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Monday, August 17, 2026
38 minutes ago
Data
Economy
News

Trump Economy: Manufacturing Hits Four-Year Peak, Manufacturing Employment at Three-Year High.

The United States manufacturing sector surged to its highest level in fours years, with manufacturing employment reaching a three-year high, primarily driven by robust order growth across multiple manufacturing industries.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: United States manufacturing reached a four-year high in July, according to a new report, with employment in the sector at a three-year high.
📺 DETAIL: According to data from the Institute for Supply Management, the world’s oldest and largest supply management association, manufacturing activity in the United States hit a four-year high last month. Specifically, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a key indicator of the health of the manufacturing sector used by economic experts, reached 55.6 in July, an increase from 53.3 in June. This was the highest reading since May 2022. Notably, economists polled by Reuters predicted that the PMI would only rise to 54 in July. The increase in manufacturing activity was primarily driven by order growth and spanned 15 different industries, including appliances and components, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, machinery, primary metals, and transportation equipment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, in particular, experienced significant growth. This increase in manufacturing activity coincided with employment in the manufacturing sector reaching a three-year high.
🎯 IMPACT: The strong manufacturing data suggests continued economic resilience, despite concerns over inflation and the ongoing Iran war. This data also suggests that economists underestimated the U.S. manufacturing sector. The fact that the rise in manufacturing activity has been driven by order growth suggests there is an increase in demand for U.S.-made goods. This is likely a by-product of the Trump administration’s tariffs as well as reforms to the tax code. The rise in manufacturing employment reflects reports from last year, which revealed that major corporations intended to spend billions in investment to onshore production and create American jobs. The figures are likely to strengthen the Trump administration’s confidence in its economic agenda, which has placed the reshoring and restoration of American manufacturing at its heart. The rise in demand for U.S.-made goods also contextualizes the Federal Trade Commission’s crackdown on products falsely labeled as “Made in the USA.”

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The United States manufacturing sector surged to its highest level in fours years, with manufacturing employment reaching a three-year high, primarily driven by robust order growth across multiple manufacturing industries.

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1 hour ago
News
War

Trump Threatens to ‘Bomb the S**t’ Out of Oman If It ‘Gets in the Way’ of Iran Objectives.

President Trump issued a stark warning to Oman as the U.S. truce with Iran officially expired.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf nation interferes with U.S. efforts to secure control of the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate a favorable peace agreement with Iran. In an interview with Trey Yingst, Trump was asked about parallel talks between Oman and Iran concerning the strategic waterway, which carries much of the world’s oil exports, and responded that if Oman “gets in the way,” the United States would “bomb the s**t out of them.”
📰 DETAIL: The comments come as Oman and Iran are reportedly near an agreement on managing the Strait of Hormuz, which the two nations straddle, in a deal that could limit U.S. influence over the vital energy transit route while giving Tehran greater leverage in its standoff with the Trump administration. The President’s remarks came as a 60-day window established under a June memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran expired. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the deadline was “irrelevant,” claiming that negotiations never began because Washington resumed hostilities during the truce period. Significantly, U.S. strikes on the Islamic Republic came in response to its own continued attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
🎯 IMPACT: The expiration of the U.S. truce with Iran and President Trump’s warnings to Oman could further destabilize the region, affecting global oil markets and regional relationships. The U.S. has indicated it will maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, with Trump suggesting on Friday that “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them.” – President Trump

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President Trump issued a stark warning to Oman as the U.S. truce with Iran officially expired.

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2 hours ago
Economy
News
War

U.S. Petroleum Reserve Drained to 40‑Year Low, Storage Caverns at Risk.

The United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been depleted over the course of the Iran war, raising concerns about sustainability and potential damage to the salt caverns storing it.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has reached its lowest level in 40 years.
📰 DETAIL: On Monday, it was revealed that the U.S. SPR had dropped below 300 million barrels due to ongoing withdrawals for the Iran war, which began in late February. The depletion of the country’s SPR has contributed to record-high gas prices for mid-August, with the national average reaching $4.07 per gallon, according to AAA Gas Prices. The SPR was initially designed to handle five full drawdowns over its lifespan, but it has undergone numerous cycles over the past 40 years. The crude oil is held in 60 salt caverns spanning four sites in Texas and Louisiana. The oil is extracted by pumping water into the caverns to force the oil upwards into intake pipes. However, the process increases the risk of a cave-in as water dissolves and thins the salt walls of the caverns, especially when the water-to-oil ratio surpasses a certain threshold. Some experts have suggested that ongoing withdrawals could result in permanent damage. “The practical operational floor for the crude inventory is between 250 million and 300 million barrels,” Siddharth Misra, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University, told CNBC.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The caverns are always full. All that changes is the ratio of oil and water that is filling them,” insisted Ben Dietderich, spokesman for the Department of Energy.
🎯 IMPACT: The depletion of the U.S. SPR has raised concerns about the reserve’s ability to function effectively in future emergencies. Reports from earlier in the year suggest that countries are hoarding oil reserves in response to the rising costs created by the Iran war. “If the Iran war does not end in the coming weeks and we don’t have the reopening of the Hormuz strait, I’m afraid a world recession could be on the table,” said Apostolos Tzitzikosta, Transport Commissioner for the European Union (EU), back in May.

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The United States' Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been depleted over the course of the Iran war, raising concerns about sustainability and potential damage to the salt caverns storing it.

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3 hours ago
Data
News
UK

DATA: Public Support for the BBC Has Cratered.

A new survey has revealed a significant drop in British national pride over the past decade, alongside a crash in support for the BBC.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Support for the state-backed British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the United Kingdom has tanked amid cratering national pride in Britain, according to a new report.
📺 DETAIL: According to a new poll commissioned by Demos, a non-partisan British think tank, only 47 percent of Britons are proud of their country in 2026, a stark drop from the 74 percent recorded in 2011. The collapse in national pride coincides with declining support for national institutions and symbols, such as the British flag, the monarchy, the legal system, the armed forces, and the BBC. Among the British institutions and symbols covered in the survey, the BBC has suffered the largest collapse in support from 2011 to 2026, dropping from a net approval of 48 percent to -11 percent. This means that the BBC has become as unpopular as Britain’s Parliament, which also has a net approval of -11 percent. Net approval of the monarchy has dropped from 54 percent to 25 percent, and pride in British history also declined from 65 percent to 39 percent, while pride in Britain’s place in the world dropped from 35 percent to just 13 percent. The poll surveyed 2,235 adults between 19 and 20 April.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Our research shows that Britain hasn’t stopped feeling proud. People still feel deep pride in the places they live and the communities around them. What has eroded is their confidence in Britain as a whole. When people lose that sense of shared ownership over what makes Britain great, trust breaks down and our politics becomes more fragmented,” said Polly Curtis, CEO of Demos.
🎯 IMPACT: The findings underscore the growing disconnect between Britons and their country’s institutions. The collapse in support for the BBC among Britons, who must fund the politically biased public broadcaster through a compulsory television license fee, stands out in particular. This reflects similar trends uncovered earlier this year. Back in July, it was reported that TV license sales had dropped by over 500,000 last year.

Image by Paul Harrop.

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A new survey has revealed a significant drop in British national pride over the past decade, alongside a crash in support for the BBC.

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3 hours ago
News
UK

UK PM Burnham Caught Messaging Impostor Posing as Trump’s Chief of Staff.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was tricked into exchanging messages with someone impersonating White House aide Susie Wiles.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged several messages with someone impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate, according to four officials. Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence, has refused to “comment on national security matters,” while one person briefed on the matter claimed the messages were of “no significance.”
📺 DETAIL: The British Embassy in Washington reportedly raised concerns about the incident with the White House, amid fears in the British government that Wiles’s phone may have been compromised. A White House official said the incident was unrelated to any hacking of her devices. The episode follows a 2025 investigation by the White House and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into similar attempts to impersonate Wiles, after several prominent Americans previously received fraudulent calls and messages. It remains unclear what Burnham and the impersonator discussed or exactly when the messages were exchanged. Burnham became Prime Minister on July 20 after emerging as the Labour Party’s chosen successor to Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned after being heavily defeated by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in local elections.
🎯 IMPACT: The incident underscores ongoing vulnerabilities in cybersecurity for high-ranking officials and the potential diplomatic risks of such breaches. It also highlights the need for improved communication protocols to prevent similar impersonation attempts in the future.
📺 FLASHBACK: Last year, U.S. officials, senators, and business leaders were targeted by impersonators after Susie Wiles’s phone was hacked. Back in 2022, then-British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was tricked into holding a video with a Russian impersonator posing as the Ukrainian prime minister.

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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was tricked into exchanging messages with someone impersonating White House aide Susie Wiles.

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4 hours ago
Data
News
Politics

DATA: More Democrats Favor Socialism Over Capitalism.

A CBS News/YouGov poll has revealed a significant preference for socialism over capitalism among Democrats, despite a preference for the latter among Americans generally, highlighting the party’s lurch to the left.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Roughly six in 10 Democrats have a positive view of socialism, according to a new poll.
📺 DETAIL: According to a poll commissioned by CBS News and conducted by YouGov, 58 percent of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. In contrast, only 32 percent of Democrats said they view capitalism positively. The survey indicates a 26-point gap in favor of socialism among Democrats. This makes socialism the preferred economic system among Democrats. The poll also revealed that 50 percent of Democrats have a negative view of capitalism compared to only 18 percent of Democrats who have a negative view of socialism. Democrats who registered having “no opinion” on socialism and capitalism were 24 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Overall, the poll found that 46 percent of Americans have a positive view of capitalism and 35 percent have a positive view of socialism. In contrast, 33 percent have a negative view of capitalism, and 42 percent have a negative view of socialism. The poll surveyed 2,287 U.S. adults from August 12 to August 14.
🎯 IMPACT: This reflects similar findings reported earlier in the year. Back in July, it was revealed that approximately one-third of Democrats and Democrat-aligned adults describe themselves as Democratic Socialists. This includes two-thirds of Democrats and Democrat-aligned adults under the age of 45. This is despite the fact that the general public tends to view Democratic Socialism negatively. Earlier this month, it was revealed that roughly 50 percent of New Yorkers oppose the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the far-left political organization currently taking over the Democrats. The CBS News/YouGov poll underscores the broader ideological shift among Democrats towards socialism and far-left politics generally. This could create problems for the party as it seeks to win over moderate and Independent voters in national and state-wide elections. This is because support for Democratic Socialism is typically concentrated among younger voters living in urban areas, with minimal appeal among older voters and voters living in suburban and rural areas.

Image by Tony Northrup.

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A CBS News/YouGov poll has revealed a significant preference for socialism over capitalism among Democrats, despite a preference for the latter among Americans generally, highlighting the party's lurch to the left.

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5 hours ago
Immigration
News

DNC Passes Resolution to Abolish ICE.

The DNC has passed a resolution calling for the abolition of ICE, highlighting the growing power of the far left within the party.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) passed a resolution urging Congress to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and overhaul immigration enforcement policies. The measure, adopted at the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, also calls for ending private detention contracts and curtailing enforcement activities near schools, workplaces, and houses of worship.
📺 DETAIL: The resolution, passed on Saturday, proposes significant changes, including the abolition of ICE, ending mass detention practices, and restricting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding unless detention is reduced. While the vote is non-binding and does not alter the party’s official platform, it underscores growing divisions within the Democratic Party on immigration policy, and the rising influence of the far left within it. Some Democrats advocate for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it, citing concerns that voters do not favor effectively ending any pretense of enforcing federal immigration law, even against dangerous foreign criminals.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Extreme radical Democrats want to abolish ICE and defund the police,” commented White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis, adding: “Instead of trying to abolish ICE, Democrats should be thanking ICE law enforcement officers for putting their lives on the line to arrest and remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members from American communities. Many of these criminals were released from jails by Democrat radical politicians.”
🎯 IMPACT: The resolution is likely to deepen divisions within the Democratic Party, where Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) figures and other far leftists are on the rise, and could also alienate moderate voters ahead of the midterm elections in November. Public polling shows that while ICE tactics are controversial with some, the Republicans already enjoy a 19-point lead over the Democrats in terms of which party is more trusted on border security and immigration.

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The DNC has passed a resolution calling for the abolition of ICE, highlighting the growing power of the far left within the party.

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August 15, 2026
Crime
Immigration
News

Illegal Alien Charged With Shooting Officer Who Offered Him a Ride.

A Dallas ISD police officer was critically injured after being shot by an illegal alien he found walking on a highway median.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Jose Pantoja-Morales has been charged with shooting Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Police Department officer Justin Jones, who had offered him a ride after finding him walking on a highway median. The illegal alien shot Jones in the leg with his own gun after a struggle, leaving him critically injured.
📺 DETAIL: Officer Jones, a 16-year police veteran, responded to a call about a man walking on a highway median in Far North Dallas on August 6. Pantoja-Morales, who had been offered a ride to a nearby Walmart, entered Jones’s patrol car, but began resisting when the officer noticed him behaving suspiciously and pulled over, leading to a physical altercation. During the struggle, Pantoja-Morales allegedly took Jones’s firearm and shot him, hitting his femoral artery. Pantoja-Morales fled but was later captured after a police chase.
🎯 IMPACT: Officer Jones required emergency surgery to save his life and remains in recovery. Pantoja-Morales, who faces charges of aggravated assault on a public servant, is currently detained and under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, underscoring the threat to public safety posed by illegal aliens at large in the community.
📺 FLASHBACK: “He was helping somebody in crisis, as we expect the officers to serve in the community. And we’re grateful to all the help that we have received. He’s in our prayers. We’re thankful. We thank Parkland, the amazing surgeons there at the trauma center that do what they do.” – Dallas ISD Chief Albert Martinez

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A Dallas ISD police officer was critically injured after being shot by an illegal alien he found walking on a highway median.

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August 15, 2026
Crime
Election Integrity
Immigration

Illegal Alien Sentenced to Federal Prison for Voting Illegally and Identity Theft.

A Colombian illegal alien has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for identity theft and voting fraud, highlighting issues with election integrity and immigration enforcement under previous administrations.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Carlos Felipe Jaramillo-Grajales, a 55-year-old Colombian illegal alien, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after being convicted of aggravated identity theft, making false statements, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in elections.
📺 DETAIL: Prosecutors revealed that Jaramillo-Grajales stole an American citizen’s Social Security Number to obtain a U.S. passport, a Florida driver’s license, and voter registration. He used these fraudulent credentials to vote in the 2020 election and others. After serving his sentence, he will be deported under a federal order.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Because of his fraud, he was able to obtain a driver’s license and vote in our elections. Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of [Homeland Security Investigations], along with our federal partners, this criminal is out of our communities and, at the end of his sentence, will be removed from our country. DHS will always fight to protect the integrity of our elections, because election security is national security. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.” – DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
🎯 IMPACT: This case underscores vulnerabilities in the election system and the need for stronger safeguards to prevent non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections. It also highlights the role of fraudulent documentation in circumventing immigration laws.
📺 FLASHBACK: Jaramillo-Grajales previously used his stolen Social Security Number to pose as an American citizen and marry another foreign national who has since been naturalized as a U.S. citizen, underscoring the weaknesses in U.S. vetting processes.

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A Colombian illegal alien has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for identity theft and voting fraud, highlighting issues with election integrity and immigration enforcement under previous administrations.

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August 15, 2026
News
Religion

Pro-Hamas California Imam Claims Columbus Found Mosques in the Americas.

Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali’s controversial remarks about Islam’s historical presence in the Americas and his past radical rhetoric have drawn scrutiny.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: California imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali claimed during a sermon that Islam existed in the Americas before Christianity and asserted that Christopher Columbus saw a mosque when he arrived in the region, remarks that conflict with the historical record.
📺 DETAIL: A surviving abstract of Columbus’s October 29 journal entry describes a Cuban mountain as resembling “a graceful mosque,” referring to the landscape rather than an actual mosque. Ali used the abstract to argue that Muslims and Islam would play a major role in America’s future, saying Islam and the Koran and Sunnah contained the solution that would “save America.” Ali, the longtime CEO and imam of Masjid Al-Islam in Oakland, has previously attracted controversy for statements about terrorism and Israel. In a 2005 speech at the University of California, Irvine, he appeared to justify Palestinian suicide bombers who attacked Israeli buses, calling them “freedom fighters.” He also later said the United States and Israel would be defeated through “victory or martyrdom” and, in 2006, praised Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi as “martyrs.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Islam was in the Americas before Christianity was,” said Ali, adding, “Allah has given the Quran and the Sunnah, and that is what will save America.”
🎯 IMPACT: Ali’s remarks form part of a broader history of controversial statements, including past justifications of Palestinian suicide bombers and support for Hamas, which have drawn significant criticism.

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Imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali's controversial remarks about Islam's historical presence in the Americas and his past radical rhetoric have drawn scrutiny.

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