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June 17, 2024
Wake Up Right
Election 2024
Media

CNN’s Debate Rules Are Ludicrous – No Audience, Muted Mics, And a Coin Flip…

CNN has finalized rules for the first 2024 presidential debate, with safeguards in place to protect Joe Biden.

The details: Both the Trump and Biden campaigns agreed to the following rules for their first debate on June 27 in Atlanta, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash:

  • No studio audience;
  • Microphones muted outside speaking time;
  • Candidates stand at two uniform podiums;
  • Position on stage determined by coin-flip;
  • No props or prepared notes;
  • Each is provided paper, pen, and water;
  • During two commercial breaks, candidates can’t interact with campaign staff.

Safeguards for Biden: Muting microphones and removing the audience appear to be moves to help Joe Biden. In both 2016 and 2020, Trump routinely jabbed his opponents and debate moderators, often eliciting laughter and cheers from the audience.

  • However, I am pleased that both candidates must stand the entire time. And I look forward to Biden having to speak without prepared notes.

Third party? CNN noted it is not “impossible” for Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be featured on the debate stage. He would need to be on the ballot in enough states to reach 270 electoral college votes. He’s currently in six states, totaling 89 potential electoral votes.

This article is adapted from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

By Popular Demand.
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3 minutes ago
Media
News

Trump Tells Republican Lawmakers to Defund PBS and NPR or Lose His Support.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump issued a statement urging Republicans to support his Recissions Bill.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The statement was made on Truth Social.

💬KEY QUOTE: “DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: Trump warned that Republicans supporting the continued funding of PBS and NPR would lose his endorsement.

IN FULL

In a recent post on Truth Social, President Donald J. Trump urged Republicans to back cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which encompasses PBS and NPR, in an administration-backed Recissions Bill. Defunding federally funded media outlets with a partisan bias has been an early priority for the America First leader, with Kari Lake spearheading budget and staffing cuts at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

“It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together. Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.

President Trump previously signed an executive order aimed at restricting funding to NPR and PBS, describing them as “entities that receive tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds each year to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.’”

“No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize,” he added.

Both outlets have been embroiled in anti-Trump controversies, with NPR’s CEO admitting it failed to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story adequately ahead of the 2020 election, and PBS alleging Trump planned to “purge” LGBT Americans in 2024, for instance.

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By Popular Demand.
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1 hour ago
William Upton
Immigration
Lawfare

Biden Judge Halts Illegal Immigration Raids Across Southern California.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A far-left federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden is set to impose an order effectively ending Trump administration immigration enforcement actions across southern California, including in Los Angeles.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration, Southern California businesses, and illegal immigrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The tentative order comes after a hearing on Thursday, July 10, in Los Angeles.

🎯IMPACT: The tentative order appears far-reaching and will effectively end most federal immigration enforcement actions across seven counties in southern California.

IN FULL

A radical, far-left federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden is set to impose an order that would bar the Trump administration from conducting most illegal immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. U.S. District Court Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong has reportedly written a tentative order that would largely prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting raids at L.A.-area Home Depots, car washes, warehouses, and other commercial facilities without demonstrating probable cause to do so.

The order stems from a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which contends that ICE is conducting what it characterizes as “deportation dragnets” in Los Angeles. According to the ACLU, the ICE raids are only predicated on the race and language of the targets, essentially constituting illegal profiling and discrimination. However, the Trump administration contends that the ICE raids are in accordance with federal law and are based on intelligence gathered by federal law enforcement, including the location of business establishments where illegal immigrants are known to have been hired.

Judge Frimpong’s order effectively restricts federal immigration officials from using race, the presence of Spanish speakers, and the type of business establishment to determine where to conduct raids. In addition, ICE agents will be barred from detaining suspected illegal immigrants unless they can show a reasonable cause of belief that an individual has broken U.S. immigration laws.

The ruling impacts the entire jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which includes seven southern California counties.

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By Popular Demand.
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14 hours ago
News
War

Admiral Responsible for Drag Shows on Navy Carrier Loses Promotion Nomination.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Defense Department has withdrawn the nomination of Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly for promotion to vice admiral following scrutiny over drag performances aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during his command.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The drag events occurred aboard the USS Ronald Reagan from 2016 to 2018. The nomination withdrawal was reported in July 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command.” – William Thibeau, The American Military Project

🎯IMPACT: The withdrawal highlights ongoing efforts to drive woke ideology and its enablers out of the U.S. military under the Trump administration.

IN FULL

The Defense Department has withdrawn the nomination of a rear admiral for promotion to vice admiral, following inquiries into drag performances that took place aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during his tenure as commanding officer. Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly led the aircraft carrier from April 2016 to September 2018, during which time Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, under the drag name “Harpy Daniels,” performed at department-sanctioned events.

The nomination, announced on June 18, was for Donnelly to lead the Navy’s 7th Fleet, its most significant overseas force. However, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has since decided to withdraw the nomination and is seeking a new candidate, according to a Defense Department source. The decision followed scrutiny from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who had previously blocked Donnelly’s promotion as part of a broader effort to challenge Pentagon policies, including taxpayer-funded abortions.

Tuberville, in a May 2023 letter, called on Navy leadership to disclose the officers responsible for funding and promoting drag queen performances, arguing such programs were unrelated to the military’s mission of national defense. “This is a fight worth having,” Tuberville remarked on social media, referencing Donnelly’s role in allowing the USS Ronald Reagan drag shows.

William Thibeau, director of The American Military Project at The Claremont Institute, noted that the drag performances were not isolated occurrences but part of official Navy programs. “The USS Ronald Reagan drag shows of 2017 and 2018 were not random acts of entertainment for sailors, but were sanctioned Navy programs,” Thibeau stated.

“Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command,” he added.

Donnelly’s nomination withdrawal is part of a larger effort by Secretary Hegseth to eliminate woke ideology and its enablers in the military and return to a traditional “warrior ethos.” So far, that policy has led to a surge of new recruits, with military branches exceeding recruitment targets months ahead of schedule.

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By Popular Demand.
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15 hours ago
Politics

Fetterman Blasts NYC’s Zohran Mamdani: ‘He’s Not Even a Democrat.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) criticized Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling his nomination for New York City Mayor “Christmas in July for the GOP.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. John Fetterman and Zohran Mamdani.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Fetterman’s remarks came on Thursday, July 10, as he spoke with the media.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He’s not even a Democrat, honestly.” – Sen. Fetterman

🎯IMPACT: The comments highlight internal divisions within the Democratic Party and raise questions about its direction.

IN FULL

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on Thursday lamented the Democratic Party’s nomination of far-left socialist immigrant Zohran Kwame Mamdani for New York City Mayor. The Pennsylvania Senator, who has positioned himself as a foil to the Democrats’ increasingly radical leftist base, called Mamdani’s primary victory last month “Christmas in July for the GOP.”

“I’m not a voter in New York City, and so I have no dog in that fight, and everything that I’ve read on him, I don’t really agree with virtually any of it politically. So that’s just where I’m at as a Democrat. I mean, so he’s not even a Democrat, honestly,” Fetterman said while speaking with the media on Thursday, referencing Mamdani’s alignment with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organization.

Notably, DSA-affiliated politicians like Mamdani, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)—who caucuses with the Senate Democrats—have gained significant influence within the party. Ocasio-Cortez, specifically, has seen a surge in polling numbers suggesting she is among the frontrunners for the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

Since winning his party’s New York City mayoral nomination, Mamdani has experienced a series of setbacks in his campaign, as some of his more radical ideas have been scrutinized. For instance, his plan to establish socialist, city-run grocery stores was revealed to be predicated on a faulty understanding of current New York City law. Under his plan, Mamdani claimed that the city-owned and run stores would be funded by redirecting an alleged $140 million subsidy that New York provides to private grocers. However, no direct $140 million subsidy actually exists to be redirected, with the figure actually being an estimate of the total tax breaks, exemptions, and regulatory relief provided to grocery stores operating in underserved neighborhoods.

Mamdani’s campaign has also been criticized for radical policies like increasing property taxes on predominantly white neighborhoods and abolishing prisons. Additionally, the Democratic mayoral candidate has drawn backlash for insisting that violent race riots, like those in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd, “has to happen” in order to achieve racial justice.

The Uganda-born leftist also holds extreme religious views, being a member of Shia Islam’s “Twelver” sect, which believes a final prophet born in 868 A.D. has been living in hiding for over a thousand years, awaiting his opportunity to spread Islam worldwide.

Image by Bingjiefu He.

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By Popular Demand.
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16 hours ago
William Upton
Crime
Immigration

Trump Admin Catches MS-13 Leaders Released Into U.S. Under Biden.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal law enforcement arrested two illegal immigrant MS-13 gang leaders during a raid in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday. Both men are wanted by El Salvador’s government for numerous violent crimes.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Melvin Alejandro Varela Pérez, a.k.a. Payaso, Rene Escobar-Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), other federal law enforcement agencies, MS-13, the government of El Salvador, INTERPOL, and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The two MS-13 gang leaders were arrested on Wednesday, July 9, 2025; both were detained and paroled into the United States by the former Biden government.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Biden Administration allowed two ringleaders of MS-13, one of the most violent gangs in the world, straight into our country. One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking.” — DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

🎯IMPACT: Both men are now in ICE custody while the agency coordinates for them to be returned to El Salvador.

IN FULL

Two illegal immigrant MS-13 gang kingpins were arrested during a federal raid in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Melvin Alejandro Varela Pérez—also known as Payaso—and Rene Escobar-Ochoa are both wanted by the Salvadoran government and are accused of numerous murders, conspiracy to commit murder, and drug trafficking. Pérez is listed on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted, and Escobar-Ochoa is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice. Concerningly, DHS states that despite the warrants and Red Notice, both men were paroled by the former Biden government into the United States after being detained while illegally crossing the U.S. southern border.

“The Biden Administration allowed two ringleaders of MS-13, one of the most violent gangs in the world, straight into our country,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs. “One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking.”

“These are the kinds of scum-bags sanctuary politicians are protecting and letting walk free on America’s streets,” she added.

Both men are now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after being captured in the raid, which was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and included other federal and international law enforcement partners. DHS says that ICE will continue to hold both MS-13 leaders as it coordinates with the Salvadoran government on returning them to the Central American nation to face justice.

The arrests are being highlighted as a shocking example of the lack of adequate vetting of illegal immigrants detained and subsequently released into the interior of the U.S. under former President Joe Biden.

Speaking on the matter on Thursday, President Donald J. Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, blasted the Biden-Harris era, noting that former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had directed U.S. immigration officials to only proceed with immediate deportations when the detainee had prior violent criminal convictions and not merely warrants for violent crimes.

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By Popular Demand.
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16 hours ago
News

WATCH: Bannon Urges Trump to Appoint a Special Prosecutor to Release Epstein Files.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: WarRoom host and former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon has urged President Donald J. Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to release all government files related to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments were made on Bannon’s WarRoom podcast on Thursday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Epstein’s 2019 death in jail was a suicide and no “client list” of people he trafficked victims to exists.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If DOJ can’t move off the dime, and FBI can’t move off the dime, [there] should be a special counsel to go through everything and release it all.” – Stephen K. Bannon

🎯IMPACT: Bannon’s statements have reignited scrutiny of Epstein’s case and raised questions about transparency within the DOJ and FBI.

IN FULL

WarRoom host and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon has called on President Donald J. Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to release all government files related to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. This comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo reiterating that Epstein’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell was a suicide, and that there is no “client list” of people he trafficked victims to—despite Attorney General Pam Bondi implying such a list was “sitting on [her] desk right now” in February.

On his WarRoom podcast, Bannon stated, “They have to go to the court and demand and unseal the sealed evidence in Epstein. It starts there.”

“Bundle everything together… release it all. Or, which I called for yesterday, appoint a special prosecutor—he should appoint a special prosecutor, a special counsel now, for the 2020 election and everything after that, and include Russiagate and all this. You have to do that. That should be done immediately, and that should report to the President,” he added.

The Justice Department’s attempt to essentially close the book on the Epstein case comes as Jay Lefkowitz, the lawyer who helped secure his “sweetheart” deal connected to his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, is negotiating with the Trump administration to help Columbia University escape financial consequences for fostering radical politics.

Sources tell The National Pulse that Lefkowitz is outplaying federal negotiators, with the timing of the DOJ’s Epstein memo appearing suspicious to many legal and political insiders.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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17 hours ago
News
Science

EPA’s Zeldin Releases Info on Contrails and Geoengineering.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of public information on contrails and geoengineering.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and the EPA.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Thursday via social media and the EPA website.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Trump EPA is committed to total transparency,” said Lee Zeldin.

🎯IMPACT: The EPA has created online resources to provide Americans with accessible information on contrails and geoengineering.

IN FULL

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Thursday that the agency will make information about contrails and geoengineering publicly accessible.

“The Trump EPA is committed to total transparency,” Zeldin posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “I tasked my team… to compile everything we know about contrails and geoengineering to release to you now publicly.”

In a video shared with the post, Zeldin addressed the longstanding skepticism surrounding these topics, stating that people who previously questioned them were often “dismissed as conspiracy theorists.” He added that the EPA’s latest initiative is intended to challenge that perception.

Contrails—short for condensation trails—are visible lines of water vapor that form behind high-altitude aircraft or rockets. Geoengineering, meanwhile, encompasses deliberate strategies aimed at altering the climate, typically to counteract alleged climate change.

The EPA has launched new online materials that explain these subjects in detail. According to the agency’s website, “EPA also created a new online resource focused specifically on solar geoengineering activities, which involve cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space, usually through injecting gases, like sulfur dioxide, into the upper atmosphere where they form reflective particles.”

In April of last year, it was revealed that scientists kept the details of geoengineering experiments hidden from the public because they feared a public backlash. For instance, the Coastal Atmospheric Aerosol Research and Engagement (CAARE) project, led by researchers at the University of Washington, deployed trillions of salt particles to increase the density and reflectivity of clouds. They did this despite some believing it could adversely affect the weather in unclear ways.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated earlier this year that the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) may be mixing chemicals into jet fuel to create chemtrails.

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By Popular Demand.
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18 hours ago
NatSec
News

A Chinese State-Owned Company Is Selling Supplements on U.S. Military Bases.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) has called for an investigation into General Nutrition Centers (GNC) stores on U.S. military bases, amid claims that products which are supposed to be predominantly U.S.-made use ingredients mostly from China.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, and GNC representatives.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigation request was made in July 2025, targeting GNC stores on U.S. military bases.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A Chinese state-owned company with this level of access to U.S. military bases is a direct threat to national security.” – Rep. Pat Harrigan

🎯IMPACT: Harrigan’s push could lead to investigations into GNC’s operations and potentially the removal of their stores from military bases.

IN FULL

Republican Congressman Pat Harrigan (R-NC) is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate where General Nutrition Centers (GNC) sources its supplement ingredients, raising alarms about potential national security risks tied to Chinese supply chains and ownership.

In a letter addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Harrigan pointed to a significant gap between GNC’s public marketing and what he claims is the reality behind the scenes. “Our analysis reveals that nearly 90 percent of GNC’s private-label ingredients are sourced from China, despite GNC’s public claims that 96 percent of its products are U.S.-made,” Harrigan wrote.

At the heart of his concern is GNC’s 2020 acquisition by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese state-owned company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Harrigan argues that such ownership could pose a security threat, particularly since GNC operates stores on U.S. military bases. He’s now pushing for legislation—the Military Installation Retail Security Act—that would ban Chinese-owned retailers from operating on those bases.

“A Chinese state-owned company with this level of access to U.S. military bases is a direct threat to national security,” Harrigan said.

Supporting his case, Harrigan cited a risk assessment conducted by third-party firm Exiger. The report categorized GNC’s ownership risk as “medium-high,” and found that since the 2020 acquisition, GNC had received more than 4,300 ingredient shipments from China, worth roughly $500 million. Harrigan also referenced a $2.25 million penalty the company paid in 2016 for selling supplements containing unapproved ingredients.

The clash between Harrigan and GNC comes amid a related effort to scrutinize farmland acquisitions by Chinese nationals and corporations, particularly those near military installations.

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18 hours ago
Politics

T-Mobile Axes DEI as It Seeks Merger Permission from Trump FCC.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: T-Mobile announced it will eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, citing legal and internal restructuring reasons.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: T-Mobile, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made public on Wednesday, July 10, through a letter sent to the FCC.

💬KEY QUOTE: “T-Mobile will no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on DEI,” the company stated in a memo.

🎯IMPACT: The move aligns with the Trump administration’s broad pressure against corporate DEI policies and coincides with T-Mobile’s pursuit of federal approval for two major business transactions.

IN FULL

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has scored another major win for the Trump administration with T-Mobile, the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States, announcing it has ended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. T-Mobile states the decision to scrap its DEI initiatives stems from legal and restructuring reasons, but the move is widely seen as an effort to comply with President Donald J. Trump’s directives ending federal government contracts with companies that promote discriminatory DEI policies.

T-Mobile’s decision was made public on Wednesday in a letter sent to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. The FCC has aggressively enforced President Trump’s rollback of DEI, using its regulatory power to encourage major U.S. telecommunications and technology companies to ditch the discriminatory policy.

The company claims it is ending DEI-related policies “not just in name, but in substance.” Employees previously assigned to DEI-specific roles will be reassigned within the Human Resources department to focus more broadly on employee culture and engagement. T-Mobile clarified that it will no longer maintain any positions or teams focused solely on DEI initiatives.

“First, the handful of T-Mobile employees who focused on diversity and inclusion will be redirected within Human Resources to focus on employee culture and engagement. As a result, T-Mobile will no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on ‘DEI.’ T-Mobile is also removing any language, logos, or other references to DEI on its websites, and will ensure that company websites and future communications do not have any references to DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are consistent with T-Mobile’s commitment to promote nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity,” the company said in its memo.

T-Mobile is currently seeking approval from federal regulators to conduct two major business transactions. The company is pursuing a $4 billion deal to acquire nearly all of US Cellular’s regional carrier wireless operations, including customers, stores, and other assets. Additionally, T-Mobile is working on a joint venture with KKR to acquire Internet provider Metronet.

Image by Phil Dolby.

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By Popular Demand.
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19 hours ago
Christopher Tomlinson
Education
Immigration

Trump Terminates Clinton-Era Policy Giving Free Tuition to Illegals.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Education has revoked a Bill Clinton-era policy giving taxpayer funds to help pay for the education of illegal aliens.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, and illegal aliens.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on July 10, and the policy will come into force on August 9.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens.” – Linda McMahon.

🎯IMPACT: The change will save taxpayers from funding the education of illegal aliens.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the rollback of a Bill Clinton-era policy that made certain federal education funds accessible to illegal immigrants enrolled in technical, career, and adult education programs.

The decision reverses a directive from the former Clinton administration, allowing non-citizens without legal status to benefit from federal funding for postsecondary education. According to the Trump administration, that interpretation was at odds with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), a federal law that limits most public benefits to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

“Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities. The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria.”

Officials pointed to an executive order signed by President Trump on February 19, which reinforced the administration’s commitment to ending the use of federal funds for illegal immigrants. That order aligns with the PRWORA by emphasizing that federal benefits should be reserved for legal residents.

Beginning August 9, 2025, the Department will enforce the updated interpretation of the PRWORA. Federally funded postsecondary programs will be required to verify participants’ eligibility in accordance with the revised policy.

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By Popular Demand.
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