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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the halting of all construction on EPIC City, a planned Islamic settlement near Dallas.
👥 Who’s Involved: Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the East Plano Islamic Center, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
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📍 Where & When: Announcement made on Sunday; project located outside Dallas, Texas.
💬 Key Quote: “Texas has halted any construction of EPIC City. There is no construction taking place. The state of Texas has launched about a half dozen investigations into this project. That includes criminal investigations. And, the U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating.” – Governor Greg Abbott.
⚠️ Impact: Multiple investigations launched into EPIC City, including potential violations of constitutional rights and state laws.
IN FULL:
Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) has announced that all construction on EPIC City, a proposed development near Dallas, Texas, designed exclusively for Muslims, has been halted. Abbott confirmed the decision on Sunday in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating the project is under investigation for potential legal violations.
“Texas has halted any construction of EPIC City,” Abbott stated. “There is no construction taking place. The state of Texas has launched about a half dozen investigations into this project. That includes criminal investigations. And, the U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating.”
The planned development, centered around the East Plano Islamic Center, had drawn scrutiny for allegedly intending to impose sharia law on its residents and for reportedly planning to exclude non-Muslims from purchasing or renting property. Critics,have raised concerns about potential constitutional violations. Cornyn is currently facing a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), with the latter leading in early polls.
“A master-planned ‘community of thousands of Muslims’ could violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans,” Cornyn noted, adding that such a project could discriminate against non-Muslim minorities. He called for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether the development would provide equal protection under the law for all residents.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also announced his office is examining communications between the East Plano Islamic Center and officials in nearby towns, including Plano, Richardson, and Wylie. Paxton emphasized the importance of transparency, stating, “If any local official is supporting or communicating with a real estate development that is under investigation for potential violations of state law, then it’s imperative that we are made aware of exactly what’s being communicated.”
The controversy surrounding EPIC City comes amid broader concerns about similar developments in Texas. Colony Ridge, a massive community near Houston, has faced criticism for allegedly becoming a hub for illegal immigrants and crime. That development is also under investigation by federal and state authorities.
Governor Abbott noted that over a dozen state agencies are involved in investigating EPIC City, particularly whether its reported practices of religious-based housing discrimination would violate Texas law. The investigations remain ongoing.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer on Amazon’s Twitch with over six million followers across social media, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Piker, who openly backs Houthi attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea, claims he was targeted for his views on foreign policy and stance against President Donald J. Trump.
👥 Who’s Involved: Hasan Piker, CBP officials, U.S. government spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, and the Trump administration.
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📍 Where & When: Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless,” U.S. government official Tricia McLaughlin posted on X (formerly Twitter).
⚠️ Impact: Piker’s detention underscores the Trump administration’s firm stance on national security, prioritizing scrutiny of individuals with terrorist sympathies.
IN FULL:
Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, a top streamer on Amazon’s Twitch platform, was detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday. Piker, boasting over six million followers across social media, openly supports the Houthis—a designated terrorist organization operating out of Yemen—and their attacks on civilian shipping and sailors. Piker, who was raised in Turkey, previously said that “America deserved 9/11” and stated Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who lost an eye during a deployment in Iraq, “literally los[t] his eye because some mujahideen—a brave f***ing soldier—f***ed his eye hole with their d**k.”
Piker, returning from France, complained on X (formerly Twitter) that CBP officials quizzed him about his views on Trump, Israel, the Houthis, and Hamas, claiming the “insane situation” was an attempt to “silence” him. “It’s very obvious that they knew exactly who I was,” he told followers, framing the inspection as a political witch hunt.
U.S. officials denied Piker’s claims, with spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin saying he was “lying for likes,” and adding: “Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless.” The CBP added, “Our officers are following the law, not agendas,” and that Piker was released promptly after a lawful check.
Notably, Piker is not merely pro-Palestinian or anti-Trump. In a recent debate with Ethan Klein, a liberal YouTuber, Piker stated, “I believe what the Houthis are doing… to implement a blockade on the Red Sea, is a good thing, ten toes f***ing down. They are on the morally right side.”
Of an incident in which Houthi terrorists hijacked a civilian vessel and held a number of Filipino sailors hostage for around a year, Piker said, “It is a show of force to stop other… commercial shipping from going through. They literally bankrupted an entire Israeli port, I’d say that’s numbers on the f***ing board, baby.”
As recently as March, Piker told his followers, “If you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott, OK?” Last April, responding to comments by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) on anti-Israel protestors, Piker shared an image of an improvised firearm design, in what was widely interpreted as a call to assassinate the GOP lawmaker.
Hasan Piker, one of the very top streamers on Amazon’s Twitch platform, openly endorses the Houthis—a designated terrorist organization—attacking civilian ships and kidnapping random Filipino sailors. (Note that Twitch banned Trump for well over three years for his “rhetoric.”) pic.twitter.com/emVBy4XR95
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) May 5, 2025
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