The Morning Report --4/ 14 /26

Good morning kids. Hopefully the sudden bizarre formatting bugs over the past couple of days have been ironed out and when this posts you should be free of the black diamonds or other distracting crap and see normal text, so thanks for bearing with it.

With that out of the way, let's dive right in. On the latest episode of the podcast linked here
as well as in the sidebar and on the popular platforms noted at the bottom of the post, CBD a nd I took the logical approach in predicting that degenerate sex-pest and dupe/williing confederate of Chi-Com spy Fang Fang Eric Swalwell's departure from the California gubernatorial race would not necessarily affect his political career. Democrat scum criminals (pardon the redundancy) rarely if ever suffer any repercussions from their crimes. And so it comes as kind of a shock that not only has he withdrawn from the race for Sacramento but has actually resigned his House seat.

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make,” he said.
“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties,” Swalwell added. “Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress. I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district.” Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race on Sunday night, after losing nearly all of his endorsements.

Absolutely galling if not completely unsurprising is his hollow remonstration that these are "false allegations" even as he calls it quits in not only the governor's race but in ankling from Congress itself! Well, hell, if he's innocent then why head for the emergency exit?!

Despite the fact that he's not only a Democrat but a California Democrat, which in theory should've made him utterly invulnerable; there have been musings over the past few weeks that California may not be so ironclad Democrat, and with their electoral system a hot mess there is even a chance, slim though it may be, that a Republican could win the statehouse or even swipe one or more House seats come November? So maybe there is something that the party bosses fear could be extremely damaging to the Democrats both as the race for the midterms heats up and perhaps longer term and, more crucially for the Leftist movement in general over the longer haul?

UPDATE: Swalwell has not actually resigned but only announced his intention to resign. And that day might be tomorrow or the 12th of Never-JJS

And elsewhere, although this is not news it nonetheless is absolutely bone-chilling and indicative of the mindset of the Democrat Party and Leftist movement.

The Department of Justice under former [s0-called quote-unquote[President Joe Biden “withheld evidence” and approved “aggressive arrest tactics” when targeting pro-life defendants — and then slapped them with longer prison sentences than pro-abortion ones, according to an explosive internal review released Tuesday. The DOJ revealed the stunning abuses in a nearly 900-page report after examining more than 700,000 records related to the Biden administration&'s prosecutions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

The 1994 law was passed to protect access to houses of worship, religious institutions, abortion clinics and pregnancy resource centers.

But the Biden DOJ was found to have engaged multiple times in “biased enforcement” of it — while also collaborating with and even seeking to fund pro-abortion groups, according to the DOJ Office of Legal Policy report.

Emails show the task force, led by civil division trial attorney Sanjay Patel, worked closely with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Feminist Majority Foundation and the National Abortion Federation (NAF) Security Team to initiate investigations and “monitor” pro-life activists — sometimes for years — before requesting arrest warrants and filing charges.

In a Nov. 17, 2021, email, before the task force was launched, Patel had already praised NAF’s security director, Michelle Davidson, to colleagues as an “MVP” at “bringing incidents to my attention, often in real-time, which usually result in an investigation/prosecution.”

The task force director was not nearly as chummy with defense counsel for one of the first pro-lifers indicted for illegally blocking access to an abortion clinic after the Dobbs decision, writing in a Feb. 22, 2023, email that he didn’t “keep the kind of records” the lawyer requested about the total number of “prosecutions for vandalisms of pregnancy centers. . .

. . . The task force director claimed the “main reason” for the public show of force was “in hope of seizing phones” pursuant to search warrants, an Oct. 4, 2022, email disclosed.

“I think the unspoken reason is bc the FBI really likes to make arrests,” Patel added.

The Biden DOJ also liked to seek higher prison sentences against pro-lifers charged with non-violent FACE Act violations.

On average, its prosecutors sought 26.8 months in prison for pro-life defendants, compared with 12.3 months averaged for pro-abortion ones.” . . . Judges also sentenced those pro-lifers at higher rates, 14 months to 3 months.

President Trump, on his third day in office, signed pardons for 23 pro-lifers convicted of FACE Act violations under the prior administration, many of whom he said were “elderly” and should not have been prosecuted.

Houck was acquitted by a federal jury in January 2023 and later reached a settlement with the Biden DOJ

“This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Tuesday. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs.”

This is as horrible and in some profound ways perhaps worse than assassins' bullets and molotov cocktails. Continuing in that vein the estimable Margot Cleveland who has covered this beat since the beginning.

These new revelations should wake Americans up to how the deep state and a complicit media sought to thwart their electoral will. . .

. . .The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ('HPSCI')released two transcripts Monday morning from the 2019 closed-door interviews of the then-Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson. The just-released transcripts reveal new details behind the scheming that led to the first impeachment of Donald Trump.. .

... In addition to all the backdoor scheming between the “whistleblower,” Vindman, Democrats on HPSCI, and, through at best, his willful ignorance, Atkinson, the transcripts released Monday also highlight the politicization of the FBI that continued under Trump 1.0 after Director James Comey’s firing.

Have a great day!

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• Biden DOJ prosecutors on average sought 26.8 months in prison for pro-life defendants charged with non-violent crimes, compared with 12.3 months averaged for pro-abortion ones.
  Biden DOJ ‘weaponized’ federal law to prosecute pro-lifers and give them longer prison sentences

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:44 AM | Comments (191) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 14 April 2026

Top Story

• Answering the questions nobody is asking: Can AI be a "child of God"? (Washington Post / MSN)
  
  Something needs to be done about Anthropic.
  
  
  
• Sam Altman's home has been targeted by violent idiots for the second time in a week. (SF Standard)
  
  That's not it, guys.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (124) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Monday Overnight Open Thread - April 13, 2026 [scampydog]

Drake Observatory. Link goes to Wikipedia.

The main dome of the observatory houses an 8.25 inch refracting telescope, on a German equatorial mount. The ashes of the astronomer Daniel Walter Morehouse, and those of his wife Myrtle, are interred within the wall of the observatory rotunda.

Observatory sits in the middle of Waveland Golf Course, Des Moines, IA. Got a few good pictures of it over the weekend (and one golf ball a bit closer than I'd have liked).

*****

Happy Monday. Hope you all tried to behave over the weekend. Misanthropic Humanitarian took the evening off, and I've been thawed out from my cryogenic ONT retirement freeze. Please adjust your expectations accordingly.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:58 PM | Comments (392) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Focus and Determination Cafe

Two streetwalkers in Montparnasse looking for trade
Brassai, Paris 1931

Golden retrievers are lucky they're so cute.

The call of the mockingbird.

Determined puppy.

An argument about who chewed up the charger cables. I can't understand either one of them but I have my own theories about the guilty party.

Ball shower.

Good morning good boys.

Animal husbandry.

Evil wears a mask.

All's fair in love and goats.

Tanning leather.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:30 PM | Comments (322) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Eric Swalwell Attempts to Short-Circuit Investigation and Effort to Expel Him, Saying He "Plans" to Resign (No Date Given)

SWALWELL STATEMENT ON CONGRESSIONAL RESIGNATION

"I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.

"I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong.

But Trump is an Agent of Putin who should resign, right whinybaby?

"But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.

"I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district."

Not that I think he's a sneaky lying conniving little shit or anything, but I think he's claiming he "plans" to resign to cool off the torch-carrying mob. I think he will plan to un-resign if this succeeds in taking off the heat.

So: Expel him.

Jonathan Turley discusses something I was thinking about.

Usually former Democrat politicians are guaranteed either a job in the leftwing propaganda media or a job as a lobbyist or "lawyer" (really just a lobbyist) with a Democrat firm.

But is Fartwell going to get that?

Conversation
Jonathan Turley
@JonathanTurley
In one week, Eric Swalwell was forced to drop out of the California race, put under criminal investigation in New York, and is the subject of a bipartisan expulsion effort. He was even kicked out of the home of a billionaire who was letting him crash. However, that is not all...

...Swalwell is unlikely to avoid expulsion, but he may not have his law degree to fall back on. If these rape and sexual harassment claims are established, he is likely to face disbarment demands. Even his prior boosters at MS NOW and CNN are unlikely to offer him a media deal...

...I will be discussing Swalwell on America Reports today. However, the collapse of Swalwell is accelerating with the opening of what appears to be an expedited House Ethics Committee investigation.

...I have been one of Swalwell's most persistent critics through the years. He has always been shielded by the Democratic establishment and the media. Now, he is persona non grata without a friend in the world.

When I read Fartwell's compelled apology, I read it as him accepting that this phase of his life is now over and that he's attempting to build a bridge to the next phase, whatever that is. He's done with elective politics, and is apologizing (cynically) to regain some of the public goodwill he'll need to get his next Guaranteed Democrat Position.

But is there any amount of goodwill that will get him one of the prized Consolation Jobs in media, fundraising, "consulting," or acting a fixer at a Democrat law firm?

The Trump Curse takes another victim. It's more powerful than the curse that protected King Tut's Tomb.

Plus: Blaze Journalist Savanah Hernandez Violently Assaulted by Male "Peace and Harmony" "Protester" Previously Feted by Jen Psaki and the Bulwark

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:16 PM | Comments (238) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Quick Hits

In January, Eric Fartwell promised that if he were elected governor, he would strip ICE officers of their California drivers licenses. I guess they're safe for now.

The first Star Wars movie to be released in nearly seven years, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is tracking for a low opening weekend. It's projected to take in a mere $71 million over the three-day Memorial Day weekend frame. (I learned the term "frame" from these stupid box office reports and wanted to use it so that I sound smart.)

Headcase Ruby Rose claims that Katy Perry sexually assaulted her years ago and I'm just rooting for injuries.

Katy Perry has denied Ruby Rose's accusations that the singer sexually assaulted her two decades ago.

The "Orange Is the New Black" actress, 40, claimed in a series of Threads posts on Sunday that the alleged incident occurred at a nightclub in Melbourne, Australia when she was in her 20s.

"Katy Perry sexual assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a s--t what she thinks," Rose wrote in response to Complex Music's post about Perry,

In her next Threads message, Rose said it's taken her "almost two decades" to make the accusation public.

"Though I am so grateful to have made it long enough to find my voice, it just shows how much of an impact trauma and sexual assault takes. Thank you for seeing me," she stated.

Perry's rep denied Rose's claim in a statement to Page Six.

"The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies," the rep said.

"Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named," the statement continued.

Reps for Rose did not respond to Page Six's request for comment regarding Perry's denial.

On Threads, Rose gave more details about the alleged incident.

"She didn't kiss me. She saw me 'resting' on my best friend's lap to avoid her and bent down, pulled her underwear to the side and rubbed her disgusting vagina on my face until my eyes snapped open and I projectile vomited on her," she claimed about Perry.

Rose alleged, "After it I threw up on her, I told the story publicly but changed it to be a 'funny little drunk story' because I didn't know how else to handle it. Later she agreed to help me get my US visa. So I kept it a secret. But I DID tell yall she wasn't a good person. "

Brent Baker
@BrentHBaker

Don't want Iran to lose if it means Trump wins. @TomFriedman of @NYTimes really wants "to see Iran defeated militarily because this regime is a terrible regime for its people and the region," but on CNN's @Smerconish he fretted "the problem is I really don't want to see Bibi Netanyahu or Donald Trump politically strengthened by this war because they are too awful human beings. They are both engaged in anti-democratic projects in their own countries. They're both alleged crooks. They are terrible, terrible people doing terrible things to America's standing in the world and Israel's standing in the world."

Video here.

Hans Mahncke
@HansMahncke

5h

One of the most corrupt episodes in American public life, and that's a very crowded field, is the way legacy media, social media platforms, and Big Tech all colluded to prevent anyone from naming, let alone publishing, the Ukraine whistleblower's name.

Given this guy's history as an anti-Trump operative, that blackout robbed the public of hugely important information and directly fed into the false impeachment of a sitting president. But it goes even further than that. The same fake news outlets enforcing that silence had previously run stories defending him against reporting that later turned out to be eerily accurate.

Take for instance what @Cernovich was saying in 2017, specifically that Ciaramella wanted to sabotage Trump, that he was a leaker, and that he was strongly pro-Ukraine and anti-Russia. All of that later turned out to be exactly right, and there is little doubt that if the public had been told that people had warned in advance about Ciaramella and his role in targeting Trump, it would have collapsed the impeachment effort very quickly. That is why his name was kept hidden. It had nothing to do with privacy or any of that other nonsense.

Gee I wonder who this blind item from 2017 was about?

mrs.frazzled
@ms_frazzled

Now that this is out of the bag, I want you all to see something from 2017.

That's from a CNN piece about sexual harassment by Congressmen. Obviously CNN didn't want to dig too deeply into this.

Another flashback: A propaganda media "journalist" claimed Elise Stafanik was a conspiracy theorist spreading the theory, WITHOUT EVIDENCE, that Adam Schiff helped draft the repulsive Eric Ciaramella's complaint for him.

Amazing: Even though the propaganda media covered up for Eric Fartwell for a decade, and even though the story was only published due to Democrat-connected partisans organizing the hit on Fartwell for cynical political reasons, Brian Stelter actually claims the story represents a triumph of "investigative reporting" by the media that covered it up!

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 05:22 PM | Comments (234) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Most Neurotic Generation In History, Gen Z, Now Won't Leave Home Without Their "Anxiety Bags," Bags Filled with Self-Soothing Gizmos

"Experts call it genius," the NY Post claims.

Hannah Fowles was spiraling.

It had been a grueling day at work, and by the time the 22-year-old from Provo, Utah, got home, panic was bubbling in her chest as her thoughts raced and her cheeks flushed red.

"I was starting to get super overheated and I couldn't calm myself down," Fowles told The Post. "Nothing that I normally do, like breathing exercises or lying down in a dark room, was working."

Then she saw the bag.

Just weeks earlier, Fowles and her therapist had put together a small, grab-and-go kit filled with items to help calm her mind when anxiety strikes -- an idea she'd first come across while scrolling on TikTok.

She now reached for it, swallowing her anxiety medication and pressing a cold pack to the back of her neck. She flicked on a small portable fan, letting the cool air wash over her face, while in her other hand, she gripped a spiky fidget toy, feeling its prongs dig into her palm as the panic began to ebb.

"Within 10 minutes, I was able to calm down and go to sleep. It normally doesn't happen that quickly," Fowles said. "I never would have thought to have these things until I made the bag. It's been a game-changer -- I use it all the time."

Others her age are finding relief in the same way.

Call them anxiety bags, panic pouches, calm-down kits -- whatever the name, these DIY creations are rapidly gaining popularity online, especially among Gen Z women.

Oh young women are adopting this viral trend? I didn't see that coming.

It's easy to see why. In a survey of nearly 1,000 Americans aged 18 to 26, 61% reported having a diagnosed anxiety condition, and 43% said they experience a panic attack at least once a month.

And while many turn to talk therapy and medication to cope, those tools don't always work in the heat of the moment.

"Stuff like mindfulness and body scans are great, but you have to remember to do them," said Dr. Kyra Bobinet, a physician and behavioral neuroscientist. "When you're in an environment like ours, this storm of hyper-stimulating triggers, you won't necessarily have the ability to remember to do those things anymore."

That's where anxiety bags come in. Keeping self-regulation tools within reach during moments of high stress and sensory overload is, in Bobinet's words, "genius."

"It's a way of distracting and soothing," she explained. "It creates other sensations to focus on so that you don't feel completely taken over by the rapid firing of your anxious or depressed mind."

The "body scan" thing that's mentioned works for reducing stress and falling asleep. There's a "guided meditation" here. The basic gist is that you focus on one part of your body at a time (I just do parts of my head) and imagine the nerves and muscles switching off and going slack. I think it's the same principle as counting sheep -- it's not what you're thinking, it's all the stuff you're not thinking about by focusing on this boring, repetitive, non-stressful thing. By making your brain focus on this one boring thing, you keep your brain from buzzing or catastrophizing.

I only tried it because someone said they tell special ops guys to do this. They have limited time to sleep in, and are usually very keyed-up, and this protocol helps them fall asleep in the few hours they're allowed to sleep.* That sounded bad-ass and Not Gay to me, so I tried it, and it does work.

I don't bother to do this any more. Now I just put on episodes of Always Sunny I've seen 50 times before. Same idea again: Your brain is trained on this boring thing (every show is boring after 50 watches) and that's just enough to keep you from thinking about more exciting things.

* I also knew a spec op medic who said he's very loose with ketamine and other tranquilizers to make sure people can sleep even after coming off 10 hours of combat. So I guess there's that, too.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:24 PM | Comments (331) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Tulsi Gabbard Declassifies Documents Relating to the Fake Ukraine "Whistleblower"

Some background:

Hans Mahncke
@HansMahncke

22h

In anticipation of tomorrow's release of the IG Michael Atkinson transcript, here is the TLDR of the story.

In August 2019, a supposed "whistleblower" filed a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, Michael Atkinson, targeting President Trump for his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. The complaint was based on second hand hearsay information and triggered the process that led to Trump's first impeachment.

The allegation was that Trump demanded a quid pro quo, specifically military aid in exchange for an investigation into Biden family corruption in Ukraine. That claim was untrue, as the transcript later proved (I visualized the ridiculousness of the claim below).

I've linked that below. Basically, he stitched together a fragment from the beginning of a call with a sentence coming five minutes later. Like the BBC stitch-up.

But for Atkinson that part was no problem. He could just claim it was true. His problem was that the claim was hearsay and therefore didn't meet the requirements under his own rules. So Atkinson secretly changed the IG complaint form to allow hearsay.

This was sharply identified by @MZHemingway, @climateaudit, and others in real time, by comparing the form to archived versions. They showed that Atkinson made an unannounced, backdated revision to rig the process and greenlight a politically motivated hearsay complaint that otherwise wouldn't have cleared even the most basic credibility bar.

I know this is old news, but I personally needed the refresher, and I'm sure some other 29-year-old memories did as well.

Atkinson was never held to account, but he did testify under oath behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee in late 2019. While all other transcripts related to the Ukraine impeachment process were eventually released, this one has been guarded like radioactive material. It is now finally being made public, and will hopefully shed light on the internal mechanics of how Atkinson, Schiff, the Vindman brothers, and whoever else carried out the Ukraine impeachment scam.

Update: Atkinson claimed, under oath, that it was all just a big coincidence of timing that he happened to change the rules at the same time this Democrat fake whistleblower wanted whistleblower protections the actual rules didn't allow him:

Hans Mahncke
@HansMahncke

2h

One of the key episodes in the Ukraine impeachment saga was that, just as the fake “whistleblower” came forward with second- and third-hand claims, Inspector General Atkinson secretly changed the process to allow hearsay complaints, whereas previously only first-hand accounts were permitted.

So now we know that when Atkinson was confronted about it, his explanation was that it was all just a giant coincidence. The problem is that even if someone wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, the fact that he concealed the change makes it obvious to anyone with two functioning brain cells that it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

Catherine Herridge: the fake "whistleblower" was a registered Democrat who had worked previously with one of the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates. I'm going to guess it was Eric Swalwell, but that is just a guess.

Also, the fake "whistleblower" improperly met with Adam Schiff to plot out strategy before going through official channels.

Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge

2h

NEW: WHISTLEBLOWER 2019 TRUMP IMPEACHMENT
- Registered Democrat
- "had a prior professional relationship with one of the Democratic Presidential candidates," according to newly released transcripts from the Intelligence Community watchdog Michael Atkinson.

In a 2019 briefing to the house intelligence committee, Atkinson added, "I did not find the complainant (whistleblower) was biased."

After seven years, the Atkinson records have been finally released @DNIGabbard
@RepRickCrawford

Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge

NEW RECORDS VIA @DNIGabbard @RepRickCrawford

ATKINSON TRANSCRIPTS

- First Trump Impeachment + Whistleblower Motive

Whistleblower met with Democrats on House Intelligence Committee (then led by Adam Schiff) BEFORE reporting his allegations to the Intelligence Community Inspector General.

October 2019: then Congressman now @CIADirector Ratcliffe nailed the timeline in a closed door briefing with Intelligence Community Watchdog Michael Atkinson.

- Trump/Zelensky call July 25th 2019
- Whistleblower complaint filed August 12th
- Ratcliffe questioned what happened during those 18 days.

Ratcliffe: The whistleblower did not disclose to you that he or she had contact with HPSCI (House Intelligence Committee)?

Atkinson: The answer to that is yes. The answer to that is yes.

Atkinson: On the urgent disclosure form, there's a question that the complainant is asked about who they have reported the violation to...and one of the boxes is the congressional intelligence committees. The complainant did not check that box.

More from Townhall's Matt Vespa:

The 2019 Trump impeachment effort was a sham -- we all know this. There were traces of truth peeking through this Democrat-manufactured push, which alleges a quid pro quo based on hearsay. The details of this fiasco involved then-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who chaired the House Intelligence Committee and lied about having contact with the whistleblower who started this circus. The allegations were based on hearsay, with the analyst admitting he was a committed Democrat. As you might expect, he also had a history of political bias. He fit right in with the Deep State actors trying to derail the first Trump presidency.

Now, newly declassified documents from the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, reveal that even this whistleblower's colleagues were skeptical of the spy craft, despite supporting the impeachment effort. One of the witnesses, identified as "witness #2," worked with disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was one of the main figures behind the Russian collusion hoax, and co-authored the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, ordered by Barack Obama before leaving office, which was full of flawed information to support the collusion narrative.

To add, the whistleblower admitted to working closely with then-Vice President Joe Biden. This person also told the inspector general that he failed to mention he had spoken with Schiff before filing his complaint, apologized for this omission, but it was never made public.

Just The News:

The documents declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the request of Just the News provide a starkly different portrait of the alleged whistleblower whose name and face were never shown to the public and whose lawyerly written letter accusing Trump of hijacking Ukraine policy for political gain was heralded by Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings.

Investigators for the Intelligence Community Inspector General documented several concerns about the Trump accuser's political motives, noting he admitted he was a "registered Democrat" who had worked closely with Joe Biden on Ukraine issues and who disliked some of the conservative figures in the president's orbit, the memos show.

The investigators also elicited an apology from the Trump accuser for misleading the probe and were acutely aware his allegations were based solely on second- and third-hand accounts about what Trump was alleged to have said and done.

"I do not have direct knowledge of private comments or communications by the President," the alleged whistleblower, who claimed Trump improperly tried to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Hunter Biden, admitted in his initial August 2019 intake form.

That stunning line on the limitations of the whistleblower's knowledge was not included in the nine-page letter then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., released in late summer 2019 that touched off a months-long political maelstrom and led to Trump's impeachment by a Democrat-led House and his eventual acquittal in the Senate.

The newly-released memos also laid out multiple self-admitted potential biases tied to Ciaramella's Democratic registration, his work for Joe Biden, his knowledge of corruption-related discussions on Ukraine, his view that he had been pushed out of the Trump NSC because of right wing bloggers and more.

Some of the revelations were not made public until Sunday, and many were concealed from House investigators when the intelligence community inspector general appeared before members in October 2019.

During the second since-declassified House Intelligence Committee session, on October 4, 2019, the newly-released transcripts show Atkinson stated: "As part of the complainant's interview, I had directed the interviewers to ask the complainant to self-disclose potential bias information.

The complainant self-disclosed that the complainant was a registered member of the Democratic Party. The complainant also self-disclosed that the complainant had a prior professional relationship with one of the Democratic Presidential candidates for the 2020 election."

...

The inspector general did not include details relating to Ciaramella's work with then-Vice President Joe Biden, the whistleblower's long-term focus on Ukraine, Ciaramella's travel to Ukraine with Biden, and the whistleblower's presence at discussions about the alleged corruption of Ukrainian prosecutors -- all admitted by Ciaramella to watchdog investigators, all related to the allegations raised by Trump with Zelensky, and all redacted from what was provided to the House Intelligence Committee at the time in 2019. Atkinson redacted other potential biases too.

...

The redacted questioner told Atkinson during the 2019 session, "You've now said today that the complainant worked closely with one of the presidential candidates for the 2020 election" and asked "is that what is redacted in the first bullet point here?"

"Yes," Atkinson told the House investigators.

The redacted questioner noted to Atkinson in 2019 that "the second" section on Ciaramella's biases "is entirely redacted."

"Second, Complainant worked for the President Trump White House for [Redacted] as an [redacted] was then asked by [Redacted] to be [redacted]," the more unredacted version of the memo made public on Sunday said. "Complainant said this was a very stressful job and [redacted] became the target of right-wing bloggers, such as [Redacted], and conspiracy theorists, and later received death threats, which caused [redacted] to leave [redacted] White House position and return to CIA. [Redacted] then accepted [redacted]. Complainant believes that [Redacted], a former colleague at the NSC and current HPSCI staffer for Nunes, provided [Redacted] with information about Complainant for use in his threatening blogs."

What an absolute cowardly faggot. Now we see why the entire Democrat-Media Complex was so determined to hide his identity -- he's a shrieking sissy who's terrified of phantoms.

The memos also disclose numerous other details about the whistleblower and the intelligence community's assessment of his claims that weren't available to the public, including that the CIA analyst:

* Appeared interested in thwarting then-Attorney General Bill Barr from probing Hunter Biden, even though Barr wasn't a member of the intelligence community covered by the complaint;

* Disliked Republicans around Trump, including former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and current FBI Director Kash Patel. The documents show the alleged whistleblower even went so far as to make a "request for Nunes not to view the disclosure" as a member of Congress even though he was a member of the "Gang of Eight" leadership entitled to see such intelligence;

* Impugned then-top Trump National Security Council staffer Michael Ellis, now the deputy CIA director, as "slippery and untrustworthy" during a voluntary interview;

* Claimed he was a victim of an intimidation campaign carried out by "right-wing bloggers"; and

Worked on his whistleblower complaint with a witness whose name was redacted and who told investigators he was connected to Peter Strzok, the former FBI agent who was fired in 2019 for his role in leading the now-discredited Russia collusion probe.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:26 PM | Comments (200) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Tyler Robinson Made a Full, Handwritten Confession to His Gay Furry Lover

Cavernous Nostrils hardest hit.

Accused Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson's full handwritten confession to his trans lover reveals just how twisted his plot was, according to newly unsealed court documents.

The sick note -- in which Robinson refers to roommate lover Lance Twiggs as "Luna" -- was made public in full Thursday, as Robinson remains held for allegedly shooting the popular conservative media personality from a rooftop at Utah Valley University in September 2025.

"Luna, if you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry," the note begins, presumably referring to a text Robinson had reportedly sent Twiggs moments after the assassination, telling his partner to "drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard."

A search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox 13 confirmed the handwritten note was found under Twiggs' keyboard at a St. George, Utah, townhouse he and Robinson shared.

The letter continues, "I left the house this morning on a mission, and set an auto text.

"I am likely dead, or facing a lengthy prison sentence. I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.

"I don't know if I will/have succeeded, but I had hoped to make it home to you. I wish we could have lived in a world where this did not feel necessary. I wish I could have stayed for you and lived our lives together," Robinson wrote, according to court docs.

"I lack the words to express how much I love you, and how very much you mean to me. Please try and find joy in this life. I love you, always, -Tyler," he concludes.

Texts between Robinson and Twiggs, 22, have shown that the capital-murder suspect had been planning the grisly killing "a bit over a week," and offered insight into his train of thought in the moments afer the shooting -- as law enforcement launched a sweeping manhunt for the perpetrator.

"I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet [sic], almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering," Robinson wrote in one text to Twiggs, the documents show.

"Three hours ago there was an officer with a k9 walking nearby the area, hoping that pooch has a bad sniffer," another reads.

"Im wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle, because it sounds like the police couldn't get in for a long while because of the traffic."

The accused killer then alludes to passing the time by brazenly scouring social media: "guess im just sittin in my car watching reels for another hour, hopin this guy f--ks off [sic]."

Robinson and Twiggs, who authorities have said was transitioning from male to female, then make a plan to rendezvous at their home.

"I'm sorry, but I think this might be it," reads a text from Robinson, according to the docs.

"If the way is clear I can try and come your way to say goodbye, after that I have a spot in mind that I'll call police to...I have no doubts they will be on me within the hour. And I will be giving my location up and going out on my own terms I have no intention of being drug through the courts in front of the country. Can I come see you?"

Court filings also reveal that Robinson was further implicated by the gray Converse sneakers he owns, matching the ones worn by the assassin as seen through campus surveillance cameras.

A pair of gray Converse sneakers with white shoelaces helped authorities nail Tyler Robinson for Charlie Kirk's assassination, newly surfaced court documents reveal.

Utah Valley University surveillance video captured Robinson, 22, sporting the kicks as he bizarrely moved around the campus in the moments leading up to the Sept. 10, 2025, fatal shooting from a campus building rooftop, according to a search-warrant affidavit unsealed Thursday.

Investigators later found a shoe impression from the rooftop that was "consistent with the shoe sole characteristics of a Converse/Chuck Taylor shoe" that Robinson was wearing at the time, the affidavit stated.

A separate court document noted that police later recovered a pair of "grey Converse shoes with white laces" from Robinson's St. George family home while executing a search warrant.

The accused capital-murderer was captured on video footage 33 minutes before the fatal gunfire, when he was seen walking through a grassy area on campus, then through a parking lot and pedestrian tunnel.

Unbelievably -- by which I mean, completely believably -- Me-Again Kelly "reported" on the handwritten confession before concluding that it would not change the minds of the conspiracy theorists, going on to repeat Cavernous Nostrils' objections as if they were grounded in reality, to wit, that because the letter is written in a "formal" tone that means it must be a planted fedslop fake.

Me-Again doesn't endorse that claim -- she just describes it and suggests it's a real and reasonable objection.

Anything to keep hold of Cavernous Nostrils' audience, now that all of her respectable non-deranged Republican audience has fled her.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 02:15 PM | Comments (412) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Trump's Blockade of the Strait of America Begins

CNBC:

The U.S. on Monday said it began blocking ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, attempting to ratchet up pressure on Iran to reopen the key oil route after peace negotiations collapsed.

As the 10 a.m. ET deadline passed for the blockade to take effect, President Donald Trump warned Iran's "fast attack ships" not to come near the U.S. forces enforcing the closure.

"If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It is quick and brutal."

A White House official confirmed to CNBC that the blockade has taken effect.

Trump had announced the blockade plan Sunday in a social media post slamming Iran for refusing to give up its nuclear ambitions and accusing Tehran of "WORLD EXTORTION" by continuing to throttle traffic through the strait.

The U.S. blockade applies to "any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said.

The U.S. Central Command later added the caveat that American forces "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports."

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM specified.

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 President's proclamation.

The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches.

This is a very Trumpian move. It flips the script -- you're blocking our ships? Okay, now we're blocking yours.

I think this is an improvisation, a gamble made because Iran just will not agree to any of Trump's ceasefire demands.

What's the goal? Miad Maleka explains:

Miad Maleki
@miadmaleki

1/10 The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would cost Iran approximately $276M/day in lost exports and disrupt $159M/day in imports, a combined economic damage of ~$435M/day, or $13B/month.

Over 90% of Iran's $109.7B in annual trade transits the Persian Gulf. Oil/gas accounts for 80% of government export earnings and 23.7% of GDP. Kharg Island alone generates ~$53B/year, or as I noted to @TIME, "$78 billion a year in energy revenue.

2/10 CRUDE OIL: Iran was exporting ~1.5M barrels/day, earning $139M/day at wartime pricing (~$87/barrel), though with minimal proceed repatriation due to banking sanctions. A blockade zeroes this out overnight. Kharg Island, which handles 92% of crude exports, sits deep inside the Gulf with no viable alternative. That's $139M/day, gone.

/10 PETROCHEMICALS: Iran exported $19.7B in petrochemicals in 9 months of 2024/25, ~$54M/day. Virtually all of it ships through Assaluyeh, Imam Khomeini, and Shahid Rajaee, all inside the blockade zone. No overland route can move these volumes. Another $54M/day, gone.

4/10 NON-OIL EXPORTS: Iran's non-oil trade hit $51.7B in 2025. After subtracting petrochemicals, ~$88M/day in goods (minerals, metals, etc.) flow through Persian Gulf ports. Roughly 90% would be blocked. That's another ~$79M/day in lost revenue.

...

7/10 IMPORTS: Iran imported $58B in goods in 2025, ~$159M/day. A blockade chokes off industrial inputs, machinery, and consumer goods. Food inflation already hit 105% by February 2026. Rice prices are up 7x. This gets dramatically worse under blockade. Blockade will hopefully allow offloading of the humanitarian cargos.

/10 Extremely important topic is the storage clock: Iran has ~50-55M barrels of total onshore oil storage, roughly 60% full. Spare capacity: ~20M barrels. With 1.5M bbl/day of surplus production that normally exports, storage fills in ~13 DAYS. After that, Iran must shut in wells.

This is tough: The IRGC will wind up destroying much of Iran's future oil production to cling to power.

Why is this very important: when mature oil wells shut down, bottom water rushes in, a process called water coning. Oil droplets get permanently trapped in rock pores. This oil can never be recovered. Iran's fields already decline 5-8% annually. Forced shut-ins could permanently destroy 300,000-500,000 bbl/day of production capacity, that's $9-15B/year in revenue, gone forever.

9/10 CURRENCY COLLAPSE ACCELERANT: The rial has already cratered from 42,000 to 1.5M per dollar. Banks are limiting withdrawals to $18-30/day. Overall inflation: 47.5%. A blockade eliminating all forex earnings pushes the rial into terminal hyperinflation. The regime issued its largest-ever banknote, 10M rials, worth about $7.

10/10 BOTTOM LINE: A naval blockade imposes ~$435M/day in combined economic damage. Storage fills in 13 days, forcing well shut-ins that cause permanent reservoir damage. The rial enters terminal collapse. Iran's alternatives outside the Strait can replace less than 10% of Gulf throughput. The blockade makes continued resistance economically impossible.

In addition, Iran has been collecting "tolls" from ships it allows to pass, most of which are, I assume, taking oil to Iran's allies like India and China. The blockade not only strips Iran of this "toll" money, but will cause Iran's allies to pressure it into conceding.

Will this work? I don't know. Another question is, will it cut into the IRGC faster than it punishes the people suffering under the tyranny of the Islamic Occupational Army? Again, I don't know.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 01:06 PM | Comments (392) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Eric Fartwell Forced Out of Gubernatorial Race by Post-Biden-Debate Coordinated Campaign; Apologizes for "Mistakes in Judgment I Have Made in My Life"

He was forced out after Democrats threatened to expel him from Congress if he didn't resign from the race.

Now that he's out of the race, I anticipate them defending him and permitting him to remain in the House. Just like they did with Biden -- they forced him out of a race for tactical and cynical political reasons, but then kept him in office for equally tactical and cynical political reasons.

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, are expected to face an immediate expulsion threat when the House returns from a two-week recess on Tuesday.

Swalwell, who dropped out of California's 2026 gubernatorial race Sunday, is facing multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations, including at least one involving a former staffer. The Manhattan district attorney's office has also opened a criminal investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred in New York City.

Swalwell has repeatedly characterized the allegations as "false," though he acknowledged a lack of judgment on Sunday. He has pledged to vigorously defend himself.

Politico:

Swalwell suspends governor campaign amid sexual misconduct allegations

His exit came after allies and staffers abandoned him en masse.

...

"I am suspending my campaign for Governor," Swalwell wrote on X on Sunday. "To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past."

He wrote, "I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made -- but that's my fight, not a campaign's."

The Democratic congressman's exit completed a stunningly swift collapse for a candidate who had shown signs in recent weeks of pulling ahead of a crowded Democratic field, with prominent interest groups and elected officials beginning to coalesce behind him.

But an ex-staffer's allegation that Swalwell had sexually assaulted her, detailed in a San Francisco Chronicle report and followed by more misconduct allegations in a CNN report, led those allies to abandon Swalwell en masse as high-level staffers departed his campaign.

Swalwell started last week vehemently denying accusations against him as nakedly political attacks on the race's frontrunner. He ended it politically isolated, his top campaign surrogates and prominent endorsers withdrawing their support or urging him to exit the race.

By Friday afternoon, Swalwell's two campaign co-chairs, Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray, called on Swalwell to drop out, as did Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying the accusations "must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability," and that, "As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign."

Swalwell had come under enormous pressure not only in the governor's race, but in the House, too, where he now is facing calls for his expulsion. Meanwhile, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer in a New York City hotel room in April 2024.

I know that some of you object to this political hit based on the fact that there is no actual evidence of rape introduced against him yet, just allegations.

But I cannot help but apply Eric Fartwell's own evidentiary standards against him. Here is Fartwell repeatedly accusing Trump of being an "Agent of Putin," and when asked what the evidence is for this conspiracy theory, he just says "the evidence is right in front of your nose" and "the evidence is hiding in plain sight."

This turned out to be a line cribbed from Adam Schiff: When Schiff claimed he had secret evidence that Trump was a RUSSIAN ASSET, he only meant "you can just tell by looking at him."

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 12:06 PM | Comments (344) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Report from Heartland Institute’s “Climate Realism” Conference: A Celebration of the Tide Turning Against Climate Alarmism

I was in attendance at the Heartland Institute’s “Climate Realism Rising” conference last week. It was a triumphal event, with green energy having fallen out of favor, the EPA’s Endangerment Finding now rescinded, auto manufacturers abandoning EVs, wind farms kneecapped by President Trump, and the public now tuning out the climate hysterics’ failed prophesies of doom.

To be clear, despite the celebratory mood, there was agreement that the left will never relent in their war on fossil fuels, and that we are just one bad election from being put on defense again.

The highlight was a keynote speech by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who is one of the most consequential political figures of my lifetime, because he aggressively retook political ground lost to the left, restoring freedom and prosperity in the process. Having the head of the EPA proudly affirming “climate denial” in front of a group of “climate skeptics” sent the legacy media into paroxysms of partisan anger, as if a heretic had occupied the most holy temple in their church.

“Climate Denial Comes to Washington” [NY Times]

It might have seemed like a fringe event, except for the high-profile opening speaker: Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and one of President Trump’s possible choices for the next attorney general. The mood in the room was celebratory. The roughly 220 attendees at the gathering at the Hotel Washington, which is a short walk from the White House, treated Zeldin like a rock star, giving him a standing ovation before he had even spoken.

Here are some other media headlines:

“Zeldin stars at climate denial conference” [Politico]

“Lee Zeldin Touts EPA Rollbacks at Climate Denial Conference” [Bloomberg]

“Zeldin tells climate skeptics to ‘celebrate vindication’ after repeal of baseline climate rule” [AP]

The legacy media is adamant that the politically approved science has been settled, and that only command and control of all economic activity can save the planet. Further, the legacy media demands that the scientific method be prohibited when it comes to climate, so that no climate theory may be challenged nor hypotheses tested.

But the media does consider this to be legitimate science. From NPR/PBS: “Same-Sex Couples Face Higher Climate Change Risks, New UCLA Study Shows”

Getting back to Heartland’s Climate Realism conference, here are a few quick overviews of interesting topics that were covered. (There was a lot of additional great material which I’ll likely discuss further in future posts.)

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM | Comments (261) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

The Awakening of the Forest
Paul Delvaux

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (308) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report —4/ 13 /26

Good morning kids. Yet again it's the international scene that's grabbing all the attention this morning. we'll get to the latest developements off the Iranian coast in a moment, but first there are a couple of bit stories happening in Europe that might otherwise get lost in the sauce. The disappointing news first comes fromHungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat in the parliamentary elections on Sunday, bringing an end to 16 years of governance in Budapest. . . Conceding defeat on Sunday evening, Orbán said: “The election result is painful for us, but understandable. I congratulated the Tisza Party.

“No matter how it turned out, we in the opposition will serve our country and the Hungarian nation,” he declared, adding: “We never give up!”

I'm not necessarily in tune with the attitude of the Hungarian people but that they sent a true patriot and a staunch defender of western values, civilization and sanity packing is a head scratcher considering the madness of open borders especially with the invasion of Islamic hordes that have ravaged a significant portion of the rest of the continent. Orbán was a tough, passionate and vocal critic of the EU on this and other issues of national sovereignty, especially the insane push to go to war with Russia over Ukraine, as well as earning the enmity of the homosexual/transexual pervert lobby for his staunch criticism of them and the EU's drive to push their ideology on the Hungarian people. From what I have gathered, the new regime in Hungary will do a very abrupt about-face on all these issues and President Trump and America my lose, at least in the near term, a very key strategic ally.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum of the Hungarians we have the Irish, who really got their Irish up!

So you say you want a revolution?  Well, take a look at what’s happening in Ireland right now.  Tens of thousands of farmers, truckers, and other fed-up “normies” are taking to the streets of Dublin to protest fuel taxes, mass immigration, and poverty-inducing “climate change” policies.  For the most part, corporate news propagandists in both Europe and North America are intentionally ignoring the combustible situation.  Just when I had begun to think that all the “fighting Irish” had moved to America, the Old Country has started to show signs of life.  Perhaps there are still a few irascible pugilists willing to bash heads and take on the globalist empire after all. . . Although few people saw the present brouhaha coming, Ireland makes a natural “ground zero” in the war between Big Government globalists (aka, the “international rules-based order” club of World Economic Forum totalitarians) and ordinary citizens willing to defend their nation’s sovereignty and their own personal freedoms.  For two decades, the globalists have been taking over Ireland and stripping it for parts.

Would or could something like this ever happpen here in the USA. I Mean among real Americans and not leftist Antifa rent-a-goons agitating for revolution and committing acts of terorism to overthrow our Republic once and for all?

And speaking of Democrat/Leftist terrorism, please pardon the redundancy . . .

Turning Point USA’s “Frontlines” reporter Savanah Hernandez posted multiple videos of mob members opposed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the Minneapolis area seemingly attacking her Saturday. After Hernandez posted photos of one assailant — a man charged in connection with the storming of a St. Paul-area church — Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon responded in to the post on X. (RELATED: Democrat Candidate Calls For Banning MAGA From Internet)

The only reason Antifa et al can get away with what they get away with, the corruption of the courts and Political cover by their overlords in the Democrat Party aside, is that they know that kyle Rittenhouse notwithstanding we will never preemptively hunt them down and take them out as is their strategy, let alone take up arms to defend ourselves. Because if we ever did, look out.

On that orgasmatronic pipe dream, here's a clunky segue to the latest from Iran.

Whoever’s calling the shots in Iran wasted yet another chance for peace over the weekend, and now President Donald Trump will again call Tehran’s bluff.
Iran’s negotiators refused to satisfy America’s demands Saturday in talks in Pakistan, as regime leaders bet that playing the Strait of Hormuz card would get Trump to blink.
Instead, he played it right back at them — announcing his own blockade, so that Iran’s oil exports (which had continued despite the war) will also be blocked.

The prez is thinking outside the box with this blockade and his plans to escort ships through the Strait; if necessary, he can later order US forces to take Kharg Island and eviscerate the regime’s power base.
This also guarantees that Tehran’s effort to charge a toll on all tankers crossing the Strait will fail — honoring an American commitment to freedom of the seas that goes back to President Thomas Jefferson, the Barbary Pirates and the US Marines’ triumphant excursion “to the shores of Tripoli.”
Of course Iran’s rulers (whoever they are at this point) responded with fresh bluster, vowing a “strong and forceful response” to Trump’s move and huffing that it would end the cease-fire.
Utter bull: Tehran has almost no offensive capabilities left except those that threaten Strait shipping, and those assets can now be eliminated as completely and readily as the rest of its Navy, missile launchers and drone capabilities already were.
It can’t seriously mine the Strait without choking off its own exports, nor can that blockade last once America and its allies’ minesweepers, backed by the US Navy, get down to work.
Trump’s blockade won’t much impact Europe or the Americas, while our Middle Eastern allies are switching to export routes that don’t rely on the Strait; it’s Iran and its allies (mainly China) that will now suffer most. Beijing and its dependents in Moscow will soon regret vetoing the UN Security Council measure to reopen the Strait.
Meanwhile, the Iranian hardliners behind this lunacy will face more internal pressure from other regime factions; everything they’ve tried to do has blown up in their faces.
They assumed America would be help captive by conventional wisdom; our president proved them wrong.
Trump once again tried to reach a peaceful settlement; the Iranians again refused: Now they’ll pay yet a higher price for thinking they could get him to chicken out.

Have a great day!

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:15 AM | Comments (403) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 13 April 2026

Top Story

• DC. Suicide Squad is a DC property, not Marvel.
  
  
  
• The peril of laziness lost. (Dtrace)
  
  AI makes it easy to generate millions of lines of code.
  
  What it doesn't make it is a good idea.
  
  It used to be that laziness by itself placed a brake on the wheel of code churn. Now you also need to know what you are doing. And that is hard work to begin with.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (88) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread - April 12, 2026 [Doof]

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Sunday night ONT. How has the springtime weather been treating you? Enjoying baseball and golf? Suffering from allergies? Planting flowers yet? It's an open thread, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

By the way - in case you missed the announcement on the Gun Thread, this year's NoVa MoMe will take place on Saturday, June 20th, 2026 from 11am to 3pm. Same signup method as the past several years -- Send an email to WeaselBell Productions to get the registration details. Info is also on the left sidebar of the main page. There is NOTHING like a MoMe! Veteran MoMe attendees - please attest to this!

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (442) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: 2026 NoVaMoMe Announcement Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the 2026 NoVaMoMe Announcement Edition? Seems like only last week was the Happy Easter Edition!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (241) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: A Flying Martini?

I was given that bottle by a well-meaning relative, because...I have no idea, other than that she drinks a lot of gin cocktails when she comes to our house.

The company is co-owned by Ryan Reynolds, who is a comedic actor who is from Canada, so he doesn't matter at all. But I shy away from celebrity endorsed products, and definitely from celebrity-owned companies. So I have never bought a bottle of the stuff.

But I am also a cheap bastard and will absolutely drink celebrity gin if it is free!

SO I made a martini (stirred, not shaken!), and while it was fine, the gin absolutely does not deserve the hype, or the premium price. Commenter and amateur bartender (I won't insult him by calling him a mixologist) naturalfake, who has a better palate than mine, thinks it is too sarsaparilla forward, but will work well in an ... AVIATION! I don't know about that, but it's not worth the money if you are making martinis.

Now, I prefer the classic London Dry Gin flavor profile, so take my review with a few grains of salt.

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (261) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First World Problems...

This is the most ridiculous packaging I have encountered in a very long time. These batteries are encased in plastic that has no seam to make it easy to peel apart. Then they are wrapped in another layer of plastic before they are wrapped in thin but stupidly tough cardboard.

Oh...they are also flavored. I shit you not! They have a "non-toxic bitter coating" so that you don't accidentally confuse them for mints and pop one into your mouth, and then chew them up. I guess.

I get that the company is trying keep kids from eating batteries, or maybe keep adults from eating batteries! But how about a little bit of personal responsibility? Like putting them on a high shelf. Yeah...that's a complex operation, but I managed to do it!

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (161) | Trackbacks (Suck)

This Might Be Better Than A Flying Car, Especially In Traffic

US Army's next-gen combat vehicle adds autonomy, 50 mm cannon power

At the center of the XM30's capabilities is an unmanned turret equipped with a 50 mm XM913 Bushmaster autocannon. This weapon offers greater range and firepower than the 25 mm cannon on the Bradley, improving effectiveness against modern armored threats.

The unmanned turret allows the vehicle to operate with a two-person crew. Both crew members remain inside the hull, enhancing protection by removing the need for a traditional manned turret position.

Here's the video! Yes, it's an advertisement, but it looks like just the thing for commuting into our blue cities.

I saw a video of one of our Bradleys we gave to Ukraine absolutely knocking the snot out of a Russian tank. And the Bradley carries a 25mm gun.

A 50mm chain gun will be a game changer...maybe.

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (176) | Trackbacks (Suck)