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Sunday, March 22, 2026

Category: News
March 20, 2026
War

Trump Orders Even More Warships, Marines to Middle East.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Pentagon is deploying three additional warships and approximately 2,500 US Marines to the Middle East, marking the second deployment to the region this week.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the USS Boxer amphibious ready group, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Deployment announced this week, with troops heading to CENTCOM’s area of operation in the Middle East.

💬KEY QUOTE: “No, I’m not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” President Trump told the media when questioned on possible ground action in Iran.

🎯IMPACT: This deployment raises the possibility that Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran, may escalate to involve a ground component, such as an amphibious assault on Kharg Island.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of War is sending three additional warships and approximately 2,500 U.S. Marines to the Middle East, in the second troop deployment announced this week. This latest deployment includes the USS Boxer amphibious ready group and elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, likely intended to bolster ongoing U.S.-Israeli military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon ordered the deployment of 2,200 Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli, based in Japan, to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations in the Middle East, possibly to participate in the seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island. Notably, the island—located just off the coast of Iran in the northern Persian Gulf—serves as a critical hub for Iranian oil exports, hosting extensive petroleum storage and port facilities.

Despite the new Marine deployments and repositioning of warships, President Donald J. Trump insisted on Thursday that he does not currently intend to put “boots on the ground” in Iran. “No, I’m not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” Trump told the media, though he added that his administration will “do whatever’s necessary to keep the price” of oil down.

Notably, the latest Middle East deployments coincide with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier leaving its position in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel for port in Greece to undergo minor repairs following a small kitchen fire. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group remains positioned in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.

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March 20, 2026
Crime

Trump Set to Extend D.C.’s National Guard Deployment Until 2029.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Pentagon will maintain the National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., until 2029.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, National Guard members, and local D.C. residents.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Washington, D.C., through 2029 during Trump’s term.

🎯IMPACT: The National Guard presence has coincided with a sharp decline in crime, but sparked resistance from Democrat lawmakers and far-left political groups.

IN FULL

The Trump administration is expected to extend the deployment of National Guard members in Washington, D.C. until 2029. While the Pentagon has not formally announced the deployment extension, it is anticipated that the order will soon be approved by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with the National Guard presence remaining in the nation’s capital until the end of President Donald J. Trump‘s second term in office.

The National Guard deployment across the capital has coincided with a notable reduction in violent crime, with the initial deployment last summer first extended until February 2026, and subsequently extended again in January until the end of the year. The National Pulse previously reported that data published by Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shows that, year-to-date, homicides were down 80 percent, robberies down 58 percent, burglaries down 58 percent, car thefts down 57 percent, and crime across the board down 26 percent.

Additionally, the Washington, D.C., metro area’s public transit system announced this past January that 2025 saw the lowest crime rate on the subway and bus networks in decades. This precipitous drop in crime appears directly tied to the National Guard presence around the city.

The deployment has met with minor opposition, mainly from Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill and far-left activist groups that have organized small protests across the city. However, a survey of Washington, D.C. residents during the initial deployment last August shows that 54 percent of voters in the capital believe President Trump’s crackdown on violent crime and National Guard deployment is justified and necessary.

Still, attempts by the Trump administration to expand the successful crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., to other major American cities have proven difficult. In mid-February, the Pentagon ended the federal deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. This followed months of Democrat-led lawfare against the deployments.

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Purchased by The National Pulse
March 20, 2026
Jack Montgomery
NatSec
News

Secret Service Agent Responsible for Butler Security Suspended AGAIN for Failing to Disclose Migrant Marriage.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Secret Service agent, Myosoty “Miyo” Perez, was suspended for failing to report her marriage to a foreign national and is under investigation. Notably, Perez was responsible for the security plan at the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where President Donald J. Trump was nearly assassinated

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Myosoty “Miyo” Perez, the U.S. Secret Service, and her attorney Larry Berger.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The suspension occurred following her marriage in April 2025, as reported in March 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It speaks to the sad state of affairs of the Secret Service in recent years and who they’re hiring.” – Former Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Rich Staropoli

🎯IMPACT: Ongoing investigations into Perez’s actions and broader scrutiny of Secret Service practices following multiple security failures.

IN FULL

The U.S. Secret Service has reportedly suspended agent Myosoty “Miyo” Perez, who served as the site agent responsible for the security arrangements at the July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where President Donald J. Trump was almost assassinated, for the third time in the past 18 months. The current suspension and ongoing internal investigation stem from her April 2025 marriage to a Brazilian national, which she did not report to the agency as required.

At Butler, Perez was involved in planning and implementing the security measures for the rally, which drew criticism for shortcomings such as the failure to place personnel on a critical rooftop that gunman Thomas Crooks used to shoot President Trump in the ear, kill Trump supporter Corey Comperatore, and wound two more rallygoers. She was among six agents involved in the Butler failures who were suspended without pay last year. However, by February, she was once again involved in high-level security for former President George W. Bush. She has also previously been suspended for speaking to the media about Butler without permission.

The latest probe centers not just on the fact that Perez failed to report her marriage, but on possible immigration-related concerns involving her spouse. “How does a Secret Service agent not properly report a relationship with a foreign national that could be an illegal alien, let alone marry her and then not report the marriage?” commented Rich Staropoli, a former Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, adding that the situation “speaks to the sad state of affairs of the Secret Service in recent years and who they’re hiring.”

The DHS’s Office of Inspector General continues to work on final reports examining the Secret Service’s response to the 2024 assassination attempt. An earlier Secret Service report admitted to a catalogue of errors before and during the shooting.

Image by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

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March 20, 2026
Lawfare
News

Former FBI Agents Who Investigated Trump Are Now Suing for ‘Wrongful’ Termination.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents have filed a lawsuit claiming they were wrongfully terminated after working on Biden-era investigations targeting President Donald J. Trump.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The lawsuit involves two former FBI agents, FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in federal court in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Plaintiffs’ terminations were unlawful because they were based on a perception that Plaintiffs were not political supporters of President Trump,” the lawsuit filed by the former FBI agents claims.

🎯IMPACT: The case comes amid several federal and congressional investigations into the involvement of government officials in the 2016 election’s Russia collusion hoax and the post-2020 election’s Arctic Frost scandal.

IN FULL

Two former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents have filed a lawsuit claiming they were wrongfully terminated after working on Joe Biden-era investigations targeting President Donald J. Trump. The lawsuit, filed by two former Special Agents only identified as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2,” claims their dismissal by the Trump administration violated their constitutional rights under the First and Fifth Amendments.

“Plaintiffs request that this Court review their firings and grant relief on the grounds that Defendants’ actions violated Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights to free association and speech and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. Plaintiffs seek equitable relief in vindication of their constitutional rights and declaratory relief under the Federal Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202,” the lawsuit demands, while claiming, “Plaintiffs’ terminations were unlawful because they were based on a perception that Plaintiffs were not political supporters of President Trump.”

The lawsuit centers almost exclusively on the two former FBI agents’ involvement in the Arctic Frost scandal targeting Trump, Republican lawmakers, and GOP political groups, which was initiated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s former assistant special agent in charge, Timothy Thibault. After Thibault was forced to resign from the FBI in 2022 over his handling of a separate probe into Hunter Biden, the Arctic Frost investigation was handed over to Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith.

Notably, the former FBI agents claim that FBI Director Kash Patel dismissed them after congressional investigations into Arctic Frost, which led to one plaintiff being publicly named in documents and to the operation being labeled “partisan.” Both claim their firings are retaliation for perceived political affiliations. The lawsuit names Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the DOJ as defendants.

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March 20, 2026
Jack Montgomery
News
Politics

Paxton TROUNCES Cornyn in New Texas Runoff Poll.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A new poll indicates Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has a strong lead in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff against Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and is better placed to defeat Democrat nominee James Talarico.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ken Paxton, John Cornyn, and James Talarico.

📍WHEN & WHERE: March 20, 2026, in Texas.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Likely Republican primary voters strongly prefer Paxton over Cornyn.” – Impact Research poll memo

🎯IMPACT: If he prevails over Cornyn in the primary, Paxton’s strong base appeal could drive Republican turnout in a closely contested general election.

IN FULL

A new poll of likely voters in Texas for the 2026 election cycle indicates that state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) is positioned strongly in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff against incumbent Republican-in-name-only (RINO) Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). The poll also suggests that Paxton is better placed to defeat controversial Democrat nominee James Talarico in the general election.

The survey gives Talarico a 43 percent to 41 percent lead over Cornyn, and a narrower 44 percent to 43 percent lead over Paxton. Notably, Paxton holds a significant advantage among likely Republican primary voters, leading Cornyn by 53 percent to 37 percent in direct preferences. His strong appeal within the GOP base is further demonstrated by his net favorability rating of +33 among Republican primary voters, compared to Cornyn’s net negative 45 percent favorable / 47 percent unfavorable rating. Paxton’s favorability is also superior to Cornyn’s among independents, at net -32 compared to Cornyn’s -42.

This clear preference among core Republican voters positions Paxton to more effectively rally the party’s energized conservative wing, which could prove crucial for high turnout and momentum heading into the general election against Talarico.

Paxton has a strong track record as an America First conservative and supporter of President Donald J. Trump. Meanwhile, Cornyn has a long history of backstabbing the President, from opposing his border wall proposals in 2015 to opposing his primary campaign in 2024.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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March 20, 2026
News

DOJ Launches Criminal Probes Into Outgoing Colombian ‘Narco-President’ Gustavo Petro.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Gustavo Petro of Colombia is under criminal investigation by at least two U.S. federal prosecutors’ offices.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Gustavo Petro, U.S. Attorneys’ offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigations were revealed on Friday, March 20, 2026, and remain ongoing.

🎯IMPACT: The investigations could influence Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections and affect U.S.-Colombia relations.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed federal prosecutors in both Manhattan and Brooklyn to open criminal investigations into Colombia’s radical socialist President, Gustavo Petro, over alleged meetings with drug traffickers and accusations that he is accepted campaign contributions from criminal cartels. Both federal criminal probes appear to be in the earliest stages, and it is unclear whether either will result in criminal charges.

Colombia’s Petro is one of the last remaining critics of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in South America. However, Petro is term-limited and is set to leave office after Colombia’s May 2026 presidential election, suggesting the DOJ’s criminal probes are setting the stage for the alleged narco-leader’s prosecution after his presidential term expires.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are involved in these inquiries. However, despite the long-standing acrimony between President Trump and Petro, there is currently no evidence that the investigations were requested or initiated by the White House, and allegations of Petro’s involvement with drug traffickers and criminal cartels long predate Trump’s second term in office.

The National Pulse reported in October last year that Petro had suggested in an interview with the Spanish-language network Univision that “getting rid of” Trump may be necessary. These comments came just one day after President Trump called Petro a “lunatic” and vowed to halt foreign aid and other payments to Colombia over Petro’s inability to shut down the illicit cocaine trade. A month later, Petro again attacked President Trump, calling him a “barbarian” for authorizing the U.S. military to destroy cartel drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In 2023, Petro’s eldest son, Nicolas, admitted that illicit campaign contributions from people connected to cartels had flowed into his father’s presidential campaign accounts. Still, no charges were filed against Petro himself. However, the U.S Department of the Treasury did sanction Petro and several of his family members in late 2025.

Petro’s U.S. visa was revoked last September but reinstated earlier this month.

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March 20, 2026
Corruption
Crime

Comey Subpoenaed Over ‘Grand Conspiracy’ Against Trump.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has been subpoenaed in a federal case alleging a “grand conspiracy” among officials who investigated and prosecuted President Donald J. Trump.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: James Comey, John Brennan, Jack Smith, and other officials are reportedly targets of the investigation led by federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigation has been ongoing since last year and is based in Florida, with the Comey subpoena issued in March 2026.

🎯IMPACT: The probe seeks to tie multiple former federal officials to a conspiracy against President Trump, with over 130 subpoenas issued so far.

IN FULL

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has been served with a subpoena as part of a federal investigation into allegations that several former federal officials engaged in a “grand conspiracy” to prosecute President Donald J. Trump and effectively interfere in two U.S presidential elections. The federal probe, led by the United States Attorney for the District of Southern Florida Jason A. Reding Quiñones, has issued over 30 subpoenas since its inception last year.

Among the investigations‘ prime subjects are Comey, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director and American Communist Party voter John Brennan, and former Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith. Notably, Brennan was the central actor in promoting and popularizing the 2016 election’s Russia collusion hoax, while Smith oversaw the Arctic Frost scandal that resulted in two failed attempts to prosecute Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential race.

The newest subpoena for Comey is believed to be related to Brennan and the Russia collusion hoax, specifically focusing on the drafting of a January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which gave undue credence to the discredited Steele Dossier.

It is believed that Reding Quiñones also plans to revive the DOJ’s prior efforts to prosecute Comey for allegedly giving false testimony to Congress in 2020. That case was dismissed after a judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan, a Trump-appointed interim U.S. Attorney, was unlawfully serving in her role. Halligan’s prosecutions, including cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, were thrown out as a result.

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March 20, 2026
William Upton
News

Grammy-Nominated Rapper Afroman Prevails Against Cops in Hilarious Defamation Case.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Afroman, a Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, prevailed on Thursday in a defamation case against him that was brought by a group of police officers involved in raiding his home in August 2022.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Afroman; the Adams County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office, and an Ohio jury.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The defamation trial concluded on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

🎯IMPACT: The defamation lawsuit centered on Afroman’s use of footage from his home’s security camera and acerbic lyrics poking fun at the Ohio police officers involved, with the outcome being hailed as a victory for free speech.

IN FULL

Afroman, a Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, prevailed on Thursday in a defamation case against him that was brought by a group of police officers involved in raiding his home in August 2022. The defamation lawsuit centered on Afroman’s use of footage from his home’s security camera and acerbic lyrics poking fun at the Ohio police officers involved.

The 2022 raid resulted in significant damage to Afroman‘s home and asset seizure. Still, no criminal charges were ever filed against the hip-hop artist, prompting him to release a cheeky series of songs about the incident as a form of revenge. Using home security camera footage spliced with other video, Afroman released a series of ‘diss tracks’ including “Randy Walters is a Son of a Bitch” and “Lick ‘Em Low Lisa”—the latter being a reference to a female officer being a lesbian and sleeping with the wives of her male colleagues.

The officers sued Afroman, claiming the lyrics amounted to false allegations and caused injury to their reputations, leading to the trial, which concluded this past Thursday. In one of the more humorous moments, Sgt. Randy Walters was placed on the stand, in what should have been an opportunity to establish the falsity of Afroman’s lyrics, but instead lent credibility to the hip-hop artist’s claims. Sgt. Walters repeatedly declared that he did not know if Afroman had actually slept with his wife—something the rapper claims in his song “Randy Walters is a Son of a Bitch.” Repeatedly, Walters’s attorney tried to get the police officer to establish that the claim was false, but instead, Walters kept insisting he didn’t know and that it had caused him emotional pain and suffering.

In another incident, an officer who was lampooned in the song “Lemon Pound Cake” was forced to sit in the witness stand and listen to the diss track. The song’s title was allegedly inspired by the officer, seen on video glancing down at a lemon pound cake on the counter in Afroman’s kitchen during the 2022 raid.

Importantly, the defamation case against Afroman completely unraveled after one of the officers’ ex-wives took the stand as a witness for the defense and bluntly stated that neither she nor her husband had suffered any emotional pain or reputational damage. She further stated that the officers and wives had joked about the songs before deciding to file the lawsuit.

The hip-hop artist has long been a fixture in the pro-marijuana legalization community and, more recently, has become active in politics. Notably, Afroman was involved in the Libertarian Party’s 2024 National Convention in Washington, D.C., which President Donald J. Trump also addressed.

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March 20, 2026
Jack Montgomery
UK
War

Iranian Caught Trying to Break Into Nuclear Missile Base.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Iranian man was arrested after attempting to enter a nuclear missile base in Scotland.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: A 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old woman of unknown nationality.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on Thursday at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, a.k.a. Faslane, in Scotland.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing.” – Police Scotland spokesman

🎯IMPACT: The arrest highlights ongoing security concerns regarding Iranian sleeper agents and sympathizers amid the ongoing Iran war.

IN FULL

An Iranian man, aged 34, was arrested after attempting to gain access to His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, a.k.a. Faslane, in Scotland. The man was accompanied to the base, which houses nuclear-armed Trident submarines, by a 31-year-old woman of unknown nationality.

The pair approached the gate of the facility on Thursday but were turned away due to a lack of proper accreditation. Shortly afterward, they were arrested for “acting suspiciously in the vicinity.”

Faslane is an essential part of the British nuclear deterrent, housing seven Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines alongside Trident-class submarines, which carry dozens of nuclear warheads.

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed the arrests and stated that investigations are ongoing. The Ministry of Defence has also confirmed its involvement in the investigation.

Britain is increasingly being drawn into the Iran war, despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer resisting U.S. overtures to get involved, with Iran and its proxy striking British bases in Cyprus and Iraq. Concerns are growing across the West generally regarding the activation of Iranian sleeper agents and sympathizers amid the war on Iran, with a naturalized immigrant wearing a “Property of Allah” shirt and an Iranian flag having already carried out a deadly shooting in Austin, Texas.

Image by Tony Hisgett.

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March 20, 2026
Health
News

RFK Jr. Probes 13 States for Pressuring Doctors to Abort Babies.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched an investigation into 13 states for allegedly coercing doctors to perform abortions, potentially violating the Weldon Amendment.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS, doctors in 13 states, including California, Colorado, and New York.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigation was launched recently under the Trump administration.

🎯IMPACT: The investigations highlight ongoing conflicts over abortion policies following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched investigations into 13 states for allegedly pressuring doctors to perform abortions, potentially violating the Weldon Amendment, which protects healthcare providers who refuse to offer, fund, or cover abortion services.

States under investigation include California, Colorado, and New York, all of which supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. An HHS official explained the probes were necessary because earlier complaints had been dismissed due to what was described as an “unduly narrow reading” of the Weldon Amendment.

The investigations come amid ongoing national debates over abortion, intensified since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ruling has created a patchwork of state-level regulations and heightened tensions between federal and state authorities on the issue.

In Kentucky, a woman faced fetal homicide charges after taking abortion pills, drawing attention to the criminal enforcement of abortion restrictions. In Texas, law enforcement arrested eight individuals accused of operating an illegal abortion network, with officials saying several of those charged are foreign nationals. Meanwhile, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) denied a request to extradite a doctor providing mail-order abortions in January.

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