Flotsam and Jetsam - Hot Takes With Cranberries

Another Sunday morning, and the news is thankfully sparse. Either that, or I did a lousy job of collecting.

From Spiked!, Fauci and the great Covid cover-up, "Did scientists mislead the world about the origins of the pandemic?" Some did, some didn't. I hesitate to consider Fauci a scientist, as he had long given up active research for bureaucratic infighting. At No Pasaran! "Fauci did his bit, played his part, and was lavishly rewarded by the press": So how did a virus with a ~.02%-.04% mortality rate become 24/7 headline news? It became battle prep for the 2020 election steal. The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Da Signal thinks the Hearing Represented ‘Complete Career and Personal Destruction of Anthony Fauci.’ Leslie Eastman at LI asserts Dr. Deborah Birx Must Be Next Focal Point in Covid Mitigation Policy Investigations, "Fauci and Birx are the Bobbsey Twins of the covid pandemic disaster." I'm still not sure I see a crime in her actions, but she has a lot to explain. The Vigilant Fox @VigilantFox, " Stephen A. Smith publicly APOLOGIZES to Kyrie Irving after calling him "selfish" for refusing the COVID jab. "Hindsight-wise, it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish. It made him BRAVE." "I watched Dr. Fauci on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the person I thought about most was Kyrie Irving..." Da Signal reports The New Ban Hawley Wants After Fauci’s Senate Appearance. "Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is set to announce legislation to bar all federal employees from soliciting cash prizes while they are in office. The announcement follows the senator grilling Dr. Anthony Fauci about the millions of dollars he pocketed while allegedly contributing to the spread and cover-up of the COVID-19 pandemic."

At 1945, Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National SecurityA Year Ago Putin Had the Momentum. Now Russia Is Importing Fuel and Ukraine Is Taking Ground. "Last August, Vladimir Putin arrived on American soil expecting a favorable deal. Russia held the momentum, the February White House meeting with Zelenskyy was still fresh, and administration officials spoke as though Ukraine would eventually have to settle. A year on, the picture has inverted. Ukraine’s own missiles and drones have reached Russian refineries and logistics far behind the front, Moscow has extended its gasoline export ban and turned to imports, and Washington has moved toward joint drone production and Patriot interceptor licensing. Whether that amounts to a permanent shift is still an open question."

NewsWeek admits Trump Was Right. Six Months Post-Maduro, Venezuelan Recovery Defies Critics. Proving once again, you can vote yourself into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.

News Wax reports Tankers Hit Near Hormuz as Iran Warns of Wider Disruption. From Resp State, Houthis v. Saudi Arabia: Round 2. This time it's regional. "After fresh clashes with the Yemeni military group, Riyadh finds itself at the center of overlapping wars and skirmishes, including Iran and Iraq." Carlo Carrasco sees America Sanctioning Iran’s Mahan Air Network and IRGC-Linked Front Company. At LI Vijeta Uniyal reports U.S. Warns its Citizens to Leave Middle East Citing ‘Unforeseen Escalation’ With Iran.

From Quotulatiousness "Nobody “designed” capitalism" "One of Karl Marx’s cleverer notions was to come up with a label for the economic system that had slowly emerged from the feudal period in Europe. It wasn’t ever the result of some overarching plan or campaign, it was just the easiest way for producers and consumers to connect without coercion or force. It had no real name until its declared enemy named it." That's why I prefer to call it "the free market," which to be fair, has never really been tried either.

Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "Let’s take it from the top again. Here’s the Democrat lineup going into the midterms: - A diagnosed-bipolar Asian chick with a history of self-harm who’s been institutionalized in a psychiatric ward and overdosed on lithium, and wants to get rid of Thanksgiving. - A guy who plays with a Dr. Fauci doll, proclaims his “love for trans kids,” and met his girlfriend at a gay bar. - A guy who dresses up as a mechanic for fun, married his cousin, and knocked her up twice. - A guy who frequents events where participants get pissed on in a kiddie pool while wearing assless chaps, whose claim to fame is lowering the age of consent for men to have sex with boys as young as 12, decriminalizing knowingly infecting others with AIDS, and supports allowing convicted pedophiles to run for school board. - A Haitian chick who thinks the United States is a “f*cking disgrace,” wants to abolish borders, law enforcement, and prisons. - A Muslim guy who believes the U.S. deserved 9/11, is funded by the Muslim Brotherhood, and whose wife and father-in-law have terrorist connections." At Twitchy, Bill Maher Ends Anti-Communist Rant by Saying He’d Vote for Sarah Palin Over DSA-Aligned Dems. InfantryDort @infantrydort, "This might be the strongest piece Bill Maher has ever made. The communists are here. They’re actually here. Right now. Taking power. What are we going to do about it?" Quote Bill Maher @billmaher, "I'm not voting for anyone who thinks the wrong side won the Cold War or cheers for the Intifada like it's the World Cup." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "To Avoid Criticism For Hooking Up With His Cousin, Troy Jackson Converts To Islam, and Maine Dems Explain They Can Either Do 'No Rape' Or 'No Incest' But Not Both.

Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "Hold on, hold on, hold on. Hunter Biden is shitting on President’s children. Does he know he’s Hunter Biden?" Quote Marco Foster @MarcoFoster_, "Hunter Biden: “As it relates to Donald Trump, fuck him. Fuck his son. Fuck his daughter. I mean it, all of them, the whole family down to the grandchildren. I hope for the rest of time their names will live ignominy. They have done the most awful things to my family and to me”"

News Wax, Florida Man Gets 2 Years for Threatening Trump "The Justice Department said court documents show that Villavicencio made online threats of violence directed at President Donald Trump, former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., over several months." Not really big into ideological consistency.

Quotulatiousness covers The invasion of Ceuta. "In the last 48 hours vast numbers of people have learned that Spain still has territory on the African continent, as Morocco enables thousands of young men to cross into the Spanish city of Ceuta. The Spanish government has, to time of writing, refused to declare a state of emergency or to send military forces to assist the municipal authorities in Ceuta. In Spiked, Brendan O’Neill thinks this heralds the end of globalism" At NYPo, Fed-up Spaniards lash out at socialist prime minister after migrant invasion: ‘A third-world country’ Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin, "The level of gaslighting we've had in the last 24 hours is absolutely off the charts. You can fuck off with this shit: - "Cueta is in Africa so it's not really Spain" Pearl Harbor is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean so it's not really the US then? - "A lot of them have gone home" If 60,000 people break into your home and then leave that is better than them all squatting in your home permanently, but they still broke into your house. - "They're refugees fleeing the climate crisis" (James O'Brien came up with this gem) No, they're not. If I was fleeing the climate crisis, I'd bring my wife and kids, not 59,999 other men. They want a better life. They can apply for a visa and if they meet our rules, we'll decide which ones we want to accept and which we do not. Otherwise they're queue-barging and can fuck off. - They can't get from to Cueta to mainland Europe because there's a stretch of water and a border there. Uhh, we're letting boatloads of illegal immigrants into Britain on the daily. There is absolute no evidence European countries have any desire to enforce their borders. - It's not a migrant invasion, it's just Morocco doing it on purpose Oh, it's an *organised* invasion. What a relief." Boxy @Boxy_FT, "The leftoid position is now, without exaggeration: "diversity is our strength and there's nothing wrong with Muslim migrants, but Israel is using them to punish us"" Quote LPC @landpalestine, "Spanish actor Javier Bardem says The migration of 60,000 people from Morocco to Spain was planned by Israel because Spain opposes the genocide in Palestine." Sir Doge of the Coin @dogeofficialceo, "BREAKING: Bonnie Blue is reportedly “furious” after Pedro Sánchez STOLE her idea to let 60,000 migrant men inside in 24 hours."

From Fox, Liberal court stuns with ruling that hands Trump major immigration win. "The panel of two Biden appointees and one Trump appointee ruled on TPS for migrants from South Sudan and Ethiopia." AP whines Trump administration pushes tougher English rules for Mexican train crews crossing into the US. Ned Ryun @nedryun, "I’m pretty sure that’s not what we voted for. . ." Quote The Post Millennial @TPostMillennial, "DHS Sec. Mullin to sanctuary cities: "I'm not handling things like the past secretary had. Let's work to get the worst of the worst off the streets. And then you won't see me in your cities as much. In fact, you probably won't even see us at all.""

At the Telegraph, Berlin Pride attack shows the insanity of the Left’s love affair with Islamism. RAW EGG NATIONALIST @Babygravy9, "I really don't think "You're lucky we've got paid security to prevent you being murdered by Islamists for speaking at the world's oldest and most prestigious bastion of free expression" is quite the pro-immigration flex you think it is, love." Quote Basil the Great @BasilTheGreat. "WOW. A student at the Oxford Union tells Tommy Robinson he is lucky they've put security on for him otherwise their Pro-Islam supporters outside would beat him to death." Quotulatiousness explores Why UK crime victims’ families always sound so similar talking to the media

Driscoll at Insty, AND THEN HE SHOUTED, CAMBRIDGE IS MAGA COUNTRY! "Cambridge Can — but Evidently Won’t — Catch Jason Arday. Arday is one of the U.K.’s newest academic superstars, a true success story as the youngest black scholar ever to become full professor at the University of Cambridge, Britain’s second-best institution of higher learning. His life story is truly impressive, an inspiring tale of a man rising to a prestigious position from severe disadvantages in life — Arday claims to suffer from an autism so severe that he was entirely nonverbal until the age of eleven, and wholly illiterate until learning to read at the age of 18. Now, not only is he a national pseudo-celebrity, as a “high-functioning neurodivergent,” he’s at the top of the academic hierarchy. The devastatingly thorough report by Nathan Cofnas, a scholar at Ghent University (and a former research fellow at Cambridge), summarizes Arday’s remarkable vault up the academic ladder after claiming to have achieved literacy only after he started attending Sixth Form..." As I've always said regarding the many academic plagiarism scandals with DEI involvement, nobody really expect anyone to read that shit. They just got unlucky that AI would make checking easy after they plagiarized.

Hat Hair's John Sexton reports Amnesty Apologizes to J.K. Rowling's Crisis Center for Women. ""We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK's positions. Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed." They just couldn't help themselves, it was a reflex. Driscoll has one of his DISPATCHES FROM THE HARRIS ADMINISTRATION: Brian Cates - Political Columnist & Pundit @drawandstrike, "Griner was supposed to come out eventually as trans. And the WNBA was all poised to celebrate that. You all know this, right? Two things ruined it. 1. Caitlin Clark 2. Donald Trump getting reelected." and "Oh forgot one. 3. And the sudden rise of Sophie Cunningham."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Getting Strapped and FMJRA 2.0: The Usual Horrible Start to the Season up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - The 'Signal' Kerfuffle

This was barely mentioned in yesterday morning's round up, but it blew up in the news over the course of yesterday afternoon. The basic story line is that a number of high level national defense officials got together on an encrypted app called Signal for a meeting regarding actions against the Houthis. Somehow, as yet to be fully made public, Jeffrey Goldberg, a virulently anti-Republican writer for the Slantic was included in the contacts, and eavesdropped on the meeting, made it public, and claimed secret, presumably classified matters were being discussed. Mike Walz, the National Security Advisor, admitted the invitation came from his office. DNI Gabbard, and CIA Director Ratcliffe denied under oath that any classified material was discussed. The Trump administration line is that it was an accident, and Trump has publicly stoop by Walz. Democrats made a big issue of it, demand resignations, while Republicans admitted error, but claimed no harm, no foul.

The Signal app was pre-loaded on government phones, and its use was initiated and promulgated under the Harris/Biden regency. How Goldberg was added seems a mystery, but there are, of course, 3 leading theories. The first (and IMHO most likely) is that it was simple error. Goldberg was likely in the contact lists left over from the Biden era, and was added by mistake. Second, a little less likely, but plausible, is that a "Deep State" mole included him to lead to precisely this result, and third, he was added specifically because someone in the Trump orbit wanted him to leak specific information, in this case, comments by Pete Hegseth and JD Vance that they were tired of cleaning up for the Europeans. It takes the sort of demented CIA mindset to think that, so yeah, it's distinctly possible.

From Stacy McCain, ‘Signal-Gate’: CIA Sabotage? Or Another ‘Anonymous’ in the Trump White House? At Insty, I WAS TRAVELING YESTERDAY, AND FELL A BIT BEHIND, "but the Signal story seems like a nothingburger to me. In fact, I kind of wonder if Goldberg was deliberately included as part of an information op, allowing them to release stuff they didn’t want to be seen releasing openly. Anyway, “war plans?” Not so much, but it’s Jeffrey Goldberg so. . . " Driscoll at Insty, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT JEFFREY GOLDBERG ACCIDENTALLY BEING ADDED TO A NATIONAL SECURITY CHAT: Sundance at CTH, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz Invited Leftist Journ-o-Lister Jeff Goldberg to Group Chat on Signal Discussing Houthi Attacks and Signalgate: President Trump Stands by Mike Waltz – Attributing Signal App Issue to Waltz Staffer Who Accidentally Added Journalist. At NewsMax, Trump Stands By NSA Waltz: He 'Learned a Lesson'. At PJM, Matt Margolis wonders Has the Staffer Who Put Jeffrey Goldberg on the Signal Chat Been Exposed? and Is This Proof That the Signal Chat Kerfuffle Was a Setup?, Here's What the Media Won't Tell You About the Atlantic Hit Piece and Charlie Martin discusses Counterintelligence and Canary Traps. Austin Bay, Loose App Links to Security Lapse: Consequential Mistake? Liz Stauffer at LI, Use of Signal in the White House Originated in the Biden Administration, “It is my understanding that the Biden administration authorized Signal as a means of communication … and that continued into the Trump administration.” Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius "Re: the Signal chat and The Atlantic article. The minute I read the chat my very first thought was that Goldberg was specifically and deliberately included so that he would leak what he saw to the public. The idea was to let Europe know just how unhappy American leadership is with Europe's unwillingness to pull its weight militarily. The backchannel, seemingly accidental nature of that reveal was powerful and I believe intentional. Also, as someone who has read his fair share of Top Secret/SCI war plans, this ain't it." At Althouse, “I just hate bailing out the Europeans again"/"I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It’s PATHETIC.” :Said JD Vance/Pete Hegseth, quoted in "Now Europe Knows What Trump’s Team Calls It Behind Its Back: 'Pathetic'/Trump officials have demanded more European military spending and questioned the continent’s values. Leaked messages show the depth of the rift" (NYT). Wouldn't want that to get out, now, would you?" And, "Bob Woodward has spent an entire career trying to infiltrate groups like this. So how could you possibly have just been added to a group chat?" "The NYT "Daily" podcast interviewer prompts Jeffrey Goldberg, in this morning's new episode, "Inside the Group Chat Planning to Bomb Yemen" (Podscribe)." Joy Pullman at Da Fed hears The Atlantic Admits The Deep State Is A ‘Regime Change.’

NewsMax cites WH: No 'War Plans,' Classified Info Discussed During Group Chat. Jeff Charles at TownHall reports Tulsi Gabbard Just Denied Democrats the 'Signalgate' Narrative They So Desperately Wanted. Atop Da Hill, Gabbard, Ratcliffe contend Signal chat did not include classified information. Susie Moore at RedState, CIA Director John Ratcliffe Swats Down Signal Story in Senate Intel Hearing. Sundance, Colorado Senator Mike Bennet Goes Bananas Questioning CIA Director Ratcliffe. At Twitchy, 'CREDIT to the Trump Admin': Scott Jennings DISMANTLES The Atlantic's HIT Piece and It's GLORIOUS (Watch). Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "@ScottJenningsKY just blew apart the narratives coming from the Atlantic hit piece published today and pointed out the facts . . ." Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "The Signal chat thing is a gut check for alleged cons. Nothing significant was revealed. Worst case, it was a mistake that will never happen again. More likely, a proven liar has now lied about at least some of it. . . " A Larry video at Hat Hair, Democrats' Latest 'Signal Scandal' Is a Complete Hoax! NewsWeek, Pete Hegseth Denies Texting War Plans to Journalist "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied the texts to reporters: "You're talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again...This is a guy who peddles in garbage...Nobody was texting war plans and that's all I have to say." Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell "You write for the public. The public gets to criticize your activism. This isn’t China. Suck it up or don’t write for the public." Quote, "Anna Bross @AnnaCBross, "Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Yesterday's kerfuffle over the latest Jeffrey Goldberg/Atlantic hit piece proves yet again to never react to leftist attack pieces unless and until the facts are known. It appears now that the following things are likely true. . . :" Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "What if he pays a fine of $20 in beads and maybe some blankets?" Quote, Elizabeth Warren @SenWarren, "If Pete Hegseth had even a tiny bit of honor and sense of responsibility, then he would hand in his resignation this morning. x.com/factpostnews/s…" From the Babylon Bee, 4D Chess: Genius Trump Leaks War Plans To 'The Atlantic' Where No One Will Ever See Them.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, looks at a New YAF Poll: The Kids Are Alright "More young liberals voted for Donald Trump than young conservatives voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election." Chris Queen at PJM sees New Polling Reveals Some Surprising — and Encouraging — Trends Among Young Voters. From Da Caller, JD Vance Explains MAGA’s Appeal In A Way Liberals May Finally Understand. I doubt that. Street Insider, Investment commitments in U.S. nears $3 trillion since Trump took office. Ace, RFKJr. Rumored to Be on Verge of Blocking Big Pharma From Advertising on Television. PM, RFK Jr unveils transparency tool allowing Americans to search for contaminants in food. "HHS is committed to radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating." End Wokeness@EndWokeness "4 years ago, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya was on a COVID blacklist on Twitter. Today, he was confirmed for Director of the NIH." Fox, Senate confirms Dr Marty Makary as Trump's FDA chief, "FDA chief pick Dr. Marty Makary was skeptical of COVID-19 policies." At LifeZette, FEMA is Being Eliminated—Kristi Noem Confirms During Trump Cabinet Meeting. 

Capt. Ed, NEW: Russia, Ukraine Agree to Partial Cease-Fire. At Fox, Russia, Ukraine agree to Black Sea ceasefire following US talks "Kremlin suggests it may not implement Black Sea ceasefire until Russia is admitted back into SWIFT." From the Brussel's Signal, Are Europe and the US headed for a divorce? Or would that be folly? Maybe just a trial separation. Common Defense reports Hegseth Sends Two Carriers to Middle East in Escalating Campaign Against Houthis. NewsMax hears Trump: Greenland 'Maybe' in US Future. Politico whines Greenland to Trump: No, we didn’t invite you, "A delegation that includes second lady Usha Vance is slated to arrive on the island on Thursday."

From ET, Musk Says DOGE Team Faces Daily Death Threats. At Twitchy, Cybersecurity Firm Has Been 'Made Aware' of an Employee Keying a Tesla Cybertruck. NewsMax, FBI Launches Terrorism Task Force Into Tesla Attacks. Tom Knighton at BA, This Is What I Meant When I Said Things Were Getting Ugly. Dave Strom at Hat Hair see Democrats Let the Hate Flow Through Them. Jeff Crouere at TownHall asserts The Democrats Are the Party of Violence. Chase Geiser @realchasegeiser, "If you have to explain to members of your political party why they shouldn’t vandalize your property then you are in the wrong political party." Sawyer Merritt@SawyerMerritt, NEWS: The Financial Times has issued an apology after suggesting that @Tesla had shady accounting with $1.4 billion "missing." In reality, the Financial Times just didn't understand the accounting, and an expert reached out to them to explain it to them. FT: "One unavoidable conclusion is that at a certain point it’s necessary to trust the auditor’s judgment.""

At Breitbart, Elon Musk Claims DOGE Discovered $330 Million in SBA Loans Given to Kids. Some are, no doubt, typos, but there are likely a lot of "straw" loans to ineligible people. Dave Strom, Trump and Elon Want to Take Money From Babies and Grade Schoolers! At Da Wire, ‘The Country Was Riddled With Fat’: Trump Team Details Biden Waste In Cabinet Meeting. 'I'm not even sure what that means, but apparently the last administration wanted to put our taxpayer dollars towards that.' Fox, Pam Bondi threatens prosecution amid DOGE's findings about fraud: 'We're coming after you'. NewsMax, Trump Pauses Federal Funds for Planned Parenthood. Insty, YEAH, BUT IT WAS OKAY WHEN OBAMA SAID IT BECAUSE EVERYONE KNEW HE DIDN’T MEAN IT. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Is this not literally word for word what Elon Musk’s DOGE mission is? Barack Obama “Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions, and that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about. What should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody. Waste we should be getting rid of, even if we didn't have a deficit. . . ."

Wall Street Mav@WallStreetMav, "The DOGE Act isn’t a bill (yet), but the GOP is preparing one. •73% approval for the hunt to remove waste and fraud from our spending. Also, we need to put into law a way to stop these federal judges from waging lawfare against legitimate Presidential actions." Politico whines about Sen. Kennedy, GOP senator: Trump ‘interested in’ seeing Congress codify DOGE cuts. "The White House still hasn’t said whether it will ask lawmakers to ratify Elon Musk’s government-slashing efforts." 'Becca Downs at TownHall, Rand Paul to Introduce Bill to Get Rid of Department of Education. Center Square IL, Republicans defend, Democrats decry changes at the U.S. Postal Service. Misty Severi at JTN, USPS leader Louis DeJoy resigns as Postmaster General.

From the Pop Times, Activist Judge Boasberg Allows Tren de Aragua Gang Members to Challenge Alien Enemies Act Deportations. Ace, Activist Judge Boasberg: Tren de Aragua Prison Gang Members Have Right to Appeal Their Deportations (and Must Be Allowed to Remain in the US During Their Appeals). "Incredible." Da Caller, ‘No Way To Run A Government’: Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block Order Reinstating Fired Federal Workers. Chris Queen at PJM reports Big Legal Victories for Trump Administration on USAID, Refugee Admissions. NewsMax, Transgender Military Members Ask for Court Protection. Margot Cleveland at Da Fed says Plaintiffs Challenging Trump’s DEI Order Are Trying To Game The Judicial System. Dan Chaitin at Da Wire writes House To Vote On Restraining Nationwide Injunctions, Stop ‘Judicial Overreach’ Against Trump, "Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced the plan for next week." 'Becca Downs at TownHall, Ted Cruz Shares His 'Remedies' on What to Do About Judicial Overreach From District Judges. Tar and feathers and run out of town on a rail? (If it wasn't for the honor of it, I'd just as soon walk.) Da Hill whines that Republicans target two judges for impeachment. Sure, they'll never be removed, but let the process be the punishment, just like they do. At Da Fed, Beth Brelje points out A Third Of All DC District Judges Were Not Born In United States.

Courtroom weirdness. Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy notes 11 Court Opinions in the Last 30 Days Mention AI-Hallucinated Material, and … "that's likely just the tip of the iceberg." Well, there goes my plan to have unbiased AI's acting as judges. Vicky Taft at PJM sends 9th Circuit Leftists Triggered When Judge Uses Gun to Show How Clueless They Are. Parts is parts. Also at the Volokh Report Josh Blackmun reports Nearly Five Years Later, Justice Barrett's Memoir Has A Publication Date. "Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution" and he's not a fan.

Misty Severi reports Trump signs executive order declassifying records related to Russia collusion hoax. "The declassification order comes after an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller “did not establish” any criminal Trump-Russia collusion." NewsMax, Trump Declassifies FBI's Russia Investigation. This should be fun. And infuriating. Also, Trump Revokes Mayorkas' Secret Service Detail. Hire some of your Tren de Aragua buddies. Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: "There's 38,000 employees at the FBI... In the 50 mile radius around D.C., we have 11,000 employees... A third of the crime doesn’t happen in this region... We're going to send our agents into the field to take on this violent crime explosion"" Charles Glasser at Insy, THIS MIGHT LEAVE A MARK: I’m not privy to all the facts here, so I won’t pre-judge it. But I’ll tell you this: Former RNC Chief of Staff Chris LaCivita is suing The Daily Beast for defamation, and he is being represented by Harmeet Dhillon’s firm.

The Divine Ms. Devine at NPo reports Trump to grant ‘full pardon’ to Hunter Biden whistleblower Devon Archer: ‘He was screwed’ Ace, Hunter Biden's Business Partner: Joe Biden Came In to Close Deals for Hunter Biden, Telling His Foreign Gangster "Business Partners" "If You Do a Favor for My Son, You're a Friend for Life" "Trump just pardoned Archer. You're not going to believe this, but the Biden DOJ prosecuted this guy -- but not Hunter or James Biden or Ashley Biden or Joe Biden -- for corruption." Da Hill, Trump pardons Devon Archer. Miranda Devine @mirandadevine, "My favorite: “It's Totally Normal That Joe Biden's Son Works for a Ukrainian Energy Company”. Uncanny how the Atlantic and the Atlantic Council serve the same spooky masters." TechnoFog, on Biden's Perjury "Biden's Written Answers to Special Counsel Hur". 

Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge "Now that Biden's gone, revise all the numbers down", Quote zerohedge @zerohedge, "Huge downward revisions to median new home sale prices: Nov, Dec and Jan all revised dramatically lower." It's amazing to me how flexible the economic numbers can be. 

Dave Strom fears Jasmine Crockett Is Becoming the Leader of the Democratic Party. Matt Vespa at TownHall, Let's Go Line-by-Line About How the Dems Are Totally Screwed Right Now. Twitchy, Attendees at AOC and Bernie Sanders Denver Rally Openly Threaten to Kill President Trump. Da Fetched hears ‘The View’ Host Admits Democrats’ ‘Screaming’ at Rallies Isn’t Fixing Anything. Capt. Ed, Michelle Obama: 'Never Gonna Happen'.

NewsMax reports a Sweeping Trump Order Overhauls US Elections, Including Citizenship Requirement. From NYPo, Trump mandates proof of citizenship in order to vote in new executive order — and cuts funds if states don’t comply You can't fix it if you don't dispute it. MD Kittle at Da Fed sees Trump Endorses Conservative In ‘Very Important’ WI Supreme Court Election. At Liberty Nation News Supreme Court Tackles Complex Gerrymandering Case, "Louisiana appeal reveals tension between fair voting rights and racial representation." At Althouse, "The Supreme Court appeared split along partisan lines Monday over the creation of a second Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana...." "Writes Justin Jouvenal, in "Supreme Court seems split on Louisiana voting map, majority-Black districts Several conservative justices were skeptical that the Voting Rights Act’s attempts to redress past discrimination can coexist with the Equal Protection Clause" (WaPo)."

Misty Severi, doing all the heavy lifting at JTN yesterday, reports Hegseth orders troops at southern border to start conducting patrols ""Conducting patrols, either on foot or mounted, creates a more proactive and adaptable posture compared to static posts," Army Maj. Jennifer L. Staton, a Defense Department spokesperson, said in a statement." Sarah Anderson at PJM has Deja Vu: Georgia Woman Murdered. Guess Who Did It, David Hector Rivas-Sagastume.

Dave Catron at Am Spec tells of The Global Censorship Cancer , "While the US attempts to stop it from spreading, the EU enters stage 4 metastasis." Dave Strom says The Battle Over Censorship Is Not Over By a Long Shot. At Insty, WELL, FAIR: TheFOO@PolitiBunny, "Because we weren’t wrong, Sparky." Quote Jonathan Chait @jonathanchait, "Five years after covid struck, liberals have reconsidered their mistakes, while conservatives have done the opposite."

Teri Christoph at RedState says Megyn Kelly Just Shook Up the Media World With Blockbuster Announcement The Megyn Kelly Show @MegynKellyShow, "@MegynKelly announces "MK Media" - a new podcast network of video and audio shows. The first three shows launching in April and May will be: "Next Up with @MarkHalperin" "The Nerve with @DM_Maureen_ Callahan" "Spot On with @itslinklauren" And much more to come..." I remain unshaken. She's good, but not that good.

LifeZette, Columbia Protest Leader Hit With Explosive New Allegations By Feds. Capt. Ed makes us aware of a Lawsuit: Columbia's Pro-Hamas Groups Had Advance Knowledge of October 7 Atrocities. Ace, Lawsuit Claims That Left-Wing Pro-Terror Campus Groups, Including One Headed by Khalil Mahmoud, Were Given a Heads-Up About the Coming Slaughter of October 7, and Told to Prep the Informational Battlespace, "Coincidence? Or conspiracy? While I find it hard to believe that Hamas would risk spoiling its sneak attack by giving its overseas embedded terror propaganda agents an explicit advanced notice of a coming slaughter, I can believe that they would tell their operatives "Something big is coming, start the propaganda machine up." I think Al Qaeda chatter spoke of a coming "birthday cake" just before the 9/11 attack." 

Joanne Jacobs, Academia tilts very far to the left: Restoring balance won't be easy. PJM's Cathy Salgado cites Carol Swain: ‘Academic Standards Have Been Compromised’. Roger Simon, How to Avoid Indoctrination at Any U. S. College or University. Campus Reform, University of Richmond offers ‘Queer Bible’ course for students to study ‘queer pleasure in the Bible’, because of course they do.  Amac, GOP Must Embrace Anti-Woke Backlash Among Young Men. 

Dave Strom hears Fairfax County Mom Speaks for All Good Parents.

pic.twitter.com/FNVjvRh2lP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2025

From the College Fix, Some San Diego parents balk as tampon machines installed in 3rd-5th grade boys’ bathrooms. Da Caller, ‘Fauci’ Filmmaker Brags About Raising Transgender 11-Year-Old Under ‘Threat’ Of Trump’s Policies. At Hat Hair John Sexton, World Athletics Mandates Cheek Swabs to Protect Female Sports and Dave Strom, LGBT Group to Self-Harming Kids: Don't Stop, Just Use Clean Razor Blades. 

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Short Week up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - More of the SOS

I fail to see a signature issue in yesterday's detritus. Rasmussen reports Trump retain popularity despite the media's best efforts, The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove. Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "We need to move as if we have two years, not four, and as much of that as possible needs to happen between now and December." Quote Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC "We have less than four years to try and fix what the communists have destroyed. It’s gonna take speed and focus all four years."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, FOLLOW THE MONEY: Is This the Real Reason the Left Is Freaking Out About the Department of Education? "Sure, the Left may not trust President Trump to reassign all the department’s functions to other parts of the federal government, but this sort of restructuring hardly represents the death knell of public education. It does, however, represent a serious threat to the big national teachers unions, and those teachers unions are part of the Left’s funding apparatus." Michael Goodwin at NYPo says Cash is king at America’s lefty universities — and Trump is hitting them where it hurts/ Campus Reform reports 40% of $1.8 trillion student loans are late on payments as Trump seeks to abolish Dept. of Ed. Better than I would have thought.

Sundance at CTH grins as President Trump Announces Secondary Tariff Regime Against Nations Who Purchase Venezuelan Oil. Drew Berquist,  Trump Slaps 25% ‘Secondary Tariff’ on Countries Fueling Venezuelan Regime.  Possibly related, Ward Clark at RedState observes Venezuela Opens the Skies, Will Resume Accepting Repatriation Flights From United States. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair says Sure, No One Likes The Tariffs, But... "Have you taken a look around today at what's going on? Things are going rather well, economically-speaking. Sure, the stock market didn't like the uncertainty of the impact of tariffs at all, tanking for the better part of a month. But if one just ganders at the economic development and investment committed to begin in the United States due to the threat of tariffs, it's staggering when you start looking at all the zeros after the crooked numbers. There are going to be trillions of dollars flowing into America...trillions that would have remained working against American workers and taxpayers had the election gone a different direction last November." At Breitbart, Rolls-Royce Planning to Shift Production to United States to Avoid Trump Tariffs: Report. Am Mil News sees Canada frantically funding military amid Trump threats: Report. 

John Sexton at Hat Hair wonders Why Was the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg Added to a Signal Chat About Bombing Yemen? I suspect a mole. Jen O'Connell at RedState, BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Addresses Atlantic Story DOD Rapid Response @DODResponse, "@SecDef response to the @TheAtlantic article…. “You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited “so-called journalist”"

At TAG, Trump Administration Backs Away From Guns As ‘Public Health Crisis’ "In a move that should delight American gun owners, the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has removed former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 40-page advisory declaring so-called gun violence as a “public health crisis.”"

WUWT on the Left torching Teslas. "That’s right, the same folks who scolded that the world will “burn” unless the government forces every one of us to buy an EV or stop driving, are now torching the world’s best EVs with Molotov cocktails." pipermcq @pipermcq, "It’s the last play left in their playbook: 1. Lose. Bigly. 2. Complain. A lot. 3. Launch their law drones for counter-loss lawfare. 4. Lose said lawfare suits. Bigly. 5. Send goons. Blow shit up. Riot. Cause chaos. 6. Campaign on “stopping the chaos” in the midterms." Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "Just MINUTES before I joined @willcain on Fox News today, I received another call from the FBI about the swatting incident involving my family KASH AND BONGINO ARE NOT MESSING AROUND Instead of wasting resources hunting down J6 grandmas, this FBI is after REAL criminals THANK YOU Directors Patel and Bongino! This means a lot to our families." Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Steve Scalise nearly killed. Two assassination attempts on Donald Trump's life. Teslas getting firebombed as we speak. But Mark Barabak wants to make sure you know it's Trump's fault that Eric Swalwell has to have a security guard." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Imagine for a second that an organization existed that carefully and deliberately planned and executed the firebombing and destruction of a certain brand of automobiles and its dealerships, and the support infrastructure for that brand, with the purpose of such attacks being to extort others into silence and submission. Back in the day we would have considered that a criminal conspiracy (in all likelihood under RICO laws), and we would have arrested and prosecuted the leaders of that rogue, terrorist organization. Guess what? You don't have to imagine. That organization exists today and it's called the "Democrat Party."" Shadow of Ezra @ShadowofEzra, "President Trump drops a major hint that he may already know who's funding the left-wing terrorists attacking Tesla nationwide. He suggests these backers could be familiar figures—people he personally knows and the media glorifies—implying they are high-profile individuals who will face serious consequences. Attorney General Pam Bondi also announced that the DOJ will pursue the d*ath penalty for violent criminals. Everything seems to be connected." 

General Mike Flynn@GenFlynn, "This is precisely what is happening. #WeThePeople want @elon to move even faster. We want @DOGE to keep exposing and keep shutting down as much as you can and return the power back to the people and to a lesser degree, the states. The federal government has accumulated way too much power at the top and it is all done to benefit those political and corporate elites at the top of the pyramid." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the quiet part out loud. The resistance to Elon Musk’s DOGE in DC is because lobbyists want our tax money “to keep flowing into their pockets” “I am completely aligned with what Elon's doing”" @instapundit @instapundit "Several dozen people protested @elonmusk in front of the Pru in Boston today. Chant: “Elon, Elon your stock’s in trouble, we’re gonna burst your Tesla bubble “ apparently unaware of Tesla’s actual stock movement. Also lots of Ukraine flags and masks for some reason." Ace, Fire-Alarm-Pulling Ex-Congressman Jamaal Bowman Calls Elon Musk a "Thief" and "Nazi;" Musk Vows to Sue. "Sue them and discover the coordinated and paid nature of the Soros-controlled Color Revolution."

Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Bureaucrats Don't Understand the Trump-Musk Relationship, nor are they willing to try. "Enter Elon Musk, one of the few people President Trump knows who is a LOT wealthier than he is (another bonding point) and — most importantly — a man free of Swamp taint. The very idea of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was never going to work with a politician and/or bureaucrat in charge." PJM's Mat Margolis wonders Is This the Next Government Agency To Get the Axe? BATF. Good. ET reports the US Postal Service Cuts 50 Million Work Hours, Closes Facilities to Save Billions of Dollars. "The agency has been facing considerable losses over the past years, and is currently working with DOGE to improve efficiency." VodkaPundit at PJM, DOGE: IRS Still Can't Hit This 1996 Deadline, but at Least the Consultants Got Rich. Elon Musk@elonmusk, "Accurate statement" Quote Austen Allred @Austen, "The crazy thing about government spending is they’ll have 10x the number of employees that is necessary then also outsource everything for 100x what something should cost." From WUWT, EPA Internal Watchdog Peeks Under The Hood Of $7 Billion Biden Solar Program. "Some of the states that received massive checks from the Solar for All program happen to be among the least-sunny states in the U.S." Dave Strom at Hat Hair wonders about Australian Universities in Crisis Mode After US Budget Cuts? Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "HOLY CRAP Obama pretended to send USAID money to aid foreign countries but was actually funneling it to Cayman Islands to be used for “Rent-a-Riots”" So, business as usual? Maine Wire reports a Somali-American Received Millions in U.S. Taxpayer Dollars, MaineCare Funding While Claiming to Bankroll Jubaland Militia. Insty, THERE’S A LESSON HERE: "The Dumbest Investment in the World Was Better Than Owning Safe Treasurys: Argentina’s century bond defaulted but ended up a winner, an important lesson for investors. Investors who bought Argentina’s 100-year dollar bond were laughed at in 2017 for their naiveté in buying such a long bond from a serial defaulter. Sure enough, the country failed to pay after just three years. But investors who stuck with the country are having the last laugh. The bonds they were given in the default, plus the fat coupons on the original century bond, are now worth more than the original investment. Not just that: They are worth far more than if the dollars had been invested in “safe” U.S. Treasurys. The turnaround in the Argentina bonds was due to President Javier Milei taking a chain saw to the bloated Argentine state, while managing to maintain his popularity." 

From Fox, Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments in high-profile deportation suit involving Venezuelan nationals "Last week, Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador." The hearing was held, and the outcome looks dicey. Ultimately it will end up at the Supreme Court. Western Lensman @WesternLensman "DISGUSTING” — Tom Homan responds to judge saying “n*zis were given better treatment” than deported gang members: "That's ridiculous. Just another example of a radical judge saying something that's just disgusting. To compare anything to the N*zis. The Holocaust…We’re following the law...To compare that any way with N*zis is disgusting at every level." Matt Margolis, Anti-Trump Judge Makes Another Outrageous Ruling and New Dirt on Judge Boasberg Raises More Questions. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "BREAKING: Judge James Boasberg has denied the Trump administration's request to lift his order blocking the deportations of Venezuelan illegal aliens via the Alien Enemies Act. He writes that there is a "strong public interest in preventing the mistaken deportation of people based on categories they have no right to challenge." Per colleague @davidspunt, the Circuit Court may be persuaded to overturn judge Boasberg later today, and would have the right to do so." NewsMax, Judge Keeps Block on Some Venezuela Deportations. John Solomon and Jerry Dunleavy at JTN report the Judge who blocked Trump deportations took junket to event with anti-Trump speakers, sponsor, "For better or worse, judges are often themselves judged by the company they keep." Ace, Judge Who Blocked Trump's Deportations Took Junket With Anti-Trump Sponsor and Anti-Trump Speakers, "But of course he refuses to recuse himself." Elon Musk@elonmusk, "He has a villainous look to him" Quote Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "ACTIVIST JUDGE BOASBERG CLAIMED J6 DEFENDANTS DESERVED HARSHER CHARGES — CALLED FOR "NEW LAWS" TO PUNISH THEM. In a shocking 2023 speech to law students, Judge James Boasberg — who ruled over many January 6th cases — openly admitted the law wasn’t harsh enough to punish x.com/MarioNawfal/st…Show more" Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland "BREAKING: Trump Administration tells Judge in Alien Enemies Act case it will provide him no more information re the flights etc. and is exercising the State's Secret doctrine. 1/  2/ Key to Trump's argument is this point: Given Trump hasn't contested they landed and were deplaned after order issued there is no need for court to know any other details." At TownHall, Kurt Schlichter is pretty unsympathetic to The Agony of John Roberts "Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised. He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited. He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true. I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in." 

The Researcher @listen_2learn "Norm Eisen accidentally told the truth that Judge Juan Merchan was part of his Bragg lawfare team. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he messed up. I previously posted that Norm appeared to say that he was writing documents for the judge. If true, that means Norm created the Bragg case, he worked with the witness Michael Cohen, and he worked with the judge. Seems illegal to me."

Shadow of Ezra@ShadowofEzra, "New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba delivers a major update on the Jeffrey Epstein criminal case, revealing that investigators are meticulously reviewing flight logs to determine who was on the island—without making assumptions. To those demanding immediate arrests, Habba urges patience, explaining that the process requires thorough evidence review to ensure accountability is achieved properly. She vows they will handle it the right way." LifeZett reports Epstein Files Incoming: ‘FBI Working Around the Clock’ After Patel, Bongino Push. 

Insty, YEAH, THIS IS PRETTY ASYMMETRIC: Robert Barnes @barnes_law, "No BigLaw Trump firms exist." Quote PoIiMath @politicalmath, "The next time a Democrat is President, will they strip the security clearance from all the Big Law Republican firms who sue the administration x.com/hugolowell/sta…" But they might in 4 years. 

At Politico, We Dug Into the Polls. Democrats in Congress Should Be Very Afraid. "Democratic voters are even angrier than you think." Ace, "They Hate Us:" The Democrat Base is Revolting. I Mean, They've Always Been Revolting. Now They're Rebelling. "Politico: Poor Democrats!" VodkaPundit, Dems Admit They're in 'Deepest Hole in Nearly 50 Years,' and Is It Too Early for Champagne? Way too early. Dave Strom at Hat Hair asserts Democrats Have Lost the Youth Vote. Jeff Charles at TownHall, New Poll Shows Democratic Voters Still Haven't Learned Their Lesson. Kamala leads their polls. Bob Spencer at PJM, Good News! The New York Times Has Found Its Candidate for 2028! AOC! Beege Welborn at Hat Hair says Gird Yer Loins: Progs Schedule April 5 as Nationwide 'Day of Stompy Feet and Waah'. 

Stacy McCain is impressed that Chuck Schumer Tells the Truth? "Ed Morrissey is having a gloat about Chuck Schumer’s appearance Sunday (Best News Ever From Schumer: I'm Not Quitting) on Meet the Press, where Kristen Welker challenged him: “Leader Schumer, are you feeling pressure to step down?” To which Schumer replied. “Look, I’m not stepping down.” And this is gloat-worthy, because Schumer has become toxic with the Democratic Party’s “progressive” grassroots since he punted on his previous threat of a government shutdown. However — wow, how did this ever happen? — I feel a need to say a few words in defense of Schumer. . . " At Da Fetched, Stephen Miller Annihilates Adam Schiff on Live TV: “Everything He Stands for Is a Lie” 

Decoding Fox News @DecodingFoxNews, "Sean Hannity wanted Alan Dershowitz and Gregg Jarrett to bolster Trump's plans to try to negate Biden's pardons. They both confirmed that the use of an autopen is perfectly legal and acceptable. According to Dershowitz a presidential pardon doesn't even have to be in writing." Again, it matters who authorized the autopen. 

Breitbart has the  Video: Rosie O’Donnell Goes Full Election Denier, Claims Musk Stole 2024 for Trump. Nicole Silvero at Da Caller notes Far-Left ‘Morning Joe’ Panelist Wants Dems To ‘Eliminate’ All Voter Registration Laws To Help Party Win Elections, Elie Mystal. Pretty much the party platform. 

Nate Hochman @njhochman "The left-wing NGOs are a great fifth column in the West today. They're behind every crisis that has plagued our civilization in recent memory: Mass migration. Censorship. Riots. Urban crime. Pull back the curtain, and you'll find the same names and groups, time and time again." Quote Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt "Across the West, our civilization is threatened by a radical network of NGOs. These groups lie behind almost every crisis of our time—from mass censorship to mass migration." John Kass explains How the New York Times is Killing America. Ace, CBS Ran a Fact-Check on the Claim that Boston Is Setting Illegal Alien Child R*pists Free on $500 Bail. Their Conclusion? It's All True (But We're Going to Pretend It's False.) "Bill Melugin with some of the lowlights of Boston's Pedophile Protection Racket." Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "“Omg they can’t just ban Pharma commercials, what about free speech?!” Bitch, when’s the last time you saw a cigarette commercial?"

Ace, As Predicted, Snow Woke Is Another Costly, Shareholder-Value-Destroying Flop for Propaganda Corporation Disney. "I know you are as sick of this movie as we were sick as Biden. I think this is one of the last posts I'll be doing about it. It "won the weekend," though a weekend without a single major-film competitor." Brad Slager at RedState, As Disney's 'Snow White' Performed Even Worse Than Predicted, Some Curious Data Is Found in the Details. 

Deadline tried to place blame for this implosion on conservative audiences, the implication being that the movie was unfairly targeted. They looked into how the movie performed in politically red counties across the country versus blue counties, expecting to see a stark divide and lay the blame on an anti-woke sentiment; instead, an eye-opening detail emerged.Looking at past averages in those conservative-versus-liberal locations it was found that “Snow White” actually performed slightly better than historical levels in those red areas against those traditional percentages.

Family and animated movies’ ticket sales come from 63% Blue counties and 37% Red counties while their attendance stems from 60% Blue counties and 40% Red counties. That means that Snow White with 40% ticket sales and 43.5% admissions from Red county-based cinemas overindexed in such locations.

What this revealing detail means is that the studio has lost its ability to spin this as a social backlash. Disney cannot dismiss this as an intolerant reaction when its film performed below expectations with its dependable blue locations. Coupled with the diminished interest in international territories, this is a sign that the product quality was the issue. Anti-woke backlash is no longer an excuse when the avoidance by audiences was across the spectrum.

Joanne Jacob reports  DEI double take. "In The DEI Catch-22, Atlantic writer Rose Horowitch confirms what I suspected: During the Biden administration, researchers were under pressure to add language on "diversity" and "equity" to grant applications. Now, under the Trump administration, they fear DEI verbiage will doom their research funding."

At the College Fix, Some San Diego parents balk as tampon machines installed in 3rd-5th grade boys’ bathrooms "“It’s absolutely ludicrous,” said Marci Strange, chairwoman of the North San Diego County-based Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students, or TOPS."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Sunday Night Loungewear and FMJRA 2.0: A Short Week up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump and Putin Talk Ceasefire

From ET, Trump Holds Call With Putin on Cease-Fire. "Ahead of the call, Trump said that ’many elements’ of the cease-fire plan had already been agreed to by Russia." Cathy Salgado at PJM hears Trump Declares Putin Phone Call a Yuge Success. Da Mail says Trump and Putin agree 30-day Ukraine partial ceasefire after two-hour phone call... as key detail in talk hints at new world order. Sundance at CTH, After Lengthy Phone Call Russian President Putin Agrees to 30-Day Ceasefire Proposal Beginning With Energy and Infrastructure Cessation. At RCD, A Moral and Strategically Sound Strategy in Ukraine. From the Beeb, Germany votes for historic boost to defence spending.

At PJM, VodkaPundit hears  The Houthis Want to Sink an Aircraft Carrier and Can't Stop Laughing. US Naval Institute, Houthis Attempt Attack on Carrier Harry S. Truman After U.S. Strikes in Yemen. Turn them into grease stains. PJM's Scott Pinsker hopes Iran and Chuck Schumer Are About to Be Destroyed.

Driscoll at Insty sees GREAT MOMENTS IN ASTROTURFING: Ian Miles Cheong@stillgray, "Libs are making fake MAGA accounts to post about how they’re disappointed with Trump. This is happening more and more, and you even see some people who pretend to be right-wing doing nothing but blackpilling and countersignaling Trump and DOGE over every little thing. Trump is over the target." From TNP, Treasury Secretary Bessent Rips Into Mike Pence over tariffs. At LifeZette, Trump’s Economic Strategy Leads to Massive Egg Price Decline Just in Time for Easter. At Da Wire, Bill Maher Shuts Down Don Lemon’s Racist Comments About Black Trump Supporters, "Maher responded, saying that black Trump supporters would "find that very insulting." WokeSpy, hears Linda McMahon Shares “Final Mission” For Dept. Of Education. Paula Bolyard at PJM, notes Trump Releases JFK Assassination Files. Promise made, promise kept. Liz Shield at Am Great, Morning Greatness: Trump Releases JFK Assassination Files. So, it's a lot of material to go through, but have they found anything yet? Collin Rugg@CollinRugg, "Newly released JFK files tell a story about how Gary Underhill, who worked for the CIA, was found dead after he revealed to friends that the CIA was responsible for JFK’s assassination. “The day after the assassination, Gary Underhill left Washington in a hurry. Late in the evening he showed up at the home of friends in New Jersey. He was very agitated.” “A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the assassination, he confided, and he was afraid for his life and probably would have to leave the country.” “Less than six months later Underhill was found shot to death in his Washington apartment. The coroner ruled it suicide.” It could be a coincidence, but . . . 

From Twitchy, Drama Queen Alert! NPR Reporter Who Bonked Trump With a Boom Mic 'Driven Into Hiding'. WokeSpy, Trump-Hating NPR Journalist Identified as Reporter Behind Boom Mic Incident. "Her name is Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka. She is the newly appointed White House reporter for NPR and a massive Trump hater and LGBTQ advocate who once suggested during the 2024 campaign that Trump only spoke in Howell, Michigan because it has ties to the KKK. Did she hit President Trump in the face on purpose?"

New Trump reaction gif just dropped 😂 pic.twitter.com/CiOt2M1RaX

— Politi_Rican 🇵🇷 𝕏 🇺🇸 (@TheRicanMemes) March 14, 2025

Nick Sortor @nicksortor " #BREAKING: San Jose Police just announced they have ARRESTED the man who went viral for keying a Tesla, charging him with FELONY VANDALISM FAFO! SJPD’s Chief said “this senseless crime and its subsequent consequences should serve as a clear reminder: no matter one's personal beliefs or frustrations, they do not justify illegal actions.” Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "#BREAKING: Pam Bondi announces an ARREST has been made for throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Tesla showroom “They’re looking at up to 20 YEARS in prison.” “If you're gonna touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out, because we're coming after you.” CHARGE THEM WITH TERRORlSM!". Vicky Taft at PJM reports a Elon-Hating Tesla Trasher Is Arrested After Tesla Owners Bring Cops the Receipts. Catturd ™ @catturd2 "Another one. Oh no, now you’re about to be famous for all the wrong reasons." Quote Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Does anyone recognize this dude who keyed a Tesla at the Dallas airport?" Elon Musk @elonmusk "Encouraging destruction of Teslas throughout the country is extreme domestic terrorism!!" Quote Mario Nawfal@MarioNawfal, "TESLA OWNERS DOXED: SELL YOUR CAR OR STAY ON THE LIST A website called “Dogequest” has reportedly published the names, addresses, and phone numbers of Tesla owners across the U.S., complete with an interactive map and a Molotov cocktail cursor. The site claims it will only x.com/elonmusk/statu…Show more" Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Left Ramping Up the Domestic Terrorism Something Fierce. At Drew Berquist, Maddow Loses It Over Tesla Protests, Accuses Trump and Musk of ‘Illegal’ Threats [WATCH]. Western Lensman @WesternLensman "UNREAL: After Scott Jennings BLASTS Democrats for “systematic terrorism" against Elon and Tesla — — Neera Tandon answers with “people are legitimately upset” and Josh Rogin jokes that Teslas would just "fall apart" on their own anyway. JENNINGS: “What's going on with a guy who helps our country, who runs successful companies, who doesn't have to be doing this. And now one of his companies is under systematic terroristic threats and violence all over the country. And people seem to be laughing about it or fine with it." "It's outrageous. I've sat at this table and had people say we should cut Elon Musk from the government totally. He rescued our astronauts today. Is that what we want? The treatment of this guy is outrageous. These people who are doing this need to be found, put in jail and made an example of. That's my point." . . ." From Driscoll at Insty, a METAPHOR ALERT: Artist Crushes Tesla With Colossal Olmec Head Sculpture. If he, or a benefactor paid for it, no problem. But it would be pretty amusing if that huge lithium battery exploded and singed his ass. Mike Benz@MikeBenzCyber, "This guy just ran for Vice President of the United States 5 minutes ago and he’s campaign on killing the #7 largest company in the United States" Quote Tim Walz@Tim_Walz "If you need a little boost during the day, check out Tesla stock."

John Lucas at Bravo Blue calls Elon Musk — The Indispensable Man "As the country slouches toward financial ruin." DogeDesigner@cb_doge, "ELON MUSK: "One of the biggest scams we've uncovered is that the government can give money to so called non profit with very few controls and there's no auditing of that non profit."" PJMs Jeff Charles sees the irony as Police Escort DOGE Staffers to Enter Institute of Peace After Standoff. Nick Arama at RedState finds What the New FHFA Director Found When He Went to Work Is Astounding. A nearly empty building. "Pulte told Laura Ingraham that at Fannie Mae there were about 2,900 people who were supposed to work in the building, but that it turns out only about 49 were showing up full-time." Jeff Carlson @themarketswork, "Our tax dollars were stolen for the self-enrichment for DC elites. But even worse, they used our money to build an entire political infrastructure that was weaponized against us." Quote C3@C_3C_3, "Every penny DOGE and Elon is exposing as fraud is our money. Not the Government’s. It is money they took from your paycheck. It comes from your hard work. It’s stolen from you. The Dems do not want you thinking about it this way. It’s why they all must pay for their crimes. Show more."

Dem Senate leader Chuck Schumer mocks Americans who want to keep their hard-earned income and praises the government as a "barrier" to them:
"You know what their attitude is, 'I made my money all by myself. How dare your government take my money from me?' ... They hate… pic.twitter.com/vb4oDxPQ3V

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 18, 2025

NewMax opines Biden's Autopen Was a Mighty Big Sword. Matt Margolis thinks Biden’s Autopen Scandal Just Got a Whole Lot Worse. From Twitchy, Someone's SCARED! Adam Schiff Fires BACK at Trump Over Tweet VOIDING His J6 Pardon and WOW, That Was DUMB. Ace, Trump Looks to Remove Hunter Biden's Secret Service Protection. "Trump knows that any Democrat would do this to himself and his family. For crying out loud, Biden refused him Secret Service protection for as long as he could when Trump was the frontrunning candidate for president. And then he took protection away from Trump to task it with protecting Jill Biden who, we can now say, is not a doctor at all." Jerry Dunleavy at JTN reports Hunter Biden whistleblowers get promoted by Trump after Biden-era retaliation "The IRS agents who blew the whistle on the Biden administration's slow-walking of the federal investigation into Hunter Biden say they have been repeatedly retaliated against by their superiors. But now, the Trump administration is giving them a promotion." Mark Tapscott at Insty, sees VINDICATION FOR TWO IRS WHISTLEBLOWERS: "They blew the whistle on how the IRS and Justice Department were taking care of Hunter Biden. Their reward? Isolation, denigration, defamation, and much more, all of it debilitating. But now these two brave guys are being promoted to positions that enable them to have a major say in the reorganization of the tax agency. It’s a step toward justice." WUWT cites Da Caller, Biden Admin ‘Intentionally Buried’ Inconvenient Study To Justify Major Energy Crackdown, Sources Say.

John Sexton at Hat Hair hears The Progressive Base Wants Chuck Schumer Gone. Mark Tapscott reports CHUCK SCHUMER CENSORED: "Will his experience of being roundly denounced for not shutting down the federal government result in the Senate Minority Leader reconsidering his previous enthusiasm for the Left’s cancel culture? Richard Pollock takes a look and notes Schumer blocked Senate consideration of the Antisemitism Awareness Act passed by the House of Representatives." VodkaPundit at Insty says THIS IS SOLID ADVICE, DEMS. PLEASE HEED IT: Bonchie @bonchieredstate "Don Lemon saying that Democrats should put Jasmine Crockett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Eric Swalwell “out there” because that’s who “the people want” may be the most insane thing I’ve ever heard a media personality say. Just wild." Dave Catron at Am Spec asserts The Democratic Party Is Collapsing. "It is so consumed by TDS that there is literally no room left for any positive policy agenda." The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great wonders What Are the Left’s Solutions for the Problems They Created? "The U.S. faces mounting trade deficits, immigration crises, and endless foreign wars, while critics of Trump's policies offer no viable alternatives to Biden-era failures." They don't want solutions, they want power. Nicholas Fondacaro@NickFondacaro, "Whoopi admits ABC News's The View are part of the Democratic Party: "I don't know if you can wait for somebody to step up and lead the party. [Tim Walz] is not wrong when he says the party is us and what are we going -- what are we prepared to do?""

Chris Queen thinks The GOP Can Increase Its Margins in the Senate in '26 and '28. It Starts With These Two Seats. Georgia. Dan Chaitin at Da Wire, Here Are 26 House Democrats On GOP’s 2026 Midterms ‘Target List’. "NRCC unveils its "target list" in bid to grow majority." RCP says Duplicitous Hochul Strikes Again. Republicans Must Capitalize. Stalling on filling Stefanik's seat. At the Southern California Record, 'Not Election Week:' CA law giving mail ballots a week after Election Day to arrive is illegal, lawsuit says. Rob Henderson@robkhenderson, "Fascinating: White voters didn't shift at all in their voting preferences from 2016 to 2024, while nonwhite voters all shifted to the Republican side . . ."

At NewsMax, Trump Battles Judiciary Unafraid. Jay Town @JayTownAlabama," Did President Trump's Administration defy a judge's order to keep Venezuelans in the U.S.? Did Judge #Boasberg have the authority to issue such an order? Same answer to both questions. A thread:" At Althouse, "Just hours after President Trump called for the impeachment of a judge who sought to pause the removal of more than 200 migrants to El Salvador, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare public statement." "'For more than two centuries,' the chief justice said, 'it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.' Mr. Trump had called the judge, James E. Boasberg, a 'Radical Left Lunatic' in a social media post and said he should be impeached." Wake Up America @_wake_up_USA, BREAKING: Rep. Lauren Boebert announces that she will support an Impeachment resolution against Judge James Boasberg. Do you approve?" Sundance is happy President Trump Goes Scorched Earth on Judge Boasberg, Chief Justice John Roberts Defends Boasberg. Mollie @MZHemingway "You owe it to yourself to watch this. Excellent job by @StephenM explaining the issues, albeit to someone who seems to have trouble understanding them." Quote, Buck Sexton @BuckSexton, "Among the greatest debate ass kickings of all time at CNN, courtesy of @StephenM." Althouse is less enthralled, "There's a term in law: justiciable. This is not justiciable." "Stephen Miller instructs Kasie Hunt:" LifeZette reports a Soros-Linked Legal Firm is Behind Lawsuit to Block Trump’s Deportation of Illegal Alien Gang Members. Matt Vespa thinks Chief Justice Roberts Should've Kept His Mouth Shut. Scott McKay at Am Spec, This Mess Is of Your Own Making, Chief Justice Roberts. "Nobody voted for judicial supremacy, and it certainly wasn’t the Founder Fathers’ intent." Sean Davis @seanmdav "If John Roberts is going to spend his time issuing impotent press releases against Trump, as if he’s an MSNBC host or a Democrat congressional candidate, instead of doing his actual job of protecting the rule of law from lawless inferior court judges, then he is going to end up doing far more damage to the Court than anything a lone politician is capable of. All of our problems with the judiciary right now stem from a refusal of judges to understand their actual roles in government. James Boasberg is not the president, and John Roberts is not a member of Congress. The sooner they are made to understand this, the better it will be—both for them and the country." Sean Davis @seanmdav, "John Roberts can’t keep his own court’s clerks from illegally releasing decisions—an act that nearly led to the assassination of two of his own colleagues—but he’s going to lecture Trump on what he can and can’t post on Truth Social?" Sean Davis@seanmdav, "LOL. The entire judiciary has apparently decided to light itself on fire while John Roberts stands by mumbling to himself about how he’s protecting the sacred legal guild from Trump tweets." Quote, Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland "Court enters preliminary injunction ordering Trump Administration to keep transgender in military. 1/" Newt Gingrich @newtgingrich, "If Chief Justice Roberts wants to minimize attacks on out of control appointed leftwing district court judges abusing their role and claiming to be able to overrule the elected President of the United States on management details that are clearly within his role as defined by the Constitution and the Federalist Papers then he should intervene and overrule these absurd power grabs. The Chief Justice can defend the Court by overruling bad judges before the Executive and Legislative Branches start acting against them. The burden is on the Chief Justice not the President." A GROK conversation, If you were a federal district judge would you have power to rule on the alien enemies act or as the scotus ruled that the act is not a judicial review able issue? Thoughts: As a federal district judge, I would not have the power to rule on the Alien Enemies Act in the sense of reviewing the president’s determinations under it. The Supreme Court has ruled that the act, specifically the president’s actions pursuant to it, is not a judicially reviewable issue. This conclusion stems from precedent, notably the 1948 case Ludecke v. Watkins, where the Court held that the president’s authority under the Alien Enemies Act to apprehend, restrain, or remove enemy aliens during a declared war is a matter of executive discretion and not subject to judicial review. . . " Insty says OOPS: Western Lensman@WesternLensman, "LEFT: Joe Scarborough declares presidents like Joe Biden never screamed and yelled about ignoring judges. RIGHT: Joe Biden screams and yells about ignoring the Supreme Court."  

Althouse, "Democrats seem to have no ability to stop him... So that leaves the courts, but for the courts to hold Trump accountable, to stop Trump... ""... they need for people to bring lawsuits and matters before them. And the people best equipped to do that are the big law firms in Washington. But if those firms are afraid that if they enter that fight, they could lose all of their business, Trump is then essentially taking one of his biggest adversaries off the playing field.... There are other lawyers who can bring these matters and that are skilled, but the ones with the most horsepower are potentially being sidelined. I've been reporting on this for the past week and a half, and I've learned that the leaders of these law firms have gone back and forth with each other about what to do.... Privately, they will all tell me how horrific they think this is. But publicly, they're saying very little." Said Mike Schmidt, on "How Trump Is Scaring Big Law Firms Into Submission," today's episode of the NYT podcast, "The Daily" (link goes to Podscribe, with full transcript and audio)."

At Fox, Dan Bongino sworn in as FBI deputy director: 'Critical time for our nation.' Da Blaze reports an Exclusive: ‘Pelosi’s fixer’ at the Capitol on Jan. 6 an ‘unforgivable betrayal,’ friend says

From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, Enjoy The World’s Toughest Prison, Tren De Aragua Scumbags "It’s always interesting when two different topics I’ve covered converge in an unexpected way." Charles C. W. Cooke@charlescwcooke "Call me a squish, but I don’t see the problem with this. One group is full of violent, unkempt, semi-literate gang members who are easily drawn into terrorism. And the other is Tren de Aragua." Quote Curtis Houck@CurtisHouck, "Remember those pompous 'CBS Evening News' opens from Norah O'Donnell during the campaign? Tonight's with John Dickerson & Maurice DuBois comparing deported Tren de Aragua members to *Irish immigrants* who faced discrimination in the 19th century is worse . . . " The Pop Times hears Rubio Shuts Down CBS News Host, Crushes Her with These Three Words. Ace, Fort Myers City Council Members Openly Weep and Hold Hands When Asked to Authorize Police Cooperation With ICE, "Before getting to that: Biden low-balled the number of invaders he allowed to swarm into the country. Plot twist. The number of illegal invaders was double what Biden claimed." Mark Tapscott, NO, THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT SANCTION BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: "President Donald Trump’s recent executive order confronted head-on the myth that merely being born within the United States guarantees an individual U.S. citizenship, as Birthright Citizenship advocates claim. Rod Martin lays out a succinct and detailed presentation of the facts of the legal history of citizenship in the U.S. and in doing so makes it quite clear that merely being hatched here doesn’t a U.S. citizen make."

Driscoll at Insty, THE NEW YORK TIMES FINALLY COMES CLEAN ABOUT COVID: "It only took the newspaper five years to acknowledge what people had said since the beginning. . . . Funny how that keeps happening at the DNC-MSM."

At Campus Reform, Cornell offers 'person of color' exemption for flu vaccine requirement. But we are all colored, am I right? Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby, "Columbia covered up the fact that dozens of swastikas were found on campus by janitors. They then went after the janitors who complained, trying to silence them." Ace, Columbia Janitors Imprisoned By Pro-Hamas Terrorists File Lawsuit with the EEOC; Say That the Hamas Terrorists Drew So Many Swastikas on the Walls The Janitors Threw All the Chalk Away to Stop Further Swastika-Drawings "Oh, and they were reprimanded for doing that. While Columbia covered up, and continues covering up, the Nazi leanings of its leftwing anti-Jew students and the radicals they invite on to campus to ringlead mob violence."

Ace, Illinois School Administrators Force 13-Year-Old Girl to Undress In Front of "Trans" Identifying Boy, Committing a Sexual Violation of a Little Girl for the Sake of Trans "Inclusion," "This is sexual assault of a minor, and it needs to be prosecuted as just that" and notices a Vibe Shift: HBO's "White Lotus" Features Trump-Supporting Character Bullied by AWFLs and Dares to Mention That Some "Transgenders" Are Auto-Gynophiles Who Are Sexually Turned On By the Thought of Being Women. At Da Wire, Biden Department Of Veterans Affairs Provided Transgender Procedures Despite Ban, Documents Show. "The Biden VA worked to turn military men into women by providing a very different sort of prosthetic."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Week of Beatings up and garnering clicks at the Other McCain.