Flotsam and Jetsam - Do I Really Need a Title?

I find yesterday's news and commentary without much outstanding by way of a theme. So I guess I'll just start at the top and work my way down. But it was a good day for drive-by Rule 5 posts.

Hat Hair's Capt Ed sees IRGC Desperately Trying to Get the 'Death to America' Band Back Together, with the encouragement from America's Democrats and media, but I redund. From Ace, UK Prime Cuck Andy Burnham: Iran's Terrorist Army the IRGC Was "Almost Certainly" Behind the Seven Shirtless Men Casing the Air Force Base. "Tell me something I didn't already know, Cuck." But what's not clear is if they knew they were Iranian catpaws. Cathy Gyngell at Right Times insists America Is Winning, Whatever the Media Tell You. "Iran crushed, Maduro toppled, Panama reclaimed: far from being outsmarted by Xi Jinping, Trump has put America back on top." Driscoll at Insty wonders WHY MAKE HASAN INTO A VIDEOTAPED MARTYR? "Trump ‘losing enthusiasm’ for live-streamed execution. He’s not alone: Scott Jennings and Van Jones Agree Islamic Terrorist Nidal Hasan’s Execution Should Not Be Broadcast." I don't feel strongly, but put a woman on the firing squad, just because some Muslims believe they can't achieve paradise if they're killed by a woman.

Leslie Eastman at LI hear Russia Denies Second Illness, Lifts Quarantine After Unexplained Death at Plague Research Lab, "World Health Organizations says it’s still unsure what caused pneumonia that killed plague-lab worker from Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia." Well, I'd like to believe we don't have to worry about an epidemic of pneumonic plague, but who believes WHO? Not China apparently, The Telegraph, China increases border security over Russian plague. VodkaPundit at Insty sees Ukraine Knocked Out Russia's Biggest Data Centers, and the Internet Got 17% Better. Matt Tardio @angertab, "Following Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centers: Tucker Carlson's views dropped 71% Douglas Macgregor's views dropped 62% TCN views dropped 34%." Maybe there is something behind the anti-data center movement. John Sexton at Hat Hair reports Amid Blackouts and Boredom, Cuba Is Slowly Changing.

Mary Chastain at LI Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns as U.S. Ambassador to Greece, "A Wall Street Journal report said Guilfoyle apparently asked a donor to President Donald Trump for $100,000." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn says And Bye, Bye to Miss Kimberly's Big Greek Slice of Pie. From Ace, Former Fox Host and Wife of Grifter Gavin Newsom, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Resigns as Ambassador to Greece After Caught Asking for $100,000, "Once a grifter..." As usual Althouse resorts to the NYT, "She wasn’t a member of my family. She, I guess, dated my son a long time ago.", "Said Trump, about Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was engaged to Don Jr. from 2020 to 2024. Trump's cold distancing is quoted in "'Honey Please’: The Steep Rise and Sudden Fall of Kimberly Guilfoyle. President Trump cut her loose after damaging news reports about her tenure as ambassador to Greece. Once a prominent Trump insider, she suggested she will now fight to defend her reputation" (NYT). "Great. All the Trump haters will want to talk with her now, and why wouldn't she tell all the worst of what she knows? She's free and motivated. But Democrats must take care. She knows all about Newsom too. It will only be fun for us distanced onlookers."

Also at Althouse, "She spent... eight minutes reading nervously from a script, looking up at the cameras every couple of lines." ""Then she said she was ready to take some questions. She called on only three reporters, dropped one wild piece of news, made a slip mixing up her husband and her president, then darted out of there after just five and a half minutes, leaving the White House press corps to scratch its collective head." Writes Shawn McCreesh, in "Katie Zacharia Stepped to the Lectern for the First Time. It Was a Bumpy Ride/Ms. Zacharia spent eight minutes reading from a script, called on only three reporters and made an awkward slip-up" (NYT). This doesn't seem likely to go well. Hard to brush it aside as beginner's nerves. There was also this:" The NYT doesn't approve of Trump's new press secretary? Color me shocked. Give her a week or so. But Karoline Leavitt left big shoes to fill. Kyle Becker at RedState hears 'Look Out': Former White House Press Secretary Has Stark Warning for Katie Zacharia Dana Perino: "Also, just take it from me—I was press secretary the last two years of a second term," she added. "Those are usually very tough years, especially if the midterms don’t go your way. The fact that she is a lawyer is a great skill. I had only worked at DOJ for a year, so I’m like a one-year law student. I do think that could come in very handy for her because almost every story does have a legal component." Megyn Kelly @megynkelly, "These left wing pundits so horrified by Katie Zacharia’s performance at her FIRST press briefing are the same ppl who told us Karine Jean-Pierre was amazing at the job and that if you disagreed you were sexist/racist/bigoted against lesbians. Please."

Hat Hair's Dave Strom posts Marc Andreessen Explaining the Problem With Affordability in America in 3 Minutes, housing, health care and education regulation. At TownHall, Dmitri Bolt says Singapore Has a Lesson for America’s Affordability Crisis, and The Left Won’t Want to Hear It. Mark Tapscott looks at Economic Growth As The Solution to The National Debt? Better Think Again, Mr. President. "‘Not to Worry’ — President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are confident that the record-setting National Debt of $40.3 Trillion can be overcome with record-setting economic growth." But it must be, because politicians won't stop spending.

Ace wakes up to The Mystery of the Talarico Disappearance. "I say it's the AIDS Crazies, but other people have their own theories." Capt. Ed translates the NYT: Trust Us – Talarico Goldbricked at Home While AWOL "Spoiler alert: No one trusts the New York Times. And while this article – based on 'evidence' they refuse to share – intends to scold online speculateurs (to coin a term) and rumor-mongers, it still doesn't actually settle the real question at hand." Mary Katharine Ham @mkhammer, "The generational pussy shit explanation may indeed be the real one." Quote Sohrab Ahmari @SohrabAhmari, "I wonder if the online Right is missing the Occam's-razor explanation that Talarico is just a professional-class Millennial and thus accustomed to taking a good chunk time for self-care." Jeff Charles at TownHall, 'I'm the Vice President': JD Vance Just Humiliated James Talarico "He will not shut up about how, quote, ‘God is nonbinary.’” I don't know what the hell that even means, my friends. He won't shut up about how having traditional Christian values makes you a bigot. And I got to say, a guy that age who is so obsessed and focused on transgender children, I don't know about you, but I never want to see that guy's web browser history." Kalshi Politics @KalshiPolitics, "BREAKING: In new ad, James Talarico calls out Joe Biden “for failing us at the border”." Apparently he realized the Democrat stand on illegal immigration is a loser in Texas. Jason Corley @JasonCorley78, "Four months ago we had the Texas Senate race at Paxton 45, Talarico 43, with 7 undecided and 4 going elsewhere. Today it’s 47.2 to 46.7, with 3.9 undecided and 2.2 for the Libertarian. Talarico gained 3.7 points, Paxton 2.2. The undecided and third-party pool shrank from 11 to 6 and split roughly 60/40 toward Talarico. Clearly we found Talarico momentum. Independents are 52 to 37 Talarico; the suburbs are 50 to 45 Paxton. The two candidates are in different positions. Talarico has 95 percent of Democrats and little left to consolidate; his path runs through independents and turnout..." PJM's Scott Pinsker explains Why the Midterm Polling Is Absolutely, Positively, 100% Wrong. (Maybe.)

Capt. Ed remembers El-Sayed in 2020-1: Disarm the Police! (And Defund Them, Too). PJM's Cathy Salgado hears El-Sayed Wants 'Money Out of Politics.' But A New Ad Shows Who’s Funding Him. They want your money out of politics, not their money. From Prolife, Billionaire Donors Behind Idaho Prop 1 Did Not See the LDS Church Coming Ace finds out Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed's Mother Was an Active Member of the Muslim Brotherhood In College. "You don't say." From Twitchy, Ziwe Cooked Hasan Piker So Thoroughly He Didn’t Even Realize He Was the Meal. emilie @emiliepfrank, "“you once said let the streets soak in red capitalist blood. how were the oscar parties this year?” whack him again omg." yeet @Awk20000, "Ziwe grills Hasan Piker over his champagne socialism." Damn girl! 

Auguste Meyrat at Da Fed, Socialism And Islam Are Both Religions Based On Pillaging The West. From Memri, UK Islamic Content Creator: I’d Execute Gays, Apostates, Adulterers. Beege Welborn, The Evolution of German Childhood Hazards: Forest Witches in 1812 to Forced Marriage in 2026. Marina Medvin @MarinaMedvin, "LMAO. This is who is getting the Nobel Peace Prize. Because leftism is brain rot."

Beege Welborn hears a MN Senate Candidate Reveal Her Elizabeth Warren Name - 'Lie-A-Watha' Was Taken. Kate @kate_p45, "Peggy Flanagan’s Ojibwe name is Gaa-gikendamaasikwe, which means “Woman Who Cannot Define What a Woman Is Without Three Lawyers and a Pronoun Workshop.”" Quote Peggy Flanagan\ @peggyflanagan, "My Ojibwe name is Gizhiiwewidamookwe, which means ‘Speaks in a Loud and Clear Voice Woman.’ I’m going to be Minnesota’s voice in the U.S. Senate — not Donald Trump’s." From Da Caller, Dem Candidate Approved Tens Of Millions To His Wife’s Employer While In Office. PJM's Stephen Kruiser has the audacity to notice Lawlessness Is the Dems' Most Coherent and Consistent Policy Pitch.

Vic Nava at NYPo hears Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, doesn’t want her running for president in 2028. Capt. Ed calls it 2028 Bad News: We May Be Unburdened by What Has Been. Ace hears Democrats to Kamala Harris: Get Bent and Get Lost, but they were nicer about it. Speaking of old losers WFMD sees Hillary Clinton includes 2016 loss in ‘hard times’ list for Dem voters, including 9/11, 2008 financial crisis.

And the award for best post title goes to Don Surber for Raid on Omar-a-Lago. "No excitement without an indictment, but break out the popcorn anyway because liberals are freaking out." PJM's Bob Spencer reveals Ilhan Omar Was 37 When She Entered Congress. Soon, She Became 36. It matters whether she was 17 or 18 when she applied for citizenship. Ace cites the Feds: We Have Probable Cause to Show That America's Sweetheart Ilhan "Omar" Committed Immigration Crimes, "That's not a surprise -- you need probable cause to obtain a warrant, and a judge found that DHS did have probable cause. And that judge was probably a leftist." Maybe they pulled a Jack Smith and didn't explain that the subject was a congresswoman. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "I think it’s because she lied during immigration, married her brother, and wants to hijack my country in the interest of her Somalian coethnics while demonizing white people." Quote hasanabi @hasanthehun, "ilhan omar is a naturalized black muslim woman & an outspoken critic of trump and us foreign wars. its not an accident that they're targeting her with lawfare to engage in electioneering. this is unprecedented. this is a perversion of justice that further erodes our social fabric." Dave Strom, Democrats on Ilhan Omar: No Republican Is Above the Law, No Democrat Is Required to Follow It... with a bunch of examples. Military.com tells the tale of Air Force Major Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment is in Solitary Confinement 24 Hours a Day: "Maj. Jason Watson has been jailed since August after publicly opining on the president and his administration, drawing a big legal battle.."

From Quartz, Federal judge ordered Trump's $20M taxpayer-funded TV ads off the air "About $19 million of the $20 million allocated for the campaign had already been spent before the court acted." "The ads, which began airing in late September, feature footage of President Donald Trump and text highlighting what the administration describes as its accomplishments. One ad was identical to a spot Trump ran during his 2024 presidential campaign, with only the funding disclaimer changed to read "Paid for by the United States Government," according to the coalition's complaint. The administration described the spots as public service announcements." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "One can debate whether the Senate’s advice and consent role under Article II, Section 2 has anything to do with scrutinizing the judicial philosophy of nominees. But one thing it is unquestionably supposed to do is prevent insane and otherwise mentally unstable people from reaching the federal bench. And by that measure, the system is failing spectacularly." Quote Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney, "A lot of people saying they’ve never heard a judge as furious as Judge Reyes was today … have probably never heard Judge Reyes before. This is maaaybe top 5 for her." At Twitchy, Screaming Judge ‘Beyond Furious’ She Wasn’t Informed of Removal of Trees at DC Golf Course. Who put judges in charge of federally owned golf courses? Stephen Miller @StephenM, "Also, notice that leftist judges are never “enraged” when Democrats free illegal alien rapists and murderers. That kind of anger is reserved solely for improving long-neglected public golf courses." Victory Girls sum it up, Activist Federal Judges Seek to Hamstring the President.

Althouse hosts The 911 calls in the aftermath of the failed execution of Christa Pike. And I learned a new thing, the execution team was all women, by request of Christa Pike. Death sentences need to come with a built in DNR order. 

Ace, TikTok Feminists Try to Cancel Shane Gillis Again, This Time for Stating the True Fact that Slutty Women are Dressing Like Whores at the Gym. Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "The funny thing is that this is ALL fake. The Cornell 7 thing turned out to be scuzzy on all sides, but no kind of prosecutable rape. The other #NewMeToo cases ("62 million man rape academy") ALL fell apart or duly ended with the men in jail. Gillis didn't say women ARE working prostitutes: he said they dress slutty in mixed gyms - an innocuous Chapelle's Show joke. Almost all left wing modern rage boils down to this. "How can you ignore Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray, and Rayshard Brooks, and Trayvon Martin, and Kyle Rittenhouse, and Pretti/Good, and the Duke Lacrosse rape, and the Chi Phi 7 hour rape, and the Rolling Stone rape, and the Rape Academy, and Yasmin Seweid, and Jussie Smolliet, and Covington Catholic, and Air Force Academy, and the dozen lynchings?" Because either almost every one of literally every one of those cases was bullshit. The goal is presenting such a mass of angry text to the world that good faith people think there must be something there. But, there really isn't." Quote Katie Campione @katie_campione, "We are in the middle of one of the largest nationwide reckonings with sexual assault ever and this guy gets on stage and calls women whores for wearing shorts at the gym? You think he doesn’t know what he is saying? It’s not only unoriginal and unfunny, it’s really disgusting." Quote drew @ImNotOwned, "Genuinely confused about the reaction this Shane Gillis monologue is getting. No one can seriously be that upset about this." Lisa Britton @LisaBritton, "All we hear all day every day is how men should “be better.” But the moment you mention how women could “be better” too, the internet breaks and there’s a wave of rage. I got a heavy round of insults this afternoon for simply saying we should have a conversation about how, in many ways, women need to take accountability for their actions. Fortunately, I’m used to insults. You’re not going to shame me into silence! Yes… Women can “be better” too, and it’s about time we had that conversation!" Christina Buttons at CJ discourses on The Concept Creep of Nonconsent, "Affirmative-consent activism has broadened the meaning of sexual assault and encouraged the retroactive reclassification of past encounters—with serious consequences for individuals, society, and the law." Consent can be revoked at any time, say years later, for example.

Newsweek whines DHS Says Immigration Fine Blitz Helped Spur 82,000 Self-Deportations. Amy Curtis at TownHall says Here's How Many ICE Detainers Sanctuary State New York Has Rejected. At least 16k more criminals roaming the streets. Dave Strom's irony meter gets a stress test, Old Hotness: Immigrants Stealing Jobs From Natives; New Hotness: Natives Stealing Jobs From Migrants. Bernie @Artemisfornow, "Ok you have to laugh … the out of work immigrant population in Birmingham are complaining. “In Birmingham, our reporter interviewed a local man named Mohammad Khan. And he said: “Here it is hard to get a job. A lot of students come and pick up part-time jobs. They take over the housing. They work for a lower rate and they can speak English.” “ In a …how dare British students who speak English come here and take our jobs - sort of way" Full very funny article from the Telegraph."

Charles Glasser at Insty notices SELECTIVE OUTRAGE? "Of course, IMHO the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is absolutely right about this, but I can’t help but remember that they were conspicuously silent when the Obama/Biden admin actually hired that nutjob Nina Jankowitz to become the Disinformation Czar. It’s too easy to attribute political fear or agendas to organizations (which is 96% of social media) but it bears noting nonetheless." CPJ, Turkey: 4 more journalists arrested for ‘spreading disinformation’ as media crackdown intensifies. You don't have to look as far a Turkey, at Reclaim the Net, Jury Convicts Blogger After Ohio Senator Reports Crude Political Joke. "In Ohio, an insult aimed upward came back down as a criminal case." Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "The Brazilian Left spent the last 7 years building an oppressive and aggressive censorship regime commanded by the globally notorious, scandal-ridden Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. It was particularly intensifed during the 2022 campaign to suppress all sorts of criticisms of Lula, who won by a very small margin. Now a Bolsonaro-appointed judge is using that same machine built by the left to censor all sorts of material used to support Lula's candidacy. And now the left is suddenly screaming about the evils of censorship and waving the banner of free speech: a value they spent years denigrating and mocking as an instrument of fascism or some kind of foreign/American concept that has no place in Brazil. Even if you can't find any constitutional, ethical or moral reason to avoid building censorship regimes, your own self-interest should guide you away from it: it will be fun when you get to forcibly silence (or even imprison) your political enemies, but far less fun when that machine is controlled by those political enemies and, as is inevitable, then turned against you." Quote Folha de S.Paulo @folha, "Translated from Portuguese Kassio once again takes down Janones' channel and says that Lula could be held responsible for the channel's use."

John Sexton notes Thanks to Tenure, M.I.T. Is Stuck With Activist Professor, which is not the least of tenure's faults. Timur Kuran @timurkuran, "“Diversity is our strength” became a DEI dogma rather than a testable claim. Demographic diversity by itself rarely improves outcomes and can reduce trust, cohesion, and performance. What sometimes helps decision-making is intellectual and political diversity: clashing ideas expose blind spots, challenge groupthink, and force better arguments." Quote Steve Stewart-Williams @SteveStuWill, “A review of 104 studies found little evidence that demographic diversity makes scientific teams more productive or influential: Only 15-28% of reported results clearly supported the idea, while most found no effect or the opposite.” Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley, "Divinity Schools have shown the same radical shift to the left as other schools in higher education. That was evident this week at Point Loma Nazarene University, where Dean of Students Jason Cha warned students that saying “in Christ alone” is a sign of “white privilege.”" At the Telegraph, Greta Thunberg joins Paris student protests. Are there any leftist causes the autist hasn't endorsed yet? Da Caller reports Democrat Senator Ed Markey Goes Fishing For DEI Interns. That shouldn't be hard.

Dave Strom hears Never Let Fairness Get in the Way of DEI Agenda, Says London's Police Chief. Driftwood @buc97552, "Somali jailed for raping FIVE women wins a case against the NHS because his painkillers were dispensed during Ramadan fasting hours with the court ruling that his ECHR rights had been breached. Five rape victims, and he’s the one winning a human rights case." Quote GB News @GBNEWS, "Somali migrant rapist wins court battle against NHS after painkillers proscribed in prison during Ramadan." Matt Vespa at TownHall tells the one about A White Couple Moved Into a Black Neighborhood in Austin and It Turned Into a South Park Episode. Go watch the video, it's great! Catturd ™ @catturd2, "Yes - the movie Idiocracy wasn't fiction. And it's already here." 

In solidarity with the African migrant who set a french lady's face on fire leftists are trying to prove it's not that bad. Spoiler, it is! https://t.co/twU3LU9R9g

— ♧²M⁰C²C⁶♧ (@MDot_Cartier) October 12, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Storms the UN

President Trump visited the UN General Assembly yesterday, and it was everything you could hope for. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair calls him, affectionately, the Troll in Chief 'Can You See Me Now?' - Dinking on CNN. Ace is a little cruder, Trump to the UN: S My D and L My Bs, but provides this synopsis of his talk, - Called out the UN for ignoring Christian persecution worldwide while obsessing over America - Demanded every ICC member resign immediately from that rogue anti-American tribunal - Called Communist Cuba a failed state that will fall, then watched officials storm out - Declared there is no human right to illegal immigration, only the right to stay a sovereign nation - Scorched UNESCO globalists for pushing mass migration that destroys Western cultures - Said there is NO global government and there will be NO global taxes while he is president - Bragged that America cut the UN budget 15% and killed over 4,000 bureaucracy jobs - Boasted of the most secure border in American history with ZERO illegal aliens admitted - Declared America is BACK, stronger than ever, and in a GOLDEN AGE after Biden's dark age - Mic-dropped failed globalist leaders: while others talked peace, he MADE peace - Vowed Iran will NEVER get a nuclear weapon and said the Middle East bully is finished - Teased a huge post-election decision: strike a deal, or annihilate the Islamic Republic - Exposed Iran as weak and desperate, not strong, and predicted Iranian terror's end - Slammed cowards and traitors leaking fake "low munitions" claims mid-conflict - Took a victory lap over capturing Maduro and signing the largest oil deal in history - Laid down the Donroe Doctrine: no threats get a foothold in the Western Hemisphere - Refused to apologize for crushing drug cartels, calling them the ISIS of the hemisphere - Locked in permanent Greenland security rights that shut out China, Russia, and adversary investment - Renamed Artificial Intelligence to Super Intelligence and vowed America stays #1 over China." Whew! If you really want to see it all, sundance at CTH has President Trump 's Speech to United Nations General Assembly, and a lot more: President Trump Signs U.S-Greenland Arctic Security Agreement, President Trump Meets with the Gulf Cooperation Council During UNGA Event, President Trump Participates in a Shield of Americas Event at the United Nations, President Trump Holds a Bilateral Meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump Holds a Bilateral Meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and First Lady Melania Trump Outlines Plans for Chairman Xi Jinping Official State Visit. 

At Hat Hat Hair John Sexton cites Trump on Cuba: 'It Will Fall' and a Larry video, Trump Ripped Iran & Cuba in Fiery UN Speech As They Storm Out of the Room. Sarah Anderson at PJM sees Cuba Storms Out. Delcy Pouts. These Dictatorships Didn't Care for Trump's UN Speech. From News Wax, Trump Targets ICC at UN, Demands Member Nations Quit 'Rogue' Court, Trump Says 'Momentum' Building for Iran Deal at Expanded Mideast Meeting and Mark Meadows to Newsmax: Greenland Deal 'Snuck Up on All of Us'. Velina Tchakarova @vtchakarova, "Most European security analysts can pick another job since they were totally wrong on how the Greenland crisis was solved. Gardening for example." Quote Disclose.tv @disclosetv, "NOW - Trump signs trilateral agreement with the PM of Denmark and the PM of Greenland, expanding U.S. military presence in Greenland." From WaEx, State Department clamps down on size of Iran’s UN delegation and ability to splurge on ‘shopping sprees.’

At the Institute for the Study of War, What a Limited Russian Incursion Into Estonia Might Look Like: A Narva Scenario. Rick Moran at PJM wonders Will the U.S. Send Troops to Die for Estonia? Putin Doesn't Think So. Sundance observes Russia Strategic Diesel Supplies Full, Excess Production Now Flowing to “Stans” Central Asia – The Rule of 96. Mark Dubowitz @mdubowitz, "If you’d told me a few years ago this is where we’d be on Iran, I’d have said you were high: 1. Nuke program set back years. Enrichment and reprocessing gutted, weaponization sites destroyed, Fordow inoperable, Natanz in ruins, a generation of senior nuclear scientists eliminated..." At WaEx, State Department clamps down on size of Iran’s UN delegation and ability to splurge on ‘shopping sprees.’ Trust In Trump 47 @Trustintrump47, "REPORTER: Why would more U.S. troops be sent to the region if ground troops are not being considered for deployment in Iran? SECWAR PETE HEGSETH: “Look, son… this is such a basic military lesson that even a reporter should understand it: Never reveal to your enemy what you are going to do… or what you’re not going to do. And certainly don’t tell them when you plan to surrender. Especially to a coward who hides in bunkers, hoards his missiles like a miser, and prays that the United States will get tired and go home. But let me give you some free advice: the next time you want to ask a question, try not to sound like you’re lobbying for the Iranian regime. It gives a very bad image.”" Sarah Anderson at PJM, Rubio Tells Angry MSM Host, 'U.S. Media Sounds Like It's Rooting for Iran.' For you Harry Potter fans, Hat Hair's Duane Patterson says The Houthis Are the Last Horcrux. After That, the Iran Regime Is Alone. Will Chamberlain @willchamberlain, "Huh. The bulk of the casualties in Gaza - by Hamas' own statistics, apparently - are military age males Who'da thunk it." Quote Jeremy Corbin MP, Prime Ministerial Parody @CorbynSnap, "The final analysis of Gaza deaths based on Hamas’ own data is really bloody annoying." Considering they hide behind women and children, that says a lot about the restraint of the Israeli military. 

How To Subvert Subversion with Yuri Bezmenov warns us to Beware of CCP Unrestricted Warfare. "Connecting the dots on 10 of the CCP's subversive fronts in America that must be stopped before they inflict crippling irreversible damage." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks Net Zero Turns Western Countries Into Chinese Satrapies.

Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "There is an Army saying you hear dozens of times when you make full colonel: "Congratulations, that's the last promotion you will ever make based solely on merit." The idea behind that saying is that when it comes time to compete for a 1-star promotion, you need a sponsor, and having a sponsor who sits on the promotion board matters, greatly. That's how we get politicized generals who support racist, anti-American nonsense like DEI. This is a great, great step in replacing politics with merit at our senior ranks. This is what a revolution in military personnel affairs looks like." Quote Secretary of War Pete Hegseth @SecWar, "Today, I am announcing the Joint Warfighter Evaluation." John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad, "Oh boy. The Louisiana Maneuvers are returning. ENDORSED!" Now please tell me they’re going to stress logistics HARD. Patton’s tanks stopping at highway gas stations during the 1941 maneuvers exposed a major weakness… and made fuel delivery a top wartime priority." From RCP, Mark Montgomery & Emmerson Overell warn that America Must Be Able to Restore Its Space Power at War Speed.

Hmmm, at the Independent, Venezuela closing in on deal to move $4bn gold reserves from Bank of England to New York.

From NYPo, Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent says OpenAI bears ‘responsibility’ for Hugging Face hack. Leslie Eastman at LI reports Manufactured AI Panic Hits the Streets, Complete With T-Shirts, Marching Robots. "A look at the “protests” in San Francisco, in OpenAI’s Bellevue office, and Poland." Dave Strom, We Are Always Doomed Because Scared People Demand to Be Saved. Catturd ™ @catturd2, "It's all about scaring you to death so they can control every aspect of your life." Quote Bob Iaccino @Bob_Iaccino, "I’m officially done being scared of every crisis the news tells me I should be scared of. I’ve reached my crisis limit." Tech.org, AMD Crosses $1 Trillion in Market Value for the First Time as AI Chip Stocks Rally. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Thought about AI controlling bank accounts, access to sex, that kind of thing. To control our behavior. Hadn’t thought about elections. Wait til AI figures out how to start mailing in ballots." Quote Center for Strategic Politics @StratPolitics, "Replying to @StratPolitics 27% of Democrats told us they plan to use AI to figure out how to vote in future elections, with 7% saying they plan to use it "a lot"." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Too bad we can’t even get voter ID, same day voting, proof of citizenship. Never mind proof of human."Thomas Chatterton Williams @thomaschattwill, "Absolutely beyond parody. Dartmouth’s provost has been turning in 70-100-percent AI-written work (in academic journals, newspapers, and even in email correspondence!) since LLMs came out, the student paper reports. He even used AI to write an op-ed about how universities are dealing with AI cheating." Polymarket @Polymarket, "JUST IN: Stanford University is accused of using AI to change students’ race & gender while making others appear thinner in advertising, with one student saying he felt “silenced & erased.”"

John Sexton reports Vance Anti-Fraud Task Force Focuses on ACA Enrollment. Ben Smith at LI, USDA Targets 170 NYC Retailers in SNAP Fraud Sweep, “SNAP benefits should go to Americans, not fraudsters or illegal immigrants,” White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Executive Director Scott Brady said." Breitbart Bus Dig notices Trump Refuses to Launch World War Warsh.

The Post Millennial @TPostMillennial, "REVEALED: More Canadians die from MAID each year than Americans do from gun homicides." Daniel @WVDanielM, "@grok how many gun related homicides were in the United States? Use the newest data from the FBI. How many MAID deaths were in Canada? Use the newest data. Extrapolate those figures into a per-capita basis." Replying to @WVDanielM @TPostMillennial and @grok Grok @grok, "FBI 2025 data: estimated 14,085 total murders, firearms used in 72.3% (~10,183 gun homicides). Canada Health 2024 MAID: 16,499 (newest full official). Per capita: US (~342M pop) ~3.0/100k. Canada (~41.5M) ~39.8/100k." So, on a per capita basis, Canadian government is more than ten times as lethal as American guns. Tom Knighton at BA is happy about Trump's New EO Defends Hunting, Rolls Back Inane Hunting Regulations.

Hon. Vickie Paladino @VickieforNYC, "People have absolutely no idea the reign of terror we’re headed for if Democrats gain total power. They want Trump dead, and they want everyone who supported him or worked for him in prison. They want our constitutional rights dissolved, and they want the courts packed to facilitate it all. This is an EXTREMELY dark place and I don’t know that there’s any good way out." Quote Center for Strategic Politics @StratPolitics, Replying to @StratPolitics, "We polled five routes for Trump to leave office before the end of his term. A plurality of Dems support four of them, including a military coup and death by natural causes. The only one underwater, an assassination, is still supported by 29%." Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen, "60% of Democrats would welcome a … (checks notes) … MILITARY COUP to remove Donald Trump from office. Please don’t tell me these people care a whit about democracy or democratic norms." Gene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy finds an odd one, 39% of Democratic Voters Think Restaurant Industry "Should Be Publicly Owned and Operated." So, they want service like the DMV?

Stephen Kruiser, Republicans Aren't Letting El-Sayed Memory Hole Hasan Piker, nor should they, but it's not enough to swing an election. From the Free Bacon, Meet the 'Jews for Abdul': El-Sayed Ads Feature 'Social Justice' Activists Tied to Group That Excused Oct 7. "Dan Klein, who appeared in an El-Sayed spot in a yarmulke, is a 'community organizer' for Detroit Jews for Justice, while a Rosh Hashanah video featured the Jewish Voice for Peace-tied Shifman family." Jason Bedrick @JasonBedrick, "In 25 years, Todd Beamer's dad never got involved in a political campaign. That's because for the past 25 years, no major candidate had ever campaigned with someone who said America deserved 9/11. Until now." Quote Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer’s dad narrates a new ad attacking Abdul El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11 and was worse than Al-Qaeda. Watch this." At a Sayed presser, Will Hild @WillHild, "Kamala Harris, seemingly 4 vodka sodas deep, goes on a bizarre rant about how "attacks on DEI" are an "attack on maternal care"."

News Wax reports Newsom Donors Scrutinized Over China Contacts. NYPo, Democratic megadonor who gave to Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris linked to murky honeypot spy saga. China, China, China! From the OCR, California tenants suffered 8th-highest rent hikes in US over four decades. "California rent's share of income was second-highest among the states in 2024." Matthew Lilley @MattGLilley, "A bunch of Nobel Prize-winning economists have endorsed California's proposed billionaire wealth tax. I can't oppose them on authority. But I know some academics who can."

At the Conversation, No cheery time for election pollsters in run‑up to US midterms. "In fact, it hasn’t been very cheery for pollsters for the better part of 10 years, since Donald Trump confounded poll-based expectations to defeat Hillary Clinton for the U.S. presidency in 2016." John Carrasco reports Immigrant from the Philippines Pleads Guilty to Illegally Voting in 2024 US Presidential Election. Capitán Bitcoin @CapitanBitcoin, Translated from Spanish "FRAUD. Spain is in shock. The opposition stunned. Spain, 2023, General Elections. The head of PSOE Argentina created a voting circuit with fake mail-in votes to rig the CERA vote. Audio leaks have surfaced. It's extremely serious, pay attention. It calls into question Pedro Sánchez's legitimacy for the past 3 years..." PeterSweden @PeterSweden7, "Swedish election update. There's now the possibility of a NEW ELECTION in the affected area after authorities are investigating possible ELECTION FRAUD. A man from Somalia who got Swedish citizenship 7 months ago was elected to parliament for the Left. It's reported that people were given money and pre filled ballots and were driven to voting location. The constituency of Dalarna could see a rerun of the election take place with around 223,000 eligible voters." Elections are consequential. That give people incentive to cheat. At Ace, After Supreme Court Declines to Overrule State Supreme Court, Federal District Court Steps In to Allow Missouri to Use Its New Congressional Map for Midterm Elections, "This is good for us."

Bruce Blakeman @NassauExec, "Kathy Hochul now admits closing Indian Point was a mistake. Our electric bills are up 50% on her watch. Today, energy groups are warning that New York could face serious reliability problems as energy demand grows. New Yorkers deserve reliable, affordable energy, not more uncertainty and higher costs. When I am Governor, we will extract natural gas to help cut electric bills in half."

Dave Strom looks at The NGO to Government Pipeline. From the Free Bacon, Bloomberg-Backed Climate Group Paying Salaries of Democratic State AG Officials Quietly Shuts Down Amid Congressional, Legal Scrutiny. "The initiative’s website states that it is ‘historical material,’ and its leaders no longer list it as their employer on their LinkedIn pages." Trust Ace for a great headline, Bloomberg Was Paying -- Bribing, We Sometimes Call It -- Democrat State AGs to Push "Environmentalism" Lawsuits. "But that's okay, because the law doesn't apply to leftists. Being a leftist is playing life on Easy Mode with all cheat codes enabled." Also from Ace, Lindsay Clancy's Lawyer Asks Judge to Investigate the "Rogue" Juror, "Boy, Gentry Leftists really don't believe any of the bullshit they say about Respeccing Black People's Lived Experience and Indigenous Ways of Knowing, do they?."

Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "BREAKING: DHS releases a bullet-point list of what they say are false claims about the shooting of a Venezuelan illegal alien in Austin, TX. They say claims that he was legal and had a valid work permit are false. Per DHS: “CLAIM: ICE refused to remove the bullet from the illegal alien’s body. FACT: This is false. ICE does not and would not advise, nor be the authority on, a medical procedure for an illegal alien at a hospital...."Where Did 4.5 Million Illegal Aliens, Who Arrived Under Joe Biden, End Up Staying in the U.S.? Rick Moran at PJM checks. At NYPo, Meet the US Army vet running a California baby factory for Chinese nationals to have American kids. "Patriot Conceptions founder Haotian Bai has cozied up to powerful Republican groups while running a business that lets wealthy parents in China have “American” babies via surrogacy."

Dave Catron at Am Spec wonders Does the Press Understand the First Amendment? "It’s not very complicated but they can’t seem to decode what it means." At Althouse TrumpTV, "Background: "After Years as the Star of Must-See TV, Trump Faces the Sting of Cancellation/A boycott of the White House press pool by the major networks deprives the president of the oxygen of screen time. But he is still finding ways to get on the air" (NYT gift link). So you get it: He doesn't need the fake-news networks. He's got a YouTube channel." The Larry video cited above has a long segment on the networks off again on again White House boycott. Joe Concha @JoeConchaTV, "And here’s @ananavarro after Trump was banned from social media in 2021… in case anyone needs a reminder to never take this person remotely seriously…" TownHall's Matt Vespa has a Flashback: That Time When CNN Wondered Whether Biden Should Ban Fox News From the White House. Eric Abbenante @EricAbbenante, "Supercut of Obama's War on Whistleblowers: James Risen: "I plan to spend the rest of my life fighting to undo damage done to press freedom in the United States by Barack Obama ..." Teri Christoph at RedState hears Karoline Leavitt Blows the Lid Off the White House Press Corps' Phony Little Game. "Appearing Tuesday on Sean Hannity's podcast, Leavitt recalled how reporters would privately apologize to her for their aggressive behavior and "unfair" questions during her briefings, something she referred to as "performative." Many of the press corps now whining about their restricted access, she revealed, were “totally different people” when the briefings ended and the cameras stopped rolling. “There’s a performative aspect to the briefing room. In fairness, I think on both sides, right?"

Amy Curtis at TownHall is satisfied John Cleese Refused to Back Down Despite Islamists Threatening His Birmingham Show.

Sarah at Insty says THE OUTRAGE IS DESERVED: Outrage is erupting after a 22-year-old who runs into BURNING BUILDINGS as a volunteer firefighter was told he isn’t qualified to be a paid firefighter… …because he was HOMESCHOOLED. Then the city changed the job posting to cover it up. His name is Andrew Coates. He’s 22 years old, in Nebraska. Right now, today, he runs into burning buildings as a volunteer firefighter for Cedar Bluffs Fire. He is a state-licensed EMT. He is doing the job. For free. All he wanted was to get PAID to do it. In his words: “Make a career out of it would be the goal. To get paid to do what you love.”

From the College Fix, ‘Queering God’ and ‘Thinking with Bad Bunny’: Inside YAF’s new report criticizing college curricula. Ace reports an Angry Lesbian Karen Tries to Cancel Football Coach for Laughing at a Meme and Then Cries As She's Cancelled from TV, Plus: Colin Kaepernick Persists. Evie notices The Gender War Is Increasingly Fueled by Women. Colin Wright @SwipeWright, "The Boston Globe has just published a shockingly sober article about the nonexistent genocide supposedly targeting the transgender community. In it, they cite a report I coauthored showing that the murder rate is actually lower for trans-identifying people than the general population. Our report was responding to the HRC's annual reports pushing the narrative that there is an ongoing "Epidemic of Violence" against the transgender community. The reporter says he "offered the Human Rights Campaign's key researcher, the transgender woman Charleigh Flohr, or anyone else with the organization an opportunity to rebut the Manhattan Institute finding, but they didn't reply to me." That's unsurprising because the HRC is engaging in fundraising propaganda. They don't care about the truth, only promoting the narrative. Our report presenting the actual data is irrefutable. That's why they have nothing to say in response."

And the masked lesbians are at it again. From NYPo, Massachusetts lesbian bar nearly bullied out of town after lifting mask mandate — for one night a week, Matt Vespa observes A Massachusetts Lesbian Bar Relaxed Its Masking Rules and Absolute Mayhem Ensued. At Twitchy, Boston Globe: Queer Community Splintered Over Lesbian Bar That Dropped Strict Mask Mandate. Globe Magazine, A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose. "Last Ditch Bar in Greenfield wanted to build community. They got a firestorm instead." Ace, Five Years After Covid, a Lesbian Bar Finally Relaxed Its Covid Mask Policy, Which Required Wearing a KN-95 Mask at All Times. The Backlash Is, Get This, Unhinged. Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "Everything starts making a bit more sense when you realize that there’s a sizable contingent of the political Left that functionally lives on an entirely different planet from the rest of us."

And much much more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 09.22.26 (Afternoon Edition) and In The Mailbox: 09.22.26 (Evening Edition)! The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: An Awful Road Trip up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Second Stab at the Nerd Prom

They kind of caught me by surprise with the rescheduled White House Correspondents Dinner. I guess I wasn't paying attention, again. Any, it was held last night at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington DC. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair heard Trump to Recognize Secret Service Officer Shot at First WHCA Dinner at Nerd Prom, Take 2. Seems reasonable. As you might remember, the Secret Service agent Victor Gonzales survived the close range shotgun blast thanks to his vest. He also runs down the list of administration attendees, which notably does not include JD Vance and Marco Rubio. RedState's Jen O'Connell has Hot Takes: Media's Reaction to Redo of the White House Correspondents' Dinner Was As Expected. Aw, he was mean to the poor babies. Althouse host's Trump's routine (I hesitate to call it a speech) and offers her opinions of some of it in "Is this supposed to be fun? Am I supposed to be serious? Am I supposed to be a comedian?" "Trump finally gets his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech. ... And here's the joke I thought was the best: "Under my administration, a once-feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has finally been toppled. Their former leaders have been removed and they're now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But I for one wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News. She's a wonderful woman."

Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson, "President Trump is leading a political "counter-revolution," seeking to reverse decades of progressive policies on immigration, education, energy, and American history, doing more than any other Republican president." At Althouse, "His detractors have adopted the 'Never Vance' slogan and flooded social media, especially over the past week, with attacks..." ""... including claims that Vance is 'unfit' to be vice president due to his efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran. They have asserted, without evidence, that Vance is making policy decisions not supported by President Donald Trump. They have likened him to former president Barack Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont)...." I'm reading "Knives are out for Vance in the GOP. His allies say it’s a coordinated ‘op.’ The vice president has faced a barrage of attacks recently that are unusual for their intensity and how early in the political calendar they are taking place" (WaPo)(gift link)." PJM's Matt Margolis, Is This the Reason Your Leftist Relatives Are Cutting You Off? and Sarah Anderson reports a Black-Owned Atlanta Restaurant Faces Boycott Calls for Serving a Republican.

RCD looks at Hegseth’s Herculean Task.

PJM's Cathy Salgado notes One Pennsylvania County Has 3,500 Noncitizens on Non-Juror List, Potentially Voting and Bob Spencer wonders Is Dem Fundraising Powerhouse ActBlue a Massive Money Laundering Machine? Yes, the example he provides is stunning. A Larry video at Hat Hair, Trump DOJ Confirms Investigation Into New Jersey Voter Rolls.

Karol Markowicz at NYPo thinks Democrats are completely blind to the DSA’s brazen party coup — so the rest of us must step up. RCP cites James Carville: DSA Are "Paternalistic, Over-Educated Little White Turds" Who "Think They Know Better Than You" Yep. Rainer Zitelmann at Reason explains How Capitalism Beat Communism in Vietnam. "It only took a generation to go from ration cards to exporting electronics." At Da Signal, How Cuba Became the Nerve Center of the Anti-American Left. Dave Strom at Hat Hair opines Shamelessness Is, You Must Admit, a Huge Political Advantage, featuring a picture of Dan Goldman. I think it's an essential, at least on the Democrat side. 

Hat Hair's John Sexton hears from Morris Katz: We May Have Missed a Few Red Lines with Platner. Just a few. Seth Mandel at Commentary calls AOC’s Latest Dual-Loyalty Hoax a Doozy. At the Crimson Hub, AOC, Her Brother, and the Property Taxes Billed To Their Mother. Luke Rosiak at Da Wire reports Ilhan Omar’s Sister Linked To Central Figures In Minnesota’s Fraud Scandal. "Records tie company founded by "Squad" member's sister to largest public theft scandal in Minnesota history." Jon Tobin at JNS claims The lies behind Mamdani’s Netanyahu stunt are the real threat. "New York’s mayor isn’t going to arrest Israel’s prime minister. But the widespread belief in the “genocide” blood libel illustrates how toxic ideologies, AI and social media are defeating facts." At Althouse, "You want voters to believe you posted to this account but all of the bad things came from someone else, including a friend who is dead?" Matt Smith @mattsmith_news, "When asked today if he was 100% certain he didn't write any of the offensive posts on the 'Dirt McGirk' Twitter account, David Crowley said, "Look, we would have to go through all of these different posts, but the ones that I've seen that were printed, I did not write those."" "And the pig got up and slowly walked away."

RAW EGG NATIONALIST @Babygravy9, "Amazing we're just never going to hear anything about this ever again, including the fact the killer said he was paid by Tim Walz to do it." Quote Nick Sortor @nicksortor, " JUST IN: Tim Walz appointee Vance Boelter has been sentenced to TWO LIFE SENTENCES plus 40 years for the murder of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman Boelter’s vehicle was found with “NO KINGS” flyers on the seat, and kiIIed Hortman and her husband soon after she voted against healthcare for illegals. Will Walz pardon this guy too?"

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair observes Chicago West and South Side Save A Lot Stores Closing, Blame New EBT Rules and likes Steve Hilton Debuting Wild New Campaign Ads: Enough Is Enough!

Steve Hilton puts out devastating ad exposing communist California’s mindless, Godless leftist machine! https://t.co/tfIJvVdv05

— The Chris Salcedo Show (@CSalcedoShow) July 24, 2026

John Sexton sees the California Wealth Tax Battle Continues. PJM's Vicky Taft has another West Coast, Messed Coast™ – Climate Lie Implodes but Greens Already Spent Taxpayers' Billions.

wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Current operations in Iran are no longer starting from the original position. Iran’s missile attack volume was substantially higher in March 2026 than in July 2026 going from as many as hundreds per day then to mere dozens now. It's retaliatory power, while still existent, has clearly diminished..." Peter Orem @PeterMOrem, "I think we're still operating within war-gamed scenarios."

From Althouse, Why Madison police don't have body cameras. Molly Beck @MollyBeck, "Former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin’s perspective on why Madison police don’t have body cameras (Soglin was mayor until 2019):"

The Guardian whines about a British-born man living in US since age of nine held by ICE under threat of deportation, "Connor Read, who is married and has two children, was detained in June during residency permit interview." Also, an extensive, but pretty petty criminal record. But just for kicks, he should claim asylum based on England's censorship policies.

Curt at Flopping Aces sees The Press Tried to Shame Elon. He Put the Entire Media Class on Trial. Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav, "This was basically the interview." Ace, Elon Musk Demolishes Snarky Superior Editor of The Economist, "The extremist didn't like being told that she's the actual extremist." From Twitchy, Ben Shapiro Schools Piers Morgan: Free Speech Means I Don't Have to Feed Your Clickbait Show. Dave Strom takes The Curious Case of the Woman Who Was Baited Into Saying the 'N' Word.

EducatëdHillbilly™ @RobProvince, "Let’s be honest about why this article was written & published… It’s was a shot across the bow to any white woman that even thinks about complaining about abuse by anyone not white. It was a threat to shut up lest be called a white supremacist. A murderer of Emmitt Till. A klan member." Quote Michael McCarthy @MMcCarthyREV, "UPDATE: A top USA TODAY executive stood by Nancy Armour's explosive column linking some Caitlin Clark fans to white nationalists. "Her column is clearly labeled Opinion," she tells @FOS." At Mazelite Airaksinen, NYC Doc Claims Orthodox Jews Smell and "Criminally, Fraudulently and Illegally" Live in USA, "Dr. Robert Guarino is a pathologist in the West Village of NYC and Staten Island." John Sexton was really shocked by a NYT Opinion: 'Land Acknowledgements Are Infuriating.' "If you mean it, give it back, the conservatives said. They are not asking in good faith, but they are asking for the right thing. It names the gap between the words and anything the institution is willing to surrender."

And even more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.24.26. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: In The Bowels of the Draft up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.