FBI Now Investigating James Comey for Posting "86 47" on Instagram, Widely Seen as a Call to Kill ("86") Trump, the 47th President

—Ace

Pine-Scented Druid Philosopher James Comey is at it again.

This time, he's not taking pictures of himself communing with Treebeard in Fangorn Forest.

Now, he's posting wannabe Gay Thrist-Trap pictures of himself summoning Aquaman with a magic conch:

He's also pretending he just came across shells arranged to spell "86 47," and totally didn't arrange the shells that way himself.

When people pointed out that to "86 someone" means to get rid of them and usually to kill them, James Comey, who worked at the FBI for decades, claimed he had no idea this mob slang was ever used in that way.

This is despite the fact that the left is now using the code "8647" in direct connection with threats of murder.

Karol Markowitz wrote last month:

In Holland, Mich., Redmond, Ore., and elsewhere, grinning marchers wore shirts and carried placards emblazoned with the number "8647," pairing the old slang term for murder with a 47 for Trump.

One 8647 protester stood right alongside Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in Minneapolis.

"Hands off or heads off," read the message on a life-size guillotine paraded about in Denver.

Wait, a life-sized guillotine?

Didn't the presence of a very fake, half-sized "gallows" get used against the J6ers to claim that their incitement could really lead to mass killings of congressmen?

Yes, I think it did.

This cockgargler is now under investigation by the Secret Service, Kash Patel says, who have primary responsibility for investigating threats to the president or incitements to assassinate him.

I hope they find some convoluted way to throw his well-traveled ass in prison.

Secretary Kristi Noem @Sec_Noem

Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.

DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.

Give him the J6 treatment -- put in jail for months in pre-trial detention.

If they don't throw him in prison, we'll have to find some other way to 86 James Comey.

Hey, I don't know what it means, either.

THE MORNING RANT: Would Venture Capitalists and Startup Accelerators Invest in Entrepreneurs Who’ll Be Remediating Derelict Wind Farms?

—Buck Throckmorton

I’m going to try to marry two different ideas going through my head into one thesis today. I apologize if it comes across a little clunky.

1) The Venture Capital / Accelerator types in my area have no interest in real industrial businesses. Instead, they keep chasing the same startup fads - either worn-to-death digital/software ideas, or green feel-good concepts.

2) There is a looming industrial/entrepreneurial opportunity to undo and remediate the environmental wastelands created by solar and wind projects, especially wind.

I was about to write about topic #1 when I got an email from co-blogger Mr. CBD stating: “We drove back from the Loire Valley yesterday, and for about 30 minutes we drove through an area of the valley that was covered in wind turbines. Hundreds of them! I saw a grand total of four that were spinning, and it was a typical windy day. And those four were clustered together, which tells me...something!”

I then responded to Mr. CBD: “There will be an amazing business opportunity in 15 to 20 years removing these derelict monstrosities and remediating the concrete-damaged soil where they now stand. I'd mention it to the local VC guys as a great business opportunity, but the only non-digital business opportunity with a tangible product that they care about is startups related to EVs and their batteries.”

Over my career, I have worked with many people who have started and built businesses, from construction to contracting to manufacturing to retail to distribution, etc. Pretty much all of them have some tangible product which they are buying, manufacturing, shipping, or selling. I do understand, of course, that this is a world where some of the most valuable publicly traded companies are only selling bits and bytes, but even the likes of Amazon and Apple are moving a lot of physical products.

But there is also a huge world outside of digital and high tech, and as best I can tell, those interested in startup and venture capital investing (at least locally) are generally uninterested in any tangible product, with one exception – pitches related to EVs and their batteries.

The willingness to be seduced by the EV hype, while abstaining from all other industrial startups is telling. It tells me that these are credulous investors who want to invest in fads rather than in companies with an actual product or service for which there is a market.

A local “startup accelerator” that provides funding and “mentoring” recently let go almost half of its staff amidst a reorganization. I’m not going to link to the story nor name this company, because I am not seeking to mock it by name. Rather I want to point out the myopic focus I observe in the venture capital and “accelerator” arena, at least locally. This is part of the report on where the accelerator will be targeting its time and money going forward:

[These] include companies focused on electric and autonomous vehicles, supply chain innovations, urban planning, smart traffic solutions, automotive battery technology and quantum technology.

That is one trendy list. And clearly, any companies engaged in most of these areas would be relying on government grants and contracts for revenue, especially in regards to urban planning, smart traffic solutions, and the EV related stuff. There are not consumers and businesses clamoring to buy urban planning software or smart traffic solutions.

So, to circle back to my two clunky points. That giant field of static wind turbines that Mr. CBD observed in France will soon be a field of derelict wind turbines. And there are thousands of such fields across the globe. There are over 75,000 ”active” wind turbines in the U.S. alone. “Active” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are spinning or producing any electricity – they just haven’t been decommissioned. But they will. All 75,000 of those monstrosities will have to come down as the wind debacle plays out and they reach the end of their relatively short life span.

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Interior with Figures
Joseph Hirsch

Compared to yesterday's dreck, this is a competent portrayal. What the point of the art is a different issue, and I do not have high hopes for an answer that isn't a hodgepodge of socialist babble and anti-capitalist nonsense.

Yeah...the artist was a communist sympathizer. But at least he could paint!

The Morning Report — 5/ 16 /25

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. With the tempest in a Teapot Dome over the so-called "gift" from Qatar of a jumbo jet to President Trump still swirling, a friend had told me that supposedly the delivery of the jet had been arranged by Joey Sponge-Brain Shits-Pants in the last years of his junta for the same reasons President Trump is accepting delivery on behalf of the United States, and not him personally. I cannot find reference to this anywhere on line, but the salient facts as to why the jet is being accepted and is sadly needed remain:

Buzz Patterson, a retired Air Force pilot, White House military aide, and carrier of the nuclear football, has stepped in to inject a dose of reality—and firsthand experience—into the conversation. While critics scramble to paint the move as some kind of scandal involving President Trump, Patterson makes clear this is nothing new or scandalous, and absolutely nothing that warrants the breathless outrage.

“I’m going to try one last time,” Patterson began in a post on X. “The Qatar B-747 was built in the US by Boeing. They are offering a newer 747 to replace one of the two current AF-1s that have been flying for 40 years. Which are tired and need to be replaced.”

That last point is key. The current Air Force One planes are aging relics that first entered service when Ronald Reagan was in the White House. Replacing them has been a long, slow, and—thanks to bureaucratic delays—frustrating process. Patterson, who served as a military aide during the Clinton administration and has flown on Air Force One over a hundred times, says the Qatar aircraft would simply help fill the gap until Boeing completes new replacements—something that won’t happen for years.

No wonder the Democrat/Left is shrieking its lungs out about this. The average American is paying more attention to who and what the Dems are pushing and defending, that is criminal illegal alien invaders that are murdering and raping their way across America while sacking the US treasury in the process.

House Republicans are moving to block an estimated 1.4 million illegal aliens from receiving American taxpayer-funded Medicaid as Democrats struggle to message their support for the unpopular position.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee completed its markup of its portion of the budget reconciliation bill Wednesday morning after an all-night session which included a provision blocking anyone unable to verify citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status from coverage. The committee projects 1.4 million illegal aliens will be removed from the program due to those requirements.

House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) ignored a question from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the cost savings from striking illegal aliens from the taxpayer dole Wednesday and if fighting it would “open up” Democrats to attacks that they support tax dollars going to illegal aliens. . . Newsom has moderated some of the radical left-wing stances that sent him to Sacramento but are seen as politically toxic in a national general election — suggesting House Democrats are fighting a battle they may be destined to lose on ensuring taxpayer-funded Medicaid for illegal aliens. Complicating Democrats’ messaging is their repeated calls for decades to rid Medicaid of waste, fraud, and abuse – the very initiative they now insist to loathe.

I don't know where this 1.4 million figure comes from. Biden's four-year border erasure allowed perhaps 10 times that number in if not more, and there were probably close to at least 40 million illegal aliens already here long before he was wheeled in as Obama's puppet. And it doesn't even come close to the fictitious 11 million illegal aliens figure that has been bandied about at least since Reagan was duped into signing the Simpson-Mazzoli amnesty travesty in 1986.

The illegal alien invasion that the Democrats have engineered is but one of several albatross carcasses that will or at least has the potential to drag them down, for at least a generation; future election thievery and GOP incompetence/mlfeasance/collaboration notwithstanding.

the reality is that the Democrat Party is far beyond distressed. As a functioning political entity, it has no reason for existing beyond opposing Trump, and secondarily Republicans. It is completely devoid of any issues, policies or even philosophies relevant to the majority of Americans. Their top issues are protecting violent illegal aliens and drag queen story hour for kiddos while trashing Martin Luther King’s dream by insisting on hiring people based on skin color. The economy is right there! (It won’t be by the end of the year or before, but it is right now.)

Meanwhile, President Trump remains steadfast in his efforts on all fronts. ICE is so overwhelmed trying to remove Biden’s unknown millions of illegals that Trump is doubling down on deportation efforts. On Friday, he ordered the Department of Homeland Security to increase the deportation force of the United States by 20,000 officers. It would be an enormous and needed expansion of immigration enforcement. Details to be ironed out, but also expect him to seek creative ways to house the illegals in various facilities on their way out, because the existing ones are also overwhelmed.

Politically speaking, Democrats have ripe targets of opportunity. But with a base of radicals and extremists they insist on playing to, they are resolutely avoiding them. The question is: Can they recover any purpose on behalf of the American people or will they continue to slide into political second class citizenship?

The Democrat Party was, is and always will be ANTI-American, insofar as that all it cares about is the acquisition of absolute power, and so that last last question answers itself. Party politics is one thing, but evil never rests.

Speaking of which, other than being indicative of a preening, narcissistic, asshole, I don't think it's the equivalent of a "Telefon" style message to a sleeper cell.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Secret Service have launched an investigation into an alarming social media post published by former FBI Director James Comey.

Former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday shared an image on Instagram that many people saw as an unsubtle threat to President Donald Trump. Comey posted a photo of a  rock formation on a sandy beach that spelled out “86 47,” and captioned the post “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

. . . DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that Comey’s post was being viewed as an assassination threat and an appropriate investigation has been launched. “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem said. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

Considering, the Left went apeshit about Sarah Palin's "target" imagery, and the fact that James Comey was a co-conspirator in he various and sundry plots to derail Donald Trump's candidacy in 2016 via the Russia Collusion hoax and that the FBI and CIA used foreign and domestic intelligence assets to gin up that smear campaign and that both have been implicated in the use of assassination in their operations (legitimate and otherwise). That President Trump has already been the target of at least two known attempts on his life prior to the 2024 election, Comey to me is a very sick and dangerous threat to our national security and needs to be investigated thoroughly with a view towards imprisonment for a very long time in a Federal prison.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

Have a great weekend.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• Daniel Greenfield: Newsom locked up Californians and freed criminals to terrorize, rape and kill them.
  How Gov. Gavin Newsom Killed 30 People
  
• Victor Davis Hanson: They broke every pretense of legality and fair play to try to destroy Donald Trump.
  Would the Left Finally Explain the Inexplicable?

Daily Tech News 16 May 2025

—Pixy Misa

• Netflix will show ads created with generative AI mid-way through shows and movies. (Ars Technica)
  
  No it won't. Not to me anyway, because I already cancelled my subscription.
  
  Not over this, specifically, but because it's awful.
  
  

Spanning The Globe To Bring You The Constant Variety Of ONTs

—WeirdDave

Hello Horde! It's Thursday night, welcome to the ONT. Let's start with a meme that escaped from tomorrow's post:

Police Cat Cafe

—Ace

by Nevin Johnson

From Hot Air: Video from the March earthquake in Myanmar shows one part of the earth's crust sliding right on by another. Neat.

Cats think everything is a game for their benefit.

Tiger zen.

"Joe Biden is sharper than ever." It's his mouth hanging open that get me.

Cat says "I'm the real victim here."

Gymnastic balloon-popping can be an Olympic sport if we all rise up and demand it.

Care to dance?

Prancing bison.

Whoops, that incontrovertible proof I posted earlier this week demonstrating that unquestionably bears are out of control turns out to have been an AI Cheapfake. (See the note, hit translate.) I guess bears are not officially out-of-control... for the moment.

Big cats, like Republicans, are biologically programmed to seize and pounce.

This is even more common among humans.

Do you prefer the vegetarian option?

Axios: "Hard Data Suggests Tariff-Driven Inflation and Recession Fears May be Overblown"

—Ace

The media has pushed the idea that Trump's tariffs would spark rampant inflation and provoke a deep recession harder than they pushed the idea that Biden was a "super-ager" who routinely "ran circles among his Millennial staffers."

And now Axios, in a brave Jake Tapper sort of way, actually bothers to look at the evidence and the numbers, and assigns its Market Watch Repoter Emily Litella to say,
"Nevermind."

Hard data suggests tariff-driven inflation and recession fears may be overblown

With major indicators from April -- the month of peak tariff uncertainty -- now in, none show the kinds of recessionary or inflationary conditions implied by business and consumer surveys.

Why it matters: Warnings and anecdotes are taking on greater importance as signs of how tariffs are working their way through the economy.

The big picture: New data out Thursday showed steady retail sales and a surprising drop in wholesale prices in April. So far, so good.

But also Thursday morning, the country's largest retailer warned that it will not be able to absorb tariff-related price increases -- even considering the trade war pullback announced earlier this week.

Walmart, known for its low prices, will pass some of those costs onto the consumer. If Walmart can't hold the line, it's hard to see how other retailers might be able to.

Walmart is particularly dependent on China for Cheap Plastic from China.

I do enjoy how they admit the facts momentarily, only to immediately undermine the facts with more spin and more premonitions of doom.

What they're saying: "We're wired for everyday low prices, but the magnitude of these increases is more than any retailer can absorb," Walmart CFO John David Rainey told CNBC on Thursday.

"It's more than any supplier can absorb. And so I'm concerned that consumer is going to start seeing higher prices. You'll begin to see that, likely towards the tail end of this month, and then certainly much more in June."

Oh, you have Concerns?

Your Concerns are:

[ ] Noted

[ ] Not Noted

[X] Ridiculed

By the numbers: Retail sales rose by 0.1% in April, after a massive spending surge that was even stronger than initially reported. The control group, used to calculate personal consumption expenditures in GDP, fell by 0.2%.

It's almost as if business optimism and consumer confidence are spiking under Trump.

Axios again attempts to re-establish its predictions of doom by speculating that spending only increased due to people rushing to make purchases before the dreaded tariffs.

No doubt, that may be a contributor. But they push aside all other explanations in favor of the negative one that reinforces their prior beliefs.

Meanwhile, inflation fell. Axios concedes that falling inflation might disprove their predictions of inflation falling.

What a major concession.

...

Between the lines: The Producer Price Index, a gauge of wholesale prices, showed little sign of tariff-related price pressures that businesses have warned about.

PPI fell by 0.5% in April after a flat reading in March, rounding out an upbeat inflation snapshot after the index's consumer counterpart released Tuesday.

Goods prices were flat last month after falling almost a full percentage point in March. Services prices fell by 0.7%, the biggest drop since the index began in 2009.

The bottom line: "There is little evidence, so far, that tariffs are inflationary and instead profit margins are being squeezed. But as Walmart suggested Thursday morning, that is a situation that may not last long," ING chief international economist James Knightley wrote in a note.

Politico, too:

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Nationwide Universal Injunctions Issued by Lowly District Court Justices Who Keep Electing Themselves President

—Ace

A lowly district court issued a One Man Universal decision stating that birthright citizenship was the law of the land and always would be, and then issuing various nationwide injunctions purporting to control President Trump's actions.

Trump appealed, but only on one part of the ruling: The arrogance of a lowly district court judge, who only has jurisdiction over the area (the literal jurisdiction) he is seated in, issuing what he purports to be nationwide "universal" injunctions. (An injunction is a judicial order forbidding someone from doing something.)

Nationwide injunctions are highly controversial, especially by lowly district court judges, because they are at the very, very bottom of the federal judicial system, and yet they keep arrogating to themselves plenary power to dictate the elected government actions.

Even more importantly, district courts only have jurisdiction over the small, um, jurisdiction they're appointed to judge cases in. In other words, a district court judge from southern Massachusetts has the power to rule on cases in southern Massachusetts. But these low-level bureaucrats keep claiming to have nationwide or "universal" jurisdiction, and instead of limiting their rulings' effect to just the jurisdiction they are seated in, they claim they can rule for the entire country.

These rulings have long been considered out-of-bounds -- including by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who argued against universal injunctions issued by district courts when she was Obama's Solicitor General.

She has a different opinion now, of course.

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

The Supreme Court argument is now concluded and there was far more heat than light offered inside the courtroom...

...Justices Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh seemed strongly in favor of the Administration. Roberts also made repeated points that seemed to support some of the arguments of the Administration, though it was not clear how he would vote...

...On the left, Kagan repeatedly strived to distinguish this case from her earlier objections to universal injunctions under the Biden Administration. She seemed solidly with Sotomayor and Jackson...

...That leaves Gorsuch and Barrett. Gorsuch has previously expressed criticism of universal injunctions but asked probing questions on both sides. Barrett seemed more accommodating in seeking a way to uphold universal injunctions...

Of course this c*nt did.

...In other words, this could be a nail-biter. I think that the Administration still has an advantage in curtailing universal injunctions. However, I did not come away with the sense of a lock with a majority, particularly given Barrett's questions. I am also unsure how Roberts and Gorsuch will play out on the details. Fortunately, we will likely know within a couple of weeks.

From Ed Morrissey:

NYT legal reporter Adam Liptak sums this up with fair accuracy:

The justices have been struggling with two contrary impulses. Many are troubled by injunctions issued by individual federal judges that block executive branch initiatives nationwide. But many of them are also troubled by the executive order seeking to ban birthright citizenship and frustrated by the difficulty of reaching the merits, as the Trump administration has only appealed on the first point.

New Jersey's lawyer may have offered a middle ground, arguing that this is the rare case in which nationwide relief is needed because it is the only way to grant complete relief to the more than 20 plaintiff states.

@ShipwreckedCrew predicts the justices may split, and uphold the universal injunction only as to the ban of Trump's order reversing so-called "birthright citizenship," but setting up oversight/checks-and-balances for universal injunctions in all other cases.

The "wise Latina" Sotomayor kept Asking Statements of the Solicitor General. She would "Ask" a Declaration and then cut off the Solicitor General before he could respond.

Even Roberts eventually had enough of her, and interrupted her interrupting to tell her that he actually wanted to hear the Solicitor General's answer to her statement.

Martin Harry @MartinHarryFL

Listening to the birthright citizenship oral argument at the US Supreme Court. Justice Sotomayor continues to be argumentative, ask questions without allowing a response and monopolizes the Court's time. Chief Justice Roberts had had enough and cut her off. Later, he directly contradicts her belief that Supreme Court review takes 4-5 years, even in emergency cases.

Fox:

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reined in Justice Sonia Sotomayor during argument over birthright citizenship and nationwide court injunctions on Thursday.

Sotomayor dominated questioning for several minutes at the outset of Thursday's argument after taking over from Justice Clarence Thomas. She pressed U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer for President Donald Trump's administration on several points relating to the authority for federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions, often speaking over the lawyer and interrupting him.

Sotomayor argued that Trump's order invalidating birthright citizenship violated four Supreme Court precedents, and that it was justified for a federal judge to grant an injunction against such a controversial order.

"You are claiming that not just the Supreme Court, that both the Supreme Court and no lower court, can stop an executive from universally violating holdings by this court," Sotomayor said.

"We are not claiming that because we're conceding that there could be an appropriate case only in class only," Sauer said.

"But I hear that--," Sotomayor said, beginning to interrupt Sauer.

"Can I hear the rest of his answer?" Roberts then interjected.

Paid Liar Jen Psaki's Ratings Tank

—Ace

Rachel Maddow has gone back to her one-day-a-week gig, collecting $25 million per year for this tiny amount of "work" like a good socialist, and it's now on the slender shoulders of Ginger Clownwhore Jen Psaki to keep the dying cable channel alive.

It's not looking great.

It was a Psaki bomb.

Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki tanked with a key demographic in her new show's second episode -- indicating possible trouble for her future ratings.

Her new gig features her show "The Briefing" in MSNBC's prime time slot, at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, while "The Rachel Maddow Show" pivots to only being on air Mondays.

"The Briefing" had a strong showing of 1.2 million viewers on Tuesday, with 139,000 viewers in the key demographic of people ages 25 to 54.

But viewership quickly dropped Wednesday, with 1 million viewers tuning in -- and just 65,000 people in the coveted demographic tuning in, according to Fox News.

"The demo" is usually defined as ages 25-54. That kind of a range. People with jobs who can afford to buy stuff, and people who are young enough and callow enough to have their buying choices influenced by advertising.

In other words, "the demo" is all of us. We're right in the meat of the demo with our nearly-universal "almost 29" age demographic.

For comparison, Fox News' Sean Hannity got 2.64 million viewers on Tuesday at 9 p.m. with 312,000 in the highly desired demographic, while CNN's Kaitlan Collins eked out 468,000 total viewers but scored 75,000 people ages 25 to 54 watching.

The former press secretary had left her job at the White House in 2022 to pursue a gig at the liberal outlet, and began hosting "Inside with Jen Psaki" on Sundays in March 2023.

...

[M]addow had managed to bring in better numbers when she held the prime spot.

The host averaged a total of 1.9 million viewers and 141,000 among viewers aged 25-54, per Fox, meaning that Psaki's Wednesday episode had brought down the number of viewers by a total of 46% and 54% in the important demo.

Adweek, a publication which seems left-wing and very pro-MSNBC, spins MSNBC's collapsed ratings as "mixed" and says it's merely experiencing a "slow start" with its new lineup.

MSNBC's new programming lineup finished its first full week, and the numbers were mixed. The network experienced week-to-week declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo during primetime and total day. MSNBC continued to miss Rachel Maddow's nightly presence as it fell by double-digits in both measured categories during primetime.

So MSNBC's ratings fell in all categories by double-digits and that's "mixed"?

Meanwhile, Fox News had 96 of the top 100 cable news telecasts and was the most-watched cable news network during the announcement of Pope Leo XIV's election.

...

MSNBC's primetime lineup averaged 892,000 total viewers and 77,000 A25-54 viewers for declines of -12% and -13%, respectively.

During total day, MSNBC averaged 564,000 total viewers and 52,000 demo viewers for respective dips of -2% and -5% in those measured categories.

Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC stayed at No. 4 in total viewers and dropped four spots from No. 15 to No. 19 in the demo during primetime. Across total day, it remained at third place in total viewers and remained at No. 13 in the demo.

Mixed.

House Investigating Whether Pfizer Slow-Rolled Their (Fake) Vaccine Announcement to Further #Rig the Already-"Fortified" 2020 Election

—Ace

Bob Hoge at RedState quotes the WSJ (a Murdoch-owned paper, as Lyin' Jake Tapper would add):

Lawmakers are investigating whether Pfizer waited to share results of the Covid vaccine in 2020 until after that year's presidential election, based on new allegations that a former Pfizer scientist has said he was part of an effort to "deliberately slow down" the testing, according to a new letter from the House Judiciary Committee.

The House panel is seeking information from Pfizer and from the scientist, Philip Dormitzer, after learning he allegedly told colleagues in 2024 at a subsequent job he was worried he would face an investigation of his role in the vaccine's release and asked to be relocated to Canada.

Diversity, Which Is Our Strength, Stopped Before It Can Launch a Terrorist Attack at Detroit-Area Army Facility

—Ace

I'm just loving all of this enriching, ennobling, enstrengthening diversity. Moar please!!!

A former National Guard member from Melvindale, Michigan, near Dearborn, was busted for attempting a mass shooting at a base in nearby Warren, Mich.

Dearborn, you say? The Fallujah of Michigan?

Very diverse. Very strength.

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was arrested and charged with providing training and materiel to undercover federal agents. Investigators claim the planned attack is related to ISIS.

The plan was to launch a mass shooting at the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility just north of Detroit. This is not a military base but more of an Army facility.

Breanna Morello @BreannaMorello

ISIS TERROR PLOT

A Michigan Army National Guard member was arrested for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility in Warren, Michigan, on behalf of ISIS, according to the Justice Department.

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was apprehended Tuesday after traveling near the military base and launching a drone as part of his attack plan.

In conversations with an undercover FBI agent, Said reportedly advised, "I recommend everyone have about seven magazines because you don't want to be in there and run out of ammo," as detailed in a criminal complaint.

He faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device, with a potential penalty of up to 20 years per count if convicted.

Jake Tapper Reportedly Hires a Crisis Communications Firm to Stop Criticism

—Ace

Whaaaa...? Jake Tapper getting enraged and defensive about valid criticism and using sneaky social media tactics to push back on it? That makes no sense at all!

Tapper is getting a lot of criticism from a lot of people for posing as a "reporter" on Biden's Dementia.

He made a PR move yesterday, offering a non-apology on CNN. It's the standard non-apology, where you say something that sounds a little reflective and self-critical but in fact you're doubling down.

If you didn't see the wormy non-apology, it's here. He says, prompted by his CNN colleague who was certainly told to ask him this question, claiming that only "conservatives" are criticizing him, "some of it [the conservatives' criticism] is fair, to be honest... but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage, and I did cover some of these issues but not enough, and I look back in humility."

He then insists that Biden only became demented around 2023-2024, continuing to insist there was no story before then. Though he also does acknowledge that the separation of Biden into the "functioning one and non-functioning one" began in 2019-2020. But he is firm that it wasn't that bad at that time, thus absolving himself and all his fellow Regime Conspiracists from having noticed it until June 2024.

We can now see that this non-apology was almost certainly offered only because the crisis manager he'd hired told him to offer a fake, non-specific statement about the indisputable and now-notorious fact that Tapper himself was one of the main architects of the very cover up he now wants to be paid to "expose."

And wait until you see the crisis manager's client list!

Breaker reported earlier this month that Tapper has hired Risa Heller, a crisis communication expert described as the "warrior of choice" for "cancellable elites" trying to survive a scandal. In 2022, Heller met with former CNN boss Jeff Zucker days before he was forced to resign for, among other things, concealing a romantic relationship with a subordinate executive. She helped Anthony Weiner navigate his (first) dick-pic scandal in 2011. Jeffrey Toobin, the disgraced CNN personality, sought Heller's counsel in 2020 after he was caught pleasuring himself on a Zoom call with colleagues. She worked with convicted Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes on a sympathetic puff piece in the New York Times ahead of her sentencing. She represented an Estée Lauder executive who posted a Sesame Street meme using the n-word, and defended the voice of Elmo against allegations of sexual impropriety with minors. Now she's helping Tapper learn how to be "nicer" to fellow journalists.

Some context: Tapper is a notorious crank with a habit of sending indignant DMs to journalists and other commentators who criticize him on social media. Some have described his stubbornness, thirst for vengeance, and refusal to admit fault as "positively Bidenesque." There's at least some evidence that Heller's human decency training has rubbed off. The day after Breaker revealed the PR flack's involvement in the book rollout, Tapper praised his co-author, Alex Thompson of Axios, as a "great reporter and a kind person and a good friend," which was awfully sweet of him.

...

Mark Halperin, among others, has a different view. "One thing that's not true is that the cover-up was so good that no one could see this, that we couldn't possibly have gotten to the bottom of this during the election," he said. "It is not true that it's only after the election that Jake Tapper could've gotten to the bottom of this, and the rest of the Washington press corps could've gotten to the bottom of this." The media were not simply "stymied from getting to the truth" by lying White House aides, Halperin argued. "No, they were part of the conspiracy and the cover-up. They allowed themselves to believe the ridiculous spin on TV and in public, and privately they allowed themselves to be browbeat," he said. "They were told, you will lose access ... Reporters who covered any story the Biden people didn't like were denied access."

Media reporter Dylan Byers noted Tapper's insane levels of "self-promotion and sanctimony" are even bothering to annoy his fellow leftwing hacktivists.

And now we know who made that deceptively-edited video that both Tapper and Thompson linked, which purported to show, through cheapfake manipulation, Tapper showing any interest in the story.

From February, when Tapper brazenly announced that he would be uncovering the cover-up that he so energetically participated in:

Stephen Green @VodkaPundit

Watching @jaketapper cash in on his own professional malfeasance is probably the most Beltway thing ever.

Some memories of the media joining Tapper in the conspiracy:

Via Drew Holden: NBC "News" cited "brain experts" to reassure citizens not to worry about Biden's clearly-shot memory, that doesn't affect his ability make decisions at all!

It's like when people lose their sight and their other senses get very sharp to compensate. So Biden's brains are rotting garbage when it comes to memory. That just means that his wisdom and judgment functions must have gotten super-sharp.

Right? That's how it works, right, "brain experts"?

"No one could have known!"

September, 2023. Jake Tapper has on a writer from The Atlantic named Franklin Foer. Foer had just written a "behind the scenes" book about Joe Biden's presidency and his ability to do the job.

The Atlantic writer claimed that Biden was still up for the job. Shocker, right?… pic.twitter.com/MMylFotDSk

— MAZE (@mazemoore) May 14, 2025

A reminder that former FBI Director Chris Wray helped perpetuate the lie that nothing was wrong with Joe Biden. This testimony is from July 2024.

Just one of the many lies told by Wray during his disastrous tenure at FBI pic.twitter.com/hLhEtUSPPX

— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 14, 2025

Today, CNN’s Jake Tapper lambasted the Biden White House for falsely labeling videos showing Biden's cognitive issues “cheap fakes.”

Following Jake’s clip are a few examples of Jake’s own network actively perpetuating the “cheap fake” hoax, dismissing concerns about Biden’s… pic.twitter.com/NoiofXLiWK

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 14, 2025

And from the Federalist: nine times Tapper showed what a valuable soldier he is for the Democrat Party by insisting Biden was "mentally sharp."

Close it up

Democrat House Member to Introduce Bill for "Reparations Now"

—Ace

GFY.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., plans to introduce a sweeping "Reparations Now Resolution" this week, calling for trillions in federal spending to support Black Americans. The move intensifies the Democrats' push for reparative justice, even as critics question the economic and social impact.

Key Details:

Seeks trillions of dollars in reparations, citing slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism as justification.

Follows Rep. Ayanna Pressley's February legislation proposing a federal reparations commission.

Blue states like California have also floated reparations programs amid broader DEI-focused efforts.

Diving Deeper:

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., is preparing to introduce the "Reparations Now Resolution" on Thursday, escalating House Democrats' efforts to secure massive federal payouts for descendants of Black Americans. Lee announced her plan during a Capitol Hill event this week, declaring reparations a "moral and legal obligation" that America must confront.

"This is a moment in time where societies are shaped [and] new societies are built. We should be the ones who are shaping it," Lee said, emphasizing the urgency behind her legislation. In remarks directed at the Trump administration's rollback of DEI initiatives, Lee warned that conservatives aim to shape the nation's future and urged progressives to "fight like hell" to advance their vision instead.

...

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., introduced a related bill earlier this year to establish a federal commission tasked with studying the lasting effects of slavery and crafting specific reparations proposals. At the time, Pressley claimed the country was experiencing "anti-Blackness on steroids," vowing to continue the pursuit of what she described as racial justice.

People are tired of this, and the Democrats just keep doubling down on it. They still haven't been delivered enough of a rebuke. They won't stop this until Republicans win supermajorities in both chambers.

How is everyone?

The Morning Rant

—Misanthropic Humanitarian (ONT Cob Emeritus)

It was once said, "It takes a village to raise a child." Unless one of the villagers is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Then the Professional Know-It-Alls cry like like toddlers having their Teddy Bear confiscated.

Over the years we have heard the mantra, "It is for the children!!!" But, it basically boils down to the cool villagers and their acolytes grifting off the rest of the village. Lording their position over the uncool villagers. The money drips here and there on children. But, most of it finds its way into a certain number of private hands and other body parts and/or orifices.

Bobby Kennedy demonstrated the hypocrisy of the left and to some extent the right to the world if they happened to tune into his testimony before congress on Wednesday May 14th.

It isn't about the children. It is about a certain group of elected and non-elected officials who cannot admit they are wrong or the science isn't settled (Unless they cling to their beliefs)

Let's examine one of these "Politicians" who questioned Secretary Kennedy. The politician in question is one U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID).

Rep. Simpson is a dentist. But, I'm not sure how much practicing he has been doing since he has been a congressman since 1999. Before that he was busy with the Idaho state legislature where he served from 1984-1998.

As a "Dentist" Rep. Simpson should have known better than to match wits with Sec. Kennedy without doing any type of home work regarding fluoride use. Do better "Doc" Simpson, do better. Or at least your overpaid and under employed staff
could do better.

The congressman cares about the children and the need for dentists yet doesn't know about the HHS own report. The HHS which he is a member of an oversight committee. Fluoride Exposure: Neurodevelopment and Cognition.

Application
An association indicates a connection between fluoride and lower IQ; it does not prove a cause and effect. Many substances are healthy and beneficial when taken in small doses but may cause harm at high doses. More research is needed to better understand if there are health risks associated with low fluoride exposures. This NTP monograph may provide important information to regulatory agencies that set standards for the safe use of fluoride. It does not, and was not intended to, assess the benefits of fluoride.

This is maddening. The questioning/statements thrown at Mr. Kennedy by the jack asses democrats makes one want to throw heavy items at the screen.

And here you thought you could get by without seeing the congresscritter who identifies as a "Wicked lesbian witch of the east".

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Eros
Helen Frankenthaler

If Helen thinks that painting depicts Eros in any way, then Helen needs to work on her love life.

I am sure she had some grand message she thought she conveyed with this absolute mess of a painting. And I am equally sure that the critics gobbled it up, ascribing all sorts of esoteric nonsense to what is an amateurish skill with a brush. No matter how deep and complex the supposed meaning is, if the work is junk, what's the point?

Give me a skillful artist who takes pride in the task over a clown with obvious lack of skill masquerading as a serious artist. The skillful artist produces works that please the eye. The clown produces works that must be deconstructed to reveal...anything!

The Morning Report — 5/ 15 /25

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. Putting aside the issue of the jumbo jet "gift" from the Qatari government, which is being spun as some sort of massive quid-pro-quo influence peddling bribe of President Trump, which it clearly is not, signing a trade deal with that government on the order of $1.2 Trillion dollars is kind of pretty big effing deal.

“Today in Qatar, President Donald J. Trump signed an agreement with Qatar to generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion,” the White House noted in a fact sheet. In addition to the agreement, the document states the U.S. and Qatar companies have come to terms on economic deals equaling $243.5 billion.

The $243.5 billion in deals between the nations is headlined by Qatar Airways’ $96 billion agreement with Boeing and GE Aerospace to buy as many as “210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines,” a White House fact sheet noted.

This marks a record-breaking order for Boeing.

While certainly this is all well and good, behind the President's back the Qatar-snipe PM vomited this out:

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thania stated that a deal between Israel and Hamas can’t be reached when there’s a “fundamental difference between the two parties. One party wants just to retrieve the hostage[s] and continue the war and the other party wants to end the war and doesn’t think about the hostages.”

Qatar has been a safe haven for top Hamas terrorist leadership for years where no doubt much of the strategy and tactics of the October 7th attack on Israel were planned and perhaps even directed once the IDF initially began its counteroffensive.

Unfortunately, the capital of that viper's nest Doha is home to a significant American air base and our warships are docked there as well. As the home of al-jazeera, Qatar, broadcasts anti-western and anti-semitic propaganda 24/7 all across not only middle east but to the world at large.

Significantly, they are not and have no intention of signing onto the Ahraham Accords, which was one of President Trump's most significant foreign policy achievements from his first term and upon which many had hoped would change the course of history in the region for the better. And then came Biden and then October 7. And the rest is history. Figuratively and quite literally.

The President is also parlaying with the new leader of Syria and some, including our friend he estimable Robert Spencer have thus far been impressed with Trump's moves in the region.

Trump has done it again. That much is clear. He has outmaneuvered and out-thought everyone else, and did what many others assumed to be impossible.

But what exactly has he done? On Wednesday morning, during his trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who from 2017 until January of this year, was known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Al-Sharaa was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the “Syrian Liberation Group,” a Sunni jihad group that had been linked to al-Qaeda and was working to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. . .

. . . In many ways, Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa is as momentous, and could be more momentous, than his first-term overtures to Kim Jong Un. The two meetings come from the same wellsprings: Trump is attempting to break longstanding logjams and end the status quo that the foreign policy establishment, both inside the U.S. and elsewhere, had come to take for granted. . . So Trump wants to make peace with old foes based on mutual economic interests. He is giving al-Sharaa a chance to demonstrate that he really is no longer a jihadi and wants to build a stable and prosperous Syria. It could happen. The global jihad, although it is ignored everywhere, continues nevertheless. It never goes away. Individuals and states, however, can and do put it aside for considerable periods in order to pursue other interests. . .

. . . Nevertheless, Trump’s attempt to create peace based on common interests and move beyond the present logjam is as welcome as it is audacious. Once again, Trump appears to be way ahead of everyone else, as he was when he established the Abraham Accords even as John Kerry was confidently telling the world that such a thing was impossible.

The fly in the ointment as it were is "Islam." Spencer correctly states "The global jihad, although it is ignored everywhere, continues nevertheless. It never goes away. Individuals and states, however, can and do put it aside for considerable periods in order to pursue other interests. . . Bingo. the only way it goes away is either the internal reformation of Islam or its defeat/destruction.

Spencer seems to ignore his own words vis a vis that the jihad never goes away. But for Donald Trump or any American political leader to even attempt to articulate this is tantamount to committing political suicide. Despite the fact that the last American political leader to articulate the mortal danger of Islam and to act to defeat it was Thomas Jefferson.

All that said, Trump's moves in the middle east vis a vis Qatar and Syria are perhaps very good in the short term. Is a legitimate rapprochement and transformation of the Muslim theocratic/political mindset vis a vis the West and Israel likely if not actually possible in the long-term? Well, we'll have to wait and see. If 1,500 years of history teaches us anything, I wouldn't hold my breath. But to not try, whatever this President's motivations may be, would be a moral failing of massive proportions IMHO.

And speaking of the Islamic threat, In that faraway Middle Eastern Shithole of Michiganistan...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed the arrest of 19-year-old Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said on May 13, 2025, for plotting an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) facility in Warren, Michigan.Said, a Melvindale, Michigan resident, faces charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and distributing information related to a destructive device, each carrying a maximum 20-year prison sentence. According to the Justice Department, Said supplied armor-piercing ammunition and magazines, recruited two conspirators, and flew a drone over TACOM for reconnaissance. His plan was set to unfold on the day of his arrest, but law enforcement stopped him cold.“This defendant was stopped dead in his tracks as he conspired with others in planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for IS,” the Justice Department said. The swift intervention prevented a potential catastrophe at TACOM, a critical hub for military vehicle development.Said’s alleged betrayal, as a former National Guard member, underscores the insidious reach of radical Islam, even among those sworn to protect the nation.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

Have a great day.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• As for the reported preparation being done in anticipation of a possible Chauvin pardon, it stems from the possibility of a pardon being issued by President Donald Trump for Chauvin’s federal conviction.
  'Justice' for Chauvin? Minneapolis Reportedly Preparing for Possible Derek Chauvin Pardon
  
• Victor Davis Hanson: Trump's first 100 days mark a chaotic counterrevolution, tackling crises long ignored—and infuriating the very forces that allowed them to fester.
  The Real First 100 Days

Daily Tech News 15 May 2025

—Pixy Misa

• The Kids Online Safety Act is back and has the potential to change the internet - or to get struck down immediately over the obvious First and Fourth Amendment issues. (Tech Crunch)
  
  The bill has strong bipartisan and industry support, which means it is just astoundingly awful.

  "Apple is pleased to offer our support for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Everyone has a part to play in keeping kids safe online, and we believe [this] legislation will have a meaningful impact on children's online safety," Timothy Powderly, Apples senior director of Government Affairs, said in a statement.

  Everyone involved in the creation of that sentence should be summarily executed.

Wednesday Overnight Open Thread - May 14, 2025 [TRex]

—Open Blogger

Good evening Horde. The time has come for mid-week shenanigans of the overnight variety.

This is the Wednesday night ONT. It is also game night! Step inside and play along.

***

TRex has an early morning, so looking for the Horde to behave itself. If you can't behave, at least be entertaining. Please observe proper ONT etiquette. Legally Sufficient has the Ruler of Dread and is authorized to wield it was warranted. JQ has the key to the kegerator, wine cellar and liquor cabinet. She also has apple juice if you desire an alcohol-free ONT. Ciampino has the sock drawer but mostly needs to stay away from cats. tcn in AK has a telescope on the roof so make an orderly line if you want to look in to the heavens or just spy on the neighbors. Miklosbot will scan the perimeter for intruders.

***

Guess how many Peeps are the jar. No clues other than the two photos:

I asked an AI tool to make an estimate based on the photos. It gave me a guess and a very convincing explanation of the logic. It was also nowhere close to the right answer.

The correct answer will be posted...later. Maybe next Wed.

***

New Yorker cartoon captions are generally insipid at best. The illustrations, however, offer a blank canvas for your own caption creations.

Do your worst. Just identify which cartoon you are captioning in your post.

1. Bunny

2. Cupid

3. Sand

***

If Youtube was made for cat videos, AI was made for baby videos:

pic.twitter.com/Qi5LDB8FMO

— Keep Rock Alive 🤘 (@_KeepRockAlive_) May 11, 2025

"Lil Series: Monty" pic.twitter.com/rhwbzlafvA

— Green Frog Labs (@GreenFrogLabs) May 9, 2025

***

Classics:

***

Point Nemo - space and geography trivia for controlled de-orbits:

Welcome to lonely Point Nemo, Earth's dumping ground for derelict space junk.

Point Nemo, the loneliest and most remote expanse of ocean on Earth, is where spacecraft go when they die.

This spread of water, 34 times larger than France, has been used as a dumping ground for space vehicles since 1971. An estimated 263 decommissioned spacecraft, including the Russian space station Mir, have been deliberately brought down and sunk here.

***

Three riddles - answers further below:

You're in a mansion with a lightbulb in the attic and three switches in the basement. It's late in the evening, and you're tired, so you can only go from the basement to the attic once. How do you figure out which switch controls the lightbulb?

Two people ordered the same cocktail at a restaurant. They both drank it at different paces, but one person died while the other survived. How?

A man was pushing his car when he stopped in front of a hotel and knew immediately that he was bankrupt. How?

***

Props is the best Whose Line is it Anyway? game:

***

Plinko is the best Price is Right game (but I still can't get used to Drew Carey's current look):

***

Games cats play:

I never knew Cats Hated Aluminum Foil 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/27z25iSsAD

— G-PA (@IndianaGPA) May 12, 2025

***

Puzzle answers:

Number 1: You're in a mansion with a lightbulb in the attic and three switches in the basement. It's late in the evening, and you're tired, so you can only go from the basement to the attic once. How do you figure out which switch controls the lightbulb?

Answer: Turn on the first switch and wait for 5 minutes. Then turn it off and turn on the second switch. Go to the attic. If the light is on, the second switch controls it. If the light is off, touch the bulb: if it's warm, the first switch is the correct one; if it's cold, the third switch controls the light.

Number 2: Two people ordered the same cocktail at a restaurant. They both drank it at different paces, but one person died while the other survived. How?

Answer: The cocktail contained poison in the ice. One person drank quickly before the ice melted, while the other waited, allowing the poison to spread.

Number 3: A man was pushing his car when he stopped in front of a hotel and knew immediately that he was bankrupt. How?

Answer: The man was playing Monopoly.

***

The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving:

***

Oldest living Llama in captivity for a Guinness Book of World records? Guess so.

***

Ace of Base for our big ONT finish:

***

Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Are you lurking? Come out and play. Hall of Fame reinstatement pending.

Close it up

Funky Colt Medina Cafe

—Ace

by Anna/@Aurora41155547

Kitty's got claws.

Mother teaches little daughter to surf.

Dogs just want to help. Sometimes their help is actually helpful!

Golden retriever convention.

Activate the Monsterizer!

You'll never guess what's causing this traffic snarl.

Windswept doggie.

This Doberman pincher shames his ancestors.

Baby flamingo practices stomping.

Women takes dog out for a birthday dinner.

The growing beaver menace.

Dogs have secret relationship.

Border collies will not stop herding, ever.

Aw, a little dog sits in the shelter waiting to be adopted. (She got adopted.)

From shelter to forever home.

Little kid teaches a puppy.

When you're not home.

When your cats bully you.

A dog looks out for his co-dog.