SCRATCH A LEFTY, FIND A FASCIST: Hillary Clinton Demands ‘Criminal Penalties’ For Americans to Deter ‘Misinformation.’

MAYBE THAT’LL DO THE TRICK: Putin Orders Russian Army to Increase Troop Size by 180K. “It also marks the third expansion of the military since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Prior troop increases included 137,000 in August 2022 and another 170,000 last December.”

Russia has the men and Ukraine is forced to fight with one hand tied behind its back, so on a long enough timeline maybe they crack — but at what cost to Russia? And in the end, for what gain?

KRUISER: It’s OK to Call Your Political Opponents Insane If They’re, You Know, Insane. “And they’re marketing it as joy.”

DECOUPLING: Chinese company develops 65nm-capable lithography machine for domestic chipmaking — system still trails behind TSMC and Nikon, though. “The new systems represent a breakthrough in China’s domestic chip-making efforts, but the machines are not yet commercially available. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) highlighted these advancements but did not disclose the companies responsible for the machines.”

Closer to home: Intel to split factories into ‘independent subsidiary,’ delay plants in Europe, Asia.

A HUNDRED BILLION HERE AND A HUNDRED BILLION THERE…: Congress Let Thieves Steal HOW MUCH in COVID Relief?

Remember that time Congress spent trillions of dollars we didn’t have to provide relief from the unnecessary and illegal lockdowns? And then actual Americans only received a pittance while the resulting inflation murdered our paychecks after we were mercifully allowed to eventually go back to work?

Yeah, it’s so much worse than that, according to Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas). While the name of Sessions’s subcommittee is a mouthful, what they’ve uncovered has got to be the biggest theft in the history of — well, everything.

Much more at the link.

BILL ACKMAN DROPPED THE GAUNTLET AT THE FEET OF DISNEY CEO BOB IGER:

Dear Bob,

I assume that you have been made aware of this affidavit which was made public earlier today in which a whistleblower states that
@ABC worked closely with the @KamalaHarris campaign in sharing the substance of the questions, avoiding certain topics, agreeing on the staging, committing to fact check @realDonaldTrump and not Harris, and more disturbing details.

I find the allegations credible as written and also because the affidavit was apparently made and filed the day prior to the debate and makes mention of Harris’ smaller podium and other details that only became public thereafter.

While I can’t determine the veracity of the allegations, they do match substantively what took place during the debate. The moderators of the debate — @DavidMuir and @LinseyDavis — have yet to respond to the allegations. Since they have not yet done so, one must draw a negative inference.

In light of the seriousness of the allegations and the implications for this presidential election and for ABC’s reputation and thereby
@Disney’s and the office of the CEO, I strongly encourage you to launch an immediate investigation of this matter.

Our democracy depends on transparency, particularly with regard to events which can impact the outcome of the presidential election.

I ask on behalf of all voters that you treat these allegations with the seriousness they deserve.

Thank you.

Developing…

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The FBI Really Needs to Overhaul Its Radar. “Typically, we would be blaming Merrick Garland and Christopher Wray for the FBI’s failings, but this problem predates Joe Biden’s weaponized regime by many years. Then again, one has to wonder if Routh would have been easier for the FBI to notice if he had been at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

THE CALIFORNICATION OF COLORADO CONTINUES APACE: Warning signs of failure for Colorado’s energy policy.

Now in his second term, Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado legislature are moving ahead with Polis’s “bold idea.” None of them will be in office when Coloradans feel the full impact.

Let’s start with cost. During the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, no one challenged Polis or Johnston about the cost of shutting down Colorado’s baseload coal and natural gas and replacing it with wind, solar, and batteries. But, the Independence Institute did in 2017, 2019, and 2023, which includes Polis’s wish list of electrifying home heating and transportation. The Institute’s analysis finds every Coloradan will pay over $115,000 (more than $460,00 for a family of four) for weather-dependent resources to power the state.

Remember, supporters of a 100 percent renewable-powered Colorado said it would save ratepayers money. Our current utility bills and analysis say otherwise.

With no fanfare, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) issued a warning sign when it released its Ascend Analytics report earlier this year. The results are damning: The wind, solar, and battery-only scenario “requires the largest buildout of capacity at over 69,000 MW installed in 2040 and barely meets reliability targets.” With a $61 billion price tag, “it is also the most expensive scenario.”

Readers need to add billions of dollars more for the transmission lines Ascend failed to include, and it’s still a lowball price.

Ascend and the CEO’s suggested solution? “Clean hydrogen,” meaning hydrogen made from the same expensive wind and solar that is supposed to power our homes and businesses, which, at $51.6 billion, the CEO calls the “cheapest way to decarbonize.” According to the Independence Institute’s hydrogen issue brief, this figure doesn’t include infrastructure costs that could skyrocket to over $70,000 per natural gas customer. Building new wind, solar, and batteries isn’t cheaper (See Figure 1).

This forced march will bankrupt the state.

Yes, but all the correct palms will have been thoroughly greased and if the poors have to endure brownouts, that’s even better.

THEY WILL NOT STOP: No Rest for the Wicked in the Aftermath of Trump’s Second Assassination Attempt.

DECLINE IS A CHOICE:

German industrial production is currently more than 15% *lower* than at the end of 2017. The decline is broad-based.

via @DanielKral1 pic.twitter.com/vooyv8Rlst

— Philipp Heimberger (@heimbergecon) September 15, 2024

When lefties say “degrowth,” they mean it.

SORRY NOT SORRY: Rachel Vindman ‘Apologizes’ for Tweets Mocking Second Trump Assassination Attempt.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: No Rest for the Wicked in the Aftermath of Trump’s Second Assassination Attempt. “You might think that a second unsuccessful assassination attempt on a presidential candidate calls for a respectful pause of at least a day or two before winding up the next potential whackjob until he snaps, but no.”

DON’T LET THE FEDS IN WITHOUT A WARRANT OR TALK TO THEM WITHOUT A LAWYER:

The FBI visited my house today for free speech acts they knew were not crimes.

You can see the shame on their faces.

This is the Democratic regime manifest. pic.twitter.com/RldC0JWMsx

— Jeremy Kauffman 🦔 (@jeremykauffman) September 16, 2024

Cute, but I have to agree with Sal:

Tell them in a calm, polite voice that you will say nothing to them except on advice of your attorney and then slowly return inside your home to call your attorney. If you don’t have one ready to call, then get one. You don’t need one on retainer, but every adult should have a number to call.

It is worth every billable hour.

Indeed.

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Why Were Social Media Companies So Quick to Scrub Ryan Routh’s Accounts?

ENOUGH:

ENOUGH.

Republicans leaders need to stand together for safety and sanity, now. The RNC, House and Senate should jointly announce that all members and surrogates will refuse to appear on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC and CNN until those networks institute policy against for radicalizing…

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 16, 2024

Turn this back around on the Left.

They’ve had eight years — without accountability — of decrying Trump’s not-all-that-out-of-the-ordinary rhetoric while indulging and amplifying everything from “Russian stooge” to “Literally Hitler.”

There need to be consequences or this will continue until some assassin succeeds.

Related: FBI Expert Blames Anti-Trump Rhetoric for Assassination Attempt, Warns of More Attempts.

COFFEE, IS THERE ANYTHING IT CAN’T DO? Coffee grounds could prevent Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

DON’T GET COCKY: Here’s What 2020’s Most Accurate Pollster Says About the Current Election. Kamala Won’t Like It.

HEH:

pic.twitter.com/Qf5OEoSLQl

— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) September 16, 2024

Keep laughing. It drives them as crazy as they’re trying to drive us.

ARE YOU TIRED OF ALL THE WINNING YET? Score Another Win for Free Speech (and Another Scalp for Elon Musk).

SOMETIMES THAT FEELS LIKE A DIFFERENCE WITHOUT DISTINCTION: It’s a school, not a mental-health clinic. “Students with real mental disorders, who need quality care, may be lost in the shuffle.”

SHARKS GOTTA SWIM, BATS GOTTA FLY: Here’s Why the Media Will Memory-Hole the Latest Trump Assassination Attempt.

BASICALLY, YEAH:

So you’re telling me a sympathetic New York Times interview subject tried to murder Donald Trump today https://t.co/laKphqetML

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 16, 2024

Related: “Wind them up and keep winding until something snaps, no conspiracy required.“

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON — BOTH INDOCTRINATED BY THE DEMOCRAT-MEDIA COMPLEX: Son of Would-Be Trump Assassin Says Father ‘Hates Trump Like Every Reasonable Person Does.’

GEORGE MF WASHINGTON: How Streaming Killed Quality: The Death of Hype.

Once upon a time, the entire process of going to the movies on a Friday night was an exercise in hype that began the very moment we walked up to the box office. Above our heads were long lightboards displaying all the movies playing at the threater along with showtimes. Those showtimes in blinking red were already sold-out, and so the first emotion we experienced upon arrival at the theater was FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Your pace across the parking lot quickened alongside your anxiety as you scanned the showtimes for one that was still available.

But the truth was that once you got out of the house and actually went to the theater, there was very little chance that you would go home without seeing a movie. And so if your first choice was sold out, often you went to your second or third choice instead. In this way, the hype machine for the biggest releases wound up boosting the fortunes of every other movie released during roughly the same time period. You might have been planning to see “Jurassic Park”, but wound up seeing “Cliffhanger” or “Striking Distance” instead. Back in the day, this phenomenon was what allowed studios to release more than one big movie every summer weekend without worrying if they would make their money back, and it helped to create an all-around robust and profitable movie business as the rising tide lifted everyone’s boats.

And the hype continued long after you bought your ticket. Before the rise of internet pre-sales and assigned seating, we’d wait in lines for the most popular releases. At the appropriate time, we would sprint for the first-come first-served best seats in the house. The dramatic lowering of the lights, the raising of the curtain and the eardrum-rattling Dolby Sound System ad were critical moments of theatricality too. It was all a part of a hype machine that helped make a night out at the movies feel special.

Come to think of it, the only lines I never minded standing in were for the opening night — or better yet, a sneak preview showing — of a yuge movie.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: What Do You Call a Conspiracy to Assassinate Without the Conspiracy?