Thursday, February 5, 2026

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Corporates Call for 8 Million Migrants to Replace Dead Ukrainians. 

Business leaders are calling for as many as eight million non-Western migrants to be transplanted to Ukraine to mitigate the “demographic crisis” created by its three-year war with Russia. The news vindicates warnings from Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, that the conflict would be used as an excuse to transform the country.

All-Ukrainian Association of Companies for International Employment chief Vasily Voskoboinik appeared on state television in February to push for mass migration, saying, “According to estimates by the International Organization for Migration”—a United Nations agency that preaches about immigration being “inevitable, desirable, and necessary”—” and the International Labour Organization, we will need 8.2 million workers.”

“We have a demographic catastrophe. Either we encourage our women to have more children, which would take 18–20 years to reflect in the labor market, or we must realistically seek labor migration from other countries,” Voskoboinik. He seeks to source the migrants from non-Western states and regions such as Bangladesh, Nepal, India, North Africa, and Central Asia—despite various studies showing that non-Western migrants are a massive net drain on the public finances in other European countries.

‘THE FIRST AFRICAN NATION IN EUROPE.’

Raheem Kassam warned that such a course would be pursued as long ago as May 2024, telling War Room host Stephen K. Bannon, “[C]learly, the plan isn’t to keep young Ukrainian men alive to rebuild the nation after all this is done… So, who do you think they intend to import into Ukraine to rebuild the country? If I can put it so bluntly, Ukraine will be the first African nation in Europe in 10 to 15 years’ time.”

“They’ve got a base for mass migration like you’ve never seen before, and they’ve got a ‘moral imperative’ for it as well: ‘We have to rebuild! Of course! We need all these people! Bring ’em in, they’re academics and doctors and so forth,’” Kassam predicted.

Migrants would account for around 17.5 percent of the Ukrainian population if 8.2 million were imported.

By Popular Demand.
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Trucker Who Killed Four is CBP One Biden Migrant.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A semi-truck driver who caused a head-on collision in Indiana, resulting in four fatalities, is a migrant allowed into America by former President Joe Biden.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Bekzhan Beishekeev, a 30-year-old Kyrgyzstani national, is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following the crash.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on Tuesday in Jay County, Indiana.

💬KEY QUOTE:

🎯IMPACT: The crash has raised further concerns about immigration policies, and unqualified migrants operating trucks on America’s roads, in particular, which the Trump administration has been trying to tackle.

IN FULL

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that a semi-truck driver, identified as Bekzhan Beishekeev, was arrested after causing a head-on crash in Indiana that resulted in the deaths of four people. Beishekeev is a Kyrgyzstani national who entered the United States thanks to the Biden government’s CBP One app on December 19, 2023, at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry. Biden’s government paroled Beishekeev into the U.S.

The crash occurred on SR 67 in Jay County, Indiana. According to police, Beishekeev did not stop for a slowed semi-truck and instead swerved into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with a van. The victims included several people from the Amish community, per local media.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records indicate that Beishekeev is now in ICE custody. This suggests that local law enforcement honored a detainer and has already transferred him to federal authorities.

The CBP One app, introduced under Biden, permitted 50,000 to 60,000 otherwise inadmissible aliens to enter the U.S. legally every month under two-year humanitarian parole grants. President Donald J. Trump terminated the program on his first day in office and repurposed CBP One as a self-deportation app.

Unqualified illegal immigrant truck drivers, often awarded licenses by Democrat-led states like California, are a significant issue on America’s roads, causing multiple fatalities in multiple high-profile crashes. The Trump administration has been moving to address the issue, disqualifying thousands of foreign drivers and shutting down thousands of driving schools.

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By Popular Demand.
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Europe Continuing to Make Key Concessions on Greenland in Secret: Vance.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: European allies have made more concessions over Greenland than publicly admitted, according to Vice President J.D. Vance.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Vice President J.D. Vance, President Donald J. Trump, and European governments.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, February 4, 2025, in an interview with Megyn Kelly.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We definitely have gotten much more than we initially had.” – Vice President Vance

🎯IMPACT: Vance indicated the framework agreement contains new, critical benefits for the United States beyond the existing security arrangement pertaining to Greenland.

IN FULL

Europe is making far more substantial concessions regarding American interests in Greenland than it publicly acknowledges, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance revealed on Wednesday. Speaking with Megyn Kelly on her podcast, Vance remarked, “We definitely have gotten much more than we initially had.”

“I’m sorry, it’s all bogus,” Vice President Vance said regarding claims pushed by the corporate media that a new framework agreement contains little in new benefits for the United States, adding, “The idea that they haven’t made any accommodations or concessions to the United States, it’s not true.”

While the Vice President avoided revealing any specifics, he stated that the framework deal struck by President Donald J. Trump last month contains new key benefits for the United States that are not currently public and did not exist prior. Just before the preliminary deal was reached on January 21, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on European countries working against American interests in Greenland. However, following a “very productive meeting” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump announced that a framework was in place and that the trade levies no longer take effect on February 1.

“It’s one of the unwritten rules that everybody knows that if the Chinese or the Russians affected one of our critical missile defense systems, we would necessarily defend that. But we’re not getting anything for it,” Vance explained. “Let’s rewrite the rules a little bit here and say that if the United States is going to protect the entire world’s missile defense system—primarily our own, but other people benefit from it—we should get some benefit from the bargain.”

The National Pulse previously reported that Vance, just two days after the framework was announced, had stated that much of the pushback from European leaders on Greenland is just posturing, noting they are more receptive in private to U.S. interests in the Arctic island.

He reiterated this perspective on Wednesday, telling Megyn Kelly, “It’s so funny because the Europeans, they’re so friendly in private, and they’re willing to make a lot of accommodations, and then publicly they attack us.”

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Anti-ICE ‘Antifa General’ Captured, Hit With Federal Charges.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A self-identified Antifa member was arrested on federal charges of cyberstalking and threatening communications against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kyle Wagner, 37, a self-proclaimed Antifa member, and federal immigration officers were involved.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The arrest took place on January 5, 2026, in Minneapolis.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This man allegedly doxxed and called for the murder of law enforcement officers,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

🎯IMPACT: The arrest underscores the federal government’s commitment to tackling threats against law enforcement.

IN FULL

Kyle Wagner, a self-identified member of Antifa, was apprehended on charges of cyberstalking and threatening communications. The allegations involve serious threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “This man allegedly doxxed and called for the murder of law enforcement officers, encouraged bloodshed in the streets, and proudly claimed affiliation with the terrorist organization Antifa before going on the run,” adding: Today’s arrest illustrates that you cannot run, you cannot hide, and you cannot evade our federal agents: if you come for law enforcement, the Trump Administration will come for you.”

Wagner is accused of making multiple threats via social media, encouraging violence against ICE officers. He allegedly referred to them as “Gestapo”—like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D)—and “murderers,” and called for confrontations.

In a video posted on January 8, Wagner threatened ICE agents directly, saying, “I’ve already bled for this city, I’ve already fought for this city, this is nothing new, we’re ready this time, ICE we’re f***ing coming for you.”

“This is kill or be killed,” he insisted, urging people to “hunt” ICE and declaring, “This is where ICE has come to die.”

“We want to know who they are. We will identify every single one of them and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. If it has to be done at the barrel of a gun, then let us have a little f***ing fun,” he said in one video, stating explicitly in another that he was “not talking about peaceful protests anymore” and adding: “Get your f***ing guns and stop these f***ing people.”

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By Popular Demand.
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Trump DOJ Targets Cartel Crypto Laundering Networks.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting financial networks of Mexico’s violent drug cartels, focusing on money brokers who launder drug profits through cryptocurrency.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. prosecutors, Mexican authorities, and defendants, including Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon, Eliomar Segura Torres, Manuel Ignacio Correa, and Cesar Linares-Orozco.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The transfer of high-level cartel operatives from Mexico to the U.S. began in January 2024 and remains ongoing, with 37 new defendants handed over to the DOJ last month.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If you cut off the money, you hurt the cartels, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” — U.S. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva

🎯IMPACT: The focus on financial networks aims to disrupt cartel operations, leading to potential indictments of higher-level leaders.

IN FULL

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is opening a new front in the Trump administration’s efforts to destroy Mexico’s drug cartels with an initiative focused on dismantling the financial networks utilized by money brokers who use cryptocurrencies to launder illicit profits. These brokers, according to the DOJ, use cryptocurrencies to move the profits from drug sales in the United States back to Mexico and to cartel leaders.

“If you cut off the money, you hurt the cartels, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said, explaining the DOJ’s new strategy. Federal prosecutors believe that shutting down the cryptocurrency money brokers in the U.S. will cut off a critical point in the cartels’ financial system, potentially crippling their operations.

Mexico has already handed over around 90 high-level cartel operatives to the U.S. as part of the DOJ effort. The defendants, of whom 37 were transferred to the DOJ this past January alone, are each believed to have direct knowledge of cartel distribution networks and money laundering methods. Critically, the four most recent cases filed by the DOJ include alleged money brokers, Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon, Eliomar Segura Torres, Manuel Ignacio Correa, and Cesar Linares-Orozco.

The DOJ says it will use the prosecutions as leverage to obtain intelligence and detailed knowledge of how the cartels are evolving and utilizing alternative financial networks to avoid law enforcement detection. Assistant Attorney General Duva says federal prosecutors “want to hear on the distribution side how it works, who is involved, and seek additional indictments, and on the money laundering side, exactly the methods that they are using to get the money out of the United States through the U.S. banks.”

“He added, There’s bulk cash smuggling that has been going on since the beginning of time, and then also sort of the newer trend of taking the cash, buying cryptocurrency, and then trading that cryptocurrency.”

Image by G. Edward Johnson.

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By Popular Demand.
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FBI Recaptures Alex Saab, Maduro’s Top Money Launderer Released by Biden.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Colombian businessman Alex Saab, considered a top money launderer for Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly arrested in Caracas during a joint U.S.-Venezuela operation.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Alex Saab, Nicolás Maduro, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Venezuelan authorities, and businessman Raúl Gorrín.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Saab was captured on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela.

🎯IMPACT: Saab had initially been captured by the U.S. in 2020, but was subsequently released by former President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange with the Maduro regime.

IN FULL

Former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s top money launderer, Alex Saab, was captured in a joint operation by the United States and Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday in the country’s capital of Caracas. Saab—a Colombian businessman with extensive ties to Maduro and the illicit narcotics trade—was apprehended in an operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, the head of Globovision TV network and another close Maduro ally.

The United States placed sanctions on Saab and Gorrín during President Donald J. Trump‘s first term in office. In June 2020, U.S. law enforcement arrested Saab in Cape Verde during a stopover on a flight from Venezuela to Iran and charged him with laundering $350 million taken from Venezuela’s treasury through the U.S. financial system.

However, in 2023, as part of a prison swap with the Maduro regime, former President Joe Biden signed an order for Saab’s release and return to Venezuela. Officials in the former Biden government argued that Maduro would be more inclined to help reduce the number of Venezuelan illegal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. as a result of the release. Upon his return, Saab was appointed by Maduro as Venezuela’s Minister of Industry and National Production, a role he held until he was stripped of it by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy, in January.

Despite U.S. officials confirming Saab’s arrest, his lawyer Luigi Giuliano claimed late Wednesday that Saab was still in Caracas and called reports of his capture “fake news.” Giuliano claimed that Saab may make a public appearance to refute the reports of his capture, but thus far, that has not materialized.

Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín was also apprehended during the operation. A close associate of Maduro, Gorrín was indicted in 2024 by a U.S. federal grand jury in Florida for a scheme to launder $1.2 billion. Like Saab, Gorrín was sanctioned by the Trump administration for corruption.

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By Popular Demand.
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UK PM Apologizes to Epstein Victims as Mandelson Scandal Threatens His Premiership.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Sir Keir Starmer apologized to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and admitted to being misled by Lord Peter Mandelson, whom he appointed as British ambassador to Washington despite Mandelson’s ties to Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Peter Mandelson, Jeffrey Epstein, Labour MPs, and opposition leaders such as Kemi Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The controversy surrounds Mandelson’s appointment in 2024 and revelations emerging as late as 2023, with Starmer addressing the issue in Hastings on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The information now available makes clear that the answers he gave were lies. Such deceit is incompatible with public service.” – Sir Keir Starmer

🎯IMPACT: Mandelson has resigned from the House of Lords, left the Labour Party, and faces a criminal investigation. Calls for a no-confidence vote in Starmer are growing among opposition parties.

IN FULL

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has apologized to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein after former British ambassador to the U.S. Lord Peter Mandelson was exposed as having even deeper ties to the pedophile than previously suspected. Starmer admitted it had long been publicly known that Mandelson and Epstein were friends, but insisted that “none of us knew the depth of the darkness of that relationship.”

Starmer said. He confirmed that Mandelson had been questioned during the vetting process, saying that “The information now available makes clear that the answers he gave were lies,” but insisting he had no reason to disbelieve Mandelson’s word—despite his long history of resigning from government posts amid scandals.

Starmer addressed Epstein’s victims directly, saying: “The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely comprehend. I am sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you, and sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”

Mandelson, a senior Labour figure for decades, previously served as a Cabinet minister under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and also served as a European Commissioner in Brussels, Belgium. He was elevated to the House of Lords by Brown and appointed ambassador to the United States by Starmer despite multiple past controversies, including his known association with Epstein, raised by critics, including The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam, prior to his appointment.

The political fallout has intensified pressure on Starmer’s leadership. Several Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) have expressed anger over how Mandelson’s appointment was handled, with some calling for the removal of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was involved in the process.

The release of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment has been delayed after London’s Metropolitan Police requested that publication be paused to avoid undermining the investigation.

Image via 10 Downing Street.

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By Popular Demand.
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UK Govt Kicks Victims Out of Grooming Gangs Investigation.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The British government has disbanded a victims panel that was advising a national inquiry—roughly equivalent to a U.S. presidential commission—investigating the largely Muslim, Pakistani heritage rape gangs operating across the country.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Baroness Longfield, of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, survivors like Fiona Goddard, and opposition figures such as Reform Party leader Nigel Farage.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Survivors were told they had a voice and then it was taken away from them.” – Grooming gang survivor Fiona Goddard

🎯IMPACT: Survivors feel betrayed, and concerns have been raised about the inquiry’s scope and credibility.

IN FULL

The British government has disbanded a victims’ advisory panel that had been supporting a national inquiry—roughly equivalent to a U.S. presidential commission—investigating endemic child sexual abuse by mostly Muslim, Pakistani heritage grooming gangs, and the failure of authorities to protect vulnerable girls from them. The removal of victims from the process has caused anger among survivors and campaigners.

The panel was set up to ensure survivors’ experiences informed the inquiry, which is examining decades of abuse linked to organised grooming networks targeting predominantly white girls, as a major component of the scandal was the police and other authorities disregardng the testimony and experiences of victims. Survivors say the panel being scrapped undermines assurances that their voices would, for once, become central in a major investigation.

Fiona Goddard, who was abused by a grooming gang in Bradford, said: “Survivors were told they had a voice and then it was taken away from them.” Another survivor accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government of using the panel to neutralise criticism, saying: “It should have been ongoing until the inquiry was complete.”

The government now claims the panel had always been intended as a temporary body and that survivor engagement would continue in other ways. Baroness Longfield, the Labour Party lawmaker who is chairing the inquiry, claims she plans to work directly with survivors as the investigation progresses.

The inquiry itself has been contentious from the outset. Prime Minister Starmer initially opposed launching it and previously described some campaigners pushing for a grooming gangs inquiry as part of the “far right.” He reversed his position last year under sustained political and public pressure, formally opening the inquiry in June.

Recent official findings proved that investigators have avoided examining the ethnicity of suspects and their victims, despite internal data revealing a disproportionate number of perpetrators were Muslims of Pakistani heritage and their victims were largely white working class. Reviews found that police and social workers sometimes failed to act against suspects or dismissed child victims as “promiscuous” or “troublesome,” partly out of fear of being accused of racism if they took on the groomers. Following those findings, authorities agreed to reopen hundreds, and potentially more than 1,000, historic cases.

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By Popular Demand.
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DHS Confirms Capture of 4,000 Illegals in Minnesota as Drawdown Looms.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that federal law enforcement officials have arrested over 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, local and state officials, and the Trump administration, including Border Czar Tom Homan.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Operation Metro Surge began in late 2025 and has focused on the Twin Cities and Minnesota more broadly.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We will not back down from our mission to remove criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods.” – DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

🎯IMPACT: Over 4,000 illegal immigrants, including violent offenders, have been apprehended ahead of a planned drawdown of federal law enforcement.

IN FULL

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday that federal law enforcement has arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota since the launch of Operation Metro Surge in late 2025, part of the Trump administration’s broader push to expand interior immigration enforcement. The operation, which is now drawing down, has focused on the Twin Cities and other parts of the state, with DHS saying it prioritizes migrants with serious criminal histories.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the effort, stating, “President Trump’s commonsense immigration enforcement policies are delivering the public safety results the American people demanded, with more than 4,000 dangerous criminal illegal aliens already arrested in Minnesota since Operation Metro began.” She added, “Democrats opened our borders and allowed vicious criminals, including murderers, rapists, gang members, and terrorists, to invade our communities. President Trump is reversing that horrific damage and removing these threats from our country.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “Despite coordinated attacks of violence against our law enforcement, our officers have made more than 4,000 arrests of illegal aliens including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began.”

Federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota intensified in December 2025 after DHS announced a series of large-scale ICE operations in the state, amid widespread coverage of endemic Somali fraud in the state. Those actions resulted in hundreds of arrests, including about 500 illegal immigrants taken into custody in a single wave, according to DHS.

The expanded federal presence sparked far-left protests backed by Governor Tim Walz (D) and other state and local officials. Demonstrations disrupted ICE operations and even church services, leading to two deadly confrontations between protesters and federal agents.

Border Czar Tom Homan announced this week that the federal footprint in the Twin Cities will be reduced, with about 700 officers set to leave the area. He said the drawdown reflects increased cooperation from local jurisdictions. “We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets,” Homan said, adding that the shift reduces the need for large-scale community enforcement actions.

Image by Chad Davis.

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Vance Will Lead Anti-Fraud Task Force Against Newsom’s California.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The White House is finalizing plans for a new anti-fraud task force targeting welfare abuse in California and other states.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Vice President J.D. Vance, Andrew Ferguson of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The task force is expected to be announced later this month via executive order from President Donald J. Trump.

🎯IMPACT: The task force aims to tackle billions of dollars in fraud.

IN FULL

The White House is in the final stages of organizing a new federal anti-fraud task force aimed at combating the abuse of welfare and other taxpayer-funded programs, particularly in California, according to multiple sources. President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing the task force and appointing Vice President J.D. Vance as its chairman, signaling an increased emphasis on fraud enforcement across federal programs.

Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is slated to serve as vice chairman and manage the task force’s day-to-day operations. Ferguson has led several high-profile consumer protection efforts, including a multibillion-dollar settlement with Amazon and antitrust actions against major technology companies.

The task force will also include Colin McDonald, a nominee for a newly created fraud investigator position at the Department of Justice. McDonald would report to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche while coordinating closely with Vance and Ferguson. Sources say the initiative was partly driven by internal frustration within the administration over what it views as resistance from career Justice Department officials to advancing certain enforcement priorities.

California has been a focal point in recent fraud investigations. State auditors previously identified billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims and improper pandemic relief payments. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has defended his state, claiming his administration has made efforts to recover funds and strengthen oversight.

Fraud concerns extend well beyond California, however. Federal investigators have estimated that welfare-related fraud tied to Somali networks operating in Minnesota could ultimately exceed $9 billion, following years of alleged abuse of housing and food assistance programs.

In another recent case, federal prosecutors in Chicago, Illinois, charged foreign nationals in a massive Medicare fraud scheme involving more than $1 billion in false claims submitted using stolen identities and fraudulent medical orders.

Separately, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently launched a broad investigation into H-1B visa fraud, alleging companies may have manipulated the federal program to use migrants to undercut American workers.

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LGBT Activist Judge Charged With ‘Official Oppression.’

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A Texas judge was arrested and charged with unlawful restraint and official oppression after allegedly handcuffing and detaining a defense attorney in her courtroom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Bexar County Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez and defense attorney Elizabeth Russell.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The arrest occurred on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, stemming from an incident that occurred in 2024 in a Bexar County courtroom, Texas.

🎯IMPACT: The arrest raises concerns about the stability and bias of activist judges in positions of power.

IN FULL

Bexar County, Texas Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez—an outspoken LGBTQ activist—has been arrested and charged with a felony count of unlawful restraint by a judicial officer and a misdemeanor count of official oppression. The charges stem from a 2024 incident where Gonzalez allegedly handcuffed and detained defense attorney Elizabeth Russell in the courtroom during a probation hearing.

During the hearing on a motion to revoke probation, which occurred in December 2024, Russell’s client—who the attorney claims suffers from cognitive issues—answered “true” to one of the allegations presented by prosecutors. This prompted Russell to interject during the questioning and request for a moment to confer with her client. After an ensuing argument between Russell and Gonzalez, the latter ordered her court officers to handcuff the defense attorney and confine her to the jury box.

Judge Gonzalez—known for her far-left political and LGBTQ activism—has had a controversial tenure on the bench, facing a number of legal and ethical issues. In 2022, she was fined for attempting to bring a loaded rainbow-painted firearm through airport security in her carry-on luggage. Earlier, in 2019, she was sanctioned for displaying Pride flags in her courtroom, violating the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.

Former staff members have accused Gonzalez of fostering a “hostile work environment” and exhibiting erratic and aggressive behavior, particularly toward defendants and litigants. Some described her as “unstable” and prone to violent outbursts.

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