Tuesday Links - 19 May

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is first with Bummer: Washington Sees Drop In SNAP Enrollment As “Immigrants” Ditch Program

Per Washington law, Basic Food is restricted from illegal aliens. I wonder how many were on it? Any chance of an audit is pretty much nil in uber-Leftist Washington. Legal immigrants are allowed to get it.

Holly MathNerd - The People's Republic of Vermont: update on a previous prediction

The political center of gravity in Burlington has moved. Not because conservatives won an argument — they did not — but because the conditions on the ground became impossible to defend from inside the coalition that produced them.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Bummer: DHS Going After Shady Green Card Holders

Oh, wait, this is a pretty straight article, noting why DHS is looking to strip green cards, which is not something that is actually unusual. In fact, thousands lose their green cards every year.

Clayton Cramer - More Fraud Convictions

A million here, a billion there, to paraphrase Sen. Bayh, after a while, it adds up to real money. If all this welfare state funding was making poor people better off, you might excuse the good intentions.

Disparu - The BBC is DYING and That's a Good Thing. (Video)

The BBC is dying and I'm here to piss on its grave.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 15 May 2026: Octopole Edition

The open source and right-to-repair community has declared war on leading 3D printer maker Bambu Labs. (Tom's Hardware)

At the core of this is Bambu's move to restrict access to its open-source software.

Again from William Teach - Huh: Democrats Upset Over Companies Making Money Off Stopping Illegal Immigration

They aren’t just upset over rounding up illegal alien criminals, they’re also upset that all that government money isn’t coming their way so they can skim it off

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Marking Time

No baseball stuff this week, just a poke at Nolan’s inane, politically-correct version of the Odyssey.

Meep at STUMP - Congressional Morbidity: Two Representatives Are Absent

As some of you may know, I have kept tabs on members of Congress (Representatives and Senators) who die while in office.

What about those who are absent?

(There is no leave-taking, as you will see, so I can’t call it AWOL.)

Echo Chamberlain - How To Critique Race-Swap Casting

How many steps are involved in race swapping Nick Fury to Samuel L. Jackson? Basically one – the character is black now, otherwise every fundamental of the character is coherent and in synch.

Now, Let’s look at Lupita Nyongo’s Helen.

The Other McCain - What’s the Over/Under on How Soon Barrett Brown Gets Arrested Again?

Given all the trouble in the world right now, my hunch is that Barrett Brown is somewhere near the bottom of the list of federal law enforcement priorities. It’s been nearly five years since I last devoted a post to him here (“Oh, Dear God: Barrett Brown Again!” July 13, 2021), after he’d gotten himself arrested in England.

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule 5 Monday: Everything Stops For Tea

Apologies for the late, late posting. Things were weird and difficult this weekend.

Australians Are Trying to Take Back Self-Defense

Or self-defence, as they spell it. I wish them luck, but the state will not want to relinquish the power that it has taken. ‘Everybody’s fed up’: Two home invasions, two intruders dead and the moral dilemma facing Victorians

The story covers a recent decision not to prosecute, and a similar case from 2015. Click thru for those details.

The problem for Victorians caught up in a youth crime crisis that has seen home invasions skyrocket to record levels in the past few years is that they don’t know whether the law supports them protecting their homes.

Under Victorian law, homeowners are allowed to defend themselves during a home invasion. But the amount of force they use must be proportionate and reasonable to the threat they face.

Which might sound good in theory, but how is a woman homeowner (the case from 2015) supposed to defend herself from a large man trying to choke her? Spoiler, she didn't defend herself, because firearms would be "disproportional," so her neighbor had to come to her aid. He was charged with murder.

In reality it means that the Monday-morning quarterbacks get to second guess the decisions you made at 3AM Saturday, when someone kicked in the door to your home. The state doesn't like self-defense, because it doesn't respect state authority.

Victoria, Australia, is a state in the southeastern portion of the mainland. It is home to Melbourne.

There is more, on the state of crime in Victoria, Australia, and some on the push to reform the laws around self-defense. Click thru.

Licenses Delayed = Rights Denied

Mark W. Smith, of the Four Boxes Diner channel on YouTube, and Rumble, had an article published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy: Licenses Delayed, Rights Denied: How Contemporary Firearm Carry Licensing Regimes Continue To Violate the Second Amendment. It is from the fall of 2025, but I only recently ran across it.

The Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen¹ was meant to vindicate the Second Amendment's text and historical traditions against discretionary state licensing schemes that denied ordinary citizens their constitutional right to bear arms in public. Yet three years after Bruen, a predictable pattern has emerged: jurisdictions hostile to gun rights have responded not with compliance, but with sophisticated resistance.

Click thru for some examples of the delaying tactics, which Smith calls "Obstruction By Design."

Mark W. Smith doesn't talk about if any lawsuits are directed at this resistance, he only mentions that the Supreme Court noted such lawsuits could be brought. Even so, I'm a bit surprised to see this in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Maybe I have misjudged them. It isn't so much a "Pro-2A" article, as an article exposing how "Progressive" states are fighting against Bruen.

NYC Chases Wall Street South

Or I should say Mamdani chases Wall Street firms away from NYC. Mamdani won't be happy until he drives every financial business out of NYC, and he won't be happy then, because he won't have any money for his programs. Wall Street giant Apollo aims to open ‘second headquarters’ outside NYC — in latest fallout from Mamdani’s war on the wealthy

Yet another major Wall Street firm is poised to expand outside New York City – the latest blow to the Big Apple’s tax coffers thanks to Mayor Zohran Mandani’s war on wealthy residents and businesses, The Post has learned.

Private equity giant Apollo Global Management, headquartered in Manhattan, has decided to open a new business hub — internally dubbed its “second headquarters” — in either Florida or Texas with an official decision likely to be made public in the coming weeks, people close to the matter say.

I can't help but think "expand outside NYC" is really "we are moving, but we don't want to say that." They probably also have employees who don't want to leave NYC, though why, given what is going on anyone would want to stay in NYC is beyond me.

Apollo paid a whopping $1.276 billion in income taxes in 2025, up from $1.062 billion the year before. While filings don’t break down how much of that went to the Big Apple, the city stands to lose a hefty revenue stream as the firm looks to expand elsewhere.

I don't understand the Left. They want to provide all kinds of services, except police apparently, but they don't want the businesses that provide the funds for those services. I guess math is hard.

Apollo isn't the only firm looking to ditch NYC. Ken Griffin was singled out by Mamdani, and who did that help? NY leaders desperately try to stop billionaire bigs from fleeing city over Mamdani.

Most are not being that visible about the moves.

The splashy one-two punch of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and Apollo Global Management honcho Marc Rowan pledging to expand outside New York City has been coupled with a silent wave of businesses “quiet quitting” the city over its hostile environment, insiders told The Post.

Wall Street firms typically don't want the publicity. I think Apollo only spoke out after Mamdani targeted Citadel. But it didn't start with Mamdani. New York (City and State) has impossibly high taxes.

Even before Mamdani, the Empire State has steadily watched its standing as a business haven slip.

New York lost $660 billion in economic growth over the past decade, leading all 50 states, according to economic data from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

Red states, particularly Florida and Texas, have started to scoop up disaffected New York residents and businesses.

There is more. Statistics on people leaving NYC. Some info on the business that have left. The effort to get Bloomberg to run for mayor. Again.

The loss of Wall Street business could deal a major blow to New York City’s finances, which are buoyed by taxes on bonuses from the sector.

Math and politics. Probably not a winning combination.

Robotaxis Do Crazy Stuff

I think we can say that self-driving cars are still not ready for Prime Time.

We start with the serious bit. The Waymo recalls nearly 4,000 robotaxis after vehicle drove into flood

Have they lost their Way-mo?

They weren't programmed to understand flooded streets, so it drove in. One of the most dangerous things you can do is drive into flood waters.

According to the NHTSA, which is probing the mishap, the software recall applies to Waymo vehicles that use the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS).

The recall was prompted by an incident that occurred on April 20, when a self-driving car drove into a flooded creek in San Antonio amid inclement weather and was swept away, CNBC reported. Thankfully, there were no passengers aboard at the time.

That could have been a tragedy.

Waymo said that they have “identified an area of improvement."

Gee, ya think?

Now for a bit of levity from Atlanta. Empty Waymos won’t stop circling this cul-de-sac in Atlanta, unsettling residents. And while it is ridiculous, the people in the neighborhoods impacted (it is more than one) are not laughing.

A seemingly unending stream of Waymos have been rolling through a quiet, dead-end street in Northwest Atlanta in recent weeks, looping around the cul-de-sac — usually early in the morning — and clogging the road when residents tried to stop them.

The residents of that neighborhood contacted Waymo (a division of Alphabet/Google) and were ignored.

You can find the video of the Waymo taxis invading that Atlanta neighborhood at this link: Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, circle cul-de-sac for hours with no passengers

The hat tip for all of this goes to MGUY Australia and his video Hilariously BAD week for Waymo.

The Tactical Rabbi in the News

I don't love this guy's videos, but I do watch them from time to time. NJ rabbi promotes gun ownership, offers weapons training to US Jews | World Israel News

Rabbi Raziel Cohen, 29, has built a public profile around teaching Jews how to use firearms, respond to active-shooter scenarios and organize security teams for synagogues and community institutions. His National Defensive Firearms Academy, founded in 2019, says it has trained thousands of people, including more than 5,000 over the past two years, according to Ynet.

The fact that he is in New Jersey doesn't make it easier. He is reaching a group usually associated with the Progressive Left; that has to make the Leftists a little crazy, all on its own.

You can find his YouTube videos at this link.

Sincerity (You Were Never There For Me)

I love knowing about new music, especially when I like the music. It isn't hard today, but most people are still only listening to the 200 songs that were popular when they were in high school.

Today we have an interesting song that was released in November, so maybe not that new. New-ish?

This song is "Sincerity (You Were Never There For Me)". It is a collaboration between Butcher Babies, Saliva, Harper, Lyric Noel, and Judge & Jury. That collaboration released an Extended Play in November.

Texans Are Still Armed

Bad Guys still are not getting that message. Texas Homeowner Fatally Shoots Intruder Through Front Door After He Smashed Glass and Reached Inside - USA Carry

A homeowner in northern Hopkins County shot and killed an intruder who smashed the glass on his front door and reached inside the home, according to the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office.

Hopkins County, Texas, is in the extreme northeastern corner of the state.

Deputies and investigators responded to the residence on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, after reports of a shooting. Ring doorbell footage at the home captured the encounter. The video shows a man, later identified as Buck Clary, striking the glass front door and yelling.

Self-defense is a human right, and while the investigation is just getting started, this did not take place in New York City.

Electric Bus Fire in Scotland

Electric vehicle fires are usually dramatic. This one is no different.

This is a YouTube short that captures the bus on fire, and the aftermath. Dramatic moment First bus bursts into flames on Scots road as fire crews race to tackle blaze. It is less than one minute.

The article, referenced below the embedded video, does not make mention of the fact that this is, or was, an electric bus. MGUY Australia figured that out by researching the registration of the bus. The bus was apparently manufactured by BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle company, that also sells batteries separately.

This is the MGUY Australia video Electric bus BURNS to ground in Scottish town

Here is the article referenced; it is from The Sun in the UK. BUS BLAZE Dramatic moment First bus bursts into flames on Scots road as fire crews race to tackle blaze

Firefighters were scrambled to Merkland Drive in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, at around 7.55 am today [29 April] after the alarm was raised.

Sweden Votes for Free Speech

I think it too little to late. Sweden Drops 'Islamophobia', Votes for Free Speech :: Gatestone Institute

Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard recently announced that the Swedish government would be dropping not just the word but the entire concept of "Islamophobia," out of a preference for freedom of speech.

Sweden has been so worried about being Progressive, that they have let terror organizations set up shop.

In May 2025, a French Interior Ministry report, "Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islamism in France," cited evidence attesting "to [the organization's] active presence" in Sweden.

Hat tip to Pirate's Cove.

The Origin of Woke

And how Woke took over academia. From The Other McCain: ‘There Is No Truth … Only Power’

Any argument must stand or fall on its own merits. As every educated person knows, attempting to refute an argument by attacking the personality of its proponent is a logical fallacy known as ad hominem. Nonetheless, it has been my observation that advocates of unusual arguments — ideas that seem destructive or counter-factual — generally have something in their biography which helps explain their motives.

tl:dr on that - "Bad causes attract bad people."

The 3 people (that this article attributes) that formed the basis of woke:

1. Foucault taught that truth does not exist, only power exists. (Your truth)
2. Derrida taught that texts have no stable meaning (redone for a "modern audience")
3. Deleuze taught that we should prefer desire to the law, becoming to being, difference to identity. (feelings)

From three philosophers imported from France, we get the state of higher education today, which for the most part doesn't educate, but indoctrinates. We get a generation of "writers" who have no idea how to write a story that anyone is interested in; they can only write for themselves.

There is much more, and if you start following links, the rabbit hole is pretty deep. Still, I think it is worth a bit of your time.

The Dam Collapse that Didn't Happen

Since there was no catastrophe, this story didn't make much news, or I didn't see much about it, in the news. From Madalyn Buursma at WLNS Lansing: Water levels at Cheboygan dam stabilized

This was a story that was all too similar to the Edenville Dam collapse on 19 May 2020.

A series of storms dumping a lot of rain upstream of the dam. The spillways not in the best shape. The powerhouse not able to pass water through the turbines. The water got withing a few inches (5?) of overtopping the dam. Emergency crews brought in pumps to aid in getting water out of the reservoir.

The power house, which could pass a lot of water through the turbine, had been closed since 2023 when a fire in a nearby factor had caused the powerhouse to be shutdown. In what has to be a product of "lessons learned" from Edenville and Sanford dams, an emergency effort was undertaken, to get the equipment tested, the generators reconnected to the electrical grid, and the powerhouse back on line.

The result: Crews restart hydroelectric turbine at Cheboygan Dam

The hydro dam at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex is officially online and river water levels are dropping, according to Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.

The announcement comes after Department of Natural Resources officials worked with Consumers Energy, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to restore a former hydro dam powerhouse. The turbine hadn’t operated since a 2023 fire.

Using the turbine to generate power allows the people managing the dam to increase water flow by 30%. Taking that amount of control away from the dam operators was never a good idea. And while low-head hydroelectric power is deemed to be to expensive today, clearly that installation is capable of generating power, which since the infrastructure is in place is clean energy. While you might not build it from scratch today, why not use it for the rest of its lifespan?

Cheboygan, Michigan is on the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula. It is on the shore of Lake Huron, at the mouth of the Cheboygan River. It is about 19 miles southeast of Mackinaw City, Michigan, or about a 285 mile drive north of Detroit. The dam is right in the middle of the city, about 1½ miles from Lake Huron.

With the extra effort, and some dry weather, the situation came back under control, with the water levels falling.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

If you put this in a movie 25 years ago, people would accuse you of being ridiculous. "That would never happen." Report: British student stabbed by Sikh man dies because police cuffed him on suspicion of being racist instead of treating stab wound

A Brit who was stabbed with an 8-inch blade was cuffed by cops and allowed to bleed out and die while the stabber told police that the white guy was being racist.

Click thru for photos, details, and links to even more details.

Does a Chicago Politician Breaking the Law Count as News?

Or is it just Tuesday? Chicago Mayor Sidekick Nabbed for Back Taxes After Years of Illegal Tax Breaks | Chicago Contrarian

Another member of Mayor Brandon Johnson's City Hall gang has been forced to pay back taxes after years of being a privileged scofflaw who felt she was above the rules under which the rest of us have to suffer.

The latest to get her tax dodge comeuppance is Mayor Johnson’s city budget director Annette Guzman, who for the last five years had been taking advantage of lower property taxes based on an illegal tax break she had wrangled. Now she is being forced to make up the difference and pay in what she should have been paying all along

Click thru for the details, some of the other people caught out in Chicago, for things like unpaid water bill, unpaid parking tickets, and all the rest.

It was a great city, even though it was always a little shady. People overlooked the shady because the city worked. Past tense.

F- Around, ...

What happens when you make threats of violence on public media sites? From The United States Department of Justice, Middle District of Florida: Sarasota Woman Found Guilty of Making Threats on TikTok Sentenced to 14 Months in Federal Prison

According to evidence presented at trial, on August 17, 2025, [Desiree Doreen] Segari posted a video on TikTok calling for MAGA supporters to be shot on sight. Segari stated, “so if we all get our guns and use our second amendment right…and you see somebody with a MAGA hat, ‘pew pew’ that’s what we do, that’s the way, it’s the only way.”

Then she went on TikTok the next day, and doubled down on the threats of shooting.

She was found guilty of "interstate communication of a threat to injure." She was found guilty in January, and sentenced in early May.

Hat tip to Miguel Gonzalez: Aaaand she found out.

Mugshot cameras do not have filters.

It is worth clicking thru just for the filter/no-filter comparison.

Airbnb Sued Over Party, Shooting

Airbnb destroys (some) neighborhoods. Woman shot in deadly 2025 Bath mass shooting sues Airbnb, homeowner - AOL

The suit claims there is a 2014 zoning law outlawing "short-term rentals." That would be Airbnb. Airbnb denies that they are banned from Bath Township.

"The violent shooting was a foreseeable consequence of operating and facilitating an illegal, unregulated short-term rental in violation of the Bath Township Zoning Regulation," the lawsuit states.

A digital flyer described the event as a "mansion" birthday party for two individuals. Social media advertising also promised free alcohol, the lawsuit said.

It does not appear that the part organizers are listed in the suit, as they are only listed as "John and Jane Doe."

Bath Township, is in Summit County, Ohio. It is a suburban area northwest of downtown Akron.

The woman bringing the suit was shot multiple times, and suffered physical and psychological injury.

Law enforcement arrested three people in the shooting: 18-year-old Derquan Edwards, 20-year-old Jashawn Stewart and 17-year-old Domonick Smith, court records show.

I assume that since we know the name, Smith is being charged as an adult.

I know I would not want to live next door to a house that was permanently listed on Airbnb, because sooner or later someone decides to throw a party.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 16 May

The Right Way starts us off with Top of the News

Brennan Admits There’s a Deep State Still in Operation - IOTW Report
Don’t blame the boomers - The New Neo

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 May 2026: Thursday Edition

AMD has increased its share of the CPU market from 24% to 30% in the past year. (WCCFTech)
Ten years ago the company was on death's door.

EBL - UK Prime Minister Starmer Refuses To Go Away

Instapundit: Loser Starmer now banning more of those he disagrees with from the UK
EBL: Starmer previously banned Eva Vlaardingerbroek

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.15.26 (Afternoon Edition)

Hans Schantz: 2026’s Top Based Books – So Far
Ammo.com: The Easiest States In Which To Buy A Gun

Vlad Tepes - On Church fires, Canada, France and how to get past bans on seeing this site from the new Communist EU: Links 1 for May 13, 2026

1. A few questions for Grok that may give an idea about what Rule of Law was replaced with in Canada:
Q: How many Church fires were there in Canada from 2020 to 2025?

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 5/14/2026

Missing House Democrat Hasn’t Voted Since April 17
It’s been nearly a month since Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) cast a vote in the House of Representatives, yet there’s been no word on her whereabouts.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Democrats Seeing Red over Virginia Setback

Capitol Tantrums Come With a Bill — and Tennessee Dems Just Received It. Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "Tennessee’s Speaker of the House @CSexton25 just removed elected Democrats from ALL committees due to their disruptive, disrespectful behavior

The Glibertarians - Wednesday Morning Links

Marty Makary Out At The FDA
Kevin Warsh Cleared by Senate for 14‑Year Fed Board Seat

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For May 15, 2026

Right after the ceasefire expired: “FP-2 Drones Swarm Russian Positions: Multiple Hits on Multiple Targets–Ammo Dumps, Training Centre.”
“Ukraine Resumes Strikes Against Russia: Port Taman Hit Hard.”

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Trump’s leftie foes. Left-wing haters. Spanberger’s faceplant. Victor Davis Hanson – The four horsemen. Ballots to bullets. Go away Obama.
Carnival Carney’s Canada: Some gangland figures. Chow’s condoms. Climate cash burn.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.15.26 (Evening Edition)

Transterrestrial Musings: The New Democrat Party, Hamas’s Failure, SpaceX’s Louisiana Purchase, Blue Origin’s Finances, and The New Anti-Semitism
Victory Girls: Minnesota: Different Day, More Fraud,

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Nature Can Do Anything: Co-Author A Paper; Get Married; Be A Politician’s Constituent

When some legislatures try to stop you from having rights, you can count on the Governor of Wisconsin to protect you… if you are nature.

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

The ‘Very Fine People’ Were Paid - A decade-long distortion, a media megaphone, and the story that reshaped American politics.
Is Spencer Pratt the hero LA needs?

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 5/ 13/26

The Democrats are no longer a party with policy ideas.
Running On Rage

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Trump's Iran Card

• CIA Whistleblower Outlines COVID-19 Coverup - CTH
• CIA Whistleblower Testifies That Agency Covered Up Lab Leak at Behest of Fauci - David Strom

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 05/15/2026

Sanders and AOC introduced a bill to pause ALL AI data center construction.
Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey claims that the FBI is “under siege” and admits that he is still having active conversations with personnel within the FBI

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3678 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Thursday Memes … from MaddMedic, and Catching you up on politics and current events through memes from Wirecutter.

Even In Houston the Media Lie About Self-Defense

The Evil Gun Owner shot him for trespassing. Or did he? Homeless man shot, killed by homeowner after trespassing in NE Houston neighborhood

That’s where investigators say the confrontation turned physical.

According to police, the homeowner told officers the man attacked him during the encounter. The homeowner then pulled out a pistol and fired at the man.

Now it is true that he was shot "after trespassing," because he was trespassing, and told to leave - and he did leave - before he came back and became confrontational.

But if you present the facts in that order, you can't cast the gun owner as being eeeevil. You have to get to paragraph 9 before you find out that there was more than simple trespassing involved, and the Professional Journalists™ know most people don't read that far, and I doubt an AI summary will get that far.

As for the guy who got shot, he ran off, and it took police some time to find his body. Would he have survived if he had stayed put, and been taken to a hospital? We will never know.

It is early days for the investigation, but this didn't happen in New Jersey.

Self-defense is a human right.

Is the Media Lying About ICE?

The media wouldn't lie to us, would they? So, I was finally asked about ICE - by Miguel Gonzalez

During my doings at work, a female client noticed my accent, asked where I was born and after that she asked if I was not scared about ICE. She seemed genuinely surprised when I replied that I was not.

Click thru for the details. Like people interfering with ICE, people violating the terms of their visas, and more.

From her reactions, she was not a hard-core Liberal but probably one that call herself one and trusts what the Old Media says because that was what she was told to do.

Lies of omission are still lies.