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A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
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Good morning kids. Well, surprise surprise, Platner is out!They must've thrown a nice chunk of change to exit stage left. While he is truly one of the most vile pieces of human garbage in recent memory ever running for office, I suppose on a positive note it's a sign that the Democrat media/propaganda complex isn't nearly as powerful as it seems in protecting one of their own. Up and down the line every major and minor lefty in and out of government was praising this sick bastard to high Heaven, and you'd think they'd've kept their mouths shut if either they had known the extent of his record or otherwise felt they couldn't keep a tight enough lid on it.
Democrat Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday after a previous girlfriend accused him of sexual assault.
Platner announced his exit two days after 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot accused him of forcibly having sex with her in 2021. The Maine Democrat was embroiled in several controversies, including his Nazi tattoo, inappropriate social media posts and his mockery of a veteran.
“We are suspending our campaign operations,” Platner said in a video statement. “This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power. And I also feel an immense amount of responsibility to everyone who has worked so hard to get us where we are. We went toe to toe with one of the most entrenched political systems in the history of the world and we won.”
On a down note, I will assume his departure regardless of who his replacement will be, if even he can be replaced on the ballot per Maine election laws, means that the hideous harridan backstabbing RINO Susan Collins will most likely win her bid for reelection and we'll be saddled with this RINO shitwhore for another six years of backstabbing Maine and America.
Abbott directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on Wednesday to investigate allegations that a Rio Grande Valley hospital promoted birth tourism packages to foreign nationals, according to a press release from Abbott’s Office. (RELATED: Supreme Court Shoots Down Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order) Abbott Investigates Hospital Over Mexico Billboards Promoting Birth Tourism Packages In Texas
The arrests highlight the ongoing security challenges at the southern border, including the potential for armed infiltrators attacking American citizens or uniformed personnel, and the trafficking of illegal firearms. However, the Trump administration has implemented far more stringent border controls than the former Biden-Harris government, ramping up wall construction and deploying the military to plug gaps along the frontier. Illegal Aliens Armed with AK-Style Rifles Caught Crossing Southern Border.
The investigation aims to take the “most aggressive action against foreign labor fraud by an Inspector General this administration” to further President Trump’s goal to end foreign violence on American soil and return jobs to the American people, D’Esposito told Fox Business. Trump Admin Launches Probe Into H-1B Visa Fraudsters Stealing Jobs From Americans
The IRGC’s aggression follows Iran bombing various vessels attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, reportedly ships linked to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian regime’s attacks prompted U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to resume targeted strikes on Iran’s terrorist infrastructure to protect free navigation in the strait, which the IRGC used as its reasoning for bombing Kuwait and Bahrain. Iran Launches Bombing Spree Against Neighbors Following Strait of Hormuz Strikes
Are “negotiations” simply buying the Mullahs time? The Iran Illusion
Betsy McCaughey: President Donald Trump used the 250th celebration of our nation’s founding to warn of Marxists’ efforts to cancel our heroic Founders and erode our longstanding values. “You can be loyal to Karl Marx or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You can’t be both,” he declared at Mount Rushmore on Friday. The gravest danger America faces today isn’t a foreign power or a global pandemic: It’s the ideological takeover of our young people’s minds through our educational and cultural institutions. We the people are fighting back against the leftist assault on America’s heroes
The Supreme Court’s just-concluded term produced several important victories for constitutional principles. Unfortunately, two catastrophic failures dragged the Court’s overall performance down. The 2026 Supreme Court -- a ‘C Minus’ at Best
More than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits and roughly as many are enrolled in Medicare; meanwhile working adults finance these programs today on the promise of receiving those benefits in the future. Virtually every American will bear the consequences of the government’s failure to confront entitlement insolvency. America’s Entitlement Illusion
OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY/LEFTIST-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM, ANTI-CHRISTIANITY, PLUS VARIOUS & SUNDRY GODLESS HEATHENS
The remarks by Emanuel, who is Jewish and the son of an immigrant from Jerusalem, highlight a growing divide within the Democrat Party regarding U.S. support for Israel, with implications for future U.S. foreign policy. His comments come as support for Israel among Democrats has significantly declined, with Muslim, minority, and youth voters on the left far more critical of the Jewish State than previous generations of Democrat voters. Rahm Emanuel Tells Israel To Change Course Or Lose Democrat Support.
J-6 FBI/PELOSI-ENGINEERED FALSE FLAG "RIOT" & AFTERMATH,
Trump issued the pardons on the first day of his second term, granting clemency, commuting prison sentences and directing the dismissal of cases involving more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to the Associated Press. Judge Rules Trump’s J6 Pardons Do Not Cover Pipe Bomb Defendant
The revelations further undermine the credibility of the lawfare investigation into President Trump for supposedly mishandling classified information he retained at his Mar-a-Lago estate, guarded by Secret Service personnel, following his first presidency. They also highlight the Biden-era DOJ’s double standards with respect to the handling of classified information. Biden DOJ Mishandled Classified Docs While Investigating Trump for Mishandling Classified Docs.
FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, MEDIA, BIG BROTHER TECH
The tragedy of Carlson and Owens isn't that they questioned power; America needs people willing to do that. The tragedy is that both show how useful instinct can become a counterfeit religion. Suspicion becomes identity. Audience applause becomes confirmation, former allies become enemies, and every criticism becomes proof of persecution. Why Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson Took the Strange Road
AMERICA AND THE WORLD IMPRISONED: CHINESE CORONAVIRUS FICTIONS AND FACTS
EDUCATION, AND WHAT PASSES FOR IT
In a 2-1 decision the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit blocked the higher education portion of the 2022 Sunshine State law that was meant to stop left-wing gender ideology and critical race theory (CRT) from being taught in schools, according to the ruling. Trump-Appointed Judge Nixes Ron DeSantis’ Crackdown On ‘WOKE’ In Universities
There are obviously many excellent teachers, but as a whole, educators are one of the nation’s least admirable professional cohorts and contain numerous individuals who shouldn’t be near children at all. Stop Praising All Our 'Wonderful' Teachers
The conflicting rulings place DHS in a position where it must decide to what extent Wetherell’s ruling invalidates Sookanan’s. The cases could have significant implications for how states manage their voter rolls and the federal government’s role in guaranteeing election integrity. Wetherell noted in his ruling that, between his order and Sookanan’s order, one of them would “have to give,” but predicted that it would not be his. Election Integrity Win as Judge Tells DHS to Reopen Citizenship Database to Four GOP States.
The deployment of federal election monitors is intended to address concerns about election integrity and ensure that federal laws are upheld by state officials. Dhillon said the federal government is well within its rights to “Exercise… our oversight duty and our enforcement duty to enforce the Help America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Voting Rights Act, a very important statute, and other civil rights statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Trump DOJ Sending Federal Election Monitors to Six States.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, the president said he had not spoken with the Kentucky Republican since his recent hospitalization. “I have no idea how he’s doing,” Trump said, according to CNN’s Alayna Treene. Trump Gives Blunt Response To Question On Mitch McConnell’s Health
The founder of the DSA tried and failed to make America socialist. The modern version of the organization will be no more successful in that quest. Michael Harrington’s Dilemmas
President Donald Trump said that he would work to remove Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism on Wednesday during his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the NATO summit in Turkey. Trump Moves To Legitimize Ex-Jihadist Leader’s Regime (the only EX-jihadist is a dead jihadist - jjs)
... this is more than just a humanitarian crisis — it's also becoming a political one. It has exposed the regime rot still in place, which isn't surprising. The "interim government" leaders consist of two anti-American siblings whose father was a Marxist guerrilla fighter and one of the most wanted cartel leaders in the U.S. Something Else Is Amiss: Don’t Believe Everything You Read About Venezuela Right Now
THE UKRAINIAN "FRONT"
The United States government will grant Ukraine a license to build the Patriot Missile, an active component of the world-class surface-to-air missile interceptor system, one of the few ways to prevent a ballistic missile strike. Ballistic missiles are particularly difficult to intercept because they are propelled into space before returning to Earth, plummeting at enormous speed towards their targets. Trump: America Will Teach Ukraine to Make Its Own Patriot Missiles Under Licence
“His two applications to join the Fascist Party were turned down...Evola’s work matters because it is read, and should be read because it matters.” Julius Evola’s Many Lives
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
I noticed Grok having a stroke recently; no data lost but it had to reload all my documents and restart the conversation. That may have been the model switch.
Anyway, Grok is now smarter than Claude Opus but still not quite as smart as Claude Fable.
But there's something a little odd here. The results show two core clusters, with four cores in the main cluster and six in the second cluster.
That would still be a laptop chip, because the 10-core desktop chips we're expecting will have a single core cluster. Given that, the performance increase of 29% single-threaded and 22% multi-threaded is more than respectable.
How do you do, fellow kids? Good evening Horde. The time has come for mid-week shenanigans. The bar is open and freshly re-stocked. Free refills!
Welcome to the Wednesday night ONT which means another edition of random overnight fun and games. Pull up a chair and join the fun. Good will offerings of amusing puns are encouraged. Pants are optional. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors. This is a Tucker, Candace, Megyn and Bill Kristol free zone. Please.
Will reading the content help the sun come up tomorrow? Don't know but why take chances. Read on.
Scientists in Singapore and Japan have developed a tiny 3D-printed scuba suit for cyborg cockroaches, allowing them to survive and move underwater and other low-oxygen environments for up to three hours.
The suit can transform a regular cockroach, and potentially other insects, into "an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water," according to a new research paper published this week in Nature Communications.
So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway?
Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks.
What could possibly go wrong?
***
Horde Shopping News
I know what you're thinking. "My plans for a 39 foot tall animatronic T-Rex dinosaur have not materialized. I'm interested in exploring alternative avenues. Any suggestions?"
Sotheby's is planning to sell one of the largest and most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found on July 14. It was found on private land in Harding County, South Dakota and took years to fully excavate and assemble. His name is Gus. He seems nice.
The auction estimate is $20 to $30 million, so better shake those couch cushions hard.
More background here:
If that's a little pricey for you, other items in the Natural History auction might be interesting. It is a fascinating mix of fossils, meteorites, petrified wood, minerals and precious metals in their natural form, prehistoric handaxes, and more.
***
I know what you're thinking: "Cyborg cockroaches? T-Rex skeletons? How about some class and elegance?"
Sure. This isn't a fashion thread, but here you go:
Tonight's feature is Jason and his channel called Epic UpCycling. Jason takes scraps (think in terms of wood pallets) and makes things. He makes cabinets, chests, and even a globe. He mostly works with wood, but occasionally strays into metal. He shows each step and most of his project involve a huge number of simple cuts. He uses power tools but often prefers hand planes, chisels and saws. His channel has over 417,000 subscribers.
I know what you're thinking. Do people really watch 30 to 40 minute videos of a guy making stuff in his workshop by himself with no commentary, subtitles or music? Yes. His videos regularly attract several million views.
His videos are good examples of story telling. Simple camera work, angles and editing. No artificial drama. No highly polished graphics or editing. No clickbait.
***
The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving. Thank you people of Pittsburgh and thank you Pittsburgh scanner!
***
Never thought about it before, but I learned today that both alligators and crocodiles sneeze. Isn't this the type of life-enriching knowledge that makes reading the ONT worthwhile? Isn't it? You're welcome.
***
They Might be Giants for the big ONT finish:
***
T-Rex appreciates the groundswell of totally organic and genuine interest but is not currently a candidate in Maine for the US Senate. Media requests for comment can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com where they will be promptly ignored. Are you lurking ????
The Absolute Balls,, Part 2: Me-Again Kelly, who has spent the entire last year claiming that anyone bothered by Candace Owens' stalking and torture of Erika Kirk was only making an issue of it because they're Israeli operatives -- she actually claimed that we were complaining in bad faith just to sabotage Candace Owens' "important questions" about Israel's role in the murder.
And of course, she's the woman who told we who were horrified by this to "Fuck. Off.," now realizes "Oh right my former audience was largely conservative and maybe they didn't like being told that their concerns about the martyer's widow Erika Kirk were all fake and hypnotized into their brains by Ben Shapiro, Super Jew-Fluencer."
So now she says that maybe people -- she won't say who should stop defaming the grieving widow every single day.
Here she is with her work-husband Tuq'r Qarlson attacking her former audience members who told her to condemn Candace Owens.
Here she was telling those who criticized her for her click-whore cowardice to "Fuck. Off."
Here she was endorsing Candace Owens' central antisemitic conspiracy theory that Israel killed Charlie Kirk due to his becoming "much more skeptical" about Israel, calling it an important and plausible theory.
.@MegynKelly: "I really, really, wish the people who have doubts about Erika Kirk would just keep them quiet this week. Whether you like her or you don't like her, hopefully the human inside of you can see how difficult this is for her and the family... It's just beyond human what is being asked of the family, and I beg for you to keep them in your prayers."
She has repeatedly claimed that anyone objecting to Candace Owens' stalking and assassination-prep campaign against Erika Kirk was just making a bad-faith attack on Owens "because of Israel."
But now it's "beyond human" for Candace Owens to ask if Erika Kirk was part of a Jewish plot to murder her husband? When did it move from an "important question that must be asked" to "beyond human"?
Was it when she last checked her YouTube views? Is that when she decided it was now "beyond human"? When she discovered her influence had plunged to almost nothing?
What happened to her prideful, antisemitic vow to never separate herself an inch from "young mom" Candace Owens?
Meanwhile, Candace Owens is spamming out new defamatory accusations without evidence, to cover up for her previous defamations having been proven false in court.
Her new claim? Well, Ben Shapiro -- a highly connected person in the media who personally knew Charlie Kirk -- got word through a text that Charlie Kirk had been shot before Candace did, so this must mean... that Ben Shapiro is involved in the murder.
See, it wasn't telling Shapiro "SHIT CHARLIES BEEN SHOT," it was the Israeli assassins telling him "TARGET DOWN, CONGRATULATIONS AND MAZEL TOV."
Bad Hombre
@Badhombre
4h
Candace Owens is not crashing out, contrary to popular belief.
Her frantic posts are the hallmarks of a narcissistic psychopath backed into a corner: the people she misled and profited from are now defecting and demanding answers.
Her decision to double down through denial, aggression, victimhood, blame-shifting, and a complete lack of remorse is calculated. She needs the public to believe she genuinely believes the defamatory claims she promoted--even if she doesn't.
Why? Because she knows there is sufficient evidence to convict Tyler Robinson and expose her own claims as false. If he is convicted, the existing defamation suits against her become stronger, while opening the door to new ones from TPUSA, Andrew Kolvet, Erika Kirk, and others.
She's now laying the groundwork for a legal defense that she acted with a bona fide belief in her claims and without actual malice.
It won't work. She's screwed.
Liz Wheeler
@Liz_Wheeler
6h
Candace claims it's NOT Tyler Robinson in the videos...
But Tyler Robinson's MOTHER identified him from those videos.
Think very carefully, America.
Candace Owens' cultists are now accusing Charlie Kirk's parents of being in on the conspiracy. They're being "paid" to "keep quiet."
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan made 1 million pounds from prostituting a teenager through their webcam sex business, police have alleged.
The brothers are facing a heap of new charges from Romania's directorate for investigating organised crime and terrorism (DIICOT).
In addition to charges of human trafficking and rape, prosecutors have now added money laundering, witness intimidation and complicity in the trafficking of minors to the list of charges.
Former world champion kickboxer and self-described misogynist Andrew, 39, is accused of manipulating a 17-year-old girl into working for the Tate brothers' pornography business between November 2014 and December 2021.
She was then placed under the control of Tristan, 37, who is accused of sexually exploiting her by controlling her online webcam account and setting financial targets which she needed to meet, DIICOT said.
The exploitation of the then-17-year-old allegedly earned the brothers $1.53 million (1.14 million pounds).
Prosecutors said between 2018 and 2021, Tristan recruited three victims using the 'lover boy method' - showering them with gifts to emotionally blackmail them into sex work.
Tristan is accused of intimidating 11 witnesses into making false statements, or not giving statements to prosecutors.
Andrew is also said to have threatened two alleged victims and two alleged witnesses with lawsuits to withdraw their cooperation with the police.
Both brothers are also accused of illegally selling luxury vehicles.
Five of the Tates' luxury vehicles were also seized by the authorities.
In the UK, the brothers have been charged with 21 offences, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.
Both brothers deny the allegations.
You know, I might be skeptical of these charges, if the Tate brothers did not have a subscription life coaching service where they teach men how to manipulate girls into being whores using the "loverboy" treatment (which is actually how pimps recruit hookers) -- tell them how much you love them, but they just need to do this one thing to make them some money...
A woman in a NJ prison is suing the state for forcing her to share unmonitored spaces with a "female" prisoner, who sexually assaulted her. She says she was penetrated by this "female" prisoner's penis, in both the vagina and mouth.
An inmate at New Jersey's only women's prison is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit she filed against the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) alleging that she was sexually abused by a trans-identified male transfer. In the August 2023 complaint, the woman, identified in court records as F. H., said that a "transgender inmate" with "fully functioning male parts" raped her on two occasions, in September and October 2022.
While the name of the male transfer was anonymized as Q. G. in court records, Reduxx can reveal that the "transgender inmate" named in the lawsuit is violent convict Quagee Gibbons, who stands at 6'1″ and weighs nearly 300 pounds.
Gibbons, who is listed as a "female" in the New Jersey inmate directory, has multiple convictions, including for manslaughter in 2014, threats of violence, and physical assault.
According to the suit, the Edna Mahan Corrections Facility for Women (EMCFW) houses multiple trans-identified male inmates who routinely harass the women there. F. H. alleges that the NJDOC and EMCF "failed to take timely and adequate corrective actions to protect the women inmates from transgender inmates with a fully functioning male sexual anatomy." Despite numerous complaints being lodged about the men's "sexually aggressive and harassing behavior," corrections officers and the NJDOC ignored the women's concerns.
Prison officials "failed to create a safe and secure environment for the female inmates," reads the complaint. "Transgenders were allowed to mix with females in areas with no correction officer supervision or oversight. An example is that transgenders were housed with female inmates in areas with no security cameras."
In September and October 2022, F. H. was housed in the same wing as Gibbons. She notes that due to the lack of cameras in the hallway, male officers were not permitted to enter the area without first announcing themselves.
Despite this, Gibbons was given "unfettered access and private access" to F. H., who she says "used his / her penis to commit both oral and vaginal intercourse." She reported the sexual assault to EMCF staff, but was issued disciplinary charges in retaliation. Attempts were made to transfer her to a prison in another state, and F. H. says she has been repeatedly placed in solitary confinement.
In her lawsuit, F. H. requested financial compensation for her "severe emotional distress", as well as punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. She also invoked the Law Against Discrimination (LAD), asserting that she was discriminated against and harassed on the basis of her "gender."
What are we even doing here?
About $30 billion flew out of CA due to unfettered fraud around 2020. Staff was apparently instructed to “just get the money out there. We’ll worry about the fraud later.” Which they never “worried about later.” California governance is conducted by some of the most financially… https://t.co/QX01snO9kc
Democratic Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico tapped the former leader of a protest movement called "C--ks Not Glocks" at the University of Texas at Austin to be his legislative aide, a job that included drafting gun control legislation.
Ana Lopez helped Talarico craft three major firearm restriction bills that he rolled out in the state legislature in 2019, all of which failed to pass.
Lopez took over the leadership of "C--ks Not Glocks," which once handed out more than 4,500 dildos on the UT-Austin campus to protest a 2015 law allowing licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons at state universities and community colleges, from founder Jessica Jin -- an alum of the school, like Talarico.
Lopez told Study Breaks Magazine in 2017 that Jin had moved to California after graduation and passed the "torch down to me."
With its motto of "fighting absurdity with absurdity," members of "C--ks Not Glocks" marched on campus with t-shirts and banners depicting male genitalia emblazoned with perverse takes on pro-Second Amendment slogans such as "take it and come," while others donned dog collar sex toys.
Jin, who started the movement as a joke on social media, said she wanted to "put a dildo in the hands of every pissed off college student who hasn't been heard in this safety conversation."
"Strap it on, feel the discomfort, feel the weird looks. Wear it loud, wear it proud, and don't take them off until people take their guns home," she added, per the Houston Chronicle.
"As long as you have a d-- on your backpack, people will be thinking about the guns," the Texas Tribune quoted her as saying.
Lopez later complained about the backlash to the group, telling Study Breaks Magazine, "It's usually just men who can't take a joke."
Flashback: James Talarico wants to tell you about Positive Masculinity.
The Texas House of Representatives advanced a measure on Friday that would prohibit "sexually oriented performances" from taking place in public spaces and in front of minors.
Notably, the House's version of Senate Bill 12 does not include language targeting drag performers -- a big change from the version the state Senate passed last month. That version included any performance with "a male performer exhibiting as a female, or a female performer exhibiting as a male" as "sexually oriented."
Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, said Friday the House version still seeks to shield minors from sexually explicit content.
"Children should never be exposed to sexually oriented conduct," Shaheen said. "Senate Bill 12 would help put an end to the sexualization of children in the state of Texas."
Under the House substitute of SB 12, shows that include "actual or simulated...sexual acts, including vaginal sex, anal sex and masturbation" cannot take place in front of minors.
Businesses who host such performances in the presence of people under 18 years old could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
"Senate Bill 12 would help put an end to the sexualization of children in the state of Texas," Shaheen said.
The measure was preliminarily approved 88 to 12. Forty-two members -- nearly all Democrats -- voted present. That number of abstentions is highly unusual.
Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, told reporters he voted "present" because the measure had significantly improved.
"I think Texas is obviously the best state in the nation and I think we produce some of the best drag queens in the nation. And I didn't want any legislation to target them or hurt that industry," said Talarico.
The Absolute Balls: Alex Thompson Again Claims a "Scoop" On Something Conservative Media Reported Months Ago
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Huh. If you forgot the name Alex Thompson, one, congratulations on the efficient use of your memory cells, and two, he joined with Jake Tapper to share the B R E A K I N G news that Joe Biden had lost a step and really shouldn't have tried running for president in 2024.
He wrote this book in 2025. He really had his finger on the pulse of a corpse.
And now he's discovered -- apparently by simply reading conservative media outlets, who have reported this for months -- that Graham Platner's claims of being a "working class" "oysterman" are entirely a a fiction invented in 2024, when he decided to run for the Senate.
One might bid him a hearty welcome him to Current Day, except for the fact that he absolutely refuses to acknowledge the media outlets that reported this long ago, pretending he's got a real Shoeleather Express Scoop on his hands here.
Looks like the word has gone out to all the Narrative Tenders in political and media culture. Time to shut down Graham Platner's "working-class man" credentials.
Advertisement
Most people saw through this false premise months ago. Axios decided to catch up today, now that Democrats need to pressure Herr Totenkopf to withdraw from the Senate election in Maine. Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein do a deep dive into the predicament Democrats now face after attempting to sell Platner as a MAGA-adjacent man of the people instead of the middle-class parental mooch that he is. Readers have to get halfway through the analysis to get to Axios' half-assed admission of participating in the fraud:
Starting with their launch video last August, Platner and his team billed him as an oyster farmer -- a title most of the media, including Axios at times, repeated without scrutiny.
But as early as August, he told ideologically friendly outlets that he makes little money from selling oysters and it's not how he makes a living.
Platner and his team pitched him as a "working-class Mainer" who bought his house with veterans' benefits.
"I bought my house in 2017," he posted in September 2025. "If I hadn't bought then, if I hadn't had the support of the VA, my wife and I would now be priced out of the town I grew up in, like the millions of Americans being exiled from their towns and cities."
In fact, Platner's father -- a lawyer -- loaned him $200,000 for the home.
Platner said last fall he's "never been close to money and power," but he briefly attended the elite prep school Hotchkiss in Connecticut before attending a private school in Maine.
Golly! Who could have known that? Well, anyone who read the Free Beacon more than two months ago, when Collin Anderson and Peter Hasson first reported on the details of the house purchase.
Worth noting that conservative outlets like the Free Beacon exposed his sham blue collar image long ago. Those facts were largely ignored by legacy media. Now that’s changed. A cynic might say it’s because he’s now seen as a threat to their partisan tribe’s power quest. https://t.co/7h7Xf48mhI
Axios also lies when it claims a "scoop" about Platner lying about why he attended an expensive private school. He claimed that the public school in his area had been de-accredited, thus requiring this Child of Non-Privilege to go to expensive private school.
But that was a lie. The public school had never been de-accredited. Platner just went there because... he was the rich-bitch son of a lawyer.
Should Alex Thompson get credit for this "scoop"? No, as Ed Morrissey writes -- the Maine Monitor reported that five weeks ago, and they didn't claim it was a scoop even five weeks ago.
Stephen L. Miller
@redsteeze
Alex Thompson has made a lot of money reporting things that everyone already knew about and acting like it's breaking news.
I have written before about how the myth of Graham Platner's "working man" populism was created, despite the fact that he was a child of privilege, lied constantly about his background and even his "job" as an oysterman. He was a creation of a propaganda machine, primarily driven by The New York Times and the Condé Nast media empire.
National Review did a deep dive into how Platner was plucked out of nowhere and turned into a working-class political star.
The phrase "it's an op" -- meaning an influence operation -- is often, though not always, a marker of paranoia, a tendency towards conspiracy theories, or a belief in forces that are unseen and cannot yet be proven to exist.
Still, from the very start of SS-tattooed Democrat Graham Platner's campaign for Senate, something seemed odd. The New York Times is not in the habit of writing a largely glowing profile of every long-shot, little-known Democrat who announces a bid for Senate. Platner was the harbormaster of Sullivan, Maine, population 1,246.
Yet the Times wrote its profile of Platner before he officially announced his campaign, in August.
In September, The New Yorker wrote its own 3,400-word profile of Platner, emphasizing how he "devoured books on military history." (But remember, he insists he never recognized the tattoo on his chest as a symbol of the Nazi SS.) Again, The New Yorker almost never writes long-detailed profiles of little-known Democratic Senate candidates one month after they announce their bid.
Then in October, GQ -- not primarily a political magazine, and not one that often spotlights candidates -- published its own large spread of Platner with lots of photos.
Then in November, the culinary magazine Bon Appetit -- again, not in the habit of covering obscure Senate candidates -- wrote another glowing profile, this one entitled, "How Graham Platner Went From Working-Class Oysterman to Maine's Zohran Mamdani."
This is Beto O'Rourke-level national coverage, right out of the gate.
CNN: Gee maybe we let Graham Platner claim "Muh PTSD" as an excuse a few times too many.
Shorter CNN segment: Yeah, we probably let Graham Platner saying he had PTSD be too much of an excuse for his horrible behavior, even though the mistreatment of women is never acceptable. Whoopsie! pic.twitter.com/qLHoPzxcRg
Leftwing Judge Refuses to Sentence Former Judge Dugan to Jail for Helping Illegal Alien Elude Police, Won't Even Put Her on Probation
—Disinformation Expert Ace
It's getting harder and harder to believe this country can be saved, or, frankly, should be saved, at least in its current configuration.
Who wants to fight for this?
Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
BREAKING: Former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan has been sentenced to no prison time after she was found guilty of obstructing ICE agents from arresting an illegal alien in a courthouse last year. Federal judge Lynn Adelman (Clinton appointee) has just ordered Dugan to pay a 5,000 fine instead of any time behind bars.
Prosecutors has asked for a sentence of 15-21 months.
"This is a situation where an otherwise good person upset by immigration enforcement in this country, a sentiment widely shared, made a bad decision in the moment," Judge Adelman said in court.
Shipwreckedcrew
@shipwreckedcrew
1h
Judge Lynn Adelman finally showed his true colors in the Judge Hannah Dugan sentencing today in Wisconsin.
No only did he not sentence her to a jail term on a federal felony, he did not even put her on probation.
He departed downwards on the guidelines -- I don't know his justification yet -- and imposed only a $5000 fine for felony obstruction where she sent an illegal alien with armed federal agents waiting for him on a path to escape from them on a public street.
Adelman did her no favors in how he presided over the case in terms of his legal rulings, and he upheld the jury's verdict.
She will suffer professional consequences from the felony conviction.
But he let her off the hook entirely today in terms of the penal consequences for her conduct.
He's a left-wing nut job judge and has always been a nut job.
BREAKING: Hannah Dugan, the Wisconsin judge convicted for helping an illegal alien escape ICE, receives ZERO prison time and instead is ordered to pay just a $5000 fine.
Meet Lynn Adelman, a Clinton-appointed judge, who sentenced Disgraced Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan to ZERO jail time after she helped an illegal alien escape ICE arrest.
Unshocking: Biden Prosecutor Jack Smith Mishandled Classified Information While Prosecuting Trump for Mishandling Classified Information
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Paul Sperry
@paulsperry_
2h
BREAKING: Just-declassified messages reveal an assistant to Special Counsel Jack Smith violated SCIF security procedures and others on his team mishandled classified material WHILE prosecuting President Trump for allegedly mishandling classified info in 2023-2024.
"This is yet another example of law enforcement's double standards in the previous administration," said Senate Judiciary Chair Grassley, who uncovered the new records.
Prosecutors under former special counsel Jack Smith apparently disclosed classified material after bringing charges against President Trump over identical violations, according to internal government records released Wednesday.
Messages between members of the special counsel's office from July 2023 show that investigators seemed to provide "access to classified materials" without confirming those who reviewed the information did so on a "need to know" basis.
Other communications from Oct. 15 and 16 of that same year revealed that "a classified letter" was left out, while on April 19, 2024, a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) was left open because "no one closed it the day before."
"That's a violation and an incident so I need to know the details," said Carli Rodriguez-Feo, a Department of Justice veteran who has worked in its Litigation Security Group.
An assistant to Smith, Stephanie Van Buskirk, appears to have been responsible for the security lapse.
It's unclear whether the special counsel's office members involved in the exchanges were working on Smith's case against Trump involving the alleged retention of classified documents at the 45th president's Mar-a-Lago estate or his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
...
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the communications in a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming they suggested a "double standard" by the Biden administration.
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Grassley said in a statement. "According to these messages, Biden DOJ personnel may have committed the very offense for which Jack Smith was prosecuting President Trump."
The Iowa Republican's letter cited former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified material -- and the DOJ's decision under former President Barack Obama not to prosecute her for it.
He also noted the DOJ's non-prosecution of Biden, who was clearly guilty, but presented as a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory," which -- and I wasn't aware of this -- turns out to be a perfect defense against an Espionage charge.
My own deeply felt schadenfreude aside, why shouldn't Platner dig in?
Micky Kaus pointed out that Platner "has the leverage. All he has to do to screw the Dem party is... nothing." And my RedState colleague Bonchie described the Left's "nuclear levels of cope" over their rapey Nazi: "He's a mentally disturbed do-nothing who works for his mom. He doesn't care about the party. Why would he? And there is no mechanism to forcibly remove him."
...
Make no mistake. Democrats are the whores in the Platner story, willing to overlook a Nazi tattoo, anger management issues, credible rape allegations, public airing of sex fetishes, admissions to joining the military just so he could kill people, and more. All because they thought they finally had a workingman candidate who could beat Collins.
Now Platner is haggling over the price of his withdrawal, and he has until Sunday night to bleed his party nearly dry.
I have now read this highlighted sentence seventeen times because I assumed I wan't actually reading what was written. Surely my eyes didn't actually read this. Maybe someone accidentally pasted in dialogue from "The Onion." back when it was funny. But no.
She is saying that she delayed reporting a rape because she agreed with the accused, politically.
This is one of those moments where, if your IQ is over 85, your brain quietly excuses itself from the room.
We have apparently reached a point where politics has become the emotional-support animal for basic human survival instincts. "Yes, this person committed one of the worst crimes imaginable against me, but we both liked the same tax policy. Awkward."
If your political identity has become so central that it can outweigh reporting your own rape, congratulations: you hve joined a cult. Cults are famous for making people subordinate reality, morality, and self-preservation to the interests of the group.
I hate cults. I hate them a lot.
They don't ask you to ignore facts all at once: they ask for one tiny compromise after another until one day you discover you're explaining away things that should be absolutely indefensible.
What's sad isnt just that people end up there. It's that many of them don't even realize it. They sincerely believe they're making a principled decision when, from the outside, everyone else is wondering why the obvious isn't obvious anymore.
At least religious cults usually promise enlightenment, salvation, eternal life, or an alien spaceship hiding behind a comet. Political cults dont even offer that. They ask you to sacrifice your judgment, your relationships, sometimes even your own well-being in exchange for cable-news talking points, in favor of a politician who will sell you out for a pack of gum.
That's a spectacularly bad trade.
At some point, "my team" has to lose to "the person who committed a violent felony against me." That's not supposed to be a close game.
My own deeply felt schadenfreude aside, why shouldn't Platner dig in?
Micky Kaus pointed out that Platner "has the leverage. All he has to do to screw the Dem party is... nothing." And my RedState colleague Bonchie described the Left's "nuclear levels of cope" over their rapey Nazi: "He's a mentally disturbed do-nothing who works for his mom. He doesn't care about the party. Why would he? And there is no mechanism to forcibly remove him."
...
Make no mistake. Democrats are the whores in the Platner story, willing to overlook a Nazi tattoo, anger management issues, credible rape allegations, public airing of sex fetishes, admissions to joining the military just so he could kill people, and more. All because they thought they finally had a workingman candidate who could beat Collins.
Now Platner is haggling over the price of his withdrawal, and he has until Sunday night to bleed his party nearly dry.
Platner and his team are using their leverage to force the Maine Democratic Party to allow him to hand-pick his successor, as the New York Post reported yesterday based on anonymous sourcing.
The Maine Democratic Party confirmed it last night in a video statement from its executive director. In a declaration drenched in irony, Devon Murphy-Anderson pledged "integrity" in the process to dump the violent Nazi-tatted Kik creeper its voters elected. She then huffed about how Platner was forcing himself on the party's processes, apparently clueless to the parallels that created the crisis:
She added: "The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome, and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both."
As Murphy-Anderson went on, she accused Platner's team of "repeatedly" reaching out to them "in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale" to influence what the process looks like.
"We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner's team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like," she noted. "We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November."
Platner, forcing himself on unwilling partners? Gee, what a shock!
Unfortunately for Maine Democrats, Platner has all the leverage in this situation, as I explained yesterday and David will discuss next. Maine does not allow a political party to remove a nominee once he or she has won the primary. The only way that Murphy-Anderson and her organization can have a "process," let alone one with "integrity," is for Platner to voluntarily withdraw before the July 13 deadline. Maine Democrats had months to get Platner out of the primary after the news of his Nazi SS Totenkopf tattoo went public in October, along with his posts on Reddit and other platforms suggesting that women bore responsibility for being raped.
Why does the Nazi Communist we elected to be our candidate knowing he was a Nazi Communist believe he has any power to determine who the candidate is?! Who's responsible for electing this Nazi Communist?!
Democrats are doing everything to find out who drove this Hot Dog Car through the window!
Plan A was to elect a Nazi communist. That Plan is failing.
Plan B, which was to force out Platner in favor of a Communist to be Named Later, is also failing.
So Democrats are switching to Plan C: Cover up for Platner, defend him, and just put the rapist Nazi in the Senate.
That's just Plan A again, but Plan A has a stink on it.
Fetterman: Why does Bernie Sanders keep pushing communist dirtbags?
A: Because all communists are dirtbags and Bernie Sanders is a lifelong communist dirtbag.
Bravo Sen. Fetterman for saying this. Bernie Sanders has a long track record of endorsing dirtbags:
Graham Platner: rapist & Nazi Hamas supporter Abdul El-Sayed: terror supporter Adam Hamawy: literal terrorist Melat Kiros: terror supporter Andrew Gillum: crystal meth &… https://t.co/rBlLQDZyw2
The Pennsylvania Democrat torched socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Monday night for promoting disgraced Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner despite clear signs that he was a "predator."
"I would really call Bernie Sanders to apologize for pushing this kind of predator more than anyone," Fetterman told Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" hours after former Platner girlfriend Jenny Racicot claimed that he broke into her home and raped her in 2021.
Fetterman specified that Sanders should "apologize to the victims, especially the woman that -- she claimed that he raped her."
"I don't know why you want to keep pushing these kinds of people," he added of Sanders. "Maybe he should consider [sitting] a few out and stop pushing these kind of communists."
"I know Democrats that have, you know, back-to-back endorsed and got all in on [disgraced former Rep. Eric] Swalwell and were on the Platner train as well, too," Fetterman went on. "So, maybe stop, you know, getting [in] bed with absolute dirt bags, someone like Platner."
Sanders had been among Platner's earliest backers, endorsing him in August of last year, shortly after Platner launched what appeared to be a long shot campaign.
As of Tuesday morning, Sanders had yet to join other Democrats -- including his fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) -- in rescinding his endorsement. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Post.
"I'm sure he's not a saint," Sanders told CNN last month after another former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, accused Platner of physical abuse.
"He went through some very bloody and horrible situations," Sanders went on. "He has acknowledged that he came back with PTSD. He's had his share of problems."
Trump Renews Strikes on Iran After Iran Attacks Three Tankers in the Strait; Announces the Ceasefire Is Over, and He's Not Interested in Talking Any Further to Iranian "Scum"
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Of course I understand why Trump wants a "deal" -- the midterms are approaching and the never-ending pseudowar with Iran hurts the economy and his chances.
Also, the war with Iran can be postponed and rescheduled for a more convenient time. The midterms can't be.
But here's the trouble, as I've said over and over: Iran knows Trump is desperate for a "deal" -- pathetically desperate, I'd say -- and so they believe he will ignore any and all the violations of the "deal" they never really agreed to. And barely even pretended to agree to.
In other words, they are counting on Trump to just let them go back to war with the world, as long as he can pretend to the public he's got a "deal."
Well, Trump was downplaying Iran's serious, serial violations of the fake "deal."
But then they want too far, and attacked ships again, and Trump could no longer cover up for them. He could not longer pretend he had a "deal."
Iran flouted the MOU -- the memorandum of understanding that the ceasefire is predicated upon-- from the beginning. They were to keep the strait open, and stop extorting "tolls" from ships passing through. (Which they immediately used to buy weapons.)
Trump and the allies attempted to softly tiptoe around Iran's clear violation of the terms of the ceasefire by creating a safe route through the strait without paying the illegal "tolls."
Iran shot up three ships using this route, determined to force them into paying "tolls," and absolutely violating the most basic provisions of the MOU.
Amit Segal
@AmitSegal
It seems we'll have to slip a page and a half into Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's coffin on its funeral procession, after Trump declared in a press conference this morning that, in his opinion, "the memorandum of understanding...is dead." RIP. It was only 21 days old.
The causes of death of the two are the same: Iranian hubris. The supreme leader believed the Israeli and American threats were empty and was buried, and his successor believed the U.S. was so desperate that the MoU could survive Iran's numerous violations. Until they pushed too far.
The fatal sequence began on Monday, when Iranian missiles struck two tankers--one carrying Qatari gas off the Omani coast, the other a Saudi-flagged oil carrier inside the Strait of Hormuz itself. On Tuesday, a drone went after a third. The vessels' offense: transiting the strait without Tehran's blessing. The U.S. answered last night, first revoking the waiver that allowed Iranian oil to be sold around the world, then striking more than 70 military targets around the strait. By this morning, Iran's armed forces claimed to have hit 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Despite the dramatic declaration, don't expect the status quo to change significantly. The midterms have not been rescheduled, the global economy has not outgrown the strait, and Trump does not believe returning to war will net him the results he wants in the time he wants it.
The statement was less a policy shift than a confirmation that the contemporary Middle East is defined by a single word: uncertainty. It joins a long list of such confirmations--the sudden end of the war, the sudden announcement of the MoU, the sudden outbreak of the war in the first place. Even as I write this, a miraculous resurrection of the agreement is only one Truth Social post away. One can hardly stay aloof while watching the fate of a region swing this violently, but at this point, "surprise" is no longer the accurate word.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a return to April's status quo: no peace and no war. For Israel, that is the second-favorite position on the board--the favorite, a war actively grinding the regime down, is over for now. But a pause is not a rewind. With the oil waiver revoked and the sanctions back on, Tehran is frozen in its beaten position, with no hope of unfrozen assets bridging its fatal liquidity gap. Jerusalem can wait, hoping the regime buckles under its own internal pressures. And while it waits, it can keep dismembering the proxies, whose patron is in no condition to come to their aid.
As for the strait, during the war, Iran set up a toll booth. In response, the Gulf states and the Americans quietly paved a bypass, routing traffic along the Omani side of the waterway and slipping millions of barrels of oil past the barrier. If the diplomacy is dead, expect the U.S. to double down on the Omani lane--and Iran to do everything it can to force traffic back through the booth.
This week, Iranian media reported that the UAE had proposed a plan to the International Maritime Organization to manage the strait--a plan backed by eight unnamed Emirati "allies" and promptly rejected by Tehran, which claimed it lacked "legal basis" and exceeded the IMO Council's technical mandate. No details of the plan have surfaced, and no regional or Western outlet has confirmed it exists. But the same regime-affiliated outlets followed up with a statement from an "informed" source: all transit through the strait must be in accordance with Iranian arrangements. Tehran has likewise objected to a recent Omani proposal under which shipping companies would voluntarily pay fees to use the strait.
Now that Iran no longer has to pretend to abide by the MoU, expect no more empty overtures toward joint management. Expect declarations to the effect that sailing the strait will be like driving through Tehran: on Iranian roads, under Iranian rules.
The U.S. will respond to this morning's attacks, but Iran priced that in the moment it launched. This isn't brinkmanship built on a bet that Washington won't shoot back. It's Tehran's strategy from the war: pit America's economic tolerance against Iran's pain tolerance, and wait for Washington to conclude that paying the toll is cheaper than the drama of collecting it. To Tehran's credit, that bet has paid off before, but this time they may have overplayed their hand.
Mark Halperin
@MarkHalperin
Donald Trump in Turkey about the Iranians: "They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people. Far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars ... there's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
President Trump said the U.S. would probably hit Iran with a deluge of strikes again Wednesday evening.
"I'll give them a little warning, we're going to hit them hard again tonight," he said, adding that the U.S. hit Iran "hard last night" after Iran launched "a couple of drones… pic.twitter.com/YZUTCxbAX9
⭕ I can't overstate the strategic damage the Iran MOU caused the US. The sentiment in Israel and the region is very low trust in the US; they believe Trump will change his mind again, and they will not run to stand with the US after paying a high price during the war. Saudi Arabia will still get closer to Iran, and others will look for deals with Iran too. They no longer perceive the US as the strong partner that they can rely on. This flip-flopping needs to end; otherwise, it will get worse from here.
I imagine Trump will announce a new "deal" within 24 hours.
He's making himself look absolutely ridiculous.
If that sounds absurd-- well, he just reconciled with... Michael Cohen.
Trump also threatened to capture Kharg Island, and said that Iran wouldn't be able to prevent it. That would effectively seize their entire oil-export system, and Trump has been talking about that strategy for nearly 40 years. That would require boots on the ground, of course, and that would create even more complications here at home for Trump. Is this a pose for leverage, or has Trump decided that talks with "cuckoo" terrorists are truly a waste of time? I'm not sure which way to bet.
As I've said from the beginning: You just can't win a war without a ground component. Airpower theorists have been promising a Victory from the Skies since World War Two and they still cannot deliver.
Trump -- and most Republicans -- are confused on their foreign policy imperatives. Do you want peace at almost any price, and do you want a guarantee of "no boots on the ground, ever"?
Okay, that's possible.
But do you also want to use American might to punish and knock out hostile foreign terror-states?
That's also possible.
But you can't have both of these things at the same time. You can't have minimum investment in an armed conflict and also maximal results. What we are willing to do must be brought into some kind of close alignment with what we want to accomplish -- or, vice versa, what we want to accomplish has to be reduced to better align with what we're willing to do.
We want to accomplish major things, but with a minor commitment. Won't work. Never has.
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.
USMCA remains in effect, but it is likely the beginning of the end for a trilateral North American trading bloc. This is, in part, because the USMCA did not serve one of its intended purposes, which is defense against Red China. Also a part of it is strained diplomatic ties between the two most important partners - the United States and Canada. Red China is a part of that issue, as well. The objectives of the USMCA of non-parasitic cooperation among the North American powers and containment of major foreign economic threats have not been met. One reason they have not been met is Canada's behavior, particularly under Carney.
It is not exactly a secret that Canada/US relations have been strained. There was often tension during Trudeau's administration, and that has accelerated markedly under Carney. Carney is openly hostile to the United States and has shifted Canadian policy not toward cooperation at home but to courting opportunities abroad. Specifically, Carney is aggressively pursuing the one thing that the USMCA was supposed to disincentivize: closer relations with Red China. In January of this year, Carney visited Beijing and Canada and Red China announced the Canada-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap, including such items as preferring existing WTO rules and frameworks, encouraging "personnel exchanges," easing financial transactions between the countries, etc. The USMCA died not on its July 1, 2026 renewal deadline but with that January 16, 2026 joint announcement.
What comes next is unclear. It is unlikely that any of the three parties will simply void the agreement and exit in the immediate future, but it probably won't be renewed during the annual reviews to come. There is now a clock running. On July 1, 2036, the agreement will expire and I don't expect it to make it to the final deadline. With Carney moving Canada into Red China's orbit as quickly as possible, there is no way to reconcile the disagreement. This is not an argument over some fine point like a tariff rate or national origin requirements, this is a disagreement over who is the preferred partner of a crucially important member state. The ball is in Canada's court, and she would rather play with Red China.
This is by no means a sure positive for Canada, given some of her other economic partners. One of the benefits of the USMCA for the three countries' trading partners has been that the bloc provides a predictable operating environment. As that environment breaks apart, it is going to ripple in other economies. A major country to watch as this unfolds is Japan. Japan has taken full advantage of the trading bloc and has factories and other business operations throughout the continent. Over three quarters of Canada's auto manufacturing industry is thanks to Japanese automakers. The Japan Business Federation came out in support of extending the USMCA (with a wishlist of Japan-friendly recommendations for change, of course). So what will Japan do as the USMCA winds down and is ultimately replaced? Is Toyota's movement of some production from Mexico to Texas a sign of things to come?
Unless something changes, the intermediate-term effects of this breakdown will go well beyond mere trading economics. For generations, Canada and the United States have been vitally important partners to each other. We have been two distinct countries with compatible cultures, economic integration, deep diplomatic ties, stalwart military alliance and general friendliness at the micro and the macro. That is fracturing in real time as Ottawa pursues ever-tighter coupling with Beijing. The obvious distaste Canada's ruling class has for the United States in general and Donald Trump in particular is secondary, but serves to add yet more strain to an already strained relationship.
This strain has likely ended the USMCA. Whether it is also the beginning of the end for generally good US/Canada relations remains to be seen.
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.
"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.
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.
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?!!!
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!
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.
“Camilo Campos-Hurtado preyed on children, rendered his victims incapable of resisting, recorded his horrific crimes, and concealed his true identity through fraudulent immigration and identification documents while remaining unlawfully in the United States,” U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said in a statement: Illegal Alien Soccer Coach Gets 30 Years in Prison for Filming Himself Raping Unconscious Boys
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. Trump Revokes Iran Sanctions Waivers Following New Attacks on Tankers.
We recognize that Americans have free speech rights, but ... pssst ... treason on foreign soil isn't protected free speech. Pass it on. I sure hope the FBI has a posse waiting for the boys and that chick wearing the head scarf who used to work for Senator Fauxcahontas, and who, in Tehran, called the dead ayatollah the "greatest leader of her life." 'Tokyo Bros' Go to Tehran to Call for 'Death to America,' and We Have Questions About Treason
The whole point of the left is that the middle class, the bourgeoisie, should be regulated, controlled, hemmed in, forced to bend the knee to the hegemonic educated class. America 250: Our Great Challenge
American exceptionalism was never about perfect people. It was about a system of liberty that unleashed unprecedented freedom, prosperity, and self-correction. We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism (How do we resist the figurative Sanger/Gosnells and their womb-scrapers - jjs)
Rob Bonta says he's protecting California's future. His critics say he's defending energy policies that make housing, electricity, and living in the state even less affordable. California AG Rob Bonta’s War on Affordability
Promises notwithstanding, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first six months in office indicate the success of capitalism and the regular machinations of municipal government. Democratic Socialism—or Democratic Capitalism?
That group, the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM), is responsible for 44 percent of civilian killings during that period, according to the Observatory. Yet U.S. and Nigerian counterterrorism operations remain focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, which together account for just 12 percent of civilian killings. The Terror Network Slaughtering Nigerian Christians Has Escaped America’s Blacklist
The next geopolitical battle is over the past. Pakistan Can’t Rewrite Civilization (Dr. Zaius is ready to dynamite the cave and bury the evidence forever - jjs)
OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY/LEFTIST-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM, ANTI-CHRISTIANITY, PLUS VARIOUS & SUNDRY GODLESS HEATHENS
Purdah-style restrictions on social media would undermine free speech and suppress independent journalism, with platforms like YouTube warning that related policies aimed at artificially boosting “public service” broadcasters like the BBC would demote smaller, independent creators in favor of state-backed outlets. British Government Wants to Censor Social Media Before Elections.
A New York Times columnistcommunistwho has repeatedly risen to the defense of U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is now publicly accepting "blame," saying that she "deeply" regrets a column she wrote defending the Democratic nominee, who put his Maine campaign on hold this week after being accused of rape. Apologies from the rest of the paper’s staff for the newspaper’s oddly gentle treatment of Platner haven’t yet emerged, but they’d be warranted. Anatomy of a Hype Job: How the New York Times Boosted Graham Platner
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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is using Mythos to scan code in government systems that may be leaving doors open for foreign spies and cybercriminals, according to Reuters who cited three anonymous sources. Censorship-Pushing Federal Agency Teams Up With Tech Company Trump Feuded With
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
U.S. manufacturing slightly cooled in June, but the bigger story still holds. The Institute for Supply Management said its Manufacturing PMI registered 53.3 in June after May hit 94.0, the highest reading since May 2022. Readings above 50 show expansion, and June marked the sixth straight month of growth. New orders also stayed in expansion at 56.0. America’s Factory Floor Is Still Its Greatest Superpower
Americans buy hundreds of billions of dollars worth of items online every year, plopping down their money, tracking their packages and trusting they will receive them. But a barcode like that on a ballot is the end of democracy? Please. Dems freak out over USPS plans to for ensure mail-in ballot integrity
Him too — ...alleging that this individual “struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her” during a disagreement, corroborated by several witnesses.alleging that this individual “struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her” during a disagreement, corroborated by several witnesses. Leftist Group Reveals Troubling Allegation Against Potential Platner Replacement
We all know that if the polls had shown Platner still beating Collins, he'd still be the toast of the party, allegations and all. Why? Because literally none of the other scandals swayed his party one bit. Democrats spent months looking the other way because they believed he could win. The moment he became a liability, they ran for the exits. Dana Perino Just Exposed the Real Reason Democrats Turned on Graham Platner
s
They hold the seat long after they lose their ability to do the work. To change that, we would have to get Congress to act. You can see how likely that is. Congress Can’t Require Members To Show Up Or Quit
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Hines was left out of Trump-hating Larry David’s new left-wing “history” comedy entitled, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, despite that she was a main cast member in 12 seasons of David’s popular Curb Your Enthusiasm series. Report: Michelle Obama Sabotaged Cheryl Hines’ HBO Role Over Her Marriage to Robert F. Kennedy
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
Our flag sales are normally almost entirely US, state, and military flags. So when we started getting more and more inquiries about world flags during our offseason in January and February, I knew something was up.
Then I started putting it all together. The World Cup was coming, and it was about to change our business.
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When we took over, our goal was simply to survive those first few months and build out the e-commerce side of the business. We certainly weren't looking ahead to the World Cup or America's 250th birthday, but we've definitely benefited from some tailwinds.
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The World Cup, combined with America's 250th anniversary, has supercharged our business. We've seen tremendous national growth, and these events have definitely moved the needle for us. We've been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Seventy years ago, on June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, aka the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, into law. It created the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, better known as the Interstate Highway System. Or, simply, “the Interstate.” Ike signed the bill, along with 26 others that day, from a hospital bed at Walter Reed after an intestinal infection and operation. No press. No photographers. His press secretary was there to witness the signing, and that’s it. It was a shrug-worthy opening ceremony for what would become this country’s largest-ever public works project as well as an agent of almost immeasurable cultural, economic, and physical change.
Aside from being a marvel of civil engineering, the Interstates created jobs and boosted the economy. They made travel easier and more accessible. They made shipping more efficient. They also brought added safety compared to other highways. But they also screwed a lot of people over. Small towns bypassed by new Interstate routes withered and died. According to Department of Transportation estimates, Interstate construction displaced over a million Americans and destroyed 475,000 homes.
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When the original 1916 Federal Highway Aid Act expired, the Federal Highway Aid Act of 1921 superseded it. The ’21 bill further consolidated the federal/state partnership, allowing states to conduct their own road-building projects, albeit to federal standards, with $75M allocated annually for the construction of a national road grid of interconnected “primary highways.” The “later [1956] interstate highway bill… would not have been possible, or necessary” without the 1921 bill, according to Swift.
By 1921, the Office of Road Inquiry had grown into the Bureau of Public Roads. Its head, Thomas MacDonald, wanted a better understanding of the nation’s road system, not just for public use but for military use. That year, he commissioned the Army to produce a map of public roads that were useful for interstate travel as well as for defense. The so-called “Pershing Map,” after the general who produced it, included 78,000 miles of public roads and proved to be an important tool in later planning for the Interstate system.
Another important step in the growing road network was the United States Numbered Highway System, first designated 100 years ago in 1926. Interstate trails and named highways had been spreading across the country, but with no uniformity and spotty maintenance. The Numbered Highway System addressed this by creating the “U.S. Routes,” with numbers instead of names, identified by a recognizable white-and-black shield. North-south routes were to feature odd numbers, with the lowest number starting on the East Coast and the most significant routes ending in “1” or “5.” East-west routes featured even numbers, with the lowest number starting on the northern border and primary routes ending in “0.” Despite the name “U.S. Routes,” these roads were built and are maintained at the state level. By the end of the 1920s, the Bureau had invested three-quarters of a billion dollars in road building and improvement, paving or resurfacing over 90,000 miles of highway, according to Spencer Headworth’s book Rules of the Road.
Very long article but fascinating for aforementioned map / highways nerds like me. Check it out and catch me at the next MoMe so we can discuss this kin of stuff!
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DJ Doof - Random Stuff Edition
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by Swedish forwardness
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Doof Enterprises, LLC hopes your USA-250 festivities were fun and safe.
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
Breaking: Graham Platner Covered Up His Death Head Tattoo With a Rape Head Tattoo
—Disinformation Expert Ace
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.
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."
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.
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.
The Bulwark's frumpy professional homosexual and Eric Swalwell's Sex Friend Rueben Gallego just couldn't stop praising the incredible masculine charisma of Graham Platner.
Ugly big-nosed hag Mika Brzezinski grilled the Politico reporter on why he would print such insubstantial allegations against Platner.
The reporter says they had a lot of corroborating evidence (contemporaneous statements, etc.)
That's not good enough for Mika who Believes All Women, except if it's about a left-wing politician.
She essentially wants video.
MS NOW's Mika Brzezinski appeared to cast doubt on a bombshell allegation of rape against Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, repeatedly pressing one of the journos who broke the story for "concrete evidence."
She grilled Politico reporter Adam Wren over his report in which Platner's ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot accused the candidate of breaking into her home and raping her almost five years ago -- instantly triggering calls from prominent Dems for Platner to exit the Maine race....
"My question to you, given the very high standards Politico has before they write something like this and publish it -- what aspects of this story brought it to the level of publishable?" Brzezinski asked Tuesday morning, noting there was no police report or legal filing about the rape allegation.
Wren replied that he and his colleague Jessica Piper reviewed email exchanges between Racicot and her therapist, in whom she confided "in almost real-time;" talked to people who Racicot spoke to after the alleged rape; and spent a lot of time talking to Racicot across multiple interviews.
"We asked her why she didn't file a police report and she described sort of the insular nature of where she lives in her corner of Maine that she shares with Graham Platner and she, you know, debated sort of how to handle this, and we found ultimately the number of corroborating pieces of evidence to support her story in a way that we could report it," Wren added.
Brzezinski pressed: "So, what are some of those corroborating pieces of evidence? ... Any conversations with Graham Platner at the time ... do you have that? What do you have that actually connects this literally? Graham Platner to raping this victim?"
"Yeah, she reached out to him the day after via Instagram and essentially told him that, you know, she didn't want to hear from him again," Wren said.
Brzezinski jumped in: "But you were able to see those DMs [Direct Messages]?"
"She, uh, tried to recover those DMs. We were not able to review those DMs but she described them to us. We also -- long before he was a political candidate -- we saw her essentially explain to others that he was in her words 'consensually careless,'" Wren said.
But Brzezinski pressed again: "Right, but were you able to see the interactions between Graham Platner and this alleged victim? Did you actually physically see them? Did she produce them for you?"
"She attempted to uncover them, but was unable to," Wren said.
MS NOW co-anchor Willie Geist then questioned Wren about the timing of the story, noting that it was published exactly one week from the deadline when Platner would have to drop out of the race in order for Dems to select a new candidate to take his place.
Wren said Racicot "wanted Maine voters to sort of have the full story here."
At the end of the interview, Brzezinski again leaned into Wren for more concrete evidence that helped Politico publish the story.
"So Adam, in closing, obviously this is a huge political bombshell story, a story that might -- probably will -- lead to the end of Graham Platner's campaign, and I'm going back to the decision to publish, and I'm curious what concrete evidence ... took this story beyond Graham Platner saying this was consensual, Jenny Racicot saying this was not consensual?" Brzezinski asked.
"What took it over the edge and had you and your editors decide to publish, of course, kind of an earthquake in Democratic politics? What was the piece of evidence or pieces of evidence that made you sure of this?" she added.
Wren repeated that Racicot had confided in several people about the alleged rape long before Platner was a political candidate and shared screenshots of messages and emails with the reporters.
Brzezinski cut him off, saying, "Right, well those are the things I said. What is the actual -- is there evidence between her and him, evidence of a crime? Because he's being accused of rape. What put this over the edge? Because he says he didn't and he has people on his side who say he didn't. She says I did and I'm trying -- what's the throughline?"
Obviously she never questioned the leftwing media for running absurd rape stories about Donald Trump and Bret Kavanaugh.
But now? She's gonna want to see bruises.
Michael Brennan Dougherty rips one of the New York Times' fake reporters assigned to cover up and bury the rape allegation -- when they were told all about it in early June.
Emily Zanotti
@emzanotti
5h
To me, the bigger NYT sin, was watching them tell Lyndsey that they had other women on the record and that her story would be "one of several" and "not the lead," in order to, I guess, deceive her into going public, only to drop the other women's accounts and make the story a catch-and-kill.
When we talked about me going to the NYT to substantiate her story, Lyndsey told me the Times had five women willing to talk. She was the only conservative. What happened to the other three?
Ultra leftwing and Jewish propagandist Michelle Goldberg spins her prior support of the Nazi rapist. You see, she was just swept up in this fat piece of shit's "political charisma."
You know -- the same way Hitler's supporters were overwhelmed by his Aryan charisma and hypnotic blue eyes.
Jennifer Sey tells her to find a line of work where judging character isn't a required skill.
Maybe she needs to find a new religion, too. She seems frighteningly easy to turn into an Nazi kapo. Almost like she's eager to turn her own people over to the camps.
DSA types seem to have the wildest emotional swings of any of the major American political subgroups when they get good news its HA HA HA HA WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE! WE ARE COMING FOR YOU WE ARE COMING FOR YOUR FAMILIES YOU WILL BOW TO US YOU WILL BOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW and then five minutes later they get bad news and its "capital is undefeated we will NEVER get a fair shake Israel AIPAC Israel media"
YouTuber Joshua Carr: Pudgy Nazi Pussy Tucker Carlson Has Hired a Company to Copyright-Strike Any Channel Using His Clips to Critique Him
—Disinformation Expert Ace
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.
Tucker Carlson's Nazi Followers sure acted as if it were true, swarming to accuse this guy of being a Hasbara Israeli Subversive.
Free speech should always be cherished.
Now, you work for Salem Media Group, which has financial entanglements with the Israeli Ministry. Can we discuss that and how it might result in you going after voices critical of Israel and Zionism?
There's a reason for Tuq'r to want video of his statements suppressed -- he's constantly lying and claiming he didn't say things he definitely said right on videotape.
But he's a totally hardcore Christian! He read the Bible at age 52!
It turns out that Tucker lied when he claimed that Dan Bongino emailed him to say that Trump personally demanded an end to the Butler assassination investigation. (Because, Tucker implies, he knew the assassin would be traced back to -- get this -- Israel.)
Dan Bongino released emails disproving this. Tucker Carlson scoffs, saying he only released emails where he wasn't saying that Trump ordered an end to the investigation (to protect, get this, Jews).
Bongino then told him, "Well, release these emails where I say otherwise."
Tuq'r, incredibly, then responds: I don't release people's emails. I'll tell you about the emails and lie about what's in them, all right, but I'm a Gentlemen, and Gentlemen don't release the emails of another person."
So Bongino told him directly: I hereby relinquish all privacy rights to the emails I sent you and authorize you to release these emails. So we can see what I said, and what you're lying about.
Dan Bongino
@dbongino
I'm granting nepo baby @TuckerCarlson permission to publish the text messages he claims to have stating that I told him "President Trump shut down the investigation into Butler."
Those were his words, and he should show he has a pair of balls and publish them.
Spoiler alert 🚨:
He won't. Because they don't exist. I've already shown you the messages which say the opposite. I'm really sorry if you're still dumb enough to fall for this Times Square "Rolex" salesman's act.
And now Tuq'r just doesn't want to talk about it. He could prove that Trump covered up his own assassination and that his frequent enemy Dan Bongino is lying, but, get this: he doesn't feel like it right now.
🚨Tucker Carlson, after being debunked by @dbongino, is now claiming he can expose the former FBI Deputy Director for lying about Trump shutting down the Butler investigation.
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) July 2, 2026
Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV)
@TheMilkBarTV
Imagine a journalist so committed to the truth, who claims to have evidence that the President of the United States shut down the investigation into his own assassination attempt -- and that the former FBI Deputy Director lied about it.
But they refuse to publish that evidence because they: "don't want to."
Tucker Carlson is that journalist.
Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV)
@TheMilkBarTV
Tucker appears to have talked himself into a corner...
23 days since @dbongino exposed Tucker Carlson for falsely claiming Bongino texted him, while deputy director of the FBI, that Trump had stopped the Butler investigation - backing it up with receipts of their actual texts.
4 days since Bongino gave Tucker permission to release every single text between them after Tucker claimed Bongino was the one preserving the messages, but that Tucker "didn't want to" release them - despite previously pointing to those texts as evidence for his original allegation.
I'm sure Tucker is hoping this will just blow over. Because it appears he made the whole thing up - and has now been completely called out.
Dan Bongino
@dbongino
As we all anxiously wait for Tucker to produce a single piece of evidence for any of his psychotic claims, I sense a growing rage amongst his shrinking number of groupies.
They must know by now that they've been played. They've invested their time in a circus clown who has backed himself in a corner. So rather than admit they got played, they rage out and claw at their own faces while emptying themselves into their pull-up diapers. It's a sad thing to witness. The doomers and grifters are all being exposed.
Tuq'r has, of course, joined Candace Owens in insisting that Tyler Robinson is innocent and that Charlie Kirk was killed by Mysterious Forces we may never uncover, but smart money says it's The Jews.
What you did to Charlie Kirk, Tucker, is unforgivable. We'll never forget. The sun will set on your evil, though. You should remember that part. https://t.co/SQg6Lt6HhR
— James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) July 4, 2026
Podcast: Is Kentucky's long nightmare over? Maine's resident Nazi might be out, NATO making progress, or is it a fake, Le Pen in France might have a shot, Democrats are simply pinch-faced scolds who hate America, but is our youth going to revitalize the country...and more!
Forgotten 80s Mystery Click It happened one summer, it happened one time
It happened forever, for a short time
A place for a moment, an end to dream
Forever I loved you, forever it seemed
One summer never ends, one summer never began
It keeps me standing still, it takes all my will
An Update about Grammie Winger: She is doing poorly...she is in the hospital and is having a tough go of it. She would love to hear from you folks, so anyone who would like to contact her is welcome to her address! Please contact Bluebell at moroncookbook@gmail.com for her contact info. (I expect her local post office to be furious with us!) [CBD]
Podcast: Sefton and CBD commiserate about the NYC primaries and whether the contagion will spread, J.D. Vance is becoming a cypher, Texas Antifa gets a wake-up call, and more!
