Many critics are displaying a combination of ignorance and mendacity, often with a significant dollop of anti-Jewish conspiracy theory. Some on both left and right have been up in arms about the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) passed by the House of Representatives, which may get taken up by the Senate. Those on the left (and some on the right) argue that it will make criticizing Israel illegal. Others on the right claim it will outlaw Christianity. Tucker Carlson, for example, tweeted that...

A group of nearly 700 Jewish college faculty signed a letter to President Biden on Wednesday encouraging him not to back the controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act.  The academics took issue with the act’s use of the International Holocaust Awareness Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has raised concerns that legitimate criticisms of the state of Israel could be seen as antisemitic under the bill. The bill easily passed the House last week, though 21 Republicans...

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. But American Jews who care about fighting antisemitism should be against it. HR 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, passed 320–91. Seventy Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against it (including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who noted that she was against antisemitism but wanted to protect her Christian right to say that Jews killed Jesus). The legislation would see the adoption of the International Holocaust...

Biden administration officials are readying to publish a new rule to more rapidly reject some migrants from asylum soon after crossing the border, Axios has learned. Why it matters: It is one of several actions being weighed by President Biden to clamp down on illegal border crossings ahead of the election, as Biden and Democrats try to go on offense on one of their most vulnerable issues. The proposed rule, which could be published as soon Thursday, would allow immigration officials to...

Old (internet) habits die hard. When The Daily Beast revealed in January that Rep. Jamaal Bowman had promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories on his blog while working as a public school principal, the New York Democrat maintained it was just a bygone phase, and that his days of marinating in the nether-swamps of online paranoia were long over. But his personal YouTube account, where he continued to follow new channels and create playlists as recently as last month, indicates his taste for fringe...

Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday easily batted down an attempt by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to oust him from his post, after Democrats linked arms with most Republicans to fend off a second attempt by G.O.P. hard-liners to strip the gavel from their party leader. The vote to kill the effort was an overwhelming 359 to 43, with seven Democrats voting “present.” Unlike the ouster that toppled Kevin McCarthy last fall, Democrats flocked to Mr. Johnson’s rescue, with...

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was booed on the House floor Wednesday afternoon by Republicans and Democrats after bringing forward her motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Republican Georgia congresswoman has put pressure on Johnson in recent weeks, although many lawmakers in her own party have dismissed her efforts to vacate the speaker's chair. It is unclear which House members booed Greene's motion on Wednesday, although Georgia congresswoman shot back at the...

A draft report from House Republicans advocating for holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress accuses him of having hindered and impeded their impeachment inquiry into President Biden by withholding an audio recording of his conversation with special counsel Robert Hur. The draft document, obtained by The Hill, will serve as the grounds for the report the House Judiciary Committee will consider next week as it mulls whether to forward the contempt resolution to the...

The US says it is reviewing future weapons deliveries to Israel over concern it will begin a ground operation in the Gaza city of Rafah. The US has already delayed a shipment "near-term assistance" of thousands of 2,000lb (907kg) and 500lb bombs to Israel. "We are reviewing others," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. The Israeli military has said that the two countries will resolve disagreements "behind closed doors". On Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin...

A possible Biden administration plan to begin allowing refugees from Gaza into the U.S. has faced significant pushback, with critics calling attention to potential national security risks. "We demand that your administration cease planning for accepting Gazan refugees until you adequately answer our concerns and focus your attention instead on securing the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas," read a letter to President Biden signed by 36 Republican senators last week. The letter came...