Latest news with #AbeHamadeh
Rudaw Net
7 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
US Congress hosts first Assyrian Martyrs' Day ceremony
Also in Culture I don't want a celebration Sweden Kurdish magazine aims to promote Kurdish literature Young people showcase musicial skills in Shingal Kurdish Arts and Culture Festival kicks off in Berlin A+ A- WASHINGTON DC - For the first time, a ceremony commemorating Assyrian Martyrs' Day was held in the United States Congress, honoring victims of the 1933 Simele massacre and calling for full recognition of atrocities committed against the Assyrian people. The event was supported by Congressman Abe Hamadeh and attended by Assyrians and representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government. 'This is the very first time ever at the US Congress to commemorate the Assyrian Martyrs Day. We had the support of Congressman Abe Hamedeh in putting this together. It's very important. We need complete recognition by the US Congress of all the massacres and genocides committed against the Assyrians,' Sam Darmo, founder of Assyrians for Justice, told Rudaw on Wednesday. Assyrians annually commemorate the Simele massacre of 1933, when thousands were killed by the Iraqi army. Between August 7 and August 11, the armed forces of the Kingdom of Iraq attacked 63 Assyrian villages located in what are now the provinces of Nineveh and Duhok. The campaign left around 3,000 Assyrians dead, according to a 2003 report from the International Federation for Human Rights. Chorbishop George Toma, rector of Saint Andrew Assyrian Church in Illinois, said the commemoration ceremony honors 'the holy ones of our Assyrian nation whose blood was spilled not for crimes, but for their faith, their heritage, and their very identity.' Sara Hormuz, an Assyrian American human rights advocate, was among the speakers at the event, opening with remarks on Assyrian history, genocide, and the resilience of the community. 'Assyrians are resilient and we're not a dying civilization,' she said. Assyrians are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Mesopotamia and northern Iraq, tracing their history back more than 6,700 years. Religiously, they are now predominately Christian and locally split along Chaldean, Syriac, and Ashuri sects.
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump endorses House freshman for reelection less than six months into the lawmaker's congressional tenure
President Donald Trump issued a full-throated endorsement of Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., backing the lawmaker for re-election less than half a year into the freshman House member's first term in office. "Abe Hamadeh has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" the president declared in a Truth Social post in which he described the congressman as "an America First Patriot." Trump endorsed Hamadeh in December 2023, ahead of the 2024 GOP U.S. House primary in Arizona's 8th Congressional District. But then later he issued an unusual dual endorsement of both Hamadeh and another GOP primary candidate, Blake Masters, just ahead of the 2024 contest that Hamadeh ultimately won. Back in February Hamadeh introduced a resolution to limit the types of flags that may be displayed in House facilities, though the text of the proposal stipulates that it would not "apply to the individual personal office space of a Member of the House of Representatives." The resolution would allow for displaying the American flag and various other kinds of flags, some of which would include "The State flag of the represented district of a Member of the House of Representatives, displayed adjacent to the office of such Member" and "The flags of visiting foreign dignitaries during an official visit." "Congress is supposed to embody the AMERICAN people. That's why I've introduced a resolution to ban foreign and ideological flags in the Halls of Congress. It's pathetic that I even have to introduce this resolution," Hamadeh declared in a tweet this month. Six other House Republicans are listed as cosponsors on including three original cosponsors and three other lawmakers listed as backing the measure this month. "You have inspired me and so many other young men and women to fearlessly serve our country in our nation's Armed Services and the halls of Congress," Hamadeh wrote in a June 14 letter to Trump marking the president's 79th birthday and the Army's 250th.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Rising GOP star takes victory lap after Trump DOJ rolls back massive Biden anti-police push: 'Promise kept'
FIRST ON FOX: Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh took a victory lap on Wednesday as the Trump Justice Department announced it would dismiss the Biden administration's "last minute" lawsuits against several police departments, including Phoenix. "Promise made. Promise kept," Hamadeh told Fox News Digital in a statement after his efforts to end DOJ weaponization against police departments, largely stemming from the George Floyd riots in 2020, came to fruition on Wednesday via an announcement from DOJ. The DOJ announced on Wednesday it is scaling back "pattern and practice" probes that became prevalent under former AG Merrick Garland and were slammed by critics who argued the effort was politically motivated and impeded police officers from doing their jobs. "Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division's failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said as the Department of Justice made the announcement. "I promised our law enforcement officers before taking office that I would end the weaponization of our judicial system and work with President Trump's Department of Justice to undo the damage wrought by the Biden Administration." The Phoenix Police Department was the target of one of those oversight investigations in 2024 when Biden's DOJ released a report alleging Civil Rights violations and claimed the department was discriminating against minorities and using excessive force. That probe has now been rejected by the Justice Department along with probes in several other jurisdictions, including Trenton, New Jersey, Memphis, Tennessee, Mount Vernon, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Minneapolis and the Louisiana State Police. The Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association (PPSLA) and the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) both issued statements praising Hamadeh's work on the issue. "The Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association (PPSLA) is grateful to Congressman Abe Hamadeh for keeping his promise to us," PPSLA President Ben Leuschner said. "While we very much appreciate the support of everyone who advocated on our behalf, we know that Congressman Hamadeh took the fight to an important level. Today, justice was won for the residents we are sworn to protect and serve as well as our members." "We are grateful that both President Trump and Congressman Hamadeh stood with us against the Biden Administration's DOJ's flawed investigation of the Phoenix Police Department, which has already cost Phoenix taxpayers millions of dollars and left a demoralized, shrinking police force." Hamadeh has been leading efforts to push back against the Biden DOJ's established practices on oversight for police departments and recently met with FBI Director Kash Patel to "discuss the Biden Administration's targeted attacks on our men and women in blue", his office said in a press release. "I am grateful to President Trump and his team of patriotic professionals dedicated to the men and women of our local law enforcement agencies who run to the sound of danger to keep our communities safe and secure," Hamadeh said. Hamadeh added, "As I noted in my communications with Trump Administration officials, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies." An adviser to FBI director Patel told Fox News Digital that "Director Kash Patel has made it clear that under his leadership, the FBI stands firmly with the brave men and women who protect our communities." "Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda," Dhillon said in a statement Wednesday. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's office for comment. "As president of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, and on behalf of the entire membership, I want to thank Congressman Hamadeh for his unwavering support," Arizona Fraternal Order of Police President Paul Sheldon said in response to the news. "We look forward to partnering with the Congressman in the future on our shared goal of keeping our communities safe."
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Freshman GOP lawmaker targets 'propaganda' from top adversary in first bill of congressional career
FIRST ON FOX: Freshman GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh has introduced his first piece of legislation as a lawmaker aimed at combating the Chinese communist government's influence in the halls of Congress. Hamadeh, who was sworn in to represent Arizona's 8th Congressional District in Congress last month, introduced a bill that would prohibit China Daily and other CCP-backed publications from House facilities and spoke to Fox News Digital about his reasoning for the move. "The first day I came into my office, I looked and I had a bunch of newspapers on my desk from the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and included in it was The China Daily," Hamadeh told Fox News Digital. "And, you know, I'm looking at it like, 'Why do we get the China Daily?' And after researching it, we discovered that this was a Chinese communist owned newspaper that's a registered foreign agent." "And I just find it unacceptable that it's being passed around the halls of Congress for free, using our internal mail system, using third parties to pass out the propaganda. So, honestly, it was my first welcome to Congress and that's kind of why I think I honed in on it to be my first piece of legislation because I don't think we should have foreign propaganda in the halls of Congress." Bill Maher Declares China 'The New Islam,' Says Left Can't Be Honest About The Country's Threat The legislation would call on the Chief Administrative Officer of the House to immediately cease the distribution of CCP state-run media material and restrict the spread of the materials on House email while still allowing members to maintain private access if they wish. Read On The Fox News App Hamadeh told Fox News Digital that the "reason why the Chinese are doing it is because they know that they can influence members of Congress, they can influence their staff." Usps Suspends Inbound Packages From China, Hong Kong Posts "You see on Capitol Hill, it's filled with a lot of young staffers who are energetic, but they may not know that this publication is owned by a foreign adversary of ours," Hamadeh said. " So, you know, the communist Chinese, it's information warfare that they're conducting on us, psychological operations and there's a reason why they're passing it out for free. They're trying to influence the highest echelons of the United States government and it's unacceptable." China Daily has drawn the ire of conservatives over the last few years, including criticism from then GO Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now Trump's Secretary of State, who last year called on mainstream media CEOs to sever ties with the English-language newspaper owned by the CCP. Rubio said China Daily's goal is to "subvert U.S. news media by amplifying the goals and ambitions of the party." The outlet has published several articles claiming the U.S.'s "anti-China" reporting on the persecution of Xinjiang Uyghurs is an "outright lie." "I want to get a vote on the record to see what other members of Congress, how they feel about a foreign publication like the China Daily being passed to their offices," Hamadeh told Fox News Digital. "Nobody is saying that they don't have to read the China Daily if they want to read it on their own privately, if they want to pay for a subscription, that's fine. But to have it passed around through taxpayer dollars is unacceptable and to have them pass it around using our resources is unacceptable." Hamadeh told Fox News Digital he hopes to have bipartisan support for his bill to rid Congress of "foreign propaganda." "Remember what Joe Biden was so focused on, he got rid of the New York Post at the White House, one of the oldest newspapers in existence in the United States," Hamadeh said. "He got rid of The New York Post. And yet here we are allowing the China Daily to freely operate in the halls of Congress. It's unacceptable." "We understand that communist China is a threat. I understand it very well in Arizona. My district has all the Taiwanese companies moving into the district away from the sphere of China's influence for a reason. So, you know, this is a start. There is obviously legislation out there that people are doing at a state level and even at the federal level. Some of them are trying to ban the ability for the communist Chinese to buy our farmlands and to buy land near our key assets like military bases. This is common sense, and that's why I'm introducing it, because it should be an easy it should be an easy resolution to pass."Original article source: Freshman GOP lawmaker targets 'propaganda' from top adversary in first bill of congressional career
Fox News
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Freshman GOP lawmaker targets 'propaganda' from top adversary in first bill of congressional career
FIRST ON FOX: Freshman GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh has introduced his first piece of legislation as a lawmaker aimed at combatting the Chinese communist government's influence in the halls of Congress. Hamadeh, who was sworn in to represent Arizona's 8th Congressional District in Congress last month, introduced a bill that would prohibit China Daily and other CCP-backed publications from House facilities and spoke to Fox News Digital about his reasoning for the move. "The first day I came into my office, I looked and I had a bunch of newspapers on my desk from the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and included in it was The China Daily," Hamadeh told Fox News Digital. "And, you know, I'm looking at it like, 'Why do we get the China Daily?' And after researching it, we discovered that this was a Chinese communist owned newspaper that's a registered foreign agent." "And I just find it unacceptable that it's being passed around the halls of Congress for free, using our internal mail system, using third parties to pass out the propaganda. So, honestly, it was my first welcome to Congress and that's kind of why I think I honed in on it to be my first piece of legislation because I don't think we should have foreign propaganda in the halls of Congress." The legislation would call on the Chief Administrative Officer of the House to immediately cease the distribution of CCP state-run media material and restrict the spread of the materials on House email while still allowing members to maintain private access if they wish. Hamadeh told Fox News Digital that the "reason why the Chinese are doing it is because they know that they can influence members of Congress, they can influence their staff." "You see on Capitol Hill, it's filled with a lot of young staffers who are energetic, but they may not know that this publication is owned by a foreign adversary of ours," Hamadeh said. " So, you know, the communist Chinese, it's information warfare that they're conducting on us,psychological operations and there's a reason why they're passing it out for free. They're trying to influence the highest echelons of the United States government and it's unacceptable." China Daily has drawn the ire of conservatives over the last few years including criticism from then GO Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now Trump's Secretary of State, who last year called on mainstream media CEOs to sever ties with the English-language newspaper owned by the CCP. Rubio said China Daily's goal is to "subvert U.S. news media by amplifying the goals and ambitions of the party." The outlet has published several articles claiming the U.S.'s "anti-China" reporting on the persecution of Xinjiang Uyghurs is an "outright lie." "I want to get a vote on the record to see what other members of Congress, how they feel about a foreign publication like the China Daily being passed to their offices," Hamadeh told Fox News Digital. "Nobody is saying that they don't have to read the China Daily if they want to read it on their own privately, if they want to pay for a subscription, that's fine. But to have it passed around through taxpayer dollars is unacceptable and to have them pass it around using our resources is unacceptable." Hamadeh told Fox News Digital he hopes to have bipartisan support for his bill to rid Congress of "foreign propaganda." "Remember what Joe Biden was so focused on, he got rid of the New York Post at the White House, one of the oldest newspapers in existence in the United States," Hamadeh said. "He got rid of The New York Post. And yet here we are allowing the China Daily to freely operate in the halls of Congress. It's unacceptable." "We understand that communist China is a threat. I understand it very well in Arizona. My district has all the Taiwanese companies moving into the district away from the sphere of China's influence for a reason. So, you know, this is a start. There is obviously legislation out there that people are doing at a state level and even at the federal level. Some of them are trying to ban the ability for the communist Chinese to buy our farmlands and to buy land near our key assets like military bases. This is common sense, and that's why I'm introducing it, because it should be an easy it should be an easy resolution to pass."
