THAT WOULD BE GOOD: Migraine relief: New drug may start working right away.

WHEN YOUR LAWSUIT CRASHES AND BURNS: “Not Only Is [the Race Discrimination Plaintiff] a Perpetual Claimant, He Is a Holdup Artist:” A judge sanctions a self-represented litigant who threatened to contact defendant’s donors as a means of trying to pressure defendant into settling.

MY NEW YORK POST CHRISTMAS COLUMN: In a Christmas season of renewal, Trump’s boldness is bringing hopeful change.

THE DEMAND FOR HATE CRIMES IN AMERICA EXCEEDS THE SUPPLY: Illinois State U. omits key facts on why it closed LGBT ‘hate crime’ case.

The alleged victim of an anti-gay “hate crime” at Illinois State University is not even homosexual – and he changed his story multiple times, according to a police report obtained by The College Fix via a public records request.

Though the police and university left the community with the impression the case was closed because of a lack of suspects and that the unnamed individual was “knocked” off a scooter and “punched,” the official report from the incident four months ago tells a different story.

“Although this was reported as a possible Hate Crime, I was unable to establish the elements of the offense,” Detective Matthew Hice wrote at the end of the police report about the Aug. 24 incident.

One reason is, according to Hice’s recounting, the alleged victim, “could not recall [his attacker’s] height, weight, clothing details, or any unique features. He stated he would not recognize them if he saw them again.”

The event led to LGBT marches and a response from ISU President Aondover Tarhule.

Event, non-event, whatever.

SCRAPPED: Biden administration throws out proposed Title IX transgender sports rule: The Biden administration has scrapped plans to prohibit states from banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports.

LIFE IN 2024: Joe Biden, Kay Granger, and a senile gerontocracy.

JOHN LUCAS: Three Strong Men.

OF COURSE THEY DO: Democrats Block Tom Cotton Resolution To Condemn Biden’s Commutation for ‘Kids for Cash’ Judge: Sen. Dick Durbin says Biden clemency recipients, which include a triple murderer, ‘demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation.’

JOHN HINDERAKER: The Fight for America’s Past. “One of the most important contemporary battles is the war over America’s history. The Left is trying to seize control over our country’s future by trashing its past. In Minnesota, my organization is fighting a years-long battle against the Tim Walz administration’s attempt to turn K-12 public education into an endless course in anti-Americanism.”

PROBABLY NOT: Cotton: Can’t We Reverse Biden’s Despicable Clemencies Over Incompetency?

WE SHOULD NOT, HOWEVER, MAKE CANADA A STATE: Yes, America should absolutely annex Greenland: The annexation of Greenland would be the first major U.S. acquisition in well over a century, and it would positively shape President-elect Trump’s legacy.

I mean, we don’t want a nation that voted for Justin Trudeau as part of our electorate.

UPDATE: Jim Bennett writes: “Somewhat surprisingly, I think Trump’s interest in Greenland is perfectly reasonable although I think he needs a more sophisticated approach to the problem. The Greenlanders have been wanting independence from Denmark for some time now but. can’t afford it. Trump should offer a Compact of Free Association between the USA and independent Greenland, based on the CFA we have with Micronesia and other Pacific ex-trust territories. They could even remain in the Danish Commonwealth, which would sooth Danish feelings. Although “buying” it from Denmark is crass and 19-century-like, we could offer to compensate Denmark for past infrastructure investments in the island. It could be a win-win-win deal. Yuge!”

He adds: “Elon should be familiar with the CFAs since he launched the Falcon 1 from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, which is a CFA state.”

Good thought and hadn’t occurred to me.

MY NEW YORK POST CHRISTMAS COLUMN: In a Christmas season of renewal, Trump’s boldness is bringing hopeful change.

And this bit probably isn’t entirely within the Christmas spirit, but then again naughty boys are supposed to get a lump of coal. “The hysteria led to two assassination attempts — and after a brief pause, lasting about 15 minutes, they started calling him Hitler again. A lesser man would have folded under the pressure. Just imagine how fast Mitt Romney would have tucked his tail between his legs, apologized for existing and Stockholm-Syndromed himself into being a Democratic Party tool. (Well, OK, you don’t really have to imagine that.)”

Plus thoughts on Millei and Bukele.

IF, AS SOME ARE URGING, HE BLANKET-PARDONS ALL ILLEGALS YOU CAN EXPECT THE MENTAL COMPETENCY ISSUE TO BE SERIOUSLY RAISED:

.@POTUS was deemed unfit to be charged in the classified documents case, but is now mentally sound enough to issue pardons and commute sentences? When and where do we draw the line that we don't let them cross?

— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) December 23, 2024

Contracts, wills, and other legal actions are null and void if a party is mentally incompetent, as Joe Biden obviously is. The Congress and the Trump Department of Justice should investigate whether these pardons for depraved murderers are binding.

Who is making these decisions…

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) December 23, 2024

I should note that when Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton’s term was coming to an end, and he was under investigation for pardon-selling, they swore in his successor, Lamar Alexander, three days early to limit the damage and to prevent Blanton from pardoning himself. The Lieutenant Governor, John Wilder, referred to that as “impeachment, Tennessee style.” Ned McWherter, who was Speaker of the state House at the time, and later Governor, told me that they weren’t sure it was constitutional under the state constitution, but that if they were fighting it out in court later, Blanton wouldn’t be able to pardon anyone regardless. I don’t think Blanton every contested his replacement. But that was a bipartisan affair — Wilder and McWherter and Blanton were all Democrats, and Alexander was a Republican — and swearing in Trump early wouldn’t get the same kind of support from Democrats.

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: In Range v. US, a win for gun rights. After the case was GVR’d back to the Third Circuit (they Granted certiorari, Vacated the judgment below, and Remanded for further consideration) after Rahimi, the Third Circuit has stuck by its, er, guns, and held that the nonviolent crime of making a false statement on a food stamp application isn’t enough for a lifelong loss of gun rights. Full opinion is here. I’ve only skimmed it briefly (all 165 pages) but I’ll probably have more later, though probably after Christmas. Interestingly, only two judges from the 15 judge en banc panel dissented.

OPEN THREAD: Monday, Monday.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Liechtenstein signs the Artemis Accords. “Liechtenstein is the 52nd country to sign the Artemis Accords and the 19th to do so this year. The country, which is neither a member of the European Union nor European Space Agency, has a modest presence in space, and is perhaps best known as the country that Rivada Space Networks has used for spectrum filings for its proposed broadband constellation. It follows Thailand, which signed Dec. 16, and Panama and Austria, which signed in separate ceremonies Dec. 11.”

SHADES OF RESUBLIMATED THITOMILINE: Quantum Physicists Just Found Evidence of ‘Negative Time.’

Classical reference in headline.

COFFEE. IS THERE ANYTHING IT CAN’T DO? Coffee and Tea Linked to Lower Cancer Risk in Groundbreaking Study.

JOHN LUCAS: “No person is above the law!” No one should be surprised. It was just one more lie in a four-year series of lies.

I GUESS HE’S NOW THE REVEREND DENZEL WASHINGTON: Denzel Washington joins the ministry. “He attended the church as a child and later testified about being filled with the Holy Spirit after visiting another congregation with fellow actor Robert Townsend in the 1980s. According to Bryant, the actor’s baptism and licensing were not only spiritual milestones but also a return to his roots.”

Certainly more worthy of the title than the “Reverend” Al Sharpton.

FASTER, PLEASE: Study sheds new light on what causes long-term disability after a stroke, offers new path toward possible treatment.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Winter Driving Tips for Snow and Ice: How to Stay Safe on Slippery Roads.

Can’t believe we need to know this, I thought snowfalls were soon to become a thing of the past.

I ALREADY LIKE THEM, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SELL ME: Oh No. . . Texas Allegedly Has the Weakest Gun Control Laws in the Nation.

HMM: Having Your Tonsils Out as a Child May Have a Drastic Impact on Your Life. “A study by an international team of researchers now suggests this relatively common procedure could increase a patient’s risk of developing an anxiety-related disorder later in life.”

HMM: Introducing perceptein, a protein-based artificial neural network in living cells. “Westlake University in China and the California Institute of Technology have designed a protein-based system inside living cells that can process multiple signals and make decisions based on them.”