Dearly
beloved, we have gathered here today to celebrate the wonder that is
Prince. He was the epitome of pop culture royalty, the pioneer of new
music, a prolific singer and songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist, a
record producer, an actor, and more. He was, as LA Times writers put it,
“our first post-everything pop star,” a figure who transcended
categories of genre, race, gender, and commercial appeal. Prince's
career, spanning four decades, overflowed with iconic outfits, copious
amounts of charm, unmissable stage presence, and bottomless talent.
Guitar, drums, bass, keyboard—you name it, he played it. Add to that an
impossibly wide vocal range reaching up to falsetto and down to
baritone, and music was truly his plaything, which is perhaps how he so
comfortably morphed, advanced, and pioneered genres, including the
famous Minneapolis sound which mixes funk, rock, synth-pop, and new
wave.
He wrote his first song when he was
seven, and went platinum when he was just 18, racking up too many
accolades to count throughout his life and selling over 100 million
records worldwide. After releasing 39 studio albums, you'd think his
career would be put to rest, but his life was taken too soon, and no one
was ready.
The impact Prince has had on
culture is obvious in his championing of androgynous (and extravagant)
fashion, his prolific discography, and his eclectic work, but nothing
proves just how embedded he is in our love of music as the songs he gave
away. Prince is unlike most royalty in that he loved to share his
wealth (apparently it wasn't enough to have inspired several generations
and diversified the musical landscape). He also wrote numerous songs
for his fellow artists and allowed his music to be covered by other
performers as well—songs that climbed the charts, some for which he even
used a pen name.
Check out the gallery to see the surprising hit songs you likely had no idea were written by Prince.
20
songs. 19 of which were written by Prince. "Stand Back" was written
by Stevie Nicks. She sang it to "Little Red Corvette" when she was
composing it. She offered Prince co-writing credit on it but he didn't
take it -- he did play a synth lick for her on the track.
In
late 1979, the Pretenders released what would become their breakout
hit. The song, “Brass in Pocket,” appeared on the English rock band’s
self -titled debut album. Written by Chrissie Hynde and James
Honeyman-Scott, “Brass in Pocket” featured a choppy guitar riff and
empowering lyrics. It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early
1980.
Rolling Stone
ranked "Brass in Pocket” as one of the greatest songs of all time,
describing it as “the first Number One U.K. hit of the Eighties, the
eighth video played on MTV, and the song that launched the Pretenders
into pop stardom.”
But the hit song almost didn’t happen at all.
In an interview with American Songwriter,
Hynde admitted that she hated "Brass in Pocket" when it was first
recorded at Wessex Studios in London, and didn’t want it on the album.
She even told producer Chris Thomas, “This goes out over my dead body.”
“I
did not like it at first,” the singer shared in the interview. “I said
that would go out over my dead body. That was my famous quote.”
She
has endured some surreal situations, like when a fan sneaked onto the
property, tied up the housekeeper, and the artist had to hide.
While
most artists have a gigantic ego that seeks a constant spotlight to
cling to, in the case of Enya it is quite the opposite. For Eithne
Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin - her real name - being a hermit is a symbol of
triumph and freedom after being one of the most important music stars of
the nineties.
With over 80 million records
sold and a nomination for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy for the
song May It Be that she composed for The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Enya lives secluded in a fairytale castle
in Killiney, south of Dublin.
Purchased in 1997 for
3.8 million euros, it is a crenellated Victorian-style mansion built in
1840 in homage to Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne, and at one
point had a secret tunnel connecting the property to the beach,
surrounded by 1.4 hectares of gardens, she invested several million
euros in restoration and reinforcing security.
In 1997, dynamic performer Diana Ross told Rolling Stone,
“I sing all the time. Music is a part of my being. Like when I’m
walking, I walk with a rhythm. I carry myself as if there’s music
inside.” A lot of the time, Ross just needed a songwriter or two to help
her get that music from the inside out.
Among these writers were husband-and-wife songwriting duo Ashford and
Simpson. The couple played a major role in the writing and production
of Ross’ albums in the 70s and even cut hits like “Ain’t No Mountain
High Enough”for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The song would also
become a No. 1 for Ross in 1970. It was also Nile Rodgers and Bernard
Edwards of the disco band Chic who scored a major chart-topper with
Ross’ “Upside Down”.
Yesterday, I noted of Bob Dylan and Diana Ross, "He and Diana Ross have been touring non-stop. She kicked off her tour in June of 2022." They're both going to be at Wolf Trap this summer. Michelle Witte (PATCH) notes:
International stars and
children's performers have been added to Wolf Trap's 2026 summer concert
schedule, bringing R&B, Bollywood styles, classic Americana,
symphonic adaptations and more to Virginia's performing arts park.
Newly
announced performers Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Erykah Badu, Shreya
Ghoshal, The Reset, the National Symphony Orchestra featuring Lizzo and
Kidz Bop join already scheduled artists Sting, Tori Amos, Chance the Rapper and dozens of others.
Tickets for these shows are on sale now at wolftrap.org, and you can explore the full lineup here.
Thursday, April 9, 2026. Pam Bondi disrespects the survivors of Jeffrey
Epstein again as she refuses to be deposed by the House Oversight
Committee, Chump demonstrates what a chump he actually is with his
cease-fire with Iran, and much more.
Yesterday afternoon, SCRIPPS NEWS GROUP reported,
"Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear next week for a
scheduled deposition before the House Oversight Committee as part of its
investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Scripps News has confirmed. A
committee spokeswoman said the Department of Justice informed lawmakers
that Bondi will not appear for the April 14 deposition because she is no
longer serving as attorney general and was subpoenaed in that
capacity." The Democrats on the House Oversight Committee issued the
following:
Washington,
D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Committee
on Oversight and Reform, released the following statement after former
Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to appear for her deposition before
the Oversight Committee on April 14, despite the lawful bipartisan
subpoena the Committee issued last month. This subpoena is binding, even
after she was fired. The subpoena followed the Department of Justice’s
botched release of the Epstein files and the continued White House
cover-up.
“Now that Pam Bondi has been fired,
she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the
Oversight Committee about the Epstein files and the White House
cover-up.
Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam
Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not. She must come in to
testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin
contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice,” said
Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
The
Department of Justice said Wednesday that Pam Bondi will not appear for
her upcoming deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey
Epstein investigation given that she is no longer serving as the US
attorney general.
It marks the latest roadblock
in Congress’ fight to secure Bondi’s sworn testimony related to the
Justice Department’s public release of its investigative files into the
late convicted sex offender.
The department argued that
Bondi was subpoenaed in her official role as attorney general and not
in a personal capacity. As such, she won’t appear on Capitol Hill on
April 14 to discuss her role overseeing the release of the Epstein
Files, Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis wrote in a letter to
House Oversight Chairman James Comer.
The
Department of Justice says this? DoJ is now the expert on
Congressional subpoenas? Congress subpoenas someone which makes them
the 'decider' in this matter. The DoJ appears to be overstepping. In
addition, Pam's job has not been filled and she remains, per Chump's
social media post announcing her firing, a government employee -- so
still being paid her AG salary -- for the rest of the month as part of a
"transitioning." Therefore, she's still with the Justice Dept and
she's still being paid her AG salary through the end of the month and
April 14th is in the middle of the month so she could appear before the
Committee as part of her "transitioning."
The
DOJ’s position has drawn criticism from members of both parties on the
Oversight Committee. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC), who supported the
subpoena alongside Democrats, said Bondi remains obligated to testify
regardless of her current status.
“She was
subpoenaed by name,” Mace said, arguing that leaving office does not
remove the requirement to comply with congressional oversight. Several
lawmakers have indicated they view the issue as a matter of
institutional authority rather than a partisan dispute.
Representative
Ro Khanna (D-Calif) also called for Bondi to appear, stating in a
letter to Chairman James Comer that her status as a private citizen
could allow for broader testimony.
Nancy
Mace is correct, Bondi was subpoenaed by name. She is compelled to
testify or be held in contempt. There was no "Unless you resign or are
fired" exception to the subpoena. So what happens now? Alison Durkee (FORBES) ponders that:
What
will happen next week. It’s unclear if the threat of contempt could
lead Bondi to show up on April 14 as scheduled, and if any GOP lawmakers
would support Democrats in bringing contempt charges against her.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said Wednesday they planned
to work with Bondi’s personal counsel to reschedule and have her
testify in her personal capacity. It’s unclear when Bondi could testify,
if it’s rescheduled, and if that would be enough to keep Democrats from
trying to move forward with contempt charges.
Some
Epstein victims expressed anger at Bondi’s intent not to appear.
“Survivors have waited nearly three decades for answers – how much
longer must we wait?” said Maria and Annie Farmer in a joint statement.
“Any further delays only deepen survivors’ pain and weakens our
confidence in the government’s willingness to hold accountable those who
enabled and perpetrated Epstein’s heinous crimes.”
Washington,
D.C. (February 12, 2026)—Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House
Judiciary Committee, led Judiciary Committee Democrats in
cross-examining Attorney General Pam Bondi for the damage done to the
Department of Justice (DOJ) under her watch.
Seated
in the audience were survivors and families of late survivors of
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking ring, who were
recognized, with their permission, at the start of the hearing: Theresa
Helm; Jess Michaels; Lara Blume McGee; Dani Bensky; Liz Stein; Marina
Lacerda; Sky and Amanda Roberts, who are the family of the late Virginia
Giuffre; Sharlene Lund; and Lisa Phillips. Bondi ignored Members’ pleas
for her to apologize directly to the survivors for the catastrophic
harm Bondi’s DOJ caused by releasing their information and intimate
details of their abuse. Rather than apologize, Bondi called the question
“theatrics.”
Bondi refused to confront the
Trump DOJ’s botched handling of the Epstein files, which recklessly
exposed survivors and shielded potential criminal co-conspirators.
Rep.
Pramila Jayapal pressed Bondi: “Will you turn to [the Epstein
survivors] now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put
them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein
files and their information?” Bondi said: “I’m not going to get into the
gutter with this woman doing theatrics.”
Rep.
Jayapal asked Epstein survivors to raise their hand if they still
haven’t been invited to meet with Pam Bondi or the DOJ. Every single one
raised their hand.
Rep. Hank Johnson said: “We
have the Epstein victim survivors here today. Rep. Jayapal asked a
simple question. If you would be so kind and honorable as to turn around
and face them and apologize to them for outing them. I mean, how many
lives have been derailed because your Department was either sloppy and
incompetent or willfully trying to intimidate and punish these ladies?”
Bondi again refused to acknowledge the survivors, saying: “Your time is
up.”
Bondi obfuscated and filibustered when asked
by Rep. Jerry Nadler how many of Epstein’s co-conspirators she has
indicted. Rep. Nadler slammed her stonewalling: “The answer to my
question of how many of Epstein’s co-conspirators has she indicted is
zero. You have been the Attorney General for a whole year, and your DOJ
fired the lead prosecutor of this case, sat on evidence this entire
time, and claimed falsely last July that there were no more leads. It
took an act of Congress for you to finally release part of the Epstein
files. And when you did, you included personal information about the
victims while protecting the names of abusers.”
In
response to a question from Rep. Ted Lieu on why she shut down the
investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, the Attorney General
deflected and made clear she is only here to defend Trump: “This is so
ridiculous, that they are trying to deflect from all the great things
Donald Trump has done.” Rep. Lieu slammed her non-response: “There are
over 1,000 sex trafficking victims. And you have not held a single man
accountable. Shame on you. If you had any decency, you would resign
right after this hearing concludes.”
Rep. Lou
Correa blasted Bondi for redacting the names of powerful men in the
Epstein files while dangerously exposing victims: “We have to make sure
we tell those predators there is no place for them to hide. And if they
commit the crime, they’re going to fry for it. It starts with showing us
the names of the perpetrators in the Epstein files.”
Bondi
responded with personal attacks when Ranking Member Raskin asked her to
“create a joint task force of the Department of Justice and governors
and state attorneys general and district attorneys across the country to
investigate the crimes that have taken place against [Epstein]
victims.”
In response to a question from Rep. Dan
Goldman, Bondi refused to commit to providing key documents still
missing from the Epstein files production: an 86-page prosecution memo
from the Southern District of New York, and a draft indictment from
Florida against Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators. Bondi’s DOJ is
violating the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act compelling the
unredacted release of these documents.
Rep.
Jared Moskowitz pointed out precisely why the DOJ has covered up the
Epstein files: “Trump’s name appears more times in the Epstein file than
Harry Potter’s name appears in the seven books about Harry Potter.”
Rep.
Deborah Ross probed the Trump Administration’s shameful transfer of sex
offender Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security prison where she has
been pampered: “Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator
received perk after perk in prison. In July, she had a two-day interview
with your deputy and President Trump’s former defense attorney, Todd
Blanche. Just days after that, Maxwell was transferred from a federal
correctional institution in Florida to a minimum-security camp in Texas,
which she, as a sex offender, would normally be ineligible for at this
new facility. We’ve heard reports that she’s been afforded special
privileges: puppy time, private workouts, personal mail, secretarial
services.” Bondi bizarrely claimed she didn’t know about the prison
transfer that occurred under her watch and falsely claimed that Maxwell
had not been transferred to a lower-security prison.
Rep.
Becca Balint said: “Now, I’ve seen some of the unredacted Epstein
files. And obviously, as you know, President Trump’s name is all over
them. But so are the names of other senior Trump officials. Howard
Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, John Phelan, the Secretary of the Navy,
and Steven Feinberg, the Deputy Secretary of Defense. These men were
appointed by President Trump to senior positions in his Administration.
All of them have clear and confirmed ties to Jeffrey Epstein.” Bondi
flailed when Rep. Balint pressed her on these ties and why they weren’t a
dealbreaker for the President who hired them anyway.
Amid
all the lies and evasions, Bondi made a rare admission, saying that
Trump’s name “appeared countless times” in the Epstein files.
In
his attempts to position himself at the confluence of money and power,
Jeffrey Epstein cultivated myriad relationships among the ruling elite
of the Middle East, according to an extensive Miami Herald review of
several million pages of documents recently released by the U.S. Justice
Department.
From his Palm
Beach and New York mansions and his luxurious apartment in Paris,
Epstein enjoyed a remarkable level of access to sensitive information
like the outcomes of political meetings and the itineraries of Gulf
royals.
The disgraced financier, the Herald
found, regularly corresponded with members of the ruling classes in
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. He invited them
to his properties and gave them business advice - even suggesting to
Saudi palace officials that he tutor the crown prince about the ways of
Wall Street.
He asked that he be given a “small
palace” to live in while schooling the prince and demanded that the
Saudis give him sweeping oversight over the kingdom’s fortunes.
When
Qatar was accused of supporting Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, Epstein
detailed to a Qatari royal a four-point campaign on how the country
could clean up its image. Epstein also intervened on behalf of a Yemeni
billionaire’s son to help him fight murder and rape allegations in
Britain.
[. . .]
Epstein first got acquainted with Yemeni billionaire Shaher Abdulhak in the spring of 2012.
Abdulhak, at the time, was in a fix.
His
son, Farouk, was a suspect in the rape and murder of 23-year-old
Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen in London in 2008. According to
the British press, British authorities wanted him for questioning, but
Farouk had fled to Yemen.
Epstein, the records
show, claimed to have facilitated an introduction with British attorney
Lord Ken Macdonald, who had previously served as the top prosecutor in
England and Wales.
Epstein told Abdulhak in a
June 2012 email that he had spoken to Macdonald, who believed that
Farouk could get a reduced charge and be granted bail, records show.
Epstein advised Abdulhak to focus on “what punishment would be
acceptable.”
“I think you are right, something like house arrest, plus charity work,” Abdulhak replied.
Let's
move on over to the terrorist that is Donald Chump, the one who said
he'd take a country back to "the stone age" and "obliterate" the people
living there. Chump sounded like a terrorist and like a lunatic. He
should be removed from office immediately. Yes, Chump being Chump, he
ended up chickening out at the last minute. But that he took it that
far goes to how severe the dementia has become.
He
joined Netanyahu in starting a war of choice and he is now at a point
where the US is much weaker and the government of Iran is much
stronger. Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) reports:
Donald
Trump claims to have reached a successful but still evolving ceasefire
agreement with Iran, but National Review editor Jim Geraghty has a
different assessment: the president has been completely outmaneuvered
and is poised to capitulate on nearly every significant demand.
According to Geraghty's scathing analysis,
Trump and Iran are describing fundamentally different agreements. The
Iranian proposal includes concessions that represent a catastrophic
setback for American national security interests.
The
Iranian demands include: "Iran's continued control of the Strait of
Hormuz," "Iran's uranium enrichment right should be accepted," and
"Payment of compensation for damages inflicted on Iran."
I
don’t mean to sound controversial, but a president shouldn’t be able to
walk away from threatening to wipe out an entire civilization ‒ even
setting a deadline, as if Armageddon is a bloody reality show ‒ and then
carry on like he’s a normal president. Even if Republicans want you to
think it's normal.
In the sweep of less than 24 hours on April 7, Donald Trump went from threatening genocide to agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, a ceasefire that appears to give the Middle East nation a lot in return for nothing.
Don’t
get me wrong, I’m damn glad he stepped away from mass murder. But let’s
be honest: America can’t continue with this kind of “Look at me, I’m a
crazy former reality show star, tune in to see what I’ll do next?!?”
insanity.
The world just spent an entire day not
knowing whether the American president was going to commit war crimes or
drop a nuclear bomb on Iran as part of a war he started and was never
authorized to conduct.
Donald
Trump has lashed out at “fraudsters and charlatans” who he claims are
circulating fake lists of Iran’s ceasefire plan as he tries to put a
positive spin on the war.
In an angry Truth
Social post on Wednesday, Trump claimed that “numerous agreements, lists
and letters” were being sent out by people who had nothing to do with
negotiations between the two countries.
“In
many cases, they are total Fraudsters, Charlatans, and WORSE. They will
be rapidly exposed after our Federal Investigation is completed,” he
wrote, without providing any specifics.
“There
is only one group of meaningful “POINTS” that are acceptable to the
United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during
these Negotiations.”
The tirade came hours
after Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran—an abrupt climbdown
from his earlier threat to unleash devastating military strikes if
Tehran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Chump gets a revealed as a chump who needs someone to teach him THE ART OF THE DEAL and he lashes out at others. Brad Bannon (THE HILL) offers:
“Trump Net Approval Drops to Record Low.”
That’s the headline from the YouGov story about the new national survey
it conducted last week for The Economist. His overall performance score
comes in at net negative 23 percent, which puts him as deep underwater
as the Great Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Trump’s ratings have
been in intensive care for months but the controversy over starting a
war against Iran a month ago have put them on life support.
Iran
is a big problem for the president. You don’t need a meteorologist to
know which way the wind is blowing. Americans oppose the war by a 2-to-1 margin.
While Republicans still support the conflict, opposition to his
misguided military misadventure is high in every demographic public
subgroup.
Trump also suffers from a significant
credibility gap. A clear majority of people believe he hasn’t provided
accurate information about the progress of the war. Things could soon
even get worse for the commander in chief if he decides to put U.S.
troops on Iranian ground. Only one out of every six surveyed favor the
use of U.S. ground forces against the Middle Eastern nation.
There
are two reasons why the situation has gone from bad to worse for Trump.
He failed to demonstrate at the onset that Iran was a serious threat to
U.S. national security and the assault weaponized existing public
concerns about his failure to reduce inflationary prices.
Spanish
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday joined a chorus of world
leaders welcoming the announcement of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire but issued a
thinly veiled swipe at the Trump administration for having initiated
the hostilities.
"Ceasefires are always good
news. Especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this
momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and
the lives lost," Sánchez said in a social media post, according to a
translation.
"The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket."
Sánchez,
who has emerged as one of the European Union's leading critics of U.S.
and Israeli strikes against Iran, called for "diplomacy, international
law and PEACE" to prevail.
I
can't imagine any US president in post-WWII era being insulted like
that. And from our ally Spain. But this is what Chump has fostered
with his attacks and his bullying. He's treated the world as though it
doesn't matter and now he's getting the same treatment back.
But the two-week cease-fire leaves the
Islamic Republic in place and still in command of the future of the
Strait of Hormuz, with Iran’s nuclear stockpile and ballistic missile
program unresolved. After Mr. Trump’s declaration of victory, however
hollow, it is difficult to imagine a resumption of full-scale war.
For
the rest of the world, the war “is starting to look like a military
defeat, more serious than Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Bruno Maçães,
former secretary of state for European affairs for Portugal.
“The
myth of America as all-powerful is important,” he added, “and it’s the
basic requirement of a global hegemon to keep the oil flowing, to open
up the strait and keep it open. This belief in an all-powerful America
that can solve anything is disappearing.”
Keeping
sea lanes open for American goods and global trade is one of the few
permanent interests the United States has in the Middle East, as well as
in Asia.
The war in Iran shut down
the strait. Now, the Iranian military is still in control of the
passageway and is likely to demand large tolls. “The strategic rationale
for the American military presence in the region has taken a huge hit,”
said Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment in
Washington.
Iran
walks away with more than it had in the previous agreement it struck
with the Obama administration. Israel is still firing missiles into
Iran, to say nothing of laying waste to half of Lebanon. Iran maintains
control of the Strait of Hormuz. Indeed, the deal turns the strait into
an Iranian tollbooth. I think we’re lucky that Iran doesn’t now own half
of Montana. On the other hand, Pete Hegseth thinks the whole thing
is/was a masterstroke:
This morning, a big day
for world peace. Iran wants it to happen. They’ve had enough. Operation
Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. A
capital V.
And JD Vance, fresh off canoodling with Viktor
Orbán and still cosplaying Urban II in Budapest, emphasized that the
U.S. is not kidding around this time. No sir. Not us. Uh-uhhh.
June 23rd, Jonathan
Swan and Maggie Haberman's REGIME CHANGE is released. It's about
Chump's second term thus far. The two reporters for THE NEW YORK TIMES
have written "How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran"
which is based on their book and which THE TIMES published Monday.
Interesting details in the piece. Most interesting? Tulsi Gabbard, the
Director of National Intelligence, was not present when Netanyahu made
his case for war. We'll note this part because it's been repeated in
the media and it was always wrong:
The
Israelis also raised the prospect of Iranian Kurdish fighters crossing
the border from Iraq to open a ground front in the northwest, further
stretching the regime’s forces and accelerating its collapse.
[. . .]
The
intelligence officials had deep expertise in U.S. military
capabilities, and they knew the Iranian system and its players inside
out. They had broken down Mr. Netanyahu’s presentation into four parts.
First was decapitation — killing the ayatollah. Second was crippling
Iran’s capacity to project power and threaten its neighbors. Third was a
popular uprising inside Iran. And fourth was regime change, with a
secular leader installed to govern the country.
The
U.S. officials assessed that the first two objectives were achievable
with American intelligence and military power. They assessed that the
third and fourth parts of Mr. Netanyahu’s pitch, which included the
possibility of the Kurds mounting a ground invasion of Iran, were
detached from reality.
The
Kurds in Iraq were never going to mount an invasion. As we noted here
repeatedly -- often noting the Talabni's extreme closeness to the
Iranian government -- that was not going to happen. The two ruling
dynasties in the Kurdistan are both close to the government of Iran and
have been for years. Many fools in the US media repeated this claim --
from US anonymice whispers or Israeli anonymice whispers, I don't know
-- and it was never viable.
Back to the article:
When
Mr. Trump joined the meeting, Mr. Ratcliffe briefed him on the
assessment. The C.I.A. director used one word to describe the Israeli
prime minister’s regime change scenarios: “farcical.”
At that point, Mr. Rubio cut in. “In other words, it’s bullshit,” he said.
Mr.
Ratcliffe added that given the unpredictability of events in any
conflict, regime change could happen, but it should not be considered an
achievable objective.
Several others jumped
in, including Mr. Vance, just back from Azerbaijan, who also expressed
strong skepticism about the prospect of regime change.
The president then turned to General Caine. “General, what do you think?”
General
Caine replied: “Sir, this is, in my experience, standard operating
procedure for the Israelis. They oversell, and their plans are not
always well-developed. They know they need us, and that’s why they’re
hard-selling.”
Mr. Trump quickly weighed the
assessment. Regime change, he said, would be “their problem.” It was
unclear whether he was referring to the Israelis or the Iranian people.
But the bottom line was that his decision on whether to go to war
against Iran would not hinge on whether Parts 3 and 4 of Mr. Netanyahu’s
presentation were achievable.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren
(D-Mass.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), along with Representative Delia
Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Representative Troy Carter (D-La.), pressed the
Inspectors General of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and
State to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts
to deport people to countries they have no ties to.
“We request that your offices evaluate the Trump Administration’s
unlawful and costly system of “third-country removals”...Congress and
the public deserve answers to better understand the scale of legal
violations within this system that was recently ruled unconstitutional,”
wrote the lawmakers.
Since President Trump took office for a second time, his
administration has deported hundreds of people, including children,
long-time U.S. residents, and individuals with no criminal records, to
countries they are not from and that were not designated for their
removal, which U.S. immigration law only allows in rare circumstances.
Deportees are being sent to these countries without proper due process,
and in some cases without being provided an opportunity to voice
concerns that their life or freedom would be in danger in that third
country. To persuade countries to accept deportees, the Trump
Administration has used a combination of threats and payments, including
paying $32 million to El Salvador, Rwanda, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea,
and Palau.
In September 2025, Senator Warren led over 60 members of Congress in launching an investigation
into these practices. Despite the serious implications of third-country
removals, both State and Homeland Security have failed to comply with
the requests made as part of that investigation.
On February 25, 2026, a federal court ruled that this third-country
removal system violates the U.S. Constitution and immigration law. Even
so, DHS’s 2025 guidance regarding
third country removals — which do not appear to have been updated since
the February 2026 court ruling — claim the Department can deport
individuals to third countries with no individualized process
whatsoever.
Many people first learn that they are being deported to a third
country while on the flight overseas. Even when a country has not
credibly promised to refrain from torture or persecution, DHS still
generally gives individuals only 24 hours’ notice that they will be
deported to a particular country, with no guaranteed opportunity to
speak with an attorney. To make matters worse, some DHS attorneys have
reportedly threatened asylum seekers that they may be deported to third
countries in order to pressure them to abandon their asylum claims and
accept deportation to their home countries.
Some people deported to third countries have reported torture,
arbitrary detention, and forced return to their countries of origin
where courts have found they are likely to face persecution, and other
human rights violations.
“Such reports cast serious doubt on DoS’s process, if one exists, of
verifying the reliability of countries’ assertions that they will not
torture or persecute deportees, or transport them onward to other
countries where they’re likely to face torture or persecution,” wrote the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the Administration is continuing to execute third-country
deportations. As of early March, ICE had over 500 people in its custody
slated for third-country deportations, and DHS signaled that it had its sights on deporting over 8,000 people to third countries.
The lawmakers asked that Inspectors General’s investigation include
the administration’s failure to follow due process, negotiations with
foreign governments, evaluating the risk of torture and persecution, and
the cost of third-country deportations.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff
Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.),
Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Adam Schiff
(D-Calif.) signed on to this letter.
Representatives Donald Beyer (D-Va.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Diana
DeGette (D-Colo.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.),
Jesús García (D-Ill.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.),
Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.),
Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern
(D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Chellie
Pingree (D-Maine), and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) signed on to this letter.
The
Wireless Festival has been canceled after Kanye West was blocked from
traveling to the United Kingdom amid backlash over his previous
antisemitic remarks.
Britain’s Home Office told
the BBC on Tuesday that the rapper had made an application to travel to
the U.K. via an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). It added that
his application had been rejected because his presence would not be conducive to the public good.
Later
on Tuesday, a spokesman for the festival announced that the event had
been canceled, saying that “antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent.”
[. . .]
The
Wireless Festival said on Tuesday that it recognized the “real and
personal impact these issues have had,” and said ticket holders would be
refunded.
“As with every Wireless Festival,
multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking Ye and no
concerns were highlighted at the time,” it said.
“As
Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in
spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a
conversation with the Jewish community in the U.K.”
[. . .]
Phil
Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said
in a statement on Tuesday: “It has been less than a year since Kanye
West released a song entitled ‘Heil Hitler,’ the culmination of three
years of appalling antisemitism. He also made a number of deeply
offensive comments about the Black community, saying that the 400-year
experience of slavery was ‘like a choice.’
“Even
while claiming remorse today, his latest album includes a track first
released last year with the abhorrent title ‘Gas Chamber.’ The Jewish
community will want to see genuine remorse and change before believing
that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage
at the Wireless Festival.
“As such, we are
willing to meet Kanye West as part of his journey of healing, but only
after he agrees not to play the Wireless Festival this year.”
Siblings
Wendell and Whitney Cole became fans of Kanye West, the artist who now
goes by Ye, when they were in middle school. They went to sleep to the
sounds of the album “Graduation” and woke up to it before school.
Roughly
two decades later, the siblings flew from New York to Los Angeles to
attend Ye’s first U.S. stadium show in more than four years, as he
attempts a mainstream redemption from past antisemitic and racist
statements. Whitney isn’t such a die-hard fan anymore, but bought
birthday tickets for her brother, who still connects with the art, if
not the artist.
“Listening to his music builds my confidence,” Wendell said.
The
Coles represent a range of current and former devotees Ye needs to keep
to make his attempted comeback a reality. In January, he took out a
full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to apologize for offensive
statements.
Those comments included a
social-media post threatening “death con 3” on Jewish people. They
resulted in Adidas ending a partnership with the rapper and talent
agency CAA dropping him as a client in 2022. Last year, he released a
song that glorified Adolf Hitler.
Ye
put out his 12th solo album, “Bully,” late last month, which arrived at
No. 2 on the Billboard chart. He was kept out of the top spot by the
K-Pop group BTS, back with its first studio album since 2020.
He
has also scheduled a series of international live shows this year,
including New Delhi, Istanbul and Madrid. After the rapper was announced
as the headliner of a hip-hop festival in London scheduled for July,
the city’s mayor and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer were among those
who criticized his selection. PepsiCo pulled its sponsorship of the
festival on Sunday and other brands followed suit.
I
think we all saw this coming and are not at all surprised. You can't
take out an ad in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and pretend that wipes
everything away. It doesn't. And no one needs Kanye stirring up hate.
Other countries have every right to say, "No, we're not having hate
rallies passed off as concerts." I don't see this as a free speech
issue because this is not political speech. This is not his problems,
for example, with a country. This is him pilling hate onto a group of
people. If he has changed in recent months, he should have no problem
establishing that over time.
The
start of Lent prompted U2 to unleash “Days of Ash” on Ash Wednesday, a
five-song EP that pulsated with frustration and anger at the world.
Six
weeks later, the band surprised fans again with “Easter Lily,” a sextet
of new songs of “faith, hope and love,” as Bono says in a companion
issue of U2's digital e-zine “Propaganda," available online.
The
EP arrived on Good Friday, an apt bookend to “Days of Ash,” with songs
drenched in symbolism. The title "Easter Lily" is a nod to Patti Smith’s
1978 album, “Easter," Bono confirms in the e-zine.
[. . .]
These
songs were birthed for this moment in time, designed for reflection
with themes of friendship, forgiveness of self and finding beauty in the
darkness. It’s also a reminder of what the band does best – nudging us
to think while enveloping us in layers of chiming guitars and the steady
heartbeat of a bass drum.
Melding
literary intellectualism with poetic imagery, Bob Dylan's lyrics have
elevated him to the top of many critics' best songwriters list.
Since
his career launched in the early 1960s, Dylan has penned everything
from powerful protests (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Hurricane”) to tender
ballads (“Just Like a Woman” “Lay Lady Lay” and “Sara”) to electrified
smash hits (“Like A Rolling Stone.”)
At 84, the
Minnesota-born legend with the sandpapery rasp is often at the center
of retirement rumors, but he shows no signs of hanging up his troubadour
hat.
Dylan has hit the road almost every year since
1988 on his "Never Ending" tour, with the most recent version, the
"Rough and Rowdy Ways" world wide tour, beginning in November 2021. The
2026 North American leg of the tour will stop in more than 35 cities,
including Columbus.
He and Diana Ross have been touring non-stop. She kicked off her tour in June of 2022.
Will Billy Idol match them? That would take four or five years to know but he is adding dates to his current tour. Mallory Dwortz (M LIVE) reports:
Billy
Idol just unveiled “It’s A Nice Day To...Tour Again!” 2026 U.S. dates
including a September show at Acrisure Amphitheater in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
Billy Idol is to
continue supporting his latest album, “Dream Into It,” throughout
another round of “It’s A Nice Day To...Tour Again!” dates. The
announcement follows the star’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of
2026 nomination in February and the release of the new feature-length
documentary, “Billy Idol: Should Be Dead,” streaming on Hulu as of March
26.
Following the August 7 start date at The
Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the “Rebel Yell”
and “White Wedding” rock legend is scheduled to visit Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville Connecticut; Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor; BankNH
Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire; and more before taking over the
Fontainebleau Las Vegas for a five-night “Hot In The City” residency
during late August and early September.
Wednesday, March 8, 2026. Chump chickens out, people worry about what
Pete Hegseth is whispering to Chump, ICE shoots a man in California,
Bill Gates set to be deposed by Congress in the ongoing Epstein
investigation, and much more.
Archbishop
Paul S. Coakley, leader of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
called on President Donald Trump to back off his threats to kill “a
whole civilization,” issuing a rare direct rebuke of Trump as he faces
growing criticism from Catholic leaders over his war against Iran.
Coakley
said Tuesday, “the threat of destroying a whole civilization and the
intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally
justified,” calling on Trump “to step back from the precipice of war.”
If you missed it, last night was supposed to be Convicted Felon Donald Chump bombing Iran into "the stone age."
What happened?
Chump caved.
As Ben notes this morning on MEIDASTOUCH NEWS, Chump decided to go along with Iran's previous ten-point proposal.
President Trump said on Monday that a
cease-fire proposal put forth by mediators between the United States and
Iran was a “significant step,” but he warned that it was “not good
enough” as his deadline of Tuesday evening for a deal approached.
Iran,
for its part, rejected any proposal for a cease-fire, mandating that
any peace plan include a complete end of hostilities. Diplomatic talks
coordinated by Pakistan and other regional countries were continuing,
officials said, even as there appeared to be little agreement on what
any cessation of hostilities would look like.
If
Iran does not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Eastern time, Mr. Trump has threatened to launch a massive attack
targeting bridges, power plants and other civilian facilities that
would, in his words, send Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” But the
president has also extended self-imposed deadlines in recent weeks, and
diplomats around the world were asking whether Mr. Trump would find an
off-ramp again or if he would follow through this time with what could
be a gigantic conflagration.
Today, MORNING JOE talked about Chump's cave.
As the war continues to drag on and as things continue to
get uglier, there's a need on the part of some to rush to Chump's
defense and find an Iago bringing about the downfall of the hero. For
some, the Iago whispering falsehoods to Chump is Pete Hegseth. Zoe Engels (MEDIAITE) reports:
Officials
have accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of misleading President
Donald Trump about the Iran War, declaring that “Pete is not speaking
the truth.”
Hegseth has been feverishly
blasting the media’s coverage of the Iran War, saying Americans would
not believe U.S. “success” in the war if they “listened” to the
mainstream media.
On March 6, he told CBS’s 60 Minutes that Iranians are the only people who should be concerned about the war.
“No
one’s putting us in danger,” Hegseth said of the U.S. “We’re putting
the other guys in danger. That’s our job. So, we’re not concerned about
that. We mitigate it as we need to. Our commanders factor all of this,
but the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that
think they’re gonna live.”
In a new report
by The Washington Post, anonymous officials and analysts are quoted as
showing concern about the negative influence that Hegseth’s overzealous,
false optimism is having on Trump.
Hegseth’s
triumphant rhetoric has stood in contrast to that of Gen. Dan Caine,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has not suggested U.S. pilots
can use Iranian airspace without concern of enemy threats.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called scrutiny of Hegseth’s public messaging “lies and propaganda.”
“Secretary
Hegseth has provided the Commander-in-Chief with decisive military
options to achieve our clear, scoped objectives: destroy Iran’s missile
arsenal, annihilate their Navy, destroy their terrorist proxies, and
ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said in a statement.
“The Washington Post is pushing a fake story of failure.”
White
House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected any assertion that Hegseth has
misinformed the president and said Trump always knew the Iranians would
shoot back. “He has always had the full picture of the conflict. Nothing
has surprised him or our military planners, who were prepared for any
possible contingency,” she said.
[. . .]
Another
source of scrutiny emerged March 31, when Hegseth told reporters the
number of Iranian missile and drone launches had fallen to a lower level
than any other 24-hour period since the war began. The figure was
presented as evidence that “relentless” U.S. and Israeli strikes were
degrading Iran’s ability to sustain attacks.
But
administration officials said Hegseth’s claim was incorrect and that
lower 24-hour periods occurred March 14, 15 and 22. “Documents sent
around internally contradict Hegseth’s claims,” one official said.
I
don't doubt that Hegseth is whispering errors and outright lies into
Chump's ear. But that's why Chump chose him. Hegseth wasn't forced off
on Chump -- no, Chump chose him. So he's only whispering to Chump what
Chump wants to hear. Hegseth was a known liar before his confirmation
hearing. Chump knew what he was getting.
Now
he knew JD Vance was a liar as well and he thought he could count on
him. But Chump decided he was wrong there so he has now distanced
himself from Miss Sassy. Matthew Rozsa notes:
President
Donald Trump is degrading his own vice president, JD Vance, over the
latter’s opposition to the former’s Iran war — and it is painfully
obvious to White House observers.
“Nobody in
Mr. Trump’s inner circle was more worried about the prospect of war with
Iran, or did more to try to stop it, than the vice president,” reported The New York Times’ Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman on Tuesday.
“Mr. Vance had built his political career opposing precisely the kind
of military adventurism that was now under serious consideration. He had
described a war with Iran as ‘a huge distraction of resources’ and
massively expensive.’”
The Times elaborated that,
although Vance is not a dove, he privately expressed the belief that a
regime-change war in Iran would end badly for the United States. Because
Trump wished to engage in some military action against Iran, Vance
urged limited action rather than a large-scale campaign, even advocating
for Trump to use “overwhelming force, in the hope of achieving his
objectives quickly.”
Yet the president has
reportedly noticed Vance’s reticence to declare war against Iran and is
politically penalizing his own vice president accordingly, including
through public displays of how he is out of the loop.
So
despite Chump's talking up War Crimes and making outrageous threats, he
didn't go through with it. This time. And this doesn't need to happen
again.
Senator Elizabeth Warren's office issued the following ahead of the deadline Chump had imposed for last night:
Warren: “This is Deranged…Congress Must Pull the Emergency Brake Now”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a new video condemning President Trump’s threat to
wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran“ and called for Majority
Leader Thune to bring the Senate back into session immediately to vote
to stop Trump’s war.
“Congress needs to pull the emergency brake now. We should be voting
to stop Trump’s war today…Every Republican who refuses to speak out,
every Republican who ducks a question, every Republican who votes to let
this war continue bears a portion of the responsibility for what is
happening in Trump’s war,” said Senator Warren.
Senator Warren highlighted that American families are paying the price for Trump and Hegseth’s war in Iran.
“Gas prices are more than $4 dollars a gallon. Groceries are up. Life
was already unaffordable and now you’re paying for Trump’s war while
our service members fight and die in another forever war halfway around
the world,” she said.
“We don’t know what will happen tonight…But I do know that Congress
has the power and the responsibility to end Trump's war. Enough. Call
your representatives. And tell these Republicans to grow a backbone and
do their damn jobs,” she concluded.
Transcript: Senator Warren on Trump Threatening to Wipe Out the “Whole Civilization” of Iran
Senator Elizabeth Warren: I want to talk directly to
people who are sick with worry that Donald Trump is threatening war
crimes in Iran. In his words, if Iran doesn’t do what he says, their
“whole civilization will die tonight.”
The President of the United States is threatening to bomb innocent
people and civilian infrastructure in Iran. He’s threatening to commit
war crimes. And he is threatening to do it in our names.
This is deranged. And it must stop.
Some say that this is just Trump negotiating.
No. Trump is threatening mass death if he doesn’t get his way. And
it’s further evidence that Trump’s war and Trump himself have spiralled
out of control.
Trump’s guy in charge of the war, Pete Hegseth, is thumping his chest
that the United States has “complete control of Iranian skies” while
our brave pilots get shot down.
And you are paying the price.
Gas prices are more than $4 dollars a gallon. Groceries are up. Life
was already unaffordable and now you’re paying for Trump’s war while our
service members fight and die in another forever war halfway around the
world.
And for what? How is your life better because of Trump’s war?
It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to not only declare war, but to end war.
Instead, when Republicans have been forced to vote, they have voted repeatedly to continue Trump’s war.
Republican Leader John Thunehune must call the Senate back into
session immediately. And Congress needs to pull the emergency brake NOW.
We should be voting to stop Trump’s war TODAY.
Make no mistake: Every Republican who refuses to speak out, every
Republican who ducks a question, every Republican who votes to let this
war continue bears a portion of the responsibility for what is happening
in Trump’s war.
We don’t know what will happen tonight. Will Trump back down or will he commit war crimes?
But I do know that Congress has the power and the responsibility to
end Trump's war. Enough. Call your representatives. And tell these
Republicans to grow a backbone and do their damn jobs.
"I
believe sanctuary cities is (sic) not lawful," Mullin told Fox News'
Bret Baier. "Some of these cities have international airports. If they
are a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into
their city? We need to have a really hard look at that."
"So
you are saying that big cities that are sanctuary cities that have a
big airport, they might lose their customs?" said Baier.
"I'm
going to be forced to make tough decisions," said Mullin, also noting
that this could serve as retaliation for cities whose lawmakers have
obstructed funding for DHS in the standoff over ICE reforms.
Mullin's
threat here was met with instant outrage on social media, with experts
pointing out he doesn't actually have the authority to do this.
The
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Sacramento was launching a
probe Tuesday after a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers near San
Jose, California.
KNTV reported that the Tuesday morning shooting shut down on- and off-ramps on Interstate 5 and Sperry Avenue in Patterson, California. Lauren Mascarenhas (CNN) adds, "Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agents were involved in a shooting that sent
one person to the hospital while they were conducting a targeted traffic
stop in California’s Central Valley, the agency said Tuesday." Uwa Ede-Osifo (GUARDIAN) reports that the man shot was Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez:
Hernandez was hospitalized after the shooting. A spokesperson for the
Stanislaus county sheriff’s office, which has jurisdiction over
Patterson, declined to comment on Hernandez’s condition.
A
Jamaican national arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
after overstaying a tourist visa is disputing the agency’s account of
his case, alleging that his identification documents were taken during
detention and not returned.
Carlton Junior
Burke, 25, said he was taken into custody on October 1, 2025, by federal
agents at his home in Madison, Wisconsin, and transported to a
detention facility, where he claims his passport and driver’s licenses
were collected and not given back.
ICE
has earned a reputation for lying about their actions -- to the public,
to the courts. So I'll give Burke the benefit of the doubt.
After
serving fewer than four months in jail, Epstein was granted a special
arrangement that allowed him to leave custody for up to 16 hours a day,
six days a week, as part of a work release program, allegedly to perform
work at a charitable organization he had just established called the
Florida Science Foundation.
This continued for the next nine months until his release to a year of supervised house arrest in July 2009.
Each
day during his work release, Epstein was transported between the jail
and an office in downtown West Palm Beach by his bodyguard and driver,
Igor Zinoviev. His personal attorney, Darren Indyke, was listed as his
official supervisor at the job. Epstein agreed to hire off-duty
sheriff's deputies to monitor his movements, log visitors and provide
security at his office and home.
According to
documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, his SUV
used for these trips was outfitted with a bed. An account given to the
FBI by one woman included the claim that Epstein engaged in sexual
activity with her in the vehicle — while it was parked in the jail lot.
The
woman told the FBI she was a former model from Slovakia who Epstein had
first met when she was a teenager and still in high school. She told
agents she was recruited from Slovakia by Epstein's friend and business
associate Jean-Luc Brunel during her senior year to move to New York
City and pursue a career in modeling. She met Epstein at Brunel's
birthday party at the New York City restaurant Cipriani in 2003.
By
the time of Epstein's incarceration, she had been involved sexually
with him for several years. She was one of four "assistants" granted
immunity in a federal non-prosecution agreement that Epstein received in
exchange for his plea.
King Charles
will be visiting Donald Chump in the US later this month. Survivors of
Jeffrey Epstein have already requested that Charles meet with them. Luke Alsford (METRO) notes:
An
Epstein survivor has said she is prepared to wait outside the White
House to meet with King Charles during his state visit. Rina Oh is
willing to hold a mock tea party with other Epstein victims at the White
House gates, with an empty chair reserved for the Monarch to sit down
and talk with them. The campaigner, who was groomed and sexually
assaulted by Epstein from the age of 21, wants the Royals to prove they
care about survivors by funding their therapy costs. Her calls for the
King to donate to mental health care for Epstein's victims have been
supported by the US's leading anti-trafficking organisation, World
Without Exploitation. Charles will visit the US with Queen Camilla at
the end of April to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence,
where he will meet President Trump and address Congress.
Democratic
Congressman Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the release of the Epstein
Files, wrote to the King last week asking him to meet the sex offender’s
victims. However, it is understood that Charles will not be able to
meet survivors during the trip. Oh, who lives in New Jersey, said that
would not stop her from visiting Washington DC to see the Monarch. She
told Metro: 'If the King and Queen really do support the victims, then
it would be a nice gesture to meet with some of them. It would show that
he cared. I don't mind gathering a group and going to Washington. We'll
just sit in and have afternoon tea in front of the White House gates.'
Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General, is expected to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee on April 14th. Joe Sommerlad (INDEPENDENT) reports another
Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick will testify before the House Oversight
Committee on May 6 regarding his past association with the late
pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports.
Kentucky
Republican Rep. James Comer, the panel’s chairman, announced on March 3
that Lutnick had “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” and
applauded his “demonstrated commitment to transparency” but did not at
that stage offer a schedule.
“In
the six to eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my
wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting
person ever again,” Lutnick told Devine.
However,
the release of the Epstein files by the Department of Justice in late
December and January revealed that the men had remained in contact after
all.
And there's another person who will be deposed by the committee: Bill Gates. Dan Mangan (CNBC) reports:
Microsoft
co-founder Bill Gates will sit for an interview about Jeffrey Epstein
by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on June 10,
according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke anonymously
because the appearance has not been announced.
Gates
is one of several people who have agreed to be interviewed by the
oversight panel about their dealings with Epstein, the notorious sex
offender who killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Tammy Baldwin's office:
Demand comes after Wisconsinites faced weeks long delays getting mail
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin
(D-WI) demanded answers from Postmaster General David Steiner regarding
long-term mail delays and staffing shortages at post offices across
Wisconsin that are impacting local businesses, newspapers, and Wisconsin
families who rely on USPS for prescriptions, bills, voting, and more.
“I write you today to express my frustrations with ongoing mail
delays and staffing shortages throughout Wisconsin,” wrote Senator
Baldwin.
“This is not the first time I have reached out to the United States
Postal Service (USPS) about mail delivery issues on behalf of my
constituents.”
“Millions of Wisconsinites rely on the Postal Service to stay in
touch with loved ones, pay bills, receive much-needed medications and
cast their vote. We have a duty to find solutions to these difficulties
for the people we serve,” Baldwin concluded.
In the letter, Senator Baldwin raised that Wisconsinites across the
state have faced significant delays in receiving their mail from USPS.
Service delays have been especially pronounced in Brown Deer and
Madison, where residents reported weeks-long delays in mail delivery.
These delays follow USPS’ implementation of the Local Transportation
Optimization (LTO) policy, an overhaul spearheaded by former Postmaster
General Louis DeJoy that has caused widespread service issues in the
years since it was first introduced. A March 2025 report by the USPS
Office of Inspector General found a general decrease in service in
Wisconsin after LTO was implemented.
Senator Baldwin has repeatedly called on the USPS to address rate
hikes and delays Wisconsinites are experiencing. In 2024, Senator
Baldwin led a group of her colleagues in calling out USPS leadership for unsustainable price hikes and poor service. Baldwin also called on
former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to immediately address costly
mail delays suffered by Wisconsin newspapers that rely on the USPS.
In her letter, Senator Baldwin requests written answers to the following questions:
What was the retention rate among pre-career and career USPS
employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025 in Wisconsin? What
are the nationwide retention rates among pre-career and career USPS
employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025?
How many USPS employees currently work in Wisconsin? How many open positions does USPS currently have?
Is USPS concerned with staffing shortages and retention rates in
Wisconsin? If so, besides job fairs, what solutions have been
implemented to address staffing challenges in Wisconsin, specifically?
How successful have the USPS-sponsored job fairs been at hiring new
employees in Wisconsin and nationwide? Thus far, have job fairs resulted
in long-term employment for Wisconsinites?
How has the USPS responded to the issues raised in the March 2025 OIG report regarding LTO implementation?
Has the USPS implemented the process to track Local Transportation
Optimization savings as agreed to in the March 2025 USPS OIG Report? If
so, can you provide an explanation of the process and any current
findings?
How will USPS ensure customers are immediately notified of any impacts to service in their area moving forward?
A full version of this letter is available here and below.
Dear Postmaster General Steiner,
I write you today to express my frustrations with ongoing mail delays and staffing shortages throughout Wisconsin.
This is not the first time I have reached out to the United States
Postal Service (USPS) about mail delivery issues on behalf of my
constituents. I frequently urged your predecessor to improve service,
emphasizing that USPS’s transition to the Local Transportation
Optimization policy (LTO) led to a decline in mail delivery reliability
across Wisconsin. This was confirmed by the USPS Office of Inspector
General’s March 2025 Report for the Wisconsin region, which found a
general decrease in service in the state after this disastrous policy
was implemented. The report also found that customers were not notified
of the impacts to service in their areas until after an issue arose or
they directly asked questions. To make matters worse, the supposed cost
savings attributed to the LTO were not even effectively tracked by USPS,
making it difficult to verify whether the policy delivered any
meaningful financial benefit.
Most recently, I have heard from constituents who have endured long
stretches without any mail delivery. In Brown Deer, residents
experienced significant delays and inconsistent service from the Post
Office on Bradley Road. Some reported going weeks at a time without
receiving any mail. I have heard similar stories from my constituents in
Madison, who have seen lengthy mail service delays across the entire
city.
I appreciate that USPS has addressed staffing shortages in these
areas, but the agency must continue to prioritize the hiring and
retention of workers across the state in order to prevent future
staffing issues that contribute to mail delays. Despite my repeated
warnings, it is clear that service issues have not been substantially
addressed.
I request that you provide written answers to the following questions by April 30, 2026:
What was the retention rate among pre-career and career USPS
employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025 in Wisconsin? What
are the nationwide retention rates among pre-career and career USPS
employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025?
How many USPS employees currently work in Wisconsin? How many open positions does USPS currently have?
Is USPS concerned with staffing shortages and retention rates in
Wisconsin? If so, besides job fairs, what solutions have been
implemented to address staffing challenges in Wisconsin, specifically?
How successful have the USPS-sponsored job fairs been at hiring new
employees in Wisconsin and nationwide? Thus far, have job fairs resulted
in long-term employment for Wisconsinites?
How has the USPS responded to the issues raised in the March 2025 OIG report regarding LTO implementation?
Has the USPS implemented the process to track Local Transportation
Optimization savings as agreed to in the March 2025 USPS OIG Report? If
so, can you provide an explanation of the process and any current
findings?
How will USPS ensure customers are immediately notified of any impacts to service in their area moving forward?
Millions of Wisconsinites rely on the Postal Service to stay in touch
with loved ones, pay bills, receive much-needed medications and cast
their vote. We have a duty to find solutions to these difficulties for
the people we serve. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I
look forward to your prompt response.
