a 14-month high in March, job cuts were little changed compared to the same period last year. There were 1.36 job openings for every unemployed person in February compared to 1.43 in January, government data showed this week. Worker shortages persist in industries like construction. Labor market resilience is anchoring the economy. The economy’s strength, combined with still-high inflation, could see the Federal Reserve delaying much-anticipated interest rate cuts this year (Reuters).

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Ford to Cut Back on EV Production Due to Lack of Interest From Customers

Katie Pavlich: Ford Motor Company announced Thursday that due to a lack of demand from customers, they will delay the rollout and manufacturing of new electric vehicles. Two weeks ago the CEO of Hertz resigned after the company’s failed electric vehicle experiment (Townhall). Fox Business: Ford lost about $4.7 billion on EVs last year and projects losses in the range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion this year (Fox Business).