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House Speaker Mike Johnson and top Republican leaders on Tuesday said they were stepping up their efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses, including by holding additional hearings with top university administrators and potentially withholding millions of federal dollars from universities that fail to keep Jewish students safe.

The federal government plays a critical role in higher education, and we will use all the tools available to us to address this scourge, said Mr. Johnson, who last week visited Columbia University and said he would support the National Guard being deployed there if pro-Palestinian protests, which he said had grown violent and antisemitic, continued.

A news conference called to discuss what was billed as a House-wide crackdown on the virus of antisemitism spreading throughout college campuses was the latest example of Republicans finding fresh ways to publicly condemn the unrest that has erupted on campuses across the country over Israels war in Gaza, and to exploit the divisions the conflict has exposed among Democrats.

It was a House hearing Republicans called in December to discuss antisemitism on campuses that intensified public scrutiny of how university administrators were dealing with the pro-Palestinian protests, and the G.O.P. has missed few opportunities since then to spotlight those issues.

Attacking elite institutions of higher education has long been a conservative preoccupation. But in the current moment, Republicans also see immediate political advantages. It has given them an attack line against President Biden and Democrats, who they argue have been unwilling to condemn protests that veer into antisemitism or move to shut them down for fear of angering their progressive base, much of which sympathizes with the pro-Palestinian protests.

At the same time, the issue has united a fractured Republican Party that has tried to position itself as the true friend of Jewish Americans and of Israel.

Mr. Johnson said there had been lawlessness and chaos on campuses throughout the country, and that at Columbia University in particular, pro-Hamas agitators had taken over the campus, which he said had become a bastion of anti-Jewish hatred.

Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 Republican, said his goal was to deliver a message to the university administrators who have chosen to be complicit in these movements for hate.

Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina and chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, said she had summoned administrators from Yale, U.C.L.A. and the University of Michigan to appear before a House panel on May 23.

We have come to take our universities back, said Ms. Foxx, who was with Mr. Johnson at Columbia last week.

Representative Frank Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma and chair of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, said the universities that had allowed the protests to grow were no longer in compliance for funding from the National Science Foundation. He said his committee would study whether they had violated the conditions for receiving taxpayer dollars.

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House Republicans, Seeking Political Edge Amid College Protests, Spotlight Antisemitism - The New York Times

The 2024 presidential race remains extremely close between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to the latest polling from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist. Evan Vucci/AP; Eduardo Munoz/pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The 2024 presidential race remains extremely close between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to the latest polling from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist.

The fear factor is real in America, but Democrats and Republicans are scared for the country's future for different reasons, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds.

They also believe very differently about what children who will inherit that future should be taught.

Looking at this year's presidential election, the survey also found big shifts with key voter groups, along generational, racial and educational lines.

It also explored how third-party candidates and so-called "double haters" who have unfavorable ratings of both President Biden and former President Donald Trump could affect the race.

Finally, it finds a jump in Republicans now believing Trump has done something unethical, as he continues to contend with dozens of criminal charges and legal troubles.

Democrats overwhelmingly said teaching children to treat others as you would want to be treated, the "Golden Rule," is the most important value to teach children. That was followed farther back by "education being the key to success" and "be happy and follow your dreams."

Democrats are most concerned about a rise in extremism and fascism, topping everything else by a wide margin.

Republicans, on the other hand, said instilling children with faith in God, teaching them that hard work and discipline pay off, and to abide by the "Golden Rule" were most important.

Their biggest concerns for the country were a lack of values and becoming weak as a nation.

Fewer than half of respondents said they're following Trump's New York hush money trial closely, but with the Republican primary over and Trump's continued legal troubles, a majority of Republicans now say they believe Trump has done something wrong, whether that's something unethical or illegal.

The number of Republicans saying Trump has done something unethical has jumped 12 points since February, from 34% to 46%. Still, only 8% of Republicans think he's done something illegal, compared to almost half of respondents overall (47%).

A whopping 77% overall think Trump has done something illegal or at least unethical, and a majority believes the investigations into his conduct are fair.

When looking at the presidential election, Biden and Trump remain in a virtual tie among registered voters, with 50% for Biden and 48% for Trump. Among people who say they are "definitely voting" in November, Biden's lead expands out to 5 points, 52%-47%. The survey shows Biden is doing better with groups that say they're likely or definitely voting older voters and college-educated whites, in particular.

That may seem like the same old story two well-known candidates who were expected to be in a close race are now in a close race. But the top line numbers mask important shifts taking place by age, race and education.

Here are some key findings:

Age

Race and education

Polls have been unclear about which candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has the potential to pull support from more. This survey shows him taking a bit more from Biden than from Trump.

Biden's 2-point lead with all adults and 5-point lead with registered voters evaporates when RFK Jr. and others are considered. RFK Jr. takes in 11% of the vote, which is about how much he's been registering on average in previous Marist polls and other surveys.

It's no secret that there's a lot of cynicism and disaffection among many voters. Highlighting the country's partisanship, respondents said both men essentially represent equal threats to democracy, and majorities say they dislike both.

In this survey, 56% have an unfavorable view of Trump, and 54% have an unfavorable opinion of Biden. That's the well from which RFK Jr. is drawing.

In a matchup between Biden, Trump and RFK Jr., RFK Jr. gets 31% with those who have an unfavorable rating of both Trump and Biden, the "double haters." Another 31% of the "double haters," when faced with this choice, chose Trump and only 20% side with Biden.

That's a major warning sign for Biden because in 2020, Biden did well with "double haters," according to Democratic pollsters. When it's just Biden against Trump, the two men are statistically tied with the group, 46% for Trump, 45% for Biden.

Among the other groups RFK Jr. gets his most support: independent women (22%), independents overall (17%), those in the West (15%), parents with children under 18 (14%), white women with college degrees (14%), those under 45 (13%) and Gen Z/Millennials.

The survey of 1,199 adults was conducted April 22-25 by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 3.6 percentage points.

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2024 election poll: Trump vs. Biden and what Republicans and Democrats fear - NPR

Last month, Marjorie Taylor Greenes GOP colleagues responded to her calls to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson by saying things like, Dont bother us, and stop airing your grievances, and Nobody cares what Marjorie Taylor Greene says or thinks. Unfortunately for Greene (or maybe unfortunately for her coworkers), she did not appear to get the message, and rather than moving on, decided on Wednesday to dig in.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, the far-right congresswoman announced that she will officially raise a motion to vacate Johnson next week, i.e. try to boot him from his leadership position. Claiming Johnson is not capable of doing his job, Greene said she was giving Republicans the weekend to prepare, adding, I care about my conference. It also seems likely shes hoping people will change their minds over the next several days, because currently she appears to have little supporton either side of the aisle. As The Washington Post reports, representatives Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar are the only Republicans whove publicly backed Greenes effort to remove Johnson, while Democrats, who helped oust Kevin McCarthy last year, have said they wont do the same this time around.

On Tuesday, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would vote to table Greenes motion, which would effectively kill it. Not because they think Johnson is greatas a reminder, hes antiabortion, anti-gay-marriage, and in favor of overturning the 2020 electionbut because they want Congress to be able to operate. (And maybe also because theyre sick of Greenes shit.) Representative Becca Balint told Axios Wednesday that Johnsons positions and actions on LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights are abhorrent, but added, My constituents and I want a functioning Congress. I will vote to end the chaos and to strip MTG of her power and influence. Referring to the chances of Greenes efforts being successful, a senior House Democrat told the outlet: She is about to realize her inevitable irrelevance.

Greene has claimed her attempt to boot Johnson is, in part, about defending Donald Trump, saying the House leader made a grave error when he funded the Justice Department because said DOJ, according to Greene, wants to imprison Trump for life. Yet Trump has endorsed Johnson publicly. Johnsons other sins, according to the Georgia congresswoman, were reauthorizing a government surveillance bill, and sending $61 billion to Ukraine.

While Greenes attempt to dump Johnson currently appears futile, and the work of an attention-seeking chaos machine, as my colleague Eric Lutz pointed out last month, Matt Gaetzs attempt last year to boot McCarthy seemed similarly fated at firstuntil it was successful. Matt Gaetzs pursuit to oust Kevin McCarthy began as grandstanding too, Lutz wrote. It ended with McCarthy losing his gavel and giving up his seat.

Is he making a list and checking it twice?

Narrator: He did not appear to know he was not president three years ago

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Republicans, Democrats, and Donald Trump Agree on One Thing: Marjorie Taylor Greene's Move to Oust Mike ... - Vanity Fair

I think that many Utahns agree that the issue that most reveals the basic values of our two U.S. parties is health care.

For the Republicans, it is not one of the unalienable rights but a privilege or a benefit that people receive from their generous employers, and it is best managed by the private sector. The private sector will make sure that people receive health care according to what they work for and pay for, so that hard workers will be compensated for their efforts, and laziness will be intrinsically scolded, as justice requires.

For example, higher-earning employees will be able to pay for a platinum insurance plan that will allow them to pay very little in extra cash. Instead, lower-income employees can afford only a silver or bronze plan and will have to pay thousands of dollars if they need a hospitalization. So, they pay less monthly for insurance, but they lose the peace of mind of not having to pay huge cash payments. They are scolded for their lower productivity. A complex administration of gatekeepers will be needed to take into account all these different insurance metals. Lots of paperwork...

The Democrats, instead believe that standard health care belongs to the unalienable rights (life) and should be provided as a public service to all citizens, with no or minimal cash extra payments for all. Such as it happens with our decent K-12 public education. The productivity of people can find plenty of just rewards in other non-necessary products and services, but not in the necessary ones.

Because the necessary ones belong to the general welfare, which is a constitutional right, dependent on all men are created equal and connected equal dignity. Are the Democrats more faithful to our great U.S. Constitution than the Republicans? And, ultimately, do they propose a better organized health care system, with easier administration?

Adrian Comollo, Lehi

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Letter: Are the Democrats more faithful to the Constitution than the Republicans? Let's consider health care to answer ... - Salt Lake Tribune

Congressional Republicans on Wednesday said they had asked NPRs new chief executive, Katherine Maher, to address accusations of political bias in the radio networks journalism during a hearing next week.

A trio of Republican lawmakers Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Bob Latta of Ohio and Morgan Griffith of Virginia sent a six-page letter to Ms. Maher that notified her of an investigation into the network and requested her appearance on May 8.

As a taxpayer funded, public radio organization, NPR should focus on fair and objective news reporting that both considers and reflects the views of the larger U.S. population and not just a niche audience, the letter said.

The lawmakers, all members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the hearing would be held by the panels oversight subcommittee.

NPR declined to comment, but Ms. Maher may have a scheduling conflict. According to an agenda of NPRs upcoming board of directors meeting, Ms. Maher is scheduled to convene with NPRs board all day on May 8.

NPR has been scrutinized by conservatives in recent weeks after the publication of an essay by Uri Berliner, a former senior editor at the network, who said that the network had allowed progressive politics to affect its coverage of major stories. Mr. Berliner, who has since resigned, cited the networks coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and Hunter Bidens laptop as examples of bias.

Mr. Berliners essay has generated vociferous pushback from many employees at NPR, who say that many of his points were factually inaccurate. Tony Cavin, NPRs managing editor for standards, has said the networks coverage of Hunter Bidens laptop, the Covid-19 pandemic and the investigation into Russian collusion by Robert S. Mueller III, a special counsel, hewed closely to responsible coverage by other mainstream news organizations.

Ms. Maher, who joined the network this year, has personally been targeted by conservative activists who have combed through her social media history and resurfaced posts that promoted progressive causes and critiqued former President Donald J. Trump. In one post, from 2018, Ms. Maher called Mr. Trump a racist; another from 2020 showed her wearing a hat with the logo of the Biden campaign.

NPR has said that Ms. Maher, the former chief executive of Wikimedia, wasnt working in news at the time she made the posts, and added that she was exercising her First Amendment right to free expression.

Over the years, Republicans have occasionally threatened to pull government money from NPR, which comes from the taxpayer-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But those threats havent resulted in any significant funding reduction for the organization, which generates much of its revenue by selling radio programming to its member stations across the United States.

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Republicans Call on NPRs Chief, Katherine Maher, to Testify on Bias - The New York Times