Virginia Votes: Show Us the Map. What Matters in Iran. Nepo Supreme Leader Dumped. Ilhan Omar’s Accountant. Never Forget: Hersh. More
Virginians go to the polls today, but there’s no candidate’s name on the ballot. It’s even more important than that:
Residents of Virginia face a crucial decision in an off-year trip to the ballot box on Tuesday: Hand power from the state’s independent redistricting commission over to the Democratic-controlled legislature, which could potentially gain four blue congressional seats from the move, or reject the move and give Republicans a better chance at maintaining control of the U.S. House in November.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is pushing the gerrymandering referendum, despite having averred as a candidate that she had no intention of doing so. “Behold the great bait and switch,” says a Republican member of the state legislature. The change would require an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, which former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin describes as a “bastardization” of said document.
Fans of the gerrymandering bill are saying the issue is “fairness.” But c’mon—Virginia’s Senator Tim Kaine admits what it’s really about—DJT. Isn’t everything? From The Federalist:
When asked how it was fair that 90 percent of Virginians will be represented by a Democrat, even though former Vice President Kamala Harris only won the commonwealth by five points, Kaine replied, “Ninety percent of Virginians are not Democrats, that’s true, but about 100 percent of Virginians want election results to be respected. We’re deeply worried that Donald Trump will try to interfere with the election results this November or in 2028, cause we saw him do it before.”
Meanwhile, a Fox Digital opinion piece says it’s revealing that the Dems are chary about showing the proposed new map. Author Chad Mizelle, a former DOJ official, argues:
This dishonest power play seeks to make the congressional representation of a purple state nearly as blue as Massachusetts. It disenfranchises nearly half the commonwealth (Virginia went 51.8%-46.6% for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024). The proposed districts are extreme – running from heavily populated blue areas deep into rural red areas. Federal government employees in Arlington and Fairfax will essentially dictate the congressional representation of farmers and shopkeepers up to 100 miles away.
Mizelle has mapped out a “bold option” to have the Dems shouting “unfair”: give bluey blue Arlington back to the District of Columbia. It would fit in right, no?
Speaking of one’s view of President Trump’s being the root of everything, the Wall Street Journal’s Bill McGurn writes this morning that Trump’s critics can’t cheer for American victory because it brings him credit. McGurn says that, unlike his critics, Trump knows what matters in Iran:
It comes down to victory in Iran.
The Democrats don’t matter. Nor do the Republicans. Or NATO, or other U.S. allies. Pope Leo XIV is at best a footnote. All that now matters for this president is that the U.S. prevails and the Islamic Republic ceases to be a menace to America and its interests.
The president seems to get it. His legacy, it is now clear, will rest on whether his war against Iran succeeds or fails. And that success hinges on whether Iran remains a threat not only to Israel but to our Sunni Arab friends, who have their own reasons for wanting Iran defanged. …
President Trump has put the mullahs on their heels. Now is the time to make sure the U.S. doesn’t squander these gains and let the Iranians come back and do it all over again.
This rankles American establishments. …
A Washington Post headline has the planned Islamabad negotiations with Iran, round II, on “shaky footing” because the U.S. seized a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz—not mind you, because of anything the Iranians have done. Meanwhile, Iran ratchets up the rhetoric, claiming they have “new cards” (also here) to play. An analyst says that Iran’s choice of a new IRGC head [who chose him?] is not a sign that the regime is moderating. Mojtaba, We Hardly Knew Ye. The IRGC leader has sidelined Iran’s new nepo Supreme Leader.
Not often that people tell President Trump to get tougher, but … Elliot Kaufman of the Wall Street Journal argues that the Iranians “take Trump for a sucker” because, as Kaufman sees it, the president has let them get away with playing games.
Meanwhile, a Native American has just endorsed Graham Platner in his race against GOP liberal Senator Susan Collins of Maine. No word on whether Senator Elizabeth Warren had a powwow with Mr. Platner over his storied Nazi warpaint.
“Clarence Thomas, the Constitution, and Their Critics,” by Ilya Shapiro, at City Journal, explains the importance of Justice Thomas’ recent remarks at the University of Texas:
The easiest way to misunderstand Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent speech at the University of Texas is as a conventional swipe at contemporary progressives. His target was instead deeper and older: the capital-P Progressive challenge to the American Founding itself.
Appearing in Austin as part of a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas framed the issue as one of first principles. “The Constitution is the means of government,” he said, and “it is the Declaration that announces the ends of government.”
Justice Thomas’s Austin speech was a reminder of that forgotten truth. The American Founding was a claim about human nature, political power, and the institutions needed to keep freedom alive. Any successor worthy of his seat should understand that, too.
Emeritus Harvard Professor Harvey Mansfield, one of the few conservatives on the faculty, writes about what went wrong at the once-revered institution:
Harvard makes its case for government money by emphasizing the scientific cancer research it performs. This, they imply, is service to both parties that keeps Harvard independent while still deserving of support.
Yet earlier Harvard, had gone so far as to renounce its independence. In 2023, it appointed a president, Claudine Gay, who immediately declared that the old idea of an Ivory Tower was obsolete. Harvard would now act as a “part of society.” What is the difference?
In “Ilhan Omar’s Amazing Accounting,” the Wall Street Journal writes about the scoop that wasn’t:
A bombshell report in the Journal on Friday night has triggered a media feeding frenzy. Just kidding—the story is about questionable disclosures from a left-wing politician, so the partisan press corps is largely ignoring it.
Fed head nominee Kevin Warsh’s confirmation hearing is today before the Senate Banking Committee. The hearing will require Warsh to perform a high-wire act of convincing investors without angering President Trump. Current Fed Chair Jerome Powell could remain a member of the Fed after leaving chairmanship, though there will be a new era for the Fed.
Never Forget. Rachel Goldberg-Polin writes a heart-wrenching memoir about the loss of her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was held hostage by Hamas. Hersh’s arm was blown off, and he was later executed by Hamas.
TRANSITIONS. … Apple’s longtime CEO Tim Cook is stepping down, naming John Ternus, the affable head of its hardware division, to replace him. Ternus, 50, must “rekindle the creative fire and chart a hardware-heavy future in the AI era.”
… The Dersh Did It! “Why I’m Becoming a Republican,” by Alan Derschowitz, appears in today’s WSJ. He says “hostility to Israel” was the tipping point.
… Rep. Nancy Mace is moving to transition Florida Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican, who has faced domestic violence, sexual misconduct, and stolen valor allegations, out of Congress.
… Also reluctant to transition is indicted House Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who refuses to “abandon her District.” She faces the possibility of expulsion:
Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations involving financial misconduct during a rare House ethics trial in March. She has denied any wrongdoing and is facing a separate criminal trial after being indicted by a federal grand jury in 2025.
