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CEP Mentions
The Guardian: US leader of global neo-Nazi terrorist group signals retribution for arrests
“This cell was particularly serious,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism researcher at the Counter Extremism Project who keeps tabs on the digital accounts of the Base. “It should be noted that the group’s cell in Spain had its own public Telegram channel, which is unusual, where they repeatedly called on others to join the group, shared photos of weapons training and urged militant action.”
Analysis
Iran International: How Iran's theocratic rule takes hits but persists
A lopsided war with Israel and the United States in June rattled Iran’s political order, but it survives through smarter coercion and the disarray of forces that might otherwise bring it down. Internal contestation is harsher than at any time in recent memory, with competing factions trying to preserve or redefine their place in a system that has lost the capacity for reform or institutional expansion.
The Conversation: Far-right extremists have been organizing online since before the internet – and AI is their next frontier
How can society police the global spread of online far-right extremism while still protecting free speech? That’s a question policymakers and watchdog organizations confronted as early as the 1980s and ’90s – and it hasn’t gone away. Decades before artificial intelligence, Telegram and white nationalist Nick Fuentes’ livestreams, far-right extremists embraced the early days of home computing and the internet. These new technologies offered them a bastion of free speech and a global platform. They could share propaganda, spew hatred, incite violence and gain international followers like never before.
United States
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: JD Vance rejects claim that antisemitism is growing inside the GOP, breaking his silence on the topic
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he does not believe antisemitism is surging inside the Republican Party, pushing back on prominent conservatives who have raised alarms about hostility toward Jews among young right-wing activists. “I do think it’s important to call this stuff out when I see it. I also, when I talk to young conservatives, I don’t see some simmering antisemitism that’s exploding,” Vance told NBC News in an interview marking his first year in office.
Fox News: Pirro calls suspected DC pipe bomber ‘quiet,’ reveals insight into his ‘low-key’ personal life
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro revealed insight into the personal life of the suspect in connection to pipe bombs planted in Washington, D.C., and what the FBI found in his home on "The Ingraham Angle." Federal authorities arrested 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. of Virginia on Thursday morning after a nearly five-year-long investigation involving "millions of pieces of data."
Afghanistan International: Afghan Detained In US Is ‘Not A Terrorist’, Says Former Afghan Army Commander
A former senior commander of the Afghan National Army has rejected allegations against Jahan Shah Safi, an Afghan refugee arrested in the United States on suspicion of links to ISIS-K, saying he is “not a terrorist.” Sami Sadat, the former Deputy Chief of the Afghan Army, said Safi had led counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and ISIS-K in Afghanistan and argued that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should immediately release him and issue an apology.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Senate Foreign Relations Committee advances Yehuda Kaploun as antisemitism envoy, with some dissent
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun moved a step closer to becoming the next U.S. antisemitism envoy on Wednesday, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to advance his nomination in a divided 14-8 tally that reflected the partisan tensions surrounding his bid.
Associated Press: Man accused of planting pipe bombs before Jan. 6 Capitol attack is charged with explosives offenses
The FBI on Thursday arrested a man accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack, an abrupt breakthrough in an investigation that for years flummoxed law enforcement and spawned conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, 2021.
Iran International: Rubio says Venezuela is ‘anchor’ for Iran’s IRGC, Hezbollah in Americas
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast Venezuela as a regional platform for Iranian influence, describing Nicolás Maduro’s government as a narcotics transit hub that hosts Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Rubio, speaking in a Fox News interview broadcast on Tuesday, said: “Iran, it’s IRGC, and even Hezbollah has a presence in South America, and one of their anchor presence – especially for the Iranians – is inside of Venezuela.”
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: 2 arrested after pro-Palestinian protest disrupts event on LA synagogue campus
The mayor of Los Angeles has denounced as “abhorrent” and antisemitic a protest that disrupted an event held Wednesday on the campus of the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple, one of the largest synagogues in the city. Two people were arrested during the incident, which took place after pro-Palestinian activists who were protesting outside the synagogue entered an event featuring Jewish security professionals and disrupted it.
Fox News: Mamdani says NYPD commissioner apologized after her brother called him 'enemy' of the Jewish people at gala
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch personally apologized to his team after her brother described him as an "enemy" of the Jewish people during a high-profile charity dinner in Manhattan on Wednesday night. Speaking at his Cocoa Chat community meeting, Mamdani stressed that the apology was received and that he intends to govern for all New Yorkers.
Reuters: Harvard professor arrested by US immigration agents after firing pellet gun near synagogue
U.S. immigration authorities arrested a visiting professor at Harvard Law School this week after he pleaded guilty to discharging a pellet gun outside a Massachusetts synagogue the day before Yom Kippur, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday. Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian citizen, was arrested on Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his temporary nonimmigrant visa was revoked by the U.S. State Department following what President Donald Trump's administration labeled an "anti-Semitic shooting incident" — a description at odds with how local authorities have described the case.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Sen. Van Hollen draws criticism after calling local Jewish leader an ‘apologist for the Netanyahu government’
An unusual direct attack by Sen. Chris Van Hollen on a local Jewish leader over Israel has elicited strong criticism from Jewish voices — as well as a passionate defense from a Jewish progressive. “I am stunned, offended, and frankly angry at Senator Van Hollen’s personal attack on Ron,” said William Daroff, chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, referring to Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
Times of Israel: NYC Mayor Adams signs anti-BDS order weeks before Mamdani takes office
New York City Mayor Adams on Tuesday signed executive orders that oppose divestment from Israel and protests at houses of worship, presenting a challenge to the far-left anti-Israel activist Zohran Mamdani weeks before Mamdani takes office. Adams’s Executive Order No. 60 prohibits mayoral agencies and mayoral appointees who make decisions about contracts from discriminating against Israel, Israeli citizens, or individuals who are “associated with Israel.”
France
Naharnet: France reportedly working on keeping int'l force on Syria border, few observers in south
France is seriously leading a project to keep UNIFIL’s international forces in Lebanon under a new mandate that includes comprehensive supervision of the Lebanese border with Syria while maintaining a limited number of observers on the southern border, informed sources said. The recent visit of the French presidential envoy to Lebanon, Anne-Claire Legendre, was primarily aimed at offering "France's services" to sponsor a Lebanese-Syrian dialogue for the purpose of demarcating the land and sea borders between the two countries, the sources told al-Akhbar newspaper.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany: Far-right AfD lawmakers accused of insulting women
When Health Minister Nina Warken takes her seat on the government bench in the Bundestag, she finds herself in close proximity with the parliamentary group of the largest opposition party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)."I can hear much more than what makes it into the official record. There are condescending, derogatory comments about women," Warken of the ruling center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told media group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
United Kingdom
Times of Israel: Accused of antisemitism, BBC orders staff to undergo anti-discrimination training
Following widespread criticism of how it broadcast Israel’s war in Gaza, the BBC ordered all staff members on Wednesday to complete a training course on antisemitism, as well as one on Islamophobia. According to a note sent by BBC Director-General Tim Davie, staff will have six months to complete the e-learning courses.
Reuters: Man jailed in UK for sending antisemitic abuse to Jewish lawmaker
A man who sent hundreds of abusive messages to a Jewish lawmaker in Britain, including references to "killing Jews," has been jailed for eight weeks, prosecutors said on Thursday. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Kevin Smith, 61, sent roughly 300 text messages and three voicemails to the office of Labour lawmaker Alex Sobel, who said the messages were deeply disturbing and left him fearing for his and his family's safety.
Independent: Four arrested as part of investigation into extreme right-wing terrorism
Four people have been arrested in Eastbourne and Brighton as part of an investigation into extreme right-wing terrorism, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said. The arrests were carried out by specialist officers on Thursday as part of a planned intelligence-led operation into extreme right-wing terrorism.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: US-Left Weapons Not Enough To Sustain Their Rule, Says Taliban
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said during a ceremony in Paktia that modern warfare is driven by technology and that the group must strengthen its capabilities accordingly. He said the Taliban could not preserve their system using only the weapons left behind by the United States.
Afghanistan International: Border Crossings Will Reopen Only With Pakistan Guarantees, Says Taliban
The Taliban say Afghanistan–Pakistan trade routes will reopen only if Islamabad provides firm guarantees that the crossings will no longer be used for political or economic pressure. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, wrote on X on Thursday, 4 December, that the administration had decided the routes would reopen only after receiving “strong guarantees” from Pakistan. He said these guarantees must ensure the passages will not be closed “for political pressure, illegal misuse or coercion of the people,” and that the rights of traders and citizens on both sides will be protected.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Wall Street Journal: Prominent Anti-Hamas Militia Leader Killed in Gaza
The head of the most prominent anti-Hamas militia backed by Israel in Gaza has been killed, removing a key figure in a policy to build up armed alternatives to the militant group. Yasser Abu Shabab, the young leader of a militia called the Popular Force, which holds sway in a small slice of territory in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, was shot and killed while intervening in a Palestinian clan dispute, his militia said late Thursday. Israeli security officials also said he succumbed to wounds suffered during internal fighting among clans in Gaza.
Associated Press: A single hostage remains in Gaza after identification of Thai worker’s remains
Remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel were those of Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, Israeli and Thai officials said Thursday. The confirmation brought the first phase of Gaza’s tenuous 8-week-old ceasefire a step closer to completion, with one more hostage’s remains still to be returned. The subsequent phases under a U.S.-drafted, U.N.-backed plan for Gaza remain deeply uncertain. There has been no word on how provisions for Hamas’ disarmament will be carried out, or how a planned international administration and security force will be established.
Times of Israel: US seeking to declare transition to phase 2 of its Gaza plan in coming weeks — official
US President Donald Trump’s administration is aiming to announce the transition to the second phase of its Gaza peace plan in about two weeks, as Washington aims to maintain a fragile ceasefire it brokered between Israel and Hamas nearly two months ago.
Iraq
Times of Israel: Iraq backtracks after listing Hezbollah and Houthis as terror groups
Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Funds said Thursday that it would correct an official list of designated terrorist organizations following furor from pro-Iran figures in the country over the inclusion of Hezbollah and the Houthis. Both groups, based in Lebanon and Yemen, respectively, are backed by Iran and seek Israel’s destruction. Iran has vast influence over policies in neighboring Iraq.
Iran
Iran International: Khamenei post on Western income inequality raises hackles on X
Apost on X by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's highlighting income inequality between women and men in the West stoked criticism by users who pointed to the Islamic theocracy's record on women's rights. “In many Western countries today, women are paid less than men for doing the same work." Khamenei’s official English-language account posted on Wednesday. "That’s how they are today, which is totally unjust.”
Israel
Associated Press: The last hostage in Gaza was captured while fighting to save a kibbutz
There were hundreds, then dozens, and then just a few. Now there’s one Israeli hostage left in Gaza: Ran Gvili. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known affectionately as “Rani,” was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. After a series of ceasefire-mandated exchanges of hostages for Palestinians held by Israel, Gvili’s body still has not been recovered.
Jerusalem Post: Hostages as leverage: Iran's secret demand aimed at crippling Israel's agriculture – exclusive
Iran offered Thailand help in securing the release of Thai hostages held in Hamas captivity on the condition that Bangkok label Israel an “unsafe country” and instruct its tens of thousands of agricultural workers working there to leave immediately, two sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
Lebanon
Reuters: Israel says it strikes two south Lebanon towns
Israel's military said it struck targets in two southern Lebanese towns on Thursday after ordering the evacuation of two buildings it alleged were being used by Hezbollah militants.
About an hour after the initial warning, the army's Arabic spokesperson issued another notice instructing residents of buildings in two other towns to leave.
Naharnet: Lebanese Army defends loyalty of its soldiers
The Lebanese Army on Thursday refuted Iranian allegations about the affiliation and loyalty of some of its soldiers. “The Army Command categorically denies these reports and affirms that all its members adhere to a clear and unwavering military doctrine and are completely loyal to the military institution and the country,” it said in a statement.
Naharnet: UN Security Council delegation to visit Lebanon Friday 'at crucial time'
A United Nations Security Council delegation will visit Lebanon on Friday and Saturday after visiting Syria in the first-ever visit to the country. Slovenian U.N. ambassador Samuel Zbogar told a press conference on Monday that "the visit to Lebanon is the first official visit of the Security Council to the Middle East in six years".
Naharnet: What did pope Leo say about Hezbollah's arms?
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Pope Leo XIV said he had read a letter from Hezbollah but that he prefers not to comment on it, adding that the Church proposes that Hezbollah disarm and seek dialogue instead. The pope said that peaceful solutions would be more productive and better for the Lebanese people, and vowed to keep on working to convince parties in Lebanon to disarm and choose dialogue instead of violence.
Reuters: Hezbollah's Qassem says sending civilian delegate to ceasefire talks is concession to Israel
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday criticised the Lebanese government's decision to send a civilian delegate to the ceasefire committee, calling it a "free concession" to Israel and a clear violation of previous government positions. On Wednesday, both Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to a military committee monitoring their ceasefire, marking an expansion in the scope of talks between the two nations.
Burkina Faso
Associated Press: Burkina Faso plans to restore death penalty for treason, terrorism, espionage
Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers has adopted a bill to restore the death penalty, targeting offenses such as treason, terrorism and espionage, authorities said. “The adoption of this bill is part of reforms ... to have a justice that responds to the deep aspirations of our people,” Minister of Justice Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said in a Facebook post late Thursday. The death penalty was abolished in the country in 2018.
Australia
Reuters: Oprah Winfrey praises Australia's social media ban for children
American talk show host Oprah Winfrey has praised Australia's decision to ban social media for under-16s from next week, saying the move would help young people socialise more. The law, due to take effect on December 10, will block children and teenagers from platforms such as TikTok, Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Instagram and Snap's (SNAP.N), opens new tab Snapchat. The government says the ban will protect young people from harmful content and online predators.
Technology
Reuters: Australia says the world will follow social media ban as Meta starts blocking teens
Australia's internet regulator said a teen social media ban would be the first domino to fall in a global push to rein in Big Tech, as Meta's Instagram, Facebook and Threads began locking out hundreds of thousands of accounts ahead of a deadline next week. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she had initially expressed concern about the "blunt-force" approach of blocking under-16s from social media but she had come to embrace it after incremental regulatory changes were not effective enough.
The Verge: The far right is mobilizing against Trump AI czar David Sacks
Washington lawmakers had barely finished processing the news that Congress would not put a state AI law ban into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) when a new rumor began trickling out of the White House on Wednesday: President Donald Trump would, indeed, sign an executive order that would ostensibly assign the federal government the ability to punish states for writing their own AI laws.
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