Sunday, November 23, 2025
german

Germany’s Populists Landed a Massive Victory This Weekend.

The ‘Alternative for Deutschland’ (AfD) party has achieved a landmark victory in the German state of Thuringia, winning a district council election for the first time in a moment not dissimilar to the first UK Independence Party (UKIP) council win of 2015.

The AfD’s candidate, Robert Sesselman, ousted Jurgen Köpper of the leftist Christian Democrats (CDU) – the party of the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel – receiving 52.8 percent of the vote in Thuringia’s Sonneberg district.

The victory demonstrates the party’s recent momentum, argued Björn Höcke, leader of the AfD in Thuringia, adding, “[a]nd then we’ll prepare for the state elections in the east, where we can really create a political earthquake.”

The populist party is currently polling at 20 percent nationally, making it the second most popular party, and beating German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SDP).

The AfD is Germany’s only significant right-wing party, having been originally founded by a small group of disenfranchised CDU voters and academics in 2013. The party was first elected to the German parliament – the Bundestag – in 2017. It is is known for its Euroscepticism, anti-immigration, and anti-vaccine mandate policies, campaigning under the motto: “Germany. But normal.”

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The 'Alternative for Deutschland' (AfD) party has achieved a landmark victory in the German state of Thuringia, winning a district council election for the first time in a moment not dissimilar to the first UK Independence Party (UKIP) council win of 2015. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
A victory in a single district may not seem like a big deal, but you have to remember that the UK Independence Party (UKIP) took control of its first council in 2015
A victory in a single district may not seem like a big deal, but you have to remember that the UK Independence Party (UKIP) took control of its first council in 2015 show more
for exclusive members-only insights
audio

AUDIO: Trump Talks ‘Secret Info’ In DOJ Clip Leaked to CNN, But 45 Calls it ‘Exoneration’.

A recording of former President Donald Trump discussing General Mark Milley’s eagerness to start a war with Iran has been leaked, suggesting it confirms that President Trump was holding on to “secret information” at his Secret Service-guarded Mar a Lago residence.

The 45th president can be heard referring to “secret information” as the papers are discussed, with a staffer joking that Hillary Clinton would print such information out regularly. “[S]he’d send it to Anthony Weiner, the pervert,” Trump responds, prompting laughter.

The entire clip appears to be jocular in nature – a fact left out by CNN in its previous characterizations of the audio – which could only have been leaked to the network by the U.S. government itself, namely the Justice Department (DOJ) or Obama-linked prosecutor Jack Smith directly. Last week, a judge ordered that while Biden’s weaponized DOJ had leaked against Trump, that Trump was not allowed to leak to the press in return.

In the audio (below), Trump can be heard discussing with staff something referred to in or on one of the documents, stating: “[A]s president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

But it is still not clear whether Trump is talking about the documents themselves, in the audio, or something the documents may be referring to. As a result, a statement from the former President on Tuesday morning called the audio leak “an exoneration”:

The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and “spun” a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe. This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam. They are cheaters and thugs!

– Donald J. Trump, TruthSocial, June 26th.

The case is ongoing, as America draws closer to an election, with an unprecedented campaign from the government against one of its political opponents.

LISTEN: 

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A recording of former President Donald Trump discussing General Mark Milley's eagerness to start a war with Iran has been leaked, suggesting it confirms that President Trump was holding on to "secret information" at his Secret Service-guarded Mar a Lago residence. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Flatly, I was expected “worse” from this audio, given how much CNN has been hyping it, at the demands of the DOJ, for the past several months
Flatly, I was expected “worse” from this audio, given how much CNN has been hyping it, at the demands of the DOJ, for the past several months show more
for exclusive members-only insights
giant

D.C.’s ‘Giant’ Supermarkets Could Close Amidst Crime Wave.

Washington, D.C.’s ‘Giant Food’ supermarket chain may close a number of locations amidst a surge in theft and violence over the last five years. Company’ President Ira Kress told WTOP local news: “They steal everything from roasts to shrimp to deodorant to razor blades, you name it.” He also highlighted how organized crime groups are hiring other thieves to steal for them.

Giant Food operates 165 supermarkets in the U.S. capitol, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, and employs over 20,000 people. It was founded in the 1930s, and is now owned by Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch holding firm that also owns Food Lion, Stop & Shop, and other grocery chains around the world.

In Washington, D.C., Giant has taken security measures to combat the rise in shoplifting and violence, including limiting store entrances, hiring more security guards, restricting the number of items at self-checkouts, and limiting the number of items one may carry in their basket, but these have made little impact.

Kress blames the weakness of the justice system in refusing to punish offenders, arguing: “It is extraordinarily easy to see stolen items now… [a]nd if it’s easy to make money and there are little-to-no penalties getting caught doing it, then more people are taking advantage of that.”

Crime in the U.S. capitol has been skyrocketing, with D.C. realizing a 40 percent rise in arms offenses since 2017, and recently passing 100 annual homicides at the fastest rate since 2003.

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Washington, D.C.'s 'Giant Food' supermarket chain may close a number of locations amidst a surge in theft and violence over the last five years. Company' President Ira Kress told WTOP local news: "They steal everything from roasts to shrimp to deodorant to razor blades, you name it." He also highlighted how organized crime groups are hiring other thieves to steal for them. show more
pride

United Nations Pushes Pride On Kids.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is pushing ‘Pride Month’ by depicting an LGBT parade with children covered in rainbow flags marching alongside drag queens.

The UNDP, which aims to “eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through sustainable development of nations” by way of its socialist Agenda 2030 sustainability goals, published a video on Twitter in which a young girl can be seen holding hands with two transgender adults, with one waving an LGBT flag.

Other figures donning the Pride flag include a woman in a hijab, a man wearing a rainbow dress, and a drag queen in stilettos.

“We uphold the principles of participation, inclusion, equality, and non-discrimination,” the Tweet stated.

“This #PrideMonth and every day, let’s celebrate and respect equality, dignity and #HumanRights for everyone, everywhere,” the UNDP added.

This follows dozens of trans activists singing “we’re coming for your children” at a Gay Pride event in New York City over the weekend.

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The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is pushing 'Pride Month' by depicting an LGBT parade with children covered in rainbow flags marching alongside drag queens. show more
new hampshire

DeSantis In Fight with New Hampshire Republican Women.

Ron DeSantis has been accused of making his “worst strategic move” of the race for the Republican nomination so far, getting into a scrap with a conservative women’s group by scheduling an event in New Hampshire on the same day as their annual fundraiser.

“It’s just stupid, actually. You don’t take on the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women,” said GOP strategist Mike Dennehy of the Florida Governor’s move to counter-programme the “Lilac Luncheon,” which is being headlined by his opponent former president Donald J. Trump.

The GOP women’s group put out a statement chastising DeSantis: “[I]t has always been a New Hampshire hallmark to be considerate when scheduling events,” they complained. “To have a candidate come in and distract from the most special event [the women’s group] holds in the year is unprecedented.”

“If there’s one thing you don’t do in New Hampshire, it’s piss off the grassroots women,” commented a source described as an adviser to one of DeSantis’s rivals. “Don’t mess with them, they remember everything. Rookie move.”

Dennehy, a former staffer on the Rick Perry presidential campaign in 2016, also warned “it could be death by a thousand cuts” for DeSantis if he continues making unforced errors.

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Ron DeSantis has been accused of making his "worst strategic move" of the race for the Republican nomination so far, getting into a scrap with a conservative women's group by scheduling an event in New Hampshire on the same day as their annual fundraiser. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Every day it’s something with this guy
Every day it’s something with this guy show more
for exclusive members-only insights
pride

WATCH: Women’s Rights Activist Attacked By ‘Pride’ Marchers.

A women’s rights campaigner was surrounded and assaulted by attendees of the New York City Pride parade on Sunday after she held up a sign that read: ‘Defend Female Sex Based Rights.’

K. Yang – a former trans rights activist who now acts as an LGBT whistleblower – can be heard repeatedly shouting to the mob, “stop touching me, stop f***ing touching me,” after being mobbed by dozens of LGBT activists, who proceeded to hurl abuse, hit her on the head, and smack her around.

Yang released a statement on Twitter following the event, stating: “I was kicked, hit, pushed, mobbed by dozens of people in Washington Square Park. [Men] who identify as [women] called me “bitch” & assaulted me.”

WATCH:

Washington Square Park also hosted the “Dyke March” on Saturday, wherein LGBT activists stripped down to their underwear, exposing their naked breasts, and danced in front of children.

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A women's rights campaigner was surrounded and assaulted by attendees of the New York City Pride parade on Sunday after she held up a sign that read: 'Defend Female Sex Based Rights.' show more
build the wall

DeSantis Announces ‘BIG’ New Policy… But It’s Just ‘Build The Wall’.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis announced on Monday what was touted as a “big” new policy: Build The Wall.

It’s a moment observers are already lampooning as a direct rip-off of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, with other Trump White House-era policies thrown in for good measure: “stop the invasion”, “hold the cartels accountable”, and the vague insistence that DeSantis will “work with states to enforce the law”.

The DeSantis border plan adds “no excuses” to the end of a tepid policy announcement video, with a pledge to go “beyond Trump.”

But many of the proposals appear to be either carbon copies of Trump policies, including, the top bullet points on “end[ing] catch-and-release” and “reimpos[ing] Remain in Mexico.” The details are so similar that they could’ve been lifted directly from the Trump campaign website, which opens by stating that the former president will “again end catch-and-release [and] restore Remain in Mexico”.

Other details also appear to be plagiarized from the 45th President.

DeSantis pledges he will “declare the Mexican drug cartels to be Transnational Criminal Organizations” and “authorize sanctions” on them, while Trump has pledged to “designate cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations” and “impose a total naval embargo on cartels [and] order the Department of Defense to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership and operations” to take them down “just as [the Trump administration] took down ISIS”.

“DeSantis is copying and pasting President Trump’s Agenda47 policy plan because he doesn’t have an original idea of his own,” Trump’s team scoffed on social media. The announcements were made in Eagle Pass, Texas, as the Florida Governor scrambles to breathe life into his faltering campaign.

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Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis announced on Monday what was touted as a "big" new policy: Build The Wall. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
While the story is humorous, it goes to the heart of the amateurishness of the DeSantis team
While the story is humorous, it goes to the heart of the amateurishness of the DeSantis team show more
for exclusive members-only insights
dominion

‘Tough Noogies’ – Georgia Won’t Fix Its Dominion Machines. PhD Scientists Are Mortified.

Technology experts are warning that the state of Georgia’s election results will continue to be viewed with suspicion if Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refuses to address the grave concerns published in the recently released Halderman report.

“Raffensperger has lumped us with the election deniers,” David Jefferson, a computer scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and an expert on election technology told POLITICO. “But we cannot, out of fear of that confusion, stop talking about these vulnerabilities. They are real, they are there, and they must be addressed.”

The Halderman report uncovered nine “critical vulnerabilities” in Dominion Voting Systems’ machines and found that a “dishonest election worker…with just brief access to the scanner’s memory card could violate ballot secrecy and determine how individual voters voted.”

But Raffensperger, who is ultimately in charge of election oversight, doesn’t seem concerned, issuing a statement last week claiming, “It’s more likely that I could win the lottery without buying a ticket,” than someone being able to tamper with his Dominion machines undetected. His spokesman, Mike Hassinger, went even further: “If the PhDs don’t like being put in the same category as the Pillow salesman, tough noogies. They should stop saying similar things.”

Prof. Alex Halderman himself expressed his disappointment in Raffensperger’s response, calling it “the height of irresponsibility.” Georgia is the only state in the country that mandates the use of Dominion’s ICX system since 2019, instead of simply having it on hand amongst other methods of voting. Texas refused to use it at all, after it failed security tests.

John Poulos, the CEO of Dominion, recently predicted the company’s collapse because so many states have lost confidence in Dominion machines since the 2020 presidential election. Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a fundraiser at Dominion’s lawyers’ offices on Friday evening in Washington, D.C.

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Technology experts are warning that the state of Georgia's election results will continue to be viewed with suspicion if Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refuses to address the grave concerns published in the recently released Halderman report. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
This saga is frustrating for multiple reasons
This saga is frustrating for multiple reasons show more
for exclusive members-only insights
churchill

St. Paul’s Cathedral Calls Sir Winston Churchill a ‘White Supremacist’.

War hero and Nazi defeater Sir Winston Churchill has been labeled a “white supremacist” and “unashamed imperialist” in an article published by St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, posted to their website.

St Paul’s – considered to be one of Britain’s greatest architectural feats which hosted Churchill‘s own funeral in 1965 – called the wartime leader “a controversial figure, as he was an unashamed imperialist and white supremacist” while acknowledging his efforts in “fending off the threat of invasion and enabling a fightback against the Nazi occupation of Europe in alliance with America…”

Following a swift backlash, the website now reads, “[h]e is also a figure of controversy, especially when viewed from a modern perspective.”

“It’s the sort of thing that is so thoughtless, stupid and ignorant and does the image of the Church so much harm. It’s such a terrible thing to say,” argued Churchill’s grandson, Nicholas Soames.

“Even for allowances of some of the sort of more extreme views in the Church of England, this is really going too far,” Soames added.

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War hero and Nazi defeater Sir Winston Churchill has been labeled a "white supremacist" and "unashamed imperialist" in an article published by St. Paul's Cathedral in London, posted to their website. show more
macron

Macron Demands Global Climate Tax.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a global taxation system to raise money for green policies climate change mitigation. The call came at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris this weekend, where the French leader told 1,500+ attendees:

“I’m in favor of an international taxation to finance efforts that we have to make to fight poverty and in terms of climate [action]… It doesn’t work when you do it alone, the [financial] flows go elsewhere.”

– President Emmanuel Macron

The tax could replicate existing schemes in France, Macron said. The country has already placed a higher tax burden on plane tickets and financial institutions, even banning short haul flights. The summit did not reach a final agreement as to what the taxes will look like, though Macron explained that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) would be an appropriate framework for the negotiations as countries have already used the OECD “to reach a deal on reforming global taxation for large multinationals.”

“Whether it’s on financial transactions, maritime transport or certain other models, it will only work if it’s truly international, and so it presupposes an agreement, as we’ve been able to do on international taxation,” Macron added.

European nations have been making increasingly draconian and intrusive climate demands in recent years, such as the decision taken by the Irish government to cull up to 200,000 cows by 2025 to meet climate change targets.

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French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a global taxation system to raise money for green policies climate change mitigation. The call came at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris this weekend, where the French leader told 1,500+ attendees: show more