The FBI Director Scandal That No One Saw Coming

PDS Published 04/20/2026

• U.S. Boards Iranian Ship Ahead of Ceasefire Expiration

  U.S. and Iran are now both enforcing blockades on the Strait of Hormuz with attacks on commercial vessels. The cease fire between the countries is set to expire tonight, and so far, there is no confirmation that they'll even meet for talks.

  You had Trump announcing it back on April 7th, saying it was conditional on the complete, immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz. While the ceasefire that took effect, the strait it never really open back up, at least in part because the U.S. and Iran disagreed over whether the truce extended to Lebanon. And then after in-person talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, you had Trump trying to turn the tables on Iran with the U.S. announcing that blockade on all ships, quote, entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas.

  Then also at the end of last week, there were signs of progress. Israel and Lebanon, they agreed to a ten day ceasefire. So in response, Iran announced that it would actually reopen the strait to commercial vessels, so you had Trump celebrating the news, but also saying that the U.S. blockade would, quote, remain in full force until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete. And then adding, this process should go very quickly and that most of the points are already negotiated.

  Then in other statements throughout the day, claim that Iran would hand over its highly enriched uranium to the US, that it would agreed to an unlimited halt to all nuclear activities and that it wouldn't get any money in return. Even said Iran agreed never to close the strait again.

  Then the next day, Iran, they closed the strait again, while also rejecting all of his claims about progress on the deal. Were the country's speaker of parliament and chief negotiator writing on Twitter, president of the United States made seven claims in one hour. All seven of which were false. They did not win the war with these lies, and they will certainly not get anywhere. Negotiations either. The continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.

  Then with all that, you had Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps issuing a statement saying, we warn that no vessel of any kind should move from its Anchorage in the Persian Gulf, in the Sea of Oman and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.

  Then, within a few hours, IRGC gunboats opened fire on a tanker off the coast of Oman, while an unknown projectile also hit a container vessel. So. Yeah. Trump the next day accusing Iran of violating the cease fire, but then also insisting that progress was still being made, saying, representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan. They will be there tomorrow evening for negotiations. But then he reverted back to his baseline negotiating tactic these days, which is to threaten what appear to be war crimes. We're offering a very fair and reasonable deal. And I hope they take it, because if they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

  Trump later revealing that an Iranian flagged cargo ship tried to get past the blockade, but it did not go well for them. As far as what happened, you had American forces attacking and boarding a vessel around 30 miles south of the coast of Iran in the Arabian Sea. The ship reportedly belong to a state owned Iranian company under U.S, UK and EU sanctions. A company that's been described by the American State Department as the preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferator and procurement agents. It had reportedly been traveling back from a Chinese chemical storage port known for shipping substances, including a key precursor for solid rocket fuel that Iran needs for its missile program. The ones to be clear, it's not publicly known right now what it may have been carrying this time.

  You know, the military saying it had only gone ahead with the use of force after six hours of warnings to the Iranian vessel to turn back. Vessel. Toaster motor was a toaster Baker engine. Make your engine. We're prepared. Subjected to the same thing. Fired according to the military then disable the Iranian link ship by firing several rounds into its engine room. Then had several Marines flying over on a helicopter, rappelling down onto the ship and then taking control.

  It was actually the first time American forces boarded a ship since the blockade began. Also, according to the military, 25 vessels have been turned back without force as of yesterday. You then at Iran saying it would retaliate soon for what it called an act of armed piracy, and it gave no indication that it would be meeting the negotiating team that Trump mentioned. Team that the White House said would once again include vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Wycoff and Jared Kushner. Right. As I mentioned, Trump said that they would be arriving this evening. And he even told the New York Post this morning that Vance had already left. But then you're the New York Times reporting that Vance was actually expected to leave the U.S. for Pakistan tomorrow.

  Then as far as the Iranians, I'd you I don't spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry claiming it to you as a John. It wasn't serious about pursuing diplomacy and saying that no decision had been made regarding the next round of negotiations. But also thing to remember here is that Iranian officials made similar comments in the lead up to the first round of negotiations. So it's not really clear whether this is just talk. In fact, you did later have The New York Times reporting that an Iranian delegation was making plans to travel to Pakistan. And you know, as we say words or words, actions are actions. They're separate things. And so we're gonna have to wait to see what actually happens.

  But also if talks don't happen or a deal isn't reached, Trump's claim that it is highly unlikely that he would extend the two week ceasefire. But going back to that saying, as we know, his words mean almost less than nothing. And just as Trump has repeatedly claimed that the deal was close, only to then be proven wrong. He's also repeatedly made threats that he hasn't followed through on. And notably with all this, European allies are reportedly concerned that an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team is so desperate for a quick fix that they might agree to a deal that leaves most serious issues unresolved. Are you one European diplomat telling Reuters. The concern isn't that there won't be an agreement. It's that there will be a bad initial agreement that creates endless downstream problems. And another saying there's simply not enough expertise in this U.S. team. And noting that roughly 200 diplomats, financial and nuclear experts were involved in the 2015 talks and adding, we worked on this file for two decades.

  Then, of course, in the meantime, all this uncertainty, the escalation, the threats, they've just put oil prices back on the upswing. Or the price for a barrel dropping by around 5% overnight into today. And the hardest hit region continues to be Asia. But also, the longer that this remains unresolved, the more that it could just be kind of a a preview for other parts of the world. I mean already experts are saying that a few more weeks like this, it could push several countries into greater unrest and economic recession, while also forcing millions into poverty.

  Then, hey, let's say even if the Strait of Hormuz gets back to normal tomorrow, it could take years for oil and gas output and shipping to reach pre-war levels. And on the U.S, you know, the effects might not be as extreme. It is increasingly seem like this is a problem for the Republicans in the midterms. Ordinary Americans are struggling with higher gas prices. Trump maybe trying to act like he's not worried about the potential blowback with him posing a series of rants and social media. Just as I was getting the show out for you. Reclaiming in one of the deal the US is making now will be far better than the one negotiated under Obama, and rehashing his criticism of that agreement. You then at him accusing Democrats of doing everything possible to hurt the very strong position we are in with respect to Iran and writing. Read the fake news saying that I am under pressure to make a deal. This is not true. Am under no pressure whatsoever. Although it will all happen relatively quickly. Then finally you, Adam claiming I'm winning a war by a lot. Things are going very well. The anti-america fake news media is rooting for Iran to win. But it's not going to happen because I'm in charge.

  But of course, you know, and being in charge is a large part of the reason the world is in this mess. And his unhinged meltdowns on social media, they're not exactly reassuring.

• Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic for $250M "Excessive Drinking" Article

  But then also speaking of concerning behavior from the people that are running our government. We've got to talk about the cash Patel situation. Because she's. Everyone's been dunking on him ever since. This Atlantic article over the weekend claim that the FBI director is erratic, frequently absent, and prone to heavy bouts of drinking. If the fake News Mafia isn't hitting you personally with baseless information in Washington, DC, then you're not doing your job.

  Okay, so according to The Atlantic, several officials said the Patel is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication, even in the presence of other administration staff. With him allegedly getting wasted at the private club Neds in D.C., in the pool room in Las Vegas, where he frequently spends parts of his weekends. In fact, you had six different sources reportedly telling The Atlantic that early on in Patel's tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol fueled nights. Say it's to the point where his own security detail of struggle to wake him up multiple times because he was apparently drunk. Hole. In one instance, when Patel was unreachable behind locked doors, officials reportedly requested reaching equipment to get him. If true. I mean, when the FBI's about to bust down a door with tools usually reserved for hostage rescues to get the FBI director, you know, wearing the the fall half of the rise and fall of the American empire.

  And you had these people saying, you know, there are real consequences, right? This isn't, like a superficial sloppiness. Officials have reportedly said that Patel's presence at FBI headquarters and field offices has been irregular. With them, adding that he's compounded the agency's existing bureaucratic bottlenecks and that his chronic absence is delayed, time sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations. One of the source told the outlet that on several occasions, Patel's delays resulted in normally unflappable agents, quote, losing their shit. Those are the three words they used.

  Plus a big thing here is that that kind of drinking is also just against the rules. The DOJ's own ethics handbook states that an employee is prohibited from habitually using alcohol or other intoxicants to excess. The inspector general warning that off duty alcohol consumption can impair employees judgment and make them vulnerable to exploitation or coercion by foreign adversaries. And so as you might expect, some of the FBI worried that if there is a terror attack, Patel is going to be sloshed out on a couch with a bottle of PBR in his hand. You know, would be less than ideal at any time, but especially not when you've just launched a war against one of the world's leading state sponsors of terrorism.

  In fact, for some of the major events that we've already seen, FBI administration officials have reportedly questioned whether alcohol played a role in Patel's impulsive responses. There. Maybe the most notable being him posting premature or inaccurate information about Charlie Kirk's assassination and the Brown University shooting while those cases were ongoing. You've reportedly got over two dozen people telling The Atlantic that he's erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has the necessary evidence. The outlet describing one story this month where Patel reportedly struggled to log into an internal computer system, and he quickly just became convinced that he'd been locked out. And then he panicked, frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he'd been fired from the White House, with two sources calling it a freak out. Also members of Congress and even the FBI itself reportedly called the White House to ask who is now in charge of the agency.

  But of course, Patel wasn't and hasn't been fired, though several current and former officials say that he is deeply concerned that his head's on the chopping block. Which. Yeah, I mean, it appears to be warranted. There have been rumors about him getting fired soon, anyway. And The Atlantic reports that senior officials are already discussing who might replace though I will say as far as Trump's feelings on this, the outlets findings, there were kind of a let's, let's call it ambiguous. On the one hand, he's reportedly unbothered by grumblings about Patel from within the FBI. And he's been pleased with Patel's efforts to purge the agency. Then also, on the other hand, Trump is reportedly complaining that Patel has seemed unprepared for TV appearances and that Patel hasn't moved quickly enough on investigating the president's enemies.

  Plus there's the whole thing that Trump's reportedly not a big fan of alcohol, right? His brother died after struggling with alcoholism. So, actually, when Patel was filmed chugging beer with the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team in February, Trump reportedly called him to convey his unhappiness. However, with all this, it does seem like Patel knows how to work with or work Trump specifically. Or with Patel seemingly trying to get back into Trump's good graces with this answer on Fox about the 2020 election. I am never going to let this go because they not only a personally attacked the presidency of the United States and President Trump, but they tried to thwart our elections and rigged the entire system can announce on your show that we've got all the information we need. We're working with our prosecutors, the Department of Justice and their attorney general, Todd Blanch. And we are going to be making arrest. And it's coming. And I promise you, it's coming soon.

  And actually, on the note of him being litigious, he addressed the Atlantic article about him as well. They can beat their drums and stand next to toxic waste all they want, but that doesn't make it toxic waste. And, Maria, I'm happy to announce on your show that we are not going to take this lying down. You want to attack my character? Come at me. Bring it on. I'll see you in court.

  Yeah, it appears he meant it because today he sued the Atlantic, and it's reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million, alleging defamation. With him, claiming that his lawyers in a letter the outlet denying the claims and asking for more time to refute them, but that The Atlantic went ahead and published them anyway. Now, to win this battle would have to prove actual malice. Meaning that won the information printed in the article is false. And two, The Atlantic either knew that or recklessly ignored doubts about its accuracy. But they're you also have some experts saying, you know, getting to the truth of that, it would require discovery, the evidence gathering phase of the case. And you have some wondering, would Patel actually want to do that? Then also in the meantime is is playing out. Democrats have just pounced on this, or with, for example, Gavin Newsom's press office posting an AI generated video of a drunken Patel being carried out by a security detail with a caption just seen Cash's night out?

• Rogan Texted Trump to Expedite Ibogaine Reclassification

  The president signed a $50 million executive order to fast track research on a psychedelic aimed at ending opioid addiction. It's called ibogaine. And it apparently only took one text from Joe Rogan to get the ball rolling. With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction with two doses. It's more than 90%. I send him that information. The text message, but came back. Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it.

  Where people have gone to or go to countries like Mexico to use ibogaine for PTSD, addiction and other health issues. But in the United States, it's a schedule one drug. Well different groups have tried to get it approved. You have to check a lot of boxes on the business side of things to make that work. There really hasn't been much progress before. But then as far as a question of why does someone like Rogan care about it? I mean, it could be because of his audience. In addition to his own interest in psychedelics, he's hosted plenty of that to say that, you know, they just don't get enough support when they come home from battle. Politicians love it. They love to send, you know, 18 to 26 year old men and women. They love to send them to war. What they hate is paying the fucking bill, right? That's what they hate. They hate paying for the after effects. They hate standing by their word in the sense of, hey, we're going to take care of you.

  Your all your health problems, it's a PTSD could be more common for vets and it is for civilians are also more likely to come home with chronic pain and treatment. It can cause people to slip into addiction. And so, Rogan, this is something that he obviously cares the we also understand like this is an issue that doesn't just stop with veterans. We have a gigantic opiate problem in this country, obviously. In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses. It's a horrible number. And there's more than 5 million people that are addicted to opiates right now in this country. We've lost roughly a million people to opioid since the mid 90s. So yeah it's an understood I think by most that we need better treatment.

  Also one of the things you're seeing here is, a lot of people skeptical about how this came to be saying, why does it feel like a podcaster, to some degree is calling the shots? It's really not surprising that Trump would really care what Rogan thinks. He has over 20 million subscribers on just YouTube alone. His audience is massive. I mean, he had them on before they had the election. Many credit Rogan to giving him the White House, and people have been talking about his political influence for years now. So that also brings us to the next part here. When he started slamming Trump for the war in Iran, well, his approval rating was already taking a nosedive. Things look shaky. But you also reports saying that he and Trump are usually pretty buddy buddy with each other. Which could also be why we haven't seen Trump cut ties with Rogan the way that he did with his other critics.

  On that note. Rogan was taken shots over the weekend. There was no shortage of people calling him a coward and a hypocrite. Calling him a liar for saying that he's politically homeless and how he'll heavily criticize the administration but then appear they're right behind Donald Trump without an apple box, which was kind of rude on Donald Trump's part. Many seeing Joe Rogan there smiling ear to ear, praising Trump and going, oh, his words are empty. Of course, there's also no shortage of Rogan defenders, people saying, you know, there's more nuance here and that you can't just throw everything out.

  Then also with the situation, you have some saying, well, there's actually another problem. Claiming they're not actually telling the whole story about why ibogaine got banned in the first place. They did it to target the civil rights movement and the antiwar movement. It's not because these drugs harm people. And for 56 years, we've lived under those terrible conditions. We're free of that now.

  Those also, one of the only reasons, Ibogaine can also cause cardiac arrest. Researchers are concerned about its high potential for abuse. And in rare cases, it can be fatal. Understand. That is not to say that this drug could end up being extremely valuable for veterans and people who are addicted to opioids. We just don't fully know yet. So that's why you're seeing folks like the founder of a DC based psychedelic advocacy organization stressing. Next phase will depend on the strength of the clinical data and how these therapies are integrated into the existing health care system. You still have many scientists that are worried that the Trump administration is going to try to bypass the very strict and rigorous benchmarks that come with this type of research, just so they can claim, with a quick win. While we wait to see what researchers make of all this, we could move on to the next drug. In today's episode. Maha aligned influencers and conservatives instead of, you know, raw milk.

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• Tucker Carlson & MAHA Influencers Promote Nicotine as Magic Cure-All

  They have this new dangerous product that they're hawking, though it's not really new. And that is nicotine. You seeing numerous health influencers and other prominent right wing voices heavily pushing it to millions and millions of their collective followers. You're seeing them claim that nicotine actually has a ton of different health benefits, and it's just really been unfairly stigmatized by the mainstream medical establishment. So it's actually pretty similar to other controversial products. The Maha movement's promoted like peptides, beef tallow, and of course, raw milk. Then with that you have many saying, like with other health concepts that have been pushed by Maha, unfairly stigmatized by the mainstream medical establishment, it sometimes just translates to scientifically proven to be dangerous.

  Right. As far as nicotine experts widely agree that it raises your blood pressure, adrenaline and heart rate, creating a number of cardiovascular issues over time. Things that include an increased risk for heart disease and heart attack. According to the CDC, nicotine can also harm brain development, which continues until you're around 25. Know, while public health officials say regarding nicotine patches or pouches like Zen's is a safer alternative for people who are trying to quit smoking cigarets, one, you're comparing apples to cancer. Death sticks. So, you know, it doesn't mean that nicotine is safe. And two, it is still highly addictive. So it still carries big risks for former tobacco users. But the main concern is that it's going to hook people, especially young people who have never used nicotine before.

  According to the American Lung Association, only about 35% of Americans who use nicotine patches have previously smoked cigarets. And of those, only 1 in 10 were able to stop smoking and switch to pouches. In fact, research is actually shown that when people who weren't previously addicted to tobacco started using tobacco free nicotine products, it actually increases their likelihood of addiction to tobacco products. Which is then why you have many experts arguing that nicotine products, which are mainly produced by the tobacco industry, it's just another tactic for big tobacco to hook a whole new generation of users.

  That's just super significant because when you look at most of the major allies hawking nicotine products, they aren't just trying to promote it as a safer alternative to smoking. They're actively pushing it as some kind of wonder drug. Easily one of the best examples of this. And one of the single biggest voices in this space has been Tucker Carlson. But he has repeatedly touted what he said are the benefits of nicotine, saying at one point that he's been using it for 40 years now since he quit smoking in college. Tucker then also claims of the benefits go way beyond transitioning from cigarets. He's also repeatedly promoted various nicotine products. Is miraculous cure alls. This is the largest in tin in the. The volume of nicotine in here could save the world. There's enough nicotine in this container to alter the course of history. Zen is Not a sin. Zen is a lifesaving medical product that enhances male vitality and mental acuity. Zen is like the hand of God reaching down and massaging your central nervous system.

  Then there was also that viral clip from an interview we did with the Auvergne a few years ago. Yeah, but the truth is, Zen is a powerful work enhancer and also a male enhancer, if you know what I mean. Really? Talking erection? Yep. There's no election for I was in. Wow. I don't know if I want to Zen supported wiener. You know, I don't know. I think you do. I think you you think so? Oh, yeah. Because you want people to get addicted. So one weird. Two.

  Right now, there's zero scientific evidence to back up his claims about nicotine enhancing male vitality or whatever. If anything, the opposite actually appears. Which you're right. Studies show that nicotine can cause numerous reproductive issues for men, including erectile dysfunction, reduce fertility, and decreased libido. No, I will say it. Maybe Tucker is speaking, at least in part from personal experience. Just close your eyes. Oh, it's like that. That's a neighbor saying, hey, it's real quiet over there. Whack it on the nightstand. Oh.

  Then also beyond that, you would Philip Morris. Which manufacturers end actually sending Carlson a cease and desist letter after that podcast telling him to stop saying shit about their products because even if he was joking, quote. Statements lack a scientific foundation, adding, given Mr. Carlson's popularity and reach, these statements could promote a misunderstanding and misuse of our products. Then you had Carlson slamming the company for that rebuke. And in fact, he cited it as part of his reason that he launched his own brand of nicotine pouches, called out. He then touted as an alternative to so-called woke products like Zen because apparently Zinn is woke now.

  Tucker is also not the only person who gets direct financial benefit from pushing nicotine products. Right. Dave Asprey, for example, a biohacking influencer with millions of followers. He's also been one of the biggest proponents, belief that, you know, I'm sure has nothing to do with the fact that he's reportedly invested in the nicotine pouch company. Lucien done consulting work for Philip Morris. Right. Nice phrase. Repeatedly echoed Tucker's claims that nicotine can increase cognitive function, reverse Alzheimer's, and help people live longer. And that's also been then echoed by Jillian Michaels, Omaha line celebrity fitness influencer who's repeatedly talked about her use of nicotine and made wild claims about its health benefits on her podcast and beyond. They're claiming in one interview that she uses low doses of nicotine to protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as to sharpen focus and help treat her ADHD, saying at one point that nicotine is not toxic and claiming that it's actually beneficial. Again, all the signs that we have right now shows that nicotine is in fact toxic. And there's no real evidence to back up these sweeping claims. Right. Experts say that, like literally any other stimulant, nicotine can make you slightly more alert, but it doesn't improve cognitive function or make you more intelligent.

  In fact, as we noted before, it can actually harm brain development in those 25 and under, and it can even harm concentration in the long run, because users build up a tolerance and then can struggle to concentrate without and then it's where the various kind of miracle cure claims like that nicotine can prevent diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. Experts say that the research there is very preliminary and far from definitive, with many also arguing that it's incredibly alarming for supposed health influencers to be pushing these products to their fans.

  But then you also have some in the Maha camp hitting back, claiming, as they have with many other products, that the medical establishment is intentionally hiding information about natural cures while pushing prescription medications that just make people sicker. Right. Last year, for example, leading Maha influencer Alex Clark did a podcast titled Nicotine is Not the Villain. What big Pharma hides from parents. Then it. She interviewed an alternative medicine practitioner who claimed that the pharmaceutical industry has buried information on nicotine benefits and argued that it could treat Covid, cancer and more. Those of Clark herself telling viewers that everything they've been told about nicotine has been a lie.

  Know, to close this one out, I, I am interested I am curious also what you make of this, especially if you're someone who uses or has used nicotine products. Right. Because nicotine this is definitely like an outsider looking in situation. I had smoker parents kept me miles away from this stuff. And also I'm just scared of anything that's addictive. Like, I feel like I'm addicted to chocolate. So I feel like I have no shot on nicotine. And so I've never tried it. Anecdotally, like 90% of the people that have used it or do use it in my life, they regret it.

  That, my friends, is the end of your Monday. Dive into the news. Though I'll say what a week we have in store ahead. The also that's where I'll leave because I don't want to ruin anything. Just make sure that you're subscribed. You have your notifications turned on. And also, if you're in North America, maybe text me at 81321234423. Your choice for no specific reason. With that said, thank you for watching. I love your faces. And I'll see you right back here tomorrow.