Flotsam and Jetsam - Special Elections, Win Some Lose Some

Yesterday, April Fools Day, special elections were held in Florida, to replace two Republican Congressmen how had bowed out to join the Trump cabinet (Matt Gaetz, of course, didn't make it), and a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, of national interest largely because another Democrat on that court could lead to redistricting and gerrymandering away Republican seats. I'm happy to report Republicans held the Florida seats, but lost the Wisconsin justice contest. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Early Election Day Musings and Hello, Wisconsin! Althouse was watching Turnout in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Stacy McCain reports Liberal Wins in Wisconsin After GOP Wins Two Florida Special Elections, "Something like $100 million has been spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court special election between liberal Susan Crawford and conservative Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive judicial election in American history." Cathy Salgado at PJM, Crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Decided. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Election Results – 2 FL Wins, Voter ID Won in WI; WI Supreme Court Seat a Likely Loss. 'Becca Downs at TownHall, Dems' Hopes Dashed in Florida's 6th Congressional District. PJM's Chris Queen had LIVE RESULTS: Special Elections in Wisconsin and Florida.

JTN's Natalia Mittelstadt reports GOP-led states remove hundreds of thousands from voter rolls, finding non-citizens had registered. "The GOP-led states of Idaho and Missouri took nearly 300,000 registrations off their voter rolls after finding inactive, ineligible, or deceased voters, in addition to duplicates and voters who moved. Non-citizens ineligible to vote under those states' laws have also been removed." Great, now find a way to do it blue and purple states. 

NewsMax hears Trump Says He Will Be 'Kind' With Tariffs as Deadline Looms. Sundance at CTH, Looks Like Wall Street and GOPe Has Picked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Attack for Tariffs They Hate. Speaking of hating tariffs, from Reason, Peter Navarro Says Tariffs Will Be a $6 Trillion Tax Increase, but Also a Tax Cut, "If true, then these tariffs would be the biggest peacetime tax increase in American history," The Hidden Politics of Whiskey Prices, "Donald Trump is determined to make everything from Canadian whiskey to Mexican avocados more expensive. Can anyone stop him?" and To Remain Canadian, Our Northern Neighbors Should Become a Little More American.

At JTN Misty Severi  Trump creates 'investment accelerator' that fast-tracks approval for investments over $1 billion, "The order creates a new office within the Department of Commerce that will speed up the approval process for investments, and encourage countries to invest in the U.S. by reducing regulatory burdens," and Kevin Killough, Trump announces plan to roll back to 2020 automobile 'environmental standards.' "Trump said his administration would "probably go back to a 2020 standard."

From NYPo, China delays $23B sale of Panama Canal ports to US-backed consortium led by BlackRock. Beege Welborn, Chinese Water Torture: CCP Blocking the Sale of the Panama Canal Ports. Cathy Salgado, Trump Delivers Deadly ‘Either/Or’ to Houthi Terrorists.

At the Pop Times, Billion-Dollar Survey? Musk’s DOGE Exposes Even More Shocking Federal Waste. LifeZette, Musk Debunks Liberal’s Fake News on Medicaid, Social Security Cuts “DOGE will make sure you get your Social Security,” Musk declared, earning loud applause from the crowd. “DOGE will make sure you get your Medicaid. There will be no cuts to legitimate payments—whatsoever.” From Fox Business, Can DOGE dent inflation? Elon Musk says yes, "Musk said he thinks DOGE's spending cuts will slow the pace of inflation, helping consumers." At NYPo the Divine Ms. Devine wants you to Meet DOGE’s patriotic Musketeers — led by Elon and the belief that America needs their expertise, now. "For starters, they look nothing like the image that has taken hold in the public imagination, driven by a story in Wired about a group of pimply teenage nerds with online nicknames like “Big Balls” running riot through government systems." Beege Welborn is DOGEing the Question: Yo, USIP - Is That a Taliban in Your Pocket or You Just Glad to See Us? AMAC, DOGE Sparks International Government Efficiency Push. From Ace, Musk: DOGE Is Now Investigating How So Many Congressmen Become "Strangely Wealthy." "He says that the US government gives billions to NGOs, who then transfer it to other NGOs, who then transfer it to other NGOs -- you know, like a criminal mafia organization laundering money through shell companies -- before that money is ultimately paid into the accounts of congressmen." At Rasmussen, Anti-Musk Message Taking Its Toll. "The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters view Musk favorably – down slightly from 48% earlier this month – including 28% with a Very Favorable impression. Fifty percent (50%) now view Musk unfavorably, including 41% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of the tech mogul tapped by President Donald Trump to lead DOGE."

At Breitbart, Man Arrested for Allegedly Tossing Nails and Screws in Driveways of Trump Supporters. Greg Price @greg_price11, "This is a completely batsh*t insane story. A lib psychopath from my hometown in Bucks County, PA has been arrested for throwing nails and screws on the driveways and under the cars of people with Trump signs. He got caught because he came to a grocery store FIVE TIMES to throw nails under the car of one of the employees because he overheard her talking about supporting Trump while shopping." Steve Huntley at John Kass, Are Democrats Whitewashing Hitler with Lame Attacks on Trump? Gorka to Newsmax: 'Tolerant Left' Burning Teslas. Da Fetched, Pam Bondi Cracks Down on Domestic Terrorism: Tesla Firebomber Faces 20 Years. "US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal charges against Cooper Frederick, 24, in the firebombing of the Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Due To Tough Economy, Professional Tesla Bomber Forced To Take Second Job As Bernie Rally Attendee."

From ET, Court Halts Trump Admin’s Move to Revoke Protected Status of Venezuelans. LifeZette, Trump Blocked by Obama-Appointed Judge Over 350K Deportations. NewsMax, US Judge Blocks Trump From Firing Federal Employees on Probation. At PJM, Matt Margolis wants you to WATCH: Sen. John Kennedy Destroys Nationwide Injunctions, so:

At WaEx, Newt Gingrich calls recent federal rulings against Trump a ‘judicial coup d’etat.’ Sundance at CTH, Former Speaker Gingrich Outlines Judicial Coup D’etat to Congress. Matt Vespa at TownHall wants you to Watch Darrell Issa Obliterate Jasmine Crockett's Self-Righteous Performance About Protecting Judges. NewsMax, Nonprofit Groups, Dems Sue Over Election Executive Order. ET, DNC, Schumer Sue Trump Over Order Targeting Illegal Immigrant Voting. They really want illegal aliens to be able to get away with voting. I wonder why? Mike Davis @mrddmia, "The Chief Justice's approach has been to incrementally move the Supreme Court to the right--but to appease the leftist media elite on high-profile cases, like ObamaCare. He believes he is protecting the Court's legitimacy, which he conflates with his reputation in outlets like the New York Times. But the Chief Justice must understand and appreciate these lawless and dangerous orders by Democrat activist judges who sabotage the duly-elected President as he is carrying out his core Article II executive duties is the breaking point for the federal judiciary's legitimacy. If the Chief Justice doesn't stop these judicial saboteurs, the federal judiciary will lose its legitimacy--which is all that it has. Will the Chief Justice side with the Constitution--or protect his DC buddy Jeb Boasberg? We will likely find out this week." 

Atop Da Hill, Trump announces $100M deal with law firm tied to Doug Emhoff, Jan. 6 House panel. ET, What to Know About Trump Admin’s Actions Against Certain Law Firms, "While one has negotiated a deal with the White House, three other firms have filed lawsuits in federal court." 

From Ace, An FBI Employee Confirmed the Authenticity of the Hunter Biden Laptop in October 2020.
The FBI Immediately Slapped a Gag Order on the Entire Matter to Keep Anyone from Repeating the Confirmation to Anyone Else. "This isn't the FBI trying to remain non-partisan. Remember, they organized a "tabletop simulation" which coached the media on how to suppress a "hypothetical" story about Hunter Biden's laptop being revealed to the public by, supposedly, Russian hackers. The FBI really set up this "hypothetical" wargame to coach the media to be prepared for this eventuality and censor the story when it came out." At Twitchy, Catherine Herridge and Michael Shellenberger Team Up to Prove the FBI Interfered In the 2020 Election. From Ars Technica, FBI raids home of prominent computer scientist who has gone incommunicado, "Indiana University quietly removes profile of tenured professor and refuses to say why." I'm going to guess Chinese espionage. At Da Caller, Conservative Org Urges Congress To Root Out Biden Officials Who ‘Ruthlessly’ Waged War On Christian Schools.

Dave Strom, The Democrats Assume That a List of Credentialed 'Experts' Is Convincing. At Da Caller, Researchers Axed Data Point Undermining ‘Narrative’ That White Doctors Are Biased Against Black Babies, cited by Justice Katanji Brown Jackson.

Misty Severi at JTN reports one less dishonest lawyer in Washington DC, as Hunter Biden agrees to give up law license in Washington DC. "The board on Tuesday recommended that the D.C. Court of Appeals, which has final say on all attorney discipline cases, accept Biden's consent to disbarment."  TownHall's Guy Benson reads a New Book: Yes, There Was a Massive Internal Cover-Up of Biden's Deterioration. At PJM VodkaPundit want to Stop the Presses: Joe Biden Had 'Frailties' Even BEFORE That Debate! andStephen Kruiser, says its a shame that Apparently It's Illegal to Tase Journalists Who Write Tell-All Books About Biden's Dementia, now that the Democrats lost. 

At Da Caller, Chuck Todd Issues ‘Warning’ To Kamala Harris About Political Future, don't run for CA Gov. Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "Turns out when you die on every 80-20 hill, you wind up at roughly 20% approval. Who could’ve known?" Quote The Patriot Oasis™@ThePatriotOasis, " #BREAKING: per CNN, Democrats in Congress now have a whopping 21% approval rating. Democrats are self-combusting." Jeff Charles at TownHall reports Sen. Cory Booker Has Been Railing Against Trump on Senate Floor for 16 Hours. Dave Strom digs into Anatomy of a Propaganda Campaign. Stephen Kruiser has Your Friendly Reminder That There Are No Grassroots Efforts on the Left. Cynical Publius at Am Great defines Grifterism: The Economic Engine of Democrats, "Democrats run an economy of 'Grifterism,' where Billionaires, Productives, and Dependents fuel a system designed to keep the ruling class in power while stifling real economic freedom."

The WSJ whines Trump Sends More Migrants to El Salvador Prison. "Bukele’s notorious maximum-security facility has become a cornerstone of the U.S. president’s deportation strategy." Stop using the euphemism "migrants" and start calling them the legal term for what they are, illegal aliens. Misty Severi, Trump administration deports more than 100,000 illegal migrants in first 70 days of second term. "The numbers are a combination of arrests and deportations by both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an ICE official told Just The News on Tuesday." Matt Margolis, The Atlantic Caught Pushing Another Anti-Trump Hoax Story. Matt Vespa, The Atlantic Got Caught Lying Again. This Time on a Deportation Fake News Sob Story. Tricia McLaughlin@TriciaOhio, "The individual in question is a member of the brutal MS-13 gang— we have intelligence reports that he is involved in human trafficking. Whether he is in El Salvador or a detention facility in the U.S., he should be locked up. Remarkable @TheAtlantic and other MSM continue to do the bidding of these vicious gangs and ignore their victims." Quote The Atlantic @TheAtlantic, "EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration has acknowledged that it grabbed a Maryland father with protected status and mistakenly deported him to El Salvador—but claims that courts are powerless to order his return, @NickMiroff reports: https://theatlantic.com/politics/archi" Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "The Atlantic: Trump deported a poor father from Maryland to an El Salvador prison! Reality: He was an MS-13 gang member. You don’t hate the media enough." Dave Strom, Deported 'Maryland Father' Was MS-13 Gang Member and Had Deportation Order. Jordan H Knight @jhk_______ "The fundamental challenge for every left-leaning managerial government in the West today is whether you can bring in migrant voters at a faster rate than your current voters turn against you." Quote "The Noticer@NoticerNews, "Australia has added 740,000 new voters in just three years." Scott Adams@ScottAdamsSays, "MSNBC is pretending this isn't their fault. All they had to do was tell the truth about The Fine People Hoax in 2020. None of this would have happened. And they know it." Quote Steve Cortes@CortesSteve, "Watch MSNBC’s Morning Joe show highlight a damning chart of the illegal immigration spike over the last four years under Joe Biden’s failed policies: “The border was not Biden’s finest moment, frankly. You can see what happened here. And Trump is not wrong when he talks about."

Bob Hog at RedState, CBS Faceplants Yet Again—Lesley Stahl Asks Freed Hamas Hostage Jaw-Dropping Question About His Captivity

Unbelievable.

Leslie Stahl looks straight into the eyes of a Hamas hostage and ask him if Hamas really intended to starve him — or whether they just didn’t happen to have that much food. pic.twitter.com/VTUUb5IEYE

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 31, 2025

Sarah at Insty, THAT WAS BACK WHEN HE WAS A RELIABLE DEM: Democrat Lawmaker Smears Journalist Matt Taibbi As ‘Serial Sexual Harasser’ During Censorship Hearing. CHASER: Matt Taibbi Lays Out Biden-Era Censorship of Conservatives on Social Media.

NewsMax, Trump Admin. Pauses $210M to Princeton Over Antisemitism. John Sexton reports Universities are Suspending Students for Justice in Palestine Chapters. 

Misty Severi again, with a report that Over a dozen Democratic lawmakers join rally in support of transgender rights on National Mall, "Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs reintroduced her legislation on Monday to formally recognize March 31 as "Trans Day of Visibility."" John Sexton believes We're About to Find Out What Gov. Newsom Really Believes About Trans Athletes.

Ace, Pete Hegseth: We're Restoring Old Combat Standards, and Will No Longer Have Different Standards for Men and Women. "Oh no anything but this. Note that the physical standards will be higher for "combat arms" MOS's (military occupational specialties), as opposed to support/technical MOS's. Will women be able to qualify for combat roles... if they meet the same standards demanded of men. We'll soon have a very large-scale study about whether it's true that there is no difference in the physical abilities of men and women, as the leftists and Trans Cultists insist." At Real Clear Defense, U.S. Naval Academy Ends Affirmative Action in Admissions.

Ace, cites Industry Analyst: Hollywood's Long String of Bombs Is Creating Negative Feedback Loop Which Will Further Depress Theater Attendance. "In other words, they're pumping out so much bad product that theaters will go bankrupt, and then Hollywood will have fewer "stores" to sell their future terrible products at."

At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 04.01.25 (Morning Edition), EBL: Winning Elections By Disqualifying Your Opponent, and Wisconsin: Vote for Brad Schimel for Supreme Court
Twitchy: WI Vote Turnout May Exceed November’s, And That’s Great News For Brad Schimel, Cory Booker Starts Yelling Like A Crazy Person on The Floor Of The Senate, and Now That The Media Doesn’t Have To Cover For Biden, The Bizarre Truth Is Coming Out, Louder With Crowder: Jasmine Crockett, new head of the Democratic Party, goes on racist rant about who a Congressional colleague is married to, “This is mind-blowing”: Elon Musk drops disturbing data on the massive social security fraud committed by non-citizens (and how), Stephen A. Smith goes scorched Earth on media’s SignalGate obsession, JD Vance GOES THERE, torches media over SignalGate after they shilled for Joe Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, and RFK Jr. is fat-shaming governors to their faces, and it’s amazing, Vox Popoli: Diversity Was Not Their Strength, A WORKING MAN Wins, The Retardery is Relentless, and Europe Gambled and Lost, CDR Salamander: No, The European Strategic Autonomy Drive Is Not Trump-Related, and Don Surber: Vance destroys anti-tariff argument.