Oregon, My Oregon

Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN, Oregon uses AI to flag election 'misinformation,' raising fresh concerns about censorship

The Oregon secretary of state’s office used artificial intelligence in the 2022 election that flagged election fraud concerns as mis-, dis-, and malinformation (MDM) and may use it again this year, similar to how Arizona monitored online election information. The effort is already facing a lawsuit.

Oregon flagged election information online during the 2022 midterms, with an AI targeting concerns regarding mail-in ballots. Arizona also worked with social media companies to take down social media posts that allegedly contained election misinformation.

During the 2022 election cycle, the Oregon secretary of state at the time hired a U.K. artificial intelligence company for a pilot project “to help provide a suite of products to identify and disarm harmful information online as it relates to elections (mis-, dis-, and mal-information, or ‘MDM’),” according to a bid solicitation.

Oregon State Rep. Ed Diehl (R) provided Just the News with documents he received from the secretary of state’s office via a public records request.

The company, Logically AI, sent reports to the Oregon secretary of state regarding “MDM narratives” found online, including during the 2022 election. Some MDM narratives in 2022 that Logically AI flagged, according to its own report, were:“

• Mail-in ballots are used to commit voter and election fraud in Oregon;"
• “Future elections can’t be trusted due to the fraudulent 2020 elections;"
• And “voter and election fraud has been happening in Oregon for decades,”

There were also “high risk potential MDM narratives” flagged by Logically AI in August 2022, such as “Oregon should eliminate mail-in voting and hold in-person voting that requires voter ID” and “people should not trust mail-in ballots because signature verification is ineffective," the report said.

Funny how they never look for  such false election information as Trump won due to Russian election interference, or that the Hunter laptop was Russian disinformation.

State legislators filed a lawsuit last month against state executives, requesting a preliminary injunction that would halt “any performance of work pursuant to" the anti-MDM contract. The case is currently pending.

Earlier this month, the Oregon state House Republican Office sent questions to the secretary of state’s office related to Logically AI and monitoring information on social media platforms.

According to answers sent from the secretary of state’s office, the “office reported instances of verifiably false information about election operations during the 2022 election. We ceased that practice after November 2022 because our reports were ignored by social media companies.

"We are not aware of a single instance in which our reports resulted in action by a social media company. Multiple administrations, the current SOS included, have reported threats to life and infrastructure to social media companies and as well as [sic] law enforcement," it added.

Flotsam and Jetsam on Christmas Eve Morn

Really? Can't you guys (and gals, don't want to be sexist) give it up for just a few days? Like the famed Christmas Truce in WWI? I guess not, so here goes.

Steve Richards and John Solomon at JTN wonder Do feds have FISA evidence on Bidens? Court memos suggest they might, and Congress wants it. "Evidence intercepted under FISA is sensitive intelligence, but Congress has succeeded in important investigations to obtain it, including in the post-Sept. 11 inquiry of security failures, and the Russia collusion case, where an intercept of Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn with a Russian ambassador was shown to lawmakers." But that was different, because, Trump! From Truth About Guns, Hunter Biden is Exactly The Kind of Gun Criminal Joe Biden Has Said He Wants to Find and Prosecute. 

At TownHall Matt Vespa Wait, The Biden Administration Wanted to Cover Up the Chinese Spy Balloon Incident? and Spencer Brown  'Utter Disaster': It's No Wonder the Biden Admin Tried to Bury November Border Stats  Of course, the first instinct of government is to bury unpleasant news. Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, Biden's Christmas Present for You: Another Record Number of Illegal Border Crossings. Can I send it back? Or at least re-gift it to New York?  At NewsBusters, PATHETIC: NYT Twists Own Poll Data to Shield Biden from Atrocious Economic Numbers. 

From Fox, Biden approval rating numbers dismal compared to previous modern presidents, Gallup finds "Biden saw a small uptick in approval in recent weeks, but critically remains below 40%." At Slate, There Is No Precedent for How Bad Biden’s Polls Are Right Now, "It’s even worse than it looks." Paul Bedard at WaEx finds Biden making Trump the ‘Nelson Mandela of America’ 

The Dersh, on Fox, The Colorado ruling was absurd and ‘laughable’: Gregg Jarrett "Alan Dershowitz and Gregg Jarrett discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to decline an expedited ruling on former President Trump’s immunity case on ‘Hannity.’" Breitbart hears from Wasserman Schultz: ‘Hopefully’ Trump Will Be Banned from Other State Ballots. Michael Barone discusses The Politics of Incumbent Rejection. Tim Graham, How Can Liberals Strike a Pose as the Guardians of Democracy? Jonathan Turley at Messenger, Supreme Court Decision May Delay Trump’s Trial, But It Also Preserves the Legal Process. "Ironically, Judge Chutkan ruled against Trump on immunity and the scheduling by insisting that he should be treated no differently from ordinary citizens. That is precisely what the Supreme Court just did. It refused to take away an appeal that most ordinary defendants could expect from the courts." Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller, After Jack Smith’s SCOTUS Setback, Former Federal Prosecutor Says Georgia Case Is Dems’ Best Bet To Jail Trump. From ET, Trump Cases for Supreme Court Review Start Piling Up. "Trump spent a good portion of 2023 campaigning while simultaneously litigating several criminal and civil suits." Althouse, "The unbroken tradition of not exercising the supposed formidable power of criminally prosecuting a president for official acts — despite ample motive and opportunity to do so, over centuries — implies that the power does not exist." "Says the brief for Donald Trump. Quoted in "Trump Asks Appeals Court to Toss Election Case on Immunity Grounds/The court filing was the latest development in a battle between Mr. Trump and the special counsel, Jack Smith, over whether the former president can be prosecuted for his actions while in office" (NYT). . . . That's rich, blaming Trump for the spectacle of the criminal trial. Then there's also the problem of Trump's other 3 criminal trials. Where to cram them in before Election Day?"

 From RCP, The Fear Factor and Winning the Independent Voter and Straw Poll Shows Young Trump Voters Want Carlson or Vivek as VP. Maybe Vivek, four years of serving in a job that's been described as "not worth a bucket of warm spit" might calm him down a bit. We need Tucker free to talk. At Da Fetched, Charlie Kirk Stuns RFK Jr. with Simple Question about Joe Biden. "So what would you agree with Biden on?” Kirk asked the candidate. RFK Jr. paused, then responded with a simple, “I don’t know.”"

At WaEx, Wisconsin Supreme Court rules GOP-drawn legislative map unconstitutional in big win for Dems. "Wisconsin's Supreme Court decided Friday that the Republican-submitted legislative maps must be redrawn as they don't consist of contiguous territory." Althouse analyzes "In an angry dissent, Justice Annette Ziegler, one of three conservatives on the panel, denounced the liberal majority as 'robewearers'...." "From "Justices in Wisconsin Order New Legislative Maps/The ruling, coming just months after liberals gained a 4-to-3 majority on the State Supreme Court, could undo gerrymanders that have given Republicans lopsided control of the State Legislature" (NYT)." "I see that Democrats are exulting, but why would more compact, contiguous districts help Democrats? Their problem has been that Democratic voters are concentrated in urban areas. If the court's decision means what that Karofsky quote says, won't more Democrats end up packed into districts that already had a safe Democratic majority? Our former governor, Scott Walker, said "This is not the win the left thinks it is."" From the AZ Sun, New Documentary ‘State of Denial’ Goes over Election Illegalities in Maricopa County’s 2022 Election, Reveals ‘Intentional Conduct to Sabotage the Election’ "The full film can be seen on Rumble and YouTube." Shipwreckedcrew at RedState, Is Jack Smith an Illegitimate Prosecutor? Has Every Act Taken by Him Been Without Lawful Authority? A former federal prosecutor examines the laws. 

Nicholas Ballasy at JTN, More Republicans than Democrats returned Sam Bankman's FTX 2022 cycle campaign donations, "OpenSecrets.org's data continues to be updated on a rolling basis as additional donations are returned. Although Sam Bankman-Fried's ill-gotten gains went to candidates on both sides of the aisle, so far it appears more Republicans than Democrats have returned the money."

On the lighter side, from Twitchy presents Festivus for the Rest of Us: Rand Paul Airs His Grievances and OMG He Goes THERE. Good job, Senator!

NewsMax hears the Secret Service May Be Probing Ex-'Dukes of Hazzard' Star "John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard," may be investigated by the Secret Service for social media posts directed at President Joe Biden. . . . "Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung," Schneider wrote. "Your son too. Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider." At least it's not Catherine Bach. 

Eddie Scarry at Da Fed is amused the Washington Post is Shedding Hundreds Of Staff From Payroll After Trump Presidency And Covid Is The Reason For The Season.

Hat Hair's John Sexton sees McWhorter: Claudine Gay Should Resign. NYPo, Obama secretly pushed Harvard to keep president Claudine Gay despite campus antisemitism, plagiarism controversies. 'Bonchie' at RedState, Obama Steps in to Save Harvard's Very Diverse, Plagiarizing President. Both affirmative action hires. Jewish Insider, Harvard controversy casts spotlight on Penny Pritzker, former Obama official atop university board, "Obama privately lobbied on Harvard President Claudine Gay’s behalf as she faces growing scrutiny."  Sister Toldja at RedState, NBC News 'Disinformation Reporter' Ben Collins Tells on Himself in Defense of Harvard's Claudine Gay 

Ed Driscoll at Insty, That’s quite a marker for Gay to call in. And the Stig has similarly also crashed in on Gay’s behalf: NBC News ‘Disinformation Reporter’ Ben Collins Tells on Himself in Defense of Harvard’s Claudine Gay.
Insty sees CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT: Harvard withholds racial demographics of Class of 2028 early admits: Legal experts said the decision likely was ‘politically motivated.’ "Harvard’s racist admissions behavior calls for continuing judicial supervision to assure that there’s no illegal racial discrimination." Also, IT’S COME TO THIS: Catholic university offering ‘safe haven’ for Jewish students amid rise in anti-Semitism.

From PM, White woman sues University of Wisconsin, says she was forced out of diversity position due to her race. "Do you personally feel white staff can do as effective a job as a person of color, within a space for people of color?" Hat Hair's Beege Welborn snarks "I’ll bet she was thrilled to death right up to when she became a victim of the job she was thrilled to death about. These characters never see it coming. “But I didn’t know they meant ME!!!”" At Brownstone, No Institution is Safe: DEI Thought Control in the Military. LI's Leslie Eastman, Tennessee Suing BlackRock Over ‘Misleading’ ESG Strategy, "Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti: “We allege that BlackRock’s inconsistent statements about its investment strategies deprived consumers of the ability to make an informed choice.”"

From Twitchy, WATCH: Alarming Undercover Video Shows San Francisco State Students Will Donate Money to Harm Jews.

Jesse Singal is Singal-Minded, It’s Almost 2024 And Doctors Are Still Misleading The Public About Youth Gender Medicine "A sloppy article in ‘Pediatrics’ shows, once again, that major medical institutions have failed the public on this issue."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! and FMJRA 2.0: (Like) There’s No Tomorrow ready at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Weiss Gets a Vote of No Confidence

 Margot Cleveland at Da Fed has not confidence in the Delaware prosecutor While Weiss Pinky Swears He’ll Indict Soon, Hunter Biden Claims Cushy Gun Deal Still Grants Immunity "While David Weiss promised to indict Hunter Biden, that he hasn’t already suggests Special Counsel Weiss will be just as soft as U.S. Attorney Weiss." Also, EXCLUSIVE: FOIA Turns Up Zilch On The ‘Full Authority’ Garland Claims He Gave Weiss Over Hunter Biden.  At Front Page Dan Greenfield explores Hunter Biden’s China-Ukraine Axis "Did the president’s son hope to make billions by bringing China into Ukraine?" Of course he did. Via the Wombats  In The Mailbox: 09.08.23, EBL Biden Crime Family: Keep your friends close, but your drug addicted criminal son closer and Scott Johnson at Power Line  Hunter Biden Testifies about the lap top.  From the Daily Fetched, James Comer says ‘We Have the Votes’ for Impeachment Inquiry into Joe Biden.

Ace, CNN: Biden's Approval Rating Hits Rock-Bottom, "Cry moar, CNN:" At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed catches Van Jones asking Who *really* wants to give Grandpa six more years? Across da pond Da Mail notices Every president has observed 9/11 at one of the terror targets or the White House. So why the hell will Biden insultingly be in Alaska... en route from Vietnam? No wonder, rages MAUREEN CALLAHAN, Americans don't think he gives a damn. Capt. Ed comments "This is a complete set of nitwits in the West Wing." Ace again, Treason: Biden White House Indicates It Will Hold Disaster Relief Aid for the US States of Florida and Hawaii Hostage Until Congress Authorizes More Billions for the Foreign Country of Ukraine, "This absolute traitorous scumbag." The Ukrainians pay (the Bidens), all Hawaii and Florida do is vote. Also from Ace, in red italic font, Biden Junta Considering Forcing Illegal Aliens to Remain in Texas, "Trump's policy: Remain in Mexico Biden's policy: Remain in Texas." I guess they don't expect to turn Texas blue this cycle. Paul Bedard at WaEx reports Fattened IRS not targeting high-income returns as Biden promised, surprise, surprise! Charles Rotter at WUWT delighted at how Manchin Unloads on Biden Admin for Restricting Alaskan Oil: Frankly Embarrassing’. Dan Turner at Wa Ex hopes Smoking gun documents can help rein in Biden’s climate lawlessness. EPA ignores courts, does what it wants to. Scott McKay at Am Spec thinks Replacing Offshore Oil With Offshore Wind Is Biden-Level Stupid. "Anybody who builds giant windmills in the Gulf of Mexico can quite foreseeably be made very sad when a big hurricane comes through."

From Breitbart  Bidenomics Is Creating a Debt-Inflation Spiral  and Van Hollen: People Think Biden’s Policies Hurt Economy Because They’re Dealing with ‘Lingering Impact’ of Inflation. At Da Caller, There’s A Huge Warning Sign That The Housing Market Could Be Headed For Trouble. Oh, it's already in trouble but it's likely to get worse before it improves. The Free Bacon reports Philly Bet Big on Biden’s Favorite Electric Bus Company. Now It Stands To Lose Millions. "Biden-backed Proterra canceled repair negotiations with city's transportation agency following bankruptcy." Let 100 Solnedras bloom.

Stacy McCain worries Is President Kamala Harris Inevitable? "Readers may laugh at the idea that such an obvious incompetent as Kamala Harris could ever become President of the United States, but is she more laughable than the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Don Surber say Kamala could win “the same way that the dumb, old, plagiarizing, crooked, perverted Biden won: fixing the election.”"

Via the Wombats  In The Mailbox: 09.08.23,  Victory Girls: Kristi Noem And Donald Trump Flirtation Highlights Silly Season. Never-Anybody-but-Trump sundance at CTH worries when South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Will Possibly Endorse President Donald Trump Today During Event in Rapid City  "I don’t have the direct and data-driven answers,… YET….. but I will tell you with certainty, my gut instinct is that moving Kristi Noem into a position where she would be considered a VP pick for Trump in 2024, looks like an insurance policy against Trump winning 2024." Ja'ron Smith at Newsweek Can the GOP Do Right by Black Voters This Election? Yes—Just Follow Trump's Lead. Mary Chastain at LI cites Bill Maher to MSNBC’s Ari Melber: ‘Try to Understand Why’ So Many Support Trump “Just crack a window a little bit, and you maybe understand why people would — you have to try to understand why half the country is looking to Donald Trump as some sort of savior.” Ashley McCully at PJM writes DeSantis Obliterates Claim He 'Allowed People to Hunt People' in Florida. Tom Jackson at Hat Hair VIP, DeSantis rebukes heckler; Politico lashes out, you can't  talk to our people like that! sundance is pleased by the news that After He Camped Out in Iowa with Emphasis, Vote Support for Ron DeSantis Collapses to 14%. 

From TNP, Court Rules AZ Used Illegal Signature-Verification in Elections. At ET, Kari Lake Has 'Utmost Confidence' in Victory After Court Finds Maricopa County Signature Verification Unlawful. Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed a Court found Wisconsin’s Unauthorized Use Of Federal Voter Registration Form Violates State Law. Darrel Frost at PJM writes The Swamp Is Trying to Cancel Nearly 4.3 Million Votes, by impeaching Texas AG Ken Paxton. Via the Wombats  In The Mailbox: 09.08.23, The Federalist, Whistleblowers Admit They Reported Ken Paxton To The FBI Without A Shred Of Evidence.

Dershowitz to Newsmax: Trump Georgia Trial Should Be Moved. If Carolyn Mosby's trial can be moved out of Baltimore I don't see why not. Capt. Ed, "This motion has a decent shot at success. The removal statute exists to prevent states from conducting lawfare against federal officials past or present, and that is clearly at least part of Fani Willis’ intent. However, the alleged criminal acts have to have a connection to official duties of the office involved. Typically federal judges will use wide latitude on that requirement, but would that apply to an election?"  CNN, Judge rejects Mark Meadows’ bid to move Georgia election interference case to federal court. Capt. Ed reacts "I’m a little surprised. Meadows had the best argument for removal, as his actions alleged in the indictment involved tasks that were clearly part of his federal employment as Trump’s chief of staff. Jeffrey Clarke also seemed well positioned for a removal claim. If Meadows’ application failed on the basis of the order highlighted by Blake, though, Trump’s clearly won’t succeed, at least not with this district court judge. We’ll see what happens on appeal, which is certain to follow." Althouse, "The special grand jury in Fulton County investigating the 2020 presidential election in Georgia recommended charges against Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler..." ""... according to the special counsel grand jury report released Friday," CNN reports." At Twitchy, Jonathan Turley shreds GA grand jury report for having 'focus and restraint of a drive by shooting. Via the Wombats  In The Mailbox: 09.08.23, The Federalist, Fulton County Prosecutor’s Law Firm Sends ‘Uninvited And Improper’ Mailer To Republican He Helped Indict. Mike Gonzalez at WaEx is Connecting the dots between Fani Willis and unrepentant communists. Daughter of a Black Panther and friend of Angela Davis. From Breitbart a Fulton County Update: Judge ‘Skeptical’ of October Trial Date, Fani Willis Accuses Jim Jordan of Obstructing Prosecution. The Dersh opines Donald Trump Is Being Denied His Constitutional Right to Due Process, and that is exactly the point.

PJMs Lincoln Brown wonders Will Colorado Force Trump Off the Ballot? The sooner it gets to the Supreme Court the better. Deroy Murdock at Am Spec sees Dem Ploys to Deny, Overturn GOP Presidential Wins Revealed in New Trump Ad. "Democrats deny elections — it’s a First Amendment right." But you can't put it on YouTube. 

👁️👁️👁️👁️The testimony by the first witness Trump's attorney John Eastman called to put on his side of the case in his disbarment trial has been nothing less than explosive. The trial ended for the day with more bombshells. He revealed that the Zuckbucks, $8.8 million from…

— Rachel Alexander (@Rach_IC) September 8, 2023

News from Lara Logan@laralogan, "For months we’ve been working on a series of stories about January 6th. I did not expect to meet so many extraordinary people in ordinary places who traveled all the way to Washington DC on January 6th, some of whom had never seen the capitol in their lives. You probably don’t know their names or their faces and that’s by design. I learned so many things I did not expect and I was reminded why I still fight to go beyond the headlines and false narratives and find the truth that lies in the rest of the story...the parts you weren’t told." Newt Gingrich at Am Spec worries about American Despotism "We are faced with a totalitarian cancer that will have to be confronted and defeated at every level." At WaEx, FBI head Christopher Wray pushes for renewal of 'absolutely vital' spying power, section 702. Just say no! Nathan Harden at Am Great tells of Merrick Garland and the Love Warriors, "Surprise: An Update to the 2021 Loudon School Board Saga Reveals an Atty. Gen. Double Standard."  "Garland was quick to launch a national effort to investigate (largely conservative) parents attending school board meetings and protesting the decisions of (largely progressive) school board officials. Meanwhile, federal law enforcement officials launched no similar response when the (largely conservative) parents themselves were threatened by supporters and staff of the (largely progressive) school board officials." TAG, Oklahoma Sheriff Opens an Investigation Into ATF SWAT Raid on FFL’s Home. 

AP, Body cam catches elite federal prosecutor offering his Justice Department card in DUI crash arrest. Hat Hair 'Do you know who I am' tactic goes as well as you'd expect, DoJ edition. Capt. Ed, "This is the story of a man who will shortly be working as a consultant, if he’s lucky." At Da Caller, Southern Poverty Law Center Attorney Charged With Domestic Terrorism For Alleged Role In Atlanta Anti-Police Riots. Now charge the SPLC leadership with RICO violations. At Da Wire, Moms For Liberty Promises Legal Action Over SPLC ‘Hate And Extremism’ Report. 

From Zero Hedge, Biden Biography Bombshell: Hillary Violated Logan Act, Drew Rebuke From Ex-Crony. Well, the Logan act is never used, probably because it's a violation of the 1st Amendment anyway. 

From NRO, Biden Administration Likely Violated First Amendment with Social-Media Censorship, Appeals Court Rules. Pixy Misa at Ace's, "After a district court handed down an injunction in a First Amendment case basically forbidding the federal government from talking to social networks at all the government appealed to the Fifth Circuit. The Fifth Circuit just handed down a ruling narrowing the injunction to only forbid many parts of the government - particularly the White House and the FBI - from communicating with social networks in any way that implied or could be reasonably inferred to coerce infringement of protected speech. (Washington Post / MSN) The government is now appealing to the Supreme Court, saying that it can't function if constitutionally-protected rights are allowed to be protected by the Constitution." Stephen Kruiser at PJM, Team Biden Doubles Down on Its Soviet Censorship Freak Flag. Ace, Of. Course.: The BBC's "Disinformation" Reporter, Whose Rulings on What Is and Is Not a Lie Will Cause Social Media Comapnies to Censor and Suppress Speech, Lied on Her Professional Resume. "I mean -- look, all of these people were unemployed obsessives wasting their lives 24/7 on Twitter until three years ago. At that point, these unqualified nobodies began putting "Disinformation Expert" in their twitter bios and started getting hired by leftwing censorship groups for big salaries."

At the College Fix, worries that a New journal on health ‘disinformation’ will stifle alternative opinions, researchers warn. 

Culture war stuff below the fold, because it's getting late:

Flotsam and Jetsam - Senate Passed Debt Ceiling Bill, New Hunter Pics Posted, The Old Man Takes Another Fall

About 11 PM last night.  Fox, Senate passes bipartisan debt ceiling bill, sends to Biden’s desk "The bill needed 60 to pass and won 63 votes." You can find nays and yeas here. PJM's Paula Bolyard, various Republicans React to House Passing Debt Deal in Late-Night Vote. At Da Fed, Chris Jacobs thinks McCarthy’s Debt Limit Deal Virtually Guarantees Another Omnibus Train Wreck. PJM's Stephen Kruiser says House Kicks $34 Trillion Debt Can Down the Road Under Cover of Night. Divergent views at Am Spec. Dan Flynn Today, Congress Plays Let’s Make a (Debt-Ceiling) Deal, "The partisans of big government needed this deal. The advocates of limited government did not." And Scott McKay says The Debt-Limit Deal Isn’t Actually That Bad "You just had to have a reasonable set of expectations, that’s all." Was it somewhere close to the best deal Republicans could hope to get? Maybe. Optimism at Breitbart? At Liberty and Prosperity, Kevin McCarthy's doubters have less reason to doubt McCarthy. Capt. Ed adds "Gary also says he likes the Freedom Caucus’ efforts to push hard for more fiscal discipline. I agree. No one needs to be made into villains in this episode. This is, as I wrote yesterday, a tactical win with the strategic battle still ahead."  Republican Leaders Detail How Debt Ceiling Will Enable Appropriations Process as a ‘Power Tool’ to Defund Joe Biden’s Agenda, Woke Policies. Also, Dem Rep. Sherman: Some Dems Are Risking a Global Recession to Block a Pipeline. And economic news from Liberty Unyielding, Biden Labor Department Announces Massive Revision To Wage Data, Revealing Big Drop in Wages "In March, the BLS previously reported a fourth-quarter increase of 4.9% for hourly compensation in nonfarm businesses, but updated it to a decrease of 0.7% on Thursday, according to its revised Productivity and Costs report. At the same time hourly wages fell, inflation rose, leading to a 4.7% decline in “real hourly compensation, which takes into account consumer prices,” according to the BLS." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.01.23, Weasel Zippers, MSNBC Shocked: After 28 Months Of Joe Biden, “Things Are STILL Expensive Across The Board”, Thanks, Brandon!

Speaking of Brandon, the Big Guy took another spill in public yesterday, at the Air Force Graduation ceremony. Hat Hair's Dave Strom, Uh oh: Biden falls on stage at Air Force Academy commencement. 

Jeff Dunetz at Da Lid, Biden Takes a Big Fall At Air Force Academy Graduation (Video). Ace goes there with Biden Falls Again,  FLASHBACK: Biden Mocked Trump's Ability to Walk, Claimed Biden's Own Walking Ability Was Streets Ahead. Sundance at CTH, Joe Biden Takes a Hard Fall at U.S. Airforce Academy Graduation Ceremony. Matt Vespa wants to know Did You See Newsweek's Headline About Biden's Fall at the Air Force Academy? They seem to have stealth edited it. Both of my parents demises (in their lower 90s) were hastened along by multiple falls. As noted at Ace's:

I'm at that age where every doctor's visit begins with the question, "Have you had any falls recently?" Falling once is an accident. Falling multiple times is a pattern and a pretty significant indication that the end is fast approaching. - Posted by: RebeccaH

At Insty, RON HART: “Let’s face it. “Gun to the head” honest, only 5% of the country would let Joe Biden watch their kid for an hour while they ran to the store. He has been the worst president of modern times. Even Jimmy Carter started comparing him to Jimmy Carter.”

Matt Margolis at PJM,  Huge Trove of Photos from Hunter Biden’s Laptop Released. Nick Arama at Red State, Will Biden Lose It Over This? Site Launches With Thousands of Hunter Pics From Laptop

Now there’s a site that has just launched with all the pictures that were on the laptop. It tells the wild tale in living color, with almost 10,000 pictures from 2008-2019. It also includes attachments and messages. Right now, because it just launched and everyone is trying to get on, it’s crashing a lot. But that will likely calm by the end of the day and people will be able to more fully view it.

The man behind the site is Garrett Ziegler, a former Trump White House aide, who also launched the non-profit, Marco Polo.

Ziegler said the photos are an accurate reflection of Hunter Biden’s life and family interaction. He said they were going to show the good and the bad. But they do cover up any genitalia.
. . .
He said they were also taking out any private information like Social Security and credit card numbers, as well as any naked pics of Hallie Biden. They’re also not including things like Candy Crush games.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair VIP,  Today's deep legal question: Will Bruen save Hunter Biden -- even as his father demonizes it?  "attorneys for the president’s son will argue that New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen makes it impossible to charge Hunter with firearms offenses related to his drug use. Amusingly, the New York Times never even mentions the name of the case in its analysis, and you have to scroll through eleven paragraphs at Politico to find out which precedent they plan to cite." But at Breitbart, ATF Reaffirms No 2A Rights for Drug Users, Bringing Spotlight Back on Hunter Biden’s Purported Gun Crime.

The divine Ms. Devine at NYPo reports ‘Missing’ Biden family corruption probe witness Gal Luft speaks out, living as fugitive in undisclosed location. If even half this story is true. it's damning. "In March 2019, Luft met with four FBI officials and two DOJ prosecutors at the US Embassy in Brussels to provide information that Chinese state-controlled energy company CEFC had paid $100,000 a month to Hunter Biden and $65,000 to his uncle Jim, in exchange for their FBI connections and use of the Biden name to promote China’s Belt and Road Initiative around the world." Margot Cleveland at Da Fed writes Breadcrumbs From A Buried FBI Source May Lead To A Bigger Biden Scandal. Ace, Christopher Wray: Since You Are Now Threatening Criminal Charges Against Me, I'll Allow Two Congressmen, Including Leftwing Firebrand Jamie Raskin, to View a Heavily-Redacted Version of the Bribery Document. How's That? "Fuck you, scumbag criminal." Comer has the document, he just needs to verify that it's the same as the one in the Hoover building. Sundance hosts Senator Chuck Grassley Gives His Perspective on FBI Document Detailing Allegations of Biden Bribery. Jonathan Turley notices that CNN Interviews Comey on Every Alleged Violation of the Rule of Law . . . Except His Own. Virginia Kruta at Da Wire wants you to WATCH: Reporter Leaves John Kirby Speechless With Question About Biden Family Corruption. 

At Breitbart, Republicans Cry Foul as Biden DOJ Targets West Virginia Governor’s Family and a Report: George Soros’ Son Visited Joe Biden’s White House at Least 17 Times. John Nantz at Front Page is concerned about The Weaponization of the FBI: the Tip of the Iceberg. "Our country is in peril, perhaps like never before." And a weird one at Breitbart, Prosecution Against CIA Agent Accused of Abusing Women Could Collapse Due to Phone Search Execution. One was a personal phone, one a government phone. I would think that the government phone would be available to the government, and not covered. 

At Am Great, the redoubtable Julie Kelly is outraged by J6 Footage Shows Camera Rolling as Pelosi Made Her ‘Insurrection’ Exit. "Unseen footage released today by Just the News founder John Solomon shows a “Hollywood movie set” escape for Pelosi and her filmmaker daughter." Dan Greenfield at Front Page reminds us of J1 – The Anniversary of the BLM Insurrection at the White House, "Before there was J6, there was J1."

 From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.01.23, Twitch, News Site Tries To Gotcha DeSantis, Twitter Rates Them A Rotten Tomato. WaEx notes  Ron DeSantis isn't blind to the media's game. At Da Wire, DeSantis Takes On Biden In Iowa: ‘Deliberately Trying’ To Hurt American Families. NRO editors try to Set the DeSantis Covid Record Straight. News that sends Never-DeSantis Sundance dances in the sun, The Bloom Is Off the Ruse – Post Launch Polling Shows DeSantis Losing Support, Not Gaining. Lawrence Person on Pence and Christy preparing to run, No. And No. "Pence combines the dynamic personal charisma of Jeb Bush with the national electoral chances of Jeb Bush. Christie combines the personal likeability of J. Edgar Hoover with the weight of a second J. Edgar Hoover." At Am Think J.B. Shurk thinks up Five Questions for Prospective Republican Candidates.

 At TNP, WATCH: Maricopa Election Officials Break into Sealed Voting Machines Ahead of Kari Lake Vote. If true (and you can't really know just from the video), this is good evidence of massive voter suppression (of Republicans) in Arizona. The Free Bacon reports on a Democratic Florida Mayor Charged With Voter Fraud. Capt. Ed snarks "Democrats couldn’t find a candidate who lived in the city? Really? Man, that’s pretty lame. As for the mayoral career route, it sounds a bit like Illinois governors." Sundance wants to know Do you live in PA, MI, WI, NV, GA, VA, NJ, NY, WA or AZ?

WaEx reports on at State Dept funded 'Disinformation' tracker paid state-funded university $90,000 for conservative blacklist report. Capt. Ed, "Yes, by all means, let’s have the US government fund secret censorship programs based on data generated by teenagers with extra time on their hands." 'Bonchie' at Red State, Heads Roll at Twitter After The Daily Wire Is Censored, but Elon Musk Stirs New Controversy. How many heads are left at Twitter?  At Twitchy, an (updated) Update on Twitter suppression of Matt Walsh’s ‘What is a Woman?’ Insty, Here’s a link to the Daily Wire’s tweet containing the video, which is free for the next 24 hours. Also at Twitchy, ‘It is DEFINITELY allowed’: Elon Musk responds to Twitter canceling deal with Daily Wire over misgendering and Despite attempt by NBC News to shield AOC from a parody account, she’s not going to date them. 

WUWT notes an encouraging trend, Media Bombshell: Shocking Outbreak of ‘Climate Disinformation’ in the Media, i.e., Journalists Asking Questions About Net Zero on GB News and Talk TV, before the lights go out.

Jonathan Turley hears  a Michigan Economics Professor say Boycotting Target is “Literal Terrorism” and thinks it's absurd. "Indeed, the company (Transheiser Bush) now appears to be in a death spiral." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.01.23, Louder With Crowder: #BoycottTarget takes lead on iTunes:  and the Babalu Blog: Who is telling these companies to go woke? Breitbart reports on LGBTQ Radicals who Send Target Bomb Threats After Pride Month Merchandise Pullback. ,Ace, "Another Company Needing Bud-Lighting:" Parents Complain of Kohl's Selling "Pride" Onesies Sized for Three Month Old Babies, "Grooming grooming grooming..." Lincoln Brown at PJM complains Stores, Stores Everywhere, and Not a Place to Shop. 

Capt. Ed reports a Second Dodger pitcher balks at honoring anti-Catholic hate group. At Da Signal, Athletic Org Tied to Legendary Dodgers Announcer Condemns Anti-Catholic Move, Vin Scully. Capt. Ed, "It’s a total disgrace, but it’s also not the same team that Scully represented so well and honorably for decades. This is a completely different organization, and one unworthy of any loyalty or respect." Ace, Tornoto Blue Jays Compel Pitcher Who Supported Target, Bud Light Boycotts Into Forced Public Confession and Reeducation Camp "A Toronto Jays pitcher seemingly offered support for the Bud Light and Target boycotts, and a "journalist" immediately demanded he be fired. Weird how these "journalists" speak, think, and act exactly like leftwing activists." Chris Queen at PJM tells A Tale of Two Pitchers and Their Encounters With the Pride Mob. 

"The Little Mermaid's" Halle Bailey

At Hollywood in Toto, Progressive ‘Little Mermaid’ Not Woke Enough, "HuffPo, NY Times and Vulture demand more from Disney's live-action remake." Tim Young at Am Great observes IMDb Is Rigging Reviews for ‘The Little Mermaid.’ "You can alter the audience scores of a terrible movie, but it’s still a terrible movie."

From Da Caller, ‘Pain And Sorrow’: California Students Stage A Walkout After School Board Won’t Fly The Pride Flag. Suspend them and School District Tells Gym Teachers To Wear Gay Flags, Use Preferred Pronouns To Make Class More ‘Inclusive.’ KT at Hat Hair is amused that A Pride flag was burned in North Hollywood and Gavin Newsom lost his mind, wants it investigated as a hate crime. Also notes a Drag show at Nevada Air Force base cancelled when the Pentagon found out about it. Insty, ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED REAL VIOLENCE BELIEVE THIS: Misgendering is an ‘act of violence,’ university argues.  Also, GAY AND TRANSGENDER SUICIDE IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE DON’T GATHER ANY USEFUL DATA ON IT: “So often we hear policy arguments based on the likelihood that transgender people will commit suicide as — as if the number is well known (and as if we also know why they commit suicide).”  From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.01.23,  Louder With Crowder:  Mom dresses like drag queen at school board meeting to make point about what’s appropriate for kids and Behind the Black sees Oregon boys trashing the tampon dispensers in their bathrooms and thinks If the young are beginning to resist the leftist queer agenda, then there is real hope. At Am Think, Olivia Murray sees ‘Menstrual Equity For All Act’ to end ‘period poverty’ brought back before Congress. Tampons in the boys rooms. Dave Strom, Transgender debate has people taking Stock. "Feminist writer Kathleen Stock was invited to speak at the Oxford Union, the famed university’s debating society, and all hell broke loose. The controversy glued Britons to their TVs, with even the Prime Minister getting involved, and it ended with a transgender activist glued to the floor of the famed debating room." Add more glue. Dave Strom outraged by demands that we Worship the pregnant man! Man, in quotes. Don't look. 

At Am Great Optimism from the great VDH? Is the Sleeping Conservative Dragon Finally Waking Up? Carla Benton at Am Spec, thinks that To Win the ‘Culture War,’ We Need Fewer Conservatives and More Counter-Revolutionists "The conservative movement is incapable of fighting, much less winning, an unprecedented revolution against Western civilization." Derek Hunter at Front Page says Forget ‘Pride’ "Is a ‘dignity’ month too much to ask for?" 

Sister Toldja at Red State thinks Tim Scott Gives Hall of Fame Response to Joy Behar's Race-Based Attack as Larger Point Is Made “There’s no doubt a white lady dressing up in blackface giving a black man advice probably doesn’t ring true in anyone’s minds, certainly not my own,”  Dave Strom thinks this is a perfect example, Behold the DEI scam in microcosm. At NYPo Charles Gasparino says Affirmative action SCOTUS case could take down ‘diversity’ industry too. Too good to be true.

The Wombat came through with Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Double-Scoop Swimsuit Edition! and FMJRA 2.0: Das Herz Von Groenland.

Flotsam and Jetsam - DeSantis Still In

Yesterday we announce DeSantis' official announcement, with glitches on Twitter. More today. From Da Wire, DeSantis Event ‘By Far The Biggest Ever’ Held On Twitter Spaces, $1+ Million Raised In First Hour. At Hat Hair VIP Duane Patterson thinks Even with Twitter Spaces glitches, regime media proves DeSantis made the right campaign launch decision but Roger Kimball at Da Spec claims it was A disastrous DeSantis 2024 ‘launch’ on Twitter Spaces, "It was like one of SpaceX’s rapid unscheduled disassemblies." Ace, Axios: DeSantis' Decision to Make His Announcement on Twitter Is a Sign That Fox News Is Not the Conservative King-Maker Any Longer. At Da Caller, Biden Mocks DeSantis’ Campaign Announcement For Having Technical Difficulties. Matt Margolis at PJM notes Trump Accuses DeSantis of Plagiarism. There’s Just One Problem.... Ace, DeSantis Signs Law That Strips Illegal Aliens of Their Drivers Licenses; Leftwing #Resistance Media Shrieks That Minorities Are Terrified of DeSantis. "So let's get this out of the way. DeSantis just signed a law that has illegals worried and the leftwing #ResistanceMedia shrieking." Virginia Kruta at Da Wire, Ron DeSantis Responds To RFK Jr. Claim He’d Burn CDC/NIH ‘To The Ground.’  From TNP, DeSantis’s Own Spokesman’s Daughter Just Endorsed Donald Trump, While Ron Was Launching His Campaign. Althouse, The Lincoln Project to Ron DeSantis: "[Y]ou’re going to get absolutely destroyed.... We’re sure going to love watching you crash and burn." "What the phrase "will all be fair game to Trump" really means is that it's completely fair game to The Lincoln Project. They're the ones saying these things, but they'd like us to imagine that the bad orange man will be saying them and they're only predicting it." At least he makes the right enemies.  Never DeSantis sundance, at CTH, DeSantis 101 and DeSantis 102 – Floridians Are Furious – How to Have Fun with The Great Pretending Campaign of 2024. PJM's Ben Bartee, wants you to WATCH: Whoopi Goldberg Suffers Incoherent Meltdown Over Ron DeSantis and Twitter Spaces, Fantasizes About Coming Race War. No thanks!  At the Babylon Bee, Adolf Hitler Announces Run For President.

PJM's Stephen Kruiser thinks  DeSantis vs. Trump Is the Heavyweight Fight We've Been Waiting For. I&I worries whether Trump Can Escape The ‘MAGA Extremist’ Label? I&I/TIPP Poll "There’s little question that it is a strategy of Democratic Party and White House strategists, who have made no secret of their fear of Trump going head-to-head with the highly unpopular Joe Biden." Atop the Summit, Video: Hillary Is STILL Whining About LOSING 2016 Election, "Says Trump winning in 2024 would be “the end of democracy in America”Insty says RUN ALL THE CANDIDATES! as CNN Sets Mike Pence for Third Republican Primary Town Hall, With Dana Bash as Moderator.

At 1945, A Donald Trump Classified Documents ‘Smoking Gun’? "The Washington Post reported Thursday that two employees of former President Donald Trump moved boxes of papers at Mar-a-Lago the day before FBI agents and a prosecutor were set to visit." Matt Vespa at Town Hall, The Trump Classified Document Circus Is About to Get a New Shot of Life. "Okay, I’m sorry, they might have moved documents from one room to another in preparation for the agents’ arrival? Were these files destroyed? Of course, the article doesn’t delve into that, only that someone might have moved some boxes on the property, and there were dress rehearsals on how to move sensitive materials, which doesn’t sound all that unorthodox. It’s better than Joe Biden and his crew neglecting protocol and carelessly leaving state secrets at multiple locations." 

As the nation edges ever closer to default, whatever than mean (and people do differ, What Exactly Is a "Default"?) MRC TV reports Biden Wants ‘Clean’ Debt Limit Hike – Americans Want Spending Cuts, Say He’s Being Irresponsible, Mishandling Budget. Nick Arama at Red State, Biden Has No Idea Who He Is Calling for at Event, as He Ditches Debt Deadline for Vacation. At Breitbart McCarthy Moves in for the Kill on Debt Ceiling but Da Caller claims AOC Demands McCarthy Surrender On Debt Ceiling Talks. That should do it! 

John Sexton at Hat Hair, says it's 'Horrible for Joe Biden': CNN poll shows Biden with 35% favorability. At I&I again, Many Of Our Elected Officials Are Unfit To Serve — Medical Problems Are Sometimes The Cause. 

PJM's VodkaPundit MAGIC! Presto-Chango, See Which Democrat Attack Transforms Into 'Republicans Pounce!' Gas stoves, this time. 

So it’s a neat trick Politico is trying to perform here. The MSM has gone from claiming that the gas stove ban:

• Is just a figment of paranoid Republican imaginations.
• Is maybe a good idea, ackshully.
• Is needed because gas stoves are literally killing children.
• Is still just a figment of paranoid Republican imaginations because, pinky swear, we’re just trying to make gas stoves safer.

Left unsaid is that the new and improved gas stoves will be improved so much that the only people who will still have them are the rich and celebrity chefs with special carve-outs from the law.

At Am Great, Matt Boose on illegal immigration, Send Them Back. "We are witnessing the most malicious voter registration campaign in human history." Am Think's Jay Valentine thinks he knows why Why Kari Lake Couldn't Close the Deal

Kari lost because she is naturally gifted and could upend established order. The leftists pulled out all the stops — just like 2020 and, soon, 2024.

Her team's outstanding testimony in several court cases showed that elected officials changed printer settings, mostly in Republican areas, so printers would not process a ballot.

Officials ran signatures through a nonexistent verification process, counting several hundred thousand ballots that were clearly sketchy.

Our team did the expert witness report on Kari Lake election data showing elected officials jacked with voter rolls days before the election — as in 22,000 new voters and 107,000 changes to the rolls, and thousands of address changes. We suspect that those voter roll manipulations were not to help Kari.

This is the reality of important elections in America today.

Ace, Founder of the Oath Keepers, Stuart Rhodes, Who Committed No Violence on January 6 and Did Not Even Enter the Capitol, Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison By Corrupt Evil Regime. "Another fake "seditious conspiracy" conviction. We must pass a law giving both defendants and prosecutors the right to change venues in politically-charged cases where the local... inhabitants and Regime Enforcers of the judiciary are strongly biased to one side or another. In fact, it's an absolute scandal that this law doesn't already exist." David Zukerman at Am Think thinks The Republican presidential candidates must unite in defense of fairness for the Jan. 6 political prisoners — and one another. Dan Chaitin at Da Wire, GOP Lawmakers Demand FBI Share Findings In D.C. Pipe Bomb Probe. The fact that they won't is suspicious. Matt Margolis, not without reason wonders Why Did the DOJ Downgrade Charges Against the ‘White Supremacist’ Who Rammed White House Barricade?  Sai Varshith Kandula.

Hat Hair's Dave Strom has More FBI coverups and corruption. Joy Pullman at Da Fed says Here’s A Big Tell Democrats Believe The FBI Works For Them. They want to defund police, but fund the FBI more. Paul Bedard at WaEx, Six in 10 want FBI officials in Russiagate prosecuted. Hollywood in Toto finds Adam Carolla on CIA, FBI, DOJ and CDC: ‘I Do Not Trust Them Anymore.’ "Podcaster, Dr. Drew Pinsky claim groups shredded decades of trust, respect"

George Parry at Am Spec wonders about The Durham Report’s Missing Piece, "Did Durham simply throw up his hands in surrender?" Why didn't he subpoena Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, etc, etc? He asked, they said no. Wayne Root at Front Page on The Real Revelation of the Durham Report. "Who's the real "Big Guy"? The real criminal mastermind?" He thinks it's Obama. Chris Roach at Am Great  notes Mere Words Won’t Deter Corrupt Officials. "The Durham report shores up the image of a government characterized by the rule of law and fidelity to high principle but conceals the reality of bipartisan addictions to graft and self-dealing."  Also at Front Page, Dave Harsanyi, John Brennan, Enemy of the People "Will he ever be held accountable?" No, he has more blackmail material than Jeffrey Epstein. 

Ace, The IRS Whistleblower Goes Public and Goes On Camera; The IRS Kept Changing the Rules On His Investigation of Hunter Biden -- "Each and Every Time, It Seemed to Always Benefit the Subject [of the Investigation]" "He has not publicly said this concerns Hunter Biden, but sources have confirmed it is about Hunter Biden, and the mobbed-up DoJ and IRS running interference for him." At Da Caller, Matt Taibbi Says the IRS Investigation Into His Tax Returns Appears To Be ‘Politically Motivated’ They ended up owing him money.

A newly released Harris-Harvard poll conclusively demonstrates how radically out of touch is liberal corporate media with the views of Americans.

It's not just that corporate media rejects Americans' views. They don't permit those views to be heard.https://t.co/Lor6QSUnl6

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 21, 2023

At OutKick, Troy Aikman Teaches Bud Light How To Market Beer, "Just great bleep beer." Capt. Ed snarks "To be fair, Anheuser-Busch never got around to making “great f*****g beer” in the first place. They made passable industrial swill, completely unremarkable from several other brands of passable industrial swill, and entirely replaceable. If they had made “great f*****g beer,” they wouldn’t have been so dispensable." Dave Strom, Beer industry "in shock" from Bud Light boycott, 'It could have been us!' Leah Barkoukis at Town Hall, Despite Boycott, Here's What Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch Are Doing in June 

Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch are sponsoring several “pride” events, according to The Daily Wire, including the Cincinnati Pride event on June 24 and the Pride St. Louis festival on June 24-25. Bud Light is also a Diamond corporate partner for Stonewall Columbus, which hosts several “pride” events in Columbus, Ohio, throughout June. Companies must donate $20,000 to be included in this sponsorship level as well as "affirm Stonewall’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies AND agree to donate no less than 8 hours of volunteer time during a calendar year," according to a document from the organization. But that's not all:

Large institutions have incredible inertia, and they learn slowly. To wit, at PM, Internal email to Target employees reveals $9 BILLION in losses for one week, pivot to George Floyd anniversary. Matt Margolis, Target Loses $9 Billion in Market Value After Boycott. At the Free Bacon, Disney Stock Down 33 Percent Since CEO Instigated Feud with DeSantis. Instyquip, TO BE FAIR, THIS PROBABLY HAS MORE TO DO WITH WOKE DISNEY’S WORSENING BOX-OFFICE PERFORMANCE AND MONEY-LOSING STREAMING SERVICE:  NRO editors are upset that The Dodgers Promote Anti-Catholicism.

Da Caller reports a Major Journal Retracts Study On ‘Socially Contagious’ Transgenderism Among Kids Following Activist Threats. 'The journal claimed the retraction was due to issues with informed consent, but Dr. Michael Bailey, one of the study’s authors, has disputed this explanation and argued the journal is caving to the demands of activists who object to his conclusions about ROGD." Da Blaze, Texas Children’s Hospital announces ‘heart-wrenching,’ ‘painful’ plan to end sex-change program for minors — CEO vows to refer patients out of state. At The Stream, (they haven't earned the coveted Da, yet), Parents Take School Board to Court for Assigning LGBTQ Books Without Their Consent. Capt. Ed, That’s one way to make this kind of grooming costly. A better way is to pass school-choice legislation and force school boards to compete for students. Let’s hope this approach works, too. Don Surber thinks T-girls may tip the election. "Oh it is, dear readers. Oh it is. It is the Next Big Thing for Republicans because trannies are now ballot box poison."

Ace woke up and found the Machete-Wielding Art Profesor (sic) Fired. "I'm sure you're well aware of this "educator's" prior work. Update: From Deplorable Ian Galt, her website says she doesn't even teach actual art. She teaches Oppression Science." NYPo reports Shellyne Rodriguez smirks, sports ‘FTP’ tattoo after being charged over machete threat. At Life News, School Denies Church a Lease When it Finds Out the Church is Pro-Life. Capt. Ed, "Whatever happened to “bake the cake” and supposed “public accommodation”? I’d bet that this school ends up forking over some cash and some space to settle this fairly soon. Voters should boot the school board out of office, but … probably won’t."