Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Flotsam and Jetsam - More of the SOS

I fail to see a signature issue in yesterday's detritus. Rasmussen reports Trump retain popularity despite the media's best efforts, The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove. Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "We need to move as if we have two years, not four, and as much of that as possible needs to happen between now and December." Quote Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC "We have less than four years to try and fix what the communists have destroyed. It’s gonna take speed and focus all four years."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, FOLLOW THE MONEY: Is This the Real Reason the Left Is Freaking Out About the Department of Education? "Sure, the Left may not trust President Trump to reassign all the department’s functions to other parts of the federal government, but this sort of restructuring hardly represents the death knell of public education. It does, however, represent a serious threat to the big national teachers unions, and those teachers unions are part of the Left’s funding apparatus." Michael Goodwin at NYPo says Cash is king at America’s lefty universities — and Trump is hitting them where it hurts/ Campus Reform reports 40% of $1.8 trillion student loans are late on payments as Trump seeks to abolish Dept. of Ed. Better than I would have thought.

Sundance at CTH grins as President Trump Announces Secondary Tariff Regime Against Nations Who Purchase Venezuelan Oil. Drew Berquist,  Trump Slaps 25% ‘Secondary Tariff’ on Countries Fueling Venezuelan Regime.  Possibly related, Ward Clark at RedState observes Venezuela Opens the Skies, Will Resume Accepting Repatriation Flights From United States. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair says Sure, No One Likes The Tariffs, But... "Have you taken a look around today at what's going on? Things are going rather well, economically-speaking. Sure, the stock market didn't like the uncertainty of the impact of tariffs at all, tanking for the better part of a month. But if one just ganders at the economic development and investment committed to begin in the United States due to the threat of tariffs, it's staggering when you start looking at all the zeros after the crooked numbers. There are going to be trillions of dollars flowing into America...trillions that would have remained working against American workers and taxpayers had the election gone a different direction last November." At Breitbart, Rolls-Royce Planning to Shift Production to United States to Avoid Trump Tariffs: Report. Am Mil News sees Canada frantically funding military amid Trump threats: Report

John Sexton at Hat Hair wonders Why Was the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg Added to a Signal Chat About Bombing Yemen? I suspect a mole. Jen O'Connell at RedState, BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Addresses Atlantic Story DOD Rapid Response @DODResponse, "@SecDef response to the @TheAtlantic article…. “You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited “so-called journalist”"

At TAG, Trump Administration Backs Away From Guns As ‘Public Health Crisis’ "In a move that should delight American gun owners, the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has removed former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 40-page advisory declaring so-called gun violence as a “public health crisis.”"

WUWT on the Left torching Teslas. "That’s right, the same folks who scolded that the world will “burn” unless the government forces every one of us to buy an EV or stop driving, are now torching the world’s best EVs with Molotov cocktails." pipermcq @pipermcq, "It’s the last play left in their playbook: 1. Lose. Bigly. 2. Complain. A lot. 3. Launch their law drones for counter-loss lawfare. 4. Lose said lawfare suits. Bigly. 5. Send goons. Blow shit up. Riot. Cause chaos. 6. Campaign on “stopping the chaos” in the midterms." Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "Just MINUTES before I joined @willcain on Fox News today, I received another call from the FBI about the swatting incident involving my family KASH AND BONGINO ARE NOT MESSING AROUND Instead of wasting resources hunting down J6 grandmas, this FBI is after REAL criminals THANK YOU Directors Patel and Bongino! This means a lot to our families." Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Steve Scalise nearly killed. Two assassination attempts on Donald Trump's life. Teslas getting firebombed as we speak. But Mark Barabak wants to make sure you know it's Trump's fault that Eric Swalwell has to have a security guard." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Imagine for a second that an organization existed that carefully and deliberately planned and executed the firebombing and destruction of a certain brand of automobiles and its dealerships, and the support infrastructure for that brand, with the purpose of such attacks being to extort others into silence and submission. Back in the day we would have considered that a criminal conspiracy (in all likelihood under RICO laws), and we would have arrested and prosecuted the leaders of that rogue, terrorist organization. Guess what? You don't have to imagine. That organization exists today and it's called the "Democrat Party."" Shadow of Ezra @ShadowofEzra, "President Trump drops a major hint that he may already know who's funding the left-wing terrorists attacking Tesla nationwide. He suggests these backers could be familiar figures—people he personally knows and the media glorifies—implying they are high-profile individuals who will face serious consequences. Attorney General Pam Bondi also announced that the DOJ will pursue the d*ath penalty for violent criminals. Everything seems to be connected." 

General Mike Flynn@GenFlynn, "This is precisely what is happening. #WeThePeople want @elon to move even faster. We want @DOGE to keep exposing and keep shutting down as much as you can and return the power back to the people and to a lesser degree, the states. The federal government has accumulated way too much power at the top and it is all done to benefit those political and corporate elites at the top of the pyramid." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the quiet part out loud. The resistance to Elon Musk’s DOGE in DC is because lobbyists want our tax money “to keep flowing into their pockets” “I am completely aligned with what Elon's doing”" @instapundit @instapundit "Several dozen people protested @elonmusk in front of the Pru in Boston today. Chant: “Elon, Elon your stock’s in trouble, we’re gonna burst your Tesla bubble “ apparently unaware of Tesla’s actual stock movement. Also lots of Ukraine flags and masks for some reason." Ace, Fire-Alarm-Pulling Ex-Congressman Jamaal Bowman Calls Elon Musk a "Thief" and "Nazi;" Musk Vows to Sue. "Sue them and discover the coordinated and paid nature of the Soros-controlled Color Revolution."

Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Bureaucrats Don't Understand the Trump-Musk Relationship, nor are they willing to try. "Enter Elon Musk, one of the few people President Trump knows who is a LOT wealthier than he is (another bonding point) and — most importantly — a man free of Swamp taint. The very idea of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was never going to work with a politician and/or bureaucrat in charge." PJM's Mat Margolis wonders Is This the Next Government Agency To Get the Axe? BATF. Good. ET reports the US Postal Service Cuts 50 Million Work Hours, Closes Facilities to Save Billions of Dollars. "The agency has been facing considerable losses over the past years, and is currently working with DOGE to improve efficiency." VodkaPundit at PJM, DOGE: IRS Still Can't Hit This 1996 Deadline, but at Least the Consultants Got Rich. Elon Musk@elonmusk, "Accurate statement" Quote Austen Allred @Austen, "The crazy thing about government spending is they’ll have 10x the number of employees that is necessary then also outsource everything for 100x what something should cost." From WUWT, EPA Internal Watchdog Peeks Under The Hood Of $7 Billion Biden Solar Program. "Some of the states that received massive checks from the Solar for All program happen to be among the least-sunny states in the U.S." Dave Strom at Hat Hair wonders about Australian Universities in Crisis Mode After US Budget Cuts? Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "HOLY CRAP Obama pretended to send USAID money to aid foreign countries but was actually funneling it to Cayman Islands to be used for “Rent-a-Riots”" So, business as usual? Maine Wire reports a Somali-American Received Millions in U.S. Taxpayer Dollars, MaineCare Funding While Claiming to Bankroll Jubaland Militia. Insty, THERE’S A LESSON HERE: "The Dumbest Investment in the World Was Better Than Owning Safe Treasurys: Argentina’s century bond defaulted but ended up a winner, an important lesson for investors. Investors who bought Argentina’s 100-year dollar bond were laughed at in 2017 for their naiveté in buying such a long bond from a serial defaulter. Sure enough, the country failed to pay after just three years. But investors who stuck with the country are having the last laugh. The bonds they were given in the default, plus the fat coupons on the original century bond, are now worth more than the original investment. Not just that: They are worth far more than if the dollars had been invested in “safe” U.S. Treasurys. The turnaround in the Argentina bonds was due to President Javier Milei taking a chain saw to the bloated Argentine state, while managing to maintain his popularity." 

From Fox, Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments in high-profile deportation suit involving Venezuelan nationals "Last week, Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador." The hearing was held, and the outcome looks dicey. Ultimately it will end up at the Supreme Court. Western Lensman @WesternLensman "DISGUSTING” — Tom Homan responds to judge saying “n*zis were given better treatment” than deported gang members: "That's ridiculous. Just another example of a radical judge saying something that's just disgusting. To compare anything to the N*zis. The Holocaust…We’re following the law...To compare that any way with N*zis is disgusting at every level." Matt Margolis, Anti-Trump Judge Makes Another Outrageous Ruling and New Dirt on Judge Boasberg Raises More Questions. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "BREAKING: Judge James Boasberg has denied the Trump administration's request to lift his order blocking the deportations of Venezuelan illegal aliens via the Alien Enemies Act. He writes that there is a "strong public interest in preventing the mistaken deportation of people based on categories they have no right to challenge." Per colleague @davidspunt, the Circuit Court may be persuaded to overturn judge Boasberg later today, and would have the right to do so." NewsMax, Judge Keeps Block on Some Venezuela Deportations. John Solomon and Jerry Dunleavy at JTN report the Judge who blocked Trump deportations took junket to event with anti-Trump speakers, sponsor, "For better or worse, judges are often themselves judged by the company they keep." Ace, Judge Who Blocked Trump's Deportations Took Junket With Anti-Trump Sponsor and Anti-Trump Speakers, "But of course he refuses to recuse himself." Elon Musk@elonmusk, "He has a villainous look to him" Quote Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "ACTIVIST JUDGE BOASBERG CLAIMED J6 DEFENDANTS DESERVED HARSHER CHARGES — CALLED FOR "NEW LAWS" TO PUNISH THEM. In a shocking 2023 speech to law students, Judge James Boasberg — who ruled over many January 6th cases — openly admitted the law wasn’t harsh enough to punish x.com/MarioNawfal/st…Show more" Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland "BREAKING: Trump Administration tells Judge in Alien Enemies Act case it will provide him no more information re the flights etc. and is exercising the State's Secret doctrine. 1/  2/ Key to Trump's argument is this point: Given Trump hasn't contested they landed and were deplaned after order issued there is no need for court to know any other details." At TownHall, Kurt Schlichter is pretty unsympathetic to The Agony of John Roberts "Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised. He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited. He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true. I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in." 

The Researcher @listen_2learn "Norm Eisen accidentally told the truth that Judge Juan Merchan was part of his Bragg lawfare team. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he messed up. I previously posted that Norm appeared to say that he was writing documents for the judge. If true, that means Norm created the Bragg case, he worked with the witness Michael Cohen, and he worked with the judge. Seems illegal to me."

Shadow of Ezra@ShadowofEzra, "New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba delivers a major update on the Jeffrey Epstein criminal case, revealing that investigators are meticulously reviewing flight logs to determine who was on the island—without making assumptions. To those demanding immediate arrests, Habba urges patience, explaining that the process requires thorough evidence review to ensure accountability is achieved properly. She vows they will handle it the right way." LifeZett reports Epstein Files Incoming: ‘FBI Working Around the Clock’ After Patel, Bongino Push

Insty, YEAH, THIS IS PRETTY ASYMMETRICRobert Barnes @barnes_law, "No BigLaw Trump firms exist." Quote PoIiMath @politicalmath, "The next time a Democrat is President, will they strip the security clearance from all the Big Law Republican firms who sue the administration x.com/hugolowell/sta…" But they might in 4 years. 


Stacy McCain is impressed that Chuck Schumer Tells the Truth? "Ed Morrissey is having a gloat about Chuck Schumer’s appearance Sunday (Best News Ever From Schumer: I'm Not Quitting) on Meet the Press, where Kristen Welker challenged him: “Leader Schumer, are you feeling pressure to step down?” To which Schumer replied. “Look, I’m not stepping down.” And this is gloat-worthy, because Schumer has become toxic with the Democratic Party’s “progressive” grassroots since he punted on his previous threat of a government shutdown. However — wow, how did this ever happen? — I feel a need to say a few words in defense of Schumer. . . " At Da Fetched, Stephen Miller Annihilates Adam Schiff on Live TV: “Everything He Stands for Is a Lie” 

Decoding Fox News @DecodingFoxNews, "Sean Hannity wanted Alan Dershowitz and Gregg Jarrett to bolster Trump's plans to try to negate Biden's pardons. They both confirmed that the use of an autopen is perfectly legal and acceptable. According to Dershowitz a presidential pardon doesn't even have to be in writing." Again, it matters who authorized the autopen. 


Nate Hochman @njhochman "The left-wing NGOs are a great fifth column in the West today. They're behind every crisis that has plagued our civilization in recent memory: Mass migration. Censorship. Riots. Urban crime. Pull back the curtain, and you'll find the same names and groups, time and time again." Quote Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt "Across the West, our civilization is threatened by a radical network of NGOs. These groups lie behind almost every crisis of our time—from mass censorship to mass migration." John Kass explains How the New York Times is Killing America. Ace, CBS Ran a Fact-Check on the Claim that Boston Is Setting Illegal Alien Child R*pists Free on $500 Bail. Their Conclusion? It's All True (But We're Going to Pretend It's False.) "Bill Melugin with some of the lowlights of Boston's Pedophile Protection Racket." Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "“Omg they can’t just ban Pharma commercials, what about free speech?!” Bitch, when’s the last time you saw a cigarette commercial?"

Deadline tried to place blame for this implosion on conservative audiences, the implication being that the movie was unfairly targeted. They looked into how the movie performed in politically red counties across the country versus blue counties, expecting to see a stark divide and lay the blame on an anti-woke sentiment; instead, an eye-opening detail emerged.Looking at past averages in those conservative-versus-liberal locations it was found that “Snow White” actually performed slightly better than historical levels in those red areas against those traditional percentages.
Family and animated movies’ ticket sales come from 63% Blue counties and 37% Red counties while their attendance stems from 60% Blue counties and 40% Red counties. That means that Snow White with 40% ticket sales and 43.5% admissions from Red county-based cinemas overindexed in such locations.
What this revealing detail means is that the studio has lost its ability to spin this as a social backlash. Disney cannot dismiss this as an intolerant reaction when its film performed below expectations with its dependable blue locations. Coupled with the diminished interest in international territories, this is a sign that the product quality was the issue. Anti-woke backlash is no longer an excuse when the avoidance by audiences was across the spectrum.

Joanne Jacob reports  DEI double take. "In The DEI Catch-22, Atlantic writer Rose Horowitch confirms what I suspected: During the Biden administration, researchers were under pressure to add language on "diversity" and "equity" to grant applications. Now, under the Trump administration, they fear DEI verbiage will doom their research funding."

At the College Fix, Some San Diego parents balk as tampon machines installed in 3rd-5th grade boys’ bathrooms "“It’s absolutely ludicrous,” said Marci Strange, chairwoman of the North San Diego County-based Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students, or TOPS."

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