July 17, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Did China Pay Liberal Journalists?

Featured image I would like to know the answer to that question! In his speech last night, President Trump said that the Communist Chinese had tried to pay American journalists to write negative articles about him. As I told Rowan Dean, I always assumed they did it for free. But seriously: is there evidence that American journalists are paid by the Chinese Communist Party? Not really. I believe the just-declassified document that »
July 17, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Our Violent Left [Updated]

Featured imageLeft-wing violence has become almost a daily fact of our political life. And I am not talking about the extreme left, I am talking about the left that represents the center of gravity in the Democratic Party. Congressman Adam Smith illustrates the point in the tweet embedded below. Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, is a former supporter of Israel who voted with 102 Democratic colleagues »
July 17, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Our worst years

Featured imageI dubbed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “Governor Isuzu” a while back. The blather and lying come so naturally to him. It’s a gift of some kind. He perfected it during his reign as our one-man ruler by emergency decree during the Covid nightmare. You know Walz is lying when his lips are moving. Walz knows he’s lying. We know he’s lying. He knows that we know he’s lying. He remains »
July 17, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Election Security: What Did Trump Say?

Featured imageI generally agree with Scott’s take on President Trump’s speech last night. I was on television last night, immediately following the speech, and I gave my impressions to Rowan Dean: I have started looking at the newly-declassified documents, which don’t appear to be voluminous. They are interesting, to say the least, but I haven’t yet seen any evidence of more voter fraud than we already knew about. The main point, »
July 17, 2026 — Scott Johnson

On left-wing terrorism

Featured imageSecretary Rubio convened a conference on the resurgence of transnational left-wing terorism and gave something like the keynote speech yesterday. He was introduced by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who wrote us in 2020 when he was serving as our Amabassador to Mexico on the related phenmenon of lefist mob violence. Secretary Rubio’s speech is deserving of our attention. Coincidentally, the adjacent post on Rep. Adam Smith provides a »
July 17, 2026 — Scott Johnson

The uses of violence [updated]

Featured imageThe combination of anti-Semitism and violence on the left deamands attention. It is a toxic brew. Democrat Washington Rep. Adam Smith provides a recent example in connection with his vote against aid to Israel this week. Matthew Shea reports at Jewish Insider (links in original): Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, indicated he voted to cut off military aid to Israel in part »
July 16, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Eidleh returns!

Featured imageFrom the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Successful Transfer of Abdikerm Eidleh from Somalia to Minnesota to Face Charges for Role in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme. A headline that I would not have thought possible as recently as last month. Eidleh is defendant No. 2 (out of 80) in the half-billion-dollar free-food scandal, and was a former employee of the nonprofit company Feeding Our Future. Since the scandal broke in »
July 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker

JD Vance, Iran and Jeffrey Epstein

Featured imageI was on the Rita Panahi Show last night. We talked about “trans” people fleeing America and Gavin Newsom’s dishonesty, and climate change causing child marriages. But most of the interview focused on JD Vance’s Joe Rogan interview. Vance made explosive comments about Israel and Jeffrey Epstein, with which I disagreed. The video starts with Lefties Losing It, and I come on following the video report that begins at 9:39 »
July 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Secrets of Abdul El-Sayed

Featured imageMichigan Democratic Senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed seems to me most notably a member of what Louisiana Senator John Kennedy has denominated “the Hamas wing of the Democratic Party, which is in control.” He also mirrors fake working class Dems like Maine’s “ill-starred oysterman” and former Senate candidate Graham Platner as well as the extremely wealthy Rep. Ro Khanna. Running in a competitive primary for the Democrat nomination, El-Sayed has withheld »
July 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Flight of the billionaires

Featured imageThe absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco wrote Exit the King. It stands out in Ionesco’s canon as a play whose plot is straightforward and focuses on depletion rather than accumulation. In that sense it resembles the proposed billionaire tax that has made its way onto the California ballot this November. We have been following the proposed tax and its federal counterpart in several posts on Power Line (with more to come). »
July 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

House Votes to Continue Aid to Israel

Featured imageIt is ironic that the $3 billion or so that the U.S. provides in aid to Israel is perhaps one or two percent of the amount that is lost to fraud each year. It would be nice if the Democrats got 50 to 100 times as exercised about fraud as they do about aid to Israel. Today the House of Representatives voted on an amendment offered by outgoing Rep. Thomas »
July 17, 2026 — Scott Johnson

After last night

Featured imageRealClearPolitics has posted the text and video of President Trump’s prime time speech last night. The White House has posted the Election Integrity documents cited in the speech. They can be downloaded at the linked page. Looking for an accessible summary with some analysis of the speech, I found Politico’s story to be of use. John previewed Trump’s speech and anticipated that Trump would focus on election security with a »
July 16, 2026 — John Hinderaker

What Will Trump Say?

Featured imagePresident Trump will address the nation this evening at 9 pm Eastern. He may cover several topics, but reportedly the main focus will be elections. News outlets are preemptively assuring readers that our elections are wonderful. CNN: “The upcoming speech is just the latest example of his election obsession.” Reuters: “The Republican president could ‌use his televised speech … to again press his false claim that he lost his 2020 »
July 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Thank you, Senator Cotton

Featured imageYou may have heard Vice President Vance’s lastest line about the government of Israel undertaking a secret influence operation to undermine Vance’s brilliant work on the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran. Dana Perrino asked Senator Tom Cotton about it on FNC’s America’s Newsroom this morning. Senator Cotton bluntly denied knowledge of any intelligence to support Vance’s braying. Thank you, Senator Cotton. Iran’s revolutionary leaders aren’t serious about making a deal. »
July 16, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Strait talk

Featured imageThe Institute for the Study of War has posted its Iran Special Report Update (July 15) as of yesterday afternoon. It is a dry recitation indicating that the current hostilities continue. Aaron MacLean invited the Hudson Institute’s Michael Doran to appear on the current edition of his School of War podcast. Doran seeks to explain where we are now and why. Doran’s analysis is the most acute I have read »
July 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Bogus Blue Rankings

Featured imageLiberal news outlets produce a steady stream of state rankings that are designed to make blue states look good, and red states look bad. These rankings are always based on oddball criteria that have nothing to do with what actually makes a state desirable. CNBC, a left-wing outlet, is an excellent example: Businesses in top industries, from health care to renewable energy and manufacturing, understand the benefits of investing and »
July 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker

What Were They Doing In England?

Featured imageIf you wonder why a clear majority of Europeans oppose their governments’ suicidal immigration policies, this case tells you everything you need to know: A gang of asylum seekers who raped a woman on Brighton beach and filmed the “predatory and callous” attack have been jailed for up to 21 years each. Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, from Iran, and Ibrahim Alshafe, an Egyptian, attacked the woman, who was “incapacitated” and “staggering »