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Monday, September 21, 2026
12 minutes ago
Bonkers Britain
Media
News

Memory Holed: BBC Mass Deletes Popular Comedy Series Because It No Longer ‘Works Today.’

The BBC has removed 11 sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look on its iPlayer service, claiming that they no longer “work today,” sparking debate over censorship.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The BBC has edited That Mitchell and Webb Look for its 20th anniversary on iPlayer, removing 11 comedy sketches it deems inappropriate for 2026.
📰 DETAIL: The decision was reportedly made in consultation with show creators David Mitchell and Robert Webb, best known for the sitcom Peep Show, although they have not publicly commented on the edits as of the time of publication. The cut sketches featured blackface—presented in a critical manner—and Mitchell wearing a burka, as well as references to racial stereotypes, with the BBC insisting, “This is a 20-year-old sketch show; in consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: Comedian Dom Joly described the cuts as “classic BBC overkill” and “hysterical censorship” in comments to the British press.
🎯 IMPACT: The move has reignited debates over censorship in Britain, where sharing “grossly offensive” content is a crime even in private WhatsApp groups, and the preservation of even relatively recent historical media.
👀 FLASHBACK: The censorship of That Mitchell and Webb Look follows a similar pattern seen after the Black Lives Matter disorder in 2020, which spread to Britain with low-level riots and the vandalization of statues of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and others, with shows like Little Britain being edited to censor comedy sketches touching on race.

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The BBC has removed 11 sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look on its iPlayer service, claiming that they no longer "work today," sparking debate over censorship.

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1 hour ago
Lawfare
Media
News

MS NOW, CNN, POLITICO Sue Trump Admin Over White House Ban.

Three corporate media outlets have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging First Amendment and due process violations after they were banned from the White House.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and POLITICO announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration after they were barred from the White House. The corporate media outlets allege that the ban violates their First Amendment rights, as well as due process protections under the Fifth Amendment.
📺 DETAIL: The lawsuit claims that the White House revoked press credentials without notice or an opportunity to appeal, accusing the administration of retaliation for unfavorable news coverage. President Donald J. Trump explained on Monday that his administration was not attacking the free press, but “corrupt” organizations intentionally spreading “FAKE NEWS,” which he characterized as an endemic disease. The administration is likely to argue that the First Amendment does not grant corporate media outlets a right to be part of the White House press corps, which is not open to all journalists or regular citizens by default.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!” – President Donald J. Trump
🎯 IMPACT: If successful, the lawsuit could allow the media outlets to force their way back into the White House. Conversely, a ruling in favor of the Trump administration could make it clear that First Amendment protections for a free press do not extend to a constitutional right to White House access for the corporate media.
📺 FLASHBACK: In a similar case, the Associated Press was banned from the White House press pool last year over its use of “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.” While a district judge initially ruled the ban unconstitutional, an appeals court sided with the Trump administration, and the AP remains excluded from the press pool.

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Three corporate media outlets have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging First Amendment and due process violations after they were banned from the White House.

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2 hours ago
Crime
Election Integrity
News

DHS is Investigating 1,620 Voter Fraud Cases Involving Noncitizens.

The Department of Homeland Security has launched a significant investigation into potential voter fraud involving noncitizens, with over 150 arrests already made.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating 1,620 cases of voter fraud involving noncitizens, according to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The department has already made 151 arrests and is examining an additional 300,000 cases based on state voter roll data.
📺 DETAIL: In an interview with Fox News, Mullin explained that the cases are being scrutinized by comparing voter rolls with data on illegal immigrants, legal permanent residents, and citizens to determine voting legality. Mullin emphasized that cases of illegal voting effectively cancel out the votes of legally registered citizens. He also noted that the investigations’ findings support President Donald J. Trump’s claims of voter fraud in past elections.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We’re scrubbing [states’ voter rolls]. We’re comparing them to those that are in the country illegally, those that are legal permanent residents, and those that are citizens… Every single vote that we talk about, that was at the hands of an illegal, canceled out a citizen that was legally registered and able to vote,” Mullin said.
🎯 IMPACT: The DHS investigations highlight the Trump administration’s ongoing concerns about election integrity and the potential for illegal voting to undermine the democratic process. The scale of the cases under review underscores the need for electoral reforms, such as the SAVE America Act, although the Democrats have consistently resisted in Congress and at the state level. Significantly, academic research indicates that foreign nationals vote illegally in sufficient numbers to alter election outcomes, in ways that tend to favor the Democrats.

Image by Joe Mabel.

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The Department of Homeland Security has launched a significant investigation into potential voter fraud involving noncitizens, with over 150 arrests already made.

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September 19, 2026
Immigration
News

Democrat Senate Candidate Says She Would Trade Five Americans for One Illegal Alien.

Democrat Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner’s remarks on preferring illegal immigrant workers over Americans have invited backlash in Arkansas.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Hallie Shoffner, a Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate in Arkansas, declared her preference for illegal immigrant farm workers over American workers during a podcast interview, sparking significant backlash.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Every farmer will tell you at one point, we did, or still do, employ undocumented [sic] immigrants, and it’s absolutely ridiculous that these folks are being rounded up because they’re hardworking people. They’re some of the best people we know, and honestly, we’d trade five Americans for just one of them because of how hard they work,” Shoffner said.
🎯 IMPACT: Shoffner’s comments have drawn criticism the public and from her opponent, Senator Tom Cotton, who argue that such views undermine American workers. They are likely to harm her campaign in a predominantly conservative state.
📰 DETAIL: Shoffner, who recently closed her farm due to high costs, is challenging Cotton as a supposedly moderate Democrat, but is now facing renewed scrutiny over her extreme pro-illegal immigration stance. Her campaign has attracted attention from Democrat donors, especially after one poll showed her leading Cotton by three points.
👀 FLASHBACK: Republicans have historically won U.S. Senate races in Arkansas by significant margins, with Cotton defeating his 2020 opponent by 33 points.

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Democrat Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner's remarks on preferring illegal immigrant workers over Americans have invited backlash in Arkansas.

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September 19, 2026
Bonkers Britain
News
Religion

Church of England Withdraws Interfaith Award Given to Pro-Bin Laden Imam on 9/11 Anniversary.

The Church of England has rescinded an interfaith honor given to an Islamic cleric who once praised Osama Bin Laden following widespread backlash.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The female Archbishop of Canterbury has rescinded an interfaith award for an Islamic cleric who praised Osama bin Laden. 
📺 DETAIL: On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally, the senior bishop of the Church of England and symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion, gave Imam Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi the Hubert Walter Award for “reconciliation and interfaith cooperation.” Ashrafi was awarded for his supposed “longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan.” However, soon after the award was granted, it was revealed that Ashrafi had referred to Osama bin Laden as “Saifullah,” an honorific Islamic title meaning “the sword of God,” during Islamic protests against the decision to award author Salman Rushdie with a British knighthood back in 2007. Rushdie is under an Iranian fatwa for his novel, The Satanic Verses, which Muslims regard as blasphemous, and was seriously injured in an assassination attempt in 2022. In response to news of Rushdie’s knighthood at the time, the imam said: “If a blasphemer can be given the title ‘Sir’ by the West despite the fact he’s hurt the feelings of Muslims, then a mujahid [jihadist] who has been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah.” A spokesman for Ashrafi has since claimed that the imam’s comments were taken out of context. Since 2007, Imam Ashrafi has been chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, an organization of Islamic scholars, which has allegedly supported extremist actions. “It is obscene, and almost beyond parody, that the Archbishop of Canterbury has awarded an Osama Bin Laden apologist an interfaith award on the anniversary of 9/11. This demonstrates appallingly poor judgment and is an insult to the victims of 9/11 and their families. Interfaith engagement must not mean overlooking support for extremism,” commented Alejandro Sanchez, spokesman for the National Secular Society. Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop’s seat in London, confirmed that the imam’s award was withdrawn on Thursday.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Why, oh why, is the Archbishop of Canterbury giving an award to a man who praised Osama Bin Laden just a few years after the Twin Towers?” said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on GB News.
🎯 IMPACT: The incident has intensified scrutiny of the Church of England’s leadership and its naive approach to interfaith relations with Islam, with calls for a re-evaluation of its priorities. This represents another controversy for the Church of England. Dame Sarah, a pro-abortion woman, was appointed to the senior office earlier this year, sparking criticism that the English established church was straying from Christian teaching and causing many traditionalist Anglican churches to break away from it. The same month, it installed pro-diversity graffiti in one of its cathedrals, sparking criticism from Vice President JD Vance. “It is weird to me that these people don’t see the irony of honoring ‘marginalized communities’ by making a beautiful historical building really ugly,” said the Vice President at the time.

Image by Neil Turner for Lambeth Palace.

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The Church of England has rescinded an interfaith honor given to an Islamic cleric who once praised Osama Bin Laden following widespread backlash.

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September 19, 2026
Crime
News
UK

Afghan Migrant Sentenced for Raping Underage Teenagers.

An Afghan man who lured two 14-year-old girls to his flat, intoxicated them, and sexually assaulted them has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, but he may not be deported.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan migrant in the United Kingdom has been imprisoned for a theoretical 14 years for raping two underage girls.
📺 DETAIL: Sultani Bakatash, a 29-year-old migrant from Afghanistan, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of raping and sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls in his flat in Bolton, England. Bakatash lured the girls through Snapchat, plied them with vodka, and sexually assaulted them while they were lapsed in and out of consciousness. The incident took place in December last year. One victim managed to escape and sought help from a neighbor, who alerted the police. Bakatash fled the scene but was arrested two days later. Bakatash was convicted of two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration, after pleading not guilty. In addition to his supposed 14-year sentence, which he will be unlikely to serve in full, Bakatash was given another two years on license, and has been barred from contacting any child under 16 years old, albeit only for 20 years. Concerningly, he received Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), similar to permanent residency in the U.S., after arriving in the country back in 2021, meaning it could be difficult to deport him.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “You encouraged them to keep drinking… so they would become so drunk they would not be able to stop you having sex with them,” said Judge Kenderik Horne during the sentencing.
🎯 IMPACT: The assaults caused severe psychological harm to the victims. Bakatash could be deported, although no final decision has been made. However, the judge noted that Bakatash’s work with the British Army in Afghanistan could prevent this. This represents a recurring trend of Afghan migrants assaulting minors in Britain, with Afghans having per capita the highest rate of sexual offending of any nationality in the country.
📺 FLASHBACK: This is far from the only case of its kind. Last month, another Afghan migrant, Abdul Shinwari, was charged with the rape and sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl in Manchester, England. That same month, Abdul Khan, another Afghan, was sentenced for grooming and raping a 13-year-old girl. Khan, who is believed to be 28-years-old, falsely claimed to be a 14-year-old boy.

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An Afghan man who lured two 14-year-old girls to his flat, intoxicated them, and sexually assaulted them has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, but he may not be deported.

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September 18, 2026
Immigration
Lawfare
News

DHS Chief Warns Immigration Lawyers Abusing the Asylum System to Expect Consequences.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a letter to immigration attorneys as part of a broader effort to combat fraudulent asylum claims and prevent delays to deportations.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a warning to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) regarding the legal consequences of enabling fraudulent asylum claims.
📺 DETAIL: The warning was issued to the immigration lawyers on Wednesday. “Asylum offers protection to aliens who have fled their countries due to persecution by the government on account of a protected ground… To be eligible for asylum, an alien must show that he is a ‘refugee’ as defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(A), meaning that he is unable or unwilling to return to his country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,” warned DHS’ James Percival, who emphasized the discretionary nature of asylum. He criticized the misuse of asylum claims for economic reasons or to delay deportation, noting that many migrants from the Western Hemisphere do not meet the legal threshold for asylum. “Filing a frivolous asylum application generally renders an alien permanently ineligible for most forms of relief and other immigration benefits… The Department will vigorously pursue all available remedies against anyone engaging in this conduct,” he added in his letter to AILA, threatening fines for attorneys found guilty of enabling fraudulent claims.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We have been abundantly clear: If immigration attorneys commit fraud for their clients, the attorneys will be fined,” said James Percival, DHS General Counsel.
🎯 IMPACT: This warning signals a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud in the immigration system. It also demonstrates that the administration is conscious of how the legal system can be weaponized by partisan and ideologically motivated lawyers to stall progress in enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
📺 FLASHBACK: Back in March, it was revealed that immigration attorneys had flooded the legal system with approximately 24,400 habeas claims amid the federal government’s crackdown on illegal immigration. While the U.S. Constitution provides the writ of habeas to prevent American citizens from being detained without justification, it has been weaponized to force bond hearings for illegal immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Supreme Court was set to clarify the constitutionality of bond hearings for non-citizens, but this was derailed by Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul after she pardoned an illegal migrant convicted of assault earlier this month.

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The Department of Homeland Security has issued a letter to immigration attorneys as part of a broader effort to combat fraudulent asylum claims and prevent delays to deportations.

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September 18, 2026
News
Politics

Netflix Co-Founder and Wife Donate Millions to Oppose Voter ID Initiatives.

Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have contributed a combined $2.5 million to block a voter ID measure in California, signaling greater involvement in Democrat and Democrat-aligned politics after stepping down as Netflix chairman.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have donated $2.5 million to oppose California’s Proposition 39, a ballot measure to implement voter ID.
📺 DETAIL: Hastings contributed $1 million earlier this month to a “No on 39” campaign, while Quillin donated $1.5 million at the end of August to a similar campaign linked to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued photo ID for in-person voting, and mail-in voters would be required to provide the last four digits of their ID number on ballot envelopes. This follows polling suggesting that the “No” campaign has a slight lead with 55 percent. Supporters of the Proposition argue it is a necessary step to combat election fraud and restore trust in California’s election process. Notably, Proposition 39’s wording has been accused of being deliberately worded in a way that will encourage Californians to vote against it in November.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Rob Bonta knows that Prop 39 is likely to pass because it is a bipartisan solution to Voter ID and is supported by a supermajority of Democratic, independent, and Republican voters. Knowing he can’t defeat our bipartisan solution to Voter ID in a fair election, he has decided to rig the vote against Prop 39 with a false title claiming it prohibits citizens from voting!” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego).
🎯 IMPACT: This represents another major Democrat-aligned political investment by Hastings, who spent $3 million to support Governor Gavin Newsom (D) during the 2021 recall election. Hastings announced back in April that he would not seek re-election to Netflix’s board, having stepped down as CEO back in 2023. Hastings stated that he intended to focus on “philanthropy and other pursuits.” As such, it is possible that Hastings, as well as Quillin, will become more involved in Democrat and Democrat-adjacent politics.

Image by cellanr.

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Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have contributed a combined $2.5 million to block a voter ID measure in California, signaling greater involvement in Democrat and Democrat-aligned politics after stepping down as Netflix chairman.

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September 18, 2026
News
Religion

Dearborn Mayor Faces Lawsuit for Prioritizing Muslim Holidays.

A federal lawsuit accuses the city of Dearborn, Michigan, of violating constitutional rights by prioritizing public displays for Muslim holidays while ignoring requests for equal recognition of Christian and Jewish holidays.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, has been sued for religious favoritism after allegedly using taxpayer funds to celebrate Islamic holidays while neglecting Christian and Jewish holidays.
📺 DETAIL: The federal lawsuit alleges that the city of Dearborn, Michigan, ignored repeated requests to recognize Easter and Passover, having already allegedly spent taxpayer money on celebrating Ramadan, such as $6,500 on Ramadan-themed banners and Islamic crescent moon displays. Filed on Thursday by Margot Cleveland, a journalist for The Federalist, and the American Freedom Law Center (AFLC), a Michigan-based non-profit public interest law firm, the lawsuit claims that the city has violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which protect religious equality, free speech, and equal treatment under the law. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and city officials allegedly responded with hostility, including a public exchange in which Hammoud called a Christian pastor a “bigot” and “Islamophobe.” “What makes this case especially troubling is that City officials, up to and including the Mayor, responded to a citizen’s respectful request for equal treatment with silence, stonewalling, and outright hostility—including the Mayor’s own words telling a Christian resident he is ‘not welcome’ in his own city,” said David Yerushalmi, one of the attorneys working on the case. Hammoud was elected in 2021 as the city’s first Arab and Muslim mayor.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The City of Dearborn spent taxpayer money to light up its streets and parks for Ramadan while stonewalling a resident who simply asked that Easter, Passover, and other Christian and Jewish holy days be treated the same way… That is a straightforward Establishment Clause violation, and the retaliation our client faced for speaking up about it only compounds the constitutional harm.” – Robert J. Muise, AFLC senior counsel
🎯 IMPACT: The case could set a precedent for how local authorities handle taxpayer-funded religious celebrations in diverse communities. It also raises significant questions about religious equality in the Muslim-dominated city of Dearborn, which is home to one of the largest Arab American enclaves in the United States. According to the 2020 Census, 54.5 percent of residents have Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. The city is also known for having multiple mosques. As such, this case is likely to feed into broader debates over whether Islam is compatible with American values.
📺 FLASHBACK: Back in March, it was revealed that Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, during his campaign for the nomination, refused to comment on the assassination of then-Ayatollah of Iran Ali Khamenei to avoid upsetting Muslims in Dearborn. “There are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So, like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all,” said El-Sayed at the time.

Image by Don Sniegowski.

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A federal lawsuit accuses the city of Dearborn, Michigan, of violating constitutional rights by prioritizing public displays for Muslim holidays while ignoring requests for equal recognition of Christian and Jewish holidays.

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September 18, 2026
News

Trump Announces ‘Infinite Life’ Deal Giving U.S. Permanent Security Control Over Greenland.

President Trump has announced a historic agreement granting the U.S. permanent control over Greenland’s security, with no cost to the U.S.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland, granting the U.S. permanent control over Greenland’s security and other needs.
📰 DETAIL: Trump stated that the agreement ensures that no U.S. adversary can establish a military presence or make sensitive investments in Greenland without U.S. approval. This move is seen as a strategic victory, addressing U.S. concerns that have persisted for decades.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns. There will be NO COST to the United States! At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America. Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval. For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it. I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation. This is an ‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end! We are very honored and proud of what has just taken place, and everything agreed to today will be cherished by the American People. We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction. This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies… This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special.” – President Trump
🎯 IMPACT: The agreement, if implemented as described, should enhance U.S. security and strategic positioning in the Arctic region, while fostering cooperation with Denmark and Greenland. It also paves the way for the development of a significant U.S. military presence in Greenland.

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President Trump has announced a historic agreement granting the U.S. permanent control over Greenland's security, with no cost to the U.S.

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