Saturday, February 07, 2026
I Am Sure All The Reporters Who Ran With The Lie Have Learned A Lesson
Friday, February 06, 2026
Word Games
Humans don't drive the cars, they just frequently tell the cars where to go and what to do.
Peña, providing some clarity, explained that the human agents were only there to “provide guidance” to the robotaxis.
“They do not remotely drive the vehicles. Waymo asks for guidance in certain situations and gets human input. But the Waymo vehicle is always in charge of the dynamic driving task,” Peña said.
I'm too lazy to look at the moment, but I am sure (I have long been sure, this isn't new) that they have carefully worded all their releases and data submissions to obscure the frequency of what Markey calls phone-a-friend.
This Reminds Me Of The Time Sarah Huckabee Sanders Was Politely Asked To Leave A Restaurant
The intolerant and often violent Left strikes again.
Former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino was reportedly asked to leave a Las Vegas bar out of safety concerns for the venue’s customers.
Days after being removed from his post in Minneapolis, Bovino headed to Sin City, where he was spotted drinking wine at the multi-level Bottled Blonde sports bar on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Washington Post Vision
I have no idea, but given that Will Lewis runs the place, he probably has some very British ideas, which means the line between "journalism" and "blackmailing politicians" gets very blurry.
Everyone keeps asking whether the Post can "succeed," but the question is, succeed at what? It doesn't have to make money, they're destroying any reason for actual readers to read it, and Jeff isn't yet shutting it down. So what does he want it for?
How Things Work
The outcome in the special Democratic Party primary 11th Congressional District remained too close to call late Thursday, Feb. 5, but one clear, colossal and enormously expensive irony emerged.In its attempt to bludgeon frontrunner Tom Malinowski with $2 million in negative ads because he his support of Israel was deemed too soft, the conservative American Israel Public Affairs Committee may have helped elect its worst nightmare — a new member of the left-wing “squad” who has been critical of Israel.
The strategy failed, but that's the strategy.
The Best Of Us
Gates is the ultimate example of a guy we had to listen to, on everything from climate to education to public health, because he was rich and for no other reason.
The newly-released tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein have cast a fresh shadow over billionaire Bill Gates’ ties to the convicted sex offender, revealing a series of graphic, unverified allegations as well as a degree of philanthropic coordination between the two that is more detailed than previously known.
Melinda's basically been saying, subject to whatever contractual constraints limit her, "I divorced Bill because he's a big pedo," for years. And yet...
Could Be
Writing the excuses for the Mad King, so his people don't even have to bother.
President Trump late Thursday night shared a video that contained a brief clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The clip, set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” was spliced near the end of a 62-second video that promoted conspiracy theories about anomalies in the 2020 presidential election.
It was unclear if Mr. Trump was aware that the clip had been included in the video before he shared it. It was unclear how the clip was made, although it appeared to have been generated by A.I. The clip appeared to have been taken from a video that was shared in October by a user on X whose watermark is shown, with the caption “President Trump: King of the Jungle,” and an emoji of a lion.
You can just report it straight!
Thursday, February 05, 2026
Popularism!
One day they will learn to chase where the puck is going, maybe even try to give it a whack themselves, realize they don't need 4 guys on defense all the time...
65% of Americans, up from 54% in June of 2025, think the actions of ICE have gone too far in enforcing immigration laws. 12%, down from 18%, say ICE’s actions have not gone far enough. And 22% say the actions of ICE are about right in enforcing immigration laws. This is down slightly from 26% previously.
Longtime Wingman Of Larry Summers
Epstein is also eager to prove that he is not a racist. He says: “You know, there’s this argument that I reject that Black people are less intelligent than white people. It’s not true.“We know, for example, that if I was in the forest and I had to run from the lion or figure out a way not to be eaten, and my competition is a local African, I’m the one who’s getting eaten. Because they have the intelligence to deal with their local environment.“So it’s just different. It’s not better, it’s not worse. But there’s many differences amongst different types of people, and people have different intelligences and they excel in some intelligences usually and less so in others.”
Have You Tried Not Being The World's Worst Human
Try imagining how to get the approval of people who aren't named "Catturd2." It took Bill Murray several decades (or even more) to figure it out in Groundhog Day. Better get started, Elon!
But In This Rural Ohio Congressional District, He's Not Popular At All
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has 48-32% favorability rating, from 46-31% in December. The 48% favorable is the highest it’s ever been for Mamdani. He is viewed favorably by 64% of Democrats, unfavorably by 68% of Republicans, and favorably, 43-31%, by independents.One of my "favorite" anti-Mamdani arguments was that he shouldn't be the candidate because, if he was elected, then Democrats all over the country would have to answer for him
Wednesday, February 04, 2026
Concentration Camp NIMBYs
I strongly oppose DHS's proposed plan to turn a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, into an ICE detention center. I am all for immigration enforcement, but this site was meant for economic development and job creation. We cannot suddenly flood Byhalia with an influx of up to…
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) February 4, 2026
Darkness
What's This All About Then
Fifty-five-year-old Ori Solomon faces charges in both state and federal court after investigators seized guns, passports, and uncovered details about the alleged illegal biolab tied to a man who is currently in federal custody.
So far, in Clark County, Solomon faces one felony count of improper disposal of hazardous waste — specifically, hydrochloric acid. The charge comes under a Nevada law governing "weapons of mass destruction, lethal agents, toxins and delivery systems."
Solomon is also facing federal gun charges after authorities found bullets and at least six firearms during a search of his Las Vegas home on Saturday.
Police and court records reveal Solomon is an Israeli citizen who was admitted into the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa, which is valid until May. That visa prohibits him from having guns.
Zones of Interest
Some people aren't big fans of concentration camps being built near them. From a hearing in Surprise, Arizona.
[Jake Tapper bursts through the wall, like the Kool-Aid Man, to yell at me for using the term "concentration camp" to refer to concentration camps.]Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
— Arizona Right Watch (@azrww.bsky.social) February 4, 2026 at 6:43 AM
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MAHA
Hannah and Daniel Neeleman's Ballerina Farm has reportedly paused its sale of raw milk following health concerns discovered this past summer.
In recent years, the influencer couple has built a business around their viral content shared to millions of followers across social channels. The Ballerina Farm brand — which is named for Hannah's past pursuits as a Juilliard-trained dancer — sells frozen meat products, pantry products, kitchenware and more goods related to baking and cooking.
...
In a statement issued to PEOPLE, Daniel says that the Ballerina Farm has come to better understand the process behind making consumable unpasteurized dairy products.
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact. The way our dairy was built is ideal for pasteurized dairy products," he says. "We do plan in the future to construct a second dairy made specifically for raw milk products. The state of Utah requires daily testing and any Raw Milk sold from our stand passed."
I am curious what precisely caused the Trumpers to start talking about "whole milk" instead of "raw milk."
Tuesday, February 03, 2026
The True 2nd Amendment
Not everybody gets to have guns, certainly not without fear of summary execution from "frightened" law enforcement.
Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters the capital with a gun.
In remarks on Fox News that could deepen a growing rift between gun owners and the Trump administration, Ms. Pirro declared that if anyone brings “a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else.”
The Moment
Josh Shapiro proves his critics (me) correct almost every time he opens his mouth.
Philadelphia’s bombastic district attorney, Larry Krasner, is no stranger to opposition from within his own party, but the anger directed at him last week after he said ICE agents are “wannabe Nazis” was more pronounced than usual.
After making the comparison, Krasner faced a wave of criticism, including from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, who called the comments “abhorrent” and said the rhetoric doesn’t help “bring down the temperature.”
But the progressive district attorney said Monday that he would not back down, saying “these are people who have taken their moves from a Nazi playbook and a fascist playbook.”
“Governor Shapiro is not meeting the moment,” Krasner said in an interview. “The moment requires that we call a subgroup of people within federal law enforcement — who are killing innocent people, physically assaulting innocent people, threatening and punishing the use of video — what they are. … Just say it. Don’t be a wimp.”
Elsewhere, some other people for Shapiro to criticize:
About 500 seniors live at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, including many Holocaust survivors. Recently, some of them asked if they could hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments.
“That reminds me of Anne Frank,” Rachel Blumberg, president and CEO of the center, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “There’s a kindred bond between our residents being Jewish and seeing the place that the Haitians have gone through.”
Concerning
Offices belonging to Elon Musk's social media platform, X, in France are being raided by the Paris prosecutor.Its cyber-crime unit is conducting the searches, it said in a statement on X. Europol is assisting.It added it was related to an investigation opened in January 2025 following complaints about X's algorithm and the content it recommended.
Monday, February 02, 2026
The Priesthood
Seems Bad
WASHINGTON—A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter WASHINGTON—A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.
Does Anybody Remember Laughter
I know that likely demolishing the Kennedy Center, or ornamenting it with giant tributes to dear leader, isn't actually funny, but of all the things that our "elites" are just letting Trump get away with, his building grotesque monuments to his corpulent ego is at least worth a chuckle.
They will either be lasting monuments to all of their failures, or be dynamited on Jan 20, 2029. It will most likely be the former, of course, which is sad but ultimately appropriate.
No Art For You
I admit I find this mostly funny, except for the orchestra any other resident companies that are fucked because Trump is pouting about something.
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC will be closed for a two-year renovation beginning in July, US President Donald Trump has announced.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the centre would close on 4 July this year "in honour of the 250th Anniversary of our Country".
Appropriate way of honoring that anniversary at this moment, I suppose. It's closing time.
Converging Crises
I suppose the novel version has a civilization threatening plague originating in the concentration camps being filled by the mad king, whose adviser prevented the population from being vaccinated against it.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement halted "all movement" at a detention center in Texas for families and quarantined some migrants there after medical staff confirmed two detainees had "active measles infections," the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday.
This is, of course, horrible and neither the situation broadly nor the individuals affected will get the attention they require.
Sunday, February 01, 2026
Nazi Cosplayer Has Nazi Views
A day before six career federal prosecutors resigned in protest over the Justice Department’s handling of the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, lawyers in the office had a conversation with Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol field leader, that left them deeply unsettled.Nazis weren't only about genocidal antisemitism, of course, but it was kind of a big thing! Maybe they should read a book about it before their hero, Trump, the bringer of peace to the Middle East, burns them all.
According to several people with knowledge of the telephone conversation, which took place on Jan. 12, Mr. Bovino made derisive remarks about the faith of the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, Daniel N. Rosen. Mr. Rosen is an Orthodox Jew and observes Shabbat, a period of rest between Friday and Saturday nights that often includes refraining from using electronic devices.
Mr. Bovino, who has been the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, used the term “chosen people” in a mocking way, according to the people with knowledge of the call. He also asked, sarcastically, whether Mr. Rosen understood that Orthodox Jewish criminals don’t take weekends off, the people said.
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Some Of Our Faves
A very big and influential Dem donor who everyone has long known is Epstein adjacent is, in fact, in the Epstein files with some stuff that doesn't look good!
I suspect the chips will not fall from above so it is time for another woke uprising.
Phone Addiction
I have a rule, mostly followed, that if I'm deliberately watching something (as opposed to background noise TV, which as an old I still do sometimes), I don't look at my phone. If I really feel the need to, I will pause whatever I am watching (again, mostly followed).
I won't deny the addict's urge exists, though I will blame my job and the current state of affairs for that, somewhat. It wasn't so bad a million years ago in the Biden era.
Beyond the classroom, it's a bit hard to have interests and hobbies if you can't put your phone down occasionally. Go watch a movie, kids!
But They'll Be Safer Than Humans!!!
Elon's technology was always trash. His commitments to safety and honesty are, of course, what you would expect.
Tesla’s nascent robotaxi program is off to a rough start. New NHTSA crash data, combined with Tesla’s new disclosure of robotaxi mileage, reveals Tesla’s autonomous vehicles are crashing at a rate much higher than human drivers, and that’s with a safety monitor in every car.
Friday, January 30, 2026
In Her Defense, She Needs The Money
Mrs. Clinton’s take was somewhat more subdued. She said, nonetheless, that she had been impressed by the development that had taken place since her last visit more than a decade ago, when she was secretary of state.Ah, Prince Turki al-Faisal, let's learn a bit about him.
“The example that the kingdom is setting for the right kind of development — ambitious, audacious, but organized, focused, bringing people, men and women together to move into the future — that is a very strong model for other parts of the world,” she said.
Mrs. Clinton met with the crown prince, and with Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to the United States whom she called a “very valued friend.”
“I can’t wait to call Bill and tell him that I got to see you,” she said of her husband.
From 1979 to 2001, Prince Turki was director general of Al Mukhabarat Al 'Ammah, Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, resigning from the position on 1 September 2001, ten days before the September 11 attacks in which 15 Saudi nationals hijacked commercial American airliners.Fascinating stuff!
Space Data Centers
I hate that "everyone" feels obligated to take obvious cons seriously.
A Man Of Principle
NO SENATE VOTE TONIGHT Couldn’t get all senators to allow a speedy vote. Schumer tells reporters Lindsey Graham is blocking it. “That’s the holdup,” Schumer tells reporters. Graham wants to keep a provision letting him sue to pocket $500,000 over J6 phone records seized.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 4:28 AM
It Was Someone Else's Vomit
A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol employee was charged with drunken driving in St. Paul after a state trooper found him passed out in a car Tuesday morning “covered in vomit.”
The state trooper found 31-year-old Alfredo Mancillas Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, “slumped over in the driver’s seat” at 3:25 a.m. Tuesday in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood near Allianz Field, according to charges filed that day by the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office.
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Hype Machine
Tesla also announced plans to end production of its Model S and Model X vehicles. It will now use the manufacturing plant in California that made those cars to produce its line of humanoid robots - known as Optimus.Fred, who used to be one of Elon's hype men but finally saw the light, caught the important bit:
Elon Musk admitted on Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings call today that the company doesn’t have any Optimus robots doing useful work in its factories right now.
This is a striking admission, given that Musk has spent the past two years claiming the opposite.
Good That You Can Get Them On The Phone
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Thursday that immigration officials have ceased their "enhanced operations" in the state, the site of an enforcement surge and more than 200 arrests since last week.
Collins, a Republican, made the announcement after saying she had several direct communications with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
RIP Dan McQuade
First, We Remove All Leverage
Under the emerging plan, according to two officials knowledgeable about it, the Senate would split off legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security from a six-bill package of spending measures needed to keep the military, health programs and other federal agencies funded for the remainder of the fiscal year.This isn't a "rein in ICE plan" it's an "avert the shutdown that our hog voters are yelling for" plans.
The Senate would pass those bills before a Friday midnight deadline, and Congress also would consider a short-term extension for homeland security operations, which would prevent an interruption of services by the Transportation Security Agency, Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Then they will yell at people for not understanding their brilliance. Then not understand why people are mad when ICE continues its campaign of ethnic cleansing and murder.
...The Democrats!
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Going Wobbly
Something
And yes I know it's designed to make the Senate Dems go wobbly and I know nothing will come of this, ultimately.BREAKING: Agents involved in the Alex Pretti shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave. MS NOW's @marcsantianews.bsky.social has the latest
— MS NOW (@ms.now) January 28, 2026 at 6:16 PM
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There's A Red Under His Bed
It remains to be seen how the Venezuelan people will respond to a more overt CIA presence in the country post-Maduro. For years, Maduro cast the CIA as a convenient boogey man, repeatedly accusing the agency – without evidence – of attempting to topple his regime as he clung to power despite US opposition.
Now, the CIA has helped supplant Maduro and is poised to help actively manage the Trump administration’s dealings with Venezuela’s new leadership.
Nom Nom
The interim head of the country’s cyber defense agency uploaded sensitive contracting documents into a public version of ChatGPT last summer, triggering multiple automated security warnings that are meant to stop the theft or unintentional disclosure of government material from federal networks, according to four Department of Homeland Security officials with knowledge of the incident.
The apparent misstep from Madhu Gottumukkala was especially noteworthy because the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had requested special permission from CISA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to use the popular AI tool soon after arriving at the agency this May, three of the officials said. The app was blocked for other DHS employees at the time.
Not Even Sure What Her Play Is Here
Not exactly sure who "not my fault, just following orders" is addressed to here.Kristi Noem: "Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 28, 2026 at 1:21 PM
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This Reminds Me Of The Time Sarah Huckabee Sanders Was Politely Asked To Leave A Restaurant
Rep. Ilhan Omar was charged at by a man during a town hall event in Minneapolis. Video from the incident shows the man spraying a substance in her direction.
— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 1:31 AM
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A quick search shows there were at least seven New York Times pieces about the Battle of Red Hen (the infamously intolerant restaurant).
It was quite "funny" that Maggie Haberman had no concerns about making clear who her favorite special source was - Smokey Eye herself.
Objectivity!
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
And If The Band You're In Starts Playing Different Tunes
No this doesn't make any sense, but it is the only way that "because of Woke and the Covid response and Defund the Police, Democrats lost" can make sense.
And She Doesn't Even Care About The Price Of Eggs!
(joke)
Jeffries is turning it up, finally.
Hakeem Jeffries: "Kristi Noem is a despicable, corrupt, pathological liar. We've seen her slander not just one, but American citizens, patriotic Americans who were killed without justification on the streets of Mpls ... we are prepared to initiate impeachment proceedings against her in the House."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 27, 2026 at 7:04 PM
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Finally, Gun Control
Trump: "With that being said, you can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 27, 2026 at 5:42 PM
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The War At Home
Still it is quite amazing that the headbangers all believed that a weeks-long show of extremely cruelty while invading Minneapolis, complete with taunting social media campaign and actual murders, would be popular.
I don't think they'll change much going forward, but they will probably tone down the cruelty show.
Squeaky Little Nazi
You can't rely on Trump doing the right thing for the right reasons, but sometimes he does the right thing for hilariously wrong reasons.
Key player sidelined: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday, sources said. The Department of Homeland Security has also suspended his access to his social media accounts, a source told CNN. President Donald Trump has dispatched border czar Tom Homan to oversee enforcement operations in the city.I don't think he actually ran his social account, so this is "the character of Bovino is going on temporary hiatus."
...Now saying not only will "Bovino" retire, but Bovino himself.
Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol “commander at large” and will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the change.
Monday, January 26, 2026
Happy Hour
Supposedly Bovino and all border patrol agents are leaving MN. Not entirely sure what that means, given the blurring of the various agencies.
The Worst House Democrat
On top of the various ways this is craven, what did she think would happen? What did any of them think would happen? Did any staffer say uh, boss, what happens when they kill again in a week? What happens when the weather is a bit better and they are even more hyped up? Do you think this just ends when you vote and go home for the rest of the month?It’s unacceptable to have another needless death in Minnesota, and it’s unacceptable to have elected officials, candidates, and administration officials continue to throw gas on this fire, or tacitly encourage assaults on law enforcement and anyone else. The situation is…
— Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (@RepMGP) January 25, 2026
Not just her. All of the Democrats. What did they think was going to happen next?
The sense that none of these people put a little decision tree up on a whiteboard, plotting out the next possible steps, is maddening.
Um, boss, what happens when someone else gets killed next week? I CAN'T HEAR YOU SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP
Alex Pareene. Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time.
I propose a sort of long-term residential program for everyone who remains with ICE and CBP after this week, along with more or less everyone hired since the start of the second Trump administration. This would have to be a mandatory program, reflecting the seriousness with which we ought to take proper law enforcement training in this country.
Obviously, ICE agents will not be able to continue working while they are undergoing this rigorous new training program. And in order for retraining to be effective, it will take a long time—perhaps even years. Because we can’t accept one-size-fits-all solutions, we should expect this mandatory residential retraining program to be somewhat open-ended. I would recommend we place these agents on an indefinite leave of absence from their jobs while they are retraining, and have their essential duties taken over by other agencies, preferably outside the Department of Homeland Security (which will have a lot of its agents undergoing this long-term residential training).
He'll Know Better Next Time
I'm really curious about something. Did he not game this out at all? Did it not occur to him that there was a nontrivial chance ICE was going to kill again? Did he think, once, how will I respond if that happens?Tom Suozzi says he "failed" in voting for the DHS bill, in an email to his campaign list
— Michael Gold (@migold) January 26, 2026
"I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis." pic.twitter.com/mw91qJBsKd
Some of these guys have shitty politics, in the sense of supporting shitty policies, but also they seem to lack the ability to game things out. What if I vote for this, and then Trump does that? What then?
Maybe Some Progress
Worst man in the world but he hates when he senses he is looking bad.
Started/Going
Now is when a bunch of people start telling The Left (unnamed, because they won't publish any of us and can't name any of us) that they are supposed to accept converts to our views with grace, but I don't think Joe Scarborough is altering his guest list (correct me if I am wrong) to include "us."
A lot of people weren't troubled with Trump because they wanted just-the-tip Trumpism. They thought WOKE had gone too far and a correction was due, and Daddy Trump was just the guy to administer it. It was high time to turn the dial back on some of that "progress" and reduce some of those unqualified minorities in positions of power. So tired of hearing about trans people! Time to return to the glorious meritocracy of Scarborough Country!
"I didn't expect Trump to kill white guys!"
Shifting
Republican Chris Madel made a stunning exit from the Minnesota governor’s race on Jan. 26, saying he cannot support the national GOP’s “stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”Especially as:
In a surprise video announcement, the Minneapolis attorney said he supported the originally stated goals of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operation in Minnesota, including the deportation of undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records, but the effort has “expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats.”
He launched his campaign for governor as a staunch defender of law enforcement and had recently provided legal counsel to Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Obviously Intoxicated Dickheads With Guns
Minneapolis, MN - After FPS agents went into the hotel, shot teargas and kinetic munitions into the crowd assembled outside he wanted to know where the PD is to the press. I asked if he has a message for the community members that wanted out. No response. None to the mayor either.
— Sean Beckner-Carmitchel (@acatwithnews.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 4:36 AM
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Sunday, January 25, 2026
Senate Watch
There are some costs to obstruction, but if they fail to understand the costs of not obstructing at this moment...
Innovations in 2nd Amendment Interpretation
I know they're all pushing the "he shouldn't have brought a gun to a protest (even though it wasn't even a protest)" line, but only Kash is dumb enough to say this.Kash Patel: "You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have a right to break the law." (Pretti was carrying a gun legally.)
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 25, 2026 at 3:34 PM
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Saturday, January 24, 2026
Which Dem Senators Will Be The Designated Shiteaters
Get in line.
Reminder: DHS legislation that funds ICE at current levels without policy restrictions is in the Senate and needs 60 votes to pass. Deadline is next Friday.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
It's Tariff Week, Again
I'm starting to think you can't make binding deals with President Deals, especially illegal trade deals that are required to go through Congress and thus there isn't even any pretense that they are binding in any sense.
There's A Catch
Two women were detained by ICE (under attorney's advice they are not saying why), one of the ICE thugs started having seizures, they saved his life, and then:
Once the agent was transferred to medical care, Amundson and Zemien were placed into another vehicle and driven to Whipple anyway.
“I asked if we could just go home,” Amundson said. “I said, ‘We just saved his life. Is that cool with you?’ And they said no.”
Eventually:
“We’re releasing you to your counsel and to your state representative,” the officer said, according to Amundson. “But you need to tell everybody that we treated you kindly.”
A scene in the film version of Catch-22, when Cathcart and Korn are offering to send Yossarian home.
We will issue orders sending you back to the States and there's one thing you have to do for us in return.
What would that be?
Like us.
Like you?
Like us.
You'll be surprised how easy it is once you begin.
Later in the Star Tribune piece, the obvious realization:
What stayed with Amundson most, she said, was not the adrenaline of the moment but the realization that came while she was holding the agent’s head in her hands and keeping his airway open.
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.
Friday, January 23, 2026
...The Democrats!
Well fuck you too!Cynically, DeLauro issued blistering statements against ICE, then negotiated the ICE funding deal, then personally voted against it, then celebrated with Republicans after passage. She's 82, represents Yale, and has a primary challenger.
— Ezra Levin ❌👑 (@ezralevin.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 2:02 PM
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Over the years I've noticed that it really enrages Professional Democrats when the hog voters don't clap along with scripted nonsense like this. They put on the show for you! Clap!
The Best Guy In The Trump Administration
Senior executive 2: Every May, there’s a Five Eyes conference with the head of every intelligence agency. This year it was in the U.K. Kash Patel is going. In the lead-up to that, his detail starts making crazy requests. He’s got special requirements on everything. And the Brits are getting pissed.
Before the conference, his staff says he’s unhappy because he doesn’t like meetings in office settings. What he wants is social events. He wants Premier soccer games. He wants to go jet skiing. He’d like a helicopter tour. Everyone who heard about this was like: Hold on. Is he really going to ask the MI5 director to go jet skiing instead of meeting? The schedule is set, and every Five Eyes partner is doing this. They can’t just say that he’s not participating and instead he wants to go to a Premier soccer game. This is a job, guys.
His staff only cared about three things: what his meals were, when his workouts would be and what his entertainment would be. The biggest plan is how he’s going to get his girlfriend in there so she can go to Windsor Castle. He’s got Nicole Rucker as his assistant, like a true executive concierge. And when she’s not getting the food or the workout she wants, she’ll just start screaming at people, Make it happen!
His staff was briefed multiple times that the Brits were going to want to talk about an F.B.I. position in London that has been pulled. The F.B.I. is arguably their most important partner. MI5 is 5,000 people. The F.B.I. is 38,000. If MI5 ceased to exist, it would be very bad for us. If we cease to exist, it would be an existential threat for them. That person was working on a ton of sensitive stuff, including embassy penetrations and technology, and they want this position back. So Ken McCallum, the MI5 director, goes to Kash Patel at the conference and says: Hey, we really need this position. It’s so important for our mutual benefit. And Kash says: Yep, that person’s going nowhere. She’s absolutely staying. And the Brits rejoice.
Two weeks later, he reverses himself and removes her. The Brits are outraged. Kash will make promises and he will break them, and he doesn’t worry about that.
On that trip, the heads of intelligence for the Five Eyes went to Windsor Castle and met with the king. There was a photo taken of all the Five Eyes people, some of whom are nondisclosed, meaning their affiliation with the British intelligence service isn’t public. The Brits forwarded that picture as a keepsake for the individuals. They prefaced it with, This isn’t to be shared. But Kash has decided he wants to post it on social media. They have people trying to negotiate with the Brits about whether that’s possible. They’re fighting with the director’s office, like: You cannot post this. Do not do that. And they’re arguing, He wants a picture out.
Did Anyone Take The "Invitation" Seriously
Yes I know some countries have signed up, but...
Shot, Chaser
Earlier today, Elon Musk announced on X that Tesla had “just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car.” Tesla’s stock immediately jumped over 4% on the news. Headlines across the financial press celebrated the milestone.It looks less obviously ridiculous than having "driver" in your driverless car, but it is actually more ridiculous of course!
There’s just one problem: it appears to be another game of smoke and mirrors. The Robotaxi cars spotted without “safety monitor” were all being followed by a trailing black Tesla supervising the “driverless” Robotaxi.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Would You Like To Try That Again, James
Speaking at the White House, Vance appeared to try to stymie any efforts by Minnesota prosecutors to pursue a criminal case against the agent.
“The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action – that’s a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job,” Vance said, echoing others in the Trump administration. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It would get tossed out by a judge.”
JD Vance: "I didn't say that officers who engaged in wrongdoing would enjoy immunity. That's absurd. What I did say is that when federal law enforcement officers violate the law that's typically something federal officials would look into. We don't want these guys to have kangaroo courts."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 22, 2026 at 7:52 PM
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Breaking the Law
After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data.
The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states.
Metaphors
Vance on the economy: "You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) January 22, 2026 at 3:15 PM
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What's In The IV
But What Do Extreme Violations Of The 4th Amendment Have To Do With The Price Of Eggs
An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement document in May shows that ICE told officers and agents they can forcibly enter homes of people subject to deportation without warrants signed by judges.This kind of thing isn't hard to oppose! More than oppose, to center in a campaign in year 250 of our glorious nation!
Even the Newsmax guy can see it...
And They Can Do It To Her Again, Today
I am open to the idea that certain budgetary machinations are above my silly little brain, and that the Dems Know What They Are Doing, but there is an aspect of basic politics which is showing people that you are on their side, that you are at least trying to rescue them, and the leadership in Congress is so bad at this basic, fundamental form of politics.Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old US citizen, was arrested and detained by ICE. She was held for TWO DAYS. ICE agents handcuffed her, called her a racial slur, and she was knocked to the ground so hard she got a concussion. This cannot continue happening. ICE needs to leave.
— Minnesota House DFL (@mnhousedfl.bsky.social) January 22, 2026 at 1:42 AM
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I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR YOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUU.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Better
And Jeffries is supposedly coming out against the funding bill which is certainly better than not... but ultimately performance.The people carrying out Trump’s illegal orders think they’re untouchable. They’re not. Trump won’t be in power forever to protect them. Accountability is coming. We will bring them to justice. That’s a promise.
— Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@gomez.house.gov) January 21, 2026 at 4:05 PM
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But What About The Price Of Eggs, Mr. President
Trump is more focused on acquiring Greenland than on lowering costs for you and your family.
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@pocan.house.gov) January 21, 2026 at 4:23 PM
I'm not against discussing "affordability." I don't think they only have to talk about one thing. I just really hate portraying other things - like threatening to invade and maybe actually invading Greenland - as distractions instead of important things in and of themselves!Donald Trump should focus on the price of groceries, not Greenland. Americans can’t afford distractions. www.reuters.com/business/dav...
— Rep. Sam Liccardo (@liccardo.house.gov) January 21, 2026 at 2:45 PM
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President Deals
BRUSSELS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The European Parliament has decided to suspend its work on the European Union's trade deal with the United States in protest at U.S. President Donald Trump's demands to acquire Greenland and threats of tariffs on European allies who oppose his plan.
Hippie Cars
We need to create built environment such that it isn't difficult to be without one car per driving age household member. We need to create more places where many more people can satisfy most of their non-commute daily needs without a car, at a minimum. It isn't actually difficult.
Still I didn't doubt that EVs were inevitable. Whether or not the Biden push for them was overall a good use of resources is one question, but certainly reversing course, nullifying promises, and actively fighting them is ridiculous.
This is the kiss of death for American car sales in Canada. You can get a Chinese Xiaomi sedan with 300-plus miles of range, more than 600 horsepower, and extremely fancy luxury trimmings for the equivalent of about $42,000 in China; or you can get a Chinese BYD Seagull with 190 miles of range for about $11,000. I would bet that the next step for Chinese automakers is to build a factory in Toronto or somewhere nearby so Canada can get a slice of the jobs and production.For various reasons, the rest of the world will soon be buying cheap BYD EVs and... Americans won't.
More broadly, the American EV transition has clearly hit the skids, thanks to Trump. Sales plummeted by about 46 percent when the tax credit for purchase expired at the end of September. Ford took a $19.5 billion bath on a planned battery factory investment, canceled its F-150 EV, and is now reportedly in talks with—wait for it—BYD to pick up batteries for its hybrid cars sold abroad. GM is doing better, but its EV sales are still down sharply, as are Tesla’s.
Contrary to the triumphalism of various EV critics, all this horrendous waste does not mean that the global EV transition is now in question. As I have previously detailed, in 2025 a quarter of global car sales were EVs, led by Southeast Asia, where the EV share of new car sales in several nations has soared past the 40 percent mark, with many more nations just behind. China, the largest car market in the world, went from almost zero to more than half in just five years. America’s failure to gain a serious toehold in EV production—particularly very cheap models—is a major reason why the Big Three’s share of the global auto market has fallen from nearly 30 percent in 2000 to about 12 percent today, while China’s share has risen from 2 percent to 42 percent.
Thousand Words
I'm sure this face captures her regular inner thoughts pretty well, and yet she doesn't care! She goes out there every day and supports it!
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Happy Hour
If you're not watching the PBS footage, you're missing out on seeing Karoline Leavitt looking really, really anxious about Trump's rambling... cc: @atrupar.com
— Will Harris (@willharrisinva.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 7:35 PM
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Abolish ICE
Maybe Chuck Schumer shouldn't say it (no idea), but political strategies which involve yelling at people who aren't on the payroll, telling them what they can or can't say, are not actually political strategies.Mamdani: "I am in support of abolishing ICE. What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We're seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it's doing is terrorizing people."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 20, 2026 at 4:56 PM
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Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville has advised members of his party against using the phrase “Abolish ICE” as protests opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue in Minneapolis and across the nation.As we know, the "Defund The Police" era was 2020, when Dems won the House, the Senate, and the presidency, then prominent Dems and pundits agreed the slogan doomed them. Somehow we have been pretending this makes sense for over 5 years now.
Carville, in remarks on his “Politics War Room” podcast with Al Hunt, chimed in after his co-host raised an issue with Democrats using the word “abolishing” rather than calling to reform the agency or to start “making ICE work.”
“‘Defund the Police’ are the three stupidest words in the history of the English language,” said Carville, comparing the anti-ICE phrase to a slogan that grew in popularity amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.“The left is universally wrong about everything.”
Carville argued that Americans want to have some form of “immigration and customs control” before noting that he finds recent actions by ICE to be “horrible.”
I dont think everyone was lying about this. I think somehow they convinced themselves of it. But they won! And then, in 2022, they did extremely well for a midterm election! They kept the Senate and came pretty close to holding the House!
Mommy He Shot Me Back
Greenland’s prime minister said the Arctic island’s population and its authorities need to start preparing for a possible military invasion, even as it remains an unlikely scenario, as President Donald Trump continues to threaten taking over the territory.Probably "acts of terrorism" even.
“It’s not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out,” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a press conference in capital Nuuk on Tuesday.
Which Way, Yurp
Is That News?
In Trump's first term, it was a bit silly that news outlets reported every post as BREAKING NEWS, WORD OF GOD stuff. Now they barely report when he posts 200 insane things at 2am.
There is no contradiction in complaining about both of these things! Every Trump post is not breaking news that should be treated with urgency. That gramps regularly posts 200 crazy things at 2am is newsworthy! Not the substance of the posts, precisely, but that he does it!
Confidence
If the relevant spy agency didn't have anything, I'd fire everyone
Monday, January 19, 2026
America's Worst Newish Fake Democratic Think Tank
The author of a controversial memo telling Democrats to abandon the slogan “Abolish ICE” and instead focus on reform and retraining is a former Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection official who for the last seven months has worked for WestExec Advisors, a secretive Washington, D.C., shadow lobbyist that counts as clients major government contractors in the defense and surveillance industry.I'm not saying that these people speak for The Democrats, but these views get heard by members of Congress much more than views like mine do.
In an interview with the Prospect, Blas Nuñez-Neto would not say who his clients are at WestExec Advisors, where he is a senior adviser, only that he has consulted in recent years on immigration, customs, and trade. He said casting his memo as serving the interests of those clients would be “a little disingenuous,” while again declining to say who those clients are.
Nuñez-Neto recommended that protesters understand that ICE agents are people, too.How'd that all work out:
“I think it would help both sides to appreciate the fact that that’s a human being across from you who may or may not want to do the things they’ve been ordered to do. In my long history being in and out of the Department [of Homeland Security], it is very often what makes the news are the terrible things that happen but what doesn’t get reported are the … stories about agents bringing toys into the border patrol station,” he said.
The lead architect of President Joe Biden’s border strategy is not Vice President Kamala Harris, despite persistent Republican claims to the contrary. That role belongs to a bookish, little-known policy adviser named Blas Nuñez-Neto.Worked out well for his career. Many others? Not so much.
...
A data-driven technocrat, Nuñez-Neto has engineered Biden’s pivot toward tougher border enforcement and sweeping restrictions on asylum — moves that have helped slash illegal crossings by nearly 80 percent since December.