March 22, 2026

NOT ANTI-WAR, JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE:

Related: Julia Ioffe, who in 2018 said that Trump was radicalizing more people than ISIS, was asking “Is Trump Headed for an Iran Quagmire?” on March 2nd, the day after the first US and Israeli bombs and missiles were launched.

And as a result:

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

GREAT MOMENTS IN OMNIPOTENT TOURIST SYNDROME: Left-Wing Activists Descend on Crisis-Stricken Cuba, Enjoy Luxury Hotels, Ride AC Buses.

The convoy includes a mix of activists, political figures, and organizations from across the global Left. Among them is leftist streamer Hasan Piker, who broadcast from Havana to his large social media following while promising to produce additional “content” from the trip.

Other participants include international political figures such as Jeremy Corbyn and representatives from leftist parties across Latin America and Europe.

Some of the groups involved, such as The People’s Forum and Code Pink, have previously drawn scrutiny from U.S. officials over alleged ties to foreign influence networks.

The effort has also been linked to Mariela Castro, daughter of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, underscoring the close coordination between activists and the Cuban government. Organizers say the convoy delivered solar panels, food, and medical supplies, including cancer treatments, to help alleviate the island’s crisis.

Cuba has also received aid shipments from countries including Mexico, Brazil, and China in recent weeks, as concerns grow over a potential humanitarian emergency. Still, questions remain about how the convoy’s aid will be distributed, and whether it will reach ordinary Cubans or be funneled through government-controlled channels.

Such efforts often double as political theater, bolstering the regime’s narrative while doing little to address systemic issues. The images coming out of Havana this weekend highlight a jarring divide: foreign activists documenting their “solidarity” tour with reliable electricity, comfortable transport, and direct access to top officials. Meanwhile, millions of Cubans live through daily blackouts, food shortages, and a collapsing economy.

Reliable electricity, comfortable transport, direct access to top officials, and an Internet connection to the outside world for me, but not for thee:

(Classical reference in headline.)

Posted at 12:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

AMERICA FIRST:

Posted at 12:03 pm by Glenn Reynolds

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Veteran airline pilots are always welcome to take up the craft of acting as a second career, however:

 

Posted at 10:44 am by Ed Driscoll

SONNY BUNCH: Chuck Norris, 1940–2026.

Invasion USA is one such absurdity: One of the most expensive films in the Cannon canon, the film is borderline incoherent, with Norris frequently appearing out of nowhere to deliver nearly spectral justice on a band of Soviet-Cuban guerrillas attempting to destabilize the United States by , for some reason, invading America through Miami. But he shows up, kicks ass, and the film has, oddly, had an outsized impact in the world.

“Invasion USA became an underground sensation in Romania, with bootleg videos of the film passed around and helping to fuel the 1989 uprising” against Nicolae Ceauşescu, de Semlyen notes in his book. According to James Bruner, who worked on the film with Norris and director Joseph Zito, “They use the poster, to this day, in Romania when they protest against the government. . . . Ultimately, action movies are about freedom. Overcoming evil, in whatever form it may be.”

* * * * * * * *

Norris’s greatest success was probably in Walker: Texas Ranger, a procedural that ran for eight seasons on CBS before entering syndication immortality. But he arguably found a bigger surge of fame as one of the early internet memes, a sort of parodic tough-guy bit emblemized with the moniker “Chuck Norris Facts.” Some examples cribbed from Wikipedia: “When the bogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris”; “Chuck Norris has a polar bear rug at home. It’s not dead, it’s just afraid to move”; and “Chuck Norris once killed two stones with one bird.”

What can I say: The internet used to be fun.

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 10:14 am by Ed Driscoll

COMMUNISM IS NOT THE “EQUAL SHARING OF MISERY.” THE NOMENKLATURA AND THEIR CRONIES ALWAYS DO FINE:

Posted at 8:59 am by Glenn Reynolds

I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER GODDAMN WORD ABOUT TEDDY ROOSEVELT’S CARBON FOOTPRINT!

(Classical allusion in headline.)

Posted at 8:44 am by Ed Driscoll

BOND MARKET MAY BE A LAST GUARDRAIL ON FAR-LEFT MAYORS AS MOODY’S GOES ‘NEGATIVE’ ON MAMDANI’S NEW YORK:

A mostly obscure and widely derided sector of the financial industry—bond rating agencies—may be one of the few remaining things with the power to save some of America’s largest cities from destruction by the policies of the far-left mayors who run them.

Moody’s Ratings this week revised its outlook on New York City to “negative” from “stable.”

“The negative outlook reflects the emergence of sizable and persistent projected budget gaps that signal underlying structural imbalance and reduced financial flexibility,” the agency said, noting that if New York City is struggling to balance its budget even in a strong economy, things could worsen “if economic growth slows sharply or an outright downturn materializes.”

“That the city projects large and persistent imbalances under still-favorable economic and revenue conditions highlights the extent of its underlying structural budget challenges,” Moody’s said.

Analysts at S&P Global, another ratings agency, also warned that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plans “make it difficult to sustain budgetary balance beyond fiscal years 2026 and 2027,” a Bloomberg report said.

Moody’s and S&P Global have since been joined by Fitch, and Kroll:

As I wrote last fall, I’m absolutely certain that the New York Daily News has a “TRUMP TO CITY: DROP DEAD” cover page already laid out as an Adobe InDesign file and ready to go for when Mamdani takes office and demands a bailout.

Posted at 8:14 am by Ed Driscoll

NEWS YOU CAN USE: “I’ve always said to pay attention to the people in Washington DC, specifically the [R]epublicans, who claimed Robert Mueller was an honorable figure.  As soon as you hear that sentiment, you know that is a corrupt conniving bastard speaking.”

 

Posted at 8:14 am by Ed Driscoll

SALENA ZITO: Our Civilian-Military Bond Is Cracked. “Our relationship and understanding of our military, and military families, is broken. Why? When you have less than half of 1% of people in this country currently serving in our military, our understanding of their lives is both limited and isolated.”

Posted at 8:00 am by Glenn Reynolds

HAHA:

Posted at 7:30 am by Glenn Reynolds

THINGS ARE GOING SWIMMINGLY FOR GRACIE MANSION’S NEWEST TENANTS:

Posted at 7:14 am by Ed Driscoll

FROM RACONTEUR PRESS:  Alien Family Traditions (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 58)

In a galaxy torn by war, where battles shatter civilizations, the heart of family endures. From adoptions that bridge species to foster homes offering refuge to aliens and humans alike, love becomes the ultimate rebellion against conflict. Discover uplifting tales of unlikely kin—blood, chosen, or found—building havens of hope amidst chaos. In this heartwarming collection, explore the lives of those who choose compassion over strife, the consequences that reshape worlds, and the reasons why family, in all its forms, is the brightest light in the darkest times. A feel-good celebration of unity and resilience that will leave you inspired.

Posted at 7:01 am by Sarah Hoyt

SMART DIPLOMACY:

Posted at 7:00 am by Glenn Reynolds