☕️ Today we’re covering:

• 🇺🇸 Racial Division in OJ's Time: America's Polarization

• 👮‍♀️ Dexter Reed's Killing Fuels Anti-Police Narratives

• 📹 House Approves Mass Surveillance Bill

• And everything else you need to know.

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 🗞️ TODAY’S HEADLINES

Everything you need to know

🌐 On Saturday, the House will vote on the new foreign aid law. Republicans were notified by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that the House would vote on three separate proposals worth a combined $95 billion this weekend, which included funding for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine. Democrats will almost certainly support every bill, but it's unclear if Republicans would follow suit given that many conservatives are against providing additional funds to Ukraine.

🔨 The president of Columbia University was interrogated by Congress. Congress was incensed by the strong antisemitism on Columbia University's campus, regardless of party affiliation, according to President Minouche Shafik of the university. Reminiscent of the now-famous conversation between Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and former Harvard President Claudine Gay, Shafik declined to explicitly address the question of whether the shouts "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" were antisemitic.

💸 The Senate is debating a bill that would defund NPR. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who called NPR a "propagandist left-wing outlet," intends to file legislation to sever federal funding for the organization. This comes after the scandal-plagued news company sacked a Senior Editor for penning an essay criticizing NPR's left-wing slant and appointed a far-left CEO.

🇮🇷 The United States is going to put more sanctions on Iran. In response to Iran's assaults against Israel, the United States would retaliate with further economic penalties on the country, as declared by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in coordination with the G7. In addition to the 17 sanctions legislation that the House of Representatives will shortly be debating, there would be additional penalties that the U.S. Treasury would supervise.

🏛️ WASHINGTON D.C

The House Approves Mass Surveillance Bill

Here is what's going on: A contentious law that would increase the federal government's ability to snoop under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was passed by the House of Representatives. On Friday, FISA authorizations are scheduled to expire.

FISA: What is it? Expanded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the 1978 surveillance law permits the government to access personal data without a judge's request.

• History: FISA investigations grant federal authorities access to the data of American people for the purported purpose of tracking foreign threats; nevertheless, the FBI has previously abused this power. Opponents fear the private sector will be impacted by the expansion of FISA's authority.

The bill: Current legislation permits the US government to compel communication companies, like Google, to turn over customer data. The new plan would force regular employees to give up data access and broaden the range of enterprises it may monitor, essentially any organization that offers wifi.

• Bipartisan agreement: Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) blocked an amendment in the House that would have required warrants before eavesdropping on Americans.

• GOP infighting: By voting against the amendment and in favor of the package, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) infuriated conservative Republicans.

Why is it important? The United States is allegedly confronting foreign threats that it has not seen in decades, which is why there is currently a discussion over increased surveillance. If anything, the years following 9/11 have shown that these anxieties are a powerful motivator for enormous government action.

The threat posed by Hamas to Americans has been brought up by the Biden administration and certain Republicans in support of warrantless surveillance.

Wray's perspective: The Israel-Hamas conflict has led to "a rogues' gallery of foreign terrorist organizations" calling for strikes against Americans, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress. According to Wray, "putting Americans' lives at risk" would result from limiting or letting FISA authorities expire.

🇺🇸 TRENDING IN AMERICA

Dexter Reed's Killing Fuels Anti-Police Narratives

Here is what’s going on: Dexter Reed, a young Black guy, was shot and killed during a traffic stop, according to a video that Chicago police released. Outrage was sparked when the 26-year-old, who was allegedly pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt, engaged in a fatal shootout with five plainclothes officers.

• Reactions: Reed's family declared, "He was just riding around in his car... and they killed him," and requested that the policemen face criminal charges. They also demanded that the police be defunded. Outside of a police precinct, protesters and police engaged in combat.

• Media framing: A lot of news reports focus on the fact that police "fired 96 shots," delaying an explanation of Reed's conduct toward the cops for several paragraphs.

Video footage shows Reed firing first, with police encircling his vehicle and ordering him to keep the window down and open the driver's door. Officers pull their firearms and give more orders as he continues to defy them. Reed may be seen firing first on camera, followed by the cops opening fire.

• Criminal history: Reed might have been breaking the law by keeping a pistol in his car, and he was set to go on trial for felonies related to guns.

• Prior injuries: According to court documents, Reed was recovering both physically and mentally from a shooting wound sustained in 2021.

Why is it important? Chicago's anti-police sentiment is being fueled by the false narrative surrounding the case, which frequently results in harmful policy changes. This occurs at a time when law enforcement is attempting to address the incredibly high rates of violent crime in the city, which disproportionately affect Black citizens.

• The brutal truth: Up to 77 percent of homicide victims in Chicago are Black, as are the majority of victims of gun violence.

🇺🇸 TRENDING IN AMERICA

Racial Division in OJ's Time: America's Polarization

Here is what’s going on: Orenthal James Simpson, also known as "O.J.", a football player, passed away last week at the age of 76, prompting debate about his contentious, well-reported murder conviction from 1995.

Catch up: Before his arrest in California, Simpson led authorities on a car pursuit after he was accused of stabbing his ex-wife and her friend to death.

• The racial component: Simpson, a black man, was found not guilty by a jury after less than four hours of deliberation, despite lawyers' claims that racist law enforcement had fabricated evidence against him. Later on, a civil jury ruled him accountable for the murder victims' demise.

Why is it important? Simpson is still largely thought to be guilty despite his history of abusing his ex-wife. However, voices in the mainstream media and the legal system show that progressives' need to advance "racial justice" transcends accountability.

Glad to see it: "So many people... were just happy to see that someone who was rich and famous and black could get away with what other people did in the system," remarked a contributor to CNN.

• Further: According to a CNN employee, Simpson got support because, in the face of "racial tension," he "represented something for the black community" despite the evidence against him.

• Payback for King: A black juror in the case stated that "90 percent" of the jury decided to acquit Simpson as payback for Rodney King's years-prior police beating.

Zoom out: Legislators, local government agencies, and law schools around the country continue to push for the restructuring of the American legal system on race and perceived inequities rather than personal blame.