Author Archive: Stephen Green

OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN: King, Conqueror, and Cultural Makeover: The BBC Did it Again. “But if someone suggested the BBC cast a few white or Japanese actors for a docudrama about Nigeria’s bid for independence, they’d better bring along enough smelling salts for the whole production team.”

INDEED:

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Uncovering Soros/Singham NGO Soldiers. “If you visit a conservative or MAGA rally, people will be happy to tell you what they think and why they’re there. If you visit a left wing rally, it seems that they creepily tell you that actually talking to people ‘isn’t their role for the day.’ That’s because paid protesters for the shady hard-left NGOs running the show don’t want you to know they’re taking money from Singham and Soros.”

BREAKING:

Full text:

Three federal & TX law enforcement sources tell me an active shooter with a rifle & tactical gear ambushed Border Patrol agents as they arrived at a Border Patrol annex facility in McAllen, TX this morning. Local police and federal agents returned fire, killing him. I’m told this was a purposeful ambush/attack against federal agents and a press conference is planned for later this morning. No federal agents injured. Im told a McAllen police officer may have been shot, but is in stable condition.

Photos via law enforcement sources.

DHS statement to FoxNews:

“This morning, an individual opened fired at the entrance of the United States Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen, Texas. Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter. This is an ongoing investigation led by the FBI. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”

More: Man With Rifle Ambushes Border Patrol Agents in McAllen, Texas.

YOU CAN’T MAKE AN OMELET WITHOUT PARADING OVER THE BODIES OF A FEW DOZEN DEAD CHILDREN:

CHANGE: Expect CBS News to undergo a major overhaul under Skydance boss David Ellison.

In fact, from what I hear, continuing in the grand tradition of Murrow, Wallace and Cronkite is not at the top of Ellison’s mind because, for one, it ain’t so grand any longer, and two (maybe most important), he knows it’s a lousy business.

It’s not worth the trouble that it generates. We don’t even know if it’s profitable since Paramount doesn’t disclose the news division’s P&L statements. Plus, its product has moved so far to the left that it angers more than half the country.

Full disclosure: I don’t know David Ellison personally but people I trust do, and they tell me he’s substantive, much more than a lucky sperm kid that being Larry’s son confers. His independent studio Skydance has produced such recent blockbusters as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.”

He doesn’t get his news from ­TikTok — far from it.

For the time being, he wants to keep the news division but also move away from its progressive leanings. (A person close to him says look for investments in “truth-based” news.) He does appreciate the CBS News legacy that he is about to buy — as long as the numbers are working and he believes they aren’t, I am told.

And that’s where things could get scary for the news division.

Ellison, I am told, equates CBS with football more than he does with Cronkite. If he’s looking to grow stuff, he and his point man in running the new company, former NBCU chief Jeff Shell, are looking at CBS Sports as the tip of the spear.

Everything else is about to get the mother of all efficiency reviews, my sources say.

Layoffs are likely, as are smaller salaries and squeezed budgets.

The TV news industry is tough. It’s tougher when you make it your mission to annoy more than half your potential viewers.

HMM: Xi, Putin Absent As BRICS Nations Meet In Rio.

Xi’s absence, the first in his 12 years as president, is widely seen as a setback to the political weight of the summit.

Analysts say the Chinese leader may be seeking to avoid diplomatic friction with the United States after recent talks to ease trade tensions.

Others suggest internal geopolitical calculations, such as avoiding being overshadowed by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is being hosted with full honours in Brazil.

Also missing is Russian President Putin, who will participate virtually due to his standing arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian will not attend either, amid lingering tensions following a brief but intense conflict with Israel.

The absence of key figures like Xi and Putin is a diplomatic blow to host president Lula, who is using the summit to showcase Brazil’s global relevance ahead of a busy international calendar that includes the G20 summit and COP30.

“Brazil is the superpower of the future — and always will be” is a joke older than I am.

Meanwhile, just south of Brazil:

Cutting spending and red tape works wonders, but remain anathema to Lula.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Mars Will Have a Tesla Dealership Before Musk Has a Viable Third Party. “Conservative activists like me have long been frustrated with the GOP. Trust me, there have been many late-night conversations about a new party. My frustration/resentment bank regarding the Republican Party dwarfs Elon’s. In the end, those of us who have been in the trenches know that it’s best to try and affect change by work with — and through — the GOP. We’re aware that it’s a slog.”

THAT’S DIFFERENT BECAUSE SHUT UP, RACIST:

BIG AND BEAUTIFUL: Eyeing Arctic dominance, Trump bill earmarks $8.6 billion for US Coast Guard icebreakers.

China and Russia have been working together to develop Arctic shipping routes and fortify their defenses. The United States, Canada and Finland last year announced a trilateral partnership called the “ICE Pact” to build a fleet of 70 to 90 ice-breaking ships over the coming decade to “project power” into the polar region and enforce international norms and treaties.

Trump has also repeatedly called for the United States to acquire as many as 40 new icebreakers to enhance national security in the Arctic. Those icebreakers could help companies with logistics and keep open supply lines for potential oil and gas and mineral development in the rugged and frigid region.

Russia has the world’s largest fleet of icebreakers and ice-capable patrol ships with 57, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

China has a far smaller fleet, but is also investing in growing it. The two countries in May pledged to raise cooperation to a new level and “decisively” counter U.S. influence.

More background here on X, courtesy of Rod D. Martin.

YES:

But this reply nails it: “The people against don’t actually care about outcomes.”

BLUE CITY BLUES: Chicago Aggressively Defending Its Hard-Won Title of ‘Murder City USA’ in July. “Thanks in part to immigration enforcement pulling some of the worst of the worst violent illegals from the streets of Chicago, America’s Murder City has become relatively tranquil in recent weeks. Gang violence had even simmered down. But hoo boy, did that change with the start of July and the unofficial start of the Windy City’s summer ballistic festival. In just 40 hours, fifty-one (51!) people suffered gunshot wounds and nine of them died.”

HARSH BUT FAIR:

INDEED:

IT’S HOW BIG? Two asteroids the size of 32 George Washingtons to pass Earth on Fourth of July. “And no, we’re not referring to one-dollar bills, but rather the man himself. And also no, this is not referring to the American inventor and peanut pioneer George Washington Carver, but the former US president.”

And he became a unit of measurement when, exactly?

Previously: Massive Asteroid About the Size of 69 American Alligators Will Pass by Earth Tuesday, NASA Warns.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): George Washingtons? Alligators? Further evidence that Americans will do anything to avoid using the metric system.

I’M NOT SURE CUOMO’S EGO WILL PERMIT HIM TO DROP OUT: Billionaire Bill Ackman Backs Adams, Asks Cuomo to Drop Out. “Ackman, posting on X, said that he met Wednesday with Adams and Cuomo for about an hour each, and as a result, his ‘takeaway is that Adams can win the upcoming election and that the Governor should step aside to maximize Adams’ probability of success.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA: