Former President Donald Trump wasn't on the ballot in Tuesday's Republican presidential primary in the early voting state of Nevada. But his absence wasn't enough to help secure a victory for his last remaining major rival for the 2024 GOP nomination – Nikki Haley. Voters casting ballots in the state-run Republican nominating contest couldn't write in Trump's name‚ but they could vote for a "none of these candidates" option. And the Associated Press projected that the "none of these...

Nikki Haley was projected to lose Nevada’s state-run Republican presidential preference primary‚ according to Decision Desk HQ‚ a stunning development that comes despite former President Trump not being on the ballot.  Voters were given a choice on the ballot to select a box that said “none of these candidates‚” though they couldn’t write in a name. That option was projected to win. The former South Carolina governor was projected to come in second.

The “none of these candidates” option has won in Nevada’s symbolic Republican presidential primary contest‚ an embarrassing result for Nikki Haley‚ who was the only major candidate on the ballot. The former U.N. ambassador opted to compete in the state-run primary election Tuesday instead of the party’s presidential caucuses‚ the only contest in the state that awards delegates toward the nomination. Former President Donald Trump is the only major candidate competing in the caucuses on...

One of his favourites. The post Steve Marriott: The singer so good Ozzy Osbourne thought he was lip-syncing first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Mitch McConnell has to be finished as the caucus leader for the Republicans in the Senate. Now. He has to resign‚ and if he won’t‚ then that caucus needs to get together and force him out. Now. Not next week‚ not next month‚ not after this election cycle. Now. McConnell gave a speech Monday demanding a “yes” vote on that atrocious border bill that Melissa Mackenzie and I both wrote about here at The American Spectator on Tuesday and discuss in the next episode of The Spectacle podcast. By now you already know how utterly awful a bill it was. And after McConnell blathered on for a while about what a good bill it was‚ the public outrage over the bill was so white-hot that three hours later McConnell relented: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recommended that Republicans vote against the $118 billion border security bill‚ at least for now. Even Oklahoma Senator Jim Lankford‚ one of the bill’s authors‚ indicated that it was too soon to bring the bill to a vote. The sudden about-face on the part of the GOP caucus left Democrat Brian Shatz saying on X‚ “Just gobsmacked. I’ve never seen anything like it. They literally demanded specific policy‚ got it‚ and then killed it.” The cloture vote scheduled for Wednesday is certain to fail. Without the momentum of its much-anticipated release and the tactical advantage of not giving anyone time to read it‚ it seems that if the bill does pass‚ it is unlikely to resemble the atrocity unveiled Sunday night. I quoted this from Ace of Spades in the open to The Spectacle episode‚ and I think it bears repeating here: McConnell’s determination to ram through yet another Comprehensive Amnesty will have several terrible aftereffects. On the strictly political side‚ it gives Biden and Schumer what they actually wanted all along: A way to blame Republicans for the Democrats’ border catastrophe. Democrats will claim the solution to the open border crisis was at hand‚ but Republicans rejected it for political reasons. Indeed‚ turncoat “Republican” liberal James Lankford is going out on all the political talk shows making exactly that case. On the policy side‚ Democrats will now insist that this weak “deal” establish the contours of any future “deal.” In other words: The Republicans have announced that they seek only the tiniest breadcrumbs in exchange for mass amnesty; why would Democrats ever agree to offer more than breadcrumbs in any “deal”? McConnell has committed us‚ out to the medium future‚ to sharing the Democrats’ Amnesty First‚ Security Last (or Never) agenda. The “deal‚” by the way‚ contained a Very Special Betrayal for conservatives: The bill would make the ultra-liberal DC Circuit Court the only court empowered to decide questions about immigration and border enforcement. We’ve seen some good rulings coming out of the Fifth Circuit on the border; this “deal” would take all cases away from any conservative-tilted court and give them all to the leftwing DC circuit. This is a “deal.” You guys are excited by this “deal‚” right? Ace has it exactly right. What McConnell has done in taking an issue that had gone absolutely‚ utterly septic for the Democrat Party — an issue that held the promise to ruin Democrats in all federal (and quite a few state) elections this fall — and offer a Solyndra-style bailout in the form of that border bill has been to utterly and completely neutralize the issue. READ MORE from Scott McKay: Chuck Schumer: ‘I Have Never Worked More Closely With Leader McConnell’ Because Republican voters now know that the GOP candidate running for the Senate in their states is utterly worthless on the issue no matter what he or she says. They know this because they now know that the Republican leadership is completely willing to sell them out on the border issue. But for the public outcry‚ they’d have already done it with this atrocity of a bill. That would have gone straight to the House floor‚ and it would have been up to Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team to keep it from getting a vote while being pulverized by the Washington media and political class. Johnson has all of 219 votes in his caucus. There is little reason to believe he could hold that slim majority together to kill that bill if it came over to the House. And McConnell was more than happy to jam up Johnson and keep him from having a policy win. McConnell was quite happy to stab Johnson in the throat the way he repeatedly stabbed John Boehner in the throat before Boehner realized it was better to join the D.C. slimeball cabal than to attempt to fight it (and‚ yes‚ that didn’t take very long‚ to be sure). Maybe Johnson is made of sterner stuff. But maybe we’ve been through enough of this crap. Maybe it’s time that there are consequences to this kind of Failure Theater. McConnell is a cat with nine-times-nine lives. But the abject mess he made with this border bill‚ which has Democrats like Schatz pointing and guffawing like drunken hillbillies at a cockfight‚ should be enough to finish him. Certainly because every member of the Senate GOP caucus who didn’t publicly trash this bill now looks like an utter buffoon — most especially James Lankford — or‚ perhaps more appropriately‚ James Walktheplankford‚ given what McConnell did in sending him out to commit political suicide in “negotiating” this utter surrender. These are the people who have remained loyal to McConnell‚ by far the least popular politician in Washington and the one constant factor in the Republican Party’s thorough underachievement in election after election in every cycle since 2008. By now they can’t possibly miss the fact that McConnell is an anchor dragging the whole party down. Even if they’re establishment hacks like he is‚ they have to recognize that whatever magic the Turtle once offered has evaporated‚ so much so that this week’s debacle is the future of their caucus’ performance until new blood comes in. Most importantly‚ though‚ what Ace said is the most important reason McConnell has to go. Because of the terrible border deal McConnell had Lankford craft in concert with the execrable Chuck Schumer and his flunkies Chris Murphy and Kyrsten Sinema‚ the GOP is now locked in a box of its own making. They’re in no position to refuse various forms of amnesty or even encouragement of further migrant invasions — because GOP leadership has already agreed to those. There is only one option available to break out of that box‚ and that is to replace McConnell and the GOP leadership. The same people cannot present different conditions for negotiation. The good news is that in Johnson and the House leadership‚ you have something to build from. The House already passed a legitimate border security bill nine months ago. Sure‚ Schumer says it’s a non-starter in the Senate‚ but a new Republican Senate leadership that was actually interested in representing Republican voters could force Schumer to the table with the House bill as the starting point. And when — not if‚ when‚ because Chuck Schumer has never negotiated in good faith in his entire miserable life — he refuses to do a deal with a newly unified GOP on Capitol Hill‚ at least we can return to our natural point of origin. Which is an understanding that Biden’s border invasion was no accident‚ that it’s the result of a deliberate policy agenda the Democrats have intended for a long time‚ that it’s an intentional disregard of our national security‚ and that the people most damaged by it are core Democrat voters. And that what Republicans are asking for is a return to the successful policies of the Trump administration‚ which had slowed illegal immigration to a near-standstill before Biden blew up that status quo. That understanding is honest‚ and it’s truthful. We don’t have it right now because of what McConnell has done. That it has blown up in his face must carry political consequences of the most severe kind. He has to go. Now. Beat it‚ Mitch — you’ve done enough damage. The post This Has to Be the End of the Road for Mitch McConnell appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

It’s taken far too long‚ but it seems that some corners of the Left are beginning to question whether encouraging children to undergo medical procedures to approximate a gender transition is actually a good idea. On today’s episode of The Spectator P.M. Podcast‚ hosts Ellie Gardey and Aubrey Gulick discuss the story of detransitioner Grace Powell and a recent op-ed in the New York Times admitting that “gender-affirming care” might just be so ideologically charged that its practitioners are no longer practicing medicine. Ellie and Aubrey discuss the difference between the standards that most forms of therapy and medical procedures must meet and those that “gender-affirming care” has to meet. Watch to hear their analysis! Like and share The Spectator P.M. Podcast‚ and be sure to tune in to our next episode! Read Aubrey and Ellie’s writing here and here. Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast with Aubrey Gulick and Ellie Gardey on Spotify. Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast with Aubrey Gulick and Ellie Gardey on Rumble.  The post <;i>;The Spectator P.M. Podcast<;/i>; Ep. 20: <;i>;New York Times<;/i>; Questions Transgender Insanity appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Last month I had a feeling that something terrible had happened to one of my most beloved former girlfriends‚ Sherri Schultz. I looked for her on the internet and saw that she’d recently died. A couple of weeks before her 60th birthday. I was stunned — Sherri was 17 years younger than me. And the fulsome online tributes to her‚ from her very progressive “Northwest Editors Guild” friends in Seattle‚ brought me no closure. They all focused on her joyful spirit; none revealed how she died‚ or why she died so young. READ MORE from Mark Satin: The Inner Lives of Socialists I spent a couple of hours suspecting the worst‚ then got in touch with one of her friends at the guild. My suspicions were confirmed: Sherri had committed suicide. She had deliberately starved herself to death and died homeless on the street in Eugene‚ Oregon‚ where she’d gone to college 40 years before. Sherri’s friend rushed to tell me that Sherri was an adult‚ that suicide was her “choice‚” and that it was important for all of us to use her death to celebrate “life” and not focus on the grisly end. I disagree. Sherri was not just a book editor living a private life; before her death‚ she had become one of the Pacific Northwest’s most ardent advocates of “micro-housing” (living in tiny houses and apartments) and defenders of the lifestyle that goes with it — no marriage‚ no kids‚ no car‚ minimal personal belongings or consumption‚ and no big-deal professional career. She called it‚ rather proudly‚ “Living small.” Living small is a frontal attack on the American Dream. It is‚ in various versions‚ what many idealistic young people are up to these days‚ and Sherri’s suicide could act as an alarm bell for them. For me it is even harder to confront. I think she died in part because of me. ***** When Sherri and I met‚ in 1989‚ I had written an idealistic mini-bestseller called New Age Politics and was editing a “transformational” Washington‚ D.C.–based national political newsletter called New Options. Sherri went to work for me part-time‚ and soon we were in love‚ though she’d often call me a “laughable old baby boomer” and other uppity things. What she was drawn to even more than old man me were my ideas. She had described herself to me as “a very young 26” who was “looking for direction” after a couple of years in the conventional peace movement‚ and I was more than happy — I was proud as punch — to induct her into my transformational worldview. She loved my New Age Politics book and laughed out loud at the passage where I say the size of American homes had doubled since World War II — proof positive‚ we both agreed‚ that Americans are greedy and materialistic beyond measure. She was floored by my argument (derived from Ivan Illich) that Americans travel only five miles an hour in their cars‚ if you add up all the time we spend parking them‚ tending to them‚ earning money to pay for them‚ etc. Sherri Schultz in Washington‚ D.C.‚ 1989 (Mark Satin) She totally bought into my love for and identification with the homeless. I had spent nearly two years without a home myself‚ couch-surfing (and double-bed-surfing) across North America while promoting my book‚ and of course I stressed the most romantic and anti-Establishment aspects of that to her. She squealed — the only time I ever heard her squeal — when she discovered that Mitch Snyder‚ Washington‚ D.C.’s then-famous champion of the homeless‚ had inscribed a very supportive note to me in a book about his work. Another thing that impressed Sherri deeply was the New Age’s aversion to high-powered careers; supposedly‚ they left little room for friendships‚ volunteer work‚ spontaneity‚ and play. Alas for me‚ it wasn’t long before the apprentice began outpacing the master — and accusing him of rank hypocrisy. She couldn’t abide that I’d usually order takeout. When I pointed out that I needed to work 80 hours a week on my newsletter‚ she asked if I’d ever actually read my book. Wasn’t the New Age about having the time to cook good healthy meals and enjoy every other aspect of daily life on this earth‚ as I claimed the Native Americans did? She had a sweet and delicate demeanor but was also whip-smart. So when prominent left-wing military analyst William Arkin chose her over 200 other applicants to be his assistant at Greenpeace‚ I was thrilled for her. As these things usually go in D.C.‚ after a couple of years Arkin would help her get into public policy graduate school at Harvard or Princeton‚ and she’d end up having a career at the State Department that was commensurate with her abilities. But after a couple of months‚ Sherri told me she’d decided to quit — she didn’t want to spend her days thinking about “bombs and throw-weights.” When I urged her to reconsider‚ she exploded. Hadn’t Mr. New Age Politics Himself walked away from an all-expenses-paid fellowship to graduate school after six weeks‚ because he didn’t want to become a cog in the System? When Sherri told me she thought I’d gotten her pregnant and she’d need an abortion‚ I immediately volunteered to live with her and help support and raise the child. She was aghast — where had that even come from? Didn’t New Age Politics describe the nuclear family as the perfect transmission belt for the modernistic‚ thing- and death-oriented “prison of consciousness” we Americans are afflicted with‚ and are afflicting the rest of the world with? ***** Sherri and I didn’t last as a couple for more than about seven months‚ and I shut my newsletter down a year later. I felt I had outgrown it. I went back to school‚ started a much more balanced political newsletter called Radical Middle‚ met the love of my life (a woman my age)‚ and lived pretty conventionally ever after. Sherri‚ though‚ continued down the New Age/living-small path for the rest of her life. She never married. In 1992 she moved to Seattle with an anti-corporate activist from Haverford College‚ but the relationship didn’t last. Later there was an environmental activist from Stanford‚ but that ended after they tried living on a rural commune near the Washington–Oregon border. She never had children‚ though she did obtain custody of a sweet and delicate-looking cat from the Stanford guy. She was content to work as an independent copyeditor of books from mostly small publishers for the last three decades of her life. Because she was soon gifted with money from relatives‚ she was able to get by while editing only about six books a year. The rest of the time she devoted to nonprofit work around Seattle‚ including helping to start the Northwest Editors Guild and save a home for elderly women. Her real passion in her late 40s‚ I’ve been told‚ was participating in Seattle’s flash mobs. Dozens of mostly young people would suddenly show up near department stores or at shopping malls and start dancing and singing‚ then just as suddenly stop and fade away. It wasn’t the State Department‚ but it did supposedly communicate to bourgeois American citizens that there’s more to life than consuming‚ such as spontaneity and play. ***** Sherri kept her New Age/living-small lifestyle up until her mid-50s. Then an emptiness appeared. None of her friends could tell what was wrong; neither could she. Spooked by reports of climate change and the earthquakes that would surely come‚ she sold her beloved little condo in an old building on top of a Seattle hill‚ disbursed most of her already minimal personal possessions‚ and began couch-surfing at friends’ houses. But nothing seemed to stir her. Finally she had a beguiling idea: She would return to Eugene‚ her old college town‚ and live at the Collegian‚ a dorm-like residential building near campus. It was meant for students‚ but others were allowed to live there too. Her environmental footprint there could not have been smaller: Her room was almost unimaginably tiny‚ and all her meals were provided in a collective dining hall. This arrangement worked for a while. She blogged about living small‚ did a YouTube video‚ got herself into the Eugene Register-Guard‚ and did meetups with local book editors. But after a while the emptiness returned. She had a dispute with management at the Collegian‚ left or was evicted‚ and started couch-surfing around town. She still had money‚ but it wasn’t money that she needed. After the couch-surfing got old‚ she ambled off to die. Her X feed has been scrubbed except for the top‚ which informs us that Eugene is on stolen tribal land. It may be no accident that she let go on the eve of the 4th of July. Sherri‚ dear Sherri‚ had anyone told me you were dying on the streets of Eugene‚ I’d have flown up there and tried to call you back to life. Or at least‚ tried to apologize for helping sell you a bill of goods. Since I can’t do either now‚ let me dedicate this article to you. While it does not exactly celebrate your life‚ it raises the question your life poses for all Americans who passionately want to save the environment and mitigate human suffering: Is it wise to live without an intimate life partner‚ without having children‚ without creature comforts‚ without a job or profession that taxes you to the utmost of your abilities‚ and without loving your nation? Is it even sustainable? Mark Satin is the author of Up From Socialism: My 60-Year Search for a Healing New Radical Politics (Bombardier Books‚ 2023). The post My Super-Woke Ideas Helped Kill My Former Girlfriend appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.