5/01/2026

erika krirk gets the message that she's not wanted and general hospital

'queerty' notes:

Just when you think Erika Kirk’s year couldn’t get worse, another bombshell hits. Let’s dig in…

A few weeks ago, Vice President JD Vance appeared in front of a teeny tiny crowd to chastize the Pope and look foolish at a TPUSA event in Georgia. Erika Kirk, who has taken the lead of Turning Point since her husband’s death, didn’t even bother to show up that night. Now, we’re understanding why. It looks like her own organization is turning against her leadership, one student chapter at a time.

At least, that seems to be the writing on the wall after this week’s news of a TPUSA chapter at the University of Arkansas closing down. The student president of that branch has completely lost faith in Erika Kirk, while the other young people in the group told the New York Times that TPUSA “was Charlie Kirk.” In the wake of his passing, they’re not interested in continuing the brand.

“They wanted to say that Erika Kirk is really the reason,” explains commentator Zee, “but they weren’t gutsy enough to say that.”


loren piretra has been notcing this for some time.  earlier this week, for example.




the reality is turning point was a sexist institution - racist, homophobic, sexist.  and they were never going to accept a woman as the leader and certainly not the wife of charlie kirk.  erika pushed too hard and sought the limelight too much.  she failed to stay with her kids - a huge no no in the sexist world - and, despite having millions, chased millions more out of greed.  


now it appears they've sent the message to her and she's receiving it.  


'general hospital'?  


2 days to cover, thursdays and today.  i'm just going to meld them together.


want to make me dislike jordan?  bring stephen smith on to try to act.


the sports commentator has never been an actor when he pops up on 'general hospital.'  i forgot about him until he showed up friday.  he doesn't come across straight.  supposedly he is but he doesn't come across that way.  he's too prissy and too effete and too into himself.  watching jordan try to relate to him as a caring ex just made me think, 'oh, i'm so off jordan now.'


stephen smith, by the way, reminds me of my 1st husband.  we are friends now.  it didn't end friendly, i was very upset to find out that he was gay.  (c.i. warned me and i told her she was mistaken.) stephen smith is always rushing to defend chump and i don't like chump and i don't like smith.


he's also repugnant when he weighs in on women.


so i'm off covering jordan for awhile.  


trina and every 1 were at the club for michael from 'aladdin' - he will actually be shown performing on monday's episode, so you haven't missed it yet.


joslyn told jack that her mother carly was sleeping with some 1 else.  remember when i told you lucas broke his trust that carly placed in him - her own brother told her daughter about carly cheating on jack. 


joslyn went to jack to get information about ross and jason and that whole thing when he got angry that she wasn't staying in hiding she told him about her mother.


jack went to sonny.  he thought sonny was who carly was sleeping with.  sonny told him they weren't together (they were married years ago).  sonny also got the country of the secret prison the wsb was holding jason 

joslyn went to nina to talk about nathan because nathan's nina's brother (and britt's but nathan isn't nathan, he's nathan's twin).  nina doesn't like joslyn but eventually fell for josyln's act and she talks about how nathan chose lulu over maxie because maxie had rebuilt her life in the years when she thought nathan was dead and she shared the moment when nathan had 1st realized he loved maxie.


britt told nathan that joslyn was wsb and he had to watch his back.  their mother had told britt that joslyn was asking about nathan's father.  so nathan - who brit knows isn't nathan (her mother and nina don't know that it's nathan's twin) - tells britt that there's no way that joslyn's wsb.  britt tells him that she is and that britt's known for some time now.  she tells him that he can't tell sidwell or ross because they'll kill joslyn and she only is telling him this so he will be careful.  

nathan goes to joslyn's and says he wants to be her workout partner (her cover for visiting nina).  she agrees and tells him about discussing that with nina.  then she uses the minute he knew he loved maxie to see if he remembered it correctly and he didn't.  she said she had to leave if she was going to get her evening run out of the way and he grabbed her forearm and said no.


carly planned for cassadine to cook dinner and he saw her come in with the grocery bags.  he started cooking and they were talking and then they had 1 of their arguments and he stormed off upstairs.  he threw some things up in the attic and she threw things in the kitchen.  

then she went up to the attic to apologize just as he was about to leave the attic to come down to her.  they went down to her bedroom and made love.


jack snuck into the house via the backdoor so he's in the kitchen and sees the broken glass.  he sneaks through the house to carly's bedroom and opens the door ...

and finds carly naked and alone in the bed but a man's clothes are by the bed.  he asks her where the guy is?


that's the end of the episode on friday so that was thursday and friday together. 


let's close with c.i.'s 'The Snapshot:'


Friday, May 1, 2026.  Midterms loom and all Chump and the GOP have left is more lies, Chump continues to destroy our economy, NYT sues for Epstein's suicide note, Senator Patty Murray and other women senators call for better funded and better coordinated research into menopause, and much more.


Are you thrilled with that tax refund?  Jordan Major (FINANCE BUZZ MONEY) reports:

Tax season was supposed to deliver a noticeable boost for American households. After passing sweeping changes under the "Working Families Tax Cuts" law, Donald Trump and his administration promoted the idea that taxpayers would see refunds rise by $1,000 or more.

New data from the Internal Revenue Service tells a different story. Refunds have increased, but the average gain is closer to a few hundred dollars more than the previous year, leaving many taxpayers wondering where the rest of that promised boost went and how to supplement that income.
As of mid-April, the average refund sits at about $3,397, up from roughly $3,055 at the same time last year. That works out to about $342, or roughly an 11% increase year over year, according to IRS filing data.

The numbers confirm that refunds are higher, but they fall well short of the $1,000 increase that had been widely discussed. With most returns already filed by this point in the season, there is little indication that the average will climb enough to close that gap.

The result is a shortfall of around $600 compared to what many taxpayers were led to expect.


Wait, are you saying Chump promised something and then failed to deliver?  Oh, surely, surely not.  Is he not a man of his word? Who could have guessed that?

Besides anyone who saw the way his first presidential term ended.  Chump's a liar, a con artist and a convicted felon.   His companies declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times.

Jordan Major notes that the difference in expectations versus what was actually delivered might impact voting in November's midterm elections.  


Fifty-five percent of Americans said “their financial situation is getting worse,” according to a Gallup poll released this week. That’s a record for the 25-year-old survey. Americans are similarly pessimistic in other measures of economic sentiment — the Michigan consumer sentiment index, for instance, is near record lows — lower than during the Great Recession.
That dissatisfaction is evident in President Donald Trump’s poll ratings as well: A recent Fox News survey put Trump’s approval on the economy at just 34%, and other polls are similarly brutal. But it was not inevitable that voters would turn their discontent about the economy on the president. For that, Trump has only himself to blame.

For decades, when large numbers of  Americans expressed negative feelings about the economy, they were generally reacting to high unemployment, high year-over-year inflation or both. But even as inflation decreased in the latter half of former President Joe Biden’s term, the issue played a central role in Trump’s return to the White House. Since Biden, though, Americans’ views of the economy have been much more negative than typically associated with inflation around 3% and unemployment below 5%.


Well it's a good thing that Chump didn't promise to fix prices on day one, right?  What's that? Downie notes:

The worst thing a president could do in this situation is introduce more price shocks, which brings us back to Trump. In the 2024 campaign, he promised he would make prices go down “on Day One.” That was always a ridiculous pledge — the president can’t pull a lever and instantly lower prices. But many voters believed him: Republican voters’ inflation expectations plunged to zero after the 2024 election.

Voters might have forgiven Trump at least somewhat for the failed “Day One” pledge had he otherwise done nothing to increase inflation. But he has introduced further price shocks: first, imposing blanket tariffs, then instigating a war with Iran. Gas is averaging $4.23 a gallon across the U.S., up more than 40% since the conflict started. There’s no end in sight for the war: “maximalist demands on both sides,” my MS NOW colleagues reported, “show no signs of softening.” No one really knows what weeks or months more of a blockaded Strait of Hormuz will mean for fuel prices — or the global economy. But don’t expect Americans’ feelings about the economy to brighten anytime soon.

Again, you can't trust Chump.  He lies.  He's a con artist.  He lied to the American people.  About everything.  

His war of choice with Iran is not helping the US economy.   


Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was put on the spot during a tense exchange after Sen. Maggie Hassan fact-checked him to his face on soaring food costs.

The confrontation began when Hassan pressed Kennedy on whether high grocery prices make it harder for families to afford the fresh, healthy foods he has encouraged Americans to eat.
Kennedy responded by saying beef had dropped by 1% in the last quarter — but Hassan quickly challenged that claim.

"No. Look, beef prices are up 20%, banana prices are up nearly 7% since President Trump took office. Cheese prices are up 6%," she said (1). "So again, when groceries get more expensive — easier or harder for families to afford the very healthy foods that you want them to eat?"

Kennedy said Americans can eat beef, poultry or fish, before adding that the price of beef is tied to the size of the cattle herd. "The herd dropped," he said.
Hassan wasn't satisfied.

"You're not answering," she said.

Sometimes, when the truth comes out, the wheels come off the car and you're not going anywhere at that point.  Chump is there now.  He's damaged our economy so bad with tariffs and with the war on Iran that now other issues emerge, some of which are beyond his power.  For example, Kirk Maltais (WALL STREET JOURNAL) reports:

Increasing drought levels across the U.S. Plains lifted U.S. wheat prices near two-year highs, while potential for an El Niño could make things even drier this summer.

Chicago wheat futures have gained nearly 30% since the start of the year — the biggest gain among row crop futures — due to the combination of U.S. drought, global fertilizer shortages and a looming El Niño. This week, most-active wheat futures settled at their highest level since June 2024, at $6.58 a bushel, according to data from FactSet.
Heading into the harvesting season for the key winter wheat crop, much of the western side of the U.S. Plains are locked in drought. Over 81% of Southern Plains is experiencing some form of drought, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly 20% of the region is experiencing either “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.

Only 30% of U.S. winter wheat is in either good or excellent condition as of the start of this week, according to the most recent weekly Crop Progress report from the Department of Agriculture. By comparison, 49% of the crop was good-or-excellent at this point last year.



Inflation is at its highest level in three years thanks to President Trump.

Prices are up 3.5 percent compared to last year, the biggest year-to-year increase in three years, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Much of this is attributable to gas prices due to the war in Iran. But even with fuel and food subtracted, inflation is still up by 3.2 percent, above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target.

The rising prices outweigh the modest 0.6 percent gain in U.S. workers’ incomes, the department’s report said. Any tax refunds that Americans receive are also being blunted by higher gas and food prices. 


This as REUTERS reports, "U.S. inflation accelerated in March as the Iran war raised gasoline prices, bolstering financial market expectations that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates unchanged well into next year. [. . .] In the 12 months through March, PCE inflation shot up 3.5%, the biggest rise since May 2023, after increasing 2.8% in February."   


MS NOW held a roundtable with Gen Z voters.  The economy, job market, protecting democracy, affordability were issues the voters raised. 




"I don't see them using their powers to help young people, help the working class, help the people that are struggling," says one Gen Zer of the Chump administration. 


Well maybe in the year-plus between now and the mid-terms, the GOP will find a way to improve things.  What's that?  May just started and the midterms are in November?  Six months?  Six months away?

Well then there's nothing for the GOP to do but lie.

Which, as Chris Hayes pointed out and exposed last night, is what the GOP is trying to do. 



"Basically, what they're left with, is a strategy to just lie,"  Chris Hayes pointed out.


Another level of suffering?  Many Americans are without healthcare now thanks to Chump and Republicans in Congress who supported Chump's 'big beautiful bill.'  Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz (NEW YORK TIMES) report this morning:

Millions of Americans appear to be dropping Obamacare coverage in the months since Congress failed to extend the generous subsidies that had become a defining feature of the Affordable Care Act.

Initial sign-ups had already fallen by about 1.2 million people. But insurance companies, state officials and industry analysts are reporting that many more have lost Obamacare coverage now that people are facing long-term higher costs. The federal government has yet to report current enrollment data.

Many insurers and analysts are estimating overall declines of about 20 percent, dropping to around 19 million from the 24 million who were covered under the A.C.A. last year. Other indications suggest there could be even larger potential losses by the end of the year, a deep retrenchment for Obamacare coverage and a reversal of significant gains in the last several years.

The rising cost of health care has shown up as a top concern among Americans in several public opinion polls. Premiums are rising for Americans who get insurance through work, too, as health care costs have been increasing nationwide. Out-of-pocket costs are growing too, as plans with high deductibles have become popular.


Thanks Donald Chump.   


Six months away.  


When President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held — but just barely.

If faced with the same tests today, those guardrails and the people who held the line would largely be missing, a ProPublica examination found.

At least 75 career officials who once held roles at federal agencies related to election integrity and safety are gone. Two dozen appointees — including many who either actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote or are associates of such people — have been hired to replace them. And once-fringe actors now have access to vast powers.

As the midterms approach, current and former government officials and election security experts expressed concerns that Trump appointees who’ve espoused debunked conspiracy theories about balloting are now in positions to control the narrative around the vote’s soundness.

It’s hard to debunk false claims “coming with the seal of the federal government,” said Derek Tisler, counsel and manager with the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government program. “I certainly worry what damage that could do to voters’ confidence.”

Here are some of the key things you should know about the Trump administration’s efforts to, as the president said, “take over” the midterms. Read the full investigation here.

1. In 2020, institutional guardrails helped to prevent Trump from overturning the election.

Following his defeat in the 2020 election, Trump pushed for federal officials to uncover proof that he had, in fact, beaten Joe Biden at the polls. Election cybersecurity experts with the Department of Homeland Security relayed to Attorney General William Barr that the election fraud claims that they looked into were false. Barr then told the president what he didn’t want to hear: The election had not been hacked.

Barr was one of many federal officials — most of them Trump appointees — who refused to bend to the president’s demands, which only intensified in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021. Despite the violent uprising at the Capitol on that day, the election results held firm.

2. Less than 18 months into his second term, Trump has dismantled many of those same guardrails.

Since the start of his second term, Trump and his appointees have made significant changes at federal agencies tasked with helping to safeguard elections. In all, at least 75 career officials who’d played important roles in elections work at DHS, the Department of Justice and other agencies have left, been fired or been reassigned, ProPublica found.

In their place are roughly two dozen people Trump has installed in positions that could affect elections. Ten of them actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote, and the rest are associates of those people. In some cases, ProPublica found, officials have been hired from activist groups that are pillars of the election-denial movement.

3. Among the first agencies Trump gutted after returning to office was one that had repeatedly disproved his stolen-election claims.

Officials at DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had provided research to the first Trump White House that disproved many theories claiming that the 2020 election had been hacked. CISA also played a crucial part in publicly countering these claims by producing a “Rumor Control” website to rebut them.

Then, only weeks into Trump’s second term, DHS leadership put employees focused on countering disinformation and helping safeguard elections on leave. They also froze CISA’s other election security work, which included assessing local election offices for physical and cybersecurity risks. Eventually, all CISA employees specializing in elections were fired or transferred.

A DHS spokesperson told ProPublica that the changes at CISA were in response to “a ballooning budget concealing a dangerous departure from its statutory mission,” which included “electioneering instead of defending America’s critical infrastructure.”

4. Trump and his appointees have gutted election-related teams at federal law enforcement agencies.

FBI Director Kash Patel dismantled the agency’s public corruption team, which had previously been deployed to help monitor possible criminal activity on Election Day. The Foreign Influence Task Force, which aimed to combat foreign influence in U.S. politics, was also disbanded.

(An FBI spokesperson said the bureau “remains committed to detecting and countering foreign influence efforts by adversarial nations.”)

The voting section of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had enforced federal laws that protect voting rights, particularly those that combat racial discrimination. But now, nearly all of the section’s roughly 30 career lawyers have resigned or been moved. Trump then filled the section with conservative lawyers, including at least four who participated in challenging the 2020 vote or have worked with people who helped Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.


That's an excerpt, read it in full. 


Donald Chump loves to lie and he loves to lie about his dead friend Jeffrey Epstein.  Today, he tries to pretend like they were briefly friends.  The two met and became friends in the 80s.  Donald Trump tries to say around 2007 the friendship (but their contact continued after that).  So we're talking about a decades long relationship.  Decades.  Plural.  That's a lot to cover up and it's led him to tell big lies over even the stupidest of things.  Like the birthday greeting and drawing he did for Epstein -- the one he tried to sue THE WALL STREET JOURNAL for reporting on.  Of course, he drew it.  But he lied about that and when you lie about one thing, you tend to lie about other things as well.  




A suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein in a Manhattan jail has been kept secret for nearly seven years, locked up in a New York courthouse.

A cellmate said he discovered the note in July 2019, after Mr. Epstein was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck. Mr. Epstein survived that incident but weeks later was found dead in the jail.

The note was eventually sealed by a federal judge as part of the cellmate’s own criminal case, according to documents and interviews. That means investigators scrutinizing Mr. Epstein’s high-profile death lacked what could have been a key piece of evidence.

On Thursday, The New York Times petitioned the judge to unseal the note, which said it was “time to say goodbye,” the cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, recalled. While Mr. Tartaglione mentioned the note on a podcast last year, the scrawled message has remained hidden from public view, even at a time of unprecedented transparency around the government’s investigations into Mr. Epstein. Since December, the Justice Department has released millions of pages of documents related to the sexual predator.




The suicide note would garner attention.  Chump can't take the attention.  But he may have to deal with increased attention on this topic.  Robert Davis (RAW STORY) explains Michael  Popok did on MEIDASTOUCH's LEGAL AF where he explained that Maurene Comey being allowed to move through the federal courts for her wrongful termination suit meant more attention on Epstein:

On Tuesday, a federal judge in New York ruled that Comey can keep her lawsuit in federal court and said that Trump's DOJ had effectively sealed its own fate when it admitted that her termination relied solely on the Constitution, not the civil service statutes.

"They fired her under the presidential authority under Article II, hoping that this would never see the light of day," Popok said. "I think this new ruling by Judge Jesse Furman in the Southern District of New York may unlock Epstein's scandal as well as help get her job back because Judge Furman has just ruled that she gets to keep her case in federal court."

[. . .]

Popok also noted that the ruling would affect the Epstein investigation. Comey was responsible for convicting Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, to a 20-year sentence on sex trafficking charges. Now that Maxwell is angling for a pardon, Popok argued that Trump doesn't want someone like Comey in his ear, reminding him of how untrustworthy she is.

"So, on the surface, it's Maurene Comey allowed to stay in federal court rather than be shuffled off into an administrative law procedure, never to be heard from again," Popok said. "That's the top line. But right below the surface is the connection between her and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein, Trump, and Todd Blanche, now the acting U.S. attorney. And I think this gets blown sky-high as this particular case continues."





Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, reintroduced comprehensive bipartisan legislation that would be the most expansive effort so far to boost federal research on menopause and would—for the first time—coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and mid-life women’s health. The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, authorized at $275 million over five years, would better address menopause and mid-life women’s health issues by strengthening and expanding federal research, health care workforce training, awareness and education efforts, and public health promotion and prevention activities.

75 million women are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now in the U.S.—with 6,000 more women reaching menopause each day. But despite the fact that half the population in the U.S. will eventually experience menopause, menopause research has long been underinvested in and overlooked. To date, there are few federally funded clinical trials on menopause and menopausal hormone therapy and very little menopause education for doctors—only 30 percent of U.S. residency programs offer a formal menopause curriculum, and 80 percent of OB-GYN residents admit to being ill-prepared to discuss menopause.

“For too long, menopause has been something women are expected to deal with by themselves and like many areas of women’s health, it hasn’t received the attention or investment it deserves—that needs to change,” said Senator Murray. “This legislation takes important steps by increasing funding for menopause research and providing federal agencies with additional tools to better study and support mid-life women’s health. While this administration continues to dismantle programs and research that support women’s health, I’ll keep fighting to make sure we make it a federal priority.”

“Menopause is something half of the global population will experience, and it is imperative that we better understand it—as women, as healthcare professionals, as partners and support systems,” said Senator Murkowski. “This legislation makes it possible to invest time and energy into doing just that. I am honored to join this bipartisan group of determined women and strong leaders to advocate for women’s health.”

“ACOG is pleased to endorse the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act. As ob-gyns, we see firsthand the urgent need for improved public health awareness and access to trusted, evidence-based information on menopause and mid-life women’s health—especially at a time when health misinformation is rapidly increasing,” said Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG, President of the American College of OB-GYNs (ACOG). “We’re encouraged that this bill would expand long overdue investments in federal research into menopause and evidence-based approaches to better support patients through the menopausal transition. We thank Senator Patty Murray and Senator Lisa Murkowski for their continued leadership and dedication to advancing menopause care.”

“The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is pleased to endorse the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act once again, and we thank Senator Murray and Senator Murkowski for reintroducing the bill,” said Kathryn Schubert, President & CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research. “By boosting research, strengthening clinician training, and raising awareness, this legislation will transform how our health system serves women in midlife and menopause — a population that has for too long been overlooked.”

“Menopause is not just a moment in time — it marks a major inflection point in a woman’s life and long-term health,” said Halle Berry, Academy-Award winning actor, advocate, and founder of women’s health company Respin. “I found out I was in menopause at 54 and spent years being misdiagnosed and in search of answers. The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act is a profound step toward addressing the harmful gaps in research, education, and healthcare and I’m excited to see this bill reintroduced. Thank you to Senators Murray and Murkowski, and to all the fierce Members of Congress who have supported and continue to support this effort.”  

The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act would:

  • Expand federal research on menopause and mid-life women’s health:
    • Authorize $25 million per year over five fiscal years for NIH to award grants to support biomedical, public health, clinical, and translational research and innovation related to menopause and mid-life women’s health.
    • Establish new Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) categories for chronic or debilitating conditions among women related to perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, and mid-life women’s health.
    • Strengthen coordination within the NIH and across HHS to expand federal research into menopause and mid-life women’s health, including new pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments, and prevent adverse health outcomes among women experiencing menopausal symptoms.
    • Support translational research activities to speed the translation and implementation of federal research to support evidence-based health care delivery of perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause care, and related women’s health services.
    • Require HHS to expand public health research, health care quality research, data collection and reporting, and occupational health research related to menopause and mid-life women’s health.
  • Support public health promotion activities to address chronic conditions affecting mid-life women’s health, strengthen early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of menopausal symptoms; improve health care delivery; and support the development of recommendations and best practices to expand access to mental health and substance use services for women experiencing perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal symptoms. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
  • Establish a national public health awareness, education, and outreach program on menopause and mid-life women’s health. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
  • Improve professional training resources for health care providers on menopause and mid-life women’s health through a new grant program. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
  • Direct the designation of Centers of Excellence in Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health, and authorize grants to support the improvement of professional training resources for health care providers on menopause and mid-life women’s health.
  • Require HHS to report to Congress on federal research activities related to menopause and mid-life women’s health, related barriers to care for patients in rural and underserved areas; barriers to training for health care providers, and recommendations to expand access to care and increase public awareness.­­
  • Support coordination between HHS and other federal departments and agencies—including Veteran’s Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD)—related to menopausal symptoms, mid-life women’s health, aging, and public health promotion activities.

This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tina Smith (D-MN).

The legislation is endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, American Urogynecologic Society, Endocrine Society, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, Society for Reproductive Investigation, Society for Women’s Health Research, and Women’s First Research Coalition.

In the FY26 appropriations bills, Senator Murray championed women’s health research at and across NIH, as well as $5 million for a new Menopause Research to Action initiative at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which will focus on scaling up and deploying research and care delivery models into routine clinical practice, as well as supporting efforts to share best practices. Senator Murray also secured language to encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue outreach and engagement activities with health care providers on perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, and mid-life women’s health, and to facilitate the development and testing of new pharmacological treatments for menopausal symptoms. Murray also supported language to explore the creation of Centers of Excellence in Menopause at VA.

Senator Murray, a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has always championed and fought to boost investments in women’s health care and research. When she was the top Democrat on the HELP Committee, Murray led negotiations and passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016, bipartisan legislation that provided $4.8 billion over the next 10 years to invests in a wide range of health priorities—including women’s health care. Murray leads and has repeatedly introduced the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act, which would increase women’s access to preventive and lifesaving cancer screenings. Murray has also been a strong advocate for women veterans’ health care—transforming the VA over decades to meet the needs of women veterans, whether by authoring and passing the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act in 2010 or by delivering annual funding as an appropriator to help VA provide the necessary care for women veterans. In 2024, as Appropriations Chair, Murray delivered a record $900 million investment in women veterans’ health care, as well as a $300 million funding boost for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

The full text of the legislation is HERE.

###


And THE BLACK COMMENTATOR notes:

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April                     30, 2026 Issue 1085

         
           
              

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4/30/2026

jerome powell never trembled in front of chump (and general hospital)


Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced Wednesday he will remain on the Fed’s Board of Governors after his term as chair ends May 15, citing what he called “unprecedented” legal attacks on the central bank’s independence by the Trump administration.

“My concern is really about the series of legal attacks which threaten our ability to conduct monetary policy without considering political factors,” Powell said at what is his final press conference as chair. “These legal actions by the administration are unprecedented in our 113-year history, and there are ongoing threats of additional such actions.”
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, closed a criminal investigation into Powell on Friday about the Fed’s headquarters renovation, but said she would “not hesitate” to restart it. Powell said the Justice Department had since provided assurances it would not reopen the investigation or issue new subpoenas, but said he was “watching the remaining steps in this process carefully.”

Powell did not specify how long he would stay, saying only that he would remain until “this investigation is well and truly over, with transparency and finality.” He can technically remain a governor until January 2028. The decision blocks President Donald Trump from filling Powell’s board seat with a more dovish nominee. 

good.  at a time when every 1 cowered before donald chump, powell stood firm.  congress didn't - dems and republicans.  but powell did.  good to know he's staying and i hope he stays through january 2028.  

'general hospital'?

yesterday?

i don't know.  i just don't get it.  if you say something's a secret than it should be a secret.

'nathan' went to tell lulu that rocco had told britt he shot ross.  nathan wants rocco sent out of town to a baseball camp or something to shut him up.  he and lulu had words and then some.  but lulu hasn't caught on that he's not nathan. 


with rocco, he's a kid, i understand his not keeping the secret.  with lucas?

joslyn went to lucas to ask about ross.  he wanted to know why she was concerned with him (like most people in port charles, lucas doesn't know that his niece is part of the wsb spy agency).  she said she and carly had a fight and she's worried about her mother because she knows jason being grabbed and taken off to some secret prison was driving her mom crazy.  lucas told her that her mother was probably not trying to scheme to see jason.  why?  oh, i said too much, lucas says.  and then goes on to tell her that carly told him she's cheating on jack with another man.  he didn't name cassadine because he doesn't know who the other man is but joslyn was able to figure it out.

he tells joslyn not to say a word.

but lucas wasn't supposed to say a word.  and he did.  

does no 1 know how to keep a secret shared in confidence? 


michael went to carly (his mom) to tell her he'd figured out how to get back at willow: get her and chase to sleep with each other. he'd observed chase around her and it's obvious, michael insists, that chase still wants her.  and if that happens then chase will figure out who willow really is and ...  

are you rolling your eyes?

carly was very clear about this, brook lyn is michael's cousin.  he would be breaking up brook lyn and chase if he pursued this.

well, michael said, when he learned willow was cheating on him, it hurt but in the end he was grateful to know the truth.  

okay, michael. 

walking in the park, alexis came across brook lyn.  she had phoebe with her.  alexis said she figured something must have happened to make brook lynn and chase put the adoption process on hold.  brook said that they'd really rather keep phoebe.  alexis explained that it would be difficult because they didn't note this when they took phoebe in.  she and chase had to declare their desire to adopt.  they also needed to hire people to look for phoebe's relatives.  she appears ready to steer brook through it.  

curtis is a blow hard.  and he's erupting over isaiah.  isaiah was the 1 who left jordan and curtis on the side of the road after the accident!  if, curtis tells laura, isaiah had hung around or called for help, jordan could have been drug out of the car quicker and wouldn't have to worry about the scars on her face.  laura asked him if he wasn't maybe wanting isaiah to be the driver because isaiah had slept with (and was now involved with) portia who is curtis' wife?


let's close with c.i.'s 'The Snapshot:'


Thursday, April 30, 2026.  Chump continues his war on Iran and his war on the economy, while demanding money for his ballroom it turns out he can't even feed -- or won't feed -- America's children, Hegseth attends a hearing to testify to the fact that he knows nothing and isn't qualified for his job,  CNN fact check Ka$h Patel on his claims that there are no men to investigate in The Epstein Files, and much more. 



Chump's losing it as Ben (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) notes this morning.



Donald Chump continues to nose dive in the polls.  Sam Stevenson (NEWSWEEK) reports:

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is underwater on all key issues including the economy, foreign policy and immigration, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by The Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll between April 23 and 26, found that Trump’s approval rating is weakest on handling inflation on 37 percent, followed by managing the Iran conflict on 39 percent.
[. . .]
Persistent weakness on economic and foreign policy issues could limit Trump’s ability to expand support beyond his core voters.

Presidents can weather low approval ratings if they retain credibility on certain key issues. This poll suggests that Trump is struggling to do just that, with his approval rating below 50 percent across all major policy areas tested.

The polling news is bad and getting worse.  Steve Charnock (METRO) reports on another poll, this one by REUTERSA-IPSOS: 

A Reuters/Ipsos survey carried out this week shows a broad decline in Trump’s popularity across multiple groups. The sharpest falls are among men and white voters, both of whom have historically backed him in rather strong numbers and helped sustain him through previous political and personal turbulence.
With American men, approval has dropped to 37%, marking an all-new low. It’s a noticeable shift from earlier in the year, when support was far more stable and much less jittery.

White voters are now at 44% approval, which also represents a record low for Trump approval. For a group that has consistently delivered some of Trump’s strongest numbers, that change carries a pretty hefty weight and will likely cause concern at The White House.

The disappointment is only going to continue to grow.  Gas and oil are up due to Chump's war on Iran, groceries continue to rise and produce will be rising as a result of the huge increase in the cost of fertilizer (due to Chump's war).  There's talk of cuts to Social Security and that's not going to help.  But there's the job market which is still not booming.  The tariffs that started a higher taxation on American consumers continues.  And some are asking where the boom in US manufacturing is?  Alex Bitter (BUSINESS INSIDER) notes:

A year after Liberation Day, tariffs haven't led to a manufacturing renaissance in the US, new data shows.

Consulting firm AT Kearney found in its annual study of manufacturing and import data that companies imported more into the US than they exported last year. As a result, the firm's reshoring index remained in negative territory in 2025, though it improved slightly from the year before.

The finding challenges one of President Donald Trump's reasons for enacting tariffs — namely, that the duties would incentivize companies to move more manufacturing to the US after decades of outsourcing it to countries such as China.

Manufactured goods and imports brought into the US rose 4.6% to $2.98 trillion in 2025, according to AT Kearney's report.

But there was never going to be a boom.  Stephanie Ruhle spent 2025 pointing that out on a near daily basis on her MSNBC (now MS NOW) program.  Monday through Friday, she could often be found pointing out a very basic fact.  A boom in manufacturing in the US requires what?

Plants.

Plants to manufacture things. And there were no efforts to start building these plants.  Still hasn't been.  

Bitter reminds at the end of the report:

Another study published in January by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank, found from shipment records that US consumers and importers paid the brunt of Trump's tariffs. Trump has said the tariffs would lead to more competition and lower prices for shoppers.

He did say that.  Whether that was another one of his lies or part of his dementia, who knows? 

But he said it.  

And when you say things as the president of the United States, people tend to believe you.  Early on, they tend to believe you.  But if repeatedly lie, you develop a reputation and people no longer trust you and they don't like you much either.  Donald Chump is now a lie face and he's earned that name and that reputation.  David Moye (HUFFINGTON POST) notes Wall Street has a new nickname for Chump:

Just in time for Cinco De Mayo, it looks like Wall Street has coined a new insulting acronym for President Donald Trump. And like the infamous TACO, or Trump Always Chickens Out, it also has a connection to Mexican food. 

Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas claimed on X Wednesday that one business analyst is mocking the president’s handling of the Iran war by replacing TACO with NACHO.

The acronym is more spicy than cheesy, as it bluntly stands for “Not A Chance Hormuz Opens,” a reference to Iran’s decision to restrict movement through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf where 20% of all traded oil and natural gas normally passes.



In Congress yesterday, US House Rep John Garamendi noted the connection between Chump's war of choice and the US economy:


Mr. [Pete] Hegseth, as Secretary of Defense, you are ultimately responsible for the conduct of the Iran War.  Any unvarnished review of what is happening right now in the Middle East would reveal a geopolitical calamity, a strategic blunder resulting in worldwide economic crisis.  The result of Chump's war of choice is a serious, self-inflicted wound to America.  It will take years and a new administration to recover from the grave damage to our standing in the world as well as our economy and our military.  We must remember that 13 Americans have been killed in action, hundreds wounded and thousands of civilians killed -- including more than a hundred school children.  The risk of this conflict was foreseeable [. . .] Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one and so has the president.   You have misled the public about why we are at war.  You and the president have offered ever changing reasons for this war.  You've misled the public about the progress of the war.  While the military has executed this war with tactical success, the strategy has been an astounding incompetence doing immense economic damage to America.  [. . .]  This war of choice is a political and economic disaster at every level.  Despite the president's promise to lower  the cost of living, gas prices are up 40 percent and inflation is soaring. So much for lowering the cost of living. The president has got himself and America stuck in a quagmire of another war in the Middle East. He's desperately trying to extricate himself from his own mistakes.  It is in America's, and indeed the world's interest, that he succeed in that.


Hegseth was appearing before the House Armed Forces Committee.   We'll note this exchange:


US House Rep Seth Moulton: You know, at the end of the day, this also has cost to us.  If you -- if let's say this war cost one hundred billion dollars.  I mean, you've already said give us more time.  It's only been two months. It could go on for 20 years like Iraq and Afghanistan.  Let's just say it costs $100 billion.  What is that to the average American taxpayer? Do you have any idea? 

Secretary Pete Hegseth:  Well unlike previous foolish administrations, it won't go on.


US House Rep Seth Moulton:  [Cross talk] -- But let's just say it's $100 billion 

Hard to imagine how you know that allowed those things to happen.  You were part of the work on that [the Iraq War], so was I --

US House Rep Seth Moulton: I'm just asking if you know what your war costs the average American? 

Secretary Pete Hegseth: What is the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon?

US House Rep Seth Moulton:  I'm just asking if you know the cost. So for the American taxpayer out there -- constituents, some of the constituents you want to represent in Minnesota, I'm just wondering if they have an extra 600 bucks laying around to pay for your war? I think it's just a question that we ought to ask.  Now quickly, on March 13th, in a press conference, you said, "We will give them on quarter, no mercy for our enemies."  "No quarter" or no survivors is a War Crime under The Geneva Conventions. You understand that's murder.  Do you stand by that statement? 

Secretary Pete Hegseth: The Department of War fights to win and we ensure that our war fighters have the rules of engagement necessary to be okay.

US House Rep Seth Moulton:  So just to be clear, you called for Democratic member of Congress to be tried for sedition for reminding our troops to follow the law but when you tell them to commit a War Crime, you stand by yourself for insinuating that the laws that we're giving them are law times expired? 

Hegseth couldn't answer.  He didn't want to say it but he couldn't answer.  He couldn't justify his rhetoric endorsing War Crimes, he couldn't justify his attack on US Senator Mark Kelly and the others who did a PSA reminding US troops of their obligation to the law and he certainly couldn't answer as to the financial  cost of this war of choice to the American people. 









The war has also underscored the need for alternative energy.  Yet, as Betty noted this week ("Con artist Chump works to destroy the entire planet"), Chump's doing everything to destroy alternative energy and doing so at a time when we need it financially and certainly we need it for the health of this planet.  Jennifer McDermott (AP) reports:

The Trump administration is spending nearly $2 billion to get energy companies to walk away from U.S. offshore wind projects. Democrats in Congress are investigating.

The Republican administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Three agreements have been announced.
U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, are demanding information about the first and largest of the three. Under a deal made public in March, French company TotalEnergies is getting $1 billion — essentially a refund of its leases for offshore wind projects off North Carolina and New York— if it invests the money in fossil fuel projects instead.
Huffman said that is a “scam” and the administration is going to "light a lot of federal taxpayer money on fire if we let them."


He is wasting money on the war and he's wasting it in his attacks on alternative energy sources.  The American people are suffering during all of this.  Sasha Rogelberg (FORTUNE) reports:


As more than two-thirds of U.S. public schools say they already can’t sustain free meals for their students, one economist is sounding the alarms and says the Trump administration’s updated dietary guidelines may make these financial troubles even worse.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the government provided 4.8 billion lunches to the nearly 29.4 million students belonging to the National School Lunch Program, at a cost of $17.7 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Part of this sum takes the form of cash reimbursements to schools serving free or reduced-cost food to students, with free lunch costing roughly $4.70 per student per meal.
Many schools, however, say the assistance they receive to feed students the subsidized meals are not enough. A recent survey of more than 1,170 school nutrition directors from the trade group the School Nutrition Association (SNA) found this year, 69.6% reported insufficient reimbursement rates to cover the cost of school lunches, an increase from 67.4% the previous year. More than half of the directors said there is “serious concern” about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition programs over the next three years, up from 46% from the 2024-2025 school year.
These school nutrition directors were surveyed in October 2025, and since then, additional factors may threaten the robustness of school lunch programs. Though reimbursements per meal increase each year alongside rising food costs, President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act slashed funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ending automatic free meal eligibility of children. Fewer children qualifying for SNAP lowers a school’s identified student percentage of those requiring assistance, meaning fewer reimbursements may be offered to schools providing free or reduced-cost meals.

Chump's asking for a ballroom when he won't even feed America's kids? 


Chump's old friend Jeffrey Epstein has been dead since 2019; however, he continues to haunt Chump.  


Three MAGA lawmakers frustrated with the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files are putting several major Republican priorities—including the Farm Bill—at risk.

Representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida publicly criticized the White House after the Justice Department declined to release additional Epstein‑related records.

Boebert and Mace said they could derail a procedural vote that GOP leaders need to advance three major priorities at once: extending spying powers enabled by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, passage of the Farm Bill and a budget blueprint to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Luna warned that the three “messy bills” will fail despite securing an amendment on pesticide liability, having previously threatened to “BLOW UP the Farm Bill” if it was not included.


In another development, former Attorney General Pam Bondi will be deposed by the House Oversight Committee.  Democrats on the Committee released the following yesterday:


Washington, D.C. — Today, a spokesperson for Oversight Democrats released the following statement after Department of Justice (DOJ) officials lied by stating that former Attorney General Pam Bondi, through counsel, spoke with Oversight Democrats and confirmed her deposition date. Bondi skipped her scheduled deposition on April 14, 2026. Oversight Democrats haven’t received any communication from Bondi or her counsel, despite repeated attempts to make contact. Oversight Chairman James Comer confirmed this on the record, stating that he did not communicate the date to Democrats and he did not know whether Oversight Democrats were aware the deposition had been set.

“Saying that Pam Bondi, her counsel, or Oversight Republicans communicated with Oversight Democrats about her scheduled deposition is a bald-faced lie. 45 minutes after Oversight Democrats filed a resolution to hold Bondi in civil contempt of Congress, Oversight Republicans said they have confirmed a date for Bondi to appear for the first time. Bondi and Oversight Republicans have had zero communication with Democrats on this issue, which James Comer confirmed on the record. We forced them to act and they’re trying to continue their shameless cover-up,” said Sara Guerrero, spokesperson for Oversight Democrats.

On April 29, 2026, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and all Democratic Members of the Committee filed a resolution to hold former Attorney General Pam Bondi in civil contempt of Congress after she failed to appear for her legally-binding, bipartisan subpoena to be deposed on the Epstein investigation and the White House’s cover-up of the Epstein files. The resolution would instruct the House of Representatives to go to court to compel Bondi’s testimony.

In March 2026, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform secured a bipartisan subpoena for then-Attorney General Pam Bondi following a motion by Congresswoman Nancy Mace supported by all Committee Democrats, joined by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Michael Cloud, Rep. Scott Perry, and Rep. Tim Burchett. The bipartisan subpoena passed the House Oversight Committee 24 to 19. On April 14, 2026, Pam Bondi refused to appear for her deposition before the Oversight Committee, despite the lawful bipartisan subpoena the Committee issued. The subpoena remains legally binding, even after Bondi was fired. The subpoena followed the Department of Justice’s botched release of the Epstein files and the continued White House cover-up.

 
###



Yesterday, CNN reported on how, despite Ka$h Patel's claim that there is no indication of any one other than Epstein assaulting girls and women, the survivors' own statements name powerful men in this country and yet there has been no follow up on the part of the FBI that's indicated in the released files. 





Tuesday, US House Rep Ro Khanna met with survivors for a public conversation about Epstein.  It was hoped that King Charles of England, visiting the US, would meet with the survivors but he elected not to. 






We posted the video below by Ellie Leonard earlier this morning.

 

Some e-mails have come in asking about it and if this means we're not posting Michael Wolff anymore?  No, we'll continue to post Wolff.  He's a source.  He's not a good person, but he's a source.  

There was a VANITY FAIR article last year and it quoted people from the administration -- most notoriously, Susie Wiles.  We noted the article in passing.  We did not treat it as the Holy Grail.  I made a few comments back then when real outlets -- including then MSNBC -- were treating it as the best example of journalism.  

It wasn't.

The author had access to various members of the administration.  Long term access.  And he cobbled together what he learned via a trust relationship that the subjects thought they had with him. 

It's a form of journalism, it's not one I applaud.  

You get some gossip that way, but it's just gossip, and you get the gossip by cozying up and pretending there's a relationship between you and the interview subject.  

That's what Michael Wolff most likely did and that probably becomes obvious in the e-mails that the Justice Dept released between him and Epstein.  

If you've watched REVENGE, he's Mason Treadwell.  

He's not very scrupulous.  

He wasn't undercover but he did trick Epstein into thinking the two were friends.  And from that, what have we gotten?  A ton of gossip -- more recently a ton of conjecture -- from Michael Wolff.  


Ellie Leonard notes that he e-mails Epstein about trying to get journalism pieces on Epstein killed.  

Did he?

I would hope no.  I would hope that was just another deception Wolff was tossing out there -- either to get more on Epstein's good side or to make himself seem more powerful than he was.  

Ellie's right to call him out.  As she notes, he has hours and hours of interviews -- recorded intrviews -- with Jeffrey Epstein but he refuses to release them all this time later. 

I don't think there's anything nefarious going on there -- I could be wrong, I often am -- I just think he's flattering Epstein and kissing Epstein's ass for the access and he doesn't want people to hear that.  

Wolff can be a great source in interviews -- or he can offer conjecture that's more than a little unmoored from reality -- and we'll continue to note him in the videos we post but his videos rarely make the snapshot and that's due to the fact that they really aren't journalism that I respect.  This is not a new position for me, I've noted it here for years. 


Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:



MURRAY: “At the same time Trump is demanding trillions for a war in Iran and trying to justify this war on the threat of nuclear proliferation, he is completely blowing off the very program that works around the clock to prevent state and non-state actors from developing nuclear weapons, or acquiring weapons-usable materials, equipment, technology, and expertise.”

ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request

***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning***

Washington, D.C. — Today—during a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing on President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, pressed witnesses on current needs of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation programs, following congressional direction in the recently-enacted FY26 funding bill for the Department of Energy, staffing challenges caused by DOGE ripping through the agency last year, and changes to funding and plans for pit production.

Witnesses included NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams, NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Matthew Napoli, and NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs David Beck.

In opening comments, Senator Murray said:

“The National Nuclear Security Administration plays a really crucial role maintaining our nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, safely and reliably powering the Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet, keeping nuclear weapons out of the wrong hands, and advancing critical nonproliferation efforts.

“And NNSA labs are on the frontlines propelling new technologies like AI to answer critical national security questions. So the stakes for this work couldn’t be higher. It is really crucial that we make balanced investments advancing important defense programs, as well as nuclear nonproliferation work.

“And, in the course of that work, it’s also crucial that we make sure these dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively. And what I see from Trump’s budget to me is not balanced in the least.  

“He wants to boost the war spending by roughly half a trillion dollars—and cut investments in families. When it comes to our nuclear program, he wants to make completely unjustified, exorbitant increases to weapons spending while cutting the nuclear nonproliferation work.

“This was already far from a balanced budget in any way, shape, or form. But the NNSA investments are to me, completely lopsided. Especially when you consider the fact that Republicans already shoveled nearly $4 billion for the Weapons program into the reconciliation bill last year.

“What’s more—we still lack details on exactly how the Department plans to spend these resources, making our process this year very difficult. But now, on top of that, the $4 billion spending spree, Trump is now requesting another $7 billion boost. All while he is slashing funding for nonproliferation programs. Not to mention proposed cuts to medical research, affordable housing, cost saving energy programs, and more.

“Look, we all agree NNSA is an important investment. How we handle our nuclear weapons program, and how we defuse potential nuclear threats—is about as important as it gets. That is exactly why we need to be incredibly thoughtful and ensure due diligence here. It is an enormous responsibility.

“But there is nothing responsible about blindly shoveling billions of dollars at an agency without addressing some long-running challenges we’ve seen regarding project management, cost estimates, and sufficient federal staff to oversee that work.

“It is critical that NNSA do a much better job at providing accurate cost estimates, effectively managing projects, and preventing the massive cost overruns and delays we have seen too much of. Ballooning costs and inaccurate estimates waste taxpayer dollars—and make it much harder for this Committee to do its work.

“I am also worried about how President Trump’s policies are worsening cost overruns we’re seeing tariffs, and wars, and haphazard firings, and grant cancellations, those all worsen inflation, they fuel uncertainty in the country, they restrict our supply chains for really crucial materials, and undermine our ability to keep our crucial work on track.

“With work this important, we can’t just throw money at projects and programs without addressing fundamental project management issues or acknowledging root causes of skyrocketing project costs. And just as we cannot ignore ballooning costs on the Weapons side. We also cannot ignore Trump’s plan to shortchange nonproliferation programs.

“This work helps keep us safe. It is mind boggling to me that at the same time Trump is demanding trillions for a war in Iran and trying to justify this war on the threat of nuclear proliferation, he is completely blowing off the very program that works around the clock to prevent state and non-state actors from developing nuclear weapons, or acquiring weapons-usable materials, equipment, technology, and expertise.

“We need to continue investing in the essential nonproliferation work, which helps secure nuclear materials across the globe and keeps people out of harm’s way. We’re talking about programs to improve detection capabilities, prevent terrorists from accessing nuclear materials, and more.

“This is work that the Pacific Northwest National Lab in my state, Washington state, is helping lead—and that we cannot afford to shortchange. President Trump’s budget largely ignores it. Which is why I’m planning on ignoring the budget.

“Last year, Chair Kennedy and I worked together to reject similar cuts Trump proposed, and to make really thoughtful investments across the NNSA portfolio. I hope we can do that work again together this time, draft a balanced, bipartisan bill. And I look forward to working with you Mr. Chairman.”

[Nonproliferation Programs]

Senator Murray began her questioning by asking Deputy Administrator Napoli about which programs would be responsible for working to respond to the situation in Iran—and why President Trump is proposing to shortchange those programs. Separately, Murray asked Deputy Administrator Napoli how he intends to restore programs that were cut in FY25 back up and running now that the FY26 bill provide additional resources.

MURRAY: As I said, the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program plays a really critical role in protecting Americans and our allies from nuclear threats—investigating and countering nuclear smuggling, monitoring and verifying nuclear treaty compliance, preventing and mitigating effects of radiological incidents worldwide.

So, I wanted to ask you today Mr. Napoli, as international tensions [rise], this work is really more important than ever. So, if we are successful in denuclearizing Iran, what programs are responsible for that work and what does it entail?

NAPOLI: Thank you Senator for the question. The National Nuclear Security Administration, through the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, has the unique and unmatched capability to deny, detect, and defeat our adversaries from acquiring nuclear and radiological weapons. Through the funding of this committee Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation maintains a broad set of capabilities in this regard, and they’re very, very diverse. That is removing and securing of nuclear materials, the technical ability to address the entire fuel cycle, including centrifuges and uranium conversion facilities, the ability to detect weaponization programs, the ability to enact verification expertise and work in concert with the International Atomic Energy Agency and respond to our Nuclear Emergency Support Team, better known as NEST.

We draw upon experts within the NNSA headquarters, as well as our laboratories, plants and sites nationwide, and PNNL is a huge part of my portfolio to accomplish that mission. It takes a weapons program to know weapons program, and our team has a track record of success in this area, addressing international threats—legacy ones, including removing highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan after the fall of the Soviet Union, dismantling Libya’s nuclear program in the early 2000s, and material removals from Iraq in the early 2000s as well, via project McCall.

We also worked to convert research reactors from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium, and we work to secure radiological sources around the world such as cesium and cobalt. Two primary examples, just in the recent months, we secured cesium materials from University of Georgetown as well as Lebanon across the oceans, showing a broad range of capabilities of our team. NNSA, and the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation stands ready to rise to any challenge.

MURRAY: Well, I think you made the point that this is really, really a critical program. So you can see why I was concerned when DNN carried out layoffs and cuts to really critical programs last year after the slush fund CR and Trump’s bad [FY26 budget] request. Thankfully, Congress rejected that and worked together to pass a bill and restored the funding.

And I wanted to ask you, with that funding restored in our FY26 bill, what are you doing now to get those projects back up and running? It takes really, critically, really great people to run those programs, and I want to know what you’re doing to get them back up and running since they were cut.

NAPOLI: Senator, I appreciate the question. As you noted, people are at the heart of our business. I will continue to be an advocate for all men and women of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Now, I would like to thank you for the generous appropriations that were provided in FY26 and we are using those in a variety of methods to scale up and execute our mission priorities, that is things like security by design, work that we’re doing—

MURRAY: So I’m asking, are you able to get qualified people back? Are they on board? Where are you in restoring all of the cuts that were made?

NAPOLI: We are continuing efficiency in our hiring and targeted hiring selections to make sure that we can execute the totality of our mission. Yes, ma’am.

MURRAY: Are you back up to where you were?

NAPOLI: I am in the process of evaluating our future needs and continuing to hire the best and brightest in the United States to come to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

MURRAY: Okay, it’s really important that you keep our committee informed of where you are in the hiring as we work on this budget now. It is really critical that we have your agency up running and capable.

[Following FY26 Funding Bill]

Senator Murray then pressed Administrator Williams on how FY26 funding is being spent, and whether he intends to follow Congressional directions and funding levels.

MURRAY: Administrator Williams—Congress included language to protect specific programs and projects in the FY26 bipartisan bill. Are you executing the FY26 funding in accordance with the funding level directives we put in that bill?

WILLIAMS: Yes, Senator, we’re following the direction, the letter of intent provided by Congress.

MURRAY: Okay, so you are not planning any reprogrammings that would move money away from congressionally directed levels?

WILLIAMS: We’re doing some reprogramming internally, as we’re allowed by law. But I think we’re very transparent in everything that we’re doing, we’re transparent to you and the committee to keep things moving. But if you’re talking about redirecting OBBBA funds, the answer is, no, we’re not doing—

MURRAY: Okay, so, but in our bill, we directed funding to go to the Forensic Research and Development Global Material Security Nonproliferation Stewardship program, nuclear detonation, detection, reactor conversion, and uranium supply. You’re not redirecting any of those funds? Those were congressionally directed.

WILLIAMS: I don’t believe so. And those are really important missions to us. I really view the nonproliferation mission as part of the deterrence mission. They all serve deterrence for our country, and our ability to interdict and detect other programs is a key part of our national deterrence, our strategic deterrence.

MURRAY: Okay, thank you for that answer.

[Rehiring NNSA Staff]

Senator Murray continued and asked Administrator Williams about his plan to hire back staff that were recklessly pushed out at NNSA last year as DOGE swept through the agency.

MURRAY: Before Trump took office, NNSA had 2,000 employees, and was hiring more. Under President Trump and Elon Musk and the DOGE thing, you had a lot of cuts.

And by the time you stopped the bleeding, we know that hundreds of key staff—actually the people who manage the nuclear stockpile—were gone. I know you are still trying to undo that damage. And your budget requests a 10 percent increase for Federal Salaries and Expenses to support additional hiring across NNSA.

What is your target hiring number right now for NNSA?

WILLIAMS: Senator, we are looking to hire about 100 new personnel, you know across, in terms of federal employees, across our enterprise. And again, as Dr. Napoli said, those are targeted hires. It’s the quality of the people we bring in is really important, and that we do so in an efficient way.

MURRAY: Yeah, well, I know that under the DOGE cuts a lot of people were gone. You’re now trying to hire them back. Can you tell the Committee how much it cost the taxpayers to have to recruit and hire back hundreds of those people?

WILLIAMS: Honestly Senator, that all happened before I was confirmed at the end of September.

MURRAY: So you can’t tell us?

WILLIAMS: I don’t have that information.

MURRAY: Okay, well I just think it’s important that the American people understand the reality: efficiency is good, and we need good people. And DOGE was not efficient, and it has cost us money. So I just wanted to make that point.

[Competing Pit Production Strategies]

Senator Murray then questioned Deputy Administrator Beck about possible changes to funding and plans for pit production and how that squares with the budget request NNSA submitted this year.

MURRAY: Mr. Beck, I wanted to ask you a question about the pit mines. You recently released a memo outlining a series of “Transformation Objectives”—including a reevaluation of all the ongoing major production and infrastructure projects across the NNSA complex.

One of the most costly efforts at the agency right now is the pit production mission. NNSA is slated to release a long-awaited Integrated Master Schedule for pit production that outlines the two-site construction schedule.

Can you clarify: Does the FY27 budget propose funding for projects based on the existing plan for pit production? Or does it factor in changes you’re pursuing in your transformational objectives effort?

BECK: Senator, I’m so glad you asked that question. We are the reasons why—there’s a couple reasons I’m in this job, is I care about the mission. The other one is, I’m frustrated about some of the things you’ve already mentioned, about how expensive it is to build facilities in the world that we’re in, and the Administrator has mentioned some of the reasons for that. The transformation objectives are an effort to try to impart greater urgency into our production so that we can create, get to the deterrence level that we need going forward in the future. And we’re looking hard at the pit strategy. Our pit strategy is we’re looking at it from a synergistic effect, where we’re bringing all the pit capabilities together, and looking at it as a systems approach. And we have an integrated plan for the work that’s done at Los Alamos. We do not yet have a complete integrated master schedule that includes Savannah River, because the CD23 estimate for SRPPF is not quite in. We expect that this summer.

We are moving forward with an approved strategy to be able to make more pits faster. And our intent is to change the way we do business. This is not the NNSA of two years ago. We are moving fast to make more pits. The number of pits we plan to make this year at Los Alamos, we got that done in the first half of the year, and we’ll make three times that number by the end of the year. That’s done in cooperation with all the sites. Savannah River in particular, is helping with classified tooling, training, electro refining efforts and chemical analysis. So, it’s a total team effort across the sites. The facility of Savannah River will not be ready until the 2030s, we’re trying to move that forward faster.

But we are going through, if one of the transformation objectives in that list is to evaluate every line item and capital project, we have to relook at three things. Do we have the right leadership? That’s the number one thing, leadership, federal and contractor leadership. Do we have the right strategy? Many times, we do not. And do we have the right operational drum beat and metrics to achieve where we go? And as we look at that, we’re making some significant improvements to move forward faster. And I’m encouraged by that, by the great work that has been done by the Savannah River and Los Alamos people that are assigned pits. And they are doing extremely good work this year, and I’m proud of what’s been happening so far.

MURRAY: Okay, well, from appropriations perspective here, that’s our job. If the execution strategy on some of the largest projects that you have change, how are you going to work with this Committee, so we understand where the resources are going that we are providing?

BECK: This is my second time in government. This is my 50th year in the nuclear weapons business, and having an agile strategy is one thing. One of the challenges you have is the budget’s not as agile as you’d like it to be, because it takes a long time to get to this stage. We will work with you very closely. We’re working with your staff. We’re briefing your staff in this, you know, we’ve spent many times briefing the staff on how to move forward and where we need help. And there are some things, in particular summary program is that I think makes sense to move forward to be more agile.

MURRAY: Well, speaking on behalf of the Chair and myself, we need to know what those are and where you’re going, so we know what resources need to be provided and where those are going. Those are critical decisions for us to understand.

BECK: We have met with your staff this week and last week, and we’re working through that process to make that happen.

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