June 22, 2026

M.O.U. UPDATE: Vance suggests US, Iran could ‘transform’ relationship but Tehran officials insist they’re not making friends: ‘Primary option is jihad.’

Vice President JD Vance floated the possibility Sunday that the US and Iran could “transform” their relationship through the negotiations in Switzerland— but officials in Tehran made clear they were not there to make friends, and instead were trying to use the negotiations to pry billions out of the US and its allies.

Iran’s president said Sunday that the Islamic Republic will not give up its right to enriched uranium as part of the peace deal with the US — while noting that a deal could save the country’s economy by unlocking sanctioned cash.

And this wasn’t a good look:

Vance has a great personal story, but he seems in over his head with this stuff.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): My own opinion is that it’s all choreographed. This is the “nice doggie” part before the stick.

Posted at 11:40 am by Stephen Green

PRIORITIES:

Not being a murder capital might be something to take “pride” in.

Posted at 11:25 am by Stephen Green

FAIL, BRITANNIA: Meet the New Commie, Worse Than the Old Commie. “The U.K.’s most destructively feckless prime minister (since the last one) is history, but Keir Starmer’s likely successor could prove Britain’s final undoing — if the radical Liberian-born advisor who serves as Andy Burnham’s ‘brains’ gets her way.”

Posted at 11:09 am by Stephen Green

2028 PREVIEW: Will AOC suffer the same fate as Bernie and RFK Jr. in the next Democratic primary?

You might remember that the Democratic leadership was found to be putting its fat thumb on the scale for months to crown Hillary Clinton as the 2016 nominee — at the direct expense of the Sanders campaign. The scandal rose to such proportions that DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign the position because of the outrage directed at her and the DNC by millions of Sanders supporters.

Speaking of which, the same entrenched leadership of the Democratic establishment went on to sideline Sanders again in 2020. Then they did it to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2024.

Some in the Democratic Party fear that the same entrenched leadership will try and knock Ocasio-Cortez out of the primary contest, should she choose to run. But that’s not going to happen. If anything, AOC and her growing powerbase might be able to run the Democratic elites out of town.

Why? Well, a recent headline from ABC News offers up one potential reason: “Democratic socialists think fatigue with mainstream politics could open paths to victories in the midterms.”

You might be tempted to laugh off AOC and the rest of the vocal fry wing of the American left, but remember Reagan’s warning: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Posted at 10:38 am by Stephen Green

DOWN GOES STARMER! DOWN GOES STARMER! DOWN GOES STARMER! Starmer resigns as Prime Minister.

In an emotional resignation speech in Downing Street on Monday, Sir Keir said he would bow to pressure from Labour MPs with “good grace” and trigger a leadership contest.

An election would take place this summer, allowing a new prime minister to be installed by Sept 1, he said.

Addressing the media in front of No 10, Sir Keir listed his achievements in office and in opposition, saying he had “changed our party” by tackling anti-Semitism and “restoring trust in the economy, defence, and national security”.

But he added: “I know the question being asked now is not ‘who was best placed to change the Labour Party to take us into power and to begin the vital work of improving lives for millions of people?’ Those questions have been answered.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.

“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

Meet the likely new boss, same as the old boss:

(Apologies to Howard Cosell for the headline.)

Posted at 10:35 am by Ed Driscoll

ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING GAINS CHEERED: There is a huge transparency and accountability difference between cash accounting and accrual accounting approaches to tracking income and outgo, particularly at the level of the federal government. Truth-In-Accounting (TIA) has been pushing for the latter for years, and there are encouraging signs the message is being heard.

“Accrual accounting captures the full reality of government obligations and resources. It recognizes liabilities such as pensions and retiree health benefits when promises are made, not years later, when payments come due. Cash accounting often hides these long-term costs, allowing short-sighted decisions that burden future taxpayers,” TIA reports.

The good news is that governments worldwide are, according to TIA, “moving from cash-based accounting, which records transactions only when cash changes hands, to accrual accounting, which records the economic substance of transactions when they occur. This provides a far clearer, more honest picture of a government’s true financial position.”

Posted at 10:31 am by Mark Tapscott

HA-HA, NO:

Posted at 10:23 am by Stephen Green

REMOVE ALL THE SOROS WRECKERS: Judges Tire Of Soros-Backed DA Krasner Lying To Them. “Judges hate it when people lie to them, and when they do it over and over again, they start to get pissed. And the office of Soros-backed Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner seems to be lying to them an awful lot.”

Posted at 9:36 am by Stephen Green

SHOULD FEDS HAVE AI EQUITY STAKES? Pose that question to a politically engrossed crowd in the nation’s capitol and the results may surprise you. Exhibit A is today’s Hill Staff Views on the issue of whether the federal government should have equity stakes in AI firms. There is a firm majority response but probably not the one you would expect. And while you’re checking that one out, CONSIDER THIS one on the Cyrus Cylinder.

Posted at 8:54 am by Mark Tapscott

GONE, BUT NOT BEFORE THE DAMAGE WAS DONE:

Posted at 8:49 am by Stephen Green

HE’S LUCKY HE’S NOT LEAVING IN A BOX:

More: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Resigns as Labour Support Collapses.

Plus, thanks Elon, for making this possible.

Posted at 8:39 am by Glenn Reynolds

IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Gallego tapped campaign cash for family travel, Super Bowl tickets, records show.

Sen. Ruben Gallego repeatedly used campaign cash to fund luxury outings with his wife and to care for his children since launching his campaign for Senate in 2023, according to a POLITICO review of campaign finance records and a person familiar with the senator’s spending.

The Arizona Democrat has used his leadership PAC to fund recent trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland and Disney World with his family. Gallego has tapped that PAC and his main campaign committee for more than $18,000 in reimbursements for child care since 2019 — including $400 to his wife’s mother for babysitting.

And Federal Election Commission records show that on one such occasion, Gallego used a joint campaign account with disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell to attend the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona with his wife, Sydney.

Federal lawmakers can legally use campaign committee funds for travel, food, events and even child care, as long as those funds are not for “personal use,” meaning they may not cover activities that would exist irrespective of the campaign, according to the FEC.

If he were to get so much as a slap on the wrist, I’d be shocked. If there’s one thing nobody in the Senate wants, it’s a deep look into how anybody spends their campaign cash.

Posted at 8:34 am by Stephen Green

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN: Time for Merit Immigration: Keep Out the Losers, Let in the Winners. And make sure the winners will be loyal citizens. “In the U.S., a staggering 47% of households headed by a noncitizen collect welfare benefits such as food assistance or Medicaid. Ouch. That’s almost double the dependence rate (28%) for households headed by someone born in the U.S., according to a June 16 report from the Center for Immigration Studies. Americans are fed up with taking in newcomers who need to mooch. It’s not sustainable.”

Related:

Posted at 8:30 am by Glenn Reynolds