Hollywood is dying

Long thread on Instapundit discussing this Wall Street Journal article: "See How Hollywood’s Job Market Is Collapsing - Studios are making fewer movies and shows than they did just a few years ago. The ones they do make are increasingly being shot outside the U.S."

It's easy to say Hollywood went woke and got broke but look at the evidence: the two biggest hits of the last couple years are "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Project Hail Mary" - movies that tell a compelling story with a strong male lead and zero lectures.  Meanwhile, Hollywood recently bestowed Best Picture to resistance porn "One Battle after Another," which arguably flopped.

But then there's California which destroys all it touches.  Shooting films or TV is way too expensive there so producers are looking to other states and countries.  I remember the craziest story I read is that it's cheaper for producers of the game show "The Floor" to fly all the contestants to Dublin than it is to shoot in the United States.

ICYMI - Buh-bye Bad Robot!  "Hollywood heavyweight behind sci-fi classics leaves LA as Tinseltown bleeds talent." 

I love this headline

MSN: "Hospice with 97% survival rate accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45M."

Why is the government arresting people with such a high level of success?  It's a mystery!

When you hate Trump more than you love Americans

Townhall: "Will Gov. Spanberger Ignore Detainers for These Violent Criminal Illegals? ICE Is Warning Her Not To." 

Massive, systematic, brazen fraud

City Journal: "Gavin Newsom’s Empire of Fraud - California has lost at least $180 billion to fraud, according to officials and experts."

This story is B A N A N A S:

Total budgeted Medi-Cal spending—which includes federal, state, and local contributions—has more than doubled on the governor’s watch, rising from $93.5 billion the year before he took office to $196.7 billion in the current annual budget. During the same period, California’s resident population declined by 0.2 percent.

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The state lost $32.6 billion dollars of taxpayer money to fraudulent applications,” he said. “In California, at one point, you had more people applying for unemployment insurance benefits than you had people over the age of 18.”

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Talcove estimates that the Medicaid fraud rate in California is 20 percent, which he calls a “very conservative” figure. Federal officials, however, believe that the current Medi-Cal fraud rate is even higher—and, given the state’s oversight failures and massive Medi-Cal expansion under Newsom, they are almost certainly right. Multiple high-ranking sources at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is currently probing fraud in California, told City Journal on the condition of anonymity that their initial estimate for Medi-Cal’s fraud rate since 2019 is 25 percent.

That state needs a thousand Nick Shirleys.

Thank heaven

Fox News: "Artemis II launches astronauts around the moon in first deep space mission since Apollo."

I'm on record being nervous about this launch, so I'm glad it went off without a hitch.

The theater kids again

Really good article from the Federalist: "The Latest ‘No Kings’ Protest Is The Sound Of A Tired Old Thing Trying To Not Die."

The American political left as a cultural formation, and the Democratic Party as an institution, have sunk into a style of oppositionalism that contains no opposition. They speak in a vernacular of protest because they speak in a vernacular of protest, out of habit and as a cultural identity, but they have no idea what they’re protesting. They’re very angry about the, you know, stuff. Something something Trump something something. 

At three o’clock, the nurse brings pudding. Comfortable and wealthy people, many decades into their experience of affluence and safety, are putting their bodies on the line to oppose fascism for a couple hours before the driver takes them back to their mansions.

This was a theme picked up by Sasha Stone: while the citizens of Iran and Venezuela are trying to throw off actual dictatorships, Grandma is cosplaying as a freedom fighter against a fascist regime.

Imagine being in Iran, knowing how many brave citizens attempted to protest their government, only to be mowed down just for standing there, seeing all of these idiots in America marching in their No Kings parade. It would be like someone dying of hunger watching the line form at the Golden Coral all-you-can-eat buffet.

There was a video of a mother-daughter pair at a "No Kings" protest and they were asked by a local news reporter about their protest.  It was unintentionally hilarious because it was instantly clear that even they didn't know why they were protesting.  It was all self-esteem boosterism about protesting.

Mental illness in Canada

 

These are the new rules you advanced

Ace: "FBI Director Kash Patel Eyes Releasing the Eric Swallwell Fang-Fang Documents."

Is this a vindictive move to derail the Fartman's campaign for California governor?  Probably!  But the Russiagate Hoax and the Epstein file release put "getting to the truth!" ahead of grand jury secrecy and the cautious pursuit of justice.

Does Swalwell even live in California?  Hey, just asking questions here!

He dropped out of UNLV

The Corner: "Jimmy Kimmel’s Unearned Snobbery." - "I don’t have anything to add to their defense of plumbers, but let me just pile on with one further thought: Who is Jimmy Kimmel to be any sort of intellectual snob?" 

A child shall lead them

I wasn't going to write about the group therapy session called "No Kings" today but this excerpt from a Western Massachusetts protest was too good not to share:

Amherst local Amy Steinhauser, 74, was perplexed by the lack of college students, even though Amherst College was a stone’s throw from the common. Like other grandparents who spoke to The Republican, she said part of the reason she showed up was to lead by example.

At least one demonstrator in Amherst harbored doubts about the protests turning the ship around, as Trump was booted from the White House in 2020, only to reclaim the presidency in 2024.

“I’m wondering if this is gonna do anything,” said Jorah Byl-Evora, 14.

Jorah is the wisest person among the geriatric AWFLs. 

Extra - This guy gets it: "Essentially, the participants in No Kings tire themselves out making signs and standing by roadways to honks from passersby, then pat themselves on the back and think they’ve fought fascism." 

She must have attended the learing center. pic.twitter.com/9H1PMlTPPb

— Paratrooper Brady (@paratroopbrady) March 29, 2026

I *love* the Critical Drinker!

Hollywood in Toto: "Why Vince Vaughn’s Late-Night Critique Is a Game Changer." 

"And yet it moves"

I feel like Galileo in the debate over whether millionaires and billionaires are moving out of Massachusetts.  The early answer based on 2023 data is "yes" - to the tune of $4.2 billion in taxable income - and more recent data will show an acceleration, which is what triggered this Boston Globe article.

Nevertheless, Boston Globe letter writers are going to stick to two themes: it's not really happening and, if it is, we don't need those rich jerks.

Extra - Wall Street Journal: "The High-Tax Wealth Flight Continues - IRS data show that taxpayers keep fleeing rapacious states even after the pandemic."

While out-migration declined from pandemic levels for most states, not so in Massachusetts. Taxpayers making more than $200,000 accounted for 70% of the state’s net outflows, roughly double the share in 2019. This is notable since progressives claim Massachusetts shows that raising taxes doesn’t drive away top earners.

Come back and be patriotic!

Schumer gets nothing for this chaos

Hot Air: "Dems Throw In Towel on Schumer Shutdown II: TSA Boogaloo"

Democrats didn't stop immigration enforcement. They didn't defund ICE or the Border Patrol. They didn't get any new concession on immigration-enforcement practices. All Schumer got from his latest shutdown was weeks of snarled travel for millions of Americans and an opportunity for ICE agents to engage in a public-relations lovefest in airports with voters who would otherwise have had little or no contact with the agency. 

Why cave now? Trump took their last bit of leverage off the table. Schumer wanted to create chaos in airports to keep pressure on Trump and the GOP to get his radical "reform" agenda adopted. At one point, Schumer and the White House appeared to have a deal on some concessions, but then Senate Democrats decided to walk away and demand their entire wish list. Trump then ordered new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA agents out of other funds and order them back on the job, leaving Democrats with nothing at all to show for their weeks of disruption of Homeland Security in the middle of a war.

The only thing they got from this deal was that ICE and CBP - which are already lavishly funded from the One Big Beautiful Bill - are going to get their funding through budget reconciliation which only requires a majority vote in the Senate, meaning Republicans can control the funding.

This bratty temper tantrum was just another appeal to the infantile Left.

Same vibe as California's high speed rail

Twitchy: "Two Years After Its Collapse, Let’s Check in on the Rebuilding Effort of the Key Bridge."

Voice vote then skedaddle

NY Post: "Senate approves deal to end DHS shutdown without Democratic immigration demands"

Senators approved a compromise measure early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September, taking a major step toward ending the 42-day partial shutdown that has seen hundreds of airport security workers quit after missing paychecks and snarled travel nationwide.

The agreement, passed by voice vote before senators departed Washington for a two-week recess for Easter and Passover, will be considered by the House later Friday morning.

Nothing motivates these clown like threatening their beloved recesses. 

Has she considered using the race card?

Oh, it's a'comin'.  Hot Air: "Florida Democrat Could Be Expelled from Congress." 

Kimmel is an asshole

Powerline: "Time to get the hook"

It will be a happy day when the last of the left-wing late-night “comedians” is finally off the air. The latest outrage comes from Jimmy Kimmel, who might have been funny once in his life, but if so, I missed it.

I can't believe that ABC/Disney extended Kimmel's by a (token) one year after his Charlie Kirk comment.  IF anything, they've freed him up to say even more outrageous things, daring ABC to fire him.  Then, if that does happen, he can spend the rest of his days as a First Amendment martyr.

Trump has utterly broken this man-child and his schtick is a stone-cold bore.

Extra - Speaking of insufferable celebrities, here's Sasha Stone on Bruce Springsteen and his new band: "So here comes No Kings, complete with aging billionaire boomer Bruce, irritating aristocrat Jane Fonda, and screeching socialist Bernie Sanders to remind everyone just how crazy and how unbearable all of them still are and how they see themselves as morally superior."

People like Springsteen and DeNiro and Fonda and Kimmel can't sit down and discuss their thoughts with anybody slightly adversarial...so they don't.  

More - Legal Insurrection: "Actor Vince Vaughn Slams Groupthink of Late Night TV: ‘They All Became the Same Show’ - “It stopped being funny and it started feeling like I was f—— in a class I didn’t want to take.”

Because of course

Fox News: "Loyola student newspaper apologizes for calling suspected murderer of Sheridan Gorman an illegal immigrant." 

Also huge if true

And I also doubt it will work.  Gateway Pundit: "BREAKING: Senate Leader John Thune Floats RECONCILIATION Plan to RAM Through SAVE America Act — Only Needs 50 Votes + VP JD Vance to BYPASS Democrat Filibuster." 

I believe reconciliation can only be used for budgetary purposes so I don't see how voter ID can pass under this structure.

Huge if true

But probably not true.  Red State: "Breaking: Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Give Up Its Nuclear Weapons Fantasy."

Why would we believe anything the Iranians have to say, given their history?  How can whoever is "authority" now even make that promise, given the chaos over there?

Just a flat-out lie

I started reading this Hot Air article about a viral video of an American woman and her young daughter being detained by evil ICE agents and knew it was going to conclude with a statement by Homeland Security explaining everything alleged was false.

A Laken Riley situation in Chicago

Ace: "The Party of Illegal Alien Gangsters and Third World Pirates Claims Another Innocent Life."

As the post notes, Illinois governor J.D. Pritzker had time to travel up to Minnesota but can't be bothered to say a single word about somebody killed in his backyard.

I'm unsure this is going to help

Townhall: "Trump Just Made a Major Move After Democrats Crossed His Red Line."

If the goal here is to help out the TSA and make the security lines move faster, I'm all for that.  But if the goal is to stick it to the Democrats, I'm not sure it's going to open the logjam on funding.  As always, it never would have gotten this far if the mainstream media put appropriate pressure on the Democrats for once.

"Chuck Norris beat the sun in a staring contest"

NY Times: "Chuck Norris Punched This Article Into the Sun - Norris, best known as the butt-kicking star of action films, became an unwitting if good-natured pioneer of the internet meme." 

Condescension is all they have

American Thinker: "The Liberal's Insufferable Superiority Complex - They truly believe they have a monopoly on intelligence and morality."

All you need to do is watch a couple of minutes of James Klug or Kaitlin Bennett to find the limits of the Left's intelligence.

This is the MSM

As somebody once said, when they show you who they are: believe them.  Twitchy: "'Politics May Overshadow His Legacy': Variety's Chuck Norris Headline Gets Ratio'ed to the Moon."

I loathe these soy boy scribes.  Want to know why men gravitate to Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan?  It's because of fem-boys like Gavin Newsom and this "journalist." 

My favorite Chuck Norris joke

Amazon has since removed it from their site but for a brief time they offered an enormous Swiss Army Knife and the reviews were absolutely hilarious.  It took some digging but I found the Chuck Norris comment:

California's FAFO future in Norway

Let's see what happened in Norway: "Norway's Wealth Tax Unchains a Capital Exodus." - "Norway's wealth tax increase, expected to raise $146M, led to a $448M net loss as $54B in wealth left the country, reducing tax revenue by $594M."

I continue to be amazed to think that Gavin Newsom is considered a serious candidate for the Presidency.  Everything - everything! - in California is a train wreck.

Except for the train.  Because it hasn't been built.

Residents exiting Massachusetts took a net of $4.2 Billion in adjusted gross income with them in 2023, one of the largest totals in the country, after a tax on millionaires took effect - Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/s47lnvXCRg

— Evan (@StockMKTNewz) March 20, 2026

Time for the mainstream media to step up

Hot Air: "The Democrat Lies About the SAVE Act Are Wild."

As this article explains, CNN (!) fact-checked Chuck Schumer in real time on his wild mendacity.  This is a litmus test for the MSM.  It's time to report the truth and not the preferred narrative.

Blackboard jungle

Joanne Jacobs: "Why teachers quit: 'It was the wild West'." - "One Wisconsin teacher needed 66 stitches and foot surgery after breaking up a fight between five students, but that's not why he retired early, he told interviewers. It was the administration's failure to enforce the no-cellphone policy." 

Suicidal empathy in the UK

Twitchy: "Criminal Migrant in UK Beats Deportation, Arguing His Son Can’t Tolerate Foreign Chicken Nuggets."

That country, man.  I've read so many stories like this.

Don't end the filibuster

Wall Street Journal: "Sen. Ron Johnson: Move to End the Filibuster Now—Before Democrats Do

The 60-vote threshold stops bad bills, but it also makes it impossible for the GOP to pass good ones."

First of all, the Democrats did try to eliminate the filibuster and it was thwarted by Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona and Joe Manchin from West Virginia.  I firmly believe that they were the sacrificial lambs for the Democrats to act tough.  Democrats don't really want to eviscerate minority rights in the Senate and this is especially true for Democrats from smaller states.  Turning the Senate into just another version of the House robs these Senators of the (arguably outsized) power they have in that chamber.

Second, "what goes around comes around."  Republicans will be in the minority sometime in the future and the GOP shouldn't set the standard.  Look what happened when the Democrats triggered the "nuclear option" on judicial nominees and ended up with Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett.

I don't think either party in the Senate really wants to get rid of the filibuster so it will remain.

As useful as an Amazon box

Fox News: "Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'misfunctioning,' not controlling regime: sources"

I don't think I've ever seen the word "misfunctioning." 

I swore this was AI

Twitchy: "Hochul Begs Billionaires to Come Home— Iowahawk Counters with Bounty for Every 'Fugitive' Captured in FL"

The governor of New York, shocked at the exodus of high-value taxpayers, appealed to the "patriotism" of these taxpayer to come back from Florida.  When I saw this video, I thought for sure it was a spoof.  Unbelievable. 

The numbers are in

LA Times: "2026 Oscars telecast scores 17.9 million viewers, down 9% from last year."

Whomp whomp.  Hollywood was digging out of its all-time-low of 2021 but it looks like it was just a blip on the road to irrelevance. 

Listen to the people. No, not like that!

Hot Air: "NBC Wonders: Are the Only Americans Opposed to Voter ID on Capitol Hill?" 

How's that millionaire tax looking now?

It's not just California.  Massachusetts was the pathfinder for soaking the rich.  Boston Globe: "‘Everyone’s leaving’: Why more of the wealthy are moving from Massachusetts to other states."

If there’s a group of people you probably don’t spend a lot of time worrying about, it’s those with tens — or hundreds — of millions of dollars.

But Paul Karger argues you should. At least, you should worry when they start heading for the exits.

Which is precisely what they’ve done in Massachusetts, says Karger, the cofounder and managing partner of Boston-based Twin Focus, a firm that manages investment portfolios for wealthy families.

“Half of my Massachusetts clients over the last five years have either left or are planning to leave,” Karger says. That represents “billions of dollars in net worth and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual income.”

Maybe we can get Bernie Sanders to come down from Vermont and shake his finger at them.

ICYMI - California lost another billionaire: "Billionaire Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick admits strategically moving to Texas before California wealth tax." 

Also, he's made of cardboard

Ace: "The New Ayatollah is Probably Gay and What Is Even More Disqualifying, He's Also Dead."

Mojtaba, who is believed to have been wounded in the same Feb. 28 airstrike that killed his father and other members of his family, has made "aggressive" sexual overtures to men caring for him, possibly while under the influence of heavy medication, one of The Post's sources said.

I don't know if this is true - it sure is funny - and it suggests the previous Ayatollah knew something was up because he left specific instructions to keep his son away from the levers of power.

It's the hypocrisy

Sasha Stone: "How the Oscars Made Everyone Hate Them."

I won't even be hate-watching, as Sasha suggests.  I'm the Don Draper "I don't think about you at all" meme.  And I wouldn't even mind the political speeches if these empty suits did the slightest bit of self-reflection about what they're saying.  Leonardo Dicaprio never saw a private jet he didn't like while he urges us all to use paper straws.  Last I checked, Billie Eilish hasn't moved out of her stately mansion that sits on "stolen land" behind security walls.

At least Joaquin Phoenix is a lifelong vegan when he told us to stop drinking milk.

Extra - Jeffrey Blehar: "On Oscar Night, Hollywood Celebrates Its Collapse into Cultural Irrelevance."

NY Times is gonna NY Times

Townhall: "New York Times Describes Suspected Michigan Terrorist as 'Quiet Restaurant Worker'." 

ICYMI Cynical Publius was doxxed

We are not the same.

Today has been pretty intense. Thank you all for your support. I'm going to sign off for a bit, but I want to leave everyone with some thoughts.

People on the Right tend to use pseudonyms on social media because we have well-founded concerns of death threats, attempts to get…

— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) March 14, 2026

Coming soon: the Nevada Seahawks

And the Dallas Mariners: "Seahawks GM Warns Washington's 'Milionaire Tax' Could Cost Free Agents."

London has fallen

Daily Mail: "Nearly 40 per cent of all homes built by 2030 will be needed for migrants, Conservative Party analysis shows." 

Other people's money

NY Post: "Extreme Mamdani estate tax proposal goes right after New York's middle class families."

We tried to warn you, New York. 

Judicial madness

Red State with an all-time dissent: "9th Circuit Judge Comes Out Swinging (Ahem)...in Spicy Dissent Over Women-Only Nude Spa."

When the law no longer protects people, vigilantism is the next step. 

Switzerland awaits

Jonathan Turley: "Eat the Rich: Sanders and Khanna Introduce Federal Billionaires Tax" - "There are legitimate concerns over the glaring and growing wealth gap in the United States. However, a wealth tax is neither a constitutional nor a practical way of addressing the problem." 

All of this is unsurprising

Ace: ""The Motive May Never Be Known" Is Now "The Motive Is White Supremacy, Somehow"." 

This is some grade-A gaslighting

LA Times: "Anyone who says the Oscars have gotten ‘too political’ hasn’t watched the Oscars."

And the Oscars have never been particularly political.

Speeches that deviate from the ubiquitous laundry list of thank yous always get more attention, whether they’re political or not, for the simple reason that they’re so dang unusual. But taken as a whole, either by decade or particular telecast, the Oscars is mostly, and consistently, apolitical. As in, almost every minute of a three-hour-plus show, year after year after year.

Right, the guy who won for best sound editing didn't get political but the spotlight winners like Leonardo DiCaprio needed to lecture us on environmentalism before jumping on his private jet.

Here's the NY Times back in 2018 reminding us what happens when these Hollywood phonies start waving a finger in our faces:

Whether viewers of the Oscars want to listen to the resistance is another matter. Producers who specialize in awards telecasts have said that post-show research, compiled mainly from Nielsen, indicates that most viewers dislike it when celebrities turn a trip to the stage into a political bully pulpit. One recent producer of the Oscars said that minute-by-minute post-show ratings analysis indicated that “vast swaths” of people turned off their televisions when celebrities started to opine on politics. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential metrics.

Not only are these political outbursts performative, they're tired.  We're a full decade into this Trump temper-tantrum.  Give it a rest, already.

The mainstream media's self-licking ice cream cone

Boston Globe: "One thing voters agree on: They don’t like the Supreme Court."

This will surely hurt the Supreme Court's re-election during the midterms.

You'll be shocked to learn that America's view of the Supreme Court just happens to correspond with the media's relentless attacks as the Court turned more conservative.  When then leads to deep thought opinion pieces about the state of the Court.

Good guys with guns

Townhall: "Security Guards Hailed As Heroes After Stopping Attack at Michigan Synagogue Housing 140 Kids."

This guy gets it

Hot Air: "Can We Talk About the So-Called Talking Filibuster and Why It Won't Save the SAVE Act?"

For the record, I am strongly against getting rid of the 60-vote threshold for a filibuster and word on the street is that deep red states (e.g. West Virginia) are against making the rule change.  That leaves the arcane and byzantine Senate rules which are designed to slow down the pace of legislating.

The Democrats will lie about the SAVE Act and the media will cover up for them.  It won't pass.  Sorry.

He's taking his (Star)bucks to Florida

PJ Media: "WA Dems Pass 'Millionaire' Tax and Business Icon Says Hmmm, Florida Sure Looks Good Right Now."

I, for one, am happy to see this new age of class warfare in America since it's going to quickly sort out the red and blue states.  The 2030 census is going to be epic.

Nick Shirley scooped you

Ace: "CBS Report: Billions of Dollars of "Hospice Care" Fraud in Los Angeles Alone; One Building Sports Eighty-Nine Fake "Hospice Care" Offices."

Mistakes that only go in one direction

Twitchy: "Yet Another CNN Reporter Steps on the Rake."

For those of you keeping score, there are now four representatives from CNN absolutely lying that NY Mayor Mamdani was the target of a bomb-throwing by two pro-ISIS men.  They so desperately want to make him into the victim here, they'll just declare it.

On the "news network" with the motto "facts first."

Extra - Red State: "Hot Takes: X Users Respond Accordingly After Yet Another CNNer Pushes Fake News About NYC Attack." 

Still doing this, huh?

Twitchy: "‘Media Personality’ Notes Pete Hegseth Doesn’t Salute Black Service Member."

When your only tool is the race card, everything is racist. 

It's called journalism

Federalist: "‘Smoking Jars Of Metal’: Media Obfuscate Alleged NYC Bomb Attempt And Its Islamist Motives."

Mixed message

Breitbart: "Trump says war is nearly complete."

Actually what he said was: "I think the war is very complete, pretty much" which is all over the place.  How can you put a qualifier on "complete"?  Either it's complete or it isn't.  Adding on "pretty much" just contributes another layer of contradiction.

The military action in Iran has been a wide-ranging success so far but I wouldn't say it's near complete.  I think Trump is trying to maintain command flexibility here while also calming the financial markets.

Checkmate, Great Satan!

You can't kill a guy who's already dead!  That's 4D chess there.  Hot Air: "Is Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Actually Alive?" 

Mystery achievement

PJ Media: "Iran Has a New Supreme Leader, but They Won’t Tell Us Who It Is."

Update: "US-sanctioned Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s next supreme leader after father’s death: reports"

That's a pretty low bar

Townhall: "Bill Maher Made Adam Schiff and Don Lemon Look Like Morons Last Night." 

Welcome to the Hotel California

You can permit any time you like, but you can never build.  Hot Air: "California's Inferno of Regulations."

Regime change in Iran will be a tough lift

Washington Post: "Intel report warns large-scale war ‘unlikely’ to oust Iran’s regime - A classified U.S. report doubts that Iran’s opposition would take power following either a short or extended U.S. military campaign."

A classified report by the National Intelligence Council found that even a large-scale assault on Iran launched by the United States would be unlikely to oust the Islamic republic’s entrenched military and clerical establishment, a sobering assessment as the Trump administration raises the specter of an extended military campaign that officials say has “only just begun.”

The findings, confirmed to The Washington Post by three people familiar with the report’s contents, raise doubts about President Donald Trump’s declared plan to “clean out” Iran’s leadership structure and install a ruler of his choosing.

The U.S. is not putting boots on the ground and I doubt the Kurds have the firepower to take Tehran.  It's really on the people of Iran but, as the story notes, the opposition is fragmented.

Trump's the captain now

The New York Times (!) says Trump is showing Putin who's the boss: "As Trump Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes - The conflict in Iran may give Moscow a short-term boost economically and in Ukraine. But it has also shown the limits of Russia’s partnerships."

For years, Mr. Putin supported anti-American authoritarian governments in Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, with little worry that Washington would use its overwhelming military power to kill, capture or push out their leaders. That has now changed, as Mr. Trump has demonstrated a willingness to disregard international norms and engage in foreign adventurism by fully exploiting Washington’s might.

Even though Iran came to Russia’s aid with critical drones at the outset of Mr. Putin’s bungled invasion of Ukraine four years ago, Russia has stood aside as the United States and Israel have pummeled Iran’s leadership and military. Moscow has issued little more than condemnatory statements that largely avoid naming Mr. Trump.

Guess we ain't gonna hear about "TACO" or "Putin's puppet" anymore. 

I can't believe people take this clown seriously

Hot Air: "Newsom Is the Barometer, and He Is Signaling a Leftist Hurricane."

There's a video embedded where Newsom is asked what positions or policy goals he holds as a candidate and he can't articulate a single thing.  Instead he launches into a Kamala-style word salad about "injustice" that is so substance-free that it flies around the room and perches on a windowsill.  At one point he says "I've struggled with being able to communicate" - no shit, Sherlock.

Newsom has no governing principles: he'll just pander and tell whatever audience he's in front of whatever they want to hear.  When he's in Israel, they're "extraordinary people."  Back home in front of a Lefty audience, then Israel is an "apartheid state."  Don't bother asking if a man can become a woman.

He's a completely empty suit and I keep waiting for him to look down, Wile E. Coyote-style, and plunge to the ground.

Why do they do this?

Such an obvious fake: "Sen. Tina Smith Calls Child’s Anti-ICE Letter an ‘Absolute Gut Punch’." 

One way out

This story from the WSJ cracks me up: "Iran’s Underground ‘Missile Cities’ Have Become One of Its Biggest Vulnerabilities - U.S. and Israeli aircraft are circling over the subterranean bases, destroying missile launchers as they emerge to fire."

Basically, the Iranian military built these massive underground bunkers to store missiles but there was only one entrance/exit to roll them out.  The US & Israelis just parked a couple of fighters overhead and waited for a battery to roll out so they could blow it up.

Great planning, guys!

Soy-boy cuck emasculated

Wait until his wife's boyfriend hears about this!  Washington Free Beacon: "Levi Strauss Heir Dan Goldman Distances Himself From Pro-Israel Wife Who ‘Liked’ Social Media Post From ‘God Bless Donald Trump’ - One meme that caught Corinne Goldman's eye mocked the slogan 'Jews for Palestine' as 'chickens for KFC'."

California is hopeless

Especially when it comes to trains: "Incompetent Los Angeles Leadership Fails To Open $3.3 Billion LAX Train Before World Cup - City leadership oversees yet another massive infrastructure disaster in LA."

Today's least likely headline

Fox News: "Justice Jackson authors unanimous SCOTUS opinion handing Trump an immigration win - Supreme Court rules federal courts must defer to immigration judges on asylum decisions." 

Talk about election interference!

NY Post: "Israel bombs Iran’s top mullahs as they count votes for next supreme leader."

Appropriate humor:

What Media bias?

Legacy media: "Wow, we were really surprised to learn that Joe Biden had stage 4 prostate cancer."

Also the legacy media: "What is this rash on Trump's neck!?!" 

Speaking of the long game

NY Post: "Trump hit Iran — but he’s really got China in his crosshairs."

Good article, detailing how Trump's moves in Venezuela and Panama are also designed to reign in China.

Israel playing the long game

Via Powerline: "How the Israelis did it"

Years before the air strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli intelligence had been quietly mapping the daily rhythms of Tehran.

According to reporting by the Financial Times, nearly all of the Iranian capital’s traffic cameras had been hacked years earlier, their footage encrypted and transmitted to Israeli servers. One camera angle near Pasteur Street, close to Khamenei’s compound, allowed analysts to observe the routines of bodyguards and drivers: where they parked, when they arrived and whom they escorted.

Years of mapping just waiting for this moment.  This is reminiscent of Israel's long con on the beeper operation, where the Mossad set up a dummy beeper supplier complete with a promotional commercial.  Then they waited for the right moment.

Here in the Happy Valley

Western Massachusetts in the news: "In Western Mass., environmentalists fear that solar farms are fire hazards - A wave of solar proposals in the Hilltowns is facing pushback from residents who worry that the attached batteries will start fires and pollute their water."

Everybody wants to believe they're saving the world but nobody wants to buy a (non-subsidized) electric car. 

Entirely expected

Red State: "New York Times’ Obit Headline for Ayatollah Khamenei Is Out, and You Can’t Hate the Media Enough." 

A dual-edged sword for Russia

This is a pretty good article from PJ Media: "What Epic Fury Means for Putin."

On the one hand, Russia loses access to Iranian-supplied drones used in Ukraine and also a source of cheap oil.  On the other hand, the regional instability will lead to a rise in crude oil prices which will provide more revenue for Russia's own oil supply.

You have to wonder if Trump's actions in Venezuela were some kind of precursor to Iran, in terms of stabilizing the oil supply.  That would be some 4D chess.

Thanks, Obama!

Powerline: "The U.S. strike on Iran is legal."  (Hat tip: Maggie's Farm).

Him and his buddies

Townhall: "Confirmed: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is Dead."

The report I'm hearing is that Khamenei was meeting with between five to ten high-level targets so the Israelis moved up the timeline of the attack.

Just reported: Now they're saying that FORTY senior officials were neutralized.

Strikes in Iran

This is very fog of war: "Here's What We Know About the Iranian Strikes So Far."

But - and this is a HUGE BUT - Israeli intelligence is saying Ayatollah Khamenei is likely dead.  Wow.

Extra - Instapundit is on the Ayatollah watch.

Taylor Sheridan paid for this takeover

Outkick: "Hollywood Liberals Devastated As David Ellison’s Paramount Wins Warner Bros Bidding War - 'Ellison scares the s*** out of me,' an anonymous A-list director reportedly said."

Somebody - I think it was the Critical Drinker - said that Paramount made bank on traditional male heroes such as those found in "Yellowstone" and "Top Gun: Maverick."  No wonder the soy boys are upset.

Related - Soy boys on NPR have low T.  Of course.

Don't know much

Twitchy: "Rep Plays 'Didn't Know About That' Card When Pinned Down About Epstein Files and Dem Doxxing."

The Left hates free speech

Jonathan Turley: "“Anathema in the University Mission”: Bari Weiss Canceled at UCLA." 

That's OK, she'll be running CNN soon.

This needs to stop

NY Post: "Somali trucker busted driving wrong way on Missouri highway couldn’t read road signs, failed English test."

The video is wild.  Somebody could have been killed.

Sea change in the media landscape

How's this for a bitter headline?  "MAGA billionaires win battle to buy CNN and turn it Trumpy."

We warned you that your biased coverage would destroy trust in the mainstream media and now you're all going broke and selling at bargain basement prices.  Our turn now.

Wow. Can you imagine a world where one political ideology dominates the arts and media?

I wonder what that would look like. Sounds horrifying. https://t.co/4VA4Dp7X3G

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) February 27, 2026

Running on nostalgia and Congressional graft

Issues & Insights: "Is It Time To Permanently Ground NASA?"

Yes.  That's coming from somebody who had a glimpse from the inside.  SpaceX is doing everything NASA is doing cheaper, faster, and better.

Black people rent apes?

The things you learn at the State of the Union.  Do they go to Aarons?  Anyway, here's Chuck Schumer furiously backpedaling: "Clean Up on Aisle TDS! Allow Chuck Schumer to Explain Why Dems Didn't Stand for Americans Over Illegals."

The "stand up for America" moment in the SOTU was so obviously a trap for the Democrats and they could have diffused the bomb by standing up.  But, as many have noted, Trump bet correctly that the Democrats couldn't stand up for it.  According to J.D. Vance who had the vantage point of watching the audience, the Democrats looked at each other for guidance as they were led into the box canyon since they can't think for themselves.

Schedule slipping another month

Earlier this month, I wrote that NASA's SLS/Orion program is a boondoggle and we should not "light this candle."

Today, Stephen Green writes "We need to talk about Artemis" which is the program associated with the SLS booster.  More problems, more delays and a program that's always a month away.

Now they tell us

NY Times: "The Epstein Files Should Never Have Been Released"

Every day seems to bring new reports of financiers, academics, politicians and royalty (among others) who cozied up to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose predation took a horrendous toll on innocent lives. With accountability for people in power in short supply, it can be hard to see a downside in the huge dump of documents relating to Mr. Epstein and his various associates.

But we should recognize the release of millions of pages of the Epstein files as both a sign of institutional failure and a cause for concern. If our justice system were working properly, the public would never have such access.

I have always believed that the reason the Biden Administration didn't release the Epstein files was because it was trying to avoid embarrassment to the British Crown.  If there's one villain in the files, it's Prince Andrew.  But so great was the impulse to "get Trump" the files were released and there was nothing remotely incriminating; in fact, there was evidence that Trump dropped a dime on Epstein in 2006.

The other day I was passing the nutcase protesters on the overpass over I-91 and their sign said: "Trump Epstein Coverup."  They invested so much into the belief the Epstein files would bring down the Donald and now they're in the "denial" stage of coping. 

Very on-brand

Sasha Stone: "Dems Are Behaving Like Spoiled Brats by Boycotting State of the Union." 

Decline is a choice

Just like New York City, you voted for this Colorado: "Californication Catches Up with Colorado - Blue-state governance has transformed this once-booming state into an economic and demographic laggard."

Is Mamdani actually a Republican saboteur?

It's a question that needs answering!  PJ Media: "Mamdani Is Collapsing Faster Than We Thought."

Extra - NY Post: "Mayor Mamdani’s spending frenzy will lead NYC into a rapid decline."

This is Inez, she was turned away from the NYC shoveling crews, she doesn’t understand how to get an ID after getting married because she is too stupid https://t.co/5KH3uH1Uem pic.twitter.com/5AA9YMysxq

— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) February 21, 2026

He really is dyslexic

Twitchy: "Dem Gavin Newsom Claims He Can’t Vote If the SAVE Act Passes Because He’s Misplaced His Birth Certificate."

I can't tell if Newsom is actually this dumb or that he says stupid stuff like this knowing the mainstream media will never call him out.

I've eaten at Chipotle exactly once

LA Times: "Chipotle just saw its worst year ever. It may not get any better."

Way too expensive for mid food.  I had a burrito bowl at BWI airport and found the experience so annoying that I've never been back.  Meanwhile, YouTube has dozens and dozens of videos showing you exactly how to make Chipotle's menu at a fraction of the cost.

The ol' "wanna be closer to family" excuse

Steven Spielberg leaves California for New York City for reasons, suspiciously timed to avoid California's pending billionaire tax.

I'm so old, I remember when paying taxes is patriotic. 

Journalists, man

You just don't hate them enough: "WaPo: Some Say Atlantic Story ‘Felt Misleading’ Once They Learned It Was Made Up." 

At least California has the wine industry

Not so fast: "America’s biggest wine maker shuts down production in Napa Valley in huge blow to wine heartland." 

Da Hammond Bears

Outkick: "Chicago Bears Poised To Become Latest Major Business To Leave A Blue State And Relocate In A Red State."

Let's recap!

In the last year:

Palantir Technologies moved its headquarters from Colorado to Florida.

Public Storage moved from California to Texas.

Elon Musk's X Corp. moved from California to Texas.

Chevron Corporation moved from California to Texas.

This month, Boeing announced its defense, space and security division is moving its headquarters out of Virginia, which went blue in the most recent election, and is headed to Missouri.

It now looks like the Bears will follow the wave.

I sense a Superfan trend.

Dogs are awesome

Red State: "Give That Pooch a Medal! Wolfdog Crashes Olympic Ski Race in Hilarious Fashion."

Fun videos at the link.  Unfortunately, Nazgul was disqualified from the women's cross-country event because 1) he's a he and 2) he wasn't wearing skis. 

Of course they are

Jim Geraghty: "Stephen Colbert and James Talarico Are Lying to You."

Colbert is circling the drain in advance of his May departure and he's flogging his bottomless victimhood.

Extra - NY Post: "Colbert wasn’t censored by Trump: he’s nothing but a desperate parasite living on Trump’s thin skin." 

Another tech giant heads to a red state

NY Post: "Palantir moves headquarters to Miami and joins growing tech exodus to Florida."

Palantir spent 17 years in California before leaving behind the crazy and heading to the relative sanity of Denver.  Still too crazy.  Miami will be this company's last stop.

Gavin Newsom: "Hold my beer, AOC"

Hot Air: "Gavin Newsom Gets Ratioed for His Dumbest Tweet Ever." 

The American media fails

Did you ever wonder why American Democrats get a harder grilling in Europe than they do in America?  How is it possible that AOC and Gretchen Whitmer are laid bare overseas while they manage to skate by in America?

This isn't the first time a European journalist has pushed back on a Democrat.

This is the thing about AOC and Gretchen Whitmer. They don’t try. They don’t even have to try. Because they normally are surrounded and protected by media that supports them and would never dare ask an even remotely difficult question https://t.co/Y9qpjwfYGf

— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) February 15, 2026

Maybe they're taking the hint

That Park Place: "Several Hollywood Actors Decline to Speak on Politics as Media Desperately Attempts to Bait Them Into Activist Soundbites." 

Viewership for the Oscars has halved since 2016, for some reason.

California and the wealth tax

LA Times: "Knives are out for California's golden goose"

We might as well run TV ads and erect billboards along the border proclaiming: “Welcome to California, the land of opportunity. Make a fortune so state politicians can grab a sizable chunk.”

We’ve already got by far the highest income tax rates in the nation, topping out at 13.3%. The top 1% of earners pay between 40% and 50% of the entire state income tax collected annually. The top 0.1% kick in about 20%.

California is infamous for its unfriendly business climate, with byzantine regulations and an agonizingly slow permitting system.

“It sends out the worst possible message to the people we need in the state, the people who produce jobs,” says Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable.

I know I keep commenting on this story but I love it on so many levels.  This ballot initiative is probably going to pass despite the objection from Gavin Newsom and California Democrats who cannot control the Frankenstein monster they've created.  As the stats above indicate, California was already heavily dependent on a top-heavy taxation system.  But the 13% (!!!) state income tax just wasn't enough to fund the profligate spending in Sacramento.

The hamster wheel in her head

Twitchy: "Kamala 2.0? AOC Faceplants In Germany While Trying to Answer a Question About China and Taiwan."

Pretty funny.  Very Kamala-esque. 

Damn, it's great to be a Democrat

Breitbart: "Media actively covers up Obama lawyer's chummy ties to Epstein."

Bad news about the Clintons?  Time to bury it in the Friday night news dump. 

Misleading headline

Townhall: "GOP Secures Votes Needed to Pass the SAVE Act."

This is not a HUGE VICTORY! nor is it MASSIVE!  The bill would still need to overcome a talking filibuster by the Democrats and - know what they're going to do? - talk and lie about married women needing to update their birth certificates.  They may take some heat for going against an issue supported by over 80% of Americans but they don't care.

It's not going to pass because of that Jim Crow filibuster.

Hmmm

Gateway Pundit: "Neighbor Says One Dead and Three Detained After SWAT Team Raids Home as Part of Nancy Guthrie Investigation." 

That's my idiot Senator

Hot Air: "The Sob Stories Always Fall Apart."  Back to Ireland.

Bending the cost curve down

Remember that old chestnut?  Ace: "Obama Architect David Axelrod: Confound These Republicans For Obamacare's Prices Skyrocketing and Them Refusing to Further Subsidize the Failing Program."

Resistance theater

Washington Post: "Partial government shutdown looms as ICE negotiations hit stalemate - Large swaths of the Department of Homeland Security are set to shut down Saturday unless lawmakers and the White House strike a last-minute deal."

"Large swaths" that will hit everything in DHS except ICE, which was funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill for the rest of Trump's term.  This is just another stupid and futile gesture by the Democrats to show the base they're fighting fighting fighting!

Americans love long lines at the airport.

It's disturbing if they really believe this

Twitchy: "CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Laughably Insists Her ‘News’ Network Is Fair, Accurate, and Not Out to Get Trump."

Uh-huh.  I'm not even going to debate on the bias of the mainstream media which is by now a proven and repeatable fact.  The question now is: do journalist really think they're unbiased or is it just something they say to protect their self-esteem?  They can't really have so little self-reflection.

Democracy dies in darkness

Pew Research Center: "Majority of Americans express low confidence in journalists to act in public’s best interests."

Since we first started asking this question in 2020, Democrats have consistently been more likely than Republicans to express confidence in journalists. This party gap has persisted over time, though it has decreased since 2020.

Gee, I can't imagine why.

This ridiculous framing is why Americans don’t trust the media.

President Trump securing the border, mobilizing federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and deporting the worst of the worst illegal aliens is EXACTLY what’s driving the massive drop in crime. pic.twitter.com/yfiC4BUHbt

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 11, 2026

There goes Zuckerberg

WSJ: "Mark Zuckerberg Is the Latest California Billionaire to Buy a Florida Home - Local real-estate agents say the newly completed mansion on Miami’s Indian Creek will likely fetch between $150 million and $200 million"

Great job, Gavin Newsom:

With Zuck’s move to Florida, California’s total taxable wealth from billionaires has plummeted to well under $1T from over $2T just a few weeks ago. 

The loss of this tax revenue was totally avoidable but is now forever. All because Gavin Newsom stood motionless as this stupidly written bill, from a fringe union and a handful of socialist academics with an axe to grind, meandered its way into the public conversation without any action from him and freaked everyone out. 

These were all people that were paying 13%+ in state income tax every year WITH NO COMPLAINTS UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO.

And now, for the rest of time, the lost tax revenues from these folks will have to be paid for by the middle class because they are the only group left in California large enough that you can tax to fill the hole. 

The wealth tax idea was always stupid because, as I like to say, it's coming into your house and taking the Picasso off the wall.  People understand the concept of taxing income but a wealth tax is an entirely different animal.

Intolerant crybullies

Yahoo: "Bill Maher and Adam Carolla Bash ‘Exclusionary’ Liberals for Sticking to ‘Groupthink’: ‘They’re Not That Bright!’"

Bill Maher and Adam Carolla took turns verbally whacking liberals for being closed-minded and unintelligent bullies who want nothing to do with Americans who do not share their “woke” political opinions.

“They are very exclusionary,” Maher said on the Monday episode of his Club Random podcast. “They really just don’t want to breathe the same air if you’re not exactly with the groupthink — while they’re not that bright!”

I regularly punish myself by watching Kaitlin Bennett on Liberty Hangout interviewing anti-ICE automatons who collapse at the slightest pressure.

They want Bluesky-style exclusion IRL.

Political earthquake in Japan

Ace: "Japan's "Ultra-Right-Wing" Extremist PM Wins a Shockingly Large Victory By Running on Promise to Seriously Restrict Immigration to the Island Nation."

Super Bowl Sunday

So, obviously, the Patriots are going to win.

I'll say 23-16.

So now we're going to ruin the Olympics

Washington Post: "Representing the red, white and blue is complicated for some Olympians - “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” says freestyle skier Hunter Hess."

They're going to Colin Kaepernick the Olympics and ruin it Hollywood-style.  We just can't have nice things anymore.

Extra - Here we go: "Team USA skiers spark Olympic boycott calls after saying they have ‘mixed emotions’ about representing America." 

CNN commits an act of journalism

Red State: "Watch: Liberal Media Nails Mayor Frey With an Inconvenient Question About Turning Over Illegal Aliens."

Democrats are always stunned when they're asked a tough question by the mainstream media, like it's a form of betrayal. 

Dow 50,000

Fox Business: "Dow closes above 50,000 for first time."

Democrats hardest hit.

Don't light this candle

Space.com: "NASA fuels up giant Artemis 2 moon rocket. Yes, it's a little leaky. So is it ready to fly?"

Nope: "NASA Moves Artemis II Launch To March."

I believe I mentioned this before but I briefly worked as a project engineer on the Orion program and it was - by far - the worst job I've ever had.  Whatever excitement of "working for NASA" was washed away in a sclerotic bureaucracy that throttled any real progress.  There were regular newsletters circulated that heralded how NASA programs were spread over every state in the Union which should tell you what you need to know: this is a jobs program, not a space program.

The SLS/Orion program is still dependent upon Space Shuttle technology from over 40 years ago.  Why?  Because some Congressman didn't want to see a NASA subcontractor in his/her district lose that sweet federal money.  This is all part of the grift along with the endless delays.  There are never any consequences for delay so why not keep your job going?  These programs achieve a kind of half-life behavior where progress slows the closer you get to the finish line.

I hope and pray I'm wrong, but I fear this Artemis launch will result in cataclysm.

That's why they're hiding the voter rolls

Federalist: "Democrats Hate The SAVE Act Because They Want Illegals To Vote." 

The Washington Post committed suicide

Washington Examiner: "Don't cry for the Washington Post, it helped destroy media."

Over the past decade, the Post has been one of the leading culprits in the collapse of public trust in journalism. The once-venerable outlet has spent the past ten years participating in virtually every dishonest partisan operation of the Left’s enemies, including giving legitimacy to the Brett Kavanaugh group rape accusations, delegitimizing the Hunter Biden laptop story, spreading the Gaza “genocide” lie, covering up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, sliming the Covington children, and countless others. You could write a book listing the Post pieces that were so biased as to be basically fictional.

The Washington Post has been coasting on the fumes of Watergate for almost 50 years and forgot what real journalism looked like.

Supreme impartiality

Miranda Devine in the NY Post: "Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson removed any shred of impartiality by applauding anti-ICE speeches at the Grammys" 

She was at the Grammys for a spoken-word nomination, which is fitting since she never shuts up.

It's all been downhill since that smarmy slogan

"Democracy dies in darkness." - "Downfall: Washington Post Lays Off 300 Staffers, Shuttering Sports Section and Gutting Foreign Desk as Once-Mighty Publisher Bleeds Subscribers and Money"

With the benefit of hindsight, it looks like the beginning of the end for the Washington Post was when they decided not to endorse Kamala Harris in 2024.  The #Resistance Leftists went wild and the paper lost a ton of subscriptions.  Very slightly moderating the paper's political bias?  Sacrilege! 

Just so we know who the real victim is

Twitchy: "Mayor Zohran Mamdani Visits Man Who Charged Cops With Knife, Consoles Him."

You'll rarely see a more clear-cut case of a guy begging to get shot.  It must be great to be a cop in NYC right now.

The People's Republic is emptying out

Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe: "Massachusetts keeps losing residents. That’s a choice. - When tens of thousands of people leave year after year, they’re answering a question with their feet."

For years, Massachusetts boosters have insisted that quality-of-life rankings tell the real story. But those are stated preferences. The census data, the moving vans, the shuttered facilities — those are revealed preferences, and they measure what people actually choose when forced to weigh costs against benefits. Policy makers can dismiss those choices as anomalies or distractions. But revealed preferences accumulate, and over time they deliver a verdict that becomes impossible to spin away. Massachusetts can either reckon with why so many residents and businesses keep leaving — or wait until the exodus makes the decision for them.

IIRC in a recent review of out-migration patterns the top 10 states were all deep blue with the exception of Louisiana.

No way will this stop with the billionaires

Reason: "'Billionaire' Tax is a Bait-and-Switch To Gouge the Middle Class" - "Supporters of a "billionaire tax"—an idea being pushed both nationally and in California—claim it will impact only those who can "easily afford it." In fact, it's a Trojan horse. The next step will be to come after middle-class retirement funds and middle-class homes."

Absolutely true, just like the federal income tax was only aimed at the "rich."  What's funny (to me) about the "one time" billionaires tax is that nobody believes it will be a one-off tax.  Everybody believes California will blow the cash on boondoggles like high-speed rail and then come back again.  Then when the "rich" can't be dinged any further, it's time to hit the middle class.

For the children.

Another dilatory tactic

The Corner: "The Iranians Aren’t Acting as Though They Want to Negotiate."

We've seen this movie before: the Iranians pretend they want to negotiate then they change conditions and terms in a bid to buy time.  Even if they sign a treaty, it's not worth the paper it's written on.

The Laffer curve wins again

Washington Post editorial: "Little to gain by raising taxes on the rich - New research shows the current top federal income tax rate is close to revenue-maximizing."

The study cited found that a top tax rate between 30% and 45% would generate about the same revenue over the long term and above 45% would reduce revenues.

And yet I am not stunned

Nor a little surprised: "Stunning number of California voters back wealth tax but admit it will kill jobs: poll."

No kidding: people want free money?  You could knock me over with a wrecking ball.

Extra - Powerline: "The adage holds that if you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always count on the support of Paul." 

Melania Derangement Syndrome

Sasha Stone: "The Critics Embarass Themselves With Their Melania "Reviews"."

Paragraph 19

LA Times: "‘Finally, a renter’s market’: L.A. rent prices drop to four-year low."  After telling us it's a classic economic case of supply and demand, we get this tidbit buried way down in the article:

In addition to supply and demand, Luna credits a few factors for the changing market. Last year, communities targeted by immigration officers, such as Long Beach and East L.A., saw a jump in vacancies.

Oh.  Must be a coincidence.

Extra - All of mainstream media is baffled by cause-and-effect:

"Time to move on to your next fake martyr"

Jim Treacher on Don Lemon: "Don Lemon Arrested for Breaking the Law"

The only people whose First Amendment rights have been infringed here are the congregants at the church Don Lemon invaded. He was part of the planning, he trespassed and refused to leave, and he called those churchgoers “white supremacists.” To make matters worse, he’s even profiting from his crimes. And we know everything he did because he was stupid enough to record it the whole time.

Don Lemon’s desperation for relevance is not a pass to break the law. A microphone is not a shield against the consequences of his actions.

If you disagree, why don’t you give us your home address so we can do the same to you?

No? Well, why do you hate journalism?

Next time, try this stunt at a mosque Donny.

Extra - NY Post: "Activist Don Lemon is not the journalism hill for the liberal media to die on."

Welcome to Sarah Lawrence

The tolerant Left at it again: "The Left Eating Its Own: Ezra Klein Shut Down at Sarah Lawrence College for Being a Nazi." 

But good intentions

Twitchy: "'Warmth of Collectivism' Fails: 10 Dead After Mamdani Orders End to Homeless Encampment Removals." 

That's (D)ifferent

Bruce Springsteen: man of principle.

Lemon squeezed

NY Post: "Ex-CNN host Don Lemon arrested for Minnesota church invasion." 

I don't know how people live in California

Red State: "From Pilot to Policy: California’s Quiet March Toward a Vehicle Mileage Tax."

There's a reason why California is expected to lose four Congressional seats in the 2030 census.

Don't know much about history

Dan McLaughlin: "Read a history book, Tim Walz"

If Walz knew his history, he’d see clearly that he’s not Abe Lincoln in this scenario, he’s Francis Pickens, the South Carolina governor who led the first state out of the Union and precipitated the crisis by demanding that federal authorities evacuate his state. Pickens and his supporters and allies, much like Walz and Frey and theirs, cited John Brown’s raid in order to insist that they were not the ones firing the first shot. Major Robert Anderson, like Tom Homan and Greg Bovino today, was left besieged by an infuriated and radicalized state.

...

But then as now, it came down to the fact that they couldn’t tolerate a Republican president controlling the executive branch and enforcing the same laws in their state that applied throughout the nation.

The axiom that the federal government controls federal immigration enforcement was re-affirmed by the Biden administration when they tore down barbed wire set up by Texas at the southern border.

That news isn't fit to print

The Corner: "The New York Times Edited and Buried Video of Pretti’s Earlier Confrontation with Federal Agents."

Journalists reporting on an event have an obligation to provide their readers with as many facts as they can muster and communicate. The Times has once again shown itself, through the sin of omission, to be more interested in narrative than in the truth. Despicable.

I don't think the hive mind at the Times thinks it is biased; instead it simply decides something is "not newsworthy" and the collective conscious is wiped clean. 

Regime change?

I'm skeptical. PJ Media: "The Iranian Regime Is in Worse Shape Than Previously Thought." 

I saw it live

PJ Media: "40 Years Ago Today, the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' Exploded 73 Seconds After Liftoff."

I was a senior in high school (yes I'm old) and my physics teacher gathered us in the school library to watch the space shuttle launch.  At first I didn't know what was going on but the jittery camera angles searching the sky coupled with the uneven commentary from NASA control revealed that something was very wrong.

I can't remember the rest of the day.  I think there was a general announcement to the student body.

One other thing I remember from the aftermath: some engineers were testifying in front of a select science committee on the flexibility of the solid-rocket booster O-rings in cold weather.  On the committee was famed scientist Richard Feynman who simply took one of the O-rings, dumped it into an ice water pitcher on the committee table, and then applied a clamp.  The O-ring was not flexible under those conditions, disproving in real time the testimony of the engineers present.

Debunked it right in front of the guy:

People without jobs are going on strike

Twitchy: "Liberal Alerts Us to Nationwide General Strike on Friday, Like Last Friday's."

Remember how the economy was driven to its knees last week?  Neither do I.

Couldn't make it a month

New York mayoral candidate Mamdani: "Free stuff for everybody!"

New York mayor Mamdani: "Never mind.  We're broke." 

This makes no sense

And it only diminishes the nomination process.  NY Post: "NFL world completely taken aback by Bill Belichick failing to make Hall of Fame: ‘WTF’."

In other news, our long sports drought is over: