Flotsam and Jetsam - “Easy Like Sunday Morning”

It's kind of a themeless Sunday morning, cleaning up debris from the week. Either that, or I did a less than thorough job of collecting links. In misc Trumpiania, Matt Vespa thinks This Image Says Everything About Trump's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Speech. RedState's Nick Arama likes how Trump Delivers a Funny Joke About Nicki Minaj at the WHCD - She Drops a Humorous Reply. Pop Base @PopBase, “After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled ‘Get down!’ which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Can you believe it? She’s the only one that really understood what that meant.” 

At Hat Hair, Salena Zito has an American Dream: Trump, McCormick and Dimon Unveil a Massive Manufacturing Push in Pennsylvania. USTR Takes Action in Forced Labor Section 301 Investigations, raising tariffs on countries that allow imports of the products of slave labor. “President Trump recognizes that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labor from global supply chains. The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”

Sundance at CTH sees the Plot Thickens – New Jersey Data Contractor Says Noncitizens Registering to Vote Not Our Error, they deliberately registered noncitizens.

Switching gears to foreign affairs, sundance has President Trump Notes Europe’s Refusal to Accept Elimination of Marshall Plan – New EU Scheme to Fine U.S. Tech Companies, Zelenskyy Pledges to Share Exclusive Ukraine Satellite Intelligence to Assist NATO/USA in Defeating Iran and Canadian NATO Intern at Military HQ Arrested for Spying for China. At Am Con, The Fight Inside Trump’s State Department Is About Power—Not Expertise, "The president needs diplomats willing to advance his America First agenda."

I&I asks a rhetorical question, Why Are Dems Dodging Questions About The DSA’s Radical Platform? PJM's Matt Margolis sees Jessica Tarlov Thought She Was Schooling Her Co-Hosts. She Got Humiliated Instead. ""You've been calling every Democratic candidate for over a decade a socialist or communist," Tarlov said. Gutfeld wasn't having it. "The socialists are calling themselves socialists! We didn't name them the DSA," he said." Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "We know Hollywood is filled with commies. Funny how they don’t redistribute their wealth to the rest of us." Quote Nicholas Fondacaro @NickFondacaro, "Actress Molly Ringwald whines about McCarthyism and defends the communist ideology. She tacitly admits that Hollywood is filled with communists."

From the Victory Girls, Jewish Democrats In Michigan Plan To Back Republican If El-Sayed Wins Primary. We've been waiting for the majority of Jews to wise up for a long time. Data Republican at Substack, explore Chinese infiltration of US politics, Apax Partners: The Money Linking Singham and the DNC, "Apax Partners, Neville Roy Singham, and the sovereign investors surrounding the DNC’s most important political database." "Apax Partners’ management company — the entity that sits above every fund, including the one holding Democratic campaign infrastructure — counts China’s CIC and Singapore’s GIC among its owners. CIC is subject to China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires all organizations to “support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence work.” GIC’s board is chaired by Singapore’s sitting Prime Minister, who also oversees the country’s intelligence services."

At Da Wire, Rubio Lays Down ‘Trump’s Law’ In 5 Words When Asked About Iran, "They are suffering billions of dollars in damage, and their economy’s a disaster." "“I saw Araghchi, the [Iranian] Foreign Minister, the other day say something about their policy is ‘an eye for an eye,’” Rubio told reporters. “The president’s policy is ‘a head for an eye.’" Gary Anderson at Am Spec worries Our Generals Are Failing Us in Iran and elsewhere. "The U.S. military excels at tactics and technology but too often fails at operational art, strategic thinking, and developing bold leaders."

Althouse is especially interested in the protests in Madison after the death of Corey Ruiz after he stabbed a policeman in Madison, Wisconsin. "I just wanted to get to my house — that is it"/"We all just want to do something in this world." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Opinions @jsonlinemkebs, "Madison protestors have now shut down the main drag entering in and out of Madison's East side. Shutting this road down would delay first responders significantly if they were responding to a medical emergency. This is lawlessness and is putting innocent lives in danger." "The protesters are not just expressing themselves but demanding that other people stop living their lives freely and become one with the protest." And "The Dane County Farmers’ Market will still take place Saturday morning on the Capitol Square, though organizers say the market 'will look different.'" "'It is not a celebration of local food, but a space where everyone can find food grown in their community to sustain themselves and be together,' the market said in a social media post.... That's from "'My family needs justice': Relatives of Corey Ruiz speak out for first time since police shooting/Family members spoke at press event with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who previously represented George Floyd's family" (WPR)." Stacy McCain covers the Criminal Carnival in Madison, Wisconsin. "Amy Curtis: “If you don’t know Wisconsin, let me explain that Madison is so left-wing it flies in circles.” Indeed."

At Coffee and Covid News, "You had to scroll all the way down this morning’s New York Times web page to find it, but the story reported, “Hawaii Lt. Gov. Is Indicted in Corruption Investigation.” The short article is almost mind-numbingly boring, packed with passive-tense, soft verbs, and a distinct absence of outrage. Maybe the reserved tone was because the indictments were more Democrats, including the highest-ranking Democrat official under indictment yet."

This leads us to a larger point about Trump 2.0’s Department of Justice. While many in the MAGA base are still spreading “waiting for someone to get arrested” memes, high-profile, state-level arrests are happening all over the country.

How? The Trump administration systematically dismantled the so-called “ethical” gatekeepers in D.C. The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section —which historically acted as a brake and a bottleneck, protecting favored politicians and shutting down local investigations— was slashed from 36 lawyers down to just two. The long-standing requirement that local prosecutors consult with D.C. before indicting any local political figures was suspended.

By removing the federal roadblock, the Trump DOJ effectively unleashed state-level corruption prosecutions. The Hawaii case, for example, is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, using evidence provided by the feds.

Leslie Eastman at LI is gratified Trump Demands Review of ‘Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence’ Used by Federal Judges, "Meanwhile, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology investigates the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) over its stewardship of this nation’s scientific efforts." Conquest's Second Law: Any organization not explicitly and constitutionally right-wing will sooner or later become left-wing. With Fritz's addendum, "With explicitly right-wing organization, it takes a little longer."

From Twitchy, Convicted Murderer Karmelo Anthony Seeks a New Trial, Claims Judge Was Biased, a routine procedural step. Jay Rogers at TownHall thinks The Carroll Case Still Deserves a Second Look, it didn't even make sense as fiction.

At Twitchy, Judges Enter Orders Preventing DHS From Terminating TPS for Ethiopia, South Sudan , despite the Supreme Court telling them, more or less directly, to cut that shit out. John Hinderacker at Power Line, compares Trump’s Success, and AI’s Bias on immigration. "My colleague David Zimmer dug into the data to assess the success of President Trump’s immigration policies. He found them to be very successful, indeed:... I thought I’d put AI to the test to see what its response would be regarding the data I presented above. It responded twice that I was misrepresenting the data relevant to both the number and percentage of illegal aliens detained who had either a criminal history or pending criminal charge. AI referenced the CATO Institute and the Migration Policy Institute as source documents for refuting my conclusions. I then provided the link to the DHS raw data and asked AI to calculate the figures and get back to me. Here’s AI’s response – I’ll take the win!..."

From Shooting News Week, Congress Moving to Block Gun Purchase Tracking Causes a Major Media Meltdown, but then, they melt down over nearly everything.

Sundance reports a Terrorist Attack at Berlin Gay Pride Event. Those damn white sup.... oh wait, Yashar Ali @yashar, "BREAKING via AP Berlin police say they have identified a suspect with ties to Islamic extremist circles after a van plowed into crowds at the city’s major LGBTQ celebration Saturday night. The suspect, who is known to police, remains at large as authorities conduct an intensive search. One person was killed and at least 16 others were injured."

From Michael Shellenberger at Public News, Radicalization Of Universities Behind Smithsonian’s Attack On History And Biological Reality "If museums continue to refuse to reform themselves, Congress should cut their funding." Museum curators thinks of themselves as college professors, not public servants. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Springtime for Hitler in Ithaca." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Ivy Leaguer who's 'not interested in working for a Jew' says Cornell is welcoming him back https://trib.al/e3GExwA."

Driscoll at Insty has the QUESTION ASKED AND ANSWERED: What Broke Black America? A Review of Howard Husock’s The Projects" I credit "The Great Society," LBJ's plan to buy Black's for the Democrats.

Insty says LET’S HOPE: SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM IS THE ANGEL OF DEATH FOR CANCEL CULTURE. The subtext was clear to her aspirant cancelers: I hear you, I see you, and I don’t care. This is 2026, not 2016. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "WOW! Sophie Cunningham's shoes sell out in 1 HOUR after she went viral for saying "no men in women's sports, I said what I said" "It sells out in ALL SIZES" "She had the guts to stand up and say, males do not belong in women's sports! She stood by it."" Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias, "Cunningham is articulating a view that 70-80 percent of Americans share, that reflects the law in many states, and that has been adopted by the IOC and the NCAA." Quote Billy Fleming @JooBilly, "It's kind of incredible to spend years building yourself up as one of the most likeable figures in the WNBA and then burn it all down to pick on a tiny and extremely vulnerable group of young, trans athletes. x.com/ComplexSports/…"

Flotsam and Jetsam - Anti-ICE Activist Bombs Federal Building

Capt. Ed, Manhattan Federal Building Hit with Molotov Cocktail; Anti-ICE Activist Arrested. Gina Milan @ginamilan_, "43-year-old Army veteran Andrew Arrabaca, an anti-American, anti-ICE, anti-government radical who was arrested today after detonating an incendiary device outside ICE offices in New York City, told agents he didn’t care how many federal workers or civilians he killed. Color me shocked. Spend years demonizing ICE, calling agents Nazis and Gestapo, and eventually some looney tune answers the call. Well done, leftists. Your poster boy delivered." Daily Wire @realDailyWire, "The only civilian injured in today's attack outside NYC's federal immigration building by a suspect seen pushing a cart that read "ICE off our streets" was an immigrant who was there for a hearing. "That's quite unfortunate and quite ironic at the same time."" Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "This is an armed revolution against lawful authority, openly led and encouraged by Democrats. At what point will our nation figure out that we are in the midst of a violent insurrection that threatens our national existence, and treat it as such?" DC_Draino @DC_Draino, "This is how you know a Leftist committed the terrorism. Mainstream media calls it “fireworks” instead of an attempted bombing. Just like when Trump was shot in Butler and they called it “popping sounds”." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Terrorist tries to blow up ICE HQ in NYC NBC:" Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "OK, they've advanced to the incendiary device and gun phase. Largely ineffective, some flammable liquid, fireworks and a pellet gun, as the guy espousing an idiotic cause appears to be an idiot. It won't always be that way." Quote Fox News @FoxNews, "NEW: The FBI says the suspect who deployed an incendiary device outside a federal building in New York City has been taken into custody. The suspect poured an unknown liquid on the ground, placed fireworks on top of it and ignited them, causing a small fire, according to the FBI. The suspect was also armed with a pellet gun. Two people — a federal employee and a civilian — suffered minor injuries and were treated and released."

From AMAC a reminder, Trump Delivers Shocking New Election Integrity Disclosures in Primetime Address. I didn't find them all that shocking, but seeing more evidence is disquieting. A Larry video at Hat Hair advances the argument that Mark Warner Confirms Trump Was Right About 2020 Election Interference. Tim O'Brien at PJM explores How China Made and Shipped Fake Driver’s Licenses to Tamper With the 2020 Election. Tara Servatius @TaraServatius, "Serious question: Was the FBI working to further the interests of China? -hid Hunter Biden's laptop, censored journalists online who told the truth about it, briefed congress (with lies) that it was a Russian disinformation op. -hid intel about Chinese board of elections hacking and manufacture of fake licenses for use in absentee ballot fraud to elect Joe Biden from congress and president Trump. Allowed those activities to continue. Even ran a "shadow government" to cover it up. -Tried to bury Chinese biolabs operating illegally in America and containing deadly pathogens when they were accidentally discovered -Framed Trump for Russia collusion." Quote Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "BREAKING: @SenRandPaul, the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has just released internal federal documents which he says show that the FBI intervened and stopped CBP from searching and questioning Peter Daszak upon his return to the US from China at JFK airport." I think they accidentally found themselves on the same side as China, and had to cover that up. The SCIF @TheSCIF, "Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold should be in prison. She leaked a spreadsheet online with all the state's voting machine passwords on it from 2020, and after she got caught, claimed that it "wasn't a security threat." It gets worse. Her office also sent out mail to 30,000 noncitizens, inviting them to register to vote, when they aren't even legally aloud to vote, and told election workers to give ballots to people who show noncitizen IDs. On top of all of that, that same year, her office used Colorado's ballot-tracking system to send messages to specific Coloradans encouraging them to vote, when in fact, they all had already voted, causing massive confusion that had to be cleaned up." But sure, the 2020 election was the fairest ever!

Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller reports Vice President JD Vance Announces Birth Of Newest Son. "Vice President JD Vance announced Sunday that second lady Usha Vance gave birth to the couple’s fourth child...“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” the second family said in a statement posted Sunday evening to X. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy and out kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.”" Hat Hair's Beege Welborn notices the WSJ Decides to Play Outrage 'Where's Waldo?' With New Father J.D. Vance. So how long was Pete Buttigieg's "paternity" leave?

Fred Fleitz at Am Great looks at Secretary Rubio’s Campaign to Dismantle the ICC: Defending American Sovereignty at Last. "Rubio made clear that the United States will no longer tolerate this rogue court." PJM's Sarah Anderson on Marco’s Moment: What Happens Next in Venezuela Could Define Rubio’s Legacy and Cathy Salgado sees U.S. Imposes 50% Tariffs on Some Canadian Goods Over ‘Discriminatory’ Actions.

John Sexton at Hat Hair, Wildberries: Ukraine Expands Strikes to Include Russia's Version of Amazon. "The primary rationale for striking Wildberries' warehouses is to disrupt Russian logistics and the supply of dual-use goods, critical electronics, sanctioned goods and the like to the Russian army and Russian arms manufacturers," he said. "The collateral damage from such strikes could also have a serious impact on the Russian economy, as well as a psychological effect on Russian society and, likely, on continued support for the war."

From Ace, Dead Body Found at Home Belonging to Criminal Husband of Bald-Headed Freak Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley "Black Uncle Fester's thug husband:" Apple Lamps @lamps_apple, "Can you imagine if a dead teen with a gunshot wound were found in a house owned by the spouse of a Republican who happened to be a convicted felon and had just received a $2 billion contract from the state? When it’s a Democrat, it’s complete silence." Quote Boston 25 News @boston25, "Family identifies teen found dead inside Mattapan home owned by husband of Rep. Ayanna Pressley https://ebx.sh/3qYHt3" "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy." I'm going to guess that's not even enough anymore.

Hat Hair's Dave Strom has hopes, Democrats Not Doing So Well in Generic Pre-Midterm Polls and explains Republicans Must Tie Democrats to DSA. PJM's Matt Margolis explains Here's How the Democrats Are Blowing the Midterms. "On the generic congressional ballot, Republicans are either tied with Democrats or ahead by three to four points, nowhere near the margin Democrats need to flip the House. A recent Washington Post/Ipsos poll put Democrats up just 48% to 45% on that same generic ballot question. Asked which party they agree with more on the issues that matter to them, voters split 41% Republican to 40% Democrat. Asked which party they trust more to handle the economy, the gap widened: 39% for Republicans to 35% for Democrats." Nick Freitas @NickJFreitas, "Democrats don’t have enough children to be a viable party in 20 years… That’s why they insist on: 1. Lax voting laws (Cheating) 2. Mass immigration (Replacement) 3. Gov control of education (Indoctrination)."

From Ace, Former DSA Member: We Started This Moderate, Wholesome Socialist Group But It Got Taken Over by Extremist Communists, Somehow, "Really? I'm so surprised. Leftwing movements are never taken over by some kind of, oh, let's say "Bolshevik Faction."" Dave Strom cites Van Jones: DSA Are Turds in the Democratic Party Punchbowl. Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "They’ll praise a lunatic who murdered tens of millions of people, and in the same breath, claim they care deeply about a non-existent genocide in Gaza. No one should ever take these people seriously." Quote DSA Watch @DSA_Watch, "Hasan Piker: Mao Zedong is one of the great leaders of this world." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "There's a tendency to see them as evil liars, but you also have to consider the possibility that he actually is this stupid." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Mao killed more people than Hitler. If Hasan Piker had dressed like a Nazi, we'd have an appropriate outrage. But because commies have infiltrated all our institutions & lied about how evil they are, we don't get the National Socialists were no worse than all other socialists." Quote Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Hasan Piker dressed as Mao, brainwashing your kids at college. They’re communists. This was always communism." Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "Serious issues aside, it remains funny to me the amount of costumery required to be a Leftist in good standing." Quote DSA Watch @DSA_Watch, "Hasan Piker delivers Hitler-style rant in a Mao Zedong suit."

At Hat Hair Beege Welborn , Fetterman to Bernie: Yo, Loser - Get Over Yourself, John Sexton, Meet Platner's Replacement: Shouty McShoutface and Three Cheers for (Checks Notes) Pardoning Guys Who Rape Kids.

Among all the other things at Ace's Quick Hits, Kamala Harris is running for president. She claims she "should have won" in 2024. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's going to be something watching her take extreme positions in 2020 that made her unelectable, only to walk them all back in 2024, only to re-embrace them again in 2028 because her electorate has slid even further into crazy town." Quote Alex Thompson @AlexThomp, "Many Democratic leaders are in denial about Kamala’s popularity with the base. Following her in New Orleans, Jackson, and Memphis earlier this year, she was a rock star."

At Mediaite, Death Toll Rises As Remains of Missing US Service Member Recovered in Jordan. Siaxares @siaxares, "Pete Hegseth just dropped a raw truth: "If you kill Americans, we will hunt you down, find you, and kill you."" America is great precisely because its enemies must fear it. But let's be real — picking off a few IRGC thugs as revenge for dead American soldiers is short-sighted tit-for-tat. Hunt the regime itself. Topple the mullahs. A free Iran under real leadership will never kill another American. Preventive victory beats endless vengeance. What do you think — regime change now, or more half-measures?" QUANTUM GUARD @QuantumGuard17, "BOOM! Pete Hegseth just CALLED OUT the media: "These cameras have a choice. You either inform the American people of the truth or your are not." "Here is a fact you don't hear on the networks that we know." "Many of the Iranian military factories and bases that we are destroying were paid for by the pallets of American cash that Barack Obama flew into the Tehran under the Iran deal. You might call it an inconvenient truth...!" Ace, US Pounds Iran Military Sites for Ninth Straight Night; Trump Announces Next Big Target? "On Hugh Hewitt, Trump confirmed that he is considering a ground-penetrating bomb strike on Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran is reportedly attempting to reboot their nuclear program." At Hat Hair, John Sexton, Houthis Announce Blockade of Saudi Ships and Capt. Ed cites the WSJ: Qatar's Still Trying to Get the MOU Band Back Together.

NYPo's Ari Hoffman opines Jack Smith’s snooping through texts between congressmen may have violated the Constitution’s most important principles "The rub, though, is that the Constitution gives ironclad protection to lawmakers — the Framers had seen all they needed to see about what happens when executive power runs amok. The Speech or Debate Clause promises Senators and Representatives that “for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.” It is as absolute a protection — and as strict a command — as can be found in the Constitution."

From News Wax, ICE Officers to Wear Body Cameras During Vehicle Stops, Border Czar Says “They exonerate more ​law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the officers saw when ⁠they took that action.” From Da Signal, Court Was Right to End Texas Dream Act, Block In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens, Policy Experts Say.

Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "The Nixon revival is entirely attributable to the fact that he understood the problem decades before anyone else in the GOP did." Buck Sexton @BuckSexton, "Never forget that just a few years ago, Lemon was CNN's top rated host, paid millions of dollars a year to be an ignorant, petty fool at a "news network." Quote, "New York Post @nypost "Don Lemon outrageously compares MAGA to Nazis in latest anti-Trump rant: 'Without the Holocaust and all that stuff' https://trib.al/oZwayTM."

My jaw literally dropped checking this out

If you go to New Jersey inmates mugshots and filter by race “White” you’re mind is gong to be blown

Almost all mugshots are of minorities being booked as “White.” (Proof in video)

THIS IS INSANE. You should be furious. I go through… pic.twitter.com/PGsBNpr63w

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) July 19, 2026

And plenty more like all this at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.20.26. Linked at The Right Way in Top of the News.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Manic Monday

Just another.  Steve Richards at JTN reports Memos reveal FBI faced roadblocks to prosecute possible 2020 Michigan voter registration fraud. "The FBI collected witness interviews alleging voter registration fraud in Michigan in 2020. Newly-disclosed documents show the case was delayed, and ultimately “killed” by the Biden administration." Tim O'Brien at PJM, Did Former FBI Agent Nikki Floris Run a ‘Shadow Government' During the 2020 Election? Teri Christoph at RedState astonished ABC News Just Caught Democrat Senator Mark Warner Telling a Massive Lie About Voter ID. Not astonished that Warner told a lie, but astonished that ABC called them on it. Victory Girls note Democrats saying “Mad King” Trump Should Be Impeached For Nuclear Election Speech. Speech is free for everybody but Trump.

Eric Florack at PJM has suspicions Is Trump Grooming Marco Rubio As His Successor?. Rubio/Vance, or Vance/Rubio. Leslie Eastman at LI sees Science Over Climate Narrative: Dr. Matthew Wielicki to Lead America’s Climate Research. "Dr. Matthew Wielicki’s appointment signals a course correction toward true scientific rigor and away from narrative-driven climate alarmism." About time. 

At Althouse, "I was in a bad position, and they preyed on me, bro. They were chasing the money." "Said Boosie BadAzz, quoted in "Boosie Lobbied for a Trump Pardon. It Never Came. He Wants a Refund. The Southern rapper paid $600,000 to two right-wing operatives. Now, they’re in a dispute over a contract the rapper believes entitles him to at least half his money back" (NYT)." I didn't think lobbying came with guarantees.  

From Flopping Aces, China Doesn’t Have to Beat Us at AI … We’re Busy Handing Them the Win by Letting Doomers Panic Over Power Lines and Cornfields. Ars Technica examines the question Could China and Russia really destroy Starlink? Only with a boomerang. “We will likely have similar concerns and discussions when China fields its Starlink-like constellation.”

TownHall's Derek Hunter worries we have Half a Nation of Traitors. Sundance at CTH hosts Sunday Talks – Martha MacCallum Interviews DSA Co-Chairman Gustavo Gordillo About Using Vehicle of Democrat Party to Install Communist Government. "Gordillo explains the immediate DSA demand to control housing (govt), control food distribution (grocery stores), give free daycare for children, and create affordability for lower income citizens/aliens by taking the wealth from the high-income earners and giving the wealth to the lower income group." Amy Curtis at TownHall notes One of the DSA's Biggest Influencers Wants to Shred the Declaration of Independence, Too Milli Sands at Am Think thinks Communism Hasn't Been Done Right. (Yeah, That’s The Ticket.) "The current crop of young Democrat/DSA politicians is testing the leftist theory that communism will work if you just put the right people in charge." At Da Signal Victor Davis Hanson scoffs at The Left’s Search for a Working-Class Candidate. Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "They really thought they could just walk into the Democrat Party because muh Trump and tame the dragon." Quote Sarah Longwell @SarahLongwell25, "At some point Dems are going to have to grapple with the reality that in the face of all of Trump and Republicans’ manifest horribleness and incompetence, people aren’t rushing toward the Democrats. If you think the DSA stuff is helping, you’ve never talked to a swing voter." Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Sarah Longwell has come to the end of her TDS journey only to realize that Trump is the better choice. She’s now trashing Democrats." Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "Correct. This is what they want." Quote Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "The fun thing about this is that, per Article V, the Senate can’t be abolished without the consent of all 50 states, so this is functionally indistinguishable from a call to abolish the Constitution. x.com/cspanwj/status…" Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I am really getting sick and tired of "moderate" Democrats (as if such a thing actually exists) shouting that the DSA is some sort of new, existential threat to their party and to America. In reality, the DSA is the entirely logical and foreseeable outcome of the way Democrats have been pandering to the most extreme and perverse elements of our society for the past 40 years. Logical. Foreseeable. Stop acting surprised. You are what you are, you get what you deserve." Quote Jamie Metzl @JamieMetzl, "I am a lifelong Democrat. I served on President Clinton’s National Security Council and in the State Department under Madeleine Albright. I am also a lifelong human rights and civil rights advocate. But every Democrat and every American should recognize that the DSA." The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree, "“Supporting Hamas is not progressive.” — @VanJones68 DSA going to lynch him for that." Quote Van Jones @VanJones68, "I'm tired of being told that, to be a progressive, I now must swear allegiance to crazy ideas. I'm a strong Democrat, with a winning bipartisan track record. I'm rooted in progressive ideals and policies: criminal justice reform, Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free education, clean air and water. These are ideas I have fought for my entire adult life. But some people in groups like the DSA are pushing an agenda FAR outside those ideals. Supporting Hamas is not progressive. "No police, no prisons, no borders" is not progressive. Celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE..." Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "I'll admit to having struggled to find coherence or consistency in liberal rules of identity politics. But even given this "complexity,", I will never understand why AOC has license to use a fake black preacher accent when speaking to black audiences:" At Althouse, That could be taken 2 ways. ""We’re well on our way to getting the government that we fuckin' deserve." Says Troy Jackson, in this video posted by his campaign. That's linked to in the NYT article "Maine Democrats Take Step Toward New Senate Pick, With Jolt of Momentum for Jackson/Troy Jackson, a progressive former State Senate president, showed signs of significant strength, as half the state’s counties picked delegates to a convention where they will choose Graham Platner’s replacement." Reminds me of that old political joke: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.""

At Da Signal, Victor Davis Hanson on Why Mamdani Wants to Erase Europeans From New York’s Immigration History. At NYPo, Critics slam Mamdani for threatening to arrest Netanyahu in NYC: ‘Delusional’ and ‘reckless’. From Fox, Controversial program paying drug users for used syringes becomes permanent in NYC. Instead of paying for treatment, they pay to keep people using. Betsey McCaughey at Hat Hair, Tolerating Homeless Encampments Violates the Rights of Everyone Else.

Driscoll at Insty, GOODER AND HARDER, LA: Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Your tax dollars are now subsidizing illegal food carts while 100 legitimate restaurants go out of business every year in LA. We live in a cuckoo clock. Are they gonna give restaurants free stoves, too? Or is this only for people who violate all the rules and pay no fees?" At NYPo, Supermarket takes drastic action to prevent meat theft: ‘Welcome to California’.

Larry Elder at Hair Hair claims On the Iran War, NATO Chief Agrees With Trump -- The Media Buried the Lede. At Da Signal Victor Davis Hanson warns Trump Has Just Weeks Left to Finish the Iran Conflict.

Hat Hair's Josh Hammer has hopes As AG, Todd Blanche Will Finally Seek Justice for Dems' Dirty Lawfare.

CTH hosts Sunday Talks – Border Czar Tom Homan Discusses Value of ICE Body Cameras Showing Insanity of Criminal Aliens and Leftist Agitators. CBD at Ace's Physical Deportation Is The First Step, And Cutting Illegals Off From Our Society Is The Next Step! Debanking. Hey, liberals did it to conservatives so it must be legal, am I right? Alex Muse at The Enterprise, Careful What You Gavel For: How Boasberg's Lecture Became Trump's Weapon, "Thanks, Your Honor: Trump Activates the Court Boasberg Told Him About." Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "If you ever wonder why migrant rapists get slaps on the wrist while white people go to jail in Europe - It's because the majority of their judges are female." Quote Stefan Schubert @StefanFSchubert. "A majority of judges are women in all EU countries except Ireland." I'd like to see that by state in the US.

Greg Lukianoff at The Eternally Radical Idea reports FIRE weighs in on Oversight Board AI report, Canadian free speech up in smoke, Colleges settle Kirk comment cases, & more! Joe Chalfant at TownHall, hears This Law Means That Praying at a Northern Ireland Hospital Could Land You in Trouble With the Police.

Jonathan Turley cites Gallup: Higher Education Hits Another Low in Public Trust as the Public Rejects Institutional Bias. "According to the latest Gallup poll, only 38% of U.S. adults have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education." Campus Reform reports Northeastern Illinois gender studies major enrolls just 4 students. Eliminate the department.

From NYPo, Historian says it’s racist to question her — after book about slavery pulled from shelves over inaccuracies. From Twitchy, Cops Tried to Edit THIS Part Out of Sunny Hostin's DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM Incident With Her Son and WOW.

At NYPo, a Chaotic bodycam video shows trans Florida student freak out on cop for ‘misgendering’ him — before being cuffed. From State of the Day, State of Friday: ELLEN PAGE'S MANFACE "She is the reality they always imagined. ... No matter how hard they try, Ellen Page is not going to explain masculinity to me." Liberty Unyielding reports a Transgender neo-Nazi assigned to women’s prison, despite wearing a mustache and being biologically male, in Germany.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Smoke on the Water

A view from the beach on 7/17/26

It's Sunday, so the news is a bit sparse and somewhat off the wall. From Sundance at CTH, Canadian Prime Minister Blames U.S. Climate and Energy Policy for Canada Wildfires "President Trump pointed out Canada’s forestry mismanagement and their failure to follow through with previous promises of investment that have led to catastrophic wildfires now producing smoke streams making U.S. Northern cities and states live under dangerous conditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about the U.S. government position, and he immediately hit back by saying the cause of Canada’s wildfires is ‘climate change’ and President Trump’s unwillingness to support the Paris Climate Treaty has created the problem that Canada is now dealing with." Tim Sheehy @TimSheehyMT, "As a former waterbomber pilot who used to lead an aerial firefighting fleet, I can tell you “send help” is an extremely dishonest framing by the Canadian government. The Canadian government routinely blocks U.S. firefighting companies from attacking fires in Canada, while aggressively sending their government-subsidized aircraft to the U.S. to earn commercial rates from the U.S. taxpayer. It’s big business for them and they run it like a Chinese protectionist racket." The smoke was thickest here on Friday. You could smell it easily. Last evening a thunderstorm and a cold front came and blew it away.

Misty Severi at JTN reports Democratic strategist James Carville blasts major news networks for not carrying Trump speech, "Mainstream media networks, ABC, CNN and NBC, all declined to show the speech on its news programs and opted to stream it online and show clips of it with commentary during their regular live programming." Nick Arama at RedState sees the White House Crushes CNN's New Claims About Its Failure to Cover Trump Speech. Amy Curtis at TownHall shows just how CBS News' 'Fact-Checks' of Trump's Address Ignore the Facts. PJM's Scott Pinsker explains The Secret Reason Why Fox News Is So Silent About Trump’s Election Fraud Speech. "The producer sent me a one-sentence reply: “I like it - but We don’t touch election fraud in any capacity.” Nothing else needed to be said. Unless you’re a total moron (or CNN’s “chief media analyst”), you could read between the lines: One of the longterm consequences of Fox News settling its lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million is that FNC programming will avoid discussing voter fraud." .... "UPDATE: Fox has just published a major story on Trump's speech and his revelations about election meddling: READ THE DOCUMENTS: White House releases election integrity files after Trump speech." The Reactionary Techno Fog looks at Michigan Voter Fraud and Chinese Influence Ops: Declassified. From Twitchy, Elissa Slotkin's 'Quiet Part Out Loud' Slip Makes the Rounds After She Says Election Fraud Doesn't Exist. Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@StephenM: "We've reached a point in society where access to fettuccine at Olive Garden is vastly more secure than deciding who is Commander-in-Chief of the country." PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!"

I&I finds By 3-To-2 Margin, Americans Believe U.S. Is Turning Into A ‘Socialist State’. New York Post @nypost, "DSA member says she has no problem supporting 'secret Nazis' under one condition https://trib.al/IwxwHrg" Handre @Handre, "The Nazi economy was socialism in a better-tailored uniform. Strip away the parades and you find exactly what Mises diagnosed in 1940 as Zwangswirtschaft: private ownership on paper, total state control in practice. You held the title to your factory. Göring's ministries told you what to produce, what to charge, whom to hire, and where your profits went. That is ownership the way a prisoner owns his cell..." From Breitbart, Polis: Socialism ‘a Tool to Further Exploit People’. TownHall's Matt Vespa likes how Kathy Hochul Got Grilled on Why Everyone Is Leaving NY. Pretty soon, you run out of other people's money, especially when the other people run out on you. 

At the Crimson Hub, Nirav Shah, In The Maine Senate Race, Says He's an 'Outsider,' And He Sure Is. At Althouse, "Many of these candidates claim to espouse progressive beliefs that are similar to Graham. The thing is, it was never about the bullet points..." ""... but rather the way he was willing to speak to any issue directly and honestly that made voters love and trust him." Said Spencer Toth, who was Graham Platner’s organizing director, quoted in "Without Platner, Maine Democrats Scramble to Keep Grassroots Energy Alive/Graham Platner’s campaign for Senate imploded last week. The activists who backed him are seeking a candidate to carry his populist message in the race against Republican Susan Collins" (NYT)." Platner was mostly about wearing flannel well and spouting socialist cant in a deep manly voice. 

Following the insaner side of US politics, Stacy McCain has Knife-Wielding Psycho-Tranny Is Former Arizona Democratic Party Official and Communism, the Palestinian Death Cult and the Pro-Terrorism Red-Green Axis. At News Wax, the intersection, Mamdani Still Mulling Netanyahu Arrest During UN Meet.

The Vigilant Fox @VigilantFox, "RFK Jr. says HHS loses $100,000,000,000 a year to theft. He found some thieves would bribe poor people with flat screen TVs to get their patient numbers and enroll them in hospice. Then they would proceed to bill Medicaid "$6,000 a month FOREVER." RFK JR: "We shut down 800 hospices. You know what a hospice is? Where you're going to die. Typically, if you go to a hospice, you leave within 18 days because your dying is terminal." "We started looking at these hospices in Los Angeles, and the people never died. Two or three years later they were there, and we're paying $6,000 a month." "We found a hotel room with 29 hospices in it. I mean a hotel, every room was a hospice, and none of them had any patients. They were just addresses." "The guys who own them, they were Estonians and Armenians and people from Eastern Europe who were getting the patient numbers. They were stealing them from doctors' offices."..." At Da Caller, $225,000,000 In ‘Hideous’ Fraud Schemes Found Across US Schools, Report Alleges.

Ken Timmerman at Am Great explains The Trump Trap, "Trump's MOU set a trap. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fell into it." Joe Chalfant at TownHall claims Iran Just Killed the Memorandum of Understanding. At News Wax, Iran Suspending Commitments to Interim Deal With US. They just stopped pretending to abide. And, US-Iran Fighting Escalates With Infrastructure Targeted. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " JUST IN: Iran is REELING after President Trump ordered CENTCOM to begin targeting infrastructure targets, causing power outages and destruction of bridges "The war planners [are] bombing ROADS AND BRIDGES around Bandar Abbas!" The IRGC is getting CUT OFF from key supply lines to Bandar Abbas, key to Strait of Hormuz control The REAL bridge and power plant day is still coming up. Iran will be forced into compliance!" Bandar Abbas is a major key to control of the Strait of Hormuz. At Althouse, "In the days before the sentence was carried out, she had tried to keep living as if nothing was about to happen... She showered and wore thick felt-like clothes..." "From "I danced until 2am… then it was off to my flogging/An Iranian rapper and critic of regime was determined to show no suffering as a woman in a black chador put down her Quran and picked up her whip" (London Times)."

Clown World ™ @ClownWorld, "The Boston Globe’s headline: “She came to Boston for a Noah Kahan concert. Now she’s in ICE custody” The actual story: she missed a 2017 immigration court hearing, which triggered an outstanding removal order years ago The concert isn’t why she’s in custody. The removal order is." From NYPo, DHS issues scathing update on future of ‘maple leaf menace’ accused of slapping patriotic teen. "“This illegal alien who assaulted a teenager has no business being in our country,” DHS wrote in a statement on X, dubbing her a “maple leaf menace.” “She is now in [ICE] custody pending REMOVAL from our nation,” the agency’s statement concludes." Too easy. Drop her off in Nicaragua. At News Wax, DHS Warns TPS Holders to Take Exit Offer and Sen. Blackburn Revives Ban Birth Tourism Act. From NYPo, Trump administration weighs imposing $100K bonds on green card applicants. Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog says Fuck You, Tim Walz, for pardoning a child molester to protect him from deportation. Anyway it didn't work. Marco Rubio deported him anyway. Alex West Q @RealAlexWest_Q, " HOLY CRAP! Sec. Marco Rubio just got a MASSIVE standing ovation in Germany after he told Europe we need to move back toward Christianity and against 3rd world migration Marco is CRUSHING it and the whole world sees it! We LOVE MARCO."

NIOH Berg @NiohBerg, "Meet Andy Burnham, Britain's soon to be new PM. • Nobody voted for him • Nobody asked for him • He is haunted by allegations over his handling of the rape gangs • His main concern seems to be that Starmer wasn't enough of a tyrant • He will make everything worse • He will make Britain suffer even more." RadioGenoa @RadioGenoa, "In Europe there is a strange phenomenon where churches burn and mosques do not."

From Campus Reform, Brown taps hallucinogen researcher to lead 'merit' seminar "Brown University has selected anthropology and linguistics professor Paja Faudree, whose recent scholarship focuses on Indigenous use of hallucinogenic plants, to lead the 2026-27 Pembroke Seminar." At NewsWeek, US Universities Got Over $300M From Sanctioned China Entities. Gee, I wonder why China gives money to US schools; it's not altruism. 

NYPo claims New numbers reveal the child sex-change mania is worse than we knew "Recently released court documents show that Children’s Hospital Colorado, affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, prescribed puberty blockers to more than 250 patients and cross-sex hormones to nearly 550 patients in a single year, 2025."

Deep Sea Mining off the Bay?

Bay Journal, Environmentalists worry Virginia seabed mining could affect migratory fish

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) began soliciting public comments and industry feedback on potentially leasing more than 2,500 square miles near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to seabed mining. The public comment period ends July 23.

Minerals targeted for extraction from the ocean floor include manganese, nickel, cobalt and so-called rare earth minerals needed for smartphones, defense systems, medical devices, batteries and other technologies.

Environment Virginia, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore and other groups are concerned this could disrupt marine life, commercial fishing and military operations. Dylan Mason, public policy manager with Lynnhaven River NOW, said he’s worried that large sediment plumes from the mining could disrupt migratory species entering the Chesapeake Bay.

In early 2025, President Trump also pointed to environmental, military and fishery concerns in his executive order to pause or cancel offshore wind projects like Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Virginia Beach.

BOEM started gauging interest in seabed mining after a company requested to mine the area last November. The lease area is between three and 63.5 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore and larger than the state of Delaware. BOEM says the request for comments and feedback should not be interpreted as an indication that seabed mining will be allowed or that the whole lease area will be mined.

I took a brief look at the Federal Register for this request. The area being looked at is surprisingly shallow, 30-410 ft, on the continental shelf. I, a Ph.D. oceanographer was unaware that there were areas with manganese nodules so shallow. I thought they mostly occurred in the abyssal basins, with very low sedimentation rates to interfere with their extremely slow growth rates. At this depth, it should be comparable in terms of environmental impact to oyster dredging or even shell harvesting for oyster aquaculture, and if areas are growing nodules, they probably have relatively little fauna anyway. We need the metals, especially to become independent from the Chinese. I say give it a try, and at least see if it's feasible. I fully expect a Chinese funded environmental campaign against it.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Biden Autopens a Book

Not a scintillating day. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair names it Entitlement by a Thousand (Video) Cuts: Biden Inc Announces New Lecture Book. Ace sees Biden Slur and Stumble His Way Through Ad for His Ghostwritten "Memoir". "This drooling imbecile was paid $10 million by the corrupt corporate media for a book that won't make $2 million." Now that Hunter's source of income have dried up. Aidan McLaughlin @aidnmclaughlin, "Incredible to watch this video and remember that Biden and his team fought for him to serve a second term. This is a recorded video, no doubt with multiple takes, and in the finished product he can barely speak." Quote Joe Biden @JoeBiden, "I’ve written a book about my time as President. It’s called PROMISE ME, AMERICA. It’s coming out November 17th and is available for preorder now. " Luvenalis @Luvenalis1, "A tweet Joe didn't write on a book he didn't author about a presidency he didn't attend." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "This guy couldn't even sign his own name. He's not writing books. LMAO Politicians write books to launder money. Nobody wants to read this, but the corrupt NGOs he provided for as President will buy up 100K copies and burn 'em to hold up their end of the bribes."

At CTH, Sundance hosts Acting AG Todd Blanche's Nomination Hearing, DNI Jay Clayton Senate Intelligence Committee Nomination Hearing and President Trump Highlights Importance of Data Centers. Bob Hoge at RedState sees Adam Schiff Tries to Embarrass AG Nominee Todd Blanche, but It Wasn't a Fair Fight. At Twitchy, AG Nominee Todd Blanche Needed No Words to Properly Respond to Insults From America's Dumbest Senator, Mazie Hirono. 

Ace is looking forward to tonight, In a National Address Tomorrow Night, Trump Will Reveal a Far More Extensive Foreign Penetration of the 2020 US Elections Than Ever Known; Plus, RussiaGate Was Faked to Protect the Real Country Intervering in Elections: China, on Behalf of Democrats, "From Paul Sperry:..." At his substack Insty sees Trump Seizing the Day "Will Trump invoke the Guarantee Clause to impose election integrity? A prediction." Maybe! "So if President Trump announces that we have uncovered massive electoral fraud — as he almost certainly will — and that he is dispatching huge numbers of federal election watchers to oversee voting and counting in areas where fraud has occurred, he would be acting directly under a power that the Constitution has vested in him. For a state to have a “republican form of government,” it must have meaningful elections, and elections that are rigged are not meaningful. Stopping them from being rigged would be protecting a republican form of government. Congress has passed other election laws, mostly for reasons of combating race discrimination, but those aren’t strictly applicable to these circumstances."

Matt Vespa on Why Sunny Hostin Melted Down About Lindsey Graham's Sister Becoming a US Senator. It's kind of her thing. PJM's Sarah Anderson hears Nikki Haley's Got Something to Say to the 'Ladies' at 'The View'.

At the WSJ, Putin Was Xi’s Role Model. Now He’s the Junior Partner. "Four years of war and economic isolation have reduced the Russian president to a supplicant in a relationship growing more imbalanced." Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en, "Russian Novosibirsk. The line to buy fuel is huge. The person filming says he's driving about 60 km/hour, so you can imagine how long the line is. There are reports that fuel is only available at some gas stations in the city." Jack Prandelli @jackprandelli, ""Massive new oil partnerships with Iraq." That is how Trump teased what is co ming out of today's meetings with Iraq's prime minister. Behind the phrase: Chevron negotiating to take over oilfield assets previously run by Russia's Lukoil, HKN Energy targeting 140,000 barrels a day at the Hamrin field, and Halliburton managing the Bin Omar and Sinbad fields in the south. The stated reason: diversify away from Hormuz risk and away from Chinese and Russian dominance in Iraqi energy, with new pipeline routes planned through Turkey to the Mediterranean. This is the American energy leverage thesis playing out in crude and infrastructure now, not just gas."

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair says Escalateo: US Steps Up Pace of Attacks As Iran Threatens Gulf Energy Production. From RCE, Peace or No Peace, the Iran Conflict Has Forever Changed the Strait of Hormuz. From the Babylon Bee, Trump To Secure Strait Of Hormuz By Posting Old Man Who Asks You 3 Questions Before You May Pass. ""Great guy, beautiful guy," Trump told reporters. "He's been doing this a long time, from what I've been told. Asking questions. And you better have the right answers. If you don't, you're toast. I met him. He asked me the questions, and I got all of them right. But not Dan Scavino. He got one wrong and was thrown somewhere. We don't know where. We're looking for him.""

Don Surber is Cheering a less-known military victory, "Venezuela earthquake response shows losing USAID was no big deal."

Breitbart Bus Dig calls it A CPI Report for the Record Books "The June inflation report was even better than it looks. Don’t get us wrong. The headline figure was glorious. The consumer price index fell by 0.4 percent for the month, the biggest decline since the big dips in March and April of 2020, when the economy was reeling from the pandemic shutdown. Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to January of 2015, when the CPI fell 0.7 percent."

The Manhattan Contrarian contends "Red Scare"? Actually The Communist Resurgence In The Democratic Party Is Very Real. Quotulatiousness doubts the people saying “Communism no longer comes for your property.” Hat Hair's Dave Strom has hopes Is the Socialist Moment Already Over?

And another thing the Media made and unmade Graham Platner, "Just as Donald Trump is a poor person’s idea of a rich person, Candidate Platner is a rich person’s idea of a poor person." Steve Soukup at Am Great looks at Graham Platner and the Rationalization of Everything. "The politicization of everything creates, in the ruling class, a belief in the infallible righteousness of their mission, which, in turn, legitimizes any tactics necessary to take and hold power." Kurt Schlichter at TownHall thinks James Talarico Has Got a Secret. "I don’t know what that blasphemous little imp’s secret is, but he’s got one. Don’t be fooled by that creepy smile on his creepy face; there’s something wrong with James Talarico. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I don’t ever want to see his browser history, and I’d sooner have somebody from The Lincoln Project babysit my kid." PJM's Stephen Kruiser swears Gavin Newsom Really Doesn't Want to Be President. "Everything that Newsom pats himself on the back for is the kind of thing that I truly believe ends up being a disqualifying knock on him with Ma and Pa Dem in the Midwest. He doesn't know that because California is the biggest ideological bubble in the nation." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks it's Hilarious: Ro Khanna's Stunt Not Enough for Pro-Hamas Crowd. Peter Savodnik @petersavodnik, "I agree with @jpodhoretz that antisemitism is a bigger problem on the left than the right, and I agree that that's surprising. Just as important is why..." PJM's Scott Pinsker lauds the The Political Castration of Chuck Schumer — and the Rise of GOP Superman Brandon Gill. "Schumer is so hated, his Maine endorsement would guarantee defeat — not by the hands of Republicans, but his fellow Democrats!"

Ace is furious at Jack Smith Who Shredded the Constitution to Spy on Republican Congressmen, Then Repeatedly Lied About It Under Oath. "Congressional speech, including phone calls and text messages, are protected against subpoenas by the Speech and Debate Clause. There is a bullshit way around this. The DOJ will sometimes seize these messages anyway but they first go to a "Filter Team" to make sure that nothing in the messages is protected by the Speech and Debate Clause. If a message falls into that category, it's not passed on to prosecutors. But Jack Smith said "YOLO" and just read all the messages he wanted to read, without any Filter Team clearing them first. And of course, 90% of those he illegally, unconstitutionally spied on were Republican congressmen."

Town Hall's Matt Vespa is outraged, Wait, That’s How Many Messages the Secret Service Missed Regarding Trump's Would-be Assassin at Butler? Breaking911 @Breaking911, "A new inspector general report released two years after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, says the Secret Service missed more than 100 radio transmissions warning about the suspected gunman. The attack killed firefighter Corey Comperatore as he shielded his family and wounded two others. Investigators say communication failures and security lapses represented missed opportunities to stop the shooting." IIRC, the SS wasn't listening to anything the locals put out.

Capt. Ed, Stopping the Stops Stop: Trump Reverses DHS Order. From Ace, Trump: There's No Way I'm Stopping ICE Traffic Stops Just Because the Left Has Fully Embraced Violence As Its "Political Speech" "The stops are back on (if they were ever off)." Matt Margolis at PJM likes how Jesse Watters Schools Jessica Tarlov on the Houston ICE Shooting. WBAL TV, FBI affidavit alleges drugs found in van involved in Houston ICE shooting. Which explains why they tried to run/run over the agent.

Was it worth it?

Mike Miller at RedState, Welcome to America, Eh? Canadian Woman Allegedly Slaps Minor in Trump Gear, Ends Up in ICE Custody. Deport her to Nicaragua just for fun. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "The husband of Kaitlyn Tracey posted a video CRYING after his Canadian wife was arrested for allegedly assaulting a teen girl wearing Trump-themed attire in NJ. He conveniently leaves out why his wife was arrested… If you’re a foreigner and you come here and assault American citizens, you will be deported!" Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Kaitlyn Tracey's husband has an art poster on his wall featuring small children with the text "1000 Virgins for Satan's Master." What a creep."

Daniel Horowitz @RMConservative, "The end result of social transformation without representation." Quote DR POOL @DRPOOLQ1, "TERRIFYING: It's gotten so bad in Minnesota that police are saying they are SOMALIANS FIRST. He isn't even speaking English."

CIS looks at Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Unique Immigration Legacy. "A journey from amnesty proponent to foe of open borders and ‘birth tourism.’"

Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Matthew Yglesias apparently has no idea how AI works and where it gets its “views” from." Quote Holden @Holden114 "He cannot be this stupid." Oh, I think he can. But, honestly, I'm shocked Google is that neutral.

VodkaPundit at Insty wants you to SAY IT LOUD AND PROUD: "The West Is a Superior Civilization (And I Don’t Care If That Offends You). “The West has experienced wars, harbored atrocious dictatorships, and served as the birthplace of a great many foolish ideas, including the wokism that ravaged civilization in this century. But what has made this civilization great is its ability to recognize those deviations and try to correct them, or at the very least condemn them." From the College Fix, U. Nebraska internal review finds ‘no evidence’ of DEI — experts say it doesn’t add up. Campus Reform reports Education Department portal reveals $72B in foreign funding to US colleges.

Jenn Pellegrino @JennPellegrino, "I can't believe this is real. The Chancellor of UC San Francisco testified under oath that a "vast majority of pregnancies are in women." Implying some pregnancies occur in men. When asked directly whether a non-biological woman has ever had a baby, he refused to answer. This is the head of one of the top medical schools in the country." Capt. Ed, Gallup: Confidence in Academia Craters. UCSF Chief: Hold My Transgender-Friendly Microbrew. Carlo Carrasco, Trump Administration Trashes Biden-Era LGBTQ Foster Care Rule "Remember a few years ago when the administration of failed US President Joe Biden came up with a foster care rule that sought to require children who identify as LGBTQ be placed with families willing to accept them through gender identity?" Sasha Stone @realsashastone, "Also the temptation to make history will be too great." Quote Chris Gore @ThatChrisGore "Eliot Page will get nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Odyssey. Page plays Sinon, a proxy for Achilles in Hades and the significance of the role begs for awards recognition. #TheOdyssey". 'Eliot' Page used to be Ellen. 

The Wombat has even more at In The Mailbox: 07.15.26 (Afternoon Edition) and In The Mailbox: 07.15.26 (Evening Edition). The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Slowly I Turn up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.