freebeacon--2020-07-26--Biden Staffers: Campaign Is ‘Suppressing the Hispanic Vote’ in Florida

Nearly 100 Biden staffers are complaining that the former vice president 's campaign is `` suppressing the Hispanic vote '' in Florida .
The campaign field organizers claim in an internal letter , which was sent to the Florida Democratic Party and obtained by the Miami Herald , that the Biden campaign inexplicably relocated several Hispanic staff members away from an area with a significant number of Spanish-speaking residents .
`` The [ Coordinated Campaign of Florida ] is suppressing the Hispanic vote by removing Spanish-speaking organizers from Central Florida without explanation , which fails to confront a system of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working against as organizers of a progressive party , '' the organizers wrote , according to the Herald .
The organizers claim that the Biden campaign does not have a `` fully actionable field plan , '' lacks resources and outreach strategy , and maintains a `` toxic '' work culture .
`` We are roughly 100 days out from the election , and there is no functional targeted field outreach and organizing of the Hispanic/Spanish-speaking , Brazilian/Portuguese-speaking , and Haitian/Creole-speaking communities in our state , '' the organizers wrote .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure , community outreach , or phonebanks established for this . ''
The letter was sent following related negotiations between Florida state director Jackie Lee and the field organizers ' union , IBEW Local 824 .
In a statement , Lee said the Biden campaign has an `` open-door policy '' and that `` no staff [ members were ] asked to move or relocate , either from out of state or within states '' in recent weeks .
Among their requests , the organizers demand an apology and request that the Hispanic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Nearly 100 Biden staffers are complaining that the former vice president's campaign is "suppressing the Hispanic vote" in Florida.
The campaign field organizers claim in an internal letter, which was sent to the Florida Democratic Party and obtained by the Miami Herald, that the Biden campaign inexplicably relocated several Hispanic staff members away from an area with a significant number of Spanish-speaking residents.
"The [Coordinated Campaign of Florida] is suppressing the Hispanic vote by removing Spanish-speaking organizers from Central Florida without explanation, which fails to confront a system of white-dominated politics we are supposed to be working against as organizers of a progressive party," the organizers wrote, according to the Herald.
The organizers claim that the Biden campaign does not have a "fully actionable field plan," lacks resources and outreach strategy, and maintains a "toxic" work culture.
"We are roughly 100 days out from the election, and there is no functional targeted field outreach and organizing of the Hispanic/Spanish-speaking, Brazilian/Portuguese-speaking, and Haitian/Creole-speaking communities in our state," the organizers wrote. "There are no targets, scripts, data infrastructure, community outreach, or phonebanks established for this."
The letter was sent following related negotiations between Florida state director Jackie Lee and the field organizers' union, IBEW Local 824.
In a statement, Lee said the Biden campaign has an "open-door policy" and that "no staff [members were] asked to move or relocate, either from out of state or within states" in recent weeks.
Among their requests, the organizers demand an apology and request that the Hispanic staffers are relocated to their original placements.


freebeacon--2020-07-26--This Week in Campus Insanity, Vol. 3

This Week in Campus Insanity, Vol. 3

Welcome back to Campus Insanity , a weekly roundup of the craziest developments at our nation 's 4,000-plus institutions of higher education .
6 .
Northwestern Student Government Supports Using Excess Funds to Bail Out Alleged Criminals | Campus Reform The Associated Student Government at Northwestern University unanimously passed legislation to send its $ 15,000 budget surplus to a fund that `` pays bond for people charged with crimes in Cook County , Illinois . ''
5 .
Syracuse University Silent on Assault And Death Threats Against Conservative Students | The Federalist A Syracuse University student was fired from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that suggested police interaction rates would provide a better metric to analyze police brutality .
4 .
Students Demand Firing of Black Dean Because She Mixed up Black Students ’ Names | The College Fix Students created a petition to fire Scripps College dean of students Charlotte Johnson , a black woman , because she confused two black students ’ names .
3 .
University of Minnesota Architecture School Reveals Plan for ‘ Racial and Spatial ' Justice | Minnesota Daily The new head of the University of Minnesota 's school of architecture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial and spatial justice '' at the school in light of the Black Lives Matter movement .
The English department at Rutgers University declared that teaching proper English grammar is racist and that , in support of the Black Lives Matter movement , it will begin teaching `` critical grammar . ''
Fordham University is threatening a Chinese immigrant student with expulsion if he does not apologize for posing with a legally owned rifle in a social media post that criticized China for the Tiananmen Square massacre .
Want more Campus Insanity ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have any suggestions for our Top 6 stories please email chrissy @ freebeacon.com & nester @ freebeacon.com .

Welcome back to Campus Insanity, a weekly roundup of the craziest developments at our nation's 4,000-plus institutions of higher education.
6. Northwestern Student Government Supports Using Excess Funds to Bail Out Alleged Criminals | Campus Reform
The Associated Student Government at Northwestern University unanimously passed legislation to send its $15,000 budget surplus to a fund that "pays bond for people charged with crimes in Cook County, Illinois."
5. Syracuse University Silent on Assault And Death Threats Against Conservative Students | The Federalist
A Syracuse University student was fired from the school's newspaper after writing an article that suggested police interaction rates would provide a better metric to analyze police brutality.
4. Students Demand Firing of Black Dean Because She Mixed up Black Students’ Names | The College Fix
Students created a petition to fire Scripps College dean of students Charlotte Johnson, a black woman, because she confused two black students’ names.
3. University of Minnesota Architecture School Reveals Plan for 'Racial and Spatial' Justice | Minnesota Daily
The new head of the University of Minnesota's school of architecture put forth a plan to address "racial and spatial justice" at the school in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
2. Rutgers Declares Grammar Racist | Washington Free Beacon
The English department at Rutgers University declared that teaching proper English grammar is racist and that, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, it will begin teaching "critical grammar."
1. Fordham Student Banned From Campus Over Post Commemorating Tiananmen Square Massacre | National Review
Fordham University is threatening a Chinese immigrant student with expulsion if he does not apologize for posing with a legally owned rifle in a social media post that criticized China for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Want more Campus Insanity? Read Vol. 2 here.
If you have any suggestions for our Top 6 stories please email chrissy@freebeacon.com & nester@freebeacon.com.


freebeacon--2020-07-26--Universities Brand ‘Drama Therapy’ And ‘Journalism’ as STEM Majors to Circumvent Immigration Policy

Several American universities are expanding the scope of their science , technology , engineering , and mathematics in an attempt to circumvent U.S. immigration regulations , which allows international students who major in STEM subjects to stay in the country two years longer than counterparts who major in the humanities .
New York University , for example , now includes journalism , classics , and drama therapy under its STEM umbrella .
NYU is one of a number of universities exploiting a U.S. immigration policy that requires most international students to leave the country a year after finishing their studies—but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work for an additional two years .
The policy is part of the Department of Homeland Security 's Optional Practical Training ( OPT ) program , which aims to shore up the United States ' supply of engineers and tech workers .
The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of foreign students seeking the STEM exemption—it ballooned to nearly 70,000 in 2018 from just over 2,000 in 2008 as the University of California , Berkeley , Boston University , California State University , and others have classified journalism , media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ STEM programs .
CSU said that it followed DHS guidelines when it made its decision to label certain programs as STEM .
None of the other schools responded to requests for comment .
While many schools have moved to classify subjects like economics and business as STEM fields , few have exploited the existing loophole as much as NYU .
The New York school now insists that hundreds of subjects—from physics and chemistry to journalism and classical civilization—are STEM programs .
The introduction of foreign workers into the U.S. labor market has come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to immigration attorney Sara Blackwell , who told the Washington Free Beacon that the DHS program increases competition for domestic workers and depresses wages because employers are exempt from paying Medicare and Social Security taxes for international students .
`` If an American student and a foreign student with the exact same grades go to an employer , that employer has a lot of incentive to hire the foreigner over the Americans , '' she said .
`` At the same time , your parents who are now getting into the Social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be at a disadvantage because the employer does n't have that money in that pot . ''
On paper , the DHS is supposed to regularly monitor American universities .
But such audits rarely occur , according to Lora Ries , a former DHS official and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation .
Ries said the department responsible for enforcing the provisions is underfunded and deterred by the potential public relations fallout that a crackdown would elicit .
`` Because that ICE office is not heavily resourced , the compliance aspect of it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
`` And , you know , is ICE going to kick out some well known university from this program ?
Imagine the flak they would take for that . ''
A report published by the ombudsman for the U.S .
Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) found that the program is `` vulnerable to fraud '' due to understaffing—one ICE employee is responsible for as many as 240 schools .
The report also found that the program exhibits `` significant vulnerabilities '' that allow it to act as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the top beneficiaries of the OPT program as they represent more than one in three international students studying in the United States .
`` While OPT was created with the benign intention of offering foreign students the opportunity to gain work experience in their area of study … it is currently being used by government actors from countries such as the PRC as a means of conducting espionage and technology transfer through some portion of the many thousands of foreign nationals who have obtained OPT employment in the United States , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have anticipated potential legal consequences for exploiting the OPT loophole .
Berkeley , for example , provides a template letter to all international students to submit to federal authorities to `` avoid any confusion by USCIS . ''
Rachelle Peterson , the director of policy at the National Association of Scholars , said that schools are incentivized to play `` fast and loose with visa rules '' to boost international student admissions .
`` ‘ STEM ' means whatever it takes to keep high-paying international students pouring in .
The effort by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrates the verbal gymnastics colleges and universities regularly engage in to pad their bottom lines , '' Peterson said .
`` Colleges and universities frequently see our nation 's visa rules as a system to game for their own financial benefit . ''

Several American universities are expanding the scope of their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in an attempt to circumvent U.S. immigration regulations, which allows international students who major in STEM subjects to stay in the country two years longer than counterparts who major in the humanities. New York University, for example, now includes journalism, classics, and drama therapy under its STEM umbrella.
NYU is one of a number of universities exploiting a U.S. immigration policy that requires most international students to leave the country a year after finishing their studies—but permits those who studied STEM disciplines to work for an additional two years. The policy is part of the Department of Homeland Security's Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which aims to shore up the United States' supply of engineers and tech workers.
The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of foreign students seeking the STEM exemption—it ballooned to nearly 70,000 in 2018 from just over 2,000 in 2008 as the University of California, Berkeley, Boston University, California State University, and others have classified journalism, media studies, and digital media arts as STEM programs.
CSU said that it followed DHS guidelines when it made its decision to label certain programs as STEM. None of the other schools responded to requests for comment.
While many schools have moved to classify subjects like economics and business as STEM fields, few have exploited the existing loophole as much as NYU. The New York school now insists that hundreds of subjects—from physics and chemistry to journalism and classical civilization—are STEM programs.
The introduction of foreign workers into the U.S. labor market has come at the expense of American workers, according to immigration attorney Sara Blackwell, who told the Washington Free Beacon that the DHS program increases competition for domestic workers and depresses wages because employers are exempt from paying Medicare and Social Security taxes for international students.
"If an American student and a foreign student with the exact same grades go to an employer, that employer has a lot of incentive to hire the foreigner over the Americans," she said. "At the same time, your parents who are now getting into the Social Security and Medicare age are going to be at a disadvantage because the employer doesn't have that money in that pot."
On paper, the DHS is supposed to regularly monitor American universities. But such audits rarely occur, according to Lora Ries, a former DHS official and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Ries said the department responsible for enforcing the provisions is underfunded and deterred by the potential public relations fallout that a crackdown would elicit.
"Because that ICE office is not heavily resourced, the compliance aspect of it and the monitoring is lacking," she said. "And, you know, is ICE going to kick out some well known university from this program? Imagine the flak they would take for that."
A report published by the ombudsman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) found that the program is "vulnerable to fraud" due to understaffing—one ICE employee is responsible for as many as 240 schools. The report also found that the program exhibits "significant vulnerabilities" that allow it to act as a conduit for Chinese espionage. Chinese students are the top beneficiaries of the OPT program as they represent more than one in three international students studying in the United States.
"While OPT was created with the benign intention of offering foreign students the opportunity to gain work experience in their area of study ... it is currently being used by government actors from countries such as the PRC as a means of conducting espionage and technology transfer through some portion of the many thousands of foreign nationals who have obtained OPT employment in the United States," the report found.
Some schools appear to have anticipated potential legal consequences for exploiting the OPT loophole. Berkeley, for example, provides a template letter to all international students to submit to federal authorities to "avoid any confusion by USCIS." Rachelle Peterson, the director of policy at the National Association of Scholars, said that schools are incentivized to play "fast and loose with visa rules" to boost international student admissions.
"'STEM' means whatever it takes to keep high-paying international students pouring in. The effort by NYU and others to expansively define STEM demonstrates the verbal gymnastics colleges and universities regularly engage in to pad their bottom lines," Peterson said. "Colleges and universities frequently see our nation's visa rules as a system to game for their own financial benefit."


freebeacon--2020-07-25--Illinois GOP Slams Press Corps for Failure to Press Democratic Governor on Corruption of Top Ally

The Republican Party of Illinois slammed the Chicago press corps for the news media 's failure to press the state 's Democratic governor , J.B. Pritzker , about his relationship with the Illinois House speaker at the center of a federal bribery investigation .
The open letter from the state GOP argues that the news media is holding the state 's high-ranking democratic politicians to a `` different standard '' than it has Republicans mired in scandal , pointing to their relentless coverage of the corruption that engulfed former governor Rod Blagojevich .
`` More than a decade ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] Rod Blagojevich was ‘ Public Official A , ’ the Chicago press corps was relentless , '' the letter said .
`` But for some reason , a decade later , Mike Madigan and J.B. Prtizker get a different standard . ''
Blagojevich was convicted on federal corruption charges and President Donald Trump commuted his sentence earlier this year .
The Illinois GOP argues that the scandal inching closer to Madigan deserves similarly aggressive media coverage .
Federal prosecutors revealed in mid-July that the state ’ s largest public utility , Commonwealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Madigan with an estimated $ 1.32 million in benefits in exchange for pushing legislation that benefited the company .
Madison is the longest-serving House speaker in the country and also chairs the Illinois Democratic party .
Pritzker is a close Madigan ally — the two worked together to push a Democratic agenda through the state legislature last year — and the state GOP is expressing outrage at the news media 's failure to press Pritzker for answers about his relationship with Madigan .
`` He is a political ally of Mike Madigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madigan-controlled campaign funds , '' the GOP said of Pritzker .
`` He is the highest-ranking Democrat in a party that Madigan chairs … The people of Illinois need a press corps that will hold their leaders accountable . ''

The Republican Party of Illinois slammed the Chicago press corps for the news media's failure to press the state's Democratic governor, J.B. Pritzker, about his relationship with the Illinois House speaker at the center of a federal bribery investigation.
The open letter from the state GOP argues that the news media is holding the state's high-ranking democratic politicians to a "different standard" than it has Republicans mired in scandal, pointing to their relentless coverage of the corruption that engulfed former governor Rod Blagojevich.
"More than a decade ago, when we learned that [former governor] Rod Blagojevich was ‘Public Official A,’ the Chicago press corps was relentless," the letter said. "But for some reason, a decade later, Mike Madigan and J.B. Prtizker get a different standard."
Blagojevich was convicted on federal corruption charges and President Donald Trump commuted his sentence earlier this year.
The Illinois GOP argues that the scandal inching closer to Madigan deserves similarly aggressive media coverage.
Federal prosecutors revealed in mid-July that the state’s largest public utility, Commonwealth Edison, bribed the House speaker, Michael Madigan with an estimated $1.32 million in benefits in exchange for pushing legislation that benefited the company. Madison is the longest-serving House speaker in the country and also chairs the Illinois Democratic party.
Pritzker is a close Madigan ally -- the two worked together to push a Democratic agenda through the state legislature last year -- and the state GOP is expressing outrage at the news media's failure to press Pritzker for answers about his relationship with Madigan.
"He is a political ally of Mike Madigan who has invested millions of dollars in Madigan-controlled campaign funds," the GOP said of Pritzker. "He is the highest-ranking Democrat in a party that Madigan chairs ... The people of Illinois need a press corps that will hold their leaders accountable."


freebeacon--2020-07-25--The Wages of Woke

The Wages of Woke

Dr. Robin DiAngelo , the bestselling author of White Fragility , claims to believe in accountability .
DiAngelo used to list the `` racial justice '' organizations she donates to as part of her extensive `` accountability statement , '' including a monthly `` land rent '' paid to the Native American tribe that used to occupy Seattle .
But when the Washington Free Beacon began contacting the organizations she listed as recipients of her largesse , DiAngelo scrubbed the site , removing their names and the dates of her giving from the public domain—a version of the page remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being unavailable due to what the site said were technical issues .
The page was edited again as recently as Friday , when DiAngelo wrote she would begin donating 15 percent of her after-tax income , `` in cash and in-kind donations , '' starting next month—suggesting she had not previously , as the page exhorts , given a percentage of her income large enough that she could `` feel it . ''
This about-face is odd for a woman who has made her career demanding white people not respond defensively in hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2018 publication of her book , White Fragility , which argues that all whites are racist and any rejection of that fact is only further evidence of it .
To address racism , DiAngelo argues , requires the sort of anti-bias instruction she is selling .
The nationwide racial outcry that has followed the killing of George Floyd has supercharged the Diversity and Inclusion industry , and DiAngelo may be its greatest success story .
While she has likely made over $ 2 million from her book , the speaking circuit is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the speakers bureaus that represents her told the Free Beacon that a 60-90 minute keynote would run $ 30,000 , a two-hour workshop $ 35,000 , and a half-day event $ 40,000 .
Even before the George Floyd protests reinvigorated demand for so-called anti-racist instruction , the New Yorker had dubbed DiAngelo `` the country ’ s most visible expert in anti-bias training . ''
But the eye-popping numbers underscore how she has turned her academic theories about white racism into a multimillion-dollar empire of anti-imperialism .
She owns three homes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article .
DiAngelo ’ s clients , according to her website , range from Amazon and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Unilever and the YMCA .
DiAngelo reportedly charges up to $ 15,000 per session—a March 2019 appearance , for example , cost the University of Kentucky $ 12,000 , as well as a $ 5-a-minute phone-call fee .
Recent virtual events run up to $ 175 a ticket .
The eight to ten private events DiAngelo says she speaks at each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.5 million annually .
Her book , which made the New York Times bestseller list in its first week and currently occupies the number-two slot , has only added to her success .
DiAngelo 's publisher said it has sold 1.6 million copies , one million this year alone .
Given a conservative 8 percent in royalties , that would mean the book has made DiAngelo over $ 2 million .
Such lucrative gigs put the white DiAngelo on par with several prominent black commentators on race .
Boston University 's Ibram X.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ DiAngelo 's on the bestseller list , charges $ 150 for tickets to public events and $ 25,000 for a one-hour presentation , his representatives told the Free Beacon .
Former Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates has charged between $ 30,000 and $ 40,000 for public lectures .
DiAngelo has presented herself as a classic American rags-to-riches story , offering vivid details of a childhood spent in profound poverty .
Those details are not always consistent—in a 2006 paper , for example , DiAngelo claims she `` left home as a teenager and struggled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path out of poverty other than education . ''
But in a recent New York Times interview , DiAngelo claimed to have run away from home but says she `` didn ’ t get far , '' and she didn ’ t enroll in college until she was in her mid-30s .
Neither of DiAngelo ’ s sisters responded to requests for comment .
Her path out of poverty did come through education : a B.A .
from Seattle University , then an M.A .
and Ph.D. from the University of Washington .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Professor James A .
Banks , the `` father '' of multicultural education , and earned for a 300-page thesis on the `` master discourses '' of whiteness .
By the time DiAngelo landed an associate professorship at Westfield State University , outside of Springfield , Mass.
, she was entrenched in anti-bias training .
As early as 2007 , she co-taught a class with Darlene Flynn , a leading figure in Seattle 's social justice community .
She may have seen opportunity in a growing industry .
The Diversity and Inclusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 billion as of 2003 ; by 2005 , 65 percent of big companies offered diversity training .
Demand has risen since , and she has reaped the benefits .
Public records indicate she owns three homes , all bought before White Fragility was published : a four-bedroom bungalow and half of a duplex in Seattle ( her daughter , nearing 40 , occupies the latter ) , and a cabin in rural Washington , where DiAngelo and husband Jason Toews relax with friends who , at least on Toews 's Instagram , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assessments put DiAngelo 's cumulative housing wealth at roughly $ 1.6 million , in the vicinity of Coates 's $ 2 million Brooklyn brownstone .
In the past three years , DiAngelo and Toews , who as of last September served as DiAngelo ’ s administrative assistant , have backpacked through Thailand , visited Romania , and toured South Africa .
DiAngelo ’ s wealth is jarring in part because of her criticisms of white privilege .
It is also surprising given that available evidence suggests the anti-bias training she peddles does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies of anti-bias tools found little evidence that they have any impact .
In fact , recent studies suggest anti-bias training 's primary effect may be to encourage discrimination : Firms with diversity training end up with fewer minorities in management , and field research finds that training both reinforces stereotypes and increases animosity against minority groups .
But DiAngelo ’ s concept of `` white fragility '' offers an answer to that academic evidence : The negative responses whites express when told they ’ re racist are simply evidence that they lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more $ 40,000 anti-bias sessions are necessary .
Her advice to white people looking to `` shift their thinking and alter their actions '' is to engage in more self-education , particularly of the sort she sells .
Doing so , she told NPR , `` will be lifelong '' —an effective way for an already wealthy woman to keep her clientele .
This sales pitch is working .
White Fragility tops reading lists from corporations and prestigious universities .
Reading groups from Washington , D.C. , to South Euclid , Ohio , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all flow to a woman who has made a career arguing that white people like her are inescapably , intolerably privileged—an injustice you can only remedy by buying her book .
UPDATE , 10:15 a.m. : This article has been updated to reflect a clarification from the Internet Archive .

Dr. Robin DiAngelo, the bestselling author of White Fragility, claims to believe in accountability. DiAngelo used to list the "racial justice" organizations she donates to as part of her extensive "accountability statement," including a monthly "land rent" paid to the Native American tribe that used to occupy Seattle.
But when the Washington Free Beacon began contacting the organizations she listed as recipients of her largesse, DiAngelo scrubbed the site, removing their names and the dates of her giving from the public domain—a version of the page remains available through the Internet Archive after briefly being unavailable due to what the site said were technical issues. The page was edited again as recently as Friday, when DiAngelo wrote she would begin donating 15 percent of her after-tax income, "in cash and in-kind donations," starting next month—suggesting she had not previously, as the page exhorts, given a percentage of her income large enough that she could "feel it."
This about-face is odd for a woman who has made her career demanding white people not respond defensively in hard conversations. DiAngelo vaulted to superstardom upon the 2018 publication of her book, White Fragility, which argues that all whites are racist and any rejection of that fact is only further evidence of it. To address racism, DiAngelo argues, requires the sort of anti-bias instruction she is selling.
The nationwide racial outcry that has followed the killing of George Floyd has supercharged the Diversity and Inclusion industry, and DiAngelo may be its greatest success story. While she has likely made over $2 million from her book, the speaking circuit is where she is cleaning up. One of the speakers bureaus that represents her told the Free Beacon that a 60-90 minute keynote would run $30,000, a two-hour workshop $35,000, and a half-day event $40,000.
Even before the George Floyd protests reinvigorated demand for so-called anti-racist instruction, the New Yorker had dubbed DiAngelo "the country’s most visible expert in anti-bias training." But the eye-popping numbers underscore how she has turned her academic theories about white racism into a multimillion-dollar empire of anti-imperialism. She owns three homes and is an international jetsetter.
DiAngelo did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.
DiAngelo’s clients, according to her website, range from Amazon and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Unilever and the YMCA. DiAngelo reportedly charges up to $15,000 per session—a March 2019 appearance, for example, cost the University of Kentucky $12,000, as well as a $5-a-minute phone-call fee. Recent virtual events run up to $175 a ticket. The eight to ten private events DiAngelo says she speaks at each month likely net her at least $1.5 million annually.
Her book, which made the New York Times bestseller list in its first week and currently occupies the number-two slot, has only added to her success. DiAngelo's publisher said it has sold 1.6 million copies, one million this year alone. Given a conservative 8 percent in royalties, that would mean the book has made DiAngelo over $2 million.
Such lucrative gigs put the white DiAngelo on par with several prominent black commentators on race. Boston University's Ibram X. Kendi, whose book has jockeyed with DiAngelo's on the bestseller list, charges $150 for tickets to public events and $25,000 for a one-hour presentation, his representatives told the Free Beacon. Former Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates has charged between $30,000 and $40,000 for public lectures.
DiAngelo has presented herself as a classic American rags-to-riches story, offering vivid details of a childhood spent in profound poverty. Those details are not always consistent—in a 2006 paper, for example, DiAngelo claims she "left home as a teenager and struggled to survive," seeing "no path out of poverty other than education." But in a recent New York Times interview, DiAngelo claimed to have run away from home but says she "didn’t get far," and she didn’t enroll in college until she was in her mid-30s. Neither of DiAngelo’s sisters responded to requests for comment.
Her path out of poverty did come through education: a B.A. from Seattle University, then an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. The latter was collected under the tutelage of Professor James A. Banks, the "father" of multicultural education, and earned for a 300-page thesis on the "master discourses" of whiteness.
By the time DiAngelo landed an associate professorship at Westfield State University, outside of Springfield, Mass., she was entrenched in anti-bias training. As early as 2007, she co-taught a class with Darlene Flynn, a leading figure in Seattle's social justice community.
She may have seen opportunity in a growing industry. The Diversity and Inclusion business was thought to be worth $8 billion as of 2003; by 2005, 65 percent of big companies offered diversity training.
Demand has risen since, and she has reaped the benefits. Public records indicate she owns three homes, all bought before White Fragility was published: a four-bedroom bungalow and half of a duplex in Seattle (her daughter, nearing 40, occupies the latter), and a cabin in rural Washington, where DiAngelo and husband Jason Toews relax with friends who, at least on Toews's Instagram, appear to be exclusively white. Tax assessments put DiAngelo's cumulative housing wealth at roughly $1.6 million, in the vicinity of Coates's $2 million Brooklyn brownstone.
In the past three years, DiAngelo and Toews, who as of last September served as DiAngelo’s administrative assistant, have backpacked through Thailand, visited Romania, and toured South Africa.
DiAngelo’s wealth is jarring in part because of her criticisms of white privilege. It is also surprising given that available evidence suggests the anti-bias training she peddles does not work.
A review of nearly 1,000 studies of anti-bias tools found little evidence that they have any impact. In fact, recent studies suggest anti-bias training's primary effect may be to encourage discrimination: Firms with diversity training end up with fewer minorities in management, and field research finds that training both reinforces stereotypes and increases animosity against minority groups.
But DiAngelo’s concept of "white fragility" offers an answer to that academic evidence: The negative responses whites express when told they’re racist are simply evidence that they lack "racial stamina"—and indicate that more $40,000 anti-bias sessions are necessary.
Her advice to white people looking to "shift their thinking and alter their actions" is to engage in more self-education, particularly of the sort she sells. Doing so, she told NPR, "will be lifelong"—an effective way for an already wealthy woman to keep her clientele.
This sales pitch is working. White Fragility tops reading lists from corporations and prestigious universities. Reading groups from Washington, D.C., to South Euclid, Ohio, are discussing it. And the proceeds all flow to a woman who has made a career arguing that white people like her are inescapably, intolerably privileged—an injustice you can only remedy by buying her book.
UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: This article has been updated to reflect a clarification from the Internet Archive.


freebeacon--2020-07-25--Supreme Court’s LGBT Rights Ruling Raises Questions For Women’s Sports, Religious Freedom

June 's landmark Supreme Court decision on employment discrimination and LGBT rights will have consequences well beyond the workplace , touching on a number of cultural flash points .
The Court 's June 15 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County announced that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act , which bans sex-based discrimination , also bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity .
A six-justice majority concluded that sex , homosexuality , and gender identity are inextricably bound up with one another , such that they can not be distinguished .
`` It is impossible to discriminate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex , '' Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the Court .
Other federal laws , including many governing education and health care , similarly ban sex-based discrimination .
Conservative dissenters and elated liberals alike predict that the Court 's logic in Bostock may well color those statutes going forward , putting the force of law behind transgender participation in women 's sports and pro-LGBT bathroom access policies , among other issues .
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has promised to hand down directives granting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and locker room facilities on his first day in office , while disputes over transgender students participating in women 's sports are already underway in Connecticut and Idaho .
`` The secular implications are fairly broad , and there 's a lot to figure out over time , '' Daniel Blomberg of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty told the Washington Free Beacon .
`` The implications for religious employers are becoming clearer already . ''
`` Although the Court does not want to think about the consequences of its decision , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues for long , '' Alito wrote .
`` The entire federal judiciary will be mired for years in disputes about the reach of the Court 's reasoning . ''
The ACLU , which represented the LGBT plaintiffs in Bostock , was quick to say the ruling would soon reach beyond employment to other contexts .
`` Today ’ s decision should mean that LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination not only in employment , but in every context under federal law where sex discrimination is prohibited , '' ACLU lawyer James Esseks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women 's sports Two plaintiffs and their ACLU lawyers are challenging Idaho 's Fairness in Women 's Sports Act .
Proponents of the law say it protects equitable competition , ensuring that girls have equal athletic opportunities .
Lawmakers cited physiological differences between men and women when enacting the legislation , especially as they manifest in athletic abilities like `` strength , speed , and endurance . ''
The law sorts Idaho athletic teams into three categories : male , female , and coed .
It further bans members of the male sex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are to resolve any disputes about a player 's sex with reference to the player 's reproductive anatomy , genetic makeup , or naturally produced testosterone levels .
The plaintiffs allege in their complaint that the law violates Title IX , the federal civil rights in education law .
Like Title VII , Title IX bans sex-based discrimination .
As in Bostock , ACLU lawyers argue that Title IX also covers LGBT athletes and makes the Idaho statute unlawful .
`` Under Title IX , discrimination ‘ on the basis of sex ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgender , because they are women and girls ( whether cisgender or transgender ) , and because they depart from stereotypes associated with sex , '' the complaint reads .
A similar dispute is underway in Connecticut , where three female high school track athletes represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom are challenging a state policy allowing trans students to compete on girls ' sports teams .
The Trump administration filed a legal brief supporting Idaho .
About 17 states and the District of Columbia already allow trans students to participate on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bostock , that number is sure to grow , particularly if Idaho 's law falls in court .
Becket 's Blomberg cautioned that Title IX serves unique objectives , meaning Bostock ‘ s logic may not readily lend itself to cases like those underway in Idaho and Connecticut .
`` Title IX has a history that is very much focused on women ’ s access to education and sports , and there are some concerns about how interpreting Title IX the same way as Title VII would undermine the purpose of Congress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Bostock , questions immediately arose as to how the decision would affect hiring practices at religious institutions .
Many such employers expect and require their workers to live in conformity with their tradition 's moral teachings .
For example , the Catholic archdiocese of Indianapolis attracted national attention last year when it instructed two high schools in its jurisdiction to dismiss two gay teachers married to one another .
The Court brought some clarity to that point on July 8 , when it ruled that workplace bias laws , such as Title @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two Catholic schools in California .
The justices cited a First Amendment rule that bars courts from interfering in matters of church governance , including hiring and firing .
The case was Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru .
It 's not clear how many employees are covered by that First Amendment rule , called the ministerial exception , but Justice Samuel Alito 's majority opinion emphasized that the question turns on the worker 's function .
What that means for employees at religious hospitals , summer camps , and social service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said courts have generally avoided broaching the internal affairs of religious institutions .
`` The trend has been toward courts being very protective of the rights of religious groups to understand , shape , and direct their own religious mission , '' Blomberg told the Free Beacon .
Beyond the ministerial exception , other federal laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ( RFRA ) might buttress church groups against bias lawsuits .
Blomberg noted that in Bostock itself , the Court styled RFRA `` a kind of super statute '' that supersedes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
Though optimistic after the June Bostock ruling , the ACLU 's Esseks sounded a pessimistic note after July 's decision in Our Lady .
`` While the Supreme Court has made it clear that it is against the law to fire someone for being LGBTQ , today they made it easier for religiously affiliated employers to discriminate , including against LGBTQ people , '' Esseks said in a statement .

June's landmark Supreme Court decision on employment discrimination and LGBT rights will have consequences well beyond the workplace, touching on a number of cultural flash points.
The Court's June 15 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County announced that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bans sex-based discrimination, also bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. A six-justice majority concluded that sex, homosexuality, and gender identity are inextricably bound up with one another, such that they cannot be distinguished.
"It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the Court.
Other federal laws, including many governing education and health care, similarly ban sex-based discrimination. Conservative dissenters and elated liberals alike predict that the Court's logic in Bostock may well color those statutes going forward, putting the force of law behind transgender participation in women's sports and pro-LGBT bathroom access policies, among other issues. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has promised to hand down directives granting transgender students access to their preferred bathroom and locker room facilities on his first day in office, while disputes over transgender students participating in women's sports are already underway in Connecticut and Idaho.
"The secular implications are fairly broad, and there's a lot to figure out over time," Daniel Blomberg of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty told the Washington Free Beacon. "The implications for religious employers are becoming clearer already."
Justice Samuel Alito foresaw a long slog ahead in his wide-ranging 54-page dissent.
"Although the Court does not want to think about the consequences of its decision, we will not be able to avoid those issues for long," Alito wrote. "The entire federal judiciary will be mired for years in disputes about the reach of the Court's reasoning."
The ACLU, which represented the LGBT plaintiffs in Bostock, was quick to say the ruling would soon reach beyond employment to other contexts.
"Today’s decision should mean that LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination not only in employment, but in every context under federal law where sex discrimination is prohibited," ACLU lawyer James Esseks wrote.
Changes in the offing for women's sports
Two plaintiffs and their ACLU lawyers are challenging Idaho's Fairness in Women's Sports Act. Proponents of the law say it protects equitable competition, ensuring that girls have equal athletic opportunities. Lawmakers cited physiological differences between men and women when enacting the legislation, especially as they manifest in athletic abilities like "strength, speed, and endurance."
The law sorts Idaho athletic teams into three categories: male, female, and coed. It further bans members of the male sex from playing on female teams. Doctors are to resolve any disputes about a player's sex with reference to the player's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or naturally produced testosterone levels.
The plaintiffs allege in their complaint that the law violates Title IX, the federal civil rights in education law. Like Title VII, Title IX bans sex-based discrimination. As in Bostock, ACLU lawyers argue that Title IX also covers LGBT athletes and makes the Idaho statute unlawful.
"Under Title IX, discrimination 'on the basis of sex' encompasses discrimination against individuals because they are transgender, because they are women and girls (whether cisgender or transgender), and because they depart from stereotypes associated with sex," the complaint reads.
A similar dispute is underway in Connecticut, where three female high school track athletes represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom are challenging a state policy allowing trans students to compete on girls' sports teams.
The Trump administration filed a legal brief supporting Idaho. About 17 states and the District of Columbia already allow trans students to participate on the athletic team of their choice. After Bostock, that number is sure to grow, particularly if Idaho's law falls in court.
Becket's Blomberg cautioned that Title IX serves unique objectives, meaning Bostock's logic may not readily lend itself to cases like those underway in Idaho and Connecticut.
"Title IX has a history that is very much focused on women’s access to education and sports, and there are some concerns about how interpreting Title IX the same way as Title VII would undermine the purpose of Congress," Blomberg told the Free Beacon.
Uncertainty looms for religious conservatives
After Bostock, questions immediately arose as to how the decision would affect hiring practices at religious institutions. Many such employers expect and require their workers to live in conformity with their tradition's moral teachings. For example, the Catholic archdiocese of Indianapolis attracted national attention last year when it instructed two high schools in its jurisdiction to dismiss two gay teachers married to one another.
The Court brought some clarity to that point on July 8, when it ruled that workplace bias laws, such as Title VII, do not cover teachers at two Catholic schools in California. The justices cited a First Amendment rule that bars courts from interfering in matters of church governance, including hiring and firing. The case was Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru.
It's not clear how many employees are covered by that First Amendment rule, called the ministerial exception, but Justice Samuel Alito's majority opinion emphasized that the question turns on the worker's function. What that means for employees at religious hospitals, summer camps, and social service agencies is less clear, but Blomberg said courts have generally avoided broaching the internal affairs of religious institutions.
"The trend has been toward courts being very protective of the rights of religious groups to understand, shape, and direct their own religious mission," Blomberg told the Free Beacon.
Beyond the ministerial exception, other federal laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) might buttress church groups against bias lawsuits. Blomberg noted that in Bostock itself, the Court styled RFRA "a kind of super statute" that supersedes other federal laws and regulations in certain cases.
Though optimistic after the June Bostock ruling, the ACLU's Esseks sounded a pessimistic note after July's decision in Our Lady.
"While the Supreme Court has made it clear that it is against the law to fire someone for being LGBTQ, today they made it easier for religiously affiliated employers to discriminate, including against LGBTQ people," Esseks said in a statement.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Campus Activists Demand Free Tuition and Reparations

Tulane University activists are demanding that the school offer reparations to the descendants of slaves who worked on the plantation that became campus grounds nearly 200 years ago .
Before the school 's establishment in 1834—created as a medical university in response to the cholera , yellow fever , and smallpox epidemics—the land was used as a plantation .
The school 's Black Student Union ( BSU ) asked administrators to identify the descendants of the enslaved people who once worked on the plantation and offer them full tuition and more , according to a list of demands posted online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding to track down the descendants of the enslaved people who labored at the Tulane plantation and offer them full tuition and room and board scholarships that include a living stipend each semester of attendance at Tulane , '' the post reads .
`` Tulane must first acknowledge the trauma it has inflicted on black community members .
It is Tulane 's responsibility to recognize their longstanding history of racism and take actionable steps to reconcile those practices . ''
The Black Student Union did not return a request for comment .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of slaves .
The group also said the university must offer financial assistance to students who suffered `` emotional damage and trauma '' by the on-campus presence of the `` Victory Bell '' after the university discovered in February that it was used to direct the movement of enslaved Africans in 1825 .
The 1960s-era campus landmark—dubbed the McAlister slave bell by activists—was removed after the university discovered its ties to slavery .
The group now demands reparations and apologies from past Tulane presidents—dead or alive—who allowed the bell to represent the campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotional damage and trauma of the McAlister slave bell due to racist tradition of touching the bell for ‘ good luck ' for generations , '' the post reads .
`` We demand every living president of Tulane University since the bell was obtained , or a relative of the presidents if deceased , apologize to their black alumni and current student body for their negligence in addressing the slave bell 's history . ''
The activist 's demands do not include suggestions for how to quantify `` emotional damage and trauma '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look like .
Rachel Altman , a rising senior at Tulane and a libertarian activist , told the Washington Free Beacon these demands , specifically asking relatives of deceased Tulane presidents to apologize , are indicative of authoritarian behavior .
`` I think it would be very hard to find a consistent policy for offering reparations to the students for emotional trauma because it is so easy to falsify and it is so hard to quantify , '' Altman said .
`` Personally , I do n't think that it 's reasonable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were complicit in something to apologize for it .
That 's what 's done in North Korea , not the United States .
That is absolutely a culture of authoritarianism . ''
Within the long list of demands , Altman found agreement with student activists over the university 's registered-protest policy .
Tulane requires student groups to register protests with the university at least two days in advance .
BSU 's Instagram post claims the policy is `` a form of censorship '' and creates an unnecessary presence of police on campus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the university nor TUPD presence to protest , '' the demands read .
`` It defeats the purpose , it is unnecessary policing , and it is a form of censorship .
It should be up to the discretion of the organization whether TUPD presence is necessary . ''
Altman agrees that universities should encourage more speech and activism , not less .
The group 's demands include speech-censorship provisions .
The student activists want the university to investigate current and incoming students who post `` hate speech '' on social media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for `` racist , sexist , misogynistic , or bigoted language . ''
Altman fears left-wing groups that view capitalism as bigoted will use these terms for political benefit to silence conservatives and libertarians .
`` We know that the left has a habit of calling things bigoted that is very subjective … and what they consider ‘ bigoted ' can change day to day , '' Altman said .
`` So , unless there 's a consistent policy for how they 're going to enforce that or how they 're going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to suppress the speech of conservative and libertarian students .
I 've seen many of my peers sharing these graphics from social media saying that capitalism itself is racist and patriarchal and bigoted .
I refuse to accept a policy that will shut down my speech if I 'm advocating for capitalism . ''
Tulane University did not respond to a request for comment .

Tulane University activists are demanding that the school offer reparations to the descendants of slaves who worked on the plantation that became campus grounds nearly 200 years ago.
Before the school's establishment in 1834—created as a medical university in response to the cholera, yellow fever, and smallpox epidemics—the land was used as a plantation. The school's Black Student Union (BSU) asked administrators to identify the descendants of the enslaved people who once worked on the plantation and offer them full tuition and more, according to a list of demands posted online.
"We demand that Tulane allocates funding to track down the descendants of the enslaved people who labored at the Tulane plantation and offer them full tuition and room and board scholarships that include a living stipend each semester of attendance at Tulane," the post reads. "Tulane must first acknowledge the trauma it has inflicted on black community members. It is Tulane's responsibility to recognize their longstanding history of racism and take actionable steps to reconcile those practices."
The Black Student Union did not return a request for comment.
The demands were not limited to the descendants of slaves. The group also said the university must offer financial assistance to students who suffered "emotional damage and trauma" by the on-campus presence of the "Victory Bell" after the university discovered in February that it was used to direct the movement of enslaved Africans in 1825. The 1960s-era campus landmark—dubbed the McAlister slave bell by activists—was removed after the university discovered its ties to slavery. The group now demands reparations and apologies from past Tulane presidents—dead or alive—who allowed the bell to represent the campus.
"We demand reparations for the emotional damage and trauma of the McAlister slave bell due to racist tradition of touching the bell for 'good luck' for generations," the post reads. "We demand every living president of Tulane University since the bell was obtained, or a relative of the presidents if deceased, apologize to their black alumni and current student body for their negligence in addressing the slave bell's history."
The activist's demands do not include suggestions for how to quantify "emotional damage and trauma" or for what reparations for students would look like. Rachel Altman, a rising senior at Tulane and a libertarian activist, told the Washington Free Beacon these demands, specifically asking relatives of deceased Tulane presidents to apologize, are indicative of authoritarian behavior.
"I think it would be very hard to find a consistent policy for offering reparations to the students for emotional trauma because it is so easy to falsify and it is so hard to quantify," Altman said. "Personally, I don't think that it's reasonable to expect the relatives of people who apparently were complicit in something to apologize for it. That's what's done in North Korea, not the United States. That is absolutely a culture of authoritarianism."
Within the long list of demands, Altman found agreement with student activists over the university's registered-protest policy. Tulane requires student groups to register protests with the university at least two days in advance. BSU's Instagram post claims the policy is "a form of censorship" and creates an unnecessary presence of police on campus.
"We should not need approval from the university nor TUPD presence to protest," the demands read. "It defeats the purpose, it is unnecessary policing, and it is a form of censorship. It should be up to the discretion of the organization whether TUPD presence is necessary." Altman agrees that universities should encourage more speech and activism, not less.
The group's demands include speech-censorship provisions. The student activists want the university to investigate current and incoming students who post "hate speech" on social media. The group also demands a zero-tolerance policy for "racist, sexist, misogynistic, or bigoted language." Altman fears left-wing groups that view capitalism as bigoted will use these terms for political benefit to silence conservatives and libertarians.
"We know that the left has a habit of calling things bigoted that is very subjective ... and what they consider 'bigoted' can change day to day," Altman said. "So, unless there's a consistent policy for how they're going to enforce that or how they're going to define bigotry, it can be used to suppress the speech of conservative and libertarian students. I've seen many of my peers sharing these graphics from social media saying that capitalism itself is racist and patriarchal and bigoted. I refuse to accept a policy that will shut down my speech if I'm advocating for capitalism."
Tulane University did not respond to a request for comment.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Dem Senator Accused of Sexism

Dem Senator Accused of Sexism

Democratic senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii was accused of sexism Tuesday morning after interrupting a female witness in a Senate subcommittee hearing .
Elizabeth Nolan Brown , senior editor at Reason magazine , said Schatz treated male witnesses at the hearing differently than Internet Association deputy general counsel Elizabeth Banker .
The senator berated Banker for attempting to give a longer answer to his `` yes-or-no question . ''
Schatz allowed former SEC chairman Christopher Cox more than a minute to answer the same question .
`` Chris Cox provides similarly long and nuanced answer .
Sen. [ Schatz ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did with Elizabeth Banker just a moment ago—for not giving a yes or no answer , lets him go on as long as he likes , '' Brown tweeted .
The Senate subcommittee on Communications , Technology , Innovation , and the Internet convened virtually on Tuesday to discuss the responsibility of online platforms to moderate content posted on their sites .
Schatz asked the panel of witnesses whether online platforms should be required to remove content that has been found to be illegal .
The House Judiciary Committee and Antitrust subcommittee is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` dominance '' of large technology companies .
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos , Apple CEO Tim Cook , and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are expected to testify .

Democratic senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii was accused of sexism Tuesday morning after interrupting a female witness in a Senate subcommittee hearing.
Elizabeth Nolan Brown, senior editor at Reason magazine, said Schatz treated male witnesses at the hearing differently than Internet Association deputy general counsel Elizabeth Banker. The senator berated Banker for attempting to give a longer answer to his "yes-or-no question." Schatz allowed former SEC chairman Christopher Cox more than a minute to answer the same question.
"Chris Cox provides similarly long and nuanced answer. Sen. [Schatz] does not snap at Chris Cox—like he did with Elizabeth Banker just a moment ago—for not giving a yes or no answer, lets him go on as long as he likes," Brown tweeted.
Chris Cox provides simililarly long and nuanced answer. Sen. @brianschatz does not snap at Chris Cox -- like he did with Elizabeth Banker just a moment ago -- for not giving a yes or no answer, lets him go on as long as he likes. Hmmmmm — Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) July 28, 2020
The Senate subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet convened virtually on Tuesday to discuss the responsibility of online platforms to moderate content posted on their sites. Schatz asked the panel of witnesses whether online platforms should be required to remove content that has been found to be illegal.
The House Judiciary Committee and Antitrust subcommittee is scheduled to hold hearings Wednesday on the "dominance" of large technology companies. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are expected to testify.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Biden Tells Reporters He Doesn’t Know Where He Is

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden told reporters he did not know where he was before a speech Tuesday in Wilmington , Del .
`` Good afternoon everyone .
Welcome to Kingswood Community Center , '' Biden said , before freezing for a few seconds .
`` Actually , that 's the one down where I used to work .
That 's a joke .
I did n't know where we were . ''
After appearing to refer to notes , he correctly identified the location as the William `` Hicks '' Anderson Community Center .
Biden , 77 , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had just forgotten , was a friend of his .
The former vice president has frequently taken flak from President Donald Trump and his allies for seeming to suffer from cognitive decline .
Trump has faced questions from reporters about his own mental stability , and he responded by touting his performance on a cognitive test .
Biden took questions from reporters following the speech , after his campaign came under fire for previously restricting press access to the candidate .
Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace criticized Biden for refusing an interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview with Wallace .
`` You can like [ the president 's ] answers or dislike them but he had answers and Joe Biden hasn ’ t faced that kind of scrutiny , hasn ’ t faced that kind of exposure , '' Wallace said .

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden told reporters he did not know where he was before a speech Tuesday in Wilmington, Del.
"Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to Kingswood Community Center," Biden said, before freezing for a few seconds. "Actually, that's the one down where I used to work. That's a joke. I didn't know where we were."
After appearing to refer to notes, he correctly identified the location as the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center. Biden, 77, said the late Anderson, whose name he had just forgotten, was a friend of his.
The former vice president has frequently taken flak from President Donald Trump and his allies for seeming to suffer from cognitive decline. Trump has faced questions from reporters about his own mental stability, and he responded by touting his performance on a cognitive test.
Biden took questions from reporters following the speech, after his campaign came under fire for previously restricting press access to the candidate.
Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace criticized Biden for refusing an interview opportunity after Trump sat down for an interview with Wallace.
"You can like [the president's] answers or dislike them but he had answers and Joe Biden hasn’t faced that kind of scrutiny, hasn’t faced that kind of exposure," Wallace said.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Local U.S. Law Enforcement Using Chinese Drones Cited for Espionage Concerns

An increasing number of local and state law enforcement authorities are using Chinese-made drones that the federal government warns are Communist Party espionage tools , prompting Congress to petition local governments to end their reliance on the technology .
Rep. Jim Banks ( R. , Ind . )
, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and Congress ’ s China Task Force , is blowing the whistle on his state ’ s use of drones produced by Dà-Jiāng Innovations ( DJI ) , which is controlled by the Chinese government and known to service its police state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this year donated more than 100 drones to U.S. authorities in 22 states to help them conduct surveillance during the coronavirus pandemic .
While the Defense Department and other federal agencies have banned the use of these drones , local governments have failed to do the same .
Banks , in a letter sent last week and obtained Tuesday by the Washington Free Beacon , warned Indiana officials that their use of these Chinese drones could be helping the Communist Party collect sensitive data about Americans and their local governments .
Chinese-made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. government has cracked down on in recent months over concerns the Communist Party is using them to conduct espionage operations in America .
All of the data collected by these unmanned vehicles would be accessible to the Chinese government due to its strict oversight of the tech sector .
Congressional and Trump administration officials have issued multiple warnings about the risks associated with Chinese technology , including popular social media applications such as TikTok , which could soon find itself banned in America due to China ’ s abuse of users ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become wise to the Chinese Communist Party ’ s infiltration , but state and local governments have not uniformly become as vigilant , '' Banks told the Free Beacon .
In his letter , addressed to Indiana governor Eric Holcomb ( R. ) , Banks outlines the many concerns surrounding DJI and other Chinese drone makers .
Holcomb was labeled by a Chinese think tank as a `` friendly '' U.S. official last year after he led a trade mission to the country .
Banks is pressuring Holcomb to implement a statewide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other drone companies with significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party from being used in support of state or local government operations , '' according to the letter .
China is seeking increased contact with U.S. state and local officials in a bid to bolster its standing in America .
This effort has become all the more important as the Trump administration cracks down on the federal government ’ s contacts with Beijing as a result of the coronavirus and subsequent Communist Party disinformation campaign .
As a member of the China Task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regularly briefed on the grave dangers of using drones and other surveillance technologies that may be sharing data with the Chinese Communist Party , '' the letter states .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also warned the nation ’ s governors of this danger during a February meeting with the National Governors Association .

An increasing number of local and state law enforcement authorities are using Chinese-made drones that the federal government warns are Communist Party espionage tools, prompting Congress to petition local governments to end their reliance on the technology.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and Congress’s China Task Force, is blowing the whistle on his state’s use of drones produced by Dà-Jiāng Innovations (DJI), which is controlled by the Chinese government and known to service its police state. Dà-Jiāng and other Communist Party drone makers earlier this year donated more than 100 drones to U.S. authorities in 22 states to help them conduct surveillance during the coronavirus pandemic. While the Defense Department and other federal agencies have banned the use of these drones, local governments have failed to do the same.
Banks, in a letter sent last week and obtained Tuesday by the Washington Free Beacon, warned Indiana officials that their use of these Chinese drones could be helping the Communist Party collect sensitive data about Americans and their local governments.
Chinese-made drones are one of many technologies the U.S. government has cracked down on in recent months over concerns the Communist Party is using them to conduct espionage operations in America. All of the data collected by these unmanned vehicles would be accessible to the Chinese government due to its strict oversight of the tech sector. Congressional and Trump administration officials have issued multiple warnings about the risks associated with Chinese technology, including popular social media applications such as TikTok, which could soon find itself banned in America due to China’s abuse of users’ private information.
"The federal government has become wise to the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration, but state and local governments have not uniformly become as vigilant," Banks told the Free Beacon.
In his letter, addressed to Indiana governor Eric Holcomb (R.), Banks outlines the many concerns surrounding DJI and other Chinese drone makers. Holcomb was labeled by a Chinese think tank as a "friendly" U.S. official last year after he led a trade mission to the country.
Banks is pressuring Holcomb to implement a statewide executive order "prohibiting DJI drones and other drone companies with significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party from being used in support of state or local government operations," according to the letter.
China is seeking increased contact with U.S. state and local officials in a bid to bolster its standing in America. This effort has become all the more important as the Trump administration cracks down on the federal government’s contacts with Beijing as a result of the coronavirus and subsequent Communist Party disinformation campaign.
As a member of the China Task Force in Congress, Banks is "regularly briefed on the grave dangers of using drones and other surveillance technologies that may be sharing data with the Chinese Communist Party," the letter states.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also warned the nation’s governors of this danger during a February meeting with the National Governors Association.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Top Journalism School Teams Up With Qatar

Northwestern University 's journalism program accepted hundreds of millions in funding from Qatar and a regime-backed foundation linked to terrorism .
The Department of Education is investigating whether Northwestern properly disclosed donations from the Qatari government .
Since 2012 , the school has accepted approximately $ 340 million in donations funneled through the Qatar Foundation , a nonprofit group with links to terrorism .
The university 's elite Medill School of Journalism in 2008 partnered with the Qatari government-owned media company Al Jazeera , an outlet accused of promoting and aiding al Qaeda , the Iranian regime , Hamas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as advancing anti-Semitism .
The Clarion Project , a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the threat of extremist groups in America , details how Qatar 's government spends millions on lobbyists , think tanks , and American universities to influence U.S. public opinion in favor of its views .
Alex VanNess , a Clarion Project research analyst , said that foreign influence on college campuses—in the United States and abroad—is dangerous , particularly from countries that are hostile to the United States .
`` [ Qatar 's ] foreign influence operation is shaping public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VanNess told the Washington Free Beacon .
He added that foreign influence `` is muddying the waters on issues relating to national security and relating to our relationships with our allies and it 's being done so by governments and entities that do n't have things like freedom of speech and are generally antagonistic to America and the American government . ''
Qatar 's government money has already won the support of a prominent Northwestern professor .
Justin Martin , an associate professor who received $ 1.4 million from the Qatari government for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Middle East , '' downplayed the 9/11 attacks and cheered for BDS on his public Twitter profile .
`` Happy 9/11 , '' Martin tweeted in 2019 .
`` More than 8,441 civilians died in Yemen this year helped by US arms dealt to Saudi Arabia and UAE .
The US is complicit in far more terror than it has ever suffered . ''
In a separate post , Martin hailed the use of Qatari money to promote the anti-Semitic Boycott , Divestment , and Sanctions ( BDS ) movement .
Responding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Qatar funding was influencing BDS on U.S. college campuses , Martin said , `` hopefully yes .
Three cheers for # BDS . ''
Martin did not respond to requests for comment .
Northwestern denounced the BDS movement in a public statement in May 2019 , but VanNess said this denunciation was hypocritical .
VanNess said if the university wanted to live up to its rhetoric , it must divest from Qatar and Al Jazeera , which have both supported the BDS movement .
`` It 's not possible for the school to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You 're speaking out of both sides of your mouth when you do that , '' VanNess told the Free Beacon .
`` [ Universities ] will condemn anti-Semitism in America , but they 'll keep their mouths shut when it comes to Al Jazeera and its anti-Semitic commentary . ''
The Qatar Foundation worked hand in hand with Northwestern to create Northwestern University in Qatar , a branch of the elite journalism school in Doha .
In a `` Memorandum of Understanding '' with Al Jazeera , the university agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The satellite campus is located near a Qatar Foundation-operated mosque that has become a stage for radical ideologies .
In 2017 , a preacher at the mosque described the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris as `` the sequel to the comedy film of 9/11 . ''
Neither Qatar nor Northwestern University responded to requests for comment .
Foreign influence is growing on college campuses .
According to a Free Beacon review of federal records , more than 100 U.S. universities host Confucius Institutes , a program backed by the Chinese government to indoctrinate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Education requires universities to disclose foreign gifts of more than $ 250,000 but universities seldom abide by the rule .
The Clarion Project estimates that between 2013 and 2017 , there were discrepancies of approximately $ 997 million between what universities disclosed and what was donated by foreign entities .
Most of the money came from Russia , China , Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Turkey , and the United Arab Emirates .
Records indicate the Qatari government also made large donations to Texas A & M , Virginia Commonwealth University , Cornell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment about the ongoing investigation into these universities .
The agency is ramping up disclosure requirements .
Beginning on July 31 , it will mandate that universities report all foreign money in a new online portal .

Northwestern University's journalism program accepted hundreds of millions in funding from Qatar and a regime-backed foundation linked to terrorism.
The Department of Education is investigating whether Northwestern properly disclosed donations from the Qatari government. Since 2012, the school has accepted approximately $340 million in donations funneled through the Qatar Foundation, a nonprofit group with links to terrorism. The university's elite Medill School of Journalism in 2008 partnered with the Qatari government-owned media company Al Jazeera, an outlet accused of promoting and aiding al Qaeda, the Iranian regime, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as advancing anti-Semitism.
The Clarion Project, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the threat of extremist groups in America, details how Qatar's government spends millions on lobbyists, think tanks, and American universities to influence U.S. public opinion in favor of its views. Alex VanNess, a Clarion Project research analyst, said that foreign influence on college campuses—in the United States and abroad—is dangerous, particularly from countries that are hostile to the United States.
"[Qatar's] foreign influence operation is shaping public opinion to erode American ideas," VanNess told the Washington Free Beacon. He added that foreign influence "is muddying the waters on issues relating to national security and relating to our relationships with our allies and it's being done so by governments and entities that don't have things like freedom of speech and are generally antagonistic to America and the American government."
Qatar's government money has already won the support of a prominent Northwestern professor. Justin Martin, an associate professor who received $1.4 million from the Qatari government for a study on "Media Use in the Middle East," downplayed the 9/11 attacks and cheered for BDS on his public Twitter profile.
"Happy 9/11," Martin tweeted in 2019. "More than 8,441 civilians died in Yemen this year helped by US arms dealt to Saudi Arabia and UAE. The US is complicit in far more terror than it has ever suffered."
In a separate post, Martin hailed the use of Qatari money to promote the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Responding to a Jerusalem Post headline asking if Qatar funding was influencing BDS on U.S. college campuses, Martin said, "hopefully yes. Three cheers for #BDS." Martin did not respond to requests for comment.
Northwestern denounced the BDS movement in a public statement in May 2019, but VanNess said this denunciation was hypocritical. VanNess said if the university wanted to live up to its rhetoric, it must divest from Qatar and Al Jazeera, which have both supported the BDS movement.
"It's not possible for the school to condemn anti-Semitism and work with Al Jazeera. You're speaking out of both sides of your mouth when you do that," VanNess told the Free Beacon. "[Universities] will condemn anti-Semitism in America, but they'll keep their mouths shut when it comes to Al Jazeera and its anti-Semitic commentary."
The Qatar Foundation worked hand in hand with Northwestern to create Northwestern University in Qatar, a branch of the elite journalism school in Doha. In a "Memorandum of Understanding" with Al Jazeera, the university agreed to conduct joint research and education programs.
The satellite campus is located near a Qatar Foundation-operated mosque that has become a stage for radical ideologies. In 2017, a preacher at the mosque described the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris as "the sequel to the comedy film of 9/11."
Neither Qatar nor Northwestern University responded to requests for comment.
Foreign influence is growing on college campuses. According to a Free Beacon review of federal records, more than 100 U.S. universities host Confucius Institutes, a program backed by the Chinese government to indoctrinate American college students. The Department of Education requires universities to disclose foreign gifts of more than $250,000 but universities seldom abide by the rule.
The Clarion Project estimates that between 2013 and 2017, there were discrepancies of approximately $997 million between what universities disclosed and what was donated by foreign entities. Most of the money came from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Records indicate the Qatari government also made large donations to Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and Georgetown.
The Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment about the ongoing investigation into these universities. The agency is ramping up disclosure requirements. Beginning on July 31, it will mandate that universities report all foreign money in a new online portal.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Democrats Reclaim Their Time During Barr Hearing

At one point , Barr noted that the point of his testimony was so he could be heard .
David @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Free Beacon .
He was previously a sports reporter for two years in @ @ @ @ @ sports reporting for the Washington Post .
He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and @ @ @ @ @ His Twitter handle is @ DavidRutz .
He can be reached at rutz @ freebeacon.com @

House Democrats repeatedly interrupted Attorney General William Barr at Tuesday's contentious Judiciary Committee hearing with the phrase, "reclaiming my time."
At one point, Barr noted that the point of his testimony was so he could be heard.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Illinois Sued After Refusing to Disclose Statewide Voter Data

Election officials in Illinois have been hit with a lawsuit after refusing to turn over the state 's voter-roll data for inspection .
The Public Interest Legal Foundation ( PILF ) , an election-integrity watchdog , filed the complaint Monday against Illinois State Board of Elections officials .
The officials , the complaint alleges , refused to provide a statewide voter file and voting history data as required under federal law .
The watchdog is attempting to inspect the state 's voter rolls for potential irregularities .
`` Illinois has stood in opposition to federal law for too long , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The public has a right to inspect the state 's voter records to ensure they are accurate ahead of the 2020 election and any time in the future . ''
Illinois has long been plagued with voter-roll irregularities .
Earlier this year , state election officials publicly acknowledged that a `` computer error '' in an automatic voter registration system—which Democrats are pushing to implement across the country—led to hundreds of noncitizens being added to voter rolls .
More than a dozen of those individuals cast ballots in the 2018 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrutiny over ballots cast in the name of deceased individuals .
The PILF previously found 17 counties in Illinois that had more registered voters than people living in those counties .
Churchwell said an attorney for his group was only allowed to sit at a computer terminal with a search function for single registrants if they knew their name or birthdate .
He added that `` only politicians and the like '' could have such data on every voter .
On February 21 , the watchdog group warned the officials they would face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a complete data set as required under federal law .
The watchdog said it initially sought access to the statewide voter information in October 2019 , but never received a complete data set .
The public information officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections said the board does not comment on pending litigation .
PILF has similar litigation underway in Maine and Maryland .
Delaware and Massachusetts have both granted the watchdog group access to their voter registration records .
A number of cities across the country have faced lawsuits from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include thousands of dead registrants .
Allegheny County , home to the city of Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs , recently settled one such suit .
An identical suit was filed in Detroit late last year .

Election officials in Illinois have been hit with a lawsuit after refusing to turn over the state's voter-roll data for inspection.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), an election-integrity watchdog, filed the complaint Monday against Illinois State Board of Elections officials. The officials, the complaint alleges, refused to provide a statewide voter file and voting history data as required under federal law. The watchdog is attempting to inspect the state's voter rolls for potential irregularities.
"Illinois has stood in opposition to federal law for too long," said PILF communications director Logan Churchwell. "The public has a right to inspect the state's voter records to ensure they are accurate ahead of the 2020 election and any time in the future."
Illinois has long been plagued with voter-roll irregularities. Earlier this year, state election officials publicly acknowledged that a "computer error" in an automatic voter registration system—which Democrats are pushing to implement across the country—led to hundreds of noncitizens being added to voter rolls. More than a dozen of those individuals cast ballots in the 2018 and 2019 elections. Chicago has also faced scrutiny over ballots cast in the name of deceased individuals. The PILF previously found 17 counties in Illinois that had more registered voters than people living in those counties.
Churchwell said an attorney for his group was only allowed to sit at a computer terminal with a search function for single registrants if they knew their name or birthdate. He added that "only politicians and the like" could have such data on every voter. On February 21, the watchdog group warned the officials they would face litigation if they did not turn over a complete data set as required under federal law. The watchdog said it initially sought access to the statewide voter information in October 2019, but never received a complete data set.
The public information officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections said the board does not comment on pending litigation.
PILF has similar litigation underway in Maine and Maryland. Delaware and Massachusetts have both granted the watchdog group access to their voter registration records.
A number of cities across the country have faced lawsuits from the PILF over their voter-roll irregularities, which include thousands of dead registrants. Allegheny County, home to the city of Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs, recently settled one such suit. An identical suit was filed in Detroit late last year.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Black Leaders in Portland Criticize Violent Protesters

While mainstream media outlets have tried to paint Portland 's protests as `` mostly peaceful , '' local black leaders have criticized demonstrators for destroying private and public property in the city—actions that they say distract from the call for racial justice .
Rachelle Dixon , vice chair of Portland 's Multnomah County Democrats , said the destruction was `` disturbing . ''
`` To see people standing in Portland destroying property and not actually doing the work of advocating for black people was disturbing , '' Dixon told the New York Times .
`` I think they 're a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color , especially black people .
My life is not going to improve because you broke the glass at the Louis Vuitton store . ''
Rioters have attacked the Mark O. Hatfield U.S .
Courthouse for two months , launching fireworks at the building and breaking windows .
They 've also targeted local police stations and businesses throughout the city .
According to the Portland Business Alliance , 90 downtown businesses lost more than $ 22 million— $ 4 million in property damage and $ 18 million in lost revenue—in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mondainé , president of the Portland branch of the NAACP , called the city 's riots a `` spectacle '' in a recent Washington Post op-ed .
`` Unfortunately , ‘ spectacle ' is now the best way to describe Portland 's protests .
Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention—but how do these actions stop police from killing black people ? ''
Mondainé said .
`` This might ease the consciences of white , affluent women who have previously been silent in the face of black oppression , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Are they really furthering the cause of justice , or is this another example of white co-optation ? ''
Last week , Mayor Ted Wheeler ( D. ) joined the crowd in support of the protests .
Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer ( D. ) also defended the protests , saying that some people simply `` have strong feelings . ''
This summer 's protests in Portland and across the country were sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody earlier this year .

While mainstream media outlets have tried to paint Portland's protests as "mostly peaceful," local black leaders have criticized demonstrators for destroying private and public property in the city—actions that they say distract from the call for racial justice.
Rachelle Dixon, vice chair of Portland's Multnomah County Democrats, said the destruction was "disturbing."
"To see people standing in Portland destroying property and not actually doing the work of advocating for black people was disturbing," Dixon told the New York Times. "I think they're a distraction from the everyday needs of people of color, especially black people. My life is not going to improve because you broke the glass at the Louis Vuitton store."
Rioters have attacked the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse for two months, launching fireworks at the building and breaking windows. They've also targeted local police stations and businesses throughout the city. According to the Portland Business Alliance, 90 downtown businesses lost more than $22 million—$4 million in property damage and $18 million in lost revenue—in the first month of protests alone.
E.D. Mondainé, president of the Portland branch of the NAACP, called the city's riots a "spectacle" in a recent Washington Post op-ed.
"Unfortunately, 'spectacle' is now the best way to describe Portland's protests. Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention—but how do these actions stop police from killing black people?" Mondainé said. "This might ease the consciences of white, affluent women who have previously been silent in the face of black oppression, but it's fair to ask: Are they really furthering the cause of justice, or is this another example of white co-optation?"
Last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler (D.) joined the crowd in support of the protests. Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer (D.) also defended the protests, saying that some people simply "have strong feelings."
This summer's protests in Portland and across the country were sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody earlier this year.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--BEASTMODE: Barr ‘Not Sure’ Congress Would Defend Capitol From Rioters

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday he was not sure whether members of Congress would protect the U.S. Capitol Building @ @ @ @ @ Amid a discussion about so-called peaceful protests that have devolved into violence in American cities @ @ @ @ @ R. , Ga. ) asked Barr , `` Do you think that this body right @ @ @ @ @ they decided to go tonight and paint the Capitol building ? ''
`` This body @ @ @ @ @ , '' Barr said , drawing laughter .
Collins said the Republicans would , but @ @ @ @ @ would join them .
`` It may be a peaceful protest to burn down the @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Maybe we 're back to 1812 again . ''
Barr has come under @ @ @ @ @ the House Judiciary Committee , on subjects including the Trump administration 's response to civil @ @ @ @ @ as Portland and Chicago .

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday he was not sure whether members of Congress would protect the U.S. Capitol Building from rioters and vandals.
Amid a discussion about so-called peaceful protests that have devolved into violence in American cities, Rep. Doug Collins (R., Ga.) asked Barr, "Do you think that this body right here would rise up if they decided to go tonight and paint the Capitol building?"
"This body? I'm not sure," Barr said, drawing laughter.
Collins said the Republicans would, but he was unsure whether Democrats would join them.
"It may be a peaceful protest to burn down the Capitol," Collins said. "Maybe we're back to 1812 again."
Barr has come under fierce questioning from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, on subjects including the Trump administration's response to civil unrest in American cities such as Portland and Chicago.


freebeacon--2020-07-28--Iran Launches Missile at Mock Aircraft Carrier

Iran 's Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) fired a helicopter missile at a replica aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday , the Associated Press reported .
The aircraft carrier resembled the Nimitz-class carriers used by American naval forces , potentially inflaming tensions between the two nations .
Iran chose a location of grave geostrategic significance to conduct its military exercise—20 percent of the world 's oil trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz .
`` Our policies to protect the vital interests of the dear nation of Iran are defensive , in the sense that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning , but we are completely aggressive in tactics and operations , '' Gen. Hossein Salami , the IRGC 's leader , said .
`` What was shown today at this exercise at the level of aerospace and naval forces was all offensive . ''
IRGC operations have long been a thorn in the side of American regional security .
Qassem Soleimani , the leader of the IRGC 's elite Quds Force , was killed by an American airstrike in January .
In 2019 , the White House designated the IRGC as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terror groups such as Hezbollah , Houthi militants , and Hamas .
`` The IRGC actively participates in , finances , and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft , '' the White House said at the time .
`` The IRGC is the Iranian government 's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign . ''
The latest military exercise comes amid tense relations between Iran and the United States .
Last week , the Iranian government called a U.S. fighter jet flyby of an Iranian passenger plane a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July , Iranian industrial and military facilities have been hit by a series of mysterious explosions , which many suspect are the design of Israeli and American special forces .
This recent bout of frustration between Washington and Tehran occurs at an inflection point for the two countries , as the United Nations arms embargo on Iran is set to expire in October .
The embargo has stopped Iran from acquiring military hardware and vehicles that could be sold to terror groups .
American defense officials believe that Russian fighter jets and tanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran 's military shopping list .
`` If we let [ the deal ] expire , you can be certain that what Iran has been doing in the dark , it will do in broad daylight and then some , '' said U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook in June .
Accordingly , Washington is holding fast to a maximum pressure strategy on the Islamic Republic .
`` If we play by Iran 's rules , Iran wins , '' Hook said .
Iran engages in `` mafia tactic [ s ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain kind of behavior for fear of something far worse . ''

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired a helicopter missile at a replica aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
The aircraft carrier resembled the Nimitz-class carriers used by American naval forces, potentially inflaming tensions between the two nations. Iran chose a location of grave geostrategic significance to conduct its military exercise—20 percent of the world's oil trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our policies to protect the vital interests of the dear nation of Iran are defensive, in the sense that we will not invade any country from the beginning, but we are completely aggressive in tactics and operations," Gen. Hossein Salami, the IRGC's leader, said. "What was shown today at this exercise at the level of aerospace and naval forces was all offensive."
IRGC operations have long been a thorn in the side of American regional security. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the IRGC's elite Quds Force, was killed by an American airstrike in January. In 2019, the White House designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization for its role in supporting terror groups such as Hezbollah, Houthi militants, and Hamas.
"The IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," the White House said at the time. "The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."
The latest military exercise comes amid tense relations between Iran and the United States. Last week, the Iranian government called a U.S. fighter jet flyby of an Iranian passenger plane a "terrorist act." Throughout June and July, Iranian industrial and military facilities have been hit by a series of mysterious explosions, which many suspect are the design of Israeli and American special forces.
This recent bout of frustration between Washington and Tehran occurs at an inflection point for the two countries, as the United Nations arms embargo on Iran is set to expire in October. The embargo has stopped Iran from acquiring military hardware and vehicles that could be sold to terror groups. American defense officials believe that Russian fighter jets and tanks would be among the first items on Iran's military shopping list.
"If we let [the deal] expire, you can be certain that what Iran has been doing in the dark, it will do in broad daylight and then some," said U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook in June.
Accordingly, Washington is holding fast to a maximum pressure strategy on the Islamic Republic. "If we play by Iran's rules, Iran wins," Hook said. Iran engages in "mafia tactic[s] where people are intimidated into accepting a certain kind of behavior for fear of something far worse."