Flotsam and Jetsam - Suddenly Monday

Tedford Tyler at Am Con thinks this week's visit show Trump Has Learned How to Deal With China. "The president’s engagement with Xi is delivering results." We'll see. At Hat Hair, Josh Hammer notes  Trump's Greenland Agreement Is the 'Art of the Deal' in Action. Ask for the moon and stars, and settle for just the moon. 

Georgia took this picture in McKinleyville CA this week

Polymarket @Polymarket, "JUST IN: Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent declares the U.S. economy has entered “the acceleration phase.”" From the Chronic, Republicans Cannot Blame Any Midterm Losses on Trump’s Economy. Except for gas prices, things are going great, which is why the Democrats and media (but I redund) keep talking about gas prices. Shawn Farash @Shawn_Farash, "Good morning X! Did you know: Of the top 5 states with the most expensive gas, only one has a Republican governor? (Nevada) Of the bottom five states with the cheapest gas, all are GOP-led states. On rent: The top five states with the most expensive rent prices are ALL democrat-run states. The bottom five are all GOP-run states. If your motivating factor this election is affordability, then democrats are not a good choice."  Breitbart Bus Dig is Raising ‘a Fuss and a Holler’ About the Labor Market, "Young American men had a hot, hot, hot summer in the labor market—as long as you count working as a hot summer." Ben Smith at LI, Trump Cancels $810M for Illegal Immigrants, Race-Based Programs. "Trump spending cuts target $810 million for illegal immigrant services, race-focused programs and other federal spending." 

TMZ @TMZ, "Nicki Minaj is jumping into the upcoming midterm elections, insisting that all young voters must do one thing -- vote Republican."Don Surber on Midterms diplomacy, "Iran is waiting for Democrats to take back Congress." And Democrats are encouraging them. The inimitable Kurt Schlichter at TownHall says We Are So Tired of the Loudmouth Quitters, and names a few. "Every election cycle we hear the same stupid spiel from a certain band of pseudo-conservative quitters: “Oh no, I’m not getting my way. I’ve got no reason to vote. I’m not going to vote. The Republicans aren’t conservative enough, so I’m just going to let the communist pervert Democrats win. Waa, waa, waa.”" Roger Kimball at Am Great examines the many Varieties of Trump Derangement Syndrome, "The effort to normalize various pathologies seems to be, as we have been taught to say, trending." The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "I was there. Overwhelming applause and cheers. This is dumb, even for People magazine."

Bob Graboyes at Bastiat's Window, discourses on  AI, Internet, and Rapid Advances in the Technology of Fraud. "AI and global connectivity have made the production, refinement, and dissemination of fraudulent information far easier than could have imagined a generation or two ago." The answer to most of AI's potential downfalls is to task AI with preventing them. At Common Place, Oren Cass explains How to Worry About AI, "Lessons from climate catastrophism for the cataclysm du jour,"

Kyle Becker at RedState hears AOC Gets Brutal News As She Test-Runs Senate Bid: She Is 'Rejected'. If she's too radical for New York State, she's not going to become preznit. At Althouse, Fetterman knows how to play viral media. I say he did this — deadpan — on purpose. "Well played, Senator!" That stroke clearly killed something in the left side of his brain. Tom Knighton at BA asks and answers What Did Newsom Do on Gun Bills? Now We Know. 

From Law and Liberty, The Slippery Constitutionality of Open Primaries. If Republicans want to get rid of them, they need to abuse them to the disadvantage of the Democrats.

PJM's Bob Spencer notices The Latest Attempt to Impeach Trump Criminalizes Not Being a Leftist. "Prof. Jonathan Turley remarked drily that Cohen “appears to believe that the problem with past impeachments has been brevity. His 26 articles of impeachment include everything short of ripping a label off a mattress, including the new impeachable offense of ‘self-aggrandizement.’” 

From Twitchy, Trump Intervenes After Overnight ICE Order Sparks Base Revolt: ‘No One Is Off the Table’ "Last night, panic spread across social media as reporters claimed the Trump Administration had decided to only arrest illegals who had criminal charges pending or convictions. That was a big change from 'anyone here illegally needs to go home'." Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "I’ve spoken on the phone with President Trump and nine ICE & DHS sources about this today. Here’s what I’ve learned. Yes, this verbal guidance did go out to ICE offices across the country last night. I’ve spoken with ICE agents who received it & were shocked & frustrated by it. It’s unclear who it started with. However, I’m told it’s erroneous, was some type of “miscommunication” during conversations about prioritizing “worst first”, and there is no change in immigration enforcement policy. President Trump tells me anyone in the country illegally remains “on the table” for ICE arrest & deportation. I’m also told new guidance went out to ICE field offices tonight to reaffirm this and that yes, arrests of illegal aliens and “collaterals” without additional criminal history will continue. ICE sources confirm to me they received the new guidance. I’m not really sure what happened here - but everyone is on the same page, including President Trump, in telling me that his immigration enforcement agenda isn’t scaling back." Quote Jennie Taer @JennieSTaer "SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources." From FreightWaves, ICE launches tip line to report CDL fraud as crackdown widens. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hot line follows shutdown of 110 truck driving schools and investigations spanning 23 states." The Redheaded libertarian @TRHLofficial, "These people obviously can’t get in. Who is funding this op and why?" Quote Anthony Aguero Live @AnthonyAguero, "Over 400 aliens predominantly from Honduras entered Mexico on Thursday, ready to make their way to the US southern border… Here’s footage of the caravan. Someone is incentivizing this movement, this is not organic." Obviously a midterm op. Insty calls it A REMINDER OF WHAT IS AT STAKE IN NOVEMBER. Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "As we enter the age of AI, robotics and widespread automation there is zero reason for more mass immigration of low-skilled labor… Immigration at this point in American history should be extremely restrictive." Quote Starship Gazer @StarshipGazer, "Big drone cleaning the Starbase launch control room windows for clear views of Starship flight 14 on launch day."

Leslie Eastman at LI reports Ceuta Confirms First Monkeypox Case After Summer Border Surge from Morocco "Meanwhile, Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a mpox epidemic." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "When they pissed off this guy, they pissed off someone who has fought insurgencies, in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, knows how to run one, and knows the British counterinsurgency game from the inside. They’ve succeeded in pissing off other British vets who know the same things. What they don’t have is guns." Quote Andrew Fox @Mr_Andrew_Fox, "This story has broken me. It has unleashed a rage so strong I can barely express it, but allow me to try. Above all, I am angry with the decades-long malevolent incompetence of the British state: politicians of all parties, the judiciary, the civil service. Their collective uselessness has shattered the social contract and made us all poorer and less safe. In just 25 years, they have led us from an affluent, high-trust society to a broken, low-trust one..." Dr Strangetweet or How I Learned to Love the RT @lone_rides, "I have an idea for a book. “Hit me” A patriarchal society, women have no rights. They’re forced to dress appropriately. “Like it so far.” This society then starts to fifth column other countries. And people welcome it! “That’s slightly unrealistic but keep going.” Then when the group from this patriarchal society is big enough, they take over the host country. There is some pushback but many people in the host country join with the society in crushing it. “Nope. The plot won’t work. It’s unbelievable.” That’s what I thought but this is a history book about the spread of Islam through immigration." Quote Be Thinkful @BThinkful, "Now what if I told you the people most sympathetic to the invasion were women?"

Larry Elder at Hat Hair hears Trump Bans Media from the White House -- This Is Why He's Angry "The better question is: What took so long?" Nick Arama at RedState laughs as CNN Hilariously Begs Mike Waltz for Trump to Let Them Back in the Pool - His Answer Is Gold Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "LMAO!! CNN's Jake Tapper just BEGGED Ambassador Mike Waltz on national TV to ask President Trump to "let CNN back in the pool" for Air Force One and event coverage "Yesterday, the White House barred CNN from pool...I'd ask if you can convey to President Trump to let CNN back in the pool." Waltz did not promise to do so. ..." Sundance at CTH sees Media Aghast at Not Controlling White House Press Coverage, hosts AG Todd Blanche -VS- ABC Martha Raddatz. "There’s still obviously litigation going on, but the important thing, Martha, is to know that that being in the White House is a privilege. It’s not a — it’s not a right." unseen1 @unseen1_unseen, "Pretty much most the reasons people state for why they are upset about Trump is based on some fake news they read or were exposed to, whether that person is a dem or republican."

From the College Fix, Elementary school staff presented with ‘anti-oppressive’ pledges to dismantle the system. O Canada! Monica Showalter thinks Nikole Hannah-Jones has just written a new version of 'The Jungle'?  "Sinclair, recall, was a progressive-era muckraker who wrote 'The Jungle' in 1906, with the express aim of converting America to socialism. His book described the filthy meat-packing plants of Chicago and the terrible labor conditions experienced by America's Lithuanian and other immigrant workers in a wrenching, emotionally engaging book that became a massive bestseller. But much to his surprise, he didn't convert anyone to socialism. People read about those filthy meat-packing plants where chemicals and spoilage were present, and absolutely shuddered at the thought that they were eating from them. That prompted major legislation to reform food sanitation practices, including the Meat Inspection Act, and the Pure Food and Drug Act by Congress." Garry Kasparov@Kasparov63, "I wish it was a bad joke," Quote Seattle Extremist @SeattleIndepen1, "This book is real. So is the award. In “A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint” the author argues that white paint isn’t neutral—it carries associations with purity, cleanliness, and power that tie into systems of exclusion and racism. This from the university that gave us Mortimer J Adler and the Great Books movement."

Rob Henderson @robkhenderson, "One of Sweeney’s sins is that she entertains men without first assuring women that their approval disgusts her. Contrast this with Sabrina Carpenter...Her sexual presentation comes with a clear assurance of female allegiance." Bill Costello at Realities Last Stand looks at The Science of Why Women Hate Sydney Sweeney, "Intrasexual competition, guy’s gals, and the vulnerable young men the controversy overlooks." "Evidence suggests women are more supportive than men of egalitarian outcomes and equity over merit-based hierarchies. Beauty is a particularly visible inequality, and its rewards are hardly distributed fairly."

At NYPo, Paranoid owner of woke Mass. lesbian bar puts big restrictions on mask-free Saturday over ‘infiltrator’ fear. Armand Domalewski @ArmandDoma, "the reason this lesbian bar story went so viral is that basically every left wing person in America has personally experienced some version of this story in their life over the course of the last decade and is really goddam sick of it." Quote Max Tani @maxwelltani, "Per a note to Boston Globe staff today, the lesbian bar story generated 1,000 subscriptions to the paper yesterday. The Globe’s managing editor said it was “by far our best performing story of the year,” and appears to be “on pace to shatter all sorts of Globe records.”"

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Salute to Mrs. Justin Verlander and FMJRA 2.0: No Grandeur This Week Just Misery up and awaiting your digital pleasure.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Lights Up Iran Again

This will be the last flotsam and jetsam for a while. Going out of town, and the county, up to Canukistan for a boys only fishing trip with Pete and a bunch of fish fanatics. Internet is likely to be sketchy, although Pete and one other guy have promised to bring Star Links. Hopefully, though, I'll be able to post some big fish pics. But don't worry, to keep you coming I've preloaded some morning eye-openers. 

Now back to the news. PJM's Cathy Salgado reports Trump Confirms ‘Large and Powerful’ Strikes Near Hormuz Strait, in retaliation for some attempted attacks on US forces in the region, and on allies. From News Wax, US Hit Iranian Tankers in 'Tanker-for-Tanker' Escalation. PJM's VodkaPundit says You Gotta Be Kidding Me: We're Still Playing 'Let's Make a Deal!' With Iran? Well, you have to be able to talk, in case they get serious. In the meantime, you have to put up with their bullshit. From I&I, What Will TDS Sufferers Do If The U.S. Wins The Iran War? Deny and obfuscate, of course. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Suspicions Of Ayatollah's Death Rise After His Name Appears On California Voter Rolls," and Illinois and Michigan, and Massachusetts and Maryland... 

At Insty VodkaPundit notes COMPLAINING ABOUT MEMES IS HOW YOU GET MORE MEMES: Polymarket @Polymarket, "JUST IN: Mark Carney declares Canada will only resume trade talks with the U.S. when Americans “stop doing memes.” Stephen Kruiser at PJM says Begun, the Meme Assault on Canada Has... Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Turns out all we need to do to win the Canada war is memeTF out of them. (It’s like drones. A total battlespace gamechanger. Only even cheaper.)" Quote Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "Mark Carney Says He will Start Trade Talks Again Once "Americans stop making memes" Internet — You know what to do." At Pirate's Cove, LOL: Canada’s PM Whines About Memes During Trade Spat. At the NatPo, (CA), Joel Kotkin worries Carney aligns with the anti-free speech China and EU. News Wax reports Apple Maps Changes Name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'. Wundermap still hasn't. VodkaPundit thinks THE SECOND-ORDER EFFECTS ARE OUTSTANDING: The Post Millennial @TPostMillennial, "Canada is enticing academics to leave the US due to Trump’s crackdowns on research funding for topics like climate, equity, and gender studies."

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn is satisfied now that Keir Starmer Just Quit Parliament, Too. From USA Today, 'Cuba is opening up.' Reforms begin as US tightens grip. 

Ars Technica explains Why it matters that President Trump just dialed in to a NASA news conference. 

Eli Lake @EliLake, "If JD Vance thinks he can win in 2028 and still be aligned with this mental patient, he’s smoking meth." Quote Eitan Fischberger @EFischberger, "WHOA: Tucker just called for President Trump and the congressmen pushing for American-Israeli military cooperation in the NDAA to face Nuremberg-style treason charges."

Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "Remember for reasons that have never quite been explained Donald Trump can win an election, but doesn’t have a right to do the things the president does, again because reasons." Quote Roger Parloff @rparloff, "Letting Trump’s WH Ballroom go forward, SCOTUS majority misleads from the 1st sentence, calling it a “federal govt” project. But it's not. It's a Trump project. That's why it’s illegal. He failed to get Congress’s permission. The 4 dissenters (at right) correct the record, also 1st sentence. ..."

Driscoll at Insty, WHICH IS WHY WE NEVER SEE THE OMELETTE. From Althouse, "Last week, Dr. El-Sayed mused in a social media post about whether the vice president would take her 'back in time to meet Papaw' if he could..." "... referring to Mr. Vance’s deceased grandfather and seeming to imply that he would not have approved of the Vances’ interracial marriage." Racism straight up. At NewsBusters, HYSTERICAL Oliver Darcy MELTS DOWN Over CBS Story on El-Sayed’s Deleted 9/11 Tweets. Speaking of old stuff, Capt. Ed at Hat Hair has Talarico in 2020: Capitalism Is White Supremacy and Texas Oil Is Kinda Racist. Twitchy enjoys a Capitalism Clash: Kmele Foster Slaps Jemele Hill With Adam Smith’s ‘Invisible Hand’ on CNN. Hayden Daniel at Da Fed, Leftists Will Never Self-Reflect, And They Will Never Apologize For The Horrors They Inflict. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "http://DATAREPUBLICAN.COM STRIKES AGAIN: TRUMPBLOGS, FORMERLY KNOWN AS NOBLOGS THE ANARCHIST INTERNATIONAL ON NOBLOGS, MAPPED — EVERY BLOG, EVERY CELL, EVERY CITY. The militant far-left has spent years hiding in plain sight on http://Noblogs.org — the anonymous blog network that quietly powers antifa, anarchist, squat, and "solidarity" cells around the world. So on my own time, for free, I scraped the whole thing. Because I kick commie *** for fun and need no government funding or sanction for it. Introducing an interactive map of 7000+ blogs across many countries and languages — antifascist, anarchist, ecological, prisoner-solidarity, migrant-border, revolutionary. Every one classified, geolocated, and searchable down to the verbatim quote...."

Shipwreckedcrew, sees lawsplains a Federal Judge Almost Certain To Block New Mail-In Voting Regulation Based On Her Previous Ruling It Is “Ultra Vires” - Is She Right And Will It Stand Up?. "She found the E.O. on which the regulation is based was an unlawful exercise of authority the President does not have because the mechanics of conducting elections are given to Congress and States." Cathy Salgado hears 400,000 California Voters Didn't Provide Any ID at Registration, but that's OK because no one ever lies.

RedState's Bob Hoge is disgusted that Lindsay Clancy Trial Gets More Insane As Woman Arrested for Interfering With Jurors. At Da Wire, Nancy Mace opines Lindsay Clancy’s Children Are Dead And The Jury Is Deadlocked. The whole thing is just sad. Driscoll at Insty is not entirely satisfied that TYLER ROBINSON TO STAND TRIAL IN CHARLIE KIRK MURDER CASE WITH SUSPECT FACING POTENTIAL DEATH PENALTY. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Firing squad would be appropriate. Aim for the neck."

At Da Signal, Legal Fight Escalates Over Leftist Billionaire’s Funding of E. Jean Carroll’s Lawsuit Against Trump.

JTN reports Feds seize domains in San Diego to block China from cyber hacking entities, from NASA to the Fed, "Federal law enforcement has seized core infrastructure reportedly used by a Chinese state-sponsored cyber platform to target high-profile U.S. government entities and critical infrastructure in a campaign dating back to 2018."

Althouse, "In 1986, Justice Byron R. White... summoned his clerks to his chambers for a special assignment that took several weekends. Together they marked his quarter-century on the court..." "... by feeding his records, including from the landmark Miranda rights case, into a shredder purchased for the occasion, according to Dennis J. Hutchinson, his biographer. 'Well, here’s an article. Here’s an entire book,' one of the clerks later told Mr. Hutchinson, describing what it was like to insert invaluable history into the jaws of the machine. 'I couldn’t believe how much history was going down the chute,' he said." Writes Jodi Kantor "How the Supreme Court Locks Away Its Own History/After Justice Scalia died, the justices held private negotiations about locking away their papers. We may not see the ultimate record of the Roberts court for decades" (NYT gift link)."

From NYPo, ICE nabs over 2K illegal migrants across NY in ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ — including child rapists, killers and Markwayne Mullin says DHS rolling out border biometric scans ‘as fast as we can’ after massive underreporting of foreigners’ rap sheets. Cathy Salgado happy, DHS Arrests More Than 2,000 Illegal Aliens in New York ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ Matt Vespa at TownHall cites Sen Moreno to CT Gov: an Ohioan Was Killed by an Illegal With a CT Driver's License. Please Explain? Townhall.com @townhallcom, "Marcus Coleman, the father of a 5-year-old girl who was severly disabled in a car accident caused by an illegal alien driving an 18-wheeler, goes OFF on Democrats for their fake sympathy. "I reject your guys' sympathy to be honest with you. There’s no way you guys are sorry […] My daughter doesn't deserve this […] It is your guys’ fault. I hold each and every one of you responsible for it." From the Virginia Pilot, a Judge temporarily blocked part of Virginia’s new immigration enforcement law. "The law, which took effect July 1, placed new restrictions on localities’ agreements with federal immigration authorities. Under the law, new and existing 287(g) agreements — contracts that deputize local law enforcement to do immigration enforcement — would be required to abide by the new restrictions." Rep. Fallon to Newsmax: Make Birth Tourism a Crime. I like the idea, but I'm not sure I know how that works. At Not The Bee, Not the Bee Illegal aliens are stripping Connecticut beaches clean of crabs and clams, but woke officials are ignoring it. A lot of Hispanics come to Matoaka to fish on weekends. They're not too fussy about the game laws either. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BOMBSHELL: Los Angeles County is STEALING funds from a wildfire relief fund to give up to $15K CHECKS to noncitizens or residents "impacted by ICE raids" All "without checking the recipient's immigration status" $5 MILLION has already been redirected. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! 600 days, most LA residents still can't even return to their homes after they were lost to the wildfires But now money might be handed out to noncitizens? California is AMERICANS LAST!"

Ilya Shapiro @ishapiro, "Wait, the editor-in-chief is actually doing her job?" Quote Dominic Michael Tripi @DMichaelTripi, "NEW: Head of CBS News Bari Weiss reportedly personally intervened to tweak headlines about candidates in midterms who oppose Israel." nero @n3ro, "Editor in Chief performs journalism . .. leftists outraged". Matt Margolis at PJM enjoys a little schadenfreude as Wolf Blitzer’s Trump Mail-In Voting Lie Blows Up in His Face With Humiliating Correction. Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "As I predicted, @washingtonpost has finally edited its despicable and inaccurate report on me @CynicalPublius & @RobManess to correct the embarrassing misspellings of my name by @DanLamothe. Now, they should correct the false implication that we were paid to spread propaganda for the Pentagon and apologize to us."

Matt Calkins asks Did Colin Kaepernick do more harm than good for the Black community? "He first knelt 10 years ago today. But was his reason for doing so based in fact?" Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "We are quite literally teaching people to be America-hating criminals." Quote Rob Henderson @robkhenderson, "Relative to Americans with a high school education, Americans with graduate degrees are twice as likely to support political violence. More education = higher support for political violence. It couldn't be otherwise." Well, I think there might som bias caused by different views of those who chose to go on in education. Brad Todd @BradOnMessage, "There's a lot of truth in here, as you'd expect from @asymmetricinfo, but there is one more layer: for 30 years, we have allowed only ONE real lender for college tuition, with zero under-writing & ample political pressure to waive even principal payments. Monopoly lending helped create this beast's appetite. If we had instead under-written every college loan based on the potential for the borrower to pay it back, we would not have a lot of useless masters programs & climbing walls & zen rooms in rec centers of middling colleges that have compass directions or denominational labels in their names." Quote Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "I think the correct formulation is that colleges are in trouble because the wage premium stagnated, but during the lag before people figured that out, colleges increased tuition to the point where expected value declined for marginal students."

Flotsam and Jetsam - Supreme Court Lets Trump Regulate Mail-in Voting

Matt Margolis at PJM hears SCOTUS Gives Trump HUGE Win on Mail-In Voting. "Trump signed the executive order, called "Ensuring Citizenship Verification And Integrity In Federal Elections, in March 2026. It directs his administration to build lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists. The Postal Service laid out its implementation plan last week, but the clock is ticking. Some states start sending mail ballots in just a few weeks, leaving the administration little time to get this right before the midterms. More court challenges remain possible." Again, like the ballroom, it's one of those "we haven't really decided yet, but you can proceed for now" decisions. At Althouse, "Supreme Court Allows Trump Plan to Restrict Mail-In Voting, for Now." "The administration asked the court to clear the way for President Trump’s order that creates 'state citizenship lists' and directs the Postal Service to decide who gets a mail-in ballot". Mark Mendlovitz @MendlovitzMark, "The Supreme Court ruling that lets the Trump Administration proceed with mail ballot security measures has Democrats freaking out, but what's really driving them bonkers is less about providing voter lists for eligibility determination (though they are certainly worried about that) and much more about MATCHING BARCODES of the outer and inner envelopes in a mail ballot package. Here is why that's the problem for them. If surplus mail ballots collected from people who aren't voting by mail are somehow voted on behalf of OTHER PEOPLE, it becomes readily detectable that a ballot was repurposed from its originally intended voter to someone else on the voter rolls. The "no-match" condition means that ballot was taken from the originally intended voter or it was given away. Either way that's how fraud can be easily detected. Keep in mind, the barcode matching requirement does not require any personal information that isn't on the outside of an envelope, and it doesn't prevent states from using mail to conduct elections, so the hysterical reactions are confirmation they know the gig is up."

VodkaPundit at PJM notes Bessent to Reveal 'Economic D-Day' Against Iran. ""The U.S. Treasury is preparing to expand secondary sanctions on countries and companies doing business with Iran, forcing trading partners to choose between Tehran and access to the dollar-based financial system," Unusual Whales posted Monday, summarizing a paywalled Financial Times report." Francis Sempka at Am Spec, Trump is Combining Geoeconomic and Kinetic Warfare Against Iran, "American impatience has repeatedly undermined the political gains of military victories. The war against Iran may be no different." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Iranian oil shipments to Asia have nearly dried up as US pressure on Tehran disrupts supplies. Chinese refiners are facing tighter availability, with Iranian crude prices shifting from a discount to a premium of around $4 a barrel. A major factor behind the shortage is the impact of US efforts to block Iranian oil shipments. Loaded Iranian tankers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf, while empty vessels remain stranded outside the region." Brian Cates @drawandstrike, "You're gonna see a lot of weird shit go down over the next 2 weeks. Some of these 60+ entities will REFUSE to stop the money laundering. They can't. If they do, financial drug/human/sex/arms/dark web networks they've spent DECADES building and expanding will start collapsing. They're in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation now. Gird your loins...the strong ripples of this are gonna show up in some really strange places in Europe." Quote Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@SecScottBessent: "Let me be clear: any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. Dollar system. The clock just started ticking." x.com/RapidResponse4…"

Ben Smith at RedState observes Google Pulls Every Last Pixel Product Out of China. Fred Fleitz at Am Great warns Before Trump Meets Kim Jong Un Again, Five Things Must Happen First "These steps build on the existing strong U.S.-South Korea partnership, advance American interests, and create space to resolve lingering bilateral frictions." 

At TownHall Matt Vespa sees NBC Tried to Do Major Damage Control for Abdul El-Sayed. Tim Scott Shut It Down. At PJM Vicky Taft watches NBC's Welker to Head-Shaking Tim Scott: Let's Pretend That El Sayed's Terror Ties Don't Count and Dave Manney notes PETA Savaged Kristi Noem. For Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, It Found Excuses. From Da Caller, ‘That’s Not My Grandpa’s Democratic Party’: JD Vance Blasts Dem Senate Candidate El-Sayed. Vic Nava at NYPo, Abdul El-Sayed asks Fox News’ Jesse Watters ‘Are you circumcised?’ in bizarre moment as he defends sex change surgery for minors. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal hears Far-Left Streamer Hasan Piker Says He’s More Respectful of Charlie Kirk Than Kirk’s Widow. Well, he is Muslim after all. Driscoll at Insty, on HOW IT STARTED: Socialist Robert Reich on Election Night 2024 Warned Elon Musk: “I guarantee you I’m going to make life so difficult for you, really so difficult for you, so just be very careful of yourself.” How It’s Going: Jon Najarian @jonnajarian, "Whenever I need a good laugh, I just read Elon's response to this intellectual dwarf." John Kass asks Daddy, Where Do Communists Come From? "These young Americans don’t have the work ethic or inclination to build a career or a business. They don’t want the burdens of traditional family life. They’re disappointed and confused. Their contributions to society are mostly street chants beginning with the words “Whadda we want?”"

retard mode ✞ @retardmode, "gary indiana not having power is an amazing story of diversity >entire city council is black >every electric company executive is black >black residents can’t stop shooting at vehicles working to restore power and they all blame racism for going without power for so long." Will Chamberlain @willchamberlain, "The people who made a secular religion out of George Floyd’s death are here to tell you that you shouldn’t dare politicize Iryna Zarutska’s murder."

PJM's Cathy Salgado asks Hiding Much? Newsom Signs 'Stop Nick Shirley Act.' cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "We need to find a new name for “nonprofits“. They are very profitable for those who run them." Quote Katy Grimes @KATYSaccitizen, "The Receipts: California Assemblyman Corey Jackson Steers $6 Million to His Own Nonprofit. Assemblyman Dr. Corey Jackson also named his own nonprofit, his legislative district’s “Nonprofit of the Year.”. $6M is listed in the California FLOOR REPORT OF THE 2026-27 BUDGET." TownHall's Dmitri Bolt lays it out This Is How Much of a Difference Rooting Out Fraud Could Make for Medicare's Lifespan. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " HOLY CRAP! Dr. Oz reveals that if 100% of fraud is abolished from Medicare, the Medicare Trust Fund will DOUBLE its lifespan "In JUST this past year — we cut $42 BILLION of fraud from Medicare...by NEVER letting the money out the door."..." Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "This is a plain reality almost everyone ignores. You can think we over-spend on Israel or Gaza aid, some weapons system, etc. But, Defense and State COMBINED are like 11% of the budget. Significantly cutting gov't size requires targeting entitlements." Quote Andrew Follett @AndrewCFollett, "47% of government spending is on some form of welfare. Only 8% is on defense. Reducing welfare spending is profoundly difficult politically...but it must be done or we will go the way of Rome. x.com/Handre/status/…" At PJM VodkaPundit notices California’s Revenge on Paramount Comes With a $7 Million-a-Day Price Tag.

On Tinfoil Tuesday PJM's Kevin Downy asks Which Politicians AREN'T Chinese Assets? Bob Hoge at RedState, So You're Saying There's a Chance? Polling in CA Gubernatorial Race Takes Surprising Twist. Steve Hilton @SteveHiltonx, "SHOCK POLL: It’s a SINGLE-DIGIT race for governor. Becerra 49% / Hilton 41% / 10% Undecided We’ve cut the margin from 25% to 8% in less than two months! Our campaign is SURGING; the Machine is reeling. Keep the pressure on!" I suppose it's possible, but I'm not counting that chicken just yet.

TheFOO @PolitiBunny, "Those campers were literally in Ontario, Tim. Holy shit. lol" Quote Governor Tim Walz @GovTimWalz, "When a group of YMCA campers needed to be rescued during the wildfires on our northern border, it was Canada who immediately helped. Not a word from Trump." To be fair, Trump could have used it as an excuse to invade Canada.

PJM's Tom Jipping and Hans von Spakovsky have August’s Dishonorable Judicial Conduct Award: Judges Balk at White House Ballroom. From the Center Square, AGs conceal records tied to longstanding plans to sue Trump. 

Shooting News Week is glad the Ninth Circuit Smacks Down Anti-Gun Orgs That Sued ATF Claiming it Didn’t Regulate ‘Ghost Guns’ Nearly Enough.

Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Ah, so it WAS an invasion. Got it." Quote NEXTA @nexta_tv, "Morocco has made territorial claims against Spain Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said Rabat maintains “historical and geographical rights” to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and wants to create a special mechanism with Madrid for negotiations." Ace cites Morocco: Now That We've Sent Criminals to Invade Your Country, We Are Prepared to Negotiate Your Surrender of the Conquered Territory. Brendan O'Neill at NYPO opines ‘Rape leaflets’ for migrants enrage the British public — and prove Trump’s point. Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "German nurse on how security in the ERs has changed due to mass-immigration: “If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.” She speaks about the problems with clan members: “It usually doesn't take long for 20, 30, 40 family members to show up in front of the hospital. They have special Telegram groups where they alert each other, and they want to make their presence felt in a way that's often aggressive: 'We're here; we stand by our people—and you can expect trouble if anything happens to them.' In these circles, it's common for the mothers and women to scream loudly and in high drama. This high noise level is a stress factor for the staff and also for the patients.”"

Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "Once you remember that this man used to be the chief intellectual leader of the Conservative movement for 25 years, it all starts to make sense why the GOP functioned like controlled opposition from the 1990s until Trump came along. Because that’s exactly what they were." Quote Bill Kristol @BillKristol, "Abolish ICE. Now."

jimtreacher.substack.com @jtLOL, "(She made up a quote and attributed it to a man who couldn't defend himself, because he had just been murdered.)" Quote The New York Times @nytimes, "Breaking News: An arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to rehire Karen Attiah, a columnist who was fired over her social media posts about the assassination of Charlie Kirk." From Ace, Arbitration Board Says That Racist Grifter Karen Attiah Was Wrongly Fired for Making Up Fake Racist Quotes "by" Charlie Kirk and Celebrating His Murder; Hasan Piker Mocks Kirk's Murder in Hate Rally, "Karen Attiah is a degenerate, unqualified DEI hire formerly, and now presently, employed by the Washington Post to write the same three columns about racism, colonialism, "Islamaphobia" and sexism over and over again while hammering checks."

At TownHall, Steve Miller explores How Would a Jason Arday Scandal Play Out Here? We've already seen it with the Harvard Preznit. The left will defend anything if they're black and left. Adrian Vermeule @Vermeullarmine, "The issue isn’t that the universities won’t admit to being progressive seminaries. (Does anyone not realize what they are?) It’s not a consumer disclosure issue. The real problem is substantive: progressivism is bad, it has injected poison into the body politic for decades, and universities should be ordered to the good, the true and the beautiful." Quote Heterodox Academy @HdxAcademy "We propose that universities that are committed to progressive policies simply say so." In a new @washingtonpost op-ed, HxA President John Tomasi and Harvard Professor Tyler VanderWeele encourage progressive schools to model themselves after religious colleges." Crémieux @cremieuxrecueil, "This is really sad: When psychology professors are asked whether they'd put the truth before social equity concerns, 66.4% of male professors said yes, but fewer than half of female professors (43%) agreed. In both groups, too many put equity before truth." Try it in a real science. At Althouse, "In 2021, Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argued that the U.S. public school system violates the First Amendment." ""'Education,' he wrote, 'consists mostly in speech, and parents have a right under the First Amendment to exercise authority over what their children hear.' Forcing families to accept government messaging — or pay a steep price to escape it — amounts to unconstitutional pressure. A lawsuit filed in Nebraska on Aug. 13 brings that argument into court — and could open a path toward universal school choice." From "Are public schools unconstitutional? A Nebraska court will decide. The challenge to compulsory education combined with public-school-only funding could lead to universal school choice" (WaPo)(gift link)."

Matt Margolis thinks you should Check Out Spencer Pratt’s Brutal Takedown of the Left’s Defense of Lindsay Clancy. Cernovich @Cernovich, "Whoa." Quote Freedomain @StefanMolyneux, "How would women be reacting if Lindsay Clancy had murdered the children of a Somali neighbour?" Marko Jukic @mmjukic, "I am begging sensitive young men not to make decisions about women and family based on the bottom-of-the-barrel gender war ragebait that if blasted in everyone's faces 24/7 barely makes eks dot com profitable to advertisers in a free market." Quote Spergler Acolyte @SperglerAcolyte, "The timeline as of late has hardened my decision to never have a wife nor kids." Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Crazier still: it WAS written about Islam. Atwood was disgusted by what the Muslims were doing to women during the Iranian revolution and she imagined that happening here." Quote Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "The fact that leftists use the Handmaid's Tale to protest Christianity while ignoring the fact that it's way more similar to Islam will never not be hilarious to me."

vittorio @IterIntellectus, "testosterone literally counteracts conformity give men testosterone and they become less responsive to audience expectations and put more weight on their own judgment relative to other people’s testosterone is the independent-thought hormone this explains so much it’s not even funny." Quote Templarpilled @Templarpilled, "Please read the abstract of this study. Men who received testosterone boosters did not care about being watched by two women when making decisions."

New York Post @nypost, "Enes Kanter, Royce White not eligible for WNBA after draft declarations." Physics Geek @physicsgeek, "Look at all the bigoted transphobes attacking her just for speaking her mind. She'll show all the haters in the WNBA next year." Quote, Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Enes Kanter, one of the bravest women I know, just got kicked out of a @wnba game after being cursed out by a Chicago player. Is this any way for one woman to treat another?! I can’t believe this league is real." I think they made their point. At Ace a Real Headline: "WNBA team reveals new 'non-binary' turtle mascot to taunt Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham" "Is the WNBA okay?" No. 

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Embracing The Suck up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Maryland, My Maryland, and the Sandwich of Shame

The "Krista Club"

From the Carroll County Times, A ‘public shaming’ sandwich: Carroll business owner has unique response after employee’s racist posts resurface

When Matty Wess, 47, of New Windsor, saw that one of his employees was taking heat online for her years-old, racist social media posts that had resurfaced, he took a unique approach to addressing the situation.

Wess, who owns Uncle Matty’s Eatery in New Windsor, decided to whip up a sandwich and name it after her. He said he aimed to create a “public shaming” sandwich with profits heading toward a good cause.

An Uncle Matty’s Eatery employee said that by Friday afternoon, the restaurant had sold 22 “Krista Club” sandwiches. The fried chicken sandwich is topped with bacon and cheddar and comes on a brioche bun with a side of pickles and chips. It sells for $16.99 and will remain on the menu until the end of August. Profits from every purchase will be used to purchase items that will be donated to The Gateway School.

Krista Schultz

Krista Schultz’s racist posts gained public attention this week when Carroll County Public Schools board member Kristen Zihmer rescinded her appointment of Schultz to the school system’s family life committee on Wednesday.

Wess said that while he condemns the post Schultz made, he wanted to defend his employee on a personal level. He believes all people should be allowed to learn from their mistakes.

Schultz serves on the Carroll County Republican Central Committee and was reelected in July. Zihmer had appointed her to serve on the public school committee that examines and discusses all instructional materials proposed for the school system’s health curriculum. Zihmer said she was made aware of the posts this week, which led her to revoke her appointment. Zihmer declined to comment for this story.

On Tuesday, a Facebook page, CCPS Parents for Honest Education, whose administrators are anonymous, shared what it said were screenshots of Schultz’s posts. The Carroll County Times could not independently verify the legitimacy of the posts.

One screenshot of a comment Schultz appears to have made on Facebook in 2019 says, “It was a good rap song. … Colored folks listen to it.” Another screenshot is of a meme Schultz appears to have posted in 2019 that shows a photo of a Black woman and white man together with text that says, “I ONLY DATE BLACK GIRLS BECAUSE I HATE MEETING FATHERS.”

Schultz posted on Facebook on Tuesday: “I have taken accountability for my actions, learned from my experiences, matured, and I don’t take any of it back because it has made me who I am today. So if some miserable, liberal, coward (who hides behind a couple Facebook pages anonymously) wants to try to throw something in my face from 10, 15, or 20 years ago… go for it… It motivates me.” She could not be reached for comment for this article.

The sandwich looks good, (if it really looks like that in real life) but it costs $16.99, which is a shame. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Manic Monday

Just another.  Steve Richards at JTN reports Memos reveal FBI faced roadblocks to prosecute possible 2020 Michigan voter registration fraud. "The FBI collected witness interviews alleging voter registration fraud in Michigan in 2020. Newly-disclosed documents show the case was delayed, and ultimately “killed” by the Biden administration." Tim O'Brien at PJM, Did Former FBI Agent Nikki Floris Run a ‘Shadow Government' During the 2020 Election? Teri Christoph at RedState astonished ABC News Just Caught Democrat Senator Mark Warner Telling a Massive Lie About Voter ID. Not astonished that Warner told a lie, but astonished that ABC called them on it. Victory Girls note Democrats saying “Mad King” Trump Should Be Impeached For Nuclear Election Speech. Speech is free for everybody but Trump.

Eric Florack at PJM has suspicions Is Trump Grooming Marco Rubio As His Successor?. Rubio/Vance, or Vance/Rubio. Leslie Eastman at LI sees Science Over Climate Narrative: Dr. Matthew Wielicki to Lead America’s Climate Research. "Dr. Matthew Wielicki’s appointment signals a course correction toward true scientific rigor and away from narrative-driven climate alarmism." About time. 

At Althouse, "I was in a bad position, and they preyed on me, bro. They were chasing the money." "Said Boosie BadAzz, quoted in "Boosie Lobbied for a Trump Pardon. It Never Came. He Wants a Refund. The Southern rapper paid $600,000 to two right-wing operatives. Now, they’re in a dispute over a contract the rapper believes entitles him to at least half his money back" (NYT)." I didn't think lobbying came with guarantees.  

From Flopping Aces, China Doesn’t Have to Beat Us at AI … We’re Busy Handing Them the Win by Letting Doomers Panic Over Power Lines and Cornfields. Ars Technica examines the question Could China and Russia really destroy Starlink? Only with a boomerang. “We will likely have similar concerns and discussions when China fields its Starlink-like constellation.”

TownHall's Derek Hunter worries we have Half a Nation of Traitors. Sundance at CTH hosts Sunday Talks – Martha MacCallum Interviews DSA Co-Chairman Gustavo Gordillo About Using Vehicle of Democrat Party to Install Communist Government. "Gordillo explains the immediate DSA demand to control housing (govt), control food distribution (grocery stores), give free daycare for children, and create affordability for lower income citizens/aliens by taking the wealth from the high-income earners and giving the wealth to the lower income group." Amy Curtis at TownHall notes One of the DSA's Biggest Influencers Wants to Shred the Declaration of Independence, Too Milli Sands at Am Think thinks Communism Hasn't Been Done Right. (Yeah, That’s The Ticket.) "The current crop of young Democrat/DSA politicians is testing the leftist theory that communism will work if you just put the right people in charge." At Da Signal Victor Davis Hanson scoffs at The Left’s Search for a Working-Class Candidate. Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "They really thought they could just walk into the Democrat Party because muh Trump and tame the dragon." Quote Sarah Longwell @SarahLongwell25, "At some point Dems are going to have to grapple with the reality that in the face of all of Trump and Republicans’ manifest horribleness and incompetence, people aren’t rushing toward the Democrats. If you think the DSA stuff is helping, you’ve never talked to a swing voter." Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Sarah Longwell has come to the end of her TDS journey only to realize that Trump is the better choice. She’s now trashing Democrats." Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "Correct. This is what they want." Quote Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "The fun thing about this is that, per Article V, the Senate can’t be abolished without the consent of all 50 states, so this is functionally indistinguishable from a call to abolish the Constitution. x.com/cspanwj/status…" Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I am really getting sick and tired of "moderate" Democrats (as if such a thing actually exists) shouting that the DSA is some sort of new, existential threat to their party and to America. In reality, the DSA is the entirely logical and foreseeable outcome of the way Democrats have been pandering to the most extreme and perverse elements of our society for the past 40 years. Logical. Foreseeable. Stop acting surprised. You are what you are, you get what you deserve." Quote Jamie Metzl @JamieMetzl, "I am a lifelong Democrat. I served on President Clinton’s National Security Council and in the State Department under Madeleine Albright. I am also a lifelong human rights and civil rights advocate. But every Democrat and every American should recognize that the DSA." The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree, "“Supporting Hamas is not progressive.” — @VanJones68 DSA going to lynch him for that." Quote Van Jones @VanJones68, "I'm tired of being told that, to be a progressive, I now must swear allegiance to crazy ideas. I'm a strong Democrat, with a winning bipartisan track record. I'm rooted in progressive ideals and policies: criminal justice reform, Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free education, clean air and water. These are ideas I have fought for my entire adult life. But some people in groups like the DSA are pushing an agenda FAR outside those ideals. Supporting Hamas is not progressive. "No police, no prisons, no borders" is not progressive. Celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE..." Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "I'll admit to having struggled to find coherence or consistency in liberal rules of identity politics. But even given this "complexity,", I will never understand why AOC has license to use a fake black preacher accent when speaking to black audiences:" At Althouse, That could be taken 2 ways. ""We’re well on our way to getting the government that we fuckin' deserve." Says Troy Jackson, in this video posted by his campaign. That's linked to in the NYT article "Maine Democrats Take Step Toward New Senate Pick, With Jolt of Momentum for Jackson/Troy Jackson, a progressive former State Senate president, showed signs of significant strength, as half the state’s counties picked delegates to a convention where they will choose Graham Platner’s replacement." Reminds me of that old political joke: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.""

At Da Signal, Victor Davis Hanson on Why Mamdani Wants to Erase Europeans From New York’s Immigration History. At NYPo, Critics slam Mamdani for threatening to arrest Netanyahu in NYC: ‘Delusional’ and ‘reckless’. From Fox, Controversial program paying drug users for used syringes becomes permanent in NYC. Instead of paying for treatment, they pay to keep people using. Betsey McCaughey at Hat Hair, Tolerating Homeless Encampments Violates the Rights of Everyone Else.

Driscoll at Insty, GOODER AND HARDER, LA: Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Your tax dollars are now subsidizing illegal food carts while 100 legitimate restaurants go out of business every year in LA. We live in a cuckoo clock. Are they gonna give restaurants free stoves, too? Or is this only for people who violate all the rules and pay no fees?" At NYPo, Supermarket takes drastic action to prevent meat theft: ‘Welcome to California’.

Larry Elder at Hair Hair claims On the Iran War, NATO Chief Agrees With Trump -- The Media Buried the Lede. At Da Signal Victor Davis Hanson warns Trump Has Just Weeks Left to Finish the Iran Conflict.

Hat Hair's Josh Hammer has hopes As AG, Todd Blanche Will Finally Seek Justice for Dems' Dirty Lawfare.

CTH hosts Sunday Talks – Border Czar Tom Homan Discusses Value of ICE Body Cameras Showing Insanity of Criminal Aliens and Leftist Agitators. CBD at Ace's Physical Deportation Is The First Step, And Cutting Illegals Off From Our Society Is The Next Step! Debanking. Hey, liberals did it to conservatives so it must be legal, am I right? Alex Muse at The Enterprise, Careful What You Gavel For: How Boasberg's Lecture Became Trump's Weapon, "Thanks, Your Honor: Trump Activates the Court Boasberg Told Him About." Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "If you ever wonder why migrant rapists get slaps on the wrist while white people go to jail in Europe - It's because the majority of their judges are female." Quote Stefan Schubert @StefanFSchubert. "A majority of judges are women in all EU countries except Ireland." I'd like to see that by state in the US.

Greg Lukianoff at The Eternally Radical Idea reports FIRE weighs in on Oversight Board AI report, Canadian free speech up in smoke, Colleges settle Kirk comment cases, & more! Joe Chalfant at TownHall, hears This Law Means That Praying at a Northern Ireland Hospital Could Land You in Trouble With the Police.

Jonathan Turley cites Gallup: Higher Education Hits Another Low in Public Trust as the Public Rejects Institutional Bias. "According to the latest Gallup poll, only 38% of U.S. adults have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education." Campus Reform reports Northeastern Illinois gender studies major enrolls just 4 students. Eliminate the department.

From NYPo, Historian says it’s racist to question her — after book about slavery pulled from shelves over inaccuracies. From Twitchy, Cops Tried to Edit THIS Part Out of Sunny Hostin's DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM Incident With Her Son and WOW.

At NYPo, a Chaotic bodycam video shows trans Florida student freak out on cop for ‘misgendering’ him — before being cuffed. From State of the Day, State of Friday: ELLEN PAGE'S MANFACE "She is the reality they always imagined. ... No matter how hard they try, Ellen Page is not going to explain masculinity to me." Liberty Unyielding reports a Transgender neo-Nazi assigned to women’s prison, despite wearing a mustache and being biologically male, in Germany.