The Epstein Note They Never Wanted Us To See

PDS Published 05/05/2026

• The U.S. Has Not Slowed Iran’s Nuclear Program

  we need to talk about why a key piece of Jeffrey Epstein evidence has been hidden from the public, with even the DOJ not having seen Why Pete Hegseth would not confirm or deny today that America has trained kamikaze dolphins armed with explosives.

  why this Trump Puerto Rico scandal most people haven't even heard about is even crazier than you'd but first we've got to talk about I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they

  so that is secretary of defense or some call him the secretary of war crimes Pete Hegseth, rejecting recent rumors that Iran is using trained dolphins armed with explosives to block the Strait of Hormuz, which actually isn't as far fetched as it with the idea stemming from the Wall Street Journal reporting that Iranian officials said that they might use previously unused weapons to attack American warships, including mine carrying dolphins.

  and actually looking back, you had the BBC reporting in the year 2000 that Iran had purchased dolphins trained to kill for the Soviet but whatever the case may be, whatever methods are actually being used, what is clear is that the US and Iran are now effectively in a battle for control of the and the threat of Donald Trump deciding to fully unleash the US military on Iran.

  Again, it's casting a shadow over the whole situation. If you attack American troops or innocent commercial shipping, you will face overwhelming and devastating American firepower. The president has been very clear about this.

  but with all this, you know, we got to go back to yesterday, the start of what the white House is calling Project which Trump actually announced on Sunday and said would involve the US guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz to free up people, companies and countries that have done absolutely nothing with Trump describing the effort as a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States.

  And to be fair, there is a real humanitarian issue because, among other things, you have the UN warning today that an unprecedented crisis is unfolding for 20,000 seafarers who are stranded in the Persian Gulf, who face worsening conditions on board, including shortages of food and fresh That said, at least so far, there's really no sign yet that Project Freedom is and instead, we've just been seeing a flare up of violence, sparking fears that the cease fire between the U.S. and Iran might soon collapse.

  To start with what we've been seeing, you had two American naval destroyers passing through the strait, closely followed by two commercial had a central command claiming that its horses weren't escorting those vessels, but simply clearing the way for by the way, in the process, the US reportedly shot down Iranian cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that had threatened and while the destroyers and the ships that were with them didn't suffer any damage, at least a couple of other vessels reported taking also on land you had Oman reporting an attack that injured two people in a company housing complex, and you had a fire breaking out at a major oil facility in the UAE.

  and there you had the government saying that over all the country's air defenses had engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and forwards launched from Iran, resulting in three moderate injuries that were reportedly suffered by three foreign workers in the which is something that also stands out because foreign workers make up a majority of the population in many Arab Gulf states, often facing exploitation, abuse, and other and so now.

  Also with that, they make up a significant portion of the people who have been killed in these countries. one advocacy group, for example, said that the attacks since the start of the war of killed at least 24 foreign workers in the Gulf, along with foreign Israel, all while the cost of going back home it's only gone but also with this you had Iran defending their tactics.

  with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson claiming we feel no animosity toward any country of the region, but it's an open secret that the United States uses its military bases, its military assets, and also use the logistical support provided by some of these countries to further their active aggression against Iran, and then finally the US military presence in the region is a liability and brings nothing but insecurity.

  you also had Iran's top negotiator accusing the US of violating the ceasefire and We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America. While we have not even begun the one the other end, you've had American officials saying the with headset for example.

  Speaking at that press conference alongside chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane this then addition to addressing the issue of weaponized marine life. He described Project Freedom as a temporary, defensive and separate this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.

  Project freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression. American forces won't need to enter Iranian waters or airspace. It's not necessary. We're not looking for a fight.

  But around also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway.

  and then kind of as per usual, you would arguing that the operation has already been a huge success. a direct gift from the United States to the world. We have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear.

  We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the Strait. They do well, the fact that, you know, the American military and a couple of other ships made their way through the strait may show that Iran doesn't have 100% control over the yesterday's events. It also appears to clearly show why no more ships have gone through since.

  It looks though notably, despite the fighting yesterday, and despite Trump threatening on Fox yesterday to blow Iran off the face of the Earth if it attacked American vessels participating in Project Freedom, the position of the administration is that the cease fire remains in No, the ceasefire is not over. Ultimately, this is a separate, distinct project, and with that you would.

  Kane claiming that Iranian attacks, including more than ten against US forces, were all, quote, below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this and when later asked what level of attacks would meet the threshold, he responded.

  The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade. What I'll say is it's low harassing fire. Right now, it feels like Ron is grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank.

  but what we're seeing is that the attacks have continued into with the UAE's defense Ministry announcing this morning that it was still intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and when asked by a reporter today what would constitute a violation.

  You just said Trump saying, well, you'll find out because I'll let you all while the US and Israel reportedly working together to prepare for a potential new round of strikes on Iran, which would focus on energy infrastructure and the targeted killing of senior Iranian right.

  With that, you had an unnamed source telling CNN the intention would be to carry out a short campaign aimed at pressuring Iran into further concessions and negotiations, and then connected to that.

  You had Trump telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt yesterday that if he decides to return to war against Iran, it would be over in 2 or 3 the one, everything with Trump is apparently going to be figured out in 2 to 3 weeks. And two, Trump's timeline for ending this war specifically. It's constantly just been so we really can't say him saying that means also say worth noting here is that you had him walking back on previously stated the also frequently shifting objectives for the so for example, while he continued to emphasize that any deal must ensure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, he downplayed the importance of the country's ballistic missile Look, missiles are bad, but yeah, and they do have to cap it. But this is about they cannot have a nuclear

  But administration officials have previously argued that it was necessary to destroy Iran's ballistic missile program because it was being used to create a conventional shield to protect its nuclear ambitions. also very notably, U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon hasn't changed since last summer, since nuclear targets haven't been prioritized. analysts still estimating that Iran would need around a year to build a weapon if leaders decided to pursue that Right.

  And also before you had Trump and others saying that the war aimed to destroy Iran's ability to support proxy groups in the but then in this interview, he refused to say that Iran would be stopped from funding proxies, only that they wouldn't be in a position economically to do then also on that note, you had Trump downplaying the impact of the war on the US economy, saying that he actually thought it would be much worse,

  but started the war when I first did this, I thought maybe the market would go down 20 or 25%, and I was okay with that because I know would come back up, but I thought it would go down and I thought, well, could hit 200. 250 well, all is at $100, $102.

  Trump there. He might be referring to the US benchmark oil price, but the global benchmark Brant that actually hit $114 a barrel yesterday and then dropped to around 112 this but also as far as the impact on us Americans, they're now paying around 50% more at the pump than they were before this you've got a reporting that the national gas average is now $4.48 per a all while S&P Global Energy.

  They've warned in a new report that even after the Hormuz reopens, it will take an additional seven months at minimum to fully restore upstream and that at minimum part is key because the seven month timeline assumes one, there's no permanent damage to energy infrastructure, and two supply chains operate smoothly.

• Federal Prosecutor Backs Effort to Release Alleged Epstein Note

  then also actually we've got to talk about how as Americans, they're fed up with these gas prices. They're also fed up waiting for answers on Jeffrey Epstein and his there we actually have a big development because there is a federal prosecutor who just backed a petition to get Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide note released to the

  This actually starts with a report from The New York Times last week, noting that a potential suicide note had been hidden from public view for and that note stems from an alleged attempt in July of 2019, a few weeks before Epstein was actually found Right at the time, he was found unresponsive with red marks around his neck.

  But he survived, and his cellmate said that he discovered the though Epstein apparently told jail officials that he was not suicidal and his cellmate had attacked But Epstein also apparently never repeated that claim, and a cellmate denied attacking him. So that's a whole other full thing.

  but that note that was found. It was sealed as part of the criminal case for the right who was convicted of quadruple homicide but also maintains that he's so investigators who were looking into Epstein's death may have actually never gotten their hands on this note, even though it could be a substantial piece of evidence.

  right in this note. It also wasn't found in the Epstein files. And a spokesperson even told the times that the agency has not seen also as far as if the notes legitimate, you have the cellmates lawyers saying that they authenticated it. But we also don't know how.

  so you have the times petitioning a judge in New York to unseal the note. And yesterday you had a federal prosecutor supporting agreeing that there is no reason for the courts to keep its seal, because the cellmate who discovered the note has already disclosed some of its contents He previously did an interview where he described finding it, and claimed that Epstein had written that the FBI had looked into him for months and found nothing before then, adding what do you want me to do, cry about it also apparently included a smiley face and a line about saying goodbye.

  and reportedly at U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton writing a letter saying that anything is solely disclosed in public statements does not need to be continually sealed and so now it's up to a judge to decide if we, the public, will ever actually see

  then also you have a member of the House Oversight Committee aiding this push as Because yesterday, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote a letter to the DOJ asking it to work with this judge to release the saying it must be immediately reviewed and publicly released aid federal officials who are investigating Jeffrey Epstein and the circumstances around his and adding the DOJ has yet to make any arrest other than Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell, despite the existence of millions of documents that suggest a vast network of sex traffickers, including many high profile individuals at the it is critical that the department avoid the appearance of covering up for criminals simply because of a person's status and resources.

  a suicide note exists and was not reviewed, obtained or disclosed, the department must explain why.

  then also asking the department to answer a handful of questions like if it ever obtained, sought access to or verified the did it ever consider it relevant to any investigation into Epstein? And if there are other known materials related to Epstein that have not been included in the DOJ and notably, this is coming as there's other ongoing efforts to hold Epstein in his associates

  with for example, survivors recently pushing the state of New York to pass legislation that would update laws to criminalize behavior that benefits from and aids in trafficking. with a lawyer who works with a group. Enough abuse saying trafficking is not sustained by one single actor. is not just Jeffrey Epstein. is a network that includes financial backers, businesses and other intermediaries who often escape accountability.

  saying this bill will disrupt and it would also make it easier for Epstein's victims to sue as a state by getting rid of a policy that prevents people from recovering damages from a dead person's

  so with that yesterday, you had a group of survivors speaking out in support of the law, with one abuse is often enabled by a broader network of people and companies who shield the abuser and silence the saying it is unacceptable that survivors are silenced by technicalities, while enablers hide behind legal loopholes.

  and with that. You were the state senator who introduced the bill, thanking the survivors and they showed incredible courage in coming forward and saying, now it's our turn to federal government may have turned its back on sex trafficking victims, but New York never

  but then also on the federal level, you have Democrats in the oversight committee announcing that they will be holding a hearing with Epstein survivors in Palm Beach on May with members also working on an upcoming deposition with Pam Bondi and demanding that it be videotaped and released to the and so, there are more of these avenues for information and transparency that are coming up.

  But it still remains to be seen if the accountability that the public is really after, if that's actually on the or will there be arrests, will there be charges, or is this just kind of a waiting game that never ends?

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• Trump DOJ Stopped Investigation into Puerto Rico Drugs-for-Votes Scheme

  but then diving right back into the news, we've got to talk about this alleged conspiracy that goes so deep that at one end, it involves a Puerto Rican prison gang, and at the other end, you have the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. and if this ProPublica reports. Correct, they're still trying to bury the whole thing under the rug.

  right. As far as how this whole thing worked, according to investigators, first, you had a drone that would fly over a prison in Puerto Rico and drop off a package of narcotics. then staff at the prison would help get the drugs inside. And distribute them while acting as lookouts.

  then finally leaders of a prison gang known as Los Tiburon is or the sharks. They would sell the drugs to other inmates. But then also here's the twist. they didn't sell them for money. At least not always. Instead, they sold them for votes. specifically votes for the island's now Republican governor, Jennifer Gonzalez Colon, who I'm going to refer to by her nickname, Joe.

  she's got this long history in Republican politics. She served as the party chair for the territory, represented Puerto Rico in Congress, and actually did a lot of work with Latinos for Trump. and so in January of 2025, when she took office as governor, you had Trump congratulating her, and she pushed for a statue of him to be built at the Capitol building in San Juan.

  a while, you know, for a president who claimed to be concerned about drug trafficking and election integrity, Trump didn't seem to worried about the allegations that were coming out of Puerto Rico. Right. Even though the investigation implicated not just inmates in prison staff, but possibly Joe herself.

  even multiple sources telling ProPublica that officials were working toward determining whether she or her campaign were involved in the scheme, and they found some stuff. Stuff like evidence that Joe had spoken to a gang member, including a Facebook post in which one gang leader bragged about his connection to her, or with him reportedly attaching a photo of himself talking to her on WhatsApp at the time that she was running in her party's primary for governor.

  so they kept probing into that, you had federal prosecutors beginning to prepare an indictment against the people that they had already caught. then all of a sudden, everything changes. In November of 2024, right after Trump and Joe won their respective elections, according to ProPublica, higher ups in the US attorney's office in the District of Puerto Rico told the prosecutors to exclude the voting related charges against the inmates and all charges against the prison staff.

  so even though the drugs were vote scheme was described in the indictment that December, nobody was charged for and then soon after Trump entered the white House, a supervisor to the lead prosecutor reportedly told him to stop the investigation altogether.

  which, you know, kind of looks like Trump's DOJ is covering up an illegal scheme to buy votes where a Trump loving Republican governor. with that, if you ask the DOJ itself, they point out that the order to exclude election related charges that was given before Trump took office, which is true. but it's also true that the U.S. attorney for the District of Puerto Rico was appointed by Trump and reportedly enjoyed a friendly working relationship with Pam Bondi when they were both in Florida.

  plus, if you ask people who were involved in the case, they say that the timing with Trump's election victory was clearly not a coincidence. with one saying before the election, it was definitely full steam ahead after the election, that all changed. any one another, adding, we invested so much effort to make a difference. We're frustrated, but there's nothing we can do. and then a third explaining. It was like you're watching a puppet show, but you can't see the strings, You know, what you're seeing isn't telling the whole story. There was some kind of invisible hand.

  and then something that made it even weirder is that a magistrate judge in a different case last October mentioned what they called an unrelated white collar investigation involving the governor. Puerto Rico. but the U.S. Attorney's office denied that any such investigation even exists.

  so really, whatever's going on it, it doesn't seem like we're going to get much clarity from this DOJ. one of the crazy things is it wasn't just inmates exchanging drugs for votes. the allegations were even more fucked up than that. reportedly, if the inmates didn't go along with it, there were punishments that included withholding food or forcing them to sit with their arms folded while they were beaten and kicked. and at least according to the indictment, many of these inmates were addicted. So the only way they could keep from going into withdrawal was to vote for Diego. It's all just so insane.

  And yet, rather than seemingly trying to prosecute and investigate these actual crimes, you have Tulsi Gabbard seizing Puerto Rico's voting machines. actually with that, we then got to talk about what Trump's minions are doing with our elections back on the mainland as well.

• DOJ Demands Names of All 2020 Election Workers in Fulton County, Georgia

  because Trump's DOJ just demanded the names, home addresses, emails and phone numbers of every single person who worked the 2020 election in Fulton County, I'm not talking about just like county employees, we're talking poll workers, volunteers, even the bus drivers who operated mobile voting locations.

  the DOJ one they won't say why. And two, it's all happening is there's record breaking early voting that's underway in Georgia right But as far as this demand, it came through a grand jury and all this stuff that they're demanding, it's getting handed over to a federal investigation that's tied to Trump's repeatedly debunked claims that Fulton County stole the 2020 election from and again, one of the wild parts is, is we don't know what the DOJ plans to do with this information, and they haven't responded to media questions about it, at least as of so we're just supposed to trust that the federal government collecting the home addresses of thousands of citizens who worked on an election five years ago, it's fine and normal.

  they're not letting us go quietly. Right. You have lawyers for the county filing a motion yesterday asking a judge to block the subpoena into the motion, the lawyers argued that the subpoena is meant to, quote, target, harass, and punish the president's perceived political opponents and then noting that Trump has obsessively propagated the debunked conspiracy theory that Fulton County stole the 2020 election from and he's made it clear that he seeks retribution against those who refuse to indulge his baseless right.

  The motion also makes a really important point about the legal logic because the lawyers argue that the subpoena, quote, cannot yield any evidence that could result in a criminal prosecution for a few the biggest one, the statute of limitations, is already expired on any alleged crimes related to the 2020 and so, in addition to this already being bogus and debunked, the DOJ is now collecting personal information for thousands of people in connection with crimes that they can't even prosecute which then raises the question of, well, if you can't prosecute, what does this information actually do?

  What is it even though I'm going to mention what the experts are pointing to, you don't have to be an expert to understand the obvious the goal that might just be to undermine the democratic process while the midterms are Again, think of the timing. Early voting is underway in Georgia right now. And the turnout it's breaking According to government accounts, more than 214,000 people cast ballots during the first seven days of early that is a 28% jump from who early voted in the last midterm and so.

  With that in their motion, Fulton County accuse the Trump administration of bringing the subpoena at a time when election workers fear for their personal and with that, you have the leader of the Georgia voting rights group Fair Fight Action, saying roughly a third of election officials are threatened on the more than half worry. It's making it harder to hire and keep election saying they're trying to break our democracy by attacking the infrastructure, but we are fighting back right.

  But with this, there's a very real concern, right. Because if you are a poll worker reading the news and you see that the federal DOJ is now collecting the home addresses of everyone who worked the last election, are you going to want to sign up for the next if you're just an everyday person who's watched election workers facing threats and harassment for years, are you going to volunteer?

  When the federal government just made it clear that they're tracking who you are? that's part of the play here. The investigation itself is part of the threat. It's part of the It's why it's more important than ever that the every average day person be a little braver It's why I think that the people still putting themselves into this position, their everyday and I mean that for everywhere, not just because the Trump administration, they've made Georgia the epicenter of this effort, but it is not limited to they set the tone with that unprecedented FBI raid on an election warehouse back in January, the DOJ has been making similar moves all over the They issued a subpoena for the 2020 audit records in Maricopa County, Arizona. They demanded that Wayne County, Michigan, turn over its 2024 ballots.

  Nothing really tangible has come from any of these probes. We're not seeing prosecutions or evidence presented, no fraud actually established. just nonstop claims. Evidence that is always supposedly coming, but then it feels like it's one of the biggest Trump things. We're always like two weeks away from the health care plan and infrastructure week and the war being done, even though we've already won it 18 times, apparently.

  and actually a few weeks ago, you were a Fox News anchor pressing FBI Director Cash Patel on Trump's election fraud claims and heroes. His We've got all the evidence I 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 our 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 so now let's hold that side by side with what's happening the FBI director is publicly claiming that EOG already has all the information it needs to make but that same DOJ is subpoenaing the personal information a thousand of people in Fulton so what is it either Patel was wrong on Fox News and the DOJ doesn't actually have the information it needs, in which case this is a fishing expedition or he was right. And they do have what they need, in which case the subpoena isn't about gathering evidence. don't get to claim both at the same time, or at least not believably.

  but then with this, you know, the question becomes which way is it going to play out? One of the two most likely option ones the 2020 playbook. The DOJ keeps claiming there's evidence. The evidence never materializes. The investigations they they linger long enough to chill participation and then they fade out without anyone being then option two. That's the Comey playbook. The DOJ comes up with evidence and indicts someone, but the actual evidence turns out to be the equivalent of seashells on a A prosecution that's kind of just doomed. But it's really not about winning. It's about putting someone through the meat grinder of a federal so in the meantime, we see how all this plays out.

  Let me just end on a personal to the thousands of just regular people, that this is meant to threaten and intimidate. This but please know that so many Americans have your back. Know that this is fucking ridiculous. into the broader population of America, when you see this happen. Please don't let the impact be you running you thinking that it is not worth volunteering for the next Because it is. They are scared of They don't try to suppress votes or take away voting power or scare people away from being a part of all this, unless it actually matters.

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• Cruise Ship with Hantavirus Outbreak to Dock in Canary Islands

  but then diving right back into the news, we've got to talk about how a cruise ship is stranded at sea. At least three passengers are dead. Three more are sick, with one in critical care. Nearly 150 people are still on board, waiting to find out if they've been exposed to a rare and deadly virus. Meanwhile, Cape Verde refused to let them dock. Spain has finally agreed to take them in, and the world Health Organization just confirmed what's been killing them.

  But here's the timeline. The Honda is set sail in April 1st, traveling from Argentina to Antarctica over the span of a few weeks, and by April 6th, just five days into this voyage, one passenger started developing a fever, a headache, a mild diarrhea. But then five days after the symptoms began, he died. and then his wife. She started showing symptoms shortly after, and she left the ship with her husband's body on April 24th. But two days later, she died. Two.

  right, and then just a few days later, you had a third passenger dying, showing similar symptoms. with then the World Health Organization confirming that the first two passengers died from a hantavirus infection on May 4th. And for those who haven't heard of hantavirus, it's a it's a family of viruses, mostly spread through contact with rodent droppings.

  as you could be exposed by cleaning up after rats in a garage or drinking from a can that a rodent contaminated. it's actually relatively uncommon that the US is seeing fewer than 900 cases totals in the 2020. but for the people who do get it, it is a severe illness. people can develop lung failure, heart failure, kidney failure, it's very severe. Viral pneumonia is very often how this manifests.

  and while different strains, you know, affect the body differently. And survival rates vary for many forms of this illness, outcomes are very difficult to predict.

  so that's the situation the passengers on the Honda's have been living with for nearly a month. now as far as the investigation, you have investigators really not knowing how the outbreak began yet, though there are a couple of leading theories. ones that rats may have stowed away on board and contaminated food or surfaces? the another is that a passenger may have been exposed before boarding. because reports indicate that hantavirus symptoms can take sometimes up to two months to appear after exposure, which means that someone they could have carried it on board without knowing.

  while hantavirus is rarely contagious between people, it's not impossible, which is part of what's made this whole situation so difficult to manage. As far as the people that are on board this ship, like the past month, has been just a nightmare.

  What's happening right now is very real for all of us here. We're not just a story, we're not just headlines where people people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home.

  Right as far as a ship. It reached Cape Verde waters on May 3rd. doctors there have been monitoring the three passengers who were showing symptoms, collecting samples, trying to support the situation medically. But the ship also hasn't been allowed to dock. Verde authorities, they decided not to allow the Hondas to come ashore.

  and there, you know who official explaining. It's been very tricky for Cape Verde and authorities, saying what they have to deal with is a public health event. And of course, they have been thinking about the protection of the population here.

  and so essentially, without knowing the full scope of this outbreak, they're keeping their distance. if that sounds like it gives you memories of, like, Covid era responses, that's because it is, right after what happened with Covid, with cruise ship outbreaks, the World Health Organization actually updated international regulations to address exactly this type of situation.

  What's a regulation say? And it's a legally binding treaty. Is that a port must allow passengers who are sick to disembark, and it can only fail to do that if it literally does not have the capacity to care for them. It can't just say we're afraid for our own people,

  and so actually with that Cape Verde position has been criticized as being inconsistent with its Who obligations. what's happening now is unethical. It's unlawful and it's dangerous. though the counterargument that's been raised is that this is in Cape Verde ship. So why should they bear the burden?

  they're, they're you have people pushing back saying, well, the answer is being a member of the World Health Organization comes with binding commitments. it's a further down the line, one of the things to look to the situation for is to find out whether Cape Verde is going to face legal consequences.

  as far as what's happening now Spain stepped in. right as far as what's been announced. First, at least two of the six passengers are going to be transferred to the Netherlands for medical care. also the third passenger symptoms are reportedly less severe at the moment, but that also could change and they might eventually be added to the transfer list.

  after that, the ship is going to set sail for the Spanish Canary Islands, where who officials are prepared to conduct a full investigation, disinfect the ship, and assess the risk of the remaining passengers.

  and again while person to person transmission of the hantavirus is rare, containment remains a priority for really anyone considered higher risk. and so in the meantime, passengers have been asked to stay in their cabins. the hope is that no additional cases develop before the ships able to dock. And there's a proper assessment.

• California Threatens to Suspend State Farm’s License for Mishandling Fire Claims

  But then jumping from that to our final story of the day today, we need to talk about State Farm. record State Farm customers in California. They're just kind of hanging in limbo as state regulators are gunning for the company's license, as well as millions of dollars over how they handled the claims from the LA fires last year.

  Because L.A. got hit with some pretty serious wildfires last year. We're talking like 16,000 structures destroyed, more than 30 people killed. and after the dust settled, a bunch of people who were insured through State Farm. They had a whole variety of issues. And not for the first time, and one case, State Farm waited nearly three months before starting to investigate a claim. another. The company delayed paying customer for months while internally acknowledging that the payments should have been approved.

  then there's also the illegally denied payments for testing for toxins and smoke damage claims, with an investigation by state regulators looking into over 200 claims like that. And they reportedly found the state farm violated the law hundreds of times.

  had the California insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, saying our investigation found that State Farm delayed, underpaid and buried policyholders and red tape at the worst moment of their lives, saying that is unacceptable. And we are taking decisive action to hold them accountable.

  and that includes what's called a major enforcement action, including seeking upwards of $2 million in penalties and even potential suspending of their license. Right. Which ends up being a pretty massive deal when you're talking about the state's largest carrier, though, to be clear, nothing's set in stone right now.

  fact, in a lot of cases, the State Farm denied any wrongdoing. they're in some included in the investigation, they did agree with the state's findings and awarded more money to policyholders. and with that, they said that they paid more than $5.7 billion on more than 13,000 auto and home insurance claims related to the fires.

  as you have them pushing back hard against the accusations of mismanagement, saying. California's homeowners insurance market is the most dysfunctional in the country, and State Farm has work to be part of real solutions, and saying we reject any suggestion. State farm engaged in a general practice of mishandling or intentionally underpaying wildfire claims, and we will respond through the process,

  then adding that the threat to their license is a, quote, reckless, politically motivated attack that could ultimately cripple California's homeowners insurance market. you know, with us, even the Insurance Department officials are saying this is a rare situation, saying for a wildfire, we haven't found a comparable action in the last 25 years, saying it's unprecedented. But these fires were unprecedented in many ways.

  and adding our goal is twofold hold State Farm accountable through penalties and speed up recovery in Los Angeles. you have many saying that accountability. It's been a long time coming with consumer advocates, really. They've been pushing this issue for a while. right. Whether you're the spokesperson for the Insurance Fairness Project saying, needs to be accountability. When insurance companies fail policyholders, especially in the aftermath of devastating and life altering climate disasters.

  saying Californians pay their premiums with the expectation that coverage will be there when disaster strikes, not delayed, denied or mishandled. adding strong oversight like this is essential to restoring trust and ensuring the system works for consumers and not just insurers.

  But they're my friends. You beautiful bastards! Is the end of your Tuesday Philip DeFranco and as I say goodbye to you and let you back into the horrors of the world, let me just remind If you'd like a fun break, get entertained, be around like minded people. Just a good you can go to crashing out Tor.com. Link in the description and get some tickets and see me in my buddy Alex Pearlman

  But with that said, thank you for watching. I love yo faces and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.