June 9, 2026 — Steven Hayward

Another Declaration Podcast: Brad Birzer’s “A Radical Experiment in Liberty”

Featured image This week’s spotlight on new books about the Declaration of Independence features Hilldale College historian Bradley Birzer, whose book is The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty, just out last month from Stone House Press. Prof. Birzer’s book has a somewhat shorter time frame than some of the other books we have discussed in this series, which often take the run-up to the Declaration back to the 1760s »
June 9, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Anatomy of an accident

Featured imageThe Israeli Air Force attacked the USS Liberty to devastating effect on day four of the six-day war in 1967. Michael Oren covers the attack in meticulous detail at pages 262-271 along with the related footnotes at pages 388-390 in Six Days of War (2002). He calls this section of the book Anatomy of an Accident. It was an utterly tragic friendly fire incident that is not uncommon in war. »
June 9, 2026 — Scott Johnson

When hippies hate

Featured imageThane Rosenbaum brings a detachment and sense of humor to his Jewish Journal/JNS column “When hippies hate.” I am more inclined to hate ’em right back, so I admire both Rosenbaum’s detachment and his sense of humor: There was a time, long ago, back in the drug-addled days of Woodstock, when tie-dyed shirts were formal wear, and hair was both a Broadway musical and a countercultural trademark. During those days, »
June 9, 2026 — Scott Johnson

The new status quo, per Vance

Featured imageJesse Watters to the contrary notwithstanding, Israel is not “spying on the United States.” It is not “freelancing in Lebanon.” It is defending itself from attacks by Hezbollah that have depopulated large swaths of northern Israel. The Hezbollah attacks, by the way, violated the purported “ceasefire” negotiated by President Trump. What does Vice President Vance have to say about that? In what has become a characateristically “disappointing” performance, Vance sees »
June 9, 2026 — Scott Johnson

The new status quo

Featured imageIn the early days of Israel’s war on Hamas after 10/7, we frequently relied on the assessments of IDF Lieutenant Colonel (reserve) Jonathan Conricus to understand the state of play. Conricus was the IDF spokesman then. He is now a fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Via X, this is his current assessment of the new status quo — he calls it “the interim score” — following this »
June 8, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Boots on the Ground, America’s Drama Queen, California Dreaming and More

Featured imageLast night I was on the Rita Panahi Show, with Caroline Marcus filling in for Rita. It was a good interview, covering the latest from Iran, NBC’s claim that Israel is spying on the Trump administration, Trump’s walkout on the Welker interview, drama queen Scott Pelley and his alleged foxhole experiences, Graham Platner’s complaint that his enemies are using his past against him, and California’s lax election processes. You shouldn’t »
June 8, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Massie’s Parting Shot

Featured imageRep. Thomas Massie is on his way out of the House, having resoundingly lost his primary election last month. So how is he spending his last months in public office? He is defaming Israel. Today, on the floor of the House, Massie resurrected an old calumny against the Jewish state, the USS Liberty incident, which occurred in 1967 during the six-day war. He described his shameful performance as “one of »
June 8, 2026 — John Hinderaker

We Find Your Offer Acceptable

Featured imageIncreasingly, it seems that American liberals and conservatives are living on different planets. The latest case in point: 55% of Democrats say they would rather live in a country other than the United States: According to a new Elon University/YouGov poll, a full *55%* of Democrats said that they would rather live in a different country than the United States. Only 10% of Republicans said the same. pic.twitter.com/cSpccKhC6d — Greg »
June 8, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Are They Cheating In California?

Featured imageElection Day returns indicated that Spencer Pratt had easily secured the second position in the Los Angeles Mayor race, and would face incumbent Karen Bass in the general election. But ballots have continued to come in and be counted, and a remarkable number of those ballots have been for the initial third-place candidate, Nithya Raman. So it looks like the runoff election will be between two far-left candidates, and Los »
June 8, 2026 — Scott Johnson

It’s Noon in Israel

Featured imageAs I wrote earlier this morning, I knew it was almost noon in Israel and Amit Segal would be filng his daily dispatch presently. It has now arrived. I see it does not contrast with my own observations, but his are harsher. I thought some readers might appreciate his perspective from Israel. This is a long excerpt of the column he headlines “Israel vs. Iran: Round 3”: * * * »
June 7, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Two-Tier Mental Health

Featured imageProtests are currently going on in the U.K. over Britain’s two-tier system of criminal justice, but it turns out that the U.K. has a two-tier mental health system, too: NHS doctors are under pressure not to section psychotic black patients to avoid appearing racist. *** Nine current and former NHS psychiatrists reported being encouraged to limit the number of black patients they section under the Mental Health Act to avoid »
June 8, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Will Fujimori pull it out? [Updated]

Featured imageThe final round of the Peruvian presidential election took place yesterday. Early signs were looking good for the conservative candidate, Keiko Fujimori. She appeared to lead in exit polls and in the election-night vote tabulations. Following an all-too-familiar pattern, as the votes continued to be counted the day after, her lead continued to shrink until she eventually fell behind her leftist opponent, Roberto Sanchez. With about 95 percent counted, she »
June 8, 2026 — Scott Johnson

We find your offer unacceptable [With Comment by John]

Featured image“We,” in this case being the Star Tribune, an arm of the left/media establishment that reigns in Minnesota, and “your,” in this case being Alpha News, the maverick alternative news outlet that serves Minnesotans disgusted by the Star Tribune’s incessant propagandizing on behlf of its favored causes. I wrote recently about Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove’s elimination of jobs and pursuit of a purposely nonprofit structure for the paper. I »
June 8, 2026 — Bill Glahn

Minnesota fraud: they knew all along

Featured imageThe U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee released a comprehensive report on fraud in Minnesota. The headline from the committee’s press release, Oversight Committee Releases Bombshell Report Exposing Rampant Fraud Plaguing Minnesota’s Taxpayer-Funded Social Programs. The report itself runs some 205 pages (including appendices) and makes five key findings. You will not be surprised by Finding No. 1, Finding #1. Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison Knew about Widespread Fraud »
June 8, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Redpelleyed, the himbo

Featured imageScott Pelley is the pompous windbag of 60 Minutes. Ted Knight played a character like Pelley for laughs in days of old on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Pelley amped up the character and drained it of humor. He is beyond satire. An insufferable fool, he plays himself seriously. But he’s worse than that. Jonthan Leaf explains why in the Washington Free Beacon column “Scott Pelley isn’t a serious journalist.” »
June 8, 2026 — Scott Johnson

Iranamok

Featured imageI thought it was difficult to understand the status quo with Iran. Last week I posted General Keane’s assessment here. Suffice it to say that he was dubious about the prospects of a peaceful resolution. John posted Condoleezza Rice’s assessment here. She noticed that Iran’s exertion of control over the Strait of Hormuz constituted a dangling thread. Leaning on Khaled Abu Toameh and Victor Davis Hanson, I posted my own »
June 7, 2026 — John Hinderaker

Trump on Meet the Press, and the Weaponization Fund

Featured imagePresident Trump was on Meet the Press this morning, and his interview with Kristen Welker turned incendiary when Welker attacked Trump over the proposed fund to compensate victims of government weaponization. Welker, of course, wanted to talk about the January 6, 2021 protest, the most over-hyped news story on record. But Trump wasn’t having it, and the conversation turned to election integrity. Welker insisted that there is no evidence of »