Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 5/20

[SVPete]

The Morning Briefing: Republicans Finally Get Serious About Purging the Squishes

https://pjmedia.com/stephen-kruiser/2026/05/20/the-morning-briefing-republicans-finally-get-serious-about-purging-the-squishes-n4953039

One of the eternally frustrating things about being a Republican is the fact that, quite often, some elected officials in the GOP are indistinguishable from the Democrats. In Congress, legislation that is important to real Republicans can be held hostage by one or two squishes who prefer attention to principles. The bitterly ironic thing is that they always use principles as their excuse for giving their constituents and colleagues a shiv in the back.

The party has been in dire need of a righteous purging for a very long time. Unfortunately, a lot of the squishes (I prefer that to "RINO") have solid financial backing behind them, and older Republicans can be averse to change. Throw in the fact that the GOP Establishment likes to follow the money, and the housecleaning becomes difficult.

It took a long time, but President Trump has remade the formerly intractable Establishment, and the party is finally starting to shed some of the dead weight, both at the state and federal levels.

Earlier this month, several Republican incumbent state senators in Indiana who had thwarted redistricting efforts that would have favored the party lost their primaries. President Trump supported all of their opponents, and a message was most definitely sent.

Last weekend, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his primary after more than a decade in office. Cassidy sided with the Democrats during the J6 fake insurrection kangaroo court impeachment. Republican voters in Louisiana had to wait a while to exact their revenge, and they didn't serve it cold.
...
The hits just kept on coming last night, which Catherine covered:

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has lost his primary race after making himself unpopular in the GOP for blocking Trump administration policies and obsessively condemning Israel and Operation Epic Fury.

More accurately, Republican Voters finally have done some house cleaning.

[SVPete]

Jewish students flee campuses citing antisemitism, transfer to Yeshiva University

https://www.campusreform.org/article/jewish-students-flee-campuses-citing-antisemitism-transfer-yeshiva-university/29874

Jewish students are transferring to Yeshiva University in New York City, citing antisemitic incidents and a lack of institutional response on their former campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The university has seen a reported increase in transfer applications since the attack, as students seek a campus environment where they feel safer expressing their religious identity.

Campus Reform spoke with two transfer students who said their previous colleges failed to provide a supportive environment amid rising tensions.
...
“There was a Jewish girl at Ball State whose car was vandalized with a swastika,” Karpow said. “Even if there wasn’t constant antisemitism, something like that has a big impact on your sense of safety.”

Karpow also described heightened tensions following Oct. 7, including activists disrupting campus proceedings.
...
Ryan Dobron transferred from Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He told Campus Reform that he felt pressure to conceal his Jewish identity while on campus.

“I usually get harsh glares,” Dobron said. “It almost felt risky, like something could happen at any moment.”

Dobron said he stopped wearing a kippah in public.

University maladministrators have been ignoring and/or responding disproportionately gently to antisemitic harassment and violence for decades. Their inaction is bearing fruit and demonstrating their underlying dislike for Jewish people or outright antisemitism (a distinction without a lot of difference, IMO).

[SVPete]

NAACP demands boycott of college sports in 8 Republican states

https://www.thecollegefix.com/boycott-college-sports-in-red-states-that-wont-racially-gerrymander-naacp-demands/

Black families, donors, and athletes should boycott college athletic events in states that refuse to illegally gerrymander districts in favor of black politicians, according to the NAACP.

The black advocacy group launched “Out of Bounds,” a new initiative that seeks to put economic and political pressure on Republican-led states to change their Congressional maps to uphold illegal districts. Following the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling in late April, states can no longer draw maps for the explicit purpose of favoring one racial group over another.

“The NAACP identified eight priority states — Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia ,” as part of its new initiative. The group announced plans to target “flagship public athletic programs generating more than $100 million in annual revenue that continue to recruit Black athletes while their state governments dismantle the political power of Black communities.”

I don't think blacks going to college for academics or athletics are going to follow the NAALCP's "orders".