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Sunday, December 7, 2025
2 hours ago
Culture

Kennedy Center Fundraising SKYROCKETS to $23M, Doubling Biden Era Figures.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Kennedy Center Honors raised a record $23 million for its 48th annual celebration, nearly doubling last year’s total.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi, and the 2025 honorees, including George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The weekend of the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors, with events including an Oval Office ceremony and a gala in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The record-breaking $23 million in contributions to the Kennedy Center Honors is a testament to the extraordinary support for our mission and affirms a vibrant future for this beloved American institution.” – Roma Daravi

🎯IMPACT: The event set a new fundraising record, introduced redesigned medallions, and marked a historic Oval Office ceremony under Trump’s leadership.

IN FULL

The Kennedy Center Honors raised a staggering $23 million during its 48th annual celebration, a record-breaking amount nearly doubling the $12.7 million raised last year, as initially reported by Fox News and confirmed by The National Pulse. This milestone comes as President Donald Trump begins his tenure as chairman of the Kennedy Center, marking a new chapter for the institution.

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell highlighted the achievement, stating, “The center nearly doubled last year’s fundraising, reaching a historic $23 million,” and described the Honors as “one of our nation’s highest celebrations of the performing arts.” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations, added that the contributions reflect “unprecedented donor enthusiasm.”

Trump hosted the first official, on-camera Oval Office ceremony recognizing the 2025 honorees this weekend. This year’s honorees include George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone.

Trump also unveiled redesigned medallions for the Honors, created in collaboration with Tiffany & Co.

The gala capped off a weekend of events celebrating decades of American cultural achievement, including a State Department reception and ongoing renovations to the Kennedy Center. Officials emphasized that these developments signal a vibrant future for the institution under Trump’s leadership.

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December 6, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Health
News

Canada Estimated to Have Killed Nearly 100k Citizens by Assisted Suicide.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Canada’s euthanasia program may have killed up to 92,000 people, according to new estimates.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Canadian government, Canadian medical professionals, and the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Alex Schadenberg.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The estimate was published on December 5.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Canada is becoming the world leader in killing its citizens. It is normalizing and medicalizing killing.” – Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Alex Schadenberg

🎯IMPACT: Medically assisted suicide has become a leading cause of death in Canada and now accounts for five percent of all deaths nationwide when abortion is not taken into consideration.

IN FULL

Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) program continues to grow, with estimates suggesting that more than 92,000 people have died through the practice since its legalization in 2016. Official federal data reported 16,499 MAID deaths in 2024, a 6.9 percent increase from the previous year. That brought the confirmed national total to 76,475 through the end of 2024, but analysts say the pace of cases in 2025 likely pushed the true cumulative figure past 92,000.

MAID now accounts for just over five percent of all annual deaths in Canada. The vast majority of cases involve people whose natural death is considered reasonably foreseeable, though a smaller share of patients qualify under an expanded track for those whose death is not imminent. “Canada is becoming the world leader in killing its citizens. It is normalizing and medicalizing killing,” Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Alex Schadenberg said.

The rising number of requests has prompted concern from some medical professionals, who report that demand is straining available resources and contributing to long wait times for assessments. According to recent reports, providers in several regions say the number of applicants has outpaced the capacity of clinicians willing or able to participate.

Critics argue that MAID eligibility criteria have broadened too quickly and that vulnerable people may face subtle pressure to consider MAID when support services are limited or unavailable. Several disabled Canadians, including veterans, have been offered MAID despite not suffering from any deadly illness or disease.

Image by Dr. Frank Gaeth.

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December 6, 2025
Crime
News

Ukrainian Refugee Tortured, Burned Alive for Crypto.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Ukrainian student was burned alive in his father’s Mercedes in Vienna, Austria, with police suspecting extortion over cryptocurrency.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Danilo Kuzmin, a 21-year-old student, and two Ukrainian suspects, aged 19 and 45, who were arrested in connection with the murder.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred last Wednesday in Vienna, under a bridge where the burned car was found.

🎯IMPACT: The case highlights concerns over cryptocurrency-related crimes and cross-border cooperation in criminal justice.

IN FULL

Austrian authorities are investigating the killing of 21-year-old Ukrainian student Danilo Kuzmin, who was found burned in the back seat of his father’s Mercedes beneath a bridge in Vienna. Police believe he was attacked and forced to transfer a significant sum in cryptocurrency shortly before his death.

Kuzmin, the son of Sergei Kuzmin, the deputy mayor of Kharkov (Kharkiv), had lived in Vienna for several years after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His body was so badly burned that investigators initially could not identify him; confirmation came only after friends and relatives filed missing-persons reports.

A post-mortem examination showed that he suffered blunt-force injuries, including trauma to the head and broken teeth. Forensic officers concluded he likely died from suffocation or heat shock caused by the fire. A melted petrol canister was found inside the vehicle, which runs on diesel, leading investigators to conclude the blaze was set intentionally.

Detectives believe Kuzmin was lured to an underground garage at a luxury hotel, where he was beaten and forced into the car. A large cryptocurrency transfer was detected leaving his digital wallet around the time of the attack, and security footage captured a 19-year-old suspect buying a petrol canister shortly before the murder. A second suspect, aged 45, was later identified. Both men fled to Ukraine immediately after the killing but were arrested by local police the following evening.

Austrian officials have agreed to allow Ukraine to prosecute the suspects domestically, while Viennese investigators continue to collect evidence to support the case.

The suspected extortion fits into a wider pattern of criminals targeting victims through digital assets. In recent years, cryptocurrency-related crime has surged, with U.S. authorities reporting billions in losses tied to fraud, extortion, and investment schemes. Americans lost more than $5.6 billion to crypto-related scams in 2023 as criminals increasingly exploited the speed and irreversibility of blockchain transactions. Law enforcement agencies have warned that the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency, combined with its global reach, makes recovering stolen funds extremely difficult once a transfer is executed.

The broader cryptocurrency market has also faced sharp volatility. Global digital asset valuations recently plunged by more than a trillion dollars within a matter of weeks amid concerns about speculative excess and fears that an artificial intelligence-driven bubble could trigger deeper instability.

Image by NathanWert.

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December 5, 2025
News
War

U.S. Weapons Abandoned by Biden Are Now the ‘Core’ of Taliban’s Military Machine: Report.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The former Biden government left billions in military equipment in Afghanistan, now forming the “core” of the Taliban military.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. government, the Taliban, and the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Following the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Despite nearly $90 billion in U.S. appropriations for security-sector assistance, Afghan security forces ultimately collapsed quickly without a sustained U.S. military presence.” – Acting SIGAR Gene Aloise

🎯IMPACT: Billions in U.S. taxpayer-funded military equipment are now in Taliban hands.

IN FULL

The office overseeing U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan has released a final forensic audit concluding that billions of dollars in American weaponry and military infrastructure, left behind after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, now form the “core” of the Taliban’s military force.

The audit, by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), finds that U.S.-supplied weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and other equipment worth at least $7.1 billion ended up in Taliban hands. These were provided over two decades of war and reconstruction, spanning four U.S. administrations after the 2001 invasion triggered by the 9/11 attacks.

According to SIGAR, the U.S. had poured roughly $144.7 billion into Afghanistan between 2002 and mid-2021. Some of those funds went toward building roads, schools, and infrastructure. However, the bulk of this spending, nearly $90 billion, was devoted to security assistance: equipping and sustaining the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) with weapons, vehicles, training, pay, bases, and other support.

Between 2002 and 2021, the U.S. gave the ANDSF hundreds of thousands of weapons, tens of thousands of vehicles, and more than 160 aircraft. Pentagon records from late July 2021, about two weeks before the Taliban seized Kabul, showed the Afghan Air Force had 162 U.S.-supplied aircraft, 131 of them functional.

As U.S. forces withdrew in August 2021 amid a botched evacuation by then-President Joe Biden, the ANDSF collapsed almost immediately. SIGAR’s 2025 report points out that after two decades and massive investment, Afghan forces were never able to operate independently.

With the U.S. withdrawal, morale collapsed, bases were abandoned, and the Taliban easily absorbed the leftover arsenal. Any remaining equipment, facilities, or stockpiles evidently fell under Taliban control—a major bone of contention for President Donald J. Trump, who believes strongly that the equipment should have been evacuated.

Even after the Taliban takeover, the U.S. continued sending humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan, millions more dollars, some of which reportedly benefited the Taliban-controlled government.

In light of these findings, SIGAR will cease operations in January 2026, per the conditions of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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December 5, 2025
Corruption

Trump Admin Probes Race-Based Federal Contractor Program Over Rampant Fraud and Abuse.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Small Business Administration (SBA) has mandated that companies benefiting from minority contracting preferences must submit detailed financial records to address potential fraud and abuse within the program.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler and federal contractors.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The directive was issued on Friday, with compliance required by January 5. The program review began in June 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We’re committed to thoroughly reviewing every federal contract, contracting officer, and contractor—while working alongside federal law enforcement.” – Kelly Loeffler

🎯IMPACT: Companies failing to comply with the new requirements risk losing their eligibility for federal contracts. The program may also face broader re-evaluation due to recent legal challenges.

IN FULL

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has implemented a new policy requiring companies benefiting from the 8(a) minority contracting program to submit detailed financial records. This move comes as part of efforts to address long-standing concerns of fraud and abuse within the program, which many have criticized as a discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative and a vehicle for corruption.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated that the program, which was expanded under the Biden government to allocate 15 percent of contracting dollars to minorities, has been misused as a “pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud.” The agency plans to work with federal law enforcement to ensure compliance and transparency.

The new requirements, which include uploading bank statements, payroll registers, and subcontracting agreements in a computer-friendly format, aim to identify companies that subcontract work to non-disadvantaged firms while keeping a cut as middlemen. Firms failing to comply by January 5 risk losing their eligibility for federal contracts.

The program has faced scrutiny following investigative reports, including a video exposé by James O’Keefe, which revealed that firms like ATI Government Solutions acted as “pass-through” entities. ATI received a $100 million contract, retained $65 million, and subcontracted the actual work for $35 million. Following the revelations, the SBA suspended ATI and related firms.

Additionally, recent criminal cases have highlighted the misuse of the program. In one instance, a USAID official and two contractors pleaded guilty to fraud involving over $500 million in contracts.

Image via Flickr.

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December 5, 2025
Crime
News

Federal Judge Grants DOJ Request to Release Epstein Grand Jury Documents.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking cases, citing a new federal law.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Smith, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the Justice Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was made on Friday in Florida, with a December 19 deadline for full compliance under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

💬KEY QUOTE: The law “explicitly bars withholding records solely to prevent embarrassment or reputational harm to public figures, government officials or foreign dignitaries.”

🎯IMPACT: This marks the first successful unsealing of Epstein-related grand jury records under the law, with further cases pending in New York.

IN FULL

A federal judge in Florida has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the original 2006–2007 federal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, ruling that a newly enacted law overrides longstanding secrecy rules.

On December 5, Rodney Smith, a U.S. District Court Judge, granted the request from the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) to unseal documents from the grand jury proceedings. The approval marks a reversal of an earlier decision this year, when another federal judge declined a similar DOJ request.

The ruling is a direct result of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a new law signed in November 2025 by President Donald J. Trump, which requires the release of nearly all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein’s case. The law also allows redactions to protect victims’ identities and sensitive or ongoing investigations, but bars the government from withholding material simply to spare public figures embarrassment.

With the Florida transcripts cleared for release, attention shifts to two pending requests concerning other major Epstein-related cases: the 2019 federal sex-trafficking case against Epstein in New York and the 2021 case against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department must respond by Monday to filings from victims, Epstein’s estate, and Maxwell’s legal team outlining their objections. Those cases have yet to see final rulings.

It remains unclear exactly when the now-approved transcripts will be made public, but the law sets a deadline of December 19 for the wider release of related materials.

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December 5, 2025
Immigration
SCOTUS

Supreme Court to Decide Constitutionality of Birthright Citizenship.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Supreme Court will decide on President Donald J. Trump’s plan to end automatic birthright citizenship.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Solicitor General D. John Sauer, and the Supreme Court justices.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Friday, with arguments likely to take place in April and a decision expected by the end of June.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted to grant citizenship to freed slaves and their children, not to the children of illegal aliens, birth tourists, and temporary visitors.” – D. John Sauer

🎯IMPACT: The decision could redefine birthright citizenship and affect immigration policy in the U.S.

IN FULL

The Supreme Court is set to rule on President Donald J. Trump’s initiative to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, a move that has sparked significant debate and legal challenges. The justices announced their decision to take up the case, with arguments anticipated in April and a ruling expected by the end of June.

“The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted to grant citizenship to freed slaves and their children, not to the children of illegal aliens, birth tourists, and temporary visitors,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in a court filing on behalf of the Trump administration. He added: “Yet, long after the Clause’s adoption, the mistaken view that birth on U.S. territory confers citizenship on anyone subject to the regulatory reach of U.S. law became pervasive, with destructive consequences.”

President Trump, shortly after his inauguration, signed an Executive Order aimed at denying U.S. citizenship to children of illegal immigrants and foreigners on temporary visas. The administration argued that the order was necessary to deter illegal immigration and “birth tourism.”

However, the policy was immediately met with legal challenges. In July, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found the birthright citizenship order unconstitutional, citing an 1898 Supreme Court decision that has long been interpreted as ensuring citizenship to nearly everyone born in the U.S. Subsequently, the Department of Justice filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Image by Billy Wilson.

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December 5, 2025
Media

Vanity Fair and Olivia Nuzzi Part Ways.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Vanity Fair will not renew Olivia Nuzzi’s contract following a series of controversies and a problematic book launch.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Olivia Nuzzi, Vanity Fair, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Ryan Lizza, and Mark Sanford.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Nuzzi’s contract is set to expire at the end of 2025; controversies span the last year.

🎯IMPACT: The decision highlights growing scrutiny of journalistic ethics and conflicts of interest within media.

IN FULL

Disgraced journalist Olivia Nuzzi and Vanity Fair magazine have mutually agreed to part ways when her contract expires at the end of this year. Nuzzi, who has faced a series of scandalous allegations involving Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC), was dismissed from her position as the Washington correspondent for New York magazine last October over lapses in journalistic ethics.

While Nuzzi‘s alleged digital romantic relationship with Kennedy Jr. caused her departure from New York magazine, it appears allegations leveled by her ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, that she slept with Mark Sanford during his brief two-month-long 2020 presidential campaign had a role in her latest employment change. Nuzzi, in her newly released book, American Canto, details her digital “affair” with Kennedy Jr, which she states only existed in the form of phone calls and text messages. She makes no direct mention of Sanford. The book has received overwhelmingly negative reviews.

In a series of posts on Substack, Lizza accuses Nuzzi of both professional and personal misconduct. Besides the alleged affairs, Lizza claims his ex-fiancée attempted to “catch and kill” negative stories about Kennedy Jr. and fancied herself an informal advisor to his independent presidential campaign.

Vanity Fair hired Nuzzi in September on a short-term contract to serve as the magazine’s West Coast editor.

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December 5, 2025
1A
Immigration

Trump Admin Mandates Visa Checks for Foreign Tech Workers Tied to Censorship Efforts.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. State Department has issued new guidelines directing consular officers to screen foreign tech workers for records of censorship or silencing lawful expression before granting H-1B visas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. consular officers, foreign tech workers, and the State Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The guidance was distributed to U.S. embassies on December 2, according to Reuters.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible.” — State Department memo

🎯IMPACT: The new rules could significantly affect foreign tech workers, particularly in sectors like social media and financial services, as well as companies relying on H-1B visas.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of State circulated a cable this week directing U.S. consular officials to screen foreign H-1B applicants in the tech industry to determine if they’ve participated in efforts to suppress free speech. According to the memo, consular officers are to reject visa applications for individuals found to have ties to online content or political censorship.

Issued on December 2, the order appears to be part of the Trump administration’s sweeping reforms to U.S. immigration policy. H-1B visa eligibility requirements have not previously taken into consideration an applicant’s involvement in censorship and speech suppression operations.

Consular officials are instructed to review the resumes, social media profiles, and other documents submitted by visa applicants for evidence that they or their family members have worked for organizations specializing in combating so-called disinformation, online safety compliance, content moderation, or fact-checking. “If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible,” the State Department order states.

The U.S. tech industry draws a significant part of its workforce from the H-1B program, which allows American companies to hire supposedly high-skilled labor from foreign countries. However, the visa program is often abused by firms to import cheap labor, particularly from India, which often undercuts the wages of American workers.

The National Pulse reported in late May that Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the department would adopt a new policy to block U.S. entry for foreign officials and their families involved in censoring Americans or interfering with U.S. tech companies.

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December 5, 2025
1A
Politics

Trump Admin Brands Europe’s Fine on X an Assault All Americans.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The European Union’s unelected executive, the European Commission, fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) $140 million for alleged violations of the bloc’s Digital Services Act.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Elon Musk, and the European Commission.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The fine was announced on Friday by the European Commission.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on [X], it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over.” – Marco Rubio

🎯IMPACT: Rubio framed the fine as a broader attack on American technology companies and free speech, signaling growing tensions between the U.S. and EU over digital regulations and censorship.

IN FULL

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned the European Commission’s decision to impose a $140 million fine on X (formerly Twitter) on December 5, saying the penalty is “not just an attack on [X], it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.” He added: “The days of censoring Americans online are over.”

Vice President J.D. Vance also commented on the situation the day prior, saying, “Rumors swirling that the EU [C]ommission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”

The fine, the first under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), targets three alleged violations: supposedly deceptive use of X’s blue checkmark verification badge, insufficient transparency in its ad database, and blocking researchers’ access to certain public data.

The Commission, an unelected body that serves as the EU’s executive and the main initiator of EU-level legislation like the DSA, argued that by allowing users to purchase blue checkmarks, X misled others into believing those accounts were in some way officially verified. It also stated that the platform failed to meet the required transparency standards for advertising and data access, obligations set out in the DSA to ensure safety, accountability, and public interest oversight.

The DSA requires platforms operating in the EU to remove illegal or so-called harmful content, ensure transparency in advertising and moderation, and provide independent access to data for researchers and regulators.

Critics, including U.S. officials and some tech‑industry observers, argue that such regulation masks a censorship regime. For instance, the U.S. State Department recently denounced the DSA as “Orwellian,” saying it effectively enables European governments to police political expression online.

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