US second gentleman Emhoff meets New Zealand’s Ardern to discuss online hate as World Cup begins #gentleman #Emhoff #meets #Zealands #Ardern #discuss #online #hate #World #Cup #begins

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Doug Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, met with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Friday to discuss ways to combat online hate and extremism.

Emhoff was in Auckland to lead a delegation to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and meet with officials. He told a meeting of the Christchurch Call the world was witnessing a “global epidemic of hate.”

Emhoff, who is Jewish, said he was “working against this scourge of anti-Semitism and this epidemic of hate in general. So this work is very, very personal to me.”

New Zealand's Hannah Wilkinson celebrates scoring the first goal with teammates during the Women's World Cup soccer match between New Zealand and Norway in Auckland, New Zealand, Monday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Rafaela Pontes)

With the 1-0 victory over Group A favorites Norway secured, New Zealand is in good position to advance to the knockout stage.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters at the State Department in Washington, Monday, July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Tonga, New Zealand and Australia next week as the Biden administration shifts its Indo-Pacific strategy into overdrive in part to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

David Tritz, from Laguna Hills, California, and his daughter Erin Tritz, pose for a photo after taking their seats at the Women's World Cup soccer match between New Zealand and Norway in Auckland, New Zealand, Thursday, July 20, 2023. An estimated 20,000 Americans are coming to New Zealand for the Women's World Cup, and many have arrived in the days before the U.S. women's team plays its opener against Vietnam on Saturday (AP Photo/Rafaela Pontes)

An estimated 20,000 Americans are coming to New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup and many have arrived in the days before the U.S. women’s team plays its opener against Vietnam on Saturday.

New Zealand's Hannah Wilkinson celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Women's World Cup soccer match between New Zealand and Norway in Auckland, New Zealand, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Cornaga)

Hannah Wilkinson has scored to open the second half and New Zealand has upset Norway 1-0 for its first-ever win at the Women’s World Cup just hours after a shooting in downtown Auckland that shocked the host nation.

“But my work is not just about Jews. It’s about all of us. It’s about combating hate in all of its forms,” he said.

The group is named after the New Zealand city where a gunman in 2019 shot and killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques while streaming his attack online.

Ardern thanked Emhoff for his work and for sharing in the “joyous occasion” of the World Cup. She launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron two months after the Christchurch attack. After stepping down as leader earlier this year, she was appointed special envoy for the Christchurch Call, declining to take any pay for the role.

Emhoff will next travel to Samoa.

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