March 12, 2026

THAT’S NOT THE TOTAL NUMBER, THAT’S THE NUMBER CURRENTLY IN SERVICE ALL AT ONCE:

Most impressive.

Posted at 5:39 pm by Stephen Green

14 WAYS TO FIX MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Leave it to my long-time unindicted co-conspirator, Dr. Robert Moffit at the Heritage Foundation, to find 14 ways Congress could vastly improve the Medicare Advantage option.

Bob is a former Deputy Secretary for Congressional Relations at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from the Reagan era and still knows where a lot of bodies are buried there.

Posted at 5:07 pm by Mark Tapscott

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN TAKE IT:

Posted at 4:37 pm by Stephen Green

A SCREEN IS NOT A HUMAN BEING: Heavy social media use linked with loneliness in college students, new research finds.

“Despite the intention of social connection, social media platforms may not provide college students with the necessary social fulfillment to combat loneliness,” the study found.

Published in February in the Journal of American College Health, the study had crunched the social media use data of 64,988 students ages 18 to 24 at more than 120 four-year universities.

The results? “Students who used social media at least 16 hours a week — averaging more than two hours a day — had significantly higher odds of reporting loneliness,” a news release from the university stated.

One key reason why social media use is linked to increased loneliness is because it has replaced real, face-to-face interaction in many cases, said University of Cincinnati health promotion and education Professor Rebecca Vidourek, a co-author of the study.

“Social media is used as a substitute for human interaction rather than a supplement,” Vidourek told The College Fix. “That can contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

It’s been a few decades, but the first thing I did at college was ask about which bars just checked for a student ID, instead of a driver’s license for proof of 21.

The results were hit and miss, but it sure beat the hell out of X.

Posted at 3:51 pm by Stephen Green

KNOWN WOLF:

Alternate Insta-headline: The enemy within.

Posted at 3:35 pm by Stephen Green

I REALIZED YEARS AGO THAT “VEEP” IS USUALLY THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO:

Previously:

Say what you will about Crenshaw, but he nailed that one.

Posted at 3:04 pm by Stephen Green

SOMETHING’S FISHY: Hospital drug prices can vary up to 2,000X across country. “A report from 3 Axis Advisors used publicly available hospital data to analyze the cost differential between the same generic prescription drugs in hospitals across the country. It found a 2,347x differential between the minimum and maximum prescription drug prices in some cases. This means one insurance company could pay $1 for a prescription drug while another could pay $2,347 for the same drug purchased at a different hospital.”

Posted at 2:49 pm by Stephen Green

WELL, WHEN YOU PUT IT THAT WAY…:

Posted at 2:33 pm by Stephen Green

DISPATCHES FROM THE ICE FLOE:

Flashback: The Democratic Party’s Ice Floe Politics. “The next time a Democratic politician makes an anonymous observation about the age or vigor of a colleague with whom they disagree, be skeptical. The remarks are made to reporters as if in sorrow, but the message is about as subtle as a shiv in the prison yard.”

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

DEMOCRATS PLAY THE LONG GAME…:

…and they no longer play by any rules.

Posted at 1:52 pm by Stephen Green

BATTLESWARM: Iran Strikes Day 12. “Iranian ships reportedly laying mines go boom, as does another suspected Iranian nuclear site, Iran hits Jordan and Iraq, the Israelis dirtnap more Basij, VDH weighs in, the Saudis are buying Ukrainian MilTech, and a quick guide to drones.”

Posted at 1:40 pm by Stephen Green

EVERGREEN QUESTION: What Happened to Tucker?

Tucker’s show became the top-rated primetime cable news show during Trump’s first term. He then lost his show in 2023, following the Dominion lawsuit against Fox. Zengerle admits he doesn’t know why Tucker was fired, but speculates that he might have been a sacrificial lamb thrown in along with the lawsuit settlement. Since then, Tucker has had his own podcast in which he has gone to increasingly dark and conspiratorial places. It’s not clear what exactly has sent Tucker in his current antisemitic direction, but there is no shortage of suspected reasons – Qatari money, jealousy, resentment, or a thousand other things that have made antisemites in the past. Regardless of the reason, there is little doubt that he has changed since his Weekly Standard days. As Zengerle writes in the book’s concluding sentence, “He had descended into madness, but he was speaking to millions.”

Without the Fox platform, Carlson may no longer be essential viewing in the White House, but he remains disturbingly influential, with over 1 million listeners to his podcast. Whereas he once was surprised and even a little worried that the president would watch his show, he now has to make a special effort to ensure that the president hears what he is saying. As Zengerle writes,

where Carlson once tried to reach Trump through his Fox show, he now recognized that Trump did not have the wherewithal to watch (or listen, after Trump began releasing his online show as a podcast) to a two-hour-plus program. He began to communicate with Trump more directly – by text message, on the phone, and in person.

Direct communication with the president is concerning but could also be helpful. After all, if Trump is telling him to tone down his antisemitism, he might be one of the few people in the world that Carlson still listens to.

Worst. Hitler. Ever.

Posted at 1:35 pm by Ed Driscoll