Pfluger announces legislation, hearing to tackle terror threats caused by online radicalization
Mar. 3—WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, introduced legislation and announced a hearing for this Tuesday to examine how foreign terrorist organizations use the internet and emerging technology to recruit, radicalize, and inspire attacks in the homeland.
Pfluger introduced the "Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act," which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the U.S. posed by terrorist organizations like ISIS and al Qaeda, utilizing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications for terroristic activity.
This Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence will hold a hearing entitled "The Digital Battlefield: How Terrorists Use the Internet and Online Networks for Recruitment and Radicalization." Witnesses for the hearing will be announced here.
"With a resurgence of emboldened terrorist organizations across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, emerging technology serves as a potent weapon in their arsenal. More than two decades after the September 11 terrorist attacks, foreign terrorist organizations now utilize cloud-based platforms, like Telegram or TikTok, as well as artificial intelligence in their efforts to radicalize, fundraise, and recruit on U.S. soil," Chairman Pfluger said. "Tragically, the radicalization of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who took 14 innocent lives in New Orleans on New Year's Day, illustrated the deadly impact of terrorist propaganda. As a former fighter pilot who fought against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, bolstering our nation's security posture remains my top priority — and I know it's a top priority for Texans. I am proud to lead this effort to stay ahead of an evolving terror threat landscape before it endangers Americans."
Earlier this year, Chairman Pfluger also reintroduced the "Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act," to require DHS to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats posed to the United States by terrorist organizations like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications like Telegram.
GenAI is a rapidly emerging technology that can produce numerous kinds of content, such as text, images, or audio, when prompted by a user. Foreign terrorist organizations are actively seeking ways to exploit GenAI to support a variety of violent extremist tactics, techniques, and procedures, such as using AI-powered chatbots, to interact with potential recruits. For example, just last year, a group affiliated with al Qaeda launched a workshop to enhance skills in using AI and related software.
Foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications like TikTok and Telegram have allowed their platforms to become a breeding ground for radical extremism. FTOs like Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, al Qaeda, and others frequently use these mobile and desktop applications to recruit new members, fundraise, provoke others to violence, and coordinate terrorist activity. ISIS has even urged its supporters to connect with ISIS contacts on Telegram to discuss matters like travel and plans for carrying out terrorist attacks against Americans.
In 2023, millions of TikTok users viewed videos glorifying Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America," which attempted to promote and justify al-Qaeda's terrorist attack against the United States on September 11, 2001. Pro-ISIS TikTok accounts have also been found celebrating a recent attack in Paris, where a man who had allegedly videotaped a pledge of allegiance to ISIS killed a man and hurt two others using a hammer and a knife.
Homeland Republicans continue to sound the alarm on heightened threats to the homeland from homegrown violent extremists inspired by foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS.
In a briefing earlier this year on the terrorist attack in New Orleans, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed the ISIS-inspired attacker. However, they have not found any evidence that he was directed or tasked by ISIS or any other foreign actor. In videos posted just before the attack, the attacker pledged allegiance to ISIS ideology.
In the wake of the attack, the Committee released an updated "Terror Threat Snapshot" assessment, highlighting the persistent terror threat to America. From April 2021 to January 2025, there were more than 50 prosecuted cases of Jihadist extremism in the U.S.
Chairman Pfluger also recently cosponsored Rep. Morgan Luttrell's (R-TX) "Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act," to require DHS to evaluate the threat posed to the United States by individuals in Syria with ties to FTOs or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization (SDGT).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Videos of Iranians Sharing 'Final Glimpse' of Homes Flood Social Media
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Iranian social media users are sharing pictures and videos of their homes and of Iran in what one described as a "final glimpse" as many flee their homes. It comes as the U.S. has directly entered the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic. The Context The conflict between Israel and Iran has dramatically escalated in recent days. On Saturday evening, President Donald Trump announced military action on Iran and said that the U.S. had attacked sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, marking the first U.S. intervention in the conflict. A banner bearing a painting that represents members of Iranian society on a building in Tehran, with a message that reads in Farsi: "We are all soldiers of Iran" on June 22, 2025. A banner bearing a painting that represents members of Iranian society on a building in Tehran, with a message that reads in Farsi: "We are all soldiers of Iran" on June 22, 2025. AFP via Getty Images What To Know On Monday, June 16, Trump issued a warning telling "everyone" in Tehran to "immediately evacuate" the city. This came after a warning from the Israel Defense Forces, which was shared in a post to their Persian language account on Sunday, June 15, which said that anyone near sites linked to Iran's military should "immediately leave these areas and not return until further notice." Iran itself has a population of 92.4 million, and Tehran has an estimated population of 9.7 million, according to the World Population Review. The account @ayparamobina on TikTok shared a post on the app which included a slideshow of images showing people's homes in Iran. The first image featured a home with bright colorful furniture, books and an open suitcase on the floor, and the following images showed the interiors of different people's homes. The first image had the text overlay "ppl in Tehran are taking one last picture before evacuating their home," and the post itself was captioned, "They are taking a picture in the hope that everything will be the same when they return. a picture to remember home by." The post has been viewed over 5 million times on TikTok alone, and it has also been reshared on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. Speaking to Newsweek via email, one account holder, Mobina, said "As an Iranian, I feel it is essential to clarify something that is often misunderstood from the outside. The people of Iran are now caught in a war that they never wanted." Mobina told Newsweek, "I, and the vast majority of Iranians, do not support this regime." A 2023 poll by the Netherlands-based GAMAAN polling agency found that 15 percent of Iran's population supported the regime. Mobina told Newsweek that the sharing of images "Reflects something very deep about Iranian identity." "People in Iran have always tried to live beautifully, to find joy, and to hold on to their humanity. That desire to create warmth, beauty, and life inside the walls of our homes is part of our culture and who we are," Mobina said. The account @shervin_nila shared a clip of their home in Iran. It had the text overlay, "This may be the last video I've made from our home in Tehran," and was captioned, "All we left behind to come to our hometown for all the plans we had may now be only a memory." It has been viewed over 150,000 times as of reporting. nurrraaaaa_ shared a compilation video on TikTok which featured clips of Iran. It had the text overlay, "Was that the final glimpse of my home?" and was captioned, "didn't realize it might be the last time I'd walk those streets." The account hedziworldtour shared a similar video, which featured clips of Iran and her in the country. It had the text overlay, "The world ended when it happened to my country," and was captioned, "They don't know Iran like I do (I have deep empathy for people of every country that has been through something like this, but words can't describe when it's happening to your own country and loved ones)." It has been viewed a million times at the time of writing. The sharing of these images has also prompted discourse online. The account Saax wrote on ayparamobina's TikTok video "WHY ARE PEOPLE SURPRISED THAT THEY HAVE BEAUTIFUL HOMES THAT LOOK LIKE OURS?! WHAT DO YOU THINK TEHRAN IS???" in a comment liked more than 20,000 times. Hedziworldtour shared a TikTok video addressing this, where she wrote, "Watching people comment about how surprised they are that Iranian homes look like they came out of pinterest bc your country has never been humanized a day in its life." The video has been viewed over half a million times as of reporting. Newsweek has reached out to nurrraaaaa_ and shervin_nila via TikTok, and to Hedziworldtour via email. Israel initially struck Tehran and other cities in "Operation Rising Lion," a campaign it said was designed to preempt a planned Iranian attack and to disrupt its nuclear capabilities, which Iran has said are for peaceful purposes. Following the U.S.'s strike on Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, "The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the U.N. Charter, international law and the NPT [Non-proliferation Treaty] by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations." Following the strike, Trump gave an address to the nation, saying, "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace…Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal." What People Are Saying Mobina told Newsweek via email: "For many Iranians, especially in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, or Shiraz, every detail of their home reflects who they are. The way they arrange their books, the carpets passed down from grandparents, the flowers on the balcony, or the artwork on the walls. "Many have taken and shared those final images of their homes with the hope that they might not be destroyed. That one day, they could return. These last photos are acts of remembrance, hope, and quiet resistance." One social media user wrote in a comment on ayparamobina's TikTok that was liked more than 65,000 times: "It's wild seeing homes that look like they came off Pinterest board in a country that is portrayed so negatively, but the people who live there have to flee their country. It just shows how alike we all are, but how our realities are just so drastically different." What's Next The leadership of Iran under Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei will decide whether to retaliate against the U.S. strikes or enter negotiations. The reactions of global powers Russia and China, both of whom are close to Iran, will also be critical.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
How Trump's trade war has forced me to rediscover my hidden superpower
Like many Americans, I've struggled with the whiplash of President Donald Trump's trade war. Amid the gut punch of Liberation Day, I worried whether to dip into savings to panic-buy bananas, avocados and Parmesan Reggiano. (Ultimately, I resisted, but did stock up on coffee — I'm only human). Since then, each head-spinning tariff update has reopened wounds of childhood material deprivation and pandemic scarcity. As a child, I skipped meals for lack of resources. I have since crafted my life to avoid ever worrying again about another bounced check or missed electric bill. But it's hard to feel empowered in the face of chronic economic chaos. Tariffs are already increasing the prices and availability of essential goods. The situation could become dire when tariffs start to impact access to medications that many Americans with chronic illnesses like me rely on. With my partner recently unemployed, I'm our household's sole earner. We're tracking every penny to make ends meet. To cope, the religious side of me recites the Serenity Prayer: 'God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.' As a sociologist, however, I search for opportunities for individual resistance, no matter how modest, to counter immense social forces. Yes, there's much we can't control. But we can always do something. And lately, I'm discovering that something may be nothing. I've resisted ransacking stores like a doomsday prepper, realizing that I possess a greater power than stuffing my shopping cart: my lifelong frugality. I refuse to let the world's most powerful bully — our president — drive my behavior, nor let billionaires like Mark Cuban or media commentators dictate what I 'should' do, advising me to buy more and buy now. I don't fault anyone's urgency to purchase that new phone, car or early Christmas gifts. But I'm buying as little as possible. And I invite you to join me. In the spirit of never letting a serious crisis go to waste, as former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once wisely counseled, we shouldn't squander this crucial opportunity to modify our consumption habits and reassess what we need compared to what we want. We're overdue for a cultural reset when it comes to our dependence on cheap products and trends like fast fashion that pollute our environment by wasting huge amounts of water and energy while emitting greenhouse gases and leaving us choking on plastic. Those TikTok 'haul' videos come with a steep price. Younger me rolled my eyes at calls to dial back consumerism, such as when a decades-older college classmate lamented the difficulty of finding her son sneakers made without overseas exploited labor. But I grew up. Now I'm that older woman worried about the human and environmental cost of inexpensive goods flooding our marketplace. The truth is that some things shouldn't be so cheap. Years ago, I remember feeling mildly horrified at the mountains of toys in my sister's home. I surmised she'd bought her kids everything we lacked growing up. But visiting friends with young children has confirmed that drowning in toys is now the hallmark of a typical middle-class American childhood. Trump has made repeated statements about the number of dolls he thinks girls should have, saying, 'I don't think a beautiful baby girl that's 11 years old needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls.' Putting aside the ick factor of his patronizing language about gender, morally and logistically, I agree with reducing excess. But that's the only nod I'll give him. Kids will survive with fewer toys. But higher toy prices are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to China, or 'the country that makes all our stuff,' as comedian Stephen Colbert quipped. Imagine the absurd cruelty of telling older adults to survive on only a few of their prescription pills, which are also increasingly manufactured in China. As for the nonessential stuff, I'm proud of my working-class family's survival strategies that I still employ. Growing up, we stretched, scrimped, repaired and saved. Dad scavenged furniture and books from the trash. Mom scoured supermarket sales to feed our family of six, creating a complex shopping list organized around deals from weekly loss leaders. She made everything from after-school snacks to Barbie's outfits. I clumsily sewed my own dresses to wear. Neighborhood mothers donated bags bursting with clothes their kids had outgrown. Thrift stores supplied everything else. I have come to appreciate how this childhood spurred my imagination and creativity. Though we struggled financially, I still learned to be a magician. Thinking and dreaming cost nothing. I conjured images out of thin air and changed reality with the power of my mind. Library books taught me how to be an escape artist, whisking me to faraway worlds. Spending less, not due to necessity but choice, is a quiet yet powerful form of protest. The BuyNothing project, which aims to foster community through a gift economy, promotes a different form of wealth in the connections cultivated among neighbors. Right to repair laws and tool lending libraries can help protect us from obsolescence and forced replacement purchases. We gain more collectively by sharing and giving than accumulating things that clutter our homes and clog our landfills. One of my heroes, photographer Bill Cunningham, famously declined food and drink while working events, explaining, 'Money is the cheapest thing. Liberty is the most expensive.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Agents, some in unmarked cars and street clothes, are arresting L.A. immigrants. Who are they?
Immigration arrests in Los Angeles have been headline news and the subject of legal disputes for the past few weeks, but Angelenos watching the drama play out on television and in their communities may be confused about who exactly is putting people in handcuffs and hauling them off. After all, some of the federal agents involved in the raids are in unmarked vehicles, without visible badges, wearing street clothes and covering their faces. Are they U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or Homeland Security Investigations officials? What is the difference? All these federal agencies are branches of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created to combat terrorism in the United States in the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its duties include responding to natural disasters, terrorism and homeland security threats, enforcing trade laws (by checking goods coming into and out of the U.S.), as well as managing the flow of people and products at U.S. borders. Three branches of Homeland Security carry out the enforcement of these missions: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Federal agents were most recently sighted without identifying clothing or badges, sporting face coverings and armed with pistols at Dodger Stadium's entry gates on Thursday. When protesters learned of the officials' presence and demonstrated outside the stadium, they held signs that read "ICE out of L.A." But the officials outside the stadium were actually U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who "were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement," the agency said. Confused? Immigration officials' way of identifying themselves when conducting operations is by verbally saying they're ICE or Homeland Security agents, Homeland Security officials told The Times in a statement. The federal agency also said immigration agents wear vests that say "ICE/ERO" or "Homeland Security" on them, and the name of their respective department is on either one or both sides of their vehicles. "When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security. So which immigration officials are in Los Angeles and what is their purpose here? Have U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials been in Los Angeles? At the start of the month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided a fashion warehouse in downtown Los Angeles and arrested more than 40 immigrant workers, sparking anti-immigration protests across the county. What is ICE's mission? ICE, along with the agency's Enforcement and Removal Operations officials, identify, arrest, detain and remove immigrants without authorization in the U.S., according to the federal agency's website. ERO agents target public safety threats, the website states, such as convicted criminal undocumented immigrants, gang members and those who "illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges." Read more: What businesses are the feds targeting during L.A. immigration sweeps? Here's what we know Have Homeland Security Investigations officials been in Los Angeles? Two months before immigration officials began aggressive raids across Los Angeles, Homeland Security Investigations officers took part in two separate arrests involving people suspected of being in the country without authorization. In May, HSI officials raided a nightclub and arrested 36 Chinese and Taiwanese individuals there. The location of the club was not disclosed. The officials were also involved in arresting 12 Mexican citizens, suspected of being unlawfully in the U.S. after traveling in a small boat from Mexico to Long Beach. What is HSI's mission? HSI is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security and a branch within Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security Investigations focuses on investigating crime "on a global scale — at home, abroad and online," according to the Homeland Security website. This department conducts federal criminal investigations into the illegal movement of people, goods, money, drugs, weapons, and illegal technology exports and intellectual property crime into and out of the United States. Officials also investigate crimes such as child exploitation, human trafficking, financial fraud and scams. Read more: Federal officials arrived, denied entry at L.A. schools amid immigration enforcement fears Have U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials been in Los Angeles? On Thursday, McLaughlin confirmed that CBP officials 'arrested 30 illegal aliens in Hollywood, California, and 9 illegal aliens in San Fernando and Pacoima.' In Hollywood, officers raided the parking lot of a Home Depot where laborers and food vendors worked. What is CBP's mission? U.S. Customs and Border Patrol maintains traffic at checkpoints along highways leading from border areas, conducting city patrols, transportation check and anti-smuggling operations, according to its website. It monitors international boundaries and coastlines in areas of Border Patrol jurisdiction to intercept illegal entry and smuggling of unauthorized individuals into the U.S. CBP officials carry out traffic checks on major highways leading away from the border to detect and apprehend unauthorized individuals into the United States and detect illegal narcotics. There are two other federal agencies on the streets: Officials vowed to send at least 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. So far, they have mainly protected federal buildings. It's unclear how many are now on the ground. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday to leave troops in Los Angeles in the hands of the Trump administration while California's objections are litigated in federal court. California officials argued the National Guard was not needed. The federal government has also deployed some U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. The U.S. Northern Command, which oversees troops based in the United States, said the Marines will work with National Guard troops under 'Task Force 51' — the military's designation of the Los Angeles forces. The Marines, like the Guard, they said, 'have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and rules for the use of force.' Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot told The Times earlier this month that the Marines in Los Angeles were limited in their authority, deployed only to defend federal property and federal personnel. They do not have arrest power, he said. Local officials have also opposed having Marines in L.A. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
