Flotsam and Jetsam - With Frickin' Laser Beams

VodkaPundit at PJM says That's Right: We're Shooting Down Enemy Drones With Fricken Laser Beams. Insty says ZAP! "The US military has been deploying lasers in the Strait of Hormuz to knock out regime hardware, taking out “drones and incoming cruise missiles at a much lower cost than using more expensive kinetic weapons like missiles,” the Department of War recently confirmed. “Somewhat surprisingly, the laser weapons are operated by soldiers using reconfigured Xbox game console controllers.”" NYPo, US military spending $500M on ‘war-ready’ laser weapons — and zapping drones in Iran, along US border: experts.

Over liberal and never-Trumper objections, News Wax reports Trump Welcomes Xi With White House Tour, Gifts, Dinner. Becca Lower at RedState says Nice Try: Thursday's Trump-Xi WH Dinner Coverage Does Not Go Well for CNN, MS NOW. Althouse finds ""As a special treat in honor of President Xi and Madame Peng, I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back door." ""It’s all lit up and looks beautiful. It's one year away from completion, the new ballroom that you've heard about, and you will see something that you will really love. Presidents have been trying to get this built for 150 years that I can tell you that, tonight, if we had it, we would have had way more than a thousand people, standing room only, and this room has about 145. That's about it. So they've been looking for this for over 150 years..." He is really proud of it, so the liberals and never-Trumpers must oppose it, and tear it down if they get power. Miles Yu at the Hudson Inst explains Why We Must Prepare for the Chinese Communist Party’s Collapse. "As the Hudson Institute report “China after Communism: Preparing for a Post-CCP China” argues, the People’s Republic of China has survived many crises, but the sudden collapse of the world’s longest-ruling communist dictatorship and second-largest economy is hardly inconceivable. The international consequences would be enormous."

Back at the UN, News Wax reports how Netanyahu Slams Mamdani, Blasts Antisemitism, 'Genocide' Claim. Ace, Dozens of Muslim Delegates Walk Out as Netanyahu Addresses UN, "The BBC. Note the spin." They should all go home, then disband the UN, which has long outlived its usefulness. Open Source Intel @Osint613, "Argentine President Javier Milei: "The United Nations has become a useless organization whose entire function is to feed a caste of arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned officials. Those who claim to defend human rights have backed bloodthirsty dictatorships and regimes that stone women in the streets. They systematically voted against Israel while staying silent in the face of Islamist terrorism and the murder of Christians in Africa."" Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " WOW!! Argentina President Javier Milei just walked up to the mic at the United Nations and RIPPED THEM TO THEIR FACES ..." Chris Bray at Da Fed argues Trump’s Greenland Deal Makes The World More Secure, And Makes The Media Less Relevant Than Ever. Katie Pavlich @KatiePavlich, "Just curious if @UN_Women has noticed or feels they should say anything about this." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Women in Gaza are being traded for food, forced to marry their rapists: UN https://trib.al/kX7S2I6."

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears Carney-Val Continue: 'I Had Plans Prepared for Syrupean Elbows Up in Case Trump Attacked'. From Twitchy, DEFCON MAPLE SYRUP: Carney Prepared for a Trump Invasion, and X Has Entered the Chat. PJM's Stephen Kruise wonders if Canada's Mark Carney Didn't Get Hugged Enough at Syrup Camp. I mean, seriously, did anyone think Trump was going to attack Canada? We have issues with their government, sure, but not Iran or Venezuela level issues. Robert Chernin writes The Trump Doctrine Is America Choosing Survival Over Therapy, "Call it the Trump Doctrine. And call it what it is. This is not isolation. Isolation is a tantrum. This is not endless war. Endless war is a habit. This is America recovering the right to decide."

PJM's Charlie Martin on Iran, Siege: Nothing Happens Until It All Happens. VodkaPundit at Insty has SHOT: Endangered GOP Senate Candidates Take Sudden Turn On Iran War. Chaser: Senate Shoots Down Final War Powers Resolution Before Midterm Elections. John Sexton at Hat Hair VIP notes Sen. Fetterman Crosses Party Lines on Iran War.

From Defense News a Report: CIA warned Europe of Russian drone attack from vessels in the Mediterranean. At Am Con, Will Germany’s Chancellor Go Down? "AfD’s seemingly unstoppable rise has Friedrich Merz on the ropes." Das tut mir leid!

Semafor claims OpenAI exec is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the US working with China on AI. At Am Great, the Great Victory Davis Hanson looks at AI and the Same Old Politicized Hysteria. "America has endured decades of politicized doomsday warnings. Today’s AI panic follows a familiar script." Althouse find "This month, 27 Fields medalists — winners of mathematics’ highest honor — have signed a joint declaration stating that solving famous open problems is not, in itself, the goal.", ""Such problems are 'landmarks and lighthouses,' they write, whose deeper purpose is to guide mathematicians toward conceptual understanding and insight. Terence Tao, one of the signers... has described what’s happening as 'strip-mining' mathematics. Good problems, he argues, are like nonrenewable resources. Some of them — the smaller, easier ones — can help train the next generation of mathematicians." At PifferPilfer, AI Isn’t Outthinking Mathematicians. It’s Out-Remembering Them. "The key advantage may not be superior reasoning, but a virtually unlimited symbolic working memory."

Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "This is the winning midterm message. But the GOP at large won’t pick it up because too many of their candidates’ donors want to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor." Quote JD Vance @JDVance, "Our message to corporate America is simple: We’re not going to let you lay off American workers so you can replace them with cheap foreign labor." I&I asks Is Trump Getting The George H.W. Bush Treatment On The Economy? Of course. It's amazing that Democrats have the chutzpah to run on gas prices, since part of their long time policy objectives is to jack up gas prices. Catturd ™ @catturd2, "100% - and the doomer grifters are doing everything possible to get Democrats elected because Trump called them out and bruised their fragile, little egos." Quote Brendon Leslie @BrendonLeslie, "If you’re sitting this election out because of your weird obsession for Israel then you’re basically voting for socialism. You’re not conservative." From Reuters US Energy Secretary Wright says diesel export ban won't work, "and could push up gasoline and jet fuel prices." Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet, "I expected the Trump tariffs to be a disaster. I'm puzzled by what I'm not seeing. They don't seem to have harmed the US economy in any way I can notice with my eyeballs or in the statistics. Business activity is booming, unemployment seems to be low, household consumption is up, stock market seems to be doing fine. Is my whole model of trade and economics broken? How is he getting away with this?" It may not be broken, but it's certainly too simple. At Am Mind John Eastman calls it President Trump’s $5,000 Fiscal Test. "Suddenly, the political class discovered fiscal responsibility. Critics immediately pointed out that the federal government doesn’t have over a trillion dollars lying around. They warned that the checks would increase the deficit. They reminded us that the national debt has surpassed $40 trillion. They worried about inflation, borrowing costs, and the burden we are leaving to future generations. Those are legitimate concerns. In fact, they should have been dominating our national political debate for decades."

Latinx Adjacent Doctor PhD @TonerousHyus, "They’re calling him the most unaware white lib in human history." Quote Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias, "DC crime has fallen enough that the CVS by my house has stopped locking the locks on the cases they installed during Peak Shoplifting and it’s such a quality of life upgrade." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "And for an encore, our crazy orange president red-pilled Matthew Yglesias."

And bad news from News Wax, Butler Rally Survivor Copenhaver Dies 2 Years After Shooting. Althouse finds "Copenhaver was hit in the arm and abdomen. The wounds left him with lingering injuries, which required him to undergo surgeries..." ""... including a transection of his colon. He also suffered kidney damage as well as loss of feeling in his leg, and was required to walk with a cane. The top of Trump’s right ear was injured before the Secret Service ushered him off stage..." From "James Copenhaver, shot at Trump rally, dies two years later/The 76-year-old was called a ‘true American patriot’ by the US president. It is unclear if he died from injuries sustained in the crossfire in Pennsylvania" (London Times)."

At Campus Reform, Hasan Piker, who said America ‘deserved 9/11,’ to speak at sold-out Cornell event, and well protected, I'm sure. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed Called on Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood To 'Purge the Media and Police' Shortly Before Islamic Government Arrested Reporters for 'Insulting Islam' "El-Sayed was a vocal supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, which shares his devotion to Sharia law." Althouse find Mamdani pandering to NYC Jews, Let the children come to Mamdani. "This gets my old tag, "using children in politics."" 

Ace notes New York Times Reveals that Democrat Senate Candidate Mary Peltola Abuses Staff, Cursing Them and Calling them "F*ggots". "LOL. She explodes at her staffers and calls them "faggots" and "retards" and calls Planned Parentood harpies "BITCHES."" Well, to be fair, they are Democrats. From the Free Bacon, Left-Wing House Hopeful William Lawrence Featured Pedophile Sex Predator, Who Repeatedly Raped His 12-Year-Old Half-Sister, at His Campaign Launch Event.

Kevin Sorbo @ksorbs, "Say that again… slowly." Quote Leading Report @LeadingReport, "Kamala Harris says Republicans are cheating by removing ineligible voters from the rolls."Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree, "This is why you vote Republican. Not because they are so amazing they deserve your vote. Because the other side is insane and they will torch this country and smile while doing it." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez while speaking in Spanish: “We are going to abolish the Department of Homeland Security so our people will no longer have to live in fear.”" Matt Vespa at TownHall hears Maria Salazar, Trump's Deportation Traitor, Got a Wake Up Call From Her Constituents. Ryan King at NYPo sees Marco Rubio begins yanking visas of birth tourism enablers: ‘Sending a clear message.’ PJM's Cathy Salgado likes how DHS Ends Biden-Era Solicitation of Donations for Illegal Aliens in Custody. It takes a while to prune a big tree. From Ward Clark at RedState, Rashida Tlaib Said ICE Killed Him. Now DHS Delivers a Brutal Fact Check. Homeland Security @DHSgov, "On September 20, ICE officers attempted a stop of a vehicle registered to a known criminal illegal alien with multiple alcohol related driving offenses who is also wanted in Guatemala for a drunk and disorderly charge, during a targeted enforcement operation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As officers attempted the stop to confirm the identity of the driver, the driver of the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. In the interest of public safety, ICE officers immediately discontinued the enforcement action. A short time later, officers saw smoke nearly half a mile from the attempted stop and discovered the vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire. Officers immediately attempted to render aid and extinguish the fire until the Grand Rapids Police Department and Fire Department arrived. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by local officials. Officials also estimated that the suspect’s vehicle was traveling well over 100 miles per hour when the crash occurred. Upon further investigation the driver of the vehicle was Mario David Coronado-Juarez and not the vehicle’s registered owner. Coronado-Juarez was an illegal alien from Guatemala who was previously removed by Border Patrol from the United States in 2021. He re-entered the country, a felony, at an unknown date and location. Resisting officers and evading arrest is dangerous for our officers, illegal aliens, and the public." Quote Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, "@RepRashida ICE killed another man. His name is Mario David Coronado Juarez. Mario lived and worked in Michigan for 7 years as a construction worker, sending money home to his kids in Guatemala."Nick Plumb @PlumbNick, "Texas DPS has confirmed a technical issue caused an unknown number of voter registrations to not be processed. Civix, a company you’ve probably never heard of, received a $36M contract for the Texas Election Administration Management system, happens to be a steady employer of H-1Bs. How many of these foreigners are working on critical election infrastructure? ..."

InfantryDort @infantrydort, "BEFORE YOU BURN THE HOUSE I keep hearing people talk about civil war like it’s weather coming over the ridge. “Burn it down! Let the whole thing break! Start again in the ashes!” Reckless words from folks who still have a ballot sitting on the table. Before you speak of rifles, use the piece of paper men once crossed oceans and battlefields to earn. If you curse the Republic as dead, make damn sure you showed up while it was still breathing...." and read the rest.

Random news from the Justice system. Fred Lucas at Da Signal, reports Jack Smith Team Knew Spying on Congress ‘Might Be Unconstitutional’ but ‘Forged Ahead’: House Report "The report notes that Smith privately told Garland that members of Congress “likely have a valid Speech or Debate privilege immunizing them from compelled testimony.” However, Garland gave his “blessing” for Smith to pursue the records." Say anything you like about Mitch McConnell, but remember, he kept Merrick Garland off the Supreme Court.

DogeDesigner @cb_doge, "BREAKING: The US is seeking to join Elon Musk’s court fight over the EU’s €120 million fine on X. The Trump administration has applied to support X’s challenge, arguing that the European Commission overstepped its authority. Washington is now standing with Musk."

Buck Sexton @BuckSexton, "Unsurprising to find out the demonic "it's not her fault" jury loons were rigging the system and breaking rules while they accused the lone sane voice of doing that." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Lindsay Clancy holdout juror Michael Desronvil claims fellow jurors used cell phones during deliberations: report https://trib.al/6XJu3cL" Jonathan Turley is disturbed, From Holdout to Hunted: Kevin Reddington Seeks Phone Records and Interview with Holdout Clancy Juror. Twitchy, Ruh-Roh: MASSIVE Receipt Shows Sunny Hostin LIED About Being a Holdout Juror... Shocking, We Know. Ace, Did Sonny Hostin Lie About Being the Holdout Juror in the Butcher of Tompkins Square Park Case?

Ace wonders Did Candace Owens Take $1.75 Million from Harvey Weinstein to Defend Him and Taint the Jury Pool So That He'd Be Acquitted? "The evidence is suggestive." It's all about the Benjamins. 

Fox reports a California gunman repeatedly released before deadly rampage, fiery shootout with deputies, "Derek Spencer, 44, was killed in a Placer County deputy-involved shooting after allegedly gunning down Cheryl Macy."

Hat Hair's John Sexton, Judge Orders White House to Allow Reporters Back In, Pool Coverage Still MIA. Ace, Of Course: Liberal Judge Rushes in to Save CNN and MSNOW "Just the News:" "Real America's Voice and Just the News have been undermining this boycott by doing the pool coverage themselves." Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "Less than 48 hours ago, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said we independent media outlets could NOT handle covering President Trump with our pool cameras We set out to prove her WRONG, and we DID. Today, we covered EVERY SECOND of President Trump’s welcome ceremony for Xi. Right here on 𝕏 THE GAME HAS CHANGED! “They don’t have the resources,” @kaitlancollins said. She was proven wrong. @RealAmVoice @JackPosobiec." Quote Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "NOW: Legacy media outlets are REFUSING to cover President Trump for the American people, in solidarity with CNN They're saying independent media CANNOT replace them, claiming "we don't have the resources"" Brian Stelter @brianstelter, "Here's the latest on the White House TV pool: When Trump flew back from New York last night, Fox News was the scheduled TV pool crew. But Fox did not film the president’s arrival at Andrews since this decision remains in place: “The TV pool will not be covering events designated..." Whale Psychiatrist @k_ovfefe2, "I hate to tell you, Brian, but everything President Trump did yesterday was live streamed all over the internet just like it always is. No one watches TV. No one misses the press pool. You are extinct, you just haven't realized it yet." Stephen Kruiser sees MSM Hacks Hope They Have One More Despair PsyOp in Them This Year.

unseen1 @unseen1_unseen, "Did people forget about the southern poverty law center scandal already where the dems paid the KKK and other extremists groups?" Quote Derek @SuitablePolitic, "It's amazing to me that people think Democrats aren't paying for a guy to both sound like a stereotypical "alt-right guy" and ultimately call for Democrats to win every cycle. Fuentes isn't alone, either. Most of the Retard Right can be traced to this specific strategy." Quote Fugitive Caesar @ThomBrady5, "Nick Fuentes is secretly paid by the Democrats and it's obvious if you think about it." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "Remember, whenever you read anything in the Wall Street Journal about China, you should assume it came straight from the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda office." Quote Melissa Chen @MsMelChen, "There's a weird pattern here with China correspondent @Lingling_Wei pushing Beijing’s preferred strategic narrative in the Wall Street Journal. The sourcing looks like a CCP info op. Almost every load-bearing claim involves:..."

Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav, "The new radical leftist Prime Minister in Britain, Andy Burnham, has announced his plans to create a "Ministry of Truth" to control news media and eliminate news or opinions that the government disagrees with." TNP, UK Govt Announces New ‘Ministry of Truth’ to Tackle Alleged Disinformation. Dave Strom says In 90 Seconds You Can Watch the 'Russian Disinformation' Excuse for Speech Controls Collapse. Beege Welborn is amused that Rather Than Have a Home Boiler, Labour Is Proposing to Barge in Hot Water to Heat British Homes.

Gad Saad @GadSaad, "The West: Why did you commit the terror attack? Terrorist: My religion dictates it. The West: So climate change? Terrorist: No, my religion. The West: So beard bullying? Terrorist: No, my religion. The West: So, violent video games then? Terrorist: No, my religion. The West: So, American imperialism then? Terrorist: No, my religion. The West: So the Zionist entity forced you to defend yourself? Terrorist: FFS, it's MY RELIGION. Conclusion from the West: Terror attacks stem from a confluence of paleo-botanical-sociocultural-ethnopolitical forces that requires a nuanced analysis. What is absolutely clear though is that this has nothing to do with religion." ZitoSalena @ZitoSalena, "Evangelicals, Catholics and Baptists whose support for the Jewish people is rooted in distinct theological frameworks, historical developments & biblical interpretations. Also normal people who had a decent high school education." Quote Bennett Arron @BennettArron, "Does anyone, apart from Jews, actually care that antisemitism is off the scale?" Jonathan Tobin at JNS argues Confronting Jew-haters is more important than worrying about cancel culture.

Richard McGough Bible Wheel @RichardAMcGough, "Ah yes, the awesome Roland Fryer, the man Claudine Gay tried to destroy after he debunked some DEI dogmas she held so dear." Quote Steve McGuire @sfmcguire79, "“Do you believe in karma?” “I hear it’s a motherf*cker.” Roland Fryer in response to @bariweiss when she asks him about Claudine Gay." But, as Dave Strom warns We Overestimate the Progress Made in Stamping Out Wokeness.