Monthly Archives: February 2017
February 26, 2017 — Steven Hayward
The cool science news of the week is that astronomers have identified seven planets circling the star known as Trappist 1 just a wee 39 light years away from us, three of which might be in the “goldilocks” zone that could support life. I have two predictions. First, if we think any of these planets are actually habitable and ever decide to try some kind of expedition to the planet
»
February 26, 2017 — Paul Mirengoff
Our friend Tevi Troy has an article in Politico about what he perceives to be a three-way split in conservatism produced by the Trump ascendancy. Tevi identifies the three branches as (1) “ever-Trumpers,” the president’s ardent supporters; (2) “conservative critics”; and (3) “safe-space conservatives.” Members of the third group “are trying to find a ‘safe space’ by focusing their attention on media bias against Trump and the excesses of anti-Trump
»
February 26, 2017 — John Hinderaker
There was a bizarre incident at the Minneapolis Institute of Art today: a fight broke out in an 18th Century European art gallery. Almost equally remarkable is the manner in which my local newspaper, the Star Tribune, reported the altercation: “Punches thrown when fight erupts inside Minneapolis Institute of Art; one involved had look of neo-Nazi.” The Strib’s report begins: A shoving match broke out in a most unlikely place,
»
February 26, 2017 — John Hinderaker
This Associated Press story has gotten headlines in newspapers across the United States: “Muhammad Ali’s son asked, ‘Are you Muslim?’ by border agents.” The story appears to be part of the AP’s anti-President Trump campaign. I suspect that it falls into the “too good to check” category: Muhammad Ali’s son, who bears the boxing great’s name, was detained by immigration officials at a Florida airport and questioned about his ancestry
»
February 26, 2017 — Steven Hayward
We’re reported before on the environmental mess left behind by the Dakota Access Pipeline protest neat the Standing Rock indian reservation (here and here), but there’s still one more installment to the story that deserves to be entered in the ledger: Rescue group catching animals left behind at DAPL protest camps NEAR CANNON BALL, N.D. (KFYR) – Crews continue to clean up the Oceti Sakowin protest camp. As officers moved in
»
February 26, 2017 — Scott Johnson
Like John and Steve, I will be doing something else during the Academy Awards broadcast tonight. Unlike them, however, I would like to put in a good word for a few of the movies that are up for the Best Picture award tonight. For personal reasons you would understand, I set out to see each of the nine Academy Award Best Picture nominees this year. I don’t think I have
»
February 25, 2017 — Paul Mirengoff
In November, Rep. Darrell Issa had what, for him, may have been a “near death experience.” He almost lost his congressional race. Perhaps this explains why he agreed yesterday with Bill Maher that a special prosecutor should investigate Russia’s alleged interference with the 2016 presidential election. Issa started out on solid ground, telling the lefty talk show host that House and Senate intelligence committees would look into Russia’s activities “within
»
February 25, 2017 — John Hinderaker
Like Steve, I haven’t watched the Oscars in a long time, certainly not in this century. Actually, the last Best Picture nominee I am aware of seeing is Beauty and the Beast, so my connection with Hollywood is tenuous. I wouldn’t dream of watching what promises to be an anti-Trump smugfest, but here is one more reason to stay away: the New York Times is going to advertise its commitment
»
February 25, 2017 — Steven Hayward
Trump sent out this tweet earlier today: The media will react badly to this—watch for this to be a major topic of conversation on the panel portions of the weekly TV news shows tomorrow morning—but with the media already in a stark raving mad rage about Trump, where can they go from here? It’s about time a president declined to adorn this massive exercise in media self-absorption and self-congratulation. Fake
»
February 25, 2017 — Scott Johnson
Democratic National Committee members meeting in Atlanta this afternoon elected former Obama administration Secretary Tom Perez their new chairman. Perez defeated Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison on the second ballot by a vote of 235-200. Ellison picked up no votes on the second ballot after Perez fell one short of winning outright the first time around. Jonathan Martin does a good job reporting the story for the Times here.
»
February 25, 2017 — Paul Mirengoff
The AP breathlessly reports that a “DHS report disputes threat from banned nations.” The headline is false. The document in question isn’t a DHS report; it’s a draft document (as the story acknowledges) that someone in DHS leaked to the AP. The document in question is a three-pager that’s apparently based solely on open-source material. It may be something an anti-Trump bureaucrat threw together in order to embarrass the president
»
February 25, 2017 — John Hinderaker
Poorly, to put it briefly. This is why immigration-skeptic parties have cropped up and prospered across the continent. Why is it that so many Europeans think mass Islamic immigration is a bad idea? Incidents like this one in Paris: Two Jewish brothers said they were abducted briefly and beaten by several men in suburban Paris in an incident that ended with one brother having his finger sawed off by an
»
February 25, 2017 — Scott Johnson
We have carefully charted the support of fools and miscreants who have joined Power Line readers mischievously pulling for Keith Ellison to win his bid for election to the DNC chairmanship. Former Obama administration Secretary of Labor Tom Perez is Ellison’s chief competition. I think Perez has to be rated the favorite to prevail among the members of the DNC who meet today in Atlanta to elect their new leader.
»
February 25, 2017 — Steven Hayward
Given Trump’s rapturous reception at CPAC yesterday, perhaps they really should rename it TPAC. But isn’t that a rapper name? Meanwhile, the media continues to have a case of the vapors because Trump didn’t allow CNN into a press “gaggle,” and this is making them all gag, while the rest of us giggle. Earth to the media: your public approval ratings are lower than Congress: if you’re constantly agog over
»
February 24, 2017 — Paul Mirengoff
Most conservatives will be delighted if Neil Gorsuch, as a Justice of the Supreme Court, views the Constitution and his role in interpreting it the way Justice Antonin Scalia did. But George Will hopes that Gorsuch will improve on Scalia. How? By interpreting the Constitution as a charter of government for a nation dedicated to the proposition that all persons are created equal in their possession of natural rights. Scalia
»
February 24, 2017 — Steven Hayward
I am the Cal Ripken Jr. of non-Oscar watchers. My streak of non-Oscar watching goes well back into the 20th century. So it’s not a stretch to not watch this year’s, which is Sunday I think? I’ll be off in La-Te-Da Land, skipping to my own tap shoes. Or at least my own beer tap. I am guessing this year’s awards show will get low ratings, or declining ratings as
»
February 24, 2017 — Paul Mirengoff
Years ago, a public figure in the Reagan administration was accused of lying to Congress. Reportedly, he ridiculed the charge by asking “what’s next, lying to Evans and Novak?” Evans and Novak were prominent journalists of the time. They hosted a television show. Thirty years later, a group of leftist law professors is charging Kellyanne Conway with, in effect, “lying to Evans and Novak.” The Washington Post reports that 15
»
