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How the Media’s Antisemitism Machine Helped Take Down Josh Shapiro
We’ve been here before, and now Israel and the Jews are at the center of the US presidential election race.
Until Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, mainstream and social media outlets focused attention on Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was considered a front runner.
The New York Times “Draws Fresh Scrutiny” to Take Down a Proud Jew
Despite Shapiro’s capabilities, his effectiveness as a politician, and his policies on issues that matter to the American people, the media, including The New York Times, chose to focus on him as a pro-Israel Jew who has been outspoken on antisemitism on college campuses.
Is this really such a devastating a problem for American voters who are focused on the constantly rising prices of basic necessities?
It apparently doesn’t matter that this Statista poll shows foreign policy as second-to-last on the list of top voter issues:
Or likewise, that this ABC News/IPSOS poll shows that the Israel-Hamas war is the lowest priority of all issues among US voters.
All that matters, according to the Times, is that Shapiro has “been one of the Democratic Party’s staunchest defenders of Israel at a moment when the party is splintered over the war in Gaza” and that he considers himself “a Zionist.”
The Times tried to damn him by revealing on Saturday that he volunteered “in the Israeli army” when he was 20-years-old, when he actually just did some volunteer projects on an IDF base.
An op-ed Shapiro wrote for his college newspaper, written after his experience volunteering in Israel, was initially resurfaced by the Philadephia Inquirer. At the time, he wrote that he didn’t believe Palestinians were capable of peace because they are “too battle-minded.”
This is a view that 30 years later, created a rumble across the media, despite his attempt to take it back. Shapiro has been viewed as a centrist in the Democratic Party, and has been very outspoken about his support for a two-state solution.
Social media dictates the news agenda
Shapiro’s five-month stint doing volunteer service projects, including on an IDF base more than 30 years ago, spread across social media and the Twitterverse (or rather X-Universe). Of course, it was twisted into him “serving in a foreign military.”
Wikipedia is trying very hard to cover up that Josh Shapiro voluntarily served in a foreign military pic.twitter.com/l7A4rDrQCL
— ib (@Indian_Bronson) August 3, 2024
Josh Shapiro is likely to be our next vice president
Josh Shapiro volunteered for the IDF but not the US military
Many of these dual-citizens have more loyalty to Isreal than America pic.twitter.com/tXwrEA7R89
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) August 3, 2024
Then, the media latched onto this antisemitic agenda, making it a central issue. The question of whether it was a good idea for Shapiro, a Jewish politician, to be up for one of the highest ranking US political positions has been an issue of debate on television broadcasts. Is this appropriate, they asked? Especially since he is pro-Israel? Is America ready for a Jewish and pro-Israel vice president?
As reports leaked of Harris’ official pick of Walz, celebrations kicked off for a Zionist losing out:
Yeah!!! A sigh of relief that Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP. He has a great record as governor. And it sends an important message that she did not chose Josh Shapiro.
Some of Walz policies as governor:
He cut child poverty by 1/3!!! universal school… pic.twitter.com/leBjDDvzk6
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) August 6, 2024
Across the country, an inherent anti-Israel narrative has taken hold since October 7, and even those well-meaning, Jewish allies filled with concern have been duped into dividing Americans even more with this conversation.
.@RepAuchincloss: “Those in the overly online left who are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they are attacking non-Jewish veep contenders’ positions, they’re just telling on themselves. There’s a strong undercurrent of antisemitism to that.” pic.twitter.com/tI1S2satLk
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) August 5, 2024
While there were CNN interviews on its news broadcasts like the one above — where anchors and analysts alike were quick to condemn this narrative and discuss its antisemitic nature — this goes beyond what would be acceptable or politically correct to discuss for any other group. The fact that Shapiro was singled out among a list of alternative options for Harris who have virtually the same stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US aid to Israel and Gaza is antisemitic.
If Americans care about inflation, the economy and immigration most out of anything, why would they vote based off of whether or not he is a Jew?
HonestReporting’s executive director Gil Hoffman brings us back to the source.
Did this @nytimes article that exaggerated Josh Shapiro’s connection to Israel lead to him not being picked at @KamalaHarris‘s running mate? You decide. https://t.co/WSTgNsYU7G
— Gil Hoffman (@Gil_Hoffman) August 6, 2024
An important point, and one that will most likely not be addressed in mainstream media.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post How the Media’s Antisemitism Machine Helped Take Down Josh Shapiro first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan calls Israeli government ‘evil’ like Hamas
Abdul El-Sayed, a U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan, said in an interview aired Sunday that the Israeli government is as “evil” as Hamas, sharpening his criticism of Israel in the closely-watched Democratic primary.
“Killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil,” El-Sayed told CNN congressional reporter Manu Raja on the network’s Inside Politics program. “It’s not how evil is this one versus that one — Hamas: Evil, Israeli government: Evil. We can say both.”
El-Sayed, 41, is a physician and the son of Egyptian immigrants. He is seeking to channel the energy of the 2024 Uncommitted movement, which protested the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza. He is also hoping to build on the surprise success of the New York City mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani in taking on the Democratic establishment.
He is locked in a dead heat with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens. The primary is set for Aug. 4.
Earlier this month, El-Sayed faced backlash for appearing alongside streamer Hasan Piker, who has been accused of antisemitic rhetoric — including saying that Hamas “is a thousand times better” than Israel. McMorrow, who is married to a Jewish man, and Stevens, who is closely aligned with AIPAC, have both criticized El-Sayed.
In the CNN interview, El-Sayed defended his decision to campaign with Piker, framing it as an effort to reach voters who feel alienated from traditional politics. “My understanding of America is, it’s a place where we have freedom of speech,” he said.
#MISen Abdul El-Sayed on CNN Inside Politics: @mkraju: You said Israeli government is evil. Do you think they’re just as evil as Hamas?
El-Sayed: “Yes, killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil. It’s not about how evil one is versus the other. Hamas —… pic.twitter.com/4GfJ5oCtqR
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) April 19, 2026
The Michigan Senate race is shaping up as one of the starkest tests of the Democratic coalition and how the party navigates policy towards Israel in Congress amid the wars in Gaza and Iran. The state is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.
Last week, 40 Senate Democrats voted to block $295 million for the transfer of bulldozers, used by the Israeli military to demolish homes in the West Bank and Gaza; 36 of them also supported a measure to block the sale of 1,000-pound bombs to the Jewish state. It shattered a previous high of 27 Democrats who backed a similar pair of resolutions of disapproval to block some weapons transfers last year.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who is Jewish, was among those who voted for the measures. In remarks as they announced their votes, Democrats highlighted their opposition to the Israeli government’s policies in the occupied West Bank, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the war with Iran.
The post U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan calls Israeli government ‘evil’ like Hamas appeared first on The Forward.
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NYC Mayor Mamdani Unveils Major Tax Hike on Unoccupied Luxury Real Estate
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in Brooklyn, New York City, US, Jan. 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Bing Guan
i24 News – NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially introduced a controversial new tax targeting secondary residences valued at over $5 million.
The measure, designed to tap into the city’s vast concentration of unoccupied luxury wealth, is projected to generate roughly $500 million annually for the municipal budget.
“This tax is specifically aimed at the ultra-rich,” Mamdani stated, highlighting high-profile examples such as Ken Griffin’s $238 million Midtown penthouse and Alexander Varshavsky’s $20.5 million Columbus Circle residence.
While the city has yet to finalize specific evaluation criteria or the methods for distinguishing primary from secondary homes, the proposal has already become a flashpoint for economic debate.
The move has drawn sharp condemnation from billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who argued that the policy is fundamentally flawed.
Ackman contended that owners of luxury secondary residences contribute significant capital to the local economy without utilizing costly municipal services. He warned that the tax would likely trigger a corporate and high-net-worth exodus to low-tax jurisdictions like Miami, ultimately harming the city’s tax base.
President Donald Trump also entered the fray, denouncing the policy as “totally misguided” and claiming it is “destroying New York.” Trump, whose own extensive real estate holdings in the city could be impacted, argued that such taxation serves only to drive away the international investors who fuel New York’s development.
Implementation remains a significant question mark, as the tax could potentially affect nearly 13,000 property owners, including major figures like Jeff Bezos. Financial analysts point out that many of the city’s most expensive apartments are held through complex offshore structures and shell companies, making the identification and appraisal of these properties an immense administrative challenge for the city.
As the debate intensifies, the Mamdani administration faces a difficult path ahead in balancing its “tax the rich” mandate with the practical realities of New York’s competitive global real estate market.
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Iran Rebuffs Trump Announcement of New Peace Talks, State News Agency Reports
Iran rejected new peace talks with the United States, its state news agency reported on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he was sending envoys for talks in Pakistan and would launch new strikes on Iran unless it accepts his terms.
Trump posted on Truth Social that his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for negotiations, a timetable that would leave only a day for talks to make progress before a two-week ceasefire ends.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s rejection of the talks.
Earlier, a White House official said the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steven Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump had initially told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.