Donald Trump Seals His Election in the Electoral College (VIDEO)

The biggest drama surrounding this whole thing is how the far-left has sought to destroy and delegitimize the process. It's never been disrupted like this.

But Trump's sealed his election with the vote today around the nation.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Trump officially gets 270th electoral vote, sealing his election as president."



And at the Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Wins Enough Electoral Votes to Become President."

And this is actually hilarious:

Monday’s Electoral College proceedings drew a record number of votes for candidates other than Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton. That reflected the lingering deep divisions within the country that played out during an election season in which Mr. Trump won more electoral votes, but trailed Mrs. Clinton in the popular vote. At least seven electors defied the will of the voters in their states—a number not seen in roughly a century and a half.

Two Texas Republican electors cast ballots for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul. On the Democratic side, four Washington state electors refused to cast ballots for Mrs. Clinton and her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine. Three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, while one cast a ballot for Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle. In Hawaii, one Democratic elector also cast a ballot for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In the vice-presidential vote, the Washington vote was even more unusual, with electors casting votes for a trio of female U.S. senators: Democrats Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maria Cantwell of Washington, as well as Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine. Another elector cast a ballot for Winona LaDuke, an environmental activist. One Texas Republican voted for former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina on the vice-presidential ballot. Another Hawaii elector also voted for Ms. Warren.

Several other attempts by electors to cast ballots for alternative candidates were unsuccessful. Democratic electors in Colorado and Maine tried to cast votes for Mr. Sanders. In Maine, the elector was ordered to vote again, while in Colorado the elector was replaced with an alternate...

Still more.

Soner Cagaptay, The New Sultan

From Soner Cagaptay, a Turkish-American political scientist based in Washington, The New Sultan: Erdogan and the Crisis of Modern Turkey.

Bella Thorne on the Beach in Miami

At London's Daily Mail, "Newly single Bella Thorne was seen on a romantic outing with Charlie Puth on Sunday in Miami."

Universal Basic Income in Finland

Well, I'm not sold.

The idea is that current welfare rules prohibit part-time workers from receiving benefits, but if you lift the rules and provide a basic income, that'll free up people to get out and work.

Okay, as long as the monthly checks aren't too big. If you give people too much money, they won't want to work. It's human nature.

Interesting, in any case, especially in how leftists just love it. There's a failure of capitalism, and all that.

At NYT:

Free Cash in Finland. Must Be Jobless. (Universal basic income, a bad idea.) https://t.co/tWXRPbLcTr

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 19, 2016

At Least Nine Dead as Truck Plows Through Berlin Christmas Market (VIDEO)

Well, it's not like I was expecting a slow news day, or anything.

There's video at Fox News, "Police: At least 9 dead after truck slams into Berlin market," and MSNBC, "Truck Runs Into Berlin Crowd, Many Killed."

Also, at USA Today, "At least 9 dead after truck slams into Berlin market."

At the Wall Street Journal, "Truck Rams Berlin Christmas Market, Killing Nine and Injuring at Least 50":

BERLIN—A truck drove onto the sidewalk at a Christmas market in the German capital on Monday, killing nine people and injuring at least 50, police said.

A semi-trailer drove onto the sidewalk near Breitscheidplatz in Charlottenburg, a tony district in West Berlin, at about 8 p.m., a spokeswoman for the Berlin police said. After hitting the people, the truck swerved back into the street where it came to a stop, the spokeswoman said.

The circumstances of the incident weren’t immediately clear, but a security official said authorities believe it was a deliberate act. One person, suspected to be the truck driver, has been arrested, a police spokesman said on German television. A passenger in the truck died in the incident, he said.

The crash took place at the site of the Christmas market in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a popular site for tourists...

Also, at Pamela's, "Truck PLOWS into crowded CHRISTMAS Market in Berlin, 9 DEAD, 50 INJURED IN TERROR ATTACK."

And at the Guardian U.K., "Berlin truck crash: 'suspicious person' arrested after nine killed at Christmas market – live: Unclear whether incident at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz in which ‘many’ also injured is terrorist-related, according to reports."

Plus, at Telegraph U.K., "Berlin terror attack: at least nine dead, 50 injured as truck ploughs into crowd at Christmas market."

Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, Assassinated in Ankara (VIDEO)

Oh boy.

I'm just now logging onto the news, and it's not good.

There's video at Ruptly, "Turkey: Assassination of Russian ambassador caught on camera," and CNN, "Turkish media: Russian ambassador shot."

Also at ABC News, "Russian Ambassador Killed by Gunman RAW VIDEO."

At the Telegraph U.K., "Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov shot dead by police officer in Ankara who shouted 'Aleppo, revenge'":

Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was shot dead on Monday by an assassin who told him: “We die in Aleppo, you die here.”

The gunman – an off-duty policeman – opened fire at an art gallery in Ankara as Andrei Karlov was making a speech, then stood triumphantly over his body shouting “revenge for Syria and Aleppo”.

Photographs taken by an Associated Press photographer who kept his finger on the shutter while others dived for cover captured the aftermath of a murder which Russia described as a “terrorist act”.

The murder followed days of protests in Turkey over Russia’s role in Syria as a backer of President Bashar al-Assad and came on the eve of talks in Moscow about the future of Syria involving Russia, Iran and Turkey, which will still go ahead today.

The Turkish foreign ministry insisted it would not allow the murder to “cast a shadow” over Turkey’s improving relations with Russia.

The killer was named on Monday night as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old riot squad police officer who has been based in Ankara for the past two years.

He shouted “Allahu Akbar” – God is great – as he pulled the trigger, but was unclear whether he was inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) or the rebels who have finally been crushed in Aleppo after four years of war.

Reports in Turkey suggested he recited a message in Arabic similar to a phrase associated with the rebel group Al Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

He was shot dead by police in a shoot-out that lasted 15 minutes. Three other people were wounded in the attack.

President Putin spoke on the phone to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the shooting and Moscow said it was “a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy”.

Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, had entered a diplomatic crisis when the Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet in November 2015, but in recent months Mr Putin and Mr Erdogan have been in regular contact, and have held talks about a general ceasefire in Syria.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We qualify what happened as a terrorist act. The murderers will be punished.

"Today this issue will be raised at the UN Security Council. Terrorism will not win out."

More.

Also at Memeorandum.

ADDED: At Pamela's, "“Allahu Akbar!” Jihad Assassin of Russian Ambassador was Member of Erdogan’s Special Ops."

Poland's 'Neo-Dark Age' (VIDEO)

I swear, it's not the end of the world.

But for leftists, everything's crashing down. Populism is the same as Nazism to them, and they can't handle it.

Our best bet would be to just crush the left, then we wouldn't have to entertain all the progressive sky-is-falling hand-wringing.

At WaPo, "In Poland, a window on what happens when populists come to power":

WARSAW — The Law and Justice Party rode to power on a pledge to drain the swamp of Polish politics and roll back the legacy of the previous administration. One year later, its patriotic revolution, the party proclaims, has cleaned house and brought God and country back to Poland.

Opponents, however, see the birth of a neo-Dark Age — one that, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to move into the White House, is a harbinger of the power of populism to upend a Western society. In merely a year, critics say, the nationalists have transformed Poland into a surreal and insular place — one where state-sponsored conspiracy theories and de facto propaganda distract the public as democracy erodes.

In the land of Law and Justice, anti-intellectualism is king. Polish scientists are aghast at proposed curriculum changes in a new education bill that would downplay evolution theory and climate change and add hours for “patriotic” history lessons. In a Facebook chat, a top equal rights official mused that Polish hotels should not be forced to provide service to black or gay customers. After the official stepped down for unrelated reasons, his successor rejected an international convention to combat violence against women because it appeared to argue against traditional gender roles.

Over the weekend, Warsaw convulsed in street protests amid allegations that the Law and Justice party had illegally forced through a budget bill even as it sought to restrict media access to Parliament.

Cheered on by religious conservatives, the new government has defunded public assistance for in vitro fertilization treatments. To draft new sexual-education classes in schools, it tapped a contraceptives opponent who argues that condom use increases the risk of cancer in women. The government is proffering a law that critics say could soon be used to limit opposition protests.

Yet nothing has shocked liberals more than this: After a year in power, Law and Justice is still by far the most popular political party in Poland. It rides atop opinion polls at roughly 36 percent — more than double the popularity of the ousted Civic Platform party.

“The people support us,” boasted Adam Bielan, Law and Justice’s deputy speaker of the Senate.

The party's a little hardcore for me, but like I said, it's not the end of the world. If at least a third of the voters support them, then in fact we're looking a democracy in action. Call me back when Auschwitz starts firing up the ovens again.

Still more.

Sorry Global Warming Alarmists, the Earth is Cooling

From Peter Ferrara, at Forbes (via Sarah Hoyt, at Instapundit):

Climate change itself is already in the process of definitively rebutting climate alarmists who think human use of fossil fuels is causing ultimately catastrophic global warming. That is because natural climate cycles have already turned from warming to cooling, global temperatures have already been declining for more than 10 years, and global temperatures will continue to decline for another two decades or more.

That is one of the most interesting conclusions to come out of the seventh International Climate Change Conference sponsored by the Heartland Institute, held last week in Chicago. I attended, and served as one of the speakers, talking about The Economic Implications of High Cost Energy...

Keep reading.

Amber Lee's Cold Overnight Forecast

Very chilly when I woke up this morning.

I wrapped up with a blanket, put the coffee on, and pumped up the central heating, heh.

Here's the lovely Ms. Amber:

William Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears [BUMPED]

Professor Wilson's work is increasingly in vogue. Lots of folks are citing it, from J.D. Vance to Katherine S. Newman and Hella Winston.

I have a copy of the book on my living room bookshelf.

Time to crack it out again!

At Amazon, William Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor.

Hunting Gift Guide

Heh.

For the holidays, at Amazon, Hunting Gift Guide - Sports and Outdoors.

And check this, UTG 547 Law Enforcement Tactical Vest, Black.

More, UTG Ambi 24/7 Cross Body Shoulder Vital Sling Pack, Black.

Russian Supermodel Anne V Remembers 7 Years with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (VIDEO)

Now this is one Russian I can dig, heh.

Anne Sergeyevna Vyalitsyna for Sports Illustrated.

Indeed, she's been with the swimsuit issue for 10 years total, 2005–14.

Alexa Chung LOVE Advent 2016 (VIDEO)

The latest installment, with Alexa Chung:

'The Art of the Deal' Surging in Popularity Since Donald Trump's Election

Now a #1 Bestseller at Amazon, and among the Top 100 books.

 See Donald Trump, Trump: The Art of the Deal.

Hat Tip: CNN.

Donald Trump is a best-selling author again. "The Art of the Deal" has skyrocketed in popularity since his election https://t.co/ML1yslDDcH pic.twitter.com/5ntiqkBHER

— CNN (@CNN) December 15, 2016

If More Journalists Would Just Listen to Middle America...

Another great piece from Salena Zito, at the Washington Examiner, "Two things Democrats, and the media, should do to understand Trump":

Two things Democrats, and the media, should do to understand Trump https://t.co/S0Py1BGmTa by @SalenaZito pic.twitter.com/ewYlv5XGjd

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 18, 2016

NEW YORK — The glass revolving doors of Trump Tower were doing what they have done every day since Donald Trump became the president-elect of the United States: briskly allowing a steady stream of mostly tourists from the interior of the country get a glimpse, sometimes longer, of the comings and goings of the man and his Cabinet members who will soon govern this country.

"The energy of the people who come just to stand behind the ropes is sort of unbelievable," said one of two New York City fireman charged with keeping an eye on things in the lobby of the building where the president-elect has been going about the business of putting his government together for his January inauguration.

"If you see Mr. Trump can you please tell him that the Murphys' from Minnesota wish him good luck and that we pray for him?" a gentleman told one of the police officers as he and his wife strolled past the elevators where Trump, his children, future Cabinet members, U.S. senators, members of Congress, business leaders, a former vice president and a rapper have all taken the golden elevators to the 26th floor.

Carlos, from Florida, a third-generation Hispanic American also wanted to pass on good wishes to the Trump family, as he lingered with his family in the lobby, "We saved up to come to New York for Christmas for the first time, I wanted my family to see the best city in America, first place we stop is here to maybe see the next president," he told an officer standing off to the left of the gold elevators.


"It's like that all day long," the fire chief said, adding, "To be honest I didn't know what to expect during the transition process, but honestly the well-wishers come from all over and really just want him to know they are behind him," he said.

It's not exactly the same reception that Trump is getting from those who opposed him, loathed him, still have not accepted that he has won the election and worse yet still have not understood why he won.

They have blamed Russian interference and James Comey's letter for Hillary Clinton's loss; yes the Russians have appeared to interfere and yes Comey's letter was damning to Clinton, but if we all had the ability to be honest with ourselves the DNC emails and the Comey hesitation only reinforced people's view of Clinton's character whether for or against her.

In short, if more journalists had spent time in Middle America, they would have understood that this election wasn't decided at the last moment...

Keep reading.

I Sent Corrections to USA Today

I found errors at this piece:

#GOP electors targeted with $500K ad buy in final anti-#Trump push. https://t.co/Y0tTSDrKe4

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 18, 2016

I tweeted:

@HeidiPrzybyla They're not quoting the Constitution. They're quoting the Federalist. Also coalition is singular at first graf. @USATODAY

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 18, 2016

USA Today revised the piece, correcting a statement about quoting the Constitution to quoting the Federalist Papers, but the first paragraph still has a problem with subject/verb agreement:

A coalition of outside groups seeking to pressure Republican members of the Electoral College to vote against Donald Trump are sinking half a million dollars into a final ad buy in all 50 states.

The "coalition" is the subject." The verb should be "is."

I tweeted again. We'll see if they correct the error.

@HeidiPrzybyla Still got subject verb (dis) agreement at the piece. The subject in first graf is the "coalition," verb is "is."@USATODAY

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 19, 2016

Video of Oklahoma Sooners Running Back Joe Mixon Punching Woman

At USA Today, "Video released of OU's Mixon punching woman."

He broke her jaw. She was on the floor for minutes.

A black athlete beating a white woman. You'd think you'd be hearing more about that angle as well, not just the violence against women. Violence against women is part of black hip hop culture, but to raise the point would "racist."

Donald Trump Can End the War on Cops

It's Heather Mac Donald, at the Wall Street Journal.

And here's her awesome book, at Amazon, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

Jonathan M. Ladd, Why Americans Hate the Media

At Amazon, Jonathan M. Ladd, Why Americans Hate the Media and How It Matters.

We should be seeing a raft of books like this in the years ahead. The mainstream media's collapsing.

Deal of the Day: Up to 50% Off Kate Spade Handbags

At Amazon, Kate Spade Handbags.

And see, Kate Spade Cobble Hill Lacey Wallet, Black/Cement, One Size.

Also, Neato XV-21 Robotic Vacuum, Black (Certified Refurbished).

More, M*A*S*H: The Complete Series + Movie.

Plus, Shop Amazon Basics - Luggage.

Shop Books.

BONUS: Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton.