Vance: “Violent crime has dropped in DC 35 percent in 9 days”

From the Vice President on Tuesday (Vance). The federal takeover of the DC police force, the deployment of additional officers as well as National Guard troops … it’s all bearing quick results. David Marcus: As of Wednesday afternoon, the nation’s capital has had no murders for seven days, something that had not been achieved since March and something I can find no recent record of in summer months when the murder rate is typically at its highest…. And it’s not just murder, according to the local police union. Robbery dropped 46% in the week after the takeover, carjackings were down a whopping 83%….  Who could possibly argue against that?… The only real question left to ask about Trump’s efforts to fight crime in DC is, why didn’t we do this sooner? The answer is the liberal backlash to the successful crime initiatives of the 1990s, not just in New York, but in other cities that also adopted tactics like broken window policing (Fox News).

DC’s Murder Rate Was Soaring—Some 500 Percent Higher Than the Average State

A new report looked at 2023 numbers: When measured against states, D.C.’s violent crime rate was 54 percent higher than New Mexico, the most dangerous state, and 220 percent higher than the national average. Against cities, D.C. outpaced every one of the 20 largest cities and ranked second highest among the 25 most populous. The murder rate looks even worse. D.C.’s murder rate ran 169 percent higher than Louisiana’s, the deadliest state, and an astonishing 523 percent higher than that of the average state. No city in the top 20 came close. Philadelphia had the second-highest murder rate in that group, with 26 murders per 100,000 people, yet D.C.’s rate was 50 percent higher. Among the 25 largest cities, D.C. ranked second overall. Robbery paints the bleakest picture. D.C.’s robbery rate was 370 percent higher than Maryland, the worst state, and a staggering 955 percent higher than that of the average state. Among the 25 most populous cities, D.C. ranked first in robberies. Across all 796 U.S. cities with more than 50,000 residents, D.C. still ranked third (Federalist)

Texas State House Passes New Congressional Maps

A big win for Governor Greg Abbott. AP reports: The Texas House on Wednesday approved redrawn congressional maps that would give Republicans a bigger edge in 2026, muscling through a partisan gerrymander that launched weeks of protests by Democrats and a widening national battle over redistricting. The approval came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official (AP). Abbott is expected to sign the bill by week’s end: The final vote was 88 ayes—all Republicans including House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), who normally doesn’t vote on legislation—to 52 nays….  Republicans assert the map was drawn with political performance in mind, while Democrats argue the proposal violates existing federal law regarding race-based redistricting. “This is a good plan. I urge its adoption. Mister speaker, members, according to the US Supreme Court. You can use political performance. And that is what we’ve done,” Hunter said (The Texan).

Adam Schiff Is Lawyering Up

Or at least he’s building the war chest to fund the lawyers he knows he’s going to need. He’s got more challenges than this, but, most immediately, it’s about mortgage fraud. The Hill: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has created a legal defense fund as he prepares to fight an investigation into his Maryland home sparked by the Trump administration…. Since taking office for the second time, Trump has repeatedly bashed Schiff and suggested he wrongly obtained more favorable lending conditions for his Washington-area home, a claim the lawmaker denies (The Hill). New York Post: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is paying just 3% on both his Maryland and California homes since refinancing his mortgages in 2020, even lower than the 5.625% rate at the center of a federal mortgage-fraud investigation against him, newly released documents reveal. The Department of Justice is accusing the junior senator from California of claiming two homes as primary residences for more than a decade – to score lower mortgage rates and property taxes. A grand jury in Maryland is currently weighing a criminal indictment against the former 12-term congressman (New York Post).

IDF Makes Initial Moves on Gaza City

The troops deployed will be significant for what has been called “Operation Gideon’s Chariots II”: 60,000 initially with the potential of reaching 130,000. Israel Hayom: Following Defense Minister Israel Katz’s approval of the Israeli Defense Forces’ assault plan on Gaza City on Tuesday, the IDF is gearing up for the next stage, Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, leveraging the successes of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. This week, plans were finalized, though they remain adaptable and subject to change. The operation will deploy five divisions, 12 brigade battle groups, and two Gaza regional brigades, incorporating reserve and constripted forces across engineering, air, sea, and special units. Preparations are underway – the Givati Brigade launched a maneuver in the Jabalia area on Tuesday – with further steps planned before reservist call-ups…. The IDF emphasized that Operation Gideon’s Chariots met its goals successfully, controlling 75% of Gaza’s territory and neutralizing over 2,000 terrorists. Hamas’ military chain of command has been holed up in Gaza City, with extensive infrastructure destroyed – conditions aimed at pushing Hamas toward a diplomatic resolution and hostage release deal (Israel Hayom). Russell Berman of the Hoover Institute: As in the whole Gaza war, Israel faces the challenge of combating an enemy that has embedded itself among civilians, using them as human shields, while also having constructed an extensive tunnel network underneath civilian structures. The invasion has not yet gone into full gear. This is the point where war, or the threat of war, turns into politics by other means, to use Clausewitz’s famous formula. The prospect of the return to a full-fledged invasion has led to an acceleration of negotiation efforts (Hoover).

US Sanctions ICC Officials for Targeting Americans

The International Criminal Court has targeted both Americans and Israelis. Secretary of State Rubio has been quite clear: The @IntlCrimCourt continues to disregard national sovereignty and facilitate lawfare through efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, and prosecute American and Israeli nationals. In response, I am sanctioning four additional ICC officials. We will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the ICC’s morally bankrupt and legally baseless actions against Americans and Israelis (Rubio). Jeff Charles at Townhall: The sanctions target Judges Kimberly Prost and Nicolas Guillou—who authorized probes of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, according to a press release. Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang will also face sanctions for continuing to support ICC actions against Israel. The State Department stated that sanctions are in line with an executive order that President Donald Trump issued back in February, opening the door for sanctions on members of the court. The order “aims to impose tangible and significant consequences on those directly engaged in the ICC’s transgression against the United States and Israel” (Townhall). The U.S. is not a member of the ICC and thus does not recognize any authority of the court over US affairs or that of our citizens. Israel, similarly, is not a member (NYT).

America Is Fast Returning as an Energy Superpower

Stephen Moore: The rapid revival of America as an energy superpower under Mr. Trump should come as no surprise. This is continuation of a 15-year trend thanks to the fracking and horizontal drilling revolution that has nearly tripled America’s annual production…. What’s impressive about the Trump oil production spike is that it’s happened even as the global spot price of oil has fallen. In other words, we’re getting the best of both worlds: made-in-America energy AND low prices at the pump. The Energy Information Administration reports forecasts that gas prices will keep falling to less than $3 a gallon by next year. That is, unless you live in California, where gas still costs more than $5 a gallon.… One of Mr. Biden’s first executive orders was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline to slow oil and gas delivery across the country. Mr. Trump rescinded the order on the first day of his second term, making oil and gas production a national security and economic priority. As a result, we are looking at a future with America dominating global energy markets, and prices here at home continuing to fall.(New York Sun). Reuters reports: U.S. crude production will hit a record 13.41 million barrels per day in 2025 due to increases in well productivity, though lower oil prices will prompt a fall in output in 2026, the Energy Information Administration forecasted on Tuesday in a monthly report (Reuters). Daniel Turner of Power the Future: When America produces more energy, we can sell more energy and supply our allies and the world with American energy. When we produce more energy, we produce more goods for less and supply our allies and the world. It is not only good for our economy but good for the peace. A strong America is good for the world. Reagan knew this, and Trump does too. This is the direction he has taken the nation and the world from the Alaska summit. It is now time that everyone: the EU, our government agencies, and even Democrats get on board. If not, they should stop with the pro-Ukraine rhetoric and the Ukraine flag pins. We know where they really stand (Real Clear Energy).

Trump Administration Undoing Biden’s Radical Environmental Agenda

The American Energy Alliance has been tracking the actions that roll back Biden-era restriction and positive moves that serve for the renewal of energy exploration and development: On his first day back at the White House, Trump signed dozens of executive orders, including his order “Unleashing American Energy.” The AEA started a new list that tallied up the actions that Trump and Congressional Republicans were taking to unleash America’s energy potential. The first edition, released in March, contained 50 actions. Last week, they updated the list for Trump’s first 200 days in action, and the newest list contains 200 items…. A recent analysis by the Energy Policy Research Foundation found that the first Trump administration averaged 1244 onshore oil and gas leases per year in the lower 48 states, but the Biden administration issued only 219 on average per year. Under the second Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management began issuing leases on public lands by Jan. 31 (Climate Depot).

Democrats: “in the middle of a bleed-out that may have no end in sight”

Ed Morrissey of Hot Air looks at a piece from Shane Goldmacher in the New York Times. First, from Goldmacher: The stampede away from the Democratic Party is occurring in battleground states, the bluest states and the reddest states, too, according to a new analysis of voter registration data by The New York Times…. fewer and fewer Americans are choosing to be Democrats. In fact, for the first time since 2018, more new voters nationwide chose to be Republicans than Democrats last year. All told, Democrats lost about 2.1 million registered voters between the 2020 and 2024 elections in the 30 states, along with Washington, D.C., that allow people to register with a political party. (In the remaining 20 states, voters do not register with a political party.) Republicans gained 2.4 million (New York Times). Ed Morrissey: What happened? Likely several factors have a role in this death spiral. Democrats spent the last decade focused on one man — Trump — as its agenda. That worked for them in the 2018 midterms, but blew up in their faces when the Russia-collusion allegations turned out to be nothing more than a hoax built on a dirty trick. Democrats spent four years covering up Joe Biden’s senility and unfitness for office, while simultaneously claiming that they were defending democracy. They anointed Kamala Harris as the nominee when their fraud got exposed in the debate, who refused to engage with the media and who argued that voters owed her the office as the only legitimate nominee in the race. More likely, though, the damage comes from Democrats’ refusal to listen to voters. To some extent, this is also a result of Trump Derangement Syndrome, which basically forces them to automatically reject any position or action Trump takes as “fascism” (Hot Air).

Trump Is Pretty Much Like Hitler; No, Trump Is Like Mussolini; No, Trump Is Like Stalin

The left’s overwrought comparisons are too much. Like Hitler? That would be because he’s encouraging Americans to be healthy again. Like Mussolini? That would be because he wants the Smithsonian to reflect a charitable picture of our nation’s history. Like Stalin? That goes back to his reelection win and the Executive Order establishing a warrior board. David Strom summed it up:“My X feed is filled with an unusually large number of liberal fantasies today” (Hot Air).  He looked at a post by Rachel Bitecofer: I know this is becoming redundant but do you know who else was super focused on forcing people to be healthy??? BTW: Hitler grew these kids to feed them into the war machine he was building while talking about world peace. Most of the boys in this pic died (Bitecofer). Newsbusters looked at Michael Eric Dyson’s appearance on CNN where he played the “fascism card”: Fascists are interested in deploying museums as extensions of propaganda. Remember, in Italy, under Mussolini, that’s how the museum was projected to further the notion of Romantica, the Romanness (Newsbusters). Like Stalin? That goes back just a bit. After he was reelected in November, the American Prospect saw the Soviet despot in the 47^th president in the establishment of a warrior board—to get our military leaders focused on fighting and winning wars: It has ample precedent in Soviet history ….  So let’s forget all this Trump-Hitler nonsense and focus on Trump-Stalin! (Prospect). Maybe Trump as Mao? They tried: Trumpies, like Maoists, have distinctive headgear: MAGA hats and Mao caps (Medium). We’ll keep our eyes open for Trump as Pol Pot.