YES: Want More Kids? Make Cheaper Minivans.

Moms in minivans are a running joke. My husband and I bought a used one back when we were hoping for our third kid. (We now have four… kids, that is, not minivans). Around the same time, a viral music video called “Never Thought I’d Do It” was making the rounds and illustrating the appeal for parents of the admittedly unappealing-looking car type. “I sold out to all the leg room,” sings one of the moms early in the song.

Our previous car — a Toyota Corolla — could not easily fit three car seats, and it wasn’t up to us how many we needed to carry. These days, car seat regulations are onerous. Where I live, the absolute earliest you can ditch a booster is age eight. (My second son is turning eight this summer, but he’s a skinny kid. Based on the weight requirements he’s not getting out of a booster any time soon). As academic research has shown, there is a very plausible argument that car seats have depressed national fertility rates. Parents unable to fit more car seats into their too-small vehicles have opted not to have that third baby. By the same logic, minivan prices must also play a part in the current “birth dearth.” At our local car dealership the going rate for a new minivan is well over $40,000! By contrast, a new commuter car is $25,000.

The consequences of car costs on families who want more kids should be obvious.

Indeed.

Previously: Car Seats as Contraception. “Since 1977, U.S. states have passed laws steadily raising the age for which a child must ride in a car safety seat. These laws significantly raise the cost of having a third child, as many regular-sized cars cannot fit three child seats in the back. Using census data and state-year variation in laws, we estimate that when women have two children of ages requiring mandated car seats, they have a lower annual probability of giving birth by 0.73 percentage points. Consistent with a causal channel, this effect is limited to third child births, is concentrated in households with access to a car, and is larger when a male is present (when both front seats are likely to be occupied). We estimate that these laws prevented only 57 car crash fatalities of children nationwide in 2017. Simultaneously, they led to a permanent reduction of approximately 8,000 births in the same year, and 145,000 fewer births since 1980, with 90% of this decline being since 2000.”

EUROPE IS LARGELY ASHAMED OF ITS VICTORIES NOW: Subdued Celebrations Marking the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX gets US approval to launch more Starship flights from Texas.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Tuesday received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase the number of annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 at its Texas base, marking a major boost for the company’s ambitions.

Following a multi-year environmental review, the FAA concluded that the expanded cadence of launches and landings would not significantly affect the environment, overruling objections from conservation groups who warned the move could endanger species such as sea turtles and shorebirds.

Musk’s massive campaign donations and close ties to US President Donald Trump have raised concerns over possible conflicts of interest, particularly given the influence of the Department of Government Efficiency — an entity Musk led — which exerts significant sway over federal agencies.

“The purpose of SpaceX’s proposed action is to provide greater mission capability to NASA and the Department of Defense,” the FAA said in its finding.

“SpaceX’s activities would continue to fulfill the US expectation that increased capabilities and reduced space transportation costs will enhance exploration (including within the Artemis and Human Landing System programs), support US national security, and make space access more affordable.”

That’s a cadence of just over two launches per month, and the last Starship flight test was two months ago — so let’s get to it!

DAVID SOLWAY: Canada’s War on… Canada.

Canada is walking down a dangerous path. In a recent episode of “The Winston Marshall Show,” Steve Bannon has warned that “Canada could become ‘the next Ukraine’ if Russia or China presses territorial claims in the Arctic. “There’s no money there to defend anybody,” Bannon said, arguing that the United Kingdom, Canada’s historic security partner, “can’t defend itself.” Bannon suggested that Ottawa has only “two, maybe three years to act before external pressures harden.”

[Bannon’s] warning about Canada becoming a second Ukraine seems a gross exaggeration. Yet we recall that both Trudeau père and Trudeau fils were enamored of Communist China, that China has interfered in Canada’s elections favoring the Liberals, that Mark Carney is beholden to China to the tune of hundreds of millions in loans and “over $3 billion in politically sensitive investments with Chinese state-linked real estate and energy companies,” and that Canada hosted the Chinese military for tactical training in cold-weather warfare.

Carney, a man of no charisma and less common sense for all his parenthetical savoir faire and encapsulated expertise, has already said that Canada’s friendly relationship and customary economic partnership with the U.S. is at an end. Meanwhile, an impoverished Canada will need generous amounts of foreign aid and may conceivably get it from China, in exchange for military bases and Canada-China cooperation in the Arctic.

Read the whole thing — and with Greenland in mind.

DECOUPLING: Mattel CEO says toy manufacturing won’t come to America, but price hikes will.

“We don’t see that happening,” Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday, less than a day after the company withdrew annual financial targets.

“We need to remember that a significant part of toy creation happens in America,” he said. “Design, development, product engineering, brand management all happens in America. Making product, producing product in other countries, allows us to create quality products at affordable price points.”

Mattel has been diversifying its global manufacturing for nearly a decade in an effort to reduce its dependence on China. By the end of the year, less than 40% of Mattel’s product will be sourced from the country. Kreiz noted that in two years, no country will represent more than 25% of Mattel’s sourcing.

Reducing dependency on China is good, at least.

BREAKING: SCOTUS Allows Trump to Enforce Ban on Transgenders in the Military.

CHANGE: FDA’s top inspector abruptly retires. “Rogers has had a challenging tenure atop the agency’s inspections workforce. He was the top official overseeing food inspections during the infant formula crisis in 2022, when the agency mishandled whistleblower complaints about a troubled formula plant linked to a deadly recall. He also oversaw a resulting reorganization of the FDA’s inspections office in 2024.”

NICE: Majority of American Muslims DON’T Oppose Trump’s Gaza Plan; Take Anger Out on DEMOCRATS!

I’m a big fan of Trump’s two-track peace plan.

TIME TO PAY UP: Federal student loans are due again. A record percentage of borrowers are seriously delinquent.

RAYMOND IBRAHIM: Columbus Didn’t Sail for Spices — He Was on a Secret Mission Against Islam!

I’ve been getting a lot out of Raymond’s video podcasts.

MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: Merit pay is coming to Houston under Mike Miles’ go-big-or-go-home plan.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT [VIP]: Israel Just Blew Up More of Yemen — and Peace Has Never Been Closer? “This is a two-track peace process Ronald Reagan would find familiar. Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’ wasn’t just a slogan — it was his strategy.”

NARRATIVES DON’T MAINTAIN THEMSELVES, COMRADE:

A fun question for the Pulitzers is how 3 debunked stories about abortion laws gets an award but Free Beacon's investigative journalism resulting in the resignation of Harvard's president doesn't. https://t.co/XpKW7vp0eZ

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 6, 2025

CHANGE: Trump Administration Tells Harvard: No More Federal Research Grants.

BLOAT: Hegseth orders Pentagon to cut number of senior generals by 20%.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered senior Pentagon leadership to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20% across the military, according to a memo signed by Hegseth dated Monday and obtained by CNN.

As of 2023, there were 37 four-star generals and admirals across the entire military.

The memo also directs the Pentagon to cut the number of general officers in the National Guard by 20%, and to cut the total number of general and flag officers across the military by 10%. There are currently about 900 general and flag officers — those with the rank of one star or higher — across the military.

Cynical Publius has suggestions:

Pete, I know you got this and you are totally awesome, but I also know the Joint Staff is going to come up with a bunch of COAs on how to make these cuts that will be presented in a 120-slide PowerPoint deck after 9 months of coordination with the Services and USD (P&R), so can I… https://t.co/36xgY1od1i

— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) May 5, 2025

Full text:

Pete, I know you got this and you are totally awesome, but I also know the Joint Staff is going to come up with a bunch of COAs on how to make these cuts that will be presented in a 120-slide PowerPoint deck after 9 months of coordination with the Services and USD (P&R), so can I please make a recommendation on how to make these cuts in the next two weeks?

First, cut any flag officer who did not draw hostile fire pay at any time in the past 20 years.

If that doesn’t get you to the required % cuts, then cut any flag who ever signed a DEI policy statement or signed separation paperwork on anyone who refused the COVID vax.

Finally, if that does not get you there, hold a PT test for all generals/admirals under applicable Service standards, run by a bunch of angry E-6 drill sergeants who were passed-over for E-7, and then cut the lowest scores until you meet your quota.

You will then have a lean, mean combat-ready cadre of senior leaders, I promise.

Indeed.

CHRIS QUEEN: The Michigan Wolverines Sign-Stealing Scandal Won’t Go Away.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Ready for Fueling, Processing.

The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon has been on the move. Technicians relocated the spacecraft May 5 from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it was assembled, to its fueling facility at the spaceport.

“With the Artemis II on the horizon, seeing the Orion spacecraft depart the Operations and Checkout building for the Kennedy Space Center’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility reflects the many months of hard work, dedication, collaboration, and innovation of the entire team” said Howard Hu, NASA’s Orion program manager. “It demonstrates our ability to achieve ambitious goals to enable a safe and successful Artemis II mission. The Orion team was proud to turn over the first human-rated deep space exploration spacecraft in over 50 years to Exploration Ground Systems for fueling and stacking for our next mission to the Moon.”

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, engineers and technicians from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will load Orion’s propellants, high pressure gases, coolant, and other fluids the spacecraft and crew will need to maneuver and carry out their 10-day journey.

Trump’s pick for NASA administrator — Jared Isaacman, who has yet to receive a full Senate vote — says he’s committed to flying Artemis II and Artemis III with the SLS and Orion. But after that, budgets look grim for both the rocket and the space capsule.

SLS costs way too much and does far too little.

OPERATION GIDEON’S CHARIOTS: Israel to Hamas: You’ve Got 10 Days or It’s All Over.

THANKS, FELLAS: Oil settles down more than $1 a barrel as OPEC+ accelerates output hikes.

Oil prices fell by more than $1 a barrel on Monday to settle at multi-year lows, as an OPEC+ decision to expedite its output hikes stoked fears about rising global supply at a time when the demand outlook is uncertain.

Brent crude futures settled at $60.23 a barrel, down $1.06, or 1.7%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $57.13 a barrel, falling $1.16, 2%. Both benchmarks settled at the lowest since February 2021.

Last week, Brent shed 8.3% and WTI lost 7.5% after Saudi Arabia signaled it could cope with a prolonged lower price environment. That offset optimism on the demand side that U.S.-China tariff talks could occur, Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said.

On Saturday, OPEC+ agreed to further speed up oil production hikes for a second consecutive month.

Unless OPEC nations think they need extra cash as a hedge against near-term disruptions, I have no idea what might drive these output hikes.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Now MAGA Also Stands for ‘Make Alcatraz Great Again.’

OH, FER CRYIN’ OUT LOUD: Female cop may be the reason Luigi Mangione goes free…

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who’s accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, might walk free, not because he’s innocent, but because a female cop allegedly mishandled the search that led to critical evidence being used against him.

According to his lawyers, Mangione’s backpack was illegally searched right after police found him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Now they’re demanding that everything inside be tossed from the case.

And if a judge agrees, the entire case could fall apart, and one of the most high-profile murder trials in recent memory could blow up over a mistake made by a female officer.

But sadly, this isn’t just about one bad call. It’s about a dangerous pattern driven by DEI hiring, where meeting diversity quotas is more important than choosing the best people for one of the hardest, most stressful jobs on the planet. Just like the military, law enforcement shouldn’t be a social experiment. It’s life and death and more and more Americans are starting to ask the hard question: Are all these diversity-first hires really equipped to handle these high-performance jobs?

Developing…

PAYBACK: Israel and U.S. Strike Deep Into Yemen.

IT’S USUALLY NICER TO ACCEPT THE CARROT THAN WAIT FOR THE STICK: Trump administration offers to pay immigrants in the US illegally for ‘self-deportation.’ “The Trump administration says it will pay immigrants in the United States illegally $1,000 plus travel costs if they leave voluntarily as it accelerates its mass deportation agenda. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that people who use the CBP Home app to announce their ‘self-deportations’ would get the money and be ‘deprioritized’ for detention and removal.”

I LIKE THE IDEA BUT IT’S IN AWFULLY BAD SHAPE: Trump to Reopen Alcatraz to Jail the Criminal ‘Dregs of Society’

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS:

NIH Director @DrJBhattacharya says the agency stopped the beagle experiments on the NIH campus — and that @PETA even sent him flowers. pic.twitter.com/koFbZ9e9M9

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 5, 2025