MY MEAN-SPIRITED POST OF THE DAY: I think it should be a matter of course than when mentioning CNN’s Jake Tapper, he be henceforth referred to as: Jake “Convicted Liar” Tapper in light of this.

Now I know, it’s not a criminal judgment, and people aren’t really “convicted” of torts, but the Substantial Truth and Incremental Damage doctrines in libel law allow it. According to Adweek:

“Marquardt, Tapper, and senior CNN executives took the stand during the two-week trial, providing a window into its rarely-seen newsgathering process courtesy of e-mails and internal messaging systems. In one of Marquardt’s messages presented during the trial, the reporter wrote that he was “going to nail that Zachary Young mf-er.”

DATA AND PRIVACY? AYFKM? It turns out that while certain people *ahem* have been caterwauling about Musk having access to data that (in my personal experience) any Fortune 100 can access, this, from JustTheNews:

Just days after President Donald Trump fired the U.S. Coast Guard commandant, investigators confirmed Wednesday the military branch left computer systems and sensitive data vulnerable to foreign adversaries and hackers in a cybersecurity blunder that also left Pentagon systems dangerously exposed.

These people — it’s amazingly twee, isn’t it? — have started to call themselves “The Resistance” in social media. Totes adorbs. I’m betting the word gets mainstreamed (if David Hogg has anything to say about it) inside the next week.

BREAKING: Just The News reporting that:

“Michael Madigan, the long-serving Illinois House Speaker who in his hey-day rubbed elbows with elites like Barack Obama, was convicted Wednesday on 10 federal charges after a long-running influence peddling trial that exposed corruption and greed inside the state’s Democrat establishment.”

They should change the motto from “Land of Lincoln” to “Corruptio est via nostra.”

SADLY: Not the first time rank-and-file government employees abused their trust. JustTheNews is reporting that:

Airport workers have been charged for allegedly giving surveillance video to the news media of the deadly midair crash last week at Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington, D.C., according to news reports Tuesday.

Less than three years ago, Kobe Bryant’s estate filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles Countyafter Kobe Bryan’s crash , alleging that:

“First responders took graphic photos of human remains at the scene as “souvenirs” and shared them with others. She claimed she suffered emotional distress and sued for negligence and invasion of privacy. In August 2022, a jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million in her invasion of privacy trial against Los Angeles County.”

Aside from the Chiquita Banana phone hack (Gannett) and the Brown & Williamson case (CBS) I can’t think off hand of too many media outfits who bore the brunt of damages. There is an interesting line of cases about privacy and “ride-alongs” where any qualified immunity granted to the cops was not extended to the press.

BOOM! Goes the Dynamite! Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle Trump lawsuit over suspended accounts

THIS JUST IN: (but you knew it was coming): Just The News reporting “Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order to end guaranteed birthright citizenship”

The case was brought by Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington.

“TRUMP FACTOR STRIKES AGAIN: President-elect and his envoy impact Mideast before inauguration.” Just The News’ story sums it up nicely:

“[W]hen pressed by the news media over who should get credit for the deal, the 46th American president demurred. “Is that a joke?” Biden retorted Wednesday afternoon. And moments later he walked away without providing an answer. The man succeeding Biden as U.S. president had changed the dynamic and enabled a deal that had been stalled for months.

[…]

Qatar’s Minister of State told Just the News that the deal unveiled Wednesday was made possible because President-elect Donald Trump coordinated with Biden’s outgoing team, made a powerful warning to both sides to reach a deal before he was inaugurated and then dispatched his own envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, to help seal the deal, especially with a wary Israel.”

You know the old saying: “Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan.”

ACCOUNTABILITY? Seems corporate America has the advantage over the government on this sort of thing. JustTheNews is reporting that:

“Defense Department IG finds Secretary Austin’s ’23 hospitalization increased national security risks: The report from the inspector general stated that neither Congress or the White House were notified about Austin’s surgery in a timely manner.”

When you read the story you’ll find that Austin did not keep the C-in-C or his staff fully informed of his medical issues. Compare this with the fiduciary duties that Securities Law requires of executives and the like.

I made this point several years ago when it was clear that Steve Jobs intentionally hid his cancer from shareholders — and his board — for as long as he could.

If the key CEO of a company I’m invested in is circling the drain, I have a right to know it. Why should it be any different for the Sectretary of Defense?

Just a rant: 
LOOKING BACK (A bit long): I’ve studied an awful lot of history in getting a degree in political philosphy, and that through the very left-leaning CUNY school system. On reflection, it has become clear to me that anyone who uses the word “insurrection” descibing the idiocy of Jan. 6 has no idea what they are talking about.

Was it a riot? Yep. Were many of the particpants dopes? Yep. But read how John Adams, Robespierre, Lenin, Mao and Castro pulled off genuine “revolutions” and you’ll see that mobbing a capitol building isn’t even close. You need to control central information and transportation hubs, get the army to back you, and bring weapons.

None of that happened on J6. If you use the word “insurrection” to describe J6: You have zero credibility.

THIS GOES BEYOND FACEPALM: Biden to give George Soros, Hillary Clinton the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

OK, Biden hasn’t been the actual “president” for quite some time — I get it — but who the hell is making these recomendations to him? One can guess Obama, Jarrett and other puppetmasters, but we can’t know for sure.

Making it worse is that the Department of Justice is very squishy about the applicability of FOIA to the White House:

“By its terms, the FOIA applies to “the Executive Office of the President,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(f), but this term does not include either “the President’s immediate personal staff” or any part of the Executive Office of the President “whose sole function is to advise and assist the President.” Meyer v. Bush, 981 F.2d 1288, 1291 n.1 (D.C. Cir. 1993) (quoting H.R. Rep. No. 1380, 93d Cong., 2d Sess. 14 (1974)); see also, e.g., Soucie v. David, 448 F.2d 1067, 1075 (D.C. Cir. 1971). This means, among other things, that the parts of the Executive Office of the President that are known as the “White House Office” are not subject to the FOIA; certain other parts of the Executive Office of the President are.”

Of course, we can’t expect all those “journalists” who were shocked —shocked I tell you — about Biden’s mental decline to bother looking into this.

Welp: Surgeon general calls for cancer-risk warning label on beverages with alcohol.

I got nuthin’. What say you, Vodkapundit?

Update (from Steve): I’ll take my chances, Charles.

“KNUCKLEHEADS.” Heh. Just The News quoting Elon Musk:

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” Musk posted on X.

“Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle,” he also said.

Of course, I still think the damn thing is fugly and overpriced, but still…

HEY, JOE…WHERE YOU GOING WITH THAT BRICK IN YOUR HAND?* JustTheNews reporting that a federal judge has ordered the Biden Administration to stop selling off materials to be used in the southern border wall:

“The administration has been selling excess border wall materials for low prices ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. It comes after Biden halted construction of the wall, and Congress authorized the administration last year to dispose of unused border wall materials as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.”

Why, it’s as if the Biden administration is trying to sabotage the plans of the next president!

* Apologies to Billy Roberts and Jimi Hendrix.

BREAKING BOMBSHELL: Draft of House ethics reports slams Gaetz, according to Just the News who reported this morning that the House Ethics Committee said Gaetz had paid women for sex, taken inapropriate travel and — hold your breath — statutory rape of a 17-year old high school junior.

“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” stated the draft of the report slated to be released this week.

The draft report also said it did not find evidence that Gaetz had engaged in sex trafficking as some had alleged, concluding that all the women who traveled with Gaetz out of their home states did so voluntarily even if they accepted payments for sex.”

The story includes detailed denials from Gaetz. Becuase the report was a draft version, JTN checked and confirmed its authenticity, but did not publish the draft because the final released version may have some changes or redactions.

That’s good journalism, people.

THIS. A THOUSAND TIMES, THIS. Just a taste:

“We may have been registered to vote but we didn’t wear our political affiliation on our sleeves or, in the spirit of neutrality, bring our politics into the office. (And our editors would likely have sent us packing if we did.) We didn’t believe the dominant political parties were intrinsically evil or good. We knew enough history—and had enough humility—to understand that each party over time had produced its share of rogues and do-gooders, heroes and scoundrels. Following the money in the name of keeping an eye on the public’s purse was always going to be a better path to uncovering stories of malfeasance and corruption than political affiliation.”

FWIW, Ken Wells is the very best reporter and writer I’ve ever worked with. Check out his page on Amazon. I tease him often that he writes so well I hate his guts.

BREAKING: House Oversight Committee asks FBI to investigate Liz Cheney for possible “witness tampering.”

Just the News is reporting that:

“Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the report released by the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee and its chairman Barry Loudermilk stated […] “Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge,” it added. “This secret communication with a witness is improper and likely violates 18 U.S.C. 1512. Such action is outside the due functioning of the legislative process and therefore not protected by the Speech and Debate clause.”

Nota Bene: a conviction of violating the federal law carries a sentence of up to 20 years.

DRAWING THE LINES AT VIOLENT CRIMES? Meh.

Just The News is reporting that NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced he will “work with President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan to deport illegal immigrants in his city who have committed violent crimes.”

“We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and longstanding New Yorkers,” Adams told reporters at a press conference. “That was my conversation today with the border czar, to figure out how to go after those individuals who are repeatedly committing crimes in our city.”

I suppose half a loaf is better than none, but I’m betting NY District Attorney Alvin Bragg will define “violent crimes” downwards. Not to mention the truck-sized hole that “repeatedly” means. Stab a cop once? No problem. Stab a cop two or three times, maybe not so much.

WHEN IS A NAZI NOT A NAZI? Inquiring minds want to know.

OUR “SHOCKED FACES” ARE GETTING A WORKOUT: JustTheNews has a story today that needs to be told, yet should surprise nobody who is even remotely red-pilled about the damage George Soros has done to the fabric of American life.

“Kimberly Gardner was prototype for Soros prosecutors, then ethics and illegality crashed her career:” 

“When she was elected chief prosecutor in St. Louis in 2016 with the backing of far-left megadonor George Soros, Kimberly Gardner was the prototype for a new era of progressive lawfare: unabashedly liberal, the first black female to hold the job and eager to make her mark with headline-grabbing cases.

Soon, she went big-game hunting by indicting Missouri’s new Republican governor, a Navy SEAL and rising political star named Eric Greitens, by claiming he tried to blackmail his female hairdresser lover.

There was just one problem: Gardner, a Democrat, never had the evidence to back up her charges in 2018. She managed to force Greitens to resign in disgrace before a court called her bluff and she was forced to dismiss the charges.

[***]

Missouri’s chief legal disciplinary officer accused Gardner of sweeping misconduct in the failed Greitens prosecution, concluding she engaged in 62 acts of misconduct that resulted in 79 false representations during the case.”

Having spent more than 30 years in major newsrooms, 14 of them in arguably the world’s leading financial news outlet (Bloomberg) I still cannot understand the thrall over left-leaning journalists that George Soros has. Any criticism is labelled “anti-Semitic” while they make excuses for his moral cowardice in helping identify Jews to the Nazis.

Every single one of his sponsored prosecutors have done their best to turn their jurisdictions into pro-crime sh*tholes. Trump’s mandate (yes, I said it) may very well turn the tide. Poor people, people of color, and the working class that his supporters pretend to care about are more affected by the crimes he has helped taken “off the books.”

I just don’t get it.

SAY HER NAME AND DON’T LET UP: JustTheNews has a deep-dive into the checkered history of officer Michael Byrd, who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riots:

“The issues in Captain Michael Byrd’s background included a failed shotgun qualification test, a failed FBI background check for a weapon’s purchase, a 33-day suspension for a lost weapon and referral to Maryland state prosecutors for firing his gun at a stolen car fleeing his neighborhood, according to congressional and police documents obtained by Just the News.”

Like the Good Professor says: “Read the whole thing.”

THIS JUST IN: Trump breaking the old-boy GOP mold again.

JustTheNews reporting that “Trump taps transition co-chair Linda McMahon as Education Secretary.”

“It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education,” Trump posted to his Truth Social. “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand [Universal School Choice] to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.”

His cabinet picks are going to change The Swamp forever.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: I know, I know, it’s rather tacky to say “I told you so.”

But I told you so.

Reading the news that Catherine Herridge might be spending time in the pokey reminded me of this article I wrote…back in 2013. (h/t to Mark Tapscott for his light-handed editing).

R.I.P., Ted Olson. A great lawyer, a lovely man, and a gentleman of the first order.

BREAKING: Harris has called Trump to concede the election, according to JustTheNews.

“President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier today where she congratulated him on his historic victory,” Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement.”

Here’s the statement.

THE SMELL OF DESPERATION: I know, it’s “no sh*t, Sherlock” but I can’t help but comment that Google News — millions of Americans’ “front page” — is so steeped in the MSM’s “conventional wisdom.”

But don’t take my word for it. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and here’s a screen shot from 10am: