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Wednesday, April 22, 2026

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36 minutes ago
Immigration

U.N. Org Says Strict MAGA Border Policy Saves Lives.

United Nations (UN) data reveals a massive decline in migrant deaths along high-risk routes to the U.S. during 2025, attributed to stricter border policies under President Donald J. Trump.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Migrant deaths along high-risk routes to the U.S. dropped from 1,272 in 2024 to 408 in 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The United Nations (UN) agency attributes the decrease to a decline in the number of people moving along dangerous illegal migration paths, coinciding with stricter border enforcement policies under President Donald J. Trump.
📺 DETAIL: The IOM, led by Joe Biden appointee Amy Pope, recorded significant drops in deaths across various regions, including a sharp decline in Caribbean migrants dying en route to the U.S. from 187 in 2024 to just five in 2025. Deaths in the Darien Gap, a notoriously perilous jungle route, also fell dramatically, from 174 in 2024 to just 10 in 2025. The fall suggests Trump’s policies have disincentivized travel along disrupted high-risk migration routes, saving over 1,000 lives compared to the prior year.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Deaths recorded during migration decreased dramatically in 2025, from 1,272 in 2024 to 408 in 2025.” – International Organization for Migration report, April 21.
🎯 IMPACT: The data challenges the narrative promoted by pro-migration advocates who claim Biden’s border policies were more humane. Instead, it appears to prove that open-border policies of the sort practiced under Biden lead to increased migrant deaths by encouraging dangerous journeys, while “tough love” enforcement measures save lives by deterring them.
📺 FLASHBACK: During Biden’s term, relaxed border policies led to a surge in migrant deaths, with thousands perishing en route to the U.S. due to dangerous conditions, cartel exploitation, and treacherous terrain. The Darien Gap alone saw hundreds of fatalities annually under his administration. Similarly, migrant drownings fell in the Mediterranean and the Pacific when Italy and Australia enacted “stop the boats” policies intended to deny landing rights to migrants attempting to reach their countries by sea in the 2010s.

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12 hours ago
Raheem J. Kassam
PINNED
News

REVEALED: RNC Blew VA Referendum Due to Lavish Cornyn Spending and Misplaced Priorities.

Virginia voters have narrowly approved a Democrat-drawn mid-decade congressional gerrymander, handing Democrats up to four additional U.S. House seats. But how did Republicans lose, given the vote was so close, and given their massive funding advantage? We break it down here:

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Virginia voters narrowly approved a Democrat-drawn mid-decade congressional gerrymander by a margin of roughly 81,188 votes — 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent with more than 95 percent reporting at the time of publication. The constitutional amendment hands the Democrat-controlled General Assembly power to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts through October 31, 2030.
🗺️ THE MAP: HB 29 — passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Abigail Spanberger on February 20 — flips Virginia’s U.S. House delegation from 6-5 to 10-1. Net Democrat gain: up to four seats.
📊 COST PER VOTE: A snap analysis by The National Pulse shows the “Yes” (Democrat) side spent $62.3 million, divided by 1,545,736 votes (at the time of publication), which comes to around $40.30 per vote. Meanwhile, the Republican “No” side spent around $20 million, divided by 1,464,548 votes, for an average of $13.66 per vote. Democrats spent three times as much per head — and still only cleared 51.3 percent.
🪙 PENNY WISE: Closing the 81,188-vote gap at the “No” side’s own efficiency rate would have cost around $1.1 million — just over one percent of what the GOP burned on John Cornyn’s primary campaign against Ken Paxton in Texas last month. Even a generous real-world multiplier, accounting for diminishing campaign returns, lands at just $2 million to $4 million.
🏦 DRY POWDER: The Republican National Committee is sitting on roughly $109 million cash on hand — nearly $100 million more than the Democratic National Committee, which has just $15.9 million and is carrying $17.4 million in debt. Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. entered 2026 with more than $304 million in the bank, by itself. In fact, combining all the major Republican groups leaves the GOP with over $807M cash on hand in total. Which means they’d only have had to spend 0.25% of total funds to salvage Virginia.
💰 CORNYN CALCULUS: Republicans spent roughly $95.1 million on the Cornyn–Paxton primary in Texas. The “No” side in Virginia spent roughly $20 million. That is about five times more on a single Senate incumbent than on a referendum that could cost the party four House seats.
🏢 THE FIRM: Virginians for Fair Maps — the losing “No” campaign — was run by Mike Young, a partner at FP1 Strategies, which was founded by Chris LaCivita. LaCivita is simultaneously the senior campaign consultant for the Cornyn super PAC which has spent all that money attacking Ken Paxton, and pushing Trump to endorse Cornyn, who has repeatedly stabbed the President in the back. Ninety-five million dollars went one way. Twenty million went the other. And much of it through LaCivita’s own companies and partners.
💬 VA SOURCE: A Virginia source tells The National Pulse: “The money diverted to LaCivita’s groups and away from the Republican Party of Virginia/county parties was hard to accept. We had no money.”
🗣️ KEY QUOTE: Sean Davis of The Federalist on X tonight: “Good thing Republicans spent $100 million on John Cornyn.”
⚖️ “FAIRNESS” FARCE: The ballot asked voters a convoluted question: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?” On February 19, Tazewell Circuit Judge Jack Hurley ruled that the phrase was misleading and unconstitutional and blocked the referendum.
👨‍⚖️ SCOVA’D: The Supreme Court of Virginia had two chances to stop this — January and March — and twice punted past the election, writing that courts “generally should not prematurely enjoin an upcoming election.” The justices reserved the right to review the map de novo after the vote. Cold comfort: the seats are banked in November either way.
🧑‍⚖️ STILL IN COURT: Briefs are due to the Supreme Court of Virginia two days after tonight’s vote. The map could still be struck down — after the 2026 seats are already counted. Chaz Mizelle has an alternative idea, as we reported this morning.

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Virginia voters have narrowly approved a Democrat-drawn mid-decade congressional gerrymander, handing Democrats up to four additional U.S. House seats. But how did Republicans lose, given the vote was so close, and given their massive funding advantage? We break it down here:

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Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
There’s a lot to digest up there, but the long and short of it can be boiled down, once again, to some very simple things: GREED and CRONYISM
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There’s a lot to digest up there, but the long and short of it can be boiled down, once again, to some very simple things: GREED and CRONYISM show more
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By Popular Demand.
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1 hour ago
Data

DATA: Congress Approval is Now in All-Time-Low Territory.

A Gallup poll reveals Congress’s approval rating has plummeted to near-record lows, driven by cratering support among self-identified Republicans.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A Gallup poll released on Wednesday morning indicates that only 10 percent of Americans approve of Congress, approaching a historic low of nine percent last seen in 2013. Eighty-six percent disapprove, matching a historic high for disapproval last seen in 2015.
📰 DETAIL: The high disapproval is attributed to government shutdowns, including the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and various scandals involving Congress members such as accused rapist Eric Swalwell. Approval ratings had briefly peaked at 31 percent in March last year but have since declined sharply. The decline has been driven largely by cratering support among self-identified Republicans, who gave Congress a 62 percent approval rating in March 2025 but now give it just 20 percent.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Beyond the ongoing DHS funding impasse, congressional disapproval in Gallup’s April 1-15 poll may reflect Republicans’ frustration over Congress not passing legislation, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House in 2025 and would require citizenship documentation to register to vote. Also, broader tensions over war powers related to the U.S. conflict with Iran, the effects of high gas prices, and ethics scandals involving two members of Congress that led to their resignations as the polling period was drawing to a close may be souring public opinion further.” – Gallup
🎯 IMPACT: The poll highlights a significant drop in approval from Republicans, who now rate the GOP-led Congress at just 20 percent, down from 63 percent shortly after President Trump’s inauguration.
📈 DATA: Conducted from April 1 to April 15, 2026, the Gallup poll surveyed 1,001 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Gallup

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A Gallup poll reveals Congress's approval rating has plummeted to near-record lows, driven by cratering support among self-identified Republicans.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
News

Trump’s DOJ Says Far-Left SPLC Funded Extremists, Including Organizers of 2017’s ‘Unite the Right’ Rally in Charlottesville.

The Department of Justice has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center, accusing the nonprofit of secretly funding extremist groups it publicly claims to oppose.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice announced an 11-count indictment against the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for alleged fraud and money laundering, including payments to neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan members. The indictment claims the SPLC funneled over $3 million to individuals associated with extremist groups over the past decade.
📺 DETAIL: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the SPLC, which promotes itself as a civil rights organization tracking hate groups, instead paid leaders of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and others. One recipient allegedly received $270,000 over eight years. FBI Director Kash Patel described the scheme as a “multi-million dollar fraud” designed to stoke racial hatred while misleading donors.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.” – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
👞 THE KICKER: One alleged informant, identified as “F-37,” is described as having been in the leadership chat for the 2017 Unite the Right event in Charlottesville, making racist posts under SPLC supervision and helping coordinate transportation for the event that ended with the “fine people hoax” and the death of leftist activist Heather Heyer.
🕰️ HISTORY: The SPLC has long been a polarizing entity, with critics accusing it of labeling conservative organizations as hate groups while allegedly failing to maintain transparency in its own operations. Founded in 1971 in Montgomery, Alabama by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr, it emerged in the aftermath of the civil rights movement with an initial focus on using litigation to target the Ku Klux Klan. In 2018, the SPLC was forced to pay anti-extremist activist Maajid Nawaz $3.4m after wrongly labeling him a far-right extremist.

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The Department of Justice has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center, accusing the nonprofit of secretly funding extremist groups it publicly claims to oppose.

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By Popular Demand.
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3 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

Pedophile Illegal Pleads Guilty to ‘Aggravated Crimes Against Nature.’

An illegal alien in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has admitted to repeated sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl left in his care, resulting in her pregnancy.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Jose Lopez-Montoya, a 41-year-old illegal alien, pleaded guilty to aggravated crimes against nature by incest on Monday, after a 12-year-old girl in his care gave birth to his child in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
📺 DETAIL: In 2024, Lopez-Montoya was assigned as the guardian of a 12-year-old girl. In July 2024, the girl delivered a baby after being admitted to a hospital in Lake Charles. After the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office established that Lopez-Montoya was the girl’s guardian, he admitted to sexually abusing her over a two-year period and confirmed he is the father of the baby. His sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This was a very unfortunate situation. He was responsible for her well-being, and her mom and dad were not around, so this is a really disappointing situation. He’s a pretty sick individual.“ – Stitch Guillory, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff.
🎯 IMPACT: Lopez-Montoya faces a prison sentence ranging from 25 to 99 years. Notably, he had an active U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer at the time of his arrest, suggesting the abuse might have been avoided if he had been swiftly detained and deported. American society.
📺 FLASHBACK: Multiple instances of illegal aliens harming children have occurred over the first few months of this year alone. In early March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rearrested an illegal immigrant accused of kidnapping a four-year-old girl from a Long Island laundromat after being released back into the community by a local judge. In early April, a teen boy in Greene County, Missouri, begged for his life before being killed by an illegal, who was charged with first-degree murder.

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An illegal alien in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has admitted to repeated sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl left in his care, resulting in her pregnancy.

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By Popular Demand.
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17 hours ago
Economy
News

Airfare Hikes Hit 25% Amid Iran War Fuel Crisis.

Airfares have surged due to disruptions related to the Iran war, with airlines calling for government action to mitigate operational and financial challenges ahead of the summer tourist season.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The ongoing conflict with Iran has caused significant disruptions to air travel, leading to surging airfares as airlines face higher fuel costs and reroute flights. A report from consultancy Teneo highlights a 24 percent increase in the lowest-priced economy tickets compared to last year, with long-haul routes particularly affected.
📺 DETAIL: Airspace restrictions and disruptions to oil supplies have forced airlines to use longer routes, increasing fuel consumption. Jet fuel prices have surged from $85-$90 per barrel to $150-$200 per barrel, with fuel costs accounting for up to a quarter of airlines’ operating expenses. Flights between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region have seen the steepest price increases, with tickets from London to Melbourne up 76 percent and Hong Kong to London up 72 percent compared to last year. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned earlier this month that prolonged conflict in the Middle East could lead to hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations if jet fuel shortages persist.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It is vital that the government takes the right actions now to ensure the continuation of supply, as well as supports the UK aviation industry, which has been impacted by record-high jet fuel prices.” – A spokesman for Airlines UK.
🎯 IMPACT: Airlines have warned that prolonged or worsening conflict could lead to further flight reductions and fare hikes. British airlines, represented by Airlines UK, have requested government support, including tax cuts, flexibility in operational rules, and prioritization of jet fuel production to stabilize the industry.

Image by Thomas Nugent.

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Airfares have surged due to disruptions related to the Iran war, with airlines calling for government action to mitigate operational and financial challenges ahead of the summer tourist season.

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By Popular Demand.
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18 hours ago
Immigration
News

Tom Homan Says Deportations Will Rise Again, Contingent on Minnesota Cooperation.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan claims recent gains in Minnesota’s immigration enforcement, rejects claims the administration has surrendered, and predicts an increase in deportation numbers.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: White House Border Czar Tom Homan stated that deportation numbers will increase, rejecting claims that the administration surrendered to Democrats and pro-illegal immigrant activists in Minnesota in January. He highlighted the removal of over 4,000 migrants, primarily criminals, from the state, and increased cooperation with Minnesota county jails and the state prison system on immigration enforcement.
📺 DETAIL: In an interview on Monday, Homan explained that a recent dip in removals was tied to changes in how federal agents are deployed rather than a policy of reduced enforcement. “Minnesota, I see people say we surrendered. No, we didn’t,” he insisted, continuing: “We took over 4,000 people off the streets of that state, most of them criminals. Number two, we walked away with cooperation from just about every county jail and the state prison system, which means this: It’s safer for the officers. It’s safer for the community when we can arrest the public safety threat in the safety and security of the jail.” Homan added that “rather than sending a dozen people to go look for somebody,” creating a possible public safety threat, “now we’ve got one agent arresting one illegal alien in the county jail.”
🎯 IMPACT: While immigration detentions have dropped back significantly since the Minnesota operation was wound down, Homan argues increased cooperation between federal and local authorities in Minnesota will ultimately streamline immigration enforcement and see removals rise. Mass deportations were a key pillar of President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 election platform, and such a rise could reassure allies amid reports that the administration is scaling back its enforcement objectives and energize America First voters ahead of the midterms.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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White House Border Czar Tom Homan claims recent gains in Minnesota's immigration enforcement, rejects claims the administration has surrendered, and predicts an increase in deportation numbers.

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By Popular Demand.
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19 hours ago
Lawfare
News

Docs Show Biden FBI Pursued GOP Members ‘With No Evidence of Wrongdoing.’

New documents show the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the former Biden government pursued investigations into Republican lawmakers based on allegations prosecutors dismissed internally as “embarrassing” and lacking credibility.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has revealed documents showing that the FBI investigated Republican lawmakers following allegations made by former Democrat lawmaker Mikie Sherrill—now Governor of New Jersey—despite prosecutors internally acknowledging that the allegations lacked credibility.
📺 DETAIL: The probe, known as “Rampart Twelve,” began in January 2021 and was based largely on allegations from Mikie Sherrill that GOP lawmakers led would-be insurrectionists on “reconnaissance” tours of the Capitol prior to January 6. Targets of Rampart Twelve reportedly included Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Investigators obtained phone records for some lawmakers as part of the inquiry. However, text messages between prosecutors show skepticism, with one calling the allegations embarrassing and lacking credibility. Grassley and other Republicans argue that the investigation being launched despite no credible evidence of wrongdoing proves political targeting and misuse of federal law enforcement powers under the former Biden government.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “These bombshell documents reveal that bad actors at the highest levels of our government and intelligence agencies targeted broad swaths of the American Right and sitting members of Congress with no evidence of wrongdoing.” – Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
🎯 IMPACT: The revelations raise serious concerns about political bias within federal agencies under the former Biden government. They follow other revelations of misconduct at the FBI and other agencies targeting President Donald J. Trump and Republican members of Congress, such as the seizure of GOP lawmakers’ phone records via questionable subpoenas in the Arctic Frost investigation.

Image by Dave Newman.

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New documents show the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the former Biden government pursued investigations into Republican lawmakers based on allegations prosecutors dismissed internally as "embarrassing" and lacking credibility.

show more
By Popular Demand.
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19 hours ago
News
War

UN Inspectors Say Iran Has Enough Uranium for 10-11 Atomic Bombs.

United Nations inspectors assess that Iran has accumulated almost 1,000 pounds of near-weapons-grade uranium.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Iran is reportedly hoarding nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which is close to weapons-grade level, according to a report by 60 Minutes, per the Wake Up Right newsletter. This stockpile could potentially fuel 10 or 11 nuclear bombs if further enriched, a process which would take a matter of weeks.
📰 DETAIL: United Nations inspectors have assessed that Iran’s uranium stockpile is just a technical step away from reaching the 90 percent enrichment needed for a nuclear weapon. Despite U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last June, Iran has continued to advance its nuclear capabilities.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The stockpile is enough for ‘ten to eleven nuclear bombs’ with just a little more enrichment,” said Harvard nuclear analyst Matthew Bunn. Scott Roeker, a former top National Nuclear Security Administration official. He added: “I don’t think that there is a lasting, durable solution to Iran’s nuclear program through military means.”
‼️ NOTEWORTHY: Bunn says Iran has been consistently dishonest about its nuclear weapons efforts for over 20 years, lying to international inspectors, but also implied skepticism that Trump’s strategy, given the lack of trust on both sides, will succeed.

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United Nations inspectors assess that Iran has accumulated almost 1,000 pounds of near-weapons-grade uranium.

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By Popular Demand.
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20 hours ago
Religion
War

Israel Jails Soldiers Who Smashed Jesus Statue.

Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to military detention after destroying a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to 30 days of military detention after smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Debel, a Christian village in southern Lebanon. One hit the statue with a sledgehammer while the other photographed the act. The image circulated widely on social media over the weekend, drawing sharp criticism from Christians worldwide, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announcing the punishments on Tuesday.
📺 DETAIL: On Sunday, a photo went viral of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon. Notably, Lebanon was a Christian-majority country until the late 20th century, and Joseph Aoun, the current President of Lebanon, is a Maronite Catholic. The IDF, which claims it is in Lebanon to fight Iran’s Hezbollah allies—who have been outlawed by Lebanon’s official government—expressed regret over the anti-Christian attack, insisting that it does not reflect the values of the IDF.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values. The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its operations in Lebanon are directed solely against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and other terrorist groups, and not against Lebanese civilians.” – IDF statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
🎯 IMPACT: The IDF has launched a review to prevent similar acts of desecration. Beyond the two soldiers sentenced to military detention, six others present at the scene face disciplinary action for failing to intervene or report the incident. Israel is attempting to seize a portion of southern Lebanon in order to establish a security buffer zone.

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Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to military detention after destroying a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

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By Popular Demand.
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21 hours ago
News

A Democrat Just Resigned From Congress Because She Didn’t Want to Face an Ethics Probe.

Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) is stepping down from Congress following allegations of ethics violations and federal charges involving COVID-19 relief funds.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) resigned from Congress “effective immediately” amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into 25 alleged violations, including campaign finance misconduct. She also faces federal charges for allegedly misusing $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds to purchase luxury items and fund her campaign.
📺 DETAIL: The allegations stem from Cherfilus-McCormick’s family healthcare business receiving $5 million in overpaid COVID-19 relief funds, which she is accused of funneling into her 2022 campaign. She denies both the federal charges and the alleged ethics violations. The Ethics Committee’s investigation involved 59 subpoenas, 28 witness interviews, and over 33,000 pages of documents. She cited an “unfair” process and lack of preparation time as reasons for stepping down, shortly before a congressional hearing was due to be held to consider her punishment.
🎯 IMPACT: Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation avoids a potential expulsion vote in the House, where Republicans had pushed for her removal. The vacancy leaves her southeastern Florida district temporarily unrepresented.
📺 FLASHBACK: This resignation comes shortly after other lawmakers, including Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales, stepped down amid serious scandals.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away.” – Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

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Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) is stepping down from Congress following allegations of ethics violations and federal charges involving COVID-19 relief funds.

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By Popular Demand.
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