Flotsam and Jetsam - Hunter Paid for Joe's Secret Phone

Breitbart reports Hunter Biden Billed for Mystery International Phone Line During Family’s Dealings with CEFC. Hunter received nine emails from AT&T over a three-year span about a phone number linked to Joe Biden that ends in 3535, according to emails uncovered by not-for-profit Marco Polo. The international phone calls were revealed in an AT&T email sent to Hunter’s business account on February 18, 2018 . . . " So, Hunter was buying stuff for his dad with Chinese money? Stuff to help launder the rest of the money? Paul Bedard at WaEx with the Weekly Report Card: Biden in minefield of his own making

Twitchy, Joe Biden's Bad Day: The Left is MELTING DOWN Over a New Swing State Poll "Trump leading in ONE swing state would be a problem for Democratic hopes, two a big problem. Donald Trump leading Joe Biden by a decent margin in five out of six swing states polled? That's DefCon 1, and watching the Democrats try to figure out what to do has been a sight to behold." NYT (archive site) Trump Leads in 5 Critical States as Voters Blast Biden, Times/Siena Poll Finds "Voters in battleground states said they trusted Donald J. Trump over President Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration, as Mr. Biden’s multiracial base shows signs of fraying." At Da Mail, Even more bad news for Biden: Trump now leads Dem. president in FIVE of six key swing states, and is snapping at his heels in hold-out Wisconsin, new NY Times poll shows "Former President Trump is ahead with voters in Nevada , Georgia , Arizona , Michigan , and Pennsylvania by margins of at least three to 10 percentage points. The poll revealed that two-thirds of the electorate sees the country moving in the wrong direction under Biden." Wisconsonian Althouse also noted Wisconsin, the outlier. Also, "Honestly any poll that shows a preference for Trump over Biden should be understood as an indictment not of Biden, but of Americans." "That after all this time, anything even approaching a majority of voters see Trump as even a remotely sensible option, can no longer be viewed through the lens of a traditional political calculus. This is now a failure of education, of culture, of common sense." Ric Wedge of Brooklyn writes in the top-rated comment on the NYT article," "For Trump haters, the answer to everything is "an indictment." You can see that Wedge is actively distancing himself from reality. He wants none of it. He won't try to find the sense of it. What's the use?! It's pointless. Chaos."  But, did they survey the dead and "mail-in" voters? 

PJM's Stephen Kruiser,  Chris Christie's Trump Tantrum Campaign Has an Audience of None. Atop Da Hill, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to endorse DeSantis: NBC News At WaEx,  RNC announces new requirements for fourth debate as field narrows. Time to thin the herd. 

WaEx notices Biden steers clear of Virginia before bellwether election. I guess he doesn't want any of his stink to rub off. Molly Balls at the WSJ, cited at Hat Hair wonders Can Youngkin Pull Off Another Magic Trick in VA. Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw is gratified that Dems, Squad Drawing Primary Challengers Over Hamas Support. YaHoo! Democrats have purchased $1.2 million in ads to target Lauren Boebert, outspending Republicans by 100 times: report. They must hate women! 

NewsBusters sees Colbert Continue To Smear 'Awful' Johnson In Buttigieg Interview, thereby doubling his audience. Tom Knighton at Bearing Arms notes House Dems Get Offended Over Speaker's Pro-Gun Comment. So far, he's making all the right enemies, not that that's hard. 

Da Caller reports Former Utah County Clerk Faces Felony Charges For Mishandling Election Ballots "Lofgran, who served as the Juab County Clerk/Auditor from 2015 until this year, is accused of allowing the shredding of ballots shortly after the 2022 election, according to Associated Press. The law mandates preserving them for at least 22 months to aid potential recounts. In addition, prosecutors allege that she improperly stored the 2020 election ballots by keeping them in a basement storage room accessible to multiple county employees and easily visible, contrary to the state law requiring them to be securely locked away." ABC informs us that she is a Republican.

WaEx reports Trump prosecutors putting up a fight to keep cameras out of courtroom. What won't they want us to see? At WJ, Get Your Popcorn Ready: Trump Scheduled to Take Stand in His Own Defense in the NYcivil case. AZ Sun Times, Judge Finds Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman ‘Culpable’ in His Bar Disciplinary Trial as He Refuses to Express Remorse. Trying to disbar him for giving un popular legal advice.

The disbarment trial of former President Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, finished its 32nd day on Thursday. California Bar Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland could not get the former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to express remorse for his actions, and she pronounced him “culpable.”

The proceedings began with more cross-examination and redirect of Eastman on the witness stand. The California Bar’s attorney, Duncan Carling, attempted to get Eastman to admit that he was inciting violence by giving a speech at January 6. He asked Eastman if his speech risked causing violence. Eastman responded and said there was a risk to the republic if the election was illegal and allowed to stand.

Charlotte Hazard at JTN, Hutchinson booed after claiming Trump will likely be found guilty of a felony. Of course he will. That's why they're bringing so many bogus charges in pro-Democrat districts. 

At Althouse, "It would resemble a banana republic if people came into office and started going after their opponents willy-nilly. It’s hardly something we should aspire to." "Said conlawprof Saikrishna Prakash, quoted in "Trump and allies plot revenge, Justice Department control in a second termAdvisers have also discussed deploying the military to quell potential unrest on Inauguration Day. Critics have called the ideas under consideration dangerous and unconstitutional" (WaPo)." A little late to regret that. NYT archive, If Trump Wins, His Allies Want Lawyers Who Will Bless a More Radical Agenda, "Politically appointed lawyers sometimes frustrated Donald J. Trump’s ambitions. His allies are planning to install more aggressive legal gatekeepers if he regains the White House."

Stacy McCain thinks this Seems Kind of … Insurrection-y

Some insurrections are more equal than others:

A group of anti-Israel protesters who participated in a large demonstration Saturday in Washington, DC, attempted to storm the White House and chanted slogans such as “Allahu Akbar” while calling for the destruction of Israel in favor of a Palestinian state. . . .
There were reports of protesters desecrating and vandalizing war memorials in the vicinity of the White House as well . . .
Protesters also yelled obscenities about the president, whom they resent for backing Israel’s war effort against Hamas terrorists.

I’m in favor of yelling obscenities about Joe Biden, without regard to the motives of whoever does it, but I’m also in favor of rounding up everybody who yells “Allahu Akbar” and deporting them to Gaza.

Richard Grenell@RichardGrenell, "Is this an insurrection?"

At Hat Hair John Sexton notes NY Times Writer Resigns After Signing Letter Accusing Israel of Genocide, Jazz Shaw hears DC Protesters: Israel Does Not Have the Right to Exist and  Dave Strom at  argues No, They Aren't Peace Activists, They Are Antisemites. From the Free Bacon, Southern Poverty Law Center Spokesman Signed Letter Blaming Israel For Hamas Terrorism. Campus Reform, reports  Harvard Law editor who assaulted Jewish student said by Stanford to have 'compassion and humility.' "Ibrahim Bharmal 'worked for the Council on American Islamic Relations,' according to Stanford University." From Breitbart, Obama: ‘All of Us Are Complicit to Some Degree’ in ‘Occupation,’ Hamas Terror. Obama has always favored the anti-Israel side of the Democrat coalition. I suspect it has to do with Muslim side of his upbringing.

From the Center Square, Legal watchdog: Teachers union appears to not pay taxes on political spending.

Dolly Parton

Stacy McCain, again, wonders if Rolling Stone Has Become the SPLC?

One sentence in this Rolling Stone article caught my attention:

Dolly Parton knows Kid Rock can be, uh, polarizing but she decided to release “Either Or,” her duet with the Bud Light-blasting personality anyway. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Country Music (and Rock & Roll) Hall of Fame member said she could accept Kid Rock for who he is. The recording will feature on her upcoming Rockstar album.
“Of course I did that before the controversy that he had, but somebody was talking to me the other day, ‘How could you do this [song] with Kid?’” she said. “I said, ‘Hey, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock. Just because I love Kid Rock don’t mean I don’t love you.’ I don’t condemn or criticize. I just accept and love.” (Note: It’s unclear which controversy Parton was referring to when she said she recorded it “before the controversy,” since Billboard has a timeline of Rock gaffes that goes back to 2004.). . .

Let’s be clear about what the glib phrase “cancel culture” actually means: The Left wants to prevent anyone who disagrees with them from earning a living in any occupation that has cultural or political influence. If you look at the climate on university campuses, you see what we’re facing if this neo-Stalinist project succeeds. “Cancel culture” is a very serious thing, and its methods are being enthusiastically embraced by journalists like this Rolling Stone writer who gleefully exults, “A-ha! We have here a list of every ‘gaffe’ that Kid Rock ever made!” To wit:

May 2011: Defends Use of Confederate Flag
Rock was slammed for his notorious use of the Confederate flag onstage and accused of racism by protesters, which he defended was an act of homage to his idols Lynyrd Skynyrd. “I’ve never flown that flag with any hate in my heart. Not one ounce,” Rock said after receiving an award from the NAACP’s Detroit chapter for his work in the community. “I love America. I love Detroit, and I love Black people.”

Love that adjective “notorious.” Some first-class objectivity there.

One of these things is not like the others
Can you spot it?

Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair says Massachusetts Proves Again Why Boys Can't Play Girls' Sports "Out in Massachusetts, boys are allowed to compete in traditionally girls’ sports including field hockey. And we’re not even talking about transgender students in this case. Regular high school boys, with all of the physical advantages they have over the girls after going through puberty, are allowed to compete on and against girls’ teams. That’s what was happening this week when two high school field hockey teams met on Thursday, pitting Swampscott and Dighton-Rehoboth against each other. Swampscott had at least one boy on their team and he fired off a shot that struck one of the Dighton-Rehoboth girls in the face. The shot resulted in “significant facial and dental injuries” including the girl having two of her teeth knocked out. She was taken from the field and hospitalized. (WCVB)" At Da Fed, Shawn Fleetwood,  Male On Women’s Field Hockey Team Hospitalizes Opponent With ‘Significant Facial Injuries. Yes, girls get injured all the time playing girl on girl, but it's far likelier to happen with girl on boy, and girl on sort-of-boy. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: One Last Glimpse Of Bikini and FMJRA 2.0: Electric Eye up at The Other McCain.