Flotsam and Jetsam - What The He!! is John Thune Doing?

TownHall's Matt Vespa wonders What Is John Thune Doing? As little as possible, and obstructing House Republicans when he has the chance. "Now, with government spending back on the agenda and us set to run out of money on September 30, you once again disregard House Republicans, adding that you’ll pass your own continuing resolution with Democrats. John, THEY WANT A SHUTDOWN. Are you blind, deaf, and dumb?" Also, Speaker Johnson Had a Legislative Hat Trick Today While Thune Wants to Sell Out to Dems. Jen O'Connell at RedState, John Thune Just Stabbed Mike Johnson—and House Republicans—in the Back. I think it was in the front.

Amy Curtis at TownHall likes how Scott Jennings Humiliated a CNN Panel Following Revelations of New Jersey Voter Fraud. Nick Sortor @nicksortor, " HOLY CRAP! The identity services provider New Jersey uses at the DMV is FIRING BACK at Gov. Sherrill, saying the NJ DIVISION OF ELECTIONS were the ones who registered 6,600 foreign voters This was NOT a “software error.” This is a SCANDAL. “IDEMIA's role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system. The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections.” So the Division of Elections MANUALLY APPROVED over SIX THOUSAND foreigners to vote. They were not automatically registered by the software provider as the governor claimed. Time to come clean, @GovSherrillNJ!" From Ace, Software Firm at Center of NJ's Illegal Alien Voting Scandal: There Was No "Glitch," Our Softward Did Exactly What NJ Wanted It To Do. 1. Foreigners never vote in our elections. 2. A few foreigners vote in our elections, but it's not a problem. 3. Foreigners do and should vote in our elections. Democrats are at #2. NewBusters notices The View Claims No Election Has Ever Been Stolen Before Trump Speech.

At PJM, VodkaPundit envisions Puting passing the hat, Buddy, Can You Spare 1.5 Trillion Rubles? "that's exactly what happened last week when the Kremlin attempted to sell OFZs (like U.S. Treasuries), but buyers said Nyet! so hard that "Russia’s Finance Ministry pulled the plug" on bond auctions until further notice, Crypto Briefing and others reported this week." Sundance at CTH admits befuddlement as Zelenskyy Removes and Replaces Leading Military Officials "None of these moves by Ukraine President Zelenskyy make any sense against the background story of them having incredible success against Russia. You don’t replace the entire military leadership apparatus if things are going swimmingly." So Ukrainian politics are probably at play. He also hosts Promethean Action PAC Reviews Motive of Canada -vs- USA on Trade and Tariffs.

Sarah at Insty says I DON’T TRUST ANY NUMBERS THESE DAYS. HOW MANY OF THESE ARE ON THE GIG ECONOMY? "Shocking 105 million Americans are not working – more than during COVID or the Great Recession. They’d probably count me in this."

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Trump: Bridge and Power Day Has Arrived If Iran Attacks Shipping. John Hinderacker at Power Line approves of Trump’s New Iran Policy. Ace, Trump: Every Time Iran Fires on a Ship, We Will Destroy One Bridge or Power Plant, make that two. wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Eleven days into the US strikes on Iran the targets appear to be: 1. Iranian coastal targets; 2. Probable command and control centers and weapons sites. There isn't enough publicly available information to infer an implied purpose to these attacks. However their very anonymity suggests the targets are not symbolic, but rather obscure installations with an unpublicized military value. It would make sense but only if we had the secret map, which alas, we do not." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Douche reporter got owned attempting a gotcha." Quote "Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "JUST NOW — REPORTER: What will you say to the families today of the fallen troops? PRESIDENT TRUMP: "We love you. We love your child. That's what they are to them — their children. There's no games, no nothing. That's their child. All you can do is throw out your heart." PJM's Rick Moran appreciates The Exact Moment the Gates of Hell Opened for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

It concerns Jonathan Turley that Democrats Dismiss Our Constitutional Traditions as ‘Nostalgia’. Katya Sedgewick at the Everyman Commentary examines The DSA's Plan to Remake America. "In light of recent victories in New York by Democratic Socialists, it is important to appreciate how they are not shy about wanting to eradicate and remake our current government institutions." Sasha Stone has a short take on how The Democrats Have a Communist Problem. End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Hasan Piker framed the 9/11 front page This is an enemy of America." Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch, "Okay. I can accept this. If “The Nazi propaganda starts when people say Mao is worse than Hitler” as you say, then it’s not propagandistic to say that Mao was merely almost as bad as Hitler. Now, I think the “which genocidal murderer was the worst” game can get pretty stupid, because people often seem to think that coming in second or third to Hitler absolves mass murderers of any condemnation. ... Quote evan loves worf @esjesjes, Replying to @ProjectLiberal. "First of all you should look up the definition of genocide. Second of all the Great Leap Forward maybe killed around 40 million largely by accident. The Nazis killed like 55 million very much on purpose. The Nazi propaganda starts when people say Mao is worse than Hitler." Then Readers added context, "The 55 million figure represents total global casualties in WWII, not people killed directly and intentionally by the Nazi regime. Scholars estimate that victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution numbered around 11 to 17 million." Dave Bernstein at the Volokh explores How Did Support for International Humanitarian Law and Norms Morph into Support for Hamas and its Goals? Matt Vespa, There's Another Reason Why This Dem Rep Won't Seek Re-Election, but, of Course, CNN Buried It “There certainly were not people who were so anti-Israel when I started, and there are within the progressive caucus now,” Cohen said."

Hat Hair's John Sexton reads the Slantic: 'The DSA Is a Parasite' and Someone Should Say So. Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "Karl Marx & Frederick Douglass were both born in 1818. Marx grew up in comfort, Douglass in chains. Marx thought the world owed him more comfort; Douglass only demanded liberty, & he'd do the rest." Quote Ben Shapiro @benshapiro, "Unsurprising. The most resentful people in the US are those who believe they are owed everything and fail; the least resentful are those who were given nothing and achieve." Capt. Ed says Platner, Mamdani, Talarico, and Now AOC: Scratch a Commie, Find a Mommy paying the bills. Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "MSNBC host accidentally nails it… The far-left is driven by over-educated failures who can’t succeed in the real world, which is why they overwhelmingly hide in academia, NGOs and push socialism." Quote Chris Hayes @chrislhayes Replying to @NateSilver538, "The most left wing people in America are people with post graduate degrees who are financially strapped and the most right wing are people without 4 year college degrees who are rich." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "As I’ve said…the socialist trend is for privileged dorks with enough family wealth to squander a decade as a perma-student, but not enough talent to actually achieve anything. Educated beyond their intelligence." Quote Nate Silver @NateSilver538 "Income and education are usually positively correlated. But sometimes the relationship breaks down. What's the most Democratic voting group in America? People with post-graduate degrees but lower-to-middle incomes."

From Da Wire, The Islamist-Marxist Takeover Of Middle America. "El-Sayed is the inevitable political result of Michigan’s multi-decade experiment with mass Muslim immigration." Beege Welborn says I'm Not Sure Democrats Need the Commie-Hamas Wing of the Party to Help Sink Them. Capt. Ed, About Last Night: DSA Flops in AZ As Trump Ascends. John Sexton, Democrats Have a Massive Cash Problem. They ran out of OPM? Rick Moran hears GOP Has Twice the Cash on Hand for Midterms as Democrats. It's Actually Worse Than That. The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great throw cold water on The Left-Wing Unicorn Hunt for the White Male Working-Class Voter. "Democrats can't win back the white working class with staged populism while embracing the policies and elites that drove those voters away."

At Da Wire, Trump Official Throws Cold Water on Mamdani’s Netanyahu Promise, "The arrest of Netanyahu has been a fantasy of New York's Democratic Socialist Mayor since before his election in 2025." Jim Geraghty at NRO hears Mamdani Finally Admits He Can’t Arrest Bibi. Noam Blum @neontaster, "I get why Mamdani thought becoming mayor made him the generalisimo president of New York. Growing up in a fancy Ugandan compound with its own private militia will do that to a person." Dr. Maalouf @realMaalouf, "Shocking data reveals: 95% of Zohran Mamdani’s engagement comes from foreign, mostly Islamic nations. 60% from Pakistan alone. How is this not considered foreign influence?" At TIME, What We Know About Mamdani’s First Planned City-Owned Grocery Stores. I didn't realize TIME still existed. The Manhattan Contrarian is suffering, Rolling Blackouts Hit New York. I'm sorry for you, but your fellow New Yorkers voted for them. Have you considered moving someplace sane?

At Twitchy, ActBlue Fraud Hits El-Sayed Campaign: 88yo No-Computer Granny ‘Donated’ $150K (and 47 Times). ActBlew is up to its old tricks. 

Law and Liberty has an essay on California’s Road to Serfdom. The Victory Girls observe that Jennifer Seibel Newsom is Earning Side Eye Even From Democrats. Cathy Salgado at PJM, Robert Kennedy Pauses Medicaid Funds for Fraud-Riddled California, Minnesota.

From the Free Bacon, Appeals Court Affirms 5-Year Prison Term for Source who Leaked Tax Info to NY Times and ProPublica, "IRS leak was ‘attack on our constitutional democracy,’ with aim ‘to influence an election through illegal activity’" Stacy McCain discourses On Lawyers, Samoans and Journalism.

Paul Sperry@paulsperry_ "The New York Times claims: "We acknowledge mistakes in our reporting with corrections. If you spot an error, please let us know at corrections@nytimes.com." OK, we spotted a big one in 2018. It's your Pulitzer submission for the Russiagate hoax you perpetuated. Will you correct it?:

Good news from WaEx, ICE and CBP averaging 1,593 arrests per day, highest since Trump took office.

Greg Lukianoff at The Eternally Radical Idea thinks Administrators — not just DEI administrators — are the biggest threat to free speech on campus "There is no way out of the current academic freedom and free speech crisis on campus while universities remain as bureaucratized as they are." From Fox, Elite universities face federal cash squeeze over millions tied to China-linked entities. "Donors include firms tied to the Chinese military and a Beijing research institute appearing on two government watchlists." You can take US money or Chinese money but not both. 

Show us on the doll where the 78 degree summer day touched you. https://t.co/EyrJdNfAy1

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 22, 2026

Thursday Tanlines

Chelan Simmons

At AOL, The Horror Movie Scene That Will Make You Think Twice About Tanning

Beyond the usual concerns associated with tanning beds, "Final Destination 3" offered another reason to be afraid of those glowing, metal coffins. The film follows a group of recent high school graduates who narrowly escape death via rollercoaster after one of their classmates experiences a premonition. However, death refuses to let them escape, and the group begins to die in freak accidents. In one of the franchise's most horrifying and iconic kill scenes, Ashley Freund (Chelan Simmons) and Ashlyn Halperin (Crystal Lowe) are burned to death in tanning beds.

Crystal Lowe

 

Chelan is kind of pale.

Hoping to deepen their tans before graduation, the best friends hit up the tanning salon. They obliviously set themselves up to boil and fry after a slushie, an A/C unit, and loose shelf work together to trap them in the rapidly overheating beds. Their goggles melt, the glass beds shatter around them, their skin blisters and chars, all while "Love Rollercoaster" ironically plays overhead.

It's a brutal, fiery death that's guaranteed to make viewers think twice about going tanning.

Why would Ashlyn need a tanning bed? 

The Bay Has More Oysters and Watermen Want Them

Bay Journal, Bill could open future Bay oyster sanctuaries to commercial harvest

Environmentalists are decrying language added to a U.S. House spending bill that would open future federally supported oyster restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay to commercial harvesting.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican member of Congress, inserted the provision into a bill funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill on a 32-28 vote in May. It is expected to come up for a vote by the full House in the coming weeks.

The provision is likely to face stiff opposition if it reaches the Senate. A similar measure was stripped out of last year’s funding package before it became law. But it is part of a growing number of efforts in Washington, Annapolis and Richmond aiming to soften or remove the protected status of restored reefs amid the bivalve’s rebound in the estuary.

“It comes at a time when ideas like this maybe have more legs,” said Ben Ford, the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper. “Everyone wants more oysters in the Bay. But people see the success of meeting the oyster restoration goals in the Bay Agreement and think the job’s done.”

It's worth noting that Andy Harris, the sole Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation, represents a district on the Eastern Shore, where the politics are dominated by watermen and agriculture. Watermen have long balked at having oyster sanctuaries protected from harvesting, and they've been known to sneak in under cover of darkness and pillage them. 

Although oyster populations have improved in recent years, they are nowhere near the numbers that existed before the widespread oyster mining of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I'm still in favor of stopping the harvest of "wild" oysters for 5-10 years to find out how well they will be able to flourish in the modern Bay.

Flotsam and Jetsam - New Jersey Registered 6600 Illegals to Vote

We're still dwelling on President Trump's speech on election integrity and the fallout thereof. CNN's Michael Smerconish hosted at Hat Hair, 'If It's Newsworthy Enough to Rebut, It's Worth Airing' From TownHall, Trump Was Right: NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill Forced to Eat Crow Over Massive Voter Registration Error. Sundance at CTH sees New Jersey Governor Admits Over 6,000 Illegal Aliens Were Registered to Vote in Motor-Voter System Between 2023 and 2024r. Ace, Software "Glitch" in Democrat-Riddled NJ Allows That Thing the Media Democrat Party Says Never Happens to Happen 6600 Times, "A "glitch" permitted 6,600 illegal aliens to sign up to vote, and we know at least 400 did illegally vote. Deb Heine at AmGreatness," and cites JTN's John Solomon: The Same Media Who Proclaimed That China's Theft of 40 Million Voter Records from the UK Was a Major Breach Now Says That China's Hacking of 220 Million American Voter Files is NBD. Dave Catron at Am Spec sees Mail-In-Voting: Appeals Court Hands Trump Big Win "The court ruled that the USPS may require states to turn over voter rolls before mailing out ballots." Flopping Aces @FloppingAces, "The D.C. Circuit didn’t rule that fraud happened. It ruled that freezing a basic ballot-tracking rule would cause irreparable harm before the November election. Read that again. A federal appeals court just said the administration needs time to implement serialized barcodes and voter-list submissions for mail-in ballots. Not mass purges. Not voter ID theater. Simple chain-of-custody tools so the Postal Service can track what it carries. And the reaction? Full institutional meltdown..." Bob Hoge at RedState wonders What Are They So Afraid Of? CA AG Bonta's Slippery Title Switch Tries to Kneecap Voter ID Measure. Larry Correia @monsterhunter45, "The thousands of comments on my voter fraud post remind me of one very important thing. The issue isn't about Trump. It is about the perception of the citizens. But they need to make it about Trump. It is difficult to dismiss the valid concerns of millions of nervous or angry citizens. It is easy to dismiss one guy as a sore loser and make the whole thing about his ego. Hence any discussion of this topic inevitably devolves into them fixating on Trump and the details surrounding one election and one moment in time, and ignoring everything else in the universe, up to and including fundamental human nature (as in some people cheat)." Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "If given enough time, the rules will always be gamed in order to subvert the game itself and defeat the purpose of the contest in the first place. This is inevitable because the rewards are too great. The point is never to have a good time or even to entertain the audience. The point is to win. So the rules will be maliciously “followed”, even as the animating spirit behind them dies. This tweet isn’t about basketball."

RealRobert @Real_RobN, "And here it is… USAID more than doubled its spending on Brazil as soon as Bolsonaro won the 2018 election. This wasn’t because Brazil suddenly needed twice the aid; the money was spent on operations aimed at overthrowing the Brazilian government. The 2022 Brazilian election was stolen from Bolsonaro just as the 2020 U.S. election was stolen from Donald Trump and from Kari Lake in 2022, with USAID and the CIA involved in installing election-rigging machines that Brazilians didn’t even want..." Polymarket @Polymarke, "BREAKING: Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega declares the country will no longer hold elections, eliminating any future electoral challenge to his rule."

Doug Burgum to Newsmax: 'Geopolitics of Energy Have Changed Forever'. CDR Salamander, looks at Cuba Libre, "The Department of State's Cuba Report," and Do You Know Why the PRC Has a Polar Strategy? "...do we?" Hat Hair's John Sexton notes Zelensky Reverses Course, Fires Ukraine's Top General. NOELREPORTS @NOELreports, "Russia's Defense Ministry recruited just over 8,000 drone operators for its Unmanned Systems Forces in the first half of the year, despite an annual target of 78,800. Analysts calculated that recruitment should have reached about 34,400 by then, leaving the ministry at roughly a quarter of its planned pace. Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko reported the figures."

Sundance is keeping us abreast of relations with our neighbor to the north, Trump Administration Announces Section 338 Tariffs at Rate of 50% Across Wide Range of Canadian Goods and Imports, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Responds to Latest U.S. Tariff Increase, Ontario Premier Doug Ford Promises “to Dismantle the U.S” Economy in Retaliation for Tariffs ("Considering the economy of the USA is ten-times larger than Canada, that’s quite a threat from Premier Doug Ford") and USTR Jamieson Greer Outlines Details of Misleading Talking Points by Canadian Trade Officials. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair sings Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho and Trump Lit the Fires in Canada.

Dave Strom hears WaPoo whine Trump Is Putting Up Statues of Former Slaveholders! Bo Loudon @BoLoudon, "WOW: President Bill Clinton has COPIED President Trump's signature red 45-47 hat, now wearing a red 42 hat. Trump owns our culture and style, and if you can't beat them, join them! Even Bill Clinton can't deny it." Monica Crowley @MonicaCrowley, "THE TRUMP EFFECT." Quote Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "EPIC: Spanish soccer star Ferran Torres rocks a “MAKE SPAIN GREAT AGAIN” hat just one day after meeting President Trump! Socialist government in Spain, but real Patriots are still out here repping hard."

Stacy McCain takes on The Pro-Hamas Socialist Democrats. Seth Mandel at Commentary looks at The Normalizing of Mamdani’s Creepy Bibi Obsession. Scott Pinsker at PJM says Mayor Mamdani Is NOT Bluffing: The Revolutionary Upside to Arresting Netanyahu. From NYPo the Divine Miranda Devine thinks Mamdani and his DSA comrades have one goal — a communist revolution in America. Hat Hair's Dave Strom sees them Embracing Mao Now. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "This is like a pro-terrorism Islamist privileged twat commie douchebag homerun derby." Quote Zeteo @zeteo_news, "Will the real Hasan please stand up? @hasanthehun joins @mehdirhasan to once and for all settle who the better Hasan is. Stay tuned for the latest episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’ dropping on http://zeteo.com this Wednesday." James Lindsay, anti-Communist @ConceptualJames, "Fun facts about Mao's Little Red Book. Ok, so first of all, it's not even a book in the sense of making an argument or whatever. It's not even a piece of propaganda. It's acollection of quotations allegedly from Mao Zedong. It's basically Brainy Quotes Mao Edition..." Quote Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "Hasan Piker celebrates being given a copy Mao’s Little Red Book in China. His friend next to him: “This is more important than the Bible!” This is who Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is." TownHall's Matt Vespa thinks you should Watch a NYT Columnist Obliterate the Left's Main Obsession in Less Than Six Minutes and CNN's Jake Tapper Asked This Leftist Michigan Senate Candidate About Israel and Iran. It Didn't Go Well. Ilya Somin at The Volokh Conspiracy points out the Contradictions of Socialist Prison Abolitionism "Many "democratic socialists" want to abolish prisons. But this is in conflict with their objective of making many more activities illegal." Under real socialism, the penalty is often death. Nate Hochman @njhochman, "One of the many explosive revelations in this new State Department report is that the Venceremos Brigade—which has brought 10,000+ American left-wing activists to Cuba, including high-profile Democratic politicians like LA Mayor Karen Bass—was built and run by actual Cuban spies." Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "This is important. The far left in this country is mostly made up of people who spent a ton on their degrees and can’t make back what they spent. As a result, they hate capitalism." Quote Nate Silver @NateSilver538, "Income and education are usually positively correlated. But sometimes the relationship breaks down. What's the most Democratic voting group in America? People with post-graduate degrees but lower-to-middle incomes." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "a black fourth grader in Mississippi is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in math and reading as one in California" Don't let communists run your state."

At Althouse, They should have stood by Platner. Now they have to stand by Jackson, the new guy who's being foisted on Mainers. ""Democrat set to replace Platner in Maine led state Senate with a temper/Troy Jackson, the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), yelled and cursed at fellow state lawmakers, interviews reveal" (WaPo)(gift link)." Team Cruz @TeamTedCruz, "In one four-minute, off-the-cuff answer, Talarico managed to advocate for or say all of the following: - Reparations are part of his faith tradition. - Race-based tuition relief. - Race-based homeownership grants. - Race-based baby bonds. - Slavery still defines modern Texas. - Government must “repair” the past. - When Democrats win the Senate they will enact reparations - The George Floyd Act was “transformational.” - Washington must protect Americans “from police violence.” - Shows like 'Cops' promote violence." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair looks at How's It Going for Talarico? BLM Activist Shouts Him Down at His Own Rally As He Simps for Crockett. From Ace, BLM Activists Bully James Talarico Into Admitting How Extreme His Leftwing Politics Really Are. At Twitchy, NOT YOU! Pete Buttigieg Asks, 'Then What?' After Trump ... and He's Not Gonna' Like the Answers.

Mediaite reports Republicans Gain Ground on Democrats Heading Into 2026 Midterms, New Washington Post Poll Reveals. At Da Mail, Morning Joe warns Democrats are doomed to more election failure in 2028 as party continues to embrace 'extraordinarily loony ideas'. TV News Now @TVNewsNow, "Fox’s @BretBaier: “If Van Jones and Bill Maher are sending up the red flares, is that what’s happening inside the traditional Democratic Party?” Former Biden senior advisor: “Yes, and there should be more of it to be honest. The opinions that are being taken up by these Democratic socialists are political non-starters in any of the places that we actually need to put together a Democratic majority,” adds @JohnWMcCarthy.

Althouse "Former President Joe Biden lost his bid Monday to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with his longtime ghostwriter..." "The NY Post reports." VodkaPundit at PJM, COURT: 'Smithers, Release the Biden Tapes!'

At the Washington Stand, Feds Recover Less Than 1% of $400 Billion+ in COVID Relief Funds Lost to Fraudsters. From NYPo, California city chief arrested on a yacht just three weeks after taking over top job "Sausalito’s new city manager was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of felony burglary after Marin County sheriff’s deputies responding to a noise complaint found her aboard a yacht that authorities say belonged to someone else."

OSINT613, The U.S. Campaign Against Iran Is Moving Inland: This Is No Longer a Coastal War. At PJM Rick Moran hears Trump Weighs Massive Escalation in Iran As Houthis Threaten to Close the Red Sea's Critical Strait and Cathy Salgado sees Trump Calls Out Dems for Helping Iran ‘Savages,’ Punishing U.S. Citizens. At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed wonders Will – and Can – Trump Target Pickaxe Mountain Next? and John Sexton cites Iran: Don't You Dare Strike Our Nuclear Facilities. The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter, "BREAKING: At least 8 oil tankers have aborted transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait following the Houthi naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, including 3 Chinese VLCCs carrying Saudi crude. Three tankers loaded with Saudi crude bound for China and one for India have made U-turns in the Red Sea and are now aborting their transit through the Bab El-Mandeb. 4 additional tankers turning north in the Red Sea have been identified as Agios Gerasimos, MICA, NAVIG8 Express, and Trust." IQ 594 | Cody Penn-Dent @codypd "So let me get this straight… China, who is an ally of Iran, has decided to participate in a magic show by not sending boats through a corridor that Iran and its ragtag psycho pals in Yemen say is closed From this I am to infer the ragtag psychos closed it?" Quote Martin Kelly @_MartinKelly_ "At least 4 (there are more) ships, including 3 Chinese VLCCs have aborted transit via the Bab al Mandeb after the Houthis implemented a blockade on Saudi ports. Interesting here that Chinese affiliation clearly does not provide immunity to those ships which meet the Houthi criteria.

Don Surbers sees The Boasberg boomerang, "He inadvertently led Trump to a court that may expedite deportations." From Ace, Michigan Appeals Court Reverses Two More Convictions in Fake-News Gretchen Whitmer "Fednapping" Prosecutions, "The Regime wants to prove that "right wingers" commit as much terrorism as left wingers. But they don't. So they have to manufacture offenses." And, the Border Patrol Wanted to Question Fauci's Catspaw Peter Daszak When He Returned from the Wuhan Lab in China. The FBI Blocked Them from Asking Fauci's Pal Any Questions, "We need a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to discover what was really going on in Wuhan and which government officials need to be in prison." At Da Caller, Hawaii’s Top Court Unleashes ‘Unserious Screed’ Against Conservative-Majority Supreme Court, it was kind of a hissy fit. From JTN, Conservative think tank wants Supreme Court to legalize home whiskey distilleries, "The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled recently that the federal ban against home whiskey distilleries is unconstitutional. However, the 6th Circuit upheld the federal ban."

The NYPo ed board wonders Why hasn’t Mahmoud Khalil been deported yet? At Chronicles No English, No Problem — Until the Crash Happens. Eric Florack at PJM, The Great American Demographic Shift.

Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "Hey @ABC News. How can Sunny Hostin be your Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst when she was caught on video unethically abusing her power to help her son escape accountability with police and lying about being a current federal prosecutor? The latter is a federal crime."

Sister Toldja, Watch: Brandon Gill Shows Museum Director No Mercy During Hearing on Wokeification of the Smithsonian. Althouse, "Do you think that it's the goal of the Smithsonian Institution to promote white supremacy culture?" "Congressman Brandon Gill asks Smithsonian Museum director Anthea Hartig at the House Oversight Committee hearing today. It's quite an exchange. Gill has a very well-planned set of question designed to destroy Hartig, and Hartig's defense is almost entirely restricted to long silences and diligent note-taking, as if she's endeavoring to learn from Gill." Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "OMG. Brutal moment as Rep. Brandon Gill embarrasses Smithsonian Director Hartig with this line of questioning GILL: Is it important to be polite? HARTIG: Yes GILL: Your organization says politeness is a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture. Ma'am, are you a white supremacist? HARTIG: No, sir. GILL: Why does your organization say being polite is part of being a white supremacist? ANOTHER ONE: GILL: Is objectivity important for history? HARTIG: We strive to be objective GILL: Your document says being objective is white supremacy. HARTIG: Mm... GILL: Are you promoting a white supremacy culture at the Smithsonian? Ma'am, is this a difficult question?" Ace, sees Democrats Push Unhinged Racialist Propaganda as Republicans Probe the Smithsonian for Its Rampant Leftwing Bias.""The museum does not take sides,' a Smithsonian official declared, perjuring herslef." Beege Welborn Excuse Me, Sir - Did You Perhaps Drop Some White Supremacy Here? Mark Judge at the Chronic, Gottfried is Right: Wokeness Is Not Communism, It’s Demonic Narcissism.

From Twitchy, Even Trans Host Can't Stop Making Faces As Trans Dem Ashley Webb Explains How He's MEDICALLY a Woman. At Althouse, "We want to prevent all the bizarreness and keep our state normal." Said Bruce Skaug, an Idaho state representative, "who is sponsoring legislation to bar cities and counties from adopting local nondiscrimination policies that extend protection to sexual orientation or gender identity." Quoted in "How a 911 Call Led to the Nation’s Strictest Trans Bathroom Law/People in Sandpoint, Idaho, don’t know how to characterize a woman’s brush with a transgender woman in a Y.M.C.A. locker room, but the emergency call that followed is still reverberating" (NYT)(gift link).

At Campus Reform, Denver SDS says TPUSA ‘needs to be smashed’ amid university investigation. "Denver Students for a Democratic Society, a left-wing student group, says it 'will not tolerate' TPUSA’s presence on campus."

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.21.26 (Afternoon Edition).

The Wednesday Wetness

Just In Weather, Drought Monitor July 16 And Lawn Health Index Improving A Little

There is some encouraging news for Maryland lawns this week.

After several weeks dominated by drought concerns, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows additional improvement across portions of the Mid-Atlantic. While Moderate to Severe Drought remains across much of Central Maryland and Extreme Drought continues on parts of the Eastern Shore, recent rainfall has helped replenish soil moisture and slow the progression of drought in many locations.

This week’s Lawn Health Index remains at 48 out of 100 (Fair). Conditions continue to improve, but long-term rainfall deficits and summer stress are preventing a more significant jump.

Our grass greened up considerably after a few storms a week or two back, but it's starting to look a crispy again in spots.