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August 20, 2025
News
Politics

Musk Backing Down on ‘America Party’ to Build Ties With Vance: Report.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Elon Musk appears to have paused plans to launch a political party to challenge President Donald J. Trump and the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterms.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Elon Musk, President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Andrew Yang, Mark Cuban, and Libertarian National Committee chairman Steven Nekhaila.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Recent weeks, with new developments reported by The Wall Street Journal.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It doesn’t seem like anything has been in action, neither at the state level or at the ground level,” Nekhaila said of Musk’s proposed ‘America Party.’

🎯IMPACT: Musk may shift focus back to his companies and rebuild ties with Republican leaders, particularly Vice President Vance, ahead of his possible 2028 presidential run.

IN FULL

Former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk appears to be reaching for a rapprochement with President Donald J. Trump, with public outbursts against the America First leader dwindling and public support for his federalization of law enforcement in Washington, D.C. A Wall Street Journal report suggests Musk has also scaled back plans to form an ‘America Party’ to challenge Trump and the GOP in the 2026 midterms, focusing on building ties with Vice President J.D. Vance ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028.

The WSJ reports that Musk is considering backing Vance’s potential 2028 run financially, having already spent nearly $300 million in support of Trump and other Republicans in 2024. Despite this, and a prominent public-facing role in the early days of Trump’s second administration, the pair fell out over the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, aimed at expanding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and cutting taxes for American workers, with Musk complaining it would increase the deficit.

Musk has acknowledged that forming a third party “would damage his relationship with the Vice President,” according to the WSJ. Steven Nekhaila, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, laments that Musk’s team has shown “eerie silence” on the America Party, with no activity at either the state or ground level. Meetings with third-party organizers, including former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Democrat donor Mark Cuban, were reportedly canceled.

Vance recently said that his it was “a mistake for [Musk] to try to break from the President,” expressing his “hope… that by the time of the midterms, he’s kind of come back into the fold.” Notably, Musk’s popularity cratered after he turned on President Trump, with his previous support for the MAGA kingpin having already damaged his standing with liberals.

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19 hours ago
War
World

Ukrainian Arrested Over Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline attacks was arrested in Italy following a European warrant issued by German prosecutors.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Serhii K., a 49-year-old former member of Ukraine’s Secret Service and special forces, along with German and Italian authorities.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Arrested on Thursday in San Clemente, Italy, following the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in the Baltic Sea.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I was in Ukraine during the Nord Stream sabotage,” Serhii reportedly told the appeal court while denying the charges.

🎯IMPACT: The arrest raises questions about Ukraine’s potential involvement in the pipeline attacks, which escalated Europe’s energy crisis.

IN FULL

Serhii K., a 49-year-old Ukrainian man, was arrested in northern Italy on Thursday after German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant, suspecting his involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks. He previously served in Ukraine’s Secret Service and special forces, though it remains unclear if he was still active during the sabotage.

Serhii was found at a hotel in San Clemente, Rimini, where he was on holiday with his family. Italian authorities apprehended him without resistance. He had entered Italy earlier in the week with a Ukrainian license-plated car and used his real identity, triggering an alert on police systems.

After his arrest, Serhii was detained in Rimini before being transferred to a prison in Bologna. He denied the charges, claiming he was in Ukraine during the Nord Stream sabotage and stressing that his visit to Italy was for family reasons. He also opposed extradition to Germany, where he faces charges of collusion to cause explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of infrastructure.

German prosecutors allege that Serhii was part of a group that planted explosives on the pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm island. The attack, which severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, worsened Europe’s energy crisis. U.S. intelligence previously suggested a pro-Ukraine group was behind the sabotage, though no group has claimed responsibility.

A decision on Serhii’s extradition is expected at a hearing on September 3, and he will remain in custody until then. Italy’s anti-terrorism prosecutors are also investigating a possible link between the Nord Stream attacks and the sinking of a Russian oil tanker off Savona in February.

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19 hours ago
Economy
News

Trump Tariffs Projected to Cut Deficit by $4 Trillion.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that tariffs implemented by President Donald J. Trump could reduce total deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The updated projections were released by the CBO on Friday.

💬KEY QUOTE: CBO Director Phillip Swagel wrote: “If there are no further changes in tariff rates, we project that customs duties from new and existing tariffs will total about $200 billion this fiscal year.”

🎯IMPACT: The analysis suggests that maintaining Trump’s tariffs would reduce federal borrowing and interest costs, leading to significant deficit reductions.

IN FULL

A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis projects that President Donald J. Trump’s tariff policies could slash federal deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. The CBO, Congress’s impartial fiscal analyst, shared these updated projections on Friday.

If President Trump’s tariff policies persist for the next 10 years, the CBO estimates a $3.3 trillion reduction in primary deficits. Furthermore, the increased tariff revenue would decrease the need for federal borrowing, cutting interest payments by $700 billion, collectively driving the total deficit reduction to $4 trillion.

These findings highlight the potential of Trump’s tariff strategy to significantly lower federal deficits and reduce dependence on borrowing, in addition to its primary goal of making American products more competitive against cheap, foreign goods produced in low-wage economies, encouraging the “reshoring” of jobs to the United States.

“If there are no further changes in tariff rates, we project that customs duties from new and existing tariffs will total about $200 billion this fiscal year,” noted CBO Director Phillip Swagel.

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20 hours ago
Crime

Trump Names Next U.S. City That Could See Federal Crime Crackdown.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump indicated that Chicago, Illinois, may be the next city where federal agents, officers, and troops, potentially including “regular military,” are deployed to restore order.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D).

📍WHEN & WHERE: August 22, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Chicago’s a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next.” – President Trump

🎯IMPACT: The announcement signals potential federal intervention in Chicago and possibly other Democrat-run cities, including New York.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump stated on Friday that Chicago, Illinois, will “probably” be the next city to see federal agents, officers, and troops deployed by his administration. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump criticized the city’s Democrat mayor, Brandon Johnson, calling him “grossly incompetent.”

“Chicago’s a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent,” the President told reporters. “And we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this.”

President Trump also mentioned that residents of Chicago, which saw close to 200 homicides and over 1,000 shootings in the first six months of 2025, are “screaming for us to come.” He further suggested a willingness to deploy the “regular military” to American cities, hinting that New York could follow Chicago in receiving federal assistance.

The National Pulse reported earlier on Friday that the America First leader has warned that increased federal control over Washington, D.C., is under consideration unless the capital city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser (D), and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) rectify falsified crime statistics. Local officials and the MPD are currently facing a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation and at least one lawsuit over allegations that the city’s crime statistics have been repeatedly altered to make violent crime rates appear far lower than they are in reality.

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21 hours ago
NatSec

America’s Defense Intelligence Chief Was Just FIRED Amidst a Major Iran Leak.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), who conducted the leaked initial assessment of U.S. strikes on Iran earlier this year.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Pentagon officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The firing was announced on Friday in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It was preliminary, a day and a half after the actual strike… it admits itself, in writing, that it requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment.” – Pete Hegseth on the leaked Iran strike assessment.

🎯IMPACT: A criminal investigation was previously launched to uncover the source of the DIA leak.

IN FULL

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), according to White House and Pentagon officials. The announcement did not include a specific reason for Kruse’s removal, though Congressional officials cited a “lack of confidence”—likely stemming from the leaked initial assessment of the U.S. military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year.

The leaked assessment appeared to contradict President Donald J. Trump’s claim that the facilities had been “obliterated,” suggesting, instead, the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had only a limited impact. This preliminary assessment has since been discounted by both other U.S. intelligence sources, as well as Israeli and independent analysis.

The DIA’s preliminary report, conducted just 24 hours after the strikes, was marked as “low confidence” and stated that Iran’s nuclear program had been set back only by several months. Pentagon officials later criticized the report for being incomplete and uncoordinated with the broader intelligence community. Subsequently, a criminal investigation was launched to uncover the source of the leak.

“It was preliminary, a day and a half after the actual strike… it admits itself, in writing, that it requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment,” Hegseth told reporters following the leak.

Kruse had served as the agency’s director since February 2024 and was expected to remain until 2027.

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21 hours ago
News

Trump Appoints Trusted Ally Sergio Gor as Ambassador to India.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Trump announced the promotion of his head of personnel, Sergio Gor, to a top new ambassadorial position.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump and Sergio Gor.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on President Trump’s Truth Social feed on Friday afternoon.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Sergio will make an incredible Ambassador. Congratulations Sergio!” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: Sergio Gor will become the United States Ambassador to the Republic of India, pending confirmation.

IN FULL

President Trump announced the promotion of Sergio Gor to United States Ambassador to the Republic of India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs on Friday afternoon through Trump’s Truth Social feed.

As Director of Presidential Personnel, Gor and his team have hired nearly 4,000 personnel across various federal departments, achieving a 95% fill rate. He will continue in his current role at the White House until his confirmation as ambassador.

President Trump praised Gor as a long-time friend and crucial ally in his administration, noting Gor’s work on Trump’s presidential campaigns, his involvement in publishing Trump’s bestselling books, and his leadership of a major Super PAC supporting the movement.

Trump emphasized the importance of having someone he trusts in the ambassadorial role for the world’s most populous region, underscoring Gor’s ability to help advance the agenda of making America great again.

Trump concluded by expressing confidence in Gor’s future success as an ambassador, stating, “Sergio will make an incredible Ambassador. Congratulations Sergio!”

The National Pulse understands Gor has been interested in a senior role in South Asia for some time. He previously worked on Capitol Hill for members such as Rand Paul and Steve King. Age 38, Gor was born Sergey Gorokhovsky in the former U.S.S.R. His family moved to the United States and Gor attended George Washington University. He recently helped President Trump launch Winning Team Publishing, and sits on the board of the Kennedy Center.

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Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Just don’t ask Sergio about Elon Musk, or vice versa! 😬
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By Popular Demand.
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22 hours ago
Crime

SecDef Hegseth Authorizes Thousands of ARMED National Guard to Patrol DC.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized 2,000 armed National Guard troops to patrol Washington, D.C. with service-issued weapons, if necessary.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the D.C. National Guard, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), federal law enforcement partners, and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Authorization made on Thursday, in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training.” – a Defense Department official

🎯IMPACT: Armed National Guard troops will be visible in D.C. to assist in lowering crime but will not make arrests, instead detaining suspects temporarily before transferring them to law enforcement.

IN FULL

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized 2,000 National Guard troops to patrol Washington, D.C., with their service-issued weapons, if necessary, according to a Defense Department (DOD) official. Currently, they are supporting federal and federalized law enforcement in the American capital without firearms.

“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” the DOD official said, adding: “The Interim Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard retains the authority to make any necessary force posture adjustments in coordination with the D.C. Metropolitan Police and Federal law enforcement partners. The D.C. National Guard remains committed to safeguarding the District of Columbia and serving those who live, work, and visit the District.”

While troops will not be making arrests, they will have the ability to temporarily detain individuals before transferring suspects to law enforcement. Armed National Guard personnel could be seen in the coming days.

President Donald J. Trump met with National Guardsmen and law enforcement officers in Washington, D.C., on Thursday at the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility. Trump brought pizza and hamburgers for the officers, showing support for their efforts in restoring order in the capital city.

“We want to make this absolutely perfect. It’s our capital. And, I guess it used to be many years ago, safe, but it’s certainly not had a… very good run. And you got to be strong. You got to be tough. You got to do your job. Whatever it takes to do your job, you got to do your job,” Trump told the officers during his visit.

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23 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

Judge Frees Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ICE Vows to Deport Him.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from custody in Tennessee.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, his attorney Sean Hecker, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Released on Friday in Tennessee; previously deported to El Salvador and later detained in Maryland and Tennessee.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free.” – Sean Hecker

🎯IMPACT: ICE officials plan to re-arrest him and begin deportation proceedings after his release from U.S. Marshals’ custody.

IN FULL

Alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday. The release followed the expiration of a judge’s 30-day pause on his case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Tennessee had ordered his release from a jail near Nashville, where he had been held since June after returning from El Salvador.

“Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free,” his attorney, Sean Hecker, said. Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador earlier this year after being identified as a member of MS-13 by the Trump administration. Hecker claimed that the deportation and subsequent imprisonment were part of a “vindictive attack” and praised the courts for providing “meaningful due process.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, however, have indicated that they plan to re-arrest Abrego Garcia and begin deportation proceedings once he is no longer in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. The case has drawn significant political and media attention, including sympathetic support from U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and other Democratic members of Congress, as well as misleading stories from The Atlantic and POLITICO, which described the illegal immigrant as a “Maryland father.”

Abrego Garcia was initially returned to the U.S. from El Salvador on human trafficking charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. He was later detained in Tennessee after being indicted on human smuggling charges. His lawyers hired a firm with court-approved pre-trial transportation experience to bring him back to Maryland after his release.

Barack Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis ordered that ICE must provide 72 hours of notice before initiating removal efforts.

Image by Victoria Pickering.

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23 hours ago
Jack Montgomery
Breaking

BREAKING: DOJ Drops Transcripts, Audio of Ghislaine Maxwell Interviews.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has published transcripts and hours of audio from Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche’s recent interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of trafficking children to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2021.

The interviews, published on the DOJ website, were set up amid public backlash over the agency’s release of a memo suggesting Epstein had no “client list,” despite Attorney General Pam Bondi previously stating that such a list was “on [her] desk.”

Maxwell claims to Blanche that she was not aware of Epstein attempting to record or blackmail people, and repeats that “there is no list, there’s no client list. Nothing like that.” She also says she does not believe the financier committed suicide, which is the government’s official position.

This story is developing…

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has published transcripts and hours of audio from Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche's recent interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of trafficking children to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2021. show more
By Popular Demand.
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24 hours ago
Crime

Trump Warns D.C. Mayor: Address Fake Crime Stats or Face Federal Takeover.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump is threatening further federal intervention in Washington, D.C., if Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) do not address the alleged falsification of crime statistics.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Mayor Bowser, the Metropolitan Police Department, the D.C. Police Union, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Washington, D.C., on Friday, with ongoing developments throughout the week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City!” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The DOJ is investigating allegations of manipulated crime statistics, with federal oversight of D.C. law enforcement under review.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump blasted Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in a Truth Social post on Friday for providing “false and highly inaccurate crime figures.” Trump, who has temporarily federalized law enforcement in the American capital, warned of a “complete and total Federal takeover of the City” if the issue is not addressed.

“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN! The crowds are coming back, the spirit is high, and our D.C. National Guard and Police are doing a fantastic job. They are out in force, and are NOT PLAYING GAMES!!! As bad as it sounds to say, there were no murders this week for the first time in memory,” Trump wrote. “Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City! Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!”

The National Pulse reported on Thursday that the MPD is being sued by a veteran of its homicide unit who alleges the capital city’s law enforcement leaders manipulated crime data by misclassifying murders as accidental deaths and suicides. Meanwhile, the D.C. Police Union, representing 3,000 officers, has expressed skepticism over the accuracy of crime statistics reported by the MPD. Union President Gregg Pemberton stated, “What we know, what our members know, is that we go call to call to call out on the streets at night, going from robbery to carjacking to stabbing to shooting, and we just know that crime is ubiquitous, and it’s all in every quadrant of the city.”

Notably, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into allegations of manipulated crime data, following reports of a D.C. police commander being placed on leave over accusations of falsifying statistics. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is leading the investigation, which may examine actions by multiple police officials.

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August 22, 2025
Economy

Canada Folds, Lifts Numerous Retaliatory Tariffs Against U.S.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Canada announced the removal of many retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, bowing to the Trump administration’s prerequisite that the duties be ended before trade talks can resume.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and a White House official.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on August 22, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “As we work intensively with the United States, our focus is squarely on the strategic sectors,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney.

🎯IMPACT: The decision is expected to ease trade tensions and could lead to further negotiations between the two nations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

IN FULL

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that his country would remove many of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, signaling progress in trade relations between the two nations. The announcement was made during a press conference in Ottawa, Ontario.

The tariffs, initially imposed in March, included a 25 percent levy on a wide range of U.S. products, mostly falling under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Beginning September 1, these trade duties will end, though similar tariffs imposed on Canada by the United States will remain in effect as negotiations continue. However, Canada will maintain its 25 percent tariffs on U.S. autos, steel, and aluminum.

“As we work intensively with the United States, our focus is squarely on the strategic sectors,” Carney stated during the press conference. He also noted that President Donald J. Trump assured him in a phone call that removing tariffs would pave the way for further negotiations.

A White House official described Canada’s decision as “long overdue” and expressed optimism about continued discussions on trade and national security concerns. The announcement comes as the USMCA, negotiated during Trump’s first term, is set for review later this year.

Canada’s counter-tariffs, originally imposed by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, targeted CA$30 billion (US$21.7 billion) worth of U.S. goods. The decision to ease tariffs follows a period of heightened tensions, during which Trump raised tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 percent, citing issues such as the continued flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and Canada’s lack of cooperation on the matter.

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