☕️ THE LIST ☙ Wednesday, July 15, 2026 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

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House votes to “ditch the switch”; I build the master list of everything Trump 2.0 has delivered (bookmark it); Speaker Johnson sounds the alarm on the mini-Mamdanis; and 67 experts strike out. Again.

JEFF CHILDERS

JUL 15READ IN APP

Good morning, C&C, it’s Wednesday! Your roundup includes: the House votes 308-117 to make Daylight Saving Time permanent and end our twice-a-year clock-changing misery, then punts the bill to the Senate, where good ideas go to lie down; I finally quit grumbling and build THE list — every Trump 2.0 win in one place, engineered for copy-paste — so nobody ever again has to face the “they haven’t done anything” crowd empty-handed; buttoned-down Speaker Mike Johnson dusts off the anti-communist playbook and warns that the Cold War just got renewed for another season; and inflation logs its biggest drop since the pandemic — exactly what 67 unanimous experts swore was impossible.

🌍🇺🇸 ESSENTIAL NEWS AND COMMENTARY 🇺🇸🌍

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There are certain fundamental truths in the universe. Water is wet. Taxes are inevitable. And twice a year, the entire population of the United States stumbles around for three days like sleep-deprived zombies trying to figure out how to change the clocks on our microwaves. But fear not, citizens! Help is on the way. Yesterday, the Associated Press reported, “House passes bill to ‘ditch the switch’ and make daylight saving time permanent.”

The U.S. House of Representatives, an institution renowned for solving exactly zero actual problems, and for having the diligent work ethic of a sedated panda, has boldly tackled the most pressing issue of our time: time itself. In a stunning display of bipartisan action —which usually means they’re either voting to give themselves a raise or designate a special day for National Chicken Nugget Manufacturers or something— the House has finally done it: they passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

No more switching.

It’s true, and the story needs no embellishment. The “Sunshine Protection Act,” a name so aggressively cheerful it sounds like a 1950s sunscreen brand-name idea rejected for being too chipper, sailed through the House by a lopsided bipartisan vote of 308-117.

Supporters quipped that Americans are ready to, and I quote, “ditch the switch.” Representative Gus Bilirakis, a Republican from Florida —a state where official winter safety advisories warn citizens of frozen lizards dropping on them from trees— pointed out that changing the clock twice a year creates an “unnecessary disruption.”

He also noted that permanent Daylight Saving Time would give families more daylight in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses. Because nothing stimulates the economy quite like wandering around a strip mall at 7:00 PM while the sun gently caresses you like an industrial sandwich press. Meanwhile, AASM President Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg —an actual sleep doctor— advised, “Permanent standard time is the healthier choice for all Americans.”

But this is America, dammit. Which means everyone has a strong opinion about this issue, all three options, and the groups do not organize neatly into partisan lines or pay any particular attention to settled science. “Normal time” supporters from both parties pointed out that permanent Daylight Saving Time leads to darker, more hazardous winter mornings. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, painted a bleak picture of children waiting for school buses in “complete darkness,” presumably fending off wolves, frostbite, and existential dread— all before the first-period bell rings.

Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, felt frustrated by the entire debate. He asked if this was reallythe most pressing issue before the American people. “For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and healthcare costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” he asked, completely ignoring the vote’s bipartisan character, or perhaps referring to the fact that DST fans slightly outnumber Normal Timers by about 6%.

Like Rep. McGovern, I also wondered whether this was really the most pressing issue before Congress, especially given the Golden Corral buffet of critical issues facing the country. But maybe it’s better this way. If Congress tried to fix inflation, for instance, they’d probably accidentally outlaw money, in an amendment tucked into a footnoted codicil on page 963 of the bill.

Maybe it’s better to keep them focused on clocks. After all, it keeps them gainfully employed— and out of our wallets.

According to a 2025 poll, a majority (56%) of adults say they prefer permanent Daylight Saving Time. They are wrong, but I can understand why they think that way. I understand it because I live with one. Michelle, a fiendishly obsessed tennis player, is a DSTer. (Yes, we have an intertemporal marriage.)

But of the three options: DST, normal time, or “the switcheroo,” I guess, reluctantly, I prefer DST to switching all the time.

The truth is that, more than anything, Americans consider no problem, however big, to be insurmountable, unfixable, or beyond the reach of some kind of rule or legislation. We are the creative nation that invented the drive-thru window, Hot Pockets, and spray-on cheese in a can. We want our extra hour of evening sunlight, and we want it now, preferably delivered overnight via Amazon Prime— with an additional hour of daylight accommodating even more deliveries.

But, before you DSTers start planning an outdoor celebration party beginning at 8 pm, it must pass the Senate. That, my friends, is a completely different story. Ironically, the Senate passed a similar bill four years ago— but that time, it stalled in the House. Now the House has passed it, and it’s circled back to the Senate. Will they act? Who knows! The Senate moves mulishly, at a relaxed pace that makes tectonic plates look like they’re fueled by Red Bull, and has a silent filibuster rule that gives any single Senator an effective veto on any bill.

I’m not saying the Senate has become dysfunctional (but I’d agree with you if you said it). But, as we wait to see if the Senate will finally put us out of the misery of playing temporal ping-pong twice a year, we can take comfort in one thing: no matter what time it is, Congress will always find a way to make it weirder and more complicated.

If it passes, I suppose that I may have to finally get around to asking ChatGPT how to fix my microwave. It’s been blinking “12:00” since roughly 2018, and I suspect that it will be easier to give in and join the club. I don’t have to like it, though.

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I need to confess something. Yesterday, I succumbed to Twitter temptation and challenged a conservative influencer (a new one who recently switched parties) who claimed that low-information voters were getting riled up about the lack of MAGA/MAHA progress. (I won’t name this person because I try not to punch rightwards.)

Now, this person didn’t take a survey. He didn’t even do a Twitter poll. He just “talked to people.” And now he’s very worried. And he wants us to worry, too. But … how manypeople? Who? When? Where?

We don’t know.

It sounds to me like this is really just how the poster —a former Democrat— feels. But he wasn’t the only one. Here’s another one, again from a so-called ‘conservative influencer,’ one with an anchor job on a ‘conservative’ network, with eerily similar language, right down to the obligatory expletive and the same conclusion— don’t vote Republican:

All they’ve done is a tax extension. At least she gave them credit for something. But note that she didn’t ask why she should vote for Republicans in November. She asked, why should we vote for Republicans. We. Meaning, all of us. Kind of presumptive, no?

Sour grapes is a very weird trend, don’t you think? I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Border Czar Tom Homan agrees with me. He’s noticed the weird trend, too. He’s sick and tired of people complaining about ‘mass deportations.’

How fast do these people think mass deportation can happen? Have these keyboard experts really considered the logistics? What I never see are any tangiblecomplaints, like “if they used this law, they wouldn’t have to provide due process,” or “they could easily hire 10,000 more reliable ICE agents in 30 days,” or “if they used positive affirmations and crystal harmonies, they could easily deport 20 million illegals in six weeks.”

It ain’t our first rodeo with these clowns. Last time this happened was back in December, when I had to debunk the same people making the same cut-and-paste complaints, except then it was about Chinese college students and H1-Bs. Frankly, Scarlett, I’m getting sick and tired of playing whack-a-mole with these ignorant hot takes. I know exactly how Tom Homan feels.

And I’m only one lawyer, for Pete’s sake.

🔥 So I went ahead, buckled down, and undertook a painful chore I’ve been meaning to tackle for months now, to handle this precise situation. I made the list. The list of all the things we have gotten. The glass-mostly-full list. And that list is almosttoo long, even though it excludes all the good stuff we suspect is happening but can’t yet confirm. It was too long to decorate with pictures, which would have been even more fun, but would have made it harder for you to copy/paste.

Anyway, now that I’ve got it started, we can all, myself included, bookmark today’s post and save it to answer the trendy social media complaints like the one above. Just paste the whole list as an instant reply to complainers, if you like. Let’s shut down this narrative, hard.

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🔥 Trump 2.0 Accomplishments (as of mid-July 2026) 🔥

• USAID and the “Institute for Peace” closed
• Negative net migration for the first time in 50 years
• 2.6 million+ illegal aliens removed (including 650,000 arrests and 400,000 convicted criminals) + 2 million self-deportations induced by ending incentives
• Fentanyl trafficking crushed 56%+; overdose deaths down 21% monthly since inauguration
• Laken Riley Act signed and aggressively enforced
• Catch-and-release ended (99.9% drop); zero releases into the U.S. for eight straight months
• Record-low border encounters; Darién Gap migration cut 99%
• Largest one-year homicide drop in U.S. history; violent crime (rapes, robberies, assaults) down significantly
• Targeted crime operations in major blue cities delivering record-low murders in several metros
• Law enforcement officer deaths down 25%
• Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and other cartels dismantled; international drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations
• Antifa designated a domestic terrorist organization
• Gas under $3/gallon in 43 states; record U.S. energy production and exports at all-time highs
• 654,000+ new private-sector jobs (all net gains to native-born Americans); 671,000+ jobs added since January 2025
• 4.3% GDP growth in Q3 2025; largest blue-collar wage growth in 60 years; real earnings up ~$1,100 annually
• Inflation tamed to ~2.4% core CPI (down ~70% from Biden peak)
• One Big Beautiful Bill passed (July 2025) — making 2017 tax cuts permanent, No Tax on Tips, Trump Accounts for newborns, senior deductions
• $5T+ in deregulation savings + $215 billion in government efficiency cuts ($1,335 per taxpayer)
• $10T+ in reshored/domestic investments secured
• Trade deficit at lowest level since 2009; $300 billion+ in tariff revenues collected; Predatory global tariffs shifted in the US’s favor for the first time in modern history
• Stock market record highs
• Gaza ceasefire + hostage release secured; 12-Day War (Israel-Iran) ended; multiple additional peace deals/accords (Armenia-Azerbaijan, India-Pakistan, DRC-Rwanda, Cambodia-Thailand, Kosovo-Serbia, Egypt-Ethiopia)
• Iran’s nuclear capability destroyed + maximum pressure campaign (450+ sanctions designations)
• NATO allies leaping toward 5% GDP defense spending
• OPEC dismantling
• 85+ detained Americans released; Abraham Accords expanded
• Strikes on Houthis, Iranian assets, and narcoterrorist vessels; Nicolás Maduro captured
• South America shifts rightwards; Europe shifts rightwards
• Record military recruitment goals met; largest military investment in decades with AI integration; F-47 sixth-generation fighter unveiled
• VA backlog reduced 60%; 3 million disability claims processed; 51,936 homeless veterans housed; benefits restored for vaccine-mandate discharges
• Transgender enlistment barred; DEI eliminated across military and federal agencies
• Over 269 executive orders signed in the term (230 in first year alone — highest first-year total since FDR); 81 memoranda + 158 proclamations
• DOGE-driven bureaucracy cuts; IRS IT budget savings of $2B; wasteful contracts eliminated; federal retirement system automated and brought out of a literal coal mine
• DEI discrimination banned in federal contracting and agencies; race-based hiring ended
• DEI outlawed for college admissions; colleges’ patent revenue shared with taxpayers who funded it
• Federal ‘boards’ and ‘commissions’ fired and replaced with conservatives
• Washington, DC beautified; reflecting pool refinished
• Gender ideology extremism curbed in schools, medicine, and government (minors protected from chemical/surgical procedures); girls’ sports protected from creeps
• MAHA reforms launched: Presidential Commission established; Most Favored Nation drug pricing with 16+ major pharma companies; 8 artificial food dyes phased out (40%+ industry compliance); Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act; marijuana reclassified to Schedule III; childhood vaccine schedule revised from 72 to 11 consensus shots; expanded IVF access; $50M autism initiative; new whole-foods dietary guidelines
• Massive firings at CDC, FDA, NIH of sold-out scientists; Ralph Baric and EcoHealth debarred; even some arrests
• Withdrew from WHO
• Crypto regulatory framework via GENIUS Act; Strategic Bitcoin Reserve created; Operation Choke Point 2.0 ended
• Sanctuary city funding cuts implemented
• Election integrity and citizenship verification measures expanded nationwide; USPS program pending; SAVE Act drafted and run at Congress several times now
• Energy dominance unleashed: National Energy Emergency declared; 6,000+ drilling permits approved (55% increase); 13.1 million acres opened for coal leasing; record LNG exports (>100 million tons); nuclear projects advancing toward online status; major energy export deals ($100B South Korea, $200B Japan); Paris Agreement withdrawal
• US becomes a net oil exporter for the first time in history.
• Trump Accounts launched for newborns with federal seed funding + corporate matching
• Farmer aid secured; skilled trades and domestic manufacturing (semiconductors, autos, heavy equipment) expanded
• Over 100,000 fraudulent visas revoked; 275,000 illegal aliens removed from Social Security rolls; benefits terminated for 1.4 million illegal aliens; H1-B crackdowns and $100,000 application fees
• 62,000+ missing migrant children rescued; Alien Enemies Act invoked against gangs
• Vice-president-led welfare fraud task force recovering billions and making mass arrests
• $2B sent to rebuild Western North Carolina
• Massive AI, space, and nuclear investment projects
• John Bolton convicted. James Comeyarrested. John Brennan under investigation (probably facing a grand jury).
• RussiaGate grand jury set up and running in Florida.
• DOJ/ODNI seized Fulton County 2020 ballots. Trump is still working on Plans B, C, D, etc, with a ‘new’ integrity announcement scheduled as soon as tomorrow night.

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I told you it was a long list. (And I probably even forgot some stuff.)

Whenever someone posts “we should stay home on voting day because Republicans refused/failed to whatever”— that’s just self-destructive clickbait. As I said, we’ve seen this kind of narrative before. The formula is always the same— cherry-pick whatever issue is in the headlines this week that MAGA is unhappy about and promote that issue above every single good thing that has already been delivered— and delivered over just the first 18 months.

At best, it’s childish petulance of the worst sort; an all-or-nothing, perfectionist obsession that can never, ever be satisfied. At worst, it’s an organized demoralization campaign.

As evidence, the first person I quoted above claimed to have switched parties just last year, when he swore undying loyalty to MAGA after President Trump saved Western North Carolina. His ‘undying loyalty’ was, apparently, conditional and short-lived.

Confusing low-information voters by deliberately ignoring all the Administration’s successes is our political enemies’ job. Don’t do their job.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think any honest conservative with valid complaints would start by acknowledging that “the GOP has delivered a miraculous turnaround, saved the country, and nothing else even comes close,” and then say, “but I’d like them to … (pass the SAVE Act or require paper ballots or deport even more people).” Then, they’d suggest something constructive, like primarying someone or calling Senators’ offices.

But suggesting withholding our vote in the midterms it not constructive. It’s destructive. It sounds like exactly the kind of advice a DSA activist would offer us. Elect a few more socialists! That will teach them!

Look, I’m not accusing all these ‘conservative influencers’ of getting paid to publish the same psyop language as if it were from a template, even though, apparently, there is a lot of that kind of thing happening these days. I’m just saying. Be smart.

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I bet you never thought mild-mannered House Speaker Mike Johnson had it in him. Yesterday, at a Republican Leadership press conference, the Speaker delivered a passionate, historically literate, and persuasive argument against the Democrats and their far-left allies, i.e., the Democratic Socialists of America.

CLIP: House Speaker Mike Johnson explains why the new Democrat party is an existential threat (8:27).

“Our rights come from our Creator, God; they do not come from the government,” Johnson explained, warming up. “The communist believes the opposite. They believe that government of the state is god, and that the state gives you all your rights. And you know what? The state can also take those rights away. And that’s exactly what happens. It’s inevitable in communism.”

All our beloved, muscular, anti-communist Cold Warriors from the last millennium have either retired or died off. The battle-worn GOP relaxed its battle against communism after the fall of the Soviet Union, giving the communists a 30-year ceasefire and time to rebuild and flourish.

But now —finally!— the cease-fire has ended, and we are manning battle stations again. I should have put that on the list.

“These crazy little mini-Mamdanis who are popping up all around the country—” Johnson continued, “they are a danger to you and your family. This is not a game. If they promise you free stuff, there is far more beneath those promises than some of these people understand themselves.”

“There have been a small number of times in the history of America where the actual experiment in self-governance was on the ballot,” the Speaker reminded. “The American people have to decide in November, in a midterm election for Congress and Senate. The barbarians are inside the gate.”

Watch the whole thing. We have only now begun to fight. They haven’t seen anythingyet.

🔥 RELATED: Yesterday, the Hill reported the encouraging news, “House GOP breaks weeks-long standoff between Republican leaders and hardliners” The gist was that Speaker Johnson added the SAVE America Act as a rider to the latest National Defense Authorization Act, and Republicans squeaked it through on party lines, 215-211.

They legislatively MIRVed it (a MIRV is a type of missile carrying “multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles.”) True, it will still face all the usual hurdles in the Senate, where even the DST bill’s fate is uncertain. The Senate can still amend the NDAA and remove the Save Act.

But the point is— they aren’t giving up. This game is about shots on goal. You miss every single shot you don’t take.

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Yesterday, Fox News reported the single largest month-to-month drop in inflation since the pandemic. “Sure, energy prices have come down, but everything else is down, too,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said. The Wall Street Journal reported, “ Cooling Inflation, Surging Bank Earnings Power Stocks.”

CLIP: Trump v. Experts = TAW again (1:12).

“This gives the Fed a little bit of room to breathe,” said Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird. “It’s definitely good news.”

Cooling inflation was the opposite of what 67 experts surveyed by Bloomberg unanimously predicted would happen. “It wasn’t just about energy,” Director Hassett explained, “it’s about all the other things that President Trump is doing to cut costs.”

If the drop represents a trend, not just a blip, then the economy could start moving quickly in a really strong direction. Experts say that will never happen. The Administration’s economic team says that is exactly what is happening. Whom to believe?

What would we do without experts? Probably sleep better, for starters.

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Slide back here tomorrow morning, for an all-new roundup of essential news and caffeinated commentary.

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