I’ve got to keep on chasin’ that tab, though I may never find it, I’m always just behind it …
Paul Begala goes on rant about Trump censoring journalists and attacking the First Amendment.@ScottJenningsKY issued a simple challenge to which Begala had no answer:
“Name a single journalist who right now is incapable of speaking negatively about Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/E39BXy4l6D
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 25, 2026
Ed: Begala certainly isn’t. No one on CNN is afraid to criticize Trump either, nor on any Protection Racket Media outlet. The big question going into tonight’s Nerd Prom is when someone makes a crack at Trump’s expense, not ‘whether.’ Just because the WHCA decided against having a comedian host the event in light of Trump’s acceptance of the invitation doesn’t mean that clowns will not be in attendance. The “no kings” narrative is nothing but kayfabe for socialist provocateurs and demagogues raising money.
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Politico: Kurt Volker, the U.S. envoy to NATO in 2008-2009 who then served as the U.S. special representative for Ukraine during the first Trump administration, warned that European figures who have condemned the U.S. president’s approach are “making some very big mistakes.”
“You might think that this is a huge folly and going to have terrible consequences, but you don’t have to say it,” Volker told Anne McElvoy for POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast, published Friday. “By saying it, you alienate Donald Trump and you run the risk that he will then link your unhappiness with his policies to his unhappiness for some of your policies.”
Volker added that it risked, “fragmenting a transatlantic relationship that is still valuable to both of us. So I don’t think that’s a wise way to handle the president.”
Ed: Especially when these same countries have little choice but to rely on the US for their own collective defense. Frankly, while I’m still a supporter of the NATO mission – our ability to project power globally relies heavily on our bases in Europe – the sad and soggy state of our security partners is only matched by their arrogance in dictating foreign-policy terms to Washington. I don’t mind blowing up that dynamic a bit.
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GREAT NEWS.
We are all for it.
Should have been done 3 decades ago with the collapse of the Soviet Union. https://t.co/rIg0vrqgNR
— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) April 24, 2026
Ed: Never going to happen, as I remarked last night on X/Twitter. Amateurs discuss manpower; professionals discuss logistics. Europe has neither. Neither France nor the UK have the money, the economy, nor the will to replace the US logistical backbone that we provide Europe. It would take decades to accomplish at the rate they invest. Nor do they mobilize at rates that would replace the US forces on the continent, even apart from the logistics, let alone produce sufficient materiel, develop battlefield leadership, etc. If Starmer and Macron want to push this fantasy, we can probably improve our position by shifting those resources to Eastern Europe without giving away too much of our logistical reach.
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John Hinderaker at Power Line: Given the brilliant performance of our military, the fact that a clear plurality of Americans think our effort in Iran has been a failure implies a stunning lack of political acumen on the part of President Trump. I have never understood his strategy of trying to reach an agreement with whatever is left of the Iranian regime. By staking success, in his own terms, on a favorable deal, Trump has handed his enemies all the cards. All they have to do is say “No,” and they will be perceived as holding the upper hand.
I have long thought that, if overthrow of the regime is not a practical goal, Trump should simply declare victory and send the bulk of our forces home, leaving enough in place to punish the regime if, for example, it continues to harass shipping in the Strait. While Trump’s dilly-dallying in search of an elusive “deal” may not matter much, strategically, it has had enormous political consequences. It is hard to see, at this point, what Trump is even trying to achieve by negotiating with the remnants of a devastated regime.
Ed: John’s always been a little skeptical about the extension of the war and then of the ceasefire. Trump has a few rabbits to pull still, but the truth is that the political question matters, and it can really only be resolved by seizing the uranium at the heart of this mission. Trump is attempting to negotiate to get the uranium out as cheaply as possible. If the regime keeps balking, Trump will keep escalating.
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Trump sent a direct message to a New York Post reporter currently in Islamabad:
“Come home!!!” pic.twitter.com/205zBDihTy
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 25, 2026
Ed: Good advice.
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Axios: If the United States gets into the business of providing dollar liquidity to the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf states battered by the Strait of Hormuz’s closure, it will amount to a novel use of an old power.
The big picture: The Federal Reserve used swap lines with foreign central banks as a key tool to calm global financial disruptions in periods of stress, starting in the early days of the global financial crisis in 2007. They were driven by Fed leaders’ belief that dollar funding shortages worldwide risked blowing back to the U.S. banking system and economy.
The potential use to backstop Gulf states carries a more explicit geo-strategic role: seeking to reward and bolster key allies in the region.
Kevin Warsh, in his Fed chair confirmation hearing this week, explicitly noted “international finance” as an area where the Fed ought not be strictly independent, implying greater collaboration with the executive branch on use of swap lines.
Ed: So much for BRICS, eh? Operation Economic Fury may end up reshaping the world just as powerfully as Epic Fury, if Trump can get the uranium out of Iran.
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Bill Maher asks how the government is “failing the poor so badly” when he pays “60 PERCENT” of his earnings in taxes.
“Last week was tax day… I paid the government probably almost 60% of what I earn. That’s a lot.”
“And I… wouldn’t mind if Bernie Sanders would stop saying the… pic.twitter.com/OQSNVx2Zj5
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) April 25, 2026
“The Democratic Socialists talk about socialism like we don’t already have a lot: Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, nutritional assistance, Medicaid, Obamacare, disability, housing subsidies.”
“How can you be soaking the rich and failing the poor so badly? How can it be that the federal government alone took in over 5 trillion in taxes last year, and we still need that?”
“Are we really this incompetent and corrupt?”
Ed: The socialists are, yes, and always have been. Socialism delivers economic and political failure, every time, and arguably cultural collapse as well. Case in point …
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NY Post: A California winery co-owned by Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, has shut its doors for good amid scrutiny of the congresswoman’s family wealth.
The winery ceased business operations on April 4, two months after Republicans sent a letter demanding answers into the discrepancies between Omar’s congressional financial disclosures for 2024 and the one she filed just one year earlier, according to California business records.
In a February letter to Mynett, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said financial disclosures filed by his wife Omar “show eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital LLC, which you hold ownership stakes in, went from being worth as much as $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024.”
Ed: Do you believe in coincidences? Because I certainly don’t.
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NY Times: In January 2018, Elon Musk needed $100 million. Instead of calling a bank, he turned to SpaceX, the rocket company he founded and where he serves as chief executive.
Over the next three years, Mr. Musk borrowed a total of $500 million from his company. The loan terms were significantly lower than what most banks offered, with an interest rate that fluctuated from less than 1 percent to nearly 3 percent, according to internal SpaceX documents obtained by The New York Times. The documents did not say how Mr. Musk planned to use the money, which he paid back to SpaceX by the end of 2021.
The loans and their exceptionally kind terms, which are not permitted at public companies, were possible only because SpaceX is privately held. They were just one way Mr. Musk has used SpaceX as a kind of piggy bank over the last two decades, according to an examination by The Times based on corporate filings, lawsuits, internal documents and interviews with people close to the firm.
Ed: Er … so? It’s his own equity. How is it remarkable that he leverages it for more investment and innovation? The NY Times put a lot of effort into this deep dive into the banal investment strategies of a private citizen. How many words has the NYT published on Ilhan Omar’s fraudulent winery? Zero. Their priorities are obvious and mind-boggling.
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Are you telling me a businessman borrowed against his assets to grow his business?
What kind of lunatic does that when he could just go start a fake daycare and get free Medicaid money? https://t.co/WZCvZjgkzo
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) April 25, 2026
Ed: The NYT endorses that kind of leverage.
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WSJ: The Israeli prime minister’s office said on Saturday that Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the country’s military to carry out “powerful strikes” against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
The move calls into question the Israel-Lebanon cease-fire, despite a cease-fire extension announced Thursday evening by President Trump. The Israeli military said earlier Saturday it carried out overnight strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers in three areas of southern Lebanon, targeting systems it said were loaded and ready for immediate use.
Ed: Sounds like the ceasefire extension will expire very, very soon.
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Wherein Senator Murphy reveals he hasn’t heard of the Abraham Accords or the hostage deal that brought every living and dead hostage back from the tunnels of Gaza. https://t.co/bmj1OArUxZ
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) April 25, 2026
Ed: Murphy’s an idiot. Besides, they’re not the actual negotiators. Trump is.
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Trump on Iran: “Got another fresh offer 10 minutes after canceling Pakistan meeting. We received a new document that was much better. They offered a lot, but not enough.” pic.twitter.com/hGD4qrg4pe
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 25, 2026
Ed: I suspect they will shortly get some incentives applied to sweeten the deal. At least, those who survive the incentives.
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Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you’re digging these Final Word posts and want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!
