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Tuesday, August 11, 2026
56 minutes ago
News
Politics

Senate Stalls $833 Monthly Boost for Disabled Veterans.

New legislation to provide severely disabled veterans and surviving military families with increased financial support has stalled in the Senate due to disagreements over funding mechanisms, raising concerns about legislative gridlock.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act (H.R. 6047) has been delayed by the Senate. Sharri Briley is a Gold Star widow, while Eric Edmundson is an Iraq War veteran.
📺 DETAIL: The legislation offers the first major increase in Special Monthly Compensation for disabled veterans in over 20 years. The legislation would also raise Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments for nearly 600,000 surviving spouses and family members. Specifically, payments to severely disabled veterans would rise by an additional $833 per month. However, despite bipartisan support and backing from over 20 veterans organizations, the legislation’s funding mechanism relies on shifting funds from other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs, which critics have characterized as benefitting certain groups of veterans at the expense of others. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives, but has stalled in the Senate. 
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Our nation can never fully repay the debt we owe to the heroes and families who have served and sacrificed for our freedom, but passing my bipartisan legislation today is further proof that we will never stop trying.” – Representative Tom Barrett (R-MI), an Iraq War veteran and a sponsor of the legislation
🎯 IMPACT: While the legislation is not dead, the Senate delay represents a disappointing setback to supporters. It also raises questions about how best to allocate VA resources and avoid dividing the veterans’ community. The delay leaves thousands of disabled veterans and their families in financial uncertainty, especially since many rely on the VA to cover the high costs of caregiving and medical equipment. There is no obvious plan for progression, although given the fact that the bill has already passed the House, and the amount of support behind it, a plan is likely to be unveiled at some point in the future.

Image by Ron Cogswell.

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New legislation to provide severely disabled veterans and surviving military families with increased financial support has stalled in the Senate due to disagreements over funding mechanisms, raising concerns about legislative gridlock.

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2 hours ago
News
Politics

Dem Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Deletes Podcast Where He Called to Scrap July 4th Fireworks and the Second Amendment.

Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is under fire for past remarks, including criticism of July 4 traditions and calls to abolish Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed criticized July 4 fireworks and proposed abolishing Americans’ right to bear arms in a podcast episode.
📺 DETAIL: In a podcast episode from July 2024 that has since been made private, El-Sayed criticized July 4 fireworks. “Fireworks suck,” declared El-Sayed in a sub-section titled “Fireworks just aren’t worth it: hear us out.” Specifically, he took aim at the environmental impact of July 4 fireworks, among other things. El-Sayed also suggested removing the right to bear arms in favor of a right to healthcare. “What if we tweaked the Constitution, amended the amendment, and instead of the right to bear arms, we change it to the right to have health care?” said El-Sayed. He also dismissed the southern border as a priority, claiming that Republicans “love to flog” the issue and suggesting that illegal immigration was not an important issue to voters. This follows the uncovering of a recording of El-Sayed calling to “defund the police” in 2020. El-Sayed’s criticism of July 4 traditions was endorsed by The Marguerite Casey Foundation, a progressive grantmaking organization. El-Sayed’s campaign claims these remarks do not reflect his current views, although over 100 videos have been removed from his platforms since his Senate run began.
🎯 IMPACT: El-Sayed’s past remarks could become a focal point in the state’s general election. As Michigan is a swing state, many voters are likely to find El-Sayed’s extreme-left views off-putting. Republicans have sought to leverage El-Sayed’s past comments as a means to mobilize moderate voters against him. His nomination demonstrates the ongoing shift to the left within the Democrat Party and the mainstreaming of anti-American sentiment.
📺 FLASHBACK: El-Sayed’s comments reflect a similar sentiment expressed by Francesca Hong, a Democrat state representative in Wisconsin and member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America. Hong called to “Cancel Thanksgiving” and said she felt “attacked” by a Christmas-themed computer background display in previous posts on X (formerly Twitter).

Image by Conlan Houston.

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Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is under fire for past remarks, including criticism of July 4 traditions and calls to abolish Americans' Second Amendment right to bear arms.

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2 hours ago
Immigration
NatSec
News

Airlines Disrupt ICE Efforts to Catch Visa Overstayers, Linked to 9/11 Terror Attacks.

Major U.S. airlines are obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts, raising concerns over national security as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Federal immigration enforcement at U.S. airports has intensified ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, prompting disputes between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several major airlines over how arrests should be conducted.
📺 DETAIL: ICE reportedly averaged nearly three dozen airport arrests per day in July, including foreign nationals who had overstayed visas or received final deportation orders. Airlines such as Southwest and JetBlue have challenged aspects of the enforcement operations, with employees in some cases restricting agents’ access to boarding areas and passenger information. During a July 25 incident in Dallas, Southwest personnel reportedly refused to allow ICE agents onto a departing aircraft without a judicial warrant, while agents were using an administrative warrant issued by ICE. The renewed debate over visa enforcement has drawn attention to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as the 9/11 Commission found that as many as five of the 19 hijackers had overstayed their visas.
🎯 IMPACT: The standoff between airlines and federal authorities underscores a critical tension in enforcing immigration laws and ensuring national security. With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, the airlines’ refusal to cooperate raises concerns about vulnerabilities in the aviation sector, particularly as past terrorist plots have exploited visa overstays.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Airlines have had constructive discussions with ICE and TSA to ensure if law-enforcement activity occurs at an airport, there are proper procedures and protocols in place to prioritize the safety and security of all involved,” claimed a spokesman for Airlines for America.

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Major U.S. airlines are obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts, raising concerns over national security as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

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4 hours ago
News
World

Chinese Military Veterans Arrested for Spying on U.S. Bases.

Two former Chinese military officers have been detained in South Korea, accused of spying near critical U.S. military installations.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: South Korean authorities have arrested two former Chinese military officers accused of spying on or around major U.S. military installations.
📍 WHEN & WHERE: The incidents occurred near Gunsan Air Base and Camp Humphreys, two critical U.S. military installations located south of Seoul, South Korea. Gunsan is home to the U.S. 8th Fighter Wing, while Camp Humphreys is the largest U.S. military base outside continental America.
📺 DETAIL: One suspect, a Chinese national in his sixties, allegedly monitored air traffic control communications near Kunsan Air Base during multiple visits to South Korea that coincided with major U.S.-South Korean military exercises. The second suspect, a 45-year-old Chinese-Korean national who operated a military surplus store near Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, is accused of recruiting a South Korean employee at the base to obtain classified information about joint military exercises. Police said the alleged espionage activities involving the second suspect began in 2021, though authorities have not released the suspects’ names or arrest details. The men could face charges under South Korea’s Communications Secrets Protection Act and Military Base Protection Act, while an alleged violation of the Benefiting the Enemy Act could carry a life sentence.
🎯 IMPACT: The arrests come at a diplomatically sensitive moment, as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit South Korea. The case underscores growing concerns over China’s espionage activities in the region, particularly against U.S. bases, which play a critical role in monitoring the strategic Yellow Sea and countering potential threats from China’s PLA.
📺 FLASHBACK: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol previously cited Chinese espionage as a justification for martial law in 2024, a move that led to his impeachment. His successor, Lee Jae-myung, has sought closer ties with Beijing while maintaining defense cooperation with the U.S.

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Two former Chinese military officers have been detained in South Korea, accused of spying near critical U.S. military installations.

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4 hours ago
News

Court Tosses Majority of Minnesota’s Challenge Against Trump’s Trans Directives.

A federal judge ruled that Minnesota’s claims against the Trump administration’s executive order declaring there are only two sexes lacked a sufficient legal basis.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has largely rejected Minnesota’s legal challenge to President Donald J. Trump’s policies defining sex as male or female, ruling that the state had not demonstrated an immediate legal injury from the administration’s actions.
📺 DETAIL: Minnesota had argued that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act and infringed on state authority, but the judge found those claims unpersuasive. Trump’s January 2025 executive order, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” directed federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, male and female, and to base federal policy on biological sex. The order formed part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to restrict transgender participation in women’s sports and alter federal policies concerning gender identity, prompting lawsuits from Democrat-led states, leftist advocacy groups, and other organizations. Some portions of Trump’s broader gender-related agenda have faced judicial setbacks, including rulings challenging federal restrictions tied to gender ideology. Other challenges remain pending or have been dismissed.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Minnesota will not face legal consequences unless and until a hearing is held in which the relevant agency finds that Minnesota is not in compliance with Title IX, or a court finds, in a civil enforcement action, that Minnesota is not in compliance with Title IX.” – Judge Eric Tostrud
🎯 IMPACT: The ruling underscores the difficulty states face in challenging the Trump administration’s federal policies without clear evidence of legal violations. It also reinforces the Trump administration’s efforts to maintain its policies on gender and biological sex, particularly in areas like women’s sports.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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A federal judge ruled that Minnesota's claims against the Trump administration's executive order declaring there are only two sexes lacked a sufficient legal basis.

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6 hours ago
News
Politics
UK

WATCH: Far-Left Activists Caught Tearing Down Posters for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party Ahead of Election.

Far-left activists in Clacton-on-Sea, England, were caught on CCTV taking down boards showing support for Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, as he prepares to fight a parliamentary by-election (special election) on Thursday.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Far-left activists have been caught taking down signs showing support for Reform UK party Nigel Farage in the Clacton-on-Sea constituency (electoral district) in England.
📺 DETAIL: Revealed exclusively by The National Pulse on Tuesday, the CCTV footage shows far-left activists taking down signs expressing support for Farage ahead of the Clacton-on-Sea by-election (special election) on Thursday. The activists were caught in the act early Friday morning. One of the activists can be heard saying, “I’m only taking down Reform signs.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Far left activists have been caught ripping down Reform UK/Nigel Farage boards in Clacton-on-Sea in the dead of night. They were caught on CCTV early Friday morning. Local police have been notified and the incident underscores the dirty tricks the left get up to in places they know they can’t win.” – Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, on X (formerly Twitter).
🎯 IMPACT: Local police have been notified of the incident. The Clacton-on-Sea by-election was triggered after Nigel Farage, then-Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton, resigned to protest to a weaponized parliamentary probe against him. After announcing his resignation, Farage put his name forward for the resulting by-election, declaring that the people of Clacton, not the political establishment, should determine whether he is fit to represent the area. As Farage is on course to win the by-election by a comfortable margin, this story shows how the establishment-backed opposition has resorted to dirty tactics in a last-ditch attempt to hurt the Reform leader.
📺 FLASHBACK: The National Pulse previously revealed that Afghan migrants were distributing anti-Nigel Farage material around the Clacton-on-Sea constituency. “On the campaign trail today in Clacton, we encountered a group of recent Afghan migrants delivering leaflets on behalf of Dale Vince’s anti-Reform Babelfish newspaper. Vince, a Labour and Green Party donor, recently announced he intended to spend money campaigning against Farage, though hasn’t registered as a campaigner in the constituency. Not only is this legally murky, but ethically an obviously huge issue,” noted Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse.

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Far-left activists in Clacton-on-Sea, England, were caught on CCTV taking down boards showing support for Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, as he prepares to fight a parliamentary by-election (special election) on Thursday.

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6 hours ago
Data
News
Politics

DATA: Harris Far Ahead of Newsom, AOC in New Poll.

A new poll shows former Vice President Kamala Harris leading California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among Democrat primary voters, suggesting the defeated 2024 presidential candidate is still seen as viable by the party grassroots.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Former Vice President Kamala Harris has topped a poll for the 2028 Democrat presidential primary.
📺 DETAIL: In a new poll from Rasmussen Reports, former Vice President Harris secured 37 percent, significantly outpacing Governor of California Gavin Newsom at 14 percent and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at nine percent. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) also polled at nine percent, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg secured ten percent. The poll revealed that Harris’s strongest support exists among black voters. The poll also showed that 53 percent of voters under 40 said they favored Harris, with support for the failed 2024 candidate dropping significantly with voters over 65. The poll was carried out between August 2 and August 4, 2026, on 504 likely Democrat primary voters.
🎯 IMPACT: Harris’s early lead suggests she remains a dominant figure among Democrats and Democrat-aligned voters, despite losing to President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Harris lost both the Electoral College and the popular vote. While Harris has topped this poll, other surveys show the former Vice President polling in the single digits. The new poll could suggest that Democrat voters view Harris as a unifying figure amid the party’s descent into civil war over whether to embrace the far-left politics of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It is interesting that AOC has fallen, given the rising star of democratic socialism in Democratic primaries. Maybe there is some buyer’s remorse that’s being reflected in that poll. It’s still very early, and my hunch remains that Kamala Harris’s support is soft (although she has a core of staunch supporters). I would expect to see some more formal or more serious declarations of interest after the mid-terms.” – Professor Grant Davis Reeher.
📺 FLASHBACK: Back in July, it was reported that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had topped a New Hampshire Democrat primary poll, leading former Transportation Secretary Buttigieg by one percent. Harris polled at five percent.

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A new poll shows former Vice President Kamala Harris leading California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among Democrat primary voters, suggesting the defeated 2024 presidential candidate is still seen as viable by the party grassroots.

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7 hours ago
News

Trump Secures Marine Veteran’s Release from Russian Detention.

Robert Gilman, a U.S. military veteran detained in Russia since 2022, has been freed and is now receiving medical care in Texas.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old American military veteran, has been released from Russian custody after spending over four years in prison under reportedly abusive conditions. He is now in Texas receiving medical and psychological treatment, according to advocacy group Global Reach.
📺 DETAIL: Gilman was sentenced in 2022 for allegedly assaulting a police officer and later faced additional charges relating to alleged attacks on investigators, prison inspectors, and guards, extending his prison term to ten years. Reports claim he endured forced exercise, psychotropic drug administration, and harassment, with Russian authorities allegedly pressuring him to fight in Ukraine. He was reportedly in a “dissociative stupor” before being transferred to a civilian hospital.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother’s life. There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action.” – Lexie Hudson, Gilman’s sister
🎯 IMPACT: Gilman’s release highlights ongoing issues with American citizens detained abroad, with at least eight Americans still in Russian custody.
📺 FLASHBACK: In recent years, U.S.-Russia prisoner exchanges have brought attention to the plight of Americans detained in Russia, including high-profile cases involving athletes and journalists.

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Robert Gilman, a U.S. military veteran detained in Russia since 2022, has been freed and is now receiving medical care in Texas.

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8 hours ago
Bonkers Britain
Crime
News

UK PM Burnham Plans to Put Male Criminals in Women’s Prisons to Ease Overcrowding.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has outlined a new plan to address critical overcrowding in prisons, which includes placing male criminals in women’s prisons.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham proposed putting male inmates in female prisons on Tuesday, to ease Britain’s prison overcrowding crisis.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It will be based on a range of options including the three strands of further work I asked him to initiate last week: increasing the rate of removal of foreign national offenders from the prison estate to their country of origin; finding an early resolution to the long-running injustice of IPP [Imprisonment for Public Protection] sentences, which could allow for the release of lower-risk prisoners; and making greater use of the entire prison estate including using the female estate for male offenders.” – Prime Minister Andy Burnham
📺 DETAIL: The proposal comes as the Prime Minister faces pressure to exclude Police Constable (PC) Andrew Harper’s killers from the government’s early release scheme. The scheme is designed to reduce overcrowding by allowing inmates who have served just 40 percent of their sentence to request early release. The scheme includes those convicted of manslaughter, such as the killers of PC Harper, who was dragged to death behind a car after responding to a burglary. “I understand the depth of public concern about the potential early release of those involved with the killing of PC Andrew Harper – and I share it,” said Prime Minister Burnham, who confirmed that his plans to reduce overcrowding include “making greater use of the entire prison estate including using the female estate for male offenders.“
🎯 IMPACT: As the British prison system as a whole is operating at 99 percent capacity, the crisis has become acute, although critics of the Labour Party government believe it should be securing additional spaces, as it does with illegal migrant accommodation, rather than releasing criminals early. The introduction of male inmates into female prisons, which are also nearing maximum capacity, has the potential to spark safety concerns.
📺 FLASHBACK: Earlier this month, the Police Federation, an organization representing rank-and-file police officers, threatened to take the British government to court if PC Harper’s killers were released early. 

Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street.

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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has outlined a new plan to address critical overcrowding in prisons, which includes placing male criminals in women's prisons.

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9 hours ago
Crime
News
World

Islamic Extremist Slits Police Officer’s Throat.

Two police officers were injured in Toulouse, France, after a man shouting “Allahu Akbar” attacked them with multiple knives during a patrol.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A man was subdued after shouting “Allahu Akbar” and attacked two police officers, one of whom was female, in France.
📺 DETAIL: On Monday, a man attacked two police officers with a knife in the Wilson district of Toulouse, France. The officers were on patrol when a man slashed one of the officers in the throat with a knife. The female officer was also stabbed three times. The attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the incident, according to local police reports. The attacker pulled out two additional knives after dropping his first, but was subsequently restrained after being subdued by police with telescopic batons. The officer who was slashed in the neck required stitches, while the female officer avoided serious injury due to her bulletproof vest.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “[The officers came within] a hair’s breadth of the worst,” said Emilion Esnault, a French local politician, describing the attack.
🎯 IMPACT: An investigation into the attack is ongoing. Local police have also been ordered to remain on high alert until further notice. The fact that the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” suggests an Islamist motive. This represents a recurring problem in France, which has experienced multiple Islamist attacks this year. Back in July, a man claimed “it is Allah who ordered me” after stabbing three women in Paris. The three women, one of whom was pregnant, sustained non-lethal injuries. Such attacks are likely to drive support for parties offering a tough law and order stance, measures to bolster national security, immigration restrictions, and anti-Islamist policies, particularly Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN). This is far from solely a French problem, however, as other European countries have suffered similar attacks throughout the year. Also in July, Berlin Pride in Germany was hit by an Islamist attack that left one dead and at least 29 injured. The attacker was known for a “high volume of criminal offenses, radicalization, and affiliation with the Islamist scene,“ according to German officials.

Image by Mighty.Germany.

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Two police officers were injured in Toulouse, France, after a man shouting "Allahu Akbar" attacked them with multiple knives during a patrol.

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