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Updates:
Comments From a Blue Sky Viewer:
Hegseth has intervened in military promotions for more than a dozen senior officers
The defense secretary’s efforts to block or delay promotions to general or admiral for some officers has raised concerns that he may be targeting them because of race, gender or affiliation with the Biden administration, sources say.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken steps to block or delay promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four branches of the military, some of whom are seen as having been targeted because of their race, gender or perceived affiliation with Biden administration policies or officials, according to nine U.S. officials familiar with the process.
The process within the Army, the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines is structured to ensure the most qualified officers get promoted. Hegseth’s decision to intervene in the process has raised concerns among some officials within those military branches and the White House, the nine U.S. officials familiar with the situation said.
"Trump was genuinely frustrated at her handling of the Epstein files": MS NOW's Jake Traylor reports on the reasons White House officials say led to Pam Bondi's firing as AG.
— MS NOW (@ms.now) April 3, 2026 at 7:46 AM
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Updates on Trump & Bibi’s Costly War:
The 🤡 Clown House 🤡:
Mike Johnson will wait on holding a vote to fund DHS
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Republicans on a call Thursday he won’t hold a vote on a DHS funding bill until the Senate makes significant progress on funding for ICE and CBP, sources told Axios.
2026 Election:
The Economy:
U.S. payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%
- Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 in March, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000.
- The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%, though that was largely from a sharp reduction in the labor force.
- Wages also rose less than expected, with average hourly earnings up just 0.2% for the month and 3.5% from a year ago. The annual increase was the lowest since May 2021.
- As has been the case, health care was responsible for much of the growth, with the sector adding 76,000 jobs.
"This is one. Heck. Of a. Report. Folks. Wow!" — the talking heads on Maria Bartiromo's show are nearly orgasmic as the March jobs report comes in stronger than expected
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 3, 2026 at 5:33 AM
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The Fox/Blame Biden statute of limitations has officially expired. 💀
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 3, 2026 at 7:15 AM
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World food prices rise due to war
World food prices climbed in March to their highest level since September last year and could rise further if the war continues, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a news release.
The FAO Food Price Index increased 2.4% in March from February. It is 1% above its value a year ago, the U.N. food agency said.
“If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days with high input costs with current low margins, farmers will have to choose: farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops,” FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero said. “Those choices will hit future yields and shape our food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and all of the next.”
The REAL Economy that We Pissants Feel:
It’s crazy to me that Trump and Republicans in Congress measure the economy by corporate profits and Wall Street numbers, and voters on the right buy it. Meanwhile, regular folks are choosing between food, gas and their medications. Listen to this man. #TrumpsTariffsCostUS
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) April 2, 2026 at 12:14 PM
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The Fascist Felon/Possible Child Rapist & His Brownshirts:
Trump Budget to Focus Midterms Messaging on Defense Boost
- President Donald Trump is preparing to release a fiscal year 2027 budget plan that will frame his party’s midterm election message around a massive defense buildup, partially paid for by cuts to domestic agencies.
- The budget won’t address entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, and is not expected to include 10-year deficit projections, meaning the White House won’t offer a full picture of how it projects the president’s policies adding to future deficits.
- Trump has said he will be seeking to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion from less than $1 trillion in the current fiscal year, with the details of how this massive increase will be spent yet unknown.
The DUI Hire:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.
In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”