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April 30, 2024
William Upton
Analysis
Lawfare

Trump Trial Day 5: Prosecution Tries to Save Michael Cohen’s Credibility.

The fifth day of testimony in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan-based hush money trial has ended. Democrat-aligned Judge Juan Merchan kicked off the day by fining Trump $1,000 for each of his nine alleged violations of the court’s gag order. The gag order was ostensibly imposed to prevent the former President from communicating with the public about endemic corruption in the Alvin Bragg and Joe Biden-led case.

Prosecutors continued questioning Michael Cohen‘s banker, Gary Farro. The banker began his testimony before the court adjourned last Friday.

Following Farro, District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s prosecution team moved on to their next witness, Keith Davidson. A Beverly Hills lawyer and frequent Democrat donor, Davidson formerly represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in their attempts to strong-arm Trump out of cash. The entertainment lawyer has faced numerous legal sanctions for his unsavory activities.

FARRO PART 2.

Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold kicked off the second day of banker Gary Farro’s testimony. The banker testified that he opened a home equity line of credit for disgraced attorney Michael Cohen for $130,000. It is this amount that Cohen then allegedly paid Stormy Daniels. The email communications between Cohen and Farro presented by the prosecution were from the former’s personal TrumpOrg.com account, and not one affiliated with Trump‘s presidential campaign.

Further undermining Bragg‘s accusations that Cohen‘s activities were in the service of aiding Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Farro testified that he saw no indication that the consulting business accounts he helped establish were connected to any political candidate. “There would be additional scrutiny,” he said, if the bank had any indication that the accounts were for political activities.

To set up entertainment lawyer Keith Davidson’s testimony, Mongold showed the jury a wire transfer for $130,000 from Cohen to a trust controlled by Davidson. The transfer occurred just after Cohen had secured the line of credit from Farro. She then asked the banker why an attorney might pay a fellow lawyer a retainer in a real estate transaction. Farro replied, “There could be a number of things.”

FARRO SINKS COHEN.

During Farro’s cross-examination by Trump‘s defense team, the banker acknowledged that Cohen‘s rushed requests were not at all unusual. “90 percent of the time, it was an urgent matter,” Farro said of his dealings with the disgraced attorney. The banker confirmed that he’d never done business with former President Trump.

In one of the most damning moments for Bragg’s case in the trial so far, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche drew the jurors‘ attention to Michael Cohen’s bank filings in which Cohen had asserted he was NOT acting as an agent on behalf of anyone else. This acknowledgment directly contradicts the prosecution’s claim that Cohen was directed to make the payments to Daniels and McDougal by Trump.

Addressing the matter, Farro told Blanche: “If the client told me it was a shell corporation, it would not have been opened. It would give me pause, very frankly.”

JUDGE DENIES BIDEN DOJ COLANGELO’S MOTION.

In a surprise moment, Democrat-aligned Judge Juan Merchan denied a request by former Biden Department of Justice attorney Matthew Colangelo — now a member of District Attorney Bragg’s office — to introduce statements by Trump regarding Cohen and Daniels. Colangelo argued that the statement would demonstrate consciousness of guilt. He also ruled against the prosecution‘s request to introduce texts from Stormy Daniels’s publicist as evidence.

However, Merchan did decide to allow the prosecution to introduce statements that refute claims that Cohen and Daniels have benefited financially from attacking Trump.

BETTER CALL KEITH?

The day in court concluded with the start of testimony by the ethically dubious Hollywood entertainment lawyer Keith Davidson. It is from Davidson that the term “catch and kill” may have first originated, though it appears it was popularized in the American press by Australian journalist Lachlan Cartwright. The National Pulse’s editor-in-chief, Raheem Kassam, has a deep dive into Davidson’s sordid history that can be read here.

“At that time, my practice was heavily involved with media cases,” Davidson told prosecutors regarding his legal work between 2015 and 2017. He went on to acknowledge he was granted immunity for his testimony before the grand jury but was in court today under subpoena.

Davidson acknowledged that he was a friend of Dylan Howard — the former chief content officer at the National Enquirer‘s parent company, American Media, Inc. (AMI). However, the entertainment lawyer claimed that it was not his standard practice to sell stories to tabloid media outlets.

This appears to contradict a 2018 story that describes Davidson as “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.”

BEST DEAL FOR HIS CLIENT.

Regarding the Karen McDougal story about Donald Trump, Davidson admitted that he had played the National Enquirer and ABC News off of each other. “At the time, as is often the case with negotiations, I was trying to play two entities off of each other,” he said, adding his intent was to “create a sense of urgency, if you will.”

Davidson stated that McDougal “did not want to tell her story” but instead wanted to “rejuvenate her career, to make money.” This comment by Davidson seemingly adds credence to the defense team’s claims that McDougal and Daniels were simply engaging in a shakedown. The entertainment attorney also acknowledged receiving 45 percent of the money paid to McDougal by AMI as payment.

DAVIDSON NAMES TRUMP WITHOUT PROOF.

In another damaging moment for Bragg‘s case, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass attempted to get Davidson to confirm that Trump was Cohen‘s client. The entertainment lawyer obliged, saying that is what he believed. However, Davidson added — unfortunately for Bragg — that at no point was Trump actually named as a party to the deal he made with Cohen.

The remainder of Davidson’s testimony relied on the same degree of innuendo. While he could point to existing texts between himself and Cohen, the attorney could not provide the prosecution with any definitive proof tying former President Donald Trump or his 2016 presidential campaign to the payment negotiations.

Overall, the day in court continued along the path that The National Puluse suggested the prosecution was taking last Friday. It appears that despite the District Attorney’s office’s witnesses at times undermining its case, each is meant to bolster Cohen‘s credibility as having been the middleman between Donald Trump and AMI. Whether the prosecution can demonstrate this beyond a reasonable doubt remains yet to be seen — and honestly, it is unlikely.

By Popular Demand.
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16 minutes ago
Raheem J. Kassam
Exclusive

EXC: Inside the UK Parliament Committee Where Nigel Farage Blasted Top Democrats for Insulting Christians, Western Heritage, and Donald Trump.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Democratic members of Congress interfered in UK politics during a parliamentary committee meeting.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jamie Raskin, Eric Swalwell, Jasmine Crockett, and Nigel Farage.

📍WHEN & WHERE: A recent UK parliamentary committee meeting in the UK Parliament’s Grand Committee Chamber.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Rep. Raskin started by disagreeing that the US had been founded on Judeo-Christian values… and then commenced a shouting tirade about Donald Trump…” – Insider source

🎯IMPACT: The incident highlighted tensions between US and UK political figures over free speech and censorship.

IN FULL

The National Pulse has received exclusive details from inside a key UK parliament committee meeting, where top Democratic members of Congress, including Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and others put on a pro-censorship show, interfered in UK politics, and attacked the President of the United States in an overseas parliamentary forum.

The details, which The National Pulse can report, did not come from a political source, but rather from independent observers in the proceedings, who described a roundtable discussion on free speech chaired by Reform Party leader Nigel Farage MP. After the proceedings, Raskin and Swalwell were so humiliated that they leaked stories to the press in a clear-cut case of foreign political interference, with the hope of damaging populist leader Farage.

EXC: The itinerary of the UK parliament meeting.

FOREIGN POLITICAL INTERFERENCE.

“Farage just looked unhinged and like a giant manbaby,” Raskin told the corporate media, after being reprimanded for attempting to derail the proceedings by ranting against U.S. President Donald J. Trump in the British parliament.

“Nigel chaired the roundtable and, during his introductory speech, happened to comment on the fact that our countries are founded on Judeo-Christian values,” said one source, adding: “Rep. Raskin started by disagreeing that the US had been founded on Judeo-Christian values at all, and then commenced a shouting tirade about Donald Trump’s alleged lack of regard for free speech, which bore absolutely no relation to anything the speakers had said.”

“Nigel repeatedly tried to tell him that we weren’t there to talk about Donald Trump, we were there to talk about ‘the impact of this on the freedom of the ordinary man and woman’. To this, Rep. Raskin just continued his tirade while shouting ‘you trying to shut me down shows how much respect you have for freedom of speech’, while Rep. Swalwell (whose only notable contribution to the event thus far had been loudly speaking to Rep. Raskin while one of the UK speakers had been giving their speech) egged him on and laughed.”

RUDE RASKIN.

Worse still, The National Pulse understands from a source that when one of the UK speakers had raised the case of a Christian veteran who had been convicted for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, Rep. Raskin flippantly dismissed the case as “the guy who hung around outside an abortion clinic because he probably regretted what he and his girlfriend had done years before.”

At that point, Farage is understood to have called Raskin “the rudest man he had ever met.”

A source told The National Pulse: “I don’t blame [Farage]… I have never witnessed that level of unprofessionalism and discourtesy, ever, in the course of an international career.”

The delegation was also joined by Democrat Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who allegedly “spent the entire time with her head down, chewing gum and scrolling through her phone.”

CENSORSHIP.

The National Pulse reported yesterday how Raskin praised Britain’s new “Online Safety Act,” which is already being used to censor information available to Britons on the internet.

“At no point did any of those three representatives actually substantively engage with the concept of the threat posed to US companies and citizens, or show any concern for anything other than attacking Trump,” an internal observer noted.

“Rep. Raskin has revelled in the fact he made the comment ‘this is why we had a revolution against you guys’ (which he had to say multiple times, as it didn’t land with anyone except for Rep. Swalwell).”

“If that revolution meant we avoided having [Raskin’s] calibre of representative in Parliament, we should start celebrating July 4th in the UK, too,” they concluded.

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By Popular Demand.
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1 hour ago
News

West Point Delayed Correcting False Statement on Hegseth Admission.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: E-mails released via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit reveal West Point confirmed Pete Hegseth’s acceptance into the academy in 1999 but delayed correcting a false statement to the media that he never applied.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: West Point, Pete Hegseth, ProPublica, and the Center to Advance Security in America.

📍WHEN & WHERE: December 10-11, 2024, at West Point and online.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It is clear that while West Point quickly provided false information on the record that they were reluctant to correct the record, allowed false information to mislead the American public in the midst of the contentious confirmation hearing, and even falsely accused Secretary Hegseth of creating an illegitimate letter.” – Center to Advance Security in America

🎯IMPACT: The incident raises concerns about political partisanship at the military academy during Hegseth’s nomination as Defense Secretary.

IN FULL

Newly disclosed e-mails, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit by the Center to Advance Security in America, have brought to light that West Point confirmed Pete Hegseth‘s acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy in 1999 on December 10, 2024. Despite this, the academy hesitated to correct an initial false statement provided to ProPublica earlier on December 10, asserting that he had never even applied. Hegseth himself shared his acceptance letter publicly on X (formerly Twitter) the very next day.

“It is clear that while West Point quickly provided false information on the record that they were reluctant to correct the record, allowed false information to mislead the American public in the midst of the contentious confirmation hearing, and even falsely accused Secretary Hegseth of creating an illegitimate letter,” the Center to Advance Security in America said in a statement.

The situation unfolded after ProPublica questioned Hegseth’s admission claims on December 6, 2024. On December 10, West Point’s media relations chief, Theresa Brinkerhoff, mistakenly asserted that Hegseth had never applied. ProPublica approached Hegseth’s team, who insisted he had applied and been accepted, causing ProPublica to return to West Point for confirmation. Although internal confirmation of his acceptance was achieved at West Point later that day, officials refrained from updating the media, with one official whose identity has been redacted advising against confirming or denying the information with any media outlet.

This reluctance resulted in Hegseth preemptively posting his acceptance letter on December 11. West Point communications director Terence Kelley acknowledged the misstep off-the-record but delayed providing an official correction until 10:46 AM on December 11, several hours after Hegseth’s public post and nearly a day after the internal confirmation.

The academy later issued an apology, attributing the error to an “administrative error” and a failure to review archived databases. However, it is now clear that a deliberate decision was made not to correct the false information supplied to ProPublica until after Hegseth went public.

The incident garnered attention in light of Hegseth’s nomination as Defense Secretary by President Donald J. Trump, with West Point’s actions suggesting political partisanship at the military academy.

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By Popular Demand.
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14 hours ago
Immigration
News

Trump Migration Crackdown Slashes Migrants Crossing Darien Gap to Near Zero.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Panama’s Darien Gap, a dangerous but once-busy route for migrants heading to the U.S., is now nearly deserted due to President Donald J. Trump’s immigration crackdown.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, and U.S. border officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: June 2025, Darien Gap, Panama.

💬KEY QUOTE: “In Panama’s Darien Gap, migrants are turning BACK before they even reach our border—only 10 migrants crossed in June,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

🎯IMPACT: Migrant crossings in the Darien Gap have dropped to nearly zero, reflecting the effectiveness of the Trump administration’s border policies.

IN FULL

Once a major corridor for U.S.-bound migration, Panama’s treacherous Darién Gap has seen a dramatic decline in crossings. According to Panama’s migration authorities, only 10 individuals crossed the dense jungle in June 2025, marking a near-total collapse in traffic along what became a heavily used migrant route under former President Joe Biden.

The sudden drop follows the return of President Donald J. Trump’s hardline immigration policies, which include greatly strengthened border enforcement and efforts to orchestrate mass deportations. These measures stand in sharp contrast to conditions under the former Biden regime, when crossings through the region, once deemed impassable, surged.

In February 2024 alone, 37,166 migrants passed through the Darién Gap, and in 2022, the weekly average reached approximately 16,400. In 2023, over 530,000 migrants traversed the route, usually aided by organized smuggling networks.

Highlighting the change, U.S. Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted, “In Panama’s Darien Gap, migrants are turning BACK before they even reach our border—only 10 migrants crossed in June. The world is hearing our message that America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”

This view is supported by figures from the U.S. southern border, where apprehensions of illegal migrants have sharply declined. Border Patrol agents reported only about 6,000 arrests in June, none of whom were released into the country. This is a steep drop compared to previous years: 83,000 in June 2024, 99,000 in June 2023, and 192,000 in June 2022, per U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

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By Popular Demand.
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15 hours ago
Immigration
News

NYC’s Mamdani Bragged About Channeling Public Funds to Illegals.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A resurfaced interview revealed the Democrats’ candidate for New York City mayor, Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani, touting taxpayer-funded unemployment benefits for illegal immigrants as one of his “greatest victories.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, New Yorkers, and illegal immigrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The comments were made in a June 2021 interview with SAAG Interactive in Mamdani’s capacity as an assemblyman.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What this fund would do is provide some modicum of relief [to illegals]. And this fund was won in many ways because of the pressure brought by [illegals] that the state doesn’t even recognize, the state does not even see,” Mamdani said.

🎯IMPACT: Mamdani’s pro-illegal immigrant stance has drawn criticism from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and highlights his broader platform of supporting illegal immigrants, including expanding sanctuary city policies.

IN FULL

Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani described securing taxpayer funding for unemployment benefits for illegal immigrants as one of his “greatest victories” during a 2021 interview with SAAG Interactive. The fund, known as the Excluded Workers Fund, was created for illegal alien workers who were ineligible for federal and state unemployment benefits.

“When I think of the greatest victories in Albany this year, I think the excluded workers fund,” the Uganda-born assemblyman said. He continued, “And what this fund would do is provide some modicum of relief. And this fund was won in many ways because of the pressure brought by those that the state doesn’t even recognize, the state does not even see.”

“Without the pressure from those individuals, members of the state would never have taken this action because nothing happens because of benevolence, it happens because of pressure,” he added.

Mamdani’s campaign website outlines his commitment to expanding protections for illegal immigrants in New York City. The avowed socialist and Muslim extremist‘s platform includes measures to strengthen the city’s sanctuary policies, eliminate cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and increase legal support for undocumented residents.

Meanwhile, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has criticized Mamdani for his silence following the recent shooting of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in New York City. “His silence in the face of this brutal attack speaks volumes about where his priorities lie, and it’s not with public safety and the American people,” Lyons said of Mamdani, who only became a U.S. citizen in 2018.

Mamdani has also faced scrutiny for his support of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, which he discussed in the same 2021 interview. Other past comments include anti-NYPD posts accusing police of controlling minorities and the poor, and calls for the defunding of the NYPD and the abolition of prisons.

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By Popular Demand.
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15 hours ago
Corruption
World

Ukrainian Lawmakers Brawl in Parliament as Zelensky Reverses Crackdown on Anti-Corruption Agencies.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ukrainian lawmakers passed a bill reinstating the independence of anti-corruption agencies after protests. Two politicians fought in the chamber during the session.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, European Union (EU) officials, and members of Ukraine’s parliament.

📍WHEN & WHERE: July 31, 2025, during a parliamentary session in Kiev, Ukraine.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This guarantees the normal, independent work of anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies in our country. It is the right decision.” – Volodymyr Zelensky

🎯IMPACT: The decision restores Ukraine’s anti-corruption safeguards, addresses public outcry, and aligns with EU governance rules.

IN FULL

Ukraine’s parliament voted on July 31 to reestablish the autonomy of its two key anti-corruption bodies, responding to widespread domestic and international criticism over a recent law placing them under the government’s control. The measure passed unanimously, with 331 lawmakers voting in favor, marking a significant political reversal for President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The parliamentary session was notable for being the first to be broadcast live since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it reflected the gravity of the situation. Tensions ran high inside the chamber, culminating in a punch-up between two politicians. The cause of the scuffle remains uncertain.

President Zelensky addressed the nation following the vote, acknowledging the strong reaction, including protests in several cities, that the prior law had triggered. “It is very important that the state listens to public opinion,” he said. He emphasized that the new law secures the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which was gutted by previous legislation.

The controversy began when Zelensky signed a law that transferred oversight of the anti-corruption bodies to the office of the prosecutor general, who is under Zelensky’s control. Critics, including European Union (EU) officials and human rights groups, saw this as a significant rollback of anti-corruption reforms. The backlash was swift: thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in Kiev, protesting despite ongoing martial law, and efforts by Zelensky to claim the anti-corruption bodies had been infiltrated by Russia.

The independence of NABU and SAPO has long been regarded as critical to Ukraine’s aspirations for European Union membership and continued access to Western financial support. Both agencies have played pivotal roles in investigating high-level corruption, including cases involving senior government officials.

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By Popular Demand.
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16 hours ago
Economy

Bud Light Parent Company’s Shares Plunge Again.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Shares of AB InBev dropped as much as 11 percent after reporting a larger-than-expected decline in second-quarter volumes, despite increases in revenue and profits.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, and its CEO, Michel Doukeris.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The stock drop occurred on Thursday, with shares last seen down 9.1 percent by 10:27 AM. London time. The performance reflects global markets, including China, Brazil, and the U.S.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The results pointed to the resilience of the beer category and the continued momentum of the company’s megabrands.” – Michel Doukeris

🎯IMPACT: The decline in volumes, particularly in China and Brazil, overshadowed profit growth and raised concerns about the company’s performance in key markets.

IN FULL

Shares of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, dropped as much as 11 percent on Thursday after the company reported a steeper-than-expected 1.9 percent decline in second-quarter volumes. Analysts had predicted a smaller 0.3 percent dip. Despite this, quarterly revenues rose three percent on an organic basis to $15 billion, and operating profit jumped 6.5 percent year-on-year, exceeding expectations. However, the American-Belgian multinational could face tariff impacts due to its European footprint and partial Brazilian ownership.

The decline in volumes was primarily driven by underperformance in China, where volumes fell 7.4 percent, and Brazil, which saw a 6.5 percent drop due to adverse weather and high comparisons. AB InBev noted it was “underperforming the industry” in China, a critical market. Shares later pared losses but remained down 9.1 percent by mid-morning in London.

CEO Michel Doukeris emphasized the resilience of the beer market and the strength of AB InBev’s “megabrands,” which include Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Corona. Analysts, however, expressed concerns over the significant volume declines in China and Brazil, as well as weaker-than-expected performance in other regions such as the Middle Americas and EMEA.

The beer industry is also grappling with broader challenges, including 50 percent tariffs on aluminum, which are expected to increase the cost of beer cans produced in the U.S. AB InBev previously stated that 98 percent of its cans are manufactured domestically. Meanwhile, wine and spirits producers are lobbying for tariff relief under ongoing EU-U.S. trade negotiations.

AB InBev previously saw significant losses for almost a year after a Bud Light marketing campaign featuring the transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney sparked a boycott in April 2023.

Image by Like_the_Grand_Canyon.

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16 hours ago
Lauren Gallagher
News

Zelensky Demands Regime Change in Russia.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging the international community to pursue regime change in Moscow, arguing that Russia’s leadership will continue to destabilize neighboring countries even after the war in Ukraine ends.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Ukraine and Russia, July 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means, even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilize neighbouring countries.” – Volodymyr Zelensky

🎯IMPACT: Zelensky’s stance suggests he is disinterested in making a compromise peace with Russia’s leadership, meaning the war will likely continue dragging on for the foreseeable future.

IN FULL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia will continue to threaten neighboring countries unless the world works to “change the regime” in Moscow. The Ukrainian leader warned on Thursday that Russia’s leadership rejects the “post-World War Two” order and called for the threat to be removed permanently.

“Russia keeps launching such attacks, even when the whole world is calling on it to stop the war,” Zelensky said following overnight airstrikes by Russia. He added that the Kremlin persists with the war because it cannot recognize its “natural borders’’ and sees them as “wherever it wants them to be.”

“They are mentally stuck in another century, a time of brutal violence, depredations, a total disregard for human rights and equality. We all know that such ideas and such times must never return to Europe, and we all know how to protect ourselves from that, how to protect Europe from what Russia is bringing,” Zelensky said.

“If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means, even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,” he added.

His comments suggest he is not poised to strike a compromise peace deal with Russia, meaning that the war—which Ukraine is currently losing—is less likely to be brought to a close in the near future.

Image via the Presidential Office of Ukraine.

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By Popular Demand.
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17 hours ago
Corruption
News

Declassified Durham Report Annex Exposes FBI Role in Prolonging Trump-Russia Hoax.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A newly declassified annex from special counsel John Durham’s report on the Trump-Russia hoax reveals the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dismissed intelligence suggesting Hillary Clinton’s campaign fueled the allegations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The FBI, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, John Durham, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, and other high-ranking officials from the Obama administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Trump-Russia hoax emerged during the 2016 election cycle, with subsequent revelations relating to it being disclosed up to the present day.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton’s political gain.” – Sen. Grassley

🎯IMPACT: The revelations raise further questions about the FBI’s handling of politically charged intelligence, with implications for public trust in federal agencies.

IN FULL

A declassified annex to John Durham’s report has revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dismissed intelligence suggesting that allegations of collusion between President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia may have been fueled by Hillary Clinton’s campaign or Russian disinformation. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the annex, which remains partially redacted, after years of calls for transparency.

The document highlights how the FBI was informed of intelligence indicating that some of the information it received about Trump’s campaign might have been linked to Clinton’s campaign or was a product of Russian disinformation. Despite this, the FBI reportedly dismissed the intelligence as “not credible” without taking investigative steps to verify or refute the claims. Durham’s report criticized the FBI’s handling of this information.

Sen. Grassley, a leading figure in investigating Russiagate, stated, “Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton’s political gain.” Grassley emphasized the damage caused by what he described as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history.

The annex also notes that top officials, including then-CIA Director John Brennan, briefed former President Barack Obama, former President Joe Biden, and other high-ranking officials about intelligence concerning a “purported Clinton campaign plan” to link Trump to Russia. The fraudulent Steele Dossier, funded by Clinton’s campaign and the DNC, was cited as a key element in the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which Durham found was mishandled.

During an interview, former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and current Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe stated, “What hasn’t come out yet and what’s going to come out is the underlying intelligence… part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele dossier.” Ratcliffe added that the declassified annex underscores inconsistencies in testimony from figures like Clinton, Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey.

Image by Paul Morigi Photography.

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By Popular Demand.
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17 hours ago
William Upton
Lawfare

D.C. Bar Association Continues Its Anti-Trump Lawfare, Recommends Jeff Clark Be Disbarred.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Acting Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Director Jeff Clark has been recommended for disbarment in a politically motivated case brought before the District of Columbia Bar. The complaint against Clark dates back to the 2020 election when he drafted an unpublished letter outlining legal paths for certain lawmakers to challenge the election results.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jeff Clark, the D.C. Bar, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Bar Association determination was issued Thursday, 31, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A majority of the Board recommends that Respondent be disbarred. We recognize that there are no factually comparable prior disciplinary cases.” — The D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility

🎯IMPACT: Unless the District of Columbia Court of Appeals intervenes, Clark will face the suspension of his ability to practice law within 30 days as his case continues to proceed.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump‘s Acting Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) director, Jeff Clark, has been recommended for disbarment in a politically motivated case brought before the District of Columbia Bar. The complaint against Clark dates back to the 2020 election when he drafted an unpublished letter outlining legal paths for certain lawmakers to challenge the election results. At the time, Clark was serving at the Department of Justice (DOJ) as Assistant Attorney General.

“A majority of the Board recommends that Respondent be disbarred. We recognize that there are no factually comparable prior disciplinary cases. But that is not surprising given the underlying facts. In making this recommendation, we are mindful of the need to maintain the integrity of the legal profession and deter the respondent and other attorneys from engaging in similar misconduct,” the D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility wrote in their recommendation, issued on Thursday.

“Lawyers must observe the highest standard of professional conduct. At a minimum, they must be honest. While dishonesty is always intolerable, the facts here are significantly aggravating to warrant disbarment: Respondent was prepared to cause the Justice Department to tell a lie about the status of its investigation of an important national issue (the integrity of the 2020 Presidential election),” it continues.

“Lawyers cannot advocate for any outcome based on false statements, and they certainly cannot urge others to do so. Respondent persistently and energetically sought to do just that on an important national issue. He should be disbarred as a consequence and to send a message to the rest of the Bar and to the public that this behavior will not be tolerated,” the D.C. Bar recommendation concludes.

Critics soundly argue that the recommendation is a clear and disturbing attempt to punish an attorney for simply stating their legal opinion, a point that was repeatedly brought up and acknowledged by the board during a hearing last year. Even more troubling, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—under the former Biden government—never provided a reason for their raid on Clark’s home, an incident some contend was thinly veiled political harassment.

Unless the District of Columbia Court of Appeals intervenes, Clark will face the suspension of his ability to practice law within 30 days as his case proceeds. Notably, former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who lied on a FISA warrant targeting the Trump campaign, only received a sentence of 12 months’ probation and 400 hours of community service, along with only losing his law license for one year. Clinesmith is currently an “active member” in “good standing” with the Bar.

Curiously, it was controversial U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg who issued the unusually light punishment to Clinesmith.

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18 hours ago
Health
News

Researchers Create New Hybrid Bird Flu for Vaccine.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Researchers in Japan have engineered a new strain of bird flu, combining genetic material from two wild viruses to create a pathogen known as Vac-3.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Japanese scientists, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)- funded researchers, and U.S. institutions such as the University of Georgia, Mount Sinai, and Texas Biomed.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The study was published last week in NPJ Vaccines, involving experiments conducted in Japan.

🎯IMPACT: The research raises biosecurity concerns over gain-of-function experiments and the potential for man-made pandemics.

IN FULL

A recent study published in NPJ Vaccines reveals that Japanese scientists have engineered a novel strain of bird flu by combining the genetic components of two different wild influenza viruses. The synthetic virus, designated Vac-3, was created in the lab, propagated in chicken eggs, and inactivated with formalin for use as a whole-particle vaccine in long-term tests involving nonhuman primates. This strain—formally named A/duck/Hokkaido/Vac-3/2007 (H5N1)—was artificially assembled and does not occur in nature.

This development comes in the wake of disclosures about U.S. government-funded experiments involving lab-created H5N1 bird flu variants. Some of those strains reportedly caused 100 percent mortality in exposed mammals. In those cases, scientists employed synthetic DNA to construct the viruses and, under a $59 million federal contract, deliberately infected live cows. Japan has also been cooperating with U.S. researchers on additional influenza-related projects, including hybrid viruses combining horse and human flu genes that reportedly replicate much faster than naturally occurring strains.

The Japanese research team emphasized that Vac-3 stimulated more robust immune responses than current flu vaccines, mainly because it retained its full genetic content, including viral RNA. Their approach, called whole-particle vaccination, is designed to activate the body’s innate immune sensors and “rewire” immune responses.

Though the term “gain-of-function” is not used in the study, the methodology behind Vac-3 fits the criteria. The virus was produced by merging genes from different influenza viruses to enhance its immunogenic properties. According to a 2025 Executive Order from the White House, gain-of-function research includes work that alters a virus’s interaction with the immune system, such as increasing its ability to evade or overactivate immune defenses.

The research also introduces significant biosecurity concerns. In their testing, scientists exposed macaques to a deadly H5N1 strain to evaluate how long immunity from Vac-3 would last. This involved constructing a virus that had never previously existed, infecting primates with it, and later challenging them with a lethal strain, all conducted within a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. While the stated goal was vaccine development, such experiments could trigger future pandemics.

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