Tuesday Tanlines

Corporate Target, From the Dance Floor to Target Beauty Studio: Peta Murgatroyd Brings Self-Tanning (and Confidence) to Guests.

Target Beauty Studio is all about helping guests discover innovative beauty brands that deliver real results. The elevated, discovery-led beauty destination features dedicated Beauty Advisors, rotating product features and an expertly curated assortment of more than 1,600 products from 90 prestige, emerging and global brands — most new to Target. Through our ongoing work with founders, Target helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses while bringing fresh ideas, trends and innovation to guests. One of the new additions is Peta Jane Beauty, the self-tanning brand founded by professional dancer, entrepreneur and Dancing with the Stars champion Peta Murgatroyd. Born from years of backstage trial and error, Peta Jane Beauty was created to solve the frustrations Peta experienced with traditional self-tanners, from streaky color and unpleasant scents to sticky formulas and uneven fading. Now, with Peta Jane Beauty at Target Beauty Studio, guests can shop the brand’s range of self-tanning products in stores, on Target.com and in the Target app.

I wonder if anyone has ever used masking tape to create tanlines?

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Salute to Mrs. Justin Verlander up and awaiting your digital pleasure.

Tattoo Tuesday

Star Magazine, Rita Wilson Shocks Fans by Revealing Massive Back Tattoo, Reveals It’s ‘Freeing’ to ‘Simply Be’

The acclaimed actress and singer, 69, shocked her followers with a Sunday, September 20 post on Instagram, in which she appeared to confirm she’s actually covered in tattoos.

Tom Hanks‘ wife took to social media to promote her new single, “Stranger with Age,” by sharing a photo of her bare back. In the image, a giant cross tattoo can clearly be seen, while she also rocked another piece on her upper arm. It’s unclear whether the ink is permanent or temporary.

“STRANGER WITH AGE? Who? Me? I’m lovin’ it! Who else is stranger with age? STRANGER WITH AGE song is out everywhere,” she captioned the post.

If she's an acclaimed actress and singer, why have I never heard of her before? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Oktoberfest up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Science Alert, 'Tremendously Grave': The First US City Is on Track to Run Out of Water

It seems inconceivable, even if you're aware of the perilous situation that the world's water supplies are in, but a developed coastal city in Texas that more than 300,000 people call home is now in serious danger of running out of water. 

The city is Corpus Christi, and difficulties with water scarcity are now coming to a head after years of concerns over shortages. There are multiple issues combining here, perhaps most importantly the arrival of major industrial developments, off the back of the unlocking of vast oil and gas reserves that came with the shale revolution.

One plastics chemical complex, built in 2022, uses as much water for cooling every day as all the Corpus Christi residents combined. 

A planned seawater desalination plant, which was supposed to ease some of the pressure brought on by rising industrial water usage, never materialized, further compounding the problem of supply.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Getting Strapped up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Pride Month

 

The Pride of Baltimore II, beating against the wind on it's way north this afternoon.

The Wednesday Wetness

ToI, Iranian media says desalination plant on Gulf island non-functional after airstrikes. "Iran’s foreign minister had said a US strike took place on March 7 on Qeshm Island, a popular yet heavily militarized tourist destination for Iranians."

Aljazeera, Iranian attack damages Kuwait power and desalination plant, kills worker. "Kuwaiti authorities say Indian worker killed in attack that also caused ‘significant material damage’ to building."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

HuffPo,  People Are 'Carrotmaxxing' To Get A Sunless Tan — But Does It Work?

A new viral TikTok trend has people “carrotmaxxing” — eating three or more full-sized carrots a day — to try to get glowy, tan skin (without the skin cancer risk). TikToker @lisa.alkntra shared a time-lapse clip in one of her videos, showing her skin getting progressively more tan from September through December. Another TikToker @kendramfit shared a video of her tan, claiming that instead of self-tanner, she is “just eating an excessive amount of carrots.”
...
Eating an excessive amount of carrots causes carotenemia, “a condition that causes a yellow-orange hue to the skin because of eating beta-carotene-rich foods,” explained Dr. Corrie Alford, a board-certified dermatologist at MetroDerm in Atlanta. You can also achieve the same effect by eating squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin or oranges. Alford explained, “When a person takes in more beta-carotene than the body needs, the extra gets stored in body fat and can build up in the outermost layer of the skin, causing the yellow or orange hue.”
...
And while “carrotmaxxing” may help alter your skin pigmentation to a degree, it won’t necessarily make you look like you have an even, spread-out tan like you were hoping for. Although some people call it a “healthy glow,” Alford compares it to “a bad spray tan” instead.
...
Too much of a good thing can have harmful effects, and that includes carrots and other beta-carotene-containing foods. “Excess vitamin A, known as hypervitaminosis A, can have toxic effects,” Alford said. “Luckily, the body only converts a small amount of beta-carotene to vitamin A, making hypervitaminosis A unlikely from eating carrots alone.”

And I don't like carrots quite that much.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Because I Can up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

There are lots of digits being spilled in the Potomac sewage catastrophe:

WRC-NBC: Crews make progress in controlling sewage spill, but timeline remains 4-6 weeks
WTOP News : Progress at Potomac sewer collapse but overflow risk remains, DC Water says
WUSA-CBS: Health concerns grow as Potomac River begins to thaw after massive sewage spill
WJLA-ABC: 'Remnants of sewage' including toilet paper, left behind after wastewater pipe collapse
WDCW-CW: Sewage spill in Potomac River impact fishing industries

Not a good time to go Blue Catfish fishing.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Mustang Gal up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

From the List, Kayleigh McEnany's Fake Tan Fail Will Haunt Her Forever 

There's nothing wrong with a good ol' fake tan, but anyone who's ever tried self-tanning lotion knows that it can be a tricky thing to get right. Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is living proof of this. McEnany has had her fair share of makeup fails, and some of the former Trump staffer's outfits have completely missed the mark too, but while interviewing conservative political commentator Benny Johnson in December 2025, it was her fake tan mishap that caught people's eye. McEnany sported an orange skin tone reminiscent of President Donald Trump's while conducting the interview, and even her hands appeared to have been covered with fake tan lotion. The TV personality's feet and ankles, however, were apparently overlooked when the product was applied. McEnany wore ankle-grazing trousers with high heels, putting her pale feet on full display. It was an awkward look for television, and unfortunately, an instantly memorable slip-up. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fox News (@foxnews)

I suspect she has a pretty thick skin by now. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Snow Bunnies up on time and under budget.

Tattoo Thursday

Nicola Peltz

At Da Sun, Why Brooklyn Beckham’s decision to hide his tattoo tribute to his dad will leave David devastated.

TATTOOS are the love language of Brooklyn Beckham. With about 110 etchings sprawled across his body, inked-in words of affirmation are how he likes to express himself.

How utterly wounding, both literally and figuratively, it is then to learn the 26-year-old has intentionally covered up tributes to his father David. This, quite evidently, is a wound that runs deep. Having already tattooed over “Mama’s boy”, now it is the turn of his once-beloved dad to be erased from pigmented history. And my God, this will hurt family man Becks.
. . .
To rub salt into the still-drying wound, approximately 73 of his 110 tatts are dedicated to his US wife Nicola Peltz.

At the high cost and trouble to remove tattoos he better be planning to keep her.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Boots & Bikinis up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Bay Report 1/28/26

 WBOC, Ice begins forming in Tangier Sound, disrupting travel to island communities

SOMERSET COUNTY, Md. -- Waters across parts of the Chesapeake Bay are beginning to freeze, and the developing ice is already affecting transportation for communities in and around the Tangier Sound.

Nice video at the link. Meanwhile, I took a brief trip down to the harbor and beach:

Not a lot of expose shoreline. I didn't stay to look for fossils. Footing was treacherous. It looks like snow, but as somebody noted on Facebook, it's really more like snowcrete

It doesn't look like anybody in the harbor is going anywhere soon, especially with temperatures expected to stay below freezing until at least Monday, and even after that, it's below freezing more than it's above. I suspect the ice will only get thicker. 

 

Thursday Tanlines

Sky News (UK) , Tanning ads banned over misleading information about safety "Some of the "problematic claims" made by ads for The Sun Company, SunShine Co and Tanbox Towcester, as well as for Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, included that sunbed use is safe or that tanning can be achieved safely." I wonder what Amelia thinks about tanlines. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: All You Can Eat marinated and ready for consumption at The Other McCain.

Tuesday Tanlines

From USA Today, Tanning beds should have warnings like cigarette packages, experts say. Here's why.

So should newspapers.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: But First, Coffee  awaiting your digital amusement at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Owns the Economy

From the I&I ed board, Yes, Democrats, Trump Does Own This Economy. Matt Margolis at PJM, New GDP Numbers Just Dropped, and Democrats Should Be Freaking Out. "Democrats just watched economic reality obliterate their favorite doomsday talking point. The U.S. economy grew at an amazing 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2025, blowing past expectations and handing the Trump administration a massive win heading into 2026." Sundance at CTH, Third Quarter GDP Grows 4.3 Percent, Much Stronger Than Expected. With the Flaming Skull, Ace says BOOM! US Economy Grows By Big 4.3% In Third Quarter. kaitlin @thefactualprep, "my official statement to the american people is “you’re welcome”" Quote The Wall Street Journal @WSJ, "Breaking: U.S. economic growth accelerated to a 4.3% annual rate last quarter, blowing past expectations https://on.wsj.com/4p9FqMe." At Twitchy, Elizabeth Warren Hopes Nobody Saw Today's Economic News and Gets Ratioed to the Moon. MAZE @mazemoore "April, 2025. Elizabeth Warren claims that Trump's tariffs will result in millions of people losing their jobs, savings, retirements, and homes and will cause a recession that may take years to recover from. Nice call Pharmahontas." Elizabeth Warren @SenWarren, "46% of people are spending less this holiday season because of higher costs. Families are paying the price for Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs." Mike Hahn @mikehahn_ "Fire the intern who scheduled this tweet before they left for Christmas!" At OilPrice.com, Christmas Day Gasoline Prices Set To Fall To Covid-Era Levels. Mark Tapscott at PJM has Three Reasons Why 2026 Could Be Donald Trump's 1934 FDR Mid-Term.

At Am Mind, Ron Pestritto describes How the Trump Administration Is Taming the Administrative State.

Important news on the Epstein front, at Twitchy a Report: Trump Flew on Epstein’s Plane Once With a 20-Year-Old Woman "The New York Post reports that Trump was sometimes accompanied by his second wife, Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric. Scandalous." Ace, Epstein Files Bombshell! Trump Was an Acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein During the Period We Already Knew They Were Acquaintances and Trump Once Flew on an Epstein Plane With a 20-Year-Old Adult Woman On Board, "An adult woman? Wow. You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention." WaT, Justice Department discredits lurid claims about Trump in latest Epstein file reveal "The department released 30,000 additional documents related to its investigation and prosecution of sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The material includes claims that Mr. Trump was involved in the scheme and raped a young woman who was allegedly later found murdered. Democrats have seized on the unverified accusation as evidence of Mr. Trump's involvement and a motivation for the department's resistance to making all of the files public. But Justice Department officials said the claims against the president were politically motivated and were lodged against him just before the 2020 presidential election. "To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already," Justice Department officials said." Much like the 2000 women who stepped up to claim they were raped by Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. Matt Vespa at TownHall, MS Now Host Wonders Why Trump Was So Against Releasing the Epstein Files. Did You See Today's Update? NYPo suggests It’s time to treat Bill Clinton like Prince Andrew — and banish him from polite society. I wouldn't call Washington DC polite society. PJM's Stephen Kruiser admits The Epstein Stuff Probably Won't Make Bill Clinton's Teflon Get Sticky.

VodkaPundit at PJM has an ESSAY: Trump's Big, Beautiful Battleships Are... What, Exactly? Victory Girls see a Golden Fleet Of Trump Class Ships To Be Built. "Haters are going to hate and I don’t give a fig or a feather." Driscoll at Insty, America’s Newspaper of Record has printed a helpful cutaway guide to the state of the art technology to be deployed on these soon to be nautical legends: Check Out These Amazing Features On The New Trump-Class Battleship.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " HOLY CRAP! The U.S. military recruitment numbers under President Trump are the highest in 15 YEARS Got what I voted for again! SEN. MULLIN: "[Lloyd Austin] was more worried about DEI and having some dude in a dress...Hegseth said, no, we're talking about lethality, and we're talking about the warrior!" "Then President Trump, who took our rightful place, instead of being apologetic about America's greatness, he said, no, we are the greatest, and we're not going to apologize about it. Of course, we're going to be breaking records!""

Michelle Wiese Bockmann @Michellewb_, "so we now have a (partial) explanation as to how Panama allowed the US to seize a Panama-flagged tanker (Centuries). From the brief explanation given by the Panama government in this story, it appears that Panama deleted the tanker from its registry after it loaded in Venezuela while spoofing its location. It was "not following the rules". Thus the tanker was effectively flagless and stateless after it sailed, allowing the US to intercept and interdict. . . ." At News Wax, Trump: US Will Keep Seized Venezuelan Oil, Ships and Trump Says It Would Be 'Smart' for Venezuela's Maduro to Step Down. "Go on, take the money and run." At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed cites the WSJ: Trump Aims at Dismantling Global Terror Networks Through Maduro and Beege Welborn interprets Trump: 'Yo, Dudes - We Still Need Greenland'. YaHoo whines US denies visas to EU ex-commissioner, four others over tech rules "accusing them of seeking to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose." As Teri Christoph at RedState puts it Rubio Targets Five Foreign Operatives Who Conspired With Big Tech to Censor Americans.

PJM's Scott Pinsker sees Something VERY Fishy Is Going on With the So-Called MAGA ‘Split’ Over Israel. It's being manufactured by the pundit class.

Hunter Biden went on a long podcast for the Shawn Ryan Show. Matt Margolis hears Hunter Biden Now Claims His ‘Laptop From Hell’ Wasn’t Even Real. Ace has more details, Hunter Biden: Of Course My Father's Calamitous Bug-Out from Afghanistan Was a "F***ing Failure;" And Of Course We Shouldn't Allow In Immigrants That "Drain Our Resources" "Is Hunter Biden now a racist? Wait a sec, he already was -- "no yellow." (Who doesn't like Asian chicks? Only a Nazi.) MXM:" His art career over, I guess he's trying for punditry, where being a crack addicts is not necessarily damning.

Nicole Silvero at Da Caller, Boston Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu Says Somalis To Thank For City’s ‘Every Achievement’ Nick Freitas @NickJFreitas, "I most appreciate when the Somali immigrants threw the tea in the harbor." Quote Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says all of Boston’s accomplishments are thanks to Somalians." Sister Toldja at RedState hears James Comer Prepares to Make Political Life Very Difficult for Tim Walz, and I Am So Here for It "The walls are caving in on Tim Walz," Comer, R-Ky., said on "America's Newsroom." "This massive amount of fraud is affecting and impacting every citizen of Minnesota because they're having to cut services because so much of the money for social programs was wasted and defrauded by this Somali population." From NotTheBee, Somali girl says foreigners shouldn't be illegal in Minnesota because "this is literally, like, stolen land".

At Da Fed MD Kittle is grateful Michigan Election Integrity Warriors Stop ‘Disastrous’ Ranked-Choice Voting Drive.

John Solomon at JTN reports John Brennan's lawyers confirm he is 'target' of Florida grand jury probe, asks judge to intervene. "The letter to chief federal judge in Miami is an extraordinary injection by Brennan's defense team and likely signals his lawyers fear an indictment is imminent." "Given the corrosive effect of judge shopping on the perceived fairness and impartiality of the criminal justice system – particularly when conducted by a federal prosecutor – we wish to alert the Court to the evidence underlying our concern." Sundance at CTH, John Brennan Lawyers Confirm Their Client Is a “Target” of a Grand Jury Investigation. "What the evidence shows is a focused targeting operation intended to fabricate a false premise by the United States Intelligence Community, centered around a fraudulent CIA analysis (ICA) led by John Brennan, and organized through the Office of former DNI James Clapper. The op was green-lighted by Barack Obama, as a way to impede the agenda of incoming President Donald Trump. All three branches of government eventually collaborated on the scheme. Lawyers for John Brennan are now seeking to proactively undermine the grand jury proceedings and influence the venue where any investigation and review might be taking place."

John Sexton at Hair hears Supreme Court: Trump Can't Deploy National Guard in Chicago. So now Trump can say, "We tried to curb crime in your city, but your politicians sued, and now the Supreme Court won't let us." PJM's Cathy Salgado is pretty happy that Parents Win, California Loses Over Secretive Transing of Kids: Court Ruling. Gays Against Groomers @againstgrmrs, "BREAKING: U.S. District Court rules in favor of parent's rights with a permanent injunction against California! Parents have a Constitutional right to get the truth when it comes to the "gender identities" of their children! Schools may not lie anymore! Summaries below:" Hat Hair's Dave Strom argues Impeaching Judges Is Not an Abuse of Political Power, it is a rebalancing of power. |The taboo on removing judges for anything other than criminality (Hannah Dugan, anyone?) is absurd. Obviously, judges should be given wide latitude in making their decisions, and removing them should not be a frequent occurrence, but it should really be much more common than it is. There are a lot of bad judges."

Dave Strom reports Charlottesville, VA Eliminating Use of Camera System Because Feds Might Track Illegal Aliens. Mike Letts at PJM says This Minneapolis Police Chief Has It Wrong When He Uses the Nativity Story To Push Back Against ICE Raids. From Fox, GOP governor lays out plan to ‘purge’ terrorists and terror supporters from state "'Any organization that supports terrorism, that harbors people who have provided material support for terrorism, is not allowed to exist in our state,' said Abbott." Beege Welborn notices The Frantic Clean-Up Begins: If It's at Brown, Flush It.

Stacy McCain discourses on Journalism, Credibility and ‘Experts’ "NPR’s standards chief, Tony Calvin, had to issue an unusual bit of guidance to staff this week: stop quoting Carl Tobias. The instruction came after Calvin found NPR reporters had quoted the University of Richmond law professor 77 times on a variety of topics. “If Tobias’s name sounds familiar, it’s because Professor Tobias’s hobby seems to be getting himself quoted about anything and everything in news stories,” Calvin told staff, according to Semafor. “Professor Tobias often emails reporters offering his expert opinion on stories of the day and while I don’t presume to judge his expertise in legal matters, the professor is certainly an expert at getting himself quoted.”" Clearly he is good at saying what they want to hear.

Capt. Ed cites Axios: 60 Minutes Lied About Trump Admin Response. They did have responses from Trump administration spokesmen. They simple chose not to include them. Ace, Axios: Insubordinate CBS Liar Sharyn Alfonsi Told Viewers That Trump Officials Had Refused Comment On the Story. In Fact, They Provided Comment -- She Just Refused to Air Their Denials. "For those wondering "How can this insubordinate liar not get fired?," I've got great news: I think she will be fired. I thought she would probably be fired before this for insubordination. I'm pretty sure she wrote her "Bari is a Trump censor" email with the knowledge that a confederate would leak it for her (or she leaked it herself). If I had to guess, I'd guess she already knew she was on the list of candidates for firing and decided on the Jimmy Kimmel strategy of raising a stink among her left-wing allies to create pressure on the network to keep her. But this new report from Axios means that no amount of pressure from her left-wing allies can save her. The media still pretends that straight-up lying is a fireable offense. Of course it's not; lying is the soul of their soulless profession."

Hillel Neuer @HillelNeuer "BREAKING: In wake of our campaign, UN Hamas apologist Francesca Albanese has been removed from Georgetown University. L: Her “Affiliate Scholar” page R: Now deleted http://isim.georgetown.edu/profile/francesca-p-albanese Thank you, @Georgetown. It's time to expel all terror supporters from our universities." At NYPo, Herr Professor Jacobson and Kemberlee Kaye opine that the Toxic ideas fueling far-left terrorists came straight from our college campuses.

The College Fix is disappointed that a Judge rules against UCLA prof suspended after refusing lenient grading for black students. "A judge ruled against UCLA lecturer Gordon Klein, who was suspended after refusing to grade black students leniently in the wake of George Floyd's death, siding with UCLA on every issue." OTH, Ace is stoked that a Trans Teaching Assistant who Flunked a Christian Student for Rejecting Trans Propaganda Has Now Been Fired "I would say that the student's essay could be docked some points for relying so heavily on non-academic sources -- the Bible -- but then, the trans TA's rejection of all her arguments was based exclusively on quasi-religious fantasy and myth-making, wasn't it?"

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Stuck In The Ruts up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Christmas Time is Here by Golly, Disapproval Would Be Folly

Yeah, Monday's are traditionally slow, but this feels like we're winding down towards Christmas. Nevertheless Democrats are still desperately looking for the pony in the pile of Epstein horseshit. Nick Arama asserts Democrats' Latest Epstein Effort About Photo of Trump Fails Again—There Are a Few Big Problems. Oversight Dems @OversightDems, "This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release. @AGPamBondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public." Byron York @ByronYork, "This appears to be the photo in the photo that includes Trump -- from 2000 and public for years." Sundance at CTH hosts Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Explaining the Epstein File Releases, where among other things, he clearly states that the law makes redacting victims trumps the Dec. 19 deadline. Matt Vespa at TownHall approves of how Scott Jennings Schools Libs on the Trump-Kennedy Center and the Epstein Files on CNN. "As Jennings noted, Trump is a twice-elected president; some stuff will be named after him." A Driscoll post at Insty, OLD AND BUSTED: "Statue Toppling Endorsed by College Professors and Once Respectable Publications. The New Hotness? JFK’s Niece Kerry Kennedy Vows to Remove Trump’s Name from the Kennedy Center with a ‘Pickax.’" FWIW, I think buildings and bridges should be named after dead people, but it's fun to hear Democrats and the media (but I redund) squeal.

Sundance also hosts Vice President JD Vance Delivering his Speech to Turning Point USA Audience. Matt Vespa is pretty sure Oh, You Know the Libs Melted Down Over That Line JD Vance Delivered at AmFest, " In the United States of America, you don't have to apologize for being white anymore. "Stephen Kruiser at PJM hears Nicki Minaj Has a MAGA Moment, Dem False Narratives Hardest Hit. Althouse links "He has given so many people hope that there’s a chance to beat the bad guys..." "Said Nicki Minaj (talking to Erika Kirk about President Trump):"

Stacy McCain has Thoughts From a ‘Heritage American’ "In the long-running battle between neocons and paleocons, my sympathies are decidedly paleo (cf., “First They Came for Mel Bradford”). However, the really important battle is to keep Democrats from getting back in power and ruining everything while we are quarreling amongst ourselves, hurling insults back and forth. The whole intramural donnybrook between Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, et al., pains me for this reason. We are less than a year away from a crucial midterm election, with the historical odds against us, and should be united, not divided." Roger Simon foresees J. D. Vance Has a Tucker Carlson Problem, how to disown his comments about Jews and not piss off his followers.

Ben Smith at LI, reports the U.S. Pursues Third Oil Tanker Near Venezuela "We “will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you.”" The Great Victor Davis Hanson has a trio of related posts at Da Signal, warning War With Venezuela Could Break Trump’s MAGA Base, asserting Hegseth Did What Biden Called ‘Impossible’, raising recruitment to the military, and looking at The Inconvenient Truths Within Trump’s New National Security Strategy. Bill Woodruff at Da Fed is worried the Biggest Military Funding Bill Still Allows Promoting Soldiers By Race And Sex. 

Kevin Killough at JTN reports Trump touts low Christmas season gasoline prices, and analysts say they should hold into 2026 "December gasoline prices have not been this low since 2020. Analysts say many factors are contributing to the low prices, including a better regulatory environment for oil and gas, industry operation efficiencies, and high supply with expectations of low demand on the global market." But in Newsom's California, New study recommends loosening California oil regulations to avoid skyrocketing fuel prices. They're talking about possible $10 a gallon there. Well, they voted for it. Driscoll at Insty hears RINO Romney Calls for Tax Hikes, Raising Retirement Age., "Here are his suggestions for outright tax increases…" Still better than Obama. At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson remembers The Political Meme That Destroyed a Presidency. “It’s the economy, stupid.” Hat Hair's Betsey McCaughey sees a Property Tax Revolt Exploding Across US. Here in MD, between State (1.003 % of assessed value) and Calvert County (0.89%) we're among the high tax states. 

From NYPo notes Trump cleaned up crime in DC – and taught everyone a lesson in public safety. It can be done. 

Cleaning up from the weeks murders, Matt Vespa points out Here's the Error in the Brown University Shooter Affidavit "Valente’s body was found in Salem, New Hampshire, on December 18, though authorities heavily insinuated that he didn’t commit suicide that day. Based on the autopsy, he killed himself on December 16, a day after killing Loureiro. So, yes, the affidavit contains an error: it says Valente contacted the car rental service on December 18." So they spent days looking for a dead man. OpinionistNZ @OpinionistNZ, "Why would Australia give a non-citizen on a Visa, SIX gun licenses? And why would he be given six licenses when his son has known links to ISIS? Then he trains for a month with ISIS in November, and he STILL has six guns? Big questions to answer." That's racist! That's why. From RCP, Blood on the Sand: Australian Massacre Exposes Hollow Core of Anti-Zionism.

At Ars Technica, word is ByteDance confirms TikTok will be controlled by US owners. "Closing TikTok deal avoids 2026 ban, but app may be buggy, “100% MAGA.”" I'm only a little reassured. It will still be mind rot. Just not Chinese spy mind rot.

Matt Margolis says The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is So Much Worse When You Put It This Way. According to Stephen Miller, “The amount of money that’s been stolen is larger than the entire GDP of Somalia.” At the Victory Girls, Walz And Lapdog MN Media Cover Up $9 Billion Somali Fraud. Newsom's California says "hold my beer and watch this:" Kevin Kiley @KevinKileyCA, "California is the Fraud Capital of America: $32 billion in unemployment fraud $24 billion in homeless funds "lost" $18 billion on nonexistent bullet train $650 million on scrapped 911 system. A scathing report from the State Auditor just identified 8 separate state agencies as “high-risk.” This means they exhibit serious “waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement," costing taxpayers billions. The number has doubled during Newsom's tenure."

From Responsible Statecraft (quite possibly an oxymoron), Pranked Biden official exposes lie that Ukraine war was inevitable. "She isn't the first to admit — after the fact — that taking NATO off the table to avoid Russian invasion was considered, and dismissed."

At Twitchy, Kaaa-BOOM! Anna Paulina Luna OBLITERATES Uber-Creepy Scott Wiener In Heated Exchange. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna @RepLuna, "Scott Weiner is a pedophile-protecting weirdo in the California State House currently pushing a bill to reclassify pedophiles as “minor attracted persons.” This guy is running to replace Nancy Pelosi. He also helped kill a bill to bring harsher penalties against soliciting minors for sex. What is with the freaky obsession of minors and sex? The only thing this guy should be running for is head of the looney bin. Keep your kids away from this guy." I like her. 

Jonathan Turley opines on Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan Found Guilty of Obstruction "Ultimately, Judge Lynn Adelman, a liberal long-standing jurist on the court, rejected half-baked arguments of judicial immunity in such actions. Twelve jurors in Milwaukee then rejected all of the atmospherics and bluster in ruling according to the law. They did what Dugan did not: they followed the rule of law rather than any personal or political impulse."

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks – Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes Talks about Debanking, Trump Targeting, Corrupt FBI Operations and More.

And another, Sunday Talks – Tom Homan Outlines “The Current U.S. Border is Secure,” the Efforts to Deport Illegal Aliens Continues. At Red State, Rusty Weiss sees 60 Minutes Torched Over Interview With Illegals Whining About 'Four Months of Hell' in El Salvador Prison and then Bob Hoge reports a Meltdown at CBS News: 60 Minutes Dumps Fawning Illegal Alien Deportation Segment at Last Second. "Bari Weiss said in a statement that more context was needed, which is code for “the story was hopelessly biased and leftist, and we’re trying to become something more trustworthy under my leadership.”" 

Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "$14 TRILLION NGO EMPIRE: TAX EXEMPT, VOTER PROOF An essay citing Federal Reserve Financial Accounts says U.S. NGOs held $14.12 trillion in assets as of Q2 2025, which is bigger than the combined 2025 GDP of Japan, Germany, and India by roughly 5%. If your brain just tried to file “NGO” under soup kitchens and service dogs, congratulations, you have the same mental model the tax code is still using. The point is not that charity is bad, because plenty of nonprofits do real, direct help. The point is that a legal structure built for modest charities now covers universities, hospital systems, foundations, and advocacy groups sitting on Wall Street sized portfolios. A corporation with that kind of balance sheet would live under constant disclosure, regulation, and taxation. A state with that kind of power would face elections and public law. But this sector sits in a sweet spot: private, tax exempt, and often politically active without being formally partisan. . . ."

At AMAC, How DEI Is Destroying the American Family. Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "Just to be clear, for those who have been telling me "This happened everywhere", I am not surprised they did it, I am surprised they TOLD THE WHITE MEN THEY DECLINED TO HIRE and WROTE IT DOWN. It's like pinning a "sue me" sign on your backside." Quote Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "If this reporting is true true, Hollywood not only violeted CRA for years by discriminating against white men, but has been merrily telling the white men this, and writing it down in widely circulated emails in case they wanted to file a lawsuit. No words https://compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/" They felt safe the Biden administration wouldn't enforce it that way. They didn't expect Trump to be re-elected.

Rusty Weiss, Sleigh It Ain't So: Dem Mayor's Nativity Takedown Fails as SC Town Keeps Baby Jesus Up. Greg Price @greg_price11, "JD Vance perfectly sums up how Christianity produces great men: "Tyler Robinson is everything the far left wants from our young men. He rejected the conservatism, spiritually, and values of a small town family. He moved into a small apartment, he became addicted to porn, he became addicted to hate, and he slept with someone who doesn't know if they're a man or a woman." "The fruits of true Christianity are good husbands, patient fathers, builders of great things, and slayers of dragons. And men who are willing to die for a principle if that's what God asked them to do... It's better to die a patriot than live a coward." I'm not especially religious, but religious people generally make good neighbors.

From TCW, Puberty blocking is an act of neurological vandalism.

A prediction from Grummz @Grummz, "There is a big play to make AI the next outrage topic for the Left. Does this headline sound familiar? “everything is sexist, everything is racist, everything is homophobic, and you have to point it all out to everyone all the time.” That was the Sarkeesian attack that changed the entire AAA game industry and created a billion dollar tech industry consultancy focused on DEI. Now that DEI is dried up and viewed as toxic, they need a new cause. AI is that cause. From the bogus water consumption stats that get repeated as fact, to Bernie Sanders calling for the shut down of data centers, to the PC gamer headline here that goes after games like Expedition 33 (they hardly used AI at all and didn’t put it in the final game) the attacks are multiplying from the former woke cancel mob machinery. Who gains from the US falling behind in AI? Who is funding this and distributing the talking points? Anti-AI is the next big grift."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Probably Not Mrs. Santa and FMJRA 2.0: Stuck In The Ruts up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam on a Snowy Sunday Morning

As predicted, a dusting of snow arrived late last night/early this morning. An almost totally useless amount, not even thick enough to scrape up for a snowball fight, although Gabi and Corwin might get in some runs on a plastic sled if they go out soon. Although the air temperature finally made it below 32 in the last hour, the ground is probably still warm enough to melt it soon except in deep shade, of which we have little now that the leaves are mostly out of the trees. The air temp is supposed to linger near 30 all day, then plunge to 20 overnight. 

So, today's new news is shootings. There was a mass shooting at Brown University in RI yesterday, leaving 2 dead and 9 wounded that dominated the news, without saying very much. Despite 800 cameras on the campus, only 1 was shown yesterday, a black clad suspect walking calmly away. A suspect has been detained, but no details released. In Australia, another mass shooting at a Jewish festival killed 11 and wounded many more. One of two shooters, detained at the scene by a bystander, was named Naveed Akram. And, from Ace, Two U.S. Soldiers Killed By ISIS Islamist In Syria, "2 US Army Soldiers, Civilian Interpreter Killed by ISIS Gunman in Syria." Sundance at CTH, President Trump Warns of “Very Serious Retaliation” Following ISIS Attack in Syria Killing Three Americans. Trump need to mow down ISIS again after the Biden regency allowed them to re-sprout.

From OilPrice.com, Shadow Fleet on Edge After U.S. Seizes Tanker in Venezuelan Waters. Good. Now seize 5 more. At WUWT, The Gulf of America Is Back "After years of market swings, regulatory uncertainty, and deep staffing cuts, America’s energy workforce is overdue for a stabilizing signal. December 10th provides exactly that: the first federal Gulf of America lease sale in nearly two years, offering long-awaited certainty for the companies and workers that power America’s offshore energy engine." At Breitbart, Buried Treasure: Miners Discover Massive Supply of Rare Earth Minerals in Utah. "The discovery, made while mining clay in Utah’s Silicon Ridge, includes high grades of 16 different rare earth minerals, ranging from lithium and alumina to germanium, rubidium, cesium, vanadium, and niobium." Curiously, none of the elements named are rare earths, the lanthanide series elements.

At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson notes Europe Is Angry Trump Told It the Truth and wonders Will Western Civilization Still Exist in Europe in 100 Years? Chronic chronicles Europe’s Unending Tragedy. Stephen Moore at Hat Hair has ideas about How Trump Can Help Accelerate Argentina's Economic Comeback.

Morning Chicago News sees the Debate Over Killing the Filibuster Intensifies as Heather Higgins Warns Republicans Not to “Show Up to a Knife Fight With Boxing Gloves.” Show up with an RPG. At ET, Trump Suggests He Would Work With Democrats on Health Care. "The comment at the congressional ball on Thursday comes ahead of a deadline to end health care subsidies before the end of 2025" and Senate Rejects Dueling Health Care Bills Tackling Expiring Obamacare Subsidies. OK, we honored the bargain, and gave you a vote.

Sundance celebrates President Trump Attends Army-Navy Game with Thunderous Applause. From the Balmer Sun, Army-Navy Game: Trump, Moore visit sidelines but do not meet.

NYT reports the National Trust Sues to Block Trump’s White House Ballroom Construction. Hamilton Nolan at How Things Work says If He Builds It, Tear It Down on the ballroom, "As soon as Republicans leave the White House, the next president should tear it down. "It should not be torn down quietly. Its destruction should be a public event. It should be pledged on the campaign trail by Democratic candidates. The day after inauguration, there should be a fireworks show over the White House as wrecking balls and backhoes smash the white walls of the fascist hangar. Citizens should gather in Lafayette Square and the National Mall and cheer as the gaudy pillars of the insulting structure are imploded by demolition experts. Let barbecues and block parties spring up around the nation as Americans watch the event on live television. Let there be a celebratory concert in front of the pile of rubble. Let us create a historic moment of national catharsis. Let us nonviolently smash the Trump era into dust."  

Althouse still watches SNL, Did Trump say something about Karoline Leavitt's mouth? "I'm trying to understand the background to the satire in last night's "SNL" cold open: . . . Wow, he actually said, about Leavitt, "When she goes on television, Fox, like I mean, they dominate. They dominate when she gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips that don't stop — pop pop pop — like a little machine gun."" And, Help me think of a term to apply to articles like this, something that expresses why it bothers me so much. "It's not "fake news," because it's not even news . . . "

Matt Margolis at PJM thinks Joe Biden Is Getting a Brutal Lesson on How Irrelevant He Is. Nobody wants to donate to his presidential library. Washington Free Beacon @FreeBeacon, "Remember the Biden administration’s pentagram-sporting monkeypox czar? Or the mastermind of New York’s race-based COVID policies? Good news! They’re on Zohran Mamdani’s health advisory team. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis made national headlines during the monkeypox outbreak when he encouraged those most likely to transmit the disease—gay men—to keep engaging in “risky” and “joy-forward” behavior, and now he’s moving on up in the world." I&I identifies Who Made Life In The U.S. Unaffordable? "From their ancient habit of adding regulation onto regulation to their affinity for taxing everything that moves to their inflationary fiscal policies and deep affection for subsidies for their favored causes and grifters, Democrats make life unaffordable for those who aren’t connected to them. Naturally, they want to twist the truth, because the facts clearly show they are the offenders."

At WUWT, Save Okefenokee Swamp from UNESCO Control "In Episode 21 of Conservation Country, host ‪@GabriellaHoffman‬ investigates a Biden-era policy to designate Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. She found locals overwhelmingly oppose this policy. They don’t want the United Nations in their backyard. The Trump administration withdrew from UNESCO in July 2025 effective December 31, 2025."

From Stacy McCain, Red States, Blue Cities: Minnesota, Somalia and ‘The Great Replacement’ "Red States, Blue Cities — that’s the fundamental reality of politics in America today, and it explains why Democrats have dug in their heels to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants." Sundance hears Stephen Miller Predicts the $1+ Billion Somali Fraud in Minnesota “The Greatest Financial Fraud Scandal in American History” I suspect USAID was even bigger, but it wasn't really fraud, they were just abusing the system. From Fox, Omar accused by GOP opponent of opening up the door to massive Minneapolis fraud: 'Deep, deep ties' "Republican challenger John Nagel alleges that Omar has ties to individuals involved in fraud scandal."

From RVM, Zohran Mamdani Suggests NYPD May Arrest ICE Agents Instead of Illegal Aliens. FAFO. Across da Pond at De Telegraph, New York is becoming the next London, home only to immigrants and the super-rich. "The irony of Mamdani’s election is that he is likely to accelerate the middle class exodus, ending the city as an engine of social mobility."

Breitbart notices Jack Smith Partners with Trump Lawfare Thugs to Form a Law Firm. WUWT documents how America’s Energy Independence Threatened By “Dark Money” Lawfare.

TownHall's Dmitri Bolt notes Democrats Demand Due Process for Narco-Traffickers—but Mock the Murder of Charlie Kirk. Jason Cohen @JasonJournoDC "ANDREW SCHULZ: "It's just funny to me that there are people that were happy Charlie Kirk got shot because they disagreed on opinions, and they're fighting for due process for people who are driving fentanyl into the f*cking country.""

From LifeZette, Kilmar Abrego Garcia Will Be Deported Again says Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, Minneapolis Police Chief Threatens to Fire Officers Who Don’t Confront ICE During Arrests and Homeland Security Hearing Goes Sideways, Terrifying Terrorist Data Revealed Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " HOLY CRAP! NCTC Director Joe Kent reveals JAW-DROPPING amount of terrorists let into America “18,000 known and suspected terrorists the Biden administration let come into our country." There’s no other way to put it. Treason." RVM sees Democrat’s Veteran Gotcha Collapses as DHS Exposes Full Criminal Record. At ET, ICE Arrests 2,824, Deports 11,870 in New Orleans in November "DHS said it had arrested more than 250 criminal illegal immigrants in New Orleans as part of Operation Catahoula Crunch." The Big Uneasy. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "This data is mind blowing “Non-citizens Social Security numbers issued during the Biden Administration 2021: 270,425 2022: 590,193 2023: 964,163 2024: 2,095,247 - The Biden administration gave more non-citizens Social Security cards in 4 years than live in the state of Iowa - If we just took the amount of people they gave those to in 2024. That's more people than live in Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, DC, Vermont and Wyoming It would be the 39th largest state in the union. Just the amount of people, non-Americans, they gave Social Security cards to last year.” “Gee, I wonder why that escalated so much in 24. Because what are you probably more likely to legitimately be able to claim if you've got a social security card, citizenship voting. Mm-huh.”"

At the Other McCain, the Wombat bids A Warm Welcome To Our Chinese Affiliates "I have been in contact recently with a gentleman named Liu, who advises me that some business or people in West Taiwan wish to purchase various theothermccain.com.cn URL. Now, there is a strong possibility that this is some kind of scam intended to get Stacy and I to shell out hundreds of bucks to buy these URL ourselves, but on the off chance this is actually a legit heads-up, I would like to welcome our new West Taiwan affiliates and warn them that the Ministry of State Security* may take a dim view of their association with our blog. As you loyal members of the Commentariat are well aware, the policy of this blog has long been that the best place for Communists is in free fall from a helicopter. We are also firm believers in Taiwanese independence, and support reasonable military and commercial steps to discomfit the vile betrayers of the Three People’s Principles currently bedeviling the good people of West Taiwan."

From Twitchy, David Frum Explains Why DOJ's Use of 'Franklin' Parody Is a Form of Transnational Organized Crime. Washington Free Beacon @FreeBeacon, "@AndrewStilesUSA writes: The New York Times published a profile of Jennifer Welch, the “radical wine mom” podcaster who has become—for reasons that defy conventional explanation—one of the most influential figures in the Democratic Party. Basically she thinks Democrats are a bunch of p—ies who don’t fight hard enough and aren’t passionate enough about the issues that matter, such as Trump’s “cankles.” Every serious presidential contender will have to go on her show in 2028 and face her wrath. Have fun, everyone!" Dave Strom at Hat Hair finds out Ugh! Oliver Sacks Was a Fraud, "It turns out that all his works were some variety of autobiography, in which he described aspects of his own personality, quirks, loves, hates, torments, and flights of fancy through the false biographies of his patients."

From Campus Reform, MSU Denver Writing Center calls ‘Standard American English’ a tool of white supremacy. To be a serious academic you have to assert something antithetical to common sense at least twice a day.

Harrison Lowman @harrisonlowman "For the love of god why would you make this a light hearted comedy. Then they went and reversed the message to make it anti-capitalism rather than anti-communism. Orwell is spinning in his grave." Quote DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm, "First trailer for Andy Serkis’ animated adaptation of ‘ANIMAL FARM’ Starring Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner and Iman Vellani."

At Twitchy, Childless Strategist Bitecofer Declares Kids Ruin Lives – X Users Clap Back Hard. We Used to Be a Proper Country @Mzandthropic, "This should instantly disqualify someone for social security as they aren't breeding the next contributors" Quote Rachel Bitecofer @RachelBitecofer, "I can 100% confirm that having kids kills your lifestyle unless your lifestyle is staying home on Friday nights cleaning up poo and vomit. For 3 years."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Week In The Ruts available for browsing at the usual place and time.