Today in Politics, Bulletin 342. 4/3/26

… NYT: “Iran shot down a US fighter jet over the country, the first time that has occurred in 5 weeks of war, but a rescue effort succeeded in recovering one of its two crew members from Iranian soil. The fate of the other one remained unclear.”

… “The loss of the F-15E jet and the rescue efforts create major military and diplomatic challenges for the US. Trump has threatened in recent days to bombard Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages,’ and over the past 24 hours, the US and Iran have been trading attacks on military and civilian infrastructure in the region.”

… A second AF plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, and the lone pilot was safely rescued. The A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran. One crew member was rescued and search-and-rescue operators are looking for the second airman. Officials provided scant details about the A-10 crash, including how and where it happened.”

… NBC: “Two US military helicopters that were involved in the F-15 search and rescue efforts were struck by Iranian fire today, but the service members are all safe, according to a US official.”

… Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) on CNN: “This happened a day after the President got on TV and that they had completely eliminated Iranian anti-aircraft facilities. So a day later, they shoot down an advanced US fighter jet. This just shows how incredibly out of his league the President is. The commander-in-chief doesn't know what he's talking about. He's lying to the American public.”

… Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on CNN: “We were told in the President's address that we owned the skies of Iran, and it looks like we don't. We have a president who seems to have more plans for a ballroom than a conflict in the Middle East.”

… Iranian Parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf: “After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’ Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.”

… Sky News: “Iran has rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire.”

… WSJ: “The current round of efforts by regional countries led by Pakistan to reach a cease-fire between the US and Iran has reached a dead end, mediators told the Wall Street Journal.”

… Pam Bondi’s photos have already been removed from the walls of DOJ with at least one of them seen in a trash can: “One photo obtained by MS NOW showed Bondi’s portrait in a trash bin. Current and former DOJ officials said it’s a reflection of how deeply unpopular Bondi was with career officials and agents, thousands of whom left the dept rather than follow her orders.”

… “Many of those officials remain angry about an episode at the beginning of her term, when Bondi entered a secure area of the DOJ offices of the national security division and saw that Joe Biden’s portrait was still on the wall, along with former AG Merrick Garland. Bondi demoted a respected career veteran over the pictures still hanging in the offices after Trump’s inauguration.”

… Bondi: “I went up on the 7th floor, which is the national security division. The entire floor is a SCIF, so no one can get in there. So I was able to get the code, open the door, and I look on the wall and see President Biden, Kamala Harris, and Merrick Garland’s paintings still hanging. I personally took all 3 photos down.”

… What comes around goes around.

… Rep. Eric Swalwell was asked on MS NOW about the report that Bondi was fired because she leaked to him that Kash Patel was about to release files about him: “The AG did not tip us off. No one in her orbit tipped us off. It was FBI agents who tipped off WaPo because they saw this effort by Patel and Trump to try and interfere in a CA governor’s race.”

… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) was asked about voting for a successor to Bondi: “For me, the threshold for somebody following Bondi ends the moment I hear them said one thing that excused the events of Jan 6th. I’ve been very clear on that. I won’t support any nominee who thought that any element of Jan 6th was excused.”

… Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) on MS NOW: Q - “Comer suggested that since Bondi is no longer AG, you don’t need to bring her in to testify. Khanna: Isn’t that rich from a guy who chased down Hillary Clinton to be deposed? Bondi has far more to offer this investigation than Hillary ever did. I’ve been in touch with Nancy Mace. There are Republicans who are still going to want Pam Bondi to come in.”

… Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on CNN: “The subpoena for Bondi is by name and not by the title of the AG, so she’s compelled and required by law to come before the Oversight Committee, and at this juncture I’m not backing away from that.”

… Interim AG Todd Blanche on Fox: “The DOJ has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga. To the extent the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this DOJ, it should not be a part of anything going forward.”

… Right-wing podcaster Owen Shroyer: “Todd Blanche’s first statement since becoming acting AG he wants to remind the American People you will get absolutely nothing from the Epstein Files.

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “Not a good sign when Todd Blanche continues to lie on his first day as interim AG.”

… Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): “You still refuse to disclose HALF of the files with no explanation. We can’t see those docs at your office. You’re redacting stuff to protect Trump. Why don’t you come in to House Judiciary and testify under oath rather than continue to peddle your bs on Fox?”

… Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) was asked on Fox what he wants out of Trump’s next AG: “We want the people who were harassing J6ers held accountable. We want to know the truth on Arctic Frost. We want to see heads roll. We want to see John Brennan and Jim Comey held accountable. The next AG needs to be very aggressive.”

… Bondi wasn’t the only one out the door at DOJ. Jared Wise posted: “Today I resigned from my position at DOJ. I returned to Washington to fully expose the abuses by the FBI and DOJ against J6 defendants, but it became clear that this will only happen from outside of govt. So I left and will do so.”

… Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): “Notice how all of these tough-guy podcasters and pundits (and pardoned felons) find it much easier to make up conspiracy theories from ‘the outside’ than it is to actually have to prove a case with evidence and laws from ‘the inside’ of the DOJ?”

… Lisa Grande replied to Wise’s post: “Once you expose the guy who lied to you about the election and encouraged you all to storm the people’s house … you will finally reach the truth and that shall set you free.”

… Trump began the day with this post: “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???”

… And this one: “Is Bruce Springsteen going to sue his plastic surgeon?”

… NYT: “The US military reportedly committed a ‘double tap’ strike in Iran. The two strikes had hit the bridge around an hour apart, the second arriving while emergency responders were assisting the wounded, even though rescue workers are protected civilians.”

… Trump then threatened more war crimes: “Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”

… Zelensky: “Our signal to the US and countries in the Middle East about the Strait of Hormuz was that we were open to discussing it. As of today, I don’t see any country lifting the blockade on its own, only joint steps can bring results. Ukraine has experience with launching the Grain Corridor in the Black Sea despite Russia’s attempts to block the flow of food and other goods. The situation now is similar, but it is about energy.”

… “Our suggestion - based on our experience – was as follows. The war and the negotiations on reopening the Hormuz Strait can go in parallel. It’s worth trying to find a diplomatic solution, and this could be beneficial for both sides in the war. An alternative step would be to control the Strait unilaterally, as Ukraine did with the Grain Corridor.”

… “Achieving this would require interceptors, military convoys to escort the vessels, a large integrated electronic warfare network, and other tools. We stand ready to help with this. But for now, we are not yet involved. So far, no one has made such a request. We are simply sharing our knowledge. If one day our partners want to make use of it, we would be ready.”

… CNN: “Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past 5 weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments. The US intelligence assessment total may include launchers that are currently inaccessible, such as those buried underground by strikes but not destroyed.

… “Thousands of Iranian drones still exist - roughly 50% of the country’s drone capabilities. The intelligence also showed a large percentage of Iran’s coastal defense cruise missiles were intact, consistent with the US not focusing its air campaign on coastal military assets though they have been hitting ships. Those missiles serve as a key capability allowing Iran to threaten shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

… Source: “They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region.”

I haven’t taken a Sunday off since August but I will be taking this Sunday off because we have a few different Easter activities with other people planned. So no Bulletin this weekend and I will see everyone back on Monday with the next one. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… CBS: “Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement. Two other Army officers were removed from their roles: Gen. David Hodne, who led the Army's Transformation and Training Command, and Maj. Gen. William Green, who headed the Army's Chaplain Corps. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was formerly Hegseth's military aide, will be acting Army chief of staff.”

… “The ouster follows Hegseth’s X post lifting the suspension of the aircrew that flew by Kid Rock’s house in Nashville last weekend. After the Army announced the suspension of the aviators involved and an admin review, Hegseth overruled the Army,