Flotsam and Jetsam - Iran Refuses Trump's Hormuz Demand

To open the fucking strait. From Ben Whedon at JTN, Iran rejects 45-day ceasefire plan "Despite the apparent stall in negotiations, Trump declared he is negotiating with an "active, willing participant" on the Iranian side." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Go Figure: Iran Rejects Ceasefire, Drops a Little List of Its Own Demands in Return. M.A. Rothman @MichaelARothman, "𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐀 𝟏𝟎-𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 — 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 While Trump was speaking at the White House, Iranian state media confirmed through IRNA that the regime has conveyed its response to Pakistan’s mediation effort: 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞. Instead, they want a “𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳” — on their terms. Iran’s 10-point demand list includes: an end to all conflict in the region, a “𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭” for the Strait of Hormuz, the 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, and — most remarkably — 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 for what the U.S. and Israel have destroyed. The reporter on the ground called it what it is: “𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴”." Yeah? Well, fuck that. Dave Manney at PJM calls it Defiance Without Leverage: Tehran’s Fatal Miscalculation. Ace sees Iran Rejects Cease-Fire Proposal "Iran Rejects Latest Cease-Fire Proposal, Wants Permanent End to War." Nick Arama at RedState thinks this is Despicable: Iranian Regime's Vile Move to Try to Stop Trump From Hitting Power Plants. Decado @ItsDecado, "The absolute cowardice of this cannibalistic regime is on full display for the entire world to see. Right now, the senior commanders of the Islamic Republic and their families are cowering in deep underground bunkers. But what are they asking of their followers? They are literally begging them to become human shields. State TV has just called for people to form human chains around our power plants tomorrow to cry to the world about war crimes. They are demanding that bodies be used to protect the very infrastructure they stole from us. Look at the undeniable contrast. President Trump willingly sacrificed millions of dollars in military equipment just to ensure not a single American pilot was lost in the southwest. That is the fundamental difference between a true leader who actually values human life, and a terrorist occupation that feeds on it. The mullahs are perfectly willing to let their own supporters burn to ashes as long as they get to survive another day in the dark." Betsy Stauffer at LI, Democrats Blast Trump’s Easter Ultimatum to Iran in Typical, Homogenized Messaging “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day … Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b**tards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” TownHall's Tom Knighton notes Iran's Greatest Ally Is the Left. Aviva Klompas @AvivaKlompas, "Dear college students who so fervently protested for months across America: Iran is hanging kids your own age for doing exactly what you did - protesting. Why aren’t you standing up for Iranians who desperately want freedom?" Driscoll at Insty sees BILL KRISTOL FINALLY DISCOVERS A MIDDLE EAST WAR HE OBJECTS TO.

VodkaPundit at PJM, Next Phase Begins: Israel Decapitates Iranian Intelligence. From NYPo, All the pieces are lining up for regime change in Iran. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair, Iran Is Also Losing The Lego War. Scott C. Johnston @SJohnston60, "My liberal friends all dismiss Pete Hegseth as a “Fox News clown” And yet, in barely more than a year, recruiting is soaring and he has overseen four flawless and very complex operations. Midnight Hammer Venezuela Iran Pilot rescue Hats off to this guy." From VodkaPundit at Insty, HMM: Trump confirms U.S. sent guns to Iranian people, but says intermediary kept them. "“We sent some guns,” he said. “They were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs. You know what happened? The people that we sent them to kept them.” “So, I am very upset with a certain group of people and they’re gonna pay a big price for that,” he added. Trump previously told Fox News’s Trey Yingst that he believed Kurdish groups had kept the guns intended for the Iranian people. Kurdish militia forces had been the subject of speculation over a possible role in a ground operation against Iran."

Rusty Weiss at RedState, Trump Vows to Hunt Down, Jail Leaker Who Endangered Missing F-15 Pilot by Tipping Off Iran. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "HOLY SMOKES. President Trump just said a leaker AIDED AND ABETTED Iran, leaking to the fake news information about the search for an American airman PRISON. "When they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life!" "They put this mission, that man at great risk, and HUNDREDS of people looking for him!" This leaker then prompted Iran to put out a BOUNTY on an American troop. Trump will seek JAIL TIME if the media outlet does not reveal who it was. LOCK THE LEAKER UP. "The person that did the story WILL GO TO JAIL if he doesn't say!" Sundance at CTH hosts CIA Director John Ratcliffe Discusses Covert Intel Role During Iran Rescue Operation and President Trump News Conference on Iran Rescue Operation. Amy Curtis at TownHall, President Trump Held a Major Press Conference Today. Here's What He Said. From NYPo, How US used SEAL Team 6, a CIA ruse and death from above to rescue missing F-15 airman in Iran: ‘They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him’. Spitfire @RealSpitfire, "We literally setup a temporary special forces base inside Iran and flew in 300 Army, Navy, and AF special forces troops and little bird gun ships. Then we fought a whole mini war and killed like 1500 Iranian soldiers in 6 hours. And all we left behind was a pair of American flag underwear and some MRE’s. I’m not pro war… but holy sht we can do some amazing things." Jesús Enrique Rosas - The Body Language Guy @Knesix, "So while a wounded American Colonel was hiding in a mountain crevice at 7,000 feet in Iran with nothing but a pistol and a prayer, and the CIA was running a fake rescue convoy to confuse the IRGC, and MQ-9 Reapers were methodically deleting anyone who got within two miles of him, and special operators were prepping to fly INTO Iran, fight their way to a ridge, extract one man, have two planes get stuck in the sand, blow them up, fly in three MORE planes, fight their way OUT... The American left saw that the White House had gone quiet and decided: clearly, Trump is dying at Walter Reed. They posted old video from the Butler assassination attempt as breaking news. They cited "credible reports." A guy literally drove to Walter Reed and reported back: no motorcade, no activity, roads open, nothing happening. Didn't matter. The narrative was already at a million views. Trump was in the Oval Office the entire time, monitoring a rescue op so complicated it already has a Wikipedia page..." From Twitchy, Slim Jim Shocker! Image on X Surfaces of a Valuable US Asset Iran Recovered After Pilot Rescue.

Another crushing blow dealt to the imperialist aggressor. In a single stroke the Iranians have closed the teriyaki beef stick gap and will soon establish dominance. https://t.co/KFWNusASjl

— Strategic Trends (@StrategicTrends) April 5, 2026

Beege Welborn, New Benchmark in European Warfare: French Retreat From Battle They Never Joined MORE. Dave Strom at Hat Hair thinks the Rescue of F-15 WSO Reveals HUGE Cultural Divide Between Left and Right, Europe and America. Twitchy, John Konrad BLISTERS Europe In a Devastating Post About the REAL Reason NATO Is In Trouble. John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad, "This is why Americans are the deadliest fighters on earth..." At PJM, VodkaPundit, The European Mind Can't Comprehend Why We're Such Bad A****s. Tim Soret @timsoret, "As a European, I apologize to Americans for all the idiocy coming from our side. You save your pilots no matter the cost. You send humans to the moon. You fight authoritarianism head-on. It's truly inspiring. We're on the wrong side of the moral equation." Quote Tim Soret @timsoret, "Frankly I hope I can join your ranks one day. I'm done with the morally smug, economically illiterate, declinist mindset here. We think we're so cultured & so smart, but it's mostly masturbatory. Americans keep demonstrating their uniquely actionable & pragmatic intelligence." Donald Vandergriff on Why the United States Must Withdraw from NATO: Reclaiming Maneuver Warfare, Mission Command, and Strategic Initiative in a Fourth-Generation World "Withdrawal is not isolationism; it is the maneuver required to win in the generations of war ahead." 

A Larry video at Hat Hair, Trump Crushes Democrat Operation to Remove Him As Republican Support Surges. alexandriabrown @alexthechick, "For 40+ years, I have heard that Current President will not leave when his term ends Because of Reasons. The hysterical bleating about it has not gotten less stupid of those years." Quote Frank @richardrahl1086 Replying to @alexthechick and @maddenifico
"When Trump leaves office in January 2029 these people will act like they never said any of this ridiculous shit." Matt Margolis at PJM, Here’s What Trump Has to Say About More Cabinet Shake-Ups. Sundance, President Trump Endorses Steve Hilton in California GOP Primary. At the Chronic, Florida Conservatives’ Powerful Lessons for America. Tom Knighton at BA, Hysteria Reigns Following Hegseth's Announcement allowing soldier to carry guns. Insty, HE’S NOT WRONG. BUT THEN HE SELDOM IS.

𝐕𝐃𝐇: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓'𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆

Victor Davis Hanson opens with a claim that sounds hyperbolic until he backs it up: we are watching 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧… pic.twitter.com/6gXd3bnYF6

— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) April 6, 2026

Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll, "No, we shaved off votes in the red counties in the countryside where Trump was strong, and we left the blue counties untouched. We shaved off 10 percent in Douglas County (CO) and 10% in Mesa County (CO) and other red counties until Biden's count was over 50 percent statewide." Quote Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll "Page 185: "The engineer who actually built the algorithm stealing the election for Biden looked at me like I was an idiot and asked, "Do you think we stole the election here in the blue counties? We're smarter than that. No, we shaved off votes in the red counties in the x.com/Rasmussen_Poll…" Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll, "NEW: Mainland China CCP factory employees and Taiwanese warehouse workers have provided written affidavits on how they and others have installed illegal corrupted components into U.S. voting machines FOR YEARS ... From @EmeraldRobinson & @PatrickByrne" Maisey Jefferson at Da Fed reports Maine Supreme Court Shoots Down Dems’ ‘Unconstitutional’ Ranked-Choice Voting Scheme. 

Erick Erickson @EWErickson, "The biggest problem the Democrats have is their inability to love America when they are not in charge of it." Quote Delanie Bomar @DelanieBomar, "This is a five-alarm fire for Democrats in swing states. CNN: "Democrats are, just simply put, running behind their previous benchmark." Dave Strom thinks It Is Impossible to Overstate How Deranged the Left Has Become and Hasan Piker Is Becoming a Litmus Test for the Left. Jean @queens_parents, "Anti-capitalist Zohran Mamdani is tight with his buddy Hasan Piker who thinks this about property owners who don’t rent: “Yeah kill them! KiII those motherf*ckrs and muder those motherf*ckrs in the streets…let the streets soak in their red f*ing capitalist bloods”" Kim "Katie" USA @KimKatieUSA, "TikTok influencer goes on TMZ and calls assassin Luigi Mangione “the closest thing we have to a real-life superhero” then demands he be released because “we have MORE WORK TO DO.” These people aren’t confused. They’re straight-up evil." End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Joy Reid's warning about the far-right: "Their plan? 0 income tax, 0 regulation, earn as much as you want, your family inherits it all!"" Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "To save Democracy, we must criminalize voting" Quote Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok "Meet Suzanna Karatassos (D). She’s running for Georgia State House. She says if Democrats win then anyone who voted for Trump should lose internet access for four years." 

Elizabeth Warren @SenWarren "Jeff Bezos has $222 billion. If he paid my wealth tax this year, we could fund insulin in America for everyone who needs it plus free school lunch for every kid in Texas—and have plenty of money left over. And Bezos would still have $215 billion dollars to spare." Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "Just stop, we all know your scam. >Democrats raise taxes. >Money flows to NGOs packed with Democratic operatives. >Those operatives take their cut, write a check to Democratic campaigns > Report back that the problem still exists and needs more funding. If you fix the problem... the money stops. So nothing ever gets fixed..." At Bastiat's Window, Eating Jeff Bezos
Senator Elizabeth Warren proposes a wealth tax on "ultra-millionaires." "Note that in 1913, the federal income tax was sold as a tax on the richest of the rich in America." VodkaPundit at Insty hears a GOOD QUESTION: Why is Kweisi Mfume Funneling $245K in Federal Funds to Johns Hopkins for Gun Locks That Are Already Available for Free? “But maybe the prospect of the Bloomberg School, that’s named for America’s most prominent gun-grabber, handing out locks provided by the gun industry is more than anyone at Johns Hopkins can handle. Better, then, to have taxpayers foot the bill, right? Besides, the school has demonstrated that they’re more than happy to hoover up as many federal tax dollars as they can to further the cause of civilian disarmament. Or maybe the money went somewhere else — who knows?” Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "Gee, was anyone else president in the interim?" Quote Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie "10 years after Trump vowed to erase the national debt, it has doubled https://reason.com/2026/03/31/10-years-ago-today-trump-promised-to-eliminate-the-national-debt-instead-it-has-doubled/"

Nicole Russell at USA Today notes Democrats destroyed California. Could a Republican save it? | Opinion. Joel Kotkin at NYPo, Why Californians are leaving — and what Gavin Newsom is spending $19M to hide. From the California Globe, Top 50 Disasters Gov. Gavin Newsom Has Ushered into California: 2025 Edition. Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "The juxtaposition between the 60 Minutes piece on California’s high-speed rail disaster and Elizabeth Warren’s “please bro, just another seven billion dollars” tweet is delightful." Beege Welborn says Dems Searchin' for Their Electoral Savior and Their Fantasy Candidate Looks Suspiciously Familiar. John Sexton at Hat Hair has hopes Is San Francisco Sobering Up? They might try rehab, but I doubt it will stick. And a Report: Group of Women Preparing to Accuse Rep. Swalwell of Harassment and Virginia Voters Discover Gov. Spanberger Is Not a Moderate.

Bob Hoge at RedState reports Steve Bannon's Contempt of Congress Conviction Vacated by the Supreme Court. Mediaite whines JUST IN: Supreme Court Sides With Steve Bannon, Leading to Possible Dismissal of His Contempt of Congress Conviction. Now do Pete Navarro. 

Kevin Downey at PJM has the The J6 Pipe Bomb Update You Don't Want to Miss. It's still Weird. I'm not convinced either way.

MD Kittle at Da Fed thinks Trump Needs A ‘Vicious Operator’ To Bring Justice Back To The Justice Department. Sundance has a Question from Mail: It’s Been Two Weeks on the Atkinson Transcript, What’s the Holdup?

CIS reports DHS Funding Follies Continue "How do you deal with kidnappers who aren’t clear what ransom they’re demanding?" TownHall's Joe Chalfant thinks Sec. Markwayne Mullin's Newest Proposal Should Have the Left Terrified. Sanctuary city? No customs and border patrol at your airport. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: In interview w/ colleague @BretBaier, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin floats the idea of stripping CBP/customs officers from airports in large sanctuary cities as retaliation for refusing to cooperate with the federal government. International travelers wouldn’t be able to fly into airports and leave without going through customs. Mullin points out that Democrats are also refusing to fund CBP. “It’s something we’re looking at,” Mullin said." From PM, Texas continues cutting services for illegal immigrants. Bart Marcois at Am Great asks Is Deportation Compassionate? "True compassion doesn’t stop at borders; it strengthens nations by rewarding legal immigration, enforcing the law, and exporting the ideas that made America prosper." Atop Da Hill, Jonathan Turley on birthright citizenship, Reclaiming our own birthright: We might need to amend the Constitution.

Driscoll at Insty, 60 MINUTES: Steve Kroft ‘Hated’ Working for CBS Newsmagazine, He Says. "60 Minutes has been rocked by tumult recently, with high-profile talent shakeups and the $16 million parent company Paramount agreed to pay to Donald Trump last summer to settle a lawsuit regarding the newsmagazine. When asked about the atmosphere at 60 Minutes during his July 2025 appearance on The Daily Show, Kroft said, “Devastating’s a good word. I think there’s a lot of fear over there. Fear of losing their job, fear of what’s happening to the country, fear of losing the First Amendment, all of those things.” The “fear of losing the First Amendment” is pure hyperbole; beyond that 60 Minutes’ tumult hasn’t been just “recently.”" NYPo, NPR didn’t quote a single member of Michigan synagogue after attack — but interviewed terrorist’s pals in Lebanon. At Hollywood in Toto, ‘SNL’ Audience Cheers Trump Assassination Joke.

Susie Crabtree at RCP, California High School Reverses Suspension Over Pro-ICE Flyer. From Liberty Unyielding hears Howard University appoints racist crackpot as history professor, giving him an endowed chair, Ibram X. Kendi. Well, Howard University. At the College Fix a Native American adjunct lecturer ponders ‘colonial logics’ of Artemis II moon launch.

Jonathan Turley is outraged by Poison Ivey: Chicago Bulls Release Forward After He Speaks Out Against Pride Month. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Chicago Bulls Offer To Reinstate Jaden Ivey If He Will Do Some Cocaine And Beat A Few Women."

Plenty more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.06.26.