June 13, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Peace for our time

Featured image We interrupt this program to report that President Trump has more or less announced peace for our time on Truth Social: “The deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow.” Below is a screeshot of Trump’s text posted to Truth Social. President Trump is fluent in hyperbole. We will want to take a close like at the terms — the commitments and the mechanisms of enforcement — when they are made »
June 13, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Adios!

Featured imageFrom the New York Post, More Democrats support mass deportations, removal of criminal migrants, new poll shows. Details, According to the poll, 71% of Democrats now support deporting criminal migrants, compared to 63% in April — an 8-point increase in just one month. The Post reports, Republican support held steady but still inched up from 89% in April to 90% in May, and the proportion of independents in favor jumped »
June 13, 2026 — Scott Johnson

For what it’s worth: Coda

Featured imageYesterday in “For what it’s worth” I took the case of the eight indicted “pro-Palestinian” defendants associated with the University of Michigan as illustrative. A reader kindly wrote to remind me: Those are (some of) the students that Professor Derek Peterson praised at the University of Michigan’s commencement this year. “Sing for the pro-Palestinian student activists, who have over these past two years opened our hearts to the injustice and »
June 13, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Belfast Is Burning

Featured imageI wrote here about the attempted decapitation of a random citizen on a Belfast street by a Sudanese immigrant. The result has been predictable: riots, accompanied by indefensible violence. Josh Hammer writes: This week’s coverage has been instructive. The framing in outlet after establishment outlet has been nothing if not predictable: “anti-immigrant violence,” “far-right protesters,” “racist riots.” Northern Ireland’s first minister called the rioters “thugs” but had very little to »
June 13, 2026 — John Hinderaker

The Week In Pictures: California Nightmare Edition

Featured imageIt was another busy week in the news, highlighted by the election for Mayor of Los Angeles, in which Democrats snatched victory from the ballot box of defeat with the now-familiar flood of post-election votes. As in the past, many were suspicious. Graham Platner was in the news again. In any past era, his escapades would have led to a hasty substitution of a more plausible candidate. But the Democrats, »
June 12, 2026 — Bill Glahn

The politics of envy

Featured imageJohn notes below the launching of the SpaceX IPO (ticker symbol: SPCX), which makes Elon Musk (on paper) the world’s first trillionaire (with a “t,” quatro commas in Silicon Valley speak.) And he made a lot of other people, rank-and-file workers, first-time millionaires (dos commas). I am weak in the face of many of the cardinal sins, but envy is not among them. Not so America’s leading Democrats. Elizabeth Warren: »
June 12, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Spencer Pratt: I’m Not Going Away

Featured imageSpencer Pratt released a fiery new video today. He says he will continue his campaign to expose the corruption that has driven Los Angeles into the ground. And he says he has evidence against one of the two socialists who will participate in the runoff election, that may force that person to resign. Buckle your seat belts: Saving LA – Phase III pic.twitter.com/9n9wv1tonZ — Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) June 12, 2026 »
June 12, 2026 — Scott Johnson

We regret to inform you…

Featured imagethat our attack tonight has been called off. That was President Trump’s big news about our conflict with Iran yesterday. The attack had been advertised by Trump to take place last night. Trump’s announcement put me in mind of the title of Philip Gourevitch’s award-winning book about the slaughter of the Tutsis in Rwanda — We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families (1998). »
June 11, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Peace In Iran?

Featured imagePresident Trump says an agreement with the IRGC has been reached “in both concept and great detail,” and has suspended further bombing for the time being: Trump subsequently had a brief call with the New York Post in which he said, “It’s pretty much all wrapped up.” Whether this time is different from the many previous occasions on which the President has said that a deal is very close, remains »
June 11, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Fujimori inches ahead

Featured imageAs predicted, with the vote count continuing in the Peruvian presidential election, right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has retaken the lead from her left-wing opponent, Roberto Sanchez. With more than 98 percent of the total vote counted, Fujimori leads by fewer than 600 votes, out of more than 18 million cast. Polymarket favors a Fujimori win over 96 percent. »
June 11, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Gordon Wood, RIP

Featured imageWilfred McClay holds the Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College. He is the author of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story and several related volumes as well as the co-editor of Jewish Roots of American Liberty: The Impact of Hebraic Ideas on the American Story, all published by Encounter Books. After Gordon Wood — the most prominent historian of »
June 12, 2026 — John Hinderaker

SpaceX Goes Public

Featured imageSpaceX’s initial public offering hit the market today, with shares priced at $135. The stock closed at $160.95, up 19% on the day’s trading. So as of this evening, the company’s market capitalization is $2.1 trillion, making it the sixth-most valuable company in the U.S. Elon Musk, who owns 46%, is, on paper, the world’s first trillionaire. But a lot of other SpaceX employees became wealthy overnight. For example, a »
June 12, 2026 — Scott Johnson

For what it’s worth

Featured image“Paranoia strikes deep,” goes the classic Buffalo Springfield song. How about the hatred of Jews? It doesn’t have quite the same ring, but a federal indictment emanating from a cast of characters associated with the University of Michigan provides a glaring example of how deeply it strikes. The indictment handed up by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan runs to 63 pages and variously alleges ten counts »
June 11, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Europeans Prepare to Defend Themselves, Or Don’t

Featured imageEuropeans are facing the prospect that Russia may attack them, and they may have to defend themselves without much help from the United States. At a minimum, they have taken to heart Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s warning that the U.S. is preoccupied with our peer rival, China, and our own borders, and Europeans must take the lead on defending themselves against Russia, a peer rival for them. As a »
June 11, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Will Supreme Court Crack Down on Election Autumn?

Featured imageThere are a great many things wrong with our election systems, but one of them may be addressed in a case that awaits decision in the Supreme Court. The case is Watson v. Republican National Committee, and the issue is whether the State of Mississippi’s statute allowing ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted violates federal law. Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution says: The Times, Places »
June 11, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Thinking about the Aiken gambit

Featured imageThe idea of declaring victory and going home is attributed to the late Vermont Senator George Aiken with respect to the Vietnam War in 1966. He didn’t exactly say it or propose it, but the idea lives on. A declaration of victory wouldn’t have been true in 1966 and it wouldn’t be true now. However, might it be close enough for political comfort? Just a few thoughts. Let’s call the »
June 10, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Beginning of the End?

Featured imageFor the second night in a row, US forces are bombing Iran. There aren’t many details: U.S. Central Command said the strikes began at 5:15 p.m. ET “against multiple targets in Iran … in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.” A U.S. official told Axios all targets were in southern Iran and included air defense systems, radar systems, and drone command and control units. President Trump has grown impatient »