Althouse: At the Forest Path Café...

July 26, 2025

At the Forest Path Café...

... you can talk all night.

No sunrise today. It was raining. That's a photo from 3 days ago. Here, this is from today.

It stopped raining and we got out. Meade got me to notice the goldenrod.

62 comments:

MadisonMan said...: Morning rain means one thing: I don't have to water today! But man was it humid this morning, and mixed with some kind of mess from Canadian fires too. I was out walking and my skin felt really odd.; 7/26/25, 7:16 PM
Big Mike said...: From PowerLineblog:

“At this rate the only ones NOT
involved in Russia/Trump
collusion were Russia and
Trump.”; 7/26/25, 7:27 PM
Big Mike said...: Also from PowerLineblog:

Q What do you call a basement full
of liberals?

A A whine cellar.; 7/26/25, 7:34 PM
Aggie said...: What a lovely path. Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi said the said thing on their Friday broadcast. It appears that the "Russia Russia Russia" collusion story is all a McGuffin to distract from the cover up Hillary's private server and all of the contents of the mysterious intelligence dirt on the WikiLeaks thumbdrives.

It's the most diabolical 'Squirrel !' story ever, and it has ripped the country in half. Thank John Brennan.; 7/26/25, 7:35 PM
wildswan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/26/25, 7:47 PM
Ann Althouse said...: “ , and mixed with some kind of mess from Canadian fires too.”

Yeah the air quality was officially unhealthy.; 7/26/25, 7:53 PM
Ann Althouse said...: In the morning. Later, it was fine.; 7/26/25, 7:53 PM
wildswan said...: Hello, I'm back and feeling better. I had a complication from a previous surgery and the complication developed complications. And in my anesthesia dream it seemed to me that I escaped a very dreary room, somehow and Trump abolished NPR, somehow. So anyhow, I'm better and can spell "banana" without wondering where you're supposed to stop. But I'm not strong so I'll get to it.
I read Devon Nunez's 46 page memo. It seemed to me that Obama ordered the CIA to look at whether Russia attacked the 2016 election by hacking voting machines or by favoring one or the other candidate. The CIA analysts checked out and ordered various reports in a list - from A to Z as it were - based on the level of confidence which the Russia experts had in the various reports. THey then prepared a Presidential Briefing based on the reports in which they had the highest confidence and this briefing said Russia meddled ineffectively and, as between Clinton and Trump, did not have a favorite. This Briefing was ready on December 8. But before it was presented and thus made official, it was stopped. Then there was a meeting on December 9 - Obama, Brennan, Clapper and other important minions. After this meeting the CIA was ordered to,(or,anyhow did) produce a new Presidential Briefing using the resources which had been adjudged those in which senior analysts had least confidence. And that night, December 9, before any work could have been done by the CIA, the Obama White House began leaking that Russia "aspired" to help Trump and HAD helped him as laid out in facts gathered for a Presidential Briefing soon to be published. The implication was that this was how Trump gained his extraordinary victory. This was the origin of Russia, Russia, Russia.

The question is: why on December 9 were the reports in which the CIA Russia experts had most confidence set aside in favor of those in which they had the least confidence?

And why was the Steele Dossier used when the experts thought Steele's claim to have ring of agents in Putin's office was, in terms of level of confidence, not even "low confidence"; it was ridiculous and an obvious partisan effort.

Nunes and, now, the DNI raise a question that has never been answered.

[banana]; 7/26/25, 7:57 PM
FullMoon said...: Saying the quiet part out loud.
The Epstein List has displaced most news about Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine.
Coincidence, or diabolical 4d chess by Trump, Bibi, and Putin?; 7/26/25, 8:39 PM
Peachy said...: Hi wildswan. Hope you are feeling better and recovering.; 7/26/25, 8:53 PM
Sebastian said...: Question: if Obama has immunity from prosecution for official acts, can he be compelled to answer questions about his official acts on Dec. 8-10, 2016, without taking the 5th?; 7/26/25, 8:58 PM
Peachy said...: Matt Taibbi and Walter Kern - testing.; 7/26/25, 9:08 PM
rehajm said...: I’m in Lake Tahoe where apparently funding to the eco terrorists to set forest fires has dried up and/or the DC strategy groups who once pushed wild fires as support for climate money…they have given up. The air is clean and crisp and beautiful!; 7/26/25, 9:08 PM
Peachy said...: Russian Hoax has more to do with Hillary. Obama OKed it - but all of it was to cover for HER-> past illegal behavior.; 7/26/25, 9:09 PM
Peachy said...: Hillary Clinton is a Russian Asset.; 7/26/25, 9:09 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Rarely is poetic justice meted out as it has been here. The conspiracist-in-chief laid low by his weapon of choice.; 7/26/25, 9:18 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: YouTube: Manosphere extraordinaire has a take on incels “incel” – or “involuntarily celibate”; 7/26/25, 9:28 PM
Peachy said...: oops - meant to add -thanks for the notification about The podcast. Aggie.; 7/26/25, 10:08 PM
Peachy said...: colorado's roads, under democrats, have become very dangerous. So many people are being killed by illegals.
Colorado is a Sanctuary state for illegals.

A couple were hit head-on, and killed - by a driver going the wrong way on a major highway. E-470.
The driver who killed them survived and is in hospital. No charges! (Yet - or ever?) No mention of the legal status by the press or authorities.
My guess - easy guess - the person is here illegally.; 7/26/25, 10:39 PM
Peachy said...: An underage illegal teen killed a young woman in Aurora.
90+ MPH in a 40 - smashed into her and killed her.
the local Dem DA let the kid off, and promised to help the kid who used a car to commit murder, and his family, get asylum.; 7/26/25, 10:47 PM
Sebastian said...: Apologies in advance for reposting this later, but the most revealing thing about the Russia hoax declassified documents, both from Gabbard and from Grassley, is less any specific piece of information but the very fact that this stuff is what the deep-staters were so eager to keep classified.; 7/26/25, 10:53 PM
Peachy said...: The hack Soviet media(D) were so loyally invested in the Russia Russia lie. Anything for Team D.

BTW - why did Putin wait to invade Ukraine until Crook Joe was installed? Leftists cannot say.; 7/26/25, 10:58 PM
heyboom said...: Heading to Des Moines in a couple of weeks to visit family, but specifically to attend the Iowa State Fair, which I have been wanting to experience since I was there as a 10 year old. Any Iowa commenters planning on attending?; 7/26/25, 11:40 PM
Jim at said...: but the very fact that this stuff is what the deep-staters were so eager to keep classified.

Why do you think they raided his place? And tried to throw him in jail. And when that failed, tried to kill him?

Thing is, if there aren't serious consequences ... what's to stop them from doing something worse next time?

This isn't a conspiracy theory. These events actually happened. And now we have the proof of what we all suspected.

You leftists have no idea of the fire you're playing with.; 7/27/25, 12:09 AM
gadfly said...: wildswan: Your comment about Kevin Nunez certainly is bananas. In reality, this was a scheme developed by the White House and Nunes to distract from FBI Director James Comey’s announcement two days earlier that the FBI was investigating possible Trump-Russia collusion. So while he was Majority Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he was called to the White House where is was given "whistleblower" information from White House officials Ezra Cohen-Watnick, John Eisenberg, and Michael Ellis. He took the information back to his office and had a false document prepared that said that Obama had had Trump's phone wiretapped. Then he rushed the report back to conspicuosly hand it to Trump to allow him to announce the lie.

But Nunez was exposed by Trump’s own National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, who announced the findings about Obama officials had no merit. So Nunez announced that he withdrawing his participation in the Russia Investigation, but in fact he never did excuse himself from the hearings.

He tried to accuse Hillary of taking money for permitting the sale of Uranium One to Russia when in fact a committee chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury approved the sale and he unsuccessfully attempted to get a Special Counsel appointed who “would immediately have to inform Mueller, Comey, and Rod Rosenstein that they are under federal investigation."; 7/27/25, 2:15 AM
Rocco said...: No deer poking his/her head out in the first picture?; 7/27/25, 3:45 AM
wendybar said...: Hey Gad. At least get his name right if you are going to lie about him. His name is Devin...not Kevin. You really are a true believer of propaganda. It's useful idiots like you who keep the lefts lies alive.; 7/27/25, 4:50 AM
Breezy said...: “In March 2012, during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, President Barack Obama was caught on a hot mic speaking to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Obama said, “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space.” He added, “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Medvedev responded, “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” referring to Vladimir Putin, who was set to return as Russian president.”

Was Obama a Russian asset?; 7/27/25, 5:06 AM
Peachy said...: Hillary's Uranium One deal is real and it was kept secret by her Private Sever - Bot fly.
Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal; 7/27/25, 7:35 AM
Peachy said...: server; 7/27/25, 7:39 AM
Peachy said...: Every LIE and FALSE ACCUSATION hurled FROM the left - is a boomerang mirrored reflection OF the left.; 7/27/25, 7:40 AM
Political Junkie said...: Microsoft is catching heat for firing American workers and then hiring foreign workers, supposedly at lower wages and greater productivity.
Capitalist viewpoint says the company knows what is best for them and let them choice accordingly.
The Nationalist viewpoint is either find American workers who can do the job, or train up the American workers to do the job.; 7/27/25, 7:48 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: How it is done...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14943807/Mass-stabbing-Walmart-Michigan-traverse-city.html; 7/27/25, 7:54 AM
Kakistocracy said...: After reviewing the Epstein list, Trump's DoJ decided it didn't exist.

It appears that the more unhinged and unstable Dan Bongino becomes as he circles the drain of sanity, he only becomes more popular with the MAGA base. Which is entirely unsurprising.

The guy imagined he was going to monetize being the QAnon hero that opened up the Epstein files, and now he’s terrified he’s destroyed his future income stream by being the guy that covered for Trump. Sad!

You’d have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.; 7/27/25, 7:54 AM
Peachy said...: Why didn't the Biden admin release "the list"?

There is no list - KAK - only a phone book.; 7/27/25, 7:58 AM
Original Mike said...: Botfly's use of the phrase "in reality" is a hoot.; 7/27/25, 9:11 AM
boatbuilder said...: Wildswan--a very nice summary. Glad you are feeling better--hang in there.; 7/27/25, 9:12 AM
john mosby said...: 37 comments, a sunset and sunrise, and no one else has said it, so I will:

"Meade got me to notice the goldenrod." heheheheheheh.....

RR
JSM; 7/27/25, 9:25 AM
Kai Akker said...: We seem to be transitioning from abundance to scarcity. Just beginning to. Eggs were just a small early example. Also, those last few years in which canned vegetables were missing from Walmart grocery shelves by summertime.

The long bear market in commodities explains some of this. Was the recent (historically recent) recovery in agricultural commodities since the pandemic low of 2020 the start of healthier times for farmers? Don't these higher prices register that demand cannot be fully supplied, as it had been for decades? Or, alternately, is that recovery now over and prices will drift back down in continuation of our engines of plenty? America's, and the world's, tremendous productive capacity.

Why has gold gone to such new highs? Who is hoarding it? Hoarding is all one can do with gold. What are they hoarding it against? Or, alternatively, is it just another overpriced asset like stocks, crypto, and real estate?

How we get there, deponent knoweth not. (Someone's regular phrase, don't recall now whose.) But in some way, shape or form, from both natural and anthropic forces like war or policy errors of magnitude -- Sri Lanka, for one example; Japan and its rice perhaps another? -- abundance seems to be melting away at the margins, and scarcity is the hardpan dirt beneath it.; 7/27/25, 9:25 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Meade is the Man with the Golden Rod.; 7/27/25, 9:26 AM
Old and slow said...: To be fair to Microsoft (and I'm not a fan of MS), the reports I've read stated that most of the 9000 layoffs were in sales and middle management, while the H1B hires are technical staff.; 7/27/25, 10:41 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: "Peachy said...
An underage illegal teen killed a young woman in Aurora.
90+ MPH in a 40 - smashed into her and killed her.
the local Dem DA let the kid off, and promised to help the kid who used a car to commit murder, and his family, get asylum." That DA deserves to be Luigi'ed; 7/27/25, 10:43 AM
Lazarus said...: Kevin or Devin or Devon Nunez aside, the Obama administration was conducting surveillance of Trump. A "document" prepared attesting to that could have been of different sorts and not necessarily false. Given that Comey had no real grounds for his investigation, why complain about a distraction from a story that had no substance behind it?; 7/27/25, 10:51 AM
Original Mike said...: So, the "classified" (a.k.a. hidden) House report on the ICA, recently declassified by Gabbard, reveals laughingly weak "evidence" that Putin aided Trump in 2016. It rests on the Steele Dossier (which Brennan swore to Congress it didn't) and a second-hand "tip" from a Russian who's "identity, background and reliability" [Brennan concealed] "from most of the participants involved in the crafting of the ICA." Brennan hid the provenance of this "evidence" from his own analysts. When you look at this "evidence" it's abundantly clear why.; 7/27/25, 11:30 AM
Achilles said...: John Bolton is a traitor.

He had a Memo showing what Brennan did and he hid it in his safe without briefing Trump because he agreed with Brennan.

They should both hang together.; 7/27/25, 12:26 PM
gadfly said...: On July 11, 2017, we had proof that Trump’s claims that he had been wiretapped were false. That’s because, if the Intelligence Community had found an exchange like the one Don Jr released that day — in which someone working for Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov offered Don Jr, “very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump” and he responded, “If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer,” then the confidence level for the Intelligence Community Assessment that Russia had affirmatively tried to help Donald Trump get elected would have been high, even from NSA (which said it only had moderate confidence).

And yet we’re still arguing over whether that judgment was fair eight years later. The HPSCI report released the other day — which is dated September 18, 2020, but which right wing HPSCI Chair Rick Crawford misleadingly released alongside a statement pretending it was done in January 2017, and which the architect of the case for the Iraq War, Fred Fleitz, says was done in 2018 — seems to have been a response to a more rigorous SSCI Report released weeks earlier that confirmed Putin did want Trump to win. (Indeed, Fleitz offers a garbage explanation to claim this HPSCI Report is more credible than the SSCI one.)

Republicans have failed to account for the fact that Trump, starting in February 2016, in fact did place a pro-Kremlin official on his “election team,” Paul Manafort, and Manafort sought to monetize his role there by getting pro-Russian Ukrainians and a Russian oligarch to pay him.

And Konstantin Kilimnik, in Ukraine, seemed to know of that plan before Manafort was installed. This report may have looked problematic for inclusion in December 2016 (though by that point, Manafort’s cover-up of his Russian ties was public). But it looked prescient by 2020.

Konstantin Kilimnik worked closely with Paul Manafort as a political consultant and was integral to Manafort's operations in Ukraine, particularly during the campaign of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Kilimnik has been described as a Russian intelligence officer and was involved in passing sensitive Trump campaign data to Russian intelligence services.; 7/27/25, 12:33 PM
Original Mike said...: Hey gadfly - now that Gabbard has declassified the "evidence" that the Obama IC used to claim there was Trump-Russian collusion, why don't you address the specifics of that evidence.; 7/27/25, 12:52 PM
gadfly said...: And as for Putin preferring Trump, the official guilty pleas from George Papadopous and Mike Flynn address and admit this very fact. So this diamond ring (the HPSI report just released) doesn't shine anymore based on the very words of Don Jr and our Trump campaign members who pleaded guilty after Robert Mueller's investigation.; 7/27/25, 1:08 PM
gadfly said...: Hey Original Mike, read carefully:

By February 2018, there was abundant public evidence that Putin preferred Trump, including that letter to Don Jr as well as the guilty pleas of George Papadopoulos and Mike Flynn. By 2020, the date of this report read by Tulsi, court filings were public describing Manafort’s lies that, Amy Berman Jackson judged, he told to cover up what happened at an August 2, 2016 meeting with alleged Russian spy where they discussed how Trump planned to win, how Manafort would get paid by pro-Russian Ukrainians and debt relief from Oleg Deripaska, and a plan to carve up Ukraine. But only here, only amid their desperate attempt to find proof that Vladimir Putin does hate Donald Trump, do they confess they’ve not read any of the charging documents from Mueller.; 7/27/25, 1:32 PM
Peachy said...: OMG - Bot fly - are you even real? What asinine, old and busted BS.; 7/27/25, 1:42 PM
Jersey Fled said...: A lot of paddling below the waterline going on with Gadfly today. Go gadfly go!; 7/27/25, 1:46 PM
Original Mike said...: Cite your source.; 7/27/25, 1:52 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Trump and EU Reach Tariff Deal, Avoiding Trade War ~ WSJ
'Pact imposes baseline tariff of 15% on the U.S.’s biggest trading partner'

A 15% tariff on imports sounds an awful lot like a 15% sales tax imposed on US citizens (who will effectively pay the tax - plus a bit more as companies in the supply chain seek to defend their margins). Isn’t that strikingly similar to the system of VAT in Europe that Trump claims is anti-competitive? (Except that Trump’s tariffs are selectively discriminatory against foreign goods, so genuinely anti-competitive),

Somehow I don't this is going to last. Trump has shaken the tree and importers (consumers) will pay an extra $7.5 billion or so (570bn of exports less 70bn Airbus's).

Will this revive US car manufacturing or machine tools? Very unlikely, so get ready for the next round.

Seems like Trump is playing 4D chess, against himself, pausing only to eat the pieces.; 7/27/25, 1:57 PM
Marcus Bressler said...: Tariffs accounted for a great increase in revenue to the USA government coffers with little or negligible cost to taxpayers' pockets. Liberals hardest hit ... but in the FEELS.
As to Mike Flynn pleading "guilty" -- many people, including Flynn agree to a plea agreement that involves a guilty plea because they cannot afford to mount a defense -- and in the case of Flynn, the TRUE facts did not come out until later and, of course, NOW. Hey Gadabout: The Justice Department later moved to drop the charges against Flynn in May 2020, arguing that his misrepresentations to the FBI were not "material" and that the FBI interview was not based on a legitimate investigation. This decision sparked controversy and raised questions about the handling of the case, according to Stanford Law School.
Ultimately, President Trump granted Flynn a full pardon in November 2020, erasing his conviction for lying to the FBI.
But Gadabout decides to misrepresent the entire scam with a "but he pled guilty, guilty, gulity" horseshite. Gad's heroes are at least going to be prosecuted, including his mulatto hero, Obamarangaringadingdong. Whether a conviction is arrived at, that is another story, given the rogue judges and DEM juries. And if you think Obama is handsoff to DJT and the DOJ, guess again. Those fuckers tried to KILL Trump; NOTHING is off limits anymore - including going after Hildebeast and everyone involved in the Collusion Hoax and J6 Overreaction; 7/27/25, 3:13 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...

A 15% tariff on imports sounds an awful lot like a 15% sales tax imposed on US citizens (who will effectively pay the tax - plus a bit more as companies in the supply chain seek to defend their margins).

Rich would rather tax American workers and Businesses.

He gets really mad when his Oligarch masters have to pay taxes on stuff they produce outside the country.

Rich is also too stupid to discuss the topic honestly.; 7/27/25, 3:16 PM
Achilles said...: gadfly said...
Hey Original Mike, read carefully:

By February 2018, there was abundant public evidence that Putin preferred Trump, including that letter to Don Jr as well as the guilty pleas of George Papadopoulos and Mike Flynn. By 2020, the date of this report read by Tulsi, court filings were public describing Manafort’s lies that, Amy Berman Jackson judged, he told to cover up what happened at an August 2, 2016 meeting with alleged Russian spy where they discussed how Trump planned to win, how Manafort would get paid by pro-Russian Ukrainians and debt relief from Oleg Deripaska, and a plan to carve up Ukraine. But only here, only amid their desperate attempt to find proof that Vladimir Putin does hate Donald Trump, do they confess they’ve not read any of the charging documents from Mueller

Hey gadfly read carefully:

They manufactured the evidence they used to persecute Flynn and Manafort.

The documents have been declassified and released.

At this point not even Gadly is stupid enough to believe what he is saying.

gadfly is an enemy of the Republic and wants to install a fascist police state.; 7/27/25, 3:23 PM
Howard said...: Trump and the Big Beautiful Deal of all Deals

The meat is the near trillion in fuel sales. That's a BFD; 7/27/25, 3:50 PM
Kakistocracy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/27/25, 4:10 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Achilles is making a linear extrapolation that is useless because producers and consumers around the world obviously will adapt to new price structures. As non-US producers adapt their supply chains and export targets to the reduced attractiveness of the US market (as US consumers AND producers use fewer foreign products), US revenues from tariffs will dwindle again after the initial run-up. And that's before counting the reduced revenues from domestic (US) taxes as the GDP growth trajectory is reduced due to lower productivity. Tariffs reward domestic firms with low competitiveness and productivity, as they can raise their prices and/or fall behind with R&D without losing market share.

And US voters will notice over time -- inflation has only started to rise, and diminished labor supply from deportations will only fuel that fire.; 7/27/25, 4:11 PM
Mason G said...: "Rich would rather tax American workers and Businesses."

Rich doesn't give a shit about raising taxes on American workers unless it's someone other than a Democrat doing it. Ask him which Democrat run state governments have eliminated sales taxes- you know... because of the workers.; 7/27/25, 4:15 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...
Achilles is making a linear extrapolation that is useless because producers and consumers around the world obviously will adapt to new price structures. As non-US producers adapt their supply chains and export targets to the reduced attractiveness of the US market (as US consumers AND producers use fewer foreign products), US revenues from tariffs will dwindle again after the initial run-up. And that's before counting the reduced revenues from domestic (US) taxes as the GDP growth trajectory is reduced due to lower productivity. Tariffs reward domestic firms with low competitiveness and productivity, as they can raise their prices and/or fall behind with R&D without losing market share.

And US voters will notice over time -- inflation has only started to rise, and diminished labor supply from deportations will only fuel that fire.

You know what actually cause inflation Rich? Paying people to not make things. i.e. Government Jobs and HR and University administrators. They get paid. They produce nothing. They buy goods that other people make.

But you want to pretend that only tariffs cause inflation and not other taxes.

Taxes are tariffs. Tariffs are taxes. You have to tax something.

You want to tax American workers. Trump wants to tax overseas Oligarchs.

I think Trump is smarter than you and has a better idea of how to make the US Economy and it's workers strong.

Everyone sees through you Rich. You are wrong about everything. Nobody thinks you are smart.; 7/27/25, 4:30 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...

And US voters will notice over time -- inflation has only started to rise, and diminished labor supply from deportations will only fuel that fire.

This part must be highlighted. Rich hates the working class and thinks working class people getting paid more is bad for the economy.

Meanwhile paying people USAID money to do nothing is not on Rich's radar and he gets mad when they lose their fake jobs that produce nothing.

In Rich's world the working class are to be exploited to pay worthless government employees to produce nothing.

And if you do anything to make it harder for Rich's Oligarch masters that also upsets Rich.; 7/27/25, 4:36 PM