Democrat candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger refused to take back her endorsement of Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones after his horrific comments from 2022 were revealed. The moderator has to ask her . . .

The Biden-appointed federal judge who refused earlier this week to give Pritzker an injunction against President Trump sending the National Guard to Chicago, did so today after the hearing she scheduled. Here’s . . .

Far from their most authentic. The post “Good old boys”: The anthem that Don Henley lamented as typecasting the Eagles first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

I know, I know. It’s been a while since we did one of these. I always start off with the idea that I’ll write a Five Quick Things column on Thursdays, but lately I keep finding topics that demand a full column’s worth of coverage instead. And I could absolutely do a full column on our first topic, because Oh, My, Lord… 1. The Katie Porter Gubernatorial Campaign Has To Be Performance Art. It Can’t Be Real. I looked it up and found out that Jason Clarke, who played Jerry West in the HBO sports drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Teddy Kennedy in Chappaquiddick, as well as lots of other prominent film and TV roles, is Australian. I had no idea. Clarke is a very good actor. He comes to mind because with Katie Porter emerging as the Democrats’ leading candidate for governor in California, I’m wondering whether Clarke is actually playing a new role. I’m wondering if he’s playing Porter. You can’t unsee this… Yes, of course you’re right. They’re not the same at all. He’s prettier than she is. Still, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’re all being trolled here and that Porter isn’t actually a real politician but rather some sort of put-on, or a LARP. Like we’re being Borat’ed. CBS News Sacramento reporter Julie Watts had to feel that way, you’d think, after this utterly bizarre interface with Porter… That isn’t actually the height of crazy where Porter is concerned. There’s this… Katie Porter says her 12 year old daughter was crying on election night because Trump won and asked her, “What if I get r*ped and I need to have an abortion?” This woman is obsessed with abortion. pic.twitter.com/vkloDmnC30 — Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) October 9, 2025 And there’s this… WOW. Leaked video of Democrat CA Governor Candidate Katie Porter yelling at a staffer to “GET OUT OF MY F*CKING SHOT!” THIS is who Democrats want as their next governor???pic.twitter.com/IaTz4sZxN4 — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 8, 2025 Don’t ask me to explain it. I can’t. That’s why I can’t shake the theory that this is a massive joke we aren’t quite in on yet. I’ll believe just about anything about the Katie Porter cavalcade at this point, but what I’m not going to believe is that this is a serious campaign that will culminate in her winning that gubernatorial election in the country’s most populous state. No way. Even as crazy as the Democrats are, and even as crazy as they are in California, they’re still human beings. And this character is way too bizarre and repulsive for human beings to agree to be led by her. 2. Hakeem Jeffries Is Not a Master Debater I don’t know why they keep calling him Dollar-Store Obama, when he’s much more obviously Temu Obama. Either way, the Democrats’ House Minority Leader is not Barack Obama, like he wants to be. And while the government shutdown drags on based on the apparent delusions of Hakeen Jeffries’ confederate in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, that the Democrats’ position gets better every day, Jeffries is making it clear that isn’t true. Because Jeffries is all over the TV every day. And this is not a place where Hakeem Jeffries does his best work. I don’t know if there is such a place, but it’s not on TV. For example, this exchange with Joe Kernan on CNBC was nothing short of a disaster… ? BREAKING: Hakeem Jeffries was just EMBARRASSED for holding the government hostage…holy smokes. This was bad. CNBC: “There was an ELECTION. Republicans were able to pass the Big Beautiful Bill. To then say, ‘We don’t like that, so we’re gonna shut down the government until… pic.twitter.com/wlcxytaZC6 — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 9, 2025 But as bad as that was, the altercation Jeffries had with a fellow New Yorker in the Capitol, in front of several cameras, was worse. Bars late at night are full of combative drunks with more rational arguments than “You’re embarrassing yourself right now,” with no backing for the statement. And yet this was Temu Obama’s stock line, delivered over and over to Lawler, who never lost his cool despite Jeffries’ nonstop insults. It ought to be noted that what Lawler presented to Jeffries, a bipartisan bill (which usually means terrible, and certainly is in this case) signed onto by four House Democrats, which would blow billions of dollars out of the Treasury’s doors to fund subsidies for broken, skyrocketing Obamacare premiums. It isn’t something that should pass, and Lawler needs to make it go away rather than waving it around. But that’s how bad Jeffries is. He got de-pantsed in the halls of Congress by a RINO after being de-pantsed on CNBC. And this, after Jeffries spent last week whining about “racism” in response to President Trump trolling him with sombrero memes. The exchange with Lawler was related to that, by the way. It’s Jeffries’ style. It’s something I talked about a couple of columns ago — attempted victimhood. Lawler was trolling him with the Obamacare subsidies bill and trying to create a sound bite, so it’s not like there was particular good faith in the opposition, but what’s Jeffries’ first move? Insults and provocations. Rather than attempting to persuade, to conciliate, to discuss, and to reason, he immediately begins berating Lawler in a way calibrated to invite a nasty and belligerent response. He’s trying to incite Lawler to take a poke at him because when Lawler does that, Hakeem Jeffries now gets to play the victim. That’s the culture he comes from. It’s the Democrats’ culture. And it’s why they’re incapable of either winning the shutdown or stepping back from it. This is going to take a while. 3. The Gaza Peace Is Nice, Assuming It Lasts A lot of people, including what seems like most of Israel, the whole Republican Party, and even John Fetterman, are now voicing support for the prospect of giving Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize now that Trump has managed to get Hamas to sign on to a cessation of hostilities in their war over Gaza. (RELATED: Blessed Is the Peacemaker) Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it! ? pic.twitter.com/Hbuc7kmPt1 — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2025 Supposedly, Hamas is going to release the remaining Israeli and American hostages, or, where appropriate, their remains, by Monday. I’m conditioned to regard all of this with a lot more caution than optimism. I really hope this ceasefire sticks. The Israelis deserve a little peace and quiet. And this war has created far, far too much anti-Israel sentiment in the West and even here. (RELATED: Empty Words From Western Allies) But the pattern is that, yeah, there will be peace. For a little while. Until some suicide bomber blows up a bus full of Israeli schoolkids, or a small army of terrorist commandoes crawls up out of a hole in the ground to slaughter the inhabitants of a kibbutz. And then the Israelis will be right back at it again. Hamas isn’t going to stick to a peace deal with Israel. They’ll go to ground, and then they’ll sabotage it. For the Israelis, though, this is at least a little respite from war and slaughter, so they’ll rightly celebrate what is justifiably seen as a victory. And then somebody gets to go in and try to rebuild Gaza. What a nightmare that will be. 4. Commietown, Madmanitown I love AI. Lord help me, I love it so. Without AI, beautiful smartassery such as this would never reach full blossom. And the memeification of one Zohran Madmani — er, Mamdani — could not be complete. (RELATED: Mayor ‘Madman’ Mamdani Will Do More Economic Damage Than 9/11) I offer this… 5. One Hell of a Review of Blockbusters at BizPAC Review As you may know, Blockbusters, the new Mike Holman novel, is now available in paperback at Amazon. The Kindle version will follow this weekend. But the reviews are starting to come in, and this one was pretty darned awesome… Over at The American Spectator, senior editor Scott McKay is doing something almost unique these days: he’s serializing his political novels. It isn’t a bad fit, as unusual as it is. Since its founding, TAS has been a publication priding itself on witty social commentary and pull-no-punches political satire. That they’ve now posted three of McKay’s Mike Holman novels in one small chunk after another, in advance of their release on Amazon, isn’t really a surprise. It might be a well-kept secret, though. And that’s a shame, because the Holman stories are a hoot. The latest, “Blockbusters,” which just published on Amazon, is a rollicking satirical thrill ride that skewers Hollywood’s excesses while delivering a timely message about reclaiming American culture. As the third Mike Holman novel, it follows McKay’s lead character, an intrepid journalist who earned the moniker “the world’s greatest newsman” through multiple adventures described in the first two novels, as he dives into a bold new venture. Namely, saving Western culture, one bite at the time. Holman, with resources heaped on him by his old college roommate and mega-billionaire industrialist Pierce Polk, aims to disrupt the entertainment industry using old-fashioned cultural perspective and cutting-edge AI tech. The story crackles with sharp dialogue, larger-than-life characters, and plot twists that keep you turning pages late into the night. And along the way, McKay crafts a not-altogether-implausible scenario in which the media oligopoly dominating the entertainment industry, and particularly with respect to film and TV, implodes into something… different, if not far better. Go and read the whole thing. And then, well, get your copy so you don’t miss out. Thanks go out to syndicated radio host Greg Young, a patriot of the highest esteem, for an excellent review. READ MORE from Scott McKay: Some ‘Bad News’ for Zach Bryan It’s Good v. Evil. It’s Always Been Good v. Evil. The Sombrero Shutdown Needs Some Time to Deliver Its Benefits

Decades. That’s how long the world has watched and waited for the furies of the Middle East to subside and allow the human beings who live there to prosper and live in peace. Now, (it can be said cautiously) this appears to be happening — and happening, no less, courtesy of the New York businessman turned president of the United States named Donald J. Trump. (RELATED: Blessed Is the Peacemaker) For which, in this corner, is the belief that President Trump has more than earned the Nobel Peace Prize. Start with this simple question: What is the Nobel Peace Prize? Per the site of the Nobel Prize itself, this is the answer: When Alfred Nobel died on December 10, 1896, it was discovered that he had left a will, dated November 27, 1895, according to which most of his vast wealth was to be used for five prizes, including one for peace. The prize for peace was to be awarded to the person who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses.” The prize was to be awarded “by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting. It would seem that without doubt, President Trump fits the description of deserving the Peace Prize to a tee. Again, the Nobel site reads that the recipient “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses.” Again, this is a description of Trump’s work exactly. Ending what seems like the endless warring between Israel and some — but not all — of its Arab neighbors would be, particularly in the 21st-century nuclear age, a serious reason to award the president the Nobel Peace Prize. Taking note of what, one hopes, will be a lasting peace. As if to underline the importance of what Trump has accomplished is this headline from Newsmax: “Netanyahu, Herzog: Give Trump Nobel, ‘He Deserves It’.” The Newsmax story reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog wholeheartedly called for President Donald Trump to receive Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize after securing a historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas terrorists. Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it! ? pic.twitter.com/Hbuc7kmPt1 — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2025 Exactly. If anyone would be familiar in some detail with the president’s behind-the-scenes and decidedly strenuous work to bring peace — a lasting peace — between the warring parties involved, it would be Israel’s prime minister and president. And as this story keeps moving, there are multiple media headlines like this one from The Hill: “Trump may travel to Middle East, says peace deal is ‘very close.’” Or this one from Newsmax: “Trump: Will Be Leaving for Middle East ‘Fairly Soon.’” Or this one from Fox News: “Trump teases trip to the Middle East as Gaza peace deal talks continue.” Sometimes, it seems safe to say, it takes an Outsider to accomplish major feats on the world scene that all the so-called foreign policy “experts” think cannot be achieved. This was so with President Jimmy Carter bringing peace between Israel and its historic foe, Egypt, and their leaders, Israel’s Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. And it was so with President Ronald Reagan’s belief, as he expressed to an aide back in the day, that his idea of the Cold War with the then-mighty Soviet Union was “We win, they lose.” While Carter and Reagan were decidedly different men, what they had in common for sure was that both were Outsiders to the Washington national security complex, with Carter having spent a career as first an officer on Navy submarines and then, of all things, a Georgia peanut farmer before being elected a Georgia State Senator and Governor. Reagan, famously, had spent his entire career first as a radio announcer and then as a movie and television star before his election as California governor and eventually president. So now here we are. With the world watching, an incredible moment unfolds as President Trump brings peace to the blood-soaked turmoil in Gaza. This is, beyond doubt, a major, major accomplishment. For which, beyond doubt, President Trump deserves — in spades — the Nobel Peace Prize. Without question, historic days are ahead. READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: Pritzker’s Projection Is Destroying His Prospective Presidential Race The Democrats Are Unwell — Not Trump Pete Buttigieg: America’s Second Gay President?

Dr. Margaret Carpenter is a zealot for killing unborn children. Luckily for Carpenter, the post-Dobbs age of abortions via telemedicine has enabled her to build up an extensive kill count. Carpenter, who provided abortion pills remotely from New York, joined the ranks of the most prolific abortionists in history by shipping off abortion pills, in an unknown but undoubtedly large number, to places where abortions are illegal or severely limited. A serial killer is going to be limited in his ability to kidnap women to kill. A nurse secretly killing babies might reach a higher kill count with greater ease. But an abortionist operating from the comfort of her own home — slippers on, feet up on her desk — can kill unborn children indiscriminately. Last year, a woman desiring to end the life of her unborn child could simply fill out an online form on the site Aid Access, and “Dr. Maggie” — as she is known by her abortion activist compatriots — would be happy to be her hitman. Within days, pills dispensed by Dr. Maggie that would bring about the child’s death would arrive at the woman’s home. Now, however, “Dr. Maggie” is facing trouble with the law. She was indicted this year for allegedly providing a Louisiana woman with abortion pills. The state says that the woman, wanting to end the life of her unborn grandchild, used “coercion” to make her teenage daughter take the pills. The girl was sent to the hospital as a result of the bleeding she experienced. Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, noted that the teenage girl had even been planning a gender reveal party before the unhappy new grandmother took action. Further, Landry said the woman “conspired” with Carpenter “to get a chemical abortion pill in the mail.” (RELATED: Enforce Comstock: End ‘Mail-Order’ Abortions) According to the indictment, the Louisiana woman obtained the pills from Dr. Maggie through the abortion-dispensing mill she worked with, Aid Access. The site only requires that people fill out an online form to get abortion pills shipped to them — and their identity is not checked. (RELATED: Abortion Drug Black Market Is Booming. Will Pam Bondi Intervene?) The form process means that anyone, regardless of whether they are pregnant, can receive abortion pills if they answer the questions the “right” way. The form process means that anyone, regardless of whether they are pregnant, can receive abortion pills if they answer the questions the “right” way. Any unhappy fathers — or grandmothers — can easily obtain the pills in order to eliminate any undesired children or grandchildren. This can be accomplished by browbeating a pregnant mother with the pill bottle or sneaking the medication into her food or drink. (RELATED: The Unspeakable Evil of Christopher Cooprider) Carpenter has been charged with “criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs,” which is a felony. The crime is punishable by one to five years’ imprisonment. Yet New York Governor Cathy Hochul has refused to extradite Carpenter to Louisiana, apparently viewing as laudatory Carpenter’s illegal and entirely blind dispersal of abortion pills to this unhappy grandmother. In a video announcement, Hochul said, “I do not recognize this request and will sign my rejection. That’s what we stand for. That’s who we are as New Yorkers.” That sets up a legal battle that could go to the Supreme Court. Pro-life states are pushing for this, given that blue states are wielding so-called “shield laws” to refuse extradition orders, seemingly in violation of the Constitution’s Extradition Clause. But the legal battle over Carpenter goes further than this case. Carpenter was also sued in December by Texas for allegedly providing abortion drugs to a woman who ended the life of her unborn baby. When the woman went to the hospital for severe bleeding, the father of the child was shocked to learn that his child, whom he had not known about, had been killed by drugs allegedly dispensed by Carpenter. ***** What explains why Carpenter has gone to such lengths to abort so many children? Why is she motivated to bring about so much death in spite of the legal risks it brings upon her? Carpenter’s life tells the story of a woman assured of her own moral superiority and who has long performed and promoted abortions to stroke that ego. As an undergraduate at Brown University, she was already fixated on promulgating the practice of unborn child killing. She volunteered in those days for Planned Parenthood before soon heading to medical school and shortly picking up surgical as well as medical abortions. Dr. Maggie proudly proclaimed in one bio of herself that she had been performing both surgical and medical abortions by the close of the 20th century. Alongside her work ending the lives of unborn children, Maggie founded the organization Go Doc Go to provide women in poor African countries and Haiti with screenings for cervical cancer and HPV tests. One bio attributed the founding of the organization to Carpenter’s “passion for global health,” but, put in the context of her decades-long drive to kill unborn children, one gets a sense that this is a woman who views herself as worthy of transforming the world according to her own vision, a vision in which women should have a godlike power of life and death over their unborn children. Dr. Maggie is extremely connected with the most devout members of the pro-abortion movement. And she has acted with determination to use her power and connections to do everything she can to share with new mothers this power to bring about death. The year Roe v. Wade was overturned, she co-founded, along with two other leaders of the movement, the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine Access. The advocacy organization’s purpose is to make abortion pills available via telemedicine in states where abortion is illegal. It does not provide abortions, but it equips doctors with the tools to do so, including by providing them with malpractice insurance. One of Carpenter’s co-founders, Julie F. Kay, told Glamour magazine before Carpenter’s indictment that the organization’s goal is “to pass, protect, and expand safe, legal, and accessible telemedicine.” She said they founded the organization because they felt the “traditional reproductive rights organizations” weren’t doing enough to ensure women in states where abortion is illegal or restricted could receive abortion pills. Additionally, Carpenter helped launch the organization Hey Jane, which advertises itself as providing women abortion pills “from the comfort and convenience of your phone.” So here we have a woman who is religiously devoted to causing more unborn children to die at the hands of their mothers. It is disturbing. Yet Dr. Maggie is perfectly proud of herself and convinced she is the one saving the world. She basks in the attention of her friends, who deem her a hero. “She’s brave, she’s creative, she’s an advocate, she’s kind, she’s fun, she’s a problem solver, and addresses things in ways that are just innovative and new,” her friend Ingrid Frengle-Burke told CNN. “That, to me, makes her a hero.” “I know Carpenter as ‘Dr. Maggie,’” said another woman praising the abortion doctor. “She has been a hero of mine for a long time, but not just for standing up for people’s rights to reproductive health.” Dr. Maggie is a general of the pro-abortion movement with a kill count of unborn children that rivals history’s biggest serial killers. How she can surround herself with friends who deem her a hero, saving women all over the world, even as she wreaks this destruction, seems maddening, but it is a warning of how evil thrives when masquerading as righteousness. It remains to be seen whether Dr. Maggie will face consequences for her actions in this life, but Louisiana and Texas are certainly going to try. READ MORE from Ellie Gardey Holmes: Is This John James’s Moment? Gavin Newsom’s New Low Pope Leo Defines Himself: A Man of Faith, a Listener, a Decider — and an American

THIS is who wants to be Governor of California?!