x01a Research Archives

After Trump’s Election, NSF-Funded Censorship Tools Go Missing– thefederalist.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

After Trump’s Election, NSF-Funded Censorship Tools Go Missing– thefederalist.com
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) claims to be the place “where discoveries begin” — but it funded programs where free speech ends. When The Federalist asked if it still funds anti-“misinformation” tools, a representative simply pointed to its public grants database, which lists censorship projects funded during the Biden administration.

The public-interest law firm Alliance Defending Freedom sent NSF records requests in February to uncover any coordination between the federal agency and internet communications monopolies such as Google and Facebook.

NSF funds one-quarter of all federally funded academic fundamental research projects at U.S. higher education institutions, and funds technology development at approximately 400 “small businesses” each year. It has an annual budget of $8.5 billion. It also funds programs that exclude recipients based on race, according to an NSF factsheet.

The NSF’s “Convergence Accelerator,” which funds special research projects, launched a “cohort track” in 2021 for “Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems.” Recipients developed software to control online speech labeled “misinformation” about politically sensitive topics including Covid-19 treatments and election integrity.

This Former Biden Official Just Announced Run for California Governor– townhall.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

This Former Biden Official Just Announced Run for California Governor– townhall.com
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Former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced that he is entering the race for California governor.

In a video released on Wednesday, Becerra declared that he plans to seek the governor’s seat to replace current Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Hi, I’m Javier Becerra, and you may have heard, I am running to be governor of our great state of California. And that’s because I watched my parents, a construction worker and a clerical worker, achieve the California dream,” he said on the video.

Can we do that today with this affordability crisis? Very tough. But we’ve taken on these tough fights. California has succeeded in those tough fights and become the economic engine of this country. We can do that, but you need a leader who can be tough. And I’ve been in those tough fights, whether it was as a member of Congress, when we helped draft and pass the Affordable Care Act, when I was attorney general for our great state of California, and I took on the Trump administration the first time, sued him over 100 times and won, or whether as Secretary of Health and Human Services, I took on the pharmaceutical industry and we negotiated lower prescription drug prices for seniors under Medicare.

Trump hits Princeton, Harvard: Suspends funding, pulls billion-dollar federal contracts– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Trump hits Princeton, Harvard: Suspends funding, pulls billion-dollar federal contracts– www.thecollegefix.com
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Excerpt:

The Trump administration took a one-two punch to two of the most prominent Ivy League institutions in the nation this week, yanking, suspending, and putting under review billions of dollars worth of federal grants and contracts.

With that, a total of four Ivy League universities have been targeted in the last month by the administration, which has cited various concerns, including rampant antisemitism, diversity, equity and inclusion-based discrimination, and women’s rights issues.

On Monday, the Education Department, Health and Human Services, and General Services Administration announced their joint task force will review “more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities.”

“Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination – all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry – has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated.

Transgender Day of Visibility Prompts Protests and Conversations in Washington– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Transgender Day of Visibility Prompts Protests and Conversations in Washington– www.newsbusters.org
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A blue-haired brigade of bulges took to Washington D.C. to demand our nation affirm their delusions as part of their so-called “Transgender Day of Visibility,” Monday.

It’s not like they’re hard to spot already… All I had to do was look for the trail of kids.

But when I approached the rainbow crowd to ask what more visibility could they possibly achieve, demonstrators only wished to be seen and not heard. They were confident enough in their ideology to stomp and scream at our Capitol building with bright picket signs, but not enough to elaborate why they were present.

When I tried to ask, the mob grew violent as an enraged Rosie O’Donnell stunt double grabbed my microphone and chucked it yards away.

Rep. Jim Jordan Urges House to Limit Authority of Rogue Federal Judges– lidblog.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Rep. Jim Jordan Urges House to Limit Authority of Rogue Federal Judges– lidblog.com
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Excerpt:

 

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan is asking top House appropriators to add language to the appropriations bills to clamp down on out-of-control federal judges.

In a letter to Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Jordan urged House Republicans to make a move to support Trump.

The Ohio Republican also said he wants language to funding for the issuance and enforcement of nationwide injunctions. That would include the use of court resources to compel compliance, fines or contempt proceedings related to such injunctions.

“These steps would reinforce the proper limits of judicial power and ensure that taxpayer resources support a judiciary that respects its constitutional role,” Jordan wrote.

Twenty-three states sue Trump administration over decision to rescind billions in health funding – live | Trump administration– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Twenty-three states sue Trump administration over decision to rescind billions in health funding – live | Trump administration– www.theguardian.com
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Nearly two dozen states sue Trump administration over decision to rescind billions in health funding

A group of Democratic-led states have sued the Trump administration over its decision to cut $11bn in federal funds that they were allocated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the lawsuit, attorneys general and governors from 23 states and the District of Columbia argue that Department of Health and Human Services lacks the authority to unilaterally claw back funding the states had already built health programs around.

The “sudden and reckless cuts violate federal law, jeopardize public health, and will have devastating consequences for communities nationwide,” the lawsuit writes.

France’s Parliament Is Set to Debate Changing Rape Law to Include Consent – The New York Times

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

France’s Parliament Is Set to Debate Changing Rape Law to Include Consent – The New York Times
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Excerpt:

After dozens of men were convicted of raping a drugged Gisèle Pelicot, lawmakers moved to require that consent be given for sex to be considered consensual.

Many countries require that consent be given before sex — and have written that into their rape laws. France is not among them.

Now two lawmakers hope to change that, and they got a step closer Tuesday night when the lower house of the French Parliament passed a bill that expands the definition of rape to include nonconsensual penetration.

Their cause gained traction after a horrific trial last fall in which dozens of men were convicted of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was in a deeply drugged state.

“This is a starting point, not a final one,” Marie-Charlotte Garin, one of the two lawmakers who proposed the bill, told the National Assembly after the vote. “We are moving from a culture of rape to a culture of consent, and this is the first stone we are throwing against the wall of impunity.”

California Legislature Rejects Law Banning Men from Women’s Sports– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

California Legislature Rejects Law Banning Men from Women’s Sports– www.breitbart.com
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The California legislature rejected two bills seeking to ban men from participating in women’s sports on Tuesday, with some lawmakers calling it “cruel.”

One of the bill’s lawmakers voted to block “would have required the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, to adopt rules banning students whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls’ school sports team,” noted The Associated Press.

The other bill would have reversed a 2013 law allowing students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including on sports teams, and use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.”

Both bills would have applied to K-12 students as well as college students.

Republicans supported the bill, arguing it would protect women, while Democrats denounced it as a cruel attack on LGBTQ rights and transgender youth.

“I don’t think anybody should be gender policing women and girls,” said Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward.

U. Oregon agrees to free speech reforms to settle lawsuit with conservative professor– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

U. Oregon agrees to free speech reforms to settle lawsuit with conservative professor– www.thecollegefix.com
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‘Settlement acknowledges that Bruce Gilley should not have been blocked for quoting one of our founding documents,’ attorney says

The University of Oregon has agreed to enact free speech reforms to ensure it does not block or censor social media posts to settle a two-and-a-half year old lawsuit with a conservative professor who had been blocked from the institution’s X account after his “all men are created equal” post.

The settlement requires the University of Oregon to clarify social media guidelines to explicitly protect speech from viewpoint-based censorship, create an appeals process for those who believe they were wrongfully blocked, and conduct annual First Amendment training for staff who manage university social media accounts, said attorneys representing Professor Bruce Gilley in a news release.

The university will also pay for some of Gilley’s attorneys fees, the release stated. Inside Higher Ed reported that the “university agreed in the settlement that its insurer would pay from $95,000 to $382,000 in attorneys’ fees to Gilley’s representatives — the Institute for Free Speech and the Angus Lee Law Firm.”

Congressional Republicans Determined to Bust Up the Gavel Gestapo in the District Courts– townhall.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Congressional Republicans Determined to Bust Up the Gavel Gestapo in the District Courts– townhall.com
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Excerpt:

We’re arguably amidst a judicial insurrection that hasn’t been lost on anyone, especially within the Trump White House and on Capitol Hill. The Trump administration knew it would face opposition; this isn’t their first rodeo. It doesn’t make it any less infuriating, however. The only difference is that the president has an army of lawyers and an attorney general at the helm to help defend his lawful executive orders aimed at securing the border, deporting illegal aliens, reducing regulations, and rebuilding our military. You saw how many he signed on day one of his presidency. Members of the Republican Study Committee spoke about this on their recent podcast.

 

Lawfare Isn’t Beaten—in France or America– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Lawfare Isn’t Beaten—in France or America– www.dailysignal.com
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Excerpt:

Elections are supposed to be decided at the ballot box, not in the courtroom—unless you’re French or, in this country, a liberal.

What a judge in France has just done by disqualifying Marine Le Pen from running in that nation’s next presidential election is what Democrats dream of doing here.

The controversial populist was ahead in the polls, but now Le Pen isn’t even eligible to run, thanks to a court that found her guilty of using European Union funds to pay for political expenses.

She insists the spending was legitimate, but as things stand French voters won’t get to decide for themselves who’s right.

Senate Hearing on Judges Blocking Trump’s Executive Orders– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Senate Hearing on Judges Blocking Trump’s Executive Orders– www.breitbart.com
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The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on judges using universal injunctions to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders on Wednesday, April 2.

The hearing, titled “Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions,” will examine what Congress can do in response to lone district judges acting to block the implementation of Trump’s orders across the entire country.

The House held a similar hearing on Tuesday as the Supreme Court remains uninvolved in resolving the conflict between the executive and judicial branches of government.

Judge pauses order to halt legal funds for lone migrant children– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Judge pauses order to halt legal funds for lone migrant children– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Excerpt:

A federal judge in California on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that ended legal funding for migrant children. Without the ruling, thousands of children would face greater obstacles to remaining in the United States.

The Trump administration canceled a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal help to migrant children under 18 through subcontractors. Several subcontractor groups sued over the order, arguing that 26,000 children were at risk of losing their attorneys.

“The Court additionally finds that the continued funding of legal representation for unaccompanied children promotes efficiency and fairness within the immigration system,” she wrote.

Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump’s Plan for Over 350,000 Deportations– slaynews.com

pgnewser April 3, 2025 0

Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump’s Plan for Over 350,000 Deportations– slaynews.com
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A Barack Obama-appointed activist federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to deport over 350,000 migrants from Venezuela.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued a temporary injunction against the Trump administration.

The move blocks the Trump administration from ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

The TPS status was granted under former President Joe Biden’s administration.