PrairiePundit

 Gregg Jarrett: A silence kept in order to hide the truth is a lie. By that maxim, there are plenty of liars among prominent Democrats who knew that the damning Trump-Russia collusion narrative was all a hoax. But they chose to remain mum, preferring instead to watch contentedly as an American president was vilified nonstop by a media-driven orgy of lies. It consumed the nation for years and inflicted untold harm. None of them had the decency to volunteer the truth. This is one of the key findings in the 306-page Durham report that the special counsel filled to the brim with documented acts of deviousness, dishonesty and malice by high officials in government whom we are supposed to trust but should not. In July 2016, CIA Director John Brennan rushed to the White House to brief then-President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, our current president, about alarming new evidence uncovered by American intelligence. The agency had obtained reliable information that "Hillary Clinton had...

 Jonathon Turley: In 2018, Hunter Biden’s world was collapsing. The New York Times had run a story on one of his shady deals with the Chinese and his father, then vice president, was pulled into the vortex. It appears that Hunter was in a free fall and his uncle Jim Biden reached out in newly discovered messages to offer him a “safe harbor.” The exchange is an insight into the train wreck of the life of the scion of one of the most powerful families in the country. However, it is also insight into a world of influence peddling where millions of dollars simply evaporated into the coffers of the Biden family. On their face, the messages seem to contradict public statements from President Biden on the foreign influence-peddling that used to fund Hunter’s drug-infused, self-destructive lifestyle. The Times story caused panic in the Biden family. Despite a largely supportive media, the Bidens have long been known for influence-peddling. Jim Biden has been repeatedly criticized for mark...

 Julie Kelly: “Our office prosecutes all acts of violence, regardless of political motivation, the same.” So said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves—under oath, mind you, and with a straight face—during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee earlier this month. Representative Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) questioned Graves’ disparate treatment of Black Lives Matters rioters who terrorized Washington, D.C., in 2020 versus Trump supporters involved in the events of January 6, 2021. Although the start of both incidents was a mere seven months apart, they are a world away in terms of accountability. In what Graves calls the “Capitol Siege” investigation, more than 1,000 Trump supporters have been criminally charged. Graves, a Biden appointee, has promised to double that caseload before he’s finished. His office announces new arrests every week. That, however, is not the case for rioters who caused far more violence and inflicted far more damage in the nation’s capita...

 Breitbart: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) is leading Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) by double-digits in a head-to-head primary matchup in the Mountain State, a recent ECU survey found. Justice, who jumped into the Senate race in April after stating that it is “time for the Republicans to take control of the Senate,” is leading the incumbent by 22 points among registered voters. A majority, 54 percent, support Justice, compared to 32 percent who support Manchin. Another 13 percent remain undecided, and one percent said “some other candidate.” ... Republicans have become the dominant party in West Virginia. 

 Breitbart: Senior EU officials were furious on Friday after Twitter owner Elon Musk pulled the platform out of the bloc’s online censorship project. Elon Musk has pulled Twitter out of the EU’s “Code of Practice”, a pro-censorship project aimed at countering so-called “disinformation” online, prompting fury from those in Brussels. It comes after months of mixed messages from the billionaire, who had publicly stated that he wanted to support free speech on the platform while repeatedly insisting that he would support the European Union in its pro-censorship crusade. According to a report by POLITICO, it appears that the Big Tech entrepreneur may be prioritising his freedom of speech committment over pleasing EU overlords, with the publication detailing rumours that Musk was pulling Twitter out of the voluntary anti-disinformation project. This was later confirmed by EU Internal Market Commissar Thierry Breton, who wrote on Twitter that the platform had indeed left the project. .....

 American Action News: The recent appointment of a Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) at Chick-fil-A has stirred concerns among conservative groups, leading to discussions about the company’s values and principles. While Chick-fil-A has been highly regarded for its religious foundation and support of organizations that uphold traditional values, the selection of Erick McReynolds as the VP of DEI has raised skepticism among critics who believe the company may have embraced what they perceive as a “woke” ideology. DEI is a concept that many companies and organizations are embracing as they seek to improve their work environments. It encompasses a range of programs and initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. While these principles are driven by good intentions, they have faced scrutiny from conservatives in recent times. Critics argue that DEI initiatives sometimes prioritize superficial factors like diversity quotas over individual mer...

 The Lid: More than 350 Companies have Fled California since 2018 201 large companies of 100 employees or more have moved out of California from 2018 to 2022. But just this year alone, the number has nearly doubled to 354 — with 153 and counting leaving the state this year so far. ... Texas is the most popular destination for these companies. 

  American Action News: Chairman James Comer of the House Oversight Committee is taking steps to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt over the agency’s refusal to release a document related to an alleged criminal scheme involving President Biden and a foreign individual. Comer had previously issued a subpoena for the document but was dissatisfied with the FBI’s explanation that it needed to safeguard its confidential human source program. The House of Representatives is accusing Wray of defying or obstructing their authority and proceedings, resulting in contempt charges. Consequences for contempt can include legal penalties, fines, or imprisonment. Despite setting a deadline for the document’s submission, the FBI failed to comply, prompting Comer to criticize their obstructive behavior. He announced the committee’s intention to hold Wray in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena, stressing the committee’s commitment to transparency and the pursuit of truth. R...

 ISW: ... Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to downplay the drone attack on Moscow to avoid exposing the limited options he has to retaliate against Ukraine. Putin claimed that Russian forces struck the Ukrainian military intelligence headquarters “two [to] three days ago” and claimed that the Russian Armed Forces continue to respond to Ukraine’s “war against Donbas” by striking Ukrainian military infrastructure.[13] Putin insinuated that the drone strike on Moscow was Kyiv’s response to Russian strikes, and the Russian MoD conveniently claimed on May 30 that Russian forces carried out “a group of strikes with long-range high-precision air-launched weapons at main decision-making centers” in Ukraine.[14] The Russian MoD did not claim that it had struck the Ukrainian military intelligence headquarters recently and there is no available confirmation of Putin’s claim.[15] Putin stated that Ukraine is trying to provoke a response and make Russia “mirror” its actions. Putin’s e...

 Guardian: Texas is challenging federal control of policy on the US-Mexico border by exploiting what it sees as a constitutional loophole around the definition of an “invasion” but that migrants rights activists see as dangerously ramping up fears with racist language. Immigration policy has long been under the purview of the US federal government – not individual states – since the US supreme court ruled so in a landmark United States v Arizona case in 2012. But in November of 2022, rightwing Republican governor Greg Abbott invoked the “invasion” clauses found in the Texas and US constitutions, likening migrants at the border to a public foreign enemy that therefore gave him the power to enact his own border policies. The Texas Civil Rights Project called the move a “political ploy”. “Calling immigrants an invasion is extremely dangerous,” said Roberto Lopez, senior advocacy manager for the organization’s “Beyond the Border” program. Lopez added: “We have seen so many shootings a...

 Ed Brodow: We are accustomed to defining racism as discrimination aimed exclusively at black people and other minorities. The definition must be expanded to include discrimination against whites, which is just as bad as discrimination against blacks or anyone else. What the political left calls “anti-racism” is really code language for racism against white people. An anti-white racial inquisition is poisoning America by contributing to an already divided nation. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans who agree that black-white relations are good is at a 20-year low. A noted black college professor said, “We have to exterminate white people off the face of the planet.” Vile racist statements like this one would have been unthinkable 20 years ago, but today, trashing whites has become an acceptable part of American life. Whites are being demonized, marginalized, stereotyped, denigrated, and suppressed at every turn. We have reached the point where no one likes white people...

 Washington Examiner: School official laments electric buses cost ‘5X more’ and are riddled with ‘performance issues’ ...   “We’ve been learning a lot about this technology,” Lauzzana also said. “Electric buses are approximately five times more expensive than regular buses, and the electrical infrastructure, which was originally estimated to be only about $50,000, give or take, for those four buses ended up being more like $200,000." Lauzzana explained the district attempted to utilize "Vehicle to Grid" interconnection, which helps push energy back to the grid when buses are not being used, but that the “technology was not working.” “I will say that I have a number of colleagues in different states who are facing similar challenges,” he added, noting the differences between electric cars versus buses. “For the school bus market, it’s been challenging for us.” ... Electric vehicles continue to disappoint proponents as the world learns the planet is not significantly warmi...

 Catherine Salgado: In light of increasing hysteria from climate activists, including a recent idiotic demonstration at the Trevi Fountain, it seems to be a good time to go back to hard data. A study last year found that atmospheric carbon caused by fossil fuels has been too low to cause global warming, as climate dogmatists claim. The earth is not about to become a burning ball of fire because you drive an SUV. The Radiation Safety Journal   published a study  in February 2022 titled, “ World Atmospheric CO2, Its 14C Specific Activity, Non-fossil Component, Anthropogenic Fossil Component, and Emissions (1750–2018).” The conclusion is clear and unmistakable: fossil fuels haven’t produced enough atmospheric CO2 to cause global warming. Which is probably why,  just recently , data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — confirmed by NASA satellite data — provided evidence that there has not been any global warming for the past eight years. Rel...

 PJ Media: Former deputy national security adviser K. T. McFarland  appeared on  Fox News  with Maria Bartiromo  about a week ago. In it, she warned of efforts by the Deep State to tip the scales for the Democrat nominee in 2024 ( unless it’s RFK Jr. , she might have added). Here’s the transcript: Well, I knew because I was a victim of it. When the Mueller investigation and the FBI came after me in the early days of the Trump administration, they knew I hadn’t committed any crime but that didn’t matter. They just wanted to go after anybody associated with President Trump in hopes they could break them or get them to lie, or at a minimum bankrupt them. But I think, as I take a step back, and it’s not just about me, it’s not just about President Trump, what is it about? We now have black-and-white evidence that the FBI interfered in the 2016 election. And then when they failed to get their candidate elected, Hillary Clinton, they set out to destroy the Trump admin...

 National Review: Two men working on behalf of the Chinese government’s Ministry of Public Security attempted to bribe an IRS agent in a scheme intended to further Beijing’s harassment of Falun Gong believers, the Justice Department revealed in a criminal complaint unveiled today. The defendants were arrested today in California on charges including acting as unregistered foreign agents, money laundering, and bribery. “The Chinese government has yet again attempted, and failed, to target critics of the PRC here in the United States,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement this afternoon. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute efforts by the PRC government to silence its critics and extend the reaches of its regime onto U.S. soil,” he added. ... The Chicoms have many legitimate critics beyond the Falun Gong.   

 Jeff Dunetz: ... Epoch Times provides the numbers. In the four weeks before Carlson left the network, Fox News’ primetime hours averaged some 2.6 million total viewers. But in the four weeks after his departure, those hours are down to just 1.6 million viewers. …( a Fox News spokesperson responded to the Carlson-linked drop in primetime ratings, saying that the network is still the No. 1 cable news channel. That might be true, but it’s as relevant as saying it’s raining today. Advertisers do not purchase Television based on where an advertiser stands in ratings compared to its competitors. It’s based on Cost Per Thousand Viewers (CPM). Many advertisers, especially the major ones, get a CPM guarantee. Based on the fewer people watching a show, the CPM is higher than guaranteed, like Fox primetime. In those cases, the network has to give advertisers free commercials. The number of TV commercials is limited because they are on time. As there is a finite amount of time, i.e., the...

 CBS News: A super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential run has raised $500,000 into a separate draft committee that is expected to be transferred directly to his campaign in the coming days, CBS News has learned, according to a person familiar with the move. The group, "Never Back Down" has been encouraging donors to contribute online to the " Draft DeSantis 2024 Fund ," a super PAC created in early March to house money from DeSantis donors until his campaign launch. Super PACs can raise unlimited funds, but they are generally considered expenditure-only, meaning they cannot contribute directly to a candidate. The $500,000 raised by Never Back Down from March through DeSantis' launch on Wednesday, comes from 10,726 individual donors, with an average donation of $47 to the fund. Only donations for the primary election were solicited, and they all were subjected to the $3,300 max contribution limit to super PACs allowed by federal law. ...

 ISW: Russian forces conducted another series of strikes against Ukraine with cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones overnight on May 28 to 29 and during the day on May 29. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces launched 40 Kh-101/Kh-555 air-based cruise missiles and 38 Shahed-131/136 drones on the night of May 28 to 29 and 11 Iskander-M/K missiles during the day on May 29.[1] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian air defenses destroyed in all 36 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, 30 Shahed drones, and all 11 Iskander missiles.[2] Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces intercepted all 11 Iskander missiles, and 40 cruise missiles and Shahed drones that targeted Kyiv City and Kyiv Oblast.[3] Ukrainian sources reported that Ukrainian forces also intercepted missiles and drones near the cities of Lviv, Mykolaiv, and Odesa and that Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Odesa City and a military infrastructure facility in Khmelnytskyi Oblas...

 Daily Mail: The REALITY of America's migrant crisis in pictures: Migrants bedding down in Chicago police stations, cramped buses departing an overwhelmed NYC and makeshift camps on the US-Mexico border The pictures at this link tell the real story of Biden's border fiasco. 

 Michael Goodwin: On the night of Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout, I was at a dinner talking politics with one of his supporters. As the man prepared to leave, he joked that “I’m going home to watch Ron DeSanctimonious.” Laughing and pointing to his head, the supporter said, “See, he’s even up here.” “He” is Donald Trump, and he is in the head of every Republican voter and candidate. That’s what 800-pound gorillas do. “DeSanctimonious” is, of course, Trump’s favorite put-down tag for the Florida governor. The mocking technique has served Trump well, just ask “low energy” Jeb Bush. But DeSantis is no Jeb Bush and while it’s too soon to predict the outcome of a nomination race that will last a year, it’s certain that Trump is facing the best-funded, most successful and most prepared GOP opponent he’s ever faced. For a host of reasons, including that Trump soon will turn 77 and his schtick is tired while DeSantis is a party superstar at just 44 and eager for a fight, insulting nickname...

 Washington Examiner: ... The NAACP's board of directors this week issued a “formal travel advisory” against Florida. It was entirely political, mentioning Gov. Ron DeSantis by name just as he was announcing his campaign for the presidency. “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans,” the NAACP notice claims, citing DeSantis’s “aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools." On the second charge, restricting DEI programs in Florida schools, DeSantis would probably agree. DEI programs are proven failures that only increase racial division . Every governor should be eliminating their use across state government. On the first charge, that DeSantis has attempted to “erase Black history,” the NAACP is factually wrong. Florida schools are required by law to teach “the history of African peoples,” including “the passage to America” and “the enslavement experience.” These lessons include “how the fre...

 VOA: Afghanistan's Taliban authorities and neighboring Iran said Sunday deadly clashes between their border security forces had subsided, with both sides engaging in talks to ease tensions. The skirmishes erupted in the Afghan border province of Nimroz Saturday, killing two Iranian security forces and a Taliban border guard, officials in both countries said. Both sides traded blame for the heavy exchange of cross-border gunfire, escalating Iran's tensions with Afghanistan amid a dispute over water resources. ... It is a tough neighborhood. 

 Newsmax: Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham His statement about Russian casualties in Ukraine was not well received in Moscow.  See, also: Michelin sells Russian division, exits country amid war Michelin has operated in Russia since 1997

 When I first got to Vietnam, I was initially assigned to the 3rd Marine Division Communication Center reviewing message traffic and getting it to the right person in the command.  Casualty reports were part of that routine.  I was eventually assigned to be the Executive Officer of a company of Marines. On joining the company I saw a stack of bodies waiting to be loaded on the chopper I came in on along with the realization they were more than statistics on a piece of paper or stats in a news article.  I was eventually wounded in combat and spent time in a field hospital listening to other Marines suffering from their wounds. Memorial Day becomes a time for reflection on those who didn't make it and those who still suffer from their experience in war. I am proud of my service in the Marines and my association with fellow Marines.

  Logan Hall: ... Could any other national leader show up to a place like East Palestine, Ohio and be met with a groundswell of adoration ? These Ohioans—who have been targeted for destruction by globalist politicians on both sides of the aisle for decades—see that Trump is not a politician in the traditional sense. He is as comfortable golfing at Mar-a-Lago as he is walking through beaten down and deserted communities in the Midwest. He listens to locals and makes them feel heard. He’s someone who lived the American dream and wants to help make their home a place where the American dream becomes achievable again. Trump’s unique way of connecting to these individuals is unrivaled. Despite his background as a real estate developer and TV star, Trump has a gut-level understanding of the people and places that were sacrificed on the altar of progress. But progress for whom? For the institutional GOP, economic progress; for the institutional DNC, cultural progress. Trump, more than an...

 PJ Media: One of the most maddening things about modern culture is the whole issue of pronouns. At the very least, it’s annoying that some people trumpet their pronouns, choosing to base their identity on how people address them when talking about them behind their backs. But it’s even worse the way some people freak out over people using the wrong pronouns as if other people have nothing better to do than keep up with what everybody’s pronouns are at any given moment. Prounoun obsession is the ultimate form of narcissism; it’s entirely self-focused to think that everyone should bend to the whim of what you want to call yourself. We see pronouns pop up on social media bios and in email signatures, and some companies are even mandating that employees include pronouns in bios and signatures. But for the vast majority of us whose pronouns are obvious because we don’t choose to identify as something that God didn’t intend for us to be, informing the world of our pronouns is unnecessar...

 Wes Walker: Eric Holder wasn’t half the ‘wingman’ that Garland has been. This guy has stonewalled oversight into criminal allegations against Biden while quarterbacking attacks on Trump. Christopher Wray is no better. He’s holding back the unclassified document being subpoenaed by his REAL boss in Congress (His real boss being the American Citizen). Rep Comer has set a deadline for when Wray needs to provide this document with a proviso that failing to do so will trigger Contempt of Congress. He has also upped the ante by giving the world more insight onto what makes these documents so special. They include allegations of a 5 Million dollar bribery scheme paid by a company out of Ukraine, Burisma, to the Bidens. The dates on the documents are on or about June 30, 2020. Interestingly, Axios ran a story on June 14, 2020, referencing Burisma and a $5M bribe scandal and bent over backward to ensure they said the Biden family was in NO way implicated. ... Supposing the Bidens are not i...

 ISW: Russian forces conducted the largest Shahed drone strike against Ukraine since the start of the war overnight on May 27-28. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces launched 59 Shahed-131/136 drones, of which Ukrainian forces shot down 58.[1] Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat characterized this strike as the largest drone strike since the start of the war and stated that Russian forces chiefly targeted Kyiv.[2] Zhytomyr Oblast Head Vitaliy Bunechko reported that Russian drones struck an unspecified infrastructure facility in the oblast.[3] The Russian allocation of aerial munitions to targeting Kyiv rather than prioritizing infrastructure or military facilities continues to constrain this limited Russian air campaign’s ability to meaningfully degrade Ukrainian offensive capabilities for the upcoming counteroffensive, as ISW has previously assessed.[4] ... Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have again indirectly undermined Ru...