Swalwell’s Sudden Collapse Isn’t About ‘Sexual Misconduct’

 Crash And Burn – Issues & Insights

"Keep in mind that the normal way for Democrats to handle accusations of sexual misconduct – including rape allegations – among one of their own is to circle the wagons and count on the press to smear the accusers. (Just ask Paula Jones or Tara Reade."    Issues & Insights

Issues & Insights   . . . "Start[ing] in 2012, the state’s primary system lets anyone vote for any candidate, and the top two finishers – regardless of party – go on to the general election. It was advertised as a way to open the door to more qualified candidates, but it was really a way to impose one-party rule on the state by keeping Republicans off as many ballots as possible.

"When Kamala Harris won her 2016 Senate race, for example, it was against another Democrat. In the state’s last midterm election, there were 26 races in which voters could choose only between two Democrats (there was just one race that year where Republicans had that advantage). This has been the general pattern in the past several elections.

"But this year, the jungle primary threatened to backfire on Democrats because there were, until this weekend, nine undistinguished Democrats running for governor.

"As PBS put it, “Democrats are openly fretting that the party’s numerous candidates will undercut each other and allow two Republicans to advance to the November election. Even in the heavily Democratic state, an all-GOP general election is possible.”

"The chance of that happening is admittedly remote, but there’s still a chance, unless the Democrats thin out their herd.

"Fewer Democrats running in the primary increases the chances that at least one of them will end up on the November ballot. And given California’s voting history, that means Democrats would almost certainly keep control of the governorship.

"Someone in the party decided that one of these candidates had to go, and fast. And Swalwell’s alleged sexual peccadillos – which were almost certainly widely known to party leaders long before last week – made him an easy target.

"Swalwell just learned that the most dangerous place for a Democrat to be is between another Democrat and a seat of power.

"But don’t mistake Swalwell’s lightning-fast fall from grace as a sign that Democrats suddenly care about sexual misconduct, or misconduct of any kind. Swalwell was the first sacrificial lamb in the party’s determination to keep control of California. He probably won’t be the last."

Pope Leo XIV, the lamentably political pontiff

 Eric Utter - American Thinker

But maybe Leo isn’t a fan of Exodus or Deuteronomy. Or the Bible. Maybe he is a cafeteria Catholic. Or maybe he is a closet Muslim. Or maybe he really doesn’t believe there’s a difference. 

 "There is a great wall protecting Vatican City. The wall is two miles long and 39 feet tall. It is made of thick, solid brick.

"Pope Leo IV ordered the construction of the massive barrier around the year 850 A.D. to shield the city-state from invaders. It was deemed crucial to keeping invaders out.

"But the fortification, stout as it is, isn’t stout enough to keep the staggering and repulsive hypocrisy emanating from Pope Leo XIV in.

"Ten Leos later, the current pope, an American, has largely shunned Biblical teaching on morality, truth -- and other Biblical concerns — to verbally harass an American president by weighing in on political matters and clearly picking sides.

"Against that president.

"He is effectively opposed to a wall on America’s Southern border and does not believe the U.S. has a right to control immigration. (There’s your staggering hypocrisy.) Like the pontiff before him, this leftist Leo clearly has a political agenda, one he thinks trumps any religious obligation he might have.

"The Holy See refused to join President Donald Trump’s proposed peace initiative in the Middle East, and has continued Vatican cooperation with communist China, where state-approved bishops are now enforcing restrictions against unregistered Catholics. And state-approved surgeons are removing the organs of undead Uyghurs.

"Moreover, Leo XIV has approved sainthood for a bishop who admittedly slept with young men and engaged in disturbing acts with indigenous boys.

"And he has seen to the opening of a Muslim prayer room in the Vatican’s Apostolic Library. Which is apostasy, something that used to be frowned upon in the Christian religion, perhaps because the Biblical God stated “You shall have no other gods before me,“ and “Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.” . . .

. . . "And, mind-bogglingly, he had nothing really to say about the ongoing genocide of Christians in Nigeria by Islamists. Even about the dozens upon dozens of men, women, and children who were slaughtered over Easter weekend while celebrating the Resurrection. Men, women, and children who were slaughtered by Mohammedans in various Christian communities and churches on the holiest weekend of the year. He is now touring the African continent, and has left Nigeria off his agenda. How is this possible?! Lord God, please help me to understand." . . . Full article...

UPDATE: Popes like this one are the reason there are Protestants   . . . "Yet here we stand. Almost half of all Christians are Protestants. Martin Luther did not desire this split. In fact, he most likely would have abhorred it. He -- and many others -- simply wanted the Catholic Church to end its obvious corruption and return to saving souls and spreading the gospel of Jesus.

"As an ex-management consultant who understands organizations, I see the advent of Protestantism as a direct result of the failures of the organization at the top of the Catholic Church. They were the problem. And sadly, as Pope Leo just reminded us, remain to this day.

"Let’s analyze the situation. The Catholic Church is experiencing a huge wave of growth in the United State, especially among younger people. This is a good thing. There is a palatable desire for meaning in people’s lives. Far too many are spiritually lost and hunger for salve for their souls.

"You can almost feel a new, Catholic-led Great Awakening just waiting to race across the land.

"So what does Pope Leo do at this focal point of history? He jumps into the political fray and quite clearly attacks Trump and to add insult to injury, has three left-wing bishops do a hit piece on the TV show “60 Minutes.” . . .

Carville tells Democrats to keep it quiet on their plan to seize permanent power

 Monica Showalter - American Thinker  

"How did such repulsive, unfit, morally depraved people rise to high and in such copious numbers? It's the one-party state which rewards crapulence, which favors the unfit."

"There's a reason why Democrats have been so persistently enflamed by Fidel Castro and his failed communist regime in Cuba.

"It's a one-party state. And its rule is permanent. The island has been ruled continuously on this model for 66 years.

"Wittingly or not, they are now advocating for the same model to be imposed on the United States of America.

"Top political operative James Carville, who has organized many successful elections, is saying the quiet part out loud, according to legal affairs commentator Jonathan Turley:

Various Democrats have been openly discussing their plans after retaking power to change the system so they never lose power again.

 

Democratic strategist James Carville has been one of the most vocal and returned to the subject this week in laying out how they will make D.C. and Puerto Rico states and pack the Supreme Court with a liberal majority.

 

On his podcast with Al Hunt, Carville explained, “If the Democrats win the presidency and both houses of Congress, I think on day one, they should make Puerto Rico [and] D.C. a state, and they should expand the Supreme Court to 13. F— it. Eat our dust.”

 

Notably, this week, New Jersey just elected a radical new member, Analilia Mejia, who ran on packing the Court and other radical agenda items.

 

While some of us have written about the expansion of the Court, these politicians and pundits are pushing for the packing, not just gradual expanding, of the Court. However, Carville (curiously on a national podcast) seriously suggested that Democrats should keep the plan quiet: “Don’t run on it. Don’t talk about it. Just do it.”

"What they want is to deceive Americans into voting for them on the Abigail Spanberger model, and then let them have it, good and hard, once they ensconce themselves into power, securing their power and ending any consideration of free market ideas." . . . More...

A lethal hatred of Jews, Israel, and the West

 Darlene Casella - American Thinker

Evil actions such as rape, torture, mutilation, hostage-taking, and murder of Jews with vows to continue are met with shrugs and resignation rather than outrage and condemnation.

"Atlas Shrugged, the novel by Ayn Rand, warned us about the controlling “mind of society,” a place where talented free thinkers disappear.

Marvin Minsky, about 50 years ago, wrote about a society of one mind, where a multitude of small thinking entities fundamentally control the minds of civilization.

A Collective Descent into Evil, a documentary film produced by Gloria Greenfield, deserves to be in the same class with conceptual thinkers Rand and Minsky.

Scholars and historians such as journalist Melanie Phillips, Ruth Wisse (Harvard University), Eric Cohen (Tikvah Fund), Alan Dershowitz, Jonathan Schanzer (Foundation for Defense of Democracies), Itamar Marcus (Palestinian Media Watch), Jonathan Tobin (Jewish News Syndicate), Mark Tapson (David Horowitz Freedom Center), Daniel Pipes (Middle East Forum), historian Victor Davis Hanson, and others give testament in the film to the premise that in our time, Jew-hatred is upheld and not eradicated.

Evil actions such as rape, torture, mutilation, hostage-taking, and murder of Jews with vows to continue are met with shrugs and resignation rather than outrage and condemnation.

Greenfield leaves nothing unturned in displaying society’s graphic descent into evil.  Important and interesting archival photography is intertwined with the dialogue of scholars, adding depth of visual understanding to the film’s premise about evil and hatred in culture, in society, and in politics." . . .More...

Brandon Gill, Angel Moms Just Level Hank Johnson for 'Disgusting' Claim During Sanctuary City Hearing

 Sister Toldjah - RedState   

"There are some stories out there to write about where little input from the writer is needed for the point to be made, because the subjects of the stories tell it so much better themselves. This is one of those stories. The only thing I'm going to do is set the stage.

 

"On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing, where the subject to be discussed was "The Human Toll of Sanctuary Policies: Stories from Victims and Families."  

"There were four witnesses. The Democrat witness was attorney Antonio Romanucci, whose law firm, Romanucci & Blandin LLC, is representing the family of Renee Good. After expressing condolences to the other witnesses, Romanucci described Ms. Good as someone whose death was "collateral damage" from ICE "rounding up black and brown people [and] terrorizing them."

"The other three witnesses were Angel Moms who had children who were victimized by criminal illegal immigrants as a result of sanctuary city policies. Laura Wilkerson's son, Joshua, was murdered by an illegal immigrant. Jen Heiling lost her son, Brady, in a car accident that also claimed the life of his girlfriend, Hallie Helgeson. Mrs. Heiling said they were killed by an intoxicated illegal immigrant who was a repeat traffic offender. 

"Patricia Fox is the mother of Carissa Aspnes, who was riding on the back of a friend's motorcycle when a car driven by an illegal immigrant crossed over several lanes of Denver traffic, causing the motorcycle to hit it and causing Carissa to be thrown into a concrete barrier. Fortunately, Carissa survived but is now "minimally conscious, nonverbal," and has to be fed through a feeding tube. She requires 24-7 care.

"Gallingly, Democrat Rep. Hank "Guam" Johnson (GA-04) characterized the hearing as a theatrical production whose sole purpose was to stir up "bias and prejudice against immigrants who are people of color," and even suggested it should be about other topics. He also complained about the seating order for the witnesses:

After offering brief condolences to the families of victims allegedly killed and critically injured by illegal immigrants, Johnson immediately pivoted to a partisan attack, arguing the committee should instead be holding hearings on the "human toll" of the "Trump MAGA tax cuts," Trump's foreign policy with Iran or the "cover up of the Epstein files."

He went on to list a string of violent crimes committed by White men and noted the death of Renee Good, who was killed by federal authorities in January while protesting immigration enforcement.

"I'm not minimizing the tragedy that is before us today with you three women, but the other tragedies at the hands of non-immigrants are just as important," Johnson said.

"Not surprisingly, it did not go well for Johnson, with GOP Rep. Brandon Gill (TX-26) being the first to go off:" . . . More...

Trump is a Moderate. What's Coming is Far More Conservative.

 Elizabeth Nickson ·Substack   

To a man or woman, they want the Iranian mullahs ended. Not trimmed back, not de-militarized. Ended.

"I don’t suppose you missed the delicious humiliation of Obama, Clinton, the Blob, when they ululated over the defeat of Victor Orban only to find out that the new guy - Péter Magyar - young, with actual muscle tone - was even more committed to the anti-immigration/conservative agenda than Orban himself. Then, the next day - this was almost too wonderful for words - he shut down the official media until they corrected their bias. I felt like ululating myself. The left, after tens of millions, hundreds of millions of Euro-dollar-propaganda got 2.3% of the vote, and no seats. They were obliterated.

"Peru went 52% conservative, the left 25%. Chile, a long-time leftie haven, went conservative, California’s new governor’s race is conservative against conservative. Well ok, maybe the iniquitous African commie Karen Bass is leading in mayoral race, but damn, anyone with a brain would take reality goofus Spencer Pratt after Bass’s disastrous face plant in LA." . . . More...

Hey Tucker: Christianity and Islam Have a Long and Very Bitter History | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics 

. . . "In short, Carlson is now leading a conscientious effort to aggressively promote Islam on the American Right. Reasonable minds can disagree as to why he is doing so. Perhaps he secretly converted. Perhaps Carlson’s undeniable hatred of the Jews is really that acute and debilitating. Perhaps he is cashing out and even defying the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Maybe it’s a combination of these causes. And frankly, to no small extent, who cares?

"Because regardless: This is flaming garbage. And it must be rejected as such. Fundamentally, Islam and sharia are wildly incompatible with Western civilization, which is the offshoot of the ecumenical biblical inheritance. The history of Christian-Islamic relations tells a long and often bitter record of conflict, competition, and occasional outright persecution. From the early centuries of Islamic expansionism all the way through modern times, the relationship between Christendom and the Islamic world has rarely been tranquil." . . .

Turns Out, Gavin Newsom's 'Best-Selling' Memoir Didn't Really 'Sell' That Many Copies

 Jennifer Van Laar – RedState   

"NEW: Gavin Newsom offered his memoir to anyone who donated anything to his PAC. About 67,000 people gave — accounting for two-thirds of his book sales. His PAC spend $1.5 million giving away the book to those contributors." Shane Goldmacher (NY Times correspondent)

"When politicians write a book (and the word "write" is doing heavy lifting because they use ghostwriters), they're generally not really trying to sell books; they're looking for an excuse to be booked on news shows and do a bunch of campaign events disguised as a book tour, and within a few months you'll find copies at Dollar Tree, or the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble if they're lucky.

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom is no exception; he used his newest book, a memoir entitled "Young Man in a Hurry," as an excuse to go on a pre-presidential campaign tour. When the book debuted at number 5 on USA Today's Best Selling Booklist, Newsom issued a statement thanking his readers:

“I’m humbled and grateful to everyone who picked up the book and engaged with this deeply personal story of discovery, grief, growth and pain. This book reflects on the people and moments that shaped my life — from family and failure to public service — and the lesson that our journeys are rarely linear.”

"At that time, NBC Palm Springs reported:

"State officials say more than 91,000 copies were sold through organic, non-bulk purchases across both in-person and online retailers nationwide. The book quickly climbed bestseller lists within hours of its release as readers showed strong interest in Newsom’s personal story and political journey."

"Well, that wasn't the full story, as anyone who's followed Newsom's career could predict. Between November and January, Newsom made pleas on social media for followers to contribute "any amount" to his Campaign for Democracy PAC in exchange for a copy of the book when it was released." . . . More...

Jennifer Van Laar, RedState's Managing Editor, is an unapologetic California conservative, sports fanatic, mom of three boys, and Gramie to two perfect little girls. She holds a bachelor's degree from Boston University, where she studied international relations and became a die-hard hockey fan. Prior to entering journalism in 2014, she was a court reporter for 20 years in the criminal and civil courts of North Carolina. She joins The Inland Empire Answer on Salem Radio Network's AM 590 The Answer every Thursday for "Spill The Tea Thursday."

$30 Admission for Obama’s Library, Locals Must Show ID for Discount

 Breitbart  

"Former President Barry Obama’s high opinion of himself extends to the $30 admission cost to visit his vast presidential library in the failed Democrat-run city of Chicago.

"Oh, but if you live in Illinois, you can visit for free on Tuesdays or enjoy a $4 discount the rest of the week. BUT, you must show ID as proof of residency. So, when it comes to Obama profiting, ID is not racist.

“'At $30, adult admission to see the 44th president’s story is more than at any other U.S. presidential library,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “That is 59% higher than the average for presidents from John F. Kennedy through George W. Bush.”

“'Despite the price, Chicago is certain to become a Democratic mecca for those eager to reconnect with their party’s most popular living former president,” adds the Journal. “The center is expected to attract approximately 700,000 visitors annually and be an economic engine for the city, while also potentially helping transform the surrounding lower-income neighborhood.”

"We’re talking Democrats here, so I wonder if the library will accept EBT." . . .More...

How Nancy Pelosi backed Eric Swalwell’s rise in Congress

 How Nancy Pelosi backed Eric Swalwell's rise in Congress   

. . . ""I have certainly made mistakes and judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position." Between he and his wife? No. It's between he and the women he incapacitated with an illegal drug in order to rape." Reader comment

"Before he was an accused rapist, Eric Swalwell was a Democratic golden boy who rose to some of the most influential roles in Washington over his 13 year career in Congress.

"With the help of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and other powerful allies, Swalwell won key appointments at congressional committees and made a name for himself as a leading Democrat fighting against the Trump administration.

"Swalwell now stands accused by five women of sexual misconduct, such as sending nudes and non-consensual touching. Two of them alleged rape, including revelations made Tuesday that Swalwell allegedly drugged and raped a model in a hotel room in 2018.

"He vowed to fight the “false” allegations. However, Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor Sunday and officially resigned from Congress Tuesday as allies abandoned him.

"One of those crucial allies was former House Speaker Pelosi, who was one of the first political figures to tell Swalwell to drop out, saying the handling of accusations was “best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”. . . More...

Maher on Swalwell: Media 'Protect Politicians', Liberals Protect Each Other  "On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher said that the Eric Swalwell saga is a case where the media “protect politicians” and “It seems like a lot of times, the liberals, as long as it’s our liberal, we don’t care, and we don’t talk.'” . . .

Check Nancy Pelosi's Back for Tire Marks Because Kevin McCarthy Just Pulled a Swalwell Hit and Run – PJ Media  . . . "Knowing that Swalwell was a compromised patsy for a Chinese spy, Pelosi appointed Swalwell to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the committee set up following the then-stunning revelations by Congress that the FBI and CIA were spying on Americans. Members hold the highest security clearances. 

Victor Davis Hanson: Trump Just Crushed Iran in 5 Weeks

 The Daily Signal

"But the evidence—in five weeks alone, the United States, with the Israeli Air Force, wiped out most of the top echelon of the four ruling cliques in the Iranian nation—was there, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words”  

 

"The legacy media, the so-called anti-MAGA Right, and the Democrat grandees in Congress have two things in common:

"They never wanted the U.S.-Iran war to go in America’s favor. "Many of the critiques of Operation Epic Fury were not historically empirical, meaning they didn’t compare the ongoing conflict with Iran to past U.S. wars, such as the bombing campaign in Serbia or even the war in Afghanistan. "But the evidence—in five weeks alone, the United States, with the Israeli Air Force, wiped out most of the top echelon of the four ruling cliques in the Iranian nation—was there, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words”: "We’ve never taken on a country of 93 million people that had the most fearsome, terrible reputation of being dangerous and unpredictable, and running the Middle East with a ring-of-fire proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Lebanon—indomitable. They had terrified seven presidents. And yet, in five weeks, we destroyed its ability to make war." More...

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior contributor for The Daily Signal, is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and host of "The Victor Davis Hanson Show." His website, The Blade of Perseus, features columns, lectures, and exclusive content for subscribers.

The GBU-57's "Chain Reaction" — 6 Bombs Did What Iran Spent 20 Years and $9 Billion Preventing

Eagle Eye Military

"On June 22, 2025, the United States executed Operation Midnight Hammer — the first combat use of the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bunker buster engineered for fifteen years against a single target: Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment plant, buried 90 meters under a mountain near Qom. "This isn't the story of whether Fordow fell. That story was told within hours of the strike. "This is the story of how six bombs were sequenced down one ventilation shaft to collapse a facility Iran spent two decades and billions of dollars hardening against exactly this kind of attack — starting with a kinetic "key" bomb that stripped the concrete cap, followed by penetrators with staggered fuze delays that walked detonations deeper into the mountain, backed by a flex weapon held in reserve, and ending with blast overpressure ripping through the tunnels Iranian engineers had cut themselves. "Inside: the fifteen-year DTRA obsession, the supercomputer modeling, the full-scale Fordow replica built on American soil, and the asymmetric math of what happens when one adversary studies your mountain longer than you spent building it. 🕒 CHAPTERS 00:00 — Hook: The Vault That Couldn't Be Reached 01:15 — Act 1: The Mountain Iran Built 04:30 — Act 2: The Hunters Who Opened a File in 2009 09:00 — Act 3: The Chain — How Six Bombs Were Sequenced 14:30 — Act 4: Inside the Collapse 18:30 — Act 5: The Math of a Miscalculation

In-N-Out Burger

A hark back to the day when California produced excellence. Let's hark together. TD

In-N-Out Just Made a Big Announcement   

Plus, the employees are always efficient and genuinely friendly, and I can’t say that you’d have anywhere near the same experience with a bag of burgers sitting on a shelf after ordering them online.

"When it comes to a fast food burger, there’s no shortage of incredible options for convenient, quick, and delicious meals. Of course there are the classics, such as McDonald’s Big Mac, Wendy’s Baconator, and the Burger King Whopper. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, you may even spend a few extra bucks on a specialty burger from Shake Shack or Five Guys. While I’ll never say no to a perfectly juicy and delightfully greasy cheeseburger, there is one particular chain that has my heart: In-N-Out.

"As a California local, I’d be doing my home state a disservice to say that I’d rather have another burger from a national chain, because the truth is a Double-Double with extra grilled onions really is just that good. Plus, when Animal-Style fries and a hand-spun Neapolitan milkshake are on the table, anything else is simply out of the question.

"But while I am loyal to my In-N-Out, there is one element in particular that I’ll admit gives other fast food chains more appeal—and according to a new announcement from the company, In-N-Out isn’t making a change to compete any time soon.

"In-N-Out Will Not Offer Mobile Ordering" . . . More...

Why In-N-Out always asks customers this seemingly head-scratching question

"In-N-Out actually pioneered drive-thrus at a time when drive-ins, like the iconic California restaurant featured in "American Graffiti," were starting their ascent on the American cultural landscape. The chain's growth and popularity have led to some fairly distinct characteristics associated with these car lines today, specifically their length and wait time. It's true that In-N-Out's drive-thru lines can sometimes wrap around the street corners, while people are willing to sit there for 30-plus minutes to get their high-quality, always-fresh fast food. But perhaps the long lines are simply a product of people taking a beat to consider this head-scratcher, asked at the speaker: Will you be eating in your car? As strange an inquiry as that might seem, it actually concerns how the workers will pack up your basic Flying Dutchman sandwich and fries." . . .

From Allrecipes