MARIA BARTIROMO (FOX News): Do you have anything to tell us about the 2020 election being rigged against President Trump?
KASH PATEL: Absolutely. I am never going to let this go. They tried to rig the entire system. That’s something I’m not going to allow. We are going to be making arrests. It’s coming. I promise you it’s coming soon.
Attribution: PATEL LOOKS INTO A RAT HOLE by Randall Enos, Easton, CT
[For 68 years Randall Enos has done cartoons and illustrations for TV, movies, books, comic strips, magazines, newspapers, posters and the like. Clients have included NBC, The New York Times, The National Lampoon, Playboy, Time, Rolling Stone and many more.]
Attribution: Unwanted by the FBI by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian
[John Darkow has been a professional cartoonist for over 20 years, spending the last 10 as the staff cartoonist at the Columbia Daily Tribune. He is syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons.]
and as others see him
FRANCE 24 English Apr 19, 2026 #USA #FBI #Investigation
A detailed report by The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick raises many questions over the alleged excessive drinking and erratic behaviour of FBI Director Kash Patel. Patel has described the allegations as “fake news” and is threatening to take legal action against the publications. FRANCE 24’s Gavin Lee speaks to Sarah Fitzpatrick in this edition of Spotlight.
when or will he go? you can bet they’re betting on it somewhere
John Oliver discusses prediction markets – platforms where you can bet on basically anything, from the weather to the war in Iran – the legal and moral questions posed by their existence, and why Shayne Coplan needs better friends. Ones that would never let him look like a “peed rider.”
BiD, thanks for heads up last thread with NYpost & Alj stories. here it is from the guardian this morning
US military seizes Iran-flagged ship trying to pass strait of Hormuz blockade
The US military has attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged container ship that attempted to get past an American blockade near the strait of Hormuz, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
Iran’s joint military command said Tehran would respond soon and called the US seizure an act of piracy that violated the ceasefire that has been in place since 8 April.
The news threw into question Donald Trump’s earlier announcement that US negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday, but Iran has not confirmed it will attend.
In a post on X, US Central Command said US marines departed the USS Tripoli assault ship by helicopter and rappelled on to Touska on Sunday. The post included a video of the marines onboard the helicopter
Trump had earlier posted on X that the ship had tried to get past the US blockade “and it did not go well for them”. The US president said a US navy guided missile destroyer warned the Touska to stop in the Gulf of Oman but the vessel did not. “[Our] Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” Trump said, adding that US marines now had custody of the vessel.
He said the ship was under US treasury sanctions because of “prior history of illegal activity”. The ship is on the treasury department’s list of sanctioned vessels.
A spokesperson for Iran military’s central command centre, Khatam al-Anbiya, cited by the Isna news agency, said: “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the US military.”
Iranian state media also reported that Tehran had – for now – rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands”.
Video posted on social media by the US defence department showed the interception of the ship by US forces. The video includes audio of the container ship’s crew being warned that they will be fired on if they refuse to stop. “Vacate your engine room,” a US sailor can be heard saying. “We’re prepared to subject you to disabling fire.”
The video then shows the USS Spruance firing on the Touska.
The cargo ship was stopped near Iran’s border with Pakistan. Touska had previously left Port Klang, a major port in Malaysia, when the vessel then attempted to move past the US blockade, according to tracking information from TankerTrackers.com.
The escalating standoff threatens to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed fighting, in a conflict that has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers in Israel, and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
I read an article in the Times about this incident yesterday just as it hit and before 15 comments had been posted. It sounded like the discussion here. To sum up those comments, “We don’t know what the hell we’re doing over there.”
The media blackout of Jared Kushner’s historic, ongoing corruption scandal
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, is leading U.S. diplomatic efforts with Iran while engaged in a lucrative, ongoing, multi-billion-dollar business relationship with the Saudi government. This brazenly corrupt arrangement is being completely ignored by most major media outlets.
In 2021, Kushner raised $2 billion from the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) for his private equity fund, Affinity Partners. Since that time, Kushner has collected more than $110 million in management fees from the Saudi government, according to calculations by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA). Even as he has assumed a central diplomatic role in negotiations with Iran, Kushner has reportedly sought billions more from the Saudis.
— Popular Information (Substack)
More than implicit in Patel’s vow to make 2020 arrests is his eagerness to meddle in the midterms. Trump won’t replace him unless convinced they’ve found someone willing to break laws to rig outcomes.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. JOIN Chatroom Here. WATCH Yesterday’s Replay Here.
What is Actually Clicking: April 20, 2026
These are the stories driving the most traffic right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent.
A roundup by our AI partner Silas (Gemini).
I assume what we’re seeing from Katel is what he and whatever counsel he is getting advice from believes this will insulate him from being fired and from prosecution in 2029 when he goes back to his podcast world.
The corruption of tRUMPsky’s Liquor Cabinet is only overshadowed by incompetence.
How many things has Kashewnut bungled?
How many warcrimes has Pirate Pete committed whilst leaking plans of operation or creating a situation room out of banquet room in MAL next to an omelet bar…which is not his bar of preference?
Two stinking drunks walk into a bar. They drink until closing time.
Hungary was hopeful but now Bulgaria takes a bad turn
Bulgaria’s Kremlin-friendly ex-president wins election in landslide Video on link
Radev’s party on 44%, far ahead of rivals
Outcome could end years of political instability
Radev opposes military aid to Ukraine
Result could bring shift in Bulgaria’s foreign policy
Problems include cost of living, economic, population crises
SOFIA, April 20 (Reuters) – Pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev has won Bulgaria’s parliamentary election by a landslide, official results showed on Monday, crushing long-dominant political forces and possibly pushing the EU and NATO member state closer to Moscow.
The performance, exceeding opinion poll forecasts, is one of the strongest results for a single party in a generation and may end, for now, the chronic instability that led to eight elections in five years
Anyone taking AIPAC money will have trouble getting elected/reelected, especially Dems.
https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2046021848324833339
“Rep. Haley Stevens’ (D-MI) campaign releases statement after she was booed at the Michigan Democratic Party convention.
In her statement, there’s no indication she’s exiting the race for US Senate in Michigan while touting her support among Black voters and labor.”
So looks like peace isn’t on the horizon but is just over it – where it will likely remain for now. NYT
Put on your helmets and buckle your seat belts. This could get bumpy.
Lots of juicy detail in this fine WSJ piece co-wrote by our neighbor Josh (with an assist from Pepper, his feisty bulldog)..
Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears
The president’s impulsive style has never before been tested during a sustained military conflict; ruminating on Jimmy Carter
— Wall Street Journal (Trail MIx Free Link)
Speaking of job loss, Katie, if you’re back from the weekend, sorry to hear about your hubs. Hope y’all land quickly on your feet. We’re here to provide any needed moral support.
rethugs screamed “Benghazi” for 8 years straight and only recently stopped
the case against trumpco needs to be distilled for public consumption
idk how you distill complex, rampant corruption, but someone needs to figure that out
remember how well DNCC speakers highlighted the threats of Project 2025? They did that well, sincerely. Well it was all for naught, so messaging needs to be even more reductive than that
and fast
and i will reiterate that current moderate to left messaging is neither being seen nor heard by the masses, only by people interested in seeking it out
be afraid
i have stories from my own life about how ignorant current voters are, but they’re anecdotal, y’all’s brains would melt if i was able to accurately convey the depth of true ignorance of the voters Dems need to win
i promise they’ve never even heard of Kushner
ok have a great day, the crooks will, you may as well also ✊
Saw the Statler Brothers reference from yesterday. Just love them. Their song Elizabeth is my ringtone for my daughter, but this is one of my favorites.
Anon
Not only do they not consider Kushner, but they don’t know that his criminality is probably genetic and his formerly jailed daddy is still in on the grift as Ambassador to France.
On December 23, 2020, President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner, a prominent real estate developer, had served over a year in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to tax evasion, witness tampering, and campaign finance violations
Chat GPT is drumming up business by offering to turn you into an action figure. Upload an image with some facts about you. After the first pass, you can edit with more image instructions or information. It’s fun. I had it do one for my mother whose nickname was Tommy.
oh Jamie it’s funny how F. Murray aged to 50 and then no more
perfect Salieri
Katie…
let me echo IvyGreen…. so sorry to read about your husband’s job loss.
Now he can find a better one!
today’s meme…
Anon, the problem, or one of them, that Dems have in developing a message that can reach disaffected voters is that there are so damn many options, and it is difficult to keep any discussion on one, two or three when the problem landscape keeps shifting.
My thought is that the message meisters need to figure out which of the issues should be the top three that matter to the middle and focus on those relentlessly. If I had to pick three today I’d go for Iran, prices (focus on gas and food) and Epstein, but there are so many others that might strike home it’s hard to say those are the best of the bunch. The field is fertile.
meme #2…
At the moment… I have a tom turkey with his majestic fanned tail in full bloom…
he’s going after one lone hen… who is completely ignoring him.
It’s cold here… but that’s still a great sign of spring…
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory proposing that humans are motivated by five, ordered levels of needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Individuals must satisfy lower-level deficiency needs before focusing on higher-level growth needs. The model is used to understand motivation in workplaces, education, and healthcare
i think Dems need to drop the Epstein stuff as a messaging priority
don’t kill this messenger
today’s Pod Save dovetails with this topic, the intended audience is you as a podcaster M. C
Attribution: Sturgeone the Artiste.
IN THE IRAN WAR PLANNING ROOM
you THINK Epstein might break through, you don’t know
show me data otherwise
Today in the Diner… (Daniel hopped on stage)
Iran War Polls, Space Force & Palantir’s Data Grab
Iran war polls flip, Palantir gobbles your data, and European weapons makers cash in on the Trump effect. A chaotic week dissected at the Diner.
Welcome back to the dumpster fire. This week, we dig into the sudden realization that war polling is cratering, prompting actual shock that people might prefer walking away over bombing civilian targets. Meanwhile, the European defense industry is quietly turning into a subsidized powerhouse while we bicker about NATO. It’s like watching Airbus eat Boeing all over again, but with more artillery and significantly less self-awareness.
Then there’s Palantir and Oracle joining forces to gobble up your healthcare data, acting as the ultimate digital colonists. Our tech overlords want it all, and they’ve got the legal budget to stall anyone who complains. Throw in a little Space Force trivia—spoiler: it’s just the Air Force in a fancy new uniform—and a shockingly competent Senate candidate in Maine making oyster farming look like the perfect prep for taking on the billionaire class. If the nihilistic kids don’t set the warehouses on fire first, we might just need to bubble up some free community college to save what’s left of the economy.
https://trailmix.cc/chat
https://trailmix.cc
https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro
01:19 Iran War Polling Flips
08:50 European Defense Industry Boom
12:22 The Space Force Rebranding Scam
23:02 Graham Plattner’s Maine Senate Run (Daniel brings receipts)
26:50 Palantir, Oracle, and Data Hoarding
33:36 War Crimes and Civilian Targets
37:57 Ice Protests in Vermont
54:39 Maslow’s Hierarchy & Community College
From today’s Digital Diner menu🍽️
“For the first time, law enforcement will have a permanent task force in every state and territory nationwide.“ DJT quote on the new, Call-of-Duty-looking government site: HSTF.GOV
*Pretty sure we’ve had permanent law enforcement in every state before.
This is not that.
Maybe we should put Palantir to work identifying global money traffic against known Epstein island or ranch visitations.
https://www.themirror.com/news/politics/ai-generated-pro-trump-influencer-1798569
AI pro-Trump influencer accounts ‘flooding social media’ to hook voters
The AI-generated accounts are reportedly posting about the “radical left” and pushing the “America First” agenda, and are often aesthetically appealing. A new report from the New York Times states that at least 304 of these A.I.-generated accounts were sharing MAGA content, although some have since disappeared.
These AI accounts have all the tell-tale signs, from bad spelling to odd facial movements, but many have already gained over 35,000 followers, with some posts garnering over half a million views.
“They’re trying to spread political messages and give an illusion of a consensus. Flooding the zone here with tons and tons of videos seems geared to give a false sense of a majority opinion,” Andrew Yoon, a member of the technical staff at CivAI, a nonprofit that educates people about A.I.’s capabilities and consequences, told the outlet.
Despite the accounts looking very much like AI, the researchers say the comments on the posts suggested that many users believed they were real people.
*Death to Ai or it will end us all. Between water, energy, pollution, surveillance, and political high-jinx, the damned thing will end us all.
If you must give it a name, call it the Tower of Babel or the Death Star. It’s not your friend.
Peter (Palantir) Thiel is in the Epstein files.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/04/peter-mandelson-palantir-jeffrey-epstein-government
Peter Mandelson’s involvement with the US tech company Palantir must be exposed to full public transparency, campaigners have said, amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive information than is alleged in his emails to Jeffrey Epstein.
Palantir, a $300bn company that provides military technology to the Israel Defense Forces and AI-powered deportation targeting for Donald Trump’s ICE units, has UK government contracts worth more than £500m. Global Counsel, a lobbying company Mandelson co-founded and part-owns, also works for Palantir.
Starmer’s meeting with Palantir did not appear in the prime minister’s register of visits and was acknowledged only in subsequent disclosures, Burghart said. He said Palantir’s MoD contract “was granted by direct award” – without competition – and asked that the cabinet secretary check there were “no other such contracts, no other such undisclosed meetings”.
The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, is being urged to release information about Mandelson’s role when the British embassy arranged for Keir Starmer to visit Palantir’s showroom in Washington DC in February 2025 shortly after Mandelson became ambassador to the US.
Mandelson and Starmer met the company’s chief executive Alex Karp and were shown the company’s military technology. Karp signed a strategic partnership with the UK defence secretary, John Healey, seven months later and in January the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a £241m three-year contract with Palantir to “boost military AI and innovation”.
https://boingboing.net/2026/03/10/palantirs-israel-partnership-began-with-epstein-introductions.html
Palantir’s Israel partnership began with Epstein introductions
Palantir’s strategic partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Defense – the one supplying AI tools for the Gaza campaign and now the IRAN war – traces back to introductions made by Jeffrey Epstein. DOJ-released documents show Epstein spent years connecting Peter Thiel with former Israeli prime minister and defense minister Ehud Barak, arranging at least six separate meetings because both men wanted to connect Silicon Valley with Israeli national security, Branko Marcetic reports for Jacobin.
This is official. What does it mean?
https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/18/starmer-faces-calls-to-step-down-after-appointing-epstein-associate
Starmer faces calls to step down after appointing Epstein associate
Starmer has faced repeated questions about his judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson, who was sacked last year only months into the post over his ties to the late convicted US sex offender Epstein.
It’s all connected, folks.
lol bring down a left-of-center leader because he knows a guy that knew a guy
great strategy!
6° to Kevin Bacon
gotta win elections or principles and morals are no more than that
Nigel Farage tapping his fingertips together and laughing
From today’s Digital Diner menu 🍽️
Anon, I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said about winning elections, and beyond those that are right square in our faces now, Iran and cost of groceries and gasoline, I don’t know what issues will take hold and which won’t. I hear people bitch about those so they obviously are the two biggest issues now – so tie ’em to DumbassCo and shout it loud and often. I’m not suggesting that Epstein or for that matter voter suppression are in the same category – but he keeps showing up and Repugs keep pushing the VID shit. Whether those matter to “persuadable” voters, I can’t say. My take on this stuff is that whatever the folks that develop messaging for candidates come up with, it needs to be simple, limited to a couple or three points that hit home, and it needs to be consistently presented from candidate to candidate to the extent possible. Winning is a strategic level goal, but the tactical level goals seem to me to be ill defined at this point. I’m interested to hear what others think would work as the message(s) that will (1) get Dem-leaning people to get out and vote and (2) convince persuadable voters to vote against Repugs (or for Dems if you prefer that phrasing).
Just like his first secretary of state said: “He’s a fucking moron”
Axios: Trump “over it”
Trump wants the war to end now, on his terms.
It’s not an artful acronym but CITWA is my shorthand draft for midterm messaging.
nothing wrong with dipping the toes into kookiness now and then but yes let’s say we need a big 3 (talking points)
i won’t even suggest what they should be
“tariffs” are meh, though imo
we’re talking to people who barely skated through high school
i like the focus on Kushner, keep it
going, epstein leads everywhere, kushner leads one direction
could “corruption” be distilled into something more potent?
and let us remember what Mr. P said weeks (months?) ago
trump ain’t up for election
find me Congressional villains
btw the epstein messaging until now is a W for libDems but it’s baked-in now
good job tho
The GOP Congressional villain is that they don’t exist except that doing absolutely nothing about the known problems of their constituents is the villain. We can certainly harp on doing nothing. They might as well be on their backs, playing dead. The ones that aren’t among the deceased are busy lining their pockets with ill gotten gains following Trump & Company insider trading.
Iran ghosting the peace talks, JD waiting on the tarmac, autocrats running the board, and a literal machine just crushed the human marathon record by seven minutes.
Watch the Full Episode
Or see we if can hold your attention for 30 seconds 👇
just posted … Winning by “A LOT”
Tariffs are killing small business Anon, they’re furious — A rare chance for Dems to win over a group they’ve long struggled with
TECH BRO WATCH 🍽️ Palantir and Oracle teamed up to suck down your Medicare data. These digital colonists want every scrap of your digital identity, and they pack enough corporate lawyers to bleed out anyone who complains.
DanielVT and BlueINDallas sort through in today’s Digital Diner menu.
“I’m having a Pyrric Victory like the world has NEVER SEEN! Never in the history of Pyrric Victories has there been a Pyrric Victory of this magnitude or one which has even come CLOSE to being as HUGE a Pyrrhic Victory as the one I’m having. It really is EPICALLY Pyrric—like so Pyrric you wouldn’t believe!”
Everyone I know knows Dodo is a maniac and a criminal but some still think it’s good.
tariffs and affordability redundant imo
Bunker Boy winning a war all by himself
genius stuff there Styrrrrrr..
EPICALLY Pyrric
Everytime there’s a rumor a man’s in trouble he fires a woman instead:
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to leave Trump administration
The big picture: Chavez-DeRemer has faced scrutiny over several misconduct scandals, including allegations of mishandling department funds and inappropriate relationships with staff.
Let’s just walk away, get back to status quo..
Here is a speech that can work nationally
Ossoff for President!!!
It is interesting how he is nationalizing his campaign, in talking about Trump and his administration, then localizing it by talking about weak cowardly Republicans. Also he is not afraid to talk religion and Christian ethics.
Jack
I liked his riff on Jared in that speech. Jack. That’s one way Dems can hit the corruption theme.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-cia-analyst-claims-trump-nuclear-codes-iran-1792717
Ex-CIA Analyst Claims Trump Sought to Invoke Nuclear Codes Against Iran Before General Caine Intervened
Larry C Johnson’s unverified claim about Trump’s nuclear intentions raises concerns amid US-Iran tensions
Johnson spent four years as a CIA analyst before moving to the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism, leaving government work entirely in 1993. He has worked since as a political commentator, blogger, and private security consultant — frequently appearing on platforms critical of US foreign policy.
*Maybe not, but it sure tracks.
Three days? That’s quite a prediction.
On Sunday afternoon, Palantir, the defense-tech company that sells software to clients like ICE, the US military, and the Israeli military, decided to give us all a piece of their mind. The company’s official X account published a list of excerpts from co-founder Alex Karp’s 2025 book The Technological Republic.
The book frames Silicon Valley’s move into military technology as the righteous repayment of a “moral debt” owed to the country that built the tech billionaire class. “The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation.”
If you read past the post and dig into the book itself, you’ll find that this sentence continues: “the engineering elite must also, Karp said, participate in “the articulation of a national project—what is this country, what are our values, and for what do we stand.”
That is to say: Men like Karp should decide what this country is.
It asserts that the future of American military dominance will not depend on nuclear deterrence, but on AI weaponry—possibly like the Palantir AI product that is reportedly used to help generate ‘kill lists’ for the Israeli military in Gaza.
Then, after arguing for the primacy of its own products—called “spy tech” by Palantir’s critics—Karp suggests the remilitarization of the Axis Powers. “The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone,” Karp’s company account asserted. “The defanging of Germany was an overcorrection for which Europe is now paying a heavy price. A similar and highly theatrical commitment to Japanese pacifism will, if maintained, also threaten to shift the balance of power in Asia.”
The rest of the manifesto is also, essentially, a sales pitch for corporate capture: “hard power in this century will be built on software,” Palantir says, meaning that if America doesn’t buy that software, someone else will. The company has had a banner year profiting on Trump’s ICE crackdowns, and currently holds $970 million in US government contracts, but is eager for more.
As Palantir pitches an increasingly militarized United States, ideologically determined by Silicon-valley tastes—at one point in the post, they suggest bringing back the draft—they’re suggesting a country in which they get all the power.
Catch the full dose of reality on this Digital Diner replay.
We’re watching the knives come out tomorrow for the final Virginia map carving. The Democrats dropped over $50 million, outspending the GOP 2.5-to-1 to block Trump’s nationwide gerrymandering scheme. Live at 11am ET👇
not libDems fault the criminality is so rampant they have to prioritize what to highlight
to be clear
humble suggestions 🫡🇺🇸
looked at another way, it’s an awful lot of of opportunities
“We get rid of our creeps, MAGA made theirs president”
🤷♂️
Biden ended a war
Trump started 3
Billionaires First
Israel next
America last
Ballrooms for them
No healthcare for you
Golden visas for crooks
deportation for working folks
Record profits for them
Higher prices for you
Disneyland for JD
Kegger for Kash
2nd job for you
Chaos on your streets
Party at Mar-A-Lago!
They have AI, they don’t need you
Vote Human, Vote Blue
The devil is a liar
remind you of anyone?
(insert trump blasphemy pic)
Golden doors for them
Door Dash for you
Making dreams come true
if your dream is driving for uber
Let’s go for a drive
($5 gas)
to the airport
(TSA lines)
to see historic landmarks
(bulldozed East Wing)
Which do you need more?
A) affordable childcare
B) a battleship
You: paycheck to paycheck
them: huge payday to enormous payday
trumps preferred pronouns: me/me/me
best song in this album?
Vote Blue Because Enough Already
who doesn’t love a good waltz with a blues break
ok ✊ 🇺🇸
https://www.newsweek.com/michio-kaku-dead-missing-scientists-national-concern-11849401
Physicist and science communicator Michio Kaku is warning that a growing number of scientists who have died or gone missing under unexplained circumstances should be treated as a national security issue rather than isolated incidents.
“If 10 scientists suddenly die or vanish who all have access to sensitive research, this is cause for national concern,” he told the outlet.
Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, called for federal investigations, arguing unexplained deaths or disappearances involving scientists with national security ties should not be handled solely at the local level.
“This is too coincidental, and so we have to be investigating this,” the congressman told Fox & Friends on Friday. “We need to have our nation’s top investigators, the FBI and every agency looking into this matter.”
*So, not Kashewnut.
NEW THREAD