The man you see (indistinctly) in the photo above is Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who spoke before a packed crowd at the Women’s National Republican Club last night on a variety of subjects. Although the invitation I responded to billed the evening as a discussion of sanctuary cities, Vance did not address the topic until prompted by an audience member during the question and answer session, approximately 40 minutes or so after he began speaking.

I can’t say I was surprised by his reluctance to address the subject, despite its topicality. The New York County District Attorney’s office is charged with the prosecution of those who violate the laws of New York State. Those who violate federal law are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York-a point Mr. Vance emphasized when I pressed him on a recent decision to release a violent, self-declared member of MS-13 who was in this country illegally from prison.

That said, his office does occasionally come into contact with illegal immigrants through their encounters with the New York Police Department, which he implicitly acknowledged when he spoke of protecting the status of those who had been victims of crimes while residing in this country illegally. Putting aside the circular logic of this argument, i.e. aren’t predatory criminal aliens, such as the illegal day laborer who murdered acclaimed actress and director Adrienne Shelly, protected under the same umbrella sheltering domestic abuse victims, there is another objection to be raised. Namely, there is already a federal program, known as the U Visa, which ostensibly protects these individuals.

The idea that New York City needs to codify policy which directly conflicts with federal law in order to protect the safety of those in this country illegally is the height of absurdity. To the contrary, these directives actually imperil the lives and safety of those they ostensibly seek to protect-as well as the lives of American citizens-as those criminal aliens who abuse and terrorize their partners and children are given blanket immunity for crimes which would otherwise place them in the deportation pipeline and out of the reach of those whose lives they have destroyed. In fact, after Mr. Vance’s talk had concluded, a (legal) immigrant shared a personal anecdote with me about a hairdresser whose husband had attempted to suffocate her to death, but was allowed to remain in this country-illegally, naturally-even after being brought to the attention of the relevant authorities.

It should be said in Mr. Vance’s defense that he stated categorically that illegal aliens who had committed violent crimes should be deported, which is a far cry from Mayor De Blasio’s stance. However, it’s worth noting that the Manhattan DA is a political post, which is dependent upon the will of the voters, which in this case happened to be a group of New York Republicans. Just as his avowal of support for stop and frisk might have been downplayed before more progressive venues, it’s possible that he might have temporized even more on this subject if speaking to a group like the National Council of La Raza, or the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus.

Overall, the audience was surprisingly receptive to DA Vance’s message, which in retrospect probably shouldn’t have been that surprising. The Republican Party of New York City, but particularly the desiccated husk of a party which still exists in Manhattan, is run primarily by the Rockefeller and Lindsay Republicans who once exercised real power in this city and state. Adele Malpass, who delivered some introductory remarks before Cyrus Vance stepped up to the podium, praised the District Attorney’s efforts to kill a bill which would have prevented the arrest of innocent New Yorkers carrying gravity knives. I’m sure the GOP mainstay who asked him later in the evening what he was doing to crack down on gun dealers appreciated this bold stance against individual rights, but I was left rather unimpressed.

For what it’s worth, I thought the event was worthwhile, despite my many disagreements with Mr. Vance, including his apparent belief that compulsory voting, along the lines of Australia, could serve as a civic inducement. Having a public official willing to submit himself to cross-examination, however circumscribed, by the public is increasingly rare and worthy of praise. Hopefully, the officials responsible for some of the problems we encounter in this city on a daily basis will embrace this willingness to engage the public, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Update: I’m not saying it’s an inside job, but…

Erdogan reaches out. 

The assassin was a member of the riot police, according to Turkey’s interior minister. 

Syrian opposition celebrates the assassination. 

The assailant-now deceased-appears to have been a Turkish policeman. Heckuva job, Erdogan! 

Footage of what appears to be the assassination. 

As if we needed another reason to halt our country’s disastrous involvement in Syria, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was just shot and killed in that nation’s capital. Syria, like Lebanon from 1975-1990, is an irresolvable tinderbox with too many warring factions to enumerate, all of whom-even the Kurds-are committing atrocities. Instead of sending more troops to this charnel house, we should be withdrawing every soldier on the ground and cutting off all military supplies to the jihadist rebels. Instead of following this sensible policy, the lunatics serving in Congress have decided that it would be a swell idea to arm these same Sunni terrorists with weaponry capable of downing civilian aircraft.

Just like in Star Wars, there are no good guys in this conflict. Whether it’s the Russian air force indiscriminately bombing Syrian cities and towns, Iranian proxy Hezbollah attempting to ethnically cleanse Sunni villages, American-backed moderate rebels beheading children, or Syrian Christians facing complete extinction at the hands of emboldened Sunnis, there are no parties to this conflict with clean hands. This country has no strategic interests in Syria, other than thwarting the spread of ISIS-which humanitarian, liberal interventionists have facilitated-and preventing jihadist sleeper cells from establishing roots in American soil through refugee resettlement.

It turns out that the violent Marxist riots targeting Donald Trump and his supporters weren’t the spontaneous upwelling of progressive rage we had been led by the media-those paragons of transparency and fairness-to believe. They were actually carefully orchestrated by people on Hillary Clinton’s payroll. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s just as aghast as you are right now. After all, I’m sure a woman of her character wouldn’t countenance such dirty pool. Never.

P.S. For more illuminating videos produced by James O’Keefe, visit Project Veritas Action. At least, while it’s still legal to do so. I would also recommend reading this piece, which explores Hillary’s complex relationship to the professional agitator Saul Alinsky. 

A couple of news items before tonight’s VP debate:

-The Department of Homeland Security has scotched an investigation into the Clinton family’s bagman, Governor Terry McAuliffe, as well as Hillary’s younger brother, ex repo man/current parasite Tony Rodham. Both men were involved in a scheme to fast-track visa applications under the E-5 investor visa program, which is riddled with corruption and fraud. Of course, when the man accused of facilitating these potentially illegal acts is now the Deputy Secretary of DHS, what more can one expect?

-There were no blockbuster revelations of DNC chicanery or HRC contempt for Bernie supporters at the press conference held by Julian Assange earlier today. However, there was a promise of more disclosures to come, including information bearing on the current presidential race and the machinations of Google, a new media monopoly which continues to use AI as means of manipulating what information is available to the public. In case you were wondering which candidate Google is supporting this election cycle, take a peek at what its former CEO is up to these days.

-Finally, in a bit of good news, the Supreme Court has rejected the Obama administration’s request to rehear a case that put a halt to its unconstitutional administrative amnesty. The 4-4 decision merely serves to reinforce how important the upcoming presidential election is, because the  winner will be able to decide how far he or she is able to abuse the office of the presidency. It’s something else to keep in mind as you watch tonight’s debate.

A few days ago we published a piece explaining then necessity of removing Angela Merkel from the levers of power in Germany. Even as the tentacles of George Soros attempt to brainwash Europeans into complaisantly accepting the ongoing invasion and subversion of their continent, the fact remains that it is European leaders-specifically Merkel-who are responsible for this unprecedented catastrophe. The only way to begin to solve this monumental problem is through the eviction of the woman chiefly responsible for its creation.

That’s why the stunning loss of Merkel’s CDU in home state-and its eclipse by the pro-German, anti-Islamist, just right Alternative for Germany-is such welcome news. Even as the usual organs for self-annihilation make the case that things are not as bad as they seem, the truth remains that this is a stunning rejection of their culturally suicidal ideology. Germans are tired of playing host to violent, frequently murderous, Islamic refugees. They’re sick of hearing stories justifying the sexual emergencies of Muslim pederasts. They’re aghast at the impunity with which Muslim rapists indulge their wicked appetites throughout their country.

This weekend’s election result is simply the latest confirmation of something which most rational human beings already knew. Namely, that the natives are restless. It’s time to recognize that the Visegrad Group was and is absolutely right, and that Angela Merkel’s time-after a decade and  half in which she has irrevocably altered her country for the worse-has drawn to a close.

For those of you who needed confirmation that gleeful Nazi accomplice and evil billionaire George Soros is a real-life, Hungarian version of Emperor Palpatine, wait no more! According to a leaked memo from his Open Society Foundation, the man whose chief source of protein is human misery believes Europeans should accept the refugee crisis, i.e. effacement of their civilization, as the “new normal.” Congratulations, Germany, France, Sweden, and the rest of Western and central Europe, you have decades of taharrush, unexpected jihadist violence, and random crime to look forward to. Don’t forget the trillions of dollars lavished upon new Europeans who will never be able to reciprocate the favor for very obvious reasons.

Imploding welfare states? Endless civil strife which never existed prior to this grand social experiment? Increasing militarization of civil society and diminution of fundamental liberties? A wholesale reversal of the values cemented during the Age of the Enlightenment? Well, that’s just collateral damage in the war for vibrant diversity, isn’t it? Thank you, Francois Hollande. Thank you Pope Francis, Angela Merkel, and Tony Blair. I’m sure future generations of Europeans will realize what a small price to pay these sacrifices were for a world where the Crypt Keeper can ball out for a wedding ceremony to his 40 year-old gold digger, i.e. wife.

Update: Jill Stein, Green Party standard-bearer, drops a pipe bomb. 

The plot thickens. 

A Clinton supporter explains what’s wrong with this decision. 

A less than enthusiastic appraisal of Hillary’s problems by a liberal columnist in D.C. 

Spic ‘n’ Span. 

He said, she said. 

Relevant.

One of the most remarkable admissions during this press conference was that Hillary Clinton was not being punished because she is Hillary Clinton. The final point of Patrick Howley’s analysis is worth committing to memory and bringing up the next time someone starts rhapsodizing about the equal application of the law we have in the United States. 

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy’s reaction to today’s events is worth reading. 

I’m loathe to link to Red State, but this seems like a pretty accurate summation of what occurred a few hours ago. 

In unrelated news. 

A foretaste of what another Clinton presidency will look like. 

 Justice is not blind, evidently. 

Dissenting voices.

14 damning revelations from the Comey presser. 

What just happened, in black and white. The scale of Hillary’s non-negligence is staggering. 

Read Comey’s statement in full at the FBI’s website.

It looks like Judge Mukasey’s instincts were wrong. Watch Director James Comey’s press conference as it happens. Apparently, it’s good to have low friends in high places.

Although there have been numerous global jihadist assaults since my last post-including an unsuccessful attack carried out by a Somali Muslim immigrant in a Texas town forced to accept the resettlement of refugees and the beheading of a Canadian hostage taken by Abu Sayyaf-it’s worth reflecting upon the atrocity which took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Not simply because of the staggering toll-you can read the stories of those who were killed here-but because the post-Orlando political climate is a reflection of our bizarre national discourse at the moment.

While a courageous few are willing to speak truth to power-in the face of censorship by those who feel that the violence of Islam will evaporate once its critics are erased-our esteemed leaders continue to value their narrative of vibrant diversity over real human lives. The only way to combat this disease-which not only threatens our lives but our hard-won freedoms-is to confront it head-on. Share this video-as well that of Milo’s press conference, which begins 12 minutes in-and begin to challenge the insidious lies which ignore a mountain of corpses.

I had the dubious honor of being invited to participate in Good Morning America’s first presidential town hall Monday morning, featuring Senator Cruz and his wife Heidi. Although I did not learn anything new, the experience did reaffirm some preexisting beliefs about both the news media-particularly, the way it frames narratives-as well as Ted Cruz, almost none of them flattering. I suppose you shouldn’t expect much from a segment billed as Coffee with the Candidates, yet I still entered the studio with relatively high expectations, most of which would be dashed over the course of the next hour.

The trouble began with the first audience question, which was asked by an extraordinarily tall, dapper African-American gentleman, who prefaced it with the caveat that he was a former drug dealer/gang member who had, presumably, turned his life around by becoming a youth pastor. I later spotted some copies of his self-published memoir, which he had brought to what was undoubtedly an advantageous marketing opportunity for his business/church. He wanted to know what Senator Cruz would do about those dastardly southern gun dealers who were flooding his community with illegal firearms, relying upon talking points derived from the thoroughly discredited Bloombergian campaign ascribing violent crimes in this city to legal, constitutionally protected businesses.

Lest you think this an aberration, the next question, asked by a gay pizzeria owner, pertained to the recently enacted North Carolina law forbidding the use of certain restrooms by transgendered individuals. A law that, even using the loosest definition of that term, might impact a tenth of one percent of the population of that state-and very few registered Republicans. Granted, there are probably lingering pockets of Rockefeller/Lindsay Republicanism in this city-most likely in neighborhoods like the Silk Stocking District and the tonier parts of Brooklyn Heights, prime Kasich territory based upon last night’s primary results-but the opening sequence of this town hall would give you the impression that they formed the majority-or at the very least, a decisive plurality-of New York State Republicans.

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that this message-broadcast to the rest of the country-was deliberate. Much like the Jeb Bush plant of Internet acclaim, these individuals were carefully vetted by Good Morning America’s producers before being selected to appear on national television. Just as I was vetted before my question-dealing with the negative impact H-1B visas have upon American workers-was rejected. Regardless of whether you are in favor of open borders or support constructive immigration enforcement, the idea that this issue is inconsequential-especially to Republican primary voters-is hard to countenance. However, if you’re a member of the mainstream media, the boutique concerns of leftist members of the press corps must always take precedence over those of conservative Republican voters-even if you are hosting an ostensibly Republican campaign forum.

The natural counter-argument to this is, what do you expect from Bill Clinton hatchet man and Hillary Clinton sycophant George Stephanopoulos and liberal reporter Robin Roberts? That is precisely the point! We have become so desensitized and inured to the media manipulating how we discuss issues of public import, which issues we discuss, and what weight we give to those issues, that we have forgotten how divorced these “gatekeepers” are from the reality of most Americans’ lives. While the triviality of a question about ‘New York values’ and a lightning round consisting exclusively of non-political ephemera is to be expected from a show like GMA, we should demand that at least a few questions have some bearing on the concerns of ordinary, conservative Republican voters.

The 15-20 million illegal aliens who are lobbying for political representation in Washington, to say nothing of the tens of millions of legal immigrants who already wield a decisive influence over our electoral process, and the priorities of America’s chief news organs are not wholly unrelated. The media narratives that we blithely accept have disastrous, if largely unacknowledged, consequences for our country, problems which Senator Cruz purportedly hopes to address. However, it’s hard to see how that will happen if we don’t confront the root of the problem. The pervasive political correctness and distortion of the meaning of words, the veil of dissimulation, which obscures what’s wrong with our government. We can’t make any progress until we first deal with this massive impediment to honest discussion.

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss my thoughts on Ted and Heidi Cruz.