Flotsam and Jetsam - To the Victor Goes the Spoils

Ace, catching up with the story of the seized Iranian ship, Marines Seize Iranian Ship Attempting to Breach Blockade; Trump Threatens to Blow Up Power Plants and Bridges Unless They Agree to a Deal, "That last part is becoming, sad to say, an empty threat." We shall see; today is supposed to be that last day of the 'cease fire'. PJM's Cathy Salgado thinks you should WATCH: U.S. Releases Video of Marines Seizing Iranian Ship. CNN whines that the Iran cargo ship seized by US could become ‘spoils of war’. 

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears 'Nobody's Playing Games' says Vance On Way to Islamabad As Iranians 'Posture' and Duane Patterson thinks it's Iran's Last Chance To Avoid Finding Out What's Behind Door Number B-2. News Wax cites the Economist: Iran's IRGC Hardliners Shout Down Moderates. About time for the Israelis to kill a few more. Victory Girls notes Iran Now A Military Junta As Questions About Nuclear Material Swirl. Ken Timmerman at Am Great alerts us to The Perils of a Grand Bargain with Iran, "Talk of a “grand bargain” with Iran revives a failed playbook of concessions and deception that history shows only strengthens Tehran’s regime." Sundance hosts Promethean Action Provides Perspective on Iran Conflict and Latest Intel Efforts to Disrupt Trump. Don Surber observes Obama is tired of Trump winning, but "We’re not."

Hat Hair's Dave Strom, (Not) Unexpected: Air Force Extends Life of A-10 Yet Again.

TownHall's Amy Curtis, '60 Minutes' Just Made a Pretty Big Admission About Iran. Chris Murphy @ChrisMurphyCT "awesome" Quote Ali Vaez @AliVaez "At least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypass US blockade https://lloydslist.com/LL1156966/At-least-26-Iranian-shadow-fleet-vessels-bypass-US-blockade." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, ""Go Iran!" exclaimed the United States Senator."

Ace reports an Iran-Linked Group Attacks Synogogue in the UK; Keir Starmer Refuses to Ban the IRGC in Britain, "In fairness, Keir Starmer can't even protect his own properties from arson by strangely-antagonistic gay Ukranian male model rent-boys." Hat Hair's Dave Strom, As Starmer Talks About Expanding Military, Professional Soldiers Bailing Out. Dave Manney at PJM notices Canada's Carney Tries To Redefine U.S. Ties as a Problem. Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "Chevron has now fully divested from Alberta’s oilsands. It believes investing in Venezuela is less risky than investing in Mark Carney’s Canada." Quote Bloomberg @business, "Chevron Corp. is set to expand its oil footprint in Venezuela, benefitting from its almost 20-year bet to remain in the country amid political and economic turmoil." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears French Presidential Poof de Crème Now Snubbing Polish President at Joint Summit. Daily Romania @daily_romania, "Poland's President Karol Nawrocki vetoes the implementation of the EU's Digital Services Act which aims to censor Europeans online: "A situation in which a government official decides what is permitted on the Internet is reminiscent of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell’s 1984."" Althouse finds "He wants to use his presidency not only to slash the country’s budget but to wage an ideological war and rewire the country’s mentality." "From "Javier Milei Wants to Rewire the Argentine Mind/Argentina’s right-wing president has tamed the country’s runaway inflation. Now he wants to transform its values" (NYT)." Good luck, Javier.

At the Center Square, Everyday Economics: Retail sales and housing suggest a resilient consumer. 

Beege Welborn reports Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer Resigns - One Pool Party Too Many. She's been a bad girl apparently. I wouldn't mind seeing the whole Labor Dept. vanish.

Smitty at The Other McCain, VA’s 21Apr Vote: This Dog Don’t Hunt "Somebody I know who is credentialed in the art of surveying people (pharma, for drug trials) was unimpressed by then quality of the question on the ballot tomorrow in Virginia. After feeding Spanberger’s dirty diaper into Claude..." Tom Knighton at BA details  How Spanberger Just Screwed Over Domestic Abuse Survivors. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "I appreciate the fact they're so open about. Their version of democracy involves rigging things so they never lose again. Plus persecution of the opposition. It's kind of a fascio-democracy." Quote MJTruthUltra @MJTruthUltra, "Cory Booker screams like a maniac that there is a “STORM” brewing in our nation and Democrat politicians need their “foot soldiers” to fight for democracy Democrats must never regain power." PJM's Scott Pinsker hears Democrats Fear THIS ‘October Surprise’ Will Cost Them the Senate in 2026 — and for Good Reason. A rumor that Justice Alito might resign. PJM's Chris Queen notes Jon Ossoff Rails Against Billionaire Donors — While Taking Their Money.

Capt. Ed sings Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Not One PA House Dem Will Back Fetterman Re-Election. David Marcus @BlueBoxDave, "Fetterman does not hold a single position that wasn’t mainstream in the Democratic Party in 2020. Not one. That’s how fast the party embraced Islamo-Marxism. Stunning." Quote Danny Freeman @DannyEFreeman, "Oof. "Not a single Pennsylvania House Democrat in the delegation will say Fetterman should run for reelection as a Democrat"" John Sexton claims a Pennsylvania Democrat Has a Facebook Problem. Too rational. Dave Strom worries Antisemitism Is a Core Democratic Party Belief Now and sees All the Worst People Are Defending Hezbollah. From NRO, Michigan Dems Nominate for Powerful University Post a Lawyer Who Praised Hezbollah.  Betsie Stauffer at LI, Michigan Dems Oust Jewish UM Regent, Eagerly Nominate Pro-Hezbollah Candidate, "The outlet spoke to one of Makled’s exuberant student volunteers, who said, “I want a regent who is willing to divest our endowment from a genocide.”" And speaking of anti-semites, at Da Wire, Mamdani Can’t Make Socialism Happen. So How Does He Respond? "Socialist mayor insists his faith in the movement is “stronger than ever,”" 

From NYPo, Staggering number of booze deliveries Eric Swalwell charged to campaign — including Vegas bender. Ace puts it Eric Swalwell Charged 100 Big Booze Deliveries to His Campaign, as Well as Vegas Trips. Matt Vespa at TownHall reports Bill Maher Did Not Mince Words Regarding How He Felt About Eric Swalwell. “Ask my staff: I never liked him. I don’t have good gaydar — but I got creepdar. I always thought this guy was a f*cking creep. I never liked him.” At ZeroHedge, Swalwell's good buddy, Ruben Gallego's Political Career May Be Toast. So now that Swalwell's out, why continue to pick on him? Well, he deserves it, and it's fun.

Mike Netter @nettermike, "Back in 2006, freshly divorced San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom — then a slick 38-year-old — was schtupping 19-year-old Brittanie Mountz. When the press caught wind of photos showing his teenage girlfriend guzzling alcohol at public events, Newsom kinda lost it. Cornered by a reporter, he turned red-faced, started flailing defensively, and literally stormed off like a guilty man caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His team claimed he didn’t know she was underage and swore he wasn’t feeding her booze. Sure, Gavin. Here's the video of him getting all flustered." Quote MAZE @mazemoore Replying to @mazemoorem "Gavin runs away when asked about giving his underaged GF alcohol." From Fox, California regulators kill charity fireworks for America’s 250th, sparking outrage "Local restaurants reported a 30% revenue drop on July 3 after the annual fireworks show was canceled in 2024." John Sexton thinks This Auction Was Not a Great Sign for San Francisco.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "HOLY CRAP! Trump Interior Sec. Doug Burgum just revealed he found NGOs where up to 100% PERCENT of their revenue was the federal government... ...and their CEO would make $650K a YEAR, and pay lobbyists $400K. He exposes it: "We found organizations that were receiving grants from Interior, where 80 to 100 percent of the revenue of that NGO was a grant from the federal government." "And yet those organizations, we were the sole source of their revenue, but they would have a CEO making $650,000 and four $400,000 lobbyists!" @RapidResponse47 Dems are FURIOUS the Trump admin is cracking down on this! Keep pushing!" Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "HOLY CR*P Maine Governor candidate Bobby Charles exposes “There are more than 4,500 contracts that were non-compete, sole source, given to FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF DEMOCRATS” The audit showed “$2.1 billion in questionable contracts” Democrat money laundering is INSANE “That is normalized public corruption”"  From NYPo, Powerful California official pocketed thousands from Chinese school founder at center of fraud probe.

Matt Margolis hears Kash Patel Makes Bombshell Promise: Arrests Are Coming Over 2020 Election. Sundance carries on about Spygate, Russiagate, IC Impeachment, Jack Smith Targeting and Lawfare, claims Witnesses to Potential Criminal Conduct of Former CIA Director John Brennan Receive Subpoenas, and says It Is, After All, the Department of Justice. The Unsinkable Mollie Hemingway at Da Fed has a New Release: FBI Agent Deeply Involved In Get-Trump Lawfare May Have Crossed Criminal Line. 

Brad Slager at RedState thinks The Atlantic’s Kash Patel Hit Piece Is Backfiring - Badly. Gene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy has some highlights from suit in FBI Director Kash Patel Sues Atlantic Over Friday's Article. Capt. Ed, Boom: Patel Drops $250M Defamation Bomb On The Atlantic. Matt Vespa says Oh, That's Who Wrote the Hit Piece on Kash Patel in The Atlantic? Megan Basham @megbasham, "By the way, @S_Fitzpatrick is also the reporter who wrote the throughly debunked hit piece that claimed Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh drugged women so they could be sexually abused. She has a history of writing hit pieces with either no sources on the record or completely discredited sources." Ace, Kash Patel Slaps "Reporter" With $250 Million Defamation Lawsuit. "I like the lawsuit, but, as That Guy always says, nothing's going to happen. Judges are pretty determined that only leftwingers can be defamed." Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Obama US attorney admits the DC courts are highly partisan." Quote Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance "Good luck with that D.C. jury…" Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews "FLASH: Kash Patel has filed $250 million defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic Filed here in DC."

From RCP, Justice Thomas: The Ideas of 1776 Are a Way of Life, Not Intellectual Playthings. MD Kittle at Da Fed has an Explosive Report: As Dobbs Majority Faced Death Threats, Liberal Justices Slow-Walked Release. John Sexton, Liberal Justices Slow-Walked Their Dobbs Dissents Despite Threats. Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "We may not have a suspect on the latest SCOTUS leak, but we have a clue, notes @jadler1969", Sotomayor. Matt Vespa, Wait, This Is the Case That Prompted the Supreme Court Leak? Also, We May Have a Clue Who It Is. Tim O'Brien at PJM, Justice Jackson Takes Aim at Fellow Justices, and the Results Aren’t Pretty. John Sexton, California Judge Overrules President Trump on Oil Production. "A county judge in Santa Barbara has decided that she has more power than the President of the United States to regulate American energy supplies in wartime..." KSL.com Utah leaders to probe relationship between Supreme Court justice, redistricting lawyer "The allegations originally come from Hagen's ex-husband, Tobin Hagen, who said he suspected the justice began having an inappropriate relationship with Reymann, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit over Utah's redistricting maps."

Theo Wold @RealTheoWold, "Amazon just censored a book first published in 1973 that depicts the destruction of the west through third-world mass migration. I'm sure all the people who whine about "book bans" when a school board prevents 6-year-olds from reading about gay sex will be just as upset." Quote Vauban Books @VaubanBooks "Our statement on Amazon's suppression of The Camp of the Saints in the United States:"

Buck Throckmorton at Ace's THE MORNING RANT: State of Texas Cutting off Funds to Houston after it Revives Sanctuary City Policies.

The College Fix reports Harvard investigates Republican club for filming Muslim event on campus. From the Free Bacon, Astonishingly Prolific Anti-Israel Medical Researcher Used AI to Churn Out Journal Articles, Screening Software Shows, "Harvard distances Itself from Bilal Irfan, saying 'none of the work was done as part of' Harvard master’s program." Though given the highly variable results reported, I don't see that I would trust the softward that claims to detect AI authorship. Beege Welborn is outraged about the Prayer Room and Foot Washing Stations in One MN High School Remodeling Plans