2 months ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The federal government has stopped over $500 million in funding to Brown University, citing the school’s handling of antisemitism incidents following the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
👥 Who’s Involved: Brown University, the Trump administration, and a White House official.
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📍 Where & When: The funding cut affects Brown University in the United States.
💬 Key Quote: Brown Provost Frank Doyle claims in an email that while there are rumors about program cuts, there isn’t enough “information to substantiate” these claims.
⚠️ Impact: The funding cut could significantly impact programs at Brown University and highlights a broader trend affecting several Ivy League institutions.
IN FULL:
The Trump administration has decided to halt over $500 million in federal funding to Brown University, citing dissatisfaction with the university’s response to instances of antisemitism on campus. This decision may put millions allocated for Brown programs at risk, with funds previously awarded through grants and contracts now in jeopardy.
As Brown University grapples with these developments, Provost Frank Doyle addressed the campus community on April 3. He acknowledged that rumors are circulating about potential implications for the university’s research funding. However, he emphasized that there is currently insufficient “information to substantiate” these claims, urging patience as the situation unfolds.
This funding freeze at Brown coincides with a broader trend among Ivy League institutions, which have faced similar measures in response to their handling of antisemitism-related incidents following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Columbia University, another Ivy League institution, recently experienced a significant funding cut, with over $400 million revoked due to concerns it was not adequately ensuring the safety of Jewish students. This broader pattern indicates a heightened level of federal scrutiny regarding how such universities address antisemitism on their campuses.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) reportedly accepted approximately $400,000 from Political Action Committees (PACs) despite previously claiming to have taken no money from such sources.
👥 Who’s Involved: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and various PAC donors, as well as telecom companies like AT&T and labor unions.
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📍 Where & When: The financial disclosures relate to contributions between July 5 and December 31, 2020; Crockett ran for state representative and subsequently for Congress.
💬 Key Quote: Professor Matthew Foster remarked, “Democrats are more sensitive to this. They know people look at their contributions and use them against them.”
⚠️ Impact: The revelations raise questions about Crockett’s campaign financing claims.
IN FULL:
Far-left Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is being accused of having lied while serving in the Texas state legislature, publicly claiming in a 2020 post on Twitter (now known as X) that she does not accept campaign contributions from corporate Political Action Committees (PACs). However, the recent disclosure of campaign finance documents reveals Crockett has received nearly $400,000 in campaign contributions from PACs. Notably, in 2020, while Crockett publicly declared that she didn’t take corporate money, campaign filings show she received contributions from at least 22 entities described as PACs.
While serving in the Texas state legislature, Crockett received contributions from numerous corporate PACs, including telecom giant AT&T and a Wholesale Beer PAC. More recently, as a member of Congress, the Texas Democrat has more openly accepted corporate cash, with over $370,000 in federal PAC contributions since she was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Among her corporate backers are major pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, powerful financial firms like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, and even defense contractors like Lockheed Martin.
Even more concerning, Congresswoman Crockett has accepted numerous overseas junket trips financed by foreign governments and business consortiums. In February 2023, Crockett participated in a foreign junket to Doha, Qatar, costing around $17,500. The junket and expenses were covered by the U.S. Qatar Business Council, a Qatari entity that advocates for increased trade and investment between the United States and the Persian Gulf state, which is accused of being a major financier of Islamist terror groups, including Hamas. Similar trips, sponsored by Indian and Emirati authorities, were also noted in her financial disclosures for that year.
Crockett’s reversal on accepting corporate PAC contributions could become a political liability for the Congresswoman. In a recent media interview, American University professor Matthew Foster noted, “Democrats are more sensitive to this. They know people look at their contributions and use them against them.” He added: “Clearly [Crockett] thinks that issue is a big deal and a way to resonate with voters—so if what they put out there was false, it’s a great opportunity for the opposition to run on that.”
More recently, the Texas Congresswoman has faced significant criticism from both Republicans and Democrats after she made derogatory comments about Texas Governor Gregg Abbott (R). The National Pulse reported last week that Crockett, while speaking at a Human Rights Campaign event in Los Angeles, referred to the disabled and wheelchair-bound Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels.”
Subsequently, Crockett has dubiously claimed the derogatory nickname for Gov. Abbott was in reference to his use of buses to send illegal immigrants from Texas to Democrat-run cities like Chicago and New York. However, it is widely reported that the far-left Texas Democrat has referred to Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels” for years and well before he began bussing illegal immigrants out of his state.
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