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Democrats’ Calls For Violence Are Succeeding
This affects the entire country.

(John Hinderaker) As I have written before, I don’t know whether Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., killing at least one, is 1) a raving lunatic, 2) a devout Muslim–witnesses said that he shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he murdered Americans–or 3) a sucker who fell for Democratic Party talking points. The fact that it is hard to distinguish among these alternatives is revealing. In all likelihood, at least two of the foregoing categories apply.

More broadly, we can see that the Democrats’ war on law enforcement is succeeding. It has been focused mostly against America’s immigration laws, which Democrats hate but don’t have the votes to repeal. Democrats have viciously attacked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, denouncing its agents as a modern-day “Gestapo,” and trying at every turn to interfere with their work. Most recently, Oregon Governor Tina Kotak has threatened to criminally prosecute ICE employees for doing their jobs. As a legal matter, that threat is absurd. But the real threat lies underneath–the threat that people who are deranged and/or unusually loyal to the Democratic Party will be emboldened to try to kill ICE agents.

That threat is deadly serious:

Assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have skyrocketed 1,150% so far this year compared to the last year of the Biden administration — with nearly 250 attacks recorded since President Trump took office.

The disturbing surge comes amid a climate of heightened danger for immigration authorities, including stalking, death threats, online doxxing and outright assaults, which the Department of Homeland Security says is being encouraged by lefty politicians opposed to Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

That is quite a record–a 1,150% increase. Congratulations, Democrats! The same applies to National Guardsmen who have been deployed to bring peace to violent cities, and who have been uniformly denounced by Democratic politicians. We saw the result in the murder of Sarah Beckstrom and the grievous wounding of Andrew Wolfe. When one of America’s two leading parties issues a call for violence (“resistance” to the “Gestapo”), the results are predictable, and surely were both foreseen and intended by leaders of the Democratic Party.

This is where we find ourselves in 2025 America: insurrection has been normalized–we haven’t even gotten to the Seditious Six!–with fatal consequences.

Drive-by media
Be honest—this is ridiculous.

(Bill Glahn) The late, great Rush Limbaugh had a phrase, “drive-by media,” to describe the national press corps that would swoop in for an event or disaster to claim credit, assign blame, and then move on.

We are witnessing the phenomenon around the massive Minnesota Somali fraud scandal. And it’s a welcome thing.

In this round, we had the City Journal piece, followed by the New York Times report.

The U.K. Daily Mail followed up on the Times report with,

How Somali fraudsters ran riot allegedly stealing more than $1BILLION of taxpayers’ money on Tim Walz’s watch: ‘We’re losing our way of life’

A whistleblower Twitter (X) account operated by employees of the state Dept. of Human Services (DHS) posted a response to Gov. Tim Walz that has received 22 million views so far. They begin their post,

Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response.

Fox News picked up on the viral post under the headline,

Minnesota government workers blame Walz for ‘massive fraud’ amid allegations against Somali community

The man himself, Tim Walz, appeared on NBC News this morning to blame the whole scandal on…Donald Trump. As quoted by Fox News,

Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail.

For the record, Walz has put exactly zero people in jail in connection to the multi-billion-dollar, Somali-ethnic-based fraud. But, he is running for a third term as Minnesota governor.

So there’s that.

Gnawed and man at Yale
What's the endgame here?

(Scott Johnson) The Buckley Institute at Yale has just released its 2025 Faculty Political Diversity Report, finding a more than 36 to 1 ratio of Democrats to Republicans across all of Yale’s undergraduate departments, the Yale Law School, and the Yale School of Management. The email announcement of the report’s publication today includes this summary (links and emphasis omitted):

“For the third year in a row, our research has highlighted the significant political and ideological imbalance among Yale’s faculty,” said Buckley Institute Founder and Executive Director Lauren Noble. “Yale has committed repeatedly over decades to fostering an environment conducive to open debate and discussion but has all but excluded diversity of opinion through its hiring process. With such a dramatic ideological chasm between the Yale campus and the country, it is not hard to see why trust for higher education is so low.”

Across Yale’s 43 undergraduate departments and two of its graduate schools, the Buckley Institute’s research found that Democrats make up 82.3% of faculty while Republicans make up 2.3% and unaffiliated/third party faculty make up 15.4%. That is a more than 36 to 1 Democrat to Republican ratio and a 5 to 1 Democrat to independent ratio. 27 of the 43 (63%) undergraduate degree-granting departments have no Republicans at all. Three departments, East Asian Languages and Literature, French, and Italian, have neither independents nor Republicans.

By contrast, Gallup polling has found Democrats and Republicans fairly even at around 30% of America’s population each over the past 15 years, while independents have made up around 40%. Yale’s faculty political alignment is a dramatic departure from its home state of Connecticut as well where only 35% are registered as Democrats, 21% as Republican, and 44% as independent or third party.

Continuing a trend from previous years, the greatest disparity was in the humanities, where political and ideological leaning arguably have the greatest impact. Across 18 humanities departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans at a ratio of 72 to 1 and outnumber independents at a ratio of 8 to 1. In total, across 409 faculty identified in the humanities, Democrats made up 88.0% of the faculty versus only 10.8% for independents and 1.2% for Republicans.

The management school, new to this year’s report, also showed a shocking political misalignment with the outside world. Across 101 faculty identified, the Buckley Institute’s research found that 77.2% were Democrats while only 1.0% were Republicans, a 78 to 1 ratio.

Yale Law School too fared poorly. Across 66 faculty identified, Yale Law was 93.9% Democrat, 4.6% independent, and only 1.5% Republican.

Page 51 has the results for the Political Science Department. The authors …

Thank You, Michael Reagan
This affects the entire country.

Recently, Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, passed away at age 80.

His passing was duly eulogized by the Reagan Foundation and the Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.

Both noted that Michael, whom I had the privilege to know, devoted his life to writing and speaking about the American principles that so defined his father.

No death is ever timely.

But there seems something fitting that President Reagan’s legacy would be closed out with the passing of his oldest son in the year of the 250th birthday of our nation.

At this time of such confusion and division, there couldn’t be a better moment to remind all of us what America is about, as understood by Reagan.

And there is no better source from which to quote Reagan than what I believe was his greatest speech, and perhaps one of the greatest in America’s history. It is his speech delivered March 8, 1983, to the National Association of Evangelicals, known as the “evil empire” speech, because it was here he called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.”

A couple takes from that important speech:

“I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people, and in your families, churches, neighborhoods, communities—the institutions that foster and nourish values like concern for others and respect for the rule of law under God.”

“But we must never forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man. We know that living in this world means dealing with … the doctrine of sin.”

“There is sin and evil in the world, and we are enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might.”

“While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that I have always maintained that the struggle going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.”

Of course, along with the words were deeds. Reagan proceeded to give the country back to the people through tax cuts, deregulation, and restoration of the integrity of our currency.

He also increased defense spending from 6.5% of gross domestic product when he assumed office to 7.9% by 1986.

We know that the Soviet Union, the “evil empire,” imploded and collapsed. But we also know that what replaced it, Russia under Vladimir Putin, is not much better. Evil can never last, but without a clear sense of the good to replace it, it will just reinvent and perpetuate itself. This is an obvious lesson for today’s world.

Reagan demonstrated that the most powerful weapon is truth and principles. From these the right policies follow.

Truth, when clearly spoken and articulated, spreads on its own power.

Natan Sharansky sat in prison in 1983 for the sin of requesting to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel.

Sharansky wrote: “In 1983 I was confined to an 8-by-10 foot prison cell on the border of Siberia. My Soviet jailers gave me the privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed across the front page was a condemnation of President Ronald Reagan for having the temerity to …

Republicans push back on Trump administration after second fatal shooting in Minneapolis
What's the endgame here?

The Trump administration is facing rare GOP pushback over the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents, with a small but growing number of congressional Republicans calling for an investigation and at least one suggesting immigration officials should leave the state.

So far, Democrats have led the groundswell of criticism after immigration agents pinned and then killed a man protesting ICE’s presence in the city on Saturday, marking the second shooting death this month. But a handful of Republicans have called the incident “disturbing” while urging congressional oversight.

“I am troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Sunday, supporting the decision of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) to request testimony from the leadership of ICE and other immigration agencies. 

OPINION: BRITAIN’S APPROVAL OF CHINA’S MEGA EMBASSY IS A MEGA MISTAKE

”As an attorney and former federal prosecutor, I believe a thorough investigation is necessary — both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system,” added McCaul, who chaired the committee until 2019.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who leads the House Oversight Committee, seemed to urge President Donald Trump to consider drawing down its immigration forces from Minneapolis, which has become the epicenter of weeks of protests over ICE tactics.

Earlier this month, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a woman who appeared to be obstructing traffic before an altercation with the officer.

“If I were President Trump, I would almost think … if there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide,” Comer said Sunday on Fox News while accusing state officials of stoking the controversy.

The shooting has fanned Democratic calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) joining more than 100 other House Democrats in describing her as unqualified for the job on Sunday.

Gillen is one of seven Democrats who supported funding for the Department of Homeland Security in a House vote last week. In the Senate, that money is freshly in jeopardy over the shooting, as virtually all Democrats appear poised to block the government funding bill ahead of an end-of-January shutdown deadline.

Most Republicans have yet to comment on Saturday’s shooting, even some centrists who have been vocal …

Hill Republicans raise concern over second fatal shooting in Minneapolis: ‘Disturbing’
What's the endgame here?

The Trump administration is facing rare GOP pushback over the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents, with a small but growing number of congressional Republicans calling for an investigation and at least one suggesting immigration officials should leave the state.

So far, Democrats have led the groundswell of criticism after immigration agents pinned and then killed a man protesting ICE’s presence in the city on Saturday, marking the second shooting death this month. But a handful of Republicans have called the incident “disturbing” while urging congressional oversight.

“I am troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Sunday, supporting the decision of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) to request testimony from the leadership of ICE and other immigration agencies. 

OPINION: BRITAIN’S APPROVAL OF CHINA’S MEGA EMBASSY IS A MEGA MISTAKE

”As an attorney and former federal prosecutor, I believe a thorough investigation is necessary — both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system,” added McCaul, who chaired the committee until 2019.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who leads the House Oversight Committee, seemed to urge President Donald Trump to consider drawing down its immigration forces from Minneapolis, which has become the epicenter of weeks of protests over ICE tactics.

Earlier this month, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a woman who appeared to be obstructing traffic before an altercation with the officer.

“If I were President Trump, I would almost think … if there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide,” Comer said Sunday on Fox News while accusing state officials of stoking the controversy.

The shooting has fanned Democratic calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) joining more than 100 other House Democrats in describing her as unqualified for the job on Sunday.

Gillen is one of seven Democrats who supported funding for the Department of Homeland Security in a House vote last week. In the Senate, that money is freshly in jeopardy over the shooting, as virtually all Democrats appear poised to block the government funding bill ahead of an end-of-January shutdown deadline.

Most Republicans have yet to comment on Saturday’s shooting, even some centrists who have been vocal …

Israel reopens Rafah crossing on a ‘limited basis’
Is this competence or optics?

Israel has reopened the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, in what is a key part of the second phase of the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet for discussions on the crossing point earlier on Sunday. His office announced hours after that it would be reopened on a “limited basis.”

“As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to open the Rafah crossing on a limited basis for the passage of people only, with a full Israeli oversight mechanism,” Netanyahu’s office said.

A sticking point was the return of the last remains of the hostages taken during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.

Netanyahu maintained that the reopening of the Rafah Crossing is still “conditioned on the return of all living hostages and the execution of 100% effort on the part of Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages.”

Hamas released all the living hostages last year, though the remains of one hostage have still not been located.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Israel Defense Forces, however, launched a “targeted operation” before Netanyahu’s announcement to retrieve the body of Ran Gvili, who is the last remaining hostage and whose body is still somewhere in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF said they were searching “in the area of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza.”

This is a developing story.

Should a pro se litigant be sanctioned for (likely) using AI in his appellate brief which hallucinated nonexistent case quotes? CA7: No, but we have some choice words.
This is how power hides.

Jones v. Kankakee County Sheriff's Department - CA7
This comes from a short (7 page) and otherwise uneventful opinion which considers review of a district court's denial of a recusal motion and Younger abstention.
What I found interesting, however, is the final section quoted in part below which addresses the (likely) use of AI by the pro se litigant which hallucinated quotations that appear nowhere in the cases that they are attributed to. SCUDDER writes, with whom BRENNAN and ST. EVE join:
We close with a few words on non-existent quotations Jones attributed to cases he relied on in his appellate brief. To our eye, the error has all the hallmarks of a so-called AI “hallucination,” a circumstance where an AI large language model generates an output that is fictional, inaccurate, or nonsensical. News accounts over the last few years leave no doubt that the consequences of AI hallucinations can be very serious and worrisome. Equally clear is the enormous investment of human and financial capital to enhance the accuracy of AI generally and LLM output.

[...]
In response to a show cause order, Jones insists that he did not use AI to prepare his brief and, even more, that “[m]isattributed quotations and incorrect citations happen all of the time.” At one level, Jones’s observation is fair, for we often see inaccurate legal representations from pro se litigants. And most of the time, absent an indication of knowledge of falsity or an intent to mislead, we move past the misstatements and resolve the appeals, mindful that pro se litigants al- most always lack legal training. Approximately 60% of our caseload in recent years includes at least one party appearing pro se. We have learned how to resolve those cases with the care all litigants deserve without getting bogged down in unwitting misstatements or untidy filings. In our experience, pro se litigants do their best with the resources available to them.
At another level, however, we doubt Jones’s representation and continue to believe he used a generative AI application to prepare his brief. His brief is meticulous in its presentation—very cleanly and professionally formatted, employing prose and citation formats we rarely see from pro se litigants, and, above all else, attributing non-existent quotations to real cases falling within the area of law implicated by the issues Jones presents on appeal.
Whether we are right or Jones is right need not detain us, for we have no reason to believe his misstatements of law were knowing or intentional. Nor do we have any reason to believe he has the training necessary or resources available to check the accuracy of legal citations. In the circumstances before us, then, and mindful that before today’s decision we have not supplied any guidance on the use of AI by pro se litigants, we stop short of imposing any form of sanction on Jones.

[...]
As pro se litigants employ AI to assist with court filings, a basic reminder seems wise. Accuracy and honesty matter. Indeed, the submission of a legal filing constitutes a representation to a court and, as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure put the point, both attorneys and unrepresented parties are certifying …

Tim Walz compares Minnesota ICE actions to Holocaust and Anne Frank: 'Hiding in their houses'
Who benefits from this decision?

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday likened federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota to the Holocaust and "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank following the second fatal shooting involving federal officers in Minneapolis.
The incident on Saturday left 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ICU nurse, dead during an encounter with immigration agents. Federal officials initially stated that Pretti was armed and resisted agents, while local accounts indicate Pretti was disarmed before he was fatally shot. 
During a press briefing, Walz claimed that some children in Minnesota now feel fear or uncertainty about going outside due to aggressive federal immigration operations.
"We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank," Walz said, referring to the German-Jewish teenager who documented her life in hiding during the Nazi persecution in World War II.
NARRATIVES CLASH AFTER TRUMP AND VICTIM’S FAMILY REACT TO SECOND MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING
"Somebody is going to write that children's story about Minnesota, and there's one person who can end this now," he said, referring to President Donald Trump. 
Walz further criticized Trump, saying the president smeared the victim, gaslit the entire country and sought to conceal evidence related to the killing.
"This family has gone through enough," Walz said of Pretti’s relatives. "And to have the most powerful man in the world drag their dead son with absolutely no evidence and gaslight the entire country."
"Sitting behind a keyboard at 2 a.m. and besmirching a VA nurse and a son and a coworker and a friend is despicable beyond all description," he added.
TODD BLANCHE WARNS AMERICANS 'SHOULD BE WORRIED' ABOUT MINNESOTA PROTESTS AFTER CHURCH DISRUPTION
Trump and senior White House officials defended the federal response after Saturday's fatal shooting. Trump previously noted that Pretti was armed and carrying two extra magazines during the confrontation, while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called Pretti a "would-be assassin" and "domestic terrorist" who "tried to murder federal law enforcement." Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem also noted that the victim "violently resisted" arrest, saying that the federal agent fired his weapon "fearing for his life."
DHS SLAMS DEMS FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT IMMIGRATION LAW: 'IT IS QUITE LITERALLY THEIR JOB TO CHANGE IT'
Walz, however, described Pretti as a modest American, emphasizing that he held a legally licensed concealed-carry permit, and blasted …

Barack and Michelle Obama slam ICE after Minneapolis shooting, urge accountability
Every delay has consequences.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said the killing of Alex Pretti was a national wake-up call, arguing that federal immigration agents in Minnesota are using tactics that intimidate and endanger residents while operating without sufficient accountability.
In their joint Sunday statement, the Obamas tied Pretti’s death to weeks of escalating federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota that has sparked protests, controversy and clashes between local residents and agents, saying the broader response to his shooting illustrates how the tactics being used have widened divisions and heightened tensions nationwide.
Federal officials said Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent during an early-morning immigration enforcement operation targeting Jose Huerta-Chuma, an illegal immigrant with a criminal history.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said Pretti approached agents while armed with a 9mm pistol and "violently resisted" when officers attempted to disarm him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and state officials said he had a valid permit to carry a firearm.
BORDER PATROL-INVOLVED SHOOTING REPORTED IN MINNEAPOLIS
Framing the shooting as a broader warning, the Obamas urged Americans to consider what they described as the wider implications of the incident and its aftermath.
"The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault," the Obamas said. "Federal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety."
The Obamas said that is not what they are witnessing in Minnesota, arguing they are seeing the opposite.
NARRATIVES CLASH AFTER TRUMP AND VICTIM'S FAMILY REACT TO SECOND MINNEAPOLIS ICE SHOOTING
"For weeks now, people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city," they said. "These unprecedented tactics – which even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration has characterized as embarrassing, lawless and cruel – have now resulted in the fatal shootings …