Crime Archives

‘Trans’ Gaslighting; No, Canada Shooter Was Not ‘Female in a Dress.’ Guthrie Glove. REAL Epstein Files. Seeking a Rich Sugar Daddy—Your Friends at WaPo. More

Posted on February 12, 2026February 12, 2026 by Charlotte Hays

The initial description was fishy. Early reports identified the shooter in the terrible mass shooting in Canada as “a female in a dress.” But was this accurate?

Powerline seems to have been the first to question this curious description. The post was headlined “Another Trans Mass Shooting?” Remove that question mark.

Here is how the New York Times describes the shooter, who has been identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar:

Ms. Van Rootselaar was biologically born male and began transitioning to female six years ago, Mr. McDonald said. He added that the police would continue identifying her as a female. He said that the authorities were not yet able to say why the suspect had carried out the murder spree, one of the worst in Canadian history.

Here’s a picture of Van Rootselaar. Look like a female to you? The more reliable New York Post calls him “transgender” in the headline and describes his sick massacre:

The transgender high school dropout who gunned down his mother and stepbrother before killing six others at a British Columbia, Canada school was seen for the first time in resurfaced photos posted by his family – including one eerie snap showing the smiling teen holding a rifle.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, the 18-year-old ex-student who went on a gun-wielding rampage at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, was spotted straight-faced in several pictures posted by his grandmother on Facebook for his 14th birthday.

“Happy 14th birthday to our grandson Jesse !! Love you always !! XOXO,” the post from August 2021 read.

Van Rootselaar launched the horrifying attack at a private residence in the remote community before continuing the carnage at the high school, where authorities said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In the same honest media outlet, Bethany Mandel calls upon the mainstream press to “stop gaslighting” us about “the reality of trans shooters.” Mandel writes:

The tragedy in British Columbia is not an isolated incident.

Over the past several years, a disturbing number of mass attacks have involved individuals who identified as transgender.

In Nashville, a transgender-identified shooter murdered six people at a Christian school.

In Minneapolis, another attacker with documented gender-identity turmoil targeted a church.

The alleged murderer of Charlie Kirk had transgender associations and beliefs.

Yet the media insist that violence by mentally ill people and their transgender identity is mere coincidence.

The Federalist comments on “an epidemic of transgender violence” and has this about the Canadian shooter’s mother:

An Instagram account purportedly belonging to Jesse’s mother, Jennifer, appears to show she was a trans activist who posted that “you have any idea how many kids are killing themselves over this kind of hate,” adding “ProtectTransKids.”

When it comes to the “trans” issue, it’s not only the public at large that suffers from gaslighting. “What I Suffered Being ‘Transgender’” is an eloquent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Soren Aldaco, an Independent Women Ambassador, who is suing the medical professionals who gaslight her, encouraging her to undergo radical surgery to “transition” into a male.

There is a belated break in the Nancy Guthrie case. Investigators have found a black glove dropped near Mrs. Guthrie’s yard, potentially a breakthrough. A retired FBI agent believes the suspect is an amateur—in which case, he or she has had a pretty good run so far.

“A Welcome Jobs Rebound” is a headline on a Wall Street Journal editorial on the Labor Department’s January jobs report.

The economy created a net 130,000 new jobs in the first month of the year, according to the Labor Department. But the story is better than that because the private economy created 172,000, offset by a decline of 42,000 jobs in government.

The Biden years were a boom time for government, and the Trump course correction is much needed. …

A major complication in this data is the impact of the Administration’s mass deportation policy. The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) looked at the BLS data and found a decline of 534,000 foreign-born workers in the U.S. since a peak in March 2025. That’s a reduction of about 1.4 million foreign-born workers than would be expected from previous government estimates. ….

NFAP says the unemployment rate for U.S.-born workers was 4.7% in January, compared to 4.3% in January 2025. The jobs that foreign workers filled may simply go away over time, as the deportation wave continues. But at least in January the labor market showed signs of a welcome rebound.

Meanwhile, the number of voluntary self-deportations skyrockets as (some) illegal immigrants find that the Trump administration means business.

I’m Napoleon. And I Voted. The Free Beacon has a truly smashing piece on the Mamdani official, whose previous pursuits included registering psychotic people to vote. Alister Martin, New York’s new Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Chief, helped provide help for doctors to register mental patients to vote:

Citing the “therapeutic” benefits of voting, the institute has used Vot-ER’s tools since at least 2021 to register patients hospitalized for schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts, and life-threatening addictions. Some of those patients had been involuntarily committed, raising thorny questions about informed consent and the use of vulnerable people as political pawns.

History Calling. President Trump’s intentions in Iran remain a mystery. “Serious Trump biographies in the decades ahead will begin with the decision he makes on Iran now,” Hugh Hewitt argues.

One door is marked “Truman/Reagan” and the other door is marked “Carter/Obama/Biden.”

President Donald Trump has to choose one. Again. And this time, the choice will define Trump’s place in history.

A New York Post editorial suggests “Iran’s rulers plainly fear US strikes — Trump should prove them right.” Former CIA analyst Martin Gurri writes that from Venezuela to Tehran, Trump keeps the world guessing—to his advantage.

In “The Real Epstein ‘Ring’” Barton Swaim debunks the usual take on the late pedo:

The Jeffrey Epstein files were supposed to uncover the financier’s sex-trafficking and blackmail operation. They haven’t, for the excellent reason that there was no such operation. …

Its nonexistence is, ironically, the main thing to emerge so far from the document dump. … The press purports to think the salient fact here is that Mr. Trump in 2019 claimed he knew nothing about Epstein’s creepy actions. But the salient point is that Mr. Trump in 2006 volunteered his view to the cops that Epstein’s behavior revolted him and is thus unlikely to have participated in it.

Today’s liberals spend a lot of energy discoursing on the American right’s pathologies, often justly. But it ought to bother them that 20 years ago the man they loathe most took a look at Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct and got the hell out of there.

Washington’s Neediest Cases. “Rich Liberals, Please Step Up and Save the Washington Post” is the headline on Michael Tomasky’s plea at The New Republic. Behind the paywall, but you get the gist. Laughter Is the Best Medicine. Townhall’s Kurt Schlichter has a different idea: indulge in some good old schadenfreude. He writes:

There’s a glorious symmetry in their suffering, but there’s so much more. There’s their incessant whining about Jeff Bezos refusing to continue to subsidize their little bubble, like some bratty girl at Wellesley who graduates and finds that Daddy is cutting off her money and she’s got to actually work. Did these people actually work? They told themselves consistently how important and vital their “work” was ….

Personally, I love their incessant whining that Jeff Bezos somehow owes them sinecures. Why, he’s got so much money he could easily continue paying for them to provide zero value! It’s his moral duty! One even referred to his “stewardship” of the Washington Post in a typically overwrought X post. Stewardship? He’s a steward? What, like some sort of ink-stained Denethor? Well, they’ve got the funeral pyre part down.

What Does This Mean? Gallup will no longer chart presidential approval ratings. Gallup has been tracking them for 90 years. … Nina Shea asks what is next for Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong newspaper owner, behind bars at the behest of the communist regime in Beijing. Shea provides a glimpse of Lai’s life in prison through his daughter.

Chilling Video in Guthrie Case. Nothing Adds Up. Suspect in Canada Mass Shooting: ‘Female in a Dress.’ Wes Moore: Too Good to Be True? & More

Posted on February 11, 2026February 11, 2026 by Charlotte Hays

The FBI has released videos and photos of a masked subject in the case of the mystifying disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” cohost Savannah Guthrie. They are chilling:

A 27-second video shows the person approaching the front door and raising a gloved hand to a home security camera outside the door before walking away. A 14-second video shows the person facing the camera holding a flashlight in their mouth before covering the camera lens with some vegetation. Law enforcement officials told CBS News the material the individual is holding up appears to be prairie brush.

The New York Times embeds the chilling video of the intruder entering the Guthrie house in a string of Guthrie update stories. The “doorbell” footage, which was thought to have been lost, took more than a week to access (scroll down in the NYT updates). The Times also has a description of the scene:

The silent, black-and-white doorbell camera videos total just 44 seconds, but what they depict is frightening: a masked, armed person approaching Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep late at night, shortly before she was abducted.

Fox Digital also has the eerie video. Body language expert Susan Constantine commented:

From a behavioral perspective, Constantine said the circumstances shown in the footage do not appear consistent with a robbery gone bad, noting that robberies often involve two or three people with defined roles. The FBI images released so far show one individual, and she emphasized that investigators have not publicly identified a motive or confirmed the subject’s role.

Despite the subject wearing a mask, Constantine said the footage still reveals identifiable physical traits.

A delivery driver was detained, questioned, and released in connection with the Guthrie case. (Also, here.) Hot Air’s John Sexton has a good post on new developments, including TMZ’s Harvey Levin’s puzzling claim of “activity” in the bitcoin ransom account and the search of the house that daughter Annie Guthrie occupies with her husband. Nothing adds up. If the TMZ ransom letter is not legitimate—and we don’t know that—then the alleged abductor or abductors have made no contact. In which case, why was Nancy Guthrie taken? What was wanted?

Terrible news from Canada. At least nine were killed and dozens injured in a shooting at a school and residence in British Columbia. The New York Post describes the suspect as “a female in a dress“:

The suspect, who was described in a local active shooter alert as a woman in a dress with brown hair, was found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, cops added.

Police have identified the shooter, but didn’t publicly release their identity due to the integrity of the investigation.

Matt Vespa notes the “weird” way police described the suspect. This is one of the deadliest shootings in Canadian history.

This is a real headscratcher: The FAA has halted all flights to the El Paso airport for ten days, citing unspecified “special security reasons.” Townhall suggests possible reasons.

Is Maryland Governor and 2028 aspirant Wes Moore just too good to be true? Governor Moore has often told the story of a grandfather forced to flee the KKK. Now, he’s facing questions about the veracity of the story. The Free Beacon offers other examples of unverified biographical details the Governor has claimed. Governor Moore’s office responds that the “broader reality is not in dispute” and accuses the Free Beacon of racism.

“Democrats Still Searching for an Argument Against Voter ID” is the headline on James Freeman’s Best of the Web column. Rep. Marcus Raskin gets high marks for creativity:

What’s wrong with it is that it might violate the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, because you’ve got to show that all of your different IDs match. So if you’re a woman who’s gotten married and you’ve changed your name to your husband’s name, but you’re so now your current name is different from your name at birth. …

Neil Munro’s Breitbart piece on sanctuary cities (“Democratic State Leaders: Sanctuary Cities Must Be Exempted from Civil Rights Laws”) is getting a lot of attention. Powerline’s Bill Glahn picked it up and commented. Joe Abraham, a lifelong resident of Illinois, has written Gov. J.B. Pritzker asking how Pritzker can defend the sanctuary policies that killed his daughter:

Recently, I sent Gov. JB Pritzker a letter asking straightforward questions about the sanctuary policies he champions — policies that protected an illegal alien who went on to kill my daughter. I asked for a response by January 19, 2026, the one-year anniversary of Katie’s death. To this day, I have received nothing.

Waitin’ for That Golden Age. Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley says that Americans are running out of patience with the Republicans:

Empathy might go further than telling struggling households that they’ve never had it so good, but Mr. Trump can’t help himself. His predecessor’s tenure was “defined by the misery known as ‘stagflation’—high inflation and low growth,” the president wrote in these pages last month. “Only 12 months into my second term in office, we now have the exact opposite—extremely low inflation, and extraordinarily high economic growth!”

The optimism is admirable, but the political messaging misses the mark. Most voters don’t buy the administration’s claims that things are hunky-dory. They don’t believe Joe Biden still deserves blame for the current situation ….

We’ve been taking note of the collapse of “gender-affirming” medicine. Alas, “The Pronoun Wars in Public Schools” are still going strong:

Can a public-school district refuse to hire a K-12 teacher if she won’t use transgender pronouns? The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals said yes in a 2-1 decision late last month, over a rousing dissent by conservative Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III. Similar disputes are bubbling up elsewhere, so the Supreme Court at some point might need to clarify. …

Judge Wilkinson disagrees. “There can be no question that transgender rights represent a highly contentious and significant issue in our social and political zeitgeists,” he says. “If this issue is not one of public concern, I cannot think of an issue that would be.” The judge calls pronoun usage “a noncurricular matter” and suggests Ms. Polk could easily be accommodated by letting her “call all students by their last name (e.g., ‘Bueller, please answer question 43.’)”

One More on Education. The “Mississippi Miracle”—whereby the native state of your humble scribe made astonishing progress in educating her kids, moving from near the bottom to near the top in national rankings—is being threatened. You can guess why: “Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who leads the Senate, took orders from the public-school monopoly.” Get some courage, Delbert. Delbert is a Republican.

This Is About Education, too. A GOP lawmaker was shocked after an anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by a fifth-grade civics question:

A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when [GOP Rep. Allen] Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, “What branch of government do you operate under?”

McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, “Mecklenburg County,” prompting Chesser to repeat, “What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff?”

The sheriff answered, “The Constitution of the United States,” to which Chesser responded, “That is what establishes the branches of government; I’m asking what branch you fall under.”

After McFadden answered, “Mecklenburg County” again, Chesser remarked, “This is not where I was anticipating getting stuck. Um, are you aware of how many branches of government there are?” The sheriff quickly shot back, “No.”

After a long pause, Chesser continued, “For the sake of debate, let’s say there are three branches of government: legislative, executive, judicial. Of those three, which do you fall under?”

The sheriff answered, “I believe I fall under the last one … judicial.”

“You are incorrect, sir. You fall under the executive,” said Chesser.

After that, Chesser continued to press McFadden about how he reconciles his responsibility as an officer under the executive branch to enforce the law with his opposition to cooperation with ICE.

Distraught Plea from Guthrie Family. Tariffs. Massive WaPo Staff Cuts Have MSM Shouting Murder! Blue State Demographic Nightmare. Justice Ketanji at the Grammys. More

Posted on February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Charlotte Hays

In a riveting moment of TV, Samantha Guthrie, “Today” co-host, and her siblings begged for the return of their missing mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie:

Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.

“Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light,” Savannah Guthrie said. “She’s funny, spunky. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see.”

The video underscores how little is known about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. Was she abducted? Samantha Guthrie directly addressed possible kidnappers:

“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” she added. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

Savannah Guthrie later addressed her mother directly, offering words of faith and reassurance as the family waits for answers.

No suspects have been identified. CNN suggests that the emotional video is a way to “humanize” Nancy Guthrie to alleged captors. Not to be a pessimist, but I’m not sure about the kidnapper with a heart approach. An emotional President Trump called Samantha Guthrie and ordered federal law enforcement to assist in the search. This has to be one of the strangest of episodes: Who would take Ms. Guthrie’s mother? Why? The New York Post on an alleged ransom note.

In a previous attempt to overthrow a tyrannical regime, Iranian dissidents cried out to an American President, asking, “Where are you, Obama?” Washington Post Columnist Marc Thiessen writes that President Trump’s place in history will be determined by his response to the current Iranian uprising:

Trump is right to carefully weigh the risks of military action, which must be taken seriously. But there are also risks to inaction, which are arguably far greater.

Start with the risk to America’s credibility. Trump told the Iranian regime in no uncertain terms that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters … the United States of America will come to their rescue,” adding: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” The regime ignored his threat and slaughtered thousands. He then urged the Iranian people: “KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. … HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” Iranians listened to those words and took to the streets — and many paid with their lives.

The U.S. and Iran will hold nuclear talks tomorrow in Oman. I thought that was John Kerry’s schtick? Townhall’s Kurt Schlichter is not subtle: Kill the mullahs, he advises.

Polling indicates that Americans haven’t yet fallen in love with President Trump’s tariffs. Nor has the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board. “Are Trump’s Tariffs Winning?” is the headline of a WSJ editorial, which is a decided thumbs down. Another poll indicates that most Americans want the Supreme Court to reverse the tariffs.

The Washington Post, the Watergate newspaper, now owned by Jeff Bezos, has announced stunning layoffs—around a 30% reduction in its staff. The Atlantic calls it “murder,” while the New Yorker settles for “How Jeff Bezos Brought Down the Washington Post.” Never known for modesty, the Washington Post calls it a “blow to a legendary news brand.”

Meanwhile, as National Review’s dry-eyed John Puri writes, “People Aren’t Actually That Upset over the Washington Post Layoffs,” and at the same esteemed outlet, Jeffrey Blehar comments on the Grim Reaper’s visit to the hallowed newspaper. Them’s the breaks, as Charles Darwin might characterize the situation.

The Verdict Is In: Ryan Routh, President Trump’s attempted assassin, is sentenced to life in prison. It should carry weight that Fox Special Report Anchor Bret Baier told FBI Director Kash Patel that he doesn’t believe we yet have the full story on the earlier Butler attempt on the president’s life. Look for “Free Bryan Routh!” signs sprouting at your next zany lefty rally. (Just kidding—I hope.)

“Blue States’ Demographic Nightmare” is the headline on Steven Malanga’s latest City Journal piece:

When we seek explanations for why today’s Democrats refuse to call those here without permission “illegal,” oppose lawful deportations, and seek government benefits for those who’ve snuck into the country, we probably need to look no further than the population woes of Democratic states. …

Looking at these results, one might conclude that Democratic voters and the politicians they elect would consider reforms to keep and attract more voters. But states like California, New York, and Illinois have been racking up losses for more than a decade with no sign of political change. If anything, Democratic states seem to be pressing ahead with the very policies that repel a substantial number of citizens and businesses. During the Biden years, Democrats decided that the solution to this problem was to import a cohort of new voters. That immigration policy, ironically, had as much to do with the improbable reelection of Trump as any other Democratic strategy.

Considering this, it’s interesting that California’s Governor U-Haul—aka Gavin Newsom—is considered the Democratic frontrunner for 2028. Ms. Must has been hearing a lot about New York Times columnist Bret Stephens’s recent offering, “Will Newsom Be the Democrats’ Next Mistake?“

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s attendance at the anti-Trump Grammy awards hasn’t gotten as much attention as others. Until, that is, Miranda Devine explained the meaning of the Justice’s applauding the anti-ICE speeches removed any shred of impartiality regarding many issues likely to come before the Court:

But she should have stayed home rather than laughing and clapping in the audience with a bunch of virtue-signaling luvvies ranting “F–k ICE” every time they got on stage. …

Her attendance at the rancidly partisan anti-ICE Grammy Awards on Sunday was a joke.

The 55-year-old Biden DEI candidate was nominated for a Grammy for narrating the audiobook of her memoir “Lovely One,” which she unashamedly believes herself to be.

Meanwhile, singer Billie Eilish’s “stolen land” comments led an LA real estate law firm to question whether to evict her because her mansion sits on land of the Tongva Tribe, the land’s original inhabitants. This apparently is a joke. But Ms. Must wishes it weren’t. Would love to see Ms. Eilish defend her stolen property.

“Is AI the Next Climate Change?” Another terrific piece from the Wall Street Journal’s Barton Swaim. “Disaster looms, they tell us. Empower experts, raise taxes! Here we go again.”

Must Be Briefly Noted: Warm the of Collectivism Update: Tens of thousands of New Yorkers left without heat as temperatures drop to 4°—and tenants blast Mamdani for failing to act. … But the Mayor’s Health and Mental Hygiene is very active. They are busy organizing employees to protest against the state of Israel. … “Hillary Clinton Wrote a Hit Piece on Me. Here’s My Response” in The Free Press is by Allie Beth Stuckey, whom Mrs. Clinton accused of being lacking in empathy! … Amazon reportedly asked a movie theater in Oregon to cancel showings of Melania after it posted this on its marquee: “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday,” a quote attributed to Sun Tzu, author of “The Art of War.” Another line read, “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday.” … Calling Mamet Mavens. The playwright sits for a chat with The Free Press.

Samantha Guthrie’s Mother Abducted. Kennedy Center Kerfuffle. Anti-ICE Checkpoints. Vogue’s Big, Wet One for Newsom. Billie Eilish: Shut Up and Sing. More

Posted on February 3, 2026February 3, 2026 by Charlotte Hays

Sure, there is a partial government shutdown going on (here, here, here, and here), but the shutdown news seems muted.

With other stories stealing the fanfare, it feels like a tabloid kind of day. “Snatched from Her Bed.” That is the New York Post cover headline on the strange and disturbing disappearance of Today host Savannah Guthrie’s mother:

Blood was found in the home of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s missing 84-year-old mom, according to a report Tuesday — with the local sheriff confirming that authorities fear “a possible kidnapping or abduction.”

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that the blood was found alongside signs of forced entry in the house in Catalina Hills, Arizona. It was not immediately confirmed whose blood it was.

Nancy Guthrie, whom Savannah calls her “best friend,” was reported missing Sunday, hours after returning from dinner the night before.

Savannah Guthrie was absent from Today yesterday, but a statement from her was read asking for prayers as Arizona law officials continued the search.

The last tranche of the Epstein files (though they are not files at all, but three million pieces of paper and pictures) has had sleuths scouring them for notable names. The bad glitch is that the names of some victims were accidentally not redacted. Bill and Hillary Clinton have at last agreed to testify about their relationship with Epstein rather than face a contempt charge. Lord Mandelson will resign from the Labour government, and the NFL will look into Steve Tisch’s relationship with the late pedophile. Most fascinating take on the Epstein scandal:

The Jeff Epstein saga isn’t a scandal about pedophilia, it’s about a Russian word called ‘blat,’ a Soviet-era word meaning ‘the use of personal networks for obtaining goods and services in short supply and for circumventing formal procedures.’ It’s about a kind of government. As with the large number of ‘blatniks’ in the Soviet era who made sure their factories got what they needed outside the formal state procurement process, Epstein greased the wheels for the neoliberal state. His job was governance.

Never a Dull Moment: President Trump abruptly announced that he will close the Kennedy Center—or Trump Kennedy Center—for two years for renovations. The Kennedy Center is a redoubt of the establishment. Thus, it is no surprise that WaPo’s longtime critic Philip Kennicott sees this as “a grave risk” to the entertainment venue. Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg is not taking the news well. “We All Know Why Trump Is Closing the Kennedy Center for Renovations,” National Review’s Jeffrey Blehar claims. Uh-oh.

Musing aloud on former FBI official Dan Bongino’s podcast, President Trump called for the nationalization of presidential campaigns. The Constitution largely gave state governments the role of running elections. But there’s a good reason for a REAL ID to vote, says Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn addresses the First Amendment status of former CNN personality Don Lemon, who has made himself the star in the Minnesota church invasion by anti-ICE activists. Lemon insists that he shouldn’t be arrested because he is a journalist. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, invokes the First Amendment. McGurn argues that newsmen have no right to disobey the law or to disrupt religious exercise. Veteran TV news writer Warren Kozak notices “Don Lemon, Tucker Carlson and the Fear of Disappearing.”

What President Trump is up to regarding Iran is anybody’s guess. “The ‘Deal’ in Iran Is Regime Change” is the headline over a Wall Street Journal editorial. The Editors write:

Any sanctions relief now would break faith with the protesters, who relied on Mr. Trump’s promises, and extend their regime a lifeline while it totters on the brink of becoming a failed state. It would also tell the region that the U.S. President blinked, which would have damaging implications for the next three years of Mr. Trump’s Presidency. …

There is a better way for President Trump: Help the protesters topple the ayatollah and his enforcers. Don’t crush the Iranian people’s hopes; give them the confidence to keep pushing against a regime that has no answer but bullets to any of their problems. If Iran’s revolutionary regime falls, the whole region gets better. China and Russia lose the third spoke in their axis of U.S. adversaries.

The price of oil is lower today than it was at the start of the 12-day war in June, and the U.S. has options to mitigate disruptions. Iran’s regime and its proxies are at their weakest, and its people are waiting. Mr. Trump has forged his opportunity, and this is his moment to seize it.

Having interviewed Crown Prince Reza Pahlevi many years ago, I am interested in Eli Lake’s assessment of him at The Free Press. The Shah’s son is rallying the people, but is he fit to lead?

Checkpoints in the USA? No way. Way. Anti-ICE activists have erected checkpoints in Minnesota and are harassing unsuspecting drivers, inspecting their licenses and plates for evidence of an ICE affiliation. From Townhall:

These people aren’t trained police. They’re left-wing clowns with no lives, likely paid by Marxist organizations to foment chaos. This is an unreasonable search and seizure, so it’s okay to be unlawful toward the police if your feelings dictate such lunacy. The anti-ICE mayhem has led to innocent people getting harassed and assaulted by these nutjobs.

Meanwhile, Christina Buttons takes us “Inside Minneapolis’s ICE Watch Network” in City Journal:

While participants frame ICE watching as a “community safety” measure, these tactics often place untrained civilians in direct, high-stakes confrontation with armed federal agents….

Members repeatedly referenced the “Simple Sabotage Field Manual,” an activist handbook that members used to generate ways to impede ICE. Members discussed throwing urine at agents, praising one such incident as “mvp” behavior. A daily update account called “The Report Card” encouraged participants to “annoy” agents with constant noise. They view “noise making and interrupting their meals and bathroom breaks” as essential, noting these tactics “serve a critical role in draining their morale.”

Vogue magazine has given California Governor Gavin Newsom a big, slobbering endorsement. Here’s how their profile of Newsom in the latest issue begins:

Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence as he delivers his final State of the State address.

Both Vogue and Newsom’s own new memoir attempt to depict Newsom as someone who suffered hardship growing up. This reminds me of Steve Martin’s signature line in the movie “The Jerk,” “I was born a poor black child.” This jerk was born in the lap of luxury. His father was a lawyer and confidant to the Getty family:

Newsom’s family ties to the Gettys have long been in the background of his career, including Gordon Getty helping bankroll Newsom’s PlumpJack Group, a hospitality company that includes Northern California wineries.

Gordon “Getty, a billionaire heir to the J. Paul Getty oil fortune, used to include Gavin and his sister, Hilary, on Getty family vacations to watch whales in Canada and elephants in Kenya,” The New Yorker magazine reported in 2004.

Ms. Must has been feeling that she didn’t do justice to singer Billie Eilish’s “stolen land” remarks at the Grammys. So, from The Federalist, here’s some more:

The biggest winner of Billie Eilish’s award-winning weekend at the Grammys might be her stalker. While accepting the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Eilish said: “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything, but, that no one is illegal on stolen land.”

“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she continued. “And I just I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”

“F-ck ICE,” she added.

Her statement left little room for the belief in borders, enforcement, or the idea that some people are not allowed to cross certain boundaries. Which is awkward considering Eilish has spent years begging the government to protect her own personal property, enforce its border, and make clear that she believes some people are actually not allowed to cross certain boundaries.

Minneapolis Shooting: The Worst in America’s Political Leaders. Good Trouble: Hope for Iran. New Food Pyramid’s Unsung Hero: Doctor Atkins. Yes, THAT Doctor Atkins. And More

Posted on January 9, 2026January 9, 2026 by Charlotte Hays

The shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent is bringing out the worst in those most closely involved in this preventable death. That’s the gist of the Wall Street Journal’s lead editorial this morning:

The tragic killing of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration agent is again showing America’s political leaders at their worst. In a rush to control the narrative, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed the officer fired defensively to halt an “act of domestic terrorism.” Mayor Jacob Frey demanded that the feds “get the f— out of Minneapolis.” ….

What happened in Minneapolis was fast, a matter of moments. That’s why such killings are investigated. A model of old-fashioned circumspection Wednesday was border czar Tom Homan, who said he wouldn’t “prejudge” split-second events based on early video clips. “It’d be unprofessional to comment on what I think happened in that situation. Let the investigation play out, and hold people accountable,” he said. “Give them time to look at all the videos, talk to all the witnesses, talk to the officers, and make an educated decision.”

The public is learning more about Renee Nicole Good, who was killed, and the ICE agent. “Killer Agent Unmasked,” the Drudge Report homepage unhelpfully screams. Drudge links to a less incendiary U.K. Daily Mail story. “Warrior of the Left” is how the New York Post describes Ms. Good on its cover. Inside the newspaper backs this up with a profile of Good:

Renee Nicole Good, the mom who was killed by a federal agent after veering her car toward him, was an anti-ICE “warrior” and was part of a group of activists who worked to “document and resist” the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, The Post can reveal.

Good, who moved to the city last year, linked up with the anti-ICE activists through her 6-year-old son’s woke charter school, which boasts that it puts “social justice first” and prioritizes “involving kids in political and social activism,” multiple local sources said.

“She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,” a mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told The Post at a growing vigil where Good was killed Wednesday.

The same paper has a report on the radical leftist groups, including one funded to the tune of $7.8 million by George Soros, behind the anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. The Left apparently is trying to characterize Good as “a young observer” of the protests. A Washington Post report says Good moved to Minneapolis “for community.”

“Democrats: No One Would Get Shot If We Just Let Them Attack Law Enforcement” is the headline on an Eddie Scarry piece at The Federalist. The ICE officer in the case was dragged 100 yards with his arm pinned to the vehicle. It is suggested that the previous event might have factored into his split-second decision. More on the ICE agent whose name, arguably unwisely, has been released.

Fire & ICE: An enthusiastic Matt Vespa of Townhall enthuses that yesterday’s White House briefing was “absolute fire,” demanding more of Vice President J.D. Vance, who said that Good was responsible for her death. Meanwhile, Minnesota “leaders” have “escalated” the dispute over the shooting. Local officials are not happy that the FBI says it will conduct the investigation. Not meaning to cast aspersions, but you like to put your fate into the hands of F-word addicted Mayor Jacob Frey or Governor Tim “The Menace” Walz? Highly recommended: Charles C.W. Cooke’s “How Not to Think about the ICE Shooting in Minneapolis.”

Meanwhile, Federal agents shot two people last night in Portland in an incident stemming from a traffic stop. The two shot were illegal immigrants and members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. No word yet on whether they’d been attracted to Portland for the community.

Before We Leave Minneapolis: “The Left’s Minnesota Problem” is the headline of Kimberley Strassel’s column this morning. And do they ever have one. Strassel gives an enthralling account of how the multi-billion-dollar welfare fraud can affect politicians not named Walz. But the GOP might be able to benefit. Strassel concludes:

Much depends on Republicans, specifically on whether they can realize that Minnesota isn’t a rah-rah MAGA state, and that any such candidate will likely lose. Their failure to acknowledge that up to now is among the reasons they’ve remained locked out of statewide office. The GOP’s large field at least offers some potential.

Mr. Walz might have hoped his announcement would limit fallout to his state. But this scandal could become a liability for progressive welfare-for-all governance nationwide, if the GOP is smart enough to take advantage of it.

Welfare grift isn’t just a Minnesota problem. Again, one question is whether Republicans can take advantage of this.

Good Trouble: Anti-government protests are spreading in Iran. A writer for the London Spectator suggests, “The end is drawing near for Iran’s mullahs.” Reuel Marc Gerecht and Rat Takeyh ask whether Iran’s revolutionary regime can hold the line against protests. Iranian-born Sohrab Ahmari had a good piece in Unherd on ending Iran’s “cycle of violence.”

Food for Thought: “At Last, the Truth About Food” is the title of Mark Hyman’s Free Press piece responding to RFJ Jr.’s new food pyramid. “For decades, federal dietary policy fomented chronic obesity and illness. Now, it’s acknowledged a basic reality: What we eat matters more than how many calories we count,” Hyman argues.

Apparently, Human is not the only meat-eater at TFP. “TGIF: Eat Real Food” is the headline to Nellie Bowles’ Friday TFP column. All Great Minds Think Alike: Dr. Ben Carson also has something to say. Greg Gutfeld said something last night on The Five that I’ve been thinking about—that the real, unsung hero is the late Dr. Atkins of Atkins-diet fame. The experts ridiculed him when he said pretty much what the new pyramid makes clear.

Lefty Politico is crowing that 17 Republicans defected and voted to extend ObamaCare subsidies for three years. The Senate also advanced a war powers resolution aimed at hampering President Trump’s free hand in Venezuela. Five Republicans voted for the resolution: Senators Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Todd Young, Susan Collins, and Josh Hawley.

Meanwhile, Heather Mac Donald charts a win for the president in “Trump Forces the New York Times’s Hand on Crime” in City Journal:

The New York Times is growing desperate. In its efforts to discredit Donald Trump’s crime initiatives, it has deliberately drawn attention to black-on-black crime. …

The Times’s spin on Trump’s allegedly racist crime policies and rhetoric has a few problems—among them hypocrisy, double standards, and inconsistency. If Trump has failed to publicize the black homicide victims mentioned in the Times’s story, he was only following the paper’s lead. None of those killings got any coverage in the paper at the time.

The Times has ignored even more egregious murders than the garden-variety gang violence that now so moves the paper to sorrow. Three-year-old Honesty Cheadle was caught in a drive-by shooting after a Fourth of July cookout this year. Another three-year-old, Ty’ah Settles, suffered a similar fate in May 2024. Neither loss earned notice from the Times. …

Times columnist Jamelle Bouie expressed the paper’s position: There was “no public safety emergency in Washington, D.C. Crime is . . . at a 30-year low,” Bouie said on August 16. Trump was merely demonizing the “residents of D.C. as essentially incapable of self-government.”

What does that acceptable crime picture look like? In 2024, D.C. saw 187 homicides, or over 15 a month.

The New York Post columnist Douglas Murray says Trump is right to ask for more military spending, but that he should threaten our enemies, not our allies; He Was Ignoring Eviction Notices: “Giant bear living under LA man’s house finally leaves after 37 days — thanks to this bizarre method.”

Also being evicted from their nests: California billionaires, who are targeted by Governor Gavin Newsom’s billionaire-targeted new taxes. TGIF.

Will There Be Cameras in Kirk Trial? Noem’s Combustible Hearing. The Maduro Oil Squeeze. Why Europe Declines. Pagan Feminism. More

Posted on December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 by Charlotte Hays

The 22-year-old man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk has high-powered lawyers, but they forgot to give him advice on courtroom demeanor: Try to look serious at your murder trial:

The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk looked calm and chuckled with his lawyers as he made his first in-person court appearance – as a judge named Erika Kirk as the official victim representative for her slain husband.

Tyler Robinson made his first in-person appearance in court in Provo, Utah, yesterday. One issue was whether to allow cameras into the trial. Robinson’s lawyers argued against cameras. Erika Kirk supports them. U.S. District Court Judge Tony Graff is mulling this over and will decide by December 29.

A New York Post editorial urges us to rally behind Erika Kirk against Candace Owens’ toxic conspiracy theories. The feisty tabloid drew the line at being too specific on Owens’ conspiracy theories, but National Review, praising Erika Kirk’s courage in the face of this added tribulation, has more information. National Review editors say that Erika Kirk’s anger is justified. What’s wrong with us?

“Democrats Lambaste Noem, Demand She Resign at Combative Congressional Hearing” is the headline on a Washington Post story. What the story omits: Noem won hands down. Here is another account. This exchange with Rep. Bennie Thompson, co-star of the choreographed House January 6 hearings, was the most revealing:

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) asks about “the unfortunate accident that occurred with National Guardsmen.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: “You think that was an unfortunate accident?!? It was terrorist attack. He shot our National Guardsmen in the head!” Rep. Thompson: “It was an unfortunate situation, but you blamed it solely on Joe Biden…Who approved the asylum application for this same person?”

A marathon fight to reform health care is in the offing for early next year. The Hill reports:

Only a holiday miracle can prevent ObamaCare subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1, setting up a major health care fight next month when lawmakers turn their attention to a 2026 spending bill and another potential shutdown fight.

After dueling partisan bills failed in the Senate on Thursday, attention now turns to the House, where Republican leaders are teeing up a vote on yet another partisan health care package that does not include the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi [see above] isn’t the only member of Congress who is confused. “Progressives Struggle to Take America’s Side in a Fight” is a National Review article about the Left’s take on Venezuelan dictator Maduro. A Wall Street Journal editorial headlined “Trump Puts the Oil Squeeze on Maduro” is not confused:

President Trump is finally taking action beyond rhetorical threats to squeeze Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro out of power. The U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast hits the dictator in the pocketbook, which is why he is screaming so loudly….

Mr. Maduro is accusing the U.S. of piracy, but he’s the one who stole Venezuelan democracy and caused millions of his countrymen to flee. More than eight million Venezuelans live in exile, destabilizing societies across the hemisphere while he props up the aging Cuban police state….

The seizure signals that Mr. Trump isn’t backing down on his effort to oust the dictator. This wouldn’t be a coup, but a liberation for Venezuelan democracy. Mr. Maduro lost a presidential election in July 2024 to opposition candidate Edmundo González, and he’s stayed in power through theft and terror.

The seizure of the tanker strikes at the heart of Maduro’s grip on power. Rescued at Sea: Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado risked her life to leave Venezuela to get to Oslo and beyond, where she will be an advocate for liberty in Venezuela. Her escape is the stuff of legend.

The Sick Man of Europe Is Europe: “European leaders are furious at President Trump following his recent derogatory comments about their Continent,” according to a Wall Street Journal editorial headlined, “The Real Reason Europe Is ‘Decaying’.” The editors contend that “the Continent faces a crisis, but not one JD Vance wants to admit.”

The editorial on Europe’s first crisis—the one cited by the administration:

The Administration’s National Security Strategy last week stirred outrage by warning that America’s European allies face “civilizational erasure.” Mr. Trump’s foreign-policy panjandrums mean primarily that mass immigration and deepening political illegitimacy are sapping Europe’s vim and vigor. Mr. Trump followed this week by describing Europe as “weak” and “decaying.”

The strategy, a brainchild of Vice President JD Vance and his circle, implies the U.S. may withdraw from its longstanding security cooperation with Europe if Washington decides Europe is no longer worth defending. A particular threat concerns the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The strategy paper warns that mass (read: Muslim) migration means some NATO members could within a few decades be majority non-European.

Messrs. Trump and Vance have a point.

The editors argue that there is a second, even more serious, cause of Europe’s decay:

But the Trump diagnosis ignores the biggest threat to Europe’s well-being. That is Europe’s generous social-welfare states and the cascading fiscal, economic and social ills they create.

Government social expenditure in the U.S. accounted for 19.8% of GDP in 2024, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In France the figure was 30.6%, in Germany 27.9%, and in Italy 27.6%. This share will rise as populations age. These columns recently documented the severity of the old-age entitlement problem in France and Germany especially.

This fact explains much of what ails Europe. …

One additional way for a country to go broke is the expensive and unrealistic environmental regulations required to reach “net zero.” But help is on the way ….

“Revenge of the Climate Realists” is the headline on Peter Savodnik’s piece at The Free Press. “For years, those who questioned the calamity of climate change were treated like pariahs. Now, their day of vindication has come,” is Savodnik’s argument.

“Affordability” is the word on all tongues. “Is There an Affordability Crisis?” is debated at The Free Press, with the likes of Tyler Cowen, Jason Furman, Kyla Scanlon, and others weighing in. Political consultant David Winston issues the electorate’s inflation report and tells us what to look for in the lead-up to the midterms.

Here’s something else that will determine the midterms: the rise of the mini-Mamdani’s. That’s Kimberley Strassel’s term for the new kind of Democratic candidates springing up in the mold of New York’s socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Her conclusion:

[I]f progressives emerge from this primary season firmly back on top the party, they might just mitigate some of that GOP risk.

“School Districts Are Keeping Parents in the Dark over Social Transitioning” is the headline on a National Review story. Yes, public-school administrators STILL think they know better than parents. Creepy stuff:

So-called social transition, including going by a name and pronouns that  do not  match a person’s sex, is a major intervention in a child’s life that can place the child on a difficult-to-escape  pathway to medicalized transition, carrying the risk of life-altering damage.  Yet over  1,000 school districts — attended by over  12 million students — have secret-transition policies that direct school officials to hide information about children from parents.

Meanwhile, as you may recall, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon has sued the Loudon County Public School System. Dhillon’s suit alleges that Christian students were being forced to accept radical gender ideology that conflicted with their religion.

Well, somehow this seems the perfect spot to mention Carrie Gress’s “How Feminism Became the Biggest Pagan Megachurch In the World.” Fascinating thesis.

I’m off for an unplanned trip for a funeral, and this is my last Musts for the year. Many thanks to readers and Independent Women for allowing me this opportunity. Merry Christmas, and looking forward to seeing you next year.