Flotsam and Jetsam - Back on Track

Well, our visitors left early this morning, and life is back to near normal. I\ll miss the grandkids, but not the furor.

Buck Throckmorton at Ace's MORNING RANT: About that “Bad” Jobs Report Last Week: Private-Sector Jobs Increased, Government Jobs Decreased "This headline from Bloomberg was typical, but at least it did note that concurrent with lost jobs, the unemployment rate actually fell: “U.S. Employers Unexpectedly Shed Jobs; Unemployment Rate Falls” ... This CNBC piece further explains that ”The main reason for the red headline number was a loss of 53,000 government workers.”... Here are a few more headlines about who is losing their jobs in the “Trump economy”..." We need to be careful not to get swayed by headlines that conflate foreigners and government workers losing their jobs with what is going on regarding private-sector hiring of U.S. citizens. There is good news on that front, and it’s getting better."

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "UPDATE: Geraldo Rivera just got brutally exposed as a massive HYPOCRITE after he said President Trump sending Haitians back to Haiti is "sending them straight to hell" Geraldo Rivera, 2018: "Trump should apologize for calling countries sh*t holes!" Calls Haiti "hell.." gets mad at Trump for basically saying the exact same thing. Liberals have no standards!" Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Anderson Cooper may take issue with your harsh assessment of Haiti, Geraldo. He did tell Conan how “amazing,” “incredible” and "culturally rich" it is, and that he likes to spend his weekends and vacations there, after all." John Sexton at Hat Hair hears Trump Gets a Win in Lawsuit Against BBC.

From Ace, Trump Settlels In for Long Siege of Iran, "I had hoped for a more "kinetic" operation with Iran done and dusted a year before the mid-terms. But that's now impossible, of course, so a long slow strangulation will do." James E. Thorne@DrJStrategy, "Hormuz Miscalculation Sec Bessent gets it. Iran has mistaken a tactical threat for a durable advantage. By repeatedly signaling its willingness to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran hasn’t strengthened its hand, it has accelerated the market’s exit. Capital does not tolerate chokepoints; it routes around them..." Steve Richards at JTN, As Iran war strains high-end munition stocks, Trump administration works to jump start production. "While the Pentagon disputes critical munitions supply concerns, it is working to significantly boost production of the high-end systems and seek out mass produced alternatives." RBe @RBPundit, "Here's the straight answer: "We're not going to tell Iran or anyone else how long they may or may not have to hold out against us." Quote Jim Geraghty @jimgeraghty, "Can We Get a Straight Answer on Our Critical Munitions Stockpiles?" Nick Arama at RedState swears Iran's 'Proof of Life' Video for Supreme Leader Blows Up in Its Face. John Podhoretz @jpodhoretz, "All that's left is the leader's nose. Time to check the cell structure!" Quote Raylan Givens @JewishWarrior13, "JUST IN: Multiple sources inside Iran confirm that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been rushed to the hospital and is in critical condition."

PJM's Stephen Kruiser says I Liked the Dems Better When AOC Was Their Craziest Commie. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair cites AOC: I Don't Know What to Do With That Hat Tossing and Frozen Eggs. Kyle Beckley @Kyle_Beckley, "“The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change. Just kidding, freezing my eggs because I got all the time in the world"" Quote New York Post @nypost, "AOC starts process of freezing her eggs, hints at 2028 mindset: 'I think it's badass.' At Althouse, "I'm not sure why WaPo covered this, but ignored trump wearing a wig that is styled like his mother's hair during her last year of life." "That's the top-rated comment (by far) on the WaPo article, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she’s freezing her eggs/The Democratic congresswoman, 36, said she made the decision to undergo the fertility procedure to 'feel more in control of my life'" (gift link)." Andrew Kerr @AndrewKerrNC, "“Why isnt AOC married after being engaged to Riley Roberts after 4+ years?” She’s hiding his finances from the public. That’s why. So long as they remain legally unmarried, Roberts’ stock trades remain secret."

Politico whines that Trump and the GOP have a new bogeyman, "Days after Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Michigan primary, Trump is homing in on his progressive policies, calling him a “communist” and “man of hate.”" From Ace, Abdul El-Sayed Has Repeatedly Endorsed Book Which Praises Left-Wing Violence and the Nihilistic Destruction of the "Summer of Love;" Also Refuses to Even Stop Campaiging with Hasan "Kill Rick Scott" Piker, "I'm starting to think this son of a terrorist might be pro-terrorism.Jon Levine of Free Beacon..." Sundance at CTH hosts Susan Kokinda Reviewing Abdul El-Sayed From Michigan. From the Victory Girls, Mamdani’s Anti-Rent Advisor Faces Eviction Over Four Years Of Unpaid Rent. Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "They’re all like this, BTW. Every single one is a disappointing nepo baby. DSA is if “I HATE YOU DAD” were a political party. Commies are all scammers." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Anti-rent radical and Mamdani pal who is 'squatting' in Brooklyn is Grammy nepo baby." John Sexton at Hat Hair reports a Judge Grants TRO on Mamdani's Pied-À-Terre Tax. AG @AGHamilton29, "An incredibly consistent overlap between the categories of communist activist and privileged rich kids who never held real jobs and have defined their entire lives by their desire to rebel against their rich families." RedState's Sister Toldja hears a New Dem Talking Point on the DSA Emerges, and Francesca Hong Just Demonstrated Why It Won't Work. Ryan King at NYPo reports Talarico previously fought against Texas legislation banning predators from getting cashless bail. Justine Bateman @JustineBateman, "I’ll tell you something about Karen Bass. Three months after she was elected, she spoke at one of the guilds. She clearly knew nothing about the film industry, I mean nothing. It was shocking. At one point she asked that film productions give jobs to homeless people—that this “would really help her out.” What kind of idiot walks into a room of mostly out-of-work people, in an industry that is collapsing upon itself, that does productions with limited time and money where a mistake from an inexperienced worker can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and suggest that unskilled, perhaps drug-addled, clueless homeless people should be employed instead of qualified guild members? ..." LI's Mike LaChance hears from a Former DNC Fundraiser: Major Democratic Donors are Done With Kamala Harris, “Kamala Harris is living in fantasyland… [thinking] that big donors would bet on her again.” At TownHall Matt Vespa hears (and posts) a Black Georgia Voter Tells NYT Reporter What's Wrong With the Dems. It's Brutally Accurate: "I feel like the Democratic people, they just fake. "They tried to do the Megan Thee Stallion thing. That was HORRIBLE. When Harris got Megan Thee Stallion ... What was that!? People can see through the bullsh*t!" Joshua Reed Eakle @JoshEakle, "Oh my God. Watch this interview with Dr. Frances Gill of the Democratic Socialists of America's national political committee. I'm sorry. But putting these people in charge of the Democratic Party will usher in a century of fascist rule."

Sundance reports the FBI Declassifies Investigation of Former AG Jeff Sessions, Codename “March Toll” and Senator Ron Johnson Reveals Fauci Texts and Horrific Vaccine Induced Abortion Rate Hidden Within the Data. From Ace, Fauci Privately Acknowledged the Fake Vaccine Could Cause Miscarriages -- But Denied Any Such Risk Publicly "This is close to murder." "The authors claimed a miscarriage rate of 12.6%, but the raw data revealed an 82% miscarriage rate in women vaccinated during the first trimester. This is consistent with the 81% miscarriage rate noted in the Pfizer 5.3.6 post-market data. These figures mirror the effects of chemical abortion drugs such as RU-486." Among Alex Berenson's Unreported Truths, Tony Fauci appears to have misled Congress in 2024 about his efforts to avoid federal records laws, "Joe Biden's final-day presidential pardon of Fauci will protect him from any potential criminal jeopardy for the episode, but it shows why he may be so reluctant to testify now." At Da Caller, Rand Paul Fires Back After Progressive Writer Questions His Medical Credentials. "You know who isn't a doctor? Rand Paul isn't, and RFK Jr isn't, you stuporous dope. https://t.co/bICmflrCuF— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) August 7, 2026" "Paul answered directly the following day. “I’m literally an MD. I operate on eyeballs,” the senator wrote on his verified account."

At Law and Liberty, Josh Blackmun tells A Tale of Two Chiefs "There is Chief Justice Roberts, the institutionalist, who strategically guides the Supreme Court by not deciding more than is necessary to decide. Then there is Chief Justice Roberts, the institutionalist, who strategically guides the Supreme Court by deciding more than is necessary to decide. Which Roberts do we get in each case? This tale of two chiefs depends entirely on whether Roberts determines the decision will lead to the best of times or the worst of times. If the Chief fears rough roads ahead, less will be decided. If the Chief sees smooth sailing, more will be decided. No more, no less."

From Fox, DHS reports over 1.4M illegal alien departures since January 2025. Jason Cohen @JasonJournoDC, "NEW: John Fetterman to WaPo: "Without a doubt, the Democratic Party, we DESTROYED our border! 11 million migrants thru the Biden Admin. When you have 300,000 showing up at the border, that's the size of Pittsburgh .... EVERY month! And Democrats pretended that it's all good." Balmer Sun, Judge reinstates Howard County ICE facility permit. "Judge says county’s ban on private immigration detention centers cannot be enforced." From PM, Iranian sex offender able to vote without ID in Michigan: OMG, "O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) journalists reportedly investigated two Michigan registered voters whose noncitizen status was identified through Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn say aww, The Euro Mean Girls Are Ganging Up on Pedro Sanchez.

At UnHerd, Jason Arday taught me. Here’s what I learned "The song lyrics were the first red flag. The way he’d ramble about Tinie Tempah or Eminem, or how black artists like Beyoncé were sexualized by white men, without offering any evidence to substantiate his claims. Or else there were the film clips, from Fish Tank and Kidulthood, which he’d tell us to discuss without offering guidance on how to do so. And this was if he was even in the classroom at all. He often arrived late and left early, once teaching for a single hour when four were scheduled." Ace, Surprise! Jason Arday Was Also a Shit "Teacher;" Did Not Teach Actual Academic Subjects, Just Riffed About Racism and Popular Music In Every "Class." John McWhorter @JohnHMcWhorter, "My take on the Arday debacle. Elevator pitch version: 1) Arday is typical of a thriving alternate-universe academia elevating performance art over curiosity; 2) the "anti-racist" people who supported him are either bigots or caught up in recreational tribalism."Saul Sadka @Saul_Sadka, "My advance copy of Professor Jason Arday’s new book just arrived, courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Can’t wait to dig in, but here’s a taste from the first page to whet your appetite: “All this happened, more or less. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times: a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again, where Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself—for Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, my soul. But 124 was spiteful, full of a baby’s venom. I am a sick man. I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man.”" At Ombre de Oliver, The Racists Who Enabled Jason Arday, "Can you say "soft bigotry of low expectations." Eric Rasmusen at Ras-Stak, Who Hired the Ridiculous Jason Arday at Cambridge? I Have the Names. "This is not a lightweight panel. Zembylas has the most citations; all have a proper scholarly record in education, sociology, history. So did they read the work? And if they did how could they persuade themselves it was of the level appropriate for a Cambridge chair?" Saul Sadka @Saul_Sadka, "The greatest secret of the social sciences is that nobody reads any of this stuff. It's all just busy work to keep a giant grift going, so you can have typos in the title of your PhD dissertation and nobody will notice until you have a plagiarism scandal." As I've said all along.

From Campus Reform, Trump administration defends Harvard funding freeze as ACLU-led coalition backs university on appeal, "The administration argues Harvard failed to address anti-Semitism and other institutional concerns before nearly $2.2 billion in federal research funding was frozen." Graphs about Religion finds Finance Majors Go to Church. English Majors Don't. "The Stereotypes About Which Majors Are Religious and Conservative Turn Out to Be Mostly True." 

Ace, Black WNBA Thug Who Clotheslined Sophie Cunniningham Says Her Ejection for the Flargrant Foul Is Just "White Privilege;" Male NBA Stars Announce They're Gals Now and Intend to Try Out for the WNBA "It's "white privilege" to eject someone for a flagrant foul because, of course, blacks are permitted to take Street Reparations against white people when they feel like it." Matt Vespa sees Dijonai Carrington Tried to Explain Her 'White Privilege' Tweet. It Didn't Go Well. Virginia Kruta at Da Wire, Sophie Cunningham Smacks Down Opponent’s ‘White Privilege’ Comment. "There's no reason to even play that card." Stephen Kruiser thinks Sophie Cunningham Triggered an Avalanche of Bluff-Calling for the WNBA. Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog, "It really is incredible that there’s just outright racial violence happening in the WNBA. Every men’s professional sports league has black and white players and they aren’t having these problems. Remember this the next time a feminist tells you women should rule the world because they’re more peaceful and empathetic or whatever." Julie Frost--That Werewolf Writer @JulieCFrost, "Kareem might have a point if anyone could name a single other WNBA player." Quote Farm Girl Carrie @FarmGirlCarrie, "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says calling Caitlin Clark the “Face of the WNBA” is disrespectful to those who've paved the way. Do you agree with his point of view or is he flat out wrong here? What say you?" Well, at least they've found a way to make the WNBA mildly interesting.

Talk about a segue, at Da Mail, Trans American who fled to Europe claiming asylum from Trump makes humiliating return after being placed in a refugee center… but she's already complaining about life in the US. Hollywood in Toto has The Joke that Sparked Death Threats for Arynne Wexler "Wexler said she was shocked that another joke from her repertoire drew little outrage. She has compared Muslims to pit bulls, suggesting the majority of both groups aren’t violent, but..." Beege Welborn, UK Muslim 'News' Org Seems to Want to Make Sure Its Delightful Readers Have Someone to Protest. Aja @AjaTheEmpress, "Well this sounds like a threat. @BrumPolice @gmpolice @BrantfordPolice, @WYP_LeedsCity "You might want to keep an eye on this because letting John Cleese get hurt in your city isn't gonna be a good look." At ToI, UK probes major Muslim charity after director charged with funneling aid to Hamas.

Flotsam and Jetsam - NYC Succumbs to Socialists

Most eyes seem to be focused on NYC, where Zohran Mamdami's DSA comrades swept in everywhere they tried. Yes, I know these were just primaries, but in NYC that is tantamount to the general election. Insty, at his substack, The Commies Mount An Across the Board Push, "DSA targets local elections around the nation in a well-planned strategy." Dave Strom at Hat Hair says The Democratic Civil War Is On, and the DSA Is Winning Big at the Moment. PJM's Matt Margolis thinks The Democrat Party Is Having a Meltdown, and It’s About to Get Nasty. From NYPo, NY socialist sweep shows new Dem slogan: We hate America. Hat Hair's John Sexton notes DSA Stands for Free Stuff, Less Work and No Cops. Roger Simon at American Refugees hears Carville Speak Up. Where Are Others?, "Jeffries and Schumer silent. Only Cajun Rages." PJM's Athena Thorne wonders How Bad Is the Democrat Party Civil War? James Carville Is Calling for This Drastic Action. TownHall's Matt Vespa enjoys Hakeem Jeffries Getting Cooked by This CNBC Host...and It Was Beautiful to Watch. Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "He literally just endorsed a DSA senate candidate with an SS tattoo who rages against Israel all the time! Is he senile?" Quote Jason Cohen @JasonJournoDC. "NEW: James Carville: “I actually do think it's time for Democrats to talk the S word: ‘Schism’ ... there's just some sh*t that I can't be in the same tent with ... I'm done ... I don't want to be in a political party that denies the right of the state of Israel to exist.” Hat Hair's Beege Welborn thinks Cpl Cueball Carville is Flummoxed by Finding New Proggy Dems More Offensive Than He Is. TownHall's Matt Vespa sees Obama's Top Aide Trotted Out This Gentle Reminder to Dems. They Won't Like It "You don’t retake the House by making already Democratic strongholds even more Democratic, or in this case, turning them into communist red areas." cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "While my initial instinct--knowing what Wiener has promoted and supported during his political career--was to simply sniff, "The revolution always eats his own. These are your people." ... then I watched closer that look in his eyes. He is absolutely terrified and actually freezes in fear--as he recognizes where he is and why...and his brainstem is telling him how thin the armor of civilization is around him at that place and time. Will this cause Wiener to change or rethink? Probably not...but it should be seen for what it is--another clear example of what we have allowed to grow and fester in a major political party in the U.S." Quote Hen Mazzig @HenMazzig, "U.S. Congressional candidate Scott Wiener was harassed by a Free Palestine activist. Scott, who is Jewish, had changed his stance on Israel, parroting the typical Free Palestine rhetoric, in order to get easy votes."

Dave Strom observes Mamdani Takes First Step to Seize Apartment Buildings. Stephen Green @VodkaPundit, "So the first step is to incentivize neglect via rent control. A few steps later, you "transfer ownership" to your cronies. And then you're just a couple more steps away from "some animals are more equal than others." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "IT BEGINS… NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveils plan to "transfer ownership" from landlords to "the community." Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "Of course rent control is a terrible idea -- but that's the plan here. When landlords abandon unprofitable buildings, the city, or more likely affiliated NGOs, will wrest control of them. The DSA will have a big political war chest from being a slumlord." Quote ib @Indian_Bronsonm "The idea of rent control was tried in both NYC and Bombay, by the way, and both times it leads to the very second-order effect of total dilapidation that leftists simply don’t want to hear about." Nick Searcy, Actor/Director/Producer/Author @yesnicksearcy, "The destruction is deliberate. Communists intentionally ruin everything so they can rule over the rubble," @NYCMayor Megan Basham @megbasham, "A lot of people are talking about how dumb Mamdani is that he doesn’t realize the economic impact this is going to have. But that’s wrong. He does realize. This is intentional. The rent freeze is going to do what it’s designed to do which is create a system..." Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "44% of rent stabilized units in NYC are occupied by people born outside of the US… American-born citizens are subsidizing the foreign-born to live in our financial capital, while driving up prices of the remaining supply." In a Larry Video at Hat Hair, Trump Is Making Mamdani Regret Ever Starting This War. From State of the Day, State of Thursday: NORMIES, "“Normativity” is about to make a comeback."

Dave Strom says YIKES! Newsom Just Endorsed a New National Wealth Tax, Signaling Huge Shift Toward Socialism. Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC, "This is “The Mamdani Effect” and you will see it more and more now as establishment Democrats attempt to fend off the rabid communist animals in their own ranks." Quote Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom, "It's time for a national billionaires tax and a new social contract. 10% of Americans own two-thirds of the wealth. Wages have stagnated. The cost of living has skyrocketed." TBPN @tbpn, "a16z's @bhorowitz says the California wealth tax is the "best strategy" to dismantle Silicon Valley that he's ever seen. "It's been so hard to break the Silicon Valley network effect, but this is the best strategy I've seen." "Norway has an unrealized capital gains tax. Norway's got a lot of extremely smart people, great entrepreneurs, but they all left." "When you talk to entrepreneurs in Norway, they're like, 'I literally can't pay the tax because the company got marked up, and I own a lot of it, and I can't get that money out.'" "'It's a private company. I'm stuck. So, I have to leave the country.'" "There are basically no tech entrepreneurs in Norway now." From his appearance on the show in January." Ace says As Evidence of Gavin Newsom's Corruption Grows, He Placates the Left By Announcing He'll Support a Communist Seizure of the Estates of His Rich Enemies. From RCM, If the Aim Is Tax Fairness, a Wealth Tax Won't Achieve It.

Tom Knighton at BA thinks Gavin Newsom's Shot at Wolford Decision is Hilariously Bad. From Shooting News Week, Of Course the Biden Admin Colluded With Gun Control Orgs…Why is Anyone Surprised?

Beege Welborn is shocked, shocked when a Mistrial is Declared in Palisades Arson Trial. "It's really kind of stunning, but whatever the jury heard from Rinderknecht's lawyer - and this Xweet might give a clue to how their thinking went..."

Sister Toldja at RedState thinks 'Clown': Ro Khanna Picks a Fight With the Wrong Guy During House Select Committee on China Hearing. Michael Lucci @Michael7ucci, "Two Chinese-Americans accused of attempted bombing at MacDill Air Force Base gained US citizenship via birthright. They are not loyal to the USA. There are 1,500,000 more "Chinese Americans" essentially born in Saipan and raised in Communist China. Denaturalize them all." Quote Jennie Taer @JennieSTaer, "HUGE: The Chinese-Americans accused of attempting to explode an IED at MacDill Air Force Base Visitor’s center in Tampa were anchor babies for illegal parents, colleague @MaryMargOlohan reports. DHS nabbed the duo’s parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, on March 18." Michael Lucci @Michael7ucci, "Ro Khanna massively embarrassed himself today. Instead of discussing policy, he accused me of anti-Chinese racism. My wife is Chinese. My 4 children are half Chinese. What’s Ro Khanna? 100% clown." Quote Rep. Ro Khanna @RepRoKhanna, "Republican witness Michael Lucci called to denaturalize 1.5 million Chinese Americans born here. I called him out for his racism."

Sundance at CTH fears The Far Left Can Crush Republicans in Midterms if They Just Give Professional Republicans Everything They Want. CA ET Nerd @earlyvotedata, "This is exactly the trend Republicans need with independents. They need to keep it close to secure a good midterm result." Quote OSZ @OpenSourceZone "2026 Generic Ballot Among Independents Per YouGov Poll June 1: Dem +16 June 15: Dem +14 June 22: Dem +5."

Scott McLallen at TownHall reports a Fugitive in a Massive Child Food Fraud Case Captured Overseas. "A man accused of stealing millions of dollars from a fund meant to feed hungry children was arrested on Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota—one of the orchestrators of the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme—was taken into custody earlier this week." At Twitchy, GILLIFIED! Rep. Brandon Gill Puts on an Absolute Clinic as He WIPES THE FLOOR With a SNAP Witness. Hillary Hickland @HicklandHillary, "Who doesn’t know sodas aren’t healthy? This lady, apparently." Quote Brandon Gill @realBrandonGill, "Me: "What is nutritional about Coca-Cola?" FRAC Policy Director: "I am not a nutritionist." Me: "Is there a nutritional value to sugary sodas?"" "Coca-Cola is the number-one food item purchased with SNAP benefits, which raises another question. How was she so woefully unprepared for such an obvious question that Helen Keller could see coming from a mile away?" I had a friend and co-worker who was a type 1 diabetic. He carried a coke around with him in case he went into low sugar shock. I was there one time when we had to break it out for him. Otherwise... Congressman Brandon Gill @RepBrandonGill, "I asked the Democrat witness defending food stamps if her org is funded by companies that profit from them." Saint James Hartline @JamesHartline, "And of course, Gina Plata-Nino is also the 2025-2026 Obama Foundation USA Leader, a big Democrat-Biden-Harris-DNC-Colin Allred donor and Elizabeth "1/1024th Indian" Warren's long time bestie gal pal."

From News Wax, House Republicans Explore Reconciliation Path for SAVE America Act. At Althouse, JD Vance went on Bill Maher's show, and here's a segment of what was, I think, an excellent interview and "If the bare-chested, muscled mixed martial arts fighters of the U.F.C. match that President Trump hosted on Flag Day were the poster guys for MAGA’s image of masculinity..."

Sundance is happy to report President Trump Outlines Retaliatory U.S. Tariffs Against EU Nations Who Implement Digital Services Taxes.

Dave Strom, BREAKING: US Airstrike on Iran in Retaliation for Drone Strike on Maritime Vessel, Putting the fire in cease-fire. And, Trump: Erdogan Wanted to Help Iran, Now He Gets His Reward. Open Source Intel @Osint613, "Reporter: Turkey wants F-35 fighter jets. Are you going to Turkey with a big gift bag? Trump: Yeah. I think so. He’s a member of NATO. I'm going to probably do something that's gonna make him very happy. Except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don't think I would have gone to it. Rutte: You would come for me?" He prefers to use carrots but he's not afraid to wield the stick. From sundance, Secretary Rubio Announces Trilateral Peace Framework Between Israel and Lebanon Supported by USA. Will Hezbollah go along? I doubt it.

John Sexton sees a State of Emergency Declared in Crimea, Traffic Jam of Cars Trying to Leave. Dave Strom says I Told You So: Crimea Is in Crisis, and the Trouble Is Getting Worse Inside Russia. Rob Lee @RALee85, "Map from @MoscowTimes of Russian regions where there is fuel rationing." Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko, "The reality of forward deployed, uncrewed, drone tenders is going to extend the reach of FPV's through out the naval littorals and riverine space. Then consider larger Ukrainian quadcopter FPV's with wings are reaching up to 60 km. 1/2" Quote ChrisO_wiki @ChrisO_wiki "1/ Ukraine is using quadcopter drones carried by uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to hunt down and destroy Russian anti-drone teams in occupied Crimea, according to a Russian source." Streiff at RedState believes The Reaction to GEN Donahue's Firing Indicates Hegseth's Action Was Correct and Timely. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I am really, really angry at the lies being spread by the usual cadre of woke, retired generals and admirals in the last couple of days. Pete Hegseth is not politicizing our nation's military, he is DEPOLITICIZING it. And the Marxists HATE it, because a politicized military is essential to their society-destroying agenda. My 1,000 word article below explains. Please read, I think it's really important." Quote Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Military Depoliticization, Hegseth and DEI. As I read and hear the usual cavalcade of woke, retired Democrat generals and admirals like McRaven, McCaffrey, Franken, et al. falsely claiming that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is “politicizing”..." Lee (Greater) @shortmagsmle, "Lots of slop here. Read most writing or doctrine publications of the GWOT and post-GWOT era and you’ll find endless paragraphs about the role of “mentorship”, “diplomacy”, “relationship management”, and very little about killing the enemy or keeping standards high and exclusive." Quote Mark Hertling @MarkHertling, "Some thoughts about the latest actions by Secretary Hegseth: What Happens When the Country Loses a General."

Shipwreckedcrew likes how The Supreme Court Kicks District Judges Out Of Immigration Decisions By Closing The Lawfare Door On Challenges to Ending TPS. "District Court interference with Trump 2.0 efforts to vigorously enforce immigration laws passed by Congress took a kick in the teeth from the Court in an entirely predictable fashion." Sundance notes the Supreme Court TPS Decision Paves Way for Trump Administration to Send Migrants Back to Haiti, Syria and Beyond. PJM's Cathy Salgado hears Lefties Bewail the End of Protected Status for Haitians, Syrians: 'People Are Gonna Die.' From Da Caller, Democrats Renew Calls For Court Packing After SCOTUS Allows Trump To Deport Illegals. Do it now! Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer, "In a cruel and inhumane decision, the Supreme Court just turned its back on more than 300,000 Haitians and thousands of Syrians who have worked and raised families here because they faced violence and instability back home. ... I have introduced legislation to extend TPS for Haitians, and will keep fighting to protect Haitian and Syrian families from being forced back into danger. America should not turn its back on people who came here seeking safety." Quote The Associated Press @AP, "BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria." John Sexton reports on the Supreme Court Drama Between Justice Alito and Justice Sotomayor, the Supreme Courts second dumbest member. Rusty Weiss at RedState, DHS Drops a Semisonic Bombshell on Haitians Hoping for Deportation Grace Period After SCOTUS TPS Decision. Ace, DHS General Counsel: It's Closing Time. Haitians Don't Have to Go Home, But They Can't Stay Here. From Twitchy, Americans Are Kind… But Kurt Schlichter Says We’re Not Brain-Dead Enough for the TPS Grace Period Scam and All HELL Breaks Loose on CNN Panel When Conservative Asks Lefty if THEY Would House 10 Haitians (WATCH). Beege Welborn, The Mike DeWine Story: RINOs Don't Read No Stinkin' Rooms.

Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "MASSIVE SCANDAL UNFOLDING IN DENVER You will want to read to the end. Absolutely shocking corruption and coverup. Denver City Council blocked Denver International Airport from leasing space to Key Lime Air, because the airline worked with ICE. There was just one problem… It violates FAA rules. So what did they do? City attorney Miko Brown allegedly urged the airport to fabricate an investigation into the airline’s safety record to cover up for illegally discriminating against the airline for political reasons. When word got out, Brown and Mayor Mike Johnston flat out denied it. However CBS just obtained an internal airport memo appearing to reveal the entire thing was true. City officials conspired to discriminate against a private company for political reasons then lied about it to cover it up. The @TheJusticeDept should investigate.@AAGDhillon"

War Correspondent @warDaniel47, "HOLY SMOKES. SCOTUS Justice Sam Alito asks ACLU lawyer "what is a man and a woman?" and they DON'T HAVE A DEFINITION. Alito's response is perfect. ALITO: What does it mean to be a man or woman? ACLU: We do not have a definition for the Court. ALITO: How can a court determine whether there's discrimination on the basis of s*x, without KNOWING what s*x means?! Omg, you can't make this crap up. Seriously." Stephen Kruiser at PJM claims Second Amendment Fans Can Start Celebrating Independence Day Early.

Techno Fog reports John Bolton Pleads Guilty "Agrees to $2.25 million fine; imprisonment unlikely." Sundance, Bolton Pleads Guilty – Max Sentence 5 Years, Plus $2.25 Million Fine. At Althouse, "When he was first indicted, Mr. Bolton sought to frame the case against him as part of a push by the president to misuse the Justice Department to punish his perceived political enemies." "The case against Mr. Bolton, however, began in the first Trump administration and gained momentum during the Biden administration, as investigators gathered additional evidence...From "John Bolton, Former Trump Adviser, Pleads Guilty in Classified Information Case/Mr. Bolton admitted to mishandling classified information and could face time in prison, in an inquiry that spanned the Trump and Biden administrations" (NYT).

Driscoll at Insty goes OUT ON A LIMB: Self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist JD Vance has wild take on the ‘Deep State’s hand’ in Nixon’s Watergate scandal. "The vice president spoke at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California earlier this week as part of his media blitz for his latest memoir. ‘As I joked … backstage, if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story,’ Vance said when asked about the scandal..."

John Sexton reports the Death Penalty Remains on the Table for Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's 'alleged' assassin. "The defense had sought to have the death penalty removed as a possibility in the trial as a penalty for the prosecutor's statements but the judge refused to go that far." From Ace, Former Colorado DNA Analyst Pleads Guitly to Manipulating Evidence, "This doesn't seem to be the situation we've seen in the past of an "expert" altering test results to secure a conviction. This woman deleted DNA evidence in rape cases. She pled guilty to four counts of falsifying evidence to influence a public official but she was actually accused of 1,003 of deliberate alterations." CSI Denver...

John Sexton hears Yale is Ready to Make a Deal. "Last month the Department of Justice announced that it had concluded Yale's medical school was using race as a factor in admissions." From Campus Reform, Pipeline to the CCP: Missouri State trained executives tied to China's military-industrial complex. Dave Strom asks How Evil Are They? Student Group Celebrates Terrorist Who Burned Woman Alive in Colorado. From Ace's The Week in Woke. "The Texas State Board of Education voted to remove knowledge of the battle of Lexington and Concord from the corpus of knowledge that students need to know to be proficient in history. They had to make room in the curriculum. You see, they had to make Oprah Winfrey a required part of a historical education."

Also from Ace, Denmark's Left-Wing Government Plans to Ban the Islamic Call to Prayer, Saying That Parts of Denmark Feel Like "a Suburb of Islamabad", "The left-wing government, huh? Seems like Islam has burned most of its bridges." Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "USAID gets defunded and now no one listens to rap anymore." It's probably just a coincidence. Probably. 

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Waiting Until August up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Is Trump Softening on the Minnesota Insurrection?

The cold weather continues, but I hear there's a break coming. For one or two hours tomorrow, it's supposed to break 32 F!

Clandestine @WarClandestine, "Trump said he is not going to use federal DHS/ICE agents to police local rioting in Democrat cities unless they ask for help. He is however, going to use DHS/ICE and, if necessary, the US MIL to protect federal property. It sounds like Trump knows something is coming. It sounds like the Dems want DHS/ICE to get caught up in policing these riots, hoping more of their deranged followers take it too far and get shot. Trump is instead going to hold and force local Democrat politicians to police their own riots, or agree to work with him. And if the Dems choose to not police these riots, they will force Trump to use the US MIL to suppress the chaos." Sundance at CTH, Strategic Retreat? – President Trump Announces Instructions to DHS to Pull Back from ICE Operations in Democrat States/Regions. At NYPo, Ben Domenech says GOP can’t go soft on immigration with midterms looming — it’s why voters picked Trump. From Breitbart, Trump Administration Begins Suing Illegal Migrants Who Have Not Self-Deported. Mickey Kaus @kausmickey, "Good Lord -- it also says they [the Democrats] wanted to "lower the overall number of legal immigrants."" Quote National Immigration Center for Enforcement @NICEnforcement, "Bill Clinton’s 1996 immigration platform makes Trump look like the president of @USChamber x.com/dmichaeltripi/…" That was before they realized they could be used to vote, and for the great grifting game.

From Fox, GREGG JARRETT: Don Lemon left his press pass at the door when he joined church-storming mob, "Federal prosecutors allege former CNN podcaster participated in disrupting religious service rather than just reporting on," and Don Lemon taps Hunter Biden's attorney to fight Trump DOJ charges. 357 Magnum, Don Lemon Charged with Violating Civil Rights. Jon Gabriel @exjon, "Don Lemon wasn’t arrested for exercising his first-amendment rights. He was arrested for preventing other Americans from exercising their first-amendment rights." Quote Andrew Yang @AndrewYang, "Arresting journalists is a terrible line to cross." Jennifer Holliday @Jenhollidayx, "And conspiring with other people to deprive them of their right to worship freely. That part is key. He didn’t have to be the one preventing the exercise of rights. For a more thorough explanation and case law, check out the model jury instructions." Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN reports Independent Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort arrested in connection with church protest, ""This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media," Georgia Fort said." Let's review the tapes and find out what she really did.

NYPo reports Anti-ICE protesters clash with fed agents outside DTLA federal building. At PM, Antifa trans militant pleads guilty in attempted arson attack at Portland ICE facility, "Alistair Macfarlane Sidener, 20, of Portland, attempted to set the ICE facility ablaze." KOLD News 13, Sister of man shot by Border Patrol says he’s no victim, calls him violent. Arthur MacWaters @ArthurMacwaters, "This is utterly insane: > sanctuary cities overlap nearly perfectly with riot locations, which overlap nearly perfectly with deep blue vote > the riots are highly-organized, increasingly violent, and obviously partisan, not humanitarian (no one rioted when biden deported millions) > if roles were reversed, headlines would read "civil war, red states revolt" Politicians and the media are encouraging riots, then framing this as a moral struggle between helpless illegal immigrants and valiant freedom fighters against the gestapo Just craziness. The legacy media spin is so predictable, yet so many people just believe it." Daniel McCarthy at Rod Martin, The Unspoken Logic of the Anti-ICE Mob "Federal law makes it a crime to engage in a conspiracy to impede federal officers from performing their duties. That includes street violence. It also includes officials running "Sanctuary Cities"." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "When criminal gangs start working for Leftist government, you've just made @KurtSchlichter into a modern day Nostradamus." Quote American AF @iAnonPatriot, "Long Beach mayoral candidate Rogelio Martinez has called on all 55 gang leaders in the city to team up and REMOVE ICE agents… This is absurd!!" Josh Monnington at Da Fed agrees You Can’t Have A Secure Border Without Deportations. The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great, Slouching Towards Fort Sumter? "Minnesota’s defiance of federal immigration law echoes pre–Fort Sumter nullification, forcing Trump to choose between enforcement and letting blue states slide toward open rebellion." ZitoSalena @ZitoSalena, "The most basic role of journalism and military experts; Follow the Money," Quote John Schindler @20committee, "January’s Minneapolis Mess: Some Counterintelligence Questions Who’s really behind Minnesota’s acrimonious confrontation with the Feds over deportations?" The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Bruce Springsteen Threatens To Keep Releasing Songs Until Deportations Stop."

It has indeed somehow become even worse https://t.co/oTiJlVombp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2026

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears a Federal Judge Tosses Minnesota Lawsuit to Stop Immigration Enforcement Surge. Sundance, Federal Judge Refuses to Block Minnesota DHS Operation ‘Metro Surge’ "U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez admitted the ongoing operation “will likely continue to have profound and even heartbreaking, consequences on the State of Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and Minnesotans,” however, there is no grounds for the state’s case using the 10th amendment." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks Ellison Wasn't Trying to Win the TRO Case; He Was Helping Build the Narrative for the #Resistance. Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley. "I previously wrote about the frivolous lawsuit by Gov. Walz and Minn. Attorney General Keith Ellison to enjoin immigration enforcement operations in the state. https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/13/minnesota-files-meritless-lawsuit-to-stop-increase-in-fraud-investigation-and-immigration-enforcement/ As expected, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, a Biden appointee, just ruled against them."jonathanturley.org" Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley, "...This is only the latest meritless challenge filed by Democratic governors and mayors to suggest that these operations are unlawful. It is a pandering to the mob to fulfill a false narrative about these arrests. The mob tactics targeting ICE are obstructing lawful operations..." ET reportsa Judge Blocks Parts of Trump Order on Verifying Citizenship for Voter Registration. "The May 2025 order directed officials to enforce policies on voting and voter registration. The judge said the president lacks the authority to do that." That may hold up. At News Wax, Judge Temporarily Blocks End of Ethiopians' Deportation Protections "to provide more time for a legal challenge to be heard." Sunny @sunnyright, "And there it is. The effort has now begun to delegitimize appeals. Once Democrats get their way with one magistrate judge (whose authorities are limited by nature because they're not Senate-confirmed district judges) you now have to accept that as the final ruling. Insane." Quote Ronan Farrow @RonanFarrow Replying to @RonanFarrow, "In a functioning system, that ends it. Instead, the DOJ appealed to a higher court to override the magistrate’s ruling and force the warrants through. That procedural move—seeking arrests after a judge said the evidence didn’t support them—is the anomaly."

Driscoll at Insty says THANKS FOR THE CONFIRMATION, REP. GILLEN: Haiti Is Hell—Don’t Import it Into America. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "May I humbly suggest that if sending Haitians to Haiti is a death sentence because it’s full of Haitians then bring Haitians here is a death sentence for our country." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness "Rep. Laura Gillen (D): "Sending Haitians to Haiti is a death sentence""

At TownHall, Mike Barone sees Big Surprises in the 2030 Census Estimates, mostly favorable to the GOP. The Free Bacon, Trump States Gaining Population As High-Tax States Lose People, New Census Data Show. Hopefully the refugees know better that to create the same problems in a new state, but the example of Oregon visa vie California isn't a good one. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn in her best Yoda voice, Begun the Census Wars Have

At Althouse, "The [Epstein] files appeared to contain at least 4,500 documents that mentioned Mr. Trump." ""One was a summary that officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation assembled last summer of more than a dozen tips from the public involving Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein, according to emails released by the Department of Justice on Friday. It is unclear why the investigators put together the summary, which includes accusations of sexual abuse by Mr. Epstein and Mr. Trump. The emails did not include any corroborating evidence, and The New York Times is not describing the details of the unverified claims. . . From "Powerful Men Who Turn Up in the New Batch of Epstein Files/Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Sergey Brin were among those who exchanged messages or visited with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the newly released documents" (NYT)(gift link)." One suspects a lot of them are late additions, like the 2000 women who accused Bret Kavanagh of assaulting them. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee. "Damning Photos Surface Of Clippy On Epstein Island." I never trusted him/her.

In misc. Trumpiania, News Wax has a Trump Op-Ed: Tariffs Revived Economy, Defied Experts. Leslie Eastman at LI, Beyond the ‘Discombobulator’: America’s Laser‑Focused Push Into the Future of Warfare "Trump’s branding can blur the technical details, but he undeniably spotlighted the fact that our nation’s military has now entered an era of accelerated defense innovation." Maybe they should use the discombobulator in Minnesota. And Althouse says Oh, no!, "It's just cruel. Please. This hurts my heart: NYT, Trump favors 250-foot arch that would tower over other monuments, because we all know it would come be known as Trump's Victory Arch. Also, "Can I ask a question I have been dying to ask? You all might think it is a weird question but I've always been curious. What is your favorite time of day?" "That's the utterly inane question Dana Perino asked Melania Trump on "The Five":" Commenter Phaedrus adds, "With no context about Dana Perino, I could see that being inane. The is not a novel topic for her. She is known for getting up early (she has her own show before The Five, much earlier) and this wasn’t the first conversation where time of day peak/ebb has been discussed around the table.And she has written several books where productive habits are woven throughout (as implied when she’s discussed content with the hosts from the same standpoint Melania is doing so about her movie). I watched that particular segment when it aired and as with book/movie all the questions were softballs but Dana’s question was pretty on brand for her."

Fox, Government shuts down again after Democrats revolt over DHS funding "The Senate passed the spending deal to the House hours before the midnight deadline." A Hat Hair video asserts Democrats Playing With Dynamite on Another Shutdown. Will anyone other than government drones notice?

ET hears Gov. Walz, Minnesota AG Will Give Sworn Testimony About Fraud to Oversight Committee. "Congressmen will question both leaders in a public session focusing on ‘rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars,’ the committee says, estimated at $9 billion." Land of 10,000 Frauds presents Your one-stop clearinghouse for everything related to state government fraud in Minnesota. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "They tried to hide their crimes." Quote Luke Rosiak @lukerosiak "When DOGE went to audit the African Development Foundation, its CFO locked them out. The move was heralded by Democrats and the media as heroic. Turns out, when people resist audits, it's because they have something to hide. Today the agency's CFO admitted taking bribes."

Sundance hosts FBI Director Kash Patel Outlines “Probable Cause” in Georgia Election Data Warrant. From News Wax, Clinton Contempt Vote Set for Next Wednesday. I already hold them in contempt. 

Betsy McCaughey at Hat Hair, Mamdani's Cruel Homeless Policy: Frozen Corpses and Blighted Neighborhoods. At RCI, Poll Finds New England Women Feel Misled About Climate Policies. They were told it wasn't going to snow any more, and wind and solar would keep them warm in winter. Christine Rose @AIChristineRose "Today in “we are governed by people who failed 8th grade science”: two #Memphis City Council members posted videos claiming the recent snow was… fake. As in “this ain’t snow, y’all,” because it didn’t melt the way they expected when they held a lighter to a snowball. Local coverage here, in case you think I’m exaggerating: https://memphisflyer.com/the-snow-is-fake-claim-two-memphis-city-council-members/ We’ve all seen random TikToks and Facebook uncles doing the “burn the snow, it doesn’t drip, therefore it’s plastic from the government” routine. What’s different here is who is doing it. These are people voting on budgets, infrastructure, and policy, publicly treating basic physics like a psyop. Once you see that, the rest of our policy mess starts to make more sense. The same epistemic failure that produces “fake snow” conspiracies is exactly what gives you bills like Tennessee’s SB 1493 — the one that tries to turn “AI emotional support” into a Class A felony. (start here for my 6-part series in progress on that one: https://crispyrose.com/tennessee-ai-bill-economic-impact/) The pattern is identical: I don’t understand this ➜ it doesn’t match my intuition ➜ therefore it’s probably fake, dangerous, or being used against us." At ET, Man Accused of Spraying Apple Cider Vinegar on Ilhan Omar Charged With Assault. "Anthony James Kamierczak was charged with forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with the representative."

From NRO, Jury Awards Detransitioner $2 Million in Historic Medical-Malpractice Lawsuit. Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Plaintiff’s lawyers are going to end “gender change” surgeries on minors. This was a New York jury. Can you imagine when some of these cases get to red state jurors? Someone is going to get hit with nine figures in damages. Doctors who did these surgeries should lose licenses too," Quote Stacy Robinson @stacepochalypse "A jury has awarded Fox Varian a total of $2 million after it found her psychologist and surgeon liable for medical malpractice related to a mastectomy at age 16." Don Surber thinks Lawsuits will end the trans fad, "A New York jury said butchering a confused 16-year-old girl was malpractice." At Althouse, "A jury on Jan. 30 found a psychologist and surgeon liable for malpractice after they supported and performed breast removal surgery..." Gail Heriot at Insty says OUR CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL IS CRAZY: "“California Attorney General Sues Rady Children’s Hospital for Curtailing Gender-Affirming Care.” Meanwhile a jury just awarded $2 million to detransitioner in win against gender surgeons."

At the Free Bacon, Mamdani Voter Ezra Klein Tries, Fails To Achieve Solidarity With Student Activists Who Called Him a 'Zionist Pig' "The liberal NYT columnist has denounced Israel and defended student protests. They blasted him as a 'Nazi normalizer' who 'set Palestine on fire.'" Charles Murray @charlesmurray, "But perhaps you can understand my guilty pleasure at seeing Ezra wrongly accused of the same sort of thing he wrongly accuses me of." Quote Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias, "I don't think @ezraklein is an apologist of white supremacist views and an accessory to genocidal state violence." From Stacy McCain's substack, Born Lucky, Two Flavors of the Same Poison, "Matt Yglesias notices totalitarian foxes inside the 'progressive' henhouse."

The College Fix reports Audit demanded after claims that MIT faculty hiring sidesteps DEI ban. Da Caller, Trump DOJ Joins Legal Fight Against Major Med School’s ‘Race-Based’ Admissions. Da Wire explains Why Governors Are Opting-In To School Choice At Record Speed "Nineteen states are now set to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship with more on the way."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Boots & Bikinis and FMJRA 2.0: Better Late Than Never up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Sarah Beckstrom, The WVA Guardswoman Shot In DC has Died

At RedState Bob Hoge , Heartbreak: Dad of National Guard Soldier Gives Devastating Update After Terror Attack "Sarah Beckstrom's father, Gary, provided the update on Thursday, just one day after his daughter was shot in Washington, DC. 'She has a mortal wound, it's not going to be a recovery,' he told the New York Times, speaking from her bedside. 'I'm holding her hand right now.'" and then Sister Toldja, Trump Announces That National Guard Member Sarah Beckstrom Has Passed Away After D.C. Terrorist Attack. CNN, President Trump says Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members who was shot in DC, has died https://t.co/07tcVeNdYd pic.twitter.com/KLf1oE5suE— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 28, 2025. Politico, National Guard member dies after ambush shooting. Mary Chastain at LI, Sarah Beckstrom, National Guardsman Shot in DC, Dies. At OTP, National Guard Members Shot In DC Were Sworn In Less Than 24 Hours Before. Not sworn into the guard, sworn into the DC patrol. At Althouse, "During the press conference on Thursday, Pirro said the two Guardsmen were sworn in 24 hours prior to being shot." ""A joint task force spokesperson later said the two Guard members were deputized less than 24 hours before the shooting to 'maintain their status to conduct presence patrols,' according to a joint task force spokesperson." From "What we know about the 2 National Guard members shot near White House/The two soldiers are still in critical condition" (ABC New)."

Stacy McCain say Rahmanullah Lakanwal ‘Should Have Never Been Allowed to Come Here’ "Hindsight is always 20/20: . . Yes — Crazy People Are Dangerous., and when you’re shipping in tens of thousands of “refugees” from one of the most backward countries on the planet, you’re likely to get a few hundred lunatic killers in the bunch." Matt Vespa at TownHall says Well, That's a Troubling Detail About the Alleged National Guard Shooter. "The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members blocks from the White House worked with various United States government entities, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Afghanistan, Fox News Digital has learned." Insider Wire @InsiderWire "#BREAKING: The DC shooter was in the Afghan Army alongside U.S. Special Forces, for 10 years." Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Afghan Gunman Worked for CIA, Let In by Biden. Does everything the CIA touches turn to shit? Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "When JD Vance said “I don’t really care, Margaret, I don’t want that person in my country” he was talking about the lack of vetting of Afghan nationals after the Fall of Kabul. It now appears one shot up National Guardsmen at the White House." From WaEx, Alleged National Guardsmen shooter came up ‘clean on all checks’. OTP, Alleged Shooter Lived In Apartment With Hijab-Wearing Wife, 5 Kids, No Beds "Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was often seen playing Call of Duty and FIFA inside the bare apartment, which he shared with his hijab-wearing wife and his five kids, stunned neighbors in Bellingham told The Post on Thursday. Neighbors said the refugees — who arrived in 2021 after the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan — had no beds, and there were only “some couch cushions they would sleep on” inside the sparse apartment." Why would a disgruntled ex-CIA asset drive across country to try to kill two random guardsmen?

At Da Caller, Deranged Libs Immediately Blame Trump For National Guard Shooting. Matt Vespa thinks How the Libs Are Trying to Spin the Shooting of National Guardsmen in DC Is Disgusting. Thomas Hern @ThomasMHern, "As expected, instead of blaming the Afghan shooter who had no business being in the US, CNN panelists are blaming President Trump for deploying the National Guard to Washington, DC." Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke "Just so we are clear: The federal government is allowed to deploy federal agents in a federal district over which it has plenary constitutional power, without those agents being shot at by criminals. Suggestions or implications to the contrary are absurd." Quote Jane Mayer @JaneMayerNYer, "This is so tragic, so unnecessary, these poor guardsmen should never have been deployed. I live in DC and watched as they had virtually nothing to do but pick up trash. It was for political show and at what a cost. x.com/kaitlancollins…" At WokeSpy, MS NOW Reporter’s ‘Insane Take’ on Ambush of National Guard Prompts Furious Response. At OTP, White House Goes Scorched Earth On Media Who Blame Victims In DC Shooting. From atop Da Hill, whines that Trump admin reexamining green cards linked to 19 countries after DC shooting. John Solomon at JTN reports Trump administration stops all immigration processing from Afghanistan after ambush of Guardsmen "President Donald Trump condemned the shooting and blamed his predecessor Joe Biden." Ace, Trump Blasts Biden For Allowing In Unvetted Afghan Terrorists, Orders a Vetting of Biden's Afghans. At RedState, Sister Toldja hears Trump Shreds Reporters Over Afghans in America, Reveals More About Future Venezuela Plans.

John Lucas at Bravo Blue asserts The Democrats' "Illegal Orders" Video Isn't About the Law. It's About Undermining the Military's Trust in Trump and the Chain of Command ""But we were just trying to educate the troops." Bullshit. From Twitchy, How Dare You Do That! Stephen A. Smith Goes Totally BALLISTIC on Mark Kelly and the Seditious Six. At RedState, Rusty Weiss hears Eric Swalwell Claims Military Members Are Privately Telling Him They Will Keep Trump in ‘Check’, Nick Arama says Hoo Boy: House Dem's Unwise Response on Whether He'll Do FBI Interview Over 'Illegal Orders' Video and Adam Turner looks at The Jackson Plan for Dealing With Nullifiers and Insurrectionists: "Tell the Nullifiers from me that they can talk and write resolutions to their hearts’ content. But if one drop of blood be shed there in defiance of the laws of the United States, I will hang the first man of them I can get my hands on to the first tree I can find."

From LifeZette, Trump Would-Be Assassin Files Bizarre Motions Begging Trump to Punch Him in the Face Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews, "Ryan Routh, who was convicted in Sept. 2024 assassination attempt against Trump, formally invited Trump to appear at Routh's sentencing hearing Routh's court filing also invited Trump to... punch Routh "in the face", if Trump so desires "Most fun in decades", Routh writes."

Gene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy reports on a ruling that a 2023 Criminal Trial Where Witnesses Wore Surgical Masks Violated Confrontation Clause. I think he approves. 

Amanda Head at JTN reports on a 'Defining Moment:' How Trump broke down walls to get Ukraine and Russia to a peace framework "For the first time, Kiev and Moscow articulated specific visions this week for a peace deal. And while they remain apart on big issues like land borders and NATO membership, the two sides have a meaningful framework that eluded past negotiations and presidents." OTP hears Putin Breaks His Silence On Ukraine Peace Plan, Says Moscow Ready For ‘Serious’ Talks. CNN whines Trump says US land action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela will start ‘very soon.’

News Wax cites a McLaughlin Poll: Trump Remains Strong, GOP Needs Stronger Response. Misty Severi at JTN reports Federal judges allow North Carolina to use new GOP-drawn map in 2026 midterms. "The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina unanimously approved the map in a 57-page ruling, stating that plaintiffs failed to prove that the maps were redrawn for racial reasons or as political retaliation." From Fortune, ‘Weaker job growth and lower inflation’: It’s all lining up perfectly for a Fed cut in December. 

WaT, Trump wants to remake the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Make it salt water, put in a state of the art aquaponics system and stock it with Bonefish. And make the UN pay for it.

TNP reports Mamdani Taps the Far Left’s Favorite Terror Lawyer to Transition Team. From Twitchy, Socialism Is for Morons: John Kennedy Explains the Socialist Resurgence as Only He Can. Socialism will work this time, for sure! Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "I didn’t realize the full video still existed Gavin Newsom's 2020 Thanksgiving guidelines. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn says Speaking of Greasy Turkeys - Swalwell Slithers Into the Golden State Governor Tryouts. Da Caller sees Eric Swalwell Short-Circuits When Asked If Biological Men Should Stay Out Of Women’s Bathrooms.

Matt Vespa hears Yes, Trump Just Called Tim Walz This...and It's Very Much Appropriate Autism Capital @AutismCapital, "TLDR: 1) Trump calls Tim Walz seriously retarded 2) He calls out Ilhan Omar for marrying her brother 3) He says he's permanently pausing all migration from the third world."

From Twitchy, Ayanna Pressley Gets Ratioed Into the Sun for Demanding That Trump Not Deport Illegal Haitia. carolyn tackett @CarolsCloset, "I'm 67 years old and don't remember a time when Haiti wasn't suffering a humanitarian crisis. Maybe it's time they fix their own problems." Quote Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley @RepPressley, "Haiti is grappling with an unspeakable humanitarian crisis that is worsening daily. To deport 350,000 of our neighbors back there is unconscionable and could be a death sentence." I'm 74, and don't remember one either. At Pop Times, Tom Homan says ‘Hold on Tight, We’re Tripling ICE Deportation Operations.’ Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "I keep hearing about this measles outbreak, but I never hear about who has the measles. I’m wondering if it’s because they’re illegal aliens. Actually, I’m not wondering." Quote Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @SenatorWarnock, "We’re experiencing the worst measles outbreak in years. And it’s in no small part because Sec. Kennedy is casting doubt on vaccines. This kind of reckless rhetoric has consequences." I remember measles; it wasn't fun. OTP, Chilean Migrant Pleads Guilty To Stealing Kristi Noem’s Purse. Call them by the legal term, illegal aliens. From Da Wire, Illegal Immigrant Posed As Doctor, Sexually Assaulted 10-Year-Old At Elementary School, Police Say "“This monster sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl in her own elementary school," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said." From Da Caller, Illegal Migrant Sex Criminal Worked As College Professor Before ICE Arrest.

Greg Piper at JTN, Walking Dead: Obamacare gender identity mandate stalks doctors despite Trump orders, they say "Trump judge wrote a binding regulation out of existence in dismissing lawsuit by Florida, Catholic doctors against Section 1557 rewrite, which Trump's HHS has never pledged to repeal, 11th Circuit hears." At WokeSpy, Riley Gaines Cooks Democrats’ ‘Insane, Ridiculous, Harmful, Destructive’ Trans Stance. And she likes dogs. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Snow. Ugh. and FMJRA 2.0: Finally, A Winning Week up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.