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GOP lawmakers seek to defund HBCU after it canceled Republican’s commencement speech
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FIRST ON FOX: South Carolina Republicans are pushing to strip funding from the state’s only public HBCU after the university rescinded Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s commencement invitation following student protests and security concerns.
What began as a student protest over a conservative commencement speaker, resulted in «credible safety threats,» according to Evette, who spoke to Fox News Digital after her commencement address at South Carolina State University was canceled. Following an uproar from students, who decried Evette’s views on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), abortion and her support for President Donald Trump, among other issues, the University president put out a statement indicating that «out of an abundance of caution for safety» the college would be «mov[ing] in a different direction for this Spring commencement.»
«From the outset, our decision to invite Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette as our Spring 2026 Commencement speaker was rooted in her record as a business leader and entrepreneur. As the founder and former CEO of a company that grew from a startup into a billion-dollar enterprise, she represents the kind of innovation, resilience and real-world achievement that aligns with the aspirations of our graduates,» the statement read. «We are grateful to Lt. Gov. Evette for her willingness to engage with our students and for her time and consideration in accepting the invitation.»
NORTH CAROLINA TEEN SUES SCHOOL AFTER CHARLIE KIRK TRIBUTE SPARKED ‘CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION’ AND CENSORSHIP
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette announces her bid for governor on July 14, 2025. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Pressure from students, including multiple protests around South Carolina State’s campus, led up to the ultimate decision to rescind the invitation for Evette, which the Lt. Gov. said was sent to her in December. The Lt. Gov. indicated to Fox News Digital that she never publicized her address, or shared publicly what she would speak about.
Evette described the protesters as a «woke mob,» earning her backlash, but she refused to back down from the statement when talking to Fox News Digital. According to Evette, attorneys from South Carolina State called attorneys in her office, telling them the reason for canceling the event was due to «credible threats.»
«It’s what we’ve seen all across the country,» Evette, who is also running for governor in The Palmetto State, told Fox News Digital. «Somebody with a conservative point of view shows up and everybody wants to cancel them. We saw it with Charlie Kirk, and we saw with Riley Gaines, and we’ve seen it with Ben Shapiro. I never thought I’d be in that kind of list, but here we are and it’s a real shame and it has to end.«
NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR CAUGHT ON VIDEO REMOVING FOUNDERS’ PORTRAITS DEFENDS ACTIONS
Alexander Conyers, South Carolina State University’s President, announced the decision to rescind Evette’s invitation to a round of applause from students — a decision he said he made personally. In video of the announcement caught by local news, Conyers said he doesn’t want people to think students at South Carolina State are «thugs» or a mob.»
«We are not a mob. We are just aware,» South Carolina State University students, who repeatedly insisted their protests were peaceful, could be heard chanting as they marched in large groups around campus, seen in video shared by local South Carolina reporter Michael White.
Then interim South Carolina State University President stands next to former President Joe Biden during the school’s commencement ceremony in 2021. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
«Hey, hey! Ho! Ho! Pamela Evette gots to go!,» the crowds chanted, including at night, around campus.
TPUSA URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘PULL EVERY LEVER AT ITS DISPOSAL’ TO OVERHAUL HIGHER EDUCATION
In another alleged sit-in-style protest, students were filmed inside a campus building decrying Trump as a pedophile, bigot, racist and a supporter of the police.
«Being conservative is not the issue — that’s alright, we all have our own political views. But she’s explicitly said ‘I am a Trump conservative.’ Okay, if you believe in Trump you support pedophilia, you support bigotry, you support racism, what else, pro-police — the same police that’s killing our people — and also she supports ICE,» one of the sit-in protesters can be heard saying in a video circulating on social media. «She also would like to have — because I’m going to say a concentration camp — that’s not what they calling it but you all want to bring on of those here to or state. We don’t believe in that.»
Zaria Tucker, the South Carolina State Student Government Association President, echoed the point about students’ anger not being about politics during an address at a board of trustees meeting.
‘TOXIC’ BY DESIGN? THE LAW STUDENTS WHO SAY CAMPUS DISCOMFORT IS THE POINT
«Commencement is not about politics, but more about representation. What we need as students. Not someone to come and tell us what they need to do as governor, or another position that they’re running for in this state,» Tucker said in the video shared online by White. «But, more to uplift us as students. So, necessarily, that’s what the main goal will always be, as the Student Government Association president.»
In response to the decision from Conyers and South Carolina State University, Republican state legislators from the House Freedom Caucus called the decision by the college «shameful» and «inexcusable» that the university had to cancel Evette’s speech «because her safety could not be guaranteed on a state-funded campus.»
The campus of South Carolina State University. (Jacob Boomsma)
The letter ended by requesting that «no funding» be included in the upcoming version of the state’s funding.
«If the Lt. Gov. of South Carolina is unwelcome due to different political ideologies and an inability to keep her safe, it is time to defund and reevaluate.,» the letter, signed by nine GOP South Carolina State legislators, concluded.
During Evette’s comments to Fox News Digital she said that she and current South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster have always ensured Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state are funded, noting that despite a Republican super majority in the state legislature «we have been very supportive.» Evette added that President Trump «has done more for them than any president and in history.»
The South Carolina State House is seen in Columbia, South Carolina. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, the school invited former Democratic Party President Joe Biden to speak at their commencement ceremony in 2021, when Conyers was interim president of the school at the time.
«Where is the faculty and where is the leadership and why aren’t they setting the record straight why do these young people who obviously are very bright — they’re graduating college — not know these basic facts about what’s happening at the university they’re attending.»
south carolina, campus controversy, governors, republicans elections, college
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Senate GOP erupts over Trump DOJ ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, punts ICE, Border Patrol funding
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Senate Republicans are pressing pause on their push to fund immigration enforcement after a tense, closed-door meeting.
But it’s not over internal divisions. This time, the fury is directed toward the Trump administration and the surprise «anti-weaponization» fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ). It comes as Republicans were near the finish line for their $72 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
For now, Republicans are calling it a day and leaving Washington, D.C.
«We will pick up where we left off,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.
REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN
Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate GOP leaders are pushing forward with budget reconciliation to fund the final piece of government that had been shut down by Senate Democrats’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
That makes President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline effectively impossible to meet, but Republicans contend that it’s the administration’s actions that have further complicated an already rocky process.
«The message to the administration is this: we were on a glide path to passing this bill until these announcements,» a top Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
The timing of the settlement between Trump and his family and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the subsequent creation of the fund derailed Republicans’ sprint to the finish line.
«We don’t know where the votes are on reconciliation right now,» Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said.
SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST
The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments Thursday when asked if he would be amenable to no ballroom security funding and restrictions on the DOJ’s nearly $1.8 billion fund, or veto the package outright.
«I don’t need money from the ballroom,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, and touted that the actual construction was being done through private funding.
«But this is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots that spent a lot of money,» he continued. «We’re building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very — very much a good expenditure. But the ballroom is being built.»
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund, which several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have dubbed a «slush fund.» But instead, he was berated behind closed doors.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital that Blanche had a «healthy discussion on the settlement.»
«He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund,» the spokesperson said. «We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.»
TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sources told Fox News Digital that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, and specifically if those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots could be excluded.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., erupted at Blanche, and Thune was uncharacteristically frustrated by the situation.
Several Republicans leaving the meeting had little to say about what happened inside, while others reiterated that they were focused on funding ICE and Border Patrol and nothing else.
Those concerns were validated with several people who were pardoned by Trump earlier this year, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who declared that he would make a claim this week.
There have been discussions of including those guardrails into the reconciliation package, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the DOJ, is a major part of the process.
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«I did raise that issue, and that seemed to be what [Blanche] was saying, but you know, we haven’t seen language,» Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.
Further complicating matters are plans Senate Democrats had for the package with their flurry of amendment votes.
Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the first amendments in the pipeline would have prevented any of the DOJ’s funds from going to convicted rapists and forced the package to be sent back to committee, sending the GOP back to square one on a politically perilous vote.
«This was all 100% avoidable,» a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
politics, republicans elections, justice department, senate elections, democrats senate
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Investigación a Rodríguez Zapatero: la relación del ex presidente con la Venezuela chavista, en la mira de la Justicia española
El ex presidente y el chavismo
“No he percibido ni un euro del gobierno de Venezuela”
El apoyo de Sánchez y la embestida del PP
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Cómo es el robot portátil que le devolvió la fuerza a niños con atrofia muscular espinal
La atrofia muscular espinal tipo II, conocida como AME II, es una enfermedad genética que ataca a los niños desde muy pequeños. El gen SMN1 deja de funcionar bien y las neuronas que controlan los músculos mueren poco a poco.
El resultado es una debilidad que avanza sin pausa: las piernas pierden fuerza, levantarse de una silla se vuelve imposible y muchos terminan dependiendo de una silla de ruedas. Los medicamentos actuales solo frenan el avance, pero no devuelven lo perdido.
Frente a esa situación, investigadores de la Universidad de Beihang y el Tercer Hospital de la Universidad de Pekín, en China, y del Laboratorio de Medios del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT), en Cambridge, Estados Unidos probaron un camino distinto.
Diseñaron un robot portátil de entrenamiento isocinético para niños y niñas con AME II. El entrenamiento es un tipo de ejercicio en el que la máquina ajusta la resistencia para mantener el movimiento siempre a la misma velocidad. Los resultados se publicaron en la revista Nature.
La AME II no impide sentarse, pero sí caminar o levantarse solo. El problema está en la falta de la proteína que produce el gen SMN1, lo que provoca que las neuronas motoras se deterioren y los músculos pierdan masa y potencia.
Con el tiempo, el cuerpo hace cada vez menos. “Actualmente, los medicamentos solo ralentizan la progresión de la enfermedad, y ninguna terapia puede curar completamente la atrofia muscular espinal”, afirmaron los investigadores.
Los equipos de rehabilitación pueden ser costosos y difíciles de usar fuera de las clínicas especializadas. Eso deja a muchas familias sin opciones reales de tratamiento.
Frente a esa falta de opciones, los investigadores diseñaron un robot que pesa menos de un kilo y se fija sobre la pierna para hacer extensiones de rodilla con resistencia ajustada a cada participante. Es portátil, fácil de usar en casa y no requiere personal médico presente.
Seis niños y niñas de entre 6 y 10 años participaron en el programa, dividido en cuatro etapas. La primera fue una fase sin intervención de seis semanas para medir el estado de base de cada uno.
Ninguno mejoró durante ese período con su fisioterapia habitual, lo que confirmó que el tratamiento convencional no alcanzaba. Luego llegó la etapa central: seis semanas de entrenamiento intensivo con treinta sesiones en casa, siempre con supervisión familiar.
Una aplicación móvil convertía cada sesión en un juego donde el niño o niña pateaba una pelota virtual cuya distancia dependía de la fuerza aplicada. El robot medía en tiempo real la fuerza, el ángulo y la velocidad, y ajustaba la dificultad según el avance de cada participante.
Tras esa etapa, el programa continuó con seis semanas de ejercicios de menor intensidad y, finalmente, más de treinta días sin el robot para ver si los logros se sostenían.
Para medir el efecto real, los investigadores usaron resonancia magnética y ultrasonido para analizar el cuádriceps, el músculo del frente del muslo que es clave para ponerse de pie.
Los resultados mostraron un aumento del 130% en la fuerza máxima y una mejora del 51% en el rango de movimiento, es decir, cuánto puede moverse la articulación.
El volumen del cuádriceps creció un 19% y su sección transversal un 12%, cambios verificados con imágenes de resonancia magnética.
Lo más alentador fue que los avances no desaparecieron al dejar el robot. Los participantes mantuvieron las mejoras al volver a su fisioterapia habitual, lo que sugiere que el entrenamiento isocinético dejó una huella real en los músculos y en el sistema nervioso.
Los investigadores reconocieron que la muestra fue pequeña, algo habitual en enfermedades poco frecuentes. Recomendaron estudios más amplios y aleatorizados, y sugirieron probar la tecnología en otras enfermedades neuromusculares para explorar su alcance.
robot,rehabilitación,niños,atrofia muscular espinal,Nature,medicina,tecnología,salud,fisioterapia,Infobae
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