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Tag: racism

  • Trump’s debate line about immigrants eating pets ‘echoes’ racist rhetoric of past world leaders, professor says

    Trump’s debate line about immigrants eating pets ‘echoes’ racist rhetoric of past world leaders, professor says

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    During Tuesday’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump made a claim that quickly went viral on social media — and prompted an immediate fact check.

    During a rant about border control, Trump repeated a conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, that has gained traction in some right-wing circles. 

    “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in,” he said. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

    MORE: Authors of Jan. 6 graphic novel to send copies to every public high school and library in Pa.

    ABC News anchor and moderator David Muir interjected, saying there are no credible reports of pets being harmed or abused by immigrants in Springfield. But that has not stopped Trump or his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), from spreading this and other inflammatory conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants in the Ohio city. In a lengthy Tuesday post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Vance implied that they were also spreading communicable diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.

    Though the extreme nature of these claims might feel new, they have a long and ugly history. Social media users and commentators quickly likened the comments to the dehumanizing rhetoric Nazi Germany deployed against Jewish people leading up to and during World War II. 

    Katie Sibley, a history professor at St. Joseph’s University, believes the comparisons are valid. As she notes, antisemites including Adolf Hitler have long leaned on blood libel myths that date back to the Middle Ages, which accuse Jewish people of kidnapping Christian babies for ritualistic sacrifice. Sometimes, these pernicious stories incorporate cannibalism, with the blood of the children allegedly used to make matzah.

    “It’s really striking,” Sibley said of the similarities in language. “Here we have people who were accused of eating pets, somebody else’s treasured, small, beloved creature. It sort of echoes that.”

    Language’s link to violence

    As scholars have emphasized, dehumanizing language often precedes violence. In the lead-up to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the Hutu people frequently referred to the Tutsi population as “cockroaches” on a popular radio station. In the mid-1930s, Nazi propaganda depicted Jewish people as worms and “poisonous” serpents. Damaging lies like the blood libel myth were also plastered on the cover of Der Stürmer, the virulently antisemitic German newspaper, and even continued to spread after the concentration camps were liberated. Mobs killed 42 Jews and injured another 40 in a pogrom in the Polish city of Kielce in 1946 after an 8-year-old boy went missing for two days.

    Threats of violence are now starting to emerge in Springfield. Its City Hall was evacuated Thursday over an emailed bomb threat that read, in part, “We have Haitians eating our animals.” The author of the email also claimed to have placed explosives at two DMVs and two elementary schools.

    According to the Haitian Times, many immigrant families in Springfield have kept their children home from school out of fear for their safety.

    Loss of legal rights

    Apart from violence, damaging conspiracy theories are also linked to the suppression of rights throughout history. In 1877, the San Francisco health officer blamed an outbreak of smallpox on “unscrupulous, lying and treacherous Chinamen, who have disregarded our sanitary laws.” Politicians refused to provide Chinese immigrants proper health care, sending them to the filthy “pesthouse” on hospital grounds. 

    This scapegoating and discrimination continued into the 20th century. In 1900, after a Chinese immigrant was diagnosed with the first case of bubonic plague in the United States, the city destroyed local businesses in Chinatown and ransacked homes, burning possessions to “fumigate” the area. The xenophobia toward Chinese immigrants extended far beyond San Francisco, leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese laborers from entering the country for a decade.

    “This really had an impact,” Sibley said. “People were very much mistreated. Their communities were cut off, and they were barged in upon by the police.

    “There is that bridge from rhetoric to actual laws.”

    As Sibley notes, racist rhetoric also preceded the internment of about 117,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Politicians including Chase Clark, the governor of Idaho, compared them to “rats.”

    Trump’s comments in context

    This is not the first time critics have accused Trump of weaponizing language, or echoing Nazi rhetoric. But his and Vance’s comments — along with campaign ads linking immigrants to crime — have alarmed marginalized communities and the historians who have studied these cycles again and again.

    “We think in this country, we’re not going to have those kind of laws anymore,” Sibley said. “You know, we got rid of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and we got rid of internment, of course, after World War II. But remember that when Trump first came into office, he talked about a Muslim registry. 

    “I think what’s changed is that the rhetoric has been accepted increasingly, sadly, in the public space.” 

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    Kristin Hunt

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  • Republicans welcome Donald Trump back to Arizona with racist billboard

    Republicans welcome Donald Trump back to Arizona with racist billboard

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    In what ought to be a headline in The Onion but is instead a clear reminder of the deplorable state of political discourse from MAGA world, the Arizona Republican Party has launched a billboard campaign declaring that only the GOP opposes eating kittens. I wish this was just monkeyshines, but it’s very, very real…

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    Jim Small | Arizona Mirror

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  • 2 charged in plot to solicit attacks on minorities, officials and infrastructure on Telegram

    2 charged in plot to solicit attacks on minorities, officials and infrastructure on Telegram

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    WASHINGTON — Two people who prosecutors say were motivated by white supremacist ideology have been arrested on charges that they used the social media messaging app Telegram to encourage hate crimes and acts of violence against minorities, government officials and critical infrastructure in the United States, the Justice Department said Monday.

    The defendants, identified as Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, face 15 federal counts in the Eastern District of California, including charges that accuse them of soliciting hate crimes and the murder of federal officials, distributing bombmaking instructions and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

    Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho were arrested Friday. Humber pleaded not guilty in a Sacramento courtroom Monday to the charges. Her attorney Noa Oren declined to comment on the case Monday afternoon after the arraignment.

    It was not immediately clear if Allison had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

    The indictment accuses the two of leading Terrorgram, a network of channels and group chats on Telegram, and of soliciting followers to attack perceived enemies of white people, including government buildings and energy facilities and “high-value” targets such as politicians.

    “Today’s action makes clear that the department will hold perpetrators accountable, including those who hide behind computer screens, in seeking to carry out bias-motivated violence,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, the Justice Department’s top civil rights official, said at a news conference.

    Their exhortations to commit violence included statements such as “Take Action Now” and “Do your part,” and users who carried out acts to further white supremacism were told they could become known as “Saints,” prosecutors said.

    Justice Department officials say the pair used the app to transmit bomb-making instructions and to distribute a list of potential targets for assassination — including a federal judge, a senator and a former U.S. attorney — and to celebrate acts or plots from active Terrorgram users.

    Those include the stabbing last month of five people outside a mosque in Turkey and the July arrest of an 18-year-old accused of planning to attack an electrical substation to advance white supremacist views. In the Turkey attack, for instance, prosecutors say the culprit on the morning of the stabbing posted in a group chat: “Come see how much humans I can cleanse.”

    A 24-minute documentary that the two had produced, “White Terror,” documented and praised some 105 acts of white supremacist violence between 1968 and 2021, according to the indictment.

    “The risk and danger they present is extremely serious,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department’s top national security official. He added: “Their reach is as far as the internet because of the platform they’ve created.”

    Telegram is a messaging app that allows for one-on-one conversations, group chats and large “channels” that let people broadcast messages to subscribers. Though broadly used as a messaging tool around the world, Telegram has also drawn scrutiny, including a finding from French investigators that the app has been used by Islamic extremists and drug traffickers.

    Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained by French authorities last month on charges of allowing the platform’s use for criminal activity. Durov responded to the charges with a post last week saying he shouldn’t have been targeted personally and by promising to step up efforts to fight criminality on the app.

    He wrote that while Telegram is not “some sort of anarchic paradise,” surging numbers of users have “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Trân Nguyễn contributed from Sacramento, California.

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  • In the wake of racist and anti-immigrant vandalism, city leaders come together to disavow hate

    In the wake of racist and anti-immigrant vandalism, city leaders come together to disavow hate

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    Denver news

    Police say they have strong leads on who put up the signs, and expect to take a suspect into custody soon.

    City Councilmembers Shontel Lewis and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez speak at a press conference in response to racist and anti-immigrant signs found at bus stops near City Park.

    Rebecca Tauber/Denverite

    Editor’s note: This story contains language that readers may find offensive.

    One day after RTD removed racist and anti-immigrant signs bolted to bus stops near Colfax Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, a group of city and state leaders gathered at the site Friday morning.

    Surrounding one of the vandalized bus stops, the group strongly rejected the signs that had referred to “Kamala’s migrants” and Black people sitting “at the back of the bus.” 

    The press conference included dozens of politicians, nonprofit leaders, activists and community members. They filled a portion of the sidewalk by the busy Colorado and Colfax intersection near City Park, where new immigrants often offer to wash car windows in exchange for cash.

    Signs linked to a self-described “political” guerilla artist carried a race-baiting anti-immigrant message on Aug. 29, 2024.

    “Our Denver does not stand for attempts to divide our communities,” City Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez said. “Our Denver showed up with open arms and hearts when busload upon busload of people arrived here unknowingly, and I’m here to say that this is our Denver.”

    Conservative activist Sabo, who describes himself as a street artist, took credit for the signs Friday, along with similar ones discovered in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.

    Denver Police are investigating the incident as a bias-motivated crime. 

    “I can share that we have some very strong leads, and I have every confidence that the despicable individual who is responsible for his acts will be in custody soon,” Police Chief Ron Thomas said at the press conference Friday.

    The past two years have seen thousands of people, largely from Venezuela, come to Denver and cities across the country. Anti-immigrant backlash followed. 

    During peak arrival periods, the city of Denver mobilized emergency shelters while community groups and volunteers have mobilized to help people find housing and support when public systems have fallen short.

    The backlash seen in Denver following the influx of new immigrants has also appeared across the U.S. and in other countries. 

    An anti-immigrant riot broke out in the U.K. earlier this month. In response, counter-protestors took to the streets showing support for immigrants.

    Speakers also used the press conference as an opportunity to advocate for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

    Calls of “We will not go back” echoed throughout the morning, referencing a line Vice President Kamala Harris has used repeatedly during her presidential campaign. 

    Some advocates think public displays of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment will continue to get worse in the lead-up to the November election as Republicans stake out an anti-immigrant stance.

    The original signs themselves explicitly mentioned Harris. If elected, Harris would be the first woman, the first Asian American person and the second Black person elected president of the U.S. 

    “None of these messages are new. They’re being amplified because we are in a presidential election year, and every single time there is an opportunity for Black and Brown people to be thrown under the bus, they will use it. They will use it to try to divide us,” said Gladis Ibarra, co-executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. “It’s up to us as individuals, residents of Colorado and the City of Denver, to say that that is not okay, and anytime we see and hear anything, we stand up against it.”

    The group of politicians, community leaders and activists closed out Monday’s press conference with a prayer. 

    Right before crowd members headed for their cars, former Denver School Board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson made a request: for people to spend some cash to get their windows washed by some new immigrants nearby.

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  • Ads for Republican and Democratic groups appear under pro-Nazi, racist posts on X

    Ads for Republican and Democratic groups appear under pro-Nazi, racist posts on X

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    Paid advertisements for major organizations affiliated with both the Republican and Democratic parties and some of their biggest names have appeared under pro-Nazi and racist posts shared on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, a CBS News investigation has found.

    Advertisements for the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and the right-wing Heritage Foundation think tank have appeared recently under racist or pro-Nazi posts from verified accounts on X. 

    Last week, the World Bank ceased all paid advertising on X after a CBS News investigation found a promoted advertisement from the organization showed up under a racist post from an account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and white nationalist content. The World Bank made the decision to remove all paid advertising on X, calling the incident “entirely unacceptable,” after a promoted advertisement under a racist post was flagged to the organization by CBS News.

    Republican and Democratic-affiliated ads under racist posts

    One of the U.S. political ads found by CBS News was under a post by a verified account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and racist content. The account, which has nearly 100,000 followers, shared a picture of Hitler rejecting a Star of David being held by an arm draped in a striped sleeve.

    One of the U.S. political ads found by CBS News was under a post by a verified account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and racist content.

    X screenshot


    Under the post, an ad appeared for the National Republican Senatorial Committee directing users to donate through WinRed, the prominent conservative online fundraising platform used by many GOP candidates and groups, including GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee. 

    The advertisement showed an image of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with the caption saying it was “paid for by the NRSC.”

    The NRSC is the chief fundraising committee dedicated to getting Republican Party candidates elected to the U.S. Senate. Multiple other promoted advertisements directing users to WinRed were posted under similar content. CBS News is not publicly identifying the accounts spreading racist content on X. 

    CBS News asked the NRSC and WinRed for comment about the placement of the fundraising ads on X. In response to questions about the ads on X, NRSC spokesman Mike Berg wrote in a post on the platform that CBS News was, “trying to pressure advertisers to stop spending money on X by associating advertisers and [Musk] with white nationalists,” which he called “patently absurd.”

    Promoted advertisements for the congressional campaign of Jerrad Christan, the Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 12th district, also appeared under antisemitic posts. The seat is currently held by Republican Troy Balderson. 

    A post by a verified account with 150,000 followers showed a man with a boot on his neck underneath the Statue of Liberty. The text on the image read, “Land of Freedom. Where one is ruled by the Jews, Freedom is only an empty dream.” 

    Christian’s campaign ad appeared under the image with a link that redirected readers to ActBlue, a fundraising platform used widely by Democratic campaigns. 

    Under another post by the same account, CBS News found an ad for the National Republican Senatorial Committee – a paid advertisement from Mary Trump’s political action committee, the Democracy Defense Fund, with a link to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. Mary Trump, the former U.S. president’s niece, has spoken out against her uncle for years.

    The post in question depicted an Orthodox Jewish man dancing on a gravesite with the caption: “Your reminder to NOT die for shlomo. He’ll dance on your graves.”

    The PAC advertisement under the post had an image of Mary Trump with a request to donate money to help “defeat Donald, defend the Senate, and flip the House.” 

    CBS News has sought comment from the Jerrad Christian for Congress campaign and Mary Trump’s PAC on the placement of the organizations’ ads. 

    Money for content on Elon Musk’s X

    Since Musk’s October 2022 takeover of what was then Twitter, he has dismantled safeguards on the platform. That includes dramatic changes to the verification system and the removal of its Trust and Safety advisory group, as well as changes to broader content moderation and hate speech enforcement on X.

    In its place, Musk has created a system in which X’s algorithms favor accounts that pay for the platform’s blue check subscription service. According to X’s own marketing for its verification service, X premium offers “reply prioritization” for all subscribers. 

    The changes also enable influencers who buy into the verification subscription program to monetize their content. Subscribers are eligible to receive a share of advertising revenue for their content if they “have at least 5M organic impressions on cumulative posts within the last 3 months” and “have at least 500 followers.”

    Under X’s terms of use, accounts can do this without publicly disclosing their identity, provided the account holder privately discloses their ID to the platform. 

    “X allows the use of pseudonymous accounts, meaning an account’s profile is not required to use the name or image of the account owner. Accounts that appear similar to others on X are not in violation of this policy, so long as their purpose is not to deceive or manipulate others,” according to the platform’s guidelines. 

    A majority of the verified X accounts reviewed by CBS News that have political advertising under their content would, according to the company’s own guidelines, qualify for a share of its ad revenue under the policy.

    Does X have the capacity to control hate speech?

    Last week, the World Bank ceased all paid advertising on X after a CBS News investigation found a promoted advertisement from the organization showed up under a racist post from an account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and white nationalist content. 

    Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge who studies online misinformation, told CBS News on Friday that X’s algorithms may be determining where to place advertisements based on which accounts are getting the most engagement. 

    “When they’ve [X] had problems with companies like IBM or Disney where they had complained that their ads were appearing next to Nazi content, these Nazi accounts were getting millions of impressions,” van der Linden said. “I’m assuming what’s happening there is that the algorithm is recommending to place the ads next to content that’s getting a lot of engagement to try to maximize reach.”

    Van der Linden has said that since Musk’s takeover of the social media platform in 2022, the removal of content moderation measures has led to an explosion in hate speech content. 

    “He [Musk] doesn’t have the tools to moderate, down rank and demonetize that content,” van der Linden told CBS News. “Musk has claimed that hate speech doesn’t get any ad revenue… but I think the fact of the matter is that there’s so much of it now that actually I haven’t seen any evidence that would suggest that people can’t profit off it.” 

    CBS News has repeatedly asked X whether the accounts flagged as part of its investigation are profiting from sharing pro-Nazi and racist content, and about the placement of advertising on its platform. There had been no reply from the company as of the time of publication.

    While CBS News found advertisements from groups affiliated with both main U.S. political parties, far fewer Democratic political ads than Republican ads appeared under such racist content. 

    One post from a verified account with more than 160,000 followers showed an image of an animated superhero with the caption: “antisemites will save the world.”

    A promoted advertisement for the NRSC came up under that post with a link guiding readers to donate and an image of Mr. Trump, with the caption: “Is the Media fair to Trump?” 

    In total, CBS News found political fundraising advertisements promoting GOP groups and candidates under at least 10 different posts from accounts known to promote pro-Nazi and racist content. 

    Advertisements for the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank have also appeared under an antisemitic post from an account known to share pro-Nazi content. The account in question has more than 150,000 followers. CBS News has asked The Heritage Foundation to comment on the placement of its advertisements on X. 

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  • How women of color with Christian and progressive values are keeping the faith — outside churches

    How women of color with Christian and progressive values are keeping the faith — outside churches

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    Brandi Brown has yet to find a Black church near her Southern California home that feels right for her. So when she wants to talk about God, she relies on someone over a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

    Like her, Ellen Lo Hoffman, who lives just outside Seattle and is Chinese American, is a progressive Christian. They have known each other through a Christian fellowship for six years. But for the past three years, Hoffman has supported Brown, a former minister, through monthly virtual chats.

    “How Black women and how women of color experience God is different than how other people experience God,” said Brown, who is Black. “If I imagine myself, like, sitting on a bench trying to talk to God, Ellen is there too — to sit on the bench with me and point out observations and allow me to interpret things that I’m experiencing.”

    For some Christian progressives, the lack of acknowledgement by their churches or ministries of the 2020 racial reckoning was the final push to go elsewhere. Some women of color have been disappointed and upset by evangelical Christian churches — both predominantly white and multiracial — whose leaders failed to openly decry racism or homophobia. Traditional pastors and other leaders often see congregants’ concerns through a patriarchal lens, leaving many feeling dismissed or overlooked. Still, others said they felt alienated by evangelical supporters of former President Donald Trump, with whom they disagree on politics.

    Many are now finding solace and reaffirming their faith on their own terms through what they call “spiritual directors,” who are not necessarily priests, pastors, counselors or therapists, but can help others explore thoughts about God or broader concepts around a higher power.

    With nearly 24 years of ministry leadership experience, Hoffman has been a self-employed spiritual director for the past seven years. The 2014 death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer was a pivotal moment for her. She gathered staff members of color, as the associate regional director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, in a discussion.

    Hoffman came away vowing to be a better ally.

    So when the murder of George Floyd and anti-Asian hate crimes soon dominated national conversation, Hoffman wanted to do more than march in protests and facilitate bystander training. She said she noticed that a lot of people of color needed “care in the midst of racial trauma.” So with her husband, she created Soul Reparations, a nonprofit providing free spiritual support to women.

    “With the people that I was already meeting with, the impact of the racial trauma in 2020 was constantly coming up,” Hoffman said. “And then the people who were reaching out looking for a spiritual director was all women of color looking for spaces to process.”

    The sessions are intimate one-on-one chats in person or over Zoom. It’s the client who drives the conversation. Often, there’s no Bible talk or preaching from Hoffman. The discussions can be more philosophical.

    “Simply allowing them to tell their story, giving them space to share their pain — is really healing for them and it restores a sense of identity,” Hoffman said. Churches, religious leaders and officials don’t get to “have the last word” on how women choose to express their Christianity.

    She has since recruited seven other women of color to serve as directors. In total, they have helped more than 200 women, including queer women, over the past three years. The demand hasn’t waned. Recently, Hoffman had to close a 60-person waitlist.

    That number doesn’t surprise Jessica Chen, of Los Angeles, who virtually meets with Hoffman monthly.

    “I do see this kind of movement of women of color who’ve left kind of the traditional church environment to create these spaces for other women of color,” Chen said. “So, sort of reimagining what community can look like for women of color, I think that’s very much needed.”

    Only in the last few years did Chen consider she might be limiting herself by only hearing male pastors who have a specific perspective that’s been “universalized,” she said. While her last church was diverse and multigenerational, she felt like she wasn’t growing as a person.

    “I want to hear from Black women, Asian women, Indigenous folks … queer folks. What has your faith experience been and how can I learn from your experiences as well?” Chen said. “And I think that makes our understanding and relationship with God or spirituality a lot richer.”

    In 2020, Rebekah James Lovett, of Chicago, tried to broach the subject of social justice with her evangelical pastor. She stayed up till 4 a.m. crafting a written plea to him. The pastor met with her but she came away feeling like he was simply placating her.

    Raised in Christianity by Indian immigrant parents, she said she came to a realization, “I can’t ever go back” to white, male-dominated churches that don’t consider other viewpoints.

    She felt liberated — but also a bit rudderless. Then she heard Hoffman speak on a podcast, “Reclaiming My Theology.”

    “The idea of going to a woman who also is pastorally trained was interesting to me,” Lovett said. “Christianity as we’ve been sold it is built on this sense of certainty that somebody has the answer and you just have to look to the Bible and it’s all right there. Whereas for Ellen, there’s this invitation to wonder. That was never there before.”

    After adding her name to the waitlist, Lovett became a regular client of Hoffman’s in fall 2021.

    Hoffman’s rates for spiritual direction range from $85-$100 per session — or, in some cases, are free. Her paying clients, or “directees,” don’t seem to mind. They liken it to a regular check-up or therapy session.

    “I do feel like it is a wellness practice as well as a spiritual practice. It’s something that keeps me centered,” Brown said. “I’m not trying to reach a goal. My only desire is to, deepen my personal relationship with God.”

    Many have left churches across the U.S. over the past few decades. Around 30% of Americans identify as “the nones” or people with no organized religion affiliation, according to a 2023 AP-NORC poll. They include atheists, agnostics and people who are “nothing in particular.”

    The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, who last year became the first woman and woman of color elected general minister and president of the socially liberal United Church of Christ, agrees churches are often patriarchal. They “continue to be exclusive and bring narratives of hatred, diminishing the human spirit and decrying people’s humanity,” she said. While UCC congregations have become more racially and ethnically diverse, Thompson wants to see that diversity reflected at the top as well.

    “We continue to include the voices of all in the leadership — as best we can — paying attention to those whose presence and voices have been historically underrepresented in the life of the UCC,” Thompson said in an email.

    Spiritual direction has actually reinvigorated Brown to not give up on looking for a church.

    “I’m excited about joining a church that talks about justice, that cares about LGBTQ+ people,” Brown said. “I want to be a part of a community.”

    ___ This story has been corrected to show Hoffman’s group has assisted more than 200 women or 70 per year, not 70 overall.

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  • World Bank halts paid advertising on X after CBS News finds its promoted ad under racist content

    World Bank halts paid advertising on X after CBS News finds its promoted ad under racist content

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    The World Bank has ceased all paid advertising on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, which was formerly Twitter, after a CBS News investigation found promoted advertisements from the organization showing up under a racist post from an account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and white nationalist content. 

    CBS News found a verified X account with more than 115,000 followers that had posted a racist image alongside a post praising Europe’s colonization of Africa. CBS News is not publicly identifying the accounts spreading racist content on X. 

    A promoted advertisement for the World Bank showed up in the comments section below the post. 

    “The World Bank Group had already reduced its paid marketing on X while working with the platform to implement the strongest safety protocols X offers for our content,” a spokesperson for the World Bank told CBS News on Friday, adding: “This latest incident is entirely unacceptable, and we are immediately ceasing all paid marketing on X.”

    x-world-bank-ad.jpg
    Two screengrabs from X show, at left, a post containing racist messaging and, at right, a promoted advertisement for the World Bank that had appeared under the post. The World Bank told CBS News on Aug. 23, 2024 that it was pulling all paid advertising off the X platform over its ad appearing underneath the racist post. 

    X


    CBS News has asked X to comment on the World Bank’s withdrawal of paid advertising from the platform but had not received a reply by the time of publication. 

    The account has shared dozens of  antisemitic and racist posts over the course of the past week alone, and CBS News found promoted advertisements from numerous businesses under multiple posts from the account as it shared pro-Nazi content, including one post showing archival video of Adolf Hitler with the caption: “We defeated the wrong enemy.” That post has garnered more than two million views on the platform, according to X’s own metrics. 

    CBS News has found more than a dozen accounts on X with the blue check indicating “verification” by the platform that have large followings and regularly post white nationalist or pro-Nazi content, and which have promoted advertisements from some recognizable brands showing up in their comments threads. 

    X’s policy on hateful conduct states that users “may not attack other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.” It says the platform prohibits any targeting of people or groups with media that refers to or depicts the Holocaust or “symbols historically associated with hate groups, e.g., the Nazi swastika,” as examples.

    A promoted advertisement from Saudia Airlines, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, showed up under the same post as the World Bank advertisement. CBS News has sought comment from Saudia Airlines on the placement of its advertisement and on how the airline determines whether and how to spend money on the platform.

    In public court filings unsealed Tuesday, it was revealed that Kingdom Holdings, a Saudi Arabian conglomerate operated by members of the country’s royal family, is a key investor in the X platform. Saudia Airlines is owned by the government of Saudi Arabia. 

    On at least five occasions, promoted advertisements for the backpack company Nordace showed up under white nationalist or pro-Nazi posts on X. This included an advertisement for a Nordace backpack under a post from another verified account with 161,000 followers. 

    The thread shared by the account included pro-Nazi posts that said “antisemites will save the world,” and “Weimar problems require Weimar solutions” with the “Weimar problems” phrase painted in the colors of the LGBTQ rainbow flag. The Weimar Republic was a name used for Germany before Hitler rose to power with the Nazi regime. 

    On its website, Canadian-owned Nordace describes its core values as including, “Respect People” and “leave a positive impact.” 

    CBS News has sought comment from Nordace about the placement of its advertisements on X and how the company determines its ad spend on the platform. 

    Tech billionaire Elon Musk has dismantled safeguards on the platform since his October 2022 takeover of what was then Twitter — including dramatic changes to its verification system and the disbanding of its Trust and Safety advisory group, as well as changes to broader content moderation and hate speech enforcement.


    Trump tries to jumpstart campaign with return to X

    03:19

    Musk has created a system that sees X’s algorithms favor accounts that pay for the platform’s blue-check subscription service. According to X’s own marketing for its verification service, X premium offers “reply prioritization” for all subscribers. 

    Changes made by Musk to the X business model since his purchase of the company have allowed influencers who buy into the company’s verification subscription to monetize their content. Subscribers are eligible to receive a share of advertising revenue for their content if they “have at least 5M organic impressions on cumulative posts within the last 3 months” and “have at least 500 followers.”

    According to the platform’s terms of use, accounts can do this without publicly disclosing their identity, provided the account holder privately discloses their ID to the platform. 

    “X allows the use of pseudonymous accounts, meaning an account’s profile is not required to use the name or image of the account owner. Accounts that appear similar to others on X are not in violation of this policy, so long as their purpose is not to deceive or manipulate others,” according to the platform’s own guidelines. 

    All of the verified X accounts reviewed by CBS News would, according to the company’s own guidelines, qualify for a share of its ad revenues under this policy.

    One account that has frequently shared antisemitic posts, with more than half of a million followers, has even bragged about its earnings on X.

    In a post from March, the account shared a screenshot allegedly showing earnings from X’s ad revenue sharing program for verified accounts. The screenshot was accompanied by the caption: “X monetization is about to overtake TikTok and change the whole social media landscape. I’m not sure if live-streaming made the difference or if X has increased its revenue sharing, but this is approaching the point where I can support myself off of X.”

    CBS News has reached out to X for comment on whether the accounts reviewed are profiting from their content and on how it decides which verified accounts should receive ads and revenue. 

    The account under which the Nordace ad appeared had shared several antisemitic posts, including one that said “our country is controlled by an international criminal organization that grew out of the Jewish mob and now hides in modern Zionism behind cries of ‘antisemitism.’”

    While no promoted advertisements showed up under that specific post, ads have shown up under other posts by the account, including some spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation. 

    In recent months, Musk even boosted engagement for this specific X account as it peddled an unfounded conspiracy theory that influential figures in the media wanted to take American children away from their parents. In July, the account shared a clip of an old MSNBC commercial taken out of context with a caption reading: “The goal IS to take your children. They openly say it. This is why we have the second amendment.”

    Musk replied “absolutely” to the post in question, which has been viewed 4.3 million times according to X’s metrics.  

    Musk has also repeatedly engaged with another verified account, which has almost 366,000 followers, with an interaction between the tech mogul and the account as recently as Friday morning.

    This account has repeatedly touted the so-called “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, an unfounded far-right claim that White European populations are being demographically and culturally replaced by non-whites. 

    Last week, the account posted the unfounded claim that there is “a war on White people going on and the mainstream media and politicians are ‘ignoring’ it.” 

    Paid advertisements also showed up under that post. 

    CBS News has asked X’s press office whether it is comfortable with the platform’s owner engaging with such content, but there was no reply by the time of publication.

    In an October 2022 post, Musk had vowed that X’s new policy would be “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach. Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” he said, adding that such content would be unfindable “unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet.” 

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  • Democrats blast Trump’s rally in Michigan town with troubling KKK ties

    Democrats blast Trump’s rally in Michigan town with troubling KKK ties

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    Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak in Howell at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

    Michigan Democrats are slamming former President Donald Trump for choosing Howell as the location for his rally on Tuesday, a month after white supremacists rallied there, chanting “We love Hitler. We love Trump.”

    Trump plans to talk about “crime and safety” at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in the town of about 10,000 residents that has been called the “KKK Capital of Michigan.”

    Democrats say Trump is fueling racial divisions for political gain.

    “It’s no accident that Donald Trump chose to campaign in Howell less than a month after failing to condemn the Neo-Nazis who marched through town shouting their support for Hitler and Trump in the same breath,” Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson Lavora Barnes said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “His visit here to talk about safety is laughable — violent crime spiked under his watch, and he’s running on an extreme Project 2025 agenda that would defund law enforcement, abolish common-sense gun safety measures, and give Trump unchecked power.”

    Barnes added, “Michiganders don’t want a convicted criminal in the White House who will make our communities less safe and stoke hatred and division at every turn — that’s why they will reject Trump and his racist agenda come November.”

    And Howell isn’t the only town with links to white supremacists that Trump is visiting. On Monday, Trump visited York, Pennsylvania, which has a long history with the KKK.

    On Wednesday, Trump is speaking in Asheboro, North Carolina, where the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in 2017. And on Friday, Trump is holding a rally in Glendale, Arizona, which is the global headquarters of the Aryan Nations Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

    “This does not seem like a coincidence,” TikTok user and attorney Cheyenne Hunt, who has 99,400 followers, said. “We should all be talking about it. They are making an explicit play for the white supremacist vote.”

    On July 20 in Howell, masked white supremacists rallied and chanted, “We love Hitler. We love Trump.” One group chanted “Heil Hitler” during a march. During a second demonstration, participants waved flags with a swastika, the term “KKK,” and other antisemitic messages.

    Howell has been linked to the KKK for years, largely because of the rallies Michigan-based Grand Dragon Robert Miles held on a nearby farm in the 1970s and 1980s.

    During an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago on July 30, Trump came under fire for falsely suggesting his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had misled voters about her race.

    “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.

    Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents — her father from Jamaica and her mother from India. As an undergraduate, she studied at Howard University, a leading historically Black college, where she joined the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. During her time as a U.S. senator, Harris was part of the Congressional Black Caucus, advocating for voting rights and police reform legislation.

    Trump is scheduled to take the stage in Howell at 3 p.m.

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  • Bronze statue of John Lewis replaces more than 100-year-old Confederate monument

    Bronze statue of John Lewis replaces more than 100-year-old Confederate monument

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    DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A large bronze statue of the late civil rights icon leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis was installed Friday, at the very spot where a contentious monument to the confederacy stood for more than 110 years in the town square before it was dismantled in 2020.

    Work crews gently rested the 12-foot-tall (3.7-meter-tall) statue into place as the internationally acclaimed sculptor, Basil Watson, looked on carefully.

    “It’s exciting to see it going up and exciting for the city because of what he represents and what it’s replacing,” Watson said, as he assisted with the install process.

    Lewis was known for his role at the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement and urged others to get in “good trouble” for a cause he saw as vital and necessary. In DeKalb County where the Confederate monument stood for more than a century, protesters have invoked “good trouble” in calling for the swift removal of the obelisk.

    Back in 2020, the stone obelisk was lifted from its base with straps amid jeers and chants of “Just drop it!” from onlookers in Decatur, Georgia, who were kept at a safe distance by sheriff’s deputies. The obelisk was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908.

    Groups like the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and Hate Free Decatur had been pushing for the monument to be removed since the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

    The monument was among those around the country that became flashpoints for protests over police brutality and racial injustice, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. The city of Decatur then asked a Georgia judge to order the removal of the monument, which was often vandalized and marked by graffiti, saying it had become a threat to public safety.

    The statue of Lewis will be officially unveiled on Aug. 24.

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  • Latest search for 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims ends with 3 more found with gunshot wounds

    Latest search for 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims ends with 3 more found with gunshot wounds

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    OKLAHOMA CITY — The latest search for the remains of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims has ended with three more sets containing gunshot wounds, investigators said.

    The three are among 11 sets of remains exhumed during the latest excavation in Oaklawn Cemetery, state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said Friday.

    “Two of those gunshot victims display evidence of munitions from two different weapons,” Stackelbeck said. “The third individual who is a gunshot victim also displays evidence of burning.”

    Forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield, who will remain on site to examine the remains, said one victim suffered bullet and shotgun wounds while the second was shot with two different caliber bullets.

    Searchers are seeking simple wooden caskets because they were described at the time in newspaper articles, death certificates and funeral home records as the type used for burying massacre victims, Stackelbeck has said.

    The exhumed remains will then be sent to Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City for DNA and genealogical testing in an effort to identify them.

    The search ends just over a month after the first identification of remains previously exhumed during the search for massacre victims were identified as World War I veteran C.L. Daniel from Georgia.

    There was no sign of gunshot wounds to Daniel, Stubblefield said at the time, noting that if a bullet doesn’t strike bone and passes through the body, such a wound likely could not be determined after the passage of so many years.

    The search is the fourth since Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum launched the project in 2018 and 47 remains have now been exhumed.

    Bynum, who is not seeking reelection, said he hopes to see the search for victims continue.

    “My hope is, regardless of who the next mayor is, that they see how important it is to see this investigation through,” Bynum said. “It’s all part of that sequence that is necessary for us to ultimately find people who were murdered and hidden over a century ago.”

    Stackelbeck said investigators are mapping the graves in an effort to determine whether more searches should be conducted.

    “Every year we have built on the previous phase of this investigation. Our cumulative data have confirmed that we are finding individuals who fit the profile of massacre victims,” Stackelbeck said.

    “We will be taking all of that information into consideration as we make our recommendations about whether there is cause for additional excavations,” said Stackelbeck.

    Brenda Nails-Alford, a descendant of massacre survivors and a member of the committee overseeing the search for victims, said she is grateful for Bynum’s efforts to find victim’s remains.

    “It is my prayer that these efforts continue, to bring more justice and healing to those who were lost and to those families in our community,” Nails-Alford said.

    Earlier this month, Bynum and City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper announced a new committee to study a variety of possible reparations for survivors and descendants of the massacre and for the area of north Tulsa where it occurred.

    The massacre took place over two days in 1921, a long-suppressed episode of racial violence that destroyed a community known as Black Wall Street and ended with as many as 300 Black people killed, thousands of Black residents forced into internment camps overseen by the National Guard and more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools and churches destroyed.

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  • King Charles III applauds people who stood against racism during recent unrest in UK

    King Charles III applauds people who stood against racism during recent unrest in UK

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    LONDON — King Charles III has applauded people who took to the streets of British towns and cities earlier this week to help blunt days of unrest fueled by far-right activists and misinformation about a stabbing attack that killed three girls.

    Charles on Friday held telephone audiences with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and law enforcement officials during which he offered his “heartfelt thanks” to police and other emergency workers for their efforts to restore order and help those affected by the violence, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

    “The king shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many,” the palace said. “It remains his majesty’s hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation.”

    British police remain on alert for further violence after the nation was convulsed by rioting for more than a week as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans attacked mosques, looted shops and clashed with police. The government described the violence as “far-right thuggery,” and mobilized 6,000 specially trained police officers to quell the unrest.

    The disturbances have been fueled by right-wing activists using social media to spread misinformation about the July 29 knife attack in which three girls between the ages of 6 and 9 were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport, a seaside town north of Liverpool.

    Police detained a 17-year-old suspect. Rumors, later debunked, quickly circulated on social media that the suspect was an asylum-seeker, or a Muslim immigrant.

    On Saturday, the family of one of the Southport victims, Bebe King, 6, thanked their community, friends and even strangers who had offered the family solace in their grief.

    “The outpouring of love and support from our community and beyond has been a source of incredible comfort during this unimaginably difficult time,” they wrote. ”From the pink lights illuminating Sefton and Liverpool, to the pink bows, flowers, balloons, cards, and candles left in her memory, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown to our family.”

    The unrest has largely dissipated since Wednesday night, when a wave of expected far-right demonstrations failed to materialize after thousands of peaceful protesters flocked to locations around the U.K. to show their support for immigrants and asylum-seekers.

    Police had prepared for confrontations at more than 100 locations after right-wing groups circulated lists of potential targets on social media. While anti-racism groups planned counterprotests in response, in most places they reclaimed the streets with nothing to oppose.

    Starmer has insisted the police will remain on high alert this weekend, which marks the beginning of the professional soccer season. Authorities have been studying whether there is a link between the rioters and groups of “football hooligans” known to incite trouble at soccer matches.

    “My message to the police and all of those that are charged with responding to disorder is maintain that high alert,” Starmer said on Friday while visiting the special operations room of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

    The National Police Chiefs’ Council said some 741 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, including 304 who have been charged with criminal offenses.

    Courts around the country have already begun hearing the cases of those charged in relation to the unrest, with some receiving sentences of three years in prison.

    Starmer has said he is convinced that the “swift justice that has been dispensed in our courts” will discourage rioters from returning to the streets this weekend.

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  • What to know about the controversy over a cancelled grain terminal in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

    What to know about the controversy over a cancelled grain terminal in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

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    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An agricultural company made the surprise decision Tuesday to cancel a project to build a massive grain terminal in a historic Black town in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” a heavily industrialized stretch of land along the Mississippi River.

    The company, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, and its supporters — including Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry — blamed “special interest groups”, “plantation owners” and the Army Corps of Engineers for delaying construction on a grain export facility which would have brought jobs and development to St. John the Baptist Parish.

    But community organizers and environmental advocates said the company had brought the problem on itself by attempting to install a 222-acre (90 hectare) facility in an area filled with nationally recognized historic sites and cultural spaces worthy of preservation and investment.

    The Army Corps of Engineers said the company had chosen to build in the middle of an area with “environmental justice” and “cultural concerns” which required it to prove it could comply with a range of laws.

    What Greenfield promised

    Greenfield said that its $800 million grain terminal would have generated more than 1,000 construction jobs, north of 300 permanent jobs, $300 million in state tax revenue and $1.4 million in direct state and local taxes.

    The company said its facility was “expected to drive transformative social and economic benefits to the local community” and play a significant role in connecting American farmers with global markets. The facility had been designed with the potential to store 11 million tons of grain.

    On its website, Greenfield features testimony from a range of parish residents pledging their support for the facility and the economic growth they believed it would bring.

    St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard described the company’s decision as “a devastating blow to economic development” and lamented the loss of hundreds of jobs at a “state-of-the art, eco-friendly facility.”

    What caused Greenfield to pull the plug?

    Greenfield’s Van Davis blamed the project’s failure to advance on “the repeated delays and goal-post moving we have faced have finally become untenable, and as a result, our local communities lost.”

    The company said the Army Corps of Engineers had recently extended the deadline for the fifth time, pushing a decision on the project’s permits to March 2025.

    But Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Specialist Matt Roe disputed Greenfield’s framing in an emailed statement.

    Roe said the company had to show compliance with multiple laws, including the Clean Water Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, and that “the regulations do not set forth a prescribed timeline for the process.”

    Roe said the project’s location “was in a setting with many cultural resources” and that the Corps’ review has been “timely in every respect.”

    The Corps has found the project would adversely impact historic sites. Greenfield had said it would take steps to preserve any historical sites or artifacts found during construction.

    What was at stake?

    Governor Jeff Landry pinned the blame on the Army Corps of Engineers for bringing “additional delays” by listening to “special interest groups and wealthy plantation owners instead of hardworking Louisianans.”

    Opponents included the sisters Joy and Jo Banner, whose nonprofit The Descendants Project has bought land in the area — including a former plantation — to protect their town’s heritage. They gained national recognition for their efforts to invest in preserving history of enslaved people and their descendants.

    But they are not the only people who thought there should be more focus on finding other avenues to bring jobs and growth to the historic Black town of Wallace and the surrounding parish.

    Whitney Plantation Executive Director Ashley Rogers oversees a nearby National Register Historic District which draws 80,000 visitors a year from around the world. The area surrounding the proposed grain terminal site offers two centuries of well-documented history and culture containing “huge potential” for the community to capitalize on, she added.

    There is also a National Historic Landmark, Evergreen Plantation, and the Willow Grove cemetery for descendants of the formerly enslaved which would have been adjacent to the 275-foot-high grain terminal.

    “There does need to be economic development,” Rogers said. “I just think it can be done in a way that doesn’t permanently destroy the heritage, the culture and the environment and ruin people’s livelihoods and homes, right?”

    Fighting in and out of the court

    From Greenfield’s representatives to community activists, everyone acknowledged the fight over the project had been exhausting and brutal.

    In recent months, flyers attacking local activists opposed to the grain terminal were distributed throughout the community, including images featuring racist tropes. Greenfield representatives denied the company had any connection to the flyers.

    There are multiple ongoing lawsuits related to the facility filed by the Descendants Project related to zoning changes and tax exemptions for the company.

    Joy Banner, of the Descendant Project, has also sued Parish Council Chairman Michael Wright in federal court for allegedly making threats against her at a council meeting. Wright did not respond to a request for comment.

    ___

    This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joy Banner’s first name on first reference. It is Joy, not Joyce.

    ___

    Jack Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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  • Today in History: Aug. 6, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

    Today in History: Aug. 6, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

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    Today is Tuesday, Aug. 6, the 219th day of 2024. There are 147 days left in the year.

    Today in history:

    On Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.

    Also on this date:

    In 1806, Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years.

    In 1825, Upper Peru became the autonomous republic of Bolivia.

    In 1890, at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be executed via electric chair.

    In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

    In 1942, Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people’s motto remained, “No surrender.”

    In 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.

    In 1962, Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom after 300 years of British rule.

    In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.

    In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet.

    In 2011, insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy commando unit that had slain Osama bin Laden; seven Afghan commandos also died.

    Today’s Birthdays: Children’s performer Ella Jenkins is 100. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 86. Actor Louise Sorel is 84. Actors Michael Anderson Jr. and Ray Buktenica are 81. Actor Dorian Harewood is 74. Actor Catherine Hicks is 73. Singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 72. Actor Stepfanie Kramer is 68. Actor Faith Prince is 67. R&B singer Randy DeBarge is 66. Actor Leland Orser is 64. Actor Michelle Yeoh is 62. Country singers Patsy and Peggy Lynn are 60. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson and actor Jeremy Ratchford are 59. Actor Benito Martinez and country singer Lisa Stewart are 56. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 54. Actor Merrin Dungey is 53. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner and actor Jason O’Mara are 52. Actor Vera Farmiga is 51. Actor Ever Carradine is 50. Actors Soleil Moon Frye and Melissa George are 48. Rock singer Travis “Travie” McCoy and actor Leslie Odom Jr. are 43. Actor Romola Garai is 42. U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star A’ja Wilson is 28.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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    By The Associated Press

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  • Harris says

    Harris says

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    Harris says “the American people deserve better” after Trump falsely attacks her race – CBS News


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    Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in Houston, Texas, Wednesday night, hours after former President Donald Trump falsely questioned her racial background at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention. Harris said it is “the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect” and added that “the American people deserve better.”

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  • Here’s a look at some of the false claims made during Biden and Trump’s first debate

    Here’s a look at some of the false claims made during Biden and Trump’s first debate

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    President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump traded barbs and a variety of false and misleading information as they faced off in their first debate of the 2024 election.

    Trump falsely represented the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as a relatively small number of people who were ushered in by police and misstated the strength of the economy during his administration.

    The latest on the Biden-Trump debate

    • The debate was a critical moment in Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s presidential rematch to make their cases before a national television audience.
    • Take a look at the facts around false and misleading claims frequently made by the two candidates.
    • Both candidates wasted no time sparring over policy during their 90-minute faceoff. These are the takeaways.

    Biden, who tends to lean more on exaggerations and embellishments rather than outright lies, misrepresented the cost of insulin and overstated what Trump said about using disinfectant to address COVID. Here’s a look at the false and misleading claims on Thursday night by the two candidates.

    ___

    JAN. 6

    TRUMP: “They talk about a relatively small number of people that went to the Capitol and in many cases were ushered in by the police.”

    THE FACTS: That’s false. The attack on the U.S. Capitol was the deadliest assault on the seat of American power in over 200 years. As thoroughly documented by video, photographs and people who were there, thousands of people descended on Capitol Hill in what became a brutal scene of hand-to-hand combat with police.

    In an internal memo on March 7, 2023, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said that the allegation that “our officers helped the rioters and acted as ‘tour guides’” is “outrageous and false.” A Capitol Police spokesperson confirmed the memo’s authenticity to The Associated Press. More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot. More than 850 people have pleaded guilty to crimes, and 200 others have been convicted at trial.

    ___

    TRUMP, on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s actions on Jan. 6: “Because I offered her 10,000 soldiers or National Guard and she turned them down.”

    THE FACTS: Pelosi did not direct the National Guard. Further, as the Capitol came under attack, she and then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called for military assistance, including from the National Guard.

    The Capitol Police Board makes the decision on whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol. It is made up of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol. The board decided not to call the guard ahead of the insurrection but did eventually request assistance after the rioting had already begun, and the troops arrived several hours later.

    The House Sergeant at Arms reported to Pelosi and the Senate Sergeant at Arms reported to McConnell. There is no evidence that either Pelosi or McConnell directed the security officials not to call the guard beforehand. Drew Hammill, a then-spokesperson for Pelosi, said after the insurrection that Pelosi was never informed of such a request.

    ___

    TAXES AND REGULATIONS

    TRUMP, on Biden: “He wants to raise your taxes by four times.”

    THE FACTS: That’s not accurate.

    Trump has used that line at rallies, but it has no basis in fact. Biden actually wants to prevent tax increases on anyone making less than $400,000, which is the vast majority of taxpayers.

    More importantly, Biden’s budget proposal does not increase taxes as much as Trump claims, though the increases are focused on corporations and the wealthy. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for individuals are set to expire after 2025, because they were not fully funded when they became law.

    ___

    TRUMP, referring to Jan. 6, 2021, the day a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of Biden’s victory: “On January 6th we had the lowest taxes ever. We had the lowest regulations ever on January 6th.”

    THE FACTS: The current federal income tax was only instituted in 1913, and tax rates have fluctuated significantly in the decades since. Rates were lower in the 1920s, just prior to the Great Depression. Trump did cut taxes during his time in the White House, but the rates weren’t the lowest in history.

    Government regulations have also ebbed and flowed in the country’s history, but there’s been an overall increase in regulations as the country modernized and its population grew. There are now many more regulations covering the environment, employment, financial transactions and other aspects of daily life. While Trump slashed some regulations, he didn’t take the country back to the less regulated days of its past.

    ___

    INSULIN

    BIDEN: “It’s $15 for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400.”

    THE FACTS: No, that’s not exactly right. Out-of-pocket insulin costs for older Americans on Medicare were capped at $35 in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law. The cap took effect last year, when many drugmakers announced they would lower the price of the drug to $35 for most users on private insurance. But Biden regularly overstates that many people used to pay up to $400 monthly. People with diabetes who have Medicare or private insurance paid about $450 yearly prior to the law, a Department of Health and Human Services study released in December 2022 found.

    ___

    CLIMATE CHANGE

    TRUMP, touting his environmental record, said that “during my four years, I had the best environmental numbers ever” and that he supports “immaculate” air and water.

    THE FACTS: That’s far from the whole story. During his presidency, Trump rolled back some provisions of the Clean Water Act, eased regulations on coal, oil and gas companies and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. When wildfires struck California in 2020, Trump dismissed the scientific consensus that climate change had played a role. Trump also dismissed scientists’ warnings about climate change and routinely proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those reductions were blocked by Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

    ___

    ABORTION

    TRUMP: “The problem they have is they’re radical because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth, after birth.”

    THE FACTS: Trump inaccurately referred to abortions after birth. Infanticide is criminalized in every state, and no state has passed a law that allows killing a baby after birth.

    Abortion rights advocates say terms like this and “late-term abortions” attempt to stigmatize abortions later in pregnancy. Abortions later in pregnancy are exceedingly rare. In 2020, less than 1% of abortions in the United States were performed at or after 21 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Abortions later in pregnancy also are usually the result of serious complications, such as fetal anomalies, that put the life of the woman or fetus at risk, medical experts say. In most cases, these are also wanted pregnancies, experts say.

    ___

    RUSSIA

    TRUMP on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia: “He should have had him out a long time ago, but Putin’s probably asking for billions and billions of dollars because this guy pays it every time.”

    THE FACTS: Trump is wrong to say that Biden pays any sort of fee “every time” to secure the release of hostages and wrongfully detained Americans. There’s also zero evidence that Putin is asking for any money in order to free Gershkovich. Just like in the Trump administration, the deals during the Biden administration that have brought home hostages and detainees involved prisoner swaps — not money transfers.

    Trump’s reference to money appeared to be about the 2023 deal in which the U.S. secured the release of five detained Americans in Iran after billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets were transferred from banks in South Korea to Qatar. The U.S. has said that that the money would be held in restricted accounts and will only be able to be used for humanitarian goods, such as medicine and food.

    ___

    COVID-19

    BIDEN: Trump told Americans to “inject bleach” into their arms to treat COVID-19.

    THE FACTS: That’s overstating it. Rather, Trump asked whether it would be possible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.

    “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute,” he said at an April 2020 press conference. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful.”

    ___

    SUPER PREDATORS

    TRUMP: “What he’s done to the Black population is horrible, including the fact that for 10 years he called them ‘super predators.’ … We can’t forget that – super predators … And they’ve taken great offense at it.”

    THE FACTS: This oft-repeated claim by Trump dating back to the 2020 campaign is untrue. It was Hillary Clinton, then the first lady, who used the term “super predator” to advocate for the 1994 crime bill that Biden co-authored more than thirty years ago. Biden did warn of “predators” in a floor speech in support of his bill.

    ___

    MIGRANTS

    TRUMP, referring to Biden: “He’s the one that killed people with a bad border and flooding hundreds of thousands of people dying and also killing our citizens when they come in.”

    THE FACTS: A mass influx of migrants coming into the U.S. illegally across the southern border has led to a number of false and misleading claims by Trump. For example, he regularly claims other countries are emptying their prisons and mental institutions to send to the U.S. There is no evidence to support that.

    Trump has also argued the influx of immigrants is causing a crime surge in the U.S., although statistics actually show violent crime is on the way down.

    There have been recent high-profile and heinous crimes allegedly committed by people in the country illegally. But FBI statistics do not separate out crimes by the immigration status of the assailant, nor is there any evidence of a spike in crime perpetrated by migrants, either along the U.S.-Mexico border or in cities seeing the greatest influx of migrants, like New York. Studies have found that people living in the country illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to have been arrested for violent, drug and property crimes. For more than a century, critics of immigration have sought to link new arrivals to crime. In 1931, the Wickersham Commission did not find any evidence supporting a connection between immigration and increased crime, and many studies since then have reached similar conclusions.

    Texas is the only state that tracks crimes by immigration status. A 2020 study published by the National Academy of Sciences found “considerably lower felony arrest rates” among people in the United States illegally than legal immigrants or native-born.

    Some crime is expected given the large population of immigrants. There were an estimated 10.5 million people in the country illegally in 2021, according to the latest estimate by Pew Research Center, a figure that has almost certainly risen with large influxes at the border. In 2022, the Census Bureau estimated the foreign-born population at 46.2 million, or nearly 14% of the total, with most states seeing double-digit percentage increases in the last dozen years.

    ___

    CHARLOTTESVILLE

    BIDEN, referring to Trump after the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017: “The one who said I think they’re fine people on both sides.”

    THE FACTS: Trump did use those words to describe attendees of the deadly rally, which was planned by white nationalists. But as Trump supporters have pointed out, he also said that day that he wasn’t talking about the neo-Nazis and white nationalists in attendance.

    “You had some very bad people in that group,” Trump said during a news conference a few days after the rally, “But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

    He then added that he wasn’t talking about “the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.” Instead, he said, the press had been unfair in its treatment of protesters who were there to innocently and legally protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

    The gathering planned by white nationalists shocked the nation when it exploded into chaos: violent brawling in the streets, racist and antisemitic chants, smoke bombs, and finally, a car speeding into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring dozens more.

    ___

    ECONOMY

    TRUMP: We had the greatest economy in history.”

    THE FACTS: That’s not accurate. First of all, the pandemic triggered a massive recession during his presidency. The government borrowed $3.1 trillion in 2020 to stabilize the economy. Trump had the ignominy of leaving the White House with fewer jobs than when he entered.

    But even if you take out issues caused by the pandemic, economic growth averaged 2.67% during Trump’s first three years. That’s pretty solid. But it’s nowhere near the 4% averaged during Bill Clinton’s two terms from 1993 to 2001, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In fact, growth has been stronger so far under Biden than under Trump.

    Trump did have the unemployment rate get as low as 3.5% before the pandemic. But again, the labor force participation rate for people 25 to 54 — the core of the U.S. working population — was higher under Clinton. The participation rate has also been higher under Biden than Trump.

    Trump also likes to talk about how low inflation was under him. Gasoline fell as low as $1.77 a gallon. But, of course, that price dip happened during pandemic lockdowns when few people were driving. The low prices were due to a global health crisis, not Trump’s policies.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    • Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
    • AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
    • Stay informed. Keep your pulse on the news with breaking news email alerts. Sign up here.

    Similarly, average 30-year mortgage rates dipped to 2.65% during the pandemic. Those low rates were a byproduct of Federal Reserve efforts to prop up a weak economy, rather than the sign of strength that Trump now suggests it was.

    ___

    MILITARY DEATHS

    BIDEN: “The truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any — this decade — any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did.”

    ”THE FACTS: At least 16 service members have been killed in hostile action since Biden took office in January 2021. On Aug. 26, 2021, 13 died during a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, as U.S. troops withdrew from the country. An enemy drone killed three U.S. service members at a desert base in Jordan on Jan. 28 of this year.

    ___

    PRESIDENTIAL RECORD

    BIDEN: “159, or 58, don’t know an exact number, presidential historians, they’ve had meetings and they voted, who is the worst president in American history … They said he was the worst in all American history. That’s a fact. That’s not conjecture.”

    THE FACTS: That’s almost right, but not quite. The survey in question, a project from professors at the University of Houston and Coastal Carolina University, included 154 usable responses, from 525 respondents invited to participate.

    ___

    GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS

    TRUMP, on Minneapolis protests after the killing of George Floyd: “If I didn’t bring in the National Guard, that city would have been destroyed.”

    THE FACTS: Trump didn’t call the National Guard into Minneapolis during the unrest following the death of George Floyd. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz deployed the National Guard to the city.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Elliot Spagat, Eric Tucker, Ali Swenson, Christina Cassidy, Amanda Seitz, Stephen Groves, David Klepper, Melissa Goldin and Hope Yen contributed to this report.

    ___

    Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

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  • Young Black students frequently called n-word, ‘monkeys’ at rural Michigan school, lawsuit states

    Young Black students frequently called n-word, ‘monkeys’ at rural Michigan school, lawsuit states

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    Parents of five Black elementary and middle school students in Livingston County are suing the district, alleging their children endured “severe, pervasive, and persistent” racist comments as administrators looked the other way.

    The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court by the prominent civil rights law firm Marko Law, says the students at Pathfinder Middle School and Navigator Upper Elementary School were called the n-word, “monkeys,” and “cotton pickers,” among other derogatory slurs.

    Despite a repeated pattern of white students mocking Black children, administrators at Pinckney Community Schools have failed to “take any meaningful action to correct the behavior or end the racism,” according to the lawsuit.

    The students are as young as 11 years old.

    At Pinckney Community Schools, 92.3% of the students are white.

    The lawsuit also alleges that Black students are disciplined more harshly than white students. In one case, the district refused to punish the harassers “out of fear of labeling them a ‘racist,’ while the harassed child was suspended for two days,” according to the lawsuit.

    “Any school district has a duty and obligation to look out for the welfare and wellbeing of its students,” Jon Marko, principal attorney and founder of Marko Law, said in a statement Wednesday. “Not only did Pinckney Community Schools breach its duty when it failed to protect these children from racial discrimination, but it also failed to act or protect from the incessant bullying and humiliation the children experienced. As a consequence, racism continues to permeate throughout the school district. No parent should be scared to send a child to school for fear of racial harassment.”

    Metro Times couldn’t immediately reach district administrators for comment.

    The lawsuit was filed against the district, Superintendent Rick Todd, and principals Janet McDole and Lori Sandula.

    According to the lawsuit, the school failed to review the incidents collectively to determine if there is a racist, hostile environment. And the harassers who were disciplined faced lenient corrective action, the lawsuit claims.

    Marko also alleges that district administrators are not properly trained in investigating harassment complaints. In addition, the administrators failed to accurately record the incidents of harassment and didn’t follow school procedures to address the behavior.

    The lawsuit lists multiple, troubling incidents of harassment. At Pathfinder Elementary School, one student, identified as S.C. in the lawsuit, was physically assaulted, called the n-word, “cotton picker,” and “monkey,” and was told she does not belong, according to the lawsuit. To avoid the harassers, she hid in hallways until the instigating students reported to class. As a result, she has repeatedly been written up for being tardy to class.

    When the students’ parents complained, they often didn’t hear back from administrators, the lawsuit states. A father of one of the students said he asked a principal why she did not alert him to racial harassment targeting his child. The principal responded that she didn’t want to bring negative attention to the behavior or label the white student as a racist.

    At Navigator Upper Elementary School, a Black child was called various derogatory names, and each time the teachers failed to do anything about it. At one point, the student was so distraught that his teacher failed to take action that he asked his parents to pick him up from school.

    “Teachers are present when slurs are used against African

    American students, administrators are informed of racist behaviors, including physical assaults, and parents routinely escalate racist incidents to principals and the superintendent,” the lawsuit states. “Yet, Defendant has failed to take meaningful action.”

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    Steve Neavling

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  • Playing In Our Faces: Donald Trump Tries To Distance Himself From #Project2025 Backlash — ‘I Know Nothing’

    Playing In Our Faces: Donald Trump Tries To Distance Himself From #Project2025 Backlash — ‘I Know Nothing’

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    Source: The Washington Post / Getty

    Donald Trump questionably claims he’s an expert on everything else, but now he expects us to believe he has “no knowledge” of Project 2025 and its oppressive plans to give him unprecedented power as president. After the plan, directed by Trump’s former chief of staff, exploded online, that would make him the last person in the country to hear about it. 

    In his Philly campaign rally speech, Trump stated, “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

    According to AP News, he posted a statement distancing himself from Project 2025 on his social media website. “Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

    Wish them luck? PLEASE.

    Project 2025: The Drastic Plan Trump “Doesn’t Know About”

    Let’s break down what Trump is desperately trying to distance himself from. Project 2025 is a 922-page plan that proposes a massive expansion of presidential power. The project includes but isn’t limited to: 

    • firing up to 50,000 government workers to replace them with Trump loyalists (JUST SICK)
    • National abortions ban
    • Birth control, IVF, and STD Testing restrictions
    • Patient Data exposure
    • Eliminating the Department of Education and free school lunch programs
    • Enforcing Christian principles
    • Removing Environmental Protection Agency and protections for endangered species
    • Implementing tax policies that benefit the wealthy
    • Weaken unions and workplace safety regulations
    • End FBI efforts to combat disinformation
    • Repeal Acts for Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Fair Housing
    • End gender equality protections
    • Getting rid of DEI workers and training programs
    • Criminalizing LGBTQ+ rights and homelessness
    • Using the U.S. military against the U.S. citizens

    Yet Trump would have us believe he’s completely in the dark about it. It’s hard to swallow, especially given his past authoritarian actions and statements.

    The Social Media Firestorm

    What’s really pushed Trump into this awkward denial is the social media uproar. Project 2025 has been trending online and on television screens. As BOSSIP previously covered, celebrities such as Taraji P. Henson are taking part in the activism against it.

    Taraji didn’t hold back at the BET Awards, calling the oppressive overthrow of the government for what it is. Her bold move has put even more pressure on Trump and spread awareness of the initiative. Now, he’s backtracking and expecting us to fall for it despite his party’s track record of calling for these extremist policies.

    Trump can try to address the elephant in the room, but his response is far from convincing.

    Trump’s Ties to Project 2025 Figures

    The key players behind Project 2025 are all Trump insiders:

    • Paul Dans, the project’s director, was a former chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under Trump.
    • John McEntee, a senior adviser, was the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
    • Russ Vought, a significant contributor, is on the Republican National Committee’s platform writing committee.

    With such close ties, Trump’s denial is more than just suspicious; it’s strategic.

    Conservative Leaders’ Radical Agenda

    Conservative leaders are openly declaring their revolutionary intentions to drag the U.S. back to the 1800s.

    AP News states that Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation President, declared on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

    With over 110 conservative groups involved, they’re pushing policy and personnel recommendations for the next conservative president. This isn’t just about Trump; it’s a full-blown attempt to reshape America.

    Trump’s Extreme Agenda

    Even if he’s trying to sidestep Project 2025, Trump’s own plans are still alarming. Research shows that he’s gearing up for a massive deportation operation and wants to potentially tariff all imports if he gets a second term.

    These proposals, when combined with Project 2025, paint a chilling picture of the future. It’s devastating enough that his SCOTUS picks have lifetime control over our laws and seemingly use it to dismantle more civil rights by the day.

    Trump’s campaign has previously warned outside allies not to speak for him, yet Karoline Leavitt, a campaign spokeswoman, has been featured in Project 2025’s videos. The hypocrisy is staggering.

    It’s as if they want to distance themselves while simultaneously keeping the radical base riled up. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too. 

    Democrats Sound the Alarm

    The Democratic response has been fierce. The Biden campaign has slammed Project 2025 as a “violent revolution to destroy the very idea of America.”

    AP found that Ammar Moussa from the Biden campaign described it as an “extreme policy and personnel playbook for Trump’s second term that should scare the hell out of the American people.”

    On Independence Day, the Biden campaign posted a dystopian image from “The Handmaid’s Tale” on X, captioned, “Fourth of July under Trump’s Project 2025.”

    It’s a clear warning about the dangerous path ahead. 

    What’s Next?

    Trump’s comments come as the Republican Party prepares to draft its party platform, and Project 2025 is gearing up to share a 180-day agenda for the next administration privately.

    As these developments unfold, the American public must stay alert and informed. Trump’s denial might be a tactical move, but the implications of Project 2025 are too significant and dangerous to ignore. 

    This isn’t just about political maneuvering; it’s about the future of our democracy and lives.

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    Lauryn Bass

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  • Opinion: Protesters came to our homes, with antisemitic chants to “globalize the intifada”

    Opinion: Protesters came to our homes, with antisemitic chants to “globalize the intifada”

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    Having sniper-trained police in our neighborhoods to protect us and our homes was not anything we thought we would see when we were elected to the University of Colorado Board of Regents – an unpaid elected position.

    Yet, this was exactly what happened to both of us this month when a group of anti-Israel protesters came to both of our homes. We are extremely grateful to law enforcement for protecting us and our families, and we continue to be grateful to the many community members from all faiths and backgrounds who supported us during the protests at our home.

    Involving our families and our neighbors in protests at our homes is unacceptable, and is a tactic that we hope every leader, Democratic, Republican, or unaffiliated, can join in denouncing, as our colleagues on the CU Board of Regents did in a 9-0 vote.

    The agitators leading these protests say that the regents have not listened to or responded to them. They have been protesting on our campus since October, sharing their demands with multiple parties. They have come to CU Board of Regents meetings to speak in public sessions. They have emailed us.

    We have listened to them just as we do with any other group or individual. There is a difference between not listening and not agreeing. On May 16, 2024, the regents put out a statement that read, in part, “No regent is offering any policy changes in response to the demands.”

    As elected officials, we know all too well that you don’t demand things in a democracy. You make your arguments and hope people agree with you. We certainly hope we can all agree the amount of suffering happening in our world right now is unbearable. It is complex. It is unjust. Violence and pain inflicted upon babies, children, the elderly, and other innocent civilians is the worst of humanity.

    Criticism of Israel and/or of Hamas is acceptable and protected speech, and as regents, we encourage deep and complex debates about difficult topics because that is the role of an American university.

    A pro-Palestine demonstration continues on the Auraria Campus in Denver on April 29, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

    The decades-old Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement these protesters are part of, however, aims to dismantle the Jewish state and end the right to Jewish self-determination. The movement does not encourage people-to-people exchanges, dialogue opportunities, or interactions between those with opposing viewpoints.

    What we do not condone is purposely creating a dangerous environment for any student, staff, faculty – including Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, Christians and Arabs and atheists–  or any other member of our community.

    At both Denver Pride last week and in front of our homes, people changed racist phrases like “From the River to the Sea,” which has been used to call for Jews to be exterminated from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is unacceptable.

    They were chanting “Globalize the Intifada” and “Resistance by any means necessary” – both racist calls for the murder and displacement of Jews throughout the world – in front of our homes. This is especially deplorable in front of the Spiegels’ home, an American Jewish family who are descendants of Holocaust survivors.

    Much of the commentary and sloganeering used by the protesters oversimplifies an ancient history of a land that is in no way comparable to the United States, South Africa, or any other nation. The binary story that is being told results in the spread of disinformation, incites hate, and perpetuates dangerous antisemitic tropes.

    Finally, the fact that the protestors use overt displays of support for internationally recognized terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in conjunction with anti-Israel protests is also unacceptable.

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    Ilana Spiegel, Callie Rennison

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  • Nigel Farage criticizes ‘reprehensible’ racist remarks by workers for his Reform UK party

    Nigel Farage criticizes ‘reprehensible’ racist remarks by workers for his Reform UK party

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    LONDON — Anti-immigration British politician Nigel Farage on Friday condemned a worker for his Reform U.K. party who suggested migrants crossing the English Channel in boats should be used for “target practice.”

    Party activist Andrew Parker was heard suggesting army recruits with guns should be posted to “just shoot” migrants landing on beaches, in recordings made by an undercover reporter from Channel 4. He also used a racial slur about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian descent. Another campaign worker called the LGBT pride flag “degenerate.”

    Reform U.K. said it had cut ties with the two men. Farage said he was “dismayed” by the comments and called some of the language “reprehensible.”

    “The appalling sentiments expressed by some in these exchanges bear no relation to my own views, those of the vast majority of our supporters or Reform U.K.,” he said in a statement.

    Reform is running candidates in hundreds of seats for Britain’s July 4 election, aiming to siphon off voters from the dominant Conservative and Labour parties. It has disowned several candidates after media reported on their far-right ties or offensive comments.

    Speaking at a campaign event on Thursday, Farage said that “one or two people let us down and we let them go.” But he said in other cases of criticized comments, “in most cases they’re just speaking like ordinary folk.”

    Farage, a right-wing populist and ally of Donald Trump, shook up the election campaign when he announced in early June that he was running.

    He has sought to focus the election debate on immigration, particularly the tens of thousands of people each year who try to reach the U.K. in small boats across the English Channel.

    The migrants – mostly asylum-seekers fleeing poverty and conflict – account for a small portion of overall immigration to Britain. But the struggle to stop the hazardous crossings has become an emotive political issue.

    Opponents have long accused Farage of fanning racist attitudes toward migrants and condemned what they call his scapegoat rhetoric.

    Farage, 60, is making his eighth attempt to be elected to Parliament after seven failed bids. Polls suggest he has a comfortable lead in the race to represent the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea.

    While Reform is likely to win only a handful of seats, at most, in the 650-seat House of Commons, Farage says his goal is to get a foothold and lead the “real” opposition to a Labour Party government if the Conservatives lose power after 14 years in office.

    He is modelling his strategy on Canada’s Reform Party, which helped push that country’s Conservatives to the verge of wipeout in a 1993 election before reshaping Canadian conservative politics.

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  • Highland Park water tower defaced with racist graffiti

    Highland Park water tower defaced with racist graffiti

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    click to enlarge

    Steve Neavling

    Racist messages were scrawled on Highland Park’s water tower.

    Highland Park’s water tower, which looms over two major highways in Detroit, has been defaced with white supremacist propaganda.

    It’s just the latest in a series of racist messages being posted across metro Detroit.

    Motorists say the messages are at least several days old and still have not been removed by Highland Park, a predominantly Black city.

    Both messages are painted in red and blue lettering and are scrawled over previous graffiti that read, “Free Palestine.”

    One of the messages reads, “Patriot Front,” which is a racist hate group that advocates the formation of a white ethnostate. The Patriot Front has increased its presence in metro Detroit, posting racist propaganda on light poles in the area.

    The other message reads, “America First,” which is one of Donald Trump’s favorite slogans. The phrase became a popular racist, antisemitic slogan after World War I and was frequently used by the KKK.

    These slogans have been increasingly popping up in metro Detroit. One of the groups spreading the hateful messages is the Great Lakes Active Club, a Michigan-based neofascist group whose members are committed to becoming “white warriors.” The group is increasing its presence in metro Detroit by holding mixed-martial arts training, burning anti-fascist flags, and spreading hateful propaganda in the form of banners, stickers, and graffiti.

    In October, the group posted photos on social media showing its members placing a banner above a freeway in Commerce Township that read, “America First.”

    In May 2023, the Great Lakes Active Club held a “joint training session” with Patriot Front.

    The water tower, which is owned by Highland Park but is located in Detroit, hovers over I-75 and the Davison freeway, with tens of thousands of cars passing it every day.

    Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald says Detroit usually removes graffiti from the water tower, but she plans to ensure the messages are cleared, saying she won’t tolerate hate.

    “It will be taken care of,” McDonald tells Metro Times. “We are going to try to put some cameras up to see if we can catch the people doing it.”

    Highland Park Councilman Khursheed Ash-Shafii says the vandals picked the wrong city to provoke with hatred.

    “The city of Highland Park is committed to diversity and inclusiveness, but there is no place in this city whatsoever for bigotry, hatred, and racism,” Ash-Shafii tells Metro Times. “These outdated terms have no place in America; thus they have no place in the great city of Highland Park.”

    On Adolf Hitler’s birthday in April, another neo-Nazi group, White Lives Matter Michigan, purchased several racist messages on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit. The billboard companies apologized, saying they didn’t realize what the messages meant.

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    Steve Neavling

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