Schiff, Ricketts introduce bill targeting group they say was involved in Oct. 7 attack
Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced a bill on Tuesday targeting a group they said was involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel for sanctions.
The Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act, also introduced last year by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), calls for sanctions to be put in place by the president against the Popular Resistance Committees group.
The senators said in their bill that the Popular Resistance Committees took place in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that started the recent war in Gaza and 'regularly carried out terror attacks against Israelis, Americans, and Palestinians.'
'The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) is the third-largest terrorist organization in Gaza and another puppet of Iran,' Ricketts said in a Tuesday statement.
'Despite decades of attacks against Americans and Israelis, including on October 7th, the PRC has yet to be properly sanctioned for its barbarism. This bill will help hold accountable every terrorist that participated in the October 7th attacks,' he added.
Among the sanctions called for in the bill are sanctions targeting property transactions and visa status.
'For years, the Popular Resistance Committees have carried out terrorist attacks against Israelis, Americans, and Palestinians,' Schiff also said in the Tuesday release. 'They were willing and cruel participants with Hamas during the horrific October 7th massacre, killing innocent Israelis and taking and holding hostages after that terrible attack.'
Sherman, Kustoff, McCaul and Schneider were joined by Reps. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in their reintroduction of the bill on the House side Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
22 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Tucker Carlson Blasts Former Fox News Colleague Sean Hannity: 'Warmongers'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson blasted his former Fox News colleague Sean Hannity on Friday, calling Hannity and other MAGA hawks "warmongers" for cheering Israel's missile strikes against the Iranian regime. The Context Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran early Friday, local time, which decimated the regime's military chain of command, hit critical nuclear facilities and took out top Iranian nuclear scientists. After the strikes, Iran pulled out of scheduled nuclear talks with the U.S. and retaliated against Israel with a wave of rocket attacks that struck Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial center and also home to the country's central military base. Israel and Iran have been engaged in an increasingly destructive array of tit-for-tat strikes against one another since Hamas—backed by the Iran-led Axis of Resistance—carried out its attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. But the strikes commenced by Israel early Friday marked the most serious escalation yet between Jerusalem and Tehran. What To Know When Israel struck Iran, it capped a long-running foreign policy battle being waged in President Donald Trump's inner circle. Carlson, a staunch isolationist, was among the voices urging against escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, which were at a tipping point before Israel's strikes against the regime early Friday. He also supported Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as he spearheaded the nuclear discussions with Iran. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP On the other side of the coin were Hannity and conservative media host Mark Levin, who, among others, were deeply skeptical that Iran would agree to end its nuclear program and expressed support for Israel taking military action. On Friday, Carlson tore into Hannity, Levin, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and conservative megadonors Isaac Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. "The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He added: "Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now." Newsweek reached out to Fox News for comment via email on Friday. Hannity and Levin took a victory lap on Fox News shortly after Israel carried out its first strike against Iran early Friday, with Hannity rattling off a list of Iran's provocations and nuclear threats and Levin saying that "the Iranians are about to get their asses kicked and it's been coming since Jimmy Carter." "They think this is Joe Biden's administration, that they would get away, get nuclear weapons and then the world would sit there, wouldn't know what to do about it," he said, adding that Israel "is not going to sit there and take it." Hours after the strikes, Carlson put out what he called his potential "final newsletter before all-out war" and accused Trump of being "complicit." "While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events. Washington knew these attacks would happen," Carlson wrote. "They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be America First can't now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it. Our country is in deep." "Despite being complicit in the act of war, the president hopes last night's events will help his ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran," Carlson added. "Steve Witkoff was scheduled to participate in the next round of talks on Sunday, but whether that will still happen is up in the air." Israel's strikes against Iran came after months of Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Tehran, saying that it would torpedo America's already tenuous negotiations with the Iranian regime. What People Are Saying On Friday, after Israel's strikes, Trump again pushed Iran to come back to the table, writing on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!" After Iran initiated its retaliatory rocket attacks against Israel, a U.S. defense official told Newsweek: "Yes, the U.S. is assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel." What Happens Next Israel and Iran have been bombing each other since the first wave of strikes early Friday, with Israel saying it plans to "escalate" in response to Iran's retaliatory attack. Iran, meanwhile, has warned that it will target the military bases of any countries that assist Israel.
The Hill
41 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump clears path for Nippon Steel investment in US Steel, so long as it fits the government's terms
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for a Nippon Steel investment in U.S. Steel, so long as the Japanese company complies with a 'national security agreement' submitted by the federal government. Trump's order didn't detail the terms of the national security agreement. But U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel said in a joint statement that the agreement stipulates that approximately $11 billion in new investments will be made by 2028 and includes giving the U.S. government a 'golden share' — essentially veto power to ensure the country's national security interests are protected. 'We thank President Trump and his Administration for their bold leadership and strong support for our historic partnership,' the two companies said. 'This partnership will bring a massive investment that will support our communities and families for generations to come. We look forward to putting our commitments into action to make American steelmaking and manufacturing great again.' The companies have completed a U.S. Department of Justice review and received all necessary regulatory approvals, the statement said. 'The partnership is expected to be finalized promptly,' the statement said. The companies offered few details on how the golden share would work and what investments would be made. Trump said Thursday that he would as president have 'total control' of what U.S. Steel did as part of the investment. Trump said then that the deal would preserve '51% ownership by Americans.' The Japan-based steelmaker had been offering nearly $15 billion to purchase the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel in a merger that had been delayed on national security concerns starting during Joe Biden's presidency. Trump opposed the purchase while campaigning for the White House, yet he expressed optimism in working out an arrangement once in office. 'We have a golden share, which I control,' said Trump, although it was unclear what he meant by suggesting that the federal government would determine what U.S. Steel does as a company. Trump added that he was 'a little concerned' about what presidents other than him would do with their golden share, 'but that gives you total control.' Still, Nippon Steel has never said it was backing off its bid to buy and control U.S. Steel as a wholly owned subsidiary. The proposed merger had been under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, during the Trump and Biden administrations. The order signed Friday by Trump said the CFIUS review provided 'credible evidence' that Nippon Steel 'might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,' but such risks might be 'adequately mitigated' by approving the proposed national security agreement. The order doesn't detail the perceived national security risk and only provides a timeline for the national security agreement. The White House declined to provide details on the terms of the agreement. The order said the draft agreement was submitted to U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel on Friday. The two companies must successfully execute the agreement as decided by the Treasury Department and other federal agencies that are part CFIUS by the closing date of the transaction. Trump reserves the authority to issue further actions regarding the investment as part of the order he signed on Friday. ___ Associated Press writer Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US scrambles to bring back VOA's Persian service amid Iran-Israel conflict
Employees of Voice of America's Persian-language service who were sidelined by the Trump administration have been hastily called back to duty as Iran and Israel exchange missile strikes in a high-stakes Middle East conflict. The U.S. Agency for Global Media told employees placed on administrative leave to immediately return to their roles providing counter-programming to Iranian state media as the conflict between the two nations escalated Friday, according to an email seen by POLITICO and three people familiar with the situation. 'Effective immediately, you are recalled from administrative leave,' said the email from USAGM's human resources department. 'You are expected to report to your duty station immediately.' There are 75 full time employees within VOA's Persian wing — the language predominantly spoken in Iran — and it's believed most, if not all, have now been brought back after being put on administrative leave for three months. VOA's Persian service had been shut down as a part of President Donald Trump's March 15 executive order dismantling U.S.-backed global media, which included VOA, among other outlets. Since, the embattled network has been rattled with court orders — and discussions of company-wide reductions-in-force. In the last several weeks, RIFs have begun going out to employees in small doses. Patsy Widakuswara, one of the lead plaintiffs in VOA's lawsuit against the Trump administration, said this move is a perfect example of why the entirety of VOA should be brought back. 'After months off the air, we've already lost a lot of audience and credibility,' said Widakuswara, the VOA White House bureau chief. 'They should bring us all back so we can respond to breaking news in all parts of the world.' The abrupt decision to recall employees of the Persian service occurs as the conflict appears to be escalating following the overnight strike on Iran directed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Iranian response. VOA would typically heavily rely on contractors for this coverage — but last month the administration terminated a large swath of them. 'It just shows how idiotic they are, consistent with this firing and rehiring pattern that has cost Americans who knows how many millions of dollars,' one VOA employee on administrative leave, said on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. 'This is the real fraud, waste and abuse.'
