MD Has a New Plan for Blue Catfish

 WBOC, Maryland law expands blue catfish removal efforts, gill nets.

A Maryland law aimed at reducing invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay has been signed by Governor Wes Moore after passing both the state House and Senate.

The measure, Senate Bill 610, creates a gill net program allowing licensed watermen to use specialized nets designed to more efficiently target blue catfish. Supporters say the approach is intended to increase harvests of the invasive species, which has spread throughout the Bay and its tributaries.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the method must be carefully managed. The group told WBOC in part, quote, “...gill nets can often unintentionally trap and kill other native species like striped bass and endangered Atlantic sturgeon. Any expanded use of gill nets must be closely monitored and controlled to limit impacts to other species.”

Waterman Grant Usilton says the change could provide a more effective tool on the water.  “It can definitely help, I mean it can't hurt,” Usilton said. Jordan Graves, who is also a waterman, echoed this message. “To me it just seems like more of an efficient way to catch them,” Graves said.

Talbot Watermen Association President Jeff Harrison said the program could help support the industry during slower seasons. “I hope that it gets signed into law and I hope it helps, to expand that industry," Harrison told WBOC. "Like I say, in the winter time instead of, worrying about market for your oysters, you can always get some gillnets and go up and catch some blue catfish."

The law is now in effect as Maryland expands efforts to manage the invasive species while supporting commercial harvesting opportunities.

I don't care how many Blue Cats they catch, but I do worry about by the bycatch.  

Beach Report 4/15/26

I got a late start today, and managed to hit just about the top of a high tide. Warm at home, in the 80s a strong SE breeze kept the temperatures in the mid 60s.

I met this beach dweller along the way. A Northern Watersnake, not as all the locals would like to insist a Water Moccasin. Totally non-venomous, but capable of a nasty bite if sufficiently provoked. I walked right up to it, and poked it with my walking stick (a piece of bamboo), and it took off into the surf.

A nice find. 

Isurus retroflexus, the Miocene equivalent of the Long-Finned Mako Shark. Not a terribly big one, but it's not very common.

A big upper Snaggletooth, 1 3/8 inch. What I spotted was just the thin line of the top of the root level with the sand. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to have taken that picture. I was pleasantly surprised at how big, and perfect it was when I pulled it out of the sand.

Maryland, My Maryland

Good news from the AP, Gov. Wes Moore falls short in push to redraw Maryland’s congressional map to boost Democrat. The headline could read Gov. Moore fails to end all congressional representation for Republicans in Maryland

Maryland Democrats have rejected an effort to redraw the state’s congressional map to boost their party’s chances in the midterm elections, a setback for Gov. Wes Moore who put his clout behind the attempt to blunt President Donald Trump’s own redistricting campaign.

The clock officially ran out on the proposal late Monday night as the state legislative session ended, a casualty of internal party disagreements. In the end, the Maryland Senate left the bill in a committee, with Democrats who control the chamber concerned it could backfire under judicial review.

The unusual mid-decade redistricting, which started when Trump encouraged Republican-controlled Texas to redraw their map last year, is expected to continue next week. Republicans want to change congressional boundaries during a special legislative session in Florida, while Democrats are asking voters to approve a redistricting referendum in Virginia.

But Democrats will not be poised to pick up a seat in Maryland, where the proposed map would have made it easier for voters to oust the state’s lone Republican member of the U.S. House.

But they did find time to pass this one,  Maryland state shark: Lawmakers approve first in the nation — the megalodon, even though they're all millions of years dead. 

In a last-minute move on the last day of the legislative session Monday, lawmakers gave approval to making the mighty, extinct shark a state symbol.

The megalodon is the largest shark to have ever lived, growing to 80 feet. Beachcombers regularly find its massive teeth along the Chesapeake Bay.

The legislation awaits Gov. Wes Moore’s signature.

Researchers at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons Island led the effort to get a state shark.

Regularly might be overstating it just a bit, although I'm pretty sure one or two are found fairly routinely among all the people looking. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - DC Appeals Court Bitch Slaps Judge Boasberg

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair reports 'Intrusive': DC Appeals Court Slaps Down President Boasberg – Again "For at least the third time, the circuit court has called an end to Boasberg's attempts to run the ICE and Border Patrol. Rao flat-out ruled that Boasberg has committed an ongoing "abuse of discretion" with his threats of criminal contempt citations:... "The widening gyre of the district court’s investigation again calls for the extraordinary remedy of mandamus to halt the judicial “impairment of another branch in the performance of its constitutional duties.” Cheney v. U.S. Dist. Ct. for D.C., 542 U.S. 367, 390 (2004) (cleaned up). The district court proposes to probe high-level Executive Branch deliberations about matters of national security and diplomacy. These proceedings are a clear abuse of discretion, as the district court’s order said nothing about transferring custody of the plaintiffs and therefore lacks the clarity to support criminal contempt based on the transfer of custody. Moreover, the government has already provided the name of the responsible official, so further judicial investigation is unnecessary and therefore improper. In these circumstances, mandamus is appropriate to prevent the district court from assuming an antagonistic jurisdiction that encroaches on the autonomy of the Executive Branch."" From Althouse, "These proceedings improperly threaten an open-ended, freewheeling inquiry into executive branch decision-making on matters of national security..." ""... that implicate ongoing military and diplomatic initiatives. This judicial intrusion into the autonomy of a coequal department cannot be remedied by a later appeal from a contempt conviction." Wrote Judge Neomi Rao, for the majority, quoted in "Appeals Court Ends Contempt Inquiry Into Deportation Flights/A federal judge’s nearly yearlong effort to investigate whether the Trump administration had violated his order had become a point of contention in the president’s battles with the courts" (NYT): Here's the opinion, from the District of Columbia court. The judge below was James E. Boasberg." Ace, DC Court of Appeals Bodies, Beats Down Obama Judge Boasberg for His Extrajudicial Unending "Investigation" Into Trump for Ignoring His Poorly-Worded and Also Illegal Order. Kaelen Deese at WaEx, Appeals court shuts down Boasberg contempt inquiry into Trump administration over El Salvador deportations. At this point, Boasberg needs to be impeached for waging an extrajudicial war on the executive branch. I know the Senate would never never convict, but the trial would be illuminating. 

Dave Strom at Hat Hair says You May Not Have Noticed, But Tulsi Is Doing a Great Job. She doesn't agree with President Trump on a lot, but they both know the intelligence services tried to do them both in, at least politically. She is well motivated to get to the bottom, and clean out some rot on the way down. Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "Out of everything we now know about the Ukraine impeachment episode, the key point is that Ciaramella was one of the central operatives in the events leading up to Joe Biden getting the Ukrainian prosecutor fired. That made him the perfect vehicle for advancing the “whistleblower” complaint, precisely because he himself was implicated in the underlying events. In effect, Ciaramella got to cover his own tracks, while his allies and higher ups, including Adam Schiff, got their impeachment. ..." Quote Andrii Telizhenko @TelizhenkoAndy, "Ciaramella -not a whistleblower he is part of the Obama-Biden-Brennan plot to undermine @POTUS and protect Bidens in Ukraine. In my meeting with Ciaramella in @WhiteHouse Jan 2016 he and NSC were pushing to go after and remove Prosecutor General Shokin for investigating Burisma." At Ace's Quick Hits, "Paul Sperry @paulsperry "BREAKING: IC IG Michael Atkinson, an Obama holdover and former aide to Russiagate operative Mary McCord, "weaponized the whistleblower process" against Trump by 1) failing to conduct basic due diligence and 2) willfully exceeding his statutory jurisdiction by altering the whistleblower form to no longer require firsthand knowledge as a prerequisite for reporting complaints in order to facilitate fake impeachment "whistleblower" Eric Ciaramella's 2019 hearsay complaint against Trump, an ODNI investigation has found based on hundreds of newly declassified docs." At PJM Stephen Kruiser is Just Wondering How Long Adam Schiff Gets to Lie About, Well, Everything. It's pretty much a perk of being in Congress. And Cathy Salgado cites the Dersh: Trump Should Move to Expunge 2019 Impeachment.

Ace is thrilled to report Bill Cosby SuperFan Eric Swalwell's Resignation Is Official, Effective Immediately "Would you like some Jello Puddin' with your rufies?" "Jennifer Van Laar reports that the earliest the election can be held is 126 days after the slippery-assed governor declares a vacancy." At News Wax, 5th Woman Alleges Sexual Misconduct by Rep. Swalwell. John Sexton at Hat Hair, Another Woman Accuses Swalwell of Raping and Choking Her. Ace again, Ana Paulina Luna: It's Going to Get Worse for Eric Rapewell, and He Might Wind Up in Prison PLUS: Another Drugging and Rape Allegation. "We'll see." At Page 6, Bleary-eyed Eric Swalwell wears a robe, parties with ‘yacht girls’ during ‘hush-hush’ St. Tropez blowout, wild video shows. "Sources tell us that in early September 2022, two of Swalwell’s pals jetted by private plane from Las Vegas to the French Riviera town where they chartered the 200-foot Arience yacht and called Swalwell to come join them." Atop Da Hill a House Republican: ‘Rapists should be hung, period’. Shipwreckedcrew, Eric Swalwell Wanted To Be President And Nancy Pelosi Fed His Delusion To Make Use Of Him In Pursuit Of Her Ends. "A no-talent local pol from a one-party area of a one-party state who a national political power player used to do her dirty work -- the ego and hubris that resulted is remarkable." Matt Margolis at PJM has hopes; Will the Swalwell Scandal Take Down a Democrat U.S. Senator, Too? Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Wild that banging a Chinese spy wasn’t what got Swalwell out of Congress, rather it was the democrat ruling class machine deciding he isn’t useful to them anymore." Sister Toldja at RedState, Mike Johnson Sends Signal That Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's Time in Congress Is Just About Up.

John Sexton asks Why Does the Media Keep Missing These Huge, Career-Ending Stories? They didn't miss it, they ignored it, until it became convenient for the Democrats. Tom Knighton at TAW, They knew and did nothing and at TownHall, The Media Patting Its Own Back Begins Anew. "Brian Stelter says that Swalwell's downfall was a testament to investigative journalism, for example, all while ignoring his colleagues who are defending their refusal to write about it as "not my beat," despite claiming to have known for years." Alex Berenson at Unreported Truths claims It is impossible to be too cynical (about the Democratic-legacy media axis) "Eric Swalwell has been (at best) an adulterer and sexual predator throughout his career in Congress. The Democratic Party didn't care, until he became a problem in the California governor's race." Martin Shkreli @MartinShkreli, "to all house dems, this can happen to you easily. imma tell you one time: don't fuck with me. @RoKhanna you fucked with me. that's against the aforementioned rules. so you next. everyone has a secret, a vice, a mistake. but not everyone has a determined enemy. tread carefully."

Freddie deBoer asks What is Left of "Believe Women"? "from Rolling Stone's Jackie to Sam Altman's sister, the rules shift and definitions strain." The rules are whatever it takes to hurt Republicans and serve Democrats. At Althouse, "The problem is less a 'boys will be boys' tolerance than a sense of resignation among politicians, staff and other members of official Washington that powerful, ambitious men are built differently." "Writes Michelle Cottle, in "How Many People Heard About Swalwell and Did Nothing?" (NYT)." 

From the Free Bacon, Gavin Newsom Said He Had a 'Moral Duty' To Release His Tax Returns Every Year He Served in Office. He Hasn't Since 2022. "Newsom has kept his returns private as his wife rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars from her charity, which is funded by corporations that do business with Newsom's California." Doreen Linder @DorLinder, "A California news team finds a left-wing group, “Build a Better California,” paying homeless people $5 a signature to sign petitions for ballot measures using other people’s names. This transpired in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. The man became violent when the reporter asked about the petitions on the hood of his car..." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn observes The Quiet Carnage of California's Minimum Wage Hikes Obsession Continues. The true minimum wage is zero. Jonathan Turley reports Disaster Tourism: California and Other Blue States Become Go-To Destinations for Econ Sightseers. Not the kind of vacation I want. 

Stacy McCain calls it Natives vs. Newcomers in Virginia: What ‘Spanberger’s Lobster’ Is Really About.

Spanberger’s Lobster. https://t.co/pxe2yZ9HgP

— The Patriarch Tree (@PatriarchTree) April 13, 2026

Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Democrats Just Got One Step Closer to Seizing Presidential Elections. Bob Hoge at RedState thinks Tom Steyer's Latest Incendiary ICE Proposal and Call to Arms Is So Outlandish, Even Newsom Might Blush. I don't think Newsom can blush. PJM's Bob Spencer sees Comrade Mamdani Gets to Work on His Cult of Personality. Matt Vespa at TownHall hears Graham Platner Has a New Explanation for His Nazi Tattoo. It's a Doozy. The military made him a Nazi. Say, how about just admitting you were young and stupid?

Oren Kessler @OrenKessler, "1) Pod Save America gives Hasan Piker softball opportunity to say he can't actually *mean* it when he says Hamas is "1,000x better" than Israel 2) Piker declines opportunity: "I mean it" 3) Headline of Ezra Klein's NYT op-ed, "Hasan Piker Is Not the Enemy," mysteriously changes." Drew Pavlou @DrewPavlou, "This is an absolutely disastrous moment for American liberalism because their top public intellectual just said they should embrace open communists who support mass killings and political terrorism. I compiled a video showing 65 times Hasan Piker endorsed political killings and terrorism: https://x.com/DrewPavlou/sta" Batya Ungar-Sargon @bungarsargon, "I could not love this more. The Obama Bro tries so freaking hard to sanitize Piker's love of terrorists, only to have it revealed that Piker is exactly who the Right says he is. The absolute state of the Democratic Party in one glorious 20-second clip." Quote Shannon Watts @shannonrwatts "Jon Favreau: "When you say Hamas is a thousand times better, do you mean that?" Hasan Piker: "I do mean it … I would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time.”"

John Sexton, Erika Kirk Misses Event in Georgia After Threats. At Shooting News Week, Life in a Soros Prosecutor City: Defender Faces Murder Charges While the Mob Runs Free. Ace, Wisconsin Sheriff Sues Liar for Claiming She Was Detained by ICE for Two Days -- When She Was Actually at a Hotel Getting Spa Treatments. "There must be consequences for disinformation and defamation. Isn't that what the self-appointed "Disinformation Experts" told us when they tried to ban Joe Rogan?" At Insty, VodkaPundit has another DISPATCH FROM THE BLUE ZONES: Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "OH. MY. GOSH!!! A judge in Charlotte NC just DROPPED THE BOND of an known Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM VENEZUELA from: $1,000,000 -> $25,000 No justification was given. Luis was charged after he fired a gun, his pregnant wife wrestled it away from him, but sadly in the process the gun fired and the bullet struck her stomach and k*lled her 7 month old baby. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO CHARLOTTE NC?!!!!!!" Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC, "Because Democrats and Republicans have collaborated with corporate America to import foreigners by the million to take your job and turn your town into a scene from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom." Quote New York Post @nypost "Why searching for jobs is becoming harder for millions of unemployed Americans: survey https://trib.al/Laimifj"

Ace's Documents Biden's Autopen Autocrats Knew About Elevated Stroke Risk from the Covid Jab But, Get This, Covered It Up and Falsified #TheScience "Trust the experts. Trust the outrageously dishonest partisans who insist that they are the only #Oracles who are qualified to tell you what #TheScience says." Tim O'Brien at PJM has a New Report: Biden DOJ’s Weaponization Against Pro-Lifers Was Worse Than Imagined. Capt. Ed, NEW: Report Proves Biden's War on Pro-Life Activists Was Real, and Spectacular; UPDATED.

Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "Far to many Democrats with positions of power within the GOP." Quote Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024 "Olivia Troye, former aide to Vice President Mike Pence, files to run in Virginia’s 7th congressional district as a Democrat. (Troye endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024)."

Jeff Charles at TownHall sees a Republican Donor Blows Up CNN Panel After Pope's Attack on Trump. Sunny @sunnyright, "The chief criteria for a just versus an unjust war being whether the guy who launched it cut off your illegal alien-based taxpayer subsidy gravy train" Quote 60 Minutes @60Minutes "“In the Catholic teaching, this is not a just war,” Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., says of the war in Iran. https://cbsn.ws/47SJKd8" and Hey while you’re there honoring the people who violently drove Catholics from the country, if you find the time in between that and condemning us for killing genocidal Islamist leaders, could you swing by and lecture the people currently massacring Christians in Africa?" Quote Catholic Sat @CatholicSat "Pope Leo XIV places a wreath of flowers and prays for the Algerians who died in the Algerian War of Independence against French Colonial rule at the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument in Algiers." Overton @overton_news, "Bill O’Reilly just put Pope Leo on the spot with the one question no one in the media will ask him. And with it, he completely exposed the Pope’s double standard in the feud with President Trump. O’REILLY: “I could mediate a settlement between the Pope and Donald Trump, I could do it.” “But in such a mediation I would have to ask his holiness very frankly…you had 30,000 people gunned down in Iran just a few weeks ago, we heard nothing from the Vatican on that at all.” “NOTHING!”..." Kate @kate_p45, "Have you ever noticed that we never see Catholic cardinals or the Pope speak out about all the Christian churches being burned down around the world? But yet, Pope Leo runs to showcase a mosque in a country that restricts Christians and other faiths, and coerces conversion to Islam. Not a single statement of concern from Pope Leo or the Cardinals about religious freedom and protections for Christian minorities in certain regions." Quote Tommy Robinson @TRobinsonNewEra, "Another church set on fire last night, this time in Saint-Romain, Quebec. Invaders are attacking our women, children and every fabric of our societies. All while politicians give them preferential treatment and put laws in place to..." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "It is in the best interests of the Roman Catholic Church, the USA and the world that the Vatican publicly release details as to the subject matter of the recent meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Obama's political strategist, David Axelrod. This incident is harming the Church in the USA far more than it is harming the USA itself. Transparency may defuse the situation." KanekoaTheGreat @KanekoaTheGreat, "It's fascinating to see what social media reveals about a person before they become the Pope. Before he became Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost was on Twitter trashing Trump, criticizing Vance, calling for open borders, promoting COVID vaccines, endorsing stricter gun control, and tweeting after George Floyd: "We need to hear more from leaders in the Church, to reject racism and seek justice." The account was deleted the day he was elected." At Althouse, Which U.S. Presidents have been called "The Antichrist"? "I wondered, on seeing the Wired article "Staunch Trump Supporters Are Now Asking if He’s the Antichrist/The Iran war and a series of social media posts, including one depicting Trump as Jesus Christ, have some conservative commentators and fans suspecting the president may be the antichrist.""

Peter Navarro at RCM thinks Friday's CPI Report Was a Lot of Noise, Not Much Signal. From TCW, Trump’s golden age that the media is desperate to tarnish. At Althouse, Trump is wowed by himself. ""Wow!" ADDED: At the link, which goes to a Trump post at Truth Social, there's video animating a series of photos of Trump, in chronological order, beginning with him as an angelic toddler. We get the sense of Trump through the years, but there is one glaring problem, and it's funny that he chose to share this video anyway. There is only one photo where he is shown with one of his wives, and that wife is Marla Maples."

WUWT, Mike Lee Takes On ‘Valley Of Death’ Plaguing Nuclear Energy Developers. 

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair is disappointed, Irish Government Survives to Ignore Its Citizens Another Day.

Capt. Ed, Are You Ready For Islamabad II: Blockade Boogaloo? and CENTCOM: 24 Hours And All's Well On the Blockade Front. Cathy Salgado sees 10,000 Troops at Work: CENTCOM Update on U.S. Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Pierre Rochard @BitcoinPierre, "The IRGC developed its Strait of Hormuz strategy with 1970s data and didn't update it. Devastating miscalculation." (interesting graphs at link). Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "45K likes because people don't understand the blockade is of Iranian ports, not the Gulf states." Dave Strom, Trump Ensuring All the Strategic Sea Lines of Communications Are Controlled by United States. Clandestine @WarClandestine, "Eyes on Hegseth just hosted Indonesian counterpart and announced a “Major Defense Cooperation Partnership”. The Strait of Hormuz is 2nd highest volume oil chokepoint on Earth. What’s the 1st? The Strait of Malacca, INDONESIA (80% of China’s oil imports pass through here). Global oil shipping chokepoints are being secured by the US MIL and their partners. Trump is securing the board! It’s happening." At Twitchy, Iran Announces Deployment of Its Miniature Submarine Fleet and X Can't Stop Laughing. 1945, Iran’s Next Move Decides Everything: Every Iranian Port Will Be Closed by the U.S. Navy. And at PJM, VodkaPundit sings All in All, It's Just Another Brick in the Wall Around China. Open Source Intel @Osint613, "Interesting to note: The United States was producing 13.58 million barrels per day in 2025, about 16% of global crude supply. It was exporting roughly 4 million barrels per day of crude. Iran shuts the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. April exports jumped to 4.9 million barrels per day, and May is tracking 5.2 million, an all time record. 28 supertankers are booked for May. Normally it is around 5. Asian buyers that once depended on Hormuz are now turning to U.S. supply. In some strange way, the Strait of Hormuz being blocked is actually the biggest payday U.S. oil has ever had."

NYPo, Trump tells The Post US-Iran talks ‘could be happening over next two days.’ From News Wax, Diplomats Try to Set 2nd Round of US-Iran Talks on 1st Full Day of Hormuz Blockade. Raylan Givens @JewishWarrior13, "WATCH: From C14 (English subtitles) After the Iranian delegation returned from Pakistan empty-handed, President Pezeshkian erupted, shouting at members of the delegation. In an exclusive quote obtained by C14, he told associates, “We are weeks away from collapse. They are cutting off our main source of income - I don’t know how we will pay salaries.”" Nioh Berg @NiohBerg, "The regime in Iran's every decision is based on this following sentence: "We just need to stall for time until Trump is out of office, and after that, we can do whatever we want" and "Everything happening today is downstream from Jimmy Carter backstabbing the Shah of Iran. Absolutely everything." I remember.

Dave Strom, Will Europe's Only Ally in the Middle East Turn Out to Be Iran? VodkaPundit at Insty thinks MELONI IS USUALLY SMARTER THAN THIS: Eli Lake @EliLake, "This hurts Italy. Doesn’t matter for Israel." Quote Raylan Givens@JewishWarrior13, "Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: Due to the current situation, Italy is suspending the automatic renewal of the security agreement with Israel."

At NYPo, Michael Goodwin: The New York Times’ hate-filled agenda drags on. Dave Strom, Meet the Iranian Propagandist Who Manages Iran's Social Media. He's Based in California. But does he write for the NYT, too?

From Wired, The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril "As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages."

At Insty, THAT KIND OF DENIAL PRETTY MUCH NEVER HAPPENS: Indiana U. professor says he was denied emeritus status after posting about male IQ. "As Ann Althouse says, it’s perfectly fine to talk about inherent sex differences, but you must always do so in a way that portrays women as superior." Ian Miller @ianmSC, "What’s impressive about this is that the education system didn’t just eliminate virtually all conservative thought as it moved toward left wing extremism, they got rid of almost anyone who was in the middle too. Anyone who doesn’t fully comply with the groupthink isn’t welcome." Christopher F. Rufo @christopherrufo, "Hampshire College made a big deal about offering spots to all of the left-wing New College of Florida students who wanted to leave after we eliminated their DEI and gender studies programs. Now Hampshire College is shutting down—go woke, go broke." Quote Kassy Akiva @KassyAkiva "Hampshire College is closing. I suspect there will be more."

Ace asks are they Fading into Irrelevance or Scurrying for Cover? [Seamus Muldoon] "Chris Bray at The Federalist: California Is Trying To Save The Pediatric Trans Industry Because It’s Dying." Insty reminds us THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO SHOW UP: More BirthsMoreBirths, "The childbearing gap between liberals and conservatives is absolutely exploding and has now reached 2 to 1 among women 25-35. In 1980, there was hardly any difference. Conservative fertility actually increased over 40 years, showing the power of pronatal culture on one side!" So, liberalism is a form of birth control?

Still mor at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.13.26 and In The Mailbox: 04.14.26.

The Wednesday Wetness

Queen's Escape, Anne Gumiran  𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄 + 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐒 🧜‍♀️🏝🌏 ➳ Advocate, Storyteller, Freediver, Adventurer

WVTF whines Around the Chesapeake Bay, rural communities struggle for money to keep federal waterways open as federal funding dries up. The feds never offered to help dredge our harbor.

Beach Report 4/14/26

It felt like summer today, 80s at home, mid 70s at the beach under an all but totally clear sky. 

The wind was strong, but from the SW, which barely effects the shore here. 

Huh? Actually, it was harder to spot when I first saw it, but the waves washed it out while I was fumbling with my phone.

Not too bad, the best of today's 20 sharks teeth, a 1 inch Snaggletooth lower, a little used, but to be fair, it's been kicking around for 10 million or so years.

Maryland, My Maryland

ABSOLUTE CHAOS

With 4 minutes to midnight the Speaker RAMS the Voting Rights Act through with NO DEBATE from the Republicans who were all standing to be recognized!

This bill will give minorities in the state a right to sue their county if they don't like the outcome of their… pic.twitter.com/FE3EcZueHn

— Maryland Freedom Caucus (@MDFreedomCaucus) April 14, 2026

I can't imagine that being abused, can you?

And Closer to Home

WaPoo, Scenic Chesapeake Bay county finds itself in the middle of a data center fight "Residents in Maryland are pleading with leaders to hold off, joining others around the country worried about the harm the projects may bring."

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — The local commissioners were 90 minutes into their meeting when they turned to the matter that had drawn dozens of residents and nearly a thousand more watching online: a vote that could delay the arrival of two massive data centers in Southern Maryland, including one on land intended for a public park.

Commissioner Mike Hart urged his Calvert County colleagues to not be seduced by the promise that the data centers would deliver tens of millions of dollars in fresh tax revenue, a pot large enough to pay for a wish list of items such as turf playing fields, a new sheriff’s headquarters and a property tax cut.

A more pressing need, Hart contended, is what communities elsewhere are considering as they seek to slow the spread of data centers — a moratorium allowing officials time to study how the tech warehouses that make online activity possible would affect the area, including whether they would generate intolerable levels of noise.

“What I know about a data center fits in this pinkie,” Hart told his four fellow commissioners, all of whom, like him, are Republican. “The responsible thing to do is to buy time and get the right people in place to help us through this.”

Over the past two decades, data centers have emerged as a robust economic engine for local governments across the country, a welcomed technological innovation that serves as the infrastructure to a faster, easier life. But the proliferation of the energy-hungry facilities, fueled by an explosion in digital demand during the pandemic and the advent of artificial intelligence, is provoking fierce opposition as concerns mount over strained electrical grids and soaring utility rates.Ask The Post AIDive deeper

The backlash was evident last month in a Pew Research Center poll finding that more Americans believe data centers adversely affect the environment and quality of life, even as they are more likely to see the facilities’ potential economic benefits.

In Virginia’s Loudoun County, home to about 200 data centers, the country’s highest concentration, officials have said they don’t want more. In Maine, legislation to ban most data centers until 2027 is advancing in the State House, while New York lawmakers have proposed a three-year pause. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) recently introduced a bill that would impose a nationwide moratorium on new AI data centers.

“Opposition has been expanding along with the intensity,” said Miquel Vila of Data Center Watch, an AI security firm’s research project that tracks resistance to the facilities. During a three-month period in 2025, communities around the country blocked or delayed 20 projects, a number greater than the total opposition over the previous two years, according to the group.

It's starting to be a topic of conversation here in the county. One of the sites being discussed is on property adjacent to the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, which you may know is only a hop, skip and a jump (about 2 miles) from our house. I haven't really taken a position yet. I'm not a big AI user as of yet (old dog and new trick), but I generally see it as a positive. It would mean more local jobs, certainly in the construction trades initially, but in the long run, higher paying technical jobs.

One concern I have is where they intend to get the water to cool the beasts. CCNPP is cooled by the bay, but I've been assured that will never happen again. Fresh water in Calvert County is well water, and most of the county is about maxed out on what they can extract from the aquifers before they start to run out. There is a deeper one, a 1000 feet down, the Patapsco aquifer that costs over a $100,000 to drill a well into.  I presume they'll use a closed loop heat exchange system with evaporative coolers, and the small amount of "blowdown", water that must be discarded as the closed loop gets too gunky, will be treated and released somehow. But details are sketchy so far.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Swalwell Slithers Out of Seat

As of yesterday morning all-round dirt bag and California rep Eric Swalwell had quit his run for governor over multiple allegations of rape and/or sexual misconduct, but was still coiled around his seat in congress. Later yesterday, he resigned from Congress... Bob Hoge at RedState notes Eric Swalwell Continues to Crash and Burn As Billionaire Boots Him From Mansion He Was Hiding In. Da Beast , Dem Star Kicked Out of Billionaire’s Mansion After Denying Rape Claim. “I am no longer supporting Eric,” he told the Post. “F---ing tell everyone I’m a libertarian. F--- you, Democrat Party. I’m a libertarian now.” Aww, too bad, he'll be out on the street like so many in California. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Swalwell Out; Democrats Admit Everybody Knew for Years. PJM's Stephen Kruiser, Eric Swalwell's Gubernatorial Bid Gets Hit By the #MeToo Train. Ace, Eric Fartwell Forced Out of Gubernatorial Race by Post-Biden-Debate Coordinated Campaign; Apologizes for "Mistakes in Judgment I Have Made in My Life", "He was forced out after Democrats threatened to expel him from Congress if he didn't resign from the race." Sundance at CTH, Eric Swalwell Quits Race for California Governor – Remains in Position as Pervert in DC. Hat Hair's John Sexton thinks The California Governor's Race is a Train Wreck (and Trump Should Make It Worse). "If Trump's team wanted to play some 11-dimentional chess here, they could think about further damaging this already disastrous governor's race by raising the profile of some of the other Dems in the race. Don't given Steyer or Porter any of the oxygen they crave, but a critical tweet about Xavier Becerra and Anonio Villaraigosa would probably ensure neither one of them drops out for a couple more weeks, making it harder for Porter or Steyer to rise. Again, if Dems want to make this whole race about opposition to Trump, why not have some fun with that?" From Da Caller, Rep Anna Paulina Luna, Moving To Expel Eric Swalwell, Says It’s ‘Inappropriate’ Dems Are Not Calling For Him To Resign. Driscoll at Insty, SWALWELL’S BLANKET PARTY and a very Driscolly post, featuring lots of comments by Jonathan Turley, MR. KISS KISS FANG FANG CRASHES OUT: Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley. "In one week, Eric Swalwell was forced to drop out of the California race, put under criminal investigation in New York, and is the subject of a bipartisan expulsion effort. He was even kicked out of the home of a billionaire who was letting him crash. However, that is not all..."

Too late! Cathy Salgado, Eric Swalwell Resigns From Congress. Sundance, Alleged Congressional Rapist, Eric Swalwell, Resigns from Congress while denying the crimes. Ace, Eric Swalwell Attempts to Short-Circuit Investigation and Effort to Expel Him, Saying He "Plans" to Resign (No Date Given), which is largely irrelevant because he rarely votes. But, Republicans don't get a boost out of it because, as NYPo reports Rep. Tony Gonzales quits Congress after affair, lewd texting scandal with staffer who fatally set herself on fire.

IT Guy @ITGuy1959, "The question everyone should be asking is how this went on for so long." Quote Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "JUST IN: OVER 50 former staffers of Eric Swalwell have just released a statement calling for him to RESIGN They also referred to the r*pe allegations against him as CREDIBLE." Possum Reviews @ReviewsPossum, "So Eric Swalwell has allegedly been committing crimes for years— everything from campaign finance crimes to rape— but it wasn't until he decided to run for governor in California and threatened to split the Democrat vote that it's all suddenly coming to light at the same time, and now every Democrat is demanding he drop out of the race, but not give up his seat in Congress." Yeah, funny how that works. Sister Toldja at RedState says 'Just Asking Questions': All Eyes Turn to Swalwell's Bestie, Sen. Ruben Gallego, As Scrutiny Intensifies. Robby Soave atop Da Hill, Eric Swalwell exposed for sexual misconduct; Katie Porter worse? Well, by it's design of power influence, and need for money for reelection, the House attracts the worst kind of people. PoIiMath @politicalmath, "If we are taking Bethany at her word, she's telling us that Hill reporters are *not allowed* to talk about scandals or stories that they are not specifically assigned to She's telling us that her entire industry is about narrative building, not truth seeking." Quote Bethany 貝書穎 @BethanyAllenEbr "I did not play it down. I very much wanted to report it out myself. But MeToo stories on the Hill aren't related to my beat, as much as I personally wish I could report them out. I passed the tip along to colleagues on the Hill beat."

Open Source Intel @Osint613, "Israel Hayom: The U.S. has begun enforcing a naval blockade on Iran, targeting all vessels entering and exiting its ports across the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The move is expected to inflict about $435M in total daily losses across Iran’s exports, roughly $13B per month, even as its oil revenues rose 37% during the war to about $139M per day...." Rod Martin says Trump’s Hormuz Trap Snaps Shut "Iran thought it could extort the world. Instead, Trump is turning a closed Strait into leverage, rising U.S. energy exports, and a global reordering." At Hat Hair Capt. Ed says Begun, the Battle Of Hormuz Has andIran: A Blockade? That's An Act of War! (no shit, Sherlock), Duane Patterson thinks Donald Trump Pulls The Wabbit Season Trick On the Iranian Regime and Dave Strom adds Iran: It's the Economy, Stupid. News Wax cites Trump: IRGC Fast Attack Ships That Approach Blockade Will Be 'Eliminated'. From the Bo Her, Lucas: Trump has Dems in a ‘strait’-jacket, "Impeachment talk on the Left play’s into Iran’s hand." Don Surber catches the NYT Rooting for Iran. "NYT officially hates America and promotes terrorism." Sky News @SkyNews, "BREAKING: The UK will not be involved in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Sky News understands. Earlier today, Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy would be blocking the critical shipping route..." Like they have the ships to do it. Keir Starmer @Keir_Starmer, "The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures. The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation. This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends." Jesús Enrique Rosas - The Body Language Guy @Knesix, "The dots that only a few seem to connect is that the Venezuela+Iran double tap was a headshot aimed at China, who's saying goodbye to cheap oil. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz thinking it was holding the West hostage. But in reality, 90 percent of the oil that flows through that strait goes east, and almost half of that goes to China in heavily subsidized product. Iran was not holding a gun to America's head. Iran was holding a gun to China's gas tank and screaming "LOOK HOW POWERFUL I AM YA FILTHY INFIDEL!!" at Washington. Because fuck logic I guess So what happened next was predictable to everyone except, apparently, the IRGC. Saudi Arabia said "Fine, I'll do this myself" and cranked its pipeline to the Red Sea to nearly seven million barrels a day. The UAE expanded its pipeline to the Gulf of Oman. Nature is healing. American crude exports hit a record 4.9 million barrels a day in April alone. Right now, 121 empty tankers turned around and sailed to the United States to load up on American oil because... it turns out there's an obscene amount of American oil. Iran's one big card, the only economic leverage it had left, just forced every customer on earth to build a permanent detour around Iran. That's like barricading yourself inside the only bridge in town and then watching the city build four new bridges while you sit there starving...."

News Wax has a Report the US Sets 6 Red Lines as Iran Nuclear Talks Stall. The Brussels Signal claims to have learned Three military lessons from the Iran war. Sundance wonders about Promethean Action Follows the Money in the Background of the Iran. YouTube, EXPOSED: Trump Names the Hidden War — Britain Has No Cards Left. Jonathan Leaf has News That's Been Drowned Out By The Sound of Battle, Part III. 

Dr. Eli David @DrEliDavid, "If it was an "autocratic regime", then how did people just vote in free democratic elections to replace him?! Can the Iranians also vote to get rid of their "autocratic regime"?" Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "“He won elections, then lost one and left peacefully, but he was definitely still an authoritarian because to admit otherwise would counter my narrative.”" Quote Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp, "I've seen a lot of takes that Orbán's defeat means that he was never an authoritarian in the first place. This is completely wrong — and, in fact, betrays a complete misunderstanding of both Hungarian politics and modern authoritarianism."

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn hears Petition Drive Hits Judicial Burp in the Road on the Way to Albertan Independence, Indian's unhappy to leave welfare state, and Irish Fuel Protests Might Bring Down the Government - 'No Confidence' Vote Tomorrow.

Vince Langman @LangmanVince, "David Axelrod met with the Pope last week, a few days later the Pope attacked President Trump on Iran. Then last night three liberal Cardinals attacked president Trump on 60 minutes This was all coordinated by Barrack Obama to break Trump's catholic base before the midterms." Quote 60 Minutes @60Minutes, "In a rare joint interview, three of America’s most influential cardinals, who actively serve archdioceses, share what they’re hearing in their pews." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "One does not need to be a rocket scientist to realize that the reason Obama henchman David Axelrod met with Pope Leo last week was to coordinate a media propaganda blitz and quasi-color revolution designed to separate faithful American Roman Catholics from support for the MAGA agenda." William Wheelwright @ploughmansfolly, "It is patently obvious that these tweets, which are indistinguishable from DNC messaging and make no meaningful mention of Christ, were drafted during or as a result of the meeting with Axelrod. People don’t seem to remember how closely associated the Church and the Democratic Party have been for the entire lives of Boomers and earlier. Biden and others ascended through their entire political careers as Dems while simultaneously claiming to be pro life and pro marriage. That the GOP could ever usurp the Catholic base is a 10-15 year old phenomenon. There is an obvious effort among the septagenarians of both of these institutions to shore up their political coalition and prevent the hemorrhaging of narrative and psychopolitical control." Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando,"If USASpending records are correct, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark has received $32.3 million for "refugee cash assistance/support services" from prime awardee International Rescue Committee. The president of IRC, a former UK politician, earns $1.2 million a year" "All I’m saying is that people might be less cynical about the Catholic Church’s grievances against restrictive immigration policy if they hadn’t been awarded $4 billion by the US government for resettling immigrants." Megan Basham @megbasham, "The Pope has cited the President by name in his remarks and urged voters to call their "Congressmen." Of course that's going to get pushback from the Administration. And it should. Because that isn't simply voicing general principles of the faith. It's politicking."

Nicole Russell at USA Today thinks Democrats' growing credibility gap may cost them the midterms. "In a volatile economic environment, marked by high gas prices and global instability, voters may choose predictability over ambiguity. It's why Democrats are not seeing the typical midterm surge." John Lucas at Bravo Blue, Abigail Spanberger to her voters: ‘I can do anything I want, get used to it.’ PJM's VodkaPundit sees Another Red State, Fully Californicated, Colorado. Joe Chalfant at TownHall sees California Democrats Just Revealed Their New Scheme to Protect Fraudsters. Make investigative journalism illegal. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "California legislators are trying to make investigating fraud illegal." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "California is trying to pass a bill that would criminalize investigative journalism with misdemeanors, $10,000 fines, imprisonment, and content takedown. The proposed bill is titled AB 2624 and was made after I exposed mass fraud by immigrant groups in America." Walter Curt @wcdispatch, "Elon Musk was right. The federal government was just writing checks to anyone who asked for years on end. ZERO Verification Requirements. Today, I confirmed a pattern: Dissolved business entities billing Medicaid at scale. In just one small batch, I’ve verified over $15MM. One was dissolved in 2011, yet between 2020-2024 it billed medicaid over $1.8MM. Our tax dollars are paying businesses dissolved over a decade ago. They don’t even check. They just send them money. It’s infuriating."

JB Shurk at Am Think thinks Democrats Are Killing the Country with Racism "The war on white Americans continues apace." From Twitchy, Jen Psaki Shares Words of Wisdom From ‘Minnesota Angry Man’ Who Assaulted TPUSA Reporter

Do you think Ginger Goebbels will address this at all on her next show, or is acknowledging lies and awful leftists the only thing that can get someone fired from @MSNOWNews? Or does @jrpsaki simply not have decency in her?pic.twitter.com/njcqGB887O

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) April 13, 2026

At PJM Matt Margolis is shocked, shocked to hear The Biden Admin Knew of COVID Vaccine Stroke Risk and Covered It Up.

Matt Vespa at TownHall, Oh Boy: Tulsi Gabbard Just Declassified the Docs Behind the 2019 Trump Impeachment Effort. Sundance is on it, with Atkinson Transcripts and Background ICIG (CIA) Investigative Documents Released, DNI Tulsi Gabbard Releases a Statement with Document Release from Two Silos and Johnny Didn’t Bark – But Tulsi Did. It's too bad that these revelations come out so long after the deeds that it's hard to work up righteous anger at the perfidy of the intelligence agencies under Obama/Biden.

Jake Sullum at Reason likes how A Federal Judge Dismisses Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Against The Wall Street Journal "Trump's failure to properly allege "actual malice" is consistent with his long history of filing shaky legal claims against people who say things he does not like." Why not let a jury decide? Well, you can't win if you don't sue.

At CIS, White House Declares the ‘Era of Amnesty’ in the Immigration Courts ‘Is Over’ "While NYT makes many of the same claims as it dives into IJ firings — but omits key points."

Ace, Tyler Robinson Made a Full, Handwritten Confession to His Gay Furry Lover, "Cavernous Nostrils hardest hit." John Sexton, Christian Nurse Who Called Trans Prisoner 'Mr.' Reaches Settlement with Hospital.

Mia Cathell at WaEx reports Fairfax County schools retain copious cultural observance days out of ‘diversity’ concerns.

Tuesday Tanlines

The Globe, Woman Famous for Racial Identity Controversy Reportedly Drinking Tanning Drops After Skin Cancer Scare

Nkechi Amare Diallo, previously known as Rachel Dolezal, who rose to infamy in 2015 for presenting herself as a Black woman despite being Caucasian, revealed she recently underwent surgery for stage 1 melanoma.

According to the Daily Mail, Diallo, 48, took to her Instagram Story last week to share that she underwent the surgery to remove a melanoma and vowed to no longer “lay out in the sun.” She also called it a “tough but grounding reminder of what years of sun (and a childhood in a family that didn’t believe in sunscreen) can do over time.”

The outlet also reports that Diallo turned to a drinkable tanning drop to replace sunbathing.