News of the World

[DerVVulfman]

CALLS GROW FOR 'THE SQUAD'
TO BE EXPELLED FROM CONGRESS

WASHINGTON, DC: In a stark divergence from the bipartisan support typically seen in Congress regarding US-Israel relations, members of "The Squad," a group of far-left House Democrats, have ignited a controversy with their statements on the ongoing Hamas attack on Israel.

The notorious group, which includes representatives Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, has sparked calls for their removal from Congress and has drawn condemnation from some of their own party colleagues.

Representative Cori Bush of Missouri stated that the United States should cease its support for the "Israeli military occupation and apartheid." Her comments reflect a growing sentiment within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that views US support for Israel as problematic and in need of reassessment.

Meanwhile, Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York called for an end to Israel's "blockade of Gaza." He argued that this blockade exacerbates the suffering of Palestinians in the region and that addressing this issue is critical for achieving peace and stability.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, from New York and Massachusetts, respectively, called for an "immediate ceasefire and de-escalation" in the ongoing conflict. They expressed concerns that Israel's military actions could lead to further loss of life and suffering among Palestinians in Gaza.

Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota initially criticized the violence caused by Hamas while urging "de-escalation and ceasefire." She framed the ongoing conflict as part of a "back and forth cycle," highlighting the cyclical nature of violence in the region. However, she later emphasized the need for a "moral awakening" in the US to address the human suffering in Gaza.

Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan placed the blame for Israel's suffering squarely on Israel itself. She advocated for lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling what she termed the "apartheid system" that creates the conditions conducive to resistance. Tlaib also called for the end of US support for Israel, linking it to the perpetuation of violence in the region.

The controversial rhetoric from these Squad members has triggered a growing chorus of calls for their expulsion from Congress.

"Ilhan Omar, AOC, Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib and the entire SQUAD should be expelled from Congress for their hateful rhetoric towards Israel," one posted on X.

"Need to remove the Squad Team that supports Hamas," another wrote.

"They should be expelled for violating their oaths of office," a comment read.

"Will this be the last straw? Most Dems in Congress support Israel and always have. Once a new Speaker is elected, will Congress finally expel the anti-Semitic, anti-American members of 'the Squad'?" someone else chimed in.

"Send them on a plane to the Gaza Strip," another quipped.

As reported by National Review, the controversy has not been confined to external voices, as members of their own party have also offered strong condemnations.

Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey expressed his dismay, stating that it "sickens" him that while Israelis grapple with the aftermath of violence, some in Congress advocate for stripping U.S. funding to a democratic ally, potentially causing further civilian suffering.

Representative Ritchie Torres of New York labeled the Squad members' comments as "reprehensible and repulsive." He stressed the need for Congress to provide Israel with necessary support to defend itself amid unprecedented terrorism.

Torres also condemned the portrayal of violence as "resistance," particularly given the tragic historical context of anti-Semitic violence. "Shame on anyone who glorifies as ‘resistance' the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust," he said.

Some members of the Squad, also self-identified as Democratic Socialists, had in the past been kicked out of Israel as it was found they only wished to enter in order to join an Anti-Israeli convention.

BBC REFUSES TO ADMIT
HAMAS A TERROR GROUP
The BBC is refusing to describe Hamas as such, and is rejecting calls to review its editorial guidelines

A BBC spokesperson said: “We always take our use of language very seriously. Anyone watching or listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorist’ used many times – we attribute it to those who are using it, for example, the UK government. This is an approach that has been used for decades, and is in line with that of other broadcasters. The BBC is an editorially independent broadcaster whose job is to explain precisely what is happening ‘on the ground’ so our audiences can make their own judgement.”

The BBC has been told by the British government to review its opposition to calling Hamas a terrorist organization amid the Israel-Gaza crisis.

The BBC refers to Hamas as a “militant” group or variations of this phrase, pointing to its editorial guidelines which state that the word “terrorist” should not be used without attribution.

It is not clear how long this position will hold, however, given the BBC is now under political pressure to use more specific language after 1,000 people in Israel were killed during Hamas attacks.

During a pre-planned meeting, culture secretary Lucy Frazer asked Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, if the corporation should review its guidelines.

She disclosed the meeting in a letter to Marie van der Zyl, president of Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has said it is “obscene” that the BBC refuses to brand Hamas terrorists.

“I made extremely clear [to the BBC] my view that these were acts of terror carried out by a terrorist organisation,” Frazer told the Board of Deputies.

“I noted that, as you have, Hamas have been proscribed as a terrorist organisation since 2021 by the UK government, and are designated as such by many other international organisations and governments.”

On Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “This is not a time for equivocation, we should call it out for what it is.”

The BBC is under no obligation to act on the concerns of ministers because it is editorially independent of the government.

Frazer questioned whether the BBC was observing its news style guide, which states that “an action or event can be described as a terror attack or an act of terror.”

The BBC’s guidelines also state that the word “terrorist” can be a “barrier rather than an aid” to helping audiences understand news stories.

“We should convey to our audience the full consequences of the act by describing what happened. We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as bomber, attacker, gunman, kidnapper, insurgent and militant,” the BBC says.

“We should not adopt other people’s language as our own. Our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.”

Van der Zyl said the BBC’s position was “insulting to the many British Jews whose friends and families are currently under attack by genocidally antisemitic terrorists and performs a profound disservice to millions of viewers.”

THOUSANDS OF 'SPECIAL INTEREST ALIENS'
FROM MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES STOPPED AT
SOUTHERN BORDER SINCE 2021: DATA
There have also been over 1.5 million 'gotaways' under Biden administration

Thousands of "special interest aliens" from numerous countries, including the Middle East, have been arrested by Border Patrol agents while attempting to cross the U.S. southern border illegally over the last two years, according to internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data leaked to Fox News.

"Special interest aliens" are people from countries identified by the U.S. government as having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the U.S.

That data, confirmed by multiple CBP sources and reflects apprehensions between ports of entry between October 2021 and October 2023, shows that agents encountered 6,386 nationals from Afghanistan in that period as well as 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran and 538 from Syria.

Agents also encountered 12,624 from Uzbekistan, 30,830 from Turkey, 1,613 from Pakistan, 164 from Lebanon, 185 from Jordan, 123 from Iraq and 15,594 from Mauritania. The data does not include information on how many of those migrants were removed or who were released into the U.S. with a court date.

Those numbers do not include encounters by CBP’s Office of Field Operations at ports of entry. It also does not include the numbers who have snuck past agents without detection -- sources say there have been over 1.5 million such "gotaways" during the Biden administration.

Meanwhile, fiscal year 2023 broke the record for encounters on the FBI terror watch list with 151 people encountered at the southern border between ports of entry, higher than the previous six years combined.

Border Patrol sources tell Fox they have extreme concerns about the people coming across from special interest countries, given they have little to no way to vet them. Unless they have committed a crime in the U.S. or are on a federal watch list, agents have no way of knowing their criminal history because their countries do not share data with the U.S., so there is nothing to match their name against when authorities run their fingerprints.

The data comes as the U.S. is struggling to deal with a new wave of migrants at the southern border, with numbers again hitting historic highs. Sources have told Fox that there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which marks a new monthly record. Republicans in particular have raised concerns about the potential security threat of an environment in which Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed and migrants are being processed in significant numbers into the U.S. interior.

The Department of Homeland Security’s threat assessment, published last month, noted that agents have encountered a growing number on the watch list and warned that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."

"Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States," the assessment also said.

Last week, the Biden administration moved to waive more than two dozen federal regulations in order to build a border wall in South Texas, citing an "acute and immediate need" in order to prevent unlawful entries. However, the administration has since distanced itself from the move, noting that it was funding appropriated in 2019 and which Congress has refused to divert to other projects.