$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."

Worst reality show ever

Hot Air: "To Live and Die on Camera in Karen Bass's LA."

He was sending dick pics

Townhall: "The Nazi Tattoo, the Reddit Posts, and Now This: Graham Platner's Senate Campaign in Crisis."

Sheesh, every other day it's something new with this guy.

Update - It gets worse.  The Democrats are going to pull a Torricelli.  Watch it happen.

Cognitive dissonance in Boston

Renee Graham is a reliable race grifter for the Boston Globe with nearly every article of hers recounting a parade of horribles and examples of awful repression.  Here's a typical headline: "Jim Crow 2.0 is already working as the Supreme Court’s conservatives intended."

She's very, very upset that the cane-shaking clown Al Green was defeated in the Democrat primary for a Houston Congressional seat.  Just wait until you see Jim Crow in action!

But in Tuesday’s primary runoff, the Black Democratic congressman became a casualty of racist gerrymandering ordered by Trump and codified by the conservative-led Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act last month. Green lost his seat to Representative Christian Menefee, 38, also a Black incumbent, because new congressional maps forced them to compete in the same Houston district.

Sure, Menefee is also Black but he's not Black Black, I guess.

Violence on the Left

Federalist: "Swatting Incident At Justice Barrett’s Home Is Another ‘Hit’ From Schumer’s ‘Whirlwind’."

Red State: "'FAFO': Todd Blanche Shares Satisfying Update on NJ Agitator Seen Threatening to Kill ICE Agents." 

But muh good intentions

Washington Post editorial: "What ‘equity’ in college testing has wrought" - "Idealists hoped that eliminating tests would somehow usher in an egalitarian nirvana in higher education. That experiment has failed badly, and so will other crusades for equity based on false pretenses." 

Crazy data point: "in the last five years, the number of students whose mathematics skills fall below high school level increased nearly thirtyfold." 

That's DR. Jill Biden

Washington Free Beacon: "Don't Take Medical Advice from Jill Biden." 

Perhaps you should have him on your "show"

Hollywood in Toto: "Is Kimmel’s Pratt Assault Start of New Late-Night War? - Far-Left host uses personal attacks to slam candidate offering L.A. hope."

It’s all misdirection and personal attacks. 

There’s a simple way to clear things up. Invite Pratt on your program. Except Kimmel would never do that. He doesn’t air opposing views, let alone engage in fair debate.

Why? He’d be creamed if he did. And, mid-creaming, his audience would say, “hey, Kimmel’s guest has a point.” And Kimmel doesn’t play that way.

This is the most galling thing about Kimmel and Colbert and all these other "entertainers": they can't take a punch. 

Girl boss + Rachel Zegler + superhero fatigue

Outkick: "'Supergirl' pre-release tracking looks disastrously bad for Hollywood after lead actress' bizarre comments - Star Milly Alcock's divisive remarks and underwhelming trailers have tracking estimates far below studio hopes."