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Wednesday, July 15, 2026
53 minutes ago
Data
News
Politics

DATA: Vance Outpacing Kamala Harris and AOC in Favorability Ratings.

Vice President J.D. Vance has a higher net favorability rating than Democrats Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with similarly strong showings from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., according to a new poll.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A new poll has revealed that Vice President J.D. Vance (R) has a higher net approval rating than both former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
📺 DETAIL: A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll has revealed that Vice President Vance’s net favorability sits at -3 percent (40 percent favorable vs 43 percent unfavorable). This means the Vice President is more popular than Harris at -7 percent (41 percent favorable vs 48 percent unfavorable) and Ocasio-Cortez on -6 percent (30 percent favorable vs 36 percent unfavorable). The poll surveyed 1,776 registered voters and was conducted between July 11 and 12. Vance’s favorability is driven by strong support among Republicans and neutral support among independents. In contrast, support for both Harris and Ocasio-Cortez is driven overwhelmingly by Democrats. Similarly, Vice President Vance polls well with conservatives, while Harris and Ocasio-Cortez are favored by liberals. Notably, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both had net positive approval ratings of one percent (36 percent favorable vs. 35 percent unfavorable and 41 percent favorable vs 40 percent unfavorable, respectively). Democrat Governor of California Gavin Newsom fared even worse with the public than Harris and Ocasio-Cortez, with a net favourability rating of -8 percent.
🎯 IMPACT: The poll’s findings suggest that Vice President Vance is in a strong position to run for President against leading Democrats when President Donald J. Trump completes his second term. However, the polling also shows that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in a similar position. As such, this poll reaffirms the widespread perception that the next race for the Republican nomination for President will be between the Vice President and the Secretary of State, assuming they do not announce a joint ticket.

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Vice President J.D. Vance has a higher net favorability rating than Democrats Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with similarly strong showings from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., according to a new poll.

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2 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

‘Activist Judge’ Frees Cuban Hijacker Despite Deportation Order.

A Florida judge’s ruling to release a convicted Cuban hijacker after his prison term has drawn sharp criticism from DHS, citing risks to public safety and immigration enforcement efforts.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of Maikel Guerra Morales, a Cuban national convicted of hijacking a commuter aircraft in 2003, after he completed a 22-year federal prison sentence. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) criticized the decision, stating it forced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release a dangerous foreign criminal into an American community.
📺 DETAIL: U.S. District Judge John E. Steele, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, ruled on July 8 that Morales could not continue to be held in ICE custody and ordered his release within 24 hours, while allowing him to contact his attorney and family. Morales was convicted after participating in the March 19, 2003 hijacking of a commuter flight from Nueva Gerona, Cuba, during which prosecutors said he assaulted crew members and forced the pilot to divert to Key West, Florida, where he was arrested. Following his release from federal prison, ICE detained Morales in December 2025 to execute a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in 2023. Court filings indicated ICE had sought to deport Morales, with Mexico reportedly considered as a possible destination if Cuba refused to accept him. Judge Steele claimed that continued immigration detention was not legally justified under the circumstances and ordered Morales released under supervision. DHS said it complied with the court’s order but vowed to continue pursuing Morales’ removal from the United States.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This activist judge forced ICE to release a criminal illegal alien who was convicted and sentenced to 22 years for hijacking a plane back into American communities.” – Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
🎯 IMPACT: DHS accuses the court of undermining efforts to remove criminal illegal aliens. ICE stated it is continuing to pursue Morales’s removal, with Mexico still being considered as a potential destination if Cuba will not accept him.

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A Florida judge's ruling to release a convicted Cuban hijacker after his prison term has drawn sharp criticism from DHS, citing risks to public safety and immigration enforcement efforts.

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3 hours ago
Immigration
News

Trump Pushes ICE to Continue Traffic Stops After DHS Freeze.

President Donald J. Trump has defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops after they were temporarily suspended by the Department of Homeland Security following ICE-related shootings.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has voiced his support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continuing to conduct traffic stops, contradicting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has largely suspended them following two recent shootings.
📺 DETAIL: On Wednesday, President Trump defended ICE’s use of traffic stops as a critical tool for catching and removing foreign criminals. The President’s support for traffic stops follows a decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to temporarily suspend most traffic stops following backlash over two recent fatal shootings involving ICE in Texas and Maine. The President warned that suspending traffic stops would embolden criminals. “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands,” Trump warned on Truth Social. ICE has defended its recent actions, citing resistance from migrants under deportation orders, including weaponizing their vehicles against officers. DHS has also defended traffic stops despite the announcement of a temporary suspension. The President called on ICE agents to resume their duties as normal, saying, “I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” – President Trump
🎯 IMPACT: Trump’s comments contradict the decision by DHS to temporarily suspend traffic stops in response to the recent shootings. This story shows that despite mounting public pressure, the President is prepared to stand by ICE.
📺 FLASHBACK: Earlier this week, a fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine, involving ICE was reported. The man killed was 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a Colombian national. Earlier this month, another ICE-related shooting was reported in Houston, Texas. The man was identified as 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an immigrant from Mexico. “From information we are receiving, he rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle,” read a statement from DHS.

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President Donald J. Trump has defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops after they were temporarily suspended by the Department of Homeland Security following ICE-related shootings.

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4 hours ago
Media
News

FCC Chairman Targets Elimination of TV Station Ownership Cap to Restore Balance to Media Landscape.

The FCC plans to vote to eliminate the 39 percent national ownership cap on television stations, arguing that the reform will restore balance between local broadcasters and national media conglomerates.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed eliminating the national ownership cap, which currently prevents any single entity from controlling TV stations that reach more than 39 percent of U.S. households. The new plan would replace this blanket restriction with a case-by-case review process to ensure local broadcasters can better compete with national media conglomerates.
📺 DETAIL: The national ownership cap was originally introduced to prevent national media companies from dominating local markets. However, the FCC believes that changes in the media landscape, including the rise of streaming platforms and virtual cable providers, have rendered the cap ineffective at limiting the reach of national programmers. Instead, the cap now restricts local broadcasters from scaling up to compete with national entities. “Cable channels like MSNOW can reach 100 percent of the country. Social media sites from Bluesky to X can reach 100 percent of the country. Netflix can reach 100 percent too. Same with podcasts and all other forms of digital content,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr argued in an article published Wednesday, arguing: “[T]he 39 percent cap continues to apply uniquely to the owners of local broadcast TV stations—forcing the market out of balance.”
🎯 IMPACT: If adopted, the FCC’s proposal could empower local broadcasters to attract more investment, improve advertising revenue, and produce trusted, locally relevant programming. Without this reform, local broadcasters risk further decline, potentially mirroring the collapse of local newspapers, which suffered under similarly outdated regulations until 2017.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “When it comes to broadcast news, our country could do with a little less Hollywood and a little more local reporting from communities across the country.” – Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman
📺 FLASHBACK: The FCC’s original ownership cap was designed to prevent national media monopolies and protect local broadcasters’ ability to serve their communities. However, the rise of digital platforms has allowed national programmers to bypass these restrictions entirely, leaving local broadcasters at a competitive disadvantage.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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The FCC plans to vote to eliminate the 39 percent national ownership cap on television stations, arguing that the reform will restore balance between local broadcasters and national media conglomerates.

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5 hours ago
News
UK

WATCH: Uniparty Love-In at Starmer’s Last Prime Minister’s Questions Ends With Telling Public Their Vote Belongs in the Bin.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Opposition leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch have thrown their support behind “Count Binface,” the alter ego of a BBC contractor, in an election contest against Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has endorsed “Count Binface,” played by longtime BBC contractor Jonathan David Harvey, in a parliamentary by-election (special election) called by Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage. Following months of insinuations of financial wrongdoing, Farage preempted his opponents by standing down from his seat in the House of Commons in order to recontest it in a by-election and allow voters to render a verdict on his conduct. However, Starmer’s Labour Party, the notionally center-right Conservatives, and the other major political parties have all stood aside, allowing “Binface”—a perennial novelty candidate in prominent parliamentary elections—to become the establishment’s de facto anti-Farage unity candidate.
📰 DETAIL: Starmer endorsed Binface during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, urging the public to “put your vote in the bin.” He was set up by Conservative Party leader Olukemi Olufunto “Kemi” Adegoke Badenoch, who used one of her questions at PMQs—intended to be an opportunity for lawmakers to hold the Prime Minister to account—to ask Starmer if he “agree[s] that what the country deserves is a televised debate between Nigel Farage and Count Binface,” earning peals of laughter from her nominal rivals on the Labour benches.
🎯 IMPACT: Labour and the Conservatives using PMQs, where they are supposed to be adversaries, to team up against Farage strengthens the perception that they comprise a “uniparty” with few meaningful differences. Their refusal to make a direct pitch to voters in Farage’s Clacton constituency by suggesting they should put their ballots “in the bin” has earned criticism online, with many social media users saying they are treating the democratic process with contempt.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Nothing is more apt when describing our so-called ‘liberal democracy’ than the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems uniting to tell voters that their vote belongs in the bin.” – ‘The Mercian’ on X (formerly Twitter)

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Opposition leader Olukemi "Kemi" Badenoch have thrown their support behind "Count Binface," the alter ego of a BBC contractor, in an election contest against Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage.

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6 hours ago
News
UK

Man Who Threatened to Shoot Nigel Farage in the Head Finally Arrested Following Murder of Ann Widdecombe.

A man who threatened to shoot and kill Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage weeks ago has finally been arrested following the suspected politically motivated murder of Reform spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A man was arrested on Tuesday by London’s Metropolitan Police for threatening to kill Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage in a tweet dated May 8, stating, “I am going to shoot you in the head if you win.” The arrest—after a long delay—follows the murder of Reform’s Ann Widdecombe in her home last week, which is suspected to have been politically motivated.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This is the first time the police have ever proactively acted on a social media post and I hope they are looking at the other three or four hundred similar posts from this year alone.” – Nigel Farage
🎯 IMPACT: The arrest could signal a shift in how law enforcement handles the hundreds of threats against Farage and other populist figures in Britain, following the murder of 78-year-old Reform immigration and justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe in her home in a suspected act of terrorism.
📰 DETAIL: Farage said multiple reports of threats have been made to the police over the years, but that he is “always… told that these social media posts don’t meet the threshold, which is extraordinary.” Notably, the British authorities arrested many people over social media posts following the Southport mass stabbings, with one woman being imprisoned merely for saying she would not care if hotels housing asylum seekers were burned down. In October, an Afghan illegal immigrant who posted a video of himself on TikTok vowing to shoot Farage while preparing to board a boat to Britain was sentenced to five years in prison.

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A man who threatened to shoot and kill Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage weeks ago has finally been arrested following the suspected politically motivated murder of Reform spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.

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6 hours ago
Bonkers Britain
News
TECH

UK Govt Plans Social Media ‘Curfew’ for 16- and 17-Year-Olds.

The British government’s proposed curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds has faced criticism for its perceived ineffectiveness and ease of circumvention.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Outgoing British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce a midnight social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds.
📰 DETAIL: Prime Minister Starmer intends to declare a midnight social media curfew aimed at 16- and 17-year-olds. The curfew will constitute one of Prime Minister Starmer’s final acts in office before he is replaced by Labour Member of Parliament for Makerfield Andy Burnham, who has secured enough support from the Parliamentary Labour Party to become Prime Minister and Labour leader uncontested. The upcoming curfew will be “on by default” but can be turned off by users, leading to criticism of its effectiveness. The government is expected to unveil a package of measures to regulate social media access on Wednesday. The measures aim to address addictive features such as infinite scrolling. The decision follows the release of a government study which concluded that a midnight social media curfew would be “the most straightforward intervention to implement and integrate into existing household routines.”
🎯 IMPACT: The fact that the curfew can simply be turned off has seen critics dismiss it as “completely useless” and “ludicrous.” The curfew has also been widely criticized as being inconsistent with other policies of the Starmer government, which lowered the voting age to 16 last year. Despite running in the Makerfield by-election on a pledge to change the Labour Party, Burnham supports digital ID and the social media ban, which may constitute outgoing Prime Minister Starmer’s most significant policy while in office.
📺 FLASHBACK: Last month, the British Government announced a ban on social media access for children under 16. Critically, the ban requires adults to upload ID to use social media to prove that they are aged 16 or over, ending online privacy. The European Union (EU) is seeking to announce a similar measure later in the year. The government pushed forward with digital ID despite significant opposition from the public and civil liberties organizations.

Image by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street.

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The British government's proposed curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds has faced criticism for its perceived ineffectiveness and ease of circumvention.

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17 hours ago
Crime
Immigration
News

Illegal Immigrant Trucker Who Killed Three People Gets Soft Sentence in Dem State.

An illegal immigrant responsible for a fatal eight-vehicle crash in California received a sentence of less than five years, reigniting debates over immigration enforcement, public safety, and soft justice.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from India, was sentenced to just four years and eight months in prison for a deadly crash in Southern California that killed three people and injured four others. Singh’s semi-truck caused an eight-vehicle pileup on Interstate 10 in Ontario after failing to stop, according to investigators.
📺 DETAIL: Singh illegally entered the U.S. in March 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden government after being apprehended by Border Patrol. Eyewitness accounts and dashcam footage revealed that Singh made no attempt to stop or swerve before colliding with stopped traffic, killing and injuring multiple people.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the U.S. and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways,” said then-Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin at the time of the crash.
🎯 IMPACT: The light sentence of less than five years has sparked harsh criticism of judges and criminal justice in Democrat-controlled California, and the Democrats’ support for releasing illegal immigrants into the U.S. and allowing them to receive commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs), particularly under the former Biden government.
📺 FLASHBACK: The case has drawn comparisons to prior incidents where illegal immigrants were involved in fatal accidents, fueling calls for stricter enforcement of immigration laws and oversight of commercial driving licenses.

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An illegal immigrant responsible for a fatal eight-vehicle crash in California received a sentence of less than five years, reigniting debates over immigration enforcement, public safety, and soft justice.

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18 hours ago
Immigration

Man Killed by Truck While Fleeing ICE Agents.

A man fleeing from federal immigration agents was fatally struck by a truck in Florida.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A 28-year-old man was fatally struck by a tractor-trailer while fleeing from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a gas station in St. Augustine, Florida, early Tuesday.
📰 DETAIL: The incident occurred near a Wawa gas station, where the man had been in a vehicle with three others who also fled. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the death, and the man’s identity has not been released as of the time of publication. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a brief statement suggesting that the deceased man was Mexican.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “On July 14, DHS law enforcement conducted an operation near St Johns, Florida. Florida highway patrol and HSI are investigating an incident resulting in the death of a Mexican national,” a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said.
🎯 IMPACT: The incident has intensified leftist agitation against ICE in recent days, following separate incidents in which a Mexican and a Colombian were shot dead, after allegedly trying to weaponize vehicles against agents. The campaign may be working, with the Trump administration having already ordered a halt to most ICE traffic stops following the shootings. Similarly, the deadly shooting of two pro-illegal immigrant activists in Minnesota in January saw the administration wind down a major immigration enforcement surge in the state.
👀 FLASHBACK: ICE agents have been involved in two fatal shootings in Maine and Texas in recent days. ICE critics have complained that the migrants shot were not the intended targets of the operations.

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A man fleeing from federal immigration agents was fatally struck by a truck in Florida.

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18 hours ago
News

USDA Lets Loose 400 Million Lab-Bred Flies to Counteract Flesh-Eating Screwworms.

The USDA is deploying hundreds of millions of flies bred in a factory to prevent the reestablishment of the New World screwworm in the U.S., a parasite capable of devastating livestock and wildlife, and occasionally infecting humans.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released nearly 400 million sterile flies over Texas and northern Mexico to combat the spread of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that threatens livestock, wildlife, pets, and occasionally humans. This effort aims to prevent the parasite from becoming reestablished in the United States after confirmed cases were reported in Texas and New Mexico last month.
📺 DETAIL: The campaign relies on breeding sterile insects en masse, which helped eliminate the pest from the U.S. in 1966 by preventing reproduction among wild fly populations. USDA Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer said most of the sterile flies have been released along the Texas-Mexico border and in areas where infestations have been confirmed. Officials said the flies are unlikely to be seen in homes because they prefer moist environments and seek out animals with open wounds. Female New World screwworm flies lay eggs in wounds, where the larvae burrow into living tissue, causing severe infections that can be fatal to livestock, wildlife, pets, and, in rare cases, humans if left untreated. Researchers estimate that roughly 500 million sterile flies will ultimately be needed to push the parasite back toward Central America, where it has spread among wildlife, including jaguars, pumas, tapirs, and deer. Federal officials are expanding production capacity with a new sterile-fly facility in Mexico, with another planned for Texas in 2027. The USDA is urging ranchers and pet owners to regularly inspect animals for unusual wounds and immediately report suspected screwworm infestations to veterinarians or agricultural authorities.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “What we lack are sufficient flies in order to start pushing the population back south.” – Phillip Kaufman, entomologist
📺 FLASHBACK: The screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966 using the sterile insect technique, but recent infestations in Texas and Mexico have raised concerns that it could become endemic again, prompting this large-scale response.

Image by CSIRO.

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The USDA is deploying hundreds of millions of flies bred in a factory to prevent the reestablishment of the New World screwworm in the U.S., a parasite capable of devastating livestock and wildlife, and occasionally infecting humans.

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