Flotsam and Jetsam - Has It Really Been 100 Days?

It just seems like yesterday, or forever. Sundance at CTH hosts President Donald Trump Holds 100 Day Celebration in Michigan. Ben Whedon at JTN, Trump’s whirlwind first 100 days see admin notch wins amidst turbulence on various fronts. "The 100-day milestone, though somewhat arbitrary, has been the typical benchmark for assessing a president’s initial rollout of their policy priorities. Trump's actions have been varied, but going unnoticed isn't one of them." At Althouse, Trump does a First-100-Days rally — in Michigan, "It's still going on as he nears the 1-hour mark, but you can scroll back and start at the beginning:", So many First-100-Days articles about Trump... and I'm trying to understand why I avoid them, "I suppose it's a combination of already knowing the material that will be itemized and not wanting to consume the spin. Is it amazing and desirable or amazing and execrable? But here's my First-100-Days question: Does Trump know what he's doing?" and "From 25% in favor to 5 to 10% against.... It will be bad for America. It'll be bad for the world. So that was a foreign policy failure. He gets an F on that one." "Canada — he gets an F. Sorry, sorry, I don't see any alternative. Said Alan Dershowitz, grading Trump on his first 100 days." At WokeSpy, Trump Asked Who He Wants to Be Pope – His Answer Is Hilarious. Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "Peter Doocy is in Michigan ahead of President Trump’s rally tonight, asking voters what they liked most about the administration’s first 100 days. Their answers are pure nightmare fuel for the Fake News. Just watch."

Speaking of Canukistan from Insty WELL, THEN, THEY’RE GOING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT: Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, Canadian Boomers top election issue was “Donald Trump” and their bottom issue was “Making Canada a better place to live”… Can’t make it up." Quote Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital "Canadian Gen Z: “I can’t afford food or a house and our country is being flooded with millions of foreigners. My nation is being ripped away from me!” Canadian Boomers: “Trump is Hitler!” PJM's Bob Spencer sees TDS on Steroids: Canada Elects a Prime Minister to Spite Trump. NewsMax cites Bessent: One of First Trade Deals May Be With India. Sundance hosts Peak Hassett – National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett Provides Details on Trade Negotiations. At Real Clear World, Europe Has Come to a Fork in the Road on Trade, will they pick China or the US? From the Free Bacon, Trump Slaps Sanctions on International Shipping Ring Generating Illicit Revenue for Houthi Terrorists. "'Today’s action underscores our commitment to disrupt the Houthis’ efforts to fund their dangerous and destabilizing attacks in the region,' says Treasury." VodkaPundit at Insty, DECOUPLING: Firm Predicts ‘Empty Shelves’ And Recession By June. "Apollo Global Management Chief Economist Torsten Slok on Sunday released a report outlining the timeline for Trump’s tariffs to result in empty shelves, layoffs in the trucking and retail sector and a recession this summer. Trump announced his “liberation day” tariffs on April 2 and it takes about 20-40 days for container ships to sail to the U.S. from China, according to Apollo . . ." "Slok estimates that container ships coming to U.S. ports could come to a stop by mid May. I don’t doubt Wall Street or the media’s willingness to inflate costs and risks, but we’ll see. Also, decoupling was never going to be easy." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "Incredible. A Trump supporter just shut down a desperate MSNBC reporter: REPORTER: “Are you prepared to pay higher prices for goods?” “I’ve been paying higher prices, sweetie. Since the point Biden got in office, my groceries doubled. My gas doubled.”

Amazon threatened to post at "tariff" contribution to it's pricing. The Peacock notes Trump complained to Bezos before Amazon said it scrapped idea to display tariff cost. VodkaPundit at PJM says Thanks, Amazon — Tariff Transparency Might Backfire Bigly. Rob Schmitt @SchmittNYC, "This will backfire. Amazon buys Chinese trash for $0.70 cents. Pays $0.50 tariff. Sells to you for $18 plus $0.50. Customer realizes they’re buying Chinese trash." Quote unusual_whales @unusual_whales, "BREAKING: Amazon, $AMZN, to show cost of Trump tariffs on each product." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Amazon: Uh ... Never Mind On Those Tariff Breakouts. Maybe they saw it, too. 

From Fox, Trump to reduce impact of auto tariffs as industry makes effort to return manufacturing to US: 'Major victory' and These companies have announced their intention to increase US manufacturing amid Trump's first 100 days. Joanne Jacobs wonders If manufacturing booms, will we have enough job-ready workers? I think so, but wouldn't it be shame if a labor shortage bid up salaries for workers? PJM's Matt Margolis, Here's What the Democrats Don’t Want You to Know About the Trump Economy. Anything good. From Drew Berquist Bessent Exposes Media Lies About April’s Stock Market Performance. 

At PM, Trump admin refilling strategic oil reserve as fast as possible after Biden drained it so fast machinery broke ""We are refilling the reserve now and we will continue to refill the reserve the whole time I’m in office," Wright said." Driscoll at Insty, MUCH MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: "Trump’s stand against states’ climate overreach is long overdue.  President Trump just drew a hard line against blue state climate activism — and not a moment too soon. His April 8 executive order, Protecting American Energy From State Overreach, takes direct aim at states like California, New York and Hawaii that are trying to sue American energy companies into submission. These lawsuits, funded by taxpayers, don’t just threaten jobs and gas prices — they’re a direct attack on the U.S. energy sector and the families who depend on it. . . . Atlas Shrugged wasn’t meant to be a how-to guide." 

At OTP, Hegseth Terminates Pentagon Program Targeting Female Participation citing Politico, Hegseth cancels Pentagon program. It was signed into law by Trump. "The 2017 bill Trump signed into law was backed by two current Cabinet members when they were members of Congress." It's not that he doesn't want women, he doesn't want women at the expense of men. At Breitbart Bill Maher Bashes Pete Hegseth as ‘Worst Thing to Hit the Pentagon’ Since 9/11.

Sundance is pleasantly surprised the Wisconsin Supreme Court Suspends Arrested Judge Who Assisted Criminal Illegal Alien. At WokeSpy,  CNN Hosts Meltdown After FBI Arrests Judge For Harboring Illegal Alien. Vicky Taft at PJM says Hey, Man, We Didn’t Write the Rule Book About What Should Happen to Those Two Outlaw Judges. Dave Catron at Am Spec, cited at Hat Hair,  Is Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan Above the Law? Michael Walsh at Da Pipeline,  Can We Handle the Truth? Insty answers YES. ABC admits 220 lawsuits in 100 days: Trump administration faces unprecedented legal blitz.

 

Jennie Taer @JennieSTaer "NEW: We @nypost have obtained court docs from 2018 showing Kilmar Abrego Garcia was being accused of gang membership by his wife’s ex and the father of two of her kids. “She is dating a gang member,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura’s ex, Edwin Trejo Ramos alleged in a petition filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court to seek an emergency court hearing on the custody of the couple’s two children." Twitchy, LAWSPLAINING: Newly Uncovered Court Docs Filed Against García's Wife Said She Was Dating a Gangster. Jeff Charles at Town Hall, Oh, So That's the Real Reason Those Democratic Lawmakers Went to El Salvador "The San Salvador hotel boasts rooms with scenic views of the capital city’s landscape and an outdoor terrace where guests can enjoy margaritas and dine on local culinary treats, including made-to-order pupusas. The hotel is described as providing a “tranquil retreat” for “those seeking comfort and convenience,” according to Hotels.com. Google rates the property as a five-star hotel." 

@amuse @amuse "LAWFARE: Delaware is experiencing a mass exodus of companies as a result of Supreme Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick unhinged attacks on Elon Musk's companies. The Senate introduced SB21 to reign her in, but the bill faces legal challenges, and McCormick has reportedly chosen herself to rule on its constitutionality." Leave Delaware @LeaveDelaware "BREAKING: Judge Kathaleen McCormick has selected herself to rule on a case that directly impacts her own powers This comes after a constitutional challenge to Senate Bill 21, alleging that the bill limits the powers of Chancery Court judges while challenging Dropbox’s decision to LEAVE DELAWARE."

Vicky Taft is amused when Woke DOJ Lawyers Self-Deport After Being Told They Have to Protect Religious Liberties. Da Caller, EXCLUSIVE: Harmeet Dhillon Reveals What’s Next For ‘Notorious’ DOJ Office That Was Weaponized Under Biden. Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN, FBI using polygraph tests to identify leaks to media, following DHS, FEMA “The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau,” an FBI spokesperson said. From Da Blaze, Trump DOJ takes aim at Wikipedia's tax-exempt status over alleged violations, 'propaganda'.

From Da Signal, Why Elon Musk’s Lawyer Thinks He Is Allowed to Continue Running DOGE. Misty Severi at JTN, EPA official says agency plans to cancel nearly 800 environmental justice grants. "An EPA official said 377 grantees have already been notified that their awards were canceled, and the agency still expects to cancel another 404 grants in the coming weeks, which would bring the total to 781."

At Insty Charlie Martin wants you to WATCH: Chuck Todd Has a Meltdown Defending Media’s Cover-Up of Biden’s Cognitive Decline and VodkaPundit cites STEPHEN L. MILLER: "The media must admit to covering up Biden’s decline. A number of reporters are releasing volumes about Biden’s conspicuous cognitive decline, that many of them supposedly only became aware of on the debate stage last June. Many of these journalists actively worked to smear anyone who had noticed the former president’s state of mind, including right-leaning commentators and Republicans, as far back as 2021. But Biden’s cognitive and physical deterioration were not first apparent on the debate stage. They didn’t even start in January of that year, when Axios’s Alex Thompson began to take notice. That would be the same Alex Thompson honored at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner for his reporting." . . . It was a lie — one that the media used its considerable (but waning) influence to sell. If there’s any turnaround for CNN et al., it starts with an apology, but they seem fully committed to slow-motion suicide."

Teri Christoph at RedState, Doug Emhoff Rages As President Trump Reclaims Holocaust Board From Biden’s Political Cronies. Appointed Jan 17, 2035. Driscoll at Insty, DOUG EMHOFF RAGES AS PRESIDENT TRUMP RECLAIMS HOLOCAUST BOARD FROM BIDEN’S POLITICAL CRONIES: “Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve,” Emhoff said in a statement to The Hill. . . . Flashback: Biden Administration Tells Former Trump Officials to Resign from Military Academy Boards." Matt Taibbi at Racket, Are We in a "Soft" Civil War? "Declarations of hostilities from both sides have grown more frank, and it may be we're past the point of return to a Queensberry Rules politics." 

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaug, "LMAO! Because of the DNC's insane diversity policies, they're now considering OVERRULING Vice Chair David Hogg's victory in favor of a Native American woman! They will NEVER let go of DEI. Per Semafor, Kalyn Free is challenging her defeat to Hogg, a white male, at the last party election. The credentials committee is meeting May 12 to consider her challenge. She alleges the election of Hogg "violated the DNC Charter and discriminated against three women of color candidates."

From NYPo, Only nine illegal immigrants released into US during Trump’s first 100 days — 99.99% drop from same period under Biden: Homan and Trump exposed Biden’s biggest lie: that the border crisis was ‘unsolvable’. Da Signal reports Trump to Sign Executive Orders Strengthening Law Enforcement, Punishing Sanctuary Cities. At RedState, Teri Christoph, Hammer of Justice Is About to Fall on Two Left-Wing Busybodies Who Tried to Stop ICE Arrests in Virginia and Ward Clark, Trump Cracks Down on Sanctuary Cities With Sweeping Executive Orders. At NewsMax, First Migrants Charged for Entering Military Zone on US Border. Western Lensman@WesternLensman, "Scott Jennings hammers Dem narrative that Trump is losing the political battle over immigration: “When it all shakes out, what are they going to be able to say? Donald Trump effectively closed the southern border just by taking office." “The old way was, hey, just get here and we'll find a way and it'll probably work out for you. The new message is, don't come here, please don't come here. And now people know that we mean it." “When it all shakes out. I think we're going to find that Donald Trump inherited the biggest mess of all was on immigration." "He had the biggest cleanup job to do on it, and he ultimately did what he had to do to bring order to it." "I still think it's their number one issue.""  From the Deporter-in-chief's wife, at Da Caller, Michelle Obama Says Trump’s Deportation Policy ‘Keeps Me Up At Night.’

Alex Petkas at Am Mind is Eating Harvard’s Lunch. Ilya Shapiro @ishapiro "Princeton president Chris Eisgruber oversees systemic racism." Quote Christopher F. Rufo @realchrisrufo "BREAKING: Following our reporting, multiple federal civil rights agencies have requested documents related to Princeton's systematic discrimination against whites, Asians, and Jews. Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber is an enemy of equality—and must be held to account."

Insty, IF YOU MAKE IT PAINFUL, THEY WON’T DO IT ANYMORE: Steve McGuire @sfmcguire79, "BREAKING: The Dept of Ed’s Office for Civil Rights has found that Penn violated Title IX by allowing males to compete in women’s sports. The proposed resolution includes restoring records and awards “misappropriated” by male athletes and apologizing to affected female athletes. JTN reports the Riley Gaines Act signed into Georgia law is designed to protect women’s sports. "The legislation is in line with President Donald Trump's executive order entitled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." More than half the states in America have similar legislation, many named for Gaines." CBD at Ace's says Hey...Nike! Stay Away From Our Children! Isn't Using Them As Slave Labor Enough? "VP Vance Takes On Nike's Alleged Funding Of Youth Trans Study: 'Craziness Hasn't Gone Away'"

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Out of the Cellar (Again) up at The Other McCain.

Tuesday Tanlines

YaHoo! Lauren Sánchez's Tanning Session On Jeff Bezos' $500M Yacht Halted By Law Enforcement

Lauren Sánchez's New Year's Eve sunbathing on Jeff Bezos' $500 million superyacht, Koru, took an unexpected turn when law enforcement boarded for a three-hour customs search. This incident follows a recent headline in which Bezos denied December rumors of an impending Aspen wedding with Sánchez.

The speculation was not entirely baseless, given that Jeff Bezos proposed to Lauren Sánchez in 2023 with a stunning 20-carat pink diamond, symbolizing a new chapter in their five-year relationship. 

Anchored off the coast of St. Barts, the yacht's glamorous holiday vibe was momentarily halted as officers combed through the vessel. With Bezos notably absent from the vessel, the officers, clad in black life jackets and carrying inspection equipment, were seen speaking with a stewardess who appeared to guide them through the yacht.

While officials combed through the opulent vessel, Sánchez did not let the commotion dampen her spirits. Pictures obtained by Page Six captured the 55-year-old striking a smile in a Versace bikini, black sarong, and oversized hat as she posed on the top deck of the luxury ship.

Guests seemed largely unfazed by the three-hour operation—save for a brief conversation between a redheaded stewardess and Sánchez. According to a cited source, inspections like this are deemed "routine," though the visit added a dose of drama to Sanchez's sunbathing session.

Three hours seems like a long safety check, but it's a big boat.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Golden Globes up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - A Thin Sunday Collection

A really light crop today, which may say more about my diligence in collecting than lack of appropriate material.

Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair reports The New Speaker Will Separate Ukraine and Israel Funding, My goodness, you can do that? You don't have to throw all the possible spending into one or two giant pots and vote them up or down? What a novel idea!

Matt Vespa at Town Hall finds Amazon's Alexa agrees The 2020 Election Was Stolen. Who am I to disagree? I'm just a lowly human. 

Jonathan Turley is shocked, shocked that Bowman Video Contradicts His Account to Congress, the Court, and the Public "Bowman has insisted in Congress and court that he was confused and thought that the door (closed for any purpose other than an emergency) would open if he pulled the fire alarm. The video, however, shows Bowman not only taking the emergency sign off the door but never stopping or looking back as he pulled the alarm. There was not even a glance back to see if the door opened. Instead, he quickly walks away with the sign." 

John Lucas at Brave Blue concludes The Biden Administration Reaches New Heights of Reprehensibility. Could you be more specific? 

Apparently multiple White House aides have been involved in this abomination because Politico is quite specific: “The White House has been quietly urging lawmakers in both parties to sell the war efforts abroad as a potential economic boom at home.

“Aides have been distributing talking points to Democrats and Republicans who have been supportive of continued efforts to fund Ukraine’s resistance to make the case that doing so is good for American jobs, according to five White House aides and lawmakers familiar with the effort and granted anonymity to speak freely.”

The Biden administration is fearful that it cannot sell the additional aid package on the merits and on national security grounds, because “The talking points are an implicit recognition that the administration has work to do in selling its $106 billion foreign aid supplemental request — and that talking about it squarely under the umbrella of national security interests hasn’t done the trick.

I guess I used that Country Joe and the Fish video too soon. 

From Da Wire, NewsGuard Runs Cover For Terrorists In ‘Fact-Check’ Of Ben Shapiro "Media monitoring group claims “we still don’t know” who’s to blame for Gaza hospital blast caused by Palestinian terrorists." Dave Zweig at Lunch tries to track down the original source of the claim that 500 Palestinians were killed in the hospital, concludes the American media misread an Hamas tweet in an Al Jezeera report, and ran with it, Did the Entire Media Industry Misquote a Hamas Spokesperson? "I asked a dozen reporters and news outlets for the source of a statement they attributed to Hamas. None of them answered. This is a case study of the failure of journalistic standards." Victims became killed. 

At Da Wire, ‘This Is F***ing The USA’: New Yorkers Rip Into Man For Tearing Down Flyers Of Missing Israelis. New Neo wonders Why leftists are Hating the Israelis and Jews even more after the October 7 attacks? "Anti-Semitism is a protean and flexible instrument, as well as an incredibly virulent and long-lived one. This has been clear for a long time, but it’s now even more clear." Jon Gabriel at AZ Central opines Here we go again, shrugging off the warning signs of antisemitism and what comes next

 "To those who condone violence against Jews, people of good conscience must say with conviction, 'Never again.'"

Althouse blogs "Right now, I’m in trouble because the Jewish community is upset. But I cannot express this enough: No matter what you read..." ""... about that show in Boston, you will never see quotation marks around anything I said. They don’t know what I said. It’s all hearsay.... The other night, I said something about Palestine in Boston and got misquoted all over the world... And I will not repeat what I said." Said Dave Chappelle, at a show in Raleigh, N.C., quoted in "Dave Chappelle Laments ‘Nightmare’ Facing Israelis and Palestinians/The comedian, whose remarks about the Israel-Hamas war last week made headlines, returned to the subject at a show in North Carolina" (NYT)." Don't know, don't care. Great comedian, but maybe not the best role model.

At Campus Reform, California professors worry calling Hamas terrorists will reflect badly on them: report, "The University of California's Ethnic Studies Faculty Council objects to the institutions' use of the word 'terrorism' in institutions' statements on the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel." What other term do you prefer for murdering babies? Late term involuntary abortions? Paul Caron at the Tax Prof blog reports Mitchell Hamline Adjunct Law Professor Resigns, Claiming School Supports Antisemitism. 

On TwitterX, Hat Hair finds an Important Note For "Queers For Palestine" Visegrád 24@visegrad24, "A Palestinian scholar from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem sends a message to the “Queers for Palestine-crowd” in the West: “The people of Palestine will not allow a single homosexual in our land," such perversion brings the wrath of Allah”"

From the College Fix, Conservative Harvard professor describes ‘condemnation’ for views on marriage, abortion. "Harvard School of Public Health Professor Tyler VanderWeele detailed the saga in a nine-page article titled “Moral Controversies and academic public health; notes on navigating and surviving academic freedom challenges.”" But so far, he's still there. 

House Nears GOP Control, Dem Mega-Donor Goes Down, Lake Loses

Anna Paula Luna

Matt Margolis at PJ Media finds NBC News Projects House Majority Control. I guess it would be just too obvious if all the close ones fell to the Dems. Joh Sexton at Haut Hair reports on  Two more House races called for the GOP (Update: 3 more races called, GOP at 217). 218 needed, but what then? Mary Chastain at LI claims ‘Ballot Curing’ Might Cost Lauren Boebert Her Colorado Seat "No matter what it sounds like the district will have a recount in the end." "Ballot Curing" is "non-partisan"' poll workers "helping" voters "fix" bad ballots. If I made it sound fishy, it's because it is. I guess Democrats make many more errors than Republicans. At Da Wire, Meet Anna Paulina Luna, The Firebrand Conservative Who Wasn’t ‘Supposed To Win’ "I understood that candidates like myself are not supposed to win." (FL-13). At TNP, MAJEWSKI: I Am a Republican Who Lost on Tuesday. It Wasn’t Trump’s Fault. It Was the Cowards in D.C.’s ‘McLeadership’. At Da Caller, Republicans Made Massive Gains With Muslims In The Midterms. Here’s Why. Not really all in on the LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ nonsense. Capt. Ed at Haut Hair wonders  Can Republicans harness the culture war for victory in 2024?  Maybe, but not to the exclusion of all other issues. Buck Throckmorton at Ace's Morning Rant,  Red States Can’t Vote Any Harder to Save Blue States, 

"The “what happened to the red wave” finger pointing is getting kind of tiresome. Blue state voters voted blue and purple state voters voted purple. Shocker. Well, those of us living a life of freedom in red states cannot vote any harder to liberate Americans living in blue states from the tyranny they keep voting upon themselves."

The other "big" story is the sudden, post-election fall of Democrat mega-donor, second behind only George Soros in the last election. Shades of Hunter's laptops. Stacy McCain, Sam Bankman-Fried: MIT-Educated Crypto Swindler Scammed Billions, Donated Millions to Democrats

Is anyone really surprised by this? Of course, there are shady people in the financial world who are Republicans, but the 30-year-old MIT-educated billionaire slob? The “effective altruist” who cares about climate change and has a girlfriend who’s a Harry Potter fan?

No, he’s a Democrat. It only makes sense. As the tangled web of SBF’s multi-billion-dollar swindle is unraveled, we should keep this in mind: Democrats collected tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from a scammer who defrauded investors around the world. The damage inflicted by Sam Bankman-Fried is only beginning to become apparent. It’s possible that SBF’s swindle may collapse the entire crypto-currency market and, I repeat, people were warned it was a Ponzi scheme.

Ace, Huge Democrat Donor Loses All of His Clients' Money, Media Pretends The Story Is About Crypto

Miranda Divine: Amid all the jubilation and gloating by Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and pals over the Democrats' better-than-expected showing in the midterms comes a disturbing story that may explain something about how they won such a curious election.

Biden's second-biggest donor, cryptocurrency billionaire wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried, a k a SBF, saw his business file for bankruptcy days after the election, but not before pumping $40 million into the Democratic Party to spend on "get-out-the-vote" and other shadowy ballot-harvesting mechanics for the midterms.

Insty at Insty,  ROGUES GALLERY: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Not Alone: Some of History’s Greatest Monsters Were Democratic Megadonors: Disgraced crypto guru continues a storied tradition and at NYPo, Uncle Sam is playing the same game as broke, disgraced crypto king. Related, sort of, at Ace's Leftwing Tech Monopoly Amazon Waits Until After Election to Lay Off 10,000 Workers. "Wouldn't want to spoil Joe Biden's claim that we're not in a recession. They'll be laying off 10,000 people starting sometime before Thanksgiving, sources say. They haven't announced/admitted it yet."

At Am Great, the great Victor Davis Hanson is done with Trump, Tragically Trump. "Will Trump rest on his considerable laurels and ride out gracefully to Mar-a-Lago? Or will he choose the tragic hero path?" On the other hand, at Town Hall Kurt Schlichter says Let’s Talk About Trump 

But while Trump, like many others – RINOs, pundits, us voters – own a hefty share of this Jeffrey Toobin Zoom call of an election night, it’s all a little too simple, a little too easy to think that we’re good to go if only Trump gets up and goes. Trump is not the GOP's only problem. It was out of touch with most voters before he took over – hell, that’s why he was able to take over. And the problems with the GOP that led to Trump will not be fixed even if Trump vanishes tomorrow.

Bob Spencer at Front Page, Biden Says He’s ‘Making Sure’ Trump Will Not Become President Again, "More fascism from the alleged president." Ace, NBC Projects GOP Will Win the House. Surprise! FBI Official In Charge of January 6th and Whitmer Fednapping Investigations Announces Retirement. And that means it's time for FBI agents who do not want to answer questions to quit the Bureau. Remember, civil servants working for the government must appear before Congress. It's part of their job. If they quit, they can appear voluntarily or refuse to appear. If they refuse, they can be subpoenaed." Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair, AP: Whew! We avoided the mega-MAGA massacre somehow "Notice how the author talks about the shocking “sense of normalcy” around the country on election day and how it may be here only “for a moment.” You know how those crafty mega-MAGA Republicans are, right? All of the “election deniers” are probably just biding their time until they can strike when liberals and mainstream media figures are least expecting it."

At Am Think Ted Noel is thinking about Viewing DeSantis Versus Trump Through The 2022 Election Filter "If it sounds like I’m conflicted, you’re an astute student of the obvious." Paul Gottfried at Am Great questions Does DeSantis Have National Appeal? The notion that Republicans could win statewide elections in any other state by fielding a candidate like Florida’s governor is questionable."

At PJ Media Matt Margolis wonders if Will Joe Biden Ditch Kamala Harris Before 2024? Or will she and the cabal ditch him. And Stephen Kruiser says Someone Tell Pence to Take His 2024 Delusions and Go Home. 

Bill Sullivan at Am Think wants to Abolish ‘Voting Season’ and Bring Back Election Day. I tend to agree, but, alas, the Democrats get to vote too. Eddie Scarry at Da Fed is more my liking, Republican Leaders Have A Choice: Roll Back Early Voting And Mail-In Ballots Or Learn To Take Advantage Of Them. You can do both. Jay Valentine at Am Think, How Wisconsin Streetfighters Disrupted a Democrat Ballot-Gathering System

The Wisconsin team proved, in this election, that adding even a small amount of friction – removing thousands of phantom names and identifying several hundred thousand incorrect addresses — has a massive impact on the ballot-gathering system.

Our Wisconsin election heroes applied Fractal Programming technology, funded by Mike Lindell, at scale to find and challenge phantoms. The process is explained at www.Omega4America.com.

They went to scores of county registrars and challenged thousands of phantoms — proof in hand. Quietly, below the radar, they showed registrars, whose job it is to deal with this sort of thing, that Bill Jones was not a real person. They helped clean up addresses that were wrong — either typos or fake.

Any one of those addresses was a landing pad for a loose ballot.

On Election Day, the Wisconsin Democrats did not have enough phantoms or mail-in ballots to go around. A Republican senator might have been saved by these actions.

Matt Margolis again,  'Voter Suppression Reared Its Ugly Head' in Maricopa County, Says Arizona GOP, by making it hard to vote on the day of the election, when Republicans come out. Ace, Why Does It Take Florida Hours to Count Votes, But More Than a Week for Arizona? "Well, you need to know how many ballots you have to manufacture in the post-election phase of voting, don't you?" Mary Chastain, NBC News: Democrat Katie Hobbs Beats Trump-Endorsed Kari Lake for Arizona Governor, "The Arizona Democrats meddled in the GOP primary, boosting Lake to be the candidate due to her ties to Trump and non-moderate views."

KT at Haut Hair, Trouble in Texas: Governor Abbott orders investigation into Harris County election day problems. Democrat controlled Houston, and more lack of paper ballots. Michael Walsh at The Pipeline points out The System Is the Steal. No Pasaran, Déjà Vu All Over Again in the Banana Republic of Biden: No, the Democrats did not run better campaigns; they cheated, as usual.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: USS McCall up and running at The Other McCain.

Boys will Be Boys and Girls Will be Girls

Rose Flower Sex Toy

Paul Bedard at WaEx, Amazon: PlayStation 5 and women’s sex toy top coronavirus stimulus spending

An analysis of spending on Amazon following the distribution of the latest coronavirus stimulus, a massive $1.9 trillion package, suggests that people are using it to let off some steam.

The global e-commerce firm Pattern said that the biggest surges in sales were for the PlayStation 5 and a female sex toy called the “.”

Sales in the past week of Sony’s game console rose 511%, and the Rose's sales (check Amazon for the description) shot up 334%.

$1,400 would buy a lot of Rose Flower Sex Toys at $56.99 @.

Alex reports a lot of "stimulus guitars" are being sold, too. If you would like a nice Paul Reed Smith guitar courtesy of the federal government, may I suggest buying one from him at his Reverb site?

Coming to another stimulus soon? Walking, talking, feeling ‘Westworld’-style sex dolls coming within 10 years

These are the sex droids you’re looking for.

Executives in the booming sex doll industry say that within a decade their dolls will be able to walk, talk and feel sensations as well as emotions.

Dolls available now can smile, moan and hold a conversation – but soon they will be ambulatory and be able to feel sensation and respond in kind.

The leading company in the “Westworld”-style humanoids, RealDoll confirmed to fans on its site that it is working on dolls that can walk on their own as well as have a more realistic voice (current dolls sound like Amazon’s Alexa). 

A RealDoll representative, who goes by the pseudonym Brick Dollbanger, told the Daily Star that the next generation of AI sex robots will also have sensors in its erogenous zones that respond to human touch.

“The AI will know what you’re doing to her body and will respond accordingly,” Dollbanger said. “I predict this will be a major breakthrough in synthetic sexual companionship.”

Do they have to have all the emotions? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Oksana Rykova up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Election 2020: Don't Let Your Guard Down

Military.com tells us  National Guard Plans to Ask Thousands of Troops to Remain in DC Until Mid-March. Stacy McCain wonders Why Are National Guard Still in D.C.? A show of force against the "deplorables" of course. Matt Vespa at Town Hall, Hey, Dems, You Won't Have to Dig Deep to Get to the Bottom of the National Guard's Eviction at US Capitol

Yet, it’s not going to be hard to figure out why this slap to the face occurred to our men and women in uniform. Democrats—you run this town. The commander-in-chief is a Democrat. You’re not going to have to dig deep on this one.

Karen Townsend at Hot Air, Governors To National Guard In D.C.: It’s Time To Come Home Now

Virginia Kruta at Da Caller, ‘We Don’t Have To Guess About Where This Goes’: Tulsi Gabbard Issues Warning About Domestic Terrorism BillAt PM, Tulsi Gabbard asks Biden to denounce the targeting of all Trump supporters. I'm guessing Joe will deny he's doing it, as he's doing it. What, being a domestic terrorist isn't illegal yet? Green Glenwalt warns The New Domestic War on Terror is Coming "No speculation is needed. Those who wield power are demanding it. The only question is how much opposition they will encounter." Sundance at CTH,  DIA Purchasing Smartphone User Location Data Without Search Warrants. WaPoo happily informs us that Police Chiefs vow to root out officers with extremist ties, or whoever the SPLC considers an extremist. Althouse alerts us Will Wilkinson, cancelled for tweeting, "If Biden really wanted unity, he'd lynch Mike Pence." I had no clue who Wilkinson was, and if he's on the left, he needs canceling. 

Of course, today is the day House to send article of impeachment to Senate (WaPoo). Senator Cornyn: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial “Strikes Me As A Vindictive Move” (KT, Hot Air). No shit, Sherlock. Atop Da Hill Rubio says the  Trump impeachment trial is 'stupid' and from WaEx, Rand Paul: Trump Senate impeachment trial an 'illegitimate procedure' without John Roberts and asks Are They Going to Impeach Bernie Sanders for Inciting the Guy Who Shot Steve Scalise?  (Breitbart) Good question. And from across the pond at the Guardian, Senate Republican threatens impeachments of past Democratic presidents. Which reminds me of my plot to impeach Vice Preznit Biden on China and Ukraine the minute the GOP wins the House back in 2022. But the Senate would never convict. Althouse cite a dead white guy, "The President of the United States is impeachable at any time during his continuance in office." "Wrote James Madison in The Federalist Papers, Number 39."  Of, course, there's always Pierre Delecto, so the Democrats can claim bi-partisanship, Romney On Impeachment: “Unity” Requires Accountability "He said he will “do my best as a Senate juror to apply justice as well as I can understand it.”" The NYT whines (via Hot Air) that Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Face Swift Backlash as Sundance reminds us that Arizona Republicans Stand With Trump, Censure Cindy McCain, Jeff Flake and Doug Ducey.

The AP suggests Supporters’ Words May Haunt Trump At Impeachment Trial. Because people won't say anything to dodge Federal charges. 

Insty, COEXISTENCE: Coexistence Is the Only Option: Millions of Americans sympathize with the Capitol insurrection. Everyone else must figure out how to live alongside them.

Forget the patronizing language and the use of “seditionist” to refer to Trump supporters, and all the other lefty hysteria. She’s telling The Atlantic’s readers something they won’t hear many other places: You’re stuck with Trump supporters, and you can’t bully them into submission, however much you want to. You have to live with them.

And, you know, even Paul Krugman has noticed that all the sedition talk is bogus. . . .

 Althouse again,"We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation’s history behind us. But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability."

Said Chuck Schumer, quoted in "Schumer agrees to two-week delay of Trump’s impeachment trial/The ex-president's second trial is now set to begin the week of Feb. 8" (Politico).

Is there truth in those sentences?

Is there truth in Chuck Schumer?  Tyler O'Neil at PJ Media, Pelosi Strains to Pin More Crimes on Donald Trump for the Capitol Riot , “accessory” to “murder.” Beth Baumann at Town Hall, Dems Could Toss Impeachment Aside to Pursue Another Avenue to Keep Trump Out of Office

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment allows Congress to limit an elected official from being considered for office if they have taken part in insurrection or rebellion. Democrats have continually said President Trump encouraged his supporters to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, something they consider an act of insurrection. At least that's what they claim in their article of impeachment.

Here's what that section says:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

A handful of Democrats believe they stand on more solid footing if they pursue this avenue.

Fine, let's start actions against Joe and Kamala for given aid and comfort to the BL insurrection immediately. Smitty at The Other McCain, The Sanhedrin

But what we really need to do that is bigger than Trump, and can mitigate much of the Sanhedrin’s grip, is a Convention of States. Where neither the Tea Parties nor Trump alone could affect the Deep State or the Sanhedrin in any substantive way, the trifecta of Trump, backed by Tea Parties, and driving toward a Convention of States could work. If we demand it and protect it from hijacking.

So that’s the call to action: support the CoS and let’s target our 2037 anniversary of 250 years of American Exceptionalism for a triumphal, re-ratified rebirth. I want power, not wealth redistributed; I want Commies laughed out of office for their nonsensical “multiracial whiteness” garbage; and I want a country where I can dote on some grandchildren with a secure future before them.

And in today's quadruple dose of hypocrisy, Amazon Fights Against Mail-In Voting in Union Decision to Preserve ‘Vote Fidelity’ (Breitbart), Insty, EVERYONE IS CONSERVATIVE ABOUT WHAT HE KNOWS BEST: Jeff Bezos, Amazon Refuting Mail-in Votes For Unionization. Outkick, Jeff Bezos, Amazon Refuting Mail-In Votes For Unionization  and Sundance, Irony Meets Hypocrisy, Jeff Bezos Company Amazon Disputes Validity of Mail-in Ballots

From the memory hole, Insty, PUBLISHED THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION. HOW LONG UNTIL IT’S MEMORY-HOLED OR STEALTH-EDITED? Will your ballot be safe? Computer experts sound warnings on America’s voting machines. But now, to question the validity of the vote is unAmerican! (TM)

Althouse, Rand Paul versus George Stephanopoulos. A great confrontation, and I do not agree with the title on this video, that Rand Paul "melts down."

At Da Wire, ‘You Say We’re All Liars’: Rand Paul Has Fiery Debate With George Stephanopoulos

"You’re forgetting who you are as a journalist if you think there's only one side." As if George Stuffinenvelopes has ever really been a journalist. Sundance, Sunday Combat, George Stephanopoulos vs Rand Paul Regarding Election Fraud. 

Politico whines (via Hot Air) that State Republicans Push New Voting Restrictions After Trump’s Loss. Good. 

Annals of the Biden Crime Family Continued

I lost track of it for a few days weeks while the election nonsense was dominating the news, but his is starting to take on more importance, isn't it? 

Will Merrick Garland support a special counsel probe into Hunter Biden and the Biden family grift? Jonathon Turley makes The Case For and Against The Appointment Of A Special Counsel In The Hunter Biden Investigation

The case for a special counsel

Clear conflicts are present in this investigation for Joe Biden. Most obviously, it involves his son. In addition, Biden has stated repeatedly for more than a year that “no one has suggested my son did anything wrong.” That clearly is not true; many people agree that Hunter Biden was engaged in raw influence-peddling on a global scale. That may not be a crime but it certainly is ethically wrong. Nevertheless, Biden continued that claim after the disclosure that Hunter is the subject or target of a federal investigation. He has referred to the allegations as a continuation of political “foul play” targeting his family. . .

The case against a special counsel

Much of this decision depends on the specific scope and underlying crimes of any investigations. Bill Barr knew those facts when he rejected the need for a special counsel. If this is a narrow tax investigation, then it likely is near completion. The key is not the appointment of a special counsel but the continuation of the current U.S. Attorney in his position pending completion.

During Barr’s tenure, the Justice Department handled a variety of investigations impacting Trump, from the Mueller probe to various investigations into the Trump organization and Trump advisers like Rudy Giuliani and his aides. None required special counsels; all continued without interference or manipulation under Barr’s leadership. There also is a reluctance to allow special counsels to proliferate unless there is little alternative. The potential to embarrass a president is generally not enough. After all, if everyone is a special counsel, they are no longer very special.

The biggest issue is that influence-peddling is legal. It is the favorite form of corruption in Washington. While you cannot give a politician like Biden an envelope of money, you can give his son or other relatives millions in dubious contracts, gifts and loans. The special counsel regulations involve “an investigation or prosecution” only into criminal acts. The Justice Department does not investigate politicians’ unethical conduct or simple lying. Otherwise, it would have little time to do anything else.

From Town Hall, Back in December, Katie Pavlich thought  A Special Counsel for Hunter Biden Could Still Happen and Reagan McCarthy reports Senator Loeffler Joins GOP Calls for a Special Counsel Investigation Into Hunter Biden. Talk about irrelevant. 

PM reports Head 'fact checker' for WaPo dismisses Hunter Biden corruption scandal as 'laptop stuff'. They're not fact checkers, they're fact spinners. Insty, THE US WILL BE VULNERABLE AS LONG AS OUR PRESS IS UNDER CONTROL OF OUR ENEMIES: WaPo: The U.S. Is Vulnerable Until Biden Is Sworn In 

And speaking of the laptop stuff, the Laptop repair store owner who discovered Hunter Biden's emails sues Twitter for defamation (PM). In banning all discussion of Hunter's laptop, Twitter called him a hacker. Ace, Source for New York Post's Hunter Biden Story Sues Twitter for $500 Million for Defamatory Claim That He's a "Hacker", "Make. Them. Bleed." He was the legitimate owner of the laptop. John Sexton at Hot Air,  Mac Repair Shop Owner Sues Twitter For $500 Million, a tidy sum. Jordan Lancaster at Da Caller, Owner Of Computer Repair Shop That Had Hunter Biden Laptop Sues Twitter For Defamation. But before the toner was set on the suit, Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed By Computer Shop Owner Who Had Hunter Biden’s Laptop Same Day It Was Filed.  Law and Crime reports Judge Dismissed Hunter Biden Laptop Repairman’s Lawsuit Against Twitter the Same Day It Was Filed

John Paul Mac Isaac attempted to sue Twitter for $500,000,000 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida but was immediately shot down because the complaint “fail[ed] to allege complete diversity.”

Huh? Didn't have a black guy on the suit? 

The complete diversity requirement means “no plaintiff shares a state of citizenship with any defendant.” But Twitter is incorporated in Delaware and Mac Isaac is a Delaware resident. For this reason, the judge said, the court lacked jurisdiction.

“According to the Complaint, Defendant made false statements that Plaintiff is a ‘hacker’ in reference to materials obtained by the New York Post and shared on Twitter in an exposé concerning the contents of Hunter Biden’s computer hard drive. For the reasons set forth below, the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction,” U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom said in a brief Monday sua sponte dismissal that was entered into the docket on Tuesday. “For a court to have diversity jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a), ‘all plaintiffs must be diverse from all defendants.'”

As a result, the judge dismissed the case without prejudice—meaning it could be filed again if Mac Isaac was able to establish that the court has jurisdiction to hear the case (he could also go to state court in Delaware).

 So it could go forward. The Am Con. Hunter Biden’s Guilty Laptop  "The most charitable reading of the sleazy saga is that Joe Biden, one of the most powerful men in the world, is an incredibly gullible idiot." NYPo reports Court upholds bribery conviction of Chinese exec Patrick Ho linked to Hunter Biden Patrick Ho Chi-ping. 

Documents obtained by The Post show Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden, reached a deal with Ye for half-ownership of a holding company that was expected to provide him with more than $10 million a year for making “introductions.”

Selling influence? Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Mystery Chinese Firm Approached Hunter Biden With An Offer Of Charity – And A More Lucrative Pitch. A hundred million here, a hundred million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.  WaEx, Hunter Biden 'in the process' of divesting share in Chinese firm. 'Bout time? Natalie Winters at TNP, Biden CIA Appointee Worked With CCP Propaganda Org Conducting ‘Undercover Intel Ops’, Appears On China State Media. I'm sure the Senate will look into this, right? Oh wait. 

The Peacock preens as Amazon hires lobbyist brother of Biden White House counselor. I'm sure Amazon tell Biden what to do, not vice versa. And it's good to have family in high places as Joe Biden’s niece Caroline gets no jail time after DUI guilty plea "Instead of jail, she got five-plus months of probation, with 20 days of rehab in January counted toward her sentence" (Fox). To be fair, that's a pretty common type of arrangement for a DUI, especially a first time. 

Biden, daughter of James Biden, was busted in Lower Merion Township, Pa., in August 2019 after slamming her car into a tree. Arresting officer Jeffrey Seamans noted Biden, who was driving without a license, "had difficulty focusing on the conversation" as he questioned her.

Biden’s car contained pill bottles for carisoprodol and lorazepam, both of which are controlled substances. A blood test later confirmed those and other drugs were in her system at the time of the crash.

America's new ruling family.

Rule 5 Saturday - Goliath Girl, Tania Raymonde

As with last week's I found this week's Lucky Rule 5 winner was first noticed by me in the Amazon Video series Goliath where she plays Billy Bob's sometimes assistant, and sometimes hooker Britanny Gold.

Tania Raymonde (born Tania Raymonde Helen Katz, March 22, 1988) is an American actress. She began her career in the recurring character of Cynthia Sanders in TV series Malcolm in the Middle between 2000 and 2002, followed by the role of Alex Rousseau in the ABC series Lost from 2006 to 2010. She has since played Carla Rinaldi on MTV's Death Valley (2011), starred in the horror film Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), and portrayed Jodi Arias, the title role in the TV movie Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (2013). In April 2015, she joined the cast of the TNT series The Last Ship. She is a star of the current Amazon Video series Goliath.

A home town girl...

Raymonde was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Anne-Marie and Jon Katz. Her father is a Jewish American of Polish-Jewish descent, and her mother is French, a Catholic from Corsica. She attended the Lycée Français de Los Angeles, where she obtained her French baccalauréat.

A couple of NSFW appearances from Goliath.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Monica Ruiz and FMJRA 2.0: Snowing up and running at The Other McCain. Also linked at The Right Way in Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama and by Proof Positive in Best of the Web*.

Rule 5 Saturday - Hecho en Mexico - Ana de la Reguera

My introduction to Miss Reguera came by way of the Amazon Prime Video series Goliath, in which she plays the charismatic and corrupt Los Angeles Hispanic politician Maris de Silva in  and also, briefly, the love interest of the gin soaked barrister protagonist, Billy McBride, played by Billy Bob Thornton.

I had been preparing to do a Rule 5 post on the Girls of Goliath, but in doing my "research" I quickly discovered that Ana was worthy of her own post.

Anabell Gardoqui "Ana" de la Reguera (Spanish pronunciation: born April 8, 1977) is a Mexicanactress who has starred in telenovelas, films, the HBO television series Eastbound & Down and Capadocia, and the Amazon television series Goliath.

Reguera was born in Veracruz, Mexico. Her mother, Nena de la Reguera, was a Miss Veracruz who became a journalist and television personality.  Reguera began taking classes in classic ballet and later began performance arts studies at Instituto Veracruzano de la Cultura. She left Veracruz to study at Televisa's CEA, and later studied with Juan Carlos Corazza in Spain and then in Los Angeles with Aaron Spicer, Lisa Robertson and Joan Scheckel.

On September 2010, Ana De La Reguera founded VeraCruzANA, a civil association. VeraCruzANA supports the underprivileged community in Veracruz, Mexico. It seeks to generate employment by promoting projects and programs that contribute to the development of community.

On 2017, Ana De La Reguera took the roll of President CEO of ONE Children's Foundation a 501 C3 non-profit organization that was founded by Claudia Pinto in the city of Los Angeles which gave birth to Los Angeles en Mexico which is a movement created by her self, Karla Souza, Kate del Castillo and Olga Segura, after the earthquake that hit Mexico on September 19, 2017. 

Some NSFW work from her past.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Tuesday: D.C. Fontana and FMJRA 2.0: Neuronengesang up at the Other McCain. Linked by
the Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama and by Proof Positive in Best of the Web*.