GOODER AND HARDER, COLORADO: Colorado’s year-over-year inflation continues to outpace the national rate of 3.1%.

While inflation rates in the Denver metro area have dropped to 4.5% in November, down from 5.4% in September, Colorado’s year-over-year inflation rate still surpasses the national average of 3.1%.

According to analysis conducted by the Colorado State Initiative (CSI), the average family in Colorado is spending an additional $1,206 per month compared to pre-pandemic times. This highlights the significant impact of inflation on households across the state.

One area of particular concern is household gas and utility prices.

From November 2022 to November 2023, these prices experienced an alarming 11% increase in the Denver metro area, significantly higher than the mere 0.2% increase observed nationwide. This disparity places an additional strain on local Colorado residents, who are already grappling with rising living expenses.

But we ain’t seen nothin’ yet: “Under a first-of-its-kind state law, Colorado is requiring gas distribution utilities to submit plans to state regulators showing how they would reduce greenhouse gases 22 percent by 2030 compared with 2015 levels.”

PANAMA CANAL TO RAISE DAILY SHIP LIMIT FROM JANUARY AFTER IMPROVED DROUGHT CONDITIONS: “The Panama Canal said today that, for the benefit of its customers, it will raise the number of per day transits to 24 beginning in January under Advisory to Shipping No. A-54-2023. There are now 22 vessels that pass by every day — six Neopanamax plus 16 Panamax. This restriction is a reaction to the difficulties presented by Gatun Lake’s current conditions, which are abnormally low for this time of year because of the drought brought on by the El Niño phenomena.”

WHY THEY’RE EXTINCT: Neanderthals may have been early risers: Genetic material left behind from extinct hominins could play a role in modern sleep patterns.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Civilization Has to Go Medieval on Terrorists.

PROFESSOR MIKE ADAMS’ SUICIDE STILL HAUNTS ME: The consequences of Cancel Culture can be more dire than we think.

WELL, GOOD: US FDA approves Merck’s drug for kidney cancer.

COMMIES GOTTA COMMIE: Choice, selective schools perpetuate ‘inequity,’ says Chicago mayor, school board.

“Equality in misery” is the new plan for Chicago Public Schools, writes Paul Vallas, who lost the race for mayor to Brandon Johnson, a former teachers’ union organizer. “Chain students to a failing school system by ending the state private school scholarship program & dismantling public charter & magnet high schools,” writes Vallas, former CEO of the district, on X. “Poor families will suffer most.”

Chicago’s high-performing selective-admissions high schools, magnet schools and other forms of choice reinforce “cycles of inequity” and must be replaced with “anti-racist processes and initiatives that eliminate all forms of racial oppression,” the Chicago Public Schools board has resolved.

Earlier: From Woke Walkouts To Dumping Selective Enrollment, Illinois Schools Are Melting Down.

JIM TREACHER: Senate Aide Unusually Gay.

A point of clarification here: I’d be more surprised if Senate aides weren’t banging at work all day. I think it’s hilarious, and I reserve the right to make stupid jokes about it. I haven’t been this amused since Anthony Weiner went away.

But there’s also a serious point to be made here. This kid genuinely doesn’t think he did anything out of the ordinary, because for his whole life he’s been told how amazing he is. Of course it’s okay for this very special person to scream at Jews and rut like a dog at his workplace. He’s one of the good guys, so he can do whatever he wants.

It’s those mean ol’ conservatives who are the problem. They’re the bad guys. They don’t care about Trump banging porn stars, but they care about this? Etc., etc.

I’m sure this kid will land on his feet, or some other body part. He’s now a victim of “revenge porn” by those evil Republicans, just like Katie Hill and Susanna Gibson. So now the libs will turn him into the next Dylan Mulvaney. For a shameless exhibitionist like Aidan Maese-Czeropski, the sky’s the limit.

Related: The Politico story covering for Susanna Gibson is more embarrassing than anything she ever did.

Gibson’s defense of her choices is equally astonishing: “Choosing to share content, online or in whatever medium, with select people with the understanding that it will disappear and can only be seen by those present at the time — when we’re talking livestreaming, webcamming and Skype — that is a far cry from consenting for that content to be recorded and then broadly disseminated.” Cockburn was not aware of this, but is pleased to have been educated by someone who knows better.

Regarding nude images, Gibson tells Burns, “the moment that an image like that or a video like that gets put on the internet, it’s like lighting a fire in a dry forest. It spreads rapidly and extensively until it causes irreversible damage.” Cockburn agrees — and is not in the habit of taking nude photographs of his miserable soma. He might not therefore be the best person to ask, “is it different when you are the person posting said image on the internet? Deliberately? For profit? Rather than having a private image posted by accident, or hacked and posted without consent like Jennifer Lawrence, or stolen from a safe in your house like Pamela Anderson?” Someone should though!

Gibson is considering legal action against whoever made a copy of her livestreamed sex acts and posted them elsewhere on the internet. “I want the person who found and then disseminated illegal pornographic images of me — again, violating federal and state laws — they need to be held accountable,” she says.

Cockburn wishes Gibson luck in her search for the person responsible for her political downfall. Has she checked the mirror?

It’s unfortunate that the current incarnation of Saturday Night Live sees it as their mission to hide the majority of scandals involving Democrats, because a “Dukakis After Dark” style sketch featuring Gibson and Maese-Czeropski commiserating about their self-inflicted woes has the potential to make for great television. (Or at least it could have, starring their earlier funnier* cast members of the show.)

Instead, here’s America’s Newspaper of Record: Capitol Janitors Deep Clean Senate Chamber With Flamethrowers. “‘Lysol isn’t going to cut it,’ said head of janitorial services Donovan Miller. ‘Light it up, boys!’”

* Classical reference.

THE ENEMY WITHIN: Empire State Building Lights Up to Honor Country Linked to Oct. 7 Massacre in Israel AND 9/11.

LIFE IN BIDEN’S AMERICA:

Man Longs For Good Old Days When He Could Go Online Without Seeing Gay Capitol Sex Tape https://t.co/Qmxx8mU5nu pic.twitter.com/ajNoPh5FVM

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 16, 2023

UNEXPECTEDLY: Biden ditches trade deal talks with Britain.

Joe Biden has shelved plans for a pact with Britain that could have paved the way for a full post-Brexit trade deal.

The US president has decided not to move forward with a “foundational” agreement prepared by the US Trade Representative’s Office, which would have included negotiations over 11 areas of trade and regulation, following opposition from his party in the Senate.

Senate Democrats argued that the agreement would not have provided sufficient protection for American workers, Politico reported.

The UK’s hopes for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US date from before the Brexit referendum, and faced an early setback when Barack Obama told voters that Britain would go to “the back of the queue” for a deal if it left the EU.

But despite US support for an FTA in the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency in 2016, the chance of a deal has now fallen to “zero” under Mr Biden, the Government believes.

I wonder if Joe’s boss made the decision? Flashback to April of 2016: A British politician says Barack Obama is the most anti-British president ever.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES MUSK: “If you go back through the news over the past two years, you will see a steady stream of threats made by US and European government officials–elected and administrative–towards Musk. They made it very clear that he either gets on board with their agenda or the West’s governments would destroy him. Last week, I wrote about one case of the Biden Administration’s weaponization of government against Musk. Today I have the displeasure of reporting that the European Union is trying to shut down Twitter/X due to its nefarious practice of not policing speech harshly enough.”

Related: Why Establishment Knives Are Out For Elon Musk.

GET IN SHAPE: Yes4All High-Frequency Elastic Fitness Bar for Toning Muscles. #CommissionEarned

IT’S NEVER THIS WAY ON NCIS: Mastermind ‘Fat Leonard’ Gets the Last Laugh in Disastrous Navy Corruption Trial.

A year after Francis’ escape, the convictions of Lausman and the three senior Navy officers crumbled, following disclosures of government missteps.

“It has been said by the defendants in this case, and the court has to agree, that the conduct by the government in this case can only be described as outrageous,” U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said at a Sept. 6 hearing. Prosecutors agreed to accept misdemeanor pleas and $100 fines from Lausman and the three other officers. Charges against the retired rear admiral were dropped last year.

“The prosecution team on this case was comprised of exceptional public servants with an unwavering commitment to justice,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, now the top federal prosecutor in San Diego, said in a statement.
Four other senior officers in the case, who had pleaded guilty before the trial, are looking for a similar turn in fortune. Federal prosecutors are expected to allow three of them to retract their pleas in exchange for similar misdemeanor deals. The officers have a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Charges against the fourth officer are expected to be dropped.

“The government had hitched its wagon to Leonard Francis, who gave them a narrative that they ran with,” said Joseph Mancano, one of the defense lawyers.

“Exceptional public servants?” Well, consider this takeaway: ‘China couldn’t have done as much damage to the Navy as the prosecutors did by some of these false allegations.” It’s not impossible that China had something to do with this, I suppose.

Long deep-dive account by the WSJ. Worth your time.

UPSIDE DOWN: Car Buyers Increasingly Owe More Than Their Vehicles Are Worth as Interest Rates Rise. “Car buyers with so-called negative equity were underwater by an average of $6,054 in November, the highest figure since April 2020, Bloomberg reported Saturday, citing data from the automotive website Edmunds.com. Average negative equity was $5,300 in 2019.”

DON’T GET COCKY: Are We Underestimating the Democrats in 2024?

DECLINE IS A CHOICE: From Woke Walkouts To Dumping Selective Enrollment, Illinois Schools Are Melting Down.

IMSA students who participated in the Dec. 8 demonstration, however, are demanding the university take its leftist policies even further. Included in their list of demands are requests for the school to publicize a list of “possible consequences for students following a bias incident report,” including “detentions, removal from leadership positions, suspensions, expulsions, and notification to parents.”

But the students who chanted “Silence is complacence!” and “Why are our pronouns not used?” during the Dec. 8 demonstration didn’t stop there. They also want the university to notify any “potential future colleges” that offending students may consider transferring to or attending in the future, after they are presumably expelled for their supposed transgressions. In essence, the demonstrators want to destroy possible offenders’ future educational and career prospects based on potentially-anonymous reporting of “incidents” like not using a person’s preferred pronouns.

The list also includes a demand that possible consequences for offending faculty members be publicized, recommending punishments that “include, but go beyond only educational conversations and required training.”

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a far-left Democrat, announced plans this week to cripple the city’s “high-achieving selective-enrollment schools” in the name of so-called “equity.” During his mayoral campaign earlier this year, Johnson explicitly promised city residents his administration “would not end selective enrollment” at Chicago public schools.

When even students at a STEM university like the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are all-in on DEI Marxism, it’s hard to get too concerned over what Chicago or the state might do next to screw up their schools.

DRIVER WHO CRASHED INTO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S MOTORCADE CHARGED WITH DUI.

We’ll always have this metaphorical moment, though: Here’s That Moment a Reporter Asks Biden About Losing to Trump in the Polls — Then Comes the Crash.

Q: Why are you losing in the polls?

BIDEN: "You're reading the wrong polls"

*crash* pic.twitter.com/VQKeLpZrYK

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 18, 2023

WILL THERE BE A LAW SCHOOL? Elon Musk plans new university, invests $100M.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Homelessness Now at Highest Level in U.S. History.

AIRBRUSHING THE ANTISEMITISM: Harvard’s ‘affinity graduation’ page that excluded Jews has been deleted.

TECHNICALLY, IT’S OUR 2021-2024 PROBLEM: Biden’s 2024 Problem: Voters Say His Policies Hurt Them.

More than half the country now thinks Biden’s policies have done them harm and nearly as many voters think Trump’s policies helped them, a foreboding sign for the incumbent heading into a likely rematch with his 2020 foe.

For Biden, the finding in a recent Wall Street Journal poll offers a stark explanation of why support from those who helped put him in office is waning. It also illustrates why Democrats are increasingly worried about his prospects, even against an unpopular Republican opponent with whom Biden hopes to draw a contrast.

Voters across the political spectrum single out inflation and high prices as a chief complaint about Biden’s presidency, but some also are upset with his broader record on domestic and foreign policy. Many voters couldn’t cite specific Biden administration policies they disliked, but instead channeled a pervasive malaise in the country that they said was difficult to pin down. Several said they were considering supporting an alternative to either party’s front-runner or not voting at all.

In interviews with voters, what’s striking is that the frustration is coming from all sides of the coalition that put Biden in the White House.

Plus: “Among voters overall, 53% of voters said Biden’s policies hurt them, and less than a quarter—23%— said they were helped by his policies. Some 49% of voters said Trump’s policies personally helped them, while just 37% said they hurt them.”

Mean tweets are looking better all the time.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The Rot on American Campuses Stinks More Every Day. “We kicked off last week discussing the firing of University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill. I mentioned that getting rid of a few university presidents here and there wasn’t enough to reverse the damage that has been done to campus culture in America, but it was nice to see something done. Alas, Magill was the only domino to fall. Academia’s status quo is largely intact.”

EVS MUCH LESS RELIABLE THAN ICE VEHICLES: That’s according to a recent assessment by Consumer Reports (CR). It’s not the first time CR has reported huge reliability problems with EVs, either. See here and here previously on Instapundit.

THIS IS THE WAY: Elon Musk joins Italy PM at festival, says ‘make more Italians’ to counter migration.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk joined Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a festival in Rome on Saturday where he urged during a discussion on mass migration in Europe to “make more Italians to save Italy’s culture.”

“I really want to emphasize that it’s important to have children and to create the new generation. And as simple as it sounds, if people do not have children, there is no new generation,” Musk said during the annual political festival Atreju, organized by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy political party, after carrying his young son onto the stage. “I’m very much in favor of humanity expanding and creating a bright and exciting future for the world. But fundamental to the furtherance of human civilization, is having humans. As simple and basic as that sounds. Every year, I look at the birth rates, and it’s kind of a bit depressing because birth rates seem to decline every year.”

Encouraging leaders to create incentives to make it easier for women to have children and support those children, Musk stressed, “If there is not at least a birth rate keeping the population constant, then people will disappear.”

Musk is certainly doing his part.