GET THE APP
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Category: News
March 18, 2025
News

UK Conservative Party Leader Takes Thinly Veiled Swipe at Trump – ‘We’ve Got to Move Away From Politics as Show Business.’

The leader of Britain’s dwindling Conservative Party has taken a thinly veiled swipe at President Donald J. Trump and his allies in a recent interview with the Telegraph newspaper. Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch—aka ‘Kemi’—was elected leader of her party in November 2024. Her party presided over the largest increase in net migration to the United Kingdom in history.

She told the Telegraph this week: “Having appeal doesn’t mean that people want you running their lives. That’s one of the things that we need to make sure that we remind people.

“This isn’t I’m A Celebrity or Strictly Come Dancing,”  she said, in reference to two UK reality tv shows similar to The Apprentice. “You don’t vote for the person that you’re enjoying watching and then switch off when the show’s over.”

Badenoch’s comments come as her party continues to struggle against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party. Farage himself, like President Trump, has appeared on reality TV shows, which is likely what triggered Badenoch’s mask-off moment.

“You’ve got to live with that person in your life, in your family’s life, at work, and so on. That’s what elections are about. It’s not just about watching a show and switching it off. We’ve got to move away from politics as show business,” she concluded.

This week, Farage unveiled a slate of defections, including elected officials from the Conservative Party, who have now joined his Reform movement. The news comes as internal party fissures have emerged, with DeSantis-like splitters attempting to wrest control of the party from Farage, much as Republican forces attempted with President Trump during the presidential primary.

It is not the first, and unlikely the last time that Farage has been the subject of a leadership coup, with former adversaries such as Suzanne Evans, Robert Kilroy-Silk, and Neil Hamilton now enjoying political obscurity.

show less
The leader of Britain's dwindling Conservative Party has taken a thinly veiled swipe at President Donald J. Trump and his allies in a recent interview with the Telegraph newspaper. Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch—aka 'Kemi'—was elected leader of her party in November 2024. Her party presided over the largest increase in net migration to the United Kingdom in history. show more
March 18, 2025
News

Veterans Affairs Halting Distribution of Chemical Castration Drugs to Transgenders.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Monday that it will begin ending access to chemical castration medications for transgenders. VA Secretary Doug Collins emphasized the agency’s commitment to serving all veterans but stated that those seeking gender transition would need to fund such efforts independently. This move follows a similar action underway at the Department of Defense, as previously reported by The National Pulse.

“All eligible Veterans – including trans-identified Veterans – will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they’ve earned under the law. But if Veterans want to attempt to change their sex, they can do so on their own dime,” Sec. Collins said in a statement.

Under the new policy, the VA will stop offering so-called “cross-sex hormone therapy” to veterans with a current or past diagnosis of gender dysphoria. However, exemptions will be made for those already receiving such treatments through the VA or who started them before their military discharge and qualify for VA healthcare.

NO SEX-CHANGE SURGERIES. 

Veterans who do not meet the outlined criteria will be ineligible for these hormone therapies. Further, the VA specified it would not perform any medical or surgical procedures related to gender dysphoria. Financial savings from these policy changes will be reallocated to veterans with severe injuries.

Records on the prevalence and costs of these procedures within the VA are inconsistent. The Veterans Health Administration estimates that fewer than one-tenth of one percent of the 9.1 million veterans under its care identify as transgender. Although VA has historically denied offering sex-change surgeries, a recent report suggests that the agency previously circumvented policies to provide gender-transition-related items under the Biden government.

These services included prosthetic devices and accessories designed to assist with gender presentation. Such practices were authorized under Directive 1341(4), which has since been revoked. The latest VA announcement aligns with an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on January 20 affirming the policy that U.S. law recognizes only two biological sexes.

Image via FCDO.

show less
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Monday that it will begin ending access to chemical castration medications for transgenders. VA Secretary Doug Collins emphasized the agency's commitment to serving all veterans but stated that those seeking gender transition would need to fund such efforts independently. This move follows a similar action underway at the Department of Defense, as previously reported by The National Pulse. show more
March 18, 2025
Crime
News

Arson Suspected as Multiple Vehicles Torched at Las Vegas Tesla Center.

Multiple Tesla vehicles have been set on fire at a service center in Las Vegas in the latest alleged attack on Tesla products in the United States. Law enforcement and fire officials are investigating a suspected arson incident after multiple vehicles were set ablaze in the early morning of March 18.

The fires occurred at a Tesla center located near Jones Boulevard and Badura Avenue. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers were alerted to the scene around 2:45 AM. Video footage captured by the Las Vegas Review-Journal reportedly shows Tesla vehicles engulfed in flames.

The incident has arisen amid a series of attacks on Tesla properties across the United States, some of which have reportedly been linked to protests against Tesla chief Elon Musk‘s connections to President Donald J. Trump.

The Las Vegas division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is collaborating with local investigators on the case. The surrounding area remains closed as the investigation continues.

Tesla’s global sales declined for the first time in nearly a decade last year, delivering 1.79 million vehicles compared to 1.81 million the year prior. However, the company secured a $400 million contract with the federal government last month to produce armored Tesla Cybertrucks for the U.S. State Department.

show less
Multiple Tesla vehicles have been set on fire at a service center in Las Vegas in the latest alleged attack on Tesla products in the United States. Law enforcement and fire officials are investigating a suspected arson incident after multiple vehicles were set ablaze in the early morning of March 18. show more
March 18, 2025
William Upton
Lawfare
SCOTUS

SCOTUS Chief Defends Lawfare Judge Against Trump Impeachment Call.

In a statement released Tuesday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rebuffed Congressional Republican and Trump White House efforts to impeach federal judges who are actively hampering executive branch actions, described by some legal scholars as concerning examples of judicial overreach. Chief Justice Roberts emphasized that “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement.”

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts claimed, adding: “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

However, Chief Justice Robers and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett have both been the target of criticism over their refusal to intervene on judicial decisions at the District Court level, where judges have arguably usurped executive authority and forced President Donald J. Trump to reverse decisions typically left to the White House alone. It appears the statement by Roberts was prompted by a post by Trump on Truth Social urging the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who this past weekend attempted to bar the deportation of over 200 dangerous and violent Venezuelan illegal immigrants who are members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang.

Notably, Judge Boasberg’s ruling marked a rare moment of judicial interference with a president’s national security authority, as the Trump administration designated TdA a foreign terrorist organization in February. Additionally, the Trump White House contends that deportations are justified under the Alien Enemies Act, bolstering administration claims that the matter is purely one of national security and outside the jurisdiction of a federal District Court judge.

The National Pulse reported last week that President Trump has faced more than double the number of lawsuits any past president has grappled with in their first two months.

show less
In a statement released Tuesday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rebuffed Congressional Republican and Trump White House efforts to impeach federal judges who are actively hampering executive branch actions, described by some legal scholars as concerning examples of judicial overreach. Chief Justice Roberts emphasized that "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement." show more
March 18, 2025
William Upton
Media

Board Member of POLITICO’s Foreign Parent Company Says He’ll Interfere in News Coverage.

A technology mogul based in Spain, who sits on the board of the German company that owns the American media outlet POLITICO, publicly admits that he is using his position to influence the corporate news outlet’s reporting to align with his personal political views.

Martín Varsavsky, an entrepreneur and philanthropist born in Argentina, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that POLITICO‘s recent coverage of Israeli airstrikes is not pro-Israel enough and that he will use his influence on the board of the American outlet’s German parent company Axel Springer to rectify the coverage.

“I am on the board of Axel Springer that owns Político. I consider this article one sided Hamas support,” Varsavsky said of one report, adding: “It fails to mention that the airstrikes were aimed at eliminating top Hamas military and thar [sic] Israel was successful at doing so. It also quotes casualty figures given by Hamas that are not believed to be accurate.”

When asked by an X user what he would do about POLITICO‘s story and coverage, Varsavsky replied: “working on it.”

FOREIGN INFLUENCE?

While political bias continues to be a concerning problem in American media, Varsavsky’s post also raises questions regarding independence from foreign influence. Axel Springer SE is a German technology and media company headquartered in Berlin that owns POLITICO and Business Insider, both U.S.-based media outlets. The National Pulse has previously reported on the problem of POLITICO‘s coverage being influenced by corporate advertisers, including Big Pharma.

Under prior U.S. presidential administrations, POLITICO received millions of dollars from the U.S. federal government, including for news subscriptions and secondary services such as databases, newswire services, marketing tools, and media monitoring. This raises concerns regarding the outlet as a potential vector of undue foreign influence.

Further complicating matters, Varsavsky is scrutinizing coverage that is not original POLITICO reporting but a wire story published by the Associated Press.

Image by Marco Verch.

show less
A technology mogul based in Spain, who sits on the board of the German company that owns the American media outlet POLITICO, publicly admits that he is using his position to influence the corporate news outlet's reporting to align with his personal political views. show more
March 18, 2025
Jack Montgomery
Crime
News

Tens of Thousands Sign Petition for Derek Chauvin Pardon.

A petition advocating for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to receive a pardon from President Donald J. Trump has amassed approximately 50,000 signatures. It was started by Ben Shapiro, whose The Case of Derek Chauvin docuseries on Chauvin’s conviction for the 2020 death of George Floyd launches on Tuesday.

Shapiro argues that Chauvin’s conviction “represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics,” citing the “massive overt pressure on the jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence or any semblance of impartial deliberation.”

“George Floyd was high on fentanyl. He had a significant pre-existing heart condition. He was saying he could not breathe before he was even out of the car. Derek Chauvin, for large segments of the widely circulated video of the encounter, had his knee on George Floyd’s shoulder or back, not on his neck; this was confirmed by the autopsy, which showed no damage to George Floyd’s trachea,” the petition notes, stressing that there was “no accusation at trial that Derek Chauvin targeted George Floyd for his race.”

Evidence emerged in December suggesting Floyd was alive when he reached the hospital on the day of his death.

Floyd’s death ignited some of the worst riots in U.S. history as Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists and others looted, set fires, and killed several people across the country in 2020.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk has said a pardon for Chauvin is “something to think about,” and leading conservative figures such as Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA have backed the initiative.

Chauvin is serving a 21-year federal sentence, which a presidential pardon could terminate. However, his 22-and-a-half-year state sentence from 2021 would remain in place.

Chauvin’s appeals against his state conviction were denied by the Supreme Court in 2023. The same year, he was stabbed 22 times by another prisoner, resulting in serious injuries.

Image by Laurie Shaull.

show less
A petition advocating for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to receive a pardon from President Donald J. Trump has amassed approximately 50,000 signatures. It was started by Ben Shapiro, whose The Case of Derek Chauvin docuseries on Chauvin's conviction for the 2020 death of George Floyd launches on Tuesday. show more
March 18, 2025
News

Migrants Receive Billions in Welfare.

In 2023, the universal credit welfare scheme provided financial assistance to over a million migrants in the United Kingdom, amounting to £7.6 billion (~$9.9 billion), according to the Centre for Migration Control (CMC). Utilizing data from the Department for Work and Pensions, the analysis revealed that approximately 1,158,000 foreign nationals received this monthly welfare payment intended for low-income, working-age households. Eligibility for universal credit extends to migrants granted either refugee status or “indefinite leave to remain”—equivalent to permanent residency in the U.S.

A Centre for Migration Control report drawing on Freedom of Information Act disclosures indicates that the £7.6 billion spent does not encompass expenses for those awaiting asylum decisions, which amounted to £5.4 billion (~$7 billion) in the same year. Addressing the financial figures, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp proposed amendments to the Borders Bill, advocating for a cap on immigration numbers and an increase in the visa salary threshold to £38,000 (~$49,000). However, while in office from 2010 to mid-2024, Philp’s Conservative Party significantly loosened visa requirements, particularly under Boris Johnson, leading to an explosion in immigration.

The CMC highlighted that the likelihood of claiming benefits varies significantly among migrants based on nationality. Data shows migrants from the Congo were most likely to receive universal credit, followed by nationals from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In absolute numbers, Polish nationals formed the largest group of universal credit recipients, followed by migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Romania, and India.

show less
In 2023, the universal credit welfare scheme provided financial assistance to over a million migrants in the United Kingdom, amounting to £7.6 billion (~$9.9 billion), according to the Centre for Migration Control (CMC). Utilizing data from the Department for Work and Pensions, the analysis revealed that approximately 1,158,000 foreign nationals received this monthly welfare payment intended for low-income, working-age households. Eligibility for universal credit extends to migrants granted either refugee status or "indefinite leave to remain"—equivalent to permanent residency in the U.S. show more
March 18, 2025
William Upton
News

Trump Ends Secret Service Protections for Hunter and Ashley Biden.

President Donald J. Trump has moved to end United States Secret Service (USSS) protection for former President Joe Biden’s adult children, Hunter and Ashley. The move was announced after it was revealed that Hunter Biden had received a Secret Service protection detail for some time despite the fact that protection details end for adult children when the president leaves office. In the case of the Biden family, protections had been extended at Joe Biden’s request until July.

“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer. There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! ” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned. Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance. Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list.”

While previous former presidents have extended USSS security details for their children, the large protective details extended for Hunter and Ashley Biden are unusual. Only former presidents and their spouses receive lifelong Secret Service protections.

The National Pulse reported at the beginning of March that Hunter Biden was forced to drop a lawsuit against former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler, whom he accused of unlawfully accessing and disseminating data from his infamous “laptop from hell.” Attorneys for Hunter Biden informed the judge that mounting financial difficulties and debts would prevent their client’s litigation from continuing.

READ:

show less
President Donald J. Trump has moved to end United States Secret Service (USSS) protection for former President Joe Biden's adult children, Hunter and Ashley. The move was announced after it was revealed that Hunter Biden had received a Secret Service protection detail for some time despite the fact that protection details end for adult children when the president leaves office. In the case of the Biden family, protections had been extended at Joe Biden's request until July. show more
March 18, 2025
News
Politics
World

Another Populist Presidential Candidate Skeptical of EU and NATO Banned from Running.

Yet another populist presidential candidate has been banned from running in upcoming presidential elections in the European Union (EU). Romania’s Central Election Bureau has barred Diana Sosoaca, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and leader of the S.O.S. Romania Party, from the race.

The commission cited her opposition to Romania’s memberships in both the European Union and NATO as the basis for this decision, noting the country’s constitution mandates these affiliations.

Sosoaca had recently filed her candidacy while rallying supporters. This marks her second disqualification from a major election following a similar ban last November. She responded on social media, claiming the decision proves that Romania is a democracy in name only, and announced plans to appeal.

This decision comes shortly after the exclusion of another right-populist candidate, Calin Georgescu, who was barred for similar reasons. Georgescu won the first round of the presidential elections before the race was annulled and reset by the courts, supposedly because Russia had been funding TikTok videos supporting his candidacy.

Georgescu was once again leading the polls, but allegations of disseminating false information and incitement against constitutional order saw him barred from participating in the do-over.

Image via NATO. 

show less
Yet another populist presidential candidate has been banned from running in upcoming presidential elections in the European Union (EU). Romania's Central Election Bureau has barred Diana Sosoaca, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and leader of the S.O.S. Romania Party, from the race. show more
March 18, 2025
Crime
News

Migrant at USPS Embezzled $1.6M for Lavish Lifestyle.

A former postal worker from Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of stealing over $1.6 million in U.S. Treasury and private party checks. Hachikosela Muchimba, aged 44, who worked for the U.S. Postal Service, committed these acts between December 2020 and March 2023. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Muchimba deposited checks that had been altered into bank accounts he controlled.

The Attorney’s Office indicated that bank surveillance footage showed Muchimba conducting deposits and withdrawals involving the stolen funds. The ill-gotten money was reportedly spent on international travel, luxury hotel stays, and purchases at gentlemen’s clubs, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Last Thursday, a jury convicted Muchimba of several charges, including conspiracy to commit theft of mail, bank fraud, theft of mail, and engaging in monetary transactions with property derived from unlawful activities. Bank fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, while mail theft can result in up to five years.

In addition, Muchimba was convicted of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. He had falsely claimed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers that he had not committed crimes for which he had not been arrested during his naturalization process. Conviction for this offense could lead to 10 years of imprisonment and might also result in administrative denaturalization.

Muchimba’s sentencing is scheduled for August 8, and he will remain in custody until that date.

Image by Tony Webster.

show less
A former postal worker from Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of stealing over $1.6 million in U.S. Treasury and private party checks. Hachikosela Muchimba, aged 44, who worked for the U.S. Postal Service, committed these acts between December 2020 and March 2023. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Muchimba deposited checks that had been altered into bank accounts he controlled. show more