Billionaire pal kicks Swalwell out of mansion and wants his donations back after rape allegations

Stephen Cloobeck, that billionaire timeshare king and former California governor wannabe, just did what every sane person should have done months ago. He booted disgraced Democratic Rep. Eric 'Gasman' Swalwell out of his mansion and now wants his million dollars in campaign donations returned after a gaggle of women came forward accusing the congressman of sexual assault and misconduct.

Cloobeck used to call Swalwell his “little brother” in that March POLITICO interview. He even scoffed when the New York Post asked him about the lawmaker’s rumored creepy behavior with female staffers. But on Sunday the timeshare mogul sang a very different tune. He is cutting ties with Swalwell and the entire Democratic Party faster than you can say “hypocrite.”

“I am no longer supporting Eric,” the Diamond Resorts founder told the outlet. “F*cking tell everyone I’m a libertarian. F*ck you, Democrat Party. I’m a libertarian now.”

Classic. 

A complete 180 after Swalwell posted a video, reportedly filmed inside Cloobeck’s swanky Beverly Hills home, trying to defend himself against those rape and sexual harassment claims from former staffers and other women in Democrat politics.

Since four women went public in that CNN piece, more than fifty former Swalwell staffers have now demanded his resignation. On top of that, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced they are investigating because one of the alleged incidents happened in New York after Swalwell spoke at a gala there.

Even House Democrat leadership turned on him. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar, and House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark put out a joint statement calling for Swalwell to drop his gubernatorial bid.

“Following the incredibly disturbing sexual assault accusations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, we call for a swift investigation into these incidents and for the Congressman to immediately end his campaign to be California’s next Governor,” the lawmakers wrote.

Swalwell officially suspended his campaign on Sunday. He claimed he is “deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past” while still insisting the allegations are “false.”“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made, but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” he said in a statement posted to social media.

Here is the kicker. Cloobeck had launched his own short-lived run for California governor, then dropped out and endorsed Swalwell. According to the New York Post he dumped more than a million dollars into the guy’s campaign and let him crash at his 9,700-square-foot mansion whenever he wanted.

“I have a lot of people who stay at my house,” Cloobeck told the outlet. “I built a gorgeous place, my dream home, I relish it, and I’m a very generous man. I’m very thoughtful and I’m very kind.” 

Generous and kind until the rape allegations dropped. Then suddenly Swalwell is no longer welcome. Cloobeck confirmed the congressman is out of the house but said he would have to talk to his lawyer about clawing back that donation money.

The billionaire, who admitted he had been a Democrat for about four decades, made it crystal clear he is finished with the party.

“I’m going to change my godd*mn party affiliation, because I cannot stand this Democratic Party at all,” he told the Post. “I am done. Finito.”

Welcome to sanity, sir.

When asked if he thought Swalwell had been honest with him, Cloobeck replied, “I’m gonna have to investigate that. I don’t know the answer to that.”

Oh, now he needs to investigate? After funding the guy, housing the guy, and calling him “little brother”? Give me a break. This is what happens when the mask slips on the Democrat Party’s favorite protected class. One set of rules for thee, another for the powerful donors who finally wake up. 

Welcome to libertarianism, Mr. Cloobeck. Better late than never.

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Qatar puts pressure on Iran re Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes

Qatar teamed up with the United States on Monday to ramp up pressure on Iran to loosen its grip on shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-of Thani bin bin said he spoke directly with his Iranian counterpart on the matter, urging Tehran not to treat the strait as a "bargaining chip."

"HE Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the need for all parties to respond positively to ongoing mediation efforts, calling for dialogue and peaceful means to address the root causes of the crisis and reach a sustainable agreement that prevents renewed escalation," the ministry said in a statement.

"He also underlined the importance of keeping maritime routes open and ensuring freedom of navigation, warning against using them as a bargaining chip," the statement continued." 

His Excellency further cautioned that any disruption to shipping lanes could have serious consequences for countries in the region, as well as for global energy and food supplies, with wider implications for international peace and security," it added.

Look, this is classic Gulf diplomacy at work. Qatar, playing its usual balancing act between Washington and Tehran, is making it crystal clear that choking off one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints is a non-starter. The last thing the region needs right now is another self-inflicted wound on global trade, especially when energy markets and food supplies are already on edge. 

Tehran would be wise to heed the call for de-escalation before things spiral further. Of course they did, otherwise the regime would be totally destroyed.

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Starmer backs Iran: says UK won't support Strait of Hormuz blockade

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that no matter how much pressure is applied, Britain would absolutely not be dragged into the Iran war or participate in any silly blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

"We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened and therefore help Iran supply oil and goods for the regime.

"It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put all of our efforts and we'll continue to do so," Starmer said.

Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and while he could not discuss operational matters lest he tip his hand to the USA, the military capability was "focused from our point of view on getting the Strait full open."

The U.S. military said it would begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

The U.S. Central Command said that the U.S. blockade, starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday (1400 GMT), would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman."Vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be impeded, the U.S. military said.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday U.S. forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," Trump wrote on social media, adding: "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"

This is akin to blowing vessels into smithereens and Trump isn't kidding.

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It Gets Worse for Swalwell: Nannygate Much?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just confirmed on Sunday that a federal investigation into the malodorous Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) now includes reports that the California Democrat, best known for his public flatulence and for sleeping with an alleged Chinese spy, hired and then lied about a Brazilian nanny who was living in the United States illegally.

POLITICO’s Dan Lippman broke the story, reporting that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had referred the allegations to law enforcement at DHS. The department fired back with a blunt response from its official X account:

“USCIS has been collecting information on the allegations involving Congressman Eric Swalwell hiring of a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization.
@USCIS has referred this matter to DHS law enforcement for investigation. No one is above the law, including a member of Congress.” 

Sources say this bombshell lands as multiple other investigations are already circling the wagons around Swalwell and as the embattled California congressman and former would-be gubernatorial candidate faces a growing pile of accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, ranging from unwanted attention to at least one claim of rape from a former staffer. 

The Manhattan district attorney opened an investigation into Swalwell on Saturday after learning that one of the women accusing him of sexual misconduct lived in New York. Weeks earlier, the Justice Department had opened an unrelated probe into the gubernatorial hopeful, alleging mortgage fraud.

Since the accusations started dropping on Friday, Swalwell’s friends and colleagues have deserted him faster than rats fleeing a taxpayer-funded cruise ship. Democrats in Congress yanked their support for his gubernatorial run, publicly withdrawing endorsements and demanding he drop out of the race. Some went further, calling for him to resign his congressional seat and a few have openly said that, if given the chance, they’d vote to expel him from the House.

His own employees piled on, with a group of senior staffers from both his congressional office and gubernatorial campaign issuing a joint memo and resigning en masse. They also urged voters to pull their support from Swalwell.

Swalwell has denied the accusations, calling them “flat false” and vowing to fight back with everything he has which, at this point, appears to be nothing but a collection of strongly-worded denials, a Brazilian nanny, and whatever scraps of dignity he has left after the whole Fang Fang incident.

He has since bowed out of the gubernatorial race and if he's lucky, he might remain in Congress.

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Dem Senate candidate with Nazi tattoo called Jesus a "zombie" and Virgin Mary a "skank"

Graham Platner, the anti-Semitic Democratic Senate candidate from Maine who's now famous for covering up his Nazi tattoo, once described himself as so "crudely atheist" that he derided Jesus Christ as a "zombie" and the Virgin Mary as "a skank" in a newly uncovered Reddit post. He can go to hell for saying such things.

Facts are facts. In the post, Platner was responding to a 2008 lawsuit claiming a soldier was denied a promotion for not embracing "fundamentalist Christianity." Platner fired back with, "What units is this shit in?" and then bragged, "I've spent 8 years in the infantry . . .  I've been about as crudely atheist as one can be the entire time." 

He went on to cite "zombie Jesus jokes and Mary sucking at covering up being a skank" as the height of the humor he enjoyed during his military service.

The post is still live, though it no longer displays its execrable author. An archived version reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon confirms it belongs to a now-deleted account tied directly to Platner. Greg Price, a conservative commentator was the first to highlight it.

Let's not sugarcoat this: Christians make up a majority of the population in Maine, according to Pew Research. Yet here we have a Democratic candidate who thought it was clever to mock the central figure of Christianity as a "zombie" and His mother as "a skank."

And this isn't an isolated incident. Platner's campaign has been absolutely torpedoed by a parade of repulsive Reddit posts: blaming rape victims for their own assaults, calling military officers "gay," labeling other users "fags," spewing anti-white and anti-police rhetoric, wondering out loud why Black people "don't tip," and even claiming that accusing him of watching CNN was worse than calling him a "retard."

If this cretin somehow wins the election, it will be an indication of a political party that has become decadent. 

Then, of course, there was the October bombshell: video evidence of a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, which he got in Croatia back in 2007 while he was in the Marine Corps. As a former Marine, I find this disgusting and not in any way representative of the Corps.

Platner has since covered it up, but the damage was done. Multiple staffers have already quit the campaign amid the fallout from the Reddit posts and the tattoo revelation.The Platner campaign, shockingly, did not respond to a request for comment. Color me unsurprised.

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IDF readies for immediate return of high level fighting

The officials are clear, even if the diplomats are not: despite the much-vaunted official truce, the United States continues to quietly amass undisclosed forces across the Middle East. They are preparing, coldly and methodically, for the moment when force is not merely an option but the only one left.

With the peace talks in Islamabad collapsing without so much as a scrap of agreement, the Israeli security establishment is steeling itself for a rapid and uncompromising return to full-scale military operations.

Senior officials have made plain that the Israel Defense Forces now stand at their highest state of alert, braced for what one described as the “immediate collapse” of the entire diplomatic charade.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has summoned an emergency session of the small security cabinet for 7:00 PM this evening, to confront the latest grim developments and align next steps with Washington.

According to well-placed defense sources, the cooperation between Israel and the United States has reached a level of intimacy and seriousness without modern precedent. The two nations now maintain a joint “target bank” of staggering scope, encompassing a vast array of maritime and land-based Iranian assets.
The Israeli military’s gaze is not fixed solely on the northern front. It is also immersed in meticulous planning for what could become a full-scale naval war in the Persian Gulf.

“The IDF is ready for the immediate collapse of the negotiation process and a return to intense fighting in both defense and offense,” a security source told reporters with characteristic Israeli bluntness.

This state of readiness rests upon a deep, almost seamless synchronization with U.S. Central Command, and a shared, clear recognition that a naval blockade may now be the only realistic means of strangling the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions.

Israeli officials understand with cold clarity that a total maritime siege would do far more than merely halt oil exports. It would cut off the very “oxygen” that sustains the Revolutionary Guard's iron grip on the country.

Though the ceasefire between the United States and Iran remains technically intact for the moment, the Israeli cabinet meeting tonight is expected to grapple with a harsher truth: that the so-called “diplomatic bridge” is not merely under strain, but actively crumbling before our eyes. Officials note that despite the official truce, the U.S. military is continuing to build up undisclosed forces in the Middle East, preparing for a scenario where force becomes the only option.

The Israeli leadership is sending an unmistakable signal to the world: it does not believe a genuine deal is anywhere in sight. It is therefore preparing both its military and its people for the grim likelihood that this war will reignite with a ferocity even greater than before.

With the Saturday summit in Pakistan ending without signature or substance, the “high tension” now palpable in Jerusalem leaves little room for doubt: the window for diplomacy has narrowed almost to the point of vanishing.

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Khamenei Jr. Reportedly 'Mentally Sharp' Despite Being Turned Into Human Swiss Cheese By U.S. Airstrikes

TEHRAN -- Iran's latest Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after sustaining leg and face injuries during joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported Saturday.

It's bad enough that he might be killed in the near future, but worse for him, he has reportedly been disfigured and is no longer considered 'dating material' at any gay goat milk bar.

In a stunning display of medical miracles and regime resilience, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is said to be recovering nicely after the February 28 airstrikes that inconveniently vaporized his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Sources confirm he has not been seen in public since the unfortunate incident, presumably because hospital gowns clash with his father's signature black turban.

Despite sustaining injuries that would make most mortals reconsider their life choices, Khamenei is allegedly "mentally sharp," according to a breathless Reuters report citing a crack team of three anonymous sources from deep within his inner circle, probably the same guys who swore the last guy was totally fine too.

The plucky new allegedly gay supreme leader has even been coordinating with the Iranian delegation in Pakistan for delicate peace talks with a U.S. team led by Vice President JD Vance. 

Nothing says "I'm in charge" like Zooming in from a burn unit while your entire military high command decorates the Persian landscape.

The Reuters dispatch neatly backs up an earlier observation from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who on March 13 bluntly informed reporters that Khamenei was "likely disfigured."

Hegseth doubled down Thursday during a press conference celebrating the U.S. military's recent accomplishments in Iran.

"Their top leadership was systematically eliminated," Hegseth said. "Their previous Iranian supreme leader dead, the supreme national security council secretary dead, the supreme leader office advisor dead, the supreme leader military office chief dead, the defense minister no longer with us, the IRGC commander dead, the armed forces general staff commander dead, the intelligence minister dead, the IRGC navy commander no longer here, the IRGC Intel chief dead.

"I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on, to include the new so-called new supreme leader, wounded and disfigured. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal."

At press time, anonymous sources close to the matter described Khamenei's condition as "sharp as a tack... if the tack had been run over by several F-35s," and had that little pointy thing broken off.

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Six shot at Union, NJ Chick-fil-A

Police are investigating a mass shooting at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in New Jersey that left multiple people injured Saturday evening, according to reports.

The shooting took place at a Chick-fil-A in Union, New Jersey, according to NJ.com.

It was not immediately known by the media as to how many people were shot or the extent of their injuries, but RLS Media reported at least six people were shot.

"This is an active and ongoing investigation," a spokesperson for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said. "More information will be released as it becomes available."

New Jersey police officers stand guard outside Chick-fil-A restaurant on April 12, 2026 in Union, New Jersey. (Getty Images)

Officers responded to a reported shooting around 8:45 p.m. on Route 22 near Gelb Avenue, CBS New York reported.

A man who said his girlfriend works at the restaurant told the outlet that she said a group of men entered the store, went behind the counter and allegedly fired multiple shots.

Authorities remained at the restaurant that serves delicious chicken late Saturday, with officers and employees seen inside the restaurant while additional officers canvassed the parking lot.

New Jersey Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherill said she had been briefed on the shooting.

"As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground," Sherrill wrote on X. "My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families. I am grateful to our first responders for their swift action and continued efforts to keep the community safe."

At this time, the condition of the victims is not yet known, nor what the situation is with the shooter.

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