Friday, May 30, 2025

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POISONING THE BLOOD: $10.2M of Meth & Coke Seized at US Border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized 854.07 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 164.72 pounds of powdered methamphetamine, or speed, and 165.34 pounds of cocaine at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas.

The narcotics, with an estimated street value of $10,298,520, were uncovered when a CBP officer brought in sniffer dogs to inspect a 2001 Freightliner tractor-trailer, which was supposedly transporting cut flowers.

“CBP is proud of the work our frontline officers do to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities. This significant seizure is an example of ongoing operational efforts conducted daily to protect our borders,” commented Port Director Alberto Flores.

The drugs find lends credence to Donald Trump’s warning, first reported by The National Pulse, that America’s southern border crisis is “poisoning the blood of our country.”

While the former president’s enemies have tried to paint the comments as racial, allies such as Senator J.D. Vance have pointed out it is “obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.”

The 45th President also highlighted the danger illegal immigration poses to public health in terms of disease, with border officials having already identified the likes of tuberculosis, syphilis, and dengue fever among illegal aliens.

The enormous scale of the border crisis is straining officials’ resources at the frontier, making it less likely drugs shipments like the one intercepted at Laredo will be discovered.

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
“Poisoning the blood,” needs to be transfigured from a line of attack by the political and media establishment into a line of attack, by MAGA, towards those who cheerlead for America to become a borderless nation
“Poisoning the blood,” needs to be transfigured from a line of attack by the political and media establishment into a line of attack, by MAGA, towards those who cheerlead for America to become a borderless nation show more
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Trump Admin Closing Office Importing Afghan Migrants.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: The State Department has announced plans to close its Afghan refugee resettlement office as part of a reorganization effort.

👥 Who’s Involved: The State Department, Congress, the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), and the Afghanistan Affairs Office.

📍 Where & When: United States; changes to take effect by July 1.

💬 Key Quote: “The planned changes are… reflective of the administration’s and secretary’s broader efforts to streamline government functions, eliminate redundancy, and enhance accountability,” according to a letter sent to Congress.

⚠️ Impact: The closure affects the resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. following the Afghanistan war and is part of broader workforce reductions impacting over 300 offices.

IN FULL:

The State Department has informed Congress of its decision to close the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), a program established to assist Afghan refugees following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Additionally, the role of the special representative for Afghan reconstruction will be eliminated as part of these changes.

According to a letter sent to lawmakers, the office’s responsibilities will be transferred to the Afghanistan Affairs Office as part of a broader reorganization strategy. Set to take effect by July 1, the changes are part of the administration’s plan to streamline government operations through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The letter states that more than 300 offices will undergo restructuring “to refocus on core U.S. foreign policy objectives and the needs of contemporary diplomacy.”

The CARE office was originally created under the Biden government to support Afghan refugees claimed to have worked alongside American forces or their relatives.

“The planned changes are also reflective of the administration’s and secretary’s broader efforts to streamline government functions, eliminate redundancy, and enhance accountability,” the letter reads.

Meanwhile, concerns about the legitimacy of Afghan asylum claims have been raised in other countries. The National Pulse previously reported that Germany found that thousands of so-called Afghan asylum seekers have actually traveled back to their home country on multiple occasions, even vacationing there, suggesting they face no genuine threat from the Taliban.

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Kamala Lost Because She Prioritized Billionaire Backers Over Working Class: Bernie.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss to President Donald J. Trump on her failure to address working-class issues, accusing her of prioritizing billionaire allies over everyday Americans.

👥 Who’s Involved: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Donald J. Trump, Liz Cheney, and Mark Cuban.

📍 Where & When: BBC interview with Sanders aired on May 30, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “It was the fault of Kamala Harris and her consultants… They did not run a campaign designed to speak to the American working class,” Sanders said.

⚠️ Impact: Sanders’s critique validates Trump’s working-class appeal, exposing Democrat elitism and reinforcing his America First victory as a mandate for change.

IN FULL:

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blames former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss to President Donald J. Trump on her campaign’s failure to connect with working-class Americans. In an interview with the BBC aired on May 30, 2025, the 83-year-old former Democratic presidential candidate rejected the narrative that former President Joe Biden was responsible, arguing, “A lot of the people are saying it was Joe Biden’s fault that Kamala Harris lost the election … not true. It was the fault of Kamala Harris and her consultants.”

Sanders, who has been traveling the U.S. with far-left Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally tour, believes that Harris’s campaign ignored the economic struggles of everyday Americans. “They did not run a campaign designed to speak to the American working class,” he said, adding that he “absolutely” believed Harris could have won if she had focused on their needs.

Sanders criticized her for aligning with elites, noting he “ran all over the country trying to elect Kamala Harris” and begging here team to “talk to the needs of the working class, talk about raising the minimum wage to a living wage, talk about real health care reform, talk about building the kinds of massive amounts of housing that we need, putting checks on landlords. But they used their billionaire friends.”

Harris’s coziness with figures like neoconservative Republican-in-name-only Liz Cheney and billionaire Mark Cuban sent the wrong message, Sanders argued. “What is that message out to working-class people?” he asked, highlighting her campaign’s reliance on “consultants and billionaires.”

Sanders framed the Democrats’ loss as a failure to answer a fundamental question: “Which side are you on?” He pointed to America’s growing income and wealth inequality as the core issue, noting, “The average person out there who is working very long hours… can’t afford healthcare, can’t afford to send their kids to college, childcare is a disaster in the United States. That person looks to Washington, D.C. and says, ‘Hey, what are you doing for me?’”

The National Pulse reported on polling in 2024 showing that President Trump enjoyed his highest levels of support among Americans working the longest hours, even when Biden was still in the race. In office, he has worked to shield American workers from unfair competition with countries such as China through tariffs—moves the Democrats and their allies have consistently undermined.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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SCOTUS Clears Way for Trump to Revoke Parole of 500K Illegal Aliens.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: The United States Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay of a lower court order, which will allow President Donald J. Trump to move forward with revoking the parole status granted to around 500,000 illegal immigrants under former President Joe Biden.

👥 Who’s Involved: The U.S. Supreme Court, President Donald J. Trump, and an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

📍 Where & When: The ruling was handed down on Friday, May 30, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: President Trump’s administration can move forward—for now—with revoking parole status for the illegal immigrants.

IN FULL:

The United States Supreme Court issued a stay on Friday, blocking a lower court decision that barred President Donald J. Trump from revoking parole status for an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants who were released into the country by the former Biden government. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the Trump White House had unlawfully ended the temporary parole status granted by Biden for the illegals who originated from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

In the 7-2 decision, with Justice Kagan joining the majority and Justices Jackson and Sotomayor dissenting, the high court took an increasingly rare step in reversing what the Trump administration has called judicial interference in executive branch powers. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has seen a number of major political agenda items hamstrung by judicial interference, which has led critics to contend that federal courts are abusing their authority to encroach on Article II constitutional powers.

While the stay order marks a temporary victory for Trump and his mass deportation efforts, the underlying case remains pending and a final determination at the appellate court and eventually the Supreme Court level could still result in the illegals’ parole being upheld.

Notably, the Supreme Court has already intervened several times on immigration matters. In April, for instance, the high court temporarily blocked the deportation of 50 illegal immigrants from Venezuela pending further litigation.

Image by Billy Wilson.

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U.S. Inflation Cooling Despite Hysteria Over Trump Tariffs.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: U.S. inflation continued to slow in April while incomes rose.

👥 Who’s Involved: The Commerce Department, Federal Reserve, Trump administration, and U.S. courts.

📍 Where & When: United States; data reported Friday, May 30, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: The data suggests that President Donald J. Trump’s tariffs have had minimal inflationary impact. Meanwhile, receding inflation signals undermine the Fed’s continued position of keeping interest rates steady instead of enacting a cut.

IN FULL:

A key measure of U.S. inflation slowed last month as consumer prices rose just 2.1 percent in April compared to the same time last year, according to the Commerce Department. This marks a decline from March’s figure of 2.3 percent and represents the lowest rate since September. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy categories, increased 2.5 percent year-over-year, down slightly from 2.6 percent in March.

The data indicates a continued decline in inflation from its post-pandemic peak in July 2022, which reached the highest levels in four decades. Despite this, Federal Reserve officials noted during their May 6-7 meeting that inflation remains above their two percent target. The Fed’s policy of maintaining current interest rates, despite the receding inflationary pressure, has sparked criticism. President Donald J. Trump has openly pushed for the central bank to begin cutting rates, and a number of market signals suggest the economy could be moving towards deflation, which would also suggest rate cuts are necessary.

Critics of President Trump’s tariff policies have repeatedly claimed that the trade duties would increase inflation. However, as The National Pulse has repeatedly noted, tariffs—while potentially increasing supply-driven inflation on the front end—have a deflationary effect over time.

Concerningly, the Federal Reserve’s Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) data has consistently shown a push towards the lower end of the current range of the central bank’s federal funds rate—which sets interest rates for the country. This would suggest that market forces are no longer concerned about inflation but instead are seeking greater liquidity and may be worried about the far more concerning potential for deflation.

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Trump Says China Already Breaking Trade Deal: ‘So Much for Being Mr. NICE GUY!’

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: President Donald J. Trump accused China of breaching a trade agreement with the U.S. just weeks after both nations agreed to a temporary easing of tariffs.

👥 Who’s Involved: Donald Trump, the United States, and China.

📍 Where & When: Trump’s statement was made on Truth Social on Friday, following a May 12 agreement between the U.S. and China.

💬 Key Quote: “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” – Donald Trump.

⚠️ Impact: The claim could reignite tensions between the two countries, potentially affecting trade relations and economic stability.

IN FULL:

President Donald J. Trump on Friday accused China of violating a trade agreement with the United States, just weeks after both nations reached a temporary truce on tariffs. President Trump made the remarks on his Truth Social platform, noting that “Many [Chinese] factories closed and there was, to put it mildly, ‘civil unrest'” following his initial high tariffs.

“I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation… Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy!” the America First leader explained.

“That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” he continued, adding: “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

The trade agreement, established on May 12, involved a 90-day suspension of most tariffs imposed by both countries earlier this year. As part of the deal, the U.S. reduced its tariffs on Chinese goods to approximately 30 percent, down from 145 percent, while China lowered its levies on American imports to 10 percent.

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Democrat-Led States See Highest Unemployment Increases.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: Unemployment rates increased in several U.S. states between February and April, with Democrat-led Massachusetts and Connecticut seeing the highest percentage jumps.

👥 Who’s Involved: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), various U.S. states.

📍 Where & When: Nationwide data from February to April 2024, with Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other states experiencing notable changes.

💬 Key Quote: “The state that built America’s middle class is watching robots replace assembly line workers,” said Michael Ryan, regarding Michigan’s automation-driven job losses.

IN FULL:

Unemployment rates in several U.S. states rose between February and April 2024, with Democrat-led Massachusetts and Connecticut experiencing the sharpest increases, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nationally, unemployment is stable.

Massachusetts and Connecticut saw their unemployment rates climb by 0.3 percentage points, with Massachusetts reaching 4.6 percent and Connecticut hitting 3.7 percent.

Other states, including New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona, and Oregon, reported 0.2 percentage point increases. Michigan saw a smaller rise of 0.1 percentage points, reflecting ongoing challenges in its manufacturing sector, which President Donald J. Trump is seeking to address through tariffs.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 percent last month, with job growth in healthcare and warehousing offset by declines in federal government employment due to the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce bureaucracy.

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This European Country Is Banning Most Outdoor Smoking.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: Smoking in most outdoor spaces will be banned in France starting July 1, 2025.

👥 Who’s Involved: French citizens, tourists, children, the French government, and Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, Catherine Vautrin.

📍 Where & When: The ban was announced in the French press on Thursday, May 29, 2025 and will take effect on July 1, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “Tobacco must disappear where there are children, the freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins,” said Catherine Vautrin, France’s Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, in an interview on May 29, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: Almost a third of France’s population is believed to be regular smokers. Violators of the new ban will face a €135 ($153) fine.

IN FULL:

France will ban the smoking of tobacco in outdoor spaces where there are children present starting on July 1, 2025. These locations include public parks, beaches, public gardens, outdoor areas near schools, bus stops, and sports venues. However, the outdoor areas of bars and cafes, will be exempt from the smoking restrictions.

In 2023, it was estimated that nearly 30 percent of the French population were regular smokers, equating to about 14.5 million people in the country with a total population of 68.29 million. Violators of the new ban will face a significant financial penalty, with the fine set at €135 ($153). Notably, electronic cigarettes and other vaping products are exempt from the ban, though French officials have indicated they will soon announce legal limits for the amount of nicotine these devices can contain.

“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” France’s Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, Catherine Vautrin, said in an interview in French media on Thursday. She added: “The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.”

In 2007, France implemented a ban on indoor smoking in workplaces, entertainment venues, bars, and restaurants, among other locations. While self-reported compliance suggests the ban has largely been obeyed, actual observance of the law, especially in the country’s many dining and drinking establishments, appears to be less strict.

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BREAKING: Former NYPD Commissioner and Hero to the MAGA Movement Bernard B. Kerik Has Died.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik has died at 69.

👥 Who’s Involved: Bernard Kerik, President Donald J. Trump, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and FBI Director Kash Patel.

📍 Where & When: Kerik’s passing was announced on May 29, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “Today, we mourn the loss of Bernard B. Kerik, a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known. Bernie passed away tragically on May 29, 2025, after a private battle with illness,” Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

IN FULL:

Bernard B. Kerik, the 40th Commissioner of the New York Police Department who rushed to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, and was present with Mayor Rudy Giuliani when United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower as he coordinated first responders, has passed away at 69. Kerik, with over four decades of service in law enforcement and a U.S. Army veteran, would go on to become one of President Donald J. Trump’s most vocal supporters.

“Today, we mourn the loss of Bernard B. Kerik, a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known. Bernie passed away tragically on May 29, 2025, after a private battle with illness,” Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Patel continued: “With over forty years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.”

“He was decorated more than 100 times for bravery, valor, and service, having rescued victims from burning buildings, survived assassination attempts, and brought some of the world’s most dangerous criminals to justice,” Director Patel said, adding: “His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor.”

Image by Gage Skidmore. 

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China Cheers Britain’s Surrender of U.S. Base Islands to Ally Mauritius.

PULSE POINTS:

❓ What Happened: Communist China is celebrating British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s surrender of the Chagos Islands to its ally Mauritius as a “massive achievement,” contradicting Starmer’s claim that Beijing opposed it. The Indian Ocean archipelago hosts a strategic British-American military base.

👥 Who’s Involved: Keir Starmer, Chinese Ambassador Huang Shifang, Mauritius, and the U.S. military.

📍 Where & When: The British government signed the Chagos deal with Mauritius on May 22, although ratification is still pending.

💬 Key Quote: “China offers massive congratulations to Mauritius for securing the disputed territory,” Ambassador Huang Shifang said.

⚠️ Impact: Starmer’s deal weakens British and American security, hands China a strategic win, and undermines Trump’s America First stance by risking the Diego Garcia base’s integrity.

IN FULL:

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is celebrating British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, bolstering Beijing’s influence in the Indian Ocean at the expense of Western security. On May 27, 2025, China’s ambassador to Mauritius, Huang Shifang, hailed the agreement as a “massive achievement,” directly contradicting Starmer’s claim that Beijing opposed the transfer of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.

Mauritius, aligned with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, will be paid billions of pounds by the British government for the privilege of taking the islands. This is in part to pay for a 99-year lease on the island of Diego Garcia, which hosts a major American military base alongside a small British contingent.

Speaking at the Chinese embassy in Mauritius, Ambassador Huang offered “massive congratulations” to Mauritius for securing the territory. She confirmed China “fully supports” Mauritius’s sovereignty push and revealed plans for the island nation to join the Belt and Road Initiative, a sprawling infrastructure project advancing Beijing’s global influence.

Huang also tied Mauritius’s Chagos claim to China’s One-China policy, drawing parallels between the Chagos dispute and China’s stance on Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed this, urging Mauritius to join Belt and Road “as soon as possible” to build a “China-Africa community with a shared future.”

Starmer’s deal, finalized on May 22, 2025, transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, formally the British Indian Ocean Territory, to Mauritius along with £30 billion (~$40.5 billion) over 99 years, in exchange for a lease of Diego Garcia, where Britain was previously sovereign at no cost. However, the Diego Garcia base could now be undermined and potentially rendered redundant if Mauritius allows China to establish a base on another of the Chagos Islands nearby.

Starmer claimed the one-sided agreement was necessary to secure the base, after the International Court of Justice issued an opinion in favor of Mauritius’s territorial claims. However, the United Nations court’s opinion was non-binding and unenforceable, and Starmer was under no obligation to obey it. He also asserted that Britain’s allies supported the deal while “Russia, China, [and] Iran” opposed it, which has now been exposed as a lie by China’s enthusiastic endorsement.

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Trump Replacing DEI With ‘Merit-Based’ Hiring.

PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: The Trump administration is rolling out its Merit Hiring Plan for federal agencies, releasing new guidance on Thursday that replaces decades of DEI-style polices with one that focuses on applicants’ skills rather than their race or gender.

👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), federal agencies, federal hiring managers, and federal job applicants.

📍 Where & When: The policy was released on Thursday through guidance issued to agencies across the federal government.

⚠️ Impact: President Trump’s Merit Hiring Plan marks a significant shift in federal employment practices that will now focus on bringing high-skilled individuals for critical roles. The plan also ends race and gender based hiring practices that critics contend created discriminatory political constituencies inside the government workforce.

IN FULL:

President Donald J. Trump‘s administration is set to unveil a new federal employment policy focused on merit-based hiring instead of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements that have dominated government employment for decades. The new hiring guidance, released to federal agencies on Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is believed to bar the consideration of race and gender in employment decisions.

Based on legislation adopted last year in Congress, and ushered through by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the Merit Hiring Plan provides guidance for federal hiring and instructs agencies to consider relevant skills beyond just resume experience. Notably, this provision has long been pushed by conservative education activists and technology industry figures who contend that college education requirements lock out too many qualified individuals from the professional workforce.

Skill-based hiring evaluations will be made through interviews and relevant testing of applicants, though resumes and professional experience will still be considered determining factors in hiring decisions.

Additionally, federal agencies are being directed to continue collecting workforce demographic data. However, this data will no longer be released publicly and will merely be retained by the federal government to ensure its policies promote a workforce with diverse skills and professional qualifications.

Another significant change comes through guidance meant to speed up federal hiring processes. Federal interviewers will now ask applicants a more standardized set of questions rather than the previous more ad-hoc process. This is aimed at ensuring federal hirings take no longer than 80 days.

Once implemented, the federal government is expected to begin a more modest hiring period to restaff certain agencies. After being inaugurated in January, President Trump and his White House dismissed upwards of 140,000 federal workers through force reduction or employment buyouts. The Trump administration has indicated it could soon move forward with the dismissal of another 150,000 federal employees, while also bringing in new individuals to fill critical roles.

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By Popular Demand.
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