Alexander Hamilton, writing in Federalist 68, warned that corruption of America’s political system would most likely arise from the desire of “foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.”

Russia’s ongoing work to manipulate and undermine our society through social media is multidimensional and ongoing.

Two aspects of this campaign are particularly offensive.

First, some background.

By now it has been firmly established – beyond a doubt – that the Russian government backed a comprehensive information warfare campaign to twist and turn American public opinion and discourse to serve there interests. While the impact on the candidates in the 2016 general election garners a great deal of attention, that was only subset of a broader effort.

Those with any doubt about the Russian government efforts should read these reports: APT28: A Window to Russia’s Cyber Espionage Operations?, APT28: At the Center of the… Read More

Elected Republicans represent nearly a third of California’s legislators, but are only getting 18 percent of their bills passed, for eventual consideration by Gov. Jerry Brown. This is despite the fact that they represent nearly 40 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the last election. And even worse, Brown so far has only approved about 16.5 percent of Republican bills, while Democrats saw 83.4 percent of their bills signed into law.

A few revealing statistics surrounding the outcomes for 2,550 new bills introduced during the recent 2017 session in the California Legislature point out which party gets to feast, and which can expect leftover… Read More

A man enters a hotel room in Las Vegas, loaded to the gills with guns. He installs surveillance equipment so he can see if cops or security guards are coming to find him. He loads the guns, and looks out his window at a crowd gathering below. He quietly loads his guns, and stares at the people below. He raises the gun to his shoulder, breaks his window, and then starts methodically killing the people below, shooting them at random with no thought as to who they are, and who is hurting with his behavior. His actions are cold, calculating, evil, and destructive. He is a murderer.

If this happened in California, what would our Democrat colleagues in the Legislature do? Reduce his sentence. His anti-social behavior is not his fault. We let him buy the guns, it’s our fault. If he couldn’t buy the guns, he couldn’t or wouldn’t kill people. So don’t punish him more, take away everyone’s guns. Are they crazy??

How do I know that’s what the Dems would do?? Look at what they did. About a week ago, Governor Brown signed SB 620 (Bradford), it was chaptered on October 11, 2017. SB 620, according to its analysis,… Read More

Republicans are stupid about politics. That’s one of the rules of political discourse. We are always outsmarted by Democrats, we are out-technologied by Democrats, and, all things being equal, we lose. The fact is, we should lose more, we only win because our message has persuaded a lot of voters to entrust us with power, in just about every state but California.

But let’s get back to the rule…about stupidity, Republicans and politics. Two examples, first gerrymandering. For years, Republicans campaigned for, and finally received, a “nonpartisan,” rather than “political,” solution to gerrymandering. When I spoke out against the initiative that provided for the supposedly nonpartisan commission, I was told that fair districts were the Republicans only chance of getting a majority in the Legislature, and a nonpartisan commission was the only chance of getting “fair” districts. So…we got a nonpartisan commission, which was staffed with partisan Democrats, and what we got was a worse gerrymander than we would have ever gotten if the lines were drawn by legislators (as the redistricting in 2001 proved).… Read More

California is the nation’s epicenter for the homeless problem. But ask yourself this question: IF todayyoufound yourself without both shelter and the funds to rent a place, what state would you most prefer to be in to “live under a bridge”? More specifically, what CITY would you rather be in?

Answer: California — and specifically San Diego, my town. Best homeless weather in the nation.

Solutions to this growing problem are not easy, as California politicians (and their voters) vigorously support an intentional policy to keep housing high priced and scarce — high priced BECAUSE it is scarce, and expensive to build. So what CAN be done to help these unfortunate people?

Let’s start by recognizing that there are two broad, sometimes overlapping categories of homeless people:

1. The “helpless” — the mentally ill, the druggies, the drunks (these are also overlapping categories) — those who have pretty much given up on — or are incapable of — improving themselves, and are (in their present state) largely unemployable. Yes, some DO rise from their despairing… Read More

Hollywood is imploding right before our eyes. The NFL is bleeding fans and advertising dollars. Most daily newspapers have shrunk to the size of a brochure. Evening news has turned into infotainment – less info and news and more ‘tainment.’

The harrowing tale of Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein is all anyone can talk about now, but hundreds, and maybe thousands were sure silent about Weinstein’s sexual exploits over the last two decades. Think of it as the worst kept secret in Hollywood and in liberal Democrat circles.

“For more than twenty years, Weinstein has also been trailed by rumors of sexual harassment and assault,” Ronan Farrow reported in The New Yorker.… Read More

It has been several years since Flash Report’s Jon Fleischman interviewed Arnold Steinberg, a long-time friend and an admirer of FR and who has written for us, especially in our earlier years. We interview him on the publication of his new book: Whiplash! From JFK to Donald Trump A Political Odyssey (Jameson Books, 640 pages, $39.95).

Part I ran yesterday. Today we run Part II.You can purchase this book for that amount, plus sales tax, and possible shipping, about $49 total. Or, FR readers can get a special discount.

PART II.

… Read More

Jerry Brown is the self-anointed Savior of the Planet while his decades-long policies destroy the once-Golden State.

People like mehave been explainingfor many years that California is anexample of leftist policies to avoid, and the poster child state of what not to do unless state suicide is the goal. California has become the Greeceof the United States, and is cracking up. But this crack-up isn’t funny, as I cover in my new book co-authored with Jim Lacy, “California’s War Against Donald Trump: Who Wins? Who Loses?”

Despite the dire circumstances, the ravenous left in California continues at breakneck speed to implement so many detrimental, dangerous… Read More