GET THE APP
Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Category: Politics
6 hours ago
News
Politics

Trump Doubles Down on $5,000 Dividend for Americans if GOP Wins Midterms.

President Donald J. Trump again pledged to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans if there is a Republican victory in the upcoming midterms.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has again pledged to distribute $5,000 checks to all American adults if Republicans secure a victory in the upcoming November midterm elections. He made this promise while speaking to reporters in Shannon, Ireland.
📰 DETAIL: Trump emphasized that the funds for these checks would come from the substantial revenue the country is generating, including tariffs. He compared this promise to previous initiatives he successfully implemented, such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and a $1,776 military bonus.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The $5,000 is going to happen, 100 percent. And the reason is because our country is taking in trillions and trillions of dollars, and it’s going to happen because the people deserve it, because they were treated so badly by the Democrats and by Biden. So remember, they said the great, Big, Beautiful Bill, which is basically 17 bills wrapped up into one, will never happen. It happened. They said, when I gave the military last year, $1,776—1776, like a certain date that’s quite important—they said that wasn’t going to happen. That happened. And what do you think? I think it’s going to happen.” – President Trump
🎯 IMPACT: If implemented, this initiative could significantly influence voter sentiment and potentially sway the midterm election results in favor of the GOP. The promise of financial relief may appeal to voters struggling with inflation and the cost of living, particularly with respect to energy and fuel, which have been impacted by the Iran war.

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

show less

President Donald J. Trump again pledged to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans if there is a Republican victory in the upcoming midterms.

show more
8 hours ago
News
Politics

WATCH: Talarico Labels Parents ‘Abusive’ for Refusing to ‘Affirm’ Transgenderism.

Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico is facing scrutiny for comments made during a Texas legislature committee meeting suggesting that failure to affirm a child’s “gender identity” amounts to child abuse.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico described refusing to affirm a child’s “gender identity” as “abusive” in 2019.
📺 DETAIL: During a committee meeting in the Texas legislature in 2019, Talarico described refusing to affirm a child’s gender identity as “abusive.” “Some of us I think really do consider this abusive behavior… an unwillingness to identify, acknowledge a child’s gender identity. We consider that abusive to the child, abusive and destructive,” said Talarico at the time. The comments were made during a discussion on HB 1910, a bill aimed at ensuring that parental refusal to affirm a supposedly transgender child’s gender identity would not be considered child abuse in custody cases. Talarico opposed the measure, insisting that failure to consider it abusive could “harm some of our most vulnerable kids.” While the bill failed at the committee stage, a stronger bill ultimately became law in 2025. Talarico also opposed this bill and supported an amendment stating that “rejecting a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Only perverts and pedophiles think about what is in little kids’ pants as much as James Talafreako. He is a truly sick individual for dedicating his life to pushing sex changes on other people’s kids,” said Zach Kraft, a Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman.
🎯 IMPACT: The resurfaced remarks are likely to create problems for Talarico as he contests a conservative state. Currently, the Senate race between Talarico and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is practically neck-and-neck.
📺 FLASHBACK: This revelation comes roughly a week after it was revealed that Talarico, who claims to be a Christian, described Islam and certain other religions as “equal pathways to truth” in a resurfaced video.

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

show less

Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico is facing scrutiny for comments made during a Texas legislature committee meeting suggesting that failure to affirm a child's "gender identity" amounts to child abuse.

show more
Alice Weidel
11 hours ago
News
Politics
World

German Populists Triple Vote Share in State Elections.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has achieved a significant breakthrough in Lower Saxony, tripling its vote share, while support for Germany’s two main establishment parties hit historic lows.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has tripled its vote share in Lower Saxony’s state elections.
📺 DETAIL: On Monday, it was reported that the AfD’s vote share in the region jumped from 4.6 percent in 2021 to 15.9 percent. The party finished in third place. Meanwhile, Germany’s two main establishment parties, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), recorded their worst-ever results in the region, with both losing significant support. The CDU came in first with 27 percent of the vote, a decline of roughly five percentage points from the previous election. This follows the AfD’s historic victory in the eastern Saxony-Anhalt region. There, the party secured 44 percent of the vote in its first-ever statewide victory. “It is the most severe election defeat the CDU has suffered in years, indeed in decades,” Chancellor Merz said of the results at the time. In contrast, President Donald J. Trump welcomed the result. “Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night… THEY ARE ON THE RISE, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!!” the President posted on Truth Social.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Given the coalition’s dismal state, new [federal] elections would be the cleanest solution from our perspective… The people must now decide who should lead the country out of this crisis.” – Alice Weidel, AfD Leader.
🎯 IMPACT: The results represent significant progress for the AfD in Germany’s western regions, especially since the party’s base of support is mostly concentrated in the east. The results have intensified calls for a snap federal election, with AfD leaders arguing that the current government coalition is failing to address Germany’s challenges. This strong showing from the AfD in an area beyond its traditional strongholds is likely to spark further calls from within the German political establishment to ban the insurgent populist party. “Not with the politically predetermined goal that you now have to examine a ban, but to examine this party and the possible legal consequences. That could be a ban, but it could also be something else,” said Hendrik Wüst, Premier (Governor) of North Rhine-Westphalia for the CDU last week.

Image by Olaf Kosinsky.

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

show less

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has achieved a significant breakthrough in Lower Saxony, tripling its vote share, while support for Germany's two main establishment parties hit historic lows.

show more
14 hours ago
News
Politics
UK

Another Donor Matches Record-Breaking Contribution to Farage’s Reform Party.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has secured a combined £72 million (~$72 million) in donations after British cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne matched a historic £36 million (~$48.7 million) donation from Ben Delo last week.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has received another record-breaking £36 million (~$48.7 million) donation.
📺 DETAIL: On Saturday, it was revealed that Christopher Harborne, a British cryptocurrency entrepreneur, had donated £36 million to the party, matching a donation made by another British cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Ben Delo, shortly before. Harborne has donated to Reform in the past, including a record-breaking £9 million (~$12.1 million) donation and a £5 million (~$6.7 million) gift to cover Farage’s personal security costs. The latter contribution has become the subject of a weaponized probe against Farage, culminating in the Reform leader’s decision to resign from Parliament in protest in order to contest a by-election (special election), which he comfortably won, demonstrating local voters’ continued support for him. “Reform is effectively a start-up party. And start-up parties don’t have the benefit of hundreds of years of patronage, which has created deep roots within our communities and institutions. The established parties receive substantial public money and repeated donations and support through these deep roots,” wrote Harborne in an op-ed published over the weekend. Harborne clarified that he was not seeking a political position or specific policies in exchange for the donation. “A start-up party needs more money than can be provided by membership fees alone, to build and sustain itself and be ready for government. Whilst I have been making donations to Reform of around £1m a month, Ben Delo told me he was going to make a record donation of £36m. My competitive spirit inspired me to match it, so that is what I’ve done. And I hope others may join us,” Harborne explained.
🎯 IMPACT: The size of the donation is likely to trigger further attempts by the Labour Party-controlled government to cut off Reform’s financial backing, having already imposed a £100,000 (~$135,000) cap on party donations from British expatriates. The policy was widely regarded as an attempt to prevent Harborne and Delo, who were based in Thailand and Hong Kong, from donating to the party, although they have since relocated to Britain.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne have shown such confidence in Reform. Both men know that we are the only party that can turn the country around and win the next General Election – thanks to their generosity, we are now able to fight that election on a level playing field.” – Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader.

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

show less

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has secured a combined £72 million (~$72 million) in donations after British cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne matched a historic £36 million (~$48.7 million) donation from Ben Delo last week.

show more
September 12, 2026
News
Politics
World

Top German Politician Floats Banning Populist AfD After Its Election Win.

The political establishment of Germany is considering a ban on the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after a crushing defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s establishment Christian Democratic Union party in a recent state election.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A top German politician has suggested banning the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after its recent victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.
📺 DETAIL: On Sunday, the anti-mass migration populist AfD party won its first-ever state election. The party secured approximately 44 percent of the vote while support for Chancellor (Prime Minister) Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, formerly led by Angela Merkel, dropped to just 17 percent, coming in a distant second place. Following the announcement of the result, senior CDU politician Hendrik Wüst proposed a ban on the AfD. The North Rhine-Westphalia Premier, roughly equivalent to a U.S. state governor, said that federal and state officials, as well as constitutional experts and members of the country’s intelligence services, should work together to ban the insurgent party. Wüst justified a potential ban as necessary to protect Germany’s constitution. This proposal comes after European Union (EU) officials proposed withdrawing funds from Saxony-Anhalt in response to the election result.
🎯 IMPACT: A potential ban would be very controversial and widely regarded as highly undemocratic, especially by AfD supporters. The willingness to openly float a ban on a major political party underscores the fragility of Germany’s establishment. This is also likely to push the AfD to pursue the abolition of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s increasingly weaponized domestic intelligence agency. “In no other Western democracy are political parties monitored by intelligence agencies… That creates an obvious conflict of interest,” said Hans Georg Maaßen, former BfV president.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Not with the politically predetermined goal that you now have to examine a ban, but to examine this party and the possible legal consequences. That could be a ban, but it could also be something else.” – Hendrik Wüst as reported in Die Welt, a German newspaper.
📺 FLASHBACK: President Donald J. Trump congratulated the AfD on their recent win. “Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night… THEY ARE ON THE RISE, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!!” posted the President on Truth Social. In contrast, the German political establishment was far more downbeat. “It is the most severe election defeat the CDU has suffered in years, indeed in decades,” said Chancellor Merz.

Image by Olaf Kosinsky.

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

show less

The political establishment of Germany is considering a ban on the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after a crushing defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's establishment Christian Democratic Union party in a recent state election.

show more
September 12, 2026
News
Politics
UK

Nigel Farage’s Reform Party Receives Largest Donation in British Political History.

British crypto billionaire Ben Delo has donated over £30 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the single largest donation to a British political party ever.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has received the largest ever donation to a British political party.
📺 DETAIL: On Friday, it was reported that Ben Delo, a British cryptocurrency entrepreneur, donated £36 million (~$48.7 million) to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. The amount donated by Delo is worth £1 million ($1.3 million) per month to Reform UK until the next general election, which is scheduled for August 2029. “Labour and the Conservatives have occupied the commanding heights of British politics for a combined total of more than 300 years. Reform UK has been around for less than eight. One of the reasons why the old parties have lasted so long is that they have made it very expensive to challenge them,” wrote Delo in an op-ed in The Telegraph explaining the donation. The amount donated by Delo breaks the previous record of £10 million (~$13.5 million), which was left to Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch’s nominally Conservative Party as a bequest. Meanwhile, the ruling Labour Party receives millions every year from the country’s trade unions. “I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo has shown such confidence in Reform. Ben knows that we are the only party that can turn the country around and reverse Britain’s rapid decline,” said Farage in response to the donation.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I believe it is the duty of people with broad shoulders and deep pockets to step up and help Reform to win and govern, rather than allow the British people to be trapped in the political monoculture that is driving this country off a cliff. Labour and the Conservatives have built vast infrastructures using hundreds of millions of pounds. They have entrenched advantages that Reform cannot hope to match.” – Ben Delo.
🎯 IMPACT: This follows a cap imposed by the Labour-controlled government on party donations worth over £100,000 (~$135,000) from foreign-based Britons. The cap is widely viewed as an attempt by the British government to cut off Reform’s financial support, as Delo was based in Hong Kong until recently and Harborne is currently based in Thailand. The cap followed a collapse in donations to Labour and the Conservatives, Britain’s two main establishment parties. In early August, figures showed that the Labour Party secured £6.4m (~$8.6m) in donations over the course of 2025, while the Conservatives received £15.2m (~$20.5m) over the same period, an 84 percent drop and a 47 percent drop, respectively. As a result of this donation, Reform has raised five times as much as the Conservatives and roughly six times as much as Labour. Specifically, during the first half of 2026, Reform raised £14.9 million (~$20.1 million), whereas the Conservatives raised £10.2 million (~$13.7 million) and Labour raised £7.7 million (~$10.4 million).

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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

show less

British crypto billionaire Ben Delo has donated over £30 million to Nigel Farage's Reform UK in the single largest donation to a British political party ever.

show more
September 11, 2026
News
Politics

WATCH: RFK Jr Accuses the Democrats of ‘Obliterating’ the Bill of Rights.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a scathing critique of the Democratic Party at the 2026 Texas Republican convention, accusing it of abandoning constitutional principles and embracing censorship.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sharply criticized his former party during a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, accusing the Democrats of abandoning the principles that once defined the party of his father and uncle. Kennedy said the Democrats had “obliterated the Bill of Rights,” particularly the First Amendment, during the COVID-19 pandemic under the former Biden regime.
📺 DETAIL: Kennedy accused the Democrats of suppressing speech they deemed misinformation, closing churches, shutting down businesses, requiring Americans to disclose medical information, and pressuring people to receive COVID-19 vaccines. He also criticized what he described as a focus on protecting the interests of pharmaceutical corporations, and said his own social media accounts were censored during the pandemic. He contrasted the current Democratic Party with the one associated with his father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., and uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, saying they had supported free speech, competitive markets, and meritocracy, and opposed both crony capitalism and socialism. He recalled launching his 2024 presidential campaign as an effort to bring Democrats back to their traditional values, but said he ultimately concluded that the party had lost faith in voters and American democracy.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Democratic Party became a party of elites, labeling working Americans as deplorable.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
🎯 IMPACT: Kennedy’s speech underscores how his break with the Democratic Party has become part of the Republican effort to define the 2026 midterms around the Democrats’ lurch to the left, with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) figures such as Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now among its most prominent elected officials. 

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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

show less

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a scathing critique of the Democratic Party at the 2026 Texas Republican convention, accusing it of abandoning constitutional principles and embracing censorship.

show more
September 10, 2026
News
Politics
UK

Trump-Hating Politician Planning Bid to Follow Sadiq Khan as London Mayor.

Anti-Trump former Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy is allegedly planning to run for London Mayor if current Mayor Sadiq Khan stands down.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Anti-Trump Labour Member of Parliament (MP) David Lammy is reportedly floating a run for London Mayor.
📺 DETAIL: On Thursday, it was reported that David Lammy, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is considering a run for London Mayor. This follows reports earlier this month that Lammy could seek the Labour Party nomination if the incumbent, Sadiq Khan, stands down before the next mayoral election. Lammy allegedly hosted a SME4Labour (Small and Medium Enterprises for Labour) fundraising dinner on Wednesday night as a testing ground for a future mayoral bid. However, when pressed on the purpose of the event, Lammy claimed that the funds would go towards defending his Tottenham seat at the next general election. The former Deputy Prime Minister did not officially rule out running. “I am not sure he can even count on support from his local party in Tottenham for his future ambitions in London,” said a Labour Party source. Lammy is known for his extreme opposition to President Donald J. Trump. Lammy has characterized the U.S. President as a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and a “racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer.” He has also referred to the MAGA movement as a “cult of white supremacists.”
🎯 IMPACT: If Lammy decides to run, this will be his second run for London Mayor, having first sought to become the Labour candidate for the 2016 mayoral election. Lammy ultimately lost the nomination to Khan and placed fourth. In the event that Khan does stand down and Lammy manages to get the Labour nomination, there is a good chance that he will be elected as the next Mayor of London in 2028. This could further drive a wedge between the British capital and the U.S. President, who has repeatedly criticized Khan’s leadership.
📺 FLASHBACK: Prime Minister Andy Burnham endorsed Khan for a historic fourth term as London Mayor earlier this month. This is despite the fact that the vast majority of Londoners want him to resign. Specifically, according to a recent poll by YouGov, 56 percent of Londoners believe that Khan should step down as Mayor, including 31 percent of Londoners who voted for him in 2024. “He’s a disaster. He’s got a totally different ideology to what he’s supposed to have,” said President Trump regarding the Mayor last year.

Image via House of Commons.

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

show less

Anti-Trump former Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy is allegedly planning to run for London Mayor if current Mayor Sadiq Khan stands down.

show more
September 10, 2026
News
Politics
World

European Union Mulls Punishing German Region for Electing Populists.

The European Union is contemplating withholding funds from Saxony-Anhalt following Alternative for Germany’s win in its regional elections, alleging potential breaches of EU principles.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The European Union (EU) is considering freezing funds allocated to Saxony-Anhalt after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s election victory in the region.
📰 DETAIL: On Sunday, the AfD won its first state-wide victory ever in Saxony-Anhalt, as support for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s notionally center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) plummeted. The AfD won almost 44 percent of the vote but fell three seats short of a majority in the Landtag, equivalent to a U.S. state legislature. Saxony-Anhalt is set to receive €2.95 billion (~$3.4 billion) from the EU’s 2021-27 budget. However, Daniel Freund, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Greens, a left-wing European party, has pushed to withhold the funds from the region. Freund argued that funds should be withheld from the region if an AfD-controlled state government legislates in a way contrary to so-called EU values. The EU has previously withheld funds from Hungary and Poland under similar circumstances.
🎯 IMPACT: Freezing EU funds could significantly affect Saxony-Anhalt’s regional development, impacting public infrastructure and services. The AfD has dismissed the EU’s potential actions as undemocratic, characterizing the idea as punishing the voters of Saxony-Anhalt. If the EU opts to freeze funds to the region or attempts to override state government decisions through financial pressure, this could increase hostility towards the EU and bolster support for the AfD. It is also possible that the EU goes ahead with defunding the region in order to slight President Donald J. Trump, who congratulated the AfD on their win earlier this week. “Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night… THEY ARE ON THE RISE, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!!” wrote President Donald J. Trump on Truth Social
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We laugh at our partisan opponents, who are now also seeking to disadvantage us undemocratically at EU level.” – Bernd Baumann, AfD parliamentary managing director.

Image CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2023– Source: EP.

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

show less

The European Union is contemplating withholding funds from Saxony-Anhalt following Alternative for Germany's win in its regional elections, alleging potential breaches of EU principles.

show more
September 9, 2026
Data
News
Politics

Radical Democrat Abdul El-Sayed Trailing GOP Candidate in Senate Poll.

A new poll has given Republican candidate Mike Rogers a slight lead over his far-left Democrat rival, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan’s closely contested United States Senate race, signaling a toss-up.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Republican Mike Rogers is leading far-left Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race, according to a new poll.
📺 DETAIL: Conducted for Detroit News and WDIV-TV, the poll showed Rogers ahead on 45.8 percent of support, with El-Sayed closely behind on 44.4 percent. The same poll revealed that nine percent of voters are undecided. The poll surveyed 600 likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus four points. Support for Rogers is primarily concentrated among conservatives and voters over 40, with strong support among independents, leading his Democrat rival by roughly 14 points. By contrast, support for El-Sayed is strongest among younger voters, college graduates, and black voters. However, despite Rogers having a slight lead overall, El-Sayed voters are most committed to turning out in November. Specifically, El-Sayed polled at 46.7 percent among voters most likely to turnout on polling day, while Rogers secured 44.4 percent among the same group. The poll noted a ten-point enthusiasm gap between committed Republicans and committed Democrats.
🎯 IMPACT: The strong showing among independents for Rogers appears to affirm suspicions that El-Sayed’s far-left positions could alienate swing voters. The data also suggests that the outcome will be heavily determined by voter enthusiasm.
📺 FLASHBACK: Back in August, it was reported that El-Sayed was open to considering reparations for black Americans. This echoed other polarizing social positions taken by El-Sayed, such as calling for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and July 4 celebrations. El-Sayed has also voiced support for abolishing the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.

Image by Conlan Houston.

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

show less

A new poll has given Republican candidate Mike Rogers a slight lead over his far-left Democrat rival, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan's closely contested United States Senate race, signaling a toss-up.

show more