ANALYSIS: TRUE.
Causality goes both ways. Students already inclined to hate other identity groups flock disproportionately to Ethnic, Gender, and Area Studies. At the same time, these activist-heavy disciplines radicalize students who flock to them for other reasons, such as low workload. https://t.co/1kzwlyMuuN
— Timur Kuran (@timurkuran) May 8, 2025
LIVING HISTORY: V-E Day, the Day the Nazis Were Defeated.
BRAVO: ‘Operation Sindoor’ Nails Mastermind of Daniel Pearl Kidnapping. “Whatever the ongoing consequences of India unleashing its missiles on Pakistani terror encampments the night before last – things either chill out or escalate – word has broken this morning of a true service to humanity they performed by knowing exactly where to rain down hell for revenge.”
Thank you, India, for avenging Daniel Pearl.
Full details at the link, and they are plentiful.
I’M NOT GETTING MY HOPES UP BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE GESTURE:
BREAKING – Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced legislation to repeal the Patriot Act. The bill aims to roll back post-9/11 surveillance powers in a major push to restore civil liberties.
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) May 8, 2025
COLORADO: Democrat Invokes ‘Trans Jesus’ After Amending Gender Bill Beyond Recognition in Middle of Night.
HB 25-1312 drew national scrutiny after a Colorado Democrat compared concerned parents to the Ku Klux Klan. The bill originally mandated courts to consider “deadnaming” and “misgendering” as forms of “coercive control” in custody disputes, meaning that parents who dissent from gender identity could lose their children.
Following loud backlash, Senate Democrats substantially altered the measure after it passed the Colorado House of Representatives.
“This email says, basically, ‘I’m accountable to almighty God, because I’m standing up for equality, that my decisions, one day, I will stand before him and be accountable,’” state Sen. Chris Kolker, a Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said on Tuesday.
“Well, this is what I believe: Have you ever seen that movie ‘Talladega Nights’? You see that section where they’re talking around the dinner table, and they’re talking about what their favorite version of Jesus is?” he asked. “Baby Jesus, I love baby Jesus. I love Lynyrd Skynyrd Jesus when angels are behind him and the choir is singing and he’s playing ‘Free Bird.’”
“Well, on my day of judgment, I might be standing in front of trans Jesus, I don’t know,” Kolker quipped.
Colorado isn’t well.
But here’s the worst of it:
“We just asked the House sponsor, and she doesn’t even understand what her bill does anymore,” state Rep. Brandi Bradley, a Republican, told The Daily Signal in an interview Tuesday. “So, I’m just trying to wrap my head around it if the sponsor—the original sponsor of the bill—doesn’t even understand what the bill does.”
Bradley warned, however, that the bill represents “a worse attack on parental rights.”
While the original version of the bill focused on “deadnaming” and “misgendering,” the new version allows minors to change their names on a birth certificate, cutting out parents in some circumstances.
The Republican lawmaker claims the change would allow a court-appointed guardian to change a child’s name if the state removed the child from his or her parents’ custody for disagreeing with the child’s transgender identity.
I’m not leaving while my in-laws are still around but I am leaving.
BREAKING:
JUST IN: The FBI has officially opened a formal criminal investigation into New York AG Letitia James for her alleged fraudulent mortgage transactions, according to Times Union.
The update comes as James continues to have public meltdowns.
James is accused of falsifying records… pic.twitter.com/7DqVyuhWGb
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 8, 2025
COME SEE THE ANTISEMITISM INHERENT IN THE LEFTISM: The Biden Administration Lied About Famine in Gaza, Accusing Israel of a War Crime It Didn’t Commit.
HE STILL THINKS WAR, WAR IS BETTER THAN JAW, JAW: Trump Offered Putin An ‘Excellent’ Ukraine War Deal: Why Did He Say No?
“Putin’s Rejection of Trump’s Generous Deal Tells Us What He Really Wants.”The crafty Putin play would have been to take the deal now, re-arm and re-fit, and then destabilize Ukraine again later. Indeed, this was a big concern for Ukraine’s backers. It was a bad deal for Ukraine, but Kyiv is desperate to placate Trump and achieve at least a ceasefire. Putin had the great opportunity to solidify his war gains and slip out from under international opprobrium.
That Putin rejected such generous terms tells us a lot—namely, that he truly seeks the conquest of most, if not all, of Ukraine. The Russian army is likely not capable of that, but Putin simply does not care. As former Vice President Mike Pence says, Putin’s relentless intractability—his refusal to take even Trump’s balance-positive deal—tells us that “he wants Ukraine, not peace.”
In this way, Trump’s extraordinary pro-Putin posturing has served a useful analytic purpose: Putin was more likely to get a good deal from Trump than any other Western leader, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That Putin still rejected the most pro-Russian deal available makes unambiguously clear that he wants the war and that the only ‘peace’ he will accept is a Ukrainian surrender. Even Vice President J.D. Vance, a relentless critic of Zelenskyy, seems to grasp this now.
There is extensive literature in political science on war termination. Unless one side is completely obliterated on the battlefield, most conflicts end when both sides prefer peace over continuing the conflict. They become amenable to ending hostilities when the perception of future battlefield success becomes dim and the costs of continuing to fight exceed the costs of peace. In William Zartman’s words, they reach a ‘mutually hurting stalemate.
Ukraine has almost certainly reached this point of flexibility. It has signaled a willingness to engage in Trump’s various deals despite the poor terms for Kyiv. Ukraine’s big chance to roll back Russian gains was in the much-hyped offensive of 2023. Since that effort failed, the war has mostly stalemated. A deal where Ukraine loses some territory but mainly persists as a free and independent state is not a bad outcome at this late date.
But less than Putin is willing to give, even minus Western security guarantees for Kyiv.
IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WONDER WHAT THE SWAMP HAS ON THOM TILLIS:
People are not appreciating the magnitude of the Ed Martin situation. The prosecutor is on top of the FBI. He runs all DC criminal investigations. He is the choke point for DC’s worst secrets. If Ed Martin is blocked, and Boasberg picks, Trump 2.0’s momentum is totally paralyzed.
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) May 6, 2025
BOTTOM STORY OF THE DAY: Former Royal Advisor Filmed Saying Prince Andrew Was a P*do.
After confirming The Star’s previous reporting, the ABC News report revealed that Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, who the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed was the owner of the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Abrego Garcia in 2022, recently spoke to a DOJ lawyer regarding the stop after being offered immunity.
Hernandez Reyes was previously arrested in 2019 and convicted of human trafficking in 2020. At that point, he was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, then deported and ordered not to return for three years.
According to the Tuesday report, Hernandez Reyes violated the terms of his sentence and illegally reentered the United States sometime later, allowing DOJ attorneys to interview Hernandez Reyes at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Talladega, Alabama.
The outlet, citing sources familiar with the interview, reported that Hernandez Reyes “recently spoke” with attorneys who asked questions about his connections to Abrego Garcia.
Hernandez Reyes reportedly told the DOJ officials that he met Abrego Garcia in 2015, just three years after the latter man reportedly admitted to illegally entering the United States.
After they met in 2015, the prisoner reportedly admitted to DOJ officials that he paid Abrego Garcia to transport illegal immigrants from Texas to various destinations throughout the United States.
All the very best people assured me he was an innocent migrant just looking for a better life and with no connection to the cartels or trafficking.
EXACTLY:
The Postal Workers Union endorses democrats in every election and we still allow them to transport ballots.
It’s insanity. End mail ballots. https://t.co/FsOCnppjFt
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) May 8, 2025
DAVID SOLWAY: Western Canada Puts the Rest of Canada on Notice.
Attending a recent independence rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary-based management consultant James Albers found that “One could scarcely miss the parallels between the plight of Alberta today and that of the American colonies before 1776—only now the offending party is Ottawa, not Westminster.” Albers compares the Stamp Act of 1765 to Canada’s infamous National Energy Program that eviscerated Alberta’s economy, and the Tea Act of 1773 to Bill C-69 (the No Pipelines Act). As for the four Coercive Acts of 1774, we have the Emissions Cap, Equalization (the redistribution of wealth from the West to the East), the Net Zero fantasy, and the Tanker Ban.
What all this means should be obvious to any sentient person. “Our freedoms—of speech, of enterprise, of provincial autonomy—are being strangled under a national bureaucracy.” Canada no longer works for Alberta and the West. “Injustice by Ottawa,” Albers concludes, “has long since moved from aberration to institution,” as it did for the American colonies in the 1770s.
Though diehard loyalists will disagree, it is now time for Western Canada, in particular Alberta, to get its revolutionary act together.
This is from Glenn yesterday: “Maybe Trump dissed Trudeau specifically to cause the liberals to win, leading to a breakup. Then we get the oil, gas, and grain-producing provinces and the remnant-Canada gets angry Frenchmen.”
THAT THING THAT NEVER HAPPENS JUST HAPPENED AGAIN: Six In Frio County Arrested For Voting Fraud. “Rochelle Camacho is is a Democrat. Though the others are ostensibly in non-partisan offices, if I had to bet money, I would guess that they are as well.”
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Hey, Thom Tillis — the GOP Doesn’t Need a Lisa Murkowski Lite. “So, Tillis wants to rekindle the Democrats’ un-American witch hunt and let them resurrect an issue that greatly contributed to their defeat last year. How is this guy a Republican?”
FIGHTING THE OLIGARCHY LOOKS A LITTLE… OLIGARCHIC:
A multi millionaire who's too good to wait in line at the airport like the rest of us peasants and is instead flying around on private jets is "fighting oligarchy" and climate change?
— Pro America Politics (@Pro__Trading) May 8, 2025
“Or carry my own bags, like a peasant?”
NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG: Albany sneaks in budget language that would put NY taxpayers on the hook for Tish James’ legal bills if she’s probed by Trump admin.
New York’s operations budget bill includes specific language that indicates certain state officials could tap into a $10 million fund to cover “any reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred” as part of a Trump administration-led probe tied to their state-based employment.
Multiple sources told The Post that the language in the bill, which will be made public later Wednesday, would apply to James’ looming legal fight.
It would also cover other state employees whom the Trump administration considers going after, the sources added.
While the bill language shared with The Post doesn’t mention James by name, the relevant section indicates state employees could be covered if the “legally compulsive process” was initiated by the US government after Jan. 1, 2025.
Say what you will about the Dems, but they look after their own — and they’re willing to spend as much of other people’s money as it takes.
PEOPLE WITH SOMETHING TO HIDE TEND TO TRY AND HIDE THINGS: Foreign Aid Official Resisted DOGE Having a Look at His Foundation’s Books. Now We Know Why.
YEARS LATE AND SO MANY WASTED TAX DOLLARS SHORT: Reason Magazine tugs back on Gov. Jared Polis’ ‘libertarian’ card.
Amidst ongoing battles within his own party, and despite recently vetoing a pair of bills that concentrated more authority in Colorado state government, Jared Polis’ carefully scripted reputation as a libertarian-leaning governor appears to be fading.
Even Reason Magazine, the national media outlet that has for years has hung its hat on the idea that Polis is more liberty-minded than progressive, is now questioning whether Polis’ moderate temperament is real, with editor-at-large Nick Gillepsie tugging back on Polis’ libertarian card in an April 14 article asking if the “small government Democrat is beefing up state power.”
Reason has long been considered the standard-bearer for libertarian thought and ideas, complete with the tagline of “Free Minds and Free Markets.”
Gillespie notes in the very first sentence that it’s Polis himself who identifies as a “libertarian Democrat.” However, it was also Gillespie — who recently said he was “an admirer” of Polis’ on a Facebook post pitching his latest story — who penned that Polis “might be the most libertarian governor in America,” in a profile story he wrote in 2022.
…
“Through the years, Gov. Jared Polis appears to have welcomed the libertarian label — affixed to him by the news media, political commentators and even some other politicians. It’s almost as if he wants to create a buzz about it,” Goodman writes. “However, a closer examination of what he has done to our state reveals a stark contrast between that label and his actions.”Goodman goes on to note that while that while Polis supports marijuana legalization and school choice — two important Libertarian Party principles, he fails in the area of reducing government size, civil liberties, and taxation. “Polis, while campaigning as an advocate for lower income taxes, consistently passes and advocates for legislation which increases the tax burden upon Coloradans.”
Goodman also says Polis’ stance on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a big red flag.
The results speak for themselves.
BEAUTY IS NOT ALWAYS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER:
Put aside race, and whether it’s Letitia, this is the type of art that is designed to destroy souls.
An overweight, grumpy lady giving side eye to tourists from all over the world as they wander Times Square.
How inspiring… https://t.co/4AFxtpXvPP
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) May 7, 2025
More from Dana Loesch: “As part of a likely-partially taxpayer-funded temporary art installation, a giant bronze statute was erected in Times Square. The promo materials call it a ‘nod to Michelangelo’s David.'”
The bronze heifer in the square isn’t even remotely comparable. There is not devotion to such anatomical accuracy. Nothing to convey feeling, either for the viewer or on behalf of the subject. The attempt is nothing more than cheap sentiment on size masquerading as some vague, body positivity motif. We’ve had centuries of celebrating what society today would consider “plus-sized women,” in fact, it was a defining feature of Renaissance art as such women were considered more healthy, wealthy, and powerful. Pretending that such a celebration of the female form is new is historical illiteracy and an excuse for bad art. Pretending that obesity means the subject is undeserving of the dignity of definition is laziness.
The woman in the square has no defining features beyond her hair. Her body’s position suggests nothing, there are no defining details on her pants, presumably denim, nor on her arms. Her face is plain, expression, dead. She looks frumpy, dumpy, and made of marzipan.
No Renaissance master would dare render an object of reverence in such an offensive manner.
Read the whole thing.
And don’t forget how we got here:
In the 30s, Moscow ordered the CPUSA to promote ugly civic art in order to demoralize Americans and make them more susceptible to Communist propaganda.
He mentioned for no reason.
No reason at all.
I’M TOLD THEY TASTE BETTER THAN PENNED ATOMS: Physicists Capture First-Ever Images of Free-Range Atoms.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT BIDEN GOT HIS PHOTO-OP:
One of the biggest Biden embarrassments – the half baked Gaza Aid Pier. $230 million. 20 days in use. And now we find out it injured 60+ US soldiers. One soldier died! All to placate terrorists & their sympathizers in the Democratic Party. Insane scandal. @reuters 👇 pic.twitter.com/nPlZnVmMmt
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) May 7, 2025
I’D WAGER “NO” ON IT HAVING ANY DRAG-QUEEN GREETERS: Disney to open theme park in the Middle East.
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