Thursday, July 23, 2026

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READ IN FULL – Biden Family Associate Blows Whistle in Congress: ‘China Successfully Compromised Obama WH Through Joe and Hunter’.

Biden family associate Anthony Bobulinksi will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability as well as the Committee on the Judiciary on Tuesday. Bobulinksi is expected to explain how he once worked with both Joe and Hunter Biden, and how the pair willfully allowed the Obama administration to be infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for cash.

“The Chinese Communist Party through its surrogate, China Energy Company Limited, or “CEFC” – a CCP-linked Chinese energy conglomerate – successfully sought to infiltrate and compromise Joe Biden and the Obama-Biden White House,” Bobulinski will explain, in testimony reviewed by The National Pulse.

“It is also not a coincidence that CEFC used the Biden family’s weakest link, Hunter Biden, and the promise of large sums of money to the tune of tens of millions of dollars initially, and eventually the profits from investing billions of dollars in the United States and around the world,” he adds.

The full, expected statement, follows below:

Chairmen, Ranking Members, and Members of Congress,

Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you.  I am happy that the American people will finally hear the facts and evidence that I have been trying to outline for over four years, all backed up and supported by emails, texts, documents, records, pictures, and other evidence.  The facts we are going to discuss today are important for America’s national security, and I can only hope that everyone in this room and all representatives and officers of the U.S. Government take them seriously.

My name is Tony Bobulinski.  I am a proud American citizen who has honorably served the United States in several capacities.  For over six years, I was an officer in the United States Navy’s elite Naval Nuclear Power Training Command as a decorated Master Training Specialist Instructor.  I later served as the Command’s Chief Technology Officer, where I held a Q security clearance from the Department of Energy and from the National Security Agency.  When I left NNPTC, I was the number-one-ranked Direct Input Officer (DIO) in the entire command in my final Navy Fitness Report, or FITREP.

I am here today out of duty to God and country in a nonpartisan manner with only one party in mind, the party I served with honor and gratitude: the United States of America.  While I have made a few campaign contributions over the years to Democrats such as Congressman Ro Khanna, a member of the Oversight Committee, I am not a political person.  I come from a family with a long history of distinguished service in our nation’s military.  I grew up the son of a career Naval Officer, CDR Robert Bobulinski, whom I loved dearly.  I could not be prouder of my father’s long and distinguished service to our great nation.  His father, Alex Bobulinski, served our country in the Air Force for four years.  I am also the grandson of Army Intelligence Officer, Col. Fred B. Keller Jr., who, for more than thirty-seven years, fearlessly defended the United States all over the world and served in three different wars.  My only brother, retired CDR Mike Bobulinski, is a twenty-eight year combat-serving Naval Flight Officer, and my only sister, Stacia Bobulinski, has spent the last eighteen years serving U.S. military veterans across the country through the Veterans Administration to demonstrate her and our family’s gratitude to everyone who has risked their lives defending America.

I share my extensive U.S. military roots and background with you because they are the lens through which I view this exceptional country and my responsibility to it.  My deep commitment to America is also the reason I have elected to place myself and my family in the public eye to tell the truth before you today.  That comes at a great cost to my privacy and to my personal security and that of my family, among other things.  However, I am happy to pay that cost.  I am blessed to have been born and to grow up in the greatest country on earth.  I take that seriously.  Having been to over fifty countries around the world, I say that with the highest confidence.

For nearly four years, I have tried to tell the American people the truth about serious corruption at the very top of their government.  In return, I have been falsely accused of being a purveyor of “Russian disinformation” and a political surrogate.  My continuous efforts to inform the American people of the facts have been actively suppressed by both the United States Government and the so-called “mainstream” media.

I want to be crystal clear: from my direct personal experience and what I have subsequently come to learn, it is clear to me that Joe Biden was “the Brand” being sold by the Biden family.  His family’s foreign influence peddling operation – from China to Ukraine and elsewhere – sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government.  Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability.

The only reason any of these international business transactions took place – with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family – was because Joe Biden was in high office.  The Biden family business was Joe Biden, period.  Other key players have made this point clear as well: Hunter Biden himself has adamantly stated it in a variety of communications, as did another Biden family business associate, Devon Archer, in his testimony last year.  Foreign nationals on the other side of these transactions – including from China, Ukraine and Romania – have also explained how and why these transactions took place.  Once again, I would call that extensive evidence.

The Chinese Communist Party through its surrogate, China Energy Company Limited, or “CEFC” – a CCP-linked Chinese energy conglomerate – successfully sought to infiltrate and compromise Joe Biden and the Obama-Biden White House.  This process started in the Fourth Quarter of 2015 and continued through when Joe Biden left office in January 2017 to March of 2018 when CEFC Chairman Ye was detained for corruption in China, never to be seen again.  Note that on October 21, 2015, Joe Biden announced that he would not seek the Presidency in 2016.  It is not a coincidence that CEFC’s aggressive approach to the Biden family happened around the same time.  It is also not a coincidence that CEFC used the Biden family’s weakest link, Hunter Biden, and the promise of large sums of money to the tune of tens of millions of dollars initially, and eventually the profits from investing billions of dollars in the United States and around the world.

Before we begin this in-depth testimony under penalty of perjury and charges of Obstruction of Congress, I would like to highlight a few critically important facts:

    1. Joe Biden was aware of the CEFC transaction, enabled it and had a constitutional responsibility and obligation to the American people to shut it down before it began.  This is because CEFC had been identified as a known surrogate of the Chinese Communist Party by the U.S. Government and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York as far back as 2016, possibly earlier.  I would encourage Congress to gather all of the exact facts and dates.  It is clear to me that alarm bells should have been going off in the Obama-Biden White House and that Joe Biden should have been aware that his own administration had red-flagged CEFC as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party.  This should have made any business transaction with CEFC a non-starter. I personally met with Joe Biden in Los Angeles in May of 2017 multiple times to discuss the broad contours of our business dealings.  The only reason Joe Biden met with me privately during the Milken Institute Global Conference and seated me at his head table was because I was a business associate of the Biden family.
    2. Joe Biden’s immediate family members were enriched to the tune of tens of millions of dollars from some of our most dangerous adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party and players from Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan and other foreign nations and entities.  It is my educated belief dating back to Q clearance briefings I received in the Navy and continuing through recent discussions with experts, that under U.S. corruption laws, political office holders can be held as responsible as the immediate family members who are receiving money directly.  This makes common sense and Americans understand this.  The facts we are going to discuss today appear to me to present disturbing evidence, which these committees should thoroughly investigate, with respect to possible violations by Joe Biden of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity statutes, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
    3. The Biden family – Joe’s son Hunter and his brother Jim – knowingly and aggressively defrauded me as the CEO of SinoHawk Holdings and as a member of Oneida Holdings, LLC at the end of July 2017.  They put Joe Biden and the rest of the Biden family smack in the middle of a $9 Billion transaction between Russia and China involving Qatar (specifically, the Qatar Investment Authority), and helped CEFC navigate through various issues before Patrick Ho, a CEFC executive, was arrested for corruption in New York in November 2017.  Joe Biden’s status as the head of the family served an enforcement role – for example, when Hunter stated deliberately that his father Joe was sitting right next to him while demanding immediate payment of the $10 million CEFC had committed to the Biden family, as well as when Hunter demanded CEFC circumvent SinoHawk Holdings.  The Biden family violated their fiduciary duties to SinoHawk and Oneida as they enriched themselves at the CEFC trough.
    4. United States law enforcement appears to have been singularly unwilling to speak with me or to hear the facts we will be discussing today.  I have never been contacted to provide testimony nor asked to speak with anyone connected with Joe Biden’s administration, including his Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, or local law enforcement.  That includes U.S. Attorney David Weiss for the District of Delaware or any of the several grand juries I now know were convened after my name became publicly known.  On October 23, 2020, I voluntarily walked into the Washington Field Office of the FBI with several phones containing years of encrypted communications between me and numerous members of the Biden family and their associates.  That conversation, which was subject to False Statement statutes, lasted many hours, and was never followed up upon by anyone in government or law enforcement in any way.  Rather, when the House Ways and Means Committee recently released the FBI 302 report of that meeting, Hunter Biden’s lawyers laughably tried to use a single note-taking error by a junior FBI agent to accuse me, falsely, of lying about my attendance at a meeting with Hunter Biden and CEFC in Miami.  I was crystal clear to the agent in my interview that I was physically in Miami during that time for other things and did not attend the actual CEFC meeting.  Hunter Biden’s lawyers should focus their energy on the facts and the extensive indictments Hunter is fighting versus creating smoke screens and distractions with their empty threats.  I have only told the truth, I continue to tell the truth, I have the facts and, as we will discuss today, I also have the receipts to back them up.

I sit here before two of the premiere committees of Congress: Oversight and Judiciary.  I implore each and every one of you to remove your partisan hats today and focus on one party: the United States of America.  I hope your focus will be on a thorough and extensive investigation and exposure of all of the facts and evidence – and on answering the question of how we as a country allowed the White House to be infiltrated by our most existential adversary, the Chinese Communist Party.  I also hope you will hold the complicit parties, including Joe Biden, accountable for their actions, as well as enact new laws that prevent this kind of deep corruption from ever happening again.

God Bless America. I am ready for your questions.

By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.
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Poll Shows Declining Support for Iran War Among MAGA Voters.

A new poll reveals a significant drop in support for the Iran war among President Trump’s MAGA base, as economic concerns dominate voter priorities.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A recent poll shows that support for the Iran war among President Donald J. Trump’s MAGA voters has dropped by 13 percentage points since May, with only 37 percent now supporting continued involvement under certain conditions. Nearly one in five MAGA voters now believe the U.S. should withdraw from the conflict entirely, regardless of costs.
📺 DETAIL: The poll, conducted by Public First, highlights growing frustration among Trump’s base as gas prices climb above $4 per gallon and economic concerns overshadow foreign policy. While the White House defends the war as necessary to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its unpopularity and the rising costs associated with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz are key challenges ahead of the midterm elections. MAGA voters overwhelmingly blame the war for higher gas prices, with 57 percent citing it as the primary cause.
🎯 IMPACT: The waning support for the war among Trump’s core voters signals potential challenges for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterms, where economic issues are expected to dominate. The President’s continued defense of the conflict could further alienate voters concerned about its financial toll, complicating efforts to maintain party unity.

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A new poll reveals a significant drop in support for the Iran war among President Trump's MAGA base, as economic concerns dominate voter priorities.

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By Popular Demand.
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Bill Gates Further Tarnished by New Epstein Report.

An external review revealed that Bill Gates and his foundation staff held multiple meetings with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein despite warnings from employees about the risks of associating with him.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: An independent five-month review by law firm WilmerHale found that Bill Gates ignored repeated warnings from Gates Foundation employees about the risks of associating with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, meeting with him roughly 30 times between 2011 and 2014 to discuss creating a donor-advised public health fund.
📺 DETAIL: The review, based on more than 50 interviews, found no evidence of illegal conduct by Gates or foundation staff during those meetings, which included visits to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and one meeting at the Gates Foundation. Investigators concluded Gates knew of Epstein’s 2008 Florida conviction before their relationship began, while foundation staff repeatedly raised concerns with senior leadership about the reputational risks of working with him. According to the review, Gates ended the relationship in late 2014 after determining that Epstein had misrepresented potential donor support for the proposed fund. The report also found Epstein introduced Gates to Terje Rød-Larsen, whose International Peace Institute later received a Gates Foundation grant before Rød-Larsen resigned in 2020 over his own ties to Epstein. The foundation launched the review after Gates’s name appeared in Justice Department records released during the Epstein investigation. Gates has consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of underage girls, and has described meeting with him as a “grave error in judgment.” Significantly, WilmerHale noted its review did not include Gates’s personal communications or examine any interactions with Epstein outside the foundation’s work.
🎯 IMPACT: The revelations have further tarnished Gates’s reputation, with his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, citing the association with Epstein as a factor in their divorce. The Gates Foundation has since implemented stricter vetting and risk management measures.
📺 FLASHBACK: Epstein, who was federally indicted in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking minors, died while awaiting trial, stirring ongoing controversy, alongside his connections to numerous high-profile figures.

Image by World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch/Remy Steinegger.

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An external review revealed that Bill Gates and his foundation staff held multiple meetings with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein despite warnings from employees about the risks of associating with him.

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By Popular Demand.
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Oil Prices Surge to Six-Week High Amid Houthi Disruption of Saudi Shipments.

Iran-backed Houthi threats against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping routes, driving up oil prices and raising fears of further instability in the region.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: International and U.S. oil prices climbed more than four percent on Wednesday as renewed concerns over global energy supplies intensified after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels began enforcing a self-declared “maritime ban” on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting several vessels to reverse course. The Houthis announced the blockade earlier this week in response to renewed Saudi military strikes in Yemen, threatening to prevent Saudi crude exports from transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Iranian attacks disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
📺 DETAIL: Maritime intelligence firms reported that at least seven ships carrying Saudi cargoes, including a tanker transporting two million barrels of crude to China, turned back following Houthi warnings, though other vessels have continued transiting the waterway without reported attacks. Analysts warned the disruption could significantly affect global oil markets, as Saudi exports through the Red Sea have become increasingly important due to instability in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose 4.12 percent to $94.76 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate increased 4.35 percent to $88.01 per barrel. Analysts at Goldman Sachs said Brent crude could reach $120 per barrel by the end of the year if shipping tensions continue, although some expect prices to fall below $80 if the conflict de-escalates. Saudi Arabia condemned the Houthi blockade and pledged to take all necessary measures to protect its commercial shipping, while the Houthis warned that any Saudi military response would be met with further escalation. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump has warned Iran that any further attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will result in U.S. military strikes against Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.
🎯 IMPACT: The disruption in oil shipments has heightened concerns about global energy security and economic stability, with analysts warning that prolonged tensions could push oil prices above $100 per barrel. The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the blockade, vowing to protect its vessels, while the Houthis threatened a “decisive response” to any Saudi actions.
📈 DATA: Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea had grown from 1.6 million barrels per day to 4.7 million due to the Iran war, underscoring the importance of the route.

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Iran-backed Houthi threats against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping routes, driving up oil prices and raising fears of further instability in the region.

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By Popular Demand.
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Federal Judge Greenlights Record $1.5 Billion Copyright Settlement Against Anthropic.

A landmark $1.5 billion settlement resolves allegations that AI company Anthropic illegally downloaded copyrighted books to train its models.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has granted final approval to a $1.5 billion class-action settlement requiring AI company Anthropic to compensate authors and publishers whose copyrighted books were illegally downloaded from the pirate libraries LibGen and PiLiMi, marking what the U.S. District Court in San Francisco called the largest copyright class-action settlement in history.
📺 DETAIL: The lawsuit focused on Anthropic’s acquisition of the works rather than the legality of using copyrighted material to train artificial intelligence, with an earlier ruling finding that training its AI models is covered by fair use. Under the order signed by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, eligible rights holders can claim roughly $3,000 per book—about four times the typical minimum statutory copyright award—with more than 440,000 books already claimed, while Anthropic must also delete the pirated files from its systems. The settlement comes during a turbulent year for the AI company, which recently sued the Trump administration after being designated a federal “supply chain risk,” arguing the designation unlawfully threatened its government business following a dispute over military use of its AI technology. The company also drew attention after CEO Dario Amodei said researchers could not rule out the possibility that Anthropic’s Claude AI model might one day become conscious, comments that fueled debate over the ethical implications of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence systems.
🎯 IMPACT: The case sets a significant precedent for copyright protection in the era of artificial intelligence, signaling that companies cannot freely use pirated content for AI training without consequences. It also provides substantial financial restitution to authors and publishers whose works were exploited.

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A landmark $1.5 billion settlement resolves allegations that AI company Anthropic illegally downloaded copyrighted books to train its models.

show more
By Popular Demand.
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Hot Mic Catches New UK PM’s Cabinet Laughing About Releasing Dangerous Prisoners Early.

Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, two Cabinet-level ministers in the Labour-controlled British government, were caught joking and laughing about early prison releases, prompting apologies on social media.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: British government ministers Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood have been criticized for joking about the early release of prisoners during a hot-mic moment.
📺 DETAIL: This week, Wes Streeting, the new Defense Secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, equivalent to the U.S. Secretaries of War and Homeland Security, were caught joking about the Labor government’s decision to release many prisoners early. Talking about Alex Norris, the newly-appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary for Justice, Streeting is recoded saying: “You know he’s [Norris] the enemy now, Justice Shabana?” to which Mahmood responds, “No, he’s not.” Streeting then quips: “He wants to let them all out,” prompting laughter. The incident was recorded without Streeting’s or Mahmood’s knowledge. The two Cabinet ministers subsequently issued apologies on social media. On X (formerly Twitter), Mahmood posted: “I think everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new Lord Chancellor – a role I once filled and which comes with immense challenges thanks to the vandalism inflicted on our justice system by the last Conservative Government… But I appreciate this is an extremely serious issue and do not want anyone to mistake this moment of levity for a lack of serious intent.” Streeting posted: “I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new Justice Secretary – it was a reference to an old May/Clarke joke,” he said, referring to former Conservative Home Secretary (later Prime Minister) Theresa May saying of former Conservative Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, “I locked ’em up and he let ’em out.” 
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It’s incredibly disappointing and very hurtful, particularly to those friends and families of people who will be due for early release.” – Sir Mel Stride, Shadow Chancellor.
🎯 IMPACT: The incident adds to the controversy surrounding the government’s decision to release prisoners early. Back in June, it was reported that the Labour government planned to release up to 6,000 serious offenders from prison, including murderers and rapists, to tackle overcrowding. Specifically, the government plans to allow more offenders to be released halfway through their sentences. Originally, more dangerous prisoners were eligible for early release only after serving two-thirds of their sentence. “Once the MoJ [Ministry of Justice] starts writing to victims and saying this is what is happening, there will inevitably be individual victims who have suffered at the hands of an offender who will become very upset,” said Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors’ Association.

Image by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street.

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Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, two Cabinet-level ministers in the Labour-controlled British government, were caught joking and laughing about early prison releases, prompting apologies on social media.

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By Popular Demand.
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UK Abandons Multi-Billion Digital ID Program.

The British government’s proposed Digital ID program, known as BritCard, has been officially canceled, with its $2.4 billion budget redirected to reduce VAT on electricity bills.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer‘s proposed national digital identity program, known as BritCard, has been scrapped by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with ministers saying the move will help fund the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on domestic electricity bills beginning October 1. New Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury Secretary) John Healey said canceling the Digital ID program, previously estimated to cost the equivalent of $2.4 billion over three years, would finance the tax cut, which will also apply to qualifying small businesses, charities, and care homes.
📺 DETAIL: The BritCard scheme was supposedly introduced as part of an effort to combat illegal immigration and initially included a mandatory right-to-work requirement, but that provision was dropped earlier this year following widespread opposition and a petition signed by nearly 2.9 million people. Civil liberties groups, including Big Brother Watch, had criticized the proposal as costly and unnecessary, while opponents argued it risked expanding government surveillance. Questions remain over whether canceling the program will fully fund the VAT cut, with reports citing differing assessments from the government, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and former ministers over whether the Digital ID budget had ever been fully allocated. The government has said updated costings will be provided at the next Budget as it prepares additional measures, including a 20 percent reduction in business rates for hospitality businesses and a £2 (~$2.70) bus fare cap. Financial markets initially reacted cautiously to the new administration’s spending plans, although government borrowing costs eased after Healey was appointed Chancellor. While the standalone BritCard program has been canceled, existing government digital identity services, including GOV.UK One Login, the GOV.UK Wallet, and age-verification systems under the Online Safety Act remain in place.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This is funded this year from cancelling the Digital ID programme,” said new Chancellor John Healey, explaining the financial rationale behind the VAT cut.
🎯 IMPACT: The cancellation halts the rollout of the controversial ID system, criticized for its high cost and potential to infringe on civil liberties, while potentially providing some financial relief to households and small businesses through the VAT cut.
📺 FLASHBACK: When the Digital ID program was announced, officials admitted its success depended on universal adoption. The program quickly expanded in scope, with proposals for “cradle-to-grave” tracking, sparking widespread public and political opposition.

Image by James Mitchell.

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The British government’s proposed Digital ID program, known as BritCard, has been officially canceled, with its $2.4 billion budget redirected to reduce VAT on electricity bills.

show more
By Popular Demand.
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Trump Seals Historic U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Agreement.

The agreement, which requires congressional approval, could expand Saudi Arabia’s nuclear capabilities, with some raising questions over nonproliferation safeguards.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has approved a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, according to a senior administration official, with the deal allowing U.S. companies to help develop the kingdom’s nuclear power program. Congress will have an opportunity to review the agreement, though blocking it would require a veto-proof majority.
📺 DETAIL: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not enter into any agreement that creates a risk of nuclear proliferation. The deal comes as the United States continues military operations against Iran, with the Trump administration maintaining that Tehran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Previous U.S. policy had linked Saudi nuclear cooperation to normalization of relations with Israel, but that condition was reportedly dropped as negotiations advanced. Analysts say the agreement’s impact will depend on whether it permits Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and whether it includes strict International Atomic Energy Agency oversight and other nonproliferation safeguards. Experts have warned that allowing domestic uranium enrichment without strong restrictions could increase regional proliferation risks, particularly given past comments by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the kingdom would seek a nuclear weapon if Iran obtained one. Saudi Arabia is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors civilian nuclear programs, but the full terms of the agreement have not yet been released.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We would not reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
🎯 IMPACT: If approved, the deal could strengthen Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure but also heighten regional tensions, particularly with Iran, which has been accused of pursuing nuclear weapons despite its denials.
📺 FLASHBACK: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously stated that the kingdom would seek nuclear weapons if Iran were to develop them. In addition, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, in September, raising further concerns about nuclear proliferation in the region.

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The agreement, which requires congressional approval, could expand Saudi Arabia's nuclear capabilities, with some raising questions over nonproliferation safeguards.

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By Popular Demand.
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UK PM Ditches Proposal to Cut Workers’ Taxes Soon After Taking Office.

New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shelved a proposal to raise the tax-free personal allowance, citing financial challenges, despite having previously suggested the idea and growing voter concerns over the cost of living.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has U-turned on proposals to increase the tax-free personal allowance, roughly equivalent to the Standard Deduction in the U.S., after assuming office.
📺 DETAIL: Prime Minister Burnham announced there would be no change to the tax-free personal allowance. The tax-free personal allowance is currently £12,570 (~$16,800), meaning earnings up to this amount are not subject to income tax unless you earn over £100,000 (~$134,000), at which point it begins to gradually decrease until hitting zero at £125,140 (~$167,340). Significantly, the personal allowance has been frozen since 2021, resulting in its value being gradually eroded and more people paying taxes as inflation pushes up earnings. This process is known as fiscal drag. Burnham previously suggested that he would increase the personal allowance to help alleviate pressures created by the cost of living crisis, but later decided that altering the allowance would cost the government too much money. While Burnham’s allies now claim that changes in the personal allowance were not part of his immediate priorities, it was one of his most notable proposals during the Makerfield by-election (special election) which saw him returned to the House of Commons. Burnham resigned from his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester to run in the by-election and replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and, ultimately, Prime Minister.
🎯 IMPACT: The decision to maintain the frozen allowance could exacerbate financial pressures on families already struggling with inflation. The fact that the new Prime Minister has U-turned so soon in his tenure on what was one of his most eye-catching proposals raises questions about the left-wing government’s direction of travel on taxes.
📺 FLASHBACK: Burnham has come under increased scrutiny amid reports that he intends to pursue a higher-tax agenda. According to analysis by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, this could add the equivalent of around $51 billion in new taxes. “Andy Burnham has spent 20 years reaching for other people’s money—a death tax on family homes, a graduate tax on young people getting their first pay cheque, a £14 billion raid on savings and investment, and new levies on everything from your parking space at work to your weekend away,” said Reform UK’s Shadow Chancellor Robert Jenrick. This is part of a broader warning from Farage that Burnham’s leadership will see a leftward shift that is likely to lead to tax hikes.

Image by Kirsty O’Connor / No 10 Downing Street.

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New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shelved a proposal to raise the tax-free personal allowance, citing financial challenges, despite having previously suggested the idea and growing voter concerns over the cost of living.

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By Popular Demand.
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Fifth Death Confirmed in NYC Legionnaires’ Outbreak.

A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City has claimed its fifth life, with at least 72 people infected and health officials still investigating the source.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A fifth person has died in New York City‘s Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, which has sickened at least 72 people over the past month. Health officials continue investigating the source of the infection, and eight people remain hospitalized, while 56 have been discharged.
📺 DETAIL: The city’s health department has detected Legionella bacteria in 34 cooling towers across 33 buildings, all of which have since been cleaned, though investigators have not confirmed the outbreak’s origin. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria that spreads through contaminated water droplets from sources such as cooling towers and hot tubs, but it is not transmitted from person to person. Authorities have inspected and disinfected 82 cooling towers at 80 buildings in Manhattan’s Upper East Side after bacteria were found at locations including apartment buildings, schools, and museums. Some property owners, including the Guggenheim Museum, said they acted quickly to address the issue through routine testing and treatment. Texas attorney Jory Lange, who represents several patients affected by the current outbreak and more than 50 from last year’s Harlem outbreak, said stronger enforcement is needed. The Health Department has expanded its Legionella response team following last year’s outbreak and reported completing nearly 1,600 cooling tower inspections during the first half of the year, a 35 percent increase from the same period last year.
🎯 IMPACT: The outbreak has raised concerns over the effectiveness of existing public health measures. A lack of new cases being reported over the past ten days offers hope that the outbreak is subsiding, but long-term questions about prevention and accountability remain.

Image by Daniel Ford.

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A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City has claimed its fifth life, with at least 72 people infected and health officials still investigating the source.

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By Popular Demand.
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Cabinet Office Warns of Punishment for ‘Deadnaming’ and ‘Misgendering.’

Leaked guidance from the British government’s Cabinet Office outlines disciplinary measures for civil servants accused of “misgendering” or “deadnaming” transgender colleagues, sparking concerns about free speech in the workplace.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Leaked guidance from the British government has revealed that civil servants could face misconduct investigations for “misgendering” transgender colleagues.
📺 DETAIL: The British Cabinet Office, roughly equivalent to the Executive Office of the President, issued official guidance warning civil servants that “deliberate deadnaming or misgendering” could be disciplined. The leaked guidance also warns against denying transgender colleagues access to their preferred bathroom and using biologically accurate pronouns. The document states that to “mock or invalidate a person’s trans identity is unacceptable and should be investigated,” and frames such speech as a potential violation of workplace conduct rules. The “official sensitive” guidance was revised following a ruling by the Supreme Court, which affirmed that “sex” is biologically defined in law. “Departments are expected to update their own HR policies and these are currently under review… it would be inappropriate to share while this is ongoing,” said a Cabinet Office spokesman.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Deliberate deadnaming or misgendering to deny, mock or invalidate a person’s trans identity is unacceptable and should be investigated as potential misconduct.” – Cabinet Office guidance.
🎯 IMPACT: The policy has raised concerns about free speech in the workplace. It also suggests a gap in the culture, values, and priorities of the Civil Service and the wider country. This guidance comes amid a broader and intense debate in British public life surrounding transgenderism and access to single-sex spaces and facilities.
📺 FLASHBACK: This is not the only censorious measure regarding transgenderism in the United Kingdom. Last month, it was reported that a new law could see parents, teachers, and doctors imprisoned for trying to talk a child out of transgender treatment. “This is a dangerous proposal that will harm the people it purports to protect,” warned Maya Forstater, Chief Executive of Sex Matters, a gender critical advocacy group.

Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street.

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Leaked guidance from the British government's Cabinet Office outlines disciplinary measures for civil servants accused of "misgendering" or "deadnaming" transgender colleagues, sparking concerns about free speech in the workplace.

show more
By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.