Flotsam and Jetsam - Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71

At Fox, Sen. Lindsey Graham dead at 71 after 'brief and sudden' illness, office says, "The longtime politician had served as a US senator for South Carolina since 2003." Ah yes, the Reagan revolution. I vaguely remember. Insty says R.I.P. LINDSEY GRAHAM: "He has his fans and detractors, but for me his best moment was his insouciant response to being followed by shrieking harridans during the Kavanaugh confirmation." Althouse says Goodbye to Lindsey Graham. ""Lindsey Graham, longtime senator from South Carolina, dies at 71/Graham, a staunch Trump ally and key GOP foreign policy voice, was running for reelection this year. He died of a 'brief and sudden illness,' his office said" (WaPo)(gift link)." Long time commenter Shouting Thomas said... "Conspiracy theorists on X already have a handle on this. Graham was poisoned by Russia during his recent trip to Ukraine! And, in the telephone game of social media, that has now transitioned from a crazy theory to a verified fact… because people further up the call chain already claimed it. So, it’s verified!" Speaking of dead Senators, SCHRÖDINGER’S SENATOR: Tweeted and then deleted by the National Right to Life: Will we have a state funeral for two?

From Althouse, "Mr. Rubio could be the next leader of Venezuela, Mr. Trump suggested. And while the president’s aides say he was joking... the fact is that Mr. Rubio does not need to move to Caracas." "He already runs Venezuela from Washington...." Sarah Anderson at PJM sees Cuba Falling: Code Pink and Other Commies Plan to Riot in the U.S. to Support the Regime. Of course they do. 

John Sexton at Hat Hair hears Russia Closes the Kerch Strait After 76 Ships Hit With Drones. At Space.com, The US wants to build offshore rocket launch sites. Critics say 'our coasts deserve better'. But, of course, the same critics are just hunky dory with giant offshore wind farms. I see a lot of value in intercepting things before the reach our coasts. Ask the Russians.

At Da Signal, Thune Accused of Excluding the SAVE America Act in ‘Must-Pass’ Bill. "“John Thune is planning on drafting his own version of the NDAA, actively working to try to block the SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on X Thursday."

Hat Hair's Stephen Moore has the sads that JD Vance Takes on Milton Friedman "If you turn economic development (i.e., prosperity) into a sort of idol, then you end up sacrificing a lot of the things that matter most." "American economic policy on the right is now much more Alexander Hamilton than it is Milton Friedman. I think that's obviously a good thing." Milton understood the economy better, but he really didn't care about the workers. Breitbart Bus Dig, The First Half of 2026 Saw Lowest Level of Jobless Claims Since 1969.

Ned Ryun and Ed McFadden at Am Great think We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism. "American exceptionalism was never about perfect people. It was about a system of liberty that unleashed unprecedented freedom, prosperity, and self-correction."

Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "There was literally a Bolshevik takeover of the Smithsonian. Democrats can never be allowed to take power again." Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "This is just a sample; the full 162-page report lays out the entire Radical Left ideological capture of the Smithsonian — which the Trump Administration is rightfully correcting. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE: https://whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf."

Twitchy thinks Zohran's Got Some 'Splainin' to Do: Mamdani Admin Gets Caught Setting Up Meetings With Iran. Matt Vespa at TownHall, Wait, That Cannot Be James Talarico's Latest Voter Outreach Strategy? Breitbart News @BreitbartNews, "James Talarico says he is "worried" about the election being rigged this fall and calls voting a "sacred, God-given right" "Texas is one of the hardest places to vote in the country.""

I guess we're not quite through with Graham Platner. Stacy McCain on Platner’s Progressive Götterdämmerung. Jeff Blehar at NRO sees Graham Platner, Classy to the Last. I&I, Platner Proves Dems Will Put Up With Anything, Except Losing. From Althouse, "Platner’s Rise and Fall Revives Old Questions About ‘Bernie Bros’ and Women.", "A NYT piece by Patricia Mazzei and Kellen Browning." From NYPo, the Divine Miranda Devine: Slimy Dems — the party of Me Too — show their true colors in Graham Platner scandal. At Da Signal, The Ghost of Graham Platner Will Haunt Establishment Democrats. Jennifer Sey at Sey Everything gives the low down on The Graham Platner Saga. "He was a fabrication from the start. The son of a wealthy lawyer presented as a working class hero. No one cared that it was a lie. No one cared that he was credibly accused of rape. Until they did." John Hinderacker at Power Line has The Week In Pictures: Goodbye, Nazi Edition.

Jake Altman at CJ, says I Watched the DSA Go Crazy. The Democrats May Be Next. "The anti-democratic far Left is using the same strategy that helped them capture the Democratic Socialists of America." At Hat Hair John Stossel looks at Spoiled Socialists. Buck Throckmorton at Am Spec (better known at Ace's) sees Two Roads to the Same Communism. "Net-Zero climate communism is just as much a threat as DSA-style communism." Erik Lidström explains Three Reasons Why Socialism Cannot Work in a "A short but comprehensive essay." Dick Morris to Newsmax: Socialists Will Help GOP in Midterms. I hope so. Hon. Vickie Paladino @VickieforNYC "Plotting the overthrow of the country isn't constitutionally protected activity. Speaking academically about how the country could be taken down is protected, but that's not what the DSA is doing. These aren't academic theories being debated in a classroom. ..." Quote DSA Watch @DSA_Watch "DSA Members: "The most important thing we can do is take America down from within"" InfantryDort @infantrydort, "Why does everyone keep treating it like protected speech then? I grow more confused on this by the day."

Twitchy sees FAKE NEWS! Ro Khanna Goes Full Greta Thunberg With 'Detention' Stunt on a Trip to the West Bank. The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome @TheMossadIL, "According to the
@israelpolice statement: The tour group, including Rep. @RoKhanna, entered a designated Closed Military Zone (CMZ) in Judea & Samaria, a restricted area where civilian entry is illegal for safety and security reasons. IDF forces stopped them. Police arrived, saw zero violence, issued the repeat-offender organizer a final warning, briefed the group on the military order, and sent them on their way. They broke the law. Simple as that.:" David Marcus @BlueBoxDave, "How would the U.S. react if a member of the Israeli Knesset illegally broke into an ICE facility to interview detainees? Because that’s pretty much what Khanna did here." Karol Markowicz @karol, "This is why this dude is having tantrums in Israel trying to move this out of the news." Quote New York Post @nypost "Ro Khanna bankrolled pro-Platner rally after women's 'unsettling' allegations exploded into public view https://trib.al/o8qdlGz."

At Da Signal, How One Duo Uses California Voting Rights Act to Flip Red Cities—With Your Tax Dollars. PJM's Vicky Taft has another trademark West Coast, Messed Coast™ — A Political Money Grab so Audacious It Comes With Its Own Standing Ovation. David Tangipa @DavidTangipa, "INSANITY ALERT: NEW CALIFORNIA LAW WOULD ALLOW TAX DOLLARS TO FINANCE CAMPAIGNS Prop 4 is an insane proposition that would repeal the ban on tax dollars (sales tax, property tax, and general fund money) from being used to finance politicians campaigns. Here’s the breakdown on what the votes would do: A “yes” vote supports repealing the ban on public financing of campaigns, enacted in 1988, and allowing the state and local governments to create programs that provide candidates with public funds under spending limits and eligibility rules. A “no” vote opposes repealing the ban on using public funds for election campaigns, keeping the prohibition in place with the existing exemption for charter cities. ..." Drew Holden at Commonplace advocates to Bring Back Election Day. "America started single-day voting to address the same concerns voters have today."

Jen Van Laar at RedState hears Newsom Lawyers Up As Missing Tax Returns Fuel More Questions About Federal Probe. "Tax Returns? What Tax Returns?" Matt Vespa thinks Nick Shirley's Latest Fraud Video Is Another Gold Mine James O'Keefe @JamesOKeefeIII, "Legendary reporting. Especially getting this guy to admit it." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "Here is the full 53 minutes of my crew and I exposing New York fraud, we uncovered over $190,000,000 in fraud as these fraudsters use the elderly and needy to commit fraud through adult and personal home care scams in NYC. Your tax dollars are paying for elderly Koreans and Chinese to play ping pong and do tai chi, while the fraudsters give $ kickbacks to those who enroll. Like it and share this video, the fraud must STOP..." At NYPo, Minnesota daycare owner outed by Nick Shirley admitted to filing more than $4.6M in false claims. From the Free Bacon, 'Anti-Corruption' Senate Candidate Chris Pappas, Whose Ex-Lobbyist Husband Works for Uber, Sits on House Transportation Committee That Uber Heavily Lobbies "Pappas lied about his relationship with now-husband during a debate in a past congressional race, in which his opponent accused him of conflicts of interest."

Ward Clark at RedState reports Iran’s 'Very Specific Plot' to Assassinate Trump Foiled by Warning From Israeli Intelligence. Vijeta Uniyal at LI, Mojtaba Khamenei Vows to ‘Avenge’ His Father ‘Soon’ as Trump Warns of Swift Retaliation to Any Assassination Attempt "President Trump: “1000 Missiles are Locked ​and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, … ⁠should the Iranian Government act on its ‌threat.”"

Shooting News Week takes note of The Anti-Gun Left’s Solution to Consistent SCOTUS Losses: Pack the Court. If the Senate had any guts we'd pack it first. And Omnicause Mission Creep: Giffords Moves from Gun Control to Defending Illegals Attacking ICE Agents.

Fox reports Fury erupts as US brand fires 1,600 employees after securing thousands of foreign worker visas, Microsoft XBox. "One lawmaker called to end the H-1B foreign worker visa program entirely to prioritize hiring American workers." CIS explores the question Has Immigration Enforcement Benefitted American Workers? "Evidence from the BLS household survey suggests the answer is ‘yes’" Tommy Robinson @TRobinsonNewEra, "South Africa has 'repatriated' Nigerians. No cries of racism from the left. How strange."

It’s insane how the only racial violence the media really covers is white on black, which is statistically almost nonexistent. https://t.co/ab7pT3Dxdw

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 11, 2026

Ben Domenech at Da Wire interviews Data republican, The Data Cruncher Who Debunked The Biggest Charlie Kirk Conspiracies, "Jennica Pounds lets the data speak for itself and always brings receipts." At Althouse, "These MAGA mouthpieces complaining about Candace Owens are just getting a taste of their own medicine." "That's the top-rated comment at the Washington Post article, "Conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s death are still raging, infuriating friends/Right-wing influencers sparred over the case this week as a court hearing laid out detailed evidence in Kirk’s shooting.""

Jeff Charles at TownHall worries that the Southern Poverty Law Center Has Been Indoctrinating Our Teachers. Rothmus @Rothmus, "Your median professor sits so far left that AOC, Sanders, and Warren would count as moderates in any faculty lounge. Faculty from 55 elite universities form one towering blue spike of ideology far out on the left, density exploding past 6, with virtually nothing on the conservative side. This was built through decades of selective hiring, social enforcement, and the systematic purge of dissent. And because they credential the people who run media, law, government, and tech, the monoculture leaks into every elite institution downstream." Campus reform cites PROF. JENKINS: College campuses are ground zero for ‘the gospel of envy.’ From the College Fix, Seven years later, a campus cancel culture incident heads to trial.

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal claims Robed Tyrants Abuse the Law to Shield Pro-Transgender Medical Charlatans From Accountability. Dave Strom laughs about That Gay Cruise Ship Denied Entry Into Turkey? Egypt Just Said 'No" Too. Twitchy sees Ellen Page Rants Against 'Vile Losers' Who Can't Accept Themselves, Shattering the Irony Meter.

Palm Sunday

 With Thai AI Amara Sunisa, whose creator clearly understands the value of virtual palm trees as backdrop:

The Palm Springs Post, Palm Springs City Council approves new palm tree skirt removal policy. There must be a joke in there somewhere.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Platner Signs Off

Erstwhile Democrat candidate for Susan Collin's Maine senate sea abruptly sent his resignation letter to Maine's Secretary of State yesterday, after having stated he would do so on Monday the 13th, the last possible day he could do it without being on the ballot, spurring rumors he might just "miss" the deadline to withdraw. Matt Margolis at PJM, Platner Drops Out. Althouse, "F*ck ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts. Solidarity forever." "So writes Graham Platner, closing his letter formally withdrawing as a Senate candidate. He says he "seek[s] to further the movement we have built together." The movement is better without him. But why? There's nothing in his letter expressing penitence or regret for anything he's done. "Up the Hearts" — which struck me as a possible euphemism for an obscenity — is a rallying cry for the Portland Maine soccer team, the Hearts of Pine. He stomps off — "F*ck ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts. Solidarity forever." And "Cory Upton-Cosulich sat in a parked car by a hiking trail in Maine this week, fuming over the implosion of Graham Platner’s Senate campaign." "Her anger wasn’t directed at him. It was aimed at the powerful people far away from her working-class harbor town who, one after the next, had rescinded their endorsements of a candidate she supported in the Democratic primary last month. The feeling was familiar — watching people in Washington decide who should represent her. She said she believed the woman who had accused Mr. Platner.... She decided to support him anyway ... From "Why Some Women in Maine Are Mourning the End of Graham Platner’s Campaign/They believe the accuser, but they also grieve the demise of a campaign that promised that politics could be different — and they blame those who failed to find a less flawed candidate" Alex Berenson @AlexBerenson, "Hahaha @nytimes doubles down." At PJM Stephen Kruiser says QUELLE SURPRISE! New York Times Blames Platner on — You Guessed It — President Trump and Vicky Taft, Hold On — Was There a Dirty Quid Quo Bro for Graham Platner? Did Democrats threaten to prosecute the rape if he didn't withdraw ASAP? He might tell us after a couple of drinks. Salem News Channel @WatchSalemNews, ""They called him and said, 'Hey, you could be facing charges...' And all of a sudden, we get a reversal." Jon Fetherston drops a massive investigative bombshell on the Scott @JenningsShow regarding why Maine progressive candidate Graham Platner suddenly aborted his Senate campaign." Chris @Chris_1791, "CBS News anchor tells viewers Democrats dropped Platner because he was looking 'like a loser.'" Campus Reform asks, Did employees at your university donate to Graham Platner? Check out our map. "Campaign finance records reviewed by Campus Reform show that donors listing colleges, universities, and higher-education affiliates as their employers made political contributions to Democrat Graham Platner’s campaign. Donations totaled over $100,000 and came from over 100 different institutions."

I do have a little sympathy for poor Platner. The black-sheep son of a wealthy family, he suffered through boarding school, enlisted in the military, and didn't enjoy the strictures of military life and got a stupid tattoo, while drunk. After returning he got a disability based on possibly made-up PTSD, developed a drinking problem, and got into odd jobs, while largely still sponging off mom and dad. He's only rapey when he's blind drunk, and he claims to be reformed. His politics drifted off to the envy driven left, and based on some wild, likely drunken Reddit posts, he was lifted from obscurity by some Democratic Socialist activists who managed to elevate him to the lead Democrat candidate for the Senate seat. However, when his poll numbers began to flag below Collins' the Democrats revealed the dirt they had on him all along, in a desperate bid to find someone else to carry the day. He was never really in charge.

Note they skipped Little Italy

At Da Signal, The Great Victor Davis Hanson: Mamdani Is the Real Racist Polluting This Country. CJ reports A Top Mamdani Official Tried to Meet with Iran, "Ana Maria Archila, Commissioner for International Affairs, almost took a meeting with the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to the U.N."

Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "WOAH, My jaw literally dropped listening to this The Los Angeles Police Department came and tried to clean up Skid Row and in a response a nonprofit working with Mayor Karen Bass SUED THEM and stopped police from EVEN BEING ALLOWED TO ENTER “LA CAN, which is another organization (an NGO), they get very, very upset and they sue the LAPD when they come and do street cleaning down here. And they're basically saying that their encampments are their Private property. Police can't enter, and they sued the police more than any other organization” Translation: They are suing to keep the homeless population right where they are so the NGO homeless money laundering industrial complex keeps running This same NGO has also launched protests to stop Skid Row from being cleaned up Pure insanity. It’s criminal."

From WCVB, Sen. Markey pledges final term following debate with Rep. Moulton in western Massachusetts.

At Space.com, 'Reckless' space-based data centers lack environmental review, drawing criticism. "Allowing a million orbiting data centers with no environmental review isn’t just irresponsible — it’s reckless," Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees Unalterably Opposed to Elon Musk for Environmental Responsibility, said in a statement on Wednesday (July 8).

Sundance at CTH reports President Trump Will Not Sign Section 8 Expanding Housing Bill – Auto Effect Midnight Tonight. "I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, which is polling at 97% with the Republican Party, and very high with the non-politician Dumocrats." But he did not veto it, so it goes into effect without his signiture. Jeff Crouere at Am Spec examines The GOP’s Self-Inflicted Midterm Crisis, "With narrow majorities and little to show beyond one major bill, congressional Republicans risk demoralizing their own voters — and handing Congress back to Democrats."

Don Surber sees the Globalists pit NATO against Trump. "The last thing they want is nationalism—except in North Korea, Red China and Iran." Insty says WHAT WUSSES: "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented engraved revolvers – with bullets – to his guests in Ankara, causing security concerns. “The question asked over and over again: why such a gift? While it is very common for heads of state to exchange various gifts during meetings or summits, such exchanges rarely require these kinds of precautions.” Plus: “An unnamed NATO official told Agence France-Presse the gift triggered “insane” responses behind the scenes from some of the delegations’ security teams.” Gifts of firearms were a traditional thing between leaders until the feminization of the West. You can bet Teddy Roosevelt wouldn’t have panicked. Or LBJ. Or even GWB." Shooting News Week, NATO Leaders Flummoxed by Turkish Python Clone Revolvers Given to Them After Ankara Summit.

1945 insists Taiwan Can Be Defended Against China. The Price Is the Real Problem. "Cheap drones can make a Chinese assault on Taiwan bloodier and a quick victory less likely — but they don’t repeal geography or remove the risk of escalation. CSIS wargames suggest the U.S. and its allies could defeat an invasion while losing dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of troops."

The NYPo ed board worries The rule of law can’t survive if judges like Hannah Dugan can obstruct justice. "Adelman said Dugan was “an otherwise good person” who “made a bad decision in the moment” because she was “upset by immigrant enforcement.” Sorry: Good people who do bad things deserve serious punishment, especially judges who put their private views above their oaths of impartiality to frustrate completely legitimate law enforcement." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Rubio and DHS Deported Child Molester Walz Tried to Keep In US, via pardon. 

Cernovich @Cernovich, "Anthropic is giving left wing NGO’s free access to its tools to target conservatives and MAGA. This company is completely out of control and is now waging war against every Trump voter." 

At NYPo, Michael Goodwin: America 250 showed the pride and joy this country has to offer. RadioGenoa @RadioGenoa, "Another white Christian preacher has been arrested by British police because his prayers caused anxiety to some people. This happens in Islamic caliphates."

The College Fix has a Report that Only 1 in 10 Ivy League trustees is Republican, Yale has none. I'm shocked, shocked. 

Gateway Pundit hears a REPORT: So Many Transgender People Are Moving to Socialist-Run Seattle That it’s Overwhelming the City’s Nonprofits. Bummer, dude. Althouse finds "Any sport where the man is wearing panties is not a sport." "Said Riley Gaines's father, when college recruiters were interested in Riley both for both swimming and for softball. Quoted in "Riley Gaines: If JK Rowling agrees with me, I’m doing the right thing/America’s most famous opponent of transgender athletes in women’s sports is celebrating a Supreme Court win. She is ‘vindicated’ — and emboldened by her British husband" (London Times)." Who is also a swimmer, and therefore "wears panties."

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.10.26.

Rule 5 Saturday - Amara Sunisa

Your AI Thai: 

Amara Sunisa@amarasunisa Digital creator Thai fashion model sharing modern dress & skirt looks inspired by global street trends ✨ Daily outfit reels &  digital fashion inspo ✨ 

Reddit, "Definitely ai. I think it was mentioned online a bit ago that it was ai. But if you look on the right side of her face, the pimples/bumps on her face (below her lip) disappear when she opens her mouth. the skin tone changes too for some reason. Two-toned lips also don’t work like that. The movement is just too fast as well, not human-like."
.

They're getting better and better.