JUST SAY NO TO HATE:

BREAKING:

Italy deports the pro-Hamas imam Zulfiqar Khan for reasons of national security

The Bologna-based hate preacher has been living in Italy since 1995

In November Khan said "In Italy, thanks to Allah, we are safe, we have the right to speak." Meloni wasn't having it… pic.twitter.com/bo7djRRRO7

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 9, 2024

RED-PILLED: Teamsters President Sean O’Brien: Democratic Party Is ‘Bought And Paid For By Big Tech Companies.’ “I had a heated debate/discussion two weeks ago with Chuck Schumer, and it got ugly because — these politicians, the one thing I’ve learned is they walk in and tell you, ‘I did this for you.’ Okay, great, let me tell you what you haven’t done for us or our members. We got into it pretty heavy.”

RAGE, RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT: Biden seems to keep trolling Harris, demonstrating that she’s an empty vessel.

On Monday, Harris suggested that DeSantis was engaged in politics as opposed to crisis management.

“Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first,” said Harris, evidently enraged by her alleged ghosting.

“People are in desperate need of support right now, and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations — these are the height of emergency situations — is just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish, and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is putting the people first,” added Harris.

DeSantis, who has been in contact with Federal Emergency Management Director Deanne Criswell, said in an interview Monday that while Harris has been griping about missed calls, he has been hard at work “helping people prepare for Hurricane Helene, helping effectuate rescues of people after Hurricane Helene, helping people pick up the pieces of their lives after Helene, and then have to also turn around and prepare for major impacts and maybe even more impacts from Hurricane Milton.”

“My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris,” continued the governor. “I didn’t know she tried to contact me, but I’d also say, it’s not about you, Kamala.”

DeSantis stressed that whereas Trump and Biden have refrained from politicizing storms in past years, Kamala Harris has apparently chosen now as the first time to call — “to parachute in and inject herself when she’s never shown any interest in the past.”

Well, to be fair, that’s only because she’s had so many tasks within the Biden administration. Flashback to June of 2021, when we asked, “Is Biden and President Klain Setting Kamala Up for Failure?”, accompanied by this classic moment: Vice President’s Office on Defense After Faceless Kamala Cookies Go Viral.

The Vice President’s office clarified a decision by Kamala Harris to hand out cookies with her likeness on them to reporters at an off-the-record visit during her trip to Guatemala.

In a statement to reporters on background on Monday, the Vice President’s office said that cookies were a “gift” from a staff member to the team marking her first foreign trip as the vice president.

“Cookies that were provided to passengers on Air Force Two on Sunday were a gift from a member of the staff,” the statement to reporters read. “The vice president wanted to make sure the cookies were shared with everyone.”

USA Today White House correspondent Courtney Subramanian shared a photo of the cookies on Twitter on Sunday — which immediately drew fire from the vice president’s political opponents.

Thus allowing then-GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel (and future cause of a hilarious MSNBC temper tantrum) an easy layup on social media: “Handing out cookies with her face on them as the border crisis rages…The modern-day equivalent of ‘let them eat cake.’”

Related: What’s Up With Joe? “Now, I’m sure Biden doesn’t look forward to having his sole term in office bookended by DJT and having to welcome him back to the White House, but frankly, it all makes sense when you think about it. After all, there’s only one thing worse than seeing your enemy win, and that’s to see the people your thought were your friends and political comrades-in-arms win after they betrayed you and stabbed you in the back. Remember what Joe was caught saying into a hot mike with regard to Hunter’s legal issues? ‘Nobody f*c*s with a Biden.’ I have no doubt he meant every word of it. Pass the popcorn.”

And Joe isn’t finished going scorched earth on those who sold him out: Burn It All Down! After Throwing Kamala Under the Bus, Joe Biden Takes Aim at Barack Obama.

Totally vindicated. https://t.co/bc4T6qWqIA pic.twitter.com/pvNICn8LIq

— Nick Gambill (@NickBGambill) October 8, 2024

POSSIBLY THE DUMBEST MEME I’VE EVER SEEN ON FACEBOOK, WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING: “In a world full of Elon Musks, be Dolly Parton.”

First, the world is not full of Elon Musks. There is exactly one. China has spent the last decade trying to find an Elon among its gigantic population and has utterly failed. He is, at present, a unique talent.

Second, Dolly is an entertainer. Being appealing to people — especially middle class white women, where this meme flourishes — is her entire job. She’s very good at it.

Elon builds things that no one has done before, like revolutionary rockets and satellites that can deliver cellphone service to disaster areas that have been entirely cut off. That’s his job, and he’s at least as good at it as Dolly is at hers. Appealing to middle class women isn’t his job. Dolly can’t build rockets, and I suspect Elon can’t sing very well. Each has their own competence.

Of course, this dumb meme has its roots in Democrats’ dislike of (hatred for?) Musk ever since he bought Twitter and wrecked their global censorship efforts, and in middle class women’s general vague contempt for tech nerds. Which makes it both dumb and hateful, something that Dolly might not approve.

YES. Eric Cowperthwaite: Trust in Voting Is Absolutely Necessary. “The controls over voting today are no different than in 1960’s Chicago. In fact, with early voting and mail-in voting and mail-in voter registration, arguably it is easier to commit fraud now than in 1960. . . . But here’s what we do know. Americans, ALL Americans, need to be able to trust their elections. And that means we need some changes. We can’t have elections where one party doesn’t trust the other to not cheat. So, put the controls in place to prevent or reduce cheating and give us back our trust. Voter ID, vote on the day of the election, vote in person, register in person with proof of citizenship. No electronic voting machines. Paper trail records of casting a vote. These are not hardships, they are part of the privilege of participating in a representative democracy. It won’t happen for 2024. But it can happen for 2028. Let’s demand it be so.”

HE RAISED FUNDS FOR DEMOCRATS AND NOW REGRETS IT: “Far from progressive, these Soros-backed DAs did more to hurt progressives than anything the Right has managed; to everyday Americans, the term ‘progressive’ now conjures up images of fentanyl overdoses, crime, defecation in the streets, and riots.”

And rightly so. Comment: “Interesting piece and sound analysis. Progressives are hurting the people they claim to care about. Democrats know it, but are doing the bidding of billionaires.”

DON’T GET COCKY: The 2024 Presidential Election Really Isn’t That Close.

A SMALL MEASURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Young Kansas City Chiefs Fan’s (and Family’s) Defamation Lawsuit Against Deadspin Based on Blackface Allegations Can Go Forward.

Make them pay.

WELL, JUST SAY IT’S KAMALA’S PROPOSAL AND YOU’VE PRETTY MUCH CAPTURED THAT: “It is difficult to overstate the irresponsibility, corruption, and insanity of this proposal.”

COLUMBIA BROADCASTING STRUGGLE SESSION UPDATE: The Fallout at CBS Continues.

Originally, CBS News had invited a self-described “mental health expert, DEI strategist, and trauma trainer” named Dr. Donald Grant to moderate a conversation on the issue in an all-staff meeting on Tuesday. That plan was scrapped after old social media posts from Dr. Grant surfaced—including one where he referred to South Carolina senator Tim Scott as “Uncle Tim” (a reference to “Uncle Tom”) and another of him describing a possible second Trump term as “MAGAcide” and the “death of a nation.” Seems like just the guy you should call when you want to smooth things over. (A source close to the drama told The Free Press that the network was “humiliated by his Instagram.”)

The meeting went ahead without Grant—staffers were not able to join from outside of CBS offices in order to prevent leaks. One source familiar with the proceedings suggested it was a “shit show,” with various employees “yelling.” Shawna Thomas, the show’s executive producer, was in tears. So was Dokoupil.

There was an open debate in the meeting about whether it is “fair to talk about whether Israel should exist at all.” There are some people at CBS who think that “Israel’s existence as a state should be part of fair conversation,” said one CBS source. Can you imagine journalists having that conversation about any other country?

No wonder Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS’s parent company Paramount Global—at least until its merger with Skydance goes through some time next year—is not happy. A source close to Redstone told The Free Press that Redstone thought that “Tony gave a great interview and modeled what civil discourse should look like. And she disagreed with the action the company took. She’s working with the CEOs to address this issue.”

Meanwhile, Coates himself spoke about the controversy for the first time Tuesday. In a trailer for an appearance on Trevor Noah’s podcast, he accused Dokoupil of “commandeering” the interview. “I don’t think he did Nate and Gayle a service, and I’m really, really sorry for them,” said Coates, referring to Dokoupil’s co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson.

But Coates also revealed a detail that caught our eye. As he was praising King as a “great journalist and a great interviewer,” he said that “Gayle came behind the stage before we went [on] and she had gone through the book, and I’m not saying she agreed with the book. She was like, ‘I’m gonna ask you about this. I’m gonna ask you about that.’ ”

So let’s get this straight: One journalist is raked over the coals for asking tough questions, while another journalist—if Coates’s recollection is correct—previews her questions and faces no repercussions. (King did not respond to a request for comment.)

Which poses a few questions. Chief among them: Are there different rules for different journalists at CBS?

Yes, of course there are:

REWIND: This was almost a year ago.

CBS's Gayle King lecturing the father of an Israeli hostage about needing to have compassion for "Palestinians" who "are dying" too.

Tell me again how Tony Dokoupil is the one who has to cry and beg for forgiveness for supposed bias? https://t.co/VD7CSdzhqn

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 9, 2024

This is the network that brought you Rathergate, and allowed Katie Couric to read poems on air hoping that Obamacare would pass. It’s just Calvinball there at this point:

There is a lot going on an CBS right now, but this is the thing that needs an answer and possibly violates ethics, not “asking a guy hard questions about his book.” https://t.co/mMlF963QKQ

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) October 9, 2024

DOWNRIGHT UNAMERICAN: Major McDonald’s french fry supplier closes plant in Washington, slashes jobs as inflation continues. “Fast-food chains have felt the consequences of inflation as cash-strapped customers have been more careful about patronizing many restaurants. A survey in May revealed that 80% of Americans considered fast food to be a ‘luxury’ because of high prices.”

VICTORIA TAFT: It’s Time to Talk About Kamala’s Husband’s ‘Woman Problem.’ “Now, Emhoff is accused of being a creepy, lecherous, misogynist while at the Los Angeles law firm he managed.”

PRIME DAY DEALS: Shop the Top 100. #CommissionEarned

FASTER, PLEASE: US FAA could approve SpaceX Starship 5 license this month, source says.

The Federal Aviation Administration could approve a license for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship 5 as soon as this month, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

Last month, the FAA said it did not expect a determination on a license before late November. SpaceX said on social media late on Monday that Starship’s fifth flight test could launch as soon as Oct. 13, pending regulatory approval.

The FAA, which has repeatedly said it did not expect to decide on a license until late November, on Tuesday only said it continues to review the proposed mission and would make a decision “once SpaceX has met all licensing requirements.” It made no mention of the November timeframe.

Previously:

🚨 MUSK: “The next fight of Starship is ready to fly. We are waiting on regulatory approval 🤦‍♂️. It shouldn’t be possible to build a giant rocket faster than the paper can move from one desk to another.” 😂 💀 pic.twitter.com/O5mx71nAqr

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) September 10, 2024

OUT ON A LIMB: West Point Needs a Reset.

When I attended West Point back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, cadets used to joke that we got a “$50,000 education, shoved up our a** a nickel at a time.” Times have sure changed. Today, the cost of an education at the nation’s service academies has risen to an estimated quarter-of-a-million dollars per cadet or midshipman, all of which is funded by our tax dollars.

In the past, such an investment was more than worthwhile; West Point has produced such luminaries as Presidents Grant and Eisenhower, World War II Generals MacArthur, Patton, Arnold and Bradley, and scores of other accomplished military, political and business leaders ever since its inception in 1802.

But in recent times, things have changed. Not only has the taxpayer cost of a West Point education risen, but the Academy’s moral and professional compass seems to have shifted.

The U.S. Military Academy was the nation’s first engineering school, and rightly so, because engineering is a crucial skill on the battlefield. Soldiers must plan and build fortifications, bridges and other infrastructure as well as find ways to destroy them. But over the last few decades, the Academy has become more of a Liberal Arts College, offering battlefield-irrelevant course materials in such areas as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Critical Race Theory and Gender Studies. West Point now offers a minor in Diversity & Inclusion Studies.

Although sexual fraternization has been a problem ever since women were first admitted to the Academy in 1976, among its various “Affinity Clubs” West Point now sponsors a so-called “Spectrum Club” for homosexual and transexual cadets based solely on their sexual orientation. Presumably, such clubs for heterosexual males and females would not be tolerated.

The Cadet Honor Code used to be unequivocal: “A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.” The penalty for violating the code was expulsion. Now, not so much. The Honor Code is still “managed” by cadets, but punishment for violators is now solely the Superintendent’s purview. Football players involved in a recent cheating scandal were not only retained but permitted to play in public competitions, including the Army-Navy and Army-Air Force games, both of which they “won.” An athlete-cadet watch thief caught on camera at the Post Exchange was allowed to graduate. The Superintendent has characterized the Honor Code as “aspirational” rather than absolute. The same Superintendent recently excised the school’s “Duty, Honor, Country” motto from West Point’s mission statement.

Remember how shocking this image was in 2017? Apparently not very much to the powers that be at West Point:

“NONPARTISAN,” I’M SURE: U. Washington students can apply for ‘social justice’ voter registration job.

THIS IS CNN: Another Media ‘Fact-Check’ on Trump (This Time From CNN) Has Aged Like Milk in the Summer Sun.

These are the ones who are getting caught, so we can’t help but wonder how many more are in the country still under the radar:

Tawhedi, who arrived in the U.S. in September 2021, had taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including by ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating his family’s assets and buying one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel home to Afghanistan, officials said.

The arrest comes as the FBI confronts heightened concerns over the possibility of extremist violence on U.S. soil, with Director Christopher Wray telling The Associated Press in August that he was “hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.”

The Biden-Harris years have been just great, haven’t they?

As usual, we’re seeing a media “fact-check” about Trump and other Republicans that’s instantly aged badly:

The first CNN headline allowed Biden and Harris to get through another news cycle, which is all the administration has tried to do each week, counting on assists from the DNC-MSM, which are more than happy to help. We’ll see next month if the bill has finally come due or not.

AM I BLUE? APPARENTLY MANY OF US ARE (without knowing it): JustTheNews is reporting that:

A sprawling investigation into the online fundraising platform ActBlue has expanded into 19 states, as attorneys general across the country press the company on its security practices and whether Democrats might be using the platform to cheat on election donations.

So much for all that “saving democracy” blather.

The news site adds that:

“In a letter sent last week to ActBlue CEO and President Regina Wallace-Jones, the state attorneys general highlighted potential security issues with the online fundraising platform that could be allowing donations made in people’s names who didn’t donate. [***] “Recent reporting suggests that that [sic] there may be donors across the country who are identified in filings with the Federal Election Commission as having donated to candidates through ActBlue (and other affiliated entities), but who did not actually make those donations,” the attorneys general wrote.”

I would not be surprised if some of the “donations” were charged to still-active credit cards assigned to dead people. Please give my “shocked face” a rest, would you please? 

CHRIS QUEEN: Survey Highlights the Impact of Mass Illegal Immigration on Schools. “Anytime you have an unpredictable pattern of student enrollment all at once, the strain it creates on the system is tremendous.”

“ACADEMIC FREEDOM” ORIGINATED AS A LEFTY COVER TACTIC: Anti-Israel agenda motivated professors to abandon academic freedom principles: While the AAUP claims that its recent embrace of academic boycotts is not intended to target Israel, make no mistake, it is clearly motivated by an anti-Israel ideology and, to some, smacks of antisemitism. The AAUP appeared as an effort to protect lefty professors from criticism. It wasn’t meant to protect others, except as a matter of political cover.

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Chinese hack of US ISPs shows why Apple is right about backdoors for law enforcement.

It was revealed this weekend that Chinese hackers managed to access systems run by three of the largest internet service providers (ISPs) in the US.

What’s notable about the attack is that it compromised security backdoors deliberately created to allow for wiretaps by US law enforcement.

Apple famously refused the FBI’s request to create a backdoor into iPhones to help access devices used by shooters in San Bernardino and Pensacola. The FBI was subsequently successful in accessing all the iPhones concerned without the assistance it sought.

Our arguments against such backdoors predate both cases, when Apple spoke out on the issue in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris more than a decade ago.

Even if Washington could be trusted not to exploit backdoors (they can’t be), they can’t be trusted to keep those backdoors from being exploited by hackers.

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Expert Panel Analysis of Supreme Court Arguments in Garland v. VanDerStok.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: I’m Starting to Miss Joe Biden’s Relatively Coherent Public Appearances. “It’s one thing for someone new to the spotlight to have a case of the nerves and ramble during an interview. Kamala Harris has been in the public eye and in front of television cameras for 20 years now. Her mush-mouthed lunacy is chronic and incurable. How in the hell are millions of eligible voters convincing themselves that she’s functional?”

HEADS NEED TO ROLL: Navy Says 26 Ships Affected by Faulty Welds at Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. “In a letter to Congress dated Oct. 3, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said that poor welds were found on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as well as the attack submarines USS Hyman G. Rickover and USS New Jersey. In addition, the welding issues were identified on 23 more ships — a mix of new construction, ships in maintenance and aircraft carriers undergoing refueling.”

HERMIT KINGDOM BECOMING EVEN MORE HERMIT-Y: North Korea severs all road and rail links to South Korea.