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Monday, February 9, 2026
3 minutes ago
Crime
Immigration

Illegal Vegas ‘Biolab’ Linked to Chinese and Israeli Nationals Leaves Several People ‘Deathly Ill.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Authorities have sent over 1,000 pieces of evidence and unknown substances for testing after a suspected illegal biolab was discovered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local law enforcement, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and two foreign nationals, including the Chinese property owner and the French-Israeli property manager.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

🎯IMPACT: Several people fell “deathly ill” after staying at the property where the alleged biolab—which also served as an Airbnb—was located. Its Chinese owner is linked to another alleged biolab in California, which contained materials including suspected strains of COVID-19, hepatitis, and HIV.

IN FULL

Authorities in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating a suspected illegal biological laboratory discovered in a residential home in the Sunrise Manor area that also operated as an Airbnb. Court documents obtained by KLAS indicate that several people who spent time inside the property became “deathly ill.”

The investigation gained momentum following a tip to authorities, including reports from a former house cleaner who entered the locked garage and noted a foul, hospital-like smell—described as stale and stagnant rather than clean. Several days later, two people reportedly became gravely ill after exposure to the area.

On January 31, 2026, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed search warrants at the home on Sugar Springs Drive, along with another property. The multi-day operation, concluding early on February 2, uncovered what police described as a “possible biological laboratory.” Items recovered included refrigerators and freezers containing vials with unknown liquids—some reddish or red-brown—along with bio-safety equipment, centrifuges, and other materials stored in a locked garage.

More than 1,000 pieces of evidence and unidentified substances were collected and submitted for testing at FBI laboratories to determine their nature and any potential hazards. LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill noted during a press conference that the items appear “consistent in appearance” with those recovered from a similar alleged biolab case in Reedley, California, in 2023, where materials were linked to possible infectious diseases such as hepatitis, COVID-19, and HIV. Notably, the California and Nevada properties are owned by the same person.

The probe has resulted in charges against two foreign nationals. The first suspect is property owner David He, a Chinese national possibly tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who is already in federal custody related to the California case, and has pleaded not guilty to associated charges. The second suspect is Ori Solomon, the property manager for the Sugar Springs Drive property and another property on Temple View Drive. Solomon, who holds French and Israeli passports and is in the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa, was initially booked into the Clark County Detention Center on state charges of disposing of and discharging hazardous waste. He also faces federal accusations of illegally possessing firearms.

A federal judge later ordered Solomon’s release on personal recognizance bond, with conditions including surrendering his passports and restrictions on travel.

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19 hours ago
News

British Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Resigns in Latest Epstein Scalp.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned amidst backlash over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., following revelations of Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Peter Mandelson, Labour MPs, and opposition leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

📍WHEN & WHERE: McSweeney’s resignation occurred on February 8, 2026, as pressure mounted on Starmer’s government in London.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself.” – Morgan McSweeney

🎯IMPACT: The resignation deepens the crisis for Sir Keir Starmer’s government, with mounting calls for his resignation and a no-confidence vote from opposition leaders and Labour MPs.

IN FULL

Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has resigned following backlash over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the U.S. McSweeney admitted that advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, who has been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was a mistake. “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself,” McSweeney stated in his resignation letter.

The resignation comes amidst a growing scandal surrounding Mandelson’s connections to Epstein, which have sparked outrage among Labour MPs and opposition figures. The links were reported by The National Pulse over a year ago, with Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam telling the late Charlie Kirk about the matter on air, urging President Trump to refuse Mandelson’s credentials.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of deflecting responsibility, stating, “Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions. But he never does.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested Starmer’s leadership is on borrowed time, predicting, “My money says Starmer won’t be far behind after Labour’s disaster in the elections this coming May.”

McSweeney, a close ally of Starmer for nearly six years and an architect of Labour’s electoral success, has been a key figure in the Prime Minister’s operation. It is unclear if Starmer would even be able to cling on to power without McSweeney by his side.

The resignation is seen as a desperate attempt to maintain power amidst plummeting approval ratings and internal party dissent.

Polling shows that a full 55 percent of voters believe Starmer should resign, with only 23 percent supporting his continued tenure as Prime Minister. The police are now actively investigating Mandelson and his links to Epstein, including payments made to his gay lover Reinaldo, who briefly lived with him at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C.

As Starmer faces mounting pressure to resign, allies within the Labour Party are reportedly positioning themselves for potential leadership bids. Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, and Ed Miliband are among those speculated to be maneuvering for leadership roles.

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February 7, 2026
News

‘Hims’ Halts Semaglutide Pill One Day After The National Pulse’s Report.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Hims announced it will stop offering access to its untested compounded semaglutide pill.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Hims and its woke CEO.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision was made following a report by The National Pulse on Friday, February 6th.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We’ve had constructive conversations with stakeholders across the industry.” – Hims

🎯IMPACT: The company aims to continue providing safe, affordable, and personalized care to Americans.

IN FULL

Just one day after The National Pulse’s report on Hims, its woke CEO, and its unproven GLP-1 knockoff drugs, the company has announced it will stop offering access to its compounded semaglutide pill.

The decision comes as Hims states that since launching the pill on its platform, it has engaged in “constructive conversations with stakeholders across the industry.”

As a result, Hims has decided to cease offering this particular treatment.

The announcement follows scrutiny over the company’s preparations and the safety of its products.

This weekend, the firm is set to air a populist-left ad at the Super Bowl, claiming it can bring ordinary consumers the healthcare standards of the hyper-elite for a fraction of the price.

The company’s claims have been widely mocked. They also concerned Trump administration insiders so much that an immediate investigation was ordered this week by Health and Human Services Counsel Mike Stuart, who wrote on X: “Based on a review of the applicable facts, earlier today @HHSOGC referred Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (“Hims”) to the Department of Justice for investigation for potential violations by Hims of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and applicable Title 18 provisions.”

HHS Title 18 covers criminal fraud, false statements, and conspiracy laws used to police abuse of federal health programs.

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Article image via Hims press release.

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February 7, 2026
News

Trump Backs Major Media Merger: ‘GET THAT DEAL DONE!’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump called for more competition against mainstream media networks.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Nexstar, and Tegna.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Saturday morning on Truth Social.

💬KEY QUOTE: “GET THAT DEAL DONE!” – President Donald J. Trump

🎯IMPACT: The potential for increased media competition and a challenge to mainstream networks.

IN FULL

In a recent post on Truth Social, President Donald J. Trump emphasized the need for more competition against what he termed “THE ENEMY,” referring to the Fake News National TV Networks.

He suggested that allowing deals like the one between Nexstar and Tegna to proceed would help diminish the influence of these networks by fostering competition at a higher and more sophisticated level.

President Trump expressed confidence that those opposing the deal do not yet understand its benefits, but will come to realize its value in the future.

He concluded his post with a strong call to action, urging, “GET THAT DEAL DONE!” to ensure the potential benefits are realized.

Screenshot

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February 6, 2026
Crime
News

Young Woman Set on Fire by Career Criminal in Chicago Finally Leaves Hospital.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A woman who was set on fire on a Chicago subway train has been released from the hospital three months after the attack.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Victim Bethany MaGee, 26, and suspect Lawrence Reed, 50.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred in November 2025 on Chicago’s Blue Line subway; MaGee was hospitalized at Stroger Hospital.

💬KEY QUOTE: “My family and I are grateful to be able to celebrate this milestone, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who has offered support, kindness, and encouragement during this time.” – Bethany MaGee

🎯IMPACT: The attack has raised concerns about judicial leniency after the suspect, who has a lengthy criminal record, was released despite warnings from prosecutors.

IN FULL

Bethany MaGee, 26, has been released from Stroger Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, nearly three months after she was set on fire during a brutal, random attack on a CTA Blue Line subway train. MaGee suffered burns to roughly 60 percent of her body in the November 2025 attack, which prosecutors allege was carried out by Lawrence Reed, 50.

In a statement marking her discharge, MaGee expressed appreciation for those who supported her during her recovery. “My family and I are grateful to be able to celebrate this milestone, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who has offered support, kindness, and encouragement during this time,” she said. She also praised the medical staff, thanking the Stroger Hospital burn team for their “exceptional care, compassion, and expertise.”

Prosecutors say Reed poured gasoline on MaGee inside the subway car and ignited it while yelling, “Burn alive, b***h!” Surveillance video reportedly captured the attack. MaGee was able to escape the train at the Clark and Lake station, where bystanders rushed to help extinguish the flames and provide aid until emergency responders arrived.

Reed had a lengthy criminal history, with authorities saying he had been arrested more than 70 times prior to the attack. Prosecutors had previously warned that he posed a serious threat and that his next offense would “likely be violent.” Despite those warnings, he was released from custody by liberal Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez following an earlier arrest in August 2025, who said dismissively, “I understand your position, but I can’t keep everybody in jail because the State’s Attorney wants me to.”

The attack has intensified scrutiny of judicial decisions in Chicago, particularly regarding repeat offenders. Federal officials have warned city leaders that Chicago could risk losing federal transit funding if stronger safety measures are not implemented on public transportation following a series of violent incidents.

The case has also drawn comparisons to other high-profile transit crimes, including the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier in 2025, allegedly by a black male who shouted “I got that white girl” following the attack.

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February 6, 2026
Crime
News

Why is the DOJ Downgrading Felony Charges Against Anti-ICE Rioters?

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has quietly downgraded the charges against almost half of the 16 anti-ICE agitators arrested for interfering with federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota from felonies to low-level misdemeanors.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, federal agents, and 16 defendants, including Gillian Etherington and Emily Baierl.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The 16 anti-ICE protestors were arrested last week, with their prosecutions now entering preliminary stages.

💬KEY QUOTE: “NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law.” – Attorney General Pam Bondi

🎯IMPACT: Many cases were downgraded to misdemeanors, despite Bondi’s public assertions that the DOJ would pursue maximum penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 111.

IN FULL

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have quietly downgraded felony charges against at least half of the 16 anti-ICE agitators arrested last week for allegedly assaulting or interfering with federal agents during immigration enforcement operations. While Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to charge violent protestors under 18 U.S.C. § 111, which establishes a felony crime for anyone who “forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes” with government officials carrying out their duties, prosecutors have reduced many of the cases to lower-level misdemeanors.

Notably, Bondi herself traveled to Minnesota last week for the filing of the felony charges against the 16 anti-ICE protestors, posting at the time on X (formerly Twitter), “I am on the ground in Minneapolis today. Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement agents.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law,” she added.

While the DOJ has struggled in some more liberal jurisdictions to secure grand jury indictments carrying significant penalties against violent leftist agitators, the direct decision by federal prosecutors to downgrade charges appears to be a more recent development.

One of the Minnesota cases, against Gillian Etherington, was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor this past Tuesday without explanation. Last week, the DOJ alleged that Etherington “rammed her car into a United States Border Patrol vehicle and drove away,” with Border Patrol engaging in a pursuit before she proceeded to “drive into oncoming traffic” and strike “an unmarked law enforcement vehicle near a high school,” and even then continued to resist arrest.

In another instance, the DOJ dropped felony charges against Emily Baierl to misdemeanors despite Baierl having bitten the finger of a federal law enforcement agent during a demonstration after the death of Alex Pretti. While Baierl’s case is separate from the 16 filed last week, the downgrading of charges despite the clear instance of physical assault is puzzling.

However, one reason for the DOJ’s decision may be a contention raised by attorneys for a number of the defendants that Bondi’s aggressive public media campaign surrounding the arrests—including the release of photos and videos of defendants before trial—could violate internal department policies and risk prejudicing cases.

Image by Chad Davis.

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February 6, 2026
Politics

Rule Change Makes It Easier for Trump to Fire Federal Bureaucrats — Sort Of…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration is restoring—in part—the Schedule F designation for federal workers, allowing the President to remove employees in permanent policy positions governed under the competitive service outside standard procedures and appeals.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), OPM Director Scott Kupor, and federal employees potentially affected by the rule.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The rule goes into effect on March 9, following its finalization this month.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Schedule Policy/Career restores a basic principle of democratic governance: those entrusted with shaping and executing policy must be accountable for results.” — OPM Director Scott Kupor

🎯IMPACT: The former Biden government implemented statutory roadblocks to Schedule F’s return, forcing the Trump administration to create workarounds, leading to a new designation with a few key differences from the original rule.

IN FULL

The Trump White House’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is finalizing a rule that will partially restore the Schedule F designation for federal workers in policy-influencing roles, allowing the President to remove or reassign them without the option to appeal under the labor statutes governing the career civil service. Titled “Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service,” the new rule will take effect on March 9.

Briefly in effect in late 2020, before its repeal by former President Joe Biden in January of 2021, Schedule F will now be called a Schedule Policy/Career designation. According to OMP, the federal employment designation could affect an estimated 50,000 positions in the federal government.

“Schedule Policy/Career restores a basic principle of democratic governance: those entrusted with shaping and executing policy must be accountable for results,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said late Thursday. He added, “This rule preserves merit-based hiring, veterans’ preference, and whistleblower protections while ensuring senior career officials responsible for advancing President Trump’s agenda can be held to the same performance expectations that exist throughout much of the American workforce.”

The National Pulse reported in April of 2024 that officials in the former Biden government implemented statutory roadblocks to Schedule F’s return in an attempt to prevent President Trump from effectively staffing the executive branch with employees who support his agenda. These changes have forced the Trump administration to create workarounds, leading to a new designation with a few key differences from the original Schedule F rule.

Notably, according to OPM, “roles will remain career positions and continue to be filled through merit-based hiring procedures, including application of veterans’ preference, but will no longer be subject to the removal procedures that have made accountability for poor performance and misconduct exceedingly rare.” This is a key difference from the original Schedule F designation, which allowed the President to reclassify positions from the competitive service (career government workers) to the excepted service, which includes political appointees and is more akin to at-will employment.

The changes appear to be the direct result of the Biden rule, which prevents career federal employees from being redesignated as political appointees or other at-will workers.

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February 6, 2026
NatSec
News

The FBI Has Captured a Major Suspect in the 2012 Benghazi Attack.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Zubayr Al-Bakoush, a key suspect in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, on charges including murder, terrorism, and arson.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zubayr Al-Bakoush, FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Al-Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base early Friday morning; the charges date back to the 2012 Benghazi attack.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Hillary Clinton famously once said about Benghazi, ‘What difference, at this point, does it make?’ Well, it makes a difference to Donald Trump. It makes a difference to those families. And 14 years later, it makes a difference to law enforcement, who made the difference in this case.” – Pam Bondi.

🎯IMPACT: The arrest brings a key suspect to face American justice and highlights ongoing efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.

IN FULL

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Zubayr Al-Bakoush, a key suspect in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Al-Bakoush arrived at Andrews Air Force Base at approximately 3 AM on February 6 and is now in U.S. custody, facing charges including murder, terrorism, arson, and conspiracy.

Bondi said the arrest followed years of coordinated efforts by U.S. officials. “From day one, Kash and Dan would sit in meetings and say, ‘We’re going to get him,’” Bondi said. “And they did.” She added that the suspect “will face American justice on American soil.”

U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro, who will prosecute the case, said Al-Bakoush was first charged in 2015 under a sealed complaint. “[The eight count indictment] charges Bakoush with the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens, the murder of State Department employee Sean Smith, the attempted murder of State Department Special Agent Scott Wickland and conspiracy to provide materials for terrorists and support that resulted in the death of four Americans, as well as arson at the special mission,” Pirro said.

The Benghazi attack occurred on September 11, 2012, when Islamist militants overran the U.S. Special Mission and later attacked a nearby CIA annex. Four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The incident led to multiple congressional investigations and became a central political controversy, particularly concerning U.S. diplomatic security and the Obama administration’s response.

Bondi referenced former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks during congressional testimony on the attack. “Hillary Clinton famously once said about Benghazi, ‘What difference, at this point, does it make?’ Well, it makes a difference to Donald Trump. It makes a difference to those families. And 14 years later, it makes a difference to law enforcement, who made the difference in this case.”

The arrest marks a significant development in a case that has remained a symbol of unresolved accountability for more than a decade. Federal officials said the prosecution is intended to deliver long-awaited justice for the victims and reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to pursuing those responsible for attacks on American personnel abroad.

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February 6, 2026
The National Pulse
Analysis

WATCH: The Dodgy Super Bowl Ad Funded by the CEO Who Donates to ‘The Squad.’

With TrumpRx launching this week, immediately bringing down the costs of America’s new favorite medication, GLP-1, the knock-off merchants are surely panicking. Hims and Hers will spend millions of dollars during America’s other favorite medication, the Super Bowl, to hawk a new concierge service rooted in left-wing populism.

Predictably, the ad only uses white actors for the scenes depicting the out-of-touch, moneyed elite, while every scene about ordinary people has an ethnic minority portraying America. But in Hims’ case, that’s beside the point.

The firm that was referred to the Department of Justice today, and its commercial has rightly raised eyebrows for its use of Galleri cancer detection, which “missed more cases of cancer than it found,” according to Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Voiced by ‘conscious rapper’ Common, who himself is worth a very uncommon $20 million, the ad implies Hims and Hers will be the Robin Hood of the healthcare industry, giving ordinary people access to things only rich people (like Common) have.

Rich people get concierge IV drips, customized peptides, preventative care, and specialists on call. And you’ll basically get the exact same thing if you download their app! Except you won’t. You’ll get what companies like Hims are really good at providing: cheap knockoffs and left-wing politics.

“It’s all about democratizing access to the things that are available to the super rich, and we’re bringing them to people,” said Hims’ chief design officer, Dan Kenger.

It is no surprise the ad copy sounds like it was written by a Bernie Sanders staffer. It probably was.

Hims’ CEO Andrew Dudum is a repeat donor to members of the far-left “squad” or “Justice Democrats” such as illegal immigrant Ilhan Omar, Islamist loudmouth Rashida Tlaib, as well as Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Cori Bush. His list of political donations makes for very interesting reading, and of course concludes with the same Bernie Sanders he’s seeking to channel in Hims’ Super Bowl ad.

Last year, Dudum offered to hire “Gaza Solidarity” protesters after writing about the “Nakba” – an Arabic term for the “catastrophe” of the founding of the State of Israel, on his Medium page. The company famously lost almost $210 million in stock value after his woke tweet.

“As a father whose children are both the descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948, and the descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland, I have a deep consideration for nuance in my life,” Dudum wrote in 2023.

If only he had deep consideration for the nuances in the world of medicine.

The centerpiece of the ad campaign is a new $49 oral semaglutide pill. It is positioned as an alternative to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, which launched just weeks ago after years of development, testing, and regulatory review. Novo’s product relies on a patented system designed to protect the active ingredient during digestion and ensure absorption.

Hims does not have that patent, nor do they disclose how their pill survives the digestive process.

They are effectively launching a product using an unproven technology, with no publicly available evidence that the active ingredient is even bioavailable.

Novo’s CEO, Mike Doustdar, was blunt in his reaction. “You’re wasting $49, in my opinion,” he said, explaining that Novo’s patents exist precisely because protecting semaglutide through digestion is the hard part.

Some biotech investors have labeled Hims’ product a “scam.” Hims is effectively conducting a mass experiment without transparency, regulatory approval, or proof of effectiveness, and laundering their untested pharmaceutical behavior through the Super Bowl and a ‘conscious’ (read: woke) Grammy-winning rapper.

Trump-appointed FDA Commissioner Marty Makary issued a pointed warning on Thursday, writing on X: “FDA will take swift action against companies mass-marketing illegal copycat drugs, claiming they are similar to FDA-approved products.”

Hims doesn’t disclose where it sources its active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company says they come from “FDA registered” facilities, but registration is not approval. When a drug itself lacks FDA approval, sourcing becomes even more important.

As we have previously noted, much of the knockoff drug supply chain runs through China, where quality control and oversight are persistent concerns. American consumers have no way of knowing what they are taking or whether it will have any effect.

In practice, Hims is selling leftist populism using America’s collective waistline as its hook. They’re quite explicit about it, in fact, with Kenger telling Variety: “There’s probably going to be a lot of weight loss commercials this year, and they’re probably going to try to be funny and they’re probably going to be relatable and they’re probably going to have a celebrity, right? And that’s great,” he says. “I think we’re past that conversation. You know, we did that. We talked about it. The prices are down. Now let’s talk about something else.”

That “something else” appears to be peddling a pill with no track record of success. Thankfully, the TrumpRx launch this week means fewer Americans will risk whatever it is Hims is putting in its knockoff Wegovy.

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With TrumpRx launching this week, immediately bringing down the costs of America's new favorite medication, GLP-1, the knock-off merchants are surely panicking. Hims and Hers will spend millions of dollars during America's other favorite medication, the Super Bowl, to hawk a new concierge service rooted in left-wing populism.

show more
February 6, 2026
William Upton
Lawfare

Appeals Court Upholds Trump Order Ending Federal DEI Programs.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal contracting and grant processes.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Chief Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, the City of Baltimore, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP),  the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), U.S. District Court Judge Adam B. Abelson, President Donald J. Trump, and federal department heads.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Friday, February 6, 2026, after a nearly year-long legal battle.

💬KEY QUOTE: “President Trump has decided that equity isn’t a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law. Whether that’s sound policy or not isn’t our call.” — Fourth Circuit panel

🎯IMPACT: President Trump’s plans to end DEI requirements and programs for federal contractors and grant recipients have been in limbo since last February, when Joe Biden-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Adam B. Abelson issued an injunction against the administration.

IN FULL

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal contracting and grant processes, vacating a district court injunction blocking the changes. In the unanimous ruling issued on Friday, the Fourth Circuit panel determined that the plaintiffs failed to establish their claim that two Executive Orders signed by President Donald J. Trump in January 2025, which ended federal support for DEI programs, violated their First Amendment free speech rights.

U.S. Chief Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, an Obama appointee, authored the court’s opinion, writing, “President Trump has decided that equity isn’t a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law. Whether that’s sound policy or not isn’t our call. We ask only whether the policy is unconstitutionally vague for funding recipients.”

Notably, the court found that because President Trump‘s Executive Orders were directives issued to his Cabinet and did not attempt to govern the private conduct of federal grant recipients, the directives had no impact on the free speech rights of the plaintiffs. The Fourth Circuit panel admonished the plaintiffs and the lower court ruling, writing, “What plaintiffs are really asking us to do is read subtext into the Provision’s text. And what they’re really challenging is how the Administration and its agency actors interpret antidiscrimination law in relation to plaintiffs’ DEI programming.”

The Trump administration’s plans to end DEI requirements and programs for federal contractors and grant recipients have been in limbo since last February, when the City of Baltimore—joined by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE)—filed a lawsuit against the directives in Maryland federal court. Subsequently, U.S. District Court Judge Adam B. Abelson, appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued an injunction against the administration, preventing Trump’s Executive Orders from going into effect. In his ruling, Judge Abelson specifically found that President Trump’s detectives likely violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.

Image by Katrin Bolovtsova.

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