Trump Takes Aim at Big Law, Brown University Loses a Hezbollah-Loving Professor, and Hamilton Hall Janitors Expose Columbia
Unlawful law firms: Perkins Coie and Morrison & Foerster are two of the most prestigious law firms in the country. For years, they operated illegal diversity fellowships that excluded white applicants or explicitly favored minorities. Now, they're staring down the barrel of a federal probe.
The Trump administration's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, our Aaron Sibarium reports, sent the two firms—and 18 others—letters on Monday "requesting information about their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies" and "arguing that many of the firms' practices appear to violate civil rights laws." The letters ask the firms to provide details on their diversity programs and explain how they managed to overhaul their demographic makeup without turning to discrimination. One firm that received the letter, Cooley LLP, boasted in a now-deleted portion of its website that it increased the diversity of its lawyers by 9 percentage points in just two years.
"Trump has promised to root out unlawful DEI policies in the private sector, in part by instructing agencies like EEOC to assemble lists of targets for investigation," writes Sibarium. "The letters to the 20 firms, which are among the most prestigious in the legal world, could mark the beginning of a crackdown on institutions that have long seemed above, or indifferent to, the law."
READ MORE: Trump Admin Launches Probe Into Big Law DEI Policies
Something to declare: Lebanese national Rasha Alawieh is an assistant professor of medicine at Brown University. She's in the United States on an H-1B visa. Last month, she left the country to visit Lebanon. When she came back, she ran into some trouble.
Alawieh told Customs and Border Protection officials that she had attended the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral. She described Nasrallah as "the head of Hezbollah" and a "religious figure" who is "highly regarded in the Shia community." When an agent asked her why she had photos of Hezbollah fighters on her phone, she said, "I have a lot of WhatsApp groups with families and friends who send them." Don't we all.
After the interview, CBP determined Alawieh was "inadmissible to the United States" and canceled her visa. Initially, the move prompted outrage: NBC News reported that Alawieh's deportation was carried out "without any justification" and came "despite [her] having [a] valid visa." Then the full story came to light, and attorneys representing Alawieh's family withdrew from the case "as a result of further diligence."
READ MORE: Deported Brown University Professor Attended Hezbollah Chief’s Funeral
Clean up on aisle Columbia: Mariano Torres and Lester Wilson are longtime janitors at Columbia University. They were working overnight shifts at Hamilton Hall when Hamas-supporting rioters stormed the building last April. Nearly one year later, they've got a story to tell, and it's not flattering to the Ivy League institution.
In federal complaints filed to the EEOC, Torres and Wilson detailed signs of danger they witnessed at Hamilton Hall before students broke in. Dozens of demonstrators "ran riot" through Hamilton Hall, carpeting the floors with leaflets and scrawling "obscene graffiti, including swastikas, throughout the building."
The janitors reported the incidents to Columbia, which did nothing, according to the complaints. When it came to the swastikas, public safety officials declined to follow up "because the graffiti was 'free speech'" and "was written in chalk and could be erased." The EEOC is now investigating.
Away from the Beacon:
- The ceasefire is over: Israel carried out "extensive" strikes against Hamas early Tuesday, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying the IDF is fighting "with the aim of achieving the war goals as determined by the political echelon, including the release of all our hostages—living and dead." Hamas had rejected U.S.-brokered deals to extend the ceasefire.
- Some Democratic donors are refusing to give money to the party until Chuck Schumer is ousted Senate leader. "Given the lack of leadership and strategy, it's becoming harder by the day to keep supporting the party," one said. "Until I see real change, my wallet is closed." Go off!
- The Center for American Progress is hosting a panel today on "how the Trump administration is harming working people and the path forward." Its featured guest? J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune.
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations may soon face a federal investigation after a watchdog group accused it of financial irregularities. CAIR reportedly funneled a more than $7 million grant to a Los Angeles chapter that is not registered to receive charitable donations. Oops.
Check out our full Tuesday lineup below.
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