Thursday, April 16, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Blockade is Working

Or at least Hat Hair's John Sexton thinks so: The US Blockade is Working and Capt. Ed sings Starry, Starry Flight: Iran Threatens Ceasefire As Blockade Bites. Jeff Charles at TownHall believes Trump May Have Delivered a Crushing Blow to the Iranian Regime. From Ace, Iran: Blockade Successful; Trump Says War "Very Close" to Ending; Iranian Patriots Assassinate a Basij Commander in Tehran and "All sorts of news." Zineb Riboua @zriboua, "Arab media are portraying Trump's demand regarding Iran giving up the proxies as a Gulf demand. Interesting. The alignment of Israeli and Arab interests in this operation is getting greater every single day." Michael Lucci @Michael7ucci, "Peak Macron. France will lead a European coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz...after the U.S. has secured the Strait of Hormuz. They won't invite the U.S. to the party. They will ask permission from Iran. For now, they will hold a Zoom meeting." Nick Arama at RedState hears Rubio Mediates Historic Talks Between Israel, Lebanon - With Good News and Hilarious Comment About France. Washington Free Beacon @FreeBeacon, "BEASTMODE: Israel's ambassador to the U.S. addresses France's exclusion from peace talks with Lebanon. "We'd like to keep the French as far away as possible from pretty much everything, but particularly when it comes to peace negotiations. They're not needed." Sana Ebrahimi Ledene @__Injaneb96, "A trend is starting among Persian accounts on X right now. Every time Europeans start crying about skyrocketing gas prices, and how America must help by opening the straight of Hormuz, Iranians hit them with the exact same condescending lines European politicians and influencers used during the Iran protests: "The reduction of gas prices in Europe must be brought about by the European people themselves, not by foreign agents."" Quote وصل الخطاب @vaslolkhatab, "Translated from Persian, The reduction of the euro's price in Europe must be brought about by the European people themselves, not by foreign agents." From Althouse, "Investors appear to be treating an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a foregone conclusion, as the S&P 500 closes above 7,000." The NYT reports" their worst fear. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "I'm not sure abandoning millions of women to a medieval theocracy, arming the Taliban with billions worth of US equipment, turning out the lights and leaving with bombs killing your people, and Afghans falling off the landing gear is the best example of ending a war, Mehdi Hence the ratings drop. Americans don't like a loser." Quote Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan "Joe Biden literally ended America’s longest war: Afghanistan. And got no credit for it. His poll ratings went down, not up. x.com/factpostnews/s…" Nioh Berg @NiohBerg, "Last night, notorious basiji commander Mohammad Shirmohammadian was stabbed 14 times and killed by masked individuals near Pardis, Tehran. Bear in mind: This is not how the Mossad operates. We are likely seeing the rise of Iranians taking action with their own hands."

Eric Boehm at Reason? says Trump's Illegal War in Iran Is Financed by Your Taxes. That's a Good Reason To Stop Paying Them. "If Congress will not deploy the power of the purse to restrain a lawless administration and an illegal war, then it falls to the public to do so." So, now Reason?, never a fan of Trump is going all sovereign citizen in opposition? I don't recommend not paying your taxes, and then arguing this out with the IRS. Matt Forney @mattforney, "Trump is the most libertarian president we've had in decades and libertarians will never forgive him for it." Quote Stephen Moore @StephenMoore, "President Trump is delivering what Washington never would: a smaller government. Nearly 300,000 fewer federal workers in just one year. More leaving than joining."

The Swalwell (and Gonzalez) sagas have about burned themselfve out, but the fallout in California's gubernatorial race is as yet to be determined. At Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog Two Slimeballs Depart Congress. the Victory Girls are happy about Tony Gonzales – Trash Finally Takes Itself Out. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "With Swalwell Resigning, Just 534 Perverts Left In Congress " and After Devastating Sexual Assault Allegations, Swalwell Now Leading Democratic Presidential Candidate. MAZE @mazemoore, "2025. Chuck Todd discusses honesty and the superior morality of the Democrat party with Eric Swalwell. It mattered not to Chuck Todd or to about 100 other hosts that Eric Swalwell spent three years lying on national TV during the Russia collusion hoax." From Jewish World Review, Eric Swalwell Finds Out About Sudden 'Investigative Reporting'. Scott Pinsker at PJM wonders about The Mystery Sweeping D.C.: Who Executed the Political Hitjob That Destroyed Eric Swalwell?. Tom Steyer and Katie Porter are the two candidates who stand to gain most. One has the money, and the other the malicious nature. Matt Margolis at PJM, Nancy Pelosi Is Lying About Eric Swalwell. Here’s How We Know. Her lips were moving, but not her face. From Ace, Rapewell Update: His Top Democrat Donor Says He's No Longer a Democrat -- "Finito;" More Details About Rapewell's Jaunt on the Secret Sex Yacht. @instapundit @instapundit, "Cui Bono?" Quote Polymarket @Polymarket, "BREAKING: Billionaire Tom Steyer is now projected to win the California governor race after Swalwell’s dropout. 53% chance." Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree, "Dear California: Some fun facts about your candidate: Steyer pitches himself as an outsider willing to take on corporations, fight for affordability, and deliver results Sacramento politicians couldn’t. His campaign promises include breaking up utility monopolies, banning corporate PAC money, building affordable housing, and championing single-payer healthcare. He’s running as a billionaire who’ll take on billionaires. 1. Under his management, Farallon Capital Management invested $89.1 million in CoreCivic, a private prison company that operates several immigration detention centers in California. So when it was time for him to make money, he was all four private prison companies housing detention centers for ICE....:" and much more. Peter Girnus @gothburz, "I helped design the process a Congressional staffer has to follow after a member of Congress sexually harasses them.... Then Nancy Mace introduced H.Res. 1100. A resolution to release the Ethics Committee's sealed sexual misconduct records. Redacted. Victim names removed. Just the conclusions. Just the names of the members.The House voted 357 to 65. Not to release them. To bury them. To refer them back to the same Ethics Committee that sealed them in the first place..."

VodkaPundit at PJM thinks You'll Never Guess Who Just Slipped Kamala the Shiv, Huffpo, and Stephen Kruiser sees Dems Still Trying to Ditch Stage 5 Clinger Kamala Harris. Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "The last time a Democrat in Minnesota voted against Tim Walz, a Tim Walz appointee went to her house and shot her in the face." Quote Dustin Grage @GrageDustin "Only one Democrat needs to vote green in order to Impeach Tim Walz. The evidence is damning. But will anyone be brave enough?" Well, when you put it like that...

Cam at BA, Spanberger's Proposed Changes to 'Assault Firearm' Ban Could Make This Common Practice Illegal. Stephen Kruiser thinks Abigail Spanberger's Virginia Is a Creepy, Commie Place. Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "Property ownership gives people a share in the status quo and is a material interest that supports a critical baseline of reactionary political sentiment. ‘Cea Weaver-style’ housing policy is an insidious and purposeful effort to shift that political power to the state and make people dependent on the state either directly through more public housing OR indirectly through price controls that make housing ‘affordable.’ Either way this policy seeks to effectuate a huge power transfer from individuals (homeowners) to the state who ‘provides’ or ‘ensures’ housing. That’s why I generally think blue states are fine with no housing being built and real estate prices being out of control: the more desperate people are for housing and the more dependent they are on the state for housing, the more power government can arrogate. From CJ, Christopher F. Rufo, Jonathan Choe reports California Provides Sex-Change Procedures to Homeless Illegal Aliens. "In San Francisco, ideology rules." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks You Can't Make This Up: California Giving Homeless Illegal Aliens Sex Change Operations.

Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "Senator Fetterman slams members of the Democrat party for associating with Hasan Piker. “I mean, my God, you have many in my party, they're proud to do events with Hasan Piker. This is the individual that said that America deserved 9/11.” PoIiMath @politicalmath, "Why is Piker treated like an A-list celebrity crossed with a high minded intellectual?" Quote Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "BREAKING: Speaking at Yale Hasan Piker express his devastation over the fall of the USSR. “The fall of the USSR was one of the greatest catastrophes of the 20th century.” Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen, "But here’s the difference: You don’t see Fuentes invited to speak at Yale. The fact that so many of the left are willing to mainstream Piker is disgraceful." Quote Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen, "He’s the Nick Fuentes of the left. Fuentes loves Hitler and the Nazis, Piker loves Stalin and the Commies. x.com/eyakoby/status…"


Ace, Here We Go Again: Latest Leftwing Pope Attacks Trump for Sealing the Border, Attacking Islamic Occupation Forces in Iran, "As many have pointed out, this brave moral voice kept absolutely stumm when Iran was killing 30-45,000 of its own people. But now he finds his voice.And weirdly, he speaks with a vague Italian/Spanish accent, despite being an American citizen." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Well it looks like the Pope’s interference in American politics is still top of the news cycle, so I want to repeat something. The Democrat/Media Complex deliberately set this up so faithful Catholics would be forced to choose: Trump or your faith? That’s a false dichotomy. The Pope is speaking on politics, offering his opinion only and he is not speaking ex cathedra. You are not obligated to agree with the Pope in these matters where he speaks as an ordinary human. If you are a Catholic, you can still support Trump, and disagree with what the Pope is saying about the Iran War and American politics, and still remain true to your Catholic faith. Please do not fall for the either/or con job." Michael Sebastian @HonorAndDaring, "This is obviously the play, and when you understand that 65% of revenue from Catholic Charities comes from the government, you will understand why the US bishops want the Democrats back in power." Quote Trevor Tomesh @realDrTT, "Once again, this 60 minutes interview seems to me to be part of this concerted effort to drive conservative American catholics away from their evangelical brothers and sisters for the purpose of getting them to stay home for the midterms." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "As I remarked elsewhere, while most politicians deal with Christianity by ignoring it or uttering pieties they neither mean nor understand the exchange between Pope Leo and Donald Trump forces the thoughtful reader to understand the Just War theory, which underpins the mainstream Christian approach to conflict. Inevitably it requires us to consider not only what Christians believe but what the Islamic equivalent to Just War -- the doctrine of Jihad -- actually teaches. In many ways the two are as different as chalk and cheese. In the first place Christianity is a nonstate religion while Islam aims to be a “universal religion and a universal state”. From this arises a host of differences." PoIiMath @politicalmath, "I think a left-wing appeal to Catholics would work better if the left stopped attacking nuns. https://christianpost.com/news/nuns-challenge-new-york-lgbt-law-they-say-violates-their-faith.html." Quote john milbank @johnmilbank3, "American Catholics should now track Left — it is merely obvious that the overall Catholic outlook is nearer the Left in general than the Right in general. And great genealogy from Murray to the idiotic Novak showing the US Cath cons were at root liberals."

Inevitable West @Inevitablewest, "BREAKING: Hungary's new PM has REJECTED the EU's migration pact: "We will still not join the pact. We will actually reinforce the border further to protect Hungary and broader Europe. We will find a way to stop the EU's daily fine." The globalists thought they'd won." Sarah Anderson at PJM hears Cuba's Preznit, When 'If We Need to Die, We'll Die' Doesn't Quite Mean What He Says It Does. Sundance hosts Barbara Boyd Recapping the Geopolitical Shifts and Domestic Obstruction Operations.

Sundance at CTH, The CIA Tried to Remove a Sitting President. "The evidence has been released. {GO DEEP} The long-debated issue is no longer a matter of opinion or question." TheLastRefuge @TheLastRefuge2, "The CIA tried to remove a sitting United States President. The evidence has been released. The issue is no longer a matter of opinion or debate. Now, watch the silence. The CIA tried to remove a President." Quote TheLastRefuge @TheLastRefuge2 "I see a lot of punditries missing the forest as they peer intently at the trees. You know the real reason CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella's name was never permitted to be mentioned?" Matt Vespa at TownHall, Here Are the Two People DNI Gabbard Issued Criminal Referrals for Concerning the Trump Impeachment Plot. Svetlana Lokhova @RealSLokhova, "DNI @TulsiGabbard makes a criminal referral to the DoJ against the Fake Ukraine Impeachment “whistleblower”, CIA operative Eric Ciaramella, and the former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson." Brianna Lyman at Da Fed thinks ‘The Timing Is Suspicious’: Intel IG Admitted Under Oath He Changed Whistleblower Rules For Anti-Trump Ukraine Op In 2019. USA Today whines DOJ seeks to throw out convictions against Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. “We don’t want a precedent that says that any physical confrontation between protesters and law enforcement means a crime akin to treason, such as seditious conspiracy.” They could never get a fair trial in Washington DC. Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Bro literally received a pardon from Biden as he left office." Quote Adam Schiff @SenAdamSchiff "Step one in creating a culture of corruption and lawlessness? Promise impunity." Sauron's Eye whines DOJ fires at least 4 prosecutors involved in FACE Act cases during Biden administration. Ace adds Internal DOJ Review: Biden DOJ Weaponized the FACE Act to Prosecute Pro-Lifers and Give Them Unusually Long Prison Sentences, "The most corrupt, fascist administration in American history. They should all be in prison, or dangling from a rope."



Don Keith @RealDonKeith, "Wow! The BBC was not expecting a black man to start bashing immigration! A British man went viral after unloading on the show, declaring Britain is “full” and that mass immigration has destroyed the country. He slammed open borders, called out the crime spike, and said enough is enough — leaving the BBC hosts visibly shocked. Straight talk the mainstream media never wants to hear."

The College Fix thinks Georgetown must drop investigation into College Republicans’ anti-Muslim post: free speech group. From the Free Bacon, UNC Officials Accused of Not Protecting Students or Defending Free Speech After April Fools’ ICE Article, ‘Sorority Girl’ Skit Lead to Death Threats, Campus Uproar. "The university’s harsh response to the satirical article and video skit, which a top administrator called ‘completely unacceptable,’ may violate North Carolina state law." At Campus Reform Ohio Senate passes bill defining antisemitism on campuses. "The legislation specifies that criticism of Israel alone does not constitute anti-Semitism and affirms that it does not infringe upon First Amendment rights." At Da Wire, Elise Stefanik highlights The Moment The Ivy League Lost The Country. Steve McGuire @sfmcguire79, "Yale has issued a new report on declining public trust in higher education. The New York Times has a great headline summing it up: This is so refreshing. The first step is admitting the problem."

Rachel Premack @rrpre, "Bizarre situation brewing in LA public schools, as reported by WSJ today Teachers and parents say schools regularly run out of cleaning supplies and toilet paper But per-student spending rose from $11.7k to $29.3k since 2014 — about 5x the rate of inflation Notably…. the district doubled spending on outside vendors and digital tools over that time period The superintendent personally received "no-bid emergency authority" to close 72% of those contracts — and nearly 70% went over budget, per WSJ (District spokesperson says increased spending is due to virtual learning, tutoring and rising costs of special ed…)" Victory Girls, This Little Student Went to Class—This One Learned to Protest.

Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "That guy is not aging well." Quote Terrence K. Williams @w_terrence "Trans activist, model & beauty influencer Dylan Mulvaney said: "No matter what my passport or the Trump administration says, I am a woman." " I will always be a woman"" Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Miss America Changes Eligibility Rules to Clarify Transgender Stance Following Florida AG Letter. “‘Female’ means a born female or born an intersex female individual (defined as one born with two X chromosomes with nonconforming genitalia) who has fully completed sex reassignment surgery via vaginoplasty with supporting medical documentation and records.”

Driscoll at Insty sees the GRAY LADY DIVES FOR FAINTING COUCH (AGAIN): NYT Melts Down Over Texas Rangers Statue Outside… Texas Rangers’ Stadium. "The New York Times and its sports section, The Athletic, has found its newest outrage target: a statue of a Texas Ranger outside Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Seriously. That was the basis for Sam Blum’s 2,000-plus-word Wednesday piece about the Rangers installing the “One Riot, One Ranger” statue at the ballpark. Fellow Athletic writer Stephen J. Nesbitt piled on by calling it a “deeply controversial” statue and capping off his post with the always-serious journalistic flourish: “Yikes.” He also called Blum’s article “important work.” Yes, we need more sports journalists doing deep dives on… statues outside stadiums. These guys are really putting those journalism degrees to work.."

Tattoo Thursday

Tattoo artists across Oregon are voicing concerns after a recent rule clarification from the Oregon Health Authority says topical anesthetics cannot be used by any tattoo artist.

Sean Lanusse has been tattooing for nearly two decades, and sits on the committee that reviews curriculum for Oregon tattoo schools. During their last committee meeting, a memo was introduced with little warning. “They just kinda slid it out and said we are not going to talk about this because it does not pertain to this meeting but here is this information,” Lanusse said.

The practice clarification says under no circumstance can tattoo artists in Oregon apply topical anesthetics. The reasoning: it could constitute practicing medicine. Only one other state in the U.S. bans all topical anesthetics for tattoo purposes.

Lanusse said it’s common to see a numbing agent like Bactine in a tattoo studio. “I did use bactine for a while just to ease it up a little bit, help the client through the extra 20 mins or whatever but generally I’m not using those things,” Lanusse said. “I don’t think it’s as big of a problem for us as it is for cosmetic tattooing.”

At her private studio, Exuvium Studios Body Art & Beauty, Kaysie Anderson tattoos more than just permanent makeup. She does a lot of work with scar camouflaging and post-mastectomy areola reconstructing tattooing.“I have used numbing creams up until this clarification for nearly every single service I perform,” Anderson said. After the new rule came out, she sent a poll to her clients asking if they would be willing to get their tattoos without numbing cream. Since most of the tattoos Anderson applies are in very sensitive areas of the body, a vast majority of her clients said no. “This will 100% drive business out of our state, this will also drive licensees out of our state so the HLO will loose that revenue too,” Anderson said. “If I am not able to get clarification on how this is to be enforced or applied then I would have to relocate.”
Well then, I'm definitely not getting my next tattoo in Oregon.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

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.

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."


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."


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."


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