Capitol Police probing ‘vile’ swastika displayed in congressional office, Ohio Republican says
(JNS) — Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) stated on Wednesday that he is aware of “an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office.”
The congressman, whose office said that the statement related to “vandalism that occurred in his Washington, D.C. office,” added that the “content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms.”
The congressman said that he “immediately directed a thorough investigation alongside Capitol Police, which remains ongoing.”
Politico printed an image that it said was “taken during a virtual meeting” and shows “an American flag altered to include a swastika and displayed inside the office of Rep. Dave Taylor.”
The flag is “pinned to what appears to be a cubicle wall behind Angelo Elia, one of Taylor’s staffers,” per Politico. “Alongside the flag — with altered red and white lines in the shape of a swastika — are pinned images, including a pocket Constitution and a congressional calendar.”
The publication reported that it is “unclear what role, if any, Elia had in the incident” and that he didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Brown U’s Jewish president turns down Trump’s ‘Compact’ deal for campuses
(JTA) — A second university — like the first helmed by a Jewish woman — has rejected the Trump administration’s offer of special funding in exchange for an array of concessions.
Brown University’s president, Christina Paxson, announced the decision on Wednesday, releasing the letter she sent to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and her staff. In the letter, she explained that while Brown remains committed to the agreement it struck in June to restore $50 million in federal funding that had been frozen over allegations of antisemitism, she could not abide by the terms of the new deal, which the Trump administration is calling the “Compact.”
“While a number of provisions in the Compact reflect similar principles as the July agreement — as well as our own commitments to affordability and the free exchange of ideas — I am concerned that the Compact by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance, critically compromising our ability to fulfill our mission,” Paxson wrote in the letter.
Brown follows the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in rejecting the deal, which would have required limits on employees’ political speech and “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”
Trump turns up the heat on Mamdani and NYC
(JTA) — President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on Mamdani on Tuesday, calling him “down and dirty,” a “communist” and anti-Jewish.
“He hates Jewish people and yet he’s got Jewish people supporting him,” Trump said during a press conference with Argentinian President Javier Milei. A recent Marist poll showed Jewish voters evenly divided between Mamdani and Cuomo.
Trump has regularly expressed disbelief that Jews would vote for Democrats or against him, given what he has argued is a clear track record of antisemitism on the left and his own support for Israel.
Trump didn’t have kind words for Mamdani’s opponents, either. He said the frontrunner’s victory would be “a fluke” because he was running against “failed people.”
Trump also reiterated his threats to cut New York’s federal funding and deploy federal troops to the city, as he did in Chicago and Washington, D.C., if Mamdani is elected.
Mamdani responded to the comments at an event in Brooklyn where he was endorsed by Black clergy leaders. “We will continue to receive funding from the federal government, and it’s not because of President Trump’s generosity. It’s because it is the law,” he said. Congress has the role of appropriating federal money that is distributed to states and cities.
How NYC mayoral candidates reacted to the release of the Israeli hostages, from Gematria to Gaza
(JTA) — Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa and Zohran Mamdani reacted Monday to the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Cuomo called it a “moral moment” and invoked the Holocaust commemoration slogan “never again” to condemn the Hamas attacks. He also quoted writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as saying, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”
Sliwa introduced Jewish math into his statement, leaning on a Kabbalistic system known as Gematria. “The 20 surviving hostages are reunited by families and loved ones after 738 agonizing days in captivity. 7+3+8 = 18, which means Chai, which means ‘life’ in Judaism,” he said.
Mamdani said the “scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving,” but focused much of his statement on holding the Israeli and U.S. governments accountable for the death and destruction in Gaza. He also repeated his stance that American tax dollars “funded a genocide” in Gaza and that the global community must work toward a future “without occupation and apartheid.”
In a race where Cuomo and Mamdani have sparred over their ability to stand up to President Donald Trump, neither mentioned his name or role in brokering the ceasefire. Sliwa said he was “proud of President Trump and all involved.”
Kamala Harris on whether Israel committed genocide: ‘We should all step back and ask this question’
(JTA) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris held back from labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” on Sunday but said it was an appropriate question.
“A lot of folks in your party have called what’s happening in Gaza a genocide. Do you agree with that?” correspondent Eugene Daniels asked Harris during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”
“Listen, it is a term of law that a court will decide,” Harris responded. “But I will tell you that when you look at the number of children that have been killed, the number of innocent civilians that have been killed, the refusal to give aid and support, we should all step back and ask this question and be honest about it, yeah.”
Several lawmakers, including Throughout Harris’ book tour for her new memoir, “107 Days,” the former vice president has drawn pro-Palestinian protests who have accused her of being a “war criminal” and of supporting “genocide” in Gaza during her term. She has at times rebuffed the protesters and also given airtime to their concerns.
“I was the first person at the highest level of our United States government or administration to talk about the fact that the people in Gaza were starving,” Harris told protesters at a book event last month, according to the Washington Post.
