Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Goes to the Super Bowl, FBI Outs ICE

President Trump was the first president ever to attend a Super Bowl. I'm surprised the Secret Service let him. AP disapproves Donald Trump to become first sitting president to attend Super Bowl. But first, he sat down with Fox New's Brett Behr at Mar-a-Lago, resuming the tradition of a presidential interview for the event that Biden dropped due to advancing senility. Sundance at CTH hosts President Trump's Superbowl Interview, and More. At Althouse, "Success will bring the country together." "Said President Trump in his Super Bowl interview." No it will drive Democrats crazy because their definition of success is America failing. At Da Mail, Trump sends Super Bowl crowd wild as he takes to the field with Ivanka and Eric. Sarah Arnold at TownHall reports Trump Steals the Spotlight from Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl and Her Reaction is Priceless. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Trump gets massive cheers at the Super Bowl while Taylor Swift gets booed. - The world is healing" I'm not a Swifty, but I don't approve of booing her just because she's not a Trumpy. Celebs are entitled to spout their opinions; we don't have to accept them.

Sauron's Eye reluctantly admits Trump has positive approval amid "energetic" opening weeks; seen as doing what he promised — CBS News poll. Hat Hair says it Had to Hurt: CBS Poll Finds Americans Like Trump, They Really Like Him. Beege Welborn adds "The one complaint they could scrape up? He hasn't done enough to 'lower food prices yet.' Media will make sure they scratch that irritation by telling everyone, 'See?! how Trump hasn't lowered the price of eggs, right?' Oh, you betcha." Althouse, "With most describing him as 'tough,' 'energetic,' 'focused' and 'effective' — and as doing what he'd promised during his campaign — President Trump has started his term with net positive marks from Americans overall." "Many say he's doing more than they expected — and of those who say this, most like what they see. Very few think he's doing less. His partisans and his voters, in particular, say he's got the right amount of focus on matters like ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs and deporting those who are in the country illegally.... That was just so good for Trump that there was no way to spin it negative and CBS tells it straight." OTP hears Hill Dems Hint Voting Against Keeping Gov’t Open Past March 15 Will Stop Trump’s Roll. At Semafor, Democrats look to government funding as their leverage against Trump

From NYPo, the Divine Ms. Devine reports Trump reveals he’s spoken with Putin by phone, says Russian president ‘wants to see people stop dying’ in Ukraine war. Sundance has President Trump Has Begun Discussions with President Putin and Sunday Talks – Nat Sec Advisor Mike Waltz Discusses USAID and First Two Weeks of The Trump Doctrine. Sarah Arnold again, Trudeau Caught on Hot Mic Talking About Trump. "On Friday, Trudeau was caught saying he thinks Trump is serious about making Canada the 51st U.S. state. The Canadian prime minister reportedly made the remarks to business leaders and labor leaders in a closed-door session mistakenly carried by a loudspeaker." Salena Zito at Hat Hair, says Ancora Wants to Make US Steel Great Again. "The investment firm Ancora is pushing U.S. Steel shareholders to drop the Nippon Steel merger and oust CEO David Burritt, a move that would align with President Donald Trump's insistence that U.S. Steel stay in American hands."

Sharyl Attkisson at JTN, reports Trump Fired SIGAR John Sopko, 'The Donald Trump of inspectors general’ "Sopko's agency indicted and convicted over 150 people for waste, fraud and abuse, and was able to return $4 billion to taxpayers." Hmm. "Before he was fired, Sopko had already announced his agency would be closing up shop earlier than mandated since the U.S. isn’t spending as much money in Afghanistan, anymore. It was the first time he’d heard of a federal agency deciding to close itself." From Da Caller, Trump Axes Intern Program After Biden Officials Hid Signs Of DEI. Sundance is pleased President Trump Revokes Security Clearance of Lawfare Operatives, Including Norm Eisen and Andrew Weissmann. "This is a good strategic move.  Security Clearances are the credentialed currency of those who work in the DC administrative state.  Specifically, a lawyer inside the DC machine is essentially of no value without a security clearance. Additionally, the absence of a security clearance opens up both parties in DC to legal exposure from discussing or receiving information that is defined by the apparatus as NSI (national security information). And the cherry on the top of the proverbial cake is that Lawfare uses their definitions of NSI in an attempt to stop sunlight on their corrupt activity. Revocation of security clearances is a win, win, win; a triple winnamin."

Mike Miller at RedState, CNN's Dana Bash Tries to Trip Up DHS Head Noem on Trump Policies. Any Guesses How THAT Turned Out? Politico whines Kristi Noem said ‘Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today’ "The DHS secretary backed Trump’s proposal to shutter the disaster response agency." Sundance hosts Sunday Talks: Dana Bash Questions DHS Secretary Kristi Noem About Gitmo, DOGE, FEMA and DHS Operations.

Nick Ballasy at JTN has All the tax cuts likely to be included in Trump and GOP's forthcoming reconciliation bill. "There appears to be broad consensus among House and Senate Republicans on the tax cuts to include in a reconciliation bill but they're still debating spending cuts to offset the cost." Duane Patterson at Hat Hair has what he thinks are the Top Ten Dumb Things Said Friday, 02/07.

Insty, THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRATS ARE GOING BATSHIT CRAZY OVER: Elon Musk@elonmusk, "To be clear, what the @DOGE team and @USTreasury have jointly agreed makes sense is the following: - Require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits. This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible. - All payments must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank. Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale, but simply requiring that SOME attempt be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING! . . ." John Stossel at Hat Hat hopes DOGE to the Rescue? Althouse, "Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number." ""If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately." Tweeted Elon Musk."  Twitchy,  Elon Musk Spots ANOTHER Way Government Incompetence Enables MASSIVE Fraud. Incompetence or malfeasance?  Liz Stauffer at LI, Treasury Employees Estimate Fraud in Entitlement Payments at $50 Billion Annually. “Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number.” NewsMax reports Musk Alleges Public Funds Fraud of $1B per Wee. A billion here a billion there. . .  ET, Musk Says DOGE, Treasury Agree on New Anti-Fraud Measures to Claw Back $50 Billion in Payment Fraud. From Fox, President Trump predicts Elon Musk will find 'hundreds of billions' in waste in next DOGE directives. "Trump said waste in the Education and Defense Departments are next on the chopping block." Nick Ballasy reports Trump says Musk, DOGE will soon begin checking Education Dept. for wasteful spending, then Pentagon. ""Let's check the military. We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions, of dollars of fraud and abuse. And you know, the people elected me on that."  From NewsMax, DOGE Moving On to Bigger Govt Targets. Leslie Eastman, Trump Claws Back $4 Billion That Was Headed to Ludicrous UN Climate Fund. "Trump’s focus on America First is leading to a review of our participation in the United Nations programs like UNESCO and what we are paying for them…and getting in return."

Calling-all-RushBabes has Further Tales of USAID. At WokeSpy, Joe Biden’s $5 Billion “Aid” Mystery: “The Government Has Been Robbing Us Blind.” From Hat Hair, It Pays...Well, PAID to Be 'Govt': USAID Head Had Five Fold Net Worth Increase. Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "EX-USAID CHIEF SAMANTHA POWER’S NET WORTH SKYROCKETS—FROM $6.7M TO $30M ON A $180K SALARY Samantha Power, Biden’s ex-USAID chief, saw her wealth explode while earning just $180K per year. Where did the extra $23.3M come from? And all of this in just 3 years! USAID oversees billions in global funding—was she cashing in? The public deserves answers. Follow the money." What's the point of being the CIA's cash carrier, if you can't skim a little? FischerKing @FischerKing64 "DOGE has forced democrats into the position of defending waste, fraud and abuse. Idk if that was ever the intention, but democrats have fallen into this trap. And the more info comes out, the worse they will look. They will end up like the proverbial deer in headlights." Sundance reminds us You Simply Must Remember Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Defending the DoD Inability to Pass and Audit. Stacey Matthews at LI, Democrat Incitement Continues With Calls to ‘Fight,’ Accusations of a Musk ‘Coup.’ “So at some point, we’ve got to wake up beyond party lines for all Americans to see what’s going on here in this rapidly expanding and accelerating coup.” Politico whines Jim Jordan backs Elon Musk’s authority to cut federal government. “It’s something that people evaluated and voted for on November 5.”  LifeZette thinks Stephen Miller Drops the Mic on Dem’s ‘Musk Being Unelected’ Narrative. “This is the agenda the American people voted for that he is asking his staff, his subordinates, his employees to implement.” Althouse, Who's couping who? "I'm trying to read Raw Story, "'The feel of a coup': Elon Musk said to be poised to 'defy' major judicial order": Labrador Skeptic @SaysSimulation "Interesting to see what Vance is doing here - is this the new pattern? 1. As with the DOGE employee, Vance floats ideas on X. 2. The ideas are tested, with as@WardoftheStates has noted, an audience of millions providing immediate feedback for analyses, the best test group 1/" Quote JD Vance @JDVance, "If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal." PJM's Matt Margolis thinks Elon Musk Has a Great Idea to Get Rid of Activist Judges. Elon Musk@elonmusk, "I’d like to propose that the worst 1% of appointed judges, as determined by elected bodies, be fired every year. This will weed out the most corrupt and least competent." Make it 10%. Francis Menton at the Manhattan Contrarian on Democracy: What You Think It Means Versus What The Establishment Thinks.

Byron York@ByronYork. "NIH pays big 'indirect costs' (administrative/overhead) with research grants. Average 27%-28%, often more. Top foundations--Gates, Johnson, Zuckerberg, Templeton--pay 0%-15%. So Trump caps NIH at 15%. Saves money, more for research. Dems/media go nuts." Insty says OVERHEAD RATES HAVE BEEN A SCANDAL FOR YEARS. AND NEGOTIATING RATES INSTITUTION BY INSTITUTION IS A RECIPE FOR CRONYISM, AND REMOVES INCENTIVES FOR EFFICIENCY. I remember. Patrick Ruffini @PatrickRuffini "The freakout over this is something to behold. To be clear, this revolt is in response to administrative bloat being held at 15% of overall grants. Charities are routinely held to overhead costs well below this or else their donations suffer." Quote John Streicher@JohnStreicher1 "All IDCs capped at 15% as of today. If this stands we’re done. Every research institute immediately out of business. Nearly every university ends large scale research. Back to the age of the aristocrat tinkerer. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/n"

Frank J. Fleming@IMAO_ "That the left acts like their atrocious vindictive censorship was a small thing is why this is happening and will continue to happen until you finally understand how terrible you are." Quote Armand Domalewski@ArmandDoma "the essence of the modern American right."

From Lifezette, Trump Torches ‘Low Life’ Maxine Waters and the Democrats Over Dept. of Education Stunt. Jonathan Turley hears “WE ARE AT WAR!”: Democrats Ramp Up Rage Rhetoric as Tensions Mount Across the Country

Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN hears Air traffic controllers say FAA hiring practices, ‘immunity program,’ led to DC plane crash, "Air traffic controllers say an FAA “immunity program” fails to hold people accountable for their mistakes, even with deadly consequences."

Adam Housley @adamhousley "He's such a poor leader." Quote Defiant L’s@DefiantLs, "Newsom tells Pacific Palisades property owners: "You can't rebuild the same. We have to rebuild with science. We have to build with climate reality in mind." "Science", which is really just liberal preferences. 

Matt Vespa hears John Fetterman Just Dropped a Grim Prediction for Dems. Tara Palmeri @tarapalmeri, "NEW: Sen. Fetterman: "Not sure" Democrats can win back White men."

Mia Cathell at TownHall is ecstatic that DOJ Ordered to Turn Over Fani Willis Files, "a federal court has ordered the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to furnish all available files they have on any communications between now-former Special Counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis pertaining to the prosecution of President Donald Trump."

At Hat Hair, ICE Snatching Up Criminal Aliens in NJ, Trolling for Murphys.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement @ICEgov "It's a sincere pleasure working with partners like @DEAHQ, @TheJusticeDept, and @ATFHQ to keep New Jersey residents safer by removing criminal aliens from their communities." Beege Welborn "lurves this - 'It's OUR pleasure keeping New Jersey safe since your scummy, verminous, illegal-loving governor refuses so.'" Sundance reports FBI Officials Tipped-Off Criminal Aliens: Leaked Details of Pending Los Angeles ICE Deportation Operation to Media. "There was a very disturbing article in the Los Angeles Times, warning criminal aliens of a pending ICE operation sweep that was coming to the LA area. The source for the advanced tip-off were indicated within the reporting to be FBI officials in Washington DC. Today, it appears that Dept of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is confirming the leak came from the FBI as she says, “The FBI is so corrupt. We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.” I assume there will be an investigation and they'll be fired, right? At Restoration News, The Activists Urging Illegal Aliens to "Fight Back" Against ICE Deportations. The College Fix reports on Leftist student groups: ICE recruiters at Duke job fair a ‘societal attack against our humanity’

Sarah Arnold reports the FCC Considers Revoking CBS License Over Kamala Harris' '60 Minutes' Interview Controversy.  At ET, Trump Doubles CBS Lawsuit Damages to $20 Billion Over Harris’s ‘60 Minutes’ Interview, "Trump’s legal team claims that CBS deceptively edited Harris’s responses to make her appear more articulate and composed." Now that the whole interview has been released. At the Free Bacon, Has Brendan Carr Finally Figured Out How To Stop NPR? "Taxpayer-funded radio stations are barred from ‘airing commercials or other promotional announcements on behalf of for-profit entities’" They haven't really been commercial free for years. 

Riley Gaines

Althouse, "... Riley Gaines Barker, a 24-year-old former college swimmer whose sole issue is fighting trans people in women’s sports..." "I'm noticing this line in that much discussed New York Magazine article — "The Cruel Kids’ TableAmong the young, confident, and casually cruel Trumpers who, after conquering Washington, have their sights set on America."" "The article came out on January 27th. Riley Gaines got what she'd fought for on February 5th. Is she a "sole issue" character who now fades from view? I see she framed it this way (on February 4th, on X): "Things could've been so different. Gender insanity was the final straw that brought a lot of moderates to the side of common sense. Specifically, I believe it was the issue of men in women's sports." If your "sole issue" is a wedge issue, you're not as obscure as New York Magazine would like to paint you." Matt Vespa, Here's What a GOP Rep Said That Triggered Dems During a Oversight Committee Hearing Last Week CSPAN@cspan "Following @RepNancyMace questioning, Rep. @GerryConnolly (D-VA) says he took offense to a word she used. Mace: "Tranny, tranny, tranny. I don't really care. You want penises in women's bathrooms and I'm not going to have it. No thank you. It's disgusting.""

From Campus Reform, Coast Guard Academy rolls back DEI as cuts at Naval Academy may soon follow. The Tax Prof, As Trump's DEI Crackdown Escalates, Law Faculty Choose Between Silence And Resistance. 

Jonathan Turley wonders if we're going to need A Ministerial Miranda? Washington State Democrats Target Priests in Latest Attack on Religion. Passing a law forcing priest to notify authority of confessors of child abuse.  "The bill would amend the state law that currently applies to law enforcement, teachers, medical professionals or child care providers to report cases of child abuse or neglect. Clergy would be added to the list. The sponsors would also exempt clergy from the exception afforded to lawyers and others who obtain information “solely as a result of a privileged communication.”"

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Casual and FMJRA 2.0: Scalped up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

otice-files/NOT-OD-25-068.html

Flotsam and Jetsam - Master Debate Revisited

Dave Strom at Hat Hair calls the V.P. Debate: Much Ado About Nothing "J.D. Vance is about 30 IQ points above Time Walz, but you would never know it from the VP debate. Vance did better than Walz, but that was a given. What didn't happen was a Walz collapse or explosion, and I was hoping to see my governor show his true colors by exploding with rage as he has in the past." At TownHall Guy Benson asserts Vance Won...and It Wasn't Even Close and Kurt Schlichter insists JD Vance’s Debate Performance Shows This Guy Is a Conservative Superstar. Matt Vespa at TownHall, The Media Really Couldn't Hide This Fact About the VP Debate. Stephen Kruiser at PJM, JD Vance Did a Great Job Against Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan and Dems' Media Lapdogs Know They're Losing Their Grip on the Narrative. At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed finds Focus Groups say Vance Won the Debate And a Few Converts. What About the Media?, Vance Got It Right on Haitians, Not CBS, Says ... Chris Cuomo, CBS News Welched, Vance Soared. Jeff Blehar at NRO asks Can We Please Finally Dispense with the Ruse of ‘Fact-Checking’? Capt. Ed adds "To put it bluntly, cutting the mics to stop Vance from rebutting their "fact check" was a chickens**t move." Da Signal is Fact-Checking Claims Made in Vance-Walz Debate and thinks Vance Delivers a Master Class in How to Deal With Biased Moderators. Althouse cites Andy Cuomo, "At one point, Vance wanted to correct something about how Haitians got into this country — and he was RIGHT...." and "... I’ve written pretty harshly about Vance.... But I thought he actually did himself and his ticket some good." ""Vance came into this debate with a mission, which was to make himself and his running mate seem more reasonable, less extreme and more respectful of women. He knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, and he was just really good at it. He calibrated his tone really shrewdly. Whereas, I don’t think Walz had an objective other than to answer the questions and talk a lot about Minnesota.... Says Matt Bai, in "Did Tim Walz miss a crucial moment at the VP debate? The governor didn’t seem to have a clear objective in his face-off with Republican JD Vance."" 'Bonchie" at RedState says MSNBC's Must-See Post-Debate Meltdown Managed to Be Both Hilarious and Educational. From Twitchy, Jon Cryer Tries to Disparage Vance With 'Pretty in Pink' Reference and Shows His True Colors. At Reason, J.D. Vance Actually Does Understand How Costs Get Passed Along the Supply Chain. 

Stacy McCain, How Badly Did Tim Walz Lose? 'Bonchie' at RedState, Tim Walz's Self-Implosion Continues During Press Gaggle, and John Fetterman's Reaction Is Priceless. Jim Geraghty at NRO, Tim Walz Loses His Bubble Wrap. Twitchy, 'Amazing'! Politico Explains Tim Walz's Debate 'Eye-Popping' and It's Something Else. Ace, Real News Site Politico: Walz's Deer-In-the-Headlights Look Showed "Passion," Whereas JD Vance's Beard Demonstrated Toxic Masculinity Which Is Off-Putting to Strong Empowered Women. Althouse, It felt like an imitation of Kamala Harris's "I grew up a middle-class kid" — Tim Walz began his answer with "I grew up in small, rural Nebraska, town of 400." "The moderator, Margaret Brennan, purporting to delve into "personal qualifications" — that is, character — asked Tim Walz to explain why he said he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests when, in fact, he was not. . . " And, "Mind-blowing that Tim Walz said he was 'friends with school shooters' 🤡" said Elon Musk... "... at the top of the X page headlined "Controversy Over Tim Walz's School Shooter Comment/Last updated/17 minutes ago/Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs."" Scott Pinsker at PJM, Tim Walz: Friend of School Shooters, but Mainly Just a ‘Knucklehead’. Twitchy, COME AGAIN? Twitter Posts HILARIOUS Reactions to Tim Walz's 'Friends With School Shooters' Gaffe. Benny Johnson@bennyjohnson, "REPORTER: “Can you clarify what you meant when you said you became friends with school shooters?”" The Babylon Bee@TheBabylonBee, "School Shooters Distance Themselves From Tim Walz https://buff.ly/47T1Nyj"

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 10.02.24 (Afternoon Edition), Twitchy: Liberal Media Screeches At J.D. Vance’s Annihilation Of Tampon Timmy, X Posts Hilarious Reactions To Tampon Timmy’s School Shooters Gaffe and Don Surber: Kamala – Walz was a mistake. 

Greg Lukianoff at Insty, HOW TIM WALZ GOT FREE SPEECH VERY WRONG AT THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: "There is no hate speech exception, government must not be the arbiter of truth, and you CAN shout fire in a crowded theater. And to make that last point clear, here is a helpful video from FIRE:" From Reason, Yes, Tim Walz, You Can Shout 'Fire' In A Crowded Theatre. "During Tuesday's debate, Tim Walz fumbled a key moment by misunderstanding the First Amendment." He didn't fumble it, he expressed Democrat's position. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair has A Couple More Thoughts On Last Night. Greg Price@greg_price11. "CBS: You lied about being in China during Tiananmen Square. What do you say? Tim Walz: “I used to ride my bike with friends growing up.” This is completely painful to watch."

Twitchy, DAMNING Thread Shows How Tim Walz's Radical Leftist Policies Have DESTROYED Minneapolis. At YouTube, TIMMY GOT ISSUES | Official Music Video. Mildly amusing. 

At Althouse, This morning, the betting odds converged. At Hat Hair, John Sexton notes that In Nevada and Pennsylvania, Latino Voters Are Shifting Toward Trump, Salena Zito thinks that In Pennsylvania Tour, Trump Hits All the Right Places and Messages. At Spiked, ‘The working class will decide this election’. "Ruy Teixeira on why it’s too early to write off Donald Trump." Capt. Ed adds "If that's true, then Democrats created a real problem for themselves by torpedoing Biden. He was their last connection to that demographic, and the party is now fully under the thrall of Academia-driven elite progressivism."

At NewsMax, Trump Won't Participate in Interview for '60 Minutes' Election Special. Why give CBS another crack at him? Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw notes California Makes it Illegal to Prevent Voter Fraud. "Newsom has now signed a law making it illegal to require voter identification, preferring to keep everything on "the honor system." How do you suppose that's going to work out?"

Ace is disgusted with Our Media Betters: Noted Whore Olivia Nuzzi Alleges In Court Filings That, After This Bottle-Blonde Jezebel Porn-Bombed RFKJr. With Dirty Pictures and Sexts, Her Politico "Reporter" and Soyboy Beta Cuck Ex-Fiancee Started "Blackmailing" Her. "Let me sit at your feet and take moral instruction from you as if you were Christ the Lord Newly Arisen."

Sunny@sunnyright, "Biden ships pallets of cash to Iran while it builds its nuclear program but opposes allies neutralizing the nuclear threat. At what point is it just fair to say Biden-Harris support Iran having nukes?" Rep. Meuser to Newsmax: Iran 'Emboldened' by Biden Admin. Matt Margolis thinks Kamala Completely Botched Her First Public Statement About Iran Attacking Israel: WATCH. PJM's Cathy Salgado, ‘The World Is on Fire’: Trump Says Biden-Harris Weakness Led to Iran Attack.

At Politico, Harris hails striking dockworkers, swipes at Trump’s record. "The vice president supported striking dockworkers and hit at the former president’s Trump’s economic policies." Ward Clark at RedState says October Surprise! Kamala Harris Embraces Striking Port Workers, Owns Any Resulting Economic Damage. 

Capt. Ed wonders whether it's a Dirty Trick? Second-Hand Domestic Abuse Allegation Emerges Against Harris' Husband, "The Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, 59, allegedly struck the woman in the face so hard she spun around, while waiting in a valet line late at night after a May 2012 Cannes Film Festival event in France." Insty, #HIMTOO? "Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff ‘forcefully slapped ex-girlfriend for flirting with another man’ and was accused of ‘causing’ nanny mistress’s miscarriage during their affair. As Ed Morrissey writes, “Well, the oppo-research files have opened up right on time." Ace, Allegation: Doug Emhoff Slapped His Girlfriend In Public for Flirting with Another Man. "Wait, a woman dating Doug Emhoff flirted with another man? That makes no sense. Doug Emhoff is a Super Alpha that men want to be and women want to be with. No woman would ever seek another man's company if she had The 'Hoff. So this bullshit is obviously fake news." End Wokeness @EndWokeness "Doug Emhoff timeline: 2009: Impregnated his chiId's nanny, 2012: Physically assauIts his girlfriend, 2023: Lectures us on toxic masculinity, 2024: Hailed for redefining masculinity" Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 10.02.24 (Afternoon Edition), Twitchy, Is This The Democrats’ “New Masculinity”?

VodkaPundit at PJM, Kamala Must Combat 'Frightening!' Commie Memes, but She Can't Because She Is One

At Da Signal, Hurricane Helene Response Highlights Biden and Harris’ Failure to Lead. PJM's Chris Queen reports Politicians Are Hindering Rescue Efforts in North Carolina, and One Rescuer Has Had Enough. Insty, NO ONE IS COMING, IT’S UP TO US. "Via Chris Bray, who notes: “While serious military assets sit unused and nearby, well into the disaster, little groups of neighbors are going hard at the problem. . . . No one in the American green zone knows what to begin discussing, much less doing. Wars metastasizing, ports closed, communities flooded. Did Margaret Brennan and Norah What’s-her-name appear to notice any of that? Friends and neighbors will have to do. And “the American green zone?” Harsh, but fair.”" Sarah Arnold at TownHall examines How Hurricane Helene Will Affect the Election.

John Sexton tries to figure out How Much Prison Time is Hunter Biden Facing? I'll be very surprised if he spends one day behind bars.

Charlotte Hazard at JTN, Defamation lawsuit against attorney Andrew Weissmann moves forward. "Passantino said in the lawsuit that Weissmann’s tweet was a "lie and a "smear." Filed under suits I want to succeed. 

At his NYPo gig, Insty says Adams is just the latest pol caught at the trough in the United States of Global Graft. Capt. Ed, "Foreign graft has always been around, but corruption seems to be getting worse ... and not just with elected officials. The media may be worse, but that's not an excuse for pols."

𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎@NiohBerg "Check the date. Absolute psychopaths." Campus Reform reports Two more potentially anti-Semitic attacks happen at UMich as Jewish students think of safety measures. Insty, at NYPo, Jewish students, come here to the South — where you’ll be safe. 

At CJ, Chris Rufo is Unmasking the “Whole-of-Government” DEI Agenda. "One prominent proponent of that policy is Vice President Kamala Harris, who rose to power on the coattails of racial politics and, as vice president, has worked to entrench DEI into every aspect of the federal government." Capt. Ed says "Rufo plans a slow rollout of the findings over the next month, so keep an eye on City Journal. But no one can claim to be ignorant of this stampede toward quotas as 'justice.'"

Hans von Spakovsky at Da Signal, Naval Academy’s Choice of Speaker Runs Afoul of Pentagon Edict. "By inviting a speaker, history professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat of New York University—who has already said that she plans to attack presidential candidate Donald Trump in the annual Bancroft Lecture at the U.S. Naval Academy on Oct. 10—the academy is violating Defense Department directives prohibiting the military from engaging in partisan political activity."

At Hollywood in Toto, Kevin Sorbo Schools Whoopi: I’m Proof of New Hollywood Blacklist. "Conservative star shares how industry punished him for having 'wrong' views."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: The Pleasure Is To Play up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Indicted, Wray Off The Hook

Smitty, at the Other McCain, BREAKING: Trump Indicted. At the Peacock, Trump indicted on seven criminal charges in classified documents case. Sundance at CTH, Transparently Political, President Trump Announces His Indictment in Federal Court in Miami by Biden Appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith."

Here’s the “tell” that every pundit, analyst and litigation expert will pretend they don’t notice. It’s the funniest part of the entire thing and yet no one, again except us, is noticing it. The DOJ has already predicated the baseline of their claim by saying they cannot tell anyone, even the court, what the nature of the documents are that underpin their assertion. Remember, they wouldn’t even let a court appointed “special master” review the documents.

Stop and think about that for a moment. NO ONE knows what the documents are, and the DOJ has stated they will never say what the documents are. The DOJ is filing a case about the mishandling of documents, in whatever legal construct they put forth, while simultaneously saying they are under no obligation to tell anyone what the documents are.

Althouse,  "The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax..." ""... even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is 'secured' by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time." Writes Trump, at Truth Social, just now." Sundance again, Who is Really Conducting the Jack Smith Prosecution of Trump? Lawfare’s Andrew Weissmann and Norm Eisen? 

On June 2nd former Mueller special counsel and impeachment operative, Andrew Weissmann and Norm Eisen respectively, published their current Trump prosecution memo [Read Here] using a novel and arcane interpretation of US Code 793. Four days later media began reporting from leaks within the Jack Smith special counsel of the main legal approach they were going to use against President Trump [citation]. What approach is Jack Smith taking, US Code 793! This is not coincidental.

Also from sundance,  Jack Smith, Andrew Weissmann and Lisa Monaco’s Novel Theory – US Code 793 to Prosecute Trump, It Won’t Work. I guess we'll see, but courts have shot down Andy Weissman's novel legal prosecutions in the past. And as long as we're citing sundance, Greg Kelly Outlines the ‘Get Trump’ Weaponization Scheme Behind NARA. Basically, Trump requested help from NARA (National Archives) to prepare his papers for moving out of office. NARA, which had helped Obama and previous presidents, refused, and made Trump's team pack. After Trump move his shit himself, NARA went to DOJ and accused him of "stealing" government papers. Dan Flynn at Am Spec, Trump Attacks Mimic the Guatemalan Left, "They’re attacking him constantly through the judiciary." Breitbart, Pollak: Indicting a Former President over Nonsense Is Playing with Fire. IMHO, The US has officially crossed into Banana Republic territory.  Insty, SPEAKER MCCARTHY ON THE TRUMP INDICTMENT: Kevin McCarthy@SpeakerMcCarthy, "Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America. It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades. I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable." If the Republicans in the House had any balls they would immediately bring impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden.

Anxious, House GOP drops plan to hold FBI director in contempt, after he relented and allowed the House Oversight Committee to see the FBI document which alleges that Joe Biden received at $5M bribe to get the Ukrainian prosecutor looking at Burisma fired. Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, FBI finally caves to Comer on Biden document. From Breitbart, James Comer Cancels Contempt Vote After FBI Caves on Alleged Biden Bribery Doc and  James Comer: FBI Doc Alleges ‘Business Person from Ukraine’ Sent ‘Substantial Bribe’ to VP Biden. Ace, in all red italics, with the classic flaming skull, Joe Biden Was Allegedly Paid $5 Million By... The Burisma Board, Document Hidden by FBI Claims. "We all knew this would wind up being about Burisma, didn't we?" Spencer Brown at Town Hall, MTG Shares 'Shocking' Details After Viewing Biden Bribery Document. Hat Hair's John Sexton reports  Rep. Greene describes what was in that FD-1023 and Bill Barr contradicts Rep. Raskin. At TNP, Why is Biden’s FBI Hiding Documents from Congress? I think that's obvious. WSJ opines, Hunter’s Laptop All Over Again. "The House Oversight Committee seeks an FBI document alleging Joe Biden took a bribe, and the effort to discredit the claim is already under way." Matt Vespa at Town Hall says The FBI's Manufactured Narrative for the Biden Corruption Investigation Has Collapsed. Beege Wellborn hears POTATUS: "I'm honest" When I'm bought I stay bought until a better offer comes around.

At The Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.08.23, Nice Deb at Am Great reports Matt Gaetz Introduces Resolution to Censure January 6th Committee Chair Bennie Thompson Over Mishandled Files.

According to House rules, a committee chair is required to turn over all committee records to the House Clerk at the close of Congress, in the interest of transparency and to preserve the historical record of Congress.

“House Rule VII governs official House records, requiring committees and officers to transfer to the Clerk, 1) any noncurrent records of committees and subcommittees, and 2) those created or acquired by House Officers and their staffs in the course of their official duties.”

“Lawmakers investigating the @weaponization of the federal government are unable to determine which records of the @January6thCmte were kept or destroyed before Republicans took control of the House,” Gaetz explained in a tweet Wednesday afternoon. “Rep. Thompson, in a flagrant violation of House rules, improperly sent the records to the Biden White House and outside the rightful possession of Congress.”

 KT at Hat Hair reports FBI arrests Bob's Burgers actor for January 6 riot actions. 

Jay Johnston, a voice actor for the animated television show Bob’s Burgers, was arrested and charged Wednesday for his participation in the January 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill. He was benched by that show in December 2021 when his participation in the actions of that day became known. He was the voice of Jimmy Pesto on the show.
. . .
Johnston is 54 and lives in Los Angeles. On January 6, 2021, the DOJ accuses him of allegedly being near the front of the protesters who gathered on the West Plaza of the Capitol Building. It sounds as though he is considered a leader of the protesters. Allegedly, he participated in a group effort to push against the police in the tunnel.

That's enough to chew on a while. 

Trump to get 'Special Master?'

 Yep, we're still talking about the affidavit. Or as Stacy McCain puts it Affidavit, Laugh-idavit

Trump’s lawyers have pointed out that the affidavit raises more questions than it answers. Everything about this raid stinks of political motivation, and Margot Cleveland is probably pretty close to the target in saying that this was just a “get Trump” fishing expedition.

Teach at Pirate's Cove says DOJ Releases Some With Black Marks Giving Unknown Rational For Mar-O-Lago Raid. Ryan King at WaEx catalogs Six things we still don't know about the Trump raid after redacted FBI affidavit released "What was in those documents? Full context of why the documents were stashed at Mar-a-Lago. Why weren't the classified documents given to the DOJ earlier? Will Trump get charged? Who was the inside source? Did any of the documents relate to nuclear weapons?" Breitbart notes Affidavit: ‘National Security’ NOT Cited by DOJ Among Reasons for Redactions, but then again, 'covering our asses' wasn't listed either, but it was clearly a reason.

It appears that at least one judge is buying Trumps argument that a neutral "Special Master" is needed to sort through the documents, and at least decide which items are really personal, and which should be returned to the government. Fox, Judge announces 'preliminary intent to appoint a special master' to review Trump records seized by FBI. Sundance at CTH, Florida Judge Indicates Intent to Appoint Special Master to Review Material Seized by DOJ in Trump Raid

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon has issued a two-page order [SEE HERE] indicating her willingness to appoint a special master to review the documents seized by the DOJ in the Mar-a-Lago raid.

Judge Cannon has asked the Justice Department to produce by Tuesday “a more detailed” list of items seized from Trump’s residence on Aug. 8 as well as the status of the government’s ongoing review of those materials, which includes the use of a “filter team” to screen for attorney-client privileged records.

Politico whines Judge signals she's likely to back Trump request for Mar-a-Lago special master. I would hope a truly neutral "Special Master" might quickly see that most of the documents in question were declassified documents relating to the Russiagate, and reflected badly on the DOJ and FBI that Trump was holding for a good reason. PM,  Devin Nunes says FBI was after Russiagate hoax documents. But upon Da Hill, Biden scoffs at Trump claim he declassified Mar-a-Lago documents: ‘Come on’. At HuffPoo, William Barr Rips Trump For 'Pandering To Outrage' Over Mar-A-Lago Search, "It's premature to reach a conclusion about the ex-president's trove of government documents stashed at Mar-a-Lago, his former U.S. attorney general said." Sundance, President Trump Tried to Work Within the System, and goes into painful detail about why it didn't (and can't) work. "The DOJ and FBI will do everything they can to stop the release of documents outlining how the system worked to target candidate and President Trump." Vicky Taft at PJ Media, That Mushroom Cloud You See Is Another Trump Media Narrative Exploding Before Your Eyes. Nuclear secrets. 

At WaPoo, U.S. intel agency to assess security risk of documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Not good on several levels. The intel agencies are packed with Trump haters, and even setting that aside, they are jealous of their "right" to hide their mistakes and corruption behind classification.

Predictably, liberals are pissed, 'Bonchie' at Red State, Judge Hands Trump a Win in Fight Against FBI, Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth Follows

You know you are over the target when the left-wing legal “experts” on the bird site start frothing at the mouth. Someone should ask them what they are so afraid of. How is transparency and accountability in this process a bad thing? Given the disputes over the records, it only makes sense that a hopefully neutral third party would be allowed to arbitrate between the two sides. The NARA is not all-powerful. It does not lord over the executive branch, and just because they say something doesn’t make it true or the law.

Matt Taibbi wonders what happened in The Great Disappearing Raid Story "Excuse me for giving a damn, but what happened to the Trump raid story?"

Nick Grossman at YaHoo! contends If Prosecuting Trump Sets a ‘Dangerous’ Precedent—So Does Letting His Crimes Slide, but of course, the precedent was already set by the FBI/DOJ handling of Hillary. At Da Mail, Trump's ex-lawyer Alan Dershowitz says the DOJ has 'enough evidence to indict' former president, but wont because Hillary Clinton's handling of State Department emails was worse. AllahPundit creamed his jeans, Dershowitz: There's enough evidence in the Mar-a-Lago case to indict Trump "Certainly, Trump should be held to the same standard that Hillary Clinton was when the feds declined to prosecute her in 2016. Which, I suspect, is the reasoning Merrick Garland will use when he ultimately decides not to bring charges here." Dan Chaitin at WaEx cites Andy Weissman, Mueller's 'pit bull': Trump is going to be prosecuted. Isn't that what he said last time. At Da Beast, Brad Mossman, It’s Over: Trump Will Be Indicted. Even Sundance reports Newt Gingrich Predicts DOJ Will Attempt to Indict President Trump Using a DC Grand Jury, “They are Playing for Keeps” 

From the perspective of Mr. Gingrich the institutional system within Washington DC is “playing for keeps” with “no interest in the law,” in their effort to keep Donald Trump from challenging the corrupt system now controlling the U.S. government. Unfortunately, I agree with the prediction.

Insty,  FIELDING MELLISH, CALL YOUR OFFICE:

At PM, Meta lashes back against Zuckerberg over Hunter Biden story suppression "None of this is new," Meta Newsroom wrote in response. "Mark testified before the Senate nearly two years ago that in the lead up to the 2020 election, the FBI warned about the threat of foreign hack and leak operations." 'Bonchie' at Red State, claims the FBI Responds to Its Facebook Scandal by Treating Americans Like They Are Idiots

There was no question at that point that the laptop was not Russian disinformation. Yet, the FBI played it up as that anyway, knowing full well that Facebook and others would run to censor the story. Why? Because those same companies had been under heavy congressional pressure to stop disinformation and misinformation. In other words, whether the FBI actually “directed” Facebook to do anything is irrelevant. What’s relevant is that they set the stage for what happened, knowing that they were misleading the social media companies in doing so. In the ironies of all ironies, the FBI used disinformation to frame something as disinformation in order to harm a political opponent.

Bill Maher flirts with the "red pill" again. Nick Arama at Red State,  Bill Maher Levels Rob Reiner With Priceless Reaction Over Hunter Biden Laptop Conspiracy. Twitchy, Bill Maher tells Rob Reiner why he’s unaware of these details about the Hunter Biden laptop story. It's enough to bring politics out in Ace's tech guru Pixy Misa, Daily Tech News 28 August 2022

Just a few minor points:

• They warn social media companies - but not the public.
• They keep this secret.
• When they say "potential threats" they mean stories they want suppressed.
• These stories are viewed as threats because they are true.

Ben Whedon at JTN reports Trump campaign turned down Ashley Biden diary, urged suspects to give it to FBI

At Althouse, "Alex Berenson Sued Twitter Over Being Banned and Was Reinstated."

It's a long segment so don't miss the key material near the end, explaining why he settled with Twitter and how he's moved on to publishing documents showing that the federal government pressured Twitter to ban him. Twitter had accepted him, he says, and White House people said they wanted him banned, and, within 6 weeks, he was banned.

That clip should be put alongside this other Joe Rogan clip, from one day earlier. Here's Mark Zuckerberg talking about the FBI's pressuring Facebook to moderate content:

Sundance cryptically comments Lots of FBI Officials Work at Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop "In the latest datapoint assembly, a solid dive by MintPressNews into the number of former FBI officials working at Twitter, shows just how enmeshed the federal police are with the social media platform. The scale is really quite remarkable. [SEE HERE]"

KT at Haut Hair, Nikki Haley after tax forms leak: 'Republicans have been too nice for too long'. But they're hiring 80,000 potential new leakers. But, Ski confidently predicts they'll never be able to hire that many given the current job situation. Sundance, no fan of Haley says Nikki Haley Charter Club Donors Leaked, Wall Street Hedge Funds, Multinationals and Affluent Democrats are Top Donors. So I wonder if the Biden/Garland DOJ will look into the leak?

At JTN, Congress spends nearly $100,000 on meditation app for staffers distressed by Jan. 6 "The normal charge for the app that House staffers are offered for free is $14.99 a month or an annual fee of $69.99." Graft for somebody, I'm sure. 

Matt Vespa at Town Hall, What the Hell Did Joe Biden Just Say? "BIDEN: "If we elect two more senators, we keep the House in Democrats, we're gonna un, get a lot of unfinished business we gonna get done." WaPoo approved, ‘Semi-fascism’: Rhetoric reflects newly aggressive Biden strategy, "With sharp attacks on the GOP and individual Republicans, Biden and the White House signal they will not rely solely on touting the president’s accomplishments during the midterm campaign" KT at Haut Hair, Yikes! Yellen and Jill Biden advised him not to cancel student loan debt, but Joe listened to someone else. "Instead of listening to a couple of people who might actually know a little something about the subject, Joe Biden decided to listen to Kamala Harris. That’s right. Biden acted on Kamala’s advice." From Athena Thorne at PJ Media, WATCH: Sarcastic New Ad Rips Biden's Student Loan Debt 'Bailout for Rich Kids'

At Wa Free Bee, New Modeling Shows Democrats Have 65% Chance To Retain Or Grow Senate Control, according to 538. At WaPoo, Once unthinkable, Democrats now see narrow path to keeping the House but Has the political environment shifted? Alums of 2010, 2018 wave midterms urge caution.

"Midterms rarely deliver big political surprises, but recent elections have made Democrats more confident. Still, alumni of huge wave elections in 2010 and 2018 know it isn’t that simple," and Trump ,is turning the midterms from a referendum into a choice  At Spectator World, Pennsylvania’s Senate race to the bottom, "These two are not the prize hogs at the Bloomsburg Fair." Breitbart, Jailbreak John Fetterman: My Top Priority is Ending Life in Prison Without Parole for Convicted Criminals. Newsweek, Doug Mastriano Deemed a 'Traitor' After He's Shown in a Confederate Uniform "Media MELT DOWN that Mastriano apparently once posed as a civil war historical figure for a photo," Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who represented Trump, said in a tweet. "And? He has a Ph.D in HISTORY. The left wants to erase history. @dougmastriano wants us to learn from it."

Stacy McCain wants to know Why Do Democrats Hate Women? "Florida Democrats had a chance to nominate a “progressive” woman for governor, but instead of Nikki Fried, they chose Charlie Crist — and it wasn’t even close. Crist won by almost a 25-point margin, 59.7% to 35.3% for Fried. . . . Meanwhile, in New York . . . Democratic primary voters had a chance to send Carolyn Maloney back to Congress in the 12th District, but instead they chose Jerry Nadler and, again, it wasn’t even close. . . Why? Because Democrats hate women! It’s battered women’s syndrome — they keep going back to the abuser, thinking he’ll change his ways if they just love him enough. "

'Beca Downs at Town Hall thinks Charlie Crist’s Choice of Running Mate Makes It Seem Even More Likely He’s Trying to Lose.  Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Wait ... Charlie Crist picked who as a running mate? Karla Hernández-Mats the president of United Teachers of Dade.

Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair notes NY Governor tells 5.4 million Republicans to leave the state. Fine, but who will bring the food, power and water?

Wa Ex, Alaska will be counting for weeks thanks to idiotic ranked choice voting. At JTN, Dominion Voting Systems deposes Carlson, Hannity in suit against Fox News, "Dominion brought the $1.6 billion defamation suit after the outlet covered its role in the 2020 presidential election"