This is the way

Hot Air: "Elon Musk Suggests He Could Sue Ro Khanna."

Twitchy: "Looks Like Elon Musk Has Had Enough of Rep. Ro Khanna's Defamation."

Ro Khanna made the mistake of defaming Musk from a podcast instead of the floor of Congress where he would have immunity.

Good news

WSJ Opinion: "Race Preferences Are Falling Nationwide" - "The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against racial preferences is turning out to be a landmark with profound consequences as its influence spreads. On Thursday the famously progressive Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a state program that issued scholarships based on race violates the U.S. Constitution." 

It started at the Biden DOJ

California Post editorial: "The Gavin Newsom probe is serious, and he knows it."

Newsom is desperate to paint this as a Trump operation but the investigation started in the Biden administration and last month his former chief of staff plead guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

The Final Boss of Incoherence

New York Editorial Board Substack: "Darializa Avila Chevalier on Housing, Immigration, & Her Run for Congress in New York's 13th District - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Manhattan Democrat running for Congress in New York's 13th District."

This interview of a candidate for Congress is really something.  Scroll to the bottom where she's asked a "gotcha!" question of whether murderers should be sent to prison.  It's wild.

Priorities

Federalist: "Corporate Media Can’t Be Bothered To Investigate Fraud And Crime, They Have An Algae Bloom To Track." 

I dunno: we go on with our lives?

Boston Globe: "Trump’s name was stripped from the Kennedy Center. Now what?"

This part made me laugh:

The federal judge who ordered the removal of Trump’s name, Christopher Cooper, has also blocked the closure. On Tuesday, he ruled the Kennedy Center board must present a plan to the court for staying open by Friday.

This is the new version of "bake me a cake" instead it's "play me a concert."

OK, Hawaiian judge.

It's not going well

NY Post: "With Strait of Hormuz held hostage, Trump’s Iran deal is worse than Obama’s."

As he prepared to sign his “memorandum of understanding” with the Islamic dictatorship of Iran, President Trump again insisted that his deal was much different than that of his predecessor, President Barack Obama.

He’s right — it’s probably worse.

Obama’s treaty did not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, it simply punted the issue down the road in exchange for cash.

Trump’s agreement has the same vague promises, the same payouts, but with the added twist that Iran can and will take the world hostage by shutting the Strait of Hormuz at will.

I've criticized Dementia Joe for his Afghan withdrawal because he was desperate to have it done before September 2021 so he could stand in the Rose Garden on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and claim victory.  Trump seems to be driven by the same motivations: the need to reach a deal before heading to the G7 conference, or to bring down gas prices, or to claim the mantle of Great Negotiator.

I think it's just a matter of time before Iran violates this agreement because that's all Iran ever does.  They are completely untrustworthy and any "agreement" isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Not-so-golden state

Victor Davis Hanson: "Is California Reaching Critical Mass?"

And yet they keep voting for Democrats.  In other California news, the billionaire tax referendum reached enough signatures to appear on the ballot in November and even Gavin Newsom is trying to kill it.  Conservatives, Nevada, Texas and U-Haul are all hoping it passes.

Damning with faint praise

Oh, man, this is low-key hilarious:

"Joe and Jill, you are also here." https://t.co/CbvkLqpgtN

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 18, 2026

And yet I am not surprised

Ace: "Another Surprise: Harvard Students Experience Mental Illness at Double the Rate of the Normal Adult Population."

Mental illness tracks with political ideology and Harvard is full of prissy liberals:

She buys his oysters, too

Free Beacon: "Texas’s James Talarico, 37, Shares His Only Checking Account With His Mom."

This "guy" is a weirdo.

Think of all the learing centers we could buy

Twitchy: "Ratio Machine Elizabeth Warren Rake Stomps While Pitching All the 'Free' Stuff a Wealth Tax Could Provide." 

Oh we still want Greenland

NY Times: "After a Bitter Split, European Leaders Play Nice With Trump - A peace framework with Iran, and hope for cooperation with Ukraine, softened the tone on Tuesday at a Group of 7 gathering in France."

For all the sharp elbows of the last year, they appear to have concluded that the best way to deal with a disruptive president is to court him, particularly since they still hope to engage the United States on thorny issues like the war in Ukraine.

“We’re on the same team,” Mr. Merz said of the president on social media, wishing him a belated happy 80th birthday.

Such conciliatory words would have seemed improbable even a week ago, given the bitter split over Iran, Mr. Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and his regular hectoring of Europe’s centrist leaders — all of which persuaded several of them that America was no longer an ally, and was even, in some cases, a threat.

Now, though, Mr. Trump has presented at least the contours of a peace deal with Iran, and Europe’s leaders have gone back to charming him.

Because they want something.  Make no mistake: I didn't care about Europe's opinion back when they hated Trump.

Good

Legal Insurrection: "Judge Upholds Wisconsin Judge’s Conviction for Helping Illegal Alien Evade ICE - The problem for the defense is that this case did not involve some random encounter on the street. It was a targeted operation, conducted pursuant to agency procedures." 

These people are thick in Western Mass

Red State: "‘No Kings’ Crowd Gets Wrecked by One Brutally Honest Media Column." 

Color me skeptical

I want to believe: "Trump announces US and Iran have reached peace deal — here’s when the Strait of Hormuz reopens, and what happens next."

The proposed deal has all sorts of goodies for America:

The agreement has not been seen publicly, but the White House on Friday described to reporters five points that are in the deal:

• Iran will destroy its highly enriched uranium
• Tehran will pledge never to obtain a nuclear weapon
• Economic relief will come after those first two steps are completed
• The Strait of Hormuz will be open immediately upon signing
• Iran must stop funding terrorist groups including Hezbollah

Then there's this...

The signing will launch a 60-day negotiating process to determine the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and the extent of sanctions relief, according to officials.

(Sigh).  So another delay which will lead to Iranian intransigence and the need for further negotiations.  Look, I get it: "Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war" but this is just another dilatory tactic which will lead to a metaphoric rug-pull. 

Liberals are nuts

Focus on the Family: "Beliefs Matter: New Study Shows Widening Mental Health Gap Between Conservatives and Liberals." 

Envious losers

Professor Reynolds: "Elon Musk is a Genius, and a Litmus Test - People's reactions to him are diagnostic."

This single tweet cost California hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes, revenue, and jobs: pic.twitter.com/eXwbX4gi1l

— John LeFevre (@JohnLeFevre) June 12, 2026

To govern is to choose

Real Clear Politics: "Brian Urlacher: Illinois Politicians Have Spent Billions On Illegals, That Money Could've Gone To Keeping The Bears." 

Elon Musk is world's first trillionaire

SpaceX soars. 

The infinite grace extended to the Left

Boston Globe editorial: "Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic primary. Now he needs to show the integrity, maturity, and honesty voters deserve in a senator. - At the end of the day, it will be Maine voters — not the national media, Washington pundits, or Democrats in other states — who decide whether Platner has the character and values to be a US senator."

Ah, yes, the classic "it's up to the voters" dodge, the talking point indistinguishable from the one repeated by numerous Democrats cornered on news shows.  We have our own opinions but - gosh darn it - it's really up to the voters in Maine so we just can't say. 

I've been reliably told that "character matters" for ten years.  Suddenly the past is irrelevant and subservient to the idea that we should look for "growth" that starts right now.

The Boston Globe had the chance to do the right thing and instead chose the predictable path of pandering to the Beacon Hill crowd.  Watch this editorial spring up in papers across the nation, the brand-new version of #MeToo.

Deja Vu all over again

NY Post: "Trump calls off Iran strikes, tells The Post US-Tehran deal is ‘all wrapped up’."

Yeah, we've heard this song before.  Unfortunately, I don't think anybody knows who is actually in charge in Iran.  The President says one thing and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards say another.  Maybe the threatened seizure of Kharg Island was the final wake up call but I fear we're bargaining with ghosts.

The pouncing will continue until morale improves

Hot Air: "You Don’t Hate the Media Enough, ‘Pouncing’ On Der Oysterführer Edition." 

Extra - Red State: "Watch: Legacy Media Hot Take on Platner and What Gets Considered 'Abuse' Has Jaws Dropping."

I have second-hand embarrassment for these "journalists" and their sliding scale of #MeToo.

One scam after another

Breitbart: "Karmelo Anthony supporters launch Change.org petition calling for the arrest of Austin Metcalf's brother"

Mere hours after the GiveSendGo fund supporting Karmelo Anthony was “unpublished,” activists supporting the teen murderer launched a petition calling for the arrest of Austin Metcalf’s brother, Hunter.

The petition, which as of this writing still has fewer than 50 signatures, charges Hunter Metcalf with contributing to his brother’s death by “allegedly assaulting” Anthony.

If there's one thing I've learned from YouTuber Pleasant Green, there is a bottomless supply of scammers who will use any opportunity to extract some cash from a tragic situation.

L.A....proved too much for the man

He couldn't make it!  "Outrage as Spencer Pratt is dumped from LA mayor’s race: ‘City is lost’."

I don't believe there were actual ballot shenanigans.  It's entirely possible that Democrat banked on mail-in ballots while Pratt did not.  That's pretty much the story of Trump's 2020 Presidential run. 

I've been waiting all day to use this video:

I also wish Democrats would move to another country

Red State: "New Poll Confirms What We Have Known All Along About the Modern Democrat Party."

Defense witness testifies for the prosecution

Why did this case go to trial?  "Defense Rests Case After Shocking Day in Karmelo Anthony Trial."

I'm trying to figure out the strategy here.  Was it to raise gobs of money for defense and then try to plead down to manslaughter or something?  There was an unexplained 90-minute recess in the case today where I suspect it was for the defense to beg for a plea deal.  Or maybe it was to ask Chat GPT how to run a plausible defense.

Bias? What bias?

Townhall: "Scott Pelley's Post-Firing Pity Tour Is Everything Wrong With Legacy Media." 

$40 a pack!

Reason: "Australia Tried To Tax Smoking Out of Existence. Now 80% of Tobacco Aussies Consume Is From the Black Market. - With cigarettes costing around $40 a pack, Australia’s war on smoking has become a case study in how prohibitionist policies create black markets, violence, and criminal power."

The Left loves sin taxes because it combines two of their favorite activities: taxing things and moral preening. 

Not-so-mighty ducks

Jonathan Turley: "Facing the Big Zero: The University of Oregon Grapples With a Budget Crisis After Years of Woke Excess." 

The Indiana Bears

Legal Insurrection: "The Bears Are Leaving Illinois for Indiana - The Chicago Bears may soon leave Illinois after more than a century in Chicago. Their potential move to Indiana is about more than football — it is a reminder that businesses, investment, and opportunity tend to go where they are welcomed."

It sounds from the article that Chicago and Illinois thought the Bears organization was bluffing. 

It's the New York Times

Tom Knighton: "I'm disgusted."

The posts are long, but important. The long and the short of it was that while the New York Times was reporting unverified and completely non-credible claims of Israeli soldiers using dogs to rape prisoners, they had Lyndsey’s account and were sitting on it.

Lyndsey has diary entries showing her talking about this, years before Platner entered politics. Her friends have come out and said they knew about this and the trauma long before he made a run for Senate. There’s more corroboration for this than Christine Blausey Ford’s accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, if for no other reason than we have proof they were in the same room together at least once.

And how has the left reacted?

The side that says “believe all women” is, unsurprisingly, hypocritically dismissing the accusations entirely.

I hate to say "I told you so" but, Lyndsey, you should have expected this kind of behavior from the New York Times.  This is the crew that jettisoned their editor because he dared to let a Republican voice an opposing view in the paper.  This is the mob that hounded Brett Kavanaugh over completely fictional allegations.  They're not here to play fair.

The New York Times responded to this criticism by blandly stating that their reporting "meets their standards."  Yeah, we know.

Jobs surprise

Yahoo: "Jobs report smashes expectations with payroll growth of 172,000."

Markets are down today because a hot job market increases the possibility of a Fed rate hike.

We just need to make it to June 9th

Boston Globe: "Platner denies hurting ex-girlfriend and says he will not quit Senate race."

Good on you, Graham!  Hang tight until the primary on Tuesday.  We can "believe all women" after that.

Extra - Here's the Atlantic, waking up to the danger and urging for the Janet Mills switcheroo: "Maine Has a Graham Platner Problem." 

Somewhat of a correction - We need to make it to July 2nd.  One step at a time!

The Category 5 Hurricane approaches, but let's hope it arrives in July when it's too late for the Oyster King to drop out. https://t.co/dH8EJIlhQL

— CA ET Nerd (@earlyvotedata) June 4, 2026

Senate passes ICE bill

Red State: "Finally! Senate Passes $70B ICE/CBP Border Bill."

Recall that this is the legislation that led to the Democrats record-breaking shutdown.

I knew because I had a proper education

Twitchy: "Not Sending Their Best: Bessent Exposes Democrat Rep. Chu's Shocking Ignorance."

This guy is approaching toast

Ace: "NYT: Ex GF of Platner Says He Knew All About "My Totenkopf," Used Physical Force Against Her, Bragged That He Would Rape His Male Enemies, "Not in a Gay Way," But to Show "I'm Dominant"

The most honest assessment I've seen about Platner is this: Eric Swalwell was thrown overboard because he was expendable.  He was just one of a dozen Democrats running for governor in California.  But Platner is the only game in town in Maine so the Democrats had to excuse the guy with the Nazi tattoo.  And he knew it was a Nazi tattoo so you can stop with that denial.

This is the Joe Biden scenario all over again: the general election is way too close so you either need to cut your guy loose or get four-square behind him.  We know how this worked out last time.

It's called pattern recognition

Hot Air: "It's Not Racist to Notice Reality."

This particular post is about Somali fraud in Ohio and how the Left goes into high dudgeon mode whenever they're asked about it.  I think it's fair to say that this selective outrage doesn't work anymore.

People are learing.

These Rubio videos are great

Twitchy: "Big-Eared Dem Rep. Jacobs Tries to Roast Rubio's Shoes, Forgets She's a Mid 5 Who Should Stick to Policy."

Always - always! - be on the offense with these clowns.  He roasted them good.

Extra - Scott Bessent in the Senate!  

Man publicly criticizes boss, gets fired

Wall Street Journal: "‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent Scott Pelley Fired by CBS News - Pelley’s exit comes after he made comments critical of Editor in Chief Bari Weiss."

These journalist types are high on their own supply.

Update: this headline gets it: "CBS Fires Scott Pelley After Pelley Tries Very Hard to Get Fired."  Good luck on Substack.

"One time"

Sure, Bernie, sure.  The only person to ever get rich from socialism has thoughts: "Bernie Sanders' AI Wealth Fund Bill Shows That He Doesn't Understand AI or Wealth - Sanders' plan would impose a one-time tax of 50 percent of AI companies' stock and give the government voting shares and the power to block corporate decisions." 

It's "black Little Mermaid" all over again

Twitchy: "Governor Newsom Press Office Genuinely Sorry for the MAGA People Miserable About Pride Month."

Who are these "MAGA" people, Gavin?  This guy is the textbook definition of projection. 

Hmmmm

Red State: "Speculation Runs Wild After Maine Gov. Janet Mills Throws a Wrench in Senate Primary Race."

She's just sayin' "hey, my name is still on the ballot - wink wink."