Gavin Newsom says he never has and ‘never will’ take money from AIPAC
(JTA) — When an interviewer told him he wouldn’t vote for a candidate who accepts support from AIPAC, California Gov. Gavin Newsom stumbled over his answer.
“It’s interesting,” Newsom said, repeating the phrase multiple times. He distanced himself from the pro-Israel lobbying group, saying it is “not relevant” to his “day-to-day life,” but didn’t comment on whether he would ever accept its support. His critics said he “short-circuited.”
That was back in October.
This week, he had a clearer answer.
“Never have and never will,” Newsom said on Feb. 22, asked whether he would take money from AIPAC.
It wasn’t the first time that Newsom has shown off his record of not taking money from AIPAC, nor from other special interest lobbying groups in industries like tobacco and oil. And that record comes as no surprise: AIPAC has not historically gotten involved in state elections, and Newsom has run only in gubernatorial races since 2018.
But Newsom, who’s widely believed to be running for president in 2028, was offering a clear sign that he is aiming to appeal to a voter base that is increasingly critical of Israel.
Signs are piling up that support for Israel is a mounting liability for national politicians. Polling shows that support for Israel has plummeted to the single digits among Democrats and has declined on the right, too. An internal investigation by the Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, found that Kamala Harris lost votes in the 2024 election as a result of her stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, Axios reported this week.
Trump admin targets Iran ‘shadow fleet’ with new sanctions ahead of Geneva nuclear talks
(JNS) — The Trump administration announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” and networks tied to the regime’s weapons programs, the U.S. Department of the Treasury stated on Feb. 25.
The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated more than 30 individuals, entities and vessels involved in illicit Iranian petroleum sales and in supporting Tehran’s ballistic missile and advanced conventional weapons production.
“Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” Scott Bessent, secretary of the Treasury, stated.
According to the Treasury, the action targets 12 vessels and their owners or operators that collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The sanctions also hit procurement networks in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates that officials say helped supply “precursor materials and sensitive machinery” for the U.S.-sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, supporting missile and unmanned aerial vehicle development.
Bipartisan bill aims to expand internet access in Iran
(JNS) — Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced legislation to expand internet access in Iran despite the regime’s efforts to cut it off.
The Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom and Accountability Act responds to the brutal crackdown following days of protests in the country. Iranian officials blocked access to the internet and reportedly killed thousands or tens of thousands of its citizens to stem the demonstrations. There is a companion bill in the House.
“The people of Iran have been forced to live under a repressive regime that has used censorship and internet blackouts to weaken efforts by its people to fight back,” Rosen stated. “Iran’s future must be shaped by its people, who deserve to have their rights protected and free access to information.”
The measure would place efforts to provide internet access to Iranians under the U.S. secretary of state and include examining tools, such as direct-to-cell satellite technology, finding ways to counter regime-imposed internet blackouts, developing technologies to quickly respond to Iranian efforts to block internet access and expanding U.S. programming to Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump slashed funding for Voice of America, which operated a Persian News Network, via executive order in March 2025.
The new Senate bill would also look at ways for congressional leaders to identify and sanction individuals supporting Iran’s human rights abuses.
Vanderbilt launches inquiry into instructor after math question about Israeli occupation draws criticism
(JTA) — Vanderbilt University has launched an inquiry into a mathematics lecturer whose classroom exercise about Palestinian territory drew criticism from the activist group StopAntisemitism.
Tekin Karadağ, a senior lecturer at the university’s department of mathematics, drew the ire of the antisemitism watchdog after it obtained a slide from one of his lectures that used a pro-Palestinian protest slogan and suggested that Israel was shrinking the Palestinian territory.
“Assume Palestine as a state with a rectangular land shape. There is the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the Jordan River on the east,” read the slide. “From the river to the sea, Palestine (…) was approximately 100 km. in 1946. The land decreases by 250 sq. km per year, due to the occupation by Israel. How fast is the width of the land decreasing now?”
Karadağ, a Turkish national who received his PhD from Texas A&M in 2021, included the question under “examples related to the popular issues” in a survey of calculus class, according to StopAntisemitism.
In a statement shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Vanderbilt said that the content had been removed and that an inquiry had been launched into Karadağ.
“The university has received reports alleging a member of the faculty engaged in unprofessional conduct related to content shared during course instruction,” the school said. “The content in question has been removed, and a formal inquiry has been initiated consistent with relevant university policy.”
Nine Jewish day-school students named US Presidential Scholars candidates
(JNS) — The U.S. Department of Education has selected nine students at Jewish day schools in the United States as candidates for this year’s U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Four of the nine are from the Washington, D.C., area.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, established in 1964 by executive order, honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. It was expanded in 1979 to include students with exceptional talent in the arts and again in 2015 to recognize achievement in career and technical education.
Up to 161 students receive the honor each year from a list of thousands of candidates nominated based on their SAT or ACT scores, or by chief state school officers and partner recognition organizations. It is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
To date, more than 8,600 students have been honored.
