May 17, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Looking Ahead to 2028 [Updated]

Featured image The 2028 election is a long way off, and much will happen between now and then. To mention just one non-remote contingency, it is possible that the Democrats will succeed in killing President Trump, so that by 2028 JD Vance is the incumbent president. That would render all current speculation moot. But who can resist? This post caught my eye last night: Is the author correct? Let’s go through the »
May 17, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Sunday morning coming down

Featured imageToday is the anniversary of the birth of singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester. I think I first wrote this remembrance at the time his death in 2014. Marking time until our annual celabration of Mister Bob on his birthday next Sunday, I want to draw on my tribute Winchester again to accompany this compilation of a few highlights while seeking to keep his flame alive. I first saw Winchester perform live on »
May 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Eurovision 2026

Featured imageEurovision 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 »
May 16, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Motive unclear

Featured imageI could easily make this into a weekly series. The horrific incident. The carnage covered in euphemisms. All immediately forgotten. Today’s entry from the U.K. Guardian, Seven people injured after man drives car into pedestrians in northern Italy. What? Eight people were injured, two seriously, on Saturday after a car rammed into a group of pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena. Police said the driver, in his 30s, »
May 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Unite the Kingdom II [Updated]

Featured imageLast September, British conservatives held a massive march through London. Estimates varied, but the crowd was at least 100,000 to 150,000 strong. We wrote about the march here. There was another Unite the Kingdom demonstration today. These events were organized in part by Tommy Robinson, and, although entirely peaceful, they are viewed as anathema by the British establishment. Thus, Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced this year’s rally as “peddling hatred »
May 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Rape dogs: The laff riot

Featured imagePulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has laundered Hamas propaganda and damaged the Jewish state with his absurd rape dog column. Kristof is sticking with his story, as is the Times. May they both rot in Gehenna. A wealth of intelligent commentary has followed up on Kristof’s column. Eli Lake’s Free Press column is a good one and there are several others. We have reached the stage where »
May 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker

The Week In Pictures: Viral Meme Edition

Featured imageIt was a busy week in the news, although, to be honest, a relatively quiet one in meme-world. Trump went to China, the New York Times sank to what could be a new low even for that despicable rag, the Spencer Pratt campaign took Los Angeles by storm, a Hollywood director unveiled a new adaptation of The Odyssey in which Helen is black and Achilles is a woman, the Democrats’ »
May 15, 2026 — Bill Glahn

The Supreme Court declines

Featured imageNo surprise here. From The Hill newspaper, Supreme Court declines to restore Virginia Democrats’ congressional map. Restore? At no point was the Democrats’ map the actual map. The farcical vote was never certified. But in no event was the U.S. Supreme Court going to intervene in the state supreme court’s interpretation of their own state’s constitution. If you dig into the reasoning in the VA court’s decision, it’s clear that »
May 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

A Political Revolution?

Featured imageWill political campaigning ever be the same after the brilliant, outsider run being waged by Spencer Pratt? Call me an optimist, but I doubt it. This is amazing; via InstaPundit: This may be the song of the summer. pic.twitter.com/bxdB1eVCsy — Adam Scheidler (@Scheidsa) May 14, 2026 »
May 15, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Meeting in Havana

Featured imageI used to say “Only the wrong survive” as Fidel Castro threatened to live forever. The same thought applied to Iran’s formerly Supeme Leader Ayatollah Khameni until Israel’s long hand settled his fate earlier this year. Today comes news that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana yesterday to meet with the authorities, including Castro’s grandson. What a legacy. Axios reports on the meeting here. If only President Trump could wrap »
May 15, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Pope Leo doesn’t make a statement

Featured imageOver at InstaPundit, Sarah Hoyt calls out my post “Pope Leo makes a statement” as “nonsense.” She explains that Pope Leo’s “award” to the Iranian ambassador was just business as usual: “It’s an automatic medal given to an ambassador who has served x amount of time.” For emphasis, I will add: read the whole thing here. Ms. Hoyt links to this post to point out my error. I have updated »
May 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

When you say nothing at all

Featured imageThe Federalist’s Maureen Mullarkey writes to comment on my posts “Pope Leo makes a statement” and “Pope Leo doesn’t make a statement.” Ms. Mullarkey stands behind my first post and disputes Sarah Hoyt’s correction of me in the second: You were quite correct in interpreting Leo’s gift of a medal to the Iranian ambassador as a papal statement. Such recognition—performed in front of cameras—was grotesque. Ms. Hoyt’s defense of Pope »
May 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

What Happened In China

Featured imageThe press is spinning President Trump’s visit to China, but there is no point in reading spin. The best account you will see of what transpired comes from President Trump’s impromptu press gaggle on Air Force One. For better or worse, Trump is probably the most transparent president in American history. Reporters ask questions, and he answers them. The video is worth your time. Trump responds sharply to left-wing reporters »
May 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Trump’s Visit to China and the ’28 Race

Featured imageI did a brief appearance on the Rowan Dean Show last night. We talked about President Trump’s visit to China and the 2028 presidential race; specifically, the fact that Kamala Harris is currently leading in polls for the Democratic nomination. It is a short but, I think, fun segment: »
May 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Our Violent Democrats

Featured imageDesperate to deflect attention from Minnesota’s fraud scandals, the state’s Democrats have seized on gun control as a political lifeline, much as they did with abortion in 2022. Despite having passed an anti-gun package when they had complete control over state government in 2023, the Democrats have come up with a new bill that, among other things, would ban sales of “assault weapons,” i.e., semiautomatic rifles (and some pistols) with »
May 15, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Quote of the day

Featured imageWe posted the Chris Rufo/Haley Strack City Journal column “Watching Porn on California’s Death Row” in our Picks on Wednesday. This morning Harris Sockel comments on it in Take 1 of Pirates Wires’ 3 Morning Takes. Can a state so fouled up long endure? Sockel writes: * * * * * In City Journal, Chris Rufo and Haley Strack report that California state prisoners (“justice-impacted individuals,” per state policy) are »
May 15, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Take it away, Eric Church

Featured imageAndrew Stiles reminds me at the end of his weekly Stiles Section column this week. I meant to call a timeout for the commencement speech Eric Church gave at UNC-Chapel Hill this past weekend after I read Dante the Don’s testimonial to it on X. Church is the highly successful country music singer singer/songwriter. As the powers-that-be at UNC-Chapel Hill explain, Church delivered a commencement speech structured on the six »