Saturday, September 20, 2025

Brazil’s Ex-President Bolsonaro Convicted of Coup Conspiracy.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Former Brazilian President and Donald J. Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of supposedly plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s Supreme Court, and prosecutors.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The conviction was handed down on September 11, 2025, in Brazil’s Supreme Court.

💬KEY QUOTE: “When coherence and a sense of justice prevail over vengeance and lies, there is no room for cruel persecution or biased judgments,” said Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle.

🎯IMPACT: Bolsonaro, 70, faces a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

IN FULL

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted by a majority of Brazil’s controversial Supreme Court for attempting to orchestrate a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 presidential election. The decision marks the first time in the country’s history that a former president has been found guilty of crimes against democracy.

Bolsonaro, a populist ally of President Donald J. Trump who served from 2019 to 2023, was convicted on five criminal counts, including plotting to overthrow democratic institutions, being part of an armed criminal group, and encouraging political violence. He was also accused of posing a threat to national heritage and state assets. Three justices voted to convict, while one, Luiz Fux, voted for acquittal. The dissent opens the door for potential appeals or legal challenges. Bolsonaro, 70, now faces a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.

“This criminal case is almost a meeting between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future,” Justice Carmen Lucia said in her remarks before voting to convict. She added that Bolsonaro had acted “with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions.”

Prosecutors alleged that Bolsonaro and his allies planned to reject the results of the 2022 election, in which he officially lost to far-left Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and were preparing to use military force to stay in power. The investigation has also supposedly uncovered plots to target Supreme Court justices and attempts to incite violent unrest in the capital. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.

Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, responded to the court in a statement posted on social media, saying, “When coherence and a sense of justice prevail over vengeance and lies, there is no room for cruel persecution or biased judgments.”

The ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for the populist leader. In 2023, Bolsonaro was barred from holding public office until 2030 after the country’s electoral court ruled that he had abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on Brazil’s machine-based voting system. The court found that his public statements questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines and attempting to return to paper ballots had undermined the democratic process.

In July 2025, Bolsonaro was detained amid concerns he might try to flee to the United States to seek political asylum. President Donald J. Trump has been lobbying on his behalf, threatening heavy sanctions and tariffs on Brazil for what he sees as a politically motivated witch-hunt.

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Go-To Deep State Lawyer Who Rep’d Hunter Biden Is Suing Trump… Again.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that three former senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials were fired in a politically motivated “campaign of retribution” under pressure from the Trump administration.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Plaintiffs Brian Driscoll, Steve Jensen, and Spencer Evans; their attorneys Abbe Lowell and Chris Mattei; and FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who are named in the lawsuit.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The firings occurred last month.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The FBI tried to put the President in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it,” Kash Patel allegedly told Brian Driscoll, according to the lawsuit.

🎯IMPACT: The lawsuit is the latest lawfare effort aimed at undermining President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to reform the federal government and end corrupt Deep State influence in the American national security apparatus.

IN FULL

Three former senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials—Brian Driscoll, Steve Jensen, and Spencer Evans—have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they were unlawfully fired last month as part of a politically motivated purge under pressure from the Trump administration. The lawsuit accuses FBI Director Kash Patel of knowingly carrying out “likely illegal” firings to maintain his position, with Patel allegedly saying, “The FBI tried to put the President in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it.”

Notably, one of the key attorneys representing the fired FBI officials is Abbe Lowell, who has emerged as a central figure in Democrat-led lawfare efforts to hamper President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to reform the federal government. Lowell is also currently representing fired Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook, who is suing the Trump administration to prevent her removal. Lowell previously represented Hunter Biden against federal tax evasion charges, and his former law firm, Winston & Strawn, is still pursuing Biden for unpaid legal fees.

The lawsuit also names Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI, the Justice Department (DOJ), and the Executive Office of the President as defendants. It seeks reinstatement of the plaintiffs, back pay, and a declaration that the firings were illegal. The plaintiffs allege that their terminations have caused reputational harm and undermined their future employment prospects.

Lowell claims the case demonstrates how FBI leadership is “carrying out political orders to punish law enforcement agents for doing their jobs.” Meanwhile, Chris Mattei—another attorney for the plaintiffs—argues, “Their firing from the FBI, taken together, has put every American at greater risk.” Driscoll, a former acting FBI director and commander of the agency’s hostage rescue team, claims he resisted orders to fire personnel based on their case assignments, including an agent linked to investigations involving President Trump.

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WATCH: Trump Announces Posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom for Charlie Kirk.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at a campus event in Utah on Wednesday, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, and Kirk’s family.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced Thursday morning at the Pentagon during a 9/11 anniversary ceremony; Kirk was killed on Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The announcement honors Kirk’s legacy and marks a significant moment of national mourning.

IN FULL

At a Pentagon ceremony on Thursday morning marking the anniversary of 9/11, President Donald J. Trump announced plans to posthumously award Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday during an American Comeback tour event on the Utah Valley University campus, where he had invited hundreds of students to debate him.

“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children. Fantastic people they are. We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” said the America First leader.

“I am pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” he added. “The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing: that we will have a very big crowd, very, very big.”

As of the time of publication, Kirk’s assassin remains at large. Police have confirmed they have found the rifle they believe was used in the attack, along with forensic evidence, including footwear impressions and a palm print. Law enforcement sources have indicated that the rifle was found along with ammunition engraved with antifa and transgender slogans.

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Analysts Say Trump DID Write the Epstein Letter… AI Disagrees.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A forensic linguistic analysis by three AI research systems concluded there is an “extremely low probability” that a 2003 letter allegedly written by President Donald J. Trump to Jeffrey Epstein was authored by the America First leader. This contradicts an analysis published by The Wall Street Journal, pointing to Trump as the author.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, The Wall Street Journal, and three AI systems: Claude 4.0 Opus Thinking, Perplexity Sonar, and Gemini 2.5 Pro.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The alleged letter dates back to 2003, but the analysis and public release occurred in 2025, with reports from The Wall Street Journal and responses from the White House and President Trump’s legal team.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The stylistic gulf between the note and Trump’s known communication patterns is not merely a matter of slight variation; it represents a fundamental and pervasive mismatch across nearly every linguistic metric.” – AI research report.

🎯IMPACT: The findings support President Trump’s denial of authorship amid his federal libel lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent companies.

IN FULL

Artificial intelligence (AI) analysis using Claude 4.0 Opus Thinking, Perplexity Sonar, and Gemini 2.5 Pro has found linguistic discrepancies in a 2003 birthday letter allegedly written by President Donald J. Trump to deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The findings run contrary to human forensic analysis conducted by The Wall Street Journal, which implies Trump is the likely author of the letter.

The AI analysis cited “profound” and “pervasive” deviations from Trump’s documented writing patterns spanning four decades. According to one analysis report: “The stylistic gulf between the note and Trump’s known communication patterns is not merely a matter of slight variation; it represents a fundamental and pervasive mismatch across nearly every linguistic metric.”

Claude 4.0 Opus Thinking noted “multiple linguistic anomalies” that diverged sharply from Trump’s established communication patterns, including the use of phrases like “enigmas never age” and a theatrical dialogue structure absent from Trump’s authentic writings. Similarly, Gemini 2.5 Pro reported “a complete inversion” of Trump’s idiolect, pointing to the letter’s sophisticated and abstract language as inconsistent with Trump’s direct and simple style.

However, a separate human forensic analysis of handwriting and word choice by The Wall Street Journal, published earlier this week, suggested Trump is the likely author. Referring to the letter’s signature, the WSJ claims that while President Trump signs most correspondence with his full name, there are some past examples of letters signed only with “Donald,” using “bold serif lettering.” Additionally, the newspaper claims there are similarities between the drawing on the Epstein letter and other correspondence purported to be authored by Trump: “Over the years, doodles and drawings of cityscapes and other subjects with similar strokes have been attributed to Trump and auctioned for charity.”

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal‘s findings diverge from the AI analysis, claiming, “Trump used the word ‘enigma’ to describe Don King and Mike Tyson in his 1990 book and to describe Dan Rather in his 2004 book. In social-media posts and in speeches, Trump has often used the phrase ‘a wonderful thing.'” However, both linguistic markers are commonly used by a multitude of authors, casting doubt on their evidentiary significance.

Notably, contrary to The Journal‘s findings, Perplexity Sonar’s AI analysis found that the letter’s vocabulary sophistication, syntactic complexity, and philosophical tone were fundamentally at odds with Trump’s well-documented linguistic markers. When the AI systems were also tasked with arguing the opposite case—that Trump authored the letter—they could only identify circumstantial factors, such as Trump’s past association with Epstein, rather than linguistic evidence.

President Trump has dismissed the letter as “fake” and filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Journal, its parent company News Corp, owner Rupert Murdoch, and the reporters involved.

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UK PM Smears Trump World Health Advisor Ahead of State Visit.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer smeared Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a speaker at this year’s annual conference for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, who is close to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Action group, ahead of President Donald J. Trump’s state visit to Britain.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Prime Minister Starmer, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, and Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Malhorta responded to Starmer’s comments about him on X (formerly Twitter) on September 10, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I did NOT state that ‘vaccines are linked to cancer’.” – Dr. Aseem Malhotra

🎯IMPACT: The incident highlights the ongoing debate and concerns over the use of mRNA technology in vaccines and public trust in vaccination, and potentially frays relations between the British government and the Trump administration.

IN FULL

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire for smearing Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist close to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Action group, ahead of President Donald J. Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer said Dr. Malhorta had made “shocking and baseless claims that vaccines are linked to cancer,” adding, “These dangerous conspiracies cost lives.”

Malhotra, targeted after speaking at the annual conference of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, which has overtaken Starmer’s Labour Party in the polls, publicly refuted Starmer’s statements on X (formerly Twitter). “I did NOT state that ‘vaccines are linked to cancer’,” he said, emphasizing that he was merely “presenting information about the possible link [between] the covid mRNA vaccine and cancer from U.S. HHS data and quoting oncologist Professor Angus Dalgleish [who said] ‘it’s highly likely that the covid vaccines have been a significant factor in cancer of members of the royal family.'”

King Charles III, 76, and his daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, 43, announced they had been diagnosed with cancer in February and March 2024, respectively.

Dr. Malhotra warned, “Conflating legitimate safety concerns of a novel mRNA technology with all vaccines is preposterous and dangerous,” highlighting research showing that smears like Starmer’s are “fuelling the concerning reduced uptake of vital traditional vaccines.”

Notably, Starmer’s targeting of Malhotra could fray tensions between his government and the Trump administration, considering his ties to Secretary Kennedy. President Trump will make an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom from September 17 to September 19.

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Kamala Now Says Biden Was ‘Reckless’ to Seek Re-Election, Claims She Was ‘Hypnotized.’

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the Democratic Party’s decision to leave former President Joe Biden’s reelection bid up to his discretion, calling it “recklessness” in her new book.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, and the Bidens’ inner circle.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Harris’s comments appear in her new book 107 Days, to be released on September 23, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.” – Kamala Harris

🎯IMPACT: Harris’s remarks mark a rare public critique of Biden’s campaign decisions and highlight ongoing internal tensions within the Democratic Party.

IN FULL

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has described the decision to allow then-President Joe Biden to determine whether to seek reelection in 2024 as “recklessness,” according to an excerpt from her new book, 107 Days, published in The Atlantic. Harris reflects on the discussions surrounding Biden’s decision to run for a second term, stating, “Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.”

“‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.’ We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized,” Harris wrote.

Biden, who was 81 at the time, eventually dropped out of the race in July 2024 following a catastrophic debate performance against Donald J. Trump, in which he appeared cognitively impaired. This resulted in Harris being installed as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee without a primary contest. She ultimately lost the election in a landslide to Trump, who became only the second American in the country’s history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.

Harris criticized the Democrats’ decision-making process, writing, “This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision.” Nevertheless, Harris continues to defend Biden’s ability to govern in the book, despite acknowledging his struggles with fatigue during the campaign.

She writes, “On his worst day, he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best. But at 81, Joe got tired. That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.” She attributes his debate challenges to exhaustion from a demanding travel schedule.

Harris also accuses Biden’s inner circle of fueling negative narratives about her tenure as Vice President, including stories about her office being in disarray. She claims the then-President’s staff was “adding fuel to negative narratives” and even sought to diminish her success, citing an instance where the Biden White House was displeased with a speech she gave in Selma, Alabama, that went viral. “I was castigated for, apparently, delivering it too well,” Harris writes.

The book underscores Harris’s belief that her success would have reflected positively on Biden, particularly given concerns about his age. “My success was important for him,” she writes. “His team didn’t get it.”

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New Data Shows Inflation FELL in August, Piling Pressure on Fed to Cut Rates.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Producer Price Index (PPI) for August fell by 0.1 percent, defying economists’ expectations of a 0.3 percent increase.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

📍WHEN & WHERE: August’s PPI data was released on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.

🎯IMPACT: The PPI and jobs numbers have shifted the broader interest rate discussion ahead of next week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting from whether the Federal Reserve will cut rates to how much it will need to cut rates.

IN FULL

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for August fell by 0.1 percent, defying economists’ expectations, which predicted a 0.3 percent increase. Importantly, the data suggest that inflation continues to fall, adding further pressure on the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell, dubbed ‘Too Late’ by President Donald J. Trump, to begin cutting interest rates at next week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

“Just out: No Inflation!!! ‘Too Late’ must lower the RATE, BIG, right now. Powell is a total disaster, who doesn’t have a clue!!!” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning, reacting to the PPI news. The year-over-year headline PPI numbers were even more stunning, falling to 2.6 percent, while expectations were 3.3 percent.

In August, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signalled the central bank would likely shift its current interest rate policy toward reducing borrowing costs at the September FOMC. The likelihood of a rate cut has only increased since then, with the August jobs report containing strong signs that the U.S. labor market continues to cool.

Concerningly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual benchmark revision suggests there has been little to no real job growth in the U.S. for several years—an indication that the Federal Reserve may have held interest rates too high for too long. The National Pulse reported on Tuesday that the BLS revised downward the total number of jobs created between April 2024 and March 2025 by a shocking 911,000. This follows last year’s revision for April 2023 to March 2024, which saw 818,000 fewer jobs created than initially reported.

The PPI and jobs numbers have shifted the broader interest rate discussion ahead of next week’s FOMC from whether the Federal Reserve will cut rates to how much it will need to cut rates. Increasingly, expectations appear to be pointing to a 50 basis point (bps) cut rather than the 25 bps cut many were forecasting just last week. Among those concerned about the U.S. having entered a possible deflationary cycle, there are mounting calls for an even more aggressive 100 bps cut.

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Protesters Get Close to Trump During Trip to Democrat-Owned ‘Joe’s’ in D.C.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump faced protesters during an outing to Democrat-owned Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab in Washington, D.C., raising questions about who signed off on the trip and who tipped off protesters.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and protesters from the far-left, Gaza-obsessed activist group Code Pink.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday night at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, less than a quarter-mile from the White House.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We’re standing right in the middle of D.C., which as you know about, over the last year was a very unsafe place… and now there’s virtually no crime. We call it crime-free.” – President Donald Trump.

🎯IMPACT: The event raises questions about the decision-making on President Trump’s staff.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump’s visit to a local, Democrat-run D.C. restaurant on Tuesday night was met with cheers and protests. Accompanied by administration officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump arrived at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, located less than a quarter-mile from the White House.

Outside the restaurant, Trump briefly addressed reporters, stating that Washington, D.C., was now “crime-free” due to his administration’s crackdown on crime, which included federal law enforcement efforts and National Guard deployments. He added, “We wanted to take some of the members of the Cabinet out to dinner and here we are—we’re standing right in the middle of D.C., which as you know about, over the last year was a very unsafe place, over the last 20 years actually was very unsafe. And now there’s virtually no crime.”

Joe’s is owned by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE), which was founded by Democrat donor Rich Melman. Melman has donated thousands to Democrats over decades, including Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and others. This raises questions about why Trump’s team chose Joe’s, especially given Melman’s proximity to top Democrat figures like Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel.

Once inside, Trump greeted patrons but was soon interrupted by protesters from the activist group Code Pink, who carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as “Free D.C., free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.” A video posted on Code Pink’s social media showed Trump approaching the protesters, smiling, and gesturing for them to leave. They were slowly escorted out of the restaurant but managed to get within feet of President Trump.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later promoted the Democrat-run restaurant: “The President and his team enjoyed crab, shrimp, salad, steak, and dessert. The food was phenomenal and the service was fantastic. Thank you, Joe’s!”

Trump, who had not dined out in D.C. during his presidency, indicated that his policies have made the city safer. He also suggested that his administration is still evaluating plans to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement to other high-crime, Democrat-run cities, including Chicago, New York, and New Orleans, to address crime.

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Chief Justice Roberts Blocks Far-Left Judge’s Order Forcing Trump to Disburse Foreign Aid.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday granted the federal government a stay, halting District Court Judge Amir Ali’s orders in two cases that would have forced President Donald J. Trump to disburse foreign aid monies slated to be cut through the rescission process.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Chief Justice John Roberts, U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The stay was issued on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: Chief Justice Roberts wrote, regarding Judge Ali’s order, that it “…is hereby partially stayed for funds that are subject to the President’s August 28, 2025 recission proposal currently pending before Congress pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court.”

🎯IMPACT: The stay effectively halts Judge Ali’s order, which would have forced the Trump White House to disburse $11.5 billion in foreign funds before they expire at the end of September.

IN FULL

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday granted the federal government a stay, halting District Court Judge Amir Ali’s orders in two cases that would have forced President Donald J. Trump to disburse foreign aid monies slated to be cut through the rescission process. Judge Ali, a foreign-born Canadian-American jurist with radical political associations, has attempted to aggressively intervene against the Trump administration’s efforts to cut payments to international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foreign governments, and the now-defunct United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The latest—and now stayed—order from Judge Ali would have forced the Trump White House to disburse $11.5 billion in foreign funds before they expire at the end of September. Notably, the Trump administration has maintained that the President is legally allowed to hold the funds until their expiration, whether Congress acts on the proposed cuts or not, in a process called a pocket rescission.

“IT IS ORDERED that the September 3, 2025 order of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, case Nos. 1:25-cv-400 and 1:25-cv-402, is hereby partially stayed for funds that are subject to the President’s August 28, 2025 recission proposal currently pending before Congress pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court,” the Chief Justice’s order states, adding: “It is further ordered that a response to the application be filed on or before Friday, September 12th, 2025, by 4 p.m. (EDT).”

Last week, Judge Ali ruled that President Trump’s use of the pocket rescission was likely illegal. “To be clear, no one disputes that Defendants have significant discretion in how to spend the funds at issue, and the Court is not directing Defendants to make payments to any particular recipients,” the far-left judge wrote, adding: “But Defendants do not have any discretion as to whether to spend the funds.” Ali, a Biden appointee, insisted that only Congress—and not the executive branch—has the authority to rescind appropriated funds.

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