December 9, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, has been arrested for the murder of Brian Thompson. Based on news accounts, there doesn’t seem to be any doubt that they got the right man. Mangione was recognized by a patron or employee in a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who dialed 911. The Daily Mail describes the alleged murderer: Mangione is originally from Towson, Maryland, and is an
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December 9, 2024 — John Hinderaker
That is what Tom Cotton says: I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump's nominees. — Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) December 9, 2024 Of the 72 cabinet secretary nominees since the Clinton transition, only 2 nominees have ever received NO votes from the president-elect's party. No one should be surprised that the Republican Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominees. — Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) December 9, 2024
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December 9, 2024 — John Hinderaker
The murder of United Health CEO Brian Thompson shocked most of us, but some have gone so far as to applaud it. The Wall Street Journal headlines: “Manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Meets Unexpected Obstacle: Sympathy for the Gunman.” As they search for the man who assassinated a top health-insurance executive in Midtown Manhattan last week, authorities are contending with an unanticipated challenge: an outpouring of popular sympathy for the
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December 8, 2024 — John Hinderaker
World leaders continue to adjust to the reality that Donald Trump is again going to be President. In some cases, the adjustment is easy. Thus, the Telegraph notes the good relationship between JD Vance and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch: Kemi Badenoch has had dinner with JD Vance, the vice president-elect, as the pair “renewed their friendship” ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The Tory leader and Mr
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December 7, 2024 — John Hinderaker
That is energy expert Robert Bryce’s title for his depressing Substack piece: On Monday, the Biden administration issued new restrictions on the export of key semiconductor equipment and software to China. On Tuesday, China retaliated by banning the export to the US of three strategic elements — antimony, gallium, and germanium — that have multiple military and civilian uses. It also restricted the export of graphite to the US. The
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December 7, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Donald Trump hasn’t been inaugurated yet, but he already dominates the world stage. He is in Paris today for the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, an international event attended by numerous heads of state. He is there at the specific invitation of French President Macron. This short video shows Trump’s arrival, where he is greeted by Macron. Note that the French are treating Trump in a manner that normally would
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December 6, 2024 — John Hinderaker
The dominant fact of 21st century political life is the Great Sort–Americans separating themselves into increasingly distinct camps, red and blue, by state. This has obvious implications for the Senate. Kyle Kondik has an interesting analysis at
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December 6, 2024 — John Hinderaker
The Democrats have mounted a smear campaign against Pete Hegseth. With Matt Gaetz gone, he appears to be their number one target. The smears have involved Hegseth’s relationships with women and allegations of excessive drinking. But there are problems with the Democrats’ campaign: the allegations are anonymous, and thus in the realm of rumor. And they are nearly all old, and generally contradicted by others who are willing to go
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December 5, 2024 — John Hinderaker
This morning I was on Chicago drive time radio with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson. This is my segment: It was an interesting conversation as always, but Dan asked me about something I hadn’t thought much about: will Joe Biden follow up on his pardon of Hunter by pardoning people like Anthony Fauci, Adam Schiff, and Liz Cheney? Politico says that such pardons may be in the works: President Joe
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December 4, 2024 — John Hinderaker
The Hill reported, an hour or two ago, that Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Secretary of Defense is “sinking fast in the Senate.” Senate Republicans say Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s choice to head the Defense Department, faces a very tough path to confirmation in the Senate and his bleak prospects have been communicated directly to the Trump transition team, which is now mulling other options. Senate sources say there is a
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December 4, 2024 — John Hinderaker
It is extraordinary how impactful Donald Trump’s election has been. Without yet taking office, he is already bestriding the world stage. Thus, no sooner had Trump won the election than Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine may be willing to cede some territory to bring its war with Russia to an end, after all. Simply by winning the election, Trump might bring the Russia-Ukraine war to a halt. Next, Trump threatened
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December 3, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Traditionally, conservatives have seen liberals as misguided and ill-informed, but well-meaning. Was that accurate at one time? I don’t know. Maybe. But it certainly isn’t true now. A large proportion of liberals–whether a majority, I have no idea–are downright evil. And whatever those statistics might be, it is evil, not ignorance, that mainly drives leftism in the U.S. and around the world. A case in point comes from my own
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December 3, 2024 — John Hinderaker
My organization, Center of the American Experiment, has been battling for four years to keep leftist indoctrination out of Minnesota’s public schools. A climax of sorts came in 2023, when Minnesota’s Democrat-controlled legislature mandated that Ethnic Studies be incorporated into every K-12 class. So, welcome to the world of Ethnic Algebra. Governor Tim Walz’s Department of Education appointed a committee to implement that legislation by drawing up Guidelines to be
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December 2, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Donald Trump’s foreign policy profile is indistinct. Some, like Tucker Carlson, seem to see him as a sort of peacenik. But I don’t think Trump is entirely on board with that perception. Thus, he responded today on Truth Social to Hamas’s announcement that 33 hostages have been killed since they were taken on October 7, 2023: “If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that
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December 2, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Joe Biden changed his mind over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to Karine Jean-Pierre, and decided to pardon his son Hunter despite his many promises not to do so. Biden explained his reversal by claiming that Hunter’s prosecution was politically motivated–by Biden’s own DOJ, apparently. It isn’t easy to bring the White House press corps to life, but Biden’s about-face triggered lots of uncomfortable questions for Jean-Pierre, aboard Air Force One
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December 2, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Jaguar made news of the wrong kind when it released a seemingly gay-themed ad that featured models in brightly colored clothes, but no cars. Not exactly the traditional Jaguar image. The company’s new models–or concept versions of them, anyway–are being unveiled tonight, in Miami. But meanwhile, photos have leaked: Jaguar’s ‘Barbie pink’ electric car leaked online. It looks pretty good from this angle, if you can get past the pink:
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December 1, 2024 — John Hinderaker
Steve thinks liberals may be hoisting the white flag on immigration, but I don’t know: some of them seem to be awfully dug in. Take Denver’s Mayor Mike Johnston. Johnston said that he was willing to deploy the Denver Police Department to stop federal agents from deporting illegal aliens from his city, a clear act of insurrection. He has backed off that position to some degree, but still intends to
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