IT’S MY THURSDAY ESSAY FOR VIP SUBSCRIBERS: So How’s That Russo-Ukraine Oil War Going? “Not as well as hoped — if Kyiv would only focus. Alas.”

CULTURE OF HATE: Palestinian Authority Promised Terrorists More Than $200 Million in ‘Pay-To-Slay’ Payments After it ‘Scrapped’ Program, State Department Tells Congress.

AND AGAIN:

If you were wondering why there’s a sudden pressure campaign to kick ICE out of Maine, this is why 👇 https://t.co/1pZa3gqKq6

— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) January 28, 2026

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (NYC EDITION): Mamdani Presses for Tax Hike on New York’s Wealthiest as Budget Deficit Looms.

“We must raise taxes on the wealthiest few in New York City so that we can invest in the many,” the newly elected Democratic socialist mayor of the country’s largest city said in an interview Tuesday.

During the campaign, Mamdani pledged to raise taxes on millionaires and corporations to help fund his ambitious affordability agenda. But the plan drew swift rebuke from the city’s elite, who said a tax hike would drive the wealthiest out of New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who would have to sign off on the increases, has said she opposes income-tax hikes but has previously been more open to a potential corporate-tax increase. “I don’t believe in raising taxes for the sake of raising taxes,” she said earlier this month.

Mamdani said in the interview the tax increases were now urgently needed to meet the moment. “New York City has not seen a gap of this scale since the Great Recession,” he said, referring to the 2008-09 financial crisis. He added that his administration has already begun conversations with state officials.

And when the wealthy few move to Miami?

LIMITED TIME DEAL: DREO Humidifiers for Bedroom, 4L Top Fill for Large Room. #CommissionEarned

THEY’VE PATCHED THINGS A BIT, BUT THEY STILL NEED HEAT THEY CAN RELY ON:  Help the Gregorys with home repairs!

And rest assured they are working multiple jobs already.

ICYMI:

If you are surprised to see such a large volume of professional class leftists acting in psychotic fashion in response to routine immigration enforcement, remember the conduct of this same group during covid: masking babies, terrifying children, boycotting family, shuttering…

— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 18, 2026

WHEN POLITICS BECOMES RELIGION:

I keep telling you this weird commie nonsense is their religion https://t.co/wQ7sTsYx5a

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) January 28, 2026

As Tom Wolfe wrote in his epochal 1976 article, “The ‘Me’ Decade and the Third Great Awakening:” “It is entirely possible that in the long run historians will regard the entire New Left experience as not so much a political as a religious episode wrapped in semi military gear and guerrilla talk.” (That line was written with early ‘70s radical chic in mind, but reverberates quite nicely today, given Antifa’s current love of paramilitary cosplay.)

MAKE THE MONROE DOCTRINE GREAT AGAIN: Western Hemisphere, Baby! Rubio Puts on a Venezuelan Master Class.

THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE, BUT AREN’T: Whoopi Goldberg Just Keeps Getting Dumber.

SOMETHING NOT PRESENT-DAY POLITICAL:  The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (1). Tokyo’s most prominent park housed Japan’s most important racetrack. Today few people know it existed.

DEMOCRAT SOCIALISTS, MAKING THINGS MORE AFFORDABLE:  Instacart abruptly charges NYers new fee on orders thanks to new law — here’s how much more you’ll pay.

IF HE OFFERED THE MULLAHS MORE THAN “TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN” IT WAS A MISTAKE:  Trump Issues Warning to Iran: Make a Deal. Or Else.

THERE’S NOTHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THIS, NOTHING AT ALL, ANYBODY SAYING OTHERWISE IS RACISSSSST:  It’s a Question Everyone Is Asking About the Ilhan Omar Syringe Attack…and I Can See Why.

THAT’S BECAUSE THE DEMOCRAT PARTY HAS GONE COMPLETELY INSANE:  What the Dems Reportedly Want Regarding Future ICE Arrests Is Totally Insane.

ALL OF THIS, BUT ALSO WHO BRINGS A DESPERATELY ILL CHILD ON THAT PUNISHING A TRIP?  Senate Judiciary Dems Called Out for Deceptive Tweet on Young Girl Who Died in CBP Custody.

DELIVER US FROM GOOD INTENTIONS:  An ADA unintended consequence in Los Angeles.

DON’T WORRY. SOCIALISTS USUALLY PULL OFF THE POTEMKIN LOOK IN THE END:  Deficits, Urban Dystopia Hampers Los Angeles’s Ability to Prepare for 2028 Olympics.

MORE COMMUNIST TACTICS TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION OF POPULAR SUPPORT:  I went to a public LAPD meeting for The California Post — then an anti-cop mob swarmed me screaming ‘pigs’ at the cops.

AGAIN, THIS IS MY SHOCKED FACE:  In other news, 9th Century tribesmen. Are acting like it’s the 9th Century.

THIS IS MY SHOCKED FACE:  Fraud Concerns Spread From Minnesota to Ohio. Anti-fraud efforts were already underway in Ohio, officials say, long before outrage over Minnesota Somali fraud spread suspicions to the Buckeye State.

Expect unrest to follow, since the unrest is designed to hide the fraud.

INTERESTING:  So, We Have a National Defense Strategy. …no one is hiding anything. just read it…

VERY COOL:  Saturn’s rings with two of its moons perfectly aligned.

IT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE YOU CAN’T HATE THEM ENOUGH:  No Matter How Much You Hate the Media. You don’t hate them enough.

SHE’S BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK ON THIS:  Morrigan’s Mercantile!  Shiny, Sharp, and Stylish…