RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://spectator.org/newsom-slams-redistricting-as-threat-to-democracy-vows-to-redistrict-california/

On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to fight fire with fire, directing his outrage at Texas’s redistricting efforts. While gerrymandering has been a fairly bipartisan practice for decades, Newsom declared on X that it risks “the destabilization of our democracy,” and that he will do the exact same thing in response.

He stated that if President Trump does not call on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to cease redistricting plans, “I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states.”

Replies to Newsom’s X post quickly garnered criticism, as one user stated, “California has 52 Congressional seats and the GOP has 9 of them. That’s 17 [percent] for a state that votes nearly 40 [percent] Republican.” 

Although Newsom ironically attacks redistricting as a threat to the country before vowing to engage in it, California does maintain the constitutional right to redraw its districts. Doing so could prove challenging, however, as several blue states have already been gerrymandered to a substantial level. 

In late July, the New York Times noted this fact, stating, “States where Democrats would have complete control over any redistricting, such as Illinois and Maryland, are already gerrymandered heavily in their favor. Squeezing more Democratic seats out of those states would be a challenge.”

While the irony is stark, Newsom’s outrage over supposed election interference falls flat, as Texas and California have both had four standard decadal redistricting cycles since 1990. Even with rarer mid-decade redistricting taken into account, Texas has only gerrymandered on four additional occasions since 1990. Such actions are allowed as long as no racial discrimination or equal protection violations occur, meaning that timing itself is not prohibited by the Constitution.

Although Texas courts can legally order redrawing of congressional maps apart from the mandated cycle, the state’s only major, non-cyclical gerrymandering since 1990 occurred in 2003.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-re-emergence-of-american-culture/

What must Thomas Cole have seen when, in 1825, he first gazed upon the Hudson River Valley for the first time, and later as he ventured into the Adirondacks? The natural beauty is stunning, just begging to be put on canvas. Or Albert Bierstadt, upon leaving his native northern Germany and crossing the American continent, to gaze upon the Rockies and all the way to the great Sierras of California? Or Walt Whitman, who in traveling across this great land, found his heart bursting with the beauty of America and so brilliantly put it to verse?

To the first explorers, settlers, farmers, artists who arrived from Europe, America was a blank canvas begging to be put to story and verse, to be painted and built upon a style that was uniquely American. And that they did.

America was all ambition, the promised land; it was the Garden of Eden remade, the City on a Hill, biblical — almost literally — or seen that way by the early arrivals and into the 19th Century. America was truly formed in the 1800’s, from birth to tumult and war, to the Golden Age of American growth and destiny. America became itself as the 19th Century closed. All the promise, the dreams, the unrealized potential, the stunning growth of our great country is an astonishing story unlike that of any other nation or people in world history.

How this was portrayed, written, painted, designed and put to verse and song is an untold story that begs to be told. And given the attacks that American culture faces today, it desperately needs to be told.

America excelled in the areas of art, architecture, literature and poetry in a way that is at least the equal of the Europe that we came from. Just to cover one of these areas — art — gives us a glimpse of this incredible beauty that is vital to our history and of the American story.

Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt are just two of the world-renowned artists that painted America in the 19th Century. They, along with Frederic Edwin Church, Asher Brown Durand, and so many others majestically put to canvas the beauty of the American landscape and at their very best are at least the rival of the great English landscape artists John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. But how many of today’s students even know these names?

Cole, one of the founders of what became known as the Hudson River School movement, saw as his mission to create an “American” landscape vision and literary voice that was based on the exploration of nature – the natural world defined as a resource for spiritual renewal and as an expression of cultural and national identity.

https://amgreatness.com/2025/08/25/what-made-the-democratic-party-go-crazy/

The answer was not Trump alone.

Indeed, irony abounds when Democrats resonate with the claims of the vestigial Never Trumpers that the MAGA movement “hijacked” the Republican Party.

In characteristic projectionist fashion, the left is simply falsely attributing to their opposition the very hijacking that hit the Democratic Party.

The Republicans are still the party of conservatism and traditionalism. But in the last decade, it adopted an expansionary middle-class agenda that has led to record party registration, its first popular presidential vote victory since 2004, and control of all three branches of government.

The MAGA emphases also have accomplished what prior “moderate” Republican presidents and presidential candidates had sought but largely failed to achieve: making inroads with minorities and youth and substituting class commonalities for racial chauvinism.

Thus, in 2024, 55 percent of Hispanic men and somewhere around 25 percent of black males voted for Trump—along with a +2 advantage for Trump among young men in general (18-29).

In contrast, Joe Biden left office with below 40 percent popularity in many polls. His replacement, 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, despite a substantial advantage in funding and overwhelmingly biased, favorable media coverage, lost both the popular and Electoral College vote.

Since the election, a variety of data points show a steady erosion in Democrat Party favorability (24 percent positive polling) and voter registration (for the first time in memory, Republicans are out-registering hemorrhaging Democrats in new voter affiliations).

They are also on the losing end of a 40/60 split among voters on most issues—especially the border, energy, crime, transgenderism, and foreign policy—a truth that even the legacy media cannot disguise.

The Democratic implosion does not necessarily mean they will not win back the House in the next election. Historically, it is difficult for even an unpopular out-party not to pick up lots of House and Senate seats in an administration’s first midterm. But if Democrats capture at least the House, the vote will not be for their party’s policies or politicians as much as a reflection of their ginned-up opposition to Trump, the messenger of a radical and controversial counterrevolutionary message.

The Democratic project is bleeding out because it either does not address what the middle class is worried about, or it offers no solution to popular anger—namely over inflation, the out-of-control DEI commissariat, illegal immigration, crime, high energy prices and tyrannical Green New Deal policies, steep interest rates, unaffordable housing costs, and anemic foreign policies.

https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-colorado-washington-oregon-decline

Not long ago, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon were widely hailed as states with bright futures. For decades, they attracted scores of out-of-state migrants, turning Denver, Seattle, and Portland into celebrated urban hubs.

But that changed as these states began adopting the very policies—above all on energy, housing, and regulation—that many newcomers had fled from in California. Once politically purple, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have turned solid blue, embracing the same agenda that even the New York Times concedes has turned “the California dream” into “a mirage.”

True, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have yet to reach California’s levels of dysfunction. Yet each shows signs suggestive of the Golden State’s experience, including lower job growth, sluggish housing-construction rates, a deteriorating business climate, and surging domestic out-migration.

The shift in migration patterns may be the clearest sign of the three states’ Californication. Like California, these states long attracted newcomers with their remarkable natural beauty. People only began leaving California—still arguably the most beautiful state in the continental U.S., with some of the most pleasant weather on earth—when its political, economic, and cultural climate became unbearable, especially for young families.

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/08/25/despite-recent-good-news-the-public-remains-sour-on-the-economy-ii-tipp-poll-finds/

Inflation may have moderated, and the economy is showing signs of healthy growth, but the public remains deeply concerned about both, according to the latest I&I/TIPP poll.

The poll found that fully 80% of those surveyed by I&I/TIPP say they are either “very” (45%) or “somewhat” (35%) concerned about inflation. Just 17% say they are not concerned. That’s despite the fact that inflation has averaged just 2.6% this year – which is significantly lower than any year under the Biden administration – and came in lower than expected in July.

And while the economy grew a healthy 3% in the second quarter – which was better than expected – only 38% say the economy is improving, and more than three quarters (76%) say they are concerned about an economic slowdown or recession in the next 12 months.

The latest I&I/TIPP poll asked a series of questions to gauge the public’s views about whether the economy is in a recession, if it’s improving, concerns about inflation, whether their wages are keeping pace with prices, and the top three economic issues facing the economy. The national online I&I/TIPP Poll was taken by 1,362 voters from July 30-Aug. 1, and has a margin of error of is +/-2.7 percentage points.

The results show that most Americans remain highly troubled about the cost of living and are concerned about the near-term trajectory of the economy.

Concerns about inflation, for example, cross all ideological and demographic boundaries. While 90% of Democrats say they are concerned about inflation over the next 12 months, so are 71% of Republicans and 79% of independents. In fact, concern about inflation topped 70% in every one of the dozen demographic categories the I&I/TIPP Poll tracks.

https://amgreatness.com/2025/08/24/trumps-whirlwind-week-peace-talks-d-c-cleanup-and-a-cbo-win/

A week ago, I was writing about Donald Trump’s summit meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to talk about ending Russia’s war with Ukraine. A few days before that, I wrote about the Trump administration’s announcement that it would conduct a thorough “internal review” of the Smithsonian Institution and its vast network of museums, research centers, and related activities. It turns out that when Trump ordered the elimination of DEI initiatives, he meant it. In recent years, the Smithsonian has gradually morphed from an institution for the “increase & diffusion of knowledge among men” into a woke repository of progressive, anti-American shibboleths. Among other things, the colonoscopy-like review will counter the pervasive assumption that the history of the United States is tantamount to a history of oppression.

Last Monday, Trump quickly made good on his promise in Alaska to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, when he assembled the heads of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union, and NATO at the White House to talk with Zelensky. It was an extraordinary event. Alas, “intransigence” seems to be Putin’s—or is it Zelensky’s?—middle name, so peace in that deadly conflict (total casualties have topped one million) continues to be elusive, despite Trump’s heroic efforts.

That disappointment has not stymied Trump. Instead, he took his peace agenda to Washington, D.C., putting the city under federal control—it had withered under home rule since 1973—and calling in the National Guard to help the Metropolitan Police reestablish order, aesthetic as well as legal. Homeless encampments were disassembled, grass is being replanted, and the law is being enforced. The results were nearly instantaneous. CNN put it this way: “Trump’s DC takeover produces moderate drop in crime—and huge spike in immigration arrests.”

A reporter for Fox was more forthright. “DC just had a murder-free week, and yes, Dems, Trump did that.” “As of Wednesday afternoon,” we read, “the nation’s capital has had no murders for seven days, something that had not been achieved since March and something I can find no recent record of in summer months when the murder rate is typically at its highest.”

And it’s not just murder, according to the local police union. Robbery dropped 46% in the week after the takeover, carjackings were down a whopping 83%, and violent crime was down 22%. Who could possibly argue against that?

Ask CNN.

Tariffs were supposed to be the stupid Trump idea that was going to eviscerate the stock market and crash the U.S. economy. A couple of days ago, Canada joined the long list of countries to drop its retaliatory tariffs in order to curry favor with Trump. Friday, the DOW logged an 840-point gain, closing above 45,600.

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2025/08/21/after-decades-of-scandals-hillary-finally-faces-a-ticket-she-cant-dodge-n4942909

The Long Drive Without a Ticket

Some drivers tempt fate for years, rolling through stop signs, cruising above the speed limit, and coasting through red lights, yet still never see flashing lights in their rearview mirrors. 

That describes Hillary Clinton’s story. 

From the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas to the corridors of Washington, she has been navigating the political arena, driving in the wrong direction on one-way streets, avoiding being pulled over, yet never receiving a ticket.

She’s muddied the waters by generating swirls of “stuff,” sometimes not so thick, other times so thick that a fork could remain vertical in the water.

Suddenly, an ethics complaint in Arkansas over her law license might lead to her finally getting pulled over after decades of FA; she might finally receive a dose, no matter how light, of FO.

1970s-1980s: Early Deals, Early Questions

At the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s career began with promise and power, establishing a reputation as a capable lawyer and a future first lady of the state. Yet the seeds of controversy began sprouting in soil well fertilized by bulls.

Want to make an easy $100,000 from a $1,000? Follow the example of Hillary, who turned that $1,000 into $100,000 with an investment in cattle futures within a year. How? Who knows, economists and traders were stumped, calling it statistically implausible for a rookie to achieve such a feat.

Clinton’s friends in the commodities market were suspected of smoothing the path for success, yet regulators turned a blind eye, while Hillary referred to it as a shrewd investment and moved on.

Meanwhile, both Clintons embarked on the Whitewater Development Corporation, where allegations of cronyism and political manipulation marred a land deal. The project had collapsed by the time investigators began reviewing records in the 1990s.

Hillary’s billing records, “missing” for two years, magically appeared in the White House residence after a subpoena. No charges, license suspensions, legal rebukes, simply another warning instead of receiving a moving violation.

Hillary walked into the 1990s with the same unblemished professional record and license, and critics called it a case of déjà vu. 

The cop, parked behind the billboard, clocked her speed and sat there, finishing his donut.

1990s: Whitewater, Travelgate, and the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy”

Bill Clinton moved into the White House with Hillary’s controversies following close behind. Whitewater escalated from a state-level issue into a national one, with hearings in Congress followed by extensive media coverage. Hillary’s role at the Rose Law Firm came under further scrutiny, as her professional work overlapped with her land ventures. Despite all the suspicions, nothing could be proved, neither intent nor personal gain.

The court of public opinion bruised her reputation, which remained intact.

Then came Travelgate, the abrupt firing of seven White House Travel Office employees in 1993, which raised alarms about cronyism. Critics determined that Hillary directed the purge to install loyalists. Investigations suggested that her fingerprints were present, but that was where it ended, with her denying wrongdoing, and the matter faded again.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/trumps-smithsonian-restoration/

The Left has been wringing its hands this past week after Trump recently ordered a “comprehensive internal review” of several Smithsonian museums to ensure that the 178-year-old institution, captured by the Left, removes its relentless anti-American propaganda and provides some balance in its exhibitions and materials.

In an Aug. 12 letter from the White House to the Smithsonian’s woke chief, Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III, the White House stated:

As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s founding, it is more important than ever that our national museums reflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story.

The review is to help the administration “support a broader vision of excellence that highlights historically accurate, uplifting, and inclusive portrayals of America’s heritage.”

The letter cited one of Trump’s executive orders from March, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which bluntly called out the Left’s “revisionist movement… to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light” – especially as manifested at the Smithsonian. That E.O. noted that the museum complex had, “in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

The ”recent years” under which that influence grew happen to coincide with the tenure of Lonnie G. Bunch III, who took over as the Secretary of the Smithsonian in 2019. Prior to that, he was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is nearly exclusively focused on the legacy of slavery, with exhibits such as “In Slavery’s Wake,” “Slavery and Freedom,” and “Make Good the Promise.”

You may remember that it was also in 2019 that the Smithsonian collaborated with the New York Times on its historical revisionist 1619 Project, which falsely asserts that the United States’ founding was grounded not in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, but in racism and enslavement.

And then there was the 2020 controversy over a racist “whiteness” chart displayed in an online portal at Bunch’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, a chart that identified such traits as hard work and rational thought as being “white.” An accompanying graphic stated, in part,

White dominant culture, or whiteness, refers to the ways white people and their traditions, attitudes, and ways of life have been normalized over time and are now considered standard practices in the United States.

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/08/22/the-light-shines-on-another-obama-scandal/

Weren’t we assured that Barack Obama went “into and out of office with not a whiff of scandal”? Yes we were. Former Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen told us so, as did many others. But it wasn’t true. There are many, the most recent a claim that Obama, and then Joe Biden, pressured bank executives to deny services to conservatives. It’s a serious charge that, like the Russia hoax, makes Watergate look like a sandbox squabble.

Here’s what we’ve learned: Acccording to Fox Business, major bank executives said “they were under pressure by the Obama and Biden administrations to deny services to individuals and businesses for political reasons.”

One executive said the “pressures were very, very real. When your regulator gives you a suggestion, it’s not a suggestion, it’s an order. The political stuff is very real, those pressures are real.”

This is known as “political debanking” and is “the involuntary termination of banking services to individuals and organizations based on their political or religious views,” says Todd J. Zywicki, a professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, who further “argues that access to financial services is a prerequisite for exercising constitutional rights.”

Zywicki’s March paper “traces the rise of political debanking from the Obama administration’s Operation Choke Point, which targeted disfavored industries under the guise of ‘reputation risk.’” It was expanded under Biden administration, during which “Melania Trump and Michael Flynn faced account closures for their political stances.”

Other “high-profile cases” included “the cancellation of accounts tied to Donald Trump Jr.’s events and the National Committee for Religious Freedom,” and “illustrate a growing weaponization of the financial system to suppress dissent.” 

Operation Choke Point was a creation of the Obama Justice Department. Its mission was “to ‘choke out’ companies the administration considers a ‘high risk’ or otherwise objectionable, despite the fact that they are legal businesses,” says a House Oversight Committee report. “The goal of the initiative is to deny these merchants access to the banking and payments networks that every business needs to survive.”

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/08/russiagate_dismantling_the_democrats_hoax.html

At the long-anticipated U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on August 15, President Trump stressed that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was well aware that his country had not interfered in the 2016 election. This unexpected remark amid talks on Ukraine war settlement referred to a massive legal work conducted by the intelligence community aimed at exposing that “treasonous conspiracy.”

That is, in mid-July this year, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revealed that the so-called Russiagate investigation was politically motivated and inspired by the Democrat party, particularly the outgoing Obama administration in late 2016. The disclosures reinforced suspicions long held but never conclusively substantiated: the Russia-interference claim was not merely flawed but deliberately constructed to undermine Trump’s presidency.

Russiagate in a Nutshell

On January 6, 2017—just days before Donald Trump’s inauguration—the U.S. intelligence community released a new assessment concluding that “Russia interfered in the election to favor Trump.” This statement reversed six months of prior assessments, which indicated there had been no recorded foreign meddling through cyber operations.

The strong claim had a profound and long-lasting impact. It is not just about Trump’s first term being severely obstructed. Many of his top-tier supporters were “canceled,” some of them sent to jail under false “evidence.” Trump himself suffered massive reputational damage that had almost buried his political career. Overall, the meddling accusation campaign resulted in better electoral positions for the Democrat party during the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Besides, Russiagate prompted some anti-interference bills to be passed by Congress. Many of them included sanctions on Russia and other adversaries of the U.S. which led to higher tensions with Moscow, Iran, and China. Some pundits say this plot could have triggered numerous wars, including hostilities in Ukraine.

Moreover, the accusations led to a long-lasting investigation by the FBI and other agencies, which cost American taxpayers a hefty pile of money. The initial FBI investigation, called Crossfire Hurricane, transformed into Special Counsel Mueller’s probe, and it damaged the federal budget for some $35 million. Durham’s subsequent probe cost some $7 million, and other congressional investigations expenses up to $5 million.