Despite it not being newsy enough to make the cut at the New York Times, or result in criminal charges for assaulting cops that lasted a day, the presumptive successor, Kamala Harris, found it worthy of a statement. Read my full statement on the protests in Washington, D.C. yesterday. pic.twitter.com/zJpZvdQDt9 — Vice President Kamala Harris ..read more

To read the New York Times, protests against Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu were not only peaceful, but protesters were the victims of needless police force and abuse. For this reason, one might be hard-pressed to question why people who read the paper of record might believe that this was a lawful exercise of First Amendment rights in support of Palestinians. But how did the New York Times manage to miss the rest of it? Absolute chaos at Union Station after US Park Police moved in to prevent anti-Israel protesters from taking down a U.S. flag. Arrests have been made. Park Police withdr ..read more

It has the same vibe as not speaking ill of the dead. Immediately upon Joe Biden’s announcement that he was withdrawing his candidacy for president, gushing praise was ubiquitous. Slate legal writer Mark Joseph Stern posted on X that he was “feeling overwhelmed with gratitude toward Joe Biden for making this sacrifice.” “An actual hero,” wrote New York Times columnist Ezra Klein. Biden “has placed the national interest above his own pride and ambition,” wrote the Times editorial board. In a Times editorial of his own, presidential hi ..read more

It took about a day for Kamala Harris to lock up enough delegate support to nail the nomination. The money spigot that turned off after Biden’s cognitive decline could no longer be denied has been turned back on. Her history as a prosecutor, despite the great many abhorrent things she did (remember Celeste Guap, as Chris Seaton reminds us), is being touted as a strength this time around in order to set up “the prosecutor v. the criminal” campaign against Trump. Whether Harris is the candidate Democrats want seems besides the point. What they want even less is a chaotic floor fight that will le ..read more

From a political perspective, Nancy Pelosi made an important observation when calling for an open process should Biden drop out. If anointed successor nominee, without going through a competitive process, Kamala Harris’ candidacy will lack the imprimatur of legitimacy. She was handed the nomination and never earned it. But as of now, it appears that Harris is the anointed one. As vice president, she is the natural successor to Biden, who endorsed her candidacy. She spent much of Sunday calling the Democrat elites to lock up their endorsement before it was known whether anyone would challenge h ..read more

Years ago, I spoke with a fellow who worked in the White House on the defense against computer hacking. At the time, hackers were basically kicking the butt of the government, and the government was having a really bad time trying to counter their incursions. Why, I asked. His answer was that almost all people with great computer skills either are or were pot smokers. The United States did not hire pot smokers. Consequently, the United States refused the very people it needed desperately. It would rather get its butt kicked by hackers. Finally, a bill has been introduced in the House to end th ..read more

It’s long been clear that the police have no general duty to do their job. Forget the public relations schtick, useful primarily to get budget increases and cool new equipment, about “defend and protect,” the cops can turn their back and walk away without violating your constitutional rights. But can the government simply abandon a portion of a city to crime and criminals? According to Northern District of California Judge Jon Tigar, yes. Yes it can. Plaintiffs are residents and businesses in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. Plaintiffs allege that the City treats the Tenderloin a ..read more

Americans, divided as ever in the wake of a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump, refused to heed calls from political leaders to tone down incendiary political rhetoric because “they started it.” No one questioned about who “they” are offered any sort of coherent or meaningful answer. In fact, the responses largely depended on who answered the question. President Joe Biden, when asked to clarify his position following his remarks from last Sunday, said “When I said ‘we’ need to tone down the rhetoric in America, I meant everyone else, not me. I’ve made it my missio ..read more

Who, you might ask, is primarily responsible for their child? This question, once so simple, is at the nexus of progressive activism when it comes to the division of responsibility between a public school and parents. That question has now been answered, not as a matter of philosophy, but as a matter of law, in California. The “SAFETY Act,” AB 1955, signed by California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, legally forbids schools from adopting any policy that would force them to disclose “any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any o ..read more

There is no splashy ad campaign to announce its demise, but corporations that cater to the young and cutting edge are quietly putting an end to the woke version of DEI. Microsoft has reportedly laid off a team devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion after pouring millions of dollars into the initiative — becoming the latest major company to ditch the “woke” policy. The Big Tech giant disbanded the DEI team at the beginning of the month due to “changing business needs,” according to a July 1 . The decision was a further sign that companies are pulling back on diversity-based initi ..read more