Some note-worthy observations and comparisons in no particular order:
– Sikh leaders have come out to condemn the behaviour of the offender and his family and to show their support for the victim. This contrasts noticeably with Muslim leaders after a Muslim atrocity, where the emphasis is on disowning the perpetrator and pretending he wasn’t really one of them
– The murder does not appear to religiously inspired. This was a murder by someone who happens to be Sikh. There is no suggestion that he thought his actions were justified by his religion.
– That Sikhs have cover for going about armed is largely irrelevant to most knife crime. Removing daggers from law-abiding Sikhs is not going to stop murderers from carrying knives.
– The lack of concern by the police for the victim is palpable. Derek Chauvin, however, had already called for the ambulance before he and his team had to restrain George Floyd. They continued to beg for the ambulance to arrive all the way through the incident.
– The resulting angry crowds are not burning down shops and looting. Sikh temples are not being attacked: their anger is directed – correctly – at the police.
– No-one in authority has taken the knee.

– The Pedant-General summarising the situation rather well.

To which I would add to anyone saying this horror should not be politicised: the incident is intrinsically political.

Why? Because the incident centres not just on the murder itself and murderer’s use of the word-of-power ‘racist‘, but also on the subsequent actions of the police, who responded to that word-of-power as the user intended them to.

So, this is all political because the police are the literal enforcers of the state’s will, responding as they have been trained to respond. This is a consequence of decades of establishment policy decisions by both Labour and ‘Conservative’ governments, a product of politically directed institutional police culture.

The slow counting of the state’s votes could be expedited with some simple reforms.

One of the most misleading ideas in American politics is that the United States has a large, fixed class of permanently poor people stuck at the bottom year after year, while everyone else moves on without them.

That story is emotionally powerful. It also happens to be a poor guide for serious policy.

Poverty is real. Hardship is real. Some people do remain trapped for long periods, and that deserves serious attention. But the popular picture of a vast, permanent underclass does not describe most Americans who show up in the bottom income quintile in any given year. As economist Anthony Davies has put it, many are there because of “retirement, homework, and diaper rash.” That line works because it captures something basic: a snapshot of income is not the same thing as a life story.

Students often have very low current earnings. So do many retirees living on savings or Social Security instead of wages. So do young parents working fewer hours, people between jobs, and entrepreneurs in low-cash-flow years. Treating all of them as members of a permanent poor class is not compassion. It is a category mistake.

The data back that up. The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances distinguishes between “actual” and “usual” income precisely because current-year income can be temporarily depressed. In 2010, about a quarter of families reported that their actual income was unusually low relative to normal. That matters because it means many households classified as poor in a given year are experiencing a temporary dip, not living permanently at the bottom. 

In fact, the same survey found that a large share of households in the lowest quintile by actual income ranked higher when measured by usual income instead.

The tax data tell the same story. A Treasury study tracking taxpayers from 1996 to 2005 found that about 56 percent moved to a different income quintile over the decade. More important, roughly half of those in the bottom quintile moved up by 2005, depending on the measure used. About 29 percent moved up one quintile, another 29 percent moved up at least two quintiles, and roughly five percent moved all the way from the bottom quintile to the top quintile. That is not what a rigid caste system looks like. It is a dynamic picture in which many people pass through low-income years rather than remain stuck there permanently.

This is where so much bad policy begins. Politicians see a one-year income snapshot and talk as if they are looking at a permanent social class. They are not. They are often looking at transition.

This does not mean every measure of mobility is strong. A lot of the confusion comes from mixing together two different questions. The first is short-run income mobility: do people move up or down within their own lives? On that question, the evidence clearly shows substantial movement. The second is intergenerational mobility: do children rise above the economic position of their parents? That is a different question, and the answer there is more mixed.

The newer Census mobility data show that income mobility varies significantly by geography, age, race, and sex. And other work has shown that absolute mobility has weakened relative to earlier generations. Those are serious concerns. But uneven mobility is not the same as a large, fixed, poor class.

The latest Archbridge Institute report on social mobility in the 50 states broadens the analysis beyond annual income. Archbridge evaluates mobility through four pillars: entrepreneurship and growth, institutions and the rule of law, education and skills development, and social capital. It also distinguishes between natural barriers such as family instability or social networks and artificial barriers created by policy, such as excessive occupational licensing, weak school choice, or heavy regulation. That is a much better framework than casually conflating poverty, inequality, and mobility. 

The state rankings tell an important story. In Archbridge’s 2025 report, Utah ranked first, followed by Vermont, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. At the bottom were Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, and Arkansas. That does not prove one policy explains everything. It does show that institutions matter.

Mobility is shaped by the rules, incentives, and social conditions people live under. The poor are not static, but the barriers they face can be.

This is where the free-market case becomes especially important. If you care about mobility, you should care about growth. The AEI “Land of Opportunity” project and its essay on the greatness of growth and the American Dream make the point clearly: growth is not a side issue. Growth is the oxygen of mobility. 

A faster-growing economy creates more businesses, more jobs, more opportunity, more room for incomes to rise, and more chances for people to accumulate wealth over time. A slower-growing economy makes class lines harder and mobility weaker.

That is why policies that burden growth hurt the poor most over time. Heavy regulation, bad schools, housing shortages, excessive licensing, and weak property rights do not just reduce efficiency in the abstract. They reduce mobility in practice.

A recent article highlights how land-use rules and housing constraints quietly kill mobility by making it harder for families to move to places with better labor-market opportunities. Another essay points to research showing that economic freedom, especially lighter regulation and stronger property rights, is associated with greater intergenerational mobility.

That is the key insight the static-poor narrative misses. If policymakers really want more upward mobility, the answer is not to freeze people into permanent income categories and redistribute more aggressively. The answer is to remove the barriers that keep people from climbing.

That means stronger growth, more entrepreneurship, more housing, better schools, more school choice, lower regulatory burdens, and institutions that reward work, saving, investment, and family stability. It also means respecting people’s freedom to vote with their feet toward states, cities, and communities with better opportunity. Mobility is not just something economists measure after the fact. It is something people actively pursue when they are free to move toward better institutions and opportunities.

The myth of the static poor survives because it is politically useful. It turns a moving picture into a still frame. It makes the government look like the only answer. But it misses the reality that most Americans who are poor at one point in time do not stay there forever, that incomes often rise over time, and that wealth accumulation frequently follows when people are free to work, save, invest, and build.

The real task is not to manage a permanently poor class. It is to build a freer society where more people can rise.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, the elitist media seem to be collectively asking the question: “What’s there to celebrate?”  From CNN Bakari Sellers insisting there isn’t much difference for Black Americans in 1896 and 2026 to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calling for a “thorough purging of [MAGA] from the United States” to MS NOW host Ali Velshi feeling a “deep unease” about honoring the birthday of “our so-called democracy,” the media elites have revealed their real feelings about this country.  The following are the most obnoxious outbursts from leftist journalists and celebrities over the last month: [LANGUAGE WARNING]   Bakari Sellers: Not Much Difference for Black Americans In 1896 and 2026   “If somebody fell asleep in 1896 and woke up today in 2026, they would simply say the only difference is now negroes have a TV show, and we wear nice suits. They’ve swapped out Klan hoods for Brooks Brothers suits.” — CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers on CNN NewsNight with… pic.twitter.com/CpRDw6i5n3 — Geoffrey Dickens (@GCDickens) June 4, 2026   “If somebody fell asleep in 1896 and woke up today in 2026, they would simply say the only difference is now negroes have a TV show, and we wear nice suits. They’ve swapped out Klan hoods for Brooks Brothers suits.”— CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, May 11.   Paul Krugman: We Need a “De-MAGAfication” Like We Had a “De-Nazification”   “We need to de-fang Trump, as much as possible and make sure that neither he nor anybody who follows in his footsteps has power after the next two elections. But beyond that we really need to do a thorough purging of the United States. We need a de-MAGAfication. And that is - you… pic.twitter.com/A6NWOOy6To — Geoffrey Dickens (@GCDickens) June 4, 2026   “We need to de-fang Trump, as much as possible and make sure that neither he nor anybody who follows in his footsteps has power after the next two elections. But beyond that we really need to do a thorough purging of the United States. We need a de-MAGAfication. And that is - you  know - I am not going over the top by using a word that is very similar to the de-Nazification that we pursued successfully after World War II in Germany.”— New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on his official Substack account, May 31.   Ali Velshi: I Feel “Deep Unease” About Celebrating 250th Anniversary of “Our So-Called Democracy”   Go back to Canada? MS NOW anchor Ali Velshi thinks America is a mess, not worth celebrating: "I feel a deep unease about the celebrations to which I am invited to mark the 250th anniversary of our so-called democracy." MS NOW sounds like Al-Jazeera. pic.twitter.com/74FqKkiNjM — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) June 3, 2026   “In one month, America will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding. Like previous anniversaries, there is a deep unease about this. I feel a deep unease about these celebrations to which I am invited to mark the 250th anniversary of our so-called democracy because this 250th anniversary is taking place during yet another period of deep and fundamental and existential unrest in this country brought on by the country’s unresolved racial politics. That’s what this is. Women and Black Americans have seen their rights taken away. The Voting Rights Act has effectively been gutted.”— Host Ali Velshi on MS NOW’s Velshi, May 31.    The New Yorker Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday: “How Problematic Is Patriotism?” “How Problematic Is Patriotism? National pride in America has plummeted in the Trump era. Is it worth trying to salvage?”— Headline to May 25 The New Yorker article by writer Arthur Krystal.    Al Sharpton: Trump’s UFC Fights on White House Lawn Is Him Bringing Back the “Fights for the Slave Masters”    On Thursday's Morning Joe, Rev. Al Sharpton compared the upcoming UFC Fight Night at the White House to "fights for the slave masters." pic.twitter.com/PsJxnM7j6l — Nick (@nspin310) May 28, 2026   “Let’s celebrate how we grew and the people that paid the price for it, and that are continuing to pay the price now because when we’re dealing with this redistricting, Trump and others are trying to bring us back to an America that we struggle to get out of. So there is a connection of why they’re having these fights on the White House lawn, the UFO and all – the UF – whatever they call it, UFC and all that, because they’re trying to go back to that when, you know, they watch people have these fights for the slave masters and they’d be entertained by that. They’re literally going back to that.”— Reverend Al Sharpton on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, May 28.    Lawrence O’Donnell Trashes Trump’s “Temple of Violence” “Donald Trump is desecrating the White House grounds to build a temple of violence where there was once a Rose Garden, and where there will next be an ugly and utterly pointless exhibition of men trying to savage - savagely beat each other as part of the Trump White House celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Trump and the men who will join him to worship the gladiator skills on display where there was once a Rose Garden don’t know the history of this country and don’t want to, and seem to believe that savage combat is really what this country is about.”— Host Lawrence O’Donnell on MS NOW’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, May 27.   Joe Scarborough Rails Against Trump’s “Internment Camps”   On Friday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough mocked DHS Sec. Mullin's accent and labeled ICE facilities as "internment camps." He then stated ICE detainees are "being treated much worse than the Japanese were treated in their internment camps, if you read history." pic.twitter.com/j1HPvXvYTN — Nick (@nspin310) May 29, 2026   “You look at Donald Trump’s approval ratings. When did they start really collapsing? The war didn’t help. But you look at what happened at Minneapolis. You looked at the fact that U.S. citizens were gunned down in American streets. You look at the fact that ICE officers abused people. ICE officers clearly not trained for the work they were being asked to do, and abused that power. And young people, children, being scooped up off the streets when they came home from school and thrown into internment camps, being treated much worse than the Japanese were treated in their internment camps, if you read history.”— Host Joe Scarborough on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, May 29.   Democrats Lost Because of America’s “Backlash Against a Black Woman Being the Democratic Nominee”   Kamala Harris lost because of “the backlash against a black woman.” Dana @Milbank, ex of @washingtonpost and now @NOTUSreports, on @ThisWeekABC: “Why did Democrats lose? Well, it’s like Captain obvious, right? Why did incumbent parties all around the world lose at that time, it… pic.twitter.com/J458IT4yTY — Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) May 24, 2026   “Why did Democrats lose?...Why did incumbent parties all around the world lose at that time? It was high inflation, and that was coupled with the problems of, you know, Biden staying in the race too long, and the backlash against a black woman being the Democratic nominee. There you have it. Pretty simple right there.”— Former Washington Post/current News of the United States (NOTUS) columnist Dana Milbank on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, May 24.   MAGA Doesn’t View Blacks as Full Citizens, Wants “Brown People Sent Out of the Country”    Princeton Prof Glaude's Meltdown: MAGA 'Trying to Make America White Again' pic.twitter.com/7fK9i1TuTP — Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) May 16, 2026   “They don’t view us as full citizens, right? There, there are, there are forces at work in – MAGA forces at work in this country, who have as their aim and end, right, to put us in our place. Their, their, their design, whether it’s an assault on DEI, whether it’s an assault on federal contractors, whether it’s an assault on college admissions, even Yale Medical School, right? Across the board, and now voting rights, there’s a sense in which there are folks who believe that this country must be and must remain a white republic, and that begins with the diminution of black political power.”— MS NOW contributor/Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude on MS NOW’s The Weekend, May 16.    On Friday's Morning Joe, amid a discussion on a possible deportation ramp-up, frequent panelist John Heilemann said the "MAGA base" wants "to see more brown people sent out of the country." pic.twitter.com/Ltvc98TZCA — Nick (@nspin310) May 15, 2026   “I think what the MAGA base wants is more deportations. Their problem in Minneapolis, or not even their problem. I don’t think they cared very much about what happened in Minneapolis, frankly. And they want to see more brown people sent out of the country.”— Political analyst John Heilemann on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, May 15.    Eugene Daniels: Democrats Can Win By Talking About “Kitchen Table Issues” Like Services for Trans Kids   Yesterday, Eugene Daniels, whom MS NOW technically considers a reporter, reacts to the Democrats' autopsy by saying the party "should be more comfortable with the idea of power" and urges them to talk more about abortion and transing kids "When you talk about whether or not… pic.twitter.com/vXcr4RZbdT — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 22, 2026   “You can use ‘identity politics,’ quote unquote, as a kitchen table issue, right? When you talk about whether or not people can have access to healthy abortions — safe abortions, that is a kitchen table issue, right? Whether or not a trans kid can get the services they need, that is a kitchen table issue for families.”— Senior Washington correspondent Eugene Daniels on MS NOW’s Chris Jansing Reports, May 21.    Clueless Katy Tur: Is Mike Johnson “Putting God Over the Declaration of Independence?”   God talk is SO foreign to MS NOW. Katy Tur: What about this passage from Mike Johnson declaring that our rights do not derive from government? They come from you, our creator and heavenly father. Is this him putting God over the Declaration of Independence? McKay Coppins: I… pic.twitter.com/sfpykN5bYc — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) May 18, 2026   “What about this passage from [Speaker of the House] Mike Johnson declaring that ‘our rights do not derive from government, they come from you, our creator and heavenly father?’ Is this him putting God over the Declaration of Independence?”— Host Katy Tur to The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins on MS NOW’s Katy Tur Reports, May 18.   Joy Behar: Once Trump Puts His Name on Prescription Drugs, “We’re All Going to Die!”   ABC News co-host Joy Behar claims "we're all going to die" because Trump wants to lower drug prices with TrumpRX. She even lashes out at Mark Cuban for getting involved. She shouts at her co-hosts who support lowering drug costs. pic.twitter.com/Wi3SNqU41J — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 19, 2026   “Once Trump puts his name on prescriptions, we’re all gonna die! Okay? He put his name on the Trump shuttle, the Trump vodka, the Trump University, the Trump hotel and my favorite, the casinos that all went bankrupt.”— Co-host Joy Behar on ABC’s The View, May 19.   Sunny Hostin: “We Need to Form a Rebellion” Against Trump   An open call for violence? On The View's Behind the Table podcast yesterday, Sunny Hostin called for an Andor-style "rebellion" to fight Trump and Republicans: SUNNY HOSTIN: And we are felling the result of not having a resistance. A valuable resistance. BRIAN TETA: You do… pic.twitter.com/bG8qvEg4uU — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 19, 2026   ABC’s The View co-host Sunny Hostin: “You want to lead by example, and you want to be above the fray. That is not how this Republican, Trumplican party works, and we are feeling the result of not having a resistance. A valuable resistance.”The View executive producer Brian Teta: “You do really have to watch Andor. Let me tell you. It’s all about the resistance.”Hostin: “I know! You’ve been telling me about Andor! We’re both such sci-fi and fantasy fans.Teta: “It will change your life. It’s all about forming a rebellion.”Hostin: “I’m going to start - We need to form a rebellion. A true resistance.”— ABC’s Behind the Table podcast, May 19.    Sunny Hostin: “Very Limited Destruction” During BLM Protests   Sunny Hostin defends the deadly Black Lives Matter riots of 2020. She claims there was only "very limited destruction of property and violence." pic.twitter.com/8TWNsP2DEE — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 21, 2026   “I just think we need to make it clear that there can be no comparison between the Black Lives Matter movement and what we saw on January 6th. I just want to make that clear….There were very limited destruction of property and violence during the uprising of — the Black Lives Matter uprisings.”— Co-host Sunny Hostin on ABC’s The View, May 21.    The View: Trump Only Wants “American-Born White Children,” “Toddler White Nationalists”   Of course, Sunny Hostin suggests the program is racist because Trump didn't speak to "the black maternal mortality crisis" specifically." "He wants toddler white nationalists," Behar chimes in. GOLDBERG: Go ahead. SUNNY HOSTIN: I'll just quickly say because I think everyone is… pic.twitter.com/LtjnxfanC8 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 12, 2026   Co-host Sunny Hostin: “I think that the intent can be questioned behind these new Trump policies. There was no acknowledgement of the black maternal mortality crisis because black women die at a much higher rate than any other demographic….This administration is not concerned about that. I think it’s true he wants Trump babies, which implies he wants American-born white children.”Co-host Joy Behar: “He wants toddler white nationalists.”  — ABC’s The View, May 12.   Jon Stewart Hoping for the “Electorate” to Repudiate “Putrid” Trump Administration   In a YouTube extended portion of his interview with Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart claims it is "a ridiculous framing" to view the late night shows as Trump opposition, yet he urges the audience to "Close your eyes and dream. The day that the electorate in this great nation we call… pic.twitter.com/TcWb1EzZ4Y — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 20, 2026   “Oh, people, close your eyes and dream. The day that the electorate in this great nation we call home repudiates this putrid administration – the day that that happens. My brother, my brother, there will be – and I mean this. The day that that happens, there will be a joyful noise from the bowels of this great country that will make Hungary’s repudiation of [Viktor] Orban look like an Amish Sabbath.”— Comedy Central’s The Daily Show host Jon Stewart on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, May 19.   Bruce Springsteen to Stephen Colbert: “You’re the First Guy in America” Who Lost His Show Because “We Got a President Who Can’t Take a Joke”   Bruce Springsteen closed out the penultimate episode of "The Late Show" by giving his ode to Stephen Colbert before singing "Streets of Minneapolis" "I am here in support tonight for Stephen, because you are the first guy in America who's lost his show because we got a president… pic.twitter.com/TpkjvgADDU — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 21, 2026   “I am here in support tonight for Stephen, because you’re the first guy in America who’s lost his show because we got a president who can’t take a joke. And because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want….These are small-minded people, they got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about.”— Singer Bruce Springsteen on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, May 20.   Pete Davidson Makes a Sick Joke Referencing Charlie Kirk’s Murder   Pete Davidson makes horrific "joke" mocking the cold-blooded murder of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. #NotFunny #TheRoastofKevinHart @charliekirk11 @BlakeSNeff pic.twitter.com/sotKueWx77 — Dawn Slusher (@BlondeBlogger) May 12, 2026   “Tony [Hinchliffe] reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat.”— Former NBC Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson mocking comedian Tony Hinchliffe at Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, May 9.

So there's the answer: Yes, there were "multiple women" accusing the Nazi of rape, but the New York Times ran a catch-and-kill operation to suppress their stories, while only reporting on less serious charges. (Though still serious enough.) In newspaper...

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Director Curry Barker has a surprise hit on his hands with his indie horror movie Obsession, which has especially connected with Gen Z audiences. Barker said he got the idea for his frightening movie from a real-life source. "I once met a woman!" Barker exclaimed.