News of the Week for Sept. 11^th, 2022

• Election 2022
• Abortion
• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Obamacare
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Election 2022

 

Are Trafalgar’s Latest Polls for Real?
It’s a question we seem to ask every election season: Is Trafalgar seeing something nobody else is, or is it seeing something that isn’t there? The right-leaning polling firm run by Robert Cahaly made its reputation in 2016 by its ability to find Republican voters — especially the sorts of voters most favorable to Donald Trump — that other pollsters missed. Trafalgar has not had a spotless record, and its periodic failures have tended in the direction of overestimating Republicans, with its most conspicuous recent flop being polls that showed the California recall of Gavin Newsom a competitive race well after other pollsters were seeing a heavy shift toward base Democratic turnout. Still, Trafalgar’s many successes command respect when the pollster is breaking with the pack, notably its projection of a tight race for New Jersey governor last fall, which led to mea culpas from at least one of the firm’s rivals.

What Happened When Rhode Island Rushed to Make It Easier to Vote (and Cheat)
Are corrupt election officials attempting to rig elections in Rhode Island? Or are the secretary of state and the Board of Elections utterly incompetent?

‘Karla Marx,’ Charlie Crist’s running mate for Florida governor, deletes tweet mourning death of Fidel Castro
Karla Mats-Hernandez (or Karla Marx, as she’s affectionately known in Florida), has deleted a 2016 tweet where she mourned the death of murderous Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Colorado county clerk Tina Peters pleads not guilty to election system tampering
Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters, famous for her 2020 election denialism, pleaded not guilty to a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an election security breach Wednesday.

Dem Senate Candidate: Treat Whites Like Sh*t
As any Jew can tell you, it is a scary thing when race hate permeates the government. Under Democrat domination, the federal government is saturated with antiwhiteism. Critical race theory is in effect our state religion. It should surprise no one to hear Krystle Matthews, a South Carolina state representative and Democrat candidate for the US Senate, proclaim of her Caucasian constituents that “you gotta treat them like sh*t”

SC Democrats want their own Senate candidate to drop out
South Carolina Democratic state representative Krystle Matthews is once again facing public criticism as she attempts to unseat Republican Senator Tim Scott. In fact, she’s hearing demands that she abandon her campaign and go home. But it isn’t the state Republicans who are denouncing her. In the latest example of the political equivalent of a classic horror film, the calls are coming from inside the house! Following the release by Project Veritas of more damning comments that she was recorded making, Democratic leaders in South Carolina are saying that Matthews needs to step aside. And yet again, a member of the definitively “anti-racist” party in the United States was recorded making some decidedly racist-sounding statements about her own constituents who happen to be white. (Krystle Matthews is Black.)

Will a Rail Strike be the “Black Swan” of the 2022 Midterm Election?
Biden administration takes a break from Trump-Rage to negotiate with the union.

Two firearms stolen in burglary at home of L.A. mayoral candidate Karen Bass
Two firearms were stolen during a burglary at the home of Rep. Karen Bass on Friday evening, the Los Angeles mayoral candidate said in a statement released Saturday.

 

Abortion

Dobbs Decision

 

Rape, incest exceptions pulled from S Carolina abortion bill
A group of South Carolina senators voted Tuesday to remove exceptions for rape and incest from a proposed abortion ban with Democrats choosing not to vote in what appeared to be a strategy to try to prevent the bill from passing through the Legislature.

 

Gun Rights

 

Jewish Group to Sue New York for Banning Guns in Houses of Worship
The New York State Jewish Gun Club plans to sue New York for banning firearms in places of worship, calling it “unconstitutional” in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

NRA: Over 1 million use firearms to protect themselves yearly
The National Rifle Association is pushing back on critics of expanded concealed carry freedoms with a new and emotional twist on its “good guy with a gun” pitch first made after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

New way to track suspect credit card sales of guns and ammo approved by international organization
Credit card industry representatives have cleared the way for a new means of tracking firearm and ammunition purchases, a move that supporters say will help flag suspicious sales and reduce gun crime.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &“Green Energy”

 

Czech Republic: Surging Energy Prices Trigger Massive Anti-Government, Anti-EU Protests in Prague
As estimated 70,000 people took to the streets of Prague for the “Czech Republic First” demonstration.

A Man’s Thermostat Is His Castle?
We all use thermostats to control the temperature in our homes. In the winter, we adjust our thermostat to warm to the desired temperature; in the summer, to cool to a comfortable temperature. We do this with an eye to the cost of energy: we don’t necessarily heat our homes, or cool our homes, as much as we might wish. Like most things in life, it is a trade-off.

The “Green Revolution” Is Impossible
Liberals tell us that we are in the midst of a transition from fossil fuels to wind and solar energy. The reality is that no such transition is taking place, nor will it. This video by Professor Simon Michaux, who doesn’t take issue with global warming hype, explains one of several reasons why this is true: the mineral requirements of a wind- and solar-based energy system can’t possibly be met.

Dutch city to ban meat ads in world first claim
The Dutch city of Haarlem is set to become the first in the world to ban advertisements for most meat because of its impact on climate change, officials said Wednesday.

California Politician Calls China, Europe Better Models Than Texas for Electric Vehicle Mandates
California’s electric vehicle mandate should align with Europe and China rather than other states such as Texas and Mississippi, a member of California’s air quality board said as it recently voted to ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.

Ottawa’s emissions targets for fertilizer use unrealistic, industry report argues
A new industry-led report suggests Canada’s farmers can likely only achieve half of the federal government’s targeted 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer emissions by 2030.

Europe’s green deception: Forests destroyed for Paris Accord compliance
This reads like a cautionary tale on the Law of Unintended Regulatory Consequences, and to some extent it is. However, it’s just as much a tale of green-movement hypocrisy, as well as yet another lesson on the impact of incentives and artificial market interventions. The New York Times explains in a sideways manner how the EU has attempted to comply with its own Paris Accord targets for carbon-dioxide reduction by, er, wiping out the forests of the continent for conversion to power.

In Biden’s America, 1 in 6 U.S. Households Can’t Afford Their Energy Bills
Twenty million U.S. households — one out of every six — can’t afford to pay their energy bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. This latest financial struggle hits as Americans have already been walloped with runaway inflation, higher food prices, historically expensive commutes, and rocketing interest payments on revolving debt.

Will Europeans fall for the EU’s “flatten the curve in-the-energy-tailpipe” trick?
If you listen to her (and I have to listen, I can’t watch the gestures. They give me heebeejeebees), you’ll hear “we’ll work very closely with the member states…”, which loosely translates into “use the power of our economic purse to beat them into submission.”

Downing Street hints fracking ban could be lifted after Liz Truss becomes new Prime Minister
Downing Street has hinted that the ban on fracking could be lifted. It comes as new Prime Minister Liz Truss prepares to set out a new package of measures to help deal with the energy crisis.

Why California’s green idiocy matters
A couple weeks ago, I traded in my BMW in on a 2018 F150 truck. Why? Because it finally dawned on me coming back from Home Depot for what seemed like the 500th time since the pandemic (with home improvement accoutrements sticking out the back hatch of what at one time was a $65,000 German touring sedan) that this didn’t seem like the ultimate driving experience for me.

California Residents Forced to Prepare for Rolling Blackouts as State Leadership Pushes ‘Green’ Initiatives
“California ISO warned residents earlier Tuesday to be prepared for the possibility of rotating power outages and issued an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 2 for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.”

Swiss Face Up to 3 Years in Prison For Violating Heating Rules
New mandate forbids setting temperature above 19°C (66.2F).

Return of the Ice Age
To Europe, anyway. Years of horrible decisions by European leaders have come home to roost, as Europeans now worry about how to heat their homes this winter. Reliance on a geopolitical enemy for much of their energy turned out to be a mistake, as Russia has now shut off gas supplies. Who could have predicted it? Other than anyone with a modicum of common sense? Which Europe’s governing class has lacked for many years.

British Climate Divergence: Jacob Rees-Mogg Appointed Energy Minister, as Charles is Crowned King
Queen Elizabeth II, beloved by millions, had sadly passed. Climate champion Prince Charles is now King. But Jacob Ress-Mogg wants “every last drop” of oil and gas extracted from the North Sea.

Amid energy crisis, activists still opposing small module nuclear reactors
It has long since become obvious that the Biden energy crisis is not unique to the United States. Many nations, particularly in Europe, are running up against similar threats to the sustainability of their energy grids. The reasons vary, with some being self-inflicted wounds in the name of climate extremism while others involve external factors such as the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Kremlin holding oil and natural gas supplies hostage. No matter the cause, solutions are required and one that is getting a fresh look in all impacted areas is nuclear energy. Long used as a boogeyman by activists, the latest generation of small module reactors (SMRs) is showing a great deal of promise and could significantly reduce reliance on currently constrained supplies of fossil fuels and unreliable renewable energy sources. But there are still activists and some of their stenographers in the mainstream media who are wringing their hands and cautioning against such “risky” forms of energy production.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Long-term con: Obamacare was ‘paid for’ by nationalizing student loans
It may be hard to recall these days when a Democratic White House proudly rejects any guiderails from things such as economics or the Constitution. But back in the Obama years, they considered themselves the wonks. And Obamacare was supposed to be the triumph of the wonks.

Seven in 10 Canadians polled say access to health care has worsened since the pandemic started
Seven in 10 Canadians say access to health care has worsened compared to before the pandemic, according to a new Nanos Research survey conducted for the Globe and Mail.

 

War & Terror

 

India Builds Up Border and Maritime Defenses Amid Rising Chinese Threat
New Delhi launches first home-built aircraft carrier; bolsters defenses along the China border.

Conservatives Plan a ‘National-Defense Renaissance’ at over $1.2 Trillion in Defense Spending
There’s an underappreciated sea change underway in how conservatives are approaching the U.S. defense budget. As Congress finalizes this year’s defense-spending-authorization bill, a number of high-profile Republican policy makers have started to call for a budget topline that exceeds $1.2 trillion. For context, lawmakers last year authorized $768 billion in military spending.

Russia is running out of high tech parts and is now reduced to buying weapons from North Korea
Last night Politico Europe published an interesting story about where Russia is starting to feel the pinch as it tries to keep its war machine going. Despite sanctions, Russia has managed to keep selling lots of oil and that has kept its economy from collapsing. But while it has lots of cash on hand it’s not so easy to import supplies of high tech chips that are needed for its weapons of war. In order to find those parts, Russia has put together a shopping list.

Putin approves new foreign policy, “Russian World”
Unlike the rest of the battlefield news coming out of Russia and Ukraine this summer, today’s story seems rather low-key. But it’s still worth keeping in mind because it very likely speaks to the thinking of Vladimir Putin and what the Kremlin’s long-term aspirations may actually be. Yesterday, Putin signed off on a new foreign policy “clarification” for Russia. This one stresses the importance of recognizing the “Russian World.” It doesn’t refer to Russia dominating the entire globe, or at least not yet. But it describes Russia as being larger than its current borders. The so-called “Russian” world includes any places where people are still predominantly of Russian ancestry and still speak the Russian language and maintain their ancestral culture. Unsurprisingly, that would include the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, but there are other places Putin has his eye on as well.

Applications for West Point, Annapolis drop as recruiting woes hit service academies
Even the elite aren’t immune to the challenges posed by a pandemic and a red-hot job market.

Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Building That Stores ‘Radioactive Waste’ Damaged, U.N. Watchdog Finds
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday it found the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, to have suffered damage to the building that houses “fresh nuclear fuel and the solid radioactive waste storage facility.”

Chinese component halts deliveries of F-35 fighters
An unexpected announcement came out of the Pentagon this week. All deliveries of our F-35 Lighting fighter jets are now on hold. This includes deliveries to our own military units as well as international sales. Fortunately, they are not reporting any sort of equipment failures or flight safety issues. Lockheed Martin, the primary contractor responsible for building and testing the planes reported the discovery of a “metal component” in the jets’ engines that was manufactured in China. Given the ongoing concerns over Chinese theft of technology and spying, deliveries were halted while an examination of the component is conducted.

New congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan
Eight House lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday to discuss relations with the U.S.

Ukrainian counteroffensive moves east as hit squads target Russian collaborators for assassination
Ukraine has launched a new front in the counteroffensive, this time moving east into the Kharkiv region. Yesterday the Guardian reported the town of Balakliia had been encircled by Ukrainian troops.

Poland, Baltics Agree EU Visa Ban Plan for Russians – Statement
Poland and the three Baltic states said Thursday they would temporarily restrict access for Russian citizens holding EU visas by Sept. 19 to address “public policy and security threats.”

Ukraine Update: Smashing Success?
When I posted Friday evening about the push toward Kupiansk (“Ukraine: Better Late Than Never”), I was determined to err on the side of caution, not to be taken in by overly optimistic claims, but overnight saw more reports that indicate Ukraine has achieved a truly stunning breakthrough. Now, it seems confirmed that advance elements of the Ukrainian force — motorized scouting parties, at least — have reached the Oskil River south of Kupiansk, wrecked one of the bridges over the river, and pushed 40 miles down the west bank toward Horokhovatka, which is just 17 miles northeast of Izyum. If all of these reports are true, it would mean that about 10,000 Russian troops reported to be at or around Izyum are in danger of being cut off and forced to surrender.

Russia Routed in Kharkiv Counteroffensive
Big developments overnight in Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, and the only way to describe it is: A rout.

“It will be like an avalanche”: Ukraine seizes key strategic city; Russia “pulling back”?
NYT reports Izyum in Ukraine control

Video of Russian Defense Ministry confirming it is ‘regrouping’ to the south (what will Putin do now?)
As Ed pointed out this morning, the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east has been moving faster than anyone expected, including obviously the Russians. A couple of days ago, Ukrainian forces retook the town of Balakliia and another small town called Volokhiv Yar. From there they moved east and took control of Kupyansk.

 

National

 

‘I’m DONE with Portland’ : Furious residents of the Dem-led city reveal to DailyMail.com why they have no choice but to sell their homes as ‘homeless drug addicts’ set up camp right outside their front doors
Residents of Portland are selling their homes due to the homeless epidemic that is ravaging the city

New Mexico county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder removed from elected office for role in US Capitol riot
A New Mexico judge on Tuesday removed January 6 rioter and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin from his elected position as a county commissioner for his role in the US Capitol attack.

Fox producer’s warning against Jeanine Pirro surfaces in Dominion defamation suit
The November 2020 email from an anguished Fox News news producer to colleagues sent up a flare amid a fusillade of false claims.

Surveillance Video Shows Fake Trump Elector Escorting Sidney Powell Operative into Georgia County’s Elections Office Before Voting Machine Breach
A newly-uncovered piece of surveillance footage is placing renewed scrutiny on an accused fake 2020 elector, and Donald Trump’s operatives who visited a Georgia county’s election offices on the same day that their voting machines were illegally breached.

Pushback Mounts Against American Bar Association Plan To Ditch Required Standardized Admissions Testing
Law school deans and LIF head William Jacobson all oppose dropping the LSAT/GRE as making it harder for schools to identify qualified applicants, minority or other. Is that why ABA wants to get rid of it?

School District Settles With Coach Who Lost His Job After Objecting to Critical Race Training
“No parent should ever have to fear the type of retaliation Coach Flynn lived through for simply questioning the curriculum being taught in his child’s classroom”

Trans Toddlers and Secret Abortions: Elite NYC Private Schools Use Summer Reading Lists to Push Radical Agenda
As school goes back into session, students in New York City’s top private schools head into the classroom having been recommended summer reading lists riddled with books about children transitioning their genders, cross-dressing, attending pride parades, getting secret abortions, and questioning their sexuality.

State Department to Combat Trans ‘Conversion Therapy’: Report

Doing What the KGB Failed to Do
Earlier this summer my alma mater, Cornell, removed a bust of Abraham Lincoln as well as a copy of the Gettysburg Address from display at Kroch Library. The manuscript is one of only five in Lincoln’s handwriting.

Portland, RIP
There must be a reason why some people still live in Portland, but I don’t know what it is. The city has become a hellhole, devastated by crime and overrun by homeless drug addicts. Antifa is rampant, and the city’s political leaders are–if this is possible–even more ineffectual than the leaders of San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis.

School recommends kindergartners read about trans INFANTS!
Just ‘starting points’ for families, students to discover their ‘favorite authors’ and ‘favorite subjects’

Police search county official’s home in connection with reporter’s killing
Authorities served search warrants Wednesday morning in connection with the slaying of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, Las Vegas police said.

Texas Judge Says HIV Drug Mandate Violates Religious Freedom
A federal judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for free coverage of groundbreaking HIV prevention drugs made by Gilead Sciences Inc. “substantially burdens” the religious freedom of a Christian-owned company.

Poll: More than 1 in 5 Democrats believe men can get pregnant
If your phone rang today and a pollster was on the line, how likely would you be to tell them that you agree with the statement, “some men can get pregnant?” If you’re being honest and haven’t recently run short of some important medications prescribed by your mental health professional, the odds are that you’re going to disagree. And if you’re approaching the question in a fashion anywhere near where I’m coming from, you would expect the total number of people who would agree with that statement would be somewhere in the low single digits. But that’s not what the polling firm WPA Intelligence found in a survey conducted toward the end of last month. While virtually no self-identifying Republicans agreed, 22% of Democrats found the statement to be reasonable. There was something even more startling to be found in the cross-tabs of the poll. More than one-third (36%) of white, college-educated female Democrats said they agreed.

California Nightmare
The woes of the dystopian hellscape that California has become under Gavin Newsom continue to mount, as the state just declared an energy emergency with possible rotating power outages. To add insult to injury, San Francisco says it will cost $14 billion to filter nutrients from human excrement to contain a massive algae bloom responsible for poisoning the fish of the city’s waterways. The Bay Area’s homelessness and public defecation crises certainly don’t help the problem. Could it get any worse for residents of the Golden State?

Discrimination at Harvard, Part II
Segregated dormitories, programs, and graduations are proliferating on college campuses. That fact undermines, if not vitiates, the “compelling state interest” of educational benefits that are purportedly derived from colleges’ having a diverse student body, and which gives colleges legal permission to maintain racially discriminatory admissions policies.

“Trans health organization” to lower minimum age for mastectomies to 15
If you were unaware that there was an international health association specifically tasked with handling transgender health issues, don’t feel alone. I’d never heard of it either until this week. But it apparently exists and it’s called the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). They have been issuing guidelines to hospitals and medical practices, including those in the United States, specific to the treatment of people dealing with gender dysphoria and those seeking “transitional treatment.” And now they are preparing to release some changes to their previous policies. They are expected to lower the minimum recommended age for genital mutilation surgery from 18 to 17 and, in the case of young girls who have been convinced that they are boys, they will reportedly lower the age for mastectomies to 15. Sometimes there just are no words.

How a single protein could unlock age-related vision loss
Research led by Sanford Burnham Prebys professor Francesca Marassi, Ph.D., is helping to reveal the molecular secrets of macular degeneration, which causes almost 90% of all age-related vision loss. The study, published recently in the Biophysical Journal, describes the flexible structure of a key blood protein involved in macular degeneration and other age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and atherosclerosis.

Hillary Says She Won’t Run for President Again. Good Riddance
Hillary Clinton recently remarked she would never seek the presidency again. Good riddance.

Elected official who was subject of Las Vegas reporter’s stories arrested in journalist’s death
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was found stabbed to death outside his home Saturday.

DC councilmember: Abbott and Ducey have “turned us into a border town”!
But was it turned into a newt? And did it get better? The arrival of eight thousand or so illegal immigrants over the last five months have turned our nation’s capital into a “border town,” DC council member Brianne Nadeau declared today. And she didn’t hesitate to lay blame for the Beltway’s border crisis on … Texas governor Greg Abbott and Arizona governor Doug Ducey.

Police arrest county official in reporter’s stabbing death
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was arrested on suspicion of murder Wednesday evening in the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, whose investigation of the politician contributed to his primary election loss in June.

When a man with a pistol shows up outside a congresswoma’s house
Everyone could hear the men on the street. The car, a black Dodge Challenger with gold rims, sped down the block, just past the congresswoman’s house. Two voices shot through the dark. “HEY, PRAMILA,” the first man shouted. “F— YOUUUUU.” Then came the second: “F— you, c—!”

Steve Bannon surrenders to New York prosecutors in border wall fraud case
Former President Donald Trump’s strategist Steve Bannon surrendered Thursday to face new charges in an alleged border-wall fundraising scam for which Trump pardoned him last year.

Oberlin College “has initiated payment in full of the $36.59 million judgment in the Gibson’s Bakery case”
Finally, Oberlin College stops fighting, and the future of Gibson’s Bakery looks brighter after six years of darkness.

College threatened criminal charges for conservatives tabling on campus
Lone Star College-Tomball campus police threatened to criminally charge two conservative individuals for tabling on campus Wednesday afternoon.

Art of the deal, Wimpy style
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin signed off on the absurdly named Inflation Reduction Act in lieu of the full Build Back Broke bill that represented the left’s shopping list. Manchin was reported to have signed off on the bill with a Wimpy deal that recalled Popeye’s friend Wimpy. Wimpy adopted the motto “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Not a good deal. It was a recurring joke that even kids could understand.

Two DPS officers suspended over role in bungled response to Uvalde mass shooting
It has been announced by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) that two officers have been suspended with pay while a review of DPS’s role in the response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School continues. The two officers and three others have been referred to the DPS inspector general’s office for a formal investigation. Nineteen children and two teachers died that day while many law enforcement officers from various agencies stood around outside a classroom while the shooter killed the victims.

Corruption In the Public Schools
What is going on in our public schools is horrifying, in several ways. Most fundamental is that the quality of education is abysmal. It is hard to see how our children are going to compete with the Chinese, or anyone else, given the pathetic level of instruction, especially in math, the sciences, and history.

Illinois Will Eliminate Cash Bail for Some Crimes, Including Second-Degree Murder
By the way, you’re racist if you voice any criticism.

Higher education continues to increase tuition despite record-breaking donations
As colleges rake in more donations than ever before, they are still raising tuition and student fees.

Gorsuch: You bet we’re still investigating the Dobbs leak
Remember this? It almost seems like history now after the full release of the Dobbs decision, and perhaps some would prefer it remain that way. Five months after the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion in the case that overturned Roe, we still don’t know who leaked it.

Debunking Bad Arguments on America’s Declining Life Expectancy
Life expectancy in the United States has sadly dropped once again, and progressives aren’t squandering the opportunity to turn what should be a solemn reminder of the consequences of poor public policy and individual choices into a political win. Leading online liberal, novelist, and content creator John Green was quick to point out that all the countries above us in the life-expectancy index have some form of socialized medicine. This is a profoundly disingenuous and callous way of making a case for universal health care. Others peddled propaganda about how China’s life expectancy is higher than America’s.

Oregon Gov. Signs Law Allowing Students to Graduate Without Proving They Can Write or do Math
“SB 744 gives us an opportunity to review our graduation requirements and make sure our assessments can truly assess all students’ learning”

California OKs Bill That Would Strip Custody From Parents of Out-of-State Minors Seeking Trans Surgeries
On Aug. 31, the California state Senate passed a bill that would allow courts in California to take custody of minors from out of state who come to the Golden State seeking gender transition surgeries and cross-sex hormones, even if these actions go against the wishes of the minors” parents.

Two Rocky Super-Earths Discovered Around A Nearby Star, And One Could Be Habitable
A red dwarf star just 105 light-years away may be hosting at least one habitable world.

San Diego teacher defines ‘fascist’ to class as ‘whites,’ ‘heterosexuals,’ and ‘Christians’
A teacher from Madison High School in San Diego claimed fascists are synonymous with the “modern-day Republican Party” and “white, Christian, heterosexuals,” according to a student at the school. Speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, the high school student detailed the teacher’s unhinged definition of a “fascist.”

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Quietly Moves Illegal Immigrants to the Suburbs
TX Gov. Abbott exposed another Democrat on the national stage. This is delicious.

Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Torture, restraint chairs, public cavity searches, and the secret to eternal youth.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

China’s Economy Is Headed For One Of The Largest Meltdowns Ever
To hit the difficult-to-attain targets, ingenious bankers are lending and simultaneously allowing borrowers to deposit identical amounts with their institutions at identical interest rates.

Brazil Capitalizes on U.S. Soybean Failures
As the article says later on in greater detail, a large part of the reason for parity between the U.S. and Brazil is the extraordinary strength of the dollar relative to other currencies right now, which is good for American importers and bad for American exporters. The level of relative strength we’re currently seeing likely won’t last too long, and the U.S. advantage will likely return.

You Can’t Fight Inflation by Reducing Output
We get inflation (i.e., generally rising prices) in part because the government has pumped up the supply of money relative to the production of goods and services. What is he doing with regard to those variables? Federal spending continues unabated, while Biden’s relentlessly statist economic agenda is driving down the output of goods and services. So, instead of “fighting” inflation, Biden is making it worse.

Finnish economist: “I am telling you people that the situation in Europe is much worse than many understand”
Says Tuomas Malinen. Adds Murtaza Hussain of The Intercept: “If you turned the electricity off for a few months in any developed Western society 500 years of supposed philosophical progress about human rights and individualism would quickly evaporate like they never happened.”

Potential for a nation-wide railway strike creeps closer
The country is facing what could potentially be a catastrophic railway strike, when the cool-down period on labor negotiations expires on September 16th. Initial estimates are that it would cost an already struggling economy $2B a day, and the movement of both freight and commuters would grind to a virtual halt.

Most Americans now say they are feeling the sting of inflation in their finances
More middle-income American households earning $48,000 to $89,999 annually are struggling now compared to last November, according to a Gallup survey.

Guaranteed Income Programs Spread, City by City
Early in the pandemic, Alondra Barajas had a temporary job for the Census Bureau, doing phone work from the two-bedroom apartment she shared with her mother and four younger siblings. When that job ended in late 2020, she struggled to find employment.

 

International

 

Voters in Chile resoundingly reject socialist constitution
Yesterday we looked at the plebiscite being voted on in Chile which, if approved, would have installed a new constitution bringing sweeping socialist changes to that country. Supporters of the new document pointed to polls showing that the “reject” movement was holding a slight advantage, but the gap had been closing and the proposed constitution might still squeak through. 36-year-old President Gabriel Boric, himself an ardent socialist, was a vocal supporter of the proposed constitution, but his poll numbers have been dropping steadily ever since he took office. Those numbers were reflected in the final vote last night. With 99% of the votes having been counted, the people of Chile rejected the socialist document by a more than twenty-point margin. The socialist faction quickly conceded defeat and agreed that they would need to go back to the drawing board and develop a constitution that would garner broad support.

Liz Truss wins Tory leadership race to become Britain’s next PM
Foreign secretary defeats Rishi Sunak, winning 57.4% of Tory members’ votes to former chancellor’s 42.6%

Chile’s Voters Reject Far-Left Constitution
Chileans voted Sunday to reject a proposed far-left constitution that was packed with gender-politics provisions and would have dramatically expanded the state.

Chile’s Constitution Flop a Win for Basic Sanity
The document was absurdly, disastrously, and almost unbelievably utopian. Its American cheerleaders should take note of this defeat.

Irish teacher suspended from school, jailed over transgender pronouns flap
A teacher in Ireland has been suspended from work and then jailed for contempt of court after he refused to use the correct pronouns to address a transgender student.

Brazil judge suspends easing of gun laws, citing election violence fears
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Monday temporarily suspended several provisions implemented by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro that allowed people to buy weapons, citing a “risk of political violence” during the electoral campaign.

New Far Right Role Sets Stage For Close Sweden Vote
Sweden’s right hopes to wrest power from the ruling Social Democrats in Sunday’s general election, relying for the first time on far-right support in what is expected to be a tight race.

Chile’s Voters Put the Brakes on Leftism, Reject Proposed Constitution
On Sunday, voters in Chile rejected a new constitution that would have represented a major turn to the left in the South American country. The vote was almost a landslide, with 62% of Chileans voting against the proposed constitution and not one of the country’s 16 regions approving the measure.

A Footnote on Chile, from Mark Falcoff
My old AEI colleague Mark Falcoff, whom I used to talk with frequently since his office was just two doors down from mine, is one of the preeminent Latin American experts of recent decades and author of Modern Chile, 1970-1989: A Critical History. He writes in with two propositions prompted by my item yesterday about Chile’s vote against a radical constitution

Legionella Identified as Cause of Unusual Pneumonia Outbreak in Argentina
Experts initially indicated the outbreak was of “unknown origin”, and the World Health Organization was monitoring the situation closely

What does Liz Truss see in Canada?
Her political inspiration is a failed utopia

An age passes: Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022
We knew the end would come at some point, even though she often seemed invincible. At 96 years of age, Queen Elizabeth lived long enough as the regnant monarch to celebrate her 70th anniversary on the United Kingdom throne earlier this year.

Operation London Bridge: What Happens After Queen Elizabeth’s Death
The death of Queen Elizabeth II sets in motion a meticulously choreographed and coordinated procedure for which the palace, the government, the news media, the local authorities and the queen herself had long planned.

The Queen dies ‘peacefully’ aged 96 after 70 years of remarkable service leaving Britain and the world in mourning
THE Queen has died peacefully aged 96 – marking an end to her historic reign and sparking an outpouring of grief around the world.

‘Make Sweden great again.’ Far right on the cusp of power
Support for Sweden Democrats is surging ahead of a general election on September 11.

Five Hong Kong Speech Therapists Convicted of Sedition for Publishing Children’s Books
Five speech therapists in Hong Kong have been convicted of a conspiracy to publish seditious children’s books on Wednesday, in what is a major blow to free speech.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Passed Away at the Age of 96
Her Majesty served for 70 years.

More Scenes from Our East German Universities
It was a given that the media would not like Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss, given her clear Thatcherite disposition. But I hadn’t expected the New York Times to beclown themselves with this self-own headline

Mexico gives Army control of National Guard, sparks clash with U.N
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday defiantly dismissed criticism of his security policy by domestic adversaries and the United Nations after Congress voted to give the Army control over the civilian-led National Guard.

Bolsonaro fan stabs Lula supporter as Brazil election turns deadly
Political violence breaks out in Mato Grosso state after argument between followers of rival presidential candidates

 

Opinion

 

What We Can Learn from Chile
There’s an old joke that French libraries file their nation’s constitutions under “Periodicals.” I also recall Walter Berns once telling me the story of a visit he took to South America—it was either Argentina or Chile, I don’t recall which country he specified—where one of his academic hosts dismissed the American Constitution with the comment, “You’ve only had one constitution, while we’ve had lots of them.”

When Contact-Tracing Republicans for Party Loyalty Goes Too Far
I must add a note of disagreement with Jason’s weekend post on “contact-tracing” Republicans for their connection to Donald Trump’s “stop the steal” effort. Jason writes: “I could never vote for a candidate who tried to help Trump steal the election, who defended Trump’s attempt to steal the election, who is now campaigning for anyone who did either of the first two things, and so on”

My Dear Wormwood, on the Matter of ‘Discrimination’
I was most disappointed to receive your recent letter in which you report, quite triumphantly, that having seduced the patient into the profligate use of the term “bigot,” you now are on the verge of completing instruction on the use of the term, “discriminate.” Apparently, you believe congratulations are in order, but, in fact, you’ve not even skimmed the surface of that term’’s potential, for proper education on the complexities and nuances of such a powerful tool cannot possibly be accomplished in such a short period of time.

The Anti-slavery Activist That Time Forgot: Historian Walter Stahr on Salmon P. Chase
Historical biographer Walter Stahr has given us definitive biographies of William H. Seward and Edwin Stanton, two of the ablest and most influential members of President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet. Earlier this year, Stahr followed those books with Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln’s Vital Rival, the definitive biography of Salmon P. Chase, treasury secretary under Lincoln and one of the country’s most important anti-slavery lawyers, one of the few who defended fugitive slaves against state and federal prosecutors. After his stint as a lawyer, Chase was elected to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate, where he was instrumental in helping to settle the slavery question in the United States. Chase also served as governor of Ohio and then as treasury secretary, where he standardized the dozens of currencies then being issued by local banks and gave us a national currency and a system of national banks. Spend an hour learning about this man, who contributed greatly to the country but whom almost no one today remembers.

An Elementary Mistake about Education
Welcome to the Tuesday, a weekly newsletter about language, culture, and politics, not necessarily in that order or, really, in any order. The Tuesday is available only to NRPlus members, as is lots of other good stuff, which is why you should sign up here. It isn’t free, but it also isn’t very expensive. I think it’s worth it.

The Powerful, Pretending to Be Weak
On the menu today: We return from Labor Day to confront the contention that the Republican Party is strong and powerful and threatens to squash small, vulnerable, defenseless entities such as . . . the Walt Disney Company; President Biden can’t make up his mind on whether Trump voters represent a threat to the country; the 2022 midterms will be a battle of whether you should be more worried about what Republicans could do to you, or what Democrats have already done to you; and finally, some deeply satisfied readers of Gathering Five Storms speak up.

Measuring the Spread of DEI
A new diagnostic tool hopes to quantify, and cure, an academic cancer.

The Dangerous Decade
A Foreign Policy for a World in Crisis

The Descent into Tyranny
When you lean over in a canoe on a river, the boat tilts but then rights itself. But if there is too much pressure on one side, the canoe tips past a certain point and becomes a capsized canoe. It has flotation pads at both ends, so it doesn’t sink, but the situation of the canoe has changed from a floating maneuverable craft to a newly stable, but sad, state.

The World Wants No Part of Woke, But It’s Glad We Do
Our enemies abroad, particularly China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, are watching all this woke, comic madness with absolute glee. They are delighted the United States is diverting trillions of dollars and man hours away from production to ideological witch hunts, woke cannibalism, green virtue-signaling, spendthrift consumption, racial and gender fixations, warped science, suicidal surveillance, and commissariat indoctrination.

Do the Democrats Have a . . . Murder Problem?
On the menu today: You may have heard about that Democratic county official in Nevada whom police have arrested on suspicion of murdering a reporter. But you probably didn’t hear about the Democratic campaign consultant in New Jersey who pled guilty to conspiracy and murder-for-hire earlier this year. And only those who closely follow politics are likely to have heard about the Democratic mega-donor from California who lured men into his apartment and injected them with methamphetamine in exchange for sex, leading to two fatal overdoses. I think we’re starting to see why some in that party were so enthusiastic about the notion of abolishing the police.

The Return of the Dark Ages
Population declined. Global temperatures rose. The migration of people from destabilized regions increased. Wind and solar energy supplied the planet all its power. On September 4, 476, Romulus Augustus stepped down from the throne of the Western Roman Empire and the world entered the Dark Ages, lasting until around the year 1000. Now, 1,022 years after the end of the Dark Ages, as populations decline, temperatures rise, and people move restlessly about the planet, environmentalists are plunging the world into a new dark age of wind and solar dependence.

Personal Initiative or Group ‘Equity’?
For the last several years, we have constantly heard demands for “equity” in education, which means that everything must be apportioned so that the various racial and ethnic groups share equally in the goods. It’s a demand for comprehensive government social engineering based on the assertion that the U.S. is so hopelessly racist that fair outcomes can never happen except through coercion.

The Dormant Commerce Clause and Internet User Protections
The same basic analysis [as we laid out for tort law yesterday] applies to laws aimed at protecting not the subjects of speech on internet sites but rather the users of internet sites. Such laws are generally upheld against a Dormant Commerce Clause challenge, at least if they are limited to transactions with users in the state, and the site operators are able to at least roughly determine whether a user is in that state.

Biden cabinet officials: DERPS of a feather
One would think, facing what could be a catastrophic railway strike in as few as seven days, one would think you could find a quote – or two – from the TRANSPORTATION Secretary to use in a piece about it. But we’re talking Pete Buttigieg – whose only real qualifications for the job were he 1) once immensely enjoyed a train ride and 2) is a married gay man – so my efforts were in vain. Was I surprised?