❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A bipartisan immigration bill euphemistically called the Dignity Act is highlighting sharp divisions within the Republican Party. The legislation, introduced by Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), promises a new legal pathway for millions of illegal immigrants already in the country. The Trump administration already stands reasonably accused of backsliding on its mass deportations pledge. This bill, wherein illegal immigrants could apply for temporary legal status through its “Dignity Program” if they pass background checks, pay $7,000 restitution, and taxes, is adding fuel to that fire.

👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: A list floating around identifies the following names as being favorable toward, or co-sponsoring the Dignity Act: Maria Elvira Salazar, David Valadao, Dan Newhouse, Young Kim, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, Jen Kiggans, Tony Gonzales, Monica De La Cruz, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Marc Molinaro, Andrew Garbarino, Juan Ciscomani, Don Bacon, John Duarte, Mike Garcia, and Ken Calvert.

📍 WHEN & WHERE: Representative Salazar is set to present it on April 16 at 10 AM at a Capitol event.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “It’s rank amnesty and everybody knows it. I want dignity for Americans – the people whose interests we represent – not illegal aliens.” – Rep. Brandon Gill

📺 IMAGE: Here’s a picture of what Salazar’s team was circulating last year (hence the date on it), explaining some of the details:

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Oil prices are settling after an initial drop following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East, with some fighting continuing and uncertainty remaining over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran claims that several terms of the agreement have been breached, and is demanding a halt to Israeli strikes on its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon. The Israelis, however, have different ideas, with Netanyahu rejecting a ceasefire in Lebanon and threatening fresh attacks in the coming hours. The White House, however, is briefing that they’ve managed to get the Israelis on board.

👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: Everyone, basically. 

💬 KEY QUOTE: “I want to tell you: there is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security,” Netanyahu told Israelis in a video released Thursday evening.

🎯 IMPACT: “The market awaits certainty around the Middle East ceasefire with U.S. and Iranian delegations set to arrive in Pakistan today,” strategists on JPMorgan’s trading desk wrote in a note to clients. The S&P 500 opened 0.2 percent lower, the Nasdaq fell 0.3 percent, and the Dow dropped about 200 points shortly after the opening bell.

📺 PICTURED: The SNP 500 in recent days:

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Several senior attorneys are leaving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, including its top litigator, David Dahlquist, acting director of civil antitrust litigation, and other attorneys involved in high-profile cases. The exits come after a controversial settlement in the Trump administration’s antitrust case against Live Nation Entertainment in March, with The National Pulse learning that the DOJ has effectively given up litigating such cases entirely, as corporate pressures represented by Republican lobbyists bear down on them. A source tells The National Pulse the number of attorneys leaving is far higher than currently reported anywhere else.

🎯 IMPACT: Dahlquist had played a leading role in both the Live Nation case and a case involving Google. The settlement with Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, required the company to pay a $280 million civil penalty and sell some of its amphitheaters, but did little to address its monopoly over ticket sales, controlling over 86 percent of ticketing for major concert venues and around 78 percent of ticketing for amphitheaters. This followed the ouster of Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division Gail Slater, reportedly at the behest of corporate lobbyist Mike Davis, who is reported to have facilitated massive corporate mergers without major oversight under the current Trump administration. Multiple sources close to the Antitrust Division and Washington, D.C. lobbying operations previously told The National Pulse that Davis oversaw a public relations campaign targeting Slater on behalf of alleged clients, including Live Nation, Compass, and Hewlett-Packard (HP).

📺 SCUTTLEBUTT: Industry insiders now have all eyes on Gail Slater’s replacement, Omeed Assefi, pictured recently below with European Commission bigwig Teresa Ribera. Assefi worked under the increasingly anti-Trump former White House lawyer, Ty Cobb, during Trump’s first impeachment. He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia.

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The first independent survey of Republican voters in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District primary shows Representative Thomas Massie holding a notable advantage over his challenger, Ed Gallrein, despite Gallrein receiving an endorsement from President Donald J. Trump. According to the poll by Quantus Insights, 47.4 percent said they would support Massie if the election were held today, while 36.8 percent indicated they would back Gallrein. About 14 percent of voters remain undecided, and 1.5 percent said they will not participate. Massie has opposed the Iran war and previously took the administration to task for being slow to release the Epstein Files. He also opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on cost grounds.

👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: Thomas Massie, Ed Gallrein, President Trump, and Kentucky voters.

💬 KEY QUOTE: President Trump appeared alongside Gallrein at a rally, where he criticized Massie as “loser” and a “total disaster as a congressman, and, frankly, a human being.“

🎯 IMPACT: Notably, although Massie continues to lead in the polling, he has not crossed the majority threshold. With a significant share of voters still undecided, the primary remains fluid.

📺 SHAREABLE: The graphic from Quantus:

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: First Lady Melania Trump strongly denied any connection to Jeffrey Epstein and called for Congress to hold a hearing for survivors of his crimes in an unexpected White House address. Mrs. Trump addressed the “fake images and statements” linking her to the deceased pedophile during her husband’s second term. She singled out Harper Collins UK, The Daily Beast, and Democrat strategist James Carville for spreading the smears, noting that they have been “legally obligated to publicly apologize and retract their lies about me.”

💬 KEY QUOTE: “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity.” – Melania Trump

🎯 SECONDARY QUOTE: “Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone. Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth,” the First Lady continued, calling on Congress to “Give [Epstein’s] victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress, with the power of sworn testimony.”

📺 VIDEO: Watch the full statement here.

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Selective Service System (SSS) will automatically begin registering eligible young American men for the military draft beginning this December, the federal agency has announced. The new “streamlined” process will shift the responsibility for registration from individuals to the SSS, using existing federal data sources instead of requiring young men to register themselves. Federal law requires men ages 18 to 25 to register. Under the new rule, eligible men will be automatically registered within 30 days of turning 18, and they will receive written notice of their registration. The policy does not change who is required to register; it only changes how registration occurs. Officials say the shift will save resources previously used for public education and advertising campaigns.

📍 WHEN & WHERE: The new process begins in December 2026 across the United States.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “This will also allow us to rededicate resources—basically that means money—towards [readiness] and towards mobilization.” – Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

🎯 DETAIL: The United States has not had an active military draft since the Vietnam War ended in 1973. Any future draft would require Congress to amend the Military Selective Service Act to give the President authority to call up personnel. The Department of Defense requires the SSS to be prepared to deliver the first inductees within 193 days of a draft being authorized.

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Birth rates among Gen Z women are declining, according to new research from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The research shows a significant drop in the birth rate of women aged 20–24, from 55.8 births per 1,000 females in 2024 to 52.2 in 2025.

👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Karen Guzzo, Director of the Carolina Population Center.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “When young people face stagnant wages but rising costs, they find it harder and harder to really transition to adulthood,” – Karen Guzzo, Director of the Carolina Population Center.

🎯 DETAIL: For women aged 25–29, there was a drop from 89.5 to 85.6. However, women aged 30–34 saw their birth rate increase from 93.7 to 96.2. Gen Z is the cohort born from 1997 to 2012, meaning the oldest members of Gen Z will turn 29 this year. The report, therefore, suggests a decline in fertility among Gen Z women specifically.

📺 WHY: Experts say economic instability, especially rising living costs, causes people to delay life milestones, such as having children, forming long-term relationships, and buying a home. People tend to achieve the economic security needed to have children in their early and mid-thirties, though this delay often means they cannot have as many children as initially intended.

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro spoke Tuesday night at a meeting of the Second District Metropolitan Police Citizens Advisory Council, telling attendees that there must be a change in the way juvenile crime is handled to bring it under control.

👤 WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jeanine Pirro, attendees of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Second District meeting, and local residents.

📍 WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday night at the MPD’s Second District Headquarters on Idaho Ave. NW.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “If you’ve got a gun and you shoot someone, I don’t care if you’re pink, gray, or blue, you’ve gotta be held accountable.” – Jeanine Pirro

🎯 WHY: Pirro spoke about the growing problem of juvenile crime, including reports of large groups of teenagers gathering and getting into fights in various parts of the city. She criticized the D.C. Council’s permissive attitude towards juvenile offenders, noting, “Harassment, loitering, drunk driving, all that stuff, we can’t prosecute [at the federal level].” She expressed frustration with the Democrats’ preference for dealing with juvenile crime through the family court system, warning, “If the purpose of family court is rehabilitation, you ain’t rehabilitating ‘em!”

📺 WATCH: The key moments from her speech in DC.