Maryland, My Maryland

From the Balmer Sun, Howard County launches online form for residents to report ICE activity. "Calvin Ball says anonymous submissions will help ensure federal immigration agents act lawfully." Calvin Ball? Now that's funny!

Howard County announced on Friday the launching of an online form in which people can report the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the county, according to a news release from County Executive Calvin Ball.

“We believe every resident, regardless of immigration status, deserves to be treated with respect. Unfortunately, we have seen horrific incidents unfold between ICE agents and members of the public,” Ball said in the release. “Like any other federal agency who conducts business in Howard County, we want to make sure any actions are lawful. This tool helps provide information to us about alleged ICE activity in the County.”

Ball stressed the form is not a way to request emergency services. Residents should call 911 in the event of an emergency.

The form asks for the date, time and location as well as a description of the observed incident. It also allows for anonymous submissions.

Howard County officials were not available to comment Monday due to the holiday.
ICE officials did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. The agency has been widely criticized for enforcement operations.

No chance of abuse with anonymous submissions, am I right? 

Flotsam and Jetsam - DHS Raids Ilhan Omar's House

First, from Matt Margolis at PJM, Federal Agents Raid Ilhan Omar's D.C. Home. At Da Caller, DHS Raids Ilhan Omar’s Home Amid Criminal Investigation. News Wax, Feds Search Rep. Ilhan Omar's Home in Criminal Probe and Trump Calls Omar 'Totally Crooked' in Remarks on Raid. Sundance at CTH, Federal Agents Execute Search Warrant on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Home. "The political left is going bananas, the socialists are having fits, the Islamists are in a rage and the communists are apoplectic about the news that federal law enforcement has executed a search warrant at the home of Representative Ilhan Omar. However, there are no specific details about the nature of the federal action." From Pirate's Cove, Wow: Federal Agents Searched Ilhan Omar’s House. Althouse posts "Federal agents search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home as part of a criminal investigation, AP sources say." "AP reports." Ace, DHS Agents Execute a Search Warrant on Ilhan "Omar's" DC Home, Seeking Her Old Immigration Paperwork. "Deport." Gina Milan @ginamilan_, "Just so we’re clear… A federal judge in D.C. signed off on the search warrant for Ilhan Omar’s home. The DOJ had to show probable cause as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into her immigration paperwork. In a district full of liberal judges, that doesn’t happen without serious evidence. Today is a very good day for America." and a Friendly reminder… The Biden DOJ launched an investigation into Ilhan Omar in 2024 over her finances, campaign spending, and dealings with a foreign citizen. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "If you didn't want the DOJ to prosecute jihadist Congresswomen who illegally obtain citizenship and commit criminal immigration fraud, perhaps you should not have rifled through Melania's underwear drawer at 3 a.m." RedState's Kyle Beck says Holy Moly: The Code Name for Ilhan Omar Raid Is Just Too Funny. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "WaPo reports that the federal criminal fraud investigation investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is called “World War 11”, an apparent reference to a recent comment Omar made when she said the Alien Enemies Act hadn’t been used since “World War Eleven”." Shipwreckedcrew says Yes -- Minn. Rep. Ilhan Omar Can Be Denaturalized And Deported If Her Original Immigrant Visa Was Obtained Via Fraud By Her Father. "This is a story that has been around for many years, with evidence being produced in the country of Somaliland where Omar’s father is reported to have served while in the Somali National Army." Roger Simon wonders if Ilhan Omar was Investigated in Time for... My Book?, "Something larger is at stake."

At PJM, VodkaPundit reminds us So the FBI Did Another Big Raid You Might Have Missed.... "Did you hear the one about the FBI investigation in the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners that caught one of them with his hand in the cookie jar of his own nonprofit?" I didn't miss it.

Rabbi Mike Barclay connects Houthi Attacks and New Archaeological Discoveries in Israel. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair wonders what it take Getting the Iranian Regime to Cry 'Uncle' in Farsi. Fox opines The Iran war didn't make your heating bill this high. Blue-state energy policy did. "The US has just 130 operable refineries, down from 301 in 1982." At CTH sundance hosts Barbara Boyd Explores the Ramifications of the Trump-Putin Energy Deal. From Jamestown, Xi’s Purge and the War Over Taiwan. "The purge shows political will emphasized over military professionalism. Military conflict is less likely in the short term while new officers enter their posts, but gray-zone pressure will likely escalate. A leadership consisting of compliant subordinates makes war increasingly likely over time." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks Carney is Committing Commercide, to gain politically. 

Fox hosts Trump warns of a 1929-style depression if Dems win. From NewsWax, Musk Pours $276 Million Into GOP Midterm Push. From CJ, Trump’s Census Proposal Is a Big Step in Restoring National Unity, "Eliminating race and ethnicity tabulation from the decennial questionnaire will help dismantle identity politics and the grievance industry." Eric Trump @Eric_TrumpRv, "JUST IN: President Trump alludes to possibly appointing Ron DeSantis to a CABINET POSITION “I like him a lot!” I’m ALL for this. Ron DeSantis is one of the best executives in America, and his term is up in just months." 

Security and Cigars explains An Oath is a Terrible Thing, "Why Former Major Nidal Hasan Must Be Executed."

The Victory Girls opine, Kimberly Guilfoyle Is A Headache The Administration Doesn’t Need. From News Wax, Kimberly Guilfoyle: 'Where's the Beef' in Allegations? "Guilfoyle's attorneys offer a sharply different account: Rather than receiving improper payments, Guilfoyle was attempting to collect money owed for legitimate work performed before entering diplomatic service. At no point has anyone claimed she received private money while serving as a U.S. ambassador. A disputed private business arrangement predating public service is not, by itself, evidence of corruption. Then there are the questions about private-aircraft travel. Sources close to Guilfoyle's team state that she sought and obtained State Department guidance before using private aircraft and complied with applicable travel, ethics, gift, and reporting rules." Both can be true, it's a headache for Trump, and the allegations can be overblown. I resent the media forcing these choices. UPDATE from Da Caller, White House Asks Scandal-Ridden Kimberly Guilfoyle To Resign. Don Surber has The story ABC does not want you to see, "The Disney subsidiary went after Trump’s sons and failed. ABC scrubbed the URL. I found it."

At Hat Hair Capt. Ed calls it Too Weird to NOT Check First: Did Talarico Have a Mental Health Crisis? Althouse has the Tweet found after prompting A.I. with "get me up to speed on the Talarico-had-a-nervous-breakdown craze." James Talarico @jamestalarico, "I’ve never even been to Ohio." Quote Lindner Center HOPE @LindnerCtrHope, "Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope." and comments "What?! Never been to Ohio? That's got to be disqualifying. How can we have a Senator who's never been to Ohio?" I've been to Ohio. He didn't miss much. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Jacqueline and the NYT have tracked down a disputed bakery bill from 6 years ago…but let James Talarico disappear this month for 12 days with no curiosity. Journalism is dead." Quote Jacqueline Alemany @JaxAlemany, "Six years later, Sen. Roger Marshall settles a $700 bakery bill for 50 frosted sugar cookies, 100 mini strawberry muffins and 100 fudge brownies. " So both Talarico and the Ohio funny farm deny that he went there. Now, we all know politicians lie, alot. But it occurs to me that under HIPAA, the hospital may be legally obligated to lie, if the patient does not want his stay there revealed. I'm going to stick with this might be true.

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn sees El-Sayed Has a Sudden, Fierce Case of Amnestic 'Who's My Buddy? Who's My Pal? Obama Is!' while Capt. Ed says Oh Brother(hood) II: El-Sayed's Islamist Boogaloo. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed’s Family Has ‘Long Been’ in Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Senate Candidate’s Sister Said in Unearthed Social Media Posts. "El-Sayed said on 'Meet the Press' that neither he nor any of his family members have ties to the Islamist group." Charlie LeDuff @Charlieleduff, "No BS Newshour Episode #427 El-Sayed Scampaign Donors Elizabeth is a true believer in liberal causes and continues to make small political donations by way of ActBlue—the Democrat online fundraising platform. (4:36) But somehow, those few dozen small donations she has made have transmogrified into 14,696 donations totaling more than $150,000—the equivalent of eight donations a day, every day for the past five years averaging $9.18. She says she has contributed to Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Socialist running for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, but not 47 times spanning the last TWO YEARS, as federal filings show..." TownHall's Dmitri Bolt Debunks Another Socialist Lie: Abdul El-Sayed Thinks Billionaires Make Money by ‘Doing Nothing.’

At Victory Girls, Mamdani Monday: DSA Demands And The Italian Snub. He boycotted the annual Columbus Day Parade, probably fearing boos. NYPo, Gov. Kathy Hochul booed while marching in NYC’s Columbus Day parade: ‘You’re a disgrace’ PJM's Stephen Kruiser says Columbus Day Always Puts Me in a Land-Stealing Mood and Bob Spencer hears The Democratic Socialists Are Furious With That Far-Right Extremist, Zohran Mamdani. The Center Square cites a Poll: Majority of voters concerned about socialists running for office. Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "Men respect an honorable enemy." Quote Mike "Wild Horse" Kobe @Wild_Horse, ""Hey Mike, I know you CLAIM that Native Americans are mostly patriotic Americans, but I'm just not convinced." This is the 2026 powwow for the Northern Cheyenne, the Arapaho, the Dakota and the Lakota, the largest Plains Nation, the one that fought the US Army to the bitter end and defeated Custer. This is them. Today." The Wombat has In The Mailbox: 10.12.26 (Annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Appreciation Post). 

From NRO, Dem Campaign Ads Cite Soros-Backed Fake News Sites to Sway Voters in Key Races. From Fox, The blue wave looks real until you look a little closer. "The Democrats need a net gain of four seats to control the Senate, and while some are prematurely sipping Champagne, nobody really knows if they can draw that kind of inside straight. If they tell you they do, they’re lying." At ¡No Pasaran! "Happy to Mail That Ballot for You"?! What the right to vote does NOT require is governments providing every possible personal convenience imaginable.

Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "I wrote for @NRO about the mysteriously absent “no” in the Cornell 7 case : “The end result of liberal sexual ethics writ large — according to which women seldom say no and they can be, or should be, every bit as debauched as men — has not been a joyful bacchanal but a minefield. It’s a two-tiered system for the sexes. Female sexuality is practically unlimited, but it’s not coupled with an expectation of responsibility or agency, or even the minimal requirement to know and clearly communicate one’s own mind. On the other side of the ledger, male sexuality is maximally constrained. In a reversal of biological fortune, men are now expected to be the brakes on sex, even when women directly advertise that they are eager and open to all comers. In the face of “free p****,” to quote one defendant’s vulgar chat message, they must either be rapists or monks…" Matt Vespa at TownHall says I Can't Believe the Media Admitted They Left Out These Cornell Texts in Their Reporting. Collin Rugg @CollinRugg, "NEW: Texts from 'Jane Doe' following the alleged "r*pe" show her calling the incident a "gamgbang," saying it was "our body our choice," according to TMZ. Doe also appeared to console the man (who she later accused of r*pe). "aw jonathan i really appreciate this text... i don't think we should feel any shame for the part. our body our choice asf," Doe said, according to TMZ. Doe also appeared to acknowledge that a fourth person was involved in the encounter. She also said they were "super out of it."..."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, reports the Montana AG Asks Supreme Court to Revive Case Against DEI Training That Allegedly Declared ‘All Caucasians’ Racist. At CFACT, Feds defy Supreme Court ban on labeling every puddle a ‘protected wetland’. Bureaucrats are gonna be bureaucrats as long as their not held to account, and then maybe a little longer.

At Am Great, DOJ Launches Antitrust Investigation Into Major TV Networks Over White House Coverage Boycott. "DoJ officials contacted the networks Friday, requesting communications and documents concerning the coordinated suspension of coverage." Did they conspire, or was it a decision they all made separately?

The Manhattan Contrarian looks at Two Versions Of The Story of the ICE Arrest In Far Uptown Manhattan that Ended In Shooting: Dave Strom says As New York Politicians Complain About ICE Shooting, They Ignore That It Is Their Fault. New York Post @nypost, "NY rejects 16,000 Trump ICE detainers for illegal migrants accused or convicted in over 52,000 crimes https://trib.al/wlDa7cB."
DHS, DHS Issues Statement After ICE Arrests Illegal Alien from Nigeria Who Exposed Himself in Public While Working for Congressional Campaign in Pennsylvania.

At Campus Reform, Gallup: Belief in college importance hits record low. From the College Fix, Harvard will stop granting internships to foreign law students and Publisher removes 200 papers University of Chicago statistician wrote in under 1 year. "Scholars say situation adds to larger concerns about AI usage producing high volume, low quality articles." But, are they right? If he's using AI to publish junk that wasn't actually done, throw him out. But if he's using AI just to do the bullshit work of writing, and getting real work published, more power to him.

From the National Interest, France’s Riots Stem from a Deep Rot, and a lot of Muslim immigrants. John Davidson at Da Fed observes In France And Britain, Multiculturalism Is Leading To Authoritarianism. Buck Throckmorton at Ace's takes from From Peter Clack - “A society dismantled simultaneously by energy delusion and the abandonment of its sovereign borders.” From VodkaPundit at Insty, THE GOOD NEWS, MR. POTENTIAL ASYLUM-SEEKER, IS THAT THE GAZA ARABS MIGHT NOT HAVE ANY BUILDINGS LEFT TALL ENOUGH TO BOTHER THROWING YOU OFF OF…:

🇪🇸 A member of the Spanish LGBTQ+ community, draped in a Palestinian flag, says he'll seek political asylum in Gaza if the right wins the election 🙄 https://t.co/JfOgbmFzrk

— Prof. Math & CS (@Zeev81309559) October 12, 2026

Tattoo Tuesday

Nine.com (Au), Scientists develop tattoos you can turn on and off

A new study in Cell Press journal Matter and Light reveals the new inks could help people conceal their tattoos when they feel the need, such as for a job interview. 

“Tattooing is a very ancient technology that remains mostly untapped as a platform for today’s technologies,” lead author Carson Bruns of the University of Colorado said.

The new inks, known as PhotoTat, are made from dyes and a plexiglass-like material common in many medical technologies on the market today, including dermal fillers.

The research is a passion project for Bruns, who has a lot of his own tattoos, including a green lion on his arm. “I love body art because of how personal it is,” he says.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Talarico Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

Matt Margolis at PJM, Journalist Puts Talarico on the Clock, Threatens to Expose Where He Really Was. At Twitchy, 'You Tell Them OR WE WILL': Nick Sortor Drops the Biggest TIK-TOK We've Ever Seen on James Talarico. Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "Good morning, @JamesTalarico! Would YOU like to reveal where you *actually* were these past couple weeks, or should me and @RheinAmacher do it? Please let us know by 1pm ET today! Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Kyle Becker at RedState, says the Mystery of 'Missing' Talarico May Be Solved After Journo Seemingly 'Confirms' Whereabouts. Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Ohio mental hospital CONFIRMS James Talarico was discharged from the facility earlier this week The “flu” thing was a BIG FAT LIE Following reporting by @SaraGonzalesTX and @CarolineWren, a hospital employee told @RheinAmacher and I that Talarico had in fact been a patient at the Lindner Center of Hope near Cincinnati, Ohio, which specializes in around-the-clock mental health treatment. While I sympathize with those dealing with mental health crises, this man is CLEARLY not suited to become a US Senator representing over 30 MILLION TEXANS. The job doesn’t get easier after being elected — it only gets MORE stressful. And Talarico clearly can’t handle it. I pray he gets the help he needs, but Texans need a real representative they can rely on." The hospital denies it, however. Matt Vespa at TownHall wants to know Was James Talarico Admitted to a Mental Health Facility in Ohio? Matt Margolis, Audio Appears to Confirm Talarico’s Stay at Mental Health Facility; Campaign Denies It and Talarico FINALLY Speaks, and I Think He Just Made Things Worse. Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll, "Texas Senate Update - The Ohio mental health center denies treating James Talarico" Quote Lindner Center HOPE @LindnerCtrHope, "Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "I wish I could give the benefit of the doubt on this one, but these are the same people who called us liars and conspiracy theorists for 4 years with Joe Biden. You don't get that grace anymore." Quote Just the News @JustTheNews, "Newly released audio raises questions about Talarico’s absence from campaign trial (sic)." Byron York @ByronYork, "Seems odd that Talarico stayed off the trail for so long because of illness without explaining to the public what was going on. Why not just say, I've got the flu, and I can do some brief virtual appearances, but mostly I need to rest for a while?" Quote NBC News @NBCNews, "Democratic state Rep. James Talarico has been off the trail for 12 days. His campaign says he is suffering from the flu and expected to be back in action this weekend." So, we know he's crazy, but did he actually seek treatment? From Twitchy, Uhh, They're Not Here for You: Team Talarico Tries to Take a Victory Lap at Kacey Musgraves Concert. "We won't deny that some people next to the rail as Talarico made his way to the front row (of course) recognized him and were taking videos. But we're pretty sure that most of the cheers in the arena were for Musgraves. Since, you know, that's who the crowd paid to see." Joe Chalfant at TownHall reveals some Influencers Got Payouts to Post Pro-Talarico Content. ATX data @data_atx, "The Talarico influencer army is NOT organic and real NYTimes report out today says tiktokers are being paid $4 per 1000 views for positive Talarico content Back in the day, the Beto fans posted for free!" So, maybe I'll put up a Talarice ad in a Rule 5 post.

Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "While Nithya Raman is desperately trying to delete videos of her recklessly calling people fascists like a psycho, don’t forget…she called me, a fire victim with zero institutional power, a fascist…all because I wanted to get naked drug zombies into rehab so my kids don’t have to see psychos jack off in public. She is just the worst." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman says Spencer Pratt represents “fascism” and calls him “Mini Trump”" Will she be worse than Zohran? Scott McKay at Am Spec calls him The Enemy Within, "Mamdani certainly sounds like he’s in league with the enemy." Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal explains The Quiet Rise of Democratic Socialism: How DSA Built Power Across America. I&I explores the question What Do South Americans Know That U.S. Voters Don’t? They tried socialism, and it made things worse. Bob Hoge at RedState, Liberal Anchor Drops a Clownish Line About Communists. House Majority Whip Steamrolls Him on Air.

Politico crows Wall Street and Big Tech’s blue wave nightmare: Elizabeth Warren working with Republicans. "Warren is likely to chair the Senate Banking Committee if Democrats take back the Senate." The Manhattan Contrarian wonders How Can Democrats Possibly Run On "Affordability"? when seemingly all their policies are designed to make things more expensive? Simple, by lying. To wit, from the Free Bacon, Colorado Dem Manny Rutinel Takes Credit for $350 Million Police Fund Proposed by Conservative Group and Passed by Voters, "‘Manny never once reached out to support the campaign for prop 130, which was a ballot measure passed by voters, not legislators,’ Advance Colorado VP says."

PJM's Kathy Salgado report Iran-Backed Houthis Kill American in Saudi Airport Strike. "At least 12 people died and over 300 suffered injuries after Houthi terrorists struck the airport in Saudi Arabia’s capita, Riyadh. One of the victims was an American." Another good reason to eliminate the Houthis. At Homeland Security Today, Terrorism-Related Encounters Surge at Southwest Ports of Entry, Analysis Finds. Now that the porous border has been hardened. "U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Southwest border ports of entry recorded more than 11,250 “terrorism-related encounters” in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2026 — more than twice as many as in FY 2025 and more than 100 times the previous administration’s record, according to a new analysis by Center for Immigration Studies." 

From Forbes, Russian Anti-Plague Laboratory Death Raises Questions On Biosafety And Global Health. The Russians are acting suspiciously, but then, they always do. At Am Great, the Raw Egg Nationalist (great name BTW) wishes A Plague on Your House: What’s Really Going on in Russia? "Russia claimed its offensive biological weapons program ended with communism, but there’s no clear proof it did." Sundance at CTH sees Zelenskyy Runs to Mark Carney for Support Against Donald Trump, I'm sure they'll be a big help. Oil Price.com warns Europe’s Diesel Woes Just Got Even Worse. "Europe’s diesel supply crunch is worsening, with imports hitting a record September low as China suspends fuel exports and Russian supplies remain constrained." At Breitbart Bus Dig, The Weekly Wrap: People Are Worried About Diesel Prices and AI Crowding Out Everything. Speaking of AI, Sarah Hoyt hosts Artificial Stupidity, The Prodigal Frankenstein’s Monster, and a Dead Irishman- A Guest Post By Thomas Kendal. It's actually pretty good. He thinks the AI companies are blackmailing the government to set their monopolies up by threatening an AI catastrophe in the next year.

Hat Hair's John Stossel defends Trillionaires. As Tom Lehrer sang of the "Old Dope Peddler" doing well by doing good. Sundance warns of A Sovereign Economic World Under Construction to Replace Globalist “Western Market Pricing.” At WUWT, Secretary Brooke Rollins Shepherds Another Anti-ESG Reform for USDA. "Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) enacted sweeping reform that will help heal America’s wounded dairy industry by ensuring that the fees farmers pay to advance farming interests no longer go to advancing ESG-related activities and subsidies often directed by interests outside the United States." 

Hat Hair's Duane Patterson still has high hopes Why the 2026 Midterms Might Fool Us All. 

Da Wire sees New Evidence In The Cornell 7 Case that Completely Blows The Accuser’s Story. "We will go into the text messages and this whole timeline." Kyle Becker sees Bill Maher Goes All-In on Cornell 7 Story. It's Enough to Make You Wonder If Frats Should Be Banned,he's not exactly a fan of free association. "Everything that’s inherently bad about men gets worse if you put them in a fraternity. The drinking gets worse, the cruelty, the treatment of women, the tribalism, the peer pressure, one-upmanship, conformity, segregation, nepotism, bullying, elitism, and just general a**holery — boat shoes, for example." Lisa Britton @LisaBritton, "This Reddit user is right… There’s been a war on male spaces for decades now. Fraternities are one of the last still around. We only hear about the negative things regarding fraternities, never the positives, and there are so many positives. Abolishing fraternities is not the way to go!" At Althouse, "What Cornell Teaches Its Students About Sex/From feminist porn awards to guides on group sex, Cornell has promoted sexual liberation as a virtue." "An article by Jared Lederman, a senior at Cornell, in The Free Press. Lots of links to the University's sex guides, such as "Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist"."" Do what you want, you can always blame men in general and President Trump in particular later.

MD Kittle at Da Fed thinks Jack Smith’s Twisting Of Justice Makes The Case For Anti-Weaponization Fund. Prolife Press reports Pritzker Threatened Catholic Doctors Who Refuse Assisted Suicide Until a Federal Judge Stepped In. At Hat Hair, Josh Hammer asserts The Left Has Made It Harder to Kill Christa Pike. She Must Die Anyway.

From NYPo, NYC DSA darling Darializa Avila Chevalier claims it ‘doesn’t even matter’ that gangbanger shot by ICE has violent criminal record. No, but his attempt to run over ICE officers does. Sundance hosts Sunday Talks – DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Sets the Record Straight on ICE Shooting in New York. Tyler O'Neil, The Activist Pipeline That Explains Why Biden’s DHS Only Investigated 496 Visa Overstays Despite Getting 3.1M Tips. Tierney's Real News looks at America’s Long History of Removing Threats, "Why the Communist Ban Still Stands and How Sharia Could Be Stopped."

Nick Ballasy at JTN reports DOJ investigating whether media outlets violated antitrust law after refusing pool coverage. "The investigation follows a move last month by the five broadcasters in the White House television pool to stop pool coverage of Trump after the administration restricted CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s access to the White House." 

Basil the Great @BasilTheGreat, "Andy Burnham is changing the law You will need an I.D to use social media You will no longer need an I.D to vote in elections We can all see what is happening here right?" Greg Lukianoff at the Eternally Radical Idea, Rooster convicted for Shrexting, MN school board censors parents, FIRE sues LA City Council, & more! 

From United with Israel hears Hamas Hails Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Israel Blasts ‘Moral Failure.’ From Ace, The Nobel Peace Prize Is Neither Noble Nor Supportive Of Peace! "Navi Pillay just won the Nobel Peace Prize, and for those of you who are thinking..."Who," (I'm one of them) you would be entirely correct. She is an apparatchik in the international justice racket, first serving as a judge in South Africa..a well-known bastion of the rule of law! She then moved on to the UN, the International Criminal Court, and the International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda ... Her record is depressingly consistent, and it is focused not on freedom, but on her 3rd World sensibility of Western responsibility for the ills of the world.And the Nobel Committee gobbles up that sort of crap! Have there been deserving winners? Sure, but just glance at the list of winners and it is obvious that it is usually hyper-political, self-serving, anti-Western, and also impossibly silly." NYPo opines France’s insane student protests are really about a growing radical Muslim population that wants to get rid of democracy. From the College Fix, Several universities cut ties with foreign groups following Department of War audit. 

From CJ, Harvard Medical School vs. Weight Loss, "A recent panel examined how to treat fat patients “more ethically.”" Defense Opinion opines Weak Math means Weaker National Defense. 

If Sophie Cunningham said black players should shut up and no one cared about their opinions, she’d be kicked out of the league in two minutes. But black players can say white players need to shut up? The WNBA is filled with racist morons. https://t.co/dQdPFPiYeY

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 11, 2026

The Monday Morning Stimulus

With some help from Maya Allegra, who seems to like coffee OK, but likes that green stuff (chai?) even more:

Science Alert claims Decaf Coffee Might Have A Surprising Advantage Over Caffeinated, Study Finds

In a recent small experiment, neuroscientists found that only participants who drank decaffeinated coffee showed significant improvements on two memory tests. Those who drank caffeinated coffee did not.

The findings, published in Nature Communications in April, suggest that something beyond caffeine is also impacting our brains when we drink coffee.

But what if you drink to forget?

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Mujahid Muhammad
He dresses like a pimp.

At the Balmer Sun, An FBI raid exposes Baltimore’s nonprofit oversight problem

Baltimore did not need another governance scandal, but it has one. The abrupt resignation of school commissioner Mujahid Muhammad after an FBI search of his nonprofit offices is more than an uncomfortable headline. It is a clear example of how Baltimore’s nonprofit sector has grown large, politically connected and poorly scrutinized. It now spills directly into public oversight. It also reflects poorly on Mayor Brandon Scott’s judgment, and it cannot be brushed aside with a short statement.

Federal agents executed a court-authorized search at the Liberty Road building that houses KEYS Empowers, the nonprofit Muhammad leads. Witnesses described a dramatic scene with armed agents, a battering ram and a full street shutdown. The FBI has not disclosed details, but the timing was unmistakable. Within hours, Muhammad resigned from the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, and the district removed his biography from its website.

The mayor confirmed he accepted the resignation but offered no explanation. City Hall often defaults to silence when the issue involves politically favored nonprofits, and this moment followed the pattern.

The facts surrounding Muhammad’s organizations are not subtle. KEYS Empowers and its related entities have received millions in public funding, including a million dollars in federal COVID relief for a community center that still has not opened. Tax filings reviewed by multiple outlets show more than $4.7 million in government contracts and grants in recent years, along with expenses that exceeded revenue. One analyst described the filings as containing every red flag imaginable.

Baltimore City Public Schools has now terminated its contract with KEYS Development. The district cited ethics concerns and incomplete financial disclosures that Muhammad amended only years later. But the decision highlights a larger truth. The city has been outsourcing critical youth development work to nonprofits that operate with far less transparency than public agencies, even as they receive public money.

This is not a blanket criticism of all nonprofits in Baltimore. Many provide essential services. The problem is the city’s growing reliance on nonprofit executives in public roles without rigorous vetting or clear boundaries. When Scott appointed Muhammad in 2023, he praised his commitment to young people. Good intentions do not qualify someone for public oversight, especially when the appointee runs organizations that depend on government contracts.

Spotlight on Maryland’s Thursday reporting, showing that Baltimore City awarded millions to a nonprofit run by a convicted felon who filed for bankruptcy three times, only further exposes the lack of controls and vetting in the city’s nonprofit system.

Baltimore’s nonprofit ecosystem is sprawling, politically intertwined and often shielded from scrutiny. It functions as a parallel governance structure that elected officials use to fill gaps in city services. When the mayor repeatedly selects nonprofit operators for powerful public positions, he brings their conflicts of interest directly into government. Muhammad’s downfall shows how quickly that can create problems.

The deeper issue is structural. Baltimore has built a system where nonprofits act as extensions of city government but without the accountability mechanisms that government requires. This arrangement may be politically convenient, but it is not sustainable. It erodes public trust, blurs lines of responsibility and creates fertile ground for the kind of scandal now unfolding.

Scott now faces a question he has avoided. Why is the city’s leadership pipeline so dependent on nonprofit figures whose organizations rely on public dollars? He also must explain why his administration consistently responds to controversy with opacity instead of candor.

Muhammad’s resignation is a warning. Baltimore cannot continue outsourcing public responsibility to private entities and treating the risks as hypothetical. They are visible, they are costly and they now sit squarely on the mayor’s desk.

Of course, if you follow this blog, or even news in general you know that corruption in the NGO game is not restricted to Baltimore. It's very wide spread in the US, with countless non-profits sailing pretty close to, or across the wind with regard to their legal requirements. They've largely been a tool of the left to funnel money back to Democrat supporters and politicians, or to evade disclosure rules on disclosure. I'm the sure the right has a few as well. You can't unilaterally disarm. 

I would be in favor of abolishing the tax free status of NGOs. Let them do what they're going to do with post-tax money.

Maryland, My Maryland

Local woman caught doin' the Toobin. At the Cap. Gaze, Edgewater woman accused of lewd act on BWI-to-Miami flight

A Maryland woman is reportedly under FBI review after authorities said she removed her pants and engaged in a sexual act during an American Airlines flight from Baltimore to Miami. Katy Inzer, of Edgewater, was met by law enforcement when American Airlines Flight 1779 arrived at Miami International Airport on Sept. 11, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office incident report cited by The Smoking Gun.

In the report, police said a passenger told a flight attendant that Inzer removed her pants about 20 minutes after takeoff “and began to actively masturbate while making inappropriate sounds.” The flight attendant approached Inzer and told her to stop, authorities said in the report. She complied, put her pants back on, and “fell asleep for the remainder of the flight,” the report noted.

Deputies who spoke with Inzer, 46, after the plane landed reported that she appeared intoxicated, noting that she “had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage” and bloodshot eyes. “Ms. Inzer stated that her flight was delayed for two hours in Baltimore; as a result, she had several drinks before boarding the flight,” the report noted, adding that she said “she does not remember what occurred during the flight because she fell asleep.”

The case was referred to the FBI because the alleged conduct occurred during the flight, the report noted.

Is this really a federal case?  I'll bet she's a ton of fun at a crab feast. Get that woman another beer!

Flotsam and Jetsam on a Rainy Sunday Morning

As the remains of Hurricane Isaias blankets us with tropical moisture. 

Power Line's The Week in Pictures:
Electile Dysfunction Edition

Joe Chalfant at TownHall reports a Houthi Missile Strikes Saudi Arabian Airport, Resulting in 'Mass Casualty Incident'. 3 dead, and an Airbus A310-200 destroyed. It's time to get the players together and eliminate the Houthis. At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson says the Iranian Regime Has Only One Way Out "they only have one chance, and that is now to call off the United States military and the United States financial architects of this embargo and somehow squeeze or slither out of the noose that they put their head in. Let’s hope that does not happen."

Loay Alshareef لؤي الشريف @lalshareef, "The Flydubai co-pilot was radicalized in Qandahar, Afghanistan. The Flydubai co-pilot was radicalized in Melbourne, Australia by a mosque linked to the Muslim Brotherhood organization. Let that sink in. People of Australia, wake up."

Rob Lee @RALee85, "In Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, we are seeing early drone warfare. I would equate this to where Ukraine and Russia were in 2023. The diffusion of drone technology and tactics will increase, particularly whenever the Russo-Ukraine war ends. I doubt that we are prepared." Quote Ryan O'Leary @RyanO_ChosenCoy, "One thing that is becoming more common is “PMC” type and drone companies hiring foreigners who did drones in Ukraine for work. The main problem with that, is that anyone can learn to fly a drone in 14-21 days. Give them 6 weeks and they’ll be hitting targets. What they don’t learn in-depth typically is the tactics behind drones (especially for the 6 monthers) or get a good grasp on signals/frequency and all the overly nerdy shit involved in that realm...."

Jeremiah Fowler Security Researcher @yoda69, "According to Cloudflare Data Explorer the amount of russian bot traffic has dropped to 49% after Ukraine struck a yandex data center. Could this disrupt the midterm elections in the US?" Disrupt US election by cutting down Russian bots? Please explain that? At Da Caller, ‘It’s Time For Ukraine To Get A New President’: Trump Signals End Of Patience With Zelenskyy As War Stretches On. Sundance at CTH also hears President Trump Says It’s Time for Zelenskyy to Be Replaced. They could hold an election.... Also, Zelenskyy Urgently Attacks Russian Oil/Fuel Export Terminal "The intention of Zelenskyy’s targeting is obvious to anyone who has followed the conflict between Russia-Ukraine and the involvement of EU-NATO countries in keeping maximum conflict at the forefront. They do not want a strategic agreement between Putin and Trump." John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad, "Why are we importing ANY petroleum products? BUILD MORE DIESEL REFINERIES AND SHIPS TO MOVE IT This is a military priority. If Cali and Mass refuse then build DoW refineries on federal land. If Delta Airlines can own and run a refinery then the USAF can too."

Michael Ron Bowling @mrbcyber, "Disturbing news that the former German spy chief arrested for treason had close relationship to a Chinese general. Western intelligence appears to be deeply compromised. This comes shortly after a report that a senior CIA official had stolen millions from the agency. He also shared information with a foreign intelligence agency. Western democracies believed they had won the cold war and let their defenses down. The CCP never believed the war ended and has been compromising officials the whole time." And this is why you spy on allies (among other good reasons).

Althouse goes to the NYT for their coverage of Hassan's upcoming execution, "Legal experts say that Mr. Hasan could challenge the government’s decision to livestream his execution, perhaps by asserting..." "... that a public broadcast would violate prohibitions on cruel and unusual punishment in the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution." Well, you can find a legal expert to say anything you want. Also, "If Hegseth were not a musclebound intellectual void, he would know this." "He would know that the Fort Hood killer told the mental health panel that he wanted to die. Writes London Times columnist Matthew Syed." We should should help him along.

From Commonplace, The Gen Z Blue-Collar Jobs Boom "A new generational opportunity is taking shape in the skilled trades." At Hat Hair Steven Moore asks Why Are Americans So Pessimistic? "But it's weird that the richer and wealthier we get, the more people complain," and Larry Elder answers The Anti-Trump Media and 'Economic Pessimism'. Nick Arama at RedState, Bessent Goes Beast Mode on Elizabeth Warren in Letter That's Pure Gold — Especially the Note at End "Finally, my Offer of a Foreign Exchange for Dummies tutorial still stands, and if you receive a passing grade on the Yale metric, not the Harvard curve, I would be happy to also include a Fixed Income for Dummies. ... "Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day in advance to you and your family."" Da Caller, Secretary Bessent Wishes Heritage-Adopting Senator A ‘Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ Amid Flurry Of Snarky Affordability Letters.

Also from Da Caller, Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle Reportedly Boasts Of Elites Bankrolling Her Luxury Travel At Globalist Retreat. "A recording from the January World Economic Forum captured the comments, according to The Wall Street Journal. On it, Kimberly Guilfoyle flaunted her closeness to two Greek tycoons. She was lobbying to get into a dinner for Eric Trump." Isn't that what ambassadors do, fly around and put meetings together? And she's getting someone else to pay for it! But she has shown questionable judgement in the past; she did marry Gavin Newsom. Best occupant of "The Five's" leg chair ever.

At Twitchy, Manlet MI Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Mocks Dave Portnoy’s Body After Being Called a Terrorist. Campus Reform reports a Conservative student says he was threatened after pressing El-Sayed on Iran "“Since that day, people have threatened me, doxxed my friends, even harassed my family,” Dashti said." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "What’s terrifying about this clip isn’t their ideals…these sweet gals’ hearts are certainly in the right place. What’s terrifying is they have the civic, political, and economic literacy of a 9 year old. When a charlatan like Abdul comes along with the Jr High class president schtick of “no more homework and the vending machines are all free!”, they fall for it...." From RCP, Chicago Chases Away the Rich. Miami Says 'Thank You'.

Sarah Anderson at PJM, says Talarico Has Been Spotted. His Appearance Creates More Questions Than Answers. "Either Talarico is hiding something or whoever is running his campaign is a complete and total idiot. Possibly, both things are true." 

Dan McCarthy at Chronic says Liberal Doves Are No Answer to Liberal Hawks. "Liberal doves have failed almost as badly as liberal hawks over the past three decades, and their failures are inextricably related. The fundamental problem isn’t hawkishness or dovishness, but liberalism. It is incompatible with realism."

Bob Spencer at PJM, likes how Trump Mocks Hochul, and It's a Riot: ‘Hi, Gestating.’

Ben Weingarten at Da Fed asserts If Jack Smith’s Goons Don’t Pay For Their Crimes, Innocent Americans Will. Sundance hosts Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Delivers Speech Warning About the Modern Surveillance State and the Threat of Islamic Extremism.

Betsy McCaughey at Hat Hair, says it's Time to End Democrats' Lynch-Law Justice for College Boys. At Althouse, "You don't have to look at the facts and the law. All you have to do is study what they do." "Letitia James offers a gift to Saritha Komatireddy:" Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "Because young men have learned that if they date a girl and it goes bad, she can come back and accuse them of rape two years after the fact. She can strangle his children and the media will circle the wagons to protect her. She can divorce him and take half of everything. That’s why." Quote Chris Hatch @Dirtdog, "Attention Young Men: I am surrounded by 20 year old girls in my life that are smart, capable, hard working and cute. Nobody is dating them. Not sure what the deal is, but I don’t get it."

Kyle Becker at RedState sees a Tech Titan Go Scorched Earth Over Hit Job on Trump's Sons, Even CNN Suspects Dirty Pool. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "Editors need to stop assigning political reporters to do finance and economic stories. The WSJ now employs a bunch of former Politico and Huffington Post bloggers who don’t understand basic finance issues." Quote Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Wow. Read the article. (Link below.) What a stunning set of mistakes by ABC News."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair looks at French Street Protests and sees It's Not Many Students, and Lots of Leftists and Islamists and She Got the Nobel Prize for Hating Israel; UPDATE: Elisha Wiesel Condemns. From Althouse, "Language and Linguistics for Decolonization and Liberation and for Peace and Community Building — From the River to the Sea in Palestine and Israel to the Mountaintops of Haiti and Beyond." "That's the name of the class discussed in "The Controversial Class That M.I.T. Is Paying a Professor Not to Teach/Michel DeGraff, a vocal pro-Palestinian activist, can’t be easily fired because he has tenure. But he has been kicked out of his department" (NYT)."

Driscoll at Insty thinks ELON MUSK’S ENEMIES MAKE HIS BEST CASE: "In 2023, Alex Gibney, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker, announced that he was working on a documentary about Elon Musk. He asked Musk for an interview. The answer was delivered on X: “Gibney,” Musk informed his 241.5 million followers, “is a douche.” You could take the world’s richest man at his word. Or you could spend three hours and 55 minutes watching Gibney do his best to prove Musk right. ... The real America, the one we know from discernible and observable facts, is nowhere on display. In Gibneystan, no record exists of Musk the champion environmentalist, hailed by the left until he refused to continue and parrot its platitudes. Nor is there any mention of Big Tech’s frequent and egregious collusion with Democrat-controlled administrations; the sin of seeking proximity to political power is unique to the devilish Musk himself."

From the College Fix, University of Kansas removes menstrual products from men’s bathrooms.

Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_, "Sophie responds to the article from @TheAthletic demanding Fever to drop her "If you're going to live by the praise, you'll die by the hate.....I'm going to continue to do me.....suck it" This is the appropriate response. We should all be more like this."

Palm Sunday

 With Maya Allegra:

At Reuters Connect, A small palm tree is submerged in water outside the Destin - Fort Walton Welcome + Adventure Center the morning after Hurricane. 

If that's the worst they could come up with, they did well.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

Maryland, My Maryland

 From the Balmer Sun, Rockville man indicted for alleged $100 million COVID fraud scheme

A Rockville man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday in connection with an alleged COVID-19 fraud scheme of more than $100 million, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland said.

Marc Aaron Potash, 57, of Rockville, was charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, seven counts of healthcare fraud and five counts of conducting transactions in criminally derived proceeds, the federal prosecutor’s office said.

Between January 2022 and May 2026, according to the office, Potash allegedly conspired to enrich himself as well as a Gaithersburg-based company he founded and served as its CEO, Tiero, LLC, by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and other insurers for self-administered COVID-19 tests.

The office said that Potash and his co-conspirators sent false emails, letters and other documents to the Maryland Department of Health to get a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certification for the company. Those documents falsely claimed Tiero’s medical providers were performing on-site COVID testing at the company, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, and used the CLIA license to make claims to insurers. 

Instead, they were shipping over-the-counter COVID tests to insured people across the country, and submitting more than $100 million in fraudulent claims that resulted in more than $50 million in insurance payments to Tiero, the office said.

Prosecutors allege that Potash bought a Range Rover, a Mercedes-Benz and $4 million in property in Beallsville, in Montgomery County, and made security transfers totalling more than $12 million.

If convicted, Potash faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and each count of healthcare fraud and conducting transactions in criminally derived proceeds, the office said, although it noted that actual sentences typically are less than the maximum.

$100,000,000? The man thinks big. I guess it's a little late to expect to get much of it back.

Flotsam and Jets - Talarico Turns Up

As soon as they noticed he had been absent for 10 days he showed up. Stacy McCain is on it, Rumors Swirl: Where Is James Talarico? UPDATE: Talarico Appears in Public "The Talarico campaign had been stonewalling and making excuses, but as soon as I took notice of the candidate’s mysterious absence, they wheeled him out in public ... So I guess he got a day pass from the psych ward." Kyle Becker at RedState, We May Have an Answer to the 'Missing' Talarico Mystery. This Looks Bad. Really Bad. "former L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who is not the only one who has sources making this assertion, says that Talarico appears to have checked into a mental health facility." Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "My sources are telling me Talarico is in a mental health facility. His campaign has stopped actively planning events in the vital homestretch of the campaign. If this is true, this is actually a time to pray for Talarico. We should, of course, savagely mock his smug, awful campaign advisors, by all means...and while yes, of course, this would be disqualifying for Talarico's aspirations to be a Texas Senator, we must hold empathy for anyone undergoing crisis. Campaigns are brutal, and not everybody is cut out for it. You need very thick skin. As much as I don't want Talarico anywhere near government, I also don't want wish him harm, and no political office is worth having a breakdown. His awful advisors are at fault for this. They pushed him to be something he isn't, and it didn't work. I'm praying that this isn't true, and he's OK. You want to win these fights on the battlefield of ideas, not the minefield of poor health." PJM's Matt Margolis, If This Is True About James Talarico, He's Finished. Kurt Schlichter at TownHall, So Where Did Talarico Go? "He’s been missing in action since the end of September — time to send out a search party. Maybe we can help, but looking for him is like playing Where’s Waldo, except easier, because you can safely avoid barbecue joints, gun ranges, or churches that actually believe in Jesus." So Talarico might actually be crazy? It's so hard to tell with Democrats.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Mamdani: I Demand Trump Release Illegal Alien, Gang Member, and Felon! UPDATE. That's just insane. Bret Stephens at NYT opines on Zohran Mamdani’s Moral Obscenity. I'm surprised they let him. Mike LaChance at LI hears Only 300 Attend Hasan Piker Event at UT-Austin After Thousands Sign Up. At Insty, Dave Bernstein, GOD SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE FROM RABBIS WHO CAN’T RECOGNIZE EVIL LITERALLY STARING THEM IN THE FACE and Sarah Hoyt at Insty says I CAN DISTINGUISH. THEY MADE ME STUDY IT IN HIGH SCHOOL. I KNOW THE THEORY. FOR THE PRACTICE, DATAREPUBLICAN IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT: Up front, here are the definitions (plus bonus Leninism definition): Communists = Strive for a classless society with common ownership of production. Marxists = Communists who believe in a classless society as the end of history. Leninists = Those who idolize the man who operationalized Marxism to its logical conclusion. Socialists = Fake meaning (Berniebros): Kids who like free stuff. Real meaning (PSL, DSA): Communists who pretend to tolerate dissent.

At ¡No Pasaran! Election Protection helps prevent legal votes being cancelled by cheaters and elections being rigged by powerful interests

Ace hears Workers At Obama's Soviet Concrete Butt Plug Tower of Ego Threaten to Unionize Over Low Wages and Long Hours. "Here's my guess: They don't work very hard and they're paid more than they're worth. I hate to defend the Stuttering Clusterf*** of a Miserable Failure like that, but I bet he hired a bunch of DEI dregs who are surprised they're being "coerced" into working at all. We'll have to see, though. Either way, I'm glad to see the SCOAMF is being inconvenienced by the Marxism he champions." John Stossel @JohnStossel, "Seattle city council wanted to help "exploited" gig workers. So they forced delivery apps to pay drivers MORE. "I wouldn’t assume that prices are going to go up," said one politician. But prices DID go up. @judgeglock of @ManhattanInst explains how regulation backfired." At PJM another West Coast, Messed Coast™ Vicky Taft claims A Foolproof Test to Confirm If Elected Leaders Are Unserious Boobs. You should presume they are until the prove otherwise. Also, Nick Shirley Does It Again: A $120 Can of Spam Busts Open Seattle's Food Stamp Fraud. At Ace's, Trump Announces That Almost 500 Criminal Fraudsters Have Been Arrested While Living in Taxpayer-Funded Public Housing, "Outstanding."

At Shooting News Week, Kurt Schlichter expounds on This is How the Execution of Nidal Hasan Should Be Carried Out. Old school. Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet, "I'm opposed to the death penalty, because I want to allow governments as few pretexts for murdering people as possible. Criminals should be executed by their intended victims at the time of the intended crime. On the other hand, I'm hearing so much butthurt screaming about the upcoming public execution of the Fort Hood terrorist, uniformly from people that I despise, that I feel kind of like supporting it." From Twitchy, Sit This One Out, Lady: Hillary Clinton Is Aghast That America Is Publicly Executing a Terrorist. "There's "sit this one out," and then there's "STFU, you reprehensible harridan!""

From the National Security J, A Disaster Is Coming for Iran: The Economy Is Tanking At Warp Speed as Donald Trump Squeezes Tehran More and More. "One of Iran’s top security officials says the country is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history, as the rial hits record lows and Iranians drain their savings. Iran’s oil minister also resigned on Sunday, though Tehran says it was for personal reasons." AG @AGHamilton29, "OpenAI has revealed Iranian operatives used AI to create and plant articles claiming to be from Western journalists. They also created social media accounts for the fake journalists and flooded related social media posts with comments. https://openai.com/index/disrupting-ai-enabled-false-front-operations."

Sundance at CTH hears President Trump Announces Diesel Supply Agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical, "Just hours after the U.S. eased sanctions on Russian fuel exports, Ukrainian attack drones struck the NZNP Rostovsky oil products export terminal in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. The Russian fuel export terminal was set ablaze." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "SpaceX satellites to "drop like flies" should they interfere with Russia says Medvedev." Quote Dmitry Medvedev @MedvedevRussiaE, "Kiev moron's request to “block” Russia’s Rassvet satellites can only imply their destruction, a sure way to a full-scale space war. I hope the US gets this. Otherwise, Starlink satellites will drop like flies. Space is a cramped place so it's a must to be mutually polite." Elon Musk makes Starlink satellites like Frito makes Doritos.

Mary Chastain at LI reports Rubio Sanctions ICC: The Court ‘Will End Its Threats or We Will End the ICC’ “Our message is clear: the United States and its people are not subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC.” Sundance dances as President Trump Sanctions Politically Motivated International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sundance not unhappy that Canada Loses 68,000 Jobs in September After Losing 41,700 Jobs in August, Keep keeping those elbows up!

Leslie Eastman at LI, Hegseth Puts Warfighting Skills at the Center of Military Promotions, "The proposed Joint Warfighting Evaluations are envisioned to be something along the lines of the 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers, which showcased the skills of Eisenhower and Patton….but with AI!." Ace thinks
AI Companies are Wargaming a Public Relations Campaign to Assauge (sic) Citizens After a "Catastrophic" AI Event -- Which They Predict Will Happen Next Year, "This is worrying."

Katie Zacharia allegedly

Sundance hosts President Trump Announces Katie Zacharia as White House Press Secretary, I hope she's as good a Karoline Leavitt, and President Trump Celebrates Columbus Day at the White House, with the restored statue of Columbus that vandal protesters broke up and dumped in Baltimore Harbor. Quoth the Raven at QTR’s Fringe Finance, Judy Shelton, Scott Bessent And The Coming Gold Revaluation?. "The Treasury Secretary just brought one of America's most prominent gold advocates into his inner circle. ... About a week ago, I wrote an article exploring what would happen if the United States decided to revalue its enormous gold reserves, which are still officially carried on the government’s books at the absurd price of $42.22 per ounce. I explained how a revaluation could potentially create trillions of dollars in new Treasury financing capacity and, taken to an extreme, fundamentally alter the relationship between the dollar, gold and the national debt."

Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "IT WAS ALWAYS A SCAM. A whistleblower inside Letitia James’ own office says investigators spent a year on the Trumps, found no evidence, and still got ordered to keep digging because “what Tish wanted, Tish got.” No case. No crime. Just a vendetta with a badge. This is lawfare and the New York Post just put it on the front page." Ace says Oh, No! DOJ Seeks Perjury Indictment Against January 6th Fabulist Madison Cornbread, "Not Madison Cornbread! Madison Cornbread, no! Noooooo!" His name for Cassidy Hutchinson. Also, Three "Students" Arrested for Threatening to Murder the President. "CNN won't cover this. But I do remember CNN hyperventilating that a meme showing Trump beating up a wrestler with "CNN" superimposed upon his head was an unbearable threat to kill a reporter, and that a Trump crowd chanting "CNN Sucks!" was a direct threat against noted tough-guy mike-grabbing-woman-harasser Jim Acosta."

On Deep Background, Will the Court Stop Climate Lawsuits From Becoming a National Carbon Tax? I expect so.

Regarding the "Cornell 7" + 1, Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "I predict my comments to The Hill will age well: “I’m on the opposite side of whatever narrative is going on about Cornell here. Cornell would have bent over backwards to make sure that there were consequences, even to the point of violating probably some of these young men’s due process rights, if they were able to do so,” said Inez Stepman, senior legal and policy analyst at Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative women advocacy group. The case “should not be going through trial by mob,” Stepman added. “The environment in which we talk about these issues is frankly hostile to getting to the truth of them, and extremely and unnecessarily reputationally damaging for everybody involved, and it’s kind of a disgrace, honestly, the way these cases blow up, the way that the student newspaper published the names, that the whole thing, to me, is a disgraceful way to treat like a serious issue.” Quote Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "I have said since day one of this Cornell 7 thing that it's far, far, FAR more likely that the school violated the Constitutional due process rights of the boys involved than that it downplayed or brushed aside the allegations of sexual misconduct. Feeling really good about that."

Sarah Hoyt at Insty, SERIOUSLY? CONSIDERING HOW MUCH THE LATEST WAVES OF ILLEGALS WERE DRAWING ON THE SYSTEM THEY NEVER PAID INTO: "because they were being signed on for disability and other benefits at the border, this is highly improbable: NEW REPORT: Trump’s Mass Deportation Agenda Could Cut Social Security Retiree Benefits by $2,152 a Year, Economists Find. And if you dig to find who these economists are… A brand new firm this year that is apparently all about enforcing immigration is bad for the economy? All 3 (three) of them? I’d bet money they’re ex-government employees!" Jihad Watch watches UK Plans to Welcome ‘Palestinian’ Migrants. To be fair, the mess in the mideast owes a lot to British intervention. 

Dave Strom wonders if it's Time to Blast Strasbourg? Brit Hume @brithume, "Excellent thread on the forces involved in the riots in France." Quote Fox News Politics @foxnewspolitics, "A Fox News Digital investigation traces how France's student protests over education cuts are being hijacked by a sprawling network of communist activists, labor unions and far-left political parties — all amplified by a transnational propaganda machine funded by Neville Roy." Andy Doyle at WaPoo opines John Cleese is not a terrorist, "The former Monty Python star’s criticism of Islam is a free-speech matter, not one for government intrusion."

From the Free Bacon, Harvard Celebrates Its Boycott-Israel, Blood Libel Nobel Laureate. "Prize winner is Harvard Law grad who returned to campus in 2022 to demonize Jewish state." At Campus Reform, EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Pro-Palestine students destroy October 7 memorial, allegedly set conservative's clothing on fire. "Anti-Israel students at a New Mexico university vandalized a memorial honoring victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Expression expresses, Acceptance of violence and shoutdowns fell in 2026, but so did tolerance. "A breaking wave?" From Da Signal, What Has Become of Charlottesville, Virginia? "... now that a 37-year-old schoolteacher from Albemarle County, named Michael Swiney, is facing 20 charges of sexual misconduct involving elementary school students, where are FOX News and ABC and CNN these days?" Luke Rosiak @lukerosiak, ""Never give up": A sex investigation found a male professor innocent, so the college just kept redoing it with new investigators as activists fished for a different result. A different result never came, but the college paid the accusers $10M anyway."

Buck Throckmorton at Ace's Morning Rant, The Memphis Situation: Tennessee Shouldn't Need Federal Help; “Bake the Cake” Rules Should Apply to Pizza Parlor Denying Service to Guardsmen.

Plus plenty more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 10.09.26! Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.