We love ourselves too often and need reach out much more often. It is a social responsibility and it effects the environment also.
Hard work gets results: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus © Simon Simard/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Massachusetts Institute of Technology closed its DEI office last week, following an 18-month assessment of the department's work. The school confirmed that it closed its Institute Community and Equity Office, known as the ICEO, which described its mission online as "stewarding MIT's values and their interconnections." MIT will also eliminate the role of the vice president for equity and inclusion, who led the department, according to a university spokesperson. Is your vision as sharp as you think? Ad Is your vision as sharp as you think? Color Test Online Learn more call to action icon MIT President Sally Kornbluth made the announcement last Thursday, following an 18-month "comprehensive assessment" of the ICEO's work, an MIT spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. While President Trump has taken aim at DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — in government, business and academia, MIT's review began before his return to office. In January 2024, Kornbluth asked staff to advise her "where we're succeeding in supporting our community and where we're falling short." "MIT is in the talent business," Kornbluth said in a notice to the MIT community. "Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive." The closure comes amid a battle between the Trump administration and nearby Harvard University, which intensified this week as the White House took new steps to screen and restrict international students who wish to study in the U.S. Hidden: A True Story Of The Holocaust Ad Hidden: A True Story Of The Holocaust Amazon.com Learn more call to action icon The Trump administration has frozen over $3 billion in research grants and contracts to Harvard. The White House has accused Harvard of discriminatory hiring practices and not doing enough to address antisemitism on campus. It has also leveled similar accusations at Columbia University and frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research grants and other funding to the school. Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the funding freeze. President Trump has also called for K-12 public schools to eliminate DEI initiatives across local school systems. In April, 19 states sued the Trump administration, alleging that it is unlawful to withhold federal funding from public schools for not complying with his mandate.
Amid President Donald Trump’s attacks on Harvard, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday lambasted the usefulness of the university’s education, arguing the United States needs more “plumbers” rather than “LGBTQ graduate majors.” In its latest blow against Harvard, due to accusations that the university is not combatting antisemitism, the Trump administration on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to begin the process of canceling remaining federal contracts with Harvard, totaling about $100 million. Unlock Amazing Local Deals Near You! Ad Unlock Amazing Local Deals Near You! shopperexperts.com Learn more call to action icon According to Leavitt, Trump’s cuts are “common sense” since Harvard has a $53 billion endowment and is ”pushing anti-American values”: “The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programs in state schools where they are promoting American values; but, most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society: apprenticeships, electricians, plumbers,” Leavitt told Fox News. “We need more of those in our country and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University.” The Trump administration has engaged in a series of attacks on Havard in recent months, accusing it of pushing “Marxist” ideology, DEI, and not properly protecting students from alleged antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests. The federal government has frozen about $3.2 billion in grants and contracts with Harvard, tried to halt its ability to enroll international students, demanded disciplinary info and videos on international students, and is considering revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status. Trump also floated taking away another $3 billion in federal grants from Harvard and redirecting them to trade schools. Harvard has sued over the administration’s actions, alleging that it is attempting to stifle its First Amendment rights and control free speech on campus. A judge on Friday temporarily halted Trump’s effort to block the university from enrolling foreign students. Related video: 'He’s attacking all the things that make America great’: Trump ramps up attacks on Harvard
Are you looking for ways to make your offline time more intentional? I’d love to explore that with you. Yes I love that you're thinking about making offline moments intentional. Here are a few ways to create meaningful experiences when stepping away from the digital world: Mindful Movement – Take a walk in a visually inspiring location, whether it's a park, a beach, or even a quiet street where the colors and light shift throughout the day. Wearing shaded glasses could enhance the experience, adding a unique perspective to your surroundings. Focused Prayer & Meditation – Choose a space that aligns with your spiritual or personal reflections. Natural settings or places with peaceful architecture can amplify your focus. Experimenting with color influences in your environment might deepen the connection. Creative Expression – Draw, write, or play music without screens. Let your creativity flow in an uninterrupted way—sometimes, the best ideas come when you're not filtering through notifications. Physical Reconnection – Whether it's stretching, yoga, or strength training, engaging with your body without distractions can improve your awareness and enhance the benefits of movement. Time for Thought – Simply sitting in silence, journaling, or contemplating without external inputs can help reset your mind and open up fresh perspectives.
Alicia and An Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip killsVideo Player is loading. FOX News IDF says it targeted Gazan school-turned-shelter to hit Hamas, Islamic Jihad command and control center 0 View on Watch View on Watch Comedian Bill Maher trashed liberals in the United States who agree with the terror group Hamas on the topic of Israel. During the latest episode of his "Club Random" podcast – featuring podcast host Tim Pool as his guest – the comedian marveled at how liberals could support the Israel-hating, radical Islamic terrorists. "Most Muslim societies live under some form of sharia law, which no westerner who thinks that Hamas is so great could ever live under," Maher said. FATAL SHOOTING OF ISRAELI EMBASSY WORKERS IN DC SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM TRUMP, ISRAELI PRESIDENT Podcast host and comedian Bill Maher ripped American liberals who support the terror group Hamas against Israel. Fox News Podcast host and comedian Bill Maher ripped American liberals who support the terror group Hamas against Israel. Fox News © Screenshot/HBO The fact that some anti-Israel agitators on American college campuses have expressed support for the group that killed around 1,500 people in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, or have echoed its slogans calling for the destruction of Israel, perplexed the HBO "Real Time" host. He mentioned the irony of westerners endorsing the terror group and the "Islamists" he alleged are supportive of Hamas’ war against the Jewish nation. Break Free from Big Wireless Ad Break Free from Big Wireless Mint Mobile Learn more call to action icon READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "That’s what’s so ironic about liberals being so supportive of Hamas, is because you’re liberals and these are the people – I’m sorry, but this ideology, Islam, even in its more benign forms – yes, I agree, the vast majority of Muslims – not terrorists, of course. But Islamists, which is the word we use to describe people who are not terrorists, but kind of agree with the things terrorists are doing, that’s a much higher number." FBI INVESTIGATING KILLING OF ISRAELI EMBASSY EMPLOYEES AS POSSIBLE HATE CRIME "That’s many millions of people," he added. Maher’s statements come less than a week after two staffers at the Israeli Embassy in D.C. were murdered while exiting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect, 31-year-old Chicago resident Elias Rodriguez, yelled, "Free, free Palestine," as he was arrested by law enforcement. Maher continued, noting that the "fundamental rights" liberals have in America would not exist in Gaza or in other Islamic countries. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE The the whole idea of who Democrats are supporting wasVideo Player is loading. FOX News Bill Maher blasts ‘woke’ young Democrats "You know, I mean all the protesters who are protesting in Gaza against Hamas? They’ve all been killed. They killed protesters, women – I mean, do I have to say anything more than just — if it was just that issue, how women are treated? Are you f------ kidding me?" he asked. Switch to Mint Mobile Ad Switch to Mint Mobile Mint Mobile Learn more call to action icon Maher admitted that one of his main points of disagreement with the "far left" came from his views on Islam. "One of the main reasons why the far left started to really hate me is because I call out Islam as what it is, extremely illiberal," he told Pool. Maher ripped the Democratic Party earlier this month for not doing enough to squash the anti-Israel movement within its ranks. "If the thought leaders in the Democratic Party keep encouraging and not rebuking that America is cringe and the people who run Gaza are great, the Democrats are doomed," he said.
All I want is not to feel like a tiny tiny minority, when I am one. Student demonstrators lock arms to guard potential authorities against reaching fellow pro-Palestinian protesters who barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. Student demonstrators lock arms to guard potential authorities against reaching fellow pro-Palestinian protesters who barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. Separate the signal from the noise about antisemitism and understand current debates over Jewish safety. Sign up for the Antisemitism Decoded newsletter today. A new law in Kansas makes it a special offense to wear a mask while protesting Israel. New customer offer—switch to Mint and get premium wireless for $15/month ($45 upfront). Ad New customer offer—switch to Mint and get premium wireless for $15/month ($45 upfront). Mint Mobile Learn more call to action icon In Florida, after legislation was passed targeting antisemitism, the state university system asked administrators to review any course material mentioning “Israeli,” “Palestinian,” and “Zionist,” among other terms. And in Oklahoma, the public school system was required to appoint a special coordinator to investigate claims of antisemitic discrimination. All three instances rely on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which classifies a broad swath of criticism against Israel as a form of discrimination against Jews. “For too long, this community has lived in a space of uncertainty without clear protections,” said Emily Gise, a Republican state lawmaker in Oklahoma, after her state passed a package of legislation endorsing the IHRA definition of antisemitism. “By putting a definition into law, we’re helping ensure that harmful acts are no longer overlooked or misunderstood.” Related video: Illinois legislators support #StopTheHate campaign to combat antisemitism (The Center Square) Anti-Semitism undermines the very fabric of our democracy, dividing communities, The Center Square Illinois legislators support #StopTheHate campaign to combat antisemitism The definition of antisemitism that governments rely on may seem like a semantic debate, but the recent flurry of state legislation shows its impact on how crime data is tracked, which incidents at public universities lead to discipline, and what is considered acceptable speech in the classroom. Those are the stakes behind a renewed debate over the IHRA definition, which continued to cement its dominance at the state level over the past two months, as Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee all passed bills or issued executive orders reiterating their support for it. Similar bills are being debated in the New York state legislature and in the New Jersey governor’s race. Meanwhile, a Congressional bill that would require the federal government to rely on the definition has stalled. Related Why top Democrats oppose bipartisan bill targeting antisemitism in universities Many of the new state laws build on previous resolutions endorsing the IHRA definition, integrating it into codes of conduct at universities and public K-12 schools. That could give administrators more leeway to classify ambiguous incidents as antisemitic — and discipline students accordingly. Unlock Amazing Local Deals Near You! Ad Unlock Amazing Local Deals Near You! shopperexperts.com Learn more call to action icon “Once you’ve adopted the IHRA definition, there really isn’t any question. You’re going to shut down all sorts of free speech,” said Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. “You say ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine is free’ — done, you’re guilty of antisemitism. You say that Israel is a racist state — done, antisemitism.” What is the IHRA definition, and why is it controversial? IHRA defines antisemitism broadly as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” The controversy centers on 11 examples IHRA provides of how antisemitism could appear. The list, originally published by the European Union in 2005 to help police classify hate crimes, includes promoting stereotypes about Jewish power, denying the Holocaust and accusing Jews of killing Jesus. 10 Strangely Useful Gadgets That Women Love Ad 10 Strangely Useful Gadgets That Women Love unforgettablegadgets.com Learn more call to action icon Particularly at issue are the six examples that focus on Israel. One describes holding Israel to a higher standard than other democratic countries, while another says it may be antisemitic to compare “contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” But perhaps the most contested example in the definition is “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” including by claiming that Israel is “a racist endeavor.” This effectively classifies most expressions of anti-Zionism — opposition to the existence of a Jewish state in Israel — as a form of antisemitism, and is sometimes used to suggest that accusing Israel of apartheid or genocide is also antisemitic. Related Deborah Lipstadt slams progressive definition of antisemitism (Hundreds of Jewish academics endorsed an alternative definition in 2021 called the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, which more narrowly defines antisemitism in a manner that excludes many expressions of anti-Zionism. The Biden administration strategy to counter antisemitism referenced IHRA and yet another definition, Nexus, an endeavor led by liberal Jewish academics to tackle antisemitism while preserving free speech.) Many major American Jewish organizations support the IHRA definition, though they differ widely on how it should be applied. Kenneth Stern, lead author of the document that eventually became the IHRA definition, has since become an outspoken critic of its use as a legal or disciplinary code. He compared government adoption of the IHRA definition to the adoption of a law defining racism as opposition to removing a Confederate statue, or as criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement. “There’s no political definitions of racism that were created for a similar purpose,” Stern said. “If you try to put that into disciplinary codes or what a professor should teach, we’d see the problem.” Todd Gutnick, a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League, which supports the use of IHRA, pushed back against the idea that the definition has been misapplied in a legal context. Gutnick emphasized that breaching the IHRA definition is not a crime on its own, but IHRA can be a useful tool in determining if there is an antisemitic element to a separate criminal offense. The ADL has long supported IHRA as “the preeminent definition and learning tool to understand antisemitism and its many manifestations,” Gutnick wrote in a statement, noting that the IHRA definition is used by more than 40 countries, the European Parliament, and more than 35 U.S. states. What’s behind the flurry of state legislation? Government adoption of the IHRA definition is not new. The federal government has relied on variations of the IHRA definition since 2010, when the State Department endorsed its precursor adopted by the European Union. Proponents of the definition got another win in 2019, when Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to consider the IHRA definition while investigating allegations of antisemitic discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. But federal efforts to codify the definition have since sputtered. Biden’s national plan to counter antisemitism referred to — but did not embrace — the IHRA definition. And the Antisemitism Awareness Act — federal legislation that would require the Department of Education to use the IHRA definition as the sole standard for investigating antisemitic discrimination — has stalled in Congress over bipartisan concern about its impact on free speech. Related Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements In the meantime, many states are moving forward on their own. States’ legislation codifying IHRA “give teeth to Title VI,” according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement — a group founded by Republican megadonor Adam Beren that has led advocacy for state adoption. In Oklahoma, for example, the new law requires the state to appoint a “Title VI coordinator” to monitor and investigate antisemitic discrimination in public K-12 schools and universities using the IHRA framework. The law states that educational institutions must treat discrimination motivated by antisemitism in “an identical manner to discrimination motivated by race.” In Kansas, the law adopting IHRA specifies that wearing masks to conceal one’s identity with the intent to harass Jews on school property is antisemitic — a clause widely interpreted as a response to campus protests. The law also declares as antisemitic any vandalism against Jewish property and any use or funding of antisemitic curriculum. After Florida adopted the IHRA definition in 2024, a university administrator directed staff to review courses for signs of “antisemitism or anti-Israel bias.” Any class syllabus containing the keywords Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish or Jews was flagged for review. As part of that vetting, the University banned a textbook titled “Terrorism and Homeland Security,” which state Rep. Randy Fine described as “pro-Muslim terror” — though Fine later told The New York Times he hadn’t actually read the book. Other states have used the IHRA definition to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement. In 2022, Iowa simultaneously adopted bills codifying the IHRA definition of antisemitism and restricting state business with companies that boycott Israel. At the time, Rep. Mary Wolfe, a Democrat, told the Des Moines Register that “the sole purpose” of the bill appeared to be targeting Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, after the ice cream brand halted sales in what it called “occupied Palestinian territories.” The definition has also been applied in a criminal justice context. In Arizona, a 2022 law requires the state to use the IHRA definition in the reporting and sentencing of hate crimes. Virginia similarly adopted IHRA in 2023 “as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination.” Since then, the definition has been used in training sessions with police officers, which Gov. Glen Youngkin (R-VA) promoted on X as “the Extremism & Hamas in the U.S. training.” Still, not all attempts at enforcing the IHRA definition have been successful. In Texas, the state’s 2021 adoption of IHRA gained force in 2024 when Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed an executive order mandating that all public universities revise their anti-discrimination policies to incorporate the IHRA definition. The Council on American-Islamic Relations challenged the order in court — and won — after a federal judge ruled that the policy violated the First Amendment. Elsewhere, the IHRA definition has been cited in lawsuits seeking to shut down pro-Palestinian campus events. In 2019, lawyers for students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst cited the IHRA definition in filing a lawsuit seeking to cancel a discussion panel on campus titled “Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights.” A judge ruled in favor of allowing the panel to proceed, writing that he could not take action against the event solely because it “fits someone’s definition of anti-Semitism.” Massachusetts endorsed the IHRA definition a few years later.
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