Monday, June 22, 2026

D.C. Mayor Bowser Absconds to Martha’s Vineyard as Trump Cleans Up Capital.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has left the capital city for Martha’s Vineyard as President Donald J. Trump’s federalization of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) hits full swing and reports indicate that city law enforcement will now cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents, despite the nation’s capital’s sanctuary city status.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Muriel Bowser, President Trump, Border Czar Tom Homan, the MPD, federal officials, criminals, and illegal immigrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Bowser was revealed to have left for Martha’s Vineyard on Thursday, August 14.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Every American has a constitutional right to be able to access and petition their government in safety. And countless government officials and employees, likewise, have the right to carry out their jobs in peace without being shot.” — President Trump

🎯IMPACT: The lack of resistance from Bowser and other D.C. officials is seen by many as a tacit admission that the Democrat city government has failed to curb violent crime.

IN FULL

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has left the capital city for Martha’s Vineyard as President Donald J. Trump’s federalization of the city’s police force, aimed at cracking down on violent crime and rampant vagrancy, hits full swing. The Democrat mayor, who has only meekly opposed the federalization, largely acknowledged earlier this week that Trump is within his legal rights as President and that the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will comply with federal officials.

Importantly, the MPD is reportedly now cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents, despite the nation’s capital’s sanctuary city status. While national Democratic Party figures and 2028 presidential hopefuls, like Governor Wes Moore (D-MD), have vigorously opposed Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown, the lack of resistance from Bowser and other D.C. officials is seen by many as a tacit admission that the city government has failed to curb violent crime.

The National Pulse reported earlier on Thursday that White House Border Czar Tom Homan declared Washington, D.C.’s sanctuary polices were effectively null and void amid Trump’s federalization of law enforcement. “The illegal alien criminal threat in D.C. is not going to be protected. There’s no sanctuary for these people in the city of D.C,” Homan said.


On Monday, at a press conference announcing the federalization of the MPD and crime crackdown, Trump pledged, “We’re going to take our capital back.”

He added, “Every American has a constitutional right to be able to access and petition their government in safety. And countless government officials and employees, likewise, have the right to carry out their jobs in peace without being shot.”

Image by Lorie Shaull.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

D.C. Will NOT Be a Sanctuary City During Police Federalization: Homan.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, stated that Washington, D.C., will not enforce sanctuary city policies while its police force is under federal control.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Tom Homan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, National Guard personnel, and D.C. law enforcement.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Washington, D.C., during the 30-day federal policing period.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The illegal alien criminal threat in D.C. is not going to be protected. There’s no sanctuary for these people in the city of D.C.” – Tom Homan

🎯IMPACT: Federal enforcement overrides sanctuary city policies, allowing ICE to detain criminal illegal immigrants.

IN FULL

Trump White House Border Czar Tom Homan says that Washington, D.C., will not function as a sanctuary city while under federal control. Homan made the assertion on Wednesday while speaking with the media.

According to Homan, President Donald J. Trump’s order to federalize the U.S. capital’s police force effectively negates the city’s sanctuary laws, allowing  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to engage in enforcement actions alongside assisting the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). “Yes, I think D.C. under federal control is not going to be a sanctuary city. We’re working with the police hand in hand, and when we encounter a criminal, illegal alien, they will be turned over to ICE, and that’s the way it should be,” Homan said.

The Border Czar emphasized that the focus would be on criminal illegal immigrants, noting, “I’m not saying every illegal alien in D.C. is a criminal, but many are. So these are people we are going to focus on. The illegal alien criminal threat in D.C. is not going to be protected. There’s no sanctuary for these people in the city of D.C.”

During the first night of federalization, the MPD made 23 arrests, which were on the higher end of the daily average despite occurring over less than a 12-hour period. Earlier Monday, President Trump declared, “We’re going to take our capital back,” vowing to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Pro-Trans Org’s Influence Over Children’s Hospitals Exposed.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A medical watchdog group, Do No Harm, released a report criticizing the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for pressuring hospitals to submit to gender ideology and promote child sex-change interventions.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Do No Harm, the Human Rights Campaign, and participating pediatric hospitals across the U.S.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The report was released on August 14, 2025, with findings applicable to pediatric hospitals nationwide.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Our report sheds light on how the HRC weaponized its so-called ‘Healthcare Equality Index’ to pressure pediatric hospitals into chemically and surgically castrating children.” – Dr. Kurt Miceli, Medical Director at Do No Harm.

🎯IMPACT: The report calls on healthcare workers to reject HRC’s policies, warning of the dangers of gender ideology in pediatric care.

IN FULL

Do No Harm, a medical watchdog group, published a report titled “How The Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index Infects Pediatric Hospitals With Gender Ideology,” exposing Human Rights Campaign (HRC) influence on pediatric hospitals. The report details how HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) pushes hospitals to adopt policies that promote gender ideology and child sex-change interventions.

According to the report, HEI-participating hospitals are assessed on compliance with HRC’s gender ideology criteria, such as providing transgender-specific clinical services, establishing multidisciplinary gender clinics, and mandating HRC-approved gender training for staff. One such training advises hospital staff to ask children as young as three about their “gender identity” without their parents being present.

Dr. Kurt Miceli, Medical Director at Do No Harm and co-author, stated, “By capitulating to the HRC’s political scheme, hospitals have utterly betrayed patients, especially children struggling with gender dysphoria. If health systems care about providing high-quality pediatric care, then they should distance themselves from the HRC and its Index.”

The report notes that from 2019 to 2023, hospitals submitted over $100 million in claims for experimental treatments on children, including puberty blockers and breast and genital mutilation surgeries. In 2024, 41 pediatric hospitals participated in the HEI, with 20 earning a “perfect” score of 100, signaling full commitment to pediatric medical transition interventions and suppression of dissenting opinions.

Do No Harm urged healthcare workers to resist HRC’s policies and oppose the spread of gender ideology in pediatric care, stating, “It is time for courage. Employees of all levels employed at HEI institutions caring for children need to speak out against the trainings and policies that HRC brought in to promote gender ideology. Now is not the time to ‘go along to get along.’ The quiet majority must raise its voice.”

Image by Silar.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

D.C. Man Who Attacked CBP Agent Was a DOJ Employee. Now He Isn’t.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A man who allegedly assaulted a federal agent in Washington, D.C., using a Subway sandwich, has been identified as Sean Charles Dunn, a now-former employee at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sean Charles Dunn, 37, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Earlier this week in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you. I just learned that this defendant worked at the Department of Justice — NO LONGER. Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony.” — Attorney General Pam Bondi

🎯IMPACT: Dunn has been charged with felony assault as federal efforts continue to combat crime in D.C.

IN FULL

Sean Charles Dunn, 37—who has been charged with felony assault after allegedly pelting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent with a Subway sandwich in Washington, D.C., earlier this week—has been revealed as a now-former Department of Justice (DOJ) employee. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday that Dunn has been fired from his position.

“If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you. I just learned that this defendant worked at the Department of Justice — NO LONGER. Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony,” Bondi wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding: “This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ. You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement.”

The criminal case was announced on Wednesday by Washington, D.C.’s U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who stated, “The police are not out there to get pushed around or beat up.” She added in a video posted to X, “He thought it was funny. Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today because we charged him with a felony: Assault on a police officer.”

According to the criminal complaint, Dunn admitted to a D.C. police officer, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.” Video footage appears to show Dunn hurling the deli sandwich at federal agents while shouting insults and attempting to flee the scene.

This arrest comes amid federal action to address rising crime in Washington, D.C. On August 11, President Trump deployed federal officials to support local law enforcement. The initiative includes the activation of the National Guard and has resulted in over 100 arrests, including individuals accused of gun crimes, drug offenses, and illegal immigration.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Putin Lauds ‘Energetic and Sincere’ Trump, Foresees Deal on Nukes in Alaska.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Trump administration for its efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and expressed optimism about upcoming meetings on nuclear arms control.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and senior officials from both nations.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Meetings between Trump and Putin are set to take place in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, following remarks by Putin on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The current American administration… is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin said.

🎯IMPACT: The potential for a peace deal hinges on agreements over Ukraine and nuclear arms control.

IN FULL

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Trump administration on Thursday for its “energetic” and “sincere” efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking at a press briefing, he voiced optimism about planned meetings in Anchorage, Alaska, which he said could establish “long-term conditions for peace between our countries, as well as in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”

“The current American administration… is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict,” the Russian leader continued, also stressoing the need for nuclear arms control agreements, referencing the 2011 New START treaty, which limits strategic nuclear weapons but is due to expire in 2026. Trump has often expressed his view that “nuclear warming” is the greatest threat facing mankind.

President Donald J. Trump appears hopeful that a deal can be reached, but he has voiced skepticism over Putin’s intentions in recent weeks. “We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said last month, adding: “He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” He has also warned of “severe consequences” for Russia if the Ukraine conflict continues, including sweeping secondary sanctions on its trading partners.

Trump has said he believes the Alaska meeting “sets up the second meeting,” where the details of a peace deal can be hammered out—”but there is a 25 percent chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting.”

The America First leader has said he expects press conferences following the meeting, although they may be separate rather than joint “if the meeting doesn’t end well.”

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Trump Seeks to Extend Federal Control Over D.C.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced plans to seek long-term extensions from Congress to maintain federal control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Congressional Republicans, and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made at the Kennedy Center on the evening of August 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously,” said President Trump.

🎯IMPACT: Federal oversight of D.C. police could extend beyond the 30-day limit, requiring bipartisan support in Congress.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump announced late Wednesday that the White House will pursue “long-term extensions” from Congress to maintain control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). This move is part of the administration’s broader effort to address crime in the nation’s capital. “I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously,” Trump stated.

On Monday, the President signed an Executive Order directing the D.C. mayor to provide the MPD’s services for federal use. The order utilizes provisions of the 1973 Home Rule Act, which allows the President to federalize D.C. police forces for 48 hours, extendable up to 30 days with congressional notification. Any further extensions require a joint resolution from Congress.

Speaking at the Kennedy Center, Trump emphasized the need for a long-term solution. “We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C. We’re going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days,” he said. While Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, at least seven Democratic votes would be needed in the Senate to meet the 60-vote threshold for passage.

The President remarked that he could extend the federal takeover without Congressional approval in the event of a national emergency, but clarified, “I don’t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will, but I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

U.S. Military Targets Drug Cartels in Southern Caribbean.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. air and naval forces are deploying to the Southern Caribbean Sea following President Donald J. Trump’s directive targeting Latin American drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the Pentagon, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The operations are set to take place in the Southern Caribbean Sea, with recent developments over the past week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself.” – Pam Bondi

🎯IMPACT: The deployment aims to combat narco-terrorist organizations and reduce the flow of deadly drugs into the United States.

IN FULL

U.S. air and naval forces are deploying to the Southern Caribbean Sea after President Donald J. Trump ordered the Pentagon to use military force against Latin American drug cartels. Sources familiar with the plan report that, following Trump’s directive, the Defense Department has started deploying troops to counter “threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region.”

President Trump signed an order last week to send U.S. troops to conduct anti-cartel operations abroad, though the specific cartels targeted remain undisclosed. After taking office, Trump designated seven drug cartels and two international criminal gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), most of which operate primarily in Mexico. However, the reported troop deployment to the South Caribbean Sea suggests a focus on Central and South America.

Venezuela, located along the South Caribbean Sea, has recently drawn the Trump administration’s attention. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the State Department designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and the Cartel de los Soles as FTOs.

Trump has intensified pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, increasing the bounty on him to $50 million and highlighting his connections to transnational gangs and drug cartels. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with the Mexican Sinaloa cartel “to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country.” Bondi stated earlier this month, “To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself.”

Trump has already deployed the military and expanded military zones along the U.S.-Mexico border to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking, with increased aerial surveillance of Mexican cartels to gather intelligence on traffickers smuggling drugs like fentanyl into the U.S.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Court Upholds State Ban on Transing Kids.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court overturned a block on an Arkansas law prohibiting transgender medical procedures for minors, allowing the legislation to take effect.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Arkansas lawmakers, and Republican officials, including Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on August 12 and pertains to Arkansas—the first state to pass such legislation.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This is a win for common sense—and for our kids,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

🎯IMPACT: The decision allows Arkansas to enforce its law, which has inspired similar legislation in over two dozen states.

IN FULL

An Arkansas law that bars medical professionals from inflicting transgender-related drug and hormone therapies or mutilation surgeries on minors can now be enforced, following a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In an 8-2 ruling issued Tuesday, the court overturned a previous block on the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which was originally passed four years ago.

The SAFE Act prohibits doctors from performing surgeries such as breast or genital removal on minors, prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones, and referring children for such treatments. Lawmakers have cited the procedures’ often irreversible effects on fertility, bone density, and physical development as justification for the law.

“The question is whether this Nation’s history and tradition, as well as its historical understanding of ordered liberty, support the right of a parent to obtain for his or her child a medical treatment that, although the child desires it and a doctor approves, the state legislature deems inappropriate for minors. This court finds no such right in this Nation’s history and tradition,” the court’s majority wrote in their opinion.

The ruling closely follows a recent Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s similar ban on transgender procedures for minors. The Eighth Circuit judges referred to that case multiple times in their opinion.

The Arkansas law had been blocked since July 2021 by a district judge, following a lawsuit brought by four transgender minors and two medical providers. The plaintiffs argued the law violated the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses. However, the appeals court rejected their arguments, stating, “To the contrary, the Act does not classify based on transgender status. Like the Tennessee law upheld by the Supreme Court, the Act effectively divides minors into two groups. In one group are minors seeking drugs or surgeries for the purposes that the Act prohibits. In the other group are minors seeking drugs or surgeries for purposes the Act does not prohibit.”

Arkansas Republican leaders praised the court’s decision. “I applaud the court’s decision and am pleased that children in Arkansas will be protected from experimental procedures,” said Attorney General Tim Griffin.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders added, “Arkansas’ first-in-the-nation law to protect kids from life-altering gender experiments is back in effect!”

Image by Tim Evanson.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Shuttered Prison Converted Into ICE Detention Center.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The town of Mason, Tennessee, approved plans to convert a former prison into a migrant detention facility operated by CoreCivic.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Mason town officials, CoreCivic, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and local residents.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Mason, Tennessee, at a town meeting on Tuesday night.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m looking for the best interest of the town,” said Mason Mayor Eddie Noeman, emphasizing the potential for job creation.

🎯IMPACT: The decision increased ICE’s capacity and could boost Mason’s economy.

IN FULL

The small town of Mason, Tennessee, has approved a plan to convert a former prison into a migrant detention facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Following the approval of its contract, CoreCivic, a private prison company, will operate the site.

The facility, which had been closed since 2021 after former President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to end contracts with private detention centers, is now being revived. On January 20, President Donald J. Trump rescinded Biden’s order, clearing the way for such facilities to reopen.

At an August 12 town meeting, tensions ran high as dozens of pro-illegal immigrant protesters descended. However, with a population of just 1,337 and a median household income of around $47,000, Mason sees the project as an economic opportunity. Mayor Eddie Noeman, an Egyptian-American immigrant, emphasized the town’s decision “has nothing to do with anything going on inside” the facility but is instead about “creating jobs and benefiting the town.”

As the Trump administration intensifies efforts to deport illegal immigrants, other states have also partnered with ICE to repurpose facilities. For instance, in Indiana, part of the Miami Correctional Center was recently transformed into a migrant detention site known as the “Speedway Slammer.” A site in Florida nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” has also been opened in recent weeks, with President Donald J. Trump personally inspecting it.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more

Mamdani Pledges to Protect Illegals at Staten Island Rally.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, held an anti-Trump campaign event in Staten Island as part of his “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, Staten Island District Leader Jasmine Robinson, and Staten Island Democratic Association President Ali Ansari.

📍WHEN & WHERE: August 13 at the Istanbul Bay Authentic Mediterranean Restaurant in Staten Island.

💬KEY QUOTE: “As we gather here on an island, where nearly 1 in 4 were born outside of this country, an island where 30 percent of its residents speak a language other than English, it’s an island that we know is not immune from this horrific crackdown,” Mamdani said of Trump’s deportation drive.

🎯IMPACT: Mamdani is setting himself up to turn America’s largest city into an anti-Trump stronghold should he claim the mayoralty.

IN FULL

Foreign-born Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani took his outspoken opposition to President Donald J. Trump’s immigration policies to Staten Island on Wednesday, continuing his citywide “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour. The event was hosted at Istanbul Bay Authentic Mediterranean Restaurant, where Mamdani took aim at Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.

“As we gather here on an island where nearly one in four were born outside of this country, an island where 30 percent of its residents speak a language other than English, it’s an island that we know is not immune from this horrific crackdown,” Mamdani told the crowd. “And we know that it has nothing to do with safety. It has to do with punishment.”

A central pillar of Mamdani’s campaign has been shielding illegal immigrants from the law and confronting federal immigration efforts head-on. According to the Ugandan immigrant’s campaign platform, his policy proposals include removing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from all municipal properties and bolstering sanctuary protections across New York City.

Mamdani’s defiance of Trump’s immigration stance has become a driving force behind his candidacy, which surged following his win in the June Democratic primary. During the primary, the Muslim radical and self-described socialist aligned himself with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who made headlines after being briefly detained by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents for disrupting an arrest involving a migrant.

Describing his goals for the city, Mamdani has said he envisions a New York that rejects “Donald Trump’s fascism,” and wants to put an end to mass deportations. Mamdani has also stated he is willing to abolish private property and prisons. He has previously called the New York City Police Department (NYPD) “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.”

The NYC election is scheduled for November 4. Mamdani will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more