bonginoreport--2020-09-15--U.S. Intel Has Found No Proof Russia Paid Taliban Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops

WASHINGTON — Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members , the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program .
`` It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me , '' Gen. Frank McKenzie , commander of the U.S. Central Command , told NBC News .
McKenzie oversees U.S. troops in Afghanistan .
The U.S. continues to hunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
`` We continue to look for that evidence , '' the general said .
`` I just have n't seen it yet .
But … it 's not a closed issue . ''
McKenzie 's comments , reflecting a consensus view among military leaders , underscores the lack of certainty around a narrative that has been accepted as fact by Democrats and other Trump critics , including presidential nominee Joe Biden , who has cited Russian bounties in attacks on President Donald Trump .
U.S. intelligence agencies have for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban , but a Russian program to incentivize the killing of American service members would represent a significant escalation .
Trump said he did not raise the issue of Russian payments to the Taliban in his most recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Critics have said he should have .
Senior military officials say they do n't believe the intelligence is strong enough to act on .
Echoing comments in July by Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , McKenzie said that if he could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kill Americans , he would push to forcefully respond .
But the intelligence is far from conclusive , he said .
`` I found what they presented to me very concerning , very worrisome .
I just could n't see the final connection , so I sent my guys back and said , look , keep digging .
So we have continued to dig and look because this involves potential threats to U.S. forces , it 's open , '' he said , adding , `` I just have n't seen anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A U.S. military official familiar with the intelligence added that after a review of the intelligence around each attack against Americans going back several years , none have been tied to any Russian incentive payments .
The suggestion of a Russian bounty program began , another source directly familiar with the matter said , with a raid by CIA paramilitary officers that captured Taliban documents describing Russian payments .
A Taliban detainee told the CIA such a program existed , the source said , although the term `` bounty '' was never used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to document financial transfers between Russian military intelligence and the Taliban , and establish there had been travel by key Russian officers to Afghanistan and by relevant Taliban figures to Russia .
That intelligence was reviewed by CIA Director Gina Haspel and placed in Trump 's daily intelligence briefing book earlier this year , officials have said .
The source described the intelligence as compelling , but meriting further investigation .
Nonetheless , current and former U.S. officials have said , many CIA officers and analysts came to believe a bounty program existed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as a proportional response to the U.S. arming of Ukrainian units fighting Russian forces in Crimea , the source said .
Many military officials have always been more skeptical , several senior officials said , in part because they had not seen all the intelligence the CIA had gathered .
Unlike counterterrorism information , intelligence gathered about sensitive Russian government activities is often closely held , sometimes distributed only in paper form to a small number of senior officials in Washington .
But after The New York Times reported on intelligence about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials have had a chance to examine all the intelligence , officials say .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the House Armed Services Committee in July that `` All the defense intelligence agencies have been unable to corroborate that report.
`` But at the same hearing , Milley promised a deeper investigation .
`` As of today , right now , we do n't have cause and effect linkages to a Russian bounty program causing U.S. military casualties , '' Milley said .
`` However , we are still looking .
We 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run this thing to ground . ''
Eight weeks later , McKenzie said , differing opinions persist about what conclusions the U.S. can draw from the information .
`` People that are involved in it get very emotional about it , '' he said .
`` I ca n't afford to be emotional about it .
I 've got to step back and look at the totality of the picture . ''
If the Russians are trying to kill Americans in Afghanistan , he said , `` I want to know , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if that 's the case .
I just have n't seen it .
I just have n't seen it .
There 's a lot of conflicting information out there , but nothing was out there that I could grasp that connect together in a pattern that I would consider actionable . ''
The bounty story has played out against a backdrop of a U.S. withdrawal of forces in Afghanistan .
The U.S. is in the midst of cutting the number of troops in Afghanistan roughly in half , from 8,600 to about 4,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 4,500 troops , the U.S. will still maintain a counterterrorism capability and will continue to advise the Afghan Security Forces at a higher level .
`` I think Gen. [ Scott ] Miller has a very good plan to do that at a level of 4,500 . ''
But asked whether he assesses the Taliban are not upholding their end of the peace agreement , McKenzie said , `` Absolutely . ''
`` The Taliban has been scrupulous about not attacking U.S. or coalition forces in Afghanistan .
They have , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a fairly high rate .
And that 's very concerning , '' he said .
McKenzie said he also worries that the Taliban may not take concrete steps to show that Afghanistan can not be used as a base for al Qaeda or the Islamic State militant group in the future .
`` We have ample evidence that the Taliban is no friend of ISIS .
I understand that .
But what we need to see is that they 're not going to allow al Qaeda to base there .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my satisfaction .
Perhaps it will be brought out in the days ahead .
But it 's going to need to be brought out demonstrated . ''
The Taliban have shown the ability to take on ISIS , he said , but al Qaeda is different .
`` I think emotionally , culturally and for a variety of reasons , it 's much harder for them to do that with al Qaeda . ''

WASHINGTON — Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program.
"It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NBC News. McKenzie oversees U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. continues to hunt for new information on the matter, he said.
"We continue to look for that evidence," the general said. "I just haven't seen it yet. But … it's not a closed issue."
McKenzie's comments, reflecting a consensus view among military leaders, underscores the lack of certainty around a narrative that has been accepted as fact by Democrats and other Trump critics, including presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has cited Russian bounties in attacks on President Donald Trump.
U.S. intelligence agencies have for years documented Russian financial and military support to the Taliban, but a Russian program to incentivize the killing of American service members would represent a significant escalation.
Trump said he did not raise the issue of Russian payments to the Taliban in his most recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Critics have said he should have. Senior military officials say they don't believe the intelligence is strong enough to act on.
Echoing comments in July by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, McKenzie said that if he could establish that the Russians were offering payments to kill Americans, he would push to forcefully respond. But the intelligence is far from conclusive, he said.
"I found what they presented to me very concerning, very worrisome. I just couldn't see the final connection, so I sent my guys back and said, look, keep digging. So we have continued to dig and look because this involves potential threats to U.S. forces, it's open," he said, adding, "I just haven't seen anything that closes that gap yet."
A U.S. military official familiar with the intelligence added that after a review of the intelligence around each attack against Americans going back several years, none have been tied to any Russian incentive payments.
The suggestion of a Russian bounty program began, another source directly familiar with the matter said, with a raid by CIA paramilitary officers that captured Taliban documents describing Russian payments.
A Taliban detainee told the CIA such a program existed, the source said, although the term "bounty" was never used. Later, the CIA was able to document financial transfers between Russian military intelligence and the Taliban, and establish there had been travel by key Russian officers to Afghanistan and by relevant Taliban figures to Russia.
That intelligence was reviewed by CIA Director Gina Haspel and placed in Trump's daily intelligence briefing book earlier this year, officials have said. The source described the intelligence as compelling, but meriting further investigation. Nonetheless, current and former U.S. officials have said, many CIA officers and analysts came to believe a bounty program existed. They concluded that the Russians viewed it as a proportional response to the U.S. arming of Ukrainian units fighting Russian forces in Crimea, the source said.
Many military officials have always been more skeptical, several senior officials said, in part because they had not seen all the intelligence the CIA had gathered. Unlike counterterrorism information, intelligence gathered about sensitive Russian government activities is often closely held, sometimes distributed only in paper form to a small number of senior officials in Washington.
But after The New York Times reported on intelligence about an alleged bounty program, senior military officials have had a chance to examine all the intelligence, officials say.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the House Armed Services Committee in July that "All the defense intelligence agencies have been unable to corroborate that report. " But at the same hearing, Milley promised a deeper investigation.
"As of today, right now, we don't have cause and effect linkages to a Russian bounty program causing U.S. military casualties," Milley said. "However, we are still looking. We're not done. We're going to run this thing to ground."
Eight weeks later, McKenzie said, differing opinions persist about what conclusions the U.S. can draw from the information.
"People that are involved in it get very emotional about it," he said. "I can't afford to be emotional about it. I've got to step back and look at the totality of the picture."
If the Russians are trying to kill Americans in Afghanistan, he said, "I want to know, because I won't hesitate to take action if that's the case. I just haven't seen it. I just haven't seen it. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, but nothing was out there that I could grasp that connect together in a pattern that I would consider actionable."
The bounty story has played out against a backdrop of a U.S. withdrawal of forces in Afghanistan. The U.S. is in the midst of cutting the number of troops in Afghanistan roughly in half, from 8,600 to about 4,500, by election day.
McKenzie said with 4,500 troops, the U.S. will still maintain a counterterrorism capability and will continue to advise the Afghan Security Forces at a higher level. "I think Gen. [Scott] Miller has a very good plan to do that at a level of 4,500."
But asked whether he assesses the Taliban are not upholding their end of the peace agreement, McKenzie said, "Absolutely."
"The Taliban has been scrupulous about not attacking U.S. or coalition forces in Afghanistan. They have, however, continued to attack government security forces at a fairly high rate. And that's very concerning," he said.
McKenzie said he also worries that the Taliban may not take concrete steps to show that Afghanistan cannot be used as a base for al Qaeda or the Islamic State militant group in the future. "We have ample evidence that the Taliban is no friend of ISIS. I understand that. But what we need to see is that they're not going to allow al Qaeda to base there. And that is just not yet been demonstrated to my satisfaction. Perhaps it will be brought out in the days ahead. But it's going to need to be brought out demonstrated."
The Taliban have shown the ability to take on ISIS, he said, but al Qaeda is different. "I think emotionally, culturally and for a variety of reasons, it's much harder for them to do that with al Qaeda."


bonginoreport--2020-09-15--Leaked DHS Email Confirms ANTIFA Is an Organized Group

An internal email from the Department of Homeland Security leaked to CBS Catherine Herridge late Monday detailing that the violence in Portland was not `` opportunistic , '' but rather `` organized '' —confirming long-suspected details about the Antifa movement .
The email explains that Antifa is organized and runs contrary to reports in the mainstream media that Antifa was not responsible for anti-police violence , but an impromptu movement spurred on by anti-fascist sentiments held by most of the American public .
A recent article in the Washington Post by Mark Bray , author of Antifa : Anti-Fascist Handbook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Antifa , claims that the group is not an organization , but rather a `` tradition of militant antifascism . ''
The article disputed claims that Antifa `` masterminds violence at Black Lives Matter protests . ''
In printed email documents attained by Herridge , the DHS ' Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis Brian Murphy wrote to his colleagues on July 25 detailing his findings of Antifa in Portland .
Murphy urged for an immediate change of definitions for the violent activity in Portland following a review of the individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as intelligence surrounding their affiliations and activities .
`` The individuals are violently attacking the Federal facilities based on these ideologies , '' he said in regards to Antifa , which he classed as VAAI or `` VIOLENT ANTIFA ANARCHISTS INSPIRED . ''
`` We ca n't say any longer that this violent situation is opportunistic , '' wrote Murphy .
`` Additionally , we have overwhelmingly intelligence regarding the ideologies driving individuals towards violence and why the violence has continued . ''
`` A core set of Threat actors are organized , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common TTPs and drawing on like minded individuals to their cause . ''
`` I recognize we may not be able to attribute every individual as VAAI however we need to look at the totality of the intelligence both current and previous and recognize the motivation for the violence and why people have shown up to commit violence for about 60 days .
And why the individuals are using social media to encourage the VAAI on the ground to carry out acts of violence . ''
The nightly riots in Portland numbered at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rioting has shifted from Portland to other cities with some of the same actors , including Washington DC , Seattle , and Kenosha—violence of which was spurred largely by pro-Antifa advocates on social media platforms like Facebook , Twitch , and Twitter .
`` Threat actors who are motivated by Anarchist or ANTIFA ( or a combination of both ) ideologies to carry out acts of violence against State , Local , and Federal authorities and infrastructure they believe represent authority or represent political and social ideas they reject , '' Murphy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every town .
Burn the precincts to the ground '' are a common refrain at Black Lives Matter rallies , and have been chanted during arson attacks on the Portland Police Bureau , the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in Portland , and other facilities where Antifa and Black Lives Matter militants were present .
The intelligence provided by the DHS validates claims by conservative voices who have long identified Antifa as an organized movement , and flies in the face of claims that the group was not intent on committing violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States government .

An internal email from the Department of Homeland Security leaked to CBS Catherine Herridge late Monday detailing that the violence in Portland was not "opportunistic," but rather "organized"—confirming long-suspected details about the Antifa movement.
The email explains that Antifa is organized and runs contrary to reports in the mainstream media that Antifa was not responsible for anti-police violence, but an impromptu movement spurred on by anti-fascist sentiments held by most of the American public.
A recent article in the Washington Post by Mark Bray, author of Antifa: Anti-Fascist Handbook, attempted to dispel "myths" about Antifa, claims that the group is not an organization, but rather a "tradition of militant antifascism." The article disputed claims that Antifa "masterminds violence at Black Lives Matter protests."
In printed email documents attained by Herridge, the DHS' Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis Brian Murphy wrote to his colleagues on July 25 detailing his findings of Antifa in Portland.
#Whistleblower #PortlandProtest Breaking: According to this @DHSgov internal email, obtained @CBSNews, former Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis Brian Murphy wrote colleagues on July 25th that the Portland violence was not “opportunistic” but “organized” citing pic.twitter.com/K7Aoe0yFbB — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 14, 2020
Murphy urged for an immediate change of definitions for the violent activity in Portland following a review of the individuals arrested by federal authorities, as well as intelligence surrounding their affiliations and activities.
"The individuals are violently attacking the Federal facilities based on these ideologies," he said in regards to Antifa, which he classed as VAAI or "VIOLENT ANTIFA ANARCHISTS INSPIRED."
"We can't say any longer that this violent situation is opportunistic," wrote Murphy. "Additionally, we have overwhelmingly intelligence regarding the ideologies driving individuals towards violence and why the violence has continued."
"A core set of Threat actors are organized, show up night after night, share common TTPs and drawing on like minded individuals to their cause."
TTP stands for Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.
"I recognize we may not be able to attribute every individual as VAAI however we need to look at the totality of the intelligence both current and previous and recognize the motivation for the violence and why people have shown up to commit violence for about 60 days. And why the individuals are using social media to encourage the VAAI on the ground to carry out acts of violence."
The nightly riots in Portland numbered at sixty days when the email was composed. Rioting has shifted from Portland to other cities with some of the same actors, including Washington DC, Seattle, and Kenosha—violence of which was spurred largely by pro-Antifa advocates on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitch, and Twitter.
"Threat actors who are motivated by Anarchist or ANTIFA (or a combination of both) ideologies to carry out acts of violence against State, Local, and Federal authorities and infrastructure they believe represent authority or represent political and social ideas they reject," Murphy concluded.
Phrases like "Every city, every town. Burn the precincts to the ground" are a common refrain at Black Lives Matter rallies, and have been chanted during arson attacks on the Portland Police Bureau, the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in Portland, and other facilities where Antifa and Black Lives Matter militants were present.
The intelligence provided by the DHS validates claims by conservative voices who have long identified Antifa as an organized movement, and flies in the face of claims that the group was not intent on committing violence or conducting an insurgency against the United States government.
?


bonginoreport--2020-09-14--Scott Walker Blasts Kamala Harris for Meeting With Jacob Blake – But Not Ambushed LA Officers

Former Wisc .
Gov .
Scott Walker blasted Vice Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for visiting Jacob Blake in his hospital bed in Wisconsin , but not the two injured officers who were shot in her own state of California .
The two officers , with the LASD Transit Security Bureau , were shot in an apparent ambush as they sat inside their vehicle .
In a video , a `` dark skinned male shooter '' can be seem approaching the vehicle and then opening fire `` without warning or provocation . ''
After they were taken to St. Francis hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter activists blocked the entrance , preventing emergency vehicles from coming or going .
It was at this demonstration that some agitators said the hoped the officer `` f***ing die . ''
Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha , Wisc.
, an event that kicked of protests and rioting in that city .
Blake 's shooting was touted as an incident of police brutality in the hours afterwards , and Kenosha became a hotbed of violence , looting , and arson over the next few days .
Though it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been called to the scene of the arrest because a complaint was made about Blake by his former girlfriend , and there had been a warrant issued for his arrest .
Harris visited the family and praised them for their courage , calling them `` incredible . ''
Harris posted to Twitter her feelings that those who shot the two officers in LA should be brought to justice , but she has not yet announced any plans to meet with them or their families .

Former Wisc. Gov. Scott Walker blasted Vice Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for visiting Jacob Blake in his hospital bed in Wisconsin, but not the two injured officers who were shot in her own state of California.
Will @kamalaharris visit deputies who were shot (31-year-old mom & 24 year-old) in her state? She visited someone in WI who was charged with felony 3rd-degree sexual assault and said she was proud of him.
She & @JoeBiden need to side with law enforcement and denounce radicals. https://t.co/b0g5v9IExC — Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) September 13, 2020
The two officers, with the LASD Transit Security Bureau, were shot in an apparent ambush as they sat inside their vehicle. In a video, a "dark skinned male shooter" can be seem approaching the vehicle and then opening fire "without warning or provocation."
After they were taken to St. Francis hospital, there was a demonstration outside as Black Lives Matter activists blocked the entrance, preventing emergency vehicles from coming or going. It was at this demonstration that some agitators said the hoped the officer "f***ing die."
Black Lives Matter activists confront law enforcement at Los Angeles hospital where wounded officers were taken after they were shot.
"To their family: I hope they f**king die.”
pic.twitter.com/bPgatQZYRI — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 13, 2020
Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisc., an event that kicked of protests and rioting in that city. Blake's shooting was touted as an incident of police brutality in the hours afterwards, and Kenosha became a hotbed of violence, looting, and arson over the next few days.
Though it was later revealed that police had only been called to the scene of the arrest because a complaint was made about Blake by his former girlfriend, and there had been a warrant issued for his arrest. Harris visited the family and praised them for their courage, calling them "incredible."
Harris posted to Twitter her feelings that those who shot the two officers in LA should be brought to justice, but she has not yet announced any plans to meet with them or their families.


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--Department of Education Opens Investigation Into Princeton University

The Department of Education has informed Princeton University that it is under investigation following the school president 's declaration that racism was `` embedded '' in the institution .
President Christopher Eisgruber published an open letter earlier this month claiming that `` racism and the damage it does to people of color persist at Princeton '' and that `` racist assumptions '' are `` embedded in structures of the University itself . ''
According to a letter the Department of Education sent to Princeton that was obtained by the Washington Examiner , such an admission from Eisgruber raises concerns that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dollars of federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which declares that `` no person in the United States shall , on the ground of race , color , or national origin , be excluded from participation in , be denied the benefits of , or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . ''
Eisgruber 's letter branding the 274-year-old university racist came after a summer of unrest rife with race riots and an open letter from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` Anti-Black racism has a visible bearing upon Princeton ’ s campus makeup . ''
The admission was followed by dozens of `` anti-racist '' policy change demands .
Among them were calls for select faculty race quotas and to `` reconsider '' the use of standardized testing for admissions .
Now , the Education Department has sent a formal records request as it pursues its investigation .
Its main point of contention is whether Princeton has lied to the public with its marketing and to the department in its promise not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with receiving federal funds .
`` Based on its admitted racism , the U.S. Department of Education ( “ Department ” ) is concerned Princeton ’ s nondiscrimination and equal opportunity assurances in its Program Participation Agreements from at least 2013 to the present may have been false , '' the letter reads .
`` The Department is further concerned Princeton perhaps knew , or should have known , these assurances were false at the time they were made .
Finally , the Department is further concerned Princeton ’ s many nondiscrimination and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and consumers in the market for education certificates may have been false , misleading , and actionable substantial misrepresentations in violation of 20 U.S.C .
§ 1094 ( c ) ( 3 ) ( B ) and 34 CFR 668.71 ( c ) .
Therefore , the Department ’ s Office of Postsecondary Education , in consultation with the Department ’ s Office of the General Counsel , is opening this investigation . ''
What the department seeks to obtain from its investigation is what evidence Princeton used in its determination that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records regarding Eisgruber 's letter and a `` spreadsheet identifying each person who has , on the ground of race , color , or national origin , been excluded from participation in , been denied the benefits of , or been subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance as a result of the Princeton racism or 'damage ' referenced in the President ’ s Letter . ''
Eisgruber and a `` designated corporate representative '' must sit for interviews under oath , and Princeton must also respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Related : Princeton to remove President Woodrow Wilson 's name from public policy school ] Multiple people familiar with the matter have confirmed the letter 's validity and assert that this investigation is not political .
Instead , they insist that the department has a legal obligation to investigate a supposedly self-admitted violation of federal civil rights protections .
The Education Department regularly investigates universities for violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act in its handling of campus sexual assault and misconduct allegations .
This investigation , while not identical , could @ @ @

The Department of Education has informed Princeton University that it is under investigation following the school president's declaration that racism was "embedded" in the institution.
President Christopher Eisgruber published an open letter earlier this month claiming that "racism and the damage it does to people of color persist at Princeton" and that "racist assumptions" are "embedded in structures of the University itself."
According to a letter the Department of Education sent to Princeton that was obtained by the Washington Examiner, such an admission from Eisgruber raises concerns that Princeton has been receiving tens of millions of dollars of federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which declares that "no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
Eisgruber's letter branding the 274-year-old university racist came after a summer of unrest rife with race riots and an open letter from hundreds of Princeton faculty members who wrote, "Anti-Black racism has a visible bearing upon Princeton’s campus makeup." The admission was followed by dozens of "anti-racist" policy change demands. Among them were calls for select faculty race quotas and to "reconsider" the use of standardized testing for admissions.
Now, the Education Department has sent a formal records request as it pursues its investigation. Its main point of contention is whether Princeton has lied to the public with its marketing and to the department in its promise not to uphold racist standards, in accordance with receiving federal funds.
"Based on its admitted racism, the U.S. Department of Education (“Department”) is concerned Princeton’s nondiscrimination and equal opportunity assurances in its Program Participation Agreements from at least 2013 to the present may have been false," the letter reads. "The Department is further concerned Princeton perhaps knew, or should have known, these assurances were false at the time they were made. Finally, the Department is further concerned Princeton’s many nondiscrimination and equal opportunity claims to students, parents, and consumers in the market for education certificates may have been false, misleading, and actionable substantial misrepresentations in violation of 20 U.S.C. § 1094(c)(3)(B) and 34 CFR 668.71(c). Therefore, the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education, in consultation with the Department’s Office of the General Counsel, is opening this investigation."
What the department seeks to obtain from its investigation is what evidence Princeton used in its determination that the university is racist, including all records regarding Eisgruber's letter and a "spreadsheet identifying each person who has, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, been excluded from participation in, been denied the benefits of, or been subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance as a result of the Princeton racism or 'damage' referenced in the President’s Letter." Eisgruber and a "designated corporate representative" must sit for interviews under oath, and Princeton must also respond to written questions regarding the matter.
[Related: Princeton to remove President Woodrow Wilson's name from public policy school]
Multiple people familiar with the matter have confirmed the letter's validity and assert that this investigation is not political. Instead, they insist that the department has a legal obligation to investigate a supposedly self-admitted violation of federal civil rights protections.
The Education Department regularly investigates universities for violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act in its handling of campus sexual assault and misconduct allegations. This investigation, while not identical, could prove similar.


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--President Trump Blasts the Left’s Revisionist History on Constitution Day

President Trump delivered remarks today at the White House Conference on American History at the National Archives .
He spoke against far-leftist indoctrination and announced the 1776 Commission , which would fund patriotic education in service to America 's mission of equality .
`` It will teach our children about the miracle of American history '' and honour the 250th anniversary of America 's founding .
Trump lauded the country as the `` most fair , equal , and prosperous nation in human history . ''
Trump has come out in opposition to critical race theory , and his speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New York Time 's `` 1619 Project , '' Howard Zinn , and the `` crusade against American history . ''
Trump upheld the values of American democracy and the nation 's dedication to equal justice under law .
The mission of this first ever conference on American History was `` to defend the legacy of America 's founding , the virtue of America 's heroes and the nobility of the American character . ''
Trump said that `` we must clear away the twisted web of lies in our schools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magnificent truth about our country . ''
Trump slammed critical race theory indoctrination , as well , and announced a grant for a pro-American curriculum that `` celebrates the truth about our nation 's great history . ''
He spoke as to America 's exceptionalism on the world stage , and that growing up in America is to believe that `` anything is possible . ''
He spoke against the far leftist demonstrations that the country has seen this summer , the tearing down of statues , and the tearing down of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in democracy .
Trump slammed cancel culture and mainstream media and leftist ideologues who would destroy the American ethos .
He said that `` we are here today to declare that we will never submit to tyranny .
We will reclaim our history and our country for citizens of every race , colour , religion and creed . ''
Today marked the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in 1787 .
Trump called out the state and locality of Dover , Del .
for pulling down the statue of Cesar Rodney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadlock .
He noted that Biden said nothing while the statue was removed by municipal mandate .
Rodney 's statue is one of many that Trump intends to bring to a new sculpture garden to fruition that will feature the likenesses of great Americans .

President Trump delivered remarks today at the White House Conference on American History at the National Archives. He spoke against far-leftist indoctrination and announced the 1776 Commission, which would fund patriotic education in service to America's mission of equality.
"It will teach our children about the miracle of American history" and honour the 250th anniversary of America's founding. Trump lauded the country as the "most fair, equal, and prosperous nation in human history."
Trump has come out in opposition to critical race theory, and his speech today was no different. He slammed The New York Time's "1619 Project," Howard Zinn, and the "crusade against American history."
Trump slams the revisionist history of the discredited '1619 Project' pic.twitter.com/rHNWtQtcQp — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 17, 2020
Trump upheld the values of American democracy and the nation's dedication to equal justice under law.
The mission of this first ever conference on American History was "to defend the legacy of America's founding, the virtue of America's heroes and the nobility of the American character."
Trump said that "we must clear away the twisted web of lies in our schools and classrooms, and teach our children the magnificent truth about our country."
Trump slammed critical race theory indoctrination, as well, and announced a grant for a pro-American curriculum that "celebrates the truth about our nation's great history."
President Trump says he will sign an executive order to create a "national commission to promote patriotic education."
It will be called "The 1776 Commission" pic.twitter.com/LRicAiIj3i — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 17, 2020
He spoke as to America's exceptionalism on the world stage, and that growing up in America is to believe that "anything is possible."
He spoke against the far leftist demonstrations that the country has seen this summer, the tearing down of statues, and the tearing down of the belief in American exceptionalism and a faith in democracy.
Trump slammed cancel culture and mainstream media and leftist ideologues who would destroy the American ethos. He said that "we are here today to declare that we will never submit to tyranny. We will reclaim our history and our country for citizens of every race, colour, religion and creed."
Today marked the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in 1787.
Trump called out the state and locality of Dover, Del. for pulling down the statue of Cesar Rodney, noted Constitutional delegate, who broke the deadlock. He noted that Biden said nothing while the statue was removed by municipal mandate. Rodney's statue is one of many that Trump intends to bring to a new sculpture garden to fruition that will feature the likenesses of great Americans.


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--34 GOP Congressmen Call for AG Barr to Prosecute Netflix

Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks , and 33 GOP House lawmakers , have called on Attorney General William Barr to prosecute Netflix for the distribution of “ child pornography ” in a letter obtained by the Daily Caller .
Recently , Netflix has found itself in a hotbed of controversy after releasing the film “ Cuties ” which , according to a DCNF review , includes many close up shots of underage girls ’ crotches and buttocks .
Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have released statements urging the Department of Justice to “ investigate ” Netflix for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gabbard also labeled the movie “ child pornography ” , adding it would “ whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade.
” Representative Banks ’ letter takes it a step further , calling on Barr to bring charges against the streaming service for distributing child pornography , citing “ 18 U.S.C § 2256.
” ( RELATED : EXCLUSIVE : GOP Lawmakers Call On Justice Department To Take Legal Action Against Netflix For Sexualizing Children ) “ We ’ re writing to recommend you bring charges against Netflix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film ‘ Cuties , ’ which contains child pornography , ” the letter reads .
“ As defined by 18 U.S.C § 2256 , child pornography is any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor , and that conduct does not need to specifically depict sexual activity to qualify.
” “ Cuties clearly meets the United States ’ legal definition of child pornography.
” The letter continues , “ ‘ Cuties ’ contains , ‘ a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of way , ’ and numerous other , equally distressing depictions of minors including the display of an 11-year-old child ’ s bare breast.
” The film , which is directed by French movie maker Maïmouna Doucouré , centers around Amy , 11 , joining young underage female dancers in a group “ named ‘ the cuties ’ at school , and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process , ” according to the movie ’ s IMDB description .
The letter goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” was a critique of the sexualization of children adding , “ It ’ s visual fodder for pedophiles and its message is beside the point.
” ( RELATED : Axios Deletes Tweet Linking Criticism Of Netflix ’ s ‘ Cuties ’ To QAnon Conspiracy ) “ To us , and to the vast majority of Americans , it ’ s deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children .
We appreciate you considering this issue and eagerly await your response.
” 33 other Republican lawmakers have all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Gosar , Georgia Rep. Doug Collins , and North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy .
“ Cuties is child porn and Netflix should be prosecuted for distributing it .
The vast majority of Americans agree with me , which is why Netflix ’ s cancellation rate has skyrocketed , ” Banks told the DC .
“ Americans are shocked to see this foisted on our children , and so are my 33 Republican colleagues who ’ ve signed this letter .
But no Democrats .
They seem more inclined to defend Cuties than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bells.
” Last Tuesday evening , “ Cuties ” was ranked the fourth most watched movie on Netflix in the United States .
The streaming company has shown no interest in removing the film , claiming the movie is as an award winning “ social commentary .
”

Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, and 33 GOP House lawmakers, have called on Attorney General William Barr to prosecute Netflix for the distribution of “child pornography” in a letter obtained by the Daily Caller.
Recently, Netflix has found itself in a hotbed of controversy after releasing the film “Cuties” which, according to a DCNF review, includes many close up shots of underage girls’ crotches and buttocks. Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have released statements urging the Department of Justice to “investigate” Netflix for exploiting children. Democrat Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also labeled the movie “child pornography”, adding it would “whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade.”
Representative Banks’ letter takes it a step further, calling on Barr to bring charges against the streaming service for distributing child pornography, citing “18 U.S.C § 2256.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: GOP Lawmakers Call On Justice Department To Take Legal Action Against Netflix For Sexualizing Children)
Netflix is comfortable with this. Plenty of people will defend it. This is where our culture is at. pic.twitter.com/UlqEmXALmd — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) September 10, 2020
“We’re writing to recommend you bring charges against Netflix, Inc. for the distribution of the film ‘Cuties,’ which contains child pornography,” the letter reads. “As defined by 18 U.S.C § 2256, child pornography is any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, and that conduct does not need to specifically depict sexual activity to qualify.”
“Cuties clearly meets the United States’ legal definition of child pornography.” The letter continues, “‘Cuties’ contains, ‘a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way,’ and numerous other, equally distressing depictions of minors including the display of an 11-year-old child’s bare breast.”
The film, which is directed by French movie maker Maïmouna Doucouré, centers around Amy, 11, joining young underage female dancers in a group “named ‘the cuties’ at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process,” according to the movie’s IMDB description.
The letter goes onto to dismiss claims that “Cuties” was a critique of the sexualization of children adding, “It’s visual fodder for pedophiles and its message is beside the point.” (RELATED: Axios Deletes Tweet Linking Criticism Of Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ To QAnon Conspiracy)
“To us, and to the vast majority of Americans, it’s deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children. We appreciate you considering this issue and eagerly await your response.”
33 other Republican lawmakers have all co-signed the letter, including Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, and North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy.
“Cuties is child porn and Netflix should be prosecuted for distributing it. The vast majority of Americans agree with me, which is why Netflix’s cancellation rate has skyrocketed,” Banks told the DC. “Americans are shocked to see this foisted on our children, and so are my 33 Republican colleagues who’ve signed this letter. But no Democrats. They seem more inclined to defend Cuties than criticize it. That raises some alarm bells.”
Last Tuesday evening, “Cuties” was ranked the fourth most watched movie on Netflix in the United States. The streaming company has shown no interest in removing the film, claiming the movie is as an award winning “social commentary.”


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--Taliban Kills 20 Afghan Troops Amid Peace Talks

Fierce fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants has left at least 20 government troops dead , even as peace talks continued in an effort to end the 19-year war .
The fighting , in which 17 members of the Afghan security forces were wounded , took place following overnight militant attacks in the eastern Nangarhar Province .
Nangarhar governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani told the AFP news agency that around 30 Taliban fighters died in the clashes , although the militant group has not commented .
Acting Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid said on September 17 that he hoped ongoing peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but warned the Taliban against using force to achieve their goals .
`` If the enemy is thinking that they can conquer everything by force , it is a dream , it is a fantasy , it is impossible and it is madness , '' Khalid said .
The peace talks , part of a February agreement between the Taliban and Washington , began in Qatar on September 12 following a lengthy dispute over prisoner swaps .
The Afghan government and its allies , including NATO and the United States , are calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cease-fire to help advance what are expected to be long and grinding negotiations to end the conflict .
The Taliban have not agreed to a cease-fire and have conducted near daily attacks on Afghan security forces since the United States and the militants struck the February agreement that could see foreign troops exit Afghanistan .
Negotiations are initially expected to focus on technical details such as schedules for the talks and a code of conduct .
Negotiators are due to discuss the cease-fire , the rights of women and minorities , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighters and militias loyal to warlords , some of them aligned with the government .
With reporting by dpa and AFP

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--Detroit Police Chief Calls Democrat Senator’s Proposal Disarm Police Departments “Absolutely Ridicul

Detroit Police Chief Calls Democrat Senator’s Proposal Disarm Police Departments “Absolutely Ridiculous”

Detroit Police Chief James Craig slammed Sen. Ed Markey ( D-MA ) this week after Markey called for disarming “ every police department ” of certain types of weapons and non-lethal munitions .
“ Portland police routinely attack peaceful protestors with brute force , ” Markey tweeted .
“ We must disarm these officers , and every other police department in America , of weapons of war , and enact a nationwide ban on tear gas , rubber and plastic bullets , and bean bag rounds.
” “ Weapons of war ” is term that is frequently used by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Our streets are not meant to be battlefields , and law enforcement shouldn ’ t be using weapons of war against protestors and other Americans , ” Markey said in a statement .
“ Law enforcement ’ s use of tear gas also compounds the effects of structural racism , because we know communities of color are already suffering disproportionately during this global respiratory pandemic .
It ’ s time we stop using these potentially lethal weapons against our own people.
” Craig was asked to respond to Markey ’ s comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News with host Martha MacCallum .
“ Absolutely ridiculous , ” Craig said .
“ You know what I find fascinating , Martha , and even Rashida Tlaib here out of my state here in Michigan who is calling for me to resign , let me just say this .
When are we going to start talking about disarming criminals ?
I ’ ve been on the record , I support law-abiding citizens to be armed but criminals ?
” “ And so it ’ s okay to attack police officers and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These were peaceful protesters.
’ So I guess when you throw Molotov cocktails , railroad spikes , other projectiles , using green lasers , I guess that constitutes being peaceful , ” Craig added .
“ We have never tried to stop folks from their right to free speech .
We ’ ve been dealing with this for in excess of 100 days .
Six instances where we ’ ve had to use force because they were either attacking us or they resisted a lawful arrest.
” • City Manager Receives Paid Leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Post About Ambushed Deputies • Two Lawyer Black Lives Matter Protesters Face Up To Life In Prison For Allegedly Torching Police Vehicle • Minneapolis City Council Panics Over Surge In Violence After Demonizing Police : ‘ Where Are The Police ?
’ • Pennsylvania Sheriff Changes To Republican After Violent Riots : ‘ Democratic Party Has Left Me ’ • Federal Officer Gunned Down Outside Courthouse In Phoenix , Suspect Taken Into Custody • ‘ Evil Is Real ’ : North Carolina Police Officer Pens Heartfelt Resignation Letter To Community Amid ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. Sheriff ’ s Deputy Identified : Rookie Cop Shown Tending To Partner In Video Is Former Librarian , Mom • Activist Taunts Officers With ‘ Pig-Fishing ’ Stunt , Using Donut On Fishing Rod ; Brags Online • REPORT : Violent Leftist Memes ‘ Surging ’ On Social Media , Peaks May Coincide With Planned Violence • High School Warned Football Players Not To Fly Pro-Police Flag During 9/11 Game .
They Did It , Now They ’ re Suspended From The Team .
The Daily Wire is one of America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlets for news , opinion , and entertainment .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member .

Detroit Police Chief James Craig slammed Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) this week after Markey called for disarming “every police department” of certain types of weapons and non-lethal munitions.
“Portland police routinely attack peaceful protestors with brute force,” Markey tweeted. “We must disarm these officers, and every other police department in America, of weapons of war, and enact a nationwide ban on tear gas, rubber and plastic bullets, and bean bag rounds.”
“Weapons of war” is term that is frequently used by the political left to describe semi-automatic firearms.
“Our streets are not meant to be battlefields, and law enforcement shouldn’t be using weapons of war against protestors and other Americans,” Markey said in a statement. “Law enforcement’s use of tear gas also compounds the effects of structural racism, because we know communities of color are already suffering disproportionately during this global respiratory pandemic. It’s time we stop using these potentially lethal weapons against our own people.”
Craig was asked to respond to Markey’s comments during an interview Monday night on Fox News with host Martha MacCallum.
“Absolutely ridiculous,” Craig said. “You know what I find fascinating, Martha, and even Rashida Tlaib here out of my state here in Michigan who is calling for me to resign, let me just say this. When are we going to start talking about disarming criminals? I’ve been on the record, I support law-abiding citizens to be armed but criminals?”
“And so it’s okay to attack police officers and then everyone always says one thing, ‘These were peaceful protesters.’ So I guess when you throw Molotov cocktails, railroad spikes, other projectiles, using green lasers, I guess that constitutes being peaceful,” Craig added. “We have never tried to stop folks from their right to free speech. We’ve been dealing with this for in excess of 100 days. Six instances where we’ve had to use force because they were either attacking us or they resisted a lawful arrest.”
RELATED:


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--Arrested Antifa Members Are Upset Their Mugshots Are Being Published

Portland paper Willamette Week provided a platform for Portland rioters charged with crimes who are upset that Andy Ngo posted public records profiling their alleged criminal activity .
The article , titled `` Portland Protesters Say Their Lives Were Upended by the Posting of Their Mug Shots on a Conservative Twitter Account , '' was published early Wednesday morning .
The author of the piece , Sophie Peel , acknowledged that The Post Millennial 's editor-at-large 's reporting is perfectly legal as Ngo cites archived booking information from the Multnomah County Sheriff 's Office .
Critics have accused Ngo of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trail of their own digital footprints .
Peel reached out to Ngo via email ahead of the article 's publication for comment , noting that the news outlet is in contact with six individuals whose criminally-linked information he had posted to social media .
`` I believe my duty as a journalist includes informing the public about individuals who are believed by criminal authorities to be sufficiently dangerous to the public that they meet the standard for arrest , '' Ngo wrote in an emailed response .
Ngo contended that he is taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confront .
`` Given the risk that violence and riots present to the public , including journalists , '' he continued , `` it is imperative that the press report fully on these matters . ''
`` If you feel that transparency and public right to know should be outweighed by arrestee rights to privacy , this is a complaint for the legislature , not for journalists reporting in compliance with state and federal law , '' he stated .
`` A better question would be , 'Why do some journalists feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals from the public ? '
Another would be , 'Whose interests does the suppression of criminal arrest data serve ? '
'' `` If city officials like @ JoAnnPDX are right that white supremacists are rioting in Portland , then we should know who they are , '' Ngo tweeted with screenshots of the correspondence .
On Aug. 7 when Antifa militants attacked the Portland Police east precinct for `` Round 2 , '' 30-year-old black activist Ragina Joe-Marie Gray was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree , resisting arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was quickly bailed out .
`` This is my f—ing neighborhood , '' Gray shouted at a line of law enforcement , calling the officers `` terrorists . ''
Ngo listed Gray 's charges while linking her case file , also writing that she is `` frequently photographed with kids at protests and rants about white terrorism . ''
Almost two weeks later on Aug. 19 , a man allegedly appeared on the doorstep of Gray 's mother 's eastside home .
`` He was sweaty and nervous looking , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gray 's mom , Lucinda Fisher , told WW .
`` He mentioned [ Gray 's ] son , and I noticed he had a gun in his hand . ''
Fisher then slammed the door and reportedly called the police .
However , Peel admitted that `` Gray has no direct evidence that Ngo 's robust social media presence is the reason an armed man arrived at her mom 's house . ''
Gray tweeted screenshotted text exchanges with her mother alleging the face-off at her residence .
Gray 's children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives since she was arrested on the night when rioters assaulted two elderly women who tried to apprehend vandalism of the police building .
The mother also brought her kids to the violent Antifa protests .
On Gray 's Twitter account , she calls herself the `` Mom for the Liberation of all Black People . ''
`` They 're scared that someone 's going to kill me , '' Gray stated on record to Peel .
`` My first instinct is to say , 'No , that 's not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge risk . ''
Gray continues to protest as she deletes messages allegedly from `` [ m ] ostly white men '' hurling racial slurs and now calling her a terrorist .
Peel also detailed the stories of Portland couple Erin and Phillip Wenzel as the two started their evening on Aug. 14 `` as they have more than 10 times before that , '' donning riot gear : full gas respirators , masks , and bike helmets .
Phillip sported a bulletproof vest as the frontline drummer charging the protests .
Erin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a first aid kit .
That Friday night , Phillip was arrested when the duo were sandwiched between two lines of officers during a smoke-filled confrontation captured on camera `` that shows several protesters cowering under yellow shields as cops push them to the ground , '' Peel described the scene illustrated in a video of the altercation with Phillip `` shielding his face on the ground as a half-dozen cops tackle him . ''
Phillip was observed attempting to steal a baton from a police officer , Ngo provided context , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bail him out .
`` What 's your name and we 'll help you , '' an ally screamed .
Phillip was arrested , charged with assaulting a police officer , resisting arrest , interfering with police , and disorderly conduct .
He was released the next day .
`` The antifa man recorded resisting arrest & trying to steal a baton from police is 31-year-old Phillip John Wenzel , of Beaverton , Ore , '' Ngo tweeted along with his mug shot .
Ngo also posted Phillip 's biography as a paralegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estate planning as listed on the law firm sites of Gevurtz Menashe and Elizabeth Christy , noting that the suspect is a `` hardcore advocate '' of abolishing law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security .
An additional video pictured Phillip unmasked and in handcuffs .
`` You guys are f—ing ridiculous .
You 're assaulting people in the street , '' he told authorities while on the asphalt .
Twitter users commented on the thread , allegedly revealing the names and ages of Phillip 's extended family members .
The Wenzels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook .
Phillip shaved his beard to change his appearance and now wears a hat when he walks his dog .
`` We 've been lying low , and to be honest , we 've been staying at home with the blinds closed , '' Phillip told Peel .
`` I can get over Twitter trolls , but what gives me the most pause is the one percent of them that have genuine threats . ''
The next day , Phillip received a voicemail on his cellphone from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who said , `` I 'll have you know I 'm 7 foot and 280 pounds . ''
On Aug. 18 , Phillip 's boss sent him a letter informing him that law firm has received 50 threatening or harassing communications since his arrest .
`` Because you have chosen to engage in activism that has resulted in violence , physical injuries , and negative publicity for [ the law firm ] , there is now a major distraction from the business we are doing , a threat to my ability to gain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our employees ' safety , '' Phillip 's employer wrote in an email provided to WW .
Three employees have also announced their resignation in solidarity last Thursday .
Phillip would be terminated effective Sept. 16 , the company told the paralegal in a letter the following day , citing a loss of work and a reduction in staff .
Peel then ventured on to tell the story of April Epperson , a staff member at a Northeast Portland public school , who was arrested and released without bail for disorderly conduct in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace officer on Aug. 24 when Antifa sieged the Portland Police 's north precinct .
Ngo tweeted a side-by-side of her mugshot and Facebook profile picture with the Black Lives Matter frame .
`` Like others recently arrest [ ed ] , she works with children at an elementary school , '' Ngo wrote .
Then several Twitter users reportedly shared the name of the school .
On Aug. 29 , an email arrived in her school inbox .
Attached was a picture of a toad in a dress with the following text @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face covered ?
We ca n't wait to come to your employer and do the exact same f—ing thing you do to cops ! ''
Epperson alerted the school .
Another email sent Sept. 1 from a secure email address included a screenshot of Ngo 's tweet , reading : `` This type of behavior seems a little unbecoming for a school teacher .
Are standards any higher than this ? ''
University of Oregon journalism professor Tim Gleason claimed Ngo 's work is `` dangerous because of his targeted audience , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimacy to a claim of informing the public .
But we have a pattern with this individual that his interest is in provoking violent reactions and doxxing , '' says Gleason .
`` It 's a particular subset of conservative Twitter , and he knows that 's who he 's talking to . ''
In Peel 's initial inquiry to Ngo , she acknowledged that WW `` recognize [ s ] that Mr. Ngo is within his rights to post public information .
And we do not believe he has specifically encouraged this @ @ @ @ @

Portland paper Willamette Week provided a platform for Portland rioters charged with crimes who are upset that Andy Ngo posted public records profiling their alleged criminal activity.
The article, titled "Portland Protesters Say Their Lives Were Upended by the Posting of Their Mug Shots on a Conservative Twitter Account," was published early Wednesday morning.
The author of the piece, Sophie Peel, acknowledged that The Post Millennial's editor-at-large's reporting is perfectly legal as Ngo cites archived booking information from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Critics have accused Ngo of doxxing, although suspects have left a trail of their own digital footprints.
Peel reached out to Ngo via email ahead of the article's publication for comment, noting that the news outlet is in contact with six individuals whose criminally-linked information he had posted to social media.
"I believe my duty as a journalist includes informing the public about individuals who are believed by criminal authorities to be sufficiently dangerous to the public that they meet the standard for arrest," Ngo wrote in an emailed response.
Ngo contended that he is taking on criminals that other journalists are afraid to confront. "Given the risk that violence and riots present to the public, including journalists," he continued, "it is imperative that the press report fully on these matters."
"If you feel that transparency and public right to know should be outweighed by arrestee rights to privacy, this is a complaint for the legislature, not for journalists reporting in compliance with state and federal law," he stated. "A better question would be, 'Why do some journalists feel compelled to hide the identities of suspected criminals from the public?' Another would be, 'Whose interests does the suppression of criminal arrest data serve?'"
Portland paper @wweek is publishing a story about riot arrestees who are upset I post public records. This is my full emailed response to the reporter.
If city officials like @JoAnnPDX are right that white supremacists are rioting in Portland, then we should know who they are. pic.twitter.com/Wn2ZgkEbgZ — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 13, 2020
"If city officials like @JoAnnPDX are right that white supremacists are rioting in Portland, then we should know who they are," Ngo tweeted with screenshots of the correspondence.
On Aug. 7 when Antifa militants attacked the Portland Police east precinct for "Round 2," 30-year-old black activist Ragina Joe-Marie Gray was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree, resisting arrest, and interfering with an officer. She was quickly bailed out.
"This is my f—ing neighborhood," Gray shouted at a line of law enforcement, calling the officers "terrorists."
Protester goes off on the police. Full video of her chasing them off when I get home. pic.twitter.com/3DqpOY5RWl — Soundtrack to the End (@_WhatRiot) August 7, 2020
Ngo listed Gray's charges while linking her case file, also writing that she is "frequently photographed with kids at protests and rants about white terrorism."
Ragina Joy-Marie Gray, 30, is charged w/interfering w/an officer, resisting arrest & more. She was arrested at the violent antifa protest in Portland & quickly bailed out. Gray is frequently photographed w/kids at protests & rants about white terrorism. https://t.co/KNXaeww2fg pic.twitter.com/bjNJ1tlJ3P — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 7, 2020
Almost two weeks later on Aug. 19, a man allegedly appeared on the doorstep of Gray's mother's eastside home.
"He was sweaty and nervous looking, and he asked for Ragina by name," Gray's mom, Lucinda Fisher, told WW. "He mentioned [Gray's] son, and I noticed he had a gun in his hand." Fisher then slammed the door and reportedly called the police.
However, Peel admitted that "Gray has no direct evidence that Ngo's robust social media presence is the reason an armed man arrived at her mom's house."
Gray tweeted screenshotted text exchanges with her mother alleging the face-off at her residence.
Gray's children, ages 9 and 4, fear for their lives since she was arrested on the night when rioters assaulted two elderly women who tried to apprehend vandalism of the police building. The mother also brought her kids to the violent Antifa protests. On Gray's Twitter account, she calls herself the "Mom for the Liberation of all Black People."
"They're scared that someone's going to kill me," Gray stated on record to Peel. "My first instinct is to say, 'No, that's not going to happen.' But there's a huge risk."
Gray continues to protest as she deletes messages allegedly from "[m]ostly white men" hurling racial slurs and now calling her a terrorist.
Peel also detailed the stories of Portland couple Erin and Phillip Wenzel as the two started their evening on Aug. 14 "as they have more than 10 times before that," donning riot gear: full gas respirators, masks, and bike helmets.
Phillip sported a bulletproof vest as the frontline drummer charging the protests. Erin followed behind as a street medic toting a first aid kit.
That Friday night, Phillip was arrested when the duo were sandwiched between two lines of officers during a smoke-filled confrontation captured on camera "that shows several protesters cowering under yellow shields as cops push them to the ground," Peel described the scene illustrated in a video of the altercation with Phillip "shielding his face on the ground as a half-dozen cops tackle him."
Phillip was observed attempting to steal a baton from a police officer, Ngo provided context, as Antifa militants gathered his personal information to bail him out. "What's your name and we'll help you," an ally screamed.
Rioters have turned parts of north Portland into a war zone. Here, it takes a group of officers to make an arrest of an antifa militant. The person tries to steal a baton from police. Meanwhile, antifa legal observers get his info so they can bail him out. pic.twitter.com/GaxrFBV5ta — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 15, 2020
Phillip was arrested, charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, interfering with police, and disorderly conduct. He was released the next day.
"The antifa man recorded resisting arrest & trying to steal a baton from police is 31-year-old Phillip John Wenzel, of Beaverton, Ore," Ngo tweeted along with his mug shot.
Ngo also posted Phillip's biography as a paralegal in the Portland-area practicing family law and estate planning as listed on the law firm sites of Gevurtz Menashe and Elizabeth Christy, noting that the suspect is a "hardcore advocate" of abolishing law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
An additional video pictured Phillip unmasked and in handcuffs. "You guys are f—ing ridiculous. You're assaulting people in the street," he told authorities while on the asphalt.
Here’s video of paralegal Philip John Wenzel unmasked after he resisted arrest and assaulted police. He’s clashed numerous times with police at other violent antifa protests and riots. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/Jg1mfjVzly — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 15, 2020
Twitter users commented on the thread, allegedly revealing the names and ages of Phillip's extended family members.
The Wenzels then deactivated their social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Phillip shaved his beard to change his appearance and now wears a hat when he walks his dog.
"We've been lying low, and to be honest, we've been staying at home with the blinds closed," Phillip told Peel. "I can get over Twitter trolls, but what gives me the most pause is the one percent of them that have genuine threats."
The next day, Phillip received a voicemail on his cellphone from a Michigan resident named "John" who said, "I'll have you know I'm 7 foot and 280 pounds."
On Aug. 18, Phillip's boss sent him a letter informing him that law firm has received 50 threatening or harassing communications since his arrest.
"Because you have chosen to engage in activism that has resulted in violence, physical injuries, and negative publicity for [the law firm], there is now a major distraction from the business we are doing, a threat to my ability to gain new business, and a threat to our employees' safety," Phillip's employer wrote in an email provided to WW.
Three employees have also announced their resignation in solidarity last Thursday. Phillip would be terminated effective Sept. 16, the company told the paralegal in a letter the following day, citing a loss of work and a reduction in staff.
Peel then ventured on to tell the story of April Epperson, a staff member at a Northeast Portland public school, who was arrested and released without bail for disorderly conduct in the second degree and interfering with a peace officer on Aug. 24 when Antifa sieged the Portland Police's north precinct.
Ngo tweeted a side-by-side of her mugshot and Facebook profile picture with the Black Lives Matter frame. "Like others recently arrest[ed], she works with children at an elementary school," Ngo wrote. Then several Twitter users reportedly shared the name of the school.
April Lynn Epperson, 36, was arrested at the violent #antifa riot in north Portland. She’s charged w/multiple criminal offenses. Like others recently arrested, she works with children at an elementary school. #PortlandRiots #PortlandMugshots #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/f70OWNSEow — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 25, 2020
On Aug. 29, an email arrived in her school inbox. Attached was a picture of a toad in a dress with the following text: "So f—ing bad— with your face covered? We can't wait to come to your employer and do the exact same f—ing thing you do to cops!" Epperson alerted the school.
Another email sent Sept. 1 from a secure email address included a screenshot of Ngo's tweet, reading: "This type of behavior seems a little unbecoming for a school teacher. Are standards any higher than this?"
University of Oregon journalism professor Tim Gleason claimed Ngo's work is "dangerous because of his targeted audience," Peel wrote.
"There's some legitimacy to a claim of informing the public. But we have a pattern with this individual that his interest is in provoking violent reactions and doxxing," says Gleason. "It's a particular subset of conservative Twitter, and he knows that's who he's talking to."
In Peel's initial inquiry to Ngo, she acknowledged that WW "recognize[s] that Mr. Ngo is within his rights to post public information. And we do not believe he has specifically encouraged this behaviour by others."


bonginoreport--2020-09-17--Netflix Cancelations Skyrocket Over “Cuties” Film

# CancelNetflix movement over 'Cuties ' leads cancellations to spike almost eightfold , according to analytics firm

Update, Wed. 9/16/2020, 12:56 PM ET:
A spokesperson for Netflix tells TheBlaze, "[W]e don't have anything to share, but there is no public source of information on our subscriber trends."
Original story continues below ...
Netflix saw its U.S. cancellations spike almost eightfold following an online movement to boycott the streaming giant over its controversial film, "Cuties."
What's a brief history here?
The French award-winning film has sparked outrage from the living rooms of America to the legislative chambers in Washington, D.C., for sexualizing four 11-year-old girls in a "sensual" dance troupe.
Netflix has insisted that there is no underage nudity in the film and has encouraged people who want to fight against child sexualization to watch the film.
In a statement to TheBlaze, a Netflix spokesperson said, "Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It's an award winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we'd encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie."
The film prompted hashtag #CancelNetflix to go viral, as well as an accompanying petition with a related name. At the time of this writing, at least 653,000 people have signed the petition vowing to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over the film.
What about the cancellations?
According to data analytics firm YipitData, the surge of cancellations came on the heels of the "Cuties" release.
Variety, citing data from the company, reported that the subscriber cancellations began to rise on Sept. 10 — just a day after the film's Netflix debut.
That day, #CancelNetflix was Twitter's top trending hashtag.
Two days later, the cancellation rate "jumped to nearly eight times higher than the average daily levels recorded in August 2020," Variety reported.
New York-based YipitData told the outlet that this was a "multiyear high" for cancellations.
On Monday, filmmaker and director Maïmouna Doucouré echoed Netflix's sentiments and argued that the film is a "social commentary," according to Variety.
During a French cinema panel discussion, Doucouré said, "We need to protect our children. What I want to [do] is to open people's eyes on this issue and try to fix it."
TheBlaze has reached out to Netflix for comment on the analytics report but did not receive a response in time for publication.
'This film normalizes the sexualization of little girls'
In a statement following the backlash, Parents Television Council program director Melissa Henson condemned the film.
Henson said, "Although there is a danger that little girls will be attracted to this film, the far greater risk is the way this film normalizes the sexualization of little girls. [Netflix] is desensitizing millions of viewers at home by asking them to be entertained by it."
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation also said that Netflix should omit the film's decidedly "sexually exploitative scenes" or yank the film from its library altogether.
“While we commend director Maïmouna Doucouré for exposing the very real threats to young girls having unfettered access to social media and the internet, we cannot condone the hyper-sexualization and exploitation of the young actresses themselves in order to make her point," Lina Nealon, director of corporate and strategic initiatives, said in a statement. “The audience does not need to see the very long scenes with close-up shots of the girls' bodies; this does nothing to educate the audience on the harms of sexualization."


bonginoreport--2020-09-18--Silver Linings: Lockdowns Could Kill off 20% of Universities

As bad as the COVID-19 lockdown has been in any number of sectors of the US economy , colleges and universities have been hit particularly hard .
Restaurants and movie theaters have physical plants that continue to cost them money regardless of whether they are serving food or showing movies .
Hotels have it even worse , because they are far more expensive to maintain .
But colleges and universities have it worse still .
Their physical plants include not only housing and dining facilities , but also recreation areas , classrooms , and expansive grounds .
In addition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number hundreds of times that of hotels .
Unlike restaurants , movie theaters , and hotels , colleges and universities do have the ability to offer their product remotely .
Students with their faces planted firmly into Zoom calls have become the new normal pretty quickly .
But when a quarter to almost half of a university ’ s income comes from room and board , it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that those Zoom classes are gutting college and university revenue streams .
Making matters worse , foreign students are staying home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and US policy .
This might not sound like much , but universities obtain more than twice the revenue from the typical foreign student than from the typical American student .
Foreign students have been subsidizing American students for years .
And now they aren ’ t .
The upshot of all of this , according to NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway , is rather disconcerting .
In examining some 442 US universities , Galloway estimates that more than 20 percent could fail because of the lockdowns , and that another 30 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 50 percent of US colleges and universities at very serious ( or mortal ) risk .
None of this is all that surprising .
The number of potential college students is limited by the number of college-ready young people .
And that number has not been growing .
Faced with a mostly stagnant population , universities started a sort of dance of death several decades ago .
To attract more students , institutions started improving their physical plants - first with air-conditioning ( that wasn ’ t a thing in colleges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newer and better dorms , then with all manner of extravagances like climbing walls , personal trainers , state of the art gyms , campus-wide wifi , and transportation to local hotspots .
But these amenities were expensive .
To pay for them , universities had to attract still more students , which they did by improving their amenities even further .
And when they had tapped out the population of college-ready young people , universities lowered their standards and started admitting not-so-college-ready young people .
But to keep those students in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide all manner of remedial help .
And that required yet more physical plant and more personnel to get these students to a point that they had at least a chance of graduating .
The numbers are unambiguous .
In 1970 , 17 percent of 18 to 24 year olds in the U.S. were full-time college students at 4-year institutions .
That number rose steadily to over 30 percent by 2018 .
That ’ s more than a 75 percent growth in the number of college students relative to the population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same decades that the inflation-adjusted price of higher education more than doubled , the population-adjusted number of 18 to 24 year olds opting to go to college increased 75 percent ?
Three forces were at work .
In guaranteeing student loans , the federal government simultaneously made college more expensive ( by increasing the number of students attending college ) , and made it easier for students to borrow to pay for it ( by forcing taxpayers to pick up some of the tab ) .
Second , the success of high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of their students accepted into colleges .
This encouraged high school teachers and administrators to push more students to go to college .
And finally , colleges strong-armed faculty into watering down academic rigor in order to keep enrollments up .
In short , to capture more revenue , colleges had to increase their enrollments .
To do that , colleges had to make graduating easier .
This house of cards was destined to fall at some point , but COVID-19 has become a catalyst .
“ At some point ” is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any other venture , colleges will go out of business when they become insolvent .
There is nothing special about a college in this respect .
Since 2016 , some 52 colleges and universities have closed their doors or merged with other institutions .
With the new reality of COVID-19 , this trend will accelerate .
Big state schools and those in the Ivy League will come out the other side to be sure .
But small liberal arts colleges will not be nearly as fortunate .
But that ’ s only the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at-risk institutions .
The COVID-19 related downturn has caused any number of young people to ask themselves whether they want to go to college at all given the exorbitant costs .
For the first time in decades they are asking the right sorts of questions about college .
The most important question , of course , is whether college is a good investment .
Young people are finding that the answer is more complex than it first appears .
The career-long financial return to a four-year degree ranges from over $ 3 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million dollars for majors like Early Childhood Education , Voice and Opera , and Piano Performance .
Most majors ending in the word , “ studies ” ( Film Studies , Organizational Studies , Urban Studies , Liberal Studies ) deliver a financial return anywhere from one-third to one-tenth that of the STEM majors .
The government has propped up colleges and universities by requiring taxpayers to underwrite student loans .
In turn , colleges and universities have propped up low-value majors by including many of their courses in the general studies curriculum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As institutions compromise standards in the name of increasing student numbers , employers will come to realize that , while some college majors remain valuable , a college degree in general isn ’ t necessarily so .
As COVID forces universities to offer classes online , students will come to realize they can attend college from their own homes at significant savings .
Either one of these factors would put significant financial pressure on colleges and universities .
And as they tighten their belts , the first programs they ’ ll eliminate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The sunny side of all of this is that a stronger system of higher education will emerge , one re-focused on educating students rather than on selling a “ college experience.
” There will still be plenty of options for that “ college experience , ” but there will likely be a number of purely utilitarian options for the budget-conscious and academically driven .
In the end , COVID-19 may come to be seen as the catalyst that disrupted the American system of higher education for the better , no matter how @ @ @ @ @

As bad as the COVID-19 lockdown has been in any number of sectors of the US economy, colleges and universities have been hit particularly hard. Restaurants and movie theaters have physical plants that continue to cost them money regardless of whether they are serving food or showing movies. Hotels have it even worse, because they are far more expensive to maintain. But colleges and universities have it worse still. Their physical plants include not only housing and dining facilities, but also recreation areas, classrooms, and expansive grounds. In addition, colleges and universities have staff that often number hundreds of times that of hotels.
Unlike restaurants, movie theaters, and hotels, colleges and universities do have the ability to offer their product remotely. Students with their faces planted firmly into Zoom calls have become the new normal pretty quickly. But when a quarter to almost half of a university’s income comes from room and board, it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that those Zoom classes are gutting college and university revenue streams.
Making matters worse, foreign students are staying home in droves because of both the virus and US policy. This might not sound like much, but universities obtain more than twice the revenue from the typical foreign student than from the typical American student. Foreign students have been subsidizing American students for years. And now they aren’t.
The upshot of all of this, according to NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway, is rather disconcerting. In examining some 442 US universities, Galloway estimates that more than 20 percent could fail because of the lockdowns, and that another 30 percent will struggle to remain open. That’s 50 percent of US colleges and universities at very serious (or mortal) risk.
None of this is all that surprising. The number of potential college students is limited by the number of college-ready young people. And that number has not been growing. Faced with a mostly stagnant population, universities started a sort of dance of death several decades ago. To attract more students, institutions started improving their physical plants - first with air-conditioning (that wasn’t a thing in colleges a generation ago), then with newer and better dorms, then with all manner of extravagances like climbing walls, personal trainers, state of the art gyms, campus-wide wifi, and transportation to local hotspots. But these amenities were expensive. To pay for them, universities had to attract still more students, which they did by improving their amenities even further.
And when they had tapped out the population of college-ready young people, universities lowered their standards and started admitting not-so-college-ready young people. But to keep those students in their seats and paying tuition, universities had to provide all manner of remedial help. And that required yet more physical plant and more personnel to get these students to a point that they had at least a chance of graduating. The numbers are unambiguous. In 1970, 17 percent of 18 to 24 year olds in the U.S. were full-time college students at 4-year institutions. That number rose steadily to over 30 percent by 2018. That’s more than a 75 percent growth in the number of college students relative to the population. How is it possible that, over the same decades that the inflation-adjusted price of higher education more than doubled, the population-adjusted number of 18 to 24 year olds opting to go to college increased 75 percent?
Data source: National Center for Education Statistics
Three forces were at work. In guaranteeing student loans, the federal government simultaneously made college more expensive (by increasing the number of students attending college), and made it easier for students to borrow to pay for it (by forcing taxpayers to pick up some of the tab). Second, the success of high schools came to be measured by the number of their students accepted into colleges. This encouraged high school teachers and administrators to push more students to go to college. And finally, colleges strong-armed faculty into watering down academic rigor in order to keep enrollments up. In short, to capture more revenue, colleges had to increase their enrollments. To do that, colleges had to make graduating easier.
This house of cards was destined to fall at some point, but COVID-19 has become a catalyst. “At some point” is very likely upon us.
Just like any other venture, colleges will go out of business when they become insolvent. There is nothing special about a college in this respect. Since 2016, some 52 colleges and universities have closed their doors or merged with other institutions. With the new reality of COVID-19, this trend will accelerate. Big state schools and those in the Ivy League will come out the other side to be sure. But small liberal arts colleges will not be nearly as fortunate.
But that’s only the beginning of the very bad news for at-risk institutions. The COVID-19 related downturn has caused any number of young people to ask themselves whether they want to go to college at all given the exorbitant costs. For the first time in decades they are asking the right sorts of questions about college. The most important question, of course, is whether college is a good investment.
Young people are finding that the answer is more complex than it first appears. The career-long financial return to a four-year degree ranges from over $3 million for STEM majors to a negative quarter million dollars for majors like Early Childhood Education, Voice and Opera, and Piano Performance. Most majors ending in the word, “studies” (Film Studies, Organizational Studies, Urban Studies, Liberal Studies) deliver a financial return anywhere from one-third to one-tenth that of the STEM majors.
The government has propped up colleges and universities by requiring taxpayers to underwrite student loans. In turn, colleges and universities have propped up low-value majors by including many of their courses in the general studies curriculum, thereby requiring students to take them.
As institutions compromise standards in the name of increasing student numbers, employers will come to realize that, while some college majors remain valuable, a college degree in general isn’t necessarily so. As COVID forces universities to offer classes online, students will come to realize they can attend college from their own homes at significant savings. Either one of these factors would put significant financial pressure on colleges and universities. And as they tighten their belts, the first programs they’ll eliminate are those for which demand is lowest.
The sunny side of all of this is that a stronger system of higher education will emerge, one re-focused on educating students rather than on selling a “college experience.” There will still be plenty of options for that “college experience,” but there will likely be a number of purely utilitarian options for the budget-conscious and academically driven. In the end, COVID-19 may come to be seen as the catalyst that disrupted the American system of higher education for the better, no matter how grim it looks now.