GET THE APP
Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Category: News
April 13, 2026
News

BREAKING: Swalwell Quits Congress After Sex Scandal Torpedoes Governor Bid.

Eric Swalwell steps down from Congress following a sex scandal and a failed gubernatorial bid.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has announced his resignation from Congress amidst a burgeoning sex scandal and after withdrawing from the California Governor’s race over the weekend.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me.” – Eric Swalwell
🎯 IMPACT: Swalwell’s resignation could lead to a shift in political dynamics, both within Congress and in California, as his departure opens up his Congressional seat and affects the gubernatorial race.
📰 DETAIL: Swalwell’s decision to step down comes amidst allegations and potential expulsion votes, which he claims are without merit or due process. A former staffer for Rep. Swalwell alleged in the San Francisco Chronicle that he sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel room after an event in 2024. The same woman also alleged he assaulted her in 2019, the same year now-Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) was National Campaign Chair for Swalwell’s presidential campaign. Hours after the Chronicle story appeared, three additional accusers came forward. The women alleged Swalwell engaged in sexual misconduct, including sending explicit messages and unsolicited photos of his genitals. One unnamed woman said she went out for drinks when he visited her city, and he touched and kissed her as she became heavily intoxicated, later waking up in his hotel room unable to remember how she got there. Another woman alleged that Swalwell sent her unsolicited nude images in 2021. READ MORE HERE.

 

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

Image by Gage Skidmore (cc)

show less

Eric Swalwell steps down from Congress following a sex scandal and a failed gubernatorial bid.

show more
April 13, 2026
News

Imam Who Endorsed 9-Year-Old Girls Getting Married Gets Deported.

An imam in Italy was recently expelled after an undercover investigation revealed his endorsement of child marriage.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Italy has deported Ali Kashif, an imam of Pakistani origin, after he was filmed endorsing child marriage during an undercover investigation. The footage, captured by journalist Francesco Leone, showed Kashif claiming that girls could be married after their first menstrual cycle, citing the Qur’an as justification.
📰 DETAIL: The investigation by Channel 4’s reporter revealed Kashif’s statements were made at Islamic centers in Brescia, Italy. The police commissioner, Paolo Sartori, ordered Kashif’s deportation due to his lack of a valid residence permit and his perceived threat to public order under Italy’s immigration laws.
🎯 IMPACT: This incident has intensified discussions on Islamist separatism in Italy, prompting legislative efforts to introduce stricter penalties for forced marriages and to monitor foreign funding for mosques. The deportation underscores Italy’s commitment to upholding laws and human rights against practices deemed incompatible with Western values.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Such individuals legitimize horrendous practices because ‘Allah said so,'” commented Giovanni Giacalone, an Italian expert in terrorism and counterterrorism.
👀 CONTEXT: Over 20,000 Muslims live in Brescia, leading it to be called Italy’s “Islamic Capital.” Italian law gives cops the power to remove foreigners “considered a threat to public order or the security of the State” or has been involved in sex-related crimes.

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

show less

An imam in Italy was recently expelled after an undercover investigation revealed his endorsement of child marriage.

show more
April 13, 2026
News

Anti-AI Attacker Carried ‘Manifesto’ and Other Tech Execs’ Addresses.

A suspect accused of targeting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a Molotov cocktail and carrying a manifesto listing other AI executives has been arrested, with the FBI searching his Texas home.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: FBI agents raided the Texas home of Daniel Moreno-Gama, a 20-year-old suspect accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s California mansion. The attack, which occurred early last Friday morning, caused minor damage to an exterior gate, and Moreno-Gama was later arrested after allegedly threatening to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters.
📰 DETAIL: Moreno-Gama reportedly traveled from Texas to California and was found carrying a manifesto described as a “three-part series” listing AI executives and their addresses. On Sunday, Altman’s mansion was targeted again, this time by two suspects in a drive-by shooting. Both incidents are believed to be linked to growing tensions over artificial intelligence and its societal implications.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me.” – Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO.
🎯 IMPACT: The incidents highlight the growing hostility toward AI leaders amid heightened public anxiety over artificial intelligence.
🖇️ RELATED: Apple Podcasts series, Project Unabom, explores the history and motivations of anti-tech terror attacker Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber.

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

show less

A suspect accused of targeting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a Molotov cocktail and carrying a manifesto listing other AI executives has been arrested, with the FBI searching his Texas home.

show more
mitch mcconnell
April 13, 2026
News

Mitch McConnell Blasts Trump, Vance Over ‘Foreign Influence’ Campaign.

Outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance following Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s election loss.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The outgoing and decrepit Senator, Mitch McConnell, has used a Fox News website op-ed to lash out at President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance over their support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who suffered a significant election defeat on Sunday after 16 years in power. McConnell expressed his disapproval in an op-ed, arguing that Orbán’s policies and alliances do not align with American values or strategic interests, and claiming that Trump and Vance were involved in a foreign influence operation.
📰 DETAIL: Trump and Vance had publicly supported Orbán, with Vance even visiting Hungary to campaign for him and Trump praising him as a “fantastic man.” McConnell, however, used globalist talking points about “democratic backsliding” and “ties with authoritarian regimes” to attack Orbán and his leadership. He also hit out at American conservatives for using Orbán’s policies as a model for the U.S.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Orban’s fawning servitude to authoritarians doesn’t reflect American values,” McConnell wrote, adding that “his government’s fealty to Moscow… and its deepening ties with Iran run counter to America’s interests.”
🎯 IMPACT: McConnell’s remarks highlight growing divisions within the Republican Party over foreign policy and the embrace of populist leaders abroad. His critique also underscores broader questions about the alignment of certain international alliances with U.S. strategic priorities.

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

show less

Outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance following Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's election loss.

show more
April 13, 2026
News

Trump Invites DoorDasher’s Cancer-Stricken Husband to UFC Fight at White House.

President Trump extended a personal invitation to a DoorDasher and her husband, who is battling cancer, to a UFC event at the White House.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump invited a DoorDash deliverywoman, Sharon Simmons, and her husband Leo, who is battling cancer, to attend a UFC event taking place on the White House lawn this June, after she delivered a McDonald’s order to the Oval Office on Monday. “We’re having a fight at the White House on June 14th, and we’re gonna have an arena built right at the front door… if you want, is your husband up to coming, do you think?” the President asked. “If he’s feeling good, well, make sure you come, OK?” he continued, adding, “He’s gonna get better, and he’s gonna be good.”
📺 DETAIL: The invitation was extended during a White House press event focused on President Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” policy. Simmons, who told reporters she had never delivered to the White House before, was tipped $100 by the President and invited to join him in the Oval Office as he fielded questions from the press. She said the “no tax on tips” policy has provided significant financial relief as her husband battles cancer. The policy lets tipped workers keep more of their earnings, with Simmons agreeing with Trump that the tax break is “very special.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I probably saved three to four thousand dollars with not having to pay [tax on tips],” Simmons said of the President’s reform.
🎯 IMPACT: President Trump said a 4,500-seat arena will be constructed for the UFC White House event, with stages and screens set up on the Ellipse behind it to accommodate between 50,000 and 100,000 spectators. The event, “UFC Freedom 250,” is being organized by UFC president and Trump ally Dana White, and is scheduled to coincide with Flag Day—which is also President Trump’s 80th birthday—on June 14.

📺 WATCH: Trump greets Simmons and invites her into the White House.

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

show less

President Trump extended a personal invitation to a DoorDasher and her husband, who is battling cancer, to a UFC event at the White House.

show more
April 13, 2026
News

New York Times Questions Trump’s Mental Health… Again.

The “paper of record” is once again peddling questions about the President’s mental health. Something they rarely did under Biden.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The New York Times published a 2000-word article on Monday questioning Donald Trump’s mental acuity, citing his recent Truth Social posts and past statements. The piece, written by long-standing anti-Trump bloviator Peter Baker, claims the President is “even less restrained and more incoherent” in his second term, reviving a longstanding conspiracy theory about his cognitive abilities.
📰 DETAIL: Baker’s article points to examples such as Trump misspeaking about his father being born in Germany (it was actually his grandfather), as well as what appears to be a fabricated story about his uncle, an M.I.T. professor, teaching Unabomber Ted Kacynzski. The piece references Trump’s use of profanity, his lengthy speeches, and what Baker calls “comments rooted in fantasy.” Trump has previously faced scrutiny over his health, including visible bruises and swollen ankles, but has repeatedly asserted that he has passed cognitive tests with high marks.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the past four years.” – White House Spokesman, to Peter Baker.
🪏 DIG IN: The article relies on the testimony of characters such as Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who the New York Times itself would have once derided as an unreliable kook.
📈 DATA: There is evidence to suggest the narrative is cutting through, however, with a February IPSOS poll showing 61% of respondents think Trump has “become erratic with age.”

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

show less

The "paper of record" is once again peddling questions about the President's mental health. Something they rarely did under Biden.

show more
April 13, 2026
News
Religion

Trump Admits Personally Posting ‘Jesus’ Image, Says He Thought it Represented Him as Doctor.

Trump posted the image shortly after criticizing Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has admitted to posting and deleting a Truth Social post depicting him as Jesus Christ, saying he thought it represented him as a doctor. Christians, including many of President Trump’s Christian supporters, called the post blasphemous and urged the President to take the image down.
📺 DETAIL: Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, the President said he thought the image was depicting him as a doctor making people better. The picture shows the U.S. President with light shining from his hands, dressed in red and white robes, healing a sick man in a hospital bed. He posted the image less than an hour after criticizing Pope Leo XIV in another Truth Social post, calling the Pope “weak” on crime and suggesting he was only chosen for his position because he is American, and the Church “thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor… Only the Fake News could come up with that one. I just heard about it. It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.” — President Donald J. Trump.
🎯 IMPACT: President Trump’s now-deleted post drew sharp criticism from Christian commentators, supporters, and spectators. The incident follows criticism from Pope Leo XIV, who disagrees with the Trump administration’s war with Iran and military intervention in Venezuela. “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” Pope Leo said last week.

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

show less

Trump posted the image shortly after criticizing Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social.

show more
April 13, 2026
News

Trump Admin Agrees to Fly LGBT Flag at ‘Stonewall Monument’… As Long as It’s BENEATH the U.S. Flag.

A legal settlement guarantees the Pride flag’s permanent display at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has agreed to reinstall the rainbow Pride flag permanently at the Stonewall National Monument as part of a legal settlement. The agreement follows backlash over the National Park Service’s removal of the flag earlier this year, which LGBT advocates argued was an attempt to erase a key symbol of their community.
📰 DETAIL: The lawsuit was filed by several advocacy groups, including the Gilbert Baker Foundation and Equality New York, after the flag’s removal. Under the settlement, the “Pride” flag will be displayed on the same flagpole as the American flag and the National Park Service flag, with its removal allowed only for maintenance.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Within seven (7) days of the filing of this Stipulation, NPS shall hang three equally sized, three feet by five feet flags on the flagpole at Stonewall. NPS will hang the American flag at the top of the flagpole in accordance with current guidance, and below the American flag, on either side, NPS will hang the rainbow Pride and NPS flags.” – Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal.
🎯 IMPACT: This resolution is being touted as a victory for LGBT visibility, though the stipulation that the gay rights flags cannot fly at the same height as the American flag is the point that Trump’s National Parks Service and the Department of the Interior were originally trying to make.
⏳ HISTORY: The Stonewall National Monument, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots, which broke out when New York police attempted to prosecute the lack of a liquor license on the gay bar, the Stonewall Inn Restaurant, which was being run by the Genovese mafia family. President Barack Obama enshrined the location as a National Monument in 2016.

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

show less

A legal settlement guarantees the Pride flag's permanent display at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan.

show more
April 13, 2026
Crime
Politics

Swalwell Abandons Gubernatorial Run Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Manhattan DA Investigating.

Eric Swalwell may be ejected from the House of Representatives, with fellow Democrats urging him to resign.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has suspended his campaign for Governor of California amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating, and fellow Democrats are urging him to resign.
📺 DETAIL: A former staffer for Rep. Swalwell alleged in the San Francisco Chronicle that he sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel room after an event in 2024. The same woman also alleged he assaulted her in 2019, the same year now-Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) was National Campaign Chair for Swalwell’s presidential campaign. Hours after the Chronicle story appeared, three additional accusers came forward. The women alleged Swalwell engaged in sexual misconduct, including sending explicit messages and unsolicited photos of his genitals. One unnamed woman said she went out for drinks when he visited her city, and he touched and kissed her as she became heavily intoxicated, later waking up in his hotel room unable to remember how she got there. Another woman alleged that Swalwell sent her unsolicited nude images in 2021.
👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: Eric Swalwell, accusers and former staffers, and fellow Democratic lawmakers.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.” – Eric Swalwell
🎯 IMPACT: Multiple Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), have publicly called for Swalwell to resign. In addition, more than 50 of his former staff members have signed a letter urging him to step down, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations against him. On Saturday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office revealed an investigation was underway, urging “survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations” to contact its Special Victims Division.
📺 FLASHBACK: The National Pulse revealed in 2020 that Swalwell accepted campaign donations from Victoria Li, an employee of a Chinese Communist Party-owned company, in 2014 and 2015.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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

show less

Eric Swalwell may be ejected from the House of Representatives, with fellow Democrats urging him to resign.

show more
April 13, 2026
Media
News

Obama Judge Tosses Trump’s Defamation Claim Against WSJ.

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald J. Trump failed to prove “actual malice” in a defamation case against The Wall Street Journal, but allowed the case to be refiled.

PULSE POINTS

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge dismissed President Donald J. Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over a story linking him to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. The judge ruled Trump failed to meet the legal standard of proving “actual malice” in the publication of the article.

📺 DETAIL: The WSJ article claimed Trump’s name appeared in a “birthday book” given to Epstein in 2003, with a note allegedly written by Trump. Trump denied the claim, calling it “a fake thing.” Judge Darrin Gayles, nominated by Barack Obama, stated Trump’s complaint did not sufficiently demonstrate that the WSJ acted with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, allowing Trump to refile by April 27.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People,” Trump’s legal team vowed.

🎯 IMPACT: The ruling underscores the high burden of proof required for public figures in defamation cases, particularly the “actual malice” standard. Still, Trump’s legal team intends to amend and refile the lawsuit.

📺 FLASHBACK: Trump has taken legal action against a number of media outlets in recent years, with ABC News reaching a $15 million settlement over false claims the President had been found liable for “rape” and Paramount agreeing to a $16 million settlement over a doctored 60 Minutes episode. Legal action against the BBC for doctoring a speech by the President on January 6, 2026, is ongoing.

Image by John Wisniewski.

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

show less

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald J. Trump failed to prove "actual malice" in a defamation case against The Wall Street Journal, but allowed the case to be refiled.

show more