The Common Ills: The Snapshot

Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Chump's war on Iran drags on, Senators Warren, Kelly, Blumenthal and Gillibran have questions about the Kuwait strike, the US government is accused of minimizing the damage of US posts in the Gulf, Katie Phang sues the Justice Dept over The Epstein Files, and much more.

Chump's war of choice with Iran continues. The world watches with disgust Tom Latchem (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Germany’s chancellor has branded Donald Trump’s Iran war a strategy-free debacle that has “humiliated” the United States.
The withering verdict from Friedrich Merz—the most pointed European criticism yet against the president’s flailing Middle East campaign—comes after other NATO allies, including the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, all rebuffed Washington’s pleas for military backing in the conflict.

Speaking to students in the town of Marsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, on Monday, the chancellor, 70, said Washington “quite obviously went into this war without any strategy,” while warning that Iran’s leaders were “negotiating very skillfully,” The Telegraph reported.

“The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either,” Merz told the audience.

He added that “a whole nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.”

Tyler Pager and Julian E. Barnes (NEW YORK TIMES) report this morning:

President Trump has told advisers he is not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, according to multiple people briefed on discussions in the White House Situation Room on Monday.

The proposal also called on the United States to end its naval blockade but would have set aside questions about what to do with Iran’s nuclear program, according to U.S. and Iranian officials familiar with details of the negotiations.

Iran has repeatedly rejected American proposals to suspend its nuclear program and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

It is not clear precisely why Mr. Trump is not satisfied with the proposal, but he has repeatedly insisted that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. A U.S. official also said that accepting it could appear to deny Mr. Trump a victory.

It's not a victory. It's way too late for Chump to claim a victory. It was supposed to last a few weeks. But March 28th was one month. April 28th, today, is two months. And there's no end in sight.

Two months.

And counting.

This morning, THE NEW YORK TIMES notes:

Oil prices continued to climb on Tuesday, as peace talks between the United States and Iran appeared at an impasse, with negotiators deadlocked over proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic and restrict Iran’s nuclear program.

The price of crude oil has risen steadily over the past week, as talks have stalled during an uneasy cease-fire. Brent crude, the international benchmark, has posted gains in six of the past seven trading sessions: It remains more than 40 percent higher than it was before the first U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

And not everyone is standing with Chump in the administration. Vic Verbalaitis (DAILY BEAST) notes:

Vice President JD Vance is privately freaking out over how Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has handled President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.

Two senior administration officials told The Atlantic that Vance, 41, has been skeptical of the Pentagon’s information about the war. The vice president has also shared concerns with Trump, 79, about the stockpiles of certain missile systems, sources familiar with the matter told the magazine.

The vice president “asks a lot of probing questions about our strategic planning,” a White House official told the outlet.

Vance’s concerns are his own and are not an accusation of Hegseth or General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, misinforming the president, his advisers told the magazine, adding that he is not trying to create divisions among the president’s war Cabinet.

Vance isn't the only one questioning Pete Hegseth. Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) notes:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might not be feeling comfortable about his future after a Republican senator publicly broke ranks and said that there is growing discomfort in Congress with Hegseth's job performance.

In an interview with The Hill, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), whose threat to halt the confirmation of Donald Trump’s pick, Kevin Warsh, to head the Federal Reserve was a contributing factor leading to the DOJ to drop an investigation of current chair Jerome Powell, now seems to be turning his focus to Hegseth, a former Fox News personality.

As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton wrote, “Senate Republicans who spoke to The Hill on the condition of anonymity say Hegseth wouldn’t be confirmed to head the Pentagon if he were renominated by Trump today, and they say senior staff turmoil at the Defense Department under Hegseth’s leadership is a major concern.”

According to Tillis, he sees a lot of ousted DHS head Kristi Noem in Hegseth.

“I think he’s missing the mark on personnel. He has separated some of the most extraordinary generals that we’ve had in play. I don’t quite know what’s going on there,” he explained while noting that during Hegseth’s active military career he only saw “30 or 40 people” under his command.

“Now he’s got an organization that’s much larger, much more complex than anything he’s done. I think he’s making some less-than-ideal personnel decisions,” he continued before adding that when it comes to management and technical skills, “there’s no question he’s got a failing grade.”

Hegseth is being asked about more than that by US senators. We'll note this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

Troops injured in strike on Kuwait post reportedly received no warning to evacuate, denied requests for additional protections

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) launched a new investigation into reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth failed to take basic steps to protect troops during Operation Epic Fury, including during a strike that killed six service members and injured twenty in Kuwait.

“Secretary Hegseth sent our troops to fight in Iran, refused to take basic steps to protect them, and then tried to cover up his failures when service members died. Hegseth’s leadership has been one betrayal after another — he must be held accountable,” said Senator Warren.

On March 1, days into President Trump’s war on Iran, an Iranian drone hit a U.S. military post in Kuwait, killing six American service members and injuring at least 20. The attack reportedly came with “no warning or sirens to alert troops to evacuate or get into a bunker.” After the attack, service members reported triaging their injuries themselves and having to “commandeer() civilian vehicles to drive the wounded to two local Kuwaiti hospitals.”

Secretary Hegseth described the attack as a “powerful” Iranian drone hit that was able to get through “fortified” U.S. defenses. But survivors of the attack described his account as a “falsehood,” saying that the unit “was unprepared to provide any defense for itself” despite making requests “for more capabilities to defeat incoming drones.”

Accounts from survivors and other officials indicate that the risks to service members in the region were known, but leadership at the Pentagon failed to take steps to prevent harm that could come from Iran’s retaliation. One service member recounted seeing intelligence revealing that “the post [they were relocated to] was on a list of potential Iranian targets.” Three other officials raised concerns that troop positions “concentrated too many U.S. troops in a location that wasn’t defendable.”

Survivors of the Kuwait attack have made clear that basic steps were not taken to keep U.S. troops safe, despite previous requests for more defenses against drones. In another case, the Pentagon failed to warn American ships of imminent attacks from Iran, a break from precedent that left the ships no way to evacuate service members and left them stranded for a month.

“We are concerned that this is part of a larger pattern in which this administration has failed to protect Americans in the region from Iranian retaliation,” wrote the senators.

In another instance, the Pentagon also reportedly failed to warn troops of imminent attacks from Iran, a break from precedent that left the ships no way to evacuate service members and left them stranded for a month. One source said of Pentagon leadership that, “(t)hey literally do not think about the second-, third- or fourth-order implications” of these major operations.

“The safety and well-being of our service members should be a top priority for DoD leadership. That requires careful consideration of major operations like Epic Fury and plans to prevent possible harm from foreseeable attacks, like retaliation with drone strikes,” said the senators.

The senators asked Secretary Hegseth to explain the decision to place troops in Kuwait, why requests for additional protections were denied, and how the Pentagon is ensuring the protection of U.S. troops during Operation Epic Fury by May 11, 2026.

Senator Warren has fought to hold the Trump administration accountable for failing to protect civilians and troops alike during its illegal war in Iran:

On April 22, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.), pressed General Randall Reed, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), on the Trump administration’s failures in evacuating Americans from the Middle East at the start of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran.
On April 20, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Van Hollen (D-Md.) led nine senators in opening a new investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran.
On April 7, 2026, Senator 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.
On March 20, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) sounded the alarm about the Trump administration’s sidelining of the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps, who are responsible for providing independent legal advice to commanders. Senator Warren pressed the commanders of United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command about the impact the sidelining of JAGs has on civilian harm as the war against Iran continues.
On March 11, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kaine (D-Va.), Schatz (D-Hawaii), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 41 colleagues pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a full investigation on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran, and other civilian casualties in the Trump administration’s war on Iran.
On March 5, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass) led the entire Massachusetts delegation in pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the Trump administration’s “complete failure” to evacuate U.S. citizens — including Massachusetts residents — from the Middle East following the administration’s starting a reckless war in Iran.
On March 3, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to call on Congress to end President Donald Trump’s reckless war in Iran and demand accountability.

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In other Iran War news, Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube, Mosheh Gains and Natasha Lebedeva (NBC NEWS) report:

American military bases and other equipment in the Persian Gulf region suffered extensive damage from Iranian strikes that is far worse than publicly acknowledged and is expected to cost billions of dollars to repair, according to three U.S. officials, two congressional aides and another person familiar with the damage.

The Iranian regime swiftly retaliated after the Trump administration attacked on Feb. 28, hitting dozens of targets across U.S. military bases in seven Middle East countries. Those attacks struck warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications infrastructure, runways, high-end radar systems and dozens of aircraft, according to the U.S. officials and an assessment by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.

In the initial days of the war, an Iranian F-5 fighter jet bombed the U.S. base Camp Buehring in Kuwait, despite the base having air defenses, a rare breach that marked the first time an enemy fixed-wing aircraft has struck an American military base in years, according to two of the U.S. officials.

The administration has already been accused of fudging the numbers for service members wounded in the Iran War. Now they stand accused also of lying to the American people about the amount of damage being done to US bases and US equipment in the Gulf.

Yesterday, England's King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States. Today, Charles is expected to address Congress and then dine with Chump. Sophie Brams (THE HILL) notes:

The controversies surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein threaten to cast a long shadow over King Charles III’s upcoming visit to the U.S., his first American state visit since becoming monarch.

The purpose of the king and Queen Camilla’s visit is primarily diplomatic, planned to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. But as the monarchy continues to grapple with the fallout of Epstein-related disclosures, the royals’ visit could be overshadowed by questions about former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former United Kingdom Ambassador Peter Mandelson’s past ties to the disgraced financier.

Chump is having his own Epstein problems. Most recently emerging one? Sarah Ewall-Wice (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is being sued for failing to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files as required by law.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C, on Monday by lawyer and political commentator Katie Phang, who slammed Blanche and demanded that the Justice Department release all documents, along with an explanation for any redactions.

She is also calling for the courts to appoint an expert to ensure that Blanche complies with the law.

“This case is about Defendant Todd Blanche’s brazen, shocking, and ongoing violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” the 15-page lawsuit reads.

Along with his island, Manhattan and Florida, Chump's buddy Jeffrey Epstein was also active in New Mexico. Erica Stapleton and Andrew Hay (REUTERS) report:

Authorities in New Mexico are trying to determine how many local women and girls were abused by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at his isolated Zorro Ranch compound.

Several individuals have said they were flown to the ranch and abused by Epstein and his associates. To date, only one - former Santa Fe massage therapist Rachel Benavidez - was known to be from New Mexico.

New Mexico Representative Marianna Anaya, who co-sponsored the state's Truth Commission probe into Epstein, told Reuters that the group had been in contact with a number of New Mexico residents who say they were abused at the ranch.

"I can confirm that we have been reached out to by local alleged victims," Anaya told Reuters in a text message.

The Truth Commission is working with the New Mexico Department of Justice to help survivors who may have viable criminal cases bring charges against Epstein co-conspirators, Anaya added.

Sunday, Australia's 60 MINUTES did a report on Epstein's New Mexico ranch.

Alexander Willis (RAW STORY) adds:

In a nearly 3,000-word bombshell report, veteran journalist Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez recently uncovered the company that appears to have constructed Jeffrey Epstein's sprawling New Mexico property, the implications of which, Valdes-Rodriguez wrote, were “terrifying” and made “it hard to sleep.”

Valdes-Rodriguez has uncovered several revelations as it relates to Epstein, largely revolving around his activity in New Mexico, including that his New Mexico property known as Zorro Ranch may have been used to surveil two U.S. nuclear weapons labs, and that the former chief federal prosecutor for the state had previously undisclosed ties to the disgraced financier.

In her latest report, Valdes-Rodriguez told people "brace yourselves" before revealing she uncovered yet another revelation when scanning through the Justice Department’s trove of Epstein-related files: that Zorro Ranch was likely constructed by Bradbury Stamm, a major U.S. government-linked contractor that “does not build individual homes.”

“If you’re not from around here, you might not think twice about seeing ‘Bradbury Stamm’ tucked in there, between the car phones and greenhouses of Zorro Ranch,” Valdes-Rodriguez wrote in her report.

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes

Epstein purchased Zorro Ranch from former Democratic Governor Bruce King in 1993. Then he hired Bradbury Stamm Construction, a company better known for building classified facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Kirtland Air Force Base, to erect him a mansion on the 10,000-acre property. They also built him a sprawling courtyard, a private airstrip with a hangar and helipad, a ranch office, a firehouse, and a seven-bay heated garage.

Bradbury Stamm is the largest industrial commercial contractor in New Mexico, and is not known for constructing private homes, according to journalist and author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. Yet they did it anyway. The company’s telephone number was listed under a series of contacts pertaining to Zorro Ranch in Epstein’s personal phone book, according to unredacted pages released by the Justice Department.

Why the company would go out of its way to take on the Zorro Ranch project is not clear, though Valdes-Rodriguez speculates that it could have something to do with Ghislaine Maxwell’s father.

“Bradbury Stamm holds classified construction contracts at the New Mexico nuclear weapons labs that Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, Robert Maxwell, penetrated with backdoored spy software on behalf of Israeli military intelligence in the mid-1980s, per publicly available FBI files and the testimony of Rafael Eitan, the Mossad operations chief who ran Maxwell as an asset,” Valdes-Rodriguez wrote. “Bradbury Stamm brings in hundreds of millions each year in contracts.”

So many questions remain regarding Jeffrey Epstein. Yesterday, Adam Mockler reported on JD Vance and his connections to Peter Thiel.

Peter Thiel has long backed JD Vance. Jeffrey Epstein encouraged Thiel to back JD Vance.

And Cameron Adams (DAILY BEAST) reports on a remark in Chump's 60 MINUTES interview on Sunday:

President Donald Trump has admitted that some senior members of his administration are unnecessarily living in military housing.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller all live in Washington-area military housing for security reasons.

Rubio and Hegseth live on “General’s Row“ at Fort McNair, an Army enclave, while freshly fired Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem has yet to vacate the waterfront home on a D.C. military base she moved into after threats related to her job.

During his Sunday interview on 60 Minutes, one day after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump was asked by correspondent Norah O’Donnell if he believed there was a link between the divisive political violence in the U.S. and his staff living on secure military bases because of potential threats against them due to their jobs.

“Well, they choose to,” Trump said of the living arrangements. “I’m not sure that... ah, they need to. They also have nice places, you know? Democrats did the same thing. Some of the housing on the military bases is very nice. I’m not sure they do it necessarily for violence, but probably... it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

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

Tavern League of WI: “We wholeheartedly support this legislation”; WI Restaurant Association: “We are proud to support this effort to keep local sports accessible and affordable for Wisconsin’s businesses and fans alike”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New legislation led by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to stop professional sports leagues from blacking out games for fans and end the complicated and costly web of streaming services has earned the strong support of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and Tavern League of Wisconsin. This comes in addition to recent polling showing that overwhelming majorities of Americans support Senator Tammy Baldwin’s For the Fans Act.

“Watching Packers, Brewers and Bucks games with friends and family is as Wisconsin as beer, cheese, and Old Fashioneds. Tavern League members take great pride in bringing the community together to support our home teams. Wisconsin residents and businesses shouldn’t be subject to arbitrary black out rules or forced to watch our conference and division rivals because of where we live. We thank Senator Baldwin for introducing the “For the Fans Act" and we wholeheartedly support this legislation,” said Keith Kern, Tavern League of Wisconsin President.

“Our neighborhood restaurants and sports bars are the cornerstones of Wisconsin communities, serving as the primary gathering places for fans to cheer on our home teams. For too long, however, small business owners have been forced to navigate an increasingly expensive and fragmented maze of subscriptions and frustrating blackouts just to air a local game,” said Kristine Hillmer, Wisconsin Restaurant Association President and CEO. “Senator Baldwin’s 'For the Fans Act' is a common-sense solution that provides much-needed relief to the hospitality industry. By eliminating technical barriers and reducing the need for costly, overlapping streaming services, this bill allows our members to lower their overhead and focus on what they do best: providing a great atmosphere for their guests. We are proud to support this effort to keep local sports accessible and affordable for Wisconsin’s businesses and fans alike.”

“Wisconsinites across the state are fed up with paying an arm and a leg to watch our home teams – and that includes our restaurants and bars that are neighborhood staples who are already being squeezed by high costs,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am so honored to earn their support for this bill to cut costs, put the fans first, and make sure everyone in Wisconsin can cheer on our Brewers, Bucks, and Packers.”

The For the Fans Act improves access for consumers of professional sports broadcasts by requiring free viewing access for local fans and ending blackouts on league-owned streaming services, like NBA League Pass or MLB.tv. The bill applies to professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer leagues. The bill makes an exception for minor league teams and leagues with fewer than eight teams.

Baldwin’s press release announcing the legislation is available here.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

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The following sites updated: