I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THE DEMOCRATS TRIED TO MAKE HIM INTO BRETT KAVANAUGH — AND SUCCEEDED. Pete Hegseth Will Be Confirmed.

Well, Kavanaugh was confirmed, too, so maybe this was a bad strategy.

YOU MIGHT ALMOST SAY IT’S MORNING IN AMERICA: My New York Post column: National mood shift since Trump’s win is reviving America’s lost vigor.

WOULD YOU? Ouch: Just 32% of Democrats want Kamala Harris to run again.

THAT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE ALL MORONS. Tony Blinken Tells Congress ‘No One Anticipated’ Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan.

CLASS CONFLICT IN AMERICA:

Brian Thompson went from Jewell, Iowa (population 1,200) to leading 140,000 employees and overseeing $280B of revenue at one of the world’s most important companies. His mom worked as a beautician, his dad at a grain elevator—they were probably really proud when he graduated… pic.twitter.com/vX6JT2N30j

— Robert Sterling (@RobertMSterling) December 11, 2024

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Joel Kotkin: The American university is rotting from within: The modern academy is a threat to reason, liberty and Western civilisation.

AS THE OLD MEDIA COLLAPSES, THEIR HELP IS LESS USEFUL: It’s Becoming Clearer By the Day That Gun Controllers Just Can’t Stop the Signal Any More.

IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING:

https://t.co/rSTm0jU9Gp pic.twitter.com/Sfa0HFQCS1

— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) December 11, 2024

Helen has found something similar in the interviews she’s doing for her next book.

CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT: Bill Clinton: I’m Open to Discussing Preemptive Pardon for Hillary Before Trump Takes Office.

OPEN THREAD: Hump day.

YOU MIGHT ALMOST SAY IT’S MORNING IN AMERICA: My New York Post column: National mood shift since Trump’s win is reviving America’s lost vigor.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: China set to launch first Guowang megaconstellation satellites on Long March 5B.

HAHAHA:

It’s like Keith is in a competition with himself to be the worst person alive and every day he wins. https://t.co/Z9OuuXmwFO

— Karol Markowicz (@karol) December 11, 2024

THIS IS A BIG WIN FOR THE NEW CIVIL LIBERTIES ALLIANCE IN ITS CAMPAIGN TO REIN IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE: U.S. appeals court tosses Nasdaq diversity rules for company boards. “A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down the Nasdaq’s diversity disclosure rules for companies listed on the stock exchange, which were designed to boost the representation of women and minority directors on boards. The conservative-majority New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Securities and Exchange Commission did not have the power to approve the rule that required companies to ensure women and minority directors were on their boards or provide an explanation of why this was not the case.”

Reminder/disclosure: I’m on the NCLA’s board of advisors.

UPDATE: Here’s the NCLA press release, and here’s the full text of the opinion.

ADVANCED KNAPPING THEN, STARSHIP NOW: A Major Leap Forward in Technology Took Place 900,000 Years Ago.

RFK, JR. TRIED TO WARN YOU: Startling Findings: High-Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Cancer Growth.

#FREEJOEL: WHY DOES INSTAGRAM HATE DOGS? Well, at least one dog. A friend of ours has — well, had — an Instagram account for her French Bulldog, Joel, pictured below as a puppy and as a full-grown dog with Helen.

The account is an entirely harmless one involving pictures of Joel walking at the park, running along the beach, snoozing in front of a fireplace, etc. But somehow InstaGram decided that something in the account — they never tell you want — violates their rules and permanently banned it.

Her appeal was refused. No details were forthcoming.

There have been worse injustices on Meta’s platform, God knows, but this seems especially stupid. I’m thinking of petitioning the FTC to require social media to provide specific details on why they banned an account, what rules were broken, and whether they treat all accounts the same. Any FTC lawyers (which I am not) are encouraged to chime in.

#FREEJOEL!

CHANGE: University Of Michigan Eliminates Diversity Statements In Faculty Hiring, Promotion & Tenure And Recommits To DEI Goals.

But not enough change.

THE 21ST CENTURY ISN’T TURNING OUT AS I’D HOPED: 20% of people aged 15 to 49 globally infected with herpes, study shows.

PROS AND CONS: 2024 Tesla Cybertruck TOTY Review: The No-Hype, No-Spin True Truck Test.

ANALYSIS: TRUE.

FUN FACT: More US Representatives have been injured at the Capitol by attacks from violent LGBTQ activists than from people on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/L9R6994NTP

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 11, 2024

Nice pic for Nancy Mace, though.

PROGRESS: Marines Reach Early Full Operational Capacity with New Sniper Rifle.

THE FUTURE IS NOW: AI chatbot suggested a teen kill his parents, lawsuit claims.

SCIENCE: Particle that only has mass when moving in one direction observed for first time.

SECURITY: AMD’s trusted execution environment blown wide open by new BadRAM attack: Attack bypasses AMD protection promising security, even when a server is compromised.