freebeacon--2020-12-17--Education Department Defends DeVos’s Call to ‘Resist’

The Department of Education is defending comments made by Secretary Betsy DeVos in which she told career staff members at the agency to `` resist '' any policies in future administrations that do not `` put students first . ''
DeVos 's comments , delivered as a parting message during an internal meeting on December 15 , were picked up by mainstream media outlets such as Politico and USA Today that claimed DeVos instructed staffers to `` be the resistance '' in the Biden administration .
But a transcript of the speech provided by the Department of Education shows she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a distinction it says the coverage obscured .
`` I challenge you to keep your focus on students , '' the speech transcript reads .
`` Many of you know well that most everything in this town , when it comes to education , is focused on schools—not students .
So , let me leave you with this last plea : resist .
Be the resistance against a familiar force that will distract you from doing what 's right for students . ''
Angela Morabito , a spokeswoman for the Education Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characterizing her message as an attack on the Biden administration was an incorrect reading , unless the media assume the next administration wo n't make students the top priority .
`` The Secretary urged the staff to always put students first , and resist anything that distracts from that mission , '' Morabito said .
`` Too many in Washington for too long have put the needs of adults and the education ‘ system ' first .
Secretary DeVos worked tirelessly for four years to reorient the conversation around students , especially disadvantaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep students at the center of every decision . ''
Biden has not announced whom he will tap to lead the agency .

The Department of Education is defending comments made by Secretary Betsy DeVos in which she told career staff members at the agency to "resist" any policies in future administrations that do not "put students first."
DeVos's comments, delivered as a parting message during an internal meeting on December 15, were picked up by mainstream media outlets such as Politico and USA Today that claimed DeVos instructed staffers to "be the resistance" in the Biden administration. But a transcript of the speech provided by the Department of Education shows she was talking about policies, not politicians, a distinction it says the coverage obscured.
"I challenge you to keep your focus on students," the speech transcript reads. "Many of you know well that most everything in this town, when it comes to education, is focused on schools—not students. So, let me leave you with this last plea: resist. Be the resistance against a familiar force that will distract you from doing what's right for students."
Angela Morabito, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, told the Washington Free Beacon that characterizing her message as an attack on the Biden administration was an incorrect reading, unless the media assume the next administration won't make students the top priority.
"The Secretary urged the staff to always put students first, and resist anything that distracts from that mission," Morabito said. "Too many in Washington for too long have put the needs of adults and the education 'system' first. Secretary DeVos worked tirelessly for four years to reorient the conversation around students, especially disadvantaged students, and she urged everyone to keep students at the center of every decision."
Biden has not announced whom he will tap to lead the agency.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--ATF Decision Could Lead to Biggest Gun Registration, Turn-in Effort in American History

New guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms , and Explosives ( ATF ) could put millions of Americans in legal jeopardy .
The ATF published a notice Thursday that could require millions of AR-15 pistols and similar firearms—which are designed with braces that strap on to a shooter 's forearm—to be either registered , turned in , destroyed , or dismantled .
But the standards laid out for determining the devices ' legality , such as caliber or weight , provide no objective measures , and the agency said it may also use undisclosed factors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The agency conceded in the notice that some pistol braces are legal and should not be subject to the registration or destruction requirement .
It said , however , that it could not provide a blanket determination for which pistols , or braces with which they 're often equipped , are legal and said it would have to examine each gun `` on a case-by-case basis . ''
That means owners of the vast majority of the estimated three to four million AR-15 pistols and similar firearms may have to register with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in arms over the proposed rule , saying the uncertain legal status could destroy several businesses that make pistol braces and harm the gun industry .
Erich Pratt , senior vice president of Gun Owners of America ( GOA ) , said the subjective nature of the guidance shows that the `` ATF has gone off into the deep end . ''
`` GOA will rally the grassroots to fight these regulations , and if they eventually go into effect , we will commence immediate legal action to protect gun owners , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controversy stems from how federal law distinguishes between short-barrel rifles and shotguns , both of which must be registered and require a $ 200 tax stamp , and pistols that do not require either .
The key component is whether a firearm is designed to be pressed against the shooter 's shoulder .
Since 2012 , the ATF has classified several guns with braces designed to strap to a shooter 's forearm as pistols .
The agency 's Boston field office called that interpretation into question in August after sending a cease and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency ordered a review in October following intervention from the White House .
Neither the ATF nor the White House responded to a request for comment .
The notice said the agency plans to waive the $ 200 tax for those registering the affected firearms during a grace period to be announced later .
The public has two weeks to offer comment on the ATF notice before it goes into effect .

New guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) could put millions of Americans in legal jeopardy.
The ATF published a notice Thursday that could require millions of AR-15 pistols and similar firearms—which are designed with braces that strap on to a shooter's forearm—to be either registered, turned in, destroyed, or dismantled. But the standards laid out for determining the devices' legality, such as caliber or weight, provide no objective measures, and the agency said it may also use undisclosed factors to judge the legality of the devices.
The agency conceded in the notice that some pistol braces are legal and should not be subject to the registration or destruction requirement. It said, however, that it could not provide a blanket determination for which pistols, or braces with which they're often equipped, are legal and said it would have to examine each gun "on a case-by-case basis." That means owners of the vast majority of the estimated three to four million AR-15 pistols and similar firearms may have to register with the ATF.
Second Amendment advocates were up in arms over the proposed rule, saying the uncertain legal status could destroy several businesses that make pistol braces and harm the gun industry. Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America (GOA), said the subjective nature of the guidance shows that the "ATF has gone off into the deep end."
"GOA will rally the grassroots to fight these regulations, and if they eventually go into effect, we will commence immediate legal action to protect gun owners," Pratt said in a statement.
The controversy stems from how federal law distinguishes between short-barrel rifles and shotguns, both of which must be registered and require a $200 tax stamp, and pistols that do not require either. The key component is whether a firearm is designed to be pressed against the shooter's shoulder. Since 2012, the ATF has classified several guns with braces designed to strap to a shooter's forearm as pistols. The agency's Boston field office called that interpretation into question in August after sending a cease and desist letter to one manufacturer. The agency ordered a review in October following intervention from the White House.
Neither the ATF nor the White House responded to a request for comment.
The notice said the agency plans to waive the $200 tax for those registering the affected firearms during a grace period to be announced later. The public has two weeks to offer comment on the ATF notice before it goes into effect.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--Dem Tapped to Run Interior Smeared Covington Students

President-elect Joe Biden announced he will nominate a New Mexico Democrat who smeared students from Covington Catholic High School last year to lead the Department of the Interior .
Rep. Deb Haaland ( D. , N.M. ) , a freshman congresswoman and one of two Native-American women in Congress , accused the high school students of `` hate '' and `` intolerance '' in January 2019 after a selectively edited video clip of an encounter between pro-life student activists and counterprotesters in Washington , D.C. , went viral .
`` This Veteran put his life on the line for our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Phillips , a Native-American activist who confronted the Covington Catholic students .
`` The students ' display of blatant hate , disrespect , and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration . ''
Haaland followed up her accusations with a second tweet , saying , `` A Native American Vietnam War veteran was seen being harassed and mocked by a group of MAGA hat-wearing teens . ''
Media reports at the time portrayed the group of high school students as harassing Phillips .
Additional reports revealed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Covington Catholic students , placing himself in between the students and a group of radical Black Hebrew Israelites , who were yelling racial slurs and other insults at the students .
Phillips later told media outlets that he stepped in to defend the Black Hebrew Israelites .
Also , after several media outlets referred to Phillips as a Vietnam War veteran , MilitaryTimes reported that Phillips did not serve in Vietnam .
The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment .
Attorneys for the families of Covington students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D. , Mass . )
, CNN , and the Washington Post for defamation for their role in spreading false information about the controversy .
`` None of [ the victims ] harassed or mocked anyone , and particularly no Native American ‘ war veterans , ' '' the students ' attorneys said .
Though a judge dismissed the defamation suits against Warren and Haaland , Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann settled out of court with both CNN and the Washington Post .
Haaland did not respond to a request for comment @

President-elect Joe Biden announced he will nominate a New Mexico Democrat who smeared students from Covington Catholic High School last year to lead the Department of the Interior.
Rep. Deb Haaland (D., N.M.), a freshman congresswoman and one of two Native-American women in Congress, accused the high school students of "hate" and "intolerance" in January 2019 after a selectively edited video clip of an encounter between pro-life student activists and counterprotesters in Washington, D.C., went viral.
"This Veteran put his life on the line for our country," Haaland said of Nathan Phillips, a Native-American activist who confronted the Covington Catholic students. "The students' display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration."
This Veteran put his life on the line for our country. The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking. https://t.co/NuPnYu9FP4 — Rep. Deb Haaland (@RepDebHaaland) January 19, 2019
Haaland followed up her accusations with a second tweet, saying, "A Native American Vietnam War veteran was seen being harassed and mocked by a group of MAGA hat-wearing teens."
Media reports at the time portrayed the group of high school students as harassing Phillips. Additional reports revealed, however, that Phillips approached the group of Covington Catholic students, placing himself in between the students and a group of radical Black Hebrew Israelites, who were yelling racial slurs and other insults at the students. Phillips later told media outlets that he stepped in to defend the Black Hebrew Israelites.
Also, after several media outlets referred to Phillips as a Vietnam War veteran, MilitaryTimes reported that Phillips did not serve in Vietnam.
The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment.
Attorneys for the families of Covington students later sued Haaland, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), CNN, and the Washington Post for defamation for their role in spreading false information about the controversy. "None of [the victims] harassed or mocked anyone, and particularly no Native American 'war veterans,'" the students' attorneys said.
Though a judge dismissed the defamation suits against Warren and Haaland, Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann settled out of court with both CNN and the Washington Post.
Haaland did not respond to a request for comment.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--China, Russia Make Inroads in Space Race

China and Russia achieved major progress in their respective space programs this week .
Beijing 's first lunar surface probe—and the world 's first lunar surface probe in more than 40 years—safely returned to Earth on Thursday after a mission in which it collected samples from the Moon .
Chinese experts will analyze the lunar surface samples in the coming weeks .
And on Wednesday , Pentagon officials announced Moscow successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon capable of destroying American low-orbit installations .
Chinese president Xi Jinping called his country 's mission a `` great step forward '' for the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alongside a buildup in Chinese satellites , investment in space startups , and plans to build an independent Chinese space station , adds to China 's larger strategic goal of becoming a `` space great power . ''
China 's technological developments could have real security implications for the United States .
With U.S. officials recognizing that billions of dollars in American industry are tethered to the success of space-based communication networks , some in Washington fear China 's rise in space could threaten the U.S economy and crisis response time worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ development hopes to target the U.S. reliance on satellites .
`` Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield , yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space by developing and fielding on-orbit and ground-based capabilities that seek to exploit U.S. reliance on space-based systems , '' U.S. Space Command 's lead officer , General James Dickinson , said .
`` Russia 's persistent testing of these systems demonstrates threats to U.S. and allied space systems are rapidly advancing . ''
To help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , the White House authorized two new executive guidelines to further develop the United States ' long-term strategy in space .
The National Space Policy , released last week , promotes a new vision of American leadership in space propelled by private industry .
Washington issued another directive following the landmark policy on Wednesday , with an emphasis on harnessing nuclear power to push forward the American space effort .
`` The United States seeks a secure , stable , and accessible space domain , which has become a warfighting domain as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States and allied interests in space , '' the National Space Policy document reads .
`` It is imperative that the United States adapt its national security organizations , policies , strategies , doctrine , security classification frameworks , and capabilities to deter hostilities , demonstrate responsible behaviors , and , if necessary , defeat aggression and protect United States interests in space . ''

China and Russia achieved major progress in their respective space programs this week.
Beijing's first lunar surface probe—and the world's first lunar surface probe in more than 40 years—safely returned to Earth on Thursday after a mission in which it collected samples from the Moon. Chinese experts will analyze the lunar surface samples in the coming weeks.
And on Wednesday, Pentagon officials announced Moscow successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon capable of destroying American low-orbit installations.
Chinese president Xi Jinping called his country's mission a "great step forward" for the Chinese space industry. The successful mission, alongside a buildup in Chinese satellites, investment in space startups, and plans to build an independent Chinese space station, adds to China's larger strategic goal of becoming a "space great power."
China's technological developments could have real security implications for the United States. With U.S. officials recognizing that billions of dollars in American industry are tethered to the success of space-based communication networks, some in Washington fear China's rise in space could threaten the U.S economy and crisis response time worldwide.
U.S. officials also said Russia's weapons development hopes to target the U.S. reliance on satellites.
"Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield, yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space by developing and fielding on-orbit and ground-based capabilities that seek to exploit U.S. reliance on space-based systems," U.S. Space Command's lead officer, General James Dickinson, said. "Russia's persistent testing of these systems demonstrates threats to U.S. and allied space systems are rapidly advancing."
To help confront the threat posed by China and Russia, the White House authorized two new executive guidelines to further develop the United States' long-term strategy in space. The National Space Policy, released last week, promotes a new vision of American leadership in space propelled by private industry. Washington issued another directive following the landmark policy on Wednesday, with an emphasis on harnessing nuclear power to push forward the American space effort.
"The United States seeks a secure, stable, and accessible space domain, which has become a warfighting domain as a result of competitors seeking to challenge United States and allied interests in space," the National Space Policy document reads. "It is imperative that the United States adapt its national security organizations, policies, strategies, doctrine, security classification frameworks, and capabilities to deter hostilities, demonstrate responsible behaviors, and, if necessary, defeat aggression and protect United States interests in space."


freebeacon--2020-12-17--Smith & Wesson Sues New Jersey

Smith & Wesson Sues New Jersey

One of the country 's largest gun manufacturers has filed a federal suit accusing the state of New Jersey of violating its First Amendment rights .
Smith & Wesson sued the state Tuesday in response to a broad subpoena issued by New Jersey attorney general Gurbir Grewal ( D. ) .
The case , filed in federal district court , seeks to have the subpoena—which demanded a decade 's worth of advertising and sales records—thrown out and declared unconstitutional .
`` The New Jersey Attorney General has taken a series of actions to suppress Smith & Wesson 's speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Wesson both financially and reputationally , '' the complaint from the company said .
`` The most recent such action is the issuance of an administrative subpoena … on October 13 , 2020 that allegedly seeks evidence of consumer fraud relating to advertising – but in reality , it seeks to suppress and punish lawful speech regarding gun ownership in order to advance an anti-Second Amendment agenda that the Attorney General publicly committed to pursue . ''
Grewal 's office did not respond to a request for comment .
Larry Keane , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Shooting Sports Foundation , said New Jersey 's subpoena is part of a concerted effort to hobble the gun industry through frivolous court proceedings .
Such probes are meant to `` get to discovery '' in the hopes of forcing gun companies to agree to new regulations in legal settlements , according to Keane .
`` They will … try to impose through settlements [ gun-control ] measures they ca n't get passed through Congress or in the states , '' he told the Washington Free Beacon .
`` It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new legal movement to one in the 1990s that tried to run up gun companies ' legal bills through cases attempting to hold them responsible for the criminal acts of third parties .
The extensive litigation inspired the bipartisan Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act , which guaranteed liability protection to gunmakers .
William Yeatman , a research fellow at the Cato Institute 's Robert A .
Levy Center for Constitutional Studies , told the Free Beacon that Smith & Wesson faces an uphill battle , as state law gives Grewal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subpoenas .
`` In this context , New Jersey has tremendous latitude to investigate , '' he said .
`` Nevertheless , there are limits , and AGs generally are n't allowed to go on fishing expeditions , especially when constitutional rights are possibly at play . ''
Keane said the suit is a reminder that the gun industry will not back down from legal fights it believes are mainly intended to put gunmakers out of business .
`` It is a signal to gun-control groups , the white-shoe law firms , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to take this lying down any more than we did 20 years ago , '' he said .
`` We were underestimated 20 years ago and they 're underestimating us now . ''

One of the country's largest gun manufacturers has filed a federal suit accusing the state of New Jersey of violating its First Amendment rights.
Smith & Wesson sued the state Tuesday in response to a broad subpoena issued by New Jersey attorney general Gurbir Grewal (D.). The case, filed in federal district court, seeks to have the subpoena—which demanded a decade's worth of advertising and sales records—thrown out and declared unconstitutional.
"The New Jersey Attorney General has taken a series of actions to suppress Smith & Wesson's speech, and with the intention of damaging Smith & Wesson both financially and reputationally," the complaint from the company said. "The most recent such action is the issuance of an administrative subpoena … on October 13, 2020 that allegedly seeks evidence of consumer fraud relating to advertising – but in reality, it seeks to suppress and punish lawful speech regarding gun ownership in order to advance an anti-Second Amendment agenda that the Attorney General publicly committed to pursue."
Grewal's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said New Jersey's subpoena is part of a concerted effort to hobble the gun industry through frivolous court proceedings. Such probes are meant to "get to discovery" in the hopes of forcing gun companies to agree to new regulations in legal settlements, according to Keane.
"They will … try to impose through settlements [gun-control] measures they can't get passed through Congress or in the states," he told the Washington Free Beacon. "It's regulation through litigation."
Keane compared the new legal movement to one in the 1990s that tried to run up gun companies' legal bills through cases attempting to hold them responsible for the criminal acts of third parties. The extensive litigation inspired the bipartisan Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which guaranteed liability protection to gunmakers.
William Yeatman, a research fellow at the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, told the Free Beacon that Smith & Wesson faces an uphill battle, as state law gives Grewal a great deal of discretion in issuing subpoenas.
"In this context, New Jersey has tremendous latitude to investigate," he said. "Nevertheless, there are limits, and AGs generally aren't allowed to go on fishing expeditions, especially when constitutional rights are possibly at play."
Keane said the suit is a reminder that the gun industry will not back down from legal fights it believes are mainly intended to put gunmakers out of business.
"It is a signal to gun-control groups, the white-shoe law firms, and anti-gun politicians that the industry is not going to take this lying down any more than we did 20 years ago," he said. "We were underestimated 20 years ago and they're underestimating us now."


freebeacon--2020-12-17--As Pandemic Rages, Libs Escalate Their War on Hospitals

Even in the midst of a global pandemic , big-city libs ca n't quit their fetish for protesting hospitals .
This week , the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to condemn a major hospital named after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg , who donated $ 75 million to the facility in 2015 .
Liberals no longer consider Zuckerberg one of the `` good billionaires '' because many believe it was Facebook , rather than Hillary Clinton 's numerous deficiencies as a politician and a human being , that facilitated the election of Donald Trump in 2016 .
Some are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass murder .
`` San Francisco 's only public hospital should not bear the name of a person responsible for endangering public health in our country and around the world—and yet it does , '' said Gordon Mar , the board member who sponsored the measure .
`` These are policy choices , and they have a body count . ''
Like most public expressions of liberal anguish , the vote of condemnation was purely symbolic .
It was , however , in keeping with the proud liberal tradition of lashing out at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals .
From coast to coast , the libs have waged war on donor-funded hospitals .
In 2014 , libs protested David Koch 's record-breaking $ 100 million donation to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the planned construction of a new ambulatory-care center named after the late billionaire philanthropist .
When Zuckerberg announced his generous donation to San Francisco General Hospital in 2015 , the libs did n't immediately protest .
Barack Obama was still the president and had been widely praised for assembling a `` dream team '' of Silicon Valley engineers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Facebook to campaign for reelection in 2012 .
The protests started in May 2018 , well into the Trump era , when hospital nurses started to complain that the Zuckerberg name `` scares '' patients .
`` Had we known what we know now , perhaps we wouldn ’ t have accepted the funds from Zuckerberg , '' a former San Francisco supervisor told the New York Times .
They have n't backed down , even in the face of a global pandemic that has stretched hospital resources to their limit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals is almost admirable .
But not really .

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, big-city libs can't quit their fetish for protesting hospitals.
This week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to condemn a major hospital named after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who donated $75 million to the facility in 2015.
Liberals no longer consider Zuckerberg one of the "good billionaires" because many believe it was Facebook, rather than Hillary Clinton's numerous deficiencies as a politician and a human being, that facilitated the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Some are even convinced that Zuckerberg is liable for mass murder.
"San Francisco's only public hospital should not bear the name of a person responsible for endangering public health in our country and around the world—and yet it does," said Gordon Mar, the board member who sponsored the measure. "These are policy choices, and they have a body count."
Like most public expressions of liberal anguish, the vote of condemnation was purely symbolic. It was, however, in keeping with the proud liberal tradition of lashing out at people who donate millions of dollars to hospitals.
From coast to coast, the libs have waged war on donor-funded hospitals. In 2014, libs protested David Koch's record-breaking $100 million donation to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the planned construction of a new ambulatory-care center named after the late billionaire philanthropist.
When Zuckerberg announced his generous donation to San Francisco General Hospital in 2015, the libs didn't immediately protest. Barack Obama was still the president and had been widely praised for assembling a "dream team" of Silicon Valley engineers and for his masterful use of data gleaned from Facebook to campaign for reelection in 2012.
The protests started in May 2018, well into the Trump era, when hospital nurses started to complain that the Zuckerberg name "scares" patients.
"Had we known what we know now, perhaps we wouldn’t have accepted the funds from Zuckerberg," a former San Francisco supervisor told the New York Times.
They haven't backed down, even in the face of a global pandemic that has stretched hospital resources to their limit. Their dedication to the cause of antagonizing hospitals is almost admirable. But not really.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--U.S. Stops Sharing Intel With Qatar Due to Alignment With Iran, British MP Says

British MP Ian Paisley Jr. told colleagues in the House of Commons last week that the United States is no longer sharing military intelligence with Qatar due to the country 's close ties to Iran , the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday .
Paisley Jr. said the revelation came from a report by the British geopolitical risk firm Cornerstone Global Associates detailing Qatar 's links to Iran-backed terrorism .
The report warned that Israel 's renewed relations with Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have made Qatar even less willing to engage with fellow Arab states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish and Iranian media campaigns against the new U.S.-led coalition .
Adding to concerns about Doha 's complicity in international terrorism , a new lawsuit from American families living in Israel alleges that Qatari banks have secretly developed a backchannel with Palestinian terrorists responsible for killing U.S. citizens , sending millions to those groups .
The lawsuit charges that Qatari royal family members orchestrated `` a terrorism financing conspiracy '' that enriched Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad , two groups considered radical terrorist organizations by the U.S. government .
Plaintiffs say the Qatar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money to those groups since 2014 through dozens of accounts , potentially enabling the groups to plan seven attacks that have killed several American citizens .
Qatar poses a potential strategic problem for Washington as it currently hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East .
Doha was also the site of peace negotiations between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Taliban earlier this year .

British MP Ian Paisley Jr. told colleagues in the House of Commons last week that the United States is no longer sharing military intelligence with Qatar due to the country's close ties to Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Paisley Jr. said the revelation came from a report by the British geopolitical risk firm Cornerstone Global Associates detailing Qatar's links to Iran-backed terrorism. The report warned that Israel's renewed relations with Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have made Qatar even less willing to engage with fellow Arab states. Instead, Qatar has intensified cooperation with Turkish and Iranian media campaigns against the new U.S.-led coalition.
Adding to concerns about Doha's complicity in international terrorism, a new lawsuit from American families living in Israel alleges that Qatari banks have secretly developed a backchannel with Palestinian terrorists responsible for killing U.S. citizens, sending millions to those groups.
The lawsuit charges that Qatari royal family members orchestrated "a terrorism financing conspiracy" that enriched Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two groups considered radical terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. Plaintiffs say the Qatar National Bank has facilitated the transfer of money to those groups since 2014 through dozens of accounts, potentially enabling the groups to plan seven attacks that have killed several American citizens.
Qatar poses a potential strategic problem for Washington as it currently hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East. Doha was also the site of peace negotiations between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Taliban earlier this year.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--Holocaust Denier Remains on Northwestern Website After Author of Controversial Op-Ed Scrubbed

Northwestern University scrubbed its website of references to a former professor who penned a controversial op-ed against Jill Biden—but it continues to feature a professor who denies the Holocaust .
Joseph Epstein , a writer and former adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University , had argued in the Wall Street Journal that Jill Biden should n't call herself a `` Dr. '' Following the op-ed , Northwestern issued a condemnation of Epstein and removed his profile from its website .
Yet the school still has a page for Arthur Butz , a tenured engineering professor who calls the Holocaust a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Butz authored a book titled , The Hoax of the Twentieth Century : The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry , which argues against the existence of the Holocaust .
In the book , Butz claims that there is no substantial evidence to prove the Holocaust happened , that Jews were asked to shave their hair and shower in gas chambers to fight lice , and that Jews used Auschwitz as a propaganda campaign .
`` What we are offered in evidence was gathered after the war , in trials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence is almost all oral testimony and ‘ confessions . '
Without the evidence of these trials there would be no significant evidence of ‘ extermination . '
'' Butz has caused problems for the university in the past .
In 2006 , former university president Henry Bienen condemned Butz 's beliefs but acknowledged his views and comments were within the bounds of academic freedom .
`` Like all faculty members , [ Butz ] is entitled to express his personal views … as long as he does not represent such opinions as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bienen wrote .
`` Butz has made clear that his opinions are his own and at no time has he discussed those views in class or made them part of his class curriculum . ''
Because Butz has tenure , the university can not fire him .
Northwestern took a similar attitude toward Epstein , despite his op-ed being comparatively mainstream .
In a press release , the university condemned Epstein 's `` misogynistic views '' and stated that it is `` firmly committed to equity , diversity , and inclusion . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the school `` firmly support [ s ] academic freedom and freedom of expression . ''
Attempts to censor controversial speech have become commonplace on college campuses .
At Cornell University , the Black Law Students Association , Cornell alumni , and law school faculty created a petition calling on the university to sack a professor who publicly critiqued Black Lives Matter .
The same silencing strategy resulted in a University of Chicago professor losing his job at the Federal Reserve , again for critiquing Black Lives Matter .
Epstein told the Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his latest op-ed at this time .
Northwestern University did not respond to requests for comment .

Northwestern University scrubbed its website of references to a former professor who penned a controversial op-ed against Jill Biden—but it continues to feature a professor who denies the Holocaust.
Joseph Epstein, a writer and former adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University, had argued in the Wall Street Journal that Jill Biden shouldn't call herself a "Dr." Following the op-ed, Northwestern issued a condemnation of Epstein and removed his profile from its website. Yet the school still has a page for Arthur Butz, a tenured engineering professor who calls the Holocaust a "hoax" and a "legend."
Butz authored a book titled, The Hoax of the Twentieth Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry, which argues against the existence of the Holocaust. In the book, Butz claims that there is no substantial evidence to prove the Holocaust happened, that Jews were asked to shave their hair and shower in gas chambers to fight lice, and that Jews used Auschwitz as a propaganda campaign.
"What we are offered in evidence was gathered after the war, in trials," Butz wrote. "The evidence is almost all oral testimony and 'confessions.' Without the evidence of these trials there would be no significant evidence of 'extermination.'"
Butz has caused problems for the university in the past. In 2006, former university president Henry Bienen condemned Butz's beliefs but acknowledged his views and comments were within the bounds of academic freedom. "Like all faculty members, [Butz] is entitled to express his personal views … as long as he does not represent such opinions as the view of the university," Bienen wrote. "Butz has made clear that his opinions are his own and at no time has he discussed those views in class or made them part of his class curriculum." Because Butz has tenure, the university cannot fire him.
Northwestern took a similar attitude toward Epstein, despite his op-ed being comparatively mainstream. In a press release, the university condemned Epstein's "misogynistic views" and stated that it is "firmly committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion." It issued only a short caveat claiming the school "firmly support[s] academic freedom and freedom of expression."
Attempts to censor controversial speech have become commonplace on college campuses. At Cornell University, the Black Law Students Association, Cornell alumni, and law school faculty created a petition calling on the university to sack a professor who publicly critiqued Black Lives Matter. The same silencing strategy resulted in a University of Chicago professor losing his job at the Federal Reserve, again for critiquing Black Lives Matter.
Epstein told the Washington Free Beacon he is not commenting on his latest op-ed at this time. Northwestern University did not respond to requests for comment.


freebeacon--2020-12-17--Survey: Progressives Least Likely to Take Pride in America

A December survey from the international organization More in Common showed that people on the far left are most likely to report negative feelings about being American .
Just 34 percent of the most left-wing respondents—a group More in Common terms `` progressive activists '' —said they agree with the statement `` I feel proud to be American . ''
Progressive activists are the only ideological group in the survey who agreed with that statement at a rate below 60 percent .
The results contrast with other respondent groups , including minorities in America and Americans identifying as politically conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 76 percent of Hispanic Americans reported feeling pride in being American .
White Americans were comparable , with 75 percent reporting patriotic pride .
The vast majority of respondents identified as `` devoted conservatives '' said they believe America is a better nation than most others , and 100 percent of them said they take pride in their American identity .
Overall , 80 percent of respondents surveyed said they are thankful to be American .
More than two-thirds of respondents reported feeling a connection to their local communities and fellow Americans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressive activists and younger respondents .
Older respondents were also far more likely to report feeling patriotic pride , a trend that has been in progress for years .
A Gallup poll published over the summer found that just 20 percent of adults between 18 and 29 years of age feel `` extremely proud to be American . ''
This was the sixth consecutive year of overall decline in the survey .

A December survey from the international organization More in Common showed that people on the far left are most likely to report negative feelings about being American.
Just 34 percent of the most left-wing respondents—a group More in Common terms "progressive activists"—said they agree with the statement "I feel proud to be American." Progressive activists are the only ideological group in the survey who agreed with that statement at a rate below 60 percent.
The results contrast with other respondent groups, including minorities in America and Americans identifying as politically conservative. Seventy percent of black Americans and 76 percent of Hispanic Americans reported feeling pride in being American. White Americans were comparable, with 75 percent reporting patriotic pride.
The vast majority of respondents identified as "devoted conservatives" said they believe America is a better nation than most others, and 100 percent of them said they take pride in their American identity.
Overall, 80 percent of respondents surveyed said they are thankful to be American. More than two-thirds of respondents reported feeling a connection to their local communities and fellow Americans. The weakest sense of belonging came from progressive activists and younger respondents.
Older respondents were also far more likely to report feeling patriotic pride, a trend that has been in progress for years. A Gallup poll published over the summer found that just 20 percent of adults between 18 and 29 years of age feel "extremely proud to be American." This was the sixth consecutive year of overall decline in the survey.


freebeacon--2020-12-18--There’s No Reason for Biden to Reward Iran

Back in September , Joe Biden described his Iran policy in an op-ed for CNN .
After several paragraphs criticizing President Trump , Biden made an `` unshakable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . ''
Then he offered Tehran `` a credible path back to diplomacy . ''
The terms were simple .
`` If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal , '' Biden wrote , `` the United States would rejoin the agreement as a starting point for follow-on negotiations . ''
Sanctions would be lifted .
And Biden is sticking with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him if the offer stands .
`` It 's going to be hard , '' Biden replied , `` but yeah . ''
Sure , Biden admitted , the agreement did not cover Iran 's missile programs , or support for terrorism , or human-rights violations , or malign behavior in Syria , Iraq , and Yemen .
Absolutely , it contained a sunset clause that freed Iran of its obligations , and limited inspections to non-military installations .
True , Iran maintained its archive of nuclear weapons research ( until Israel revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And yes , the regional dynamic has changed .
But these are secondary issues .
`` The best way to achieve getting some stability in the region , '' Biden said , is `` with the nuclear program . ''
`` Stability '' is not how most people would describe the Middle East after 2015 .
Iran continued to launch missiles and send weapons and rockets to Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon , Shiite militias in Iraq , and Houthis in Yemen .
Iran continued to hold captive U.S. citizens and harass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran continued to harbor al-Qaeda 's number two , until he was killed earlier this year .
The economic benefits from sanctions relief went straight to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .
Its leader , General Qassem Soleimani , used this walking around money to sow murder and chaos before Trump ended his reign of terror last January .
The nuclear deal did not bring order to a Greater Middle East where the Islamic State ruled large parts of Iraq and Syria , and where extremist ideologies inspired attacks in America , France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is fantastic to think that the Iran deal stabilized anything .
But the agreement has replaced the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as a kind of philosopher 's stone that , according to the liberal imagination , transmutes ethno-sectarian animosity into peace and toleration .
In reality , the benefits of the nuclear deal were just as illusory as the promise of Oslo .
Concessions did nothing but embolden the agents of terror .
That 's because negotiations were not conducted in good faith .
One side , earnest and idealistic , was willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aims .
The other side wanted to pocket its gains while dissembling , diverting from , or otherwise undermining the spirit of diplomacy .
This cynicism and double-talk is n't a function of religion or ethnicity .
It is a function of regime .
Both the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic Republic of Iran are autocracies .
Neither government respects the dignity and liberty of its own people .
There is no reason to assume they would respect ours .
Recent weeks have provided remedial instruction for those unwilling or unable to acknowledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On December 9 , Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif gave a Persian-language interview in which he said that `` America is in no position to set conditions for its return '' to the Iran nuclear deal , or JCPOA .
Then he used anti-Semitic slang to express his support for Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 's `` popular referendum '' that would decide whether Israel should continue to exist .
`` We 're not talking about throwing the k—s into the sea , or about a military attack , or about suicide operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up-or-down vote should do the trick .
No one in the English-speaking world would have known about Zarif 's comments were it not for the indefatigable translators at the Middle East Media Research Institute ( MEMRI ) .
Needless to say , when his despicable language was publicized , Zarif claimed in a tweet that , ha-ha-ha , he was just joking .
`` I was mocking the allegation that Iran seeks to ‘ throw the Jews into the sea ' and reiterating our solution is a referendum with participation of ALL : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wrote .
In a favorite trick of demagogues everywhere , Zarif cast himself as the victim , and said it was really his critics who were biased and beneath contempt .
How could anyone accuse Minister Zarif or his government of anti-Semitism ?
It 's not like his supreme leader denies the Holocaust and says Israel wo n't exist in 20 years .
`` MEMRI , '' Zarif wrote , `` has sunk to a new low . ''
It is Zarif who 's hit bottom .
Around the time the foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 47-year-old Ruhollah Zam , an Iranian journalist and dissident who had been living in France until Tehran 's agents lured him under false pretenses to Iraq , where they kidnapped and arrested him .
Zam 's killing was intended to demonstrate that no Iranian who speaks out against the mullahs is safe .
It also sparked an international outcry from the very people whose good opinion Iran needs the most .
It 's `` another horrifying human rights violation by the Iranian regime , '' tweeted incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in calling out and standing up to Iran 's abuses . ''
One way to stand up to `` Iran 's abuses '' would be resisting the temptation to reenter the nuclear deal .
Using the sanctions leverage bequeathed to him by Trump , Biden might try linking not only missiles and terrorism but also human rights to a renewal of negotiations .
Iranian refusal would not be a `` failure of diplomacy . ''
It would be confirmation that Tehran has no interest in changing its ways .
The mullahs understand that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or appear weak vis-à-vis America , their government will crumble .
Paying them off to abide by an agreement whose terms they set is an evasion .
Stability in the Middle East wo n't come when America rejoins the JCPOA .
It will arrive when the Iranian people put an end to the Islamic revolution .

Back in September, Joe Biden described his Iran policy in an op-ed for CNN. After several paragraphs criticizing President Trump, Biden made an "unshakable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon." Then he offered Tehran "a credible path back to diplomacy." The terms were simple. "If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal," Biden wrote, "the United States would rejoin the agreement as a starting point for follow-on negotiations." Sanctions would be lifted. And Biden is sticking with his plan. Recently Tom Friedman asked him if the offer stands. "It's going to be hard," Biden replied, "but yeah."
Sure, Biden admitted, the agreement did not cover Iran's missile programs, or support for terrorism, or human-rights violations, or malign behavior in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Absolutely, it contained a sunset clause that freed Iran of its obligations, and limited inspections to non-military installations. True, Iran maintained its archive of nuclear weapons research (until Israel revealed it to the world in 2018). And yes, the regional dynamic has changed. But these are secondary issues. "The best way to achieve getting some stability in the region," Biden said, is "with the nuclear program."
Come again?
"Stability" is not how most people would describe the Middle East after 2015. Iran continued to launch missiles and send weapons and rockets to Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, and Houthis in Yemen. Iran continued to hold captive U.S. citizens and harass and even detain U.S. naval personnel. Iran continued to harbor al-Qaeda's number two, until he was killed earlier this year.
The economic benefits from sanctions relief went straight to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Its leader, General Qassem Soleimani, used this walking around money to sow murder and chaos before Trump ended his reign of terror last January. The nuclear deal did not bring order to a Greater Middle East where the Islamic State ruled large parts of Iraq and Syria, and where extremist ideologies inspired attacks in America, France, and the United Kingdom.
It is fantastic to think that the Iran deal stabilized anything. But the agreement has replaced the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as a kind of philosopher's stone that, according to the liberal imagination, transmutes ethno-sectarian animosity into peace and toleration. In reality, the benefits of the nuclear deal were just as illusory as the promise of Oslo. Concessions did nothing but embolden the agents of terror.
That's because negotiations were not conducted in good faith. One side, earnest and idealistic, was willing to pay a steep price to attain its aims. The other side wanted to pocket its gains while dissembling, diverting from, or otherwise undermining the spirit of diplomacy. This cynicism and double-talk isn't a function of religion or ethnicity. It is a function of regime. Both the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic Republic of Iran are autocracies. Neither government respects the dignity and liberty of its own people. There is no reason to assume they would respect ours.
Recent weeks have provided remedial instruction for those unwilling or unable to acknowledge the reality of Iran's outlaw government. On December 9, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif gave a Persian-language interview in which he said that "America is in no position to set conditions for its return" to the Iran nuclear deal, or JCPOA. Then he used anti-Semitic slang to express his support for Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's "popular referendum" that would decide whether Israel should continue to exist. "We're not talking about throwing the k—s into the sea, or about a military attack, or about suicide operations," Zarif said. A simple up-or-down vote should do the trick.
No one in the English-speaking world would have known about Zarif's comments were it not for the indefatigable translators at the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Needless to say, when his despicable language was publicized, Zarif claimed in a tweet that, ha-ha-ha, he was just joking. "I was mocking the allegation that Iran seeks to 'throw the Jews into the sea' and reiterating our solution is a referendum with participation of ALL: Jews, Muslims, Christians," he wrote. In a favorite trick of demagogues everywhere, Zarif cast himself as the victim, and said it was really his critics who were biased and beneath contempt. How could anyone accuse Minister Zarif or his government of anti-Semitism? It's not like his supreme leader denies the Holocaust and says Israel won't exist in 20 years. "MEMRI," Zarif wrote, "has sunk to a new low."
It is Zarif who's hit bottom. Around the time the foreign minister dropped the k-bomb, Iran executed the 47-year-old Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian journalist and dissident who had been living in France until Tehran's agents lured him under false pretenses to Iraq, where they kidnapped and arrested him. Zam's killing was intended to demonstrate that no Iranian who speaks out against the mullahs is safe. It also sparked an international outcry from the very people whose good opinion Iran needs the most. It's "another horrifying human rights violation by the Iranian regime," tweeted incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan. "We will join our partners in calling out and standing up to Iran's abuses."
One way to stand up to "Iran's abuses" would be resisting the temptation to reenter the nuclear deal. Using the sanctions leverage bequeathed to him by Trump, Biden might try linking not only missiles and terrorism but also human rights to a renewal of negotiations. Iranian refusal would not be a "failure of diplomacy." It would be confirmation that Tehran has no interest in changing its ways. The mullahs understand that the second they relax their grip, or appear weak vis-à-vis America, their government will crumble. Paying them off to abide by an agreement whose terms they set is an evasion. Stability in the Middle East won't come when America rejoins the JCPOA. It will arrive when the Iranian people put an end to the Islamic revolution.


freebeacon--2020-12-18--Dems Water Down China Provisions in Defense Bill

House Democrats stripped down an anti-China bill that unanimously passed in the Senate by removing language reining in Chinese government influence on U.S. campuses .
The Senate 's National Defense Authorization Act included a provision that authorized the Department of Education to withhold funding from U.S. universities that host Chinese government-backed Confucius Institutes on campus .
House Democrats removed the measure from the final version of the bill following negotiations .
Louisiana senator John Kennedy ( R. ) , who helped write the anti-Confucius Institute measure , said Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D. , Calif. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to counter Chinese influence in academia .
`` Communist China is still buying influence on U.S. campuses , '' Kennedy said .
`` Yet Democrats gutted an NDAA amendment that would protect academic freedom and give U.S. colleges control over what Confucius Institutes teach on our soil . ''
The NDAA provisions were originally part of the CONFUCIUS Act , which unanimously passed in the Senate in June .
The House Democrats ' decision to water down the provisions comes after Pelosi stonewalled action on the CONFUCIUS Act for months , pushing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put it on the House floor .
The attitude is consistent with Democratic leadership 's ambivalence when it comes to China-related issues : Pelosi and others have thus far ignored Republican requests to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell ( D. , Calif. ) from the House Intelligence Committee after a report revealed that he unknowingly interacted with a Chinese spy .
Pelosi 's office did not respond to a request for comment .
`` Who could be surprised by Speaker Pelosi 's refusal to crack down on China 's infiltration of universities ?
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communist infiltration of the Democratic Party , '' said Indiana congressman Jim Banks , a Republican who has pressed for Swalwell 's removal .
`` Speaker Pelosi only cares about national security if it furthers her narrow political interests , and again and again , those interests align with Chairman Xi 's . ''
The amended version of the bill , which passed in Congress on Dec. 11 to be signed by the president , significantly modified the CONFUCIUS Act .
The final version authorizes the Defense Department , not the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to withhold federal funding from universities .
The amendment narrowed down the focus of the bill to `` safeguarding Defense-funded research activities instead of the broad range of protections the original bill contemplated , '' according to a senior congressional aide .
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R. , Calif. ) blasted Democrats for failing to take decisive action against the Chinese government .
`` The changes to the Confucius Institute language in NDAA are another example of the Democrats ' China problem , '' McCarthy said .
`` Americans know a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese Communist Party 's attacks on our democratic freedoms .
We must take a comprehensive approach , especially drawing from the China Task Force 's recommendations , so that our solutions are not constrained in scope in this way . ''
Confucius Institutes have been a source of bipartisan concern for years , after reports emerged that the Chinese government was spending millions of dollars to maintain the Mandarin language programs in more than 100 U.S. colleges at its peak .
Critics say the Confucius Institute distorts academic discourse by propagating a pro-Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government , such as Tibet .
Despite the watered-down language , the legislation is still a step forward in Congress 's efforts to reduce the influence of the Confucius Institute in the United States , according to Rachelle Peterson , the lead policy analyst at the National Association of Scholars , an education watchdog .
The bill pertains to all Department of Defense funding for higher education , expanding an earlier ban on department funding for Chinese language education .
`` It 's disappointing to see at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Chinese government-backed Confucius Institutes are a risk to be managed , not eliminated , '' Peterson said .
`` Still , I 'm glad to see that Confucius Institutes remain on lawmakers ' minds . ''

House Democrats stripped down an anti-China bill that unanimously passed in the Senate by removing language reining in Chinese government influence on U.S. campuses.
The Senate's National Defense Authorization Act included a provision that authorized the Department of Education to withhold funding from U.S. universities that host Chinese government-backed Confucius Institutes on campus. House Democrats removed the measure from the final version of the bill following negotiations. Louisiana senator John Kennedy (R.), who helped write the anti-Confucius Institute measure, said Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) had "gutted" a key weapon to counter Chinese influence in academia.
"Communist China is still buying influence on U.S. campuses," Kennedy said. "Yet Democrats gutted an NDAA amendment that would protect academic freedom and give U.S. colleges control over what Confucius Institutes teach on our soil."
The NDAA provisions were originally part of the CONFUCIUS Act, which unanimously passed in the Senate in June. The House Democrats' decision to water down the provisions comes after Pelosi stonewalled action on the CONFUCIUS Act for months, pushing her caucus to vote down Republican attempts to put it on the House floor. The attitude is consistent with Democratic leadership's ambivalence when it comes to China-related issues: Pelosi and others have thus far ignored Republican requests to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) from the House Intelligence Committee after a report revealed that he unknowingly interacted with a Chinese spy.
Pelosi's office did not respond to a request for comment.
"Who could be surprised by Speaker Pelosi's refusal to crack down on China's infiltration of universities? She won't even crack down on Chinese Communist infiltration of the Democratic Party," said Indiana congressman Jim Banks, a Republican who has pressed for Swalwell's removal. "Speaker Pelosi only cares about national security if it furthers her narrow political interests, and again and again, those interests align with Chairman Xi's."
The amended version of the bill, which passed in Congress on Dec. 11 to be signed by the president, significantly modified the CONFUCIUS Act. The final version authorizes the Defense Department, not the Department of Education as in the original bill, to withhold federal funding from universities. The amendment narrowed down the focus of the bill to "safeguarding Defense-funded research activities instead of the broad range of protections the original bill contemplated," according to a senior congressional aide.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) blasted Democrats for failing to take decisive action against the Chinese government.
"The changes to the Confucius Institute language in NDAA are another example of the Democrats' China problem," McCarthy said. "Americans know a whole-of-society approach is needed to combat the Chinese Communist Party's attacks on our democratic freedoms. We must take a comprehensive approach, especially drawing from the China Task Force's recommendations, so that our solutions are not constrained in scope in this way."
Confucius Institutes have been a source of bipartisan concern for years, after reports emerged that the Chinese government was spending millions of dollars to maintain the Mandarin language programs in more than 100 U.S. colleges at its peak. Critics say the Confucius Institute distorts academic discourse by propagating a pro-Beijing narrative and banning its instructors from discussing topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, such as Tibet.
Despite the watered-down language, the legislation is still a step forward in Congress's efforts to reduce the influence of the Confucius Institute in the United States, according to Rachelle Peterson, the lead policy analyst at the National Association of Scholars, an education watchdog. The bill pertains to all Department of Defense funding for higher education, expanding an earlier ban on department funding for Chinese language education.
"It's disappointing to see at least some lawmakers fall for the farce that Chinese government-backed Confucius Institutes are a risk to be managed, not eliminated," Peterson said. "Still, I'm glad to see that Confucius Institutes remain on lawmakers' minds."


freebeacon--2020-12-18--Progressive Groups Push Biden to Tap Accused Iranian Lobbyist for Top National-Security Role

A coalition of progressive foreign-policy groups is pressing President-elect Joe Biden to hire an Iranian national accused of lobbying for the Islamist regime for a senior administration role that a non-U.S. citizen would likely be ineligible to hold .
As Biden forms his future cabinet , groups on the Democratic Party 's far-left flank are organizing to pressure him into hiring a roster of individuals who would typically be left out of the White House .
The roster includes foreign-policy hands who have pushed for increasing American diplomacy with Iran and reducing cooperation between the United States and Israel .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendations was first reported by Politico , which declined to publish it in full .
The Washington Free Beacon obtained a full copy of the list .
Among the most notable selections by this coalition—which includes the Progressive Change Institute , Common Defense , the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft , and the National Iranian American Council ( NIAC ) —is Trita Parsi , whom the list endorsed to oversee Middle East affairs on the White House National Security Council ( NSC ) .
Parsi , NIAC 's cofounder , now serves as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an isolationist think tank bankrolled by billionaires George Soros and Charles Koch .
Parsi has been one of the most visible champions of diplomacy with Iran and played a critical role in promoting the Obama administration 's 2015 nuclear deal .
His potential selection for a top national-security post in the Biden administration has raised eyebrows among regional experts and former U.S. officials , who told the Free Beacon that it is unlikely Parsi , who was as of 2013 identified as a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen , could hold a job that requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. green-card holder as of 2013 , according to multiple online biographies .
Only U.S. citizens are eligible to obtain a security clearance .
`` I find it highly unlikely that the CIA would be able to approve of a security clearance for him given his many connections to designated terrorists and the Iranian regime , '' said one former National Security Council official .
Michael Rubin , a former Pentagon official and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute , said , `` It would be very difficult for Parsi to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge difference between what a credulous and sympathetic press is willing to ignore in order to advance a political agenda versus what U.S. law enforcement will accept . ''
Parsi 's Iran advocacy with NIAC has sparked accusations that he and the organization were clandestinely lobbying on behalf of the Iranian regime—claims that were given credence by a U.S. court .
NIAC was ordered to pay more than $ 180,000 in 2013 to the legal defense fund of an Iranian-American writer following a defamation lawsuit that claimed NIAC was acting as an unregistered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District Court for the District of Columbia said Parsi 's work was `` not inconsistent with the idea that he was first and foremost an advocate for the regime . ''
Congressional leaders have also probed NIAC 's activities , alleging violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act , which requires those who lobby for foreign nations to disclose their work .
As a top player at the Quincy Institute , which has faced accusations of promoting anti-Semitic voices , Parsi continues to press for a revamped nuclear agreement with Iran that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pave the way for it to receive billions in economic-sanctions relief .
This year , Parsi was caught parroting talking points first disseminated by senior Iranian officials , renewing questions about his ties to the country 's leadership .
Parsi also garnered attention for a 1996 online posting that appeared to justify the much-criticized custom of genital mutilation .
Regional experts and former U.S. officials said it is unlikely Parsi would be tapped for the critical NSC position because questions surrounding his Iran advocacy disqualify him .
`` I 'm guessing that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing the Islamic Republic 's interest will be of concern to those reviewing résumés , '' said Alireza Nader , an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies .
In addition to Parsi , the progressive coalition is recommending that Biden tap notorious Israel critics for positions at the State Department , including Matt Duss , a top adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I. , Vt. ) .
Duss has made his name on the foreign-policy stage for his efforts to reduce the historically close relationship between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Duss accused Israel of terrorism following the assassination of a top nuclear scientist .
Duss also faced charges of promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in 2012 while working at the Center for American Progress , a liberal think tank .
The Quincy Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its staff recommendations .

A coalition of progressive foreign-policy groups is pressing President-elect Joe Biden to hire an Iranian national accused of lobbying for the Islamist regime for a senior administration role that a non-U.S. citizen would likely be ineligible to hold.
As Biden forms his future cabinet, groups on the Democratic Party's far-left flank are organizing to pressure him into hiring a roster of individuals who would typically be left out of the White House. The roster includes foreign-policy hands who have pushed for increasing American diplomacy with Iran and reducing cooperation between the United States and Israel. The list of more than 100 staff recommendations was first reported by Politico, which declined to publish it in full. The Washington Free Beacon obtained a full copy of the list.
100 Names by Washington Free Beacon
Among the most notable selections by this coalition—which includes the Progressive Change Institute, Common Defense, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and the National Iranian American Council (NIAC)—is Trita Parsi, whom the list endorsed to oversee Middle East affairs on the White House National Security Council.
Parsi, NIAC's cofounder, now serves as vice president of the Quincy Institute, an isolationist think tank bankrolled by billionaires George Soros and Charles Koch. Parsi has been one of the most visible champions of diplomacy with Iran and played a critical role in promoting the Obama administration's 2015 nuclear deal. His potential selection for a top national-security post in the Biden administration has raised eyebrows among regional experts and former U.S. officials, who told the Free Beacon that it is unlikely Parsi, who was as of 2013 identified as a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen, could hold a job that requires top-secret security clearance.
Parsi is a U.S. green-card holder as of 2013, according to multiple online biographies. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to obtain a security clearance.
"I find it highly unlikely that the CIA would be able to approve of a security clearance for him given his many connections to designated terrorists and the Iranian regime," said one former National Security Council official.
Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said, "It would be very difficult for Parsi to get a security clearance. There's a huge difference between what a credulous and sympathetic press is willing to ignore in order to advance a political agenda versus what U.S. law enforcement will accept."
Parsi's Iran advocacy with NIAC has sparked accusations that he and the organization were clandestinely lobbying on behalf of the Iranian regime—claims that were given credence by a U.S. court. NIAC was ordered to pay more than $180,000 in 2013 to the legal defense fund of an Iranian-American writer following a defamation lawsuit that claimed NIAC was acting as an unregistered lobby shop for Iran. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said Parsi's work was "not inconsistent with the idea that he was first and foremost an advocate for the regime."
Congressional leaders have also probed NIAC's activities, alleging violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires those who lobby for foreign nations to disclose their work.
As a top player at the Quincy Institute, which has faced accusations of promoting anti-Semitic voices, Parsi continues to press for a revamped nuclear agreement with Iran that would open the country up to trade and pave the way for it to receive billions in economic-sanctions relief. This year, Parsi was caught parroting talking points first disseminated by senior Iranian officials, renewing questions about his ties to the country's leadership.
Parsi also garnered attention for a 1996 online posting that appeared to justify the much-criticized custom of genital mutilation.
Regional experts and former U.S. officials said it is unlikely Parsi would be tapped for the critical NSC position because questions surrounding his Iran advocacy disqualify him.
"I'm guessing that his reported ties that often appear to be representing the Islamic Republic's interest will be of concern to those reviewing résumés," said Alireza Nader, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
In addition to Parsi, the progressive coalition is recommending that Biden tap notorious Israel critics for positions at the State Department, including Matt Duss, a top adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). Duss has made his name on the foreign-policy stage for his efforts to reduce the historically close relationship between America and Israel.
Late last month, Duss accused Israel of terrorism following the assassination of a top nuclear scientist. Duss also faced charges of promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in 2012 while working at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
The Quincy Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its staff recommendations.


freebeacon--2020-12-18--Progressives Push Biden to Tap Foreign Policy Experts With Deep Koch, Soros Ties

A host of progressive foreign policy groups has delivered 100 resumes to the Biden transition team in a move intended to pressure the incoming administration to include voices outside the mainstream of American foreign policy .
The list , obtained by the Washington Free Beacon , includes a dozen scholars from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft , the think tank bankrolled by Charles Koch and George Soros .
It also includes a onetime Human Rights Watch and Quincy Institute official , Sarah Leah Whitson , who solicited donations from Saudi Arabia by promising to attack pro-Israel groups .
Whitson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an anti-Semitic tweet celebrating Israeli suffering from the coronavirus and lamenting that it was `` missing a tablespoon of blood . ''
( Whitson later deleted the tweet , arguing that her point `` didn ’ t come out right . ''
) The existence of the list was first reported by Politico , which opted not to publish the document .
It can be found below .
The list serves as a counter to the predominantly center-left foreign policy officials Biden has tapped thus far — including Antony Blinken for Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser — and as a suggested roadmap from the Bernie Sanders-wing of the Democratic party to rectify their exclusion from the nascent administration .
Experts who have offered praise for Biden 's early picks were critical of the progressive list .
`` Although it is difficult to generalize about a list of 100 people this , with a few notable exceptions , reads like a directory of folks who are part of the Koch-Soros funded isolationist network on the left and right , '' said Eric Edelman , who served as Undersecretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bush administration .
Mark Dubowitz , the president and CEO of the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies , has lauded Biden 's nominees but slammed the progressive list .
`` To the credit of Joe Biden , he has chosen sensible , moderate national security professionals who believe in American leadership , '' Dubowitz said .
`` Choosing anyone on this list of neo-isolationists would be a radical departure for the President-elect . ''
Each administration sets its own rules about the parameters for nominees , including whether it will include former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressives have worried aloud that the incoming administration may be too cozy with corporate interests .
Though list organizers are touting the group ’ s lack of corporate ties , their recommendations include four officials from the Soros-funded Open Society Foundation , and the predominance of Soros-funded organizations on the list underscores the billionaire 's sweeping influence on the left-wing of the Democratic Party .
The heavy reliance on experts from the Koch-funded Quincy Institute also marks an about-face from progressives who spent the Obama administration demonizing the privately-held conglomerates ’ political influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire for providing safe harbor to some of Washington ’ s most strident anti-Semites , including Whitson and fellow list member Paul Pillar , who has argued that Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson ’ s principal loyalty is to Israel rather than the United States .
`` The Republican party isn ’ t even his first love among political parties .
That would be the Likud party , '' Pillar wrote in 2014 .
`` Nor is the United States Adelson ’ s first love among countries . ''
In addition to the Quincy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the list includes several officials from the National Iranian American Council , which has long pushed for the United States to normalize relations with Iran .
The group has been accused of acting as a foreign agent , a charge they deny , though a judge concluded that the organization ’ s work was `` not inconsistent with the idea '' that it was `` first and foremost an advocate for the regime . ''
The group ’ s founder , Trita Parsi , is included on the list , though experts said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen would face an uphill battle to obtain a security clearance .
As a rule , the U.S. government does not grant security clearances to non-citizens ; it uses a workaround authorization in `` rare circumstances . ''
`` With limited exceptions , non-U.S. citizens can not be granted a U.S. Government security clearance , '' said Bradley Moss , a Washington , D.C. attorney specializing in national security .
`` There are situations where a Limited Access Authorization can be granted to a non-U.S. citizen for access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exception , not the rule , when it comes to access .
Of course , as the Trump presidency reminded everyone , there is nothing that stops the president himself , exercising his constitutional authority , from granting a security clearance to anyone and everyone he wants .
There is no indication that Joe Biden would take that type of action . ''
The list ’ s inclusion of several people who have minimized the atrocities of the Iranian regime is sparking blowback from human rights activists .
`` This list is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight for freedom and democracy in Iran , and is an insult to the people of Iran who are killed by the thousands in their quest for democracy and human rights , '' said Kaveh Shahrooz , a senior fellow at the Canadian Macdonald-Laurier Institute and an Iranian dissident .
`` Iran activists rightfully call these people the Iran Lobby .
For Biden to appoint any of these shady individuals would be to give Iran 's regime direct access to American policymaking . ''
Those on the list who have come to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior researcher Sina Toosi , who accused Iranian protesters throwing rocks at regime officials last year of `` escalating the situation . ''
Toosi has shared a byline with a former Iranian diplomat , Seyed Hossein Mousavian , who has been linked to the regime ’ s assassination of four dissidents .
Quincy ’ s Eli Clifton , also on the list , left the Center for American Progress amidst allegations of anti-Semitism and has worked to undermine the Iranian women ’ s rights activist and Voice of America journalist Masih Alinejad .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Handjani , who was as recently as last year registered as a foreign agent for Saudi Arabia ’ s Public Investment Fund , a vehicle controlled by the Saudi monarchy whose human-rights abuses Democrats have roundly condemned .
Handjani ’ s family owns PG Commodities Trading International , which conducts sanctions-exempt business in Iran on behalf of Cargill .
He has consistently pushed for greater engagement with Iran and slammed the Trump administration ’ s decision to slap sanctions on the regime .
It is unclear whether these equities would preclude Handjani from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The details are what will matter : what were the circumstances of the work , how was the person paid , does the person have ongoing and consistent communications with the foreign nationals with whom they interacted , and do they have any financial ties to the foreign business that would place them at risk of exploitation ? ''
Moss said .
`` These are all things that could likely be mitigated from a risk standpoint . ''
Handjani is currently embroiled in a London-based lawsuit involving his alleged work for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ras al-Khamiah , one of the United Arab Emirates .

A host of progressive foreign policy groups has delivered 100 résumés to the Biden transition team in a move intended to pressure the incoming administration to include voices outside the mainstream of American foreign policy.
The list, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, includes a dozen scholars from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, the think tank bankrolled by Charles Koch and George Soros.
It also includes a onetime Human Rights Watch and Quincy Institute official, Sarah Leah Whitson, who solicited donations from Saudi Arabia by promising to attack pro-Israel groups. Whitson left the Quincy Institute shortly after amplifying an anti-Semitic tweet celebrating Israeli suffering from the coronavirus and lamenting that it was "missing a tablespoon of blood." (Whitson later deleted the tweet, arguing that her point "didn’t come out right.")
The existence of the list was first reported by Politico, which opted not to publish the document. It can be found below. An organizer of the list, Alexander McCoy, political director at Common Defense, said the list reflected "old research materials" and did not match the names submitted to the Biden team, but declined to elaborate on any alleged discrepancies between the two documents.
The list serves as a counter to the predominantly center-left foreign policy officials Biden has tapped thus far—including Antony Blinken for secretary of state and Jake Sullivan for national security adviser—and as a suggested roadmap from the Bernie Sanders-wing of the Democratic party to rectify their exclusion from the nascent administration.
Experts who have offered praise for Biden's early picks were critical of the progressive list.
"Although it is difficult to generalize about a list of 100 people this, with a few notable exceptions, reads like a directory of folks who are part of the Koch-Soros funded isolationist network on the left and right," said Eric Edelman, who served as undersecretary of defense for policy in the George W. Bush administration.
Mark Dubowitz, the president and CEO of the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has lauded Biden's nominees but slammed the progressive list. "To the credit of Joe Biden, he has chosen sensible, moderate national security professionals who believe in American leadership," Dubowitz said. "Choosing anyone on this list of neo-isolationists would be a radical departure for the president-elect."
Each administration sets its own rules about the parameters for nominees, including whether it will include former lobbyists and registered foreign agents, and progressives have worried aloud that the incoming administration may be too cozy with corporate interests.
Though list organizers are touting the group’s lack of corporate ties, their recommendations include four officials from the Soros-funded Open Society Foundation, and the predominance of Soros-funded organizations on the list underscores the billionaire's sweeping influence on the left-wing of the Democratic Party. The heavy reliance on experts from the Koch-funded Quincy Institute also marks an about-face from progressives who spent the Obama administration demonizing the privately held conglomerates’ political influence.
The Quincy Institute has come under fire for providing safe harbor to some of Washington’s most strident anti-Semites, including Whitson and fellow list member Paul Pillar, who has argued that Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson’s principal loyalty is to Israel rather than the United States. "The Republican party isn’t even his first love among political parties. That would be the Likud party," Pillar wrote in 2014. "Nor is the United States Adelson’s first love among countries."
In addition to the Quincy Institute and the Open Society Foundation, the list includes several officials from the National Iranian American Council, which has long pushed for the United States to normalize relations with Iran. The group has been accused of acting as a foreign agent, a charge they deny, though a judge concluded that the organization’s work was "not inconsistent with the idea" that it was "first and foremost an advocate for the regime."
The group’s founder, Trita Parsi, is included on the list, though experts said that Parsi, who as of 2013 was a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen would face an uphill battle to obtain a security clearance. As a rule, the U.S. government does not grant security clearances to non-citizens; it uses a workaround authorization in "rare circumstances."
"With limited exceptions, non-U.S. citizens cannot be granted a U.S. Government security clearance," said Bradley Moss, a Washington, D.C., attorney specializing in national security. "There are situations where a Limited Access Authorization can be granted to a non-U.S. citizen for access to specific information, but that would be the exception, not the rule, when it comes to access. Of course, as the Trump presidency reminded everyone, there is nothing that stops the president himself, exercising his constitutional authority, from granting a security clearance to anyone and everyone he wants. There is no indication that Joe Biden would take that type of action."
The list’s inclusion of several people who have minimized the atrocities of the Iranian regime is sparking blowback from human rights activists.
"This list is an insult to those of us who fight for freedom and democracy in Iran, and is an insult to the people of Iran who are killed by the thousands in their quest for democracy and human rights," said Kaveh Shahrooz, a senior fellow at the Canadian Macdonald-Laurier Institute and an Iranian dissident. "Iran activists rightfully call these people the Iran Lobby. For Biden to appoint any of these shady individuals would be to give Iran's regime direct access to American policymaking."
Those on the list who have come to the defense of the Iranian regime include NIAC senior researcher Sina Toosi, who accused Iranian protesters throwing rocks at regime officials last year of "escalating the situation." Toosi has shared a byline with a former Iranian diplomat, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who has been linked to the regime’s assassination of four dissidents. Quincy’s Eli Clifton, also on the list, left the Center for American Progress amidst allegations of anti-Semitism and has worked to undermine the Iranian women’s rights activist and Voice of America journalist Masih Alinejad.
The list also includes Quincy fellow Amir Handjani, who was as recently as last year registered as a foreign agent for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a vehicle controlled by the Saudi monarchy whose human-rights abuses Democrats have roundly condemned.
Handjani’s family owns PG Commodities Trading International, which conducts sanctions-exempt business in Iran on behalf of Cargill. He has consistently pushed for greater engagement with Iran and slammed the Trump administration’s decision to slap sanctions on the regime.
It is unclear whether these equities would preclude Handjani from scoring a senior role in the administration. "The details are what will matter: what were the circumstances of the work, how was the person paid, does the person have ongoing and consistent communications with the foreign nationals with whom they interacted, and do they have any financial ties to the foreign business that would place them at risk of exploitation?" Moss said. "These are all things that could likely be mitigated from a risk standpoint."
Handjani is currently embroiled in a London-based lawsuit involving his alleged work for Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras al-Khamiah, one of the United Arab Emirates.
UPDATE, Dec. 18, 9:31 p.m.: This report has been updated fo reflect comment from list organizer Alexander McCoy.


freebeacon--2020-12-18--Seattle School District Accuses U.S. of ‘Spirit Murder’ Against Black Students

Seattle Public Schools held a teacher-training session where it asserted that the U.S. education system is responsible for committing `` spirit murder '' against black students .
The school district 's critical race theory training , according to documents released Friday by City Journal contributing editor Christopher Rufo , instructed white teachers to recognize their `` considerable power and privilege . ''
A slide on `` building community '' listed bullet points for teachers to discuss , including `` spirit murder '' —a term defined as the murder of `` the souls of black children every day through systemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Other slides instructed white teachers to `` bankrupt [ their ] privilege , '' acknowledge their `` thieved inheritance , '' and `` commit to the journey '' of anti-whiteness even if their `` lizard brain '' makes them fearful of having a conversation about racism— '' or any other kind of ‘ -ism . '
'' A later slide asked participants to identify their `` triggers '' based on `` one or two '' of their identities and think of ways in which they were `` anti-racist '' outside of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial unrest this summer , school districts across the United States implemented training on `` anti-racism '' and critical race theory—the idea that U.S. law and society are inherently racist .
San Diego 's public school district required anti-racism training for teachers , according to documents uncovered earlier this month , during which they were told to confront their privilege and admit they are racist .
This summer , a Virginia school district used a framework from Teaching Tolerance , the educational arm of the liberal nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elementary students .

Seattle Public Schools held a teacher-training session where it asserted that the U.S. education system is responsible for committing "spirit murder" against black students.
The school district's critical race theory training, according to documents released Friday by City Journal contributing editor Christopher Rufo, instructed white teachers to recognize their "considerable power and privilege." A slide on "building community" listed bullet points for teachers to discuss, including "spirit murder"—a term defined as the murder of "the souls of black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-black, state-sanctioned violence."
Other slides instructed white teachers to "bankrupt [their] privilege," acknowledge their "thieved inheritance," and "commit to the journey" of anti-whiteness even if their "lizard brain" makes them fearful of having a conversation about racism—"or any other kind of '-ism.'"
A later slide asked participants to identify their "triggers" based on "one or two" of their identities and think of ways in which they were "anti-racist" outside of the classroom.
After months of civil and racial unrest this summer, school districts across the United States implemented training on "anti-racism" and critical race theory—the idea that U.S. law and society are inherently racist.
San Diego's public school district required anti-racism training for teachers, according to documents uncovered earlier this month, during which they were told to confront their privilege and admit they are racist. This summer, a Virginia school district used a framework from Teaching Tolerance, the educational arm of the liberal nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center, to develop an "anti-racist" curriculum for elementary students.
President Donald Trump banned critical race theory training at federal agencies in September.