Flotsam and Jetsam - Iran Downs F15 and A10 Warthog, One Crewman still MIA

Ace, Iran Claims It Shot Down an F-15 Fighter and Is Searching for the Pilots, "Is this true? Well, Iran media has no credibility, except with the corrupt American propaganda media." Dave Strom, Iran Shoots Down F-15; Rescue Helicopter Hit? Second Plane Downed, Pilot OK. An F15 was shot down by Iran, the pilot recovered, but the weapons operator is still being sought. An A10 Warthog also downed during search, pilot recovered. WarMonitor @WarMonitor3, "There is nothing catastrophic about one plane being shot down in 5 weeks of operations against a supposed regional powerhouse, with one member of the crew already rescued as the US has created such aerial dominance it can fly into Irans airspace and extract a downed pilot." Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Have you ever read a book? Yikes." Quote Fareed Zakaria @FareedZakaria "Has any US military action ever racked up so many costs for so few gains? My latest column: https://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/"/03/iran-war-trump-hormuz-mistake/." Insty says HAHA, Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "Both of the Iranian commanders in this video are dead." Quote Jackson Hinkle @jacksonhinklle, " IRAN IS NOT PLAYING GAMES!" Neither is Israel. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair asks Who's Ready For Flintstonistan? So far the US and Israel have spared civilian infrastructure, but that may end as they put more pressure on the Mullahs and IRGC. Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "Two days ago, Israel passed a law that allows for convicted terrorists to be sentenced to death—they received international condemnation. Since the start of this year, the Islamic Republic has executed 637 innocent Iranians—there has not been a word of condemnation. Weird."

At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed says Boom! US Adds 178,000 Jobs In March. Sundance at CTH is on it with March Jobs Report Triples Expectations – 178,000 Net Jobs Gained and NEC Director Kevin Hassett Responds to Latest Jobs Data and Economic Impacts from Iran Conflict. VodkaPundit at Insty says HMM: The case for Trump’s tariffs looks strong a year on from ‘liberation day.’ From RCP, Why Small Business Matters More as Iran Drives Costs Higher. At NewsMax, Trump Admin Presents New Plan to Slash Two-Thirds of Consumer Watchdog Workforce, since the courts won't let him eliminate them entirely.

Betsy Stauffer at LI, France Joins China, Russia in Blocking Gulf Nations’ Bid to Use Force to Open Strait of Hormuz. David D. Chapman @DavidD_Chapman, "France was the only Western country to vote 'NO' at the UN Security Council to authorize Arab nations to use force to open the strait. France voted with China & Russia. That was yesterday. Today, French ships are passing through the strait. I don't believe in coincidences." Quote Open Source Intel @Osint613 "JUST IN The French‑linked container ship CMA CGM Kribi has successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first known Western‑affiliated transit through the strategic waterway since the Iran war began, sailing under a Maltese flag..." Roger Simon at American Refugees, Why Meloni Backstabbed Trump "Can Old Europe be saved?" Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "No matter how many times you guys say this, it won’t change the fact that the EU is funding Russia’s war machine (the most important aspect of all this) and is currently helping a Russian ally in Iran. Look in the mirror." Quote William HJ @WilliamHj15 Replying to @bonchieredstate, "You must be anong the dumbest supporters in world history. Look at what Trump is doing, he is the one empowering Russia - not the EU." Hat Hair's Josh Hammer asks the big picture question, What Exactly Is the Purpose of NATO in the Year 2026?. It's hardly to save Europe from Russia; Russia has been take to a draw by little Ukraine. Matt Vespa at TownHall on Why the NYT Had to Issue a Monster Correction for This Piece About Trump and NATO. Sasha Issenberg @sissenberg, "Does the @nytimes know what NATO stands for?" Omri Ceren @omriceren, "This is what happens when you let woke children run newsrooms." Sundance calls it One Picture to Personify American Media. NYT promised a "correction" in the next print edition. Brandon Straka #WalkAway @BrandonStraka, "UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns the organization faces collapse without continued U.S. funding, which contributes roughly $2.2 billion to its core budget. "the United Nations is on the brink of total collapse"" Sarah Anderson at PJM, The New Monroe Doctrine: It's Getting Hot In Here...

From Twitchy, Vindman Outrage is the Ultimate Endorsement: Hegseth Rightly Boots Army Chief Gen. George.  InfantryDort @infantrydort, "Poor General George C. Marshall. If you think the SECWAR criticism is unique, it's not. Marshall had to defend his actions powerfully and without apology: “Most of our senior officers on such duty are deadwood and should be eliminated from the service as rapidly as possible.” — Reply to Justice Felix Frankfurter, 1940–41..." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Who wants to tell The Atlantic how many generals Lincoln went through?" Quote The Atlantic @TheAtlantic, "“Dumping the Army chief of staff in the middle of a war, without explanation, is a reckless move even by Hegseth’s standards,” @RadioFreeTom argues: https://theatln.tc/BLCvafwZ:" 

Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "So SecWar Pete Hegseth just fired Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the US Army’s (now former) Chief of Chaplains. I have zero insider information on this, but I have my own theories as to why it happened. Green’s most important event as the Chief of Chaplains was to produce the United States Army’s “Spiritual Fitness Guide.” Published in July of 2025, Stars & Stripes wrote an article on this with a link to the guide. (I’ll put all related links in a comment email one below.) I’ll save you the trouble of clicking on that link — it goes to the US Army’s website, and it’s “404 Page Not Found.” That kind of explains a lot, doesn’t it?..." John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad, "Wait. Wait. Wait. I thought everyone knew about the chaplain corps move. Based on my DMs, maybe not. Navy Chaplains assigned to the Marine Corps were resistant to the cultural revolution happening across the force. So… Admiral Gilday, the avowed defender of Ibram X. Kendi, and General Mark Milley moved the entire Navy Chaplain School from South Carolina to Rhode Island to, in their words, “shift it culturally and intellectually” towards the Naval Woke College. They said it out loud. The chaplains who wouldn’t bend the knee got relocated..." Streif at RedState notices Hegseth Slammed for Barring Catholics From Good Friday Religious Services - There's Just One Tiny Problem. "There is literally no way Catholic and Protestant worship on Good Friday even vaguely resembles one another.  The only thing nefarious here was the cheap shot taken at Pete Hegseth." Cathy Salgado at PJM notes Hegseth declares Military Bases Are No Longer Gun-Free Zones  “Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside our borders,” said Hegseth in an April 2 video. “Some are domestic. Confirming your God-given right to self protection is what I'm signing into action today. And I'm proud to do so.”

Dmitri Bolt at TownHall likes the New CNN Poll: Even Democrats Are Done With Democrats. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "If you are a non-elected member of the US federal government (i.e., civilian GS employee, career SES, contractor, military) and you are “resisting” or “slow-rolling” lawful initiatives of the Trump Administration, let me tell you what you are actually doing. You are not “resisting” Trump. You are not “resisting” Cabinet secretaries (Pete Hegseth, e.g.) You are not “resisting” a policy you find politically unpalatable. NO. You are not “resisting” any of that. Instead, you are resisting THE CONSTITUTIONAL WILL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EXPRESSED VIA THEIR ELECTORAL CHOICES..." VodkaPundit at Insty thinks THE COUNTRY HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH CRAZY RICH WHITE LADIES: Steve Guest @SteveGuest, "Gavin Newsom’s wife on how she raises her kids: “I've given our boys dolls…if I'm reading a book and the protagonist is a male, I just change the 'he' to a 'she.'”" Vicky Taft at PJM has another edition of West Coast, Messed Coast™ — Feds' HUGE Bust in 'Kingdom of Fraud' Leaves King Gavin Big Mad.

Parker Thayer @ParkerThayer, "ActBlue's comms team is now accusing both the New York Times AND their OWN LAWYERS of lying in the SAME press release. We're in uncharted territory folks, a truly generational comms team meltdown." Sundance at CTH, New York Times Reports the Primary Fundraising Mechanism of Democrats Willfully Accepted Foreign Donations. At CJ, The DSA Is Following the Soros Playbook, "The Democratic Socialists of America is prioritizing local elections to advance radical policies." Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "WOW. 2 of the NGO organizers of the No Kings Protests paid themselves $6 MILLION DOLLARS last year Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin are the co-directors of Indivisible. Indivisible is one of the organizers of “No Kings rallies” It’s funded by George Soros Payroll protest data: “Wait until you see how much Leah and Ezra paid themselves this year from their own organization that organized this event. Indivisible is a PAC, which means that all of their transactions and payments are public. We have the receipts right here..." Like the old dope peddler "Doing well by doing good." Althouse, "Wealthy Republicans were first to form a daisy chain of nonprofit giving to funnel anonymous money into the political system." ""But recently, this path has been exploited to a far greater degree by wealthy Democrats, many of whom are seeking anonymity to avoid reprisals from President Trump, even as they donate tens of millions of dollars at a time to defeat Republican candidates...From "Wealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits/Using philanthropy for campaign donations is illegal. But an exception for some nonprofits has allowed Democratic billionaires like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg to remain anonymous when they want to play politics" (NYT)(gift link)."

The Free Bacon finds 'Yield Positions of Power to Those Otherwise Marginalized': Mamdani's Cash-Strapped Parks Department Trains Leaders on 'Becoming Anti-Racist' "The training, which recommends books from Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, encourages supervisors to identify 'subtle' slights workers experience 'due to their group identity'." NPOV @npovmedia, " FORENSIC BREAKDOWN: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s and First Lady Rama Duwaji’s Wikipedia pages have been systematically sanitized, with praise for terrorists softened, endorsement of deadly attacks minimized, and verified racial & homophobic slurs blocked. THREAD."

 

Bonchie @bonchieredstate "He tried to fight a union worker for disagreeing with him and made a Gold Star mom cry." Governor Newsom Press Office @GovPressOffice, "RT if you miss having a President with empathy." (Biden).

Sean Fitzgerald (Actual Justice Warrior) @IamSean90, "DeSantis approved the Brightline extension from Orlando to Miami in 2019. It cost $5 billion, no taxpayer funding & was completed in 4 years. Every conservative is cool with. Cali has spent $16 billion of an estimated $135 bil in taxes, for 0 miles of rail. Spot the difference" Quote Jeffrey Luscombe @JeffreyLuscombe "Why do Conservatives hate this so much? Anyone? (Cool video of fast train).

Scott Pinsker at PJM thinks ‘The Epstein Files Released the Attorney General’ — and the Dems Mock a Pregnant Woman’s Weight Gain

John Sexton sees Demand Justice Warns Trump Could Fill Two More SCOTUS Vacancies, just not the two we most need to vacate.

From Fox, Parents of MacDill bomb suspects are illegal immigrants, DHS warns of birthright citizenship dangers "Trump administration argues the case underscores national security risks as birthright citizenship heads to Supreme Court." Chinese. Twitchy, Deportation? We Don't Do That: Illegals Squat for Decades, Their 'American' Kids Try to Bomb MacDill AFB. Basil the Great @BasilTheGreat, "Yes they hate us. Yes lots of them are like this. Yes they should be deported."

Josh Kraushaar @JoshKraushaar, "Social media isn’t real life. James Fishback, the antisemitic GOP candidate getting outsized attention on this platform and in parts of the mainstream media, polling at… Four percent in the GOP primary (trailing Donalds by 42 points!)." Quote Emerson College Polling @EmersonPolling, "NEW: FLORIDA POLL 2026 Gubernatorial GOP Primary Byron Donalds 46%." At PJM VodkaPundit thinks 60 Minutes Faces a 'Bloodbath,' but That's not the Worst of It. “Bari wants to make the show harder,” one source told The Post. “No one is talking about ‘60 Minutes’ on Monday morning.”

Daniel Friedman @DanFriedman81, "All the Jews who have been driven out of places like Columbia have been going to places like Vanderbilt. As universities like Columbia have changed their values over the last 15 years, their student quality has declined. Hopefully institutional reputations will catch up." Quote Vanderbilt University @VanderbiltU, "For the first time ever, Chabad of Vanderbilt hosted its annual Passover seder inside FirstBank Stadium, bringing hundreds of students together for an unforgettable on-field celebration. Read more in the @Tennessean: http://vu.edu/knt33."

A Driscolly post at Insty sees MILE MARKERS ON THE ROAD TO DETROIT, SOCAL EDITION: "Fears grow of ‘Detroit-Style’ decline as Hollywood jobs evaporate. Real fear is growing that Los Angeles’ once-thriving TV/film industry is taking a “Detroit-style” decline with Hollywood jobs evaporating over the last few years. A staggering 30% drop in film and TV employment since 2022 has experts warning that the city is following the path of the Motor City where the auto industry used to boom, according to the U.S. Labor Department, the Wall Street Journal reported. Recent stats show that as of March 2026, jobs in the motion picture and sound recording industries have dropped from where they were at their peak in July 2022 of more than 455 thousand jobs to 344,000. That’s a lot decline to hide!"

At the Am Mind, Inez Feltscher Stepman on what it's like Living Under the Feminist Gaze. 

And plenty more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.03.26, but the outside beacons.

Rule 5 Saturday - Nicky Whelan

This week's Rule 5 exemplar is

Nicky Whelan (born 10 May 1981) is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Laurie Mitchell in Chosen (2013), and Pepper Steiger in Australian soap opera Neighbours (2006–2007).

Before Neighbours, Whelan hosted a number of shows, including Coxy's Big Break (Seven Network), Beyond the Boundary (Network Ten), and Melbourne Woman (Seven Network), and played the fictional celebrity "Chrissie Grant" on Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge, a spin-off of All Aussie Adventures. Whelan is also known as the face of the rural Victorian city, Shepparton, and she hosted the night racing at Moonee Valley for eight years. Whelan has also posed for a number of Australian magazines, including FHM (in October 2007), Ralph (in November 2005) and Inside Sport.

After leaving Neighbours, Whelan moved to Los Angeles. She made guest appearances in episodes of Entourage and Melrose Place, before securing a role in the ninth season of Scrubs as Maya, an Australian medical-school student. Whelan also stars in the 2010 film Hollywood & Wine alongside David Spade.

 

Environmental Impact Concerns Prevented Potomac Sewer Fix

By way of John Sexton at Hat Hair, Massive DC Sewage Spill Caused by Environmental Review That Dragged on for Years

So this was one of the worst sewage spills in American history and naturally people wanted to know why this happened. Today the Washington Post has a story answering that question. It turns out the damage to the section of the pipeline that failed had been known since 2018. But instead of immediately getting to work, the National Part Service decided it needed to perform an environmental review which dragged on for years and prevented the repairs from being made.

D.C. Water asked the National Park Service for permission to fast-track repairs in 2018, after inspectors found widespread corrosion and detached rebar in one area of the six-foot-wide concrete pipe that runs under federal parkland in Maryland, records show. The utility sought to strengthen a three-quarter-mile section that included the point that later ruptured...

But the National Park Service’s environmental review dragged on for years and was still not complete when the pipe collapsed — a delay that experts said appeared to flout a 2020 federal rule requiring such examinations be done within one year...

A review by The Post of more than 2,600 public utility documents reveals how concerns about the removal of trees and vegetation, along with other environmental impacts, postponed repairs to the Potomac Interceptor. The pipe continued to degrade for more than seven years before it failed on Jan. 19 and released one of the largest spills of untreated wastewater in U.S. history.

Northern Long-eared Bat

 

This happened because the NPS was concerned about the trees and an endangered bat species.

In September 2021, during President Joe Biden’s first year in office, the utility informed the Park Service that the project would probably require removing not three trees, but about 260. The utility promised to replant hundreds of trees, replacing the diameter of those lost, inch-for-inch.

Park Service officials replied that they had “critical concerns” about the trees, partly because they might serve as a habitat for the endangered northern long-eared bat.

The bat typically lives in caves and mines but can rest in shaggy bark and crevices of trees along the C & O Canal in warmer months.

Ultimately, the Park Service decided it needed to do a major review of the site because the plan involved work at another spot a short distance away thus compounding the environmental impact.

A law passed under the Trump administration required the NPS to finish its review in one year from the date it announced it was necessary, but instead the review just dragged on for years even as continued inspections of the pipeline showed it was deteriorating. In fact, the section which eventually failed was cause for an emergency meeting in December 2024.

On Dec. 12, 2024, D.C. Water officials met with Park Service officials to deliver an urgent request, according to a D.C. Water presentation prepared for the meeting. The utility said it needed approval to begin repairs on the most critical 800 feet that appeared to be in imminent danger of failing.

The Potomac Interceptor “needs immediate repair in which the rapid degradation of the pipe has made it a high priority task to prevent collapse,” read the first item on the meeting agenda.

Crews finally got to work last fall and finished a small section. The plan was to continue the work on the next section of the pipe this summer. Instead, the pipe failed in January. So this disaster was the direct result of an ecological review that took seven years.

The tendency for government to put off needed work is just astounding. I wonder how are the trees and bats getting on now? 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Bondi Out at DOJ

First a rumor, then officially announced, Pam Bondi is to leave the job of Attorney General at DOJ for an unspecified private sector job. Asst AJ Todd Blanche, a former Trump lawyer will replace her at least temporarily although EPA Admin Lee Zeldin is thought to be a strong possibility for a permanent replacement. Both Trump and Bondi are being nice about it, but I suppose there's plenty of time for a nasty tell all book later. Reasons for her dismissal are vague, most speculate it percolated up from the way she botched the Epstein files releases, saying she had the file of Epstein clients "on my desk," when it turned out there really isn't such a file. It could have just been unfortunate bureaucrat speech, but it makes it much too easy to charge a cover up. Or it could have been her failure to exact legal vengeance on those who committed lawfare against Trump. One odd rumor suggests she tipped off Eric Swalwell to the investigation coming his way over Fang Fang. Fox, Pam Bondi already fired as attorney general, cabinet official teed up as replacement: sources. Jeff Charles at TownHall, President Trump Fires Pam Bondi. Sarah Anderson at PJM, Pam Bondi Fired, Todd Blanche to Replace Her as Acting Attorney General. Sundance at CTH is not sad, Bondi Out. "Readers of CTH will likely not see this as a surprise. {Go Deep}Pam Bondi was the second sequential cabinet level removal prediction we made after she was announced. {GO DEEP} The first person we predicted to be removed was National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Susie Wiles should be embarrassed." Althouse likes her NYT, "Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a tremendous job..." ""... overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900. We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP" Trump, at Truth Social." Ace, Breaking: Multiple Reports That Trump Has Told Pam Bondi That Her Time as AG Is Coming to an End "Update: She's been fired now?" and Bondi's Out. Is Tulsi Next?! "As you know, Pam Bondi was fired today. This article repeats the rumor that Trump believed she was leaking to Eric Swallwell:" Matt Vespa at TownHall, Pam Bondi Reportedly Isn't the Only One on the Chopping Block, with picture of Tulsi. At Hat Hair Capt. Ed calls it Too Weird to Check: Trump Canned Bondi Over ... Swalwell? Sundance, No, Bondi Was Not Fired for Leaking to Swalwell and Bondi’s Replacement is Important, But Not as Important as Perceived. Reason whines Pam Bondi's Loyalty to Trump Wasn't Enough To Save Her Job "Ultimately, Bondi's fulsome defense of the president could not overcome blowback over her handling of the Epstein files."

I've got little reason to diss Bondi, though I do think she botched the Epstein matter. But the job of AG is a very important one, particularly in the era of lawfare. If Blanche or Zeldin would be better for the administration, yes, make the change. As for Tulsi, I would not be in a rush to dump her. She and RFK Jr are the evidence that Trump is willing to work with the principled opposition. Moreover, both Pam and Tulsi were dropped into snake pit; both Justice and the intelligence community are seething masses of anti-Trump fervor. It's hard to know which snakes are the King Snakes and which are the Coral Snakes.

Mike Davis @mrddmia, "The Colorado Court of Appeals confirms what we’ve said for years: Mesa County District Court Judge Matthew Barrett illegally persecuted Tina Peters for her First Amendment-protected political views. 9 years in prison. For a 69-year-old woman. Because Barrett didn’t like her political views. Barrett is a garbage human being. He shouldn’t be on the bench. He should be in prison. https://coloradojudicial.gov/system/files/o"

The Archdude @The_Archdude, "I want Canadians to land on the moon just so that their first words on the surface are forced to be a land acknowledgment to the native indigenous people of the United States." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Got a Major Charge Seeing Artemis Zoom Off? Progs Are Here to Tell You It Was ALL Bad. M.A. Rothman @MichaelARothman "𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐁𝐂 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 “𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍” 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐒 BBC Radio 4 is running a premiere of 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘦 asking whether the Artemis 2 moon mission raises “𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴” — including whether humanity risks “𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.” The moon. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. On the moon..."

From Twitchy, Chuck Schumer Admits Dems Held Up TSA Funding and Now He's Upset Trump Took Away Their Leverage. Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "All this because Thune let Schumer renege on the appropriations deal, while still giving Democrats everything they wanted in the other appropriations bills. Thune sucks." Quote Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "According to a memo that OMB sent to Congress, it appears the White House plans to take “additional executive action” to pay civilian support employees at ICE & CBP via the OBBB since they aren’t being paid now and won’t be paid through appropriations because the Senate DHS bill. Republicans are agreeing to provides no funding for ICE & CBP.It appears the WH intends to get those support employees paid via OBBB so they don’t want to wait until June for a reconciliation bill. They haven’t been paid since mid February. pinions-2026-04/24CA1951-PD.pdf" PJM's Stephen Kruiser thinks Dems' Ballroom Hate Is the Saddest Proof Yet of Their State of TDS Mental Unwellness.

Hat Hair's Dave Strom sees EU Pokes the Bear Again: Bragging About Sending Aid to Cuba. "Do European leaders WANT Donald Trump to leave NATO?" The Euro Con, Brussels-Funded NGO Attacks Conservative Governments, Again. Nick Arama at RedState has a Report: Our 'Ally' France Just Made Another Incredible Move Regarding the Strait of Hormuz "The Gulf countries were trying to advance a resolution drafted by Bahrain in the United Nations Security Council that would allow the use of force to defend their shipping in the Strait of Hormuz...But the effort was effectively stymied on Thursday by three countries. You could probably guess two of them - Russia and China. But the third was ridiculous: France. They opposed any authorization of military action or use of force, according to a diplomat and a senior U.N. official." No soup oil for you! Tom Sauer @thomasbsauer, "Like we haven’t been planning for this event and what we’d do for DECADES. It’s practically US 5th Fleet’s raison d’etre Go ahead, Iran. Try it." Disclose.tv @disclosetv "JUST IN - Iran has moved to close the Strait of Hormuz, with ships reportedly receiving VHF transmission from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warning "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz." — Reuters"

Iran International, Dubai crackdown hits Iran’s economic lifeline, squeezes IRGC networks. wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "To understand why Saudi Arabia and Israel are urging Trump not to relent on Iran it is important to understand the military term "pursuit phase". Pursuit is the phase which follows a breakthrough designed to catch or cut off a hostile force that is attempting to escape (retrograde), with the aim of destroying it before it can reorganize or establish a new defensive position. It begins when the enemy breaks contact and tries to withdraw, often after losing cohesion..." and "If this deck of cards tally is accurate the Iranian Regime is not so much being changed as shaped. At least that's what they seem to be doing." I assume the Israelis are not yet done. Apranik @patriot_apranik, "A host went on live TV begging ordinary Iranians NOT to leak the hiding locations of regime officials to Israel! He literally cried that if the people expose their coordinates, “it's over” and they will be eliminated. The Islamic Republic is terrified because they know the ultimate truth: millions of Iranians are acting as the eyes and ears of Israel on the ground. The Iranian people are actively cooperating to hunt down their oppressors. We are allies in this fight." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.02.26 (Evening Edition), Don Surber notes Trump predicted this in 1987.

Nick Arama White House Humorously Skewers Remarks Kamala Harris Decided to Put Out Before Trump's Iran Speech "Kamala Harris oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and ushered in an invasion of migrant criminals into our homeland. She should listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans who want her to crawl under a coconut tree and go away." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.02.26 (Evening Edition), Twitchy, Expert on Grand Strategy Can't See the Rationale for Blowing Up a Bridge in Iran. "Mehdi Hasan, who's definitely not a terrorist supporter, called the destruction of the bridge state terrorism and a war crime." Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "The current state of The Bulwark. People who spent a decade promoting the Iraq War are now certain that a month-old conflict of total military domination has been lost because it's not over yet." At WUWT, The Iran War Reveals Who Is Living In A Fantasy World.

From Ace, As Part of JD Vance's Anti-Fraud Task Force, Feds Raid Fake Hospice Fraudsters In California. PJM's VodkaPundit asks The $196 Billion Question: Where Did California’s Medi-Cal Money Go? Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "I’m not a blackpiller but the web of corruption that extends between the Democratic Party, the public sector, NGOs, and various connected cronies is worse than anyone can imagine. We’re probably talking about hundreds of billions $ stolen nationally each year." Quote Christopher F. Rufo @christopherrufo... "In Gavin Newsom's California, the officials who are in charge of investigating fraud are committing fraud against the very programs they are supposed to protect. "Sacramento is pervaded by a culture of corruption."" PJM's Rick Moran pens Gavin Newsom, 'The Celebrated Jumping Fraud King of Calaveras County'. Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "Did you pay your federal taxes?" "They're . . . delayed." "They're delayed?" "Yes.""So you haven't paid them?" "No." Replying to @charlescwcooke Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "Just read this. A combined income of nearly $400,000/year. $60,000 of childcare paid for from campaign funds each year—three times as much as the next congressman. And his finances still look like this. These are the people who want to raise taxes. Crazy." Eric Swalwell. 

Sean Cooksey @SeanJCooksey, "A bombshell NYT report on the major legal jeopardy ActBlue is facing! ActBlue allegedly failed to investigate potentially illegal foreign political contributions and then misrepresented its safeguards to Congress. As a former FEC Chairman, I can tell you this is a big deal." Quote Shane Goldmacher @ShaneGoldmacher "NEWS: ActBlue May Have Misled Congress on Vetting Foreign Donations, Its Lawyers Warned From @reidepstein and me:" Nathan Brand @nathanbrand, "Worst kept secret in DC… ActBlue failed to vet for foreign campaign donors."

 

At NYPo, Mamdani shows no respect for older New Yorkers who are killed — but he has plenty of sympathy for law breakers. Swann Marcus @SwannMarcus89, "Extremely underrated Hasan Piker moment was when he went on a five minute rant about how the streets should run red with the blood of landlords and like five days later everyone found out his mom owns and manages commercial real estate."

From PM, HUNDREDS of companies provide BIRTH TOURISM for foreign moms who want US citizen babies ""There are more than 500 firms in China that facilitate people coming from the Chinese Communist Party to give birth here in the United States."" At Tom Klingstein Alex Petkas thinks birthright citizenship was The Breaking Point of a Republic, the Roman Republic. NYPo notes a ‘Breakfast Club’ host confused by ‘extra nice’ ICE agents at airports acting ‘like Chick-fil-A workers’ "Charlamagne tha God said Tuesday he saw ICE agents picking up the slack of TSA agents so efficiently and friendly that he suspected there was a government “psy-op” at play." College Reform reports University of Utah signals unwillingness to cooperate with ICE, posts guide for dealing with agency. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.02.26 (Evening Edition), EBL, Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme Court and Twitchy: NBC News Reports Death of “Refugee” Released By Border Patrol is Homicide and New “Maryland Man” Joins “Virginia Dad” In the Headlines.

Dave Strom is giddy as Trump Trounces Tucker. Ace elaborates Trump Promotes Douglas Murray Article Blasting Tucker Carlson as a Sharia-Law-Promoting Holocaust-Denying Backstabber.

I&I, sees #ProtestsSoWhite: Media Ignore Lack Of Diversity In ‘No Kings’ Protests. The Free Bacon notes Karen Attiah, Radical Beefcake Columnist Fired for 'Endangering' Colleagues, To Receive 'Distinguished Service Award' From Journalism Society "Society of Professional Journalists will honor scandal-plagued ex-WaPo writer at 'hall of fame' ceremony in June." VodkPundit sees TMZ Is Coming for Congress — and Washington Is Nervous.

The Chronic examines The Woke Leftist-Islamic Identity Coalition Destroying the West. Dave Strom wonders Has King Charles Become a Muslim? It Seemed a Ridiculous Rumor, But...

Fish Pic Friday - Jenny Barrett

Jenny Barrett@gritngloryguidedfishing, Grit N Glory Guided Fishing

Revelstoke | Sicamous 🇨🇦