Defenders of Vice President Kamala Harris argue that people who claim she was a "DEI hire" — or chosen to be President Joe Biden's 2020 running mate because she is a black woman — are racist. "This is a right-wing campaign that's going to be racist [and] misogynistic against the vice president," Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said Tuesday on CNN. 'There was broad agreement among his advisers that Mr. Biden should choose a woman of color, though Mr. Biden remained drawn to both Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Warren.' "These are just racist dog whistles," he added. "Whenever you hear 'DEI,' I want you to think about the N-word. I want you to think about racial slurs. That's what they actually mean." But is it racist? Or is there truth to the claim that Harris was selected to be Biden's running mate because she is a black woman? If you ask the late Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) — who spent decades in Democratic Party leadership — Harris' skin color was essential to the Biden campaign's ultimate decision to choose her over other potential running mates. "I think he came to the conclusion that he should pick a black woman," Reid told the New York Times in 2020. Indeed, the final short list of potential Biden running mates contained only women because Biden pledged in March 2020 that he would only choose a woman, thus excluding all male Democrats from consideration. That list of women included Harris, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), now-former Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and even Susan Rice and Stacey Abrams. Importantly, the New York Times revealed that Biden himself preferred someone other than Harris — but his "team" wanted him to select a black woman. The Times reported in August 2020: By July, Mr. Biden and his team were converging on a theory of his decision, if not yet an actual vice-presidential pick.There was broad agreement among his advisers that Mr. Biden should choose a woman of color, though Mr. Biden remained drawn to both Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Warren. Despite Biden's reported personal preference, Harris became a front-runner for the spot only after racial riots and unrest erupted across the country in the wake of George Floyd's murder in June 2020. It was that national event that began a pressure campaign from Democrats to force Biden to select a black woman as his running mate. Here is how the media told the story at the time: NPR: "Pressure Grows On Joe Biden To Pick A Black Woman As His Running Mate" New York Times: "A Black Running Mate for Biden? More Democrats Are Making the Case" CNN: "Black women mount public and private campaign for Biden to pick a Black woman running mate" Politico: "Klobuchar shuts down VP speculation, urges Biden to pick woman of color" Boston Globe: "Joe Biden already was under pressure to pick a Black woman running mate. The outrage over George Floyd’s death adds to it." Los Angeles Times: "Biden faces pressure to pick a Black woman as his running mate. Who should it be?" New York Post: "Joe Biden will choose ‘woman of color’ as running mate by August" Wall Street Journal: "More Democratic Women Urge Joe Biden to Pick a Black Woman Running Mate" Associated Press: "‘Why not a Black woman?’ Consensus grows around Biden’s VP" Axios: "Black Lives Matter co-founder says Biden should pick a Black woman as VP" In fact, Harris herself highlighted the diverse nature of Biden's choice after she was selected."Joe Biden had the audacity to choose a Black woman to be his running mate. How incredible is that? And what a statement that is about Joe Biden," she said in August 2020. "That he decided he was going to do that thing that was about breaking one of the most substantial barriers that has existed in our country — and he made that decision with whatever risk that brings."Whether highlighting these facts is a good political strategy remains up in the air. Republican Party leaders certainly don't think so.But it is simply untrue to assert that the same considerations behind diversity, equity, and inclusion were not paramount to Biden's decision to choose Harris as his running mate.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A 13-year-old male stomped on opponent's head during an Amateur Athletic Union basketball game over the weekend in Northern California, and police are investigating. You can view a video report about the incident — which includes a cellphone clip of the head stomp — here.Tumakbo United and Payton's Place were on the court Sunday at the College of Alameda when a pair of players wrestled on the floor for possession of the ball toward the end of the contest, KGO-TV reported.'You could clearly see the size of his shoe on his face.'Video shows a Payton's Place player rush over to the scrum and stomp on the head of a Tumakbo United player with his right foot."He was down on the floor, and this kid just came and just stomped on him, and it's on his head," Eva Guingab told KGO regarding what happened to her son.The station's video report showed an image apparently of the side of her son's head after the stomp, and it's full of red marks."You could clearly see the size of his shoe on his face," Guingab told KGO. "My son suffered [a] concussion for the first time [since] he played basketball." Guingab and her husband told the station their son went into concussion protocol and was dealing with headaches.However, the family of the player who carried out the head stomp told KGO he was standing up for his teammate who he believed had been kicked and punched. The video shows the stomping victim lift up his right foot toward the player who wanted the ball before the stomp took place.KGO said family members claimed an organizer told the Payton's Place player after the incident to leave the gym, and he did so — and that adults have been cyberbullying the Payton's Place player.The Payton's Place team added to the station that the boy who carried out the stomp is "seeking help to control his emotions, and he is not playing with the program at this time."On Monday, Payton's Place noted the following on Instagram: "There is footage circulating of one of our team’s games this past weekend. Unfortunately, the footage is not a positive representation of our team and our values. The behavior that was exhibited by our player is not acceptable, and is being taken seriously. We do not condone violence. Our players are expected to conduct themselves with integrity on and off the court. At this time, both teams are working together to resolve this matter."'I think everyone was just in shock.'Payton's Place on Tuesday added, "On behalf of the Payton's Place Family, we sincerely apologize to the player injured in this incident, his family, and all those impacted," KTVU-TV reported.According to KGO, police said the Guingabs filed a report and an investigation is under way. Alameda police added to KTVU that its report identifies two 13-year-old players, but police don't have further information to share since those involved are juveniles. "I think everyone was just in shock," Michael Tolentino ,who coaches Tumakbo United, told KGO. "I think, you know, we all kind of went on the court [and] went to the coach of the other team to say, 'Hey, what just happened? ... What's going on?'"In regard to the player who stomped on her son's head, Guingab added to KGO, "If we don't say anything right now, this kid will think it's OK to do it because he's young. He thinks that walking away from this situation just like he did is just OK."KGO added that there are questions about attacks that may have taken place after the stomp involving parents and officials, but nothing could be seen on video, and police haven't noted anything about that.In addition, KGO said coaches indicated the players have competed against each other several times over the years, and race wasn't a factor in Sunday's incident. Tumakbo United is a Filipino heritage basketball program with a Northern California chapter, KTVU said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife as they arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday.Netanyahu's arrival marks his first visit to Washington in nearly four years. He is scheduled to give a speech before Congress on Wednesday outlining Israel's strategy to address the growing threat from the Iranian regime, which launched a direct attack in April, according to the Jerusalem Post.'Democrats have a SERIOUS anti-Semitism problem.'Harris has declined to attend Netanyahu's address to Congress, citing a previously scheduled event, CNN reported. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and more than 30 other Democratic lawmakers are planning to boycott Netanyahu's speech."Speaker Pelosi will not be attending today's Joint Meeting of Congress. This morning, she will join a Members meeting with Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings," a spokesperson for Pelosi stated.United States Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) slammed fellow lawmakers for boycotting the speech and turning their backs on Israel."Kamala Harris & the Democrats have a SERIOUS anti-Semitism problem," Donalds wrote on X. "They cheer-on pro-Hamas agitators. They no-show Netanyahu's arrival. They refuse to attend his speech. They hide their meetings for optics. They take American Jews for granted."According to the Times of Israel, Biden was previously slated to meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday, but the meeting was pushed back because the president was reportedly quarantining in Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19. The news outlet reported that the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday.Netanyahu is expected to have a separate meeting with Harris the same day, the Times of Israel reported. Additionally, it noted that Trump plans to sit down with Netanyahu on Friday at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump confirmed the Friday meeting in a post on social media that included a letter from Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine. Abbas' correspondence condemned the recent assassination attempt againstTrump.In his post, Trump wrote, "Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East!"Meanwhile, thousands of pro-Hamas protesters are expected to gather at Capitol Hill to protest the prime minister's visit and push Congress to pull funding from Israel.A pro-Hamas organization posted a video on Wednesday claiming to have released maggots and other insects at the hotel where the Israeli delegation is staying, the New York Post reported."BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST'S WAR TABLE! Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people," Palestinian Youth Movement wrote on X.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

For nearly 30 years, a Latvian immigrant named Ed Leedskalnin built Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida. To this day, no one knows how he carved and stacked over 1,000 tons of stony coral by himself. The post The Mystery Of Coral Castle, The 2.2-Million-Pound Monument Made By A Single Man appeared first on All That's Interesting.

While excavating in the square outside the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, researchers found a sprawling site with defensive fortifications that likely represents the remains of the historic complex known as the Patriarchio. The post Archaeologists In Rome May Have Just Found The Historic Medieval Palace Where The Popes Lived Before The Vatican appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Axios Goes Full Soviet, Starts Editing Published Articles to Protect Kamala Harris

Wray: Shooter Searched Info on JFK Assassination One Week Before Attempt on Donald Trump

WATCH LIVE: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Addresses Congress

A car bomb injured an officer from Russia's military intelligence agency in northern Moscow on Wednesday, the Kommersant newspaper reported.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Wednesday endorsed GOP nominee Donald Trump for president just hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress.