Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 5/6

[SVPete]

THE PULITZERS STRIKE AGAIN

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/05/the-pulitzers-strike-again.php

The Washington Free Beacon’s Ira Stoll reviews the 2026 Pulitizer Prize awarded to Saher Alghorra in breaking news photography. In the linked Free Beacon story Stoll reports that the Times is scrambling to defend the integrity of its Gaza-based photographer and his work after the press watchdog organization Honest Reporting accused him of “staged scenes” that were closely coordinated with Hamas.

Stoll’s backgrounder draws on the work of Honest Reporting criticizing Alghorra:

The watchdog group Honest Reporting said the Alghorra Pulitzer is “a prize built on staged scenes, a manufactured ‘famine’ narrative, and intimate access to Hamas terrorists.”

Said Honest Reporting, “One of the winning photos shows 2‑year‑old Yazan Abu al‑Foul, turned by the NYT into the face of children ‘starving’ because of Israel. Yet the original wire copy notes that Yazan has four older siblings – none of whom appear in the Pulitzer portfolio – and the same mother and child were repeatedly shot by multiple agencies in near‑identical poses, raising serious questions about staging, consent and how one family was repackaged into a global ‘famine’ poster‑child.” Many of the emaciated-appearing children used in press photographs aimed at charging Israel with imposing starvation had underlying preexisting other health conditions that caused their distorted appearance, though Yazan Abu al‑Foul is not known to be one of those.

Pullet Surprise

[SVPete]

Connecticut Dem Says ICE Is Jim Crow. DHS Replies With List of Illegal Alien Thugs.

https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/05/05/connecticut-dem-says-ice-is-jim-crow-dhs-replies-with-list-of-illegal-alien-thugs-n4952545

After the Democrat governor of Connecticut compared immigration enforcement to Jim Crow oppression — ironic considering Jim Crow was the Democrats’ regime — the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) replied with a disquieting list of illegal alien criminals arrested in Connecticut.

CT Mirror celebrated a gubernatorial bill signing May 4, claiming it would require federal agents to display their names or badge numbers — facilitating the already out-of-control doxxing against ICE — persecute ICE for defending themselves with lethal force, and prevent arrests at schools and churches. It appears that Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont might have made his disgusting accusations at his bill signing, when he claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are "brutal," criticized Trump for referring to criminal illegal aliens as "criminal aliens," and compared immigration enforcement to the historical Know-Nothing party, anti-Catholic laws, and "Jim Crow laws." "Never before...has it been led by the White House," he pontificated, ignoring the numerous Democrat presidents who explicitly aligned themselves with the KKK and political violence.

DHS was quick to respond to Lamont's propaganda with a list of the despicable illegal alien criminals who were living in — and quite possibly receiving taxpayer-funded benefits in — Connecticut before ICE arrested them. The aliens' crimes include murder, pedophilic sexual assault, and child abuse.

For instance, Juan Perez-Barahona, a Honduran illegal alien, has prior convictions for sexual assault, molesting a child, and neglect of a child — in Brooklyn, Connecticut. And this El Salvadoran killer is even worse:
...
As for Guatemalan illegal alien Mario Ectali Lopez-Garcia, he previously received convictions for three counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor and three counts of illegal sexual contact with a minor in New Haven, Connecticut. And Christian Espinosa-Sarango, an illegal alien from Ecuador, now faces charges of illegal sexual contact with a child, sexual assault, and enticing minors with a computer in North Haven, Connecticut.

Finally, there's the Dominican pedophile:

DHS needs to ask, very bluntly, "Why are you protecting these violent criminals?"

[SVPete]

Dear Cornell kids: Blocking a person’s retreat is threatening his life

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4554961/blocking-retreat-is-threatening-life-cornell-anti-israel-protests/

A student group at Cornell University claims university president Michael Kotlikoff “hit us with his car” after a debate over Israel. Students for a Democratic Cornell call the incident a “violent response to student inquiry.”

It’s quite the story: The University refuses to allow open debate about Israel, and resorts to violence to silence dissent!

But video released by Cornell shows a different story: Students tried to stop Kotlikoff from leaving, and he tried, as slowly as possible, to exit.

Because he was in a car, that slow retreat was inherently dangerous to those trying to detain him, but Kotlikoff was still totally in the right.

There’s a legal principle in self-defense called the “duty to retreat.” If someone is 100 feet away from me and shouts, “I’m going to stab you,” I still probably shouldn’t shoot him. I should try to get away instead. In New York State, where Cornell is, that duty to retreat is actually written into law.

Notably, Kotlikoff was literally trying to retreat. ...

[SVPete]

Guess Why a Chicago Alderman Wants to Charge Walgreens With Crimes

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/05/05/chicago-wants-walgreens-charged-for-leaving-city-n2675545

Chicago politicians, who routinely refuse to enforce the city's shoplifting laws and refuse to put criminals behind bars have finally found a "criminal" activity for which they'd like to hold people accountable. That's the good news.

The bad news is the "criminal" is Walgreens, which has closed stores in the city over rampant crime and shoplifting.

"Walgreens should be charged with first-degree corporate abandonment," said Hall. "It should be a crime the way they treating our elders. It should be a crime the way they treating our families."

Why isn't it a crime for thugs to steal things from Walgreens?

As the video shows, there are empty shelves. The Walgreens this writer shops at has things behind lock and key, thanks to theft. Putting those criminals in jail would make life better for everyone.
...
"First-degree corporate abandonment" is not a crime, by the way.

Walgreens should let the local DA know that even slight action on this - other than enforcing laws against shoplifting - will have consequences.

[SVPete]

What Was Old Is Needed Again - Norway Reopening Three Closed Gas Fields

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/05/06/what-was-old-is-needed-again-norway-reopening-three-closed-gas-fields-n3814662

Sometimes, there aren't such adherents to the religion of the Climate Cult that current events, security, and reason are able to overcome the strictures and deprivations that were previously imposed in the name of Gaia and all things Green.

Such is the case in Scandinavia, where the Norwegian government has made a couple of announcements that have people in Europe pretty excited, and given people in the United Kingdom one more reason to despise their Labour overlords the day before a nationwide local councils election.

The first big news out of Oslo was the announcement that the government was reopening three old oil and gas fields that had been closed since 1998.
...
The fact that the Norwegians are drilling in the same seabed as the vaunted British North Sea oil industry used to - and were told there was 'none left' by none other than Minister Miliband - has not escaped notice.
...
Miliband's nonsense about banning exploration and drilling licenses for lack of product is ringing especially hollow and creating a great deal of anger, as the Norwegian government had a second announcement to go along with the wells reopening that puts lie to everything Miliband has been claiming. The country is opening 70 new blocks of exploration, with some of those in the North Sea.

Norway showing some sense, UK citizens getting Net-Zeroed in their ...

[SVPete]

California City Sues State, Citing ‘Enticement’ of Illegal Aliens Under Federal Smuggling Statute

https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/05/california-city-sues-state-citing-enticement-of-illegal-aliens-under-federal-smuggling-statute/

The city of El Cajon has sued the state of California over its “sanctuary state” laws.

There are enormous potential ramifications for this country, depending on the outcome of this case.

The city argues that offering illegal aliens drivers’ licenses and various protections is essentially illegal enticement under the federal statute that outlaws human smuggling.

The City Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to pursue the litigation, which alleges in part that the El Cajon Police Department and its officers risk being held civilly and criminally liable under federal law if they follow California’s SB 54 and other state laws that limit their ability to work with federal immigration authorities.

Though the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the legality of SB 54 in 2019, the lawsuit filed Tuesday challenges that law and others on different legal grounds. It alleges that California’s various laws offering some benefits to undocumented immigrants amount to a violation of part of the human-smuggling statute — U.S. Code Section 1324 — that makes it a felony when a person “encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States.”

Many residents of the City of El Cajon are current and retired Navy and Marines, so many are conservative.

[SVPete]

Well, this should increase Trump-Hating Progs' dislike for Gary Sinese and his Lt. Dan Band:

Gary Sinise, Joe Mantegna to Host National Memorial Day Concert Marking 250th Anniversary of U.S.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/05/04/gary-sinise-joe-mantegna-to-host-national-memorial-day-concert-marking-250th-anniversary-of-u-s/

May 4 (UPI) — Capital Concerts has announced the lineup for the 2026 National Memorial Day Concert special.

Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise will return to host the event May 24 on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

This year’s celebration will honor the 250th anniversary of the United States and its service members.

“Joe and I are deeply honored to co-host this 37-year tradition at the U.S. Capitol and salute those who have worn the uniform — past and present — and their families who have stood beside them,” Sinise said in a press release.

[SVPete]

Karen Bass' Latest Move to Thwart ICE in L.A. Prompts a Smackdown From the DOJ

https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2026/05/05/karen-bass-latest-move-to-thwart-ice-in-la-prompts-a-smack-down-from-the-doj-n2202015

One of the tricks Democrats have tried to pull since the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration began has been to implement directives, executive orders, and even pass legislation at the state level to try to thwart immigration enforcement agents from doing their jobs.

Back in February, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) signed Executive Directive 17 (ED-17), which was designed to do just that. Among other things, the directive mandated "that City property is not [to be] utilized by federal immigration agents for staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation." It also mandated signs to be posted that read "This property is owned or controlled by the City of Los Angeles. It may only be used for its intended City purpose and not used for immigration enforcement as a staging area, processing location, or operations base."

It also called for "physical barriers such as locked gates and doors [to be] used to limit access to City-owned or controlled parking lots, vacant lots, or garages, and non-public portions of City facilities."
...
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli responded accordingly, noting that the signs "have no legal weight" and that federal immigration agents would go where they needed to in order to enforce federal immigration laws:

"I just think this whole thing is silly. The signs have no legal weight, force or effect on anything the federal government does," said Bill Essayli. "Federal agents will go anywhere they need to go to enforce federal law, including city property."

When asked directly whether the signs would stop federal immigration enforcement, Essayli responded, "No. Not at all. They’re null and void. They mean nothing to us."

Mayor Bass will learn that "Supremacy Clause" is not part of a Gay/Lesbian S & M agreement ( ).

[SVPete]

Top DOJ official predicts Supreme Court will declare AR-15 rifles legal everywhere in America

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/gun-rights/wedtop-doj-official-predicts-supreme-court-will-declare-ar-15-rifles

The Justice Department's top civil rights lawyer believes the Trump administration's lawsuit this week against the city of Denver's gun ban will one day soon lead to a Supreme Court decision legalizing the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle – revered by gun owners and reviled by liberals – in every jurisdiction in America.

"We intend to make sure they do that," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in an interview set to be aired Wednesday night on the Just the News, No Noise television show.

Dhillon spoke just hours after her office filed a lawsuit against the city of Denver over its ban on "assault rifles," arguing the ban violates residents' Second Amendment rights.

The core argument will be that AR-15-type rifles are owned by millions and thus protected by Bruen "Common Use".

[SVPete]

BREAKING: FBI Raids Office of VA Legislative Leader Behind Redistricting Referendum

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/05/06/breaking-fbi-raids-office-of-va-legislator-behind-redistricting-referendum-n3814665

Eight days ago, Louise Lucas giddily and "ruthlessly" trolled Republicans over the success of Virginia's redistricting referendum. Today, the woman who began promoting T-shirts with the message "TEN F****N' ONE" may need to focus more on getting legal representation. The FBI raided Lucas' office and nearly a dozen other locations, apparently in a corruption probe that resulted in judicially approved search warrants:

Federal agents are conducting a raid at the office of L. Louise Lucas, a Democrat who serves as Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore.

The FBI is serving multiple search warrants at the office in Portsmouth, Virginia, approved by a federal judge.

Sources say the warrants are tied to a major corruption investigation.

Agents are also searching a cannabis dispensary located next door to Lucas’ office.

According to the video report above, the investigation came as a complete surprise to Lucas. One has to wonder whether it comes as a surprise to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, too.

It shouldn't. Reports about Lucas' alleged ethical irregularities began to emerge last fall:

Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas (D), a woman helping lead the charge to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional maps to favor Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, has used her donors’ cash to: bankroll her family business, fund her daughter’s political career, cut checks to churches who support her party, pay for casino events, support organizations where she is a member, and to cover tabs at restaurants dealing in steak and seafood.
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Lucas’s campaign has transferred $13,390 to the historically black Baptist church since 2021, according to public records. Milton Blount, who served as the church’s head pastor until his death in January, endorsed Lucas’s daughter, Lisa Lucas-Burke, for Portsmouth mayor in 2024, encouraged his followers to support the Democratic Party, and was involved in liberal politics. ...

This'll have Race and Hate-Trump Cards flying.

Update: We've seen accusations that the FBI and Department of Justice is engaging in a partisan retaliation over the referendum. The Washington Post throws cold water on that theory:

The FBI on Wednesday raided the Portsmouth offices and a cannabis retail business co-owned by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and one of the most powerful Democrats in the state, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, according to two federal law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

The exact nature and targets of the probe remain unclear, though the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the investigation, said it involved allegations of bribery. One of those officials said the investigation began during the Biden administration.