Tuesday Afternoon News Updates: The "Blockade" That Never Was — 4/14/26

Chinese tankers, Iranian memes, soaring inflation, and more. Here's your afternoon recap.

Hi all, and Happy Tuesday. It’s time for your afternoon news report. Earlier today, I hope you enjoyed MeidasTouch Chief D.C. Correspondent Scott MacFarlane’s Daily Editorial Note. These are the same notes Scott used to pass around in the morning to the CBS News team to plan the day ahead. Now, the Meidas Mighty has access to his enterprise reporting. Their loss is our gain. I hope you also enjoyed today’s episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast featuring me and my brothers, which is now available anywhere you get your podcasts.

Before I go any further, I want to thank all our paid subscribers. At MeidasTouch, you know we don’t care about access. We don’t care about offending power. We care about getting you the truth. If you’re already a Meidas+ Substack member, thank you. If not, join us today and support our unapologetic reporting.

Let’s start with an overview of the stories we’re following this afternoon:

• Sanctioned Chinese tanker Rich Starry transits the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring the U.S. naval blockade

• Only 6 vessels crossed the Strait on April 13 as maritime traffic collapses amid blockade uncertainty

• US-Iran second-round talks likely in Islamabad; Iran insists on venue for security reasons

• Iran demands $270 billion in reparations from the U.S. and Gulf states

• Mark Levin turns on Trump over reported 20-year uranium enrichment ban concession

• US March PPI inflation hits 4.0%, highest since February 2023

• Acting AG Todd Blanche reaffirms that DOJ is finished releasing Epstein files; Rep. Garcia pushes back citing subpoena

• Iranian embassies mock Trump; pro-Iran AI diss track targets Melania in new “Epstein Queen” video

• Trump, in an interview with an Italian publication, attacks Giorgia Meloni, the Pope, calls NATO a “paper tiger,” lectures UK on North Sea oil

• 70% of American farmers say they cannot afford enough fertilizer for this year’s crops, per Farm Bureau

• “DoorDash Grandma” stunt fallout continues as company PR guy tells critics to “touch grass”

• Fifth woman accuses Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexual assault; Swalwell has announced his resignation from Congress

• 50 House Democrats introduce legislation tied to the 25th Amendment, citing Trump’s “volatile & incoherent” conduct

• Trump approval among non-college white voters hits negative territory, putting Ohio Senate race in play

• Speaker Mike Johnson tries to cover for Trump’s Jesus post

• Kim Jong Un holds live-broadcast missile tests, openly boasting about North Korea’s nuclear arsenal

---

Ok, let’s get into it.

The Blockade That Wasn't

Donald Trump has been talking up this blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with 10,000 U.S. Marines, sailors, and airmen, over a dozen warships, dozens of aircraft. CENTCOM put out a whole press release about it. They’re blocking the Strait to open the Strait. Or so they say. Because yesterday, a sanctioned Chinese tanker named the Rich Starry, sailing under a Malawian flag, carrying 250,000 barrels of methanol, sailed right through the Strait of Hormuz like the whole thing wasn’t there. What did Trump do about it? Nothing. Trump’s been calling NATO a paper tiger lately. I encourage him to look in a mirror.

Maritime intelligence firm Kpler reports that only six vessels crossed the Strait yesterday. Six. Beijing called the blockade “dangerous and irresponsible.” Iran’s social media accounts are continuing to mock Trump. One post read: “The Strait of Hormuz isn’t social media. If someone blocks you, you can’t just block them back.” Another one: “I won. I won. I won. It appears someone is speaking in his sleep.” And this: “If you had said before the war that some Europeans would choose Iran over Trump, they would possibly have recommended you a psychiatric evaluation.”

Second-round talks between the U.S. and Iran are reportedly being planned, with Islamabad, Ankara, Geneva, and Riyadh all floated as possible venues. Trump has pushed for Geneva. Iran says Islamabad or nowhere, because they believe any other location creates a security risk for their negotiators.

And what are the terms looking like? Remember when Trump and the MAGA crowd spent years screaming about Obama giving Iran $1 billion on a pallet (which, by the way, wasn’t the actual story)? Well, now we’re looking at a deal where Iran gets to resume uranium enrichment within either five or 20 years, possibly keeps meaningful control over the Strait of Hormuz, and is seeking $270 billion in reparations. Iran has formally demanded compensation from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan, accusing them of enabling the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes by allowing use of their airspace and territory. They want the money directly from the United States and its neighbors. And the Trump administration appears to be seriously considering conceding on that too.

Even Mark Levin, Trump’s biggest propagandist in favor of the war on Fox, was furious: “If reports of a 20-year ban on Iran’s enrichment are accurate... that would be a terrible concession. The Iranian regime will collapse if we keep the pressure on.”

The Trump regime has already given Iran tens of billions in de facto sanctions relief. Iranian oil is no longer under sanctions, same as Russian oil, both quietly let off the hook. And now we’re potentially looking at a deal that’s a worse version of the Obama-era agreement that Trump spent years trashing. The art of the deal.

While all that’s happening, Kim Jong Un is live-broadcasting missile launches, openly bragging about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. Trump has allowed North Korean to build up their arsenal. Then he just pretends it isn’t happening. Nothing to see here. Let’s talk about trans athletes. Let’s blame a migrant. Look over there.

Inflation Is Surging

Back home, inflation is apparently not going along with Trump’s propaganda messaging. March PPI came in at 4.0%, the highest since February 2023. Core PPI is sitting at 3.8%, also a three-year high. Inflation is raging. Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett actually said out loud this morning that while things are “very frustrating at the pump,” the upside is that oil companies are making a lot of money. That’s a truly stunning thing for a White House official to say out loud. Meanwhile, a Fox host this morning said on-air, and I quote: “Gosh, everything is so expensive.” She forgot to put that one through the MAGA filter, I guess.

Farmers Got Played. Again.

The American Farm Bureau surveyed farmers from April 3–11 and found that 70% say fertilizer is now so expensive they cannot buy enough to get through this year’s crops. These are the same farmers who voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. They wanted cheaper costs and a president who had their back. Instead they got a trade war and a fertilizer crisis.

The Epstein Coverup Continues

On the Epstein front (sorry Donald, we are never forgetting about this story): Acting AG Todd Blanche went on Fox this morning to reaffirm that the DOJ is completely done with Epstein. No more documents, no more releases, nothing. Everything has been turned over, he says. That’s a lie. Millions of documents are still out there. The cover-up remains in full swing.

Blanche’s comments prompted Ranking Member of House Oversight, Rep. Garcia, to remind everyone that there is a legally binding congressional subpoena for documents that is separate from whatever standard Blanche is applying. This is not a hoax. This is not going away, no matter how badly they want it to. And yes, pro-Iran social media accounts have been posting about Epstein and Melania today too, with a new AI-generated Lego diss track called “Epstein Queen” making the rounds. This is what happens when you have a president who is compromised.

Trump’s Disastrous Interview in Italy

Trump, in an interview with Italian publication Corriere, also found time to attack Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a woman he previously called one of the greatest leaders in the world, because she had the nerve to push back on his comments about Pope Leo XIV. He called her “unacceptable,” accused her of not caring if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, and said: “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.” He also told an Italian outlet that NATO is “a paper tiger.” He then attacked the Pope even more. Again, this was an Italian paper he was speaking with.

More News

Quick note on the DoorDash stunt at the White House: the fallout is still going. They flew a woman named Sharon from Arkansas to Washington for a staged photo op with a DoorDash car that had no license plate. The DoorDash PR guy then went on a rampage on Twitter telling critics to “touch grass.” Maybe not your strongest move when your entire business depends on people being on their phones at home. I did a report on this earlier today, which you can watch here.

On the Hill, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress yesterday, and this morning in Beverly Hills, a fifth woman came forward at a press conference accusing him of drugging her drink and raping her. Lonna Drewes gave a detailed and devastating statement. Swalwell continues to deny all allegations but has issued a public apology. Hours after Swalwell's resignation announcement, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez also announced he was stepping down.

And, per our very own Scott MacFarlane, 50 House Democrats have introduced legislation to establish a formal commission to assess presidential capacity under the 25th Amendment, citing Trump’s “volatile and incoherent” behavior.

Thanks for being with us. There’s a lot more coming. Share this with two people you know. Send it in a text, drop it in a group chat. Thanks to all our subscribers!