Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Joel Kotkin took a vacation to Italy to find fascism and found conservatism instead

Joel Kotkin, RealClearInvestigations 
 
In today’s Italy, some outlets like The Guardian label the present government of Giorgia Meloni as the doyenne of what it describes as “neo-fascism.” They see in her politics a savvy, gradualist way to restore the Mussolini-era patriarchy and strong, controlling state.
 
Although her party has its roots in a political descendant of the fascist regime, there is little evidence of what historian Simonetta Falasca-Zamboni has described as “fascist spectacle.” There are few Meloni posters, much less statues in Rome or elsewhere. She does not hold the kind of massive show-of-strength rallies that Mussolini and Hitler specialized in. Unlike Mussolini, she has no cadre of violent “Blackshirts” to impose the party’s will. 

Meloni’s governing philosophy, instead, is traditionalist and conservative. Like others in the European “far right,” she is protective of the vast Italian welfare state and not willing to rock the boat of what is, whatever its political coloration, a profoundly conservative country. Leftists do not fear criticism of her will land them in jail. Actually, the rising censorship in Britain and the EU is applied to those who challenge progressive assumptions. When Meloni’s proposed judicial reform was voted down, Meloni dutifully accepted the results. “She’s basically a Christian Democrat,” Rome-based economist Veronica De Romanis told me. “Stability is her main goal.” ... 

OMG not THAT idiot

 Trump picks housing Dir. Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief, replacing Tulsi Gabbard

 

But speaking of idiots, just how does one become a former scion anyway?



 

Monday, June 1, 2026

The communist New York Times favors State of Massachusetts dictation of minimum lot sizes, the very same idea bipartisan legislators are keen to impose on Michigan residents

 ... For decades, the state government has ceded control over housing policy to its 351 cities and towns. When it comes to housing policy, the state of Massachusetts is often a bystander, allowing town governments to impose classic “not in my backyard” policies. ... The initiative would prevent many towns from setting needlessly large minimums for lot sizes and effectively blocking the construction of middle-class homes. The campaign, Legalize Starter Homes, is now trying to gather the nearly 12,500 signatures it needs before June 17 to place the measure on the ballot. We endorse the initiative. ... The initiative would create a statewide minimum of 5,000 square feet, which is about the size of a basketball court, and bar towns from setting their own standards. ...

That's less than 1/8 acre lol.

The editorial is here

Yuri Zhivago once had his "too big" house taken away from him by the communists, too, to make room for thirteen families:


 

 

Befuddled old man who once insisted on unconditional surrender doesn't know what to do anymore

Sad! 

 Trump tells CNBC: ‘I don’t care’ if Iran negotiations are over 

... But when asked if he has reached out to NATO to participate in reopening the strait, Trump said, “They would if I wanted them to, but I’m not sure I want them to.” ...

 



 

I hate the greedy bastards of summer

 


In March Pete Hegseth couldn't decide if Iran's military was merely decimated or totally devastated, and now Trump tells us Iran's military wasn't really hurt at all

 Humpty Dumpty says words mean whatever he says they mean.

Meanwhile I'm quite certain nine in ten members of Iran's military prefer decimation to devastation. 

 





 

Tim Carney doesn't mention why the bad polling results for Republicans and Trump on the economy started already in May 2025

The word "tariff" does not appear in this column lol.

  

... But the bad polling trends for Republicans and Trump generally started late last year, before the attack on Iran. The right-track-wrong track numbers started souring last May.

It’s reasonable then to suspect that Trump’s other problems — including stubborn inflation (aside from gas prices) and his family’s sketchy business dealings — are harming the GOP. This pre-Iran trend also suggests that the numbers won’t simply reverse if the Strait of Hormuz reopens and gas prices fall.

The Republican Party’s problem is deeper than gas prices, and so things won’t get better before November. The only question is whether things get worse.

Oh yeah, Iran wants to make a deal so badly it now threatens to shut down the Red Sea on top of the Persian Gulf

U.S. intercepts Iran missiles targeting American forces in Kuwait: CENTCOM 

Treasury yields rise after Iran reportedly stops communication with U.S.  

 U.S. oil jumps more than 7% on report Iran will halt talks with U.S. and completely block Hormuz

U.S. oil prices jumped nearly 8% Monday, after Iranian state media said Tehran will halt talks with the U.S. and completely close the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. ...

Tehran will completely block the Strait of Hormuz and open other fronts including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Tasnim reported. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a trade chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. ... 

Former Fed Chair Jerome Powell accepts Profile in Courage Award

 Fed’s Powell warns Trump’s political ‘stress test’ will wreck public trust in central bank

... “If any administration finds a ​way to remove Fed officials ​over policy differences, then ⁠future administrations will do so as well,” Powell said while accepting the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. “The public would lose faith that the central bank will make decisions based only on what’s best for all Americans.” ... 

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Middle East tanker transits May 24-30, 2026 per UKMTO JMIC Update 52: Strait of Hormuz 1.7/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 16.1/day

SoH E: 0.7/day

BAM SE: 7.3/day 


Newsweek's broadest case against Trump economy doomers is real GDP per capita lol

 

Gold and silver are still up 5+% year to date

 SPX +10.52% ytd

WTI +53.11% ytd

 

Meanwhile in April: 

Hamburger +18.9% yoy

Coffee +29.0% yoy

Unleaded regular gasoline +28.0% yoy

Electricity +7.2% yoy

Natural gas +3.1% yoy

[Trump 9/21/2024: "We will cut your energy prices in half. Mark it down . . . within 12 months . . ."] 

Milk +1.5% yoy

Whole Chicken -1.6% yoy 

Eggs -56.1% yoy

Tomatoes +50.0% yoy

 

And: 

30-year mortgage average monthly, above 6% since August 2022

Full time jobs above 50% of population just 6 of the last 25 quarters, all under Joe Biden


 

In pop culture news, on Friday's show some perversion was more equal than other perversion: Hot For Teacher 1984 was definitely just fine, 1978's Hot Child In The City . . . not so much


 


The MAGA Marxist wants more stimulus checks

 


The two-week ceasefire will be two months old next week


 

 Trump ends Iran meeting without announcing ‘final determination’ on deal

U.S. and Iran still without deal to end war after Trump says he’s not in a ‘hurry’ 

Because he's Mad King Ludwig, that's why


 

 Fentanyl BAAAAAAAAAAD, Ecstasy GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

 Why Trump reversed course to fast-track psychedelic drugs for mental healthcare

Just about everything ships by diesel in the United States, and the price of it is up 59% since Mad King Ludwig was elected in November 2024

$3.52 > $5.60