The New Normal

 

Friends, mighty warrior DJT continues to direct airtrikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, but to what purpose?  The promised aerial armaggedon never quite arrives, so the Iranians keep absorbing their losses and lobbing yet more missiles and drones at a wide variety of targets, precious few of which they hit.  How long can this charade go on?  Pretty long, would be my guess.  No doubt some of Iran's elite want to capitulate, given the fact that their economy is circling the drain, but as long as a few diehards in the regime want to keep the conflict going, it won't be easy to stop.  Oh well.  For Americans, the only real downside is $4 a gallon gas, and that's not exactly the end of the world...

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74gwdzywmeo 

 

In other news, there's a big ole primary fight happening in Michigan, where the DSA candidate is facing off against a moderate Democrat to become the party's Senate nominee.  It'll be fascinating to see who prevails.  Would El-Sayed be the weaker candidate?  That's what many Republicans assume...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/29/establishment-democrats-make-last-stand-socialist-takeover-michigan/ 

 

Lastly, our old pal Tony Fauci appeared before a Senate committee yesterday...and refused to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment rights.  Does that hold water, given the fact that he enjoys a presidential pardon protecting him from prosecution?  His lawyers would argue that he's still vulnerable to perjury charges, since that would be a crime committed after Sleepy Joe's pardons.  Probably he can't be forced to testify.  That's my assumption.  Oh well.  What are the chances that we'd get straight answers anyway?

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/29/anthony-fauci-contempt-charge-legal-questions/91099754007/ 

Scorched Sand

 

Friends, after a month-long hiatus, I'm back in action on the radio.  Specifically, this week I make my usual appearance on the Newsmakers Show, where I break down the implications of Britain's new P.M.  I also analyze the continuation/revival of the Iran conflict.  I make the stakes clear and argue that defeat is NOT an option!  The U.S. must do whatever is necessary to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz from the mullahs -- period, exclamation point!

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-7-25-26/ 

Pay Up!

 

Friends, DJT is at it again, squeezing every ounce of executive authority he's got out of the U.S. Code, in this case in order to perpetuate his tariff regime against our (generally abusive) trade partners.  Actually, the latest move is something of a sly one, rather than a major escalation: he's found a new pretext to extend what are now old tariffs, usually of about 10-15%, on most countries.  Tariffs at that level really don't have a major effect on trade or prices, so I would advise everyone to take a deep breath and relax.  Economic doomsday is not at hand.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgj61j6l08o 

 

In other news, the Iranians are once again imperiling the world economy by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and now their proxies are threatening the important Red Sea trade route as well.  President Trump is reportedly hopping mad, and he might authorize the biggest strikes to date on Iran.  I say...DO IT!!!  The Iranians are clearly inclined to take the Trump Administration lightly, as is the world press.  Let's prove once and for all that no one, especially Iran, can defeat the United States of America.  The sooner they get the message, the faster we can restore peace and prosperity to all.

 

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/trump-axios-iran-interview 

Burned Again?

 

Friends, the revolving door that is the British premiership has temporarily elevated Andy Burnham to be head of government in the U.K.  A few months ago he wasn't even a member of Parliament...and now he's head honcho.  Makes a ton of sense, right?  Well, it does if you're a Labour backbencher, and you're prepared to role as many dice as it takes to revive the fortunes of your moribund party.  Presumably, Burnham won't change the substantive policies of the Labour government much, but he will govern with a bit more style and panache than poor Sir Keir.  The Reform Party is licking its chops, hoping that Labour's new leader, and the country's new P.M., will flop, and then a general election will be called.  Nigel Farage and Reform are under furious attack by the establishment, so it's not clear how well they would perform in an election...but there's only one way to find out.  If Labour gets its way, we never will.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjz907pppo 

 

In other news, not content to bomb Iran indefinitely, DJT seems to be angling for a secondary conflict with...Canada?  He's pushing a new set of tariffs against our neighbor to the north.  He says Canada isn't playing fair on trade.  Well, maybe, but don't we have broadly even trade, i.e. a relatively small trade deficit with Canada?  Why give China a pass when it's a much worse offender in terms of protectionism and intellectual property theft?  Personally, I think Trump has a grudge of sorts against Canada, and I'm not at all sure that that's a rational basis for tariffs.  Oh well.  The chances that Canada will invade us in response are low.  Perhaps this is just more gamesmanship with an eye to getting a better "deal" out of trade negotiations, rather a serious move towards a trade war.  I hope so.

 

https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/trump-imposes-additional-50-tariffs-on-certain-canadian-goods-5ab06a45?st=W7JhYr 

Free Riders

 

Friends, as you may have noticed, tensions have escalated once again between the U.S. and Iran.  Iran has "closed" the Strait, and we have reimposed a blockade on Iran.  What's more, President Trump briefly demanded that any ships passing through the Strait should pay a 20% surcharge to the USA, since we're so kindly securing the Strait for them.  Of course, that "security" is apparently rather shaky, as very few ships are currently transiting the Strait anyway.  Now, in any case, Trump has decided against the surcharge, which I feel is a smart move.  Sure, there's no good reason why we should solve the world's Iran problem for free, but then again demanding payment makes us look...distinctly bourgeois.  We can't have that.  All of this is fairly academic unless we can secure the Strait effectively and get large numbers of ships comfortable about running the Iranian gauntlet.  Here's hoping the indomitable U.S. Navy can achieve that objective, which alas it has not up to now.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0608wy8pro 

 

In other news, the (temporary?) cessation of hostilities between the U.S., Israel, and Iran was warmly received by stock markets, and it caused oil prices to decline and inflation to cool.  That's all very nice, but it's an achievement that won't last unless we can keep that shipping channel open.

 

https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-food-prices-gas-53d221aa918c466172af494ba7debc00 

Farage-icide?

 

Friends, there's a concerted effort going on in the U.K. to end the challenge that the Reform Party poses to the political establishment by decapitating the movement.  This means, of course, destroying the reputation of Nigel Farage...and if at all possible jailing him via lawfare.  Farage is trying his best to wriggle out of this assault, but it won't be easy, because the forces arrayed against him are formidable.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn0v9l9x0g8t 

 

In other news, the bombs and missiles are flying once again in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian forces (that may or may not be controlled by the central government) attack ships in the Gulf, and the U.S. responds with strong punitive strikes.  Meanwhile, the price of oil was up only marginally.  Good!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwykq59jwpvo 

 

Finally, the Democratic Party establishment is pulling a Sleepy Joe on Graham Platner, their candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine.  In other words, those dastardly Dems don't much care that the voters chose Platner.  They fear he will lose, which means he must be driven off the ballot come what may.  La Famille Biden can no doubt relate!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2004nx8v9o 

Not Dead Yet!

 

Friends, a funny thing happened on the way to America's 250th birthday: arguably a majority of Americans forgot to celebrate, or even to care.  This coincides with a steady rise in pessimism throughout our great land, but especially among leftists and Democrats, that threatens to choke off our patrimony and our potential.  Today, therefore, is a time to be ecstatic, yes, but also a time to be...soberly concerned.  A real patriot, after all, can be both!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/04/trump-directs-4th-of-july-celebration-on-national-mall-to-reopen-doors-address-slated-for-1100-p-m/ 

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/07/02/as_america_turns_250_national_pride_becomes_more_partisan.html 

Flying High

 

Friends, the new (which is to say, slightly used) Air Force One is now fully operational, and it includes many enhacements over the planes it's replacing.  What's more, it was "free" -- it was a gift from the government of Qatar, and we only had to refurbish it.  Naturally, this arrangement outrages the Democrats.  They'd much prefer that we spent billions of taxpayer dollars.  Of course, everything outrages the Democrats, so all their fulminations are equally compelling, which is to say: not much.  In any case, I wish President Trump many a bon voyage!

 

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/air-force-one-qatari-maiden-flight-16bbff04?st=KX9tvq 

America the Hideous

 

Friends, the warped image of America beheld by liberals and Democrats is becoming increasingly, glaringly apparent, especially as we approach our nation's 250th birthday.  You'd think it would be a time to reflect on all that America, and Americans, have accomplished, and the blessings we enjoy simply because we were born here, or were lucky enough to move here.  Nope.  Not for the lefties.  For them, this country stinks.  At best, it's...average.  Now, you might ask yourself: if that's so, why live here???  Best not to overthink it, of course.  The dystopian fantasies of the Left don't have to make sense to thrive.  That's the beauty of never leaving your thought bubble!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/06/29/poll-only-8-percent-of-democrats-consider-america-the-greatest-country-on-earth/ 

 

In other news, the Supreme Court handed down a bunch of decisions today, some of them deeply disappointing to DJT, and at least one of them highly comforting to an imperial president.  Oh well.  Those are the breaks.  You can never count on ole SCOTUS 100% of the time.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqdzd7zx24o 

 

Finally, my main man J.D. Vance appeared recently at the Nixon Presidential Library (or, as I refer to it, Mecca), where he opined that Richard M. Nixon was an early victim of the "Deep State".  Well, naturally, he's right.  Some very powerful and sinister forces conspired to undermine Nixon's extremely popular presidency.  Remember, he absolutely crushed George McGovern in '72.  No doubt that put the fear of God into the Dems, and they decided to kneecap Tricky Dick so that he wouldn't leave them totally in the dust.  And, boy, did it work!  Of course, this doesn't mean that the charges against Nixon were entirely false, or that he was blameless -- but those charges were manipulated and weaponized in a very specific, and highly innovative, way.  The Left has been trying to repeat the performance ever since.

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/06/26/vance_at_nixon_library_watergate_is_a_story_of_how_the_deep_state_took_down_nixon.html 

Shrugging It Off

 

Friends, you may have noticed that Iran launched, out of the blue, several drones at ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz.  We struck some of their drone and radar infrastructure in response.  What was interesting was the global response: no one cared.  Oil prices didn't spike, and traffic through the Strait continued as before.  Hmmmmmmm.  It seems that both the U.S. and Iran assume that the deal will hold, despite this minor setback.  What's more, insurance companies didn't immediately demand that all ships sailing through the Strait turn around and find safer waters.  What this suggests to me is that the world is officially done with Iranian extortion and piracy.  We kinda need that oil, in short, so we're gonna get it -- drones be damned!!!  Now, of course this is precisely how we should have reacted to Iranian attacks from the start.  They never posed a significant threat to tankers and cargo ships, and they never should have been permitted to hold the world (economy) hostage.  Be that as it may, we've finally reached a point where Iran's leverage, which was always mostly imaginary, is being discounted.  This bodes well for our ability to hold Iran to account and force them to make serious concessions at the bargaining table.  It also bodes well, I hasten to add, for gas prices and GOP prospects in the midterms...  One final observation: it's fairly likely that these drone attacks were not a matter of state policy so much as a desperate gambit by dissident, hardline factions within the Iranian regime.  No doubt some Islamist fanatics don't like the terms of this deal, and they would like to sabotage it.  Recent events suggest that doing so will be harder than the nutjobs might have thought.  Good!

 

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116817203281419093 

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/crude-oil