March 19, 2026

THAT’S BEEN THE HOPE FROM THE BEGINNING…:

“My hope is that the Iranians themselves can take a hand and lessen the trauma.”

…but hope is not a plan.

Posted at 9:54 am by Stephen Green

HMM: California plots return of 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters to Indigenous tribes.

This part looks good: “The new Tribal Stewardship Policy lets tribes reclaim land, co-manage public spaces and return to sacred sites. It also revives long-banned practices like controlled burns, a technique experts say is critical for stopping wildfires.”

The tribes used to take much better care of California’s forests than anyone in Sacramento has allowed in a long time.

Posted at 9:39 am by Stephen Green

YOU CAN BARELY KEEP TRACK OF THE PLAYERS EVEN WITH A SCORECARD:

Posted at 9:23 am by Stephen Green

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Perhaps the ‘Squad’ Progs Peaked Too Early. “In most discussions about the potential 2028 field for the Democratic presidential nomination, AOC is mentioned prominently. Even though she’s not at the top of most polls, there are many people on the left who think she’ll finish strong. The Democrats, however, are very good at mobilizing their power structure against candidates they would prefer not to win. If the money people and the old guard are trying to keep the prog kids in their places, the path to the nomination could get very bumpy for America’s Dumbest Bartender.”

Posted at 9:08 am by Stephen Green

OUR INTEL COMMUNITY HAS ISSUES:

Exit quote: “There’s no telling how close we’ve come to having our country taken from us by Duginite alt-right identity Marxist authoritarians who’d insinuated themselves into positions of power.”

And do read the whole thing.

Posted at 8:52 am by Stephen Green

ONE DAY YOU’RE WALKING WITH COMRADE STALIN, THE NEXT DAY YOU’RE AIRBRUSHED OUT OF EXISTENCE.

Posted at 8:51 am by Glenn Reynolds

WELL, GOOD: China’s Air Displays Fail to Deter Emerging Taiwan–Japan Alignment.

Meanwhile, it must be noted that Japan is stepping up as a regional ally to both the U.S. and Taiwan.

A senior Japanese lawmaker visiting Taipei recently defended Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s earlier comments that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could be a situation “threatening Japan’s survival,” which, under Japan’s security laws, could justify military action in support of a partner.
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He criticized China’s foreign minister for “distorting” Takaichi’s remarks and described Beijing’s response (e.g., diplomatic protests, economic pressure, and public criticism) as China’s “usual tactics.”
…
Intriguingly, Taiwan’s Premier made a personal trip to Japan and appeared in public to watch the island’s baseball team in action. This was the first such visit from the Taiwan leadership since 1972.
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Despite renewed Chinese air activity and maritime maneuvers around Taiwan, both Taipei and Tokyo appear unmoved by Beijing’s displays.

Those two together could make a regional powerhouse.

Posted at 8:37 am by Stephen Green

PRETENTIOUS BUT HOLLOW:

“Dude, don’t judge us. We’re bombing places you can’t even find on a map.”

Posted at 8:37 am by Glenn Reynolds

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Zohran Mamdani’s Wife Celebrated Palestinian Terrorists, Including Plane Hijacker, In Social Media Posts From Early Adulthood.

 

Posted at 8:35 am by Ed Driscoll

I FEEL CONFIDENT IN SAYING THAT THIS IS A BAD IDEA:

Posted at 8:31 am by Glenn Reynolds

TRUMP CALLS RELUCTANT ALLIES’ BLUFF ON THE STRAIT, GETS BIG RESPONSE FROM NATO CHIEF:

As we reported, President Donald Trump asked our NATO allies and others to help contribute to a coalition of escort ships to help ensure safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz.

But he was rebuffed by some of the NATO allies, like Germany, who said that they didn’t start the military action, so why should they be involved? These are some of the same folks who thought the United States should pay endlessly for Ukraine, despite that not being “our war.’

They had a bit of a karmic wake-up call when the hotel where their European Union Advisory Mission is housed was hit by an Iran-backed drone in Baghdad.

But now Trump is also calling their bluff, because the bottom line is that the U.S. ships very little through the Strait — it’s far more important to others. So Trump posted on Truth Social that if allies want to play the weak-kneed weasel game, maybe the U.S. should just not provide any escorts, and just let the countries that use it be responsible for it.

Read the whole thing, which is a reminder who’s who in our relationship with Europe:

It’s also a chance for other nations to step up:

John Bolton has some related thoughts:

Posted at 8:22 am by Ed Driscoll

NEXT!

Posted at 8:21 am by Stephen Green

IT’S HAMSTERS ALL THE WAY DOWN:

Posted at 8:21 am by Charlie Martin

SOON…:

Posted at 7:50 am by Stephen Green

WHY ARE DEMOCRAT-MONOPOLY INSTITUTIONS SUCH CESSPITS OF ANTISEMITISM? Harvard Won’t Explain Historic Decline in Jewish Enrollment. Harvard is emptying its campus of Jews, enrolling the smallest percentage since before World War II.

Tweet continues, “‘Harvard’s Jewish undergraduate enrollment stands at 7 percent today, the lowest level recorded since before World War II and the lowest of any Ivy League institution with reliable data. That is roughly half what it was a decade ago, and less than a third of the 25 percent share Jewish students held for much of the latter twentieth century. Among well-documented peer institutions, no school has seen a steeper recent-decade decline.’ In the hearing heard around the world from 2023, I pressed Harvard’s former president Gay on this matter and it was essentially shrugged off as you can see from this testimony. I strongly believe the antisemitism does not just impact students on campus at Harvard; it shapes admissions. Worth a rewatch.”

Posted at 7:45 am by Ed Driscoll

MEHDI PARPANCHI: What Looks Like Resilience in Iran Is Its Collapse Plan.

Eighteen days after the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28, 2026, many of the usual signs of state continuity are still visible. The Islamic Republic is still firing missiles and drones at Israel and other targets across the region, including advanced systems such as the Sejjil ballistic missile. State television is still broadcasting. Basij and IRGC units are still present on the streets. Mojtaba Khamenei has been installed as successor. No major elite split has yet surfaced. Parts of the regime’s regional network still exist. Shops still carry basic goods. And the nationwide uprising many expected has yet to materialize.

For many observers, these signs point to one conclusion: the regime has taken a severe blow, but it is still holding.

That reading may be fundamentally wrong.

These indicators are not false; they are simply being read through the wrong framework. They are taken as evidence that the system has absorbed the shock and remains solid. In reality, they indicate the opposite. The Islamic Republic prepared for the moment when its center would be hit, and its command structure would fracture. In that scenario, regional units keep firing, security forces keep repressing, and the state projects fragments of normality even as central control collapses. The activation of these mechanisms is evidence that the system has entered its collapse phase, not escaped it. What we are seeing is not resilience, but a regime preserving violence and surface function long enough to outlast the political patience of its adversaries.

That is the essence of Tehran’s calculation. It does not believe it can defeat the United States and Israel in a long conventional war. It believes Washington will not fight such a war for long. Its strategy, then, is not victory but endurance: keep shooting, keep coercing, keep signaling continued function, and keep imposing costs until the Americans decide the game is no longer worth the price.

Short version: This is no time to go wobbly.

Posted at 7:35 am by Stephen Green