Maryland Bill Takes Aim at Chinese Invaders

At the Balmer Sun, Maryland lawmakers propose choking off invasive running bamboo

Running bamboo grows so fast and is so invasive that it’s rooting up headstones in cemeteries, crossing neighborhood property lines and becoming a “major issue” in Maryland parks.

Bamboo overgrowth was so bad for one Maryland resident that the constituent contacted Del. Linda Foley, D-Montgomery, for help with a neighbor’s bamboo crossing the property boundary. Now Foley, a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee, has introduced a bill to regulate the invasive species.

“They came to me because they had a problem and they wanted me to resolve it as their representative,” Foley told Capital News Service. “They had a real problem with bamboo from their neighbor’s yard invading their yard.”

Foley said she hopes this bill will educate people about the invasive nature of bamboo and encourage gardeners to take appropriate measures before they decide to plant it.

The bill, HB 0090, Control of Running Bamboo, would prohibit property owners from allowing running bamboo to grow on their property without proper upkeep, or allowing it to spread to the adjoining properties or a public right-of-way.

Violations would carry a fine of up to $50 for a first offense. A second offense would be subject to a fine not exceeding $200. Maximum fines could not exceed $3,000 under the bill.

According to Foley, the Department of Agriculture has already put two species of running bamboo – golden bamboo and yellow groove bamboo – on the tier-two invasive plant species list. This listing means that the plants cannot be offered for sale unless they are conspicuously marked as tier-two invasive species.

According to the website for Lewis Bamboo, a nursery located in Alabama dedicated solely to the production of bamboo, running bamboo is going to “take over the world” because of its aggressive rooting.

Regulating these invasive plants, Colliton said, is a three-year investment, with cost depending on the size of the bamboo patch. One of the projects they are doing now is in Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park in Bethesda, Colliton said. It is estimated that the cost of managing the growth is around $8,000, split between the initial treatment of cutting the growth, and any additional treatment within the investment time frame.

“Typically, the easiest way, unfortunately for us to control it, is the use of herbicides,” Colliton said.

Park personnel first try to control the bamboo by cutting it, which exhausts the roots, cutting the taps and allowing regrowth, which weakens the root system. The herbicides come into play when small growths spurt out of the ground, keeping it controlled at the start.

Many Maryland properties use bamboo as boundary barriers. For example, Foley said that Moses Morningstar Cemetery, a historic cemetery along the Beltway in Montgomery County, planted bamboo to shield the graves from traffic.

“The bamboo is so invasive that it’s getting into the headstones and into the burial plots themselves,” Foley said.

We have a few big patches of invasive bamboo nearby; one it at the beach at Matoaka, where I suspect it was once planted in a (failed) attempt to stabilize the cliff. Confusing the issue a little, is that we do also have a few stands of two species of native Cane, which is actually a species of bamboo.

 The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Ilhan Omar Gets the Boot, Rashida Tlaib Breaks into Tears

A small, and rather repetitive lot, which is OK for a Friday, I guess. Presumably all the administration's malfeasances of the week will be released to the press around 4:59 PM. As was anticipated, with much weeping (literally) and wailing and gnashing of teeth, the House voted on party lines to deny Ilhan Omar a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee over her anti-semitic remarks, Michael Ginsberg at Da Caller, House Boots Rep. Ilhan Omar Off Key Committee Over Anti-Semitic Remarks  Ace also, Ilhan Omar Booted Off Foreign Affairs Committee, Claims She Was Targeted Because She Is a Muslim and an Immigrant, and Not Because She's an Antisemtic Terrorism Apologist (and Immigration Fraudster). 'Bonchie' at Red State, Democrats Go Ballistic on the House Floor After Their Own Precedent Backfires. 

Rashida Tlaib literally breaks down in tears over Ilhan Omar being removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee. pic.twitter.com/Q81minIxvJ

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 2, 2023

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.02.23, EBL, Ilhan Omar (D-Mogadishu) gets the boot from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Louder With Crowder: AOC melts down over Ilhan Omar’s removal from Foreign Affairs committee, and Nice Deb at Am Great, Dems Spit Fire as House Votes to Boot Rep. Ilhan Omar Off Foreign Affairs Committee, The Geller Report: Jihadi Jew-Hater Ilhan Omar Gets The Boot Off Foreign Affairs Committee, Islamic Nazi Caucus SHRIEKS & CRIES, In Congress When Jew-Hater Ilhan Omar Gets Booted Off Foreign Affairs Committee Hollywood In Toto, FLASHBACK – Hunter Biden Tells Kimmel Laptop is ‘Red Herring’ and Dave Harsanyi at Da Fed accuses The Media Keep Lying To Protect Ilhan Omar. 

You’ll notice that when Democrats denied Taylor Greene a committee seat it was “the House,” but it is “House Republicans” when Omar is booted (and this was the case on NPR, PBS, Yahoo!, etc.). House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has the power to unilaterally eject Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the intelligence committee, but the entire House was needed to remove Omar. Obviously both votes were largely along partisan lines, as almost all votes are these days. It’s a newsworthy fact, no doubt. Yet AP editors left the partisan aspect of the story out of the headline for only one of the incidents, even though Democrats were the ones creating the precedent.

At No Pasaran! Republicans Pounce! Dept. (Ilhan Omar Edition): After Pouncing, Seizing, Gloating, Latching, etc, etc, etc , Now "Demonizing" Republicans Are "Exacting Revenge"… Julio Rosas at Town Hall has the video where Kevin McCarthy Goes Scorched Earth After Dems Protest Ilhan Omar's Committee Removal. R. Jordan Prescott at Am Con says Kevin McCarthy, Meet Frederick Gillett. 

Starting with Garage-and-Hunter gate. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.02.23,  Mark Hemingway at Da Fed notes Biden’s ‘Cooperation’ With The FBI Is Meaningless And Misleading. Ace wakes up late and takes note that The National Archives Were Ordered to Keep Silent About Biden Documents Investigation "Oh." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "BREAKING: White House Counsel Spokesman is asked about @RepJamesComer’s claim that the National Archives told him that they were prevented from putting out a press release about the discovery of Biden’s classified documents. His response: Ask the National Archives." Tongue firmly in cheek, Jordan Boyd lists 27 Things The Feds Likely Found During Their Search For Biden’s Classified Documents "8. Hunter Biden’s Crack Pipe". I&I sees Classified Documents Everywhere, But Only One Hunter Biden "Leaving Washington with classified documents must be a tradition for outgoing presidents and vice presidents. Sensitive government papers have now been found in the private homes and offices of Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Maybe every president going back for decades has taken documents he shouldn’t have.  But only one has a crooked son who could have easily accessed those documents and used them to enrich himself and his corrupt family."

Ace again, Hunter Biden Finally Admits the Laptop Is His as He Asks His Dad's Praetorian of Leftwing Federal Prosecutors to Investigate Steve Bannon and Rudy Guiliani for Trying to Get a Newsworthy Item to the News Media 

Opening question: Will the remaining network dead-enders, like CNN, ABC, and Chuck Todd's MS/NBC, finally admit the laptop is real, now that Hunter Biden admits it? 
Opening answer: No of course not. They'll play up the "Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani #hacked Hunter Biden" angle while playing dumb about the fact that this allegation confirms the laptop is real.

Capt. Ed at Haut Hare snarks Tip from Hunter's lawyers: The laptop is real, and it's spectacular! Jacqui Heinrich@JacquiHeinrich "NEW: attorney for Hunter Biden tells me letters requesting investigation into the laptop repair store owner, Rudy Guiliani, and others, are NOT an acknowledgment that the laptop is, in fact, Hunter's . . . " On revelation that Hunter demanded sex from an aid for payment, the New York Magazine (cited at Haut Hare)  says The latest Hunter Biden revelation is a new low. Capt. Ed. comments "I’d say the fact that these allegations are getting notice in New York Magazine is “a big new problem” for the Bidens. So too is the sudden use of Hunter’s laptop as a reliable journalistic resource by outlets like NY Mag. Not long ago, these media outlets treated the laptop like it was personally built by Vladimir Putin. Suddenly, it’s relevant. And as for a new low, maybe we need to stay tuned on that score as well." Hunter says "hold my crack pipe." Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.02.23,  Dana Loesch: Hunter Biden Is A Gross Sex Predator & The Left Is Okay With That, Power Line, Battle of the Bulge Biden style and Hunter Biden – More Depraved Than You Knew, and Twitchy: WaPo’s Matt Viser Claims Hunter’s Laptop “Doesn’t Have Much” Implicating Joe.

Andy McCarthy at NRO (also cited at Haut Hare) thinks We need a House Select Committee on Hunter's Laptop. 

There’s not much else to say, except this: If I were running a House committee, and I’d been listening to the media–Democratic complex swoon for over a year about how effective and invaluable the January 6 Committee was, I’d be awfully tempted to take a page out of that committee’s book. You know: Subpoena Hunter, disregard his lawyers’ inevitable protest about the unfairness of it all, and then do a video interview to see if the son of the president of the United States would testify about his activities and his father’s involvement in them, or if he’d instead decide it might be better to take the Fifth a couple of hundred times. As the January 6 committee illustrated, that’s the sort of thing prime-time viewing was made for.

Just a thought. The FBI allegedly has the original laptop. Knowing Hunter, there should be plenty of DNA evidence on it. Ewww!

Insty, I’M FINE WITH THIS: Plodding Senate lowers expectations for new Congress. “As House Republicans spar with the Biden administration and pass a bevy of messaging bills, the Democratic-controlled Senate is off to a much slower start. Four weeks into the 118th session of Congress, the upper chamber has taken just a few votes and is only now organizing its committee rosters, foreshadowing what could be an unproductive two years.” “NO MAN’S LIFE, LIBERTY, OR PROPERTY ARE SAFE WHILE THE LEGISLATURE IS IN SESSION.”

wretchardthecat@wretchardthecat "Joe Biden's term began with the promise of a return to normalcy. It's fair to say that didn't happen. We are in terra incognita." 1945 explains The Plan To Destroy Joe Biden. "While the GOP does not, to my knowledge, have anything substantial on President Joe Biden, the GOP is going to get as close to Biden as they can – which, at present, looks like that will mean going after the president’s son, Hunter." Robert Oscar Lopez at Am Think thinks of Joe Biden as the Doddering King of Spain. At Grabien (cited at Haut Hare) fill in the blank, Biden: Half of the women in my administration are ... Jazz Shaw at Haut Hare characterizes Biden's new climate strategy as Stay home.

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.02.23, Legal Insurrection, Leftists Lose Their Minds After DeSantis Declares War on Wokeness in Higher Ed. Dave Strom at Haut Hare thinks Trump's line of attack on DeSantis is uncharacteristically stupid and in The more the merrier? casts well deserved aspersions on ex-Gov. Hogan's presidential aspirations.At  Fox, Florida Democrat agrees with DeSantis on AP African American history course: 'I think it's trash' DeSantis has opposed critical race theory at every turn throughout his governorship.   Jazz Shaw, More Santos: From imaginary donors to a service dog scam. A liar on a positively Bidenesque scale.

At HE, Joël Valenzuela thinks The Overhaul America's Election System Needs: Blockchain Voting. Would that be a huge power suck like Bitcoin? Da Fed's Shawn Fleetwood, State Lawmakers Should Follow The RNC’s Lead And Reject Ranked-Choice Voting. At the Free Bacon, Meet the Dark Money Group Helping Democrats Undermine Republican Investigations, "The Congressional Integrity Project is gathering opposition research on Republicans probing the Biden family." Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.02.23, Shark Tank: FL Republicans Continue To Overshadow Democrats With Massive Voter Registration Advantage

Spencer Dalke at Da Fed remembers Mister Rogers Tried To Warn Us About The Dangers Of Transgenderism. At Front Page Jason Hill lectures that The Rise of Transgenderism Leaves Civilization Undefended, "The cost of ignoring the ethical dimensions of our sex identities." Insty, WOW, WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING? NY Times Opinion: This woke language is alienating normal people (and helping Gov. DeSantis).

Dave Strom, Minor omission from Jan.6 report: law enforcement knew it was coming and failed to stop it.  Ace, Top January 6 Investigator Admits They Determined That The FBI Could Have Stopped the "Insurrection," But Did Not. And Also, That the Committee Downplayed and Buried This Finding In an Appendix, and Kept It Out of the Public Hearings Entirely. "Gee why do you think that is?" John Sexton, Did Jan 6 rally organizers use burner phones to communicate with the White House? Althouse, "Rolling Stone said Jan. 6 leaders used ‘burner’ phones" to communicate with top Trump officials. "Where’s the evidence?" Asks Eric Wemple (at WaPo). So, no evidence. "Not good enough. Rolling Stone published a juicy story, bursting with clandestine implications, and then basked in the digital reverberations. Now that the sourcing looks suspect, the magazine publishes an unattributed statement and seeks to move on...." If it happened, the FBI knows about it because they have the phone records for everyone inside the "digital fence." At HE, MTG Calls for Investigation Into Civil Rights Abuses Against J6 Political Prisoners. Wait, Trump supporters have civil rights?

At Am Great, Ken Masugi explains The FBI as Intelligence Unit for the Administrative State "Today, the heroes are few and outnumbered as the FBI has become the enforcement arm of the Democratic Party, which is the party of government." And J. Waller, exposes that the Planned New FBI HQ Is Twice the Size of the Pentagon, "The GOP House can stop the project and rein in a runaway bureau."

At Da Fed Margot Cleveland says Twitter, Media, And Democrats Are All Guilty In The Hamilton 68 Scandal. It must be about time for a new set of files to drop.

Fish Pic Friday - Shawna Whitsett

Shawna Whitsett@shawnawhitsett Entrepreneur I ❤️🎣 - LV Mercedes Achiever & CEO at Rodan + Fields US▪️Canada▪️Australia⭐️Join my RF team or Shop Now-shawna.myrandf.com

Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.  The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.

Why Is It So Hard to Clean Up the Bay?

 A new paper argues that cleaning the eutrophied system requires reducing nutrient inputs more than the amount that was added, Phys.org, New insights into why improvements to Chesapeake Bay remain a challenge.

A new look at the history of water quality in the Chesapeake Bay sheds light on how the estuary has responded to nutrient reduction efforts and why improvements have remained a major challenge. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers looked at the Bay's historic response to efforts to reduce nutrients to minimize dead zones—areas with too little oxygen to support marine life—and found there is a pollution threshold after which it takes twice the effort to make a change.

"Once nutrient pollution crosses a threshold and the system enters a eutrophic state, it will take a much larger reduction to return to the original state," said study co-author Ming Li, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The bay's low-oxygen zones, also called "dead zones," are caused by excess nutrient pollution, primarily from agriculture and wastewater. The excess nutrients stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks and decomposes in the water, consuming oxygen. This is called eutrophication. The resulting low oxygen levels are insufficient to support most marine life and habitats in near-bottom waters, threatening the bay's crabs, oysters and other fisheries.

Expanding dead zones over the decades have been linked to increased nutrient pollution, but this paper reveals that the system only responds to reductions until the amount of pollution crosses a certain threshold, then it takes twice the effort to see a change.

"As a result, the Chesapeake Bay has become recalcitrant to changes in nutrient loads, and larger reductions would be required to induce a complete reversal of eutrophication-induced hypoxia," said Li. "This may partly explain the modest reduction in Chesapeake Bay hypoxia since the implementation of nutrient management strategies in the mid-1980s."

This study examined the expansion of low-oxygen zones from 1950–1989, when the amount of nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay doubled. Previous analysis showed that the large expansion of hypoxia between 1950s and 1980s was correlated to increased nutrient pollution from rivers.

Hypoxia results from a complex interplay of various physical and biogeochemical processes, and other factors may be having an impact, as well. The degradation of habitats on the bottom of the Bay, such as underwater grasses and oysters, may have changed the estuary's capacity to filter nutrients and sediment.

The impacts of climate change since 1989, such as warming, sea level rise, and changing precipitation patterns and river flows, together with associated changes in nutrient runoffs, may alter key baselines impacting the functioning of coastal systems and their responses to eutrophication.

"Looking into the future, nutrient reduction strategies will need to be considered in the face of accelerated warming and sea level rise in the 21st century," said Li.

I'm suspicious of any theory that relies on "thresholds" to explain the behaviour of climate and environmental systems. It's not that they can't and don't exist, but the standard of evidence to invoke them should be quite high.

If this is true, the 'Bay Diet' is doomed, it will be impossible to restore nutrient input to pre-industrial levels.

America's Greatest Breeding Project Over

As Tom Brady retires to a cushy slot as a football commentator for Fox, Giselle gets back to work at a model. Yahoo! When will Tom Brady begin with FOX? Network reportedly had 'no idea' QB was retiring

Tom Brady announced his (final) retirement from NFL football on Wednesday, which opens the door for the 45-year-old to begin his second career as a broadcaster for FOX Sports.

FOX executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced last May that Brady will join the network as its lead NFL analyst "immediately following his playing career," so it appears Brady's 10-year, $375 million contract with FOX will kick in very soon.

But just how soon? Will we see Brady as part of FOX's broadcast coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs' matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII? Apparently not, as the retired quarterback "is not part of the network's plans for Super Bowl coverage," TMZ Sports reported Wednesday.

In fact, Brady's retirement announcement Wednesday morning apparently caught FOX Sports off-guard.

"Our Brady sources tell us the announcement was equally surprising to FOX Sports ... who had no idea Brady was going to call it a career this morning," TMZ Sports reported.

Brady's announcement did appear to come out of the blue; many assumed Brady would return for a 24th NFL season, with most speculation centered around where the seven-time Super Bowl champion would land in 2023, not if he'd continue playing.

People, Gisele Bündchen Poses in See-Through Dress for Another Photoshoot 3 Months After Tom Brady Divorce

After stepping back from her jetsetting modeling days (she topped Forbes' highest-paid model list from 2002 to 2016) to raise the children she shares with her ex Tom Brady, Benjamin Rein, 12, and Vivian Lake, 9, the supermodel, author and entrepreneur is kicking her career back into high gear with one high-profile campaign and photoshoot after another.

Earlier this month, Bündchen fronted Louis Vuitton's Yayoi Kusama collection campaign, posing topless in jeans while modeling off the new handbag collection. Since then she's been seen shooting beachside in Miami — first in a plunging, purple one-piece and now in a sheer black dress that leaves little to the imagination.

 

The latest shots show Bündchen serving seaside in her current home state, Florida.

Bündchen's renewed career focus comes three months after she and Brady finalized their divorce on Oct. 28 after 13 years of marriage. In a three-page legal document obtained by PEOPLE, it was officially declared that the marriage was dissolved and "irretrievably broken."

Since then she's been spending time between Miami and Costa Rica with her kids and their family jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente, with whom she's developed a close friendship.

Gotta watch out for those jiu-jitsu instructors. 

 The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - FBI Search Biden Beach House, Hunter Punches Back

 Ace, FBI Searching for Classified Documents at Joe Biden's Beach House, "Another "consensual" search, except that they'll get a warrant if you object to it. " At Da Wire, FBI Seizes Materials During Search Of Biden Vacation Home As Criminal Investigation Grows. Note, not classified documents, but perhaps writings based on classified documents. Andy McCarthy at NRO (cited at Haut Hare) claims New FBI search makes parallels between Biden and Trump even stronger 

Like Trump’s lawyers, Biden’s lawyers told the government they’d done diligent searches and turned over any classified documents they had reason to believe Biden might be retaining; yet, upon subsequently doing its own search, the FBI found more documents — causing the bureau belatedly to do more searches, like the one now under way in the Rehoboth residence, a search that should have been done months ago. Are we to assume the Biden team has thus obstructed the investigation?

At Am Spec, Paul Kengor inquires What in the Hell Is the Penn Biden Center? "Clearly it has a bad case of cult of personality," Jed Babbin comments Biden’s Classified Documents Scandal Won’t Go Away "There’s no excuse for his negligence and irresponsibility, regardless of how typical they are of his behavior," and Jeff Lord is not the first to notice DOJ Has a Double Standard on Classified Documents, "The Biden-run Justice Department hosted at Haut Hare, CNN host to Biden flack: "Transparency" is when you bring things to us, not when we bring them to you. Dave Strom at Haut Hare finds Karine Jean-Pierre is mastering stonewalling. She's a mushroom. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.01.23, Weasel Zippers say WH Still Has No Clue Exactly How Many Classified Docs Were Found On Biden Properties. At Am Great Lloyd Billingsley calls attention to Biden’s China Spy Scandal "It’s even worse than his classified documents scandal." Read it and weep. 

At NYPo, Hunter Biden finally admits infamous laptop is his as he pleads for criminal probe. 

The revelation came in a petulant letter from Hunter’s lawyers seeking a criminal probe into what they called attempts to “weaponize” its contents.

In the 14-page letter to Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell claimed that repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac “unlawfully” accessed Hunter’s laptop data and worked with former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to “weaponize” sordid and incriminating contents on it against Joe Biden.

“This failed dirty political trick directly resulted in the exposure, exploitation, and manipulation of Mr. Biden’s private and personal information,” Lowell wrote.

I love the quote in WaPoo's Hunter Biden’s lawyers, in newly aggressive strategy, target his critics "His attorneys have sent letters to prosecutors urging probes of Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon and others."

Mac Isaac’s attorney, Brian Della Rocca, on Wednesday evening said he had just received a copy of the materials. “After skimming the letters, the only thing I see is a privileged person hiring yet another high-priced attorney to redirect attention away from his own unlawful actions,” he said.

John Sexton at Haut Hare, Hunter Biden's lawyers go on the attack, demand investigations. Ben Whedon at JTN, Hunter Biden demands investigations into reporting on his laptop, threatens to sue Tucker Carlson.

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.01.23, The Geller Reports Hunter Biden’s MetaBIOta Labs Received Tens of Millions of Dollars in DOD Contracts, Experimented with Bat Viruses. 'Bonchie' at Red State, Facing Millions in Legal Fees, Hunter Biden Readies His Next Scam "Something just doesn’t feel right here. If Hunter Biden does try to set up a legal defense fund, alarm bells should be going off for everyone involved. You can’t have the president’s son taking large donations without the implication that something is expected in return. But perhaps the Bidens are shameless enough to run such a scheme anyway? It might be smarter to call up Burisma for another cash injection." The Free Bacon reports Hunter Biden Paintings Worth Less Than His Mounting Legal Bills "Biden considers launching legal defense fund after underwhelming painting sales."  A reminder from Kevin Downey at PJ Media, New Low! Hunter Biden Withheld Employee's Pay Until She Let Him Watch Her Shower. At NYPo, Hunter Biden paid assistant thousands off the books for filthy sex chats, texts show. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.01.23,  Victory Girls, Hunter The Pig Paid An Employee For Sex. Cocaine's a helluva drug, dontcha know! Jim Treacher wonders When Does Hunter Biden Get Cancelled? Capt. Ed responds "What does it take? A media clique willing to apply standards equally. We all know why it’s (D)ifferent with the Bidens, right?"

At CTH sundance accuses Biden of Continuing to Playing Politics with COVID Emergency – House Votes to End it, Senate will Ignore. The Free Bacon wants you to Meet the Liberal Climate Scientist Biden Tapped to Serve on His Intelligence Advisory Board. "Brown University's Kim Cobb entered 'acute mental health crisis' following Trump's 2016 win," so a typical liberal. At Haut Hare, KT observes Food inflation is so high even Whole Foods is looking to lower prices. Thanks Brandon! At PJ Media, Stephen Kruiser hears Dems Might Be in the Market for a Bus to Throw Kamala Harris Under. Insty, NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY CARES: White House asks of Kamala Harris, ‘What’s she doing? Where is she?

JD Vance at WSJ, Trump’s Best Foreign Policy? Not Starting Any Wars, "He has my support in 2024 because I know he won’t recklessly send Americans to fight overseas."  Sundance, New York AG Releases Footage of President Trump Deposition, The Details of the Witch Hunt Are Very Visible in Procedural Explanations "If people actually watch this deposition, not just listen to pundits outline it, this video will backfire against the New York AG." Ace, Trump Just Can't Stop Attacking DeSantis: "The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed down Florida and even its beaches", "I wanted to avoid this -- I hate being at odds with any readers -- but Trump won't let it go." At WaEx, DeSantis backhands Trump with perfect comeback: I got reelected. True, but he only had to win one state. At Da Wire, ‘A Drain On Resources’: DeSantis Announces War On College Diversity Funding And ‘Deadweight’ Professors and Black Florida Democrat Sides With Ron DeSantis on AP African American Studies Course: ‘I Think It’s Trash.’ Cockburn at Spec World, Larry Elder 2024? Radio host may run for president for some reason "With the party’s focus already on Trump and DeSantis, what are his chances?" Negligible. Capt. Ed says

Presidential primaries usually have a number of low-yield candidacies that intend to push the main candidates on specific issues. John Bolton’s public flirtation with a 2024 run likely falls into that same category. Neither man has ever won public office before, although Larry made a pretty credible run in California’s gubernatorial recall a couple of years ago. This is an American tradition, and it will be interesting to see what both men have to say and how the other candidates respond."

When you've lost VodkaPundit, Kari Lake Is Too Reckless to Run for Office Again. "I don’t believe for one moment that Lake published those signatures with any malice, or that doing so is worth any jail time. Or even a prosecution, for that matter. But Lake’s state is effectively controlled by Democrats for the time being. What the hell was she thinking, setting herself up like that?" Dave Strom again, Governor Abbott: election irregularities in Harris County may necessitate new elections. 

At PM, BREAKING: Alec Baldwin formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in shooting death of cinematographer. Vice reports Alec Baldwin Was ‘Distracted’ on His Phone During ‘Rust’ Gun Training, Prosecutors Say. Damn cell phones. Ace, Prosecutors: Alec Baldwin Admitted He "Fired" the Gun That Killed the Cinematographer  "Baldwin has argued since shortly after the incident that he didn't pull the trigger, and that the gun, somehow, just went off. His admission that he "fired" the gun isn't exactly the same as admitting he "pulled the trigger," and I'm sure he'll further argue that, but it does sound like he admitted he pulled the trigger, before he talked with his lawyers and decided on the "gun just went off" defense."

Saleno Zito finds Parents Want a Complete Overhaul of the Education System "The findings show the K-12 educational system is wildly unresponsive to what parents and children actually want."

Beege Wellborn at Haut Hare, McCarthy v Biden: Rockem sockem debt bout debut. At Da Wire, Sparing The Sacred Cow: Republicans And Democrats Refuse To Touch Social Security As Debt Crisis Looms. At WaEx Paul Bedard finds Dems, GOP want McCarthy’s debt for spending cuts deal, not Biden’s. At ET, 24 GOP Senators Warn Biden They Won’t Back Debt-Limit Hike Without Spending Cuts, Fiscal Reforms. 

KT reports Axios is bummed House Republicans have the votes to keep Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee. At the Free Bacon, Gaetz on Omar: I'm Just Into Her Foreign Policy, "telling Newsmax that he is a fan of her fierce opposition to "neoconservative" foreign policy and pointing to her questioning of former State Department official Elliott Abrams as a highlight of her good work on the committee." Matt Vespa thinks Omar is Why Some House Dems Regret Purging GOP Members From Committees.

NYPo reports FBI investigating George Santos over alleged sick service dog scam. Insty, GAME RESPECTS GAME: George Santos Calls Out ‘Career Pathological Liar’ Biden In Apology, Despite His Own Career of Lying.

At Fox, Mike Lee, Rick Scott lose key committee seats; Scott blames McConnell. When you strike at a king.

At NBC, Top Jan. 6 investigator says FBI, other agencies could have done more to repel Capitol mob had they acted on intel. Capt. Ed, "Why did the J6 committee leave this out? That would have diluted their main ambition, which was to focus all attention on Trump." 'Bonchie' Chief January 6th Investigator Makes Shocking Admissions, and Committee Members Covered Them Up. It's like they wanted the riot to happen, or something.

Liz Stauffer at WaEx examines The common ground between the Biden administration, a cartel, China, George Soros, and a recently indicted FBI agent.In National Security Without Patriotism, Dan Greenfield at Front Page argues "The FBI is suffering from a moral crisis of patriotism." Chris Queen at PJ Media notes Suddenly Domestic Terrorism Charges Are a Problem Now That Atlanta Is Using Them Against Antifa. "The NBC article cites Patrick Keenan, a professor of law at the University of Illinois, who says that civil rights groups aren’t crazy about domestic terrorism charges “because of the risk of politicization, because they can be used against politically disfavored groups by the government.” No, seriously."

At Da Fed, Emily Jashinsky thinks The Astounding Saga Of Hamilton 68 Illustrates Scope Of America’s Institutional Rot. At Twitchy, Michael Shellenberger shares ‘damning indictment of the U.S. news media’ over Russia collusion hoax, Michael Shellenberger@ShellenbergerMD, "“Before the 2016 election, most Americans trusted the traditional media and the trend was positive…Today, the US media has the lowest credibility—26 percent—among forty-six nations” Russia collusion hoax had a lot to do with it " and Michael Shellenberger@ShellenbergerMD, "Mainstream news journalists believe they are more fair and objective than the public, but Pew finds the opposite: where 76% of U.S. adults agree that "Journalists should always strive to give every side equal coverage," just 44% of journalists do." Trying to crawl back on the right side of history, Woodward claims I tried to warn you journalists about the Steele dossier (Capt. Ed). 

NewsMax reports Musk Ignores Dems in First Trip to Capitol as Twitter Chief. Breitbart has Woke PayPal to Lay Off 2,000 Employees.

Thursday Tune - Pin It Down

Madison Cunningham

As its title suggests, Revealer—the new album by Madison Cunningham—is full of confessions, intimations, and hard truths the Los Angeles singer-songwriter-guitarist might rather have kept to herself. It’s a warts-and-all self-portrait of a young artist who is full of doubt and uncertainty, yet bursting with exciting ideas about music and life, who has numerous Grammy nominations but still feels like she has far to go, who turns those misgivings into songs that are confident in their idiosyncrasies.

 

It’s also a rumination on music as a vehicle for such revelations, what’s gained and what’s lost when you put words to your innermost feelings. “There’s a sense of conflict about revealing anything about yourself—not just what to reveal, but whether you should reveal anything at all,” she says. “When you have to vouch for yourself and present a true picture of who you are, that can get confusing very quickly. This record is a product of me trying to find myself and my interests again. I felt like somewhere along the way I had lost the big picture of my own life.”

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.

Tennis Star Shuts Down Reporter

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.31.23, Louder with Crowder, Victoria Azarenka shuts down reporter at Australian Open

Way too many sports journalismers want to push their leftist politics rather than report on sports. Covering sports is barely a marginal concern. It's an easy soundbite. Ask an athlete for an opinion on politics they may or may not follow and twist what they say to fit your agenda. Tennis star Victoria Azarenka has better idea. Tell the reporter to suck it.

At issue is the Australian Open and a pro-Russia demonstration. Fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic's father was photographed with some of the pro-Russia protesters. Djokovic, as you know, can't play in America even though he keeps winning tournaments because he won't get the schmaccine. His dad was photographed talking to a Russian. Russia is at war with Ukraine. The story involves all the current things!

Except for tennis. Which is why Azarenka is there.

Lots of athletes are finally catching on that left wing sports media ask them political questions so the left wing sports media members can write their own left wing political opinions. Here’s Azarenka calling that out: pic.twitter.com/w6DqNjPd4p

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 31, 2023

Bravo!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.

DIY Fossils

 Chesapeake Bay Mag; How To Make Your Own Fossil Discoveries On The Bay

Two amazing discoveries along Southern Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay shoreline have captured the nation’s attention in recent months: a massive fossilized whale skull and a megalodon’s mega-tooth. Both were uncovered not by paleontologists, but amateur beachcombers including a 9-year-old girl.

Cheryl Costello wades into the surf with fossil hunters to get their insider tips—plus we get a new look at that whale skull as it’s slowly excavated. Watch below:

We've talked about both of these finds before.

Skye and I found a fossil today:

Flotsam and Jetsam - FBI Raided Biden Center, Hunter Demanded Nude Facetime with Aide

Another thing they "forgot" to tell us. Even Sauron's Eye now admits FBI searched the Penn Biden Center in mid-November "The FBI searched the Penn Biden Center offices in mid-November, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, after lawyers for President Biden had found about 10 documents marked classified there on Nov. 2. The material originated from Mr. Biden's time as vice president. It is not clear whether FBI personnel found any additional classified or presidential material during the mid-November sweep." Remember, when they "swept" the Delaware house, they found documents they lawyers had missed, so it's likely they did." At PJ Media Matt Margolis calls it a BOMBSHELL: White House Misled Public About FBI Search of Penn Biden Center, as does 'Bonchie' at Red State, BOMBSHELL: FBI Searched the Penn Biden Center in November, White House Misled the Public. Spencer Brown at Town Hall, Biden Caught in Another Classified Document Cover-Up. Diana Glebova at Da Caller, FBI Searched Biden’s Think Tank After Discovery Of Classified Docs. Capt. Ed at Haut Hare, Surprise! FBI searched Penn Biden Center in November. "So much for all the “transparency” that the White House keeps claiming in Joe Biden’s classified-material scandal." Ace, Biden Cover Story on Classified Documents Blows Up; FBI Searched His Penn Offices Back in November, Not Just His Lawyers As He's Claimed. "Apparently Biden's search of his offices wasn't entirely a matter of his own doing, as he's repeatedly claimed. He and his paid liars keep claiming that Biden is making disclosures voluntarily. But when the FBI is going through your stuff, most would say that you're not acting entirely according to your own whims."

And more leakage  Hunter's business life. Across da pond at Da Mail claims an EXCLUSIVE: 'Set phone up so I can spy on you showering.' Hunter Biden threatened to withhold cash-strapped assistant's pay if she didn't FaceTime him naked, texts show - as it's revealed she's the FOURTH employee with whom he had a sexual relationship. Classy guy, a chip off the old block! At PM, REVEALED: Hunter Biden paid assistant for virtual sex shows. "If we FT the rule has to be no talk of anything but sex and we must be naked and we have to do whatever the other person asks within reason." And just what is within reason to Hunter? From Twitchy, Daily Mail: Hunter Biden threatened to withhold assistant’s pay if she didn’t FaceTime him naked. 

More seriously, via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.31.23 the The Geller Report: EMAIL BOMBSHELL – Hunter Biden Offered to Sell Intelligence on Russia To Alcoa Inc. for $55,000. Seriously, is that something you think a crack-head might do? The Victory Girls think Hunter Biden E-mail Raises More Suspicion. And from Ace, Hunter Biden's ChiCom-Connected "Art Dealer" Lawyers Up, Won't Commit to Testifying Before Congress. "The most corrupt family in America." WaPoo worried about poor Hunter's growing legal bills, Hunter Biden’s allies weigh legal-defense fund for president’s son, "With Hunter Biden facing GOP investigations and financial challenges, his circle contemplates an option that carries risks and sensitivities."

John Podhoretz at NYPo, Biden’s base: Why he won’t end the COVID ‘emergency’ for months "So what gives here? What’s with the three months? It’s simple. This is not about an emergency, and it hasn’t been for more than a year. This is about the people who have actually gained things from the emergency and who need to be weaned off the unhealthy and society-killing benefits they have reaped since March 2020." Sundance at CTH, says Biden Continues Playing Politics with COVID Emergency – House Votes to End it, Senate will Ignore. Need a new emergency? Da Caller reports Biden Admin Considers Declaring A Public Health Emergency Over Abortion. "The HHS believes it has the authority to declare a public emergency, but it is only one of many options on the table, according to Becerra, who argued there was an ongoing “reproductive health crisis” since Roe v. Wade was overturned." Ben Whedon at JTN McConnell derides Biden judicial nominee for failing to answer basic legal questions, a "judge" who didn't know what Article 2 of the Constitution was, for example. Matt Vespa at Town Hall notes A Top Dem Offered This Defense for a Biden Nominee Stumped By Basic Questions. It's Not Good. “The honest answer is, there aren’t many members of the Judiciary Committee who can answer all those questions,” Durbin said. Kennedy's response to all of this was on point: "If you want to be an auto mechanic, you gotta know what a spark plug is.” 'Bonchie' again, Joe Biden Goes Full Creeper on a Reporter, Makes Absolutely No Sense. He's just a touchy-feely guy, like his son. Fox, Biden mocked for repeating debunked Amtrak story once again: 'This is disturbing stuff' "President's factually impossible Amtrak tale repeated at least half a dozen times during his presidency." It's not a lie if you believe it! John Hinderacker at Power Line notes Biden wants to Electrify Everything, But Without Copper as he shields 225,000 of acres of potential copper and nickel ores from use. At Victory Girls, Democrats Worried They’re Stuck With Kamala. Marry in haste, repent at leisure. 

Capt. Ed cites NBC: Trump 2024 fundraising off to a *really* slow start. At Althouse "Mr. Bragg’s decision to impanel a grand jury focused on the hush money — supercharging the longest-running criminal investigation into Mr. Trump..." "Over the course of the investigation into Mr. Trump, the hush money payment was discussed within the district attorney’s office with such regularity that prosecutors came to refer to it as the 'zombie theory' — an idea that just won’t die.... " Dana Loesch observes Trump Attacks DeSantis For Following His Advice, *UPDATE: DeSantis Responds. KT at Haut Hare, Judge dismisses lawsuit over DeSantis migrant flight to Martha's Vineyard. WaPoo whines DeSantis aims to cut college diversity efforts; New College ousts president and Hide your books to avoid felony charges, Fla. schools tell teachers.  From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.31.23 at Legal Insurrection, Oklahoma State Superintendent Wants to Know What Public Universities are Spending on DEI, and DeSantis Takes Wrecking Ball To “Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion” Bureaucracy In Florida Public Universities Rod Dreher at Am Con calls DeSantis the Scourge Of Wokeness "It's on! Florida governor announces plan to defund DEI and CRT bureaucracies at state universities." WaPoo, Haley plans to announce presidential run, as GOP race starts slowly. She ticks their boxes.

Jazz Shaw at Haut Hare has a poll, Gallup: the biggest problem facing America is its own government. About right. KT, Mitch Daniels takes a pass on running for the Senate in 2024. Dan Chaitin at Da Wire, Senate Democrats Threaten ‘Hard Look’ At Durham Inquiry. They must think he's still a danger. 

Nice Deb at Am Great reports Arizona’s Democrat Secretary of State Asks Democrat AG to Investigate Republican Kari Lake For Campaign Violations, for publishing unmatched signatures. WaPoo whines GOP report shows plan to ramp up focus on disproven election fraud claims "The report prepared by the Republican National Committee proposes expanding ‘election integrity’ activities in response to perceptions of a rigged process."

At LI, Mary Chastain, Jury Acquits Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck of Federal Assault Charges at Abortion Clinic, "I also wondered what happened with the juror dismissed this morning. Houk’s attorney said the juror didn’t participate in the deliberations, so they brought in an alternate. An hour later…not guilty. Suspicious juror right there." At Fox, Pro-life activist Mark Houck details shocking Planned Parenthood encounter following acquittal. "A SWAT team raided the Houck's home in front of his wife and 7 children." Nice Deb, Pennsylvania Jury Finds Pro-Life Activist NOT GUILTY on Biden Regime’s FACE Act Charges. Sundance, Must Watch – Mark Houck Recounts the Story of His Fight Against Evil Enterprise and the DOJ. Jazz Shaw notes a Judge rules on people who posted SBF's bail, but not anytime soon. 

At Da Signal, Missouri Schools Took Kids to a Drag Show Without Informing Parents. AG Bailey Is Working to Prevent It From Happening Again. Victory Girls think Woke Salon at Stage II over “Grooming”. Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Still Need Proof of LGBT Grooming in Schools? No, not really. At Twitchy, Ryan Long stunningly and bravely reveals ‘the harassment men have to deal with at the gym.’ David Strom at Haut Hare notes GAO going after school dress codes. Making a federal case of it.

Cutie Pavlich at Town Hall, Biden Sent McCarthy a Staff Memo to Negotiate the Debt Ceiling. It Did Not Go Well.  Fox, Speaker McCarthy responds to Biden's debt ceiling jab ahead of their meeting. Kevin McCarthy@SpeakerMcCarthy "Mr. President: I received your staff’s memo. I’m not interested in political games. I’m coming to negotiate for the American people." Rusty Weiss at PI observes CNN Gives Schiff, Swalwell, and Omar an Entire Panel to Continue Their Committee Removal Whining Tour. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.31.23  Weasel Zippers, Ilhan Omar Insinuates GOP Is Racist For Attempting To Remove Her From Committee. At Da Fed, Dave Harsanyi snarks Local Congresswoman Accidentally Spends A Decade Being An Antisemite. John Sexton at Haut Hare notes Rep. Santos will recuse himself from committee assignments, for the sin of trying to outdo Joe Biden at self-serving lies.

At Da Fed, Emily Jashinsky reiterates New Emails Suggest Twitter Misled Public On ‘Hamilton 68’ Data Pushing Russia Hoax. Mike Dougherty at NRO (cited at Haut Hare) wonders Where is the conservative outrage over Hamilton 68?. Capt. Ed, "I’d guess that the conservative reaction is just beginning. Republicans have control of the House and are likely to include this in their probe of the weaponization of government. We should see a more robust reaction at that point. Also, there may be some caution to make sure the Right doesn’t get too far out over its skis first." Roger Kimball at Spec World (also cited at Haut Hare), takes on The fake think tank that fueled the Russiagate narrative "Hamilton 68 marks a new chapter in politically motivated disinformation." Capt. Ed, "Here we are indeed, and with the same media mouthpieces still trying to breathe life into corpse of that fraud. Don’t believe me? Take a look around and see how many mainstream media outlets are correcting previous reporting that relied on Hamilton 68. If it takes more than one hand to count, I’ll eat mushrooms — and you know how much I hate mushrooms." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.31.23, at Twitchy,  WHOA: #GoogleLeaks tells #TwitterFiles to hold its beer with bombshell-filled thread. "Could Google be even worse than Twitter?" Of course they're worse than Twitter was. At Da Caller, Major News Outlets Say They’re Ditching Objectivity In The Name Of ‘Diversity’. That ship sailed a long, long time ago. At Your Daily Don Surber, Tinfoil hat media. 

Some Wednesday Wetness

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Heather Lee O’Keefe ready as usual at The Other McCain.