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Thursday, August 21, 2025

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1 hour ago
Culture
News

DeSantis Honors Jimmy Buffett with Governor’s Medal.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously awarded five Floridians, including tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett and former politicians, with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ron DeSantis, Jimmy Buffett, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Bob Graham, Buddy MacKay, and John Thrasher.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Florida on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.” — Ron DeSantis

🎯IMPACT: Recognition of significant contributions to Florida in politics, music, and culture.

IN FULL

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously honored five notable Floridians with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, one of the state’s highest accolades. Among the recipients were singer-songwriter and tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett, along with former Republican and Democratic politicians.

“I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,” DeSantis said, adding, “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.”

The honorees included Jimmy Buffett, known for his hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” as well as his successful business ventures under the “Margaritaville” brand. Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023 at the age of 76, battling Merkel-cell carcinoma—a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. The governor’s office noted, “His legacy continues to influence music and culture in Florida’s coastal communities.”

Outside his impact on American music history, Buffett was known for working to raise money for the victims of hurricanes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean, as well as his concerts for the United Service Organizations (USO)—a charitable group that supports members of the U.S. military. In 2022, while undergoing cancer treatment, Buffett performed for American troops stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Also recognized was Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), a Cuban-American politician who strongly advocated for a free Cuba and fought against communism. Former Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham was honored for his work on education, environmental conservation, and national security. Buddy MacKay, Florida’s last Democratic governor, was acknowledged for his extensive public service, including serving as U.S. Special Envoy for the Americas. John Thrasher, a former Republican Florida House Speaker and Vietnam War veteran, was also honored.

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2 minutes ago
Immigration
Lawfare

Trump Can Deport 60,000 Migrants After Court Victory.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald J. Trump, District Judge Trina Thompson, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Wednesday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, overturning a lower court order from the Northern District of California.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary,” said DHS Secretary Noem.

🎯IMPACT: TPS protections for Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Nepalese migrants will now be revoked, affecting over 60,000.

IN FULL

A federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, reversing a lower court decision that had halted the administration’s attempt to cancel their protections and work permits.

The ruling came from a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of Circuit Judges Michael Hawkins, Consuelo Callahan, and Eric Miller. Previously, Joe Biden-appointed Northern District of California Judge Trina Thompson had blocked the administration’s efforts, bizarrely alleging that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision was “motivated by racial animus” and a “discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.”

TPS was granted to Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to Nepalese migrants following a 2015 earthquake. Earlier this year, Secretary Noem announced the termination of TPS for these groups, arguing that the program was meant to be temporary and that the countries had sufficiently recovered from these disasters.

TPS protections for Nepalese migrants ended on August 5, while those for Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants are scheduled to expire in September. Noem also introduced incentives, including plane tickets and a $1,000 “exit bonus,” for migrants who choose to leave voluntarily.

DHS data indicates that about 51,000 Hondurans, 7,200 Nepalis, and 2,900 Nicaraguans are currently enrolled in TPS without permanent green-card status. This ruling underscores the temporary nature of TPS and signals a significant change in immigration policy.

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32 minutes ago
Immigration

The U.S. Immigrant Population Has Declined for the First Time in DECADES.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. immigrant population appears to have decreased by 1.4 million people in the first six months of 2025, according to Pew Research Center.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pew Research Center, President Donald J. Trump, and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Data from January to June 2025, across the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change,” said Jeffrey Passel, Pew Research Center’s senior demographer.

🎯IMPACT: Immigration policy changes and enforcement measures appear to have contributed to the decline, with potential positive effects on America’s demographic stability and social cohesion.

IN FULL

The United States’ immigrant population dropped from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million by June, marking the first significant decline since the 1960s. This data comes from the Pew Research Center, which noted that the reduction is reflected in the labor force, where over 750,000 workers were lost since January.

Jeffrey Passel, Pew’s senior demographer, highlighted the significance of this shift, stressing: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change.” Under the former Biden government, foreign workers outpaced native-born Americans in terms of post-pandemic recovery in the U.S. labor market. While the decline in immigrant labor could result in some short-term economic turbulence, most labor economists expect the number of native-born American workers to increase, especially as those who stopped looking for work altogether re-enter the workforce pool.

Notably, the decline is attributed to immigration enforcement policies implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including heightened arrests, detentions, and visa scrutiny. These measures aim to reverse the mass immigration policies implemented by former President Joe Biden, which saw American-born labor replaced with cheap, foreign workers and an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration.

The data also found that the illegal immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023—though others estimate it could have reached higher than 20 million—but has now begun to decline. This group includes individuals without legal status and those with temporary deportation protections, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Despite the overall decline in immigrants, the United States remains home to more foreigners than any other nation—although countries like Canada and the United Arabe Emirates (UAE) have higher proportions of migrants in their populations. Pew reported that the share of immigrants in the U.S. population fell slightly from 15.8 percent in January to 15.4 percent in June.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
News

Backroom Farage Advisor Makes Rare Public Intervention After AI Attacks.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A backroom advisor for UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has accused the Labour Party of engaging in a “dirty tricks” campaign.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: George Cottrell, Nigel Farage, Labour Party, and Peter Kyle.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The allegations were detailed in an article for The Spectator magazine.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We should expect robust debate where ideas clash, but instead what we often encounter is a reliance on smears and innuendo.” – George Cottrell

🎯IMPACT: The campaign against Farage and his allies has intensified, with accusations of disinformation and character attacks.

IN FULL

George Cottrell, a behind-the-scenes advisor for Nigel Farage, has written an article in The Spectator magazine accusing the governing Labour Party of using underhanded tactics to damage Farage and his allies. Cottrell’s description of recent Labour strategy mirrors tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party’s online operatives, as previously exposed by The National Pulse.

Cottrell–who usually shuns publicity–highlights the Labour Party’s alleged “dark arts” strategy, which he describes as a cynical ploy to undermine Farage not through debate, but through reputational attacks. He notes that his name has frequently been targeted by such smears, contrasting these tactics with Labour’s previously promised “kinder, gentler politics.”

The article points out that anonymous online accounts have been part of a sophisticated disinformation campaign against Cottrell, with many of these accounts disappearing after The Spectator‘s reporting. Cottrell questions the funding and motivations behind these attacks, which coincide with Labour’s increased hostility towards Reform UK.

Cottrell’s association with Farage and financial support for Reform UK have made him a target. Past incidents, such as his 2016 arrest at the Republican National Convention, have been used against him. He describes these as part of a broader effort to discredit him and his consultancy, Geostrategy, through false narratives and character assassination.

Cottrell argues that using anonymous social media accounts and AI tools to spread misinformation represents a new level of digital defamation.

Read the full article here.

Image copyright Stuart Mitchell/IncMonocle and used with permission.

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Editor’s Notes

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RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
It is extraordinary and rare for someone like George to make an intervention like this and draw more publicity and spotlight onto himself
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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
News

Trump Appointee Mysteriously Resigns After a Month, With No Statement Except This GIF…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Todd Gilbert, resigned just a month after being sworn in, with his only comment being a GIF from the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Todd Gilbert, Robert Tracci, President Donald Trump, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Gilbert resigned on Wednesday, August 2025, as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Even though I’ve been out of the game for a while, I feel like I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to do that again.” – Todd Gilbert

🎯IMPACT: Gilbert’s sudden resignation leaves questions about the leadership transition and stability of the office, now led by his deputy, Robert Tracci.

IN FULL

Todd Gilbert, who was appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, has resigned just one month after being sworn in. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Western District of Virginia spokesman Brian McGinn confirmed the resignation, though no explanation was provided.

Gilbert, a former Shenandoah Valley state lawmaker and Republican speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, had been recommended for the role by President Donald J. Trump, Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and the state’s Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. He was sworn in on July 14 by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas T. Cullen.

In response to the resignation, McGinn stated that Gilbert’s deputy, Robert Tracci, would assume leadership of the office. McGinn added, “Outside of that, I have no additional information.” Gilbert himself has not issued a formal statement but did post a GIF from the film Anchorman (2004) on X (formerly Twitter), captioned with the phrase, “Boy, that escalated quickly!”

Gilbert also responded to a commenter on the post, saying, “All good. Thank you.”

During his brief tenure, Gilbert expressed enthusiasm for the position, stating in an interview with The Roanoke Times, “I bring to this job truly the heart of a prosecutor.” He added, “I never imagined that it would be something as impactful as the U.S. Attorney, but I’m grateful for the opportunity the president has given me.”

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3 hours ago
William Upton
Breaking
Lawfare

BREAKING: Appeals Court Throws Out New York Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A New York appellate court on Thursday threw out the state’s massive civil fraud penalty imposed on President Donald J. Trump.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and a New York appeals court.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, August 21, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the appeals panel wrote.

🎯IMPACT: Prior to today’s ruling, the penalty against Trump stood at an estimated $527 million, including accrued interest.

IN FULL

A New York appellate court on Thursday threw out the state’s massive civil fraud penalty imposed on President Donald J. Trump. The case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), alleged that Trump and the Trump Organization, including sons Eric and Donald Jr., fraudulently misrepresented Trump’s wealth and property values to secure favorable loan and insurance terms. Last year, far-left New York Judge Arthur Engoron, a Democrat donor, imposed a $454 million civil judgment against Trump, as well as other legal sanctions against him, his sons, and the Trump Organization.

The panel of five Appellate Division judges determined that Judge Engoron’s penalties were “excessive” in nature. Legal commentators have held throughout the process that the penalties against President Trump were unusual, as the type of fraud case brought against him had no prior legal precedent.

“While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the appeals panel wrote.

Prior to today’s ruling, the penalty against Trump stood at an estimated $527 million, including accrued interest.

Image by Freelancers Union.

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4 hours ago
Corruption
Politics

Eric Adams’s Chinese Staffer Says ‘A Culture Thing’ Made Her Stuff Cash in a Bag of Chips for Reporter.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Winnie Greco, a longtime ally and fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was suspended from his re-election campaign after allegedly attempting to hand a journalist a cash-filled potato chip bag.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Winnie Greco, Mayor Eric Adams, journalist Katie Honan, and Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon at a campaign event in Harlem.

💬KEY QUOTE: “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude… I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent,” said Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill.

🎯IMPACT: Greco has been suspended from all volunteer campaign activities.

IN FULL

Winnie Greco, a longtime ally and fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been suspended from his re-election campaign after being accused of attempting to hand a journalist a cash-stuffed potato chip bag. The incident, which Greco’s lawyer attributed to “the Chinese culture,” occurred Wednesday afternoon in Harlem during a campaign event.

According to The City—the local New York News outlet targeted in the scheme—Greco offered the cash hidden in a Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chip bag to reporter Katie Honan. Initially, Honan believed the gesture to be a legitimate offer of a snack, but refused. Greco insisted, and upon discovering the cash, Honan contacted Greco to return it. “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you,” Honan texted, receiving no response.

Greco later apologized, calling the cash offer “a mistake” and attributing it to cultural differences. “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude,” her attorney, Steven Brill, explained. “I can see how this looks strange,” Brill said, adding: “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent.”

“Grecco [sic] holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesman for Adams’s campaign, stated. He also claimed that Mayor Adams had “no prior knowledge of this matter.”

Greco has been a close ally of Adams for over a decade, previously serving as the director of Asian affairs in his administration. She resigned in 2024 amid a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into suspect campaign donations, which included a raid on her home.

Richard Kim, editor-in-chief of The City, called the potato chip bag incident “deeply disturbing” and criticized Greco’s attempt to ingratiate herself with a journalist through such means.

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4 hours ago
Health
Immigration

Trump Admin Moves to Stop Medicaid Going to Migrants.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration announced stricter oversight on noncitizens receiving Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The oversight program was launched in recent months, with new rules implemented under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law on July 4.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

🎯IMPACT: The program aims to ensure Medicaid serves only those who are eligible, but state resistance and lawsuits may complicate enforcement.

IN FULL

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to limit noncitizens’ access to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits, per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CMS has introduced an oversight initiative that supplies states with reports identifying Medicaid enrollees absent from federal databases.

“We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,” confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 1.4 million current Medicaid enrollees fail to meet citizenship or immigration status criteria. States must now examine these federal reports, resolve immigration status inconsistencies, and uphold noncitizen eligibility restrictions. However, Democrat-run states like California, Oregon, and Colorado have broadened Medicaid access to include illegal immigrants regardless.

The Trump-championed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted on July 4, imposes stricter Medicaid eligibility rules, including work requirements for able-bodied adults, regular eligibility checks, and heightened restrictions on noncitizens. CMS administrator Mehmet Oz stressed, “Every dollar misspent is a dollar taken away from an eligible, vulnerable individual in need of Medicaid.”

Since June, the health department has shared Medicaid enrollment data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting a lawsuit from 20 states, including California and New York, in July. Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction, halting data sharing in those states. Judge Vince Chhabria wrote, “Using CMS data for immigration enforcement threatens to significantly disrupt the operation of Medicaid—a program that Congress has deemed critical for the provision of health coverage to the nation’s most vulnerable residents.”

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19 hours ago
Immigration
UK

Farage’s Reform Party Wants to Shut Down Migrant Hotels Nationwide After Court Ruling.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: British municipal governments are considering legal action to stop the central government from filling local hotels with asylum seekers after a successful court challenge in Epping, England, with Nigel Farage’s Reform Party pledging that every council it controls will mount lawsuits.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Epping Forest District Council, Nigel Farage, migrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Discussions and legal actions have occurred throughout August 2025, with key events in Epping.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Reform councils will be progressing these legal avenues on an urgent basis,” said Reform deputy leader Richard Tice MP.

🎯IMPACT: The High Court’s decision in Epping has set a precedent, with other councils considering legal action.

IN FULL

Municipal governments across the United Kingdom are stepping up legal efforts to block local hotels from being used to house asylum seekers en masse, as public unrest grows over the danger and disruption migrants are causing in communities.

In Essex, Epping Forest District Council recently secured a High Court injunction to prevent migrants from being placed at The Bell Hotel, citing community protests and safety concerns. The protests in Epping erupted in the area after an asylum seeker living at the hotel was arrested for sexually abusing a local girl. The ruling came despite attempts by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, to keep the migrants at the hotel.

The landmark ruling is now being closely examined by other councils. Richard Tice MP, deputy leader of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, has said “Reform councils will be progressing these legal avenues on an urgent basis.”

Farage called the Epping legal case a victory for the “good people of Epping” who have been protesting, saying they “must inspire similar protests around Britain”—despite the efforts of establishment politicians and media outlets to portray them as “far right.”

There is rising frustration from residents who say their communities are being overwhelmed and their voices are being ignored. Many argue that the central government’s current strategy of meeting boat migrants at sea, bringing them ashore, and housing them in hotels free of charge with little to no restrictions on their movements is failing to deter illegal immigration while placing an unfair burden on local services, housing, and law enforcement, and endangering British citizens.

Despite these concerns, London alone continues to house over 12,000 asylum seekers in hotels.

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19 hours ago
Corruption
News

Fed Governor Accused of Fraud and Urged to Resign by Trump Vows to Stay in Post.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump called for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign following allegations of mortgage fraud raised by former housing regulator Bill Pulte. Cook has vowed to stay in post, insisting she will not be “bullied.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, former housing regulator Bill Pulte, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Allegations surfaced on X and Truth Social on Wednesday, with supporting documents dating back to 2021.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Cook must resign, now!!!” – President Trump

🎯IMPACT: The allegations could impact Cook’s position on the Federal Reserve Board and its upcoming interest rate decisions.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has called for the immediate resignation of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook following serious allegations of mortgage fraud raised by Bill Pulte, a former Trump appointee who led the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency. However, Cook has vowed to remain in post, saying she will not be “bullied.”

In a letter dated August 15 and posted on X (formerly Twitter), Pulte accused Cook of falsely claiming two separate homes as her primary residence to receive more favorable mortgage rates. The letter was addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and senior Justice Department official Ed Martin. Pulte claims Cook pledged in a June 2021 mortgage document that she would make an Ann Arbor, Michigan home her primary residence for at least one year. Just two weeks later, she reportedly bought a condo in Atlanta and also listed it as her primary residence—something that could constitute bank fraud.

“Ms. Cook: why did you designate your Atlanta Condo as your primary residence two weeks after declaring your Michigan home as your primary residence?” Pulte wrote.

“Cook must resign, now!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social following the allegations. However, Cook has insisted she has “no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet.”

She added: “I do intend to take any questions about my financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve and so I am gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts.”

Cook, appointed to the Fed’s Board of Governors in 2022, is a key voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets U.S. interest rate policy. President Trump has frequently been at odds with the central bank and its chairman, Jerome Powell, for refusing to cut interest rates, despite other central banks doing so and economic data showing no signs of runaway inflation.

This is not the first time the Federal Reserve has faced serious ethical and legal scrutiny. In January of this year, former senior Fed adviser John Harold Rogers was arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing sensitive trade secrets and passing them to individuals tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Rogers reportedly transferred confidential documents, including internal policy briefings, and even met with Chinese nationals in hotel rooms to hand over materials.

Prosecutors allege he accepted nearly half a million dollars from a Chinese university to teach part-time—a job they say was a cover for espionage.

Image by Brookings Institution.

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20 hours ago
Culture
News

Cracker Barrel Trashed for Dull New Logo and Woke Turn.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Cracker Barrel announced a new logo, sparking backlash on social media.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cracker Barrel, Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore, and CEO Julie Felss Masino.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Changes announced on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The CEO of Cracker Barrel is as woke as they come. She is destroying a once great American brand.” – Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz

🎯IMPACT: The redesign has led to criticism and debate about the company’s direction and identity.

IN FULL

Homestyle food chain Cracker Barrel has unveiled a bland new logo, having already received backlash for a modernist remodel of its interiors. The company claimed on Wednesday that the new logo “is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape”—despite removing the man and barrel that have defined the brand since the 1970s entirely, leaving only a background shaped vaguely like a barrel with a simplified text logo embossed on it. The chain has not had a text-only logo for 48 years.

Social media users quickly reacted to the changes. Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz criticized the CEO, former Taco Bell executive Julie Felss Masino, on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “The CEO of Cracker Barrel is as woke as they come. She is destroying a once great American brand.” Notably, the chain has celebrated Pride Month and promoted a ‘Cracker Barrel LGBT+ Alliance’ on its website since she was installed in late 2023.

Responding to the backlash against the previous remodeling of Cracker Barrel’s interiors—once homey and old-fashioned, now filled with the same plain, contemporary furniture as many other chains—Masino insisted she was keeping the Cracker Barrel brand relevant and that “People like what we’re doing,” adding: “Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow.”

Similar modernist rebrands have been met with disdain in recent years. Most recently, once-iconic car company Jaguar embarked on a woke image change that was so poorly received that its sales crashed, and the ad agency responsible was cut loose.

Image by Leo Reynolds.

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