Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) asked President Joe Biden on Tuesday to mobilize the National Guard in response to pro-Palestinian protests that have led to safety concerns for Jewish students at Columbia University and other colleges across the country. The lawmaker sent a letter to Biden with the message after a Columbia rabbi urged Jewish students to go home following displays of “extreme antisemitism” around the New York City campus and the university shifted to remote learning on Monday. “On college campuses across the United States‚ Jewish Americans are at risk‚” Hawley said‚ adding that “most alarmingly‚ in-person classes at Columbia University have been cancelled” right as the Jewish holiday of Passover was set to begin. Hawley referred to Biden’s Passover message that said‚ “In recent days‚ we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses‚ or anywhere in our country.” “Now‚ you must take action to match those words‚” Hawley said‚ adding later‚ “You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens.” Protesters have insisted Columbia meet their demands‚ including divestiture from companies that have ties to Israel as the country fights a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrations have led to arrests and suspensions‚ but the protest activity has persisted. Other Republicans in Congress have called for steps to lower tensions on campus as protests pop up at other universities‚ including Yale and MIT. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)‚ chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee‚ called on Columbia to expel any students and faculty members found to have been harassing Jewish students. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The House Republican delegation from New York‚ led by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY)‚ demanded the resignation of Columbia President Minouche Shafik over a lack of confidence in her leadership. Some Democrats also took a stand for Jewish students at Columbia‚ including Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)‚ who showed up on campus on Monday with other members of his caucus. “To the Columbia President‚ DO NOT make the same choice as the Presidents of UPenn and Harvard. Protect your students‚” Moskowitz said in a post to X‚ alluding to other university presidents who stepped down amid controversy.

Before entering the courthouse for another day of his New York criminal trial‚ former President Donald Trump took some time to address the ongoing anti-Israel protests at universities across the country‚ blasting President Joe Biden for sending the “wrong” message during the conflict in the Middle East. Not far from Trump’s hush money trial in lower Manhattan‚ students at Columbia University on the Upper West Side have engaged in anti-Israel demonstrations that have led to a rabbi for the university warning Jewish students of “extreme antisemitism and anarchy” on campus and suggesting they go home. Columbia moved to remote learning on Monday out of safety concerns and said that classes at its main campus will be hybrid‚ technology permitting‚ until the end of the semester‚ CNN reported. Anti-Israel protests have also broken out at New York University and Yale‚ where dozens of demonstrators were arrested‚ according to The New York Times. “What’s going on at the colleges — Columbia‚ NYU‚ and others — is a disgrace‚” Trump told reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday morning. “It’s really on Biden. He’s got the wrong signal‚ he’s got the wrong tone‚ he’s got the wrong words. He doesn’t know who he’s backing. And It’s a mess.” “What’s going on is a disgrace to our country. It’s all Biden’s fault and everybody knows it‚” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee added. “He’s got no message. He’s got no compassion. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He can’t put two sentences together‚ frankly. He is the worst president in the history of our country.” President Biden was asked on Monday if he condemns “the antisemitic protests on college campuses” and replied‚ “I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that.” “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians‚” Biden added. Trump on pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses: &;quot;A disgrace&;quot; pic.twitter.com/r6VUgYsCRj — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 23‚ 2024 CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP During his remarks to reporters‚ Trump also repeated his criticism of authorities for preventing any protests outside the courtroom during his trial while allowing anti-Israel protesters to take control of large sections of college campuses. “It’s interesting [that] outside for great Americans — people that want to come down and they want to protest at the court and they want to protest peacefully — we have more police presence here than anyone’s ever seen. For blocks‚” Trump said. “You can’t get near this courthouse‚ and yet you have nobody up at a college where you have very radical people wanting to rip the colleges down.” Columbia‚ a private university‚ called on the NYPD last week to clear protest encampments on its campus‚ and NYPD officials said that more than 100 people received summonses for trespassing. The move‚ however‚ failed to stop anti-Israel demonstrators from continuing their on-campus sit-in into this week.

“Interstellar” actress Anne Hathaway recalled one method used while casting romantic comedies in the early 2000s which involved her kissing up to ten potential co-stars in one day. The 41-year-old described the process during a recent interview with V Magazine. “Back in the 2000s — and this did happen to me — it was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry. Which is actually the worst way to do it‚” Hathaway recalled. She continued‚ “I was told‚ ‘We have ten guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them&;#63;’ And I thought‚ ‘Is there something wrong with me&;#63;’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross. And I was so young and terribly aware how easy it was to lose everything by being labeled ‘difficult‚’ so I just pretended I was excited and got on with it.” “It wasn’t a power play‚ no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time and now we know better‚” Hathaway added. The actress is best known for her work after her big break as the lead in Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” in 2001. She went on to work on several other projects‚ including several romantic comedies such as “Ella Enchanted” (2004)‚ “Bride Wars” (2009)‚ “Valentine’s Day” (2010)‚ and “Love &; Other Drugs” (2010). Hathaway took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her role in the film version of “Les Mis&;eacute;rables.”  The actress is currently promoting a new romantic comedy she’s starring in‚ “The Idea of You.” She said she had not been offered those types of parts for several years.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I didn’t notice that it was happening‚” Hathaway said during a press conference over the weekend‚ per Newsweek. “I received a lot of romantic scripts in my 20s‚ and then in my 30s‚ I was so focused on my family life and motherhood and trying to find whatever my path was going to be. I didn’t notice I hadn’t been sent a script in a long time.” She continued‚ “A part of me was asking the question‚ ‘Where have these stories gone&;#63; Why did they stop&;#63;’ These questions‚ I saw all of these fantastic answers to them in the script and the story‚ and I just thought‚ ‘Wow‚ what an unbelievable sort of meta exploration.'”

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said on Monday that “two forces” underly the “campus violence” amid reports of harassment against Jewish students as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests sprout up at Columbia‚ Yale‚ and other universities. The chaos on campuses is the result of a “convergence” of dual factors that “the Left has been openly cultivating for years now‚” Vance told Fox News host Jesse Watters. “On one hand you have well-educated limousine self-hating liberals who get very good educations‚ but really getting very good indoctrinations. They are not getting an education in anything‚” he said. “And then on the flipside‚ you have the importation of millions of people‚ some of whom aren’t properly vetted and some of whom hate this country‚” Vance continued‚ alluding to the migrant crisis. “Those two forces are joining in Columbia and in Yale and producing this incredible campus violence‚” Vance added. At Columbia‚ protesters have insisted the university meet their demands‚ including divestiture from companies that have ties to Israel as the country fights a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Vance pointed to some alleged incidents during the demonstrations that have given rise to concerns about the safety of Jewish students and even led to Columbia shifting to remote learning on Monday. “Obviously we condemn anti-Semitism. But I don’t care what your underlying ideology is. If you are harassing fellow students‚ if you are preventing people from getting to class‚ if you are stabbing your fellow students in the eye with flags‚ you should go to prison‚” he said. Vance took aim at Democrats‚ including President Joe Biden‚ saying he does not understand why they “cannot just utter the simple basic truth that if you violate the law‚ if you set up a tent city‚ if you turn our cities or campuses into garbage dumps for your next political protest‚ you need to be forced to comply with the law.” Although police arrested more than 100 students at Columbia for refusing to leave an encampment on campus and participants have been subject to suspension‚ the protest activity persisted for several days. Democrats have “boxed themselves into a hole” because of their need for moderate Jewish and Arab voters in places across the country‚ Vance said. “Those groups of people very often do not see eye to eye on this Israel question — on the Gaza question‚ and the Democrats have to lay in the bed that they’ve made for themselves.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Vance also made reference to equivocating comments from Biden on Monday in which the president said that he condemns the “anti-Semitic protests” as well as people who “don’t understand” what Palestinians are going through. “The fact that Joe Biden cannot straightforwardly condemn terrorism and attacks on the craziness that’s going on in our campuses is evidence that the guy has two masters and he needs to pick one and if he doesn’t the American people need to give them the boot‚” Vance said. “Can you imagine‚ Jesse‚ if Donald Trump was president right now‚ can you imagine how swiftly we would respond to this lawlessness and chaos&;#63; We just need to get back to common sense‚” Vance said. “I’m not asking for anything — of course people have the right to peacefully protest — I’m not asking for anything other than simple law in order and obeying the law. If you can ask that of college kids‚ what can you ask&;#63;”

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld said he believes the movie industry no longer has the cultural sway it once did. The 69-year-old shared his thoughts during a newly published interview with GQ. Despite his feelings about the industry‚ Seinfeld is currently promoting his new Netflix film‚ “Unfrosted‚” about the rivalry between cereal brands Kellogg’s and Post. Seinfeld wrote and directed the comedy film and has a starring role. “It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some cool stuff‚ but it was nothing like the way these people work‚” Seinfeld said of getting into the movie industry after so many years of focusing on other entertainment endeavors. “They’re so dead serious&;#33; They don’t have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.” “Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social‚ cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives‚” he continued. “When a movie came out‚ if it was good‚ we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water‚ just trying to see.” The interviewer followed up by asking what has replaced movies in the culture. “Depression&;#63; Malaise&;#63; I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business‚” he answered. “Everyone I know in show business‚ every day‚ is going‚ ‘What’s going on&;#63; How do you do this&;#63; What are we supposed to do now&;#63;’” Seinfeld next compared the film industry to comedy. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I’ve done enough stuff that I have my own thing‚ which is more valuable than it’s ever been‚” the comedian went on. “Stand-up is like you’re a cabinetmaker‚ and everybody needs a guy who’s good with wood. … There’s trees everywhere‚ but to make a nice table‚ it’s not so easy. So‚ the metaphor is that if you have good craft and craftsmanship‚ you’re kind of impervious to the whims of the industry.” “Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake‚” he added. “It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver‚ but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake.” “Unfrosted” debuts on Netflix May 3.

Much to the annoyance of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA)‚ Glenn Laird refuses to go away quietly. After decades as a Los Angeles teacher‚ Laird is involved in a messy lawsuit with the union over its reluctance to allow him to opt out of membership and dues as prescribed by law. Last week‚ the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  What makes his experience so compelling for the public — and embarrassing for UTLA — is that Laird is neither a malcontent nor a union-basher by inclination. He is‚ in fact‚ a much-decorated educator who served for many years as UTLA campus chapter co-chair. But when the union began advocating several years ago to “defund the police” and put students’ and teachers’ lives at risk‚ he’d had enough. Over the years‚ Laird has witnessed countless violent acts on campus‚ including the death of a former student‚ and was outraged that UTLA would call for the removal of law enforcement from the district’s schools. “I couldn’t in good conscience continue to pay dues to an organization that was campaigning against something that is so personal to me‚” explained Laird. “I support fully funding the police to keep our students safe.” He responded by opting out of his UTLA membership and requesting it stop taking his money to fund messaging with which he disagrees. His legal right to do so is unequivocal. In 2018‚ the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Janus v. AFSCME that unions could no longer take public employees’ money for use in political speech without their consent. The ruling also specified that by agreeing to give money to a public labor union‚ workers are waiving their First Amendment right against compelled speech. In the case of Glenn Laird‚ UTLA tried to have it both ways. They told Laird his previous agreement was an effective waiver of his First Amendment rights‚ even though he signed it before Janus was even decided. Even more to the point‚ the union refused to honor the terms of Laird’s actual agreement‚ which allowed him to end the deduction of his money. He specifically objected to the last union agreement he signed with UTLA by striking out the language supposedly restricting his ability to end his membership at any time with a felt marker. UTLA kept taking his money without his consent anyway. In other words‚ the First Amendment did not matter. Left with no alternative‚ Laird took UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to federal court. Represented pro bono by the Freedom Foundation‚ he asked the court to rule on the scope of his constitutional rights‚ and to acknowledge UTLA’s violations. But UTLA doesn’t want a judge to decide the constitutional claims. Instead‚ its leaders cut him a check for the money deducted from his pay without his consent and asked him to please drop the case. This tactic has become all too common among public unions trying to avoid their responsibilities under the First Amendment. Laird refused to dismiss his lawsuit‚ and with good reason. Because his case is about more than the return of his money. In fact‚ Laird is donating the entire amount he received from UTLA to a nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles area. When judges at both the lower court level and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union‚ the Freedom Foundation filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in. Glenn Laird’s case is about a judicial acknowledgment and vindication of his First Amendment rights by a federal judge. As long as unions can cut checks using their members’ dues dollars to make lawsuits disappear‚ judges will never have the opportunity to rule on the actual constitutional issues‚ rendering the First Amendment and Janus decision meaningless. “Hopefully the Supreme Court will find my case worthy of making a ruling‚” concluded Laird. “Janus set the stage‚ but now we need to build on that precedent so unions and lower court judges don’t continue to ignore the Supremes.” While it should not take a federal lawsuit for unions to recognize their responsibilities under the Constitution‚ UTLA doesn’t get to put a price tag on the First Amendment and cannot kill a case by simply doing the right thing after the fact. For one principled Los Angeles teacher‚ the fight is far from over. * * * Timothy R. Snowball is a civil rights attorney with Freedom Foundation‚ where his practice is focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of government workers to make their own decisions about whether to join or support public sector unions. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.