GOOD THAT THEY WERE CAUGHT:  FBI raids Hollywood mansion in $17.4M alleged mortgage scam targeting seniors, 11 arrested including Iranian. The suspects are accused of stealing victims’ identities, taking out mortgages on their homes and pocketing the cash.

GOOD:  John Ripley, the Marine Who Blew Up the Dong Ha Bridge, to Receive the Medal of Honor.

OH, I VERY MUCH HOPE NOT A DONE DEAL:  ‘Not a done deal’: Democrats start to sweat over Virginia’s redistricting referendum. The unique nature of the April special election and the state’s recent redistricting history have presented challenges for Democrats, even as they hold a financial edge in the race.

THEY DESERVE IT:  NATO Slammed By Trump.

THE LEFT WILL NEVER ALLOW IT:  The Right To Be Let Alone. The most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.

RELIGION, BUT WORTH PONDERING: I feel like there’s a big misconception among Christians that Jesus teaches us to “be nice to get along” people.

X-cancel.

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR WEEKEND BETTER:  These Are The Memes of Life.

IT CONTINUES:  To Rescue A Lady, Chapter Two. In which we get to know Laura and her family a little better.

WE’VE NOTICED:  Blue Flight Continues Apace.

WHAT ABOUT UNDER THEM?  Scientists: Shadowcam images suggest there is little water in permanently shadowed lunar craters.

AS THEY SHOULD:  Olympians Condemn Iran’s Hanging Of Wrestler Saleh Mohammadi.

IS ANYONE SURPRISED?  Sarah Huckabee Sanders And The Welcoming, Tolerant Left.

WHY NOT. WE KNOW PRAYING THE ROSARY WAS A SIGN OF INSURRECTION:  Biden CIA: ‘Traditional Motherhood’ and ‘Homemaking’ are Indicators of White Violent Extremism.

THAT’S A FEATURE, DON’T MISTAKE IT FOR A BUG:  Expect more state drug consumption rooms – and expect more drug deaths.

I’M ALWAYS DOUBTFUL OF SCIENCE SUBSIDIZED BY GOVERNMENT:   Congress Proposes ‘PASTEUR Act’ as ‘Superbugs’ Spread and Antibiotic Resistance Increases.

EVERYBODY IS ENTITLED TO A MONEY-LOSING HOBBY BUT THAT DOESN’T ENTITLE THEM TO LOSE OUR MONEY ON IT:  The climate scaremongers: More solar panel madness that Ed wants you to pay for .

AND ABOUT TIME TOO:  Americans waking up to reality around college.

AND TILTING AT WINDMILLS: Is having a sale.

OF COURSE:  It’s okay to hate …

FOR COMMUNISTS HUMANS ARE THINGS ANYWAY:  The Evil Death Cult. Communist China’s market in harvested human organs.

BEHOLD MY SHOCKED FACE:  Senate Democrats admit illegal aliens participate in US elections despite opposing Republican-led voter ID legislation.

IT SEEMED LIKE A MEETING OF MINDS:  Trump And Takaichi Discuss Important Matters At The White House.

CUTE:  Review:  CYBERPUB by Michael Gallagher. It’s like ‘Cheers’ meets ‘The Sopranos’ in space.

THE UPDATES THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA WON’T DO:  Iran Strikes: Day 20.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE:  Do you truly understand what Japan just gained? As a Japanese citizen, I’m telling you—this moment changed history. Trump’s Pearl Harbor joke wasn’t an insult. It was the key that finally unlocked something buried deep in the Japanese soul.

FROM JESSICA SCHLENKER:  Excessively Attentive.

Elizabeth Bennet harboured few expectations for her trip to Kent. Primarily, she was to see her dear friend Charlotte, which necessarily entailed tolerating the odious Mr. Collins. Perhaps, if she were truly fortunate, she might even gain an introduction to the great Lady Catherine — whether she wished it or not. She promised to fill her letters home to her father with faithful recountings of any absurdities thus encountered; he almost promised to write back.

But when a revelation prompts Mr. Bennet to arrive in person, Elizabeth is drawn into the center of a long-buried family mystery. A single portrait holds the key, and the truth it unlocks threatens to upend everything she understands about her past and her expectations for her future.

Excessively Attentive is a Regency-set reimagining of Pride and Prejudice that remains faithful to Jane Austen’s wit, social precision, and moral insight. Thoughtful, character-driven, and richly grounded in period voice, this novel asks what it means to belong — not by birth alone, but by character, courage, and choice.