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"People should know that I'm in the Hooters Hall of Fame."

The Knicks vs. Hawks series seems to be drawing the most predictions for a potential upset from pundits across the sports landscape. In a way, it makes sense. No one expects the top two seeds in either conference to have much trouble getting through to the next round. The Rockets are favorites in the series...

A Brooklyn-based furniture retailer has agreed to pay up to $350,000 to settle claims it cheated customers out of refunds – and you may be eligible for a payment.

The best part? The top-rated lip makeup is on sale right now.

The best part? The top-rated lip makeup is on sale right now.

DOJ Petitions Court To Toss Convictions Of Unpardoned Jan. 6 Defendants

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

The Justice Department is petitioning an appeals court to throw out the convictions of unpardoned defendants who were charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021.

“The United States has determined ... that dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” read a motion filed April 14 in the case of Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, and Jessica Watkins.

All four defendants belonged to the Oath Keepers, a group that says its members are mostly former military, police, and medics who are dedicated to upholding Constitutional rights. Rhodes, the group’s founder, had been one of the most high-profile Jan. 6 defendants; he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges.

In their motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, federal prosecutors said they would file separate motions-to-vacate in “similar” Jan. 6 cases.

Those cases involve four other Oath Keepers—Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, and Joseph Hackett—along with Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.

The Proud Boys group has said it is open to men who are “gay or straight,” and of all races and religions who support Western values that created the modern world.

After being sworn in as the 47th president in 2025, President Donald Trump granted full pardons to about 1,500 people who faced Jan. 6 charges.

However, he stopped short of pardoning 14 defendants who were Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.

He instead commuted their sentences, leaving their convictions still standing.

Cases involving 12 of those defendants are part of the motion that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro signed on April 14.

The remaining two defendants who had not received pardons include Oath Keeper associate Thomas Caldwell, who received a delayed presidential pardon in March 2025. The other is former Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino, who admitted guilt and served as a prosecution witness against other Proud Boys.

If the Washington appeals court vacates the convictions as requested, prosecutors then would move to dismiss the cases “with prejudice,” Pirro wrote.

That specification would permanently bar prosecutors from refiling the charges.

Since 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court has “recognized that appellate courts have authority” to take the action Pirro has requested, the filing said.

Some members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys did receive pardons, including former Proud Boys national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio. He had been convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges that brought a 22-year sentence—the longest meted out to any Jan. 6 defendant.

Last year, Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl, Nordean, and Pezzola filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against the federal government, alleging prosecutors violated their constitutional rights.

Nicholas Smith, an attorney who represents Nordean, expressed gratitude to the Justice Department for its “wise decision” in seeking dismissal of the convictions.

“We don’t want a precedent that says that any physical confrontation between protesters and law enforcement means a crime akin to treason, such as seditious conspiracy,” Smith said.

However, former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack after a rioter shocked him with a stun gun on Jan. 6, spoke out against the Justice Department’s motion to throw out the convictions.

“I would remind Americans that these were traitors to this country,” Fanone said. “They planned, incited, and carried out an insurrection.”

In a post on X, John Strand, a Jan. 6 defendant and conservative activist, said the government’s move constituted “exoneration” for defendants who were “entrapped and crushed by an evil, weaponized government.”

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 09:45

US Industrial Production Unexpectedly Drops In March (After Huge Upward Revision For Feb)

At first glance the 0.5% MoM decline in US Industrial production (considerably worse than than the 0.1% MoM rise expected - and dragging YoY growth in IP down to +0.74%) is bad news... suggesting immediate impacts from the war are being felt and sparking headlines decrying President Trump's actions.

Source: Bloomberg

However, while we agree that the decline is notable, the fact that February's data was revised drastically higher, from +0.2% to +0.7% MoM, means that over the two months, industrial production overall is actually higher (and up 0.2% since the end of the war)...

Source: Bloomberg

Energy was behind the slowdown:

• March oil and gas drilling posted a decline of 2.4% m/m after rising 0.6% in Feb., Federal Reserve data show.

• March consumer energy products was decline of 2.1% m/m after rising 2.3% in Feb.

• March commercial energy products declined 0.3% m/m after increasing 0.8% in Feb.

.

A similar picture evolves for Manufacturing production which fell 0.1% MoM in March (worse than the 0.1% MoM rise expected) after February's 0.2% MoM rise was revised up 2x to a 0.4% MoM rise. Nevertheless, Manufacturing production YoY slowed to just 0.5%...

Source: Bloomberg

Bottom Line: it's not great news that industrial production is slowing... but it's not as dire as it looks at first glance (and remember Manufacturing PMIs were strong)...

...and energy production is unpredictable at best in the current environment.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 09:35

War Economy Returns: From Trucks To Tanks, Pentagon Looks To Automakers To Rebuild America's Arsenal

With two active conflict areas in Eurasia - the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Eastern Europe and the U.S.-Iran theater in the Gulf - the world is moving deeper into a war cycle. The latest indicator is not only that militaries around the world are beginning to stockpile one-way attack drones, but also the early-stage push to convert underused civilian industrial capacity, including struggling auto production lines, into wartime manufacturing hubs.

The Wall Street Journal is out with a new report that describes just that, noting that the Trump administration is exploring whether U.S. manufacturers, including GM, Ford, GE Aerospace, and Oshkosh, can convert civilian industrial capacity into weapons production as conflicts across Eurasia drag on and deplete critical weapons stockpiles.

The effort to boost the war economy is part of what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as putting the defense industrial base on a "wartime footing."

A Department of War official said the agency "is committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure that our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage."

Senior defense officials told the outlet that Mary Barra of General Motors and Jim Farley of Ford Motor have been briefed on converting auto production lines into weapons manufacturing facilities. The report did not provide details on what types of weapons could be produced in the factories or on the downtime required to convert those lines.

Those officials said GE Aerospace and vehicle and machinery maker Oshkosh were among other manufacturers briefed.

The historical precedent is that America converted its automotive base during World War II to produce record numbers of main battle tanks, bombers, and fighter planes to win the war.

Let's not forget that GM and Ford both repurposed production lines during the Covid pandemic to produce ventilators, so it's not far-fetched that these automakers could one day be rolling tanks down the production lines.

One major hurdle is the far-left unions, which could force labor actions such as strikes, as the broader left-wing ecosystem has transformed into a pressure campaign against anything related to Trump, whether foreign or domestic policy.

Evidence of converting underused civilian industrial capacity has already been seen with the German automaker Volkswagen, which will soon transform its Lower Saxony factory from producing T-Roc Cabriolets to manufacturing parts for the Iron Dome missile interceptor system.

In mid-February, we highlighted a conversation between Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and Joe Rogan about how the U.S. won World War II. Luckey noted:

"How did the United States win World War II … Manufacturing. Some of it was new factories, but most of it was taking over old factories."

.@PalmerLuckey “WWII we turned our automotive factories into missile factories” https://t.co/P6ZjQsPjeW pic.twitter.com/uUJmcTTupU

— Molly O’Shea (@MollySOShea) April 16, 2026

That's why Chinese autos will never flood the U.S.: it would destroy the auto industrial base that can easily be converted to wartime production. However, the current left-wing regime in Europe has already chosen to hollow out its industrial core by flooding the continent with BYD cars.

This is wartime stuff.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 09:35

The former couple previously dealt with a cheating scandal.

The former couple previously dealt with a cheating scandal.

The Dodgers “have a great DH,” Shohei Ohtani said Wednesday night.

A Louisiana elementary school teacher has been charged with rape and a slew of other sex crimes involving at least two students, according to cops.

The dynamic duo is here — and we're here for it.

The perks of sitting courtside also come with the responsibility to keep your head on a swivel at all times. This fan was caught texting when Magic forward Paolo Banchero drove into the lane looking for Desmond Bane in the corner for what should have been an open 3-pointer with Orlando leading 53-52 in the...

Tiger Woods's legal team has objected to a subpoena request by Florida state prosecutors to release the pro golfer's medication records after his DUI arrest in Jupiter Island on March 27.

The Warriors are still alive. After a thrilling 126-121 win over the Clippers on Wednesday, the Warriors will face the Suns in Phoenix on Friday night with the last Western Conference playoff berth on the line. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball...

The US blockade on Iranian-backed vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz has been expanded elsewhere in the world, particularly the Indo-Pacific region, Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed.

Sotomayor Apologizes After Criticizing Kavanaugh Over Immigration Case

Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times,

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor apologized in a statement for comments she recently made about Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

“At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate,” Sotomayor said in the statement released by the Supreme Court.

“I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”

Sotomayor was at an event April 7 at the University of Kansas School of Law when she criticized Kavanaugh over his stance involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopping individuals to question them about their immigration status.

Her remarks appeared to reference the Supreme Court’s Sept. 8, 2025, emergency order in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which allowed immigration enforcement to continue while legal challenges proceed.

The Supreme Court issued a temporary order allowing the practice to continue while the case moves through the courts.

In a concurring opinion, Brett Kavanaugh wrote that such encounters are typically brief and that individuals are generally released quickly.

“I had a colleague in that case who wrote, you know, these are only temporary stops,” Sotomayor said, referencing Kavanaugh, according to Bloomberg.

“This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”

Kavanaugh’s parents were Martha Kavanaugh, an associate judge in Maryland, and Everett Kavanaugh Jr., a Washington lobbyist.

Sotomayor’s parents were Juan Sotomayor, a tool worker with a third-grade education, and Celina Baez, a nurse.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University Law School, said Sotomayor’s criticism of Kavanaugh suggested “that he is an out-of-touch elitist.”

“The suggestion is that Kavanaugh has avoided—and continues to avoid—interactions with people who get paid on an hourly basis—while she is more inclusive in her circle of friends. It is obviously false, but more importantly, petty and unfair,” Turley posted April 12 on X.

David French, a former attorney and columnist for The New York Times, said Sotomayor’s comments were “inappropriate.”

“This gets a little personal feeling to me,” French said on The Dispatch podcast on April 14.

“Maybe they know each other well enough to where she can make assumptions or make educated guesses about what his parents experienced or their broader experience. I don’t know. To me, it’s not even a close call. It was over the line in its personal nature.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Sotomayor and Kavanaugh for comment.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 09:10

The PGA Tour isn't ready to start thinking about poaching quite yet.

The former Spice Girl addressed the matter for the first time during a new interview published Thursday.