IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Newsom’s Nonprofit Gets FireAid Funds — Because of Course It Does.
This kind of thing is nothing new: Gavin Newsom’s no-bid contracts to campaign donors raise troubling ethics questions.
Archive for 2025
July 28, 2025
THINK OF THEM AS ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE AND YOU WON’T GO FAR WRONG: The Sly Media Assault on Everything America Loves. “You know how you can tell how the media hates us? Because they’ll take any side against something we love, no matter how farcical, unfair or flat out untrue. They will deftly shade what we love to be villainous and evil at its core.”
PROFESSOR VOLOKH SAYS: “N.Y. Appellate Court Rejects Addictive Design Theory in Lawsuit Against Social Media Defendants Over Buffalo Shootings“
I’m so old, I remember (different context, of course) “The Twinkie Defense.”
That didn’t go so well, either, IIRC.
THE SPENDING POWER OF THE AMERICAN CONSUMER IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE: Trump trade deals prove access to the U.S. still matters above all else. “No one fully valued how much leverage our market creates when it comes to trade negotiations until Trump.”
SILENCE SPEAKS: Trump Drops a Truth Bomb About the Epstein Files.
WASHINGTON POST’S CONTROVERSIAL “FACT CHECKER” EXITS PAPER AMID ANTI-WOKE REBOOT…AND HE ISN’T BEING REPLACED.
The Washington Post’s chief fact checker accepted a buyout and is leaving the newspaper without a replacement.
Owner Jeff Bezos and CEO Will Lewis have taken a slew of recent steps to try and help the paper shed its left-wing reputation.
Glenn Kessler, editor and chief writer of The Fact Checker, announced on Monday that he is leaving the Post, reported Fox News.
‘After more than 27 years at The Washington Post, including almost 15 as The Fact Checker, I will be leaving on July 31, having taken a buyout,’ Kessler said on Facebook.
‘Much as I would have liked to keep scrutinizing politicians in Washington, especially in this era, the financial considerations were impossible to dismiss.’
Well, scrutinizing some politicians. Mostly those who had an (R) after their names: WaPo’s Lead ‘Fact-Checker’ Is Reportedly Departing and Here Are a Few Doozies Being Left Behind.
Just a few of Glenn Kessler’s all time bangers. https://t.co/hT0AII6voU pic.twitter.com/eHXdHxiob4
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 28, 2025
Kessler was quite happy to toe the party line when it was crunch time:
How will the WaPo recover from their ongoing brain drain?
UPDATE: John Nolte adds, “During his first term in office, Barry Obama did not visit Israel. He didn’t. Obama jetted all over the Middle East, but never bothered to visit Israel. That’s a fact. And so, during the 2012 presidential election, Obama’s Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, ran a campaign ad pointing out Obama did not visit Israel during his first term, and Washington Post “fact checker” Glenn Kessler still called Romney a liar. That’s Glenn Kessler in a nutshell. The effort he put into disgracing himself was something to see.”
CHRIS QUEEN: Bold Prediction: Meet Georgia’s Next Senator.
TIM CARNEY: NPR went from liberal journalists to left-wing crusaders.
Republicans never liked NPR, but they were unwilling to expend enough political capital to cut off federal funding from an institution that was merely very liberal. Once that institution became hostile toward and intolerant of half the country, ruling its views out of bounds and nakedly boosting one party, the knives came out.
* * * * * * * *
NPR was always free to say “we believe Fox News is not framing this correctly,” or “we disagree with the Republican governor’s policies,” but this way of writing would frame the disagreement as a debate with two sides. However, NPR’s project over the past decade has been to brand center-right viewpoints out of bounds. And so it wielded fact-checks for exactly that purpose.
Of course, this resulted in absurd “fact-checks.”
On March 31, 2020, NPR ran this astounding headline: “FACT CHECK: Trump Praises Florida Governor Despite Criticism Of Coronavirus Response.”
The “fact check” pointed out that while Trump said Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is “a great governor” who “knows exactly what he’s doing,” others disagreed. Specifically, NPR cited a lawsuit by a Democratic politician who wore a grim reaper outfit on the beach, said letting Floridians walk outdoors would cause mass death, and demanded a full lockdown of the state (presumably arresting folks who stepped outside).
The suit NPR leaned on as an authority was immediately and repeatedly dismissed in court. One state court imposed sanctions on Florida Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder because his case was so obviously frivolous and political.
That’s an NPR “fact-check” of Trump: Trump praised DeSantis, but some partisan hack lawyer says DeSantis is bad, so Trump must be wrong.
In February 0f 2021, Becket Adams of the Washington Examiner noted: CNN’s promotion of idiot ‘Grim Reaper’ attorney ends in embarrassment.
“To the extent determined necessary, we also encourage The Florida Bar to require Appellant and his counsel to undertake additional educational training the Bar may deem appropriate to ensure that Appellant and counsel comply with their ethical and professionalism obligations,” the order added.
For the record, this is all slightly unusual, particularly the appeals court panel’s angry tone and its recommendation that disciplinary action be taken against the idiot Grim Reaper lawyer. But it just goes to show how annoyed the judges are with Uhlfelder’s shenanigans. And the panel is right. Uhlfelder is an embarrassment. He clearly abused his position as an attorney for political purposes, cheered on all the while by a news media that are too stupid and too ratings-obsessed to learn from their past missteps.
Sure, the press’s embrace of Uhlfelder isn’t quite as embarrassing as their embrace of convicted felon Michael Avenatti. But it’s close. Elevating an obvious clown because he has the “right” politics and he attacks the “right” targets is embarrassing, and unethical, regardless of whether a felony conviction is involved somewhere along the way. The difference is just a matter of degrees.
Uhlfelder, the self-styled grim reaper, was one of many leftists who did a complete 180-degree pivot in June of 2020, once the dancing Tiktok nurses and other powers that be declared that suddenly mass lockdowns were giving way to riot season:
A GOOD MOTTO:
We are America.
We can just do things. https://t.co/iziFjIol2H
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) July 28, 2025
Art of the Deal.
Trump is constantly doing the “impossible” by simply doing the things people said can’t be done. “Our political establishment at some level wants things to be complicated and intractable: It boosts their influence.”
UPDATE: Trump’s Tariff Strategy is Working.
ANOTHER UPDATE:
Imagine if the Republican majority in Congress was actually actively working with him instead of dragging its feet.
— Craig Soderdahl (@craig_soderdahl) July 27, 2025
THAT’S THE PEOPLE’S $3,700 DRESS RENTAL: Ocasio-Cortez Must Pay Another $2,700 for Met Gala Dress. “Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and leader of her party’s progressive wing, personally paid about $1,000 to rent the dress and accessories. But in a report released on Friday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee concluded her initial payment had fallen short of the fair market rate, violating House rules.”
ONE MUST HAVE A HEART OF STONE NOT TO LAUGH: Suppose They Threw a Protest for Stephen Colbert and (Almost) Nobody Came?
STAY SAFE: AOSU Security Cameras Outdoor Wireless, 2 Cam-Kit, No Subscription. #CommissionEarned
THAT’S EMBARRASSING: Moscow cancels Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg as nearly 100 drones reportedly downed across western Russia.
Russia canceled its annual Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg for the first time, citing security concerns amid a wave of drone attacks that disrupted airports and railways across western Russia overnight on July 27, local officials and Russian media reported.
The decision to cancel the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg, an event traditionally held on the last Sunday of July, was announced by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on July 27, who said it was made “for security reasons.”
Despite the cancellation, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly traveled to the city to mark the occasion.
The United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said it is “almost certain” that Navy Day parades originally planned for July 27 were canceled across Russia due to force protection concerns. While the main naval parade in St. Petersburg was reduced in scale in 2024, this marks the first full cancellation since its inception in 2017.
The Russian Navy hasn’t fared well in the war against Ukraine, a nation without any major surface combatants or subs.
STANDING UP TO RACISM AND BIGOTRY: Stanford suspends two student co-ops over antisemitic, anti-white Title VI violations.
HMM: Marco Rubio’s Plans for 2028 Might Surprise You. “Last but not least, Lara asked him what’s been on the minds of many of us lately: What are his plans for 2028? His response? He thinks JD Vance should be the Republican nominee: ‘I think if he decides he wants to do that, and I think he’s doing a great job as vice president. He’s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it. I know it’s kind of early.'”
WOEING: ‘He’s showing up.’ Things are getting better at Boeing under CEO Ortberg. Can he keep it going?
Ortberg, a longtime aerospace executive and an engineer whom the manufacturer plucked from retirement to fix the problem-addled company last year, is set this week to outline significant progress since he took the helm a year ago. Boeing reports quarterly results and gives its outlook on Tuesday.
So far, investors are liking what they’ve been seeing. Shares of the company are up more than 30% so far this year.
Wall Street analysts expect the aircraft manufacturer to halve its second-quarter losses from a year ago when it reports. Ortberg told investors in May that the manufacturer expects to generate cash in the second half of the year. Boeing’s aircraft production has increased, and its airplane deliveries just hit the highest level in 18 months.
It’s a shift for Boeing, whose successive leaders missed targets on aircraft delivery schedules, certifications, financial goals and culture changes that frustrated investors and customers alike, while rival Airbus pulled ahead.
“The general agreement is that the culture is changing after decades of self-inflicted knife wounds,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm.
Faster, please — we really can’t afford to lose Boeing.
THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST:
Under the previous administration, Lt. Col. Lohmeier was removed for exposing the rise of Marxism and Critical Race Theory in our military.
Today, he’s been confirmed as Under Secretary of the Air Force.
I look forward to having him at the Pentagon. pic.twitter.com/J8BzocxngZ
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 24, 2025
HOMELESS IS A PROFITABLE INDUSTRY. MAKE IT LESS SO, AND THERE WILL BE LESS HOMELESSNESS. Trump signs executive order to push cities to curb homeless sleeping, drug use on streets.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: I Hope Trump Can Resuscitate Accountability in the Political Class. “I don’t think we’re going to see Obama perp-walked, but I would like to see Hillary Clinton’s already-tarnished legacy take a humiliating legal hit or two. If Brennan is the most vulnerable, the Dems will gladly offer him up if it will keep Barack and Hillary safe. My big hope at the moment is that the “Brennan as sacrificial lamb” ploy won’t save Hillary from, at the very least, some humiliation and embarrassment.”
HISTORY OF THE AMERICANS: Sidebar Conversation: Phil Magness on The 1619 Project.
HE’S NOT WRONG:
I know I’m new to the conservative moment, but…
…can anyone explain to me what is stopping the GOP from bringing up extremely popular, single-issue bills for a vote, every single day of the Trump administration?
I don’t understand.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) July 27, 2025
China, which has the world’s second-largest economy after the United States, has in recent years moved from competitor to economic adversary, engaging in a “soft” warfare targeting U.S. cyber and infrastructure systems, says Georgia GOP Rep. Austin Scott.
“They are no longer an aggressive economic competitor,” Scott said on a recent “John Solomon Reports” podcast. “They chose to become an adversary. They have gotten away with it for the last four years. They have embedded themselves through our cyber [and] our infrastructure systems.”
Scott says the forays particularly target the U.S. agricultural system and pharmaceutical industry, and also argues that China has done so effectively – in plain sight.
“They have been very smart about how they, in the open market, have purchased companies that, whether it be pharmaceuticals or food supply necessities that we have in the United States of America,” Scott said. “They’ve been very smart at how they’ve operated, both in the open market and in the criminal arena.”
Last month, Just the News reported that two Chinese scientists were charged with smuggling a fungus called “Fusarium graminearum” into the U.S. The fungus, although not deadly to humans, represents a potential threat to grain crops.
Bullies don’t stop bullying until punched in the nose.
DON SURBER: Hoist the flag: Trump just won the tariff war—and $1.35 trillion in booty.
Related:
Trump has just rebalanced trade with the EU…if you don’t understand why this is important to voters you still don’t understand the election results & really should read Butler cause it’s in there https://t.co/xzggKLmOSE
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) July 28, 2025