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… Kash Patel is paranoid and melting down while trying to hunt down leakers at the FBI. MS NOW: “Kash Patel has ordered the polygraphing of more than two dozen former and current members of his security detail and other staff and has been described as in panic mode to save his job and find leakers among his team.
… “Patel has walled himself off from some senior bureau leaders this week in the wake of multiple media reports that raised red flags about his leadership. The director ordered the polygraphing this week of the former and current security detail members, as well as several information technology staff.”
… “The FBI director demanded the polygraph examinations to determine if any members of the team that accompanies him on all his travels or staff who have access to sensitive details about his decisions have communicated with reporters, according to the people, who asked to speak anonymously due to the threat of retribution.”
… MS NOW: “The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on an Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote a deeply unflattering account last month of Kash Patel’s work habits. The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified info and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter.”
… “The journalist, Sarah Fitzpatrick, cited two dozen anonymous sources in a detailed story reporting that Patel’s alcohol consumption and erratic behavior had caused deep concern among FBI officials. Patel was known to drink to the point of intoxication, she reported, adding that on occasion his security detail had trouble waking him in the morning.”
… “An investigation could be used by FBI agents to obtain her phone records, run her name and info through FBI databases and examine her social media contacts. It was not known what investigative steps agents have taken in the case. There is deep concern about this approach among some of the FBI agents assigned to the matter.”
… Sarah Fitzpatrick: “Last month, I reported that FBI personnel were alarmed by what they said was erratic behavior and excessive drinking by Patel. (The FBI director has denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against The Atlantic and me.) After my story appeared, I heard from people in Patel’s orbit and people he has met at public functions, who told me that it is not unusual for him to travel with a supply of personalized branded bourbon.”
… “The bottles bear the imprint of the Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and are engraved with the words ‘Kash Patel FBI Director,’ as well as a rendering of an FBI shield. Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: Ka$h. An eagle holds the shield in its talons, along with the number 9, presumably a reference to Patel’s place in the history of FBI directors.”
… “Patel has given out bottles of his personalized whiskey to FBI staff as well as civilians he encounters in his duties. Patel has distributed his self-branded bottles while on official business, including during at least one FBI event. He and his team have transported the whiskey using a DOJ plane, including when he went to Milan during the Olympics. One of the bottles was left behind in a locker room, according to a person who was there.”
… A CIA report reveals that Trump and Pete Hegseth have been lying to the American people about the situation inside Iran. WaPo: “A confidential new CIA analysis delivered to policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the US naval blockade for at least 3 to 4 months before facing more severe economic hardship, a finding that contradicts those hailing an imminent collapse.”
… “US intel also indicates that Iran retains about 75% of its pre-war inventories of mobile launchers and about 70% of its pre-war stockpiles of missiles. The regime has also been able to recover underground storage facilities and repair damaged missiles.”
… One of the US officials said they thought Iran’s capacity to sustain prolonged economic hardship is far greater than even this current CIA estimate: “The leadership has gotten more radical, determined, and increasingly confident that they can outlast US political will.”
… Iran state media IRIB: “Axios reported 5 times in 19 days that a deal with Iran was ‘imminent.’ 5 times - and no deal materialized. It appears the reporter known as B.R. (Barak Ravid), along with friends in the US govt, may be profiting from market volatility!”
… Ravid responded: “This is a Lie! Axios didn't report even once over the last three weeks that a deal was ‘imminent’. The Iranian regime, its state TV and its Bots and influence accounts on social media are pushing this lie. It's a regime propaganda campaign. Don't fall for it or amplify it.”
… Ravid later today: “The US military conducted strikes on Thursday on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz area, a US official said. The US official said the strikes do not constitute a resumption of the war with Iran.”
… Iran state media IRIB: “Following the attack of the US army on an Iranian oil tanker, the enemy's units in the Strait of Hormuz came under Iranian missile fire, and after sustaining damage, were forced to flee.”
… CENTCOM: “US forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman. Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No US assets were struck.”
… US Central Command eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking US forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes. CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”
… Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ spokesperson: The aggressive, terrorist, and pirate US military violated the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker traveling from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz near the Emirati port of Fujairah. At the same time, with the cooperation of some regional countries, they carried out air attacks on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.”
… “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately responded by attacking US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of the port of Chabahar, reportedly inflicting significant damage on them.”
… ABC: “DOJ is investigating a series of suspiciously-timed trades just ahead of major announcements about the war by Trump. DOJ is probing at least 4 traders in the oil market after more than $2.6 billion was made betting that oil prices would drop right before they actually did:
On March 23, 15 minutes before Trump announced that he would delay threatened attacks on Iran’s power grid, traders bet more than $500 million that oil prices would fall.
On April 7, hours ahead of a temporary ceasefire announced by Trump, traders bet $960 million that oil prices would fall.
On April 17, 20 minutes before Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media saying that the Strait of Hormuz was open, traders bet $760 million that oil prices would fall.
On April 21, 15 minutes before Trump announced he would extend the ceasefire, traders placed a series of bets worth $430 million that oil prices would fall.”
… Iranian Parliament spokesman Nezam Mousavi: “70 days have passed since Trump said Iran would surrender in 3 days. 10 weeks have passed since he said the war with Iran would end in 4 weeks. 30 days have passed since he said Iran’s civilization would be destroyed tomorrow. 15 days have passed since he said Iran’s oil wells would be blown up in 3 days’ time. The Sultan of Irregular Bluffs!”
… NBC: “Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the US military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation. Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing ‘Project Freedom’ on social media, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia.”
… “In response, the Kingdom informed the US it would not allow the US military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort. A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince MBS did not resolve the issue, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore US military access to the critical airspace.”
… “Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard; the president spoke with leaders in Qatar after the effort had already begun. Trump had announced the operation over the weekend as a way to break Iran’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, and his top national security leaders spent much of Tuesday talking up the effort in public briefings at the Pentagon and WH, only to have the president suddenly halt the operation roughly 36 hours after it began.”
… Former MI-6 official : Aimen Dean “Spoke to a senior Saudi official about the NBC article regarding Project Freedom. If you are asking GCC countries to participate in such an operation, then you need to be upfront about the rules of engagement from day one!”
… “You cannot say: ‘Please open your skies and bases, expose your energy infrastructure’, only for everyone to discover afterwards that the actual American policy was apparently: ‘Oh by the way, if Iran attacks you with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, we still won’t retaliate because Trump is busy chasing The Deal.’ This is exactly what shocked the Saudis.”
… “You had attacks against Emirati infrastructure. Fujairah was targeted. Multiple waves involving drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles. And Washington’s response was basically: ‘Meh. Minor incident. Let’s not escalate.’ Minor incident?! For the GCC that was madness.”
… “What Riyadh, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi suddenly realized was that Trump’s obsession with preserving ‘The Deal’ had apparently reached the point where Gulf energy infrastructure was now considered acceptable collateral damage in the pursuit of his precious negotiations.”
… “From the Gulf perspective, this stopped looking like strategy and started looking like desperate political vanity mixed with deadly wishful thinking. The problem was not Project Freedom itself. The problem was discovering midway through the operation that the GCC countries were apparently expected to sit there quietly as punching bags while Washington played negotiation theatrics with Tehran. So the Saudis and Kuwaitis pulled plug!”
… Gas prices have hit another new high, averaging $4.56 a gallon, according to AAA. The average was $2.98/gal when the war with Iran started. 81% of Americans say they’re feeling a financial strain because of the cost of gas, according to a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll.
… Rep. Keith Self (R-FL) on Newsmax: Q - “81% say the pain at the pump is really putting a strain on their household budgets. Are you worried about his heading into the midterms? Self: We need to get the prices down because it’s right there in your face every day when you buy gas.”
… Reuters: “Major US passenger airlines spent just over $5 billion on jet fuel in March, up $1.8 billion or 56% from what they spent in February. The cost per gallon of fuel in March was $3.13, up 74 cents, and 31% over February. Fuel use rose 20% in March.
… WaPo-ABC-Ipsos poll: “87% of Americans have a negative view of Trump’s social post appearing to depict himself as Jesus. 69% dislike Pete Hegseth praying at the Pentagon for ‘overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy’.”
… A new poll shows only 28% of Americans now approve of Trump’s ballroom project, which is a lower than the number of people who believe in ghosts and telepathy.
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… NOTUS: “At some point this year, personnel at Joint Base Andrews realized they were missing tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel. The base’s fuel system had failed a leak safety test in early Dec. In Jan and Feb, it had lost about 10,000 gallons of jet fuel, but staff believed the leak was contained to the base. Then on March 23, someone on the base spotted oil on the freshwater creek that starts on the sprawling Prince George’s County, MD military facility.
… “That day DOD finally called the state. For an unknown period of time, jet fuel had been spilling into the Piscataway Creek, which feeds into the Potomac River. Late March was the first time the state of MD had heard of any issues at the base, despite strict state regulations that require the facility to immediately disclose leaks. It took roughly two more weeks for DOD to disclose the full extent of the spillage - this one from a second leak in the system.”
… “In all, the base, which houses Air Force One, has lost about 32,000 gallons of jet fuel between the two leaks. No one knows exactly how much of that fuel has contaminated the creek. Now, MD regulators and the state’s congressional delegation want to know why DOD took so long to tell them something was wrong.”
… Daily Mail: “Trump-endorsed Rep. Max Miller is accused of physically abusing his ex-wife, GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno’s daughter, including allegedly hurling boiling water at her with their 8-month-old present. DM has the photos. Photos expose Trump-backed congressman's 'abuse'... as senator's daughter reveals scalding water attack and humiliating apology letter.”
It is time for Ask the Editor again tomorrow where I answer 5 questions chosen from your comments to the Bulletin. Please submit any question you may have in the comments below. If you missed my weekly podcast Uncovered yesterday, where I do deep dive into the top stories happening now, you can find it here.
This Bulletin was a ton of work with news coming from a bunch of different directions constantly all day, so this was one of those where I had to go 13 hours straight with no breaks. Good thing I got up at 5 AM! Thank you to everyone who reads, subscribes to, and watches my work.
… NYT: “A federal judge has released a suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein that was sealed for years as part of the criminal case of his cellmate. Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, said he discovered the note in July 2019 after Epstein was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth wrapped around his neck. Epstein survived that incident, but he was found dead weeks later.”
… “They investigated me for month - FOUND NOTHING!!! It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do - Bust out cryin!! NO FUN. ...
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