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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey will be interviewed by Secret Service agents at their Washington Field Office over an Instagram post showing “86 47” written out in seashells, a code linked to calls for ousting or assassinating President Donald J. Trump, amid an ongoing investigation.
👥 Who’s Involved: James Comey, U.S. Secret Service, President Donald J. Trump, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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📍 Where & When: Washington, D.C., with the interview scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stated.
⚠️ Impact: Comey’s reckless post heightens the risk of an assassination attempt against Trump, who survived two attempts on his life in 2024.
IN FULL:
Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey faces a Secret Service interview at their Washington Field Office on May 16, 2025, over an Instagram post showing “86 47” spelled out in seashells. To ’86’ someone is mob slang for killing them, while ’47’ references Trump as the 47th President.
Comey is attempting to downplay the post, claiming he merely found the seashells and that he had no idea the term ’86’ was associated with violence. However, many observers, including President Trump himself, do not believe this, citing Comey’s background in law enforcement.
Trump survived two assassination attempts in 2024—one at a Pennsylvania rally, where a sniper’s bullet grazed his ear, and another killed a supporter, and one at a Florida golf course, where a pro-Ukraine activist was caught lying in wait for him in a bush.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously labeled Comey’s post a call for Trump’s assassination, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is actively involved in the probe. A law enforcement source indicated Comey will be pressed on whether he intended to incite violence or inspire others, with the U.S. Attorney in Washington potentially deciding on charges.
CNN analyst and former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow called the situation “disappointing and alarming,” noting, “It’s actually a very serious situation that warrants a real investigation.” He slammed Comey’s ignorance defense, saying, “The director should have known better,” especially given Trump’s recent brushes with would-be assassins.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will allow Verizon’s purchase of Frontier, a regional telecom company, to move forward, with the former agreeing to enact a series of reforms in alignment with President Donald J. Trump’s pro-worker, America First agenda.
👥 Who’s Involved: Verizon, Frontier, the FCC, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, tower climbers, and telecom workers.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: Washington, D.C., on Friday, May 16, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “The agreement between NATE, Verizon, and the FCC is massive news. As a 36-year tower contractor and employer of over 200 tower technicians, this brings fairness back to our relationship. We can’t thank Chairman Carr enough for looking out for Main Street while still being fair to Wall Street. We hope T-Mobile and AT&T will follow Verizon’s lead,” said Craig Snyder, a tower climber and one of the negotiators for his industry in the Verizon acquisition deal, in comments to The National Pulse.
⚠️ Impact: Verizon’s acquisition approval comes with a commitment to ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs and agreeing to a new set of pro-worker conditions with the tower climber and telecom worker industries.
IN FULL:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is allowing telecom giant Verizon to acquire Frontier, a regional communications company, with the aim of expanding its fiber Internet service. Notably, Verizon’s acquisition was contingent on a series of policy and labor practice changes, in alignment with President Donald J. Trump’s pro-worker America First agenda, imposed by the FCC through its regulatory authority.
“By approving this deal, the FCC ensures that Americans will benefit from a series of good and common-sense wins. The transaction will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds in communities across the country—including rural America,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement announcing the acquisition approval. “This investment will accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones. And it delivers for America’s tower and telecom crews who do the hard, often gritty work needed to build high-speed networks.”
One of the biggest concessions being made by Verizon is the company’s decision to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs. In a letter to Chairman Carr on May 15, the telecom company acknowledged that it “recognizes some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination.” Verizon goes on to announce that it “is changing its HR structure and will no longer have a team or any individual roles focused on DEI.” The move comes after Chairman Carr informed a number of telecom and Internet technology companies that the FCC would halt license approvals and authorizations for those that maintain discriminatory DEI programs.
The FCC also highlights that the deal represents a win for American workers. Verizon, as part of the approval, is committing to rework its agreements with NATE, the Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, and remove the costly burdens its policies have placed on tower climbers. These new provisions include taking into account considerations in pricing when it comes to site conditions, the adoption of regional pricing for tower climbers and telecom workers’ labor, 30-day payment terms with fair indemnity clauses, and limits on Verizon’s use of 1099 outside contractors, which have been used to undercut worker wages.
Craig Snyder, a tower climber and negotiator for his industry in the Verizon acquisition deal, told The National Pulse: “The agreement between NATE, Verizon, and the FCC is massive news. As a 36-year tower contractor and employer of over 200 tower technicians, this brings fairness back to our relationship. We can’t thank Chairman Carr enough for looking out for Main Street while still being fair to Wall Street. We hope T-Mobile and AT&T will follow Verizon’s lead.”
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