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Saturday, April 27, 2024
January 1, 2024
William Upton
Analysis
World

Here’s a List of All The Countries Having Elections This Year.

Nearly half the global population – expected to hit 8 billion people total today, January 1st – will head to the polls at some point over the coming year. At least sixty-four countries, and the European Union will hold elections – with some expected to result in tectonic political shifts.

The National Pulse has compiled a comprehensive list of countries expected to hold elections by region and will be providing further insight as each election grows nearer.

Europe.

  • European Union (EU): The 27 EU member states, comprising 448 million people,  will hold elections for the European Parliament from June 6th to the 9th.
  • The United Kingdom (UK): A general parliamentary election for the House of Commons is expected to be held at some point in 2024. The general election must be held before 28 January 2025 and Parliament itself is set to be dissolved no later than December 17th, 2024.
  • Ukraine: A presidential election is scheduled for March 31st, however the ongoing conflict with Russia and the declared state of martial law may prevent the election from happening.
  • Romania: The Eastern European nation is expected to hold elections for its Presidency, Senate, and Chamber of Deputies at some point between November and December 2024.
  • Belgium: On June 9th, Belgians will head to the polls to elect a new Chamber of Representatives. The election could potentially result in the dissolution of the country along linguistic and cultural lines.
  • Czech Republic: An election to choose a new Czech Senate will held at a to-be-determined date next year.
  • Portugal: A snap legislative  election will occur in Portugal on March 10th after the fall of the socialist government. A tight race is expected between the country’s socialists and right-wing populists.
  • Belarus: The Russian-allied state will hold elections for its Chamber of Representatives on February 25th.
  • Austria: The Germanic nation is expected to hold elections for the National Council – its lower house of parliament – on September 29th. Polling shows the right-populist FPÖ is positioned to win its first Austrian legislative and form a government. The Communist Party of Austria has also seen a degree of increased popularity.
  • Slovakia: An election for the President of Slovakia will be held at some point in 2024.
  • Finland: One of the earlier elections of 2024, citizens of Finland will elect a new president on January 28th, 2024.
  • Croatia: The Balkan nation will likely hold two elections. A presidential contest is expected in December of 2024 while it is not yet known when the country will hold its parliamentary elections.
  • Republic of Moldova: A presidential election is expected in November.
  • Lithuania: The Baltic state will hold a presidential election on May 12th with parliamentary elections on October 13th.
  • North Macedonia: A presidential election will be held on April 24th while its parliamentary election will occur on May 8th.
  • Iceland: The North Atlantic island nation will hold a presidential election on June 1st.
  • San Marino: The European micro-state is expected to hold elections for the Grand and General Council at some point in December.
  • Georgia: Parliamentary elections will be held on October 26th. The presidential election date has yet-to-be-determined.

Asia and Oceana.

  • India: The worlds largest democracy, with 1.44 billion people, is expected to hold elections for its Lok Sabha (House of the People) – the lower house of the Indian parliament – at some point in April or May of 2024. Political parties comprising the nationalist and populist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Democratic Alliance hold a narrow lead in polls.
  • Indonesia: The South East Asian island nation of 279 million people will hold a general election on February 14th with the Presidency, Regional Representative Council, and House of Representatives all on the ballot. The secular nationalist and populist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle has lead in the legislative polls with the right-wing populist Gerindra Party close behind.
  • Pakistan: The Muslim state will hold elections for its National Assembly on February 8th. Pakistan has experienced an ongoing political crisis and mass demonstrations over the past year after the arrest of its former Prime Minister Imran Khan who was ousted from power by a no-confidence vote in 2022.
  • Bangladesh: An election for the National Parliament will be held on January 7th.
  • Russian Federation: From March 15th to 17th Russians will head to the polls to vote for the nation’s president. Vladimir Putin, the incumbent president, is expected to win re-election.
  • Uzbekistan: The Central Asian state is expected to hold elections for the Legislative Chamber in October, but they can occur as late as December of 2024.
  • North Korea: On April 10th the Communist nation lead by dictator Kim Jong-un will hold ‘elections’ for its Supreme People’s Assembly. An alliance of communist political parties under the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea has won all seats in the legislative assembly since 1948.
  • South Korea: Elections for the National Assembly will be held on April 10th.
  • Taiwan: A critical presidential and legislative election will be decided on January 13th, 2024. The current government lead by the liberal Democratic Progressive Party faces insurgent campaigns from the nationalist Kuomintang and the populist Taiwan People’s Party. The outcome could have a significant impact on China’s stance towards Taiwan and the United States.
  • Cambodia: Senate elections will be held on February 25th.
  • Sri Lanka: Presidential and parliamentary elections are expected to be called at some point in 2024.
  • Mongolia: Elections for the State Great Khural – the country’s unicameral legislature – are expected to be held in June.
  • Bhutan: An election for the country’s National Assembly will be held on January 9th.
  • Solomon Islands: A general election for the National Parliament is expected in April of 2024.
  • Maldives: Between March and May, a general election for the country’s legislature is expected to be held.
  • Kiribati: Elections for the country’s Presidency and House of Assembly are expected to be held in 2024.
  • Palau: A general election for the Presidency, Senate, and House of Delegates will be held on November 12th.
  • Tuvalu: Parliamentary elections will be hold on January 26th.

Middle East.

  • Syrian Arab Republic: Despite political instability and an ongoing civil war, it is expected Syria will hold elections for the People’s Assembly at some point in 2024.
  • Islamic Republic of Iran: Both the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts will be up for election on March 1st.
  • Azerbaijan: The Islamic country will elect a president on February 7th.
  • Jordan: The country’s elections for House of Representatives are expected to be held in November 2024.

Africa.

  • South Africa: National Assembly elections are expected to be held between May and August of 2024. The African National Congress continues to poll at or close to 50-percent.
  • Algeria: A presidential election is expected in December of 2024.
  • Ghana: Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on December 7th, 2024.
  • Mozambique: Presidential and legislative elections will be held on October 9th.
  • Madagascar: Elections for the National Assembly are due to happen before May.
  • Mali: The military junta in control of the country has postponed a February presidential election indefinitely with only vague reasons given as to why.
  • Chad: A presidential election is expected in October.
  • Senegal: A presidential election will be held on February 25th.
  • Rwanda: Elections for the Presidency and Chamber of Deputies will happen on July 15th.
  • Tunisia: A presidential election is expected to be held at some point in the fall of 2024.
  • South Sudan: Presidential and legislative elections are expected to be held in December of 2024.
  • Togo: Legislative elections are expected to be held in early 2024.
  • Mauritania: A presidential election will occur on June 22nd.
  • Botswana: An election for the National Assembly is expected in October.
  • Namibia: Presidential and legislative elections will be held at some point in 2024.
  • Guinea Bissau: A presidential election is slated to occur at a to-be-decided point in 2024.
  • Mauritius: Legislative elections are expected to be held in 2024.
  • Comoros: A presidential election will be held on January 14th.

The Americas.

  • The United States of America (USA): Elections for President, the House of Representatives, and the Senate – along with state and local races – will be held on November 5th. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, appears set for a rematch against the Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden.
  • Mexico: Presidential and legislative elections will be held on June 2nd. Current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is term-limited. Claudia Sheinbaum of the left-wing National Regeneration Movement is expected to face-off against Xóchitl Gálvez of the centrist National Action Party.
  • Venezuela: A presidential ‘election’ could possibly be held in December of 2024. The South American nation’s dictator Nicolás Maduro is ‘running’ for ‘re-election’.
  • Dominican Republican: The Caribbean island nation will hold presidential and legislative elections on May 19th.
  • El Salvador: The Central American state will hold presidential and legislative elections on February 4th. Incumbent President Nayib Bukele is running for re-election after the country’s supreme court ruled he would not have to wait 10-years between terms in office.
  • Panama: Presidential and legislative elections will be held on May 5th.
  • Uruguay: Presidential and legislative elections will be held on October 27th.
Discuss
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EXC: Gaetz Uncovers How YOUR Cash is Funding Biden Regime Disinfo.

Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says the taxpayer-funded international news outlet Voice of America (VOA) is promoting disinformation against publicly elected U.S. officials—including himself—through its “fact-checking” site Polygraph.info. In a letter to the Biden government-backed news outlet’s acting director, John Lippman, the Florida Republican details how VOA broke their own “Journalistic Code” in publishing their attack on him.

“The VOA has a clear ‘Journalistic Code,’ a public statement of its alleged principles, which were clearly violated in this case, and I ask you to take down this demonstrably false “fact check” by Polygraph.info,” Rep. Gaetz wrote to Lippman. He continued: “In fact, the sources you do cite in the piece, contrary to your Journalistic Code, clearly do not have firsthand knowledge of the facts on the ground, and worse, you don’t report any disagreement here.”

Last week, Rep. Gaetz published a detailed report on the current status of American troops in the African country of Niger. The Congressman conducted multiple interviews with U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in the county who outlined the deteriorating state of equipment and resources.

“Since the U.S.-trained Nigerien coup leaders took control of the country in mid-2023, there has been a cessation of diplomatic overflights. This has left the Department of Defense unable to execute planned troop rotations, in addition to being unable to deliver critical medical supplies, equipment, and other routine materials,” Gaetz reported in his investigation into the matter.

According to the Congressman, Polygraph.info‘s published “fact check” claims there are “continuing talks” between U.S. and Niger officials, which Gaetz details as categorically false. Additionally, Gaetz informs Lippman that no one from Polygraph.info ever contacted his office regarding the “fact check.”

“At root, I find it amazing that the U.S. government is paying an entity to put out misinformation about U.S. policy and labeling that propaganda outfit as a “fact checking” organization. Do better,” Gaetz concludes. The Congressman asks Lippman to respond by May 1, 2024, and remove the false Polygraph.info “fact check.”

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Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says the taxpayer-funded international news outlet Voice of America (VOA) is promoting disinformation against publicly elected U.S. officials—including himself—through its "fact-checking" site Polygraph.info. In a letter to the Biden government-backed news outlet's acting director, John Lippman, the Florida Republican details how VOA broke their own "Journalistic Code" in publishing their attack on him. show more
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14 hours ago
Jack Montgomery
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Kamala’s ‘DEI’ Secret Service Agent Threw Menstrual Pads at Agents During Brawl.

Sources claim the Secret Service agent who attacked her commanding officer while working on Vice President Kamala Harris’s security detail is Michelle Herczeg. Herczeg, who previously lodged a $1 million discrimination lawsuit against the city of Dallas, is said to have hurled items, including menstrual pads, at agents during the altercation at Joint Base Andrews, which hosts Air Force One and Air Force Two.

More details of the Monday fight, reported on Wednesday, are emerging, with sources claiming Herczeg first grabbed another agent’s phone and began deleting apps from it after arriving at the base terminal. He recovered his phone and attempted to continue working without further incident, but Herczeg is said to have become increasingly erratic. She allegedly mumbled to herself, hid behind curtains, and pelted colleagues with various items, including menstrual pads, while telling them they were “going to burn in hell and needed to listen to God.”

She chest-bumped, tackled, and punched the special agent in charge when he attempted to relieve her of duty, ultimately having to be physically restrained, handcuffed, and deprived of her firearm.

The agent has prompted “concerns” about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Secret Service, with agents “asking questions” about her hiring.

DUBIOUS RECORD. 

In 2016, Herczeg lodged a gender discrimination lawsuit against the city of Dallas, where she was then serving as a police officer. She sought $1 million in damages, claiming she was “targeted for being a female officer and treated less favorably.” However, The court dismissed the case, and an appeal in 2021 was unsuccessful.

Ronald Kessler, an investigative reporter with specialist knowledge of the Secret Service, says the failed lawsuits “should have been enough to exclude her,” with the Secret Service typically restricting hires to candidates with “a pristine record.”

“Certainly, this has been true in the past. There’s tremendous competition, and she never should have been hired,” he added.

The Secret Service is a signatory to the 30×30 initiative, which aims to increase the number of women across all ranks to 30 percent by 2030.

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Sources claim the Secret Service agent who attacked her commanding officer while working on Vice President Kamala Harris's security detail is Michelle Herczeg. Herczeg, who previously lodged a $1 million discrimination lawsuit against the city of Dallas, is said to have hurled items, including menstrual pads, at agents during the altercation at Joint Base Andrews, which hosts Air Force One and Air Force Two. show more
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GOP Rep Sounds Alarm Over Biden DOJ Oversight of Trump Prosecution.

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wants answers from the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s office regarding the circumstances of Michael Colangelo’s departure from the former and subsequent employment with the latter. The Texas Republican contends that Colangelo could be a go-between, facilitating the DOJ‘s oversight and control of Bragg’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

“The politicized persecution of former President Trump and the collusion between the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Manhattan District Attorney (DA) General’s Office have raised several concerns among the public,” Rep. Gooden wrote to Biden‘s Attorney General Merrick Garland and Bragg earlier this week. He continued, zeroing in on Bragg’s hiring of Colangelo: “The fact that Colangelo stepped down from a senior DOJ role to join a prosecution team in a city DA office raises some pressing concerns.”

“To ensure transparency and accountability are upheld in this case, I request immediate access to all records and communication in relation to the Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney General’s Office process of hiring Matthew Colangelo,” the Texas Republican added.

Colangelo formerly served as the Acting Associate Attorney General in the Biden DOJ. This highly coveted position is viewed as a stepping stone to lucrative private sector jobs such as general counsel with a Fortune 500 company. However, as Gooden notes in his letter to Garland and Bragg, Colangelo effectively took a demotion in leaving the DOJ and joining Bragg’s team as senior counsel.

Gooden specifically asks both Garland and Bragg: “Was Mr. Colangelo asked to leave by the DOJ, or did he accept a position in a lower office voluntarily? ” He also asks both men for details regarding continued communication between Colangelo and his former DOJ colleagues.

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Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wants answers from the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office regarding the circumstances of Michael Colangelo's departure from the former and subsequent employment with the latter. The Texas Republican contends that Colangelo could be a go-between, facilitating the DOJ's oversight and control of Bragg's prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

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ANOTHER Country Boots Out U.S. Forces, As Biden NatSec Plan Crumbles In Real Time.

U.S. forces are being pushed out of yet another African nation in the Sahel region, with some of its already small force of around 100 troops in Chad to be reduced. Like many other African states, Chad has turned away from the U.S. and towards Russia for security assistance.

The Biden regime is attempting to downplay the withdrawal. “USAFRICOM (United States Africa Command) is currently planning to reposition some U.S. military forces from Chad, a portion of which were already scheduled to depart,” said Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder.

Maj. Gen. Ryder has suggested this is a “temporary step.” However, Chad is strongly signaling its hostility to the U.S. presence. Earlier this month, Air Force Chief of Staff Idriss Amine Ahmed told the U.S. attache U.S. forces should cease their activities on Adji Kossei Air Base. He argues they have failed to justify their presence.

ANOTHER DOMINO. 

These developments in Chad follow confirmation the U.S. will be forced out of Niger. A much larger force of over a thousand troops and recently finished two new drone bases are currently hosted there.

Like neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has been taken over by a military junta. They are essential to U.S. interests in the Sahel, which spans the southern Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. However, all have now realigned with Russia.

The steady stream of geopolitical losses in Africa is a major embarrassment to Joe Biden and his national security team. The U.S. has long sought hegemony in the Sahel. It was expected that diplomatic and economic sanctions against Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine would weaken Moscow’s regional influence. Instead, it has grown, while that of the U.S. and its regional allies, particularly France, has waned.

Niger’s realignment also poses significant challenges to Europe, facilitating an increase in illegal immigration from sub-Saharan Africa.

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What is ‘Catch and Kill?’ – Hollywood Ambulance-Chaser Lawyer Jargon Weaponized By Trump’s Opponents.

The prosecutors behind the ‘hush money’ lawfare trial against former President Donald Trump are emphasizing an obscure term — “catch and kill” — in an attempt to sway the jury and portray Michael Cohen‘s payments to Stormy Daniels as some grand conspiratorial scheme orchestrated by Trump himself.

The corporate media continues to parrot the phrase as if it were some well-known tactic deployed by Trump and his allies to cover something up. That’s entirely the point of the repetition, especially in front of the jury. “Catch and kill” — sounds bad. Catch? Fine. Kill? Sounds illegal. It’s not, of course. But there are two sides to the “catch and kill” industry that emanates out of Hollywood and features several regular, unsavory characters who have made their names and fortunes off the practice, often at the expense of celebrity figures.

LEXICON.

Its first Wikipedia entry was only in 2018, when the original page appears to have been created to malign Donald Trump and farcically connect him with Harvey Weinstein. Part of the reason why a fair jury has been so impossible in New York is the long-standing tainting of the jury pool via internet artifacts like these, alongside the ongoing hoaxes peddled by the corporate media.

The term has almost no internet search history.

“Catch and kill” appears to have been introduced into the political lexicon by Trump opponents just as the 45th President was first taking office. The Wall Street Journal was the first major publication to mention it in 2016, followed almost immediately by the Washington Post. For two unrelated newspapers to repeat such a phrase in close succession suggests they were fed the line. Murdoch’s WSJ uses anonymized sources under the euphemism “people familiar with the matter” a journalistically bizarre seven times in their 2016 story.

BETTER CALL… KEITH?

One regular character in the saga is Keith M. Davidson, a Beverly Hills lawyer and frequent Democrat donor. At the time, Davidson was representing Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in their attempts to strong-arm Trump out of cash. Davidson has represented a number of unsavory characters in the same vein – portrayed by the Hollywood Smoking Gun blog as a Saul Goodman-style grifter who has been on the receiving end of numerous complaints from clients and critics alike, suggesting immoral behavior bordering on the unlawful.

The Smoking Gun noted of Davidson in a massive 2018 story that he is “the attorney to hire if you are seeking to monetize a celebrity sex tape or compromising information about public figures like Trump, Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, and Kanye West. Davidson specializes in extracting payments in exchange for the quashing of incriminating videos and/or details about sexual indiscretions, STDs, and all manner of regrettable behavior.”

In other words, “catch and kill” shakedowns appear to be the modus operandi, finding its way into the political press after representatives for Daniels and McDougal briefed D.C. and New York reporters.

“The Smoking Gun has revealed that the attorney–who has practiced since 2000–has also apparently engaged in the kind of activities that result in severe disciplinary sanctions, such as directing clients to lie, splitting legal fees with non-lawyers, defying a judicial injunction, and practicing law while under suspension.”

The full investigation into Davidson bears reading.

EXTORTION.

The Los Angeles Times had similar reporting in 2018, noting: “Most Beverly Hills lawyers are seldom accused of extortion. For Keith M. Davidson, however, it’s not so rare: He is fighting three civil suits by television personalities alleging extortion. Davidson is the attorney who negotiated payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal during the 2016 presidential race to keep them quiet about their alleged affairs with Donald Trump. Both wound up firing Davidson and hiring new lawyers to get their nondisclosure deals voided.”

A fairly scornful start to another story which shed some light on the Hollywood shakedown industry. The Times went on:

In 2012, Davidson was caught up in an FBI sting operation for trying to get Hulk Hogan to pay a client $300,000 for a secretly taped video of the wrestling star having sex, law enforcement records show. Davidson met Hogan in a Florida hotel room — unaware it was wired with recording devices monitored by FBI agents in an adjacent room.

As soon as Hogan’s lawyer, David Houston, handed Davidson the first installment, a phony check for $150,000, FBI agents stormed in and detained him, according to the law enforcement records.

“I was amazed that there was a lawyer actually making a living doing this,” Houston said.

…

Davidson’s law license was suspended for three months in 2010 after he admitted to professional misconduct — failing to keep a client informed of important matters in a medical malpractice case and not showing up for a court hearing, among other things.

Again, the full Times story bears reading.

PEKCER NEVER KNEW THE TERM.

“Catch and kill,” in fact, was not a phrase used by AMI, the National Enquirer, or “star” prosecution witness David Pecker, according to his own testimony on Thursday.

Instead, it’s a little-known Hollywood industry term further popularized by journalist Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book of the same name, which details his efforts to cover the allegations of sexual abuse and rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

“The first time you heard the phrase was from a prosecutor, correct?” asked Trump attorney Emil Bove.

“That’s right,” Pecker responded.

Pecker also mentioned he believed Michael Cohen was acting in a personal capacity — not on behalf of the Trump campaign — and implied that Trump was personally unaware of Cohen’s activities.

In other words – much like most of the hoaxes peddled against President Trump – almost all of it has happened without his involvement, knowledge, or even awareness of the fringe figures in his life attempting to make a quick buck off his name.

Ed Kozak, Will Upton, and Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.

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18 hours ago
Jack Montgomery
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Bannon: Farage Can Take Over Tories Like MAGA Runs GOP.

War Room host and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon has predicted Brexit leader Nigel Farage will return to frontline politics and become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after the governing Conservative Party loses the next British general election to Labour.

“I’ve been a huge supporter of Nigel’s to get back in this thing in some official capacity. I think Nigel Farage will be Prime Minister after Sir Keir [Starmer],” Bannon said, referring to the Labour leader. Labour is on course for a landslide victory in the next election.

“My advice to [Farage] is after the slaughter [the Conservatives] are going to have at the polls [due to] not really standing for anything, that’s time for Nigel,” Bannon continued. However, he suggested Farage should not seek high office via the Reform Party, his current affiliation, but instead take over the Conservatives.

‘GRASSROOTS UPWARDS.’

“I was a big advocate of not starting a third party after the 2020 election was stolen,” Bannon explained. He highlighted the MAGA movement’s “precinct strategy” of taking over the Republican Party from the grassroots upwards.

“In the last four months, we essentially removed Mitch McConnell as the minority leader in the Senate,” said Bannon. We took out the Republican Party senior apparatus, all of them gone,” he said, referring to what National Pulse editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam called the “McLeadership.”

“And we fired a sitting Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, for the first time in the history of the Republic, and right now, we have a second Speaker in our gunsights,” he added, referring to Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson faces criticism for allowing aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan to go through without meaningful border security measures. He also faces criticism for drawing fire away from Joe Biden over Gaza.

“I would tell our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom, you can do this at the grassroots level,” Bannon stressed. “Nigel Farage is a populist; Nigel Farage is a nationalist. You need to put Great Britain first, the United Kingdom first, and you need, particularly, to put your citizens first,” he said.

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War Room host and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon has predicted Brexit leader Nigel Farage will return to frontline politics and become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after the governing Conservative Party loses the next British general election to Labour. show more
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Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
The image on this article was provided by my good friend Stuart, who also goes by Inc Monocle on Twitter
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Biden Capital Gains Tax Increase
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Biden’s Capital Gains Tax More Than DOUBLE That of Communist China.

Joe Biden‘s 2025 budget proposal could raise the federal capital gains tax to as high as 44.6 percent for many Americans. When combined with state-level capital gains taxes, the rate could exceed 50 percent in some of America’s most populous states. Two provisions in the budget are responsible for the increase: one that raises the tax rate across the board and another that bumps the rate further on high-income earners.

A footnote in the Biden budget details the rate hike: “A separate proposal would first raise the top ordinary rate to 39.6 percent … An additional proposal would increase the net investment income tax rate by 1.2 percentage points above $400,000.” The footnote continues: “Together, the proposals would increase the top marginal rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends to 44.6 percent.”

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)’s analysis of Biden’s budget further notes that “California will face a combined federal-state rate of 59 [percent], New Jersey 55.3 [percent], Oregon at 54.5 [percent], Minnesota at 54.4 [percent], and New York state at 53.4 [percent].” According to the tax group, if Biden‘s budget were enacted, the effective capital gains rate would be more than double that of Communist China.

The Biden capital gains plan would result in the highest rate ever enacted in the United States, exceeding the 40 percent rate under President Jimmy Carter. Additionally, ATR notes the budget proposal would also remove “stepped-up basis” when a parent dies, effectively enacting a second Death Tax. This would result in a mandatory capital gains tax realized at death. When Congress attempted to end the “stepped-up basis” in 1976, they had to reverse the decision before the law took effect as it was completely unworkable.

Carter would go on to lose the 1980 presidential election by a landslide.

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Who’s In Line to Buy TikTok… If They Sell.

Several American luminaries in tech and finance are preparing bids to acquire TikTok, following recently introduced legislation mandating that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest from the app or see it banned in the U.S. Key figures involved in potential bids comprise Steven Mnuchin, former U.S. treasury secretary; Bobby Kotick, ex-CEO of Activision Blizzard, who is potentially partnering with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; Bill Ackman, chief of Pershing Square hedge fund; and Kevin O’Leary, the well-known ‘Shark Tank’ investor.

The attempted acquisition of TikTok faces significant hurdles. ByteDance must still secure approval from the Chinese Commerce Ministry, which previously expressed strong opposition to a sale. Another challenge is the app’s core algorithm, which is unlikely to be part of the sale, meaning successful buyers would inherit just the brand and user base, necessitating a complete technological overhaul. ByteDance has reportedly said it would rather see the app banned than give up control due to concerns over its algorithm.

Based on analyst valuations, the potential purchasing party would also need to inject upwards of $100 billion into the deal. Furthermore, the acquisition must withstand regulatory scrutiny, predominantly from the Federal Trade Commission. Due to existing antitrust concerns, this effectively eliminates big tech players like Meta and Apple from the acquisition race.

On Wednesday, Joe Biden signed into law legislation mandating that ByteDance divest from TikTok within one year or else downloads and updates of the app will be banned in the U.S. TikTok also faces controversy in Europe, where regulators have launched an investigation into the app’s age-verification process and its “addictive features.”

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Several American luminaries in tech and finance are preparing bids to acquire TikTok, following recently introduced legislation mandating that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest from the app or see it banned in the U.S. Key figures involved in potential bids comprise Steven Mnuchin, former U.S. treasury secretary; Bobby Kotick, ex-CEO of Activision Blizzard, who is potentially partnering with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; Bill Ackman, chief of Pershing Square hedge fund; and Kevin O’Leary, the well-known 'Shark Tank' investor. show more
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U.S. Birth & Fertility Rates Continue to Fall.

The U.S. birthrate and fertility rate continue to decline significantly, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, the number of births decreased by two percent to about 3.6 million, while the general fertility rate saw a three percent drop to 54.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44.

The data reveals that the 2o23 birth rate is even lower than that recorded in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sharpest decline in births occurred among women in their 20s. Conversely, women over 40 were the only demographic to experience an increase in births, albeit at a low rate of 12.6 percent.

These declining rates coincide with data showing that new mothers continue to get older — a trend linked to higher educational achievements, increased workforce participation, and delayed marriages. Moreover, cesarean deliveries represented nearly a third of all births in 2023, even becoming more prevalent in low-risk births.

The trend of declining birthrates in the U.S. mirrors similar patterns in other affluent nations worldwide, potentially due to factors like economic instability, ongoing pandemic uncertainties, rising healthcare costs, and the influence of radical, anti-family feminism. Extremist proponents of ‘overpopulation theory’ have praised declining birthrates in Western nations. Last year it was reported that not a single EU nation has “self-sustaining birthrates.”

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The U.S. birthrate and fertility rate continue to decline significantly, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, the number of births decreased by two percent to about 3.6 million, while the general fertility rate saw a three percent drop to 54.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44. show more
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Trump Border Mass Deportations
April 25, 2024
Data
Immigration

DATA: Majority Support Trump’s Mass Deportation Policy.

A majority of Americans — as well as four in 10 Democrats, Latinos, and blacks and over a third of Gen Z — support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Axios revealed. The striking admission by the pro-mass migration Axios lays bare a growing shift in public opinion regarding immigration and indicates widespread support for the strict policies of former President Donald Trump.

The poll revealed that 51 percent of the general public supports mass deportations of illegal aliens. Although Axios did not disclose the poll’s comprehensive data, denying the public insight into the precise extent of support for mass deportations, the results they did publish suggest significant support for mass deportation across every major American demographic.

Among white Americans, support for mass deportations of illegals is at 56 percent. Forty percent of blacks favor mass deportations, as do nearly half of Latinos — 45 percent. The poll also found that 68 percent of Republicans support mass deportations of illegals, as do 46 percent of independents and 42 percent of Democrats.

Significant support for mass deportations of illegal aliens also spans generations. Sixty percent of those in the boomer generation or older support the mass deportation of illegals, as do 53 percent of Gen X and nearly half — 48 percent — of Millennials. Perhaps most surprisingly, over a third — 35 percent — of Gen Z also supports mass deportations.

“I was surprised at the public support for large-scale deportations,” Mark Penn, chairman of The Harris Poll and a former pollster for Bill Clinton, told Axios. Penn said the results are a warning to Joe Biden that “efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to Trump are not going to work.”

In an event in Iowa in September of last year, Trump declared that “a vote for President Trump means Joe Biden’s horror show at the southern border ends at high noon on Inauguration Day, 2025” and vowed to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American History.”

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A majority of Americans — as well as four in 10 Democrats, Latinos, and blacks and over a third of Gen Z — support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Axios revealed. The striking admission by the pro-mass migration Axios lays bare a growing shift in public opinion regarding immigration and indicates widespread support for the strict policies of former President Donald Trump. show more
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