Trump’s ceasefire confusion just gave Vance an opportunity

Source: USA Today
by Rex Huppke

“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. … If Vice President JD Vance were smart ‒ and I very much don’t think he is ‒ he would use this disgraceful moment to turn on the president and position himself as a less insane choice to lead the country. Maybe some Republicans would get on board with that, knowing the other path available to them ends in political ruin. But I won’t hold my breath.” (04/08/26)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/04/08/ceasefire-iran-trump-impeachment-war-crimes/89510547007/

Thomas L. Knapp

Don’t Trust Any Pundit Who Insists You Should Trust Them

Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter

“There used to be a difference between famous and infamous – people aspired to be famous, no one wanted to be infamous. It was good attention versus bad attention. Now, the line between those two sides is gone and desperate narcissists who seek to fill the holes in their souls only see attention; numbers. These people are on full display right now; you should spot them and try to avoid them like the plague. You know the types – every time they’re challenged, they cite numbers of views or subscribers, as if that irrelevant information indicates anything other than the depths of their insecurity.” (04/09/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/04/09/dont-trust-any-pundit-who-insists-you-should-trust-them-n2674138#google_vignette

Steve Trinward

UK: Pub thief jailed over £2.2m Fabergé theft

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“An ‘opportunistic’ thief who stole a handbag containing an emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and watch set worth up to £2.2m from a central London pub has been jailed for more than two years. Enzo Conticello, 29, took Rosie Dawson’s handbag which she had placed between her legs on the ground as she stood outside the Dog and Duck in Soho on 7 November 2024. The Fabergé items were in her handbag after she had taken them for display at a work event earlier that evening. They have not been recovered. Conticello — also known as Hakin Boudjenoune — was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by false representation and one count of theft at an earlier hearing. The court heard Conticello was after ‘easy money’ and that he had handed over the bag, which also contained a laptop and credit cards, to buy drugs.” (04/09/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6098jngryo

Steve Trinward

Why the Ceasefire is Doomed

Source: The Chris Hedges Report
by Chris Hedges

“It is highly unlikely, unfortunately, that the ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan will endure. This is due to two principal impediments. First, Israel is adamantly opposed to a cessation of the bombing of Iran’s infrastructure. This bombing campaign is part of the Israeli effort to turn Iran into a failed state. Israel has the ability to sabotage the agreement. Indeed, Israel is already doing so by refusing to halt its attacks on Lebanon. Secondly, the minimal demands being made by Iran remain unacceptable to the U.S. and Israel. The demands will only be achieved by creating more pressure, which Iran can generate by continuing to block oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and targeting vital infrastructure in the region.” (04/08/26)

https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/why-the-ceasefire-is-doomed

Thomas L. Knapp

US DOJ indicts Army veteran for leaking information to journalist

Source: United Press International

“Federal authorities have arrested and charged an Army veteran with top secret clearance on accusations of sharing classified national defense information with a journalist, who is accusing the Trump administration of retaliating against a whistleblower. Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, N.C., was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday, a day after she was arrested by the FBI, the Justice Department said in a statement. … Williams is a named source in Seth Harp’s The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, an investigative nonfiction book about a string of unsolved murders at the special operations base that was published in August. In a book excerpt published by Politico, Williams alleges sexual harassment and discrimination within Delta Force at the North Carolina base.” (04/09/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/04/09/veteran-charged-journalist/9181775719093/

Thomas L. Knapp

Posting Past Armageddon

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Buried in his book about being a wheeler-dealer, Mr. Trump notoriously advances a notion eerily similar to Nixon’s Madman strategy. Trump likes to keep those with whom he is negotiating ‘guessing.’ He says this often. We cannot be shocked, then, if we’re all kept guessing about his Iran strategy. His litany of flip-flops from early March to the present day has been breathtaking, even for Trump.” (04/08/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/04/08/posting-past-armageddon/

Thomas L. Knapp