Judge Luttig was right all along.I had the misgivings you’d expect back in late May, when , the stellar scholar and former federal appeals court judge, regarding how the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals should handle the Flynn case.At the time, that court’s three-judge panel had not yet heard oral argument on Michael Flynn’s mandamus petition — i.e., Flynn’s request that the panel find that federal district judge Emmet Sullivan was acting lawlessly. Sullivan had not only failed to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn; he had appointed a former...…Judge Luttig was right all along.I had the misgivings you’d expect back in late May, when , the stellar scholar and former federal appeals court judge, regarding how the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals should handle the Flynn case.At the time, that court’s three-judge panel had not yet heard oral argument on Michael Flynn’s mandamus petition — i.e., Flynn’s request that the panel find that federal district judge Emmet Sullivan was acting lawlessly. Sullivan had not only failed to grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn; he had appointed a former...WW…

is reportedly considering Barack Obama’s former national-security adviser Susan Rice to be his running mate. ’s Jim Geraghty recently told us “.”I worked with Rice during the Clinton administration and have five more things the public needs to know.1. Rice was obsessed with U.N. peacekeeping to solve world conflicts. Rice was a key architect of a disastrous Clinton-administration policy — Presidential Decision Directive 25. PDD-25, as the document was called, sought to implement “assertive multilateralism” to address all global conflicts with U.N. peacekeepers. This concept, the brainchild...…is reportedly considering Barack Obama’s former national-security adviser Susan Rice to be his running mate. ’s Jim Geraghty recently told us “.”I worked with Rice during the Clinton administration and have five more things the public needs to know.1. Rice was obsessed with U.N. peacekeeping to solve world conflicts. Rice was a key architect of a disastrous Clinton-administration policy — Presidential Decision Directive 25. PDD-25, as the document was called, sought to implement “assertive multilateralism” to address all global conflicts with U.N. peacekeepers. This concept, the brainchild...WW…

week, the Daily Mail managed to get its hands on some previously unreleased body-camera footage of George Floyd’s arrest. Some found that it changed their perception of the incident. Most notably, my former American Conservative colleague Rod Dreher wrote a lightning-rod blog post in which he contended that “.”The video does clarify some things, especially the precise degree to which Floyd resisted arrest. But I would urge anyone whose mind changed dramatically upon watching it to ask themselves: Why does it surprise you that Floyd resisted arrest? And why does it change your view of how...…week, the Daily Mail managed to get its hands on some previously unreleased body-camera footage of George Floyd’s arrest. Some found that it changed their perception of the incident. Most notably, my former American Conservative colleague Rod Dreher wrote a lightning-rod blog post in which he contended that “.”The video does clarify some things, especially the precise degree to which Floyd resisted arrest. But I would urge anyone whose mind changed dramatically upon watching it to ask themselves: Why does it surprise you that Floyd resisted arrest? And why does it change your view of how...WW…

is reportedly considering Barack Obama’s former national-security adviser Susan Rice to be his running mate. ’s Jim Geraghty recently told us “.”I worked with Rice during the Clinton administration and have five more things the public needs to know.1. Rice was obsessed with U.N. peacekeeping to solve world conflicts. Rice was a key architect of a disastrous Clinton-administration policy — Presidential Decision Directive 25. PDD-25, as the document was called, sought to implement “assertive multilateralism” to address all global conflicts with U.N. peacekeepers. This concept, the brainchild...…is reportedly considering Barack Obama’s former national-security adviser Susan Rice to be his running mate. ’s Jim Geraghty recently told us “.”I worked with Rice during the Clinton administration and have five more things the public needs to know.1. Rice was obsessed with U.N. peacekeeping to solve world conflicts. Rice was a key architect of a disastrous Clinton-administration policy — Presidential Decision Directive 25. PDD-25, as the document was called, sought to implement “assertive multilateralism” to address all global conflicts with U.N. peacekeepers. This concept, the brainchild...WW…

According to the , over 147,000 people have died from COVID-19 or COVID-related causes in the United States. The number is slowly climbing, and perhaps the worst of this pandemic is yet to come. But another death toll — equally alarming, a tally with no end in sight — continues to rise as well.CDC director Robert Redfield participated in a on July 14. While discussing the possibility of schools reopening this fall, he also argued that young people’s mental health has been disproportionately affected by strict lockdowns.“There has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high...…According to the , over 147,000 people have died from COVID-19 or COVID-related causes in the United States. The number is slowly climbing, and perhaps the worst of this pandemic is yet to come. But another death toll — equally alarming, a tally with no end in sight — continues to rise as well.CDC director Robert Redfield participated in a on July 14. While discussing the possibility of schools reopening this fall, he also argued that young people’s mental health has been disproportionately affected by strict lockdowns.“There has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high...WW…

— Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of  and Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor for , a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.This article appears as “Why He’s Losing” in the August 24, 2020, print edition of .If you enjoyed this article, we have a proposition for you: Join NRPLUS. Members get all of our content (including the magazine), no paywalls or content meters, an advertising-minimal experience, and unique access to our writers and editors (conference calls, social-media groups,...…— Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of  and Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor for , a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.This article appears as “Why He’s Losing” in the August 24, 2020, print edition of .If you enjoyed this article, we have a proposition for you: Join NRPLUS. Members get all of our content (including the magazine), no paywalls or content meters, an advertising-minimal experience, and unique access to our writers and editors (conference calls, social-media groups,...WW…

a Supreme Court vacancy opens up between now and the end of the year, Republicans should fill it. Given the vital importance of the Court to rank-and-file Republican voters and grassroots activists, particularly in the five-decade-long quest to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would be political suicide for Republicans to refrain from filling a vacancy unless some law or important traditional norm was against them. There is no such law and no such norm; those are all on their side. Choosing not to fill a vacancy would be a historically unprecedented act of unilateral disarmament. It has never...…a Supreme Court vacancy opens up between now and the end of the year, Republicans should fill it. Given the vital importance of the Court to rank-and-file Republican voters and grassroots activists, particularly in the five-decade-long quest to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would be political suicide for Republicans to refrain from filling a vacancy unless some law or important traditional norm was against them. There is no such law and no such norm; those are all on their side. Choosing not to fill a vacancy would be a historically unprecedented act of unilateral disarmament. It has never...WW…

China, Russia, and Iran are attempting to influence the U.S. general elections via propaganda and other means, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.While China and Iran are trying to sway the outcome against President Trump, Russia is attempting to prevent a victory for Joe Biden. The conclusions are based on assessments from the U.S. Intelligence Community.“We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win reelection,” William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, a branch...…China, Russia, and Iran are attempting to influence the U.S. general elections via propaganda and other means, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.While China and Iran are trying to sway the outcome against President Trump, Russia is attempting to prevent a victory for Joe Biden. The conclusions are based on assessments from the U.S. Intelligence Community.“We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win reelection,” William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, a branch...WW…

“Last week a top official . . . bragged that _____ now is in a position to influence the value of the dollar, of our interest rates, and even our stock prices. And he warned that one day maybe they’d do just that.”China were in the above statement’s blank, it could fit right into this year’s political debates. In fact, this line comes from the 1988 vice presidential debates between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle, and the country in question was Japan. These debates came a few years after the best-selling book Japan as Number One from a Harvard professor predicted Japan’s economy would surpass...…“Last week a top official . . . bragged that _____ now is in a position to influence the value of the dollar, of our interest rates, and even our stock prices. And he warned that one day maybe they’d do just that.”China were in the above statement’s blank, it could fit right into this year’s political debates. In fact, this line comes from the 1988 vice presidential debates between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle, and the country in question was Japan. These debates came a few years after the best-selling book Japan as Number One from a Harvard professor predicted Japan’s economy would surpass...WW…

fears of an electoral for the Senate GOP are well-founded. They could narrowly lose control of the upper chamber. They could suffer a Chernobyl-like meltdown.But the seems to have grown too bearish on the GOP odds of holding the Senate.The defeat of the deeply unpopular Kris Kobach in Tuesday’s Kansas GOP Senate primary, along with fresh polling this week out of Iowa and Montana showing Republicans ahead, suggests that Republicans have a decent chance of narrowly holding onto the upper chamber even if Joe Biden wins the presidency.Here’s a closer look at the latest polls and the math behind...…fears of an electoral for the Senate GOP are well-founded. They could narrowly lose control of the upper chamber. They could suffer a Chernobyl-like meltdown.But the seems to have grown too bearish on the GOP odds of holding the Senate.The defeat of the deeply unpopular Kris Kobach in Tuesday’s Kansas GOP Senate primary, along with fresh polling this week out of Iowa and Montana showing Republicans ahead, suggests that Republicans have a decent chance of narrowly holding onto the upper chamber even if Joe Biden wins the presidency.Here’s a closer look at the latest polls and the math behind...WW…

latest bananas news from the banana republic that is the State of New York: The attorney general, a political enemy of the National Rifle Association, is seeking to have the advocacy organization legally dissolved. The pretext is financial corruption and self-dealing on the part of the NRA’s leadership.To say that the corruption case is pretextual is not to say that it is made up out of whole cloth. The NRA, once the most effective organization of its kind, has indeed been mired in incompetent leadership and financial mismanagement for years. Its evolution from sporting club and canny...…latest bananas news from the banana republic that is the State of New York: The attorney general, a political enemy of the National Rifle Association, is seeking to have the advocacy organization legally dissolved. The pretext is financial corruption and self-dealing on the part of the NRA’s leadership.To say that the corruption case is pretextual is not to say that it is made up out of whole cloth. The NRA, once the most effective organization of its kind, has indeed been mired in incompetent leadership and financial mismanagement for years. Its evolution from sporting club and canny...WW…

Politically charged prosecutions — even ones that are thoroughly justified — often end badly for the justice system. So it appears with the federal prosecutions of Cliven Bundy and his sons. The government , resulting in a jury acquittal in 2016. Today, of Bundy’s own federal indictment (as well as that of several of his co-defendants) on the grounds that the government had waited until the middle of trial to disclose information that would have helped Bundy’s case, in violation of Brady v. Maryland. The misconduct was so severe and prejudicial to the Bundy clan’s case that the court barred...…Politically charged prosecutions — even ones that are thoroughly justified — often end badly for the justice system. So it appears with the federal prosecutions of Cliven Bundy and his sons. The government , resulting in a jury acquittal in 2016. Today, of Bundy’s own federal indictment (as well as that of several of his co-defendants) on the grounds that the government had waited until the middle of trial to disclose information that would have helped Bundy’s case, in violation of Brady v. Maryland. The misconduct was so severe and prejudicial to the Bundy clan’s case that the court barred...WW…

Portland police chief Chuck Lovell slammed “incomprehensible” violence on Thursday after rioters moved to target city police precincts.Riots in Portland have been ongoing since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Rioters targeted the city’s federal courthouse for two months, assaulting federal officers with explosives and in some cases shining lasers to blind officers.City police with federal officers to protect the courthouse last week. However, rioters are now targeting Portland’s police stations.Lovell said that...…Portland police chief Chuck Lovell slammed “incomprehensible” violence on Thursday after rioters moved to target city police precincts.Riots in Portland have been ongoing since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Rioters targeted the city’s federal courthouse for two months, assaulting federal officers with explosives and in some cases shining lasers to blind officers.City police with federal officers to protect the courthouse last week. However, rioters are now targeting Portland’s police stations.Lovell said that...WW…

Count on American university officials to go ballistic over any real or imagined violation of rights in this country. Reports of a noose on campus? Close down for a day or two of healing and reflection! But when it comes to China, you’ll hear comparatively little (if at all) from those officials about that nation’s gross authoritarianism and widespread violation of human rights. That’s because they have come to depend on China for students and money.So argues Christopher Balding in thisHe writes, “Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a...…Count on American university officials to go ballistic over any real or imagined violation of rights in this country. Reports of a noose on campus? Close down for a day or two of healing and reflection! But when it comes to China, you’ll hear comparatively little (if at all) from those officials about that nation’s gross authoritarianism and widespread violation of human rights. That’s because they have come to depend on China for students and money.So argues Christopher Balding in thisHe writes, “Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a...WW…

Dark clouds have hung over the National Rifle Association since at least the 2019 Annual Meeting, with the and Some sort of investigation and action by the attorney general of New York — where the organization was founded — was inevitable.Today, : Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association.James’ complaint names the National Rifle Association as a whole, but also names four current and former NRA executives: Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, general counsel John Frazer, former CFO Woody Phillips, and former chief of staff Joshua Powell.It...…Dark clouds have hung over the National Rifle Association since at least the 2019 Annual Meeting, with the and Some sort of investigation and action by the attorney general of New York — where the organization was founded — was inevitable.Today, : Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association.James’ complaint names the National Rifle Association as a whole, but also names four current and former NRA executives: Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, general counsel John Frazer, former CFO Woody Phillips, and former chief of staff Joshua Powell.It...WW…

Latinos constitute a more “diverse” community than African Americans, Joe Biden said on Tuesday in an interview with members of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.“Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro. “You go to Florida, and you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when you’re in Arizona.”Biden was responding to a...…Latinos constitute a more “diverse” community than African Americans, Joe Biden said on Tuesday in an interview with members of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.“Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro. “You go to Florida, and you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when you’re in Arizona.”Biden was responding to a...WW…

It’s been more than two months since George Floyd’s death — captured on video — was seared into the national psyche. The presumption, of course, is that his death is a horrific example of racial disparities, if not overt racial discrimination, in policing.After two months, it remains a presumption. Floyd’s death sparked two months of riots, massive protests, shootings, arson, looting, assaults, property damage, toppled statues, institutional name changes, movements to defund police forces, curriculum changes, and public flagellation and genuflection. Floyd’s death and its repercussions...…It’s been more than two months since George Floyd’s death — captured on video — was seared into the national psyche. The presumption, of course, is that his death is a horrific example of racial disparities, if not overt racial discrimination, in policing.After two months, it remains a presumption. Floyd’s death sparked two months of riots, massive protests, shootings, arson, looting, assaults, property damage, toppled statues, institutional name changes, movements to defund police forces, curriculum changes, and public flagellation and genuflection. Floyd’s death and its repercussions...WW…

While covering events (see and ) in Portland, Ore., writer Luther Abel sat down with Joanna — a college-educated, stay-at-home mom and now Trump voter — who feels it is no longer safe or healthy to live there. They discussed the change that has happened in the city politically, the ineffective governance, and the continued degradation of the city she and her family love.Luther Abel: What brought you to Portland and why did you stay?Joanna: I grew up in Salem, Ore., just an hour south of here, and went to College at Western Oregon University. I met my husband and moved to Portland and earned...…While covering events (see and ) in Portland, Ore., writer Luther Abel sat down with Joanna — a college-educated, stay-at-home mom and now Trump voter — who feels it is no longer safe or healthy to live there. They discussed the change that has happened in the city politically, the ineffective governance, and the continued degradation of the city she and her family love.Luther Abel: What brought you to Portland and why did you stay?Joanna: I grew up in Salem, Ore., just an hour south of here, and went to College at Western Oregon University. I met my husband and moved to Portland and earned...WW…

has been ravaged by a massive explosion, likely caused by careless handling of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at its port. As the city is still picking through the debris and thousands search for loved ones, countries such as Turkey, Iran, Qatar, France, and Israel are rushing to provide support. Yet looming over Beirut even now is the presence of the  Hezbollah with its network of , many stored in civilian areas throughout the country.While Hezbollah has not been blamed for the August 4 warehouse fire that led to the massive explosion, it is alleged to have imported and stored...…has been ravaged by a massive explosion, likely caused by careless handling of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at its port. As the city is still picking through the debris and thousands search for loved ones, countries such as Turkey, Iran, Qatar, France, and Israel are rushing to provide support. Yet looming over Beirut even now is the presence of the  Hezbollah with its network of , many stored in civilian areas throughout the country.While Hezbollah has not been blamed for the August 4 warehouse fire that led to the massive explosion, it is alleged to have imported and stored...WW…

is looking real,” Elon Musk tweeted on Tuesday evening. “Progress is accelerating.”Musk has every right to be bullish. At a SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday night, the Starship prototype Serial Number 5 launched in a brief test flight. The fifth-generation rocket — hopefully the model for the rockets that will one day shuttle people, cargo, and satellites to and from the moon and Mars — rose nearly 500 feet before landing near the launch pad in a controlled descent. It was the first rocket of its kind to successfully launch with full-sized propellant tanks.Tuesday’s test...…is looking real,” Elon Musk tweeted on Tuesday evening. “Progress is accelerating.”Musk has every right to be bullish. At a SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday night, the Starship prototype Serial Number 5 launched in a brief test flight. The fifth-generation rocket — hopefully the model for the rockets that will one day shuttle people, cargo, and satellites to and from the moon and Mars — rose nearly 500 feet before landing near the launch pad in a controlled descent. It was the first rocket of its kind to successfully launch with full-sized propellant tanks.Tuesday’s test...WW…

month marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, at Hiroshima on August 6, and Nagasaki on August 9.Each year, Americans argue about our supposed moral shortcomings for being the only nation to have used an atomic weapon in war.Given the current cultural revolution that topples statues, renames institutions, cancels out the supposedly politically incorrect, and wages war on America’s past, we will hear numerous attacks on the decision of Democratic president Harry Truman to use the two terrible weapons.But what were the alternatives that Truman faced had he not...…month marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, at Hiroshima on August 6, and Nagasaki on August 9.Each year, Americans argue about our supposed moral shortcomings for being the only nation to have used an atomic weapon in war.Given the current cultural revolution that topples statues, renames institutions, cancels out the supposedly politically incorrect, and wages war on America’s past, we will hear numerous attacks on the decision of Democratic president Harry Truman to use the two terrible weapons.But what were the alternatives that Truman faced had he not...WW…

Chicago public schools, the third largest district in the country, will begin the fall semester with all-remote learning following strong pushback from the city teachers union against a hybrid plan.The Chicago Teachers Union had threatened strikes if the district moved ahead with a combination of in-person and remote learning, saying the plan would not be able to keep the district’s 300,000 students and faculty safe from coronavirus outbreaks.“A win for teachers, students and parents. It’s sad that we have to strike or threaten to strike to be heard, but when we fight we win!” union...…Chicago public schools, the third largest district in the country, will begin the fall semester with all-remote learning following strong pushback from the city teachers union against a hybrid plan.The Chicago Teachers Union had threatened strikes if the district moved ahead with a combination of in-person and remote learning, saying the plan would not be able to keep the district’s 300,000 students and faculty safe from coronavirus outbreaks.“A win for teachers, students and parents. It’s sad that we have to strike or threaten to strike to be heard, but when we fight we win!” union...WW…

It’s futile to try to keep up with all the PC outrages, but Hans Bader explains the latest, at least as of this morning,  “The University of Pittsburgh has removed a program director at its medical center because he published a scholarly, peer-reviewed white paper discussing the pitfalls of affirmative action for black and Hispanic students. This violated the First Amendment . . .” Mr. Bader gives chapter and verse on the legal problems with what the school did to the program director, Dr. Norman C. Wang, and I’ll just add that it’s reprehensible to punish people for telling the truth,...…It’s futile to try to keep up with all the PC outrages, but Hans Bader explains the latest, at least as of this morning,  “The University of Pittsburgh has removed a program director at its medical center because he published a scholarly, peer-reviewed white paper discussing the pitfalls of affirmative action for black and Hispanic students. This violated the First Amendment . . .” Mr. Bader gives chapter and verse on the legal problems with what the school did to the program director, Dr. Norman C. Wang, and I’ll just add that it’s reprehensible to punish people for telling the truth,...WW…

Obama administration deputy attorney general Sally Yates will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. The Committee chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham, has said her appearance might provide insight into the Russiagate probe — i.e., the Obama administration’s monitoring of Donald Trump and his campaign — as well as into the abuse of FISA-surveillance powers. I suspect the testimony will be a dud, although there is some intrigue to it.Yates became acting attorney general when AG Loretta Lynch stepped down toward the end of the Obama administration. She was thus present at...…Obama administration deputy attorney general Sally Yates will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. The Committee chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham, has said her appearance might provide insight into the Russiagate probe — i.e., the Obama administration’s monitoring of Donald Trump and his campaign — as well as into the abuse of FISA-surveillance powers. I suspect the testimony will be a dud, although there is some intrigue to it.Yates became acting attorney general when AG Loretta Lynch stepped down toward the end of the Obama administration. She was thus present at...WW…

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed an executive directive on Wednesday ordering state employees to undergo “implicit bias training.”Executive directives allow the Michigan governor to establish procedures or basic policy for employees of the state’s executive branch. According to the , current state employees will be required to undergo “implicit bias training” by the end of this year, while new employees must complete the training as part of the hiring process. While various have been implemented by government offices in recent months, some research shows that the of...…Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed an executive directive on Wednesday ordering state employees to undergo “implicit bias training.”Executive directives allow the Michigan governor to establish procedures or basic policy for employees of the state’s executive branch. According to the , current state employees will be required to undergo “implicit bias training” by the end of this year, while new employees must complete the training as part of the hiring process. While various have been implemented by government offices in recent months, some research shows that the of...WW…