Flotsam and Jetsam - Is the Ice Breaking on the 'Simoleans for Somalians' Scandal?

I have to credit some Althouse commenter for that name. Unfortunately, I can't find it again. The growing scandal of literally billions of dollars in ."Minnesota on fraudulent businesses largely headed by Somali immigrants is starting to draw a lot of attention, most of it on Twitter. These are, of course, federal programs being administered by the state. Mainstream liberal outlets are currently avoiding it like it might hurt Democrats or something. From Fox, of course, Misspelled learning center, no children inside: Emmer presses Walz over Minnesota daycare tied to $4M "House Majority Whip Tom Emmer demands answers after viral video shows Quality 'Learing' Center with no activity." From Twitchy, 'You Should Be Thanking Us': Somali Community Demands Praise Amid Massive Minnesota Fraud Scandal. They see it as harvesting ripe fruit. Shipwreckedcrew, A Lawsplainer -- The Somali Fraud Edition "It's a tale as old as time and I've seen in play out a dozen times with a dozen different immigrant nationality groups -- steal what you can get away with is an ethos to live by in the Third World." arctotherium @arctotherium42, "Somalis really are the reductio ad absurdum of the lib position on immigration. Highest welfare use and lowest incomes and horrifying cultural practices (FGM) and openly hate America and funnel money to overseas terrorists on top of the billions of dollars in fraud." James O'Keefe @JamesOKeefeIII, "Besides tweet, write letters and raise money, what are the Republicans going to do about what @nickshirleyy exposed in Minnesota?" Quote JD Vance @JDVance, "What's happening in Minnesota is a microcosm of the immigriation fraud in our system. Politicans like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich. But it's a zero sum game, and they're stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans."John Lund @AttilaTheLund, "Just like with voter fraud, we know medicare and childcare fraud isn't happening, because it would be a FELONY if people did it, and convictions for this type of fraud are extremely rare."

Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke. "It is striking how many people fixate on fraud enforcement while missing the forest for the trees. When you engage in mass migration from low-trust societies into high-trust ones, you inevitably produce corruption and industrial-scale abuse of public systems. You cannot have state-funded welfare without a high-trust culture, and you cannot preserve that culture while importing large numbers of people who do not share its basic assumptions. No amount of audits or enforcement surges will fix that." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "33,000 homeless US veterans living on the streets. Politicians say there are no resources to help them Same politicians funnel billions in tax dollars to criminal Somalis who fund the same Islamic terrorists the homeless veterans fought Mass deportation is the moderate position." PJM's Matt Margolis wonders, How Long Before Tim Walz Faces Indictment? I predict never. Don Keith @RealDonKeith, "Remember how shocked everyone was when Kamala Harris strangely chose quirky Tim Waltz as her VP running mate? What if it wasn’t a strange decision at all and a calculation based on access to billions of dollars of Somali fraud money that could be funneled to her Presidential campaign or personal finances? Nick Shirley and the FBI have uncovered what may be the largest theft of tax payer dollars in U.S. history and I predict, when we examine other states, we’ll find that this is just the tip of the iceberg." 

Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Not a peep about fraud, but a big story on Tim Walz building his influencer army" at the Minnesota Star Trib. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "One kid with an iPhone vs thousands of corporate uninterested paid journalists. Incredible." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable." Jim in MN @HuskersMN, After 3 straight days of ground breaking reporting by Nick, a 22 yr old YouTuber, in what is the now the biggest story in the country, today’s state’s newspapers have ZERO mention of it. This is a key part of the how the corruption works here-it gets total safety from the MN media." Dustin Grage @GrageDustin, "Minnesota’s largest paper just released its Year in Review. Not a single mention of the fraud consuming our state. This is how the fraud was able to balloon into what it is today." Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Very Serious Journalist Jake Tapper takes time to post his Very Serious Concerns about 𝕏 posts showing people yelling stuff at Tim Walz Meanwhile, zero posts from Jake about the viral posts all over 𝕏 reporting on the fraud in Tim Walz’ state." Western Lensman @WesternLensma, "Here’s what a CNN anchor said about protestors outside Supreme Court Justices’ homes in 2022: "A conversation about ‘civility’ feels like it misses the mark." The Justices have security and people are angry, so what’s the big deal?" Drew Holden @DrewHolden360, "THREAD The legacy media didn’t miss the Minnesota Somalian fraud story. They actively dismissed it as made up, racist, or xenophobic. Before the stories are quietly edited, I’ve got screenshots." The Babylon Bee Would Like To Inform Tim Walz We Are Now A Functioning Daycare In Minnesota. "Mr. Walz can make out the check from the state government to cover those expenses to Seth Dillon, proud owner and operator of Lil' Bees. The check will need to be mailed to a Florida address, which is standard operating procedure for Minnesota daycares."

Dale Stark @DaleStarkA10 "So what percentage of the federal budget is being laundered directly to democrat client groups? If some Gen Z YouTuber can uncover over $100 million in an afternoon the full scope has to be mind bending." Fugitive Caesar @ThomBrady5, "$2 trillion per year, so about a fourth of the annual budget, is going straight to Leftists." Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "I’m at a point where I just don’t think progressive technocracy can do anything, Say you allocated $100 million to fix potholes. I could see connected NGOs manufacturing potholes to fill and gobbling $80 million to no net benefit. I could see the academic/ expert class gobbling $10 million to study the ‘root causes’ of potholes. And then I could see whatever is left over to actually fill potholes being tied up in red tape and regulatory obstacles. And this would even be considered money well spent. They’d feel good and pat themselves on the back for it."

Congresswoman Sarah McBride @Rep_McBride, "I'm wishing all in Delaware who are celebrating today a blessed Kwanzaa, centered on culture, family, and community. May this time be one of reflection, unity, and hope." Business Tactical @Bacon_Is_King , "The irony of a guy pretending to be a woman while pandering to a group who made up a holiday is not lost on us." Ted Cruz @tedcruz "I have no doubt that young Gavin—in his cravat, reclining at his winery—has celebrated Kwanzaa his entire life! #Authenticity" Quote Governor Gavin Newsom @CAgovernor, "As families come together to light the kinara, Jen and I wish all those celebrating a joyful Kwanzaa. May the seven principles of Kwanzaa, in particular community, purpose, and unity, guide our way toward a better future." Even the NYT admits A Wealth Tax Floated in California Has Billionaires Thinking of Leaving.

At TrashPanda see how Joe Rogan Reacts to Georgia’s Confession in 2020 Election Fraud Scandal “Weird, that 36 out of 37 that have unsigned tapes are strong democratic, and that there’s 315,000 votes that aren’t supposed to be there,” Rogan said. “They didn’t sign for the but it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We just forgot to tally.” Hat Hair VIP's Walt Hudson explains Why Ranked-Choice Voting Delivers More Radicals, Not Moderation.

From Fox, Nigeria says it shared intelligence to support US strikes on ISIS "Trump warned terrorists there would be 'hell to pay' if slaughter of Christians continued in Nigeria." Althouse finds "The Islamic State’s history shows that when the group establishes a stable presence, it’s only a matter of time before it looks to wreak havoc around the world." ""It’s tempting to want to pretend that the chaos in West Africa isn’t an American problem, but the world isn’t that simple...." Writes the Washington Post Editorial Board, in "Why West Africa is worth worrying about/Strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria are welcome but insufficient" (gift link)." At LifeZette, Trump’s Venezuela Tactics Upset Russia, China, Iran, Narco-Terrorists and Democrats. From Am Mind Sen. Jim Banks says America’s Military Is Back. 

The Brussels Signal says The EU just had its battle of Adrianople, expect some change. "In the early hours of December 19, a historic battle has been fought in the halls of the EU’s ivory tower. Leaders of the European consensus, representing the Empire had taken up arms against outsiders, the barbarians. The barbarians won. . . . The battle of Adrianople in ancient Thrace in 378 A.D. proved to be a definitive turning point in the history of the Roman Empire, the clearest military turning point which demonstrated that Roman infantry could be decisively beaten by “barbarian” forces."

The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Da Signal notes The Left Framed Trump on ‘Affordability’ Crisis. Here’s What Trump Must Do Now. "no one is saying, “You should care about affordability. You made America unaffordable every year you were in power and we’re undoing your mess.” But we haven’t had that message, and I hope we will very soon." Rusty Weiss at RedState predicts the ‘Turnout Machine’ Trump to Go Full-Throttle in 2026 Midterm Blitz. NYPo, Newly unearthed Jeffrey Epstein documents reveal long list of potential prosecutions. At Hat Hair, Josh Hammer asks a good question, What, Exactly, Does the Right Stand For?

According to Susie Moore at TownHall We Now Know the Accused J5 Pipebomber's Motive... A pox on both houses? 

From NYPo, Watchdog group demands answers after ‘unbelievable security lapse’ by Trump’s Secret Service team "The Secret Service continues to endanger the president’s life with lax security, and the government is sitting on information that might expose recent failures which allowed President Trump to get shouted down by Code Pink protesters during a recent outing to a Washington DC restaurant, advocates fear. . . .The watchdog group has been trying for three months to get information on how the protesters got advance notice about Trump’s closely-held movements — at an event intended to demonstrate that the city was thriving under new federal security protection."

From Da Caller, FBI Caught Hillary Clinton Discussing Donations With Foreign Felon. "A recorded conversation between Clinton and Indian hotel magnate Sant Singh Chatwal in which Clinton discussed donations to the foundation and her remaining 2008 campaign debt. The new documents confirm that FBI had at one time been “intercepting individuals associated with the Clinton Foundation.”

The Free Bacon reports Brown Lawyers Up After Bungled Response to Mass Shooting, Retaining Former US Attorney "Security lapses have drawn scrutiny as Brown faces mounting questions over its response to the attack." Nicole Wizman at Tablet, The Maccabees of Bondi Beach "On Hanukkah night, amid terror and confusion, the true story was written by Jews who ran toward danger to protect one another."

Teri Christoph at RedState, Of Course: Another Obama Judge Steps in to Save Illegal ‘Maryland Man’ As Human Smuggling Trial Is Axed "Crenshaw wrote, "The burden-shifting framework controls the Court's analysis. Specifically, once a defendant establishes a prima facie showing of vindictiveness, 'a presumption arises in defendant's favor.' The Court has already found that Abrego has made such a showing, entitling him to discovery and an evidentiary hearing on why the government is prosecuting him."" Tricia McLaughlin @TriciaOhio, "So we, at @DHSgov, are under gag order by an activist judge and Kilmar Abrego Garcia is making TikToks. American justice ceases to function when its arbiters silence law enforcement and give megaphones to those who oppose our legal system." Quote Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "MS-13 terrorist Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released by a rogue judge and is now making TikToks." At RVM, CNN Now Admitting Trump’s Border is a ‘Story of Accomplishment’ with Stunning Graphic.

AG @AGHamilton29, "The UK PM bragging about his top priorities including getting an openly pro-terrorist, pro-violence, anti-White, anti-British, anti-police, racist, anti-Semitic extremist to be freed into the UK is certainly a choice. Not one any sensible leader would make, but a choice."

TownHall's Matt Vespa reports Of Course, the Trump White House Issuing This Statement Triggered a Meltdown in Liberal America. From NewsBusters, PBS-Like British Channel Lets Jimmy Kimmel Vomit in 'Alternative Christmas Message'.

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: On An Even Keel up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Christmas Time is Here by Golly, Disapproval Would Be Folly

Yeah, Monday's are traditionally slow, but this feels like we're winding down towards Christmas. Nevertheless Democrats are still desperately looking for the pony in the pile of Epstein horseshit. Nick Arama asserts Democrats' Latest Epstein Effort About Photo of Trump Fails Again—There Are a Few Big Problems. Oversight Dems @OversightDems, "This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release. @AGPamBondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public." Byron York @ByronYork, "This appears to be the photo in the photo that includes Trump -- from 2000 and public for years." Sundance at CTH hosts Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Explaining the Epstein File Releases, where among other things, he clearly states that the law makes redacting victims trumps the Dec. 19 deadline. Matt Vespa at TownHall approves of how Scott Jennings Schools Libs on the Trump-Kennedy Center and the Epstein Files on CNN. "As Jennings noted, Trump is a twice-elected president; some stuff will be named after him." A Driscoll post at Insty, OLD AND BUSTED: "Statue Toppling Endorsed by College Professors and Once Respectable Publications. The New Hotness? JFK’s Niece Kerry Kennedy Vows to Remove Trump’s Name from the Kennedy Center with a ‘Pickax.’" FWIW, I think buildings and bridges should be named after dead people, but it's fun to hear Democrats and the media (but I redund) squeal.

Sundance also hosts Vice President JD Vance Delivering his Speech to Turning Point USA Audience. Matt Vespa is pretty sure Oh, You Know the Libs Melted Down Over That Line JD Vance Delivered at AmFest, " In the United States of America, you don't have to apologize for being white anymore. "Stephen Kruiser at PJM hears Nicki Minaj Has a MAGA Moment, Dem False Narratives Hardest Hit. Althouse links "He has given so many people hope that there’s a chance to beat the bad guys..." "Said Nicki Minaj (talking to Erika Kirk about President Trump):"

Stacy McCain has Thoughts From a ‘Heritage American’ "In the long-running battle between neocons and paleocons, my sympathies are decidedly paleo (cf., “First They Came for Mel Bradford”). However, the really important battle is to keep Democrats from getting back in power and ruining everything while we are quarreling amongst ourselves, hurling insults back and forth. The whole intramural donnybrook between Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, et al., pains me for this reason. We are less than a year away from a crucial midterm election, with the historical odds against us, and should be united, not divided." Roger Simon foresees J. D. Vance Has a Tucker Carlson Problem, how to disown his comments about Jews and not piss off his followers.

Ben Smith at LI, reports the U.S. Pursues Third Oil Tanker Near Venezuela "We “will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you.”" The Great Victor Davis Hanson has a trio of related posts at Da Signal, warning War With Venezuela Could Break Trump’s MAGA Base, asserting Hegseth Did What Biden Called ‘Impossible’, raising recruitment to the military, and looking at The Inconvenient Truths Within Trump’s New National Security Strategy. Bill Woodruff at Da Fed is worried the Biggest Military Funding Bill Still Allows Promoting Soldiers By Race And Sex. 

Kevin Killough at JTN reports Trump touts low Christmas season gasoline prices, and analysts say they should hold into 2026 "December gasoline prices have not been this low since 2020. Analysts say many factors are contributing to the low prices, including a better regulatory environment for oil and gas, industry operation efficiencies, and high supply with expectations of low demand on the global market." But in Newsom's California, New study recommends loosening California oil regulations to avoid skyrocketing fuel prices. They're talking about possible $10 a gallon there. Well, they voted for it. Driscoll at Insty hears RINO Romney Calls for Tax Hikes, Raising Retirement Age., "Here are his suggestions for outright tax increases…" Still better than Obama. At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson remembers The Political Meme That Destroyed a Presidency. “It’s the economy, stupid.” Hat Hair's Betsey McCaughey sees a Property Tax Revolt Exploding Across US. Here in MD, between State (1.003 % of assessed value) and Calvert County (0.89%) we're among the high tax states. 

From NYPo notes Trump cleaned up crime in DC – and taught everyone a lesson in public safety. It can be done. 

Cleaning up from the weeks murders, Matt Vespa points out Here's the Error in the Brown University Shooter Affidavit "Valente’s body was found in Salem, New Hampshire, on December 18, though authorities heavily insinuated that he didn’t commit suicide that day. Based on the autopsy, he killed himself on December 16, a day after killing Loureiro. So, yes, the affidavit contains an error: it says Valente contacted the car rental service on December 18." So they spent days looking for a dead man. OpinionistNZ @OpinionistNZ, "Why would Australia give a non-citizen on a Visa, SIX gun licenses? And why would he be given six licenses when his son has known links to ISIS? Then he trains for a month with ISIS in November, and he STILL has six guns? Big questions to answer." That's racist! That's why. From RCP, Blood on the Sand: Australian Massacre Exposes Hollow Core of Anti-Zionism.

At Ars Technica, word is ByteDance confirms TikTok will be controlled by US owners. "Closing TikTok deal avoids 2026 ban, but app may be buggy, “100% MAGA.”" I'm only a little reassured. It will still be mind rot. Just not Chinese spy mind rot.

Matt Margolis says The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is So Much Worse When You Put It This Way. According to Stephen Miller, “The amount of money that’s been stolen is larger than the entire GDP of Somalia.” At the Victory Girls, Walz And Lapdog MN Media Cover Up $9 Billion Somali Fraud. Newsom's California says "hold my beer and watch this:" Kevin Kiley @KevinKileyCA, "California is the Fraud Capital of America: $32 billion in unemployment fraud $24 billion in homeless funds "lost" $18 billion on nonexistent bullet train $650 million on scrapped 911 system. A scathing report from the State Auditor just identified 8 separate state agencies as “high-risk.” This means they exhibit serious “waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement," costing taxpayers billions. The number has doubled during Newsom's tenure."

From Responsible Statecraft (quite possibly an oxymoron), Pranked Biden official exposes lie that Ukraine war was inevitable. "She isn't the first to admit — after the fact — that taking NATO off the table to avoid Russian invasion was considered, and dismissed."

At Twitchy, Kaaa-BOOM! Anna Paulina Luna OBLITERATES Uber-Creepy Scott Wiener In Heated Exchange. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna @RepLuna, "Scott Weiner is a pedophile-protecting weirdo in the California State House currently pushing a bill to reclassify pedophiles as “minor attracted persons.” This guy is running to replace Nancy Pelosi. He also helped kill a bill to bring harsher penalties against soliciting minors for sex. What is with the freaky obsession of minors and sex? The only thing this guy should be running for is head of the looney bin. Keep your kids away from this guy." I like her. 

Jonathan Turley opines on Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan Found Guilty of Obstruction "Ultimately, Judge Lynn Adelman, a liberal long-standing jurist on the court, rejected half-baked arguments of judicial immunity in such actions. Twelve jurors in Milwaukee then rejected all of the atmospherics and bluster in ruling according to the law. They did what Dugan did not: they followed the rule of law rather than any personal or political impulse."

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks – Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes Talks about Debanking, Trump Targeting, Corrupt FBI Operations and More.

And another, Sunday Talks – Tom Homan Outlines “The Current U.S. Border is Secure,” the Efforts to Deport Illegal Aliens Continues. At Red State, Rusty Weiss sees 60 Minutes Torched Over Interview With Illegals Whining About 'Four Months of Hell' in El Salvador Prison and then Bob Hoge reports a Meltdown at CBS News: 60 Minutes Dumps Fawning Illegal Alien Deportation Segment at Last Second. "Bari Weiss said in a statement that more context was needed, which is code for “the story was hopelessly biased and leftist, and we’re trying to become something more trustworthy under my leadership.”" 

Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "$14 TRILLION NGO EMPIRE: TAX EXEMPT, VOTER PROOF An essay citing Federal Reserve Financial Accounts says U.S. NGOs held $14.12 trillion in assets as of Q2 2025, which is bigger than the combined 2025 GDP of Japan, Germany, and India by roughly 5%. If your brain just tried to file “NGO” under soup kitchens and service dogs, congratulations, you have the same mental model the tax code is still using. The point is not that charity is bad, because plenty of nonprofits do real, direct help. The point is that a legal structure built for modest charities now covers universities, hospital systems, foundations, and advocacy groups sitting on Wall Street sized portfolios. A corporation with that kind of balance sheet would live under constant disclosure, regulation, and taxation. A state with that kind of power would face elections and public law. But this sector sits in a sweet spot: private, tax exempt, and often politically active without being formally partisan. . . ."

At AMAC, How DEI Is Destroying the American Family. Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "Just to be clear, for those who have been telling me "This happened everywhere", I am not surprised they did it, I am surprised they TOLD THE WHITE MEN THEY DECLINED TO HIRE and WROTE IT DOWN. It's like pinning a "sue me" sign on your backside." Quote Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "If this reporting is true true, Hollywood not only violeted CRA for years by discriminating against white men, but has been merrily telling the white men this, and writing it down in widely circulated emails in case they wanted to file a lawsuit. No words https://compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/" They felt safe the Biden administration wouldn't enforce it that way. They didn't expect Trump to be re-elected.

Rusty Weiss, Sleigh It Ain't So: Dem Mayor's Nativity Takedown Fails as SC Town Keeps Baby Jesus Up. Greg Price @greg_price11, "JD Vance perfectly sums up how Christianity produces great men: "Tyler Robinson is everything the far left wants from our young men. He rejected the conservatism, spiritually, and values of a small town family. He moved into a small apartment, he became addicted to porn, he became addicted to hate, and he slept with someone who doesn't know if they're a man or a woman." "The fruits of true Christianity are good husbands, patient fathers, builders of great things, and slayers of dragons. And men who are willing to die for a principle if that's what God asked them to do... It's better to die a patriot than live a coward." I'm not especially religious, but religious people generally make good neighbors.

From TCW, Puberty blocking is an act of neurological vandalism.

A prediction from Grummz @Grummz, "There is a big play to make AI the next outrage topic for the Left. Does this headline sound familiar? “everything is sexist, everything is racist, everything is homophobic, and you have to point it all out to everyone all the time.” That was the Sarkeesian attack that changed the entire AAA game industry and created a billion dollar tech industry consultancy focused on DEI. Now that DEI is dried up and viewed as toxic, they need a new cause. AI is that cause. From the bogus water consumption stats that get repeated as fact, to Bernie Sanders calling for the shut down of data centers, to the PC gamer headline here that goes after games like Expedition 33 (they hardly used AI at all and didn’t put it in the final game) the attacks are multiplying from the former woke cancel mob machinery. Who gains from the US falling behind in AI? Who is funding this and distributing the talking points? Anti-AI is the next big grift."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Probably Not Mrs. Santa and FMJRA 2.0: Stuck In The Ruts up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Epstein Files Dumped

The Chi Trib whines about the Epstein files: DOJ won't meet Friday deadline to release all files. They only dumped about 300,000 pages, and Democrats are complaining. But then, the whole purpose of the exercise was to give Democrats, and a few conspiracy minded Republicans something to bitch about. Do you know how much 300,000 pages is? That's 600 reams. A small room full. I don't understand how anyone, even as notorious at Jeffrey Epstein, has 600 reams of documents about them in government custody. And there's probably as many more yet to come And then, there are the redactions. Lots of redactions, to protect the innocent victims, and people just innocently associated with him. They'll (rightly) complain that the redactions could be hiding the guilty! PJM's Matt Margolis says Epstein Files Have Been Released, And Democrats Won’t Like These Photos. Bob Hoge at RedState hears Slick Willy Clinton Lashes Out at Trump Over Epstein Files Release, Offers Pathetic Defense. 'The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,' the spokesperson said. 'This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever.' Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "The fact Democrats & legacy media are RADIO SILENT over the Epstein Files after it was revealed Bill Clinton was ROUTINELY hanging out in private with victims is incredibly telling They don’t give two shts about the victims. It’s nothing more than a political football for them."

Mary Chastain at LI, Inflation Cools Slightly While Real Earnings Increase. "Unfortunately, a lack of October data means I cannot compare and contrast." Well, you should be able to see the total over 2 months. From Twitchy, 'She's the WORST': Jessica Tarlov Tries Crediting Biden for Lowest Inflation Seen in 5 Years and HOOBOY. johnny maga @_johnnymaga, "Jessica Tarlov claims Biden gave Trump “2.9% inflation.” Consumer prices were 21% higher when Biden left office. 2.9% just represents the price increases from 2024 over 2023. She’s the worst." Pundits should avoid math, like they did in school. Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "The BLS says we lost 41,000 jobs in 2 months. But control for Federal layoffs and we gained 121,000. Control for deportations and we gained 300,000. The “Weak” job numbers are entirely made of Federal layoffs and millions of illegals going home." Amy Curtis at TownHall hears Democrats Dump on Trump's Warrior Dividend Payments. $1776 isn't something to sneeze at for a GI. At NYPo, Trump address ignites hope for future as ‘gangbuster’ economy forecasted for 2026. The Victory Girls think Trump's End-Of-Year Address Should Have Been A Christmas Letter. PJM's Scott Pinsker explains How Trump Used Tucker Carlson’s Stupidity, Gullibility, and Paranoia to Score a Free Primetime Speech. Matt Margolis hears Jonathan Karl Can’t Recall a More ‘Partisan’ Speech Than Trump’s. Who Wants to Tell Him?

From WokeSpy, Trump Grants Federal Workers Two-Day Christmas Break, Creating Rare Five-Day Holiday. Why? They'll never vote Republican. Make 'em do their jobs. From RVM, House Passes GOP Health Care Bill, Dems Losing Obamacare Subsidy Fight. VodkaPundit at Insty, WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODER AND HARDER? "DOE orders WA coal plant to continue operating despite state ban. "The state’s last coal plant was scheduled to close at the end of this year and Puget Sound Energy, which had bought coal-fired electricity from the plant, had agreed to convert the plant to burn natural gas. The closure had been negotiated between the state, TransAlta and climate and energy advocates in an agreement first reached in 2011." Let 'em freeze in the dark. They voted for it. At WUWT, Trump Admin Looking to Restore Coal Plants as America’s Grid Buckles.

News Wax reports Trump Unveils 'Freedom 250' for US Semiquincentennial. "a national nonpartisan organization that will lead the administration's effort next year to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States." LifeZette thinks Trump’s ‘Wall of Fame’ Trolling of Biden, Obama, and Clinton Is Something to Behold. From Twitchy, Maria Shriver Gets a Lesson on 'Dignity' After Whining About the Trump-Kennedy Center. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "The place was literally falling apart and you didn’t help - at all. Where you been, Maria? You were completely silent while the building crumbled. Donald Trump had to step in and save it because you didn’t help. You should thank him." Quote Maria Shriver @mariashriver, "The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history. He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists. It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not." I could live without the Kennedy Center. 

I suppose we must keep looking at the Brown and Australian murders. Matt Vespa at TownHall looks at How 'John' the Homeless Guy Solved the Brown University Shooting. I hope he gets the FBI reward money. Althouse, "Authorities were finally able to crack the case open after a man posted on Reddit that cops should investigate a possible rented gray Nissan with Florida plates that he spotted in Providence while having an odd interaction with a man." "I'm reading "'Heinous' suspect in Brown, MIT shootings ‘should never have been allowed in our country,’ says Noem" (NY Post)." At the Free Bacon, Brown University Faces Questions About Security Policies After Sending Delayed Emergency Alert and Failing To Sound Sirens During Shooting. "Brown's head of campus police faced two votes of no confidence this fall and shrugged off officers' concerns about inadequate responses to shooting and bomb threats." 

At TCW, A line in the sand: Let’s be honest about the Bondi Beach blood bath. "Nothing changes in policy. Nothing changes in the solutions offered. And nothing changes in the rinse-and-repeat pattern of Islamic terrorism followed by brief platitudes followed by more Islamic terrorism." From WokeSpy, Holocaust and Bondi Beach Survivors’ Daughter Calls Out ABC Biased Reporting Live on Air. That would be Australian Broadcasting Company. Dan Greenfield at Front Page, Australia Cancels Christmas Rather Than Cancel Muslim Riots A New Year’s Eve festival scheduled to take place on Bondi Beach has been cancelled by the local eastern Sydney council following the horrific massacre. . . Sydney has also scaled back several Christmas celebrations across the city and adapted others to show support for the Jewish community." The Beeb deigns to show New footage that reveals how people tried to stop Bondi Beach shooting.

The Nat Sec J wonders Is the Ukraine War Nearly Over? I hope so, but I doubt it. Sundance at CTH reports the EU Effort to Use Russian Funds to Support Ukraine Collapses – EU Takes Out Loan to Support Zelenskyy. Conrad Black at the Brussels signal says The US goal is strength and success: Europe should stop fussing and get in step. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears Airstrikes Have Begun on Syria. Retaliation for killing 2 soldiers and a translator. RVM remembers Schumer Wrote the Law to Allow Trump to Blow Up Nacro-Terrorists Boats. But it was only meant for Democrats to use! Jeff Charles at TownHall reports House Votes Down Measure That Would Have Stopped Trump's Military Actions Against Venezuela. Beege also hears Talk Like a Pirate Again: Sen Mike Lee With a Bill to Reintroduce Letters of Marque.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Erika Kirk: TPUSA and I Will Ensure A Vance 48 Presidency. I'm down with that. But at Breitbart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Brags She Would ‘Stomp’ Vance in Presidential Election. Insty reports ELISE STEFANIK IS OUT OF THE RACE: Elise Stefanik @EliseStefanik, "While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family. I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York. However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York. . . "

France 24 hears China tells US to 'immediately' stop arming Taiwan after Washington approves arms package. Double it. At Altouse, "The pioneering American maker of the Roomba, iRobot — once the leader in robot vacuums — said that it had filed for bankruptcy..." ""... and that control of the company would be taken over by its Chinese supplier.... Chinese companies have been racing to dominate the robotics industry..... In 2022, Amazon said it would acquire iRobot and all of its debt for about $1.7 billion. But the deal fell apart under scrutiny from regulators in the United States and Europe who said it could undercut competition.... On Sunday, iRobot filed a bankruptcy petition in Delaware...." From "Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control/Founded in 1990 by three M.I.T. researchers, iRobot introduced its vacuum in 2002. Its restructuring will turn the company over to its largest creditor" (NYT)." We tried a Roomba years ago. A husky defeated it. Hat Hair's Dave Strom reports Yet ANOTHER Chinese Graduate Student Caught Smuggling Biological Agents Into US. joshua steinman (@JoshuaSteinman "This is the THIRD TIME THIS YEAR where a CCP “graduate student” has been caught smuggling biological weapons into the United States. The risk of another Wuhan flu style incident (trillions of dollars of damage, hundreds of thousands dead), is too great. END CCP STUDENT VISAS." Quote FBI Director Kash Patel @FBIDirectorKash "Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher and J-1 visa holder from China was charged with smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the U.S. and making false statements about it. This is yet another example of a researcher from China - given the privilege to work at a U.S. university - who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China." 

CDB at Ace's hears In Fulton County, Georgia -- Big Fani's Home County -- 315,000 "Votes" Were Counted Despite Missing the Necessary Signatures "No big deal. Don't bother checking IDs, don't bother checking if the necessary poll worker signatures are attached to the "votes."" Then Ace woke up and found out about 315,000 Possibly Fraudulent Ballots? Eh...It's Business-As-Usual In Georgia! "Nothing shocking, except for the admission that they are either fantastically bad at their jobs, or are subverting the Constitution. Or both! 'We Don't Dispute' It: Georgia 315k Vote Bombshell Blows a Big Hole in 2020's 'Most Secure Election' Lie" NotTheBee, Fulton County admits it illegally certified 315,000 ballots in 2020 election. Amy Curtis says That Thing We Were Told Didn't Happen During the 2020 Election Happened After All. Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "I mean this is… really bad. We genuinely can’t say with confidence who won Georgia in 2020. Brad Raffensperger got a lot of plaudits for standing up to Trump, but boy, does he suck at his job." Quote Brianna Lyman @briannalyman2 "Massive scandal: Fulton County admits they "violated" the rules in 2020 when they certified ≈315K early votes that lacked poll workers' signatures." Brianna Lyman @briannalyman2, "Just remember: they tried to throw Trump and several others in jail for questioning the integrity of the Georgia election Who in @GaSecofState was responsible for accepting Fulton's tabulator tapes despite there being NO signatures at all? (Since your office won’t respond)." Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "Once again, Trump didn't need them to find 11,780 votes. . . his lawyers had already found that in spades and merely needed the Secretary of State to actually enforce the law or the Court to hear his case."

VodkaPundit at Insty says GOOD LORD: "Half of $18B in federal funds for Minnesota-run programs may have been defrauded, official says. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said the scale of fraud puts services at risk for people who need them, including adults leaving addiction treatment centers who needed help finding a stable place to live and children with autism who were seeking one-on-one therapy. . . " From Fox, MN lawmaker says ‘unbelievable’ assisted-living fraud scheme includes indicted figure still getting state pay, "GOP State Rep. Kristin Robbins presented the explosive new findings in a Wednesday hearing." Ace, Feds Discover Another $9 Billion in Medicaid Fraud... All in Tim Walz's Pirate Paradise of Minnesota "Nice." Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Even this is just the tip of the iceberg." Quote Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "This is insane… US Attorney's Office of Minnesota now thinks that tens of billions have been stolen. . . " Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "Democrats allow Somalis to commit welfare fraud in exchange for Somalis engaging in election fraud. We all know it. They know it. Democrats are buying harvested ballots from foreigners with our tax dollars." Quote Dustin Grage @GrageDustin, " BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: We have uncovered records outlining an organized voter fraud scheme in the Somali Community here in Minnesota. The county prosecutor declined to charge the case, but the Trump Administration needs step in to clean up Minnesota’s elections." Drew Berquist hears HUD Investigates Colorado Housing Agencies After Dead Tenants, Ineligible Recipients Found on Rolls. At Da Caller, Haitians Allegedly Bilked Taxpayers Out Of Millions In SNAP Scam. At WokeSpy, ‘What’s the Point of Food Stamps if It’s Just for Real Food?’: Missouri Welfare Queen. Hey idiot, money is fungible! PJM's Vicky Taft has another West Coast, Messed Coast™ — 58th Reason Why Blue Cities Are Circling the Drain. The American Tribune @TAmTrib, "Anarchotyranny is where blue cities let car thieves commit grand theft auto nonstop for years, with no serious efforts taken to stop it, and then go and mug the companies that made the cars that got stolen If they cared about car theft, they'd hang car thieves as horse thieves were hanged in the West's period of greatness. They don't. They just want to steal from the automakers." Quote FOX 9 @FOX9, "Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a settlement on Tuesday with Kia and Hyundai over anti-theft issues with their vehicles that led to those vehicles being associated with countless crimes in the Twin Cities and beyond." Cernovich @Cernovich, "Any Rand used to be criticized for creating far left wing characters who were too unbelievable and "on the nose." History now shows she underwrote the villains in Atlas Shrugged." Quote "Mayor Melvin Carter @MayorCarter, " Hyundai and Kia failed to include basic, industry‑standard anti‑theft technology—boardroom decisions that made their vehicles far easier to steal. This negligence fueled reckless and violent behavior, leading to tragic loss of Phoua Hang, a beloved member of our community. (1/2) x.com/kare11/status/…"

From NYPo, Zohran Mamdani appointee resigns after vile antisemitic social media posts resurface. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Troubling." Quote Matthew Schmitz @matthewschmitz, "In 2016, Zohran Mamdani’s director of appointments wrote, “It’s important that white people feel defeated.”"

Capt. Ed asks Today's Deep Question: Why Are Dems Burying Their Autopsy? "Its uselessness is almost certain, because any useful report would have to center on the fraud committed by Democrats over the four years of the Biden Regency. They lost the election in large part – but not entirely – because they conspired to keep a senile old man in the Oval Office while others exercised his authority in violation of the Constitution. The entire party then conspired to rig the 2024 primaries to prevent any real challenge to the Biden Regency, only to see it blow up in the June 27, 2024 debate on prime-time TV. Rather than conduct an open convention to choose an effective nominee, the same conspirators picked one of their own – Harris – to keep the lid on one of the worst political violations in US presidential history."

PJM's Stephen Kruiser is gratified that FINALLY — Rogue Judge Held Accountable for Being a Scofflaw Idiot. John Sexton reports An Ultimatum for Judge Dugan: Resign or Be Impeached and Capt. Ed wonders There Goes The Judge: Will Dugan Do Time For Felony Obstruction of ICE? A little jail time would a fine example for the rest of the judiciary. I understand it's a first time offense and all, but for a judge, ignorance of the law is even a less valid excuse than for the rest of us.

Jerry Dunleavy at JTN reports and FBI memos details a half dozen pay-to-play allegations involving Hillary Clinton and her foundation "Federal investigators looked into a wide range of potential pay-to-play and foreign influence schemes tied to the Clinton Foundation, but their inquiry was stymied from above. Here's a look at some of those schemes that went as far back as 2010." Driscoll at Insty calls it THE ORIGINAL “NO KINGS” PROTEST: The Real Watergate Scandal.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "HOLY CRAP! DEI D.C. Police Chief Pam Smith just went BERSERK during her resignation "I'm going to the Bible when I say this, to my haters: F YOU!" This person controlled our nation's capital's police force! Good RIDDANCE."

Amy Curtis sees a Soros-Backed Fairfax DA Repeatedly Dropped Charges Against an Illegal Immigrant — Now Someone’s Dead. From WokeSpy, 59% of Illegal Alien Families On Welfare Programs, Costing $42 Billion: Scott Turner. Who doesn't like free money? Beege Welborn is concerned about When Delightful Third World Customs Start Popping Up in Western Life.

From Da Caller, Harvard Seeking Way To Silence Students Who Recorded Larry Summers’ Epstein Apology. Insty says ABOLISH THE IVY LEAGUE: Walter Kirn @walterkirn, "The unmasking of Ivy League presidents as narcissistic elitist feebs is beyond anything even Trump at his most exaggerated could have prepared me for." FischerKing @FischerKing64, "Firing 95% of university administrators immediately would be a huge win for society, professors, students." "They do meaningless unnecessary jobs that raise tuition, get in the way of teaching - and their existence is largely the result of overproducing PhDs. So eliminating those fake jobs would also trim back grad schools, as administration jobs wouldn’t be a fallback to tenure track." From the College Fix, Zero Republican professors found across 27 academic departments at Yale: research. At the Martin Center, A Much-Needed Exposé of Academic Fraud "A new book reveals why academic-publishing incentives must change." From the Tennessee Conservative, Tennessee Schools Director Who Wants Lawmakers To Crack Down On Homeschooling Oversees District Where Only 1/3 Of Students Are Ready For Life.

NotTheBee sees a Bombshell report: Companies did everything they could to avoid hiring “white millennial men” over the last decade. Jeremy Carl @realJeremyCarl, "I've made my critique of Savage's piece clear, but I will absolutely defend him on this. I've seen a few analyses like this attempting to pull data to show that at some level what Savage claims about discrimination against White men is wrong-- or at least overstated. It's hard to tell whether these critiques are motivated by bad faith or academics penchant for doing shoddy data analysis-- or a little bit of both. This is far from the worst, since he does acknowledge wokeness mattered a lot in some places, so I'll take it on. The question is not whether White men could get jobs at say, large Construction companies or manufacturers. Sure, discrimination, while present, was less evident in those industries. But in the key culture-making apparatus-- which holds enormous prestige and power-- which is why a lot of people with elite backgrounds are willing to work in it for very little money-- White men were largely shut out. And non-woke White men were completely shut out. . . ." Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "When Gorge Floyd died in police custody a decent percentage of black America protested and rioted, it caused an entire cultural revolution When a decades long conspiracy to exclude white men from society is revealed the response is to shrug and say "What can be done?"" Quote Shoe @shoe0nhead, "incredible stuff. we all knew this was happening but to see it all written out in detail like this is wild. this shit needs to be completely gutted from society and destroyed. starting with the people who pushed it and profited off of it. https://compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/" VodkaPundit jokes WE NEED A TOTAL AND COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF AUSTRALIA UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON: Anthony Bradley @drantbradley, ""Monsters": This is how the West views white males at the moment. Are parents of young white boys prepping them for a society that's positioned against them? Are they aware? White parents, how are you prepping your son for this future for him? Thoughts?"

There's still lots to learn at The Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Evening Edition), but it's getting late. Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Probably Not Mrs. Santa and FMJRA 2.0: Stuck In The Ruts up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Brown Shooter Found Dead - Judge Dugan Found Guilty

It was a quite a day for law enforcement in the search for the Brown killer. First, it was announced he had been identified and linked to the murder of an MIT physics professor "Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old theoretical physicist and fusion scientist from Portugal" that occurred after the Brown shootings, and an arrest warrant issued, then his car was located at a self storage facility in New Hampshire, and finally, he was found dead in the self storage facility of an apparently self-inflicted gun shot. The shooter was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese green card hold and a former PhD student at Brown, most recently living in Florida, who shared a past with the MIT professor. A homeless former Brown student, living on campus who had an encounter with the shooter after the shootings gave authorities enough information to lead to his arrest warrant. Stacy McCain, Finally: ‘Person of Interest’ Reportedly Identified in Brown University Shooting then Claudio Neves-Valente Identified as Brown University Gunman, Found Dead. From Ace, Person of Interest Sought in Brown Shooting, Claim: Brown Disabled Security Cameras Because Left-Wing Groups Complained Their Criminals Were Being Photographed UPDATE: Link to MIT Physicist Slaying? PM, Brown University shooter found dead, identified as Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. Matt Vespa at TownHall, We Got Him: Brown University Shooter Found Dead in New Hampshire. What you mean "we" white man? PJM's Matt Margolis, Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead, Identity Revealed. Sundance at CTH has Brown University Shooter Identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, Dead from Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound in New Hampshire and the chain of events that led to the arrest warrants at Rhode Island Arrest Affidavit Gives Details on How Brown Shooting Suspect Was Identified – Full Affidavit pdf. Given the fusion researcher, I was suspicious that their could be an Iranian connection. Rather than domestic terrorism, it rather looks like a case of rage brought on by a failed doctoral program. It's surprising to me it doesn't happen more often. 

Still carping about the process, at Twitchy, NEWLY Released Radio Transmissions Show LEO Gave Brown University Shooter Lots of Time to Escape. Campus Reform, BDS-supporting Brown prof was previously head of school that supported 'right of Palestinians to self-defense' after Oct. 7. In a Hat Hair video Chloe thinks Brown University Engages in Suspicious Behavior Following Shooting. School administrators instinctively act to protect their sinecures.

As long as we're still talking shootings, Hat Hair's Dave Strom can barely believe Australian Public Broadcaster Declares Bondi Beach Attack Had Nothing to Do With Religion and Mitch Berg quips Prime Minister Albanese Searches For The Real Killers. Denial is apparently a river in Australia, too. From the Middle East Forum, Hanukkah Terror Has Roots in Australia’s Alienation of Jews, "Canberra Once Aligned with the United States on Middle East Issues, Including Israel, but Prime Minister Albanese Has Hewn a Different Path." PJM's Cathy Salgado reports Australians Arrest More Bondi ‘Violent Plotters,’ Looks Like Another Islamist Cell. Ace elaborates, Australian Counter-Terrorism Police Ram a Vehicle Containing Five Islamic Men Heading Towards Site of Sunday's Hannukah Slaughter, "Authorities believe two cars loaded with Islamic men were headed to the scene of the Hannukah slaughter to commit further terroristic violence. They rammed the car because, it is reported, they believed they had to stop the car immediately." At Twitchy, Debbie Wasserman Schultz Thinks This Is a Bigger Threat to American Values Than Islamic Terrorism. RNC Research @RNCResearch, "Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz gets called out for saying President Trump is a bigger threat to American values than Radical Islamic Terrorism. "I think we have to focus... if we're worried about the threat to American values on the person who's in the White House.""

At Hat Hair John Sexton reports After Damaging Testimony, the Government Rests Its Case Against Judge Dugan then Day Four of Judge Dugan's Trial: The Defense Rests After 45 Minutes of Witnesses (Update: Convicted!) WUSN.com, Jury reaches verdict in trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan "Federal jury finds her guilty on one of two counts." Althouse, "A jury convicted a Wisconsin judge Thursday of obstructing federal agents’ arrest of an undocumented immigrant from Mexico..." "... giving President Donald Trump’s administration a rare win in its prosecutions of public officials who have challenged his agenda. The jury found Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of a felony, obstructing an official proceeding, but acquitted her of a misdemeanor, concealing a person from arrest. The verdict came after six hours of deliberations and Dugan could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.... Dugan... will no longer be able to continue as a judge because Wisconsin’s constitution bars people convicted of felonies from holding public office... WaPo reports." It might seem odd that the judge was convicted of the felony but acquitted on the misdemeanor, but the misdemeanor required showing the act of hiding the person. From the prosecutor's closing argument: "'She was a frustrated and angry judge who was fed up, who decided to corruptly take matters into her own hands.""

As long as we're on the topic of immigration, Scott McKay at Am Spec examines The Absurdities of Birthright Citizenship, "There is now a modern twist to be considered in the birthright citizenship debate." The Manhattan Contrarian, Birthright Citizenship? I Think It's An Open Question. Beege Wellborn at Hat Hair, Here's News - 'Immigrants' Cost a Boatload to House, Fairfax County DA Is Thoughtful Enough to Make Sure the Illegal Always Gets His Man and An End of the Year ICE Tote Up of Naughty Blue States Shawn Fleetwood at da Fed thinks The West’s Embrace Of Mass Third-World Migration Is Civilizational Suicide. Theo Wold @RealTheoWold, "Good! It’s clearly laid out in federal statute: If you lie during the process of becoming a citizen or subsequently commit a crime, the U.S. is authorized to revoke your citizenship. And you’ll be shocked at the amount of people in this country that fall in that category..." Quote The New York Times @nytimes, "Breaking News: The Trump administration plans to ramp up efforts to strip some naturalized Americans of their citizenship, internal documents obtained by The New York Times show, marking an aggressive new phase in President Trump’s immigration crackdown." Speaking of lying on the citizenship application, Fox 9, DHS says Rep. Omar’s son was not pulled over by ICE, despite claims. From RVM, Vance Breaks Down What Real Success on Immigration Means to Him. “Success, to me, is not so much a number, though, obviously I’d love to see the gross majority of the illegal immigrants who came in under Biden deported, that actually is a secondary metric of success.” Vance said lasting progress depends on setting policies that the courts accept and creating the operational capabilities required to enforce immigration law at scale. Vance added, “Success, to me is that we have established a set of rules and principles that the courts are comfortable with and that we have the infrastructure to do that allows us to deport large numbers of illegal aliens when large numbers of illegal aliens come into the country, that, to me, is real success.”

Rick Moran at PJM celebrates Inflation Drops 'Unexpectedly' to 2.7% for November. Media Hardest Hit. At Hat Hair Capt. Ed VIP says Surprise! November Inflation Rate 'Unexpectedly' Shocks Experts, Trump: This Was the Year That Was MAGA and Larry has a video, CNN Was Forced to Report Trump's Inflation Win, and It Was Glorious. Ace, The Inflation Rate Falls As Trump Promises a New "Golden Age" "I turned off Trump's speech because it made me anxious. He was rushing through the script so fast he tripped over words and didn't emPHAsize key points to drive the message home. But he did hit the points. The speech was about 20 minutes. I think he should have taken maybe 28 minutes to give the speech, adding in emphasis and pauses." Sundance, No, Inflation Did Not “Cool Unexpectedly”, It Slowed Because Trump Policies are Working. At PJM Matt Margolis asserts The Economic Comeback Under Trump Is Very Real and Stephen Kruiser say Trump Hails 2025 Successes, but I'm Just Here for the Trolling. Roger Kimball at The Spec looks at Donald Trump’s end-of-year victory lap "He has accomplished more in 11 months than most presidents have achieved in eight years."

Carlo Carrasco announces Trump Announces $1,776 Christmas Bonus For American Troops. From Space.com, Trump signs sweeping executive order aimed at 'ensuring American space superiority' "The president wants the U.S. to start setting up a permanent moon base by 2030, among other goals." Behind the Black, New Trump executive order today guarantees major changes coming to NASA’s Moon program. Chronicles chronicles President Trump’s Trustbusting Moment. "The time grows short for President Trump and his administration to protect American liberty and prosperity by blocking the impending merger between Netflix and WBD."

At NYPo Ben Domenech opines Trump’s chief of staff can’t sway media that revel in Republican ridicule. Driscoll at Insty, "WHY? VANITY FAIR’S HIT PIECE WAS ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Felt ‘Blindsided’ by Vanity Fair Article." At Hat Hair, Mark Judge (remember him?) discourses on Vanity Fair, And the Need for Conservative Photographers. From Twitchy, JD Vance Owes Vanity Fair Photographer $1,000 After Marco Rubio Posts New Profile Pic. Josh Kraushaar @JoshKraushaar, ""The underlying tension came through when Mr. Vance posed for the magazine’s photographer. “I’ll give you $100 for every person you make look really shitty compared to me,” Mr. Vance joked. “And $1,000 if it’s Marco.”" At Althouse "Obviously, celebrity portraits on the cover of Vanity Fair are not really about journalism in the way that you and I think about journalism." "But then there’s the other side of Vanity Fair, which is real journalism. I’m surprised that a journalist would even need to ask me the question of 'Why didn’t I retouch out the blemishes?' Because if I had, that would be a lie. I would be hiding the truth of what I saw there.... If presenting what I saw, unfiltered, is an attack, then what would you call it had I chosen to edit it and hide things about it, and make them look better than they look?... This has been a fixture of my work for many years. I’ve photographed all political stripes just like this. You will find... beloved figures on the left photographed in the same way.... I go in not with the mission of making someone look good or bad. Whether anyone believes me or not, that is not what my objective is...." Said the photographer Christopher Anderson, quoted in "The Vanity Fair photographer who disrupted Trumpworld’s polished image/Every line, spot, blemish and blood vessel was captured by Christopher Anderson’s lens. What was he thinking?" (WaPo)(gift link for photographs and the entirety of the interview with the photographer)." Bullshit.

Althouse finds "[Trump] found it interesting as an intellectual issue. Do I think he’s going to run for a third term? No, I don’t think he will run for a third term." "Said Alan Dershowitz, quoted in "Can Trump run for a third term? It’s unclear, says Harvard professorAlan Dershowitz spoke to the president about the constitution at the Oval Office this week and says Trump 'found it interesting as an intellectual issue'" (London Times). "it" = Professor Dershowitz's new book, "Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term?" Dershowitz's position on the subject: "It’s not clear."" Then, obviously he needs to try. And, "Over nearly two decades, as Mr. Trump cut a swath through the party circuits of New York and Florida, Mr. Epstein was perhaps his most reliable wingman." ""During the 1990s and early 2000s, they prowled Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and Mr. Trump’s Plaza Hotel, at least one of Mr. Trump’s Atlantic City casinos and both their Palm Beach homes. They visited each other’s offices and spoke often by phone, according to other former Epstein employees and women who spent time in his homes. With other men, Mr. Epstein might discuss tax shelters, international affairs or neuroscience. With Mr. Trump, he talked about sex...." I'm reading "'Don’s Best Friend': How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women/The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency" (NYT). That's in the middle of the NYT home page right now. I thought you should know. Trump chased women. And there's a concept — pushed by the NYT for political purposes — that chasing women can be a game of ego and dominance and that female bodies can be used as "currency.""

PJM's Dave Manney looks at Trump’s Pressure Campaign and Maduro’s Fury. La Voce di New York sees Maduro Responds to Trump: the Venezuelan Navy Will Escort Oil Tankers. Fine, we can sink a few of them too. Sarah Anderson at PJM notes The U.S. Sends Troops Into Latin America — But Not to Venezuela, Equador. 

At Euro Con, Europeans May Not Love Trump—but Many Agree With Him. "That’s why people across Europe have been voting in increasing numbers for insurgent national conservative parties—not because of what Trump or anybody else says, but because of what their rulers have done to European society, culture, and civilisation." Sundance sees the EU is Desperate to Find a Way to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Ukraine.

From Da Caller, Over $9 Billion Looted From Minnesota Medicaid Programs, Feds Say. Dave Strom, Minnesota's US Attorney Reveals New Fraud of $9 Billion or More. Cathy Salgado, Two Fraudsters Trafficked $7 Million in SNAP Funds. I&I ed board asserts For Today’s Democrats, Fraud Is A Feature, Not A Bug, "For today’s Democrats, these aren’t problems to be solved. They are cherished benefits that support their (and their friends’) lifestyles and keep them in office." 

Althouse, "Ken Martin, the chairman of the D.N.C., said on Thursday that he had decided not to publish a report that he ordered months ago into what went wrong for the Democratic Party last year...." ""Mr. Martin will instead keep the findings under seal. He believes that looking back so publicly and painfully at the past would prove counterproductive for the party as it tries next year to take back power in Congress.... 'Here’s our North Star: Does this help us win?' Mr. Martin said in a statement. . . From "The D.N.C. Is Scrapping Its Report on What Went Wrong in 2024/Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chairman, ordered the autopsy months ago but is now said to believe that its release would be counterproductive for the party" (NYT)." Matt Margolis, The Democratic Party Is in Complete Collapse, Poll Finds. "Democrats are sinking like a stone, and the new Quinnipiac poll makes it official: their congressional approval rating has hit a historic low of just 18%, with a brutal 73% disapproving. That's the worst number Quinnipiac has recorded since they started asking the question back in 2009. Even CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, couldn't hide his shock, declaring that "Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea."" Dave Strom calls this Luxury Socialism in a Nutshell. Wokal Distance @wokal_distance, "Rage Against the Machine's guitarist, Tom Morello, has a signature guitar out. Which means that for just $2400 a millionaire socialist will sell you a guitar with a communist symbol on it." That's not a really expensive guitar. 

Dave Strom, The 'Most Secure Election in History™' Had Some Big 'Oopsies," But Fear Not.... and 'Trust The Science™' Usually Means 'Trust Our Authority'. Shooting News Week reports Tim Walz Tries to Create a Backdoor Firearm Registry After Gun Ban Fails in State Legislature.

From Ace, DOJ Eyes Civil Rights Action Against Biden Officials Who Weaponized Government Power to Punish Political Enemies "Head of the Office of Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, said that the raid on Mar-a-Lago, made without probable cause, might have been a criminal act." Tom Knighton at TAW, Yet another reason I have trust issues, "But the truth is that the fire of our federal government hasn’t been kept in check. Instead, we saw that power abused. It wasn’t just that the fire wasn’t properly controlled, but it was also used in an act of arson. What am I talking about? The raid at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. We all knew the way that raid was handled was absolute BS, but it seems that it lacked one important thing. The FBI didn’t think they had sufficient cause." Capt. Ed has a belly laugh when Kamala claims We Didn't Release the Epstein Files Because Our DoJ Was Soooo Independent. VodkaPundit at Insty cites MARK JUDGE: The Most Explosive Book of 2026. "Yes, they waged war on us. That’s the simplest way to summarize what the government, technocratic elite, security state, and media did to the American people in 2016. It’s also the premise behind what is sure to be the most important and explosive book of 2026. That book, The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control by Jacob Siegel, explores the ways the crazed reactions of these parts of society to the arrival of Donald Trump drove them to label him “a threat to American democracy” and take actions that, ironically, turned them into the very threat they tried to warn us against."

Althouse passes on NYT's take on the Bongino resignation "Mr. Bongino’s obsession with his own image, as projected through a constant stream of gung-ho social media posts, landed flat in a proud law enforcement agency..." ""... where working hard and keeping a low profile has been a calling card of leadership. In a lawsuit filed in September, the former head of the bureau’s powerful Washington field office, Steven J. Jensen, said he was taken aback by the 'intense focus' that Mr. Bongino devoted to 'increasing online engagement through his social media profiles in an effort to change his followers’ perception of the F.B.I.'... Mr. Bongino... fell out of favor after lambasting Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case — and alienating Ms. Bondi’s friend and ally, Susie Wiles...." Some people may be better on the outside looking in, than on the inside looking out.

Capt. Ed sees Federal Appeals Court OK's Nat'l Guard in DC – But ... "The bad news? The ruling applies to Washington DC, and the panel has limited its findings to the federal nature of the nation's capital." John Sexton, California Judge Threatens to Shut Down Tesla Sales and Production in the State. "The ruling by Administrative Law Judge Juliet Cox determined that Tesla had for years engaged in deceptive marketing practices by using the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” to promote the autonomous technology available in many of its cars." At Am Mind, Ilya Shapiro on The End of the Beginning "I’m not tired of winning in the courts." 

VodkaPundit at Insty, THE MEDIA LIES "The media lies stupidly, clumsily, and obviously. Maybe I’d despise them less if the lies came without all the moral preening about objectivity, editorial standards, and those layers of editors and fact-checkers. Maybe, but I doubt it."

Media coverage: Actual suspect: pic.twitter.com/h2lO2P97aT

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 17, 2025

Dudley Newright @NewRightPoast, "I was there, in the 2010s, when they stopped hiring white guys. I worked for a big media company in the big city. Terrible pay, but fun to hang out with creative types all day. Everyone was white. One day one of us wrote a snarkier headline than our usual fare. The piece triggered huge engagement from angry boomer conservatives. Where were they coming from? Facebook, it turned out. . . ." Jamie Wilson at PJM, DEI and the Death of Excellence: How Ideological Selection Degrades Culture Over Time. From Campus Reform, Popular professor fired at HBCU files lawsuit alleging anti-white discrimination. 

Capt. Ed reports Trump Admin To Cut All Funding to Hospitals Performing Pediatric Sex Changes. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Announces 6 Moves to Crack Down on ‘Sex-Rejecting Procedures’: ‘MALPRACTICE.’ Ace, HHS Moves to Block Hospitals From Performing Sex Change Mutilations on Children; House Moves to Ban, "HHS wants to stop the Jack-to-Jill Ripper surgeries." Althouse, "The federal government on Thursday acted to put an end to gender-related care for minors across the nation, threatening to pull federal funding from any hospital that offered such treatment...." ""The administration’s action is not just a regulatory shift but the latest signal that the federal government does not recognize even the existence of people whose gender identity does not align with their sex at birth. If finalized, the proposed new rules, announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a news conference Thursday morning, would effectively shut down hospitals that failed to comply...." From Fox, NC county dissolves library board after vote to keep kids transgender-themed picture book, "Randolph County officials voted 3-2 to remove trustees who kept 'Call Me Max' children's book."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Week In The Ruts available for browsing at the usual place and time.