AND ABOUT THE BASED BOOK SALE: C. Chancy’s Tell No Tales is in it. 99c through the 26th!
May 24, 2026
I SWEAR I DIDN’T CLEAN TODAY: White House Gunman Identified, Was Known to Secret Service.
LOOK, I’LL TAKE ALL THE WINS I CAN: And No Man’s Land is actually a finalist for the Prometheus. Mind you, I’m up against such worthy competition, it really is an honor just to be nominated. Sarah Hoyt Takes the Lead in the 2026 Summer Based Book Sale.
I’M REMISS. I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO SHARE THE MEMES TODAY: Saturday, Memeday.
In my defense there was an emergency medical visit this morning. (Nothing too dire, just apparently the antibiotic failed at full effectiveness earlier this month.)
May 23, 2026
THE PURPOSE OF A SYSTEM IS WHAT IT DOES:
"All told, a remarkable two-thirds of the Valley’s nearly 400,000 tech jobs are now held by those born abroad, according to a 2025 report from the think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley." https://t.co/HHzvP36k8f
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) May 23, 2026
OPEN THREAD: Because I love you, and want you to be happy.
SUSPECT IDENTIFIED: Gunman who believed he was Jesus Christ opened fire on White House checkpoint, neutralized by Secret Service.
Nasire Best, 21, fired at a checkpoint at about 6:10 p.m. after being seen pacing in a strange manner up and down 17th St. Northwest, sources told The Post. He used a revolver and only got off a few shots before he was quickly shot and killed in a hail of bullets from federal officers.
A least one bystander was hit and seriously wounded in the fusillade, the sources said.
Exit quote: “While a motive for the attack hasn’t been confirmed, sources said Best is a mentally troubled individual who believed he was Jesus Christ and is known to the Secret Service and has violated a previous court order to stay away from the White House.”
Man who opened fire near the White House identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best.
Best had mental health issues, believed he was Jesus Christ, and tried to enter the White House last year.
He was shot and killed by the Secret Service – NBC/NYP pic.twitter.com/WW1Ad1ttGT
— BNO News (@BNONews) May 24, 2026
PROF. CARRINGTON, CALL YOUR OFFICE: An ancient solar storm left clues in tree rings and a famous poet’s diary: ‘Red lights in the northern sky.’
DEVELOPING: Gunshots heard near White House. “The incident reportedly happened near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is the intersection just northwest of the White House.”
BREAKING: White House locked down after as many as 30 shots fired in vicinity.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 23, 2026
BREAKING: About 30 shots fired outside the White House.
Secret Service reportedly rushed the press who were on the north lawn into the press briefing room.
ABC reporter Selina Wang was in the middle of filming when the shots rang out.pic.twitter.com/KvRZgbuXlm
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 23, 2026
UPDATE:
Per law enforcement:
Secret Service shoots two men outside of White House on 17th and Pennsylvania NW.
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) May 23, 2026
UPDATE (8:25 PM):
Statement from @SecretService on the shooting near the White House, the gunman has died and a bystander injured:
“Shortly after 6:00 p.m. Saturday, an individual approached a Secret Service checkpoint in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. A preliminary…
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 23, 2026
KARDASHEV TYPE II: The Coldest “Stars” in the Galaxy Might Actually Be Alien Megastructures.
Kardashev Scale explained here.
TO BE FAIR, THAT’S WHAT DEMOCRATS DO: Why Debbie Wasserman Schultz Is About to Start a Political Race War in Florida. “Democrats are in full meltdown mode. It’s to the point where they’re saying ‘screw you’ to black voters, a cornerstone of their party’s base. It’s official: Democrats are willing to cannibalize black voter support if it means beating Republicans.”
MY LATEST SUBSTACK: And Away We Go! Starship Puts Us On The Path To A Kardashev II Civilization.
Plus, thoughts about Jerry Pournelle.
As always, if you like these essays, please take out a paid subscription. I really appreciate it.
NEWS YOU PROBABLY CAN’T USE: I Drove a Rare, $465k 2026 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge. Here’s My Honest Review.
KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN: DREAME L50 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop Black with Auto-Empty and Mop Self-Cleaning. #CommissionEarned
OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS OVER: The Long Farewell to Stephen Colbert Is Finally Over; Now We Can Laugh at the Grave Mourning of His Loss.
They're acting like it's the Kennedy assassination lol https://t.co/ffK2NbUvmy
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) May 22, 2026
I'm boggled by the idea that Colbert was "ministerial" when he called Trump a "prick-tator" and a "cock holster" for Putin.
A minister would feel an ounce of shame over the kind of vicious stuff Colbert says. https://t.co/ChTCKx3xZk
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) May 21, 2026
Many others this week have been flooding the headlines with this cancellation, and it has been a miasma of misinformation. As the show closes, the ongoing conceit has been that Colbert has been forced off the airwaves by President Trump. This, despite the reason given by multiple news outlets showing that this was a business decision by the network. First reported by Puck News, the program’s fiscal losses of between $40-50 million a year for CBS were also stated as a cause by the New York Post, and confirmed by the Wall Street Journal.
But let’s not allow data and spreadsheets to interrupt a political narrative! Trump cannot tolerate being insulted, and so he was forcing Colbert off the air as a form of retribution. As alleged noted historian Jon Meacham said, “Always worry when they come for the comedians.”
VIDEO – Jon Meacham on Colbert: ‘Always Worry When They Come for Comedians’ @StephenAtHome @jmeacham https://t.co/luWqSRG2Ej
— Grabien (@GrabienMedia) May 22, 2026
Exactly. CBS has replaced a member of the Democrats’ palace guard…
Thank you, Stephen Colbert. pic.twitter.com/8tVBbtfiRi
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) May 22, 2026
…With a man who says this:
[Byron] Allen has revealed that he plans to lease the time slot from the network and sell its ad revenue himself. “I’m putting a lot of money in their cash register,” he said. “I am a gift from the money gods*. And the comedy gods.”
His series, however, will stay far away from the type of political humor that defined The Late Show. “I don’t care who you vote for. I just don’t care,” Allen said. “That’s your business. Go do what you gotta do, you know? I’m just here to make you laugh.”
Instead, Comics Unleashed will maintain its original format and feature, as Allen explained, “nothing political, nothing sexist, nothing racist, nothing antisemitic, nothing homophobic.” He added that he wants his show to “just be funny.”
The response from another palace guard? Jimmy Kimmel Urges Viewers to “Never Watch CBS Again” After Colbert Finale.
To paraphrase Jon Meacham, always worry when the palace guard comes for the comedians:
It occurred to me today that people are mad at Tony and Shane for being “racist” while Jimmy Kimmel is out here telling everyone not to watch a black man’s show.
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) May 23, 2026
* Wait, CBS will have a net inflow of money during their late night timeslot? That’s got to be a relief after all the cash this show hemorrhaged:
And it’s the reason they were canceled. That head count is more than most decent sized businesses. For 3 jokes a night, at best. https://t.co/50pAssA87w
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) May 23, 2026
UPDATE: “Always worry when they come for the comedians:”
Remember that time a rodeo clown got cancelled and lost his livelihood for wearing an Obama mask in a humorous manner?
Good times… pic.twitter.com/7UTvWEUDTT
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) September 18, 2025
IT’S ALL JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda: Anti-Gunners Warn of a Bloody Apocalypse if Gun Rights are Expanded…Again.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Airmoto Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor. #CommissionEarned
ONCE YOU’VE BEEN CONSPIRED AGAINST ENOUGH, THOSE ARE BELIEVABLE: As tick bites surge, conspiracy theories follow.
WHAT ARE THE DEEP SEVENS UP TO NOW? Earth’s molten outer core is behaving in chaotic, unexpected ways.
JOHN NOLTE: Supergirl Actress Continues to Implode with Ridicule of ‘Christian Dads.’
.@NolteNC on Milly Alcock's sexism narrative:
She’s worried this movie will tank and with it her movie career — at least in blockbusters, so she’s smearing superhero fans in advance as though anyone would have a problem with a girl playing … Supergirl. https://t.co/njuaQ4sRX3
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 1, 2026
There was no backlash against the Wonder Woman series 50 years ago. No backlash against Ripley in Alien and Aliens over 40 years ago. Linda Hamilton? Pam Grier? Buffy? All of them loved, embraced, and are now iconic.
Anyway, after starting this fight back in March, Little Miss Entitled-Fake-Trailblazer is now responding to the criticism she desperately sought by ridiculing “Christian Dads.”
“I guess women know that this is just how it’s always been, unfortunately,” Alcock said of the criticism over her retarded comments back in March. “And it’s from a lot of people whose profiles have no photo, who are burner accounts. Or someone’s name and then ‘Dad of four, Christian,’ which is hilarious to me. But I mean, whose opinion do you really care about? If you’re pissing the right kind of people off, you’re doing OK.”
Man alive.
Okay, it’s not all her fault. She’s pretty young and was even younger when fame arrived a few years ago with HBO’s House of Dragon. Fame warps you, especially at that age, and especially in a Hollywood that no longer stops its young stars from imploding like this. Sure, Mickey Rooney was an unholy terror in real life, but his public persona was so expertly managed that he became the biggest movie star in the world for a few years.
Warner Brothers shot themselves in the foot while promoting 2006’s Superman Returns, with the infamous slogan, “Truth, justice and . . . all that stuff,” and aiming the marketing of what should have been a family-friendly movie towards a gay audience. As a result:
While the film was one of the biggest films of the year, earning $391.1 million on a budget of $204–223 million and becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2006, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the worldwide box office return and cancelled a sequel for release in 2009.
Supergirl’s slogan is “Truth. Justice. Whatever.”

“Whatever” may well be the audience’s response next month.
TRUMP GOT INTRO FROM BIG NAME AT RALLY, AND LIBERALS WERE NOT HAPPY CAMPERS:
President Donald Trump was in New York for a rally on Friday at Rockland Community College in Suffern to support Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) for re-election.
As our sister site Townhall observed, Trump got a pretty big introduction while he was there from N.Y. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. “Big Blue” is the nickname for the Giants, so of course, he first gave a shout-out to them and the fans.
New York Giants QB @JaxsonDart introduces @POTUS in New York! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/TEAB4TWneG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 22, 2026
“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here,” Dart declared, then he introduced the “45th and 47th President of the United States.”
Trump was equally gracious, praising Dart’s skills and saying he, Trump, loved New York and that we needed to “straighten it out.”
Trump says Jaxson Dart is a "future hall of famer" pic.twitter.com/FQ4C8q9aC5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 22, 2026
Related: Question asked and answered:
OK, for those of you who are not NFL fans, please allow me to identify the folks involved here:
1. Jaxson Dart is the second year quarterback of the New York Football Giants. He is from Utah, graduated from Ole Miss, and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day… https://t.co/BV2lwFARCL
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) May 23, 2026
When Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were asked about President Trump attending a game, they said it was an honor to play in front of the president.
If this locker room is divided, it’s the intolerant ones who have the issue. https://t.co/L24ru7XtRr
— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) May 23, 2026