Flotsam and Jetsam - Hot Summer Day

And the country is getting ready for its 250th birthday tomorrow. The Victory Girls say Dear Democrats: Our National Party is Still On — Shut Up and STAY HOME and note Independence Day Gone Woke In San Diego County, California. Sounds like a blast! Beege Welborn at Hat Hair notes Anti-Trump States Wouldn't Fix Up Booths for the Fair - PA AMERICANs Took Matters Into Their Own Hands. Sore losers. Dr. Suneel Dhand's Newsletter gives 10 Reasons I'm PROUD to Be an American, "I left Britain and have been a citizen for over 10 years. Best thing I've ever done. An honest reflection this special July 4th." OTH, Hat Hair's John Sexton reports Man Charged with Felony for Damaging Reflecting Pool. "David Hearn, 67, of Maryland faces one felony count of destruction of property tied to a June 19 incident in which National Park Service employees say they caught him trying to rip a portion of sealant from the pool’s bottom. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison." It's DC, he won't be convicted. And at WaEx, Airman arrested during Capitol Hill protest urging Trump and Vance’s impeachment. "A Capitol Police spokesperson confirmed Watson’s arrest, noting that there are spots on Capitol Grounds where demonstrating is permitted, but “it is generally against the law for the public to demonstrate on the House Steps unless they are with a Member of Congress.” “Yesterday afternoon, a man was escorted to the House Steps by a Member of Congress,” the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “When the Member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration or he would be arrested. The man refused our lawful orders. Jason Watson was then arrested for 22-1307 Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding.”" So he wasn't arrested for his speech denouncing Trump, he was arrested for unlawful conduct at the Capital, like the J6ers. I'm sure Pete Hegseth has plenty of grounds to toss him out of the Air Force, though. A Larry vid at Hat Hair says This Was All Trump Needed. They're Gonna Regret It.

At the Buckeye Firearms Assoc, Trump reiterates support for national right-to-carry reciprocity. As a fairly liberal New Yorker, I suspect Trump personally doesn't fell strongly pro-gun, but he knows his coalition. Mary Chastain is pleased to report the Energy Dept. is Moving to Drop ‘Green New Scam’ Appliance Mandates. "Thank you. THANK YOU. Make it happen!"

Hat Hair's Capt. Ed is worried that the US Adds Only 57,000 Jobs in June As Workforce Deflates. I gave up trying to make sense out of job numbers a while ago. The methodology is shitty, and manipulative. I also wonder how much of this is due to the ongoing self-deportation of illegals. The Wall Street Journal thinks it is.

Jenna’s Side is America Doesn't Have a Socialist Problem—We Have an Apathy Problem. "And apathy is how tiny, terrifying, highly motivated minorities end up running cities." At Hat Hair Dave Strom thinks Socialism in the West is Ignorance, Unearned Wealth, and Resentment,  Yes, The DSA Is a Communist Organization and Beege Welborn adds Commie Mamdani's Pied-à-Terre Billionaire Tax Attack Began Yesterday. Althouse notes "The DSA, in fact, seems to despise the Democratic Party. Darializa Avila Chevalier has called Joe Biden a 'rapist' and wrote 'Fuck Kamala Harris'...", ""... on social media. She proceeded to be nominated for a House race in New York last week by Democratic voters who presumably do not all share those feelings."  At Reason Kennedy recalls New York's Socialist Experiment Already Failed Once "Will Mamdani break New York City?" Leslie Eastman at LI hears NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Recommendation for ’78 Degrees’ Met with Frosty Reception. "The responses to his “78 degrees” suggestion included references to France and New York’s embrace of “Green Energy”." Capt. Ed hears from Fetterman: The One Thing That Would Force Me Out Of My Party Is ... being anti-Israel. Aren't we there already? Dave Strom thinks it might be AOC vs Vance?

Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Every time. It’s never organic." Quote AG @AGHamilton29, "This is a major red flag. The CCP is funding/aiding left-wing groups and activism to try to push policies that discourage us developing energy independence."

From DataRepublican’s Substack, The 400,000 USAID Deaths That Nicholas Kristof Will Not Tell You About. "How USAID Built the South Sudan, Watched It Collapse, and Then Allowed China to Take Over."

Eric at Security and Cigars, explains Why Wolford Should Worry Big Gov Fans More Than Slaughter. "SCOTUS has now made clear that states and cities cannot simply designate broad categories of private property as “sensitive” and thereby ban the exercise of constitutional rights there. This has obvious and immediate implications for the Second Amendment, but it also reaches into First Amendment territory like speech, religion, and assembly. As well as many other rights protected by the Constitution." Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "Impressive ignorance. The unitary executive theory is about personnel; it confers no substantive powers on the executive branch that haven’t been delegated by Congress. The whole column is a bizarre non sequitur." Quote Dana Milbank @Milbank, "My latest column looks at how Democrats are drafting plans to to use the all-powerful, unitary executive that Trump has established (and the Roberts Court has blessed) to launch a new Progressive Era, in which a Democratic president imposes by executive fiat government-run health." At Da Caller, Clarence Thomas Laughs As MS NOW Reporter Barrages Him With Questions. Althouse says I don't believe Nina Totenberg's explanation for why she reported that Justice Alito was retiring. "I'm reading "'I am so, so sorry': NPR reporter explains SCOTUS retirement error" (CNN): "Say what really happened, " and "Democrats stopped talking about trans politics long before the court’s ruling this week." ""In June, which is L.G.B.T.Q. Pride month, no Democratic candidate mentioned the word 'transgender' in their TV ads, according to data from AdImpact, a media tracking firm. Their silence may be an attempt to deprive Republicans of campaign-trail ammunition.... A New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted in January 2025 showed that nearly 80 percent of Americans opposed allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports...." At substact Insty recommends Ditching the Seventeenth. "Taking the Senate back to the Framers' Intent." Let State Legislators pick Senators? We could do worse, and have.

Gina Milan @ginamilan_ "Ruh Rho" Quote Paul Sperry @paulsperry_, "BREAKING: Here's the just-filed NLPC bar complaint against NY attorney Roberta Ann Kaplan. The basis for the complaint is that Kaplan failed to inform Trump’s lawyers + the court when she knew her client E. Jean Carroll provided false testimony by denying outside funding for her."

TownHall's Amy Curtis reports More Antifa Terrorists Were Just Sentenced in Texas "Antifa and their Leftist allies in the Democratic Party were not happy about these sentences. They really believed they were above the law, and are threatening the federal judges who put their comrades behind bars." Bob Spencer at PJM says Bravo: DeSantis Officially Calls Antifa and CAIR What They Really Are, terrorists. 

Dave Strom takes a look at The Immigrants Who Hate America. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "BREAKING: The Somali flag flying over Buffalo City Hall has been reportedly STOLEN just hours after it was raised. Buffalo's Democrat Mayor Sean Ryan, claims that individuals cut the cable in the middle of the night and took the flag down. He then goes on a rant about "diversity." Police are currently investigating, and no charges have been filed." At NYPo, Andy Arthur opines ABC’s ‘3% delusion’ on criminal migrants turns the law on its head "ABC’s statistic is real — of the 438,537 illegal immigrants detained in the administration’s first 14 months, 13,018 of them had been convicted of a crime like homicide or sexual assault in the US. Yet its conclusion is utterly wrong, ignoring the impact of the most significant immigration law Congress has enacted in years: the Laken Riley Act.  Americans should remember why Congress passed that law. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered in February 2024 by an illegal immigrant who had been apprehended for committing lesser offenses and released into the United States. Her vicious killing sparked outrage over a system that repeatedly ignored warning signs — until an innocent American paid the ultimate price." Dave Strom, Yes, The Activists Want to Protect Paedos From Deportation. Gov. Walz helped pardon a child rapist so he couldn't be deported. The feds may yet find a way. Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "BREAKING British authorities have released the ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, from prison The Pakistani man was sentenced to 22 years for 30 child rape charges involving girls as young as 12. He was released after serving just 13 years & won’t be deported." Beege Welborn, Merz Scolds German Serfs Over Sick Day Slacking When There Are Immigrant Bennies to Support.

At Twitchy, Heavily Armed Would-Be Trans Terrorist Arrested for Planning Mass Shooting; Check out This Hardware. Shooting News Week, Cops Bust Would Be Casino Mass Shooter With An Actual Cache (This Time) of Weapons. Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "There needs to be a deep investigation into how this weirdo was able to afford this. Well over $100k of guns listed. Seems unlikely for a mentally ill trans activist to come up with that on their own." Quote New York Post @nypost "Trans gunman caught in alleged casino terror plot with huge cache of weapons - as cops release chilling footage." Capt. Ed reports a WI Activist Declares 'Trans Jihad': 'Kill Your Local Republican.' Dustin Grage @GrageDustin, "WOW: Wisconsin Democrat staffer, Teha Delaruelle is calling on activists to "K*LL YOUR LOCAL REPUBLICAN." “We’re going to make this the moderate position for the state of Wisconsin” WTF!?" They should be careful; Republicans tend to be better armed.

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.02.26.

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Waiting Until August up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Fish Pic Friday - Parker Outdoor Adventures

Another catfish killer.  Ohio Sate Record holder for the largest bluecat in the limb line category 101.11 pounds.  You go girl!

Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Heat is On

96 F in the shade. I saw 103 on the road this afternoon.

Don Surber is reveling in what he considers Trump’s Supreme victory, "Justices helped the president Slaughter the deep state's hold on the republic." And Girls sports for girls only. "5 middle school girls helped convince the Supreme Court to stop the transgender madness." Jonathan Turley at NYPo, Supreme Court allows Trump to say ‘You’re fired’ to meddling bureaucrats TownHall's Dmitri Bolt thinks Justice Kavanaugh May Have Handed the United States a Roadmap to Fix Birthright Citizenship. "Consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment, Congress could amend §1401(a) or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country," he added. "But Congress has not yet done so." At Da Signal, ‘MEDIEVAL’: Justices Thomas, Alito Argue ‘Birthright Citizenship’ Ruling Reverses the Declaration of Independence on Its 250th Anniversary. Da Wire, Trump Plans Assault On Birth Tourism After Letdown At SCOTUS. "Birth tourism schemes exploit our immigration system and violate criminal law." Matt Margolis at PJM sees The DOJ Goes to War on Birth Tourism After Losing at SCOTUS. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn wonders Will 'Pregnant' Become a Disqualifying Category for Foreign Entry? WSJ whines Supreme Court Gives Trump New Tools to Accelerate Deportations. Althouse reads the NYT, "The justices did find unanimity 45 percent of the time, up two points from last term. They joined together, for instance..." ""... to say a Texas man could not be prosecuted for violating a law banning drug users from gun possession merely because he frequently used marijuana, and they agreed that a New Jersey anti-abortion group could bring a challenge in federal court to government efforts to seek its donor list ... From "Despite Some Losses for Trump, Supreme Court Delivers Enduring Conservative Wins/The justices pushed back on some of President Trump’s signature moves, but they also expanded presidential power and supplied victories on long-sought conservative goals.""

NRO's Jim Geraghty notices Nina Totenberg and the Gerontocracy Strike Again. Mike Coté @ratlpolicy, "Nina Totenberg is a partisan hack masquerading as a neutral journalist. That she made such a profound error - targeting a conservative justice, no less - is entirely predictable. The media phalanx you folks have erected around her in response is similarly unsurprising." Quote Peter Baker @peterbakernyt, "No one is more mortified by a mistake than a journalist committed to factual reporting. The best own up to it, correct it and apologize for it, as @NinaTotenberg has done. It's worth remembering a long career dedicated to getting it right. x.com/brianstelter/s…" TownHall's Matt Vespa thinks NPR's Fiasco With Their Samuel Alito Story Just Got Worse. Matthew Keys @MatthewKeysLive, "So, to recap: NPR published an erroneous story about Samuel Alito retiring from the Supreme Court, then published an erroneous blog post about how the erroneous story was published in the first place. Can't make this up."

CBS is already whining about the next term, Supreme Court takes up challenges to AR-15 bans.

Sundance at CTH covers “New FBI Documents” in Russiagate Review? Several people have inquired about a Paul Sperry article [SEE HERE]...What Sperry’s sources seem to be outlining based on description, likely pertains to the FBI contractor issue from 2015 and 2016 where access to the NSA database was defensively investigated after the NSA compliance officer raised flags about unauthorized use." From News Wax, Trump: Acting DNI Can Declassify Records, Including on 2020 Election.

Andy Ngo at Ngo Comment BREAKING: North Texas Antifa Members Who Turned on Their Comrades Receive Years in Federal Prison, "Ahead of sentencing, one of the convicts tried to kill herself."

News Max, Report: Iranian Clerics Urge Trump, Netanyahu Assassinations. Aren't they just reiterating their old urgings? Peel another 5 layers off their leadership.

Sundance follows up his Canada posts, USTR Jamieson Greer Makes It Official: “The USMCA is not renewed”. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn thinks Canada's Carney About to Find Out When You Play Chicken, It's Best to Be Foghorn Leghorn. At Am Con, The Trump–Meloni Dust-Up Was Pure ‘Euroslopulism’ "As the Ukraine war rages on, European elites look as unserious as ever."

Ace says We Need Proof of Life of Mitch McConnell, "This isn't Russia -- we are entitled to know which of our "representatives" are living and capable of working." But of course this nation increasingly resembles Russia. Two weeks after deliberately vague reports about McConnell being "rushed" to the hospital, it is only due to a leak of EMS radio traffic that we now find out he was discovered "unconscious" and in need of "advanced life support." So where is he now? Is he conscious? Our Soviet officials won't tell us."

John A. Mapp, Jr. @mapp_john14664, "Recognize the motte and bailey tactic, and who is running cover for the “DSA” communists. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, DemSoc Goes National: Socialists Boot Progressive Dem in Colorado. At Althouse, "Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist... unseats a 15-term incumbent and further propels the insurgent coalition..." "... that swept a series of congressional contests last week in New York." Ace, Democrat Socialists Take Another Scalp As a Gen Z Ethiopian Immigrant Defeats a 15-Term Congresswoman. "I'm glad, at least, to see Democrats suffering from their own DEI agenda themselves for once." Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "Never forget that even before this wave of DSA, communists were elected, 48 Democrat Senators voted to nuke the filibuster and promised to expand the Supreme Court. The difference between radical communist Democrats and mainstream Democrats is mostly tone." Quote RNC Research @RNCResearch, "MS NOW: If Democrats regain the majority, do you think that expanding the court or setting term limits for the court should be on the table? SHAPIRO: I think everything needs to be on the table. I think we need radical reform…" Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch, "I get what you mean here, but saying "the socialists" will have the "new ideas" is like saying "the Shakers have all the fresh thinking." Socialism is not new. The label is about 2 centuries old, give or take. The idea is thousands of years old. There's not a single major idea proposed by the DSA crowd that wasn't an old idea before I was born. From price controls and rent-freezes, to wealth taxes, or shunning Jews. It's all old, old hat. You can agree with it. Or admire it's newfound energy or something. But the ideas are old, tried, and failed." Quote Jim VandeHei @JimVandeHei "If you had to bet who’ll have the energy, organization, new ideas and star power for 28 Dems, it’s not close: socialists. The Sanders-Mamdani-AOC wing is swarming the Dem party, and Dem leaders will gradually than quickly do what establishment Rs did w Trump: acquiesce." RNC Research @RNCResearc, "Democrats can gaslight Americans all they want, but history is a great teacher. How to Spot a Communist, 2026..." Ace, People Are Starting to Notice That the Alleged "Working Class Populist Socialist" Uprising on the Left Is Made Up Exclusively of College-Educted Rich Leisure-Class Nepo Babies and NGO Sucklers. "The Claim: Democrats are electing "working class populists" who just happen to be socialists. The Reality: Democrats are electing rich-bitch children of privilege who are socialists because they've never done a day of work in their lives." Abe Greenwald at Commentary, Respectability for Radicals. At Hat Hair, John Sexton sees Ro Khanna Making a Play for the Socialist Revolutionaries and Trans March Organizers Defend Treatment of Scott Wiener, Capt. Ed reads Axios: House Dems Shocked, Shocked to Find DemSoc In Their Casino and Dave Strom thinks Even Degenerate Child Predators Deserve Representation Too, You Know. C3 @C_3C_3, "Photo 1: A man claiming he’s fighting the Oligarchy. Photo 2: The Oligarchy." Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "I’m going to add one qualification to Hen’s grim observation here. All these targets are Democratic Jews. Republican Jews are no less hated, but are inclined to stand up for themselves, and are led and surrounded by colleagues who unite to reject antisemitism and Israel-haters." Quote Hen Mazzig @HenMazzig, "Governor Josh Shapiro’s house was burnt down. Congressional candidate Scott Weiner was harassed until he left a Pride March." Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "It’s only the most prosperous society that has ever existed in the history of human civilization, built by the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, but let’s find a reason to be resentful." Quote Acyn @Acyn, "AOC: I think young people overall feel a tremendous amount of betrayal about the world that we’ve been left with." Matt Margolis at PJM, Jesse Watters Just Predicted Exactly How the Democrat Party Tears Itself Apart. Dan McCarthy at RCP on Why Bill Maher Finds Himself Siding With the Right.

Mike LaChance @MikeLaChance33, "Isn't this the goal of the villain in almost every Batman movie?" Quote Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "We just took another major step toward finally closing Rikers Island. By permanently closing a jail and transferring three properties to DCAS, we're moving closer to closing Rikers for good." From Twitchy, Zohran Mamdani's Air Conditioning Guidance Officially Ushers in NYC's 'Warmth of Collectivism' Era. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "New York: it's hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool. Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you're not using, and unplug what you can. Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment. A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let's ease demand — and get through the heat — together." Driscoll at Insty says MAMDANI WASN’T KIDDING ABOUT HIS “WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM” SHTICK: Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "Reminder that the reason that New York City is struggling to power its air conditioners is a Democratic Party crusade against the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant that finally led to its shutdown in 2020, which led to a massive rise in fossil fuel usage to power the city." Insty, GET THE FEELING THIS MIGHT BE THE START OF A PERMANENT TEMPORARY SUSPENSION?
Washington Examiner @dcexaminer, "New York City to suspend evictions for two days due to heat dome." Da Caller sees David Axelrod Gets Brutal Lesson In Blue City Governance After Finding Man Passed Out In Chicago Heat.

PJM's VodkaPundit wonders Is This Gavin Newsom's Biggest Lie Ever? It's a high bar. Peachy Keenan @KeenanPeachy, "The Skid Row Express (also known as the D line expansion) is set to open in LA soon. Skid row junkies will soon be able to travel from their homeless camps downtown to new homeless camps in Westwood, with convenient stops at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills for naps, open air masturbation, and public defecation. It's like Manifest Destiny, but for fentanyl addicts. Go West!"

FischerKing @FischerKing64, "The thing about Buttigieg is that he structured his entire life around becoming an acceptable white male Democrat candidate for POTUS. Ivy League, non combat military, homosexual, gay marriage - then he deliberately adopted black children. This is so weird it’s disqualifying." Quote MAZE @mazemoore, "Buttigieg claims are ridiculous. Pete Buttigieg claims that he was separated from his children, that his children had to go stay with their grandparents, and that it was the worst 24 hours ever (implying he couldn't see his kids for a day)." TownHall's Joe Abraham asks about The Hierarchy of Compassion: Who Counts?

Mediaite hears Tucker Carlson Is Building a New Political Party After Ditching the Republicans.

From NYPo, ‘State sanctioned’ Russian mob ran $1B Medicare scam out of New York, compromised 1M medical records: Feds. Carlo Carrasco, Illegal Alien In America Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison Over $89 Million Fraudulent Payroll Scheme. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "You are not gonna believe this… Ayanle Siad Barre, the son of former Somali genocidal dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, operates a taxpayer-funded home healthcare company in Columbus, Ohio He was his father’s national security advisor. It just never ends." Raised by Germans, "Foreign-born political actors. "The story about AOC's casting to run for congress is way too real to be ignored."

At Twitchy, Scott Jennings Explains the ‘Patriotism Gap’ Between Republicans and Democrats to CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Man Genuinely Upset That Trump Has Ruined America’s 250th Birthday for Him.

Ace notices a Gang of Foreign Invaders Randomly Beat a 17-Year-Old French Boy to Death, Videotape It to Share Their Tribal Murder-Coup Online. "Everyone's so surprised this keeps happening. We're all like, "no way."" Sister Toldja at RedState reports DHS Puts Walz on Blast for Pardoning Criminal Illegal Who Sexually Assaulted a 10-Year-Old Girl. Sundance issues a New Euphemism Alert: “Tanned European” "Girl, 16, raped in Glasgow park by ‘tanned, European’ man as cops issue fresh update."

Dave Strom, Now That It No Longer Matters, The Committee to Protect Journalists Revises Its Defense of Hamas. Nick Matau @nick_matau, "BBC had to release, on average, TWO CORRECTIONS PER WEEK for TWO STRAIGHT YEARS due to lying about Israel so much... and these people still somehow think BBC is pro Israek." Ace hears MSNOW Cancels Weekend Live Programming; Will Run Cheap Leftwing Podcasts From Earlier In the Week Instead "Canceling 2/7ths of the weekly original programming is always a sign of strength and profitability."

Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "Air conditioning has reduced heat deaths in the US by three quarters since the 1970s. https://x.com/sdkassis/statu." Leslie Eastman at LI sees the European Commission Adopts Feudal Approach to Air Conditioning Distribution, "LET THEM EAT ICE: The elite bureaucrats on the upper floors allowed to enjoy cool air, while staff on lower floors are encouraged to enjoy more traditional options." Campus Reform opines Campus climate activism is the gateway drug to the radical left.

At Insty, FREDDY’S DEAD: "America’s favorite World Cup tourist deactivates X account after woke snowflakes dig up his old tweets. Well, Freddy is from Germany, where it is quite literally illegal to offend certain groups of people. Even though he remained anonymous in all his posts, he still decided to deactivate his X account after wokescolds discovered he was mildly critical of the woke theory that only white people can be racist." Joanne Jacobs hears Neutrality is racist, say woke librarians. From Da Wire, YMCA Scrubs ‘Gender Identity’ Pledge After Daily Wire Report, “Parents deserve the truth, not deletions.” i/o@ avidseries "Let us now dedicate this graph and the entirely unsurprising information contained on it to all the scumbags who sit atop the admissions committees at elite universities who accused Amy Wax of being a liar (or worse) for claiming that there are few if any blacks graduating near the top of the class at Penn's law school, and also to Wax's employer, which, rather than releasing its admissions data to refute Wax's claim, chose instead to investigate her and remove her from teaching duties..." 

Amy Wax got in trouble for remarking that she'd not seen a Black student in the top quarter of a Penn Law class.

Thanks to hacked Columbia data, we can see that she was...

Probably right!

In the decade before her statement, there were just two top-25% Black students. pic.twitter.com/3fbCrKQTH2

— Crémieux (@cremieuxrecueil) June 30, 2026

Still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.01.26 (Afternoon Edition). The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Waiting Until August up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

KTLA 5 California man faces misdemeanor charges for allegedly recording naked women in Planet Fitness tanning booths

At Anxious, The "Barbie drug" is back. 

The big picture: Melanotan II — nicknamed the "Barbie drug" because it can also suppress appetite — mimics a hormone that tells the body to make more melanin. It can be found as a nasal spray or shot, but it's not approved by the FDA or any other major regulator. Case studies suggest it could lead to the development of skin cancer. What we're hearing: "People who inject melanotan, their moles start to change," says Anthony Rossi, a dermatologic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He's removed atypical moles from a patient who used it.But he's seeing it taken at the gym as part of a "beautification stack" — and he's worried. "I don't really see a medical benefit of it at all," Rossi says.

At least with a nasal spray, there's no risk of hidden cameras.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Maryland to Keep Oyster Limits

 Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland Maintains Oyster Harvest Limits Despite Market Challenges

This week, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shared there will be ‘no change’ to current oyster harvest limits for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. The Statewide Oyster Industry Committee, which includes representatives from 11 county watermen’s associations, voted in support of maintaining bushel limits. This decision reflects current market struggles that have plagued Maryland watermen in recent years.

Despite a growing oyster population in the Bay, watermen have faced numerous economic challenges—from weather to changing markets. The committee supported conservative bushel limits that would prevent more inventory from flooding the market and further depressing prices.

Thanks to significant large-scale restoration efforts, oyster abundance has more than tripled since 2005. A key driver of this success has been Maryland’s oyster sanctuary network. Oyster sanctuaries are areas of the Bay where harvesting oysters is prohibited. These reefs remain protected so they can filter Maryland’s waterways, provide habitat for fish and crabs, and support recreational and commercial fishing. Oysters on sanctuaries also reproduce and repopulate nearby reefs that are open to harvest.

Sanctuaries have helped watermen recover from devastating harvest lows in the early 2000s, with harvest having increased more than 300 percent since the establishment of the sanctuary areas. Today, only 24 percent of Maryland’s oyster reefs are protected as sanctuaries. The other 76 percent remain open to harvest.

Despite more oysters in the Bay, Maryland’s oyster fishery has faced significant economic pressures, including shifting consumer demand, competition from out-of-state fisheries, poaching, and extreme winter weather last season.

This uncharacteristically conservative of MDDNR. Ordinarily, if they found oyster population higher, they would allow more fishing.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Beach Report 07/01/26

We have a "heat advisory" in effect today, with temperatures peaking at 95 F at home around 2 PM under mostly sunny skies.  However, SE winds, starting low but rising to 15 knots kept the the temperatures at the beach to a very tolerable 80.

I got started a little after low tide, but although there was ample shell and gravel to search through, I didn't find many sharks teeth.

However, one of the few I found was this 1 7/16 inch White Shark  (Carcharodon hastalis) upper, with a little wear on the root, but then, I think the warranty expired a few million years ago.. It was 1/8 inch longer than the current best on the kitchen window sill, and thus earns the place of honor.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Apparently the Constitution IS a Suicide Pact Afterall

Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down it's final rulings of the year, and as I expected, the birthright citizen case went against Trump, the court ruling that outside the usual exceptions, any child born on US soil is born a citizen. Althouse, The Supreme Court is about to hand down its last decisions of the term. "Here's the live blog at SCOTUSblog. And here's where to get the text of the opinions immediately, starting in a few minutes, at the Supreme Court's website." Insty, SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS "LIMITING WOMEN’S SPORTS TO WOMEN. Also: Federal campaign spending limits violate the First Amendment.And now birthright citizenship: “Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.” Not really a surprise, but a disappointment." At End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Signs we lost birthright citizenship: No leaks to the press on the decision No fencing around the Supreme Court." The Never-Trumpers at NRO crow Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship in Major Blow to Trump. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair calls it a Wong Turn: SCOTUS Denies Trump on Birthright Citizenship; UPDATE: Trump Salutes SCOTUS. Sundance at CTH, Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Executive Order and Establishes Birthright Citizenship. From Ace, Of Course: The Five Liberal Supreme Court Justices (Including Liberals Roberts and Coney-Barrett) Decide the 14th Amendment Can Go Blow, Anyone Born in the US is a US Citizen. "The Five Horsemen make a mockery of the law yet again." The Babylon Bee kids Supreme Court Rules Any Baby Born At Olive Garden Is An Italian Citizen. "At publishing time, Olive Garden executives warned that the influx of children being born at Olive Garden restaurants would result in an inevitable breadstick crisis for future generations." Teri Christoph at RedState hears Clarence Thomas Goes Nuclear on SCOTUS Majority Over Birthright Citizenship Ruling. Roman Helmet Guy @romanhelmetguy, "If you were born in America, you’re an American. You have a right to live here. Unless of course you’re American. In which case you’re living on stolen land."

Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Apparently more border controls will be needed to thwart anchor baby tourism. Pregnancy tests for all foreign women of birthing age seeking to enter the United States. OK. Targeted deportations of foreign women of birthing age within US borders who lack resident alien status. OK. The Supreme Court having so decreed." Sundance names it The Roberts Requirement – Pregnancy Tests for U.S. Travel Visas. PJM's Athena Thorne thinks President Trump Could End Most Birthright Citizenship With This 1 Simple Trick: "Under the U.S. Code, the president has broad authority over who may enter our country. Specifically, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(f) (INA Section 212(f)) says: "Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate."" Do it, and let the libs sue all the way to the Supes next year. Joe Chalfant at TownHall thinks Rep. Andy Ogles Has the Answer to the Birthright Citizenship Crisis. Rep. Andy Ogles @RepOgles, "SCOTUS betrayed America. It's time to bar pregnant foreigners from coming to this country. We are being colonized. Anchors Away!" Cathy Salgado at PJM, Trump, Congressional GOP Propose a Workaround to Save Citizenship Despite SCOTUS, "These measures would reinterpret the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause to grant citizenship at birth only to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident (LPR) residing in the U.S., or an LPR serving in the military." TownHall's Kurt Schlichter says Cheer Up! The Birthright Citizenship Case Moves Us Toward Inevitable Victory, you just motivated the base for the midterms. PJM's Scott Pinsker also sees The Political Upside of Losing the Birthright Citizenship Case.

Capt. Ed, BREAKING: SCOTUS Upholds Sex-Based Restrictions in Sports - Unanimously? Ward Clark at RedState, Supreme Court Delivers Landmark Title IX Win for Women's Sports. Ace reports Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Boys in Girls Sports. "SO CLOSE TO PRIDE MONTH?!!? SO CLOSE TO PRIDE MONTH?!!! The holding is 6-3, but the three liberals joined with parts of it so parts of it are actually unanimous. Coney-Barrett and Roberts joined the conservatives in this one because this case is about protecting Muh Feminism." Althouse thinks Justice Brett Kavanaugh — who has long coached girls' basketball teams — channels the emotions of female athletes. "Women and girls who play sports care deeply about all of those things. They obsess about them." At Twitchy, Cisgender? REALLY? Ketanji Brown Jackson's Trans Ruling Dissent Is Even DUMBER Than We Thought. Gina Milan @ginamilan_, "Ketanji Brown Jackson: “A transgender woman penalized for being perceived as aggressive has experienced discrimination "on the basis of sex" just as much as a cisgender woman has, no matter that the transgender woman's behavior matches expectations of her sex assigned at birth.” She’s actually INSANE." And Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Uses … (Wait for It) … TikTok Slang in Concurring Opinion. Matt Vespa at TownHall thinks Justice Clarence Thomas Had a Killer Line in His Concurring Opinion on Transgender Athletes. "Men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls, even if they believe that they are. Sex is an immutable “biological” characteristic, see ante, at 10; it is binary; and “man” and “woman,” “boy” and “girl,” are the terms that correspond to adults and children of each sex." Hat Hair's Dave Strom sees The Bigger Victory Hidden Inside SCOTUS Decision About Men in Women's Sports; "Once you acknowledge that men and women are fundamentally different based on immutable biology, a whole host of issues are implicitly decided, and decided against the Alphabet crowd." Capt. Ed is gratified the Texas Supreme Court Hands a Win to Pediatric Sex-Change Detransitioners.

In another far-reaching decision, SCOTUS Free-Speech Finale Strikes Down Election Spending Limits on Parties (Capt. Ed). Althouse hears NYT whine "Experts said that the decision would immediately cut into one of the Democratic Party’s critical financial advantages in television advertising." "From "Supreme Court Lifts Spending Limits on Political Parties and Candidates/Republicans had asked the court to strike down restrictions on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates" (NYT)(gift link)." 

At Althouse, NPR got something very right and wrong or just very very wrong. Chris Queen at PJM notes NPR’s Justice Alito ‘Retirement’ Scoop Lasted About 10 Minutes. They kind of rushed that one out. Act in haste, repent at leisure.

And fallout from other recent rulings: Stephen Kruiser at PJM Regrets to Inform You That Election Integrity Won't Be Returning, after ruling that mail-in ballots can be counted if they arrive days late, if they're postmarked on election day. At Pirate's Cove, "Supreme Court Rules POTUS Has Authority To Remove “Independent Agency” Heads." And Althouse finds "[T]he court overruled its 91-year-old decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States... [M]ore broadly, Monday’s decision was a major victory for proponents of the 'unitary executive' theory..." "... the idea that the president should have complete control over the executive branch. Under this theory, the president should be able to fire any member of the executive branch, and laws – like the one that the court struck down – that restrict his ability to do so violate the separation of powers. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts contended that 'the President must have the assistance of officers he can trust. Although it is up to the Senate to decide whether to confirm those with whom the President would prefer to work, neither Congress nor the courts may saddle him with those with whom he cannot work. Subordinates who exercise the President’s power are subject to removal by him. Then, and only then, can they remain accountable to the President, and the President to the people.'..." I'm reading "Supreme Court allows Trump to fire FTC commissioner and overturns major restraint on presidential power" by Amy Howe at SCOTUSblog, writing about yesterday's Trump v. Slaughter." Except the Federal Reserve, because, reasons!

Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller hears Mike Johnson Signals House Will Forge Ahead After GOP Holdouts Threatened Obstruction Of Votes. At least, put them on record. Misty Severi at JTN reports Trump signs presidential memo that gives Americans more options to fix their cars. "Automakers have pushed back against decreasing restrictions on consumers fixing their own vehicles, claiming they are needed to protect vehicle safety, ‌cybersecurity ⁠and emissions compliance." FinPo, claims Conservatives Urge Overturn of Trump's Biofuel Blending Quotas. "Nearly three dozen conservatives — including longtime allies of President Donald Trump — are pushing the House to overturn biofuel-blending quotas imposed by his administration, arguing they are stoking consumer costs before an election set to hinge on economic concerns." Gasohol is a bipartisan bad idea. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn hears Trump Admin Sets Sights on California Coastal Commission Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "For the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence, Gavin Newsom‘s unelected California Coastal Commission cancels the Fourth of July fireworks celebration in Long Beach."

Armed Forces Press takes up the The Curious Case Of General Donahue - The Truth Isn't Pretty. "To properly opine on the resignation of General Chris Donahue, U.S. Army, we should provide some history of our writing on the subject. Please see the multiple articles below. There are more but this is a good representation of our work. LTG Chris Donahue Violated The Ranger Creed When He Abandoned Americans In Afghanistan In August 2021. LTG Chris Donahue Should Be Investigated For Racist Actions in Kabul (2021). GEN DONAHUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED, NOT PROMOTED. WHY WAS GEN CHRIS DONAHUE ALLOWING FT LIBERTY TO LABLE CHRISTIANS AS TERRORISTS? ON WW3 EVE, WHY IS UNETHICAL GENERAL DONAHUE IN CHARGE? In short, we are not a fan. In our author's viewpoint, General Donahue failed the honor test in the field on multiple fronts."

medoyid_ua @LetsArmUKR, "This weekend a Ukrainian crew pushed the Wovkulaka Spitfire FPV interceptor out to 84.7 km before it smoked a SuperCam whose operators thought they were safely parked somewhere in the south. Manufacturer's previous record was 69 km. That is not a incremental upgrade. That is the kind of leap that rewrites operational math on the entire theater..."

Sundance dance with joy at the thought that The Canadian Dollar is Collapsing – Here’s What to Expect Next.

And Another Thing, The American Left Has Lost Its Mind "And the press feel fine." Hat Hair's Dave Strom looks at The Democratic Civil War: the Organized Crime Democrats are Losing to the Bolsheviks (ugh) and John Sexton calls the DSA White Anti-Capitalists Pretending to Be Working Class. Insty at his substack declares The Commies Mount An Across the Board Push, "DSA targets local elections around the nation in a well-planned strategy." Matt Vespa, If This Survey Is True, the Dem Brand Is in Serious Trouble "This party is Chernobyl, unlivable." Ace, "Another Mamdani-Backed Muslim Wins Democrat Primary for State Senator; Claims That "Racism, Capitalism, White Supremacy, and Islamophobia" "Manifested" in 9/11, "She says that 9/11 was just the manifestation of America's "long trajectory" of "racism, capitalism, white supremacy" and "islamophobia" and the "manifestation" of these crimes -- the chickens coming home to roost -- was 9/11." From Mediaite, ‘No New Cops!’ Mamdani Ally Brags NYC Won’t End Up Hiring More Police, Despite Previous Reports.

At NYPo the Divine Miranda Devine: Dems are in desperate need of a new leader as Communists overrun their party — but all they got is Obama. Don Surber looks at Obama’s red revolution. "Communists take credit for the works of capitalism." Sarah at Insty, THE KIDS ONLY LIKE SOCIALISM BECAUSE EDUCATION LIED AND TOLD THEM ROADS ARE SOCIALISM: "Socialism Always Fails on its Own. When a system has to lie and claim things that are just humanity? It’s dead. And it stinks to high heavens." AJ Christopher at PJM asks Mr. Obama, Are the Slaveowners in the Room With Us Right Now? Ace hears Claim: Michelle Obama Has Blocked Cheryl Hines From Appearing on Larry David's New Show, Because She's RFKJr.'s Wife. "Toxic masculinity."

Aesthetica @Anc_Aesthetics, "Why would anyone use prediction models when we can use real mortality data? Answer: Because you can't make bodies appear out of thin air, but you can make fake projections appear out of thin air. When we look at mortality data what do we see? All cause mortality went down. HIV Infection rates went down. AIDS related deaths went down. Coverage went up. As predicted, USAID was just a Democrat slush fund they used to pay their activists, journalists and NGO workers. Which is the real reason why you're freaking out over this." Quote Steve Rattner @SteveRattner "Musk is right that many problems can't be solved just by "throwing money" at them. But US aid to fight AIDS, child hunger & other global plagues has one of the highest ROIs in government."

From Ace, Ro Khanna Promises to Fight the Oligarchs, Tax the Rich, and Imprison "the Epstein Class" While Driving a $190,000 Range Rover, Owning Family Golf Courses, and Taking Elevators In His Mansion. Andrew Kerr @AndrewKerrNC, "Speaking of hoarding wealth, Khanna’s two young children are the proud owners of THREE private golf courses in Ohio, where member initiation fees run upwards of $45k Khanna’s children — still in elementary school — earned up to $2 million from their golf courses in 2024." Quote Ro Khanna @RoKhanna, "I want America to be a country where it's easier to build wealth than it is to hoard it, and where workers don't have to worry about medical debt and grocery costs when they should be enjoying time with their families. An economy that works for everyone is possible. x.com/el_pais/status…"

Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "This is how politicians and their families launder money. Nobody wants a book from Dr Biden. But some commie NGO that got taxpayer money from the admin can’t pay the kickback with a check. So they buy 100K books and burn em. The one-time bulk buy charts it for a week, then..." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Jill Biden memoir's disappearance from NYT bestseller list after debuting at top raises questions about sales numbers: 'Very rare' https://trib.al/geKNS5i" Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "Gavin Newsom just used his own PAC to buy $1.5 million worth of his own book. Even more comically, that accounts for 2/3 of the entire print sales" VodkaPundit finds Finally, a Budget Democrats Will Cut: The Guy Who Investigates Fraud. At Twitchy, a SHOCKA! Ilhan Omar Tied to ANOTHER Minnesota Fraud Defendant via Emails With INTERESTING Subject Lines.

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn sees These People Are Not on Our Side: Dems Double Down on Defending Border Jumpers. Sister Toldja at RedState, 'You're a Disgrace!' Lawler Unloads on Raskin and Jayapal During Fiery Sanctuary City Hearing. RNC Research @RNCResearch, "Rep. Pramila Jayapal tells the parents of those murdered by illegal aliens that she has better things to do: "Unfortunately this hearing is the 4th time in this committee that we’ve had a hearing on sanctuary cities... There's many other things that we could be doing.” Twitchy catches liberals whining The Amish Clearly Do Not Want to Assimilate Into American Society, Yet the Right Doesn't Care. But they make great furniture!

Christopher F. Rufo @christopherrufo, "I think this is the crux of my discussion with Ezra Klein. The Left has sought to tarnish the Right as a "white nationalist" movement, but as Klein concedes, it is completely reasonable to "worry about large-scale, rapid demographic change." We've moved beyond the smear game."

The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "Europeans dying of heat stroke: “Can we please turn on the AC?” Their governments: “Best we can do is replace you with migrants and prosecute you for Facebook posts.”" Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "There's a deep strain of elite French concern for the people being voiced here. "Let them eat cake," as Marie Antoinette put it." Quote French Response @FrenchResponse, "We're not banning A/C. We're making sure future summers need it less. x.com/dc_draino/stat…" RBe @RBPundit, "One would think that the the idiocy of the left wouldn't surprise me anymore but this whole thing where Europeans actually think not using AC will make the weather cooler in their lifetimes is absolutely bananas." At WUWT, Wrong, Newsweek, Europe’s Heat Deaths Are a Policy Failure, not a Climate Failure.

pic.twitter.com/0vVcr4Z6Bc

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) June 29, 2026

At WaEx, Selena Zito feels better now that The spirit of ’76 lives on as Pennsylvania rallies for America’s birthday. AJ Christopher, The Left Asked for This, It Got It, and I Can't Stop Gloating, as foreign visitors for the world cup find out what they're missing at home.

From the College Fix, North Carolina lawmakers override governor’s vetoes to pass sweeping DEI bans. At Campus Reform, Johns Hopkins layoffs, financial problems come as university is mired in Title VI controversy.

And still more at The Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.26. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! and FMJRA 2.0: Waiting Until August up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

 With professional kite-surfer Arrianne Anna:

Hi, I am Arrianne.

I am an atlete and have been competing on the World Tour for many years. I have been Dutch Champion several times and I became Vice World Champion Freestyle in 2013. Since 2020 I am mother to a beautiful girl and raising her on my own.

I am an ACT coach, yoga and windsurf teacher, breath-work and mindfulness coach and I do personal and group coaching (online and real life).

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.