Flotsam and Jetsam - Swalwell Slinks Away - Trump Blockades Iran

When we checked in yesterday, California congressman and governor candidate Eric Swalwell was facing multiple accusations of rape and or sexual misconduct, and his supporters in the party seemed to be abandoning him. Stacy McCain, on The Christine Blasey Ford Standard and the Sudden Destruction of Eric Swalwell, Victory Girls see The Fallout Continues: Eric Swalwell Faces Calls To Resign From Congress. Then the Peacock crowed Eric Swalwell drops bid for California governor after sexual misconduct allegations "The Democratic candidate faced widespread calls to end his campaign, with many supporters withdrawing their endorsements." At Twitchy, Eric Swalwell Suspends Calif. Gubernatorial Campaign and Now EVERYBODY Has the Same Question. Sunny @sunnyright, "If you’re not fit to run for governor, you’re not fit to serve in Congress." Michael Knowles @michaeljknowles, "So you admit you’re unfit to serve as governor, but you plan to remain in Congress?" Quote Eric Swalwell @ericswalwell, "I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past." To be fair, the standards for Congress are pretty low. Also, 'Lots of Stuff RUMBLING': Eric Swalwell's BFF Ruben Gallego Should Probably Just Go Ahead and Resign NOW. EducatëdHillbilly™ @RobProvince, "We knew Trumps prostate results but the press couldn’t be bothered with this for a decade. You don’t hate them enough." Quote Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024 "NBC News: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) sent an unsolicited dick pic to a 24 year old on Snapchat who was seeking a job on Capitol Hill. Steven Tavares @eastbaycitizen, "I’ve covered Eric Swawell since he was a member of the Dublin City Council. Shortly after being elected to Congress in 2013, his behavior towards women was known by all levels of our local government and the Alameda County Democratic Party." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "Do you know what you're actually admitting here?" EducatëdHillbilly™ @RobProvince, "Again… the press and the entire Democrat Party knew he was a rapist and a sexual predator and kept it a secret until he was in the way and needed removed." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Influencer's husband threatens Eric Swalwell after he allegedly bombarded her with nudes and turned up at her house https://trib.al/ViaN3h5" At NYPo, Eric Swalwell paid illegal Brazilian live-in nanny under the table with campaign funds, complaint alleges. From Althouse, "We want a full house cleaning. Get the garbage out of here. These jerks are destroying Congress, for the American people and for all of us who came here to do good work." "Said an unnamed House Democrat, quoted in "Swalwell scandal threatens cascade of House expulsion votes" (Axios). But: "Many rank-and-file House members are territorial about their prerogatives and terrified of the precedent it would set to expel someone on the basis of allegations that haven't been fully adjudicated — even when they are highly unsavory."

Matt Vespa at TownHall, With the Collapse of the Iran Talks, Trump Hints at One Card He Could Play in Response Update, He did it: The White House @WhiteHouse, ""Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz." - President Donald J. Trump." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Trump: We Will Seize Ships That Paid the Mullahgeld. Streif at RedState reports CENTCOM Starts the Iranian Blockade Monday - Here Are the Rules and What to Look For. John Hinderacker at Power Line, We’re Blockading Iran, Not the Strait. Sundance at CTH sees Trump Cut Off the Money – U.S Military Will Start Enforcing Embargo of Product No One Is Supposed to Be Buying. Clandestine @WarClandestine, "Many don’t seem to understand this “blockade”. Trump is NOT blocking the entire strait. The only ships being blocked are ships attempting to leave/enter Iranian ports, namely oil exports. All other commercial ships will be free to pass. Trump is squeezing Iran, and simultaneously forcing the world to buy oil from us, while also securing the strait for safe passage for other commercial vessels traveling to/from other nations in the Arabian Gulf, like UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc. This is all around an excellent move, which is exactly why the usual suspects are so upset about it." Quote U.S. Central Command @CENTCOM, "U.S. to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the..." NiohBerg @NiohBerg, ""I don't understand the blockade? Why is Trump doing this, isn't it going to harm him?" Answer: The IRGC believes they are the only ones who can threaten with extortion, and Trump is showing them two can play this game. He's playing by their own rules." The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "This is the most America First shit I’ve ever seen." Quote Dan Gambardello @dangambardello, "This is the Gulf of America, packed with supertankers racing to load up on US oil. Record exports."

At the NYT Althouse finds "[A]s Vice President JD Vance took a podium in Pakistan and said no deal had been reached had been reached to end the war in Iran... President Trump... was surrounded by people, but Mr. Trump was somehow an isolated figure...." and "So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not." ""Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz." Writes Trump at Truth Social." From Sundance, JD Vance Announces “No Deal” or Agreement with Iran Following 21 Hours of Negotiations, President Trump Releases a Statement on the Iranian Refusal to Stop Building a Nuclear Weapon, Sunday Talks – President Trump Interview with Maria Bartiromo on Iran Conflict Status and A Pragmatic Perspective on the Iran Conflict. Scott McKay at Am Spec thinks It May Not Be a Ceasefire. It Might Be a Strategic Pause. "On April 17 over Kharg Island there will be a new moon, perfect conditions for Navy SEALs to do their work." From the Free Bacon, Managing the Mullahs: What a Negotiated Victory Over Iran Looks Like. From NYPo, Trump threatens China with ‘big problems’ if they arm Iranian regime with air defense systems.  

Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "I don't like braggadocious talk about this sort of thing, but we seem to have killed 7,000 Iranian troops and lost 15 people (albeit largely due to armor: 600 hurt). Iran's entire senior leadership is dead. Their nuke program is gone. This is all being quite openly discussed, in real, "gray net" spaces. We should push harder on the Strait, but what does "they won" logically mean?" Quote Noah Smith, @Noahpinion "America is the first country in over two centuries to lose a war to Iran, thanks to Trump x.com/realDonaldTrum…"Roger Kimball at Am Great looks at Trump, Iran, and the Theater of Moral Panic. "Trump’s “outrageous” rhetoric unnerved critics, but it masked a blunt strategy: overwhelm Iran militarily, force leverage at the table, and leave opponents scrambling to keep up." Jesús Enrique Rosas - The Body Language Guy @Knesix, "Here’s what drives people nuts on both sides: Trump is not the cartoon character. Not the genius his fans worship, not the idiot his critics need him to be. He's just a stubborn, calculating guy who creates chaos the way a magician creates misdirection. While you’re distracted watching the fireworks, he’s already three iterations ahead with furious execution. And he doesn’t bluff the way people think he bluffs. He just couldn't care less about the part of diplomacy where everyone pretends to be polite while lying to each other’s faces. He skips that step entirely, which looks unhinged if you’re used to the old choreography but is genuinely disorienting if you’re the guy on the other side of the table who had a whole manipulation strategy mapped out. Iran found this out the hard way..." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Possibly one of the more obtuse, ill-informed things he's said. And that's a high bar." Quote David Frum @davidfrum, "Every country in Asia is thinking right now: "Well we don't love China, but unlike Trump's USA it has never cut off our energy supply. Maybe they're a more reliable and responsible partner for our future security. At least they're predictable."

Sana Ebrahimi Ledene @__Injaneb96, "There used to be a rumor floating around among Iranians: that as part of the Nuclear Deal, Obama quietly handed out 3,500 green cards to regime officials and their families. At the time I thought it sounded crazy. But now with so many children of top regime figures, professors, researchers, lobbyists, comfortably living in the U.S. on green cards, it doesn’t sound like a rumor anymore. It actually feels real. I came to America on a student visa. I had to go through an entire month of security clearances, background checks, interviews, the whole process. There’s zero chance these people got here through normal channels. No way. Something smells off." At Am Great, the Great Victor Davis Hanson says By All Means, Let the War Crimes Trials Begin!. "Trump’s critics cry “war crimes” while ignoring decades of U.S. precedent—revealing less a legal argument than a reflexive, and deeply selective, political outrage." Dave Strom at Hat Hair thinks Senator Mark Kelly Is Full of ...It. Sh.

Nick Arama at RedState hears a big Boom: CNN Host Obliterates Dem Narrative About Removing Trump From Office. Mike LaChance at LI, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Other Dems Laughably Demand Cognitive Assessment of Trump. “Experts have repeatedly warned that the President has been exhibiting signs consistent with dementia” Dave Strom, Elevating Evil People to Own Trump Is SOP. No Pasaran! French Media Outlet: "Today, Donald Trump is the most rational and the most Cartesian national leader on the planet." And just for the "news" value: 

🤬 🇫🇷 Ativistas do FEMEN, movimento feminista radical, realizam protesto em Paris para denunciar o caso envolvendo Jeffrey Epstein e “a impunidade das elites envolvidas no escândalo”.
https://t.co/z49K57w7TW

— République (@republiqueBRA) April 12, 2026

At Althouse, Tim Dillon explains Melania's Epstein speech, but not well. 

Scott McLallen at TownHall, Trump’s White House Ballroom Can Resume Construction, Court Rules. "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia gave a 2-1 ruling on Saturday." 

Breitbart Bus, Underlying Inflation Falls to Lowest Levels in Five Years.

Fake Mark Carney @MarkCarney_Ego Parody account, "Last year, Justin Trudeau set the tone of nationwide fear, telling Canadians not to travel to the US. Now, he's on vacation in California. I wonder how long it will take Canadians to realize that the anti-American fear campaign was just a way to score cheap political points." Tablesalt @Tablesalt13, "40% of Canadians who would rank in Canada's top 1% of earners have emigrated to the US, along with 30-50% of the next 9% This is from the Bank of Canada. ....and you wonder why they are discussing an EXIT VISA? The ENTIRE power structure of Canada is being defunded."

USA Today opines Democrats 'lost the plot.' Now they're losing voters.  John Stossel at Hat Hair looks at Democrats plans to Tax the Rich?

PoIiMath @politicalmath, "It's crazy watching the moderate left defend Piker. This guy is basically Nick Fuentes of the left but he gets invited to Oscar parties, is objectively evil in very obvious ways, and is not very smart Why circle the wagons for this guy?" Quote Legal Phil @Legal_Fil "Klein's declaration that Piker—an antisemite who also is a racist, defends terrorism, and shocks a dog so that it remains as a prop during his streams—is "not the enemy" was so outrageous that even the Times felt the need to change the title of the op-ed to hide the ball." The left's Rule is "no enemies to the left."

At NYPo the Divine Miranda Devine is content that Tulsi Gabbard keeps her focus on revealing Deep State’s dirty secrets — even as it tries to take her down.

MD Kittle at Da Fed thinks a Mid-Air Birth Flies Home How Stupid Birthright Citizenship Is. No Pasaran thinks it's a Double Standard: How Can One Insist That Illegals and/or Anchor Babies Are U.S. Citizens If "We Live on Stolen Land"?!

At Campus Reform, Berkeley student throws coffee at TPUSA table promoting pro-life debate. To the left, speech is violence, and violence is speech. Bob Graboyes at Bastiat's Window warns Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Disgruntled, Underemployed PhDs "Encourage your kids to develop widely, wildly, diversified portfolios of ambitions rather than focusing all efforts on one risky goal."

From the Babylon Bee, Here's What Each Of The 73 Letters In Canada's New LGBT Acronym Stands For.