The Conservative Cave

A quarter of American adults — including 44% of self-identified Democrats — say they support the use of force to prevent President Donald Trump from being president, according to a new survey's findings described by University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape.

Pape is also warning that the 2026 midterm elections could produce a level of political violence not seen in the U.S. in decades — and, under a worst-case scenario, could become "the most violent election in American history."

"We haven't seen this level of violence, political violence, since the 1960s," Pape said in a recent interview.

Pape is director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, or CPOST, which has been tracking Americans' attitudes toward political violence since 2021.

It’s no wonder that California’s infamous high-speed rail line has more than tripled in cost and been delayed by 20 years. The consultants working on the project have been killing time at a tiki bar, a nightclub, an escape room, a gym and more.

Their travel expenses add up to more than $2 million, including $592,000 that was “not allowable,” per a Sept. 15 inspector general report.

Key facts: The consultants are allowed to bill taxpayers for legitimate business expenses, but the state “routinely” allowed them to travel without advance approval, as required. State officials admitted they sometimes had no idea the consultants had taken trips until the invoices arrived.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Republicans grilled him about his investigation of President Donald Trump, and it was not going well for him.

But the Senate Republicans just revealed information from a whistleblower that should concern us all (even more than what we've already seen regarding this matter).

Smith allegedly was collecting information on ordinary Americans who donated to Trump.
...
According to the Senate GOP, the disclosure revealed that Jack Smith and his team collected 4,782 personal checks from Americans nationwide who donated to Trump and Trump-aligned entities between September 2019 and August 2023.

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the United States’ motion for summary judgment and invalidated New York’s “Climate Change Superfund Act.” The court held the law is unconstitutional and enjoined the state from imposing $75 billion in penalties on global energy producers for the alleged local effects of climate change. Last month, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York also ruled against the state.

“New York’s woke climate change law is not only unconstitutional, it is harmful, jeopardizing every American’s access to affordable and reliable energy,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. “We are pleased with the district courts’ decisions finding New York’s law unlawful and recognizing that the Federal Sovereign, not the States, regulates our Nation’s energy market. This Department of Justice will take every step to stop those who wish to thwart President Trump’s agenda to unleash American energy dominance.”

“Both federal judges to consider New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act have held it unconstitutional,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Both hold that the federal government is responsible for setting national policy on global pollution, not states. This decision marks another significant step in advancing President Trump’s energy agenda and protecting American energy from state overreach. The Department of Justice will continue to fight for affordable, reliable energy for all Americans.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) gave former Special Counsel Jack Smith an epic grilling at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday morning.

Kennedy accused Smith of partisan bias, of keeping a federal judge in the dark about his pursuit of congressional phone records, and of angling for the special counsel job in the first place. Smith spent the afternoon insisting he was a paragon of nonpartisan virtue, and Kennedy wasn't buying a word of it.

Kennedy opened by asking about Smith's reaction to President Donald Trump's 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton.

"When President Trump defeated Secretary Clinton, you were bitterly disappointed, weren't you?" Kennedy asked.

"I don't recall that," Smith replied.

Imagine not recalling your own reaction to a presidential election. What a joke.
...
Then Kennedy switched gears. "You asked General Garland to appoint you special counsel, didn't you?" He pressed.

Smith looked down and scribbled on his notepad. "I don't think that's accurate," he said. "He made the decision to appoint me."

When Kennedy asked whether Smith had people call then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to lobby for him, Smith scribbled some more and said he didn't recall anything like that. Then Kennedy asked if he really wanted the job, and Smith launched into a speech about his own impartiality.
...
Next, Kennedy zeroed in on Smith's pursuit of phone records belonging to members of Congress, which Smith's team obtained through Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.

"When you went to Judge Boasberg, you didn't even tell him you were seeking the phone records of members of Congress, did you?" Kennedy asked. "Because you knew he wouldn't agree. He would say, 'Hey, counselor, anybody who knows a law book from a J.Crew catalog knows that this violates the Constitution.' But you didn't tell him, did you?"

Smith tried twice to explain the non-disclosure orders his team sought, and Kennedy cut him off both times. Then the disgusted senator delivered the line of the day. "You didn't tell him. But you're unbiased. You have no personal feelings," Kennedy said. "You make me want to throw up in my mouth."