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March 17, 2026
Crime
News

Raids on Vape Stores See Four Arrests, Drugs and Millions in Cash Seized.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Four men were arrested and $2.3 million was seized during raids at vape stores in Kinston, North Carolina.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Fatehi Alshoabi, Khaled Almaqaleh, Ibrahim Nagi, and Emad Ali were arrested.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The raids took place in March 2026 in Kinston, involving 26 businesses and eight homes.

💬KEY QUOTE: “When we’re consistently getting complaints from our community members, specifically parents with children 15, 16, 17 years old going to these shops to buy illegal narcotics, we’re going to take it extremely seriously.” – Chief Keith Goyette

🎯IMPACT: The operation provides more evidence that vape stores are hubs for organized crime and dealing illegal narcotics, on both sides of the Atlantic.

IN FULL

Police in Kinston, North Carolina, conducted a series of raids at vape stores, resulting in the arrest of four men and the seizure of $2.347 million in cash. The operation, known as Operation Wintergreen, involved searches of 26 businesses and eight homes.

The arrested men are Fatehi Alshoabi, Khaled Almaqaleh, Ibrahim Nagi, and Emad Ali, all facing various charges related to drug possession and sales. Police confiscated nearly 110 pounds of THC and almost eight pounds of khat, an illegal stimulant popular in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa region.

Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette emphasized the operation’s focus on safeguarding youth from illegal narcotics. He stated, “When we’re consistently getting complaints from our community members, specifically parents with children 15, 16, 17 years old going to these shops to buy illegal narcotics, we’re going to take it extremely seriously.”

Goyette mentioned that more than 34 search warrants have been issued during the three-month operation, which is set to conclude next Tuesday. However, efforts to combat illegal drug activity will persist beyond the operation’s end.

Despite the raids, the targeted vape stores reportedly remain open, with Chief Goyette clarifying that the police aim to stop crime rather than closing businesses. However, vape stores on both sides of the Atlantic are frequently linked to organized crime, human trafficking, and illegal immigration. They are also frequently hazardous to their neighborhoods, with an unregistered vape store in Glasgow, Scotland, recently causing a fire that burned down a 175-year-old city landmark and caused Scotland’s largest railway station to close.

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By Popular Demand.
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27 minutes ago
News
War
World

Putin’s Party Secures Record Number of Seats in First Legislative Elections Since Ukraine Invasion.

Russia’s tightly controlled parliamentary election results, which favored the ruling party, suggest President Vladimir Putin remains popular, even accounting for issues with election integrity in the country.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party secured a record number of seats in Russia’s national parliament, the Duma, according to near-complete official results released Monday. The anti-war Yabloko party appeared to have gained a small foothold in a regional legislature. With more than 95 percent of the vote counted, United Russia received 57.83 percent of the vote, up from 49.8 percent in the 2021 election, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The party is expected to control 355 of the Duma’s 450 seats.
📺 DETAIL: The result gives the ruling party nearly 80 percent of the chamber and preserves its constitutional majority, allowing it to pass legislation and propose constitutional amendments without support from other parties. The Communist Party received 13.81 percent, followed by the LDPR with 8.98 percent and New People with 7.96 percent, while Just Russia narrowly cleared the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament. Notably, all four opposition parties have generally supported the Kremlin on major issues in recent years. The anti-war Yabloko party failed to break through at the national level, although many of its candidates were barred from running by the Kremlin. However, in the Novgorod regional parliament, Yabloko appeared to have passed the five percent threshold for representation with nearly 97 percent of votes counted. As the three-day election was the first parliamentary vote since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, and Putin had presented it as a test of domestic support for the war.
🎯 IMPACT: The result reinforces President Vladimir Putin’s political dominance of Russia and gives United Russia an even larger parliamentary majority, allowing the Kremlin to advance its legislative agenda with extremely limited institutional opposition. Yabloko’s apparent breakthrough in Novgorod, despite heavy restrictions on opposition political parties in Russia, provides a small example of anti-war representation, but will not materially alter the national balance of power.

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Russia's tightly controlled parliamentary election results, which favored the ruling party, suggest President Vladimir Putin remains popular, even accounting for issues with election integrity in the country.

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By Popular Demand.
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47 minutes ago
Immigration
News

Boat Migrants Pour Into Wealthy California Harbor.

A boat carrying suspected illegal aliens docked at Newport Harbor, leading to a chaotic scene as migrants fled into the affluent neighborhood.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A boat carrying a large group of suspected illegal aliens arrived at Newport Harbor in California, and those aboard reportedly scattered into the surrounding neighborhood. The 20-foot panga was abandoned after apparently striking and damaging a nearby yacht, according to local reports. Surveillance footage recorded on Saturday afternoon appears to show at least a dozen people climbing from the vessel before quickly dispersing among the nearby homes.
📰 DETAIL: The Coast Guard is believed to have taken custody of the boat, but authorities have not confirmed how many people were aboard or whether any have been located. Newport Beach City Council member Erik Weigand described the incident as a safety concern. The incident comes after previous boat migrant arrivals in the area, including one in which the Coast Guard intercepted a vessel carrying 21 people, including migrants from Uzbekistan and Russia. In another case, authorities rescued 37 suspected migrants nearly 100 miles offshore after their vessel reportedly drifted for two days without food, water, or fuel. More recently, authorities intercepted another group of 24 suspected migrants south of Santa Barbara Island before transferring them to Newport Harbor.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It’s an unsafe thing, right? A bunch of guys coming off a boat, they’re slamming into the neighborhood here and trying to get away as fast as possible.” – Erik Weigand, Newport Beach City Council member
🎯 IMPACT: The incident highlights the use of small boats to bring suspected migrants to Southern California, including populated waterfront communities such as Newport Beach. It could increase pressure on federal and local authorities to strengthen coastal enforcement and address how quickly people can disperse after reaching shore, with the Trump administration having already largely locked down the southern land border.

Image by Don Ramey Logan.

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A boat carrying suspected illegal aliens docked at Newport Harbor, leading to a chaotic scene as migrants fled into the affluent neighborhood.

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By Popular Demand.
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3 hours ago
News
War

Trump Urges Zelensky to Stop Attacks on Russian Refineries as Diesel Prices Soar.

President Trump is urging Ukraine to de-escalate attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, citing global diesel price concerns and the need for stability amid broader geopolitical tensions.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump is pressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that the attacks are worsening a global diesel shortage as the energy market remains strained by the parallel conflicts in Iran and now Yemen. Trump raised the issue during a phone call with Zelensky on Sunday, with Ukrainian officials saying that the U.S. leader repeatedly focused on diesel supplies and wanted Russian fuel exports to reach global markets.
📺 DETAIL: On Monday, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Russia had “lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry” as a result of the “ridiculous” war, while maintaining that the refinery strikes are contributing to wider fuel-market pressures. The comments came after Ukraine struck the Gazprom Neft-owned Moscow Oil Refinery, which can process roughly 245,000 barrels of crude per day. Zelensky celebrated the strike, saying a key Russian oil facility and logistics site had been hit and arguing that the attacks target infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia. We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting the world.” – President Donald Trump in comments to the press on September 13
🎯 IMPACT:  The dispute highlights the tension between Washington’s efforts to stabilize global fuel markets and Ukraine’s strategy of using strikes on Russian energy infrastructure to pressure Moscow. If the attacks continue, further disruptions to Russian refining capacity could add pressure to already strained diesel markets. A reduction in strikes could ease some supply concerns but limit one of Kiev’s tools for imposing economic costs on Russia for the war.
📈 DATA: Brent crude briefly fell to about $101.75 per barrel on Monday, the lowest since September 10, but U.S. diesel prices remain significantly elevated, accounting for nearly 30 percent of global oil demand.

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President Trump is urging Ukraine to de-escalate attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, citing global diesel price concerns and the need for stability amid broader geopolitical tensions.

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By Popular Demand.
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4 hours ago
News
War

REPORT: Houthis Advance in Yemen After Trump Cancels Strikes at the Last Minute.

Houthi forces are advancing in Yemen, threatening Saudi-backed authorities and global energy supply routes, while U.S. involvement remains uncertain.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Houthi fighters pushed to seize strategic mountain positions in Yemen on Monday in an effort to cut off the Red Sea coast from areas still controlled by Saudi-backed government forces. This follows reports that President Donald J. Trump called off planned U.S. strikes against the Iran-backed group at the last minute. The Houthis have rapidly expanded their territorial control this month, creating additional risks for global energy supplies.
📺 DETAIL: The Trump administration reportedly prepared airstrikes on Sunday after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appealed for U.S. military assistance, but President Trump is said to have halted the operation as aircraft were being loaded with bombs. The White House and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had not confirmed these reports as of the time of publication. Yemen’s internationally recognized government has also sought U.S. support, with President Rashid al-Alimi reportedly asking Trump for help during a Sunday phone call. Sources say Trump made no direct commitment. The Houthis have captured sections of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and are now seeking strategic heights that could separate the coastline from government-held territory farther south entirely. The fighting has reportedly killed nearly 700 people and displaced roughly 130,000 internally. More than 3,000 have fled across the Red Sea to Africa, according to the United Nations (UN). The escalation is also threatening Saudi Arabia’s oil export routes, as Riyadh increasingly relies on shipments through the Red Sea due to the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the Iran war, which has driven tanker costs sharply higher and added to pressure on global refined-fuel prices.
🎯 IMPACT: The Houthi advances threaten one of Saudi Arabia’s key alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz for exporting oil, increasing pressure on global energy markets already strained by the wider regional conflict between Iran, Israel, the U.S., and U.S.-aligned Arab states. For the Trump administration, the escalation also creates pressure to support Saudi Arabia, with the risk that expanding U.S. military involvement in Yemen could broaden the conflict.
📺 FLASHBACK: The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital since 2014, with the conflict escalating into a proxy war involving neighboring Saudi Arabia and Iran. Previous U.S. involvement in the conflict early in the second Trump administration ceased after a short campaign in early 2025, leaving Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed local forces to fend off Houthi advances independently. The former Biden government also mounted a long, unsuccessful campaign against the Houthis, resulting in the loss of multiple multi-million-dollar U.S. drones.

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Houthi forces are advancing in Yemen, threatening Saudi-backed authorities and global energy supply routes, while U.S. involvement remains uncertain.

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By Popular Demand.
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5 hours ago
Immigration
News

Trump’s $410 Million ‘Office of Remigration’ Has Deported Tens of Thousands of Migrants to ‘Third Countries.’

The Trump administration has allocated $410 million to facilitate deportation agreements with 31 countries, which are taking migrants whose home countries cannot or will not accept them.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has allocated $410 million to secure agreements with 31 countries, primarily in Africa and Latin America, to accept migrants whose countries cannot or will not take them back. The initiative is being led by the new Office of Remigration, a 15-man division within the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), which was previously concerned with resettling migrants in the U.S.
📰 DETAIL: The Office of Remigration, under the leadership of Christian Ehrhardt, a veteran State Department security official, has been using financial commitments, including $81 million in direct payments to 13 foreign governments, to strike the third-country deals, bypassing typical statutory requirements. The Trump administration has also pledged $179 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and $124 million to the UN Refugee Agency for related projects as part of the deals. Senior White House advisor and immigration hawk Stephen Miller is reportedly helping to drive the “remigration” strategy forward, with Ehrhardt being perceived internally as more of a “White House envoy” than a State Department official.
🎯 IMPACT: The third-country deportation strategy has led to the deportation of at least 25,447 migrants under various bespoke removal arrangements, with record numbers of flights tracked this summer.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The only illegal aliens going to third countries are those whose home countries won’t accept them, including dangerous criminals or illegal aliens with orders of removal who have asked to not be removed to their home country… If any illegal alien wants to go home, we will arrange a free flight for them and give them a $3,000 check,” stated White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis.

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The Trump administration has allocated $410 million to facilitate deportation agreements with 31 countries, which are taking migrants whose home countries cannot or will not accept them.

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By Popular Demand.
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6 hours ago
Crime
News

Suspects in Haitian Leader’s Assassination Extradited to U.S., Charged with Funding Plot Using COVID Fraud Funds.

The extradition of 18 suspects to the U.S. marks a significant development in the investigation into the 2021 assassination of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, with federal prosecutors alleging a South Florida-based conspiracy funded by fraudulent U.S. taxpayer dollars.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Eighteen suspects allegedly involved in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 have been extradited to the United States to face federal charges. The suspects arrived in Miami, Florida, under heavy guard, accused of financing the murder plot with money defrauded from American taxpayers.
📺 DETAIL: Federal prosecutors allege that the assassination was orchestrated and financed in South Florida, with fraudulent COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans funding the operation. The plot reportedly involved recruiting Colombian mercenaries and acquiring weapons and tactical gear. The suspects allegedly posed as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents to gain access to the Haitian president’s residence in Port-au-Prince, where he was killed in July 2021.
🎯 IMPACT: The case underscores the misuse of U.S. taxpayer funds in international criminal schemes and the challenges of prosecuting such cases across borders. The transfer of suspects to the U.S. also raises concerns about the Haitian justice system’s inability to handle high-profile cases effectively.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This assassination plot was planned, financed, conspired, here in Miami .It’s not only just holding people accountable for committing murder, but it’s holding people accountable if they use government funds in a fraud to facilitate that murder,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones.
📺 FLASHBACK: Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was killed in his private residence in July 2021, creating a political vacuum in Haiti and intensifying the unrest in the island nation. Earlier this year, four ringleaders of the plot were convicted in Miami, with some facing life sentences.

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The extradition of 18 suspects to the U.S. marks a significant development in the investigation into the 2021 assassination of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, with federal prosecutors alleging a South Florida-based conspiracy funded by fraudulent U.S. taxpayer dollars.

show more
By Popular Demand.
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6 hours ago
Immigration
News
UK

Second English Village Considers Declaring Independence to Stop Migrant Influx.

Residents in the English village of Barnham, Suffolk, are exploring a referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom, in protest of government plans to house over 1,200 asylum seekers.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The village of Barnham, Suffolk, is considering following Piddington in holding a referendum to declare independence from London over plans by Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour Party government to house 1,250 male asylum seekers at a former Royal Air Force (RAF) base nearby. Crucially, the migrants will not be confined to the base, being free to roam among the public.
📺 DETAIL: The Home Office’s plan involves turning the RAF Barnham site into accommodation for male asylum seekers aged 18-65. This has sparked widespread unease in the village, which has a population of just under 600, and would be demographically swamped by the influx. Concerns range from public safety to the inevitable strain on local resources, with residents noting that the village has only a village hall, school, and church, with no pubs, shops, or other amenities to occupy hundreds of bored foreign men.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We’ve seen what Piddington has done, and they’ve had a fantastic impact. They’ve really raised the profile of the whole issue. We would like to add our weight. If two villages work together, it would be far better than both villages working independently. We’re aiming not to duplicate what they’re doing but to learn from it. If a second village were to vote, even symbolically, to secede from the UK, it would be equally powerful.” – John Bauer, Barnham Parish Council Chairman
🎯 IMPACT: If Barnham follows Piddington’s lead, it could increase pressure on the government to address local opposition to asylum housing plans. The symbolic votes underscore the growing tensions in rural communities over government-orchestrated mass migration, and their impact on local safety, resources, and the social fabric of small, settled communities.
📺 FLASHBACK: In Piddington, a referendum on secession from the United Kingdom organized by the parish council saw an overwhelming majority vote for independence on a 92 percent turnout. The move drew national attention, with the villagers receiving the support of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has pledged to deport illegal immigrants at scale if it comes to government following Britain’s next general election, which must be held no later than 2029 but could be triggered earlier.

Image by Adrian S Pye.

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Residents in the English village of Barnham, Suffolk, are exploring a referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom, in protest of government plans to house over 1,200 asylum seekers.

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By Popular Demand.
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7 hours ago
Media
News

Fox News Joins White House Boycott After Trump Bans ‘Fake News’ CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO.

Corporate media outlets are joining forces against President Trump after he revoked the White House access of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Fox News has joined other corporate news outlets in suspending White House television pool coverage after President Donald J. Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and POLITICO for corruption and spreading “fake news.” White House pool coverage provides shared media access to White House events.
📺 DETAIL: The boycott affects planned coverage of President Trump’s scheduled events, including appearances at the White House and the United Nations. CNN, which had been designated as the TV pool provider for September 21, was blocked from doing so by the ban, and other outlets have refused to make alternative arrangements. Fox News is joined by ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO against the Trump administration.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” – White House television pool statement
🎯 IMPACT: CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO have announced plans to sue the Trump administration, arguing that the ban violates their First Amendment rights. The Trump administration is likely to argue that First Amendment protections for press freedom do not extend to a corporate media right to automatic access to the White House, which is not available to journalists generally. President Trump has said the banned outlets are peddling “fake news” in a manner that is “corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control,” presenting a threat to national security.
📺 FLASHBACK: This is not the first time the Trump administration has clashed with media outlets, previously barring the Associated Press (AP) for its partisan decision to continue referring to the Gulf of America as the “Gulf of Mexico,” despite its redesignation by the federal government.

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Corporate media outlets are joining forces against President Trump after he revoked the White House access of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO.

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By Popular Demand.
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8 hours ago
News
Politics

Populist AfD Wins Another German State Election as Ruling Party Suffers Historic Defeat.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU has suffered more unprecedented losses in Germany’s state elections, raising questions about his leadership as the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) advances.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has scored another major state election victory, emerging as the largest party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as Chancellor (Prime Minister) Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a historic defeat. The AfD won around 38.2 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD). The CDU, formerly led by Angela Merkel, fell to just 4.9 percent and failed to clear the five percent threshold required to secure seats in the state legislature.
📺 DETAIL: The result marks the first time the CDU has failed to enter a state legislature in the history of Germany’s post-war Federal Republic. The AfD’s victory follows its breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier, reinforcing its growing electoral strength in eastern Germany. In Berlin, the AfD also recorded a strong showing relative to the area’s political demographics, finishing third with 16.3 percent of the vote, behind the CDU and Die Linke (The Left), which pushed the ruling party into second place. Merz described the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania result as a “disaster” but rejected calls to step aside as Chancellor and party leader, insisting he would continue pursuing his government’s economic reforms. Despite winning the most votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD is unlikely to be part of the state government, because the establishment and far-left parties have ruled out cooperating with it in any way—a political “firewall” critics describe as anti-democratic.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Friedrich Merz is the wrong Chancellor for the CDU, and he is dragging the party down with him.” – AfD leader Alice Weidel
🎯 IMPACT: The AfD’s latest regional victory signals continued growth for the party, particularly in eastern Germany, while putting additional pressure on Chancellor Merz and the establishment parties to respond to voter dissatisfaction.

Image by Michael Lucan.

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU has suffered more unprecedented losses in Germany's state elections, raising questions about his leadership as the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) advances.

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By Popular Demand.
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9 hours ago
Bonkers Britain
Media
News

Memory Holed: BBC Mass Deletes Popular Comedy Series Because It No Longer ‘Works Today.’

The BBC has removed 11 sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look on its iPlayer service, claiming that they no longer “work today,” sparking debate over censorship.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The BBC has edited That Mitchell and Webb Look for its 20th anniversary on iPlayer, removing 11 comedy sketches it deems inappropriate for 2026.
📰 DETAIL: The decision was reportedly made in consultation with show creators David Mitchell and Robert Webb, best known for the sitcom Peep Show, although they have not publicly commented on the edits as of the time of publication. The cut sketches featured blackface—presented in a critical manner—and Mitchell wearing a burka, as well as references to racial stereotypes, with the BBC insisting, “This is a 20-year-old sketch show; in consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: Comedian Dom Joly described the cuts as “classic BBC overkill” and “hysterical censorship” in comments to the British press.
🎯 IMPACT: The move has reignited debates over censorship in Britain, where sharing “grossly offensive” content is a crime even in private WhatsApp groups, and the preservation of even relatively recent historical media.
👀 FLASHBACK: The censorship of That Mitchell and Webb Look follows a similar pattern seen after the Black Lives Matter disorder in 2020, which spread to Britain with low-level riots and the vandalization of statues of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and others, with shows like Little Britain being edited to censor comedy sketches touching on race.

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The BBC has removed 11 sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look on its iPlayer service, claiming that they no longer "work today," sparking debate over censorship.

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By Popular Demand.
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