The Common Ills

Friday, April 10, 2026

Cher - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore (Top Of The Pops, 08/16/1996)

The Snapshot

Friday, April 10, 2026. Melania Trump steps into The Epstein Files, Pete Hegseth is accusedof misrepresenting an attack on US service members, speculation continues to grow that Hegseth my be the next Cabinet member fired, the White House made a not-so-veiled threat against Pope Leo, Kristi Noem caught in yet another lie, and much more.

Justine Fernandez (BLUSHER ME) reports, "New data is raising concerns about the strength of the US labor market, delivering a stark warning for Donald Trump as confidence among workers continues to decline. Surveys and economic indicators suggest that Americans are growing increasingly uneasy about job security and future employment prospects."

And guess what? That's about as close as Chump comes to good news.

"Lies!" proclaimed First Lady Melania Chump from the White House yesterday. "Lies!' Donald Judd (CNN) reports:

First lady Melania Trump blasted “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein” in remarks from the White House Thursday, attempting to distance herself from the convicted sex offender while calling on Congress to hold hearings allowing his victims to testify on Capitol Hill.

“I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach,” the first lady said in remarks to reporters. “To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, [Ghislaine] Maxwell.”

Her call for allowing the survivors to testify? A good call. Would have been better to have called for Pam Bondi to honor her subpoena and appear before the House Oversight Committee. As for her relationship with Epstein and Maxwell? There are many photos of her with Epstein. All have Donald in them as well. So maybe she was the reluctant girlfriend going out on a foursome with someone she didn't care for and ignored during dinner. Could be. But she and Maxwell? We do have the e-mail. Where she wrote Maxwell a gushing note and called her "G." And if she truly was avoiding Epstein, that would mean she'd be talking to Maxwell when the foursome was out on the town.

"Lies"? It appears there are lies -- even at least one coming from Melania's mouth.

Zac Anderson and Christopher Cann (USA TODAY) add:

Trump also said “Epstein was not alone,” hinting at other potential abusers. She noted that several prominent executives resigned over their relationships with Epstein.

“Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt,” Trump said. “But we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.”

THE DAILY DIGEST notes, "On March 17th, The Telegraph reported that recent findings from the left-leaning, new media organization Zeteo found that over half of people in the United States believed that Trump started the war with Iran to distract the country from the Epstein files scandal."

Turning to the Iran War, David Edwards (RAW STORY) reports:

U.S. military service members claimed the Pentagon was not telling the truth about Iran's deadliest attack on America's troops during President Donald Trump's most recent war.

CBS News reported that survivors of the attack that killed six and wounded 20 were "left dangerously exposed" when they were attacked in Kuwait.

According to the surviving members, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was wrong when he said they were attacked by a drone "squirter," which squirted through defense systems.

"Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," one injured soldier told the network. "I want people to know the unit … was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position."

Before the March 1 attack, soldiers said they received an all-clear alert declaring that there were no incoming attacks. Only 30 minutes later, "everything shook," one service member recalled.

Was Pete drunk? Is he back on the sauce? He promised, during his confirmation hearing, that he'd lay off the booze if confirmed. Has he not done that? Or is this just another example of him lying? Treating the American people like one of his wives he cheated on?

Adding to Pete's troubles -- and maybe to his return to drinking -- Filip Timotija (THE HILL) notes:

A simmering battle for influence between Pete Hegseth and the Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has reached new heights with the Defense secretary’s purge of senior Army officials last week.

Tensions flared when Driscoll was picked last year by President Trump to negotiate with Ukrainian officials in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the dynamics. A current U.S. official said Hegseth’s “paranoia” has been heightened in recent weeks as the president has fired two Cabinet officials.

“He’s just really uncomfortable with anyone who could potentially be outshining him,” the current official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal dynamics, told The Hill about Hegseth.

[. . .]

Hegseth’s firing of Driscoll’s widely respected chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, along with two other senior military officials last week, stunned defense officials as the U.S. is engaged in a war against Iran, the current official said. The firing came on the heels of the Pentagon chief ending the suspension of the Army crew who flew a pair of military helicopters near Kid Rock’s house in Tennessee, undercutting an Army investigation into the incident.

The ouster of George prompted some Republicans to rally behind the decorated general, who deployed in support of Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. On Capitol Hill, it has shaken some GOP lawmakers who have largely backed Hegseth despite a series of scandals during his tenure, according to the first former U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Or maybe Pete's panicking over the possibility that Chump just wants to fire him? Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) notes:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s continuing over-the-top press conferences about the Iran war are not doing Donald Trump any favors due to his childish behavior, leading MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough to suggest the president may want to put an end to Hegseth's "humiliating" antics.

Reacting to the Wednesday Pentagon press conference, where the former Fox News personality boasted about the president’s ceasefire agreement that was already in the process of falling apart, the “Morning Joe” host compared Hegseth repeatedly to a grossly immature elementary school student.

Speaking with co-hosts Willie Geist and Mika Brzezinski, Scarborough exclaimed, “To see [Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General] Kaine have to stand there while Pete Hegseth is doing all of this, like third-grade chest thumping, like he's out on the back on the playground –– and then General Kaine having to say, ‘Well, you know, we're still still basically at war and Americans could still die here,’ it's just, again, I just, I'm just shocked.”

“I really am, that Donald Trump, at this late stage with Pete Hegseth humiliating him and the administration every day with his stupid routine,” he added. “Third-grade routine; I'm just shocked he's still allowed to go out there in front of a microphone because he just embarrasses himself and he sets Donald Trump and this administration and this country up for continued humiliation at the hands of the Iranians.”

He's still allowed to go out there in front of a microphone? He just embarrasses himself? He sets Donald Trump and this administration and this country up for continued humiliation? Maybe not for much longer if he gets fired. Christopher Sharp (THE MIRROR) reports on speculation as to who might be the next person Chump gives a pink slip to:

Michael J Montgomery, a former US diplomat and lecturer at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, identifies two potential candidates – United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, reports the Mirror.

This speculation emerged after Trump's threats to eliminate a "whole civilisation" on his Truth Social platform earlier this week, prior to agreeing to the ceasefire.

Explaining why these two officials could face termination next, Michael told Reach: "If this goes bad as I suspect it will, Tulsi Gabbard will be next out the door because Trump is much more prone to firing women than men

"Hegseth is likely to follow shortly thereafter - especially if the career military people don't implement each and every Trump order no matter how illegal or deranged."

While Trump ultimately didn't bring about the end of civilization, Michael maintained his belief that Hegseth and Gabbard would be the next to exit.

He elaborated: "Trump takes the blame for nothing himself and those two are the logical fall people in the event of poor intelligence or poor execution undermining his war on Iran."

Trump takes the blame for nothing himself? True. On MEIDASTOUCH NEWS this morning, Ben notes how Chump's cease-fire is crumbling and how Chump spent the night on social media attacking everyone he could.

Chump is a terrorist. And among those targeted outside this country? The Pope. Troy Matthews (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) reports:

The Vatican has cancelled a papal visit to the U.S. for the 250th anniversary celebration after Pentagon officials appeared to threaten the leader of the Catholic Church for speaking out against Trump's foreign policy.

Pope Leo XIV—the first American Pope in history—strongly condemned U.S. actions in Iran though not by name in his Easter message, stating that God "does not listen" to world leaders who wage war.

Leo had already criticized Trump's actions on Venezuela and his threats against Greenland and Canada in a speech on January 9th stating, "a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force."

In response, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre—the Vatican ambassador to the U.S.—to a meeting. In diplomatic parlance, an ambassador being summoned to meet with government officials for a lecture is the first stage in disciplinary action that can lead to a break off of diplomatic ties.

It is being reported by The Free Press that in the meeting Colby told Pierre, "The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side."

Someone in the meeting then reportedly mentioned the Avignon Papacy to Pierre. This refers to a 14th century attack on the Vatican by the French king, in which Pope Boniface VIII was murdered by assassins and the Vatican was forced to relocate to Avignon where it could be controlled by the French crown for the next 67 years.

RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE points out:

The controversy surrounding the meeting is likely to further inflame religious pushback to an unusual wave of spiritual saber-rattling by President Donald Trump’s administration — particularly surrounding the U.S. government’s military actions in Iran, which the president himself has suggested are the will of God. Combined with his other incendiary remarks about the war, the increase in faith-filled militaristic rhetoric is pitting Trump and his administration against a growing list of faith leaders, ranging from local clergy to the pope.

Faith leaders have reacted with frustration to the administration’s penchant for invoking the divine when discussing the Iran war, which was on full display earlier Wednesday when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth led a press briefing at the Pentagon on the five-week-long war with Iran. After insisting Tuesday evening’s fragile ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran was evidence of a broader military victory, the secretary intimated the pause in fighting was the result of divine intervention.

Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) notes that the story was addressed Thursday on MS NOW's MORNING JOE:

After MS NOW host Willie Geist reported on the exchange, contributor Mike Barnicle, a lifelong Catholic, made a compelling case that the president and his underlings created a massive and enduring problem for themselves.

“What do you make of what you're hearing here?” Geist prompted his guest.

“I make that they are once again clowning the atmosphere up, the Trump administration, the idea that they would try to intimidate Pope Leo, the first American-born pope, is just absurd,"the incensed Barnicle replied.“The idea that they would have anything to say critical of the Catholic church or the pope itself, the pope himself is absurd, especially given the Easter morning tweet from the president of the United States, which was so deeply offensive to any breathing, thinking human being that it's outrageous for the Trump administration to pose any problems they allege they have with the Vatican.”

“I went to parochial school for eight consecutive years, and I got thrown out nearly every year by the nuns. You know, every grade — you deserve early stuff like that,” he recalled. But the one thing that you get to, to hold on to when you're raised Catholic, born Catholic, raised Catholic, especially by my mother, we used to call her 'my mother, the nun.' The one thing you retain, I would think, is that the theory of the Catholic church is rooted in a simple phrase: the least among us.”

“So if you look at the Trump administration's behavior toward the least among us, it is almost criminal,” he accused. “It is certainly a sin because they don't care for the least among us, and that we should all care for the least among us. Because when we care for them, we care for ourselves.”

Graig Graziosi (INDEPENDENT) notes:

In the wake of the meeting, the Pope reportedly refused Trump's invitation to attend the nation's 250th anniversary events.

Instead of spending July 4th in the U.S., the Pope will instead visit Lampedusa, a small Mediterranean island that has become an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

A Vatican official speaking to The Free Press said the Pope has no plans to visit the U.S. while Trump is in office.

“The Pope may well never visit the United States under this administration," the official reportedly said.

Pope Leo has called out the war on Iran and he has called out the US war on immigrants. Earlier this week, we noted Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez:

David Edwards (RAW STORY) reports:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Sacramento was launching a probe Tuesday after a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers near San Jose, California.

KNTV reported that the Tuesday morning shooting shut down on- and off-ramps on Interstate 5 and Sperry Avenue in Patterson, California. Lauren Mascarenhas (CNN) adds, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were involved in a shooting that sent one person to the hospital while they were conducting a targeted traffic stop in California’s Central Valley, the agency said Tuesday." Uwa Ede-Osifo (GUARDIAN) reports that the man shot was Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez:

Hernandez was hospitalized after the shooting. A spokesperson for the Stanislaus county sheriff’s office, which has jurisdiction over Patterson, declined to comment on Hernandez’s condition.

We ignored the assertions made by DHS because DHS has a known history of lying. And now the things DHS claimed? Not seeming very accurate at all. Terry Chea and Christopher Weber (AP) report:

An attorney for a man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an arrest in central California said Wednesday that his client did not try to run over officers with his car and disputed claims that he has a warrant out for his arrest in El Salvador.

[. . .]

Attorney Patrick Kolasinski, who is representing Mendoza and his family, said during a news conference that his client has been stopped for minor traffic infractions but has no criminal record in the U.S. and is not the subject of an arrest warrant in El Salvador, where he was acquitted of murder.

Kolasinski said he has found no evidence his client was part of any street gang but he added he has not had the chance to talk to him to confirm that.

“If he was released after being acquitted, with no other holds on him, he cannot have a warrant,” Kolasinski said. “So that information must be either erroneous or completely made up. And only DHS knows what they’re looking at.”

According to a Oct. 25, 2019 court document from a judge in El Salvador, Mendoza, who was 29 at the time, was acquitted after being accused of murder and ordered immediately released. The document lists 10 others who were convicted of various crimes from aggravated robbery to murder, and mentions at least one of them was a member of the 18th Street Gang. But there is no mention of Mendoza belonging to a gang or being accused of carrying out gang activity in the document.

As we noted before, DHS has a history of lying to the public and to the courts. This has taken place for over a year now. We do not take DHS seriously in their statements as a result of their repeated lies. Whether they will get honest under the new Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Mulllin remains to be seen but their reputation is bad and they earned it. Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) notes how

A federal judge has paused the Trump administration's decision to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Ethiopians who came to the United States, ruling that former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn't follow the legal procedure for doing so.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts penned a scathing analysis of the decision to eliminate TPS under the Trump administration, finding that it certainly wasn't appropriate in the case of Ethiopia, where people would still face substantial danger if forced to return there.

"As of the date of the executive order, entitled 'Protecting the American People Against Invasion,' seventeen countries had TPS designations. In the twelve months between the issuance of the order and filing of this suit, Secretary Noem announced the termination of twelve TPS countries — every single TPS country for which she conducted a periodic review during that period," wrote Murphy. "Perhaps it has been a banner year for disaster recovery and geopolitical stability worldwide. The evidence, and common sense, suggests otherwise."

Indeed, he wrote, "The administrative record is replete with evidence, including reports by DHS itself from as recent as August and September of 2025, that armed conflict and natural disasters continue to create dangerous conditions in Ethiopia."

So you get it? Kristi lied. That's what the judge is saying. Kristi, as Secretary of Homeland Security, lied. As she did daily. As her spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did.

Let's wind down by noting this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

ICYMI: Murray on Trump’s Budget Request: “Imagine how many families we could help if, instead of giving the Pentagon more money than they can even figure out what to do with, we cut people’s heating bills in half and made child care affordable for every family in America… Donald Trump might be happy to spend more money on bombs in the Middle East than on families here in America—but I am not.”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement the day after a ceasefire deal was announced between the United States and Iran:

“The President of the United States cannot threaten genocide. That kind of brinksmanship is catastrophically dangerous and goes against everything we stand for as Americans.

“I am relieved that American servicemembers were not asked to commit war crimes in this President’s name, but none of us should forgive the unacceptable escalation and erratic behavior of this President—or the lasting damage he has already done to America’s standing across the globe. Nor should we assume he has fully abandoned his pattern of reckless escalation that puts our servicemembers—and millions of innocent civilians’—lives at risk. We have to put him in check, before he ever pushes us so close to the brink again.

“This President made the unilateral decision—without Congress or the American people—to plunge this country into a costly foreign war of choice. Trump’s actions have already cost us tens of billions in taxpayer dollars, left our international credibility in shreds, and left thirteen servicemembers dead with hundreds more wounded. America is poorer, weaker, and less respected thanks to Trump’s recklessness. Congress needs to immediately vote to put a permanent end to this war and rein in this president—and I will keep pushing to ensure that happens.

“Where Congress should be a natural check on Trump’s every abuse of power—this Republican Congress is shamefully absent, even when he threatens to wipe out an entire country. Americans will vote in the fall, and our democracy is desperately counting on a new Congress that will hold this President accountable. Every American should recognize—your voice and your vote matter and that’s exactly why this administration wants you to believe you are powerless.

“As a voice for Washington state in the United States Senate, I intend to use my vote to oppose this President’s warmongering and destructive agenda every step of the way.”

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And let's note this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR:

BlackCommentator.com

April 9, 2026 Issue 1082