DE-POLITICIZING THE ACADEMY: Alumni group calls on UVA to fire President Jim Ryan: ‘Politicized and feckless leadership.’

MUST-SEE TV: Rubio Makes Van Hollen Look Like a Fool During Senate Hearing.

FOREIGN INFLUENCE-BUYING: Education Department launches investigation into UPenn over foreign donations.

NOT GOOD:

Trump’s shipbuilding agenda is sinking.

I returned this week from shipyard tours in California to a flood of calls and DMs from DC and none of the news is good.

Friday marks 45 days since the president signed the Executive Order mandating a full shipbuilding review in 45 days.… pic.twitter.com/UAt84Zz0gx

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) May 20, 2025

Excerpts:

Friday marks 45 days since the president signed the Executive Order mandating a full shipbuilding review in 45 days. So far, only one Cabinet Secretary has shown any urgency, and only in the past few days.

I pray I’m missing something, but sources inside every relevant department say otherwise. There’s no indication @SecDuffy, @KristiNoem, or @SecDef are prioritizing this effort.
…
The acting head of MARAD is a West Point classmate of Mark Esper—yes, the same Esper who helped auction off the Army’s watercraft fleet. Sources claim he’s undermining both Trump’s and Esper’s maritime goals.
…
On the Navy side, there’s no serious effort underway to reorganize the 83,000-person shipbuilding & repair enterprise. The critical SUPSHIP AGM role is still up in the air.

No admirals have been fired. No CNO appointed. The acting CNO is offering nothing but bureaucratic word salad.
…
No one with real, hands-on experience building commercial ships at world-class yards has been hired.

Finally, after a promising bipartisan start, several top maritime leaders are breaking ranks publicly voicing concern about last-minute changes made to the bill and there are rumors that Mark Kelly’s strong anti-Trump rhetoric could sink the effort.
…
Silver lining? Trump & JD are, by all accounts, more interested in shipbuilding lately, not less.

Trump has an awful lot on his plate, but he needs to reiterate what he expects and demand results — or else.

DEI ADVOCATES: WE WILL DIE ON THE HILL OF “PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST.” How about “Ye shall know them by their fruits?” How’d all that DEI jazz work out?

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: ‘NORM!’ — Farewell to Television Legend George Wendt. “George Wendt did something much more than become famous from ‘Cheers’ — he turned his character into an icon. His entrance into the bar to the shouts of ‘NORM!’ became the most anticipated moment of each episode. Thanks to streaming and YouTube, those moments will live on.”

IF THAT NUT TAYLOR LORENZ IS SAYING IT, THE ANSWER IS GENERALLY “NO.” Should Joe Biden ‘Rot In Hell’ And ‘Rest In Piss’? A Brief Investigation.

FOREIGN COLLUSION AND SUBVERSION: Joel Kotkin: How China co-opted the green movement: Development for Beijing, degrowth for us.

YES, THEY SHOULD: Shouldn’t the IRS Look at Why the Tax-Exempt Brady Gun Control Org (Allegedly) Offered a Former NRA President Millions to Stop Promoting Gun Rights?

The allegation says the offer was made in 2018. According to language in the lawsuit, Hammer immediately reported the offer to then-Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.

“This is not the kind of offer a tax exempt organization should be making under any circumstances,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “First and foremost, nobody’s First Amendment rights should ever be for sale, and secondly, the nature of this allegation almost appears as though the gun control group was offering Mrs. Hammer a bribe to walk away from an issue to which she had dedicated most of her adult life.”

Hammer’s legal action involves an apparent contract dispute between her and the NRA.

“We have absolutely no interest in, nor are we taking any position on, Mrs. Hammer’s lawsuit,” Gottlieb stated. “Our sole interest is in this apparent attempt by a wealthy gun prohibition lobbying organization to essentially silence one of the nation’s most respected and effective voices in support of Second Amendment rights.

I don’t know if this actually happened, but I do know that lefties will silence the opposition whenever possible.

RICHARD EPSTEIN: Assessing the Wreckage of Affirmative Action.

SUBVERSION: Cash Flowing Into Anti-ICE Group’s Coffers Came From Chinese Gov’t-Linked Sources.

BLM ISN’T JUST A SPENT FORCE, IT’S AN ELECTORAL MILLSTONE: HUGE: Challenger O’Connor Defeats BLM Pittsburgh Mayor in Democratic Primary.

HE’S REALLY BEEN THE SLEEPER HIT OF THIS ADMINISTRATION: Marco Rubio Rocks And Will Be President One Day.

ICYMI: Resuming Control of Gaza Is a Terrible Idea. But What the Hell Else Can Israel Do?

BIGLAW BIGOTRY: A Top Law Firm Said Trump Was Infringing on the ‘Rights of All Americans.’ It Runs a Scholarship That Excludes White Students.

That’s different, because shut up.

I’VE BEEN WRITING ON THIS FOR DECADES, I’M GLAD IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING: The Long Overdue Decriminalization of Regulatory Offenses Has Arrived.

GOOD: Hegseth announces accountability review of Afghanistan withdrawal.

Thirteen service members and about 170 Afghans were killed in an Aug. 26, 2021 suicide bomb attack at the airport’s Abbey Gate. An investigation into the incident later found that a Marine general wanted to close the gate on Aug. 25, but an Army general decided to keep it open until Aug. 27 to allow British troops more time to finish their evacuation effort.

“Over the last three months, the Department has been engaged in a review of this catastrophic event in our military’s history,” Hegseth wrote in Tuesday’s memo. “I have concluded that we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.”

Chief Pentagon Spokesman and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell will lead the review, which will look into previous investigations to “analyze the decision making that led to one of America’s darkest and deadliest international moments,” the memo says.

“This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,” the memo says.

Maybe they should start by looking into who in the White House actually called the shots.

LIGHTNING DEAL: G Gradual Men’s Sweatpants with Zipper Pockets. #CommissionEarned

SOUNDS SHADY BUT UNSURPRISING: Shouldn’t the IRS Look at Why the Tax-Exempt Brady Gun Control Org (Allegedly) Offered a Former NRA President Millions to Stop Promoting Gun Rights?

I DON’T THINK SHE HAS MUCH AWARENESS OF IRONY: Does Justice Jackson See The Irony In Her Libby Dissent? KBJ found the representative’s vote would not “impact the outcome” of any vote; ditto for KBJ’s dissent.

LEFTIES LOVE EUTHANASIA: Canada Might Begin Euthanizing Kids Without Parental Consent.

JEFFREY CARTER: Buy Dips.

IF YOU PAINT MINIATURES, YOU COULD DO WORSE THAN: MurphicIndustries. Miniatures! Random decorations! Widgets!

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HE WAS BUSY RECOGNIZING PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T THERE:  New Report Reveals Biden Couldn’t Recognize People He’d Known for Decades.

EMBEDDED JOURNALISM VERY EMBEDDED. COMPLICIT IN FACT:  Reporter Arrested With Pro-Hamas Group That Took Over Columbia Library.