National Security > Affordability

Downing Street is attempting to demolish the argument from Olly Robbins’ allies that he was prevented by law from telling ministers that Mandelson had failed vetting, ahead of key Commons statement on Monday.

BREAKING: No 10 has just published an explainer showing Olly Robbins was not prevented by law from telling Ministers that Peter Mandelson failed vetting

China used as a back door to sell Russian fish in UK supermarkets

China used as a back door to sell Russian fish in UK supermarkets

Republican senator criticizes Trump’s ‘holy war’ with Pope Leo Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump, says president’s feud with the pope is a ‘distraction’

Republican senator criticizes Trump’s ‘holy war’ with Pope Leo Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump, says president’s feud with the pope is a ‘distraction’ ...

LIVE: FBI in UTTER CHAOS as Kash RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS!!! YouTube video by MeidasTouch

TODAY: I'll speak with Andy McCabe about the dangers to national security posed by Kash Patel's alleged drunken benders, and who might be the source of the allegations. We go live on @meidastouch.com in 20 minutes: www.youtube.com/live/Od0I2AX...

Trump’s Erratic Behavior May Tank Negotiations, Iran Says, Warning of “Significantly Greater Costs” to the U.S. if War Resumes A senior Iranian official told Drop Site that if Trump starts bombing again, Iran will cut off all diplomatic channels and focus on fighting.

www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-erra...

Trump's latest scam stuns even his critics Furthering accusations that Trump is providing favors to those who pay him or his administration...

Trump's latest scam stuns even his critics Furthering accusations that Trump is providing favors to those who pay him or his administration... ...

HOW BLACK WOMEN HAVE BEEN ESSENTIAL TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY (AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM)

To survive right-wing authoritarianism, Americans would be wise to learn from Black women who have always had to strategize, organize, & instigate from the margins.

thelefthook.substack.com/p/how-black-...

Tesla's 'Robotaxi' expansion looks like another stock pump before earnings Tesla launched 'Robotaxi' in Dallas and Houston with virtually zero availability — just days before Q1 earnings. Data shows the same pre-earnings pattern as January.

electrek.co/2026/04/19/t...

Yep. Nothing but a load of smoke and mirrors to give the zombie investors something to cling on to.

Yes, rent in Chicago is getting more expensive Median rent in the Chicago area hit $1,670 after a 4% jump — even as U.S. rents tick down slightly.

Rent prices in Chicago increased more than any other major city — but it doesn't have to be this way.

Supply is the solution.

Trump says Iran talks will resume, threatens power plants and bridges if no deal The president accused Iran of violating the ceasefire as ships reported attacks in the Strait of Hormuz but said U.S. representatives would be back at the table this week.

Once again, Trump is threatening war crimes against the Iranian people. 
 
All this could be avoided if Republicans in Congress joined us in voting to end this illegal and costly war. 
 
We will give them another chance this week. They must all be held accountable.

America will come to regret its war on taxes Lately, Democrats have joined the charge

Beware any policy that is overwhelmingly popular. That usually means it has not been properly scrutinised. Register for free to understand why the latest example is taxes in America

Ukraine has established drone deals in the Middle East and in Europe. It includes drone exports and in future even co-production.

It paraphrases once more that President Zelenskyy is acting extremely prudent and clever on the world stage. He has the cards.

The Car-Crash Conspiracy High-speed accidents, crooked lawyers, and poor people desperate for cash—it was the kind of scheme that could have been cooked up only in the Big Easy.

Thought this was a really fascinating piece.

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

The Church of England took away my son and any chance of a family

The Church of England took away my son and any chance of a family

Editorial: Is redistricting effort losing steam? Good

Gov. Ron DeSantis has called lawmakers back to Tallahassee on April 28 for a four-day special session to re-draw Florida congressional districts with the thinly veiled goal of sending more Republicans to Congress.

Never mind that doing…

Alt text: Screenshot of a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Abdulkhaleq Abdulla (@Abdulkhaleq_UAE), with a verified badge. The post reads: “This is what I told Reuters today: The UAE no longer needs America to defend it, as it has proven during the Iranian aggression that it is capable of defending itself with distinction. What the UAE needs is to acquire only the best and latest weapons that America has. Therefore, it is time to think about closing the American bases, as they are a burden and not a strategic asset.” The post is labeled “Translated from Arabic by Grok” and shows a timestamp of 10:21 AM · 4/19/26 with 139K views.

NEW: UAE scholar Abdulkhaleq Abdulla says the UAE no longer needs U.S. protection, calling American bases a “burden, not a strategic asset” and suggesting they should be closed. The United States’ standing in the region has been obliterated.

DOJ civil rights chief sends demand letter to Wayne County for 2024 ballots Michigan's attorney general and secretary of state have responded that they will not comply with DOJ's demands.

🚨BREAKING: The Department of Justice is demanding that Wayne County, Michigan turn over its ballots from the 2024 election to investigate voter fraud claims. Michigan’s attorney general and secretary of state have responded saying that’s not going to happen. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Nationwide Survey: Most Farmers Can’t Afford Fertilizer

www.fb.org/news-release...

White and light green text: "Meta: Stop being creepy. Don't make it easier for stalkers, scammers, and government agents to spy on us." Tinted blue photo of someone's faces as if being captured by facial recognition. White ACLU logo. Black background.

If Meta adds face recognition to their “smart” glasses, it would force their panopticon onto us all.

Take action to protect our privacy at aclu.org/eyewear_not_spywear

Philly skateboarders saved Muni and the new park could provide a blueprint for other cities

“I think it’s great for the cities to create this infrastructure that isn’t a typical skate park and build it into their city footprint.” — Justin Villano, global marketing director of action sports at Vans.

There are just two ways to remove a President—Impeachment or the 25th Amendment. Here’s the political reality of what’s going on and why the GOP is failing to act. ⬇️

The Administration’s decision to gut the Forest Service ahead of a severe wildfire season, losing critical AND regional expertise, puts Oregonians and the PNW in danger.

We’ll keep you posted and continue discussing the plan for wildfire response and coordination.

How open the strait really is, and how long it stays that way, is even murkier than Iran’s motivations. Mines, mistrust and missing ships will keep energy markets tight for months. Register for free to learn why econ.st/4vsqNrE

Photo: Reuters

Bottom line: Hegseth's media-bashing hasn't worked. The polling hasn't budged. Trump and Hegseth's messaging is not moving public opinion, which remains broadly opposed to the Iran war.

Trump DOJ now 0 for 4 on voter roll cases as court rejects Massachusetts lawsuit “Here, the Attorney General offered no basis—none—and the demand was therefore facially inadequate.”

Just a reminder that for all their big talk, DOJ is 0-4 in lawsuits to obtain state voter files. My law firm is 4-0.😎 www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Sex toys thrown at detention facility in L.A. anti-ICE protest; police declare unlawful assembly The Los Angeles Police Department issued an unlawful assembly order and made arrests during a Saturday protest outside the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Sex toys thrown at detention facility in L.A. anti-ICE protest; police declare unlawful assembly

If we’re going to claim that character matters in public life, then it has to matter every time. Not just when it’s convenient. Not just when it’s the other side. A democracy can’t survive on selective outrage. The rules either apply to everyone, or they’re not rules at all.

As many of you know, the rest is well documented, but some, only just made it home today.

Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦🙏