Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Dutch Elections Appear to Be a Tie Between Populists and Liberals.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Dutch populist Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) appear to be tied at 26 seats with the liberal-progressive D66 party following national elections in the Netherlands.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Geert Wilders’s Party for Freedom and Rob Jetten’s D66 party.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The election took place on Wednesday in the Netherlands.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The difference between the two leading parties was just over 2,000 votes nationwide,” according to Dutch national news agency ANP.

🎯IMPACT: The unprecedented tie is expected to delay the formation of a new coalition government.

IN FULL

The Dutch populist Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, and the liberal-progressive Democrats 66 (D66), led by Rob Jetten, both appear to have secured 26 seats in the Dutch legislature with 98 percent of votes counted, according to figures published by the Dutch national news agency ANP. The difference between the two parties was reported to be just over 2,000 votes nationwide, marking the first time in Dutch history that a national election has concluded in such a tie.

The results show Wilders’s PVV losing 11 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives, while D66 gained 11. This razor-thin outcome is expected to prolong and complicate coalition negotiations, a process already notorious for taking months in the Netherlands’ fragmented political landscape.

Wilders reacted to the results, saying, “At the top with 26 seats just like D66. Nobody beats the PVV. Absolutely nobody! The entire campaign attacked by other parties and ‘journalists’, but they won’t bring us down, we stand tall and proud at the top and no other party has more than our 26 seats!!”

The vote follows years of turbulence in Dutch politics. In 2023, the government of long-serving liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte collapsed after his four-party coalition failed to agree on asylum policies, particularly family reunification rules. Migration has remained one of the country’s most divisive issues, fueling the rise of populists like Wilders, who has long advocated for tighter border controls and a tougher stance on immigration and Islamization.

Economic and social tensions surrounding immigration have also intensified. A major study found that mass migration cost the Netherlands nearly half a trillion dollars between 1995 and 2019. These findings have intensified public debate over the long-term sustainability of migration policies and the pressure they place on housing, healthcare, and social welfare systems.

As the vote count nears completion, the tie between PVV and D66 has thrown the process of government formation into uncertainty. Building a majority coalition will require negotiations among multiple parties with sharply differing priorities. Analysts warn that forming a stable government could take months, or potentially trigger another round of elections if talks fail.

Image by Vox España.

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Zohran Mamdani Faces Criminal Referrals Over Alleged Foreign Donations.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Democrat New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing two criminal referrals over alleged campaign finance violations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, and campaign finance expert Dan Backer.

📍WHEN & WHERE: New York City mayoral race, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors.” – Dan Backer

🎯IMPACT: Allegations of foreign contributions could lead to fines, but enforcement appears unlikely.

IN FULL

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s socialist nominee in New York City‘s mayoral race, is under scrutiny following two criminal referrals filed by the Coolidge Reagan Foundation. The complaints allege that Mamdani, a Ugandan immigrant, accepted nearly $13,000 from at least 170 donors located outside the United States, which would be a violation of federal and local campaign finance laws.

Dan Backer, president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation and a national campaign finance expert, stated, “These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors.” He further asserted that this represented “a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race,” accusing the campaign of failing to take meaningful action to prevent such violations despite being “on notice for months.”

The Mamdani campaign has responded by claiming that 31 of the 170 donors have proven their citizenship or legal permanent residence, and that the remaining 139 donations have been refunded. However, the criminal referral argues that refunding questionable donations does not rectify the violation.

“Despite being well aware of this influx of illegal foreign contributions, it appears he did nothing throughout most of 2025 to prevent his campaign from accepting them in the first place,” reads the referral. Notably, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) can only impose fines, and local prosecutors are unlikely to pursue charges.

The National Pulse reported in July that during the Democratic Party’s New York City mayoral primary, Mamdani’s campaign was bolstered by political dark money operations, including over $2 million in PAC spending, mostly from Silicon Valley billionaires and a cadre of elite Democratic Party donors.

Image by InformedImages.

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The Outcome of the Trump-Xi Trade Summit, Explained.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has yielded some benefits for American farmers, manufacturers, and consumers—although the meeting appears to have only paused the U.S.-China trade war rather than brought it to a comprehensive conclusion.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The agreement was announced on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “So you know, our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns, that’s off the table, and they should prosper in the years to come,” – Scott Bessent.

🎯IMPACT: China agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. soybeans, finalize approval for the sale of TikTok, delay the implementation of rare earth mineral export controls, and crack down on the export of fentanyl precursors. In exchange, Trump agreed to slight reductions in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump‘s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has yielded some benefits for American farmers, manufacturers, and consumers—although the meeting appears to have only paused the trade war rather than brought it to a comprehensive conclusion. China agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. soybeans, finalize approval for the sale of TikTok, delay the implementation of rare earth mineral export controls, and crack down on the export of fentanyl precursors. In exchange, Trump agreed to slight reductions in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

“It was an amazing meeting,” President Trump said aboard Air Force One after departing the summit with Xi, held in South Korea. He ranked the talks, “Twelve out of ten.”

The most significant development to emerge from the summit was China’s three-year agreement to purchase 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans annually. “So you know, our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns, that’s off the table, and they should prosper in the years to come,” Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent detailed Thursday morning. As part of the trade dispute with the U.S., China had slashed its imports of American soybeans to near zero.

Additionally, Secretary Bessent revealed that President Trump secured Xi’s approval for the sale of the TikTok social media app. “In Kuala Lumpur, we finalized the TikTok agreement in terms of getting Chinese approval, and I would expect that would go forward in the coming weeks and months, and we’ll finally see a resolution to that,” the Treasury Secretary said.

Trump also forced Xi to, at least for the moment, back down from imposing unprecedented export controls on Chinese rare earth minerals, refined rare earth materials, and equipment needed to process rare earths. Set to take effect on December 1, 2025—and impact nearly every country around the world—China agreed to delay export control implementation for one year. However, Xi ultimately did not remove the threat entirely.

Lastly, President Trump announced that Xi pledged to work “very hard to stop the flow” of fentanyl precursors to Central and South American drug cartels. Precisely what measures the Chinese intended to implement to stymie its lucrative illicit drug industry are unclear.

In exchange, Trump agreed to cut a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, imposed in response to the fentanyl trade, in half. This will effectively bring the overall tariff rate on Chinese exports from 57 percent to 47 percent. While the concessions made by Xi mark a degree of progress and cooling of trade tensions, markets appear to have already largely priced in the progress. By and large, market analysts see the summit outcome as a tactical pause, but expect U.S.-led global efforts to decouple from China to continue.

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Senate Democrats Are Trying to Dox Trump’s Ballroom Donors.

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WHAT HAPPENED: Senate Democrats are demanding transparency regarding the financing of President Donald J. Trump’s planned White House ballroom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Democrats led by Adam Schiff (D-CA), donors including major corporations and individual Trump supporters, and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The call for disclosure follows recent donor list revelations, with a response deadline set for November 5.

💬KEY QUOTE: “To assess possible conflicts of interest and violations of law and ethics obligations, Congress and the American public deserve meaningful transparency.” – Senate Democrat letter

🎯IMPACT: Opponents of the effort contend that Sen. Schiff and his allies intend to use the disclosures to create a chilling effect, scaring off private donors in the hope of starving President Trump’s project of funding.

IN FULL

Senate Democrats, led by Russia hoax ringleader Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), are working to force the disclosure of private, identifying information of donors financing President Donald J. Trump’s planned White House ballroom. In addition, the Schiff-led effort seeks details on how the ballroom construction is being financed.

Democrats argue that without transparency, the financing of the ballroom could become a channel for improper influence within the administration. However, opponents of the effort contend Sen. Schiff and his allies intend to use the disclosures to create a chilling effect, scaring off private donors in the hope of starving President Trump’s project of funding.

A number of corporations are helping Trump fund his $300 million ballroom, for which a section of the East Wing of the White House has recently been demolished. Donors include tech companies Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and communication companies like Comcast.

Sen. Schiff and Democrat lawmakers claim, in a letter addressed to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, that the Trump administration’s approach “raises troubling questions about the potential for influence peddling and other forms of corruption.” The letter requests a complete accounting of all donations to the White House ballroom construction project, including the conditions under which contributions were made.

Specific details demanded include a complete list of all donors, individual and corporate, and details of any terms tied to donations. It also requests identification of donors with federal contracts, regulatory matters, or pending litigation, as well as records of any ethics advice or approvals related to the solicitation or acceptance of private donations. The letter, signed by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), among others, gives the White House until November 5 to produce the information.

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Stefanik Could Become New York’s First GOP Governor in 20 Years, Poll Shows.

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WHAT HAPPENED: A new poll from the Manhattan Institute shows Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) leading both Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and Lieutenant Governor Anthony Delgado (D-NY) in a hypothetical New York gubernatorial matchup.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Elise Stefanik, Kathy Hochul, Anthony Delgado, and the Manhattan Institute.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Poll conducted October 22-26, 2025, surveying New York voters.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This marks the first time in decades that any potential Republican gubernatorial candidate is polling ahead of a Democrat incumbent Governor, even before any official announcement.” – Bernadette Breslin, spokesman for Elise Stefanik.

🎯IMPACT: The poll suggests Republicans could make the New York gubernatorial race competitive for the first time in decades, though forecasters still classify the race as Likely Democratic.

IN FULL

Republicans may have a rare opportunity to win the New York gubernatorial office, according to a new poll from the Manhattan Institute. The survey found Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) leading Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) by one point (43 percent to 42 percent) and Lieutenant Governor Anthony Delgado (D-NY) by six points (43 percent to 37 percent). The poll, which surveyed 600 New York City voters and 300 New York State voters from October 22 to October 26, 2025, had a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points.

Stefanik, a northern New York congresswoman and prominent supporter of President Donald J. Trump, has not officially announced her candidacy but is seen as a strong contender for Republicans. Hochul, on the other hand, is seeking reelection after a narrower-than-expected victory in 2022. She is also facing a primary challenge from Delgado, though polling suggests she maintains an advantage among Democratic voters.

Other recent polls have shown varying results. A Siena College poll conducted in early September 2025 showed Hochul with a 25-point lead over Stefanik, while a GrayHouse poll found Hochul leading initially but Stefanik gaining ground after voters were presented with additional information about the candidates. Both polls suggest that the race could tighten as the election approaches.

Bernadette Breslin, a spokesman for Stefanik, highlighted the significance of the Manhattan Institute poll, stating, “This marks the first time in decades that any potential Republican gubernatorial candidate (and in this case, the likely nominee) is polling ahead of a Democrat incumbent Governor, even before any official announcement.” Breslin also criticized Hochul for her policies, calling her “the Worst Governor in America” and accusing her of putting New Yorkers last.

The increasingly likely election of socialist Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York City could have a significant impact on the 2026 gubernatorial race. Hochul threw her support behind the far-left Mamdani in September, despite concerns among Democratic leaders over the mayoral candidate’s extreme policy proposals. The National Pulse previously reported that Mamdani has pushed plans for an additional $100 million in taxpayer funds to provide legal defense for illegal immigrants facing deportation, advocated for “the abolition of private property,” proposed socialist city-owned grocery stores, and detailed a controversial plan to “[s]hift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods.”

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Mamdani’s Mother Bragged ‘He Is Not an American at All.’

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The mother of the Democrats’ socialist New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, stated in a 2013 interview that her son is “not an American at all,” using terminology criticized as derogatory toward Westerners.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, his mother Mira Nair, and attorney Mehek Cooke.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments made in a 2013 Hindustan Times interview.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all. He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places.” – Mira Nair

🎯IMPACT: Critics say the remarks are ungrateful and divisive, and raise questions about Mamdani’s identity and values. Notably, the Ugandan immigrant did not obtain U.S. citizenship until 2018.

IN FULL

In a 2013 interview with the Hindustan Times, filmmaker Mira Nair, mother of the Democrats’ socialist New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, described her son as “not an American at all.” Nair stated, “He is a total desi. Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us. He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all. He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places.”

The term “firang,” historically used in Hindi and Urdu to describe foreigners or Westerners, was criticized by attorney and GOP consultant Mehek Cooke. “It’s the word used back in India to mock outsiders, to say you don’t belong,” Cooke said in a recent interview. “Using it here about your own child raised in the United States carries the same tone as calling someone a derogatory word—or worse.”

Cooke added, “When Mamdani’s mother says her son was ‘never a firang and only desi,’ it’s a rejection of America. It’s ungrateful, disrespectful, and frankly repulsive to live in this country since age seven, receive every freedom, education, and opportunity America offers, and still deny being American.”

Zohran Mamdani, born in Uganda and a U.S. resident since age seven, holds dual citizenship and only became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018. Nair emphasized, “We only speak Hindustani at home,” and described her son as a “very chaalu fellow,” meaning savvy or street smart.

His father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor, despises America, branding it “the genesis of… settler-colonialism,” and “the inspiration” for the Nazis.

“This isn’t just about identity, it’s about values,” Cooke said. “Rejecting the label of ‘American’ while living under the flag, enjoying the freedoms, and cashing in on the opportunities is a rejection of American values themselves: gratitude, unity, and pride in country.”

Image by Eden, Janine, and Jim.

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Democrat Shutdown Will Effectively Shutter EPA Next Week.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA may furlough up to 89 percent of its workforce if the government shutdown extends into November.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Senate Democrats, and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday, at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Our preference would be for the shutdown to end,” Zeldin said, warning of further furloughs if the shutdown continues into November.

🎯IMPACT: The government shutdown has stalled EPA projects like the Brownfields Program and delayed federal rule proposals.

IN FULL

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it will furlough an estimated 89 percent of its 12,000 employees next week if Senate Democrats continue to block government funding. According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, around 4,000 employees have already been furloughed. However, officials have managed to prevent a larger lapse in staffing due to “multi-year funding” but warned that these efforts are delaying key projects, including the Brownfields Program, which focuses on cleaning up land contaminated by pollutants.

“We have a whole bunch of pots of carryover funding and as that carryover funding runs out, more of the total lapse plan ends up taking effect,” Zeldin explained, continuing: “Our preference would be for the shutdown to end.” He added that if the shutdown continues into the first or second week of November, the agency would have no choice but to implement a third phase of staffing cuts.

Senate Democrats blocked a vote to reopen the government for the 13th time on Tuesday, prolonging the federal shutdown, which has been ongoing for nearly one month since funding lapsed. Zeldin criticized Democrats for catering to a “far-left activist base” and resisting efforts to resolve the shutdown. “Democrats were desperately searching for some kind of … context or narrative to try to explain why they were fighting just to fight,” he said.

Zeldin also highlighted the EPA’s ongoing reorganization efforts, which aim to reduce its workforce to approximately 12,500 employees by the end of the year. He noted that the shutdown has not derailed the agency’s regulatory agenda but has delayed proposed rules from entering public comment periods. “The only impact of the shutdown that I could think of is any proposed rule that can’t start a public comment period during a shutdown,” he said.

The shutdown has also led to the cancellation of nearly $8 billion in climate-focused federal funding, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Zeldin emphasized that his agency had already cut more than $29 billion from what he described as a climate “slush fund” benefiting Biden-aligned organizations and solar-related grants before the shutdown began.

Image by Jewish Democratic Council of America.

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Soros Backed Socialist NYC Mayoral Hopeful Zohran Mamdani with $37 Million.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The far-left political institutions backing socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat nominee for New York City Mayor, are heavily funded by radical billionaire George Soros and his dark money network, data shows.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, George Soros, former President Barack Obama, and Patrick Gaspard.

📍WHEN & WHERE: October 2025.

🎯IMPACT: Mamdani’s candidacy highlights tensions within the Democratic Party and raises questions about his ties to wealthy donors like George Soros.

IN FULL

The far-left political institutions backing socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat nominee for New York City Mayor, are heavily funded by radical billionaire George Soros and his dark money network. Despite Mamdani publicly excoriating dark money in politics, data shows his campaign has benefited both directly and indirectly from  Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) and other wealthy Democratic donors.

Since 2016, the OSF has funneled an estimated $37 million into New York State’s Working Families Party and other far-left organizations that have worked to boost increasingly radical and progressive candidates in the Democratic Party. The Working Families Party, ostensibly a minor progressive third party, uses New York’s electoral fusion laws to influence Democratic Party politics, with the aim of elevating candidates like Mamdani.

The dark money operation behind the Mamdani campaign hasn’t gone unnoticed by the 34-year-old assemblyman’s critics. New York Mayor Eric Adams has stated, “While Zohran Mamdani attacks job creators and rails against wealth, the truth is he’s benefiting from millions in support from billionaires and the very non-profit network he pretends to stand apart from.” Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa echoed these sentiments, accusing Mamdani of targeting only billionaires who do not support his agenda.

Mamdani’s connections extend beyond Soros. His campaign has received support from former President Barack Obama and key Democratic figures like Patrick Gaspard, who previously led OSF and served as Obama’s national political director. Obama personally congratulated Mamdani after his primary win, offering advice and encouragement. David Axelrod, a senior Obama advisor, also praised Mamdani’s idealism and urged Democrats to embrace his approach.

The National Pulse reported in July that during the Democratic Party’s New York City mayoral primary,  Mamdani’s campaign was bolstered even more by over $2 million in PAC spending, which an investigation by forensic accountant Sam Antar revealed came mostly from Silicon Valley billionaires and a cadre of elite Democratic Party donors.

Finance records show that the Working Families Party National PAC served as the Mamdani campaign’s primary attack vehicle, spending $539,616 of its $701,792 expenditure on attacks against Mamdani’s primary opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D). Similarly, New Yorkers for Lower Costs—an independent expenditure PAC—which raised money off of Mamdadni’s message and image—served as a key positive messaging vehicle behind the socialist candidate. In total, the PAC spent $893,877 of its $1,320,446 expendire promoting Mamdani, with the remainder used to attack Cuomo.

Image by IMF Staff Photographer/Michael Spilotro.

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FBI May Have Spied On 160 Republicans Under Biden, Trump Calls for Prison Terms.

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WHAT HAPPENED: New revelations regarding the Joe Biden-era Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its “Arctic Frost” operation indicate that as many as 160 Republicans were spied on.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former FBI Director Christopher Wray, former special prosecutor Jack Smith, up to 160 Republicans, and multiple conservative activists and personalities.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The new revelations were made on October 28 by the House Judiciary Committee, with Trump responding this morning.

💬KEY QUOTE: “These thugs should all be investigated and put in prison. A disgrace to humanity. Deranged Jack Smith is a criminal!!!” – President Donald J. Trump.

🎯IMPACT: The new information reveals the depths of the Biden regime’s use of the FBI to spy on political opponents.

IN FULL

A newly released internal document review by the House Judiciary Committee reveals that more than 160 Republicans may have been subjects of the Arctic Frost probe conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the Biden-Harris regime. The hundreds of pages of material suggest the investigation, initiated under then-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and later overseen by special prosecutor Jack Smith, was far broader than previously disclosed.

The documents show that “45 individuals” were potentially under investigation, including figures such as WarRoom host Stephen K. Bannon, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Department of Justice (DOJ) official Jeffrey Clark, Trump attorney John Eastman, and former Republican congressman Mark Meadows.

An additional 111 individuals were flagged, including Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, senior adviser Dan Scavino, former DOJ official Jeff Rosen, and current DOJ official Ed Martin.

President Donald J. Trump reacted to the new revelations on Truth Social, saying, “These thugs should all be investigated and put in prison. A disgrace to humanity. Deranged Jack Smith is a criminal!!!”

The materials shed light on internal FBI terminology: agents used “threat tags” in their files, such as “FRAUD CORRUPT”, “CORRUPT”, “PCORRUPT”, and “PCORRUPT_CAMP”. They also reference a 2020 “Tactical Intelligence Report.”

Emails from May 2022 show regional FBI offices working under the Arctic Frost label. One region thanked field offices for “help in interviews in Arctic Frost,” while another asked for about $16,600 from the Public Corruption Unit “for travel … to conduct more than 40 interviews, serve subpoenas, and execute several cellular device search warrants.” A September 2022 subpoena list identified dozens of Republican-linked activists, public officials, electors, and government employees tied to the 2020 election’s aftermath.

New sources add that top officials personally approved the investigation: a memo released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) shows then-Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Wray signed off on opening Arctic Frost.

The probe reportedly involved tracking several GOP senators’ private communications and phone-call metadata. In one disclosure, the FBI confirmed that ten Republican lawmakers had their phone records analyzed for date/time/location of calls during the week of January 6, though not the content of the calls.

In a related development, the FBI has disbanded its CR-15 squad, a Washington Field Office public corruption unit linked to Arctic Frost, and fired agents involved, after revelations that the unit “tracked the communications of GOP Senators.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is “cleaning up a diseased temple … removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes.”

Image by Dave Newman.

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House Oversight Report: Some Biden Autopen Actions ‘Illegitimate,’ DOJ Must Investigate.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Republican-led House Oversight Committee released a report questioning the legitimacy of some executive actions signed by autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency, citing concerns about his mental fitness.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), former President Joe Biden, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and figures such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Hunter Biden.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The report was issued on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., as part of ongoing investigations into Biden’s presidency.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden claimed in a prior statement, rejecting claims of impropriety.

🎯IMPACT: The findings could lead to Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations or legal challenges regarding Biden’s executive actions, including pardons.

IN FULL

The House Oversight Committee has asserted that some executive actions signed by autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency may be invalid. The committee cited concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities and claimed that actions signed without direct written approval from the president should be considered void.

In a letter accompanying the report, Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and investigate Biden’s executive actions, suggesting the authorities should “void all executive actions signed by the autopen without proper, corresponding, contemporaneous, written approval traceable to the president’s own consent.”

The report specifically highlighted pardons issued by Biden, including those for family members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and people involved in the January 6 investigation. Biden also pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, on federal charges, which he previously promised he would not do.

The report comes amid Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations into several individuals who either oversaw or executed lawfare operations against President Donald J. Trump. Trump has also urged Bondi to investigate Biden’s mental fitness and his use of the autopen.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, addressing the Oversight Committee’s findings, called the report “unprecedented.” He stated that while there is no legal precedent for overturning a presidential pardon, the current situation is “uncharted territory,” and a number of Biden’s pardons are likely “invalid.”

Democrats on the committee have dismissed the report as a partisan effort, with Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) calling it a “sham investigation.” A spokesman for Biden claims that the investigation had confirmed no wrongdoing and accused Republicans of pursuing political retribution.

The report also accuses Biden’s aides of shielding his alleged cognitive decline from the public. However, Biden has consistently denied these claims, stating, “I made the decisions during my presidency.”

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