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Saturday, January 17, 2026

Category: News
15 hours ago
William Upton
News

Stephen Miller’s Professor Says He Predicted Being #2 in a Trump White House… in 2003!?

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A former Duke University professor claims that, in 2003, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller was a student of his and accurately predicted that he would be the number two staffer in the White House and that the President would be Donald J. Trump in the next 15 years.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Stephen Miller, Professor H. E. (Hein) Goemans, and President Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The interview surfaced on social media on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I asked him in 2003 what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said, ‘I want to be number two in the White House.’ And I said, ‘Oh, when do you want to achieve that?’ He says, ‘In the next fifteen years.'” — Prof. Goemans

🎯IMPACT: The fact that Miller is the number two White House staffer and that the President is Donald Trump proves incredible prescience.

IN FULL

A former Duke University professor claims that, in 2003, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller was a student of his and accurately predicted that he would be the number two staffer in the White House and that the president would be Donald J. Trump in the next 15 years.

“I asked him in 2003 what he wanted to be when he grew up,” Professor H. E. (Hein) Goemans—who now teaches at the University of Rochester—said in a recent radio interview, continuing, “And he said, ‘I want to be number two in the White House.’ And I said, ‘Oh, when do you want to achieve that?’ He says, ‘In the next fifteen years.'”

“I said, ‘Wow, okay, but who would be the president?’ In 2003. And he said, ‘Donald Trump, maybe,'” Prof. Goemans stated, to the astonishment of the host. The professor added, “The guy is very smart,” while noting the conversation took place “at Duke, in PoliSci 122.”


Shortly after President Trump’s landslide 2024 election victory, Miller was named White House Deputy Chief of Staff, subordinate only to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. In this role, Miller oversees a significant portion of U.S. public policy—especially the administration’s enforcement of federal immigration laws and certain national security issues.

He also served as U.S. Homeland Security Advisor.

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16 hours ago
Immigration
News

Dem Bill Could Dox Thousands of ICE Agents, Admin Warns.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Democrat congressman proposed a bill requiring ICE and CBP agents to wear uniforms featuring QR codes for identification, sparking backlash from the Trump administration.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY), the Trump administration, and DHS officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The bill is set to be introduced next week; the debate centers on immigration enforcement nationwide.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Surely this cannot be a serious proposal,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.

🎯IMPACT: The proposal has reignited debates over law enforcement transparency and the role of immigration agencies.

IN FULL

The Trump administration has strongly opposed a legislative proposal from Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) that would mandate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to have QR codes displayed on their uniforms. Torres has explained that scanning these codes would provide the public with the officer’s name, badge number, and employing agency. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson denounced the idea, describing it as a “widescale doxxing campaign” and cautioning that it would prompt protesters to disrupt law enforcement activities.

“This is all because Democrats want to defend criminal illegal aliens,” Jackson stated. Torres pushed back in defense of his proposal, asserting that the Trump administration is afraid of “transparency and accountability.” Speaking to AMNewYork, Torres claimed it is an urgent necessity to “unmask ICE” both “physically and digitally,” while positioning QR codes as a safer method than directly requesting an officer’s identification. He labeled ICE a “systemically corrupt institution” and vowed to resist any efforts to boost the agency’s funding.

Administration officials pointed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statistics indicating a 1,300 percent increase in assaults on ICE officers, linked to “dangerous and untrue smears” promoted by Democrats.

Torres’s measure has received backing from fellow Democrats, such as foreign-born Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan, who has advocated for eliminating ICE entirely.

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January 15, 2026
News

Newsom Denies Request to Extradite CA Doctor for Providing Mail-Order Abortions.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) denied a request from Louisiana to extradite a doctor accused of mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana woman.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Newsom, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R), Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R), and San Francisco-based physician Remy Coeytaux.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The extradition request was denied on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life.” – Gov. Jeff Landry

🎯IMPACT: The case highlights the ongoing legal and political battles surrounding abortion laws between states with differing policies post-Roe v. Wade.

IN FULL

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has rejected Louisiana’s request to extradite a San Francisco Bay Area physician accused of sending abortion pills to a woman in Louisiana, intensifying the ongoing clash between states over abortion enforcement after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The decision was announced on January 14 in a statement posted to Newsom’s official press office X (formerly Twitter) account. “Louisiana’s request is denied,” Newsom said, adding, “We will not allow extremist politicians from other states to reach into California and try to punish doctors based on allegations that they provided reproductive health care services. Not today. Not ever.”

Louisiana authorities are seeking to prosecute Dr. Remy Coeytaux for allegedly mailing mifepristone and misoprostol to a Louisiana woman through Aid Access, a Europe-based telemedicine service. Attorney General Liz Murrill (R-LA) announced the charges earlier this month, saying Coeytaux could face years in prison if convicted under the state’s abortion laws. Louisiana enacted a near-total abortion ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and has since adopted additional measures targeting abortion-inducing drugs and out-of-state prescribers.

Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) criticized Newsom’s refusal to extradite Coeytaux, saying the California governor was disregarding Louisiana law. “I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life,” Landry said.

Physicians convicted of providing abortions in Louisiana can face up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $200,000. The Coeytaux case marks the second time Louisiana has attempted to pursue criminal charges against a doctor located outside the state for alleged abortion-related violations.

The dispute comes as abortion-related criminal cases continue to emerge nationwide. In Kentucky, a woman was recently charged with fetal homicide after allegedly taking abortion pills obtained online. Authorities said the woman also faces additional charges related to the handling of her baby’s remains.

In Texas, law enforcement arrested eight individuals accused of operating an illegal abortion network, with officials saying several of those charged are foreign nationals. The arrests were tied to allegations of providing abortions and practicing medicine without proper licenses, violations that carry significant penalties under Texas law.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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January 15, 2026
War
World

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Officials for Violently Suppressing Protests.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. announced new sanctions targeting Iranian officials and entities accused of repressing protests and engaging in shadow banking activities.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Treasury Department, Iranian officials, and entities linked to Iranian financial institutions.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Sanctions were announced on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The U.S. supports the Iranian people’s call for freedom and justice.” – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

🎯IMPACT: Those subjected to the sanctions are blocked from access to their U.S. assets and business.

IN FULL

The U.S. Treasury Department announced it is imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials and entities accused of violently suppressing protests against the Islamic Republic and engaging in illicit financial activities. The sanctions target the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, Ali Larijani, who is alleged to have called for violence against protesters.

In addition, 18 individuals and companies tied to a shadow banking network connected to Iranian financial institutions were also sanctioned. These measures block access to U.S. assets and restrict business dealings with the named parties.

“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, adding: “At the direction of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.”

Along with Larijani, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders who “oversee elements of the security forces that are violently repressing the Iranian people.”

Image by Ted Eytan.

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January 15, 2026
News
UK

The Biggest-Ever Defection to Farage’s Reform Party Has Been Confirmed.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed his defection from the formerly governing Conservative (Tory) Party to Nigel Farage’s rising Reform Party.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Robert Jenrick, Nigel Farage, Tory leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch, and the Tories’ broader leadership.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The defection was announced on Thursday, following Jenrick’s dismissal from the Shadow Cabinet by Badenoch earlier that morning.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform. And Reform needs you.” – Robert Jenrick

🎯IMPACT: Jenrick’s defection signals growing discontent within the Tory Party and bolsters Reform’s standing as a government-in-waiting.

IN FULL

Former Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has officially defected from Britain’s formerly governing Conservative (Tory) Party to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, just hours after being dismissed from Tory leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet after evidence of the planned defection was uncovered.

Jenrick, who held a number of government positions while the Tories held office from 2010 to mid-2024, said he no longer believed the Conservative Party was capable of delivering meaningful reform, accusing it of lacking the “stomach for the radical change this country needs.” He said he was convinced that Reform, led by Farage, is now the only party able to meet the task at hand.

Speaking alongside Jenrick at a press conference, Farage welcomed the defection and joked that Badenoch deserved thanks for sacking him. “I think Rob coming will bring a lot more people and voters to us,” Farage said, describing the moment as a major step forward for his party. Notably, Jenrick placed second to Badenoch in the party’s internal leadership elections in 2024, and his popularity has increased while hers has decreased since then.

Jenrick used his speech to deliver a sharp critique of the Conservatives, arguing that their years of failure had left the country in decline. Praising Farage, he said, “Nigel has stood for the real change we need for over a decade,” and called on others to follow him to Reform. He concluded with the rallying cry: “Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform. And Reform needs you.”

Reform has been regularly topping national polls for months, and the party has claimed record membership growth, at one point overtaking the ruling Labour Party in total members. Past surveys indicate that more than half of Tory voters would back a merger or alliance with Farage’s party.

Image via Nigel Farage, X.

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January 15, 2026
Corruption
Immigration

ICE Just Detained This Chinese Billionaire.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Cui Lijie, a Chinese national and billionaire financier behind a controversial casino in Saipan, on suspicion of immigration violations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cui Lijie, her son Ji Xiaobo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Imperial Pacific International LLC.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Cui was detained on Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the West Pacific.

🎯IMPACT: Cui’s arrest highlights ongoing scrutiny around Chinese investment in U.S. territories and raises questions about immigration enforcement and visa policies.

IN FULL

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained Cui Lijie, a Chinese national and former majority shareholder of Imperial Pacific International LLC, on suspicion of immigration violations. The arrest took place in Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. unincorporated territory in the West Pacific.

Cui, 68, was reportedly detained by ICE’s Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations on Tuesday and is currently being held at the Department of Corrections in the village of Susupe. Local newspaper Marianas Variety reported the arrest, but ICE has not disclosed further details or announced a date for her hearing with an immigration judge.

Cui and her son Ji Xiaobo, both Chinese nationals, were instrumental in developing the Imperial Pacific Palace casino and a $600 million beachside hotel. Their ventures in the gaming industry followed their success in the junket industry in Macao, which promotes high-stakes VIP gambling experiences. However, the casino’s operations were marred by allegations of unlawful employment of Chinese illegal immigrants, safety violations, and suspected bribery of local officials.

In 2020, several executives associated with Imperial Pacific International and its contractor, MCC International Saipan, faced charges related to the illegal employment of foreign workers and the transfer of over $24 million to the United States to support unlawful activities. The casino was shut down in March 2020 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2024, citing $165.8 million in liabilities.

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January 15, 2026
Immigration
Politics

Noem Confirms She Has Spoken With Trump About Invoking Insurrection Act.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed discussions with President Donald J.  Trump about invoking the Insurrection Act regarding anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary Noem, President Trump, Minnesota state authorities, and violent anti-ICE demonstrators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Discussions occurred on Thursday concerning events in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We did discuss the Insurrection Act. He certainly has the constitutional authority to utilize that.” Sec. Kristi Noem

🎯IMPACT: Trump warned he may invoke the Insurrection Act if local authorities fail to address violent anti-ICE protests effectively.

IN FULL

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged that she has discussed with President Donald J. Trump the possibility of his invoking the Insurrection Act to quell violent anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Earlier on Thursday, Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he is considering invoking the law to deploy U.S. military to the city unless Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and local Democrat officials put an end to the violent unrest targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and personnel in the state.

“We did discuss the Insurrection Act. He certainly has the constitutional authority to utilize that,” Sec. Noem said outside the White House on Thursday, adding, “My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will start to work with us to get criminals off the streets. Remember, we are there and surged operations because of the largest fraud scheme in American history.”

Noem’s comments came after President Trump warned earlier in the morning, “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”

Civil unrest in Minneapolis has intensified in recent days following the fatal shooting of an anti-ICE activist after she attempted to run over a federal immigration officer last week. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported late Wednesday that two individuals attacked an ICE agent with a broomstick and a snow shovel during an attempted detention of a Venezuelan man. The Venezuelan man was shot in the leg during the incident.

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January 15, 2026
Crime
News

Minnesota Daycare Worker Admits to Killing Infant for ‘Attention.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A former Minnesota daycare employee confessed to intentionally suffocating two children, one of whom died in September.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former daycare employee Theah Loudemia Russell and her victims, including 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The abuse occurred in September 2025 at Rocking Horse Ranch daycare in Savage, Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Harvey was such a blessing to our family, and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts.” – Julie Muklebust

🎯IMPACT: Rocking Horse Ranch’s license was suspended, and Russell faces second-degree murder charges, with additional charges expected.

IN FULL

Theah Loudemia Russell, a former employee at a daycare in Savage, Minnesota, has admitted to “intentionally suffocating” two children under her care, one of whom—11-month-old Harvey Muklebust—died in September 2025. Savage Police Chief Brady Juell confirmed that Russell is currently in custody and faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with Harvey’s death, with more charges expected to be filed.

On September 22, 2025, Russell placed a 911 call from Rocking Horse Ranch daycare reporting that a child was not breathing. The infant, identified as Harvey Muklebust, was rushed to the hospital but was soon pronounced dead. At the time, Russell had been working at the facility for only about three weeks.

Investigators learned that three days earlier, police responded to the daycare after reports of a four-month-old baby found unresponsive with blood around their nose and mouth. The child had been involved in a similar incident hours prior, but the police had not been called on that occasion. Chief Juell said Russell’s actions and demeanor at the scene immediately drew suspicion, making her the focus of the investigation. Further probing revealed Russell’s prior pattern of “attention-seeking behavior”, which included making “nonsensical” 911 calls, displaying erratic conduct, and even starting fires.

In interviews with police, Russell confessed that she had suffocated both children “in an attention-seeking act.” Chief Juell stated that she “confessed to the attempted murder of our first victim on two occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust.” Rocking Horse Ranch’s license was suspended on September 23, 2025

At a press conference, Harvey’s grandmother, Julie Muklebust, expressed the family’s profound loss, saying, “Harvey was such a blessing to our family, and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts.” A fundraiser opened by friends of the Muklebusts described him as “pure happiness and sunshine from the moment he was born,” who “filled everyone’s hearts with joy when he giggled.”

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January 15, 2026
Immigration
Lawfare

Trump Is Praising a Biden Judge’s ICE Ruling, Here’s Why…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued late Wednesday, with President Trump praising the decision early Thursday morning.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A highly respected judge declined to block I.C.E. operations in the very politically corrupt State of Minnesota. I.C.E. will therefore be allowed to continue its highly successful operation of removing some of the most violent and vicious criminals anywhere in the World, many of them murderers, from the State.” – Donald Trump.

🎯IMPACT: ICE operations in Minnesota will continue, with Trump praising law enforcement efforts to ensure public safety.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump on Thursday praised U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez’s decision not to issue an immediate temporary restraining order (TRO) against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota. On Monday, Democrat Governor Tim Walz’s administration filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking to halt its immigration enforcement actions in the state and requesting an emergency TRO as litigation proceeds.

“A highly respected judge declined to block I.C.E. operations in the very politically corrupt State of Minnesota. I.C.E. will therefore be allowed to continue its highly successful operation of removing some of the most violent and vicious criminals anywhere in the World, many of them murderers, from the State,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding: “The great patriots of Law Enforcement will continue to make our Country safe. RECORD LOW CRIME NUMBERS!!!”

Judge Menendez—a Joe Biden appointee—stated that she was disinclined to issue the TRO before first hearing the Trump administration’s response to the lawsuit. However, she stressed her decision to decline the request “should not be taken as a prejudgment of the merits of either the plaintiff’s case or the anticipated defense that may be raised by the United States.”

“It is simply observing that these are grave and important matters and that they are somewhat frontier issues in constitutional law,” the judge added. Menendez requested that the Trump administration respond to Minnesota’s lawsuit by January 19 and that Gov. Walz file a reply by January 22.

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January 15, 2026
Immigration
Media
News

Diddy/Epstein-Linked Network Tries to Dox ICE Agents LIVE on Camera.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sensitive documents looted from a government vehicle were publicly exposed on a MeidasTouch livestream on Wednesday, showing the full names, contact information, and other personal details of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and other officials connected to immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: MeidasTouch, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI agents, and anti-ICE agitators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: During a disorderly protest on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where abandoned ICE vehicles were looted.

💬KEY QUOTE: “One of the ICE agent vehicles got broken into, and I found this paperwork.” – Meidas Touch livestreamer

🎯IMPACT: MeidasTouch’s actions leave federal agents at personal risk and undermine federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

IN FULL

Sensitive documents belonging to federal agents were exposed by the far-left MeidasTouch organization on Wednesday, after documents looted from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle were shown on a livestream. It had been abandoned amid aggressive protests by anti-ICE agitators in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“One of the ICE agent vehicles got broken into, and I found this paperwork. It has a list with FBI operation info; it’s got full names of FBI agents, phone numbers, emails, there’s maps on where they’re staying, where they’re holding immigrants,” said MeidasTouch’s correspondent, leafing through the documents on camera.

“There’s hotel names in there. There’s judge names. This paperwork has people’s full names and their emails,” she stressed again, going on to show “a map showing you where they’re taking immigration targets and instructions on how to get into the building and what they’re supposed to do on booking.”

MeidasTouch doxing officials connected to immigration enforcement leaves them at considerable personal risk, with cartel gangsters already having put bounties on the lives of immigration agents, such as Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino.

MeidasTouch Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski likened his work to “dropping a burning ember in a dry forest” and creating a “big blaze” in 2024, while urging Democrats to spread “deceptive posts” on social media. The organization’s founders are brothers Jordan, Brett, and Ben Meiselas, the last of whom got started in politics working for Sean “Diddy” Combs and Hillary Clinton.

Reid Hoffman, the Democrat megadonor and Epstein Island visitor, was an early financial backer of MeidasTouch. Notably, Hoffman’s visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island—officially Little Saint James—came in 2014, years after the financier was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution. Hoffman later admitted that “by lending my association, I helped [Epstein’s] reputation, and thus delayed justice for his survivors.”

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