IT’S COMPLICATED:

JUST IN🚨

Iraqi parliament voted to allow the Prime Minister to order deployment of the Iraqi military into Syria. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Army troops currently stationed on the Iraq-Syria border will enter the Deir Ez-Zor region of Syria tomorrow morning. This is going to be…

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 5, 2024

From the replies: “Imagine being an Iraqi soldier and being ordered to go die for the regime of the man who used to smuggle Al-Qaeda fighters into your country.”

As I said, it’s complicated.

COMMUNITY NOTES REMAIN UNDEFEATED:

This is false. We never prioritize brokers over fans. In fact, we have invested more than the rest of the industry combined in developing technology to block bad actors from stealing tickets from fans. https://t.co/I0T2gkVcGX

— Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) December 4, 2024

The replies are brutal, too.

BREAKING: French PM Michel Barnier ousted in no-confidence vote. “There’s now the prospect of months of turmoil in France – it took Emmanuel Macron two months to appoint Barnier, who only lasted a little longer in the role himself following his appointment in September.”

JON CALDARA: Taxpayers foolishly subsidized my new electric car.

I want to thank the taxpayers of Colorado for my brand-new car. Really, thanks to each and every one of you dupes.

You see, I have never in my 60 years had a brand new, off-the-lot automobile. Instead, I buy used, and I mean really used, cars and drive them until they drop. Out of college I bought a sexy $500 Datsun 210 and sold it eight years later for $950.

My current beater is a 2010 Nissan Altima. I bought it with 95,000 miles for $6,000. It now has over 200,000 miles and still going strong. I drive ugly, old used cars.

Why do I drive these cars? Simply, because I know what women like. While they’ll rarely admit it out loud, when a woman sees a bald man tooling around town in a 15-year-old rusted-out Japanese car she can’t help but think, “Mommy wants me some of that.”

So why buy a new car? It’s more than just my boredom with hot women leaving their phone numbers under my windshield wiper blade. I figure at my age I should stop spending big bucks on chick-magnet hot rods and start living more frugally. And there’s nothing more frugal than getting other people to buy you crap.

And that’s where you came in. Thanks to obscene tax credits, mandates, and regulations from the people you voted into office, I didn’t pay for most of this car.

Well, “car” might be a strong word. It’s more of a golf cart with Bluetooth. It’s a Nissan Leaf.

Jon, you sexy beast.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Time for Israel and Syria to Bury the Hatchet?

PLEASE: The Trump ‘reckoning’ for higher ed: No more easy money. “Colleges aren’t going to like Trump’s higher education agenda , predicts economist Richard K. Vedder. He’s the author of the forthcoming Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education. The title is suggestive.”

Exciting, even.

DOG BITES MAN: Justice Ketanji Jackson Makes a Fool of Herself During Oral Arguments.

Ketanji Brown Jackson just compared bans on sex changes for kids to bans on interracial marriage. pic.twitter.com/XOOZRLOI2N

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 4, 2024

Embarrassing stuff — but hardly a surprise from the woman who couldn’t say what a woman is.

CHRISTIAN TOTO ON THE TRUMP EFFECT: Stewart, Rowling, Spacey Defy Woke Mob.

President-Elect Donald Trump hasn’t taken the oath of office yet, but he’s already had a pop culture impact.

One late-night comic pushed partisanship aside to speak actual truth to power. Progressive host Jon Stewart railed against President Joe Biden’s blanket pardon for son Hunter Biden from his “Daily Show” perch.

“I didn’t know pardons covered crimes you ‘may have’ commited. I’m surprised Biden didn’t include the phrase ‘on Earth 1 or any of the Earths in the multi-verse,’” he said.

Progressive stars have fled the free speech confines of X for the fledgling Bluesky platform following Trump’s re-election. The list includes Mark Hamill, Rob Reiner, Alyssa Milano and Stephen King.

A more startling example?

Actor Kevin Spacey, still canceled for serial sex abuse allegations, recently visited Israel alongside journalist Douglas Murray. The trip allowed the two-time Oscar winner, who has been cleared in two court cases but faces a new legal hurdle in 2025, to view areas of the country devastated by the Oct. 7 attacks.

It’s hardly a move an actor seeking a Hollywood comeback would take. Many of his peers have sided with the Palestinian cause following Oct. 7.

Read the whole thing.

HEH: Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever.

THE TRUE MINIMUM WAGE IS ALWAYS ZERO: Days of disabled workers earning less than $7.25 an hour may soon be over. “The rule, if passed, would no longer allow employers to apply for certificates under Section 14(c) of Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows for the subminimum wage. It would set a three-year phase-out period for employers who currently have existing certificates.”

Easy call: Fewer people with disabilities will have jobs.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT: Judge Scarsi Just Gave Hunter Biden the Spanking Joe Should Have.

“RESTORATIVE JUSTICE”:

This is Daniel Penny's prosecutor Dafna Yoran (Who repeatedly referred to Penny as the "White man" during the trial) , as profiled in Go Magazine's "100 Women We Love." She brags about pioneering the "restorative justice" sentence for an NYC murderer. pic.twitter.com/NVeFxko2dS

— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) December 3, 2024

The case is never the case, to twist a famous phrase, the case is always the revolution.

SICK: Hunter Skipped Out on Rent, But Offered to Pay His Landlord With Art Made From…

GREAT PICK:

President-elect Trump has nominated Shift4 founder and SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) as the next NASA Administrator. pic.twitter.com/r3ibIFzcWa

— A. Pettit (@PettitFrontier) December 4, 2024

An entrepreneur and astronaut in charge of NASA?

MUCH more like this, please.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Biden Going out with Another $15 Billion on Your Tab for These Two Failures.

BIDEN EVEN LOST CUOMO: Former Gov. Cuomo knocks Biden for ‘sad,’ ‘hypocritical’ pardon: ‘People are fed up.’

“It makes me sad. I understand the semantic difference they’re trying to make. ‘He didn’t lie. He changed his mind.’ Yeah, I think it’s sad. It’s hypocritical. He said he wasn’t going to do it, and he did,” Cuomo said on WABC radio Monday.

“Now, look, everyone understands family first and that you’ll do anything for your children and you would literally put your life on the line for your child,” he continued. “Everyone understands that. But what they don’t understand is changing your mind, saying one thing and doing something else.”

“And also the justification for it. ‘Look, the justice system is political.’ It’s your justice system, President Biden! What a damning commentary to say, ‘The federal justice system was political, and that’s why they prosecuted my son.’ To say your justice system was playing politics after we just went through a campaign where we saw Donald Trump saying the same thing,” Cuomo added.

Well, Trump was right.

THE ART OF THE DEAL: Trudeau Tells Trump Canada Wouldn’t Survive His Tariff, and Trump’s Response Is Priceless. “So your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?”

“STRIKES STRAIN CEASEFIRE,” REALLY? REALLY: Israel threatens to ‘go deeper’ into Lebanon as strikes strain ceasefire.

As tit-for-tat strikes strain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah less than a week since it went into effect, Israel’s defense minister on Tuesday threatened to directly target the Lebanese state should the agreement fall apart.

Monday was the deadliest day since that agreement came into force last Wednesday, with Israeli strikes killing nine in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired at Israeli-occupied territory, citing Israeli truce violations.

“If we return to war, we will act with strength, go deeper,” Israel Katz said during a visit on Tuesday to the 146th Division of the Israel Defense Forces, near the Lebanese border.

Were the ceasefire to collapse, he said, “there will no longer be any exemptions for the State of Lebanon. If until now we separated the State of Lebanon from Hezbollah – and the entirety of Beirut from Dahiyeh, which took very hard hits – this will no longer be the case.”

More to come, I’m sure.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Attack Dems and Squish Republicans Have Knives Out for Hegseth. “The only time that Lindsey Graham wasn’t an insufferable squish was a brief period during Trump’s first term. Even that didn’t last long. It isn’t at all surprising that he would pop up as one of the early problems now.”

DOGE: US spent $151 BILLION on illegal immigration in 2023 alone.

The figure as reported by DOGE would be comparable to the $151 billion the government spent on security programs for veterans and those who survive them in 2023, per the Daily Mail. Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal immigration has skyrocketed, with record-breaking numbers of people flowing into the country.

DOGE, a non-governmental entity, will provide recommendations to the Trump administration on slashing regulations as well as cutting down spending. In recent weeks, since the organization took shape, it has been highlighting government waste on its X account.

The government spent the staggering $151 billion on illegal immigration, but has other areas that could be cut, as highlighted by DOGE. The National Institutes of Health spent $1.8 billion on studying the health impacts of “racism” in 2024. DOGE highlighted the spending in a post late in November, “In 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent $1.8 billion studying racism.”

“Progressive” causes will become even less popular than they already are — particularly on the supply side — if DOGE manages to derail the gravy train.

VICTORIA TAFT: Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever.

SOON, IT WILL SEEM VERY STRANGE THAT THEY EVER DIDN’T: Federal student loan borrowers in default may again face wage garnishments, collections.

Struggling student loan borrowers can see if they qualify for a deferment or forbearance, experts say.

If you’re out of work, you can request an unemployment deferment with your servicer. If you’re dealing with another financial challenge, meanwhile, you may be eligible for an economic hardship deferment. Those who qualify for a hardship deferment include people receiving certain types of federal or state aid.

Other, lesser-known deferments include the graduate fellowship deferment, the military service and post-active duty deferment and the cancer treatment deferment.

Student loan borrowers who don’t qualify for a deferment may request a forbearance.

Under this option, borrowers can keep their loans on hold for as long as three years, according to the U.S. Department of Education. However, because interest accrues during the forbearance period, borrowers can be hit with a larger bill when it ends, advocates warn.

Income-driven repayment plans can be a great option for borrowers who are worried they won’t be able to afford their bills for a longer period. Those plans cap your monthly payments at a percentage of your discretionary income and forgive any of your remaining debt after a certain number of years. Some people wind up with a $0 bill.

It’s best to explore these options sooner rather than later.

Trump and the GOP congress should explore the option of making schools co-sign for loans.

KEVIN DOWNEY JR: Libs Are Shocked That Biden Is a Liar. Wait Until They See His Encore. “As his term winds down, Biden is going scorched earth on the Democratic Party and the rest of the world.”

He was never a nice guy — and then his own party booted him from the office he’d effectively sold his soul 50 years ago to win. The results ought to be at least entertaining.

For what it’s worth, I went long on popcorn back in July.

WELL, GOOD: Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the DEA, withdraws name from consideration.

More… much more:

I am from Tampa Bay, Florida. I have followed Chad Chronister's career and people are asking me why he is a bad pick to be head of DEA. Conservatives here do not support Chronister. Chronister is a woke and weak Democrat plant and will backstab President Trump. He cannot be… pic.twitter.com/AfGxiFXvIc

— Spence Rogers (@SpenceRogers) December 1, 2024

MAYBE ELON MUSK COULD SALVAGE THIS MESS BUT EVEN THAT’S A LONGSHOT: The End Of Fake News? MSNBC Hits New Low In Ratings.

During the week of Nov. 6, MSNBC averaged just 38,000 viewers among adults 25-54, its lowest-rated non-holiday weekday since July 19, 2004.
…
Low viewership impacted shows like The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle and Jose Diaz Balart Reports, both of which saw their smallest audiences ever.

Other shows—including Chris Jansing Reports, Deadline: White House and Katy Tur Reports—saw their worst days ever among the demos.

Several shows lost over 50% of their 25-54 audience. Among those shows are The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, All In with Chris Hayes, Chris Jansing Reports, Inside with Jen Psaki, The Rachel Maddow Show and Joy Reid’s ReidOut.

This slump couldn’t have come at a worse time, as MSNBC’s parent company, Comcast, announced cuts to cable channels, excluding NBC News and Bravo TV. CNN reports that MSNBC will be moved into “SpinCo,” a publicly traded cable programming company.

Tech mogul Elon Musk has hinted at purchasing MSNBC, while journalist Jack Posobiec says he’s recruiting investors to take control of the left-wing network.

How much could it still be worth?