April 21, 2026 - Pensito

— White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on Fox News.

With hundreds of ships and 20,000 sailors the Persian Gulf is jammed,
And with the U.S. Navy on the prowl, blockade runners could get rammed.
Now shipowners are getting anonymous emails,
Saying a little crypto will allow them to sail,
But alas, those poor, desperate shipowners are just getting scammed.

Tariff Refunding Begins

April 21, 2026 Buck Banks

$166 billion

The federal government yesterday began refunding more than $166B from global tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February, with interest accruing at roughly $22M per day, reports CBS News.

$71 Billion Needed to Rebuild Gaza

April 21, 2026 Buck Banks

$71 billion

Bloomberg: “Gaza needs an estimated $71.4 billion over the next decade to recover from two years of war that devastated most of the Palestinian territory, a new study by the European Union, United Nations and World Bank shows.”

Trump Holds $550 Million Ahead of Midterms

April 21, 2026 Buck Banks

$550 million

“President Donald Trump’s super political action committee raised $35.6 million in March, bolstering his war chest to $550 million as he tries to defy history by hanging onto congressional Republican majorities in an increasingly difficult midterm election environment,” Bloomberg reports.

Day: April 21, 2026

Maybe Because He’s a Liar?

“I’m not sure why after ten years of covering this president, the American media still cannot understand, when President Trump says he’s gonna do something, he’s going to do it.”

— White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on Fox News.

Worst President Ever

— Thomas Edsall

Fake Hormuz Dues

Tariff Refunding Begins

$166 billion

The federal government yesterday began refunding more than $166B from global tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February, with interest accruing at roughly $22M per day, reports CBS News.

$71 Billion Needed to Rebuild Gaza

$71 billion

Bloomberg: “Gaza needs an estimated $71.4 billion over the next decade to recover from two years of war that devastated most of the Palestinian territory, a new study by the European Union, United Nations and World Bank shows.”

Trump Holds $550 Million Ahead of Midterms

$550 million

“President Donald Trump’s super political action committee raised $35.6 million in March, bolstering his war chest to $550 million as he tries to defy history by hanging onto congressional Republican majorities in an increasingly difficult midterm election environment,” Bloomberg reports.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no air defenses. Their leadership is fractured. They have hyperinflation, their currency is worthless, and they’re having trouble making payroll… I guess other than that, they’re doing well.”

— Secretary of State Marco Rubio, quoted by the New York Post, on Iran.

— Sebastian Smee

“This is a gem sitting there. I think the Democrats … have been episodic in touching it, rather than front and center. Corruption as part of the affordability narrative is more chess, where affordability alone is more checkers.”

— Rahm Emanuel told Semafor that Democrats “should sharpen their arguments about President Donald Trump’s self-dealing while in office — by hitching them to affordability-focused messaging.”

Numerati

61%

54%

59%

A new Pew Research survey finds 59% of Americans say the country’s best years are behind us, while 40% say its best years are ahead.

3.8%

56%