A View from the Beach: Flotsam and Jetsam

From TNP, an EDITORIAL: This Presidents’ Day, Trump is Taking Us Back to the Future.

Sundance at CTH, Senate Cloture Vote on FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Likely Tonight. tree hugging s*ster @WelbornBeege, "GIT ER DONE" Quote Markwayne Mullin @SenMullin, "17 cabinet confirmations complete. Thune has filed cloture on @Kash_Patel, setting up Thurs vote at latest. Fastest pace since 2001. We’re not done yet. 5 others remain— SMALL BIZ: @KLoeffler, LABOR: @LChavez DeRemer, ED: @Linda_McMahon, TRADE: Jamieson Greer, UN: @EliseStefanik ." Beege UPDATE: Cloture vote done - confirmation clock running. LifeZette reports that As Kash Patel Nears FBI Confirmation, Peter Strzok Suddenly Deletes All His X Posts. Fine, I'm sure Elon can bring them back. Virginia Kruta at Da Wire hears ‘Accountability Will Be Coming!’: SecDef Promises To Investigate Biden’s Afghanistan Boondoggle, "I don’t want to wait longer, but I always want to get it right..." At NewsMax, RFK Jr. to HHS Staff: Nothing Off Limits, "Nothing is going to be off limits," Kennedy said about his efforts to reduce chronic diseases, according to Politico. "Some of the possible factors we will investigate were formerly taboo or insufficiently scrutinized. Those who are unwilling to embrace those kinds of ideas can retire." The Peacock whines the Senate confirms Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary, a key role for Trump’s trade agenda. Sunny @sunnyright, "His Secretary of State is Cuban, his Attorney General is a woman, his Secretary of Agriculture is a woman, his nominee for Labor Secretary is a Hispanic woman, his HUD Secretary is a black man, his Secretary of Education is a woman, his Secretary of Homeland Security is a woman, his Chief of Staff is a woman, his DNI is a minority woman, his UN Ambassador is a woman, and his SBA Administrator is a woman." Quote The Hill @thehill, "Trump’s idea of ‘competence’ — only white men need apply" (@TheHillOpinion) https://trib.al/KsFMlwM"

Jeff Crouere at Town Hall thinks Peace Will Be Trump's Greatest Achievement. Breitbart reports U.S. and Russia Take ‘First Step’ With ‘Very Useful’ Ukraine War Talks, Agree Trump-Putin Meeting to Come. At Althouse, "We weren’t just listening to each other, but we heard each other. I have reason to believe that the American side started to better understand our positions." "Said Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, quoted in "U.S. and Russia Pursue Partnership in a Head-Spinning Shift in Relations/The two sides met in Saudi Arabia for their most extensive discussions in years. In addition to Ukraine, business ties were on the table" (NYT)." Sundance at CTH has U.S and Russia Agree to Communication and Consultation Mechanism for Peace Talks, Embassy Staffing Will Return in Moscow and DC, WATCH CLOSELY: Zelenskyy Cancels Pre-Planned Trip to Saudi Arabia and Perfectly European: Germany, France, U.K, Poland and EU Commission Refuse to Send Troops on Peacekeeping Mission to Ukraine Without U.S. Troops. The European Conservative thinks Trump’s Ukraine Power Play Exposes EU Impotence. Teri Christof at RedState, Trump Puts Zelensky on Notice: ‘You’ve Had Your Seat at the Table—And Look What Happened.’ At the Asia Times, Can the Alternative for Germany save NATO? Vodka Pundit at PJM sees How to Kill NATO With This 1 Weird Trick (and it Isn’t Trump’s). Tom Knighton at Bearing Arms reports Mexican President Threatens Gun Makers If Trump Declares Cartels 'Terrorists.' "Why would Sheinbaum object to the cartels being classified as terrorist organizations? She vocally rejected allegations she and her government were in the cartel's pocket, so why is she so quick to try and defend them here and now? Seems a little bizarre, doesn't it?" Liberty Daily, hears China Furious After State Department Changes Line on “Taiwan Independenc e”.

At Althouse, Another sign that the Trump movement is extending far into the culture. "This NYT article about how people are wearing furs again: "What Happened to the Stigma of Wearing Fur? After years of protests and strides in fake skins, vintage furs are popping up all over.". The first paragraph uses the word "fur-a-palooza." From Da Fetched, Elon Musk says Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Real: The Left Have “Become Completely Irrational.” Drew Berquist hosts Karoline Leavitt: ‘Democrat Party and Mainstream Media are Spiraling Out of Control’. Dave Strom at Hat Hair thinks Now This Is Just Stupid: Raheem. @RaheemKassam, "NEW
@thenatpulse: Scientists Call for Elon Musk's Ban from UK Science Club. Elon Musk faces expulsion from the Royal...... READ ON:" Curtis Houck @CurtisHouck "Politico reporter claiming, without evidence, that planes are crashing because of Doanld Trump. This is the world of BlueSky that Brian Stelter, Oliver Darcy, etc. don't have a problem with. Why? Because they believe it's reality." Maxwell Tabarrok @MTabarrok, "Worth noting that all the recent news over plane crashes is probably just the result of attention bias Plane crashes are still on a downward trend."

Dave Strom, Now She Tells Us... The Vigilant Fox @VigilantFox, NEW: Dr. Deborah Birx admits the COVID shots were pushed on the wrong people, saying the rollout on young people ignored the science. Now, she tells us. “The messenger RNA vaccine should have been rolled out for the people that were at risk for severe disease because that’s what the vaccine was developed for,” Birx said. She also confessed the COVID shot was never “designed” to prevent infection: “That is not what the COVID vaccine was designed to do. It wasn’t designed against infection.” People lost their jobs under the lie that no one was safe until everyone was vaccinated. Now, four years later, they admit young people never really needed it—and it wasn’t even designed to prevent infection." Kevin Bass PhD MS @kevinnbass, "Ever wonder why officials exaggerated COVID-19 risk? Here's why: "When people start to realize that 99% of us are going to be fine, it becomes more and more difficult [to get people to comply]." - Deborah Birx, Trump's lockdown architect They lied to us. On purpose."

Kurt Schlichter at TownHall says This Veteran Can Finally Recommend Enlisting in the Military Again.

Beege Welborn is Introducing This Week's Theme: 'DOGE Is Not An Official Government Department'. At Gateway Pundit, Former RNC Chair Who Now Works for MSNBC Has Total On-Air Meltdown About Elon Musk and DOGE (VIDEO). Michael Steele wasn't a bad governor for Maryland, but he's gone nuts with TDS.

Stephen Miller gets fed up with CNN's Brianna Keilar:

"The federal government will find every illegal alien who is stealing American taxpayer dollars, and that's what Americans expect to happen! I don't even fathom the premise of your question." pic.twitter.com/3bsrM8j2U3
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 18, 2025

John Lucas at Bravo Blue has thoughts on The "Massive Resistance" and Ideas About How to Fight It. NewsMax has advice from Carville to Dems: 'Play Possum' During DOGE Protests. Joy Pullman at Da Fed, The Atlantic Admits The Deep State Is A ‘Regime Change’. Annie Applebaum at The Slantic itself, There’s a Term for What Trump and Musk Are Doing, "How regime change happens in America." And she might be right. WokeSpy, Speaker Mike Johnson: Elon Musk “Cracked the Code for “Defeating the Deep State.” Austin Bay at Insty, America’s Self-Inflicted Strategic Threat "Dig. "The political hacks opposing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are laughable — until you realize these hysterics present a serious threat to U.S. national security. President Dwight Eisenhower’s no longer with us, but we have his National Security Council 162/2 report, dated Oct. 30, 1953. Once top secret, it’s now on the internet."

Charlotte Hazard at JTN, reports a Federal judge declines to block DOGE from getting access to student borrower data. "Judge Randolph Moss, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled the plaintiff failed to show sufficient irreparable harm to receive such immediate relief. " Ace, Judge Refuses to Block DOGE From Auditing the Department of Education, "Happy Tuesday! Finally a non-Hawaiian judge for a change." Althouse, "A federal judge in Washington declined to grant a request by 14 state attorneys general to temporarily bar Elon Musk and his associates from accessing data at seven federal agencies..." ""... and moving forward with their efforts to slash the federal work force. The judge said the states had not shown specific examples of how the work of Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency could cause the states irreparable harm." The NYT reports." Jeff Charles at TownHall says Judge Tanya Chutkan Just Ruined the Anti-DOGE Crowd's Day, basically telling them "Please show me something so I can do it." Vicky Taft at PJM reveals GOP Moves to Impeach Judges Trying to Stop Trump Agenda: Won't Get Fooled Again. The Senate won't convict, but the process is the punishment.

VodkaPundit at Insty thinks this is WORTH FOLLOWING, BUT…: DOGE sets up IRS, SEC accounts on X. "…despite the headline, this report from The Hill is just a hit-piece on Musk and DOGE, and contains no links to the new X accounts. So here’s a link to DOGE IRS and another to DOGE SEC. Meanwhile, this is kind of a big deal:" Department of Government Efficiency @DOGE, "The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process). In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible. As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going. Thanks to @USTreasury for the great work." Wakespy calls it INSANE! Musk’s DOGE Discovers that $4.7 Trillion Vanished in Untraceable Payments. Dave Correia at Monster Hunter Nation is a Educating the Stupid on How Audits Work In Real Life "The time for a gentle, caring, measured (slow), careful pruning of government to only remove the bad tissue with a scalpel was generations ago. We are now at the axe and TQ time before the patient dies. Yeah, that sucks, but that’s what happens when you procrastinate going to the doctors while a cancerous tumor the size of a fucking watermelon grows out your back." More nicely put at the Daily Economy, DOGE Can Cut Spending, But Real Reform Must Curb Government’s Scope. Department of Government Efficiency @DOGE "This is inaccurate. The referenced “classified information” is actually public FedScope data, posted publicly by OPM (Office of Personnel Management) in March 2024. https://fedscope.opm.gov", Quote Aaron Rupar@atrupar "Kaine: "Yesterday the DOGE guys post classified information on their website, and they had to realize, 'Oh, we didn't realize that agency was a classified agency.' You shouldn't let people rampage through offices that have classified information.""

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "Karoline Leavitt says Elon Musk and DOGE have been sent to investigate DEAD PEOPLE receiving Social Security payments: “They suspect that there are tens of millions of deceased people receiving fraudulent Social Security payments.”" I suspect most are date entry errors, but there is certain to be fraud found. ET, Database Lists 12 Million People Older Than 120 as Eligible for Social Security: Musk, "The database reportedly includes millions of supercentenarians and outnumbers the current U.S. population." Kari Lake @KariLake, "I wonder how many of these 120 to 150-year-olds also voted?" Quote Tom Moore @junogsp7, "Elon Musk calls it the largest fraud in history . There are 21 million aged 100+ receiving SS benefits. There are only 89,739 aged 100+ alive in the US . The Social Security Administration HQtrs is a massive forensic accounting cyber crime scene . x.com/kobeissiletter…"

NewsMax, DOGE Announces $55 Billion in Savings. Dave Strom has USAID in a Nutshell

If this doesn't make your blood boil, nothing will.
Thank God for Elon Musk and DOGE! pic.twitter.com/yGmiWwArL6
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) February 18, 2025

Sundance, Congressman Tim Burchett Believes DOGE Money Trail Will Reveal “Foreign Aid Payments” Returning to Congress. Dave Strom at Hat Hair hears 'They Are Not Whacking Enough': I Meme Therefore I Am @ImMeme0, "“Cut. Cut. Cut.” Kevin O’Leary told a CNN panel that he supports DOGE’s efforts to eliminate waste in government and anticipates even deeper and more cuts ahead. “This is a concept in private equity: when you take over a bankrupt company, you go in, cut 20% more than your initial estimate, and then you find—like a pool of mercury—the organization gels back together again. Always cut deeper and harder when there’s fat and waste. All of these agencies are like big, fat chickens dripping over barbecues of fat. This is the best barbecue I’ve ever seen, but I don’t think it’s happening fast enough. They’re not cutting enough—keep slashing, keep packing while you have a 24-month mandate before the midterms!”"

Dave Strom is all about Getting Lefties to Tell the Truth With One Simple Trick.. Bill D'Agostino @Banned_Bill, "When you use AI to replace every mention of "our democracy" with "our bureaucracy," everything starts making a lot more sense.

When you use AI to replace every mention of "our democracy" with "our bureaucracy," everything starts making a lot more sense. pic.twitter.com/XZ65HXfN9H
— Bill D'Agostino (@Banned_Bill) November 5, 2024

Matt Vespa sees The Latest String of Federal Layoffs Are Bound to Cause a Liberal Meltdown. They have a low melting point, to be fair. Fox, Trump orders all Biden-era US attorneys to be fired: 'We must clean house immediately' "Trump said the Justice Department been weaponized and politicized against him. . . .Terminating U.S. attorneys from previous administrations is generally standard procedure." Ryan Saavedra @RealSaavedra, "Democrats and the media will throw a fit over this but it is normal. Every administration does this." Sundance, 900+ Former and Current Main Justice Lawfare Operatives, Self-Identify, "Moments ago, 900+ career DOJ lawyers signed an open letter in support of ongoing Lawfare operations against President Trump and the American judicial system." Streiff at RedState reports a Top DOJ Prosecutor Walks Out Rather Than Investigate Biden 'New Green Deal' Grant for Criminal Behavior.

Josh Blackmun at the Volokh Conspiracy, Federal Prosecutors Routinely Use Carrots and Sticks to "Induce" Defendants to "Support [DOJ] Policy Objectives" The Adams Affair continues. Yesterday, I wrote about Hagan Scotten's resignation letter. Here, I want to focus on another sentence Scotten wrote that does not quite make the point he intended: "No system of ordered liberty can allow the Government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives."

Stacy McCain continues his fine work on the "Tran Vegan Death Cult" with Bail Hearing Today for Cult Suspects UPDATE: Judge Orders All Three ‘Extremists’ Held Without Bond.

Ace says An Obviously-Drunk Kamala Harris Re-Emerges to Deliver a Meaningless Word Salad About "Optimism" and "Joy". "It's almost as if she was sent out to reassure voters that they made the right choice in November." Eddie Scarry at Da Fed says Democrats Keep Convincing Themselves Their Problem Is Podcasts (It’s Their Policies)." At TownHall Elad Hakim thinks Democrats Have Learned Nothing and Continue to Put America Last