President Trump has made clear that American forces will still be “hanging around” the Persian Gulf area with an eye on Iran, while demanding that the Strait of Hormuz be opened to global energy transit once again. 

Trump has vowed to keep troops positioned for a fight “until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with.” As direct US-Iran talks are set for Islamabad Saturday morning, there’s been an avalanche of speculation that the ceasefire could be ‘cover’ for a greater Pentagon force build-up and bigger impending operation.

Some pundits say that Washington needed more time to get large contingencies of Marines and Airborne units in place, possibly for some kind of risky island campaign towards reopening the strait.

This could be the case, as it’s also very evident to all that the demands of each side remain far apart, which means the chances for a breakthrough deal which finally ends the war are distant.

With a two week timeline in place to reach a deal, is this interim period merely for rearming and regrouping of forces on each side?

Clearly, the US wasn’t prepared for the fierce, sustained Iranian counter-attack on American regional bases and Gulf allies.

Open-source data of military logistics flights between the US, Europe, and the Mideast region suggests there is indeed an ongoing build-up and posturing of forces happening on the eve of the Pakistan summit.

Still, it’s clear that Trump needs an offramp, or else face the kind of endless military quagmire which would likely inevitably lead to the GOP getting decimated in next fall’s midterm Congressional elections.

Case in point: More than 70 transport planes landed in the Middle East within 24 hours of the ceasefire taking effect. That scale suggests possible preparation for a ground offensive, solidifying suspicion that Trump is using the truce to regroup: https://t.co/MHlFQjz1Tk pic.twitter.com/S3DzRMgOo2

— Bashkarma🇺🇸🌏🇷🇺 (@Karmabash) April 9, 2026

A bigger longer war, or ground conflict, would also damage the chances of a future Vance presidency.

As for Vance, the Associated Press writes, “But the arrival of Vance for negotiations marks a rare moment of high-level U.S. government engagement with the Iranian government. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the most direct contact had been when President Barack Obama in September 2013 called newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.”

A Pentagon build-up in the region might also be Trump’s way of signaling powerful leverage for more potential major attacks on Iran to come, in order to gain more from negotiations. As yet, Iran holds the key economic leverage given its de fact Hormuz control.

Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, filed a lawsuit on April 9 over a Colorado law it claims makes AI developers endorse “Colorado’s views on diversity, equity, and inclusion or face significant compliance costs and civil fines.”

The company, whose flagship product is the chatbot Grok, named Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser as the defendant. The lawsuit states that the law’s provisions “prohibit developers of AI systems from producing speech that the State of Colorado dislikes, while compelling them to conform their speech to a State-enforced orthodoxy on controversial topics of great public concern.” The lawsuit says the Colorado law violates the First Amendment.

Weiser didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

The lawsuit questions the use of the term “algorithmic discrimination” in the law, calling it vague.

The text of the law defines it this way: “Algorithmic discrimination means any condition in which the use of an artificial intelligence system results in unlawful differential treatment or impact that disfavors an individual or group of individuals on the basis of their actual or perceived age, color, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, limited proficiency in the English language, national origin, race, religion, reproductive health, sex, veteran status, or other classification protected under the laws of this state or federal law.”

The bill, SB24-205, was introduced in April 2024, passed the next month, and will take effect on June 30, 2026.

Colorado Senate Democrats said during debate that “algorithmic discrimination has been shown to make biased determinations in cases involving hiring practices, housing applications, financial services, and health care coverage.”

“AI systems are evolving faster than we can write and pass policy on them—which is why we need to act now,” Sen. Robert Rodriguez, a Democrat whose district spans southern Denver, said in a statement. “Many systems’ algorithms have biases baked in and can easily result in discriminatory outcomes when it comes to housing applications, hiring practices, and more.”

xAI said in its lawsuit that Grok is not biased.

“xAI has designed and developed Grok to answer to only evidence and reason, without regard to political correctness, ideological biases, or anything that might distort objective truth,” the lawsuit said.

“This unwavering commitment ensures that Grok discharges its fundamental mission—assisting humanity in understanding the universe. But the State of Colorado now seeks to force xAI to abandon its disinterested pursuit of truth and instead promote the State’s ideological views on various matters, racial justice in particular.

“It is instead an effort to embed the State’s preferred views into the very fabric of AI systems. Its provisions prohibit developers of AI systems from producing speech that the State of Colorado dislikes, while compelling them to conform their speech to a State-enforced orthodoxy on controversial topics of great public concern.”

Authored by Luis Cornelio via HeadlineUSA,

President Donald Trump minced no words in a lengthy and fiery rebuke of podcast hosts Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones amid their criticisms over the U.S.’s military operations in Iran. 

“They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too! Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

His comments come as part of a 482-word takedown that directly accuses Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Jones of seemingly stirring controversy for views engagement. 

“They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some ‘free’ and cheap publicity,” Trump added. 

pic.twitter.com/S08mFUxUmR

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 9, 2026

His comments follow some of these hosts taking issue with Trump’s warning to Iran that a “whole civilization will die tonight” over Easter weekend if the Islamic regime did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Now it’s time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the president, no,” Carlson said, for instance. 

Trump targeted each individual with personalized criticism, saying that Carlson “couldn’t even finish college” and was a “broken man when he got fired from Fox.” 

Trump also targeted Kelly, saying she “nastily asked me the now famous ‘Only Rosie O’Donnell,’” and then slammed Owens as “‘crazy.” 

Trump also referenced the past controversy surrounding Owens’ dubious claims that French First Lady Brigitte Macron is transgender. 

“Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close!” Trump continued. 

Trump also criticized Jones, calling him “Bankrupt Alex Jones” and saying he “says some of the dumbest things, and lost his entire fortune, as he should have, for his horrendous attack on the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, ridiculously claiming it was a hoax.” 

“These so-called ‘pundits’ are LOSERS, and they will always be!” Trump said. 

While the March UMich sentiment survey was completed before and after the start of the Iran War (with only modest impacts on sentiment and inflation expectations), today’s preliminary April data survey period was all in the war with expectations for a notable drop in sentiment and sizable jump in inflation expectations.

It turns out the expectations were right in direction but underestimated the scale as headline sentiment plunged from 53.3 to 47.6 (far worse than the 51.5 exp) with Current Conditions (50.1 vs 53.4 exp vs 55.8 prior) and Expectations (46.1 vs 50.2 exp vs 51.7 prior)…

Source: Bloomberg

That is a record low for the headline sentiment and Current Conditions and lowest print for Expectations since 1980.

Demographic groups across age, income, and political party all posted setbacks in sentiment, as did every component of the index, reflecting the widespread nature of this month’s fall.

One-year expected business conditions plunged about 20% and is now 6% below last April.

Assessments of personal finances declined about 11%, with consumers expressing a substantial increase in concerns over high prices and weaker asset values.

Year-ahead inflation expectations surged from 3.8% in March to 4.8% this month, the largest one-month increase since April 2025, but longer-term expectations rose only modestly…

Of course, it’s Democrats that are ‘panicans’ once again at inflation (Dems +4.8%, Reps +1.0%)…

One thing of note in that chart – how is the overall inflation expectation screaming higher (to equal Democrats’ view) with the actual breakdown by political cohort showing no huge rise?

Finally, on the potential bright side, UMich Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu notes that “98% of interviews were completed prior to the April 7th announcement of a temporary cease-fire. Economic expectations will likely improve after consumers gain confidence that the supply disruptions stemming from the Iran conflict have ended and gas prices have moderated.“

In a huge and very positive development, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter, or Pascha, which is this weekend. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has immediately confirmed that Ukraine will honor the holiday truce. 

“We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin then further confirmed in a statement.

Based on regional media reporting of the rare ceasefire, the pause in fighting will begin at 4pm Moscow time (13:00GMT) on Saturday and run until midnight on Sunday.

This will cover the whole period of Pascha celebrations in both countries, which is done according to the Julian calendar and thus typically comes a weekend or two later that Western Easter (on the Gregorian calendar). The overwhelming majorities of both countries are adherents of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Typically in orthodox churches there is a long Saturday morning service, and then the main liturgy comes at midnight – going into the early Sunday morning hours, followed by feasting and breaking the Lenten fast. And then late Sunday morning or early after noon there is another service, after which there is more celebratory feasting.

Russian media reports that Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has instructed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to halt Russian military operations during the period; however, just like in past short truces Russia says it will respond immediately to any ‘violations’ observed.

Zelensky meanwhile confirmed that “Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for reciprocal steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly.”

“People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to attacks even after Easter,” he added.

Such a holiday truce has been tried in the past, but is typically marred by frontline ‘violations’ and tit-for-tat accusations and denunciations.

But this year, after well over four years of brutal fighting which has taken likely hundreds of thousands of lives, there is a good chance the Easter truce will hold given the sheer exhaustion and war-weariness on each side.

What’s more is that if there is success, it could provide the basis for something more lasting, as both sides say they are still interested in hammering out a permanent end to the war. But for Moscow, this will require that Ukraine cede much of the east and give political recognition too, including over Crimea.

Without providing any elaboration or context, President Trump just posted the following to his social media feed:

No idea what he is talking about?

Pressure on China (multiple chokepoints on energy supply)?

Chatter on Russia-Ukraine talks?

America First, maybe?

4-D Chess or another fantastical plan?

Any ideas?

Apple is permanently closing three mall-based stores in the coming months: Apple North County in California, Apple Trumbull in Connecticut, and Apple Towson Town Center in Maryland, which is the company’s first unionized store.

“Following the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall, the Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations,” Apple told computer blog AppleInsider in a statement. 

Most workers will be transferred to nearby stores if they choose to remain with Apple, while unionized Towson employees will need to apply for open roles under the current bargaining agreement.

Apple wouldn’t provide additional color on what exactly those “declining conditions” were, such as whether they involved a slowdown in foot traffic or thefts.

Focusing on the unionized Towson location, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reacted furiously to Apple’s decision. The move suggests that Tim Cook has little interest in bending the knee to lefty union pressure.

APPLE STORE CLOSURES | Apple announced its closing 3 locations, inside malls or shopping plazas across the country, on Thursday.
1/3 locations is Towson Town Center. The union representing the workers in Towson says they’re outraged. Doors set to close on June 11. @wbaltv11 pic.twitter.com/M9m3CZnqYQ

— Tori Yorgey WBAL (@toriyorgeytv) April 10, 2026

“The IAM Union is outraged by Apple’s decision to close its Towson, Md., store — the first unionized Apple retail location in the United States — and abandon both its workers and a community that relies on it for critical services and its unique access to public transit,” the union wrote in a statement to the outlet. 

IAM continued:

Apple’s claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union.

We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable. We stand with our IAM Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) members and the community that depends on this store for essential access and support.”

Apple appears to be sending a very clear message to workers considering the union route: go down that path, and you may end up like the Towson store.

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com,

Blockstream CEO Adam Back pushed back on concerns that quantum computing poses an imminent threat to Bitcoin’s cryptographic security, arguing that current progress in the field remains far from the level required to break real-world encryption.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Back noted that much of today’s quantum research is still in its early experimental phase. He pointed to the limited capabilities of existing quantum hardware, which often lacks full error correction and has only demonstrated trivial computations.

“The biggest calculation it’s performed is factoring 21 into 7 times 3,” he said, emphasizing that today’s machines remain closer to laboratory prototypes than practical computing systems.

While recent academic work has highlighted potential algorithmic improvements, Back argued that these advances do not yet translate into meaningful hardware capability. 

As a result, he said, the prospect of quantum computers capable of threatening Bitcoin’s elliptic curve cryptography remains “decades off,” though he acknowledged uncertainty around exact timelines.

Earlier today, Adam Back was named by the New York Times as the most credible candidate for Satoshi Nakamoto based on stylometric analysis of early cypherpunk writings, but Back and other experts strongly denied the claim, noting there is no hard evidence linking him to Bitcoin’s creation.

Bitcoin should prepare for quantum computing risks

Despite that long horizon, Back stressed that the Bitcoin ecosystem should begin preparing now. He advocated for a gradual migration path toward quantum-resistant signature schemes, giving users and custodians ample time to update keys and infrastructure without disruption. 

He noted that Blockstream’s research team has been actively working on post-quantum approaches and has already contributed implementations to Liquid, a Bitcoin layer-two network that has historically served as a testing ground for new features.

Back also referenced recent progress in standardization efforts, pointing to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s approval of post-quantum cryptography standards in late 2024 as a key milestone that could accelerate industry adoption.

Beyond quantum computing, Back dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence or artificial general intelligence pose structural risks to Bitcoin, characterizing AI instead as a productivity tool that can assist researchers and engineers rather than compromise cryptographic systems.

Shifting to Bitcoin’s global role, Back described the asset as best understood as “digital gold,” coexisting alongside national monetary systems rather than replacing them. He pointed to ongoing sovereign interest in Bitcoin, including debates around national reserves and monetary frameworks in countries such as El Salvador, as evidence of gradual institutional adoption. He also referenced discussions in Switzerland about monetary reform and the historical appeal of gold-backed standards.

E. & J. Gallo Winery, the largest wine producer in the United States and the world by volume, has completed a major pivot into hard liquor. The family-owned giant finalized its acquisition of iconic Kentucky bourbon brand Four Roses from Japan’s Kirin Holdings in a deal valued at up to $775 million. The move comes as the U.S. wine industry grapples with steep declines in sales and a generational shift away from traditional wine – especially among younger Americans.

The transaction, which closed on April 2, 2026, returns Four Roses – which was founded in 1888 and long regarded as one of the most respected premium bourbons – to American ownership for the first time in 83 years. Gallo’s chief commercial officer, Britt West, called the brand “one of the most respected bourbons in the world  defined by heritage and craftsmanship,” adding “We are committed to upholding Four Roses’ quality and building the brand as a cornerstone of our portfolio through increased consumer and trade engagement, innovation, and global expansion.” 

The existing Four Roses team, including master distiller Brent Elliott, will remain in place. The brand’s first release under new ownership – a boutique 100-proof bourbon – is expected to hit shelves by May.

The timing is no coincidence. Just two months before the deal closed, Gallo laid off approximately 93–100 workers and permanently shuttered its large Ranch Winery production facility in Napa Valley’s St. Helena.

The cuts also hit other premium labels, including the Louis M. Martini Winery and Orin Swift Tasting Room. Earlier, the company closed its Courtside Cellars facility in San Luis Obispo County, letting go of 47 workers.

Gallo’s struggles mirror a broader crisis in American wine. Overall alcohol consumption in the U.S. has hit a historic low: just 54% of adults reported drinking in 2025, down from 62% in 2023 – the lowest level in Gallup’s nearly 90-year tracking.

Younger drinkers are leading the exodus. Only about 50% of Americans aged 18 to 34 said they drink alcohol in the latest Gallup poll, a sharp acceleration of a decade-long trend. Health-conscious Baby Boomers are also cutting back on wine. In their place, many consumers – particularly younger ones – are choosing spirits, ready-to-drink cocktails, and lower-alcohol or non-alcoholic alternatives.

Gallo, which already sells popular spirits such as New Amsterdam vodka, E&J brandy, and the blockbuster canned cocktail brand High Noon, is betting big that premium bourbon can help offset the wine slump. Four Roses, the eighth-largest bourbon producer globally and a consistent award winner, gives Gallo a strong foothold in the faster-growing spirits category and international markets.

Kirin, meanwhile, is exiting the spirits business to focus on other growth areas. For Gallo, the purchase is a clear signal: when wine demand shrinks, the world’s biggest winemaker isn’t doubling down on grapes – it’s turning to barrels.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

In a jaw-dropping display of reality inversion, Sweden’s state-owned public transport company SL has rolled out a new advert that casts loud, obnoxious white women as the problem on buses while depicting black men as the silent, long-suffering victims politely minding their own business.

The short video, now going viral, shows a smiling blonde woman named “Anita” glued to her phone watching TikTok at full blast with no headphones, laughing and disrupting everyone around her.

It then cuts to a young black man named “Samir” quietly using his phone with headphones, looking visibly annoyed as he adjusts them and glances her way. On-screen text reads: “Anita älskar Tiktok” (“Anita loves TikTok”) and “Samir också. Med hörlurar” (“Samir too. With headphones”).

In Sweden they have released an advert where White Women are loud and annoying on public transport and Black men are the one’s being quiet and upset about this

The anti-white propaganda is unbelievable pic.twitter.com/3onCm1xk2a

— Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) April 8, 2026

Yeah, because this always happens like this on buses and trains doesn’t it.

The official campaign is designed to push “good manners” on public transport. Yet instead of reflecting the well-known cultural differences in public behavior, it flips the script entirely to hammer home the approved narrative: native Swedes (especially white women) are the rude ones, while migrants, or those with migrant backgrounds, are the model citizens.

This latest stunt comes just weeks after we covered a near-identical case of woke hypocrisy in the UK. In February, Transport for London’s “Act Like a Friend” campaign produced multiple ads showing harassment on public transport. One featured a black teenage boy verbally harassing a white girl on a bus. 

The Advertising Standards Authority banned that specific clip after just one complaint, ruling it “perpetuated a negative racial stereotype about black men as perpetrators of threatening behaviour” and was “irresponsible” and “likely to cause serious offence.” 

Ads in the same campaign that showed white men as the harassers sailed through without issue.

Several other recent transport ads have also depicted white men as sexual aggressors, with their victims almost always being ‘diverse’.

The pattern is now crystal clear across Europe. European authorities will censor any depiction that dares show minority crime or bad behavior – even when it is part of a broader public safety message – but they happily fund propaganda that paints native Europeans as the villains. White people must be the problem. Always. No exceptions.

The SL ad arrives at a time when Sweden’s generous immigration policies have already transformed once-peaceful cities. Public transport in Stockholm and Malmö has seen rising tensions, fights, and harassment – issues frequently tied to imported cultural norms around volume, respect for personal space, and women. Yet instead of addressing root causes, the state chooses to gaslight its own citizens with cartoonish role reversals.

Europe’s elite are not interested in integration or honest conversation. They are committed to a top-down cultural replacement project that requires constant propaganda to paper over the cracks. When the public sees the truth every day on the bus or train, the state simply rewrites the script.

The game is wearing thin. People are fed up with being told to ignore their own eyes and lived experience in favour of state-approved fiction.

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