Flotsam and Jetsam - Pelosi Calls it Quits

Today's scraps from the wrack line are a bit dated. Given the long day on the water yesterday, and just general fatigue as a result, I was less that scrupulous in my article collection. I made a little attempt to get caught up, but I fear some of it may be a little stale. Just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to warm it up.

Nancy Pelosi announced her impending retirement from Congress, saying she will not run in 2026. At Hat Hair, in a video, Larry thinks Pelosi Retirement Breaks Democrats: Power Slips Through Jeffries' Fingers and Capt. Ed calls it Irony: Pelosi Checks Out While Trump Triumphs. Driscoll at Insty, NANCY PELOSI CONFIRMS RETIREMENT: Woman Who Made Millions in Congress Is Finally Leaving It. From Althouse, The gerontocracy crumbles, "Now that Election Day is over, it's time for that sort of thing. More, please," and "Nancy Pelosi, the old and broken political hack who Impeached me twice and lost, is finally calling it 'quits.'" ""She illegally made a fortune in the Stock Market, ripped off the American Public, and was a disaster for America. I’m glad to see the stench of Nancy Pelosi go!!!" Wrote Trump, about Pelosi, an hour ago, at Truth Social. I like how he didn't put anything sexist in there." TownHall's Matt Vespa, Trump's Response to Nancy Pelosi's Retirement Was Hilarious. Ace, Granny Rictus McBotoxImplants, Who Boomers Know as "Nancy Pelosi," Finally Retires.

Hat Hair's Duane Patterson looks at Mamdani Madness, 36 Hours Later. From the Free Bacon, 'Socialism Is Not a Dirty Word Anymore': Zohran Mamdani's Victory Emboldens the Far Left. Capt. Ed calls it Mamdanageddon: Party of New Dem-Endorsed Mayor Demands BDS, Arrest of Israelis. Twitchy, So It BEGINS: Check Out List of Anti-Israel DEMANDS Dem Socialists of America Just Handed Mamdani. Collin Rugg @CollinRugg, "Charlie Kirk described the rise of Zohran Mamdani as a "distress signal" from Gen Z. "Most people are missing the point of really what this is..." "This is yet another distress signal by young people to say, 'Hey, if you're not going to fix our life economically, we're going to get very radical politically . . .'" Jawwwn @jawwwn_, "Palantir CEO Alex Karp on Zohran Mandani: “The average Ivy League grad voting for this mayor is annoyed their education is not that valuable, and that the person who knows how to drill for oil has a more valuable profession” “I think that annoys the fuck out of these people.”" From Twitchy, Ron DeSantis Has the BEST Solution for Police Officers Who Want No Part of Mamdani's New York. Ron DeSantis @RonDeSantis, "The $5k recruitment bonus we give to new officers will be utilized by a number of these NYPD officers. There is no reason to risk your life serving when the mayor hates you and believes your department shouldn’t even exist." Quote Zeek Arkham @ZeekArkham, "Just about every NYPD cop I’ve spoken to has told me they’re putting their papers in to leave. They’re not about to stay in a city where the mayor, and the people who elected him, openly hates them. It’s cool, though… when you’re getting assaulted, robbed, or raped, a social worker or “violence interrupter” is going to show up and make everything alright. Elections have consequences and you’re about to get a major consequence."

At PJM, Mike Cantrell sees James Carville Gloat About Dem Election Victories, Says 'Convicted Pedophile' Could Beat GOP, Athena Thorne says Chill Out, Everyone — There Was a Nearly Identical Anti-Trump Reaction in 2017 and Stephen Kruiser thinks the Virginia Election Results Prove DOGE Has a LOT More Work to Do. Capt. Ed hears a Liberal Analyst Warns Dems: So What? Big Deal. From Shipwreckedcrew, The Chicken Littles Of Conservative Media Appear After Two Blue State Elections, "2025 Was Not 2021 And That Explains The Results." Mark Tapscott at Insty says WHY BE SURPRISED BY DEMS TDS TANTRUM? "The always brutally frank guys at Issues & Insights (I&I) contend nobody should be surprised that blue majorities in NYC, New Jersey and Virginia turned out en masse to protest Trump."

Matt Margolis thinks Obama’s Shocking Admission Changes Everything About the Democratic Party "He celebrated that "progressives rise up," noting this serves as a "valuable reminder that the American populace is indeed paying attention." The message was clear: the radical left is the future of the party, and key to the Democrats’ long-term strategy." From Da Signal, AOC Poised to Become Democrats’ Trump in ’28? John Sexton at Hat Hair outs Elizabeth Warren as a Brazen Liar, nothing we didn't already know. Wokal Distance @wokal_distance, "You guys put every single person to the right of Bernie Sanders in a single bucket labelled "Nazi," so you don't get to complain if we don't split hairs between Communism and Socialism." Quote Ellen Barkin @EllenBarkin, "For fuck’s sake, will you please learn the difference between socialism and communism. Look up or shut up." 

A stale bit from Dave Strom at Hat Hair, but it bear repeating, Illegal Alien(?) Elected Mayor of Saint Paul, and Mayor of Kansas Town Noncitizen Who Has Been Voting and WJ, Kansas Mayor Charged with Election Fraud a Day After Winning Reelection: 'He Is Not a United States Citizen.'

Sauron's Eye whines Government shutdown prompts FAA to float flight cancellations as Senate talks continue. WaEx's Byron York on Fighting the government-closing Democratic filibuster. From Althouse, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson empowers Trump to continue withholding food money. "The NYT reports: "Supreme Court Temporarily Allows Trump to Curtail Food Stamp Funding/The temporary ruling by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, blocking a lower court order to fully fund the aid, added to the uncertainty around the nation’s largest anti-hunger program." See? It's not all about empathy." Amy Curtis at TownHall, Supreme Court Issues Emergency Order Temporarily Blocking Full SNAP Payments.

Ace, Trump Strikes Deal With Big Pharma to Reduce *American* Prices for Weight Loss Drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, "Well, with all of the angst about the economy and Trump spending too much focus on foreign policy, I guess this is helpful. Supposedly, the price would drop, eventually, to $245 per month for those paying cash. We'll see." From Da Signal, DC Crime-Fighting Task Force Boasts 60% Decrease in Murder After Trump Crackdown.

At TWZ, Moscow Just Gave Venezuela Air Defenses, Not Ruling Out Strike Missiles: Russian Official. WSJ opines on Trump’s New World Order "If you think he’s an isolationist, you’re wrong. He aims to reshape the globe."

Notoriously Trump-hating NRO conflicted when Supreme Court Reinstates Trump Admin Requirement That Passports Reflect Biological Sex. John Sexton, Supreme Court Says Trump Administration Can End Gender Self ID on Passports. Althouse finds "As for the Government’s suggestion that the President is harmed by not being able to impose a uniform definition of sex across various regulatory schemes..." ""... that assertion is just another species of the far-fetched contention that the President must be injured whenever he is prevented from doing as he wishes.... The Government also fails to explain why it needs a uniform definition of sex, much less why such a uniform definition needs to be imposed now such that it cannot await the outcome of this litigation...." Writes Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — joined by Justices Kagan and Sotomayor — dissenting in Trump v. Orr, which granted a stay of a district court’s preliminary injunction against a new Executive Branch policy that required all new passports to show the individual's "biological sex" (AKA "sex assigned at birth")." Capt. Ed says Wow: 2nd Circuit Rebukes Lower Court For Denying Review of Bragg Case On Trump. Scott McClallen at TownHall, sees a Federal Judge Blocks Trump From Sending Troops to Portland. Shipwreckedcrew, Ninth Circuit Takes A Step Towards "En Banc" Review of National Guard Cases From California and Oregon "Setting aside a Court Rule, it stays Panel Opinion on a TRO issued by Portland Judge, and suggests en banc vote will be complete by Tuesday of next week."

From Twitchy, Blowing UP (in the DOJ's Face)?! --> Journo STUNS Glenn Beck by Sharing J6 Pipe-Bomb Suspect BOMBSHELL. TheBlaze @theblaze, "'She's one of us!' Steve Baker stuns Glenn Beck with bombshell revelation about J6 pipe-bomb suspect http://dlvr.it/TP5VWs" Savannah Insights @BasedSavannah, "Karlin Younger who “found the pipe bombs” is 5’7 and is “one of us” just saying. She might be her." Ace, The Blaze: We've Identified the J6 Pipe Bomber and It's a Government Worker at a Three-Letter Agency. If true, and it's a long way from settled, the question then becomes did she do it for her agency, or for herself.

Undead FOIA reports 30 Russiagate Subpoenas Issued "Reporting came out yesterday from JustTheNews and FoxNews that confirms a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has issued up to 30 subpoenas to investigate Russiagate." The redoubtable Julie Kelly has hopes; Is John Brennan Next? "Given his public antics and reports of an accelerating investigation, John Brennan appears next on DOJ's hit list of former government officials who abused their power and lied about it to get Trump." From Ace, Jeffrey Epstein's Former Cellmate Alleges: James Comey's Daughter, Federal Prosecutor Maureen Comey, Said That I Could Walk Free If I Falsely Claimed That Epstein Implicated Trump in His Pedo Schemes, "Allegedly, per this admittedly-convicted criminal, James Comey's nasty, ugly daughter promised that he would skate if he could make any allegation against Trump. She further said, allegedly, that it did not matter if he could provide evidence that the allegation was true. All that mattered was that Trump would be unable to disprove it." From Am Con, The Federal Government Is Still Spying on You. "Senator Chuck Grassley’s disclosure of “Arctic Frost” documents shows that federal surveillance on American citizens is as bad as ever."

Tim O'Brien at PJM, He Put an Elderly Pro-Lifer in the Hospital and Got No Prison Time. Will Trump’s DOJ Intervene? "In that June bench trial, Judge Yvette Bryant decided to acquit Brice of the first-degree assault charges. She based her ruling on the premise that it was elderly Crosby who “provoked” Brice by trying to intervene and stop Brice from attacking 80-year-old Schaefer."

'Man Found Guilty of Beating Pro-Lifers Outside Baltimore Abortion Clinic' "Patrick Brice, 28, was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for attacking Richard Schaefer and Mark Crosby, who were ages 84 and 73." https://t.co/DheseUEFHs

— WhatHappened.com (@JohnBla27209136) February 8, 2025

Sundance at CTH reports Federal Officials Bust Two Mississippi Sheriffs and 16 Law Enforcement Officers Running Drugs for Mexican Cartel "Apparently, what tipped off the feds was several arrested criminals complaining to state and federal law enforcement that local police were demanding bribes they could not afford. The Mexican drug cartels were paying up to $30,000 to the individual officers, sheriffs and police chiefs’ and the local criminals could not compete with that scale of bribery demand."

Mediaite, Katie Couric Admits She’s No Longer ‘Trying to Be Impartial’ About Trump. No longer? Spiked on Jennifer Welch and the rise of the unhinged podcast moms, "The success of this bullying, foul-mouthed ‘commentator’ speaks to a sickness on the contemporary American left." Ace, "We Must Stop Fighting, We Cannot Divide the Right*" * "Except for Tucker Carlson Who Is Allowed to Continue #Cancelling All Jewish Republicans He Doesn't Like." "David Strom has a good piece: How can the Tucker Apologists claim that we mustn't attack Tucker Carlson for his, erm, evolution, while his entire show consists of relentlessly attacking Republicans himself? Is it just some Republicans -- and anti-Republican, anti-MAGA Nazis -- who are afforded this Identitarian Privilege?" Ace expands into a twitter thread, The Reaping Phase @AceofSpadesHQ, "A thread: "Cancellation" versus "Just normal politics" A few years back, when people started really getting animated about cancelling cancel culture, people began suggesting that pumping out dirt about a political opponent during a campaign might be like "cancellation."" Hollywood in Toto sees Colbert Just Nuked Left’s Late-Night Trump Theory. "Far-left host stuns by telling truth about 'The Late Show's' fate." "He knows President Trump didn’t force CBS to abandon late night. The numbers did. Late-night TV revenue has collapsed. The format is likely not sustainable moving forward. It’s a relic of another era, like variety shows and “Must-See TV.”"

From Campus Reform, University of South Carolina removes gender and pronoun menus from application after contact by US representative. "The University of South Carolina was recently exposed for including gender and pronoun menus on its admissions application despite a Trump executive order. The school removed the menus after being contacted by US Rep. Nancy Mace, but blamed the inclusion on a third-party contractor."

BREAKING: New Hampshire’s first transgender elected Rep. Stacie Laughton, pleaded guilty to child exploitation charges.

He reportly asked his partner who worked in a daycare to send him nude photos of kids.

Eric Swalwell campaigned with him. pic.twitter.com/5EQFxuNMTQ

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 7, 2025

Lots of links left at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 11.06.25, In The Mailbox: 10.06.25 (Evening Edition), and In The Mailbox: 11.07.25, but it's time to finish. Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: In Like A Lion up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - LA Fires Rage On

About 1 more inch of fine white powder fell late last night here. Meanwhile, my home town, Los Angeles, continues to burn under the negligent rule of Democrats. LA Times, State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded. John Sexton at Hat Hair, Pacific Palisade Reservoir Was Empty When Fire Broke Out, Fire Chief Says City Failed. Across da pond at Da Mail, LA's $750k-a-year water chief Janisse Quiñones 'knew about empty reservoir and broken hydrants' months before fires. Brandon Morse at RedState, Joe Rogan Reveals California Officials Knew of LA's Fire Risks Back in July of 2024, and They Did Nothing. "A video is now going around X featuring Joe Rogan speaking about a firefighter who warned him that if the conditions were right, LA would go up in flames and there would be absolutely nothing anyone could do about it." Matt Vespa at TownHall, Latest Update on LA's Political Leadership Leads to a Very Serious Question Regarding the Wildfires, while Bass was in Africa, deputy Mayor had been relieved of duty due to FBI investigation into a bomb threat he allegedly made. So who was in charge? Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Bass Demanded $49M in Additional LAFD Cuts One Week Before Wildfires. Ace, Karen Bass Slashed $17 Million from LA's Firefighting Budget, With the Monies Cut Mostly from Fire Prevention. Here's What Angelinos Got In Return. "They used that money to pay for "gay men's choruses" and "trans cafes." I'm sure you're all shocked. Stunned, even!" Insty, UNDER THE BUS WITH YOU: LA Fire Chief is dismissed by Mayor Karen Bass after lashing out over department cuts as deadly blazes devastate city. "Of course, now she has no incentive to keep quiet. . . UPDATE: Hmm: Josh Haskell@abc7JoshHaskell "NEW: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ office says the @MailOnline report that “LA Mayor Karen Bass dismisses fire chief Kristin Crowley” is FALSE @ABC7." Da Mail, Chaos as LA Fire Chief 'called in to be fired by Mayor'... but says she is still in her job. Beege Welborn at TownHall, BREAKING: LA Mayor FIRES Fire Chief...or Did She?. Vicky Taft at PJM, Don't Be a B-A** Like Karen. 

TYPICAL

Dan Greenfield at Front Page notes The LAFD is Run by Three Lesbians Named ‘Kirsten’. "The LA Fire Department went woke. Now LA is on fire." Jim Treacher, California Dreamin' Meets Reality "Thanks, Gavin." At the Freep, Paradise Lost. "The burning of L.A. is not just a natural disaster. It’s a man-made catastrophe." Rusty Weiss at RedState, CA Dem Becomes Sputtering Mess When Asked Why Assembly Is Holding Special Session on Trump As Fires Rage. At the NYPo, Ron DeSantis argues Gavin Newsom would have been ‘nailed to the wall’ over LA fires if he was a Republican. Stephen L. Miller@redsteeze, ""We must stop people from saying negative things about how we are handling the response to these mismanaged fires" sums up the last 4 years of Democratic Party policy perfectly.", Quote Conservative War Machine@WarMachineRR, "California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom whines about “misinformation” and “disinformation” during his discussion with Biden on the wildfires: “We got to deal with this misinformation.”

Beege Welborn observes An Awful Lot of 'He Did It/Wasn't Me' Going Around California Right Now. Vodka Pundit at Insty, DIRECTIVE 10-289: Eytan Wallace@EytanWallace "BREAKING: California Insurance Commissioner @RicardoLara4CA has issued a mandatory one-year moratorium that will prohibit insurance companies from enacting non-renewals and cancellations of coverage for home owners within the perimeters or adjoining ZIP Codes of the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County regardless of whether they suffered a loss. The moratorium will expire on Jan. 7, 2026." and notes "Insurance companies were already pulling out of California." Bob Hoge at RedState hears Insurance Industry Claps Back at Kamala's Wildfire Claims—'False, Wrong and Dangerous'. "Many insurance companies have canceled insurance for a lot of the families who have been affected and will be affected, which is only going to delay or place an added burden on their ability to recover." . . . "He added, "So the implication that people who have insurance coverage effective on January 7th are being canceled — just to leave that impression with people and to create that fear — is irresponsible, in my view." Insurers won't insure if they can't make money. Stacy McCain, Hollywood Getting Red-Pilled? If this doesn't do it, nothing can.

Hat Hair, NC and Hawaii Weeps: POTATUS Pledges to Cover 100% of LA Tab for 6 Months. Emily Zanotti@emzanotti "The Biden Administration has now promised to cover 100% of recovery costs for Los Angeles for six months. But they gave 3500 homeless Appalachian families another 24 hours before they kick them out into a winter storm so it’s fine." Quote FEMA Region 4@femaregion4, "#NorthCarolina: Due to the incoming winter storm we are extending our Transitional Sheltering Program stays for 24 hours to those households who are scheduled to check out of their hotels/motels Jan. 11. If you STILL need assistance with housing, call 1 (800) 621-3362." Dave Strom, Remember Hurricane Helene? People Are Still Suffering But Elites Care Not At All. Also Twitchy, Bureaucracy Kills: CA Requires Inspection for Out-of-State Firetrucks Before They Can Help Los Angeles.  

At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.09.25, Twitchy: DEI Literally Dangerous! Jemele Hill Throws Hissy Fit At Matt Walsh For Noticing The Obvious About LAFD, and “You Can’t Fight Fires With Platitudes, Pronouns, & Politics”, Louder With Crowder, Mayor Karen Bass goes silent when grilled over her policies causing LA to burn down and The warning a fireman gave Joe Rogan of how bad Los Angeles could get is eerily accurate, Vox Popoli: Gomorrah Burns, L’Ombre de L’Olivier: Firefighting By Kristen, Behind The Black: JPL shuts down due to threat from California fires, DeSantis: Put NASA headquarters in Florida, The new conservatives who have been mugged by a wildfire, The Lid: L.A.’s Fire Hazard Mayor Who was in Africa when Wildfires Hit Caught in Embarrassing Social Media Attack, Legal Insurrection: Five Fires in Los Angeles Leave Five Dead, Thousands of Homes Burned, Democrats Reach the ‘Republicans Pounce’ Phase of LA Wildfire Story, Victory Girls: Are Bass And Newsom Watching Their Political Careers Burn?, The Federalist: Here Are All The Ways DEI-Crazed Officials Made The LA Fire More Deadly, If Karen Bass Isn’t Recalled, Prosecuted, Or Forced To Resign, Democracy Is Wasted On L.A.

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.10.25, EBL, Joe Biden tells Kamala Harris to “Fire Away” during press conference, Twitchy: Biden Gives LA A Blank Check While FEMA Leaves WNC Out In The Cold, Newscum Asks Biden To Crap On The 1st Amendment To Cover Up His Failure, and LAPD Says Not Enough Probable Cause For Arson Suspect Residents Say Was Starting Fires, Louder With Crowder: Meet LA’s assistant fire chief, who says in an OFFICAL VIDEO it’s your husband’s fault if he needs to be saved by her, Angry citizen demands answers from Gavin Newsom, so he pulls this pathetic move, American Greatness: Man Seen Starting Fires With Blow Torch in LA County Not Charged With Arson, Biden Sends Another $500 Million to Ukraine Ahead of Trump Inauguration, Chicago Boyz: The LA Fires and the CA Coastal Commission, The Geller Report: Photo of One of the Los Angeles Wildfires Arsonists, Hollywood In Toto: What Celebrity Will Be Red-Pilled Next?, Legal Insurrection, Los Angeles Fires: Arson Suspect Arrested Near Kenneth Fire, Newsom Complains About ‘Disinformation’ as Wildfires Destroy Los Angeles Area, This Ain’t Hell, Barbra Streisand blames climate change for Santa Ana winds, Victory Girls: California is Burning: Nero Newsom and the Amen Corner Media, Watts Up With That, Did the LA Fire Disaster Have to Happen?, The Federalist, While California Burns Gavin Newsom Begs Biden To Silence ‘Disinformation’, California’s DEI-Obsessed Anarchotyrants Threw Money At Everything But Water And Firefighters.

Althouse, "I was doing the Rogan podcast and I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighborhood was on fire." ""So I thought, I wonder if my place is still there. When I got home, sure enough, it wasn't there ... The vehicles were gone, everything. It was completely toasted. I've never seen such a complete burn. It's like someone did it on purpose to really destroy every aspect of it." Said Mel Gibson..."

Da Caller, Biden Extends Deportation Protection To Hundreds Of Thousands In Final Days Of Administration. "The Biden administration announced on Friday it will provide protections to hundreds of thousands of El Salvadoran nationals living in the United States, citing stormy weather and heavy rain that took place in the country." Hat Hair's John Sexton sees Migrants Racing Against Time to Become the Last Person Let Into the Country by Joe Biden. At ET, Texas Lawmakers Double Down on Bills to Secure Its Border With Mexico. The Free Bacon acknowledges a Huge Bipartisan Majority Able To Overcome Far-Left Filibuster on Laken Riley Act. Matt Margolis at PJM, Laken Riley Act Advances With Decisive 84-9 Vote — but Don't Celebrate Just Yet.

At NYPo, Democrat super-lawyer behind Steele dossier slaps employees with unexpected blow: ‘He’s frankly an a–hole’

Star News, Senate Dems Delay Tulsi Gabbard Nomination. Beege Welborn, Grappling Over Gabbard. Sundance at CTH is concerned that Tulsi Gabbard Now Supports FISA-702 In Order to Get Confirmed as Director of National Intelligence. Insty cites Al, WHEN A BOOK, “100 AUTHORS AGAINST EINSTEIN” WAS PUBLISHED, ALBERT EINSTEIN SAID, “IF I WERE WRONG THEY WOULD ONLY NEED ONE.” 17,000 doctors call RFK Jr. ‘actively dangerous’ to national healthcare.

Paul Bedard at WaEx thinks a Tie in Virginia governor’s race sees Spanberger up one point over Earle-Sears. If Democrats don't vote for Sears, it's because they hate Black women. 

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears CNN Lament Trump's 'Extraordinary Victory': In Like a Lion, Out Like ... A President' and Senate Dem: Resistance Is Futile? At WaEx, Trump prepares 100 executive orders to enact once in office. There's a lot of damage to be undone. Insty, RICHARD FERNANDEZ: wretchardthecat@wretchardthecat "President Vladimir Putin saying any U.S. move to claim Greenland would legitimize Russia’s own expansionist aims and ambitions to restore former Soviet territories, such as the Baltics, to its own sphere of influence and power." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Looked at the other way Putin is being paid back in his own coin. Greenland is Trump's countermove to Russia’s own expansionist aims and ambitions to restore former Soviet territories, such as the Baltics, to its own sphere of influence and power." At Unherd, Trump’s return to the Monroe Doctrine. "His sabre-rattling betrays a new foreign strategy." Steve Sherman at TownHall thinks Trump Should Fix Biden's US Steel Mistake. Rusty Weiss hears Trump Spills the Beans on THAT Viral Moment With Obama at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral: ‘We Just Got Along’. 

Da Caller on The Anniversary Of January 6 And Our Two-Tiered System. At Althouse yesterday, The Trump sentencing is in progress, with Trump participating remotely. Fox, Donald Trump sentenced with no penalty in New York criminal trial, as judge wishes him 'Godspeed' in 2nd term. Sundance, President Trump Receives Sentence of “Unconditional Discharge” Simply so Democrats Can Have a “Convicted Felon President” Narrative. Ace, Criminal Judge Merchan "Sentences" Trump to "Unconditional Discharge." "He made sure he got Trump sentenced so that the left's goal of calling him a "convicted felon" would be achieve. Jonathan Turley@JonathanTurley, "The conviction should be overturned on appeal. However, the most lasting judgment will be against the New York court system itself in allowing this travesty of justice to occur." and, With the Trump Sentencing, the Verdict is in . . . for the New York Legal System and at NYPo, Judge Merchan tries to defend himself after Trump sentencing — but he and Bragg are responsible for this monster. "Merchan knows that there is a fair chance this monstrosity will finally die on appeal, and he was making the case for his own conduct." Pop Times, Trump Blasts Hush Money Trial as “Embarrassment to New York” After Receiving Unconditional Discharge. At OTP, Trump On Today’s Felony Sentencing: ‘They Can Have Fun With Their Political Opponent.’ 

Misty Severi at JTN reports Federal Appeals court allows Justice Department to release Jack Smith report, "Garland has said he will not release the part of the two-volume report that centers on the classified documents case." Trump should appeal to the Supreme Court based on the argument that Smith was illegally appointed. 

Dave Strom at Hat Hair celebrates Zuck Spilling the Beans on Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan Experience #2255 - Mark Zuckerberg Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Mark Zuckerberg Exposes Alarming Details About Biden Admin's Social Media Influence "“Basically, these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse," Zuckerberg said. "It just got to this point where we were like, 'No, we're not gonna, we're not gonna take down things that are true. That's ridiculous.’" Althouse, Mark Zuckerberg talks to Joe Rogan about his dissatisfaction with the "neutered" corporate world. NYPo, Biden officials ‘screamed’ and ‘cursed’ at Meta execs to take down vaccine posts, Mark Zuckerberg tells Joe Rogan. Insty, I DO BELIEVE HE’S FALLEN UNDER ELON’S INFLUENCE: Zuckerberg does Rogan. "Alternatively, all the sociopolitical data he has from Meta has shown him which way the wind is blowing, and how hard it’s likely to blow. Either is fine with me." Robby Starbuck@robbystarbuck "Massive news: Meta is ending DEI. Only days after @finkd promised to end biased fact checks, now his company is ending DEI. I warned Meta in October that they were one of my DEI targets for 2025. . . ." Ace, Meta (FaceBook) Announces End of DEI Programs. "A surprise but a welcome one, to be sure. Axios is very upset by this and they say it's just Zuckerberg positioning himself to be friendlier to Trump. The thought that DEI programs are wasteful and illegal and racist and also lead to a bad workforce never, ever crosses their minds, not for a single moment." At Twitchy, Tyrannical Little Commissar: Rep. Dan Goldman Says First Amendment Doesn't Allow Free Speech on Facebook. Greg Lukianoff and Adam Goldstein at the Eternally Radical Idea, METACOMMENTARY: Why Meta’s move to community notes is good.

Dave Strom sees UK Targeting Elon Musk Again: "Risk to Britain." Insty, WITH TODAY’S MEDIA AND POLITICAL ELITES, THERE’S ALWAYS THE CHANCE THAT THEY’RE COMPLICIT. Winston Marshall@MrWinMarshall, "Shame on you @NewYorker The question is not why does
@elonmusk care about *on going* industrial scale rape and torture gangs in Britain. The question is - why don’t you?" Quote The New Yorker@NewYorker, "Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has become fixated on child sexual exploitation in deindustrialized English towns—much of which took place more than a decade ago. What is he after? http://nyer.cm/22KsiBh"

From WokeSpy, McDonald’s Becomes First Corporation In 2025 To Revoke Woke DEI Policies. Beege Welborn sees DEI Dying - Amazon Next Off the Boat. 

Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby "BREAKING: Columbia University law professor, Katherine Franke, has left Columbia after an investigation found that she had discriminated against Jewish and Israeli students. In the complaint, it was found that Franke repeatedly violated Columbia’s anti-discrimination policy."

There are still lots of uncited articles at  the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.09.25 and the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.10.25. 

Linked at the Pirate's Cove at the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.  The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Reds Menace up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Repubs Rebel and Kill Crappy CR

As usual, government spending power is due to run out soon around Christmas/New Years time, requiring the Congress to give it more authorization. I'm so old I can remember when the Congress actually put forth budgets, that were agreed by both houses and signed by the President, but since the Bush II administration, Congress has budgeted by crisis, fighting over last minute Continuing Resolutions just packed with crap, punctuated by occasional short 'government shutdowns' as Congress failed to agree. This year is no different, except the with the incoming Trump administration, and the DOGE brothers, the Republicans in the House appear to have rejected the proposed CR that was foisted on them by the leadership. While keeping the government afloat in cash, and providing more disaster relief to Hurricane Helene victims, the new CR had lots of unpleasant stuff. But don't just take my word for it, let Hat Hair's Beege Welborn fill you in on the details, Crib Notes Version of 'Why I Hate the CR' aka 'Shut It Down'. Not the Bee @Not_the_Bee, "Mammoth spending bill has clause that would let Congress block subpoenas for House data, "potentially preventing any investigation into the J6 Committee."" Ace, Hero of Conservatives Speaker Mike Johnson Agreed with Democrats to Re-Authorize the Leftwing State Department's Censorship Program. At OTP, ‘Call Their Bluff’ "Trump, Vance Blast Budget Bill. " Stephen Kruiser at PJM, Congress Wants Taxpayers to Pick Up More Soap in the Prison Shower and Mike Johnson Finds Out That the New Trump Order Has Taken Effect.  Insty, DING DONG: Scalise confirms spending deal is ‘dead’ after mass GOP revolt. “House Republican leaders have pulled a three-month government funding package from consideration amid mounting opposition from President-elect Donald Trump and members of the GOP conference. It’s unclear what a new deal to fund the government ahead of the Friday night shutdown deadline will look like, but Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters on Wednesday night the deal was “dead” and that lawmakers were “looking at a number of options” as a path forward.” and some relevant TweetsXs. Kurt Schlichter@KurtSchlichter, "Yes, you are absolutely correct. Great analysis. Wait a minute, you think this is a bad thing don’t you?, Quote, Jeff Stein @JStein_WaPo "Seems like total surrender to Musk and Ramaswamy here. Just a very clear signal - even before Trump takes office - that if any Rs try to stand in their way they will get rolled." TheFOO @PolitiBunny "Hard to imagine anything more heartless than bureaucrats holding disaster relief funding hostage so they can give themselves a raise on the backs of struggling Americans. Absolutely outrageous this is even a possibility." Quote Mark Warner@MarkWarner, "Hard to imagine anything more heartless than shutting down the government and leaving disaster victims out in the cold just days before Christmas. Absolutely outrageous this is even a possibility." Cami Mondeaux at WaEx, Scalise confirms spending deal is ‘dead’ after mass GOP revolt. So, what's next? If the Dems won't agree to a clean CR, maybe a government shutdown while they sort it out. In the past, shutdowns have tended to backfire on Republicans, but with Trump getting a popular vote victory, it's possible the battlefield had shifted in Republicans favor.

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) Twitchy: Rep. Nancy Mace Calls Out Some of the Orwellian Language In The CRomnibus, and Elected Democrat Millionaire Angry “Two Unelected Billionaires” Blocked His [40%!] Pay Raise, Louder With Crowder, Vivek Ramaswamy fires the first DOGE shot against Congress’s newest spending bill, American Greatness, DOGE’s Musk and Ramaswamy Come Out Strong Against Omnibus: ‘THIS CRIMINAL BILL SHOULD NOT PASS’, The Federalist, Trump Says He Is ‘Totally Against’ Bloated Omnibus Spending Bill,, ‘The American People Didn’t Vote For This’.

At Althouse, "Far from draining the swamp, Trump and his administration will soon be bathing in it." Writes Rahm Emanuel, in "The road back to power for Democrats/It begins with messengers and messages that meet the moment" (WaPo)(free-access link)". Leah Barkoukis at TownHall sees a GOP Senator Blocks 'Desperate Attempt' by Dems to 'Trump-Proof' Washington. "Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said he was "proud" to block a proposal from Democrats to protect federal workers from potentially getting reclassified as political appointees under the incoming administration."

  

Logan Washburn at Da Fed sees Politico is Horrified Defense Nominee Hegseth Might Make Military Schools ‘Patriotic’. Adam Mill at the Chronicles explains Why They Hate Kash Patel. At Da Caller, Kash Patel Wants The FBI Out Of The Spying Game — Here’s Where He Could Start. "One reform that Patel could implement to combat politicization is to move the FBI headquarters away from D.C., sources told the Caller. “The bureaucracy is so thick,” O’Boyle said. “And in D.C., it is so heavy handed to the left — that I think the FBI has been corrupted with that type of dogma for a long time.” From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition)  The Chicago Boyz, The FBI, Politics, and the Administrative State.  At OTP, Top Border Patrol Union Endorses Tulsi Gabbard. Da Mail, House panel secretly votes to release Matt Gaetz's ethics report in stunning reversal. Nick Arama at RedState has  Even More to Matt Gaetz's Pistol-Packing Response to Release of Ethics Report. Former Congressman Matt Gaetz @FmrRepMattGaetz "Someone suggested the following plan to me: 1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress 2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all…) 3. Take the oath 4. File a privileged motion to expose every “me too” settlement paid using public funds (even of former members) 5. Resign and start my @OANN program at 9pm EST on January 6, 2025."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair hears RFK Jr. Address the Fetus in the Room: He Will Support Pro-Life Policies. Sundance at CTH reports Senator John Kennedy Wants Long Conversation With RFK JR Before Making Support Decision. I hope it's recorded, if only for the entertainment value. Tristan Justice @JusticeTristan "This YouGov survey is fascinating. Americans from both parties are overwhelmingly united behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s food reforms despite views of RFK himself becoming profoundly polarized."

Brigitte Gabriel@ACTBrigitte "BREAKING NEWS: Former part-time McDonald's fry cook donates his next 4 years salary ($1.8 million) to support Homeless veterans. He starts his new job in January." 

UPI, 2025 in space: Trump-Musk alliance should boost 'space economy'.

Kurt Schlichter at TownHall wonders Why Did ABC Roll Over and Beg Trump for Mercy? He thinks it's about the Benjamins. "ABC, in conjunction with its insurers, understood not just that it was going to be embarrassed by what came out in discovery but that it was faced with a Mount Everest-sized potential jury award from those Florida knuckle-draggers who couldn’t figure out how to get off of jury duty. And they also had to understand that the appellate process might not save them – several conservative members of our current Supreme Court are just looking for an excuse to get rid of Sullivan." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, How Very Meta: Journalists Leaking to Journalists in ABC News Meltdown  At Puck, Stephanopoulos Re-ups with ABC News After Trump Settlement. At WokeSpy NBC’s Chuck Todd says ABC “Abandoned” George Stephanopoulos in Settling with Trump – “A Gut Punch”. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) EBL, George Stephanopoulos butthurt over settlement with Trump, Louder With Crowder: CNN’s Scott Jennings thinks Donald Trump suing media organizations is awesome, Victory Girls: Sad Gnome! George Stephanopoulos Humiliated Over ABC’S $16 Million Trump Settlement.

Rusty Weiss at RedState hears Trump Had a Hilarious Three-Word Response When an MSNBC Anchor Called Him for an Interview. "Stephanie Ruhle, host of "The 11th Hour" on MSNBC, explained recently that Donald Trump was far more accessible as a candidate than Kamala Harris. So approachable was he that Ruhle decided on a whim to call and ask for an interview, which he promptly declined. But still, he answered the phone. That's the point. . . . "And I called DJT to say, ‘Yo, can I get an interview?’ and he told me to go f**k myself, but I still was able to connect with him," she recalled. "Yeah.”"

Madeline Leesman at TownHall notices Trump Isn't Giving Up the Canada Jokes Just Yet. Althouse, "No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!" ""Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!" Writes Donald Trump on Truth Social."

At the NYSun, Trump’s Lawyers Claim ‘Grave Juror Misconduct’ in Hush-Money Trial, Denounce ‘Manifest Unfairness’ of Alvin Bragg’s Case, "The nature of the alleged juror misconduct, which the defense calls ‘extensive and pervasive,’ remains secret."

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) First Street Journal, Democrisy: the left who concealed everything about Joe Biden’s condition, are terribly worried over Donald Trump’s bruised hand. Bob Spencer at PJM, Biden in Steep Decline, New York Times Tries to Portray Him as Tragic Figure. At Althouse, "A traditionalist to his bones, Mr. Biden has opted for the grace and reticence he believes are befitting the departing president of a defeated party..." "From "A Weary Biden Heads for the Exit/Still stinging from the election, President Biden is pushing for his final priorities but has absented himself from the national conversation about Donald Trump after warning repeatedly that he was a threat to American democracy" (NYT)."  MRC NewsBusters@newsbusters "Drum roll please ... The Worst Media Quote of 2024 goes to "Morning" Joe Scarborough for the second consecutive year for saying, "this version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever" back in March." Mike Miller at RedState hears Former Obama Aides Mock Biden for 'Disappearing' — Then REALLY Drop Hammer on Failed President. Paul Bedard at WaEx Biden launches ‘striking escalation’ in costly regulations.

Jonathan Turley at NYPo fears Joe Biden may set a dangerous new precedent with ‘pre-emptive’ pardons. VodkaPundit at Insty, BILL WHITTLE: Crazy Joe’s Discount Pardon Warehouse.

At Politico, Are Democrats coconut-pilled? Some want to see Kamala Harris run again. "Top officials gathered in Washington suggested an openness to backing the vice president again next time." Pop Times reports Tim Walz Blames Americans for Voting a Billionaire and Venture Capitalist “How Did We Lose to a Billionaire?” – “Least Wealthy”

Beege Welborn hears Aurora Officials Reach Acceptance Stage: 'It's Not a Club, It's a Gang'. Rick Moran at PJM thinks You're Not Going to Believe How Many Illegal Aliens Reside in Sanctuary Cities. All those crop pickers collecting welfare in big blue cities. 

From the Pop Times, Jan 6 Fed Ops: How Capitol Police Enabled the Construction of the Gallows, Ignored Their Existence, and Failed to Investigate. Steve Richards at JTN reports the Jan. 6 Select Committee's political probe diverted resources from real security failures, "The Select Committee’s focus on Donald Trump distracted from the security failures across government that created the conditions for the riot, House GOP subcommittee concludes." At NYPo even Never-Trumper Jacob Sullum says Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 Capitol rioters will reverse genuine judicial abuses.

Twitchy, Somebody's NERVOUS: Liz Cheney Shares Panicky Statement on Being Criminally Investigated ... on Bluesky. Ace examines The Many Lies of Madison Cornbread "Madison Cornbread, aka "Cassidy Hutchinson," is a much more sinister operator that I'd thought she was. I had thought she was just a silly, stupid social climber seeking to marry up who got scared into making up stories to avoid prosecution herself. She is allegedly much worse than that . . . Liz Cheney must be prosecuted, and her Witch's Apprentice Madison Cornbread must be prosecuted for perjury as well."

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.18.24 (Evening Edition) EBL, Investigations Regarding Liz Cheney Witness Tampering?, American Greatness, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk Recommends Investigation Into Liz Cheney For ‘Potential Criminal Witness Tampering’, Legal Insurrection, Liz Cheney May Need That Preemptive Pardon After House Committee Issues Criminal Referral and The Federalist, House Republicans Refer Liz Cheney For Federal Criminal Investigation.

Atop Da Hill, a Shock poll: 41 percent of young voters find killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO acceptable. From Ace, Abundant Life Church Killer Wasn't Transgender, But a Radicalized Feminist Who Wanted to Kill All Men (Including Infant Boys). "Hey remember that the media obsessed over the one single "incel shooter" for years and wrote endlessly about the "radicalization pipeline" that led this one incel murderer to kill two people? This is now the fourth or fifth mentally ill girl radicalized by hard-left/Marxist cult messaging into massacring children. Think we'll see any think-pieces about the leftwing radicalization pipeline or nah?"

VodkaPundit at Insty, UNEXPECTEDLY "X is fun again. BlueSky was taken over by the same kinds of people who ruined Twitter in the first place. The results speak for themselves": Tony Kinnett @TheTonus. "Bluesky's activity continues to decline. Down ~5 million total likes and ~2 million posts per day since the beginning of December. Total number of accounts followed per day has decreased by ~500k. (per Bluesky's API)." Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok "So you’re telling me a bunch of Leftists ran to a new platform and all the sudden there’s an uptick in child s*xual abuse material and death threats there??"

At Campus Reform, Yale Law Scholars program extends eligibility to non-citizens, including illegal immigrants. Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "Breaking: An investigation into racist, pro-Trump graffiti messages at @RhodesCollege in Memphis, Tenn. that caused a panic has revealed that it was a hoax from a student. The college is not releasing information about the student behind the hoax. The n-word and "Trump rules" were written on pieces of paper on campus. In reaction to discovering the messages, the university reaffirmed its commitment to DEI." OTP, American Airlines Ends DEI Hiring Practices After Facing Discrimination Charges. At Twitchy, 'Stop Being a Weirdo': JD Vance's Advice to Whiny NYT Letter Writer Is a Slice of Fried Gold. 

Ace, Parents of Female Volleyball Player Left with "Serious" Brain Damage Due to Trans Player Spiking the Ball Into Her Head Call for Other Parents to Pull Their Girls Out of Leagues That Allow Boys to Compete With Girls. "Finally they find their voice. I hope others find their voices, before their own girls end up in comas or with permanent brain damage. Or dead." At Hat Hair, Dave Strom notes the AP: Drag Queen Will Save the Earth! and  The World Is Healing: Disney Deletes Trans Propaganda From Pixar Series and John Sexton thinks This Washington Post Editorial on Gender Affirming Care is Pretty Good. Victory Girls, Tammy Baldwin Leads Dem Senators Pro-Trans Child In Defense Bill. Make them die on that hill. Da Fetched observes a California District Attorney Forced to Address Male Rapist with ‘Correct She/Her’ Pronouns in Court. At PM, Trans killer complains after being removed from WA state women's prison following sex with inmate. Did 'she' get her pregnant?

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Christmas Break From Baseball up on time at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Droning on About Drones

Sundance at CTH hosts the Full Presser Video – President Trump Answers Media Questions in Lengthy Mar-a-Lago Press Conference. Ace, Trump Press Conference: There'll be "Hell to Pay" if Hamas Doesn't Release Its Hostages Before My Inauguration; Republican Senators Who Aren't "Reasonable" Will Be Primaried "That clip and others below the fold. Some other clips from his hour and fifteen minute press conference: On the drones: Collin Rugg @CollinRugg," JUST IN: Donald Trump says the federal government knows exactly what the drones are up to, says "something strange" is going on. Trump said he decided to cancel his trip to Bedminster. "Our military knows where they took off from. If it's a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went." "For some reason, they don't want to comment. And I think they'd be better off saying what it is." "Something strange is going on. For some reason, they don't want to tell the people." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Trump: Of Course Biden Admin Knows About the Drones. At Althouse, Trump reveals something of what he knows/thinks about the drones (but declines to talk about whether he's received an intelligence briefing). Sundance at CTH, President Trump Answers Questions About Drones, “Something Strange is Going On” I'm quite sure they know what's happening. Clearly, a lot of it is akin to 50's style UFO hysteria, with all sorts of random sightings being attributed to drones. But there are drones out there, and I suspect the military has a pretty good accounting of the ones big enough to matter.  From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.16.24, Twitchy, Return Of Republican President & Press Conferences Stirs CNN’s Daniel Dale From Four-Year Slumber.

Elle Purnell at Da Fed wants you to Watch CNN, MSNBC Repeatedly Air The Same Defamatory Phrase That Cost ABC $15 Million  At Mediaite, MSNBC Rips ABC-Trump Defamation Case Settlement, Says Comment for Which ABC Paid Trump $15 Million ‘Seems to Hold Up’. So sue them too, in a Trump friendly jurisdiction. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair sees the  NYT Hits Panic Button Over Trump Media Defamation Lawsuits for 'Critical Coverage'. At Fox, Liberals unload on ABC's settlement with Trump, defend George Stephanopoulos: 'Knee bent, ring kissed'. WaEx's Byron York discourses on Donald Trump, ABC News, and the toxic legacy of the E. Jean Carroll case  "The development particularly shocked Trump’s most determined adversaries. He’s not supposed to win a case like this! The media have a right to say virtually anything they want about the former president and current president-elect and not have to worry about Trump having some legal recourse to fight back. That, at least, was their implicit assumption." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.16.24, Twitchy: James Woods Shreds Adam Schiff’s Meet The Press Spin, Chuck Todd – Holding Journalists Accountable For Lies Sets A Dangerous Precedent, 

Althouse, "And and when I talk to people close to President-elect Trump and people who work for him, people on the outside — allies — they already see this as a resounding success." "Said Jonathan Swan at the end of today's episode of the NYT "Daily" podcast, "Pete Hegseth Was Toast. The MAGA Swarm Came to His Rescue."" Hat Hair cites OutKick, "When They Smell Blood in the Water': Clay Travis Defends Unleashing the Hegseth. At OTP, Trump Dares Republicans To Challenge RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard And Kash Patel. Sundance, Thom Tillis Threatens Trump Supporters to “Stand Down” on Pressure Because He Only Needs 4 Votes in Senate to Destroy Any Nomination. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.16.24, The Federalist, If Sen. Thom Tillis Sabotages Trump’s Cabinet Picks, Voters Should Fire Him.  Althouse cites the WaPoo, "When the topic turned to vaccines, the discussion was not about banning the product...." ""Kennedy spoke about the need for better study of the vaccine dosing schedule for newborns and the rise in chronic disease, while also rattling off statistics about the increase in autism rates despite multiple studies that have shown no link between vaccines and the disorder and World Health Organization estimates that immunizations have saved 154 million lives.. Here Trump redirected the conversation... while backing up Kennedy’s desire for more research...." 

Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Trump 47 Reckoning Is Hitting the Dems From All Sides Now. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.16.24, The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great, hopes Are the Years of Madness Ending? "The welcomed counterrevolution is one of restoration. No one knows quite what is ahead, but all know that it is at least better already than the current nightmare." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn, looks at Democratic Dead Reckoning. "In this instance, I don't mean being able to find their way out of a paper bag without celestial aids for navigation because it's patently obvious they can't. The exact opposite. I am using 'dead' in the literal sense - deceased, departed, expired, gone, stinks in the sink after 72 hours, aka MUERTO."

Paul Bedard at WaEx hears DEI contractors will be first fired at Pentagon. Liz Stauffer at LI, Veteran Journalist Dismantles Liberal Case Against Trump’s Deportation Plans: ‘It’s Easier Than You Think’ 
“Too many analysts [whom he refers to as deportation deniers] have confused what they want to be true with what actually is true.” At Da Caller, Trump Reportedly Looks To Privatize US Postal Service. At OTP, Gov. Youngkin Announces No Taxes On Tips In Virginia. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. OTP, Trump: Biden’s Border Wall Fire Sale ‘Almost A Criminal Act’

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.16.24, The Gellers reports Mail-In Ballot Fraud Study Finds Trump ‘Almost Certainly’ Won In 2020 and Transterrestrial Musings suspects Voter Fraud In 2020.  Steve Richards at JTN, House GOP vows to refer ActBlue fundraising probe to incoming Trump Justice Department, "Chairman Bryan Steil’s committee has probed ActBlue over lax security measures that may have allowed illicit foreign money to flow to American political campaigns." Center Square AZ reports Arizona Republicans introduce Florida-style election reforms to speed results.

Mike Miller at RedState sees James O’Keefe Release Shocking Video of NSC Advisor Admitting Biden Is Far Worse Off Than We Know: 

SHOCKING UNDERCOVER VIDEO: ‘Joe Biden is Dead;’ National Security Council Advisor Inside the White House Details Biden "Can't Say a Sentence."

Henry Appel, a former spy who currently works at the Intelligence Programs Directorate for the NSC, reveals: 'We’re concerned about… pic.twitter.com/jLjifP0jm1

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) December 16, 2024

Ace, "It's Just a Circus of Lies:" Democrat Megadonors Want the "Obama People" Out of the Party, Claiming They Caused the Historic Loss and Are Just "Grifters". "This is a wonderful story. I don't know how true it is or how widespread these sentiments are, though." John Sexton at Hat Hair hears the Atlantic: Democrats Went Too Far Left on Immigration. From the Pop Times the Mother of Suicide Victim Slams Biden for Commuting the Sentence of Corrupt Judge Who Convicted Her Son in “Kids for Cash” Scheme.

Ben Whedon at JTN reports that, as expected, Judge rejects Trump bid to toss conviction in Bragg case over SCOTUS immunity ruling. "Judge Juan Merchan ruled on Monday that the Bragg case related “entirely to unofficial conduct entitled to no immunity protections."

It’s interesting to see how many people in media are waking up to all the lies we’ve been told. Here’s Stephen A. Smith on January 6th revelations: pic.twitter.com/hIk6nmCW3t

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 15, 2024

Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktokm "Madison, WI police chief says he doesn’t know if the shooter was transgender and then uses he, she, and they pronouns to describe the shooter. Very odd and bizarre..." pagliacci the hated @Slatzism "I have made contact with the alleged boyfriend of the Wisconsin shooter. He has very graciously provided me the full manifesto, which I verified by having him screen record himself opening it from a direct link the shooter sent to him via WhatsApp. . . ." Althouse, "In the manifesto, called 'War Against Humanity,' the author writes that they have 'grown to hate people, and society' and calls their parents 'scum.'" ""The author also writes that they acquired weapons 'by lies and manipulation, and my father's stupidity' and describes wanting to die by suicide, but feeling like carrying out a shooting was 'better for evolution rather than just one stupid boring suicide.'" Writes Newsweek, in "Natalie Rupnow's Reported Manifesto: What We Know" (about the school shooting that took place in my city yesterday).

Newsweek also reports President Joe Biden's hasty response: "We need Congress to act. Now. From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison.... Congress must pass commonsense gun safety laws: Universal background checks. A national red flag law. A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines...."

But when he pardoned his son Hunter for violating existing gun laws, Joe Biden attacked the prosecution as unfair and biased. One might have thought he'd refrain from calling for more gun laws when he so recently and conspicuously treated a gun law as not justifying enforcement. And yet didn't we all expect it — expect that next time there's a school shooting, Joe would indignantly cry out for more gun laws? #hypocrisy

Catturd ™@catturd2 "He didn’t say jack shit about gun control, for weeks, after the CEO shooting. See how that works?" Quote Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "Biden just released a statement calling for gun control in response to the shooting today at a school in Madison, Wisconsin." 'Becca Downs at TownHall, We Have Another Democrat Making Excuses for Murder of United HealthCare CEO. Victory Girls note a Socialist Creates “Most Wanted CEO” Deck of Cards After United Healthcare Shooting. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, By The Numbers: Who Supports Political Violence. Scott Rasmussen@ScottWRasmussen "On a related question, 13% said it is sometimes justifiable to murder someone like United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson as a means to bring about important societal change. The @NapolitanNews survey found that 71% disagree and say such murder is never justifiable. Reply Scott Rasmussen@ScottWRasmussen "Younger voters (34%), Progressive Democrats (29%), people who talk politics every day (24%), and those with a postgraduate degree (21%) were more likely than others to say that such murder is sometimes justifiable."

The Washington Reporter has an Op-Ed: Houston Keene: The federal bureaucracy is appointed, not anointed, "Our society has become far too polarized. Unfortunately, that polarization has spread to what is supposed to be a nonpartisan stable of civil servants working for the American people."

Dave Strom looks at Bluesky's Death Threat Problem.

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Christmas Break From Baseball up on time at The Other McCain.