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Monday, February 23, 2026

Tag: Atlanta
January 20, 2026
William Upton
Data
Economy

This Whopping 5.3% GDP Growth Prediction is Making Globalist Heads Explode.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has updated its gross domestic product (GDP) estimate for the U.S. economy for the 4th Quarter (Q4) of 2025 to an astounding 5.3 percent.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, American businesses, economists, and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The estimate was released earlier in January, with an update scheduled for Wednesday, January 22. The initial 4th Quarter GDP numbers will be released on February 20.

🎯IMPACT: While jobs data continues to suggest a softening in the job market, overall economic data shows the American economy continues to strengthen.

IN FULL

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which maintains the central bank’s GDP Now tracking system, estimates that the 4th Quarter gross domestic product (GDP) in the entire United States expanded by 5.3 percent. This would mark the highest jump in GDP since the 4th Quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded by seven percent—though this was exceptional, being the final significant jump in growth stemming from the lifting of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before that, a brief surge following a sharp Q1 contraction occurred in 2014, and before that, the last growth rate above 5% was in 2003.

In the Second Quarter of 2025, the economy under President Donald J. Trump grew at three percent. At the same time, the initial Third Quarter number shows the economy grew by 4.3 percent. The robust expansion of the economy has been a key goal of the Trump administration, as high growth levels not only signal increasing economic productivity but also rebalance the United States’s debt-to-GDP ratio.

Notably, the Atlanta Fed’s data suggests almost all of the economic growth in the last quarter will have come from the private sector, allaying ongoing concerns about an economic contraction.

While jobs data continues to suggest a softening in the job market, overall economic data shows the American economy continuing to strengthen. With inflation numbers having fallen to just about the Federal Reserve‘s two percent target, it is likely the central bank will face continued pressure to slash interest rates for the foreseeable future.

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December 23, 2025
Immigration
NatSec

African Man Gets Life Sentence for Planning 9/11-Style Attack.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Kenyan man was sentenced to life in prison for planning a terrorist attack on Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza in 2019.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a member of the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab, and U.S. federal prosecutors.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Sentencing took place Monday; the plot targeted Atlanta, Georgia, and involved actions in Somalia, the Philippines, and the U.S.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Abdullah admitted to FBI agents that he was training to become a pilot on behalf of al-Shabaab so he could hijack a plane.” – U.S. Department of Justice

🎯IMPACT: Abdullah was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for conspiring to commit a 9/11-style attack.

IN FULL

Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a 34-year-old Kenyan man, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison on Monday, December 22, 2025, for plotting to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into Atlanta‘s Bank of America Plaza, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Abdullah, a member of the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab, was convicted on November 4, 2024, for multiple terrorism-related crimes.

Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015 and underwent extensive military-style training in Somalia, including firearms and explosives training. He later enrolled in a flight school in the Philippines between 2017 and 2019, where he trained to become a commercial pilot as part of a larger plan to carry out a mass-casualty terrorist attack on behalf of al-Shabaab. His tuition was financed by the group, which funds its operations—in part—through extortion in Somalia.

Prosecutors revealed that Abdullah researched U.S. transit visas, airplane cockpit security, and the feasibility of smuggling weapons onboard flights. He specifically targeted the 55-story Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, as the site of his planned attack. Abdullah admitted to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents that he expected to die in the attack and acknowledged that others would be killed or injured.

The DOJ detailed that Abdullah was arrested in the Philippines in July 2019, just before completing the final requirements for his commercial pilot license. He was transferred to U.S. custody in December 2020. His conviction included charges such as conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, among others.

Concerningly, the recent social services fraud scandal that has gripped Tim Walz’s Minnesota has likely seen the state’s Somali immigrant community funnel possibly over one billion in taxpayer dollars to al-Shabaab. Governor Walz (D) has defiantly pledged to bring more Somali immigrants to his state despite the scandal.

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December 12, 2025
Crime
News

Black Student Brands Classmate a ‘White B***h’ During Savage Stabbing Attack.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A white student was stabbed multiple times in the head and racially abused in an attack at a Georgia high school.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: A black student and the white student he targeted.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred on Friday in the cafeteria of North Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “One student sustained an injury involving a pair of scissors. School staff responded to secure the area, ensure the safety of all students, and provide care to the injured student, who is currently being treated at a local hospital.” – Atlanta Public Schools.

🎯IMPACT: The injured student is being treated at a local hospital.

IN FULL

Video shared on social media shows a vicious attack at North Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Georgia, in which a white student was stabbed multiple times in the head with a pair of scissors. The graphic footage appears to show the badly bleeding victim, said to be autistic, lying on the cafeteria floor as another student, identified by witnesses as black, approaches and shouts “white b**h!” toward him.

In a statement, Atlanta Public Schools said, “One student sustained an injury involving a pair of scissors. School staff responded to secure the area, ensure the safety of all students, and provide care to the injured student, who is currently being treated at a local hospital.” The district added that the incident was isolated to the two students involved, claiming that no ongoing threat exists.

Some reports state that the injured student was stabbed in the eye. The attack has raised serious concern among parents and community members, who are demanding more information about school safety measures and disciplinary responses.

The attack comes at a time of growing public attention to violent incidents in which race has been cited as a factor. In August 2025, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train. Authorities charged Decarlos Brown Jr., a black male, with murder in the case, and video from the scene apparently captures him saying “I got that white girl” after the stabbing. Federal prosecutors brought charges related to causing death on a mass transit system, and there have been discussions regarding whether hate crime charges may apply.

Zarutska, who had resettled in the United States after fleeing the war in Ukraine, became the namesake of “Iryna’s Law,” a criminal justice reform bill passed by North Carolina lawmakers in response to the public outcry following her death. The legislation restricts cashless bail for violent offenders, expands pretrial detention requirements, and includes measures that could allow executions to resume in the state after a long pause.

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November 26, 2025
News

Blizzards, Wind, Rain, and Winter Storms Set to Cause Travel Chaos for Thanksgiving.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Severe winter weather and strong winds are sweeping across the U.S., affecting Thanksgiving travel plans for millions.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Millions of travelers, American Airlines, and other airlines preparing for record travel numbers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday through Saturday, across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes region, Appalachians, and other areas of the U.S.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Weather’s coming. Execute the plan. Get customers back on track.” – Mark Ewing, American Airlines Customer Service Director

🎯IMPACT: Travel disruptions, flight delays, and hazardous road conditions are affecting millions during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

IN FULL

Freezing temperatures and winter weather, along with strong winds, are expected to impact large parts of the U.S. as an estimated one-in-five Americans travel for Thanksgiving. The Upper Midwest could see up to two feet of snow, while 52 million people are under wind alerts stretching from the Plains to the Great Lakes and into the Appalachians. Wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph in affected areas, including major cities like Chicago and Detroit.

Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of northern Wisconsin and Michigan‘s Upper Peninsula. In areas east of Lakes Erie and Ontario, lake-effect snow warnings are in place, with snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour and wind gusts above 30 mph making travel nearly impossible. Up to 3 feet of snow is possible in northern Wisconsin and Michigan, while areas downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario could see up to 20 inches of snow.

The Pacific Northwest is also experiencing wet and snowy weather, while showers and storms are affecting cities along the Interstate 95 corridor. In New York City, wind gusts of up to 35 mph could cause balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade to fly lower than usual. Early travel disruptions include semi-trucks rolling off roads in Minnesota and icy conditions causing vehicles to slide in North Dakota.

Flight delays are also climbing, with over 630 flights within the U.S. delayed as of early Wednesday, according to FlightAware. Tuesday saw significant disruptions, including an air traffic control tower evacuation in Atlanta due to tornado concerns. American Airlines, which has been preparing for months, expects Wednesday to be its busiest travel day, with 81,000 flights scheduled over the Thanksgiving weekend. “Weather’s coming. Execute the plan. Get customers back on track,” said Mark Ewing, the airline’s customer service director.

Image by Sayamindu Dasgupta.

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November 7, 2025
Crime
Immigration

Over 300 Pounds of Meth Confiscated in Raid, DOJ Says.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Over 300 pounds of methamphetamine were seized from a storage facility in Norcross, Georgia.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Marco Cueto-Rosales, 47, and federal agents from the DEA, along with a Gwinnett County police K-9 unit.

📍WHEN & WHERE: October 10, 2025, at a storage unit in Norcross, Georgia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Although the Mexican cartels stockpile and peddle their poison in our community, the quick actions of law enforcement thankfully took these deadly drugs off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.

🎯IMPACT: Federal agents removed over 325 pounds of methamphetamine from circulation, and Cueto-Rosales faces federal drug charges.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that a federal operation successfully seized 300 pounds of methamphetamine at a storage facility in Norcross, Georgia—a suburb of Atlanta—last month. According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents were monitoring the storage facility when they observed Marco Cueto-Rosales, 47, entering one of the units in early October.

Subsequently, a Gwinnett County police K-9 unit was used to search the facility and “alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating” from the unit Cueto-Rosales was observed entering. The unit was searched by federal agents, and upon entering, they uncovered over 325 pounds of methamphetamine.

Cueto-Rosales was subsequently arrested and charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Hertzberg also revealed that Cueto-Rosales was unlawfully present in the United States. He remarked, “Although the Mexican cartels stockpile and peddle their poison in our community, the quick actions of law enforcement thankfully took these deadly drugs off the streets.”

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August 7, 2025
Lauren Gallagher
Crime

CBP Agents Discover Cocaine And Meth Being Smuggled In Children’s Game.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia seized cocaine and methamphetamine hidden inside a children’s board game, “5 Second Rule, Jr,” on July 30. The drugs were concealed under a bag of cat food within the game box and were en route to London after being marked “return to sender.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

📍WHEN & WHERE: Area Port of Philadelphia, July 30, 2025

💬KEY QUOTE: “This seizure… illustrates how Customs and Border Protection officers expertly leverage our export enforcement mission to combat drug trafficking organizations,” said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., Area Port Director in Philadelphia.

🎯IMPACT: CBP officers and agents seize an average of 1,571 pounds of drugs daily across U.S. ports of entry.

IN FULL

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted cocaine and methamphetamine inside a children’s game in Philadelphia on July 30. Officers examined the package disguised as a board game and discovered a zip-lock bag and a vacuum-sealed bag under a bag of cat food inside a box for the “5 Second Rule, Jr.” game, which is marketed to children ages six and up.

According to CBP, the zip-lock bag contained 515 grams of cocaine, while the vacuum-sealed bag contained 186.9 grams of methamphetamine pills. The package was shipped from Atlanta, Georgia, to London after being posted as a return to sender—suggesting the potential for a foreign drug smuggling operation based out of the United Kingdom, possibly utilizing board games or children’s toys to conceal illicit substances.

However, CBP also notes that “drug trafficking organizations may swap the parcel’s contents and post it returned to sender, creating the illusion of the parcel being misaddressed.” Parcels may be returned to the sender if they are undeliverable to the address, such as when the address is incorrect or nonexistent, or not accepted by the resident of that address.

“This seizure of dangerous drugs illustrates how Customs and Border Protection officers expertly leverage our export enforcement mission to combat drug trafficking organizations,” said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia., adding: “CBP officers remain committed to searching for and seizing similar export and import shipments to deprive criminal organizations of their poisonous products or illicit revenue.”

On average, CBP officers and agents seize 1,571 pounds of drugs daily at U.S ports of entry.

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March 31, 2025
Election Integrity
Lawfare

Trump DOJ Drops Challenge to Georgia Election Integrity Law.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: The U.S. Justice Department, directed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, was ordered to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s election law overhaul.

👥 Who’s Involved: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Georgia Republican lawmakers, and the former Biden government.

📍 Where & When: Atlanta, instructions given on a Monday.

💬 Key Quote: “Georgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us,” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated.

⚠️ Impact: The dismissal ends federal litigation against Georgia’s new voting law, which Democrats claimed restricted access to the ballot, particularly for black voters.

IN FULL:

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has been instructed to drop its lawsuit against a major election reform in Georgia. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this decision, ending a legal challenge initiated by the Biden government in June 2021. The election law changes, made shortly after the 2020 presidential election, enacted stricter voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots and shorted the period where voters could request to vote by mail.

Attorney General Bondi, addressing the suit’s dismissal, critiqued the former Biden government for advancing what she described as “false claims of suppression.” She insisted that Georgians deserved trustworthy election procedures free from contentious claims designed to provoke division. “Georgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us,” Bondi said.

The dismissal of this lawsuit concludes the DOJ’s involvement in contesting the Georgia law. Democrats continue to contend that the election integrity measure, similar to statutes enacted in other states, is aimed at suppressing the black vote—especially in the Atlanta city metro area.

Before the 2024 presidential election, the former Biden government brought a series of lawsuits against state election integrity measures, including an attempt in Virginia to purge noncitizens and deceased voters from the state voter rolls. This lawsuit was dropped shortly after President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated in January 2025.

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October 29, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Election 2024
Election Integrity

Dem Operative Appears to Admit 2020 Steal on Hidden Camera.

Undercover footage of a Democrat operative in Georgia appears to confirm that a burst water pipe at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena during the 2020 election was used to send Republican election observers home while Democrats remained and supervised counting—which resumed promptly after their counterparts had left. Additionally, the operative states that Democrats engaged in legally dubious ballot harvesting tactics, specifically targeting elderly care facilities in the lead-up to the election.

Stephen Crowder and his team posted footage of Joel Caldwell, the Operations Director for the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, on X (formerly Twitter) on October 28. In the footage, Caldwell states that it was easier to steal an election by inflating vote totals for Democrats in areas that were already heavily Democratic to avoid raising suspicions.

BALLOT HARVESTING & BURST PIPES.

Caldwell alludes to potentially illegal ballot harvesting activities, claiming a “man pulled up and put a hundred ballots in [a] box. You can’t do that sh*t.” He stated, “Groups [were] paying people to do just that. Drop off ballots. Go around collecting ballots [and] forge them.”

He also discusses the circumstances surrounding an alleged burst water pipe in Atlanta during the 2020 presidential election that caused counters to stop counting ballots at the State Farm arena after they were evacuated.

Caldwell notes that the Democrat observers returned to the venue and had workers resume counting while Republicans had left. He states in the video that only 100 votes were recorded for President Donald J. Trump in one specific locality, claiming the number was statistically impossible.

“Statistically, you’re downtown. There’s going to be more than a hundred votes for Trump,” he said.

Fulton County has been a significant focus of allegations of election fraud. However, Georgia’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, has resisted efforts to spearhead major election integrity efforts.

The National Pulse previously reported that Raffensperger is instead fundraising for a group that targets activists and officials raising alarms over voter fraud.

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Undercover footage of a Democrat operative in Georgia appears to confirm that a burst water pipe at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena during the 2020 election was used to send Republican election observers home while Democrats remained and supervised counting—which resumed promptly after their counterparts had left. Additionally, the operative states that Democrats engaged in legally dubious ballot harvesting tactics, specifically targeting elderly care facilities in the lead-up to the election. show more
October 11, 2024
Election 2024

A Top Harris-Walz Advisor Was Booted from An Atlanta Restaurant.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, an advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris‘s 2024 presidential campaign, claims she was refused service at an Atlanta restaurant. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bottoms—considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden in 2020—alleges a hostess at the unnamed establishment declined to seat her because she was wearing yoga pants. Bottoms declined to name the restaurant where the incident occurred.

“I was AGAIN told by a hostess that I could not be seated in an Atlanta area restaurant (not the same one as last time) because I had on ‘yoga’ pants, which was supposedly against their ‘strictly enforced’ business casual policy,” the Harris-Walz campaign advisor wrote. “After I pointed out that there were patrons, none of whom looked like me, who had on shorts, baseball caps, and flip flops in the restaurant, the manager offered to seat us, in the not so full restaurant, in an hour.”

Bottoms expressed her belief that she was not alone in facing this issue and indicated her intent to address it with the restaurant owner. She clarified she would not disclose the name of the location due to a previous incident in 2022, where she was denied service for wearing leggings, and her public disclosure led to threats against the staff. Bottoms added that she was interested to hear if others had similar experiences.

While the incident ostensibly stems from Bottoms’s choice of clothing, the Harris-Walz advisor appears to subtly insinuate she was denied service because of racism. Responding to her post, other X users detailed similar incidents, most claiming they were discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity.

Image by Senate Democrats.

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Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, an advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, claims she was refused service at an Atlanta restaurant. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bottoms—considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden in 2020—alleges a hostess at the unnamed establishment declined to seat her because she was wearing yoga pants. Bottoms declined to name the restaurant where the incident occurred. show more
September 30, 2024
William Upton
Health
News

Shelter-in-Place Order Remains in Effect Indefinitely Following MASSIVE BioLab Fire.

State authorities have extended a shelter-in-place order indefinitely following a massive chemical fire at a BioLab facility in the town of Conyers in Rockdale County, Georgia. About 25 miles from downtown Atlanta, the BioLab facility initially caught fire early Sunday morning but was thought to be contained. By late Sunday afternoon, the fire had reignited, with a massive plume of smoke spewing dangerous chemicals into the air.

“In the best interest and safety of the public and all citizens, it is recommended that businesses close operations until shelter-in-place is lifted,” Rockdale County officials said in a statement.

The chemical fire has resulted in the evacuation of at least 17,000 people in the immediate area of the facility. According to air quality tests conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, chlorine gas was detected in the smoke plume and the nearby air around the BioLab facility. The fire has resulted in the periodic closure of roads throughout Rockdale County as the wind has shifted the direction of the smoke plume, causing harmful irritants to spread across the area.

BioLab’s Conyers, Georgia chemical plant has a concerning record regarding fires. This is the third fire at the facility in seven years. The plant predominantly produces chemicals used in swimming pools and spas, which accounts for the high quantity of chlorine detected in the smoke and air. A small fire on the facility’s roof appears to have triggered a sprinkler system. Subsequently, the water from the fire sprinklers interacted with water-reactive chemicals, causing the fire to spread until it was brought under control around 4:00 PM yesterday.

Images of the fire are reminiscent of the plume of smoke seen after the derailment of a train carrying dangerous chemicals outside East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.

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State authorities have extended a shelter-in-place order indefinitely following a massive chemical fire at a BioLab facility in the town of Conyers in Rockdale County, Georgia. About 25 miles from downtown Atlanta, the BioLab facility initially caught fire early Sunday morning but was thought to be contained. By late Sunday afternoon, the fire had reignited, with a massive plume of smoke spewing dangerous chemicals into the air. show more