In Clear Example of Jury Nullification, Hillary's Lawyer Skates

As I have said I would be, I'm disappointed but not surprised, given the jurisdiction and known composition of the jury. Vicky Taft at PJ Media, Sussmann Acquitted of Lying to FBI in Trump Russia Hoax, Delivering Big Loss to Special Counsel Durham. Althouse quotes NYPo, "Ex-Clinton campaign lawyer Sussmann not guilty in Trump-Russia trial."

The NY Post reports.

The verdict came midway through the second day of deliberations following a two-week-long trial on a single count of making false statements to a federal agent. Prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to prove that Sussmann deliberately lied to then-FBI general counsel James Baker by claiming not to be acting on behalf of the Clinton campaign and an Internet executive when the two met in 2016.

 Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Durham's flop: Jury acquits Hillary lawyer in Russiagate. For maximum outrage, Ace, Surprise: DC Jury Acquits Michael Sussman Update: Jury Was Stacked with Literal Hillary Clinton Donors, One AOC Donor, and a Woman Who Was on the Same Crew Team as Michael Sussman's Daughter

TURLEY: “I mean, he is facing a jury that has three Clinton donors, an AOC donor, and a woman whose daughter is on the same sports team with Sussmann’s daughter. With the exception of randomly selecting people out of the DNC headquarters, you could not come up with a worse jury” pic.twitter.com/RHqen6AMAc

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 26, 2022

Insty, D.C. JURY NULLIFICATION? Durham’s flop: Jury acquits Hillary lawyer in Russiagate. UPDATE: Jury Was Stacked with Literal Hillary Clinton Donors, One AOC Donor, and a Woman Who Was on the Same Crew Team as Michael Sussman’s Daughter. "I’m worried that people are going to start doubting the rule of law."

Roger L. Simon at ET (behind the paywall), Why We Are Praying for John Durham. Margot Cleveland at Da Fed explains Why The Jury Should Convict Michael Sussmann Of Lying To The FBI, But Probably Won’t

At Fox, Sussman Trial proves Hillary Clinton perpetrated 'massive fraud', should be 'banned from Twitter': Taibbi, "Sussman trial revealed Hillary Clinton herself facilitated start of Trump-Russia collusion media obsession." Taibbi, Shouldn't Hillary Clinton Be Banned From Twitter Now?. If it were a neutral platform, she would, but it's not and she isn't. 

More importantly, there’s no term for the offense Democrats committed in 2016, though it was similar to Watergate. Instead of a “third-rate burglary” and a bug, Democrats sent schlock research to the FBI, who in turn lied to the secret FISA court and obtained “legal” surveillance authority over former Trump aide Carter Page (which opened doors to searches of everyone connected to Page). Worse, instead of petty “ratfucking” like Donald Segretti’s “Canuck letter,” the Clinton campaign created and fueled a successful, years-long campaign of official harassment and media fraud. They innovated an extraordinary trick, using government connections and press to generate real criminal and counterintelligence investigations of political enemies, mostly all based on what we now know to be self-generated nonsense.

At Red State, 'Bonchie' says Durham Delivers a Smoking Gun on Hillary Paying Sussmann to Take Disinformation to the FBI and Jim Thompson, Sussmann Trial Takeaway: Hillary Clinton Is Dirty to Her Core. But we knew that, but what the trial highlighted was the media and Deep States complicity. 

Dan Chaitin at WaEx hears Bill Barr utter the 'S' word; Barr says Durham uncovered 'seditious' activity. 

"I think whatever you think of Trump, the fact is that the whole Russiagate thing was a grave injustice. It appears to be a dirty political trick that was used first to hobble him and then potentially to drive him from office," Barr told BlazeTV host Glenn Beck in a recent episode of his podcast.

Barr also said, "I believe it is seditious," but he stressed criminality would have to be determined in court.

Nick Arama at Red State, Bill Barr Finally Drops the Hammer on Hillary Clinton

Vicky Taft at PJ Media, again, The FBI Was Also on Trial in Sussmann Russia Collusion Case. And came out looking pretty petty. Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Durham trial: FBI agents who opened Alfa-Bank inquiry testify about ‘typos’ in launch document

The FBI opened a full-fledged counterintelligence investigation into since-discredited Trump-Russia collusion claims just days after Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann pushed the allegations to the bureau — with the launch document containing “typos.”

As revealed in the trial that is part of John Durham's special counsel inquiry, the electronic communication marking the opening of the investigation wrongly cited a nonexistent “referral” from the Justice Department rather than correctly saying the Alfa-Bank allegations came from a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. The opening communication, titled “Alfa Bank,” was authored by FBI agents Curtis Heide and Allison Sands, who both testified this week in Washington, D.C., and the investigation initiated on Sept. 23, 2016, four days after Sussmann's meeting with FBI General Counsel James Baker.

Sands and Heide both referred to the glaring errors as “typos,” and Heide suggested it was possible they may have conflated the FBI’s Office of General Counsel, which Baker led, with the Justice Department. The closing communication for the investigation in January 2017 also wrongly claimed the Alfa-Bank allegations were referred to the bureau by the Justice Department rather than from Sussmann.

Beach Report 5/31/22

With Memorial Day gone, the beach is nearly empty again, perhaps helped by the 85 F temperature.

Skye had a tough day yesterday; while we were crossing a groin yesterday, she stepped wrong and yelped, and was much slower for the rest of the walk. Last night, she would hardly move at all, she was pretty clearly in quite a lot of pain. This morning she was walking better, but gingerly. But she still lobbied for her walk, and made it all the way up and back, albeit slowly and gingerly. 

A lot of little teeth today, 27, a couple of crab claws and drums teeth, but nothing picture worthy.

Biden Still Sunk, Red Wave Swells, Inflation Roars On, and So On

Breitbart cites a  Poll: Joe Biden’s Job Approval Underwater in 47 States — 34% Overall (Massachusetts, Hawaii and Vermont are outliers). Can we give Hawaii back to the islanders, and Vermont to Canada? At CNS News, Gallup: Only 16% of Adults Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction. But remember, at least half of Democrats want to continue to make things worse. John Sexton at Haut Hair hears a Red Tsunami update: Cook Political Report shifts forecast in favor of Republicans. The Peacock whines about Inside a Biden White House adrift, "Amid a rolling series of calamities and sinking approval ratings, the president’s feeling lately is that he just can’t catch a break — and that angst is rippling through his party." He can always resign. At Althouse, "The Democrats lost an election they never expected to lose. They... lost to a reality TV show host when Hillary Clinton had all the backing of the establishment in the world."

"And instead of asking, what is it about our ideology that ruled the country for eight years, that drove people away from us into Donald Trump's arms, they instead decided they were going to blame everybody else. The Democrats simply replaced Trump with the same ideology they governed with for 8 years under Obama that caused people to run away from them as fast as they could. And now that people are doing that again, instead of asking ‘why is that happening’ they're getting poised to blame the electorate for being stupid -- for thinking the economy's bad when it's actually good."

Said Glenn Greenwald, quoted at Real Clear Politics.

At Politico, ‘He doesn't speak in beautiful syntax’: GOP bets the Senate that Walker is ready for prime time, "Herschel Walker’s post-primary victory lap was a fresh reminder of his promise and peril as GOP nominee in Georgia." Some Blue on Blue action reported by Stacey Matthews  at LI, Dem Election-Year Infighting Escalates as Rashida Tlaib Faces Pro-Israel Primary Challenger. May the least awful person win! But Matt Vespa at Town Hall warns Republicans Once Again Risk Blowing the Midterms   

First, there were rumblings of bipartisan talks on immigration reform after the April break. I thought that was the worst of it. Nope. There’s some bipartisan chatter about a new anti-gun package. I’m not kidding. Republicans, you’re doing this right now. You shouldn’t be doing it at all, but c’mon guys. It’s like you want to find a new way to lose (via Politico) 

Anxious has a Midterm special: Key House, Senate and governor races to watch. "The midterm outlook for House Democrats is so bleak that even members in districts President Biden won by 10 to 15 points are in danger of losing their seats, according to election experts." At WaEx, Katie Britt holds edge over Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama Senate Republican runoff. "“It’s pretty baked, in my opinion,” said a Republican operative..." Atop Da Hill, Mo Brooks gets into fiery exchange with ‘Fox News Sunday’ host over 2020 election fraud belief. At Da Beast, Fox News Anchor Rebukes GOP Rep. for Promoting D’Souza’s Batshit Movie, claims it's been 'dbunked.' At Front Page, Trump Video: What '2000 Mules' Exposed Was Given to GA Officials. "Can you guess what they did with the evidence? 

At CTH, sundance says DHS and Intel Community Media Outlets Proactively Move to Defend Dominion Voting Systems Ahead of Report on Electronic Election Hardware Issues Coming This Week, prebunking. 

Althouse,"As one of the nation’s leading proponents of the insurrection hoax, Liz Cheney has pushed a grotesquely false, fabricated, hysterical partisan narrative. Look at the so-called word insurrection, January 6 – what a lot of crap."

I believe what he was calling a hoax was the "insurrection" characterization. That's why he said "the so-called word insurrection." Now, that's a bit inarticulate. Obviously, "insurrection" is really a word. The point is that entry into the Capitol doesn't fit the definition of an "insurrection," which isn't a surprising assertion. Trump gets back at his accusers by calling the "insurrection" characterization "a grotesquely false, fabricated, hysterical partisan narrative."

Has anyone on the Cheney side ever explained how it could be possible to think that overrunning the building could overthrow the government? I wish people on both sides would use accurate language, but of course, they won't.

And he is right again. https://t.co/jA9gxNgQUq pic.twitter.com/q3laP4Ft83

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) May 30, 2022

David Drucker at WaEx notes Inflation and gas prices are the top concerns in swing House districts: Poll. Breitbart, Gas Prices Soar to Record High on Memorial Day. The true test is whether it comes down at all after Memorial Day. At Politico, ‘My top economic priority’: Biden op-ed lays out plan to fight inflation, with higher taxes and spending more money. At Fox, CNN correspondent says Biden can't do much about gas prices: 'Options are looking pretty bleak', at least not without contradicting his previous policies which encouraged the price of oil to rise. At Am Spec, read about Biden’s War on Driving, "High gas prices and car prices are part of the plan." Sundance observes the Central EU Economy, Inflation Rate in Germany Jumps Far Beyond Expectations in May to 8.7 Percent. "When America Sneezes, the World Catches Cold."

NYPo ed board points out how The FDA’s baby formula fiasco continues. Let 'em gum cake.  And atop Da Hill, Worries about coming ObamaCare premium spikes intensify, that brainchild of the Biden/Obama administration. 

Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair wonders Is the New York Times waking up to the transgender athlete issue?. I'm pretty sure they'll shrug it off as a bad dream. At Da Blaze, NYT: Doctors say Lia Thomas has unfair advantage over biologically female swimmers.   Madeleine Hubbard at JTN sees the Biden education head defends biological boys in girls sports, not telling parents about trans kids. Jeff Charles at Red State, Florida School District Instructs Teachers to Keep Parents in the Dark on Their Children’s Transgender Identity. At Fox, North Carolina preschool uses LGBT flashcards depicting a pregnant man to teach kids colors. Anxious is anxious to inform you that Mattel designs first transgender Barbie, modeled after Laverne Cox. I thought Ken was the first Barbie transgender. At PM, US Air Force Base cancels Drag Story Hour after Post Millennial expose. "After reporting brought the plans to light, the 86th Airlift Wing told The Post Millennial that the plans were scrapped."

At Hollywood in Toto wonders Is Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Getting Red-Pilled in Real Time? "Streaming chief gave, and gave, to same liberals now waging war on him" ET cites Reuters, SEC Looking Into Musk’s Twitter Stake Purchase. 

And Random stuff, ADN America, 'Insufficient evidence' of Florida COVID-19 cover-up, says inspector general. Ace, Kellyanne Conway Doesn't Exactly Give Her Marriage a Ringing Endorsement. George Conway is a horse's ass, at best. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Penelope Cruz and FMJRA 2.0: Opening Day on time at The Other McCain.

Tuesday Tattoos

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Penelope Cruz on time at The Other McCain.

The Lake Wobegone Hurricane Forecast

 Always above average. WUWT, NOAA Predicts Above-Normal 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, are predicting above-average hurricane activity this year — which would make it the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season. NOAA’s outlook for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 65% chance of an above-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.

Although that's "above average," it's not a lot above average, and there's still a pretty decent chance that the season will be average or below.

For the 2022 hurricane season, NOAA is forecasting a likely range of 14 to 21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence.

“Early preparation and understanding your risk is key to being hurricane resilient and climate-ready,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “Throughout the hurricane season, NOAA experts will work around-the-clock to provide early and accurate forecasts and warnings that communities in the path of storms can depend on to stay informed.”

The increased activity anticipated this hurricane season is attributed to several climate factors, including the ongoing La Niña that is likely to persist throughout the hurricane season, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon. An enhanced west African monsoon supports stronger African Easterly Waves, which seed many of the strongest and longest lived hurricanes during most seasons. The way in which climate change impacts the strength and frequency of tropical cyclones is a continuous area of study for NOAA scientists.

Kip Hansen catches the NPR spreading doom and gloom: Getting ready for another destructive Atlantic hurricane season?.  WaPoo, NOAA forecasts seventh straight busy Atlantic hurricane season

The siege of active Atlantic hurricane seasons will continue for yet another year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Tuesday. In its annual seasonal outlook, the agency forecast the seventh straight above-normal Atlantic season, with 14 to 21 named storms — compared with 14 in an average year — and three to six major hurricanes, rated Category 3 or higher.

So, how good are the pre-season hurricane predictions? Not too bad, WFLA  Tracking the Tropics: How accurate are hurricane season forecasts?

Markets Betting Against Biden, America's Economic 'Bad Luck,'

Even on Memorial Day. Paul Bedard at WaEx finds Trump at ‘all-time high’ in 2024 betting, swamps Biden. The betting markets are about as accurate as the polls. Mike LaChance at LI thinks Joe Biden’s Presidency has Never Recovered From the Botched Withdrawal From Afghanistan, "Reports on Biden’s sinking numbers have become routine. But August of 2021 was the turning point." It certainly became obvious what we were in for at that point. According to The Wa Free Bee, Dems Keep Hoping Their Midterm Chances Are Getting Better. Election Forecasters Say They’re Wrong. At this point, I wonder if even a miracle, (or an extraordinary dirty trick) can save them. No one pays attention in summer; is there enough time in fall to pull it off, even with the full support of the media? I don't think so. 

Ross Douhat, the NYT's pet conservative (cited at Haut Hair) says The good news in Georgia is bad news for Trump. Max Greenwood atop Da Hill claims Republicans grow more aggressive in openly defying Trump. Chris Queen at PJ Media dismisses all the Sturm und Drang about the Georgia election, and Trumps sway. He thinks Georgia's Primary Demonstrates How Incumbency Mattered to Voters. Love the one you're with (doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot). 

From City Journal, Down with the Status Quo in Pennsylvania. "The Keystone State’s unresolved primary was a test of populism vs. moderation." Or maybe moderation in moderation. Ed Ring at Am Mind wonders if the California GOP is facing Permanent Irrelevance. Until they bring enough Hispanics on board, maybe. Pat Shanahan at Am Think considers the modern Democrat party in Uneasy Bedfellows. At WaEx, Trump allies step up efforts to oust Cheney. Strike at the king . . .

At the WaPoo, No evidence of exploitation of Dominion voting machine flaws, CISA finds, CISA being DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Yes, I'm sure Joe Biden's DHS looked hard for evidence of election hacking, by Republicans. Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed reports on how Wisconsin Voters Sue Democrat Cities Over Illegal Drop Boxes In 2020 Election. Not all cheating needs to be electronic. Rick Moran at PJ Media, Opponents of Georgia's Election Law: You'll Have to Wait Until November for the Voter Suppression. 

Grasping at straws, at WaEx, Nina Jankowicz claims disinformation board could have helped prevent mass shootings. 

At The Pipeline, Steve Hayward traces back, America's Economic 'Bad Luck' Began with Keystone and Tom Finnerty claims it's All Part of the Plan. At Breitbart, Senate Republicans, Democrats Rebuke Joe Biden, Janet Yellen: ‘Tariffs Are Not a Driver of Today’s Inflation’ From Da Caller, Every Time Biden Drained Strategic Oil Reserves, Prices Ended Up Higher. Here’s The Proof. It's pissing into the ocean, designed to look like he's doing something, when it's really too small to have any lasting effect. Politico wonders Gas prices are rising. So where are the electric cars? Do Democrats ever stop to think about where the electricity for electric cars might come from? Hint, it won't predominantly be wind and solar. From Alvaro Vargas  Llosa At Am Spec, Wind and Solar Will Have to Wait, "Inflation is putting many things on hold." Wa Ex, Households face being hit with shocking electric bills this summer. Andy May at Am Great has the answer to Why Does Boston Buy Natural Gas from Russia? "The environmental organizations have full veto power on all energy projects through the legal system." Lack of pipeline capacity. 

At LI, Leslie Eastman reminds us, Out-of-Stock Rates Surge to 70% for Baby Formula, and the "FDA chief Robert Califf admits his agency’s bureaucrats were ‘too slow’ to act." Just give the babies water; I'm sure they'll be OK. I&I says Militarizing The Baby Formula Crisis Is Infantile. 

 

The Monday Morning Stimulus

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Penelope Cruz on time at The Other McCain.

Destroying the Forest to Save the Planet?

 At WUWT, Wind Park Destruction Of 1000-Year Old Untouched German Forest Exposes “Absurdity of Green Energies”

At the Swiss NZZ daily, Christian Saehrendt writes on the “absurdity” of clearing one of Europe’s last remaining intact forests to make way for monster wind parks.

In the Reinhardswald, which covers an area of around 200 square kilometers, there are centuries-old oak trees, a highly developed natural biodiversity that is home for example to rare wild cats and populations of white red deer – a balance which has taken 1000 years to establish. But now it’s all being industrially raped, gangbang-style, by crony, greedy bastards under the guise of environmental virtue. It’s a grand swindle that in normal times would have everyone enraged.

But these are not normal sane times. The NZZ reports: ” Yesterday, trees were planted as climate savers; today, only plastic rotor blades count.”

“To free Germany from Russian energy imports” 

The Swiss daily adds: “This spring, the authorities in northern Hesse approved the construction of a wind farm with at least eighteen 240-meter-high wind turbines in the middle of this forest area, causing widespread consternation.”

The densely wooded and rural region around Kassel, where the Documenta world art exhibition is being held again this year, has actually traditionally relied on tourist marketing as “fairy tale country” and is served by the “German Fairy Tale Route,” In the past, this has also gone down well with overseas tourists, especially Asians,” writes the NZZ. ”

Wind park proponents defend the deforestation of one of Europe’s remaining virgin forests by claiming that only sick areas of the forest are being cleared away and that the turbines will “free Germany from the clinging grip of Russian energy imports”….and save our climate for generations to come.

 What could go wrong?

“The Federal German Ministry of the Environment recently permitted the construction of wind turbines in natural reserve areas. In addition, species protection is to be weakened,” the NZZ accurately reports. “The initiative ‘Windpark-Reinhardswald-dagegen’ declared: ‘The so-called treasure house of European forests – is ruined for decades. We are horrified.’”

Not to worry…let them go to fake forests

“While the real, historically grown fairytale forest outside the city is being cut down, artificial substitutes are being created within the city. For example, Kassel’s civic society has been fighting for months over the redesign of the Brothers Grimm Square, which is conceived in the form of a “fairy tale forest” of pine trees and shrubbery – whereby at best a light miniature forest on a traffic island can emerge.”

The NZZ adds: “In Kassel’s Grimm Museum – the ‘Grimmwelt’ – which will again be a Documenta site in the summer, an artificial forest has already been built in, its thorn hedge atmosphere created by those green and vertically arranged brushes familiar from car washes. Even in these local events, a mega-trend of our time becomes visible: the desensualization and media filtering of our experience. Nature is increasingly staged and unreal. City groves instead of primeval forests, artificial worlds instead of nature, while the landscape outside becomes more and more inhospitable and loses its face.”

This seems short sighted.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Penelope Cruz on time at The Other McCain.

Beach Report 5/29/22

Memorial weekend Sunday, the weather is beautiful, and the beaches are well used.

Well, what have we here?

It's pretty funny, I was walking past a bunch of people who had been looking for teeth and not having much luck when I spotted this one. They were amazed. It probably was under the sand when they went by.

And here? A few minutes later further on up the beach. 

Here they are in all their unfocused glory. The phone decided Skye was more important.

All in all, a pretty nice day, and a nice haul, 29 teeth, a couple of drum teeth, and a Tilly bone.

A pass from a familiar sea plane.

Followed by another I don't remember seeing before.

Stuff Alex Posts

Helpless, Unpopular Joe

Another day, another White House Report Card for  Helpless, unpopular Joe, from Paul Bedard at WaEx, 

"Democratic pollster John Zogby agreed that the week was heavy and bad and, instead of grading, suggested that we all “rethink and regroup.”"
. . .
Polling-wise, Biden’s approval rating continued to drop, hitting just 36% in an Ipsos survey. And his approval rating has fallen below every president of the modern era at this stage of their term.

Chris Queen at PJ Media has a Red Tsunami Watch: Cook Political Report Shifts 10 Races Toward the GOP. It's getting closer. 

NYT, cited by Haut Hair thinks Trump's primary losses puncture his invincibility as fundraising dips. Still, he's winning more than he's losing. The New York Intelligencer wonders What Will Trump Do About Kemp After Getting His Ass Kicked? “Will Trump Ruin Georgia Republicans Out of Spite?”  I think he'll probably take it in stride. 

At Florida Politics, Appellate court strikes down decision to replace Gov. DeSantis’ congressional map. A clearly unfriendly article practically begs the state Supreme Court to step in to save Democrats. At WaEx, Ohio to use GOP-friendly maps for state-level elections, federal court rules. At WaPoo, a Democrat congressman whines I was gerrymandered out of my Missouri district. Voters deserve real competition.  As JTN notes Democrats' early hopes for redistricting gains founder amid string of legal reversals, "Courts have struck down gerrymandered Democratic maps, while newly drawn congressional lines favoring the GOP appear poised to stick." But there's always one fly in the ointment, as Breitbart reports Republican NH Gov. Sununu Allies Himself with Democrats on Redistricting Process "Some Republicans have accused Sununu of enabling Democrats because it benefits his own agenda of remaining the most powerful Republican in the state." A medium sized frog in a small pond. ;

Speaking of traitors, WaEx reports Trump holds rally in Wyoming as he tries to oust Liz Cheney. Sundance at CTH, Support for Liz Cheney Collapses in Wyoming as President Trump Comes to Rally for Her Primary Opponent and JTN notes that Cheney reelection video ignores inflation, domestic energy production curbs under Biden after she supported him.

WaPoo whines that although Georgia’s primary went smoothly. Voting advocates worry about November. "The primary was the first big test of the state’s new voting law. No major problems were reported, but the general election could be different."

The Wa Free Bee explains How Biden Stopped Worrying and Learned To Love Inflation. He found that giving away free shit is a quick way to get votes. According to Forbes, White House Denies Report Of $10,000 Of Student Loan Forgiveness: ‘No Decisions Have Been Made Yet’. At ADN America, Tech billionaire Elon Musk believes upcoming recession is 'actually a good thing', "All the Covid stay-at-home stuff has tricked people into thinking that you don’t actually need to work hard. Rude awakening inbound," Musk said." It's no skin off his nose. David Lynch at WaPoo thinks its a good sign Consumers are shifting their spending from goods to services, "Changes in spending habits could help ease supply chain and inflation woes." You can't eat services, or fuel your car with them.

Jeffrey Carter, No One Is Talking About This, "I have been looking for some good data on food. Frankly, I have seen my grocery bill go up quite a bit and I am trying to figure out if I should stockpile foodstuffs or not." Fox, Baby formula shortage: Out-of-stock rates surge to 70%, "Products from Abbott's shuttered facility won't hit shelves until at least mid-July" Good job, Brandon! Raheem Kassam at Newsweek, Davos: The Left Didn't Eat the Rich. The Rich Ate the Left. 

At Breitbart, Joe Biden Again Falsely Claims Trump Supporters Killed Police Officers on January 6, Nope, the Feds killed only Trump supporters. The Babylon Bee sees how Parents Begin Disguising School Buildings As The Capitol So Congress Will Spend Billions To Protect Them. Also, 

Nick Arama at Red State has a Shocking New Loudoun County Story About School Librarian and Child 'Sex Workers', school librarian 'validated' middle school 'sex workers'. Also at Red State, Alex Parker sees Done With 'Endangerment,' Republicans Introduce a Bill That Defines What a Woman Is, AZ Rep. Debbie Lesko . Isn't that kind of what Judge (soon to be Justice) Kenyatta Jackson Brown claims she needed, a legal definition? I think she'd rather make one up as she goes along.

Palm Sunday

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Penelope Cruz on time at The Other McCain.

Voters Say Biden Unfit, Cheney Down, Not Yet Out, Inflation to Continue Indefinitely

First, fresh from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.22, Weasel Zippers finds a Majority Of Americans Polled Say Biden’s Unfit For Office, and the majority is always right, right? According to Paul Bedard at WaEx on Day 490: Biden approval falls below every modern president

At Da Caller, Trump 2024 Is Almost Certainly Happening, His Associates Say, And The 2020 Election Will Be Front And Center. Well, duh. And Trump May Have Already Settled On A Running Mate For 2024, Elise Stefanik? Not my pick, but it might work. At ET, ‘A Very Big and Successful Evening’: Trump Welcomes 100-6 Endorsement Record. Is he counting Dr. Oz or not? 

At WaEx, 'A fight we must win': Liz Cheney announces reelection bid. 'Becca Downs at Town Hall reports Liz Cheney Makes Re-Election Bid Official, As She's Losing Terribly in the Polls. Politico whines that As Cheney files for reelection, poll from rival group shows her trailing badly, "The survey, conducted by the Club for Growth, is consistent with other data out of Wyoming in the last year." Piling on, JTN reports Trump to attend Wyoming rally this weekend for top Cheney GOP challenger Hageman, "Trump is backing trial lawyer Harriet Hageman is his effort to deny Cheney a fourth, two-year term." It couldn't happen to a nicer politician. 

Rick Moran at PJ Media highlights how MLB Ignores Massive Increase in Georgia Vote After Moving All-Star Game Citing 'Voter Suppression'. At LI, Stacey Matthews notices how Politifact Runs Interference for Stacey Abrams After Revisiting Issue of MLB Pulling All-Star Game. And for most brazen partisan press there's nothing quite like NPR. Bob Spencer at PJ Media, NPR Lies Outrageously About Republicans on Your Nickel, "NPR Claims Some Republicans Want to Bring Back Slavery." Also from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.22, Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed reports  Wisc. Voters Sue Democrat Cities Over Illegal 2020 Election Drop Boxes

In News for New York, Paul Bedard reports ‘Stunning’ Andrew Giuliani surges to No. 1 in GOP NY gubernatorial primary, Rudi's son. Also, HE reports the Hawaiian New York Judge Rules Trump Must Testify in NY Investigation. Legal harassment; just wait until we get a crack at Biden. 

As, per YaHoo!, Plans To Forgive $10,000 In Student Debt Per Borrower Announced By Biden Administration, at Da Wire, Poll: 95% Of Voters Say Inflation Is ‘Somewhat’ Or ‘Very’ Serious. At ET, Fed Study Reveals How Long US Consumers Expect Roaring Inflation to Persist "A new analysis from the New York Fed found that U.S. consumers polled about their future inflation expectations said they think prices will continue to trend higher over the coming year before falling and staying low." Consider that to be a best case scenario. At CTH, sundance agrees with Tucker blaming Fauxcahontas, Tucker Carlson Discusses the Elizabeth Warren Factor Inside the Biden Economy, Ultimately This was the Price of Her Endorsement in 2020. Also from sundance, UDSA Raises Food Price Forecast to Highest Level in 42 Years, Third Wave of U.S. Food Inflation Will Dwarf Prior Price Increases. Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair notes that, unsurprisingly, Russia blames sanctions for food crisis. At Da Caller, FOOD CRISIS: Biden Admin Is Letting Farmers Plant On Conserved Lands As ‘Supply Challenges’ Loom. Also from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.22, David Gortler at Da Fed explains How The Biden Administration Is Directly Responsible For Worsening Baby Formula Shortages. At Da Wire, FDA Announces When The Baby Formula Shortage Will Likely End, "later this summer." Until then, sing the baby songs about Joe Biden.

Tristan Justice at Da Fed, Gas Prices Hit A Staggering $4.60 Average Nationwide In New Record, almost exactly what it is here. Da Caller, ‘Like A Roller Coaster’: Natural Gas Prices Surge, Inventories Drained Following Biden’s EU Deal. 

Strippers, the canary of our economy. It's either gas money, or a$$ money.

Most reliable leading indicator? pic.twitter.com/wkf9RzOOp1

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) May 26, 2022

At PM, Biden's disgraced former 'Ministry of Truth' boss blames Jack Posobiec for her downfall, "Jankowicz said that Posobiec was "the first kind of large, high follower persona to pick this up." Good for him. 

At WSJ, cited by Haut Hair, Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan complain, The Jan. 6 committee is weaponizing majority rule. I hope they're eagerly awaiting their turn in the barrel. As 'Becca Downs at Town Hall puts it, Leader McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan Address Subpoena from Jan. 6 Select Committee in Blistering Op-Ed. Kate Scanlon at WaEx reports McCarthy lawyer signals GOP leader won't comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena, “clearly not acting within the confines of any legislative purpose. Its only objective appears to be to attempt to score political points or damage its political opponents — acting like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee one day and the Department of Justice the next.” AllahPundit at Haut Hair crows at the thought that Witness tells Jan 6. committee: Meadows said Trump agreed with rioters chanting "Hang Mike Pence" "Neither the Times nor Politico has a direct quote. In fact, they don’t name the person who supplied the information to the committee. . . . It’s unclear what “signaled a positive view” means, exactly."

ABA Journal, Lawyer recently charged in Jan. 6 riot is fired from his law firm. Now do BLM. At NJ 1015, Jan. 6 suspect from NJ says he is too stupid to know better. He makes a good case. Why does California have all the lawyers, and NJ have all the toxic waste dumps? NJ got first pick. More seriously, and also from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.22, the redoubtable Julie Kelly at Am Great on Stolen Elections – A Tale Of Two DC Courtrooms "Regardless of the verdicts for Sussmann and Hale, it’s increasingly clear Americans continue to live in two separate and unequal systems of government."

If they can do this for show at the Capitol for six months, surely they can get one armed guard at each school. pic.twitter.com/0YRQLu16cS

— Maze (@mazemoore) May 25, 2022

Ace, Princeton Fires Tenured Professor, For Daring to Object to Scheme to Give Extra Sabbatical Months to "Faculty of Color" Just for Being Black. At Da Caller, Elite High School Ended Merit-Based Admissions. It Was A Complete Disaster. It was SF, they voted poorly. At Front Page, The Unraveling of Education in America, "The bad news from the education industrial complex just keeps on coming.", also, Prager U Video: Should Schools Teach Kids about LGBTQ? "If so, why exactly?" At Da Wire, Beverly Hills Parents Erupt Over Gender Identity In Fifth Grade Sex-Ed.  "In 2016, the California Healthy Youth Act added to the existing state sex-ed standards, and California began requiring any K-12 sex ed to include instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. Because sex ed is taught in fifth grade, 10-year-olds are exposed to those topics unless their parents opt them out." They voted poorly too. As Marco Rubio points out at Da Fed, Same Left That Freaks Out Over Ivermectin Wants To Pump Kids Full Of Transgender Hormones. Both uses are "off-label." At Da Wire, Libs Of TikTok Suspended From Instagram. You know who your bosses are when you find out who you can't mock:

Whoa. A Texas SD training where they told teachers not to out students to their parents was exposed in Jan. The district responded by assuring that parents are included.

Last week a school counselor spoke out and confirmed they were indeed told to hide information from parents. pic.twitter.com/WEmLgYaRN7

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 22, 2022

Breitbart, Watch: Disney Used Pride Special to Encourage Children to Support Gay, Transgender Group GLSEN. What a horror show!

At Behind the Black, Today’s blacklisted American: Churches vandalized by leftists for their beliefs. I'm sure the Merrick Garland DOJ will get right after these hate crime, don'tcha think? 

Matt Margolis at PJ Media worries Is Amazon Sabotaging a Pro-Trump Kids’ Book? by stacking the comments and reviews? Likely. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

Rule 5 Saturday - Laura Vandervoot

For this week's Rule 5 selectee, I've settled on Laura Vandervoot, with a long career in cheap Sci-Fi movies and TV, but perhaps best known for being the CWs first Supergirl:

Laura Dianne Vandervoort (born September 22, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Sadie Harrison in the CTV teen drama series Instant Star, Arla "The Bolt-Gun Killer" Cogan in the Syfy supernatural drama series Haven, Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) in The CW serial drama series Smallville, and as Lisa in the ABC science fiction series V (2009). In 2014, she starred in the Space channel drama series Bitten, a television adaptation of Kelley Armstrong's book series Women of the Otherworld as Elena Michaels.

Vandervoort was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She is the daughter of a Canadian mother and a Dutch father. In the first weeks of her life, she contracted meningitis, resulting in a severe sickness that lasted a few months. Her parents were initially told she was not going to survive. Growing up, Vandervoort was involved in several sports such as football, karate (where she is a second-degree black belt),  basketball, tennis, gymnastics and baseball. 

 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Dorothy Lamour and FMJRA 2.0: RIP Vangelis up and collecting clicks at The Other McCain. Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at the Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

The Sussman Case Goes to the Jury

Fox News is reporting that the Sussman trial has concluded, and the case now rests in the hands of the Washington D.C. jury. The judge has declared that due to personal business (party on, dude), even if the jury reaches a verdict today, the verdict will not be be read until Tuesday.  Sussman is accused of lying to the FBI when he asked his personal friend, FBI General Counsel James Baker for a meeting during work hours, and told him he had important information that that the FBI should investigate on behalf of no particular client. The information was reports of internet traffic between the Trump organization and Alfa Bank in Moscow, a Putin related business. The report was so ridiculous that FBI technicians quickly debunked it; the traffic was email spam. Nevertheless, upper echelon at the Bureau concealed it's origin from lower level agents assigned to further investigate the matter as part of their expanding probe into everything Trump, and told them the information came from the DOJ. Evidence strongly suggests Sussman did, in fact, tell Baker he did not do it benefit a particular client, both in an email, and in person, and that he billed the time he spent on the matter to the Clinton campaign, and even expensed the thumb drives that he used to bring the data to the FBI to the Clinton campaign. Baker, for his part, despite his friendship with Sussman, says he would likely have refused to meet with him on the matter if he knew he was coming on behalf of the Clinton campaign. Seems to me like the prosecution has met all requirements to convict, but then, you have to consider the jury. Since our last update, last weekend:

Trump reacts to testimony that Clinton spread Russia allegations: 'Where do I get my reputation back?' - Fox News
Bongino: Sussmann trial ‘the biggest political scandal in modern history’ - Fox News
‘Clinton … did ENORMOUS harm to the country’: WSJ destroys media AND Hillary Clinton over Russia-Trump hoax in DAMNING op-ed – twitchy.com
Apparently, While Investigating Trump-Russia, Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissmann Never Interviewed Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook - The Last Refuge
Sunday Talks, Kash Patel Gives His Review of Sussmann Trial Revelations - The Last Refuge
FLASHBACK, Representative Steve Chalbot Questions Robert Mueller About Origin of Trump-Russia Collusion Hoax - The Last Refuge
Clinton campaign aides try to 'protect the queen' at Sussmann trial - NYPo
‘Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!’ - The Other McCain
Hillary Did it, In the Back Room, With the Chardonnay Bottle – PJ Media
Bulwark: That Alfa Bank story is a still a bit of a mystery – HotAir
Russiagate investigator believes Durham cracked 'insurance policy' mystery - WaEx
Here’s Where The Special Counsel Criminal Case Stands
Durham Drops Another Bombshell, Reveals FBI Lied About Hillary Clinton-Supplied Disinformation – RedState
FLASHBACK: Watch Hillary Trash Trump for Election 'Funny Stuff' When She Was Doing It – PJ Media
‘Should Be Held Fully Accountable’: Republicans Hammer Clinton For Peddling False Russia Collusion Claims - The Daily Wire
Impeach Hillary Clinton In 2023 – Issues & Insights
Ace of Spades HQ The Bulwark: Hillary Clinton Is Innocent of the Alfa Bank Hoax and Also It's Not a Hoax PS: Mission Accomplished, Conservatism Conserved!
Instapundit - JONATHAN TURLEY: How the Sussmann trial revealed Hillary Clinton’s role in the Alfa Bank scandal. …
Ace of Spades HQ FBI Agents: We Were Lied To About Where the Clinton Alfa Bank Hoax Came From; Other FBI Agents Told Us It Was DOJ-Originated Intelligence
FBI wrongly told its agents Trump-Russia collusion claims had come from DOJ: document
'Typo' concealed Sussmann's identity from investigators, agent testifies - Washington Times
FBI leadership was 'fired up' about alleged secret channel between Trump-Russian bank: Sussmann trial - Fox News
Howie Carr: Unraveling Hillary Clinton's Russia hoax ... starting with Michael Sussmann
Instapundit - HOWIE CARR: Unraveling Hillary Clinton’s Russia hoax … starting with Michael Sussmann.
Sussmann trial reveals FBI internal investigation of Crossfire Hurricane agents – HotAir
Durham Trial: FBI Counterintelligence Chief of Trump Russia Scam Has a Lousy Memory – PJ Media
FBI Agent Being Investigated For Withholding Exculpatory Info In Trump-Russia Probe… - Weasel Zippers
Durham Trial Drawing to Close Without Hillary's Lawyer Testifying Why He Gave FBI Trump Russia Disinfo – PJ Media
Judge Just Threw Another Roadblock Into Durham's Case Against Sussmann – RedState
Court Testimony Shows How Spygate Conspirators Deceived The FBI
Deep State Allies Play Judge, Jury and Perhaps Executioner Against Durham - Newsweek
Special Counsel John Durham's team says evidence has 'proven' Sussmann is guilty - Fox News

My personal opinion is, like Stacy McCain, is ‘Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!’, with the following caveat. At the upper levels, Washington D.C. is a very small town. Baker knew Sussman, and who he worked for. Baker would have to be stupid to imagine that Sussman was coming to him out of altruism, but the words needed to be said so that the FBI could use the information to expand their investigation. Baker is not stupid, nor is Sussman. The FBI leadership was hot to investigate Trump, and if they needed an excuse to overlook the obvious partisan motivation to proceed, he would provide it, and they would accept it at face value. 

Given the partisan judge, and heavily partisan jury, I will be pleasantly surprised if the jury comes back with a guilty verdict. Nevertheless, getting the evidence out to the public has been a useful exercise.