Judge Demands Data on MD Horseshoe Crab Deats

WMAR 2 Baltimore, Judge orders Maryland to release data on horseshoe crab deaths

A national environmental group has forced Maryland to release its data on horseshoe crab deaths, which have skyrocketed in recent years. The Center for Biological Diversity sued the state's Department of Natural Resources to get records on tens of thousands of horseshoe crab deaths - and a federal judge in Anne Arundel County just sided with the organization.

"Mass mortality" events have led to problems like "thousands of horseshoe crabs clogging" Ocean City canals for three years in a row, 2021-2023, the group noted.

Dead Horseshoe crabs wash up in Ocean City

Medical companies harvest horseshoe crabs for their blue blood, which is used to detect toxins in drugs and medical devices, according to the press release. That's led to double the horseshoe crab harvests since 2017 - but the organization hopes getting official numbers can "reveal the extent of overharvesting" and help fast-track the switch to synthetic alternatives to the blood.

Maryland's DNR must now release the data within 30 months. The department responded that it "will discuss the ruling with counsel and determine options and next steps."

I wonder if COVID and vaccine production and testing were responsible for increased demand of Horseshoe Crab blood?

Chicks at the Wheel

Chesapeake Bay Program is Celebrating the women boat captains at the helm of the Bay

When the Covid-19 pandemic put a pause in Maryland photographer Kristin Rutkowski’s work, as it did for many others, she turned to nature-based activities to pass the time. Living in the heart of the Chesapeake region in Annapolis, Maryland., there was no shortage of opportunities to take her sailboat out on the water. While on the water, she got an idea for a personal project that would blend her love of photography with boating.

The result was Her Helm—a website and book featuring some of the most adventurous female boat captains on the Chesapeake Bay.

Some lookers there, but, alas, no bikinis.

When Rutkowski first began working on this project, she admits she fell into the stereotypical mindset that there would not be enough female captains to warrant a story. Much to her surprise, there was no scarcity of women to photograph and she would soon need to implement an application process for women who wanted to be featured as the project expanded. The project that originally started as a one-page tab on Rutkowski’s portrait website soon became its own site that would take almost three years to fully develop. Kristin Rutkowski began taking photos for Her Helm after being out on her sailboat and getting inspired by female boat captains.

The first person Rutkowski photographed was Janet Rupp, a fishing boat charter captain who she approached at her local marina. Rutkowski soon realized that she wanted to celebrate the variety of boats that the women were captaining, as well as where they were located, their age, race and boating background.

As a photographer, Rutkowski loves helping people see how a good portrait of themselves can be empowering. With Her Helm, she embraced the uniqueness of every woman’s ship vessel, the different lighting to work with, the subject’s comfort in front of the camera and so many other conditions. Rutkowski’s goal was to portray her subjects in their “spot of confidence” so they would have this “representation of themselves as a captain and looking incredible.”

The individual sessions themselves varied greatly for each woman featured in Her Helm. Rutkowski would travel 30-60 minutes each way to meet the captain at her boat and typically spend anywhere between 1-2 hours photographing them. Though, there were some women such as Iris Robertson who she only had five minutes to photograph before they were scheduled to set sail.

Prior to each session, Rutkowski would call each woman she was about to photograph and spend about an hour to get their backstories while also giving them a chance to get comfortable with her before putting them in front of a camera. Rutkowski notes that editing the paragraph summarizing their background took just as much time as editing the photos because she wanted the language to “capture the confidence of the women and have them feel uplifted by her words.”

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - So Looking Forward to Trump's Third Term

But maybe we should wait a couple of weeks before starting the next election season. Atop Da Hill, whining that Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ about a possible third term. At Twitchy, More Scripted Narratives: Try to Spot the SUBTLE Media Similarities Around 'Trump's Third Term' TheFOO@PolitiBunny "And then the Presidential Election Fairy comes down from the sky and bops Democrats on the head …" Quote FactPost @factpostnews "Trump announces that he's 'not joking' about running for a third term. He says 'there are methods' to do so, like JD Vance running for office and then passing the role to Trump." Althouse, "Trump won’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for doing so." "NBC News reports.

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said in a Sunday-morning phone call with NBC News, referring to his allies. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.... I’m not joking...."...NBC News asked about a possible scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run for office and then pass the role to Trump. Trump responded that “that’s one” method.

NewsMax, Trump Says He's 'Very Angry' With Putin, Threatens Tariffs. PJM's Matt Margolis, Trump Is ‘Pissed Off’ at Putin and Here’s What He Plans To Do About It. NewsMax again, Zelenskyy Sees Better Polling, May Seek Elections. At CTH Sundance sees Zelenskyy, With EU Support, Continues Looking for Any Excuse to Derail or Avoid Peace Talks – Rejects Mineral Deal, Demands EU Ascension and Security Guarantees and hosts President Trump Holds Impromptu Presser from Air Force One. J Post, Iran urges confidentiality in letters exchanged between Trump, Khamenei. "The report comes amid contact between the Islamic Republic and the US over reported efforts to reach a nuclear deal." NewsMax, Trump: 'There Will Be Bombing' If Iran Does Not Make Nuke Deal. The B1s are already at Diego Garcia. Also at NewsMax, Trump: 'We'll get Greenland, 100 Percent'; Military Force Not 'off Table'. Bob Hoge at RedState watches 'Blood and Bravery': Trump Drops Powerful Video About US Sacrifices in Greenland During WWII. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "Trump just posted this video that pushes for the U.S. to take foothold in Greenland It goes all the way back to WORLD WAR 2 when the Arctic was targeted by Germany. "Now is the time to stand together again - for the future. America stands with Greenland.""

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks: The Happy Quokka Outlines the MAGAnomic “Golden Age”  and Lara Trump Interviews Susie Wiles. Breitbart has The Hypocrisy of VATs and Free Trade.

Driscoll at Insty says HMMMM: “Signalgate” is a Masterclass in the application of Useful Idiots. "I lean towards a theory of “Signalgate” being intentional (1), starting with some of the members the chat." Sundance, Goldberg Says Mike Waltz Claims About Never Knowing him or Speaking to Him are “simply not true”, "According to Jeffrey Goldberg, despite Waltz’s numerous denials, the National Security Advisor and journalist do know each other.," and Where’s The Audio, Kirsten? "In this segment on NBC Meet the Press, and the follow ups that appear on NBC Nightly News, notice how they do not provide the actual recorded interview, only the quotes, which Kirsten Welker then interprets for the audience." At Twitchy, 'Sad Little Man': X Bodies David Frum for Cheap Joke About Pete Hegseth's Wife. At Common Defense, VA Secretary Doug Collins Just Cooked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins In About 2 Minutes. Althouse, This is so good, it feels scripted. Not saying it's scripted. Just saying it's so tightly worded and delivered: Tim Burchett @timburchett, "Nah, I just increased his exposure," Quote, I Meme Therefore I Am@ImMeme0, "Rep. Tim Burchett just ended this little guy career. “Do you trust Trump’s national security team to keep our war plans top secret?” Burchett: “Do you trust your mother every night to fix your Hot Pockets and make sure your Game Boy is turned on?”

At Da Wire, Top FDA Official, Who Played Key Role In COVID Vax, Reportedly Forced Out, "Dr. Marks went after RFK for "misinformation and lies" in his resignation letter." CBD at Ace's says RFK Jr. May Be Crazy, But Getting Rid Of A Mandate-Loving, Science-Torturing Bureaucrat Is A Very Good Thing!

At Substack, Insty has Three Small Items, "On political passion in Trump's second term." "One of the big questions about the Trump phenomenon is this — is it actually just a Trump phenomenon, or is it a movement? That is, is the movement based on personality, or is it based on a deeper seated desire to, I dunno, make America great again that goes beyond support for Trump himself?"

From Twitchy an Asphalt Assault: Anti-Tesla Protesters Unleash Their Scariest Weapon Yet - Nazi-Infused Line Dancing! Driscoll at Insty calls it GREAT MOMENTS IN ASTROTURFING. Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio @jasonrantz "Anti-Musk protesters have their chants — in large font — scripted out in case they forget them." At Althouse, "You're pretending that these people are all coming out to see you. But they're coming out to see you 'cause you're giving them money and free food, right?", ""And you know, you're handing out water bottles, and everybody gets a sign, and everybody seems like they're kind of a part of a team. And for a lot of losers, a lot of people that don't have things going well in their life.... I was a loser at many points in my life. If somebody called me up and said, Hey man, you wanna make 400 bucks and just go to this Kamala Harris rally? I'm like, yeah, let's go. I would 100% go.... and I'd be like, yeah, I'm fucking voting for her, dude. He's Hitler, that guy. We gotta stop Hitler. And I'd be holding up that stupid sign — if you found me when I was 21. 100%. I would've taken that 400 bucks."" ABC, Man strikes Tesla counter-protester with vehicle in Idaho, police say. Nick Arama at RedState sees Elon Weighs in on Wild Video of Protesters Screaming at Ohio Tesla Owner. "Elon Musk responded to the screaming video saying it was time to arrest the people who were "funding the attacks" on Tesla, and that "arresting their puppets and paid foot-soldiers won’t stop the violence." Sen. Mike Lee replied, "Rico prosecutions work."" AP whines Authorities investigate damaging fire at New Mexico’s GOP headquarters. Presumptive domestic terrorism. At Althouse, "Do better; this is simply not possible."

From Fox, Bill Maher favors cutting public broadcasting funding, rejects NPR CEO's testimony that outlet is unbiased "'Give me a break, lady,' the HBO host reacted to NPR chief Katherine Maher's claim of non-bias." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair reads Sky News, It's Trump's Fault the US Can't Save Myanmar Post-Quake or Something and notes "They're Australian and much closer. Help them yourselves more until we get there if we're so awful."

Twitchy calls it AWFUL: Julie Kelly EXPOSES Bully and Coward Judge Beryl Howell Who Worked VERY Hard to Keep J6rs In Jail. Julie Kelly@julie_kelly2, "In Feb 2021, then DC chief judge Beryl Howell created a special framework for judges to use in determining pre trial detention for J6ers—meaning keep them behind bars awaiting trial. What became known as the “Chrestman factors” turned due process and standard bail rules on their head. Even nonviolent J6ers charged with conspiracy or obstruction with no criminal record could be held in a federal prison—often hauled cross country to the DC gulag—because as part of the “mob that attacked the Capitol,” they represented a danger to their community. A J6er’s release was not considered on a case by case basis—which is normally required—but rather how big of a role in the “insurrection” (how Jeb Boasberg describes it) the defendant played. Howell now claims she is the victim of a smear campaign by Trump’s DOJ." Nick Arama reveals Here's How the GOP Is Planning to Fight Back Against Activist Judges. AMAC, Congress Primed to Curtail Activist Judges. Josh Blackmun at the Volohk Conspiracy says A Rendezvous With Humphrey "The Justices have had plenty of time to think about how to resolve Humphrey's Executor and should not punt." If you don't know what Humphrey's Executor is, don't feel bad, I had to look it up too.

Hat Hair's Larry Elder notes Gavin Newsom Gaslights on 'Latinx,' the Budget and His Minimum Wage Hike That Killed Jobs. Twitchy sees the Same PLAYERS: Sen Chris Murphy Called Out In DAMNING Thread for Working with Shady Groups to Unseat Trump. Mike Benz @MikeBenzCyber, "Chris Murphy, the Senator who openly claimed credit for destabilizing then toppling the democratically elected government of Ukraine in 2014 through astroturfed protests, is working with the Indivisible and MoveOn on their astroturfed protests to destabilize Trump & Elon." Althouse, "How far Ms. Ocasio-Cortez can go is a hot topic for many Democrats right now." "Writes Michelle Cottle, in "What Ocasio-Cortez Wants for the Democrats" (NYT)." Kyle Becker @kylenabecker, ""To be clear: undocumented folk contributed approximately a hundred billion dollars in taxes. They pay into Social Security, and they don't get to draw down on it. So stop allowing them to divide us and demonize them." Source: Jasmine Crockett." So, we need serfs? Paul A. Szypula @Bubblebathgirl "Jasmine Crockett was prank called by The Steve Harvey Morning Show on Friday morning. She was too low IQ to realize it and started going off on how she worked hard to make sure white people were discriminated against by giving contracts to businesses only owned by black people." At Da Caller, Black Voter In Swing State Says The One Thing Democrats Don’t Want To Hear “I approve because he’s weeding out a lot of things that the other, I would say Biden and Kamala Harris, disrupted in the United States. It’s going to be a tough job for him in the Trump administration as a whole, but I’m just willing to wait and see what goes forth from now.” At TownHall Derek Hunters says Hillary Clinton Can Go Straight to Hell.

At LifeZette, Wisconsin Election Integrity Battle: 5,000 Allegedly Illegal Registrations Submitted. From WokeSpy, EXPOSED: Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Caught Red-Handed Making False Claims.

Dan Greenfield at Front Page notes Trump Secured Border for Only 0.2% of the Cost of the Border Crisis, "Media hypes cost of securing border, refuses to discuss the cost of open borders." Driscoll, OH HOW IT MUST HAVE PAINED THE L.A. TIMES TO WRITE THIS HEADLINE: California-Mexico border, once overwhelmed, now nearly empty. Breitbart reports Coyotes Are Smuggling Migrants Out of the United States. Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll, "Nearly two-thirds of voters back President Donald Trump’s effort to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and about half want to impeach the federal judge who ordered a halt to the deportations." Hat Hair reads the LAT, Isn't That Nice? Dem Senators Went to Gitmo to Visit the Venezuelans. Bart Marcois at Am Great Is Tren de Aragua a Military Incursion? You Bet! "Judge Boasberg blocks Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua, despite intelligence linking the gang to Venezuela’s government and acts of sabotage in the U.S.." Breitbart claims ICE Has Nearly 50,000 Illegal Migrants in Detention. "Federal data shows that detentions had reached to 47,892 detainees as of March 23. The number exceeds the 39,703 reached during the Biden years. It isn’t yet as high as the 60,000 reached during the first Trump term, but it seems clear that record will be broken." Da Wire reports Tom Homan Steps In After Officers In Sanctuary City Targeted For Helping ICE. "According to the Rochester Police Locust Club, Homan said during a conference in Nashville, Tennessee, that he’s “coming to Rochester.”"

Bob Hoge has a Liberal Angst Alert: White House to Take Over Briefing Room Seating Chart. CNN, White House Correspondents’ Association cancels plans to have a comedian headline annual dinner. "Instead, the association says it will celebrate the First Amendment and the free press." Rick Moran, You're Not Going to Believe Why the WH Correspondents' Association Fired Comedian Hired for Annual Dinner:

Who is Amber Ruffin? She hosted her own late-night show on the streaming service Peacock and is a writer for "Late Night with Seth Meyers." I don't know how this recommends her for a prime comedic gig.

At any rate, Daniels should have done a little more research. Ruffin appeared on the Daily Beast podcast and immediately proved why she might be ready for an underground sex club, but not for the stage of the WHCA dinner.

On Thursday, Amber Ruffin sparked MAGA outrage when she said that she wouldn’t try to make sure that her jokes targeted both sides of the political spectrum during her set, as she had been instructed to do by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA).

She told hosts comedian Samantha Bee and Beast Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles that the Trump administration are “kind of a bunch of murderers,” adding that playing to both sides “makes them feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, ‘cause they’re not.”

From Spiked, It was the woke elites who ‘purged’ America’s museums, not Donald Trump. "Don’t believe the media hysteria: Trump’s executive order on history and truth deals a welcome blow for sanity."

The plagiarism scandal moves north, the Canadian National Post reports their new Prime Minister, Mark Carney faces plagiarism accusations for 1995 Oxford doctoral thesis. "Carney's doctorate in economics from Oxford shows 10 instances of apparent plagiarism, according to academics who reviewed the material." You weren't supposed to read that shit, let alone check it!

WokeSpy, University of Michigan Ditches DEI — Cites Trump EOs, Potential Loss of Federal Funding. Campus Reform, University of Michigan ends DEI office, cracks down on $250M DEI campaign after string of controversies. At the College Fix, Columbia scholar: ICE detention of pro-Hamas student example of ‘white Christian nationalism’.

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal reports ‘Empire of Gender Secrecy Policies Is Going to Crumble’ After Trump Education Probe in California, Lawyer Says. Across da pond at Da Sun, Toddler kicked out of nursery for ‘being transphobic or homophobic’ as shocking stats laid bare. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair and FMJRA 2.0: The Royals, With Cheese up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Monday Morning Stimulus

NDTV, Coffee Recalled From 15 US States Over 'Unintended Ingredient', caffeine. 

The FDA recalled a coffee ground product because it may contain an undeclared substance that could lead to health problems, per Today.com.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall on March 13 after the manufacturer voluntarily informed the agency that some coffee labelled as decaffeinated may have been mislabeled and could contain caffeine.

The affected product is Our Family Traverse City Cherry Artificially Flavored Decaf Light Roast Ground Coffee (12 oz.), with UPC: 070253110801 and a best-by date of August 3, 2025.

The FDA classified the recall as Class II, indicating that while exposure to the product may cause temporary or medically reversible health effects, the risk of serious health consequences is low.

Decaf? No need to check our shelves.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Beach Report 3/30/25

A perfectly delightful day. A stiff wind out of the southwest left almost no effect on the beach, but gave us the warm weather from the land instead of the colder air off the water. It was almost hot in the sun, of which there was plenty. The second day in bare feet, shorts and a t-shirt!

A decent low tide let us get up to the big slide at Matoaka.

The best tooth of 39, a Mako lower. I also found what maybe a Fragalodon (fragment of a Megalodon), but it's not really clear. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Woman Behind Trump Steps Forward

Bob Hoge at RedState has a story about the woman behind the scenes, It's Different This Time Around—Trump's Wily Chief of Staff Bringing the Heat. NYPo's Rich Lowry explains How Trump caught big-government fans in their own trap. "Trump is simply availing himself of the vast federal apparatus created by liberals on the assumption that an ever-more powerful and extensive federal government was synonymous with righteousness." They wanted a more powerful government. They got it. Streiff at RedState, Live by Judge Shopping, Die by Judge Shopping. Trump Turns the Tables on Federal Unions. "They brought the case in the Waco Division of the Western District of Texas, where the sole judge, Alan D. Albright, a Trump appointee, hears all of the civil and criminal cases." I'm OK with unions, just not government unions. John Sexton at Hat Hair reports an Appeals Court Rules Trump Can Fire Members of the NLRB. WaEx, Trump announces auto loan interest deductions for American-made cars. You think Georgia might let me take a loan out for a new Tesla CyberTruck? Steven Moore at Hat Hair thinks Trump Should End the Biden-Era War on Small Business Partnerships.

Sundance at CTH hosts President Trump Holds Brief Impromptu Presser Aboard Airforce One and predicts NSA Mike Waltz is the first Cabinet member to go, and not necessarily because of "Signalgate", Waltz on the Bubble? At NewsMax, Josh Hammer opines Rank Incompetence, Not Malice, Explains 'SignalGate' and WSJ: Hegseth's Wife Attended Sensitive Meetings. Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1, "New WSJ: Pete Hegseth brought his wife, a former Fox producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed. One of the meetings was a high-level discussion at the Pentagon between Hegseth and U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey." Sean Davis@seanmdav, "Sorry, @WSJ, but you don’t get to play this game after yawning when Jill Biden ran cabinet meetings because Joe Biden’s brain was pudding—a fact you helped cover up for years." Matt Vespa at TownHall has The One Thing to Keep in Mind About the Latest Story Involving Pete Hegseth, "if we’re going to freak out over this, true or not, let’s not forget that Hunter Biden reportedly ran the White House after Joe’s disastrous debate on CNN in June last year, and he also sat in on meetings without a security clearance." Dave Strom at Hat Hair says You Will NOT Believe It, But Dems Picked Hillary to Criticize Trump on Protecting Secrets. Victory Girls on the “Dumb” Hillary Clinton NY Times Op-Ed. Yeah, it's whataboutism, but what about it?  

ABC whines Denmark doesn't 'appreciate the tone' of US Greenland remarks, minister says but OTP extracts Danish Foreign Minister: ‘Let’s Talk About How We Can Fix Greenland – Together’.

Streiff at RedState, RFK Jr. Allows States to Ban Soft Drink Purchases With Food Stamps, Setting Up a Major Political Fight. "Soft drinks are the top item purchased with SNAP benefits." From Da Caller, The Inside Job To Sabotage MAHA "News recently broke that some online conservatives were offered cash to shill for big soda — until they got caught. The Daily Caller, on the other hand, has been on the frontlines of reporting on the efforts by Big Soda lobbyists to sabotage the MAHA agenda." From Althouse, "It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies." "And: "This man doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about what is making him followers." Said Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., quoted in "The top F.D.A. vaccine official resigns, citing Kennedy’s 'misinformation and lies'" (NYT)." Drew Berquist reports the CDC Pulls Billions in COVID Funding, Shifts Focus to Chronic Disease Prevention. Like the military, the health industry is often content to fight the last war over. Nice Deb at Am Great, RFK Jr. Unveils Plan to Transform HHS into MAHA Powerhouse: ‘We’re Going to Do More With Less’. PJM's Cathy Salgado says You Won’t Believe What Insanity HHS Was Funding. You might be surprised by what I believe. At Da Mail, RFK exposes woke Californian schools spending huge sum teaching 10 year old kids to use sex toys.

NYPo ed board explains How the Trump Smithsonian order is fighting another bulwark of woke insanity. From Da Caller, Trump Orders Return Of Removed Monuments Dismantled During Biden Era.

From Fox, Appeals court rules DOGE can continue operating at USAID in another win for Trump administration. "Friday's ruling was the third appeals victory for Trump administration." ZeroHedge reports USAID Officially Shuttered After Court Victory. At Da Wire, USAID To Lay Off 4,600 Employees, Will Merge With State Department By Fall. Sundance, State Dept Notifies Congress USAID is Formally Being Dissolved, all Employees Will Be Fired. Will we see bread lines in DC? A thread from Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "Update from Trump Administration on payments of USAID invoice: Notes how many paid and how many to go and stress why taking longer than normal. Sounds like there wasn't much internal control or checking of validity of payment requests. 1/" CNN whines the Trump administration targets US Institute of Peace with mass Friday firings. At WokeSpy, Congress Grills NPR CEO Maher: Will This Be the End of Taxpayer Funding? Tim Graham, The New York Times Defends Their PR Partners at NPR and PBS.

Joy Pullman at Da Fed lists 6 Unbelievably Scammy Federal Practices DOGE Staff Reveal In Fox Interview. From ET, Musk Says Social Security Recipients to Receive ‘More Money’ Under DOGE’s Cost-Cutting Work. That's not immediately obvious to me, but at least the system may go broke at a slower rate.

At 8 News Now, (Las Vegas), Las Vegas judge declines to release suspect in Tesla ‘domestic terrorism’ attack. Pop Times cries EXPOSED! Woke Startup Exec Recorded Keying a Cyber Truck, Denies Charges While Wearing the Same Outfit. Dint do nuffin! ABC whines Attorney general calls Tesla arson attacks 'nothing short of domestic terrorism' Domestic terrorism is grandmothers sitting anywhere near abortion clinics! At TNP, Pam Bondi Promises ‘NO PLEA DEALS’ in Tesla Vandalism Cases. Matt Margolis at PJM reports The Woman Who Face-Planted Trying to Steal a MAGA Hat on NYC Subway Has Been Identified.  At Althouse, "The woman who received 'instant karma' after berating a President Trump supporter on the subway — and then face-planting on the platform after trying to grab his 'Make America Great Again' hat — is..." ""... Alberta Testanero, a 55-year-old dual Italian-American citizen.... A freelance creative director and branding specialist who has worked with posh outfits like Tiffany & Co., Coach, Bergdorf Goodman and Kate Spade, Testanero prides herself on 'maintaining the highest standards,' according to her online profiles." The NY Post reports. There are cameras everywhere. You will be identified."

NewsMax opines Activist Judiciary Hinders Trump's Efforts to Keep U.S. Safe. TNP, Trump Takes Boasberg to the Supreme Court. Betsy McCaughey at Hat Hair pleads Stop the Litigation-Industrial Complex's War Against Trump. ET reports Trump Inks $100 Million Deal With Skadden Law Firm, "The firm will provide pro bono legal services in support of veterans and other public servants." “This was essentially a settlement,” President Donald Trump said in announcing the deal at a White House event. “We appreciate Skadden’s coming to the table. As you know, other law firms have likewise settled the case. And … what’s gone on is a shame.”   Can Perkins Coie be far behind? 

Fox crows NY Times editorial declares Democratic Party in denial about 2024 election loss, says it moved ‘too far left.’ "According to recent national polls, the Democratic Party has some of its worst approval ratings in decades." Atop Da Hill, Newsom on today’s ‘toxic’ Democratic Party: We tend to be ‘judgmental.’ John Sexton at Hat Hair hears Newsom: 'The Democratic Brand is Toxic Right Now'. A Driscolly post at Insty, WE HAD TO HIDE THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO SAVE IT: "Now, with their party in the wilderness, Democratic heavy hitters are stepping up to admit that, well, the fake news was real. Here’s The New York Times’ Ezra Klein, in a widely shared recent appearance on Jon Stewart’s podcast, discussing the Kafkaesque regulatory structures that prevented Biden’s rural broadband legislation from ever being translated into reality." Eric Abbenante @EricAbbenante, "Ezra Klein explains how it feels to be a Democrat in under 30 seconds: Ezra Klein: "The stimulus bill under Obama, that had 3 big headline projects for reinvestment. High speed rail, smart grid, a nation wide system of interoperable health records. 0 for 3" Gavin Newsom: "I remember those days" Klein: "At some point, we gotta be upset about this." Democrats: 'Promises made, promises kleptocracy'" At Althouse, "At some point, we gotta be upset about this," says Ezra Klein, nervously chuckling. "Yeah? What point?!"

At Da Caller, Tim Walz Calls For ‘Shadow Government’ In Response To Trump Election Integrity Order. Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "Reminder: virtually every person in the political information distribution complex told you that Tim Walz was the Dems secret weapon for attracting moderates and rural men." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Tim Walz: "We got ourselves into this mess because we did NOT embrace immigrants, wokeness, and DEI"" At No Delusions No Despair, Benjamin Kerstein writes on the Rise of the ‘anti-Nazi’ Nazis. "Progressives think they own anti-Nazism while acting very much like Nazis themselves."

Pop Times, Hunter Biden Ditches Attorney, Brings in High-Profile Defender "Hunter Biden is back in court—again. This time, the President’s scandal-plagued son is swapping out his longtime defense attorney Abbe Lowell for a new legal brawler: Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina Democrat with a flair for defending the indefensible. Harpootlian is best known for representing convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh and proudly calls himself a “Joe Biden guy.”" Kaelen Deese at WaEx reports Hunter Biden laptop group demands reimbursement over ‘ridiculous’ lawsuit. "The group that published Hunter Biden’s laptop contents demanded on Friday nearly $93,000 in legal fees after a federal lawsuit filed by the former president’s son was dismissed earlier this month."

Minnesota Star Trib, Wisconsin appeals court won't stop Musk's $1 million payments to voters after attorney general sues "A Wisconsin appellate court denied the state Democratic attorney general's request to stop billionaire Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks to two voters at a rally planned for Sunday, just two days before a closely contested Supreme Court election." Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN reports Nearly 5k allegedly illegal voter registrations found on Milwaukee voter rolls ahead of WI election, "The grassroots group’s challenges to the registrations were unsuccessful because the city election commission declined to investigate them."

NYPo, Brazen ‘migrant influencer’ who flashed cash, urged other illegals to squat in US homes deported to Venezuela — after causing uproar on flight. Insty, says THE MIDTERM POLITICAL ADS WRITE THEMSELVES: Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "Democrat leaders are heading to Gitmo to protest the detention of Tren de Aragua Terrorists. Democrats are unAmerican."

The Peacock whines that Elon Musk says xAI has acquired X in deal that values social media site at $33 billion. Sundance, Elon Musk Merges xAI with X (Twitter) to Combine Valuations of $113 Billion. "The Twitter debt holders can now get repaid without impact to Twitter. Note, by Musk’s own admission the debt within Twitter is the same today as it was on the original purchase date. No debt was paid down."

At Racket, Matt Taibbi is pretty disgusted by Bloomberg's Pathetic Swipe at Substack. "Bloomberg wants Substack to make the platform a safer space for its new hordes of mainstream washouts by censoring its controversial riffraff. A reply to the snobs." Matt Vespa says Dilbert Creator Has a New Ploy to Help Trump Screw Around With the Dems and the Media:

Department of Imaginary Concerns

Signal app drama has Scott Adams proposing a bold fix: a new gov’t dept to tackle all the wild, made-up fears swirling in Democrat minds. Genius or madness? You decide.

Imaginary Concerns like:
Climate change crisis
Russia collusion
Houthi’s… pic.twitter.com/ygw68GyfJN

— jay plemons (@jayplemons) March 27, 2025

NewsMax says Columbia Univ. Proves Higher Ed Can't Be Trusted With Federal Funds. ET reports DOJ to Investigate Admissions at California Universities, Alleges Racial Preferences. Campus Reform, Ex-chancellor fired for making porn sues university for reinstatement, "Former University of Wisconsin–La Crosse chancellor and professor Joe Gow has filed a lawsuit against the school." Mark Hemingway at Da Fed notes America’s Librarians Became Militantly Political, And Now They Suffer The Consequences.

Da Mail, Megacorporation is hit by shock Trump probe over its DEI policies. "President Donald Trump's FCC commissioner said Friday he's opening an investigation into the Walt Disney Co. and its ABC television network to see whether they are 'promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.'" At Hat Hair, John Stossel claims DEI Is Dying. No, it's not. It's wounded, and like any wounded animal it may just be more dangerous.

Breitbart astonished by a Democrat State Senator who Claims ‘Female Bodies are Just as Strong and Fast and Capable as Male Bodies’ 

"Pennsylvania Democrat state senator Lindsey Williams defended trans athletes participating in women’s sports by claiming that female bodies are just as strong and fast as male bodies. Speaking before the committee vote on the Save Women’s Sports Act, Lindsey said women are just as physically capable as men in athletics. “I want all girls to know that there are elected officials like me who believe female bodies are just as strong and fast and capable as male bodies,” Williams said.“I want all girls to know there are elected officials like me who would never underestimate your ability to beat a boy at their own sport, because that’s what the premise of this bill assumes, that female bodies are less than male bodies, that girls are at an automatic disadvantage, and can’t possibly compete against boys. Even though girls do it every day,” she added."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair and FMJRA 2.0: The Royals, With Cheese up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Angelina Dimova.

At the Dorest Echo, Two of Weymouth's largest palm trees to be replaced

Two of Weymouth seafront's largest palm trees are set to be replaced with two smaller trees due to health and safety concerns. Councillors have agreed to pay £10,000 to replace two trees either side of the entrance to New Street as they have grown too big and are causing damage to the promenade.

One of the trees is also pushing out towards the Esplanade and is at risk of damaging the road. These trees will be replaced with two smaller palm trees, known as cabbage palms.

In total, nine trees were planted along the seafront in 2012 ahead of the Olympics and councillors believe the 'iconic' and well-loved' trees should remain a permanent fixture in the resort.

Palm trees in jolly olde England? Whoda thunk?

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Beach Report 3/29/25

Despite the overcast it was the warmest day of the year so far, with the home thermometer currently reading 83, and Cove Point (our proxy for air temp at the beach) at 78. A high wind from the SW was not apparent thanks to the cliffs.

The yellow stain in the water is pollen. I think this early it's mostly conifer. It happens every year. On a nice calm day like today it builds up on the surface and around groins. 

It was a nice low tide, even though we hit hit about half way up, and we got a pretty big selection of teeth. From the top clockwise, White Shark, Snaggletooth upper, stingray mouth plate, and Snaggletooth lower.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Canada Renounces Friendship with USA

O Canada! Oh Well. From Sundance at CTH, Prime Minister Carney Declares Canada’s “Relationship with America is Over”, President Trump Announces “Extremely Productive Call” with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Trump Holds Presser Discussing Tariffs and Conversation with PM Carney. From NewsMax, Fewer Americans See Canada as Ally Amid Trump Tensions. Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller, ‘We Are Ecstatic’: Union Boss Who Backed Harris Says He’s Thrilled With One Major Trump Policy, tariffs, particularly on cars. Elsewhere across the world, ET reports POTUS Vows to ‘Go As Far As We Have to Go’ for Greenland. NewsMax, VP Vance Skewers Denmark for Underinvesting in Greenland. At Breitbart, Zelensky Declares Ukraine Will ‘Never Cede’ Occupied Territories to Russia, Suggests Trump Being Naive About Putin. It's a good arguing point, but just how does he expect to take them back by force?

Jeff Charles at TownHall sees how JD Vance Pummels Journalist Over 'Hit Piece' About 'Signalgate'. JD Vance @JDVance "This morning, @JoshKraushaar ran a hit piece against me in Jewish Insider, which has become an anti-JD rag. It has many problems, including seven anonymous quotes from cowardly Republicans. But the most glaring factual error is the below, which says the Houthis killed three Americans last January. Actually, the group responsible for that attack was "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," which is an entirely different militia group. Now, you might say this is evidence of Kraushaar being the biggest hack in Washington, and you *may* be correct. Another very plausible explanation is that he's the dumbest journalist in Washington. Either way, shocking an error like this could get through his vaunted editorial process!" Drew Berquist, CIA Director Ratcliffe Turns CA Dem into a Stammering Mess Over Hegseth Smear. 

At ET, Trump Signs Order to End Collective Bargaining at Agencies Involved With National Security, "The president said some federal unions have ‘declared war’ on his agenda." John Sexton at Hat Hair hears 'This is War': Trump Takes an Axe to Government Unions. The Independent Inst. declared Standing Up for Bureaucracy Is Not Standing Up for Science, using the case of "Francis Collins and the crusade against Dr. Jay Bhattacharya." Leslie Eastman at LI hears Leftists Melt Down after Climate Change Removed from America’s List of Policy Priorities, "As “climate change” is removed from the national threat assessment, a Bloomberg opinion piece provides a great list of all the winning Team Trump has had over the past 52 days." At Da Signal, Despite Trump Order, Another Bureaucrat Stubbornly Clings to Power.

Rusty Weiss at RedState sees Trump Answers the One Question That Has Confused Democrats – and One Supreme Court Justice – for Years. Althouse, Asked the famous question "What is a woman?," Trump does one of his weaves. "Yesterday, in the Oval Office:"

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair says Wowsahs: Elon and the DOGErs Formally Introduce Themselves. Sundance hosts Elon and the teams sit down with Bret Baier, Elon Musk and DOGE Team Give Behind the Scenes Review of Their Mission. It's worth taking the time. Althouse, Everybody's talking about DogeFest. At Fox, Media Elon Musk reveals what keeps him up at night amid ongoing DOGE mission, "The DOGE kingpin also addressed growing scrutiny from critics on 'Special Report'." 

Dave Strom thinks you should Watch Jon Stewart's Mind Blown By Ezra Klein Describing How Government Really Works, he's right. Cathy Salgado at PJM sees Major Surgery: RFK Jr. Plans to Slash 20K Jobs at HHS. From WokeSpy, Hegseth Announces Latest Round Of DOGE Cuts Within Pentagon Worth Over $500,000,000 and “Muh ‘Bortions!” Dems Freak Out As Trump Stops $120 Million from Going to Planned Parenthood. @amuse @amuse, "DOGE: EPA Administrator Zeldin has revealed the agency is a massive crime scene - the largest heist in world history took place in plain sight. Biden funneled billions to Democrat NGOs in the name of climate change." Ace, Trump Targets "Solar for All," Biden's $7 Billion Boondoggle for Rich Democrat Cronies, "James Varney . . ." From CJ, Winding Down the Department of Education Is Overdue.  Insty, I’VE BEEN IN FAVOR OF MOVING FEDERAL AGENCIES OUT OF THE CAPITAL DISTRICT FOR A LONG TIME. Jamie Raskin’s snit-fit only makes it better. Bonchie@bonchieredstate, "Dismantle the government itself? Is this an ad for Trump?" Quote Rep. Jamie Raskin @RepRaskin, "Trump's shocking project to relocate federal agencies away from the National Capital Region is designed to dismantle the government itself. Let's stop them before they put the White House in Moscow to be closer to the home office."

Sister Toldja at RedState, 'Stunning and Brave': Nancy Pelosi Gives a Disturbing Answer When Asked About Anti-Tesla Violence. Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Nancy Pelosi dodges question, refuses to condemn attacks on Tesla dealerships: “I’m so sorry, I’m a little bit late here right now." Da Fetched, Nancy Pelosi Silent on Tesla Attacks, Refuses to Condemn Violence

Charles Lipson at the Spec World asserts PBS and NPR should never have received public funding "A democratic government should not sponsor news programs." Matt Vespa, Here's When You Knew NPR's CEO Was Going to Get Totally Smoked on the Hill. Christopher F. Rufo @realchrisrufo "Still laughing about the fact that Katherine Maher tweeted that she took an entire day off to read The Case for Reparations, then admitted to Congress that she lied about it and had never read the book. The perfect symbol of the AWFL mindset." Palmer Luckey @PalmerLuckey "Important framing for discussing the NPR kerfuffle". The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "NPR Says They Always Strive To Feature A Broad Range Of Opinions From Slightly Communist To Very Communist https://buff.ly/NOYBu3T"

At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 03.28.25, EBL: Elon Musk, DOGE team talk government cuts, also, Karen Kamelia Enzler Kaught Keying Teslas, Louder With Crowder: Morbidly obese progressive goes on spree crashing mobility scooter into Teslas, but he can’t outrun justice, Behind The Black: Democrats: “We have the right to vandalize Teslas, and if you try to stop us you are fascists!”, The Lid: William Shatner Has a Pleasant Discussion with Elon Musk on X, Then the Left-Wing Haters Showed Up, Legal Insurrection: Brown U Upset After Student Emails Thousands of Administrators: “What did you do this week?”, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) Slams FBI’s Tesla Investigation as ‘Lawfare’ and ‘Political Weaponization’, Teacher Union Head Randi Weingarten Has Total Meltdown Over Cutting of Funds to Columbia, Outkick: Caps Jakob Chychrun Ditched His Tesla, But It’s Not For The Reason You Think, Transterrestrial Musings: DOGE.

From NewsMax, Trump Petitions Supreme Court to Vacate Deportation Ban. Da Signal, Trump Appeals Deportation Case to Supreme Court and Signal Lawsuit Against Trump Assigned to Same Judge Who Blocked Tren De Aragua Flights. NewsWeek, Trump Admin Hit With New Legal Blow by Judge in Deportation Flights Case Sundance, President Trump Files Emergency Appeal to Supreme Court Asking for Intervention to Stop Judicial Overreach. Charlotte Hazard at JTN reports Trump says 'disgraceful' that Obama-appointed Judge Boasberg will be presiding over Signal lawsuit. "Boasberg was appointed by former President Barack Obama and is also presiding over a case involving whether or not the Trump administration has the right to deport illegal migrants under the Alien Enemies Act." Mia Cathell at TownHall, tells About That Judge Hamstringing Trump's Trans Military Ban... At Da Caller, Judges Ruling Against Trump Administration Have Numerous Conflicts Of Interest. Althouse, "The D.C. Circuit is notorious for having a very far left bias. And when you look at the people closest to some of these judges..." ""... where are they working? Are they working at these NGOs? They're the ones getting this money. Does that seem like a system that lacks corruption? Sounds like corruption to me." Said Elon Musk." From Da Signal, House Republicans Mull Ways to Counteract Anti-Trump Judges. Drew Berquist, Speaker Mike Johnson Threatens to End Funding for Lawless Judges Attacking Trump.

Pop Times notes Jasmine Crockett Calls for Violence Against Ted Cruz, Ignores Bondi’s Warnings. Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Turnaround in Federal Law Enforcement Under Trump Has Been Dizzying. At NewsMax, Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances for Biden, Harris. I thought that was already a done deal. Now raid their houses looking for secret documents. Jerry Dunleavy at JTN, FBI whistleblowers, including one with info on Strzok, want bureau to review their cases. "FBI agents lost their security clearances and jobs after blowing the whistle on the Biden-era and Chris Wray-led bureau. Now their lawyers are asking the Trump FBI, led by Kash Patel, to address their complaints."

John Sexton at Hat Hair has the Dems in Disarray: NY Times Edition and The Democratic Party Died But the Autopsy Results Are Being Ignored. At LifeZette, Democrats Face Blue Collar Voter Crisis, ‘Billionaire Bad’ Line Falls Flat. At PJM, VodkaPundit notes Kamala Harris Had a Plan for Everything — Except the Inevitable and Scott Pinsker predicts The Hillary Clinton Political Comeback Begins TODAY!

PJM's Paula Bolyard believes Wisconsin Supreme Court Race on Tuesday Could Make or Break the Badger State. Fox, reports Elon Musk to give talk in Wisconsin ahead of closely watched state Supreme Court contest: 'Super important' "The race is being closely watched, becoming a proxy battle over the nation’s politics." Dan O'Donnell@DanODonnellShow, "RIGHT NOW: Wisconsin Attorney General is suing to stop Elon Musk from giving away $2 million during the Supreme Court race between conservative Brad Schimel and liberal Susan Crawford. The judge assigned to the case? No joke: Susan Crawford." No conflict there, right?

Brandon Morse at RedState sees Tom Homan Hilariously Spikes Football After Massive Successes With Illegal Migrant Arrests “I wake up every day like a kid in a candy shop getting ready to work," he added," and I know we're making a difference every day." PJM's Matt Margolis predicts This Huge Development Could Revolutionize Illegal Immigrant Deportations "Fox News Digital reports that the IRS and ICE are close to finalizing a deal that would let ICE submit the names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS. The agency could then cross-check their tax records and share updated address information with immigration officials." At Da Wire, New Bill Would Bar Illegal Aliens From Ever Becoming American Citizens. A good start. Da Caller, Nat Sec Watchdog Wants Trump HHS To Make Good On Records Request Biden Admin Ignored. "A new lawsuit seeks to uncover what exactly happened to the thousands of migrant children who went missing or were otherwise placed in poorly-vetted homes across the country during the Biden administration’s U.S-Mexico border crisis."

Da Fetched reports BBC Offering Employees Counselling to Help with Trump Derangement Syndrome.

OTP reports Columbia’s Interim President Quits After Caving To Trump Administration. Twitchy, Liar, Liar, Tenure’s on Fire: Columbia Prez’s Fake Antisemitism Sob Story Torches Her Cushy Gig. Chronicles reports on Spring Cleaning at Harvard. "Harvard’s purificatory rite has only just begun." The College Fix, U. Washington affirms commitment to ending antisemitism after Trump warning. Campus Reform sees Colorado State University paid Women’s March organizer Linda Sarsour $7,000 for speaking engagement. Tax endowments. Ace, Trump Plans to Drain Universities of Their Pipleline of Foreign Radical Campus Operatives By Cutting Off All Foreign Student Visas to Pro-Hamas Schools. 

Dave Strom thinks he's found The Funniest DEI Scam. Luke Rosiak@lukerosiak, "The National Diversity Council filed for bankruptcy this month after its board said its top execs stole millions of dollars, @realdailywire has learned. Dennis Kennedy, who the board accused of felony theft, is hosting Bill Clinton & Oprah next month at a for-profit conference." From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, Another Day, Another Lefty Scam Organization Exposed "The ongoing DOGE revelations prove that leftists feel absolutely no compunction about stealing money from taxpayers. Given that, and the revelations of where all those #BlackLivesMatter dollars ended up, perhaps it’s not surpirsing that more and more obviously feel no compunction about stealing from their own organizations."

A whole raft of good links are left at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 03.27.25, but it's time to move on. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.  The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: The Royals, With Cheese up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.