Thursday, July 30, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Fauci Fallout

If you weren't out doing something fun or useful yesterday, you probably know by now that former NIH Director Anthony Fauci made a long appearance at the Senate Homeland Security committee led by Rand Paul, where, as I pointed out yesterday, other than an opening statement saying Rand Paul had it in for him (true, but for good reasons), he said almost nothing, other than to take the 5th amendment 111 times to Republican questions ranging from pointed to ridiculous (what color is your tie?), while receiving tongue bath from Democrats loyal to the Covid lockdown regime. If you need to count them for yourself you can find the whole sordid affair at from sundance at CTH, Dr Anthony Fauci Testifies Before Senate Homeland Security Committee or at Althouse, Fauci invokes the 5th Amendment privilege at the Senate hearing today. Ace, Deep State Mafia Boss Anthony "Little Bones" Fauci Pleads the Fifth, "This is what I thought he would do. But now I wonder if he has any legal right to invoke the Fifth." Matt Vespa at TownHall, So, That's Why Fauci Pled the Fifth, Despite a Blanket Pardon From Biden, state charges? No, that's just the excuse. He just didn't want to own up to all his Covid shenanigans. John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte @NolteNC, "This also states it well... The pardon put Fauci in a position where he could either testify truthfully and face no prosecution, or invoke the Fifth and face a contempt charge. Obviously, Fauci decided telling the truth was more dangerous (even with no fear of prosecution) than facing prosecution with a contempt charge. Why? That's the question." Quote Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney, "Pleading the 5th is tricky, legally, because Fauci is pardoned for all pre-2025 conduct — fear of a future perjury trap is a lot to hang a blanket assertion of 5th Amendment privilege on. And it also opens him up to being held in contempt and prosecuted on that basis." The Vigilant Fox @VigilantFox, "PAUL: "Dr. Fauci, would you like to at least answer this one question for us today...?" FAUCI: "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline..." PAUL: "The chairman has DENIED your assertion of privilege and directed you to ANSWER, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon." "It's AGAINST THE LAW to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today." Sean Davis @seanmdav, "Rand Paul did the impossible today: he found a way to make Anthony Fauci not talk. Rand Paul got the world’s most promiscuous media whore to suddenly not want to be on camera behind a microphone." Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy, "Dear Diary... If I plead the Fifth, will I still be famous?" Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D.@neoavatara "Its over." Quote Senator Rand Paul @SenRandPaul, "Fauci claims he is pleading the Fifth because of my so-called “obsession” with prosecuting him and because I released his "private" diary. The American people know better. He is protecting himself. There is more to this. This is not over." Tim O'Brien at PJM, Fauci’s Disastrous Senate Hearing Signals That It’s Time to Put the Autopen on Trial Through Him. PJM's Stephen Kruiser sighs Regrettably, Anthony Fauci Slept Very Well Last Night.

PJM's Cathy Salgado, Rand Paul Orders Fauci’s Lawyer Removed As Hearing Grows Chaotic. From News Wax, Fauci Solicited Award Noms From NIH-Funded Scientists, for awards with cash prizes. At Hat Hair, Capt Ed quotes Hawley to Fauci: 'You Got Rich, Didn't You … While People Were Dying?' Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "If you only watch ONE video from the Fauci hearing today, it should be this one... Bernie Moreno: "It was about six years ago today that I decided I'm going to give up my businesses, sell them all, run for office, run for the United States Senate. Here I am sitting in front of you six years later, saying, "Who the fuck do you think you are for doing that?" It is a total disgrace what you did to this country and my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you...." RazörFist @RazorFist, "2020: The Science™ is settled 2021: Trust the Science™ 2022: Sorry you lost your job for not trusting The Science™ 2023: We have recalled The Science™ from the market 2026: The Science™ pleads the 5th." Bridget Phetasy @BridgetPhetasy, "My biggest takeaway from this Fauci stuff is that we aren't mad enough."

Matt Vespa, TMZ Had a Total Meltdown Over the Attacks on Fauci...and They're Not Alone. Brad Polumbo @brad_polumbo, "Never forget they literally made action figures of this man..." Drew Holden at Holden Court thinks Legacy Media’s Fauci Love Affair Might’ve Buried COVID’s Origins, "Ahead of the doctor's public testimony, making sense of what the dominant press helped to keep buried." PoIiMath @politicalmath, "If there was another Covid-style pandemic, it would probably be because scientists were carelessly researching deadly novel viruses in large urban centers." Quote Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan, "It’s very clear, sadly, that if there was another Covid-style pandemic today, the level of total disinformation, misinformation, lies, cherry-picked quotes and documents, and conspiracies on this hellsite would mean tens of millions, not just millions, of dead Americans." From Da Caller, Meet The Republicans Who Sided With Anthony Fauci To Shut Down The Country "“Hope Hicks and I convinced him to essentially put Easter on hold for this year,” Fauci wrote." Nick Arama at RedState notices Brandon Gill and Ted Cruz Have a Field Day With James Talarico's Old Fauci Post. Brandon Gill @realBrandonGill, "Do you think James Talarico still plays with his Fauci action figure?" Ted Cruz @tedcruz, "James Talarico called Fauci a superhero. Today, Fauci took the Fifth 111 times. Apparently accountability was sold separately." Leslie Eastman at LI hypes a New Documentary the Asserts Deborah Birx Was Real Culprit Behind Disastrous Covid Lockdowns. "“It Wasn’t Fauci: How the Deep State Really Played Trump” shows how a career bureaucrat seized control of the government and created a disaster. And Birx had help…from Pence." She did kind of slither away unscathed, didn't she. Insty at his substack explains Why Fauci Matters. "He's not just a powerful guy who acted in bad faith. He's a totem to a whole class of people who don't care about that."

I'm of two minds about Fauci. Scientists are allowed to be wrong. It's part of the process of discovery, as long as you change your mind once evidence show it.  But you're not supposed to conspire to blackball those with opposing opinions, and keep up the pretense of being right after you've been proven wrong. And there's the prize stuff, which is just plain corruption. Drew Pinsky put it pretty well here.


At Am Great, the Great Victor Davis Hanson worries The Socialist Monster Awakens, "The Left’s socialist revolt did not come from nowhere—it was the inevitable offspring of years of Democratic radicalization, now turning against the party that created it." Mark Tapscott at Insty asks IS SOCIALISM A FAD OR FULL-ON THREAT?. "Are the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) just a passing fad or a real, long-term threat to the Democratic Party and ultimately America? That’s the question discussed on the latest edition of the Outstanding podcast by host Casey Harper, The Washington Stand’s Managing Editor for Broadcast, Matt Carpener, chief of Family Research Council (FRC) Action, and yours truly." VodkaPundit at PJM hears 'Welcome to Socialism': A Clinton Hand's Stark Warning About Mamdani "In a piece headlined "Welcome to Socialism," Penn wrote that Mamdani’s administration "with fanfare" released its list of "960,000 owners of real estate in New York City that have been determined they could owe the pied-a-terre tax because NYC computers have determined they own what was billed as a market value of $5 million or more."" NYPo opines Mamdani’s vindictive pied-à-terre hitlist reveals his true colors. I think we already knew his colors, red with a dash of green. John Sexton, Business Groups to Sue Mamdani Over Subsidized Grocery Stores. Govt. subsidized competition. At NYPo, Jonathan Turley opines Mamdani’s grocery stores will be the most expensive markets in NYC — paid for by you, the taxpayer.

Hat Hair's John Sexton wonders Are Democrats Worried About Their Antisemitism Problem?. Nope, they're wallowing in it, and Dave Strom sees El-Sayed is Gaining Strength and Stevens Is Sputtering Out. Victory Girls notice MI Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Maligns PA Senator John Fetterman. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's hilarious that you think he's leaving the party and that the party is not leaving him. You continue to be the absolute king of misreading the situation." Quote Chris Cillizza @ChrisCillizza, "I don't know if John Fetterman is going to switch parties. But man he is doing everything that someone who is going to switch parties. Wrote about it here:"


At AMAC, The Left’s Imaginary Food Stamps “Crisis” "SNAP enrollment has dropped by about 4.5 million people over the past year—an 11 percent decline. While critics call this a "crisis" and blame the Trump administration for stripping benefits from needy families, the reduction largely reflects new work requirements and stronger anti-fraud measures under the One Big Beautiful Bill. This article examines the data behind the debate and explains what's really driving the change in food stamp participation."





At Twitchy, Deranged WNBA Owner Berates Teenage Fans Supporting Fair Play for Women. Dave Strom hears Sophie Cunningham Fans Harassed in Seattle for Standing Up for Women's Rights. From Ace, Department of Education Investigates Minnesota's Use of "Trans Dolls" with Swappable Genitalia to Promote Transgenderism to Young Children "I think it's time to simply eject Minnesota from the United States. It's a diseased appendage that must be cut off to save the rest of the body. It just gets worse and worse every single day." And "Trans" Man Beats Mother to Death With Hammer, "Coming to a girls locker room near you. But how could you keep him out of a women's locker room? As you can see from the photos that run with that story, he looks exactly like a woman. It's uncanny!"

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Thursday Tune - Sultans of Swing

With ukes:




OverDrive Duo, is a combination of talents that’s been together since 2014, Sharlotte Martins (lead vocalist) and Jorge Lozada (guitar player and vocalist) with experience in different bands and live shows entertainment, from Portugal & Venezuela.


With notable blues and funk musical influences that they manage to fuse with their Latin roots, they create an ideal environment for every moment.

 

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Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - Fauci Takes the Stand and the 5th

It's on C-Span now. Rand Paul is setting the stage. Leslie Eastman at LI, Sen. Rand Paul Releases Document Trove Detailing Pre-Pandemic Biosecurity Breaches. "New document release shows Customs and Border Patrol intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to this network of American and Chinese coronavirus researchers in 2018, and the FBI stopped the agency from intercepting a key covid researcher in 2021." Rand Paul @RandPaul, "If Anthony Fauci comes before my committee tomorrow and perjures himself, his preemptive pardon from Joe Biden will not protect him." Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " JUST IN: Sec. RFK Jr. just said Dr. Fauci can be prosecuted on PERJURY — DESPITE the pardon — if he lies in front of Rand Paul's committee this week "He has immunity against all of the things that he did prior to President Biden signing or the electronic pen signing his pardon, but he could perjure himself now. There are many things that he said that we know are lies, and @RandPaul presumably is going to ask him about those things." "And if he lies again, then he could be subject to perjury prosecution." Fauci has not faced a SINGLE ounce of credibility. We need it, badly!" At PJM, Stephen Kruiser notes it Turns Out Fauci Is an Even Bigger Donkey's Derrière Than We Thought and Sarah Anderson thinks Anthony Fauci Just Handed Marco Rubio One Heck of a Campaign Ad. NYPo's Divine Miranda Devine: Anthony Fauci was the ‘big head’ of COVID response. Matt Vespa at TownHall, This Fauci Diary Entry Will Cause Your Blood to Boil. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: Dr. Fauci writes in his diary that in June 2021, he received a (classified?) briefing from the CIA on the origins of COVID-19 while in a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) at NIH, and reveals that the CIA told him they had intercepted Chinese communications in Wuhan, including indications that the Chinese had transferred pangolin viruses from Beijing to Wuhan. Additionally, Fauci writes that the CIA had information from sources that the Chinese military had conducted unknown experiments in Wuhan, and that the CIA had information about a "super spreader" event in China in July 2020 in relation to "passage of a virus in a laboratory." Fauci writes that the CIA briefer, who he names, was "almost pathetic in her naivety and obvious lack of appreciation of any of the science of what she was talking about."" Liz Wheeler @Liz_Wheeler, "We were… right. - Social distancing was a hoax - Masks were a joke - Lockdowns were worthless - mRNA jabs were dangerous - Case fatality rate was low - Ivermectin worked - Hydroxychloroquine also worked - Remdesivir was a killer - COVID came from the Wuhan lab - Fauci funded it Fauci lied about it all. Fauci lied to profit himself. Fauci abused YOU to bolster his ego, money, and power. Put the despicable villain in prison." Elaine @elbh, "Fauci broke our societal trust in ways we will never regain. As confidence was lagging anyway, he caused the collapse. Science. Journalism. Government. Hollywood. Culture. Economics. Law Enforcement. Judicial System. Our fellow Americans. All of it. It will not return in our lifetime."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Pravda Totally Buries Fauci Diary Revelations. Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "Hats off to @bariweiss and CBS This is news And yet it doesn’t read like it was sanitized by the DNC." Quote CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil @CBSEveningNews, "Diary entries by Dr. Anthony Fauci are shedding light on his soaring notoriety during the COVID epidemic. The documents, released by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, include Fauci's reflections about being invited to a-list parties, but also some uncertainty about the origin of COVID." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "Perhaps surprisingly, both the New York Times and the Washington Post have now published articles on the Fauci diaries. Unsurprisingly, both are complete whitewashes. They sanitize his record and reduce the criticism to the suggestion that he may have been a little too narcissistic. Neither outlet confronts the diaries’ central revelation, which is that Fauci repeatedly said one thing in private and another in public..." Matt Vespa, Why a Former FDA Official Got Very Uncomfortable During This Interview on CNBC. Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "It was well-demonstrated that US and EU elites who imposed strict lockdowns during COVID deemed themselves fully exempt. Countless examples, including Gavin Newsom having a nice maskless dinner with lobbyists, and Pelosi in the hair salon. But @JakeTapper should explain this:" Quote a newsman @a_newsman, "Jul 27Has Jake Tapper addressed why he was having Anthony Fauci over for dinner while husbands and wives of seventy five years were saying goodbye to each other over zoom?" At Althouse, "[His diary] paints a portrait of Dr. Fauci as obsessed with himself, reveling in his own importance and the celebrities he knows..."

From Ace, Revealed: Five Months After Fauci Got Vaccinated, He Suffered a Pulmonary Infarction, an Adverse Effect Associated With the "Vaccine." He Kept This a Secret. "Anthony Fauci is Science, you know. He suffered the exact kind of adverse effect millions of other people were experiencing. Rather than reporting this, he kept it secret from the public." Mike Davis @mrddmia, "Of course, Trump was right. And undermined constantly by government bureaucrats who worked for him." Quote CNN Politics @CNNPolitics, "President Trump contradicts the US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab https://cnn.it/3d7KSuC."

Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I had a dream last night that Michael Crichton was still alive and he wrote a book called “Two Weeks to Stop the Spread.” The book’s main character was a megalomaniacal, narcissistic senior US health official who was using NIH funds to work with China to engineer a virus designed to wipe out the world’s elderly and infirm populations, thereby decreasing the public health and expense burden foisted on younger generations...."

Fauci just took the 5th, after an opening statement blasting Rand Paul. Now, Rand Paul reminded him he was unconditionally pardoned by Biden, and therefore the 5th amendment doesn't apply, but Fauci is sticking to it.


Ben Whedon at JTN sees Thune pours cold water on canceling recess to pass SAVE America Act. "Trump on Monday called for Thune to cancel recess to pass the bill, but Thune said nothing had changed." From the Victory Girls, John Thune: Pass The SAVE America Act Already. Sadly, even if they busted the filibuster, I don't think they have the votes, thanks to Sen. Murkowski, Collins and Paul. From Ace, Mitch McConnell Released from Hospital, But Still Not "Medically Cleared" to Do His Job; Democrat Governor Andy Beshear Demands He Return to Senate or Resign. "It was so important to McConnell to remain in office forever. Even after he'd been kicked out of the leadership position due to his opposition to most mainstream Republicans."

Amanda Head at JTN, From proving ground to payday, Trump’s Michigan trip shows auto industry shifting into high gear. "Under Trump’s trade policies, companies such as General Motors (GM) are shifting production of certain vehicles stateside." Carlo Carrasco is happy Japan Determining Lifting Import Prohibition On Fresh US Potatoes. From Da Caller, Trump Admin Putting Major Medical Association’s Billing Code ‘Monopoly’ Under The Microscope. 


Dave Strom at Hat Hair wonders Is Socialism Really Gaining Steam, or Are Socialists Just Gaming the System Better? Da Wire, Mamdani Just Handed The Internet Thousands Of Names And Addresses. "The Department of Finance uploaded a searchable database including the addresses and names of property owners." Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "Anyone who has read the history of communism knows what step comes after naming the enemy land owners." Quote Bernadette Hogan @bern_hogan, "The city published a list of all properties -- and the names of the owners -- that *could be* subject to the new pied a terre tax in a very easy to search Excel sheet:" VodkaPundit at PJM, NYC: Begun, the Class War Has. Alex Berenson @AlexBerenson, "Last week, my mom got a "pied-a-terre" tax notice. She has lived full-time in her townhouse FOR 30 YEARS (she and my dad bought it for under $1 million). She has no other residence. Is NYC not bothering with basic checking of its own tax lists? She's 81 and has three weeks to get her name off the list or she owes $56,000. (Yes, I said I'd help.) Thanks, Zohran Kwame." Ace notes Mamdani Publishes Names of Property Owners Whose Estates Will be Confiscated, "The list of properties to be hit with a huge tax penalty, large enough so that the owners will mostly be forced to sell, turns out to be a bigger list than the laughing boy socialist demon had promised."



Ruby Rippey
From Althouse, "One afternoon he brings matzo ball soup from Max’s deli, my favorite. Another time, a mixtape." "Writes Ruby Rippey, in "How I Blew Up—Then Rebuilt—My Life/When news of her affair with Gavin Newsom exploded into the public eye, it was only the outward mark of a long-rippling private implosion. In the wreckage of the scandal, Ruby Rippey faced her demons but lost her voice. Twenty years later, she is ready to share her story" (Vanity Fair). Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Residents in the Palisades put up Mad Max barricades because construction site theft is so rampant since Karen Bass directed LAPD to remove police patrols from the neighborhood. As if the fire victims haven't dealt with enough...the vile communist is punishing us further." From Reason, California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis "Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable." 

Jeffrey Rosen takes on Birthright Citizenship and Presidential Removal: A Historical Deep Dive. Kyla Becker at RedState sees a Rogue Judge Finally Gets an Act Named After Him - What It Does Is Hilarious. "Schmitt is calling it the BOASBERG Act. It stands for the Blocking Overt Attempts at Shopping By Enforcing Randomization Guidelines Act. ... Fox News Politics @foxnewspolitics, "BOASBERG ACT: Sen. Eric Schmitt introduces legislation named after the federal judge who has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration — designed to end judge shopping in federal courts by requiring random case assignment. The bill would prohibit chief judges from influencing which cases they oversee, require public disclosure of assignment practices, and create penalties for anyone who meddles with the process. Courts would have 120 days to comply. Schmitt called Judge James Boasberg "the poster child for a rogue judge" who "exposed serious loopholes in our judicial system." Boasberg, an Obama appointee, has blocked Trump's deportation efforts, halted visa restrictions, and landed the Signalgate case — drawing impeachment calls from Trump and a misconduct complaint from the Justice Department."


Stacy McCain sees ‘Suburban Teens’ Make Headlines. "In addition to Vanessa Morales, whose father doesn’t speak English, the other “suburban teens” killed in the crash were identified as Cristofer Lopez Montan, 19, and Yuarem Garcia-Pena, 18, both of Woodstock, and Yaritza Martinez Villeda, 17, of Crystal Lake. So these kids weren’t exactly the cast of Sixteen Candles or Pretty in Pink. On the one hand you can understand that, on those rare occasions when the perpetrators of crime in Chicago aren’t “urban youth,” the local media are eager to convey the message that it wasn’t the usual suspects this time."


Dave Strom realizes DEI Requires 'Good' People to Lie. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "This should horrify every American A man tries to walk through Minneapolis with an American Flag He immediately gets harassed, threatened with physical violence. Shortly after a car pulls up quickly and a man gets out to rush him to cause harm. He has to run and yell he’s calling the cops The American can’t even sit in his car without worried about being assaulted “This sh*t hurts my heart, man. ..." Lisa Britton @LisaBritton, "One minute we’re being told air conditioning is sexist towards women. The next we’re being told women are the true victims of heat waves. It just never ends!" From Da Mail, Plagiarism or jealousy? Youngest black professor in Cambridge history set to publish extraordinary life story - including how he couldn't speak, read or write during childhood - as he's now accused of copying others' work.

At WaEx, Teachers union uses felons to attack school choice in Arizona. Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "My story about pulling our son out of NC public schools to homeschool him reached far more people than I expected. So I owe you the full explanation. Fair warning: it's worse than you think. ..." Really long but worth it.
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The Wednesday Wetness

 Kelia Moniz, Professional Surfer, WSL World Longboard Champion, Roxy team rider & model

Bay Journal, Study searches for alternatives to Potomac River water supply
A two-year study, called Secure the Source, will look at large solutions that could provide emergency water supply for weeks to more than 5 million people in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The $25 million study, announced in June, is aimed at finding potential alternatives to the Potomac River water supply. Project partners include water utility leaders from WSSC Water, Fairfax Water, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Maryland, My Maryland

 Balmer Sun, Boy, 13, airlifted after beaver attack at Maryland state park: officials.  

A 13-year-old boy was flown to a Baltimore hospital after he was bitten by a beaver Sunday morning at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, according to officials. The incident occurred around 9:10 a.m. in the William Houck Area near the lake’s North Beach, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The boy suffered injuries to his hands and chest and was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.

The swimming beach was closed immediately as Maryland Park Service staff and Maryland Natural Resources Police searched for the beaver so it could be tested for rabies. Officials said one beaver had been located, but crews continued searching the area to determine whether additional beavers were present and to confirm the captured animal was the one involved in the attack. Rabies testing will be coordinated through the Frederick County Health Department.

The Department of Natural Resources said its Wildlife and Heritage Service provided support and guidance throughout the response and will work with the Maryland Park Service and Natural Resources Police to determine when the swimming area can safely reopen. All other areas of Cunningham Falls State Park remain open to visitors.

Those teeth are no joke. But you wonder what a 13 year old boy might have done to provoke that response.  I know I might have at that age.

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Flotsam and Jetsam - Fauci Files Freed

Rand Paul, who as a fellow Dr., has had it in for Anthony Fauci for quite a while for lying to Congress about the origin and seriousness of Covid, got his hands on Fauci's private diary somehow (he probably kept it at work), and it revealed the either Fauci was lying to Congress and the public or himself, was a double-dealing little glory hound weasel while also being the most highly paid government employee ever, while leading the effort to fight the disease. Fox, Fauci's newly released COVID diaries reveal bizarre fixation on fame as pandemic deaths mounted. "Fauci wrote that his "national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable" and that it was "not hyperbole" to say he was "the most famous and talked about person in the country."" Hat Hair's Dave Strom hopes Will Fauci Fall Finally? From Breitbart, Fauci, CNN Condemned ‘Small Household Gatherings’ Week Before Fauci-Tapper Dinner. From Sundance at CTH, Ahead of Anthony Fauci Testimony to Senate, Rand Paul Releases Files Outlining Serious Manipulation of COVID-19 Information. At Ace's they're charged up, Rand Paul Publishes Anthony Fauci's Private Diaries, In Which He Confesses He Knows Covid Didn't Come from "The Wet Market" and Has a Lethality of Only 0.2-0.3%; "The Media Refuses to Cover. And they won't cover it because the diaries also expose this deranged dwarfish narcissist as being their dinner-guest and "friendship building" pal." And THE MORNING RANT: As Bombshell Fauci Docs Drop, Faux-Conservative Media Indignantly Covers Story It Suppressed in 2020. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: On page 302 of the new personal records of Dr. Fauci released by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Fauci complains that in 2013, HHS didn't let him do a CNN television interview because of "pure jealousy", adding that it was because he's a "rockstar" who was "stealing their thunder."" C3 @C_3C_3, "Photo 1: A man who claimed Covid had a mortality rate of a flu in his diary. Photo 2: A man who claimed Covid had a mortality rate 10X of a flu under oath in front of Congress." Tara Servatius @TaraServatius, "DAMN. In early 2020, Fauci recorded in his diary how much he was able to make the stock market drop with his lie that covid was 10x more deadly than the flu. At the same time, in the same diary, he wrote that covid wasn't any more deadly than the seasonal flu. While he was going on TV saying the opposite to terrify the public into shutting down the economy. It was all a lie designed to take out Trump's most formidable weapon for reelection: his booming economy." Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Fauci claimed he didn’t shut down schools. Then bragged in his diary that California and New York shut down schools based on his recommendations." Quote, "Tom Elliott @tomselliott, "Dear Diary, Today I shut down NYC and all California. Tony." KanekoaTheGreat @KanekoaTheGreat, "Fauci’s own diary just dropped. Feb 1, 2020. The secret call that produced "Proximal Origin." 12 scientists on the line. Only 2 thought the virus was natural. The other 10 — per Fauci's own notes — "felt that deliberate insertion was possible." They flagged Shi Zhengli's gain-of-function work on coronaviruses in Wuhan by name. 8 days later, Fauci went on Newt Gingrich's podcast: "I've heard these conspiracy theories. And like all conspiracy theories, Newt, they're just conspiracy theories." Then Facebook and Twitter banned you for saying the same thing his own scientists were telling him privately." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "It is a new week, but I still do not think it has sunk in for most people, and perhaps it never will, that the event that upended our lives and changed the world was man-made. Some of us understood that from the beginning. Rand Paul’s recent document releases have now put the case beyond any doubt. The Wuhan lab created Covid and unleashed it on the world. And it could not have done so without Fauci’s help. Those are the facts. So what happens now? When does accountability begin? ..." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "From the Russia! Russia! Russia! conspiracy, through Covid, through the 2020 election fraud and the suppression of Hunter Biden's laptop, through Joe Biden's cognitive decline, they've learned that simply ignoring massive scandals works." Quote Jimmy Dore @jimmy_dore, "What is most amazing is not that we have the black-and-white evidence of Fauci being a criminal lying fraud maniac mad scientist who operated on fear and lies. But the fact that the people who worshiped him in the first place are not going to take in any of this information nor going to take in any of this information nor get angry or upset. Their worship of Fauci, and all the lies, he told about: -masks, -the infection fatality rate of the virus, -the vaccines stopping transmission, stopping contraction, -the toxic side effects that are off the chart, -the excess deaths caused by the vaccine, -the damage to children’s hearts, kidneys, neurological disorders from the vaccine, -the lies about NOT inventing the virus in the first place. Will still be ignored by the people who most ardently enforced the Fauci Covid narrative because to admit to themselves, all these lies, would mean that they were monsters acting in an evil way and poisoning themselves and their own children, and they just can’t live with that..." The Great Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson, "Dr Fauci and Mr. Science The Fauci files reveal not just a sociopathic narcissist, but also a pathological schizophrenic. For years, Fauci was assuring the public of Covid narratives that he either knew were untrue, or knew little about. He posed as a non-partisan, even as he collaborated with the leftwing cable news grandees and liberal columnists to hound his enemies and magnify his godhead. From the virus’s origins and effects of the lockdowns, to the efficacy of the mRNA vaccinations to the always changing 0/1/2 masks wearing protocols, Fauci used his massive government agency, and sycophantic media, to promote his always fluid narratives by punishing enemies and rewarding friends—on the basis of their loyalty to Dr. “I represent science”. He seemed to be obsessed with firing White House Covid advisor Scott Atlas, and demonizing Jay Bhattacharya, Sunetra Gupta and Martin Kulldorff—for the crimes of questioning the Fauci party line..."

And a bit more recent Covid news, From Fox, Alleged $32M COVID-19 fraud fugitive captured in Jamaica and returned to US, FBI says, "Elaine Angene Escoe was charged in a $32M COVID-19 pandemic relief fraud scheme allegedly involving wire fraud, money laundering." Matt Vespa at TownHall, There Was a Huge Win for Those Screwed Over by the COVID Vaccine Mandate. Appeals court rules a woman was wrongfully terminated for refusing the vaccine for religious reasons.

PJM's Stephen Kruiser argues John Thune Is the Most Effective Democrat in Congress Right Now. To be fair, he has poor material to work with. Rep. James Comer to Newsmax: Senate Stalling Trump's Agenda. Ace, Thune Schemes to Put the Senate Into Recess Until Late August, Ending Any Chance of Passing SAVE Before the Elections. In a Hat Hair vid Johnson Delivers House Wins as Pompeo Warns: Iran Still a Threat. Politico crows about the power of propaganda, Poll: Republicans’ gas price problem is even worse than it seems. "Three in five Americans believe gas prices in their area have risen by more than they actually have, according to a POLITICO analysis." But Dave Strom sees Americans Sour on Trump, Still Trust Him More Than Democrats.

ABC whines that Alaska sends 3,000 letters asking voters to verify their citizenship ahead of this year's elections.

Kyle Becker at RedState reports U.S. Ambassador Storms Out of U.N. Meeting After France Says Unthinkable About Trump Administration. France ONU Genève @FranceONUGeneve, "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it." But they sure want our money, and help when the chips are down.

Jen Van Laar at RedState reveals, Biden Ghostwriter Tapes, Transcripts Are Out - and They're Already Raising Big Questions. He openly bragged about telling his ghostwriter classified information, and revealed he knew about the classified files in the garage. Matt Vespa, The Biden Ghostwriter Tapes Are Out...and They Confirm What We've Known for a While.

The Democratic National Committee Is Imploding says PJM's Matt Margolis, hopefully. "According to a New York Times report, the Democratic National Committee can't pay its bills and Chairman Ken Martin is paranoid and unhinged. In other words, the committee is drowning in internal chaos."

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair cites the DSA Co-Chair: You're Darned Right We'll Order the Code Red on America! RNC Research @RNCResearch, "DSA Co-Chair Megan Romer confirms their platform includes: - Abolishing the Senate, presidency, & Supreme Court - Abolishing ICE, borders, & prisons - Defunding the Pentagon - Mass amnesty for illegals." VodkaPundit at PJM puts it this way, DSA's Solemn Vow: We Win an Election, You Lose a Country. Steve Cook at RCD, From Ration Stamps to DoorDash: How Comfort and Socialism Are Disarming America. Dave Strom, For Some Strange Reason, Utopian Ideas Keep Failing. PJM's Eric Florack, Six Times the Bodies, Half the Outrage: Communism's Missing Reckoning. Joe at The View From North Central Idaho says They Never Stop Lying.

RedState's Rusty Weiss outraged, What in the Actual? Mamdani Doxxes NYC’s Wealthy by Publishing Their Names and Addresses. "How? By publishing a searchable database of properties that could fall under the new pied-à-terre tax, complete with the owners’ full names and addresses." Capt. Ed thinks it's Too Dumb to Check: Did Maine Dems Anoint an Ineligible Jackson to Replace Platner? Eric W. @EWess92, "Maine has a "sore loser" law that says a candidate that runs for one office and loses cannot run for another office in the same cycle. After Graham Platner dropped out, Maine Dems are poised to nominate Troy Jackson. But Jackson ran for Governor (and lost the primary). Eligible?" Quote Kat @katagious2, "GOP Rep. James White (Maine) points out that Troy Jackson may not legally be eligible to be the nominee for Senate." "However, as we saw in the Robert Torricelli switcheroo, any ambiguity in these statutes will provide the excuse needed for Bellows and state courts to refuse to enforce those standards. That's especially true given today's deadline for ballot changes in the general election. Enforcing these statutes properly, as White demands in his challenge to Bellows, would leave the Democrats without a challenger to incumbent Republican Susan Collins. Even if the statutes had no ambiguity, the courts would moan about robbing the voters of a choice in the general election, even though Maine Democrats actually robbed those same voters of their choice by pushing Platner out in the first place." 

From Da Caller, Karen Bass Blames Trump Administration For Increasing Homelessness In LA Ahead Of New Count. Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "It's adorable you think people are stealing because they're hungry. They're stealing because they're feral and don't care about civilized society." Quote Ashton Forbes @AshtonForbes, "Downtown St. Paul Whole Foods closed last year. Too much crime. It's heart breaking watching people steal food because they're hungry. Cities can't even keep them open with subsidies."

Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "33 counties in Illinois have already voted to separate themselves from Illinois 7 more counties just approved to add the referendum onto the ballot JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson are total failures!" They're a little far away to join Greater Idaho, but perhaps they can get together with Ohio to make a Grander Ohio!

At 1945, Trump Has Already Won the Iran War, a Twenty-Five-Year Army Veteran Argues — ‘the Enemy Gets a Vote’, "In a new analysis, national security expert James Jay Carafano argues President Trump has already achieved America’s key objectives against Iran and is de-risking rather than escalating — stripping Iranian assets with every exchange, discounting the midterms, and fighting the rest of the war on what he calls Trump Time." CDR Salamander is Squinting at the Iran Decision Brief. Reason whines about Waltz: Interceptor Shortage Is Biden's Fault, Fake News, and Illegal To Discuss, "The Trump administration official contradicted himself as he tried to explain away bad news from the Iran war."


From Althouse, "Critics say T.P.S. is a problem because it’s not really temporary. Look at the Salvadorans, they say." "They first became eligible for T.P.S. in 1990 because of the violent civil war in their country. Another wave came after two devastating earthquakes in 2001. Decades on, there are about 190,000 of them here, living and working legally. (At least for now — their protected status is slated to end in September.)" From "Protected No More" (NYT gift link)."

Don Surber on Journalism 2026, "Any time President Trump gives a speech, it must be described as rambling." To be fair, it usually is, but he knows where he's going.

At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed says Quelle Surprise: Berlin Terror Perp Killed; Known Wolf With Long Track Record while Beege Welborn has Some Last Minute Updates and Thoughts on the Islamic Attack in Germany Yesterday and Dave Strom notes on the Berlin Pride Attack: Organizers Worry About Islamophobia, Blame White Men. At Althouse, "[A]nti-queer' crimes more than tripled in [Berlin] between 2016 and 2025. Violent anti-queer crimes rose by half." "Some people at the memorial on Sunday said German leaders had contributed to a sense of insecurity. They singled out the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has climbed in national polls with a platform that defines a family as a man and a woman with children. Others criticized Friedrich Merz, the chancellor, who defended a decision not to fly a Pride flag over the federal parliament building last year by saying Parliament was 'not a circus tent.'..." The New Reform Club notices the BBC’s Passive Voice, ‘A van drove into a crowd ....’ Gad Saad @GadSaad, "Ahmad attacks people at a Pride Parade because Islam. White liberal woman with aposematic hair coloring concludes white men are to blame. Suicidal Empathy is a fatal disease of the human spirit." Quote American AF @iAnonPatriot, "OMG. Liberal women are blaming “white men” for the Islamic extremist who ran over people at an LGBTQ parade in Berlin. “You’re not going to scapegoat the Muslim community like they’re the violent ones, when it’s actually you (white men).”" Ace sees another Maryland Man Goes on Stabbing Spree in Paris, Saying Allah Sent Him to Kill Women, "The police say that you should ignore his self-stated motive. It doesn't matter that he says Allah sent him to kill women. The man, you see, is "crazy."" "The suspect, Lebanese-heritage Abdul Ballut, 21, was shot and killed by police on Sunday after a 20-hour manhunt in the German capital." So, not really a Maryland Man, rather a "Maryland Man."

At the College Fix, Left-wing activist turns out to be professor. Insty at his NYPo gig notes Even the left is now flagging the gross bias at America’s universities. Beege Welborn notes In the Pantheon of Worthless Degrees to Waste Money on, This Is Up There "Arizona State launches degree on becoming an influencer — exactly the career more than half of Gen Z adults dream of." It helps to have big tits. Dave Strom calls the University of Minnesota: Taxpayer-Funded Groomers. VodkaPundit at Insty, WELL, WHEN YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT…: End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "This is who's calling you an extremist on the internet."

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Tattoo Tuesday

South Carolina Daily Gazette, Tattoo parlor sues SC over 22-year-old law requiring distance from churches. "Lawsuit also challenges state ban on tattooing anyone’s face, head or neck."
Whether tattoo artists have a constitutional right to ink near churches and schools is the central question of a federal lawsuit challenging a decades-old state law.

South Carolina became the second-to-last state in the nation to allow tattooing in 2004, following only Oklahoma. The law legalizing the practice set parameters, including that parlors needed to stay at least 1,000 feet away from any nearby churches, schools and playgrounds, and no artist could tattoo on the neck, face or head.

In a lawsuit filed July 17 in federal court, a tattoo shop and two people who want to get inked are arguing those rules violate the First Amendment right of self-expression. The state Department of Public Health and attorney general’s office, named as the defendants, have not yet filed responses.

“Whether artwork appears on canvas, paper, or skin, the Constitution protects both the artist’s right to create it and the customer’s right to receive it,” the lawsuit reads.

Well, duh! What if you want to get a head and neck tattoo after church! 


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Monday, July 27, 2026

Maryland, My Maryland

 At the Balmer Sun, Could small modular reactors help ease Maryland’s energy crisis? 

As Maryland grapples with soaring electricity demand and rising energy costs, a Rockville-based nuclear company is betting that a new generation of small reactors could eventually help power the state — even as its first projects are being developed hundreds of miles away.

X-Energy Inc., with a Rockville headquarters and Frederick testing center, has plans in Texas and Washington state to generate electricity for chemicals giant Dow Inc. and retail behemoth Amazon. But its technology could be a fit for Maryland’s energy landscape, the company said in a recent interview with The Baltimore Sun.

The company is among developers of a range of new nuclear reactor technologies touted as compact, safe and flexible enough for a variety of sites but not yet in commercial use in the United States.

“Small modular reactors” cost less to build than traditional plants but can operate around the clock to generate carbon-free electricity, proponents say. Much smaller than conventional nuclear plants (typically under 300 megawatts), SMRs can be factory-built and assembled on-site, potentially reducing costs and construction time. They can be added in stages as electricity demand grows.
...
Baltimore-based Constellation, for one, the nation’s largest operator of nuclear plants, is in talks with developers about co-locating modular reactors at power plants across its U.S. portfolio, including at Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Calvert County. No deals have been announced.

“New nuclear and SMRs are going to be part of America’s future, and, we’re very hopeful, also part of Maryland’s future,” said David Dardis, a Constellation senior executive vice president and chief external affairs and growth officer. “Maryland has some pretty great advantages.”

“New nuclear” is a broad term for a new generation of nuclear energy technologies and business models that differ from the large, traditional nuclear power plants built mainly between the 1960s and 1990s.

Locating small reactors at existing plants makes sense, Dardis said. Calvert Cliffs would offer adjacent land, existing electrical infrastructure and water, used as a coolant.

I would be shocked if the regulators would let them tap into Calvert Cliffs cooling water. I thought many of the "small" reactor designs  used air cooling systems. I could see a small reactor on the Calvert Cliffs reservation, which is pretty big, right next to the AI data center that is also being considered on the the site.

A friend, and neighbor, former nuclear navy, works at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is gung-ho for small reactors. I hope he gets to see this.

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