Random News and Notes 23 April
On this day in 1778 John Paul Jones leads a small detachment of two boats from his ship, the USS Ranger, to raid the shallow port at Whitehaven, England, where, by his own account, 400 British merchant ships are anchored. Jones was hoping to reach the port at midnight when ebb tide would leave the ships at their most vulnerable. They did not arrive until dawn. Jones’ boat successfully took the southern fort, disabling its cannon, but the other boat returned without attempting an attack on the northern fort after the sailors claimed to have been frightened away by a noise. To compensate, Jones set fire to the southern fort, which subsequently engulfed the entire town.
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Commander Jones was one of the most daring and successful naval commanders of the American Revolution. In September 1779, Jones fought one of the fiercest battles in naval history when he led the USS Bonhomme Richard frigate, named for Benjamin Franklin, in an engagement with the 50-gun British warship HMS Serapis. The USS Bonhomme Richard was struck; it began taking on water and caught fire. When the British captain of the Serapis ordered Jones to surrender, Jones famously replied, I have not yet begun to fight! A few hours later, the captain and crew of the Serapis admitted defeat and Jones took command of the British ship.
Now, News!
We start the news in DC where John Phelan has been unceremoniously defenestrated as SecNav. Hung Cao will take over as Acting secretary.
There are numerous reports that Phelan was unwilling or unable to make the changes needed to modernize the Navy. His last blunder – apparently the one that led to the announcement of his firing – was him signalling his support of the Navy buying ships from foreign sources.
While the Mets may have finally broken the Mamdani curse, there is another plague vexing NYC. According to NYPD stats, public urination complaints have jumped nearly 50% over last year. NYPD data shows 316 public urination reports as of April 12, 2026, compared to 214 the year before—a 47.7% increase—alongside a similar rise in related odor issues.
In a related note, the retards that live in the East Village are suing the Mamdani over a homeless shelter.
They voted for it, now they’re getting it. Good and hard.
Today marks the 118th birthday of the Army Reserve. Congress first authorized the Reserve in 1908 to ensure a trained, ready force of medical professionals. That mission later expanding to include all combat support and service support capabilities.
Since being stood up, the Army Reserve has served in every major conflict, including WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Global War on Terrorism.
California tried to force federal officers to unmask during enforcement actions with their No Vigilantes Act. Well, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has weighed in. A 3 judge panel ruled the law violates the Supremacy Clause by attempting to directly regulate federal government functions and issued an injunction blocking implementation of the law, granting the Trump administration and DOJ a temporary win pending further appeal.
I guess I have to refrain from calling them the Nutty Ninth for a bit now.