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Cruz Introduces Bill to Counter Violent Antisemitic and Anti-ICE Protest Groups
US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking at a press conference about the United States restricting weapons for Israel, at the US Capitol, Washington, DC. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Legislation introduced in the Senate on Tuesday by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would empower Department of Justice prosecutors to use rioting as part of RICO (racketeering) charges to disrupt organizations fueling violence at college protests and demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies.
Cruz described how the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act intended to target international threats.
“Every American has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest, but not to commit violence. Domestic NGOs and foreign adversaries fund and use riots in the United States to undermine the security and prosperity of Americans,” Cruz said. “My legislation will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to hold them accountable, and I urge colleagues to pass it expeditiously.”
Elevating the organization of violent protest riots to a RICO offense will enable joint liability and group prosecution, conspiracy charges, asset forfeiture, and enhanced criminal penalties, according to its proponents.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R- Mo.).
“Radical, left-wing groups who fund acts of violence, coordinate attacks against law enforcement, and spearhead the destruction of property must be stopped.” Cornyn said. “This legislation would add rioting to the list of racketeering offenses to crack down on this lawless behavior while ensuring the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful protest are protected.”
Last year, schools saw anti-Israel campus protests that in some cases devolved into riots, including at University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania and California State University, Los Angeles.
On Thursday, Cruz put forward another bill intended to counter domestic subversion by radical organizations. He reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025 which would designate as a terrorist group the Islamist fountainhead founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928, triggering the ability for the government to freeze assets, ban visas, and make support for the organization illegal.
Domestic groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) may also face increased government investigations. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Austria have already criminalized the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2014, the UAE designated CAIR and MAS as terrorist organizations due to their roots in the Muslim Brotherhood.
On Friday, Cruz wrote on X, “The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization. American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, and the United States should do the same. Let’s get this done.”
The post Cruz Introduces Bill to Counter Violent Antisemitic and Anti-ICE Protest Groups first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Marks Year Since Israel Killed Veteran Leader Nasrallah
People gather at a site damaged by Israeli airstrike that killed Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a commemoration ceremony in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, Nov. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah on Saturday commemorated one year since leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel, the opening salvo of a war that ultimately battered his once-powerful group and left swathes of Lebanon in ruins.
A string of Israeli bunker-busting bombs on a Hezbollah complex in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed Nasrallah, who had led the powerful Shi’ite religious, political and military group for more than 30 years.
His heir apparent Hashem Safieddine was killed weeks later. Now pressure is swelling on the group to disarm – a demand Hezbollah has rejected.
Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem, who assumed the post a month after Nasrallah’s killing, delivered a speech to mark the anniversary.
He reaffirmed that Hezbollah would not allow disarmament and warned of a fierce confrontation, describing the fight as an existential battle that the group was capable of facing.
Crowds, including Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, gathered in Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon’s south and east, to mark the day.
Tensions over the commemoration have been mounting this week, particularly after Hezbollah projected the portraits of Nasrallah and Safieddine on the towering rocks off the coast of Beirut.
The display went ahead, despite orders by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Beirut governor not to do so, angering Lebanese opponents of Hezbollah who said the cliffs should not be used for political displays.
Nasrallah became secretary general of Hezbollah in 1992 aged just 35 after his predecessor, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, was killed in an Israeli helicopter attack.
With his fiery speeches, he swiftly became the public face of a once-shadowy group founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight Israeli occupation forces.
The day after Hamas’ cross-border attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah entered the fray in solidarity with its Palestinian ally by firing on Israel from southern Lebanon.
That prompted exchanges of fire for nearly a year before Israel sharply escalated by detonating explosives-rigged communication devices used by Hezbollah, pummeling the country with air strikes and sending troops into Lebanon’s south.
Israel’s air and ground campaign prevented a formal burial for Nasrallah for months. Followers have since flocked to his grave to pray.
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New Zealand Says Not Joining Push for Palestinian Statehood
The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York, Aug. 15, 2014. Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
i24 News – New Zealand will not join the push to recognize Palestinian statehood, though it remains committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Minister Winston Peters said at the United Nations Headquarters on Friday.
“With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that the time is now,” Peters said in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
New Zealand’s position represents a departure from the line adopted by Australia, Britain and Canada, who joined in a recognition of Palestinian statehood on Sunday.
Israel and the US administration of President Donald Trump have said such unilateral moves will only serve to undermine the prospects of a peaceful end to the conflict and achieve nothing for the Palestinians. Both boycotted the New York event.
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Trump: Intense ‘Regional’ Talks on Ending Gaza War Ongoing, Israel and Hamas Briefed
US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 31, 2025. Photo: Kent Nishimura via Reuters Connect
i24 News – US President Donald Trump stated on Friday in a message posted to his Truth Social network that talks, ongoing for four days, concerning ending the Gaza war were productive.
“I am pleased to report that we are having very inspired and productive discussions with the Middle Eastern Community concerning Gaza. Intense negotiations have been going on for four days, and will continue for as long as necessary in order to get a Successfully Completed Agreement,” the post read.
“All of the Countries within the Region are involved, Hamas is very much aware of these discussions, and Israel has been informed at all levels, including Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. There is more Goodwill and Enthusiasm for getting a Deal done, after so many decades, than I have ever seen before. Everyone is excited to put this period of Death and Darkness behind them. It is an Honor to be a part of this Negotiation. We must get the Hostages back, and get a PERMANENT AND LONGLASTING PEACE!”