Wednesday, January 7, 2026

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Trump Admin Warns Allies: Mass Migration Poses ‘Existential Threat’ to the West.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. State Department has instructed embassies to report on the human rights and public safety impacts of mass migration in allied nations, referencing high-profile cases of migrant-related crimes.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. State Department, U.S. embassies, and allied nations, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The directive was shared on November 21 via the State Department’s X account, addressing immigration policies and their implications globally.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization and undermines the stability of key American allies.” – U.S. State Department

🎯IMPACT: The directive highlights concerns about migrant-related crimes and policies that prioritize migrants over citizens, sparking potential diplomatic and policy implications.

IN FULL

The U.S. State Department has directed its embassies to begin compiling reports on “the human rights implications and public safety impacts of mass migration” in allied nations, citing high-profile issues in Britain, Sweden, and Germany. Notably, the order instructs diplomats to assess not only public safety issues, but also any policies that “punish citizens who object to continued mass migration,” along with crimes or human rights abuses committed by individuals with “migration backgrounds.” In a statement shared on X, the department said, “Mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization and undermines the stability of key American allies.”

The directive references controversies in Britain over Muslim grooming gangs, which the authorities ignored for years because their victims were white and they feared damaging so-called community relations. In Rotherham, an independent investigation concluded that roughly 1,400 children were sexually exploited over a 16-year period, largely by men of Pakistani heritage. Similar patterns were later identified in Telford and other British towns.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, a recent case drew national attention after a court declined to deport an Eritrean immigrant convicted of rape, despite his unlawful presence in the country. “U.S. officials will now scrutinize policies in Western nations that give leniency to migrant crime and human rights abuses or that create two-tiered systems that prioritize migrants at the expense of their own citizens,” the State Department warned.

The reporting requirement comes as U.S. immigration policy has undergone a significant shift under President Donald J. Trump. Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has prioritized aggressive enforcement measures, and administration data indicates that more than half a million illegal immigrants have already been deported this year, with projections showing removals could reach record levels by year’s end.

Estimates from researchers who track demographic trends suggest the foreign-born population in the United States has declined by more than two million since January, including a substantial drop among those living in the country illegally. The administration has presented the decline as evidence that tightened enforcement is reversing what it views as long-standing, unsustainable mass migration.

Image by Alisdare Hickson.

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Woman Who Tried to Run Over ICE Agents Identified.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Renee Nicole Good has been identified as the woman fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer while attempting to run agents over.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Renee Nicole Good, 37, was identified by her mother, Donna Granger, as the woman shot.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “That’s so stupid,” Granger said of her daughter’s shooting.

🎯IMPACT: Democrat officials have attempted to claim the incident was murder and inflame tensions between far-left protestors and federal law enforcement.

IN FULL

The woman who was shot and killed after attempting to run over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Her mother, Donna Granger, confirmed to local media that she was notified of her daughter’s death.

“That’s so stupid,” Granger, who resides in the Twin Cities, said in response to the incident. She went on to describe Good as “extremely compassionate” and “an amazing human being.” Footage from the incident clearly shows Good impeding a federal law enforcement exercise and ignoring a lawful order, before attempting to run over an ICE officer with her car in a failed getaway attempt.

While it appears that Good was currently in a same-sex relationship, with a woman at the scene of the shooting reportedly identifying herself as Good’s “wife,” the 37-year-old was previously married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who passed away in 2023. The couple shared a child, now four or five years old.

The National Pulse reported late Wednesday afternoon that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) have both moved to inflame tensions, with Frey calling the assertion by federal officials that the officer acted in self-defense “bulls**t” and “garbage”—despite footage indicating this was, in fact, the case. Meanwhile, Walz declared that the shooting made him and Minnesotans “angry,” stating that he shares this anger and has prepared an order to deploy Minnesota National Guard troops. It is unclear if he intends to try to use them against federal officers.

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Trump Moves to Ban Corporations From Buying Up Single-Family Homes.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced steps to ban large institutional investors from purchasing additional single-family homes.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, large institutional investors, and Congress.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made Wednesday, January 7, 2026; further discussion planned in two weeks at Davos, Switzerland.

💬KEY QUOTE: “For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. But now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: Trump seeks to address housing affordability issues and is urging Congress to codify the ban into law.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump announced on Wednesday that his administration is taking immediate action to bar large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. The President contends that the practice, utilized by alternative asset management firms like Blackstone, has contributed to housing affordability issues facing many Americans.

“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans,” President Trump wrote in a post shared to Truth Social on Wednesday.

The America First leader continued, “It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations.”

“I will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks,” he added.

The National Pulse reported in June of 2024 that under the former Biden government, mortgage costs began to once again creep up—mostly due to inflation—and caused a spike in foreclosures. This resulted in a flood of residential property sales that drew significant interest from alternative asset management firms, such as Blackstone, which purchased these properties to generate a steady stream of rental revenue for their investors.

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Trump Vows to Block Dividends, Stock Buybacks for Defense Firms.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced restrictions on defense companies’ financial activities, including dividends and stock buybacks, until they address production and compensation concerns.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, defense contractors including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Wednesday via a Truth Social post.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated!” – Donald Trump.

🎯IMPACT: Defense company stocks fell approximately two percent following the announcement.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. defense contractors will “no longer be allowed or tolerated” to issue massive dividends or engage in stock buybacks. Citing slow production, delayed delivery, and substandard follow-up maintenance, Trump slammed the defense industry’s exorbitant salaries given to corporate executives and its lack of investment in new production facilities and equipment.

“All United State Defense Contractors, and the Defense Industry as a whole, BEWARE: While we make the best Military Equipment in the World (No other Country is even close!), Defense Contractors are currently issuing massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock Buybacks, at the expense and detriment of investing in Plants and Equipment,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated!”

“Also, Executive Pay Packages in the Defense Industry are exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these Companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies,” the President stated, while adding: “Salaries, Stock Options, and every other form of Compensation are far too high for these Executives. Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly.”

In response to the defense industry’s complacency, which Trump characterizes as a threat to U.S. national security, he announced, “From this moment forward, these Executives must build NEW and MODERN Production Plants, both for delivering and maintaining this important Equipment, and for building the latest Models of future Military Equipment.” Additionally, the Trump administration will move to cap defense industry executive pay to $5 million, which the President says “is a mere fraction of what they are making now.”

“I am demanding that maintenance be ‘spot on, on time,'” Trump wrote. Until the situation is deemed rectified by federal officials, President Trump says he “will not permit Dividends or Stock Buybacks for Defense Companies.”

Notably, Lockheed Martin‘s stock value fell significantly in response to the announcement.

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Tim Walz Says He’s ‘Angry’ That ICE Officers Defended Themselves from Being Run Over.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) is demanding federal immigration agents leave his state after a woman was shot and killed while attempting to run over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), ICE officers, and anti-ICE protestors.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Late Wednesday afternoon on January 7, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “To Minnesotans, I say this: I feel your anger, I’m angry.” — Tim Walz

🎯IMPACT: Footage of the incident shows the woman’s vehicle first blocking the roadway, then, as federal agents approach, she accelerates into the officer directly in front of her car, prompting him to open fire in self-defense.

IN FULL

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D)—who has abandoned his reelection bid in the wake of a massive fraud scandal tied to his administration and the state’s Somali immigrant community—is demanding federal immigration agents leave his state after a woman was shot and killed while attempting to run over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. “What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines, and conflict,” Walz said at the opening of a press conference late Wednesday afternoon.

“It is governing by reality TV, and today that recklessness cost someone their life,” the Democrat governor argued. “Let me be clear, Donald Trump and his administration may not care much about Minnesota—that’s been pretty evident—but we love this state, we won’t let them tear us apart, we won’t turn against each other. To Minnesotans, I say this: I feel your anger, I’m angry.”

“They want a show, we can’t give it to them,” the scandal-embroiled Walz declared, while urging protesters to remain peaceful. He added, “To Americans, I ask you this: please stand with Minneapolis. To Minnesotans, please know this: our administration is going to stop at nothing to seek accountability and justice.”

Earlier on Wednesday, a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed after impeding a federal law enforcement exercise and ignoring a lawful order, before attempting to run over an ICE officer with her car in a failed getaway attempt. Footage of the incident shows the woman’s vehicle first blocking the roadway, then as federal agents approach, she accelerates into the officer directly in front of her car, prompting him to open fire in self-defense.

The National Pulse subsequently reported that far-left Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) had declared it is “bulls**t” and “garbage” that the federal officer acted in self-defense, claiming, “I have seen the video myself.” Despite the assertion, the footage clearly supports the self-defense claims made by federal officials.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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BREAKING: Trump Blames ‘Radical Left’ for Attacks on Law Enforcement After Minneapolis ICE Shooting.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has reacted after a woman was fatally shot while driving a car at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: ICE officers and two women, one of whom was driving the car.

📍WHEN & WHERE: January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The incident highlights ongoing threats towards law enforcement involved in upholding immigration law.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has responded to a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which saw a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer open fire on a woman who drove her car at him. The event was captured on video, which Trump described as “a horrible thing to watch.”

“The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense,” the President wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to the woman who was shot and another woman who can be heard shouting from the street.

“Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis,” he said, stressing: “They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!”

Democrat politicians are already attempting to inflame the situation, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey arguing it is “bulls**t” that the officer acted in self-defense, despite the video evidence.

Since President Trump’s inauguration, there have been over 100 reported vehicular attacks against federal law enforcement, more than twice the 47 incidents during the same period last year.

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Minneapolis ICE Shooting: Dem Mayor Calls Self-Defense Claim ‘Bulls**t’—Despite Video Evidence.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A female suspect attempted to run over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with her car, leading to an ICE agent fatally shooting her.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: ICE, Mayor Jacob Frey (D), Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, and the 37-year-old female suspect.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, Minneapolis, near Portland Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets.

💬KEY QUOTE: “To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.” – Mayor Frey

🎯IMPACT: The incident has sparked heightened tensions between local officials and federal authorities, as well as leftist outrage over the shooting.

IN FULL

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) has said it is “bulls**t” and “garbage” that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fired shots at a woman who attempted to ram agents with her vehicle was acting in self-defense. During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the Democrat mayor claimed that “I have seen the video myself.”

However, video footage of the shooting posted to social media appears to clearly show the woman impeding a federal law enforcement exercise and ignoring a lawful order, before attempting to run over an ICE officer with her car in a failed getaway attempt. The woman, who was 37 years old, was blocking Portland Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets with her vehicle, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

Notably, O’Hara—during Mayor Frey’s press conference—appears to admit that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) only arrived on the scene after the shooting. This seemingly confirms claims by federal officials that the MPD ignored ICE agents’ requests for assistance with a large group of around 100 agitators gathered to try and shut down an immigration enforcement operation.

“At some point, a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot, and the vehicle began to drive off. At least two shots were fired, the vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway,” O’Hara stated. He added that when Minneapolis officers arrived, they found the woman had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, and despite lifesaving measures, she was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Near the conclusion of the press conference, Frey moved to inflame tensions further with an angry message at federal officers, shouting, “Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy, are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead. That’s on you. And it’s also on you to leave. It’s on you to make sure that further damage, further loss of life and injury, is not done.”

“We are better than a bunch of ICE agents being deployed to cities around the country and ripping apart families and communities. We’re better than that, and so we are going to meet that hate with love. We are going to meet that despair with hope. We are going to meet that injustice with constitutional justice ourselves,” he concluded.

Image by Chad Davis.

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China Directs Tech Companies to Stop Purchasing Nvidia H200 Chips.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Beijing has reportedly instructed some Chinese tech firms to halt orders for Nvidia’s H200 chips while considering domestic AI chip mandates.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nvidia, Chinese tech companies, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and U.S. officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: January 2026, with reports emerging from Beijing and international sources.

💬KEY QUOTE: “China is committed to basing its national development on its own strengths, and is also willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation with all parties to safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains,” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.

🎯IMPACT: The move reflects ongoing U.S.-China tensions over semiconductor trade and could reshape the global chip industry landscape.

IN FULL

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is officially moving to restrict the import of some Nvidia H200 chips. In December last year, The National Pulse reported that it was likely that Chinese officials would soon announce chip restrictions as the communist government weighs a potential domestic semiconductor subsidy plan that could see upwards of $70 billion in state money invested in China’s chipmaking industry.

“China is committed to basing its national development on its own strengths, and is also willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation with ​all parties to safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains,” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., said on Wednesday.

Specifically, Chinese government officials are ordering a group of critical domestic technology companies to pause all pre-orders for Nvidia’s H200 chips. In early December of last year, U.S. President Donald J. Trump moved to permit the export of chips—which lag about 18 months behind the company’s cutting-edge models—to China, undoing a previous export ban.

However, shortly after the export ban was lifted, the CCP—which has long sought to increase its access to cutting-edge semiconductor technology—abruptly determined it no longer wanted increased chip imports. While critics of Trump’s lifting of the export ban worried that the Chinese would use the access to quickly reverse engineer Nvidia technology, the CCP has instead realized that an influx of near-cutting-edge U.S. chips could flood its technology market and crush its domestic semiconductor industry.

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BREAKING: Domestic Terrorist Who Tried to Run Down ICE Agents Shot and Killed.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Federal law enforcement was involved in a shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, reportedly linked to a protest against immigration enforcement.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Federal law enforcement, a woman allegedly involved in a vehicular attack, and local officials, including Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday morning near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The presence of federal law enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” complained Mayor Jacob Frey, appearing to blame the ICE agents who were attacked.

🎯IMPACT: The incident has exacerbated tensions between federal and local authorities, with Democrat leaders demanding that federal agents leave the city despite ICE agents being the target of political violence.

IN FULL

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were involved in a shooting on Wednesday morning in Minneapolis. The incident occurred near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, prompting officials to urge residents to stay away from the area.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that the incident was allegedly “vehicle ramming related,” and footage emerging online clearly shows a protester impeding a federal law enforcement exercise, before attempting to run over a law enforcement officer with her car in a failed getaway attempt.

Federal authorities reported that a woman rammed her car into an officer with the intent to cause harm, though McLaughlin noted that details are still being gathered. The woman was later announced to have died from gunshot wounds.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) commented on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “My public safety team is working to gather information on an ICE-related shooting this morning. We will share information as we learn more. In the meantime, I ask folks to remain calm.”

Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) is siding with the attacker and far-left agitators, demanding that ICE agents “leave the city immediately.” In a post on X, he stated, “The presence of federal law enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.”

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Who is Morgan Ortagus, and Why MAGA Cares About Her Divorce and Foreign National Fiancée.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Morgan Ortagus—one of the least trusted foreign policy officials in the Trump administration due to her fervent neoconservative views, ties to the Deep State, and past public criticism of the President’s America First agenda—has separated from her husband and entered a relationship with Lebanese banking tycoon Antoun Sehnaoui, according to divorce filings.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Morgan Ortagus, her estranged husband Jonathan Weinberger, and Lebanese financier Antoun Sehnaoui.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The separation was filed in November 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, with initial details of the new relationship emerging in December 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: The divorce petition, filed by Weinberger, cites “irreconcilable differences” for the separation.

🎯IMPACT: The revelation of Ortagus’s divorce and subsequent relationship with Sehnaoui—a foreign national—raises ethical and security concerns regarding her current role as Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

IN FULL

Divorce records have now confirmed that Morgan Ortagus—a former State Department press official in the first Trump administration and current Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations—has separated from her husband, Jonathan Weinberger, and entered into a relationship with controversial Lebanese banking mogul and film producer Antoun Sehnaoui. The divorce petition, filed by Weinberger in November 2025, cites “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds for the divorce.

During President Donald J. Trump‘s first term, Ortagus served a brief tenure as the Spokesman for the United States Department of State under then-Secretary Mike Pompeo.

The National Pulse has previously reported on a number of concerning details regarding Ortagus, including a revelation that she attempted to leverage her friendship with Democratic Party foreign policy figures to secure a role in the former Biden government. Emails obtained by The National Pulse show Ortagus pledged to “faithfully serve the Biden administration” in a goodbye email sent to State Department colleagues.

In a private 2021 email, Ortagus  stated that Ned Price, her replacement tapped by former President Biden, was “fantastic,” and that she decided to seek a continued role at the State Department “no matter what happened with the election.”

Before joining the Trump administration, Ortagus co-founded Global Opportunity Advisors—a consultancy firm—alongside her “best friend,” Samantha Vinograd, a former foreign policy adviser to the Biden and Obama governments and a CNN contributor with an extensive history of criticizing President Trump, including comparing the America First leader to Adolf Hitler.

Meanwhile, during Ortagus’s short-lived 2022 congressional run in Tennessee, she aligned herself with several outspoken anti-Trump GOP figures, including former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, Jeb Bush foreign policy advisor John Noonan, disgraced former State Department official Gabriel Noronha, and former Republican National Committee (RNC) chief counsel Charlie Spies, who was fired after just months on the job and was revealed to maintain close ties with infamous Democrat election fixer and attorney Marc Elias. The National Pulse reported that Ortagus quickly scrubbed all references to President Trump from her campaign website as her congressional bid collapsed.

During the 2024 presidential primary, Ortagus backed Pompeo, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley in succession against Trump for the Republican nomination. Despite numerous instances of backing efforts aimed at undermining the President and his America First foreign policy, Ortagus was welcomed back into the second Trump administration—first as a deputy to Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and now as Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the UN.

Weinberger and Ortagus were wed in 2013 in a ceremony presided over by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a prominent left-wing jurist. However, her new romantic partner is likely to draw significantly more controversy. Sehnaoui has faced a number of legal battles over his career, including allegations that his bank provided material support to Hezbollah—an accusation he denies.

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U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Under Russian Protection.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the Marinera, after a two-week pursuit across the Atlantic.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. military and U.S. Coast Guard, Russian warships, and the Icelandic Coast Guard.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The operation took place near Iceland in international waters, with the Marinera entering Iceland’s exclusive economic zone at 4 AM local time.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If Americans seize our ship and we limit ourselves to rhetoric about ‘red lines’, it will convince Trump that we are just a very large Venezuela, that Russia can be pushed around without any real consequence.” – Russian commentator Alexander Kots

🎯IMPACT: The seizure could escalate tensions between the U.S. and Russia.

IN FULL

The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker after a two-week pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean, escalating tensions over sanctions enforcement and maritime security. The vessel, the Marinera, was intercepted as it entered Iceland’s exclusive economic zone around 4 AM local time during an operation involving the U.S. military, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Icelandic authorities.

The tanker was previously known as the Bella 1 and had been monitored for weeks after evading a U.S. maritime blockade of sanctioned vessels. According to U.S. officials, the ship resisted earlier attempts by the Coast Guard to board it while operating near the Caribbean before changing its name and flag and heading toward northern waters.

Russian state media reported that Russian naval assets, including surface ships and at least one submarine, were operating nearby during the seizure. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Marinera, now flying the Russian flag, was traveling in international waters in compliance with maritime law and accused Western nations of violating freedom of navigation. It called on them to respect the rights of civilian shipping.

Alexander Kots, a pro-government Russian commentator, warned on Telegram that the incident could have wider consequences for Moscow’s global standing. “If Americans seize our ship and we limit ourselves to rhetoric about ‘red lines’, it will convince Trump that we are just a very large Venezuela, that Russia can be pushed around without any real consequences,” he wrote.

The seizure comes amid an aggressive expansion of U.S. sanctions enforcement targeting oil shipments linked to Venezuela. In December, President Donald J. Trump announced a full blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers under U.S. sanctions, ordering interdictions of vessels suspected of carrying crude that finances the government of President Nicolás Maduro—now in U.S. custody.

U.S. authorities have also intercepted other tankers connected to Venezuelan oil exports in recent weeks, part of a broader effort to dismantle networks accused of evading sanctions by reflagging vessels, disabling tracking systems and transferring oil at sea.

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