Kitchen Briefs

Kitchen Briefs - April 17, 2026 AM

- Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is open and Trump is claiming that Iran promises to never close it ever again while also claiming further peace talks could take place this weekend, as well as continuing his own blockade of Iranian ports

- Trump is also considering unfreezing $20B in Iranian assets

- The International Energy Agency said it’s going to take approximately 2 years for Middle East energy output to return to pre-war levels

- Oil prices plunged 10%

- Sailors on the USS Tripoli and USS Abraham Lincoln, are facing severe shortages of food and basic supplies. Meanwhile care packages have been disrupted after the United States Postal Service suspended deliveries to military ZIP codes due to the conflict

- Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is resigning

- Last night after midnight, House Republicans called for a special vote after the Senate approved a short-term renewal until April 30 of a surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies

- China is warning travelers to avoid Seattle after 20 scholars with valid visas were denied entry into the US

- Sean Hannity is now picking on the Pope as well

- There have been severe storms in the central part of the country with tornadoes, hail and flooding

- Prime Minister to Japan Sanai Takaichi used to play keyboards in a Deep Purple tribute band and this week got to introduce them as they toured Japan

Kitchen Briefs - April 16, 2026 PM

• The ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has begun
• 10 people have disappeared or died in the past year and they all had access to U.S. nuclear and space secrets.
• A federal judge has halted construction on the White House ballroom above ground but says the bunker can still be constructed.
• Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director. She spent more than 20 year in uniform, including as rear admiral and chief medical officer of the Coast Guard.
• An arrest warrant has been issued for ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. in Minnesota who pulled his gun on a driver.
• The DOJ has opened it’s own investigation into Rep Eric Swalwell
• Trump will hold a rally in Arizona at Dream City Church, in partnership with Turning Point USA. The venue was recently named in a lawsuit involving the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl by a staff member at an affiliated school.
• Speaking of Turning Point USA, Under The Desk News did a great deep dive into how they're trying to now infiltrate middle schools
• In good news, NPR has received two donations totaling $113M, one from an anonymous donor and the other from Connie Ballmer for $80M

Kitchen Briefs - April 16, 2026 AM

• Breaking news: Trump has announced a 10 day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel beginning at 5pm ET
• According to Pete Hegseth the US is ready to start combat if Iran doesn’t agree to a deal
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department related to the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s 2019 impeachment
• The International Energy Agency is warning that Europe has about 6 weeks of jet fuel supply left if oil supplies remain blocked
• US Military forces struck a vessel on Wednesday in the eastern Pacific Ocean killing 3 men who were trafficking drugs according to the Pentagon
• Sweden has decided to go back to the basics and is swapping out laptops for books, pens and paper
• I want to acknowledge what many of you have said to me in my DMs…it’s starting to feel like we live in a movie and those of us paying attention feel like we are conspiracy theorists.
• Pete Hegseth’s morning prayer in which he claims to quote the bible is actually from Pulp Fiction
• CNN investigation that found that 62 million men attended an online rape academy in February alone.

Kitchen Briefs - April 15, 2026 PM

• Iran’s army has warned it will block trade through the Red Sea along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues
• The US has blocked the 10th Iranian ship from going through the Strait
• Karoline Leavitt said she’s seeing lots of bad reporting so until you hear it from her, it’s not happening but at the same time she said there are discussions of peace talks
• For the fourth time today Senate republicans blocked a war powers resolution which could have ended the war in Iran
• House Democrats have introduced 6 articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
• Interim AG Todd Blanche says he will further investigate the Epstein files
• Speaker Mike Johnson is jumping on the bandwagon calling out the Pope
• Israel’s at it today and has killed four paramedics in Southern Lebabnon, yet five Israeli soldiers were also wounded
• There’s talks of the US starting a potential military operation in Cuba while the current US blockade is already putting the Cuban cigar in crisis.
• Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer apologized to Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent referred to the Strait of Hormuz as the Strait of Vermouth

Kitchen Briefs - April 15, 2026 AM

• It’s tax day and how’s this for where your tax dollars are going? Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced this week that the state is investing $15million into a partnership with Israel to attract Israeli tech companies with the goal of making Indiana the US headquarters for Israeli firms
• Israeli Army General announces plans to continue strikes on Lebanon and Iran
• Once again today, Trump thinks he’s Jesus or at least touched by him. He’s also talking about RBG and contradicts himself within the same breath
• JD Vance says the Pope needs to be more careful when talking about theology
• Tom Homan has decided to offer his two cents in that the Catholic church should stay out of politics.
• Trump is threatening to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he doesn’t leave in May. Powell has 2 years of his term left and is in the midst of an investigation into the Central Bank
• Todd Blanche is proving to be just as bad as Pam Bondi. He says all of the Epstein files have been released. He’s also saying that he might just investigate certain things even if a grand jury doesn’t indict on cases. And the DOJ asked the Columbia Circuit to vacate seditious conspiracy convictions for Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders, aiming to permanently dismiss their indictments.
• Today in history: in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke baseball color barrier

Kitchen Briefs - April 14, 2026 PM

• Trump is signaling more talks with Iran in the next two days
• King Charles will not meet with Epstein survivors on his upcoming trip to the US
• A 5th woman has come forward accusing Eric Swalwell of assaulting her in 2018
• Rep Ruben Gallego say he heard rumors of flirty behavior but denies he knew of sexual assault allegations against Swalwell
• TMA has just launched a DC bureau with 3 producers
• Trump’s Truth social is filled with his endorsements for candidates, two of which are for Republicans going against two congressional reps in Nevada, Dina Titus and Susie Lee. Vote Titus and Lee!
• The California Governor Candidate Voter guide is complete! It's in my Substack or you can send me a DM to get your guide!

Kitchen Briefs - April 14, 2026 AM

• 3 entire ships have passed through the Strait including one sanctioned Chinese ship which Iran has mocked since it has a Malawi flag flying on it. Iran is dragging Trump on social media
• Israel and Lebanon talks have begun in Washington DC with the US brokering the talks and Marco Rubio in attendance
• The Red Cross said that they are asking colleagues whether they are married or have children when going on rescue missions in Lebanon or Iran because they are literally risking their lives to do so
• An appeals court is ordering a federal judge to end contempt investigation of the Trump administration deportation flights claiming the judge overstepped his authority
• A major investor with World Liberty Financial, Justin Sun is accusing the Trump family of misleading investors and improperly freezing accounts
• Swalwell and Gonzalez will still be eligible to receive their pensions and benefits from Congress. It only takes 5 years to fully vest and Gonzalez is right at the cusp of that
• Stay tuned for the California Governor Candidate Voter Guide

Kitchen Briefs - April 13, 2026 PM

• The US has started the blockade of the Strait with Trump vowing to kill Iranian ships while Hezbollah rejects Israel Lebanon talks
• Trump is lashing out at the New York Times for their reporting on the war but has also invited a staged Door Dash driver from Arkansas to the White House and instead of sticking to the script of taxes on tips, he asked her about transgender women in women’s sports. He also said he thought the image of him as Jesus was actually of him being a doctor. But what about the photo he posted before of himself as the Pope?
• Alameda County DA’s office is evaluating whether they should open an investigation into Congressman Eric Swalwell. Alameda county is the county Swalwell and his district reside in.
• Meanwhile Swalwell and Gonzalez have resigned from their positions in Congress. Meanwhile, former SF Mayor Willie Brown and former speaker Kevin McCarthy say they knew about it which makes them just as guilty. Shoutout to Mrs. Frazzled and Cheyenne Hunt for being decent human beings in all of this and putting a stop to it.
• Minnesota county is investigating the removal of ChongLy Thao, the US citizen taken from his home wearing only shorts and a blanket as a possible kidnapping. Reminder that ICE is still very much present in Minnesota.
• The California Governor’s race that has over 60 candidate names on the ballot continues to be a hot topic. Since the news of Swalwell, Xavier Becerra’s name has suddenly been popping up, whether because of the algorithms feeding it or because influencers are suddenly endorsing him but Eliza Orlins as shared on Threads some facts that should make you question whether he’s the right person for California.

Kitchen Briefs - April 13, 2026 AM

• Trump is now posting AI images of himself as Jesus while also posting messages insulting the Pope. He has since deleted the post of himself
• Pope Leo meanwhile says he doesn’t fear Trump
• Remember how JD was in Hungary campaigning for Viktor Orban? Well, Hungarians said no, we see what Trump is doing and we choose Peter Magyar instead.
• Trump continues to threaten Iranian ships in the Strait
• A US judge has dismissed Trump’s $10B defamation case against the Wall Street Journal over the birthday card he drew for Epstein
• Britney Spears has checked herself into rehab for substance abuse three weeks before her court date for her DUI
• Meta is building an AI avatar of Mark Zuckerberg to interact with employees to provide personal superintelligence and streamlining internal communications
• AP news did a great report on how the Trump family is the first presidential family to profit off their own deals while in office. Something every president in the past has avoided

Kitchen Briefs - April 12, 2026

• JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner failed at the peace talks with Iran
• Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is open for civilian use while Trump announced a blockade for the strait
• Iraq is sending aid to Lebanon
• CNN is reporting that Trump wants to use Magic Paint on the outside of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to make it a bright white despite warnings that such paint could damage the historic granite
• All of the endorsements Eric Swalwell had have been revoked in under 24 hours