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Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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William Upton
Immigration
News

Trump Admin Pulls 23% of Feds in Minnesota as Focus Shifts After Protests.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it will begin a partial drawdown of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: White House Border Czar Tom Homan, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), ICE, CBP, illegal immigrants, and anti-ICE agitators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I keep hearing it and hearing it and hearing it—we are not surrendering the President’s mission on a mass deportation operation. If you are in the country illegally, if we find you, we’ll deport you.” — Tom Homan

🎯IMPACT: An estimated 2,000 agents will remain in the state to conduct ongoing immigration enforcement operations, with Homan stressing that the drawdown is only possible if Minnesota Democrats follow through with their commitment to honor ICE detainers.

IN FULL

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it will begin a partial drawdown of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minnesota. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced the move during a press conference in Minneapolis, stating that “effective immediately,” around 700 federal law enforcement officers will be returned to their regions of jurisdiction, though an estimated 2,000 agents will remain in the state to conduct ongoing immigration enforcement operations. Importantly, Homan stressed the drawdown is only possible if Minnesota Democrats follow through with their commitment to honor ICE detainers.

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets,” Homan said, adding: “Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of the need of less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I am announcing effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people.”


President Trump’s border czar, who was deployed to Minnesota late last month to reach an accord with Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) on cooperating with ICE detainers and lowering tensions in the state, emphasized that the mass deportations will continue. “I keep hearing it and hearing it and hearing it—we are not surrendering the President’s mission on a mass deportation operation. If you are in the country illegally, if we find you, we’ll deport you,” Homan insisted.

Early in January, the Trump administration was forced to surge hundreds of CBP agents and other federal law enforcement to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area amid growing violent anti-ICE protests and widespread interference in immigration enforcement operations by leftist agitators. Two anti-ICE activists were fatally shot amid attempts to interfere with and resist ICE and CBP agents, which caused the leftist demonstrations to become increasingly aggressive and hostile.


Image by Gage Skidmore.

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31 minutes ago
Jack Montgomery
News

FLASHBACK: Kassam Warned Trump, Charlie Kirk About Peter Mandelson, Now Focus of Epstein Files.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, warned President Donald J. Trump and the late Charlie Kirk against Lord Peter Mandelson—now facing a criminal investigation following fresh revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files—before his appointment as British ambassador to the United States.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Raheem Kassam, Peter Mandelson, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and President Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Kassam issued his warning on The Charlie Kirk Show in January 2025, over a year before the new Epstein scandal broke in February 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “[T]he idea that Keir Starmer, the current Prime Minister, would shove somebody like Lord Mandelson into the embassy in D.C. and expect him to be taken seriously is a great affront to President Trump, it’s a great affront to the American public and what they voted for,” Kassam told Kirk.

🎯IMPACT: Mandelson resigned from political roles, and investigations are underway into potential misconduct.

IN FULL

Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, warned the U.S. against Lord Peter Mandelson, now facing a criminal investigation due to newly-released Jeffrey Epstein files showing him leaking confidential information to the pedophile financier, in January 2025, over a year before the current scandal. Speaking to the late Charlie Kirk on his show, Kassam said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s move to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., despite an already extensive history of scandal in Britain, was a “great affront to President Trump [and] the American public and what they voted for.”

Kassam highlighted Mandelson’s past, including his involvement in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and his already well-known connections to Epstein, as reasons for concern. Mandelson had also publicly attacked President Trump on numerous occasions, calling the America First leader a “danger to the world” and “little short of a white nationalist and a racist.” Kassam noted Britain’s pattern of appointing ambassadors hostile to Trump and argued that the Trump administration should reject Mandelson’s diplomatic credentials.

Kassam’s warnings were validated in recent days when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released more Epstein-related documents, revealing that Mandelson’s ties to the sex trafficker were much more sinister than previously suspected, including payments and the leaking of sensitive information during the financial crisis, when Mandelson was the British government’s Business Secretary. Mandelson has since been referred to the Metropolitan Police for investigation and is set to resign from the House of Lords, and may be stripped of his title, awarded by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, altogether.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed regret over Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador, which was already terminated after a previous Epstein release showed him offering support and advice to the sex trafficker following his 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution. Notably, however, Starmer appointed Mandelson despite having prior warning that he was a potential security risk, and his friendship with Epstein being public knowledge.

Mandelson is also linked to the recently assassinated Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, through the now-former Prince Andrew, another Epstein associate, and his former boss, Tony Blair, who courted the Gaddafi regime. Kassam was early to sound the alarm over the Gaddafis ties to the British establishment, too, playing a large role in exposing the links between the Gaddafi Foundation and the London School of Economics (LSE), led by Blair acolyte Sir Howard Davies, in the 2000s.

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1 hour ago
Crime

Trump’s D.C. Crackdown Has Slashed Crime, 80% Drop in Homicides.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Crime in Washington, D.C. has seen a dramatic decrease in early 2026, with homicides dropping 80 percent, robberies down 58 percent, and overall crime down by 26 percent compared to the same period in 2025.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Trump administration, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and federal law enforcement agencies have contributed to these results through targeted interventions.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The data reflects crime statistics in Washington, D.C. for the early weeks of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.

🎯IMPACT: The significant decline in crime demonstrates the effectiveness of the President’s law and order policies, offering a model for other cities to follow.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, is bearing significant fruit. Data from the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) show that, year-to-date, homicides are down 80 percent, robberies are down 58 percent, burglaries are down 58 percent, car thefts are down 57 percent, and crime across the board is down 26 percent when compared to the same time last year.

In the first month of 2026, Washington, D.C. saw only two homicides—over the same period in 2025, the city had already racked up ten murders. Meanwhile, robberies fell from 158 in the first month of 2025 to just 67 in the first month of 2026. Motor vehicle thefts, one of the most common crimes in the capital city, sat at 381 in January of last year but fell to 162 in the first month of 2026. Overall, the total crime count for D.C. slid from 1,880 incidents in the first month of last year to 1,385 this past month.

The National Pulse reported last month that crime on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metro and bus system hit an over two-decade low last year as the National Guard presence has bolstered the city’s police department. Overall, crime on Metrobuses fell 37 percent, while Metrorail saw a 34 percent decline, and crime in Metro parking facilities fell 40 percent.

Notably, the success of the crackdown has resulted in an extension of the National Guard deployment as the city continues to refocus its police force on neighborhoods that have long needed a more substantial law enforcement presence. The plummeting crime rate has also all but ended resistance to the Guard deployment, which city officials initially opposed.

The Trump administration’s public safety efforts in D.C. come in direct response to a surge in lawlessness under former President Joe Biden.

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2 hours ago
NatSec
Politics

War Department Warns of ‘Extraordinary Measures’ if Dems Try to Seize Historic Military College.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of War says it may have to resort to  “extraordinary measures” if Virginia Democrats pass a bill to place the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fully under state control.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Pentagon, Virginia Democrats, and VMI leadership.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Proposed legislation pending in Virginia, with the Pentagon issuing its warning late Tuesday, February 3.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

🎯IMPACT: The proposed bills could end VMI’s current governance and funding, raising concerns about military readiness and state investment.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of War says it may have to resort to “extraordinary measures” if Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly pass a bill to bring the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fully under state government control. House Bill 1374, proposed by Virginia Democrats, would dissolve VMI’s Board of Visitors and place the institution entirely under state governance.

“The Department of War is monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374, focused on the governance of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), with significant concern,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He continued, “For generations, the unique military environment at VMI has made the Institute a vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces.”

Parnell further emphasized that “the stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest and any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention. DoW reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI and our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast.”

VMI has long been a political target for Virginia Democrats who have worked for decades to find ways to defund or close the storied military college. In addition to HB 1374, Virginia Democrats introduced House Bill 1377, which would establish a task force to determine whether VMI should continue receiving state funding. The bill follows a 2021 task force initiated by then-Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), which accused VMI of widespread discrimination. If the new task force concludes that VMI has not adequately addressed these claims, the commonwealth could cut its funding entirely.

Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer (D), who sponsored HB 1377, argued that the state should not fund an institution “incapable of separating itself from a Lost Cause ideology that promotes White supremacy.”

VMI, which received 27.5 percent of its funding from Virginia in the last academic year, has a historical association with the Confederacy, having produced many of its generals during the Civil War.

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3 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

ICE Catches Illegal Who Was Recruited by Police and Issued a Firearm.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit from Cameroon who was issued a firearm despite an being subject to an active deportation order.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Larry Temah, a 46-year-old recruit, ICE, and the New Orleans Police Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Temah was arrested on January 28, just one week before his scheduled graduation from the New Orleans Police Academy.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm — what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” – Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary.

🎯IMPACT: The case highlights ongoing concerns over sanctuary city policies and enforcement of immigration laws.

IN FULL

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Larry Temah, a 46-year-old recruit with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) from Cameroon, on January 28, 2026—just one week before his scheduled graduation from the police academy. Temah had been issued a firearm despite being subject to an active deportation order.

Temah entered the U.S. legally in 2015 on a visitor visa and received conditional residency in 2016 after marrying a U.S. citizen. However, his application for permanent residency was denied in 2022 due to fraud, per ICE. He failed to appear in immigration court three times, leading an immigration judge to order his removal in absentia. ICE also stated that he lacked valid work authorization.

Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from possessing firearms, yet the NOPD recruited Temah and provided him with a gun. “This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm—what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” said Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary. She added that it is a felony for illegal aliens to possess firearms.

An NOPD spokesman disputed ICE’s claims, claiming the department verified Temah’s employment eligibility through ICE’s E-Verify system before hiring him. The spokesman stated: “New Orleans is not a sanctuary city, and NOPD does not control jail operations or detainer decisions, which fall under the Sheriff’s Office.” They denied that the department knowingly violated any laws.

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17 hours ago
Christopher Tomlinson
News

Melinda Gates Calls Out Bill Over Epstein.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Bill Gates, called out her former husband over the release of millions of documents relating to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein.

📍WHEN & WHERE: French Gates made her comments during an interview on February 3.

💬KEY QUOTE: “For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.” – Melina French Gates.

🎯IMPACT: The Epstein files continue to impact many high-profile elites, leading to resignations and calls for further investigations.

IN FULL

Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said she felt “unbelievable sadness” after newly released documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein referenced her ex-husband, and included disturbing claims about his behavior. French Gates made the comments during an appearance on NPR, where host Rachel Martin asked how she reacted to a new tranche of Epstein-related records that became public as part of a large federal disclosure.

Among the documents is a draft email attributed to Epstein and dated July 18, 2013. The email alleges that Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection following encounters involving “Russian girls” and that he sought antibiotics that could be given to French Gates without her knowledge. The message also contains explicit personal language. A spokesman for Bill Gates strongly denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false,” and said the email reflects Epstein’s anger after Gates cut off contact with him.

French Gates, who divorced Bill Gates in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, said the renewed attention surrounding the Epstein files brought back painful memories. “For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage,” she said. She added that any unanswered questions about the claims are for those involved, including her ex-husband, to address, not her.

She also said the revelations prompted her to reflect on Epstein’s victims and the broader harm caused by his crimes. “I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, ‘My God, how did that happen to those girls?’” she said.

The comments follow the Department of Justice (DOJ) releasing millions of pages of records tied to Epstein’s activities and network of contacts. The disclosure includes emails, correspondence, contact lists, flight records, and other materials gathered during investigations into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Image by World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch/Remy Steinegger.

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18 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

Migrants Charged in Billion-Dollar Medicare Fraud Scheme.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal prosecutors in Chicago, Illinois, uncovered schemes involving foreign nationals exploiting U.S. Medicare and supplemental insurance systems, filing over $1 billion in fraudulent claims.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nationals of Kazakhstan and Pakistan are accused, including Anuar Abdrakhmanov and Tair Smagul, as well as two unnamed Pakistani nationals.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Fraudulent activities spanned multiple states, with cases tied to Kentucky, Connecticut, and other locations. Key events occurred between 2023 and 2024.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Medicare received tens of thousands of beneficiary complaints tied to the fraudulent billing.” – Federal prosecutors

🎯IMPACT: The schemes resulted in hundreds of millions in false claims, with supplemental insurers paying at least $450,000, and exposed vulnerabilities in Medicare’s billing systems.

IN FULL

Federal prosecutors in Chicago have exposed massive Medicare fraud schemes involving foreign nationals, with more than $1 billion in fraudulent claims filed for medical equipment and diagnostic tests. Investigators say many of the items were never delivered, authorized, or requested by patients or doctors. Court filings show that nationals from Kazakhstan and Pakistan took control of seemingly legitimate medical supply companies and used stolen patient information to submit fake prescriptions and bills. Authorities say the perpetrators tried to funnel the proceeds overseas before being stopped.

One of the largest operations involved Kazakh national Anuar Abdrakhmanov, who allegedly submitted $666 million in Medicare claims in just five months through Priority One Medical Equipment. Investigators found that the company’s listed office in Kentucky was mostly empty, with employees forwarding mail to a supervisor they had never met.

Another case centers on Kazakh national Tair Smagul, accused of laundering proceeds from roughly $953 million in fraudulent claims. Medicare received more than 27,000 complaints from beneficiaries tied to Smagul’s operation in Connecticut, with doctors and patients denying any involvement in the billed services.

Two Pakistani nationals are also accused of running schemes using stolen Medicare data to submit false claims through shell companies with names such as Snazzy Sprocket and Peculiar Penguin.

Officials say these cases highlight the growing scope of Medicare fraud, which federal authorities believe may involve billions more in undiscovered false claims.

These prosecutions come amid a broader wave of fraud cases involving migrants. In Minnesota, investigators uncovered what federal authorities describe as one of the largest welfare fraud scandals in U.S. history, involving false claims for child nutrition, housing stabilization, and autism services. More than 78 people have been indicted, and hundreds of millions of dollars were reportedly stolen.

In Washington, D.C., Ruby Corado, a transgender migrant activist and founder of the now‑defunct nonprofit Casa Ruby, was recently sentenced to 33 months in prison for diverting federal COVID‑19 relief funds. Court filings show Corado stole more than $950,000, transferred at least $150,000 overseas, and was ordered to repay $956,215 in restitution.

Other reported migrant-linked fraud includes a $7 million SNAP scheme allegedly run by a Haitian immigrant duo, who submitted false claims using fabricated identities to obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

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18 hours ago
News
World

Gaddafi’s Son Assassinated.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was reportedly shot and killed in Libya.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Abdullah Othman (Gaddafi’s political adviser), and Libyan authorities.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred in Zintan, western Libya, where Gaddafi had been based for a decade.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We fight here in Libya, we die here in Libya.” – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 2011.

🎯IMPACT: Throughout the 2011 uprising, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi remained defiant, warning of “rivers of blood” and the destruction of Libya.

IN FULL

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in the Libyan city of Zintan. The 53-year-old’s death in an apparent assassination was confirmed by his political adviser, Abdullah Othman, though details surrounding the incident remain unclear, and Libyan authorities have not issued any official statements.

Gaddafi, though he never held an official position, was widely seen as his father’s second-in-command from 2000 until 2011, when Muammar Gaddafi was killed by militants with the anti-Gaddafi National Transitional Council (NTC). Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was captured in Zintan that same year while attempting to flee the country. After being imprisoned, he was released in 2017 as part of a general pardon.

Educated in the West, including earning a PhD from the London School of Economics in 2008, Gaddafi sought to present a modernized image of Libya and worked to repair relations with Western nations. However, his role during his father’s regime and the 2011 uprising led to allegations of crimes against humanity, including torture and violence against opposition figures. The International Criminal Court (ICC) sought his prosecution, and in 2015, a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia.

Throughout the 2011 uprising, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi remained defiant, warning of “rivers of blood” and the destruction of Libya. “We fight here in Libya, we die here in Libya,” he said at the time. Following his release in 2017, Gaddafi went underground in Zintan, avoiding assassination attempts while maintaining contact with allies inside and outside Libya, and attempting a political comeback.

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20 hours ago
Immigration
News

Rep. Nadler: Shooting ICE ‘Goons’ Would Be ‘Justified.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Democrat Congressman Jerry Nadler referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as “goons” and argued people would be “justified” in shooting them during masked arrests in remarks at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY), ICE agents, and other Democrat officials such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Remarks made during a House Judiciary Committee markup session on Tuesday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped, you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself.” – Jerry Nadler

🎯IMPACT: Attacks on ICE agents have increased significantly, with violent incidents and threats becoming more frequent.

IN FULL

Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) drew sharp criticism during a House Judiciary Committee markup on February 3 after referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as “goons” and suggesting that people could be “justified” in shooting them. The comments were made as lawmakers debated legislation on biological men competing in women’s sports and a balanced budget amendment.

During the hearing, Nadler accused ICE of routinely violating civil liberties, saying, “We see the ICE goons break into people’s homes without a warrant… This is the major problem we have today.” He also warned of what he described as “fascism in our streets,” citing high-profile immigration enforcement operations and agents wearing masks while carrying out arrests.

“If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped, you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself, but we see people being shot for what? For driving a car,” he said, likely referring to anti-ICE activist Renée Good, who was fatally shot after hitting a federal officer with her SUV during an attempted getaway.

Nadler’s comments come amid a broader pattern of aggressive rhetoric toward ICE from some Democratic officials. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz previously described the agency as “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo,” while Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas compared ICE to “slave patrols.”

Recent reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicate a dramatic rise in violence directed at ICE personnel. DHS data shows a 1,300 percent increase in overall assaults against agents, a 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000 percent surge in death threats. Incidents have included shootings, attempted vehicular assaults, and violent protests targeting ICE facilities and officers in states such as Illinois, Texas, and California.

Additional controversies have emerged involving Democratic officials at the state and local levels. A Democratic district attorney publicly vowed to pursue ICE agents “like Nazi war criminals,” while a Democratic attorney general, like Nadler, suggested that people might be legally permitted to shoot masked ICE agents under “stand your ground” laws if they believed they were under attack.

In another case, a convicted felon serving as a Democrat lawmaker introduced legislation to bar ICE agents from holding police jobs in her state.

Image by David from Washington, D.C.

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20 hours ago
Data
Media

Data PROVES Newsmax’s Chris Ruddy is Trying to Tie Trump to Unpopular Policy.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Data from Trump pollster Fabrizio Ward reveals voters oppose Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy’s pitch to President Trump to leave broadcasting regulations in place, rather than freeing up the market.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), local television station owners, national broadcasters, advertisers, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, and American voters.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The poll of 1,000 registered voters nationally was conducted between January 20 and 22 by Fabrizio Ward.

💬KEY QUOTE: “By an eight-to-one margin, voters who get their local news from TV would be less likely rather than more likely to vote for a Member of Congress who opposed local TV station owners being allowed to compete nationally.” — Fabrizio Ward

🎯IMPACT: The data suggests voters—regardless of partisan affiliation—overwhelmingly support ending ownership restrictions on television station owners.

IN FULL

New data shows that local television stations continue to be a key source of news and entertainment for a large swath of American voters, and they’re beginning to notice the slow death of local broadcasters at the hands of the national networks empowered by favorable federal government regulations.

The news is pertinent as President Trump and his FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr, consider changes to the 39 percent broadcasting cap set decades ago, as previously covered here at The National Pulse.

A poll of 1,000 registered American voters, conducted between January 20 and 22 by Fabrizio Ward, found that nearly half of respondents still get a large share of their news from local TV stations, even as social media and streaming services continue to grow in market share.

The findings undermine the lobbying efforts of Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, who is currently attempting to convince President Trump and Chairman Carr to keep the antiquated broadcast cap in place, because it protects his cable news business and stymies competition against him.

Ruddy’s Newsmax attempted to impose Joe Biden and Antony Fauci’s vaccine mandate on its staff, and settled with Dominion Voting Systems under its previous management over the topic of stolen elections, costing the company over $65 million.

HOW IT WORKS… OR DOESN’T.

By limiting growth and competition from local broadcast companies, the federal government has unintentionally granted the national networks significant leverage. Without new revenue, local broadcasters are left at the whim of the national networks, which have systematically slashed spending on local news as they undergo consolidation, in favor of cheaper, easier-to-produce national news packages. This has forced local networks to cut costs further, leading to plummeting viewership. Unable to grow and compete beyond regional markets, the local broadcasters are caught in a death spiral imposed by the national networks and enabled by federal regulation.

However, this situation does not appear to have gone unnoticed by the electorate. According to the Fabrizio Ward poll, 57 percent of respondents believe local television station owners should be allowed to compete with national networks without government interference. Only 15 percent of respondents said the government should keep restrictions on local broadcasters in place.

Notably, both Republicans and Democrats support lifting regulatory restrictions by similar margins, putting Ruddy and his pitch to the President on the opposite side of Americans across the board.

Just 20 percent of Americans said the status quo is fair. Most Trump voters say it is unfair, as do most Kamala Harris voters.

“By an eight-to-one margin, voters who get their local news from TV would be less likely rather than more likely to vote for a Member of Congress who opposed local TV station owners being allowed to compete nationally,” Fabrizio Ward stated, adding, “Among the same group of voters, the Member of Congress who supports local TV station owners being allowed to compete nationally for advertising against cable networks and internet streamers would enjoy a wide margin of support.”

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