Day 457

DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center Over Its Paid-Informant Program (April 2026)

On April 21, 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a federal grand jury indictment in the Middle District of Alabama against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The government alleges the SPLC defrauded donors by secretly paying more than $3 million to informants inside the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups through a now-defunct program, using bank accounts for fictitious entities, and that the payments funded the extremism it claimed to fight. The SPLC pleaded not guilty on May 7, 2026. Former prosecutors and legal scholars have called the case retaliatory; critics view it as an attack on civil society organizations that monitor far-right extremism.

Ceasefire deadline looms; Trump says 'I expect to be bombing'

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday evening (April 23), Washington time. Trump said it was 'highly unlikely' he would extend it: 'I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with.' Iran's chief negotiator said Tehran will not negotiate 'under the shadow of threats' while the naval blockade remains in effect. The main sticking points: the U.S. demands full Hormuz reopening and limits on nuclear enrichment; Iran demands the blockade be lifted and guarantees that Israel-Hezbollah fighting will not resume. The 88 million civilians subject to the blockade remain under economic siege with no permanent resolution in sight.

From: U.S. Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports

Ceasefire deadline April 23; Hormuz reopening the central demand

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire expires April 23. Full Hormuz reopening remains the core U.S. negotiating demand; Iran insists the naval blockade must be lifted first. Trump has threatened to resume bombing if no deal is reached, saying 'I expect to be bombing.' The global energy and food security crisis triggered by the war remains unresolved with no permanent agreement in sight.

From: Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Global Energy and Food Security Catastrophe

Trump says 'I expect to be bombing' as ceasefire deadline approaches

Trump told reporters he expected to resume bombing Iran if negotiations failed by the April 23 deadline: 'I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with.' Iran's Parliament Speaker warned Iran had 'new cards on the battlefield.' The renewed threats were condemned by Amnesty International as 'apocalyptic' and requiring 'urgent global action to prevent atrocity crimes.'

From: Trump Threats to Obliterate Iran's Civilian Power Infrastructure