Charles F. Wilkinson, Blood Struggle

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Charles F. Wilkinson, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations.

Jennifer Delacruz's Warm Weekend Forecast

Well, it sure did warm up today. A perfect day for the beach.

Should be spectacular tomorrow as well.

What Defines a Democrat?

Well, cultural Marxism, of course.

But apparently old-fashioned Marxism still has some pull, heh.

At the New York Times, "At a ‘Unity’ Stop in Nebraska, Democrats Find Anything But":

NEW: The left's biggest star is a class warrior, while Dems increasingly are defined by culture.

The collision >https://t.co/KkqkepRgvj

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) April 22, 2017

WASHINGTON — Rarely has a municipal election in a midsize city ignited such a fierce national debate over what defines a Democrat. But the election this spring for mayor of Omaha is pitting abortion rights activists against economic populists and threatening the party’s unity as it regroups to confront President Trump.

Part of the twist: The populist side’s standard-bearer, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is not even a Democrat.

“This is very raw,” said Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, conceding that “after the presidential election, there is still this ongoing debate about identity politics versus economic opportunity.”

Mr. Sanders and the new leadership of the Democratic National Committee touched a party sore spot this week when they took their “Unity Tour” to Omaha to rally for a mayoral candidate who opposes abortion rights. Mr. Sanders, repurposing the themes of his presidential bid, told a crowd of about 6,000 on Thursday night that the candidate, Heath Mello, 37, would be a future star in the Democratic Party who could help break the grip of big money on the nation’s politics.

Ilyse Hogue, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, a prominent abortion rights advocacy group, called it a betrayal, especially of the women who have fueled the “resistance” that has energized Democrats since Mr. Trump’s unexpected triumph.

“It tells your most active political base that we’re just negotiable political property,” Ms. Hogue said of the statement sent by Mr. Sanders and Representative Keith Ellison, the Democratic National Committee’s new deputy chairman, who appeared with Mr. Mello. “Since the election, women have been engaged on the front lines of every progressive fight. So what message does it send for the party to start this tour with an anti-choice candidate?”

Mr. Mello, a practicing Catholic, supported a Nebraska State Senate bill requiring that women be informed of their right to request a fetal ultrasound before an abortion. The anger over that position reflects a long-running argument among Democrats over whether, or how much, to support candidates who depart from party orthodoxy on abortion.

But the ferocity of the dispute this time reveals a much deeper debate on the left: Should a commitment to economic justice be the party’s central and dominant appeal, or do candidates also have to display fealty to the Democrats’ cultural catechism?

An Omaha mayoral election on May 9 may seem an unlikely place for this fight to play out, but a collision was inevitable. Despite being the most sought-after Democrat in the country today, Mr. Sanders is actually an independent and self-described democratic socialist animated chiefly by class uplift. But the clamor for his attention comes as the party is increasingly defined by its positions on issues related to race, gender and sexuality.

The wounds from his clash with Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary clearly have yet to heal, in large part because the overarching debate between them has yet to be reconciled.

Mr. Sanders has emerged as the most popular active politician in America, according to a new survey by Harvard University and Harris Insights and Analytics, and his presence is demanded in Democratic campaigns no matter the political tint of the region. Yet his recent moves have infuriated some progressives.

First, Mr. Sanders campaigned with Tom Perriello, the Virginia Democratic candidate for governor who supported some anti-abortion measures during a single term in Congress (though Mr. Perriello has apologized for doing so).

Then Mr. Sanders pointedly declined to campaign for Jon Ossoff, a Democrat running for an open House seat outside Atlanta, deeming him insufficiently populist. (Mr. Sanders issued a statement on Friday offering his support for Mr. Ossoff.) Not only is the Ossoff race the highest-profile campaign of the moment, but the Republican nominee, Karen Handel, is loathed by the abortion rights movement for her role as an official at the Susan G. Komen foundation in separating that group, the nation’s largest breast cancer organization, from Planned Parenthood.

Then Mr. Sanders arrived in Omaha for Mr. Mello, after persuading the Democratic National Committee to make the rally a part of a party-sanctioned tour.

Coming against the backdrop of Mr. Trump’s election and the wave of new, female-led activism in opposition to a leader they believe is a repugnant misogynist, many female progressive leaders are adamant about keeping reproductive rights front and center. And they see the matter of Mr. Mello as an opportunity to send a statement to the party’s leadership.

“It is incredibly important that people within the progressive movement and Democratic Party realize that women are sick of this” stuff, said Erin Matson, a Virginia-based abortion rights activist, “and we’re not going to take it anymore.” (She used a more pungent word than “stuff.”) “What Bernie doesn’t seem to realize,” she added, “is that the abortion rights movement has really bucked up and gotten some tough ovaries in the last couple of years.”

Tom Perez, the party’s newly elected chairman, had been campaigning with Mr. Ossoff in Georgia when Mr. Sanders was in Nebraska. But in interviews leading up to the event, Mr. Perez was unapologetic about supporting Mr. Mello, who has recently said that although he personally opposed abortion, he would uphold abortion rights as mayor...

Actually, I don't think you can be a pro-life Democrat. These people are all about killing babies. If you're pro-life, you're out.

But keep reading.

Samantha Hoopes in Curaçao (VIDEO)

She's so beautiful.

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit:

Edward Lazarus, Black Hills/White Justice

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Edward Lazarus, Black Hills/White Justice: The Sioux Nation Versus the United States — 1775 to the Present.

The Left is Going Nuts Over Sarah Palin, Kid Rock, and Ted Nugent

Here's Ken Taylor on Facebook:

The left is going nuts over the picture of Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent pointing and smirking at the offical portrait of the Hildabeast during a recent visit for dinner with the President at The White House calling them disrespectful. Just think how they'd react if most of us saw the same picture and what we would do while looking at it! hahaha...

President Trump's dinner invitation to Sarah Palin included guests. So she brought Kid Rock and Ted Nugent. https://t.co/8bPBRGAopD

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 20, 2017

You can read leftist comments at Eschaton.

Also, read all about it at Memeornadum, "Sarah Palin visits White House with Kid Rock, Ted Nugent.

Florida State Senator Frank Artiles Resigns

He probably should have resigned, considering that nasty alcohol-fueled rant he unleashed.

Yeah, he got caught in the web of political correctness, but I have the feeling that the alcohol just worked like a truth serum for him, and out came some nasty bigoted thoughts from deep inside. He even called fellow Republicans "niggas."

I just don't know sometimes. Some things are just about basic human decency, not politics.

At the Miami Herald, "Miami lawmaker resigns over racial slur scandal."

Leftism 'Weaponized' Berkeley Antifa Girl Emily Rose Mitchell (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Emily Rose Mitchell."

Don't miss this Ezra Levant commentary on Ms. Emily's radical leftist transformation, at the Rebel, "#Moldylocks: Learn who weaponized Berkeley Antifa girl."

Marine Le Pen Gaining Support After Paris Terror Attack

As soon as I heard news of the attack, I knew Marine Le Pen would get a boost, and it's true.

At Newsweek, "FRENCH ELECTION LATEST POLLS: MARINE LE PEN GAINING SUPPORT AFTER PARIS SHOOTING." (There's auto-play video on that one, so turn down your volume before you click.)

My hunch is she'll make it to the May 7th runoff vote, and then the other parties and factions will join in a coalition against her. The idea that the so-called "far-right" candidate could win sends establishment wussies into convulsions. Daily Beast reporter Christopher Dickey is on video at France 24 whining about how if Le Pen wins, "it's the end of the world as we know it."

BONUS: At Pamela's, "PRO-ISLAMIC STATE (ISIS) NOTE FOUND NEAR BODY OF PARIS MUSLIM TERRORIST WHO OPENED FIRE, KILLING POLICE OFFICER, WOUNDING TWO OTHERS."

'Fight Inequality!' is a Poor Rallying Cry

Americans aren't that bothered by inequality.

Leftists are bothered. Normal people, not so much.

From Tyler Cowen, at Bloomberg View:

It seems Americans don't really mind inequality all that much https://t.co/ulNTitGjhP pic.twitter.com/32J85c8wbU

— Bloomberg View (@BV) April 20, 2017

Jennifer Delacruz's Beautiful Sunshine Forecast

It's warming up for the weekend, and it's going to be just wonderful.

And here's the wonderful lovely Ms. Jennifer, for ABC News 10 San Diego:

U.C. Berkeley Flip-Flops on Ann Coulter Speech (VIDEO)

There's video of Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks here.

And see Bloomberg, "U.C. Berkeley Flip-Flops on Ann Coulter, Proposes May Date."

Coulter appeared on Tucker Carlson's yesterday:

Eric Hinderaker and Peter C. Mancall, At the Edge of Empire

At Amazon, Eric Hinderaker and Peter C. Mancall, At the Edge of Empire: The Backcountry in British North America.

During the course of the seventeenth century, Europeans and Native Americans came together on the western edge of England's North American empire for a variety of purposes, from trading goods and information to making alliances and war. This blurred and constantly shifting frontier region, known as the backcountry, existed just beyond England's imperial reach on the North American mainland. It became an area of opportunity, intrigue, and conflict for the diverse peoples who lived there.

In At the Edge of Empire, Eric Hinderaker and Peter C. Mancall describe the nature of the complex interactions among these interests, examining colorful and sometimes gripping instances of familiarity and uneasiness, acceptance and animosity, and cooperation and conflict, from individual encounters to such vast undertakings as the Seven Years' War. Over time, the European settlers who established farms and trading posts in the backcountry displaced the region's Native inhabitants. Warfare and disease each took a horrifying toll across Indian country, making it easier for immigrants to establish themselves on lands once peopled only by Native Americans. Eventually, these pioneers established economically, culturally, and politically self-sufficient communities that increasingly resented London's claims of sovereignty. As Hinderaker and Mancall show, these resentments helped to shape the ideals that guided the colonists during the American Revolution.

The first book in a new Johns Hopkins series, Regional Perspectives on Early America, At the Edge of Empire explores one of British America's most intriguing regions, both widening and deepening our understanding of North America's colonial experience.

Bill O'Reilly Put Fox News on the Map — What's Next?

A nice piece.

At the Los Angeles Times, "He helped build Fox News into a juggernaut. What's next for Bill O'Reilly?":

Bill O’Reilly has long been an imposing presence in cable news and the so-called culture wars.

The 6-foot, 4-inch former high school history teacher from Long Island demonstrated that a strong opinion could translate into a powerful platform and big profits long before social media — or even President Trump — was a thing. O’Reilly helped boost Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel into a $1-billion-plus-a-year business.

But in the wake of his dismissal Wednesday over allegations of sexual harassment, it remains to be seen whether the scandal would mortally wound his reputation or dent his business prospects.

“He had a massive megaphone to talk to the people — and that has been taken away,” said Fred Cook, director of the USC Center of Public Relations at the Annenberg School. “I think he's a little like Donald Trump in that he has a loyal following. Those hardcore supporters will continue to support him and may even be more supportive of him after this.”

O’Reilly, who has been on vacation for the last week, including a visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican, has asserted that the allegations that he sexually harassed women who appeared on his show are “unfounded.” Parent company 21st Century Fox said in a statement: “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel.”

It is a harsh fall from grace for one of television’s most bankable stars. “The O’Reilly Factor” long has been one of the most popular programs on cable TV, this year averaging 4 million viewers an episode, according to ratings company Nielsen.

O’Reilly masterfully turned his Fox News bully pulpit into a springboard for his publishing pursuits. He is one of the country's most popular nonfiction authors with his “Killing Lincoln,” “Killing Kennedy” and “Killing Jesus” books, several of which have been made into TV movies on the National Geographic Channel (also owned by Fox).

O’Reilly’s “Killing” series books have consistently sold 1 million or more copies in hardcover, a rare achievement in publishing. He had other best-sellers, including “Bill O’Reilly: Culture Warrior,” the memoir “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity” and his most recent work, “Old School,” which includes passages urging the respectful treatment of women.

“His show was a massive platform for him and supported everything he's doing,” Cook said. “It will be harder for him to reach the same number of people.”

In recent years, the 67-year-old TV host and author mentioned during various talk show appearances that he would eventually slow down. But he remained busy outside his Fox News studio. He has headlined live shows around the country with comedian Dennis Miller called “The Spin Stops Here Tour,” which is still scheduled to make stops in Baltimore, Las Vegas and Anaheim later this year.

“This [scandal] has definitely hurt his brand in the broad sense, but he will undoubtedly bounce back,” said Marlene Morris Towns, an adjunct marketing professor at Georgetown University in Washington. “He will find a home because his super-loyal fan base will still support him.”

Industry insiders suggested that O’Reilly might concentrate his efforts on his books and turning them into TV movies. O'Reilly and coauthor Martin Dugard are due to release another book in the “Killing” series in September, and a spokeswoman for publisher Henry Holt and Co. said that plans had not changed.

Some suggested he could earn big fees by hitting the speaking circuit. And others said he might even re-create some of his cable news success with a show on radio or an upstart Internet streaming service.

O’Reilly also could resurface as a commentator on traditional television, such as for the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group, a Maryland TV station chain that has shown an appetite for owning TV content and this month hired Trump’s former spokesman, Boris Epshteyn, to be its chief political analyst. (A Sinclair executive could not be reached for comment)...

More.

And click on at the video above, which features Kirsten Powers discussing her relationship with O'Reilly (she left "The Factor" as a guest for three years, got no help from Fox News on her allegations of sexual harassment, and ended up going back on the show after reaching a personal and cordial accommodation with the host).

Kara Del Toro 'Unforgettable' Premiere in Los Angeles (PHOTOS)

At Saw First, "Kara Del Toro at the Premiere of Film 'Unforgettable' in Los Angeles."

She's lovely.

Kara Del Toro No Bra in a Se Through Mesh Dress - https://t.co/QtBO7Us8iD - pic.twitter.com/SoODyZLPtA

— Taxi Driver (@TaxiDriverMovie) April 20, 2017

Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth, America Abroad

My favorite international relations scholars, at Amazon, Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth, America Abroad: The United States' Global Role in the 21st Century.

Christopher R. Browning Reviews Volker Ullrich's, Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939

Following-up from last month, "Richard J. Evans Reviews Volker Ullrich's, Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939."

At the New York Review of Books, "Lessons from Hitler’s Rise."

I'm fascinated by the Trump/Hitler comparisons, mainly because they're so stupid and outlandish. Barack Obama was more a threat to the American democracy than is Donald Trump, but leftists are so blinkered it just never occurs to them.

In any case, I do hope to read Ullrich's book soon, although I'll probably wait until it's out in paper.

Lessons from Hitler’s Rise: Christopher R. Browning on reading Volker Ullrich’s new biography in the shadow of Trump https://t.co/EBvvoyZTOJ

— NY Review of Books (@nybooks) April 10, 2017

Anger and Uncertainty at Fox

Following-up from yesterday, "Bill O'Reilly, Replaced at Fox News by Tucker Carlson, Calls His Ouster 'Tremendously Disheartening'."

From Hadas Gold, at Politco, "Fox staffers express relief, anger and uncertainty."

Fox staffers express relief, anger and uncetaintyhttps://t.co/tCG0U8zVse

— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) April 20, 2017

There's Little Diversity on Today's College Campuses

Here's Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, for Prager Univeristy:

Hailey Clauson and Bo Krsmanovic in Finland (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: