Free Republic

As new cases of the coronavirus soar in much of the nation, a new national poll now shows Democratic challenger Joe Biden leading President Trump by 15 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University poll – which was conducted July 9-13 – shows the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee with 52 percent support among registered voters, with Trump at 37 percent support. BIDEN LEADS IN NEW SWING STATE POLL BUT MAJORITY SAY 'SECRET TRUMP VOTERS' COULD TILT ELECTION Biden’s lead is almost double the 8-point advantage he held in Quinnipiac’s previous survey, which was conducted in mid-June. And it tops...

WTNH) — One of the UConn students charged with saying a racial slur outside campus housing will be in court on Thursday. RELATED: College student seeks to have racist slur charge erased 21-year-old Ryan Mucaj is expected to enter a plea. Mucaj and 21-year-old Jarred Karal were arrested after that video surfaced of them yelled that slur. They’re both charged with racial ridicule for the October incident. The pair could face up to 30 days in prison.

AUSTIN - The Daily Texan's editorial board apologized Wednesday for running an editorial cartoon that referred to Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager shot and killed in Florida, as a "colored boy." The cartoonist, Stephanie Eisner of The Woodlands, apologized separately. She no longer works for the University of Texas' student newspaper, according to the board. The editorial board said it will take steps, including requiring all newspaper employees to take part in a seminar each semester "about the relationship between race and the media." "We sincerely apologize for publishing the offensive cartoon and for the harm that decision caused,"...

In the fall of 2004, Greg Thomas, the professor of English at Syracuse University, drew his texts, not from Chaucer or Dickens, but the profanity-laden lyrics of Billboard magazine's rap charts: Thomas introduced a new course devoted to the study of “gangasta” rap starlet Lil’ Kim (Kimberly Jones). Accordingly, Thomas’s for-credit course, offered through the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse, was titled “Hip-Hop Eshu: Queen Bitch 101—The Life and Times of Lil’ Kim.” The twenty-something Thomas saw much to admire in the hip-hop icon. In Lil’ Kim’s foul-mouthed repertoire, Thomas said he glimpsed a mind of uncommon profundity:...

Muslim members of the University of California, Irvine's graduating class will wear green sashes emblazoned with the word "shahada" in Arabic along with their commencement robes in Saturday's ceremony – a reference some say is an incitement to violence that should not be allowed. "Shahada" can be translated several ways, including as a declaration of faith in Islam, but it often is used in reference to "martyrdom" – especially martyrdom attained by suicide bombers. Sally Peterson, dean of students at UCI, defended the university against critics who say the school shouldn't allow such a display. Peterson admits the word "shahada,"...