Freeberg nails it.

When I emerged into adulthood, something that happened quite awhile ago by now, I quickly learned that pairing yourself up with a female wasn’t at all like casual dating in high school. It was a rite of passage back in these olden days. Wounded, incomplete, damaged and/or spoiled and anti-social females would sprout and then grow their trails of wreckage of failed & dysfunctional relationships with both men and women, romantic & otherwise, with this leitmotif of “I don’t take any crap and they can’t handle a strong woman.”

A particularly keen and disciplined observer might have noticed that whether these women thought of themselves as leaders or not, they weren’t running very much of anything, and were leading no one. Truth was, they just never learned to share an endeavor, or life itself, with another person. Or share nothing and just enjoy spending time with another. They were too broken and too damaged.

We quickly learned to run in the opposite direction when we heard the words “strong woman,” or “men are intimidated by me.” It’s a little disconcerting to see the negative energy from all those years ago, radiated yet again by someone who was so far away from even being conceived. It means something is sustaining this rot, keeping it infected and putrid. Something that packs a lot of influence.

Read it.

The reductio ad absurdum notwithstanding, one need only visit a major European city to see how moot this point really is. London has earned a reputation for high crimes, yet Britain has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Apparently, criminals find other ways to do harm to innocent people.

For many years now, Sweden has been plagued by a high rate of gun violence, despite it being practically impossible for law-abiding citizens to buy a firearm.

American states and cities with strict gun laws are also the ones with the highest rate of gun-related crimes. New York is a notorious example, but so is Baltimore in Maryland. California, which boasts some of the toughest gun laws in America, is home to endemic urban decay, including out-of-control crime.

The city of Washington, D.C., forces you to meet 23 different criteria in order to obtain a concealed carry permit, presumably to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Yet that very same city is a cesspool of armed robberies, carjackings, and other gun violence.

Read it.

There is a tendency in the world of ideas to divide thinkers into saints and witches. Some are singled out for a hagiographic treatment. When others discover issues with their thoughts or lives, the switch is flipped and they become worthy of being burned. They are either valorized or demonized. This has happened to countless intellectuals: Voltaire, Jefferson, Darwin, Marx, Freud, Heidegger, and thousands more.

It’s all quite infantile. The better approach is one born of maturity. Read everything and everyone and learn what you can and toss out what’s wrong. Of course this requires work and thought. In fact, the saint/witch dichotomy is merely a mask for laziness. It’s a way of finding a fast track to truth that dispenses with the arduous task of actual research.

Few have been victimized by this habit as much as the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. People might encounter her work in high school and decide to adopt it as a personal credo, only to find out later in life that the world is more complicated than she describes and they turn against her.

Mostly she got right that the majority of people are selfish shits regardless of what they say.

NewsMax.

Pakistani Christians held services on Sunday at churches that were vandalized and torched by a vigilante mob last week after two Christian brothers were accused of desecrating the Koran.

The services at a handful of churches in the city of Jaranwala in eastern Pakistan were led by the bishop of the diocese, Christian community leader Akmal Bhatti said. He attended one of the services, which drew hundreds of Christians whose homes were partly or completely destroyed when the mob burnt and looted them on Wednesday.

The pastors later distributed food rations to those affected, Bhatti said.

Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
A Muslim waits there
To try to kill you.

Read it.

Ever since the Brexit-cum-Trump dual shock of 2016, most of the international press has resorted to labeling candidates and causes to the right of establishment liberal-conservatism as “far-right,” “fringe,” or even “extreme.” To the extent these national-populist leaders have challenged entrenched orthodoxies on free trade and relatively free migration, this media hysteria is partly warranted. But what happens when the shock comes not from a conservative populist like Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, or Jair Bolsonaro but from a dyed-in-the-wool libertarian? Someone who, taken at his word, wants not to bury but to revive a more radical version of the same neoliberal dogmas of yore about a limited state and the rejection of protectionism?

Gates of Vienna.

The Koran, Islam’s book, is “dripping with murderous levels of hatred”, as a critic put it. “Kill them,” it commands, of non-Muslims, kafirs, “Kill them wherever you find them.” (2:191, 9:5) “Between us [Muslims] and you enmity and hatred forever.” (60:4) “When you meet the kafirs strike the necks.” (47:4) Kafirs are “filthy” (9:28), “the vilest of beasts” (8:55), “a clear enemy to you” (4:101): “Do not take them as allies.” (4:89) “Let them find harshness in you” (9:123); “Fight the unbelievers until they pay the jizya [extortion tax] … in a state of subjection.” (9:29) Muslims are “the best of peoples raised up for mankind” (3:110), “merciful to each other, ruthless to the kafir.” (48:29)

These are not quaint Old-Testament-type exhortations from their historical time, like “Slaughter the Amalekites and Hittites.” The Koran, all of it, forms part of Islamic law. These are current instructions of Islamic law. “Muslims must kill kafirs wherever they are unless they convert.” said Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt. “Islam says: kill all of the kafirs. Jihad stands for killing all kafirs. Prophet had sword to kill people,” thundered Ayatollah Khomeini. “Enmity and hate shall forever reign between us,” wrote Osama bin Laden. “Jews and Christians are filthy. Their lives and property can be taken by the Muslims in jihad,” preached Yasir Qadhi in Tennessee. “Allah, strike the Jews and… the Christians, Allah, count them and kill them to the last one” — Al-Aqsa TV (palwatch.org 2010-12-03).

Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
A Muslim waits there
To try to kill you.

The Spectator.

The Republican Party has to come to grips with populism. Donald Trump’s commanding lead in the race for the 2024 presidential nomination makes that clear, as does the fact that the next-most popular candidate, Ron DeSantis, also has a populist streak.

In fact, the GOP’s base has subscribed to one flavor of populism or another since at least as far back as the start of the Cold War. In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy’s red-hunting had a pronounced class dimension — elite officials in “striped pants” were a frequent target. By the end of the 1960s, Richard Nixon was appealing to the “silent majority” against a radical campus counterculture.

John Hinderaker at Power Line.

This video made me laugh. Riley Gaines munches on breakfast cereal with a deadpan expression while watching a lib’s self-absorbed TikTok video. The funny thing, as Riley notes, is that TikTok banned the video even though Riley does not utter a single word. Her only commentary is “poor cat,” which you will understand if you watch the lib woman’s litany….

Biden Defers to DOJ on Hunter Biden Probe (NewsMax) Plausible deniability.

Illegal Crossings on US-Mexico Border Rose 33 Percent in July (NewsMax)

Top Texas Land Official Calls Out Biden Mussel Move (NewsMax)

“This Is Unacceptable”: Biden’s DOJ Attempts To Silence Journalist In Firearms Case

WATCH: Joe Biden’s Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 56) (Washington Free Beacon)

The Shameless Media Partisans Who Praised Biden’s Afghan Debacle (NewsBusters)

Biden campaign expects GOP candidates to ‘out-MAGA each other’ during first debate (NBC News) ‘MAGA’ is the New Nigger.

Buying Second-Hand Is Gaining Popularity  In the Biden economy, who can afford new?

PBS: Democrats Should Be More ‘Grateful’ Biden Is Their ’24 Candidate  Good luck with that.

Unused Border Wall Material Being Auctioned Off  Does that include ten percent for the Big Guy?

“Trump Was Right”: Jake Tapper Admits Biden Lied About Hunter ‘Making Fortune In Ukraine, China, Moscow’

5th Circuit Slaps Down FDA Again for Illegally Dropping Abortion Pill’s Safety Rules (Daily Signal)

Planned Parenthood Appeals Ruling That Let Neb. Abortion Ban Stand

Sen. Kaine: ‘Frustrated’ GOP Will Stop Tuberville Protest

After Years In The Wilderness, Conservative Christian Education Is Being Born Again Post-Pandemic

Math For Dummies

Christie Calls for Federal RICO Investigation of Antifa Rioters  Took him long enough.

“Leave Neutrality Behind”: Soros-Backed UT Austin Initiative Embraces Advocacy Journalism

Californians Hoping Hurricane Will Wash All Poop Off Sidewalks (Babylon Bee)

Suit Claims Progressive Insurance Racially Biased

Inside Trump’s Decision to Skip the G.O.P. Debate (N.Y. Times) Of course, the notion that anybody writing for the NYT could possibly fathom what’s ‘inside Trump’s decision’ to go to the bathroom, much less skip the GOP debate, is ludicrous.

Why Trump might regret passing on the first debate (Politico) I’m betting that he shows up at the last minute, says something like “I thought I was going to get indicted today, but I didn’t, so I decided to show up here”, and turn over the game board. The press would go nuts, and would pay no attention to the other candidates.

The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again (The Atlantic) Luttig and Tribe are the Crazy Uncles of the Deep State, the legal equivalent of Bernie Sanders.

Christie: Trump Canceled Election Fraud Press Conference Because ‘He’s Scared’ Of Jail (Huffington Post) The odds of Christie knowing anything about why Trump does something are less than zero.

Christie hits Trump on foreign policy: ‘I don’t want to be the apple of Vladimir Putin’s eye’ (The Hill) Apple? Watermelon, I think.

Top Ukraine War Lessons From USAF’s Commander In Europe

At Camp David, US, South Korea and Japan condemn China, agree to deepen military ties (Reuters)

Paraguay’s New President Presents Strategic Cooperation Opportunities for US (The Foundry)

Pentagon ill-prepared for bio warfare attacks from adversaries such as China, Russia

Watch: Alarming Video Shows Chinese Troops Rehearsing For Taiwan Invasion

Total Ukraine War Troop Deaths, Injuries Approaching 500,000: US Officials

“The End Is Nearing” – Seymour Hersh Slams The White House’s “Wishful Approach” To Ukraine War

Germany Reverses Course On Pledge To Meet NATO Military Spending Target  Of course. Why should they spend that kind of money when the neocons in the American ruling class will spend it for them?

Warmongering Neocons To Spend $2 Million On Ads For Ukraine War

Coup bomb goes off: New video places indicted Trump ally at Capitol on Jan. 6 (MSNBC)

Joe Manchin’s Extremely Annoying Political Strategy Is Backfiring (The New Republic)

Manchin ranked most bipartisan senator as he faces tough 2024 path in conservative West Virginia (Fox)

Will West Virginia’s Manchin Become ‘Traitor Joe?’ (Newsweek)

Arizona Investigators ‘Aggressively’ Looking at Top Trump Ally Kelli Ward (Rolling Stone)

The GOP Is Over Its War On ‘Woke’ (Huffington Post) I’ll take that bet.

What If There Had Been No COVID Coup?

Genes May Explain Why 20% Of People Who Get COVID-19 Are Asymptomatic: Study

Another One? Boeing Dreamliner Pilot Suffers “Fatal Cardiac Arrest” Shortly After Takeoff

Researchers Discover Concerning Cancer Trend In Young Adults

FDA: Ivermectin Still Not Approved for COVID

Whoops! Never Mind.

The Lab-Leak Illusion

Study On ‘COVID-19 Misinformation’ Rife With Misinformation: Critics

Most Intensive Ivermectin Use Had 74% Reduction In Excess Deaths In Peru: New Study

Billions in Pandemic Aid Spent, but Little Accountability  Buy them votes! Buy them votes!

New plant-based pork ribs to feature edible vegan bones (The Guardian)

Wealthy oil nation lays groundwork for ‘eye-popping’ climate fund (Politico)

Growing Warnings: Biden Could Get Scorched By Green Dependency On Red China

Texans Asked to Cut Electricity Use, As Wind Power Drops Off

No Significant Precipitation Trend Change in Germany Since Recordings Began In 1881

Climate Alarmism: A New Political Weapon?  No doubt about it.

Conservation Officers Misleading the Public about Polar Bear Problems in Churchill

NewsMax.

The spike in migration was made possible by the discovery this year of a new route through Nicaragua, where relaxed entry requirements allow Mauritanians and a handful of other foreign nationals to purchase a low-cost visa without proof of onward travel.

As word of the entry point spreads, travel agencies and paid influencers have taken to TikTok to promote the trip, selling packages of flights that leave from Mauritania, then connect through Turkey, Colombia, and El Salvador, and wind up in Managua, Nicaragua. From there, the migrants, along with asylum seekers from other nations, are whisked north by bus with the help of smugglers.

And, of course, once they’re here, they’re here to stay.

Read it.

French authorities have deployed a new floating barrier in the Prefecture of Pas-de-Calais in the north of the country in an effort to hinder illegal migrant boats trying to cross the English Channel and catch people smugglers.

The barrier, which has been labelled a “floating dam,” was deployed on the Canche River last week in Étaples and is designed to stop so-called ‘taxi boats’ from picking up migrants before heading across the English Channel, the newspaper Le Parisien reports.

The barrier itself is made from yellow buoys connected tightly together with a chain and is anchored on each side of the Canche River making any crossing of the river impossible.

Sound familiar? It does, to a Texan.

The Specatator.

There is one thing about which both Donald Trump and his most vociferous critics are happy: the 2024 election is gearing up to be all about him.

The former president is hamming up his victim status on a score-settling vengeance tour that he hopes will propel him back to the White House. His huge poll lead suggests it is a winning strategy — at least in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are vain enough to have persuaded themselves that their legal and electoral crusade against the former president amounts to the most important fight in the history of the Republic.

The team tasked with delivering Joe Biden a second term knows that their best chance of victory relies on demonizing Trump and minimizing the time spent talking about the unpopular and obviously declining octogenarian incumbent. They may believe what they tell the president to say about his predecessor’s threat to American democracy, but they are cynical enough nevertheless to hope that Trump wins his primary. Biden knows that his once and (probably) future opponent is the glue that holds together an otherwise unlikely Democratic coalition; he is banking that tens of millions of voters underwhelmed by a 2020 rematch will once again break his way. As he is fond of saying: “Compare me to the alternative, not the Almighty.” (Be careful what you wish for, Mr. President.)

The Other McCain.

Last year, my son Jefferson was studying the Punic Wars — Hannibal, Cannae and all that — and in discussing it with me, remarked that at the time, slaves were about half the population of the city of Rome. These were white slaves, however, and the Roman Empire collapsed long ago, so there’s no “critical theory” or “systemic racism” angle to be exploited for political gain, which is why most people never contemplate the condition of Roman slaves. Of course, considering the general decline of education in this country, most Americans know next to nothing about ancient Rome, and in particular don’t understand the path by which Rome went from a Republic to an Empire. Julius Caesar was aligned with what was called the Populares (democratic) party in Roman politics, whereas Cicero was a leader of the Optimates (aristocratic) party. It was on behalf of “the people,” therefore, that Caesar assumed the dictatorship and, after his assassination led to civil war, it was Caesar’s ally Mark Antony who insisted on Cicero’s assassination.

Some scholarly readers will protest against my drastic oversimplification of this history — necessary for the sake of brevity — but my point is that (a) ancient Rome was not a democracy, and (b) it was the populares who, by their opposition to the senatorial voices of aristocratic tradition, helped pave the way toward the destruction of the Republic and the tyranny of imperial power. “Democracy” ruins everything.

Gates of Vienna.

Four different UN agencies “have partnered with and accepted [millions of dollars] from the terrorism-affiliated NGO Qatar Charity,” which presents itself as a humanitarian organization.

The Spectator.

Donald Trump has reportedly decided that he won’t be attending the first Republican debate next Wednesday and will counter-program by sitting down for an interview with Tucker Carlson. (The choice is a double middle-finger: one from Trump to the RNC, another from Carlson to his former network.) In the end, the question of whether Trump would show up or not became a fairly low-stakes question. A candidate with a lead as large as his just doesn’t need to sweat decisions like this all that much.

The purpose of a debate is to compare the positions and arguments of two parties that are arguably not very well known. Who doesn’t know (or think they know) where Trump stands on pretty much any issue?

Politico.

U.N. forces on the divided Mediterranean island on Friday morning blocked Turkish Cypriot construction workers who were building a road near the village of Pyla/Pile that encroached on the U.N. enforced buffer zone. The zone divides the southern half of the island, which is controlled by Greek Cypriots, from the breakaway Turkish north.

Video obtained by the Telegraph showed bulldozers picking up U.N. vehicles and tossing them across the landscape. Angry physical clashes reportedly left three U.N. personnel — two Brits and a Slovak — in need of hospital treatment.

Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
A Muslim waits there
To try to kill you.

Read it.

“The Plumber Problem” is a phrase I coined to describe the experience of watching a movie that touches on some subject area that you know way more about than the average person, and then some inaccuracy in what’s depicted distracts you and takes you out of the movie. (This can occur in any work of fiction, of course: movies, TV, books, etc.)

Here’s an example. A plumber is watching a movie with a scene where something having to do with pipes is integral to the plot. But it’s all wrong, and the plumber’s mind rebels. No one else in the audience is bothered. They’re all still wrapped up in the narrative. But the plumber has a problem.

Readers of speculative fiction have this all the time. Historians have this problem all the time with ‘historical’ fiction & movies. Military people especially have this problem all the time.

The Plumber Problem is loosely related to the “Gell-Mann amnesia effect” which is “the phenomenon of experts believing news articles written on topics outside of their fields of expertise, yet acknowledging that articles written in the same publication within their fields of expertise are error-ridden and full of misunderstanding.”

Judge dismisses Hunter Biden misdemeanor tax charges (The Hill) Guess he didn’t need a plea deal after all.

Hunter Biden tax charges dismissed by federal judge following plea deal breakdown.(Fox)

Tax charges from defunct Hunter Biden plea deal dismissed, so probe can move forward (CNN)

House Oversight Chairman Seeks Shielded Biden VP Records From National Archives (The Foundry)

AP-NORC Poll: Biden’s Approval Rating on Economy Stagnates (NewsMax)

Maui survivors say government help still lags (Washington Post) Because, as we all know, if the government doesn’t help, nobody else will.

No Power: CNN Questions WH for Urging Maui Victims to Use FEMA Website

9/11 Families Told That Plotters May Not Face Death Penalty

CNN Pushes Kamala’s False Claim About Florida Curriculum, Immediately Issues ‘Clarification’ (Daily Caller)

The Biden Revolving Door Into the Media Spins Heavily “And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” (Luke 16:9)

The Biden admin was prepared to leave behind our Afghan allies (The Spectator)

‘Pathetic’: Voters of color slam Biden’s performance on the economy (Politico)

The American Dream Is Dead for Us Working Class Americans (Newsweek)

Raising White Flag? Rep. Buck Breaks Silence on Big Tech Censorship Battle (NewsBusters)

Radically Biased Google Programs AI to Summarize News for Users (NewsBusters)

Vetoes Overridden: NC Legislature Protects Gender-Confused Minors, Parental Rights, and Women’s Sports (The Foundry)

Federal judge rejects push to block Florida Chinese land ownership law (Politico)

Philadelphia SEPTA Driver Resigns After Having His Gun Stolen Off His Bus While On Break

Leftist Establishment Dismayed By Rise Of “Populist” Candidate In Argentina

FLASHBACK: Hawaii Official Who Allegedly Withheld Water From Firefighters Says ‘Equity’ Comes First

‘Tanning Mom’ Patricia Krentcil Announces Run For Florida Senate Seat (Huffington Post)

Don’t Bring Your California Transportation Policies to Texas (The Foundry)

Philly Businesses Set Booby Traps to Deal With Drug Addicts (NewsMax)

Maui Emergency Management Chief Resigns Amid Criticism

Resignation Calls Mount After Maryland Superintendent Public Records Destroyed In Test Score Scandal

From Press-Room Raids To Indictments, Anything Goes When The Government Piles On

Why San Francisco is make or break for Gavin Newsom (Politico)

Doug Casey On How Economic Witch Doctors Convince Everyone They’re Neurosurgeons

Texas Lawsuit Could Make Planned Parenthood Bankrupt (NewsBusters)

American democracy is cracking. These forces help explain why. (Washington Post) Gitcher Narrative, right here….

Trudeau Under Fire After Trans Powerlifter Shatters Women’s Records

New York Launches Plan To Rezone Midtown Offices To Houses  If the owner wanted to do that, they wouldn’t let him. But if they want to do it, to make Bidenvilles, why, it’s a great idea.

‘Squad’ Member With $250k in Student Debt Wants To Cancel All Loans

Chicago Democrat Asks Gang Members To Limit Shootings to Nighttime

Californians Prepare For Hurricane By Nailing Plywood Boards Onto Their Tent Flaps (Babylon Bee)

Driverless Cruise car collides with SF fire truck, injuring passenger

DOJ Seeks 33 Years in Prison for Ex-Proud Boys Leader

Black Atlanta venture capital firm sued for racial discrimination

There Can Be No Saving the Republican Party (The New Republic)

North Carolina is the latest in a wave of states passing anti-trans laws (Vox)

YouTube Takes Censorship to Whole New Level on So-Called Misinfo (NewsBusters)

A Hysterical Hit Job on Florida’s History Standards (The Foundry)

Man Who Attacked Officers With Flagpole on Jan. 6 Gets 4 Years  Let’s see … nope, still no jail time for any BLM or Antifa rioter.

Child Social Media Stars Can Now Sue ‘Influencer’ Parents Under New Illinois Law

Ramaswamy’s Faith Singled Out in DeSantis Super PAC Memo (N.Y. Times)

This ‘Far-Right’ Bit Is Getting Old

Scarborough: ‘We Don’t Need To Hear’ What Conservative Media Is Saying

Prosecutors seek 27 to 33 years in prison for Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy (NBC News) Let’s see … nope, still no jail time for any BLM or Antifa rioter.

California Is Trying to Use Its ‘Market Power to Change How We Farm,’ Iowa AG Says

Rudy Giuliani Was Never ‘America’s Mayor’ (N.Y. Times)

How Long Until a Woke Lynch Mob Hangs Somebody?

Kenneth Chesebro, alleged architect of fake electors’ plot, followed Alex Jones around Capitol grounds on January 6th (CNN) Dunh dunh DUNHHHHH….

New York Times Gloats: Harsh Capitol Riot Convictions Discouraging Pro-Trump Protesters

TV Host ‘Faked Racist Tweet by AfD’

Antifa Blamed for Machete Attack on Presumed Right-Winger

Rosen Runs on Working-Class Roots; Drops $12K on Hotels, Fine Dining (NewsMax)

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm launches billboard campaign targeting Justice amid lawsuit over his schedule (The Hill)

Is it too soon to get your flu shot? Here’s the answer (KSDK St. Louis) Not just any answer–THE answer.

New vaccines this fall could curb covid variant, respiratory viruses (Washington Post)

Medical experts encourage flu shot, COVID booster ahead of fall (KRCR)

Mesa County Public Health warns about trifecta of respiratory viruses (KKCO Grand Junction Colorado)

All signs point to a late summer COVID wave (Axios)

Covid cases are ticking up. But it’s not time to panic, experts say. (NBC News) But you can go ahead and PANIC if you want to.

CDC reporting uptick of COVID cases involving new variant (KSNV Las Vegas)

Doctors see uptick in COVID cases (WGAL-TV)

Djokovic Back in US With ‘Zero Regrets’ After Biden’s Vax Ban (NewsMax)

How Did Big Pharma Buy So Many Governments?

WHO Monitoring Highly Mutated New Strain of COVID-19  Has Fauci been shoveling money to China again?

Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark urges judge to reject March 2024 trial date in Georgia case (CNN)

Trump’s legal team seeks to delay federal election case until April 2026 (MSNBC)

Trump’s proposed Atlanta court date on Super Tuesday eve ‘planned and coordinated’: Ex-attorney general (Fox)

Trump wants a delay in his Jan. 6 trial. Here’s how he’ll try to get it. (Washington Post) When they don’t have anything to write, they just make shit up.

Georgia sheriff looking into threats against grand jurors post-Trump indictment (N.Y. Post)

Fact-Checking the Breadth of Trump’s Election Lies (N.Y. Times)

The left’s goals for Trump (The New Neo)

Ex-Watergate Prosecutor: Televise Trump Jan. 6 Case (NewsMax)

Trump plots counterprogramming for GOP primary debate, sources say (CNN) Sources! That proves it!

PBS vs PBS? NewsHour Assumes Trump’s Guilt on Georgia Phone Call, Amanpour Doesn’t  What does it take to be more anti-Trump than Amanpour?

Trump Attorneys Claim Georgia Case Belongs In Federal Court, Instead Filed In State ‘By Design’

The Benefits and Drawbacks to Charging Trump Like a Mobster (The New Yorker)

The richest Americans account for 40 percent of U.S. climate emissions (Washington Post) They’re the only ones who can afford gas under Biden.

America’s richest 10% are responsible for 40% of its planet-heating pollution, new report finds (CNN) A report! That proves it!

40 percent of US climate emissions attributed to richest households: study (The Hill) Attributed! That proves it!

Wealthier Americans Are Responsible For More Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Study Suggests (Forbes) A study! That proves it!

Here’s where water is running out in the world — and why (Washington Post)

25 countries now face ‘extreme water stress’ every year – three of them are in Europe (Euronews)

Dozens of countries using most of their water supply yearly, new study shows (CBC/Radio Canada)

Global Water Scarcity: 25 Countries Face Extremely High Water Stress, And It’s Getting Worse (NDTV)

The hidden cost behind the US push for green energy (The Hill)

Indonesia Delays $20 Billion Climate Plan

Undeniable Proof that Alarmist Climate Scientist Michael Mann is Misinforming the Public About a Climate Crisis!

Europe’s Climate Consensus Is Unraveling  

MSNBC Coos Over Study Hoping to Soak the Rich Over Climate Change

NewsMax.

Women lose value if men can see their uncovered faces in public, a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday, adding that religious scholars in the country agree that a woman must keep her face covered when outside the home.

The Taliban, who took over the country in August of 2021, have cited the failure of women to observe the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, as a reason for barring them from most public spaces, including parks, jobs and university.

Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif, the spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that if women’s faces are visible in public there is a possibility of fitna, or falling into sin.

“It is very bad to see women (without the hijab) in some areas (big cities), and our scholars also agree that women’s faces should be hidden,” Akif said. “It’s not that her face will be harmed or damaged. A woman has her own value and that value decreases by men looking at her. Allah gives respect to females in hijab and there is value in this.”

Loses value? Like depreciation? Is there some kind of Abdul’s Blue Book that tracks residual values?

A pearl of great price.

Minnesota police force’s resignation sparks outcry: ‘Defund the Police lunatics’ just got their wish (Fox)

Entire police force of small Minnesota city resigns, citing low pay (Washington Post)

An entire police department quit over $22-an-hour pay, saying there is ‘zero incentive’ to work there (Insider) The market works, even when you don’t want it to.

City of Goodhue reaches deal with sheriff on police coverage (Fox 9 Minneapolis-St Paul)

Fed, economists make course correction on US recession predictions (Reuters)

As recession fears fade, we may be experiencing a ‘richcession’ instead — here’s what that means for you (CNBC)

Will The U.S. Enter The Recession Experts Warned About For Months? It’s Complicated (Forbes)

Recession Warnings Keep Coming. How Worried Should We Be? (The Motley Fool)

Should We Be Using Recycled Plastics in Construction Materials? (Mother Jones)

Hundreds protest new ‘tent city’ for migrants at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center; Curtis Sliwa among those arrested (N.Y. Post)

Arrests made at asylum seeker shelter protest in Queens (CBS)

Former New York City GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa arrested during Queens protest: report (Fox)

Queens senior center staff expresses concerns about migrant shelter’s impact on its center (Spectrum News NY)

Gen Z reclaims the word ‘hater’ in viral backlash against ‘culture of inclusivity’ (N.Y. Post)

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Fight the Deep State (The Foundry)

LA Hotel Converted to Homeless Housing Suffers $11.5 Million in Damages

With Veto Override, N.C. Limits LGBTQ+ Instruction

Appeals Court Backs Abortion Pill Restrictions; Supreme Court Appeal Planned

Feminist medical school professor says trans kids identifying as ‘minotaurs’ are part of ‘gender revolution’ (Fox)

Medical school professor says children can be ‘gender hybrids’ like a ‘gender minotaur’ (Washington Examiner)

Anheuser-Busch Heir Offers to Buy Back Family Business (NewsMax)

Harvard University Shows Students How To Milk Welfare System

“Doom Loop Walking Tour” Of San Francisco Sells Out

Inside the campaign to cancel sex ed (Popular Information)

Minneapolis Arts Center Slammed For Encouraging “Family Friendly” Demon-Summoning

Chess Body Bans Transgender Women From Women’s Events

Hawaii Vows to Prevent Land Grabs After Wildfires  Just sell your land to the State! They will protect you!

You Could See The Appeals Court Ruling on the Abortion Pill Coming From a Mile Away (Esquire)

CNN Lets Fired Librarian Falsely Claim Her Library Had No Sexually Explicit Content

Woke Hawaiian Official Stalled Release Of ‘Revered Water’ Until It Was Too Late To Save Maui

ELITIST: Charlie Sykes Scolds GOP for Listening to Their Voters

Fifth Circuit Rules FDA Must Restore Vital Safeguards for Abortion Pill

Prince Immediately Regrets Waking Rachel Zegler With A Kiss After She Starts Ranting About The Patriarchy (Babylon Bee)

Congress Investigating Democrats’ Alleged Use Of Non-Profits And Foreign Money To Win Elections

Clinton Flunkie Robert Reich to MSNBC: We’re Living in a ‘Goldilocks Economy’

The Hard-Tweeting Defense Lawyer GOP Candidates Have Learned to Fear (Politico) Talk is cheap.

California Achieves World’s First Crime Rate Of Zero After Legalizing All Crime (Babylon Bee)

Spree Of Robberies, Car Thefts Drive Chicago Crime To New Highs

COVID : Symptoms of Eris variant appear a week before positive test, says report (Times of India)

New Covid variant BA.6 is ‘probably’ already in the US, experts warn – amid calls for masks to return (UK Daily Mail)

Covid Ireland: Simple test can distinguish Eris variant from flu as pharmacist lists main symptoms (The Irish Mirror)

‘It’s time to mask up’ – Fears new Covid variant could cause ‘big wave’ (UK Birmingham Live)

The Long Reach Of COVID-19: Unraveling The Cognitive Puzzle Of Recovery

Medical Board Suspends License Of Doctor Critical Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Long Covid in a highly vaccinated population – Australia, 2022

Maui wildfires expose rift over island’s tourism: ‘We’re more vulnerable than anyone admits’ (The Guardian)

Lahaina man captures video of suspected cause of devastating wildfires (Hawaii News Now)

ABC News changes headline amid backlash, after saying ‘climate change can’t be blamed’ for Maui wildfires (Fox) When the choice is between the truth and the Narrative, better go with the Narrative.

Is climate change accelerating and is it worse than we expected? (NewScientist)

The renewable energy revolution is happening faster than you think (NewScientist)

Consumers Are Seizing the Energy Transition From Big Business (Washington Post) Massive expenditure of taxpayer money and the relentless drumbeat from the Narrative media will do that.

Consumers are seizing the energy transition from big business (The Economic Times)

Climate: Consumers are seizing the energy transition from big business (MoneyControl)

Global methane emissions from rivers and streams (Nature)

World’s Largest Investor Starts Cutting Tech Exposure, Blames Global Warming For People Not Working In “The Middle Of The Day”

Thanks To Government, Maui’s Lahaina Fire Became A Deadly Conflagration

EPA Carbon Rule Will Lead to ‘Significant Power Shortages’

Twitter Climate Alarmists Alarmed at the Rise of Free Speech

L A Times Exposes the L A Times Maui Wildfire Climate Alarmist Propaganda Incompetence

10 Facts That Prove the World Is in a Climate Emergency (WIRED ‘Science’)

Israeli Researchers Produce Green Hydrogen with 90% Efficiency

The Great Climate Change Science Bottleneck

Rudy Giuliani’s former colleagues reflect on his path from law-and-order champion to RICO defendant: “A tragedy” (CBS) Talking past the sale: They assume he’s done something wrong (besides just being a Republican and not avoiding Trump).

‘The Eurocentric fallacy’: the myths that underpin European identity (The Guardian)

Could Clarence Thomas Get Impeached and Removed From Supreme Court? (Newsweek) No, but they want you to think that it could happen, because for the Left wishing really hard makes it so.

Clarence Thomas’ billionaire friends have treated him to some terrible football (S.F. Gate) If they can get Trump, they’ll try for Thomas next.

House Dems request DOJ probe of Clarence Thomas over gifts (MSNBC) If they can get Trump, they’ll try for Thomas next.

Clarence Thomas Faces DOJ Investigation Calls as Anger Grows Over Gifts (Newsweek) ‘Calls’ is so nicely anonymous. Voices come from the woods, nobody knows who, nobody knows where.

Calif. Moves to Disbar Trump Ally Amid Ga. Charges (NewsMax) Trump cooties! They’re everywhere!

PBS Alarmed Over ‘Indoctrination,’ LGBTQ Acceptance in Catholic Charter School

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hits back at ‘sickening’ investigation targeting him, connection to Trump case (Fox)

New Footage of Roger Stone Working to Overturn 2020 Election Emerges (Daily Beast)

Democratic Opposition Researcher, a Former ’60 Minutes’ Producer, Masquerades as Journalist While Digging Dirt on Pennsylvania’s David McCormick

Scarborough Gloats Over Giuliani’s RICO Indictment: ‘Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword’

MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan Pushes Apartheid Smear Against Israel

Rudy Giuliani pocketed $300,000 from farmers investing in anti-Biden documentary that was never made, lawsuit claims (Insider)

Inside the progressive war on the Supreme Court

Homeowner arrested after trying to evict squatters from his own property

Purported names, photos and addresses of Fulton County grand jurors circulate on far-right internet (CNN) Sauce for the goose….

MSNBC Labels Anti-Semitic Democrat a Republican To Smear DeSantis

American Bar Association Considers Crackdown On ‘Disruptive Conduct’ In Wake of Stanford Shout Down

Newsmax Pundit Urges Conservatives to ‘Be More Homophobic’ (Daily Beast)

Ark. School District: Will Continue AP African American Course

Socialist Scholar Cornel West Owes $500,000 In Taxes

Trump prosecutor Fani Willis faces racist abuse after indicting ex-US president (The Guardian) Because, of course, any criticism of a Magic Negro is ipso facto ‘racist abuse’.

Looming Trump trials are throwing judges into an election maelstrom (CNN)

Trump may try to move the Fulton County criminal case to federal court. Here’s why (CNN)

Lawrence: Georgia indictment of Trump is ‘ingenious’ (MSNBC)

A Frame-Up in Georgia (New York Review of Books)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Prosecutors will ‘follow the facts’ in Trump election interference case (MSNBC) For Democrats, ‘the facts’ means ‘the Narrative’.

Roy S. Johnson: Call ‘em the Thug Trump gang (AL.com)

Unmasking the Co-Conspirators in Trump’s Georgia Indictment (Daily Beast)

Trump’s Total Charges Could Result In More Than 700 Years In Prison—Here’s Why That’s So Unlikely (Forbes) The Narrative media is prepping the psychological space for an anti-Trump outcome.

Trump Allies, and Possibly Trump, Likely to Be Booked at Notorious Atlanta Jail (N.Y. Times)

Clues point to identities of ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in alleged Coffee County breach (Washington Post)

Pence world poised for a showdown with Trump (Politico)

Trump’s legal advisers urge him to cancel press conference to refute Georgia allegations: Sources (ABC) Sources! That proves it!

Ex-Trump Aide Says Trump’s Use Of Word ‘Riggers’ Is A Racist Dog Whistle (Huffington Post) Remember: If you hear the dog-whistle, you’re the dog.

Grifters Gonna Grift: Lincoln Project Adviser Sells Overpriced Trump-Themed Mints to Depressed Liberal Wine Moms

FLASHBACK: When Democrats Were Cool With Calling Elections ‘Stolen’

Georgia Indicts Millions Of Voters For Conspiring To Elect Trump (Babylon Bee)

Ga. State Sen. Calls for Emergency Fani Willis Inquiry  Sauce for the goos….

Dual citizen of France and Canada who mailed ricin to Trump sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison (CNNO)

Bias by Omission: Media Present Trump’s Democratic Prosecutors as Nonpartisans

NPR/Marist Poll: Independent Voters Pick Trump Over Biden

Georgia Lawmaker Seeks Probe of Prosecutor Who Indicted Trump

Biden shouts during speech, challenges anyone to name ‘one thing’ the US set out to accomplish and failed (Fox) Well, let’s see: Afghanistan, inflation, homelessness, a secure southern border….

OK, Since You Asked: Conservatives Provide Biden With List Of Failures He Asked For

Sen. Schumer: GOP Biden Probes Don’t Matter to Americans (NewsMax)

Dems Turn on Each Other Over New York Migrant Crisis (Washington Free Beacon)

Biden’s Scandal-Plagued Iran Envoy Lands Ivy League Gigs Amid FBI Investigation The Crust take care of their own.

Special Counsel for Hunter Biden Doesn’t Meet DOJ Regulations. Now What? (Daily Signal)

What Residents of Hawaii Can Learn From Biden’s Response to Another Disaster in Ohio

Emails Show Hunter Biden Hired Specialists To Quietly Airbrush Wikipedia

House GOP Investigates State Department Atheism Grants

GOOD LUCK! MSNBC’s Hayes Urges Dems to Run on Inflation Record in 2024

These Cities Have The Most “Trapped” Homeowners By Their Low-Rate Mortgages

Snopes Rushes to Defend Biden, KJP From Fake News on Maui Visit (Just Like East Palestine)

Podcaster Rogan: Dems Trying to Torpedo Biden

Lawmakers Urge Biden To End Delay in Offloading Seized Iranian Oil

Biden Says Anyone Struggling To Buy A House Should Just Try Setting Up 20 Shell Companies To Launder Money From China (Babylon Bee)

Steven Hayward at Power Line.

We noted here the last few days that the predictable rush to blame the horrific Maui fires on climate change goes against what the so-called “consensus” science of the IPCC says about attribution of specific weather events. But you can’t stop the narrative for pesky little details like that.

But maybe the climatistas are right—just not in the way they know. In fact, it’s their fault. It is thought that the Maui fires were likely started by sparks from electric utility lines owned by Hawaiian Electric, just as the fires that killed nearly a 100 people in Paradise, California, a few years back were ignited by poorly maintained PG&E power lines. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Hawaiian Electric has been aware for years of the vulnerability and hazards of its electricity lines, but has done virtually nothing about it.

Why? The Journal’s subhed provides the answer: “It made little progress, focusing on a shift to clean energy.”

UPDATE: Hawaiian Grid Operator Focused on Promoting Green Energy Instead of Wildfire Preparedness

UPDATE: Hawaiian DEI kook refused to divert water to fight fires

Alex Tabarrok.

Christianity in India has roots at least as old as in Italy. Millions of Christians in Kerala today believe that their tradition traces back directly to Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, who traveled to India in the first century AD. According to the Acts of Thomas, the apostles divided the world and drew lots to decide their respective regions for spreading the gospel. Thomas, drew India but, ever the doubter, he demurred. “It’s too hot and the food isn’t kosher”, he said, more or less. Jesus appeared to Thomas, however, and bade him “go to India!” Amazingly, he still demurred–what a doubter!–but by a minor miracle just as this was happening an Indian merchant arrived in Jerusalem calling for a master architect and builder to return with him to India. Finally, with this sign, Thomas’s doubts were allayed and his India adventures began.

The Antiplanner.

Washington state Democrats believe that a Portland-Seattle-Vancouver high-speed rail line is vital to the future of the Northwest. It is so vital, in fact, that they want someone else to pay for it, namely the federal government. The federal government, after all, seems to be unique in the world in that it can spend unlimited amounts of money without raising taxes to cover those costs.

John Hinderaker at Power Line.

Why does anyone still live in San Francisco? Why would any group hold a convention or similar event there? Why would a tourist set foot there? That city has been so badly governed for so long that the question is no longer whether it will thrive, but rather, whether it will survive.

Many San Francisco businesses have closed their doors, while others are barely hanging on. Gump’s is an upscale department store that has been in business on Post Street for 165 years. But its Chairman, John Chachas, has seen enough.

If I wanted to live outdoors I’d have joined the Army.

A multitrillion-dollar carbon bubble? Climate chief warns world leaders over fossil fuel plans (CNBC)

ESG cheerleaders are suddenly pivoting and and running for cover (Fox)

Who will pay to decarbonize the supply chain? (Supply Chain Dive)

Dry Springs in Central Texas Warn of Water Shortage Ahead (Inside Climate Narrative News)

Edwards Aquifer Authority issues Stage 4 water management (KXAN Austin)

What impact is Texas drought having on Austin-area swimming holes? Here’s what experts say (Austin American-Statesman)

The world’s most powerful wind turbine has set a world record (Electrek)

Vestas 15MW turbine breaks 24-hour wind power generation record (Renew Economy)

Vestas Offshore Wind Turbine Breaks 24-Hour Production Record (Offshore Wind)

California’s ocean is warming from a marine heat wave. Here are its effects (S.F. Chronicle)

Critics of ‘degrowth’ economics say it’s unworkable – but from an ecologist’s perspective, it’s inevitable (The Conversation)

The Prophet of Power Density

“There Is No Climate Crisis”…1600 Scientists Worldwide, Nobel Prize Laureate Sign Declaration

Democrats’ climate distraction won’t stop Hawaii wildfires (Washington Examiner)

Team Climate Crisis Resorts to Bullying, Again

Chicago Looks to Overhaul Its Zoning and Land Use Policies to Address Environmental Discrimination (Inside Climate Narrative News)

‘Flash-Mob’ Daytime Burglaries Strike Southern California Stores

Singer Put Target on Blast for Racism but No One’s Buying It

Oakland’s ‘Soros’ DA Faces Chopping Block As Recall Effort Kicks Off

A warning about Julius Malema, South Africa’s rising star

Looting Nordstrom and Other Recent News From Zimbabwe, U.S.A.

Dem Convention Head Was Accused of Steering Funds to Hillary

FAA Should Rely on Ability, Not Race, in Hiring Air Traffic Controllers

Migrants rave about ‘spectacular,’ trendy four-star NYC hotel-turned-shelter (N.Y. Post)

Breaking up big business is hard to do (NPR)

DOJ: Government did not ‘renege’ on Hunter Biden plea deal (The Hill)

US Gas Pump-Prices Surge To 10-Month-Highs

Biden Admin Raised Concerns Palestinian Aid Would Boost Hamas. It Went Ahead With Aid Anyway. (Washington Free Beacon)

‘Complete Lack of Accountability’ 2 Years After Afghan Pullout (NewsMax)

Media begins shoring up Biden’s network flank (Spectator)

Billions for the Taliban, Billions for Ukraine, and Billions for Illegals…But NO Billions for Immigration Enforcement (John Derbyshire)

White House Assures Americans We’re Not a Banana Republic, We’re A Democratic Banana Republic (Babylon Bee)

Wiki WOW! Damning Emails Reveal Manipulated Biden Wikipedia Entries

Book Reveals How Biden Admin’s Reliance on Taliban Led To Deaths of Troops