Friday, July 11, 2025

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Trump Trial Day 10: Stormy Did It For the Money.

As the Trump hush money trial entered its tenth day of testimony, defense attorneys for former President Donald J. Trump continued their cross-examination of pornographic actress Stormy Daniels. Defense attorney Susan Necheles continued to handle the questioning, picking up where she left off on Tuesday. The former President’s legal team continued drilling down on the motivations behind Daneils’s actions, including her decision to sell her story to the National Enquirer.

In addition to Daniels, the court — with Democrat-aligned Judge Juan Merchan presiding — heard from three additional witnesses: Rebecca Manochio, a former assistant to Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, Tracey Menzies, a publishing executive at Harper Collins, and Madeleine Westerhout — who served as former President Trump’s executive assistant at the White House.

After the lunch break and conclusion of Daniels’s testimony, Trump’s attorneys again moved for a mistrial. They filed two other motions pertaining to potential testimony from another accuser, Karen McDougal, and for changes to the court-issued gag order.

STORMY CONTINUED.

The defense’s cross-examination of Stormy Daniels began with Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles pressing the porn star on her motivations for going public with her story. The adult film actress insisted that she didn’t want money from Trump or his company or campaign. Instead, Daniels told Necheles — using puzzling logic — that she sold the story to ensure the public heard it.

“I was asking to sell my story to publications to get the truth out,” Daniels said under cross-examination by Necheles. This response will likely undermine Daniels’s credibility as she’s also acknowledged signing the nondisclosure agreement with the National Enquirer, meaning her story would not be published. Daniels admitted that other news outlets, including Slate, wanted to publish her allegations, but the left-leaning website was unwilling to pay for the story.

PHANTOM THREATS REDUX. 

Daniels continued to allude to unsubstantiated threats she and her family received. According to the porn actress, she signed the nondisclosure agreement to create a paper trail and protect her family from the unknown and unnamed individuals threatening them. Additionally, Daniels testified that if she had given the story to Slate or another outlet willing to pay, it would have put a target on her and her family’s backs. Not once did Daniels produce any concrete evidence of threats.

Note that she testified on Tuesday to a previously uncirculated claim that she was threatened to stay silent by an unknown man in a Las Vegas parking garage in 2011. She did not report the incident to police or inform her husband or daughter of the threat. Judge Juan Merchan expressed his dismay that Daniels had raised the story in court with no evidence to corroborate it.

DANIELS YELLS AT DAVIDSON.

A great deal of the cross-examination focused on the various ways Daniels has personally profited from her allegations of an affair with former President Trump. In an especially devastating moment for her credibility, Daniels was faced with a recording produced by Trump’s legal team where her former attorney, Keith Davidson, can be heard speaking with disgraced lawyer Michael Cohen, alluding to her motivations.

Davidson tells Cohen that Daniels “wanted this money more than you can ever imagine.” On the phone call, taped on April 4, 2018, Davidson recalls to Cohen: “I remember hearing her on the phone saying, ‘You — f–king Keith Davidson — you better settle this goddamn story.” According to her former attorney, Daniels called him a “p***y” and demanded he get her a good financial settlement in exchange for the story. He also told Cohen that Daniels told him, “We lose all f**king leverage” if Trump loses the 2016 election.

After being confronted with the phone call recording, Daniels denied having ever yelled at Davidson. “No I did not, actually, I never yelled at Keith Davidson,” she told Necheles.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

“When Trump was indicted in this case, you celebrated on Twitter by repeatedly tweeting and pushing merchandise you were selling in your store, right?” Necheles pressed the porn star, driving at the financial motivations underpinning her ongoing attacks on Trump.

“I tweeted about him being indicted, yes. People asked how they could support me, so I tweeted the link to my store,” Daniels responded, attempting to dodge the fact she often used news about Trump‘s prosecution to sell merchandise. Showing the jury photos of Daniels’s social media posts, Nicheles asked: “That was you shilling your merchandise, right?”

“That is me doing my job,” the adult film actress responded.

When pressed if she made $100,000 from a documentary about her life and affair with Trump, Daniels became indignant. She refused to answer directly and snapped at Trump’s defense attorney, stating: “You’re trying to trick me into saying something that’s not entirely true.”

Necheles asked Daniels if she had had an affair with one of the cameramen while filming the documentary. Judge Mechan overruled an objection by the prosecution and directed Daniels to answer the question. The pornographic entertainer acknowledged that she did have an affair but claimed she was separated from her husband at the time.

Daniels was also forced to admit she profited from a strip club tour following her going public with her allegations. The tour was promoted with a photo of Daniels with Trump at the aforementioned Lake Tahoe Golf Tournament, where they first met.

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE.

Moving on from her financial motivations, Susan Necheles entered a line of inquiry that must have had the prosecution regretting their decision to put Daniels on the stand. While the adult film industry isn’t known for employing the most mentally sound individuals, Daniels’s side job as a ‘medium‘ between those living in this world and the one beyond may take the cake. Daniels admitted she tried to pitch a paranormal reality show following her newfound fame regarding her home in New Orleans, which she claims is haunted.

“It was a lot of interesting and unexplained activity,” the porn star explained, though she did admit: “A lot of the activity was completely debunked as a giant possum.” In 2022, Daniels described a “non-human thing with tentacles” that frequented her home and would break items. She claimed the ‘haunting’ negatively impacted her mental health.

Necheles pressed Daniels further on whether she claimed she could speak with people’s dead relatives. While the adult entertainer said she did make such claims, she added that it was “all entertainment.”

STORMY STANDS BY THE STORY.

The over six hours of testimony — over two days — by Daniels came to a close with Necheles pressing the porn actress on whether she made the affair allegations up. Trump’s defense team noted the multiple inaccuracies in her story and the fact that its details have changed over time. The National Pulse reported that a previous iteration of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump insinuated that Danials was the aggressor — something she now denies, insinuating she was, in essence, assaulted.

Defending the shifting details, Daniels insisted that she can’t control what quotes end up in magazine interviews or how the reporter framed events. On several occasions, the porn actress was forced to clarify her prior statements when confronted with her inconsistent recollections.

After the defense team finished its cross-examination, the prosecution engaged in a brief redirect. Daniels was again asked about the unsubstantiated threats against her and her family and if this is what motivated her to sign the nondisclosure agreement. Again, Daniels insisted this was the case.

THE BOOK KEEPER AND PUBLISHER. 

Following the marathon testimony of Stormy Daniels, prosecutors moved on to Rebecca Manochio — the former assistant to Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg. Like with other testimony from former Trump Organization financial staff, the prosecution focused its questioning on the check signing process and which company executives can approve payments.

The goal of this questioning by the Manhattan District Attorney‘s office is to insinuate that former President Trump not only signed the checks but was aware of their purpose. Thus far, they’ve presented no actual evidence that this is the case.

Following a brief cross-examination of Manochio, during which she acknowledged she never directly interacted with Trump, Harper Collins executive Tracey Menzies was called to the stand next. Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold handled the questioning, which consisted entirely of Menzies reading sections of a book co-authored by Trump. The prosecution’s goal appears to have been to underscore certain controversial statements printed in the book regarding loyalty and getting even.

Under cross-examination, Trump’s defense attorney, Todd Blanche, asked Menzies if she was part of the team that published Trump’s book. “No, I was not,” she replied. Pushing further, Blanche asked Menzies if she had selected the excerpts read in court. She said she had not.

THE FINAL WITNESS FOR THE DAY.

The tenth day of testimony ended with former President Trump‘s personal assistant at the White House, Madeleine Westerhout, taking the stand. The protection asked Westerhout mostly about check signing procedures, but other topics also arose. When asked about the Access Hollywood tape, Westerhout told the prosecution, “At the time, I recall it rattling RNC leadership.”

“It’s my recollection there were conversations about how to, if it was needed, how it would be possible to replace him as the candidate if it came to that,” Westerhout added.

Westerhout was asked what implements Trump would use to sign documents and checks. She recalled, “He liked to use Sharpies or, I believe, a Pentel felt-tip pen.” She also acknowledged that the former President liked to review and read any document before he signed it. When asked whether Trump and Cohen had a close relationship in the early days of the presidential administration, Westerhout responded: “At that time, yes.”

‘A REALLY GOOD BOSS.’

Trump defense attorney Susan Necheles also handled Westerhout’s cross-examination. When asked why Westerhout later wrote a book about her time in the Trump White House, the former aide replied, “I thought it was real important to share with the American people the man that I got to know.”

She added, “I don’t think he’s treated fairly, and I wanted to tell that story.”

Westerhout told the court that the former President wasn’t nearly as concerned about the Access Hollywood tape as those around him.

“He never once made me feel that I didn’t deserve that job and that I didn’t belong there. Especially in an office filled with older men, he never made me feel like I didn’t belong there. He was a really good boss,” Westerhout told Necheles, adding: “I found him very enjoyable to work for.”

With that, the court adjourned for the day, but not before Judge Juan Merchan considered three new motions by Trump‘s defense team.

JUDGE DENIES MISTRIAL MOTION AGAIN.

Former President Donald Trump‘s defense team again motioned for a mistrial, citing the unsubstantiated, unrelated, and prejudicial testimony from Stormy Daniels. Again, Judge Juan Merchan denied the motion. A second motion to bar testimony from the second Trump accuser, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate, was vacated as District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecutors announced they would no longer be calling her as a witness. A third motion regarding the extent of the court’s gag order on former President Donald Trump did not receive an immediate ruling.

You can read The National Pulse’s Day Nine trial coverage here, and if you find our work worthwhile, consider joining up as a supporter.

By Popular Demand.
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More From The Pulse

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The Corporate Media Is Trying to Whitewash an Illegal Immigrant’s Terror Ties.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The corporate media is again attempting to portray an illegal immigrant with a concerning background in a positive light, seemingly to undermine public sentiment toward President Donald J. Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement actions.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ayman Soliman, the Cincinnati Enquirer, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Soliman was recently detained by ICE after his asylum status was revoked by the former Biden government in 2024.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What my hometown paper [the Enquirer] doesn’t want to tell you is this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist. He had his asylum status revoked by the *checks notes* BIDEN Administration.” — DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin

🎯IMPACT: The situation mirrors a similar attempt by the corporate media to paint illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a ‘Maryland man’ and ‘Maryland father.’

IN FULL

The corporate media have once again been caught attempting to whitewash an illegal immigrant‘s concerning background in an attempt to portray them in a sympathetic light and undermine President Donald J. Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement actions. In this instance, Ayman Soliman—an Egyptian imam—who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is being presented by the Cincinnati Enquirer as a “children’s chaplain” despite having had his asylum status revoked by the former Biden government in 2024 over his name being flagged on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) terrorism watchlist.

Soliman’s portrayal by the corporate media is reminiscent of a similar attempt to paint illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a ‘Maryland man’ or ‘Maryland father.’ Abrego Garcia is currently facing criminal charges related to human trafficking. In addition, Attorney General Pam Bondi alleges that Abrego Garcia was involved in drug smuggling, gun running, and abusing women and children.

Soliman, who did serve as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, was imprisoned several times for agitating in Egypt against the country’s government. Notably, opposition to the al-Sisi government is rife with Islamist elements tied to the radical Muslim Brotherhood.

“What my hometown paper [the Enquirer] doesn’t want to tell you is this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist. He had his asylum status revoked by the *checks notes* BIDEN Administration,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), blasting the newspaper’s framing of Soliman and his detention. The Cincinnati Enquirer has subsequently updated their story on Soliman, briefly noting the FBI terrorism flag but still attempting to portray the imam’s activities in Egypt in a positive light.

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By Popular Demand.
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Feds Offer $50k Reward After Man Opens Fire on ICE Agents During Raid.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A suspect reportedly fired a handgun at federal agents during an immigration raid in California.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Federal law enforcement officers and an unknown gunman.

📍WHEN & WHERE: July 10 at approximately 2:26 PM, near Camarillo, California, on Laguna Road.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Make no mistake: anyone who targets our agents will face the full force of federal prosecution.” – U.S. Customs and Border Protection

🎯IMPACT: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

IN FULL

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a $50,000 reward for a man who was filmed firing on federal agents with a handgun during a July 10 immigration raid at a California marijuana farm. The incident occurred at approximately 2:26 PM on Laguna Road, near Camarillo, California.

The identity of the gunman remains unknown as of the time of publication, prompting an urgent call for information. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) emphasized the seriousness of the shooting, stating, “Make no mistake: anyone who targets our agents will face the full force of federal prosecution.”

The raid saw federal agents deploy rubber bullets and tear gas as pro-illegal immigrant agitators attempted to disrupt the raid, which was heavily criticized by Governor Gavin Newsom. “Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields. Trump calls me ‘Newscum’—but he’s the real scum,” the Democrat railed on social media.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shot back, “Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) subsequently confirmed that the raid uncovered ten illegal alien children, eight of them unaccompanied, at the farm, which is now under investigation for potentially exploiting child labor.

The Trump administration has blamed anti-ICE rhetoric from senior Democrats for increasingly violent attacks in recent days, including a sniper ambush at a Texas ICE facility that left a policeman with a gunshot to the neck, and an attempted mass shooting at a Border Patrol base elsewhere in the same state.

In California, one Democratic vice mayor has gone so far as to publicly berate the violent Latino gangs 18th Street and Florencia 13 for failing to confront ICE, suggesting they are not defending their “turf” against “the biggest gang there is.”

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By Popular Demand.
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Mamdani

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Mamdani’s NYC Mayoral Campaign Backed by Democrat Dark Money: Report.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Campaign finance records suggest that an extensive dark money political action committee (PAC) operation financed by Democratic Party elites and Silicon Valley billionaires bolstered socialist Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s supposedly grassroots New York City mayoral campaign.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, Mamdani’s campaign finance chief Victoria Perrone, rival candidate Andrew Cuomo, New York City voters, Democrat donors, Silicon Valley billionaires, and forensic accountant Sam Antar.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Mamdani won the Democratic Party’s mayoral primary last month, with the dark money PAC operation revealed earlier this week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What’s nonprofit dark money? We didn’t accept any of that on the campaign. Where are you getting this info?” — Victoria Perrone

🎯IMPACT: The dark money reports call into question claims by Mamdani that his campaign is a grassroots effort independent of the Democratic Party’s wealthy political elite.

IN FULL

Far-left socialist, Muslim extremist, and Democrat mayoral nominee for New York City Zohran Kwame Mamdani, has repeatedly claimed to be running a grassroots campaign free of political elite interests and billionaires. However, campaign finance data suggests an extensive dark money operation behind the Mamdani campaign, backed by progressive and Silicon Valley billionaires.

During the Democratic Party’s New York City mayoral primary, Mamdani frequently touted his allegedly grassroots campaign operation. However, the Democratic Socialist neglected to acknowledge the even larger campaign support network of political action committees (PACs) backing his campaign, whose funding primarily came from outside New York.

In total, Mamdani raised $1,708,494 in direct campaign funds while receiving $7,050,417 in public matching funds from the city. However, Mamdani’s campaign was bolstered even more by over $2 million in PAC spending, which an investigation by forensic accountant Sam Antar reveals came mostly from Silicon Valley billionaires and a cadre of elite Democratic Party donors. This calls into question the framing of the Mamdani campaign by supporters and the corporate media as a grassroots effort.

Finance records show that the Working Families Party National PAC served as the Mamdani campaign’s primary attack vehicle, spending $539,616 of its $701,792 expenditure on attacks against Mamdani’s primary opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Similarly, New Yorkers for Lower Costs—an independent expenditure PAC—which raised money off of Mamdadni’s message and image—served as a key positive messaging vehicle behind the socialist candidate. In total, the PAC spent $893,877 of its $1,320,446 expendire promoting Mamdani, with the remainder used to attack Cuomo.

Notably, the total PAC spending on behalf of Mamdani runs about $300,000 more than his campaign committee was able to raise, calling into question just how ‘grassroots’ the political operation really was.

When Sam Antar raised the PAC funding issue on social media, Mamdani’s campaign finance chief, Victoria Perrone, responded, “What’s nonprofit dark money? We didn’t accept any of that on the campaign. Where are you getting this info?” The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam later intervened, responding to Perrone by posting campaign finance records for the two pro-Mamdani PACs: “You’re a campaign finance person pretending not to know what dark money is? Ok, sure.”

Perrone, continuing to play dumb, replied, “That’s a PAC…”—the insinuation being that dark money allegations somehow do not apply to pro-Mamdani PACs, despite Democrats continually insisting that most Republican PAC dollars are dark money.

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By Popular Demand.
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ICE Discovers Illegal Alien Child Laborers During CA Weed Farm Raid.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott says that at least 10 illegal alien children were being used as child labour at a California marijuana farm.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Commissioner Scott, Governor Gavin Newsom (D), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), illegal aliens.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ICE raid on the marijuana facility took place on July 10.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations,” said Commissioner Scott.

🎯IMPACT: The discovery at the farm and the clash between Governor Newsom and federal immigration officials over the raid highlight the continued tensions between the Trump administration and California Democrats over immigration policy.

IN FULL

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott reports that at least ten juveniles, all illegal aliens, were found working at a marijuana farm during an immigration raid in Governor Gavin Newsom’s California.

“Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations,” Commissioner Scott said. He was replying to a post on X by Governor Newsom, who was complaining about the immigration raid.

The incident in Camarillo, owned by Glass House Brands Inc., saw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents forced to use rubber bullets and smoke grenades after pro-illegal immigrant agitators attempted to disrupt the raid.

In reaction to Commissioner Scott’s comments, Governor Newsom’s office released a statement saying, “There’s a real cost to these inhumane immigration actions on hardworking families and communities, including farmworker communities, across America.” Notably, he did not address the human cost of illegal alien children being exploited as a source of labor.

The exchange underscores the tensions between Newsom and the Trump administration, which previously flared during riots in Los Angeles against ICE, which soon spread to other cities. President Trump sent both the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to help ICE and Los Angeles law enforcement during the riots, with Newsom attempting to stop this by filing lawsuits.

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By Popular Demand.
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Trump Tells Republican Lawmakers to Defund PBS and NPR or Lose His Support.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump issued a statement urging Republicans to support his Recissions Bill.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The statement was made on Truth Social.

💬KEY QUOTE: “DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: Trump warned that Republicans supporting the continued funding of PBS and NPR would lose his endorsement.

IN FULL

In a recent post on Truth Social, President Donald J. Trump urged Republicans to back cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which encompasses PBS and NPR, in an administration-backed Recissions Bill. Defunding federally funded media outlets with a partisan bias has been an early priority for the America First leader, with Kari Lake spearheading budget and staffing cuts at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

“It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together. Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.

President Trump previously signed an executive order aimed at restricting funding to NPR and PBS, describing them as “entities that receive tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds each year to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.’”

“No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize,” he added.

Both outlets have been embroiled in anti-Trump controversies, with NPR’s CEO admitting it failed to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story adequately ahead of the 2020 election, and PBS alleging Trump planned to “purge” LGBT Americans in 2024, for instance.

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By Popular Demand.
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Biden Judge Halts Illegal Immigration Raids Across Southern California.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A far-left federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden is set to impose an order effectively ending Trump administration immigration enforcement actions across southern California, including in Los Angeles.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration, Southern California businesses, and illegal immigrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The tentative order comes after a hearing on Thursday, July 10, in Los Angeles.

🎯IMPACT: The tentative order appears far-reaching and will effectively end most federal immigration enforcement actions across seven counties in southern California.

IN FULL

A radical, far-left federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden is set to impose an order that would bar the Trump administration from conducting most illegal immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. U.S. District Court Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong has reportedly written a tentative order that would largely prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting raids at L.A.-area Home Depots, car washes, warehouses, and other commercial facilities without demonstrating probable cause to do so.

The order stems from a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which contends that ICE is conducting what it characterizes as “deportation dragnets” in Los Angeles. According to the ACLU, the ICE raids are only predicated on the race and language of the targets, essentially constituting illegal profiling and discrimination. However, the Trump administration contends that the ICE raids are in accordance with federal law and are based on intelligence gathered by federal law enforcement, including the location of business establishments where illegal immigrants are known to have been hired.

Judge Frimpong’s order effectively restricts federal immigration officials from using race, the presence of Spanish speakers, and the type of business establishment to determine where to conduct raids. In addition, ICE agents will be barred from detaining suspected illegal immigrants unless they can show a reasonable cause of belief that an individual has broken U.S. immigration laws.

The ruling impacts the entire jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which includes seven southern California counties.

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By Popular Demand.
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Admiral Responsible for Drag Shows on Navy Carrier Loses Promotion Nomination.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Defense Department has withdrawn the nomination of Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly for promotion to vice admiral following scrutiny over drag performances aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during his command.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The drag events occurred aboard the USS Ronald Reagan from 2016 to 2018. The nomination withdrawal was reported in July 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command.” – William Thibeau, The American Military Project

🎯IMPACT: The withdrawal highlights ongoing efforts to drive woke ideology and its enablers out of the U.S. military under the Trump administration.

IN FULL

The Defense Department has withdrawn the nomination of a rear admiral for promotion to vice admiral, following inquiries into drag performances that took place aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during his tenure as commanding officer. Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly led the aircraft carrier from April 2016 to September 2018, during which time Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, under the drag name “Harpy Daniels,” performed at department-sanctioned events.

The nomination, announced on June 18, was for Donnelly to lead the Navy’s 7th Fleet, its most significant overseas force. However, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has since decided to withdraw the nomination and is seeking a new candidate, according to a Defense Department source. The decision followed scrutiny from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who had previously blocked Donnelly’s promotion as part of a broader effort to challenge Pentagon policies, including taxpayer-funded abortions.

Tuberville, in a May 2023 letter, called on Navy leadership to disclose the officers responsible for funding and promoting drag queen performances, arguing such programs were unrelated to the military’s mission of national defense. “This is a fight worth having,” Tuberville remarked on social media, referencing Donnelly’s role in allowing the USS Ronald Reagan drag shows.

William Thibeau, director of The American Military Project at The Claremont Institute, noted that the drag performances were not isolated occurrences but part of official Navy programs. “The USS Ronald Reagan drag shows of 2017 and 2018 were not random acts of entertainment for sailors, but were sanctioned Navy programs,” Thibeau stated.

“Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command,” he added.

Donnelly’s nomination withdrawal is part of a larger effort by Secretary Hegseth to eliminate woke ideology and its enablers in the military and return to a traditional “warrior ethos.” So far, that policy has led to a surge of new recruits, with military branches exceeding recruitment targets months ahead of schedule.

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By Popular Demand.
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Fetterman Blasts NYC’s Zohran Mamdani: ‘He’s Not Even a Democrat.’

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) criticized Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling his nomination for New York City Mayor “Christmas in July for the GOP.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. John Fetterman and Zohran Mamdani.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Fetterman’s remarks came on Thursday, July 10, as he spoke with the media.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He’s not even a Democrat, honestly.” – Sen. Fetterman

🎯IMPACT: The comments highlight internal divisions within the Democratic Party and raise questions about its direction.

IN FULL

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on Thursday lamented the Democratic Party’s nomination of far-left socialist immigrant Zohran Kwame Mamdani for New York City Mayor. The Pennsylvania Senator, who has positioned himself as a foil to the Democrats’ increasingly radical leftist base, called Mamdani’s primary victory last month “Christmas in July for the GOP.”

“I’m not a voter in New York City, and so I have no dog in that fight, and everything that I’ve read on him, I don’t really agree with virtually any of it politically. So that’s just where I’m at as a Democrat. I mean, so he’s not even a Democrat, honestly,” Fetterman said while speaking with the media on Thursday, referencing Mamdani’s alignment with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organization.

Notably, DSA-affiliated politicians like Mamdani, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)—who caucuses with the Senate Democrats—have gained significant influence within the party. Ocasio-Cortez, specifically, has seen a surge in polling numbers suggesting she is among the frontrunners for the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

Since winning his party’s New York City mayoral nomination, Mamdani has experienced a series of setbacks in his campaign, as some of his more radical ideas have been scrutinized. For instance, his plan to establish socialist, city-run grocery stores was revealed to be predicated on a faulty understanding of current New York City law. Under his plan, Mamdani claimed that the city-owned and run stores would be funded by redirecting an alleged $140 million subsidy that New York provides to private grocers. However, no direct $140 million subsidy actually exists to be redirected, with the figure actually being an estimate of the total tax breaks, exemptions, and regulatory relief provided to grocery stores operating in underserved neighborhoods.

Mamdani’s campaign has also been criticized for radical policies like increasing property taxes on predominantly white neighborhoods and abolishing prisons. Additionally, the Democratic mayoral candidate has drawn backlash for insisting that violent race riots, like those in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd, “has to happen” in order to achieve racial justice.

The Uganda-born leftist also holds extreme religious views, being a member of Shia Islam’s “Twelver” sect, which believes a final prophet born in 868 A.D. has been living in hiding for over a thousand years, awaiting his opportunity to spread Islam worldwide.

Image by Bingjiefu He.

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Trump Admin Catches MS-13 Leaders Released Into U.S. Under Biden.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Federal law enforcement arrested two illegal immigrant MS-13 gang leaders during a raid in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday. Both men are wanted by El Salvador’s government for numerous violent crimes.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Melvin Alejandro Varela Pérez, a.k.a. Payaso, Rene Escobar-Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), other federal law enforcement agencies, MS-13, the government of El Salvador, INTERPOL, and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The two MS-13 gang leaders were arrested on Wednesday, July 9, 2025; both were detained and paroled into the United States by the former Biden government.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Biden Administration allowed two ringleaders of MS-13, one of the most violent gangs in the world, straight into our country. One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking.” — DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

🎯IMPACT: Both men are now in ICE custody while the agency coordinates for them to be returned to El Salvador.

IN FULL

Two illegal immigrant MS-13 gang kingpins were arrested during a federal raid in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Melvin Alejandro Varela Pérez—also known as Payaso—and Rene Escobar-Ochoa are both wanted by the Salvadoran government and are accused of numerous murders, conspiracy to commit murder, and drug trafficking. Pérez is listed on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted, and Escobar-Ochoa is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice. Concerningly, DHS states that despite the warrants and Red Notice, both men were paroled by the former Biden government into the United States after being detained while illegally crossing the U.S. southern border.

“The Biden Administration allowed two ringleaders of MS-13, one of the most violent gangs in the world, straight into our country,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs. “One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking.”

“These are the kinds of scum-bags sanctuary politicians are protecting and letting walk free on America’s streets,” she added.

Both men are now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after being captured in the raid, which was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and included other federal and international law enforcement partners. DHS says that ICE will continue to hold both MS-13 leaders as it coordinates with the Salvadoran government on returning them to the Central American nation to face justice.

The arrests are being highlighted as a shocking example of the lack of adequate vetting of illegal immigrants detained and subsequently released into the interior of the U.S. under former President Joe Biden.

Speaking on the matter on Thursday, President Donald J. Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, blasted the Biden-Harris era, noting that former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had directed U.S. immigration officials to only proceed with immediate deportations when the detainee had prior violent criminal convictions and not merely warrants for violent crimes.

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WATCH: Bannon Urges Trump to Appoint a Special Prosecutor to Release Epstein Files.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: WarRoom host and former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon has urged President Donald J. Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to release all government files related to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments were made on Bannon’s WarRoom podcast on Thursday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Epstein’s 2019 death in jail was a suicide and no “client list” of people he trafficked victims to exists.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If DOJ can’t move off the dime, and FBI can’t move off the dime, [there] should be a special counsel to go through everything and release it all.” – Stephen K. Bannon

🎯IMPACT: Bannon’s statements have reignited scrutiny of Epstein’s case and raised questions about transparency within the DOJ and FBI.

IN FULL

WarRoom host and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon has called on President Donald J. Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to release all government files related to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. This comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo reiterating that Epstein’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell was a suicide, and that there is no “client list” of people he trafficked victims to—despite Attorney General Pam Bondi implying such a list was “sitting on [her] desk right now” in February.

On his WarRoom podcast, Bannon stated, “They have to go to the court and demand and unseal the sealed evidence in Epstein. It starts there.”

“Bundle everything together… release it all. Or, which I called for yesterday, appoint a special prosecutor—he should appoint a special prosecutor, a special counsel now, for the 2020 election and everything after that, and include Russiagate and all this. You have to do that. That should be done immediately, and that should report to the President,” he added.

The Justice Department’s attempt to essentially close the book on the Epstein case comes as Jay Lefkowitz, the lawyer who helped secure his “sweetheart” deal connected to his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, is negotiating with the Trump administration to help Columbia University escape financial consequences for fostering radical politics.

Sources tell The National Pulse that Lefkowitz is outplaying federal negotiators, with the timing of the DOJ’s Epstein memo appearing suspicious to many legal and political insiders.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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