Wednesday Morning Rant

The Beginning of the End

The United States, Canada and Mexico ratified the trilateral free trade agreement NAFTA in 1992. Ross Perot decried the development, famously describing the "giant sucking sound" that would be heard as the American economy was hollowed out in favor of outsourcing to Mexico. He was partially correct. I think there is a strong argument that giving Red China most-favored-nation status in 1998 and elevating her into the WTO was more important, but NAFTA was not great agreement. During his first term, Trump ended it, replacing it with a new trilateral agreement - the USMCA.

Unlike NAFTA, the USMCA has various additional provisions but perhaps the most important distinction is its transience. USMCA is not a permanent treaty as it has a sunset provision. Valid for 16 years, it must be reviewed after six years and all parties must mutually agree to renewal to push it another 16 years. Failing that, the parties must attempt renegotiation every year for the balance of the 16 years. If they cannot reach an agreement, the treaty is not renewed. After that first six years, the treaty can be terminated by any party with six months' notice. It went into effect in 2020. Thanks to Trump's non-consecutive terms, his administration is also handling the first extension checkpoint. The United States did not renew the agreement, and is moving toward bilateral negotiations with each of Mexico and Canada.

Posted by: Joe Mannix at 11:00 AM | Comments (220) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

Théodore Géricault
Heroic Landscape with Fishermen

Posted by: CBD at 09:33 AM | Comments (208) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 7/ 8 /26

Good morning kids. With everything going on domestically and internationally, this morning we have something coming totally out of left field, and given that it's in NYC, it's both literally and figuratively. Still, ¡Hay Caramba!

The Midtown high-rise that dangerously buckled Tuesday will need to be partially demolished — although stabilizing it to even attempt the risky move could prove extremely harrowing, experts told The Post. The 37-story former Pfizer headquarters at 235 E. 42nd St. near Second Avenue will first need to be stabilized as soon as possible to prevent a possible localized collapse, they said. Without intervention, it poses a “significant danger” and “could collapse,” said Ronald Hamburger, a structural engineer with five decades of experience and who served on the federal team that investigated the World Trade Center catastrophe.

From what I understand, were it not for the fact that the building was undergoing renovation/conversion the buckling beam might very well have gone undiscovered and then might well have ultimately snapped and potentially catastrophically collapsed the structure. Reminds me of the potential catastrophe that could have collapsed the then new in 1977 nearby Citicorp Center tower, had it not been for the fact that an engineering student IIRC by accident discovered that the design was never tested for wind loads hitting the tower obliquely. And this was right before that year's hurricane season and so a massive retrofit program was begun just as a major hurricane was barreling up the east coast, and it was a race against time. Given who and what is running NYC, there couldn't be a more perfect metaphor than a collapsing skyscraper, which could have been avoided were it not for competence and common sense at the outset. And yet we have Hurricane Mamdani already cutting a swathe of destruction there as well as primed to sweep across the rest of the land, as both CBD and I discussed on the newest episode of the podcast linked here and on the usual outlets listed below.

Of course the fallout over Nazi-loving Jew-hating rapist Graham Platner continues to eat up the Democrats. But his revolting predilections and accusations as we all know too well is not why the Democrats are desperate to have him disappear.

"It's because the recent polling shows that Graham Platner was going to lose to Susan Collins," Perino said. "And they thought, wow, we only have two weeks to figure this out."
. . . "If they pull a Biden switcheroo, the Democratic brand is just so damaged in the state," Perino said. "And Susan Collins, what is the knock against her? She's so steady. There's no drama. Okay, well, maybe the state will be looking for that."
. . . The bigger picture is even uglier for Democrats. The base wanted Platner or somebody like him. The establishment wanted a safe pick like Gov. Janet Mills. That civil war didn't end this week, and Perino identified exactly who keeps losing it.

And speaking of the base, which is indeed Base, this vile garbage is the sine qua non of who and what the Democrats are:

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) said a fellow House Democrat dismissed concerns about antisemitism by claiming it is no longer a problem because “all the Jews are rich.” Speaking to CNN, Balint said the unnamed lawmaker made the remark during a bipartisan House antisemitism task force meeting. She recalled the incident after watching footage of California state Sen. Scott Wiener being forced out of a transgender rights event by protesters angry over his support for Israel, saying it reminded her of other examples of antisemitism she has encountered. . . “I know at some point there will be a day of reckoning, because I still believe that Jews should have a homeland,” Balint told CNN. “There will be people, I think some of my own supporters, who will turn on me, because I still believe in a two-state solution. I still do. I still believe that Israel should be safe and secure. I believe that the Palestinians have been so ill-treated for so long and deserve a safe and secure homeland. I do not believe Israel should be dismantled.”

At some point and I believe we've reached that point, it's no longer going to be about Israel.

It's just plain old Jew-hate straight up same as it's always been.

In an interview with ABC News’s This Week, Mamdani offered his short tenure as proof of concept for socialism. “We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins,” he said. “I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”

After finally passing the largest budget in New York City history, Mamdani claimed that “if these past months have shown us anything, it is that socialists not only understand economics as well as the capitalists who came before but that we can solve their years of mismanagement through an embrace of our principles.”

On the contrary, Mamdani’s first six months in office indicate the success of capitalism and the regular machinations of municipal government, not democratic socialism.

To a Muslim Communist, Capitalist is just another word for JEW. Of course one doesn't actually have to be Jewish to be a target, just an honest, hard-working, successful tax-paying law-abiding citizen. And the Mamdani pestilence is not confined to New York as can be seen from sea to shining sea, especially in California from whence the ever-popular billionaires' taxes sprang,

and will not be limited to billionaires. Anyone with two nickels to rub together will ultimately be targeted because having two is racist, homophobic and unfair. Since that second nickel of course came about because of slavery and white supemacy inflicted on the downtrodden by white interlopers, colonists and diamond merchants, doncha-know?!!!

Elsewhere in the world, things are heating up in and around Iran. Meh, when did they cool off.

Trump says Iran cease-fire is ‘over,’ vows to no longer deal with ‘sick people’ The revocation of oil sanctions waivers signals a hardening U.S. stance and raises questions about the viability of the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Tehran. Further disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could have significant implications for global energy markets and U.S. strategic interests in the region.

If the President no longer wants to deal with "sick people" when do we go after Leftists?! Because it's a miracle what's left of the Republic made it to 250 and if these vermin have their way, we're not making it to 275, let alone 500!

And speaking of which... 'Tokyo Bros' Go to Tehran to Call for 'Death to America,' and We Have Questions About Treason

What does it take to get arrested for treason around here, anyway? The last person to be arrested for working for the enemy and against the United States was Tomoya Kawakita, an American who switched sides to become a Japanese POW slave labor camp overseer who brutalized American soldiers in World War II. Then there was Tokyo Rose, who served the Imperial Japanese as a radio propagandist. Old Tokyo was arrested, tried, and convicted when she tried to get back into the U.S. after the war.
And that gives me an idea. I don't know about you, but I think that's a splendid idea for what I've dubbed the "Tokyo Bros," two American media influencers who went to Tehran to lead cheers with the "Death to America" crowd and fete the dead Iranian ayatollah. They claimed that the dead ayatollah was "fighting for humanity" against "evil" Zionists when he met his 72 old bags in the afterlife. 

That's no hyperbole. This guy, Jackson Hinkle, a communist and anti-American — but I repeat myself — was on stage and literally led a "Death to America" and "Down with America" chant over the weekend in an IRGC-approved massive crowd in Iran. We know it was an approved propaganda ploy because, were it a collection of thousands of "free" Iranians rising up against the dead-ender Twelvers, the Basij would have mowed them down like they did the estimated 42,000 souls murdered during Iranian street protests last January. Wink, wink.  Why would we want that treasonous bastard to come back to our country in anything less than a ball, chain, and leg irons? Then there was Sid Vicious Blumenthal's son (Hillary's boy, Media Matters et al.), Max Blumenthal, who visited Tehran to fanboy over what a great guy the dead ayatollah was and be the hypeman for "these popular mobilization rallies" that have been approved by our sworn enemies in the IRGC. I don't wish to be indelicate or anything, but we're in a hot war with Iran at the moment. We were just dropping bombs and strafing some bad hombres on Tuesday morning.

Hinkle amplified this message about killing the president while he was over in Tehran. We recognize that Americans have free speech rights, but ... pssst ... treason on foreign soil isn't protected free speech. Pass it on.

Max Blumenthal is one of the most heinous examples of what I call the "Self-gassing Jews" anywhere. And is Hinkle related to Adenoid Hinkle?

Line up the two against a wall and let them sandwich Jane Fonda for good measure and have a raffle where the winners get to be in the firing squad.

Have a good day,

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• The evacuation suggests serious safety concerns over the high-rise, located in a built-up and densely populated area of Midtown Manhattan. No injuries have been reported, but a collapse could cause major disruption and possibly damage neighboring buildings.
  Former Pfizer High-Rise Evacuated in Manhattan Amid Fears of Imminent Collapse.
  
• “It should be possible to do the repair within a week, stabilizing it, then going about the structural repair,” a top expert said.
  High anxiety Buckling building in Midtown NYC will face partial demolition — but even stabilizing it beforehand will be highly risky: experts

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:32 AM | Comments (329) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 8 July 2026

Top Story

• Samung has posted an 1800% increase in quarterly profits, catapulting the company past Nvidia to become most profitable company in the world. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Expectedly.
  
  
  
• Hold my shorts says Shenzhen Longsys Electronics - more familiar as the brand Lexar - which is expected to post a profit increase of more than 60,000%. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Admittedly their margins kinda sucked last year.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:15 AM | Comments (105) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - July 7, 2026 [Doof]

The Tuesday night ONT is here for you. Open thread, as always. Got anything interesting on your mind tonight?

[Top photo: "Its Beach" in Santa Cruz, CA]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (405) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Walrus Birthday Party Cafe

Japan in bloom
Quan Vu

Baby cheetah.

Head tilt training.

Percussive parrots.

I'll follow the sun.

Wake up, kitty.

Purrkour.

Referees getting involved in the fight.

Drone tour of the Parthenon.

When a helicopter's rotors are perfectly synced with a camera's shutter, they appear to not move at all as the chopper flies.

Shy armadillo.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:30 PM | Comments (202) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Breaking: Graham Platner Covered Up His Death Head Tattoo With a Rape Head Tattoo

Okay that's probably not true but it caught your attention and Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have taught me that's all that matters.

Here's some catch-up on the Nazi Rapist.

Charles C. W. Cooke
@charlescwcooke

9h

It's quite funny that the case for Platner, up until about 15 hours ago, was, "well, yes, he has a Nazi tattoo and a history of saying terrible things and treats women abominably, but on the other hand he's a communist."

Clay Travis
@ClayTravis

Democrats waited until after the July 4th holiday to code red Platner. They did it with a full week left to force him out of the race. It's diabolical how they are fine with erasing primaries & hand picking new "nominees" all while claiming Republicans will destroy democracy.

Politico notes the damage that Ro Khanna did to himself by acting as Graham Platner's Rape-Wingman, but to be honest he didn't do any damage to himself, because this ugly gigolo (somehow) had no chance of becoming president in any reality.

The cost of Khanna's Platner alliance

Khanna, arguably more than any other national Democrat, provided political cover for the Maine Senate candidate before calling for him to drop out.

In the blast radius from the sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner, few politicians are taking a harder hit than Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna.

Khanna, arguably more than any other national Democrat, provided political cover for the renegade Maine Senate candidate. He stood by Platner as he was buffeted by a series of controversies and physically stood with him onstage at a campaign rally in Maine, one day after the New York Times reported on the oysterman's toxic behavior toward former girlfriends.

That alliance was severed Monday, after POLITICO reported on allegations that Platner sexually assaulted Jenny Racicot, a woman he once dated. Platner denied the allegation, saying that "any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue."

But Khanna, who had earlier defended Platner as someone deserving of grace, had had enough.

...

But Khanna's [retraction of his support] did not spare him the backlash for being such a steadfast supporter of Platner until this point, despite the Senate candidate's tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol or old offensive online posts. Republicans piled on to Khanna's post, accusing him of hypocrisy, and fellow Democrats were also critical.

...

Khanna bet big on Platner as a rising star among progressives,
the wing of the party he has assertively courted in the run-up to a potential 2028 presidential run. For months, he basked in the attention that came with being a prominent surrogate for a buzzy Democrat in a top-tier Senate race. Now, that wager has proven to be a bust.

"Ro Khanna will always and forever be the Graham Platner defender" said one California Democratic strategist who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the developing political dynamics. "I don't think damage control is going to fix the damage he's created by getting himself in the middle of this."

Overton
@overton_news

18h
Scott Jennings just blew up the Democrats' favorite excuse.

They're now claiming Graham Platner wasn't properly vetted, but Jennings wasn't buying it for a second.

He reminded the CNN panel that prominent Democrats like Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tim Walz all knew about Platner's past -- and backed him anyway.

JENNINGS: "The only thing I disagree with is when she said that he hadn't been vetted."

"No, he had been vetted!"

"All of the things that have been stated, it was all out in the public and people like Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Walz, the Bulwark, Pod Save America, all these people came together to overlook it all, to explain it all, to rationalize it all."

"He was vetted. People knew all these things and a whole bunch of Democrats in Maine showed up and voted for him anyway. And a bunch of donors from around the country sent him money anyway."

"I agree with Alyssa's question. What changed? Why are you bailing on Graham Platner now?!"

"You already signed off on Nazi tattoo, a self-described communist, somebody who's had rape fantasies, somebody who has been on a social media platform known as a playground for predators."

"And on and on and on and on and on."

"And the difference between this accuser and the previous one is simply this, she's a liberal. It's okay, I guess, for Democrats that their candidate's assault conservatives."

"But he broke into someone's house. And apparently, according to her, raped her. And because her politics are correct, they can now believe it."

"All of this whole thing is disgusting. But to say that they hadn't vetted him, or that they didn't know about all this is totally false."

"They knew it and they signed up for it, and I don't know why they're backing away from this scumbag today when they had already signed off on all that other crazy behavior."

Video here.

Rep. Debbie Dingell -- the feminist who inherited her permanent House seat from her husband -- still stands by the Humble Oysterfarmer and Part-Time Rapist.

Now It Can Be Told: Chris Hayes (Allahpundit's old favorite) and Rachel Maddow admit that when Graham Platner promised there would be no further scandals coming, he was lying.

Western Lensman
@WesternLensman

Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow say that they really didn't buy it when Platner said there wouldn't be more scandals coming.

Now that it's not politically damaging to Democrats to say it.

Leftists extremely vain and insecure fake-intellectuals -- so much so that they will immediately admit to a grave moral sin, like lying in support of a rapist, rather than admit that they didn't know something or were duped.

Though in this case, I do believe them -- they knew he was a rapist. They didn't care.

The Party of #BelieveAllWomen:

RNC Research
@RNCResearch

Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria says the accusations against Graham Platner are a "shiny new thing to scare people."

This takes balls: Abby Philips, CNN's ludicrous DNC shill, thinks that other leftists have to apologize for their shilling for Platner:

Steve Guest
@SteveGuest

Watch Abby Phillip on CNN demand "soul searching" from people who trashed Lyndsey Fifield as a GOP operative -- until this accusation of rape emerged against Graham Platner.

Phillip calls out Democrat media figures including Krystal Ball, Matt Stoller, Jack Cocchiarella, and Emma Vigeland for their past full-throated support of Nazi sex pest Graham Platner.

As someone pointed out, Abby Philips and CNN could have interviewed Lyndsey Fifield -- but they didn't. They were part of the cover-up.

Marjorie Taylor Greene went on The View to defend Graham Platner, and to claim that Jews were behind the rape charges.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:20 PM | Comments (199) | Trackbacks (Suck)

YouTuber Joshua Carr: Pudgy Nazi Pussy Tucker Carlson Has Hired a Company to Copyright-Strike Any Channel Using His Clips to Critique Him

Joshua Carr
@Joshua_the_car

Tucker Carlson hired a company this week to demonetize any political commentator talking about him.

I've had 8 videos claimed so far this week.

Every single one is protected under fair use.

Make no mistake, Tucker won't win a single copyright dispute. He's doing this to discourage future commentators from talking about him.

He's been independent for years and he's never done this before. Why now?

Because he sees the power independent voices have, and that we are showing Americans the truth of who he is. As he tries to take over the GOP he knows better than anyone that controlling the narrative is paramount.

@ArtyTrolls @paramounttactcl @LauraLoomer

Is this true? I don't know yet. I suspect it is.

Carr does provide a notice of a copyright claim from "SuperBam," who would be acting on their client's behalf. He also says that there are "dozens" of reports from other people making the same complaint.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 05:25 PM | Comments (162) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Where Is Mitch McConnell? Some Demand "Proof of Life"

He's as publicly visible as Ayatollah Khamenei's gay dead son.

Donald Trump's most vocal supporters are demanding that Mitch McConnell's office provide proof that the Kentucky lawmaker is still alive after he disappeared amid a three-week hospitalization.

McConnell, 84, was admitted to a hospital on the morning of June 14 following a medical emergency at his Washington, DC home. Paramedics responded to a report of an unconscious person believed to have suffered a 'cardiac arrest,' with a medic reporting 'CPR in progress' at the address.

The senator was not named on the call, and his office has never confirmed what sent him to the hospital, saying only that he is receiving 'excellent care.'

The speculation surrounding McConnell has intensified in recent days because his aides have refused to release new information regarding his condition or whether he will return to work as the GOP fights to maintain their razor thin majority.

Trump conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer claimed that an unnamed White House source told her that McConnell is in a 'vegetative state' or 'brain dead' and is 'not coming back' to work.

DC outlet The Hill even accidentally published an obituary of the senator which was swiftly deleted. A screenshot spread on X, and a copy reportedly stayed live on Yahoo News.

Independent journalist Desirée Townsend confirmed Loomer's allegations: 'I have heard the same thing from my sources for days. At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to cut him off of life support and move his body.'

As online chatter continued to grow about McConnell's health condition, MAGA activists like Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle wrote on X, 'McConnell's staff should produce proof of the senator's condition one way or another right now.'

Is this true? I don't know.

What makes me think it's false is that this retard thinks it's true:

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:20 PM | Comments (342) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Day One of Tyler Robinson Preliminary Hearing: Prosecution Detonates Candace Owens' Lie That Robinson Never Set Foot on the Campus

Gator Gar
@gatorgar

It appears the prosecution has video from UVU showing Tyler Robinson approaching the campus, entering the building, reaching the roof, and taking the shot. We won't know for sure until it goes to trial, but we do know UVU has cameras everywhere and that they provided the footage to investigators.

Going to be hard to refute that folks.

Here's video of Tyler Robinson skulking around the campus of Utah Valley University, including video of him walking stiff-legged because he was concealing a rifle down his pant-leg.

Here's video of Tyler Robinson (or someone who looks a lot like him) taking aim with the rifle shortly before Kirk was shot.

Remember, Cavernous Nostrils and her "Mommysleuths" have insisted for a year that this rifle could not have caused the wound to Charlie Kirk and that the actual murder weapon was either a concealed handgun fired by a TPUSA staffer (under orders from Israel, of course) or an "exploding microphone." And by the way, the microphone plainly did not explode. It was on video, and nothing happens with the microphone.

But Cavernous Nostrils and her Mommysleuths still insist the "exploding microphone" is a possible murder weapon.

Anything but the rifle Tyler Robinson is seen on video preparing for a sniper shot.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:20 PM | Comments (290) | Trackbacks (Suck)

LOL: Narcissist Psychopath Graham Platner Is Refusing to Drop Out of Race Unless He, the Nazi Rapist, Gets to Pick His Successor

Who wouldn't want to be known as the candidate hand-picked by the Nazi Rapist Stalker?

Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner appears to be holding the Democratic Party hostage -- refusing to drop out after he was accused of rape unless he gets to approve his successor to run for the Senate, The Post has learned.

A source familiar with the campaign discussions said Platner, his campaign and political strategist Morris Katz are deliberating about the Maine Democrat dropping out but only if his replacement has the same anti-Israel, left-wing values that he does.

The communist Nazi wants to make sure that his successor shares his love of communism and anti-Jewish pogroms.

And the clock is ticking for Dems -- there's a deadline of Monday for Platner to withdraw and be replaced on the ballot, according to state election law.

"This vibes to me like a play from Bernie Sanders to slide in Troy Jackson," another source said.

The elderly Vermont independent -- who was Platner's biggest backer -- reportedly wants former Maine senate president Jackson to get the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Jackson, who appeared with Platner and Sanders at a "Fight the Oligarchy" rally in May, recently came in third in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Update from Washington Nearsider:

Mark Halpern said he's hearing Platner won't step aside unless his wife is his replacement.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider: Gotterdammerung

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 02:15 PM | Comments (416) | Trackbacks (Suck)

French Court Lifts Ban on Le Pen Standing for Next Presidential -- But Slaps Her With House Arrest That Will Prevent Her from Campaiging Outside Her Home
NIGEL FARAGE RESIGNS HIS SEAT IN PARLIAMENT

First: Nigel Farage has resigned over his personal finances scandal, which I naively assumed was a lot of smoke and partisan nonsense.

Revealed: Nigel Farage secretly funded by convicted criminal

The Reform UK leader did not declare benefits including staff, security and housing by crypto-gambler George Cottrell, our investigation reveals

Beege Wellborn writes that Farage could have accepted these payments from "generous friends" if he disclosed them -- but apparently, he did not.

Farage appears to have broken MPs' rules by failing to declare that Cottrell provided funding for his operation in the year before his election.

We can also reveal that:

• The Reform leader received "in kind" benefits ranging from his back office to his private security, staff, transport and accommodation.

• Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to transform Farage's social media presence, producing content on immigration, human rights law and political correctness, and that promoted Reform...

Well, this stinks. Though I know a lot of #Based people have been very much against Farage, who they claim is a soft liberal who actively promises to not deport all the migrants. They prefer the Restore movement, led by Rupert Lowe, who led that private inquiry into the grooming gangs.

What happens to Reform now? I don't know.

Meanwhile, in France, the lawfare against Le Pen continues.

The ban on National Rally leader Marine Le Pen running in the 2027 French presidential election was overturned by the Paris Court of Appeal on Tuesday; however, other aspects of the ruling may still derail her campaign.

After over a year of waiting, the appeal court finally issued a ruling on the eligibility of three-time candidate Marine Le Pen to stand again in next year's race to replace Emmanuel Macron.

Le Pen faced a five-year ban from standing in any election in Europe over alleged embezzlement of European Union funds intended for her party's use in the EU Parliament, which were claimed to have been used to pay for party operations in France.

On Tuesday, the Paris Court of Appeal reduced her sentence from five years' ineligibility to 45 months, with 30 months suspended. This means that from the initial ban issued in March of last year, her 15 months of ineligibility would expire well before the April 18th vote next year, Le Figaro reported.

However, the court also handed down a €100,000 fine and sentenced her to three years in prison (suspended) and one year of house arrest with an electronic monitoring tag, which would likely severely limit her ability to campaign.

Le Pen had previously stated that she would not run for the presidency if she were subjected to electronic monitoring by the court. She has previously stated that if she is prevented from running, she would back her long-standing deputy, Jordan Bardella, to run in her place.

Below, Farage attempts to rally the faithful.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 01:13 PM | Comments (307) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The New York Times Knew All About Graham Platner's Rape Allegation But Deliberately Buried It
Update: North American Man-Boy Lincoln Association Grifter Rick Wilson Weighs In

They also buried the allegations of non-rape abuse by Lyndsey Fifield -- and she says she gave them the names of five friends who would corroborate the story (at least as far as her telling the same story contemporaneously).

Two of those friends, she told them, didn't know about the abuse, but could corroborate the dates of their relationship. The other three could corroborate the abuse.

The New York Times chose to only contact the two friends Fifield expressly told them could not corroborate the abuse. They didn't contact the three who could corroborate the abuse, deliberately.

Then they Times wrote that they contacted two friends "who could not corroborate" Fifield's claims of abuse.

Lyndsey Fifield
@lyndseyfifield

I actually understand why Democrat leaders didn't take our stories seriously when the Times reported them in June but are taking them seriously now.

It was by design.

The line most shared from the piece was the claim that the Times "could not corroborate" my story despite talking to two of my friends.

I gave them the contact information for five friends.

They called the two who I clarified would not know about the abuse but would be able to affirm our relationship timeline, events, etc.

They simply did not call the other three.

She also gave the NYT the names of people who could corroborate Platner "stalking" her, and apparently stalking her so menacingly she wrote to her landlord to tell him she was immediately terminating her lease to find a new place to live.

The NYT refused to contact these witnesses, too.

I also gave them the names of all my former roommates who remembered him stalking our row house (which was about 5 houses down from his) and waiting for me to return. I gave them screenshots of messages between these roommates and I discussing it.

I gave them the names of other men I dated who might have remembered him following us around the hill and showing up on my stoop after we walked home from dates to confront us. I gave them emails to my landlord urgently ending my lease and moving to an apartment across town and diary entries talking about it - all time marked.

I told them that during pre-marital counseling I had spoken to my ex-fiance about the abuse because I had to explain to him why I reacted with such terror any time he lost his temper. They said oh NO we don't need to bother HIM (or my priest). Besides, I had written about it in my diary in detail, they reassured.

As the weeks dragged on I stopped trying to give them evidence because the amount I had already given them seemed to overwhelm them and I thought it meant they clearly had more than enough to verify my every claim.

My friends might not have known the details of the abuse, but they affirmed that yes, I had told them that he was abusive--long before he ran for Senate.

Besides, they assured, my part in their reporting would be small. I thought my details would only serve to affirm Jenny and the other anonymous woman.

Jenny and I - having never met or spoken - both shared with these reporters terrifyingly similar details of intimate partner violence, coercive control, and cycles of abuse/love bombing. The third unnamed woman in the story did as well.

But tell me again how they "could not corroborate."

The New York Times did NOT report these allegations of stalking at all, and instead portrayed the relationship as "emotionally volatile" on both ends.

And there's a reason for that -- women hate three things men do: rape, physical abuse, and stalking. (The Times did admit Fifield's claims of physical abuse but, as noted earlier, refused to contact the friends who could corroborate those claims.)

David Strom writes about this and notes that while the New York Times spoke to Jenny Racicot -- the woman accusing Platner of actual rape -- and she told the Times about the rape, the Times refused to publish it at all, or even hint at it.

The Times engaged in the journalistic practice called "Catch and Kill," in which a news outlet rushes to get ahead of a story that damages one of their favorites by getting the story and either completely burying it, or doing a "modified limited hangout," in which the allegations are addressed, but in such a way as to make them less damaging or even non-credible.

The Times had been informed of the rape, but because it was shared off the record, they only described the concerns of his victim, Jenny Racicot, in the vaguest possible terms that implied that Platner's behavior was merely ungentlemanly. Here's the one paragraph they printed referring to what they KNEW was a rape:

Jenny Racicot, 41, a Maine Democrat, who said she dated him casually off and on between 2019 and 2021, said the posts deepened her belief that he did not respect women. "When I saw the old comments that he made online," she said, "I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with."

Racicot had told them, off the record, that he had sexually assaulted her. They buried it, implied his on-the-record accuser was a political operative slandering him, and gave permission to all Platner's boosters to dismiss her story as a political hit job.

I take Strom's point but there is a wrinkle here: Racicot told the Times about the rape but she refused to make that allegation under her own name. That is, while she's quoted in the story accusing Platner of unspecified past behavior, she didn't want them to use her name in connection with the rape allegation.

So, one might say, the Times used good judgment to not report a claimed rape when the actual victim (or alleged victim) refuses to clearly accuse Platner of rape.

You could say that, except for the fact that the New York Times published completely-anonymous allegations of sexual assault against Bret Kavanaugh.

Google AI's overview of the first anonymous allegations of sexual assault against Bret Kavanaugh:

The New York Times detailed an anonymous accusation of sexual misconduct against Justice Brett Kavanaugh in September 2019. Originally reported by reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, the allegation involved a male classmate who witnessed Kavanaugh with his pants down at a Yale University freshman party, where friends allegedly pushed his hand onto a female student.

The female student involved did not speak to The New York Times. The classmate who reported the incident stated he brought it to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and senators during Kavanaugh's confirmation process, but it was not investigated.

The publication faced criticism and scrutiny over its handling of the story, primarily because the article's editors omitted a crucial detail from the initial essay: the female student in question told friends she did not remember the incident. This omission prompted the New York Times to add an editor's note clarifying that the victim did not recall the event, and it renewed broader public debates about media reporting practices during the Supreme Court confirmation process.

So anonymous claims of sexual assault are fair game for reporting, even when the woman allegedly victimized denies the incident ever took place.

And of course the New York Times pushed Chrissy Blowsy Ford's allegations when she was still anonymous, with her "beach friends" pushing the story to media allies.

The entire leftwing propaganda media did.

Here's the New York Times pushing the story as relayed by beach friends, when Blowsy-Ford was still refusing to comment.

Letter Claims Attempted Assault by a Teenage Brett Kavanaugh

By Nicholas Fandos and Michael S. Schmidt

Sept. 14, 2018

WASHINGTON -- A secretive letter shared with senators and federal investigators by the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee charges that a teenage Brett M. Kavanaugh and a male friend trapped a teenage girl in a bedroom during a party and tried to assault her, according to three people familiar with the contents of the letter.

The letter says that Mr. Kavanaugh, then a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in suburban Washington and now President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, had been drinking at a social gathering when he and the male friend took the teenage girl into a bedroom. The door was locked, and she was thrown onto the bed. Mr. Kavanaugh then got on top of the teenager and put a hand over her mouth, as the music was turned up, according to the account.

But the young woman was able to extricate herself and leave the room before anything else occurred, the letter says.

The woman says she considered the episode an assault. She has declined to be publicly identified, and she asked Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, not to publicize the letter.

So the media can and often does report anonymous sexual assault allegations -- but only against Republicans.

Democrats, who claim to #BelieveAllWomen, are protected against such lying whores who lie.

Below: Jodi Kantor, who works at the New York Times and therefore would know all about the rape allegation, spun for Platner a month ago claiming the only charges against Platner concerned him being "a bad boyfriend."

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 12:06 PM | Comments (365) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Rant

A judiciary that does not reflect the cultural desires of a country is out of step with the people they are sworn to protect. A judiciary that actively subverts the obvious intent of the law, subordinating it to their own peculiar and disturbing brand of social justice is irreparably broken and must be discarded.

And this is a good start, but one that must be expanded to the federal judiciary, whose politically motivated temper-tantrums are now simply assumed to be coming after every significant policy decision by the Trump administration.

Florida Shows How States Can Restrain Rogue Judges Who Let Violent Criminals Go Free

For too long, leftist judges have flouted the law and put criminals back on the streets. Following the principles of Critical Legal Theory, which holds that the “law supports a power dynamic which favors the historically privileged and disadvantages the historically underprivileged,” they actively subvert the legal process in any way they can. This usually translates to accepting bogus claims of mental incompetence, issuing lighter sentences for serious crimes, and seeking out alternatives to incarceration. By doing so, they can do their part to remedy the “disparate impact” of the law on black Americans who proportionally commit crimes in far greater numbers than other those in other racial groups.

Pour encourager les autres!. Maybe other Florida hacks-in-black will think twice before releasing some malignant evil onto the streets of their state. Or maybe their arrogance will overwhelm their sense of self-preservation, and the Attorney General will create an "Office Of Judicial Conduct" and go after every single Judge who considers his personal morality to be superior to the will of the people of Florida.

And if that doesn't work? How about changing the law in Florida and making judges personally liable for the criminal acts of those they release? That would be a joy to behold!

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter and X/Twitter]. If you folks who are on X/Twitter would follow us it would be much appreciated!

Posted by: CBD at 11:00 AM | Comments (250) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples, and Her Children
François Gérard

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (232) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 7/ 7 /26

Good morning kids. So a couple of big stories are shaking up the domestic political scene this morning. First and least surprising are the latest in a series of revelations about Democrat Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner:

Jenny Racicot, 41, told Politico that while she and Platner had been involved in an “on-and-off relationship,” in 2021 he allegedly “entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night” while intoxicated. Platner allegedly “forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop.” “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot explained to the outlet. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.'”

So, a Nazi-loving Jew-hating rapist. As America's 250th birthday gradually recedes in the distance, I can honestly say I can't think of a more ideal presidential candidate . . . for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Khamenei Funeral: Loyalists Call for Killing of Trump, Vance, and Conservative Influencers “As they passed under a bridge, mourners hurled stones at a billboard hung from above showing U.S. President Donald Trump with a bullet aimed at his head.”

If you didn't have the context, you'd swear that was a typical social media post from almost any leftist pol, media personality or average lefty wine mom.

Meh, Graham cracka Platner is just another cardboard cutout Democrat Socialist, er Socialite. Shove his ass in a Cutlass Supreme and sink it off the coast of Chappaquidick to see if he floats.

I guess I'm kind of shocked that the Democrats are not circling the wagons, given their propensity to reflexively do so every time one of their own are caught up in this kind of scandal, and sadly 99% of the time come out mostly unscathed.

“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democrat nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kristin Gillibrand of New York said in a statement. “The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.” Democrat Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren also joined the pile-on, saying in a statement that “the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside,” while Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote on X that Platner “must drop out” and that the party “should continue to stand with all survivors of sexual assault.”

Given this story and the rise of the DSA to preeminence in the Dem party, I can't understand how they are now seeing Platner as toxic waste.

A new YouGov survey found Democrats are more likely to view the Black Lives Matter flag positively than the American flag, with 74 percent expressing a very or somewhat positive opinion of the BLM flag compared with 72 percent for the U.S. flag. The poll also found ten percent of Democrats held a negative view of the American flag. Among Republicans, just ten percent said they viewed the BLM flag positively. The survey also measured reactions to other flags and symbols, finding only three percent of Democrats had a positive view of flags associated with President Donald J. Trump, while nine percent viewed the Confederate flag positively and 27 percent viewed the Palestinian flag favorably. The findings were released shortly after a Marist poll reported that fewer than half of Democrats said they were proud to be Americans, compared with 93 percent of Republicans. A 2025 Gallup poll similarly found a sharp partisan divide in national pride. YouGov surveyed 1,088 U.S. adults online between June 30 and July 2.

Elsewhere we have news that Mitch McConnell is unwell, or perhaps fast approaching room temperature.

Before politics enters the room, prayers should. I can't read about a possible heart crisis or stroke without thinking of my father, who lived through a heart attack, suffered a stroke, and endured hard months before he died.
Families live inside those hours; they're not campaign props.
But McConnell isn't only a husband, father, and grandfather. He is Kentucky's senior senator, holding one of 100 seats in a chamber where every vote cast decides war powers, judges, spending, taxes, and the president's agenda. If he's recovering, Kentucky deserves to know enough to trust that recovery. If he's gravely ill, Kentucky deserves honesty without cruelty.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer and journalist Desiree Townsend claimed Monday that McConnell has been declared “brain dead,” citing unnamed sources. McConnell's office hasn't confirmed or denied that claim.

Mitch McConnell's record has to say the least been spotty at best when it comes to advancing an America first constitutional agenda and opposing the Democrat traitors who have run wild especially since the coming of Obama and well before that. McConnell and all the other elderly doddering career politicians on both sides of the aisle who enrich themselves via elective office are why we desperately need term limits, as well as the severest of penalties for graft. Public flogging perhaps.

As if to underscore that, we have McConnell's wife.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao traveled to Beijing just three days after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), was rushed to the hospital following an apparent heart attack that required CPR.

Nope, not a smidgen of a hint of corruption at all, eh? This would be the same China that's doing this... Between Chao, Swalwell, the late Feinstein whose lifelong chauffeur was a Chi-Com spy and how many others nationally and locally who are the same, as well as all the spies in our academic institutions and the private sector, it's a race to see who finishes us off first, them or the Muslims...

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has tracked Chinese nuclear and missile proliferation concerns across multiple decades and report iterations. The six editions examined here span the period from May 2021 through May 2026. Taken together, they reveal a consistent underlying pattern—Chinese government-level transfers have largely ended, but a persistent, arguably worsening problem of Chinese entity-level proliferation continues unabated—while the diplomatic and rhetorical framing around that problem has shifted considerably over time.

These transfers undermine the official Chinese position—namely, that China firmly opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons, missiles, and related technologies/means of delivery and commits to rigorous export controls while balancing nonproliferation with the peaceful uses of dual-use technologies, especially for developing countries (see “China's Non-Proliferation Policy and Measures").

Have a good day,

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot explained to the outlet. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.'” (Dear Iran, I think we've found your ideal next president! - JJS)
  Report: Graham Platner Accused of Breaking into Woman's House, Sexually Assaulting Her
  

• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is 84, hospitalized, and surrounded by more rumor than fact.  
  If McConnell Is Gravely Ill, Kentucky Deserves Clarity

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:30 AM | Comments (341) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 7 July 2026

Top Story

• Beelink has launched its EQi Wildcat Lake mini-PC build around Intel's new low-end Core 3 304 CPU. (Liliputing)
  
  Starting at $509 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD, and limited to just one performance core (and four efficiency cores) it's not going to set the world on fire.
  
  Just give you hearburn.
  
  
  
• Minisforum meanwhile has announced its NAB9S mini PC starting at just $399. (WCCFTech)
  
  True, that includes neither memory nor storage, but what it does include is a 24-core Intel 13900HX laptop processor, which is close to four times as fast in multi-threaded tasks as the Core 3 304.
  
  If you already have a bunch of DDR4 SODIMMs and are worried about the hardware around them aging out, this looks like a pretty good solution. Would handily beat my 5560U mini PC or my 11800H laptop.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:40 AM | Comments (102) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Monday Overnight Open Thread (7/5/26)

[Isle of Reflections 10" x 13" Acrylic on basswood plank]

*****

The Quotes of The Day

Quote I

“We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans,” he said. “We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with callous dirt streaked hands, those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone. And we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Quote II

The newly emerging socialists, like recent congressional nominees Darializa Avila Chevalier or Analilia Mejia, can never explain why their parents left socialist paradises in Latin America to come to cutthroat capitalist America. Victor Davis Hanson

Quote III

“Now, do I like their political position? Yes, I do. I believe that reproductive rights are a thing. And I think that they are obviously invested in women, and they should be. And that taking it from them was taking a right from women. And that’s the first time I’ve seen that done, except for prohibition. And I think it was wrong. But legally, I think it was the right decision.” Chris Cuomo

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:03 PM | Comments (351) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Monday Cafe

Naples
by qs.street

Ducks steal a cat's bed.

Packed bed.

Kitty Lou-Who.

You dirty dog.

A guide to grooming your chinchilla.

Happy pupper.

Saving a cat trapped on a narrow, fast >highway.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:30 PM | Comments (402) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Quick Hits
Update: Mitch McConnell Has Died?

BREAKING: Mitch McConnell has passed away, according to a source close to the White House. - per Laura Loomer

Thanks to rickb223.

Trump spoke of God and against communism on July 4 which Axios thinks is just terrible.

Axios is one of those shills who would tell you Democrats are also opposed to communism. But when Trump speaks out against communism, it's just the worst thing for some reason.

I thought we agreed on this, Axios...?

Trump's God, guns and anticommunist Fourth of July

President Trump championed American military might, a Christian U.S. and his top legislative goal in a delayed Fourth of July speech from the National Mall, wrapping just minutes before the calendar switched to Sunday morning.

...

Driving the news: Throughout the speech, Trump nodded to a modern-day battle against communism, a frequent element of his midterm messaging.

"We don't want communists in our country," he said. "Never worked, and it never will work."
Trump later added, "Communism is a loser, and it always will be."

Zoom out: The president's language was also markedly religious -- in line with the tone from the White House and its allies that has steered America's 250th birthday toward prayer and divine guidance, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

"All over the world, they try and be like us, nobody can be like us, and with God's help, we will always be this, or even better," he said.
"As our Declaration of Independence tells us, we are all made in the image of one almighty God, and a communist will never say that, that's for sure," he added.

Speaking of July 4th: they had a Mostly Peaceful holiday in California.

Fourth of July descended into mayhem across parts of Southern California as unruly crowds overwhelmed packed-out fireworks displays, looted stores, ignited fires and saw cops charge on horseback.

The worst unrest erupted in Newport Beach, where Independence Day revelers poured into Orange County, choking traffic and triggering a police response as disorder spread near the pier.

Authorities ultimately shut down businesses from the Newport Pier to Pacific Coast Highway as officers moved in to restore order.

Officers were swarmed by hundreds of people who hurled bottles and other debris at them before the crowd turned on one another and began fighting.

Mounted officers rode horses into them to clear the area so additional arrests could be made.

Video from the scene also appeared to show the aftermath of the reported looting of a Pavilions grocery store in Newport Beach, with merchandise strewn across the parking lot while groups of people lingered outside the business, laughing and joking.
Newport Beach police with riot shields and bean bag rounds disperse a crowd on July 4th.

Also a Mostly Peaceful 4th in communist NYC.

Eight people, including four children, were shot during a Fourth of July family barbecue in Brooklyn's Coney Island when a masked gunman opened fire on the group without warning, police officials said.

New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives are working to identify the suspect, who fled the scene on foot and remains at large, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Sunday.

"There is no place for this kind of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it. We will fight it with every single tool at our disposal," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the news conference.

Uh-huh.

Another "migrant" -- immigration status withheld -- killed people while driving a truck.

A migrant driver of a semi-truck was arrested and charged with running down and killing a Chicago man who was trying to change his tire alongside a suburban highway late in June.

The accident occurred early in the morning of June 24 when 24-year-old Sebastian Stone pulled off to the side of I-80 near Torrence Ave. to change a flat tire. While in the process of changing the tire, Stone was struck and killed by a semi-truck, which did not stop after running him down, CWBChicago reported.

Police were called to the scene by witnesses, and officers found Stone dead on the side of the road.

Witnesses described the truck that struck the stranded motorist and gave police the license plate number, the name of the company on the side of the truck, and the truck's company ID number. By 9 a.m., police had confirmed the witness statements with license plate reader data.

Officials also confirmed that the semi was being driven by Kulgeet Kang, 34, whose name is of Punjabi origin and common among Sikh communities.

Further information on Kang's immigration status has not been released.

Investigators contacted the company Kang was driving for and informed them of the incident, and company officials called the driver on his cell phone to alert him that he was being sought for killing a motorist. Company officials told police that Kang answered the phone, but then allegedly hung up on his bosses without speaking to them. He then refused to answer follow-up calls.

maybe danielle 💻🚛🇺🇸
@maybedanielleee

This will be very interesting to follow.

> Death by hit-and-run --> semi-truck.
> Found the semi-truck, abandoned, at a truck stop near I-65/State Road 2 in Hebron, IN.
> The truck and trailer were towed for processing.
> The truck driver was not found with the truck.
> The truck driver may have been found.
> Person taken into custody.

"The driver, according to my sources, ditched the semi at a truck stop in Indiana and hours later showed back up to his company in Illinois, where he was taken into custody." -@CourtSpinelliTV

A Muslim murder priest urges Muslims to "sacrifice blood" to make Islam the official, legally-mandated religion in the US.

A Muslim murder-priest said this in Maryland, and no one is doing anything about it.

Yossi BenYakar
@YossiBenYakar

An imam in Alabama, Ragab Abdelmoneim of the Islamic Academy of Huntsville, openly told his audience that Muslims must be ready to sacrifice their lives through jihad in order to establish "the religion of Allah" in the United States.
He claimed that victory over America is closer than ever.
This isn't being preached in some remote village overseas. This is being said openly on American soil.
At what point does this stop being protected "religious speech" and become a national security threat?
How is he not arrested?

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:30 PM | Comments (262) | Trackbacks (Suck)