Flotsam and Jetsam - Is Trump Reheating the Iran War?

Trump promised no new fighting in Iran until after the midterms. The midterms are over. Does that mean Trump thinks it's time to end it for good? I hope so. The Iran Watcher @TheIranWatcher, "The United States appears to be clearing the battlefield for a larger military campaign against the Islamic Republic. In recent days, American forces have been systematically degrading the regime’s air-defence and missile belt along the Strait of Hormuz. These are not isolated retaliatory strikes. They constitute a sustained shaping operation against surface-to-air missile batteries, associated radars, anti-ship systems and mobile launchers across Qeshm, Larak, Sirik, Jask and the southern Iranian coast..." and BREAKING: American fighters are reportedly operating over Qeshm as explosions and fires erupt across the Islamic Republic’s strategic military corridor from the Strait of Hormuz to Bandar Jask. Iranian state media have confirmed explosions or explosion-like sounds on Qeshm Island and around Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas. Images attributed to Jask show flames and a large column of smoke rising over the area. Opposition and OSINT channels are reporting American strikes. Iranian outlets have offered incomplete or conflicting explanations, including possible Iranian military activity around the strait. The precise targets and damage remain unclear..." Harold__Finch @HaroldWren22, "We waited to do this deliberately. It was strategic. We let the naval blockade start to crush Iran’s ability to get goods in/out & shut down its income. We knew they would adapt to overland routes for everything they could, & whats left of their entire economy would become 100% dependent on those routes. Now they just vanished overnight..." Quote The Iran Watcher @TheIranWatcher, "Pakistan is closing a critical land trade corridor with Iran as the United States expands its blockade of the Islamic Republic. Commercial traffic through the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings was suspended on October 17, disrupting one of the regime’s most important" At OilPrice, The Iran War Isn't Over, but Oil Traders Are Already Pricing In Peace. Fleitz to Newsmax: Dems Could Cut Off Iran War Funding.

At Hat Hair, a video GOP Gets a Midterm Wake-Up Call: What Went Wrong and What Comes Next? Fred Fleitz at Am Great has Tough Love for President Trump: Reclaiming America First After the Midterms. Josh Hammer at Hat Hair thinks The MAGA Movement Forgot What Populism Is. TownHall's Kurt Schlichter sees One Big Midterm Lesson: No More GOP Zombie Hacks. PJM's Matt Margolis hears Greg Gutfeld Has a Theory About the Midterms. "President Donald Trump has crammed so much into his second term that people have lost track of how much he's actually done." News Wax says Trump Vows Comeback as Bitter Showdown With Congress Looms. TownHall's Larry Elder begs Calmate, Republicans, Calmate!!! Scott McKay at Am Spec wonders Why Is There No Accountability for John Thune? "The Senate GOP’s biggest failure shouldn’t get a promotion to minority leader." From the Chronic, Florida Conservatism Is Now American Conservatism. TownHall's Matt Vespa in encouraged that John Thune's Push to Lead Senate Republicans Again Is Getting Bogged Down. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Republicans Unsure Why Voters Are Mad At Them As They Literally Haven't Done Anything These Past Two Years."

Put on your tinfoil hat, Truth Is Freedom @TruthAnswersAll, "THE 15% BAND Look at this chart. 59 races. Senate and governor. States ordered from reddest to bluest in 2024. The solid lines are 2024. The dashed lines are 2026. The shaded bands are what moved. One formula fits all of it: Republican 2026 = 0.85 × Trump 2024 Democrat 2026 = Harris 2024 + 0.15 × Trump 2024 For every 1,000 Trump points, 850 stayed Republican. 150 landed on the Democratic side. ...." Calling All Rushbabes looks at the data and concludes there is a *Whole Lotta Cheatin’ Goin’ On. FWIW, I don't believe the election was stolen, but I could be convinced by evidence. 

At Twitchy, BOOYAH: AG Todd Blanche Wipes the Smug Off Dana Bash's Face So BADLY She Cuts Interview OFF (Watch). Sundance at CTH hosts Sunday Talks – AG Todd Blanche VS CNN Dana Bash, Video and Transcript and Former HHS Senior Advisor Calley Means Says Susie Wiles and Fellow Lobbyists Subverted Trump Interests. 

News Wax, DeSantis, Kemp, Cruz Eye 2028 Challenge to Vance. I welcome DeSantis and Cruz to the race; Kemp not so much. Susie Moore at RedState, Burchett Eyes Blackburn's Senate Seat, Takes Aim at Democrats' Hegseth Impeachment Push.

From Da Caller, Democrat Senator Who Called For RFK Jr To ‘Resign Or Be Fired’ Is Backed By Big Pharma, Records Show. Nick Arama are RedState, New: Robert Garcia's Remarks About Targeting Trump Officials Go Completely Off the Rails. James Lilek at NRO thinks It’s All Elon’s Fault, "Blaming Elon Musk: Democrats’ Midterm Victory Fuels Calls to Target His Businesses." Roger Kimball at Am Great calls them Robespierres With Guillotines: Lust for Revenge Could Fuel the Next America First Resurgence. "The insanity of the Democrats and their lunatic NeverTrump fringe transformed Trump from a pariah into a victim." Data Republican, In our Republic, Power Argues with Power. "Power is not made for coalition-building, deal-making, or "transpartisanship."" Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "So he sold a car to someone after placing his feces in the front seat and this is a very serious person that we need to take very seriously because of his very serious thoughts." Quote Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Scott Galloway says he owned a Tesla, but sold it because of Elon. "Not before taking a giant dump in the passenger seat. True story." He's gone from suggesting Elon be executed to telling stories of taking dumps."

Sundance notes Running Out of Internet Capacity? Elon Musk Has a Solution. At Not The Bee, FAA says air traffic control will phase out floppy disks in the next two years. So, they're going to go to CDs?

At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson fears America Faces a Radical New Political Reality. The Manhattan Contrarian whines There Is No Understanding The Voters. Betsy Stauffers at LI hears ‘Now It Can Be Told’: Van Jones Reveals the Democrats’ Coordinated Messaging Machine. “The Republicans never figured out what we were doing.” Susie Crabtree at RCP, Newsom’s Prop 50 Pays Off as GOP Gerrymanders Flop. Matt Vespa, We All Know Dems Want to Nuke This Procedural Hurdle From Orbit, the filibuster. At Fox, JONATHAN TURLEY worries the Midterms empower Democrats to target the Electoral College. "After a huge midterm win and with a slew of new Democratic governors, Democrats now believe they may have enough states to sign on to a compact to effectively nullify the Electoral College."

Jay Rogers at TownHall observes Your 401(k) Just Met the New Congress. At RCE Paul Bledsoe claims After Huge Election Win, Democrats Hold Key to Lowering Energy Prices, but do they really care? Tim O'Brien at PJM sees Gas Prices are Dropping Fast. I Have Questions. Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "The most retarded people in the country are going to regulate nuclear power plants. Think about that." Quote FOX 5 Atlanta @FOX5Atlanta, "Georgia Attorney General-elect Tanya Miller plans to target grocery store price gouging and unjustified utility rate increases as core priorities of her incoming administration." EducatëdHillbilly™ @RobProvince, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." Yall are fucked…." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Georgia's new insurance commissioner says credit scores will be banned from insurance evaluations, along with ZIP codes. Good luck, Georgia. You finna need it."

From Shooting News Week, Armed Illegal Arrested Near White House, Says Voices Told Him to Kill Trump. Did he have MSNOW in his earbuds?

Tom's Hardware reports Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits to an affair with a suspected Chinese spy — Jensen apologizes in letter to staff, company board forms independent committee to investigate. Ryan King at NYPo, Nvidia CEO faces probe over affair with alleged Chinese spy — as Rubio memo warned about her months ago. Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Nvidia CEO Comes Under Investigation After Affair With Suspected Communist Spy. Sundance calls it a Wild Backstory – Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang Requested to Appear in Closed Session to GOP Congress.

PJM's Cathy Salgado is scandalized that an Obama Judge Takes Off Jihadist’s Ankle Monitor So He Can Focus on Romance and a New School Job.

From NYPo, Mamdani admin must hand ICE the names of NYC homeless shelter residents: court.

At Rackett, Matt Taibbi is hopeful that Free Speech Will Survive. But Greg Lukianoff at the Eternally Radical Idea thinks Every media threat matters, California targets chatbots, new data on friends and tolerance, & more!

Catturd ™ @catturd2, "You mean, the case where the girl (Crystal Gail Mangum) who lied about the entire hoax, destroyed innocent lives, and then later she went to prison for second-degree murder for stabbing her boyfriend to death? Fake news media is trash." Quote Mediaite @Mediaite, "FLASHBACK: Unearthed Video of Stephen Miller Defending Duke Lacrosse Players Accused of Rape:" "Readers added context IMPORTANT CONTEXT: Duke Lacrosse Allegations Were a Hoax en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacr… espn.com/college-sports… The City of Durham and Duke University were forced to settle law suits from the innocent players, and the DA was charged criminally for misconduct. cnn.com/2014/05/16/jus… Do you find this helpful?

Insty, AS A FORMER PRESIDENT SAID, GET IN THEIR FACES, SHOUT THEM DOWN, PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: "Philly ‘Kristallnacht’ protests at Jewish-owned businesses drowned out, shouted down by huge crowds. UPDATE (From Ed):"Byl Holte @SirBylHolte, "My Lyft driver to the airport said “OMG did you see the Muslims marching against us today?” ME: “Against who.” HER: “They staged a bicycle boycott ride against Jewish-owned restaurants and businesses.” ME: “Well didn’t you vote democrat?” HER: “Of course.” ME: “Well if you voted democrat, you voted for that.” HER: “Hell no, I voted against Trump’s war.” ME: “That’s what they told you. Part of that was Muslims taking over. If you voted democrat you voted for your own demise. We’ve been telling you that for years.” She shut up." Driscoll at Insty cites CHRISTIAN TOTO: Pop Culture Proves It: The Left Loves Political Violence. Jeremy Kauffman @jeremykauffman, "The hatred of Kirk is just this. Many people are just filled with seething envy and rage towards anyone decent, especially if they don't apologize for it." Quote Melissa Chen @MsMelChen, Replying to @robkhenderson, "honestly, wtf did Charlie do on this earth to inspire such virulent hatred and evil from people? I cannot help but think we don’t hate the other side enough. We can’t live with an asymmetry like this, I’m sorry. We just can’t. They will kill us with glee and dance on our graves."

From Campus Reform, EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Rick Scott fires shot across the bow of wealthy universities over tax-exempt status "Asked directly whether Congress should consider revoking wealthy universities' nonprofit status, Sen. Scott answered, 'Absolutely.'"

The Monday Morning Stimulus

 With just a bit of help from Seyla Zanon:

 

At Island News, New Miss Kona Coffee 2027 crowned at cultural festival

Leilani Bond, Miss Kona Coffee 2027,

and (right) Haweo Easley,Miss

 Kona Coffee's Teen 2027. 

A new Miss Kona Coffee has been crowned! Leilani Bond was named Miss Kona Coffee 2027 on Saturday, November 7, during the annual competition held as part of the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.

Bond, whose talent was spoken word, competed alongside fellow delegates Malie Lee and Maianna Taylor for the title. Haweo Easley was also crowned the next Miss Kona Coffee’s Teen 2027.

The Miss Kona Coffee competition is an official local preliminary competition for the Miss Hawaii and Miss America organizations, offering delegates opportunities to earn scholarships and advance to the Miss Hawaii competition.

Kona coffee is great, but way too expensive for our house. 

 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Dana White for Press Secretary?

But first, some continued ruminations on the selection of Stephen Miller for Chief of Staff. As usual, Althouse resorts to the NYT, "People close to Mr. Miller said he had shown no interest in compromising with congressional Democrats and was ready for a fight over subpoenas and investigations..." "From "In Elevating Stephen Miller, Trump Doubles Down on Hard-Line Agenda/The new White House chief of staff is responsible for some of the most provocative policies of President Trump’s second term, as well as an aggressive approach to executive power" (NYT)." Mike Davis @mrddmia, "This former illegal immigrant is threatening to jail the new White House chief of staff for helping the President execute federal law? Import the third world, become the third world." Quote Oversight Dems @OversightDems, "Official statement from incoming Oversight Chairman @RepRobertGarcia on Stephen Miller being announced as White House Chief of Staff:" "... Stephen Miller should lawyer up." Rusty Weiss at RedState sees Democrats Melt Down Over Stephen Miller, Then He Takes the Mic and Gives Them a Reason to Be Nervous. PJM's Matt Margolis explains Why Democrats Are Crashing Out Over Stephen Miller. "They wanted a chastened president who would spend his final two years tiptoeing around them. Instead, Trump handed the most powerful staff job in Washington to a man they deeply despise, and they read the move as defiance. They read it correctly." At the WaSun, How Stephen Miller’s Fixation on Minnesota’s Somalis Became a Full-Scale Crackdown. "The new White House chief of staff has spent the last year moving the federal government against one community in one state." News Wax reports Stephen Miller Pledges 'Absolute Loyalty' to Trump, like a good consigliere should. Insty, notes AND THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT TRUMP’S LANGUAGE: Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "The Democrat leader of the U.S. House, Hakeem Jeffries, just called for White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to be “eradicated like a malignant tumor”. Jeffries is part of the same death cult whose rhetoric inspired the violence that led to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and shooting of President Trump. The Democrat Party is the part of political violence." Quote Hakeem Jeffries @RepJeffries, "Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands. His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor. Fire him today." At Althouse, Real Trump and Fake Trump confront the reality of "Talafreako." 60 Minutes @60Minutes, "In an interview airing Sunday on 60 Minutes, correspondent Ross Douthat asks President Trump: If it took six months of not insulting the Democrats to get a deal done, do you think you could do it?" My response: Would top Democrats refrain from insulting Trump for six months too, or would this just be the usual unilateral "truce?"

News Wax reports UFC's Dana White Says He Will Meet With Trump Monday. Althouse finds "I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States.", "Wrote President Trump, quoted in "UFC’s Dana White says he will meet Trump on Monday to discuss press secretary offer/Trump’s previous press secretary, Katie Zacharia, left the role in October after just five days on the job" (NBC). Violent!" I don't follow UFC, or know much about Dana White, but I have my doubts. But then, I had my doubts about Pete Hegseth, and he's turned out well as far as I can see. Maybe Trump is a better judge of ability than I am.

Doug Truax at RCP says Democrats Didn’t Win – Republicans Lost. There’s a Way To Fix This. "Republicans must thrust truth to the forefront. They must stand firm in their convictions and offer a clear contrast to the coming Democrat overreach. They must offer plans that are clear, concise, and doable. They cannot waver. This isn’t a time to compromise our values." At News Wax, Trump Vows to 'Veto, Veto, Veto' Democrats at CPAC. Mark Tapscott blames it on abortion. Trump, GOP Apathy on Mifepristone is a Huge Problem, Helps Explain 2026 disaster. "Turnout among conservative Christians was down big-time on November 3, and the reason is linked to one that’s haunted Republicans for decades." So do I, not enough liberal mothers aborted 20-30 years ago. At Da Signal the Great Victor Davis Hanson: What Trump Must Do After the Midterm Losses. Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, "The GOP is going to get a look in the weeks and months ahead at just how ruthless the new Dem majorities in Congress are going to be in trying to press their sudden advantage that is greater than they expected. The GOP should take notes and learn some lessons from what they are about to experience being in the "last" end of the whip while the Dems have the handle. Politics is no longer a "polite" business and the GOP has take too long to adapt to the fact that the "gentlemanly" way of engaging with "colleagues" from the other party is long outdated." At Althouse, "He's surrounded by demons who want him out and want him just destroyed. That's his staff... all completely compromised...." ""They were sending around a memo, a CIA manual about how to be a bad bureaucrat and subvert an institution from within. That's like sent around by all the career officials. They hate President Trump....Said Calley Means, on the new episode of Joe Rogan, which you can watch here (scroll back to the beginning if you want)." 

Lara Logan @laralogan, "If you really care about this country, this is one of the areas where your attention should be right now. @DataRepublican is exactly right. The greatest obstacle they face to a complete power grab is the Sec of War, Pete Hegseth. He has rebuilt a military that will stand by the constitution & is comitted to the oath every member takes. Hegseth does not back down or fear his enemies because he what he fears is God. They need him out of the way so badly - which should tell you just how important it is to stop them. Read the thread. The truth always matters but it is more important now than ever." Quote DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "THREAD: The true reason Pete Hegseth is being targeted is because he's standing between President Trump and a coup @PeteHegseth named the institutions... CFR, Brookings, the general class... in 37 seconds in a video by @Liz_Wheeler . Within 72 hours of his nomination, a..."

At Ars Technica, After Texas’ blue wave, what happens to Elon Musk and SpaceX?, “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now.” Bobby @bobbymorris280, "NOW: SpaceX officially suspended all launch pads, rocket telemetry codes, and orbit integration for European government satellites. Elon Musk canceled the launch contracts after the EU slapped X and Starlink with arbitrary billions in fines. The European Space Command labeled it an "act of war" and threatened to freeze bank accounts, prompting Musk to fire back that bureaucracy won't launch a 5-ton defense satellite. Globalist bureaucrats are finding out the hard way that weaponizing regulations against private innovation will leave their entire space defense infrastructure grounded. Do you back Elon Musk for cutting off the hostile EU? #AmericaFirst via @dessere88fenice REPLY." Leslie Eastman at LI, Voters Pull the Plug on Big Tech’s AI Data Center Boom. "China may have been the biggest winner November 3rd." Jordan Schachtel at Am Great looks at The Midterms and AI’s Credibility Problem, "If AI dangers are truly grave, why do they keep building?" Hat Hair's Salena Zito finds While the Public Fears AI, These Ohio and Iowa Business Owners Are Finding Relief. At the Volokh Conspiracy Gene Volokh celebrates an Attorney Fee Award Cut from $100K to $50K, Partly as Sanction for Hallucinated Citations. They need to fix the hallucination problem, ASAP.

Sundance at CTH announces Labor Report Shows Strong Job Gains +165,00 in October, with Revisions to August +53,000 and Sept +31,000. Breitbart Bus Dig, What Really Drove the GOP Midterm Losses?. "The fanatical foes of tariffs have been loudly announcing their explanation for the much larger-than-expected Republican election losses in this week’s midterm elections to anyone who will listen. Naturally, it’s the tariffs." John Hood at RCP swears In Ballot Items, Fiscal Conservatism Beats Socialism. "Well, examine the 2026 results more closely. The overriding issue was affordability, about which victorious Democrats talked incessantly and doomed Republicans never found their voice. What was the single most potent Democratic attack? That President Trump had raised rather than lowered consumer prices by socking Americans with tariffs. It was an anti-tax message! It was correct on the merits. And it worked brilliantly."

Reponsible Statecraft says Three cheers for Melania Trump-led ceasefire in Ukraine. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn sees Poland Simmering Away still. 

Matt Margolis thinks The Democrats' Coming Civil War Is Going to Be Lit! Jeff Charles at TownHall believes Debbie Wasserman Schultz Showed Why Democrats Might Not Hold Congress for Long. Hat Hair's John Sexton sees Progressives Had a Tough Election Night... in San Francisco. Have they hit bottom yet, or is this just their first attempt at rehab? Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson, "The Midterm is Not the Endterm It is too soon to calibrate the direction of the post midterm Democratic and Republican Parties. But if the first 72 hours are any indication—and despite the soon to be Speaker’s denials—the Left is already bragging about subpoenas, and it is intoxicated by the notion of investigations and impeachments. Heady Democrats have entirely forgotten the politically suicidal fashion of the 2021-4 five civil and criminal courtroom circuses, the Mar-a-Lago raid, and the blue state deballoting efforts..." At Althouse, "In 2018, there was still a sense that Trump was an aberration or a fluke; that he’d gotten lucky in 2016 and Democrats could double down on who they were already..." ""... and end MAGA without changing much themselves. Democrats won power in 2018 and 2020 and wielded it so unconvincingly and alienatingly that Trump and his movement roared back, stronger and more dangerous, than ever. The Democratic Party that emerged from that bruising is chastened in a way its predecessor wasn’t. Democrats know they need to appeal to voters who mistrust them. They are not as liable to mistake Trump’s unpopularity for their popularity. All they have won is a chance to prove themselves. And so they may be more willing to learn lessons that this election had to teach." Writes Ezra Klein, in "A Stake Through the Heart of Trump’s Red Map" (NYT). I understand why they make headlines like that but it's SO out of line with the tone and substance of the article." At Shooting News Week, Liberal Gun Owner Worries Politicians He Just Elected Might Enact New Gun Control Laws.

Don Palmer at Da sees Signal Election Integrity Scored Big Wins Despite the Blue Wave. Kyle Becker @kylenabecker, "BREAKING: A missing memory card has FLIPPED the apparent outcome of a Georgia House race. Republican Gerald Greene went from trailing Democrat Harry James by 58 votes to LEADING by 262 after uncounted votes were discovered in Seminole County. Officials found a 388-vote discrepancy during routine checks. If the result holds, Democrats will have just a ONE-SEAT majority in the Georgia House. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has launched an investigation into the error. Maybe Democrats can agree that we should now go to ALL PAPER BALLOTS?" Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "USPS has a labor union that endorses one party every election. The fact that we let them transport ballots is banana republic insanity." Quote News 4 San Antonio @News4SA, "Dozens of undelivered ballots were found among mail discarded in a park dumpster." From Campus Reform, FIU Election Day event distributes SPLC voter guide as affiliated political arm backs Democrats. "An SPLC flyer distributed at the campus event obtained by Campus Reform warned voters about an environment created by ‘ICE, law enforcement, extremists this year.’"

From Twitchy, Boycott Backfire: PA Leaders, Citizens Condemn Antisemitic Philly Bike Rally. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed Taps Egyptian-American Attorney Who Accused 'Zionists' of 'Controlling' American Politics as Transition Director, "Brenda Abdelall has also accused Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' and 'terrorism'. Fox News @FoxNews, "WATCH: A former police officer accused of fatally stabbing a New York City jogger is escorted from a Brooklyn precinct by NYPD officers. Sayed Mohassib is seen walking alongside police Saturday as he faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the killing. New photos show Mohassib appearing emotionless while in police custody. See the latest details in the case: https://foxnews.com..." Dr. Maalouf @realMaalouf, "Two Muslim cops in New York stopped a nurse for no apparent reason other than that she was walking her dog. They cornered her and threatened to seize her dog. When confronted, they got angry and couldn’t say what law she had broken. This is what happens when you give these people power. All I can say is that she was lucky there were passersby, because it was 3 AM and things could’ve ended much worse." At Althouse, The community note is back... and how embarrassing for The Free Press! The Free Press @TheFP, "Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed gave his victory speech in Arabic last night. Rep. Ilhan Omar addressed her victory party in Somali. And this morning, Iran's supreme leader posted that America's collapse "has accelerated." What should we make of these acceptance speeches? @SulkinMaya" Readers added context to this video, "Abdul El-Sayed gave his victory speech in English."

At Newsweek, Supreme Court Under Criminal Probe by DOJ—Which Laws May Have Been Broken. Who leaked the Dobbs decision? Matt Margolis sees Democrats Told Trump to 'Lawyer Up.' He Just Flipped the Script on Them. Sundance likes how President Trump asks DOJ to Investigate Threats from Congress.

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Judicial Insurrection Breaks New Ground as Judge Defies Supreme Court Itself on immigration. From Althouse, "Van Der Merwe’s family of white South Africans arrived during Donald Trump’s first term..." ""... but they had good reason to expect that they would be granted asylum after Trump returned to office last year and signed an executive order saying the US would 'promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees,' based on the false claim that they would be 'escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination' at home..." From "Wisconsin state patrol trooper detained by ICE released from custody/Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe immigrated to US at 14 and has been waiting seven years for asylum case to be heard" (The Guardian). That's a pretty casual flinging of the expression "false claim." There should at least be a link to something explaining the basis for rejecting the position taken in the executive order. The word "claim" alone is enough to avoid expressing agreement."

John Sexton thinks Jennifer Welch Finally Goes Too Far for Advertisers. At Althouse "I know I shouldn't say that. But it's just a feeling." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "Dave Chappelle: “Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered, and I shouldn’t say this publicly but…. I feel better.” This isn’t even comedy. It’s just sick…"

From the College Fix, Wisconsin voters approve amendment to ban preferential treatment based on race, sex at public colleges, universities

Start Your Engines: Liberal Women Announce They're Ready To Have Sex Again Now That Abortion Will Be Legal https://t.co/o8dQCRcJ7m

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) November 7, 2026

Palm Sunday

 With some assistance form Seyla Zanon:

El Paso News, Lightning causes palm tree fire in El Paso’s Upper Valley. God stepping in on the palm tree menace?