The negotiators you need when dealing with Iranian antisemites

 Andrea Widburg - American Thinker  "It’s true that Trump trusts both Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, but are they joining Vance for another reason, too?"

. . . "Is it also possible that he’s making a point to the Mullahs? Or maybe it’s just a beautiful coming together of circumstances that sees Trump’s best negotiators also being the ones most likely to offend the deeply offensive, indeed, evil mullahs?"

"As I write these words, JD Vance, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff are in Islamabad, Pakistan, to see if they can get a lasting ceasefire deal with the Iranians. I don’t believe that will happen. Still, I believe that good things will flow from the effort, and I also believe that there may be a funny little twist to the nature of the American negotiators now in Pakistan.

"As people have also known for thousands of years, Persians are wily negotiators. Also, as people have known for 1,400 years, Muslims are dishonest negotiators. It’s right there in the Taqiyya principle, which originated to allow beleaguered Muslims to save their lives in the face of forced conversions but has morphed into a license to lie when dealing with infidels, especially during wartime.

"Thus, the current negotiations are as much stagecraft as they are real. First, they allow Trump to show the world that, having achieved his long-stated objective (e.g., destroying the nuclear threat Iran poses to the world), he’s happy to end the fighting.

"When it comes to regime change, it’s important to note that Trump never stated that as a goal. If the war really ends now, I’m sure Trump will tell the Iranian people something along the lines of Look, I made your corrupt government the weakest it’s ever been, and I’m working on getting arms to you. Now it’s up to you. I am not interested in being responsible for you. You guys are responsible for you.

"Second, because Trump is no fool and must have known that the Iranians most likely would not negotiate in good faith, the two-week ceasefire is a chance to rest the troops, replenish supplies, and plan for the war’s next phase. Yes, it’s also a chance for the Iranians to regroup, but they don’t have much equipment left to regroup with. Also, I suspect that the Artesh (i.e., the regular army, not the IRGC or Basij) is not thrilled about regrouping at all." . . . More...

Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Day 70 latest updates ; Not Much

FOX 10 Phoenix 

Nancy Guthrie: TMZ says it received another demand letter:  "TMZ reported it received another demand letter in connection to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Jakson Buhaj with TMZ explains.  Posted April 7, 2026 8:13am MST

Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper ‘terrified’? Ex-FBI agent analyzes timing of Savannah Guthrie’s emotional interview as mystery behind her disappearance deepens - The Economic Times

Aspiring California Governor Eric Swalwell apologizes to wife in video denying sexual assault claims as calls for him to quit mount (UPDATED)

 Enough of Swalwell? Then don't read this.

The Swalwell story fits a familiar pattern - Jack Hellner 

"This current Swalwell story will be buried. Meanwhile, instead of reporting the news and the truth, Billy Bush says seventy-five people at ABC were tasked with destroying Trump. My guess is that this is also happening at other media outlets."

    "Most of the media and many Democrats have a pattern of supporting degenerates for office while burying the truth, so the public has no idea who is actually getting their votes. The only time they act outraged and surprised is when the truth somehow comes out and im"Mperils their election opportunities.

"They know that Swalwell continuously lied about Trump and the Russia Hoax collusion.

"They know of his relationship with a Chinese spy, but they don’t care. He is working very hard to hide FBI information about that relationship, and the media and other Democrats have not demanded transparency.

"My guess is that Swalwell’s treatment of young, drunk women has been known for years, but the media didn’t care as long as he was a Democrat.

"They all knew that Ted Kennedy left a woman to die, had “waitress sandwiches,” but they didn’t care. They acted as if he really cared about the treatment of women.

"They never cared about all the women Bill and Hillary physically and mentally abused and sought to destroy. Those women were disposable." . . . More...

Daily Mail Online  

'Mr. Swalwell should end his campaign and resign from Congress immediately. His conduct is incompatible with elected office. The women who came forward deserve to be heard and deserve justice,' she wrote."  

"Aspiring California governor Eric Swalwell issued an apology to his wife as part of a video response to sexual assault and misconduct claims against him as his campaign hangs in the balance.  

"The anti-Trump Congressman posted the video to social media as more women came out to make accusations of misconduct and more Democrats demanded he step aside. 

"'A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly,' Swalwell said. 

"'These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have.'

"He also suggested conspiracy when he pointed out that they were released 'on the eve of' the June 2 primary in which he claimed to be 'the frontrunner,' though Real Clear Politics' average shows him trailing Republican Steve Hilton in the jungle primary.

"'I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I'm a saint, I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife,' he continued." . . . More...

UPDATE:  Top 20 Swalwell Scandals: Spies, Lies, . . .

Of the many, this was number 18:  "Helped Hunter Biden defy subpoena: "In 2023 Swalwell reportedly helped reserve Capitol space for Hunter Biden’s defiant press conference during a House subpoena fight. Eric, you’re the only guy who can make the Bidens look like the honest ones."

TWO WONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT -

Ann Coulter  

"If the justices are so concerned with the meaning of the Constitution, the only possible conclusion is that the 14th Amendment doesn’t have anything to do with immigrants at all. It’s about freed slaves. Wong was wrong and should be overruled."

"President Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to “anchor babies” has caused quite a stir. The media insist that kids born to illegal aliens on U.S. soil are automatic citizens at birth. Although asserted with smug arrogance, they then bury any discussion of the issue in lies.

"Thus, for example, the entire media claim that Trump’s order is about “birthright citizenship.” That’s rather circular. The precise question at issue is whether kids born to illegals are citizens by right. It would be like calling a case about transgenders a “women’s rights” case.

"In fact, for nearly a century, no one disputed that “birthright citizenship” referred exclusively to the citizenship of children born on U.S. soil to citizens and legal immigrants—not including tourists, diplomats or others in the country temporarily. No court has ever held otherwise.

"But the Times neurotically insists that anchor babies’ citizenship is “well-established through the 14th Amendment and nearly 130 years of case law.” The Newspaper of Record is lying about the record.

"Actually, the idea that babies of illegals have won the citizen jackpot was invented by Justice William Brennan in 1982 and inserted as dicta—i.e., idle chitchat, not part of the court’s ruling—in a footnote. He cited no law, no constitutional provision and no court holding.

"There’s your “well-established” doctrine that anchor babies are citizens—Doctor Demento’s crayon scribbling on the Constitution in the 1980s.

"The legendary “130 years of case law” said to establish the citizenship of anchor babies refers to an 1898 case, U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, that took the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to freed slaves and gave it to a child of legal immigrants.

"Manifestly, the opinion in Wong had nothing to do with illegal immigrants." . . .More...

'It's tiny!': Sky News gets a look inside mock up Artemis II capsule (UPDATED)

'It's tiny!': Sky News gets a look inside mock up Artemis II capsule | Science, Climate & Tech News | Sky News  Video

How Big Is The Orion Capsule That Artemis II Astronauts Will Be Living In? | IFLScience  "NASA says Orion's cabin is the same size as two minivans, but Sky's science and technology editor describes it more as a "family tent'".

How Big Is The Orion Capsule That Artemis II Astronauts Will Be Living In? | IFLScience    . . . "The four astronauts on Artemis II will boldly go where no one has gone before in more ways than one, because one of the very exciting additions to Orion is also a toilet, or technically, the Waste Management System. The Apollo astronauts did not have that, which led to the infamous case of floating mystery turds that interrupted the Apollo 10 mission... twice!

“ 'The Orion Waste Management System (WMS) features a full commode suitable for short to mid-length duration missions, offering both privacy and comfortable means for the astronauts to use the bathroom. It employs a small urine tank that is vented to space and replaceable canisters for solid waste storage,” a technical paper on Orion states."...

Giving new meaning to the saying, "To boldly go"

UPDATE: 10 Days Inside Artemis II: What NASA Is Afraid To Show You

"As of April 3, 2026, the four astronauts of Artemis II are officially living in deep space, but the reality inside the Orion capsule is far from a luxury cruise. The world is watching the historic return to the Moon, but what is it actually like to survive for 10 days inside a space roughly the size of a small kitchen? In this episode of Exoplanet X, we dive deep into the brutal daily reality of Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. From the "Space Yoyo" workouts required to keep their muscles from withering, to the high-stakes management of zero-G hygiene and rehydrated meals, we reveal the grit behind the glory. But there’s a bigger story at play: why did NASA suddenly pivot their strategy, pausing the Lunar Gateway to push these four pioneers directly toward the lunar surface?"

The Artemis 2 space toilet is actually working fine. But there is another problem | Space

You know you were really wondering, weren't you? NASA tests a new $23M titanium toilet to better accommodate female astronauts in space - Luxurylaunches

The big loser in the spectacular Iran airmen rescue

 Wendi Strauch Mahoney - American Thinker  

Whether the cause of this leak was hubris, blind hatred of Trump, or the dehumanizing detachment of a virtual culture, it points to something deeply broken and worthy of serious reflection.

"Over Easter weekend, the United States military did something that separates America from most other nations: It went back for one of its own, prioritizing human life over hardware.

"After an F-15E was shot down by Iranian fire deep in enemy territory while conducting a deep strike mission, the pilot and the weapons system officer ejected and separately made contact with U.S. forces via encrypted radios and rescue beacons.  One of the airmen, the “front-seater,” Dude-44A, was recovered on Good Friday, but the second, Dude-44B, “the back-seater” and weapons systems officer, remained injured, isolated, and hunted from every angle in enemy territory far from Dude-44A.

"On Monday, General Dan “Razin’” Caine described the high-risk rescue mission by the U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Task Force, which included A-10 Warthogs in the “Sandy” role — a mission to get to the survivor, bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between the downed American and the enemy.  The rescue package, according to Caine, included HC-130 Combat King IIs, HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopters, Air Force Special Warfare airmen, combat rescue officers, and pararescuemen who “penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight” while the CIA ran a deception effort to buy time and throw Iranian forces off his trail.  This, said Caine, fulfilled the promise that no American warfighter would be left behind.

"Caine described other harrowing details of the rescue, including a relentless effort to “violently” suppress and engage “the enemy in close-in gunfight to keep them away from the front-seater and allow the pickup force to get into the objective area.”  At one point, one of the Sandy aircraft, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, “the one responsible for communicating with the downed pilot,” was hit by enemy fire.  That pilot, according to Caine, “continued to fight, continued the mission,” and then upon exit flew his aircraft into friendly territory and ejected after determining that it “was no longer laudable.” He was safely recovered and, Caine said, “is doing well.”

On Saturday, April 4, U.S. forces established positive communications with the injured back-seater who was “actively evading enemy forces.”   . . .

Oof! Swalwell’s Campaign Chair Rep. Jimmy Gomez Bails, Tells Him to Drop Out of Governor’s Race

 Twitchy

"Earlier we told you about claims against Eric Swalwell by a former staffer. It seems major figures supporting his campaign find them very credible and they are jumping ship."

Los Angeles, CA - Rep. Jimmy Gomez statement following the release of a San Francisco Chronicle story:

Wisdom from A More Perfect Union:

. . . "So, in the very sentence he calls him Congressman, Gomez says Swalwell should drop out of the governor race...but not the actual position of power he actually holds right now while this is happening All for "accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay." But that doesn't apply to an actual position of power he holds for the criminal DemoParty right now????" . . . Read on; more people are checking in on Swalwell...

Report: California Dems in Disarray As Former Staffer Accuses Swalwell of Twice Sexually Assaulting Her – RedState

. . . "The SF Chronicle reported:

A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.

[...]

The woman said Swalwell began pursuing her within weeks after she was hired at age 21 to work in the Democrat’s district office in Castro Valley in 2019. Swalwell messaged her on Snapchat, she said, sending images of his genitals and seeking nude pictures of her in return.

She said Swalwell, who is married and 17 years her senior, tried to kiss her in her car when she drove him home from a donor meeting one night." . . .

The rest is pretty much X-rated. – RedState

Swalwell campaign imploding amid sexual assault allegation   

Anticipating a race-rewriting event, multiple of Swalwell’s rivals have assailed him in recent days and accused him of hypocrisy given his past statements in support of woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault ahead of his confirmation hearing. 

Here's What Each of the 73 Letters in Canada's New LGBT Acronym Stands For

The Babylon Bee| The Patriot Post

Thank you, Canada, for all you have done to make acronyms more inclusive.

"If you haven’t heard, Canada has officially dropped a new acronym for the LGBT movement with many, many new additions. The LGBT community in Canada is now:

MMBJOUQTJLAYAWD40ROOMDCF+SVPWIZ¯\_(ツ)_/¯BFJTWLEGOBLT£LADBOSUBDDBLAGF+>:-(

"It’s quite the mouthful, so to get you up to speed, here are what each of the 73 characters in the acronym stand for:

1. MM: Mer-man attracted

2. B: Bicyclists

3. JOU: James O'Keefe Undercover

4. Q: Quebecois

5. TJ: People exclusively sexually attracted to Trader Joe’s

6. L: Lindsey Graham

7. AYA: the gay Ayatollah

8. WD40: A type of oil. This may have been added by accident.

9. ROOM: People who are attracted to Roomba vacuums.

10. DCF: Dallas Cowboys Fans

11. + = Plus-size

12. S: Steve

13. VP: Village People-attracted. Trump?

14. WIZ: Wizard-sexual

15. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯: Not sure-sexual

16. BFJT: Blackface Justin Trudeau

17. W: The Welsh

18. LEGO: Only attracted to LEGO characters

19. BLT = Bacon, lettuce and tomato. This was during the acronym writers’ lunch break.

20. £: European regular, American gay

21. LAD: Los Angeles Dodgers

22. BO: Barack Obama

23. SUB: Subaru owners

24. DD: Kristi Noem’s husband

25. BLA: Bud Light-attracted

26. GF: Gay Frogs

27. >:-( : Angry lesbians

Thank you, Canada, for all you have done to make acronyms more inclusive. 

From our friends at The Babylon Bee.

And from Glorious American | Political Satire: LGBTQ Coalition Accidentally Adds An “S” For Straight, Destroying Movement

"BROOKLYN, NY — On Monday, the Alphabet People got a little too greedy and destroyed their entire movement by accidentally adding an “S” to include straight people" . . .

Media Iran War Disgrace: Are They Actually Rooting for the Ayatollahs to Spite Trump?

Broc Smith

Fetterman: American Media 'Carrying Water for Iran'   . . . "Host Jesse Watters asked, “Senator, do some members of your party think Trump is more dangerous than the Iranians?”

"Fetterman answered, “I can’t speak for my other Democrats, but the American media has, essentially, become — carrying water for Iran. And they’re describing the kinds of circumstances, then they forget the way Iran has behaved. And why can’t we just call what Iran has been — and what it continues to do, those things? America is the force of good in the world, and holding Iran accountable, what they’ve done, is important.” . . .

Thursday on “The Alex Marlow Show,” host and Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow The media, also, for whatever reason seems to be encouraging our enemies and trying to act as though the Iranian government is the authority on who’s winning these wars

The media don't do too badly at home either:  Nolte: Far-left CBS News Runs Desperate Story to Shield Eric Swalwell   . . . "Yeah, there’s a bit of karma here. Swalwell is the prince of lies, especially when spreading falsehoods and smears about Donald Trump. But facts are facts, and while it’s hard not to laugh, he’s indeed having to deny something no one has claimed he’s done… You know what? Go ahead and laugh.

"Anyway, the far-left CBS News, which should employ a higher standard than political activists like Cheyenne Hunt, is so desperate to protect Swalwell that it pretty much did to Cheyenne Hunt what Cheyenne Hunt is doing to Eric Swalwell – floated a totally unverified claim that Hunt and former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) are in cahoots."

By All Means, Let the War Crimes Trials Begin!

Trump’s critics cry “war crimes” while ignoring decades of U.S. precedent—revealing less a legal argument than a reflexive, and deeply selective, political outrage.

Victor Davis Hanson; American Greatness 

"It has now become not just incoherent but crazed, since it appears that many despise Trump more than they do the murderous Iranian regime."

"The Left and some on the Right went crazy over a recent Trump tweet.

"He warned that if the Iranian regime did not cease blocking the international Strait of Hormuz, he would hit its dual military-civilian infrastructure. He promised that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

"His wording may have been sloppy, but Trump obviously meant that the murderous civilization/culture of radical Iranian theocratic Islam would cease to exist and wouldn’t come back once power plants and transportation systems crucial to the regime’s survival were cut off.

"Why do we know that?

"Because, unlike in most prior American wars, Trump has never targeted dual-use infrastructure—not in bombing ISIS, not in removing the Venezuelan thug Nicolás Maduro, not in the 2025 bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, and not in the present war—with the exception of a key bridge central to the regime’s efforts to reposition missile assets to avoid air strikes.

"Ever since Trump announced that “help is on the way” to the Iranian people, the entire aim of the five-week war has been to selectively target the regime’s command and control and military assets.

"The goal was to diminish its threats abroad, while weakening and humiliating the mullahcracy at home—so that soon the Iranian people might at last be able to overthrow the odious theocracy.

"Trump’s critics knew all that.

"But they see political advantage in tagging Trump as a Strangelovian madman, no different from the Nazi criminals in the docket at Nuremberg.

"A few less unhinged people argue that his rhetoric nevertheless comes across as unpresidential.

"Perhaps.

"But it may be no accident that his Gen. Curtis LeMay-like bluster might have pressured the Iranians to reopen negotiations.

"On Monday, the Democrat Borg was declaring Trump a savage maniac.

"By Tuesday, it was blasting him as a TACO (“Trump Always Chickens Out”) for not carrying out what the day before they had dubbed a war crime.

"The common denominator was an overarching, deranged hatred of the president, as his critics can never decide whether he is Adolf Hitler or Neville Chamberlain.

"But since the Left has called for investigations of war crimes, by all means let them begin." . . .More...

Tucker Carlson Jumps the Shark - Attacks Rev. Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse with Ridiculous Smears and Lies

 The Last Refuge  

"Without a fully repentant apology from Tucker Carlson toward Franklin Graham and the entire Samaritan’s Purse organization, I will never highlight anything from him again.  This time he has just gone too far.

Trump and Graham confer. MSNOW would say scheme

"Apparently, Tucker Carlson thought it would be a good idea to use his platform to attack Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse and the faith-based community. Tucker Carlson made a big mistake.

:There are situations that we sometimes have a great deal of familiarity with. The work of Samaritan’s Purse and Franklin Graham is one of those situations for me. Readers here will know of my time spent as a CERT volunteer during national disasters, most of which involve hurricane relief.

"I have worked closely with Samaritan’s purse, spent time inside that organization and know the scale of assistance they provide. They are, quite simply, the single most effective emergency response mission in our nation.

"On his podcast, Tucker Carlson and guest “Bro” Nathan Apffel spin a conspiracy tale that’s wildly out of touch with reality.

"At the same time, they mock Christianity and Christian beliefs while taking aim at Franklin Graham, accusing him, among other things, of profiting from the Samaritan’s Purse mission.

You can watch Carlson and Apffel HERE. I’m not going to promote it, because it is sick, twisted, very dark and full of flat out lies.

"Carlson even goes as far as to claim: Franklin Graham has a billionaire doomsday bunker in Alaska which he created from the donations to the organization, Samaritan’s purse has a $2.5 billion war chest and ownership of private airplanes worth $15o million which Graham and his leadership use for personal travel and self-enrichment.

"Let me be very specific and very clear, every single thing they claim is false; demonstrably false and easily disproven for anyone who spent even five-minutes looking at the IRS filings of the organization [SEE HERE].

"Why Tucker Carlson would choose to attack Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse is a bewildering question.  President Trump’s decision to ostracize Carlson from any contact with the White House completely makes sense now." . . . More...

From the comments to this post:   "I live on Grandfather Mountain which was significantly affected by Hellene. The first and most effective responders were from Samaritan’s Purse. As FEMA, the National Guard, utility companies were missing in action for days to weeks to months, Samaritan’s Purse and locals were out within hours. Many in this region will reflect the same experiences. Thanks especially to Samaritan’s Purse."

Another: "I have a background in SAR and disaster recovery. I’ve volunteered with Samaritan’s Purse, run disaster teams, and done all the other labor involved with hurricanes & flooding, etc. I donated to SP prior to volunteering. So when I did volunteer, I expected to be disappointed with the inner workings of the org. Actually it was the complete opposite, I was blown away at how well they were run and the excellent knowledge, expertise and equipment they brought to the table. They are way ahead of FEMA and all other disaster orgs I’ve worked with/around. Now, having said that, I’d also like to give a big shout out to the Southern Baptist Men’s disaster org which is also impressive just on a much smaller scale. "  

As for the Democrat Biden Administration: FEMA Chief Admits: 'We Skipped Trump Supporters' Homes During Hurricane Relief Efforts - EconoTimes    "FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell acknowledged that disaster response teams bypassed homes displaying support for President-elect Donald Trump during recent hurricane relief operations. This admission has ignited a firestorm of controversy, raising concerns about political bias within federal emergency services."

DHS Exposes how FEMA Officials Under the Biden Administration Systematically Refused Aid to Disaster Survivors on Purely Political Discrimination, Refers Case to the Department of Justice | Homeland Security

Whom do we trust now, Democratic FEMA or Samaritans Purse?