This is banana republic stuff

Twitchy: "Congressman's Defense of Bill Clinton During Contempt Hearing Contains ZERO Dem Self-Awareness."

These people, man.

Seeking affirmation

Hollywood in Toto: "Celebrities Can’t Stop Lying About Renee Good." - "Too often, artists cling to their ideological handcuffs to spread lies and make matters worse for the country at large. And no Legacy Media outlet will dare question them, let alone call them out." 

That's why they run to the safety of Kimmel and Colbert. 

This story cracks me up

Washington Post: "How tech billionaires spurred an exodus from California - The online campaign against a proposed billionaire tax was sparked by industry leaders that have long bashed San Francisco. It has consumed the tech world, and is driving some of the state’s richest residents to relocate."

Tax lawyers and advisers to California tech elites say clients began making hasty preparations in December, in part because of language in the proposal that would apply the tax retroactively to anyone who was a California resident on Jan. 1, 2026. (That language, tax lawyers said, is almost certain to be litigated.)

David Lesperance, a tax attorney, said that four of his clients, worth $600 billion collectively, have set relocation plans into motion — three to Florida and one to Texas. “Every one of my clients who ran the numbers [after Thanksgiving] came back immediately and said get me the hell out of here,” he said. “This is now a no-brainer.”

Hahaha - oh man.  Half a trillion dollars relocated to red states overnight.  Well, you're going to get your wish, California, of people over billionaires. 

Message received.

Always carry a knife

Hot Air: "Roving Bands of Leftist Brownshirts Attacking Random People in Minneapolis."

Where are the Minneapolis police?  Nowhere to be found as innocent people trying to live their own lives are harassed all over the city.  Always assume only you can defend yourself.

Related - PJ Media: "And Suddenly, about 100 Minneapolis cops disappeared." 

Sometimes the NYT reports things straight

New York Times: "Can ICE do that?"

How are the rules for ICE and Border Patrol officers different from those for local police? | Mike Bowman | Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

Shaila Dewan, who covers policing, writes:

Federal officers enforce federal laws, and local police officers enforce state and local laws. Federal officers may perform local law enforcement functions like traffic and crowd control only if state laws grant them that power (in Minnesota, for instance, they may do so only by request, and the state is not asking). But federal officers may take action against people who interfere with their operations or assault an officer. While the Border Patrol is chiefly responsible for borders and ports of entry, ICE officers enforce civil immigration laws within the country.

They don’t need warrants to apprehend people for violating those laws if they have probable cause to believe that the person is both deportable and a flight risk. They cannot enter a private space like a home without warrants but can and do go in with local officers who have them. They do not have to advise immigration detainees of their rights. Local police, on the other hand, may arrest someone on the spot if a crime has just occurred, but otherwise they need a warrant, granted by a court, to put someone in custody.

Emphasis added.  The same article notes that two-thirds of all the illegals detained by ICE have either a criminal record or have been charged with a crime but not yet convicted. 

The minority party was allowed in these hearings

Jonathan Turley: "Democrats Fight to Keep the Insurrection Myth Alive in the New J6 Committee." 

Don't be AWFL

Sasha Stone: "Confessions of a Recovering Liberal White Woman." - "Liberal white women in the past 20 years have lived the most privileged lives of almost anyone on the planet. But even having everything somehow wasn’t enough. They needed to still feel like Thelma and Louise, like they had no other choice but to scream in the faces of the ICE agents, no other choice but to resist, no other choice but to step on the gas." 

CNN is such a clown show

Townhall: "What a CNN Host Said About Tim Walz Left Scott Jenning's Truly Aghast."

This isn't the first time that Scott Jennings has been told something true is not true.  It's gotten to the point that Scott Jennings need to bring his own iPad on the show with preloaded videos proving his assertions.  "Yes, Tim Walz did say this and here's the video."

Scott Jennings just caught Abby Phillip in a bold-faced LIE on CNN — and he couldn’t believe she was denying the truth.

Watch till the end to see the proof.

As the panel freaked out over the DOJ probing Tim Walz and Jacob Frey for obstructing federal immigration operations,… pic.twitter.com/wNcvdUmNPb

— Overton (@overton_news) January 17, 2026

Corey Comperatore was unavailable for comment

Washington Post: "What’s to blame for political violence? Here’s what Americans say."

Political violence in the United States has been rising for several years. Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the violence led to five deaths. President Donald Trump faced two apparent assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign. And last year, Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman (D) and conservative activist Charlie Kirk were killed, while the house of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) was set ablaze.

Emphasis added.  Never change, Washington Post.  Democracy dies in darkness or something.

Jeffries just says stuff

PJ Media: "Hakeem Jeffries Just Crossed a Dangerous Line That Can’t Be Uncrossed."

I can't get worked up by Hakeem Jeffries.  I don't think he knows what he says half the time.  His depth of knowledge is proven to be as shallow as a puddle in a summertime parking lot whenever he's slightly challenged. 

He's the Karine Jean-Pierre of Congress.

An inconvenient series of wrong predictions

Outkick: "Twenty Years Later, 'An Inconvenient Truth' Has Been Thoroughly Debunked." 

Is this the way you want to go?

Because it's going to end badly for you.

Ace: "Minneapolis Mayor and Insurrectionist Jacob Frey Justifes Attacking ICE Agents, Saying Hitting Federal Agents With Shovels Is Just "Defending Our Neighbors"."

Frey does not share the values of his Republican constituents. Do they, then, have a justification for using violence against him?

The left never answers this question. Or rather, they avoid it by simply saying "that's different."

Not once have I seen Walz or Frey say something along the lines of "you may protest and document, but you may not interfere with lawful actions of federal agents enforcing federal law."  Instead, they just pour more kerosene on the fire.  Do you want the same chaos turned against you using the low bar of "I disagree with your policy?"  Because we can throw punches too.

Related - Hot Air: "When Resistance AWFLs Don't Realize Not Every State Thinks Their Tantrums Are Adorable." 

Stop me if you've heard this before

Boston Globe editorial: "Mitt Romney puts a spotlight on Social Security’s looming shortfall - Without changes, the retirement program won’t be able to pay the full benefits that have been promised to retirees."

This is the jillioneth opinion piece on Social Security I've read that advocates for the exact same solution: let somebody else pay for it.  It's always about raising the tax cap while means-testing benefits.  There is absolutely no understanding of the program or imagination for solutions other than taxing the rich.

New Nick Shirley video has dropped

 

We are all dumber for having listened to it

Jonathan Turley: "Minnesota Files Meritless Lawsuit to Stop Increase in Fraud Investigation and Immigration Enforcement." 

Do you miss them now, Ro Khanna?

Issues and Insights: "California Shows How To Lose $1 Trillion Without Even Trying."

It only took the threat of a wealth tax to drive half the billionaires in California to Texas and California.  Let's get that law passed and drive out the rest of them.

(Reference to title here.) 

Minnesota tries the heckler's veto

Prepare yourself for what might be the dumbest lawsuit in American history.

Yahoo News: "Minnesota and the Twin Cities sue the federal government to stop the immigration crackdown."

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota and its two largest cities sued the Trump administration Monday to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer and evoked outrage and protests across the country.

The state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, said the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation.

That's right: the basis for thwarting the federal enforcement of immigration laws is the First Amendment, which now necessarily extends to ramming your Honda Pilot into ICE agents.  These people are utter clowns. 

Extra - Powerline weighs in:

Still, one way or another, this case is doomed. Keith Ellison has been a do-nothing Attorney General who has been AWOL during the greatest state government fraud scandal of recent times. He knows that his re-election bid is in trouble, as he has a very strong opponent in my friend Ron Schutz. So he is trying to change the subject by running against President Trump, who is not popular in Minnesota. This case is 0% law, and 100% politics.

Speaking of fraud, another Nick Shirley video is dropping soon.

Minnesota is a failed state

Full of failed leaders.  From Minnesota-based Powerline:

Rather than a blissful socialist utopia, Minnesota ended up with a looted treasury and near-constant social unrest. It would have ended no other way. Minnesota is a failed state under current ownership.

That would be Tim "Jazz Hands" Walz: "The ‘Affable’ Coach Walz Never Existed."

Also: "What’s the matter with Minnesota? - The state is at the epicenter of a self-serving and destructive revolution." 

One of them is Eric Swalwell

Washington Post: "Two congressmen watched an ICE shooting video. Only one is sure of what he saw."

The Post knows exactly what they're going to get with Swalwell.  Was Jasmine Crockett unavailable?

Extra context: "Minneapolis Is Not Even A Close Call --A Lawsplainer On Officer-Involved Shootings."

Fraud is everywhere

Unreported Truths: "Medicaid fraud and abuse are hitting unthinkable levels - In Indiana, spending on a single Medicaid program for behavioral therapy for autistic children rose 30-FOLD in six years; the state spends $75,000 per child per year." 

Minneapolis shooting

Andrew McCarthy on the Corner: "A Tragedy, but a Justified Use of Force." 

Extra - PJ Media: "The ICE Cop Video Is Out and Polite Society Now Demands Apologies From the Following Riot Fans."  Don't hold your breath. 

Silence is complicity

Hollywood in Toto: "Will Disney Ever Stand Up to ABC’s Chronic Liars? - 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and 'The View' spew so much misinformation it hurts America"

Somebody opined that Kimmel is actively trying to get fired now. 

They would change their minds if capable

Townhall: "A Lot of Liberal Narratives About the ICE Shooting Just Got Obliterated With This New Video."

The Left is too invested in the martyr narrative. 

They are children

Real Clear Politics: "Law Cannot Be Held Hostage to Democrat Temper Tantrums." 

Voting with our U-Hauls

This list is amazing from "The Great Divorce Continues."

The rumor going around is that the 2030 census is going to be a political earthquake with electoral votes shifting firmly into the red column. 

NPR gonna NPR

Twitchy: "Classic NPR Bias: Why They Got Defunded – Framing a Driver Assaulting ICE As Just 'Sitting in Her Car'." 

Hey, at least I don't have to pay for it anymore.  NPR will follow the CPB soon enough.

Another Bryn Mawr kook

National Review: "Mamdani’s Commie Housing Official Is a Lunatic." 

Extra - Hot Air: "Crybully: Mamdani's Tenant Advocate Breaks Down When Confronted About Hypocrisy."  This was likely the first time in her coddled life that she was ever confronted on an issue.

The word "may" is doing some heavy lifting here

LA Times: "Tim Walz isn’t the only governor plagued by fraud. Newsom may be targeted next." 

Tap dancing and moonwalking

Twitchy: "Tapper Asks Mark Kelly What Soldiers Should’ve Done Since Dems Are Calling Trump’s Maduro Capture Illegal." 

Hey, kudos to Jake for asking a Democrat a tough question. 

A Venezuelan has thoughts

Damn, I mean, damn just watch this:

My guess was "some kind of coercion"

Townhall: "Seattle's Socialist Mayor Has a 'Solution' for the City's Empty Offices. Guess What It Is."

The answer is taxing vacant office buildings, which I think is a winner for me.

Good riddance

Wall Street Journal: "Nonprofit That Funded NPR and PBS to Dissolve After 58 Years - Board of directors votes to dissolve organization after elimination of federal funds."

This headline says it all

National Review: "Propped Up by the Legacy Press, Tim Walz Is Undone by Social Media."

Once again with feeling: if the mainstream media had done its job, we wouldn't be here.  The media's fecklessness was exposed by a kid with an IPhone camera.

It's Woodward and Bernstein on a state level, bringing down a governor, but without the credentials of Columbia Journalism School. 

Meanwhile, they're cheering in Venezuela

Powerful article from a professor at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas: "This Is What Venezuelans Really Want."

For most Venezuelans, life has become an exercise in struggle in an economy of scraps and favors, making do with a patchwork of informal jobs and relationships that can never quite fill the void left by the corruption and inefficiency of the government. For years, this is what our authoritarianism has looked like: not autocratic socialism, but the worst kind of primitive capitalism.

In Venezuela, we have long faced a brutal paradox: an absent yet omnipotent state. It is everywhere and nowhere. It has failed to provide the essential services that once, under President Hugo Chávez, justified its monstrous growth and revolutionary ambitions — water, electricity, health care, education. Our society has been orphaned, ground down to its most basic capacities. The government has been reduced to a mere apparatus for securing its own continuity. 

It has been reported that the United States had sources in the Presidential palace telling us exactly where Maduro would be at the time of the raid.  The Venezuelans gave him up easy.

Follow the money

PJ Media: "Now We Know Why Democrats Are Defending Somali Fraud."

They need to be asked if they'll return these campaign contributions. 

Extra - Powerline: "It is widely rumored that national Democrats are trying to force Tim Walz out of the 2026 Minnesota governor’s race."  Interesting. 

Maduro captured in Venezuela

Fox News: "Trump confirms US strike in Venezuela, says President Nicolas Maduro has been 'captured' - Trump said a 'large-scale strike' took place early Saturday morning against Venezuela and Maduro, who was captured and flown out of the country"

It seems like the U.S. military swooped in with zero resistance and spirited Maduro away.  I'm not sure of the legality of this operation but it seems to mirror Noriega in Panama back in 1989.

Pouncing and seizing

Washington Post: "Tim Walz was a Democratic hopeful. Now, he’s a Republican punching bag. - The Minnesota governor is seeking a third term amid a welfare probe in his state that has sparked unwanted national attention."

Every time, man, every time.  The story can't just be about the fraud; it has to be about Republicans noticing. 

Left-wingers in a nutshell

Legal Insurrection: "San Francisco Mayor Signs Reparations Bill, Admits There’s No Money to Pay Them - “We are not allocating money to this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we are going to spend our money on making the city safer and cleaner”

Dude's gonna break the Internet

Fox News: "Nick Shirley says legacy media will ‘go insane’ when he posts part two of his Minnesota fraud reporting."

My prediction: he's going to show a lineup of Minnesota public officials embarrassing themselves.

The Final Boss of class warfare

This is my favorite story right now.  LA Times: "Billionaire tax proposal sparks soul-searching for Californians."

This is the ultimate story of "other people's money."  California already has an extremely progressive income tax structure:

The state budget in California is already largely dependent on income taxes paid by its highest earners. Because of that, revenues are prone to volatility, hinging on capital gains from investments, bonuses to executives and windfalls from new stock offerings, and are notoriously difficult for the state to predict.

But in blue states, it's never enough.  So with income taxes maxed out, it's time to think outside the box and go for a wealth tax.  The legality and morality of a wealth tax is beside the point; California needs cash! 

The billionaires in California are waking up to the fact that they're not welcome there:

An increasing number of companies and investors have decided it isn’t worth the hassle to be in the state and are taking their companies and their homes to other states with lower taxes and less regulation.

“I promise you this will be the final straw,” Jessie Powell, co-founder of the Bay Area-based crypto exchange platform Kraken, wrote on X. “Billionaires will take with them all of their spending, hobbies, philanthropy and jobs.”

Although the article questions whether the referendum will get the necessary signatures and pass in a general election, I think it's a foregone conclusion.  There's nothing that people love more than having other people pay for things.  Do it, California.

Recommendation for 2026: invest in Texas commercial real estate.

Related - Ignorant of history, California has never heard of the David Tepper effect. 

Both their viewers are outraged

Twitchy: "MAGA OBSESSION! PROPAGANDA! PANIC! MS NOW Sets Its Strategy for Covering Up Minnesota Somali Fraud."

ICYMI, MS-NOW's ratings have plummeted by 27% since last year.  It's almost like nobody believes what they report.

Media review

Federalist: "Here Are The 10 Biggest Media Hoaxes Of 2025." 

I'll take things that never happened for $200, Alex

Minnesota Star Tribune story:

A lawyer who represents one of the operators of Minnesota Best Childcare Center in Minneapolis, which was featured in the 43-minute video, said his Somali clients have received hundreds of death threats since the video went viral late late last week.

She got her book deal

Ace: "Democrat Hitman Jack Smith Admits: I Never Called Madison Cornbread to Testify Because Her Testimony Was Nothing But Second- or Third-Hand Gossip and Hearsay." 

Why 2026 is going to be a good year for conservatives

Hear me out.  I know the midterm elections tend to trend against the party in the White House, but I think there's reason for hope in 2026.

Republicans are considered the party that is friendly to business while Democrats are largely regarded as the party in favor of larger government.  In 2008 the Great Recession triggered by the housing crisis put Republicans on the defense as the fraud and rapacity of the subprime lending market was exposed.  This opened the door for Obama's rise and (briefly) a filibuster-proof majority in Congress.  Business had failed and the Republicans needed to suffer and they did.

The Biden Administration leaned hard into Big Government with profligate spending that triggered record-high inflation.  But the more immediate backlash against Big Government is the evidence of Medicaid (and other) fraud in Minnesota which is surely the tip of the iceberg. 

Americans are generous but one thing they will not abide: being turned into suckers.  Watch the video of the girl below; she gets it.  Once the trust in the government is gone, the party that champions the government is going to suffer the consequences.  Also: calling opponents of fraud "racist" or "Islamophobes" or supporting "white supremacy" is not going to work.  We're done with that.

Great rant.

I think many are starting to feel this way.

You go girl! pic.twitter.com/Gro3sQW7Uw

— QE Infinity (@StealthQE4) December 31, 2025

Killing the golden goose

Washington Post editorial: "California will miss billionaires when they’re gone - Larry Page and Peter Thiel adjusted residencies before yearend in case a wealth tax passes."