Culture
June 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Last night President Trump hosted the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the White House lawn for a series of seven mixed martial arts bouts. The event was spectacular and went off without a hitch, after a delay for a possible rain shower. I watched the first six fights, then went to bed, probably missing the best match. Here are some thoughts: * I am a boxing fan, but not an MMA
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June 14, 2026 — John Hinderaker
We are late to the party on this one, so you probably have already heard about Freddy, the German soccer fan who came to America to cheer for his country’s World Cup team. Freddy and two companions flew into Atlanta and embarked on a journey across the American South, driving through Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and on to Texas. Freddy documented his trip on his Twitter feed.
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June 14, 2026 — Bill Glahn
I have not watched a single minute of World Cup 2026 game action. But I am thoroughly delighted by the reports of foreign fans visiting America and discovering the wonders of American cultural institutions…like Buc-ee’s. From Fox 4 (Dallas-Ft. Worth), The Hill newspaper reports that the miracle that is Buc-ee’s is spreading throughout this fair land, Buc-ee’s to open westernmost location soon, with more new stores on the way. The
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June 1, 2026 — Scott Johnson
“Make them listen to me before it’s too late!” It could be the theme of Spencer Pratt’s campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, but it was the cry of Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) in the low-budget 1956 sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The extraterrestrial takeover from outer space begins — where else? — in California. A psychiatrist is called to a Los Angeles hospital where Dr. Bennell
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May 23, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Stephen Colbert is finally off the air. We and CBS can both breathe a sigh of relief. Although–I am happy to say–I have never spent a single minute watching Colbert, one of the Left’s several faux comedians. Colbert has been on something of a farewell tour, as though he were important or popular. Left-wingers in entertainment and politics have offered one paean after another to the failed talk show host.
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May 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Eurovision is the annual European song contest that is somewhat like American Idol, only bigger. The music is generally Euro-pop, which, for what it is worth, I tend to like. Nationalism plays a role, as contestants enter on behalf of a country. Twenty-five countries participated this year. The event is broadcast live across Europe to an enormous audience, and scoring is based on a blend of judges’ scores and popular
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May 11, 2026 — John Hinderaker
The New York Times addresses what likely will turn out to be, with hindsight, the great crisis of our time: the collapse of fertility rates around the world. The long Times piece begins with a Hispanic couple, both of whom have advanced degrees (of course) and are considering leaving California for–of all places!–Minneapolis. They long to have children, but are deterred by uncertainties: The prospect of a first-time home buyer
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April 28, 2026 — Bill Glahn
From Fox 9, Inver Grove Heights joins growing list of cities bringing back old state flag. Inver Grove Heights is a Twin Cities suburban city located just south of St. Paul. Fox 9 reports, Minnesota law does not require cities to fly any state flag and allows municipalities to decide which version to display. KTTC reports on the infinite vindictiveness of Democrats, House bill introduced to penalize Minnesota cities not
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April 27, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Jimmy Kimmel has a late night show on ABC. On his program the day before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kimmel did a bit about the dinner that included this: Jimmy Kimmel mocking Melania Trump at his alternate universe parody WH correspondence dinner saying .. "OUR FIRST LADY, MELANIA IS HERE. LOOK AT MELANIA, SO BEAUTIFUL MRS. TRUMP, YOU HAVE A GLOW LIKE AN EXPECTANT WIDOW." Your reminder to cancel
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April 22, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Mark Judge is a journalist and filmmaker whose writings have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Daily Caller. He is the author, most recently, of The Devil’s Triangle: Mark Judge vs the New American Stasi, cited by Mark below. Mark writes to apprise us of his inspired idea for a film festival. With a little help from you, dear readers, he
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April 14, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Why? Because they don’t…I will forgo the vulgar pun. What they really don’t do is have children. When I was growing up, four children was an average number. Catholic families often had eight or ten. But those days are gone. Now, there are fewer children across the board, but we can all observe that it is liberals, in particular, who have few if any. The data bear out those observations.
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April 9, 2026 — Bill Glahn
About two weeks into the 2026 major league regular season, and the Minnesota Twins have the third-worst attendance in the league. Only the Athletics and the Miami Marlins have drawn fewer fans. You will recall that the A’s have abandoned Oakland and currently play in Sacramento as they anticipate an eventual move to Las Vegas, The A’s are playing in a minor-league park with a seated capacity of less than
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April 8, 2026 — Bill Glahn
I’m not kidding, because I could never be this cruel: from FOX-9 TV, Michelin Guide coming to Minneapolis as part of Great Lakes region expansion. Fox-9 reports, The Michelin Guide American Great Lakes Region will cover six cities, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Pittsburg. It’s not yet clear when the first set of rankings will be released. I assume that Fox-9 is referring to Pittsburgh, PA, and not
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April 3, 2026 — Bill Glahn
Or, on second thought, maybe not. Today was the home opener for the Minnesota Twins and, thankfully, I was not there. The problems started with the weather, cold and wet, as can be expected this time of year in Minnesota. The matchup featured the 2-4 Twins taking on the 2-4 Tampa Bay Rays. Then came the power outage. The Twins tried to make up for the debacle by extending $2
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March 31, 2026 — John Hinderaker
The City of Los Angeles is a microcosm of the flight of population away from high-tax blue states: Tens of thousands of residents are fleeing Los Angeles County, raising fresh questions about the region’s future as economic pressures mount. The region recorded the largest population drop of any in the nation between July 2024 and July 2025, according to newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The data, published
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March 28, 2026 — Bill Glahn
Blasphemy from the pages of the U.K. Daily Mail, Brand new 74,000 sq-ft Buc-ee’s sparks outrage from locals who are concerned for their safety: “Our children deserve better” This slander is originating in Stafford, VA, an exurban Washington, DC, community 40 miles south of our nation’s capital, on I-95. I will entertain no criticism of the franchise. From the Daily Mail, According to reports, the main concerns center on heavy
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March 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Through web surfing I see that the Oscar award show is tonight. Who knew? I haven’t seen any movies in the past year, but I checked the Best Picture nominees to see whether any looked familiar. Here they are; and by the way, isn’t 10 nominees a lot? * Bugonia * F1 * Frankenstein * Hamnet * Marty Supreme * One Battle After Another * The Secret Agent * Sentimental
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