CHANGE: Despite Long-Standing Tradition, Texas Gov. Abbott Orders Flags to Full-Staff for Trump’s Inauguration.

Abbott’s concern may well be that the left will conflate the symbology of commemorating the death of one president with the inauguration of another, and, in all candor, some on the left will certainly try to make that comparison. The president-elect certainly is; he took to his Truth Social platform to express that view:

President-elect Trump’s full post reads:

The Democrats are all “giddy” about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at “half mast” during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years – It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast. Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

This has happened once before: Flags were at half-mast to mark the death of former President Harry Truman when Richard Nixon was inaugurated for his second term in 1973.

Given how that certainly foretold of worse things to come, I can understand Gov. Abbott’s decision.

I KEEP MEANING TO TRY THIS: Weighted Vests Are Making a Comeback – But Do They Really Work?

DOESN’T OHIO HAVE A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE? Ohio State: The public college in a deep-red state that blows $13M on DEI and fighting ‘whiteness.’

BETTER ANTIBIOTICS NOW: Genetic Breakthrough Reveals How Superbugs Outsmart Our Defenses.

SHOCK: BIDEN NAMES AIRCRAFT CARRIER AFTER HITLER! Biden names Navy aircraft carriers after Bill Clinton, George W. Bush.

President Biden on Monday named Navy aircraft carriers after former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.

“I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,” Biden said in a statement on Monday.

“When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled,” the president added. “Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.”

Bush, Clinton and Biden attended funeral services for former President Carter last week, alongside the two other living presidents, former President Obama and President-elect Trump.

In his Monday statement on the aircraft carriers, Biden said construction on the two ships named for his predecessors is coming “in the years ahead.” Upon the ships’ completion, the president added, “They will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea.”

Chester Nimitz could not be reached for comment regarding that last statement, but it’s been hilarious to see first Kamala and now Joe rehabilitate Dick Cheney and George W. Bush and rescue them from the Fuhrerbunker they were trapped in from 2000 to 2008.

INTERESTING: Was Zuck Right about Chinese AI Models? Model censorship happens in the cloud. “The best case growth scenario is countries that actually prefer clouds that are good at censorship or control would want to work with a Chinese cloud vendor, in much the same way that some oppressive governments prefer to use Huawei or Sensetime for their telecom equipment or smart cameras. That is a limited, undesirable addressable market. . . . So was Zuck right in calling out all Chinese AI models as always censored and won’t answer questions about Tiananmen Square or Xi Jinping? No really. But he is not wrong about the undesirability of Chinese AI in general, when the albatross of censorship will always hang over otherwise very capable technology.”

TRUMP’S WORST NIGHTMARE: Jennifer Rubin Leaves Washington Post To Launch ‘Pro-Democracy’ Website.

Rubin, widely regarded as the most courageous and intellectually dynamic opinion columnist in the history of American journalism, finally “resigned” from the Washington Post on Monday and launched a “pro-democracy” website, the Contrarian, on Substack. In a note announcing her alleged resignation, less than a week after the Post laid off roughly 100 employees in an effort to stop losing $77 million a year, Rubin accused the paper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, of sabotaging journalism’s “sacred mission” of “defending, protecting and advancing democracy.”

The Contrarian is built on a premise some would describe as delusional. In Rubin’s view, the mainstream media have been too soft on Donald Trump, if not openly supportive of his MAGA agenda. Mainstream journalists have been too afraid to criticize him and alert the public to the existential threat he poses to American democracy. They’ve been too polite to fight back by lashing out Trump’s voters for ignoring the experts and making the wrong decisions.

* * * * * * *

A press release circulated by the Dewey Square Group, a political consultancy founded by former Democratic operatives, heralded the list of contributors as “a broad range of respected voices in law, politics, foreign policy, and culture.” It’s actually a bunch of people you’ve never heard of with utterly predictable opinions about everything:

Esosa Osa, a former adviser to Stacey Abrams. David Litt, a former speechwriter and “comic muse” for Barack Obama. Ilan Goldenberg, a Middle East expert who helped John Kerry negotiate the Iran nuclear deal. Karen Agnifilo, defense counsel for Luigi Mangione. Mike Podhorzer, the former political director of the AFL-CIO. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a fascism expert from New York University. Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton professor at the University Center for Human Values. Nancy Gertner, a Harvard Law School professor and author of the book In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate. 

And more! Are you not impressed?

In a VIP post at RedState, Brandon Morse adds: Jen Rubin’s Independent Move Is Living in the Future, But Her Mind’s in the Past.

Rubin’s anti-Trump nature is so rabid that she’s willing to flat-out say some crazy things that can make even people on the left cringe. In order to keep up the rage bait, she’s going to have to flat-out go so extreme that she ends up lying about situations or people. Back when Rubin was on top of the world and WaPo was a top player in the narrative game, she could get away this.

But as I wrote in my aforementioned article, that age is dead. Now, anything extreme Rubin or her people put out can immediately be debunked, and that debunking will be very, very public. The embarrassment will be constant, and this won’t be good for subs.

So while, Rubin is living in the future in terms of her craft, she’s operating on an old set of rules that don’t apply anymore. Rubin’s only hope is that Trump’s second term is a monumental failure, but it’s not shaping up to be. Time will tell, of course, but the odds aren’t exactly on Rubin’s side.

The anti-Trump audience is actually very small, and Rubin is trying to tap into a sentiment that not a lot of people share. Moreover, once Trump is gone, organizations like Rubin’s will have to find ways of tapping into a leftist base that will effectively be “anti-Republican” at all costs.

See also: the WaPo after Trump was on the losing side of the 2020 election: Washington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports.

VINAY PRASAD: What is the truth about alcohol consumption: I take a deep dive into the question: How much alcohol should a person drink?

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Space lettuce: NASA’s plans to grow nutritious plants on Mars.

NASA is examining ways to ensure explorers have nourishing produce, including fresh plants, on future space missions to the Moon and Mars. While sealed food packets get the job done, they can lose flavor and vitamins over time.

Cultivating leafy greens and vegetables on the space station could address this problem and give crews a happier mental state.

Efforts to grow plants such as lettuce, peppers, radishes, and tomatoes in microgravity have been underway, revealing new insights into how spaceflight influences plant genetics, water use, and flavor.

By the time NASA gets to Mars, astronauts will probably be able to pick up whatever they want at the Elon City farmers market.

VIDEO: Is Woke ‘Equity’ the Reason Why Pacific Palisades Is Now a Moonscape?

LIMITED TIME DEAL: EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station Delta 2. #CommissionEarned

FASTER, PLEASE: TSMC’s Arizona Fab 21 is already making 4nm chips — yield and quality reportedly on par with Taiwan fabs.

TSMC has started producing chips at its Fab 21 near Phoenix, Arizona, using its 4nm-class process technology, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters. This marks the first time such a cutting-edge production node has been manufactured in the United States. The confirmation from a high-ranking official comes months after the first unofficial information emerged that the fab was mass-producing chips for Apple.

“For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading-edge 4nm chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo told Reuters.

And not a moment too soon: China Suddenly Building Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings — Unusual Barges Similar To D-Day Mulberry Harbours.

SELF DEFENSE: Living With Your Defensive Gun–Part II: Your defensive firearm is only useful if it’s near you when you need it.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG: Russian Mercenary Captured At Border. “The problem with open borders is that they’re open borders, and you have no way to vet who is coming across. We already covered the strangely high number of Chinese nationals crossing the border, and now a Russian mercenary has been captured there…with a drone.”

SHE MIGHT BE INCOMPETENT AND (SO FAR) UNACCOUNTABLE BUT AT LEAST SHE ISN’T AROUND MUCH: Karen Bass: Part-Time Mayor.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: CRAFTSMAN VERSASTACK Mechanics Tool Set. #CommissionEarned

PRIORITIES:

The lack of funding for critical infrastructure in LA sits against the following backdrop:

The State’s revenues are staggering yet our infrastructure is crumbling, new housing is unaffordable and nonexistent, crime is rampant, schools are mediocre and companies are fleeing in… pic.twitter.com/wVN7CjZxjC

— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) January 13, 2025

Competence isn’t high on the list of California Democrat voters’ concerns so California Democrat politicians aren’t concerned with it, either. They aren’t even capable of it.

NEWEST MARVEL SEQUEL SOUNDS TERRIBLE. ONE STAR OUT OF FOUR. CANNOT RECOMMEND: MSNBC Ups Rachel Maddow to Five Nights, Sends Alex Wagner Into Field for Trump’s First 100 Days.

A cable-news outlet’s primetime schedule has in past years largely remained inviolate, except when anchors and networks part ways. Under Rashida Jones, MSNBC’s president, the network has experimented with new concepts. Jen Psaki, who anchors a Sunday program, also holds forth on Monday nights at 8, giving host Chris Hayes a schedule like Wagner’s — Tuesdays through Fridays. MSNBC has also tested programs that air separate originals on the Peacock streaming hub and the MSNBC weekend schedule.

Some of those new ideas have made Maddow a more frequent primetime presence than many had previously envisioned. She also leads a schedule-busting concept known internally as “The Avengers” that MSNBC uses on nights of exceptional news. Maddow sits for multiple hours at a dais with a shifting lineup of MSNBC personalities that range from Joy Reid and Nicolle Wallace to Ari Melber and Stephanie Ruhle.

“I made a promise that when you need me, I’ll be there,” Maddow told Variety late last year about her appearances on MSNBC beyond her regular Monday duties.

Other hosts will weave new elements into the mix during Trump’s first weeks in the Oval Office. Jen Psaki will launch “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki,” a new podcast that examines the future for the Democratic Party after a brutal election season. Chris Hayes will debut a new recurring segment, “Here is What is True,” that will scrutinize misinformation tied to news coming out of Washington and how it affects political discourse.

Wagner’s reports may crop up across the MSNBC schedule, as well as in specials, on digital platforms and through live events. “We are building the plane on the runway,” says Wagner as her journey looms.

“Building the plane on the runway” sounds like a recipe for a spectacular crash. Will Boeing be involved in the engineering?

Related: MSNBC’s Avengers will be minus one comic book superhero: Jen Rubin “Exits” the Washington Post; Chuck Todd “Exits” NBC.

As Ace of Spades suggests, “Maybe they can do a show together. Can you imagine the sexual heat that would convect out of your TV? NBC wouldn’t agree to Chuck Todd’s terms, so his contract his ending. I assume that NBC wanted him to take a pay cut, because no one’s watched him in eight years, and he refused, as he couldn’t suffer that indignity.”

I REMEMBER THE DISCUSSIONS AROUND BJO TRIMBLE MAKING THE FAN MAILING LIST AVAILABLE. How Star Trek fans changed the name of NASA’s first space shuttle.

BOTTOM STORY OF THE DAY: WaPo’s Pretend Conservative Resigns — And Rage-Quits X — Over Trump-Musk Alliance.

The Washington Post’s longtime “conservative blogger” Jennifer Rubin announced on Monday that she had resigned from the paper, effective immediately, to launch a new outlet that was “not owned by anybody.”

Rubin, who became an outspoken advocate for Democrats in her efforts to “resist” Donald Trump, lionized President Joe Biden until the very end, and then went so far as to fawn over Vice President Kamala Harris even before she was foisted on the Democratic Party as their de facto nominee.

But the media landscape has begun to change with Trump’s re-election — and even some legacy media personalities and outlets have started to show signs of coming around, resigning themselves to the fact that if they don’t at least attempt to speak to Trump and his allies in good faith, they may find themselves ousted by podcasters, citizen journalists, and other less traditional media outlets.

Rubin, according to her Monday announcement, is having none of that — in addition to launching her new outlet, she declared her intention to leave X altogether in protest of Trump’s alliance with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

“BIG NEWS. I have left the Post. Corporate and billionaire media are failing to meet the moment,” she claimed in her post to X. “With @normeisen.bsky.social I’m launching @contrariannews.bsky.social. We’ll have politics but also cooking, humor, film and even pets. Please subscribe and join the fight. And because I want to be true to my values I am leaving X. I refuse to enable the Elon-Trump presidency.”

Ace of Spades posits that Rubin was likely pushed out of the newspaper:

She demanded other journalists resign in protest when their owners made decisions prioritizing profit and sales over wokeness, but didn’t resign herself.

She’s finally resigned. Except, of course, I don’t believe she “resigned.” I would bet any amount of money that the Washington Post, losing money and readers at such a pace the paper’s existence is literally in danger, looked at its staff and decided to fire the non-performers.

She literally has no constituency at all. Almost no NeverTrumper does. Almost every single NeverTrumper in the country has a high-paid media gig despite having no audience or constituency. They have been paid simply for loyal service to the Democrat/Progressive Cult, and to astroturf a propaganda front against Trump.

And the paper really does have quite the astonishing burn rate: Washington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports.

The Washington Post’s readership reportedly cratered during Joe Biden’s presidency — and the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet lost $100 million last year alone — as the embattled paper continues to suffer an exodus of top talent.

The left-leaning publication drew about 2.5 million to 3 million daily users to its site last summer, a fraction of the 22.5 million daily visitors at its peak when Biden took office in January 2021, according to internal data shared with Semafor.

The plummeting site traffic led the business to lose around $100 million on weak subscription and ad revenue in 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

WaPo took a hit to its bottom line after reportedly 250,000 readers canceled their subscriptions following Bezos’ decision to kill an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris just weeks before the election.

The Washington Post had 54 million digital visitors last November — down from 114 million in November 2020, according to global media analytics firm Comscore.

Leaders at the company have discussed ways to hit a goal of 200 million users, according to the Journal. Executives at the paper once vaunted for its Watergate coverage have suggested using artificial-intelligence tools and news aggregation to reach the goal, the outlet said.

AI “journalists” really would be the next logical step for the beleaguered paper:

I GUESS THAT MAKES HIM SANE ENOUGH FOR NYC AUTHORITIES: Accused Subway Stabber Claims That Satan Told Him to Kill an Innocent Teen.

UNEXPECTEDLY! Dallas Cowboys moving on from Mike McCarthy as head coach.

ARE YOU SURE IT’S NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND? Melting Antarctic ice sheets may be causing larger volcanic eruptions.

KURT SCHLICHTER: There Is No Bottom for Blue California.

I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I’ve lived here 50-odd years, and I know the score. I got here when California was the Golden State, and now it’s the Charred Black State. It was a middle-class state in the 70s and 80s, but today’s California is a feudal society with an affluent aristocracy – their castles and keeps were the ones burned in this fire – lording over a huge caste of serfs. The middle class is either gone or leaving. That’s OK with the Democrats because it was the middle class that made California a Republican state for so long. They were the ones who demanded good government. Most of them are now in Texas or Idaho.

That leaves a bunch of really poor people and a few really rich ones. The poor people vote Democrat because the Dems feed them scraps, and the rich people vote Democrat because it makes them feel that they’re not the complete scumbags that, in many cases, they are. Have you noticed how it’s always the worst people who seem to be the most vocally liberal? Paging Harvey Weinstein – he probably worked with half the people whose houses burned down, and he probably tried to score with the other half.

The thing you must understand about the rich Californians who vote for Democrats – and not only vote for them but actively campaign for them and donate to them – is that this kind of leftism isn’t just a belief system. It’s their religion. Well, more accurately, it’s a substitute for religion. There’s an empty space inside every human being that normal people fill up with things like faith, family, and patriotism. The rich blue voters of California fill it up with commie gobbledygook. They add some wokeness, a dash of climate change, and a heaping helping of smug self-satisfaction. The resulting dog’s breakfast is what passes for their souls.

Zev Chafets’ 1990 book Devil’s Night portrays the dwindling post-riot population of Detroit utterly enthralled to leftist identity politics, no matter how badly it’s wrecked their city. Those who remain in Los Angeles will likely also triple-down on their leftist politics, no matter how badly it literally burned much of their city to the ground:

THERE THEY GO AGAIN:

Is it time to cut China’s cables? https://t.co/hdlFDdibZD

— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) January 12, 2025

My concern is that deterrence might be off the table.