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October 18, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Election 2024
Politics
Religion

MUST-WATCH: Trump Roasts No-Show Kamala at Catholic Al Smith Dinner.

Former President Donald J. Trump attended the annual Al Smith Dinner in New York City on Thursday, October 17, roasting Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who refused to attend.

Trump mocked Harris, saying she couldn’t be there in person because she was receiving Holy Communion from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. This referenced a recent incident where Catholics accused Whitmer of denigrating the Holy Eucharist.

Trump also poked fun at several of the diner’s guests, including Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

WATCH:

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28 minutes ago
Corruption
News

FBI Raids Office of Democrat State Senate Boss in Corruption Probe.

Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas’s office and cannabis dispensary were raided by the FBI on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has conducted a raid on the office and cannabis dispensary of Louise Lucas (D-VA), a Virginia state Senator and a key ally of Democrat Governor of Virginia Abigail Spanberger.
📰 DETAIL: On Wednesday, the FBI raided the office of state Sen. Louise Lucas. The FBI’s raid of Lucas’ office in Portsmouth, Virginia, relates to an ongoing federal corruption and illegal marijuana sale investigation. The FBI also raided a cannabis dispensary co-owned by Lucas in Portsmouth. The 82-year-old Lucas is President pro tempore of the Virginia Senate. President pro tempore is a high-ranking officer elected by the state’s Senate to preside over sessions in place of the Lieutenant Governor. Lucas is a prominent figure in Virginia’s Democratic Party and vocally campaigned for Governor Spanberger during the state’s 2025 gubernatorial election. Following the raid, the FBI has emphasized that there is no threat to public safety and that its multiple search warrants were approved by a federal judge. Although Lucas was present during the raid, she claimed she did not know why it was being conducted. This is not the first time Lucas has faced a marijuana-related probe. A previous investigation alleged that some of the products sold at Lucas’s dispensary exceeded the legal THC limits established by Virginia state law. THC is the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana responsible for getting the user high.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I sell hemp products and CBD.” – Louise Lucas
🎯 IMPACT: The raid could have political ramifications, especially given Lucas’s influence in Virginia’s Senate. This is just one of several problems facing Virginia Democrats. After Virginia voters narrowly approved a Democrat-drawn redistricting measure back in April, the certification of the results has been blocked by a judge, citing legal concerns about the referendum’s constitutionality.

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Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas's office and cannabis dispensary were raided by the FBI on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation.

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By Popular Demand.
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1 hour ago
News
Politics
SCOTUS

Tennesse Puts Forward New Electoral Map Likely to Eliminate Democrat House Seat.

Tennessee Republicans have introduced a congressional map that could eliminate the state’s only Democrat seat, following a Supreme Court decision against racial gerrymandering.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Tennessee Republicans have put forward a new congressional map that could secure all nine of the state’s congressional districts for the GOP by eliminating a Democrat-represented district that was gerrymandered in order to create a black voting majority. Governor Bill Lee (R) had called the state legislature into a special session on Friday in to consider redistricting following a Supreme Court ruling against racial gerrymandering.
📰 DETAIL: The proposed map divides the majority-black district in Shelby County, potentially displacing Representative Steve Cohen, and also alters Maury County to favor Republican incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles. This move follows the Supreme Court ruling, related to Louisiana, which found that Democrat-leaning, racially gerrymandered districts that some states were forced to create by the Voting Rights Act are unconstitutional.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind,” noted Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
🎯 IMPACT: If passed, the map would likely ensure a Republican sweep in Tennessee’s congressional delegation, further solidifying GOP control in the state and handing the party another House member in the November midterms. Similar redistricting efforts are underway in other Southern states, including Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama, following the Supreme Court’s ruling against racial gerrymandering.

Image by FaceMePLS.

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Tennessee Republicans have introduced a congressional map that could eliminate the state's only Democrat seat, following a Supreme Court decision against racial gerrymandering.

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By Popular Demand.
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2 hours ago
Crime
News
UK

Scottish Left-Separatist Sentenced for Sexual Offending Against Boys and Young Men Ahead of Crunch Elections.

The sentencing of Jordan Linden, a former Scottish National Party (SNP) council leader convicted of multiple sexual offenses, comes a day before critical elections for the Scottish government.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A former Scottish National Party (SNP) council leader was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of multiple sex offenses, including sexual assault and inappropriate communication with young men and boys. This comes just ahead of crunch elections to the Scottish Parliament—roughly equivalent to a U.S. state legislature—on May 7.
📍 WHEN & WHERE: The sentencing took place on Wednesday at Falkirk Sheriff Court in Scotland.
📺 DETAIL: Jordan Linden, a former leader of North Lanarkshire Council, has been convicted of 10 sexual offenses. Linden’s offenses span a 10-year period between 2011 and 2021. Over the course of several years, multiple investigations were conducted into Linden’s behavior by the SNP, the Scottish Youth Parliament (chaired by Linden between 2015 and 2016), and Police Scotland, but these did not result in criminal charges until recently. In 2022, Linden resigned as leader of North Lanarkshire Council following allegations of sexual harassment, resulting in the collapse of the local SNP administration.
🎯 IMPACT: Linden’s sentencing damages the SNP before elections to local councils and Scotland’s devolved legislature on Thursday. The party is left-separatist, wanting to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom, but not nationalist, as it wants to surrender sovereignty to the European Union (EU) in order to rejoin it, and increase mass migration. While only a minority of Scots support breaking up the United Kingdom, the SNP is still the country’s leading political party, and it is projected to remain the largest in the Scottish Parliament after tomorrow’s elections. However, it is also projected to fall short of an outright majority in the Scottish Parliament, with Nigel Farage’s Reform Party expected to make an electoral breakthrough for the first time. This is just one of several notable sexual assault cases concerning Scotland.

Image via North Lanarkshire Council.

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The sentencing of Jordan Linden, a former Scottish National Party (SNP) council leader convicted of multiple sexual offenses, comes a day before critical elections for the Scottish government.

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By Popular Demand.
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3 hours ago
Media
News

Ted Turner, Founder of CNN, Passes Away at 87.

Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, has passed away at the age of 87.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Ted Turner, the founder of CNN and an influential figure in media, sports, and conservation, has died at the age of 87, as confirmed by Turner Enterprises. Details about his passing have not been disclosed as of the time of publication.
📺 DETAIL: Turner’s launching of CNN as the first 24-hour cable news network in 1980 changed the news industry fundamentally. Beyond media, he owned the Atlanta Braves and Hawks, and poured a billion dollars into the United Nations Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes support for the UN, and served as chairman of its board up to his passing. In 2018, Turner revealed he was battling Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.” – CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson
🎯 IMPACT: Turner’s push for 24-hour news broadcasting reshaped journalism.
📺 FLASHBACK: Turner married three times, including a decade-long union with controversial actress Jane Fonda, whom he described as the great love of his life. He was a strong critic of Christianity, describing it as a “religion for losers” and mocking Catholics marking Ash Wednesday as “Jesus freaks.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, has passed away at the age of 87.

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By Popular Demand.
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4 hours ago
News
Politics

DATA: Affordable Health Care is Top Issue for MAHA Voters.

A new poll reveals that affordability, particularly in health care, is the leading concern for “Make America Healthy Again” voters, potentially influencing midterm election outcomes.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A poll conducted by KFF found that health care costs are the top concern for voters identifying with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, with 61 percent of all respondents stating it will have a “major impact” on their midterm voting decisions.
📺 DETAIL: The survey, conducted April 14-19 among 1,343 U.S. adults, revealed that 42 percent of MAHA supporters prioritize lowering health care costs over other issues like food safety (21 percent) and vaccine reevaluation (10 percent). This comes as the Trump administration faces criticism for rising costs amid the Iran war, which has driven up gasoline prices and affected consumer spending. The administration’s approval ratings on health care and food policy remain low, at 38 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The MAHA movement has also split with the Trump administration over the use of the pesticide glyphosate, which is believed to cause cancer. The Trump administration recently sided with pharma giant Bayer, which manufactures the pesticide, over MAHA activists.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This poll really shows that the issues the MAHA movement has elevated resonate broadly with the American public, but even for voters who support MAHA, health care costs are the dominant priority by a wide margin,” said Audrey Kearney, senior survey analyst at KFF.
🎯 IMPACT: With affordability concerns dominating voter priorities, Republicans may face challenges in maintaining control of Congress in November if it remains focused on the Middle East and other foreign policy issues, instead of emphasizing its work to bring down drug prices.

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A new poll reveals that affordability, particularly in health care, is the leading concern for "Make America Healthy Again" voters, potentially influencing midterm election outcomes.

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By Popular Demand.
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4 hours ago
Lawfare
News

Trump Seeks to Halt $83 Million Payment to E. Jean Carroll.

President Donald J. Trump has asked a federal appeals court to pause enforcement of an $83.3 million defamation judgment as he prepares a potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has requested that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals stay enforcement of an $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll. The request, filed on Tuesday, seeks to delay payment while Trump prepares a potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
📺 DETAIL: Trump’s legal team argues that the case raises significant constitutional questions, including unresolved issues surrounding presidential immunity and the Westfall Act, which governs when the federal government can be substituted as a defendant for officials’ actions. The Second Circuit recently rejected Trump’s bid for a rehearing, leaving the Supreme Court as his next legal option. Carroll has not opposed the stay request but has asked for an increased bond to account for post-judgment interest.
🎯 IMPACT: If granted, the stay would temporarily block Carroll from collecting the judgment while Trump seeks Supreme Court review. Without a stay, collection proceedings could begin immediately, potentially causing what Trump’s lawyers describe as irreparable harm. The case could set a precedent on the limits of presidential immunity and the application of the Westfall Act.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “These issues are likely to attract Supreme Court review,” Trump’s legal team stated, emphasizing the constitutional stakes involved.
📺 FLASHBACK: Carroll, who claims to have been attacked by at least eight men and boys in separate incidents over the course of her life, alleges President Trump raped her 30 years ago in a luxury department store, in changing rooms that are usually locked and attended by staff. No eyewitness testimony, surveillance footage, or forensic evidence was produced, but a civil jury in heavily Democrat-leaning New York found him not liable for rape but liable for sexual assault and defamation, related to his denial of the alleged attack.

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President Donald J. Trump has asked a federal appeals court to pause enforcement of an $83.3 million defamation judgment as he prepares a potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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By Popular Demand.
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5 hours ago
1A
Bonkers Britain

School Kids Taught Free Speech Should ‘Not Offend.’

British students are being taught they have an obligation to “use freedom of speech but not offend” in their high school textbooks.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Citizenship Studies revision book published by Pearson has been criticized for instructing students to “use freedom of speech but not offend,” sparking concerns over its implications for free speech. The phrasing, found under a section on “Citizen’s responsibilities,” was flagged by trade unionist Paul Embery while helping his child with exam preparation.
📺 DETAIL: Embery described the content as “quite chilling” and “incredibly authoritarian,” arguing that it misrepresents the principle of free speech by conditioning it on not offending anyone. He warned that such teachings could lead children to self-censor, even in critical situations, and could potentially encourage the “heckler’s veto,” in which dissenting voices are silenced by those claiming offense. The case is just another showing the deterioration of free speech in Britain, where people have been routinely harassed by police or even arrested for online social media posts.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “That particular bullet point hit me—it was quite chilling, actually. Essentially, you are entitled to use freedom of speech, so long as it doesn’t upset anyone. I find this incredibly authoritarian—students should not be taught that.” – Paul Embery
🎯 IMPACT: Critics argue that teaching students to prioritize avoiding offense over exercising free speech could erode the foundational principles of open dialogue and democracy. The controversy shows that Britain’s institutions are opposed to true free speech and only support speech that falls within the narrow limits of what does not cause offense.

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British students are being taught they have an obligation to "use freedom of speech but not offend" in their high school textbooks.

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By Popular Demand.
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20 hours ago
Election Integrity
News

Minnesota Lacks Verification Records for Tens of Thousands of Voter Registrations.

Recently published documents reveal that Minnesota’s voter “vouching” system lacks critical verification safeguards, raising concerns about election integrity and oversight.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Tens of thousands of voter registrations in Minnesota relied on the state’s “vouching” system, a process that allows users to bypass identification and proof-of-residency checks, according to a new investigation.
📺 DETAIL: On Tuesday, America First Legal (AFL), a conservative legal advocacy group, released documents showing that tens of thousands of voter registrations in Minnesota used the state’s “vouching” system. AFL sent a request for residency details and the chosen voting method for voters using the vouching system. In response, the group received “no data responsive” in nearly every category. The office of Minnesota’s Secretary of State has since admitted it does not record or store data on voters’ chosen method. The system permits an unregistered voter without identification or proof-of-residency to have a registered voter from the same precinct vouch on their behalf or sign a proof-of-residency oath before an election judge. The vouching system has been characterized as vulnerable to exploitation.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “With tens of thousands of voters registering through vouching across recent cycles, without basic verification safeguards, the vouching policies and practices leave Minnesota’s elections vulnerable and risk Americans’ votes being canceled by fraudulently registered voters.” – Will Scolinos, Attorney for America First Legal.
🎯 IMPACT: The lack of verification safeguards in Minnesota’s vouching system raises concerns about election integrity, and the lack of data exposes major gaps in election oversight. This is not the only vulnerability to fraud exposed in Minnesota. After major allegations of welfare fraud were made in December of last year, Vice President J.D. Vance, who was appointed the Trump administration’s “fraud czar” in early April, has been leading an investigation into state officials and other individuals.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Recently published documents reveal that Minnesota's voter "vouching" system lacks critical verification safeguards, raising concerns about election integrity and oversight.

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By Popular Demand.
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21 hours ago
Election Integrity
News

Fulton County Fights DOJ Subpoena of 2020 Election Workers’ Details.

Fulton County officials are challenging a federal subpoena seeking election workers’ information, calling it an overreach and intimidation tactic as the Trump administration continues to investigate fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice issued a subpoena for the names, addresses, and contact information of Fulton County, Georgia, election workers involved in the 2020 presidential election. The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections has filed a motion to quash the subpoena, calling it “unprecedented and harassing.”
📺 DETAIL: The subpoena reportedly seeks home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses tied to election operations in the heavily Democratic county that became a focal point of allegations of election fraud after 2020. The move follows earlier federal actions involving the seizure of 2020 election records from the county as part of ongoing investigations linked to Trump administration efforts to properly investigate the 2020 election. County leaders argue the demand is overly broad, unnecessary, and could expose thousands of workers to harassment or intimidation.
🎯 IMPACT: The subpoena is part of a broad investigation into allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, particularly regarding Fulton County, which saw many irregularities on election night, including the county admitting that it counted over 315,000 uncertified votes in the election.

Image by Steve Fernie.

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Fulton County officials are challenging a federal subpoena seeking election workers' information, calling it an overreach and intimidation tactic as the Trump administration continues to investigate fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

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By Popular Demand.
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21 hours ago
Immigration
News

ICE Funds Local Police to Enhance Immigration Enforcement Operations.

Florida sheriffs and police departments are receiving significant state and federal funding for participating in the 287(g) program, which empowers local law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Florida law enforcement agencies have received millions in state and federal funds for participating in the 287(g) program, which allows local officers to enforce federal immigration laws. At a press conference, Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia distributed checks totaling over $1.4 million to several county sheriffs for their cooperation in immigration enforcement efforts.
📺 DETAIL: The 287(g) program, which dates back decades, empowers local police to arrest illegal immigrants, a role traditionally reserved for federal immigration agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Florida and Texas lead the nation in participation, with both states offering grants to incentivize compliance. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also promised additional funding, including vehicles, equipment, and salary reimbursements, potentially amounting to $2 billion nationwide. Florida sheriffs have used funds for equipment like body armor, fingerprint scanners, and real-time translation devices.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “In Florida, we’re required to cooperate with immigration officials. So if we can leverage our cooperation and get a greater benefit out of it, we are going to take the greater benefit from leveraging our cooperation.” – Robert Bage, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief
🎯 IMPACT: The funding provides critical financial support to law enforcement agencies, enabling them to invest in equipment and personnel without relying solely on local taxpayer dollars. This should allow local police to conduct immigration enforcement and prevent large build-ups of ICE and other federal agents that attract pro-illegal immigrant agitators, as at the protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last year.
📺 FLASHBACK: The 287(g) program was scaled back under former President Barack Obama in 2012 after claims of racial profiling in its implementation. The Trump administration has revived and expanded the program, with partnerships growing from 135 to over 1,700.

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Florida sheriffs and police departments are receiving significant state and federal funding for participating in the 287(g) program, which empowers local law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement.

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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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