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Synonyms and antonyms of make a formal speech in English

Make a formal speech.

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Make a speech synonyms

What is another word for make a speech .

• give a speech
• give a talk
• pontificate
• give a lecture
• deliver a speech
• give an address
• deliver a sermon
• deliver an address

Related Words and Phrases

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Definition of speech noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• speaker noun
• speech noun
• spoken adjective (≠ unspoken)
• Several people made speeches at the wedding.
• She gave a rousing speech to the crowd.
• speech on something to deliver a speech on human rights
• speech about something He inspired everyone with a moving speech about tolerance and respect.
• in a speech In his acceptance speech , the actor thanked his family.
• a lecture on the Roman army
• a course/​series of lectures
• a televised presidential address
• She gave an interesting talk on her visit to China.
• to preach a sermon
• a long/​short speech/​lecture/​address/​talk/​sermon
• a keynote speech/​lecture/​address
• to write/​prepare/​give/​deliver/​hear a(n) speech/​lecture/​address/​talk/​sermon
• to attend/​go to a lecture/​talk
• George Washington's inaugural speech
• He made a speech about workers of the world uniting.
• In a speech given last month, she hinted she would run for office.
• She delivered the keynote speech (= main general speech) at the conference.
• He wrote her party conference speech.
• His 20-minute speech was interrupted several times by booing.
• Her comments came ahead of a speech she will deliver on Thursday to business leaders.
• She concluded her speech by thanking the audience.
• He gave an impassioned speech broadcast nationwide.
• We heard a speech by the author.
• This is very unexpected—I haven't prepared a speech.
• The guest speaker is ill so I have to do the opening speech.
• He read his speech from a prompter.
• the farewell speech given by George Washington
• He made the comments in a nationally televised speech.
• During his victory speech the President paid tribute to his defeated opponent.
• In his concession speech, he urged his supporters to try to work with Republicans.
• The Prime Minister addressed the nation in a televised speech.
• He delivered his final speech to Congress.
• He delivered the commencement speech at Notre Dame University.
• His speech was broadcast on national radio.
• In her speech to the House of Commons, she outlined her vision of Britain in the 21st century.
• President Bush delivered his 2004 State of the Union speech.
• She gave a speech on the economy.
• She made a stirring campaign speech on improving the lot of the unemployed.
• The President will deliver a major foreign-policy speech to the United Nations.
• The candidates gave their standard stump speeches (= political campaign speeches) .
• The prizewinner gave an emotional acceptance speech.
• a Senate floor speech
• her maiden speech (= her first) in the House of Commons
• the Chancellor's Budget speech
• the Prime Minister's speech-writers
• She's been asked to give the after-dinner speech.
• You will need to prepare an acceptance speech.
• a political speech writer
• in a/​the speech
• speech about

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

• in speech This expression is used mainly in speech, not in writing.
• a defence of free speech (= the right to say openly what you think)
• speech sounds
• the use of language in everyday speech
• The kids pepper their speech with a lot of slang and terms from social media.
• the difficulties of transcribing conversational speech
• Computer-generated speech has become significantly more intelligible and naturalistic.
• The poems are delivered in a style between speech and song.
• Improvements in speech recognition have produced digital assistants that can respond to spoken commands.
• A blind user can 'read' a newspaper using a Braille display or speech synthesizer.
• Her singing style is close to the natural rhythms of everyday speech.
• the speech rhythms of the Polish language
• He learned to successfully mimic American speech patterns.
• birds that mimic the intonations of human speech
• They were able to communicate without speech.
• In English, a letter does not always represent the same speech sound.
• Speech codes have been instituted by some universities (= to stop language that is sexist, racist, etc.) .
• The country continues to suppress free speech and censor the internet.
• When the government restricts speech, this may be a violation of the First Amendment.
• racist hate speech
• a figure of speech
• freedom of speech
• the power of speech
• I seemed to have lost the power of speech.
• a speech impediment
• The child was referred to a speech therapist .
• He temporarily lost the power of speech after the accident.
• It's a story about a kid who loses his powers of sight, hearing and speech.
• a child who has problems with speech and language
• a speech and language therapist
• After the stroke he had some difficulties with speech.
• the development of speech in humans
• Symptoms may include visual and speech impairment.
• Her speech was slurred—she was clearly drunk.
• Clear speech with crisp consonant sounds is very important.
• She could tell by his slurred speech that he had been drinking.
• She was slurring her speech.
• I find his speech very hard to understand.
• I don't like it when people correct my speech.
• His speech was incoherent, responding to questions that had not been asked.
• In halting speech, she began to tell her story.
• She has a very idiosyncratic style of speech.
• She has the longest speech in the play.
• dramatic irony

Other results

Nearby words.

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• speechmaking

noun as in declamation

Strong match

Weak matches

• speechifying

noun as in elocution

Strong matches

• declamation
• enunciation
• pronunciation
• public speaking
• speechcraft
• voice culture
• voice production

noun as in oratory

Strongest matches

• articulation
• grandiloquence

noun as in public speaking

• art of speaking
• speechification
• stump oratory
• tub-thumping

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Example sentences.

Luckily the speechmaking was over and the procession moved forward once more.

Don't look for me to come up into the Park to help the show when there's a Birthday, or a fine Speechmaking, or what not.

His book “is a study of effective speechmaking, for members of labour unions, conferences, forums and other discussion groups.”

On comes the storm—Not by speechmaking but by blood and iron are the great questions to be decided, says Bismarck!

The christening was a great occasion, with a houseful of guests, and a great deal of speechmaking.

Related Words

Words related to speechmaking are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word speechmaking . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in ranting

noun as in articulation

noun as in delivering an address

On this page you'll find 49 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to speechmaking, such as: oratory, haranguing, speechifying, and spouting.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Example sentences make a speech

Definition of 'speech' speech.

Definition of 'make' make

Browse alphabetically make a speech

• make a show of
• make a song and dance about something
• make a spectacle of oneself
• make a speech
• make a splash
• make a stab at
• make a stand
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'M'

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Synonyms of make

• as in to produce
• as in to achieve
• as in to create
• as in to accomplish
• as in to compel
• as in to estimate
• as in to build
• as in to seem
• as in to head
• as in to enact
• as in to earn
• as in to understand
• as in to shut
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Thesaurus Definition of make

Synonyms & Similar Words

• manufacture
• put together
• patch (together)
• prefabricate
• cobble (together or up)
• remanufacture

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disassemble
• exterminate
• amount (to)
• measure up (to)
• fall short (of)
• bring about
• result (in)
• give rise to
• translate (into)
• bring forth
• contribute (to)
• conduce (to)
• crack down (on)
• clamp down (on)
• snuff (out)
• put through
• follow through (with)
• engage (in)
• reduplicate
• twist one's arm
• high - pressure
• talk (into)
• prevail (on or upon)
• extrapolate
• reconstruct
• jerry - build
• come across (as)
• come off (as)
• about - face
• part (with)
• tumble (to)
• cotton (to or on to)
• catch on (to)
• misunderstand
• misinterpret
• misconstrue
• misperceive
• misconceive
• misapprehend
• batten (down)

Phrases Containing make

make a comeback

• make a face
• make a pretense
• make a scene
• make a show
• make amends (for)
• make away with
• make believe
• make common cause
• make ducks and drakes of
• make ends meet
• make eyes (at)
• make fun of
• make good (for)
• make good on
• make it (through)
• make much of
• make off with
• make one's flesh crawl
• make one's flesh creep
• make one's mark
• make sport of
• make the grade
• make tracks
• make up (for)
• make use of

Thesaurus Entries Near make

majors (in)

Cite this Entry

“Make.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make. Accessed 16 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on make

Nglish: Translation of make for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of make for Arabic Speakers

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• simple past tense and past participle of make 1 .

well-made garments.

to tell made stories about oneself.

a made dish.

a made man.

• the past tense and past participle of make 1
• artificially produced
• get it made or have it made informal. to be assured of success
• made of money very rich

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Other words from.

• half-made adjective
• under·made adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of made 1

Idioms and Phrases

With a straight A average he's got it made.

• to have achieved success, especially wealth, status, or the like.

More idioms and phrases containing made

• have it made

Example Sentences

But the tide was turning on this issue, an email from another constituent made clear.

In 2011 LGBT media outlet Queerty took the app to task for allegedly deleting accounts that made reference to being trans.

The program has not made a final selection on which upgrades will actually be included in future versions of the F-35.

Other major news outlets made the same decision, hiding behind a misplaced sense of multicultural sensitivity.

But  Republican and Democratic parties have made efforts to reverse that trend.

In this way bundles of the plants are easily made, and in most cases these can be readily carried about.

Bessires was included because he would never win it at any later date, but his doglike devotion made him a priceless subordinate.

With every allusion that Ramona made to the saints' statues, Alessandro's desire to procure one for her deepened.

I was busy loading the piece when an exclamation of surprise from one of the men made me look up.

Only in the carnage of the head, the tilt of the chin, was the insolence expressed that had made her many enemies.

More About Made

What is a basic definition of made .

Made is the past tense and past participle of the verb make , meaning to create from materials. As an adjective, made describes something as being built or fashioned in a certain way or something that is guaranteed to have success or good fortune in the future. Made has a few other senses as an adjective.

Made is a past tense verb that means to have been produced, fashioned, or built out of materials or components.

• Real-life examples : Many products are made in China. Toys, electronics, furniture, and many other things are made in factories. Spider webs are made by spiders.
• Used in a sentence : Maria’s kids made a big mess in the living room.

As an adjective, made describes something as having been produced or manufactured in a specific way.

• Used in a sentence : The bridge was well made and lasted for centuries.

Made can also describe something as being ensured future success or having a very bright future. Usually, this sense refers to a person being very rich or having a luxurious lifestyle. This sense is used in the phrase to have it made .

• Used in a sentence : With her hundreds of servants to wait on her, Lori’s got it made!

Where does made come from?

Made is the past tense of the word make . The first records of make come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English verb macian .

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to made ?

• half-made (adjective)
• undermade (adjective)

What are some synonyms for made ?

• manufactured

What are some words that share a root or word element with made ? 

• made for each other
• made of money
• made-to-order

What are some words that often get used in discussing made ?

• manufacture

What are some words made may be commonly confused with?

How is made used in real life?

Made is a very common word that means to have been created, manufactured, or built.

80% of the UK’s bread is made by a process so nutritionally barren that vitamins must be added back in by law. — Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) December 16, 2020

#Vikings shields were usually round, made of wood, and covered in leather with the rim strengthened by an iron band. — HISTORY (@HISTORY) April 25, 2014

If giving advice to people who don’t listen could be a career… I’d be a made man. Too many “I told you so” moments. — George Flopez (@hancholo509) July 17, 2020

Try using made !

True or False?

If a boat was made in France, it means that it was destroyed there.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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A Month-By-Month Guide to Your Baby's First Words

A common question parents have is: When do babies start talking? We put together a month-by-month guide to your baby's speech development.

David Epperson/Getty Images

You probably have plenty of questions about your child's developing speech skills . When do babies start talking? When can they understand what you say, and when will they start responding? Like every other baby milestone , there are ranges that are individual and unique to each child. Babies also begin developing their speech early on, with sounds, syllables, and noises that later turn into words. By the time your baby reaches their first birthday, they may begin saying simple words like "dada," "mama," or "bye."

We connected with experts to learn more about the various speech-related milestones, and what to look out for as your little one begins to express themselves with words.

Birth to 6 Months

Babies listen from day one. They learn to associate sounds with their sources, like barking with the family dog . Their first communication will be crying, but they'll soon start using their tongue, lips, and palate to make gurgles and long vowel sounds like "oo," "aa," and "ee"—precursors to those exciting first words.

What your baby can understand: Babies as young as 4 weeks can distinguish between similar syllables like "ma" and "na." Around 2 months, they begin to associate certain sounds with certain lip movements.

4 to 6 Months

Around 4 to 6 months, your baby's sighs will give way to babbling . You'll hear back-of-the-tongue consonant sounds, such as g and k , and lip sounds m, w, p , and b . Your baby will begin to focus on familiar words like their own name, or "mommy" and "daddy" as clues to help break up sentences.

What your baby can understand: At 4.5 months, they may recognize their name , but only as an important word, such as "Hi!" or "Bye!" It's not until 6 months, at the earliest, that they'll realize their name actually refers to them.

7 to 12 Months

Your child's babbling will begin to sound more like words. They'll intentionally repeat sounds (like "gaga") over and over. At about 9 months, they'll start to understand gestures, pointing and grunting to indicate their wants. At about 10 months, they'll gain more control and combine sounds, even using their own invented words.

So when do babies usually say their first word ? Around 12 months, according to experts. Common first words may be greetings ("hi" or "bye-bye") or they might be very concrete: people ("mama" or "dada"), pets ("doggy" or "kitty"), or food ("cookie," "juice," or "milk").

What your baby can understand: Your baby is slowly beginning to recognize and comprehend a few familiar words, such as names and everyday objects like "bottle" or "crib." Your baby will focus more on intonation, realizing that a sharp tone often means "No!" or "Stop!"

13 to 18 Months

As soon as your baby says that first word, they'll try for more. Vocabulary builds slowly at first , with just a few words per month. Kids seem to prefer nouns, then gradually add verbs and adjectives. They'll experiment with one-word questions, like "Cookie?" for "May I have a cookie?" and delight in saying "No!"

What your toddler can understand: Your baby should understand the first rudiments of grammar, such as the difference between "The dog bit the man" and "The man bit the dog." They should grasp simple one-step instructions ("Get the ball") and understand many more words than they can say.

19 to 24 Months

Though linguists aren't sure why, toddlers have a "language explosion" around 19 to 20 months. After several weeks of slow progress, they suddenly start learning words at a ferocious rate—as many as nine words each day!

This explosion of words often leads to the exhausting "Why?" stage. By the end of the second year, your toddler will be stringing two, or even four, words together in sentences. This is also an age of cute mistakes, as kids overextend and "under-extend" concepts. For instance, your child may learn that the round toy is a "ball," figure all round things must be balls and point to the full moon, and chirp, "Ball!"

What your toddler can understand: Your baby will slowly begin to understand the idea of verbs. Fully aware that you are their key to language, they will watch and listen to you, absorbing everything you say and do.

25 to 30 Months

During this time, your toddler is refining what they have learned so far. They'll add "When? What? Where?" to "Why?" And begin to add complex ideas, learning that "no" can mean "not" or "don't" or "it's all gone." Late in the year, they may begin to use more abstract verbs like "think" and "know." As your toddler gains control of the tip of their tongue while speaking, they begin to manage sounds like ph, th , and r .

What your toddler can understand: They will begin to understand tense, plurals, and suffixes such as "ing" and "ly." Soon, your child should be speaking in two-word sentences, such as "Drink milk" or "Play ball."

Things you can do to help: Rhyming games help build awareness of language sounds. If your child makes a mistake, repeat the sentence back correctly instead of drawing attention to the error. For instance, if they say, "I goed playground." You can say back, "You went to the playground? Great!"

What to watch: Kids' thoughts may go beyond their ability to form words. If stuttering, or some other problem like a lisp, concerns you, consult a health care provider.

By 3 years old , your toddler should convey whole thoughts by employing just a few words, like saying "Mommy no socks" for "Mommy isn't wearing any socks today." Later in the year, they'll speak in longer sentences, putting several thoughts together to tell a story in about 300 words.

What your toddler can understand: They should be able to follow a storyline and remember ideas from it. They'll also begin to enjoy nonsense phrases.

Things you can do to help: Read to your child from storybooks with more of a narrative. Kids need more assistance than we do for conversation. Take a look at their preschool class list, and start making stuff up. "Was Mary in school today?" Add something silly, like "Was she wearing that hat with the fruit on it again?"

4 to 5 Years

By this age, your child should be having extensive conversations with adults; using adjectives in detailed sentences; telling knock-knock jokes ; and asking questions with proper intonation. Before turning 6, they'll likely have an expressive vocabulary of around 2,500 words.

What your toddler can understand: About 14,000 words. They'll also be able to express complicated thoughts like fears and dreams, say "thank you", and use words to elicit reactions from others.

Things you can do to help: Don't criticize any missteps in articulation or speech. Instead, repeat your child's statements back to them with the correct pronunciation or word usage. Give them lots of praise for their efforts.

What to watch for: Too much screen time . The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 2 and older view no more than two hours of quality programming per day. Kids need interaction and response to learn language. Most TV shows don't interact, and computer games aren't responsive to a child's ideas.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Speech and Language Milestones .

Related Articles

One word in Chalmers's budget speech perhaps went unnoticed, but it could make all the difference for Labor's re-election

Analysis One word in Chalmers's budget speech perhaps went unnoticed, but it could make all the difference for Labor's re-election

There's one word that Australians doing it tough perhaps didn't hear Treasurer Jim Chalmers say in his budget speech this week.

It's an innocuous word, the kind that can easily be missed.

"Treasury is now forecasting inflation could return to target earlier, perhaps even by the end of this year," he said.

Imagine if Winston Churchill had opted for a qualifier like perhaps. 

"We shall perhaps fight on the beaches" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Nor does "I perhaps have a dream" or "I  perhaps will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man".

Granted, Chalmers wasn't seeking to go down in the annals of history, at least not with his speech.

The treasurer has found himself in the invidious situation of having much to crow about but few people wanting to praise him for it. 

For the second year in a row, he landed a budget surplus , something those who sit opposite him in the parliament were unable to do once, let alone twice.

Surpluses are so rare in modern Australian history that it's been two decades since a federal government spent less than it earned in consecutive years.

"Look how well my budget is doing" is a hard pill to swallow for people with costs up the wazoo,  who are busy worrying how they're going to be able to keep a roof over their heads and food in their fridges. 

Chalmers' statement was deliberately not definitive — even if voters didn't hear the perhaps.

In doing so, Chalmers has set up a high-stakes gamble that if realised could bring with it a second term for his government. 

Labor's best path to re-election is with inflation easing, the Reserve Bank cutting rates at least once and voters feeling like a corner has been turned. If realised, Chalmers will be seeking the credit.

He'll perhaps be seeking anything but the credit if a pre-Christmas rate doesn't pan out. 

The curious cases of Andrew and Anthony

The headline announcements in the budget were $300 in energy bill relief for all households, capped pricing on PBS-listed medicines and a 10 per cent increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance. 

Treasury forecasts the bill and rent relief alone will cut 0.5 percentage points off inflation in 2024-25, fuelling Chalmers's optimism that the Reserve Bank could cut rates before the election. 

The Coalition was quick to offer its support for all the government's cost-of-living measures , but that doesn't mean it didn't want to inflict some pain on Labor on the way through. 

Liberal frontbencher Paul Fletcher used Question Time to kill   two birds with one stone. Asking a veiled-hypothetical question, he wondered: If we take a typical Australian — let's call him Andrew — who recently had to relocate from Bellevue Hill to Parramatta for work reasons and happens to own five houses, including a newly acquired $12 million beach house at Palm Beach, will he be eligible to receive the rebate on all five houses?

That "typical Australian" sounded a whole lot like first-term Labor MP Andrew Charlton, who bought a house in Sydney's west after being pre-selected for the safe Labor seat. 

Despite supporting the measure, the Coalition have had no qualms in making clear that Australia's richest will be getting the energy bill relief on every house they own, a move Chalmers insists couldn't have been done any other way . Fletcher seemed to have forgotten that there were no shortage of politicians sitting behind him that will also receive a $300 rebate for each of the properties they own beyond their primary residencies. 

Even more problematic for Labor was the revelation on Thursday that financially vulnerable Australians stand to miss out on the full value of the bill relief, because the policy will slash the indexation of their welfare payments . 

The question about "Andrew" wasn't the only "hypothetical" question Labor faced in parliament this week.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather framed his question about a TOTALLY RANDOM landlord, who he called Anthony, who had both the power to raise the rent to whatever level he wants and to evict a tenant to sell the property and benefit from capital gains tax discounts.

That had NOTHING to do with the PM having spent his morning  explaining why he was booting the tenant in his Sydney rental property so he could sell it (that the tenant used to run a place called The Sausage Factory is a level of information that you simply can't make up).

Albanese, who now lives in the nation's fanciest public housing, deferred the question to the treasurer.

A day earlier he was in no mood to answer independent MP Monique Ryan's question about whether fossil fuel industry lobbyists or representatives were at a $5,000-a-head post-budget dinner that he is said to have attended. 

"I've stood and had the great honour of being the Australian Labor Party candidate in 10 elections. During those 10 elections as the candidate for Grayndler, I have spent less money on those 10 campaigns than the member for Kooyong did in her one," he shot back.

The only issues Albanese has been keen to talk about this week are the measures his government is taking to ease household living costs. 

He blitzed the media from morning to night on Wednesday, doing so in a dashing tie that has long caught the attention of eagle-eyed fashion observers.

The PM is no stranger to wearing the bright orange, embossed number, which we're all but certain is from the French luxury fashion house, Hermes (his office was in no mood to confirm that this week). 

Sadly for those seeking to buy it, the tie is no longer available on the company's website .

At $385, you'd also need more than the value of the energy rebate to pay for it. 

What else we've learned this week

Until this week, Labor's Future Made in Australia has felt more like a vibe than a policy with meat on the bones.

The budget went some way to fattening it up, with Labor outlining a raft of policies to drive investment in green manufacturing in Australia. 

After this week, it's clear that any reports the climate wars are dead have been greatly exaggerated , with our esteemed colleague Annabel Crabb noting the budget offers a preview of the fights to come in the next decade . 

Tensions within Labor are continuing to simmer with backbench senator Fatima Payman breaking ranks to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza , comments Albanese has rebuked.

Late on Thursday the government struck a deal with the Greens to pass new emissions laws for vehicles , in return backing down on its plans to streamline offshore gas approvals.

But there was no deal to be made on laws that Labor, just weeks ago, was   insisting were urgent. Instead, the party ended the week quietly delaying its bid to gain extraordinary immigration powers . 

Perhaps the only thing more urgent than getting those powers was not having to talk about immigration detention, a policy that has haunted the government for the last six months, in the week of the budget.

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Gov. Hochul says she 'misspoke' when she said some 'Black kids' don't know the word 'computer'

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul apologized this week after saying there are Black kids in the Bronx who don't know what the word "computer" means.

Hochul made the remarks during an address at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, California .

"Now what we have is the money to build a phenomenal super computer that is gonna be accessible to the researchers in New York, college students, will attract more federal grants, and this is how we lay down the mark," Hochul said. "No state has done this. In fact, I talk to a lot of other people who say, ‘I wish my governor had thought of that first.’ I say, ‘No no, this is New York. We like to be first,’ with all due respect to you from other states."

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"It’s sort of our attitude," Hochul continued. "We will be the best, we will be the first, and I want others to follow, because right now we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word 'computer' is. They don’t know. They don’t know these things."

Her remarks were intended to generate publicity for the state's $400 million "Empire AI" initiative funding artificial intelligence in the state.

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The governor is focused on expanding access to training on cutting-edge technology to children in low-income areas, including the Bronx.

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"I want the world opened up to all of them because when you have their diverse voices innovating solutions through technology, then you’re really addressing society’s broader challenges," Hochul added at the Milken Institute.

The governor's comments caused immediate backlash from officials and lawmakers in the Bronx .

Deeply disturbed by [Hochul’s] recent remarks and the underlying perception that she has of Black and brown children from [the Bronx]," said New York State Assembly Member Karines Reyes. "Our children are bright, brilliant, extremely capable, and more than deserving of any opportunities that are extended to other kids. Do better."

"I’m deeply troubled by the recent statements made by [Hochul]. The underlying perception conveyed about Black and brown children from the Bronx is not only disheartening but also deeply concerning," fellow Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr. said.

Hochul apologized for her comments in a statement to the New York Post , saying she "misspoke" during her speech and regrets the mistake.

"Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are," Hochul told the Post. "The problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI. That’s why I’ve been focused on increasing economic opportunity since Day One of my Administration."

Original article source: Gov. Hochul says she 'misspoke' when she said some 'Black kids' don't know the word 'computer'

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's speech was ugly. He's only part of a bigger problem.

A question: Are the Kansas City Chiefs OK with one of their players, kicker Harrison Butker, saying women belong as homemakers?

The team has several women executive vice presidents who have careers outside of the kitchen. What do they think of this? The team has celebrated Women's History Month , not Woman You Better Get My Dinner on the Table Month.

"I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you," Butker said at a recent college commencement. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

"I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother," Butker added. "I’m on this stage, and able to be the man I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation."

Her vocation? Really? Did I slip and fall into a time machine and travel back to the 1950s?

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“I’m beyond blessed with the many talents god has given me," he said, "but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker."

The team thus far has been silent about Butker's comments which don't stop with his antiquated views of a woman's role in society. He also went on an anti-LGBTQ rant.

Speaking of Pride month, Butker said: “Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.”

The organization did not respond to an email request for comment.

But former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn did respond to Butker. He wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."

Before all of you Constitutional scholars chime in from your grammy's basement, I'm aware Butker can say whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean the rest of us should stay silent.

On social media, one of the prevailing sentiments was that Butker was just an idiot kicker and didn't matter. That's false. Not the part about him being an idiot. That's true. The part about him not mattering.

He's a key part of a Super Bowl champion team. He plays in the most popular sport in the country. His words will carry and while they have the waft of Archie Bunker's couch, they shouldn't be ignored. We should take every opportunity to push back against this type of extremist, Neanderthalic view of the world.

(It's also interesting to see right-wing and white nationalist platforms that usually tell athletes of color to shut up and dribble championing Butker's remarks. Maybe interesting isn't the word for it.)

Read more KC Chiefs news: Harrison Butker strikes against Pride Month, lauds wife's role as 'homemaker'

Butker represents a segment of the population that wants to go backwards, particularly with women's rights. These people are getting bolder and more hateful.

The goal is to wrench power from a society that has become more pluralistic and diverse, and put it back into the hands of a small group of men. And I can tell you, in their universe, they aren't talking about men of color having all this power.

Butker gives the entire game away with this part of his speech.

"To the gentlemen here today, part of what plagues society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities,' Butker said. "As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.

"Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy."

There is no emasculation of men. It's not happening. It has never happened. It's a totally fabricated thing.

Again, none of this has to do with the loss of rights. No one is being emasculated. Men aren't losing power. Women don't need to stay in the kitchen. Unless they want to.

There are people like Butker who want to take America back in time. Not the majority. But enough.

And that's scary.

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A Way Back From Campus Chaos

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values . It is separate from the newsroom.

Protesting the world’s wrongs has been a rite of passage for generations of American youth, buoyed by our strong laws protecting free speech and free assembly. Yet the students and other demonstrators disrupting college campuses this spring are being taught the wrong lesson — for as admirable as it can be to stand up for your beliefs, there are no guarantees that doing so will be without consequence.

The highest calling of a university is to craft a culture of open inquiry, one where both free speech and academic freedom are held as ideals. Protest is part of that culture, and the issue on which so many of the current demonstrations are centered — U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict — ought to be fiercely and regularly debated on college campuses.

The constitutional right to free speech is the protection against government interference restricting speech. Therefore, leaders at public universities, which are funded by government, have a heightened duty to respect those boundaries. Private institutions don’t have the same legal obligations, but that doesn’t relieve them of the responsibility to encourage open dialogue whenever and wherever possible on their campuses. It’s essential to the pursuit of learning.

In the real world, though, this can get messy, and nuance is required when free speech comes into tension with protecting academic freedom. The earliest universities to adopt the principle of academic freedom did so to thwart interference and influence from totalitarian states and religious zealotry. Today, the American Association of University Professors defines it as “the freedom of a teacher or researcher in higher education to investigate and discuss the issues in his or her academic field and to teach or publish findings without interference from political figures, boards of trustees, donors or other entities.”

Student codes of conduct and other guidelines are meant to relieve some of the tension between free speech and academic freedom, as well as to ensure that schools are in compliance with government regulations and laws. Every campus has them. But rules matter only when guardrails are consistently upheld. It’s in that enforcement that the leadership of too many universities has fallen short.

The point of protest is to break such rules, of course, and to disrupt daily routines so profoundly as to grab the world’s attention and sympathies. Campuses should be able to tolerate some degree of disruption, which is inherent to any protest. That makes it even more important that school administrators respond when the permissible limits for speech are violated.

During the current demonstrations, a lack of accountability has helped produce a crisis.

It has left some Jewish students feeling systematically harassed. It has deprived many students of access to parts of campus life. On campuses where in-person classes or commencement exercises were canceled, students have watched their basic expectations for a university experience evaporate. And at times, the protesters themselves have been directly endangered; the disarray and violence of the past weeks have been escalated by the continued involvement of both the police and external agitators.

Amid the protests, there has been much discussion of both antisemitism and Islamophobia and when the line is crossed into hate speech. There are profound risks to imposing overly expansive definitions of inappropriate speech, and universities were rightly chided for doing so in the past. But it should be easy to agree that no student, faculty member, administrator or university staff member on a campus should be threatened or intimidated. School policies should reflect that, and they should be enforced when necessary.

In the longer term, a lack of clarity around acceptable forms of expression and a failure to hold those who break those norms to account, has opened up the pursuit of higher learning to the whims of those motivated by hypocrisy and cynicism.

For years, right-wing Republicans, at the federal and state level, have found opportunities to crusade against academic freedom, with charges of antisemitism on campus serving as the latest vehicle. Speaker Mike Johnson of the House of Representatives used this moment of chaos as cover to begin a legislative effort to crack down on elite universities, and lawmakers in the House recently passed a proposal that would impose egregious government restrictions on free speech. The Senate should reject those efforts unequivocally.

The absence of steady and principled leadership is what opened the campus gates to such cynicism in the first place. For several years, many university leaders have failed to act as their students and faculty have shown ever greater readiness to block an expanding range of views that they deem wrong or beyond the pale. Some scholars report that this has had a chilling effect on their work, making them less willing to participate in the academy or in the wider world of public discourse. The price of pushing boundaries, particularly with more conservative ideas, has become higher and higher.

Schools ought to be teaching their students that there is as much courage in listening as there is in speaking up. It has not gone unnoticed — on campuses but also by members of Congress and by the public writ large — that many of those who are now demanding the right to protest have previously sought to curtail the speech of those whom they declared hateful.

Establishing a culture of openness and free expression is crucial to the mission of educational institutions. That includes clear guardrails on conduct and enforcement of those guardrails, regardless of the speaker or the topic. Doing so would not only help restore order on college campuses today but would also strengthen the cultural bedrock of higher education for generations to come.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Israel-Gaza latest: IDF soldiers killed by Israeli 'tank crossfire', military says; US anchors temporary pier on Gaza beach

Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Gaza after being struck by Israeli tank fire, the IDF says. Meanwhile, the US military anchors a temporary floating pier to a beach in the Palestinian territory as part of a mission to deliver humanitarian aid.

Thursday 16 May 2024 09:51, UK

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• Five IDF soldiers killed by Israeli 'tank crossfire'
• Floating pier in Gaza completed by US military
• US police take back university building after 'violent' protest
• Scroll down for the latest on the Israel-Gaza war
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• Live reporting by Lauren Russell

We've been reporting this morning that the US military has successfully anchored a pier to a beach in Gaza, with the aim that it will boost aid getting into the enclave. 

Our Middle East correspondent, Alistair Bunkall  says the operation is not yet up and running, but it has the potential to be "very, very effective". 

"It will be a complicated system allowing, mainly ships, to deliver aid to Gaza," Bunkall says.  

"It will also involve the US military and UN who will deliver it into Gaza itself and the Israeli military who will secure the landing site.

"No US forces went into Gaza this morning, and they are not expected to when the pier is operating, but [the operation] will be able to provide enormous amounts of aid into Gaza.

"The US military think that in the first 48 hours of it operating they will be able to get as much, if not more, aid into Gaza than all the air drops that have taken place so far.

"It could be very, very effective."

Bunkall says there is already one ship of aid that has been waiting to get into Gaza after leaving Cyprus and at least another two ships that are still on route. 

Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Gaza after being struck by Israeli tank fire, the Israel Defence Forces has said. 

The military said there was a "tank crossfire of the 202 battalion" resulting in the death of five soldiers. 

It said seven other soldiers were injured.  

The incident is believed to have occurred at the Jabaliya refugee camp, according to the Times of Israel.

The newspaper reported that the tank fired at a building in the area after the Israeli soldiers' guns were mistaken for Hamas forces.

The soldiers were evacuated for further medical treatment and the families were updated, the military said.

During the seven-month war in Gaza, at least 27 soldiers have been killed in mistaken fire by Israeli forces, according to military figures.

The US military today anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza as part of a mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians. 

The trucks carrying humanitarian assistance, which will be distributed in Gaza by the United Nations, are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days, the US Central Command said.

However, the UN is yet to finalise how it will be involved in the distribution of aid once it comes off the pier.

Read more about the floating pier here .

Police in the US have moved in on the University of California, Irvine after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied one of the lecture halls on campus.

Officers from about 10 nearby forces converged on the campus after university officials requested help.

The university declared it a "violent protest," police said. 

Images from the scene showed lines of police officers in riot gear and holding batons confronting protesters, some of who wore scarves over the lower half of their faces.

"The police have retaken the lecture hall," Tom Vasich, a spokesperson for the university, said around four hours after police were called. 

Mr Vasich said there were a "minimal number of arrests" and characterised the protesters as "begrudgingly cooperative".

The demonstration at Irvine, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles, is the latest in a series of campus protests across the US and Europe over the war in Gaza.

Protesters have called for a ceasefire and the protection of civilian lives, while demanding universities divest from Israeli interests. 

Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. 

A long-awaited temporary pier built in order to get urgent aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza has anchored to a beach off the besieged enclave, the US military has said. 

The US Central Command said its personnel anchored the pier at about 7.40am local time (5.40am UK time) as part of a mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Gaza, where thousands of people are facing starvation as enough aid supplies have for months failed to make it in.

Here is a rundown of all the developments over the last 24 hours:

• Yesterday was Nakba Day - a date Palestinians remember the dispossession of their people;
• The United Nations has launched an investigation into an unidentified strike on one of its cars in Rafah;
• The Israeli military has in recent days pressed into the east of Rafah in pursuit of what it says are four Hamas battalions, despite widespread international warnings - including from its ally the US - to hold off to avoid mass civilian casualties;
• Joe Biden's administration has informed Congress that it is moving ahead with a $1bn weapons deal for Israel, according to reports.

That's all for our live coverage for the moment. 

Our regular updates will continue tomorrow. 

By John Sparks , international correspondent 

They gathered at a roundabout on the highway heading south in a place called Beit Guvrin.

Some carried flags, others carried weapons, but everyone had the same idea.

A determination to stop humanitarian aid from getting to Gaza.

The food and supplies go straight to Hamas, the protesters claim.

"Don't give them anything, they're murderers," one woman told us.

"We're fighting Hamas and by giving this food, do you really think it doesn't go to Hamas?" asked another, disbelievingly.

Their activities have become increasingly effective as protesters target aid shipments originating in neighbouring Jordan on their way to Gaza.

On the highway near Beit Guvrin, we saw the police move in to take positions on the roadside.

But a convoy of 12 lorries, packed with humanitarian supplies, was quickly stopped in its tracks.

Read more from Sparks here ...

These images show evidence of fierce fighting across the Gaza Strip.

Northern, central and southern Gaza have all seen strikes or ground action in the past few days.

See our 11.36am for more detail on fighting reporting today. 

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will do "what is required" in Rafah, despite US and international opposition to any such plan. 

"We (Israel and the US) do have a disagreement on Gaza - rather, on Rafah," he told American broadcaster CNBC.

"But we have to do what we have to do," he added.

"And, you know, sometimes you have to... you just have to do what is required to ensure your survival and your future. We cannot continue into the future by having Hamas retake Gaza."

Reports emerged today suggesting that the US would press forward with its massive $1bn weapons package for Israel, despite Joe Biden indiciating previously he would halt any such deal due to concerns over the Rafah incursion (see 1.38pm post). 

"I hope we can see eye to eye with the United States, we're talking to them, but ultimately we do what we have to do to protect the life of our nation," Mr Netanyahu said.

Israel has said that it will destroy four Hamas battalions in the southern city of Rafah. 

Government spokesperson David Mencer also said that the IDF would not necessarily eliminate every Hamas fighter in the Gazan city.

He added that Israel has asked Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, to open it up to Palestinian civilians who wish to flee the seven-month old war, but that the request has been declined. 

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Chris Pan wants to set the record straight about his Ohio State commencement speech

Chris Pan wants to clear the air.

He's seen the negative comments online about the speech he gave during Ohio State's spring commencement ceremony Sunday. He's read the headlines and Reddit threads, calling his address "cringe-worthy" and "the worst Ohio State commencement speech ever." He's heard plenty of conspiracy theories about him.

"Without a doubt, on one hand, it's been the hardest week of my life emotionally to see my name get dragged through the mud," Pan told The Dispatch Friday afternoon. "On the other hand, I've been getting messages from neighbors 15 years ago who read it, and were like, 'Dude, we're just sending you love.'"

Pan — a social entrepreneur, early Facebook employee and 1999 Ohio State graduate — said that misinformation has swarmed his address and his character this past week. But Pan said he wants to share his side of the story, behind the speech and backlash, to set the record straight.

Pan 'honored' to be chosen as commencement speaker

When Pan got an email from Ohio State President Ted Carter's office on March 8 with the subject line "Ohio State Special Invitation," he didn't even open it until the next day. It was a busy day, and he figured it might be for a class reunion or small event.

He reread the email and realized it was inviting him to be the featured speaker at spring commencement.

"I honestly didn't think it was a prank" Pan said. "I just didn't like realize because it was such a big deal. Like such a big honor."

Though the ask caught him off guard, he said he was honored to be selected. Pan had spoken at Ohio State multiple times before to small group workshops and honors college gatherings. Public speaking has been his "bread and butter" for the last decade, focusing mostly on emotional and spiritual wellness, trauma and meditation.

Pan started brainstorming ideas for the speech right away. He also used ayahuasca, a psychedelic liquid made from heating or boiling multiple psychoactive plants from South America, multiple times while drafting his speech.

Pan said he's used ayahuasca and psilocybin (also known as magic mushrooms) over the years "to connect me to truth." He added that he thinks there is "a huge misconception" that ayahuasca is harmful or addictive.

"You look at (people) like John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, like these are all guys that regularly work with psychedelics, not for recreational but for healing and for creativity," Pan said.

Ohio State didn't give Pan feedback on his speech

Early on in his writing process, Pan said the only advice the university gave him was that a traditional speech would land better with a graduation audience than a non-traditional speech.

Pan said he tried to write a more traditional speech, but it didn't feel authentic to him.

"I just couldn't get myself to do it because that's just not who I am. I wouldn't be authentic," Pan said. "Like, "I'm so committed to impact, I'm so committed to helping people that I just I couldn't in good faith come and just do a traditional thing."

"I have to live by truth. I have to live with myself. And I couldn't live with myself if I didn't," he added.

Pan said he was willing to pass on being the commencement speaker if the university wasn't OK with his decision, but it wasn't a problem.

He did, however, seek feedback on his speech drafts from Ohio State students, parents and community members on social media.

"I did get a lot of feedback from parents and from students. I adjusted things," Pan said. "I took out the words 'Israel' and 'Palestine' and instead I said, 'Racism is not OK' and then I said 'Human collateral damage is not OK.' It's similar point, but it was broader, but (Ohio State) were not the ones that inspired that change."

Pan needed to submit his speech the Monday before commencement so the university could transcribe it for the livestream's closed captions. But after rehearsal on Friday, Pan said he thought he might be a little too non-traditional. He asked the university if he could adjust his speech once more but was told it was too late for major changes.

'Everything was great until I mentioned the word Bitcoin'

Come Sunday, Pan was clearheaded and excited to give his commencement address before 70,000 Ohio State graduates and their guests at Ohio Stadium.

But tragedy struck shortly after the ceremony began when a woman died by suicide at the stadium. Pan said he was told about the incident minutes before walking out with Carter and other administrators.

"My very specific instructions were to obviously keep that in mind, but just don't say anything," he said.

Pan said it was a difficult position and a devastating situation for everyone involved, "but at the same time, I had a job to do, the biggest job of my life. So I just had to deliver, like, I couldn't not deliver."

"You could feel the energy in the room and a section of students was very distraught," Pan continued. "It changes the energy in that in that stadium. So I think some of the backlash is maybe compounded by the fact that that tragedy happened as well."

Pan said he ad-libbed the beginning of his remarks to acknowledge the challenges and accomplishments Class of 2024. Many graduates at Sunday's commencement were high school seniors when COVID-19 shuttered their schools in March 2020 and canceled their high school graduations.

He then moved into a short sing-along to "What's Going On" by the 4 Non Blondes and before giving some scripted remarks. "My goal today is to share new perspectives that will lead you to financial, emotional and spiritual freedom," Pan said Sunday.

Pan discussed how money is one of Americans' biggest stressors right now and personal savings aren't able to keep up with inflation.

"I know this might feel polarizing, but I encourage you to keep an open mind," Pan said to the crowd. "Right now, I see Bitcoin as a very misunderstood asset class."

"Everything was great until I mentioned the word Bitcoin," Pan told The Dispatch on Friday. "I experienced being booed in front of 70,000 people, and that was definitely something that I'll never forget."

Pan said he is not "a Bitcoin bro driving a Lamborghini" and didn't begin getting interested in learning more about Bitcoin until February. He also said it is "pure coincidence" that he likes Bitcoin and Carter is on the board of TeraWulf, a zero-carbon Bitcoin mining company .

In an interview with The Dispatch Friday, Carter said he's been on the board of TeraWulf since November 2021, that he does not own any Bitcoin nor has he ever been paid in Bitcoin. His interest in the company has more to do with its ties to nuclear energy than cryptocurrency, Carter said.

"For those that are claiming that there's some sort of odd connection there, I'm just going to be very honest and upfront that it was completely random," Carter said. "One has nothing to do with the other and nor have I ever promoted nor will I ever."

Pan said he felt like the audience mistook his attempt to encourage young people to invest as an ad for Bitcoin.

"Bitcoin is interesting, but like I don't even care about Bitcoin," he said. "I'm just like, guys, investing is important. Being open-minded is important. Those are the real important things. And then obviously, connecting to your own spirit. Spirituality is really important."

Pan led the audience through a short meditation to find a word that describes their life's intention and shared some emotional remarks about peace.

"Pain causes hate and violence. Hurt people hurt people. Healed people help people," he said Sunday. "When we heal ourselves, we heal the world. World peace starts with inner peace."

He concluded with a final musical number, "This Little Light of Mine" written by Harry Dixon Loes. Pan said he stumbled into singing as a wellness practice after a difficult heartbreak. Daily singing has been a musical therapy for him, Pan said.

The backlash about singing at commencement, he said, fell flat for him.

"Didn't we just sing 'Carmen Ohio' at the end of this whole thing? Which book does it say like, 'Thou shalt not sing at a commencement speech'?" Pan said.

'Was it really that bad?'

Pan's speech was just one reason Ohio State's spring commencement was in the spotlight this week. Carter told The Dispatch in an interview Friday that he is taking feedback about the ceremony seriously.

"At the end of the day, it's my signature that goes on the invitation," Carter said. "So I own it."

"When it comes to commencement, speakers and anything that is that public facing, I commit to doing better," he added.

Despite the onslaught of negative comments about his speech, Pan said he's still received positive feedback as well.

One father of an Ohio State graduate messaged Pan on social media afterward to share that his whole family talked about the speech at dinner and shared the words they thought of during the meditation. He said it led to a wonderful multigenerational conversation about gratitude and empathy.

Another person messaged Pan to say, "This guy just summarized in 10 minutes what I've spent 20 years learning the hard way."

Pan said, at the very least, he hopes that those who listened to or read his speech can walk away with something positive, no matter how small.

"Was it really that bad? Was it really sad or offensive, or maybe, there was some goodness?" he said. "Yes, could I have done better? Absolutely. Could I have done something differently? Absolutely. But maybe like, there's actually some goodness. Maybe there's one if someone was able to get like one little nugget that helped them on their journey. It would make me like so happy. You know, that means mission accomplished."

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter,  here .

[email protected]

@sheridan120