DO THEY DOUBT SCIENCE? EVEN HARVARD SCIENCE? WHY DO THEY HATE SCIENCE? WHO, EU dispute Trump’s autism, acetaminophen link.
Archive for 2025
September 24, 2025
OH MY:
Classified material was reportedly seized from the home of John Bolton. For politicians and pundits who insisted that classified material found at Mar-a-Lago justified that raid, the goose just met the gander in the narrative surrounding the Bolton raid…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) September 24, 2025
Previously: Bolton on criticism of FBI after Mar-a-Lago search: ‘I think overwhelmingly they are professional.’
WHAT’S WITH THE “STILL” IN THE HEADLINE? DEMS HAVEN’T CHANGED A BIT: Poll shows Democrats STILL unpopular with voters on three major issues.
CNN’s Harry Enten summarized those data well in a recent appearance: Looking at the Washington Post/IPSOS poll, Enten found that Republicans retained a lead over Democrats on which party voters trust more to handle the economy, crime and immigration.
The numbers aren’t close, either.
The GOP leads the Democrats by 7 percentage points on the economy, 13 points on immigration and a whopping 22 points on crime.
If those are the issues voters care most about next November, it’s hard to see the GOP losing control. Why toss out the party you trust for one that you don’t?
Those leads aren’t just the result of partisan Republicans rallying around Trump, either.
The party leads Democrats on all three issues with independents, too.
I keep thinking that Democrats can’t stay stupid forever, but they show every inclination to do just that.
Still, don’t get cocky — midterms are notoriously hard for the party in power.
DISPATCHES FROM THE PARENTHESES STATES: Mobile Billboard Trolls Kathy Hochul In NYC As She Faces Criticism From Climate Activists.
As climate alarmists gather in New York City for “Climate Week,” a new mobile billboard has popped up that chips away at the alliance between Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul and radical environmental groups.
The mobile billboard features images of Hochul wearing a MAGA-style hat saying “Make Nuclear Great Again,” photos of the vehicle obtained by The Daily Wire show. The mobile billboard highlights Hochul’s recent promise to bring a new nuclear power plant to New York.
The billboard features a quote from Hochul describing plans for the new plant as “a model of 21st century nuclear design.” The mobile first started driving around New York City on Monday and will continue until Wednesday.
While Hochul comes to grips with nuclear power, Gavin Newsom is struggling with an even older energy source – oil and gas: California trying to keep oil and gas firms from leaving the state.
Following 25 years of what oil and gas executives categorize as hostility to the industry, the state is now making a play to keep those companies from leaving.
Concerned with the exodus of oil and gas companies, refinery closures and the expensive price of gasoline in the state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation last week that fast tracks the approval of 2,000 new wells per year over the next 10 years in Kern County, a significant oil-producing region.
For a guy who told Jimmy Kimmel last night that “I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that,” Newsom is certainly doing everything he can to gear up for a run for the presidency in 2028.
That’s why he’s staffing up with Clinton and Harris aids who have little experience in Sacramento and doing speaking tours in South Carolina, which has almost no competitive races in 2026. Because he’s sure there won’t be an election. Maybe it’s insurance. Just in case. https://t.co/XMC2HY7wFW
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 24, 2025
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Kamala Harris Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving (to the GOP).
AT LEAST THREE SHOT IN ATTACK ON DALLAS ICE FACILITY:
At least three ICE detainees were shot at an Immigration and U.S. Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday morning, according to ICE authorities.
The suspected shooter, who ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons described as “a possible sniper,” is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X.
“Details are still emerging but we can confirm there were multiple injuries and fatalities,” Noem said. “The shooter is deceased by a self-inflicted gun shot wound. While we don’t know motive yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop. Please pray for the victims and their families.”
Related: Trump “sent the military to American cities and to police American citizens, and the ICE issue is alarming beyond words,” Gavin Newsom ranted to Jimmy Kimmel last night:
“It is the largest private domestic army of its type [or] police force anywhere in the world. He’ll have 30,000 people that increasingly appear to be swearing an oath of office to him, not the Constitution of the United States. Again, wake up to what’s going on in this country.”
The consequences of those actions could be severe, the former San Francisco mayor warned: “We’re losing confidence and trust in law enforcement. It’s having a chilling impact across the spectrum for other local law enforcement agencies.
“Look, we had a 15-year-old disabled kid in Los Angeles who was waiting for his sister to come out of high school, and they pulled out guns on this kid. They pulled out guns and handcuffed this young child. That’s happening in the United States of America. Masked men jumping out of unmarked cars. People disappearing. No due process. No oversight. Zero accountability. Happening in the United States of America today.”
He continued: “People ask, ‘Well, is authoritarianism you being hyperbolic?’ Bulls*** we’re being hyperbolic. If you’re a Black or brown community, it’s here in this country… These are not just authoritarian tendencies; these are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government.”
And the French Laundry’s favorite son certainly knows a thing or two about authoritarianism, based on his actions in 2020: California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tries Desperately to Ditch Covid Record.
“California was among the first states to issue statewide stay-at-home orders and one of the last to lift them, keeping businesses, churches, and schools closed for extended periods.”
UPDATE: Rounds Found Near Dallas Shooter Carried ‘Anti-ICE’ Messages.
ANALYSIS: TRUE. The American City Cannot Blossom in Lawlessness.
Due to increasingly lax criminal justice policies and failure to address public disorder, American cities are failing to keep residents safe and make metropolitan living broadly desirable. America is the wealthiest nation in history – our cities should be beacons of innovation, creativity, and human potential. And while most of our metropolises face many roadblocks that restrict thriving urbanism, one thing is clear: The American City cannot blossom in lawlessness.
It’s a common pastime in urban circles to poke fun at those who fear city life. And often, those fears are exaggerated, frequently shaped more by sensational media than lived experience. City dwellers take pride in their neighborhoods and know they are typically not the war zones often portrayed on cable news and in clickbait articles.
Nevertheless, Americans should never settle for “not a war zone” as the standard for where they work, live, and create. Concerns about crime and disorder are valid; statistics make that clear. Until they are meaningfully addressed, trust and a sense of safety will remain out of reach. People cannot be expected to embrace public spaces if they are constantly worried about harassment, or worse, threats to their lives and families.
A good start would be to stop electing Democrats who make political hay out of crime and chaos. But I suppose the National Guard is a decent enough second choice.
NOW OUT: From Nicholas Wade, The Origin of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations. #CommissionEarned Glenn ordered the book and I intercepted it and am reading it now. Highly recommended.
SPOILER: ANTIFA IS AN ORGANIZATION.
If they’re not an organization, why is their website .org? https://t.co/Ic9E3NTGld pic.twitter.com/dSyWGoIKdY
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) September 24, 2025
WELL, GOOD: Eli Lilly to build $6.5 billion Texas manufacturing facility for obesity pill, other drugs.
Eli Lilly on Tuesday said it will spend $6.5 billion to build a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, to boost production of the company’s pipeline of so-called small molecule drugs, including its closely watched experimental obesity pill.
It is the second in a string of new planned U.S. investments by the drugmaker. Eli Lilly announced in February that it would spend at least $27 billion to build four new domestic manufacturing plants, adding to $23 billion in previous investments since 2020.
Eli Lilly said it will announce the two remaining U.S. sites this year. The company expects to begin making medicines at all four facilities within five years.
We need to re-shore production of the basics, too.
“FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION:” An Oral History of Apollo 13.
In April 1970, the crew of the Apollo 13 became the most talked-about people on Earth after a malfunction en route to the moon left three astronauts stranded 200,000 miles from home. It was one of the biggest media stories of the decade, with audiences around the world glued to their TV sets and radios.
One of the few people who missed the saga that captivated the world? Ron Howard.
Then a 16-year-old actor best known for The Andy Griffith Show, Howard spent most of the crisis at Vasquez Rocks, 45 mile north Los Angeles, filming a guest spot on the TV Western Gunsmoke. There was no TV reception, and it was hard to get the radio. By the time he emerged back to civilization, astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise had returned to Earth safely.
Twenty-five years later, Howard would more than make up for not following the saga when he directed Apollo 13, a film that tested the limits of filmmaking with its innovative solution for weightlessness (just do it for real!) and put the words, “Houston, we have a problem,” into the cultural lexicon (even if that’s not exactly what Lovell said in real life).
Released in June 1995, the film earned $223.8 million globally and received nine Oscar nominations, winning two.
The film is back in the zeitgeist, celebrating its 30th anniversary with an Imax theatrical run from Sept. 19-25. It comes just weeks after the real-life Lovell died on Aug. 7 at age 97.
I saw Apollo 13 yesterday in that format, and it looks (and, during the Saturn V launch, sounds) spectacular, even with digital effects that were made in the early days of CGI and are only slightly showing their age when blown up on the massive Imax screen.
It’s far less of a knock-your-socks-off experience, but still well worth a look, is the 2019 documentary about Lovell’s previous Apollo mission, which is still on Amazon Prime Video: First to the Moon: Documentary Commemorates Apollo 8, First Flight to Leave Earth Orbit.
THE WORST ADVERTISEMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IS HIGHER EDUCATION: UC Riverside professor wants to be ‘terrorist,’ praises student who firebombed police car.
THEY KEEP REPEATING THE LIE BECAUSE THAT’S HOW “THE BIG LIE” WORKS:
Trump says a lot of dumb things, but he never actually suggested people inject their veins with bleach to cure COVID-19.
Even the “fact-checkers” debunked that grotesque lie.
Why do you keep lying about this? https://t.co/u7XOkoOg6f
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) September 24, 2025
WHAT A SURPRISE: Jimmy Kimmel’s Return Was as Bad as You Knew It Would Be.
UNEXPECTED HEADLINES: Madonna Is ‘Beefing’ With the Pope – on Instagram.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Buzbug LED Bug Zapper Indoor Outdoor. #CommissionEarned
ASSASSINATION CULTURE: Leftist student group planned Nerf gun event to ‘shoot’ political figures.
IT’S BEEN A PRODUCTIVE YEAR SO FAR:
Not a year into Trump’s second term and so far we’ve gotten Democrats to:
– Sell their Teslas at a loss.
– Cancel their Washington Post and Amazon Prime subscriptions.
– Boycott CBS, ABC, and Disney.
– Hold candlelight vigils for Venezuelan narco-terrorists.
– Fly to El…
— Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) September 23, 2025
DISPATCHES FROM THE BLUE ZONES: Another Chicago ‘Violence Interruptor’s’ Violent Career Interrupted by a Long Prison Sentence. “In terms of what doesn’t work, focusing on the use of violent criminals as advisors or employees for ‘violence interrupter programs’ would be a good starting point. Chicago – as is often the case with ill-advised public policy – is a case in point. Once again, a ‘violence interrupter’ working with CeaseFire Chicago has been a violent disrupter in his own right, as evidenced by being sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a string of violent and brazen carjackings that left one victim shot and others threatened at gunpoint.”
Meanwhile: Mayor Brandon Johnson faces backlash after saying “law enforcement is a sickness.”
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Trump Triggers the UN and It’s Pretty Freakin’ Glorious. “This wasn’t just a speech, it was a tour de force flex from an American president who doesn’t shrink from being the most powerful man in the world.”
NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE THE FUTURE I WAS PROMISED:
Starbase has officially landed on the U.S. Postal Service map. Residents can now stamp “Starbase” on their mail and update their IDs to match.
— StarbaseTX (@StarbaseTX) September 23, 2025