It Is 2006... It is 2026...

Criticism of the White House press and their annual dinner has been going on for decades.  The criticisms remain basically the same, even as the details change somewhat:

They are the highest paid and most celebrated journalists, even though their journalism is entirely access journalism which produces no genuine scoops. Whoever sucks up the most gets the press releases first.

They identify with the people and the institutions they cover. It is "we" not "us and them." They are on Team White House, and they rise and fall together.

They are quite defensive of the people they cover, both because of access reasons and in the same way that I can criticize Philadelphia but you had better fucking not. Their home, not yours.

They tend to be incredibly thin skinned about their own work, of course.

As journalists at the top of the food chain - salaries, status, fame - they are often quite dismissive of "lesser" journalists. You know, the ones with actual "scoops" which they are often unable to read or remember.

Access journalism includes a lot of "save it for the book" stuff. Aside from the obvious, a problem with failing to publish what you know is that you end up talking and writing around it. "Peter Hegseth says [lie which is refuted in my book out in 18 months]." It's a version of "catch and kill."  Tell journalists the truth but embargo it.  They have to pretend they don't know it.

They often run cover for their sources. Way too obvious case: Maggie Haberman with Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

For various reasons, these tendencies are much worse and less hidden during Republican administrations.  Arguably this is mostly because Republican administrations are "better" at manipulating them, better at their care and feeding (and corrective punishments at times), and not because of ideological affinity, but that is not preferable!

Morning

 Taco Tuesday.

Happy Hour

Get happy.

As Long As What Happens Is Funny

I have probably been a bit flippant lately, as I'm not especially optimistic that anything good is going to happen in the next few months. At best we can get some stuff which is funny. You know, something like the humiliation of Kash Patel.

Developments like that aren't likely to actually improve anything, but at least we can laugh a bit.

Awkward

Also funny, or would be if it all wasn't so consequential.

“We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” Putin told Araghchi saying he hoped they can get through what he called a “difficult period” and peace will prevail.

“For our part we will do everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region to ensure that peace is achieved as quickly as possible,” he added.

Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore calm to the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes, which Moscow has strongly condemned.

Some Are Held For Charity And Some For Fancy Dress

I don't know why Trump is so obsessed with his ballroom. I do know that a promise to get Godzilla on loan from Japan to stomp the shit out of it as soon as he leaves office is the right response.

Enrage Him

Insult his binky.

dems should start ripping the ballroom just to keep him distracted, say the renderings are tacky and itll be the only thing he talks about for a week

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 4:21 PM

'MAHA Moms'

I'm mildly annoyed that every part of MAGA Extended Universe gets treated as a crucial voting constituency, instead of a mostly marginal internet subculture with an elevated sense of their own righteousness and importance. Still, there is value in pointing out that even within his own expressed crackpot framework, RFK JR. is hardly "MAHA."

But the Trump administration has since ordered more domestic production of the chemical, backed away from suggestions it may be harmful, and thrown its support behind Bayer by arguing that it is up to the Environmental Protection Agency, not the courts, to decide the safety and risks of agricultural chemicals.

The positions on glyphosate have sparked tension between traditional conservatives and the MAHA voters who argue they provided pivotal votes to secure Trump’s 2024 win.

If you guys did provide the pivotal votes, I hope you're proud of yourselves. 

At Least The War Is Over

The DC press fully seizing the opportunity to make themselves the protagonists of The Politics Story at the expense of all other news is bringing back memories.

Generally that aspect has improved somewhat since the peak Mark Halperin/Gang of 500 days, though I am not surprised to see they can still take the opportunity to turn the focus onto themselves.

A new attack on the rituals that define US democracy

No your annual dinner is not one of the rituals that define US democracy. Jesus fucking christ.

Morning

Oh what a glorious morning.

Sunday Happy Hour

Get happy

Winning

I don't know what happens next, but this is probably true no matter what!

“We will by no means return the Strait of Hormuz to its previous state, because this is an order from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution”, Ali Nikzad, second deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, told the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

If the US somehow takes control, "we" will start charging. 

"Heated Rhetoric"

BASH: You and your fellow Democrats have used some heated rhetoric against the president. Do you think twice about that when something like that happens? RASKIN: What rhetoric do you have in mind? BASH: That he's terrible for this country and so on and so forth

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 26, 2026 at 2:55 PM

Observing Me Observing You

I was struck by all of the clips from the various fake journalists and "influencers" whose response to being in the middle of a shooting was to point their phones at themselves to take photos/video.

One of Bari's dullards: 

People who conceive of themselves as the protagonist of existence are not new - a lot of writing has long been narcissistic "observing myself observing an event" - but the phones do let them all express that in a new way!

Point those cameras at what you're looking at, not at yourself looking at it!

Morning

Guess there was some news when I wasn't paying attention?

But He Was So Competent

Looks like we won't have Kash to kick around for much longer.

Current Status

As I keep writing, I know nothing about how delicate the various supply chains are. Some people seem to think things are going to be pretty fucked up soon!

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely empty of merchant ships, with only a few Tehran-linked vessels moving through the waterway, following a tense week that saw Iranian gunboat attacks and tanker interceptions by the US Navy.

As of Saturday morning, observable traffic was down to only two very small fuel carriers and one tiny coastal cargo ship, all with ties to Tehran, leaving the Persian Gulf through the crucial waterway, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. No ships were observed on their way in.

FIELD TRIP CANCELLED

Steve and Jared's trip to Pakistan was canceled. I suspect it was always fake - that all of this is just delaying to make time for putting things in place for major military action. But who knows...

Moral Clarity

This isn't important, but I haven't seen that war-on-terror era phrase used much recently.

I have never actually understood what the intended meaning of it is, if any, beyond "killing people I hate is moral, akshually, and you are immoral if you disagree."

Happy White House Correspondents' Dinner Day

I stopped getting annoyed by such things because I stopped imagining the White House Press were supposed to be anything other than what they were. I actually used to think this from Colbert at the 2006 WHCD was maybe a bit harsh, but it's only a bit harsh if you imagine it's about all journalists on the politics beat.

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the Decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!

The good ones are mostly the ones whose names you don't know, the ones whose work goes mostly ignored by their own colleagues who have the access journalism jobs that makes them famous. The investigative stuff, the genuine scoops from lower level whistleblowers, the actual reportng about corruption and similar - that isn't their job! It is sill to expect it from them.

That doesn't mean you have to respect what they do, of course, just understand that they are doing their jobs! Jake Tapper made some defiant pocket squares. He's very proud of them.