Two months after the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah, a Turning Point USA event at the University of California, Berkeley, erupted in violence. <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2025/11/uc-berkeley-turning-point-fights-arrests/">Over the course of several hours</a>, protesters tried to shut down the event, launched projectiles at attendees, engaged in physical altercations, and sent one attendee to the hospital. While this rightfully prompted an investigation by the Department of Justice’s <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988272046741111268">Civil Rights Division</a>, the Berkeley riot, and indeed, Kirk’s assassination itself, point to a broader problem: the utter failure of American universities to foster intellectual diversity and a culture of free speech on their campuses.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We saw all of this at Berkeley back in 2017. <a href="https://twitter.com/UCBerkeley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UCBerkeley</a> was sued, and settled the case.
The <a href="https://twitter.com/CivilRights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CivilRights</a> will investigate what happened here, and I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA. <a href="https://t.co/aN7JzouXwl">https://t.co/aN7JzouXwl</a>
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988272046741111268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One reason Turning Point USA events and other events featuring conservative speakers turn violent is that college students are accustomed to living in ideological echo chambers. A <a href="https://www.thefire.org/sites/default/files/2024/12/Faculty-Report-2024-Final.pdf">2024 report</a> by the nonpartisan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) demonstrates with raw numbers just how bad the problem is. 55% of conservative faculty (compared to just 17% of liberal faculty) hide their political views to protect their jobs. Just 20% of respondents indicated that a conservative individual would be a somewhat or very positive fit in their department, compared to 71% agreeing that a liberal individual would be a positive addition. 47% of conservative faculty feel they cannot express their opinion on a subject because of how other faculty, students, or administrators would respond. While conservative students may be attending and even teaching classes, often unbeknownst to others, a Turning Point USA event may be the first time many students are exposed to the ideas they have learned to perceive as unacceptable or even evil.
Allowing Turning Point USA to hold events — only after imposing exorbitant security fees and forcing organizers through a Byzantine permitting process — is nowhere near enough. The First Amendment requires as much. Universities have an obligation to their students, and indeed, to the country, to expose students to a broad range of ideas. Rather than let racial diversity drive hiring decisions, universities should strive to ensure that conservative views are represented in social studies and humanities departments. Students should be exposed to the ideas of conservative philosophers, economists, and historians, just as they will invariably be exposed to those of liberal (and even Marxist) thinkers. Universities should cultivate debating societies where participants must advocate positions that differ from their own, and audiences are exposed to competing ideas. And when organizations like Turning Point USA host events, university leaders need not endorse the viewpoints their speakers express, but they should make clear that the speaker is welcome on campus. While a university president attending a Turning Point USA event would likely inflame controversy in the short term, it would send a strong signal that the university’s commitment to intellectual diversity is real.
Fostering open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas is only half the battle. University administrators should adopt zero-tolerance policies for efforts to interfere with others’ speech and learning on college campuses, violent and non-violent alike. Students who engage in violence must be disciplined, up to and including expulsion. Too many universities give students a free pass when their violence relates to a conservative speaker rather than some interpersonal squabble. But engaging in violence to shut down speech makes the conduct worse, not better, as it is inimical to the purpose of a university. Administrators should craft course evaluations that assess whether the instructor fostered a free exchange of ideas and take it seriously when instructors flunk this critical test. Professors who shut down speech or foster self-censorship should adapt to the new norms or find a different profession.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination should have served as a wake-up call to American universities. While the suspect was not a Utah Valley University student, the shooting nonetheless spoke to a broader failure in American higher education. Too many students see conservative viewpoints as tantamount to violence, and those viewpoints are thus seldom expressed. And when they are, such as at Turning Point USA’s recent event in Berkeley, a violent response is all too common. Universities must take action to reverse this erosion of free speech by prioritizing the robust exchange of opposing views and disciplining, rather than coddling, those who exercise a heckler’s veto against conservative speech.
* * *
Jesse Franklin-Murdock is the Miles Visiting Fellow at the Center for American Liberty and a counsel at Dhillon Law Group Inc., where his practice areas include political law and civil rights.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Turning Point USA Tour Event Held At University Of California, Berkeley

The Violence At Berkeley Exposes A Broader Failure In Higher Education

Berkeley, California

California

Charlie Kirk

First Amendment

Free Speech

Leftists

Political Violence

Rob Schneider

Turning Point USA

University of California Berkeley

The government shutdown is over, the Justice Department investigates riots surrounding a Turning Point USA event, and a standoff brews in the Caribbean between Venezuela and the United States.
It’s Thursday, November 13, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251113">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-ends-shutdown-venezuela-mobilizes-troops-11-13-25/id1576594336?i=1000736567005" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Shutdown Comes To A Close</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000149" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The government shutdown finally came to a close on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump signing legislation to reopen the government.
The House voted on legislation to fund the government through the end of January. The vote came after eight Senate Democrats sided with Republicans earlier this week to break the filibuster and push through a continuing resolution to fund the federal government.
After more than 40 days, the shutdown’s impacts hit all across the country. From air travel to food stamps, Americans felt it.
What comes next:  The debate will quickly shift to healthcare and Obamacare subsidies, which the Democrats used as a rhetorical tool to prevent funding the government for the past 40 days. When they voted to reopen the government over the weekend, part of the deal was to bring that debate back to the Senate in December.
On the House side, Democrats such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have proposed extending those subsidies for three years. But with Republicans in the majority, the calculus is different, and there is a lot unknown about the continuation of those subsidies.
The argument from many Republicans and opponents of the renewed subsidies for the Affordable Care Act is that the program was never sustainable to begin with.
Shutdown drama continued:  Republicans are very pleased with the outcome, but many Democrats, aside from those few who voted to reopen the government, are not. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Berkeley Riot</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000153" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The DOJ is investigating a protest outside of a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley this week.
TPUSA has gotten more attention than ever over the last two months since Charlie Kirk, the group’s founder, was assassinated. In the wake of that tragedy, rather than pull back, the conservative activist group has gone all in.
While a number of its events have faced significant protest, thanks to increased security, most have been peaceful. But during the final stop of the Turning Point tour this week at Cal Berkeley, a protest turned violent. In the hours leading up to the event, hundreds of black-clad protesters <a href="https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1988056273716474048?s=20">descended</a> on the venue, hurling insults and threats at conservative students attending the event, and mocking Kirk’s murder.
Other chants included, “When fascists come and cause a wreck, they get a bullet in the neck.” At one point, a group of protesters attempted to rob a man of his necklace and proceeded to beat him when he attempted to stop them. As the victim, who was briefly detained by police himself, stands up, dripping blood from his face, some in the crowd begin to taunt him, <a href="https://x.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1988051012050186316?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying,</a> “white boy, you’re bleeding.”
Turning Point staffers say rioters set off smoke bombs and tear gas outside the venue, and hurled fireworks and glass bottles at those trying to get in, including parents carrying small children. And then, as the event ended, large groups of rioters blocked exits and hurled threats at those leaving. 
DOJ steps in: Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will &#8220;spare no expense unmasking all who commit and orchestrate acts of political violence” and seeking out the identities of specific agitators. Bondi <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1988339354754769099">added</a>, &#8220;Antifa is an existential threat to our nation.&#8221; The Justice Department also sent a letter to the University of California Board of Regents, notifying them that an investigation had been opened into their handling of the riot, ordering them to preserve all internal records regarding security preparations. 
“ There was a sold out crowd of over 2,000 tickets for this event with Rob Schneider, the comedian, and in fact, only a thousand people were allowed to enter,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988582068776026127?s=20">said</a> the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon. &#8220;There were shenanigans with the ticketing, but a lot of people didn&#8217;t come because of what we call the ‘heckler&#8217;s veto,’ the violent mob allowed to fester outside.” 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Fracas In Caracas</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000145" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Venezuela says it’s launched a “massive mobilization” of its armed forces – as the United States’ largest aircraft carrier arrives in the region.
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, on Tuesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maduro-orders-massive-military-mobilization-as-u-s-carrier-group-nears-venezuela">announced</a> a military buildup to counter what he called the “imperialist threat” from the United States. That buildup included military exercises on Wednesday that reportedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-military-mobilization-us-navy-flotilla-nears-caribbean-uss-ford/">involved</a> around 200,000 troops. Reports say that the military has prepped anti-aircraft systems across Venezuela in case Trump decides to order land strikes, as he has hinted at a few times.
State of play: The United States’ largest and most advanced warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has finally arrived in the region, military officials said on Tuesday.
But diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington have broken down, and it is unclear whether they have since rebounded.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/maduro-venezuela-us-oil.html">reported</a> last month that diplomacy between the two sides is basically broken. It broke over Maduro’s refusal to vacate leadership.
Caracas had offered the United States a majority stake in its oil and other mineral wealth. Part of the agreement would have been that Caracas would distance itself from powers hostile to the United States – namely, China, Iran, and Russia. But the United States walked away.
Invasion?: Many have made comparisons between the military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. There remain some stark differences, however. Venezuela is much larger than Panama, has a larger military, and Maduro is protected by special forces from Cuba, and Moscow has promised to help Venezuela in the event of an invasion.
Also, in 1989, the United States went into Panama to oust dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/us/politics/panama-noriega-maduro.html">roughly</a> 27,000 troops. With the addition of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the United States still has only <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/americas/venezuela-military-mobilization-us-buildup-intl-latam#:~:text=Maduro%20has%20also%20claimed%20that,CNN's%20Haley%20Britzky%20contributed.">around</a> 15,000 troops in the Caribbean Sea.

MRN_251113_V1

Morning Brief: The Swamp Reopens, Berkeley Riot On FBI’s Terror Radar, & The Fracas In Caracas

Morning Brief: Govt Shutdown Ends, DOJ Probes Berkeley, And Venezuela Calls Up Troops

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Government Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries

Harmeet Dhillon

Media

Mike Johnson

Morning Wire

Nicolas Maduro

Pam Bondi

Politics

U.S. House of Representatives

United States

Venezuela

The Department of Justice launched a &#8220;full investigation&#8221; into the leftist demonstrations that took place outside of a Turning Point USA event at the University of California, Berkeley, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday.
Bondi said that Antifa was behind &#8220;violent riots&#8221; at UC Berkeley on Monday after leftist agitators showed up at the venue hours before the TPUSA event began on campus, harassing conservative attendees as they lined up for the event. The investigation is being led by the FBI&#8217;s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which focuses on international and domestic terrorism.
&#8220;Antifa is an existential threat to our nation. The violent riots at UC Berkeley last night are under full investigation by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force. We will continue to spare no expense unmasking all who commit and orchestrate acts of political violence,&#8221; Bondi <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1988339354754769099">wrote</a> in a post on X. &#8220;Under President Trump’s leadership, and pursuant to his Executive Order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, the Department of Justice and our law-enforcement partners are dismantling violent networks that seek to intimidate Americans and suppress their free expression and First Amendment rights.&#8221;
Two people were arrested after a fistfight broke out between one of the agitators and a man wearing a red Turning Point USA t-shirt. One person was charged with battery, but it&#8217;s unclear if the person who was charged was one of the two men who were seen fighting.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At least two people detained after violence breaks out at a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TurningPointUSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TurningPointUSA</a> event at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ucberkeley?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ucberkeley</a> Our crews say tensions are growing as the number of protesters grow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ktvu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ktvu</a> <a href="https://t.co/r8YuYvcqgr">pic.twitter.com/r8YuYvcqgr</a>
— Claudine Wong (@ClaudineKTVU) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudineKTVU/status/1988059428340592641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UC Berkeley currently looks like a war zone.
An ANTIFA member just lit off a flare resulting in TPUSA event attendees being rushed inside.
A car then comes and starts backfiring visibly scaring multiple attendees who feared they were hearing gunshots. <a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Savsays?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Savsays</a> <a href="https://t.co/u3mG8rJDSx">pic.twitter.com/u3mG8rJDSx</a>
— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1988063048825970850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Two more people were arrested for attempting to get past a barrier police had set up to separate protesters from attendees. Some of the agitators lit flares and shouted at the conservative attendees as they waited to enter the building, and when they left after the TPUSA event ended.
The event, which was the last stop on the &#8220;This is the Turning Point” tour, went on as planned, capping off a tour that was started by TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10 at Utah Valley University, when he was assassinated while speaking to college students.
The DOJ&#8217;s Civil Rights division is also probing the leftist demonstrations at UC Berkeley, according to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
&#8220;We saw all of this at Berkeley back in 2017. @UCBerkeley was sued, and settled the case. The @CivilRights will investigate what happened here, and I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA,&#8221; Dhillon <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988272046741111268">wrote</a> on X.
UC Berkeley, which has long been one of the most liberal universities in the United States, was at the center of violent demonstrations when leftist groups protested right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos’ planned speech in 2017. Dhillon brought some of the legal challenges against the university that same year over the free speech case.
&#8220;In America, we do not allow citizens to be attacked by violent thugs and shrug and turn our backs,&#8221; Dhillon <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988293108686352875">added</a>. &#8220;Been there, done that, not on our watch.&#8221;
President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/">designated</a> Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization in September, calling it &#8220;a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.&#8221;

FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force Investigating ‘Violent Riots’ That Erupted Outside Of TPUSA Event

FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force Investigating 'Violent Riots' That Erupted Outside Of TPUSA Event

Leftism

Terrorism

Conservatives attending the final stop on the “This is the Turning Point” tour at the University of California, Berkeley, on Monday night were met by hundreds of leftist agitators as police in riot gear tried to keep the protesters contained.
Protesters, some of whom wore keffiyehs, showed up outside the venue on campus hours before the event started and confronted the attendees as they lined up to enter the building. At one point, an agitator got into a fistfight with a man wearing a red Turning Point USA shirt. The event attendee was pictured with a bloodied face, as both he and the agitator were detained by police, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/11/us-news/bloody-brawl-breaks-out-as-agitators-protest-tpusa-event-at-uc-berkeley-in-california/">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At least two people detained after violence breaks out at a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TurningPointUSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TurningPointUSA</a> event at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ucberkeley?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ucberkeley</a> Our crews say tensions are growing as the number of protesters grow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ktvu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ktvu</a> <a href="https://t.co/r8YuYvcqgr">pic.twitter.com/r8YuYvcqgr</a>
— Claudine Wong (@ClaudineKTVU) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudineKTVU/status/1988059428340592641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Police confirmed that two people were arrested, including one person charged with battery, following the fistfight. It&#8217;s unclear if one of the men involved in the fistfight was the person charged with battery. Police set up a barricade between protesters and attendees before and after the event as agitators lit flares and shouted at the conservative attendees. Two more people were arrested after attempting to get past the barricade, The Mercury News <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/10/uc-berkeley-turning-point-usa-arrests/">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UC Berkeley currently looks like a war zone.
An ANTIFA member just lit off a flare resulting in TPUSA event attendees being rushed inside.
A car then comes and starts backfiring visibly scaring multiple attendees who feared they were hearing gunshots. <a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Savsays?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Savsays</a> <a href="https://t.co/u3mG8rJDSx">pic.twitter.com/u3mG8rJDSx</a>
— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1988063048825970850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The event at Cal Berkeley, one of the most liberal universities in America, featured comedian Rob Schneider and Christian apologist and writer Dr. Frank Turek. It was the final event on the TPUSA college tour that Charlie Kirk began in September. Kirk was assassinated while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University on the first stop of the tour on September 10.
Andrew Kolvet, the chief spokesman for TPUSA and executive producer of &#8220;The Charlie Kirk Show,&#8221; said &#8220;Antifa thugs&#8221; were responsible for attempting to stop Monday&#8217;s event. Even as left-wing protesters crowded outside, the event went ahead as planned before a packed audience inside.
&#8220;Despite Antifa thugs blocking our campus tour stop with tear gas, fireworks, and glass bottles, we had a PACKED HOUSE in the heart of deep blue UC Berkeley,&#8221; Kolvet said. God bless these brave students. For Charlie 🇺🇸🇺🇸&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Despite Antifa thugs blocking our campus tour stop with tear gas, fireworks, and glass bottles, we had a PACKED HOUSE in the heart of deep blue UC Berkeley.
God bless these brave students.
For Charlie 🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/EGgiH2wplF">pic.twitter.com/EGgiH2wplF</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1988092309507072374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shortly before the event began, Schneider wrote on X, &#8220;Thank YOU, Antifa for welcoming us tonight at UC Berkeley. We Look forward to our thoughtful, teargas free discussion and debate.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank YOU, Antifa for welcoming us tonight at UC Berkeley. We Look forward to our thoughtful, teargas free discussion and debate.👇👇🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/BSN0aOdIvw">https://t.co/BSN0aOdIvw</a>
— Rob Schneider 🇺🇸 (@RobSchneider) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobSchneider/status/1988065552510972075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
UC Berkeley said it was prepared for the fierce opposition to the TPUSA event on its campus.
“The campus fully supports the rights and ability of every single student organization to invite whatever speakers they wish, regardless of their beliefs or perspectives,” said UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof.

Chaos Breaks Out At TPUSA Event As Leftist Agitators Harass Attendees

Antifa

Education

TPUSA

At last week’s House hearing on rising antisemitism in higher education, lawmakers<a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJwcy8FqAyEQANCv0VsXnVF3PHgIlECvpZceZxxtlqRJ2Zhd8velvT54WmLOKt224ueImLKHbE8FJfUkXUjJzzMl1MotROk9hhRB7FLAQXQzBB8ihTz52VWGnCQqMEA2wXVe1mu732u7jrZOt_XLXsppjJ-7wYOBo4Hjvu_T8_YYD2lTvX3_CY96MnjcDL5-vLzTdj58tvObXctYl9pMcMrL5bkv6_-wowSs3KXXQK2TY0FxSK5F7TR71mpHYcqaREQVKIQECN5nYO8YEwmq3Qr8BgAA___o1U-Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> confronted</a> UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons about me, an Israeli Jewish scientist suing my own labor union, the United Auto Workers, for antisemitic discrimination.
I was encouraged when Lyons said that he personally opposes the anti-Israel “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” (BDS) movement that the UAW supports. But taking on a powerful labor union — one that represents 48,000 workers across the University of California system — will require more than just words.
The union’s anti-Israel agenda includes much more than just support for the BDS movement. If Lyons is serious about preserving the safety and academic freedom of Jewish students and scholars, he must understand the central role the union played in stoking the atmosphere of fear Jews are experiencing across the UC system.
My campus became a hostile place for Jews after October 7. Instead of defusing the situation, Union officials added fuel to the fire by releasing a statement<a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJwUyTFu7iAMAODTwBiBMcQMDG_JPQw270f6m1SENurtq86flJiz1G61-D2GkLKHbF9FUJV67CSeAELjTJKya901jLh7Owo4iG4H9BgJ8-Z31xhyqlGAAbJB13nMU--76bl0btf8b9_ltdbnbcI_A4eB44sfoBT_zMDRlG_tY-p5PQYOO8uao6lBJzzeP8-YurXrw66CoXGvvSFpJ8c1VBfIaZROu2dpdhWmLKnWKgKEmCCA9xnYOw6JahD7XeA3AAD__6QoSuw" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> condemning</a> Israel and encouraging members to attend anti-Israel rallies and encampments.
To me, it was like a knife in the back.
Union officials even established a “union village” within one anti-Israel encampment, a show of solidarity with the camped-out protesters. Their tents sat in the same encampment with banners reading “Glory to the martyrs” and “Student Intifada,” signaling that the union’s muscle and reputation were aligned with those celebrating the October 7 attacks.
I believed the union was contributing to the deteriorating environment for Jews and thought I could be a force for reconciliation. So I joined the UAW as a dues-paying member to engage in dialogue.
Instead, the union treated me as a second-class member. I was excluded from union working groups and cut out of union communications. When I or other Jewish members tried to speak at union meetings, we were mocked, insulted, and shouted down.
Even more unsettling, I discovered that a union committee had created a document called “Who Rules the University of California?” that listed members of UC Berkeley’s Board of Regents who were Jewish or had any connection to Israel. Later, members of an anti-Israel graduate student group allegedly <a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJwUzjGu4yAQgOHTQIcFA9hQUGzjewwwvLByIAJerOzpVyn_6v9ysN7nWDgFdVitd6_A80dwlHIqvihFlJ1L3hi1-0NGi5KSB14DSLDyAKOMdcZv6pAJwe_RZkAAz4wsWEejORO1RWPr44df4bHWazL9h8HJ4Lzve7tw1SfNLfUngzPhVUsfrSKDc64-PgzO70tIENIyOH-TGPRDbYm_-BHzd9CcIg5q6-49i0d_knhjy3jVf5TFa3Txwovmqq1i-_aiuWhMPsIaNREzMmO9Pncd9FXwFYxOWGJJxlFxEqOOUjtJNhd3KMyJr4DO5z3GmDM4Y3bQoJQHVBL17qLO_B3gfwAAAP__R1pu5Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vandalized</a> the home of Regent Jonathan Sures, who was named on the union’s list.
At UC Berkeley, UAW officials are taking steps to use the collective bargaining process to demand that the school eliminate programs and partnerships with the smallest ties to Israel, including those that have nothing to do with the Israeli government or military.
University administrators must not give in. As I saw firsthand in union meetings, the core of the union’s anti-Israel agenda is to delegitimize Jewish ties to Israel and push Israelis — even members of their own union — out of the UC research community. If its demands are met, it would threaten programs across the UC system that enable Israelis to pursue their academic careers.
I felt that the discrimination that my Israeli colleagues and I experienced became a culture of antisemitism. When I raised my concerns to union leadership, they refused to address them.
The message was clear: Jews were not welcome.
In January, I filed a <a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJxkzT1uxCAQQOHTQGc0DIOBgiJare-QcvjLWvLalk3Wye2jrVO_J30l2hBKarJG7awxY9AY5CMSZDIupWYzaGpgKmfnagi6JZdGknNEQAsOSZP1FJR2kBnDmGxBRgyCoPF8rPU8c117PdR2fMklPnrfT2E-BE4Cp-u61P_tHfYhb2uvaxc4fe_LxuUUOL1RgRNogdMnr_NruN-mQQ-37bkvPK99uP-cagCtkBRatZcmj9iPOVdBUHhefq_5qCpvT9kjmcwttUy-Ng-cTALjodrSvNNcsuyRfShjSqkU9EQjGtQ6IGtgM_pkinxF_AsAAP__HOBhQw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal lawsuit</a> with the help of the Fairness Center, a nonprofit law firm, arguing that the UAW discriminated against me on the basis of my race, religion, and nationality — in violation of both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and California law.
Far from backing down, the union urged the court to issue a protective order preventing me from publicly disclosing the identities of the union members and officials involved in my discrimination claims.
The same union that I’m suing for discrimination wants to bar me from speaking about what happened to me and who is responsible.
With anti-Israel sentiment growing at American colleges and universities — there have been<a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJwUzDGy4yAMANDTQBePkIQNBcU2vocAsWHWsTM2-z25_Z80r3w1-RhrblaTWzzRHB1G-0yRS6SZmyvaNDhuWaCQRE-LVK1qe0JADwuyYx84Tm6BIhjn7CsKYjQMTfq563UV3Yee03H-tVt6jvG-DP0xuBpc7_ue3sfWRy_HVI6XwXXX-zK4IiAbXOELOoPr__LIev7TTT8P2Ue_9NVHv14PAOeJZ7JnGmcvahiq9O1z91O_px2JqUjLrXDQFkAyZaAA6msLi5Na7EgSYp1zzrViYJ6R0LmI4kBoDpmq_Un4GwAA__-B0ln2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> multiple</a> documented<a href="http://email.fairnesscenter.org/c/eJwUzjGO6yAQANDTQIcFA9hQUPzG9xhgiPnrxRGQWLn9KvVrXg7W-xwLp6A2q_XqFXh-hKgNWUpUJG4QcYU1YnKlZPTkvTW8BpBg5QZGGeuMX9QmE4Jfo82AAJ4ZWbD2RmMkapP6cvUHP8Mx53Mw_Y_BzmC_73tJcTS6x5KuXwb7wFY6tlRHuhjsX2Gw_6e7jkO8kojUf-ikjxjzlalN0SnheQ5RCHttD1GuLg7q4qyFxH1QE89-TRqT-hC5jv56TsqC3tQmg533MHtNxIzMWM_PXTt9K3wGoxOWWJJxVJzEqKPUTpLNxW0Kc-IzoPN5jTHmDM6YFTQo5QGVRL26qDN_B_gLAAD__6g2cus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> cases</a> of harassment and assault of Jews and Israelis post-Oct. 7 on my campus alone — it all has taken an immense toll on me and my Israeli and Jewish friends.
Why stay and continue dealing with a union that seems to hate me? Because someone needs to hold the union accountable. I’m a microbiologist, not an activist. But I’m fed up — not only for me, but for my Jewish and Israeli colleagues who deserve to pursue their academic careers free from discrimination.
I applaud lawmakers who are shining a light on these abuses. I never imagined I’d feel unsafe as a scientist working in America. But that’s my reality, and it’s a warning for Israeli Jews working in higher education.
American universities have long welcomed scholars from around the world to contribute their knowledge. But when labor unions abandon their members and claim that alleged illegal discrimination is just politics, Jews may have no choice but to take our talents elsewhere.
Karin Yaniv is an Israeli Jew and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Ceasefire News Conference

How Unions Are Quietly Fueling Campus Antisemitism

antisemitism

Auto workers

House of Representatives

Labor Unions

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump&#8217;s Education Department is investigating the University of California at Berkeley for allegedly failing to properly report hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign funding, The Daily Wire has learned.
The Education Department sent a notice of investigation and records requests to UC Berkeley on Friday, senior Education Department officials shared Friday morning. The notification came amid widespread media reports that Berkeley has received a substantial amount of money from foreign governments, the official said, specifically China.
These substantial amounts of money have not been reported to the department as required by law under Section 117&#8217;s Foreign Funding Disclosure Requirements for Universities, one official shared. The department is concerned about the university&#8217;s deep involvements with Chinese entities, particularly how it has shared the development and transfer of important technologies with China.
“They’ll have 30 days to respond with the records that we requested,&#8221; an Education Department official said, &#8220;and so we hope to have quite a volume of records and we’ll be able to verify the degree to which UC Berkeley is or is not compliant after our examination of those records.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_912241" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/education-department-investigating-uc-berkeley-for-improper-reporting-on-china-ties/sather-gate" rel="attachment wp-att-912241"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912241" class="wp-image-912241 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1053601948-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1053601948-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1053601948-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1053601948-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1053601948.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Close-up of metalwork on Sather Gate, the iconic entrance gate to the campus of UC Berkeley in downtown Berkeley, California, October 9, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)</div>
“Over the course of the last two years, UC Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding 117 reporting issues, and will continue to do so,&#8221; a spokesman for UC Berkeley said on Friday. The univeristy declined to comment further.

UC Berkeley

Education Department Investigating UC Berkeley For Improper Reporting On China Ties

Department of Education

A California university known for promoting leftist ideology removed racially-based eligibility requirements for its “environmentalist of color” scholarship program after facing legal questions over the discriminatory program. 
On Wednesday, the University of California, Berkeley, told The Daily Wire that it was investigating the program and was prepared to adjust it to comply with the law. Ahead of the investigation, it says that it has already renamed the program to the “Rooted in Joy” scholarship and taken away requirements that recipients “identify as a POC.&#8221;
“UC Berkeley is committed to complying with all state and federal laws regarding discrimination and related matters. We are looking into the matter regarding this particular program and if it is out of compliance, we will correct it promptly,” a spokesman for the university said. 
The rebrand comes after Defending Education filed a complaint with the Education Department, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watchdog-challenges-environmentalist-of-color-scholarship-at-notoriously-liberal-university?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Notoriously+Liberal+University’s+‘Environmentalist+Of+Color’+Scholarship+Is+Illegal%2C+Watchdog+Claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported</a> on by The Daily Wire, saying that the scholarship violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watchdog-challenges-environmentalist-of-color-scholarship-at-notoriously-liberal-university?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Notoriously+Liberal+University%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Environmentalist+Of+Color%E2%80%99+Scholarship+Is+Illegal%2C+Watchdog+Claims">Notoriously Liberal University’s ‘Environmentalist Of Color’ Scholarship Is Illegal, Watchdog Claims</a>
The scholarship program, which offers five students $2,000 per year, is administered by the Student Environmental Resource Center and administered by the Green Initiative Fund. 
The university later said that it had “updated the program website as a first step.”
These updates included removing from the website requirements that a recipient “identify as BIPOC” and completely renaming the program. 
<div id="attachment_905853" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905853" class="size-full wp-image-905853" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-07-52-AM-962-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Before/After.</div>
The university also adjusted the goals of the program, changing its language from bridging “institutional gaps in resources and funding” for “students of color” to “students.” Another goal changed from financially supporting “passionate students of color” to “passionate students.” 
The goals of the scholarship still include a racial angle as the award remains designated for students working at the “intersection of communities of color and the environmental field at UC Berkeley.”
The organizational rebrand also included removing a question from its FAQ on what it meant to be a &#8220;person of color.&#8221; In the previous iteration, the university said that being a &#8220;POC&#8221; can go beyond skin color.
“While navigating the complexities and nuances of this question, SERC recognizes that being a ‘person of color’ goes beyond just skin color, and can include an intersectional expanse of racial, ethnic, and cultural experiences and identities. If you identify as a ‘person of color,’ we encourage you to apply,” the Student Environmental Resource Center said.
Also gone from the program were discussions of how &#8220;BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Persons-of-Color) are frequently asked to exclusively call upon their experiences with racial trauma and violence&#8221; to now just asking students to &#8220;consider their identities from the lens of radical healing, joy, and growth.&#8221;
The rebranding comes as UC Berkeley is under <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/office-civil-rights-initiates-title-vi-investigations-institutions-of-higher-education-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> by the Trump administration over potentially racially exclusionary practices in its graduate programs. The Education Department has warned all universities across the country to abide by the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to strike down affirmative action or face penalties.

MixCollage-10-Apr-2025-11-16-AM-6016

Berkeley Tries To Rebrand ‘Environmentalist Of Color’ Scholarship After Legal Complaints

Civil Rights

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Environmentalism

One of the most notoriously liberal universities in the country maintains an “environmentalist of color” scholarship program, prompting a formal complaint from an education watchdog group. 
Defending Education on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Education Department alleging that University of California, Berkeley&#8217;s scholarship program violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prevents federal funding from going toward institutions that discriminate on the basis of race.
Defending Education Vice President Sarah Parshall Perry told The Daily Wire that the scholarship was “an express federal financial benefit granted unapologetically to students on the basis of race” in violation of federal law. 
“Eliminating race discrimination means eliminating all of it, as the Supreme Court has noted,” she said. “We look forward to the office for civil rights’s investigation of race discrimination in federally funded programs at UC Berkeley.”
The <a href="https://defendinged.org/complaints/ocr-complaint-university-of-california-berkeley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> urges the Education Department&#8217;s Office of Civil Rights to open an investigation into the university over the program. UC Berkeley is already under <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/office-civil-rights-initiates-title-vi-investigations-institutions-of-higher-education-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> by the Trump administration for potentially racially exclusionary practices in its graduate programs. 
The yearly scholarship criticized in Defending Education&#8217;s complaint — <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250408145224/https://serc.berkeley.edu/resources/funding/sister-scholarships/environmentalists-color-scholarship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">administered</a> by the Student Environmental Resource Center and funded by the university’s Green Initiative Fund — gives five students who identify as a “person of color” $2,000. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/berkeley-tries-to-rebrand-environmentalist-of-color-scholarship-after-legal-complaints" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPDATE: Berkeley Tries To Rebrand ‘Environmentalist Of Color’ Scholarship After Legal Complaints</a>
Program goals include bridging “institutional gaps in resources and funding for students of color to increase retention, and build radically inclusive social and environmental justice spaces on campus,” financially supporting “passionate students of color working in the environmental field at UC Berkeley,” and “eliminating barriers to entry and focusing on healing, joy, and growth rather than trauma.”
<div id="attachment_904879" style="width: 1959px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-904879" class="size-full wp-image-904879" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM.png" alt="" width="1949" height="570" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM.png 1949w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM-300x88.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM-1024x299.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM-768x225.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screen-Shot-2025-04-08-at-12.29.59-PM-1536x449.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1949px) 100vw, 1949px" />Student Environmental Resource Center.</div>
To qualify for the scholarship, a student must “identify as a POC” and be “passionate about environmentalism,” according to the university. 
The university said that the definition of “person of color” goes beyond skin color, though it is unclear what this means. The university did not respond to requests for comment on whether a white person could be eligible for the award. 
“While navigating the complexities and nuances of this question, SERC recognizes that being a &#8216;person of color&#8217; goes beyond just skin color, and can include an intersectional expanse of racial, ethnic, and cultural experiences and identities. If you identify as a &#8216;person of color,&#8217; we encourage you to apply,&#8221; the Student Environmental Resource Center said. 
The university encourages students to focus on “joy” in their applications for the scholarship. 
“We recognize that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Persons-of-Color) are frequently asked to exclusively call upon their experiences with racial trauma and violence in applications,” the university says. “We aim to resist that tokenization by making space for applicants to consider their identities from the lens of radical healing, joy, and growth.”
The Student Environmental Resource Center offers a similar scholarship, called the Brian Gialketsis SERQueer Scholarship, for students who &#8220;identify as queer.” The university specifies that applicants can be “undocumented” or “formerly incarcerated.&#8221;
The goal of the scholarship is to “financially support queer-identifying students working in and passionate about the environmental field at UC Berkeley.”
After the complaint was submitted by Defending Education, the university said that it was looking into the program and would adjust as necessary.
“UC Berkeley is committed to complying with all state and federal laws regarding discrimination and related matters. We are looking into the matter regarding this particular program and if it is out of compliance, we will correct it promptly,” a spokesman for the university said.
President Donald Trump&#8217;s Education Department has warned universities across the country to comply with federal discrimination law and the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to strike down race-based affirmative action programs. Already, 45 graduate universities are facing probes over racially focused programs.

Tree Hugger

Notoriously Liberal University’s ‘Environmentalist Of Color’ Scholarship Is Illegal, Watchdog Claims

Fourteenth Amendment

One Mayflower Cigars-loving student at the University of California, Berkeley, got his beautiful Mayflower sampler box signed by the one and only Michael Knowles on Monday. 
Knowles, after taking questions from students on campus and shutting down leftists, was thanked by a young man who brought his Mayflower Cigars box to the event for Knowles to sign. The Daily Wire host was only a little disappointed that the box was lacking Mayflower Cigars.
“Oh, that was your box!” Knowles said. “I signed it up there, and I was hoping there would be stogies in there that I could pilfer and smoke, but it was totally empty other than a magic marker.” 
“Yeah, I figured I’d get in trouble because there are signs everywhere saying like, ‘No tobacco on campus,’” the student said. 
“Forget about that. There are barely any Berkeley admins here,” Knowles replied. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
STUDENT: I figured I&#39;d get in trouble because there&#39;s signs all over saying like, no tobacco on campus…<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>: Forget about that!
Even at a YAF speech, you’ve got to have your Mayflower Cigars. <a href="https://t.co/jrbWuWDiJQ">pic.twitter.com/jrbWuWDiJQ</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1843500378505261438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
*California Residents &#8211; Prop 65 Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
The <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/mayflower-8-cigar-assortment/">Mayflower 8-Cigar Assortment</a> box gives you a chance to try 4 Mayflower Dawn and 4 Mayflower Dusk blends in the full range of sizes. And maybe, if you’re lucky like this Cal Berkeley student was, you can get Knowles’ John Hancock on the cigar box to show off to all of your buddies. 
*You must be 21 years of age or older to purchase tobacco products. Some exclusions apply.
The Mayflower Dawn is a medium-bodied cigar made with Nicaraguan long fillers and Cameroon binder and finished with the finest Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. The flavor contains subtle notes of wood, coffee, and cream.
The Mayflower Dusk is medium- to full-bodied, made with Nicaraguan long fillers and Sumatra binder, and finished with the finest Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Dusk’s flavor has notes of cocoa, espresso, oak, and black pepper.
Mayflower Cigars shares common ownership with The Daily Wire.

Michael Knowles/Mayflower Cigars

Knowles Signs Mayflower Box For Cal Berkeley Student: ‘I Was Hoping There Would Be Stogies In There’

Mayflower Cigars

Michael Knowles

Daily Wire host Michael Knowles stumped a leftist at the University of California, Berkeley, who disagreed with Knowles’ past criticisms of modern science, especially relating to transgenderism and climate change.
Knowles, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michael-knowles-reveals-the-lefts-ignorance-about-hamas-october-7-attack-in-speech-at-uc-berkeley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> at the liberal university on the anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel, took questions from the crowd and was asked by a student about his past statements.
“In your show, I see you often say that science is mostly fake in regards to transgenderism, climate change, cigars that might give you cancer,” the student said.
Knowles replied, saying, “Science is mostly good. Natural philosophy is good, but the notion that a little boy is actually a girl, which we call ‘science’ today … that is fake.”
The student shot back, arguing that “the most educated researchers” he has talked to “all seem to disagree” with Knowles’ view on modern science.
“So, how do you pursue evidence-based policy if you ignore so much of the evidence, or do you flip the script like your co-worker says and put your feelings over facts?” he asked.
“Which studies do you mean?” Knowles pressed.
“The fake ones, I guess,” the student responded.
“Can you cite the studies you’re talking about? … Could you name even one of them off the top of your head?” Knowles asked.
“No, you know, I just threw them all out. They’re all fake, right?” the student quipped.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
“You&#8217;re being sarcastic because it&#8217;s the last refuge of someone who has no answer,” Knowles shot back.
The Daily Wire host then blasted leftists who cite studies they haven’t read to back up their political ideology.
“That’s my complaint with modern science is that it is fake,” Knowles said. “And you’re proving to me that it’s fake. You’re not even relying on it. You’re relying on a kind of gut intuition, which is really just a half-baked religious sense that a boy can be a girl and the sun god is going to kill us all in 12 years or whatever AOC said 15 years ago. And, unfortunately, it’s not grounded in any serious philosophy or theology or, certainly, anthropology, but it’s also not even grounded in modern science.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“You&#39;re being sarcastic, because it&#39;s the last refuge of someone who has no answer.”<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> shuts down leftist who argues that transgenderism and climate change are part of &quot;modern science,&quot; but can&#39;t cite a single source to prove it. <a href="https://t.co/v62K2lYjWh">pic.twitter.com/v62K2lYjWh</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1843512101412975007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Knowles Shuts Down Leftist Who Claims Transgenderism Is Backed By Science

Leftist

The Daily Wire

Transgender

U.S.

Daily Wire host Michael Knowles eviscerated the Left’s misinterpretation of the history and motivations behind Hamas’ October 7 attack in a speech on Monday night.
Knowles <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UCa-8jKddw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> at the University of California, Berkeley, which marked the anniversary of the terrorist group&#8217;s attack against Israel. In his speech, he called out the Left for claiming that Israel is occupying Palestinian land and missing the religious motivations behind Hamas’ attack.
Knowles said that leftist student protesters chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are ignorant of the history of the Holy Land.
“There has never been a nation-state known as Palestine, even if there had been, Palestinian Arabs would not be the indigenous heirs to the Levant, which was Byzantine before Muslim Arabs invaded and conquered the land in the 7th century,” Knowles said.
“Jews had lived as a nation in the Levant, eventually becoming incorporated into the Roman Empire until the Jewish-Roman wars of the first and second centuries,” he added. “That is a deeper historical tie than the Muslim Arabs can claim.”
The Daily Wire host argued that “all indigenous arguments” for the right to certain areas “fall flat,” saying that pointing to “historical occupation” is not sufficient to claim the Holy Land “as a nation-state for the Arabs, or the Byzantines or the Romans or the Jews or the Caananites or the Hittites for that matter.”
“None of whom, by the way, even conceived of the modern nation-state before it appeared in the 17th century as a way to restore political order to Europe, which had been embroiled in more than a century of war following the Protestant revolution,” Knowles said.
“The more sophisticated campus protesters make arguments that go deeper than the land and the sea,” he added. “They will argue that Palestinian Muslims must have a nation-state in order to protect some vague notion of human rights.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*1q0t3f8*_gcl_au*MjAyNjY0NDU0Mi4xNzI0MDY0OTMw*_ga*MTY1OTAyNTc3Ni4xNzI0MDY0OTMw*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTcyODMxMTE4Mi4xODUuMS4xNzI4MzExNjY3LjQ2LjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
But even this argument from leftists relies on Western tradition and Christianity.
“What is ironic about leftist protesters’ babble about human rights with regard to Arab nationalism in Palestine is that the Muslims entirely reject the supposed rights that the leftists exalt,” Knowles said. “If a queer for Palestine ever actually traveled to Gaza, he would be thrown off of a rooftop.”
“The campus babble about human rights is silly, but it is more sophisticated than the argument about the river and the sea because it at least approaches the real key to the October 7 attack, which is religion,” he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;The Muslims entirely reject the supposed rights that the leftists exalt. If a queer for Palestine ever actually traveled to Gaza, he would be thrown off of a rooftop.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> on the irony of discussing human rights with regard to Arab nationalism in Palestine. <a href="https://t.co/pikEHTCWub">pic.twitter.com/pikEHTCWub</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1843488356602417489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Michael Knowles Reveals The Left’s Ignorance About Hamas’ October 7 Attack In Speech At UC Berkeley

Hamas

Israel

October 7

Jewish students at University of California-Berkeley were forced to evacuate to a secret location after hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed an event featuring an Israeli Defense Forces reservist on Monday night. 
The “Israel at War: Combat the Lies” event was supposed to feature Ran Bar-Yoshafat, who served for several weeks within Gaza in an IDF special forces unit. Before the event was able to begin, the mob of protesters stormed the building, forcing the attendees of the event to sneak out the back to a secret location.
“I don’t think this about the IDF, Jews or even Israel, this is them lacking Western values like freedom of speech,” Bar-Yoshafat told The Daily Wire. “For them I am guilty until proven innocent.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: UC Berkeley Jewish Students Forced To Evacuate Building After Mob Storms Event With IDF Soldier
&#39;Berkeley is on the wrong side of history and it&#39;s not a safe place for Jews anymore&#39; <a href="https://t.co/vJ1E05giNC">pic.twitter.com/vJ1E05giNC</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1762499923227136155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Bar-Yoshafat said he was asked to arrive on campus in a hat to help mask his identity, and was reassured there was enough security to prevent protesters from shutting down the event. He added that the event had been moved several times leading up to Monday because of security concerns.
When he arrived at the room to begin the event, he said about 40 student protesters — many of which were masked with keffiyehs — entered with hundreds more outside the building.
Videos provided to The Daily Wire show students banging on doors and windows, breaking glass, chanting &#8220;intifada, intifada&#8221; and accusing Bar-Yoshafat of genocide in chants. Witnesses told The Daily Wire that they believe around 200 to 500 students were part of the protest. 
In one of the videos, a Jewish student says he was spat on by someone shouting, “You Jew.” 
“I just felt really bad for these kids because they were scared,” Bar-Yoshafat said. “Girls were crying from being attacked and I think the kid that was spat on was just so shocked. I don’t think the students anticipated so many people being violent, they thought they would just chant outside.”
Bar-Yoshafat, who was invited by various Jewish student groups, said he wanted to go on speaking despite the disrupters but he was asked to leave by school officials. 
“Instead of giving more security to us, they gave a prize to those who were violent,” he said. “They basically said those banging on doors and spitting on Jews are allowed to continue but I had to leave even though I was just peacefully speaking.”
Bar-Yoshafat and the students were escorted away with many protesters following him. Once they made it off campus, they quickly scrambled to find a new secret location to continue the event.
“Berkeley is on the wrong side of history and it&#8217;s not a safe place for Jews anymore,” he added.
Berkely’s anti-Israel student group, “Bears for Palestine,” announced its plan to shut down the event on their <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ytamHJyIg/?img_index=1">Instagram</a> on Sunday.
“Shut it down: Genocidal murderers out of Berkeley,” the graphic read, along with a photo of Bar-Yoshafat with photoshopped red eyes. 
“In October of 2023, Ran Bar-Yoshafat was serving in the IOF partaking in the obliteration of Gaza and extermination of Palestinians,” the caption read, referring to the IDF as the Israeli Occupation Forces. “This individual is dangerous.”
“Ran Bar-Yoshafat has Palestinian blood on his hands,” it continued. “He has committed crimes against humanity, is a genocide denier, and we will not allow for this event to go on.”
Videos show the students chanting “Yoshafat you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”
<div id="attachment_702251" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-702251" class="size-medium wp-image-702251" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/F8P94ZyWwAAGcy0-300x284.jpeg" alt="Ran Bar-Yoshafat" width="300" height="284" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/F8P94ZyWwAAGcy0-300x284.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/F8P94ZyWwAAGcy0-609x576.jpeg 609w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/F8P94ZyWwAAGcy0-768x727.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/F8P94ZyWwAAGcy0.jpeg 1192w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Ran Bar-Yoshafat left duty at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war to get married before returning to combat. (Photo: Courtesy)</div>
Bar-Yoshafat went to fight in southern Israel on October 7th when Hamas massacred Israeli civilians and served several weeks in Gaza. On the fourth day of the war, he took a short break to get married before returning to duty.
“On October 7, while terrorists were still massacring civilians, including my friends, I was already on my way to base to help protect Jews,” he said. “The people who were committing a genocide — and openly live streaming it — is Hamas. I was preventing terrorists from chopping off heads and burning people alive and raping women.”
“What they are really protesting is that Hamas is losing,” he added.
UC Berkeley did not respond to a request for comment.

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WATCH: UC Berkeley Jewish Students Forced To Evacuate After Mob Storms Event With IDF Soldier

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