Author Archive: Ed Driscoll

MAMDANI WASN’T KIDDING ABOUT HIS “WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM” SHTICK:

DISPATCHES FROM CHICAGO, THAT HOTBED OF CONSERVATISM: David Axelrod Gets Brutal Lesson In Blue City Governance After Finding Man Passed Out In Chicago Heat.

Former President Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist and CNN analyst David Axelrod alleged that Democrat-run Chicago, Illinois, ignored an unconscious man in the heat and suggested that city could have done more.

Axelrod said he was walking past the Art Institute of Chicago on July 1 when he saw a homeless-looking elderly man unconscious on the museum’s stone front steps, according to a post on X. He later added that the city’s facing a real-feel temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. AccuWeather listed an official temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit and a real feel temperature of 106 degrees as of publication.

Concerned, Axelrod said he asked the museum’s security guard about the issue. She allegedly told him that she had already woken him three times suggesting that he move into the shade, but that he had continued to refuse.

Not satisfied, Axelrod said he dialed 911. After he explained the situation, the operator allegedly said, “Well, is he ASKING for help?”

After replying that he hadn’t, the female operator allegedly replied, “Well I’m not going to send anyone.”

“So the man remained, passed out in the blazing noon sun,” Axelrod said. “I guess that’s how the City of Chicago deals with such situations.”

Yes, that’s the Chicago Way, as a famous fictitious Irish-American policeman with a suspiciously Scottish accent would say:

Axelrod was born in 1955; Chicago’s last Republican mayor left office in 1931. Insert hot dog guy meme here:

DISPATCHES FROM THE STAR TREK LEFT: Noted Manly Men Will Wheaton and George Takei Attack Dwayne Johnson As a “Coward” For Not Endorsing Their Far-Left Imbecilic Identity Politics.

Dwayne Johnson is facing backlash for staying quiet on politics, with “Star Trek” icon George Takei telling him that “silence is complicity” and “Stand By Me” actor Wil Wheaton adding: “So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.”

Johnson told Fox News in 2024 that he regretted endorsing Joe Biden for president in 2020 because it caused division amongst his fans, adding at the time: “My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box.”

The blockbuster actor expanded on his newfound aversion to political talk by telling Esquire this month: “What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing. And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself. There are moments when, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you. Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever. I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bullshit that comes with it.”

When you’ve lost Mr. Sulu and Wesley Crusher, let’s face it:

Indeed:

HOW IT STARTED: Springtime for Tucker.

How it’s going: Tucker Carlson Is Building a New Political Party After Ditching the Republicans.

Tucker Carlson is moving on after his breakup with the Republican Party.

The former cable news star on Wednesday said he is working to “help build” a new third party. Carlson said it’s imperative because the Republicans and Democrats are too busy worrying about foreign affairs while the lives of average Americans crumble.

“I’m going to help build a third party,” Carlson told the Columbia Journalism Review. “There should be a good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country.”

He continued, “I mean, if you make sixty thousand dollars a year, you’re degraded. Your life expectancy has gone down, and the promise of your children’s lives is likely gone. No one seems to care. It’s not even a factor. “What about Hamas?” I officially don’t care about Hamas. The US government should have, as its first priority, the welfare of its own people.”

That announcement comes after Carlson said on June 22 he was done voting for Republicans.

“How could I or any American voter support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States. That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens,” Carlson said. “It’s not possible to vote for people like that, and I’m not going to.”

This will end as badly as Ross Perot and Ralph Nader’s attempts at building a third party, and seems like far more cynical an effort.

JIM GERAGHTY: Nina Totenberg and the Gerontocracy Strike Again.

She heard the word “retirement” and just assumed that it was Alito?

The explanation is so shocking that social media has plenty of Alito retirement “Truthers” who contend the justice is planning to announce his retirement soon and Totenberg simply erred by reporting it too early; but that theory doesn’t make sense, because if that were the case, she would simply clarify her story. Some others wonder if this was Alito trying to sniff out the Supreme Court employee who leaked the Dobbs decision. (Back in April 2023, Alito sat down for an interview with the Wall Street Journal and said, “I personally have a pretty good idea who is responsible, but that’s different from the level of proof that is needed to name somebody.”)

Totenberg is 82. She has covered the Supreme Court since I was born, and I have a kid in college. Also, in the 1970s, Totenberg became close personal friends with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and one might think that a close personal friendship with someone you cover professionally is a major conflict of interest that ought to be disclosed to listeners, but “her friendship with Ginsburg was almost never mentioned in the hundreds of news stories, interviews and features Totenberg has done about the court over the years.”

Another one of Totenberg’s greatest hits, this one targeted at the late Senator Jesse Helms (R., N.C.): “In 1995, on the syndicated political television program Inside Washington, guests including Totenberg turned to a proposal by the North Carolina senator that Congress reduce spending on AIDS research. Totenberg said, ‘I think he ought to be worried about the — about what’s going on in the good Lord’s mind, because if there’s retributive justice, he’ll get AIDS from a transfusion or one of his grandchildren will get it.’” Wishing painful death upon the family of people you disagree with is the kind of comment we’ve come to expect from unhinged hatemongers, like the attorney general of Virginia.

Apparently, nothing matters when you’re on the left side of the aisle. Just do whatever you want, and there will never be any consequences.

As NewsBusters’ Tim Graham adds, “Totenberg is Exhibit A in how NPR is a thoroughly ideological outlet that should never have been funded by the taxpayers.”

UPDATE: Heh, indeed:

SONY JUST KILLED DISCS: Physical Disc Production to End January 2028 for New Games Releasing on PlayStation Consoles.

Sony has announced physical disc production ends in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles.

It’s a shock announcement that follows Rockstar’s decision not to sell a physical disc version of GTA 6, which is expected to dominate console game sales from this November onwards. This new policy will cover all games released on PlayStation consoles from all publishers after this cut-off date, which some analysts believe hints at when the PS6 will be released.

“In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, said in a post on PlayStation Blog.

* * * * * * * *

Piers Harding-Rolls, games industry analyst at Ampere, tweeted to call Sony’s announcement “a watershed moment for the industry.”

“Console gaming is the last hold-out for physical media in the gaming sector, but physical product has been declining in importance,” he added. “Back in 2013 when the PS4 launched, Ampere data shows that only 13% of total full games unit sales for Sony consoles were digital (including digital-only games). Fast forward to 2025, and this digital share of full game purchases stood at almost 80% of the total.

“Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games, and game preservation, however the purchasing trends of gamers are clear.”

Just this week, Sony notified PlayStation users that it would soon delete more than 550 digital movies from their PSN accounts due to a licensing agreement with Studio Canal, sparking a backlash. There was no sign of refunds or alternatives for those who purchased any of the movies on the list.

Exit quote:

YMCA SCRUBS ‘GENDER IDENTITY’ PLEDGE AFTER DAILY WIRE REPORT:

The YMCA deleted a pledge recognizing “gender identity” as one of its priorities for inclusion after a watchdog warned that girls may be forced to share cabins with gender-confused boys at camps across the country.

The website scrubbing took place after The Daily Wire reported on a campaign by the American Parents Coalition urging parents to research their local YMCA’s transgender policies before sending their child to camp. YMCA camps across the country from Colorado to Michigan have policies in place allowing boys who identify as girls to stay in female cabins and use female intimate spaces.

Before the campaign, the YMCA had a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” section on its website that highlighted how it worked “to ensure that everyone” regardless of a variety of personal identifiers including “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” had the opportunity to “reach their full potential with dignity.”

Yet another dispatch from Weimar, America. As Glenn wrote back in 2018, “you don’t get Hitler because of Hitler — there are always potential Hitlers hanging around. You get Hitler because of Weimar, and you get Weimar because the people in charge of maintaining liberal democracy are too weak and corrupt to do the job.”

I’M PRETTY SURE THE DARK KNIGHT RISES WAS A WARNING, NOT A HOW-TO GUIDE:

Underneath the mask, Bane smiles:

UPDATE:

FREDDY’S DEAD: America’s favorite World Cup tourist deactivates X account after woke snowflakes dig up his old tweets.

Well, Freddy is from Germany, where it is quite literally illegal to offend certain groups of people.

Even though he remained anonymous in all his posts, he still decided to deactivate his X account after wokescolds discovered he was mildly critical of the woke theory that only white people can be racist.

Since anyone can travel here as a tourist and pop out a baby that’s automatically an American (according to Amy Coney Barrett), the least we could do is give Freddy honorary citizenship!

Because in 2026 in America, when the gay woke mob digs up your old not-even-controversial tweets and tries to present them as white supremacist or something, what we do is we laugh them out of the room.

We don’t do cancel culture anymore, Freddy!

Here’s the tweet they dug up:

This was also problematic to the DSA/Totenkopf left:

Freddy is still apparently active on Instagram, though:

Classical reference in headline:

‘RO’ ME THE MONEY! How Progressive Class Warrior Ro Khanna Lives Like the Oligarchs He ‘Fights,’ With In-Home Elevator, $190K Range Rover, and Family-Owned Golf Courses:

Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) has emerged as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination while denouncing the ultra-rich who “hoard wealth and engage in financial speculation.” But the progressive, Silicon Valley congressman and his family live a life of staggering luxury, fueled by dynastic wealth they did not earn and protected by the same thicket of trusts, anonymous corporations, and foundations that Khanna condemns.

Khanna lives in a $6 million, 8,000-square-foot luxury home with a four-story elevator and so much premium marble that even the two laundry rooms have marble counters. The Northwest Washington, D.C., home is now for sale, as the Khanna family prepares to move to an even larger, more expensive house a few miles away in the Northern Virginia suburbs. Khanna’s two children, who are minors, have large ownership shares in three private golf clubs, a significant stake in a $65 billion wealth management firm, and investments in hedge funds that focus on distressed debt, of which Khanna has been critical. Khanna’s wife drives a $190,000 Range Rover she was so displeased with that she sued the dealer.

A Washington Free Beacon investigation into Khanna’s finances finds that the progressive truthteller’s lifestyle is funded by his wife, Ritu Ahuja Khanna, an heiress to her father’s Cleveland auto parts fortune. An analysis of Khanna’s financial disclosures reveals his gilded life is enriched by the same sort of investment vehicles that Khanna has said he has a “moral” duty to oppose and that Khanna’s family is a beneficiary of the “New Gilded Age” he condemns.

In his Commentary newsletter yesterday, Abe Greenwald wrote:

I could fill up half a newsletter—at least—with nothing but the names of candidates and elected officials who overtly detest America and the Jews and unapologetically embrace the enemies of both.

But for my money, Ro Khanna, the U.S. representative from California’s 17th district, is worse. My reasoning is related to a famous line of Martin Luther King Jr.’s. “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people,” he said, “but the silence over that by the good people.” Don’t worry, I know the idea needs some tinkering in this case because Khanna is neither silent nor good. He facilitates the oppression and cruelty by translating the florid war cries of radicals into establishment shorthand. Here’s what he posted on X in response to the trans activists who ganged up on Scott Wiener on Friday for being a Jew:

There is no place for harrasment or physical violence in our democracy. I am a strong supporter of protest, dissent, & free expression. But not of intimidation. What happened to @Scott_Wiener was simply wrong. Let’s focus on passing @RepThomasMassie amendment to zero aid to Israel. Hold elected officials accountable. But do so in the spirit of building a politics of conviction and dignity, not insult and aggression.

In other words, if you want to go after the Jews, don’t waste your time with a bunch of ranting freaks. Invest in me. I may not know how to spell harassment, but I know how to take down the Jews using the power of the federal government. 

“Khanna is no socialist—he’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And there was a time, not long ago, when he claimed to support Zionism,” Greenwald concludes. “I don’t know whether he’s been asked about that lately, but he should be. Because once it became clear that anti-Semitism was gaining unprecedented traction in our politics, he decided to go all in—shamelessly. He now rushes to support Jew-haters left and right.”

AXIS: BOLD AS GLADSTONE. Two people climb to top of Empire State Building in New York, fly banner calling for peace.

Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday and unfurled a giant banner calling for peace, prompting a large emergency response and an investigation into how they gained access to the landmark’s spire.

Aerial video showed the two individuals standing atop the building’s mast after they put up a black banner with white lettering that read, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

The message on the banner echoed a quote often attributed to musician Jimi Hendrix, though it has also been credited to 19th-century British Prime Minister William Gladstone.

Exit quote:

UPDATE: “Following a response by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the pair appeared to take down the banner and climb down to a lower platform. One of the people then appeared to pull an engagement ring out of a backpack, get down on one knee and propose…Roughly 40 police officers remain in front of the building. Others are directing traffic around the building. The entrance on Fifth Ave., between West 33rd and 34th streets, is blocked off. Pedestrians were seen gathering on every corner surrounding the building watching the situation unfold. Counting the spire and antenna, the skyscraper stands 1,454 feet tall.”

THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME:

Shot:

Chaser:

“In the first place, I would like to observe that the older generation had certainly pretty well ruined this world before passing it on to us. They give us this Thing, knocked to pieces, leaky, red-hot, threatening to blow up; and then they are surprised that we don’t accept it with the same attitude of pretty, decorous enthusiasm with which they received it, ‘way back in the eighteen-nineties, nicely painted, smoothly running, practically fool-proof. ‘So simple that a child can run it!’”

John F. Carter, Jr., the Atlantic, September, 1920.

2026: A LUDDITE ODYSSEY.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE OVER THE TARGET WHEN YOU START RECEIVING FLAK:

“Incitement to terrorism?” USAID approved!

FASTER, PLEASE: DOT announces “Return of Supersonic Flight” for commercial airlines.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): A flashback column of mine from 2017.

CHRISTOPHER RUFO: “We’ve moved beyond the smear game.

 

THE GHOST OF JIM WRIGHT SMILES:

Earlier:

 

IT’S DEJA DINKINS ALL OVER AGAIN:  ‘No New Cops!’ Mamdani Ally Brags NYC Won’t End Up Hiring More Police, Despite Previous Reports.

One of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) main political allies bragged that The Big Apple will not have more cops on patrol after the new budget was agreed to on Tuesday — despite NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announcing in June that more police would be hired.

City Council Member Tiffany Cabán shared her glee on X, with a Canva-style graphic celebrating “No New Cops.”

Cabán noted there would be no increase to NYPD’s headcount, and that the city would instead be focused on “housing, mental health care, substance use treatment, and economic stability.” She said those are “the proven policies that actually keep our communities healthy and safe.”

The council member — who identifies as a queer abolitionist on her X account — took an obvious shot at the tough-on-crime policies of ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Caban (or whoever wrote her tweet) claims, “This budget is an important check on the failed policy of broken windows policing.” That policy was such a failure that it quickly transformed New York when it was implemented under then-Mayor Guiliani and Bill Bratton, his police chief in the mid-1990s, and largely kept in place by Mike Bloomberg until Bill de Blasio took office at the beginning of 2014.

As Kevin Williamson told me in late 2013, “the thing about Bloomberg is, he’s a busy body and a nanny and self-regarding and sanctimonious and unbearable, and Jesus, are we going to miss him when he’s gone, because Bloomberg, for all of this faults and his weird little psychosis about bacon and salt and soft drinks and sugar and all the rest of it, and smoking, especially, basically kept what was best about the Giuliani administration.”

Good and hard, Fun City, as Caban yearns for the bad old days: NYC, July 1993.

Related: Another Mamdani-Backed Muslim Wins Democrat Primary for State Senator; Claims That “Racism, Capitalism, White Supremacy, and Islamophobia” “Manifested” in 9/11.

KURT SCHLICHTER: Cheer Up! The Birthright Citizenship Case Moves Us Toward Inevitable Victory.

Would I have loved Justice Barrett or Chief Justice Roberts to have defied their natural judicial conservatism—in the non-political sense—and embraced the new thinking today? Yeah, that wouldve been great, but it wasnt in the cards. Instead, we got two votes that I frankly didnt expect. And those two votes position us for victory. If one of those five majority justices goes away and President Donald Trump appoints the replacement, its very likely we will have a 6–3 majority that supports limiting the current idea of effectively unlimited birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

Let me put it in sportsball terms. We didnt score a touchdown today, but we moved the ball down the field and put ourselves in position for a field goal or maybe even a touchdown in the next couple of plays.

So dont freak out, don’t cry, dont scream and yell. Theres no reason to. This result was better than we had any right to expect at this juncture in the process of changing the way the 14th Amendments citizenship clause is viewed under the law. And this is why keeping the Senate in 2026 is more important than ever.

Cheer up. Dont doom. We did better than we had any right to expect, and in the end were going to win.

Read the whole thing.

Related: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Uses … (Wait for It) … TikTok Slang in Concurring Opinion.

THE CRITICAL DRINKER: Supergirl — The Most Predictable Of Disasters.

WANT AIR CONDITIONING IN FRANCE? EASIEST WAY TO GET IT IS A TRIP TO THE MORGUE:

So far, somewhere over a thousand French people—older folks, mainly—have died in the heat wave that hit Europe in recent days.

That’s a preliminary number, and it’s in addition to the “normal” number of unnecessary deaths that occur every summer due to a lack of air conditioning. That’s just how many more people than you would expect in a normal summer week or two to die from excess heat. Because air conditioning is unusual in France and other European countries, more people die every year from heat-related causes than die of gunshot wounds in the United States.

You could say that in Europe, the most prolific murderers are the bureaucrats who make A/C difficult to get.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose:

Like France, England has imported just the chaps to send you to the morgue:

And MI6 has assigned their best spy to the case:

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP IN MAJOR BLOW TO TRUMP:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down President Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship, finding that the order violates the 14th Amendment.

Trump’s order declared that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

Writing on behalf of the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts says children born to parents who are in the United States unlawfully or temporarily are “born in the United States” and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

“Under the Constitution, they are citizens at birth,” he wrote.

On to Plan B:

IT’S COME TO THIS: