Flotsam and Jetsam - Lake America

Trolling level extraterrestrial. From Althouse, Oh, no! Now, we have to call Lake Ontario "Lake America.", "I'm reading "Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, escalating Canada feud/President Donald Trump called Canadian officials 'nasty people' and said the country 'has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly.'" “We filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else,” Trump said. “We notified all the various people that we have to notify. So we’ve done everything that you have to do. And this is official, effective immediately.” I would point out that "America" refers to both North and South America, and so includes Canada. Don't we want everything to be inclusive? Scott McKay at Am Spec, Mark Carney’s Smuggler’s Blues, "Canada’s tariff tantrum has a China problem." Steel to be precise. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair sees the Carney Sideshow Continues - What Interesting Things We're Learning During the Syrupean Snit Fit MORE. Department Of Deportations @DoDeportations, "Here’s the key issue: Canada was bringing in Chinese steel and aluminum and selling it as Canadian steel to help China avoid tariffs When told to knock it off, they refused. This is why the trade deal collapsed We cannot allow China to build a proxy state on our border." 

IQ 583 | Cody Penn-Dent | Effluencer @codypd, "Picture of how Canada gets oil from Alberta to Ontario and Quebec Canadians are talking about “cutting off” the US from Canadian petroleum and natural gas What they will end up doing is cutting Canada off from Alberta’s petroleum and natural gas." wealthmoose @wealthmoose, "Scott Bessent just went straight at Carney’s political incentives. His point: Carney won by campaigning against Trump and selling “Canada vs. America.” So here’s the uncomfortable question: When the trade deal was on the table, was Carney negotiating for Canada or protecting the political narrative that got him elected? If anti-American politics became part of the bargaining strategy, Canadians may be paying for it in jobs, investment and higher costs. That deserves scrutiny." At TownHall, Kurt Schlichter says It’s Always Cute When Canada Thinks It Matters. 

Bloomberg, US Aims to Revive Civil War-Era Court to Claim Iran Oil as Prize. Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet, "Prize courts? For real, prize courts?" Quote Ben Penn @benjaminpenn, "SCOOP: Justice Dept. plans activating long-dormant maritime war court to streamline capture of Iranian oil tankers as US prizes. Legally uncertain plan intended to bolster blockade of Iran. A feature of 1700s naval combat, prize courts set to return." Demiurgent @tr0g, "Guess which country is not a signatory to the Paris Declaration of 1856 that banned privateers! You only get one guess." Is there an on-line application for letters of marque?

Driscoll at Insty calls it TROLL LEVEL: POTUS DJT. "The obvious lack of Reagan anywhere on the chart and the inclusion of Woodrow Wilson as a “great” president are sure signs that The Donald, or whoever assembled this chart wants to do some serious trolling." Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "Okay, Trump’s Tier List just being a 1948 poll of 55 top historians historians conducted by Arthur Schlesinger Sr with his own picture slapped on top as “The Greatest” and Biden, Obama, and Carter added to the bottom as “Failures” along with Grant and Harding is objectively funny." If you're going to be President, you might as well have some fun too.

PJM's Stephen Kruiser thinks Trump Might Just Have Enough Spine for the Entire GOP. That would be good because they need it. Nicole Russell at USA Today says Harp is a loyal Trump aide, not a scandal. Get over it. "To the media, Harp's devotion, her mere existence, is an anomaly. But zealous workaholism and admiration are not unusual in politics, particularly when your boss is the leader of the free world." 

AP hears How to avoid a Social Security cut? Lawmakers are floating ideas for what to do, c'mon you idiots, it's getting urgent. "The measure that Durbin, D-Ill., and Cassidy, R-La., are pushing would not dictate an outcome, but instead set up a process for Congress to take action. It calls for the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board to collect public input and submit draft legislation to Congress that would keep the program’s retirement trust fund solvent for at least 50 years." Oh boy, another Bored. From WSJ, Think Treasurys Are Having a Rough Summer? It’s Even Uglier Abroad. "Countries with large debt burdens—France, Italy, the U.K., Japan—have come under the heaviest pressure in recent months." What can't be sustained won't be.

Jonathan Schanzer at Pundit City sees Obama Figures Chastising Trump on Iran Have Zero Self-Awareness. Hat Hair's John Sexton cites the WSJ: CIA Director Went to Moscow to Issue a Warning (Update) "Russia can't fire missiles at targets inside NATO countries because that could trigger a wholesale NATO response including from the United States. But Russia can quietly offer people money to carry out attacks it wants to see happen. These attacks give Russia plausible deniability in case they are caught. Instead of refusing to identify who is behind these attacks, Germany and others need to say openly what they already know is true and hold Russia accountable. Director Ratcliffe's visit to Russia is America showing Europe how it's done. Just confront the problem directly and stop showing weakness in the face of attacks." IOW, stop fucking around. From 1945, Germany Is Becoming Ukraine’s Most Important Ally in Europe — and Poland Is Paying the Price. Germany never gets tired of fucking with Poland. From Ace, On the Fifth Anniversary of the Disasterous Biden Bug-Out of Kabul, Pete Hegseth Upgrades the Honors for Three Heroes of Abbey Gate. "He didn't just give them new medals. He also said that the Biden Administration downplayed their heroism, because Biden, and his corrupt media allies, didn't want the public to know how very bad the terrorist attack at Abbey Gate really was."

WyoFile, How did data center skepticism impact elections in southeastern Wyoming? "In Wyoming hot spot for data center development, many candidates who touted tough positions against the boom fell to those with more moderate positions." AG @AGHamilton29, "X has now confirmed a Chinese bot farm of 200K fake accounts intentionally trying to manipulate public opinion against data centers. People might want to consider how common this has become and how it is manipulating multiple policy discussions on social media."

AI dadacenters just don’t use that much water, there’s a panic over almost nothing.

Here is a short animation to put AI water use in context: https://t.co/5MnrjHZsvG pic.twitter.com/gHkxwll1e0

— ApoStructura (@ApoStructura) August 19, 2026

PJM's Rick Moran warns For Midterms, Democrats Will Make an Extreme Effort to Sound Like Normal People, but will they remember how to? New York Post @nypost, "Mamdani posts emotional message mourning accused knife-wielding killer — and is slammed by victim’s family. Read today's cover here: https://trib.al/urHXDgr." At NYPo, Immigrant businesses who spoke out against Mamdani supermarkets say they’re getting hit with NYC sanitation fines. Nah, Democrats never target their political opponents. From Twitchy, Mehdi Hasan Flips Out on Dana Bash for Telling the TRUTH About Hasan Piker's UGLY October 7 Comments. Dan McCarthy at the Chronic tries to explain Why Hasan Piker Mocks a Murdered Man. Because he's an asshole? TownHall's Jeff Charles sees a Democrat Senate Hopeful Bankrolled by Same Donors Funding Neo-Nazi Candidate, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Said. From the Free Bacon, 'We Are in Chains': Florida Socialist Angie Nixon Rants Against 'False Capitalistic American Dream,' Praises Marxist Cop-Killer on CAIR Speech Circuit "Nixon, Florida's Democratic Senate nominee, praised CAIR as the 'right vehicles' to secure electoral victories for the party during fundraising events for the pro-Hamas advocacy group." Pat Ruffinni at the Intersection explains Why Senate polling is always worse in summer "For four cycles in a row, the polls have overestimated Democrats. Here’s what history shows us happens next." John Davidson at Da Fed thinks The Senate Race In Alaska Is What A Rigged Election Looks Like. How many Dan Sullivans can you cram onto one ballot?

At Twitchy, Los Angeles Socialist Nithya Raman Brags About Getting Crosswalk Done, There's Just ONE Big Problem. Hey, to be fair, it's an earthquake zone, no point in fixing the street. Hat Hair's John Sexton sees Scott Wiener's SF Legacy is Still Making People Miserable. From AMAC, The Unholy Alliance You Weren’t Supposed to Notice, "The morning after Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, progressive activists marched beside Islamist organizers, transgender flags next to keffiyehs, united by one shared enemy," normies. TownHall's Amy Curtis sees Why Ben Rhodes Is So Mad at Democrat Party Leadership. They supported a Jew. 

At NYPo, Jill Biden says husband should be remembered as ‘hero’ for dropping out — insists advisers pushed him to run for second term. Of course they did; they were running the country in his place.

Calling all RushBabes is shocked The Attorney General of Washington State has been planning lawsuits against President Trump…since before he was even elected in 2024!! At Althouse, "A man who parked a truck carrying a guillotine in the heart of Washington was arrested by the United States Capitol Police on Tuesday...." "Is "being in possession of a guillotine" a crime? There's this at Law Commentary..." "The police asked Le if it worked and he said, "Yeah, it’s the real deal, man."" It's not like you can run somebody down and guillotine them. Joe at The View From North Central Idaho is thrilled, Waiting Periods Ruled Unconstitutional. I can hardly to read Justice Jackson's dissent when this is upheld by the Supreme Court. Ilya Shapiro at CJ is feeling punny, Democrats Are Courting Disaster, Again. "“Reform” has become the Left’s preferred remedy for losing cases at the nation’s highest court." NYPo reports Amish threaten mass exodus from New York over vaccine fight —which is heading to the Supreme Court.

Dave Strom sees Ceuta Descending Into Open Warfare. PJM's Cathy Salgado notes ‘Ceuta Doesn't Surrender’: Locals Rise Up, Fight State-Sanctioned Muslim Invasion. From Quotulatiousness, “Welcome to Holiday Camp UK.” From Ace, Exclusive Hamptons Club Cancels Restaurant Service After Illegal Immigrant Staff is Deported, ICE Deports a Record Number of Illegals Over the Summer, "I saw this story cited on Instapundit, with the comment: We used to hire American teenagers for these jobs. So, try that." At News Wax, Trump Admin Ramps Up Haiti Deportation Flights. MHGA, Make Haiti Great Again!

Stacy McCain is still pissed, Did You Know That @ElonMusk Has Reinstated the @X Accounts of ‘Noted Neo-Nazis, Anti-Semites, and More’? and hasn't gotten around to fixing Stacy's original account.

New York Post @nypost, "CNN forced to apologize to Dolly Parton's family for using photo of Vegas impersonator in covering icon's death https://trib.al/QhC6htU." Nothing but the best fact-checkers. 

I'm surprise the Slantic takes on The Jason Arday Truthers, "The concerted effort to airbrush the late fabulist’s life." Plagiarist, too. "“To be honest with you, I thought you’d just believe me,” he told a Guardian reporter who challenged him."

From CJ, WPATH: It’s Just Our Opinion, Judge, "The World Professional Association for Transgender Health now claims that its recommendations are merely one view in a debate over gender-affirming care." But under the Biden admin, they were the guiding body. Dave Strom wonders Did You Know That a Trans Man Has Already Played in the WNBA? A woman transitioning to a "man." "The player in question is Layshia Clarendon, who underwent top surgery and perhaps hormone therapy (this is unclear, but Layshia specifically referred to a future mustache that should grow in)." Layshia revealed the transition in 2021 and continued playing until retirement in 2024. Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "The @wnba has a major legal problem. They already allowed a player who identified as a man to play in the league for years. They celebrated it publicly. So how can they keep @EnesFreedom & @Highway_30 out now. Read & share this:" Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Eleven Lakes Brewing, a business in North Carolina, is hosting an "all-ages" drag queen show to raise money for illegal aliens. Yes, this is real. They want to groom your children while donating money to fund foreign criminal invaders. Would be a shame if they went viral!" Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "An interesting result of taking the 4th Wave "sex you did not particularly want, or had while you were high" definition of rape seriously is that it produces this result - 47% or so of "rapists" are female. Is this true, or is the definition worthless?"

And still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.27.26 (Early Evening Edition) and In The Mailbox: 08.27.26 (Evening Edition). The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Embracing The Suck up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Flotsam and Jetsam - Dolly Parton Dead at 80

"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap"

Chris Queen at PJM reports Dolly Parton Passes Away at 80 [UPDATED With Statements]. Dolly Parton @DollyParton, "A message from the family of Dolly Parton." (Video at link). From Althouse says Goodbye to Dolly Parton. "Dolly Parton, Superstar Whose Songs Spoke to Millions, Dies at 80/Known for her outsize persona, appearance and talent, she rose from rural poverty to become a top-selling singer, songwriter and entrepreneur" (NYT gift link). "It has long seemed to me that she was the most-loved celebrity in the world — universally loved." Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump, "Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP." Sundance at CTH, RIP Dolly Parton 1946-2026. From Tennessean Insty, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, IT’S HITTING HARD HERE IN DOLLY COUNTRY:

An apt day to remember that Dolly Parton once recorded a cover of Stairway to Heaven - and, in defiance of every moral law in the universe, she absolutely owned it. pic.twitter.com/rpeIUuumaC

— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) August 25, 2026

From Ace, Country Music Star and Actress Dolly Parton Dies at Age 80, "What did someone say of FDR? He had a third-rate mind but a first-rate temperament. Dolly Parton could be said to have been a first-rate talent with a first-rate temperament. Every time you saw her, she was was happy and cheerful and grateful and even humble. Washington Nearsider posted this quote: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." - Dolly Parton. She was also pretty funny." Matt Vespa at TownHall says We Know the Cause of Dolly Parton's Death. Cancer, damn it.

A Larry vid at Hat Hair, Canada Instantly Regrets Starting a Trade War With Trump. Sundance at CTH has the White House Press Release: “Ending Canada’s Free Ride” and D’oh Canada – Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc Outlines the Fracture Points and Makes Mark Carney Look Like an Idiot. Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "Turns out Mark Carney lied about the reason he cancelled the trade talks. Just like he lied about the Gordie Howe Bridge. This is from the New York Times:" Quote Kevin A. Bryan @Afinetheorem, Replying to @Afinetheorem "3) It does appear the French language claims were in fact nonsense, and are being used for political purposes in the Canada byelection. Below is all there was. 4) Can & US wanted aligned non-N. Am. tariffs, but US wanted Canada to have to follow external tariff changes expost 2/3." Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "This gives the game away. To Carney, building a pipeline to export Alberta oil is a burden, something he needs to be convinced to do by America. They have to give him something to do it. Alberta's interests don't matter. Alberta is simply a bargaining chip." Quote Peter McCaffrey @peteremcc, "SHOCKING: The NY Times reveals that the US were keen to move ahead with the Keystone XL pipeline, but the Liberals used it as a bargaining chip to try to change the deal in the last hours. Side note: Why can’t we get this kind of information from our own government." Tristin Hopper @TristinHopper, "We will never surrender sovereignty over this unceded land we're illegally occupying." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "The Canadian government begins their response to Trump’s tariffs by recognizing that they are gathered on “indigenous” land:"

At Behind the Black, Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Plesetsk military spaceport. What is Ozon and Why Is It Burning? John Sexton at Hat Hair explains. From Politico, Zelenskyy’s rival Fedorov overplays his hand with election push, "Ousted defense chief scored political hits with his criticism of Zelenskyy’s administration — but his call for an election has triggered outrage." 

From AllAfrica, Somalia: Somali Pirates Hijack Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off Yemen. LiveMint, Iran oil cargoes dry up even before US acts on Tehran threats; China's 'teapots' face crunch.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair had LIVE PRIMARY RESULTS: Runoff Madness, and Will Voter ID Get OK’d? UPDATE: Graham Wins. From Sundance, South Carolina Special Election: Ralph Norman -vs- Darline Graham, Polls Close at 7:00pm ET. "UPDATE: Graham Wins – AP Calls the Race." I guess President Trump's endorsement still matters, and polls, especially primary polls still suck (or lie).

Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Philly DA Larry Krasner says he wants the WH Ballroom blown up: "I'm going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk. You know what that paperweight is going to be? It's going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up." "In an official ceremony we're going to blow it up." Soros-backed lunatic." Sundance celebrates the Supreme Court Lifting the District Court Injunction Permitting Trump Administration to Move Forward on Postal Voting Plan. Abe Greenwald at Commentary reacts to Democrats Harping on Natalie, "for the love of God, leave the woman alone."

Also from Sundance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe Visited Moscow. ""Ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, the U.S. told Ukraine that a senior delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked it to suspend strikes until it leaves, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. (link) "We shall not speculate too much on the purpose and intent of the visit; however, overall, the direction points to intelligence sharing or notification.""

CAPo ed board says Democrats need to stop whitewashing Abdul El-Sayed’s extremist hate. Sundance hosts as Jesse Watters Debates Islamic DSA Candidate Abdul El-Sayed. At Hat Hair, Larry has a vid, Abdul El-Sayed Screws Himself With Failed Risk-It-All Fox News Interview and Capt. Ed has Today's Deep Question: Why Is El-Sayed So Curious About Watters' Genitalia? equating female genital mutilation to male circumcision. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed Doubles as Consultant for Health Nonprofit Led by 'Scam Artist' Accused of 'Exploiting Medicare'. "One Health Partners paid El-Sayed more than $80,000 in the past year for work he described as supporting 'patients with limited healthcare access.'" Capt Ed, Piker Melts Down As Michigan's Jewish Dems Fight Back. From Ace, Hasan Piker: By Only Caring About Israel, Jews Are Increasing Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Violence, and They Deserve It, "Remember the very well-promoted "Islamic backlash"? We were told that the worst possible thing that could possibly be would be for people to take their anger about Islamic terrorism -- and Muslim support for Islamic terrorism -- out on Muslim civilians." From Not The Bee, U.S. Muslim Brotherhood authorizes $140M annually to help Muslims take control of American government. Hat Hair's Dave Strom asks Are There ANY Working Class People in the DSA? From the Free Bacon, A Democrat’s Road to Disillusionment, "REVIEW: ‘Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative’ by Evan Barker." Aaron Hanscom at PJM, has A Disturbing New Poll — and Dennis Prager’s Warning for America.

Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Republicans Have Found Their Message Against James Talarico. From Ace, Trump Links a Just the News Report Suggesting That Ilhan Omar is Being Investigated by ICE for Immigration Crimes. Dave Strom, Keith Ellison Tries His Hand at Diplomacy by Negotiating With Somali Gangs, to protect the state fair and is Exposing the Gaza Grift. 

Amy Alkon @amyalkon, "They are not government-funded fuck pods for the homeless, but TAXPAYER-funded fuck pods being proposed. A gift from the robo-voting “progressives” of this state who vote in crony socialists with a retarded squirrel’s understanding of math. Related: Gavin Newsom spent $8.5 billion on “free” (bleed the taxpayers) healthcare for illegal immigrants. I vote for none of these people." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "In Los Angeles it has been proposed to have government funded sex and masturbation clinics for the homeless. “This means equality. It means private sexual relief through masturbation” From ToI, Protesters sentenced to jail for blocking Golden Gate Bridge over Gaza war. Heather Mac Donald at CJ says No, Street Vagrants Are Not “Our Neighbors.” "An L.A. city councilman comes up with yet another fantastical euphemism for the dysfunctional exploiters of ever-diminishing bourgeois order."

Natalie Winters @nataliegwinters, "EXCLUSIVE: The federal government paid hundreds of social-media influencers to convince their followers to take COVID vaccines. They even targeted children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. While the project’s didn’t reveal the names of paid participants, I just unmasked dozens.."

Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "There are four data centers within 10 minutes of your Burlington, VT home: ClearBearing, Tech Vault, TelJet, and FirstLight. Your home’s assessed value has risen from $360,000 to $760,000 since they were built. Keep yelling at the clouds, old man." Quote Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders, "Trump thinks that every community in America should welcome a data center. Great idea. Lead by example. Have your friend Elon build one at Mar-a-Lago."

Gleen Grenwalt, reports The Biden-Era C.B.P. Fabricated a Document Used to Imprison a Top-Level Brazilian Official. A U.S. Federal Judge Just Ordered Full Disclosure. "The federal judicial case has obvious implications for Brazilian politics, but even more for U.S. national security."

From Twitchy, Active Duty USAF Major Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment on Capitol Steps Charged Under UCMJ.

From Hat Hair, Beege Welborn, sees Another Judge, Another Injunction - Rubio's Visa Freeze Vacated and Summer Forecast Turns ICEy in Virginia and Recent Figures on Migrant Crime in Some European Countries Just Now Being Released. Sundance reports the State Department Moving Toward Mass Visa Cancellation Impacting 200,000 Unlawful Entrants. The OCR whines Deportees who refused to exit a US flight in Liberia are sent to Equatorial Guinea. "The deportees who resisted leaving the plane in Liberia were told they would be returned to the United States but instead were flown to Malabo city in Equatorial Guinea, one advocate said." Bob Hoge at RedState sees a Ohio Court Tries to Tell Feds Where They Can — and Can't —Arrest Illegal Aliens. DOJ Fires Back. Christopher F. Rufo and Susan Crabtree at CJ explains How Gavin Newsom Subsidized the Migrant Invasion. "The California governor has spent nearly $1 billion on nonprofits that want, among other things, to dismantle the border, “abolish ICE,” and help immigrants “living with HIV.”"

A video from FIRE on Free Speech in Donald Trump's America.

John Sexton predicts The Left Will Never Stop Blaming the Right for Jason Arday's Death. You aren't supposed to call out Black, leftists plagiarists and fantasists in academe. From the College Fix, Facing inaccuracy claims, historian Kerri Greenidge points to bias against black female scholars. Ray Hilbrich at LI hears Monmouth U. Trains Educational Counseling Majors to be ‘Social Justice Advocates.’ "Among the highlighted features of the program is an “Advanced Race & Racism course” which requires students to participate in an “‘outside of the classroom’ anti-racism project.”" FischerKing @FischerKing64, "Let's translate - the Trump administration is urging schools to suspend troublemakers even if they are predominantly black, so that the kids of whatever race and background, who actually want to do some learning, are able to do so." Quote Reuters @Reuters, "The US Education Department ​has issued guidance urging schools to stop what it calls ‘racial balancing’ ‌in student discipline policies, prompting concerns that the Trump administration is making it harder to address longstanding racial disparities in school discipline." Carol Roth @caroljsroth, "The US govt is the biggest predatory lender in the world, transferring wealth from young people to college administrators." Quote Amy Nixon @texasrunnerDFW, "This is an amount of money you’d borrow for a MORTGAGE And we wonder why young people aren’t buying homes!!!!"

Red Pilled America @RedPilled_USA, "This many far-left activists going after the Paramount / Warner Bros. merger signals absolute fear that conservatives will get a foothold in Hollywood." Quote Norm Eisen @NormEisen, "BREAKING: Latino community is rising up against Paramount-Warners merger because it will kill jobs & content for Latinos--& all Americans Kudos @LULAC & Juan Proano for standing with AG Bonta & 11 other AGs demanding structural remedies." From Da Wire, Chris Pratt’s Ex Admits She Grills 14-Year-Old Son Over His Pro-Life, Conservative Views. "Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life?" George MF Washington @GMFWashington, "Yes, the only thing keeping them here is nostalgia for a world long gone and social pressure. The truth is that getting out and around normal Americans and away from LA which is a clinically insane city would do wonders for the product being pushed out the door." Quote Joseph Kahn @JosephKahn, "If Paramount/Warner leaves LA, they'll be fine. Their true value is the IP they own. The infrastructure can be moved anywhere and benefit from lower taxes and cost of operations. Lots can be sold off an rebuilt. Like any corporate move, the executive class can be transferred. The deals they make are vaporware - contracts and e-signs in the internet..." Dave Strom says Who Knew? The WNBA Actually Matters Now! No, not really. And, When You Hear 'Normalize X," Run the Other Direction. Daddy Warpig @DaddyWarpig, "Once again, this is a disguised sexual fetish called "Oppress me harder, daddy."" Quote Brendan Gutenschwager @BGOnTheScene, "Demonstrators dressed as handmaids from the series “The Handmaid’s Tale” out near Minneapolis City Hall today." Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "LIBERAL BABY BUST: Leftists aren’t having kids over mental health, stress while conservatives keep forming families: IFS study." Holly MathNerd at Holly’s Substack says I Had the Effing Denominator, "my Sunday come-to-Jesus moment," over the Lindsay Clancy story. 

And there's still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Evening Edition). The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please and FMJRA 2.0: Embracing The Suck up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Flotsam and Jetsam - Epstein Files Dumped

The Chi Trib whines about the Epstein files: DOJ won't meet Friday deadline to release all files. They only dumped about 300,000 pages, and Democrats are complaining. But then, the whole purpose of the exercise was to give Democrats, and a few conspiracy minded Republicans something to bitch about. Do you know how much 300,000 pages is? That's 600 reams. A small room full. I don't understand how anyone, even as notorious at Jeffrey Epstein, has 600 reams of documents about them in government custody. And there's probably as many more yet to come And then, there are the redactions. Lots of redactions, to protect the innocent victims, and people just innocently associated with him. They'll (rightly) complain that the redactions could be hiding the guilty! PJM's Matt Margolis says Epstein Files Have Been Released, And Democrats Won’t Like These Photos. Bob Hoge at RedState hears Slick Willy Clinton Lashes Out at Trump Over Epstein Files Release, Offers Pathetic Defense. 'The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,' the spokesperson said. 'This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever.' Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "The fact Democrats & legacy media are RADIO SILENT over the Epstein Files after it was revealed Bill Clinton was ROUTINELY hanging out in private with victims is incredibly telling They don’t give two shts about the victims. It’s nothing more than a political football for them."

Mary Chastain at LI, Inflation Cools Slightly While Real Earnings Increase. "Unfortunately, a lack of October data means I cannot compare and contrast." Well, you should be able to see the total over 2 months. From Twitchy, 'She's the WORST': Jessica Tarlov Tries Crediting Biden for Lowest Inflation Seen in 5 Years and HOOBOY. johnny maga @_johnnymaga, "Jessica Tarlov claims Biden gave Trump “2.9% inflation.” Consumer prices were 21% higher when Biden left office. 2.9% just represents the price increases from 2024 over 2023. She’s the worst." Pundits should avoid math, like they did in school. Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "The BLS says we lost 41,000 jobs in 2 months. But control for Federal layoffs and we gained 121,000. Control for deportations and we gained 300,000. The “Weak” job numbers are entirely made of Federal layoffs and millions of illegals going home." Amy Curtis at TownHall hears Democrats Dump on Trump's Warrior Dividend Payments. $1776 isn't something to sneeze at for a GI. At NYPo, Trump address ignites hope for future as ‘gangbuster’ economy forecasted for 2026. The Victory Girls think Trump's End-Of-Year Address Should Have Been A Christmas Letter. PJM's Scott Pinsker explains How Trump Used Tucker Carlson’s Stupidity, Gullibility, and Paranoia to Score a Free Primetime Speech. Matt Margolis hears Jonathan Karl Can’t Recall a More ‘Partisan’ Speech Than Trump’s. Who Wants to Tell Him?

From WokeSpy, Trump Grants Federal Workers Two-Day Christmas Break, Creating Rare Five-Day Holiday. Why? They'll never vote Republican. Make 'em do their jobs. From RVM, House Passes GOP Health Care Bill, Dems Losing Obamacare Subsidy Fight. VodkaPundit at Insty, WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODER AND HARDER? "DOE orders WA coal plant to continue operating despite state ban. "The state’s last coal plant was scheduled to close at the end of this year and Puget Sound Energy, which had bought coal-fired electricity from the plant, had agreed to convert the plant to burn natural gas. The closure had been negotiated between the state, TransAlta and climate and energy advocates in an agreement first reached in 2011." Let 'em freeze in the dark. They voted for it. At WUWT, Trump Admin Looking to Restore Coal Plants as America’s Grid Buckles.

News Wax reports Trump Unveils 'Freedom 250' for US Semiquincentennial. "a national nonpartisan organization that will lead the administration's effort next year to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States." LifeZette thinks Trump’s ‘Wall of Fame’ Trolling of Biden, Obama, and Clinton Is Something to Behold. From Twitchy, Maria Shriver Gets a Lesson on 'Dignity' After Whining About the Trump-Kennedy Center. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "The place was literally falling apart and you didn’t help - at all. Where you been, Maria? You were completely silent while the building crumbled. Donald Trump had to step in and save it because you didn’t help. You should thank him." Quote Maria Shriver @mariashriver, "The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history. He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists. It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not." I could live without the Kennedy Center. 

I suppose we must keep looking at the Brown and Australian murders. Matt Vespa at TownHall looks at How 'John' the Homeless Guy Solved the Brown University Shooting. I hope he gets the FBI reward money. Althouse, "Authorities were finally able to crack the case open after a man posted on Reddit that cops should investigate a possible rented gray Nissan with Florida plates that he spotted in Providence while having an odd interaction with a man." "I'm reading "'Heinous' suspect in Brown, MIT shootings ‘should never have been allowed in our country,’ says Noem" (NY Post)." At the Free Bacon, Brown University Faces Questions About Security Policies After Sending Delayed Emergency Alert and Failing To Sound Sirens During Shooting. "Brown's head of campus police faced two votes of no confidence this fall and shrugged off officers' concerns about inadequate responses to shooting and bomb threats." 

At TCW, A line in the sand: Let’s be honest about the Bondi Beach blood bath. "Nothing changes in policy. Nothing changes in the solutions offered. And nothing changes in the rinse-and-repeat pattern of Islamic terrorism followed by brief platitudes followed by more Islamic terrorism." From WokeSpy, Holocaust and Bondi Beach Survivors’ Daughter Calls Out ABC Biased Reporting Live on Air. That would be Australian Broadcasting Company. Dan Greenfield at Front Page, Australia Cancels Christmas Rather Than Cancel Muslim Riots A New Year’s Eve festival scheduled to take place on Bondi Beach has been cancelled by the local eastern Sydney council following the horrific massacre. . . Sydney has also scaled back several Christmas celebrations across the city and adapted others to show support for the Jewish community." The Beeb deigns to show New footage that reveals how people tried to stop Bondi Beach shooting.

The Nat Sec J wonders Is the Ukraine War Nearly Over? I hope so, but I doubt it. Sundance at CTH reports the EU Effort to Use Russian Funds to Support Ukraine Collapses – EU Takes Out Loan to Support Zelenskyy. Conrad Black at the Brussels signal says The US goal is strength and success: Europe should stop fussing and get in step. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears Airstrikes Have Begun on Syria. Retaliation for killing 2 soldiers and a translator. RVM remembers Schumer Wrote the Law to Allow Trump to Blow Up Nacro-Terrorists Boats. But it was only meant for Democrats to use! Jeff Charles at TownHall reports House Votes Down Measure That Would Have Stopped Trump's Military Actions Against Venezuela. Beege also hears Talk Like a Pirate Again: Sen Mike Lee With a Bill to Reintroduce Letters of Marque.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Erika Kirk: TPUSA and I Will Ensure A Vance 48 Presidency. I'm down with that. But at Breitbart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Brags She Would ‘Stomp’ Vance in Presidential Election. Insty reports ELISE STEFANIK IS OUT OF THE RACE: Elise Stefanik @EliseStefanik, "While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family. I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York. However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York. . . "

France 24 hears China tells US to 'immediately' stop arming Taiwan after Washington approves arms package. Double it. At Altouse, "The pioneering American maker of the Roomba, iRobot — once the leader in robot vacuums — said that it had filed for bankruptcy..." ""... and that control of the company would be taken over by its Chinese supplier.... Chinese companies have been racing to dominate the robotics industry..... In 2022, Amazon said it would acquire iRobot and all of its debt for about $1.7 billion. But the deal fell apart under scrutiny from regulators in the United States and Europe who said it could undercut competition.... On Sunday, iRobot filed a bankruptcy petition in Delaware...." From "Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control/Founded in 1990 by three M.I.T. researchers, iRobot introduced its vacuum in 2002. Its restructuring will turn the company over to its largest creditor" (NYT)." We tried a Roomba years ago. A husky defeated it. Hat Hair's Dave Strom reports Yet ANOTHER Chinese Graduate Student Caught Smuggling Biological Agents Into US. joshua steinman (@JoshuaSteinman "This is the THIRD TIME THIS YEAR where a CCP “graduate student” has been caught smuggling biological weapons into the United States. The risk of another Wuhan flu style incident (trillions of dollars of damage, hundreds of thousands dead), is too great. END CCP STUDENT VISAS." Quote FBI Director Kash Patel @FBIDirectorKash "Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher and J-1 visa holder from China was charged with smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the U.S. and making false statements about it. This is yet another example of a researcher from China - given the privilege to work at a U.S. university - who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China." 

CDB at Ace's hears In Fulton County, Georgia -- Big Fani's Home County -- 315,000 "Votes" Were Counted Despite Missing the Necessary Signatures "No big deal. Don't bother checking IDs, don't bother checking if the necessary poll worker signatures are attached to the "votes."" Then Ace woke up and found out about 315,000 Possibly Fraudulent Ballots? Eh...It's Business-As-Usual In Georgia! "Nothing shocking, except for the admission that they are either fantastically bad at their jobs, or are subverting the Constitution. Or both! 'We Don't Dispute' It: Georgia 315k Vote Bombshell Blows a Big Hole in 2020's 'Most Secure Election' Lie" NotTheBee, Fulton County admits it illegally certified 315,000 ballots in 2020 election. Amy Curtis says That Thing We Were Told Didn't Happen During the 2020 Election Happened After All. Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "I mean this is… really bad. We genuinely can’t say with confidence who won Georgia in 2020. Brad Raffensperger got a lot of plaudits for standing up to Trump, but boy, does he suck at his job." Quote Brianna Lyman @briannalyman2 "Massive scandal: Fulton County admits they "violated" the rules in 2020 when they certified ≈315K early votes that lacked poll workers' signatures." Brianna Lyman @briannalyman2, "Just remember: they tried to throw Trump and several others in jail for questioning the integrity of the Georgia election Who in @GaSecofState was responsible for accepting Fulton's tabulator tapes despite there being NO signatures at all? (Since your office won’t respond)." Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "Once again, Trump didn't need them to find 11,780 votes. . . his lawyers had already found that in spades and merely needed the Secretary of State to actually enforce the law or the Court to hear his case."

VodkaPundit at Insty says GOOD LORD: "Half of $18B in federal funds for Minnesota-run programs may have been defrauded, official says. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said the scale of fraud puts services at risk for people who need them, including adults leaving addiction treatment centers who needed help finding a stable place to live and children with autism who were seeking one-on-one therapy. . . " From Fox, MN lawmaker says ‘unbelievable’ assisted-living fraud scheme includes indicted figure still getting state pay, "GOP State Rep. Kristin Robbins presented the explosive new findings in a Wednesday hearing." Ace, Feds Discover Another $9 Billion in Medicaid Fraud... All in Tim Walz's Pirate Paradise of Minnesota "Nice." Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Even this is just the tip of the iceberg." Quote Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "This is insane… US Attorney's Office of Minnesota now thinks that tens of billions have been stolen. . . " Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "Democrats allow Somalis to commit welfare fraud in exchange for Somalis engaging in election fraud. We all know it. They know it. Democrats are buying harvested ballots from foreigners with our tax dollars." Quote Dustin Grage @GrageDustin, " BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: We have uncovered records outlining an organized voter fraud scheme in the Somali Community here in Minnesota. The county prosecutor declined to charge the case, but the Trump Administration needs step in to clean up Minnesota’s elections." Drew Berquist hears HUD Investigates Colorado Housing Agencies After Dead Tenants, Ineligible Recipients Found on Rolls. At Da Caller, Haitians Allegedly Bilked Taxpayers Out Of Millions In SNAP Scam. At WokeSpy, ‘What’s the Point of Food Stamps if It’s Just for Real Food?’: Missouri Welfare Queen. Hey idiot, money is fungible! PJM's Vicky Taft has another West Coast, Messed Coast™ — 58th Reason Why Blue Cities Are Circling the Drain. The American Tribune @TAmTrib, "Anarchotyranny is where blue cities let car thieves commit grand theft auto nonstop for years, with no serious efforts taken to stop it, and then go and mug the companies that made the cars that got stolen If they cared about car theft, they'd hang car thieves as horse thieves were hanged in the West's period of greatness. They don't. They just want to steal from the automakers." Quote FOX 9 @FOX9, "Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a settlement on Tuesday with Kia and Hyundai over anti-theft issues with their vehicles that led to those vehicles being associated with countless crimes in the Twin Cities and beyond." Cernovich @Cernovich, "Any Rand used to be criticized for creating far left wing characters who were too unbelievable and "on the nose." History now shows she underwrote the villains in Atlas Shrugged." Quote "Mayor Melvin Carter @MayorCarter, " Hyundai and Kia failed to include basic, industry‑standard anti‑theft technology—boardroom decisions that made their vehicles far easier to steal. This negligence fueled reckless and violent behavior, leading to tragic loss of Phoua Hang, a beloved member of our community. (1/2) x.com/kare11/status/…"

From NYPo, Zohran Mamdani appointee resigns after vile antisemitic social media posts resurface. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Troubling." Quote Matthew Schmitz @matthewschmitz, "In 2016, Zohran Mamdani’s director of appointments wrote, “It’s important that white people feel defeated.”"

Capt. Ed asks Today's Deep Question: Why Are Dems Burying Their Autopsy? "Its uselessness is almost certain, because any useful report would have to center on the fraud committed by Democrats over the four years of the Biden Regency. They lost the election in large part – but not entirely – because they conspired to keep a senile old man in the Oval Office while others exercised his authority in violation of the Constitution. The entire party then conspired to rig the 2024 primaries to prevent any real challenge to the Biden Regency, only to see it blow up in the June 27, 2024 debate on prime-time TV. Rather than conduct an open convention to choose an effective nominee, the same conspirators picked one of their own – Harris – to keep the lid on one of the worst political violations in US presidential history."

PJM's Stephen Kruiser is gratified that FINALLY — Rogue Judge Held Accountable for Being a Scofflaw Idiot. John Sexton reports An Ultimatum for Judge Dugan: Resign or Be Impeached and Capt. Ed wonders There Goes The Judge: Will Dugan Do Time For Felony Obstruction of ICE? A little jail time would a fine example for the rest of the judiciary. I understand it's a first time offense and all, but for a judge, ignorance of the law is even a less valid excuse than for the rest of us.

Jerry Dunleavy at JTN reports and FBI memos details a half dozen pay-to-play allegations involving Hillary Clinton and her foundation "Federal investigators looked into a wide range of potential pay-to-play and foreign influence schemes tied to the Clinton Foundation, but their inquiry was stymied from above. Here's a look at some of those schemes that went as far back as 2010." Driscoll at Insty calls it THE ORIGINAL “NO KINGS” PROTEST: The Real Watergate Scandal.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "HOLY CRAP! DEI D.C. Police Chief Pam Smith just went BERSERK during her resignation "I'm going to the Bible when I say this, to my haters: F YOU!" This person controlled our nation's capital's police force! Good RIDDANCE."

Amy Curtis sees a Soros-Backed Fairfax DA Repeatedly Dropped Charges Against an Illegal Immigrant — Now Someone’s Dead. From WokeSpy, 59% of Illegal Alien Families On Welfare Programs, Costing $42 Billion: Scott Turner. Who doesn't like free money? Beege Welborn is concerned about When Delightful Third World Customs Start Popping Up in Western Life.

From Da Caller, Harvard Seeking Way To Silence Students Who Recorded Larry Summers’ Epstein Apology. Insty says ABOLISH THE IVY LEAGUE: Walter Kirn @walterkirn, "The unmasking of Ivy League presidents as narcissistic elitist feebs is beyond anything even Trump at his most exaggerated could have prepared me for." FischerKing @FischerKing64, "Firing 95% of university administrators immediately would be a huge win for society, professors, students." "They do meaningless unnecessary jobs that raise tuition, get in the way of teaching - and their existence is largely the result of overproducing PhDs. So eliminating those fake jobs would also trim back grad schools, as administration jobs wouldn’t be a fallback to tenure track." From the College Fix, Zero Republican professors found across 27 academic departments at Yale: research. At the Martin Center, A Much-Needed Exposé of Academic Fraud "A new book reveals why academic-publishing incentives must change." From the Tennessee Conservative, Tennessee Schools Director Who Wants Lawmakers To Crack Down On Homeschooling Oversees District Where Only 1/3 Of Students Are Ready For Life.

NotTheBee sees a Bombshell report: Companies did everything they could to avoid hiring “white millennial men” over the last decade. Jeremy Carl @realJeremyCarl, "I've made my critique of Savage's piece clear, but I will absolutely defend him on this. I've seen a few analyses like this attempting to pull data to show that at some level what Savage claims about discrimination against White men is wrong-- or at least overstated. It's hard to tell whether these critiques are motivated by bad faith or academics penchant for doing shoddy data analysis-- or a little bit of both. This is far from the worst, since he does acknowledge wokeness mattered a lot in some places, so I'll take it on. The question is not whether White men could get jobs at say, large Construction companies or manufacturers. Sure, discrimination, while present, was less evident in those industries. But in the key culture-making apparatus-- which holds enormous prestige and power-- which is why a lot of people with elite backgrounds are willing to work in it for very little money-- White men were largely shut out. And non-woke White men were completely shut out. . . ." Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "When Gorge Floyd died in police custody a decent percentage of black America protested and rioted, it caused an entire cultural revolution When a decades long conspiracy to exclude white men from society is revealed the response is to shrug and say "What can be done?"" Quote Shoe @shoe0nhead, "incredible stuff. we all knew this was happening but to see it all written out in detail like this is wild. this shit needs to be completely gutted from society and destroyed. starting with the people who pushed it and profited off of it. https://compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/" VodkaPundit jokes WE NEED A TOTAL AND COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF AUSTRALIA UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON: Anthony Bradley @drantbradley, ""Monsters": This is how the West views white males at the moment. Are parents of young white boys prepping them for a society that's positioned against them? Are they aware? White parents, how are you prepping your son for this future for him? Thoughts?"

There's still lots to learn at The Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Evening Edition), but it's getting late. Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. 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 - Trump Declares Biden's Autopen Pardons Void and Vacant

Oh my. This should be fun. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, The Biden Years: 'I've Got a Pen and I'm Not Afraid for Someone Else to Use It' and then BREAKING: This Will Cause Some Heartburn: Trump Declares POTATUS Auto-Pen Pardons 'Void' Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social@TrumpDailyPosts "The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime. Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!" Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, NEW: Trump Declares Biden Pardons 'VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT'. At NRO, Trump Declares Biden’s Last-Minute Pardons ‘Void’ over Autopen Signature. Sundance at CTH, President Trump Calls Biden J6 Pardons Null and Void Following Revelations of Auto Pen Use. Ace breaks out the flaming skull for Trump Declares the Presidential Pardons Signed Not by Biden But By His Aides Operating the Auto-Pen to be "Void". PJM's Matt Margolis explains The Brilliance Behind Trump’s Move Declaring Biden’s Pardons ‘Void' "Trump's second Truth Social post cuts right to the heart of the matter: "The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime." This isn't just about pardons; it's about who was really running our government." Althouse reads the NYT, "President Trump wrote on social media on Sunday night that he no longer considered valid the pardons his predecessor granted to members of the bipartisan House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the Capitol..." ""... and a range of other people whom Mr. Trump sees as his political enemies, because they were signed using an autopen device....But Mr. Trump’s assertion, which embraced a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory about former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., was a new escalation of his antidemocratic rhetoric. Implicit in his post was Mr. Trump’s belief that the nation’s laws should be whatever he decrees them to be. And it was a jolting reminder that his appetite for revenge has not been sated. . . AND: Based on the text of that Truth Social post, I'd say Trump is, first, clearing the way for doing an investigation that will produce evidence of wrongdoing (if there was any and perhaps even if there wasn't) and that will feel deeply painful to the persons whose actions are targeted. He wants those people to "fully understand" what it's like to be subjected to a "Witch Hunt," as he believes he was. And, second, he wants to smoke out who took over and exercised the power of the presidency if/when Biden was incapacitated. He's already asserting that the people who received the pardons/"pardons" were "probably responsible" for manufacturing the fake/"fake" documents." Volokh at the Volokh Report asserts Pardons and Autopen Signatures: A 2024 Appellate Decision Says Pardons Don't Have to Be Signed (or Even Written) at All, "Of course, something is required, and that something is presumably a statement by the President that he is pardoning someone. If (and this is a very big if) a President actually didn't make such a statement, and an assistant just affixed the President's signature to a document purporting to be a pardon without the President's authorization, then I don't see how that would be a valid pardon (at least unless it's somehow ratified by the relevant President). But that turns on a factual question about whether the President was actually involved in the creation of the pardons, not on a legal question about whether an autopen signature renders the pardon invalid." Laughing Wolf, SQT: Pardon Invalidation. "By making his declaration, Trump just waved a red flag in front of the Deep State. Those holding pardons now are directly effected and five will get you ten that some are already with lawyers looking to both judge shop and challenge the declaration. Since they are directly effected, they have standing. What’s more, it will be them and the DNC who start the ball rolling in the courts." Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Is This the Aide Behind Biden's Controversial Autopen Signings? "Reports suggest Neera Tanden, Biden's former White House Staff Secretary, may have used the autopen to sign pardons while President Biden was golfing in St. Croix in December 2022." Benny Johnson@bennyjohnson, "BLOODBATH! Karoline Leavitt is undefeated against CNN's Kaitlan Collins. LEAVITT: "Was he aware of his signature being used on every single pardon?" COLLINS: "Do you have any evidence on that?" Leavitt: "You're a reporter, you should find out." Capt. Ed, Leavitt to Media: Trump Was Just 'Begging the Question' You Should Have. 

🔥Holy Smokes: @StephenM takes a smug, combative Kasie Hunt to the WOODSHED as she tries to “gotcha” on Trump using an autopen, ignoring the ACTUAL POINT:

"This is the most important point. It's not just that Joe Biden used the auto pen - it's that he didn't know it. He was not… pic.twitter.com/3FY4dm7it4

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) March 17, 2025

NYPo, Trump strips Hunter and Ashley Biden of Secret Service protection ‘effective immediately.’ When he found out Hunter was dodging subpoenas in South Africa. 

JFK Files Release Today: 80,000 Pages of History Unlocked "Last updated 10 hours ago President Trump has announced that approximately 80,000 documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy will be made available to the public today. These documents, expected to be unredacted, aim to shed light on historical inquiries that have persisted for over six decades. The release is part of a commitment to transparency, though specifics about the content of the files have not been disclosed in advance." Sundance, President Trump Says “JFK Files to be Released Tomorrow” by Tulsi Gabbard. I don't expect to find much. Anything that implicates the FBI or CIA has long since been burned, and its ashes scattered at sea.

Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "NBC News poll: Trump’s approval rating just hit an all-time high." Don Surber asserts 47 is better than 45, "This time he is a politician who dodged a bullet. Literally."

Stephen Kruiser says President Trump Spent the Weekend Golfing and Hunting Pirates. Capt. Ed, Trump: 'Iran Will Be Held Responsible' For Every Houthi Shot Fired. Insty cites CDR SALAMANDER: Breaking the Bad Houthi Habit. Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "I think when third world barbarians fire on our shipping, we should kill them" Quote Ann Coulter@AnnCoulter, "Why did we have to do this? Is it part of our constitution that we must be bombing someone at all times?" Ace, US Warplanes Pound Houthi Terrorist Camps in Yemen as SecDef Hegseth Promises More; Trump Warns Iran. "Trump ordered the airstrikes after coming in from a round of golf."

Sundance reports President Trump will Speak with Russian President Putin on Tuesday. Politico claims the White House is seriously considering deal from Oracle to run TikTok, "Any deal could face security concerns from China hawks in Congress." Nick Arama at RedState sees a MIC DROP: Karoline Leavitt Delivers Epic Response on French Politician Who Wants Statue of Liberty Back ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty. We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home.' Rapid Response 47@RapidResponse47, "@PressSec responds to the low-level French politician who apparently wants the Statue of Liberty back: "It's only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now.""

Sundance hosts President Trump Holds Impromptu Presser Aboard Airforce-One. Roger Kimball at Spec World discusses Vance Derangement Syndrome, "Bret Stephens has once again demonstrated that the Hitler wheeze, though tired, still has a bit of mileage in it."

At the Peacock, Treasury Secretary Bessent says White House is heading off a ‘guaranteed’ financial crisis. VodkaPundit at PJM, So a Cabinet Official Just Went on a Sunday Show to... TELL THE TRUTH??? "“The market and the economy have become hooked, become addicted, to excessive government spending and there’s going to be a detox period," Bessent told "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker." At WaT, Joe Biden leaves Donald Trump with deteriorating deficit. Ted Cruz@tedcruz "An absolute bombshell from @elonmusk on the latest episode of Verdict. He reveals there are 14 magic money computers in the federal government that send money out of nothing!" Roger Kimball at The Telegraph, Ending America’s addiction to high debt, big government was never going to be easy. "Stock markets may be panicking. But Trump and Musk are honest enough to admit that there’s no gain without some pain ." Dave Strom at Hat Hair, sees Tesla Terrorist Troops Try To Terrify.

Kurt Schlichter at TownHall says Boot the Ungrateful Foreigners the Hell Out of America. At Fox, Networks hide Mahmoud Khalil's pro-Hamas message, show lots of sympathy "Mahmoud Khalil and his group are pro-Hamas. This should not be whitewashed as "pro-Palestinian." But this is what the broadcast networks do." Laughing Wolf has SQT: Muhammed Khalil "This story stinks worse than that which was rotten in Denmark. So, Some Quick Thoughts (SQT) on it." John Sexton at Hat Hair, Jewish Columbia Grad Student: Khalil Hates Israel and America Too. At Ace, Trump Deports Pro-Hezballah Professor. At Hat Hair, Sec State Rubio Clarifies Who Made It To El Salvador That Dems Wanted to Remain Here. Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio "We have sent 2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador. Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars. President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the U.S. Thank you!" Autism Capital @AutismCapital, "NEW: A reporter asks Karoline Leavitt about the White House Social Media strategy and why they're posting illegals being deported to the song "Closing Time" LEAVITT: "I think it sums up our immigration policy pretty well. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."" Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok "Tom Homan BODIES idiotic question from reporter: Reporter: "You're using a 200-year-old law to circumvent due process" Homan: "An old law? Not as old as the Constitution and we still pay attention to that don't we?" BOOM" Jen Van Laar at RedState, likes how Stephen Miller Obliterates CNN Anchor's Line of Questioning on Tren de Aragua Deportations. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "The most brilliant part of the Tren de Aragua deportation flight is that it forced Democrats to defend and uphold literal narco-terrorists who have murdered Americans and destroyed the neighborhoods of working class voters. I am 100% sure that the Trump team did a careful mission analysis on the best way to get Dems to embarrass themselves more than usual, right down to the careful timing of having the judge impose his TRO while the plane was in international airspace. This was a carefully planned operation that was executed to perfection."

Ace, Judge Orders Trump To Turn Deportation Plane Around and Bring the Illegals Back to America; Trump Pulls the Old "My **dio Is Break*** **, Can You Re***?" Gag, "Trump sent a planeload of illegal alien criminals to be held in El Salvador's vibrant and diverse prisons. A federal judge decided he's the Commander in Chief now and ordered the plane to return. Trump said "whoops, the plane's gone too far, can't call it back now, gee willickers sorry." And the left is having a nervous breakdown." Althouse, "The Trump administration on Monday repeatedly stonewalled a federal judge seeking answers about whether the government had violated his order barring the deportation..." ""...of more than 200 noncitizens without due process, escalating a conflict that threatened to become a constitutional crisis.... Judge James E. Boasberg... said, he wanted only to figure out the timeline of the flights to determine whether they were in violation of his ruling. But [Justice Department lawyer, Abhishek Kambli] repeatedly refused to say anything about the flights, citing 'national security.' He simply reiterated the government’s position that it had done nothing to violate Judge Boasberg’s order..." The NYT reports." Insty at his NYPo gig thinks Federal judges’ Trump hate is only harming the courts themselves. Mark Hemingway@Heminator, "It’s pretty clear at this point rogue judges, not the Trump admin, are posing a threat to rule of law. SCOTUS needs to acknowledge this and reassert the judiciary’s role—best way to do that IMO is require TROs to be done by a three judge panel w/ expedited SCOTUS review." Insty, FROM THE BARELY-PARODY DEPARTMENT:

Federal Judge Orders Astronauts Be Returned To Space Station https://t.co/j8XQJbA3Cs pic.twitter.com/wEcVnLAJrb

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) March 17, 2025

Complete Colorado reports Biden appointee makes $360K soft landing at University of Colorado. Andrew Mayock became the vice chancellor for sustainability as of March 10, for a whopping $360,000 per year. According to a CU media release, the position is “newly created.”

At PJM VodkaPundit, Here's the Dirty Little Secret Behind the Democrats' Collapse. "They got what they wanted." Dave Strom, Desperate Dying Democrats Doggedly Digging Down Deeper Definitively. Shooting News Weekly says David Hogg is Performing Every Bit as Well for Democrats as He Did for the Gun Control Industry. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair, Senate Democrats Step On Rakes Running Away From The CR Fight.

Stephen L. Miller@redsteeze "Schumer spent years rousing his activist base to protest and riot and now won't face them." Quote Annie Karni@anniekarni, "Replying to @anniekarni Statement: "Due to security concerns, Senator Schumer's book events are being rescheduled." Capt. Ed, Oh My: Schumer Book Tour Events Postponed for 'Security Concerns'; UPDATE: Entire Tour 'Postponed'. Reuters, Top Senate Democrat Schumer postpones book tour for security reasons. Ian Miles Cheong @stillgray, "Democrats say there will be violence unless Trump is removed from office." Video. Twitchy, White House Protesters Say Remove Trump or There Will Be Violence. Shooting News Weekly reports Swatting Of Conservative Media and Online Figures Continues Across the Country. Bob Spencer at PJM, Woman Wearing MAGA Hat Denied Service, Threatened With Baseball Bat at Indianapolis Jazz Club.

From Fox, Fani Willis ordered to pay $54K for violating open records laws in Trump case. "Judge Rachel Krause ruled that Willis' office was 'hostile' and 'intentionally' violated Georgia's open records laws." Matt Margolis chuckles when Judge Slaps Fani Willis With Huge Fine.

At Hat Hair, John Sexton has More on the NY Times' Take on the Lab Leak Theory. We denied it because conservatives touted it and Dave Strom shows the COVID Origin Coverup Was Worldwide. Everybody Knew, Everybody Lied. At PJM, Paula Bolyard, NYT: We Were 'Badly Misled' on Covid Lab Leak. But Guess Who's to Blame? Ace, Now It Can Be Told: UK "Intelligence" Also Knew Covid-19 Was Manufactured in Fauci's Wuhan Lab, and Also Lied to the World About It, "Are these the West's intelligence services, or China's? Before getting to that, the New York Times now admits the truth: Yes, covid-19 came from the Wuhan lab. Why did they participate in this massive lying psyop against the American people? They didn't, they say! They were "badly misled," you see." Michael Shellenberger @shellenberger, "The former head of the UK's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, told Boris Johnson in early 2020 that the Covid virus escaped from the Wuhan lab. That means that the US, UK, Chinese, & German governments all knew the truth, covered it up, and spread disinformation. Case closed."

Anna Paulina Luna @realannapaulina "I seldom respond to nasty headlines because I don’t like giving trash credibility, however, being that there is allegedly a book coming out with me named and attacking
@POTUS , his marriage, our first lady, and frankly implying something distasteful about me, I am responding. I was very pregnant and at the time experiencing pre-eclampsia symptoms, but was not diagnosed. As soon as @realDonaldTrump boarded the plane, being the gentleman and good person that he is, said if I did not feel well, I could use the back room. He did this in a respectful way and in front of my husband, of which we thanked him. He also assured me that they had a medical team on board in case anything happened and they were aware of how pregnant I was. This was the most compassionate thing that could’ve been done at the time. I find it disgusting that the author fails to recognize that. A few weeks later, I was induced because I did have pre-eclampsia . The author of this book never reached out to me for comment. Which means that this book is likely going to be a shit hit piece. If people in POTUS orbit are talking to this author, they need to be cut off immediately. This is gross." The Daily Beast @thedailybeast "The new revelations reveal how Trump reportedly offered a female congresswoman his bed, as long as she kept it a secret from his wife."

From Campus Reform, USC removes Office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage amid compliance review after Trump executive order. Dave Strom reports UNC Triples Down on DEI Hiring. Althouse, "A new report is shedding more light on why UW-Madison’s director of Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement lost his job." "The report, which was released Friday, details how former DDEEA chief LaVar Charleston spent millions of dollars, handed out bonuses and raises, and never fully communicated any of it to anyone else at the school.... But perhaps the most damning part of the report came from what Charleston spent on training, travel, and events. Which totals over $2.5 million last year alone..." It's always been a grift.

John Sexton, HHS’ Civil Rights Office: Maine VIolated Title IX by Allowing Boy to Compete in Girl's Sports and Beege Welborn, VA Secretary Cuts Off Trans Treatment. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "@CityofOshkosh discuss a taxpayer funded drag show for little children that the City arranged and gush over toddlers tipping drag queens."

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