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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

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January 6, 2026
Crime
Data

Police Fatalities Fall to Lowest Level Since WWII.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty has fallen to its lowest level since World War II, according to a new report released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Bill Alexander, the Fund’s CEO, provided the data and analysis.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The report, covering 2025, was released on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Even one officer fatality is too many, and our ultimate goal is to have none. But we’re heartened by any decrease in those numbers.” – Bill Alexander

🎯IMPACT: The data shows a significant reduction in line-of-duty deaths, including firearm-related fatalities and traffic-related deaths, amid the Trump administration’s use of National Guard troops in several major U.S. cities to bolster local law enforcement and crack down on violent crime.

IN FULL

New data shows that annual U.S. law enforcement fatalities while in the line of duty drastically fell last year, reaching a low not seen in over 80 years. According to a report released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) on Tuesday, the total number of line-of-duty deaths dropped from 148 in 2024 to 111 in 2025, with decreases seen across every fatality type tracked by the organization.

Notably, the last time annual law enforcement fatalities were as low as 2025 was in 1943. Ninety-four police officers were killed in the line of duty that year. The NLEOMF data reveals that firearm-related officer deaths declined by 15 percent last year to 44 recorded fatalities, compared to 52 in 2024. This is the lowest rate in over a decade, according to NLEOMF’s historical records.

“I always like to see that firearm deaths are down. They are the tip of the spear for egregious acts,” said Bill Alexander, the NLEOMF’s chief executive officer. He added, “Even one officer fatality is too many, and our ultimate goal is to have none. But we’re heartened by any decrease in those numbers.”

Meanwhile, the report shows traffic-related deaths declined by 23 percent in 2025, and fatalities categorized as “other”—including medical emergencies, stabbings, drownings, and aviation accidents—dropped by 37 percent, from 52 to 33 year-to-year. This number includes 14 law enforcement officers who died from long-term medical complications stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attacks 25 years ago.

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25 minutes ago
William Upton
NatSec

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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1 hour ago
William Upton
News

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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1 hour ago
Immigration
News

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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3 hours ago
Immigration
News

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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3 hours ago
NatSec
TECH

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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4 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

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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5 hours ago
NatSec
Politics

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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5 hours ago
News
War

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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6 hours ago
News

Biden Rigged Research on Alcohol in Partisan Prohibition Push, Here’s How:

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Republicans released a report exposing bias and legal violations in the Biden government’s alcohol and health study.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former Biden government officials, House Republicans, and six researchers, including three from Canada.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Biden government study was authorized in 2022, with the House Oversight report on the study released on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “All six members selected for Biden’s study were anti-alcohol advocates who had conducted previous research linking negative health outcomes with alcohol.” – House Republican Report

🎯IMPACT: The findings call into question the validity of the former Biden government’s efforts to alter dietary guidelines and raise concerns over government overreach.

IN FULL

House Republicans have released a report criticizing the former Biden government’s attempt to rig an alcohol and health study aimed at laying the groundwork to restrict consumer access to beer, wine and liquor. The House Oversight Committee claims former Biden officials behind the effort engaged in bias and unlawful conduct. The Biden government study, authorized in 2022, was intended to influence the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans by linking alcohol consumption to cancer risk.

The House Oversight report, titled “‘A Study Fraught With Bias: How the Biden Administration’s Alcohol Intake and Health Study Tried To Undermine the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines For Americans,” highlights a yearlong investigation into the former Democrat government’s efforts. It found that the study was duplicative, as Congress had already authorized the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to conduct the sole alcohol-related research for dietary guidelines, with $1.3 million allocated for the task.

Investigators revealed that all six members chosen for the Biden government’s study were “anti-alcohol advocates” with prior research linking alcohol to negative health outcomes. Three of these experts were from Canada and had contributed to Canada’s 2023 alcohol guidelines, which controversially claimed no level of alcohol consumption is safe.

The findings suggest that Biden’s parallel study was designed to reach predetermined conclusions, bypassing established legal processes. Additionally, the report emphasizes that the effort undermined years of precedent and relied on recommendations from Canadian guidelines rather than American research.

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6 hours ago
Lawfare

Lawfare Continues Against Trump Prosecutor Appointee.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge ordered prosecutor Lindsey Halligan to justify her continued use of the title of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after her appointment to the role was ruled unlawful.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Lindsey Halligan, U.S. District Court Judge David Novak, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, and the Department of Justice.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The order was issued Tuesday for the Eastern District of Virginia, following a November ruling.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Consequently, it remains the binding precedent in this district and is not subject to being ignored,” wrote Judge Novak.

🎯IMPACT: Halligan has seven days to respond, and the court may consider disciplinary action for professional misconduct.

IN FULL

A federal judge has ordered Lindsey Halligan to explain her use of the title of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, despite a prior court ruling that found her appointment to the position unconstitutional. U.S. District Court Judge David Novak—a Trump appointee—issued the order on Tuesday, giving Halligan seven days to provide a written explanation.

The controversy stems from a November 24 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who determined that Halligan’s appointment violated the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Although Judge Currie did not explicitly order Halligan’s removal, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has appealed the decision, which remains pending. Judge Novak, however, emphasized that the ruling is binding unless overturned.

In his order, Judge Novak wrote, “The Court hereby DIRECTS Ms. Halligan to file, within seven (7) days of the issuance of this Order, a pleading explaining the basis for Ms. Halligan’s identification of herself as the United States Attorney, notwithstanding Judge Currie’s contrary ruling. She shall also set forth the reasons why this Court should not strike Ms. Halligan’s identification of herself as United States Attorney from the indictment in this matter. Ms. Halligan shall further explain why her identification does not constitute a false or misleading statement.”

The dispute also involves Halligan’s role in high-profile cases, including indictments against former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), which were dismissed after her appointment was ruled invalid. Halligan, who was previously part of President Donald J. Trump’s legal defense team, has faced scrutiny over her conduct in the role.

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