Power Line
type: channel
date: 2026-06-13T17:59:26Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: Peace for our time
items: Adios!
items: Belfast Is Burning
items: For what it’s worth: Coda
items: The Week In Pictures: California Nightmare Edition
items: The politics of envy
items: SpaceX Goes Public
items: Spencer Pratt: I’m Not Going Away
items: For what it’s worth
items: We regret to inform you…

Peace for our time
type: item
creator: Scott Johnson
date: 2026-06-13T17:59:26Z
subject: Donald Trump
subject: Iran
subject: J D Vance
subject: Trump Foreign Policy
description: 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 commitments made and the mechanisms of enforcement when they are made public. In the
encoded: 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. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/2026-06-13-12_49_32-Greenshot-524x600.png" alt="" width="524" height="600" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-382524" srcset="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/2026-06-13-12_49_32-Greenshot-524x600.png 524w, https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/2026-06-13-12_49_32-Greenshot-262x300.png 262w, https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/2026-06-13-12_49_32-Greenshot.png 590w" sizes="(max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px" /> President Trump is fluent in hyperbole. We will want to take a close like at the commitments made and the mechanisms of enforcement when they are made public. In the meantime, “a senior administration official” — i.e., Vice President Vance — has been briefing reporters and columnists on the terms of the putative deal. Although we haven’t been treated to such a briefing, the administration seeks to nail down base cynics like us in advance of the formal revelation of the deal. See, for example, Miranda Devine’s transcription on X. Whole lotta sellin’ goin’ on. JD Vance: If you go back to WW2 or every major conflict in human history, they all ended with some kind of negotiation. pic.twitter.com/B7h4uqlk0r — yogesh (@yogeshtwet) June 12, 2026

Adios!
type: item
creator: Bill Glahn
date: 2026-06-13T14:46:21Z
subject: Democrats
subject: ICE
subject: Illegal immigration
subject: Poll
description: From 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
encoded: From 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 from 73% in April to 79% a month later. The Post is referring to this Harvard-Harris poll, with results from late May, and cites figures in support of deporting illegal aliens with criminal records. My position, deporting all illegal aliens, enjoys a solid majority support, As for deporting any immigrant in the country illegally, 56% of polled voters expressed support, a modest 1% increase since the poll was conducted in April. The poll covers a lot of ground, not just on immigration. Slide 15 shows the top issues among voters. Inflation/economy are the top two issues. But immigration is No. 3, ahead of health care and two slots ahead of Iran. On Trump’s approval ratings, he ranks highest (Slide 9) on his handling of immigration, among the ten issues polled by Harris. Slide 23 shows that deportation is Trump’s 2nd most popular policy, after lowering drug prices. Slide 27 shows that most voters understand that Democrats are in favor of open borders. Hmm.

Belfast Is Burning
type: item
creator: John Hinderaker
date: 2026-06-13T14:22:29Z
subject: Europe
subject: Illegal immigration
subject: Immigration
subject: United Kingdom
description: I 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
encoded: I 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 say about the fact a Sudanese national blinded a constituent in Northern Ireland’s largest city. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing as “sickening” – fine — but devoted considerably more rhetorical energy to warning that “violence against people based on their background would not be tolerated.” *** No one in the current British or Irish political leadership has earnestly asked whether a government that imports the whole world, with inadequate vetting and nonexistent assimilation, bears some meaningful share of the culpability for the social fractures now detonating like dynamite all across the British Isles. Why bother with any introspection? Far easier to just blame the “fascist” street thug menace. As for the regime media: It’s not that the press fails to condemn mob violence. On the contrary, it condemns it loudly and with great self-satisfaction. The press’s failure is more insidious: It’s the deliberate suppression of honest inquiry into cause and effect. It’s the refusal to consider why working-class people across Britain and Ireland are at a boiling point. The question goes unasked, the fateful underlying policies go unexamined, and the pressure cooker keeps building. Honest conversation about the pros and cons of third-world immigration has been banned from polite media in Western Europe for many years. But the people will be heard, whether their betters like it or not. This video comes from the U.K. rather than Ireland [on reflection, it could be Norther…

For what it’s worth: Coda
type: item
creator: Scott Johnson
date: 2026-06-13T11:28:27Z
subject: Anti-Semitism
subject: Higher education
subject: Terrorism
description: Yesterday 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
encoded: Yesterday 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 inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza.” As you say, one does wonder how long this can go on. And how far. Here is a video clip. At today’s University of Michigan graduation, Professor Derek Peterson thanked anti-Israel protesters for 2 years of campus chaos. Turning a commencement speech into a political rant like this is grounds for termination. Sickening. pic.twitter.com/EcXqm4uU9r — StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 2, 2026 Professor Peterson, by the way, spoke as the outgoing chairman of the faculty senate. In the aftermath of Professor Peterson’s speech, University of Michigan president Domenico Grasso apologized for Peterson’s “inappropriate” political remarks at the graduation ceremony, calling them “hurtful and insensitive to many members of our community.” Grasso said the comments violated the school’s policy of “institutional neutrality on political or social issues.” Peterson responded that the text of his speech had been “conveyed to the organizers a week in advance” and altered to meet their objection to his calling Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide.” The approved text of his speech urged: “Sing for the student activists, who over these past few years have sacrificed much to open our hearts to the injustices happening in Gaza.” Neither Grasso’s statement nor Peterson’s response was the last word. Alana Goodman reported for the Washington Free Beacon: More than 400 professors at the University of Michigan signed an anti-Israel letter supporting a faculty leader who used his commencement speech to praise “pro-Pale…

The Week In Pictures: California Nightmare Edition
type: item
creator: John Hinderaker
date: 2026-06-13T10:35:33Z
subject: The Week In Pictures
description: It 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,
encoded: It 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, as we have observed over the years, don’t embarrass easy. An attempted decapitation in Ireland and a successful stabbing murder in Texas riled the public but elicited perverse reactions from the Left. War hero Scott Pelley made a graceful, low-key exit from CBS, bringing his ignominious career to an end. And, speaking of the press, President Trump had a close encounter with NBC’s Kristen Welker, which meme-makers enjoyed. There was much more besides. So, here we go with The Week In Pictures: California Nightmare Edition. <img decoding="async" src="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.54.09-PM.png" alt="" width="560" height="561" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-382426" srcset="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.54.09-PM.png 560w, https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.54.09-PM-300x300.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.56.49-PM.png" alt="" width="560" height="420" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-382427" srcset="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.56.49-PM.png 560w, https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-12-at-3.56.49-PM-300x225.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/image013-2-copy-5.png" alt="" width="560" height="418" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-38…

The politics of envy
type: item
creator: Bill Glahn
date: 2026-06-12T23:40:37Z
subject: Democrats
subject: Elon Musk
subject: Taxes
subject: Wall Street
description: John 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:
encoded: John 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: Elon Musk just became the world’s first trillionaire. The typical American household would have to work more than 11 MILLION years to make Elon Musk’s level of wealth. We need a wealth tax. Bernie Sanders: Today, Elon Musk, a trillionaire, pays the same amount into Social Security as someone making $184,500. Bernie, again. Gavin Newsom: Americans are struggling to pay for groceries and gas while Elon Musk becomes a TRILLIONAIRE. When the federal government is for sale, the rich get richer and everyone else gets shafted. The system is rigged. Commentators are pointing out that, as spectacular as Musk’s wealth may be, it isn’t enough to pay for Newsom’s idiotic high-speed rail project. But “rigged”? America is the only place on Earth or Mars where someone could become a trillionaire. Or where a welder on an hourly wage could become an instant millionaire. Democrats will eventually get their hands on a large chunk of Elon’s wealth, as he sells shares, or his many, many heirs buy stuff with their inherited wealth. Musk himself is on record as the biggest American taxpayer, ever. And they didn’t even send him a thank-you note. Musk’s trillions don’t bother me in the least. I hope he produces many trillions more. America and the world will be better off for his efforts.

SpaceX Goes Public
type: item
creator: John Hinderaker
date: 2026-06-12T21:45:49Z
subject: Economy
subject: Elon Musk
description: SpaceX’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
encoded: SpaceX’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 welder named Juan Hernandez, who formerly worked at SpaceX, is now a millionaire. Does any of this make any sense? SpaceX has several lines of business: It makes rockets and space craft under contract to the Department of Defense and others. It operates Stalink, a global network of communications satellites. It owns vertically integrated artificial intelligence properties, including Grok and both land-based and (prospectively) space-based data centers. It owns Twitter/X. And Musk has big plans for the future: at the company’s Texas headquarters this morning, Musk said: “Whoever you are watching this, SpaceX wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to Mars and ultimately beyond.” It is hard to imagine how all of this will justify $2 trillion in value any time soon, but investors are largely betting on Elon to create value in ways that have never been seen before. I had an opportunity to buy a few shares this morning, and passed on it. But if the share price drops by 50% in the next six months, which could well happen, I will take a (very small) plunge. Because, who wants to bet against Elon Musk? One thing we can say for sure: liberals will be outraged at the idea of Musk being a trillionaire. Jimmy Kimmel has already accused Musk of “stealing” the money, from whom I have no idea. I suppose Kimmel is taking the broad view: property is theft. Not counting his own, of course. Democrats are already hinting that someone should assassinate Musk. I think this IPO puts him at the top of the liberal hit list, along with President Trump. I hope his secur…

Spencer Pratt: I’m Not Going Away
type: item
creator: John Hinderaker
date: 2026-06-12T21:18:46Z
subject: 2026 Election
subject: California
description: Spencer 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
encoded: Spencer 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

For what it’s worth
type: item
creator: Scott Johnson
date: 2026-06-12T11:39:53Z
subject: Anti-Semitism
subject: Crime
subject: FBI
subject: Hamas
subject: Law Enforcement
subject: Trump Justice Department
description: “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
encoded: “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 against eight defendants. It is posted online here by the New York Times. The illustrated Department of Justice press release is posted here. The eight defendants are pro-Hamas fruitcakes of a familiar variety. The variety is familiar because it emerged like Kudzu in the aftermath of 10/7. FBI Director Kash Patel summarized the indictment on X: The indictment alleges that after the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, these individuals – a group of college-aged adults – engaged in a coordinated campaign of violent, criminal acts seeking to pressure University of Michigan leaders and other businesses in the Eastern District of Michigan to cut off all ties with Israel. The subjects allegedly vandalized the victims’ property, spray painted their homes with messages like “Intifada” and “Free Palestine,” left threatening notes on their doors, and even broke windows of the victims’ homes – throwing glass jars filled with chemicals while children slept inside. They deliberately chose the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s attack to engage in some of their most visible criminal acts – including one subject who specifically targeted the Bloomfield Township Jewish Federation on October 7, 2024. On the same day, another subject – employed by the University – vandalized the University President’s home. The alleged criminal targeting occurred for over a year – beginning approximately March 2024 and continuing until April 2025. Adam Kredo has the Washington Free Beacon’s straight news account here. Seth Mandel comments on the indictment in this Commentary pos…

We regret to inform you…
type: item
creator: Scott Johnson
date: 2026-06-12T09:58:18Z
subject: Iran
subject: Trump Foreign Policy
description: that 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).
encoded: that 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). This was Trump’s announcement. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-11-at-2.51.35-PM.png" alt="" width="560" height="484" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-382389" srcset="https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-11-at-2.51.35-PM.png 560w, https://www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-11-at-2.51.35-PM-300x259.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" /> Trump called it a “great settlement.” He did not declare “peace for our time” or wave around the memorandum of understanding that is to be signed by representatives of the parties in Europe some time soon. The terms of the “settlement” are to be set forth in the memorandum of understanding. President Trump to the contrary notwithstanding, Iranian spokesmen assert we’re in a Jack Benny situation — they’re thinking. “So far, Iran has not reached a final conclusion on the agreement,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement provided to Agence France-Presse. (I am drawing on reports compiled by CBS News here in its live updates.) AFP cites Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, “which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” and quotes a “knowledgeable source close to the Iranian negotiating team” who denied the president’s claim about an agreement on an initial deal and stated that “no text of the initial memorandum of understanding with the United States has been approved.” CBS News adds that — according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency — the president h…