2 months ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, a Georgia resident, has been arrested for allegedly making death threats against the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her family.
👥 Who’s Involved: Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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📍 Where & When: The threats were sent between March 29 and April 1, 2025. The arrest took place in Georgia, with the DOJ announcing it had filed federal charges against Amin on Monday.
💬 Key Quote: A threatening message included, “Death to America means death to America literally, Tulsi is living on borrowed time.”
⚠️ Impact: Amin faces charges of transmitting interstate threats. The case underscores ongoing concerns about targeted threats against Trump administration officials.
IN FULL:
A Georgia resident, Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, has been arrested following allegations of making death threats against Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence in the Trump White House, and her family. The threats were reportedly sent between March 29 and April 1, 2025, with personal photographs of Gabbard being used, which she had shared on social media.
These threats have been described as extreme in nature. One communication read, “You and your family are going to die soon… I will personally do the job if necessary,” alongside a text message stating: “Death to America means death to America literally, Tulsi is living on borrowed time.”
“The home you two own… is a legitimate target and will be hit at a time and place of our choosing,” another of the dozens of threats reads, while a fourth text communication warned: “Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear. America will burn.”
In another instance, a threat sent by Amin indicates he may have been influenced by corporate media narratives critical of Gabbard’s less hawkish stance against Russia. “Tell your wife to always be on her best behavior and not to disobey Mr. Vladimir Putin’s orders. We are friendly bears [Russian Flag + Bear emoji]. But we can also be angry bears [Russian Flag + Bear emoji],” Amin wrote in a message sent to Gabbard’s husband, Abraham Williams. Disturbing images, including one showing a gun pointed at pictures of Gabbard and her family, were also part of the communications.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced two charges—relating to transmitting interstate threats—against Amin, 24, on Monday. In recent weeks, there have been several instances of political violence targeting public officials. Over the weekend, a disturbed man in Pennsylvania set fire to the home of Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA).
Additionally, several individuals have been arrested over arson attacks targeting Elon Musk’s Tesla electric vehicles and their showrooms. The National Pulse has also reported that a teenager in Wisconsin is being charged in the murder of his parent, allegedly as part of a plot to use his family’s financial resources to aid a conspiracy to assassinate President Donald J. Trump.
PULSE POINTS:
What Happened: The Trump-led EPA has launched an investigation into Make Sunsets, a solar geoengineering startup, for releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, prompting concerns about air quality violations under the Clean Air Act.
Who’s Involved: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Make Sunsets founders Luke Iseman and Andrew Song, and the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.
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Where & When: EPA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., April 14, 2025, with a public statement from Zeldin on April 15, 2025.
Key Quote: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated on X, “Make Sunsets is a startup that is geoengineering by injecting sulfur dioxide into the sky and then selling ‘cooling credits.’ This company is polluting the air we breathe.”
Impact: The EPA’s actions could lead to monetary penalties or criminal charges for Make Sunsets, potentially setting a precedent for regulating geoengineering activities in the U.S., amidst broader Trump administration efforts to deregulate climate policies.
IN FULL:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump’s Administrator Lee Zeldin, has initiated what it says will be a swift investigation into Make Sunsets, a startup accused of polluting the atmosphere through geoengineering. On April 14, 2025, the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation issued a letter to Make Sunsets founders Luke Iseman and Andrew Song, demanding information within 30 days to determine if the company’s activities violate the Clean Air Act.
Make Sunsets has been releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere via weather balloons, aiming to reflect sunlight and cool the planet—selling these balloon flights online in the form of so-called “cooling credits.” The Trump administration is acting against the startup due to its potential to degrade air quality, coupled with a lack of regulatory oversight.
Zeldin took to X (formerly Twitter) on April 15, 2025, to explain the situation, stating, “Make Sunsets is a startup that is geoengineering by injecting sulfur dioxide into the sky and then selling ‘cooling credits.’ This company is polluting the air we breathe. I’ve instructed my team that we need to quickly get to the bottom of this.”
The EPA’s letter, signed by Abigale Tardif, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation, cites Section 114(a) of the Clean Air Act, which empowers the agency to demand information from entities suspected of impacting air quality. It warns of potential enforcement actions under Section 113 of the Act, which includes fines and criminal penalties for non-compliance or providing false information.
On behalf of Make Sunsets, Iseman previously argued, “It’s morally wrong… for us not to be doing this.” However, the company has already been banned in Mexico following unauthorized sulfur dioxide releases in Baja California in 2022. Notably, this prompted the Mexican government to prohibit solar geoengineering experiments altogether in 2023.
Make Sunsets later conducted launches in Nevada, which also drew scrutiny for failing to report to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) despite requirements under U.S. law. Critics, including environmentalists and scientists, have long warned that such geoengineering efforts lack sufficient scientific backing and international governance, posing unpredictable risks to the environment and public health.
The investigation into Make Sunsets could set a significant precedent for regulating geoengineering in the U.S., a field that remains largely ungoverned both domestically and internationally.
READ:
Make Sunsets is a startup that is geoengineering by injecting sulfur dioxide into the sky and then selling “cooling credits.” This company is polluting the air we breathe. I’ve instructed my team that we need to quickly get to the bottom of this and take immediate action. pic.twitter.com/9b6xPzMf4v
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) April 15, 2025
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President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at slashing prescription drug costs—with insulin reduced to three cents for low-income Americans.
The details: Trump’s order takes aim at drug costs and Big Pharma from several angles:
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- Insulin: Prices drop to as low as three cents for low-income and uninsured patients.
- Epinephrine: Injectable doses fall to $15.
- Cancer drugs: Standardizing Medicare payments for prescription drugs, like cancer treatments, which can lower prices by 60 percent.
- Generics: Boosted access to biosimilars, which can be up to 80 percent cheaper.
- Middlemen: Order demands transparency from pharmacy benefit managers and pushes reforms to the entire supply chain.
- Drug importation: States can import lower-cost meds, including for sickle cell.
Back up: In 2020, Trump launched a program to give seniors access to $35 per 30-day supply of insulin. Biden let the program expire and then rolled it into the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and took credit for it.
Eclipsing Biden: The IRA also created the Medicare Drug Pricing Negotiation Program, which allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with pharma companies for high-cost prescription drugs.
- In its first year in effect under Biden, the program netted a 22 percent reduction in prices. Trump’s order aims to “eclipse” that number.
Big picture: Roughly 68 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare—meaning these reforms will touch roughly 20 percent of the U.S. population.
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President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at slashing prescription drug costs—with insulin reduced to three cents for low-income Americans. show more
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