Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee mocked FBI Director Kash Patel after a new report came out saying the Trump administration official occasionally travels with a “personalized branded bourbon” engraved with his name and title. “The Kash Patel bourbon: strong notes of insecurity, narcissism, incompetence and alcohol-fueled national security risk,” the lawmakers wrote in a… Source link
One of J. Edgar Hoover’s greatest reforms at the FBI was his embrace of fingerprinting. During the 1930s, visitors to the FBI offices in Washington, D.C., received souvenir fingerprint cards featuring his name. The men who succeeded him as FBI director were more discreet and judicious, mindful of the cult of personality that had developed around Hoover. They generally avoided giving out branded swag. But then came Kash Patel. President Trump’s FBI director has a great deal of affection for swag. Merchandise for sale on a website he co-founded—still operating, nearly 15 months into his term—includes beanies ($35), T-shirts ($35), orange camo hoodies ($65), trucker caps ($25), “government gangsters” playing cards (on sale for $10), and a Fight With Kash Punisher scarf ($25). One thing not for sale is liquor, because liquor is something Patel gives away for free. Last month, I reported that FBI personnel were alarmed by what they said was erratic behavior and excessive drinking by Patel. (The FBI director has denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against The Atlantic …
Iraq war combat veteran Fred Minnick hosts a bourbon tasting dinner at Cordelia, a restaurant in Cleveland’s historic district, as part of a tour for his new book, Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life. Dustin Franz for NPR hide caption toggle caption Dustin Franz for NPR Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly. Fred Minnick was forever changed by his tour to Iraq over two decades ago. Like many veterans, it took him a while to find the best way to cope with what he would learn was PTSD. Vets often find a new sense of peace and purpose that helps them heal; it can be charity work, or sports or gardening or yoga. Minnick found bourbon. “I want you to put a thimble-sized amount on your tongue,” Minnick told a room full of enthusiasts at a fancy restaurant in Cleveland’s historic district earlier this year. He was there to spread his message of bourbon tasting as a life-affirming meditation. Around 30 people attend the bourbon …
Bardella’s press team did not respond to a request for a comment. Bardella and de Bourbon have been romantically linked since they were caught on camera leaving a media event together and taking the same car in January. Asked if he was in a relationship with de Bourbon later that month, Bardella said he was a happy man and no longer single, but that “my private life belongs to me.” Scrutiny of Bardella’s private life is certain to increase as France gets closer to next year’s presidential election. He is set to run as the National Rally candidate if Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction denies her a spot on the ballot — and most polls show him comfortably winning the first round of the contest. Since bursting onto the political scene, Bardella has carefully crafted an image of himself as a self-made man who, as the child of blue-collar Italian immigrants, understands the French working class and can be their standard-bearer. His partner has led a much different lifestyle. A duchess by title, de Bourbon …
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. It’s generally not a great idea to mix bourbon with high-voltage electricity. That said, chemists at the University of Kentucky discovered a potentially powerful use for one of whiskey’s most annoying—and plentiful—byproducts. According to the team , the liquor’s waste grains can be recycled into supercapacitors that rival commercially available options. Behind every bottle of bourbon are vats of waste materials. Most of that unwanted trash is stillage—a goopy, mushy mixture of grains and corn. And in Kentucky—where 95 percent of the world’s bourbon is produced— there is a lot of stillage. “From the final volume of bourbon produced, you get 6 to 10 times that amount of stillage as waste,” University of Kentucky chemist Josiel Barrios Cossio explained in a statement. “So it’s a big deal.” Although stillage is often sold to farmers for livestock feed and soil enrichment, it’s a tricky material to handle. Transporting it is difficult given how watery it is, but it’s also exorbitantly …
Walking under flags that memorialize victims of Jan. 1, 2025 attack, members of the Louisiana National Guard, military police, and Louisiana law enforcement agencies patrol the French Quarter along Bourbon Street and intersecting streets as part of a National Guard deployment for New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton) Matthew Hinton/AP/FR170690 AP hide caption toggle caption Matthew Hinton/AP/FR170690 AP NEW ORLEANS — National Guard members arrived in New Orleans Tuesday to help with safety measures ahead of New Year’s celebrations as city officials are still seeking permanent security solutions nearly a year after a truck attack on Bourbon Street left 14 dead. The rampage, in which a man drove around a police blockade in the early hours of Jan. 1, revealed security vulnerabilities surrounding the city’s famous street filled with boisterous bars, brass bands playing on cobblestone corners and a steady stream of partygoers carrying cocktails. While Louisiana officials say the popular tourist destination is safe and that they’ve implemented additional measures to crack down on potential threats, families …
