Southwest
Texas Gov Greg Abbott calls for CAIR to be stripped of non-profit status
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on the state’s attorney general to strip the Council on American-Islamic Relations of its non-profit status Thursday.
Abbott made the request in a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton that was released by the governor’s office. The letter also urges Paxton to prevent CAIR and its affiliates from operating in Texas.
“Under Texas law, the Texas Attorney General is the only elected official charged with regulating nonprofits that may be violating the law,” Abbott wrote, calling on Paxton to take action.
Paxton’s office says it is already investigating two school districts for ties to the Islamic Games of North America, a group that works regularly with CAIR.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS DEMAND TREASURY PROBE CAIR OVER ALLEGED HAMAS TIES AND TERRORISM CONCERNS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for a crackdown on CAIR. (Antranik Tavitian/Reuters)
“The spread of radical Islam in Texas must be stopped, and if school districts are continuing to promote or partner with organizations tied to an FTO, that ends now,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not materially supporting activities by Islamist terrorists in violation of Texas law.”
Abbott has previously called on school districts to sever ties with CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. He argues the organizations cannot legally operate on public school property, according to Click2Houston.
“Voluminous documents detail the dangers posed to Texans by the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR and their affiliates,” Abbott said in a statement. “Regardless of the facade CAIR attempts to portray in press releases, CAIR cannot be allowed to use its ‘nonprofit’ status as a shield for sponsoring terror, advancing radical Islamism in Texas or fronting for the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The same goes for other entities pretending to engage in charity by day, while sponsoring terror by night.”
FLORIDA’S CAIR THREATENS LAWSUIT AGAINST DESANTIS AFTER HE LABELS GROUP A ‘FOREIGN TERRORIST’ ORGANIZATION
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking action against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
CAIR has denied accusations from Abbott’s office, including that the organization is a front for Hamas. The group called Abbott “desperate” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Greg Abbott has spent several years trying and failing to silence Texans who dared to criticize the waste of American taxpayer dollars on the Israeli government’s crimes,” a CAIR spokesman said.
“While CAIR’s legal team deals with Mr. Abbott’s antics in a court of law, CAIR-Texas remains squarely focused on protecting free speech, religious freedom and civil rights for all Texans.”
CAIR says it has sued Abbott “to block his unconstitutional proclamation targeting our Texas chapter.”
Abbott’s call comes weeks after the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith referred CAIR’s California chapter to the IRS for investigation. His referral cited alleged misuse of taxpayer funds, potential violations of federal law and support for unlawful activity.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith is urging the IRS to investigate whether a California-based chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations should lose its tax-exempt status. (Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
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“Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right,” Smith, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital earlier this month. “Organizations that receive special treatment under the tax code must follow the law and operate in the public interest, not bankroll illegal activity, mislead federal agencies or misuse hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]
WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence
A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.
The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.
Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.
The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.
“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”
According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.
“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.
“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”
Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.
“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”
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A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)
The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.
“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.
“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.
Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.
“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.
“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended its particle pollution advisory as smoke from the warehouse fire in Boyle Heights continues to affect air quality across the region. Officials said the incident remains fluid, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is continuing to monitor conditions. Residents are urged to follow […]
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