Thursday, July 3, 2025

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Even Al Sharpton Calls it a Border Invasion.

MSNBC host Al Sharpton acknowledged on Monday that illegal immigrants are invading the United States’ southern border. During an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Sharpton pressed Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Democrat efforts to pressure the Senate into passing the Ukraine/Border Security funding supplemental.

“You’re getting migrants beating up policemen in the streets of New York. You’re seeing an influx of migrants all over the country that frankly have people outraged,” Sharpton said before adding: “We’re looking every day at the invasion of migrants.”

Recent data shows that 65 percent, or almost a full two-thirds of Americans, say it is “very accurate” or “somewhat accurate” to describe the Biden-made crisis at the U.S. border as an “invasion” of the United States.

Sharpton, a one-time candidate for the Democrat presidential nomination, encouraged Sen. Murphy and his colleagues to back a public pressure campaign against Congressional Republicans to generate support for the supplemental funding deal. Released late on Sunday, the legislation has already drawn sharp criticism from many Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill would “be dead on arrival.”

The Senate legislation, critics contend, does little to address border security and would hamper efforts by a future presidential administration to shut down the border. In addition, the deal has drawn criticism for expanding immigrant work visas and creating a fast-track asylum system — bypassing immigration courts. An estimated 5,000 illegal immigrants are released into the U.S. each week, a figure even acknowledged by the Biden Government.

By Popular Demand.
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Iran Halts Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Iran suspended its cooperation with the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following the ratification of a new law.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the IAEA, and Israeli officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The legislation was signed on July 2, following airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month.

💬KEY QUOTE: “An international treaty, of course, takes precedence. You cannot invoke an internal law not to abide with an international treaty,” insisted IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

🎯IMPACT: Iran has put conditions on resuming cooperation while signaling hesitation to reengage in talks with the U.S. on its nuclear program.

IN FULL

Iran has suspended its cooperation with the United Nations‘ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s approving legislation ending the Islamic Republic’s collaboration with the agency. The ratification occurred on July 2, following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month.

Iran claims its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA said it had been enriching uranium to near-weapons grade in violation of its obligations prior to Israel’s strikes. These claimed the lives of 14 Iranian nuclear scientists, according to the Israelis.

The Iranians claim they will continue to work within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but this requires cooperation with the IAEA.

“That implies that they have to work with the agency,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. “An international treaty, of course, takes precedence. You cannot invoke an internal law not to abide with an international treaty,” he continued. “But Iran is not saying that at the moment, and I think this is constructive.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said Iran will not reengage without assurances “that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations,” although he added that the “doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”

After 12 days of conflict, Iran and Israel agreed to an uneasy ceasefire orchestrated by the Trump administration, which has held so far.

Image via IAEA.

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Musk’s DOGE Record in Question as Federal Workforce Is Down Barely 1%.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Federal workforce data reveals a reduction of over 23,000 positions under the Trump administration as part of efforts to streamline government operations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and career federal workers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Data reflects changes between September 30, 2024, and March 31, 2025, across federal agencies in the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The American people deserve a government that is lean, efficient, and focused on core priorities.” – Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell

🎯IMPACT: The reduction, equivalent to around one percent of the federal workforce, marks a step toward President Trump’s goal of a smaller, more accountable government, but suggests Musk’s high-profile efforts at DOGE were lacklustre.

IN FULL

Federal workforce data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shows a reduction of more than 23,000 positions between September 30, 2024, and March 31, 2025. The total number of federal employees decreased from 2,313,216 to 2,289,472 during this period. This change reflects the Trump administration’s early efforts to streamline government operations and reduce bureaucracy.

“That’s just through the end of March. So I suspect those numbers will be higher by the end of September this year, which is when a lot of the early retirement packages–and buyouts–go into effect,” said Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute. However, he added, “This is not enough shrinkage in the federal workforce.” Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell described the reduction as “the first measurable step toward President Trump’s vision of a disciplined, accountable federal workforce.”

The reduction follows an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump in February, directing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to coordinate with federal agencies to implement staffing cuts. OPM data indicates that while agencies averaged 23,000 new hires monthly from April 2024 to January 2025, that number dropped by nearly 70 percent to just 7,385 per month after the hiring freeze took effect.

Former DOGE frontman Elon Musk claimed he could reduce the federal workforce substantially, enjoying a high public profile for his efforts before leaving the administration and turning against President Trump. However, economists like Peter Morici have noted that, “Basically, Elon Musk poured a few teacups of ice water into the ocean to combat its rising temperature.”

OPM also reported that “hundreds of thousands more workers” are expected to leave in October 2025 under the Deferred Resignation Program. Notably, tens of thousands of employees remain on the payroll due to Democratic Party lawfare that has secured several federal court orders hampering the Trump administration’s efforts.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Bezos-Funded, Musk-Launched Climate Change Satellite Is Lost in Space.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: An $88 million satellite designed to detect methane emissions has been lost in space.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Jeff Bezos, Google, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX were key entities behind the MethaneSat project.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The satellite was launched last year aboard a SpaceX rocket, with communication reportedly lost ten days ago.

💬KEY QUOTE: “To solve the climate challenge requires bold action and risk-taking and this satellite was at the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy,” said the Environmental Defense Fund in a statement.

🎯IMPACT: The loss of MethaneSat limits global efforts to monitor methane emissions, supposedly a key factor in supposedly human-induced global warming.

IN FULL

MethaneSat, an $88 million satellite designed to detect and monitor methane emissions, has been declared “likely not recoverable” after losing communication. The satellite, launched last year aboard one of Elon Musk‘s SpaceX rockets, was intended to operate for five years and provide data to track methane, which climate change alarmists have pushed as a key source of emissions.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which oversaw the project, stated that communication was lost ten days ago and suggested that the satellite may have lost power. “Some of the software could be re-used,” the EDF noted, but it is uncertain whether a replacement satellite will be launched.

MethaneSat was backed by major contributors, including Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Google, who together funded the $88 million initiative. The satellite’s advanced instruments were capable of detecting smaller sources of methane emissions, including those from agriculture and “super-emitters” in the oil and gas industries. Google had planned to use its artificial intelligence (AI) tools to process the satellite’s data and generate a global methane map.

The loss of MethaneSat comes as other key methane-monitoring tools, such as the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, approach the end of their operational lifespans. Such tools have been used to push anti-farmer policy agendas in the European Union (EU) and elsewhere, with policymakers attempting to constrain Western agriculture in the name of mitigating climate change. However, critics of the policies say the real goal is to repurpose farmland to build accommodation for migrants and others.

Image by Daniel Oberhaus.

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Syrian Migrant Goes on Axe Rampage on Train.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: At least four people were injured when a 20-year-old man attacked passengers with an axe and hammer on a train in Germany.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The suspect is believed to be a Syrian migrant. Several passengers were involved in stopping the attack.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on an intercity express train headed to Vienna, Austria, between Straubing and Plattling in southern Germany.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A police operation is currently underway in Mellrichstadt. Police officers and emergency services are on scene in large numbers.” – German Police

🎯IMPACT: The railway line was closed, and a major police investigation is underway. The incident underscores ongoing issues with migrant crime and deteriorating social cohesion in Germany.

IN FULL

A violent attack has occurred on a packed train in Germany, where a 20-year-old man, believed to be a Syrian migrant and identified by the authorities as Mohammed A., injured at least four passengers. The train was an intercity express (ICE) heading to Vienna.

The suspect, believed to be a Syrian national, was carrying both an axe and a hammer during the attack. Early reports suggest train passengers ended the attack by taking on the Syrian, with one managing to grab away one of his weapons and use it against him. Now in custody, the migrant is reported to be seriously injured.

The railway line between Straubing and Plattling was subsequently closed as several police units, firefighters, and emergency personnel responded to the scene. Some passengers reportedly activated the train’s emergency brake, which led to the closure of the tracks.

This incident follows another violent event in Germany, where one person was killed and three others injured in a stabbing spree. The suspect in that case stormed a utility company and attacked several employees. As of the time of publication, no information has been released regarding the motive behind these attacks.

Image by Markus Spiske.

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MAGA Congressman’s Intern Shot Dead in Dem-Run D.C.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old intern, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Democrat-run Washington D.C., struck by a stray bullet.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, other victims, including a woman and a 16-year-old boy, and unidentified shooters.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday evening near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, D.C.

🎯IMPACT: A young intern’s life was tragically cut short, and the shooters remain at large, increasing conservative dissatisfaction with crime and disorder under “home rule” in Democrat-dominated D.C.

IN FULL

Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old college student interning for Representative Ron Estes (R-KS), died after being struck by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting in downtown Washington, D.C. The incident occurred Monday evening near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where police found Tarpinian-Jachym unconscious with gunshot wounds. Authorities believe Tarpinian-Jachym was an unintended victim caught in gunfire aimed at others.

Multiple individuals reportedly exited a vehicle and opened fire. Two other victims, an unnamed woman and a 16-year-old boy, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting. The shooters remain at large, and the Metropolitan Police Department is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction.

Notably, the shooting death occurred just blocks away from the Capital Jewish Museum, where far-left pro-Hamas activist Elias Rodriguez murdered two Israeli Embassy staffers in May. Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and other crimes following the fatal shooting.

Washington, D.C., has seen a concerning level of violent crime in recent years. In May of 2024, a Metropolitan Police Department captain was shot in the head just blocks from his precinct station.

The violence led President Donald J. Trump to sign an Executive Order in March to exert greater federal authority over the nation’s capital, including expanding federal law enforcement presence and directing Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors to seek federal charges against individuals arrested on gun offenses in the city.

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By Popular Demand.
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Trump Economy Beats Jobs Expectations for Fourth Straight Month.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June, while unemployment dropped to 4.1 percent.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. Labor Department, Federal Reserve, and employers and workers across various sectors.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Report released July 2025, covering the jobs situation across the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “BOOM: The U.S. economy added 147,000 jobs in June—beating expectations for the FOURTH straight month!” — Trump War Room.

🎯IMPACT: The Trump economy’s continued strength undermines claims that the President’s tariff policies are harmful—but may end up being used as an excuse to avoid cutting interest rates regardless.

IN FULL

American employers continued to hire at a steady pace in June, adding 147,000 jobs, according to a Labor Department report released Thursday. Additionally, job gains for April and May were revised upward by a total of 16,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent in May.

Job growth was primarily concentrated in the healthcare sector and state and local government. However, the federal government reduced its workforce by 7,000 jobs in June.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has been at odds with President Donald J. Trump over his refusal to cut interest rates, addressed the labor market during a central bankers’ panel in Portugal on Tuesday. “We watch very carefully for signs of unexpected weakness,” Powell said.

The central bank chief and other establishment economic thinkers have long suggested that President Trump’s tariff policies, intended to protect American workers from unfair competition, are poised to reignite inflation and cause job losses, but, months on, there remain few indications that this is happening.

Powell indicated that the Fed expects to lower its benchmark interest rate later this year, though the Trump economy’s consistent job gains may end up being used as an excuse not to cut.

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Trump Gets Israel to Agree to His Gaza Ceasefire Proposal.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Israel agreed to a ceasefire proposal put forward by President Donald J. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Steve Witkoff, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Hamas, and Gazans.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made on July 2, during a press briefing in Estonia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire.” – Gideon Saar

🎯IMPACT: Potential for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, with talks aimed at ending the conflict altogether.

IN FULL

Israel has confirmed its acceptance of a ceasefire proposal by President Donald J. Trump‘s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. This comes a day after Trump announced that Israel had agreed to the necessary conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, while on a state visit to Estonia, stated, “We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire,” confirming Israel’s acceptance of Witkoff’s proposals.

Though details of the proposal were not elaborated upon by Saar, he mentioned the goal of starting proximity talks as soon as possible. Trump, on Truth Social, highlighted a productive meeting with Israelis about Gaza, agreeing to finalize a 60-day ceasefire.

Before Israel’s announcement, Hamas indicated it was considering the ceasefire proposal via mediators Egypt and Qatar.

Trump’s renewed push for peace follows his settlement of the Israel-Iran war, personally averting further Israeli strikes after an agreed ceasefire, and his administration’s orchestration of a peace deal between the Congo and Rwanda in Central Africa.

Image by Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages.

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Canadian Arrested After Migrant Family Drowns Trying to Cross U.S. Border.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. was arrested for his role in a smuggling ring that resulted in the deaths of a family of four and his brother.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Timothy Oakes, 34, and three U.S.-based co-conspirators, Dakota Montour, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, and Janet Terrance.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The smuggling occurred in May 2023 near the St. Lawrence River on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved.” – Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

🎯IMPACT: Oakes faces multiple charges, and the investigation into the transnational smuggling operation continues under “Operation Take Back America.”

IN FULL

A Canadian-American dual citizen, Timothy Oakes, 34, has been arrested for his involvement in a human smuggling operation that left a family of four, including two young children, dead. According to the Justice Department, Oakes was part of a group smuggling migrants across the St. Lawrence River from Canada to New York.

Oakes routinely hosted migrants in his home on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, which borders the river, before transporting them across on his boat. In May 2023, he hosted a Romanian family with two small children, aged one and two, before his brother attempted to ferry them across the river, despite warnings of dangerous weather conditions, including high winds and freezing temperatures. The boat capsized, with all five drowning.

“He profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Galeotti added, “Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants’ own brothers.”

Oakes was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in June while attempting to cross into New York. He has been charged with conspiracy to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. His three U.S.-based co-conspirators—Dakota Montour, 31, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, and Janet Terrance, 45—have all pleaded guilty.

“Oakes’ arrest comes as part of our nearly two-year-long investigation into a transnational criminal organization responsible for the large-scale smuggling of aliens from Canada into the United States,” said ICE agent Erin Keegan. The investigation, which is ongoing, involves collaboration between American and Canadian agencies and is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a Justice Department initiative launched under the Trump administration to combat illegal immigration and transnational crime.

Since the start of President Donald J. Trump’s second term, illegal border crossings from Canada have plummeted as much as 95 percent, according to a report in April. President Trump has also successfully pressured Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney into introducing a Strong Borders Act in the Canadian legislature to further strengthen action on fentanyl, illegal immigration, and other U.S. priorities.

Image by Lorie Shaull.

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By Popular Demand.
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UK Lawmakers Have Voted to Classify This Pro-Palestinian Org as a Terrorist Entity.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Members of Parliament (MPs) in Britain’s House of Commons voted to proscribe the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: MPs in the House of Commons, pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and government officials, including Security Minister Dan Jarvis and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The vote took place on Wednesday in the House of Commons, with further debate expected in the House of Lords on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Proscription is rightly ideologically neutral. It judges an organisation on its actions and the actions it is willing to deploy in pursuit of its cause.” – Security Minister Dan Jarvis

🎯IMPACT: The decision criminalizes support for Palestine Action and could result in sentences of up to 14 years for offenses related to it.

IN FULL

Britain’s House of Commons has voted to designate Palestine Action, an extremist group responsible for acts of sabotage at British military bases and defense industry facilities, as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000. The decision passed with a majority of 359 votes, as 385 MPs supported the motion and 26 opposed it. The legislation now moves to the House of Lords for further debate—although the British upper chamber’s powers to restrain the lower chamber are far weaker than the U.S. Senate’s.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis defended the move, stating that the proscription would “reaffirm the UK’s zero tolerance approach to terrorism, regardless of its form or underlying ideology.” The move follows a high-profile incident in which Palestine Action activists broke into a Royal Air Force (RAF) base and sabotaged crucial military aircraft, and a raid last year on a defense industry facility that saw police officers injured with sledgehammers.

The decision has sparked criticism from far-left MPs and activists. Independent Muslim MP Zarah Sultana described the move as a “deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalize solidarity, and suppress the truth.”

Palestine Action claims to be a non-violent direct action group targeting companies linked to Israel‘s defense industry, despite attacking police with sledgehammers last year. The group has vowed to challenge the proscription in court. They argue that their actions are necessary to oppose what they call “genocide, apartheid, and occupation” in Gaza.

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WATCH: British Finance Chief Cries After Clashes with PM and Speaker.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: British Chancellor Rachel Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her cheeks in the House of Commons after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer refused to confirm she would remain in her role until the next election.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.

📍WHEN & WHERE: During Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister’s full backing.” – Downing Street spokesman.

🎯IMPACT: Market speculation over the Chancellor’s future led to the pound falling by 1.14 percent against the dollar and 0.8 percent against the euro.

IN FULL

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, roughly equivalent to U.S. Treasury Secretary in the United Kingdom, was visibly emotional in the House of Commons as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer avoided confirming her position as Chancellor would be secure until the next election. A spokesman for Ms. Reeves claimed her breakdown was related to a “personal matter.”

Reports suggested tensions had risen prior to Prime Minister’s Questions, when legislators grill the premier in the House of Commons, with claims of a disagreement between Ms. Reeves and the Prime Minister and a brief rebuke from Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle during Treasury questions. Both No. 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence, and No. 11 Downing Street, the Chancellor’s official residence, denied these allegations.

Market reactions were swift, with the pound dropping by 1.14 percent against the dollar and 0.8 percent against the euro, hitting its lowest level since April. This comes amid concerns over the government’s fiscal plans, including a nearly £5 billion (~$6.8 billion) gap in Reeves’s spending proposals due to changes in welfare reforms.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the Prime Minister, stating Reeves looked “absolutely miserable” and challenged him to confirm her position. Sir Keir refused, instead responding that Badenoch “certainly won’t” hold her current role as Leader of the Opposition—likely in reference to the fact that Nigel Farage’s Reform Party looks set to displace the Conservatives, and possibly Starmer’s governing Labour Party, too.

Labour’s welfare reforms have faced significant challenges, with Sir Keir forced to scrap key elements to avoid a Commons defeat. Reeves has also stewarded other unpopular policies, such as higher death taxes on family farmers, leading to substantial protests.

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