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Monday, February 23, 2026
5 minutes ago
Politics

Newsom Tells Black Mayor ‘I’m Like You’ Because He Can’t Read and Got a Low SAT Score.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is facing backlash after attempting to relate to a black mayor by claiming he cannot read and only scored a 960 on his SAT.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Newsom, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D), and rapper Nicki Minaj.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The remarks were made during a Sunday night appearance in Georgia to promote Newsom’s forthcoming memoir, Young Man in a Hurry.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m like you. I’m not better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy… I cannot read a speech.” – Gavin Newsom

🎯IMPACT: Newsom’s comments were criticized as racially patronizing and portraying black Americans as uneducated and illiterate.

IN FULL

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is under fire after making comments during an event promoting his new memoir in Georgia on Sunday that critics have described as racially insensitive. Speaking to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D), Newsom sought to connect with the predominantly black audience by referencing his own academic struggles, saying, “I’m like you. I’m not better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy.”

The remark drew immediate criticism for what many perceived as an assumption that academic underperformance is relatable to black Americans. Newsom, aware of the potential backlash, said, “I’m not trying to offend anyone,” before adding, “You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”

Hip-hop and rap superstar Nicki Minaj accused Newsom of deliberately talking down to a black audience. “His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read,” Minaj wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Minaj has emerged as a staunch proponent of President Donald J. Trump, even appearing at an event earlier this year promoting Trump Accounts for newborn American children.

Newsom, widely considered a frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nomination, has faced a series of political setbacks in recent months. The National Pulse reported in November of last year that the California governor’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and charged with public corruption. The charges, part of a federal indictment, accuse Williamson and her co-conspirators of engaging in a scheme involving wire and bank fraud.

Meanwhile, a scheduled appearance by Newsom at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, in January this year, was canceled, with his team alleging interference from the Trump administration. Speaking with reporters, Newsom said, “I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean, handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away. It’s just pathetic.”

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39 minutes ago
NatSec
TECH

Top AI Firm Says Chinese Labs Stole U.S. Tech Using 24,000 Fake Accounts.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Anthropic, a leading U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) firm, has accused three China-based AI labs of using fraudulent accounts to extract valuable outputs from its Claude chatbot in a coordinated “distillation” campaign.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Anthropic, Chinese AI companies DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, and U.S. government agencies investigating the claims.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The technology theft reportedly took place over the last several months, with the U.S. government investigation revealed on Monday, February 23, 206.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Foreign labs that distill American models can then feed these unprotected capabilities into military, intelligence, and surveillance systems.” — Anthropic.

🎯IMPACT: The incident highlights vulnerabilities in U.S. AI export controls and raises concerns over China leveraging stolen AI capabilities for military and surveillance purposes.

IN FULL

One of the top U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) companies, Anthropic, is accusing three China-based AI labs—DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax—of conducting a coordinated campaign to extract high-value outputs from its Claude chatbot. According to the company’s own internal findings, the Chinese AI labs used approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts to generate over 16 million exchanges with the chatbot, targeting its most advanced capabilities in an effort to obtain and port key code and technology for use in China‘s own AI development.

Anthropic alleges that this “distillation” campaign, a technique commonly used internally by AI labs to train smaller models, was unauthorized and aimed at bypassing years of research and reinforcement learning. “We have high confidence these labs were conducting distillation attacks at scale,” stated Jacob Klein, Anthropic’s head of threat intelligence. Importantly, the Anthropic documents suggest that the Trump administration is actively investigating the Chinese theft of U.S. AI technology.

The company is warning that the implications of these attacks extend beyond intellectual property theft and that models created through such methods lack the safety guardrails embedded in U.S. systems, potentially enabling authoritarian regimes to use AI for cyber operations, disinformation, and mass surveillance. “Foreign labs that distill American models can then feed these unprotected capabilities into military, intelligence, and surveillance systems,” Anthropic said.

The firm identified the campaigns through IP address correlations, metadata, and other indicators, and has shared its findings with U.S. government entities. Klein noted that while the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) direct involvement has not been proven, proxy services reselling access to U.S. AI models operate openly in China. He also emphasized that current U.S. export controls, which focus on advanced AI chips and model weights, fail to address the risks posed by distillation attacks.

Notably, the report adds to growing concerns about the U.S.–China AI race. Anthropic’s findings coincide with similar warnings from OpenAI and Google, which have also reported distillation attacks targeting their systems. Klein urged policymakers to adopt a holistic approach to AI security, stating, “If you think about how you stay ahead in the AI race, compute is one piece of that. But increasingly reinforcement learning is critical. Distillation allows you to extract those capabilities.”

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2 hours ago
News

Governor Urges Texans Remain Vigilant Amid Cartel Violence.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) issued a warning to residents regarding travel to Mexico after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes has led to violent attacks across the country.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Abbott, the Mexican military, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Abbott’s warning was made on Sunday, February 22, just hours after El Mencho was killed during an attempted apprehension.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Texans’ safety is my top priority, whether they are here at home or traveling abroad. I urge all Texans in Mexico to follow the guidance of U.S. officials, stay alert, and ensure that they are in contact with the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. Consulate.” – Greg Abbott

🎯IMPACT: The death of the cartel leader has sparked increased violence in Mexico, prompting warnings for Texans traveling abroad.

IN FULL

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) is warning Texans not to travel to Mexico and for those living along the United States-Mexican border to remain vigilant in the wake of increased drug cartel violence following the death of Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during an attempted apprehension in the state of Jalisco over the weekend. “Texans’ safety is my top priority, whether they are here at home or traveling abroad,” Abbott said in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. He added, “I urge all Texans in Mexico to follow the guidance of U.S. officials, stay alert, and ensure that they are in contact with the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. Consulate.”

The U.S. State Department is urging all Americans currently in Mexico to shelter in place until Mexican military forces are able to regain control of the situation. CJNG—one of the most well-armed cartel groups—operates more as an umbrella for several smaller cartels, and the death of Oseguera Cervantes could lead to a series of inter-cartel conflicts and reprisals. American citizens in Mexico could become targets for the cartel as the Trump administration supplied the Mexican military with intelligence ahead of the attempted apprehension of Oseguera Cervantes.

In February last year, U.S. President Donald J. Trump designated CJNG, along with the Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the La Resistencia gang, Cartel of the Northeast—a splinter group of the Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, and The New Michoacan Family, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This move opened new avenues for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies to address the cartels and their drug operations.

This past Sunday, in retaliation for Oseguera Cervantes’s death, CJNG members set up burning blockades, torched businesses, and attacked towns across 20 Mexican states. Reports indicate that dozens of banks, pharmacies, and vehicles were set ablaze, with significant disruptions in high tourist areas like Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Authorities reported 250 incidents of road blockades, with 90 percent cleared by Monday.

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3 hours ago
War
World

U.S. Orders Partial Embassy Evacuation in Beirut as Iran War Looms.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The State Department has ordered some U.S. Embassy staff in Beirut to evacuate Lebanon temporarily.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. State Department, non-emergency embassy personnel, and eligible family members.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 23, 2026, U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel.” — Senior State Department official

🎯IMPACT: Approximately 50 embassy staff are affected, amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of State has instructed certain U.S. Embassy staff in Beirut, Lebanon, to evacuate the country temporarily, amid escalating tensions in the region between the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Notably, the State Department directive only applies to non-emergency personnel and eligible family members, according to a senior official.

Still, the embassy says it remains operational with core staff in place. A senior State Department official explained, “We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel.”

The decision impacts around 50 staff members, as well as family members living in the country—usually spouses and children. A primary concern is the presence of the Iranian terror proxy Hezbollah, which acts as both a political party and Shia Islamist military force in Lebanon. While Hezbollah’s leadership was heavily degraded by Israeli air strikes in 2024—including one that killed its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah—it is believed the terror proxy remains operationally functional.

Meanwhile, indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to begin in Switzerland on Thursday. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Israel soon. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed the idea of negotiations following any U.S. military action. “Does it make sense that they strike against us and we keep negotiating with them?” Baghaei stated.

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3 hours ago
Media

CBS News Drops Peter Attia After Epstein Revelations.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Dr. Peter Attia has exited his role as a contributor at CBS News following a controversy involving Jeffrey Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Dr. Peter Attia, CBS News, Jeffrey Epstein, and Bari Weiss.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 22, 2026, CBS News.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see [Epstein].” – Dr. Peter Attia

🎯IMPACT: This development coincides with Paramount Skydance’s new pitch for Warner Bros. Discovery.

IN FULL

A prominent health guru and commentator on longevity science, Dr. Peter Attia, has been removed as a contributor at CBS News after emails between him and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein were discovered among a trove of millions of U.S. government documents pertaining to the latter. Notably, Attia’s name appears over 1,700 times in the recently released Epstein Files, with direct communications between the two men suggesting a disturbingly close relationship.

“You [know] the biggest problem with becoming friends with you?” Attia wrote to Epstein on June 24, 2015—around seven years after his 2008 conviction on state charges of solicitation of prostitution and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. Attia continued, “The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul.”

Attia was a recent addition, only joining as a contributor in January 2026, and was brought on board by the network’s new Editor-in-Chief, Bari Weiss. However, internal communications to CBS News bookers confirmed Attia’s departure from the network. The medical researcher is alleged to have continued maintaining a relationship with Epstein even as the latter faced mounting accusations throughout 2015 of sex trafficking, for which he was eventually arrested in 2019.

Another notable quote from Attia from a January 2016 email to Lesley Groff, Epstein’s assistant, stated, “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him.” It is believed that Weiss resisted an initial push to cut ties with Attia, but the scale of his relationship with Epstein made his retention impossible for CBS executives.

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4 hours ago
News
UK

Girls Trafficked on 90 Epstein Flights from UK, Ex-Prime Minister Reveals.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Gordon Brown submitted a new dossier to the police concerning Jeffrey Epstein’s flights in and out of the UK.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and various UK police forces.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 2026, involving airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This memorandum provides new and additional information.” – Gordon Brown

🎯IMPACT: Calls for police to re-examine trafficking cases related to Epstein’s flights.

IN FULL

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has provided the authorities in the United Kingdom with a new dossier of evidence regarding deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s air travel activities. This five-page memorandum was sent to six British police forces responsible for the airports Epstein used, including Heathrow and Gatwick in London.

“I have submitted a five-page memorandum to the Metropolitan, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and other relevant UK police constabularies,” confirmed Brown, who formerly led Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party, in a public statement.

“This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex, and Thames Valley police forces where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women,” he added.

Brown’s submission comes a week after he shared other evidence regarding Epstein’s movements. Writing in the New Statesman, Brown said he was dismayed “a number of British girls were on 90 Epstein flights organised from UK airports on what was called his ‘Lolita Express,’” adding: “Among the many aspects that should sicken anyone looking at the emails is that 15 of these flights were given the go-ahead after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. How the flights were allowed to continue should have been fully investigated.”

Brown, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury Secretary) from 1997 to 2007 under Tony Blair, and Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, appointed Lord Peter Mandelson, who had previously been a member of the Blair Cabinet and the European Commission, as his Business Secretary. It is during this spell in office that Mandelson, later appointed as ambassador to the U.S. by Starmer, is alleged to have shared confidential information with Epstein, his “best pal,” as revealed in the Epstein Files.

Mandelson is now facing charges of misconduct in public office.

Image by World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell.

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5 hours ago
Immigration
SCOTUS

Trump Warns Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Birthright Citizenship Would Boost China.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump is warning that an adverse decision on birthright citizenship by the U.S. Supreme Court could benefit China.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court, and foreign nationals.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Trump’s statement was posted on Truth Social on Monday, February 23, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!).” — Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on birthright citizenship could reshape immigration law and affect millions of individuals.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump warned on Monday that a Supreme Court ruling against his Executive Order restricting birthright citizenship would only benefit China. The comments, made on Monday in a post on Truth Social, follow the high court’s decision to strike down Trump’s authorization of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling,” President Trump wrote, continuing, “For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely ‘terrible’ things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee – BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so?”

“Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!),” the President continued, adding, “The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship, by saying the 14th Amendment was NOT written to take care of the ‘babies of slaves,’ which it was as proven by the EXACT TIMING of its construction, filing, and ratification, which perfectly coincided with the END OF THE CIVIL WAR.”

The Supreme Court is expected to take up arguments on the order in the coming months. An adverse ruling could cement the right for the children of illegal immigrants, born on U.S. soil, to become citizens. Oral arguments are expected in April, with a final ruling from the high court likely in June. Meanwhile, The National Pulse reported in December last year that United States consular officers will now deny tourist visa applications to any foreign national suspected of seeking to travel to the country to give birth so that their child will receive U.S. citizenship and serve as an immigration anchor for additional family members.

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6 hours ago
Jack Montgomery
Corruption
News
UK

BREAKING: Epstein-Linked Ex-Amb to U.S. Peter Mandelson Taken From Home by Police.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Lord Peter Mandelson, the Jeffrey Epstein-linked former British ambassador to the United States, was taken from his London home by plain-clothed police officers on Monday.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Lord Mandelson, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the British authorities.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday afternoon, at Mandelson’s home in London, England.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I am beyond being furious and appalled… To think that he was leaking the information to Epstein so he could help rich Americans make money on the UK government’s actions,” Member of Parliament (MP) Emily Darlington said of Mandelson earlier this month.

🎯IMPACT: The Mandelson scandal renews scrutiny on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Britain’s governing Labour Party, which appointed Mandelson as ambassador despite his friendship with Epstein being public knowledge.

IN FULL

Lord Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the U.S. linked to Jeffrey Epstein, was escorted from his London home by plain-clothed police officers on Monday afternoon. The Metropolitan Police later confirmed that “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.”

Earlier this month, police officers raided properties associated with Mandelson in both Wiltshire and central London, after Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated that he had been leaking confidential information to Epstein when he was a member of Cabinet under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The scandal around Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador, despite his friendship with Epstein being public knowledge, has steadily worsened. Mandelson had to leave the post only months after his appointment, which had been opposed by many prominent public figures, including The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam.

“[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 the late Charlie Kirk on his show in January 2025, a full year before the current scandal broke.

Notably, Starmer appointed Mandelson to the key diplomatic post despite the fact that he had previously branded President Donald J. Trump a “danger to the world” and “little short of a white nationalist and a racist.”

Several Members of Parliament (MPs) for Starmer’s Labour Party have taken their grievances over the scandal public, with Emily Darlington MP complaining, “I am beyond being furious and appalled… To think that he was leaking the information to Epstein so he could help rich Americans make money on the UK government’s actions.”

The fallout has already led to the ouster of Starmer’s now-former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was involved in Mandelson’s vetting for the ambassador role.

Image via 10 Downing Street.

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7 hours ago
Lawfare

Trump Wins Court Battle to Block Jack Smith’s Smear Job Report.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has permanently barred the release of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision was made on Monday, February 23, 2026, by Judge Cannon, who presides in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges.” — Judge Cannon.

🎯IMPACT: The ruling prevents the DOJ from releasing the report, citing “manifest injustice” to Trump and his co-defendants.

IN FULL

Former Biden government special counsel Jack Smith‘s report on the findings from his classified documents probe of President Donald J. Trump will not be released. U.S. Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled in July 2024 that Smith’s appointment to special counsel was unconstitutional, determined that the release of the report—which was never fully litigated in court and contains only allegations leveled by Smith—could do potential “irreparable harm” to President Trump and his former co-defendants.

In her ruling, Judge Cannon stated that releasing the report would constitute a “manifest injustice” and reiterated that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was “unlawful.” Smith moved to drop both of his prosecutions of Trump following the November 2024 presidential election, after wasting an estimated $50 million in taxpayer dollars trying to convict him.

“Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges,” Cannon wrote, adding, “As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order.”

Attorneys for the President argued that releasing the report would be “inherently biased,” as the allegations in the document were never fully challenged or litigated in court. Meanwhile, Smith himself is facing accusations that he overstepped his investigatory mandate—targeting members of Congress and Republican Party election organizations—in his January 6 investigation.

The National Pulse reported in late January of this year that Smith told lawmakers he expected to be indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for his actions during the two Biden-era Trump probes. Smith is accused of circumventing constitutional safeguards and using favorable judges to secure subpoenas for phone records belonging to Republican lawmakers.

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8 hours ago
Jack Montgomery
News

WATCH: Far-Left Greens Court Muslim Vote in UK Special Election with Urdu-Language Ad Campaign.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Green Party released a video of their candidate, Hannah Spencer, speaking in Urdu to appeal to voters in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election (special election) in England.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Hannah Spencer, the Green Party candidate, and local activists.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The video was released ahead of the parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton, England, taking place on February 26, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Reforms want to break up our communities. They want to deport families who have lived here for years, and they want to tax people born abroad even more. They give air to Islamophobia, and they put our safety and dignity at risk. But there is another way,” the ad declared, referring to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party and its candidate, Matt Goodwin.

🎯IMPACT: The Greens, a formerly marginal far-left party focused on environmentalism, are increasingly displacing the governing Labour Party on the British left as they court ethnic minorities and pro-Palestinian activists.

IN FULL

Britain’s Green Party has released a video featuring its candidate, Hannah Spencer, speaking in Urdu—the predominant lingua franca in Pakistan and among Indian Muslims—to court the Muslim vote in the upcoming Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election (special election) in Manchester, England. The video prominently features footage from Gaza and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in America, showcasing the Greens’ increasing focus on pro-Palestinian, anti-borders rhetoric over environmentalism.

“A cruel politician can win if we don’t vote Green to stop the Reforms,” the video states, referring to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party and its candidate Matt Goodwin. “The Reforms want to break up our communities. They want to deport families who have lived here for years, and they want to tax people born abroad even more. They give air to Islamophobia, and they put our safety and dignity at risk. But there is another way,” it continues.

The video directly targets Farage and Goodwin alongside President Donald J. Trump and WarRoom host and former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon.

The Green Party has a long history in Britain but has been marginal for decades. Historically, it opposed mass migration on the grounds that an expanding population was harmful to the environment. In recent years, however, its focus on climate change and environmental issues has been increasingly taking a backseat to economic socialism and pro-Palestinian, anti-border enforcement politics, allowing it to significantly grow its support among the country’s growing ethnic minority population and left-wing university students.

Polls suggest the Greens are increasingly displacing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party on the British left, as Reform has displaced the formerly governing Conservatives (Tories). The party’s pitch to Muslim voters has been a major part of this, with previous by-election campaign ads urging Muslims to “punish Labour for Gaza,” with Starmer framed as not sufficiently supportive of the Palestinians.

The Gorton and Denton by-election is scheduled for February 26, 2026, with Reform and the Greens regularly at or near the top of the polls, signalling a major shift in British politics towards a battle between Farage’s populist, anti-mass migration party and the formerly fringe extreme left.

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