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Ned Price, US State Department spokesman, said on Tuesday that the US administration firmly reject[s] the BDS movement, which unfairly singles out Israel.In a press briefing, Price was asked about the decision of ice cream company Ben & Jerrys to boycott West Bank settlements and Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem by refusing to sell its products in those areas.I dont have a reaction to offer regarding the actions of a private company, he said, adding that he would let this company speak for itself.But more broadly, what I will say is that we firmly reject the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] movement, which unfairly singles out Israel, said Price.He went on to say that while the Biden-Harris administration will fully and always respect the First Amendment rights of our citizens, of the American people, the United States will be a strong partner in fighting efforts around the world that potentially seek to delegitimize Israel and will work tirelessly to support Israels further integration into the international community.The BDS movement unfairly singles out Israel, he continued. We will, consistent with the First Amendment rights of the American people, always work to be a strong partner to Israel and work with Israel to counter efforts to delegitimize it around the world, just as we work with our partner Israel to further its economic prosperity.Earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Lee Zeldin condemned Ben & Jerrys and its parent company, Unilever.The decision by Unilever and Ben & Jerrys to target hundreds of thousands of Jewish customers abroad with this discriminatory boycott is a disgrace and a direct embrace of the anti-Israel BDS movement, he said in a statement. New York State must now follow the 2016 Executive Order that prohibits state agencies from conducting business with institutions or companies that promote BDS, and requires the OGS Commissioner to maintain and update a list of entities participating in BDS.Both Ben & Jerrys and Unilever need to be immediately added to the OGS list, and the state needs to end any current business and suspend any future business with either company. Our state needs to follow its self-imposed standards, lead by example, and stand up to this anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discrimination, Zeldin said.

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State Department: We reject the BDS movement, which singles out Israel - The Jerusalem Post

There's pushback on a proposed resolution that condemns the teaching of critical race theory at the University of Nebraska. Two petitions have popped up online in opposition. One introduced by #WeAreOne Nebraska has gathered 1,500 signatures since Monday.Five hundred of those signatures are from current NU athletes such as Sadio Fenner. "You're taking away an opportunity to learn and to grow as a person because you don't grow without having the conversations that I think critical race theory invites in the classroom," Fenner said.The senior cross country runner from Colorado formed the Minority Student-Athlete Collective two years ago. His group teamed up with other advocacy groups to support critical race theory and explain how it promotes inclusiveness. "It's really just welcoming conversations about how our history as a country has built in some systemic racism at times and really oppressed minorities in this country," said Daniel Pearson, a former NU golfer and co-founder of United College Athlete Advocates.However, NU Regent and Republican candidate for governor, Jim Pillen disagrees.The resolution he introduced says critical race theory doesn't promote inclusive and honest dialogue and education on campus. And its proponents seek to silence opposing views and disparage important American ideals.In a statement to KETV Newswatch 7, Pillen said, "Our citizens expect that their values will be upheld by the University. The imposition of critical race theory on our students runs counter to those ideals by attempting to silence their dissenting opinions. This resolution affirms a fair and balanced dialogue on all issues."Gov. Pete Ricketts praised Pillen for his resolution.He has been critical of CRT in many of his recent speeches."This not something that should be taught in schools because it undermines the foundation of our country," Ricketts told KETV Newswatch 7 in June.UNL's Faculty Senate has already voiced opposition to Pillen's resolution and ACLU Nebraska is also opposed. It has its own petition."It could definitely be a First Amendment violation," said ACLU Legal and Policy Counsel Rose Godinez.Fenner is also concerned about the chilling effect it could have in recruiting students and athletes."There is no place like Nebraska. There is a lot of opportunities here but if you take away the opportunity to grow from conversations stemming around critical race theory it hurts a lot of people," Fenner said.Ricketts' Director of Strategic Communications Taylor Gage said:Some have missed the point of what the Board of Regents is doing: The resolution seeks to protect the freedom of speech on college campuses of students who oppose critical race theory. By definition, CRT pits people against each other, and when its applied it shuts down free speech. The UCAA is a liberal advocacy organization, and media outlets need to be careful about how they frame petitions generated by powerful political interest groups.

There's pushback on a proposed resolution that condemns the teaching of critical race theory at the University of Nebraska.

Two petitions have popped up online in opposition. One introduced by #WeAreOne Nebraska has gathered 1,500 signatures since Monday.

Five hundred of those signatures are from current NU athletes such as Sadio Fenner.

"You're taking away an opportunity to learn and to grow as a person because you don't grow without having the conversations that I think critical race theory invites in the classroom," Fenner said.

The senior cross country runner from Colorado formed the Minority Student-Athlete Collective two years ago.

His group teamed up with other advocacy groups to support critical race theory and explain how it promotes inclusiveness.

"It's really just welcoming conversations about how our history as a country has built in some systemic racism at times and really oppressed minorities in this country," said Daniel Pearson, a former NU golfer and co-founder of United College Athlete Advocates.

However, NU Regent and Republican candidate for governor, Jim Pillen disagrees.

The resolution he introduced says critical race theory doesn't promote inclusive and honest dialogue and education on campus. And its proponents seek to silence opposing views and disparage important American ideals.

In a statement to KETV Newswatch 7, Pillen said, "Our citizens expect that their values will be upheld by the University. The imposition of critical race theory on our students runs counter to those ideals by attempting to silence their dissenting opinions. This resolution affirms a fair and balanced dialogue on all issues."

Gov. Pete Ricketts praised Pillen for his resolution.

He has been critical of CRT in many of his recent speeches.

"This not something that should be taught in schools because it undermines the foundation of our country," Ricketts told KETV Newswatch 7 in June.

UNL's Faculty Senate has already voiced opposition to Pillen's resolution and ACLU Nebraska is also opposed. It has its own petition.

"It could definitely be a First Amendment violation," said ACLU Legal and Policy Counsel Rose Godinez.

Fenner is also concerned about the chilling effect it could have in recruiting students and athletes.

"There is no place like Nebraska. There is a lot of opportunities here but if you take away the opportunity to grow from conversations stemming around critical race theory it hurts a lot of people," Fenner said.

Ricketts' Director of Strategic Communications Taylor Gage said:

Some have missed the point of what the Board of Regents is doing: The resolution seeks to protect the freedom of speech on college campuses of students who oppose critical race theory. By definition, CRT pits people against each other, and when its applied it shuts down free speech. The UCAA is a liberal advocacy organization, and media outlets need to be careful about how they frame petitions generated by powerful political interest groups.

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NU athletes sign petition to keep critical race theory in classroom - KETV Omaha

Former vice president Mike Pence has repeated his attack on critical race theory, claiming that it teaches kindergarten-age children to be "ashamed of their skin color."

Pence made his latest remarks on critical race theory, or CRT, during a speech at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines on Friday. He accused Joe Biden's administration of replacing "patriotic education" with "political indoctrination."

He said: "They abolished our 1776 Commission and authorized teaching critical race theory in our schools. Instead of teaching all our children to be proud of their country, critical race theory teaches children as young as kindergarten to be ashamed of their skin color.

"Critical race theory is state-sanctioned racism, pure and simple, and it should be opposed by every American, every day."

CRT is an academic framework that examines history through the lens of racism and argues that racism is embedded in U.S. law and institutions.

But conservatives have turned it into a political rallying cry, claiming it is an effort to rewrite U.S. history and persuade white people that they are inherently racist.

Pence repeated his claims about critical race theory at Friday's inaugural Feenstra Family Picnic in Sioux Center.

"It's far past time to discard the left-wing reflex to find systemic racism in every institution in the country," he said. "America is not a racist country. America is the most just, noble and inclusive nation ever to exist on the face of the earth."

There is little to no evidence that critical race theory is being taught to K-12 public school students, according to the Associated Press.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, has said it is mostly taught in universities and not in elementary, middle and high schools.

But so far, 26 states have introduced bills or taken other steps to limit how race and racism can be taught in classrooms, according to an analysis by Education Week. Eleven Republican-led states have enacted bans, either through legislation or other actions.

Friday's speech wasn't the first time Pence has decried critical race theory and claimed it was being taught to children in kindergarten.

In a speech last month, he said the Republican Party must look to "restore the classics to education in our schools" and "eliminate critical race theory at every level."

"Critical race theory teaches children as young as kindergarten to be ashamed of their skin color. It represents a full-throated assault aimed at the heart of the American experiment," Pence added.

Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy invoked the words of Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have A Dream" speech while decrying critical race theory.

It prompted his daughter, Bernice King, to respond by advising the Republican leader to study her father's teachings more closely.

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Mike Pence Claims CRT Teaches Kindergarteners to Be 'Ashamed of Their Skin Color' - Newsweek

After reporters requested Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkans text messages in June 2020, they were told those messages had been deleted. KUOW has received a log for those text messages, which show some of her messages the mayors office says that most of her messages were via iMessage, which are not included in the log.

We have fresh insight into who Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan was text messaging last year previously a question mark after it was discovered that 10 months worth of Durkans text messages had disappeared.

Following this revelation, we requested the citys telecom provider's text message logs, which included the names and numbers of people in communication with the mayor from January to August of last year. Missing from the logs are the text messages themselves.

Among the most notable names in the text logs is Zach Bauer, close aide, or body man, to former Vice President Mike Pence. The log shows at least 100 messages exchanged between Mayor Durkan and Bauer during March and April of last year, as the coronavirus pandemic was first beginning.

According to Stephanie Formas, the mayors chief of staff, Durkan met with former Vice President Mike Pence last year. Pence was, at the time, leading the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Durkan remained in contact with Pences office over procuring Covid-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, and the field hospital at CenturyLink Field.

The mayor also exchanged 13 text messages with Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, on July 23 and 24, 2020.

Formas said their conversation seemed to center on scheduling a call to discuss public safety and the Seattle City Council's proposed actions. Formas noted that in July 2020, the City Council was considering cuts to the Seattle Police Department and Chief Bests salary.

The Seattle City Council also passed the JumpStart Seattle tax on big businesses like Amazon, in July, two weeks before the text message conversation appeared to take place.

In mid-June, as protests against police brutality were ongoing, the mayor was in contact with Ray Duda, the FBIs special agent in charge in Seattle at that time. Weeks before, on May 31, she received a couple messages from Gen. Brett Daugherty, adjutant general and director of the Washington Military Department.

Missing from the text message logs, however, is any record of conversations the mayor had between June 1 to June 9 a contentious time between protesters calling for the defunding of police and Seattle officers. It was on June 8 that Seattle police abandoned their East Precinct on Capitol Hill.

KUOW had requested the mayors text messages from early June 2020, in hopes of learning what transpired when Seattle police left their East Precinct on Capitol Hill, and who made the call. (Last week, we published a story that pointed to Assistant Chief Thomas Mahaffey.)

Unbeknownst to us at the time, we were given text messages involving the mayor, obtained from other city employees devices. Some of these recreated messages were sent between June 1 and June 10. When asked why these records werent noted on the text message log, Formas said the log only included the mayors text messages, and not iMessages, messages sent directly from iPhone to iPhone. Thats because cellular companies do not track iMessages, just SMS messages.

The mayors missing text messages, and a related whistleblower complaint alleging public records law violations, came to light in May of this year.

Public records staff in the Mayors Office reported that they had been recreating the mayors text messages, narrowly interpreting requests asking for the mayors texts, and not informing requesters. This was done under the direction of Michelle Chen, who at the time was overseeing how the mayors records requests were handled, and also acted as the mayors legal counsel.

Chen has since been removed from public records work, a spokesperson with the mayors office said.

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Who Seattle Mayor Durkan texted with last year: Mike Pence's body man, and an Amazon CEO - KUOW News and Information

Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was reportedly worried that Donald Trump might declare war on Iran as part of a last-ditch attempt to overturn his election loss, according to a New Yorker report on Thursday.

Miley was "engaged in an alarmed effort to ensure that Trump did not embark on a military conflict with Iran as part of his quixotic campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election and remain in power," journalist Susan B. Glasser wrote. "Trump had a circle of Iran hawks around him and was close with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu," she continued, "who was also urging the Administration to act against Iran after it was clear that Trump had lost the election."

The report stems from a forthcoming book by Glasser and her husband, New York Times reporter Peter Baker. It echoes bombshell allegationsinanother forthcoming book bytwo Washington Post reporters.

According to Glasser, the former president had floated the idea of engaging militarily with Iran on a number of occasions during his final months in the presidency. His proposals, the book's authors wrote, reflected Trump's seeming willingness "to do anything to stay in power."

During one meeting in which the president was not present, Milley pressed former Vice President Mike Pence on "why they were so intent on attacking [Iran]."

Pence reportedly answered: "Because they are evil."

In another episode, after weeks of the former president "pushing for a missile strike in response to various provocations against U.S. interests in the region" following his election loss, Milley told Trump point-blank: "If you do this, you're gonna have a f---ing war."

By early January, it appeared, Trump had been successfully subdued when former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both told the former president in a White House meeting that they were against military action. Walking Trump through the potential pros and cons of a military engagement, Pompeo and O'Brien told the former president that "too late to hit them."

Last month, the New York Times revealed that in early 2020 Netanyahu had given the former president a "hit list" of Iranian targets for him to consider. One of these targets, a suspected nuclear production plant, was in fact the very factory that the U.S. attacked with a drone strike in June.

U.S. tensions with Iran already simmering under former President Obama were significantly exacerbated during the Trump administration. On top of withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal back in 2018, Trump applied severe sanctions on the country, which have proven to be crippling to Iran's economy. In January of 2020, Trump also ordered the assassination of Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani a move that nearly engaged the U.S. in a full-fledged war.

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Mike Pence and Benjamin Netanyahu pushed Donald Trump to bomb Iran after losing the election: rpt - Salon