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Tuesday, August 18, 2026
1 hour ago
Corruption
Health
News

Former Fauci Aide Pleads Guilty to ‘Defrauding U.S.’ in COVID-19 Scheme.

David Morens, a former senior adviser at NIAID under Anthony Fauci, has admitted to a conspiracy to “defraud the United States” during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance believed to be a co-conspirator.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: David Morens, a former senior adviser at the Anthony Fauci-led National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to a scheme to “defraud the United States” and hide federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic. He faces up to five years in prison under a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Maryland, with Peter Daszak of the now-dissolved EcoHealth Alliance believed to be a co-conspirator in the case.
📰 DETAIL: Morens was indicted in April for his role in a scheme to shield federal records from public view, involving communications with the New York-based EcoHealth Alliance and with Daszak, who was its president. The scheme included using personal email accounts to evade public records laws in communications with officials, apparently including Fauci, and sharing nonpublic National Institutes of Health (NIH) information. Morens also admitted to accepting illegal gratuities, including wine from “co-conspirator 1″—believed to be Daszak—for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans.” The National Pulse was the first news outlet to expose Daszak, reporting extensively on his joint research with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, funded by U.S. taxpayers via grants approved by Fauci, his donations to the Democrats, and his relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), among other scandals. Until his debarment from receiving federal funds by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2024, Daszak continued to receive millions of dollars in public funding, while hoarding thousands of bat virus samples in Chinese facilities.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “By pleading guilty today, Dr. Morens has taken responsibility for what he did and will continue to do so.” – Tim Belevetz, Morens’ lawyer
👀 FLASHBACK: Congressional Republicans had been investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the role of the Wuhan lab for years, with Fauci and Morens previously testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024. Morens was indicted in April, with then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stating that “Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19,” adding, “Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest—not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.”

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David Morens, a former senior adviser at NIAID under Anthony Fauci, has admitted to a conspiracy to "defraud the United States" during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance believed to be a co-conspirator.

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2 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

Migrant Honored as ‘Outstanding Refugee’ by Dem State Charged with Trafficking-Linked Medicaid Fraud.

A migrant man once lauded as an “Outstanding Refugee” faces felony charges for Medicaid fraud, with allegations linking his associates to a sex-trafficking operation.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A migrant in Minnesota previously hailed by the Democrat-led state as an “Outstanding Refugee” has been hit with eight felony charges stemming from an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme involving more than $1 million in fraudulent claims. Salman Ahmed Elmi is accused of aiding and abetting theft by swindle and theft by false representation, with prosecutors alleging that he and his associates falsified records, paid illegal kickbacks, and used unqualified or unsupervised workers to bill Medicaid for services that were not provided or were ineligible.
📺 DETAIL: Elmi co-owned Reva Health, a Golden Valley company that billed Minnesota’s Medicaid program for adult rehabilitative mental health services. Two associates, former Anoka County prosecutor Andrea Sampson and Frank Devone Reeves, face separate charges related to an alleged sex-trafficking operation, with prosecutors claiming some people connected to that case were also used to support fraudulent Medicaid billing. In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services recognized Elmi with an “Outstanding Refugee” honor and an Entrepreneurship Award. The department said the awards program ended in 2024 and claimed that Elmi’s alleged conduct “does not represent Minnesota’s refugee community.”
🎯 IMPACT: Elmi appeared in court on Monday and was ordered held on $1 million bail. This case highlights ongoing concerns over fraud within Minnesota’s Medicaid and social service programs, with federal prosecutors estimating potential fraud reaching up to $9 billion since 2018, particularly among the Somali community. Some of the cases have even included links to senior state politicians, such as Representative Ilhan Omar (D). 

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A migrant man once lauded as an "Outstanding Refugee" faces felony charges for Medicaid fraud, with allegations linking his associates to a sex-trafficking operation.

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3 hours ago
Election Integrity
News

Trump DOJ Deploys Record 1,000 Election Observers to Monitor Midterms.

The Department of Justice intends to send an unprecedented number of election monitors to ensure free and fair voting during the midterm elections in November.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice has announced plans to deploy 1,000 election monitors during the midterm elections in November.
📺 DETAIL: Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, has clarified that the monitors will be present to ensure the midterm elections are free and fair. The plan will include a record number of election monitors. The monitors will observe but will not intervene unless their support is required for an investigation. The monitors will function under the same authority as other election observers permitted by state law. “We just did it in the primary. We will do it to the tune of approximately 1,000 election monitors in the November election. This is something that DOJ does,” said Dhillon in an interview on Monday. “We respect state law… We reach out to the states. If their perimeter is 150 yards, we respect that,” the Assistant Attorney General added. Dhillon emphasized the negative impact of reports of non-citizen voting on the democratic process: “[N]oncitizen voting depresses citizens from turning out to vote because they believe there’s a lack of integrity in the process.”
🎯 IMPACT: The deployment underscores the importance of election integrity to the Trump administration. Recent polling suggests that the midterms are practically neck-and-neck. As such, much of the public is likely to welcome additional oversight against cheating. The record number of monitors is likely to be taken as a source of reassurance for voters concerned about election integrity. However, it is likely that those who regard the administration’s push for election integrity as undesirable, such as Democrat activists and officials, will treat the large number of monitors with hostility. The DOJ’s plans represent a potential solution to the well-documented problem of non-citizens voting in U.S. elections. While the presence of election monitors does not resolve the issue of non-citizens voting, which the Trump administration want to tackle through voter ID, the presence of the monitors may boost public confidence that the democratic process is free and fair, encouraging higher turnout.

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The Department of Justice intends to send an unprecedented number of election monitors to ensure free and fair voting during the midterm elections in November.

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4 hours ago
News
Politics

Polling and Research Firm Confesses to Rigging Polls Favoring Socialist Candidate Before Unexpected Defeat.

A self-described “independent polling and research” firm has admitted to fabricating polls throughout the 2026 election season, claiming it was part of a “social experiment” on the spread of unverified polling data.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A polling company that gave failed far-left gubernatorial primary candidate Francesca Hong (D-WI) a double-digit lead has admitted to faking its polls.
📺 DETAIL: On Monday, Median Strategies, a self-described “independent polling and research” firm, announced that all its polls were fake and told press outlets to disregard its previously released work. Median Strategies claimed that the fake polls were part of a “social experiment” to examine how unverified polling data spreads. The firm released polls on the Wisconsin Democrat gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayoral race. One of the fake polls suggested that Hong, the far-left candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a far-left political organization operating within the broader Democratic Party, had a 23-point lead over her main rival, Milwaukee County Executive David Cowley, who ultimately won the primary. In another fake poll, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had a 12-point lead over leftist challenger Nithya Raman. The fake poll was shared by Bass in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter). The firm claimed that its experiment was not funded by any candidate, campaign, or organization. It also claimed that its experiment had no financial incentives or ties to betting markets. The Los Angeles Times uncovered the deception after questioning the firm about its polling methodology. The firm’s website has since been scrubbed.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data. Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification.” – Median Strategies statement.
🎯 IMPACT: This provides context for Hong’s surprise defeat in Wisconsin. Hong was widely seen as the clear frontrunner, having been given a 95.5 percent chance of victory by Kalshi and a substantial lead by several reputable and established pollsters. The extent to which the fake polls meaningfully influenced voter behavior is unknown, although given the fact that one was shared by a candidate, the revelations are likely to further undermine public faith in the reliability of polling ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Image by LaShawnda Jones.

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A self-described "independent polling and research" firm has admitted to fabricating polls throughout the 2026 election season, claiming it was part of a "social experiment" on the spread of unverified polling data.

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5 hours ago
Crime
News
Politics

Transgender Who Plotted to Assassinate Treasury Sec Scott Bessent Sentenced.

A man identifying as a woman has been sentenced to over six years in prison for plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, having been inspired by Luigi Mangione.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A man identifying as a woman has been sentenced to roughly six years in prison for plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
📺 DETAIL: Ryan Michael English, who goes by Riley Jane English, a 25-year-old transgender, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for plotting to kill Secretary Bessent. English pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying dangerous weapons on U.S. Capitol grounds before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in late March. He was sentenced on Tuesday. “I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” English told police, having traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. on January 27 last year. Having initially thought about killing Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, English opted to target Bessent, who was in the process of being confirmed by the Senate. He also considered an attack on the Heritage Foundation. English turned himself in later that day. Officers found a folding knife, two bottles of vodka fitted with cloth, and a lighter in his vehicle. English told police that he was angered by Bessent’s comments regarding the minimum wage. According to prosecutors, English “had been thinking about for this for a while because of Luigi Mangione.“
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear. This defendant’s threats crossed a clear legal line, and today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to protecting those who serve. Anyone who threatens violence against government officials will be identified, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro declared back in March.
🎯 IMPACT: This represents another case of political violence involving a transgender perpetrator. This has been a recurring issue throughout the Trump administration. The White House previously unveiled plans to crack down on transgender terrorists back in May. The fact that the would-be assassin was inspired by Luigi Mangione, who recently pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomson in December 2024, confirms suspicions that Mangione’s actions could inspire copycats. This is part of a broader problem of left-wing political violence in the U.S., especially targeting those serving under or allied with President Donald J. Trump.

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A man identifying as a woman has been sentenced to over six years in prison for plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, having been inspired by Luigi Mangione.

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6 hours ago
News
Politics

Aide to RINO Cornyn Defects to Democrat Talarico’s Team.

An aide to outgoing Senator John Cornyn (R) has crossed party lines to support Democrat candidate James Talarico in his bid to defeat Republican candidate Ken Paxton in their Senate race.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A former aide to Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has joined Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign as he seeks to defeat Republican nominee Ken Paxton, who displaced Cornyn as the Republican nominee earlier this year, in the November midterms. Jacob Smith, who was Cornyn’s deputy legislative director and policy adviser for five years, now works as Talarico’s deputy policy director.
📺 DETAIL: Smith, who said he has “worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn”—a Republican-in-name-only (RINO) who has repeatedly backstabbed President Donald J. Trump—for his “entire career,” and was “proud” to join Talarico’s campaign. The move comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an America First conservative committed to the Trump administration’s agenda, defeated Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff earlier this year with President Trump’s backing. The victory came despite Cornyn spending enormous sums on his campaign. Talarico, meanwhile, has been caught in several controversies regarding past comments, including claiming that Islamic mystics influenced his Christian beliefs, and taking money from a donor linked to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein while campaigning against the “Epstein class.”
🎯 IMPACT: Smith’s switch highlights the preference of some in the GOP establishment to see Democrats win elections over America First Republicans.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign.” – Jacob Smith

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An aide to outgoing Senator John Cornyn (R) has crossed party lines to support Democrat candidate James Talarico in his bid to defeat Republican candidate Ken Paxton in their Senate race.

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7 hours ago
Immigration
News
UK

Farage’s Reform Party Announces Plan to End ‘International Welfare State’ and Prioritize Citizens.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has announced a new policy proposal to prioritize British citizens in the welfare system, addressing concerns about the sustainability of the nation’s fraying social contract.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Reform UK has unveiled a policy proposal to limit welfare payments, such as Universal Credit and housing benefits, to British citizens only. The plan aims to re-establish the principle of national solidarity in the welfare state, which has been undermined as a result of foreigners whose families have never paid into the system reaping increasingly large rewards from it.
📺 DETAIL: Currently, over 1.3 million foreign nationals claim Universal Credit, accounting for nearly one in six welfare recipients in the United Kingdom. The government has spent £55 billion (~$74.5 billion) on welfare for foreign nationals over just the past four years. Former Reform parliamentary candidate Matthew Goodwin further noted on Tuesday that “more than one in 10 new social housing lets in England last year went to people who are not British citizens.” The party plans to restrict most non-contributory benefits to British citizens if it takes control of the government after the next election, with foreign nationals retaining access to the socialized National Health Service (NHS) but required to pay a higher health surcharge.
🎯 IMPACT: The proposed policy could save an estimated £21 billion (~$28.4 billion) annually by the end of the decade, funds that could be reinvested in public services such as schools, hospitals, and national defense. Reform argues that the measure would also encourage foreign nationals to seek employment or leave the country if they are unwilling to contribute, thereby restoring fairness to the welfare system.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Nation-states only survive so long as their citizens remain willing to support a social contract, which is based on the idea of reciprocity. You work hard. You pay your taxes. You obey the law. You contribute to the country. In return, the state prioritises national citizens, looks after them, and protects them. Britain’s social contract stopped being organised around national solidarity. What was once a national welfare state morphed into an international welfare state.” – Matthew Goodwin
📺 FLASHBACK: The British welfare state was historically designed to assist citizens in need, but in recent decades, it has expanded to include millions of foreign nationals, whose ancestors did not fund it and who have often made little or no contributions to it personally.

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Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has announced a new policy proposal to prioritize British citizens in the welfare system, addressing concerns about the sustainability of the nation's fraying social contract.

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8 hours ago
Bonkers Britain
News

UK PM Burnham Delays Reopening North Sea Amid Backlash from Net Zero Zealots.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham is expected to delay any final decisions on two key North Sea oil and gas projects.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has delayed making a decision on North Sea oil and gas drilling, citing potential backlash from Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) and supposedly bad “optics” amid wildfires. Notably, President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly urged Burnham and his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, to reopen the North Sea, most recently on Monday, saying it would “make the UK rich again” and resolve the country’s issues with fragile energy security and high prices.
📺 DETAIL: The Prime Minister has delayed making a decision on Rosebank and Jackdaw, two North Sea oil and gas projects. Both projects are backed by Adura, the largest independent oil and gas producer in the North Sea. Adura has promised £10.8 billion ($12.6 billion) in investment as well as the creation of 3,500 construction jobs, with 880 permanent roles. The company has estimated that the combined output of Rosebank and Jackdaw could account for 10 percent of Britain’s oil and gas. Rosebank is projected to produce approximately 69,000 barrels of oil per day. Regardless, the projects now face delays following backlash from Labour MPs and green groups. Sources have claimed that the Prime Minister is worried about the “optics” of approving new oil and gas projects due to the wildfires affecting the country, despite the lack of a clear connection between the fires and oil and gas platforms at sea.
🎯 IMPACT: The delay has brought divisions within the governing Labour Party to the fore. If the Prime Minister delays the projects, MPs are likely to take the decision as proof that the Prime Minister can be pressured despite his large majority in the House of Commons. It will also signal to the public that the Prime Minister is more concerned with pressure from backbenchers, environmental groups, and celebrity opinion than with the general public’s concerns about the cost of living, especially the rising cost of energy. Consultations on the North Sea projects have concluded with a final decision to be made by the Prime Minister and his Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, a Liberia-born net zero hardliner.

Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street.

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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham is expected to delay any final decisions on two key North Sea oil and gas projects.

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9 hours ago
News
UK

Trump Trade Chief Confirms 100% Tariff Threat on British Goods is Serious.

The Trump administration is pressuring Britain’s leftist government to eliminate its digital services tax, warning of significant economic consequences for British businesses if it is not removed.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on British goods entering the U.S. in retaliation for its digital services tax, which disproportionately targets American tech companies. The tax, which charges two percent on revenue from major digital platforms, has drawn criticism from both Trump and even former President Joe Biden for unfairly targeting Apple, Alphabet (Google), and Meta (Facebook, Instagram), among other U.S. firms.
📺 DETAIL: The digital services tax applies to companies with global digital revenues exceeding £500 million (~$677 million) and raised £800 million (~$1 billion) for Britain’s Treasury in 2024/25. However, U.S. officials argue that the tax discriminates against American companies and have escalated threats of retaliation as the situation has gone unresolved, including President Trump personally threatening a 100 percent tariff on British imports. The U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, has confirmed that Trump’s stance is “not a bluff,” and that the U.S was “not going to tolerate” the British government using American tech firms as “piggy banks.” However, no specific deadline for the tariffs has been set as of the time of publication. Discussions between American and British officials remain ongoing, with the U.S. seeking the complete removal of the tax and the left-wing Labour Party government resisting.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100 per cent TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America.” – President Trump, via Truth Social
🎯 IMPACT: The proposed tariffs could significantly raise costs for British exporters, potentially reducing sales, profits, and jobs. U.S. importers may seek alternative suppliers, with the economic damage to British businesses potentially outweighing the revenue generated by the digital tax. The dispute also adds strain to the British-American trade relationship, already under pressure from other policy disagreements. The two countries are each other’s largest sources of foreign direct investment, as well as major export markets.
📺 FLASHBACK: The digital services tax has been a point of contention since its introduction, with the U.S. previously pressuring other nations, such as Canada, to roll back similar measures.

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The Trump administration is pressuring Britain's leftist government to eliminate its digital services tax, warning of significant economic consequences for British businesses if it is not removed.

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9 hours ago
Health
News

Bobby Unleashed: White House Wants RFK ‘Guns Blazing’ on National Tour.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actively campaigning in Iowa and is set for many more campaign stops, signaling the Trump administration’s focus on promoting its ‘MAHA’ agenda in battleground states.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is joining Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn on the campaign trail in Iowa, as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to deploy the Make America Health Again (MAHA) frontman to support key candidates in battleground states.
📰 DETAIL: Kennedy’s involvement is part of a White House strategic push, dubbed “Bobby Unleashed,” to energize the MAHA platform and counter Democrat threats in states like Iowa. His tour includes eight stops across Iowa, Minnesota, and Florida, highlighting the administration’s commitment to these regions and faith in the Health Secretary to articulate the MAHA message.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We want him guns blazing,” a senior White House official told POLITICO.
🎯 IMPACT: The Trump administration’s focus on Iowa underscores the importance of the state in upcoming elections, with Kennedy’s presence aimed at appealing to both conservative and moderate voters by leveraging his reputation for addressing health crises. On Monday, Kennedy announced new initiatives to address Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome—noted for causing a “red meat allergy” in sufferers—and other tick-borne illnesses alongside actor Dennis Quaid. He has also been involved in investigating doctors pushing transgenderism on minors for fraud, reforming vaccine guidelines, removing chemicals from the food supply, and promoting improved physical fitness alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, among other MAHA priorities.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actively campaigning in Iowa and is set for many more campaign stops, signaling the Trump administration's focus on promoting its 'MAHA' agenda in battleground states.

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