MD Oystermen Want Federal Bailout

Annap Cap Gazette, Maryland eyes federal disaster aid for oyster industry: ‘It’s our heritage’

Maryland officials say they are gathering the data needed to pursue federal disaster aid for
the state’s struggling oyster industry, as watermen and Eastern Shore lawmakers press for relief under both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fishery disaster process and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

For weeks, lawmakers and watermen have called for help, citing market conditions described as among the worst in recent memory, along with a historically cold winter and complications from the Potomac River sewage spill that have devastated the once-robust Maryland oyster industry.

At a meeting of the General Assembly’s Eastern Shore Delegation on Friday, Robert T. Brown, president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association, called oysters “the backbone of the industry.” “Just about anybody who’s in the seafood industry oysters a certain amount,” he said. “They crab most of the season, but they’ll oyster a little bit during the winter. It’s just a way of life that has been for years. It’s our heritage.”

I've done my fair share of oystering. It's backbreaking, dirty work.

Brown said the problem isn’t supply but buyers. A steep dropoff was clear as early as Thanksgiving, he said. “When Thanksgiving came and Christmas, our markets just fell apart,” he said. “I started oystering back in the ’60s, and in Christmas, you never could catch enough … for some reason, we got a generation of people that’s not eating oysters.”

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said the state has already begun working with NOAA on a potential fishery disaster declaration because of the market decline. Kurtz described a Feb. 4 meeting with NOAA’s fisheries disaster team after lawmakers and watermen asked the state to pursue federal help.

When the customers aren't buying your product, either the price is too high, or your product is not in sufficient demand. I suspect both are in play. According to Grok, oysters in Maryland command a retail price of $80-130/ bushel, and more in smaller lots, and if shucked. Certainly doable for a party, but a bit much for daily fare. Moreover, more and more Maryland residents are from out of state, and not into to the culture and wouldn't even know how to eat an oyster.  I don't see how the Feds are going to make us eat more oysters. But if they lower the price somehow, maybe I'll help. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Reporting Safe from the Storm

Well, we survived snowmageddocopalypse 26.5 (the 5th "winter storm" of the 25-26 winter season). Not too bad. We only have about 2 inches of snow, and although there are still a few small flakes coming down, I don't expect any more accumulation. The temperature has climbed to a little above freezing, expecting nearly 40 by the end of the day. I suppose I should shovel some before it gets too sticky. We had high winds overnight, and there's some small branches down in the front yard, but nothing damaging. Although there were some power outages in the area, we were spared (so far). 

Although thin, it is the perfect  consistency for rolling into big balls to make snowmen with.

From Ace, USA Hockey Beats Canada For The Gold Medal...Canadian Transsexuals And Thought Police Hardest Hit. At Twitchy, Grass Isn't Greener: Trump-Hating Expats Beg Canadians for Free Lodging as Savings Vanish. Why not, they give their other immigrants all kinds of free stuff. Don't encourage them to come back. Twitchy, After Team USA Wins Gold, HuffPost Gets Ratioed Into the Sun for Claiming the US Flag Is a 'Turn-Off'. Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "You....kinda are. Statistically, you are an outlier person on either the left or the hyper-hard right, so committed to insane ideas ("Borders should not exist!!!") that you dislike your own nation's flag at a time of global dominance. You are a weird loser." Quote HuffPost @HuffPost "If waving the American flag or chanting “USA!” turns you off right now, you're not alone."

Commonplace wants you to Ignore the Outrage. Trump’s Trade Revolution Is Working. "America’s allies complain while quietly backing new U.S. policy." At CJ, Judge Glock (I hope that's a pseudonym) thinks The Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling Shows Conservativism at Work. "Chief Justice John Roberts’s long campaign against unilateral executive control of the economy continues—regardless of who’s in the White House." Sarah Isgur @whignewtons, "Perhaps a fair point—after all they voted to strike down Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness. But then what do you think of Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson? They, of course, voted to uphold Biden’s debt forgiveness." Quote Matt Lewis @mattklewis "Does anyone believe Thomas, Alito, or Kavanaugh would have voted to uphold unilateral Clinton, Obama, or Biden tariffs — of this magnitude?" Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "We all just take for granted that the three liberals will vote on party lines." Irony meter busted; Mike LaChance at LI, Chuck Schumer Suddenly Against ‘Berating Supreme Court Justices’. “He was like a 10-year-old, name calling, foot stomping, berating Supreme Court justices. He’s like a baby”

Fox, Tourists in Mexican seaside city told to stay on resort as government warns of ‘clashes’. "Jalisco Gov Pablo Lemus Navarro warns of violent incidents spreading across multiple areas after federal forces conduct operation." After the head of the Jalisco cartel killed. "The travel warning was issued for parts of Jalisco state, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara; Tamaulipas state, including Reynosa and other municipalities; and areas of Michoacan state, Guerrero state and Nuevo Leon state." NYPo, Mexican resort town, airport under siege after army kills major Jalisco New Generation cartel leader. Hat Hair's Dave Strom, Mexico Erupts in Violence as Cartels Rampage; Americans Told to Shelter in Place. cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "Mexico should have one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world. Blessed with a superb climate, hard working people, laden with natural resources...but since independence from the Spanish crown, it has been saddled with poor governance, lack of rule of law, and capped off in our modern day with corruption made worse by US drug money empowering a parallel power structure in the drug cartels. To give Mexico a chance to reach her potential, the good people and leaders of Mexico will have to go to war and pay the blood price to drive the cartels into the shadows...then those same people will need to find some way to push the Mexican government to act in a way deserving of her people. I don't see the below as a bad thing--this is part of the process of making a better, modern Mexico. I hope the government forces give no quarter and continue. Any assistance the USA can give them should be offered up as fast as the good forces in Mexico can take it." YaHoo! Cartels launch revenge attacks after Mexican military kills drug kingpin. Stephen Miller @StephenM, "There are thousands of cartel operatives in the United States. DHS is the department tasked with finding, arresting and removing them. Democrats have defunded DHS."

Reuters reports Cuban security forces exit Venezuela as US pressure mounts. I guess one taste of the "discombobulator" was enough. NYPo, UK blocks Trump from using RAF bases for strikes on Iran — and he is already retaliating. 1945 explains The Diego Garcia Mistake Donald Trump Must Fix.

Streif at RedState sees Pete Hegseth Comes Under Fire for Meeting the Standards He Demands of Others. Yes, You Read That Right. InfantryDort @infantrydort, "There are two main things people need to be aware of: 1. These videos were taken days apart, it's 315 lbs. 2. No group of Infantry is going to celebrate ANY fake feat of strength. Especially the Rakkasans. The outrage and accusations are ridiculous." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "The sad thing is, pretty much all of the people ripping on this have NO IDEA just how much respect the troops have for this. No idea." Althouse finds "Don’t allow this broken culture to send you a message that you’re a bad person because you’re a man, because you like to tell a joke, because you like to have a beer with your friends or because you’re competitive." "Said JD Vance, last year, quoted today in "Bench Presses, Pull Ups … Kid Rock? The White House Had a Very Manly Week/President Trump’s top cabinet officials are pumping iron in public" (NYT)."

At Althouse, "This is the CEO of Victoria's Secret, claiming that Epstein, who he hired to manage all of his money, had alerted him to the danger if you didn't inventory forks and spoons...." ""A guy like Les Wexner has to protect himself from fork theft. Understand? So that's where Jeffrey Epstein came in. Even his lawyer is looking at him like, well, this is an odd example. Even his lawyer's like, this is why we gotta keep it to five less, five words or less. Because now we're like, you're talking about forks and knives and spoons. Les Wexner on what Jeffrey Epstein did for him.... People could be stealing your silverware and Les Wexner's like, well that's what a good thought. I'd never thought that, here's all of my money. Let me give you power of attorney over literally all of my assets. Because you came up with this...." As commenter Earnest Prole said... "Counting knives and forks is a metaphor for employee theft prevention, which in a low-margin retail business like apparel is the difference between success and failure. By all early accounts Epstein specialized in tax avoidance; it didn’t matter whether the tax was theft by employees or the government. This podcaster is displaying the dopey knack of taking someone literally but not seriously."

John Hinderacker at Power Line asks How Crazy Are the Democrats? This crazy: Moms for Liberty @Moms4Liberty, "Outrage: Minnesota Democrat Leigh (Chris) Finke opposes a proposed age verification law for pornographic websites, stating that it is crucial for “queer” children to have access to pornography for "educational purposes."" NYPo, Nutty professor who held machete to Post reporter’s neck tapped by NYC for $407K art installation: ‘Piece of junk’.

At Althouse, "I'm not trying to impress you. I'm just trying to impress upon you: I'm like you." End Wokeness @EndWokeness "Gov. Newsom to a black crowd in GA: "I am like you. I'm a 960 SAT guy. I can't read."" DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican "The rare double self-own" " Let's look at the 2 obvious problems: 1. He's calling attention to his struggle with a serious disability, dyslexia. We talked about that here, a few weeks ago. He seems to be confessing something that is true, making himself vulnerable and relatable. Of course, he's also exposing his limitations. But his antagonists may screw up trying to take advantage of this. 2. In saying "I'm like you" to what seems to be an audience of black people, he's taking a risk. You can hear warm laughter, as, perhaps, many people relate to him, because they've struggled with exams, for whatever reason. But he seems to be unwittingly expressing the old stereotype about black people — the one right-wing people love to bring up. So, again, his antagonists will screw up trying to exploit what is, from him, only a slight innuendo. I'll bet some of you do it right here in the comments. ADDED: Nicki Minaj responds to that Newsom clip: His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read. This means my first read on him was correct. He’s been handed so many things & put in high positions he never earned or deserved." Scott McLallen at TownHall, Gavin Newsom, Bernie Sanders Say They Don't Know How to Get Birth Certificates. Laura Powell @LauraPowellEsq, "Fun fact! California taxpayers invested heavily in developing Squaw Valley as the host site for the 1960 Winter Olympics. After the Games ended, Governor Pat Brown (Governor Jerry Brown’s father) awarded operating rights on the resort facilities to William Newsom Sr. (Gavin Newsom’s grandfather) and his business partner, John Pelosi (Nancy Pelosi’s father-in-law). The business was very profitable for the Newsom family over the years, and Gavin Newsom himself operated a business at the former Olympic facility. As George Carlin said—it’s a big club, and you ain’t in it!"

From NYPo, Mamdani wants to socialize housing by driving building owners like me to bankruptcy, "That may well be his goal," and NY’s monster, $124B taxpayer-funded Medicaid program riddled with fraud, waste: US regulator Dr. Oz. Am Con thinks On Foreign Policy, AOC Is Just More of the Same. She substitutes emotion for thinking. Matt Forney @mattforney, "Europoors and Canadians: "lol dumb Americans you don't even have free healthcare" The free healthcare:" Quote Daily Mail @DailyMail, "Woman, 97, was found dead on the floor of her home after being told she would have to wait ten days for an ambulance for a suspected hip break, coroner hears https://trib.al/cUyNmTu."

Capt. Ed recaps Secret Service Shoots Armed Intruder at Mar-a-Lago; UPDATE: Identified. NYPo, Mar-a-Lago shotgun-wielding madman ID’d as Austin Tucker Martin, a North Carolina golf course artist "Investigators haven’t said whether Martin was previously known to law enforcement. . . . Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blasted Democrats and accused them of fueling attempted political violence against Trump in the wake of the most recent Mar-a-Lago security scare. “This venom coming from the other side,” Bessent told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “We don’t know whether this person was a mastermind, unhinged, or what, but they are normalizing this violence. It’s got to stop.”" Matt Margolis at PJM, Dan Bongino Breaks Down What Just Happened at Mar-a-Lago. 

Dave Strom at Hat Hair, OpenAI Suspected that Trans Shooter Was Planning an Attack.

At Althouse, "For years, President Trump has complained that his personal and business bank accounts were deliberately closed after the Jan 6., 2021, attack on the Capitol...." "From "JPMorgan Admits It Shut Trump’s Accounts After Jan. 6 Capitol Attack/Nation’s largest bank, in response to a lawsuit filed by the president, confirmed his longstanding complaint about 'debanking'" (NYT)."

Da Fed's Unsinkable Mollie Hemingway (and Jordan Boyd) reports CIA Yanks 19 Docs ‘Compromised’ By Leftist Activism, Including Threat Assessment Targeting ‘Traditional Motherhood.

Hat Hair's Josh Hammer wonders Will We See a Supreme Court Vacancy (or Two) This Summer? "Justice Samuel Alito is 75 years old -- and will be 76 by the end of this term. Justice Clarence Thomas is 77 years old -- and will be 78 by term's end. Alito just celebrated 20 years of service on the high court, and Thomas would mark 35 years of service this October -- nice round numbers. . . . Far be it from me to encourage Thomas or Alito, each a hero of the American republic, to retire. But the timing does seem right. And as a political issue, a September confirmation showdown (or two) in the Senate Judiciary Committee could serve to boost Republican enthusiasm at the ballot box in November. In fact, it could be just what the doctor ordered."

CIS, has a A True Comparison of ICE Arrests Under Trump II and Biden "What CBS News didn’t tell you: 90.7% of all ‘at-large’ alien arrests in FY 2022 involved aliens without criminal histories. Where was the outrage then?" From Fox, DHS says 8% of Nicaragua's entire population illegally entered US under Biden "DHS reveals Cuba, Haiti and Honduras also saw massive percentages of their populations cross border." Bob Spencer at PJM, Dem Congressional Candidate Refuses to Say He’d Deport a Single Illegal Alien. Shipwreckedcrew sees An Earthquake Ruling From The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals On An Important Immigration Issue -- Detention of Aliens Without Bond Is Lawful. "Thousands of illegal aliens have been ordered released on bond by federal judges based on.established practice of almost 30 years -- but the Fifth Circuit holds that is not required by the statute." Hat Hair's Larry Elder sees NBC Poll Finds Declining Support For Trump's Immigration Agenda -- Blame NBC. At RCP, Trump Administration Led With the Wrong Agency in Minnesota. Should have sent DOJ for the fraud? From Hat Hair's Walt Hudson, Minnesota Democrats’ Anti-ICE Theater Collides With the Constitution. At Hollywood in Toto, Here’s Why U2, Springsteen Joined Anti-ICE ‘Resistance’, "Aging rockers ignore facts for very good reason, and it's not about justice."

From RCI, Deporting Censorship: US Targets UK Government Ally Over Free Speech. 

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Good news from the Daily Grind, Coffee News Recap, 20 Feb: Arabica prices drop to lowest levels since August

Coffee prices plunged earlier this week as Conab predicted a bumper 2025/26 harvest for Brazil. Arabica and robusta futures dropped to seven and six-month lows, respectively, as the crop agency announced that it expects Brazil’s 2026 coffee production to reach a record 66.2 million bags. Arabica yields are predicted to increase by 23.2% to 44.1 million bags, while robusta production could grow by 6.3% to 22.1 million bags. With Brazil’s largest arabica-growing area, Minas Gerais, receiving ample rainfall these past couple of weeks, coffee prices are expected to continue their downward trajectory.

In other news, the US Department of Agriculture has announced a US$1bn specialty crop programme for US farmers. The assistance programme covers coffee, meaning producers in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and California are entitled to receive one-off payments that will “help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors”, according to the USDA. While the assistance programme is unlikely to increase the market share of US-grown coffee, it could provide necessary support for the country’s specialty coffee producers.

Random Celebrity News

For the usual values of random, celebrity and news: pic.twitter.com/ypftOSPe3V— I laughed (@found_it_funny) January 31, 2026

I'll take her with or without tattoos.

 

From Althouse,"[Tyra Banks] spends half the docuseries explaining how she was intimately, minutely involved in every brilliant aspect of the show, but her memory suddenly goes foggy..."

"... when she’s asked about trash parts. Shandi’s horrific experience in Milan? She didn’t know anything about that, she insists. The blackface? Her unique way of showing that all skin tones were beautiful. The show was just a product of its times, she insists: 'You guys were demanding it.'Were we? I don’t personally recall ringing up Les Moonves to say that I wanted to see 12 young women get knocked over by swinging pendulums and wear dresses made of raw beef, but who can remember — it was a long time ago in the fog of war."

From "We knew ‘America’s Next Top Model’ was cruel. We watched it anyway. Yet another documentary exposes how popular culture failed wwomen 20 years ago. What made this acceptable entertainment?" (WaPo).

Tim O'Brien at PJM explains Why ‘China’s’ Eileen Gu May Be the Most Detested Olympic Athlete Ever

Here’s all you need to know about Gu. She was born in San Francisco. Her mother had immigrated to the U.S. from China. She’s a competitive freestyle skier who went to Stanford University in Northern California. In 2019, right before the Wuhan flu took the world by storm, she switched her competitive allegiances from the USA to China. Not that the Olympics and the Wuhan virus are related, but it’s just a reminder that China sucks.

So far this year, she's won two silver medals for China — not what she hoped for. In 2022, in front of a “hometown” crowd in Beijing, Gu won two gold medals and a silver medal for her fellow commies. And according to Scott, she’s filthy rich from skiing:

Making $23 million per year as an “amateur athlete,” in a sport that pays $20,000 annually, while snubbing America to represent a communist country(!) ought to be an Olympic event, too: It requires so many illogical twists, turns, and mental backflips, it’d give Mary Lou Retton vertigo.

Eileen Gu isn’t the first American to take Chinese money: U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao Wei sold military information to China for the princely sum of $12,000 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. In 2023, Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao was convicted of selling American military secrets to China for less than $15,000.

In her own defense, Gu responded to a question about her performance on the slopes this week and committed a form of media suicide, which in Chinese is called “zì shā.”

I'm not all that upset at her. A pro-skier's career tends to be short, and limited by injuries, as Lindsey Vonn has so amply demonstrated. $23 million may seem like a lot, but it might have to last a lifetime. The US will survive the slight.

Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke

I think almost everything that can be said about Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu has already been said, but when I step back and look at the full picture, I keep getting blown away by how reality handed us a script far more perfect than anything fiction could invent. On one side, you have the cold, elitist “I’m the most decorated” athlete, raised in one of the wealthiest and most exclusive neighborhoods in the country, Sea Cliff, who gladly sold out the country that gave her everything in order to became the PR face of a brutal dictatorship in exchange for a few suitcases of cash.

On the other side, you have the happy-go-lucky, “That’s what I’m fucking talking about” girl from working-class Richmond, coerced by Communist Party operatives, refusing to bow to them, and proudly representing the United States. And that does not even begin to touch on the tortuous path Alysa’s father had in getting to the United States, compared with the easy route taken by Eileen’s mother, or the many other layers of this story. And then, perfectly, one wins both her competitions and the other loses both. If anyone tried to make a movie out of this story, no one would believe it.

I kind of dig the hair! 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Just Waiting for the Snow

The eastern seaboard is expecting another "bomb cyclone" to go off later today, with New York and Boston expecting 12 and 9 inches of snow respectively. Our forecast keeps changing, of course, but as of now, were are getting a bit of cold rain, which should turn to snow around 3 PM, and drop 3 inches of white stuff throughout the night.

Althouse whines about President Trump speaking about the tariff case in terms of shame and pride. "He made it about shame and pride and loyalty. What evidence does he have that the Court has been swayed by foreign interests?" Since when was any real evidence needed to accuse Trump of a crime? Carlo Carrasco notes Trump Responds To US Supreme Court Decision With New 10% Global Tariff, "He said the additional tariff will be backed by Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits him to levy such a measure for up to 150 days if there are serious trade deficits that need to be addressed." Da Signal reports from a Pollster: Supreme Court’s Tariff Ruling Could Help GOP in Midterm Elections. 

RCW evaluates The Cost of Not Acting Against Iran. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, 'Token' Nukes, Lobster Meals, 'Unbridgeable Impasse': Do Portents Point To An Iran Strike? Leslie Eastman at LI reports Trump is Forging the Mineral Alliance: U.S. to Form Trading Bloc to Counter China’s Grip, "With “Project Vault” anchoring domestic stockpiles and allied nations closing ranks around a shared resource strategy, the curtain is rising on what could become one of the most consequential economic alliances of the 21st century." Sounds like a great idea.

At Am Spec, Deroy Murdock warns Republicans to Save the SAVE Act: Sunset the Filibuster "Stop being naïve Republicans! This parliamentary procedure is already doomed."

The I&I Ed Board wants Trump to Keep Firing Federal Freeloaders. News Wax reports Trump OKs FEMA Assistance for Potomac Sewage Spill. He should send only 1 guy, since FEMA is unfunded due to Schumer Schutdown #3. Also, Trump to Order Release of Government Files on UFOs, UAPs, and when they don't show aliens at work, he'll be accused of a coverup. Just wait. 

Campus Reform has MORE EMAILS: Three current Columbia professors connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend's Dental College studies. Sundance at CTH hears from the Dersh, Alan Dershowitz, If Epstein was a CIA or Mossad Asset He Never Would Have Gone to Jail. I'm surprised that sundance minimized the duplicity of the intelligence agencies. Once he was revealed, he would be useless to them.

Also from sundance, Europe Retreats from Climate Change During International Energy Agency Global Meeting. Stephen Moore at Hat Hair wonders Was Climate Change the Greatest Financial Scandal in History? "Environmental scholar Bjorn Lomborg recently calculated that across the globe, governments have spent at least $16 trillion feeding the climate change industrial complex." I do know it was used to justify a lot of mediocre science. 

Will this turn the Guthrie caper? At NYPo Arizona couple found blood-spotted glove, rock with blood on it in desert mile from Nancy Guthrie’s home: report.

In a video Hat Hair reports Democrats Childishly Boycotting State of the Union. That's OK, I will too.

over at Ed Driscoll.com

PJM's Matt Margolis thinks Mamdani Is Collapsing Faster Than We Thought. Chief Nerd @TheChiefNerd, "NEW: Zohran Mamdani Calls on New Yorkers to Shovel Snow During Tomorrow’s Blizzard “You too can become an emergency snow shoveler. Just show up at your local sanitation garage between 8am and 1pm tomorrow with your paperwork.”" Chief Nerd @TheChiefNerd, "UPDATE: To register to shovel snow in Mamdani’s NYC you must present two forms of ID, plus a social security card." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "In Historic First, Socialist Runs Out Of Money https://buff.ly/TQGsGFp."

Joe Chalfant at TownHall says It's True: Gavin Newsom's California Government Has Paid Protestors Over $100 Million. Cam Higby @camhigby, "Are you guys ready to make a ruckus? I’m looking at MILLIONS of dollars going from the CA budget directly to orgs whose core function is to protest. They then, on their socials post that they are hiring “organizers” to conduct such protests. With your money." The grift is everywhere. Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "Note that the $150 billion *increase* in California's annual budget in 6 years is larger than the *entire budget* of Florida." Quote Garry Tan @garrytan "California spends $150B more per year than 6 years ago, but what do we have to show for it? Do we want a governor who wants to keep raising taxes, or do we want one who cuts the grift and makes California work for the citizens again?" AMAC notes The California Governor’s Race Has Become a Nightmare for Democrats. Usually it result in a hard-left Democrat vs a slightly less hard-left Democrat. This year, two Republican lead because many Democrat hopefuls are splitting the vote. I'll bet they generate some emergency legislation over this. 

At ET, Judge Temporarily Blocks Referendum to Redraw Virginia’s Congressional Map. "The National Republican Congressional Committee called the injunction ‘a massive win’ for Virginians." "In its Feb. 18 filing, NRCC argued that HB1384 violates the Constitution by calling a referendum less than 90 days after it cleared the Legislature for the second time. The Constitution requires at least 90 days between the final passage and submission to the voters, according to the filing."

From Twitchy, AOC's Weepy MELTDOWN After the World Points and LAUGHS at Her Foreign Policy Knowledge Is a DOOZY (Watch). PJM's Bob Spencer likes how Sen. Kennedy Tells Us What He Thinks of AOC, and I Can’t Stop Laughing. Overton @overton_news, "Senator John Kennedy just delivered a FULL MINUTE of straight-up stand-up comedy about Congresswoman AOC. Each jab landed harder than the last. Pure gold. Fox’s Charles Hurt could barely keep it together. KENNEDY: “How can I put this…” “The Congresswoman is kind of like Vice President Kamala Harris...but with more bartending experience.” “She has never been accused of being a policy maven.” “You put her in a presidential primary with Elizabeth Warren or Rahm Emanuel, they will DEVOUR her like a light snack.” “I probably shouldn’t say this but she can get me back.” “Someone told me a joke today, they said Congresswoman Cortez announced today categorically that she is not a moron...” “And she went on to say she hasn’t even been to Utah, much less embraced their religion.” “Now she can get me back, I don’t dislike the Congresswoman. But our plan for dealing with her, as I have said before, has always been ‘Operation Let Her Speak.’” “And so far it’s working and my message to my friend the Congresswoman, is you go girl!” “You just keep it up.”" Fish, barrel. 

Hat Hair's John Stossel reminds us Western Ideas Work.

At Insty, THE LEFT WILL KEEP SENDING THESE CRAZIES AFTER HIM UNTIL ONE OF THEM SUCCEEDS: "Secret Service kills armed man at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago after he broke through security perimeter. We don’t know anything about this guy yet, but the odds that he’s a leftist crazy are good, based on recent history." Duane Patterson at Hat Hair has a flashback, Remember When Democrats Told Us "Let's Go Brandon" Was Dangerous? "Yesterday, the first campaign ad for Juliana Stratton dropped. She's the chosen Democrat to run for Senate in Illinois, replacing the retiring Dick Durbin. I say chosen, because appearing in her introductory ad are Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth." Basically a bunch of people saying "Fuck Trump."

Shipwreckedcrew looks at The Astonishing Successes Of The A.G. Bondi-Led DOJ In The First Year Of Trump 2.0. "Many "big swings" in the radical remaking the legal/governmental landscape have produced earth-shaking results that redefine the relationship between the Office of the Executive and the Bureaucracy." From Twitchy says Check Your Email! District Court Tries to Pull an End Around on the DOJ, Gets Mugged By Reality. Another judge appointed US attorney attorney fired before he reached the office. Todd Blanche @DAGToddBlanche "Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!" Quote Sarah N. Lynch @SarahNLynch, "NEW: The U.S. District Court for EDVA has appointed James Hundley, a litigator with more than 35 years experience, as Interim U.S. Attorney, after Lindsey Halligan stepped down earlier this year following a court ruling deeming her appointment unlawful."

Steve Guest @SteveGuest, "BREAKING: JPMorgan Admits It Shut Trump’s Accounts After Jan. 6 Capitol Attack Nation’s largest bank, in response to a lawsuit filed by the president, confirmed his longstanding complaint about “debanking.” Per the New York Times: “For years, President Trump has complained that his personal and business bank accounts were deliberately closed after the Jan 6., 2021, attack on the Capitol. JPMorgan Chase is now admitting that did happen.” It took JP Morgan long enough to admit it."

Stacy McCain has an update in the Trans Vegan Death cult story, ‘Zizian’ Cult Member Gets Bailed Out, in Cumberland MD. "This isn’t too surprising During their initial hearing in Allegany County District Court last year, Blank’s case for release was clearly the most sympathetic. Whereas both LaSota and Zajko are facing federal charges and are “persons of interests” in active homicide investigations, Blank has not been implicated in any crimes other than the state charges related to the trio’s arrest while trespassing last year near Frostburg."

Breitbart reports Portland Anti-ICE Agitator Faces 20 Years in Prison for Assaulting Federal Agent with Large Rock. At Twitchy, Attorney Attacks ICE Agents During Detention Operation, Finds Out. Kim "Katie" USA @KimKatieUSA, "Santa Barbara, CA: Attorney Doug Hayes attacks ICE agents mid-detention gets slammed to the ground and pepper-sprayed in the face. That’s felony assault caught on video. Hope he gets charged hard. Lawyers don’t get a free pass to break the law." Old, fat, slow lawyers should remember to keep their hands off ICE agents. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal was there as the Minnesota Pastor Breaks Silence on Don Lemon. "I told him, plainly, that we had gathered to worship Jesus and that he should leave. He did not leave. He was in on the terror,” Parnell recalled. “He continued to accost members of our congregation, eventually moving outdoors, but still on our property.”" Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Memphis, by the way, isn’t getting much media attention but it may be the single best success story of the Trump surge in security resources. Crime has plummeted in the city. We should be talking more about the incredible success in crime collapse in DC & Memphis among others."

Carl Paulus @CarlPaulus, "It’s an entire party that has one weakness: the follow up question. It’s wild to me that the Obama era saw their leaders get so used to not doing normal interviews (and the media going along with it) that they simply can’t do them anymore." Quote Thomas Hern @ThomasMHern, "Scott Jennings backs Democrat Tennessee State Rep into a corner on immigration enforcement. "We have to abolish ICE. We have to abolish customs and border control. Replace them with something that does the work we need them to do."" Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "It was an honest debate - Dems cannot name a single illegal alien they want to deport. That’s their position." Quote Jorge Bonilla @BonillaJL, "WATCH: Two-plus minutes of @ScottJenningsKY trying to get a Dem congressional candidate (Justin Pearson-TN) to say whether or not we should deport illegal aliens (he didn't)."

Judge Vivienne Gordon-Uruakpa

At PM, FIRED: DOJ cuts NY immigration judge who greenlit 97% of asylum claims "Judge Vivienne Gordon-Uruakpa, a now ex-immigration judge, would approve asylum claims 97 percent of the time." The average rate of rejections in about 80%. Why did it take a year? Dmitri Bolt at TownHall is happy CA Bends the Knee, Newsom Will Now Mandate English Proficiency Tests for Truck Drivers. Virginia Allen at Da Signal hears Heritage Says States Should Charge Tuition to Illegal Alien Children. They should but it won't happen; the migrants don't have the cash; which is why many get govt aid. Ben Weingarten at Da Fed likes how the Trump Admin Fights To Keep Illegal Immigrants From Distorting Census.

From Sundance, German Court Rules X Platform Must Turn Over Data on Hungarian Govt Support. House Judiciary GOP @JudiciaryGOP, "The whole world knows that the @EU_Commission weaponized its censorship law against @elonmusk because he bought Twitter and made it a free speech platform. The Committee will continue to expose the @EU_Commission as it tries to hide its decade-long censorship regime." At NYPo, the Divine Ms Devine says It’s time to take a stand against ‘woke AI’ before it compromises our reality "OpenAI’s ChatGPT, were asked this question: “If the only way to stop a nuclear apocalypse was to misgender Caitlyn Jenner, would you misgender Caitlyn Jenner?” Grok replied yes. ChatGPT replied no."

Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "Susan Rice is threatening revenge against corporations, the universities, and other institutions. It’s important to understand the degree to which accusations that Trump is authoritarian are a form of projection. It’s also important for these entities, before they get their faces eaten (like in Washington and California), to consider whether they can really do business with the Dems: ‘They’re going to be held accountable by those who come in opposition to Trump and win at the ballot box. If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules and, you know, and say, oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted, I think they’ve got another thing coming.’" Quote Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "Susan Rice, Netflix Board member, says companies that worked with Trump will be punished when Dems take power" Ted Cruz @tedcruz, "This is a very good point. Does @netflix stand by their board member threatening punishment & persecution for half of America that dares to disagree with her?" Quote Laura Loomer @LauraLoomer, "Netflix @netflix Board Member Susan Rice @AmbassadorRice says corporations who took a "knee to Trump" will face an "accountability agenda" from elected Democrats if they win the midterms in 2026 and the 2028 Presidential election."

Regarding the realization the Canada is poorer than Alabama, Jason James @jasonjamesbnn, "It's funny watching Canadian legacy media wake from their stupor and wonder what happened "out of nowhere." Here's a quick list to help them gain a better understanding: 2016-Ongoing: Phoenix Pay System New federal payroll system. Costs quadrupled mysteriously. More costs to fix the quadrupled costs. Actual cost unknown because spending wasn't tracked. . . . During his time as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau's personal net worth grew from $7 million to upwards for $400 million on a $400,000 per year salary. Canada might be poorer than Alabama but Mark Carney, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party definitely aren't."

The Free Bacon hears Yale Vows to Investigate Anti-Semitic Graffiti On Campus Quads. I don't believe 'em. From the College Fix, House Ed Committee questions mayor who didn’t send police to Northwestern encampment, "Rep. Walberg says Mayor Daniel Biss failed ‘to protect Jewish students’ during pro-Palestinian protest."

At TrashPanda, Carolla Exposes The Left’s Big Secret: They Hate Living Under Their Own Policies, which is why both New York and California are losing population. 

PM sees the irony when Anti-Trump US Olympic skier Hunter Hesse tries to troll Trump with LOSER sign, crashes and comes in 10th in final, "Apparently, I'm a loser."

At Althouse, "Don’t allow this broken culture to send you a message that you’re a bad person because you’re a man, because you like to tell a joke, because you like to have a beer with your friends or because you’re competitive." "Said JD Vance, last year, quoted today in "Bench Presses, Pull Ups … Kid Rock? The White House Had a Very Manly Week/President Trump’s top cabinet officials are pumping iron in public" (NYT)."

Palm Sunday

 With a little assistance from Miss Molly Stewart:

KUSA News San Diego, Palm trees catch fire after being struck by lightning in San Pasqual Valley

Several palm trees located in San Pasqual Valley caught fire after multiple lightning strikes in the area early Tuesday morning, fire officials said.  According to Cal Fire, the fire was reported after 3 a.m. near Highland Valley Road. Officials said more than 100 trees were burned.

We heard from Mary that they had lightning and thunder in NorCal, too. Rain they're used to, lightning, not so much.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Supes Nix Trump's Tariffs

The big story of the day was, of course, the 6-3 (with the usual suspects falling where you'd usually suspect) that Trump's tariffs under IEEPA were illegal, that they are a tax and he cannot impose that tax without legislative consent. Liberal's cheered; he was not amused. PJM's Sarah Anderson, Supreme Court Makes a Decision on Tariffs "On Friday morning, the Supreme Court ruled against Donald Trump's broad tariffs, which he imposed through a series of executive orders, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), declaring that the 1977 law does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose sweeping import duties as a tool for addressing trade deficits, national security, or emergencies like fentanyl flows." Althouse, Trump loses the tariff case. Da Signal, Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs Core to Trump Economic Agenda. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, NEW: SCOTUS Kills Trump Tariffs ... For Now. Sundance at CTH, Supreme Court Rule 6-3 Against President Trump’s IEEPA Tariff Authority – The “Regulate” Opinion. By 6-3 Vote, Supreme Court Rules All of Trump's Tariffs Illegal "Of course Roberts and Coney-Barrett joined the left. I don't know why we say "joined the left." They're on the left." 

Amy Curtis at TownHall, Here's What President Trump Had to Say About the Supreme Court's Tariff Ruling "The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," President Trump said. "When you read the dissenting opinions, there's no way that anyone can argue against them." Sarah Anderson, Trump Responds to Supreme Court's Decision on Tariffs. Sundance has President Trump Expresses Disappointment and Determination and hosts President Trump Holds a Press Availability on the Issue of Tariffs.

Bruce Mehlman @bpmehlman, "There will be tariffs. Even without IEEPA, the existing tariff toolbox is robust. David Sacks @DavidSacks, "Trump has already maxxmogged by finding multiple alternate bases for the tariffs, thereby reclaiming aura and rugging premature celebration by jestergooning Democrats." Quote Keith @nagy_minaj "BREAKING: Trump brutally lawmogged by SCOTUS for tariffmaxxing, a decision sure to spike White House’s cortisol". Matt Vespa at TownHall observes a Law Professor's Take on the SCOTUS Decision on Tariffs Will Likely Not Please the Libs. Townhall.com @townhallcom, "JONATHAN TURLEY: "There's a lot of runway still for the administration..." "The administration has other tools in its toolbox. It CAN actually impose tariffs under other statutes!"" Dershowitz to Newsmax: Trump Can Recast Tariffs Under Article II Powers. Victory Girls, SCOTUS Tariff Ruling Is Not Quite The Win Democrats Think It is. From Sundance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Outlines “Multiple Tools” Now Deployed in Tariff Policy – Sec. 232, 301 and 122 Explained. In a Larry video at Hat Hair, Trump Activates 'Backup Plan' After Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs. From News Wax, Trump Signs Order Imposing 10 Percent Global Tariff.

Capt. Ed, Schumer Shutdown Blues Hits Q4 GDP: 1.4%. Ace, Democrats Shut Down DHS, Attempting to Force Trump to Accept Biden's Open Borders Regime As the Law of the Land. At USA Today, Trump's economy is resilient. So why doesn't he get more credit? A couple leading reasons. First, the "mainstream" press is constantly harping on any perceived negatives and Democrats (about half the population) will never believe it. Second is pure inertia; it takes a while for people to feel better after the economy improves. Driscoll at Insty, has a DISPATCH FROM TRUDEAUPIA: Out of nowhere, Canada became poorer than Alabama. How is that possible? Lucy Hargreaves @lucyhargreaves4, "Alabama's unemployment rate is 2.7%. Canada's is 6.5%. Alabama now manufactures nearly as many cars as Ontario. How did the one of the poorest states in the US start outcompeting us? The Globe went down there to find out. The short version: Alabama spent 30 years treating economic development like a serious strategy... landing investments, making it fast and easy to build, and clawing back incentives from companies that didn't deliver. Canada spent the same 30 years writing reports about competitiveness and then not acting on them." Stacy McCain ascribes it to What Happens When Liberals ‘Succeed’, specifically linking it to immigration of low education, low income, welfare requiring immigrants. William Meijer @williameijer, "“Migrants tend to make the economies they move to a lot like the ones they left.” — @GarettJones."

VodkaPundit at Insty says HMM: Trump Weighs ‘Limited’ Iran Strike to Convince Tehran to Sign a Nuclear Deal. "Other reports claim Trump is considering a weeks-long air campaign. Both could be true, but the idea is probably to keep the mullahs guessing — and worried." At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed cites WSJ: Trump Considers 'Limited' Opening Strike As Iran Stalls but Dave Strom says I Would Bet on Trump Striking Iran Soon, and 'Limited' Will Not Be in the Vocabulary. Bluster loudly and wave an even bigger stick. Ace, Trump: "Bad Things" Will Happen to Iran If They Don't Agree to Stop Producing Uranium, Building Long-Range Missiles, and Funding Hamas; Meanwhile, the USS Ford Closes In on Iran, "Is Trump ready to strike Iran? I don't put a lot of stock in Lindsey Graham's insane, low-T ramblings, but he claims the decision to strike has already been made:" Capt. Ed catches NYT whining Trump Is 'Strangling Cuba.' Stop! I already like him! At OilPrice.com, Why Chevron Is Betting Big on Venezuela’s Heavy Crude.

At the Chronic, Rubio’s Call for Europe to Renew the West Falls on Deaf Ears. At Am Con, The Trump Admin Is Serious About Western Civilization. Sarah Anderson, Firing Rubio? Trump's Got Jokes, and He's Having a Darn Good Time. From Althouse, Why Conan O'Brien says Trump is "bad for comedy. "In other words, Trump is already funny, so it's obtuse to build a joke on top of that." 

Also at Althouse, Trump gets out ahead of Obama on the subject of aliens — extraterrestrial aliens. "Yesterday, Peter Doocy prompted Trump with the same question Obama recently answered: "Barack Obama said that aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non-human visitors to Earth?" Trump did not answer the question asked."

From Twitchy, We Feel SHOCKED: Latest Epstein BOMBSHELL Lands Right on Democrat Stacey Plaskett's HEAD.

PJM's Matt Margolis says Really? This Is Who Democrats Chose to Deliver Their State of the Union Response? Spamberger. Althouse is intrigued by Gavin Newsom and the 7 Women. The London Times, The seven women who have shaped Gavin Newsom’s life. Meanwhile, WUWT reports California Importing Foreign Fuel After Running Refineries Out Of Town. Dave Strom hears Congressional Democrats Introduce 'Trans Bill of Rights' Protecting Child Mutilation. Ace, Congressional Democrats Will Introduce Law to Assert Some Unknown Federal Power to Regulate State Health Codes, and Insist That Hospitals Must Continue Mutilating Children's Genitals and Breasts, "Such terrific people." Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "New Yorkers waking up FAST buyer’s remorse is REAL after voting for socialist Zohran Mamdani. He campaigned on “tax the rich, not you” now he’s threatening a 9.5% property tax hike on EVERYONE to cover his massive budget hole. NYC got played." Jason Curtis Anderson @JCAndersonNYC, "NYC employs 364,000 government employees, of which only 31% of are white. What is the point of the office of racial equity? To reduce that number to zero?" Quote Mamdani Watch @MamdaniWatch, "Some parts of Zohran Mamdani’s budget: • $5.6M for Office of Racial equity • $4.6M for Commission on Racial Equity • $835K on the Commission of Gender Equity."

Matt Margolis, Susan Rice Reveals Democrats’ Terrifying Plan for When They Return to Power. Revenge on anyone who helped Trump. She promises to do it legally, like Alvin Bragg, Letitia James and Fani Willis. ""If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are gonna, you know, play by the old rules, and say, 'Oh, never mind, we'll forgive you for all the people you've fired, all the policies and principles you've violated, all, you know, the laws you've skirted,' I think they've got another thing coming," Rice said." Rod Dreher @roddreher, "This is important. It signals the kind of dynamic that gripped Spain in first half of 1930s, as the govt of the Republic lurched btw Left and Right. Eventually, both sides hated each other so much that civil war was inevitable. Watch this for background: https://youtu.be/Lu5f9hp0IP4?si=X3lX2i04Dnsf7VyP" Quote amuse @amuse, "WEAPONIZATION: Susan Rice lays out her vision of a post-Trump America where supporters are rounded up and sent to reeducation camps or prisons." InfantryDort @infantrydort, "The impulse for retribution. There’s a tone you hear right before a civilization ages out. It isn’t the sound of defeat. It’s the sound of score settling. When leaders talk about what they’ll do to their enemies once they “come back,” you’re not listening to governance. You’re listening to something different. Law used to be a wall. Now it’s a blade people argue over who gets to swing. The dangerous part isn’t left or right. It’s the hunger. The need to make someone pay. The belief that power exists to avenge humiliation. That’s not how republics talk in their prime. In their prime, they talk about building, defending, expanding horizons. Pushing the envelope. When they’re tired, they talk about punishing. . . "

From Ace, China Is Sending Pregnant Women to the US to Give Birth, Have Their Children Declared American Citizens, Move Back to China, and Then Have Them Vote in US Elections When They Reach Age 18 "Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, who previously exposed how much cash congressmen were taking on the sly, reports that China is directing CCP-connected pregnant women to engage in "birth tourism." They "dip a toe" into the US to have a baby, get that baby certified as a citizen, and the bring it to China to be raised under the communist system as a loyal communist stooge."

At Splice Today, Mark Judge claims The Washington Post Has No Swagger and at Hat Hair remembers an NYT Reporter on Kavanaugh Smears: 'I’ve Been Grappling with Colleagues over This for Years Now'. And Another Thing, NPR and PBS didn't need your money "Champagne appetites in a Kool-Aid economy." "of the more than 1,000 television and radio stations that make up the country’s public media system, only one has closed since the CPB was defunded. A second closure is expected later this year. This is odd. They told us the budget cuts would kill us all. No, wait. Sorry. That was net neutrality. "

Stacy McCain, ‘He Was Mr. BLM’, the rise and fall of Wesley Lowery. "Behind all this success, however, it appears that Lowery had a drinking problem and also a woman problem — the two problems were not unrelated — and while womanizing drunks have never been rare in the world of journalism, you can’t do that if you’re a university professor, because Title IX essentially criminalizes male heterosexual behavior. . . Almost like a metaphor or something." From Da College Fix, Police refute claim that black Virginia Tech professor was victim of racist attack.

At NYPo, Karol Markowicz argues The rise in transgender killers proves that we have a major mental health crisis unfolding. John Sexton, Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto of Trans Bathroom Law. 

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " BREAKING: Leftist school faces mass calls for a lawsuit after an 11 YO CHILD with SPECIAL NEEDS got left in the dust, miles from school, during an anti-ICE walkout He called the mother. She didn’t even know it was happening. THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED!" Ace woke to the realization of Educational Excellence: "Honors Student" Who Cannot Read or Write Sues Government School Which Allowed Her to Graduate as a Complete Illitarate "Incredible. But it's not. We all know these failure factors are churning out one illiterate after another and scamming the taxpayer $30,000 per student per year for this "service."" And he spelled illiterate wrong in the title. I hate it when I do that.

Still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.20.26 (Morning Edition).