RETURN TO NORMS: Threats Force Justice Alito to Cancel Public Appearance.

CLEANEST ELECTION IN HISTORY: Another judge rips Wisconsin 2020 election investigator for destroying records.

TEXAS: Abbott Aide Now Soros Lobbyist. “If you wonder why conservative victories seem so few and far between sometimes, this story offers one explanation.”

MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: John Durham Secures a Big Victory Against Hillary for America and Fusion GPS. “A decision has been made on the documents in question, and it delivers a big initial victory to the prosecution.”

A UNITER, NOT A DIVIDER: Biden Dubs ‘MAGA Crowd’ the Most ‘Extreme’ Political Group in History.

THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST: PBS journalist ridiculed for bizarre description of pregnancies ‘that will then turn into children.’

CAMERON ARCAND: I Went to a Roe v. Wade Protest Yesterday. Here’s What I Saw.

IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Stacey Abrams’ Business Received Special Treatment, Government Program Protected Private Investment.

While most media reports attribute Abrams’ significant increases in net worth to speeches and advances for book projects, her investment in Now Corp. has received little attention. Curiously, the website for the Now Corp. currently has no mention of Abrams under the “About Us” tab, which describes the beginnings of the company. She is also not listed as a member of the management team.

It appears that Abrams – as she embarks on another high-profile political campaign – wants to separate her nine-year financial relationship with Now Corp. from her political ambitions.

A paper trail beginning in 2013 may explain why.

Much more at the link.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Dems’ Disdain for Rural Americans Is Their Real Midterms Problem. “Rural voters who are worrying about financial issues probably aren’t as concerned with abortion on demand and propping up teachers who talk to first-graders about gender reassignment as coastal Dems are.”

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Why Energy Prices Are Projected to Increase 50% in 2022—After Doubling Last Year.

In its latest Commodity Markets Outlook report, the World Bank projected commodity prices will remain higher for years to come. Perhaps most alarming is that the multilateral bank projects energy prices will soar 50.5 percent this year—after nearly doubling in 2021. The rise in energy prices, the Wall Street Journal reports, has been “the most significant since the early 1970s.”

Food prices, meanwhile, which rose 31 percent last year, are projected to increase 23 percent this year. Needless to say, these price increases come at considerable cost, particularly to the most vulnerable in society.

“The resulting increase in food and energy prices is taking a significant human and economic toll,” said Ayhan Kose, director of the World Bank’s Prospects Group. “It will likely stall progress in reducing poverty…[and] exacerbate already elevated inflationary pressures around the world.”

Anyone born after about 1970 doesn’t really remember the malaise, stagflation, and useless leadership of the Carter years — but they’re about to get a lesson.

PJ MEDIA VIP ROUNDUP: Don’t forget that VODKAPUNDIT promo code if you’ve been thinking of joining us.

Matt Margolis: Democrats Never Miss A Trick. “Democrats have a long history of changing rules to suit their short-term needs. The Senate filibuster is one such rule, and they’ve had a love-hate relationship with it.”

Megan Fox: The Battle of the Forensic Psychologists in Johnny Depp’s Court Drama Illustrates Absurd Junk Science. “These polar opposite findings leave the audience wondering: what good are these psychological evaluations anyway, and why are we wasting days of testimony on them if they are so subjective that the same tests can show opposite results?”

Yours Truly: CDC Spied on Smartphones to Track Americans at School, Church, Pharmacies. “In all, the CDC had — has? — plans for 21 different use-cases for your tracking data.”

THE MASKED, THE VAXXED, THE BOOSTED — EVERYBODY IS GOING TO GET COVID: Celebrities And Journalists Are Already Coming Down With COVID After The WHCA Dinner.

COME SEE THE ANTISEMITISM INHERENT IN THE LEFTISM: AOC-Backed Congressional Challenger Blames Jewish Groups for Her Loss.

GO AWAY: CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains.

Yesterday: New study: Face mask usage correlates with higher death rates. Using data from 35 countries and 602 million people, peer-reviewed study confirms previous research and cautions use of face masks “may have harmful unintended consequences.”

ACTUALLY, YOU PROBABLY WILL: You Won’t Believe What Democrats Think Is Racist Now.

PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Repairman who revealed Hunter Biden laptop sues Schiff, CNN, Politico and The Daily Beast. “The former shop owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, decided to fight back after losing his business and being harassed for 18 months by Big Tech, the media and Delaware locals in President Biden’s home state.”

GET’EM SKEERED AND KEEP THE SKEER ON ‘EM: Florida Democrats Terrified of ‘Unstoppable’ DeSantis.

CRISIS BY DESIGN: Biden invents new way to keep illegals in country with circular process. “What the Biden administration did is create interim rules that significantly bypass the immigration judges, allowing civilian bureaucrats working for the Customs and Immigration Service to take new actions that delay or circumvent expedited removal.”

HEARTBREAKING VIDEO: Starving Elderly Man in Shanghai Weeps When Given Food.

YEAH, THAT’LL GET THE LATINAS AND LATINOS BACK: ‘Latine’ is the new ‘gender-neutral’ term out to replace ‘Latinx.’

KRUISER: Where Was the Lefty Outrage When Jeff Bezos Bought WaPo? “The reporting when Bezos made his move to own the newspaper of record in our nation’s capital was almost all pretty straightforward and opinion free. There was no ranting about a ‘ZOMG BILLIONAIRRRRRRE!’ controlling such an important source of information. If there was, it didn’t get much traction.”

ANALYSIS: TRUE. John Roberts’ Cowardice On Obamacare Is Why The Left Thinks It Can Bully and Extort SCOTUS.

MODERATE JOE: ‘Roe Says What All Basic Mainstream Religions Have Historically Concluded.’

OUCH: Ford Reports Devastating Losses Thanks to Electric Vehicle Gamble. “Ford reported revenue of $34.5 billion between January and March, a 5% decline relative to the same period in 2021, and a net loss of $3.1 billion, according to the company’s earnings report released Wednesday. The Detroit automaker said its large investment in Rivian accounted for $5.4 billion in losses during the first quarter.”

DON’T GET COCKY: No, Dobbs v. Jackson Isn’t Going to Hand the Midterms to Democrats. “All the states in the union are aware of the impending court decision and have already or are currently preparing their own laws regarding the practice of abortion. As these laws will be crafted at a more local level, they will better reflect the preferences of each state’s citizens. By the time November rolls around, there may even be less discord and strife regarding abortion than there is now.”