Happy Tax Day! (It’s also Try to Put Trump in Prison Day!)

Let’s get pouring.

It’s Tax Day

We probably don’t need to remind anyone of this, but today is April 15 and tax filings are due at midnight. (Are you using e-filing or UGH-filing?)

World Awaits Israeli Response to Historic Iranian Attack

For the first time in history, Iran directly attacked Israel from its own soil on Saturday. With the help of U.S. and others, Israel swatted away the estimated 300 drones and missiles like pesky flies, suffering relatively minor damage. The question is whether the nation will retaliate against Iran — or, as Joe Biden is urging, “take the win” rather than risk a wider regional war.

The attack also raised anew questions of the wisdom of the Biden administration giving $80 billion in illicit oil revenue to Iran’s terrorist regime by easing sanctions against it, to say nothing of the billions in Iranian assets the White House has unfrozen since Biden took office. It also showed that the Palestinians in Gaza aren’t all the innocent victims American media paint them to be: Reuters reports many Palestinians in Gaza cheered the Iranian attack, taking to the streets to celebrate as the drones and counter-defenses battled in the skies above. 

However, the attack also showed a glimmer of hope. Jordan confirmed to Reuters that it had shot down dozens of Iranian drones that passed over its territory. That’s a Muslim country helping out Israel. That’s definitely something to take as a win. 

Stream contributor Timothy Furnish weighs in with “Make No Mistake, Israel is the Good Guy in the New Fight With Iran.”  

Trump Hush Money Case Begins in New York

As old ladies are getting pushed down stairs and young women and girls are getting punched in the face by the thugs that run NYC, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will be in court today trying to put Donald Trump in jail for … well, it’s not really clear what for.

Somehow, a private Non-Disclosure Agreement between Trump and former stripper and porn star Stormy Daniels, arranged by the convicted felon and perjurer Michael Cohen (who may well have been having an affair with Daniels himself) has been sprinkled with that magic “Election Interference Dust” to become a massive federal criminal indictment.

According to Bragg (or more accurately, the DOJ bag man Biden sent to Bragg’s office), Trump hid the fact that he repaid Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Daniels to stay silent about their relationship. Therefore, the argument goes, he lied on financial forms.

Question: Why is it anybody’s business if Trump paid Cohen or how? Because Trump didn’t want anyone to know about his past escapades with Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign because clearly, nobody had any clue Trump had been a hound dog in his younger years disclosing them would taint his pristine image? Please note the sarcasm. (Besides, both Trump and Daniels denied having any kind of fling.)

But to Bragg, the payment to Cohen amounts to a campaign violation, even though the Federal Election Commission laughed it off. Neither the DOJ nor Bragg’s predecessor brought charges against Trump, and the statute of limitations had long long expired anyway. 

But that didn’t stop Bragg. He used COVID-era policies to expand the statute of limitations just for Trump. (Equal justice under the law? That’s for suckers.) Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Ordinarily, that’s considered a misdemeanor, but Bragg miraculously turned it into a felony case by declaring the hidden payment was part of a “conspiracy” to commit another crime.

What crime is that? Bragg refuses to say.

Let’s face it, we’re no longer a constitutional republic. We’ve become a Kafka novel.

So that is how the former president of the United States became the first ever to face criminal trial.

The legal pundits say this is the weakest of the many lawfare cases Trump is currently facing. However, it’s taking place in front of a New York jury and a radically liberal judge whose family is literally raking in millions of dollars from people actively working to destroy Trump. 

Tax Day is a good day to remind ourselves we fought a Revolution to break free of such despotic corruption. It’s also a good day to be remember just what we’re getting for our money.

Your Tax Dollars Letting Terrorists in the Country

One of the things we’re getting for our tax dollars is the privilege of landing in the crosshairs of terrorists.

NBC News reported last week that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol released into the U.S. a member of an Afghan terrorist group whose name is on the terror watch list. Mohammad Kharwin was picked up in February after roaming free on our streets for a year — only to be quickly released because the immigration judge didn’t known he was a threat. ICE finally nabbed Kharwin again about 10 days ago.

Given the way the Biden administration has responded to other illegal immigrants arrested for murdering Americans, we’re surprised he hasn’t been invited to the White House for a state dinner.

Your Tax Dollars Paying for the Best and Brightest to Command Our Brave Troops

We are a long way from the days of Admirals John Paul Jones and Chester Nimitz. The current commanders of the U.S. Navy more closely resemble Admiral Benson of Hot Shots!

The Navy recently posted an image of Commander Cameron Yaste, an executive officer on-board the guided missile USS John S. McCain, firing a rifle.  

Navy torpedoes embarrassing post showing commanding officer firing rifle with backward and covered scope https://t.co/cIrHaPN7PT pic.twitter.com/fxcO6vVavP

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 12, 2024

Unfortunately, the scope was on backwards and the cap was still on.

That’s just one of the things that makes hostile nations like Iran snicker when Biden says, “Don’t.”

This doesn’t help either.

Are you ready for WWIII? pic.twitter.com/uWPK6IAUBN

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 14, 2024

But kudos to the sharp-shooting military members who took down dozens of drones and missiles destined to wreak havoc on Israel Saturday night. They are still the best of the best.

Along The Stream

Check out this great tale of redemption from Aliya Kuykendall: “Sunny Side of the Stream: OnlyFans Girl Turns Fangirl for Jesus, Now Helps Others Avoid Porn.”

Meanwhile, Tom Gilson has a follow-up to his powerful post on Cru, where he worked for decades. This one’s called “Does Cru Support Pronoun Truth After All?”

Al Perrotta is managing editor of The Stream, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism. He hopes you’ll join him at 4 p.m. Eastern for Al’s Afternoon Tea.