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June 26, 2023
Jack Montgomery
News

DeSantis Announces ‘BIG’ New Policy… But It’s Just ‘Build The Wall’.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis announced on Monday what was touted as a “big” new policy: Build The Wall.

It’s a moment observers are already lampooning as a direct rip-off of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, with other Trump White House-era policies thrown in for good measure: “stop the invasion”, “hold the cartels accountable”, and the vague insistence that DeSantis will “work with states to enforce the law”.

The DeSantis border plan adds “no excuses” to the end of a tepid policy announcement video, with a pledge to go “beyond Trump.”

But many of the proposals appear to be either carbon copies of Trump policies, including, the top bullet points on “end[ing] catch-and-release” and “reimpos[ing] Remain in Mexico.” The details are so similar that they could’ve been lifted directly from the Trump campaign website, which opens by stating that the former president will “again end catch-and-release [and] restore Remain in Mexico”.

Other details also appear to be plagiarized from the 45th President.

DeSantis pledges he will “declare the Mexican drug cartels to be Transnational Criminal Organizations” and “authorize sanctions” on them, while Trump has pledged to “designate cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations” and “impose a total naval embargo on cartels [and] order the Department of Defense to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership and operations” to take them down “just as [the Trump administration] took down ISIS”.

“DeSantis is copying and pasting President Trump’s Agenda47 policy plan because he doesn’t have an original idea of his own,” Trump’s team scoffed on social media. The announcements were made in Eagle Pass, Texas, as the Florida Governor scrambles to breathe life into his faltering campaign.

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
While the story is humorous, it goes to the heart of the amateurishness of the DeSantis team
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While the story is humorous, it goes to the heart of the amateurishness of the DeSantis team show more
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By Popular Demand.
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3 minutes ago
Christopher Tomlinson
UK
War

Farage: Iranian Refugees Must Stay in Middle East.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has stated that Britain cannot handle a wave of Iranian refugees, and that they should be accommodated in the Middle East.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nigel Farage, Iranian migrants, and the British public.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Farage made his comments on March 2.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If there are refugees fleeing Iran, they will be housed in the Middle East. We can’t take refugees from these conflicts anymore, we simply can’t,” Farage said.

🎯IMPACT: Farage’s comments come amid fears that the ongoing war in Iran could spark another massive wave of migrants to Europe, similar to previous wars in Syria and Libya. 

IN FULL

Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has said that Britain must not accept any new influx of refugees from Iran, arguing that those fleeing potential unrest should be accommodated in the Middle East. Notably, Iran’s immediate neighbors include some of the wealthiest countries in the world, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—although they have all been reluctant to accept Muslim refugees from conflicts in Syria and elsewhere in the past.

Speaking on Monday, Farage said, “If there are refugees fleeing Iran, they will be housed in the Middle East. We can’t take refugees from these conflicts anymore, we simply can’t.”

However, he added that if Iran’s theocratic regime falls, it may cause many Persians currently living in Britain to return home. “I know many people who would like to go back to their home country, but away from the barbarity of this regime,” he said.

Immigration has been central to Farage’s platform as leader of the Reform Party. He has pledged a sweeping crackdown on illegal migration, including a plan to deport hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants over a single parliamentary term if he gains power. Farage has also proposed withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and suspending aspects of the Refugee Convention to stop illegal and criminal migrants from using human rights appeals to prevent them from being returned to their home countries.

Farage believes that anyone entering the country illegally should be permanently barred from claiming asylum, which would stop tens of thousands of migrants traveling to Britain from France on small boats from staying.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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By Popular Demand.
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48 minutes ago
Crime
Immigration
UK

Afghan Migrant Jailed for Raping Woman Within Weeks of Arrival.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan migrant who arrived in the United Kingdom on a small boat in June 2022 was convicted of raping a vulnerable woman in Southampton, England, the following month.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Musafar Hotak, 25, the victim, and the Southampton Crown Court.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The crime occurred in Southampton in July 2022, with the trial concluding almost four years later.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What happened to me destroyed my life in ways I never thought possible. I didn’t just feel violated, I felt erased,” said Hotak’s victim.

🎯IMPACT: Hotak was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with the Home Office considering deportation. The victim continues to face severe psychological trauma.

IN FULL

Musafar Hotak, a 25-year-old migrant from Afghanistan, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of a vulnerable woman in Southampton, England. The attack occurred in July 2022, just one month after Hotak arrived in the United Kingdom on a small boat.

The victim, who had been intoxicated and was asked to leave a local bar, was followed by Hotak. A voicemail recorded on her phone captured her telling him to stop. She later woke up in Hotak’s home, where he assaulted and raped her despite her pleas. DNA evidence confirmed the crime.

During the trial at Southampton Crown Court, the victim shared the devastating impact the attack had on her life. “What happened to me destroyed my life in ways I never thought possible. I didn’t just feel violated, I felt erased,” she said, adding that the trauma led to self-harm and an attempt to take her own life.

Regardless, Judge Gary Lucie sentenced Hotak to a mere 10-year prison term, with an additional four years subject to license conditions following his release. Hotak was also placed on the sex offenders’ register and given an indefinite restraining order to prevent him from contacting the victim.

Britain’s Home Office, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will now consider whether to deport Hotak following his sentence—although many violent criminals and secual predators from countries like Afghanistan are able to overturn deportation orders by appealing against removal on human rights grounds.

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1 hour ago
William Upton
NatSec
Religion

D.C. Area Mosque Pledges Loyalty to Iran’s Dead Supreme Leader.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia—about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C.—has pledged its loyalty to Iran’s deceased Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint-U.S.-Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Manassas Mosque, Ali Khamenei, Twelver Muslims, and U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The post was made on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Please join us tomorrow night, Sunday, March 1st to remember His Eminence as we navigate what our responsibilities are today. Join us at 6:00 PM as we begin with Salatul Maghrib, a potluck iftar, and end with a discussion and remembrance.” —  Manassas Mosque

🎯IMPACT: Shia Islam—especially the more radical Twelver sect, followed by the Iranian mullahs and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D)—believes in an apocalyptic prophecy where the “Hidden Mahdi” will reveal themselves as a messiah like figure and battle the Antichrist, which they call “Dajjal,” in a final war. Some clerics within Twelver Shi’ism have taken to labeling U.S. President Donald J. Trump as the “Dajjal.”

IN FULL

The Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia—about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C.—has pledged its loyalty to the late Iranian Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint-U.S.-Israeli airstrikes over the weekend. In an Instagram post, the Manassas Mosque announced it was dedicating its iftar potluck on Sunday evening to “honoring our leader, Shaheed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”

“Manassas Mosque extends its condolences and glad tidings on the martyrdom of His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” the mosque wrote in a post on Instagram, adding, “Please join us tomorrow night, Sunday, March 1st to remember His Eminence as we navigate what our responsibilities are today. Join us at 6:00 PM as we begin with Salatul Maghrib, a potluck iftar, and end with a discussion and remembrance.”

In addition, several reports indicate the mosque, which says it seeks “to nourish a community of pious, educated, socially conscious, and active Muslims living in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area by providing the commensurate religious, educational, and social services,” has set up a shrine featuring photos of Khamenei embracing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. During a Friday service, the mosque’s imam declared, “May Allah destroy all the nonbelievers-or kafiroon or munafiqoon” and alluded to the imminent coming of the “Mahdi.”


Shia Islam—especially the more radical Twelver sect, followed by the Iranian mullahs and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D)—believes in an apocalyptic prophecy where the “Hidden Mahdi” will reveal themselves as a messiah like figure and battle the Antichrist, which they call “Dajjal,” in a final war. Some clerics within Twelver Shi’ism have taken to labeling U.S. President Donald J. Trump as the “Dajjal.”

The embrace of Khamenei’s “martyrdom” by some Shia Muslims living in the United States raises significant security concerns. The National Pulse reported over the weekend that Ndiaga Diagne—a Senegal-born U.S. citizen residing in Pflugerville, Texas—executed a mass shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin, leaving two people dead, with 14 others injured.

Diagne was wearing a shirt that said “Property of Allah” on it. He also had a Koran and clothing described as Islamic garb in his vehicle.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
News
War

Trump Refuses to Rule Out ‘Boots on the Ground’ in Iran: ‘I Don’t Have the Yips About It.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has stated he might send U.S. ground troops into Iran “if they were necessary,” although he believes they are “probably” not needed.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the Iranian regime, and U.S. military service members.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The comments were made on Monday, following the commencement of ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Saturday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” said Trump.

🎯IMPACT: The strikes have reportedly decapitated Iran’s leadership, with Trump claiming the operation is ahead of schedule.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has refused to rule out a land invasion of Iran, telling the New York Post that he is open to “boots on the ground” if the situation calls for it. This follows the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a U.S.-Israeli mission started on Saturday aimed at eliminating the Islamic Republic of Iran’s senior leadership, ballistic missile and nuclear infrastructure, and high-value military assets.

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” Trump said. “[E]very president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” he continued, adding: “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”

This marks something of a break with Vice President J.D. Vance, who said there was “no chance” of a long war in Iran shortly before operations began, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who insisted on Monday that “This is not Iraq. This is not endless… [Trump] called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb, and he’s right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.”

Despite keeping his options open on a land invasion, Trump stressed that Epic Fury is currently “right on schedule, way ahead of schedule” in terms of eliminating Iran’s leadership, citing “49 killed”—including the country’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pushing back on polling suggesting the war is unpopular, the President insisted, “I think that the polling is very good,” but added that, in any case, “I don’t care about polling.”

“I have to do the right thing,” he said, stressing that “You cannot let Iran, who’s a nation that has been run by crazy people, have a nuclear weapon,” and that he believes “a real poll” would show the “silent majority” is on his side.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
War

Pakistani Prez Backs Iran, Rioters Kill at Least 22, Injure Over 120 Amid Attacks on U.S. and UN Offices.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: At least 22 people were killed and over 120 injured after pro-Iran rioters stormed a U.S. consulate and United Nations (UN) offices in Pakistan, where President Asif Ali Zardari has backed Tehran.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pro-Iran rioters, Pakistani security forces, U.S. and U.N. personnel, and Pakistani officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The riots occurred across multiple cities in Pakistan, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss.” – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari

🎯IMPACT: The unrest has led to deaths, injuries, and heightened tensions, prompting Pakistani officials to deploy troops and appeal for calm.

IN FULL

Pro-Iran rioters have stormed a U.S. consulate and United Nations (UN) offices in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 120. The chaos broke out in the wake of ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which have killed multiple senior officials, including the country’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sent condolences to Iran after Khamenei’s “martyrdom,” saying, “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss.” However, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi urged public restraint, asking citizens to avoid taking matters into their own hands while also referring to Khamenei as a martyr.

In Karachi, rioters managed a brief assault on the U.S. Consulate’s outer perimeter before police stepped in to scatter them. In the capital of Islamabad, rioters pushed toward the U.S. Embassy, leading police to deploy tear gas and batons to hold back the crowd from entering the diplomatic zone.

In the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, violence claimed 12 lives and left over 80 people injured when thousands descended on UN offices. Local authorities confirmed that staff inside were unharmed, though the rioters caused significant damage to property and set fire to police stations. More skirmishes took place near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore and in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Security has been ramped up at American diplomatic sites across Pakistan in an attempt to deter further violence.

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By Popular Demand.
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3 hours ago
William Upton
War

Lebanon Bans Hezbollah, Demands Iranian Terror Proxy Surrender to Military.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced “the immediate ban of all Hezbollah security and military activities… considering them illegal.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hezbollah leader Mohammad Raad, and Iran’s deceased Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Monday, March 2, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: Salam says the Lebanese government is enforcing “the immediate ban of all Hezbollah security and military activities… considering them illegal.”

🎯IMPACT: The move against Hezbollah could trigger violent internal conflict in Lebanon. The country is nearly evenly split into sectarian thirds, with about one-third Christian, one-third Shia Muslim, and one-third Sunni Muslim.

IN FULL

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced “the immediate ban of all Hezbollah security and military activities and considering them illegal.” Salam is demanding that Hezbollah—an Iranian-backed Islamist terror group—lay down its arms and turn themselves over to Lebanese government forces.

The demand comes after elements of Hezbollah launched unsuccessful rocket attacks against Israel Sunday evening, which appear to have been intercepted by possible Iron Beam—a directed-energy air defense system—technology. An additional suicide drone launched by Hezbollah appears to have struck the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus. Subsequently, Israel‘s decapitation strikes against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon resulted in a new round of significant deaths among the Islamist terror group’s commanders, including its political leader in the Lebanese parliament, Mohammad Raad.

Concerningly, the move against Hezbollah could trigger violent internal conflict in Lebanon. The country is nearly evenly split into sectarian thirds with about one-third Christian, one-third Shia Muslim, and one-third Sunni Muslim. Notably, the Lebanese civil war, which ran from 1975 to 1990, saw the country’s overwhelming Christian majority reduced from around 53 percent of the population to what it is today. Following the civil war, a new power-sharing government was formed, with guaranteed sectarian representation.

Thus far, Hezbollah has been the most active of Iran‘s terror proxies in the Middle East in response to major U.S. and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The joint strikes have killed a significant number of Iran’s key political, military, and religious leaders, including the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanon’s leaders have tried to disarm Hezbollah in the past, with the efforts ending unsuccessfully.

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By Popular Demand.
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4 hours ago
News
War

Hegseth Insists Iran War Won’t Be ‘Endless,’ Lays Out ‘Laser-Focused’ Plan to Destroy Regime.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said a joint military operation against Iran, targeting key military and nuclear infrastructure, will not be “endless.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: War Secretary Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, President Donald J. Trump, and Israeli forces.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The operation began over the weekend and continues as of March 2, with strikes across Iran and Iranian retaliatory strikes across Israel and the Middle East.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.” – Pete Hegseth

🎯IMPACT: U.S. casualties have been reported, including four U.S. service members killed in action and at least 11 in Israel. Over 555 deaths have been reported in Iran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with significant damage to Iranian military infrastructure.

IN FULL

The United States military operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran will unfold over three phases, according to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine. Speaking at a Pentagon press conference on Monday, Hegseth explained that the U.S. military remains “laser-focused” on key objectives: dismantling Iran’s missile production, crippling its naval forces, and destroying security infrastructure linked to its nuclear program.

“We set the terms of this war from start to finish. Our ambitions are not utopian. They are realistic, scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies,” Hegseth said, stressing, “This is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both—our generation knows better, and so does this President. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb, and he’s right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.”

Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israeli militaries conducted a massive bombing and missile campaign against high-level targets in the Islamic Republic. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and most of his family were killed, as were Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammed Pakpour, and dozens of others.

According to multiple confirmed reports, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had tracked numerous Iranian religious, political, and military leaders for months, and tipped off Israeli officials once it had confirmed that most of the Iranian state leadership would be meeting en masse in three locations—prompting the strikes this past weekend.

The Pentagon has confirmed four U.S. service members have been killed, three in Kuwait over the weekend and one in a strike on a tactical command center. A separate “friendly fire incident” in Kuwait resulted in three U.S. F-15 fighter jets being shot down, though all crew members survived. Smoke was seen rising from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait after an apparent Iranian missile strike.

President Donald J. Trump said Sunday the operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved,” estimating it could last “four weeks or less,” while acknowledging the possibility of additional casualties. The Trump administration has encouraged the Iranian people to rise up and seize control of their country once U.S. and Israeli forces have degraded the IRGC and Basij forces.

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4 hours ago
News
War

Three U.S. F-15s Downed Over Kuwait, Fourth American Fatality Confirmed.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait during “Operation Epic Fury,” reportedly due to friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses. Meanwhile, a fourth U.S. service member is confirmed to have died from injuries sustained during the course of operations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Kuwaiti forces, Iranian forces, and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: March 1, 2026, over Kuwaiti airspace during active combat operations.

💬KEY QUOTE: “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said of the air losses.

🎯IMPACT: The shootdowns and loss of another service member have raised concerns about the conflict escalating, with a growing number of casualties reported among U.S. forces and Gulf allies.

IN FULL

Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over Kuwait on Monday, in what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) described as a “friendly fire incident” involving Kuwaiti air defenses. The jets were operating as part of “Operation Epic Fury,” a U.S.-Israeli campaign that has already claimed the lives of senior Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader, and included heavy combat with Iranian military assets, including missiles and drones.

“During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones—the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses. All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said, adding that “Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”

Tensions are now elevated, however, with Iran claiming they, not the Kuwaitis, downed at least one of the U.S. jets. Meanwhile, U.S. fatalities are confirmed to have risen to four, with a service member succumbing to injuries sustained in an earlier clash.

President Donald J. Trump has said of the possibility of talks with Tehran, “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.” Yet the conflict continues to escalate, with Iran carrying out significant retaliatory strikes across the region, including targets in Israel and various Gulf states, where U.S. bases have come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.

Even a British base in Cyprus has been struck, despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer initially refusing to allow British bases to be used to facilitate the U.S. strikes.

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21 hours ago
Breaking

BREAKING: Trump Says ‘There Will Likely Be More’ U.S. Casualties – ‘That’s The Way It Is.’

President Donald J. Trump has issued a fresh update on Operation Epic Fury, which began this weekend alongside the Israeli government and military.

Speaking in a recorded message from Mar-a-Lago, Trump said: “Over the past 36 hours, the United States and its partners have launched Operation Epic Fury, one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensive. The world has ever seen. Nobody’s seen anything like it.

“We have hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems. Just now, it was announced that we knocked out nine ships plus their naval building, all in a matter of literally minutes.

The President went on: “Earlier today, CENTCOM shared the news that three U.S. military service members have been killed in action. As one nation, we grieve for the true American patrions who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, we pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends, that’s the way it is, likely be more.”

President Trump concluded with another appeal to the Iranian people to rise up against the Islamic regime: “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military, and the Police to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. won’t be pretty. I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we will be there to help.”

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President Donald J. Trump has issued a fresh update on Operation Epic Fury, which began this weekend alongside the Israeli government and military. show more
By Popular Demand.
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March 1, 2026
News

VIDEO Shows The Moment a Koran-Carrying Gunman Opened Fire, Killing 2 in Texas Bar.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two people were killed, and 14 others were injured, in a mass shooting at a downtown Austin bar early Sunday morning.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The suspect has been identified as Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegal-born American citizen.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The shooting occurred around 2:00 a.m. Sunday at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin, near the University of Texas.

💬KEY QUOTE: “There were indicators… that indicate potential nexus to terrorism.” – Alex Doran, FBI San Antonio Field Office.

🎯IMPACT: The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation, citing potential links to terrorism. Rapid police response likely prevented further casualties.

IN FULL

A mass shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin has left two people dead, with 14 others injured. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM near the University of Texas.

The suspect has been identified as Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegal-born U.S. citizen residing in Pflugerville, Texas. He was killed during a confrontation with police. Diagne was wearing a shirt that said “Property of Allah” on it. The suspect also had a Koran and clothing described as Islamic garb in his vehicle.

Officers responded to reports of the shooting in just 57 seconds, confronting the gunman, who was armed with both a handgun and a rifle.

The FBI revealed that the attack is being investigated as ideologically motivated and may have a “potential nexus to terrorism.”

Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office, stated, “Obviously, it’s still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators… that indicate potential nexus to terrorism.”

First responders arrived on the scene within a minute, transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis praised the quick actions of officers, stating, “Officers immediately transitioned, came over East 6th to West 6th Street and were faced with the individual with a gun.”

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