Wednesday, April 08, 2026

The Snapshot

Wednesday, March 8, 2026.  Chump chickens out, people worry about what Pete Hegseth is whispering to Chump, ICE shoots a man in California, Bill Gates set to be deposed by Congress in the ongoing Epstein investigation, and much more. 


Let's start with a reality from Catherine Bouris (THE DAILY BEAST), that the number injured in the Iran War is now 373. That's the official DoD figure.  


Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, leader of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called on President Donald Trump to back off his threats to kill “a whole civilization,” issuing a rare direct rebuke of Trump as he faces growing criticism from Catholic leaders over his war against Iran.
Coakley said Tuesday, “the threat of destroying a whole civilization and the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally justified,” calling on Trump “to step back from the precipice of war.”


If you missed it, last night was supposed to be Convicted Felon Donald Chump bombing Iran into "the stone age."  

What happened?

Chump caved. 

As Ben notes this morning on MEIDASTOUCH NEWS, Chump decided to go along with Iran's previous ten-point proposal.




Monday, the proposal wasn't good enough for Chump.  Tyler Pager and Erika Solomon (NEW YORK TIMES) reported:

President Trump said on Monday that a cease-fire proposal put forth by mediators between the United States and Iran was a “significant step,” but he warned that it was “not good enough” as his deadline of Tuesday evening for a deal approached.

Iran, for its part, rejected any proposal for a cease-fire, mandating that any peace plan include a complete end of hostilities. Diplomatic talks coordinated by Pakistan and other regional countries were continuing, officials said, even as there appeared to be little agreement on what any cessation of hostilities would look like.

If Iran does not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time, Mr. Trump has threatened to launch a massive attack targeting bridges, power plants and other civilian facilities that would, in his words, send Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” But the president has also extended self-imposed deadlines in recent weeks, and diplomats around the world were asking whether Mr. Trump would find an off-ramp again or if he would follow through this time with what could be a gigantic conflagration.







Today, MORNING JOE talked about Chump's cave.  





As the war continues to drag on and as things continue to get uglier, there's a need on the part of some to rush to Chump's defense and find an Iago bringing about the downfall of the hero.  For some, the Iago whispering falsehoods to Chump is Pete Hegseth.  Zoe Engels (MEDIAITE) reports:

Officials have accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of misleading President Donald Trump about the Iran War, declaring that “Pete is not speaking the truth.”

Hegseth has been feverishly blasting the media’s coverage of the Iran War, saying Americans would not believe U.S. “success” in the war if they “listened” to the mainstream media.
On March 6, he told CBS’s 60 Minutes that Iranians are the only people who should be concerned about the war.

“No one’s putting us in danger,” Hegseth said of the U.S. “We’re putting the other guys in danger. That’s our job. So, we’re not concerned about that. We mitigate it as we need to. Our commanders factor all of this, but the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re gonna live.”

In a new report by The Washington Post, anonymous officials and analysts are quoted as showing concern about the negative influence that Hegseth’s overzealous, false optimism is having on Trump.



Hegseth’s triumphant rhetoric has stood in contrast to that of Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has not suggested U.S. pilots can use Iranian airspace without concern of enemy threats.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called scrutiny of Hegseth’s public messaging “lies and propaganda.”

“Secretary Hegseth has provided the Commander-in-Chief with decisive military options to achieve our clear, scoped objectives: destroy Iran’s missile arsenal, annihilate their Navy, destroy their terrorist proxies, and ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said in a statement. “The Washington Post is pushing a fake story of failure.”

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected any assertion that Hegseth has misinformed the president and said Trump always knew the Iranians would shoot back. “He has always had the full picture of the conflict. Nothing has surprised him or our military planners, who were prepared for any possible contingency,” she said.


[. . .]

Another source of scrutiny emerged March 31, when Hegseth told reporters the number of Iranian missile and drone launches had fallen to a lower level than any other 24-hour period since the war began. The figure was presented as evidence that “relentless” U.S. and Israeli strikes were degrading Iran’s ability to sustain attacks.

But administration officials said Hegseth’s claim was incorrect and that lower 24-hour periods occurred March 14, 15 and 22. “Documents sent around internally contradict Hegseth’s claims,” one official said.


I don't doubt that Hegseth is whispering errors and outright lies into Chump's ear.  But that's why Chump chose him.  Hegseth wasn't forced off on Chump -- no, Chump chose him.  So he's only whispering to Chump what Chump wants to hear. Hegseth was a known liar before his confirmation hearing.  Chump knew what he was getting. 


Now he knew JD Vance was a liar as well and he thought he could count on him.  But Chump decided he was wrong there so he has now distanced himself from Miss Sassy.  Matthew Rozsa notes:


President Donald Trump is degrading his own vice president, JD Vance, over the latter’s opposition to the former’s Iran war — and it is painfully obvious to White House observers.

“Nobody in Mr. Trump’s inner circle was more worried about the prospect of war with Iran, or did more to try to stop it, than the vice president,” reported The New York Times’ Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman on Tuesday. “Mr. Vance had built his political career opposing precisely the kind of military adventurism that was now under serious consideration. He had described a war with Iran as ‘a huge distraction of resources’ and massively expensive.’”
The Times elaborated that, although Vance is not a dove, he privately expressed the belief that a regime-change war in Iran would end badly for the United States. Because Trump wished to engage in some military action against Iran, Vance urged limited action rather than a large-scale campaign, even advocating for Trump to use “overwhelming force, in the hope of achieving his objectives quickly.”

Yet the president has reportedly noticed Vance’s reticence to declare war against Iran and is politically penalizing his own vice president accordingly, including through public displays of how he is out of the loop.


So despite Chump's talking up War Crimes and making outrageous threats, he didn't go through with it.  This time.  And this doesn't need to happen again.

Senator Elizabeth Warren's office issued the following ahead of the deadline Chump had imposed for last night:

Warren: “This is Deranged…Congress Must Pull the Emergency Brake Now”

Link to Video

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a new video condemning President Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran“ and called for Majority Leader Thune to bring the Senate back into session immediately to vote to stop Trump’s war.

“Congress needs to pull the emergency brake now. We should be voting to stop Trump’s war today…Every Republican who refuses to speak out, every Republican who ducks a question, every Republican who votes to let this war continue bears a portion of the responsibility for what is happening in Trump’s war,” said Senator Warren.

Senator Warren highlighted that American families are paying the price for Trump and Hegseth’s war in Iran.

“Gas prices are more than $4 dollars a gallon. Groceries are up. Life was already unaffordable and now you’re paying for Trump’s war while our service members fight and die in another forever war halfway around the world,” she said.

“We don’t know what will happen tonight…But I do know that Congress has the power and the responsibility to end Trump's war. Enough. Call your representatives. And tell these Republicans to grow a backbone and do their damn jobs,” she concluded.

Transcript: Senator Warren on Trump Threatening to Wipe Out the “Whole Civilization” of Iran

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I want to talk directly to people who are sick with worry that Donald Trump is threatening war crimes in Iran. In his words, if Iran doesn’t do what he says, their “whole civilization will die tonight.”

The President of the United States is threatening to bomb innocent people and civilian infrastructure in Iran. He’s threatening to commit war crimes. And he is threatening to do it in our names.

This is deranged. And it must stop.

Some say that this is just Trump negotiating.

No. Trump is threatening mass death if he doesn’t get his way. And it’s further evidence that Trump’s war and Trump himself have spiralled out of control.

Trump’s guy in charge of the war, Pete Hegseth, is thumping his chest that the United States has “complete control of Iranian skies” while our brave pilots get shot down.

And you are paying the price.

Gas prices are more than $4 dollars a gallon. Groceries are up. Life was already unaffordable and now you’re paying for Trump’s war while our service members fight and die in another forever war halfway around the world.

And for what? How is your life better because of Trump’s war?

It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to not only declare war, but to end war.

Instead, when Republicans have been forced to vote, they have voted repeatedly to continue Trump’s war.

Republican Leader John Thunehune must call the Senate back into session immediately. And Congress needs to pull the emergency brake NOW. We should be voting to stop Trump’s war TODAY.

Make no mistake: Every Republican who refuses to speak out, every Republican who ducks a question, every Republican who votes to let this war continue bears a portion of the responsibility for what is happening in Trump’s war.

We don’t know what will happen tonight. Will Trump back down or will he commit war crimes?

But I do know that Congress has the power and the responsibility to end Trump's war. Enough. Call your representatives. And tell these Republicans to grow a backbone and do their damn jobs.

###




Turning to immigration, Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) reports on Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin's appearance on FOX "NEWS" 

"I believe sanctuary cities is (sic) not lawful," Mullin told Fox News' Bret Baier. "Some of these cities have international airports. If they are a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city? We need to have a really hard look at that."
"So you are saying that big cities that are sanctuary cities that have a big airport, they might lose their customs?" said Baier.

"I'm going to be forced to make tough decisions," said Mullin, also noting that this could serve as retaliation for cities whose lawmakers have obstructed funding for DHS in the standoff over ICE reforms.
Mullin's threat here was met with instant outrage on social media, with experts pointing out he doesn't actually have the authority to do this.


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.




A Jamaican national arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after overstaying a tourist visa is disputing the agency’s account of his case, alleging that his identification documents were taken during detention and not returned.

Carlton Junior Burke, 25, said he was taken into custody on October 1, 2025, by federal agents at his home in Madison, Wisconsin, and transported to a detention facility, where he claims his passport and driver’s licenses were collected and not given back.


ICE has earned a reputation for lying about their actions -- to the public, to the courts.  So I'll give Burke the benefit of the doubt. 





Turning to Chump's old friend Jeffrey Epstein. Daniel Ruetenik (CBS NEWS) reports on Epstein's 2008 sweetheart deal:

After serving fewer than four months in jail, Epstein was granted a special arrangement that allowed him to leave custody for up to 16 hours a day, six days a week, as part of a work release program, allegedly to perform work at a charitable organization he had just established called the Florida Science Foundation. 

This continued for the next nine months until his release to a year of supervised house arrest in July 2009. 

Each day during his work release, Epstein was transported between the jail and an office in downtown West Palm Beach by his bodyguard and driver, Igor Zinoviev. His personal attorney, Darren Indyke, was listed as his official supervisor at the job. Epstein agreed to hire off-duty sheriff's deputies to monitor his movements, log visitors and provide security at his office and home. 

According to documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, his SUV used for these trips was outfitted with a bed. An account given to the FBI by one woman included the claim that Epstein engaged in sexual activity with her in the vehicle — while it was parked in the jail lot. 
The woman told the FBI she was a former model from Slovakia who Epstein had first met when she was a teenager and still in high school. She told agents she was recruited from Slovakia by Epstein's friend and business associate Jean-Luc Brunel during her senior year to move to New York City and pursue a career in modeling. She met Epstein at Brunel's birthday party at the New York City restaurant Cipriani in 2003. 

By the time of Epstein's incarceration, she had been involved sexually with him for several years. She was one of four "assistants" granted immunity in a federal non-prosecution agreement that Epstein received in exchange for his plea.

King Charles will be visiting Donald Chump in the US later this month.  Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already requested that Charles meet with them.  Luke Alsford (METRO) notes:

An Epstein survivor has said she is prepared to wait outside the White House to meet with King Charles during his state visit. Rina Oh is willing to hold a mock tea party with other Epstein victims at the White House gates, with an empty chair reserved for the Monarch to sit down and talk with them. The campaigner, who was groomed and sexually assaulted by Epstein from the age of 21, wants the Royals to prove they care about survivors by funding their therapy costs. Her calls for the King to donate to mental health care for Epstein's victims have been supported by the US's leading anti-trafficking organisation, World Without Exploitation. Charles will visit the US with Queen Camilla at the end of April to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, where he will meet President Trump and address Congress.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the release of the Epstein Files, wrote to the King last week asking him to meet the sex offender’s victims. However, it is understood that Charles will not be able to meet survivors during the trip. Oh, who lives in New Jersey, said that would not stop her from visiting Washington DC to see the Monarch. She told Metro: 'If the King and Queen really do support the victims, then it would be a nice gesture to meet with some of them. It would show that he cared. I don't mind gathering a group and going to Washington. We'll just sit in and have afternoon tea in front of the White House gates.'

Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General, is expected to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee on April 14th.  Joe Sommerlad (INDEPENDENT) reports another 

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will testify before the House Oversight Committee on May 6 regarding his past association with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports.

Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, the panel’s chairman, announced on March 3 that Lutnick had “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily” and applauded his “demonstrated commitment to transparency” but did not at that stage offer a schedule.
[. . .]
The secretary told Pod Force One presenter Miranda Devine in October that he had been a neighbor of Epstein’s in New York and once visited his brownstone in 2005 but was appalled when his host made a creepy comment about receiving “the right kind of massages” during a tour of the property.

“In the six to eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again,” Lutnick told Devine.

However, the release of the Epstein files by the Department of Justice in late December and January revealed that the men had remained in contact after all.

And there's another person who will be deposed by the committee: Bill Gates.  Dan Mangan (CNBC) reports:

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will sit for an interview about Jeffrey Epstein by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on June 10, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke anonymously because the appearance has not been announced.

Gates is one of several people who have agreed to be interviewed by the oversight panel about their dealings with Epstein, the notorious sex offender who killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019.


Let's wind down with this from Senator Tammy Baldwin's office:

Demand comes after Wisconsinites faced weeks long delays getting mail

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) demanded answers from Postmaster General David Steiner regarding long-term mail delays and staffing shortages at post offices across Wisconsin that are impacting local businesses, newspapers, and Wisconsin families who rely on USPS for prescriptions, bills, voting, and more.

“I write you today to express my frustrations with ongoing mail delays and staffing shortages throughout Wisconsin,” wrote Senator Baldwin. “This is not the first time I have reached out to the United States Postal Service (USPS) about mail delivery issues on behalf of my constituents.”

“Millions of Wisconsinites rely on the Postal Service to stay in touch with loved ones, pay bills, receive much-needed medications and cast their vote. We have a duty to find solutions to these difficulties for the people we serve,” Baldwin concluded.

In the letter, Senator Baldwin raised that Wisconsinites across the state have faced significant delays in receiving their mail from USPS. Service delays have been especially pronounced in Brown Deer and Madison, where residents reported weeks-long delays in mail delivery.

These delays follow USPS’ implementation of the Local Transportation Optimization (LTO) policy, an overhaul spearheaded by former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that has caused widespread service issues in the years since it was first introduced. A March 2025 report by the USPS Office of Inspector General found a general decrease in service in Wisconsin after LTO was implemented.

Senator Baldwin has repeatedly called on the USPS to address rate hikes and delays Wisconsinites are experiencing. In 2024, Senator Baldwin led a group of her colleagues in calling out USPS leadership for unsustainable price hikes and poor service. Baldwin also called on former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to immediately address costly mail delays suffered by Wisconsin newspapers that rely on the USPS.

In her letter, Senator Baldwin requests written answers to the following questions:

  1. What was the retention rate among pre-career and career USPS employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025 in Wisconsin? What are the nationwide retention rates among pre-career and career USPS employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025?
  2. How many USPS employees currently work in Wisconsin? How many open positions does USPS currently have?
  3. Is USPS concerned with staffing shortages and retention rates in Wisconsin? If so, besides job fairs, what solutions have been implemented to address staffing challenges in Wisconsin, specifically?
  4. How successful have the USPS-sponsored job fairs been at hiring new employees in Wisconsin and nationwide? Thus far, have job fairs resulted in long-term employment for Wisconsinites?
  5. How has the USPS responded to the issues raised in the March 2025 OIG report regarding LTO implementation?
  6. Has the USPS implemented the process to track Local Transportation Optimization savings as agreed to in the March 2025 USPS OIG Report? If so, can you provide an explanation of the process and any current findings?
  7. How will USPS ensure customers are immediately notified of any impacts to service in their area moving forward?

A full version of this letter is available here and below.

Dear Postmaster General Steiner,

I write you today to express my frustrations with ongoing mail delays and staffing shortages throughout Wisconsin.

This is not the first time I have reached out to the United States Postal Service (USPS) about mail delivery issues on behalf of my constituents. I frequently urged your predecessor to improve service, emphasizing that USPS’s transition to the Local Transportation Optimization policy (LTO) led to a decline in mail delivery reliability across Wisconsin. This was confirmed by the USPS Office of Inspector General’s March 2025 Report for the Wisconsin region, which found a general decrease in service in the state after this disastrous policy was implemented. The report also found that customers were not notified of the impacts to service in their areas until after an issue arose or they directly asked questions. To make matters worse, the supposed cost savings attributed to the LTO were not even effectively tracked by USPS, making it difficult to verify whether the policy delivered any meaningful financial benefit.

Most recently, I have heard from constituents who have endured long stretches without any mail delivery. In Brown Deer, residents experienced significant delays and inconsistent service from the Post Office on Bradley Road. Some reported going weeks at a time without receiving any mail. I have heard similar stories from my constituents in Madison, who have seen lengthy mail service delays across the entire city.

I appreciate that USPS has addressed staffing shortages in these areas, but the agency must continue to prioritize the hiring and retention of workers across the state in order to prevent future staffing issues that contribute to mail delays. Despite my repeated warnings, it is clear that service issues have not been substantially addressed.

I request that you provide written answers to the following questions by April 30, 2026:

  1. What was the retention rate among pre-career and career USPS employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025 in Wisconsin? What are the nationwide retention rates among pre-career and career USPS employees from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025?
  2. How many USPS employees currently work in Wisconsin? How many open positions does USPS currently have?
  3. Is USPS concerned with staffing shortages and retention rates in Wisconsin? If so, besides job fairs, what solutions have been implemented to address staffing challenges in Wisconsin, specifically?
  4. How successful have the USPS-sponsored job fairs been at hiring new employees in Wisconsin and nationwide? Thus far, have job fairs resulted in long-term employment for Wisconsinites?
  5. How has the USPS responded to the issues raised in the March 2025 OIG report regarding LTO implementation?
  6. Has the USPS implemented the process to track Local Transportation Optimization savings as agreed to in the March 2025 USPS OIG Report? If so, can you provide an explanation of the process and any current findings?
  7. How will USPS ensure customers are immediately notified of any impacts to service in their area moving forward?

Millions of Wisconsinites rely on the Postal Service to stay in touch with loved ones, pay bills, receive much-needed medications and cast their vote. We have a duty to find solutions to these difficulties for the people we serve. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

###




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