Author: Brick Tungsten

Brick Tungsten was forged in a Ford F-150 during a Toby Keith guitar solo and baptized in the smoke of a backyard BBQ. A former bass fisherman, amateur theologian, and full-time enemy of tofu, Brick believes America peaked somewhere between the invention of the Budweiser tallboy and Reagan’s first cold stare into the Soviet soul. He doesn’t write columns. He delivers freedom sermons. Each one is a bugle-blast of righteousness straight from the front lines of the culture war—where gender is a science, guns are gospel, and facts are best when cooked medium rare. Brick doesn’t trust the government, but he does trust his gut, his Glock, and the guy who sold him raw milk out of a barn in 2014. He quotes the Constitution like Scripture, Scripture like prophecy, and anything on AM radio like it was beamed straight from Sinai. Every week, he unleashes verbal roundhouse kicks on WOYJO.com—targeting liberal elites, soy-sympathizers, woke kindergarten teachers, and anyone who thinks freedom is optional. His motto? “Live free, grill hard, and don’t apologize.” He has six American flags, one wife (Betsy), two kids named Liberty and Buckshot, and zero regrets.

  • Geck vs. the DPA Bulldozer: Courts Keep the Permit Chain

    ByBrick Tungsten

    The air feels thick like hickory smoke, but tonight it is courtroom air. In Santa Barbara, a judge kept an injunction in place, and the message was plain: a Defense Production Act based order does not erase the state court rules that govern how oil pipelines can restart.

    Donna Geck Upholds the Injunction Against Restarting Sable Pipelines

    Judge Donna Geck kept the injunction against restarting Sable pipelines. In the ruling, the court addressed claims about whether Sable still had to keep complying with the injunction, and whether the Trump administration could simply wish away that requirement through a federal order.

    In plain language, the court’s point was not “maybe” or “in time.” It was that state law still counts. And when a company begins or continues operating while the dispute is still playing out, courts pay attention to whether the injunction is being honored, or bulldozed.

    The press calls it “override.” The ruling called it something else

    Noozhawk reported that the ruling dealt with the claim that Sable was required to keep obeying the injunction and that the administration could not just cancel it out with an order.

    So if the federal push was meant to act like emergency legal fireworks, the court basically said: those fireworks still have to land somewhere. They do not automatically erase what the injunction requires.

    Why This Fight Matters Beyond One Pipeline

    Here is the bigger lesson for anyone who thinks court orders are optional. If you can get an injunction, ignore it, and then argue federal authority makes the whole thing disappear, you are teaching the wrong rulebook to every operator and every organizer.

    Governor Gavin Newsom, in statements tied to the broader dispute, said the state court ruling confirmed that the federal order did not cancel out the injunction requiring legal and safety compliance before operations could resume.

    Energy independence is not a shortcut around permits

    Want domestic energy? Then do it the American way, with rules that actually apply to everybody. State regulators, safety requirements, and court orders are not enemies of supply. They are the steering wheel that keeps the system from careening off the road.

    So tell me: are you pro energy independence, or are you pro whoever has the thickest legal checkbook to overrule everyone else?

  • CMS’s API Leash: SBA Warns Small Health Businesses About Another Reporting Burden

    ByBrick Tungsten

    When the federal government starts sniffing around your paperwork, the grill gets hotter and your workload gets heavier. This week, CMS is pointing at American health businesses and asking for more data, more reporting, and more endpoints.

    SBA Flags a CMS Proposal With More API and Prior Authorization Reporting

    On April 20, the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy highlighted a CMS proposed rule that would require “impacted payers” to support electronic prior authorization. The proposal also points to reporting requirements for people and organizations that build software or run small operations, including reporting interoperability API endpoints and API usage metrics to CMS.

    If you are a small clinic, a health plan, a clearinghouse, or a health IT vendor trying to keep operations running, this is not a minor policy adjustment. SBA describes it as a sudden detour on a supply chain highway, where the truck is loaded and then the GPS says to stop and redo the route. In the middle of that, time and money get burned before you even reach the work.

    CMS Says It’s About Transparency. SBA Says It Burdens Small Entities.

    CMS frames the proposal as a way to improve transparency and streamline the prior authorization process, including extending requirements into the drug world. In a fact sheet, CMS says the agency proposes to require impacted payers to support electronic prior authorization, make decisions within shorter timeframes, and increase transparency for prior authorization of drugs. CMS also says it proposes to update health IT standards and to report API endpoints and API usage metrics.

    But SBA’s Office of Advocacy says the proposed rule impacts small entities, including providers and clinics that transmit electronic information, hospitals, health plans, health care clearinghouses, and support service vendors. In other words, SBA describes a system where the small guys inherit the compliance load, while the bigger players with existing capacity are better positioned to handle upgrades and requirements.

    What’s Being Set Up: Centralized Reporting and a Harder Compliance Track

    This is where the “API leash” point comes in. SBA highlights that CMS is proposing centralized reporting of endpoint details and usage metrics tied to electronic prior authorization, including for drugs, along with tighter timing for decisions. The proposed rule is not yet law, but it is close enough to feel like pressure now.

    SBA also notes that comments are open, with comments due June 15, 2026. So if you build or operate in the health space, SBA’s message is clear: don’t let the paper pushers decide your future without your input.

    In the end, the question is simple for America: when agencies demand endpoints and usage metrics from small providers, are we improving competition and outcomes, or just adding another compliance layer for the folks who cannot fight back?

  • The Pump Delivered the Punchline: Retail Sales Jumped 1.7% as Gas Prices Flared

    ByBrick Tungsten

    The Census Bureau just handed out an advance snapshot, and the numbers look strong on the first glance. But read it like you read tire pressure in the cab of an F-150: the headline is only part of the story. March retail and food services sales jumped 1.7%, and gasoline was the standout driver.

    Census says retail rose 1.7% to $752.1B

    The U.S. Census Bureau reported advance estimates for March 2026. Total retail and food services sales came in at $752.1 billion, up 1.7% from February and up 4.0% from March 2025.

    Then the gasoline component starts yelling.

    Reuters and AP: the Iran-war spike hit the pump

    Reuters, using the same government release, said retail sales rose on the back of a war-driven spike in gasoline prices tied to the conflict with Iran, pointing to a record surge in receipts at service stations.

    AP made the same general point: shoppers spent most of the extra money at the gas pump as gas prices rose because of the Iran war, with gas station business up sharply.

    Strip out gas, and the “prosperity” story changes

    Now watch the numbers when you remove gasoline stations from the picture. The Census advance table also showed totals excluding gasoline stations rising less than the headline. That indicates a chunk of the increase was not consumers suddenly deciding to live like kings. It was households spending more because the price of fuel got pushed higher by an outside shock.

    Tax refunds and other cushions, but not a free pass

    Reuters tied the overall strength to war-driven gasoline price pressure and tax refunds helping spending in other categories. AP similarly noted that when you exclude gas prices, the gain looks more modest, and that tax refunds and warm weather helped cushion the blow.

    So households were juggling: pay more at the pump, then lean on temporary support elsewhere.

    What to take away for America

    Remember, this is an advance estimate, and totals are affected by price and volatility. The point is not to deny retail can be resilient. The point is to admit what is driving the resilience right now: gasoline prices higher due to a war-linked shock.

    That also matters for how people interpret inflation and interest rates, because energy costs that keep eating budgets can make the economy look better on paper while feeling worse in real life.

    Here’s the freedom sermon close: when your economy is held together with gasoline receipts, you are not watching prosperity. You are watching a bill come due. And the smoke is already in the kitchen.

  • Smoke, Confidentiality, and the House Ethics Crowd: Come Clean or Get Roasted

    ByBrick Tungsten

    Hickory smoke is curling over Capitol Hill, and this time it is not just the usual hallway whisper. The House Committee on Ethics has put out a formal request for information on sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer, asking victims and witnesses to step forward. And you can practically hear the bureaucrat lobbyists choking on the idea that accountability might arrive on schedule.

    What the House Ethics panel is asking for

    In a statement, the committee urged anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct, or anyone with knowledge of such conduct, to contact the committee or the other workplace-rights offices. The committee says witness confidentiality and safety are priorities, and that it does not release transcripts or the sources of allegations. It frames the move as part of its transparency mission and an updated approach to handling these cases.

    The committee also draws a line: it says it does not handle sexual harassment lawsuits or get tangled in settlements, and that civil claims go through other channels like the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.

    Why this is rare, and why it still burns

    The committee is not pretending it is new to this. It points out that since 2017 it has initiated investigations in 20 matters involving allegations of sexual misconduct by a member, and it references earlier years when it investigated misconduct tied to sexual activity.

    But here is the uncomfortable part. The committee says the biggest hurdle is convincing the most vulnerable witnesses to share their stories. That is not a victory lap. That is the system admitting the process depends on victims choosing to walk into the blaze.

    In my grill-smoke theology, that is where the “delay and discretion” villain keeps setting up camp. The committee wants transparency, but it also wants identities protected and transcripts withheld. When the public only sees movement after major scandals and resignations, the old distrust flares: Why now? Why this moment?

    What it gets right, and what it withholds

    The committee emphasizes zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination in Congress and other employment settings, and it says it publishes findings when allegations are substantiated. It also points to multiple reporting avenues, including the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and the Office of Employee Advocacy.

    It further references the CAA Reform Act of 2018, describing law that required automatic referrals to the ethics committee of member reimbursements related to sexual harassment awards or settlements, plus publication of those awards or settlements from a U.S. Treasury fund. Congress, at least on paper, already tried to force some accountability into daylight.

    Still, the statement says it releases only the information necessary to hold members accountable and protect witness safety, and it does not release interview transcripts.

    The Washington Post ties this rare request to a spate of recent high-profile cases and says the committee issued the request in a Monday statement. If accountability is good, it should not need a bonfire to start burning.

    So tell me, Patriots: are you ready for “real change” that goes beyond smoke, or are you tired of the swamp treating misconduct like it is always one more process step away?

  • Turn Up the Heat: Expel Cherfilus-McCormick and Kill the Disaster-Grift

    ByBrick Tungsten

    Washington smells like burnt coffee and hot printer ink, like somebody fired up the grill for a town-hall barbecue and then left the lid closed while corruption did pull-ups. Today, the smoke is rising from the House Ethics Committee, not the burgers. And the question is simple: when disaster relief funds allegedly get diverted for private perks, does Congress act like it’s serious, or like it’s just waiting for the next news cycle to cool off?

    Lawmakers weigh sanctions for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida

    Here’s the core of it, straight off the charcoal: the House Ethics Committee is weighing what punishment to recommend after it found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations of House rules and ethics standards, including alleged campaign finance law breaches. That is not a “seasoning mistake.” That’s a whole banquet worth of bad choices.

    According to the report, the allegations center on how she allegedly received millions through her family health care business after Florida mistakenly overpaid it by roughly $5 million using COVID-19 disaster relief money. And the committee is not treating this like a vague misunderstanding. It is about where the money came from and why it showed up like grease on the grill at the wrong moment.

    Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and says she is also not guilty of the ethics violations.

    Criminal case adds a sharper edge

    The AP report says she faces criminal charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in coronavirus disaster relief funds and using the money to buy items such as a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. That detail matters because it turns an ethics argument into something that feels hard to dodge.

    How long does oversight cook?

    While sanctions are being debated, the committee’s investigation stretched over two years and involved 59 subpoenas, 28 witness interviews, and a review of more than 33,000 pages of documents. The House Committee on Ethics records also show that on March 26, 2026, an adjudicatory subcommittee found certain counts proven by clear and convincing evidence and set up the next step.

    What sanctions can mean, and why expulsion takes more than outrage

    Potential punishments, as the AP report notes, include a reprimand or a censure and the possibility of a fine. The most severe option is expulsion. But expulsion is not easy: under the Constitution, at least two-thirds of the House has to vote for it. Only six members have been expelled in history, and the AP report highlights that previous cases include people expelled for disloyalty during the Civil War and people convicted of crimes, plus George Santos. Speaker Mike Johnson has said he believes the House will move to expel Cherfilus-McCormick, signaling the fight would need to clear that high threshold.

    So here’s the challenge for lawmakers with clean hands and loud mouths: don’t hide behind process like process is a magic shield. If the ethics findings are real, then the sanctions need to be real. Let the smoke clear, and let the grill go cold for the next grifter who thought Congress was just another way to cash in.

    Tell me straight: are you watching this like a grown-up, or are you still letting grift ride because the schedule is hard and the votes are difficult?

  • GPS III SV10 and the Tyranny of the Time-Salesmen

    ByBrick Tungsten

    Smoke from the grill is thick tonight, and it sounds like an F-150 idling while the Space Force gears up for another GPS mission. That quiet countdown? It is a freedom sermon. When the stars are timed right, the country can move with confidence. When they are not, you get chaos, delays, and a schedule that someone in an office decided without ever touching the controls.

    nn

    Launch setup: GPS III SV10 goes up at 2:53 a.m. EDT

    n

    Space.com reports that SpaceX is set to launch GPS III SV10 for the U.S. Space Force at 2:53 a.m. EDT during a 15-minute launch window from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The payload is described as the 10th and final satellite in the advanced GPS III line.

    nn

    Accuracy and jam resistance upgrades

    n

    Space Force messaging highlighted that GPS III satellites bring a three-fold increase in positional accuracy and an eight-fold improvement in jam resistance compared to prior versions.

    nn

    The switch behind SV10

    n

    Space.com says SV10 was originally planned to fly on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, but it was switched to a Falcon 9 after issues the Space Force described with Vulcan’s solid rocket boosters. And when timetables get shaken, incentives show up fast. The paperwork grows, the milestones stretch, and somebody in the real world waits.

    nn

    What happens after liftoff

    n

    Spaceflight Now adds that SV10 is encapsulated in two halves of the payload fairing, with one half new and the other reused from an earlier GPS III mission. After deployment, the satellite will raise its orbit over 10 days to reach its operational position, followed by 2 to 3 days of on-orbit testing before operations transition to the Space Force.

    nn

    Laser communications demo in the mix

    n

    Spaceflight Now also notes an optical cross-link demo, a laser communications system being tested on this mission before it gets integrated on the next-generation GPS IIIF satellites.

    nn

    Timing is the whole point

    n

    GPS III SV10 is the finale of the advanced GPS III line, and the mission is being executed with a launch window that matters because timing matters. When coordination works, everybody who depends on GPS gets precision. When teams bicker and stall, the rest of the country pays.

    nn

    Competition without the drama

    n

    SpaceX is getting the mission in this moment because it can execute, and because the Space Force is willing to move. Real flexibility looks like swapping launch arrangements to keep the schedule alive and the hardware headed toward its operational position.

  • Kalshi vs. New Jersey: Supreme Court Showdown for the Sports Betting Label

    ByBrick Tungsten

    The air is thick with grilled smoke and the kind of TV noise you hear when grown men argue about sports like it is a second Founding Fathers document. Tonight, I smell a different kind of heat: prediction markets, federal court, and state regulators circling like vultures over a brisket tray.

    April 6, 2026: Third Circuit throws the flag

    On April 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in KalshiEX LLC v. New Jersey that the Commodity Exchange Act preempts New Jersey from enforcing its gambling laws against Kalshi’s sports-related event contracts, while Kalshi trades them on a federally licensed designated contract market under CFTC oversight.

    The court affirmed a preliminary injunction. Translation: New Jersey got put on pause at the door. Before that pause, the state sent Kalshi a cease-and-desist letter aimed at its sports event contracts and warned it could seek measures under state law if Kalshi did not stop.

    Why are regulators sweating like it is July Fourth?

    Because incentives never take a day off. Fortune reported that sports wagers make up more than 85% of Kalshi activity. It also said Kalshi brought in about $25 million in fees tied to March Madness during a four-day stretch, and that sector-wide weekly trading volume climbed past $1 billion. Sportsbookreview echoed the same core points, adding that Kalshi’s trading is dominated by sports contracts and that states have moved hard, including an Ohio penalty and cease-and-desist actions from Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois.

    Court logic: federal license means federal rules

    Now to the court’s logic. The Third Circuit framed the issue around preemption and CFTC exclusive jurisdiction for swaps traded on CFTC-licensed designated contract markets. The contracts at stake were described as event contracts, a type of derivative within the Commodity Exchange Act structure. One judge dissented, raising concerns about whether the majority was effectively changing the label game. The majority did not buy the rebrand panic, and it let the injunction stand.

    So what’s next for America?

    Fortune says the dispute could be headed to the Supreme Court, especially if more appeals deepen the split. Under the grease, it is about power: how much authority states have to police gambling labels when the product fits a federal market category. If Congress wants one nationwide rulebook, legislate it. If states disagree, litigate within the Constitution. And if the Supreme Court has to referee, then let it do its job like a real referee, not a carnival barker.

    Alright, sports fans and policy folks, do you want the Constitution acting like the referee, or do you want regulators calling their own playbook at full volume?

  • NIH and the Foreign-Ties Gate

    ByBrick Tungsten

    The air over D.C. still smells like burnt charcoal and wet paperwork, and today the NIH is basically turning the SBIR and STTR pipeline into a security checkpoint. Not because science is bad. Because oversight matters, and foreign strings are not a side quest.

    NIH issues a Notice of Information on SBIR and STTR foreign disclosure and risk management

    Served hot off the grill: NIH published a new Notice of Information, NOT-OD-26-074. It lays out policy changes for HHS small-business grant applicants to disclose foreign affiliations, plus how the agency will run due diligence to assess security risks. It also spells out consequences if the foreign-risk picture comes up ugly, including denial of awards and repayment requirements where someone misstates ties or where ownership shifts under the hood.

    Follow the money: transparency for taxpayers, workers, and real innovators

    Who benefits when the government demands visibility? Taxpayers. Workers. And the actual innovators who build on home turf and earn their spot in the American supply chain.

    Under the notice, disclosed foreign affiliations and relationships feed into a due diligence program that can assess things like cybersecurity practices, patent analysis, employee analysis, and even foreign ownership and financial ties. That is not vibes. That is risk management with a checklist aimed at stopping the kind of grift where federal cash shows up, foreign entanglements get hidden, and the intellectual property starts doing laps overseas like it paid tolls.

    The villain is the incentive: control, influence, and technology transfer

    The incentive at the center of the story is power and control. Foreign ties can mean foreign influence, technology transfer, and the slow-motion theft of American ideas. The notice also points to situations where HHS cannot make an award if certain risk categories apply, including connections to a foreign country of concern or listed security-risk entities.

    Security screening without a do-over, plus post-award monitoring

    Sure, mistakes happen. But the notice says applicants and recipients are encouraged to consider security risks, and per the Act, HHS will not give an opportunity to address identified security risks prior to award. Decision gate happens before the check clears.

    After awards, the notice describes post-award monitoring and reporting requirements. If there is a material misstatement posing a national security risk, or a change in ownership or entity structure that meets risk criteria, it describes repayment of amounts received.

    What this means for America: science that stays American

    The notice ties these changes to the reauthorization of SBIR and STTR through September 30, 2031, referencing the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act. The goal is straightforward: update the rules based on what the nation learned, and publish the implementation details so applicants know the road rules before they rev.

    So if you are doing honest work, transparency is not your enemy. It is your shield. Now tell me, friends: why would an honest scientist or small-business innovator be scared of disclosing foreign ties instead of trying to dodge the gate?

  • Smoked-Out Ballots: DOJ Cracks the Glovebox in Wayne County

    ByBrick Tungsten

    Smoke gets in your nose when the federal government starts waving paperwork like it is a fireworks permit. I can almost hear the county clerk stapling folders like it is an emergency grill-invite, and then sliding them toward the DOJ conference table.

    DOJ wants Wayne County’s 2024 election ballots and records

    Here’s the verified outline: the U.S. Department of Justice, through Civil Rights Division head Harmeet K. Dhillon, sent a letter dated April 14, 2026 to Wayne County demanding 2024 election ballots and related materials. The request is framed as a Title III Civil Rights Act demand under 52 U.S.C. § 20703.

    DOJ is asking for all ballots, including absentee and provisional ballots, plus ballot receipts and ballot envelopes.

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel pushed back in a letter dated April 17, arguing the demand is deficient. She also notes that ballots are held by local clerks across the county rather than by the Wayne County Clerk.

    Fourteen days, then court

    AP reports there is a clock. If Michigan officials do not produce the records within 14 days of receiving the request, DOJ could seek a court order. That is accountability, not chaos. The process is supposed to be: demand, challenge, judge.

    This is paper and power, not mystery and magic

    Title III is not a vibes-based hotline. It sets out retention and a written-demand process for federal election records. If the government can ask for records to check whether federal election laws were followed, then it should not be treated like a classified recipe card for secret brisket.

    Here is the real question beneath the paperwork: do voters deserve transparency, or do officials want a glovebox locked forever?

    Who benefits from locked-up receipts?

    Folks, incentives matter. When election records stay out of reach, it can protect reputations and preserve narratives. Criticism of the demand is not proof the demand is illegitimate. If officials think the request is wrong, argue law, argue procedure, argue in court.

    AP also places this move alongside similar DOJ actions in other states and ties the renewed scrutiny to the political calendar, including midterm stakes. That means the public deserves straight answers, not smoke screens.

    Why this lands in the Justice lane

    This is a Justice story about whether federal law gives the Attorney General a tool to examine federal election compliance, and whether state election officials must provide records under the statute’s written-demand mechanism. Courts exist for a reason: to force legal questions into daylight.

    Freedom sermon time: election integrity is not just about who wins. It is about whether the public can believe the process. If the light is available through lawful channels, then refusing to show receipts smells like politics, not procedure.

  • The 6 Percent Brisket: Mortgage Rates Float, Freedom Still Costs Too Much

    ByBrick Tungsten

    The grill is hissing, the smoke is doing its slow-dance in the air, and my AM radio keeps crackling like it knows the truth before the politicians do. On April 20, 2026, housing affordability is still getting cooked on a back burner, because mortgage rates are stuck in that middle zone where buyers feel like they are getting a break, but their monthly payment still reads like somebody elses freedom on the bill.

    Zillow’s April 20, 2026 starting line

    Zillow reported that, as of April 20, 2026, current 30-year fixed mortgage rates are 5.99%, and current 15-year fixed mortgage rates are 5.50%.

    Sure, the other side will point at the menu and smile. But I’m a bar-stool preacher, not a politely confused passenger in a cartel of paperwork. In the real world, 5.99% is not the same thing as affordable. It is just the number shifting while the monthly reality stays salty.

    Same day, different numbers, same headache

    And even the numbers do not line up perfectly. Bankrate lists a 30-year fixed at 6.33% for April 20, 2026. Same date, different data feed, different slice of the truth.

    But here is what does not feel ambiguous: mortgage rates, whether you call them 5.99% or 6.33%, flow into monthly payments. That means the heat people feel today is not imaginary. It is arithmetic, and arithmetic does not care about zoning meetings or press-release poetry.

    Zillow also describes the basic mechanism: the Federal Reserve does not set mortgage rates directly, but its actions can still move borrowing costs that lenders price into loans, especially when expectations shift. The levers get pulled somewhere far away, and regular folks pay up close.

    So who benefits?

    I will tell you who benefits. Follow the money, follow the control, and you’ll find the villains lining up like paper-pushers at a county clerk window. The incentive is simple: keep the housing pipeline tight enough that scarcity stays profitable. When supply is sluggish and credit conditions wobble, landlords and insiders can keep rents climbing, and lenders and investors can keep underwriting returns looking respectable.

    That’s why I’m not impressed when someone says rates are improving. People do not buy homes with talking points. They buy with paychecks, down payments, and the belief that the game is not rigged.

    What this means for America

    If you want housing affordability, you cannot only whisper about interest rates and hope the market does your job. You have to build more homes, faster, with fewer chokeholds. That means cutting red tape that turns permits into slot machines, and pushing policy that expands supply instead of freezing it in place.

    So tell me, if rates are supposedly getting better on April 20, 2026, why does it still feel like the finish line keeps moving away from first-time buyers?

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