Flotsam and Jetsam - An Overview of the Wreckage

At substack, Insty does a big piece on Trump’s Next Act, "And America’s." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "When you lose a battle, you do not retreat in disarray. You conduct an orderly tactical withdrawal, refit and rearm, and COUNTERATTACK." PJM's Athena Thorne says Meh. 2008 Was Worse. At NYPo Michael Goodwin claims How Trump reacts to this shellacking will determine his legacy Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "Trump was elected to do politically difficult but necessary things. Securing the border is ugly. Fighting Iran is costly. Taking on special interests upsets donors. Backing AI scares people. Tonight, Republicans paid the costs. The benefits will be with us for many generations." and Most of the takes today are wrong and you can ignore. What to know: 1. Reagan lost both houses and 8 Senate seats in 1986. 2. Bush did the Iraq surge *after* losing 2006 midterms. 3. Oversight won't be pretty but accountability is useful. 4. Have a good day. It's a great country. At Hat Hair, Mark Judge calls it The End of Trump’s Punk Rock Presidency. Cecile Shaw @CecileShaw, "What happens if Trump loses the House and Senate? Clinton & Obama already set precedent. They weren't done at all in their last 2 years. Victor Davis Hanson explains: Clinton fell to 37% approval but left office at about 66%. ..." Sundance at CTH hosts President Trump Delivering Remarks from White House Following Midterm Election and A Midterm Election Message from Vice President JD Vance. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair cites Trump: 'I Thought They'd Do Better,' but I'll Work With Democrats. 

News Wax cites Vance: Iran War Drove Trump Voters to Democrats and hears Trump Blames Fox for GOP Losses, Hits Democrat Donations. At Althouse, "Vice President JD Vance, a potential 2028 presidential contender, broke sharply with the president in owning the failures of the administration’s policies.", "That's the WaPo subheadline, under the headline "Vance blames Republicans’ midterm losses on Iran war, cost of living" (gift link). Here, read Vance's post. It doesn't strike me as a "sharp break" from Trump. I see it as just analyzing the substance of yesterday's big losses:" At Insty, Vodka refers to JEN VAN LAAR: Vance’s Explanation for the GOP’s Midterm Disaster Is a Little Too Neat and Tidy. At Chapter and Verse, Dana Loesch explains What J.D. Vance Gets Wrong. At Hat Hair Dave Strom sees Vance Comes Out Swinging: End the War, Abandon Israel, and Love or Hate Trump, Candidate Selection Was a Problem – Again.

CBS crows about Trump asking advisers if Hegseth should stay after midterm losses, sources say. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair calls it Sacrifices to Angry Gods Time: Are They Going to Send Pistol Pete Packin'? Did he make major wrong choices in his pursuit of the Iran conflict? If so he should go, but don't do it just to assuage the mob. They won't be assuaged, they'll just taste blood. 

To be fair to Trump, the Republican congressional majority wasn't a lot of help. News Wax reports Johnson Stepping Aside, Setting Up House GOP Leadership Fight. Leader John Thune @LeaderJohnThune, "Over the last two years, Senate Republicans have put up a strong record of accomplishment that’s created safer streets, more money in Americans’ pockets, and new opportunities for families and businesses to get ahead. After fighting Democrat obstruction at every turn, we prevented the largest tax hike in American history, secured our border in an unprecedented way, confirmed the president’s Cabinet at the fastest pace in two decades, and put strong conservative judges on benches across the country faster than we have since the Reagan administration. ..." From Twitchy, Sen. John Thune Gets a ‘Hello’ From DataRepublican Over His Tone-Deaf Pep Rally Post. Harold__Finch @HaroldWren22, "No recess appointments. 230 outstanding appointments to confirm. Huge backlog of judges you failed to confirm. Failure to pass the save act. Six HUNDRED house bills sitting on your desk with no action. You’re a failure. And a disgrace." Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "Remember when the GOP gave Elon Musk a standing ovation in front of the American people... ...and then only voted on 1 DOGE cut, didn't defund the Taliban, gave $315 MILLION to a far Left group that DOGE defunded, and NEVER passed the SAVE ACT? I don't understand the GOP..." The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree, "Trump’s veto pen is now the only thing that stands between us and the complete Californication of America."

From Ace, The Wreckage, "Sorry for bailing last night. It was painful. It was a bloodbath. We're in a tough position now" and The Brutal Shifts in Demographic Groups That Doomed Us, "I started bolding the important parts but I stopped because it's all bold-faced important. Dmitri Bolt:" Sundance has some Initial Perspectives on Midterm Election Outcome. Conrad Black at RCP, Few Will Lament the End of This Midterm Campaign. Eric Florack at PJM, 'Marvin, What Do We Do Now?': Dems Wake Up to Their Bill McKay Moment. Hat Hair's John Sexton tells What the Exit Polls Say About Why Republicans Lost. Democrats did a good job of selling the affordability story. I doubt they can make good, but they'll blame Trump. Alexandriabrown @alexthechick, "(Long tweet warning) In which I anger everyone. 1. The Democrats won because the Democrat candidates persuaded more people that the Democrat positions would answer the problems that those people have. I can hear the instant but that's not true, those answers are not answers, they are actions that will compound the problems! Agreed. And the Republican candidates failed to persuade people that was the case..." Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "My only shred of hope to offer tonight: the left got wiped out this bad in the midterms multiple times and kept marching right through the institutions. So must we." 

Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "Understand the implications of what happened in Texas last night. Gina Hinojosa has called on Gov. Abbott to end state & local cooperation with ICE & she can order that on day one. Hinojosa voted against the 2017 SB 4 as a TX state rep. The bill was essentially a sanctuary cities ban and required TX law enforcement to cooperate with ICE detainers. She then voted against another SB 4 in 2023, which made it a state crime to cross illegally into Texas...."

Kyle Becker at RedState hears Abdul El-Sayed Gave His Victory Speech. He Said Something Absolutely Chilling. Roger Simon says Welcome to Europe!, "Not the one in your guidebooks."

TownHall's Jeff Charles predicts Democrats Have Some Horrible Things Planned for Trump Next Year. Ya think? Dave Strom hears Lawyer Up! Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "Guy who broke the law to come to America now wants to use the law to punish his political enemies. Sounds about right." Quote Congressman Robert Garcia @RepRobertGarcia, "LAWYER UP." John Sexton, Get Ready for the Investigations and cites Scott Galloway: We Should Execute Traitor Elon Musk. Ian McKelvey @ian_mckelvey, "This is what national socialism looks like." Quote Matt Binder @MattBinder, "arrest Elon Musk seize his factories nationalize SpaceX." The Manhattan Contrarian has "Saving Democracy" By Prosecuting Political Adversaries: A Roundup. Cam at BA worries about The Blue Wave's Hidden Threat to Gun Owners. It's not so hidden. PoIiMath @politicalmath, "The big headline is the GOP collapse but this is also the first big election where AI policy went to a vote and AI lost big." Quote Brad Carson @bradrcarson, "So the 41 datacenter moratoria across the country are, I predict, going to go 41-0. In nearly every case it's about 67-80% opposing datacenters. True in California, Ohio, everywhere. Read all the results here: https://dashboard-production-c2fc.up.railway.app."

Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "There is a very interesting mismatch between the elections for *candidates*, which effectively yielded a massive and historic sweep for the Democrats, and the *ballot initiatives*, almost all all of which yielded conservative outcomes, even in the deep blue states (but not VA)." Capt. Ed says Hmmm: Eight States Elect Dems – and Overwhelmingly Pass Voter-ID, Citizenship Laws. At Da Caller, Ohio Enshrines Voter ID Into State Constitution — And Elects A Democrat Who Opposes It. John Sexton, The California Wealth Tax Looks Dead. Dave Strom sees a Bright Spot in the Election: Biological Reality Won When It Was on the Ballot  So voters rejected conservative politicians, not conservative principles. Good to know.

Driscoll at Insty wishes GOODER AND HARDER, LA: Raman ousts Bass as Los Angeles mayor. "In other words, Los Angeles citizens have chosen the socialist who massively inflated their homeless population, rather than the socialist who burned their city down:" At Hollywood in Toto, How Hollywood Helped Fuel Tuesday’s Blue Tsunami. "Breitbart warned us politics is downstream of culture (did we listen?)."

John Lott at Da Fed notes The Media Won’t Tell You Felony Violent Crime Is Plunging Under Trump. From Shooting News Week, Trump Admin Experiment in Jailing and Deporting Criminals – While Gun Ownership Soars – Has Made Americans Safer. 

Driscoll calls it UNEXPECTEDLY: "Crude oil prices plummet a day after the election. And: Dow Jones surges 1,500 points in best day of 2026, S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally after historic midterm election." Businessmen like divided government; they do less to interfere. Breitbart Bus Dig reports Factory Demand for U.S. Labor Is Rising Sharply. 

Abroad, Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "The Bundeswehr in Poland? If I were commanding so much as a platoon of the Polish Army, I’d make it my business to put as many German “soldiers” upside down in garbage cans. Give them swirlies.* Pull their flecktarn jackets over their heads, and boot their heinies in the direction of Der Sausageland. Go full high school jock on them. This is not the Wehrmacht. And yes, the Russians are watching. * Polish soldiers. DM me if you need to know what a swirly is." Quote Konrad Berkowicz @KonradBerkowicz, Translated from Polish, "Democracy according to the European Union. German army in Poland. Ursula von der Leyen sends the German army to Poland. Donald Tusk gave his consent. The media are silent about this. The world must see this."  Beege Welborn is Paging Hank Johnson - Guam Flipped and Greenland Ratified the Trump Treaty, but can the Democrats still fuck that up out of spite?

Beege Welborn worries The Border Worries Begin Anew. Da Caller hears Trump ‘Will Never Allow For Mass Amnesty’ After Floating Working With Dems On Immigration. At Twitchy, THESE People South of the Border Sure Seem Invigorated by the Midterm Results. From CIS,  If Sanctuaries Demand ‘Judicial Warrants’, Give them Judicial Warrants. "‘ICE-Free Zones’ are saying, ‘Show me the crime, and I’ll show you the alien’ — so show them the U.S. Code crime, and highlight the federal jail time those aliens receive before being deported."

Still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 11.02.26 and  In The Mailbox: 11.04.26 (Morning Edition). "Well, that was unpleasant.Kurt Schlicter’s American Warlord is out. How timely."

Flotsam and Jetsam - What The He!! is John Thune Doing?

TownHall's Matt Vespa wonders What Is John Thune Doing? As little as possible, and obstructing House Republicans when he has the chance. "Now, with government spending back on the agenda and us set to run out of money on September 30, you once again disregard House Republicans, adding that you’ll pass your own continuing resolution with Democrats. John, THEY WANT A SHUTDOWN. Are you blind, deaf, and dumb?" Also, Speaker Johnson Had a Legislative Hat Trick Today While Thune Wants to Sell Out to Dems. Jen O'Connell at RedState, John Thune Just Stabbed Mike Johnson—and House Republicans—in the Back. I think it was in the front.

Amy Curtis at TownHall likes how Scott Jennings Humiliated a CNN Panel Following Revelations of New Jersey Voter Fraud. Nick Sortor @nicksortor, " HOLY CRAP! The identity services provider New Jersey uses at the DMV is FIRING BACK at Gov. Sherrill, saying the NJ DIVISION OF ELECTIONS were the ones who registered 6,600 foreign voters This was NOT a “software error.” This is a SCANDAL. “IDEMIA's role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system. The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections.” So the Division of Elections MANUALLY APPROVED over SIX THOUSAND foreigners to vote. They were not automatically registered by the software provider as the governor claimed. Time to come clean, @GovSherrillNJ!" From Ace, Software Firm at Center of NJ's Illegal Alien Voting Scandal: There Was No "Glitch," Our Softward Did Exactly What NJ Wanted It To Do. 1. Foreigners never vote in our elections. 2. A few foreigners vote in our elections, but it's not a problem. 3. Foreigners do and should vote in our elections. Democrats are at #2. NewBusters notices The View Claims No Election Has Ever Been Stolen Before Trump Speech.

At PJM, VodkaPundit envisions Puting passing the hat, Buddy, Can You Spare 1.5 Trillion Rubles? "that's exactly what happened last week when the Kremlin attempted to sell OFZs (like U.S. Treasuries), but buyers said Nyet! so hard that "Russia’s Finance Ministry pulled the plug" on bond auctions until further notice, Crypto Briefing and others reported this week." Sundance at CTH admits befuddlement as Zelenskyy Removes and Replaces Leading Military Officials "None of these moves by Ukraine President Zelenskyy make any sense against the background story of them having incredible success against Russia. You don’t replace the entire military leadership apparatus if things are going swimmingly." So Ukrainian politics are probably at play. He also hosts Promethean Action PAC Reviews Motive of Canada -vs- USA on Trade and Tariffs.

Sarah at Insty says I DON’T TRUST ANY NUMBERS THESE DAYS. HOW MANY OF THESE ARE ON THE GIG ECONOMY? "Shocking 105 million Americans are not working – more than during COVID or the Great Recession. They’d probably count me in this."

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Trump: Bridge and Power Day Has Arrived If Iran Attacks Shipping. John Hinderacker at Power Line approves of Trump’s New Iran Policy. Ace, Trump: Every Time Iran Fires on a Ship, We Will Destroy One Bridge or Power Plant, make that two. wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Eleven days into the US strikes on Iran the targets appear to be: 1. Iranian coastal targets; 2. Probable command and control centers and weapons sites. There isn't enough publicly available information to infer an implied purpose to these attacks. However their very anonymity suggests the targets are not symbolic, but rather obscure installations with an unpublicized military value. It would make sense but only if we had the secret map, which alas, we do not." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Douche reporter got owned attempting a gotcha." Quote "Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "JUST NOW — REPORTER: What will you say to the families today of the fallen troops? PRESIDENT TRUMP: "We love you. We love your child. That's what they are to them — their children. There's no games, no nothing. That's their child. All you can do is throw out your heart." PJM's Rick Moran appreciates The Exact Moment the Gates of Hell Opened for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

It concerns Jonathan Turley that Democrats Dismiss Our Constitutional Traditions as ‘Nostalgia’. Katya Sedgewick at the Everyman Commentary examines The DSA's Plan to Remake America. "In light of recent victories in New York by Democratic Socialists, it is important to appreciate how they are not shy about wanting to eradicate and remake our current government institutions." Sasha Stone has a short take on how The Democrats Have a Communist Problem. End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Hasan Piker framed the 9/11 front page This is an enemy of America." Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch, "Okay. I can accept this. If “The Nazi propaganda starts when people say Mao is worse than Hitler” as you say, then it’s not propagandistic to say that Mao was merely almost as bad as Hitler. Now, I think the “which genocidal murderer was the worst” game can get pretty stupid, because people often seem to think that coming in second or third to Hitler absolves mass murderers of any condemnation. ... Quote evan loves worf @esjesjes, Replying to @ProjectLiberal. "First of all you should look up the definition of genocide. Second of all the Great Leap Forward maybe killed around 40 million largely by accident. The Nazis killed like 55 million very much on purpose. The Nazi propaganda starts when people say Mao is worse than Hitler." Then Readers added context, "The 55 million figure represents total global casualties in WWII, not people killed directly and intentionally by the Nazi regime. Scholars estimate that victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution numbered around 11 to 17 million." Dave Bernstein at the Volokh explores How Did Support for International Humanitarian Law and Norms Morph into Support for Hamas and its Goals? Matt Vespa, There's Another Reason Why This Dem Rep Won't Seek Re-Election, but, of Course, CNN Buried It “There certainly were not people who were so anti-Israel when I started, and there are within the progressive caucus now,” Cohen said."

Hat Hair's John Sexton reads the Slantic: 'The DSA Is a Parasite' and Someone Should Say So. Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "Karl Marx & Frederick Douglass were both born in 1818. Marx grew up in comfort, Douglass in chains. Marx thought the world owed him more comfort; Douglass only demanded liberty, & he'd do the rest." Quote Ben Shapiro @benshapiro, "Unsurprising. The most resentful people in the US are those who believe they are owed everything and fail; the least resentful are those who were given nothing and achieve." Capt. Ed says Platner, Mamdani, Talarico, and Now AOC: Scratch a Commie, Find a Mommy paying the bills. Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "MSNBC host accidentally nails it… The far-left is driven by over-educated failures who can’t succeed in the real world, which is why they overwhelmingly hide in academia, NGOs and push socialism." Quote Chris Hayes @chrislhayes Replying to @NateSilver538, "The most left wing people in America are people with post graduate degrees who are financially strapped and the most right wing are people without 4 year college degrees who are rich." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "As I’ve said…the socialist trend is for privileged dorks with enough family wealth to squander a decade as a perma-student, but not enough talent to actually achieve anything. Educated beyond their intelligence." Quote Nate Silver @NateSilver538 "Income and education are usually positively correlated. But sometimes the relationship breaks down. What's the most Democratic voting group in America? People with post-graduate degrees but lower-to-middle incomes."

From Da Wire, The Islamist-Marxist Takeover Of Middle America. "El-Sayed is the inevitable political result of Michigan’s multi-decade experiment with mass Muslim immigration." Beege Welborn says I'm Not Sure Democrats Need the Commie-Hamas Wing of the Party to Help Sink Them. Capt. Ed, About Last Night: DSA Flops in AZ As Trump Ascends. John Sexton, Democrats Have a Massive Cash Problem. They ran out of OPM? Rick Moran hears GOP Has Twice the Cash on Hand for Midterms as Democrats. It's Actually Worse Than That. The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great throw cold water on The Left-Wing Unicorn Hunt for the White Male Working-Class Voter. "Democrats can't win back the white working class with staged populism while embracing the policies and elites that drove those voters away."

At Da Wire, Trump Official Throws Cold Water on Mamdani’s Netanyahu Promise, "The arrest of Netanyahu has been a fantasy of New York's Democratic Socialist Mayor since before his election in 2025." Jim Geraghty at NRO hears Mamdani Finally Admits He Can’t Arrest Bibi. Noam Blum @neontaster, "I get why Mamdani thought becoming mayor made him the generalisimo president of New York. Growing up in a fancy Ugandan compound with its own private militia will do that to a person." Dr. Maalouf @realMaalouf, "Shocking data reveals: 95% of Zohran Mamdani’s engagement comes from foreign, mostly Islamic nations. 60% from Pakistan alone. How is this not considered foreign influence?" At TIME, What We Know About Mamdani’s First Planned City-Owned Grocery Stores. I didn't realize TIME still existed. The Manhattan Contrarian is suffering, Rolling Blackouts Hit New York. I'm sorry for you, but your fellow New Yorkers voted for them. Have you considered moving someplace sane?

At Twitchy, ActBlue Fraud Hits El-Sayed Campaign: 88yo No-Computer Granny ‘Donated’ $150K (and 47 Times). ActBlew is up to its old tricks. 

Law and Liberty has an essay on California’s Road to Serfdom. The Victory Girls observe that Jennifer Seibel Newsom is Earning Side Eye Even From Democrats. Cathy Salgado at PJM, Robert Kennedy Pauses Medicaid Funds for Fraud-Riddled California, Minnesota.

From the Free Bacon, Appeals Court Affirms 5-Year Prison Term for Source who Leaked Tax Info to NY Times and ProPublica, "IRS leak was ‘attack on our constitutional democracy,’ with aim ‘to influence an election through illegal activity’" Stacy McCain discourses On Lawyers, Samoans and Journalism.

Paul Sperry@paulsperry_ "The New York Times claims: "We acknowledge mistakes in our reporting with corrections. If you spot an error, please let us know at corrections@nytimes.com." OK, we spotted a big one in 2018. It's your Pulitzer submission for the Russiagate hoax you perpetuated. Will you correct it?:

Good news from WaEx, ICE and CBP averaging 1,593 arrests per day, highest since Trump took office.

Greg Lukianoff at The Eternally Radical Idea thinks Administrators — not just DEI administrators — are the biggest threat to free speech on campus "There is no way out of the current academic freedom and free speech crisis on campus while universities remain as bureaucratized as they are." From Fox, Elite universities face federal cash squeeze over millions tied to China-linked entities. "Donors include firms tied to the Chinese military and a Beijing research institute appearing on two government watchlists." You can take US money or Chinese money but not both. 

Show us on the doll where the 78 degree summer day touched you. https://t.co/EyrJdNfAy1

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 22, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - Govt Goes into 'Shut-down Lite'

Did you notice? About half the Federal government has gone into the usual shutdown mode (essential workers only, with retroactive pay, and presumably retroactively paid vacation for the rest) until the House and Senate come to an agreement that mollifies the usual suspects, mostly Democrats opposed to ICE (which is already funded by the BBB!), and a few silly Republicans willing to let the perfect be the enemy of the good (I'm looking at you, Rand Paul). From NewsNation, Trump on partial shutdown: ‘Hopefully enough people will use their heads’, not a safe bet. "Multiple federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Homeland Security (DHS) and others, saw their funding lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday, launching the government into another temporary shutdown. Senators raced to pass a major funding package consisting of five regular appropriations bills and a two-week stopgap measure for DHS by the Friday night deadline. But it still needs approval in the House, which is not set to return to Washington until Monday. Democrats had pledged to block the full $1.2 trillion package over objections to the DHS funding portion, which included an additional $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)." Ryan King at NYPo, Mike Johnson ‘confident’ gov’t shutdown will end Tuesday – as he shoots down Dem demands. unseen1 @unseen1_unseen, "The trump economic plan is working. Tariffs, deregulation, tax cuts, rate cuts, illegal immigration crackdown, energy build out." Quote Truflation @truflation, "US CPI inflation dropped significantly today from 1.24% to 0.86% in our independent price data, the lowest since 2020. Truflation US CPI today: 0.86% Y/Y. The biggest downward drivers were: 1. Utilities down -0.13% 2. Clothing -0.08%, 3. Housing -0.05%, 4. Transport -0.05%, 5. Food -0.04% " At Da Signal, ‘Substantial Refunds’ Coming to Taxpayers Soon, Senior Treasury Official Says. At Fox, Doug MacKinnon opines on The most unique thing Trump could do with stolen money recovered from blue states "Trump administration should create a lottery system to aid disadvantaged citizens." I don't like it. There should be nothing random about who gets it. From CJ, Trump’s Fed Pick Could Be Just What the Central Bank Needs "If he acts in harmony with his past statements, Kevin Warsh could restore the Fed’s integrity and independence."

USA Today, I'm a conservative. I want a whole lot more John Fettermans. "Fetterman's nuance on Noem, DHS funding vote is refreshing"

Democrats are still praying for the pony under the pile of Epstein horse shit. Nick Arama at RedState, About Those 'Tips' on Trump and Epstein in Latest Files Dump. "as with anything that the left spreads about Trump, there's a big catch they leave out. These are what one might kindly term "random nutter" contacts, meaning there's no evidence to support any of the claims. That's why I'm not going to post them. Even the NY Times is showing some sense for once, and they're not even going there. For example, one claim involved the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1995-1996. Yet the golf course didn't even exist then, which puts a small crimp in the claim. But that hasn't stopped folks on the left from spreading it." NYPo, Trump threatens to sue Michael Wolff, Epstein estate — and insists fresh document dump absolves him.

Fortune reads the tea leaves, Top energy expert says probability the U.S. will attack Iran soon is 75% as risk of major disruption to oil supply is priced in — ‘this one is real.’ Sundance at CTH hosts Sunday Talks – Venezuela Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Discusses Her Goals and Objectives. From News Wax, US May Make a Deal on Cuba, Trump Says, "I think, you know, we’ll be kind.”

PJM's Matt Margolis likes how the ‘Melania’ Movie Humiliates Critics and Media Naysayers with Historic Box Office. "Over at Rotten Tomatoes, the film earns a mere 6% from critics, but a stunning 98% from fans." At TownHall, Kevin McCullough compares Melania vs. Hillary. From NYPo, Trump announces two-year closure of Trump Kennedy Center for major renovations. No skin off my nose. 

Larry Elder at Hat Hair has a fun 12 Question Quiz: What 'Fascist' 'Xenophobe' 'Tyrant' Said This?

Scott Pinsker at PJM notes The Two Agents Who Shot Alex Pretti Have Been Doxxed — and Liberals HATE Their Names! Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry @pegobry_en, "Your multiracial working class coalition, sir:" Quote Thomas Chatterton Williams @thomaschattwill, "The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. https://propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez" NBC reports DOJ opens a civil rights probe into Alex Pretti's fatal shooting in Minneapolis, deputy AG says, ""We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday." PM points out this poll, JUST IN: 92% of likely GOP voters approve of Trump, 93% approve of deportations after Pretti shooting. CBS abets a criminal, Agents were pursuing an immigrant when they killed Alex Pretti. Now, he shares his story. "I think, maybe if I hadn't gone to that place, or I don't know, a little later or a little earlier, I mean, that never would have happened," Huerta Chuma told CBS News during a phone interview conducted in Spanish."

At the Victory Girls Don Lemon: Invading Church Services Is Journalism. From NYPo, Don Lemon needs to choose —journalist or agitator, he can’t be both. Marc J. Randazza @marcorandazza, "The FACE Act was a great compromise. The left wanted people to be able to get abortions in peace. I think that’s fair. We wanted to go to church in peace. That’s fair. And the left agreed in large part because they probably thought “what kind of a banshee goblin fucktard would want to go and start intimidating people from going to church?” They felt like they gave up nothing. Fast forward and they’ve become such a bunch of nose ring gothapottamus lunatics that they can’t even leave churches alone." Douglass Mackey @douglassmackey, "My passport was confiscated by DOJ for 4.5 years. J6ers charged with misdemeanors were given pre-trial house arrest. Tim Hale was held in solitary confinement pre-trial for 18 months. And a MN federal judge just granted Don permission to take his annual vacation in France." At PM, disgust that Hollywood celebs give Don Lemon a STANDING OVATION at Grammy gala after arrest for storming church. At Althouse, "I've got nothing but respect for Don Lemon's husband." "Do you see that man's face?" Commenter Wilbur says Yeah, I remember the look on my father's face every time he had to bring my mother home from jail or prison. Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "This should be in the ellipses hall of fame." Quote Ted Lieu @tedlieu, "Replying to @B2BFCM and @WhiteHouse
“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Frank J. Fleming @IMAO_, "Did he just yada yada freedom of religion?"

Sundance hosts DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Discussing Minneapolis Chaos Amid Ongoing ICE Operations. News Wax, Trump Orders DHS to Avoid Protests in Democrat-Led Cities Without Federal Request, let 'em burn. Hat Hair's Josh Hammer calls it The Rise of the New Confederacy. "In essence, Ellison and his Minnesota's Democratic Party leadership confreres argue that the constitutional federalism articulated in the Tenth Amendment and its corollary of "states' rights" can shield the Land of 10,000 Lakes from the long enforcement arm of federal immigration law. Ellison and Minnesota Democrats claim that by declaring their state and cities to be illegal alien "sanctuaries," they can "nullify" federal immigration law. Stop me if you've heard that one before." At Da Caller, LAPD Says It Will Not Enforce Gavin Newsom’s Mask Ban For ICE Agents. Fox, Seattle mayor pushes local police to track, investigate ICE agents' enforcement activities, "Mayor Katie Wilson is requiring Seattle Police officers to investigate and document ICE activities with body cameras after deadly Minneapolis shootings," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson puts ICE ‘on notice’ with executive order seeking prosecution of agents, "Brandon Johnson signs executive order directing police to document alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents." and Alleged MS-13 gang member accused of 5 murders in home country nabbed in Virginia, "Illegal alien who allegedly admitted to 5 murders in El Salvador arrested in Virginia just weeks before Gov Spanberger ended ICE cooperation." Greg Price @greg_price11, "In order to stop the U.S. government from defending our borders, checking IDs, and removing people who don't have a right to be here, we must set up a border, check IDs, and remove people who we don't want here." Quote CrimeWatchMpls @CrimeWatchMpls, "Submitted from south Minneapolis - Agitators have set up roadblocks and are checking people's ID who try to pass through the area from 32nd to 34th and Cedar Ave. This is absurd." Dave Strom at Hat Hair sees Antifa Can Do Anything It Wants in Portland and Get Away With It Apparently. Twitchy says 'Uh oh, Trump's Lost San Francisco': Brian Allen Works Overtime to Make Anti-ICE Uprising a Thing. NYPo, The perils of toxic empathy in Minneapolis makes it feel like 2020 all over again. Fox Business, San Francisco bakery faces online backlash for selling controversial 'F--- ICE' cookies "Owner Hilary Passman says she has no plans to stop selling the controversial shortbread cookies." At Da Signal, Go Big, Then Go Smart: Trump, ICE, and the Law. How to Skip the Left’s PR Trap.

David Burge @iowahawkblog, "An aspiring artist and war veteran went to a beer hall. Now he and his girlfriend are dead in an underground bunker." Quote Q.S. Quay @hemingquay "Turns out you can make anyone seem innocent if you leave out the middle part of the story where they committed the crime. “A math professor moved to a cabin in Montana. Now he’s serving life in prison.”"

Scott McLallen at TownHall reports Judge Blocks Trump's Executive Order Requiring Citizenship to Vote. Of course, we always knew this would have to be appealed up the the Supreme Court.

From Althouse, Has there ever been a worse impersonation on "SNL" than Pete Davidson's complete failure even to attempt to seem the slightest bit like Tom Homan? "Look:"

Tim O'Brien at PJM sees ‘Midtermunition': Mamdani Is Already Trashing New York to Third-World Status. At Insty, THE “WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM” TURNS OUT AS USUAL: Robert Pondiscio @rpondiscio, "Just arrived in NYC where, nearly a week after the storm, the warmth of collectivism has proven unable to melt snow. Or collect trash." UPDATE: Zohran Mamdani Wore Custom Carhartt to Tackle His First Snowstorm as Mayor: Snowstorms have long been an aptitude test for New York City mayors. For this particular blizzard, Mamdani coolly dressed the part. "So he’s flunked the test, but at least he was sharply dressed."

From Althouse, "Newsom was profoundly dyslexic.... By the third grade, he had worked himself into a panic over his trouble with reading and math." "Writes Nathan Heller, in "Gavin Newsom Is Playing the Long Game/California’s governor has been touted as the Democrats’ best shot in 2028. But first he’ll need to convince voters that he’s not just a slick establishment politician" (The New Yorker)." Going for the sympathy vote. At Civitas, California’s Proposed Billionaire Tax and Its Portents for Normal People. Billionaires leave, take jobs with them. Pirate Wires sees Death by Ballot Prop: How California Outsourced Legislation to the Mob, "a brief history of organized shoplifting rings, housing deadlocks, and other fun consequences of the state's 'direct democracy' experiment."

Brandon Straka #WalkAway @BrandonStraka, "Michigan election fraud claims explode as poll workers testify they were threatened, blocked from challenging ballots, and shut out of rooms while disputed votes were processed." Driscoll at Insty, THE PEOPLE WHO CAST THE VOTES DECIDE NOTHING. THE PEOPLE WHO COUNT THE VOTES DECIDE EVERYTHING: Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "The most indefensible part of what happened in Georgia in 2020 is that you do not need body cam footage, confessions, or insider testimony to know, as in know with absolute certainty, that a small group of people locking themselves in a room until well after midnight to count ballots with no supervision and no observers is unacceptable and will always be unacceptable. Even if the suitcases pulled from under the tables were somehow legitimate, and there are plenty of reasons to doubt that, it still would not matter. Counting votes in secret in the middle of the night, with no oversight and no way to verify what was or was not happening, is fundamentally illegitimate. I still cannot fathom how this was ever allowed to happen, and even more astonishing, how after the surveillance footage was released, everyone involved closed ranks and pretended there was nothing to see. Elections simply cannot be run this way." Quote Robert Bowes @Robert_B_Bowes, "Ruby Freeman on body cam said she was told by Fulton election bosses that the (Biden) count was low, it was really low and to scan as many ballots as she could. She said there were no more to scan and then "Boom, under the table, cut the zip ties" and then scan them and rescan them; so that's how the number went up."

CBS whines Detroit judge, 3 others, accused of embezzling $273K from vulnerable adults. The Canadian Press is pretty happy about the Misconduct complaint dismissed against judge who handled El Salvador prison deportation case, Boasberg.

Matt Margolis hears the peasants at CNN are revolting: There’s a Revolt at CNN Over Scott Jennings, because he makes all the Democrats and CNN journolists look bad.

From Campus Reform, Fordham restricts public media promotion of ICE-defense training. At The College Fix, Despite DEI bans, some public universities maintain DEI requirements, research finds, the grift is too good to quit. Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter, "NFL officially appointed influential storyteller Dhar Mann as its first-ever Chief Kindness Officer and Creator of the Week for Super Bowl LX." floridanow1 @floridanow1, "Could you imagine Butkus, Lombardi, Jim Taylor reacting to a NFL storyteller and Chief Kindness Officer?"

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Better Late Than Never up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump and the 'Donroe' Doctrine

Carlo Carrasco, Venezuela’s Dictator Maduro Captured By Trump’s America, Will Be Tried In Court. CDB at Ace's Let Slip The Dogs Of War. At NYPo, Nicolás Maduro live updates: Venezuela VP ordered to become interim president: Supreme Court and Venezuelan opposition leader, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado poised to take the place of Nicolas Maduro. We'll see about that. From News Wax, Trump Warns Colombia's Petro to 'Watch His A**'. Insty at his substack on Trump, Maduro, and What's Next "Five dimensional chess? Or is it six?" At Twitchy, 'The Irony. The SIZZLE': Hilarious Thread Highlights the BEST Satirical Posts Following Fall of Maduro.

PJM's Matt Margolis explains Here’s How Maduro Was Captured, and It’s Pretty Darn Cool. Matt Vespa at TownHall, So, That's How Delta Force Was Able to Capture Maduro So Easily and Two Papers Found Out About Trump's Venezuela Raid Early. Here's What They Did.

USA Today, Trump calls Monroe Doctrine the 'Donroe Doctrine' after Venezuela raid. Carlos Flores at The Spec wonders Can the ‘Donroe doctrine’ really change Venezuela? A quad from sundance at CTH, President Trump Discusses Capture of Maduro During First Interview, President Trump Holds a Press Conference Following Capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, Sunday Talks – Secretary of State Marco Rubio Discusses Venezuela Objectives and Despite Media Protestations – No Congressional Notification Needed or Warranted in Maduro Operation. At Althouse, "You can't turn Venezuela into the operating hub for Iran, for Russia, for Hezbollah, for China, for the Cuban intelligence agents that control that country," Said Marco Rubio, on "Meet the Press" this morning and "'The task in front of him is stupefying,' said a senior U.S. official, noting the dizzying array of policy decisions related to energy, elections, sanctions and security that await," "From "Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela/The top U.S. diplomat has pushed for regime change for over a decade. Now the hard part begins" (WaPo)." Joe Cunningham at RedState, House Speaker Reacts to Maduro Capture: 'He Learned What Accountability Looks Like.'

Becca Lower at RedState, Vice President Vance Has a Timely 'PSA' for Dems Melting Down Over 'Illegal' Venezuela Op. Matt Vespa, Oh, So That's Why Vice President Vance Wasn't at Mar-a-Lago Watching the Venezuelan Raid. From Woke Spy, ‘America is Back’: Pete Hegseth Drops a FAFO in Epic Speech on Historic Maduro Mission. 

Eugyppius: a plague chronicle, Entirely irrelevant Eurotards assure the world they are "closely monitoring the situation" after the U.S. strikes Venezuela and captures President Nicolás Maduro." Marc ”七十 Billy” Zeller @Marczeller, "I’m devastated by this illegal capture of an elected head of state by Trump. I live in constant fear my beloved leader, Macron who lives at 55 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris share the same fate. He’s usually home with Brigitte by 9pm."

Clinton @614clinton "Not a word, and no outrage from the loony left when President Joe Biden had President 'Juan Orlando Hernandez' of Honduras arrested and extradited to the United States for drug trafficking." Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "Kind of wild just how dumb and dishonest he was." and Hunter Biden rn realizing his Dad could’ve just taken over all the cocaine. Matt Margolis, Kamala Harris Humiliates Herself Condemning Capture of Maduro. Dan Greenfield at Front Page, Week Too Late: Sen. Schumer Vows Vote to Block Venezuela Action Next Week. "No word on whether it will ask for Maduro's return." Nick Arama at RedState, Whoops: Schumer's 'Open Mouth, Insert Foot' Moment as Dems' Hypocrisy Hits Hyper Drive on Venezuela. LifeZette, Democrats Melt Down, Side with Narco Terrorist Dictator, and Against the People of Venezuela. WJ, Democrats Erupt Over Trump's Venezuela Strike, Say Marco Rubio 'Blatantly Lied to Congress'. Anxious anxiously reports Trump faces quick criticism from Democrats over Maduro capture. At Insty, THE PROBLEM IS ALWAYS JUST THAT TRUMP IS DOING IT: Sunny @sunnyright, "I was told the problem was that we were killing narcoterrorists rather than using force to detain and prosecute them. Turns out detaining and prosecuting them wasn’t acceptable either."

Besty Stauffer at LI notes Dems’ TDS Leaves Them Defending a Narco-State, “Portland chants ‘free Maduro’ while actual Venezuelans celebrate in the streets.” Hat Hair, Dems Call a Waahmbulance While Real Venezuelans Rejoice. - "To those who say that the United States is only interested in oil, I ask those people: What do you think the Russians and the Chinese wanted? The recipe for arepas?" At Pop Times, Communists Rally in Times Square Demanding Narco-Terrorists Dictator Maduro’s Release. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "EXPOSED: The “Hands Off Venezuela” protest taking place in New York City supporting Nicolas Maduro is being organized by ‘The People’s Forum’ The People’s Forum is a NGO that has received over $20 million dollars from a billionaire who lives in China with ties to the CCP The NGOs primary funding over $20 million Neville Roy Singham - Singham’s residence in Shanghai. - His business ties are to the CCP - He attends CCP-related events - He funds media outlets echoing Chinese state narratives" Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "The news broke this morning, and they all have pre-printed signs. These people are not genuine. They're all paid astroturfers. Ignore them." Nate Friedman @NateFriedman97, "I showed a "no war with venzuela" protestor how venezuelans are celebrating in the streets. brain.exe stopped working." Drew Pavlou @DrewPavlou, "Luigi Mangione should be allowed to execute American civilians with zero consequences but Trump removing Maduro is Le “War Crime” The left is a joke. Nobody cares what you idiots think anymore." No Pasaran! "Venezuela's Suicide" — Democrat whipsaw from one policy priority to the next: In 2018, Leftists Decried "A Failed State" Under Chavez and Maduro. Matt Vespa, Venezuelan Reporter Had a Brutal Message for the Libs Trying to Blame Trump for the Maduro Raid. Rock Chartrand @RockChartrand, "Massie gets credit for being “pro-American” while discarding the very principle that makes American prosperity possible: property rights. Venezuela didn’t “own its oil” in any meaningful moral sense once it signed contracts, accepted billions in U.S. capital, and then seized assets, equity, and cash flows by force. . . "

Insty, CHAT GPT SOUNDS JUST LIKE THE PROFESSORS ON THE INTERNATIONAL LAW PROFESSORS EMAIL LIST: Arthur MacWaters @ArthurMacwaters "I asked ChatGPT & Grok whether it was a crime for Trump to arrest Maduro (a common & important question today) ChatGPT said yes: - falsely assumed that Maduro was legitimately elected - defaulted to referencing the UN charter and "international experts" - has an anti-American slant, both explicitly and implicitly. It sounds like a left-leaning law professor at any Ivy League school! Grok said no: - correctly explained Maduro's fraudulent rule - explained Trump's power as commander in chief to direct the military to execute federal warrants This is incredibly important to get right, as it will increasingly be the default information layer for society." The old GIGO rule still applies. Also Insty, YOU CAN TELL THINGS ARE GETTING SERIOUS WHEN THE RECRUITING ADS FEATURE WHITE GUYS AGAIN, AND THIS IS WHY: Dale Stark @DaleStarkA10, "Everyone loves to hate on white guys until they need someone to black-bag a head of state and be home in time for breakfast."

From Fox, Iran and Maduro ties suffer major blow following US operation and capture of Venezuelan dictator, "Experts say Venezuela served as operational hub for Iranian terrorism, drug trafficking and power projection in Latin America." John Solomon at JTN, Obama failed to support Iran’s freedom protesters two decades ago, but Trump just rectified that "Another chance at an "Arab Spring": If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States of America will come to their rescue, Trump said in a 3 a.m. post Friday on his TruthSocial platform. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go."" The Times, Ayatollah Khamenei plans to flee to Moscow if Iran unrest intensifies "The republic’s supreme leader has plotted an exit route out of Tehran should his forces fail to quell dissent, an intelligence report reveals." IIRC the original Ayatollah, Khomeini, returned to Iran from exile in France when the Shah was deposed. Let that be a lesson.

Sundance thinks it's Interesting Timing – Zelenskyy Planning to Remove Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, "considering the recent denial by Zelenskyy that Ukraine had anything to do with the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence."

Althouse is aghast when Elon Musk laughs at a prison rape joke. "Shameful." Elon has a teenager's sense of humor, but he's a fucking genius. Just live with it. Also, "'Gossip shows talk about her every day, about her outfits, about her stylist, about her appearances,' he said, a reference to Ms. Guilfoyle’s embrace of the Trump style for women..." ""... Rapunzel hair, false eyelashes, plumped lips, figure-hugging sheath dresses and high heels. 'In terms of public relations, she has done an excellent job,” [the Greek commenter said]. But the 'submissiveness' of so many Greeks lining up to meet her, he said, 'makes us look like a Third World country.' Mr. Georgiadis, the health minister, shrugged off the buzz. 'When she was first named, the people were, "What’s that?"' he said. But the early energy deals, he said, have proved that she has substance. 'If she delivers,' he said, 'who cares if she has a see-through dress?'..." From "Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Talk of Athens/The former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., and the former wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, is working hard and pushing deals with American business interests. She’s also up late at parties" (NYT)." Also, best ever occupant of the "leg seat" on 'The Five'.

From the Manhattan Contrarian, Mayor Mamdani: Can You Feel The Excitement? "For myself, not so much. The best I can say is that this too shall pass. Hopefully without too much destruction in the meantime, but we have no assurance of that." Francis Sempka at Am Spec, The ‘Warmth of Collectivism’ Comes to New York "Zohran Mamdani and the totalitarian temptation." Herr Professor Jacobson at LI, Kulaks Beware: Mamdani Orders Public Hearings To Shame “Ripoff” NYC Landlords "We have seen this movie before. Mamdani has identified a class of property owners supposedly ripping off the masses, and now he is targeting them. In the Soviet days they were called Kulaks. In NYC under Mamdani, landlords are the new Kulaks." Amy Curtis at TownHall, 'Straight-Up Tyranny:' NYC Councilwoman Sounds Alarm Over Mamdani's Threat to Landlords. Althouse, "I think the reality is that for centuries we really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good and..." "... in transitioning into treating it as a collective good and towards the model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently, and it will mean that families — especially white families, but some POC families as well — are going to have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have.” . . . "See also "Zohran Mamdani’s new NYC tenant advocate called to ‘seize private property,’ blasted home ownership as ‘white supremacy’" (NY Post). Excerpt: "Cea Weaver, Mamdani’s new director of the city Office to Protect Tenants, made the statements and urged her followers to elect more communists in several lecturing posts on her now-deleted X account that were unearthed by internet sleuths. 'Seize private property!' she said on June 13, 2018.... 'Private property including any kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy,' she said [in August 2019]."" Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "NYC subway and bus fare hikes took effect today. What happened to the free buses that Mamdani promised and campaigned on?!"

Fox 9, Gov. Walz likely to drop out of 2026 MN governor's race: Report. He did. Ryan King at NYPo reports Tim Walz abruptly drops out of Minnesota governor’s race in wake of alleged billion-dollar fraud scandal. At the Chronic, Minnesota’s Massive Somali Fraud Shows the U.S. Needs a Remigration Policy. From LifeZette, Nick Shirley Brings Receipts on Even More Minnesota Daycare Fraud and ‘Somali Democrat Medicaid Fraud’ Ring Got Raided in Maine. Deane Waldman at Am Spec on How Medicaid Made a Billion-Dollar Crime Inevitable "The Somali fraud scandal and the fatal flaw of third-party payment." At Hat Hair, Larry Elder explains why Obamacare Was, Is and Will Always Be a Problem.

From WokeSpy, These Atlanta Churches Have Over a Thousand Voters Registered to Their Addresses, allegedly homeless. I wonder what happened to the mail-in ballots sent to the "church."

Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate "Climate is over. Pack it up. When Yglesias feels comfortable openly making such pronouncements you can be assured the thing is done."

At the College Fix, After 5 years, teachers falsely accused of Jan. 6 ‘insurrection’ get $120,000 in damages.

Center for Immigration Studies thinks the WaPo Delivers a Nothingburger on ICE ‘At-Large’ Arrests
WaPo Delivers a Nothingburger on ICE ‘At-Large’ Arrests. "The failure to mention sanctuaries is like a review of Star Wars that fails to discuss Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or the Force."

The I&I ed board asserts Politico Should Fire Josh Gerstein. "Instead of expressing outrage that fraudsters were stealing massive amounts of money meant to support poor families – and his colleagues in the mainstream press got scooped by a kid – Gerstein issued a veiled threat to people like Shirley. “At some point,” he posted  on X, “the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws.”"

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Hello, Nurse! and FMJRA 2.0: Still Stuck In The Ruts up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.