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Lawler: Antisemitism on college campuses ‘not a free speech issue’ on November 11, 2023 at 2:46 am

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Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) held up his new bill as a possible solution to antisemitism on college campuses, saying the debates in colleges and universities across the country are “not a free speech issue.”

Lawler, alongside Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act in late October, which they hope will enable universities and law enforcement to go after antisemitic speech, which he described as hate speech.

“We have seen a rapid rise in antisemitism on these college campuses, and we need to crack down on it,” Lawker said in a CNN interview Friday. “This is not a free speech issue. This is hate speech.”

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The bill would force the Education Department to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism for use in enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws.

The IHRA definition, which is not currently universally accepted, includes anti-Zionism, a belief against the state of Israel, as a factor — which some contend is simply a political belief and has nothing to do with religious discrimination.

“The vocabulary is extremely contested here,” American University professor Lara Schwartz told The Hill last month. “What constitutes antisemitism, and when critiques of Israel as a country and a government crosses over into antisemitism, is a highly contested area. And it was before Oct. 7.”

Notable Jewish advocacy groups, like the Anti-Defamation League, consider anti-Zionism antisemitic, while other Jewish groups openly advocate for it politically.

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Lawler said anti-Zionist language is “putting people in jeopardy” and is part of the reason why he voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in the House on Tuesday.

Tlaib, the only member of Congress of Palestinian heritage, called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war using the phrase “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” which some considered antisemitic.

“If we’re going to crack down on college campuses, it starts with holding members of Congress to a higher standard,” Lawler said. “Chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ was not aspirational. It was absolutely vile and intended to undermine Israel, and frankly, call for its extermination and that cannot be tolerated anywhere in this country.”

The Israel-Hamas war has led to rising tensions on college campuses nationally and an increased prevalence of both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of “historic” levels of antisemitism late last month.

“The reality is that the Jewish community is uniquely targeted by pretty much every terrorist organization across the spectrum,” he said. “And when you look at a group that makes up 2.4 percent, roughly, of the American population, it should be jarring to everyone that that same population accounts for something like 60 percent of all religious-based hate crimes, and so they need our help.”

Arab and Muslim Americans also feel increased discrimination, advocates said.

“The level of anti-Arab hate and rhetoric hasn’t been this high since the aftermath of 9/11. It is far worse than the Trump years,” Abed Ayoub, the national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said on X. “We’ve received many calls for assistance in dealing with threats and intimidation.”

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“Schools across the country are vilifying Palestinians, and elected officials are setting up the stage for hate crimes against Arabs,” Ayoub added.

​ Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) held up his new bill as a possible solution to antisemitism on college campuses, saying the debates in colleges and universities across the country are “not a free speech issue.” Lawler, alongside Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act in late October,… 

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23andMe says hackers accessed ‘significant number’ of files about users’ ancestry on December 1, 2023 at 10:43 pm

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Genetic testing company 23andMe announced on Friday that hackers accessed around 14,000 customer accounts in the company’s recent data breach. In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published Friday, the company said that, based on its investigation into the incident, it had determined that hackers had accessed 0.1% of its customer […]

© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

​ Genetic testing company 23andMe announced on Friday that hackers accessed around 14,000 customer accounts in the company’s recent data breach. In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published Friday, the company said that, based on its investigation into the incident, it had determined that hackers had accessed 0.1% of its customer
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. 

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South Korea launches its first spy satellite into space, a week after North Korea on December 1, 2023 at 10:58 pm

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South Korea on Friday successfully placed its first spy satellite into orbit, a little over a week after the nation’s archenemy North Korea did the same.

The satellite was fired into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX captured the successful launch of the mission, known as Korea 425, on video.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said the satellite was placed into orbit at 10:19 a.m. on Friday, hailing it as a historic first for the country.

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“With the successful launch of the first military reconnaissance satellite, the military has secured independent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” the Ministry wrote in a statement.

South Korea plans to send four more satellites up into space by 2025, as part of an existing agreement with SpaceX reached last year.

Seoul has never before owned a surveillance and reconnaissance satellite and has at least partly relied on the U.S. to collect intelligence on North Korea.

North Korea says the placement of its own spy satellite was necessary because the U.S. and South Korea have militarized space already.

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Pyongyang failed two times this year to get a spy satellite into orbit but claims to have succeeded in getting the Malligyong-1 up last week atop a ballistic rocket. The satellite has reportedly taken pictures of the White House and the Pentagon.

After the satellite launch in North Korea, South Korea suspended a 2018 agreement that created a no-fly zone around the demilitarized border. The agreement had also pulled both countries back from deploying a full range of military resources there.

Pyongyang responded to the suspension by appearing to completely terminate the agreement altogether and restoring guard posts at the border, which had been removed under the pact.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un celebrated the achievement of the Malligyong-1 last week and heralded in a “new era of space power.”

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​ South Korea on Friday successfully placed its first spy satellite into orbit, a little over a week after the nation’s archenemy North Korea did the same. The satellite was fired into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX captured the successful launch of the mission, known as… 

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Ev startup Fisker cut its 2023 production target for the fourth time on December 1, 2023 at 10:25 pm

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Fisker, the California-based EV startup, cut its annual production guidance in an effort to free up $300 million in working capital, the company said in a business update Friday. Fisker said it expects to produce about 10,000 vehicles this year. The decision comes less than a month since Fisker cut its production target to between […]

© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

​ Fisker, the California-based EV startup, cut its annual production guidance in an effort to free up $300 million in working capital, the company said in a business update Friday. Fisker said it expects to produce about 10,000 vehicles this year. The decision comes less than a month since Fisker cut its production target to between
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. 

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