A Washington, D.C.-area restaurant server has been fired after she spoke out about possibly refusing service to incoming Trump administration officials.
“I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” Suzannah Van Rooy, a server at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, told the Washingtonian this week. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”
Her remarks were part of a report about whether there would be local “resistance” to certain Trump figures when they were in public settings again after several high-profile incidents during his first term. They included then-aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders being ejected from a restaurant in Lexington, Va., and protesters swarming then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at a D.C. Mexican establishment.
“People were a lot more motivated the first time around to do those kinds of shows of passion. This time around, there is kind of a sense of defeat and acceptance,” Van Rooy said, according to the Washingtonian. “But I hope that people still do stand up to this administration and tell them their thoughts on their misbehavior.”
DC FOOD WORKERS VOW TRUMP OFFICIALS WON’T FEEL WELCOMED WHEN DINING OUT IN NATION’S CAPITAL
Protesters march in reaction to the upset election of Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race for President of the United States on November 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
According to a review of her LinkedIn page on Friday, which has since been taken down, Van Rooy listed her duties as doing daily operations, messaging strategies for the restaurant, developing relationships with influencers, and managing in-house events for political figures and VIPs.
Her page also said she worked as an organizer for Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s failed run for governor in 2022.
Beuchert’s Saloon told Fox News Digital that Van Rooy’s remarks were “reprehensible” and she had been fired for violating their “zero-tolerance policy on discrimination.”
Beuchert’s said the former employee was a part-time server and not a manager. It put out statements on social media condemning her remarks after being made aware of them on Thursday.
“Recent comments made by a member of staff who had no authority to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been, quite rightly, flagged as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant, and unacceptable. This staff member does NOT speak for us as a restaurant,” Beuchert’s initial statement on Thursday said.
“After the inauguration in January, we will begin serving our fourth administration as a neighborhood restaurant on Capitol Hill open to all and welcoming to all. We have always been a safe space for all. Everyone, especially anyone who feels prejudged or misunderstood, will always find friendly service and a sympathetic ear at Beuchert’s Saloon. Again, we deeply apologize for the comments made by a member of staff. They are NOT representative of our restaurant and do not reflect how we operate as a business, and how proud we are to be a gathering place on Capitol Hill.”
WASHINGTON, D.C., POLITICAL BAR TAKES DOWN REPUBLICAN SYMBOL AFTER FIERCE BACKLASH
Beuchert’s Saloon in Washington, D.C., condemned a server’s remarks and later fired her, after she said she was ready to not serve certain Trump officials at the restaurant.(Getty Images)
By Friday, the restaurant said it had decided to dismiss the server because of this incident, calling her comments and subsequent behavior, “unforgivable.” It also said she had signed on to the restaurant’s social media accounts to speak on behalf of the restaurant without authorization.
“Not only do Ms. Van Rooy’s comments clearly violate our zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, but her decision to sign into our social media accounts in the middle of the night to post her own rhetoric in wildly offensive responses to comments is a further breach of conduct and protocol. She has no authority to speak on our behalf, and her comments do not reflect the positions of over twenty other people who make up our staff,” the Friday statement read.
“For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior, Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately. Our staff and families (many of whom are personally offended by Ms. Van Rooy’s comments about them) are still reeling from what Ms. Van Rooy said and did, and we as a restaurant are simply horrified to be associated with base prejudice.”
President-elect Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The comment went on to urge the entire restaurant not to be blamed for her rogue actions.
“We are still the same restaurant known for its warm service and friendly staff, and hope you will all visit us soon. We look forward to serving you. All of you,” it wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Van Rooy for comment.
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David Rutz is a senior editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @davidrutz.
Donald Milton III has been the artistic director for the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus since 2018. As a cisgender, straight man, he wasn’t sure if he’d be welcomed into the chorus’s predominantly LGBTQ+ community but says he has been embraced warmly by members. (Photo courtesy of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus)
For Donald Milton III, the choral room is not just a space. It’s a sanctuary where he can fully express himself and forge meaningful connections through music.
As the artistic director of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, he is committed to using that transformative power to uplift the transgender community.
“Choir rooms are inherently queer spaces,” said Milton, who took the helm of the AGMC in 2018. “There’s a high level of acceptance and care that allows people to be themselves in a way that may not feel safe anywhere else.”
It’s a philosophy he’s carried with him since discovering the joy of singing in high school. Before then, Milton described himself as a “boring kid” — more interested in basketball and video games than artistic expression. But once he found his voice in the choir, everything changed.
“The choral space made me realize I could have emotions and express them freely around other people,” he said. “It wasn’t an individual space; it was a communal space.”
Inspired by that experience, Milton pursued a career in music education, determined to create those same kinds of welcoming environments for others. His expertise in working with adolescent changing voices has proved invaluable in his work with transgender singers, he said.
As the artistic director for the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, Donald Milton III says he is committed to ensuring transgender voices are uplifted. (Photo courtesy of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus)
“It’s incredibly similar,” Milton said. “When teaching middle and high school groups, the voice changes are dramatic. The larynx can grow up to 200% in cisgender male adolescents. That’s what happens when trans men take testosterone.”
Milton encourages his transgender singers to embrace those vocal shifts, rather than trying to avoid them.
“The way to stop your voice from cracking is to let it crack 10,000 times,” he said. “You’re strengthening that muscle by letting it happen.”
“It’s about curiosity and letting your voice do what it does, instead of trying to make your voice do a thing,” he said. “Maybe a beautiful metaphor for life in general — you want life to be what it is, not what you’re trying to force it to be.”
In recent years, the AGMC has seen a growing number of transgender and nonbinary singers join its ranks. For Milton, it was a natural evolution and one he was eager to embrace and support.
“It happened organically,” he said. “Trans guys started joining the AGMC, and it was a beautiful compliment to the chorus that it had become a safe space for people to be themselves and sing.”
Rather than focusing on the challenges faced by the transgender community, Milton and the chorus decided to celebrate their stories and experiences. The result was “Transformations,” a concert performed earlier this year that wove together the personal narratives of the AGMC’s transgender members with joyful, affirming music.
“We didn’t want to talk about the plight of the trans community,” Milton said. “We wanted to celebrate what the AGMC has been celebrating for 44 years — the truth of queerness is beautiful, and people being themselves is beautiful.”
The concert struck a deep chord, not just with the AGMC’s transgender singers, but with the broader community as well. Milton said older gay men in the chorus expressed newfound understanding and support for trans and nonbinary people after the performance.
“Some were in tears and they said, ‘I didn’t get it, and now I do,’” Milton said. “To have that change happen in real time is really, deeply important.”
Milton is also grateful for the way he has been embraced by members of the AGMC. As a cisgender, straight male, he wasn’t sure if he’d be welcomed into the chorus’s predominantly LGBTQ+ community. His predecessor at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, where Milton also works as the musical director, suggested he would be a good fit for the position.
“I went in, and it just felt so good,” he said of the audition process. “In the end, it just really works, and I feel privileged to be welcomed into the queer community in the way that I am.”
Milton will guide the AGMC through its 44th annual Holiday Concert on Dec. 20-21 at The Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead. The concerts are already sold out. Last year, the popular event attracted its largest crowd ever with 2,000 attendees.
“Music changed my life … and if I can do that for one other person, then that’s a life well lived,” he said. “Creating space for people to let music change them while they create beauty with other people — that’s so meaningful to me.”
Georgia High School Association’s tackle and flag football championships begin Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. GPB is your exclusive home for live TV coverage of every game.
GPB Sports’ Jon Nelson helps break down the important storylines in this year’s tackle football competition.
TRANSCRIPT
Orlando Montoya: Great to have you here again, Jon.
Jon Nelson: Good to be with you, my friend.
Orlando Montoya: I know we’re talking about flag football elsewhere on GPB radio, so let’s focus on the tackle on this program. I’d like to start with favorites and favorites. Would you include the defending champions, Milton?
Jon Nelson: I would. Milton, because of reclassification, they are now in the 5A class and so they’re chasing after a championship in 5A, I would have them as a favorite. I would also have Bowden in Class A Division two who are the defending, defending champions. So they’re chasing after a three-peat. There’s a lot of new faces here as well, and some familiar folks who have been to the last game of the year. But those would be the two that are chasing after adding in a consecutive way.
Orlando Montoya: And in underdogs. Could you include the first team in a while to make the championship from Bibb County? That would be Northeast High School.
Jon Nelson: Yeah, Northeast High School. They have an alum as their head coach and they have one of the most prolific rushers in the state. And Nick Woodford, who is averaging, I want to say 350 yards a game. So their championship game is against Toombs County, who’s going to be coming in from Lyons, the top-ranked team in Toombs County against the prolific rusher Northeast Macon. That is going to be some smash-mouth football coming out of Bibb County. And that’s just a small sample of it all.
Orlando Montoya: And we have midweek midday games again, which are not very popular with parents and fans. Can you explain that decision and how can people work around it?
Jon Nelson: Well, it was something out of necessity because with the Atlanta Falcons possibly needing to be flexed if they were successful, it’s something that you have to prepare for and in a contingency. So if that game was to be flexed out to a Sunday night game, it’s about flipping the building over and getting all the signage and everything.
Orlando Montoya: So we’re talking Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jon Nelson: Yeah, Mercedes-Benz Stadium so it’s not just, you know, like an internal venue or something like that. All of the signage, all of the paint that has to be done. All of those kinds of contingencies for that. And then if, say, Atlanta United in years past like they have chasing after a championship, you need to have that building ready for a weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So the GHC went to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was like, okay, well, what if we do this and we do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday after? So you get a couple of extra days to prepare for a championship game on the other end of that.
Orlando Montoya: And we know high school football plays an important role in Georgia communities and certainly in the lives of those participating. But for the casual football fan, what’s to recommend about these three days?
Jon Nelson: It’s the Super Bowl. It’s the Super Bowl, It’s the Daytona 500. It’s the five-ring circus. I mean, literally pick your Olympic venue. It is. It is the coronation. And 99.9% of these student-athletes will not have the opportunity to play this game in college. And you’re playing in a world-class venue that had the Southeast Conference championship and is going to have the national championship for college. All these different things in this venue that has housed so many different things. You get all of these schools, flag football and tackle football that get to be in there and play.
Orlando Montoya: And I might add, a lot of these players might be going to Georgia or some college program.
Jon Nelson: Yeah, and you’d have that opportunity. If you’re in the SEC, you could play an SEC title game. You play, you make your way through the CFP 12 and you could be playing in the venue. So it’s all there.
Orlando Montoya: Alright. You can watch the Georgia High School Football Championship games live on GPB-TV or stream the games online at GPB.org or through the GPB sports app. Follow GPB Sports on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for more information. Jon, as always, it’s been a pleasure.
Residents of Conyers, Georgia, and others participate in rally on October 19, calling for BioLab to leave the city. (Rebecca Grapevine / Healthbeat)
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People living around the BioLab chemical plant in Rockdale County are grappling with fear and anger over whether they will face lingering health effects, or water or soil contamination, from the fire that polluted the area for weeks.
They are filing lawsuits and organizing community forums to demand answers, and to hold the company to account for the Sept. 29 accident. They want compensation for the disruptions that forced thousands to evacuate their homes, closed highways, and shuttered businesses and schools.
And they want to know how the accident happened.
It could be a long wait for answers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initially oversaw air-quality monitoring in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Now the Georgia Environmental Protection Division is in charge of overseeing clean-up and investigation.
The EPD told Healthbeat there is no set timeline, and the next steps lie with BioLab.
The company is responsible for developing its own cleanup plans and submitting them to the EPD. The agency is not conducting its own soil or water sampling, but rather reviewing data submitted by BioLab, spokesperson Sara Lips told Healthbeat.
Here’s the latest information on where it all stands.
What chemicals burned at the BioLab plant?
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) last month issued an update on its investigation. Plant 12, a storage facility equipped with seven sprinkler systems, caught on fire. BioLab had instituted a “permanent fire watch” two to three months before because workers detected “strong odors.”
At least three chemicals caught fire, according to the CSB:
The chemicals that caught fire can “release toxic and corrosive products,” like chlorine gas, hydrogen chloride, bromine gas, and hydrogen bromide, the CSB said.
The resulting multicolored plume of chemical smoke in the air prompted evacuation orders for about 17,000 people, and shut down an interstate highway, businesses, and schools. Residents complained of skin, eye, and throat irritation, among other health effects.
The EPA monitored air quality from Sept. 29 until Oct. 17. The agency rates the severity of exposure to chemicals using “acute exposure” levels rated from 1 to 3, with 1 being the least severe. The threshold levels help determine how officials should respond to the exposure.
Chemical concentrations in the air hit the level 1 threshold during the overnight periods from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 and from Oct. 1 to Oct. 2, the EPA found.
From left to right, Iffat Walker, founder of Community Action Now; Cheryl Garcia, a nurse and community advocate; and Larry Cox, a business owner recently elected to the Rockdale County Board of Education, speak to residents at The Movement Church in Conyers, Georgia, during a Dec. 3 forum about the BioLab fire. (Rebecca Grapevine / Healthbeat)
Has BioLab resumed operations?
Manufacturing has not resumed at the BioLab plant, spokesperson Emma Cloyd said, and “will only be undertaken with approval from authorities and regulators.”
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is overseeing “BioLab’s investigation and remediation efforts,” Lips said.
The agency is communicating with BioLab to get the company to provide a plan for the investigation of contamination from the fire, she said. Once those results are in, the agency will request that BioLab develop and implement a remediation plan to address any impacts.
There is no set deadline, Lips said. BioLab is “still completing interim actions, soil sampling, and removal of contaminated soil.”
How is the air quality in Rockdale County?
The EPA said chlorine in the air was below actionable levels as of Oct. 17, leading the agency to wind down monitoring.
An EPA website dedicated to the fire said the agency will continue to post data from BioLab’s air-monitoring stations. However, that data has not been updated since Nov. 21. The agency has not responded to a query about the missing data.
Many residents expressed concerns about long-term health effects from the fire during a community forum attended by about 90 people last week.
Their concerns are valid, said Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego who has studied chemical exposure in a variety of settings, including in the aftermath of the train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.
“The reality is, commonly the case that we will hear reports that every chemical is within safe limits, and then it will prove that lots and lots of people got sick following this kind of event,” said Golomb, who has also studied Gulf War syndrome.
She said there is a lack of information about the health effects of many chemicals and especially about what happens when different chemicals mix together.
“It is the case that there could be risk of some people developing chronic health problems,” Golomb said.
Roby Greenwald, a public health professor at Georgia State University who specializes in measuring air pollution, agreed.
“I know from other contexts that simultaneous exposure to multiple chemicals can have adverse effects, even if each individual chemical is below a toxicity threshold, especially if the chemicals are activating the same or overlapping biological pathways,” Greenwald said.
What about soil and water quality?
Rockdale County Department of Water Resources manager Vernoy Murray said the county’s water supply is safe. He said he has no concerns about the quality of the water for drinking, gardening, or other uses.
The status of any soil contamination is unclear. Lips said the EPD is not monitoring soil and water quality, but “will be reviewing the data BioLab collects.”
George Kelecheck, chairperson of the Rockdale Soil and Water Conservation District, said his agency does not have an enforcement role in monitoring soil quality.
The University of Georgia Extension Service has an office in Rockdale County and has several soil and water tests for purchase. However, Amy Smith, an agriculture and natural resources program assistant, said the tests are for routine purposes and aren’t really designed to test for chemicals in the aftermath of a chemical incident.
What are the lawsuits against BioLab seeking?
There are two major legal cases against BioLab.
One lawsuit was filed by Rockdale County, through its county commissioners, at the end of October. The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to order the closure of the BioLab plant in Conyers, as well as award compensatory and punitive damages, and other remedies.
Local residents have filed at least 20 lawsuits against BioLab. Those were consolidated by a federal judge last month.
How likely is a BioLab closure?
Separate from the lawsuits, some residents are calling on the county commissioners to revoke BioLab’s license to do business in Rockdale County. A petition on Change.Org had 413 verified signatures as of Tuesday.
“Simply use the ordinances that you have in responsibility, and that is actually shutting down the business license,” Iffat Walker, founder of Community Action Now, said during a press conference last week.
But the path to closure may not be so straightforward, said longtime Georgia environmental attorney Donald Stack.
“It’s very hard to shut down an existing facility,” Stack said. It’s likely the judge in the county’s lawsuit calling for the shutdown would give BioLab a “schedule of compliance,” requiring certain steps with deadlines, he said. The judge would then assess whether BioLab has met the requirements.
“It’s pretty rare that I’ve ever seen a judge issue a blanket injunction [to close a facility] first go around,” Stack said.
It’s also difficult to revoke a business license, he said: “It’s creative. It’s a good approach. The likelihood of success – I wouldn’t bet my second-to-last dollar to it.”
Stack would advise county commissioners to be cautious. The court of public opinion could be more successful in getting the company to leave, Stack said. Residents can use social media and even pay for a large billboard saying something like “BioLab is not welcome in our community,” he said.
“The way I always tell my clients is, think about a triangular component here. There’s three legs to that triangle, you should be pushing social media, political, and legal,” Stack said.
BioLab has established a community resources website where residents can learn about the process for getting reimbursed for the expenses they incurred due to the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.
There is a dedicated hotline (678-301-2359); the website says calls will be answered 24-7.
BioLab has also set up a local community assistance center at 927 N. Main St. NW. The website states people must schedule appointments. However, no appointments were available for booking via the website during 2025 as of Tuesday.
BioLab announced this week that the deadline for submitting reimbursement claims is Dec. 31.
Some residents are frustrated that their reimbursement claims are not being processed quickly. Krystel Boy was pregnant when the BioLab fire broke out, and her ob/gyn recommended she stay away from the area for as long as possible.
She and her husband left home for nine weeks, incurring over $6,000 in accommodation costs, plus fuel and food costs. She submitted carefully itemized records for those expenses about a month ago and has only received one automated acknowledgement email.
The whole experience has been “very stressful,” Boy said, and she feels sad she missed out on the opportunity to really “nest” as she prepared for her first child, who is due this week.
Monica Johnson speaks to Rockdale County residents during a Dec. 3 community forum about the BioLab fire in Conyers, Georgia. (Rebecca Grapevine / Healthbeat)
What about long-term health tracking?
The Georgia Department of Public Health gathered data on how many people presented to local clinics and emergency rooms for help in the immediate aftermath of the fire. But it is not undertaking long-term surveillance of residents’ health conditions, spokesperson Nancy Nydam told Healthbeat last month.
Several local universities are stepping in to study the effects of the fire.
Greg Huey, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Georgia Tech, recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study what chemicals were released in the fire.
“This effort will inform local communities near the site who are concerned over the identity and level of chemicals to which they were exposed,” the project description states.
Separately, community organizer Walker said she is working with the Morehouse School of Medicine and other academic institutions “in putting together a framework for both short-term and long-term medical and public health research.”
She expects to be able to provide more information about that in January.
“Health tracking is needed,” Golomb said, not just for those who were exposed to pollution from the BioLab fire, but also for anyone exposed to chemicals in future accidents.
“We really need to put stronger attention into [tracking] because these mixed toxic exposure events are only going to increase,” Golomb said, noting that legacy chemicals from prior exposures will mix with chemicals from more recent exposures, especially given that there there are thousands of accidental or illegal chemical exposures in the United States each year
Healthbeat is a nonprofit newsroom covering public health published by Civic News Company and KFF Health News. Sign up for their newsletters here.
BOSTON (WHDH) – Fire crews braved frigid conditions while battling a multi-alarm blaze that ripped through a home in Mattapan early Saturday morning and left 14 people displaced, officials said.
Crews responding to a reported structure fire on Hazelton Street around 3:45 a.m. found fire coming out of the roof and ordered a second alarm, according to the Boston Fire Department.
The fire was quickly brought under control. There were no reported injuries.
Damage was estimated at $750,000.
The cause remains under investigation.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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DNC National Finance Committee member Lindy Li said the Democratic Party has been weakened by President-elect Donald Trump’s victory to the point it has the stench of “loser” on it.
“I think, unfortunately, the Democratic Party has the stench of loser written all over the party,” Li, a prominent fundraiser for the party, said on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Big Tech leaders like Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have all either met with Trump or directly, in the case of Altman, made donations to Trump’s inaugural committee after his election victory.
HARRIS CAMPAIGN STILL ASKING FOR DONATIONS WEEKS AFTER MASSIVE LOSS TO TRUMP
DNC National Finance Committee member Lindy Li said that the Democratic Party has been weakened by President-elect Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. (Fox News)
Amazon is planning to make a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund. Altman also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, with Zuckerberg announcing similar plans to strengthen his ties with the president-elect.
“I’m speaking as a Democrat myself, this brings me no joy to say it. I feel like the Democrats are going to be consigned to the wilderness for at least the next four to eight years and Jeff Bezos is probably thanking his lucky stars that he withheld that endorsement,” Li said. “They’re doing everything they can now to continue the détente.”
Bezos ended presidential endorsements by the Washington Post, which he bought in 2013, shortly before Election Day this year. The decision angered some liberal staffers and reporters who were eager to throw the paper’s official position behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
When asked about the reaction of the tech industry as a whole to Trump’s victory, Li said that they are excited about his incoming administration.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I think the tech world is loving the fact that Donald Trump is going to be the next president,” Li said. “He’s really embraced crypto. He’s saying that he wants the United States to be the crypto capital of the world.”
Li also spoke on the rising unpopularity of key Democratic Party policies, including addressing illegal immigration, saying that voters are “fed up” with Democrats.
HARRIS PAID OPRAH $1 MILLION IN FAILED BID TO HELP CAMPAIGN: REPORT
“I’m speaking as an immigrant,” Li said. “For immigrants like me, who became naturalized Americans, proud and grateful Americans, it’s extremely upsetting that people are just flooding into the country willy-nilly.”
Zuckerberg visited Trump in early December at Mar-a-Lago to strengthen his ties with the president-elect as he prepares to enter office in January.
(Donald Trump/Truth Social )
Fox Business’ Brie Stimson and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History.
A new report shows that only 20% of university faculty believe a conservative would fit in well in their department.
The report comes from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) surveying 6,269 faculty members at 55 major colleges and universities over a three-month period.
“Respondents were also more likely to express skepticism that conservatives would be welcomed within their departments. While 71% of faculty said that a liberal individual would fit into their departments either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ well, only 20% said the same of a conservative individual,” the report stated.
FIRE’s report “discovered a fraught campus atmosphere in which wide swaths of those surveyed admitted to hiding their political views to avoid censure.”
Students chant during a pro-Palestinian protest against the war in Gaza at Emory University on April 25, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)(Getty Images)
SOME MICHIGAN STUDENTS DISAPPOINTED OVER UNIVERSITY’S REMOVAL OF DIVERSITY STATEMENTS: ‘WORRYING’
FIRE’s Manager of Polling and Analytics Nathan Honeycutt evoked the infamous Joseph McCarthy era to make a relevant connection to the reports’ findings.
“The McCarthy era is considered a low point in the history of American academic freedom with witch hunts, loyalty tests, and blacklisting in universities across the country,” Honeycutt said.
“That today’s scholars feel less free to speak their minds than in the 1950s is a blistering indictment of the current state of academic freedom and discourse.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression surveyed over 6,000 faculty members at 55 major colleges and universities over a three-month period. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images).(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Furthermore, conservative faculty were far more likely than their liberal and moderate colleagues to report self-censoring. More than half of conservative faculty expressed that they occasionally had to hide their political beliefs to keep their jobs.
TOP MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY BECOMES LATEST COLLEGE TO ROLL BACK DEI INITIATIVES AS TREND GOES NATIONAL
However, only 17% of liberal faculty felt that they had to hide their political views.
“There are very few conservative faculty,” Honeycutt said. She continued, “If they’re not expressing their views, then students are even less exposed to conservative perspectives than one might expect based on the numbers.”
Other findings in the report show that 87% of faculty found it challenging to have an honest and open conversation about “hot-button political topics” on campus.
A new report shows that only 20% of university faculty believe a conservative would fit in well in their department.(iStock)
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More professors have toned down their published works since the 1950s. The report stated that 35% expressed having to tone down their written works to “avoid controversy,” which is four times more than what social science faculty reported regarding the same question in the 1950s.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., underwent surgery for a hip replacement overseas Saturday after she fell earlier this week in Luxembourg, a spokesperson said.
“Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend,” Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement.
“Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg for their excellent care and kindness.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during Nancy Pelosi in conversation with Katie Couric at 92NY on Oct. 24, 2024, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
“Speaker Pelosi is enjoying the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and well wishes and is ever determined to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
The football community has rallied around NFL legend Randy Moss after the former wide receiver announced he had been diagnosed with cancer, during an Instagram livestream Friday.
Moss said he had spent six days in the hospital undergoing surgery. The former Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots wide receiver said the doctors had found cancer in his bile duct, “right between the pancreas and the liver.”
“I am a cancer survivor,” Moss said. “Some trying times, but we made it through.”
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Former NFL player Randy Moss poses with his wife Lydia Griffith for a photo at the New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Tom Brady at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA Today Sports)
Moss’s former teammates and teams posted statements on social media in support of the former wide receiver.
“Mental toughness in human form. We’re all with you 81. Love ya bubs,” former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman posted.
NFL LEGEND RANDY MOSS ANNOUNCES CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Randy Moss broadcasts from the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
“Love you Randy. Dominating opponents is what you have always done and you will sure do it again! You got this!” Rob Gronkowski posted.
Moss stepped away from his role as an analyst on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” on Dec. 6.
“As soon as I get healthy to get back out with guys, I will be on set. . . . Hopefully, I can be with you guys soon,” Moss said.
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Jan. 17, 2022; Inglewood, California: Randy Moss on the ESPN Monday Night Countdown set before a NFC Wild Card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
“My goal is to get back on television with my team.”
The Pro Football Hall of Famer played 14 seasons in the NFL and is second in the Vikings’ all-time receiving yards with 9,316 yards.
The six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro will turn 48 in February.
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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.
Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful Ashton Jeanty has captured the attention of college football fans this season because of his stellar performance on the field, but on Friday, he garnered even more attention on social media because of his outfit choice.
The Heisman Trophy finalist arrived in New York this weekend ahead of the highly anticipated 90th annual ceremony on Saturday night. While doing press, fans on X picked up on one major difference between Jeanty and his fellow Heisman candidates.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson (98) on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
He was the only one to represent his football program with his outfit choice.
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Jeanty, who also won favor with fans for speaking openly about his faith, was praised by many on social media for wearing an orange and blue tracksuit representing the Broncos.
Asked about why he had opted for that outfit choice, Jeanty acknowledged that he wouldn’t be in this position today if not for Boise State.
Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
“Reading the little Heisman pamphlet, they said they encouraged us to wear our gear,” he said Friday with a laugh. “But regardless, I was going to wear it anyway, because I wouldn’t be here without Boise State, and I just want to represent my school. I feel like that’s important.”
HEISMAN HOPEFUL ASHTON JEANTY POINTS TO HIS FAITH AFTER PLAYOFF-BOUND BOISE STATE WINS MOUNTAIN WEST TITLE
Jeanty is the first running back Heisman Trophy finalist since 2017. After an impressive season that saw him lead the country with 2,497 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns, Jeanty is among the top two favorites alongside Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
But even with those accomplishments, Jeanty feels his place in New York goes beyond personal achievement.
“The running back position has been overlooked for a while now,” Jeanty said. “There’s been a lot of great running backs before me that should have been here in New York, so to kind of carry on the legacy of the running back position I think is great. . . . I feel as if I’m representing the whole position.”
Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty, of Boise State, speaks during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
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The winner will be announced Saturday night at the ceremony, which begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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D.C. restaurant server fired after comments about refusing service to some Trump officials
A Washington, D.C.-area restaurant server has been fired after she spoke out about possibly refusing service to incoming Trump administration officials.
“I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” Suzannah Van Rooy, a server at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, told the Washingtonian this week. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”
Her remarks were part of a report about whether there would be local “resistance” to certain Trump figures when they were in public settings again after several high-profile incidents during his first term. They included then-aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders being ejected from a restaurant in Lexington, Va., and protesters swarming then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at a D.C. Mexican establishment.
“People were a lot more motivated the first time around to do those kinds of shows of passion. This time around, there is kind of a sense of defeat and acceptance,” Van Rooy said, according to the Washingtonian. “But I hope that people still do stand up to this administration and tell them their thoughts on their misbehavior.”
DC FOOD WORKERS VOW TRUMP OFFICIALS WON’T FEEL WELCOMED WHEN DINING OUT IN NATION’S CAPITAL
Protesters march in reaction to the upset election of Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race for President of the United States on November 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
According to a review of her LinkedIn page on Friday, which has since been taken down, Van Rooy listed her duties as doing daily operations, messaging strategies for the restaurant, developing relationships with influencers, and managing in-house events for political figures and VIPs.
Her page also said she worked as an organizer for Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s failed run for governor in 2022.
Beuchert’s Saloon told Fox News Digital that Van Rooy’s remarks were “reprehensible” and she had been fired for violating their “zero-tolerance policy on discrimination.”
Beuchert’s said the former employee was a part-time server and not a manager. It put out statements on social media condemning her remarks after being made aware of them on Thursday.
“Recent comments made by a member of staff who had no authority to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been, quite rightly, flagged as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant, and unacceptable. This staff member does NOT speak for us as a restaurant,” Beuchert’s initial statement on Thursday said.
“After the inauguration in January, we will begin serving our fourth administration as a neighborhood restaurant on Capitol Hill open to all and welcoming to all. We have always been a safe space for all. Everyone, especially anyone who feels prejudged or misunderstood, will always find friendly service and a sympathetic ear at Beuchert’s Saloon. Again, we deeply apologize for the comments made by a member of staff. They are NOT representative of our restaurant and do not reflect how we operate as a business, and how proud we are to be a gathering place on Capitol Hill.”
WASHINGTON, D.C., POLITICAL BAR TAKES DOWN REPUBLICAN SYMBOL AFTER FIERCE BACKLASH
Beuchert’s Saloon in Washington, D.C., condemned a server’s remarks and later fired her, after she said she was ready to not serve certain Trump officials at the restaurant. (Getty Images)
By Friday, the restaurant said it had decided to dismiss the server because of this incident, calling her comments and subsequent behavior, “unforgivable.” It also said she had signed on to the restaurant’s social media accounts to speak on behalf of the restaurant without authorization.
“Not only do Ms. Van Rooy’s comments clearly violate our zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, but her decision to sign into our social media accounts in the middle of the night to post her own rhetoric in wildly offensive responses to comments is a further breach of conduct and protocol. She has no authority to speak on our behalf, and her comments do not reflect the positions of over twenty other people who make up our staff,” the Friday statement read.
“For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior, Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately. Our staff and families (many of whom are personally offended by Ms. Van Rooy’s comments about them) are still reeling from what Ms. Van Rooy said and did, and we as a restaurant are simply horrified to be associated with base prejudice.”
President-elect Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The comment went on to urge the entire restaurant not to be blamed for her rogue actions.
“We are still the same restaurant known for its warm service and friendly staff, and hope you will all visit us soon. We look forward to serving you. All of you,” it wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Van Rooy for comment.
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David Rutz is a senior editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @davidrutz.
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