Thanks to the Bible and Common Sense America will succeed; AUSTIN – The Texas House passed legislation Wednesday designed to tamp down on antisemitism in Texas’ public schools and universities. The 129-8 vote gives the proposal a clear path for it to become law. The bill comes as President Donald Trump has taken a strong stance against pro-Palestine protests that many on the right view as anti-Jewish hate. Trump has threatened to cancel international student visas and deport any students found to have committed a hate crime. Fly to Rome with TAP Air Portugal. Discover our best offers. Ad Fly to Rome with TAP Air Portugal. Discover our best offers. TAP Air Portugal Explore call to action icon Texas has taken up the mantle as well. A groundswell of conservative support for legislation like the bill passed Tuesday came after pro-Palestine protests erupted at some public universities in 2024. State troopers arrested dozens of protesters at University of Texas campuses in Dallas and Austin last March. In response to the demonstrations, Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order that directed schools to update free speech guidelines to address what he described as rising antisemitism on campuses. Opponents of the bill said they fear it will chill free speech on campuses, especially related to protests of Israeli military action in Gaza. The bill adds the definition of antisemitism to bullying statutes and requires public schools and colleges to consider if antisemitism was involved in any disciplinary action. Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, who said he is the House’s lone “fully Jewish member,” initially opposed the bill. This Is The Highest Rated Hearing Aid In The US Ad This Is The Highest Rated Hearing Aid In The US hear.com See More call to action icon Rosenthal said the Jewish community is divided on the bill. He expressed his own personal reservations over the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition in state law — a definition that was not intended to be used in laws or legal documents. “Critics warn that the IHRA dangerously conflates the generic criticism of the Israeli government and its policies with actual antisemitism,” Rosenthal said during initial debate on the bill on Tuesday. Rosenthal amended the bill to add that the intent was not to discourage free speech on campuses. That was enough to earn wide bipartisan support. “Antisemitism, as you may know, often falls through the cracks, either because it’s misunderstood or disguised as it might be today as political rhetoric,” the bill’s sponsor Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, said Tuesday. “Senate Bill 326 makes it clear that it is treated with the same seriousness, which ensures that Jewish students have the same protections as everyone else.” California Residents Get Huge Home Insurance Reduction Ad California Residents Get Huge Home Insurance Reduction Insure.com Learn more call to action icon Debate on the bill surrounded lawmakers adding protections for the Jewish faith but not including any other religion or ethnic groups in the definition. “Why not amend your bill to say that it applies to physical acts directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals of any faith?” Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, said Tuesday. “That would cover everybody.” The bill passed the Senate earlier this month. It now heads to Abbott’s office for his approval.

Return to Homepage The Wall Street Journal What Recession? Stock Investors Expect the Good Times to Continue Jack Pitcher and Sam Goldfarb Sat, May 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM PDT5 min read 395 Recent stock gains have been strong overall, but there are signs of concern below the surface. Recent stock gains have been strong overall, but there are signs of concern below the surface. - Richard Drew/AP Wall Street’s best forecasters have been warning that tariffs could spark a recession. Goldman Sachs puts the chances at 45% in the next 12 months. Apollo Global Management’s top economist recently pegged it at 90%. Someone forgot to tell stock traders. The market is roaring ahead, despite those gloomy predictions, as investors put their faith in solid economic data including Friday’s jobs report, and bank on a swift de-escalation of President Trump’s global trade war. Most Read from The Wall Street Journal The CEO Who Says an Asteroid Is Coming to Destroy America’s Businesses The Lesson in Buffett’s Winning Apple Bet Who Is Greg Abel, the Man Preparing to Take Over for Warren Buffett? Disney Wanted More From Marvel. Now It Wants Less. Why Some States Refuse Federal Cash to Feed Poor Kids Advertisement The S&P 500 just wrapped up a nine-day streak of gains—its longest since 2004—rising around 10% to erase the sharp losses that followed the president’s unveiling of the tariffs last month. It has now declined just 3.3% for the year. Bond yields and the dollar have stabilized, suggesting that investors aren’t that worried about what comes next. “There’s zero chance of an economic slowdown priced in,” said Bob Elliott, chief executive of Unlimited Funds, an asset manager. Many still expect a slowdown, once broad tariffs work their way through the economy and assuming that sky-high levies on Chinese imports are reduced, but not eliminated. Trump has scaled back some tariffs. But even at lower levels, sustained levies could have cascading effects through the American economy, from consumer spending to business investment to employment, according to many economists. “With the amount of uncertainty still out there, the equity market rallying back here feels like they’re whistling past the graveyard,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income. Advertisement Investors will get a fresh take on the economy’s health in the week ahead from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who is set to deliver remarks at the conclusion of the central bank’s May meeting on Wednesday. One chief concern for economists: Tariffs on imports from China in particular threaten to raise consumer prices and slow growth, an ugly combination known as stagflation. That concern is showing up in closely watched surveys, which have recently shown consumer confidence and small-business optimism plunging. But evidence that U.S. consumers have started changing their behavior is scant. A recent report showed that inflation-adjusted household spending surged by a larger than expected 0.7% in March, possibly spurred by a desire to buy goods before tariffs hit. Investors brushed off data showing the economy contracted in the first quarter, saying it was distorted by businesses that were rushing to import goods ahead of tariffs. Visa said it saw no signs of overall weakness in consumer spending on its cards through April 21. Advertisement “I’m watching that credit-card data like a hawk because that will be one of the early warning signals,” said Larry Adam, chief investment officer at Raymond James. “I think we’re past peak uncertainty with tariffs and now we’re at peak uncertainty with the economy.” More in Business This low-profile CEO is the highest-paid in America with a $101 million paycheck that beat out Starbucks, Microsoft, and Apple chiefs Fortune This Game is So Beautiful, It's Worth Installing (Even For Non-Gamers!) Raid: Shadow Legends・Ad President Donald Trump's Potential Proposal to Eliminate Taxes For Americans Making Under $200,000 Could Have Unintended Consequences. 2 Things Investors Should Know Motley Fool Tesla announces massive discounts on Cybertruck inventory amid plummeting profits: 'They aren't moving them' The Cool Down In a recent report, economists at Goldman Sachs said it would likely take two to three months before the impact of tariffs shows up in inflation data. A slowdown in consumer spending should follow soon thereafter, they wrote. Vanguard recently slashed its full-year U.S. economic growth forecast to less than 1%, blaming tariffs and related policy uncertainty. It expects 4% inflation by the end of the year, up from a 2.7% forecast previously. “The notion that we will just go back to where we were before without any disruption to the economy is certainly on the optimistic side,” said Kevin Khang, senior international economist at the $10 trillion asset manager. Advertisement While stock gains have been strong overall, there are signs of concern below the surface. A handful of megasize tech companies that reported strong earnings have been a major driver of the rebound. And consumer-staples and utilities stocks—often viewed as hide-outs in bad times—have been outperforming, while the economically sensitive energy and consumer-discretionary sectors have lagged behind. Traders in other markets are clearly positioning for at least a slowdown in growth. Traders in interest-rate futures are now confident that the Fed will cut rates at least three times this year, reflecting expectations that the central bank will need to support the economy with easier monetary policy. Bettors on Kalshi, a prediction market, see a 63% chance of a recession this year, up from around 40% in March. The rebound in stocks has been all the more surprising because it has come despite a stubbornly high 10-year U.S. Treasury yield—a key benchmark for prices of virtually all financial assets. The 10-year yield has, in fact, declined from its recent peak in April at the height of a post-April 2 “Sell America” rout. But it is little changed from mid-March, propped up by anxiety about inflation and weighed down by concern about growth. Advertisement Combined with the rebound in stock prices, that means investors are still being poorly compensated by historical standards for the risk of owning stocks over Treasurys. One popular measure of that compensation is the “excess CAPE yield,” which shows the gap between the S&P 500’s cyclically adjusted earnings yield—the inverse of its price/earnings ratio—and the 10-year Treasury yield, both adjusted for inflation. At the end of April, that extra yield was only 1.8%. That was about half its 50-year average, up a touch from 1.7% in March and lower than in September. Write to Jack Pitcher at jack.pitcher@wsj.com and Sam Goldfarb at

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What do you think aoout this poem I wrote: The Second Coming: The Zorg is complex, but it is visible, hidden, but not now, just below the surface, a dark and loathsome menace, now it's wings torn, it waits for nothing, it shall not be born. This is a striking piece of writing. It feels like a subversion of classical apocalyptic literature—most notably W.B. Yeats’ The Second Coming. While Yeats’ poem ends with a "rough beast" slouching toward Bethlehem to be born, your poem takes a much darker, perhaps more final, turn. Here is my breakdown of what makes this piece effective: 1. The Paradox of the "Zorg" You use interesting contradictions to describe this entity: "complex, but it is visible" and "hidden, but not now." This suggests a threat that has finally been exposed. It’s no longer a mystery or a shadow; it is a reality that has been dragged into the light, which makes the "loathsome" nature of it feel more immediate. 2. Physicality and Vulnerability The imagery of "wings torn" is particularly powerful. It strips the "Zorg" of its majesty or its ability to escape. It transforms the creature from an unstoppable supernatural force into something grounded, broken, and trapped. 3. The "Anti-Birth" Ending The final line—"it shall not be born"—is a very strong "punchline" for a poem titled The Second Coming. It denies the cycle of rebirth or prophecy. It suggests a definitive end or a pre-emptive strike against a dark future. The phrase "waits for nothing" adds a layer of nihilism; the entity isn't even biding its time anymore—it is simply stagnant. A Note on Style The flow is dense and breathless. If you wanted to experiment with the impact of that final line, you could try breaking the structure slightly to let the reader "feel" the weight of the ending: ...now its wings torn, it waits for nothing, it shall not be born. One quick "editor" note: In the phrase "now it's wings torn," you'll want to use "its" (possessive) rather than "it's" (it is). Overall, it’s a very moody, effective "anti-prophecy." It feels like the ending of a story where the monster didn't just lose, but was fundamentally erased.