Bob’s Hailstone Chronicles 7-14-25
Bob’s Hailstone Chronicles – July 14, 2025
By Jim Reynolds — www.reynolds.com
Grook: The Hallmark of a Traitor
Some lie by accident,
Some lie to cope,
But the worst lie loudest
When they’ve murdered hope.
Note: All stories referenced here come from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and original context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.
Introduction: Ten Triggers, One Fuse - or Speck
Six months into Trump 2.0, the system still twitches.
The media flinches at tariffs.
Intel agencies cling to lies they already confessed.
Gen Z swoons for socialism while Biden signs clemency orders with a robot hand.
Meanwhile, China flexes, Epstein’s ghost reappears, and LA burns at the edges.
Each headline plays like static—until the pattern emerges.
Not a news cycle. A pressure chamber.
We don’t collect these stories for heat.
We collect them for clarity—
or the inevitability of the hailstone to come.
Some warnings blaze. Others freeze in midair.
But all fall.
Bob’s ready.
1. Trump 2.0: Mixed Signals, Maximum Noise
Lillis & Parnes (The Hill) say Dems fear Trump’s tariff tactics but see polling advantages on abortion and chaos fatigue.
Zito (Washington Examiner) contrasts with Butler anniversary reflections: Trump’s survival now reads divine, his fist a lasting emblem.
Arnsdorf (Washington Post) claims MAGA mysticism threatens democracy.
Leans: Left wobble with Right recoil
Bob: “Divine fist? MAGA didn’t start the religion—they just stopped kneeling to yours.”
Jim: “Butler’s moment rewired political gravity. Even the doubters now orbit Trump.”
2. Medicaid Myths Meet the Spreadsheet
Frank Miele (RCP) dismantles the "Medicaid cuts" narrative, showing spending has actually increased under Trump. Democrats frame reductions in future growth as apocalyptic slashing.
Leans: Ruthlessly Right
Bob: “Calling that a cut is like dieting by not eating more cake.”
Jim: “If every cut is a healthy freeloader, is it a cut or an efficiency? Exactly what are we incentivizing here?”
3. From Brennan to Blinken: The Hall of Hallmarks
VDH (American Greatness) drills Brennan for Russiagate lies and the 51-letter hoax, naming names. No remorse, no justice—just promotions.
Davis (X) uncovers White House lawyers scrambling over autopen clemency claims.
NYT (Savage & Pager) floats plausible deniability.
Leans: Hilariously Hypocritical
Bob: “Autopen story seems like a sure-fire trip to jail. Which means nothing will happen. One more time.”
Jim: “Do they sell these pre-approved Autopens on Amazon? I could use one of those. Free delivery with Prime.”
4. Epstein Fallout: The Fire Next Time?
Caputo (Axios) offers Trump’s legal options to manage the Epstein file leak—distract, delay, or drown it.
Devine (NY Post) says the real scandal is Dems weaponizing Epstein coverage while ignoring who protected him.
Leans: Murky and Manufactured
Bob: “Epstein’s dead, but the story’s on life support until it buries the right guy.”
Jim: “When predators get press passes, justice gets redacted.”
5. War Games: From China to the Middle East
Filkins (New Yorker) asks if America’s even remotely ready for the next global war.
Ramzy & Brown (WSJ) show China flexing naval muscles, threatening Taiwan.
Kirk Debate (TPUSA): Josh Hammer and Dave Smith trade punches on Mideast policy.
Leans: Alarmingly Real
Bob: “China’s not simulating war—they’re rehearsing your future.”
Jim: “U.S. readiness depends on which generals are tweeting and which ones are training. Tweeters tend to work for the MIC.”
6. ICE ICE Maybe
Li & Singh (The Guardian) say LA raids are escalating despite judicial roadblocks. Deportations proceed, unions protest, activists howl.
Leans: Predictably Left
Bob: “We raid chicken plants more aggressively than voter rolls.”
Jim: “When cities shield criminals, expect the law to kick down the front door eventually. Until then, the SEIU will continue to protect their ‘tourist’ membership.”
7. Gavin’s Growhouse Gambit
Finley (WSJ) digs into Newsom’s decision to pardon pot growers—many connected to illegal operations.
Legal gray zones, lobby ties, and political donations form the perfect reelection fertilizer.
Leans: Skunked Left
Bob: “Gavin’s weed defense? High on ambition, low on legality.”
Jim: “Connect a bank of grow lights and you have a crop.”
8. Gen Z’s Mad-Mani Crush
Pequeno (USA Today) makes the case for Mamdani, NYC’s socialist mayoral candidate.
DesRosiers (RCP) mocks the entire Gen Z progressive cult as a bonfire of vanity and delusion.
Leans: Tragically TikTok
Bob: “From Che to checklists—revolution by resume.”
Jim: “Mamdani is what happens when emotion graduates without passing logic.”
9. Finally Killing Post-9/11 Security Theater
Walsh (Vox) cheers the slow dismantling of TSA absurdity—nude scans, shampoo bans, fake safety.
But are we smarter, or just older and more tired?
Leans: Rare Win
Bob: “They took our shoes so we wouldn’t notice they stole our brains.”
Jim: “I just checked: In 23 years, across the entire US, not ONE terrorist stopped by TSA in an airport boarding line. Thousands of nail clippers, small pocketknives and tiny bottles of harmless liquids. Mission accomplished!”
10. The Reckoning Must Come
Brennan’s lie wasn’t just a narrative nudge.
It was premeditated sabotage.
America survived, but barely.
And the architects of that betrayal?
Promoted, not punished.
Bob: “The real hallmark isn’t forged—it’s seared. Treason has a burn pattern.”
Jim: “There is no statute of limitations on betrayal. Only the question: will we ever care enough to indict the truth?”
Endnote: Torch Still Lit
The week opens with memory and momentum—Butler’s fist still raised, lies still unraveling.
From LA raids to Taiwan tensions, Biden’s autopen to Mamdani’s mayhem, we move forward in chaos—but not blind.
And with Bob on your shoulder, you move armed.
Let’s finish the week wide awake.