DISPATCHES FROM THE OCCUPIED ZONES: Families of 9/11 victims want to ban Mamdani from sacred 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero: ‘unwelcome guest.’

“Our objection is based on his public record — his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for, or association with individuals who have minimized 9/11, defended terrorists, or even suggested America ‘deserved’ the attacks,” said Giovanni Galante – whose 29-year-old wife Grace Catherine Galante was among 2,977 innocents killed by al-Qaeda terrorists.

Galante, 55, is one of the organizers of a petition drive that has collected over 1,100 signatures in a little over a week, including from at least 300 victims’ families.

“This day is sacred to us,” said the Brooklyn-born real estate agent who now lives in Florida.

“It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful and inappropriate — like an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony.”

Previously: Zohran Mamdani: Muslims are the real victims of 9/11.

IN THE US, POVERTY IS A LEADING INDICATOR OF OBESITY:

FAUCI LIED, KIDS PAID THE PRICE:

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: John Thune Is the Most Effective Democrat in Congress Right Now. “Unfortunately, whenever the Democrats aren’t providing much in the way of competition, the Republicans are always willing to step up and get in their own way. In fact, the GOP has long been the GOP’s most difficult foe.”

“A VAN DROVE INTO A CROWD.” The BBC’s Passive Voice. Technically, that’s actually active voice, but I take the point. But a more accurate passive voice would be “A van was driven into a crowd by a Muslim immigrant with a long history of crime, who probably should have been executed, or at least imprisoned for a long time, before this point.”

TYLER DURDEN: Activists Target WNBA Player After She Takes Stand Against Trans Agenda.

Rule #1 when dealing with the political left: Never apologize to the political left. It won’t shut them up. They will smell blood in the water and attack even more aggressively. Cunningham seems to understand this rule well.

In response, the media has gone on the attack, admonishing Cunningham for her comments. Leftists on social media are calling for her to booted from the league. Some are burning her jersey in an effort to inspire a boycott of her merchandise.

However, as usual, whenever leftist try to boycott someone it ends up backfiring. If a bunch of mentally ill gender fluid weirdos want to buy her jerseys just to burn them, Cunningham will be happy to take their money. Beyond that, her willingness to go against the progressive agenda of the WNBA has also earned her a lot of respect.

Almost overnight, Sophie Cunningham merchandise has sold out online, including her exclusive basketball shoes in women and men’s sizes.

“Put Money in Your Rival’s Pocket” might be the sweetest variation on the Streisand Effect.

Jim Woolsey’s obit from last week marks not just the death of a fascinating man, but perhaps also the passing of bipartisanship. From Richard Miniter in the WSJ:

“Woolsey went on to work at the Navy Department under Jimmy Carter and as an arms-control negotiator under Ronald Reagan. He became Bill Clinton’s first CIA director in 1993. Today the parties don’t mix much in Washington, and yes men are favored.”

Sad that nowadays being “reasonable” means doing things my way.

YES:

Many forgot to mention “Colossally evil sociopath,” for example:

I NEVER WANTED TO BE A DEAN: Law School Dean Tenure Shrinks to 2.8 Years Due to Financial Constraints and Strained Relationships With University Administration.

It’s not a great job. I was recruited to apply for a deanship a few years ago. I had always said I didn’t want it, but it was a school where I had quite a few friends, and it looked attractive. I did some deep introspection and concluded that I didn’t want to be a dean even in an attractive setting. As it turns out, I dodged a bullet, since I would have come in just in time for Covid and Black Lives Matter, but I wouldn’t have been happy regardless.

LEFTIST WHITE WOMEN ARE A DEADLY DANGER TO CIVILIZATION:

ICYMI: RAND PAUL RELEASES DOCUMENTS ON INTERCEPTED COVID RESEARCH MATERIALS:

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has released another batch of documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest records show that U.S. officials intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to a U.S.–China coronavirus research network as early as 2018, likely in an attempt to avoid international tensions and regulatory scrutiny, Paul said.

The documents, which include a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report, primarily focus on a network centered around University of Minnesota virologist Fang Li.

The released documents also include pages from “Tony’s Diary:”

As Jim Geraghty writes, “For the entirety of 2020 and long after, the ‘it started in a wet market’ view was the respectable one. Believing that somebody at the Wuhan Institute of Virology hadn’t been careful one day and had gotten accidentally infected with a virus that had gained a function or two during its time in the lab made you a crazy conspiracy theorist. In fact, the lab leak theory was evidence of your racism. And now — in July 2026! — we learn that Fauci himself had dismissed the wet market as a potential source at the end of January 2020.

Then there’s an incredible juxtaposition by Fauci of new deaths and new WaPo profiles:

Alyssa Farah, now an employee of ABC News, makes an appearance in “Tony’s Diary:”

(Originally posted yesterday, by Ed, but too important to risk losing it in the weekend.)

THE NEEDS OF THE PARTY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, COMRADE:

MAINE MESS: There’s Not A ‘Ha Ha’ Big Enough.

Remember how Democrats pushed rapey commie Nazi Senate candidate Graham Platner off the ballot not because he was a rapey commie Nazi, but because polls showed him losing to RINO Susan Collins in November?

Well, the “we don’t need no stinking voters” nominating committee has picked his replacement. Tiny problem: he may not be eligible to run.

Ineligibility only becomes a problem for Democrats if it also turns out that Troy Jackson has sexually assaulted one too many women who aren’t Republicans.