Joe DiGenova Back in the Criminal Frame YouTube video by emptywheel

The biggest reason it is insane that Todd Blanche put Joe DiGenova in charge of criminalizing investigations into Russia.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fABt...

Did not miss any of these (tho admit the Whiskey Pete thing didn't make it far beyond FT), but strongly applaud this kind of summarizing.

It's REALLY hard to keep up with all the corruption. Really hard.

It Was on Your Table Every Morning Growing Up. It’s Dying Before Our Eyes. No One Wants to Face It. The powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal decline. Everyone has a theory about why.

When I covered Trump's tariffs, I discovered that orange crops have cratered in FL.

This explains all the reasons--disease, climate change, overspraying, finance--why.

slate.com/business/202...

It's finally #NationalLibraryWeek! Thank you to everyone who has signed up to send a #RI #library a love letter! Even if you haven’t signed up you can still take time to reflect on what you love about your library and/or stop in and say hi and thank you to your librarians!

why I buy and borrow analog paper books

why I buy analog paper books

I looked the other way when the administration tried to shutter law firms that opposed the government, but now that reporters have the Chief Justice's memos, I can stay silent no longer.

@nytpitchbot.bsky.social

The Person Playacting as President May Be Getting Addicted to Snuff Films - emptywheel Everyone, from Trump himself to his aides to access journalists to experts, are packaging up Trump's moods as rational actions of a President. That makes his increasing fondness for spectacular videos...

The Person Playacting as President May Be Getting Addicted to Snuff Films

emptywheel.net/2026/04/20/t...

Schulman's compensation last year was $34 million. He believes 20-30% unemployment is almost at hand, and his solution is "more education and reskilling."

I don't think he understands what it would be like when a population armed to the teeth has 20-30% unemployment and no social safety net.

23. The Article’s assertions that on April 10, 2026, Director Patel “panicked, frantically” announcing he had been fired, engaged in a “freak-out,” and “is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy,” are false. On April 10, 2026, Director Patel had a routine technical problem logging into a government system, which was quickly fixed. Director Patel’s sole focus is on carrying out the administration’s law enforcement priorities. Prior to publication, the FBI expressly informed Defendants that the firing rumor was a “made-up rumor,” and that the “freak-out” and job-jeopardy claims were fabricated

In his lawsuit against @theatlantic.com insisting he's not a drunk, Kash confirms he did get locked out of FBI systems on April 10.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Victoria Toensing @VicToensing Hubby being sworn in as Counsel to the Attorney General. 4:04 PM · Apr 20, 2026 · 6,199 Views Jason Reding Quiñones, the US Attorney in Miami, swearing in a much shorter Joe DiGenova.

Joe DiGenova, whose wife once solicited payments from foreigners to lie about Joe Biden in 2019, just got sworn in to investigate things those things he lied about in the past.

Over the weekend I laid out why this is so problematic.

emptywheel.net/2026/04/19/t...

142. Jensen then noticed collection of whiskey bottles and cigars on Patel’s desk. He asked if he was a collector. Patel then gave him two cigars, telling Jensen that they were “awesome” and that he has “gotta see this.” Patel explained that he used to produce his own brand of cigars, but they are not in production anymore. He then gave Jensen a third cigar but said that he should not smoke it because it was from President Trump’s inauguration. Jensen asked whether Patel was sure he wanted to gift Jensen a cigar of such significance for Patel, particularly since Jensen himself did not attend President Trump’s inauguration. Patel insisted that Jensen should take it. As Jensen walked out of the Director’s office, Patel told him to enjoy his leave, that he should take as much time as he needs, to take care of his family, and that he was “crushing it.”

Reminder that the guy then in charge of DC Office, Steve Jensen, says that Kash had a collection of whiskey bottles in his office.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Articles about Jared Kushner's diplomatic role with Iran that mention Kushner has received billions from the Saudi government (2/28-4/19):

NYT: 5 of 58
WashPost: 1 of 43
WSJ: 0 of 40
AP: 0 of 26
CNN Wire: 0 of 18
NY Post: 0 of 17
Chicago Tribune: 0 of 4
LA Times: 0 of 4
Boston Globe: 0 of 2

Israel strikes Gaza for the third straight day as West Bank violence escalates A series of violent escalations on the border between Israel and Gaza over the past week during a sensitive Jewish holiday period raised the specter of an escalation for the first time since May.

Was this an attack on innocent civilians ????

It’s ok for Israel to bomb civilians but Gaza can’t resist ?????

www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1...

Jesse Jackson and Marvin Gaye playing one-on-one.

It looks like the world is being wise about the world cup. I am an American, it is NOT SAFE for anyone here. They give idiots a gun, authority, and no training.

If I murder someone, I go to jail or worse. If ICE murders someone for no reason, they get praise from the president.

This should be the official portrait in the Whitehouse!

BREAKING: 86% of all people support the release of the Epstein files, per WaPo poll.

Release the #EpsteinFiles NOW....

#Iran

#Epstein

Trust me, if D'Souza says it's a fact, it is quite the opposite.

U.S. Military Strikes a Boat in the Caribbean, Killing 3 The latest attack raised the death toll to at least 180 in the campaign by the United States against people it accuses of smuggling drugs at sea.

The U.S. military attacked a boat in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, killing three people. The strike raised the death toll to at least 180 in the campaign by the U.S. against people it accuses of smuggling drugs at sea.

Boots on the Groundhog Day

2 ¶¶ of a warrant affidavit describing Joe DiGenova going on Laura Ingraham's show spewing conspiracy theories about Marie Yovanovitch, Joe and Hunter Biden, and the Mueller investigation, and Victoria Toensing pushing Lev Parnas about getting a retainer from Yuriy Lutsenko. The names are redacted but I've put them in in pink.

Here's the key reason why putting Joe DiGenova in charge of the Russian investigation is so suspect. On the same day Mueller finished Joe was spewing FALSE conspiracy theories abt Ru and the Bidens, hoping to get paid by Lutsenko for doing so.

emptywheel.net/2026/04/19/t...

"So Todd Blanche is appointing a lawyer formerly paid by Russian allies to discredit the Russian investigation to declassify and release a load of intelligence... in the guise of criminalizing counterintelligence investigations."

Fucking Albert Speer nazi shit

Fucking Albert Speer nazi shit

9 People Trump Once LOVED But Now Pretends He Always Hated Zeteo has compiled a list of the president’s most dramatic fallings-out and the praise he'd probably like everyone to forget. But we kept receipts.

9 People Trump Once LOVED But Now Pretends He Always Hated
open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...

Told @cnn that Trump's focus on appearing as the winner is starting to become a threat to the negotiations. Instead of de-escalating the situation, Trump has not been able to resist mocking Iran and portraying Iranian restraint as a sign of weakness. This is self-sabotage.

If Dems retake either house, they must launch an investigation into this. There's no easier way to highlight the corruption of this era and to establish that Dems are committed to fighting it.

Pretty sure @wyden.senate.gov and Maxine Waters would be the chairs to do it.