TO BE FAIR, THAT’S THE GOAL: Excessive Calls for Recusal Threaten Judicial Independence. “In this latest trend of coordinated recusal attacks, however, I see a much more malicious and dangerous long-term objective. These unfounded attacks are ultimately aimed at undermining the independence of the federal judiciary as a whole. . . . This is a well-financed and coordinated effort to lay the foundation for calls for court packing and other reform measures that would destroy the judiciary’s independence.”

EXPERT THINKS J.D. VANCE IS THE VP PICK:

The three reported finalists for vice presidential nominee are Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, North Dakoka Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

Christopher Devine, an associate political science professor at the University of Dayton, has written two books on the impact running mates have on a ticket.

Devine said vice presidential candidates can influence voters by providing a boost based on geography or demographics. For instance, a running mate night help deliver their home state, while a woman or candidate of color might rally voters who see themselves in the V.P. nominee.

However, Devine said those affects tend to be minimal. A more significant impression the running mate leaves is as a reflection of the presidential candidate’s judgement.

“Who they pick tells you something about their priorities in politics,” Devine said. “It tells you about how serious they are in terms of the decisions that they make.”

Devine said a V.P. nominee is most impactful when the presidential candidate isn’t particularly well-known, pointing to the 2008 campaign when voters who didn’t closely follow politics probably didn’t know much about either Barack Obama or John McCain.

He said polling showed voters thought less of McCain’s judgement after he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin, and her series of speaking gaffes, contrasted with Obama’s running mate, then-longtime Senator Joe Biden.

Well, that’s not a mark in favor of voters’ judgment.

REMAIN CALM. ALL IS WELL! PepsiCo, After Years of Price Hikes, Sounds an Alarm on Consumer Spending: Frito-Lay North America reports 4% drop in sales volume, warns that consumers are looking for more deals.

Inflation-weary shoppers are finally cutting back on potato chips.

For the past few years as prices soared, many consumers kept buying affordable treats like Doritos and Lay’s in lieu of bigger-ticket splurges such as restaurants, concerts or travel. But now, they are limiting their spending in all areas, said Jamie Caulfield, PepsiCo’s chief financial officer. . . .

Inflation in the U.S. is moderating but consumers are feeling the cumulative impact of years of steep price hikes, particularly in their grocery bills. Consumers in recent months have been pulling away from big brands like Starbucks, Chips Ahoy and McDonald’s.

Shares of Conagra Brands declined in Thursday trading after the maker of Slim Jim meat snacks and Vlasic pickles reported lower sales for its latest quarter and issued a disappointing profit outlook for its current fiscal year. . . . Shoppers are now less interested in buy-one-get-one-free promotions and want lower price points for single items, Caulfield added.

Everything is going swimmingly.

I’M WITH ELON: Thermonuclear Blasts and New Species: Inside Elon Musk’s Plan to Colonize Mars.

As Robert Heinlein (PBUH) said, Earth is too fragile a basket to hold all of humanity’s eggs.

Flashback: The urgency of space colonization.

Also: James Fallows: The Coming Age of Space Colonization. Now that Elon is a Designated Party Enemy, The Atlantic probably wouldn’t give this topic such a sympathetic treatment, but this was in 2013.

OPEN THREAD: Yo, baby, yo. Good to go.

LOL, JEN RUBIN:

How is she a real person?

— D.E. (@tkdylan) July 12, 2024

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Chinese commercial rocket firm suffers 4th launch failure.

It’s okay to blow up rockets, so long as you learn from each failure.

HERE WE GO: House Oversight Subpoenas Biden’s Handlers.

RUNNING VS. WALKING: Does Walking to Work Burn The Same Calories as Running? Here’s The Science.

OUT: SLOWER DELAWARE PIE.

In: Slower Delaware President.

THIS IS HUGE: Court Holds Federal Ban on Home-Distilling Exceeds Congress’ Enumerated Powers.

THE NEW SPACE RACE:

If you have to deny it… (that means you are already planning for it).https://t.co/hNMRJj6bht

— Jim Meigs (@jamesbmeigs) July 11, 2024

SAY: NASA astronauts say they are confident in Boeing Starliner abilities despite spacecraft’s issues.

ERIC COWPERTHWAITE: Observations During The Late Republic: Lawfare Part Deux.

“ANTI-DISCRIMINATION:” Seven GOP-led states sue to block Biden’s new anti-discrimination healthcare rule.

OUR MORAL BETTERS: The crafter of language, Margaret Atwood, proffers a “hints”/”details” distinction and now proclaims what she knew but did not know to be “horrifying.” “If something horrifying might be true, but you only have ‘hints’ and not ‘details,’ you have some responsibility. Not only was Atwood Munro’s friend, but Atwood writes books that purport to nudge and instruct us about morality. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ seems to be taken as a perceptive observation of the evils inherent in our culture, a warning to see and to act before it is too late.”

REVIEW: DB Force Option Pocket Holster: A step beyond the normal pocket holster.

SKYNET SMILES: Low-cost actuators offer new twist on artificial ‘muscles’ for safer, softer robots.

GIVE THIS TO BIDEN IN 1998: New Test Could Tell if You Have Early Signs of Dementia With High Accuracy.

EVERYTHING IS SCARY: Few Americans understand dangers of raw milk.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Colorado health officials confirm case of human plague.

MORE ON SCHOOLS AND SEX ABUSE: Hot for Teacher: Eros and Education.

ENDING THE CULTURE OF IMPUNITY: University of Florida withholds diploma, suspends pro-Palestinian activists. “The University of Florida is not a day care, and we do not treat protesters like children—they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”

MEH, WHAT HAVE THE XENOS DONE FOR US?

Democrat Rep. Summer Lee suggests that passing a law that only American citizens can vote in our elections is a "xenophobic attack."

They really really want illegals to vote. pic.twitter.com/3lnh65wido

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 10, 2024

Also, whenever lefties are throwing around the suffix “phobic,” it means they’re trying to con you.

COLLUSION: Matt Taibbi: FOIA Files: Clemson University: The FOIA request we sent Clemson University reveals a tight-knit relationship between university professors, federal law enforcement, and the news media.

What is the Media Forensics Hub? Described as “an interdisciplinary team of researchers working to study and combat online deception,” the project kicked off in 2017. That was the year communications professor Darren Linvill and economics professor Patrick Warren joined forces to “uncover and expose” millions of tweets they attributed to Russian trolls. Sponsored by the taxpayer-funded South Carolina Research Authority, the Hub was officially launched in May 2020. Two years later, along with the University at Buffalo and several other institutions, it received a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Last May, Racket filed a FOIA request with Clemson. Our search produced a series of emails that make explicit reference to the university’s dealings with federal law enforcement agencies (providing Clemson “help with resources,” among other things), social media companies, and the news media. The Clemson files are difficult to summarize, but offer probably the most comprehensive portrait we’ve gotten yet of the role such ostensibly non-governmental “anti-disinformation” research institutions can play as middleman organizations. These emails also document the high degree of influence the school had with federal agencies and media, even if Twitter was not always as cooperative.

A summary of key communications is listed below, while three new batches of documents have been uploaded to the Racket FOIA library, where as always, they’re not paywalled.

Read the whole thing.