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Tuesday, June 30, 2026
28 minutes ago
Bonkers Britain
Economy
News

UK Treasury Abandons Numeracy and Verbal Reasoning Tests to Boost Diversity.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the United Kingdom’s economic ministry phased out numeracy tests for new applicants in an effort to boost diversity in the department.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Treasury of the United Kingdom abandoned numeracy tests for new applicants in order to boost diversity following the death of George Floyd, according to a new report.
📺 DETAIL: His Majesty’s (HM) Treasury, the United Kingdom’s ministry for the economy and finance, ditched its Numerical Reasoning Test (NRT) following evidence that it was reducing the diversity of new hires. The NRT was abandoned in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. The NRT was designed to filter applicants by mathematical ability to ensure they were qualified to work in the department. In 2023, after a larger number of candidates were allowed to advance through the early assessment stage to boost diversity, HM Treasury found that ethnic minority applicants were disproportionately affected by higher cut-off scores later in the process. HM Treasury further received evidence that its Verbal Reasoning Test had a negative impact on diversity, resulting in it being scrapped in 2024. The test was ultimately replaced with a personality-based assessment. The revelation came on Tuesday following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from The Spectator.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Numerical Reasoning Test (NRT) was removed due to evidence of the test having adverse impact on candidate diversity. Subsequently, the levels of adverse impact decreased in the 2020 campaign.” – HM Treasury’s response to the FOI request 
🎯 IMPACT: This revelation shows the extent to which Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has captured the British state, including its critical functions. The fact that HM Treasury continues to prioritize diversity targets, even as the country grapples with an array of economic problems, such as affordability, reflects a pattern seen in other departments. For example, it was reported earlier this month that the British government had paid Europe 15 times the normal rate for emergency electricity imports while continuing to block new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea to pursue climate targets.
📺 FLASHBACK: Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, recently issued a warning that DEI was damaging the country. “We’re not treating everybody the same. This is a road to disaster,” declared Farage in an interview earlier this month. Earlier the same month, Farage announced that Reform would abolish DEI by repealing the Equality Act of 2010.

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A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the United Kingdom's economic ministry phased out numeracy tests for new applicants in an effort to boost diversity in the department.

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1 hour ago
News
UK

WATCH: Farage Blasts Anti-White DEI Agenda for Weakening Britain’s Armed Forces.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, has condemned the impact of DEI policies on the effectiveness of the British armed forces.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage criticized the British armed forces for prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies over meritocracy in a video statement published on Tuesday, arguing that it has undermined military readiness and effectiveness.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We’ve decided it’s better for the DEI anti-white agenda to pervade rather than pick the best people for the job. Our military need to be an absolute meritocracy. We need to take the absolute best, those that are physically and mentally the fittest to do the job.” – Nigel Farage
📰 DETAIL: Farage highlighted scandals such as the resignation of Group Captain Lizzy Nickel from the Royal Air Force (RAF) after senior officers refused to listen to her concerns about what was eventually ruled to be an unlawful recruitment policy of discriminating against white male applicants. “[T]he RAF in the last couple of years have now sunk to new lows. Absolute new lows. Like the Army, there are DEI units all the way through the organization,” he said, vowing: “Reform are on the side of our armed forces. We will make sure that the DEI agenda is swept away.”
🎯 IMPACT: Farage noted elsewhere in his speech that “the effectiveness of our armed forces is nothing like it used to be,” recalling how it took “three weeks and one day to send a single Royal naval vessel down to Cyprus to defend an RAF base a couple of months ago.” As well as the DEI agenda, he attributed this to years of cutbacks when the Conservatives (Tories) were in government from 2010 to 2024, with the incumbent Labour Party showing “no inclination to change any of that, leading, of course, to the recent row with the resignation of the Defence Secretary and a defense minister.”

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Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, has condemned the impact of DEI policies on the effectiveness of the British armed forces.

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2 hours ago
News
Politics
World

Paris Deputy Mayor Blames Americans Having AC for Europe’s Deadly Heatwave.

The socialist Deputy Mayor of Paris has publicly attacked the United States, blaming the country for causing the deadly heatwave that hit Europe last week, resulting in over 1,000 excess deaths.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The far-left Deputy Mayor of Paris has blamed the United States for the heatwave affecting France and Europe more broadly.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing.” – Audrey Pulvar, Paris Deputy Mayor.
📰 DETAIL: Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey Pulvar has publicly blamed the United States for contributing to the deadly heatwave affecting France and wider Europe. Pulvar claimed that the United States bears a “significant amount of responsibility” due to its CO2 emissions. Notably, the U.S. is responsible for approximately 13 percent of world’s CO2 emissions. By contrast, Communist-run China is responsible for 32 percent, and Europe’s carbon emissions increased by 0.5 percent last year, almost as much as China’s 0.7 percent increase over the same period. Pulvar’s comments come as the European continent faced record high temperatures last week, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has resulted in over 1,000 excess deaths, as well as reduced hours at major landmarks and attractions in Paris, the capital of France, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, in order to protect tourists. In addition, local authorities across Europe have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and alcohol consumption. Europe has struggled to grapple with the heatwave due to the lack of air conditioning (AC). Only around 20 percent of European households have AC, according to the International Energy Agency. By contrast, around 90 percent of U.S. households have AC. In response to Americans pointing this out online, Pulvar posted on Instagram: “Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room…OMG, this is so rich!”
🎯 IMPACT: Air conditioning has become the subject of intense political debate in Europe. Leftists, such as Jean Luc-Melenchon, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, argue that using AC would make the heatwave worse. By contrast, Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally) party has called for a nationwide rollout of AC.
📺 FLASHBACK: Europe’s lack of AC is not the only thing that has been brought to the fore by the heatwave. Earlier this month, it was reported that the British government has paid Europe 15 times the normal rate for emergency electricity imports as energy demand surged past domestic supply due to the heatwave. All the while, the Labour government continues to block new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. President Donald J. Trump has continuously warned the British government, especially outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, of the risks posed by the country’s current energy policies. 

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The socialist Deputy Mayor of Paris has publicly attacked the United States, blaming the country for causing the deadly heatwave that hit Europe last week, resulting in over 1,000 excess deaths.

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3 hours ago
News
World

Historic Former Convent Burned Down Near St. Patrick’s Burial Site.

A historic former convent near St. Patrick’s burial site in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, was intentionally set ablaze, according to Northern Ireland’s fire service.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The former Convent of Mercy in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, was engulfed in flames on Sunday, with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service confirming the fire was started “deliberately.” The destroyed convent is just a short distance from the grave of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, at Down Cathedral.
📰 DETAIL: The fire began on Sunday evening and required the efforts of around 70 firefighters, who battled the blaze until Monday morning. The convent, although derelict, was a well-known landmark in the town.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “It’s really sad to see the former convent in Downpatrick on fire,” said South Down MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Colin McGrath, highlighting the building’s significance to the local community. “Although it’s been lying derelict for some time, it’s still one of those buildings that people in the town know well, and it’s difficult to watch it being lost like this,” he explained. “Many local people will have memories of the convent and the role it played over the years. Even in recent times it has remained a familiar part of the Downpatrick skyline, so seeing it go up in flames is upsetting.”
🎯 IMPACT: The destruction of the convent is a significant loss to the Downpatrick community, and comes amid a period of heightened tensions in Northern Ireland. While no suspect or suspected motive has been publicly identified as of the time of publication, migrants have been involved in a spate of arson attacks on Christian religious buildings in Europe in recent years. Northern Ireland recently saw a Sudanese migrant attempt to behead a local man in the provincial capital, Belfast, resulting in anti-migrant riots.

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A historic former convent near St. Patrick's burial site in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, was intentionally set ablaze, according to Northern Ireland's fire service.

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4 hours ago
News
SCOTUS

Thomas Warns Supreme Court’s Birthright Ruling ‘Devalues’ American Citizenship in 91-Page Dissent.

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented strongly against the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to uphold birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, arguing it misinterprets the 14th Amendment.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants in a 6-3 ruling on Tuesday, with Chief Justice John Roberts and the Court’s liberal justices being joined by Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, despite the latter offering a partial dissent. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Justice Thomas criticizing the majority for misinterpreting the 14th Amendment in a 91-page dissent.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Court says that the Citizenship Clause incorporated the English feudal principle that subjects owed lifetime servitude to the King who owned the soil on which they were born, but Americans—unsurprisingly—rejected this feudal principle.” – Justice Thomas
📰 DETAIL: Justice Thomas argued that the Citizenship Clause was intended to grant citizenship to those not subject to foreign powers, such as black Americans post-Civil War, and not to children of foreign visitors. “Blacks were entitled to citizenship because they were Americans. They had no other homeland, owed no allegiance to any foreign power, and were subject to no other authority. They ‘fought and bled in the same battles,’ ‘gained and gloried in the same victories,’ and were ‘liable to be called upon to defend [America] in time of war’ alongside every other citizen… The Citizenship Clause thus guaranteed them the ‘dignity and glory of American citizenship,’ so as to ensure that they would never be treated as second class under the law,” he wrote, adding: “The same could not be said for the children of foreign temporary visitors. Foreign temporary visitors were attached to their home country, lacked similar bonds to this country, and would not be called upon in time of war.”
🎯 IMPACT: Thomas wrote that he was not sure that the Court’s decision on Tuesday would “stand the test of time,” explaining, “The Citizenship Clause ‘added greatly to the dignity and glory of American citizenship.’ Today’s opinion devalues that citizenship.”

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Justice Clarence Thomas dissented strongly against the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to uphold birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, arguing it misinterprets the 14th Amendment.

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5 hours ago
News
SCOTUS

Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Limits on Campaign Spending.

The Supreme Court has ruled that federal limits on coordinated campaign spending by political parties violate the First Amendment.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) limits on coordinated expenditures by political parties violate the First Amendment. This decision overturns a 2001 precedent set by FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee, a.k.a. Colorado II, which upheld these limits.
📰 DETAIL: The case was brought by a group of candidates and political party committees challenging the constitutionality of FECA’s restrictions. The Court’s decision aligns with the argument that these limits infringe on free speech rights as protected by the First Amendment. The ruling emphasizes that political parties, like individuals and outside groups, can make unlimited independent expenditures.
🎯 IMPACT: This decision could significantly alter the landscape of campaign financing, allowing political parties greater freedom to coordinate spending with their candidates. It may lead to increased influence of party committees in elections, potentially reshaping campaign strategies and funding dynamics.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Held: FECA’s political-party coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment.” – Supreme Court Syllabus

This story is developing…

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The Supreme Court has ruled that federal limits on coordinated campaign spending by political parties violate the First Amendment.

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5 hours ago
News
SCOTUS

BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Aliens.

The Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship overturns an executive order stating that the children of illegal immigrants born on U.S. soil should not receive U.S. citizenship automatically.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Supreme Court overturned an executive order rescinding birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants on Tuesday. The policy is rooted in the 14th Amendment, which grants U.S. citizenship to almost anyone born in the U.S. The ruling was 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in the majority, plus Justice Brett Kavanaugh largely concurring but dissenting in part. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
📺 DETAIL: Birthright citizenship is based on the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which affirms that anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen, provided they are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country. President Donald J. Trump has strongly criticized the policy, arguing that the amendment was intended to safeguard the rights of the children of freed slaves, not to grant citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, including the children of illegal aliens. Birthright citizenship is rare beyond the Americas, with China and much of Europe basing citizenship for children born on their territory on the parents’ nationality.
🎯 IMPACT: By ruling that anyone born on U.S. soil, short of a handful of narrow exceptions such as the children of diplomats, must be granted U.S. citizenship, the Supreme Court has incentivized illegal immigrants to have so-called “anchor babies” in order to hinder their removal. The Trump administration now has few avenues to alter the status quo beyond pushing for a constitutional amendment, which would be very difficult to pass, given strong Democrat resistance to denying the children of illegal aliens citizenship. Some legislative efforts are underway to pass bills reinterpreting the 14th Amendment as not applying to the children of illegal immigrants, but even if these were to pass both congressional chambers, they would likely end up back before the Supreme Court.
📺 FLASHBACK: The Supreme Court first affirmed birthright citizenship in the Wong Kim Ark case in 1898, concerning a child born in the U.S. to Chinese parents. The justices decided that, because they were “subjects of the Emperor of China” but “not employed in any diplomatic or official capacity under the Emperor of China,” the child should be deemed a U.S. citizen by right of his birth on U.S. soil. The executive order the justices ruled on today sought to remove that right from the children of foreign nationals not lawfully present in the U.S. Birthright citizenship is not typical globally, with most jurisdictions requiring that parents must be citizens of a country to pass citizenship to their children.

This story is developing…

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The Supreme Court's decision on birthright citizenship overturns an executive order stating that the children of illegal immigrants born on U.S. soil should not receive U.S. citizenship automatically.

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5 hours ago
News
SCOTUS

BREAKING: Supreme Court Backs States Protecting Women’s Sports From Male Competitors.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states can legally restrict women’s sports to biological females, affirming the legality of laws in West Virginia and Idaho.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Title IX permits states to maintain separate sports teams for women and girls based on biological sex, supporting laws in West Virginia and Idaho that bar biological males claiming to be transgender from female sports categories.
📰 DETAIL: The decision consolidates West Virginia et al. v. B. P. J. and Little v. Hecox, affirming that these state laws do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. The Court emphasized that Title IX’s reference to “sex” pertains to biological sex, not gender identity, allowing for separate athletic opportunities based on biological differences.
🎯 IMPACT: This ruling is a significant victory for female athletes and advocates of women’s sports, reinforcing the ability of states to enact laws that ensure fair competition by restricting female sports categories to biological females. It also provides a legal precedent for the 27 states with similar laws.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Title IX allows schools to provide separate women’s and men’s sports teams defined by biological sex, and West Virginia has permissibly maintained female sports for biological females consistent with Title IX.” – Supreme Court ruling

This story is developing…

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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states can legally restrict women's sports to biological females, affirming the legality of laws in West Virginia and Idaho.

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6 hours ago
Health
News

Silver Spring Company Unleashes 600,000 Infected Mosquitoes in DC.

A Silver Spring-based company is releasing diseased mosquitoes in the Washington, D.C. area, in hopes they will infect Asian Tiger Mosquitoes and reduce their numbers.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Bee Safe Mosquito Control, a Maryland-based company, has begun releasing male mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria in the D.C. area, hoping they will spread the disease to aggressive Asian Tiger Mosquitoes and reduce their populations. These “ZAP males” make female mosquitoes infertile after mating, preventing them from producing offspring. Skeptics of insect programs warn that the potential risks to human health and to species that feed on mosquitoes are unclear.
📺 DETAIL: The Asian Tiger Mosquito is a common pest in the region and is capable of transmitting diseases such as Dengue Fever, Zika, and Yellow Fever. The ZAP males are sourced from MosquitoMate, a Kentucky-based company with EPA approval for this biopesticide technology, which has already shown success internationally, reducing Dengue cases by over 98 percent in parts of South America. Bee Safe began deploying the mosquitoes in June and plans to release 600,000 by the end of the season.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We’re definitely the first in the DMV to do this… It’s super cool that we’re at the forefront of it,” said Todd Montgomery, owner of Bee Safe Mosquito Control.
🎯 IMPACT: The release of the diseased mosquitoes is intended to significantly reduce the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses in the region, offering a safer alternative to chemical pesticides. However, campaigners have raised concerns that the insects could expose people to novel allergens, or inadvertently create dangerous hybrid mosquitoes that are not rendered infertile and enter the wild gene pool.
📺 FLASHBACK: Similar mosquito control efforts have been implemented in California and Florida by Alphabet’s Debug program, with plans to release millions of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in those states.

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A Silver Spring-based company is releasing diseased mosquitoes in the Washington, D.C. area, in hopes they will infect Asian Tiger Mosquitoes and reduce their numbers.

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7 hours ago
Bonkers Britain
Crime
News

Grooming Gang Ringleader Will Stay in Britain After Loophole Blocks Deportation.

A key figure in the grooming gangs scandal in the United Kingdom cannot be deported back to Pakistan despite losing his British citizenship, sparking public anger and calls for legislative change.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A Pakistani grooming gang ringleader in the United Kingdom cannot be deported from the country despite losing his British citizenship.
📰 DETAIL: Shabir Ahmed is a key figure in the Rochdale grooming gang, one of the most infamous cases in the broader grooming gang scandal in the United Kingdom. The scandal revolves around mostly Pakistani Muslim men preying on white working-class girls across the United Kingdom. The 73-year-old Ahmed was convicted of 30 child rape offenses and sentenced in 2012. Along with eight other men, he was found guilty of multiple sex offenses against children as young as 13. They groomed their victims across various takeaway restaurants in Rochdale in Greater Manchester. Ahmed is set to be released on Thursday, having only served a fraction of his sentence. While Ahmed has been stripped of his British citizenship, he cannot be deported from the country. According to a provision in the Immigration Act 1971, Commonwealth migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom before 1973 cannot be removed. As Ahmed arrived before 1973, he is exempt from deportation under the law. The Commonwealth is an association of 56 countries, most of which were colonies and dependencies of the British Empire. “Ahmed’s horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country’s history. The most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists and must face the full force of the law,” said a Home Office spokesman. While Ahmed will not be deported, he will remain on the sex offenders register for life. Ahmed will be subject to curfews and exclusion zones, with an electronic tag to track his movements. He will also be barred from contacting any young person, required to live in supervised accommodation, and will be barred from re-entering the country if he leaves.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “This depraved paedophile should have been deported to Pakistan years ago. The people of Rochdale want him booted out of the country and it’s simply unacceptable that the government of Pakistan are refusing to take him back. If the Citizenship Act needs to be amended to do that, ministers should look at doing just that.” – Paul Waugh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochdale.
🎯 IMPACT: The Ministry of Justice will impose exclusion zones and other measures on Ahmed, which is expected to cost the British taxpayer thousands. The inability to deport Ahmed has led to public frustration and calls for legislative changes. The government has also faced renewed pressure to negotiate the return of grooming gang members to their countries of origin. This story may complicate Labour MP for Makerfield and prospective Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s bid for the Labour leadership. Burnham previously served as Mayor of Greater Manchester, during which time he was criticized for his approach to the grooming gangs. Maggie Oliver, a former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer turned whistleblower, accused Burnham earlier in May of failing to engage with survivors and orchestrating a cover-up of the grooming gang scandal. “[It] was actually a cover-up… They did not speak to a single victim or a single survivor who had been caught in the last seven years… We missed a huge opportunity to bring changes that are needed,” said Oliver at the time.

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A key figure in the grooming gangs scandal in the United Kingdom cannot be deported back to Pakistan despite losing his British citizenship, sparking public anger and calls for legislative change.

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