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'Death to America' rapidly emerging as key slogan of anti-Israel agitators in US

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The slogan “Death to America” is seemingly gaining steam among anti-Israel agitators, who have swept across the nation.

The anti-Israel demonstrations that have spread across the country have taken on an anti-American tenor in recent weeks, with students at the University of Michigan who were participating in the protests being given pamphlets titled “10 anarchist theses on Palestine solidarity in the United States,” which included a page that stated, “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.”

The pamphlets come as anti-Israel protests have continued to gain steam, leading to multiple days-long “encampments” at some of the most elite colleges and universities in the United States.

But such rhetoric has not been limited to college campuses, with similar slogans being chanted in nearby Dearborn, Michigan, during a recent rally on the last Friday of Ramadan.

‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ PAMPHLETS CIRCULATED AT COLLEGE ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT, EYEWITNESS SAYS

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One page of a pamphlet made available to students at the University of Michigan encampment states, “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.” (Josh Brown)

“Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Al-Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shouts upon the head of America,” Tarek Bazzi, a Michigan-based activist associated with the Hadi institute, said in a video before leading rallygoers in chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

The protests have spread at a rapid pace since a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October, becoming part of a growing movement that one expert believes can be traced in part to wavering support for Israel among top Democrats.

“The recent change of possible U.S. policy … the pressure that Biden is under, and then also Democrats going down from Senator Schumer to Pelosi, people that have been very stalwart, always pro-Israel seem to be turning,” Steven Stalinsky, the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Fox News Digital.

While the protests have been called “mostly peaceful,” participants in the demonstrations have been heard making antisemitic chants or rallying in support of the terrorist group Hamas.

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Pelosi Biden Schumer

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

“We are Hamas!” protesters at Columbia University in New York City were heard chanting at one recent demonstration.

TOP DEMS TURN ON ISRAEL AFTER BIDEN CALL WITH NETANYAHU

The “Death to America” chants in Dearborn came amid a movement to deny President Biden reelection over his handling of the conflict in Gaza, with organizations such as “Listen to Michigan” and “Abandon Biden” leading a charge that saw over 100,000 voters mark “uncommitted” on their ballots instead of supporting the president in the state’s Democratic Primary in February.

Biden seemingly responded to some of that pressure earlier this month, holding a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the president threatened a change in U.S. policy toward Gaza if Israel does not do more to protect civilians during the conflict.

Biden noted the need for an “immediate cease-fire” according to a White House readout of the call, a longtime demand of activists in Dearborn.

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Dozens of Democrats followed the president’s lead following the call, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joining 36 House Democrats in calling for a halt to U.S. weapons shipments to Israel.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Israel to hold new elections to defeat Netenyahu, saying the Jewish state “cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”

University of Michigan anti-Israel encampment

The anti-Israel encampment is shown on the University of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 22, 2024. (Josh Brown)

DEARBORN ‘UNCOMMITTEDS’ PLAN TO MAKE ‘EXAMPLE’ OF BIDEN, TURN PARTY AGAINST JEWISH STATE

The White House and Pelosi’s and Schumer’s offices did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Representatives from Listen to Michigan and Abandon Biden told Fox News Digital that such chants represent a minority of the Dearborn community, arguing that most of the largely Arab and Muslim population in the area are peaceful and that such chants represent a vocal minority.

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The chants of “Death to America” were also rebuked by a Dearborn-area imam, who told Fox News Digital that he had personally confronted a local protester who chanted the slogan.

“I am absolutely against saying ‘Death to America,’” Islamic House of Wisdom Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi said, later adding that Muslims in the area are “not for death,” but for “love.”

Mohammad Ali Elahi, a Dearborn imam, is pictured here

Mohammad Ali Elahi is seen here (Michael Lee/Fox News Digital)

But Stalinsky, who has spent years documenting cases of extremism arising out of Dearborn, argued that such evidence suggests that the community harbors many with anti-Israel and anti-American views.

“There’s definitely support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran,” Stalinsky said of Dearborn.

DEARBORN ACTIVISTS’ PUSH TO BAIL ON BIDEN SPREADS TO OTHER KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES

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Stalinksy pointed out that Elahi himself has long been suspected of having ties to Iran, which resulted in nine members of Congress writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines last year warning of the Iranian regime’s influence in the U.S. Islamic Centers, including Elahi’s Islamic House of Wisdom.

The rhetoric coming out of Dearborn in recent weeks has also caught the attention of the Michigan legislature, with Republican State Rep. Phil Green telling Fox News Digital that the area is “conflicted” and contains “kind, gracious, loving individuals” as well as a “radical side.”

Green said that the conflict in Gaza has now begun to highlight a political divide on the issue, pointing out that a Republican-led effort in the state legislature to condemn terrorism had been unable to pass through the Democratic majority.

“Republicans are united in our support for Israel. We’re also united in our support or in our opposition to any type of terrorism,” Green said, noting that the Democratic “caucus is split … they do not want to support Israel.”

The potential for such a divide has been brewing for a long time, Stalinsky said, arguing that organizations in Dearborn and on college campuses have long propagated anti-Israel and antisemitic messages. 

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Those messages have now been combined by groups who have long been sympathetic to progressive narratives on social injustices in the United States, creating a sort of cross-pollination of messages that has manifested in anti-American and anti-Israel sentiment.

“These groups are having influence on a lot of young, ignorant Americans,” Stalinsky said. “That’s something we really need to be worried about, I think, because they’re mingling with a lot of bad guys, especially online, and that’s such a danger.”

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Illinois

Fleeing a traffic stop is only a misdemeanor in Illinois, and police chiefs want to change that

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Fleeing a traffic stop is only a misdemeanor in Illinois, and police chiefs want to change that


CHICAGO (CBS) — The punishment for taking off during a traffic stop is only a misdemeanor in Illinois—and law enforcement leaders are looking to fight back against such offenses, which amount to an ongoing problem.

Police chiefs across Chicagoland say they need stricter laws, saying more and more drivers take off when officers pull them over. They hope a new push in Springfield will give law enforcement the much-needed backing to stop it.

A crash in Palatine on Thursday, according to police, was the result of a reckless driver. A man behind the wheel of a black sport-utility vehicle was speeding down the street.

In surveillance video, flashing police lights are seen six seconds after the crash on Rand Road—which left four people hospitalized. Police said the driver refused to stop.

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“And this is a dangerous problem for all of our communities,” said Naperville police Chief Jason Arres.

Arrest pointed to an incident that played out just last month in Naperville—when two Naperville police cruisers tried to block in a Mercedes sport-utility vehicle.

The driver rammed into one of the cruisers and took off. Officers pursued.

Yet under current Illinois law, if caught, drivers who bolt from traffic stops would only be eligible to be charged with misdemeanors.

“I think, with the law being a misdemeanor right now, there’s not a lot of accountability or fear of the punishment that comes with a misdemeanor offense,” said Arres.

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Some Illinois state legislators want to change that. Illinois Senate Bill 1807 looks to make “fleeing or attempting to elude” an officer by car a felony.

Chief Arres said such a measure is long overdue—especially looking at the situation in Naperville.

In 2019, Naperville saw 30 vehicles speed off from police, and in four years, Naperville now averages 137 vehicles doing so annually.

“I think a big part of it is, if we’re not chasing, word gets out—’Take off, and they’re not going to chase you,’” Arres said. “So you know, people talk.”

Over in south suburban Lynwood, which sits along the Indiana state line, police Chief Gregory Thomas said drivers take advantage of Illinois law.

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“It’s almost comical,” Thomas said. “When we do certain traffic stops, or we detain subjects, they will ask, ‘Is this Indiana, or is this Illinois?’”

Thomas said drivers know police in Indiana will chase, while Illinois departments face restrictions—and if the drivers do bolt, it is only a misdemeanor.

“The criminal entity understands jurisdiction lines,” said Thomas, “and when the criminal element know that they’re in Illinois – and sometime in particular Cook County – they take advantage of that.”

The chiefs added that most people who take off or elude officers are often trying to hide something illegal in the vehicles.

The state Senate bill would not only make running from police a felony, btu increase jail time anywhere from one to three if convicted.

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Indiana

Nembhard’s late 3 gives Pacers 111-106 victory over Knicks, Indiana moves within 2-1

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Nembhard’s late 3 gives Pacers 111-106 victory over Knicks, Indiana moves within 2-1


INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Nembhard made a 31-foot, tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the banged-up and short-handed New York Knicks 111-106 on Friday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Knicks still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday in Indianapolis. New York led by nine with 9:45 remaining and was in position to take a commanding 3-0 lead, but with Jalen Brunson slowed by a right foot injury, the Knicks couldn’t hold on.

Nembhard scored only five points — all in the final minute — while Haliburton finished with his second straight playoff career high. Pascal Siakam added 26 points and seven rebounds, and Myles Turner had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Donte DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 35 points, going 7 of 11 on 3-pointers. Brunson had 26 points and six rebounds, including a tying 3 with 42 seconds left, but he barely hit the rim on another 3-point try with 13 seconds to go.

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Alec Burks, who came in having played 1 minute in the postseason, scored 14 points in 21 minutes for the Knicks, who played without starting forward OG Anunoby. It’s unclear whether Anunoby can recover from his injured left hamstring to play Sunday, although he traveled with the team to Indianapolis.

The Knicks had already lost All-Star Julius Randle and key contributors Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson to season-ending injuries.

After blowing second-half leads in each of the first two games, it was the Pacers who turned this one around. With New York fans chanting “Let’s Go Knicks” in the Pacers’ arena, Indiana found the finishing kick it lacked earlier this week as new WNBA star Caitlin Clark watched the game from a suite with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, and Indiana Fever teammates.

Haliburton instigated the comeback after Indiana trailed 98-89 with 9:45 to play.

He completed a three-point play and then made back-to-back layups, cutting the deficit to two. Siakam tied the score at 99 with a three-point play with 5:42 left and when DiVincenzo broke free on a fast break, Haliburton helped jar the ball loose. Siakam responded by making one of two free throws to give Indiana a 100-99 lead at the 5:42 mark.

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The teams traded the lead four more times, and Brunson’s 3 made it 106-all. Nembhard connected as the shot clock expired, the Pacers’ defense got the stop it needed, and Aaron Nesmith closed it out with two free throws.





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Iowa

Heavy police presence in Onawa, IA, DCI on scene

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Heavy police presence in Onawa, IA, DCI on scene


ONAWA, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was on scene investigating an incident in the town of Onawa, Iowa Friday night.

A heavy police presence, including Monona County Sheriff’s Office Deputies along with the DCI, was seen on Granite Avenue for multiple hours, close to Burgess Medical Center and West Monona High School. Crime scene tape was put up in front of a home on that street and a truck was loaded up and towed off of the property around 9:30 p.m. A section of Granite Avenue is closed to traffic while the investigation is underway.

Deputies on scene tell KTIV officers from the DCI are conducting an investigation.

This is a developing story, we will continue to update this article as more details become available.

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