June 17, 2026

FROM LARRY CORREIA: “I got to read an advance copy of Kurt Schlicter’s new American Warlord novel to provide a blurb. I don’t think the publisher will be able to use my first suggestion of ‘Imagine the Postman, but not written by a liberal pussy like David Brin.’ 😃. The book is great guys. You’re gonna love it.”

Haha, I blurbed it too, but that one’s better. I’ll let you guys know when it’s available on Amazon.

Posted at 4:31 pm by Glenn Reynolds

POPCORN! Watch Hillary Clinton Absolutely SQUIRM When Pressed to Comment About Graham Platner.

It’s pretty ironic to see Hillary deflect when asked about America’s best-known Totenkopf stan, when Jonah Goldberg’s early 2008 book Liberal Fascism was written with the assumption that she would be the Democratic frontrunner that year; quotes from her on her worldview make up several of its later chapters.

Posted at 4:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

CHINA IS ASSHOE: You Can No Longer Fly or Purchase a Drone in Beijing.

The new law that passed last month makes it illegal to buy, rent, or fly a drone without prior approval from the authorities. Users must also complete an online training session and pass a test on drone regulations.

Under the new rules, drone users are also not allowed to repair or replace their drones in Beijing. Not only that, but a drone in a repair shop must be picked up in-person, rather than sent back by delivery.

The BBC reports that drones must now be registered before being brought into and out of the Chinese capital.

“I have to apply for permission for each flight, which is very inconvenient,” drone enthusiast Steven Wang tells CNN. “And starting this year, the wait time is getting longer, and the reasons for rejection are becoming more vague.”

Despite China being the birthplace of the consumer drone industry, it is increasingly difficult for hobbyists to fly there. Beijing authorities say that the rules are made to “strengthen the management of unmanned aerial vehicles” and “safeguard the security of the capital.”

To revise and extend the remarks by the late P.J. O’Rourke, you can’t get good Chinese takeout in China, Cuban cigars are rationed in Cuba, the TV and movie industry is failing in California, and you can’t fly drones in Beijing. That’s all you need to know about communism.

Posted at 4:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

CHRISTIAN TOTO: Nick Searcy Reveals Ugly Truth Behind Sean Penn’s Jan. 6 Project.

The Jan. 6 riots matter. And the topic is ripe for a theatrical retelling. That’s not the key takeaway, and veteran actor/director Nick Searcy spelled out the bigger picture on his X account.

You see, the left funds their propaganda, and is willing to lose millions of dollars to get their lies out in an attractive form. While conservative investors will not put their money up to make anything to counteract it. This is why we lose.

Searcy isn’t wrong. Conservative filmmakers routinely fail to get their projects funded. Searcy knows this all too well. He’s helped some small, feisty documentaries get made, like “The War on Truth,” but he’s struggled to get other fictional films off the ground.

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 3:50 pm by Stephen Green

CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE: Among the large new rockets Amazon was counting on, only Europe has delivered.

France-based Arianespace has emerged as a critical partner for Amazon, which, to date, has had the majority of its 331 satellites launched on Atlas V rockets. However, Amazon has just one more mission booked on this rocket, which is operated by United Launch Alliance, as the vehicle is slated for retirement.

To launch the majority of its Leo constellation, Amazon booked rides on three large, new rockets four years ago: 18 launches on the Ariane 6 rocket, 12 launches on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, with options for 15 additional launches; and 38 launches of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.

But of these new rockets, only Arianespace has delivered so far, with two launches completed this year, another on Wednesday, and more to come. Neither New Glenn (also owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) nor Vulcan has launched Amazon satellites yet.

“As for Arianespace, they have definitely stepped up,” Metayer said. “They’re very reliable on their manifest dates, and they’re very reliable and safe on their insertions into orbit. So we definitely would continue to look forward to the next 16 launches with them on our existing contract, and we see them being a player long-term beyond that.”

New Glenn is an impressive rocket, but maybe Blue Origin should have held back from selling launches until they’d worked out the troubling (and explosive) reliability issues.

Posted at 2:48 pm by Stephen Green

DISPATCHES FROM AIRSTRIP ONE:

“She was warned that if any part of her account could not be supported by evidence, she could and would be arrested. For an extended period of time, both officers repeatedly told her how much trouble she would be in if any detail of her statement was disproved, and that she could withdraw the allegation before the interview started with no further consequences. They also suggested that her parents would be relieved if she said the incident had not happened.”

Posted at 2:43 pm by Stephen Green

IRAN: It All Boils Down to Trusting Trump; UPDATED: MOU Released.

It seems, from what Trump and Vance are saying, as well as from what administration officials have leaked to news outlets, that the deal’s guarantee boils down to Trump’s willingness to continue bullying Iran into cutting a further deal within the next 60 days. Or more, since the deadline can be extended indefinitely at the agreement of both parties.

If Trump is willing to go to war to get the “nuclear dust,” as he puts it, then the MOU has the teeth that Vance and others in the administration claim it does. If he is done with the war, as many suspect, then the skepticism is warranted.

Exit quote: In other words, it all boils down to how you read Trump’s intentions. And the Iranians’. Some people are confident, while others are…not.”

Posted at 2:35 pm by Ed Driscoll

AMERICANA RULES:

Posted at 1:32 pm by Stephen Green

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED WATCHING THE WORLD CUP ON AMERICAN SOIL:

 5) Hot Swedish girls love America

Europeans are falling in love with the United States, and why wouldn’t they? Air conditioning. Free refills. Ice. Waffle House. Pure joy. Most Europeans have never experienced these everyday aspects of American life.

One of these World Cup tourists is a Swedish woman named Elsa. She recently reported having an “out of body experience” at Golden Corral, and documented her first ever encounter with ranch dressing and bacon-wrapped tater tots. “I kinda understand why a lot of Americans never leave the country, like why would you?” she wrote. “It has everything.”

Maybe she’s just trolling for clicks. Who cares? It’s still sad, but not surprising, that a random Swedish babe can appreciate—or at least pretend to appreciate—this country’s greatness but the New York City mayor cannot.

Or the coddled leftists who staff the New York Times: 

They didn’t heed the warnings emanating from the View of the World from Ninth Avenue:

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

JOANNE JACOBS: Is talent a myth? Can anyone learn anything? I don’t think so. “Testing may favor children who’ve been exposed to museums and libraries and know that a pig says ‘oink.’ But relying on teacher recommendations is far more biased, as Arnold-Ratliff concedes. Universal testing is the most effective way to get more minority and lower-income students into challenging programs.”

Posted at 12:44 pm by Stephen Green

THE 21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS/HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE CROSSOVER YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: Dating at Princeton: It’s Complicated.

“Princeton Mom” Susan Patton, who got a lot of flak for her 2013 oped offering marital advice to Princeton students, comes in for Strange New Respect. “From what I gathered, the initial response to this op-ed was quite negative. Today it’s more of, she lowkey was right.”

Posted at 12:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds

WEAPONIZED JUSTICE:

Posted at 12:28 pm by Glenn Reynolds