China-Backed ‘Cultural Exchange’ Program Funneled Communist Party Propaganda Into 100+ American Schools.
A newreporthighlights the infiltration of Chinese Communist Party propaganda in American educational institutions through the Young Envoys Scholarship program. PULSE POINTS ❓ WHAT HAPPENED:At least83. . .
A newreporthighlights the infiltration ofChineseCommunist Party propaganda in American educational institutions through the Young Envoys Scholarship program. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:At least83 U. S. universitiesand26 K-12 schoolsacross30 stateshave participated in theYoung Envoys Scholarship, aChinese government exchange programlaunched byPresident XiJinpingin 2023, according to a report from parents’ rights groupDefending Education. 📰 DETAIL:The program, which aims tobring 50,000 young Americans toChinaover five years, is operated by the China Education Association for International Exchange, whose statedguiding ideology includes Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Xi Jinping Thought. Critics argue the exchanges serve as aChineseCommunistParty influence operationdesigned to shape American students’ perceptions of China, while Beijing denies using the programs for political purposes. Michael Lucci of State Armor accused the CCP of using educational exchanges as part of a broader effort to influence how Americans view its regime. Defending Education’s Reagan Dugan said the trips represent a soft-power strategy and called for greater disclosure when American schools partner with Chinese government-affiliated organizations. A 2025 program newsletter described a trip by 27 Chicago high school students to Xinjiang, where they participated in cultural activities while receiving a favorable portrayal of the region despite allegations of widespreadhuman rights abuses against Uyghursin the region. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“Families are being sold cultural exchange. What they’re actually getting is aParty-run pipelineinto their kids’ classrooms. ” – Reagan Dugan, Defending Education🎯 IMPACT:The report raises concerns aboutthe influence of Chinese Communist Party programsin U. S. educational institutions, potentially affecting the integrity of educational content and exposing students to foreignpropaganda. The CCP has ramped up influence campaigns in recent years, particularly in academic environments and amongleft-wing influencers. 📈 DATA:State-sponsored institutions, such as the University of Illinois System, received$26. 5 millionof the $168 million in gifts from Chinese sources to American universities during a six-month period in 2021. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. More From The PulseThe Department of Justice seeks to reinstate charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, alleging human smuggling and MS-13gangaffiliation, after a districtcourtdismissed the case as “vindictive prosecution. ”PULSE POINTS❓WHAT HAPPENED:TheDepartment ofJustice(DOJ) filed an opening brief on August 17, asking theU. S. Court of Appealsfor the 6th Circuit toreinstate human smuggling charges against Kilmar AbregoGarcia. A district judge appointed by Barack Obama previously dismissed the case as vindictive. U. S. District JudgeWaverly Crenshaw Jr. ruled in May that prosecutors brought the charges in retaliation for Abrego Garcia’s successful legal challenge to his deportation toEl Salvador. 📺 DETAIL:The DOJ argued that the prosecution was based on evidence, the law, and prosecutors’ belief that they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garciacommitted human smuggling. Prosecutors also cited allegations that he was a member ofMS-13, which the U. S. government has designated as aforeign terrorist organization, and argued that his return to the United States created a legitimate interest in prosecuting him. The department accused the district court of improperly expanding judicial authority by allowing courts to dismiss serious criminal charges based on assessments of prosecutors’ motivations and said the ruling interfered with the executive branch’s responsibility to protect the public. Abrego Garcia, whoentered the United States illegally in 2011, wasdeported to El Salvador in March 2025. He was returned to the United States in June 2025 after the DOJ acknowledged an administrative error in his removal. He later pleaded not guilty to smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop while denying that he was an MS-13 member. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“The United States had a clear legitimate interest in prosecuting Abrego upon his return. ” – Department of Justice🎯 IMPACT:A ruling in favor of the DOJ couldset a precedentfor handling cases involving alleged gang members and immigration violations. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. show lessThe Department of Justice seeks to reinstate charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, alleging human smuggling and MS-13 gang affiliation, after a district court dismissed the case as "vindictive prosecution. "show moreMinnesota’s Attorney General has filedalawsuitagainst Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing him of delaying the extradition of an ICE agent charged with multiple crimes in Minnesota. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:Minnesota Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison (D)has sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott(R) for allegedly delaying the extradition of a U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. 📺 DETAIL:Christian Castro,an ICE agent, is currently in Texas custody. He was charged with four counts ofsecond-degree assaultand one count offalsely reporting a crime. Castro allegedly shot a Venezuelan migrant through a residential door. Castro claimed that the victim attacked him. Minnesota officials argue that Governor Abbott has withheld the extradition warrant for nearly three months, in violation of the U. S. Constitution, specifically Article 4, Section 2, Clause 2: “A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime,who shall flee from Justice,and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority ofthe State from which he fled,be delivered up, to be removed to the Statehaving Jurisdiction of the Crime. ”Ellison said:“Christian Castrohas been charged with breaking the law in Minnesota…He must face justice in Minnesota. Governor Abbott should have granted Governor Walz’s extradition request long ago and isrequired to do so now. ” Minnesota’s AG sued the Texas Governor on Tuesday. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“Instead of promptly fulfilling his legal, ministerial duty to execute the governor’s rendition warrant for Castro, however, Governor Abbotthas withheld the warrantand held up Castro’s extradition for nearly three months,” said Minnesota AG Keith Ellison in a press conference. 🎯 IMPACT:The lawsuit is likely to raise the salience of the role of extradition laws in ICE operations, especially asDemocrat-controlled states,such as Minnesota,seek to repel ICE operations whileRepublican-controlled states,such as Texas, seek to allow the agency to carry out its duties. Image by Gage Skidmore. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receiveexclusivee-mail analyses. show lessMinnesota's Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing him of delaying the extradition of an ICE agent charged with multiple crimes in Minnesota. show moreDavid Morens,aformer senior adviser at NIAID under Anthony Fauci, has admitted to a conspiracy to “defraud the United States” during the COVID-19pandemic, with Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance believed to be a co-conspirator. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:David Morens, a former senior adviser at the Anthony Fauci-led National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty toconspiracycharges related to a scheme to “defraud the United States” andhide federal recordsduring the COVID-19 pandemic. He faces up to five years in prison under aplea dealwith federal prosecutors in Maryland, withPeter Daszakof the now-dissolved EcoHealth Alliance believed to be aco-conspiratorin the case. 📰 DETAIL:Morens was indicted in April for his role in a scheme toshield federal records from public view, involving communications with the New York-based EcoHealth Alliance and with Daszak, who was its president. The scheme includedusing personal email accounts to evade public records lawsincommunicationswith officials, apparentlyincluding Fauci, and sharing nonpublic National Institutes of Health (NIH) information. Morens also admitted to acceptingillegal gratuities, including wine from “co-conspirator 1″—believed to be Daszak—for his“behind-the-scenes shenanigans. ”The National Pulse was the first news outlet toexposeDaszak, reporting extensively on his joint research with theWuhan Institute of Virology, funded by U. S. taxpayers via grants approved by Fauci, his donations to the Democrats, and hisrelationshipwith the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), among other scandals. Until hisdebarmentfrom receiving federal funds by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2024,Daszakcontinued to receivemillions of dollarsin public funding, while hoardingthousandsof bat virus samples in Chinese facilities. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“Bypleading guiltytoday, Dr. Morens has taken responsibility for what he did and will continue to do so. ” – Tim Belevetz, Morens’ lawyer👀 FLASHBACK:Congressional Republicans had been investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the role of the Wuhan lab for years, with Fauci and Morens previouslytestifyingbefore the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024. Morens wasindictedin April, with then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stating that “Morens and his co-conspiratorsdeliberately concealed informationandfalsified recordsin an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19,” adding, “Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest—not to advance their ownpersonal or ideological agendas. ”🚨Huge news breaking right now on a top Fauci aide and his friend Peter Daszak (EcoHealth Alliance), who@TheNatPulsefirst reported on in 2020 vis a vis the Wuhan lab. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. According to a new guilty plea, Dr. David Morens — an NIAID Fauci aide (2006-2022) — and 2 co-conspirators,…pic. twitter. com/SkPLWiyBGS— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam)August 18, 2026JoinPulse+to comment below, and receiveexclusivee-mail analyses. show lessDavid Morens, a former senior adviser at NIAID under Anthony Fauci, has admitted to a conspiracy to "defraud the United States" during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance believed to be a co-conspirator. show moreAmigrantman once lauded as an “Outstanding Refugee” faces felony charges for Medicaidfraud, with allegations linking his associates to a sex-trafficking operation. PULSEPOINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:A migrant inMinnesotapreviously hailed by the Democrat-led state as an “OutstandingRefugee” has been hit with eight felony charges stemming from an allegedMedicaidfraud schemeinvolving more than$1 millioninfraudulentclaims. Salman Ahmed Elmiis accused of aiding and abetting theft byswindleand theft byfalse representation, with prosecutors alleging that he and his associatesfalsified records, paid illegal kickbacks,andused unqualified or unsupervised workersto bill Medicaid for services that were not provided or were ineligible. 📺 DETAIL:Elmi co-ownedReva Health,aGolden Valley company that billed Minnesota’s Medicaid program for adult rehabilitative mental health services. Two associates, former Anoka County prosecutorAndrea SampsonandFrank Devone Reeves, face separate charges related to anallegedsex-traffickingoperation, with prosecutors claiming some people connected to that case were also used to support fraudulent Medicaid billing. In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services recognized Elmi with an “Outstanding Refugee” honor and anEntrepreneurship Award. The department said the awards program ended in 2024 and claimed that Elmi’s alleged conduct “does not represent Minnesota’s refugee community. ”🎯 IMPACT:Elmi appeared in court on Monday and was ordered held on $1 million bail. This case highlights ongoing concerns over fraud within Minnesota’s Medicaid and social service programs, with federal prosecutors estimating potential fraud reaching up to$9 billionsince 2018, particularly among theSomali community. Some of the cases have even included links to senior state politicians, such as RepresentativeIlhan Omar(D). JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. show lessA migrant man once lauded as an "Outstanding Refugee" faces felony charges for Medicaid fraud, with allegations linking his associates to a sex-trafficking operation. show moreThe Department of Justice intends to send an unprecedented number ofelectionmonitors to ensure free and fairvotingduring the midterm elections in November. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:The Department ofJusticehas announced plans todeploy 1,000 election monitorsduring the midtermelectionsin November. 📺 DETAIL:Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, has clarified that the monitors will be present toensure the midterm elections are free and fair. The plan will include arecord number of election monitors. The monitors will observe but will not intervene unless their support is required for an investigation. The monitors will function under the same authority as other election observers permitted by state law. “We just did it in the primary. We will do it to the tune of approximately 1,000 election monitors in the November election. This is something that DOJ does,” said Dhillon in aninterviewon Monday. “We respect state law… We reach out to the states. If their perimeter is 150 yards, we respect that,” the Assistant Attorney General added. Dhillon emphasized the negative impact of reports ofnon-citizen votingon the democratic process: “[N]oncitizen voting depresses citizens from turning out to vote becausethey believe there’s a lack of integrity in the process. ”🎯 IMPACT:The deployment underscoresthe importance of election integrityto the Trump administration. Recent polling suggests that the midterms arepractically neck-and-neck. As such, much of the public is likely towelcome additional oversightagainst cheating. The record number of monitors is likely to be taken as a source ofreassurancefor votersconcerned about election integrity. However, it is likely that those who regard the administration’s push for election integrity as undesirable,such as Democrat activists and officials, will treat the large number of monitors with hostility. The DOJ’s plans represent a potential solution to thewell-documented problemofnon-citizens voting in U. S. elections. While the presence of election monitors does not resolve the issue of non-citizens voting, which the Trump administration want to tackle throughvoter ID,the presence of the monitorsmay boost public confidencethat the democratic process is free and fair,encouraging higher turnout. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. show lessThe Department of Justice intends to send an unprecedented number of election monitors to ensure free and fair voting during the midterm elections in November. show moreA self-described “independentpollingand research” firm has admitted to fabricating polls throughout the 2026 election season, claiming it was part of a “social experiment” on the spread of unverified pollingdata. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:A polling company that gave failed far-left gubernatorial primary candidate Francesca Hong (D-WI) a double-digit lead hasadmitted to faking itspolls. 📺 DETAIL:On Monday, Median Strategies, a self-described“independent polling and research”firm, announced that all its polls were fake and told press outlets todisregard its previously released work. Median Strategiesclaimed that the fake polls werepart of a “social experiment”to examine how unverified polling data spreads. The firm released polls on theWisconsin Democrat gubernatorial primaryand theLos Angeles mayoral race. One of the fake polls suggested that Hong, the far-left candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a far-left political organization operating within the broader Democratic Party, had a23-point leadover her main rival, Milwaukee County Executive David Cowley, who ultimately won the primary. In another fake poll, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had a 12-point lead over leftist challenger Nithya Raman. The fake poll wasshared by Bassin a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter). The firm claimed that its experiment wasnot funded by any candidate,campaign, or organization. It also claimed that its experiment had no financial incentives or ties to betting markets. TheLos Angeles Timesuncovered the deception afterquestioning the firmabout its polling methodology. The firm’s website has since beenscrubbed. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn andshould not be cited or treated as genuine polling data. Median Strategies was created as ashort-term social experimentexamining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification. ” – Median Strategies statement. 🎯 IMPACT:This provides context for Hong’ssurprise defeat in Wisconsin. Hong was widely seen as the clear frontrunner, having been given a95. 5 percent chance of victoryby Kalshi and a substantial lead by several reputable and established pollsters. The extent to which the fake polls meaningfullyinfluenced voter behavioris unknown, although given the fact that one wasshared by a candidate,the revelations are likely to further undermine public faith in the reliability of polling ahead of the midterm elections in November. Image by LaShawnda Jones. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. show lessA self-described "independent polling and research" firm has admitted to fabricating polls throughout the 2026 election season, claiming it was part of a "social experiment" on the spread of unverified polling data. show moreA man identifying as awomanhas been sentenced to over six years inprisonfor plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, having been inspired by Luigi Mangione. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:A man identifying as a woman has been sentenced toroughly six years in prisonfor plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. 📺 DETAIL:Ryan Michael English, who goes by Riley Jane English,a 25-year-old transgender,was sentenced to63 monthsin prison for plotting to kill Secretary Bessent. Englishpleaded guiltyto charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying dangerous weapons on U. S. Capitol grounds before U. S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in late March. He was sentenced on Tuesday. “I was going tokill Scott Bessent,” English told police, having traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D. C. on January 27 last year. Having initially thought about killing Speaker of the HouseMike Johnsonand Secretary of WarPete Hegseth,English opted to target Bessent, who was in the process of being confirmed by the Senate. He also considered an attack on theHeritage Foundation. Englishturned himself inlater that day. Officers found a foldingknife, two bottles ofvodkafitted with cloth, and alighterin his vehicle. English told police that he was angered by Bessent’s comments regarding the minimum wage. According to prosecutors, English “had been thinking about for this for a whilebecause ofLuigi Mangione. “💬 KEY QUOTE:“Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their dutiesfree from intimidation and fear. This defendant’s threats crossed a clear legal line, and today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to protecting those who serve. Anyone who threatens violence against government officials will be identified, charged, and prosecuted tothe fullest extent of the law,” U. S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro declared back in March. 🎯 IMPACT:This represents another case of political violence involvinga transgender perpetrator. This has been a recurring issue throughout the Trump administration. The White House previously unveiledplans to crack down on transgender terroristsback in May. The fact that the would-be assassin was inspired by Luigi Mangione, whorecently pleaded guiltyto federal charges related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEOBrian Thomsonin December 2024, confirms suspicions that Mangione’s actions could inspirecopycats. This is part of a broader problem ofleft-wing political violencein the U. S. , especially targeting those serving under orallied withPresident Donald J. Trump. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. show lessA man identifying as a woman has been sentenced to over six years in prison for plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, having been inspired by Luigi Mangione. show moreAn aide to outgoing Senator John Cornyn (R) has crossed party lines to support Democrat candidate James Talarico in his bid to defeatRepublicancandidate Ken Paxton in their Senaterace. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:A former aide toSenator JohnCornyn(R-TX) has joined Democrat Senate candidateJamesTalarico’s campaign as he seeks to defeat Republican nomineeKenPaxton, who displaced Cornyn as the Republican nominee earlier this year, in theNovember midterms. Jacob Smith, who was Cornyn’s deputy legislative director and policy adviser for five years, now works as Talarico’s deputy policy director. 📺 DETAIL:Smith, who said he has “worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn”—a Republican-in-name-only (RINO) who has repeatedlybackstabbedPresident Donald J. Trump—for his “entire career,” and was “proud” to join Talarico’s campaign. The move comes after Texas Attorney General KenPaxton, an America First conservative committed to the Trump administration’s agenda,defeated Cornyn in the Republican primaryrunoff earlier this year with President Trump’s backing. The victory came despite Cornyn spending enormous sums on his campaign. Talarico, meanwhile, has been caught in several controversies regarding past comments, including claiming thatIslamic mysticsinfluenced his Christian beliefs, andtaking moneyfrom a donor linked to pedophile JeffreyEpsteinwhile campaigning against the “Epstein class. ”🎯 IMPACT:Smith’s switch highlights the preference of some in the GOP establishment to seeDemocrats win electionsover America First Republicans. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“I’ve worked forRepublicans like Senator Cornynmy entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign. ” – Jacob SmithJoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. show lessAn aide to outgoing Senator John Cornyn (R) has crossed party lines to support Democrat candidate James Talarico in his bid to defeat Republican candidate Ken Paxton in their Senate race. show moreNigel Farage’s Reform UK party has announced a new policy proposal to prioritize British citizens in the welfare system, addressing concerns about the sustainability of the nation’s fraying social contract. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:Reform UK has unveiled a policy proposal tolimit welfare payments, such as Universal Credit and housing benefits, toBritish citizens only. The plan aims to re-establish the principle ofnational solidarityin the welfare state, which has been undermined as a result of foreigners whose families have never paid into the system reaping increasingly large rewards from it. 📺 DETAIL:Currently,over 1. 3 million foreign nationalsclaim Universal Credit, accounting for nearlyone in sixwelfare recipients in the United Kingdom. Thegovernmenthas spent £55 billion (~$74. 5 billion) on welfare for foreign nationals over just the past four years. Former Reform parliamentary candidate Matthew Goodwin furthernotedon Tuesday that “more thanone in 10new social housing lets in England last year went to people who are not British citizens. ” The party plans to restrict most non-contributory benefits to British citizens if it takes control of the government after the next election, with foreign nationals retaining access to the socialized National Health Service (NHS) but required to pay a higherhealthsurcharge. 🎯 IMPACT:The proposed policy could save an estimated £21 billion (~$28. 4 billion) annually by the end of the decade, funds that could be reinvested in public services such asschools, hospitals, and national defense. Reform argues that the measure would also encourage foreign nationals toseek employment or leave the countryif they are unwilling to contribute, therebyrestoring fairness to the welfare system. 💬 KEY QUOTE:“Nation-states only survive so long as their citizens remainwilling to support a social contract, which is based on the idea of reciprocity. You work hard. You pay your taxes. You obey thelaw. You contribute to the country. In return, the stateprioritises national citizens, looks after them, and protects them. Britain’s social contract stopped being organised around national solidarity. What was once a national welfare state morphed into aninternational welfare state. ” – Matthew Goodwin📺 FLASHBACK:The British welfare state was historically designed to assistcitizens in need, but in recent decades, it has expanded to includemillions of foreign nationals, whose ancestors did not fund it and who have often made little or no contributions to it personally. Dear British workers—Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. You just paid £55 billion in 4 years on welfare for foreign nationals — roughly half of whom do not work. If you think this is unacceptable you now have a choice. You can keep paying billions or you canvoteReform & end welfare for foreign nationals. — Matt Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ)August 18, 2026JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. show lessNigel Farage's Reform UK party has announced a new policy proposal to prioritize British citizens in the welfare system, addressing concerns about the sustainability of the nation's fraying social contract. show morePrime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham is expected to delay any final decisions on two key North Seaoilandgasprojects. PULSE POINTS❓ WHAT HAPPENED:British Prime Minister Andy Burnham hasdelayed makingadecision on North Sea oil and gas drilling,citing potential backlash from Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) and supposedly bad “optics” amid wildfires. Notably, President Donald J. Trumphas repeatedlyurgedBurnham and his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, to reopen the North Sea, most recently on Monday, saying it would “make the UK rich again” and resolve the country’s issues withfragile energy securityandhigh prices. 📺 DETAIL:The Prime Minister has delayed making a decision onRosebank and Jackdaw,two North Sea oil and gas projects. Both projects are backed by Adura, the largest independent oil and gas producer in the North Sea. Adura has promised£10. 8 billion ($12. 6 billion)in investment as well as the creation of 3,500 construction jobs, with 880 permanent roles. The company has estimated that the combined output of Rosebank and Jackdaw could account for10 percentof Britain’s oil and gas. Rosebank is projected to produceapproximately 69,000 barrelsof oilper day. Regardless, the projects now face delays following backlash fromLabour MPs and green groups. Sources have claimed that the Prime Minister is worried about the“optics”of approving new oil and gas projects due to the wildfires affecting the country, despite the lack of a clear connection between the fires and oil and gas platforms at sea. 🎯 IMPACT:The delay has broughtdivisionswithin the governing Labour Party to the fore. If the Prime Minister delays the projects, MPs are likely to take the decision as proof that the Prime Minister can be pressured despite his large majority in the House of Commons. It will also signal to the public that the Prime Minister is more concerned with pressure from backbenchers, environmental groups, and celebrity opinion than with the general public’s concerns aboutthe cost of living,especially the rising cost of energy. Consultations on the North Sea projects have concluded with a final decision to be made by the Prime Minister and hisEnergy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, a Liberia-born net zero hardliner. 'If they open up the North Sea the UK will be rich again'Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse. Donald Trumpsays he has had a 'good conversation' with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. He says he thinks the PM will open up the North Sea, adding he will have 'solved' the UK's 'energy problem' if he does. pic. twitter. com/dwK9aClOVg— Sky News (@SkyNews)August 17, 2026Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street. JoinPulse+to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses. show lessPrime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham is expected to delay any final decisions on two key North Sea oil and gas projects. show more