PJ MEDIA VIP ROUNDUP: Don’t forget that VODKAPUNDIT promo code if you’ve been thinking of joining us.

Matt Margolis: Kari Lake Proves She’s a Force to Be Reckoned With. “Lake didn’t bother waiting for the media to do their homework. She laid out her opponent’s radical abortion views, such as supporting abortion up until the moment of birth and opposing protecting babies that survive an abortion attempt.”

Ryan Ledendecker: Biden Just Landed in Puerto Rico, and We Know the Real Reason Why. “If you haven’t already guessed, I’ll let one of the New York Times’s latest tweets be the big reveal.”

Yours Truly: Ron DeSantis and Hurricane Ian: a Category 4 Media Fail. “So what was the media doing this weekend, while honest workers were helping Florida heal?”

ONE YEAR? IT FEELS MUCH LONGER: Happy Anniversary to ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’

STAND BY: Putin deploys world’s largest submarine with ‘apocalypse’ drone capabilities.

A military train that belongs to the forces responsible for Russia’s nuclear arsenal has been spotted moving toward the front lines in Ukraine, while Moscow was said to have deployed the world’s biggest submarine — capable of carrying “apocalypse” drones.

These latest maneuvers could signal an increasingly desperate Vladimir Putin’s willingness to escalate the war following a series of embarrassing defeats on the battlefield, including the loss of a key city in Donetsk and the most recent setbacks in the Kherson region.

The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar shared on Sunday a video showing a freight train hauling upgraded armored personnel carriers (APCs) and other sophisticated military equipment through central Russia.

Here’s a backgrounder on the Belgorod sub and its unique payload: New Details of Russian Belgorod ‘Doomsday’ Submarine Revealed.

I GUESS I’LL STICK WITH CHOCOLATE THEN: White rice and pasta are just as bad for your heart as CANDY, study suggests.

IT’S THE STUPID ECONOMY: This Issue Will Drive Voters to the Polls in November, and Democrats Should Be Terrified.

ASSUMING THEY EVER EXISTED: ‘Where did they disappear to?’: Russian MP says 1.5 mln military uniforms are missing.

GLEICHSCHALTUNG: They ‘Own the Science,’ and They Want to Control How You Access Information About It. “Elites control the media and the narratives, and, as Fleming says, they want people to know that. It isn’t that the elites are getting sloppy; they figure that their position is so secure that there is no need to mask their intent.”

DON’T GET COCKY: These deep blue seats could flip red in November’s midterm elections. “Fung is one of a handful of GOP congressional nominees across the country who have a good shot at winning long-time Democratic held House seats in solidly blue states.”

UKRAINE WAR: Russia’s Position Is Crumbling. “How bad is the situation, really? Retreating Russian forces in Kherson took to social media — in this case, the Telegram app popular with Russian milbloggers — to beg for airstrikes.”

NO, IT ISN’T: Hollywood’s Latest Box Office Bomb Is Your Fault, According to Billy Eichner.

[“Bros”] is a Billy Eichner comedy that was loudly and proudly touted as the first gay rom-com from a major studio. Universal gave this a significant push, beginning with a wide release of showings in 3,350 theaters. Advertising began in the early summer, and Eichner was a fixture on the talk show circuit. Online, television, and streaming outlets all were targets for commercial time, as the studio bet big on this title. The movie had a shooting budget of around $20 million, but estimates have Universal backing it with up to an additional $40 million for promotions.

All signs pointed to a favorable result. Advance word has been hot, and the critics have given it a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91 percent positive. Exit scores from audiences have been strong, with an “A” grade. Yet, all of that advanced push generated no momentum. Pre-release estimates had the movie generating a box office return of between $12-$20 million. Instead, “Bros” debuted in 4th position this weekend, drawing a meager $4.8 million.

There’s a reason films with niche appeal get smaller budgets: They generate smaller returns than movies with mass appeal. Hollywood spent big bucks on a niche film, then blamed mass audiences for not showing up.

It’s enough to make you wonder if Hollywood isn’t happy to lose a bit of money on pictures like Bros, as an opportunity for moral preening at the flyover rubes who won’t buy tickets.

MEGAN FOX: Watch Me Yell at Republicans Who Won’t Stand Up for Their Voters. “I know many of you want to scream at Republicans who seem uninterested in doing their jobs. I got the rare opportunity to do it for you on television this week. OANN called and had me on Tipping Point with Kara McKinney to discuss the ongoing madness in the state of Oklahoma.”

HARRIS CAN’T ANSWER BECAUSE WHAT SHE SAID IS OUTRAGEOUS TO MOST AMERICANS AND ILLEGAL, TOO: VP Kamala Harris dodges question asking about dispersing Hurricane Ian relief based on ‘equity.’

Related: Bill Maher Says Dems Could Take Unpopular Kamala Harris Off The Ticket, But ‘They Are So Boxed In By Identity Politics.’

VICTORIA TAFT: After Leftist Threats, a Leak, and an Assassin, Will the Supreme Court Have the Guts to Follow the Constitution?

GEORGE ORWELL, CALL YOUR OFFICE: Gov. Newsom to Lower Gas Prices With Gas Tax Hikes. “Tax hikes to lower gas prices? Bring them on.”

THE ROT AT THE FBI GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN STRZOK: Peter Strzok Destroyed in Draft FBI Letter Firing Him. “In short, your repeated selfishness has called into question the credibility of the entire FBI.”

GET WOKE, LOSE WARS: US Army Misses Recruiting Goal; Other Services Squeak by. “According to officials, the Marine Corps, which usually goes into each fiscal year with as much as 50% of its recruiting goal already locked in, has only a bit more than 30%. And the Air Force and the Navy will only have about 10% of their goals as they start the new fiscal year. The Air Force usually has about 25%. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on the recruiting totals that have not yet been released.”

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Biden’s Last Brain Cell May Be the Death of the Republic. “Because we know that he’s not going to mentally make it to 2024 and that there are no real upgrades among the Democrats were he to make an early exit.”

CRISIS BY DESIGN: Border officials count 599,000 ‘gotaway’ migrants in Fiscal Year 2022. “The number of gotaways in FY2022 – which spans from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022 – is up drastically from the year before. In April, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told the House Judiciary Committee that there were 389,155 gotaways at the border in FY2021.”

THAT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE ON THE SIDE OF THE ONES DOING THE SHOOTING: As Women in Iran Are Shot Down While Fighting for Their Rights, the Squad Has Little to Say.

VIDEO: The Ukrainian Way of War.

Once again, if you don’t have the time or inclination to watch a video, Lawrence Person has done a fine job of breaking out the bullet points.

SAY ANYTHING: Biden Washes His Hands of Gas Prices Now That They’re Going Back Up. “Once again, here’s the Biden administration falsely accusing the U.S. energy companies of profiteering, which is in their playbook.”

WHAT’S A GOP FOR? Oklahoma Republicans Vote to Fund OU Children’s Hospital With No Assurance Gender Experiments on Kids Will Stop.

HMM: Did Ron DeSantis’ Martha’s Vineyard Flight Save Illegals From Hurricane Death Toll?

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY: The Heroes of Hurricane Ian. “Ian gave untold numbers of Florida men and women the opportunity to step up and show the world what they’re made of. Sure enough, they did.”

NEVER BEND THE KNEE: Ginny Thomas Ruins J-6 Committee’s Plan to Destroy Her.