Monday, October 20, 2025

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Trump Trial Day 14: Michael Cohen, The MeidasTouchers, And a 14-Year-Old!?

The 14th day of former President Donald J. Trump‘s Manhattan-based trial was exclusively dedicated to the defense’s cross-examination of the disbarred serial perjurer Michael Cohen. On Wednesday, Cohen’s former criminal defense attorney, Robert Costello, testified before Congress that his old client had repeatedly claimed to him that he had no evidence against Donald Trump. With most of his Tuesday testimony now in question, Trump’s lead counsel, Todd Blanche, zeroed in on more of Cohen’s lies and hammered the prosecution’s star witness over the shifting details of the disgraced lawyer’s testimony.

COHEN GETS MEIDAS TOUCHED.

The morning started with a muddled exchange about when Cohen found out about Bragg’s indictment against former President Trump. Judge Juan Merchan later sidelined much of the questioning and testimony surrounding this as attorneys on both sides struggled to clarify the timeline of events.

Next, however, Blanche entered into the evidence record a recording of the serial perjurer’s Mea Culpa podcast hosted by the far-left website MeidasTouch. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger objected to the move but was overruled by Judge Merchan.

Cohen can be heard on the podcast recording congratulating Bragg on the Trump indictment. Additionally, Cohen states that he spent countless hours with Bragg. “You never met Alvin Bragg, right?” Blanche asked Cohen.

“Correct,” responded the disgraced lawyer. Again, Blanche, with tightly controlled questioning, elicits another instance where Cohen lied—in this case, to his audience regarding his interactions with the Manhattan District Attorney.

MOTIVATED BY REVENGE. 

The next stage of the Trump defense team’s cross-examination of Michael Cohen focused on the serial perjurer’s possible motivations for testifying against his former boss. Blanche hammered Cohen on the latter’s public statements, celebrating the chance Trump could be sent to prison.

“I truly f**king hope that this man ends up in prison,” Cohen could be heard on a podcast recording played for the jury. The disgraced attorney went on to say: “But revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to my family.”

Blanche asked Cohen if he had ever said his work with prosecutors had helped get the former President indicted. “I took some credit, yes,” he replied. Trump‘s lead counsel repeated his question. “Yes, that’s what I believe,” responded Cohen.

COHEN CAN’T HELP HIMSELF.

“You continued to call President Trump various names on your podcasts and when you’re even doing CNN interviews, correct?” Blanche asked next, and Cohen admitted he did. Cohen was then presented with his April 21, 2024, TikTok post just before the trial began. In the video, Cohen states he has “mental excitement about the fact that this trial was starting.”

Blanche asked Cohen if he knew a paralegal was monitoring his social media. “That didn’t stop you, did it?” Blanche pressed Cohen. “No, sir,” he replied.

Trump’s defense team hit Cohen hard on both Tuesday and Thursday for his lack of self-control and inability to follow instructions. Blanche’s strategy appears to be to illustrate to jurors that Cohen is motivated only by his own self-perception and selfish desires. Beyond his simply profiting from the trial, Blanche is underscoring that Cohen often acts on his own with disregard for how his actions affect others.

LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES.

Again taking aim at Cohen’s credibility, Blanche walked the disbarred attorney through multiple past instances where he was proven to have lied before courts, lawyers, and Congress. “Was that oath that you took every single time, so going back to all the depositions, the same oath that you took Monday morning in this courtroom?” Blanche asked, with Cohen responding: “Yes, sir.”

“And each time you met with a federal agent you were told that if you made a false statement that that was a felony, a federal crime, correct?” Blanche continued. Again, Cohen responded: “Yes, sir.”

Blanche next focused on Cohen’s lies before the House Intelligence Committee in 2017. “There were a couple of different lies?” he asked Cohen, the latter responding: “That’s correct.”

Cohen admitted to Blanche that he had lied under oath to the Congressional committee and lied again when he met with the special counsel in April 2018.

WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

Trump’s lead defense counsel pressed further, again trapping Cohen into admitting that he lied because of what he perceived he should do. “You said you were accepting responsibility for those lies, for lying to Congress. But in fact, you repeatedly said — and even said this morning, and even this week — that the reason why you lied was because of your loyalty to President Trump,” Blanche asked.

“I worked with a joint defense agreement, and we crafted the two-page document in order to stay on message — the message we all knew Mr. Trump wanted, including Mr. Trump’s attorney at the time,” Cohen replied. Blanche followed up, asking the disgraced attorney: “So are you saying you’re accepting responsibility or blaming the joint defense agreement?”

Cohen begrudgingly admitted on the stand, “I accepted responsibility, I read it, and I submitted it to the committee.”

UNTRUE VERSUS A LIE.

Blanche grilled Cohen about whether federal prosecutors threatened him or tried to induce him to plead guilty to a series of 2018 tax evasion charges. “Nobody induced you or threatened you to plead guilty, correct?” Blanche asked Cohen.

“As I stated previously, I was provided 48 hours within which to accept the plea, or the Southern District of New York was going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife. And I elected to protect my family,” the disgraced lawyer responded. Blanche pressed Cohen again about his characterization of interactions with federal prosecutors.

Cohen responded the second time, “I never denied the underlying facts; I just did not believe that I should have been criminally charged for either of those six offenses.”

Blanche pushed back, asking Cohen if there was a difference between him saying something untrue and stating a lie. “I was using just different terminology,” Cohen replied.

“So it was a lie?” Blanche asked. Cohen responded: “Correct.”

WHAT ABOUT BOB?

Much of Blanche’s cross-examination of Cohen seems to be setting up Robert Costello as — possibly — the singular defense witness. Costello is Cohen’s former criminal defense attorney who has, in recent days, told both Congress and several media outlets that his former client is lying on the stand.

The questioning regarding Cohen’s interactions with federal prosecutors is especially pertinent as Costello testified before Congress directly on conversations he had with his client about the federal tax charges. On Wednesday, The National Pulse reported that Costello said: “I explained that if Cohen had truthful information that would implicate Donald Trump, I could get him out of his legal troubles by the end of the week.” He added: “I emphasized that any information Cohen could give would have to be truthful, otherwise it was useless.”

“Each time Cohen said to me: ‘I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump,’” Costello recalled. He continued: “Cohen must have said this at least ten times because I kept coming back to it from different approaches.”

LYING TO A FEDERAL JUDGE.

Trump’s lead defense counsel next addressed Cohen and the fact that the disbarred lawyer had lied to a federal judge. “You testified under oath at a different trial that you did not commit the crimes that you pled guilty to before Judge Pauley, correct?” Blanche asked Cohen, referring to the latter’s perjury before the late U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III.

“Correct,” answered Cohen.

Blanche, citing Cohen’s own words, asked the serial perjurer if it was true that he lied to Judge Pauley because “the stakes affected you personally?” Cohen confirmed to Blanche this was true. Pushing further, Blanche pressed Cohen as to why—during his 2019 testimony before Congress—the disgraced lawyer didn’t tell lawmakers he had lied to the federal judge.

“By not telling Congress or the Senate that you had lied under oath, do you believe that you were omitting important information?” Trump’s lead counsel asked Cohen, and Judge Merchan again overruled the prosecution‘s objection.

“I don’t believe I was asked the question,” Cohen said.

BLAME GAME. 

As the morning’s cross-examination began its final stretch, Blanche focused on Cohen‘s refusal to take responsibility for his actions. “You blame a lot of people over the years for the conduct that you were convicted of,” Blanche told Cohen. The disgraced lawyer responded: “I blame people, yes.”

Blanche proceeded to rattle off a list of people and institutions that Cohen has pointed the finger at for his crimes over the years. These included Cohen’s accountant, bank, federal prosecutors, federal judges, and Donald Trump. Cohen admitted he had blamed each one.

Observers in the courtroom described Cohen as appearing angry and annoyed as Blanche pressed him on every person he’s blamed and his prior convictions for tax evasion and perjury.

A JILTED LAWYER.

Blanche shifted gears again, focusing on the 2016 presidential transition and Cohen’s disappointment at being left behind in New York City. Blanche asked Cohen if it was true that he wanted to serve as the White House chief of staff. “I would have liked to have been considered for ego purpose,” Cohen responded.

After former President Trump tapped Reince Priebus to serve as his chief of staff, Cohen admitted to Blanche that he was disappointed. Blanche then presented Cohen with texts between the latter and his daughter. In the text, Cohen told his daughter that he was with Trump at that very moment and that “he wants me to go, just not sure the position,” insinuating that he’d be joining the President in Washington, D.C.

This line of question is important because, as others have testified, Cohen was not seriously considered for any role in the White House or approached about a role. Blanche likely intended this inquiry to reinforce Cohen’s penchant for lying, even to his own daughter. Additionally, the moment further proved that Cohen has an almost delusional opinion of himself and his actions.

“Did you express disappointment to Pastor Scott repeatedly that President Trump hadn’t brought you into the administration?” Trump’s lead counsel asked Cohen. The prosecution’s witness responded annoyedly: “Not into the administration — I knew the role I wanted… I may have expressed frustration.”

When Blanche pressed Cohen as to why he needed someone to put in a good word for a role in the White House when Cohen claimed he talked to Trump almost every day, the disgraced lawyer said, “It’s always good to have somebody else advocate.”

PRANKED BY A TEENAGER.

Just before the lunch break, Trump‘s defense team took aim at one of the prosecution and Cohen’s key claims. Blanche presented Cohen with a series of text and call logs that Cohen had claimed were him reaching out to Trump regarding the resolution of the Stormy Daniels hush money payment. Trump’s lead counsel contended that rather than reaching out to Trump, Cohen was actually calling Trump’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller, for help dealing with a series of harassing phone calls he was receiving from a 14-year-old prankster. The texts between Cohen and Schiller appear to indicate that the latter was indeed the case.

However, Cohen insisted to Blanche that the prankster wasn’t all that he discussed on the calls, stating: “I know that Keith was with Mr. Trump at the time and there was more potentially than this.” A skeptical Blanche, noting the short amount of time over which the texts and calls took place, asked Cohen if he really “had enough time to update Schiller about all the [harassment] problems you were having and also update President Trump about the status of the Stormy Daniels situation because you had to keep him informed?”

“I always ran everything by the boss immediately, and in this case, it would have been saying, ‘Everything has been taken care of — it’s been resolved,'” Cohen responded.

LAWYER OR PR GUY?

The post-lunch cross-examination continued with Blanche pressing Cohen on whether he frequently worked to drive positive stories for Donald Trump. Cohen testified that he would often work place positive stories and that Trump would “blow up” if he failed. At this point, former President Trump visibly shook his head “no” as Cohen spoke.

“It was my routine to always advise Mr. Trump because the story that I was going to put out is not the way he would want it. One, it would cause him to blow up at me, and two, it would probably be the end of my job,” Cohen told Blanche. Again, it appears Blanche’s strategy was to portray Cohen as someone who viewed their role as something more ‘connected‘ than it was.

A CAMPAIGN SURROGATE?

In the next series of questions, Cohen was pressed on whether he ever had a role in the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. Former Trump campaign aide Hope Hicks testified earlier in the trial that Cohen was not a part of the campaign but would often try and interfere with the campaign staff.

Cohen testified that while he wasn’t a campaign staff member, he was a “surrogate.” The serial perjurer, however, has not produced any documentation or evidence of this role being in any official capacity.

“Your testimony is the frustration toward you that didn’t come from President Trump; it came from the campaign staffers?” Blanche asked Cohen. He replied, “Correct.”

COHEN FALLS APART.

As the fourteenth day of trial testimony neared its end, Cohen inadvertently may have crushed District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s case. Prosecutors have maintained that the hush money payments were campaign expenditures and not legal fees, as Trump’s only concern was about the Stormy Daniels story’s impact on the 2016 election.

However, when discussing the 2011 blog post marking the first public allegations regarding an affair with Stormy Daniels, Cohen admitted Trump was worried about the impact the story would have on his family. “Fair to say that the first time you heard about that and the story by Ms. Daniels, when you talked to President Trump about it, he said he was worried about what his family would think, correct?” Blanche asked.

“Yes, as well as, of course, for the brand,” Cohen admitted. Blanched continued to press Cohen, addressing his 2021 conversation with law enforcement: “The first thing that President Trump said to you was that his family wouldn’t like that very much?”

“That’s true,” Cohen replied.

After Blanche rehashed additional details of conversations Cohen allegedly had with Trump and other associates, the court adjourned at 4PM with Cohen’s cross-examination set to continue on Monday.

You can read The National Pulse’s Day Thirteen trial coverage here, and if you find our work worthwhile, consider joining as a supporter.

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Grinning Mamdani Poses for Photo With Unindicted WTC Bombing Co-Conspirator.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Democrat New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani shared a photo with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, and terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman.

📍WHEN & WHERE: October 2025 at Masjid At-Taqwa in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If we were united and strong, we’d elect our own emir [leader] and give allegiance to him. … Take my word, if 6-8 million Muslims unite in America, the country will come to us.” — Imam Siraj Wahhaj

🎯IMPACT: The photo has renewed scurtiny regarding the radical sect of Islam Mamdami follows, his radical, far-left political ideology, and his personal association with violent Islamists.

IN FULL

Democrat New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani shared a photo on social media on Saturday in which he appears with radical Islamist Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In the post, Mamdani praised Wahhaj as one of America’s foremost Muslim religious scholars and a local Brooklyn community leader.

“Today at Masjid At-Taqwa, I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century,” wrote the Uganda-born Democratic Socialist, who is joyfully smiling in the photo.

Wahhaj previously defended Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious radical “blind sheikh” cleric who was convicted along with nine others of plotting the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. According to recordings obtained by federal investigators, Rahman went on to encouraged further violence against targets in New York and New Jersey.

Before his 2017 death in federal prison, Rahman led Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, an Egyptian miliant Islamist group desigated as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU). The groups’s terrorist designation in the United States was dropped by the former Biden government in 2022.

In addition, Wahhaj has drawn public scrutiny for a series of controversial statements including, a 2017 sermon on jihad, declaring, “I pray one day Allah will bless us to raise an army, and I’m serious about this. We were very close, recently. We had made intention to raise an army of 10,000 men in New York City.” In 1992, he argued, “If we were united and strong, we’d elect our own emir [leader] and give allegiance to him… Take my word, if six to eight million Muslims unite in America, the country will come to us.”

Speaking on the jihad in Afghanistan in Toronto, Canada, in 1991, Wahhaj stated: “Those who struggle for Allah, it doesn’t matter what kind of weapons [you use], I’m telling you it doesn’t matter! You don’t need nuclear weapons or even guns! If you have faith in Allah and a knife! If Allah wants you to win, you will win! Because Allah is the only one who fights. And when his hand is over your hand, whoever is at war against my friends, I declare war on them…. The Americans are not your friends … The Canadians are not your friends … The Europeans are not your friends. Your friend is Allah.”

Currrent polling shows Mamdani, himself a follower of the radical Twelver sect of Shia Islam, leading in the mayoral race over his opponents, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) who is running as an Independent candidate and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Image via @ZohranKMamdani.

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SCOTUS to Rule on Disarming Chronic Potheads.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Supreme Court announced it will examine the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting regular marijuana users from owning firearms, following an appeal by the Trump administration to reinstate felony charges against a Texas gunowner who acknowledged being a regular user of the drug.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ali Danial Hemani, the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald J. Trump, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court justices.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision to take the case was announced on October 20, 2025, originating from a 2023 indictment in Texas.

🎯IMPACT: The ruling could redefine Second Amendment protections for millions of marijuana users amid expanding state legalization, building on the 2022 Bruen decision and sparking further challenges to gun restrictions.

IN FULL

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to review whether habitual marijuana consumers can be barred from firearm possession under federal law, marking the latest high-profile gun rights dispute since the court’s 2022 Bruen decision expanding Second Amendment protections. The Trump administration petitioned the justices to overturn a lower court’s dismissal of charges against Texas resident Ali Danial Hemani, who faced felony prosecution for keeping a gun at home despite admitting to routine cannabis use.

Hemani’s case stems from a 2023 Federal Bureau of Investigaion (FBI) raid on his residence, prompted by suspicions of ties to Iranian entities, where agents discovered a 9mm pistol, marijuana, and cocaine. Prosecutors secured a conviction based on a gun possession charge tied to Hemani’s unlawful drug use. However, the charge was subsequently thrown out by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on the grounds the prosecution violated the Supreme Court’s Bruen framework which the appellete panel ruled permitted enforcement solely for individuals intoxicated while armed.

Department of Justice (DOJ) attoneys, in their appeal of the 5th Circuit ruling argue that the drug-user restriction is a reasonable safeguard against public hazards posed by impaired owners. Notably a number of states, like Virginia, have laws against open and concealed carry while intoxicated. Virgina also pohibits carrying a concealed handgun while drinking at a bar or restaurant, and consuming alcohol while carrying a firearm at any private event where special licenses permit drinking.

Lawyers representing Hemani maintain that the statute endangers countless citizens with inadvertent breaches, citing federal data showing 20 percent of Americans have experimented with marijuana, even as roughly half the states permit recreational use—though it remains a controlled substance federally.

Oral arguments are anticipated to be held early next year, with a final opinion expected by summer’s end.

Image by Joe Ravi.

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China Fires Top Trade Negotiator Branded ‘Unhinged’ by Trump’s Treasury Secretary.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Chinese President Xi Jinping ousted Li Chenggang—one of the Chinese Communist Party’s top trade negotiators—after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicy derided Li as “unhinged” amid escalating tensions over China’s rare earth mineral export restrictions and U.S. tariff policies.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Li Chenggang, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The removal was announced Monday; recent events include a Washington, D.C., meeting in August and upcoming talks in Malaysia this weekend and South Korea at the end of the month.

💬KEY QUOTE:“There was a… trade person who was slightly unhinged here in August” – Scott Bessent.

🎯IMPACT: The leadership change signals potential shifts in Beijing’s trade strategy as U.S.-China dialogue resumes, aiming to de-escalate the renewed trade war sparked by China’s export restrictions on critical rare earth minerals.

IN FULL

One of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top trade negotiators has been abruptly dismissed by China’s President Xi Jinping after his conduct in ongoing trade talks was pulbicly criticized by U.S. Treasury Scott Bessent. Li Chenggang was removed from his positions as China’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva by Xi, according to CCP-controlled state media. The moved comes after Bessent last week said was Li “unhinged” and “very disrespectful” during negotiations held in Washington, D.C. this past August.

Speaking at an economic forum last week, Bessent referred to an “unhinged” Chinese trade official present at the August trade talks, before identifying Li by name. The U.S. Treasury Secetary went on to reveal that Li “threat[ened] China would unleash chaos on the global system if the U.S. went ahead with our docking fees for Chinese ships,” noting he believed Li’s behavior was an intentional political stunt planned by Beijing. At an earlier event, Bessent recalled the same incident, stating: “He showed up uninvited in Washington and said, ‘China will cause global chaos if the port shipping fees go through.'”

The dismissal of Li comes amid a sharp escalation in the ongoing U.S.-China trade war after the CCP announed it is implementing unprecedented export controls on rare earth mineral exports—essential materials for advanced technology manufacturing. In response to the move, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the U.S. will impose a 100 percent tariff on all Chinese imports unless China abandons the restrictions. Notably, other U.S. officials present at the impromptu August trade talks describe Li as having delivered a one-sided political lecture to his American counterparts.

Li’s exit comes ahead of a meeting between U.S. and Chinese trade representatives this coming weekend in Malaysia. The talks are seen as seen as an important preliminary step before Trump and Xi meet in South Korea later this month.

Xi’s decision to oust Li from the trade negotiations could signal a significant deescalation by China as it looks to boost exports in the face of unchecked deflation in the country’s economy. Thus far Xi’s government has been unable to stimulate domestic consumer demand, meaning Chinee manufacturers continue to be overly reliant on exports to generate profit.

“I think that things have de-escalated,” Bessent said, alluding that Li’s dismissal was imminent. He added: “We hope that China will show the respect that we have shown them, and I am confident that President Trump, because of his relationship with President Xi, will be able to get things back on a good course.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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Feds Catch Illegal Offering $10k Bounties to Murder ICE Agents.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Federal authorities apprehended Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, in Dallas, Texas, after he posted a TikTok video soliciting violence against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, offering $10,000 per killing, and was found with a loaded handgun.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Eduardo Aguilar, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, ICE agents, and references to Mexican cartels in Chicago threats.

📍WHEN & WHERE: TikTok post on October 9, 2025; arrest on October 14, 2025, in Dallas, Texas; follows September 24 sniper attack on Dallas ICE facility and ongoing Chicago bounties.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Thanks to the quick work of law enforcement, this illegal alien who was offering $10,000 cash bounties for the murder of ICE law enforcement is in custody and facing federal charges. We are thankful this illegal alien who had a firearm in his possession was arrested before he could kill one of our law enforcement officers” – Tricia McLaughlin.

🎯IMPACT: The arrest highlights escalating dangers to immigration officers, including sniper attacks and cartel-funded bounties up to $50,000, amid federal operations like Chicago’s Operation Midway Blitz.

IN FULL

Law enforcement officials detained Eduardo Aguilar, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Dallas, Texas, on October 14, 2025, following a social media post that urged attacks on federal immigration personnel. In a TikTok video dated October 9, Aguilar wrote in Spanish, translated as seeking “10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis],” while pledging “10K for each ICE agent.” Authorities discovered a loaded handgun in his vehicle during the arrest, a violation carrying felony penalties for non-citizens.

This episode reflects broader risks to ICE staff, including a September 24 sniper assault on a Dallas facility that left two detainees dead, although the gunman was aiming at agents. Agents in Chicago, Illinois, performing Operation Midway Blitz face similar threats, with Mexican cartels allegedly funding bounties reaching $50,000 for harming officers, and deploying armed observers on rooftops to track their movements.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “Thanks to the quick work of law enforcement, this illegal alien who was offering $10,000 cash bounties for the murder of ICE law enforcement is in custody and facing federal charges. We are thankful this illegal alien who had a firearm in his possession was arrested before he could kill one of our law enforcement officers.” She added, “Our agents are facing ambushes, terrorist attacks, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress. We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”

Aguilar, who entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2018 as an unaccompanied minor, received a deportation order from an immigration judge in February 2019. He now faces federal accusations of conveying a threatening message across state lines, with a potential five-year sentence upon conviction.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), supported by ICE and local partners, led the probe, underscoring commitments to counter such dangers amid heightened immigration enforcement.

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Trump Calls Colombia’s Marxist Leader a ‘Lunatic’, Vows to Halt Payments Over Drug Trade.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. President Donald J. Trump criticized Colombian President Gustavo Petro, calling him a “lunatic” and the “worst president they’ve ever had,” while announcing an end to U.S. funding to Colombia over its cocaine production.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments were made Sunday aboard Air Force One, with additional remarks on social media from Petro and Senator Graham.

💬KEY QUOTE: “They make cocaine, they have cocaine factories… I’m stopping all payments to Colombia because they don’t have anything to do with their fight against drugs.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The crackdown on Colombia over its cocaine production comes as the U.S. military is expanding its anti-cartel operations in Latin America and the Carribean, with a specific focus on Nicolás Maduro’s nacro-regime in Venezuela.

IN FULL

U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Colombia, calling its radical Marxist president, Gustavo Petro, a “lunatic” and the “worst president they’ve ever had” as he reiterated his vow to halt all payments to the Latin American country over its cocaine production and renewed support of neighboring Venezuala’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

“They make drugs, they refine drugs, they make cocaine, they have cocaine factories,” Trump said while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. He added: “They have no fight against drugs, and I’m stopping all payments to Colombia because they don’t have anything to do with their fight against drugs.”

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) confirmed the move on Sunday in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “President Trump … informed me that he is going to be hitting Colombia, not only their drug dealers and traders, but also where it hurts, in the wallet. He will be announcing major Tariffs against the Country of Colombia, today or tomorrow.”

Colombia’s President Petro pushed back on social media in a series of posts from Sunday into Monday morning. “Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the USA; on the contrary, it has greatly admired its culture,” Petro—a former member of the communist guerrilla group 19th of April Movement (M-19)—wrote.

“But you are rude and ignorant toward Colombia… I don’t do business, like you do; I am a socialist, I believe in aid and the common good and in the common goods of humanity, the greatest of all: life, put in danger by your oil,” he continued, adding: “If I am not a merchant, then much less a drug trafficker; in my heart there is no greed.”

The far-left Colombian leader made a series of series of subsequent posts touting his government’s alleged actions targeting the cocaine trade and criminal drug cartels. He went on to argue the U.S. war on drugs is “a failed strategy” and likened President Trump’s authorization of military strikes on drug boats to civilian deaths during Israel’s war against Hamas.

“[I]n the Caribbean, missiles fall like in Gaza on boats of people who, whether involved in the drug trade or not, have the right to live,” Petro wrote early Monday. “If Trump’s strategy, to secure Venezuela’s oil cheaply, combines the so-called war on drugs with the real pursuit of oil, it is a double failure.”

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‘Raise the Age’ Law Linked to Surge in Teen Gun Crime.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: New York City has seen a sharp rise in teenage shooting victims and gun offenders since the state’s “Raise the Age” law went into effect, according to new New York City Police Department (NYPD) data.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Teen shooters, victims, and law enforcement officials, including former NYPD supervisor Chris Hermann and former NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kevin O’Connor.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Data covers incidents through September 2025 in New York City, with notable cases in Times Square and East Harlem.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We need to somehow tweak Raise the Age so when there’s shooters involved in incidents that they don’t just get a get out of jail free card.” – Chris Hermann

🎯IMPACT: Teen gun-related crimes have surged 143 percent since the law’s implementation, despite citywide shootings declining overall.

IN FULL

The State of New York‘s Raise the Age law—which raised the age of criminal culpability from 16 to 18—has precipitated a 96 percent increase in teen shooting victims and an alarming number of other and gun offenses in New York City compared to 2018, law enforcement data shows. According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), 92 minors have been shot so far in 2025 through September, a 21 percent increase from the same period last year.

Enacted in two phases between 2018 and 2019, the New York court system contends the law is justified because, “Scientific research has shown that prosecuting and placing children in the adult criminal justice system does not work.”  Notably, the NYPD crime data shows that in 2025, the number of arrests of teen shooters have also surged, with 73 teenagers arrested this year compared to 30 in the same timeframe in 2018, marking a 143 percent increase. This spike in teenage gun crime comes even as citywide shootings have dropped 20 percent compared to 2024 and over 50 percent since 2020.

Critics of the law contend it fails to hold criminals under the age of 18 accountable, resulting in the spike in teenage gun violence. “We need to somehow tweak Raise the Age so when there’s shooters involved in incidents that they don’t just get a get out of jail free card,” said former NYPD supervisor Chris Hermann in a recent inteview. He added: “We want to see them get remanded longer term for gun-related crimes. But no politician is going to say ‘Hey, maybe it’s time [to] build a bigger, better juvenile jail.’”

Meanwhile, former NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kevin O’Connor poins to a number of high-profile incidents as emblematic the state’s failure to address the issue, including an August shooting in Times Square where a 17-year-old wounded three people and a September case where a 44-year-old woman was struck by stray gunfire allegedly fired by a teen. Another notable case involved 18-year-old Damien Calhoun, who was involved in a gunfight in East Harlem while wearing an ankle monitor for an attempted murder charge from the previous year.

“This case in East Harlem is another poster child of what’s going on,” O’Connor said before adding: “You got an 18-year-old wearing an ankle monitor who pleaded guilty to an attempted murder shooting and he’s out. If he pled guilty, why is he out? It’s because of Raise the Age.” O’Connor described the situation as “a complete revolving door.”

Image by Felipe Jiménez.

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China Accuses U.S. of Major Cyberattack.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: China accused the U.S. of conducting cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: China’s Ministry of State Security and the U.S. National Security Agency.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Accusations reported on October 20, 2025, regarding incidents between 2023 and 2024, in China.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This type of cyberattack is considered a classic form of state-level cyber aggression, internationally referred to as an advanced persistent threat” – Li Jianhua, director at Shanghai Jiao Tong University

🎯IMPACT: U.S.-China tensions are increasong amid ongoing trade disputes and cybersecurity and espionage concerns.

IN FULL

China has accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of conducting cyberattacks on its National Time Service Centre (NTSC), a facility critical to the country’s communications, financial systems, and defense infrastructure. According to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, the NSA used 42 types of what it called “special cyberattack weapons” to infiltrate NTSC’s internal networks between 2023 and 2024. These allegations, released in a public statement, have not been backed by verifiable evidence, and the U.S. government has not issued a response.

The NTSC provides high-precision time synchronization for vital systems, including satellite navigation, power grids, and communication networks. On China’s state broadcaster CCTV, NTSC senior official Wei Dong warned that such attacks could disrupt key national timing systems, potentially compromising operations in power substations and satellite-based services. Li Jianhua, a director at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, described the incident saying, “This type of cyberattack is considered a classic form of state-level cyber aggression, internationally referred to as an advanced persistent threat,” underlining the serious risks to national infrastructure.

The timing of these accusations coincided with a large-scale outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing division of Amazon. The outage, which began on October 20, affected services in AWS’s US-EAST-1 region, disrupting operations for major platforms including Snapchat, Fortnite, Signal, Robinhood, and Venmo. AWS confirmed the disruption was due to increased error rates and latencies and reported that the issue was fully resolved later in the day.

While China’s claims have drawn international attention, the U.S. has also repeatedly blamed Chinese state-backed actors for cyber operations targeting American infrastructure. In December 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department confirmed that hackers linked to China exploited a vulnerability through a third-party security vendor, gaining access to unclassified Treasury workstations. In May 2024, U.S. authorities reported an increase in cyber intrusions targeting water facilities, attributing some of these attacks to Chinese-linked groups. In July 2025, Microsoft revealed that Chinese hackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability to breach multiple organizations, including the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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REVEALED: Trump Thought Israel ‘Acted a Bit Out of Control.’

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WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, revealed that the America First leader believed Israel was acting “a little bit out of control” following an attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar, a U.S. partner.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jared Kushner, President Trump, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Qatari officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on September 9, during a Hamas meeting in Qatar, with Kushners’s remarks coming on October 19.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control.” – Jared Kushner

🎯IMPACT: The Qatar strike strained relations between the U.S., Israel, and Qatar, jeopardizing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage exchange.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump‘s son-in-law Jared Kushner said the America First leader believed Israel was acting “a little bit out of control” when it conducted a missle strike targeting senior Hamas leaders in Qatar on September 9. Kushner—who is serving alongside U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff as a lead negotiator in overseeing the Gaza peace deal—made the remark during an interview on Sunday. The Israeli strike on the Katara District of Doha, the capital of Qatar, killed a number of people including a Qatari security official and threatend to derail negotiations with Hamas.

“I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control,” Kushner said, responding to a question about reports that President Trump was “furious” with Israel for the strike. Kushner, who sat for the interview along with Witkoff, continued: “It was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”

For his part, Witkoff noted that Qatar—which hosts a major U.S. base—had been playing a critical role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas. He stated that the strike undermined negotiations and led to a loss of trust from the Qataris, saying, “We felt a little bit betrayed,” by Israel’s actions.


The National Pulse reported in late September that during a White House visit, President Trump had Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, call Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar to apologize for the missile strike.

Witkoff also said that Trump was unaware of Israel’s plans to carry out the strike, though Israeli officials disputed this, alleging Trump was informed hours before and did not intervene.

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Man in ‘Antifa-Style Mask’ Arrested for Opening Fire on Trump Supporter’s Home.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A 38-year-old accountant was arrested for allegedly firing shots at a Trump supporter’s home in North Carolina.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Benjamin Michael Campbell, the accused, and Mark Thomas, the homeowner and Trump supporter.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on September 6 in Nantahala Gorge, North Carolina.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He fired five to six rounds as he was heading back down the driveway to the highway that passes in front of my place.” – Mark Thomas.

🎯IMPACT: Campbell faces charges including felony assault with a deadly weapon.

IN FULL

A Georgia man is facing serious charges in North Carolina after allegedly opening fire at a Donald J. Trump supporter’s home in an incident caught on camera. Benjamin Michael Campbell, 38, an accountant from Cobb County, was arrested and extradited to North Carolina following a September 6 altercation outside the Nantahala Gorge residence of Mark Thomas, 62, a local business owner and Trump supporter.

According to Thomas, Campbell was driving erratically before stopping at his property, where a large Trump banner was displayed. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Campbell, wearing what Thomas described as an “Antifa-style mask,” attempting to tear down the banner. “He just whipped it up and then threw it down on the ground. Like he was proud of what he just did,” Thomas said.

Thomas fired two warning shots into the air. As Campbell returned to his Jeep Cherokee and drove away, he allegedly raised a firearm through the sunroof and fired five to six rounds toward the house. One bullet struck a refrigerator on Thomas’s porch, narrowly missing him. “He fired five to six rounds as he was heading back down the driveway to the highway that passes in front of my place,” Thomas stated.

Campbell was taken into custody on September 30 and is now being held on a $70,000 bond. He faces multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, a Class C felony punishable by up to 17 years in prison.

Thomas, who says he has previously been targeted for his political beliefs, blames “leftist lies and propaganda” for fueling incidents like this. “All it takes is one person who’s not thinking to get triggered by the propaganda to do something like that,” he said. Despite the attack, Thomas plans to replace the damaged banner, adding, “We’re not the kind of people that are going to be intimidated.”

The incident adds to growing concerns about leftist political violence in the U.S. One far-left agitator was recently charged for assaulting a MAGA official in Washington, D.C., while a conservative activist found over 51,000 people celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk shortly after his death.

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Trump, Israel Confirm Ceasefire Remains In Effect Despite Clashes.

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WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Israel confirmed the Gaza ceasefire remains in effect despite recent clashes with Hamas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ceasefire violations occurred over the weekend in Gaza, with responses from Washington, D.C., and Israel.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it.” – Israel Defense Forces statement on X.

🎯IMPACT: The ceasefire remains in effect, with continued U.S. involvement and pressure on both sides to maintain the agreement.

IN FULL

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Israeli officials have confirmed that the Gaza ceasefire remains intact despite an exchange of fire between Hamas and Israeli forces over the weekend. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that the ceasefire is “still in place” and noted that while Hamas has been “quite rambunctious,” its leadership does not appear to be directly involved in the violations.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas positions in Gaza, reportedly killing 29 Palestinians, while Hamas militants killed two Israeli soldiers. In response, Israel temporarily halted humanitarian aid deliveries and closed border crossings. Pressure from the Trump administration reportedly led to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversing this decision, with aid deliveries resuming Monday morning.

The clashes followed Hamas’s exchange of remaining hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Israeli soldiers withdrew from much of the Gaza Strip, allowing aid to flow into the area. However, tensions escalated as Israel demanded the return of deceased hostages’ bodies, with Hamas stating it would take time to locate and return the remaining remains.

The U.S. has warned Hamas against further violations of the ceasefire as the group seeks to consolidate power in Gaza. President Trump emphasized last week that if Hamas does not disarm, “we will disarm them.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Sunday night that it had “renewed the adherence to the ceasefire” but warned of firm responses to any violations.

On Monday, the IDF reported incidents involving Hamas militants crossing the yellow line in Gaza, posing an immediate threat to Israeli troops. The IDF stated that its forces remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will act to neutralize any immediate threats.

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