California Lawmakers Introduce The “Stop Nick Shirley Act”
April 14th, 2026Via: ZeroHedge:
It would appear that independent journalist Nick Shirley’s expose on medical subsidies fraud in California, largely perpetrated by immigrants, was more devastating to Democrats than anyone could have guessed.
After making waves in Minneapolis by revealing rampant daycare fraud run by Somali migrants feeding on millions in government subsidies (and likely funneling some of that cash to Democrat politicians), Nick Shirley traveled to the Golden State only to find more fraud, including voting scams and medical care scams.
Sanctioned China-Linked Tanker Sails Straight Through Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Blockade
April 14th, 2026Via: Independent:
A Chinese-owned oil and chemicals tanker sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in an apparent defiance of Donald Trump’s US blockade.
Shipping data showed the Rich Starry passed through the waterway and exited the Gulf on Tuesday, becoming the first vessel to make it through the chokepoint since the blockade began on Monday afternoon.
The tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, were sanctioned by the US for dealing with Iran, according to Reuters.
Trump has said the US military will block Iranian vessels and any ships that have already paid Iran tolls. He said that any Iranian “fast-attack” naval ships nearing the blockade will be eliminated.
Trump Posts AI Slop of Himself As Christ The Healer [???]
April 12th, 2026[???]
Actual Trump post. pic.twitter.com/oQjWYzM6hG
— cryptogon (@cryptogon) April 13, 2026
UPDATE: U.S. TO BLOCKADE SHIPS ENTERING OR EXITING IRANIAN PORTS TRUMP: U.S. NAVY CLOSING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, NO SHIPS IN OR OUT
April 12th, 2026
Update: CENTCOM To Blockade Iranian Ports
Via: What’s Going on With Shipping?:
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Update: U.S. to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports
According to a U.S. Central Command press release, the blockade affects ships entering or exiting Iranian ports, not all ships entering or exiting the Strait of Hormuz, as Trump indicated earlier today.
Via: U.S. Central Command:
Press Release | April 12, 2026
U.S. to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports
USCENTCOM
TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation.
The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.
Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches.
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Via: CNBC:
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. will blockade the Strait of Hormuz after talks held in Pakistan to end the Iran war hit the skids.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post to his social media platform Truth Social. “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”
The announcement of a U.S. blockade of the strait likely scuttles any hopes that the war would end in the coming days following peace talks in Islamabad. It also threatens to exacerbate the economic crisis that has gripped global economies since the war broke out and Iran began restricting access to the strait, a chokepoint which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil.
Trump said the U.S. blockade is an effort to stop Iran from policing the strait and benefiting economically while the rest of the world suffers from its closure.
Two U.S. Warships Sail Through Strait of Hormuz to Establish New Route for Merchant Ships, Clear Mines [???]
April 11th, 2026Via: USNI News:
Two Navy guided-missile destroyers entered the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first American warships to transit the strait since the U.S.-Israel offensive in Iran began on Feb. 28.
USS Frank E. Petersen (DDG-121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) operated in the Persian Gulf after transiting the strait as part of the U.S. plan to “ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines,” according to a Saturday U.S. Central Command news release. Frank E. Petersen is part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, while Michael Murphy is an independently-deployed destroyer, according to USNI News’ Fleet and Marine Tracker. The pair of ships transited back through the strait to the Gulf of Oman, according to ship spotters.
Additional U.S. forces, to include underwater drones, according to the release.
The two ships transited the gulf to begin “setting conditions for clearing mines,” reads the release.
Vance on Iran Negotiations: No Deal
April 11th, 2026Via: ZeroHedge:
Talks between the United States and Iran ended early Sunday without a peace agreement after Tehran refused to accept key US demands, including commitments on its nuclear program, US officials said.
US Vice President JD Vance said the 21-hour negotiations concluded without a breakthrough, despite good-faith efforts by Washington.
“We have not reached an agreement, and I think it’s bad news for Iran, much more than for the US,” Vance said.
Hezbollah Ramping Up FPV Drone Attacks On IDF In Lebanon
April 11th, 2026Via: The War Zone:
As Israel continues its ground offensive into Lebanon, it appears that Hezbollah is increasing its first-person view (FPV) drone strikes on IDF armor and personnel. The uptick in these attacks is the latest example of how the use of the small, fast and easy to maneuver weapons has proliferated from the war in Ukraine to battlefields across the globe.
While the militant Lebanese group has used FPV drones against Israel since 2024, it has ramped up these attacks for a couple of different reasons, according to Ryan Brobst, Deputy Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)’s Center on Military and Political Power.
“The IDF is currently operating further north with more troops than in previous operations, which increases the number and proximity of targets for Hezbollah to strike,” Brobst told us. In addition, there are indications that the Iranian proxy has followed additional lessons from the Ukraine war using fiber optic cables to guide the drones. As we have frequently reported, fiber optic cables mitigate the effect of electronic warfare efforts to jam radio signals as well as some of the limitations imposed by geographical features that can impede the line-of-sight radio connection between drone and operator.
OpenAI Backs Bill That Would Limit Liability for AI-Enabled Mass Deaths or Financial Disasters
April 10th, 2026Via: Wired:
OpenAI is throwing its support behind an Illinois state bill that would shield AI labs from liability in cases where AI models are used to cause serious societal harms, such as death or serious injury of 100 or more people or at least $1 billion in property damage.
U.S. Government Spending $88 Billion a Month in Interest on National Debt – Equal to Spending on Defense and Education Combined
April 10th, 2026Via: Fortune:
The problem with an increasing debt burden is that it costs more to maintain it: This is precisely the issue with which the U.S. Treasury is wrangling at present. As total U.S. national debt ticks over $39 trillion, the interest payments on that value are eye-watering: $529 billion for the first six months of the current fiscal year.
A new budget update from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released yesterday highlights that the government—according to preliminary estimates—paid out the near $530 billion between October 2025, when the fiscal year starts, and March 2026. This equates to more than $88 billion in interest payments a month, or more than $22 billion a week.
That means the service payments on public debt are roughly equal to spending for the same period on both the Department of Defense’s military budget and the Department of Education. These two outlays contribute costs of $461 billion and $70 billion respectively.
Mebendazole Polymorph for Treatment and Prevention of Tumors
April 9th, 2026Via: U.S. Patent US11110079B2:
Mebendazole is an antiparasitic drug with over 40 years of safe use. Recently mebendazole was repurposed for glioblastoma therapy. Three polymorphs of mebendazole exist, but the relative polymorph content for existing drugs varies, and the therapeutic anti-cancer relevance of the different polymorphs was unknown. As an oral drug mebendazole polymorph C is a superior form, and it reaches the brain and brain tumors in effective concentrations. Efficacy is further improved by combining mebendazole with a P-glycoprotein inhibitor. Mebendazole may also be used for therapy of other cancers, as well as a chemo-preventative agent.
