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News
UK

UK PM Burnham Caught Messaging Impostor Posing as Trump’s Chief of Staff.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was tricked into exchanging messages with someone impersonating White House aide Susie Wiles.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged several messages with someone impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate, according to four officials. Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence, has refused to “comment on national security matters,” while one person briefed on the matter claimed the messages were of “no significance.”
📺 DETAIL: The British Embassy in Washington reportedly raised concerns about the incident with the White House, amid fears in the British government that Wiles’s phone may have been compromised. A White House official said the incident was unrelated to any hacking of her devices. The episode follows a 2025 investigation by the White House and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into similar attempts to impersonate Wiles, after several prominent Americans previously received fraudulent calls and messages. It remains unclear what Burnham and the impersonator discussed or exactly when the messages were exchanged. Burnham became Prime Minister on July 20 after emerging as the Labour Party’s chosen successor to Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned after being heavily defeated by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in local elections.
🎯 IMPACT: The incident underscores ongoing vulnerabilities in cybersecurity for high-ranking officials and the potential diplomatic risks of such breaches. It also highlights the need for improved communication protocols to prevent similar impersonation attempts in the future.
📺 FLASHBACK: Last year, U.S. officials, senators, and business leaders were targeted by impersonators after Susie Wiles’s phone was hacked. Back in 2022, then-British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was tricked into holding a video with a Russian impersonator posing as the Ukrainian prime minister.

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1 hour ago
Data
News
Politics

DATA: More Democrats Favor Socialism Over Capitalism.

A CBS News/YouGov poll has revealed a significant preference for socialism over capitalism among Democrats, despite a preference for the latter among Americans generally, highlighting the party’s lurch to the left.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Roughly six in 10 Democrats have a positive view of socialism, according to a new poll.
📺 DETAIL: According to a poll commissioned by CBS News and conducted by YouGov, 58 percent of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. In contrast, only 32 percent of Democrats said they view capitalism positively. The survey indicates a 26-point gap in favor of socialism among Democrats. This makes socialism the preferred economic system among Democrats. The poll also revealed that 50 percent of Democrats have a negative view of capitalism compared to only 18 percent of Democrats who have a negative view of socialism. Democrats who registered having “no opinion” on socialism and capitalism were 24 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Overall, the poll found that 46 percent of Americans have a positive view of capitalism and 35 percent have a positive view of socialism. In contrast, 33 percent have a negative view of capitalism, and 42 percent have a negative view of socialism. The poll surveyed 2,287 U.S. adults from August 12 to August 14.
🎯 IMPACT: This reflects similar findings reported earlier in the year. Back in July, it was revealed that approximately one-third of Democrats and Democrat-aligned adults describe themselves as Democratic Socialists. This includes two-thirds of Democrats and Democrat-aligned adults under the age of 45. This is despite the fact that the general public tends to view Democratic Socialism negatively. Earlier this month, it was revealed that roughly 50 percent of New Yorkers oppose the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the far-left political organization currently taking over the Democrats. The CBS News/YouGov poll underscores the broader ideological shift among Democrats towards socialism and far-left politics generally. This could create problems for the party as it seeks to win over moderate and Independent voters in national and state-wide elections. This is because support for Democratic Socialism is typically concentrated among younger voters living in urban areas, with minimal appeal among older voters and voters living in suburban and rural areas.

Image by Tony Northrup.

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A CBS News/YouGov poll has revealed a significant preference for socialism over capitalism among Democrats, despite a preference for the latter among Americans generally, highlighting the party's lurch to the left.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
Immigration
News

DNC Passes Resolution to Abolish ICE.

The DNC has passed a resolution calling for the abolition of ICE, highlighting the growing power of the far left within the party.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) passed a resolution urging Congress to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and overhaul immigration enforcement policies. The measure, adopted at the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, also calls for ending private detention contracts and curtailing enforcement activities near schools, workplaces, and houses of worship.
📺 DETAIL: The resolution, passed on Saturday, proposes significant changes, including the abolition of ICE, ending mass detention practices, and restricting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding unless detention is reduced. While the vote is non-binding and does not alter the party’s official platform, it underscores growing divisions within the Democratic Party on immigration policy, and the rising influence of the far left within it. Some Democrats advocate for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it, citing concerns that voters do not favor effectively ending any pretense of enforcing federal immigration law, even against dangerous foreign criminals.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Extreme radical Democrats want to abolish ICE and defund the police,” commented White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis, adding: “Instead of trying to abolish ICE, Democrats should be thanking ICE law enforcement officers for putting their lives on the line to arrest and remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members from American communities. Many of these criminals were released from jails by Democrat radical politicians.”
🎯 IMPACT: The resolution is likely to deepen divisions within the Democratic Party, where Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) figures and other far leftists are on the rise, and could also alienate moderate voters ahead of the midterm elections in November. Public polling shows that while ICE tactics are controversial with some, the Republicans already enjoy a 19-point lead over the Democrats in terms of which party is more trusted on border security and immigration.

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The DNC has passed a resolution calling for the abolition of ICE, highlighting the growing power of the far left within the party.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 15, 2026
Crime
Immigration
News

Illegal Alien Charged With Shooting Officer Who Offered Him a Ride.

A Dallas ISD police officer was critically injured after being shot by an illegal alien he found walking on a highway median.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Jose Pantoja-Morales has been charged with shooting Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Police Department officer Justin Jones, who had offered him a ride after finding him walking on a highway median. The illegal alien shot Jones in the leg with his own gun after a struggle, leaving him critically injured.
📺 DETAIL: Officer Jones, a 16-year police veteran, responded to a call about a man walking on a highway median in Far North Dallas on August 6. Pantoja-Morales, who had been offered a ride to a nearby Walmart, entered Jones’s patrol car, but began resisting when the officer noticed him behaving suspiciously and pulled over, leading to a physical altercation. During the struggle, Pantoja-Morales allegedly took Jones’s firearm and shot him, hitting his femoral artery. Pantoja-Morales fled but was later captured after a police chase.
🎯 IMPACT: Officer Jones required emergency surgery to save his life and remains in recovery. Pantoja-Morales, who faces charges of aggravated assault on a public servant, is currently detained and under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, underscoring the threat to public safety posed by illegal aliens at large in the community.
📺 FLASHBACK: “He was helping somebody in crisis, as we expect the officers to serve in the community. And we’re grateful to all the help that we have received. He’s in our prayers. We’re thankful. We thank Parkland, the amazing surgeons there at the trauma center that do what they do.” – Dallas ISD Chief Albert Martinez

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A Dallas ISD police officer was critically injured after being shot by an illegal alien he found walking on a highway median.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 15, 2026
Crime
Election Integrity
Immigration

Illegal Alien Sentenced to Federal Prison for Voting Illegally and Identity Theft.

A Colombian illegal alien has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for identity theft and voting fraud, highlighting issues with election integrity and immigration enforcement under previous administrations.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales, a 55-year-old Colombian illegal alien, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after being convicted of aggravated identity theft, making false statements, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in elections.
📺 DETAIL: Prosecutors revealed that Jaramillo-Grajales stole an American citizen’s Social Security Number to obtain a U.S. passport, a Florida driver’s license, and voter registration. He used these fraudulent credentials to vote in the 2020 election and others. After serving his sentence, he will be deported under a federal order.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver’s license and vote in our elections. Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of [Homeland Security Investigations], along with our federal partners, this criminal is out of our communities and, at the end of his sentence, will be removed from our country. DHS will always fight to protect the integrity of our elections, because election security is national security. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.” – DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
🎯 IMPACT: This case underscores vulnerabilities in the election system and the need for stronger safeguards to prevent non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections. It also highlights the role of fraudulent documentation in circumventing immigration laws.
📺 FLASHBACK: Jaramillo-Grajales previously used his stolen Social Security Number to pose as an American citizen and marry another foreign national who has since been naturalized as a U.S. citizen, underscoring the weaknesses in U.S. vetting processes.

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A Colombian illegal alien has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for identity theft and voting fraud, highlighting issues with election integrity and immigration enforcement under previous administrations.

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By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.
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August 15, 2026
News
Religion

Pro-Hamas California Imam Claims Columbus Found Mosques in the Americas.

Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali’s controversial remarks about Islam’s historical presence in the Americas and his past radical rhetoric have drawn scrutiny.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: California imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali claimed during a sermon that Islam existed in the Americas before Christianity and asserted that Christopher Columbus saw a mosque when he arrived in the region, remarks that conflict with the historical record.
📺 DETAIL: A surviving abstract of Columbus’s October 29 journal entry describes a Cuban mountain as resembling “a graceful mosque,” referring to the landscape rather than an actual mosque. Ali used the abstract to argue that Muslims and Islam would play a major role in America’s future, saying Islam and the Koran and Sunnah contained the solution that would “save America.” Ali, the longtime CEO and imam of Masjid Al-Islam in Oakland, has previously attracted controversy for statements about terrorism and Israel. In a 2005 speech at the University of California, Irvine, he appeared to justify Palestinian suicide bombers who attacked Israeli buses, calling them “freedom fighters.” He also later said the United States and Israel would be defeated through “victory or martyrdom” and, in 2006, praised Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi as “martyrs.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Islam was in the Americas before Christianity was,” said Ali, adding, “Allah has given the Quran and the Sunnah, and that is what will save America.”
🎯 IMPACT: Ali’s remarks form part of a broader history of controversial statements, including past justifications of Palestinian suicide bombers and support for Hamas, which have drawn significant criticism.

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Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali's controversial remarks about Islam's historical presence in the Americas and his past radical rhetoric have drawn scrutiny.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 15, 2026
Health
News

Trump Admin Intervenes in Surrogate’s Battle for Newborn Parents Wanted to Abort.

The Trump administration has stepped into a contentious surrogacy case, advocating for life-saving medical care for a baby born with a severe heart defect amid legal and ethical disputes.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has warned two Texas hospitals that they must provide life-saving care to a newborn caught in an extraordinary legal dispute between his surrogate and biological parents. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center that federal disability civil rights protections prohibit withholding medical treatment based on a patient’s disability.
📺 DETAIL: McKenna West gave birth on Wednesday to Gabriel after refusing the demands of the couple who paid for her pregnancy that she abort the child following an in-utero diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious but treatable congenital heart defect requiring multiple surgeries. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained a court order requiring Gabriel to receive life-saving treatment after West fled to Dallas seeking specialized medical care. West has said she could face as much as $200,000 in financial and legal consequences, but refused to terminate the pregnancy, saying the baby’s life was worth more than any potential penalty. The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, have accused West and Paxton’s office of interfering in their parental rights. A California court has ruled that Gilkar and Ahmed are the baby’s legal parents, but West’s attorney maintains that because she gave birth to Gabriel in Texas, she should have parental and custody rights over him.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “His life doesn’t have a price tag on it. There’s nothing that they could try to come after me for that would be worth his life.” – McKenna West
🎯 IMPACT: The case raises significant ethical and legal questions about abortion clauses in surrogacy agreements, parental rights, and medical care for disabled newborns. The Trump administration’s involvement underscores its commitment to protecting the rights of children with disabilities.
📺 FLASHBACK: Surrogacy agreements often include clauses regarding abortion, but surrogates cannot be legally forced to terminate a pregnancy. West’s decision to defy the biological parents’ desire to kill their child has drawn attention to the ethical dilemmas inherent in such contracts.

Image by Matt Hrkac.

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The Trump administration has stepped into a contentious surrogacy case, advocating for life-saving medical care for a baby born with a severe heart defect amid legal and ethical disputes.

show more
By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.
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August 15, 2026
Economy
News
World

Iran War Driving Chinese E-Truck Export Boom.

China’s electric truck exports have soared as countries in South and Southeast Asia seek cheaper alternatives to diesel trucks in response to rising fuel costs created by the Iran war.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: China’s exports of electric heavy trucks have more than doubled since the start of the Iran war.
📺 DETAIL: The spike in Chinese exports of electric heavy trucks coincides with the rise in fuel costs triggered by the Iran war, which began on February 28 earlier this year. The price of diesel increased by 57 percent in the Philippines and 48 percent in Sri Lanka. China’s exports of heavy e-trucks rose to 16,823, more than double the number from the same period last ​year. China exported a large number of these electric heavy trucks to other Asian countries, with half going to South and Southeast Asia. Shipments to South Asia increased by over 500 percent, while exports to Southeast Asia nearly tripled. Companies like Sany, the world’s largest e-truck maker, have experienced rapid growth as a result. Back in June, the company ‌shipped 880 electric heavy trucks, its largest single order. Domestic sales for electric heavy truck manufacturers in China have increased from almost zero in 2021 to 30 percent of total truck sales in 2025, with 140,000 sold in the first half of 2026. The spike in electric truck usage in China has resulted in a decline in diesel use.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The conflict has opened the door to these new markets,” said Zhaoting Yue, Vice President of International Marketing at Sany, the world’s biggest maker of electric heavy trucks. “Before oil prices rose, buyers in these countries might have needed 28 months to recoup their investment in an electric heavy truck… Now, it takes only 18 months,” Yue added.
🎯 IMPACT: The rise in electric heavy truck adoption could significantly reduce diesel consumption in Asia. The widespread adoption of electric heavy trucks could also help the continent further insulate itself from the fluctuations in oil prices created by the Iran war. This reflects China’s ongoing pivot into the electric vehicle market.

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China's electric truck exports have soared as countries in South and Southeast Asia seek cheaper alternatives to diesel trucks in response to rising fuel costs created by the Iran war.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 15, 2026
Immigration
News

Thousands of Migrants Remain in Spanish City After Border Invasion.

Spain’s government estimates that thousands of illegal migrants remain in Ceuta, straining resources and raising questions over the country’s asylum policies and deportation efforts.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Spain’s Socialist Party government estimates that over 5,000 migrants remain in the city of Ceuta following the mass influx into the Spanish exclave in late July, with all potentially eligible to seek asylum or other legal protection. According to government sources cited by the Spanish newspaper El País, the figure includes roughly 2,500 potential asylum seekers and a similar number of so-called unaccompanied minors who could qualify for protection under Spanish law.
📺 DETAIL: The estimate comes days after Spanish authorities said migrants who entered Ceuta would be returned. Authorities have repeatedly revised upward their estimates of the scale of the invasion, from about 49,000 migrants during the initial events to 72,000 last week and 80,000 this week, according to Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres. Ceuta has a population of roughly 83,000 people, meaning the influx brought migrants into the exclave in numbers approaching its entire resident population.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Now we must accelerate our efforts to provide care for those entitled to it, given the risk that this emergency situation will drag on.” – Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego
🎯 IMPACT: The crisis has placed significant strain on Ceuta’s infrastructure, with migrants now accounting for nearly 10 percent of the city’s population. The situation highlights broader challenges in Spain’s immigration policies, which could have implications for the entire European Union (EU), given that most members are part of the borderless Schengen area.
📺 FLASHBACK: In late July, tens of thousands of migrants, primarily from Morocco, flooded into Ceuta in a chaotic and unprecedented breach of Spanish territory. Ceuta lies on the coast of North Africa, just a few miles from the Spanish mainland, and has been part of Spain since the 1500s.

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Spain’s government estimates that thousands of illegal migrants remain in Ceuta, straining resources and raising questions over the country's asylum policies and deportation efforts.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 14, 2026
Education
News
UK

Accused Plagiarist Jason Arday Found Dead in London Home.

Jason Arday, who recently resigned from his position at the University of Cambridge amid accusations of plagiarism and lying about his credentials and sporting accomplishments, has been found dead at the age of 41 in London, England.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Jason Arday, a former professor at the University of Cambridge who resigned following accusations of plagiarism and lying, has been found dead in his London home.
📺 DETAIL: Arday was found dead on Friday in his home in Battersea, south London, on Friday. “Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers. At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner,” said a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police. Arday became the University of Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023 and was heavily promoted by the BBC and other media outlets, but stepped down earlier this month following accusations of plagiarism and lying about his credentials and background, including implausible sporting feats and seemingly fictitious childhood television appearances. An investigation into his appointment and tenure was announced last week. After initially insisting his doubters were racist, Arday resigned shortly after the investigation was announced. “The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love,” wrote Arday in a statement announcing his resignation. Specifically, it was alleged that Arday had committed plagiarism across various paper and articles, including more than 100 verbatim or near-verbatim passages in his PhD thesis, claimed to have held honorary positions at two other universities (visiting professor at Ohio State University and visiting professor at the University of Glasgow) despite neither having records of him, and lying about running 600 miles in six days and raising over £5mn (~$6.7mn) for charity, among other stories.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.” – Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice
🎯 IMPACT: Arday’s sudden death comes shortly after his resignation, which was surrounded by significant public and professional scrutiny. His death is likely to complicate the discourse and investigation surrounding the allegations of plagiarism and lying. The investigation into the specifics of his death is ongoing.

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Jason Arday, who recently resigned from his position at the University of Cambridge amid accusations of plagiarism and lying about his credentials and sporting accomplishments, has been found dead at the age of 41 in London, England.

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By Popular Demand.
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August 14, 2026
Data
Politics
UK

Nigel Farage’s Reform Party Tops Another Poll Despite ‘Burnham Bounce.’

Another poll has put Reform UK in the lead in Britain, with the two main establishment parties, the governing Labour Party and the Conservatives, showing dips in support.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has topped another poll, despite the so-called “Burnham Bounce” following the replacement of Sir Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
📺 DETAIL: The poll was conducted by Survation, a British polling company, between 10 and 13 August, recording changes with July 26, the end of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first week in office. The poll put Reform UK on top with 26 percent, an increase of two percent. Reform UK had a narrow lead over the governing Labour Party, which secured 25 percent, a drop of one percent. Kemi Badenoch’s nominal Conservative Party secured 19 percent, down two percent, and the Liberal Democrats, a progressive liberal party that supports mass migration and re-joining the European Union (EU), secured 11 percent, up one percentage point. Meanwhile, Zack Polanski’s far-left Green Party has fallen into single digits after dropping to nine percent, down one percent. Left-wing separatist parties, such as the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru, the former seeking Scottish separation from the United Kingdom, the latter seeking Welsh separation, secured three percent and two percent, respectively. Restore Britain, led by former Reform UK Member of Parliament (MP) Rupert Lowe, secured only two percent support, marking no change from late July.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “New Survation poll puts Reform BACK in the lead, up 2 points. Labour down one, and Reform 7 points clear of the deadbeat Tories who are down 2. Must be that “Kemi bounce” the whole right wing press keep telling us is real?” — Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s Shadow Home Secretary on X (formerly Twitter).
🎯 IMPACT: This poll follows findings from YouGov, another British polling firm, showing a Reform UK polling lead. Earlier this month, it was reported that Farage’s party was polling at 23 percent, one percentage point ahead of Prime Minister Burnham’s Labour Party. This story suggests that the so-called “Burnham Bounce,” the increase in popularity experienced by Labour at the start of Prime Minister Burnham’s tenure, similar to other boosts given to other Prime Ministers at the start of their time in office, has waned within just a few weeks. This is likely to raise concerns within the Labour Party, especially if the party’s figures continue to drop further. Meanwhile, the dip in support for Badenoch’s Conservatives (Tories) casts further doubt on the so-called “Kemi Bounce,” a similar alleged increase in support for the Tory leader. The collapse of the far-left Green Party is also apparent, due to the party constantly being mired in scandals, from leader Polanski’s criticism of the police during a terror attack earlier this year to sharing a post calling for the execution of Farage.

Image by Owain.davies.

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Another poll has put Reform UK in the lead in Britain, with the two main establishment parties, the governing Labour Party and the Conservatives, showing dips in support.

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By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.
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