Flotsam and Jetsam - Supreme Court Lets Trump Regulate Mail-in Voting

Matt Margolis at PJM hears SCOTUS Gives Trump HUGE Win on Mail-In Voting. "Trump signed the executive order, called "Ensuring Citizenship Verification And Integrity In Federal Elections, in March 2026. It directs his administration to build lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists. The Postal Service laid out its implementation plan last week, but the clock is ticking. Some states start sending mail ballots in just a few weeks, leaving the administration little time to get this right before the midterms. More court challenges remain possible." Again, like the ballroom, it's one of those "we haven't really decided yet, but you can proceed for now" decisions. At Althouse, "Supreme Court Allows Trump Plan to Restrict Mail-In Voting, for Now." "The administration asked the court to clear the way for President Trump’s order that creates 'state citizenship lists' and directs the Postal Service to decide who gets a mail-in ballot". Mark Mendlovitz @MendlovitzMark, "The Supreme Court ruling that lets the Trump Administration proceed with mail ballot security measures has Democrats freaking out, but what's really driving them bonkers is less about providing voter lists for eligibility determination (though they are certainly worried about that) and much more about MATCHING BARCODES of the outer and inner envelopes in a mail ballot package. Here is why that's the problem for them. If surplus mail ballots collected from people who aren't voting by mail are somehow voted on behalf of OTHER PEOPLE, it becomes readily detectable that a ballot was repurposed from its originally intended voter to someone else on the voter rolls. The "no-match" condition means that ballot was taken from the originally intended voter or it was given away. Either way that's how fraud can be easily detected. Keep in mind, the barcode matching requirement does not require any personal information that isn't on the outside of an envelope, and it doesn't prevent states from using mail to conduct elections, so the hysterical reactions are confirmation they know the gig is up."

VodkaPundit at PJM notes Bessent to Reveal 'Economic D-Day' Against Iran. ""The U.S. Treasury is preparing to expand secondary sanctions on countries and companies doing business with Iran, forcing trading partners to choose between Tehran and access to the dollar-based financial system," Unusual Whales posted Monday, summarizing a paywalled Financial Times report." Francis Sempka at Am Spec, Trump is Combining Geoeconomic and Kinetic Warfare Against Iran, "American impatience has repeatedly undermined the political gains of military victories. The war against Iran may be no different." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Iranian oil shipments to Asia have nearly dried up as US pressure on Tehran disrupts supplies. Chinese refiners are facing tighter availability, with Iranian crude prices shifting from a discount to a premium of around $4 a barrel. A major factor behind the shortage is the impact of US efforts to block Iranian oil shipments. Loaded Iranian tankers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf, while empty vessels remain stranded outside the region." Brian Cates @drawandstrike, "You're gonna see a lot of weird shit go down over the next 2 weeks. Some of these 60+ entities will REFUSE to stop the money laundering. They can't. If they do, financial drug/human/sex/arms/dark web networks they've spent DECADES building and expanding will start collapsing. They're in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation now. Gird your loins...the strong ripples of this are gonna show up in some really strange places in Europe." Quote Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@SecScottBessent: "Let me be clear: any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. Dollar system. The clock just started ticking." x.com/RapidResponse4…"

Ben Smith at RedState observes Google Pulls Every Last Pixel Product Out of China. Fred Fleitz at Am Great warns Before Trump Meets Kim Jong Un Again, Five Things Must Happen First "These steps build on the existing strong U.S.-South Korea partnership, advance American interests, and create space to resolve lingering bilateral frictions." 

At TownHall Matt Vespa sees NBC Tried to Do Major Damage Control for Abdul El-Sayed. Tim Scott Shut It Down. At PJM Vicky Taft watches NBC's Welker to Head-Shaking Tim Scott: Let's Pretend That El Sayed's Terror Ties Don't Count and Dave Manney notes PETA Savaged Kristi Noem. For Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, It Found Excuses. From Da Caller, ‘That’s Not My Grandpa’s Democratic Party’: JD Vance Blasts Dem Senate Candidate El-Sayed. Vic Nava at NYPo, Abdul El-Sayed asks Fox News’ Jesse Watters ‘Are you circumcised?’ in bizarre moment as he defends sex change surgery for minors. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal hears Far-Left Streamer Hasan Piker Says He’s More Respectful of Charlie Kirk Than Kirk’s Widow. Well, he is Muslim after all. Driscoll at Insty, on HOW IT STARTED: Socialist Robert Reich on Election Night 2024 Warned Elon Musk: “I guarantee you I’m going to make life so difficult for you, really so difficult for you, so just be very careful of yourself.” How It’s Going: Jon Najarian @jonnajarian, "Whenever I need a good laugh, I just read Elon's response to this intellectual dwarf." John Kass asks Daddy, Where Do Communists Come From? "These young Americans don’t have the work ethic or inclination to build a career or a business. They don’t want the burdens of traditional family life. They’re disappointed and confused. Their contributions to society are mostly street chants beginning with the words “Whadda we want?”"

retard mode ✞ @retardmode, "gary indiana not having power is an amazing story of diversity >entire city council is black >every electric company executive is black >black residents can’t stop shooting at vehicles working to restore power and they all blame racism for going without power for so long." Will Chamberlain @willchamberlain, "The people who made a secular religion out of George Floyd’s death are here to tell you that you shouldn’t dare politicize Iryna Zarutska’s murder."

PJM's Cathy Salgado asks Hiding Much? Newsom Signs 'Stop Nick Shirley Act.' cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "We need to find a new name for “nonprofits“. They are very profitable for those who run them." Quote Katy Grimes @KATYSaccitizen, "The Receipts: California Assemblyman Corey Jackson Steers $6 Million to His Own Nonprofit. Assemblyman Dr. Corey Jackson also named his own nonprofit, his legislative district’s “Nonprofit of the Year.”. $6M is listed in the California FLOOR REPORT OF THE 2026-27 BUDGET." TownHall's Dmitri Bolt lays it out This Is How Much of a Difference Rooting Out Fraud Could Make for Medicare's Lifespan. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " HOLY CRAP! Dr. Oz reveals that if 100% of fraud is abolished from Medicare, the Medicare Trust Fund will DOUBLE its lifespan "In JUST this past year — we cut $42 BILLION of fraud from Medicare...by NEVER letting the money out the door."..." Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "This is a plain reality almost everyone ignores. You can think we over-spend on Israel or Gaza aid, some weapons system, etc. But, Defense and State COMBINED are like 11% of the budget. Significantly cutting gov't size requires targeting entitlements." Quote Andrew Follett @AndrewCFollett, "47% of government spending is on some form of welfare. Only 8% is on defense. Reducing welfare spending is profoundly difficult politically...but it must be done or we will go the way of Rome. x.com/Handre/status/…" At PJM VodkaPundit notices California’s Revenge on Paramount Comes With a $7 Million-a-Day Price Tag.

On Tinfoil Tuesday PJM's Kevin Downy asks Which Politicians AREN'T Chinese Assets? Bob Hoge at RedState, So You're Saying There's a Chance? Polling in CA Gubernatorial Race Takes Surprising Twist. Steve Hilton @SteveHiltonx, "SHOCK POLL: It’s a SINGLE-DIGIT race for governor. Becerra 49% / Hilton 41% / 10% Undecided We’ve cut the margin from 25% to 8% in less than two months! Our campaign is SURGING; the Machine is reeling. Keep the pressure on!" I suppose it's possible, but I'm not counting that chicken just yet.

TheFOO @PolitiBunny, "Those campers were literally in Ontario, Tim. Holy shit. lol" Quote Governor Tim Walz @GovTimWalz, "When a group of YMCA campers needed to be rescued during the wildfires on our northern border, it was Canada who immediately helped. Not a word from Trump." To be fair, Trump could have used it as an excuse to invade Canada.

PJM's Tom Jipping and Hans von Spakovsky have August’s Dishonorable Judicial Conduct Award: Judges Balk at White House Ballroom. From the Center Square, AGs conceal records tied to longstanding plans to sue Trump. 

Shooting News Week is glad the Ninth Circuit Smacks Down Anti-Gun Orgs That Sued ATF Claiming it Didn’t Regulate ‘Ghost Guns’ Nearly Enough.

Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Ah, so it WAS an invasion. Got it." Quote NEXTA @nexta_tv, "Morocco has made territorial claims against Spain Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said Rabat maintains “historical and geographical rights” to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and wants to create a special mechanism with Madrid for negotiations." Ace cites Morocco: Now That We've Sent Criminals to Invade Your Country, We Are Prepared to Negotiate Your Surrender of the Conquered Territory. Brendan O'Neill at NYPO opines ‘Rape leaflets’ for migrants enrage the British public — and prove Trump’s point. Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "German nurse on how security in the ERs has changed due to mass-immigration: “If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.” She speaks about the problems with clan members: “It usually doesn't take long for 20, 30, 40 family members to show up in front of the hospital. They have special Telegram groups where they alert each other, and they want to make their presence felt in a way that's often aggressive: 'We're here; we stand by our people—and you can expect trouble if anything happens to them.' In these circles, it's common for the mothers and women to scream loudly and in high drama. This high noise level is a stress factor for the staff and also for the patients.”"

Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "Once you remember that this man used to be the chief intellectual leader of the Conservative movement for 25 years, it all starts to make sense why the GOP functioned like controlled opposition from the 1990s until Trump came along. Because that’s exactly what they were." Quote Bill Kristol @BillKristol, "Abolish ICE. Now."

jimtreacher.substack.com @jtLOL, "(She made up a quote and attributed it to a man who couldn't defend himself, because he had just been murdered.)" Quote The New York Times @nytimes, "Breaking News: An arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to rehire Karen Attiah, a columnist who was fired over her social media posts about the assassination of Charlie Kirk." From Ace, Arbitration Board Says That Racist Grifter Karen Attiah Was Wrongly Fired for Making Up Fake Racist Quotes "by" Charlie Kirk and Celebrating His Murder; Hasan Piker Mocks Kirk's Murder in Hate Rally, "Karen Attiah is a degenerate, unqualified DEI hire formerly, and now presently, employed by the Washington Post to write the same three columns about racism, colonialism, "Islamaphobia" and sexism over and over again while hammering checks."

At TownHall, Steve Miller explores How Would a Jason Arday Scandal Play Out Here? We've already seen it with the Harvard Preznit. The left will defend anything if they're black and left. Adrian Vermeule @Vermeullarmine, "The issue isn’t that the universities won’t admit to being progressive seminaries. (Does anyone not realize what they are?) It’s not a consumer disclosure issue. The real problem is substantive: progressivism is bad, it has injected poison into the body politic for decades, and universities should be ordered to the good, the true and the beautiful." Quote Heterodox Academy @HdxAcademy "We propose that universities that are committed to progressive policies simply say so." In a new @washingtonpost op-ed, HxA President John Tomasi and Harvard Professor Tyler VanderWeele encourage progressive schools to model themselves after religious colleges." Crémieux @cremieuxrecueil, "This is really sad: When psychology professors are asked whether they'd put the truth before social equity concerns, 66.4% of male professors said yes, but fewer than half of female professors (43%) agreed. In both groups, too many put equity before truth." Try it in a real science. At Althouse, "In 2021, Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argued that the U.S. public school system violates the First Amendment." ""'Education,' he wrote, 'consists mostly in speech, and parents have a right under the First Amendment to exercise authority over what their children hear.' Forcing families to accept government messaging — or pay a steep price to escape it — amounts to unconstitutional pressure. A lawsuit filed in Nebraska on Aug. 13 brings that argument into court — and could open a path toward universal school choice." From "Are public schools unconstitutional? A Nebraska court will decide. The challenge to compulsory education combined with public-school-only funding could lead to universal school choice" (WaPo)(gift link)."

Matt Margolis thinks you should Check Out Spencer Pratt’s Brutal Takedown of the Left’s Defense of Lindsay Clancy. Cernovich @Cernovich, "Whoa." Quote Freedomain @StefanMolyneux, "How would women be reacting if Lindsay Clancy had murdered the children of a Somali neighbour?" Marko Jukic @mmjukic, "I am begging sensitive young men not to make decisions about women and family based on the bottom-of-the-barrel gender war ragebait that if blasted in everyone's faces 24/7 barely makes eks dot com profitable to advertisers in a free market." Quote Spergler Acolyte @SperglerAcolyte, "The timeline as of late has hardened my decision to never have a wife nor kids." Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Crazier still: it WAS written about Islam. Atwood was disgusted by what the Muslims were doing to women during the Iranian revolution and she imagined that happening here." Quote Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "The fact that leftists use the Handmaid's Tale to protest Christianity while ignoring the fact that it's way more similar to Islam will never not be hilarious to me."

vittorio @IterIntellectus, "testosterone literally counteracts conformity give men testosterone and they become less responsive to audience expectations and put more weight on their own judgment relative to other people’s testosterone is the independent-thought hormone this explains so much it’s not even funny." Quote Templarpilled @Templarpilled, "Please read the abstract of this study. Men who received testosterone boosters did not care about being watched by two women when making decisions."

New York Post @nypost, "Enes Kanter, Royce White not eligible for WNBA after draft declarations." Physics Geek @physicsgeek, "Look at all the bigoted transphobes attacking her just for speaking her mind. She'll show all the haters in the WNBA next year." Quote, Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Enes Kanter, one of the bravest women I know, just got kicked out of a @wnba game after being cursed out by a Chicago player. Is this any way for one woman to treat another?! I can’t believe this league is real." I think they made their point. At Ace a Real Headline: "WNBA team reveals new 'non-binary' turtle mascot to taunt Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham" "Is the WNBA okay?" No. 

Tuesday Tanlines

At Florida Politics, Gov. DeSantis wants to stop people from spending government benefits on tanning beds, tattoos

Florida is working with the federal government to restrict people from buying nonessential items, like tattoos and cigarettes, with their EBT and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

The list of banned items is expected to include tobacco and vaping products, DeSantis said.

People also wouldn’t be allowed to use the temporary government cash assistance on adult material, video games, drugs, tanning beds, fortune tellers, theme park subscriptions and other luxury items.

I understand the desire to prevent people from using welfare for unessential, even downright frivolous purposes. But money is fungible. Pay for their food and you free up any other income they have to be used on the ridiculous. 

Besides, who needs a tanning bed in Florida! Just go outside naked, like Florida Man!

Flotsam and Jetsam - Maybe I'll Meet You at the Jubilee

At Space.com, Trump signs new national space policy to enable 1,000 US rocket launches per year. From the White House, a Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Launches the Golden Age of Space Transportation.

From News Wax, Trump Administration Warns Canada Faces 'Devastating' Impact on Tariffs. Sundance at CTH is all over it, with Council on Foreign Relations President Says Trump Gave Mark Carney an Ultimatum, USA or China? Carney Chose China, Former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland Says Canada Must Focus on Psychological Operations Against Americans Now and Trade Talks – President Trump and USTR Greer Respond to Canada’s Claims.

News Wax again reports Iran's President Says US Memorandum Is Best Path out of Stalled War. Maybe, but they'd actually have to abide by the terms. Sarah Hoyt at Insty, HEY’VE GULLED AMERICANS WITH THAT SCAM FOR 47 YEARS: Slain Ayatollah Khamenei wanted to end conflict with US through peace talks, Iranian president claims. CBD at Ace's The NeoCon Wet-Dream For Iran Is "Boots On The Ground." Hell No! There Is A Better Way!

Sundance reports Zelenskyy Rejects Election Demand Fearful of “Major Risks.” He might lose.

Jim Hanson @JimHansonDC, "Who owns Stars & Stripes? Hint: It's run by a guy named @PeteHegseth Key elements of the current charter (DoWI 5122.11) "prioritizing content not readily available via commercial media." i.e. don't be the MSM "It does not take its own editorial positions." i.e. just the news not the liberal viewpoint. You lot failed those miserably and were properly let go when you refused to change your ways. You will not be missed." Quote Lara Korte @lara_korte, "Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker." Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson, "The problem is, George, that nobody in uniform trusts them. We’ve learned the hard way. And, you’ve never read that rag either. You never served. Crawl back into your hole, creep." Quote George Conway @gtconway3d, "Outrageous and sad. Decades have been devoted to building up the credibility of this publication to earn the trust of everyone in uniform—credibility and trust now being summarily destroyed by narcissistic and. ignorant hacks like Hegseth."

At NYPo, Trump’s bill prompts steep SNAP enrollment decline — including over 50% in one state. At Althouse, "Ancient societies had another method to deal with debt. It was called an amargi — a blanket declaration of public debt cancellation." ""All public debts written off. Disappeared. It sounds laughable, I know. But, really, that’s just because the idea has been buried so deeply in history you’ve probably never heard of it. In the ancient world, it presented a pragmatic solution to an intractable problem. And now, faced with impossible-to-repay debts that are weighing down our economy, is the time to look at the amargi and the lessons it offers about how to think about finance...." From "$40 Trillion Debt? The Ancient Sumerians Wouldn’t Have Cared" (NYT gift link)." The ancient Israelites had the Jubilee, on the 50th year,  The fields were left unplanted and unharvested, allowing the land to rest completely.  Ancestral lands that families had to sell due to hard times were returned to their original owners, stopping permanent generational poverty. Israelites who had sold themselves into servitude to pay off debts were freed and allowed to return to their families. Forgiveness of Debts: Financial obligations were lifted to restore economic equality within the community." I understand it was mostly honored in the breach.  Shake it shake it Sugaree, I'll meet you at the Jubilee, and if that Jubilee don't come, maybe I'll meet you on the run. In a few years, that may become the only choice.

The Data Republican at Substack, The Trap Needs No Trapper "Charlie Kirk is gone. The work of keeping a coalition from devouring itself is now ours, myself included."

Jonathan Turley is shocked by Democrat's Assassination Sing-a-Long: Hasan Piker Mocks the Murdered Charlie Kirk to Cheering Crowd. From I&I, ‘Democratic Party’ and ‘DSA’ Are Now Officially Synonymous. John Lucas at Bravo Blue looks at The Establishment Mouthpiece Undermining American Culture, "And what you can do to fight it." Driscoll at Insty harks back to MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING DURING THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: Krzysztof Szczawinski @Kristof_Poland, "The conventional explanation for Rome’s demographic collapse is wealth. People got comfortable. They stopped having children. It happens to every prosperous civilization. Nothing to be done. This is wrong. Or rather, it is incomplete in the way that matters most. Rome didn’t stop having children because it got wealthy. It stopped having children because it built a welfare state – and the welfare state did what welfare states always do: it replaced the incentives that make people build families with incentives that make people consume instead. The grain dole began modestly. Around 40,000 recipients in 73 BC. By Caesar’s time: 320,000. That eightfold expansion in under three decades was not a plan – it was a political mechanism. Each magistrate who wanted votes expanded eligibility. Each expansion normalized the next. The citizen who once considered the dole shameful eventually expected it, then demanded it, then organized politically to protect it...." Larry Elder at Hat Hair wonders Did Hakeem Jeffries Discover the Price of 'Free' Healthcare? I doubt it, the only math Democrats do is count votes. 

Roger Kimball at Am Great, Jamie Raskin’s Trump Obsession Trumps Antisemitism, "They want to acknowledge the sudden rise in antisemitism but they can’t bear to acknowledge that Donald Trump was doing something about it." ZitoSalena @ZitoSalena, "@AndyBeshearKY picked an odd fight to take up with Vance. First for a man of privilege to question the geographic credentials of a man who grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and Kentucky, with the former right on the edge of the government’s definition of Appalachia and the latter well within it, is curious at best. “Then there is the large populations of people who identify with Appalachia because their families live just a smidge outside the region due to migration for jobs. J.D. Vance is one of those,” @TomMaraffa. For Beshear to try to strip away Vance’s identity for political kudos makes little sense. To have someone mention Appalachia as a point of pride should be something to celebrate, not admonish. Especially if you grew up with your father having a seat at a state government’s table of power." Quote Beshear Operative @Beshearop, "Andy Beshear throws shade at JD Vance via the WSJ: “He’s not from Appalachia. He is from the suburbs of Cincinnati.”"

Joe Chalfant at TownHall explains Yes, You're Reading It Right: Dan Sullivan Endorses Dan Sullivan Over Dan Sullivan in AK Senate Race. Data Republican looks at The Seven Years of History behind Seditious Six. "What the legacy Pentagon press corps refused to cover."

At PJM, Matt Margolis hears Hillary Reportedly Planning Bill Clinton's Funeral, and Has Questions.

Driscoll at Insty says EMBRACE THE HEALING QUALITY OF “AND ALL OF THE ABOVE:” Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "This morning a question popped into my head for the first time: WHY did Comey do the 86 47 seashell picture? What WAS his REAL motivation? Because he (and his wife) spent a lot of effort to do it, so there had to be a reason. 1/" Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "2/ What are the possible motivations? To get accolades from the Left? To publicly display his hatred of Trump? To get Trump killed? Thing is, even if not the latter, the ONLY way the first to motives are achieved is if you give 86 natural meaning of "to off."" At the Lyceum, Real Russiagate Has Never Been Tried. "According to Schmidt, there is nothing wrong with the Russia collusion narrative at all—it just hasn’t been proven yet." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "It was always highly conspicuous that the entire anti-Trump hoax industry began with something as unconventional as claiming he was a Russian agent. It was almost as if Democrats had concluded that the tried and tested sex scandal route was useless against Trump. To be fair, they did throw Stormy Daniels into the mix, but that had more to do with squeezing Michael Cohen than anything else. Then came Ukraine, which was essentially an extension of the Russia operation. Then came the classified documents saga, which grew directly out of the same Russia Russia universe. They eventually tried the bizarre New York civil case with the freakish woman, but even that failed to move the needle. So after more than a decade of Russia, Ukraine, impeachments, prosecutions, classified documents, civil cases, and just about every conceivable line of attack, watching them circle all the way back to an affair scandal feels almost comically desperate." Quote Aaron Rupar @atrupar, "photos of Natalie Harp in Trump's limo with Trump as they leave the golf course yesterday and then her entering the White House upon their return."

At PJM Mark Tapscott, When Reality Bites: Dem Sen. Chris Murphy's '52 ICE Deaths' Isn't Even a Half-Truth. "IN FACT, the age-comparable fatality rate of the general U.S. population is several times higher than people in ICE detention, and deaths related to lax immigration enforcement are at least 90 times greater than deaths in ICE custody," JFD reports. And here are some of the key specifics:..."

Political Neutrality Of PBS Questioned After New Footage Of Elmo Keying Cybertruck https://t.co/gESSNYaylX

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 23, 2026

At Althouse, "The fact that [Jason Arday] was promoted as some kind of prodigy given how crazy his self-representation was is a sign of just how cultic and confused the left and left-leaning institutions have become." ""I mean, it's just it's just a sign of the the cancer having spread everywhere.... I mean, it's just, this is all, anti-racism.... This is putting the black — the BLM black — square not only in your bio but in your brain. Um, it's a cult...Said Sam Harris." Crémieux @cremieuxrecueil, "Woke never ended. The New England Journal of Medicine just published an insane thinkpiece that starts with a neurotic hallucination and then alleges Jason Arday did no wrong and that he was killed. It's no surprise people don't trust our institutions anymore."  From NRO, New England Journal of Medicine Opinion Editor Takes Credit for Ruining Its Reputation. From RCE, The $140 Billion Public-College Myth.

From Campus Reform, Penn professor writes book arguing 'sex isn't real,' but previously taught course on ‘studying sex’ "A University of Pennsylvania professor recently published a book focused on claimed 'high stakes attempts' to curtail 'trans life.'" Well, as my daddy used to say, "foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." TownHall's Matt Vespa sees  The WNBA Continues to Be a Trainwreck. Did You See These Two New Mascots? "Dear Lord, if you all would just stop being stupid for two seconds, this could’ve been a record year for the league. Instead, we have a commissioner who’s lost control and is damn-near worthless, Caitlin Clark, the face of the league, getting curb-stomped every game, Sophie Cunningham being attacked for supporting girls’ sports, and people wondering why the sex toys are being thrown on the courts again. You ladies are not serious right now."

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Briefs Finance, Rain-Soaked Brazil Pushes Arabica Coffee Prices Upward

Your morning cup of coffee is about to get more complicated. The problem starts in Brazil, which grows about 45% of the world's arabica beans - the mild, kind that premium roasters love. And this year, the rain just will not stop.

Brazil's Cerrado Mineiro region, located some 600 kilometers north of São Paulo, experienced heavy downpours during June and July. Rainfall in coffee areas ran 250% to 500% above normal, and some spots saw eight times their usual amount.

That sounds like good news for thirsty plants. It is not. Coffee cherries that get knocked off the trees by heavy rain end up sitting on waterlogged soil. Some stayed wet for days. Beans that linger in that dampness start to ferment and develop defects, which ruins the delicate flavors that make fine arabica worth paying for.

"The vast majority of the fastest beans end up developing quality problems, resulting in coffee with a higher grade of fermentation, which significantly affects the beverage," said Simão de Lima, head of a coffee cooperative.

There must be some way to pin this on Trump!