MAKE THEM PAY: Eighth Circuit Rules Eviction Moratoria are Likely to be Takings Requiring Compensation Under the Fifth Amendment.

ADVENTURES IN HEADLINE JUXTAPOSITION:

NO PASARÁN: Rehash of 2017: The Run-Off for French President Will Again Feature Macron Vs. Le Pen.

OPEN THREAD: Relax. Now’s the time, it’s party time.

SALENA ZITO: Lieu­tenant gov­er­nor can­di­dates show fu­ture of con­ser­va­tism.

Try looking at Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. I think there’s some future there.

THE NEW SPACE RACE:

Bernie never cared about putting people on the Moon or Mars until there was a chance someone else might get there first. But then leftists are always driven by envy rather than by the desire to achieve.

YES, THEY’RE DOING SO WELL AGAINST UKRAINE, THEY CAN AFFORD TO MAKE THREATS LIKE THAT: Russia warns of ‘direct military confrontation’ with US; Moscow taps new Ukraine war commander.

VOTING ON PAPER, WITH ID REQUIRED: Macron to face Le Pen in battle to be French president.

I KNOW PEOPLE WILL HAVE SEX WITH ANYTHING, BUT . . . A Strange Genetic Link Between Humans And Sea Anemones Was Just Confirmed.

THE EAGERNESS OF OUR RULING CLASS TO WRITE OFF THE HUMANITY OF THE RULED IS TROUBLING: WEF Advisor Yuval Harari On How Technology is Creating a Class of ‘Meaningless, Worthless’ People.

UPDATE: From the comments: “A kakistocracy calling its subjects worthless. That’s rich.”

MARK JUDGE: Will Smith, Chris Rock and the Slap: the Return of the Male Honor Code?

I don’t think this will bring back chivalry. Chivalry, as I frequently note, was an entire social system, one in which women had responsibilities too. I don’t see Jada Pinkett Smith living up to that part of the deal.

I’M READING THE LATEST CHARLIE STROSS NOVEL AND THERE’S THIS: “Cuteness is an effective predation strategy for monsters.”

Disney fans take note. It’s even set in a theme park.

DEAL OF THE DAY: Carhartt Men’s Loose Fit Heavyweight Short-Sleeve Pocket T-Shirt. CommissionEarned

NO THANKS: Retro Jell-O Recipes That Actually Taste Good.

INDEED:

DANIEL SCHMIDT: Why Anne Applebaum Shot Down My Question.

This wasn’t meant to be a gotcha. Yet Applebaum gave a stupefyingly arrogant (and borderline incoherent) answer: “My problem with Hunter Biden’s laptop,” she said, “is I think [it’s] totally irrelevant. I [mean], it’s not whether it’s disinformation, or I mean, I don’t think the—Hunter Biden’s business relationships have anything to do with who should be president of the United States. So, I didn’t—I don’t find it to be interesting. I mean, that would be my problem with that as a major news story.”

In 2020, two tech giants, Facebook and Twitter, had throttled the Post’s exposé on Hunter’s business dealings, which implicated one of two major-party presidential nominees, and the media had uncritically echoed the false assertion of 50 former ex-spies that this reporting was a Russian information operation. And yet here was Applebaum, nearly two years later at an event dedicated to combatting disinformation, claiming she didn’t find any of this to be “interesting.”

Nonsense. Back when the Hunter Files were a live crisis for the Biden camp, Applebaum published a lengthy essay in The Atlantic that aimed to discredit the reporter who broke the laptop story. So if she doesn’t find the story interesting, why did she—along with the entirety of the corporate media apparatus—dedicate so much time and effort to trying to legitimate censorship of the Post’s reporting?

Past performance is no guarantee of future results: Write 2,400 word essay in 2020, claim to be bored by Hunter’s laptop in 2022.

Related: The ‘cabal’ that bragged of foisting Joe Biden on us must answer for his failed presidency.

OKAY, GROOMERS: California School Creates ‘Transition Closet’; Allows Students To ‘Swap Out’ Of Clothes ‘Parents Approve Of.’

TO BE FAIR, THAT WOULD STRIKE AT A KEY CONSTITUENCY: The One Thing California Politicians Won’t Try to Reduce ‘Gun Violence’: Putting More Criminals in Jail.

XI’S GOTTA HAVE IT! Did Hunter’s China Cash Pay Joe’s Family Bills? Why Does Biden Favor China?

BOOZE? How researchers in a simulated moon habitat survived extreme isolation. I think these simulations are useful, but you can’t escape that the participants always know they’re on Earth and not on the Moon.

“YOU SHOULD DO THIS IN TEXAS AND REPORT BACK IF YOU CAN:” Adbusters wants you to let the air out of people’s SUV tires, but start by targeting wealthy areas.

Exit quote: “Disabling a person’s car isn’t gentle. You take away their ability to earn a living, shop for groceries, and even to go to the hospital in an emergency. It’s also a good way to get hurt if you’re caught doing it.”

FASTER, PLEASE: An immune cell ‘fingerprint’ reveals path for better treatment of autoimmune diseases.

ANNALS OF LEFTIST AUTOPHAGY: Pelosi: AOC Wanted to be ‘Queen Bee’ of the Left and It Cost Democrats.

IT’S PLAUSIBLE: “I’ve finally figured out why Democrats are so monomaniacal about imposing ever stricter federal price controls on prescription drugs. It’s because they are freebasing Xanax these days in large quantities to treat their high anxiety over their steadily eroding political prospects.”

STOP MAKING ELON MUSK SOUND COOL: Elon Musk is the Darth Vader of Twitter.

hen I think of Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, I think of Darth Vader. It’s not that Agrawal himself reminds me of the Star Wars protagonist, grave concerns over Twitter’s handling of free speech notwithstanding. I just can’t help but think of the nervous imperial commander who receives Vader as he arrives to inspect the Death Star II at the opening of Return of the Jedi. “Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We are honored by your presence,” the commander says, with a lump in his throat. The Dark Lord of the Sith flatly replies, “You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I’m here to put you back on schedule.”

One wonders if Agrawal has a similar lump in his throat over Elon Musk’s recent appointment to Twitter’s board of directors a day after Musk purchased enough shares — 9.2 percent — to become the social media company’s single largest shareholder.

The move was somewhat of a surprise, given that the billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX has been a vocal critic of the bird app’s policies on everything from its crackdowns on free speech to its lack of an edit button for tweets already posted. In a carefully worded response, Agrawal characterized Musk as “both a passionate believer and intense critic” and as “exactly when we need on Twitter and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term.”

Flashback: The destruction of Alderaan was completely justified.