December 31, 2025

THAT WOULD EXPLAIN A LOT, ACTUALLY: Did God Send Islam to PUNISH Mankind?

As I never tire of reminding people, I always learn a lot from Raymond Ibrahim’s video podcasts.

Posted at 3:19 pm by Stephen Green

TEXAS: Musk Backs Wilco GOP Chair In Tranny Bathroom Wars. “Via Holly Hansen in The Texan News comes a culture war skirmish that checks off a lot of this blog’s interest boxes: Williamson County GOP Chair Michelle Evans had her phone seized documenting a man using the women’s restroom, and now she has a powerful ally in the war against transsexual madness.”

Posted at 2:48 pm by Stephen Green

JAMES PIERESON: Norman Podhoretz: the Undeceived.

In the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, many observers assumed that the massacre would release a wave of sympathy for the Jewish state and for Jews around the world. That would have been the logical expectation. After all, some 1,400 Israelis and Jews from other nations were killed in the attacks, and more than 200 were taken into Gaza as hostages.

Yet, something altogether different happened: the attacks unleashed a barrage of criticism against Israel, along with a resurgence of anti-Semitism in the United States and Western Europe. Jews were victims twice over: first in the terror attacks; second, in the response to them. That may have been part of the plan all along, since anti-Israel marchers hit the streets almost as soon as the event occurred. Nevertheless, the counterintuitive response took many by surprise.

Among those not surprised was Norman Podhoretz, who died on December 16, one month shy of his 96th birthday. Podhoretz was widely known for his transition in the late 1960s from radicalism to conservatism, in defiance of views widely and vehemently held by those who then dominated New York’s intellectual scene. In rejecting his youthful views and, much worse, turning himself into a conservative, Podhoretz became an outcast among his former friends, as he chronicled in Ex Friends, one of his later books. But by turning in those credentials, he won a larger following not only among Jews but also among many Americans who were not Jewish and had never stepped foot in Manhattan but looked to him, and to Commentary, the magazine he edited, for guidance in cutting through the fashionable left-wing views that they encountered in schools, Hollywood movies, and television news programs. It was a response that he did not expect but certainly welcomed.

Moreover, the concerns that caused him to change his views more than a half century ago were basically the same as those that led his allies today to lament the resurgence of anti-Semitism and hostility to Israel after the October 7. Podhoretz saw decades ago, as he saw recently, that an irrational and deeply rooted animus existed on the left toward Israel, linked to a parallel animus toward the United States. The more successful these countries are, the more the organized Left despises them. As much as anything, Podhoretz’s recognition of these twin impulses led him along a path toward conservatism, and turned him into the most influential editor and public intellectual of the postwar era.

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 2:35 pm by Ed Driscoll

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU COMBINE STATE CORRUPTION WITH NEW DEAL WRONG-HEADEDNESS? YOU GET GAVIN NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA:

Posted at 2:32 pm by Stephen Green

KURT SCHLICHTER: Republicans Are Slowly ‘Learing’ How to Fight the Democrats.

This is an opportunity for the Republicans, and they had better not blow it. There must be merciless investigations. There must be prosecutions, including of Tim Waltz and others, if they appear criminally liable for tolerating, or even aiding and abetting, this looting of the public purse. We need to be careful here – we are foreclosed both by God’s prohibition on bearing false witness and the utilitarian consideration that the last thing we want to do is not be able to get a conviction should we criminally charge someone. But if we do criminally charge them, having found probable cause to do so, that may make it break through the regime media and the Democrat denials. There are some Democrats who aren’t completely psychotic, and they will oppose public corruption. Sure, a huge number will excuse it, or even argue that it’s a good thing, but there’s something about Nick Shipley‘s video of empty offices that get millions of dollars a year that can even raise doubts in loyal Democrat voters.

That’s why this is a golden opportunity for the GOP. You’ve got to be either getting paid off yourself or completely nuts to accept corruption. There are a few Democrats who are neither, but there are a lot of independents who are neither, and this is a winning issue. It’s also highly effective. The Democrat machine runs on government money. This is why they screamed so hard when we turned off the USAID spigot. And that’s why it’s going to be so effective as we tighten the controls on money going to illegal aliens. Almost everything they do can be traced back to siphoning off government money. That’s where the Republicans need to focus.

We need to starve the Democrat machine of cash. We need to demonstrate their perfidy with targeted prosecutions of real crimes. And we need 100 guys like Nick Shirley out there with their iPhones, finding the truth that the Democrats and the regime media have hidden, just like Andrew Breitbart wanted.

Republicans, surprise us. Don’t screw this up.

This should be the issue for the GOP in 2026, given the level of corruption involved and that Minnesota has been a near-Democrat-monopoly state for about 80 years now. But alas, next year will serve up plenty of GOP failure theater instead: House Probes Minnesota Fraud: Walz & Ellison Invited – X Users Predict No-Show & Kabuki Theater.

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

WHY DON’T PEOPLE CARE ABOUT MEN? The Kosher Clinician and I will talk about men, politics, dating, and my new book this Saturday, Jan. 3rd at 2:30 eastern. You can join live here.

Posted at 2:06 pm by Helen Smith

GOODER AND HARDER, NEW YORK:

Related (From Ed): What have you done indeed, New York? Mamdani will become first NYC mayor sworn in on Quran when he takes oath of office.

More (Back to Steve): Meanwhile, on the other side of the country…:

Posted at 2:01 pm by Stephen Green

CHRISTIAN TOTO: George Clooney Takes Bold Stand Against Journalism.

If only that were the only time Clooney looked away while the press behaved oh, so badly.

Breitbart News’ John Nolte has a running list of journalistic malpractice, one that has grown larger over the last 12 months. Some may quibble with an entry or two. Taken as a whole, it’s a shocking indictment of an industry that continues to self-implode.

Here’s just part of that ever-growing list:

Trump “Destroying” White House Hoax
Photo of Starving Gaza Baby Hoax
Israeli Troops Murdered Food-Seeking Palestinians Hoax
Trump Tariffs Will Explode Prices Hoax
Maryland Man Hoax
Black Newborns Much More Likely to Die If Doc’s White Hoax
Elon Musk Nazi Salute Hoax
Trump Called for Liz Cheney to Be Executed Hoax
Violent Crime Down Under Biden/Harris Hoax
Arlington Cemetery Hoax
Kamala Was Never America’s Border Czar Hoax
Russia Collusion Hoax
Hands Up, Don’t Shoot Hoax
Jussie Smollett Hoax
Covington KKKids Hoax
Very Fine People Hoax
Russian Bounties Hoax
Trump Trashes Troops Hoax
Policemen Killed at Mostly Peaceful January 6 Protest Hoax
Rittenhouse Hoax
Border Agents Whipping Illegals Hoax
NASCAR Noose Hoax
Georgia Jim Crow 2.0 Hoax
Trump Assaulted Secret Service Agents and Grabbed Steering Wheel of Beast Hoax
COVID Lab Leak Theory Is Racist Hoax
Hunter Biden’s Laptop Is Russian Disinformation Hoax
Joe Biden Will Never Ban Gas Stoves Hoax
Mass Graves of Native Children in Canada Hoax
Trump Told People to Drink Bleach Hoax
Hamas Hospital Hoax
If Reelected, Trump Will Execute People Hoax

It’s no wonder public trust in Legacy Media is so low. To paraphrase the late John Houseman, they eeeearned it.

Clooney can get away with his absurd attack on Weiss for a simple reason. Modern journalism is, by and large, both biased and corrupt. No reporter with access to Clooney will challenge him on his anti-Weiss attacks.

This reporter interviewed the star a time or two over years and found him to be smart, agreeable and kind. One wonders if that mood would sustain if pressed on his journalistic hot takes.

UPDATE: Weiss just called Clooney’s bluff. She’s invited him to tour the CBS News offices to counter his critiques.

It would be nice if Weiss turns CBS News around as promised, but it remains to be seen how — or even if — her news division handles getting scooped by Nick Shirley on the Somali fraud rings.

Posted at 1:46 pm by Stephen Green

SHUT IT ALL DOWN:

Posted at 1:37 pm by Glenn Reynolds

NICK SHIRLEY: A Kindergartner Could Find The Fraud Going On In Minnesota, But Tim Walz Wants Their Votes.

TOMI LAHREN: You’ve done incredible work. You are an incredible investigator on the go. My question is this: how much investigating did you actually have to do to find these centers? Some have misspelled signs. Did you find them easily, or how did you go about this?

It’s amazing to me that no one else besides you saw a problem here when they cannot even spell on the side of a learning center.

NICK SHIRLEY, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: That is a great question. I have to give props to David, who helped me in this investigation. He’s been doing research for years — years! — trying to expose this fraud, and nobody has given him the time of day to even talk about this.

With his help and my own investigation, I’ve known about this for a long time—Minnesotans have been telling me for a long time about the Somlai fraud taking place. With his help, we were able to track over $110 million in fraud in one day. That is just the tip. When they say “tip of the iceberg,” it really is. There are billions of dollars of fraud inside the state of Minnesota right now.

JOEY JONES: Nick, on that topic—you said his name is David, and he’s been researching this for years. In your experience, or in your opinion, just spending the days out there, is there any way this has not reached the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz? Take aside ongoing litigation or what have you— is there any way he could claim ignorance on this, just in your experience over this investigation?

NICK SHIRLEY: It is so obvious. If you are living in Minnesota, you have to raise your eyebrows and think, “What is going on?” Literally, if you drive around Minneapolis, you will see daycare centers, autism centers, and transportation companies that have snow piled up as if they have not moved in months.

You also go into buildings where there will be 20 healthcare companies. It’s like a kindergartner could figure out this fraud going on.

As Sean Connery said to Kevin Costner in The Untouchables, “Mr. Ness, everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Capone.” Or in this case, the entire Democratic Party, including their operatives with bylines. And right on cue: CNN Laments That ‘MAGA Journalist’ Nick Shirley Had No Guardrails.

The 1990s-era Matt Drudge would be smiling, but eventually he sold out as well, alas.

Related: While we’re referencing Capone and the Untouchables:

Posted at 1:35 pm by Ed Driscoll

CHRISTIAN TOTO: Late Night Won’t Touch Somali Scandal, So…: Indie content creators rush in, satirize Minnesota’s massive child care debacle.

“And, finally, a social media used Sora to generate a faux toy commercial tied to the scandal. It’s another reason Hollywood should fear A.I. – it empowers everyday citizens to satirize headlines that late-night hosts likely won’t:”

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

HE DID IT: Tucker Carlson Suggests That Israel Committed 9/11 Terror Attack.

Is Tucker Carlson “fringe?” It would be hard to claim that he is. He has been a journalist for decades, and one of the most recognizable and popular ones at that.

Yet he is now slyly promoting one of the most ridiculous and fringe conspiracy theories known to mankind, and one that is contradicted by so much evidence that it rivals Candace Owens’ “Charlie Kirk was assassinated by his friends” conspiracy theory.

It’s bats**t crazy.

The following clip is long, and Tucker makes his accusation that Israel was involved in 9/11 at the very end, but I still encourage you to listen to the entire thing.

Why, it’s as if:

Meanwhile, on the left, when Zionists aren’t doing 9/11, they’re running TikTok:

Earlier: “This sweary ‘wine mom’ is the Democrats’ answer to Joe Rogan.”

Related:

Fair enough guys, but the day is still young…

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

KRUISER: My 2025 Person of the Year — ICE. “It is with great pleasure and honor that I announce that the agents of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are/is the first annual Stephen Kruiser Person of the Year.”

Posted at 12:13 pm by Stephen Green