How does that work?

Besides idiot Musk encouraging garbage on the site, I’m curious if paying for engagement numbers has led to an increase of shitposters simply looking for a paycheck?

Nearly every one of PF’s trash posts links to someone who clearly operates in that same cultish X/Tesla social media ecosystem. Are they just generating likes and $ amongst themselves?

Also, I wonder if a lot of it is trying to get noticed and retweeted by Musk himself.

Thoughts?

Commits B&E.
Attempts to cover up her crime.
Fails.

Incompetence. I’m sensing a pattern here.

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A former top Republican state lawmaker says there are two concerning things about a potential Gov. Tim Walz vice presidency: He "is terrible in a crisis" and "how he spends money."

Paul Gazelka, former Republican Senate majority leader, shared his experience working alongside Walz over the years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 riots.

The former lawmaker said his early experiences with Walz were collaborative, but that, eventually, "rather than working with him, I was working against him."

"I wouldn't say at first that he was difficult to work with. He comes in with what I would say is kind of a country charm, but that is not really where he is trying to drive his agenda. It is much more liberal," Gazelka told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

"When he has power, I don't think he can be trusted. And when he has to make decisions in a crisis, they're terrible decisions," the former lawmaker added.

There are two top concerns that Gazelka, who served as the state's Senate majority leader from 2017 to 2021, has about Walz in a leadership role.

"My concern for him as a leader, number one, is he's terrible in a crisis. And then how he spends money. It's like he has no sense of what the value of a dollar is. And they just spend money until they go into debt. And so people need to pay attention."

Gazelka reflected on the 2020 riots that erupted in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd and Walz's leadership during the chaotic event.

"The mayor of Minneapolis, Mayor Frye, said to the governor, ‘I need your help. I need the Guard.’ And that's when the governor just sat on his hands. He froze. He didn't do anything," Gazelka said.

He added that voters "need to know" that "when he presents this country charm, it does not represent rural American values."

Gazelka drew a contrast between the Harris-Walz and Trump-Vance tickets.

"Both sides are very, very clear. They didn't pick somebody opposite of them to get votes. They just said, you know, this far-left liberal that goes toward socialism or the Trump direction, which is Make America Great Again," he said. "Trump is a strong leader. Harris is not. She hasn't even done a press conference. She won't get out there and stand up and be who she is. And that presents herself and therefore America as weak, and that is not what we want to do."

This is from a “story” in Realtor online mag:

“Basketball supernova Caitlin Clark owned March and all its wonderful madness. From coast to coast, fans tuned in to watch the basketball phenom break record after record as she and her team, the Iowa Huskers, battled their way to the national championship.”

Curious how the ol beans are falling.

Long Island prosecutors have launched an investigation into U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos of New York, after revelations surfaced that the now-embattled Republican lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office.

But despite intensifying doubt about his fitness to hold federal office, Santos has thus far shown no signs of stepping aside — even as he has publicly admitted to a long list of fabrications.



“The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican.

“The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” she said. “No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”


Santos’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

He was scheduled to be sworn in next Tuesday, when the U.S. House reconvenes. If he assumes office, he could have face investigations by the House Committee on Ethics and the Justice Department.

The New York attorney general’s office has already said it is looking into some of the issues that have come to light.

The Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street pedigree and a college degree, but he has yet to address other lingering questions — including the source of what appears to be a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands in back rent.

Some fellow Republicans had called for Congress and law enforcement to launch inquiries.

Fellow Long Island Republican, Rep.-elect Nick Lalota said he was troubled by the revelations.

“I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required,” Lalota said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Nassau County DA’s office, Brendan Brosh, said Wednesday: “We are looking into the matter.”

Other Republicans castigated Santos for his dishonesty but stopped short of asking him to step aside.

“Congressman-Elect George Santos has broken the public trust by making serious misstatements regarding his background, experience and education, among other issues,” said Joseph G. Cairo, chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, which lies within the 3rd Congressional District.

Cairo said he “expected more than just a blanket apology,” adding that “the damage that his lies have caused to many people, especially those who have been impacted by the Holocaust, are profound.”

Questions intensified after The New York Times examined the narrative Santos, 34, presented to voters during his successful campaign for a congressional district that straddles the north shore suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.

The Times uncovered records in Brazil that show Santos was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations that he used stolen checks to buy items at an clothing shop in the city of Niteroi. At the time, Santos would have been 19. The Times quoted local prosecutors as saying the case was dormant because Santos had never appeared in court.

Santos continued to deny that he was being sought by authorities in South America.

Gee whiz, for the zillionth time I wonder if the NY Times, Wash Post, and rest of the liberal media will just once devote the type of blanket coverage they did to Hillary Clinton's information security practices and Joe Biden's debate performance (as just a few examples) to examining the basic sanity and emotional competence of the Republican nominee for President in 2024.

Nah, if they say anything at all about this, it will be some brief and anodyne and sanitized "Trump questions Harris crowd size" mention in a story about something else or the campaign day.

Again, I live in the nuttiest timeline.

It was the great McDonald's giveaway and some people called it a blunder of major proportions.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mcdonalds-1984-olympics/

My social media has been hijacked by mushroom coffee ads. The ailment has spread to the no pics feed as well. Disturbing, but questions linger after being inundated by these ads. Has anyone tried any of these products? Ryze? Everyday Dose? Is there real relief for gut health/focus/blood sugar regulation/neuropahy? Am I a sucker for possibly wanting to try these products out?Is it all hot air or is there something to this? Curious… what say HBOT?

I'm gonna go 10-2 and think we are up for one of the at large bids.
I think we lose to OSU and one more because we unfortunately do a decent job of losing one game a year we shouldn't. I think that one could be Wis or ISU

More eloquently stated than most.

Spot on.

This is a direct rebuttal of the censorious cowards on this very message board. Not everyone will like this speech because he is talking about some of you.

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It's officially Olympics SZN, even if the opening ceremonies aren't until tomorrow.

11 former and future Hawkeyes, including Spencer Lee, Kennedy Blades, Megan Gustafson, Peter Jok, and many more, are going to be in action in Paris.

Here's the full rundown:

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Absolutely love this idea and the people who will benefit most are far from the mega wealthy that the far left claims are the only people he will help.

I also feel nobody below the age of 18 should pay a penny in taxes either. If you're not old enough to vote then you shouldn't have to pay. Taxation without representation and all that.

Hawkeye offensive lineman Cade Borud, who transferred to Iowa from FCS North Dakota and enrolled as a preferred walk-on in July, was arrested in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, over the weekend for OWI (first offense), according to court records.

According to Polk County records, Borud was taken into custody early Saturday morning, and was released from the Polk County Jail later that morning. Borud was also cited for driving the wrong direction on a two-way highway.

Some of my thoughts, more thought out.

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Now that we're no longer on Caitlin Clark Olympic Defcon 1, my story from yesterday's open practice. Cade's got to do better than 8-24, and he'd probably be the first to tell you that. Don't panic, but maybe pump the brakes.

IOWA CITY — Iowa's annual Kids' Day open practice, held Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, is an opportunity for families to bring their young ones to see a tune-up from the Hawkeyes and snag a few autographs along the way.

Some of the throws by Iowa's quarterbacks Saturday may have sent the parents scrambling to cover their kids' eyes.

Jokes aside, Saturday's game wasn't a cause for panic for the Hawkeyes, who are still adjusting to new offensive coordinator Tim Lester and his playbook, but it was a forceful reminder that the work is still very, very much in progress.

"We're just going to let all three guys keep playing," said head coach Kirk Ferentz after the open practice. "With quarterbacks, you've just got to let them keep playing, see what they can do. We're going to keep giving all three guys good reps."

Thoughts after yesterday's open practice -- Adam, Ross and I hop on and talk the QB situation, OL development, the defense and more.

PODCAST:

Just got my laptop and such set up in the press box. About to head down to the field to get video and photo content today.

I'll have @RossWB and/or @Adam Jacobi share content from Twitter here. I'll also have a photo gallery for you guys once it's all said and done.

One of my favorite days of the year. Let's get after it.

Went out last night because tomorrow nights peak is partly cloudy. Saw a few bigger ones and a lot of smaller ones. Now I'm very tired at work. Was able to capture a bigger one and a few small ones in this picture

What is your all time favorite Stephen King book/movie?

Members of Iowa’s Republican congressional delegation took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend to blame Democratic President Joe Biden’s energy policies for a sudden jump in prices at the pump.





Iowa was one of 26 markets — all of them in the Corn Belt — where the average price of gasoline rose by more than 30 cents per gallon from a week ago. As of Monday, the average price per gallon for gas was $4.047 in Iowa City and $3.995 in Cedar Rapids, according to the fuel price tracking website GasBuddy — a roughly 40-cent increase from the week before.


While the hike was fairly sudden and unexpected, wholesale gasoline prices in the Midwest are starting to stabilize and relief at gas pumps in Iowa should soon follow, according to analysts.



As of Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $3.92 across Iowa according to AAA. That’s up 34 cents from last week’s price and up 51 cents from a year ago. The national average on Wednesday was $3.85, up 5 cents from last week’s price.


Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley took to social media to blame Biden’s “boneheaded energy policies,” namely canceling oil and gas leases issued by Republican former President Donald Trump’s administration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Iowa GOP U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, posted similar tweets.




Democrats, meanwhile, cited reports that gas prices could rise as Russia and Saudi Arabia announced new production cuts.

Analysis​

Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said refinery issues have caused prices to spike in several Corn Belt states. It's not the first time such outages and maintenance have caused temporary spikes.


In 2015, a refinery outage in Whiting, Ind., caused prices in Chicago to skyrocket by 50 cents up to $1 a gallon overnight, while the national average rose only slightly.


DeHaan said the same has occurred in Iowa and surrounding states.


Over the last week, refineries in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Illinois have been struggling due to both scheduled and unexpected maintenance outages, DeHaan said.


A refinery that goes down has contractual obligations to supply certain volumes of gasoline to stations. If an unexpected outage happens, the refinery that goes down suddenly may not have enough supply to meet its obligations and has to find another refinery from which to buy. This can push prices up considerably, as a refinery could be a very large buyer.

​

Timing as well played an issue, being just a week away from a switch over to cheaper winter gasoline, causing a large, but temporary, squeeze in the market, DeHaan said.


As a result, the wholesale price got pulled higher by the fact one refinery was paying well above market rate to secure supply, which then pushes the retail price higher.


“How can you tell that the gas price spike in the Corn Belt has nothing to do with Biden or Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling? If it did, it would be hitting oil prices as well, to the same degree,” DeHaan said.


Crude prices rose slightly, but then dipped Wednesday after earlier hitting a 10-month high, as a surprise build in U.S. crude inventories offset expectations of tight crude supply for the rest of the year.


Mike Terry, president of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, told The Journal Record that due to limited number of U.S. refineries, “any little disruption can make a difference” in pricing.


“Crude oil has been above $70 (a barrel) for several weeks, but we didn’t see a (gasoline) price spike until we had these refinery problems,” Terry told the paper. “There is (plenty of) crude oil. We just don’t have enough availability to refine.”


U.S. oil refineries — which turn crude oil into usable products like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel — have lost capacity in recent years making it difficult to increase supply and stabilize gas prices at the pump, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.


Some refineries closed during the pandemic in 2020, when demand for gasoline took a nose dive with fewer people commuting, traveling and driving. Not all have come back online. The United States had six fewer refineries at the beginning of this year than at the beginning of 2020. Refining capacity in the United States was about a million barrels a day below what it was before the pandemic.


Biden has called on oil companies to boost production, and the country is on track to pump more oil than ever, produce a record amount of natural gas and expand clean energy capacity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects U.S. crude oil production to surpass an all-time high of 12.9 million barrels a day this year and keep growing to exceed 13 million in 2024.


Grassley’s office notes that in January 2021, the national average price of gas sat at $2.39, while Wednesday’s average was $3.85. And gas reached a record high in June 2022, ja year into Biden’s presidency, when the average price soared above $5 a gallon nationally. Within that same time frame, inflation leapt to a 40-year high.


Grassley’s office argues the Biden administration’s actions “project uncertainty on the oil market, which impacts consumer costs and provides producers little room for adaptability.” Continued moves to strip oil and gas leases — like those announced last week in Alaska — further diminish the domestic oil market, his office argued.


“President Biden shutting down access to oil and gas does not bring down the price of gas for Iowans at the pump,” Grassley’s office said.


However, the Trump administration found few takers at its sale of drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — largely because it’s not lucrative to drill in the area with lacking infrastructure, DeHaan said. Regardless, Biden canceling the leases is irrelevant to the argument as the price of oil never reflected oil flowing from the region, he said.


The same with the Keystone pipeline. There still needs to be interest from oil companies in producing oil to fill the pipeline before the loss of the pipeline becomes a reason prices are impacted, he said.


Conclusion


Ultimately, any White House has little control over a global commodity, like the price of crude oil. And because the recent surge in prices has been localized to the Midwest — and without a corresponding increase in crude oil prices — to suggest a White House policy impacted only eight states instead of all 50 comes off as hyperbole.


That seems especially the case when combined with signs that wholesale gasoline prices in the Midwest are starting to stabilize, inventory is up, Biden has called on oil companies to boost production and the policy decisions cited did not impact existing supply that would affect current pricing.


For that, we give the Republican claims about this spike an F.

Shared last week that Brady Koehler and Ryder Frost would be officially visiting Iowa. Spoke with a source about their planned visit dates this morning.
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Democrats have, until recently, spent much of the 2024 election fretting. And high on the list of reasons was the presence of third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who they feared would pull more votes from their side.

Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t just risen in the polls; she has shifted that third-party dynamic. She now does better when you include other candidates.

And there’s increasing evidence that independent candidate Kennedy, in particular — a candidate once elevated by Donald Trump’s allies when he was challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries — is pulling significantly more votes from Trump than Harris.

Since the Democratic ticket turned over from Biden to Harris last month, a half-dozen quality polls have tested both a Trump-Harris matchup and a crowded race that included independent and third-party candidates. In all of them, Harris performed better in the crowded race.


She led by an average of 1.5 points in those head-to-head matchups, and 3.3 points in the crowded fields.
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Just about all of those numbers are within the margin of error, and the shifts are small. But given this is now a half-dozen polls, and that these shifts are among the voters in the same poll, it’s safe to say third-party candidates are now hurting Trump more.

This is also a change from the way third-party candidates affected the race in prior versions of these same polls. The third-party impact as a whole was more evenly distributed than a lot of people appreciated, and Kennedy looked like he was at least threatening to take more from Trump than Biden. But Biden gained ground in only one of the same six polls with the crowded field.

And when you dig into the more recent polls, you begin to see how Kennedy in particular — the only other candidate generally polling higher than 1 percent — is now evidently hurting Trump.


A new Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday is Harris’s best high-quality poll yet. It shows her leading by six points (53 percent to 47 percent) among likely voters in a head-to-head matchup, and by eight points (50-42) when you include third-party candidates.
Kennedy takes just 3 percent of both Democrats and Republicans in the poll, while taking 13 percent of independents. But the independents he takes come at Trump’s expense: Kennedy wins 8 percent of Democratic-leaning independents, compared with 23 percent of Republican-leaning independents.

If you lump Democratic-leaning independents in with Democrats and Republican-leaning independents in with Republicans, Harris loses just five points from her base in a crowded field (dropping from 95 percent to 90 percent), while Trump loses eight points from his (dropping from 94 percent to 86 percent).


The story is similar in a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted shortly after Biden dropped out last month.
The race overall shifted from Trump up one (48-47) in a head-to-head matchup to Harris up one (44-43) in a crowded field. And again, Kennedy voters came more from Trump’s side.
When Kennedy supporters were asked to choose between Trump and Harris, 50 percent chose Trump, while just 21 percent chose Harris. (The other 29 percent either said they didn’t know or refused to answer.)

That’s a shift from the Times/Siena poll in late June and early July, when about as many Kennedy voters came from Trump’s side (40 percent) as Biden’s (38 percent).
Those numbers get at the caveat for Harris in these polls. One way to look at them is that these voters are coming at Trump’s expense and could hurt him in November; another is that they are more predisposed toward him if and when they decide to vote for one of the two major-party candidates — probably bringing the race closer to the head-to-head numbers.


And that’s what generally happens as an election progresses. We’ve already seen the share of third-party voters shrink significantly; Kennedy was polling in the double digits for much of the race, and he’s now averaging about 5 percent. The other candidates — Libertarian Chase Oliver, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West — usually pull 1 percent or less.

But small margins do matter; the last two elections were decided by a point or less in the decisive states. And however large the ultimate impact, you’d rather have these candidates pulling voters from your opponent than you. That appears to be what’s happening right now for Harris.
The initial elevation of Kennedy’s campaign on the right — including by Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon and House Republicans at a hearing last year — is now looking even more like a real potential blunder.