Trump Urges Interest Rate Cut, But Fed Chair Powell Remains Hesitant.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week to participate in the 2025 Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), followed by a stop at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Who’s Involved: Hegseth will engage with senior civilian and military leaders from Panama and across Central America. He will also visit with members of the 7th Special Forces Group in Florida. The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam will accompany the Secretary on the trip.

🎯Why It Matters: As instability and transnational criminal activity rise in the region, Hegseth’s visit underscores the United States’ intent to deepen regional defense partnerships and maintain leadership in the Western Hemisphere.

📍Where & When: The trip begins early next week. Hegseth will first stop in Panama City, Panama, before traveling to Eglin AFB in Florida.

📣Official Word: “This trip supports our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.

IN FULL:

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week for the 2025 Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), where he’ll hold high-level meetings with regional defense officials to strengthen U.S. partnerships in the Western Hemisphere. He will then continue to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to visit U.S. troops stationed with the elite 7th Special Forces Group.

The trip comes as U.S. officials look to solidify military relationships across Latin America amid rising concerns over cartel activity, Chinese influence operations, and political instability throughout the region. Hegseth’s meetings will include a series of bilateral sit-downs with senior military, civilian, and security leaders from Panama and neighboring nations.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell framed the visit as part of a broader push to reinforce regional security cooperation. “This trip supports our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere,” Parnell said.

The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, will accompany Secretary Hegseth on the trip. This is a refreshing instance of an independent media figure embedded in an official Department of Defense delegation. Kassam will provide exclusive coverage and commentary on the trip’s proceedings, especially for members of The National Pulse.

CENTSEC, hosted annually, serves as a strategic venue for U.S. and Central American officials to coordinate efforts on transnational threats, narcotics trafficking, and irregular migration patterns—issues that have taken on renewed urgency since the Biden government’s destructive open border policies.

Following the conference in Panama City, Hegseth will travel to Eglin AFB to meet with command leadership and service members attached to the 7th Special Forces Group, a key unit in America’s unconventional warfare and regional engagement strategy.

The visit to Central America and one of the U.S. military’s premier special operations installations underscores the Pentagon’s dual mission: to build stronger partnerships abroad while maintaining elite readiness at home.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓ What Happened: A new Find Out Now poll shows Nigel Farage’s Reform Party leading with 28 percent voting intention, driven by strong voter retention and gains from Conservative and non-voting groups, while the governing Labour Party remains stagnant in the low 20s.

👥 Who’s Involved: Reform, Labour, the Conservatives, and the British electorate, with Nigel Farage and the Reform Party gaining momentum.

📍 Where & When: The poll, conducted by Find Out Now, surveyed 2,768 adults on April 2, 2025, with results published on April 4.

💬 Key Quote: A Reform supporter on X declared, “Something is happening, Let’s do this! [Nigel Farage]
for PM!” reflecting a growing belief that the party can break the Labour-Conservative duopoly on British politics.

⚠️ Impact: Reform’s rise signals a potential shift in British politics, with the poll indicating the party is capable of winning a majority in Parliament.

IN FULL:

Reform has taken the lead in a recent Find Out Now voting intention poll, securing 28 percent—a two percent increase since late March—placing them ahead of the ruling Labour Party at 22 percent and the Conservatives, who governed from 2010 to mid-2024, at 20 percent. The poll, conducted on April 2, 2025, with a sample of 2,768 adults, highlights Reform’s growth as they retain nearly all their 2024 general election support, far surpassing other parties in voter loyalty.

Reform has also gained 22 percent of voters who supported the Conservatives in 2024 and 60 percent of those who didn’t vote last year but now say they would “definitely vote” in a new election.

Labour’s support has remained steady but low, fluctuating in the low 20s since November 2024. The Conservatives have fallen two percent to 20 percent, reflecting their loss of ground to Reform. The Liberal Democrats and Greens trail at 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

The polling shift coincides with Reform’s strategic push into local politics, as they field 1,630 candidates for the May 2025 local elections in England, outnumbering other major parties.

Reform’s momentum, driven by party leader Nigel Farage, is sparking enthusiasm among supporters, with one X user stating, “Something is happening. Let’s do this! [Nigel Farage] for PM!” and adding, “Make Britain Great Again!”

Find Out Now voting intention:
🟦 Reform UK: 28% (+2)
🔴 Labour: 22% (-1)
🔵 Conservatives: 20% (-2)
🟠 Lib Dems: 13% (+1)
🟢 Greens: 11% (-)

Changes from 26th March
[Find Out Now, 2nd April, N=2,768] pic.twitter.com/r0k9288HqG

— Find Out Now (@FindoutnowUK) April 4, 2025

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Former President Barack Obama addressed the necessity of potential sacrifices to oppose the policies of President Donald J. Trump.

👥 Who’s Involved: Barack Obama and the Trump administration.

📍 Where & When: Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, on Thursday night.

💬 Key Quote: “You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit.” — Barack Obama.

⚠️ Impact: Obama criticized the Trump administration for challenging the post-World War II global order and urged active resistance against Trump’s policies, especially from law firms and universities.

IN FULL:

During a speech Thursday at Hamilton College, former President Barack Obama said it is no longer enough for those on the political left to call themselves progressives or say they are for social justice, emphasizing that action and sacrifices may be needed to resist the policies of President Donald J. Trump. Speaking to the college’s students, the Democrat former president also argued that universities and law firms must become more active in partisan political action against the Trump administration.

“It has been easy during most of our lifetimes to say you are a progressive, or say you are for social justice, or say you are for free speech, and not have to pay a price for it,” Obama said. “And now we’re in one of those moments when… it’s not enough just to say you’re for something. You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit.”

Demanding that universities, law firms, and other typically non-political organizations become more active in partisan resistance to Trump, former President Obama argued: “It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors.”

The Democrat went on to defend the post-World War II global order, which has aligned itself against American interests in recent decades. “All of you have grown up in an international order that was created by America after World War II. … This is an important moment because, in the last two months, the U.S. government has been trying to destroy that order,” he said, repeating the Democrat trope that Trump is a threat to democracy: “Democracy is pretty recent in its vintage. An international order where you cooperate instead of fight is new. It’s fragile.”

Obama’s comments come in response to actions by President Trump to sanction law firms that have engaged in partisan lawfare action against conservative officials, candidates, and members of his administration—including himself.

Additionally, the Trump administration is moving to deport foreign nationals in the U.S. on student visas if they engage in pro-Hamas activities.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: China announced a 34 percent tariff on all U.S. imports in response to President Donald J. Trump’s tariffs of the same rate on Chinese goods.

👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and affected American companies.

📍 Where & When: China’s tariffs, announced following President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff unveiling, go into effect on April 10.

💬 Key Quote: The Chinese Ministry of Finance complained that the U.S. tariffs “undermine global economic development and stability.”

⚠️ Impact: Declines in stock markets, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 experiencing losses, but manufacturing will likely be “reshored” to America over the medium to long term.

IN FULL:

China has declared a new 34 percent tariff on all imports from the United States, following President Donald J. Trump’s recent announcement of similar duties on Chinese goods. President Trump is moving to stimulate domestic manufacturing and address trade discrepancies by using tariffs to level the playing field for American businesses.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) condemns Trump’s tariffs, claiming they breach international trade standards and threaten global economic interests.

Further complicating trade relations, China enforced export controls on vital rare earth minerals and listed several American businesses as “unreliable entities.” Meanwhile, Trump reinstated 25 percent steel and aluminum tariffs on China in February in order to close loopholes allowing China to dump cheap metals on American markets.

In a recent address, President Trump characterized the imposition of tariffs as a long-overdue correction of an inequitable trade landscape that has persisted over several decades. He asserted that the move heralds the return to American industrial strength, with sweatshop economies and countries that erect their own tariff and non-tariff barriers against American exporters no longer having easy access to the American market.

Reacting to China’s new tariffs on April 4, Trump stated, “China played it wrong, they panicked—the one thing they cannot afford to do!” Trump added that China should have made a deal earlier, urging companies to avoid tariffs by investing in America.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Independent journalist and anti-grooming gangs activist Tommy Robinson is appealing his 18-month contempt of court sentence.

👥 Who’s Involved: Tommy Robinson, Mr Justice Johnson, Solicitor General Lucy Rigby, Jamal Hijazi.

📍 Where & When: Woolwich Crown Court, with an upcoming hearing at the Court of Appeal on April 11.

💬 Key Quote: Mr Justice Johnson insisted Robinson’s breaches were “not accidental, negligent or merely reckless.”

⚠️ Impact: The appeal follows a series of legal battles, highlighting ongoing tension between Robinson and the judicial system.

IN FULL:

Tommy Robinson intends to appeal his 18-month imprisonment for contempt of court. This appeal is slated for hearing at the Court of Appeal on April 11. Robinson was jailed last October following 10 violations of a High Court order established in 2021, which restricted him from making allegations against a Syrian refugee, Jamal Hijazi.

Hijazi previously succeeded in a libel case against Robinson, who accused him of being a school bully. Despite this being a civil case, the authorities went out of their way to charge Robinson with contempt when he subsequently released a documentary, Silenced, defending his allegations against the Syrian. While many violent criminals and a large majority of online pedophiles receive no prison time in England, the judge in Robinson’s case decided a lengthy prison term was warranted.

Representatives for the Solicitor General asserted in court that Robinson’s actions in defending himself were a deliberate challenge to legal authority and the so-called rule of law. Robinson’s legal counsel argues he breached the order to uphold his beliefs, but this defense was rejected during sentencing.

This appeal comes after Robinson’s unsuccessful legal challenge against the Government over his conditions in prison, claiming his mental health deteriorated due to isolation measures in detention.

Image by Rose Morelli.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Employers in the U.S. increased their payroll by 228,000 in March.

👥 Who’s Involved: The U.S. Department of Labor, economists, and private sector businesses.

📍 Where & When: United States, March.

💬 Key Quote: “Great job numbers, far better than expected. It’s already working. Hang tough, we can’t lose!!!” — President Donald J. Trump.

⚠️ Impact: The labor market’s unexpected strength suggests continued economic stability, alongside increased workforce participation and rising wages.

IN FULL:

According to a report released by the Department of Labor (DoL) on Friday, in March, U.S. employers expanded their workforce by 228,000. The jobs numbers far exceeded economists’s forecasts, with most only anticipating a gain of 140,000 new jobs for the month.

“Great job numbers, far better than expected. It’s already working,” President Donald J. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social responding to the jobs report. He added: “Hang tough, we can’t lose!!!”

While the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.2 percent, this increase was expected due to labor force expansions and increased demand for workers. Notably, the private sector demonstrated significant hiring momentum, with 209,000 positions added, far surpassing the forecast of 115,000 jobs. This robust performance offsets concerns over consumer sentiment and indicates resilient economic conditions.

The workforce participation rate has continued its expansion, rising from 62.4 percent to 62.5 percent. The average workweek also extended, reflecting stronger labor demand. Average hourly earnings grew by 0.3 percent from February and rose 3.8 percent compared to the previous year, indicating healthy wage growth.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Russell Brand, a podcaster, comedian, and actor, has been charged by British prosecutors with multiple sexual assault charges, including two counts of rape.

👥 Who’s Involved: Russell Brand, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and four women who reported the offenses.

📍 Where & When: The charges were announced in Britain, with Brand set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 2. The alleged offenses occurred between 1999 and 2005.

💬 Key Quote: Jaswant Narwal, a prosecutor, stated that the charges are related to “reported nonrecent offenses” involving four women.

⚠️ Impact: If convicted, Brand faces prison.

IN FULL:

British prosecutors have charged Russell Brand with multiple counts of sexual assault, including two charges of rape. The charges, announced by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), involve alleged offenses that took place between 1999 and 2005. Brand is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 2 for an initial hearing.

The allegations emerged after British police began investigating Brand’s past behavior following a joint investigation by three news organizations in September 2023. The prosecutor, Jaswant Narwal, clarified that these charges stem from accusations made by four women regarding offenses that are not recent.

Brand has maintained his innocence. In a video released on social media in September 2023, he asserted that he had never committed sexual assault. Brand acknowledged a history of promiscuity in his past but emphasized that all of his sexual relationships were consensual. He also criticized the British media for what he described as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”

Brand is a former liberal who endorsed Britain’s far-left Labour Party in previous British elections. However, his politics have changed recently, with the comic embracing conservative figures, including President Donald J. Trump, former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Image by D B Young.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: An extensive international child pornography network called “Kidflix” was uncovered and dismantled by Europol, which supported authorities from 38 countries in shutting it down.

👥 Who’s Involved: Europol, Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, and law enforcement from 38 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia, were involved. The operation led to 79 arrests so far, with additional suspects identified.

📍 Where & When: The operation spanned approximately three years, with a key part being the shutdown of servers in Germany and the Netherlands.

💬 Key Quote: Europol described the network as “one of the largest pedophile platforms in the world” with an estimated two million users.

⚠️ Impact: The platform reportedly hosted over 91,000 child exploitation videos, with around three new videos uploaded hourly. The crackdown aims to tackle global child sexual exploitation severely, highlighting the issue’s widespread nature.

IN FULL:

An international crackdown led by Europol has successfully dismantled one of the world’s largest child pornography networks, named “Kidflix.” Authorities across 38 countries collaborated to take down the platform, which disseminated a staggering amount of heinous illegal content.

The investigation led by Germany’s Bavarian State Criminal Police lasted nearly three years and concluded with significant enforcement action. As of April 2, around 79 individuals have been taken into custody, while 1,400 others are under suspicion. According to Europol reports, the network had approximately two million users from 35 countries.

Servers hosting the Kidflix site were located in Germany and the Netherlands, and they were instrumental in enabling the illegal transaction of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Users of the platform could anonymously pay to access, stream, and even upload their own videos of abuse. Cryptocurrencies were utilized to avoid detection through financial transactions.

Kidflix shockingly archived more than 91,000 videos depicting child abuse. It also introduced new uploads at an alarming rate, averaging three new uploads every hour.

This successful takedown forms part of a larger effort to combat online child sexual exploitation by law enforcement agencies worldwide. Europol stated those apprehended are not only charged with watching or posting exploitative content but also suspected of directly abusing children.

CSAM distribution remains a significant problem on the regular Internet, often called the surface web, as well. Pornography websites like OnlyFans and Pornhub have been found to have hosted CSAM material in the past. Even mainstream social media websites like Instagram and Facebook have had millions of reports of CSAM being shared in recent years.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), announced this week he will step down from his role as chairman after leading the organization for five decades.

👥 Who’s Involved: Klaus Schwab, the WEF board of trustees, and CEO Børge Brende. Departing executives also include chief legal officer Nicola Port and technology head Malte Godbersen.

📍 Where & When: Schwab plans to leave his position with the WEF based in Switzerland, with the process of finding a new chairperson expected to conclude by January 2027.

💬 Key Quote: “This period of reflection has been grounded in a desire not just to do things differently, but to do them better,” said WEF CEO Børge Brende.

⚠️ Impact: Schwab’s departure signifies significant leadership changes within the WEF following an investigation of workplace bias allegations, though those claims were not verified.

IN FULL:

Klaus Schwab, the founder of the globalist World Economic Forum (WEF), has announced his decision to step down from his chairman role after 50 years at the helm. The organization, based in Switzerland, is beginning the search for a new chairman, with plans to complete this process by January 2027.

This development follows an internal examination by the WEF board into allegations of racism and gender bias within the organization’s work environment—allegations that Schwab and the Forum have consistently denied. The investigation did not substantiate the claims against Schwab, though it prompted discussions on organizational leadership and workplace culture.

Schwab had initially announced in May last year his intention to transition from executive chairman to non-executive chairman, and this week’s announcement formalizes his eventual full departure. Schwab, widely recognized for his work on the anti-human “Great Reset,” has been a prominent figure in global discussions, attracting attention from various political perspectives, particularly conservatives who view him as emblematic of globalism.

In addition to Schwab’s announcement, the WEF’s other leadership changes include the exits of chief legal officer Nicola Port and head of technology and digital services Malte Godbersen.

The World Economic Forum is an unelected, unaccountable gathering of leaders from across governments and major corporations who convene multiple times a year around the world, most notably at Davos in Switzerland for an annual globalist conflab.

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PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Former President Donald Trump weighed in on Marine Le Pen’s legal troubles, comparing her prosecution to the lawfare campaigns he says have targeted him in the United States.

Who’s Involved: Trump, French opposition leader Marine Le Pen, and American legal figures Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco.

Key Quote: “The Witch Hunt against Marine Le Pen is another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech.”

Fallout: Trump says Le Pen is being politically targeted just ahead of a likely electoral victory, calling the charges against her a “bookkeeping error” and denouncing the prosecution as a blow to all of France—regardless of politics.

Significance: Trump’s statement aligns Le Pen’s situation with the global populist struggle against what he calls corrupt legal and political elites. He ends the post with a rallying cry: “FREE MARINE LE PEN!”

IN FULL:

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned what he calls a politically motivated prosecution of French opposition leader Marine Le Pen, accusing European leftists of using “lawfare” to suppress dissent and sabotage electoral outcomes.

“The Witch Hunt against Marine Le Pen is another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This time going so far as to put that Opponent in prison.”

Trump compared Le Pen’s prosecution to the years-long efforts by U.S. legal operatives like Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco to entangle him in criminal cases. He described their efforts as a “playbook” of political persecution that ultimately failed due to public awareness of what he calls widespread corruption.

“I don’t know Marine Le Pen,” Trump wrote, “but do appreciate how hard she worked for so many years. She suffered losses, but kept on going, and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about – Sounds like a ‘bookkeeping’ error to me.”

Trump ended the message with a blunt message to French authorities and global onlookers alike: “FREE MARINE LE PEN!”

The move comes amid a broader wave of Western populist leaders facing legal trouble as they gain electoral momentum—raising questions about the coordinated use of state power to silence opposition, i.e. lawfare.

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