Project Esther: Immigration and Free Speech Implications

During a congressional hearing yesterday, Republican lawmakers accused university leaders of failing to do enough to combat antisemitism on their campuses. That’s a claim that the university officials strongly rejected.

The hearing was the latest attempt by Republicans to use what they see as the growing threat against Jews to their political advantage. And it reflects a plan that was first laid out by the Heritage Foundation, the same conservative think tank that produced Project 2025.

That plan, known as Project Esther, may have once seemed far-fetched. Katie J.M. Baker explains how it has become a reality.

Guest: Katie J.M. Baker, a national investigative correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation, best known for Project 2025, set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States.
   
• University leaders rejected Republican attacks, saying they were working to protect Jewish students but also free speech on their campuses.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Jared Soares for The New York Times

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