February 1, 2026

OPEN THREAD: Ring out the weekend.

Posted at 9:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds

TWO-TIER JUSTICE:

Posted at 7:58 pm by Glenn Reynolds

THE “WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM” TURNS OUT AS USUAL:

UPDATE: Zohran Mamdani Wore Custom Carhartt to Tackle His First Snowstorm as Mayor: Snowstorms have long been an aptitude test for New York City mayors. For this particular blizzard, Mamdani coolly dressed the part.

So he’s flunked the test, but at least he was sharply dressed. (Bumped).

Posted at 7:47 pm by Glenn Reynolds

#JOURNALISM:

Posted at 6:50 pm by Glenn Reynolds

TOP ENERGY EXPERT SAYS PROBABILITY THE U.S. WILL ATTACK IRAN SOON IS 75% AS RISK OF MAJOR DISRUPTION TO OIL SUPPLY IS PRICED IN — ‘THIS ONE IS REAL.’

Oil markets could be in for a major shock as President Donald Trump mulls a military strike on Iran, according to a top energy analyst.

The Islamic Republic responded to domestic unrest with unprecedented violence, slaughtering tens of thousands of people since protests broke out in late December.

Trump warned the regime not to kill protesters and vowed help was on the way. While he reportedly held off on an attack last month, the recent arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East has raised expectations that a strike is imminent.

“We would put 75% odds in the coming days to weeks there will be some sort of U.S. attack on Iran,” Bob McNally, Rapidan Energy Group founder and former White House energy advisor, told CNBC on Thursday.

Brent crude oil futures have jumped 5% in the past week and 14% since the start of the year. Prices have now broken their year-long pattern of a steady decline punctuated by brief spikes that quickly reverse to resume the downtrend, he noted.

The U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year only resulted in a temporary price surge as the conflict remained limited in scope and avoided the country’s oil infrastructure.

In addition, the U.S. military raid last month to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro failed to move the needle much in oil markets as production wasn’t interrupted.

“But this one is real,” McNally warned. “The markets are pricing the risk that this time the past will not indicate the future—that we could have a sustained disruption in energy flows.”

Iran pumped 4.7 million barrels per day last year, accounting for 4.4% of global oil supplies. Much of its heavily sanctioned shipments go to China via a so-called shadow fleet.

Related: A ‘tear down the wall’ moment in Iran will damage both the Islamic Republic — and China.

Posted at 6:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

YET ANOTHER REMINDER THAT LEFTISM HAS NO INHERENT LIMITING PRINCIPLES:

Posted at 5:48 pm by Stephen Green

AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW: Richard Miniter chats about the history of “journalism” and the unsurprisingly ancient history of media manipulation. From the comments:

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell

 

Posted at 3:31 pm by Charles Glasser

CHRISTIANS FALLING FOR WEAPONIZED EMPATHY: Too many professing American Christians are gullible and thus taken in by Leftist ideology masquerading as empathy, claims Michael Clary, Lead Pastor of Cincinnati’s Christ the King Church:

“That’s a big problem in the modern church. Too many people are gullible, and gullible Christians are causing a lot of harm in the church. These people aren’t blue-haired radical leftists we see at ICE protests in Minneapolis. No, they are ordinary Christians who sit next to you in church on Sunday but are led by their emotions. They are the nicest people you’d ever meet. They just don’t have the stomach to face hard realities. They think being ‘Christlike’ is whatever seems ‘nice’ or makes them feel good,” Clary explains.

“But here’s the truth: It isn’t Christlike to be gullible. It isn’t Christlike to believe and share debunked propaganda. It isn’t Christlike to be led by your emotions. It isn’t Christlike to outsource your critical thinking skills to the left-wing activists in the media.”

Clary is in the guest slot for Rod Martin today on Substack.

Posted at 1:32 pm by Mark Tapscott

ES IST SO WEIT GEKOMMEN: Berlin Hospitals Struggle to Treat Hundreds of Falls During Winter Freeze Because Environmental Laws Forbid Use of Salt on Sidewalks.

This morning, Berlin’s hapless Governing Mayor Kai Wegner appealed to the House of Representatives “to allow the use of de-icing salt in exceptional cases” to “alleviate the dangerous situation”. After everybody had a good laugh at Wegner for his impotent social media appeals, the man discovered that he is actually in charge of the whole executive and that he can just do things:

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner has… commented in a press release: “The safety of Berliners is my top priority. That is why I have instructed the Senator for Transport today to issue a general ruling without delay, allowing private individuals and the VSR to use road salt on sidewalks to remove the ice cover.” Wegner further emphasised that he was aware that this decision was “associated with legal uncertainties.” Nevertheless, he considered it appropriate due to the “special situation”. “There is still a need for the fastest possible legal regulation to create legal certainty for the future. We will continue to discuss this in the coalition in the near future.”

Of course Wegner could have waived these retarded rules weeks ago before all those elderly people ended up with grievous injuries in overflowing emergency rooms. At least the harm to Berlin’s trees has been minimised, I guess.

But what is this snow and ice? All the best scientists assured me these conditions would be long gone in Europe by 2025.

Posted at 12:50 pm by Ed Driscoll