Flotsam and Jetsam - Lindsey Graham Still Dead

At WaPoo, Lindsey Graham died of aortic dissection, preliminary medical report says. "Graham died hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine. Trump said he spoke with the senator Saturday evening and that “could’ve been his last call.”" That certainly explains the sudden part. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair says RIP to Lindsey Graham (1955-2026). From sundance at CTH, Senator Lindsey Graham Dead, President Trump Discusses 7pm Phone Call Last Night with Senator Lindsey Graham, President Trump Reminds Jake Tapper to Stay on Task – Focus on Lindsey Graham, In Memoriam – The Most Interesting Revelation Released by Senator Lindsey Graham and Nancy Mace Wants to Replace Lindsey Graham "Not many people think highly of Nancy Mace. However, Nancy Mace thinks very highly of herself." Noah Rothman at NRO remembers Lindsey Graham’s Finest Moment. Stacey Matthews at LI Remembering Lindsey Graham’s Pivotal Role in the Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings.“I would never do to them what you’ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy.” Eric Florack at PJM, Graham, McConnell, and Platner Gone? How Does This Play Out? Bob Hoge at RedState wants to know What Happens Now? The Race to Fill Graham's Seat Has Already Begun.

However, he had plenty of detractors on both sides. Joe Chalfant at TownHall, These Ghouls Couldn't Help But Gloat Over Lindsey Graham's Death. Will Ricciardella @WillRicci, "When ISIS butcher Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died, WaPo called him an “austere religious scholar.” When commie dictator Fidel Castro died, The NYT called him a “Cuban revolutionary who defied the U.S.” Lindsey Graham raised his younger sister after their parents died, served 33 years in uniform and more than 3 decades in Congress. He dies, and prominent media voices reach back 6 years for an essay titled “History Will Judge the Complicit.” This isn’t merely bad taste, it’s a moral hierarchy: America’s enemies get context, euphemism, romance — American conservatives get a bill of indictment before their body is even cold." Quote Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum, "Lindsey Graham was one of the main subjects of a @TheAtlantic cover story I wrote in 2020, on why people collaborate with regimes they know are immoral. Here's a gift link:" Ana Kasparian @AnaKasparian, "Are you offended? Let me clarify: I’m elated that he’s dead. Overjoyed…. Just like he was elated at seeing countless dead children throughout Middle East." Ace, Lindsey Graham Dies; Neo-Cons Across The Country Are In Mourning.

I don't have strong feelings about Graham. Certainly, as one of the early participants of the Reagan revolution, and long service, he's had ample impact on the country, for better or worse. I'm not really sure where the balance falls.

AP reports McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about health condition, followed by pneumonia. Yep, that'll do it. "McConnell explained the four-week silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.”" All the old people I know just love to talk about that shit. And I know plenty! Sundance, of course, is suspicious when Mitch McConnell Releases Image and Statement. I'm glad to hear he's improving, but it's still past time to quit.

Nicole Silvero at Da Caller reports the Senate is Holding Slew Of Confirmation Hearings For Trump Nominees As Time Runs Short Before August Recess. It doesn't help to have two missing.

Da Signal explains how Trump’s Ukraine Strategy at NATO Is ‘America First’ in Action. Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko, "I've been advocating that Ukraine strike Russian tugs as part of a larger campaign against Russian riverine and littoral maritime traffic since 2022. Ukraine has delivered on all my expectations of what that would accomplish in the last five days. Brown Water logistics.1/" Quote Jay in Kyiv @JayinKyiv, "Russians enter state of deep depression amid the 5th consecutive day of double digit destruction of Russian ships on the Azov Sea, a total of 76 over the course of 5 days. Russians now lament that Ukraine is mow even deatroying the tugboats sent to tow the wrecks to port. At NYPo, US unloads military might on Iran after Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz — striking 140 targets: ‘Now they pay.’ At WUWT, Claim: The Iran War is Worsening the Climate Crisis.

Sundance looks at the U.S-Canada Strike Deal on New Gordie Howe International Bridge – Opening Date July 27th and Promethean PAC Visits Trump Policy Contrast Against Energy Priorities. From the Auto Wire, The EPA’s New Truck Rule Turns a Federal Felony Into a Factory Setting.

From AMAC, Graham Platner Debacle Proves Bernie Sanders and Socialist Left Can’t Be Trusted. Oh hell, we knew that a long time ago. Matt Vespa at TownHall laughs that Liberal White Women Are in a State of Despair Over Maine's Graham Platner. The lamentation of their women! Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Wasn’t it his advisor that helped give rise to Platner and ran his campaign? Now he gets to just bring the chapter to a close with no further questions?" Quote New York Post @nypost "Mamdani says it's time to 'bring this chapter to a close' after Graham Platner campaign collapse." Matt Vespa, So, Is This Why a Dem Rep Is Probably Glad He Got Detained in the West Bank? Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley, ""A new video has emerged of James Talarico defending gun control laws by saying that people have not actually read the Second Amendment, stressing that the words "‘well regulated’ are right there in the text of the amendment itself." He needs to give that one another read..." "...He omitted the word following "Well regulated": "militia." It did not mean regulations, but rather a proficient, fully capable militia. Now if only Talarico could support a well-read amendment as well as a well-regulated militia..." From Twitchy, 'These People Are So F-ing Stupid!' James Carville Posts WILD Rant Against Frankenstein's Monster. At Hat Hair Betsy McCaughey warns Don't Let Marxists Rob Us of Our History. Dave Strom at Hat Hair believes 'Luxury Beliefs' Are Killing People and socialism is a luxury belief. 

From RCP, Nick Shirley And Medicaid Czar Dr. Oz Report Billions In Senior "Adult Daycare" Fraud in Queens: "Korean And Chinese Mafias." Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko, "I'm of the opinion the entire Federal annual deficit spending is made up entirely of welfare and entitlement fraud." Quote Arthur MacWaters @ArthurMacwaters, "I’ve seen enough man The welfare system in this country is literally the largest fraud farm in the entire history of the human race x.com/nickshirleyy/s…"

At Althouse, "We don’t need presidents who have weird obsessions.", "Said Kamala Harris, back in October 2020, blogged at the time, here. I know that at the time I thought I bet all the Presidents have had a weird obsession. I know because I said that in a podcast at the time. That post and podcast predated access to Grok, so I didn't have the chance to use this prompt: Accept the hypothesis that every U.S. President had a weird obsession and to list all the Presidents with their weird obsession. I did use it today, though. Some of my favorites:..."

PJM's Kevin Downey hears More Than 200 FBI Agents Swarm Fulton County, Georgia, to Investigate 2020 Election Fraud. This could be very interesting, or it could be a dud. We already know there were enough unaccounted for Biden votes to swing the state. But could the FBI actually turn up evidence of deliberate fraud, as opposed to deliberately built in incompetence? Stay tuned.

Cam at Bearing Arms sees  A Rare Dose of Common Sense From New York Courts In Gun Confiscation Case.

John Lott at Da Fed argues Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Really Is Slashing Violent Crime. Homeland Security @DHSgov, "EIGHT MISSING CHILDREN RESCUED. During the World Cup, @HSIKansasCity have been working every single day to combat human trafficking and arrest suspected traffickers. Thank you to these heroes for your work to save these children." Orange County Register, Truck driver wanted by ICE faces sentencing for big rig crash that killed 3 on 10 Freeway in Ontario, CA that is. NYPo ed board, Work-visa fraud costs America big: Hail the Trump team’s crackdown.

Sundance sees the Media Apoplectic at DOJ and FBI Investigating Four New York Times Reporters for Compromising President Trump Security During Turkey Visit. At the Eternally Radical Idea Greg Lukianoff celebrates VICTORY against Stop WOKE Act, Me in WaPo, ‘A Song of FIRE and ICE,’ ‘turn around, bright eyes,’ & more! "Bringing you the latest free speech news (7/12/26)."

Campus Reform reports University of California, Riverside grant funding policies favor immigrants over U.S. citizens "Campus Reform found the University of California, Riverside awards illegal immigrant graduate students up to $9,000 annually through one fellowship, while a comparable graduate research grant provides U.S. citizens up to $4,000." At Minding the Campus What Does It Mean to Be a Women’s College If Men Can Enroll? "Salem College says it ‘accepts applications from students who were assigned female at birth or who identify as women.’" Mark Judge at the Chronic, The Evil Complicity of Dahlia Lithwick’s Fake Trans Outrage. Hat Hair's Larry Elder explores What's the Real 'Defining Image of Race in America'? At Instapundit, AS ANDY WARHOL SAID, NOTHING IS MORE BOURGEOIS THAN TO BE AFRAID TO LOOK BOURGEOIS: Reddit Lies @reddit_lies, "Help! Someone on facebook is glorifying marriage and families!" and Driscoll has a very Driscolly post DISPATCHES FROM THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S BALLS (Or the Lack Thereof)..." Hillel Neuer @HillelNeuer, "BREAKING: John Cleese renounces “the mob who have taken over Amnesty.” The iconic British comedian initiated and produced Amnesty International's landmark comedy benefit series, and for decades supported Amnesty as a fundraiser and public advocate. Proof they've lost the plot:" Quote John Cleese @JohnCleese "As a former major fund-raiser for Amnesty - I produced the first five 'Secret Policeman's Balls' - I renounce the mob who have taken over Amnesty Amnesty used to be about trying to do something about TORTURE x.com/_RebeccaMcCurd…"

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Slowly I Turn up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Happy 250th Birthday America!

Rep. Eric Davanzo

Althouse cites Donald Trump and hosts his speech at Mt. Rushmore, "These are very, very special times. And this is a very special place. You live in a very special place. Congratulations everybody." "Those were the very very very special words of our President, Donald J. Trump, speaking at Mount Rushmore, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the 4th of July." Oh no! He was mean to the communists! Also from sundance at CTH, Freedom 250 from Mount Rushmore – Livestream Links. Don Surber is Defining MAGA, "Been around 250 years. We will be around another 250." ZitoSalena @ZitoSalena, "Line to get into the Pennsylvania booth at the Great American State Fair out the door! Pavilion is filled with displays from businesses all across the state. PLACE matters--that's what drove people & businesses to step up with pride; no way were they going to let this go empty." At Hat Hair, Dave Strom, America at 250: When You Get Ordinary Americans Away From the Noise, We Still Agree on the Basics, John Sexton hears a SoCal HOA Bans Display of the U.S. Flag and Capt. Ed finds Politico Party Pooper: Trump's America 250 Celebration Will Pollute DC, You Know "Politico even tried complaining to the EPA, whose spokesperson laughed in its face." From NYPo, Pennsylvania state Rep. Eric Davanzo says he was kicked off House floor over ‘patriotic’ suit ahead of America 250. Streiff at RedState thinks the Rogue USAF Major's Speech Garners Progressive Praise, but I Don't Think They've Thought This Through.

Fox News@FoxNews "JUST IN: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani used America’s 250th anniversary to sharply criticize the country, accusing the U.S. of allowing children to go hungry while billionaires and “oligarchs” gain more power. He said America’s wealth was built by working people with “calloused, dirt-streaked hands" while accusing the country of allowing the wealth built by workers to be concentrated in “the soft hands of a precious few.” Mary Chastain at LI sees Mamdani Trashes America, Trump in Speech Marking Country’s 250th Birthday. Like the nepo-baby has ever had a job that gave him callouses. Bob Spencer at PJM says Mamdani Gives 250th Anniversary Speech, and Boy, Does This Guy Hate America. L A R R Y @LarryOConnor, "He’s been trained by his political handlers to smile almost incessantly. It’s an obvious forced smile to make his odious policies seem reasonable and safe. Here, he’s lost the smile. The result? He and his message convey their inherent hostility." Matt Taibbi, Listen to This Article: Zohran Mamdani and the Nitwit Revolution, "New York’s Mayor proved he’s a generational political talent this week, re-shaping the Democratic Party and setting America up for a referendum on its founding principles." Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "We heard this trash from Obama and it was bad enough the first time. Nobody who loves America talks this way." Quote Gerald Posner @geraldposner, "One year ago today, reports revealed that @NYCMayor checked both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 Columbia application (he wrote in “Ugandan” and later said he doesn’t consider himself Black or African American — just an American born in Africa — because the forms had no box for “Indian-Ugandan”). ... When Mamdani gets to the “enslaved Africans” section, that might be the perfect moment to mention how he tried to check the African American box himself back when it could have helped tip the university admissions scale." Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Eloquent? He trashed the country and then insisted it belongs to non-Americans while making a mockery of George Washington." Quote David Axelrod @davidaxelrod, "These eloquent words speak to me as the grateful son of a refugee who arrived here with his family, carrying little more than their hopes and dreams of freedom and a better life." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "In fairness, he doesn't know how free markets, capitalism, socialism, communism and New York City work, so I'd have to say the desk is either the least of everyone's concerns. Or a tell." Quote Kate Hyde @KateHydeNY, "Are we as offended by Mamdani using George Washington's desk to make a speech once we realize he doesn't even know how a desk works?"

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn has Hot Child in the City: Commie Mamdani Expects Mommies and Families to Fry At Twitchy, Ben Ferguson Pointed Out CNN Wasn't Complying With Mamdani's A/C Rule and the Host Was NOT Happy. Alexis Wilkins @AlexisWilkins, "Attn: New York Liberals If you don’t like getting told what temperature to set your thermostat, you probably won’t like socialism." PM sees Mamdani's rent freeze affects 1 million apts—nearly 50% are occupied by foreigners. 44 percent of all homes that are rent-stabilized in the city were occupied by people born outside of the US, which would translate to around 440,000 residences. From the Free Bacon, Darializa Avila Chevalier Dating Mamdani Lawyer Who Repped Al Qaeda Terrorists, Including 'Close Associate' of Bin Laden. "The pair met outside of an 'ICE detention facility,' according to Chevalier." Love at first protest!

At Am Great the Great Victor Davis Hanson pens The New Socialists: Elite, Ungrateful, and Toxic as Ever "The new socialist movement believes it can remake America—but its growing radicalism may prove the very thing that drives voters away and fuels a counterrevolution." Dan Greenfield at Front Page worries Hamas Rioters Get Their Own Members of Congress, "Democrats welcome their first “Death to America” congresswoman." From RCP, Legacy Versus Reality: America’s Jews and the Democrat Party. Dave Strom sees Democrats Are Now Debating Who Is 'Too Jewish'. Driscoll at Insty, “PROGRESSIVE” LEFT GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE: "Did a CNN Anchor Really Just Say This About Jewish Democrats?" Andrew Kolvet @AndrewKolvet, "Donny Deutsch, on MSNOW, just gave us an inside sneak peek at establishment Democrats’ panic about the rise of extremist DSA candidates: "Well, Democrats have gone off the rails... Democrats right now are focused on two things:" • "Antisemitism." • "Socialism." ..." Chaskel Bennett @ChaskelBennett, "Israel sent search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela. That's a documented fact. The @nytimes reported on the international response while omitting Israel's rescue mission. Other major media outlets did the same. That's not a typo. It's not a factual dispute. It's an editorial choice. When the facts don't fit the narrative, the facts disappear. That's why nobody trusts todays activist media especially when they report on Israel." Mitch Berg at Hat Hair VIP has the "We've Never Tried 'Real Social Housing'" Hall Of Eternal Shame. At AMAC, a New Documentary Sheds Light on Shocking Radicalism of Minnesota Gov. Walz.

From NYPo news that the FBI infiltrated Gavin Newsom’s inner circle by convincing governor’s ally to wear a wire. Sundance, Lisa Monaco and Merrick Garland Organized Wire Recording Surveillance of Gavin Newsom in June of 2024. "Newsom was under political surveillance prior to Biden’s withdrawal. This puts context on the plan to replace Biden with then VP Kamala Harris. What does then Deputy AG Lisa Monaco and then VP Kamala Harris have in common? They were both key figures within the Barack Obama operation." Chef Andrew Gruel @ChefGruel, "This is nuts!! Voters chose @realSonjaShaw for State Superintendent in the primary, but instead of respecting the fact she may win, Newsom is fast-tracking legislation to shift key powers from the independently elected Superintendent of Public Instruction to a governor-appointed official. That’s an end run around the voters." Quote California Post @californiapost "Gavin Newsom passes 'biggest power grab in California history' over State Superintendent role." PJM's Vicky Taft sees the West Coast, Messed Coast™ States Give Serfs a Huge America 250 'Gift', gas tax increases.

The Center Square, reports GOP hardliners vow to blockade must-pass bills unless voter ID demands met. TownHall's Dmitri Bolt hears This Republican Has a Wild Idea for Fixing Housing Prices: Let the Market Actually Work. "Stop all of the subsidies," Rep. McClintock told Newsmax, Thursday. "That thing is chock full with subsidies and grants. All those do is force up the price of housing for everybody while hiding it for those that are lucky enough to qualify for the subsidies." Real capitalism hasn't been tried either. Mark Tapscott at Insty says TIME FOR REHAB FOR BOTH DEMS, GOP: "Tomorrow is a great day, the 250th commemoration of the proclamation on July 4, 1776, of America’s Declaration of Independence. But on July 5, 2026, we better get honest with each other and our leaders about the approaching fiscal calamity. Read all about it here with my latest Substack column:" Democrats and Republicans MUST Stop Lying About Their Deficit Spending and Debt, Beginning July 5, 2026, if America is to Survive "There is no more kicking the can down the road to delay starting the admittedly painful rehabilitation treatment of our Federal Spending Addiction (FSA)."

Sundance hosts Two Politically Pretentious Canadians Interview U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra and U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer Discusses Economy and USMCA.

AG @AGHamilton29, "Qatar is an actual slave state with just a few hundred thousand citizens and a clear record of funding terrorism. The fact that we have somehow allowed them to buy their way into influencing so much of America's ME policy and dictating information flow is still crazy to me."

News Wax reports Hormuz Ship Transits Quadruple as Trump Plan Works.

Sundance dances at a REPORT: Acting DNI Bill Pulte Fires Dozens of ODNI Staff for Politicizing Intelligence, Insubordination, Gross Misconduct and Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard Outlines the Mechanics of the Deep State. From Fox, DeSantis announces plans to use new state law to target dozens of alleged terrorist groups. "CAIR filed a lawsuit to challenge the Florida governor's 'baseless attacks'."

At Da Wire, Mark Krikorian looks at the Citizenship Follies, "Are we going to just have to bar the admission of women from abroad?" John Eastman at Am Mind, reminds us of 1776, Not 1608: What the Supreme Court Got Wrong on Birthright Citizenship. At the Chronic, Mark Judge looks at Justice Kavanaugh’s Transgender Ruling and the Misogyny of the Left.

PJM's Stephen Kruiser tells Dear Europoors: I'm Setting My Thermostat to 1776 for Independence Day. Max @minordissent, "Europoors: if we stop using AC we will solve climate change China: 1M sq ft indoor ski resort that has 10 MW of refrigeration running 365 days a year." Allan @UnrealAllan, "This isn’t so much “third world” as just plainly irrational. A high-capacity public escalator uses about the same energy in 24 hours as that needed to cool 1,500 square feet of living space for 24 hours. What can’t be ignored though is our *energy infrastructure* has been far outstripped by *energy demand*. It would be nice if people were able to analyze and discuss these issues rationally without the insta-default to political histrionics, hysteria, and irrationality." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Escalators in NY are now being turned off to "conserve energy" Welcome to the 3rd world." Try shutting of the elevators in government buildings, I dare you.At YouTube, The World Cup is Destroying the Anti-America Narrative.

Alice Smith @TheAliceSmith, "The UK is what happens when career public sector middle-managers get into power." James Lindsay, anti-Communist @ConceptualJames, :2002, "Quote Basil the Great @BasilTheGreat, "A leaked internal home office report from 2002 shows the UK Government had planned to change what "British-ness" meant through mass immigration It was always the goal to erase our identity and replace us.

Jennifer Sey @JenniferSey, "This is hilarious. Dude, we’ve been telling you. They hate the gays. Like really hate. Not like in a fun way." Quote Sunny @sunnyright, "When progressives actually meet Islam, part 6,512"

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.03.26. Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Slowly I Turn up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Reflections on the Reflecting Pool

Dr. Clayton Forrester @DrClaytonForre1, "Trump hired a bunch of chuds to restore the Reflecting Pool, which they did on time and on budget. Liberals are absolutely furious because they don't want voters to see that you can just fix things." Quote The White House @WhiteHouse, "“Our Great ‘Warriors’ who fixed and rebuilt the Reflecting Pool!” - President Donald J. Trump." richard wolf @RawdogDMonkey, "Wait, you can fix things without a $452m study to determine if we should perform a $36m environmental impact study before awarding a $875m contract to do what some pool guys did for $3m?" At Althouse, Live feed of the filling of the Reflecting Pool, and a poll, Can we all just say it looks beautiful? Pick the answer closest to what you think. 1) Never. It looks like Trump. That's all I see and that's always ugly. 2) Let's be empathetic to those who are so deeply troubled by Trump that they can't see what is true. 3) It's objectively beautiful, and everyone ought to acknowledge what is true.

Imagine being angry about this https://t.co/GfBt1FVWvq

— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) June 6, 2026

Breccan Theis at Da Fed approve of how Rubio, Bessent Show Obsequious GOP How To Give No Quarter To Propagandists. They won't be polite, or give you the benefit of the doubt, so show them no weakness or mercy and stand your ground. A vid at Hat Hair, Border Security Funded, Family Values Defended: Conservatives Deliver on Capitol Hill. 

Sundance at CTH hosts Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Delivers Remarks Honoring D-Day Anniversary. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "He paid his own way so that he could honor our war dead and teach his children the accurate lessons of history leftist filth like you would deny them in the classroom. Just when I think the so-called profession of "journalism" could not stoop any lower, you surprise me." Quote John Hudson @John_Hudson, "Hegseth takes six of his children to France on official trip, reports @taracopp https://washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/06/05/hegseth-takes-six-his-kids-france-official-trip/"

Andrew Breitbart and Lyndsey Fifield

Stacy McCain sings the praises of The Unexpected Heroine Lyndsey Fifield. "When the story broke Thursday, I was stunned. The ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner featured in the lengthy New York Times story was someone I’ve known since 2010. I spent most of the afternoon calling and texting friends who also knew her, and they were similarly surprised." Atop Da Hill Jonathan Turley observes that 8 years after Kavanaugh, Democrats have stopped believing all women. They never really did; it was always selective. Althouse finds Dirtbagism. "I'm reading "Graham Platner and the Rise of the ‘Dirtbag’ Democrat/And what the Maine candidate reveals about politics today" in the NYT." At Hat Hair, Mark Judge observes The Left Covers for Graham Platner and Dave Strom sees The Irony of Graham Platner's Campaign. Chuck Ross @ChuckRossDC, "The guy who divorced his wife when she was 9 months pregnant has some thoughts on Graham Platner’s sexts," Quote Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur, "Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Platner: “We know that Graham has lived not your typical political experience. He's been very clear and open with his wife, and they worked through whatever they worked through. At the end of the day, this man has had 60 more town halls than Susan." Liz Mair @LizMair, "My grandfather never physically injured my grandmother in the course of an altercation. He served in WWII. My father-in-law is also not a wife-beater; he ran logistics for the British Army during the Falklands War, in theater." Quote David Weigel @daveweigel, Replying to @daveweigel, "Khanna says that Democrats should respect the women who came forward to talk about Platner while understanding that he changed and that veterans were “broken” in stupid wars." 

Matt Whitlock @MattWhitlock, "This is a really valuable read to understand how Graham Platner rose - it wasn't some organic populist surge. It was a well-funded op - including glowing NYT and GQ profiles BEFORE he even announced, promoting a very specific curated message intended to get libs online buzzing." Quote Jim Geraghty @jimgeraghty, "So… it was, and is, “an op.” The right Democratic political consulting and media firm created an artificial buzz and persuaded all of these publications that Grähäm Plätner was The Next Big Thing™. You see, that company is called “Good Influence” because it helps Democrats." Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "The Chapo guys (except the one who had the stroke), AOC, Mamdani, Platner, ‘Claire Valdez,’ etc. - they all have the same bios: They come from affluent backgrounds and have educated and/ or wealthy parents but are downwardly mobile, they fail to launch and then find a foothold in leftist politics." Quote Corey Walker @CoreyWriting, "Graham Platner is a trust fund kid that attended elite private schools. Stop pretending like he's some everyman. x.com/musepwt/status…" From Twitchy, He MAD! Graham Platner’s Antisemitic RANT at John Fetterman for Calling Him Out As a Creeper Is DAMNING. New York Post @nypost, "Fetterman vows to ditch hoodie for suit if Graham Platner proves he didn't send 'd-k pics' to minors https://trib.al/vM0kJRk." Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine, "John Fetterman seems to genuinely think that the reason no one likes him is because he refuses to wear a suit. It's not the hoodie, dude. It's because you've become a stooge for AIPAC and the Republican party." Joe Chalfant at TownHall wonders Why Are Democrats Siccing Staffers on People Asking Questions?

Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's not that hard. The left lets institutions and communities break down to a point of total degradation to prove why more government and non profits are the answer. The goal is to purposely not solve problems and make life and safety worse. See the entire defund the police movement and homelessness nonprofits in California. Gavin Newson promised to end homelessness and instead it ballooned on purpose. This is why there was such enormous flip out over Trump renovating the reflecting pool or spencer Pratt's campaign. Once people realize that things can be improved a lot of nonprofits and public union/money dries up. ... Because once an AI is programmed to tell people that boys can become girls it's the death of truth. Data centers being built isn't the problem, the data in those data centers is." Quote David Sacks @DavidSacks "While I’m no fan of socialism or arbitrary confiscations of wealth, I can see why Bernie Sanders’ proposal (for the government to take a 50% stake in AI companies) resonates, including with many on the right. The CEOs of the leading AI labs have told us repeatedly that they will cause massive job loss. This is not a story that I believe, nor does the data bear it out, but this is what they have told us. Similarly, they have hyped the risks of AI without putting an equal or greater emphasis on the benefits or readily available mitigations... From NewsWeek, China Backs U.S. Social Media Opposing AI Data Centers. It's shaping up to be a big topic in our county, and our socials are full of anti-data center propaganda.

Matt Vespa at TownHall asks Is This Why It's Taking California So Long to Count Its Ballots? "In Los Angeles, the election nerve center has rows of empty seats and plenty of space, despite having a $330+ million budget (via NY Post)." At AOL, Thieves swipe Bay Area mail-in ballots as questions swirl about vote count. Susie Crabtree at RCP observes Newsom’s Gerrymander Power Play Fizzles. "With early primary returns now in, the grand gerrymandering plan looks like it’s unraveling – or at the very least, won’t deliver the sweeping seat eliminations Newsom and Democrats had hoped for in California where Republicans previously held only nine of the state’s 52 seats." Wait, they're not through manufacturing votes.

California Globe @CaliforniaGlobe, "California Dethroned: Fortune 500 Crown Goes to Texas. This isn’t “California Derangement Syndrome” as Gov. Gavin Newsom claims. This is the economic reality by businesses to California’s toxic business climate, and as the Billionaire Tax threat looms large. @CaliforniaGlobe" USA Today, Bye, Chicago! Bears announce major step toward Indiana stadium. I can't imagine why?

NYPo, Bill Maher says artists quitting America 250 concert makes it look like Dems ‘don’t love America’ "Maher argued that the performers made a mistake by abandoning the event celebrating America’s 250th birthday and said their exit only turned it into a full-blown “MAGA rally.”" Nick Arama at Red State sees Police Bring Down the Fire When Radical Activists Create Chaos at TPUSA Women's Summit in TX. From Twitchy, Lefty Thug Trying to Block Vehicles at ICE Detention Center Gets Introduced to the Pavement. Dave Strom, Police Leaving Newark ICE Facility Exposed to Riots Tonight.

Driscoll at Insty hears JENNIFER LOPEZ: “You have to be born in New York to be a New Yorker!” Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Do you think she realizes the broader implications of what she’s saying? Or nah?"

API whines about the FBI firing several analysts tied to disputed ‘Catholic ideology’ memo. Disputed? Even Wray and Garland turned their backs on it when they were caught en flagrante. At Da Fed Bryanna Lyman thinks Bolton’s Guilty Plea Makes Media Attacks On Trump DOJ Look Even More Ridiculous. The Wash Stand, Feds to Probe Criminal Fraudsters Who Boast of Their Success on Social Media and Tell Others How to Do It. Shooting News Week, hears so-called ‘Experts’ are Troubled the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is Now Working to Protect Civil Rights Guaranteed by the Second Amendment. At Da Caller, FBI Docs Reveal Trump’s Would Be Assassin Contacted Butler Officials Before The Attack "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was forced to release heavily redacted documents that revealed Thomas Matthew Crooks, one of President Donald Trump’s would-be assassins, had exchanged emails with a Butler County Sheriff’s deputy prior to his attack on July 13, 2024 ... The file indicates that a deputy had “checked her emails and records and only had two email communications” from Crooks. The nature of the communication was redacted, and the unnamed deputy said she had not had any “personal interaction” with Crooks."

NYPo opines that the Self-righteous mutiny at ‘60 Minutes’ isn’t about saving the show — it’s about sabotage and being a martyr for the rotting left. At Althouse "Do you think Bari Weiss needs to be removed?"/"Oh, gosh, yes. Look, she’s a lovely person. And her Free Press organization that she founded has been very successful. But television’s not her thing." ""This is like somebody walking up to me and saying, 'There’s a 747, there are 400 people on it, we need you to fly it to Paris.' I’m going to decline because I don’t have a clue. And it would have been so much better if Bari Weiss had been offered this job and said, 'Oh, that’s not for me, I don’t know how to do that.'"That's Scott Pelley, answering a question in "The Interview/Scott Pelley on the Bari Weiss Era and His Last Days at '60 Minutes'" (NYT)."

Keir Starmer kneeling to BLM

Also at Althouse An intervention. "I'm reading, in the London Times, "Why JD Vance is so critical of Keir Starmer’s Britain/Having intervened on the murder of Henry Nowak, the US vice-president was accused of trying to ‘stir up division’ by the put-out prime minister." Vance "intervened"? Vance published a statement. He said something. (We talked about it here, yesterday.)" Dave Strom exposes How Britain Treats Actual Hate Crimes Committed By the 'Right' People. The British Patriot @TheBritLad, "BREAKING: Multiple reports are coming in that Britain citizens are kneeling inside local police stations across the country." Conrad Black at the Brussels Signal, What killed Nowak: One murderer and all the malignancy of collective self-hate. The Telegraph worries How bad will white rage get?

Andrew Sullivan explains The TQ+ Threat To LGB Rights, "The return to the narrative of gays as queers, freaks, and child-obsessed is dangerous."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Rebel Yell and FMJRA 2.0: Keepers & Discards up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Tulsi Taps Out

From Fox, Tulsi Gabbard resigns from Trump Cabinet, "Her husband Abraham was recently diagnosed with extremely rare form of bone cancer, she wrote in resignation letter." John Sexton at Hat Hair, Tulsi Gabbard Resigns. Sundance at CTH, DNI Tulsi Gabbard Resigns Position to Stand Beside Husband Cancer Battle and President Trump Responds to DNI Gabbard Departure, “Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence”. I'm hoping for Michael Flynn or Rich Grenell as permanent holders. At Althouse, "Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer." "Writes Tulsi Gabbard, reported at The NY Post." RedState's Bob Hoge notes Dems React to Gabbard's Tragic News the Only Way They Know How: With an Utter Lack of Class or Humanity. Well, Adam Shitt. Tulsi was never "true MAGA," a liberal Democrat deemed too sensible for her party. She destroyed Kamala, their chief obsession, in the 2020 election Democrat debates. But she did have a real bone to pick with the intelligence agencies that, under the Biden regency, put her on the terrorist watch list and followed her around on airplanes. Thank you for your service, and best wishes for your husband's health.

Matt Margolis at PJM observes The Left Tried to Destroy Kash Patel. Crime Data Just Vindicated Him. "Murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped more than 18% nationwide last year. Aggravated assault fell more than 7%. Rape declined nearly 8%. Robbery cratered by about 18.5%. All told, violent crime dropped about 9.3% overall; there were roughly 1.1 million fewer violent crimes than in 2024. "The 2025 crime data in this report shows the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937 — as well as huge decreases across the board in terms of aggravated assault, rape, and robbery," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement." I don't know how much you can credit the FBI for that, though. I do wonder how much of that is deportation of the criminal aliens. Ace, Crime Skyrocketed During Biden's Open Borders Regime and Plummeted During Trump's Deporation Regime But I'm Sure This Is All a Right-Wing Coincidence, Racists, "Now we see the real numbers. And the real numbers, for once in five years, are great."

Sean Davis @seanmdav "Why did Massie lose tonight? Massie went from principled libertarian during COVID, to GOP leadership lapdog under McCarthy, to anti-Trump Epstein obsessive in 2025 after tweeting about that issue a whopping three (3) times in the decade prior. The nail in the coffin for him was voting against OBBB in 2025 because, according to Massie, it did too much to secure the border. ... We’ll never know what caused the apparent personality change—maybe it was the death of his wife, maybe it was the McCarthy race followed by McCarthy’s ouster, or maybe it was a desire for notoriety or media acclaim and a lucrative podcasting career outside of Congress—but the drastic change was undeniable, as was the seeming lack of interest in much of anything happening in Kentucky. Blame Trump, blame Israel, blame Epstein, blame the tragic death of a spouse, I don’t care. But you cannot just wave away 2020 Massie going face-to-face with the Trump machine and winning in a rout only to get smoked six years later. Massie’s voters didn’t really change all that much, but he did, and they noticed." At Ace, Tucker Carlson Is Spiraling and Sperging Over The Crushing Loss of His Nazi Pal, "John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte @NolteNC "Massie's biggest mistake was likely believing that social media is real life, that people like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones had managed to wrest enough influence from Trump that seeking their good opinion was the only constituency he needed to win over. Well, he and they lost by ten points."

From the Free Bacon, Trump Administration Forcing Big Changes to $1.7 Billion in Biden-Era Auto Grants, Scaling Back Electric Vehicle Production and Boosting Hybrids "The Department of Energy froze the grants as part of a review of Biden’s green energy spending last year." 

Sundance claims Zelenskyy Bombs College Dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk with 16 Drones – Numerous Dead, Search and Recovery Efforts Continue for Missing Age 14 to 18. I'm not sure I believe Russian reports of a Ukrainian civilian attack, but it's possible. It's not like the Russians haven't committed many comparable attacks. From the WaPoo, Putin, Xi signal unity but fail to reach deal on pipeline sought by Russia. "The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline could carry 50 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually to China."

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair is flummoxed when the Alberta Premier Announces Referendum on Independence Referendum, basically saying this petition to leave Canada sets up conditions to ask for a vote to see if ya'll really want to leave Canada. 

Scott McLallen at TownHall, Memorial Day Weekend Could Mark Next Chapter in U.S.-Iran Conflict. John Sexton, Is Trump Planning to Renew Attacks on Iran This Weekend? (Update: More B2). Trump has given the IRGC plenty of time FA; maybe it's time to FO. Possibly factoring into the decision according to Sundance, Ivanka Trump Targeted for Assassination by IRGC Terrorist "Recently captured Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, made a “pledge” to kill Ivanka and even had a blueprint of her Florida home, sources claimed. The Iraqi national was allegedly targeting President Donald Trump’s family in response to the killing of Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad six years ago."

Vicky Taft at PJM, West Coast, Messed Coast™ — Oh, Now We See Why Democrats Love Homeless Drug Addicts, lots of opportunities for graft and election fraud. Matthew Seedorff@MattSeedorff, "NEW: One day before a PATH worker was federally arrested in LA on fentanyl distribution charges, mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt told me in a 1-on-1 interview: “The same people giving out needles are also giving out drugs.” Pratt also claimed “arrests are coming.” Today, federal authorities arrested a PATH employee near MacArthur Park." @rachelbovard "I’ve been saying “rise up, millennials” forever as a half joke but, uh, holy cow you guys. Spencer Pratt just spit out a more coherent, pragmatic, and compellingly articulated drug policy than anything I’ve heard from a decade of DC focus groups." Quote Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "If that addict on your street were your own son, what would you do? That is the defining question that guides my 5 step plan to fix the homelessness problem in LA. We *must* end this evil racket of corrupt politicians and NGOs who profit off the misery of these poor souls. They launder money and feed them more drugs, so they can keep their customers locked in this hell on our streets. We have a moral obligation from God to help them and make our city safe and clean for everyone. Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have forsaken this city. Time for real leadership. Time for real compassion."

Dmitri Bolt at TownHall, Gavin Newsom Is Going to War With Chevron Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. Hat Hair's Dave Strom, Newsom First Drove Them Out of California, Now He's Telling Californians to Boycott Them. Nick Arama at RedState, The Streisand Effect Hits Newsom Hard After His Office Makes Huge Blunder Attacking Chevron. At Twitchy, Justine Bateman RIPS Gov. Newsom's 'Press Office' a New You-Know-What Over Call to Boycott Chevron. Justine Bateman @JustineBateman, "This is unconscionable. The Governor of CA, an elected official meant to serve the constituents of this state, both individuals and their companies, is urging us to AVOID a company here. Incredibly unethical and disqualifying. No doubt a spiteful response to @Chevron informing the CA citizens that the reason our gas is always outrageously expensive is because of the CA gas tax. That is a FACT cause by the CA Gov. I will be intentionally buying gas at Chevron this week in LA." Ron DeSantis @RonDeSantis, "Is this $200+ billion dollar “high-speed” rail a policy failure? Of course. But if the goal was simply to commandeer tax dollars for distribution to politically-connected constituencies then I’d imagine those with that goal are probably quite pleased." Quote Judge Glock @judgeglock "California high-speed rail cost now up to $231 billion. That means the average worker in the state will pay out over $12,000 to fund a single project that almost no one will ride."

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair calls it Shameless: Wasserman Schultz Poaches 'Black District' For Political Survival. Republicans made me do it! Matt Vespa at TownHall, Why Debbie Wasserman Schultz Is About to Start a Political Race War in Florida. Sister Toldja at RedState hears Black Democrats Declare War on 'Jim Crow' Debbie Wasserman Schultz After She Reveals 2026 Plans.

Matt Margolis notes The DNC’s 2024 Autopsy Is Here, and Oh Boy, It’s a Dumpster Fire. A Larry vid at Hat Hair suggests Democrats Stage Mutiny Against Schumer As Party Loses All Hope. Chris Queen at PJM reads it as Democrats Admit They Stopped Listening in 2024. Jon Ossoff Still Isn’t. Dan McCarthy at RCP claims Democrats Face Midterm Disappointment. "the second barrier Democrats will have to overcome is that voters just don't behave the way they used to: For nearly a quarter of a century, the American public exhibited wild swings in party preference in House elections, creating midterm waves in 1994, 2006, 2010 and 2018. But 2022 broke the pattern" Trump broke the system. Joe Cotto at Am Think thinks This Midterm Season, the American Dream is on the Line. "America is staring down a demographic and fiscal abyss that threatens to devour the American Dream for working families, retirees, and the next generation." Dave Strom asserts Decline Is a Choice, and Democrats Are Making It. At the Center Square WI, Lawyer claims Wisconsin ‘desperatly’ trying to keep voter list secret. I wonder why? Buck Throckmorton at Ace claims Election Prediction Markets Are Now Push-Poll Mechanisms, not Gauges of Likely Election Results, after Democrats started gaming them.

John Sexton observes DC's Mamdani Leads Recent Mayoral Poll. Move NOVA back into DC. VodkaPundit at Insty, BLUFF, CALLED: Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Ilhan Omar, in April: “Please investigate all you want." She did ask nicely." New York Post @nypost, "Federal fraud investigation targeting Ilhan Omar https://trib.al/RthGpdy." Ace, Dr. Oz: Minnesota is Still Refusing to Turn Over Evidence of Their Looting of the American Treasury. Capt. Ed, Texas Dem: Hey, I Didn't Say I Wanted All 'Zionists' In Camps - And the DCCC Is Out to Get Me and House Dems Wonder: What Is a Women's Museum ... Without Men?

Matt Vespa says Look Who Introduced President Trump at a Rally Yesterday. And Some Libs Were Furious, Giants quarterback Jackson Dart. Nick Arama thinks Dems Show Just How Off the Rails They Are With Attack on Trump Over Don Jr. Wedding. He can't go abroad because he's too busy with Iran et al. 

Driscoll at Insty cites ROD DREHER: What the San Diego Mosque Shooters Believed. "According to the 75-page unfinished manifesto left behind by Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, the pair hated Muslims, Jews, blacks, legal migrants, illegal migrants, Latinos, Asians, industrial society, gays, trans people, Donald Trump, “MAGAtard boomers,” liberals, conservatives, moderates, and women." I guess they go me with MAGAtard boomer. Dave Strom worries about A New Wave of Domestic Terrorism Coming? Brendan O'Neill at Spiked explains How to oppose fascist violence "Whether it’s an attack on a synagogue or on a mosque like the one in San Diego, there is only one thing to say: this is evil."

From WaEx, Promise made, promise kept: Trump administration had full year of zero border releases. At NYPo, Stunning number of illegal migrants who have been deported from US or left voluntarily is revealed by DHS "More than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US or been deported since President Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security has revealed." Still less than the Biden regency let in. News Week whines Trump Admin Looks to Charge Some Immigrants $18k to Deport Them.

Althouse catches the NYT being the NYT, Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week. "The top left corner of The NYT right now: .... It's like a children's taunt: You act like you're so big but you're not."

Ace, Confused Mentally-Stunted Sexual Assaulting Bigot Don Lemon: Stephen Colbert Was Fired for the Same Reason I Was -- Because Mediocre White Men Are Threatened by Pardiagm-Shifting Epochal Black Talents Such as Myself and Colbert. "Oh man, I used to do this exact "I'm looking forward to not watching" joke with John Ekdahl. RIP." Sasha Stone says Good Riddance, Stephen Colbert "It couldn't have happened to a bigger jerk."

From the College Fix, U. Florida’s presidential finalist boasted about injecting DEI into classes. At Campus Reform, Cornell trustees clear president after activist confrontation, "Cornell’s Board of Trustees concluded that President Michael Kotlikoff violated no university policies after activists surrounded his vehicle following an Israel-Palestine debate on campus." Shooting News Week thinks Cambridge Progs Would Rather Have More Crime Than Arrest Protected Class Criminals. End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "BREAKING: Cambridge Council votes 5-2 to disable gunshot detectors to protect black residents and migrants." Dave Strom hears 'You Will Share Your Locker Room With Predators...Or Else' Diana Alastair @sappholives83, "Judy Walcott, a woman in New Hampshire, has been banned from her local Planet Fitness because she objected to the presence in the women’s changing room of a man who is a convicted child predator, domestic abuser, and stalker. This man, Christopher Beaulieu, also has additional convictions for changing his name without reporting it to authorities as required by law — remember when we told you this would be one result of SelfID? In addition to hanging around watching people in the women’s changing room at PF, this creep also makes a habit out of hanging out at Chuck E Cheese (which is such a red flag that every cop I know thinks that any mentally able adult man found there by himself should get an automatic hard drive check)..."

Ace, Lazy Leftist Zillennials (Including Grandma Taylor Lorenz) Discover a New Right: The Right for People to Order Expensive Food on DoorDash for Every Single Meal Taylor Lorenz @TaylorLorenz, "This is bc they do not have the time or capacity to create home cooked meals. It’s an issue countless ppl have tried to raise w leftists but big leftists online continue to shame/abuse poor ppl for being forced to rely on these services for meals, which act as a tax on the poor." Quote Allie @allie__voss, "The younger and poorer the generation, the more they eat out and DoorDash This is part of the problem" If they have the money, they have the right. Just don't make me pay for their lazy indulgence.

And plenty more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.22.26. Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.  The Wombat has and FMJRA 2.0: Technical Difficulties up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Congress Rests on its Laurels, DNC "Autopsy" Reveals Dems Too Nice to Trump, Indictments in Minnesota Fraud

Congress is doing what Congress does best; nothing. Don Surber notes Thune joins the resistance. "Sends Senate home without passing a budget. Whee!" Ace interpretes, John Thune Declares: I Demand a Well-Funded MAGA Primary Opponent In 2028 and I'm Going to Stamp My Little Feeties and Hold My Breath Until I Get It!, "You got it, Princess. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ CBP/ICE funding bill will not be on President Trump's desk by June 1st, as he had said he wanted. Senate going home. Bad vibes on the Hill today." Supposedly this is over his pique at the weaponization compensation fund, but, as with Thomas Massie discovering the Epstein files for the first time weeks after Trump called for him to be replaced -- that's creating a fictional "policy" cover because the power-politics "I'm in charge" gripe is too petty to be admitted. Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 @julie_kelly2 "So Thune and company having a temper tantrum over Trump's Paxton endorsement so he's using the weaponization fund as an excuse to once again not do his job. Senate leadership is an absolute disgrace and every single one should be replaced." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair says Hmmm: House GOP Punts War Powers Vote to June. Sean Davis @seanmdav, "Tillis voted for a $500,000 per senator fund for senators who were illegally spied on by the Biden. It wasn’t available to any normal Americans whose rights had been violated—just senators. But now Tillis is mad that actual American citizens might receive restitution. What a clown." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "GOP Senator Thom Tillis on Trump’s proposed “Anti-Weaponization” fund: “I think it’s stupid on stilts. When you take money from me to give to a purpose I vehemently disagree with, that’s tyranny.”" " Paul @WomanDefiner, "I just want to reiterate that its absolutely insane that the Senate parliamentarian is a Democrat lawyer who tried to overturn the 2000 presidential election that was hand picked by Harry Reid in 2012. Republicans looked at that for the past 14 years and were like "Yeah she's a perfect fit to decide the Senate rules for us". The position didn't even exist until 1935 and from what I can tell was created to enforce unconstitutional rules in the Senate."

Althouse finds David French being David French, A Trump defender "could point to a prior president, maybe there was a Nixon thing here, maybe there was a Carter thing here, a Clinton thing here, a couple of Obama things here...." Said David French in the new episode of "Advisory Opinions," "All the Things Wrong with Trump’s Billion-Dollar Fund. (((Aaron Walker))) @AaronWorthing, "Democrats have been doing it for years, and you gave them a pass. Remember the Strzok settlement? 1000 times more dirty. The man claimed a right to privacy ON A GOVERNMENT PHONE when he was texting his girl-toy about how much he hated the subject of his investigation. Any lawyer with more than two brain cells to rub together could have gotten the case thrown out. The settlement was an obvious payout to reward him for his biased investigation of Trump. Trump's underlying claim was valid. His taxes were leaked. His privacy was violated. Our tax filings are not public documents. You know that. And to settle it, they also agreed to give out money to another valid issue. You know that under the First Amendment, you have a right to be free from viewpoint discrimination. And yet in case after case, prosecutors treated Trump supporters/conservatives worse than people of other political persuasions. Again, another valid complaint. So you are left with nothing more than the suspicion that Trump will use that money corruptly. But you have nothing but your own TDS to back that up." Quote David French @DavidAFrench, ""Trump is circumventing Congress’s power of the purse. He’s circumventing the judiciary’s role in adjudicating disputes. By potentially granting settlements to people who possess no valid legal claim, he’s circumventing civil and criminal law...." Julie Kelly @julie_kelly2, "NEW: The DC judge assigned to handle the lawsuit brought by 2 J6 celebrity cops to halt the anti-weaponization fund is Richard Leon--last seen stopping the construction of the ballroom, blocking the demotion of Mark Kelly, and overturning one of the president's exec orders against a partisan law firm." Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, "BREAKING!!! The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has just now Ordered the convictions the Oath Keeper and Proud Boy defendants be vacated, and that the cases be remanded to the District Court in anticipation of a motion by DOJ To Dismiss."

Vince Dao @VinceDaoTV, "AIPAC has fought Thomas Massie for years, actually. That’s a shock to his supporters who started following politics 2 seconds ago, but Google is free. Notice how he didn’t lose his primary until he voted against funding ICE, grandstanding against Trump, and cozying up to third-world leftists. But they insist he only lost because of the “Israel lobby.” ..." PJM's Tim O'Brien overjoyed, Don’t Forget This One: Anti-Trump Raffensperger Just Lost His Primary, Too.

Althouse, "If I do attend, I get killed. If I don't attend, I get killed. By the fake news, of course, I'm talking about." "Trump has his own way of talking... For more of the video and an explanation of the event, see "WATCH: Trump, Zeldin announce looser rule on refrigerant greenhouse gases" (PBS). The belly is not Zeldin's." USA Today, Trump rolls back Biden-era refrigerant rules in push to lower grocery costs. "The move is expected to make more refrigerants ‒ the key chemical compounds in freezers, refrigerators and air-conditioning systems ‒ available for supermarkets, homeowners and other businesses, which the White House estimates will produce $900 million in savings, including $800 million at groceries."

At Althouse, "Reliable polling is hard to find in Cuba. A recent survey by a Cuban news website, El Toque, which gathered over 40,000 answers..." ""...found that about 56 percent of Cubans who reside in the island, and nearly 70 percent of those abroad, would support a military intervention by the U.S. While the results of the survey — which gathered answers from voluntary participants — could not be considered as a representative poll, its findings likely did reflect the exhaustion of many Cubans, said Prof. Michael J. Bustamante, a professor of history and chair in Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami.... From "In Blackout-Hit Cuba, Word of U.S. Castro Indictment Spreads Slowly/While many Cubans were divided over the legitimacy of the U.S. charging Raúl Castro with murder, the hope for developments that might ease their suffering is widespread" (NYT)." I don't agree with charging foreign leaders with crimes. If they're that bad, just do them in. Jorge Bonilla @BonillaJL, "WATCH: Jen Psaki and Ben Rhodes hopelessly seethe at the indictment of Raúl Castro, to whom their boss personally offered his limp wrist in 2016. Note the gigantic lie about what causes scarcity in Cuba and note the multiple gratuitous potshots at the Cuban exile community..."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair has hopes Is Russia Losing the War in Ukraine? I'm not sure they're losing, but Ukraines success in drone warfare and ability to reach into Russia and damage their infrastructure is making it look like a stalemate.

At NRO, Harris Campaign Didn’t Go Negative Enough on Trump, DNC Autopsy Concludes. Would it have helped to call him Hitler a few hundred more times? Capt. Ed, DNC Autopsy 'Paints Dismal Picture' While Burying the Biden Cover-Up and Harris' Incompetence. From Twitchy, Dem Insists Trump Didn’t Win Those Swing States, Blames Elon Musk and Malware. 

Rich Baris THE PEOPLE'S PUNDIT @Peoples_Pundit, "Democrats are currently running 3.1pts ahead of where they were on this day in history back in 2018, a 9.2pt swing from 2022. After South Carolina redistricts, Democrats will need to win the U.S. House vote by ≈5pts to ensure they secure the majority. https://realclearpolling.com/polls/this-day" I don't put much stock in polls; at this point in the campaign they're just propaganda. Matt Vespa at TownHall hopes One of the Most Braindead House Dems Could Be on His Way Out. That doesn't narrow it down much. Betsy Stauffer at LI notes Dem Who Claimed Bondi Beach Massacre was ‘Zionist False Flag’ Wins House Primary "PA-03, which includes Philadelphia, is said to be the bluest district in the U.S. and the only majority black district in Pennsylvania." Sunny @sunnyright, "After years of claiming to see Nazism in "OK" hand gestures, stage design, and criticism of George Soros, Democrats and Bulwarkians are now backing for Senate a guy with a Nazi death squad tattoo with a long history of racism and misogyny." Dan Crenshaw @DanCrenshawTX, "In case you’re wondering about the current state of House Democrats: they just voted against establishing a Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. Their objection? It didn’t include a dedicated wing for trans history. You almost have to admire the consistency. They managed to turn a women’s museum into an argument about men." Da Caller, Dem Darling Raked In Cash From Donors With Chinese Gov’t, CCP Intel Ties. From the Free Bacon, Zohran Mamdani Paid Multiple Visits to Holocaust-Denying Sheikh Who Claimed Jewish Death Toll 'Was Exaggerated' and 'Done By Zionists,' Called for More 'Study'.

FBI Director Kash Patel @FBIDirectorKash, "Today - 15 individuals have been indicted for over $90 million in an alleged massive healthcare fraud scheme in Minnesota, after a sweeping FBI investigation with @TheJusticeDept and our Interagency Partners. These charges involve the two LARGEST Medicaid fraud cases ever charged in this district and first-of-their kind charges involving 7 additional Medicaid programs. As alleged, the defendants defrauded Minnesota public healthcare resources for tens of millions, targeting programs such as Housing Stabilization Services, Child Care, Medicaid programs, Individualized Home Supports (IHS), and more..." Dave Strom, Quality Learing Center Fraudsters Indicted, CNN Hit Hardest. From Twitchy, Minnesota Fraud Defendant 'On the Run' After Jumping From Fourth Story Balcony to Escape, or at least, on the limp. Cathy Salgado at PJM reports Minnesota Fraud Mastermind Gets Over 40 Year Jail Sentence. At Ace, Republicans Sean Duffy, Brandon Gill Expose Democrats' Fathomless Corruption, "Brandon Gill grills Chicago's radical racist grifter Brandon Johnson."

The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "White Smoke Rises From Los Angeles, Signaling Karen Bass Is Still Mayor." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "This is one of the keys of his campaign. Nonprofits pay a lot of people to not solve the problem they claim to be solving. Remember when Mr. Beast went to Africa and built two clean water wells, and the NGO nonprofits over there criticized him for it, as some white savior complex or something. He instantly solved the problem they claimed they were advocating and working on. If you tackle and dent or even solve rampant homelessness, a lot of people lose their jobs and a lot of the funding and donations cease and that's why there's a sudden flood of negative media going his way. They aren't scared of him winning. But they are scared that once people realize problems can be solved, a whole lot of the slush funding dries up." Quote Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "If that addict on your street were your own son, what would you do? That is the defining question that guides my 5 step plan to fix the homelessness problem in LA. We *must* end this evil racket of corrupt politicians and NGOs who profit off the misery of these poor souls. They launder money and feed them more drugs, so they can keep their customers locked in this hell on our streets. We have a moral obligation from God to help them and make our city safe and clean for everyone. Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have forsaken this city. Time for real leadership. Time for real compassion." At Althouse, "But when you said the mental is the problem in drugs — 'cause the people don't want to be down there." "My daughter is schizophrenic and she's on crystal meth — so that hit home — so if you're going to do that, you got my vote.... 'cause Karen Bass is not doing shhhh. Absolutely nothing."" And "[A]n army of fans [are] now competing to produce the catchiest and most outrageous videos supporting [Spencer Pratt's] campaign." ""They share and cross-promote a seemingly endless stream of computer-generated clips boosting Mr. Pratt and bashing his opponents with depictions of Los Angeles as a dirty, dangerous wasteland. One released on Sunday depicts women at a fitness studio confiding to one another that they secretly plan to vote for Mr. Pratt.... [T]he A.I. videos often venture into offensive territory. In the Batman clip boosting Mr. Pratt, Mr. Newsom’s likeness makes a crude sexual remark, and the phony Ms. Harris drinks out of a bottle of cheap liquor...." From "A.I. Videos Help Reality TV Antagonist Break Through in L.A. Mayor’s Race/Supporters have created A.I. videos to boost the mayoral campaign of Spencer Pratt, the former MTV star. Some videos have gone viral, but it’s not clear whether they will yield votes" (NYT)." James O'Keefe at NYPo, Your vote is for sale on the streets of California — and what I found out about life on Skid Row. Well, I was registered there years ago, so it could be true. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn hears it's Interesting Times in the California War on Gasoline.

John Sexton sees Seattle's Socialist Mayor is Slowly Learning From Her Own Mistakes "The mayor said she understands now that everything she says will be parsed for potential anti-business sound-bites and that she should have “a multidimensional relationship” with companies like Starbucks." At RedState, Sister Toldja sees Another Line Crossed As Virginia Democrat Makes an Astonishing Threat Against a SCOVA Justice VA Senate GOP @VASenateGOP, "“We will make sure that Justice Kelsey does not serve anymore come this January." Democrats are attempting to turn the Virginia Supreme Court into a partisan weapon, and they’re not being shy about it. This egregious assault on judicial independence should be immediately condemned by ANYONE who claims to care about “democracy.” Quote Brandon Jarvis @Jaaavis "“The reality is that we expected the Supreme Court of Virginia to respect the constitution and the will of the people,” Del. Dan Helmer said. “They did not.” Helmer continued: “We will make sure that Justice Kelsey does not serve anymore come this January."" PJM's Athena Thorne thinks you should Peep the Parade of Horribles Virginia Dems Were Ready to Foist on America if they got their gerrymander. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "Now you might want to ask “why does gunshot detection disproportionately impact black and migrant residents?” But to ask the question is to answer it You already know why, everyone knows why, but we’ve all decided that discussing why is worse than people dying." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "BREAKING: Cambridge Council votes 5-2 to disable gunshot detectors to protect black residents and migrants."

At CJ, In Florida, Extremist Networks Are Hiding Behind Nonprofits. "A new report shows how dangerous groups exploit legal protections."

Shipwreckedcrew, Supreme Court Solves Alien Truck Driver Problem By Making Use Of Them Nearly Uninsurable. "Freight brokers connecting trucking companies to businesses needing freight moved are now potentially liable for the death and destruction that results from truck driver negligence." At Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, Austin Spree Shooter Is Illegal Alien, "Hey, remember Cristian Fajardo Mondragon, one of three teenagers arrested in that Austin shooting spree that happened all of four days ago? Turns out he’s an illegal alien with an ICE detainer."

Beege Welborn, Why, NPR - Whatever Happened to 'We Don't Need No Stinkin' Federal Funds'? Sunny @sunnyright, "Turns out there wasn't a market for a 24/7 AWFL podcast." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Bloodbath brews at NPR due to federal funding cut - as 300 buyouts offered." Dave Strom, Speech Is Violence, Violence Is Speech Part Deux. REDUXX@reduxx, "A women's rights advocate in France has been convicted of transphobia for "insulting" men who identify as women. Dora Motout's "crimes" include not validating the identity of a transgender politician and referring to the fact that males have penises."

And even more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.21.26. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Writing Until Dawn up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.