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(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland Herald)
(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)
(Matt Wuerker, Andrews McMeel Syndicate)
Saturday, April 11, 2026
QOTD: Buyer's Remorse
Robert Kuttner, writing in The American Prospect, about the right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu's successful effort to convince the unfit, violent and ignorant Malignant Fascist that the war on Iran would be simple, successful and over quickly:
"This week, The New York Times published a detailed investigative piece on the key meeting on February 11 in the White House Situation Room, where Netanyahu, joined by Mossad director David Barnea speaking on a screen, made the case for war, supposedly based on deep Mossad intelligence.
According to the Times, Netanyahu claimed four benefits. 'Iran’s ballistic missile program could be destroyed in a few weeks. The regime would be so weakened that it could not choke off the Strait of Hormuz.' The risk that Iran could harm U.S. interests in neighboring Gulf countries was assessed as minimal. And street protests would resume and create conditions for regime change.
John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, described the Mossad claims as 'farcical.' According to the Times, Trump then asked Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for his view.
Gen. 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.'
Despite these warnings, which proved prescient, Trump was all in. One can only imagine the buyer’s remorse that Trump feels now.
Just as Bibi pushed Trump into making war based on false premises, he now wants the war to continue as long as possible. His corruption trial resumes Saturday. Elections must be held by October, and despite his multiple wars, Netanyahu’s governing coalition has consistently been well behind in polls." (our emphasis)
The MF has said nary a word about Bibi's deceptive sales job, perhaps because he's too busy figuring out a scheme to make money off of a peace deal with Iran, which the Israeli leader would oppose before Iran is reduced to rubble. Bibi's joined by the sinister, murdering Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman of Saudi Arabia and others with that position. With friends like these.....
(photo: He sold me a lemon, and I don't know how to make lemonade)
Skeets of the Day
Operation Epic Epstein Fury: unfrozen assets, mines, more --
UPDATE, Islamabad, 18:30hrs: Negotiations continue to determine if negotiations can begin. A ceasefire continues & no-one has ceased fire. The Strait is open & closed; it is mine-free & mines are being cleared by the US Navy. Iran’s unfrozen assets are frozen. The regime remains changed & stable.
— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 9:41 AM
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remember the obama "pallets of cash for Iran" thing? lol
— Sky Marchini (@sky.skymarchini.net) April 10, 2026 at 4:08 PM
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Trump went from “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” to this.
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 5:58 AM
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Because it was difficult to track the small boats deploying the mines, the United States is uncertain precisely how many Iran has placed in the strait or where they are located.- NYT
— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:35 PM
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"they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways" Those feel like... pretty solid cards?
— Rory Johnston (@roryjohnston.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 3:33 PM
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The Swalwell scandal --
The details in here are horrifying but needed to be made public. Please take care while reading.
— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM
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Welp
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 10:05 PM
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There is no place in our country or the Democratic Party for those who abuse women and girls. I stand with the courageous survivor who shared her story. Congressman Swalwell must leave the Governor’s race immediately.
— Robert Garcia (@robertgarcia.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Melanoma Melania's "Sgt. Schultz" defense: she knows nothing! --
“To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell.” Suuuurrre, lady 🥴
— Space Karen (@spacekaren2.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 3:36 PM
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Making America sick again, RFK, Jr.'s unhinged plan --
— jamelle (@jamellebouie.net) April 11, 2026 at 5:16 AM
Massive anti-urban rally in Hungary. Kick the Putin asset out! --
This is the massive turnout for last night’s “anti regime” concert in Heroes Square, Budapest, ahead of tomorrow’s crucial Hungarian elections. Tens of thousands chanted “Russians go home”. #Orban
— Mark Chadbourn (@chadbourn.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 7:06 AM
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The Onion gets to the point --
— The Onion (@theonion.com) April 10, 2026 at 3:30 PM
CA Governor Primary Just Got Worse
California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing an existential political crisis after several women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. Swalwell, who was the leading Dem candidate in a crowded field, is denying the allegations, but endorsers are withdrawing support and staff is abandoning his campaign. From CNN:
"A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
'I was pushing him off of me, saying no,' the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. 'He didn’t stop.'
She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos."
Swalwell has been a leading and effective critic of the deranged and unfit Malignant Fascist, and was one of the leaders in the effort to impeach the MF in his first term. He's also been a vocal supporter of of victims of sexual assault, which make these claims particularly troubling. CNN's coverage continues:
"CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault."
There are more disturbing details of abuse attributed to Swalwell, often involving heavy drinking.
There has been pressure by the California Democratic Party for their candidates to self-assess their chances of winning the primary, with the hope that some will voluntarily withdraw before the June primary. Swalwell wasn't thought to be one who needed to, but these credible allegations have upended his candidacy and likely his career.
Jean Smart's Tours the "Hacks" Set
The wonderful Jean Smart takes Architectural Digest on a tour of the season 5 set of "Hacks", with great visuals and a playful sense of humor. Enjoy.
Friday, April 10, 2026
Today's Cartoons
(click on image to enlarge)
(Michael de Adder, caglecartoons.com)
(Kevin Kallaugher, The Economist)
(Joey Weatherford, Tribune Content Agency)
(Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
(Ted Rall, Rall.com)
(Clay Jones, claytoonz. substack.com
(Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger)
QOTD: Time to Abandon Ship
William "Bloody Bill" Kristol, an early Never Trumper, neocon philosopher and regular antagonist of the mentally ill and reckless Malignant Fascist, has these observations on Melanoma Melania Trump's strange speech yesterday trying to absolve herself -- but not her corrupt husband -- from the taint of the Epstein-Trump scandal:
"Melania is perhaps not a deep thinker, but she’s no fool. Since immigrating to the United States three decades ago, Melania Knauss has done well for herself. She’s shown that she has a shrewd sense of how to operate in her adopted country. She’s risen to the top, while mostly avoiding being directly engulfed in all the scandals that have raged around her.
And now she seems to think that the man to whom she hitched herself may be going down. She’s trying to arrange not to go down with him.
She presumably doesn’t think her husband can be induced to become one of those 'prominent male executives' who resigns from his powerful position. But she knows that he can be removed from it. Isn’t Melania signaling others in the Trump administration and her husband’s supporters in Congress that it’s time to abandon ship, that it’s time to remove him from office?
It should not have taken Melania Trump, acting in her own self-interest, to spur this action. Others should have come to this conclusion based on a judgment of what’s necessary for the well-being of the nation. But one welcomes any helping hand in our current drama." (our emphasis)
We're less sanguine about the effect of Trump's speech, but better late than never, better a little than nothing.
(photo: Trump to bff Epstein: "she's hot")
Skeets of the Day
Was Melanoma Melania Trump's Epstein speech to defuse a bombshell ?--
Follow this thread. Most likely, and of course, all speculation right now, this is why Melania did her 6 min statement today. Amanda Ungaro was brought here as a 17-year-old model. She flew to NYC on Epstein's private plane. 1/2
— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 2:53 AM
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Paolo Zampolli, the modeling agent who allegedly introduced Melania to Trump in 1998, fathered Ungaro's child. They were engaged in an ugly custody battle. Zampolli leaned on ICE and his Trump connections to DEPORT Ungaro. Zampolli also allegedly represented Melania when she was a model...
— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 2:55 AM
MacFarlane: If the first lady is trying to preemptively defuse a journalistic bomb that's coming on the Epstein files, I know a lot of good PR practitioners would say: you don't defuse a bomb by calling attention to the bomb
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 11:39 PM
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I was pleased to learn that Melania agrees
— George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 (@gtconway.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 10:37 PM
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Operation Epic Epstein Fury: Mission accomplished loser --
SUMMARY: Trump told Iran to “open the fuckin’ Strait you crazy bastards…or your civilisation will die.” Iran did nothing. Trump ceased attacks on Iran and agreed to lift all sanctions set over the last 30 years. The Strait of Hormuz is now fully closed.
— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:05 AM
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“.. Not all wars have a winner. But every war has at least one loser and if — a big if — the ceasefire marks the end of the war in Iran, the biggest loser will be Donald Trump.” @economist.com www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
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Tired of winning, yet? Inflation edition --
STARMER: “.. I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world.” @cnbc.com 🇬🇧 www.cnbc.com/2026/04/09/k...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:51 AM
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Inflation was already rising before the war. Trump's failed war has caused it spiral completely out of control.
— Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 8:37 AM
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The Malignant Fascist's collection of stooges serving the biggest stooge of all --
New in PN: A regime of idiots — A complete inventory of Trump stooges "The downside of Trump’s reliance on sub-mediocre stooges is they amplify his own stupidity & terrible judgment. Dumb stooges inevitably emulate his sadism & laziness, leading to a govt marked by sociopathology on a grand scale."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 9, 2026 at 8:56 AM
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Briefing in Situation Room on Israeli pitch for war: C.I.A. director Ratfcliffe: "farcical" Secretary of State Rubio: “it’s bullshit” Vice President Vance: "expressed strong skepticism" General Caine: "They oversell" President Trump: "Operation Epic Fury is approved" www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u...
— Mark Klamberg (@klamberg.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:46 AM
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Russia's asset in our intelligence community protected by perverse dirty trickster Stone --
The guy investigated for years for conspiring with Russia (who may have gotten not one, but TWO pardons for his ties to Russia) interceded to make sure Trump didn't fire Tulsi. Great. Just great. www.axios.com/2026/04/10/t...
— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 9:39 AM
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Ukraine continues to attack and decimate Russian oil facilities. Slava Ukraini! --
The results of the Ukrainian FP-2 drone strike on an oil depot in Feodosia, Russian-occupied Crimea. The oil terminal has been almost completely destroyed by Ukrainian attacks. Source: Dnipro Osint
— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 5:53 AM
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And finally, an important ship passes through Strait of Hormuz. Will the MF order it sunk? --
Let’s hope the files make it through unmolested.
— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 (@sundaedivine.lol) April 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
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Weekend Song: Sir Paul's Poignant New Single
Music giant and international treasure Sir Paul McCartney, who will be 84 years young in June, hasn't stopped making glorious music that the world loves. He has a new album -- his 20th solo album -- coming out in a few weeks, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane," a reference to a road in Liverpool "along the Mersey shore" where as a child he bird watched and swam.
"Days We Left Behind" is a song from that upcoming album that was released recently: a lovely, wistful melody that has Sir Paul almost whispering the deeply personal lyrics accompanied by an acoustic guitar and piano. Just beautiful. (Sir Paul will be the featured guest for SNL's season finale on May 16, so he's likely to sing this and other songs from the new album).
True Confessions, Melania Trump edition
In an unanticipated and brief statement yesterday, Melanoma Melania Trump vigorously denied having any friendship or connection to underage sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, responding to allegations circulating about how she and her deviant husband the Malignant Fascist met. It was very odd timing, as the MF's blunder into a war with Iran was taking most of the public's attention away from the Epstein-Trump files and Epstein's victims, much to her husband's relief. Garrett Owen at Salon.com writes:
"Rumors have swirled around Trump thanks to her husband’s relationship with the late sex trafficker. In 2025, Hunter Biden claimed President Donald Trump and Melania were introduced to each other by Epstein. Author Andrew Lownie made a similar accusation in his book, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.' Both claims sparked a swift legal response from Melania Trump’s lawyers, though Biden refused to retract his statement.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump said she had 'never been friends with Epstein.' [snip]
Emails between Melania Trump and Epstein’s inner circle were revealed earlier this year. In January, emails released as part of the Epstein files showed a 2002 correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. The first lady refers to Maxwell as 'G,' and Maxwell calls her 'sweat pea.'
Melania Trump downplayed these emails as 'casual correspondence.'
'My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,' she said.
The easy familiarity of the e-mails says more than "polite reply", as you can see for yourself:
Emails between Melania Trump and Epstein’s inner circle were revealed earlier this year. In January, emails released as part of the Epstein files showed a 2002 correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. The first lady refers to Maxwell as “G,” and Maxwell calls her “sweat pea.”
Melania Trump wants these photos and emails to be scrubbed from the Internet. Please stop liking and sharing them. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) April 9, 2026 at 7:19 PM
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Trump called for Congress to have Epstein's (and her husband's) victims testify in public hearings to tell their stories and identify their abusers, hopefully including the young girl who accused the MF of raping her when she was 13. We'll see where that goes. Also, the MF's corrupt Deputy AG Todd Blanche has already announced that as far as DOJ is concerned they're putting the Epstein - Trump matter in the past.
Just when a disastrous war distracted the public, attention is now back on the Epstein-Trump files, thanks to Melania Trump's little hand grenade.
(photo: double dating with the predators)
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Today's Cartoons
(click to enlarge image)
(Michael de Adder, The Contrarian)
(Clay Jones, claytoonz.substack.com)
(Drew Sheneman, Tribune Content Agency)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
Strait of Hormuz: Most Shippers "Holding Back"
Despite the demented and lying Malignant Fascist's boastful b.s. about a "ceasefire" and the Strait of Hormuz open to ship traffic, only a trickle of ships are moving through the strategic waterway, as shippers weigh the risks in transiting the Iran-controlled Strait. From the New York effing Times:
"There were few signs on Wednesday of a large-scale return of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and the United States said they would work to move vessels through the crucial waterway as part of their cease-fire agreement.
Shipping traffic could increase, experts said, if the vessels’ operators concluded that the terms of making the passage were clear and the risks of attacks were reduced. Global shipping traffic and energy flows could yet take months to return to prewar levels, they added.
Iran has blocked the strait, which carries a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and one-fifth of its gas, throughout the war by laying mines and launching sporadic attacks on ships.
A Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberia-flagged vessel crossed the strait on Wednesday, according to Kpler, a global ship-tracking firm. But there were also 'no clear signs yet of large-scale positioning or queuing that would indicate ships are preparing to move through in significant numbers,' said Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior risk and compliance analyst at Kpler. 'Most operators appear to be holding back.'” (our emphasis)
Most operators "appear to be holding back" because they trust the word of neither the Iranian Revolutionary Guard nor the unstable MF, as missiles and drones continue to be exchanged in the region. There are reports that the Strait may be mined, further deterring ship traffic. There's also a question whether Israel has any intention in observing the "ceasefire," as they pound southern Lebanon, a violation of the ceasefire conditions announced by Iran. Small wonder shippers don't want to chance the Strait for now.
(photo: Backlog of ships waiting for Strait to open. Bloombertg News)
Skeets of the Day
Operation Epic Epstein Fury: our "ceasefire" partner, missing plan, more --
Rick Perlstein is right, and we saw the clearest evidence yet yesterday: We cannot credibly promise not to bomb Iran, because we have tied ourselves at the hip to another country, Israel, who might keep bombing them no matter what we say or do. Iran will reasonably treat this bombing as the shared
— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:44 AM
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I mean just show us the plan, if there is one…
— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 11:14 PM
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There’s a lot going on here. Almost all of it deeply disturbing.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 3:47 AM
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GHALIBAF: “.. there is no room for denial and backtracking.”
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 7:38 AM
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Clumsy cipher J(unior) D(icator) Vance will stop wife from jumping from plane --
It’s honestly hilarious that this guy thinks he’ll ever be president. He’s like if Mitt Romney and Ron DeSantis had a wildly unlikable baby who was raised by Sean Hannity and a gallon of white paint.
— Rex Huppke (@rexhuppke.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 9:41 PM
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The unbridled corruption of the Trump regime and family, part infinity --
Unprecedented corruption
— Brendan Nyhan (@brendannyhan.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 9:14 PM
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Good morning! Since Trump was re-elected, Forbes estimates— 💰His net worth is up $2 billion, to $6.3 billion 💰Eric’s is up 10x, to $400 million 💰Don Jr.’s is up 6x, to $300 million 💰20-year-old Barron is worth $150 million And Jared became a billionaire last year. Have a great day!
— Zach Everson (@zacheverson.com) April 9, 2026 at 8:26 AM
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Because of course. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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The Malignant Fascist's best European lapdog. When Dems return, he should be gone --
Sec Gen NATO Rutte: “We like each other… I really admire Trump’s leadership… The world is safer today than before the war…” He won’t even condemn Trump’s genocidal “civilization” post. This dude is somehow more of a lapdog than anyone in Trump’s own cabinet.
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:13 AM
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No, Mark Rutte, Mr. Trump does not have a point. He treats America's NATO allies as personal servants, and demands tribute even while dishonoring America's commitments. Trying to placate him by highlighting ways Europe did help with a terribly misguided, illegal, failed war just makes things worse.
— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:04 AM
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For the record.... --
Yesterday Israel murdered another Palestinian journalist in Gaza Jodie Ginsberg: ".. at least 260 journalists have been killed.. that makes Israel the biggest killer of journalists since @pressfreedom.bsky.social started documenting those deaths in 1992"
— Saul Staniforth (@saulstaniforth.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 1:03 AM
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In nature news from The Onion --
Once-Adventurous Salmon Can’t Believe She Ended Up Moving Back To Birthplace, Having A Bunch Of Kids https://theonion.com/once-adventurous-salmon-can-t-believe-she-ended-up-movi-1825827223/
— The Onion (@theonion.com) April 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
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More Trump Threats Toward Iran
In another burst of manic threats, the demented and volatile Malignant Fascist took to his social media platform and threatened Iran if "the REAL AGREEMENT" isn't reached the "Shootin' Starts." Of course, he left it to one's imagination as to what the "real agreement" is, because he may not know himself in his addled condition. Just yesterday, the unstable MF was rhapsodizing about sharing responsibility for the Strait with Iran, after writing on April 7 that "We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran..."
The MF claimed to have brought about a change in Iran's theocratic regime and that more reasonable officials were in charge to negotiate with, despite referring to them as "crazy bastards" in his unhinged, profane social media post on Easter Sunday. He's clearly flailing and looking to bluff, deceive and con everyone that's still not on to his methods. With the "ceasefire" showing signs of failing, we may not have to wait two weeks before the MF does another 180 degree turn.
Jimmy Kimmel Looks at Iran "Ceasefire"
Jimmy Kimmel spent a good part of his show on the TACO move of "Mafia Don" Trump, who's looking to make a buck off of the Iranian toll for the Strait of Hormuz, and who's making unctuous nice with the Iranian regime that he called "crazy bastards" just a few days ago. Stick around for Jimmy's "Trump Oil" segment at the end. Good stuff.
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