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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The United States and the United Kingdom are poised to sign a bilateral trade agreement this week.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and China.
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📍 Where & When: In Washington, D.C., with the likely signing occurring the week of May 5, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before Congress on Tuesday that the trade deal could be announced “perhaps as early as this week.”
⚠️ Impact: The trade deal will increase pressure on the European Union (EU) to come to the table, while further restricting China’s access to global markets.
IN FULL:
The United States and the United Kingdom are set to sign a bilateral trade deal this week, marking significant progress in President Donald J. Trump‘s efforts to renegotiate global trade and its impact on American workers. It is believed the deal is one of 17 being prioritized out of over 100 negotiations and will increase pressure on the European Union (EU) to reach an agreement as well.
Among the concessions being made by the British are reductions in their digital services tax aimed at multinational technology companies based in the United States. The Labour government, under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is also believed to be poised to cut its tariffs on American automobiles and steel imports and reduce trade duties on American agricultural goods.
Conversely, the United States—it is believed—has agreed to reduce its 25 percent tariff on British autos and steel, though the exact scale of the reduction is not yet public. However, the British government also says it will not adopt U.S. food production standards, meaning some U.S. agricultural exports, including hormone-treated beef and chicken, will still not be accepted in the British market.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before Congress on Tuesday that the trade deal could be announced “perhaps as early as this week.” However, it is important to note that agreements over the pharmaceutical trade remain a contentious sticking point and could delay a final deal. Despite the pharmaceutical hang-up, the Labour government remains under intense pressure from its domestic auto industry to reach an accord with President Trump. British auto makers have warned that the impact of the Trump tariffs on their sales has been “severe, significant, and immediate.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom and India announced they had reached a free trade deal, giving credence to the speculation that a coalition of nations is forming with the aim of boxing in China regarding its access to the global economy and markets.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: A Virginia judge acquitted former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of wrongdoing in a $14,000 payout dispute, rejecting claims he overpaid departing staffers’ unused vacation time.
👥 Who’s Involved: Ryan McGowan, Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Uston, CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen, former CPAC general counsel David Safavian, former executive director Dan Schneider, and CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp.
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📍 Where & When: Alexandria Circuit Court, Alexandria, Virginia, May 6, 2025.
⚠️ Impact: The ruling exposes CPAC leadership’s inconsistencies, potentially weakening its influence while strengthening McGowan’s rival conservative group amid ongoing fallout from the Schlapp scandal.
IN FULL:
A Virginia court has cleared former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of allegations he improperly paid $14,000 in unused vacation time to five departing staffers, delivering a sharp rebuke to the Matt Schlapp-led outfit. The decision, handed down in Alexandria Circuit Court, highlights internal dysfunction at CPAC, which has also been rocked by homosexual scandals involving Schlapp for years.
Judge Kathleen Uston, in a 30-minute evidence review, pointed to glaring contradictions in the testimony of CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen and former general counsel David Safavian.
Rasmussen claimed she emailed staff about a paid time off (PTO) limit but failed to produce the emails, and a text exchange showed her asking McGowan’s deputy for a 15 percent salary increase while keeping McGowan in the dark—contradicting her testimony that the deputy lacked such authority. The judge also noted the frustration of the Alexandria detective investigating the case, who was blindsided by details Rasmussen withheld.
The case, long followed by The National Pulse, was more to do with Schlapp pursuing a vendetta at those he perceived to undermine his leadership than any actual wrongdoing.
McGowan’s new conservative group, which grades lawmakers, has also drawn CPAC’s ire, though a civil suit against them was dismissed earlier this year.
Testimony also revealed McGowan had flagged a $50,000 legal bill CPAC paid for Schlapp during the scandal, reigniting scrutiny of Schlapp’s leadership.
CPAC and its parent organization, the American Conservative Union (ACU), has now shelled out vast swathes of donor cash, staff time, and attracted mountains of negative publicity as a result of Schlapp’s numerous escapades.
For years, The National Pulse has been at the forefront of exposing the corruption inside the organization, including contributions from Soros-linked groupsSoros-linked groups, as well as extreme financial improprieties.
The organization is now a shell of its former self, once hosting the largest annual conservative conference, now relegated to an afterthought.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering free flights and a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who voluntarily leave the U.S. — a self-deportation program the agency says costs far less than traditional deportation.
The details: The program requires illegal aliens to register for self-deportation through the CBP Home App, and they only receive their stipend once it is verified that they have returned to their home country.
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- President Trump told the press: “We’re gonna get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from.”
Cost savings: DHS says it currently costs the American taxpayer over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport a single illegal alien. Under this new, self-deportation program, it costs around $4,500—a 70 percent savings.
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller added on X: “The savings are as much as $1 million per illegal alien family given the long-term costs of free welfare and public support.”
What the left is saying: Pro-illegal groups are denouncing the plan and urging illegals to reject the offer. One activist, Aaron Reichlin, said: “This option might be WORSE… it would abandon clear options for staying.”
Zoom out: The plan is reminiscent of Trump’s effort to reduce the federal workforce by offering buyouts to government workers who voluntarily resigned, ultimately leading to 77,000 resignations. Pay a little up-front for long-term savings.
The last word goes to President Trump, who warned that those who do not take this offer “are going to be taken out of our country… And they will never get a path to come back in.”
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering free flights and a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who voluntarily leave the U.S. — a self-deportation program the agency says costs far less than traditional deportation. show more
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