BLOCKADE: Trump says US has ‘full custody’ of Iranian-flagged ship, ‘seeing what’s on board.’

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop,” he wrote on social media.

“The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” he added.

Developing…

INNOVATION, PALESTINIAN-STYLE:

I thought this was a joke, but it isn't. https://t.co/DnTdTW2XwA

— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) April 19, 2026

NOW THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY I WAS PROMISED: GM Uses AI to Turn Hand Sketches Into Car Designs in Minutes Instead of Months: GM’s car designers are using AI to help them accelerate new car designs and visions.

GET NEW JEANS: Levi’s Men’s 501 Original Fit Jeans (Also Available in Big & Tall). #CommissionEarned

I OFTEN WONDER ABOUT THE HISTORICAL IGNORANCE OF PEOPLE IN THE UK WHEN THEY SUGGEST THEIR COUNTRY IS A PACIFISTIC MODEL OF HOW ISRAEL SHOULD BEHAVE WHEN CONFRONTED WITH ROCKET FIRE ON CIVILIANS:

STANDING UP FOR CIVIL RIGHTS: The DOJ Has Warned Virginia About Its Anti-Gun Jihad.

OOPS: AST Spacemobile BlueBird 7 Satellite Lost. “ASTS admits the satellite is too low and cannot be saved. Based on what the orbit appears to be. 20kg of fuel they can only raise it part of the way. During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower than planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle. While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited. The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company’s insurance policy.”

LIMITED TIME DEAL: OLANLY Bathroom Rugs 30×20, Extra Soft Absorbent Chenille Bath Rugs. #CommissionEarned

THEY HELPED OFFSET THE MORONICITY OF HEALTH POLICIES: Why private gardens mattered so much during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

SPEAKING OF IRAN: Richard Pollock recounts the multiple ways in which leading Senate Democrats, including especially Schumer, have been proven wrong in their assessments of Trump’s military aims, negotiating tactics and mental condition.

FAITH SIDE OF IRAN CONFLICT: Rod Martin, a key leader in the anti-woke movement within the Southern Baptist Convention, opens his Substack column to a Baptist Report analysis that finds the fall of the mullahs could open the way to “the most significant spiritual shift in the region in centuries.”

HMM: Monica Reza Is a Missing Scientist: The Strange Circumstances of Her Disappearance.

I’M HONESTLY FLABBERGASTED THE ECONOMIST REPORTED A TRUTH:

The Economist went from condemning Trump’s Venezuela policy to praising it in 3 months.

January 10: “THE DONROE DELUSION.”

April 16: “Donald Trump has made Venezuela a better place.” pic.twitter.com/Py9hVaC6Ym

— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) April 19, 2026

Particularly when it comes with credit to Donald Trump.

SCIENCE: Torpedo-shaped robots diving deep into ocean help solve mystery of Antarctica’s sea ice.

I SUSPECT THERE MAY BE A THIRD FORCE BEHIND THIS:

It's still astonishing that the establishment (on both sides of the Atlantic) didn't follow "the most basic theory of how to respond to a populist era: Move to the cultural right, especially on immigration."

What were Obama and Hillary thinking? https://t.co/1G5IFZ3Ude

— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) April 19, 2026

Of course, that force may simply be deep idiocy.

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Can Swapping Out Your Plasma Slow the Aging Process?

THE ENEMY WITHIN:

When I interviewed David Cameron after he became Prime Minister he said the thing that shocked him most was “the scale of the domestic Islamist terrorist threat”.
An RAF cadet has been suspended for seeming to make the same point.
@RAFCRANWELL https://t.co/2DOoeE7H4x

— Allison Pearson (@AllisonPearson) April 19, 2026

It’s pretty clear who’s in charge of the UK, or nearly so.

SEEMS ABOUT RIGHT: Psychology asserts that children of the 1960s and 1970s did not become emotionally strong thanks to better parenting, but because they grew up with enough daily neglect to learn to self-regulate, solve problems on their own, and develop a resilience that modern comforts make difficult to build.

THIS IS WHAT THE MEDIA SQUANDERED IN PURSUIT OF THE NARRATIVE:

Trust in Legacy Media has tanked pic.twitter.com/ukvHEl1guh

— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole) April 18, 2026

Related:

The intellectual and moral collapse of the NY Times as "the paper of record." A play in two acts:

Act 1: In 2020, more than 800 reporters, editors, and staff at NY Times revolt and protest the publication of op-ed by Senator Tom Cotton arguing that troops should be deployed,… pic.twitter.com/WMZ3VMZqP3

— Adam Mossoff (@AdamMossoff) April 18, 2026

They still insist we take them seriously, however.

STAY SAFE: aosu Security Cameras Outdoor Wireless, 2 Cam-Kit, No Subscription Required.: #CommissionEarned

SALENA ZITO: Dr. Helen Smith’s newest book His Side is a fresh look at male alienation. “Noted forensic psychologist Dr. Helen Smith’s newest book, His Side: Men Speak Out on Dating, Marriage and Life in America, is a provocative look at the male experience. Smith uses interviews to examine how straight men are forced to navigate shattered norms in a turbulent society. Smith, who has long studied the human experience, takes the conversation outside of clinical data and brings the reader into the living rooms, workplaces, and communities of everyday men. There she uncovers the cultural fraying of the male experience in this country, one that has often been narrowed, stereotyped, and viewed with hostility. She uncovers a deep-seated ‘connective tissue’ that has been unraveled by a culture that often views the male experience through a narrow, and sometimes hostile, lens. . . . Smith’s book is a central guide for both men and women who are eager to understand navigating our modern world. The book offers great insights into men’s needs and a perspective that is clear-eyed and useful for both genders.”

You can read the book here.

THE CEASEFIRE WILL LAST JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR THE NAVY TO RELOAD:

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Navy is preparing to start boarding and seizing Iranian-linked sanctioned oil tankers in international waters across the world.

The operations would start over the next couple of days if the ceasefire ends without a deal. pic.twitter.com/9chXLLo6Qo

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 19, 2026

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Colgate faculty hold teach-in to discuss ‘resistance’ to ICE, police.

YOU LOST ME AT “BERKELEY SOCIOLOGY.” UC Berkeley sociology names transgender activist and AI researcher as commencement speaker.

JUDGE THEM BY THE COMPANY THEY KEEP:

Liz Warren runs through a parade of elected Socialists, culminating with Maine’s National Socialist contender pic.twitter.com/QZ2aY1HmRJ

— Tom Shattuck (@tomshattuck) April 19, 2026