Flotsam and Jetsam - Platner's Next Boot Falls a Credible Rape Tale

The Nazi-tattooed, oyster shuckin' nepo baby with the rough beard, and rougher voice, Graham Platner, who was recently voted the Democrat nominee for Maine's senate seat currently held by Susan Collins, after credible allegations of sexual abuse from a woman allied to conservatives, has now been accused of a home invasion and rape by a woman aligned with the Democrats, five years ago. Way to pick 'em! This is allegedly one of the allegations that the NYT knew about, but chose not to run when they ran the first allegation. Ace, Herr Docktor Bugfokker Cancels Campaign Events as Unknown Parties Begin Polling the Strength of Other Candidates to Replace Graham Platner "There are rumors of a fresh Graham Platner scandal about to drop, even as the drop-dead deadline for replacing a candidate in Maine fast approaches. (I believe the deadline is July 13.)" Matt Vespa at TownHall, The Latest Graham Platner Allegation Just Dropped at Politico.

That night in late 2021, she said she had exchanged text messages with him and told him not to come over, saying she wasn’t in the mood for company. Later that evening, she said she realized when she heard a sound on the stairs that he had let himself into her house, which was unlocked.

Platner came up the stairs, Racicot said, to where she was on a couch. He got on top of her and kept grabbing her, she said, while she repeatedly told him to stop and that she wasn’t interested. Racicot said she smelled alcohol on his breath and believed he was “almost blackout drunk” because Platner ignored her protests and continued to grab her after knocking over an antique sewing kit, spilling small needles everywhere.

“I had been telling him these words, like: ‘No, don’t,’” she recalled. “And, the look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here,” she said.

Racicot said she tried to separate herself from Platner by telling him she couldn’t be in that room anymore, after which he followed her to her bedroom and had sex with her against her will. She said he also ejaculated inside of her despite her telling him not to, as she was not using birth control at the time.

She went to clean herself up, she said, and when she returned, Platner had fallen asleep. She contemplated waking him up to kick him out, but worried he could hurt someone driving in the state he was in.

The following morning, she said, Platner tried to put his arm around her and she pushed him away. She said she asked him whether he remembered what had happened the previous night; according to Racicot, Platner said he didn’t remember. Racicot said she told him to leave and never contact her again.

Sundance at CTH, Woman Who Previously Dated Maine Democrat Candidate Graham Platner Says He Raped Her. Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "Breaking and entering followed by a credible rape allegation is how I read this." Quote Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024, "Politico: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her The Maine Democrat denied the allegations and said, “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue.” Ace, Graham Platner: Any Suggestion That I Strong-Arm Raped Someone After Bursting Into Her Home Uninvited Is Categorically False, But I'm Now Working Out a "Path Forward" from This Totally False Accusation, "No one who speaks German could be an evil man. Unfortunately, this comes a week too soon." VodkaPundit at PJM asks Is Platner Out? Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Nazi-Tatted Kik Creep Canceling Campaign Events: UPDATE: Date Rape? UPDATE: Platner Responds. At NRO, Graham Platner Reflecting on ‘Path Forward’ After Latest Bombshell Sexual Assault Allegation. Ben Whedon at JTN asserts Platner planning to drop out of Maine Senate race: Report. "Platner has faced a period of poor media coverage over his previous Reddit posts and Totenkopf tattoo." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Apparently pseudo-oyster farmer and Maine Democrat Senatorial candidate Graham Platner is dropping out of the race against incumbent Susan Collins. A breaking news story says he sexually assaulted a former girlfriend. The real story here is that the Democrats were so desperate to capture the vote of actual men with normal testosterone levels that they nominated a guy with an SS Nazi tattoo, a history of misogyny and bizarre online sexual comments, and a record of sexual assault. After their foray with the masculinity of Fancy Tim Walz, that was the best they could do. The Democrat Party is toxic to actual men." Matt Margolis at PJM, Here’s What Graham Platner Doesn’t Want You to Know About His Accuser, " "She told Politico she wrestled with coming forward because of it. "One of the reasons I didn't come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person," she said. "I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.""

At Hat Hair John Sexton sees The Left is Starting to Back Away from Graham Platner. Althouse "A wave of prominent Democrats, from Platner’s most progressive allies to top Democratic leadership, are bailing on his Senate campaign..." "... after POLITICO reported that a woman who dated him said he forced her to have sex with him...." Ruben Gallego @RubenGallego, "The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious. I am rescinding my endorsement." Quote Bethany S. Mandel @bethanyshondark "Why didn’t you rescind it a month ago when they were made by a conservative woman?" Larry Correia @monsterhunter45, "Don't let them distance themselves now. These shit heads knew Platner was scum the whole time and made excuses for him. Who could have possibly imagined that a dude with a nazi tattoo on his chest would have a history of poor life choices? Not the DNC. ..." Quote Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "It’s happening The Left decided Platner isn’t useful to them anymore So they had Politico drop a new rape claim then had media outlets amplify , and now they will all suddenly condemn him and withdraw their endorsements almost simultaneously. It’s all coordinated. So obvious." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Platner is to the Dems what dog rape is to NYT and Nick Kristoff. An obvious fraud they not only fell for but gave a full-throated defense. Which will always be fun to trot out." Quote Jon Favreau @jonfavs, "Platner needs to drop out ASAP - these are awful, credible allegations. Said on the pod after the (also credible) June NYT story that his biggest problem going forward would be credibility. It's now abundantly clear that he just hasn't been honest about his past and can't be x.com/grahamformaine…" Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "Hope somebody’s got an archive, because the gaslights are about to start flickering." Quote Steven Godofsky @sgodofsk, "Don't look now but matt yglesias deleted all his tweets defending platner's nazi tattoo." Legal Phil @Legal_Fil, "Not only will they pretend that they never supported Platner, they’ll demand credit for his being forced to drop out. And they’ll hold up Platner’s dropping out as an example of what makes their side morally better than the side that didn’t nominate a woman-abusing Nazi." Quote Erick Erickson @EWErickson, "I've seen this movie before. The Nazi drops out after everyone has admitted he's a Nazi and the people who supported the Nazi pretend they never supported him." Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "Exactly. That’s coming next. They’ll say that his dropping out shows that his movement is morally superior. Much as they now say “despite what you wingnuts said, Obama didn’t pass any gun control,” as if that was by choice, not because he was stopped." Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "The NYTs is a dumpster. Awful." Quote AG @AGHamilton29, "The politico story confirms that the NYT writers had the details of the sexual assault but chose to omit them and instead focus their article overwhelmingly on the claims from LF so that they can just be spun as a partisan attack. Would be interested to see the communication." Noam Blum @neontaster, "The next time you see Graham Platner will be his announcement of dropping out. The next time after that will be his interview on Tucker about how AIPAC and the Epstein Class did this to him."

At Althouse, "New York City bodega owners came to City Hall last week for a 'roundtable discussion' at the invitation of Julie Su, deputy mayor for economic justice..." ""... only to get barraged with 'intrusive' questions about their businesses, a source close to the situation said.... 'What items are sold the most at your stores?'... 'Where is your profit margin the greatest?' sources said. The bodega reps declined to answer.... From "Mamdani officials scramble to ease concerns about public supermarkets — but local business leaders aren’t buying it" (NY Post)." As VodkaPundit puts it, New York Bodega Owners to City: Drop Dead! A Larry vid at Hat Hair, Mamdani's Failed Stunt Is Becoming a Nightmare for Him. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Marxism is much more than an economic program. Marxism is, first and foremost, a social reengineering program that uses a denial of objective truth as a path to power and control. Marxists deny that law and morality have any basis in verifiable, immutable, objective truth. Instead, they view law and morality as fungible concepts manipulated by whomever is in charge as a means to power. ...." As TownHall's Amy Curtis notes 'Real Socialism' Was Tried in Venezuela, and It Failed. Quotulatiousness observes Progressives are only against “some people” getting wealthy. Rob Henderson @robkhenderson, "It’s criminal the CEO makes 400X what the average worker makes but it’s perfectly fine that Taylor Swift makes 100000X more than the people who clean the arena after her concerts. A just society is one that rewards the exceptional qualities of the musician but not the executive." Scott McKay at Am Spec, Yes, They’re Communists, and Yes, They’re Lying About It. For Now. "The label promises reform. The ideology points toward something far more radical."

As you may have heard, the US Soccer team lost 4-1 to the Belgian team after the big red card controversy involving none other than Donald Trump. They were just clearly outplayed by the Belch, despite still having their best player. Now we can go back to ignoring soccer for another four years. (Well, I don't get to, because Gabby is enrolled in parks and rec girls soccer.) Capt. Ed calls it Too Fun to Check: Belgians Blue Over Red-Card Trump. Sundance thinks it's BRILLIANTLY EUROPEAN – Belgium Files World Cup Appeal to Block U.S. Team from Fielding its Best Players. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "OK, apparently heads of state stepping in to protect their national teams from rotten FIFA officiating is a thing." The Sun (UK), MEXICAN SAVE Keir Starmer stepped in to stop Fifa bringing forward England kick-off as he feared Mexico were trying to gain advantage. Becca Lower at RedState hears Marco Rubio Puts on a Masterclass When Asked About FIFA Reversing Red Card for USMNT's Balogun.

Adrianne Curry @AdrianneCurry, "Lets pretend Patriot Front is real. Is their crime....waving flags and walking around pretending to be cool? Lol." Hat Hair's Dave Strom noticed The Web Was Flooded With Patriot Front Photos on July 4th, and It Was Ridiculous and  OK, This Is Too Funny. The Left's New 'Hero' Has a Rap Sheet, for indecent exposure. Ace, Hot New #RaceHoax Drops, The Left Is So Excited You Guys. "She's a homeless woman with a conviction for indecent exposure. (Just the sort of person you could bribe with five dollars to sit on a particular subway car and look saintfully at the camera.) Also, previous video of her shows her holding open her anus -- there's no delicate way to say it, sorry -- while screaming."

Ace reports Formerly-Famous Leftwing Non-Celebrities Spend Entire Fourth of July Weekend Obsessing Over (Get This) Trump, "Sorry to drop that huge surprise on you without a warning. Star of Seabiscuit Sarah Jessica Parker joined some other obsessives reading parts of an anti-Trump book and congratulating themselves for their Demonic Virtue." TownHall's Joe Chalfant sees These Patriots Refused to Surrender Their Independence Day Celebrations to a Summer Storm. 

Also from Ace, Mitch McConnell Has Died? But, Joe Chalfant wonders How Did This Mistake Already Happen Again? Brad Johnson @bradj_TX, "Published-too-early pre-writes are having a renaissance right now." Quote Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024, "The Hill publishes premature article titled “DO NOT USE: A lookback at Mitch McConnell’s time in the Senate” amid rumors over McConnell’s health." He's clearly not well, but he may or may not be dead.  A never-Trumper, and a consummate politician, and therefore an asshole, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for him for blocking Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination.

Sundance notices Toyota Positions – Shifts Truck Plant from Mexico to Texas and Canada Awards $20 to $30 Billion Submarine Contract to German Company TKMS.

John Sexton at Hat Hair claims Russia's Largest Oil Refinery in Flames. Putin's war is going so well.

NYPo ed board says Iran has made it perfectly clear that the same old sick regime is still in charge. It's past time to peel a few more layers off the Mullocracy and IRGC. Dave Strom and Hey, About That 'Death to America' Thing... It doesn't encourage us to be nice. William A. Jacobson @wajacobson, "Max Blumenthal is in Tehran celebrating with the regime. Andrew Breitbart had him pegged in 2010 - "you have been programmed by some ungodly creature to be this character of hatred""

Mia Cathell at WaEx sees the irony in Woman who wrote book on healthcare fraud sentenced in $136 million Medicare scheme.

Hans Mahncke at Da Fed thinks the  SCOTUS Birthplace Citizenship Decision Is John Roberts’ Roe v. Wade. Law and Liberty calls it Birthright Blunders. Dave Strom asks What Does It Mean to Say Somebody Has a 'Right' to Something

Ace disturbed that Female Cops Beaten Up While Trying to Break Up "Teen Takeover" in North Charleston. "I don't think woke police forces are working." Send social workers... But Bob Hoge at RedState is gratified Newport Beach Drops the Hammer on July 4 Rioters: This Isn't LA.

Vivid. @VividProwess, "A Muslim Palestinian ripping down American flags across New York City as the crowd cheers. The “Free Palestine” terrorist movement hates America." Driscoll at Insty sees EDDIE GLAUDE STRIKE AGAIN: Trump and Vance Are ‘The Devil Who Has Us by the Throat.’ "Princeton professor Eddie Glaude is at it again. Last week on MS NOW, he smeared America as a “white republic” built on “greed and selfishness and grift and hatred.” On Sunday’s edition of The Weekend, Glaude described JD Vance and Donald Trump as “the devil who has us by the throat” and “white nationalists, for sure.” “The Devil?” Isn’t he the guy to whom Saul Alinsky dedicated Rules for Radicals? Aren’t all the white nationalists “for sure” being funded by the lefties at the SPLC?"

Tattoo Tuesday

Fox 32 Chicago, Two charged after severed arm with Packers tattoo found in Illinois lake, police say

A severed arm with a distinctive Green Bay Packers tattoo led investigators to identify a Plainfield man whose remains were recovered from Lake Mattoon, and two people have now been charged in the case, Illinois State Police said.

James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, are each charged with concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 felony, and dismembering a human body, a Class X felony.

I guess if you really want your body identified, you need something more original than an ordinary old Totenkopf.

The Dying of the Bubble

It's my 9th weekly post updating the progress of my left eye's recovery from the second retinal detachment/reattachment surgery.  As I suspected last week, the freon bubble in the eye is not yet totally absorbed. It looks a little like a black pearl. I can still see the bubble as I look forward, as a small circle with very dark edges (where it reflects away light that would reach the retina, and a clearer center, that still works as a 2 or 3 power looking glass. However, it shrinks noticeably every day, and it can't have too many days left. I'm guessing/hoping  it will finally pop out of existence Wednesday or Thursday and I can cut off this stupid wristband that warns first responders not to take me above 2000 ft, or give me nitrous oxide.

Otherwise, things seem to be well. The two eyes get along well in normal arm and room range use and give me decent depth perception again, even looking down at about 45 degrees. More than that, and the bubble interferes.  Reading in close, the left eye is sharper, and only contributes a little waver. At far distances, only the right can form a clear image, and dominates the image, but I still have the "2 horizon" situation, a normal horizon from the right eye, and a right slanted blurry one from the left. If I stare at the horizon, the right wins, and most of the slanted one goes away.

As far as how it feels? I think I still feel the rubber band, excuse me silicone rubber buckle, they installed around the eye to help keep the retina attached the second time, but mostly I just ignore it. Once in a while it seems to bother me, but rarely. No other pain, and the redness around the white of the eye, especially on the left side is mostly gone.

Flotsam and Jetsam - A Funny Thing Happened in DC

Streiff at RedState observes Hundreds of Patriot Front Demonstrators Hit DC's July 4 Celebration and Minds Are Blown "Allegedly, Patriot Front is a Texas-based White nationalist group classified as such by the ADL and SPLC. It was created in the run-up to the infamous 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A teenager named Thomas Ryan Rousseau executed a coup d’etat inside the “Vanguard America” organization by seizing its website and Discord server and declaring himself the Obergruppenführer, or whatever. After the rally, which we now know was organized and subsidized by the “anti-hate” group Southern Poverty Law Center (see SPLC Funneled $270K Cash to Charlottesville Hoax Rally Planner — ‘Manufacturing Racism’ – RedState), Rousseau rebranded the group as the “Patriot Front.” Here at RedState, we have noticed some peculiarities about this organization." RazörFist @RazorFist, "Reminder: Patriot Front were one of many "right-wing" organizations we recrntly learned the Southern Policy Law Center had funded. You guys can ditch the faggy gimp mask and buy a second outfit now." Quote Aaron Parnas @AaronParnas "White nationalists are marching down the streets of Washington, D.C. on America's 250th." John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte @NolteNC, "It’s simple logic… In the same we know the moon landing was real because of it weren’t, the Russians would’ve said so, if these were actual right wingers, the corporate media would have doxxed them by now." Quote Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "Patriot Front: Brought to you by leftists who don’t know that patriots don’t wear masks." Seattle Extremist @SeattleIndepen1, "How do you know Patriot Front is fake? If they were legit, the media would be in a feeding frenzy to find out who is funding them, there would be endless efforts to infiltrate with hidden cameras to capture compromising and embarrassing conversations, relentless efforts to dox members. There isn’t. Which means it’s a protected psyop." PoIiMath @politicalmath, "Patriot Front is a funny organization b/c left-wingers are like "these are the racists you support" & the right-wingers I know are like "go ahead and arrest them all"" Quote Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) @adamscochran, "1/10 Want to know how they quickly got 400 makes extremists in DC? It's because many of them are Republican staffers." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "This black lady must feel extremely safe surrounded by dozens of federal agents." Quote Aaron Parnas @AaronParnas, "This image is from today. A Black woman sits on the DC metro as masked white nationalists prepare to march on our nation's capital. This is America's 250th anniversary. REUTERS/Cheney Orr."

Noticed they paid the fare instead of jumping the turnstile https://t.co/Pl1LHpf6Ro

— Mostly Peaceful Memes (@MostlyPeaceful) July 5, 2026

To be fair, one of them did duck under the turnstyle. I'd really like to know who they really are, and who is paying, besides the SPLC.

PJM's Sarah Anderson notices The World Lights Up for America’s 250th, While the American Left Opts to Whine About It. At Twitchy, Lefties Melt Down Over US Men's World Cup Boost: Beg Balogun to Voluntarily Sit Out So Belgium Won't Cry. "Earlier, we told you the red card against the American men's World Cup Soccer team was rescinded. It's alleged President Trump intervened. The unhinged America haters (that makes them xenophobic) are falling apart over it."

Sundance at CTH hosts Sunday Talks: Secretary Burgum -vs- Dana Bash, Ambassador Hoekstra Interview Highlights How Canadian Govt Controls Canadian Media, A Shift Begins? Canadian Media Start Discussing Six-Month USMCA Termination Possible and President Trump and Russian Federation President Putin Held an 85-Minute Phone Call.

From Fox, Trump pardons 9 people convicted of tampering with emission controls on diesel engines "Alaska veteran Mac Spurlock was among those freed after armed EPA agents raided his shop over engine modifications." I believe he also revoked the regulations under which they were arrested.

Betsy McCaughey at Hat Hair, Mamdani's Rent Freeze Threatens Everyone Who Owns Anything. Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "Yeah, I don’t know that Mamdani is even worth responding to seriously because DSA rhetoric is just an incoherent pastiche of ideological slop that last had real salience more than 50 years ago. A meta-criticism pointing out that retarded theater kids have commandeered a major political party yet lack the requisite cognitive capacity to form a coherent ideological narrative for what they’re doing is probably closer to the target than responding to his midwit provocations in earnest." Quote Matt Taibbi @mtaibbi, "This Mamdani-style anti-American chic that gets gushing reviews from self-hating upper class neurotics is just a revived late-sixties/early 70s fad that was boring and stupid then, and still is now x.com/bobbyness11/st…" Vicky Taft at PJM features an Explosive Spencer Pratt Video which Dismantles Mamdani and Communism Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "The communist always must destroy your history. History is what attaches you to something. Memories make a home. The communist attacks your history to unmoor you from your home, so you won’t fight him when he demolishes it and renovates it in his image." Quote CSPAN @cspan "NYC Mayor Mamdani on American exceptionalism: "We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else... The truth, my friends is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place."" Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "“If I’m being honest I have a much easier time connecting with baristas, nonprofit workers, grad students…” Uh, we know." Quote Lee Kuan Yimby @LeeKuanYimby, "R/Socialism: Men that build and maintain the things I think are basic human rights make me sick." Hat Hair's Larry Elder asks When Will Obama Say, 'What's Happened to My Party?'. My guess is never. Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "Obama invited the terrorist Ayers to his presidential library opening last month, after years of denying they had a relationship." Quote Stu Smith @thestustustudio, "Bill Ayers and Princeton’s Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Mark July 4th With No Patriotism, No Borders, and “Fuck the USA” As you celebrate Independence Day, remember that there is an entire class of activists, including many embedded in higher education, who spend their days trying to dismantle the country..." Jonathan Turley seems to be losing hope, “You Cannot Kill the Beast Until You Name it”: Democratic Politician Denounces the Declaration of Independence. "Pennsylvania state and socialist Chris Rabb, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, has joined the growing chorus of Democrats denouncing the founding documents and core institutions in the country on our 250th anniversary. The Democratic socialist is running unopposed for Congress and will almost certainly be a member of Congress after November."

From Da Caller, Ex-CIA Director John Brennan Sues Trump Admin Over Probe Into Russiagate, "claiming he is being “vindictively singled out for investigation and prosecution” by officials, according to court documents." As an architect of Russiagate, he knows a vindictive, partisan prosecution when he sees it.

NYPo finds Biden’s illegal immigration surge triggered 30% rise in home prices, $ 20% in rents, Fed paper finds. It's pretty simple economics, increase the demand without increasing the supply and prices rise. From CIS, DOJ Vows to Crack Down on Birth Tourism in Response to ‘Birthright’ Opinion. We'll see. Hat Hair's Josh Hammer claims Congress Can Still Ban Birthright Citizenship. Here's How.

Greg Lukianoff at the Eternally Radical Idea all about America turns 250! A full-on Frederick Douglassfest! Matt salutes Tom Paine! & more! "Bringing you the latest free speech news (7/5/26)" From the Chicago Boyz, Musings on the Declaration of Independence "The Constitution is the means of government; it is the Declaration that announces the ends of government. – Justice Clarence Thomas, Remarks on the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Apr 20, 2026." ((Aaron Walker))) @AaronWorthing, "Yes, but you can’t speak freely in that pub" Quote No Context Brits @NoContextBrits, "America is 250 years old. This pub is 1,466 years old."

From the Campus Reform, Those who agree with Charlie Kirk ‘deserve to go out like him,’ anonymous student says, "An anonymous student posted a message on an app called ‘Fizz’ implying that people who agree with assassinated Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk should be murdered as well." At the College Fix, Massachusetts principal apologizes to Arab students after lesson on Holocaust. In a slightly more hopeful sign, NYPo finds America’s medical schools tiptoe away from DEI — for now.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Time for Escape from New York?

This post inadvertently left in draft until this morning; I thought I'd just put it out there anyway.

In the wake of the Marxist's victories in NYC, Derek Hunter says Let New York Suffer. That's pretty much my take too. NYC has gone through these cycles before, electing wreckers before waking up and electing somebody to clean up. If they fail to do the latter this time, oh well. We don't really need it as a thriving financial hub anymore, it's all being done on the internet. Just don't force us to pay the bill. The Manhattan Contrarian notices In New York, The Democrats Go Completely Crazy. Nate Silver @NateSilver538, "Depending on the definition, maybe 3-5% of the US population is smart but seriously mentally unstable. That group heavily selects into politics, though. So maybe you're getting more like 10-15% among certain political types. That's enough to have a real influence on movements." Insty quips HONESTLY, THAT’S A LOWBALL NUMBER I THINK. Twitchy hears No Money for Schools? Mary Katharine Ham Schools the Commie on NYC's $40K-Per-Student Disaster Mary Katharine Ham @mkhammer, "“No money for schools.” NYC has a $43 billion dollar school system whose funding has gone up as enrollment has gone down. It has the highest per-student expenditure in the nation of up to $40K a year. 28-29% of students test proficient in math and reading (NAEP)." Quote Marco Foster @MarcoFoster_ "Darializa Avila Chevalier: “What we need is a mentality of people over profit. You can’t tell me there is no money for schools, there’s no money to address childhood poverty, there’s no money to address this housing crisis, while voting time and time again to send billions to a war machine to a country that’s currently enacting a genocide”"

Erick Florack calls Joe Biden The Perfect Symbol of Today's Democrat Party. Hat Hair's John Sexton manages some faux tears over Scott Wiener's Struggle Sessions. Shipwreckedcrew says The Supreme Court Produced No High Profile Decisions Last Week -- So Lets Look At "Dead Man Walking" Graham Platner in Maine. "Lets consider the "Bernie Bro" communist running in a state with the oldest electorate and where the number of "Independent" voters who decide elections is the largest." Scott McKay at Am Spec, Where Are the Bill Kristols and Michael Steeles on the Democrat Side Today? "Democrats and Republicans are not flip sides of the same coin." At Shooting News Week, Oops: Dems Concede Gun Control Isn’t Top Issue For Them Any More.

Caleb Howe at Howe It Is, 'Just The Latest Blow': White House Rips Newsom Over New Burden On Families — EXCLUSIVE. "He's all about punishing Americans. Citizens and journalists, anyway." "His scheme, a monthly per-enrollee tax on Medicaid, ObamaCare, and health plans at work, is going to see higher premiums across the board for working residents in the state. Genius!! No wait, that other thing. Terrible! That’s it." Mark Tapscott at Insty, WHEN REALITY BITES … NEWSOM: "He mocked Justice Alito’s majority opinion in the Supreme Court’s Hawaii decision on individuals carrying firearms in public. The Chief Executive of the state with the highest poverty rate and the most tax-paying citizens fleeing to Texas, Florida, Arizona, etc. etc. ought to know better." Hat Hair cites Kaitlyn Schallhorn from Orange County Register "(I Dunno - Top Chef?) What’s Next for Katie Porter After Ca Gov Loss?" She's so well known for her "special" mashed potatoes. Cathy Salgado at PJM hears Hilton: Audio Seems to Capture Becerra Detailing an 'Assembly Line' for Migrant Children. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Leaked recording of Xavier Becerra at HHS under Biden saying he was putting illegal migrant children “in an assembly line” He clearly says the American people will be upset knowing how much Democrats were spending on children who shouldn’t even be here in America, and he’s instructing his staff to place them as quickly as they can without doing the proper checks How is this guy not rotting in prison “This is not the way you do an assembly line” “We need to get discharges up — Every time we have to go to the Hill and explain why we're spending so much money when most people are struggling to spend a little bit of money for their kids on a daily basis, we try to explain how we're spending more than $1,000 a day for kids who may not even have the legal right to be here” This is your reminder he was also called out in official testimony for placing children with sponsors using strip clubs as addresses Arrest him." Jen O'Connell at RedState sees Karen Bass Blames Environmental Racism For Boyle Heights, Spencer Pratt Nails Her to the Wall. Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt "Toxic soil, 6,000 homes destroyed, 12 people burned alive, 400+ excess deaths from toxic smoke exposure…but that was in the Palisades, so who cares about us, right? No, THIS is a turning point. This one structure fire. What a soulless goblin Karen is." Quote Mayor Karen Bass @MayorOfLA "People who are familiar with Boyle Heights know this fire did not happen in a vacuum. Environmental hazards have too often fallen on communities like this one. This moment must be a turning point. We will hold those responsible..."

Wokal Distance @wokal_distance, "Leftists claimed Elon Musk could end world hunger for only 6 Billion dollars, and then Mackenzie Scott spent 4 times that amount and it didn't do anything to solve world hunger." Quote Pubity @pubity, "Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott has given over $26,300,000,000 to charity, making her one of the biggest individual donors in history. She wants to spend the majority of her Bezos fortune on helping others and making the world a better place." Driscoll at Insty, WAIT, I THOUGHT NET NEUTRALITY AND GLOBAL COOLING, WARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHAOS HAD KILLED EVERYONE ALREADY: Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "We pointed this out with global mortality data a weeks ago - but this is better and more region/state specific." Quote arctotherium @arctotherium42, "Did Elon Musk kill millions of people by cutting USAID? We now have preliminary 2025 mortality data from several African countries, and the answer may shock you: no. There is no detectable mortality signal at all. x.com/AldenWhitfeld/…" USAID was welfare for the credentialed class.

AMAC thinks President Trump’s Approval Rating Roars Back as Oil Prices Plummet. Sundance at CTH looks at USMCA Status – Canada in Recession, Mexico GDP Grows Double Expectations "Canada is combative. Mexico is collaborating." I&I says CAFE Kills, And Trump Is Doing Something About It.

MD Kittle at Da Fed thinks the Senate GOP Should Know Better Than To Ignore Trump’s Political Instincts On The SAVE Act. Jen O'Connell has another of her Hot Takes: John Cornyn Casts Shade at Americans Supporting the SAVE America Act—and It Boomerangs on Him. At RCM, Grassley and Klobuchar Have Created a Monster That Won't Die "The “monster” is the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), which the two senators have recently reintroduced. AICOA would terrorize leading American technology businesses, as well as workers and consumers." Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "I AM MAD BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS DECADES IN THE MAKING THAT REALLY TROUBLED ME HAVE NOT BEEN INSTANTLY SOLVED BY DECREE DESPITE THE RESISTENCE OF THE LEFT SO I’M GOING TO GIVE UP AND ALLOW THE LEFT TO WIN." Quote Native Patriot @LaNativePatriot, "There’s been a sentiment not just from myself, but from many on the conservative side of “checking out” politically. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what that could be, and I believe it’s been the results of the Trump Presidency so far..." At Twitchy, 'Hello, Mr. French': DataRepublican Turns Her Attention to David French and HOOBOY, YIKES, and HAAAAA.

Driscoll calls it ENDER’S GAME, WITH UKRAINIAN SUBTITLES: Jay in Kyiv @JayinKyiv, "A whole new level.. Russians complaining that Ukrainian Forces are now outsourcing drone operations to gamers all over the world by connecting hundreds of drones to a virtual server and inviting skilled drone operators to take out battalions, with cash prizes awarded for each." "If you ever get a war without any gore, well, I'll be the first to go" John Cleese @JohnCleese, "Is there one particular window that they are all falling out of, or it just any old window that happens to be large enough." Quote Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza, "The first one’s gone. In Moscow, Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylaš, commander of the Russian Air Force, accidentally fell out of a window."

Sundance at CTH has Ohio Governor with Deep Personal Ties to “Shithole Country”, Says It’s More Important to Protect Haitians Than Americans and on Sunday Talks – Jake Tapper Laments Deportation for Haitian and Syrian Migrants. Cathy Salgado likes how Brandon Gill Shows How Dems Used Temporary Protected Status to Change Red States. Steve Cortes @CortesSteve, "Exactly correct — the hordes of Third World “temporary” migrants did not settle in tony Ruling Class enclaves. They were sent to working class communities like Charleroi, PA, which I profiled as the town struggled to deal with the influx…" Quote Brandon Gill @realBrandonGill, "By the way, many of the Haitians who were given TPS under Joe Biden did not come from Haiti. They were living in nations like Brazil and Chile and came here to take advantage of Biden's open border. They were sent, not to Martha's Vineyard or Sherman Oaks, but to blue collar, midwestern towns like Springfield, Ohio. And the people there were called racist for objecting to the culture of the town they built being fundamentally changed overnight."

D_Hartley @DH_1997_, "The irony in a Muslim saying this is fucking insane" Quote Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan, "Maybe the Europeans should have thought about all that back when they were colonizing Africa in the 19th century. x.com/jasonlawlor100…" Twitchy finds a Woke CA Teacher who Brags About Marrying Gaza Resident Online for Green Card — 'It's for Palestinian Rights' "The odd couple tied the knot April 5 in Utah, which allows marriages to be conducted via Zoom, according to records posted online by the Utah County Clerk and obtained by Israeli nonprofit NGO Monitor."

Greg Lukianoff at the Eternally Radical Idea says the FCC won’t let ABC be, Gwar draws Secret Service ire, Battle for Your Brain wins Ashurbanipal award, & more! "Bringing you the latest free speech news (6/28/26)."

Hat Hair's Josh Hammer sees World Cup Tourists See What Too Many Americans Have Forgotten. J. @PresentWitness_, "We’re building frontier AI and catching reusable rockets while Europe is debating whether or not air conditioners are safe."

From the College Fix, ‘Fully substantiated’: Report says Biden leaders pushed ‘gender’ rule on schools despite court order. Jared Whitley at Am Spec want you to Meet the Secret Proponent of ‘Transing’ the Kids: Big Pharma, "The transgender ‘rights’ and ‘acceptance’ movements are the only civil rights movements in history where the primary driver has been corporate greed." There's plenty good money to be made, supplying the groomers with the tools of the trade.

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Earth.com claims Drinking more coffee doesn’t always mean more caffeine in your body

A small, hidden difference in how the body processes caffeine appears to shape diabetes risk in ways everyday habits fail to explain. The signal does not come from the coffee cup, but from what happens after caffeine enters the bloodstream.

Genetic differences that slow the body’s breakdown of caffeine were associated with about 19 percent lower odds of type 2 diabetes, independent of coffee intake. Using DNA as a guide, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet (KI) looked past coffee cups and focused on caffeine levels inside the body.

Dr. Susanna C. Larsson led the work at KI and coordinated data analysis for this project. Her team studies how diet-related exposures and genetics combine to shape long-term risk for metabolic and heart disease. The results put caffeine biology, rather than beverage habits, at the center of debates about weight and diabetes.