“Everything that’s wrong is staring us right in the face, and half this country simply will not join us in fighting and fixing it. It’s infuriating and depressing and maddening.” —James Woods on X

James Howard Kunstler

Apr 17, 2026

The closer this Iran war comes to a favorable resolution, the more garishly negative the puling Lefty-left gets, wishing fervently for the enemy to prevail. Why? Because the Lefty-left is also an enemy of our country. They want the operation to fail so they can reclaim power and resume wrecking and looting the USA.

By the way, what exactly would a favorable outcome of this war look like? An Iran that doesn’t threaten nuclear jihad and doesn’t sponsor endless terror operations here, there, and everywhere. It looks like we are going to get to that. Iran’s choice is how deep do they want to take their own economic collapse before capitulating? If they’ll just stop now, they’ll still keep the lights on. They can be a normal, modern, developed nation without a death wish.

Anyway, the paradigm Iran was operating in as a rogue state is dead, especially the malign influence of Britain’s banking and MI6 intel matrix. Britain, proven by its actions to be not a friend of America. . . Britain, a wretched little has-been island empire with bad teeth, overrun by wrathful Islamists, and, alas, soon to be a caliphate.

President Donald Trump has rearranged the geopolitical landscape with startling speed and efficacy. Much of Europe, it turns out, are not our friends, either. They would not let us use the NATO bases we pay for to conduct air operations over Iran. Hence, NATO is four dead letters. They can go dangle while they figure out how to live without oil, possibly go back to their centuries-long condition as a nonstop slaughterhouse, besetting each other with stupid, age-old feuds. Not our problem anymore.

China? Their Belt-and-Road isn’t what it was just six months ago. Mr. Trump has kicked them out of South America. Their oil supply is suddenly sketchy. Notice, they didn’t lend a hand helping to clear the Strait of Hormuz. Turned out that the radars and air defenses they gifted Iran didn’t work too well. Uncle Xi Pooh Bear will have to re-think situation.

Mr. Trump says he might travel to Pakistan this weekend if there are papers to sign with Iran. Israel and Lebanon announced a ten-day truce to sort out where things stand. Both of them want Hezbollah expelled for good. Anyway, Hezbollah can no longer enjoy financial support from Iran, meaning no more munitions or salaries for Hezbollah warriors, meaning Hezbollah is out of business — a major regional irritant neutralized. Can you dare to imagine a peaceable Middle East?

So, things have changed-up greatly in this long-volatile corner of the world, and that will leave Mr. Trump freer to attend to the discord and animus at home, namely the psychopathic Democratic Party’s non-stop demolition of political norms, with assistance from the bureaucratic Deep State and the NGO underworld. Just at hand this week, we have Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sending criminal referrals to the DOJ on two key players (both liars) in Trump Impeachment No. 1: former Intel Inspector General Michael Atkinson and CIA agent “whistleblower” Eric Ciaramella — whose name the news media still fears to speak.

That impeachment, over the so-called “Ukraine phone call,” was from start to finish a complete fake, a criminal conspiracy. It involves a much larger cast-of-characters including then House Intel Committee Chair (now senator) Adam Schiff, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Gina Haspel, Chief Justice John Roberts, and virtually the whole Kiev US embassy staff at the time. Everybody involved was lying about one thing or another. The case is on Acting AG Todd Blanche’s desk now. Do you suppose it can just sit there?

It’s rumored that in the weeks ahead, Mr. Trump is fixing to conduct a declassification orgy of evidence unearthed by DNI Gabbard in the serial seditions run by US color revolutionists over the past decade. The presidential declass will obviate the usual tedious process of extracting declass permissions from every agency silo with a stake in the documents — meaning the evidence will go straight to US attorneys, including Jason Reding Quiñones, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, now running a grand jury out of Fort Pierce on the RussiaGate hoax.

Many of the players in that treasonous episode were involved in subsequent crimes against the nation: the 2020 election fraud; the Jan. 6 fed-provoked “insurrection” at the US Capitol; the fake House committee set up to pretend to investigate it; the Mar-a-Lago Raid; the multiple Trump prosecutions of 2024, the censorship campaign; and the manifold perfidious turpitudes of the “Joe Biden” administration, including the massive invasion of illegal immigrants.

It’s all going to come out now in one overwhelming puke-stream channeled into actual prosecutions. Only question is: will the massive revelation of truth prompt the millions of successfully brainwashed Americans to finally get their minds right over what has been perpetrated on our country?

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used a speech at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law on Thursday to contend that progressivism has increasingly conflicted with the principles of the Declaration of Independence, telling students that the movement cannot permanently coexist with the founding ideals of natural rights and limited government.

Thomas, 77, was speaking at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The justice, who was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1991, is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court and the second-longest-serving justice in the Court’s history.

During the address, Thomas traced the rise of progressivism in the American mainstream to the beginning of the 20th century and identified President Woodrow Wilson as its most prominent advocate.

Thomas said progressivism had “made many inroads into our system of government and our way of life” since Wilson’s presidency and asserted that it stood in opposition to the Declaration.

“It has coexisted uneasily with the principles of the Declaration because it is opposed to those principles,” Thomas stated. “It is not possible for the two to coexist forever.”

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used a speech at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law on Thursday to contend that progressivism has increasingly conflicted with the principles of the Declaration of Independence, telling students that the movement cannot permanently coexist with the founding ideals of natural rights and limited government.

Thomas, 77, was speaking at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The justice, who was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1991, is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court and the second-longest-serving justice in the Court’s history.

During the address, Thomas traced the rise of progressivism in the American mainstream to the beginning of the 20th century and identified President Woodrow Wilson as its most prominent advocate.

Thomas said progressivism had “made many inroads into our system of government and our way of life” since Wilson’s presidency and asserted that it stood in opposition to the Declaration.

“It has coexisted uneasily with the principles of the Declaration because it is opposed to those principles,” Thomas stated. “It is not possible for the two to coexist forever.”

If the morally-confused Pope Leo XIV continues to assume the role of a partisan podcaster, he will very quickly lose his moral authority.

And that’s exactly what Leo is doing.

We all expect a pope to talk about and pray for peace in times of war, express a desire for unity in times of political divisiveness, and to always appeal to the best in humanity. That’s not what this pope has done. Instead, apparently under the sway of Barry Obama’s hatchet man and former campaign manager, David Axelrod, Leo is recklessly engaging in a left-wing campaign to damage President Trump’s and the Republican Party’s standing with Catholics, and, by extension, his own standing as a credible spiritual leader.

Thus far, after only a short time as pope, Leo has already: repeatedly attacked Trump’s positions on immigration; blasted Trump’s approach towards the weaklings in Europe and the useless United Nations; and blistered what he describes as Trump’s “diplomacy based on force.”

Leo ripped Trump’s deft handling of Venezuela, and when it comes to the war with Iran, Leo has assumed the role of an MSNBC commenter, including declaring Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran’s civilization as “truly unacceptable.”

Good grief, Leo even went so far as to get sarcastic. When asked about a statement Trump posted on Truth Social responding to his onslaught of criticism, Leo did his best smug Jake Tapper impression and told reporters, “It’s ironic — the name of the site itself. Say no more.”

Man alive.

Leo is already the most divisive pope of my lifetime.

He might be giving Democrats the vapors, but he’s undermining his credibility as a spiritual leader — which is his primary job.

First, there is Leo’s political hypocrisy. We see Muslims all around the world engaging in terrible misdeeds including the persecution of Christians, and Leo’s only response has either been silence or whataboutism. If you are going to assume the role of a daily podcaster and want to be seen as an honest moral broker, you have to call out all the ills of the world, not just Trump’s.

For example, why hasn’t Pope Podcaster said something about Democrats covering up sexual assault allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) for over a decade?

So far, Pope Leo has said nothing about the corporate media covering up those same allegations.

Hey, if you’re going to podcast, you gotta podcast.

Above all, Leo is just plain morally wrong when it comes to bashing Trump. To begin with, no reasonable or moral person is okay with the suicidal mullahs of Iran obtaining nukes, and that’s the only choice here. Instead of grasping that piece of moral clarity, Leo’s criticism of the war makes him sound, at best, naïve. At worst, he sounds like every other leftist looking for any excuse to attack Trump.

Leo is so eager to blister Trump, he failed to understand (or pretended to fail) that Trump’s comments about ending Iran’s civilization were in pursuit of a PEACE deal. Leo also failed to see that Trump’s gambit resulted in a two-week ceasefire that might lead to the end of the war.

Where is Leo’s criticism of the Iranian regime’s daily promise to destroy America and Israel? Google failed to find one.

What’s more, why does Leo side with Europe over the U.S? Does Leo not see any responsibility on Europe’s part for this rift? Leo doesn’t bother to explain why it’s only America’s fault. Instead, he merely spouts the kind of shallow, anti-American, anti-Trump talking points that make Rachel Maddow swoon.

Why does Leo side with a United Nations that is so determined to annihilate Israel that terrorist countries are allowed to sit on the Human Rights Council? Again, all we get from Leo are the same partisan, empty-headed pro-U.N. talking points we hear from the empty-headed partisans who infest CNN.

I’m a Catholic. I’ll always be a Catholic. I was the rare conservative Catholic who found a lot to like in Pope Francis.

Leo is no Francis.

Whereas Francis mixed a touching and relentless humanity in his reign, Leo comes off as a cold and calculating talking head; a bloodless bureaucrat in a tall hat.

Francis was sincere in his desire to save souls, the primary job of the Catholic Church.

Leo seems sincere only in his desire to earn the good opinion of the New York Times and Hillary Clinton.

It’s a grotesque and un-Christian dereliction of duty.

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If the morally-confused Pope Leo XIV continues to assume the role of a partisan podcaster, he will very quickly lose his moral authority.

And that’s exactly what Leo is doing.

We all expect a pope to talk about and pray for peace in times of war, express a desire for unity in times of political divisiveness, and to always appeal to the best in humanity. That’s not what this pope has done. Instead, apparently under the sway of Barry Obama’s hatchet man and former campaign manager, David Axelrod, Leo is recklessly engaging in a left-wing campaign to damage President Trump’s and the Republican Party’s standing with Catholics, and, by extension, his own standing as a credible spiritual leader.

Thus far, after only a short time as pope, Leo has already: repeatedly attacked Trump’s positions on immigration; blasted Trump’s approach towards the weaklings in Europe and the useless United Nations; and blistered what he describes as Trump’s “diplomacy based on force.”

Leo ripped Trump’s deft handling of Venezuela, and when it comes to the war with Iran, Leo has assumed the role of an MSNBC commenter, including declaring Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran’s civilization as “truly unacceptable.”

See that guy above? His name is Akos, and I’ve been seeing him around ever since I moved to Hungary. Big man with a big heart, loves Orban. There he was last night at the Fidesz Party’s election gathering, bathed in orange light (orange is the party color), waiting for the first election results to come in.

The thing is, Magyar is not a figure of the political Left, which remains unpopular in Hungary. What he basically offered voters is “Orban, but without the corruption.” On the key issues that infuriate Brussels about Orban’s Hungary — his hardline on migrants and asylum seekers, and his adamant desire to keep Hungary out of the Ukraine war — there’s no difference between Orban and Magyar, except that Magyar might even be tougher than Orban on migration. When he takes power, Magyar is going to have to either disappoint his allies in the EU establishment, or disappoint millions of his voters. Personally, I expect him to be the cat’s paw of Brussels. For Hungary’s sake, I hope I’m wrong.

But — and I can’t say this strongly enough — Hungarians do not support the EU’s policies toward Ukraine, and they all still back Orban’s hardline on keeping borders strong. Had Peter Magyar openly taken the EU line on either issue, he would probably not be the incoming prime minister. In fact, Magyar got to the right of Orban on migration, promising to cut off work visas for foreigners, that had been approved by Fidesz.

The EU loves to promote itself as “defending democracy,” but it’s very important for Americans to understand that “democracy” is when voters choose candidates with the EU stamp of approval. I can tell you for certain that the Orban government was prepared, in the event that they won, for “Euromaidan” style mass protests — a color revolution organized by the EU.

Mossad head David Barnea addressed the campaign against Iran, intelligence operations in the heart of Tehran, and the continuation of activities in Iran.

Barnea delivered his remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, warning that threats to the existence of the Jewish people are not a thing of the past.

He opened with a stark warning against international complacency: “The naïve are mistaken in thinking the Holocaust is a thing of the past-that in today’s reality genocide cannot occur, that calls for destruction cannot exist, and that hatred threatening a people’s existence cannot arise. The Iranian threat has steadily intensified before our eyes, and before the eyes of the world, almost unchecked.”

https://6f9968217906fce4d9effc3d9fa93b95.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

He emphasized that Israel repeatedly warned about the nuclear threat and ballistic missile stockpiles endangering its citizens, until ultimately “we took our fate into our own hands and went to two necessary wars.”

Barnea detailed operational achievements of the most recent conflict, crediting intelligence and operational cooperation: “In ‘Rising Lion’, the IDF, with the assistance of the Mossad, led an unprecedented attack that dealt a severe blow to the Iranian regime. The Mossad once again operated in the heart of Tehran. We provided precise intelligence to the Air Force and struck missiles threatening Israeli civilians.”

He also referred to the strategic alliance with the United States, which he called “the strongest power in the world,” noting that historic cooperation during forty days of fighting helped thwart the enemy’s central objective-the destruction of the State of Israel.

https://6f9968217906fce4d9effc3d9fa93b95.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

During his speech, Barnea responded to critics who argued that the operation did not achieve all its objectives immediately after the strikes ended. “We did not think this mission would be completed the moment the fighting subsided,” he clarified. “But we certainly planned for our campaign to continue and to be expressed in the period following the strikes in Tehran. Our commitment will be fulfilled only when this extremist regime is replaced. That regime, which seeks our destruction, must pass from the world.”

He concluded with a firm message linking his professional duty to the moral imperative of Holocaust Remembrance Day: “This is our mission. We will not stand idly by in the face of another existential threat. With a clear command-never again.”

• To read the article in Hebrew

President Donald Trump said Saturday the U.S. military has begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz, declaring Iran’s naval and air capabilities have been wiped out.

“Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft apparatus is nonexistent, Radar is dead,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added Iran’s missile and drone infrastructure has been “largely obliterated,” along with the weapons themselves, and said the country’s longtime leaders “are no longer with us.”

Trump also said Iran’s ability to threaten shipping has been neutralized.

“The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines,” he wrote, adding that “all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea.”

“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World,” Trump said, listing China, Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany.

Fears of Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in recent weeks have effectively shut down traffic through the strait, a key passage for global oil supplies, disrupting energy markets.

Gasoline prices in the U.S. have surged despite most of the oil flowing through the waterway being bound for other countries.

Trump also said empty oil tankers from multiple nations are now heading to the United States “to LOAD UP with Oil.”

Creepy Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell is going down in flames.

Swalwell is currently running as a Democrat in California’s gubernatorial race.

As TGP reported earlier on Friday, The San Francisco Chronicle published a story about a woman who claimed that Democrat Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice.

The woman, who worked as a staffer in Swalwell’s office for two years, told The San Francisco Chronicle that Swalwell began pursuing her just weeks after she was hired at the age of 21 in 2019.

“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 San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Swalwell denied the allegations.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” he said.

37-Year Dental Hygienist: The “Bedtime Mineral” That Reversed My Gum Disease

Have you ever wondered why the world keeps repeating the same mistakes when it comes to war and conflict?

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The United States Postal Service is suspending employer pension contributions for workers beginning Friday, citing a looming cash shortfall, the agency announced Thursday.

The move, which affects the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), comes just weeks after the Postal Service warned Congress it could run out of cash in under a year without significant reforms, including changes to pension funding and stamp prices.

USPS emphasized that the pause will have no immediate impact on current or future retirees.

“There will not be any immediate detrimental impact to our current or future retirees if normal FERS cost payments are temporarily withheld,” Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann said.

USPS has previously reported mounting losses over the years, totaling $118 billion since 2007, as volumes of its most profitable product, first-class mail, fell to their lowest levels since the late 1960s.

The financial strain was further exacerbated by global tariffs, high inflation and recent spikes in gasoline prices, along with growing competition from private carriers such as Amazon, which now delivers many of its own packages.

USPS said it typically sends the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversees federal retirement accounts, about $200 million every two weeks to cover pension costs.

By suspending the payments, the agency expects to free up roughly $2.5 billion in the current fiscal year.

Internal reports reveal that President Trump personally called Prime Minister Netanyahu to request a reduction in strikes on Lebanon.

Internal reports reveal that President Trump personally called Prime Minister Netanyahu to request a reduction in strikes on Lebanon to protect the success of upcoming peace talks with Iran.

While the public narrative has focused on military dominance, a different story has been unfolding behind the scenes in Washington and Jerusalem. President Donald Trump reportedly reached out to Prime Minister Netanyahu in a direct phone call, asking him to “calm down” the strikes in Lebanon. This request was driven by a growing realization within the White House that the continued destruction of Beirut could jeopardize the high stakes peace negotiations with Iran scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad. Although the Trump administration maintains that Lebanon is not formally part of the Iran ceasefire, officials became concerned that the humanitarian and political costs of the war were becoming a liability for the President’s regional strategy.

The Diplomatic Pivot

Initially, the Trump administration gave Israel a relatively free hand in the north, with Vice President J.D. Vance and others clarifying that Hezbollah was not covered by the Iran truce. However, as the IDF continued to level the Dahiyeh district and the death toll rose, the political calculus changed. Trump’s inner circle feared that the images of destruction would not only derail the Islamabad summit but also cause domestic political damage within the United States. In response to the President’s direct pressure, Netanyahu’s tone shifted almost instantly, leading to the dramatic announcement of a new diplomatic track with the Lebanese government.

Israel has reportedly agreed to be a “helping partner” in Trump’s broader diplomatic efforts, recognizing that the U.S. wants a bridge to peace that prevents the Iranian talks from being sabotaged by the Lebanon front. Vice President Vance hinted at this shift, suggesting that the Israelis offered to exercise some restraint to ensure the U.S. negotiations succeed. This does not mean a total cessation of hostilities, but rather a tactical adjustment to align with Washington’s goals. As a result, the upcoming talks in Washington between Ambassador Yehiel Leiter and Lebanese representatives will be watched closely as a test of whether this American pressured restraint can lead to a breakthrough without sacrificing Israel’s security goals.

the success of upcoming peace talks with Iran.

While the public narrative has focused on military dominance, a different story has been unfolding behind the scenes in Washington and Jerusalem. President Donald Trump reportedly reached out to Prime Minister Netanyahu in a direct phone call, asking him to “calm down” the strikes in Lebanon. This request was driven by a growing realization within the White House that the continued destruction of Beirut could jeopardize the high stakes peace negotiations with Iran scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad. Although the Trump administration maintains that Lebanon is not formally part of the Iran ceasefire, officials became concerned that the humanitarian and political costs of the war were becoming a liability for the President’s regional strategy.

The Diplomatic Pivot

Initially, the Trump administration gave Israel a relatively free hand in the north, with Vice President J.D. Vance and others clarifying that Hezbollah was not covered by the Iran truce. However, as the IDF continued to level the Dahiyeh district and the death toll rose, the political calculus changed. Trump’s inner circle feared that the images of destruction would not only derail the Islamabad summit but also cause domestic political damage within the United States. In response to the President’s direct pressure, Netanyahu’s tone shifted almost instantly, leading to the dramatic announcement of a new diplomatic track with the Lebanese government.

Israel has reportedly agreed to be a “helping partner” in Trump’s broader diplomatic efforts, recognizing that the U.S. wants a bridge to peace that prevents the Iranian talks from being sabotaged by the Lebanon front. Vice President Vance hinted at this shift, suggesting that the Israelis offered to exercise some restraint to ensure the U.S. negotiations succeed. This does not mean a total cessation of hostilities, but rather a tactical adjustment to align with Washington’s goals. As a result, the upcoming talks in Washington between Ambassador Yehiel Leiter and Lebanese representatives will be watched closely as a test of whether this American pressured restraint can lead to a breakthrough without sacrificing Israel’s security goals.