Iran’s Ships Sneak Past US Blockade As Navy Hunt Goes Global

 https://www.newsweek.com/irans-ships-sneak-past-us-blockade-as-navy-hunt-goes-global-11872848

Shipping specialists say more than two dozen oil tankers have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports since it began on April 13.

While the U.S. military says it has turned around scores of ships leaving Iranian waters, at least some of Iran’s “shadow fleet” has made it past the dense web of warships, surveillance planes and possibly satellites to reach loading areas in the Persian Gulf and trade routes on the high sea.

Trump's Lebanon gamble could undermine effort against Iran

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/27/trumps-lebanon-gamble-could-undermine-effort-against-iran/

Under pressure from the US president, the IDF has stopped strikes on Hezbollah's power centers. The terrorist organization, for its part, continues to violate the ceasefire. Israel must stop playing by Hezbollah's rules in order to disrupt its operations. In Gaza, too, greater sophistication is needed in the face of Hamas' military buildup, which could begin targeting IDF forces at any moment.

The restrictions imposed on IDF activity in Lebanon and the halt to strikes in Beirut are allowing Hezbollah to continue violating the ceasefire without fearing that the price it will pay will be unbearable. They leave the Lebanese terrorist organization in control of the location, timing, frequency and means by which it clashes with Israel, as well as control over the intensity of the escalation. In practice, this also gives Hezbollah the ability to set new rules and shape the equations of response against Israel.

President Donald Trump sought to restrain Israel in order to pave the way for diplomatic dialogue between Jerusalem and President Joseph Aoun's government. In practice, he has denied Israel part of the freedom of action it had until two months ago and allowed it to continue operating with one hand tied behind its back.

In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, the White House blames the left — and the media

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/27/in-the-wake-of-saturdays-shooting-the-white-house-blames-the-left-and-the-media-00894135

President Donald Trump, standing at the White House briefing room podium in his tuxedo hours after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting Saturday night, called for peace.

By Monday, the tone had changed.

Administration officials shifted to a more combative stance, insisting that the chaos that erupted at the dinner is a potent justification for a range of Trump initiatives — from his new White House ballroom, to the stalled fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and even the ouster of late night provocateur Jimmy Kimmel.

It was a stark contrast from the president’s remarks Saturday evening, when he called for “Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives” to resolve their differences peacefully.In a room packed with journalists and high-ranking Cabinet officials, Trump observed Saturday, “there was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together.”

Political violence jolts the US once again - with a familiar response

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje4eeyq27lo

For many in the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, the scene was painfully familiar. Shots fired, confusion and panic, and a sense that the normal order of things had been violently interrupted.

Trump, reflective, calls for unity and a cooling of political rhetoric. News coverage speculates about a "new tone" from the president. Ultimately, partisan divisions reassert themselves – often with Trump leading the way.

On Sunday evening, in a sit-down with CBS' 60 Minutes programme, Trump blamed Democrats for creating an atmosphere that encouraged the shooting, then derided interviewer Norah O'Donnell as "a disgrace" and "horrible" after she asked about the manifesto written by the alleged assailant.

A ballroom by itself will not fully address safety concerns raised by Saturday's incident. Those concerns include how a man was able to bring weapons into a building hosting a president and top government officials, whether the security perimeter set out by the US Secret Service was sufficient, and whether guests in other parts of the hotel should have been screened.

Jeffries calls Karoline Leavitt a ‘stone-cold liar’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5851681-jeffries-leavitt-liar-political-violence-rhetoric/?tbref=hp

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday called White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt a “stone-cold liar” after she blamed Democrats for the Saturday shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“This so-called White House press secretary wants to lecture America and lecture us about civility. Get lost. Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol on Monday,

“The notion that any of us are concerned with so-called criticism from these phony Republicans as it relates to anything that has been said — certainly as it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection to the redistricting battle that Republicans launched — I stand by it,” Jeffries said Monday.

Trump’s hypocritical crusade on violent rhetoric — and the country’s emerging split reality

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/27/politics/trump-violent-rhetoric-analysis

A month ago, President Donald Trump unabashedly celebrated the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” Trump said. “He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

On Monday, Trump and his White House responded to a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend by decrying Democrats’ supposedly beyond-the-pale rhetoric and labeling them a “cult of hatred.”

Their chief example of this kind of rhetoric? ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel telling a joke that made light of Trump’s potential demise. Days before this weekend’s shooting, Kimmel joked that first lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.”

Apparently, it’s OK for Trump to celebrate a public servant’s death; it is not OK for Jimmy Kimmel to joke about Trump’s.

IDF strikes Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley for first time in 3 weeks as some towns in north cancel school

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-strikes-lebanons-beqaa-valley-for-first-time-in-3-weeks-amid-shaky-ceasefire/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2026-04-27&utm_medium=email

The IDF said it launched a wave of airstrikes Monday against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon as a fragile ceasefire appeared to be rapidly unraveling just days after it was extended.

The strikes came following repeated recent attacks by the Iran-backed terror group on IDF troops and Israel during the truce, including a deadly drone attack in Lebanon the previous day that killed an IDF soldier and wounded six.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Israel’s freedom to strike Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon on Monday, while Lebanon’s president, whose government is holding historic direct talks with Israel amid the ceasefire, condemned Hezbollah for attacks it has launched.

Correspondents’ dinner lacked highest security level despite presence of top officials

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/26/white-house-correspondents-dinner-security-status/

The Trump administration provided a lower level of security for the White House correspondents’ dinner than it has for other gatherings of high-ranking officials, even though the president and many Cabinet members were in attendance, according to officials familiar with the plan.

When so many officials gather in one place for official functions such as an inauguration or State of the Union address, the secretary of homeland security typically puts the Secret Service in charge of coordinating all security through a formal designation known as a “National Special Security Event.”

The Simple Security Flaws That Exposed Trump to Another Gunman

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-shooting-correspondents-dinner-security-e1483305?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_2

Dinner guests said getting into the hotel was remarkably easy; “What the hell is the Secret Service doing?”

At the same hotel where then-President Ronald Reagan was shot 45 years ago, it was remarkably easy for a shooter to charge toward a ballroom where President Trump—along with his cabinet members and the reporters who cover his administration—were dining Saturday night. 

The sprawling Washington Hilton, located about 1½ miles north of the White House, for decades has been home to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner because of its capacity to host a large crowd and the Secret Service’s familiarity with securing it. More than 2,500 people attended the event, including five of the top six officials in the presidential line of succession. Hundreds more gathered for parties that media outlets hosted on site before the main festivities began.

Tzadikim try to deceive G-d

Tehilim (19:13) Who can discern his errors? Clean me from hidden faults.

Yalkut Shimoni (677) Who will understand the errors? Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, "The righteous are mighty, they know how to praise their Creator, and they know how to deceive their Creator. See how David praised. He began to praise in the heavens. The heavens tell of the glory of God. The heavens said to him, "Do you need anything?" He said And the skies tell of the work of his hands. The skies said to him, "Do you need anything?" He began to sing and began to praise the Torah, the Torah of the Lord is perfect. G-d said to him, "David, what  do you need? He replied, Who will understand the errors?The errors done before You do you permit?

Vayikra Rabbah (05:08) David was a clever tenant. He commenced a Psalm with an expression of praise, saying, The heavens declare the glory of God. Said the heavens to him:Do you require anything? And the firmament showeth His handiwork. Said the firmament to him: ‘Do you require anything?’ He went on with his Psalm: Day unto day uttereth speeches, etc.. Said G-d to him: ‘What do you require?’ Said David: Who can discern errors?, meaning, ‘What of the sins I have committed before Thee in error?’ G-d answered: ‘For unintentional transgression you are forgiven, for that you are granted remission.’ David continued: Clear Thou me from hidden faults  i.e. from sins which I have committed before Thee in secret. He answered: ‘For transgression committed in secret you are forgiven, for that is remission granted you.’ David went on: Keep back Thy servant also from such as are presumptuous, i.e. from deliberate transgressions. That they may not have dominion over me; then shall I be faultless. This speaks of the gravest of transgressions.-And I shall be clear from great transgression. David said before G-d: ‘O Master of the Universe! Thou art a great God, and my sins are great. It is only the great God who is fitted to forgive great sins.’ This is indicated bywhat is written, For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.

Midrash Tehillim (19:16) Who will understand mistakes? Give me Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who the righteous are that know how to entice their Creator and know how to rebuke. See how David rebuked his Creator, he started by rebuking the heavens, as it says "The heavens tell of the glory of God." They replied, "Do you need anything?" "No," he said, "but the work of His hands proclaims the firmament." Then he began to rebuke with the Torah, as it says "The fear of the Lord is pure." God said to him, "David, what do you want?" He replied, "Who will understand mistakes? Your servant has committed many sins." God said to him, "I forgive you, and leave your sins." Even willful sins, which are the worst kind. They shall not rule over me. These are sins of passion. As it is said, "Let not those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me." This is the sin of the great transgression. Rabbi Levi said that David said to God, "Master of the Universe, You are a great God, and I owe a great debt to You. Help me pay my debts." As it is said, "For Your Name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great." Rav Acha the Kutite said of these sinners, that they know how to go around doors. At first, they say, "Give the poor man a little water." When they change their mind, they say, "Give him one onion," and they give it to him. Then they say, "Give him an onion without bread," and they give it to him. The righteous also know how to please their Creator, as it says, "The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing." This refers to Moses. But the wicked have twisted lips, because they do not know how to please God. 

Sanhedrin (107a) Unto whom may David be likened? Unto a heathen merchant. David said before G-d Sovereign of the Universe! Who can understand his errors? He replied, They are forgiven thee. Cleanse thou me from secret faults he pursued I grant it thee. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins! Tis granted. Let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright: so that scholars may not discuss me.Granted.And I shall be innocent from the great transgression: so my sins may not be recorded.He replied, That is impossible. If the single yod which I removed from Sarai continuously cried out in protest for many years until Joshua came and I added it to his name, as it is written, And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua: how much more so a complete section! And I shall be innocent from great transgression. He pleaded before Him, Sovereign of the Universe! Pardon me that sin completely as though it had never been committed. He replied, It is already ordained that thy son Solomon should say in his wisdom, Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. He lamented, Must I suffer so much He replied, Accept thy chastisement, and he accepted it.

The Trump Staged Shooting Conspiracies Need to Stop

 https://www.newsweek.com/the-trump-staged-shooting-conspiracies-need-to-stop-opinion-11881629

A lone gunman stormed the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner and was quickly detained after injuring a Secret Service agent. Almost immediately, people on both sides of the conspiracy spectrum claimed this was another staged assassination attempt orchestrated by President Donald Trump, this time to divert attention from embarrassing headlines tied to his failure to negotiate with Iran.

This same bipartisan conspiracy culture also believes Trump and his allies orchestrated the previous assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania—an attack that killed a person in the crowd, seriously injured two others, and resulted in the immediate killing of the would-be assassin after Trump himself was struck in the ear.

The Only Cure by Mark Solms review – has modern neuroscience proved Freud right?

 https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/12/the-only-cure-by-mark-solms-review-a-bold-attempt-to-rehabilitate-freud

I read The Only Cure through the lens of its bold – perhaps too bold – title. It contains two claims. First, that psychoanalysis is a cure in the sense that its benefits are lasting and may continue after treatment has been completed. Second, it is the only cure since rival treatments – notably drugs – may lose their effect when they are discontinued because they do not address underlying causes. Solms cites overviews of clinical trials that he believes support these claims. The story he tells seems extremely encouraging – unless, like me, you are obsessional enough to read the papers to which he refers.

When Solms homes in on the evidence for what he calls “good old-fashioned psychoanalysis”, he cites the positive findings of an authoritative systematic overview, but omits reference to the final lines of the paper, which warns against drawing hasty conclusions and calls for “larger studies of higher quality”. A more recent systematic review published in the Lancet Psychiatry was similarly cautious. Admittedly, the treatment schedule was brief. More relevant, perhaps, is an examination of the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy (at least 50 sessions over a year). This seems to show clear benefit, but again the authors counsel caution “given the low quality of available evidence”.

The jury is still out, therefore, as to whether psychoanalysis is a cure, never mind the only cure. At best one can conclude it is as effective as other psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which are, however, less labour intensive.

Netanyahu cancels Lag Ba’Omer Meron celebrations over mass-casualty concerns

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426118

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Monday morning ordered the cancellation of the annual Lag Ba’Omer celebrations in Meron, citing the fragile ceasefire with Lebanon. The decision was made following several security assessments chaired by the Prime Minister.

It was stressed that the directive stems from “concerns over a potential mass-casualty event due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon, the site’s proximity to the Lebanese border, the possibility of rocket fire toward the area, and the difficulty of carrying out a large-scale evacuation of participants within the necessary timeframe."

Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/entire-nsf-science-advisory-board-fired-by-trump-administration/#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration%20proposed%20two,proposal%20for%20the%202026%20budget.

All 22 members of the advisory board that advises and oversees the US National Science Foundation (NSF), a leading funder of basic science, were fired on 24 April without explanation. Each member of the NSF’s National Science Board (NSB) received an email Friday afternoon saying that “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” their positions were “terminated, effective immediately”.

Zoe Lofgren, a member of the US House of Representatives from California and the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, criticized the move. “This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” she said in a statement. “It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the Foundation.” House science committee chairman Brian Babin, a Republican from Texas, did not respond to a request for comment.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has ousted federal science advisors en masse. Last year, the administration fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which played a critical part in US vaccine policy, and eliminated 14 advisory committees at the NSF. Also last year, Trump issued an order eliminating several advisory committees, including one on long COVID, to reduce government spending and “promote American freedom and innovation.”