(Paul Mirengoff) In 2020, Nancy Pelosi, sitting behind Donald Trump at his State of the Union Address, showed her contempt for the speech by ripping it up. It was a nauseating display by the Speaker — one that said more about her poor character than about Trump or his address. Afterwards, Trump complained: I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech. First of all, it’s an official
Author: Paul Mirengoff
The next build back better
(Paul Mirengoff) When the latest inflation numbers came out this week, Joe Manchin used the occasion to again denounce appropriating trillions and trillions of dollars in new spending. This comment, of course, was a shot at the Democrats’ build back better proposal. I suggested that this boondoggle was on life support. But now, after all these months, the White House seems finally to be listening to Manchin’s concerns over inflation and the
About that “Johns Hopkins study”
(Paul Mirengoff) A working paper by a Johns Hopkins economics professor and two other economists found that covid “lockdowns” did very little, if anything, to reduce the number of covid deaths. The paper has received a fair amount of attention from conservative media, but has been largely ignored by mainstream outlets. The mainstream media’s lack of attention to the study is unfortunate. But then, conservative outlets generally ignore covid studies that find
Common sense and gutlessness at Harvard
(Paul Mirengoff) John Comaroff is a professor of African and American studies and anthropology at Harvard. Some female graduate students have accused him of sexual misconduct. Harvard responded by sanctioning him for allegedly violating its policies on the subject. He’s on unpaid leave, and barred from teaching required courses and taking on additional advisees through the next academic year. Thirty-eight Harvard faculty members complained about the sanctioning in an open letter supporting
Trump responds to some of the document mishandling claims
(Paul Mirengoff) Donald Trump has issued a partial response to allegations that he mishandled presidential documents in violation, possibly, of federal law. As I understand the reporting on this subject there are four such claims or suggestions: (1) that he improperly took at least 15 boxes of material to Florida after he left office, (2) that while president, he tore up some documents (and ate one), (3) that while president, he flushed
Manchin still balking at spending trillions as inflation hits 40-year high
(Paul Mirengoff) The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.5 percent. That’s a 40-year high. I’ll take the BLS’ word over my impressions. However, I feel like the prices I’m paying have risen more than 7.5 percent in just six months.
History down the toilet?
(Paul Mirengoff) In my post last night about charges that Donald Trump violated federal document retention requirements, I wrote: “For what it’s worth, [Omarosa] Manigault Newman says she once saw Trump tear up a note and eat it. That’s one way to stymie those pesky staffers.” By saying “for what it’s worth,” I indicated my skepticism about this claim. My skepticism (which isn’t the same thing as outright disbelief) is based not
Is Trump in trouble over document handling?
(Paul Mirengoff) He might be. The National Archives and Records Administration has asked the Justice Department to examine the former president’s handling of White House records. The Archives’ request came after officials recovered 15 boxes of materials from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence that were not handed over to the government when he left office, as the Archives says was required by law. To make matters worse, Trump turned over some White House records
Let’s end political litmus tests in education
(Paul Mirengoff) “Diversity statements” are the latest device the left has come up with to impose and enforce woke conformity in education. Stanley Kurtz explains how they work: Let’s say you’re applying for a teaching job at a university. In addition to submitting a CV and a description of your academic research, many universities now require you to answer a series of questions designed to prove your commitment to the ideology and
Report: Team Biden resisted military’s Kabul evacuation plan
(Paul Mirengoff) According to the sworn testimony of military commanders involved in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, senior White House and State Department officials failed to grasp the Taliban’s steady advance on Afghanistan’s capital and resisted efforts by U.S. military leaders to prepare the evacuation of embassy personnel and Afghan allies weeks before Kabul’s fall. The result was the perilous, chaotic, and ultimately deadly withdrawal that stunned America. This indictment is contained