Flotsam and Jetsam - Randy Andy Arrested in Epstein Files Case

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair has BREAKING NEWS: Prince Andrew Arrested Over Epstein Connections "CBS News offers more details. The issue is not Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's appearance in the Epstein Files per se, but rather the allegation that Andrew passed along confidential trade-policy material to Epstein. Andrew served as a trade envoy during his Epstein period, and the allegation is that he gave Epstein inside information on which the disgraced sex offender could have profited." At Althouse, They arrested Prince Andrew! ""Live Updates: U.K. Police Arrest Former Prince Andrew Over Epstein Ties, BBC Reports/The British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of criminal activity linked to the Epstein files" (NYT). The Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it had “arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.”" I think this also lends credence to the thought that the Epstein operation was, at least in part, an intelligence op, probably unofficially sanctioned by the US and Britain. Also, "With the Epstein files, searching for almost any word can lead to some interesting or weird or confusing or awful or misleading insight." "From "Making Sense of the Epstein Files, One Disturbing Search at a Time" (NY Magazine)." Epstein files as a Rorschach test? Meanwhile, Hillary is still hoping for a pony, at News Wax, Hillary Clinton: GOP Using Epstein Probe to Shield Trump. At Skating Under the Ice, When Counting Doesn’t Add Up "People keep obsessing about the number of times that Trump (or other people) are mentioned in the Epstein emails … but the number is MEANINGLESS. You can find every mention of any name at Epsteinify. Go there, click on “Include emails”, and look on the right. First mention of Trump’s name says: . . "

CNN hopes U.S. military prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, but Trump has yet to make a final call, sources say. Anything to generate more interest. Sundance hosts Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Answering Questions about Potential Military Attacks in Iran and Ongoing Ukraine Peace Negotiations. Ace, As the Communist Cuban Junta Enters End-of-Life Care, Marco Rubio Begins Secretly Talking to Raul Castro's Grandson About a Living Will "Nine days ago, John Sexton predicted the communist regime of Cuba was entering its last year." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Whiplash, Caught in Another Trump Whiplash...

From NYPo, Trump says ‘this is a Democrat shutdown’ as he touts low inflation, falling murder rate. C3 @C_3C_3, "Mitch McConnell is a no vote on the SAVE ACT. Over 90% of his constituents would vote yes. But his owners don’t want it. Can’t barely walk. Has no clue where he is. Everything wrong with politics. Congress was not meant to be a crooked nursing home." PJM's Chris Queen astonished to find Massie’s Price for a Vote? A Press Release — and a Pat on the Head. Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "Trump brings a D.C. anti-crime activist who lost her son to violence to speak. She says Democrats never sent anyone to talk to her. No one talked to her until Trump who finally did something. She gives Democrats hell: “I love Trump. I don’t want to hear nothing you have to say about that racist stuff. And don’t be hating on me because I’m standing up for somebody that deserves to be stood up for. Get off the man’s back. Let him do his job!”" Insty, ANOTHER NARRATIVE BUSTED: Police killed fewer Americans in 2025 under Trump than in Biden era 2023 or 2024. "Oh, I think Trump probably did. Plus: “We’ll see if anyone notices that police violence went down under Trump. I doubt it.” Even if they notice, I doubt they’ll tell."

Sundance foresees a Strong Possibility of SCOTUS Ruling on President Trump IEEPA Tariffs – Friday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The Center Square NY, Trump renews threat to cut funding for $16B Gateway project. 

From NYPo, Lara Trump reveals Trump’s unexpected reaction to leaving White House in 2021 on ‘Pod Force One’. “He told all of us that he wanted to have dinner that night. And none of us really knew how that would go. And the first thing he did, before he even sat down at the dinner table, is he looked around at all of us and he goes, ‘Well, kids, I’ve got to do it again.’” Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Remember how everybody in the White House had to wear all black the next day? Theater kids. And Obama was the Theater Kid-in-Chief." Quote Paul Sperry @paulsperry_, "BREAKING: President Obama and his National Security Adviser Susan Rice were so distraught after Trump won in 2016 they literally broke down and cried in front of White House staff, according to White House staff, according to 1,100 hours of new audio and video compiled by Columbia University in cooperation with the Obama Foundation. After all they'd built, they feared their accomplishments were "at risk" of being torn down by a "con man" and a "clown." Ergo, Trump had to be stopped?" I never noticed the "all black" before. 

Scott Pinsker at PJM is trying to Reconcile Two Shock Polls: 58% Say Dems Are Now ‘Too Liberal’ — Yet Biden Defeats Trump in a Rematch? Dmitri Bolt, Harry Enten Issues a Brutal Warning to Democrats for the Upcoming Midterm Elections. At WSJ, Democrats, You May Already Have Lost the 2028 Election. Guy Benson @guypbenson, "Republican pollsters have complained that some of their best ads and attack lines don’t poll well because voters simply don’t believe true things that Democrats are actually doing could possibly be real." Quote Megan McArdle @asymmetricinfo, "This is what I dubbed "stealth extremism": mainstream liberal institutions, including the Democratic Party, routinely doing stuff their own supporters dismiss as an urban legend, because no one would *do* that." Mary Chastain at LI hears Democrats to Defy Leadership With Protests for Trump’s State of the Union "I wonder if Rep. Al Green will act like a clown again." Kurt Schlichter at TownHall asks What Do the Dems Do After They’ve Done Their Worst and It Flops? I don't think we've found the bottom of their worst yet. 

TownHall's Matt Vespa thinks Gavin Newsom Is Getting Dragged for Not Knowing What Illiterate Means...and It's Pretty Funny. Vicky Taft at PJM says Gavin Newsom Wants You to Know It's Not His Fault That He Doesn't Know What He's Doing. Running on being the first openly dyslexic candidate. Chris Cillizza @ChrisCillizza, "Yes, @AOC stumbled at the Munich Security Conference. But as @chucktodd noted today, Republicans criticizing her for her lack of foreign policy knowledge appear to have forgotten about the guy currently in the White House." Karol Markowicz @karol, "Incredibly dumb. Are you guys actually pretending Trump hasn’t had incredible foreign policies accomplishments just a year into his second term? You’re lying to yourselves or your audience."

Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "NYC public school teachers voted overwhelmingly for Mamdani. The United Federation of Teachers, representing NYC public school teachers, endorsed Mamdani, with 64% of delegates voting for him. He’s now raiding their pension fund." Arpit Gupta @arpitrage, "The proximate source of NYC’s budget woes is we have the most expensive public schools in the country $42k+ per student, as enrollment has dropped post pandemic, while spending keeps growing." Quote Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "Zohran Mamdani just proposed a preliminary budget of $127 Billion for NYC… The entire state of Florida is $117 Billion." Of course, many of those NY school children are illegal aliens, or children of illegal aliens. 

Calling all RushBabes has *News from the Washington State Legislature "What a lopsided session so far in Washington state… Majority Democrats are full speed ahead on passing the most unpopular bill in state history, while also in the process of repealing their death tax because it is driving people out of WA. Majority Democrats have officially ended the effort to protect children from fentanyl, for the 4th year in a row. Majority Democrats have ended any chance of reigning in fraud. Majority Democrats are attempting to kill the initiative process because they keep getting pushback from Washingtonians. Majority Democrats are on their way to ending elected sheriffs. Majority Democrats are pushing to release violent criminals from prison early. Majority Democrats are moving forward with essentially banning 3D printing. Majority Democrats tried to ban tires here (yes, really). Majority Democrats are going to allow Dow Constantine to take out 75 year bonds to pay for Sound Transit’s $35 BILLION budget deficit. Majority Democrats tried to ban retired Federal Law Enforcement officers from working in WA state. Did we miss anything?" Cam at Bearing Arms likes how a Virginia Sheriff Draws Line in Sand As Gun Control Bills Come Into Focus.

Sundance hosts Dan Bongino Interviews FBI Director Kash Patel. PJM's Dave Manney reports Kash Patel Says the FBI Found Antifa’s Money. "Patel didn't name specific donors, financial institutions, or nonprofits, but he did confirm that federal agents are examining whether funding flowed through U.S.-based nonprofit groups, including some with tax-exempt status, and whether foreign sources played a role."

Sundance also reports Disinformation Board Member Jennifer Daskal Appointed as FISA Court Advisor. "Washington Free Beacon – A Biden administration official who launched the Disinformation Governance Board and served as co-chair of the so-called Ministry of Truth has been appointed to advise the powerful Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, prompting concerns from some Republican lawmakers."

From Fox, Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to 'kill Jews' wins deportation case. "Mohsen Mahdawi co-founded Columbia's Palestinian Student Union after Oct. 7 and spent two weeks in immigration custody. . . . Judge Nina Froes determined on Feb. 13 that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not provide sufficient admissible evidence to establish that Mohsen Mahdawi was removable, Reuters reported.Froes said DHS relied in part on a memorandum purportedly signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio but failed to authenticate the document."

From TNP, This State Is Launching a Sanctuary City Crackdown, Montana. Cathy Salgado at PJM, Illegal Alien Attempts to Drown Complete Stranger, Chills Out With Weed and Vodka.

In a Driscoll post at Insty, JIM GERAGHTY: Stephen Colbert and James Talarico Are Lying to You. "The equal-time rule was part of the Communications Act of 1934. It states, “If any licensee shall permit any person who is a legally qualified candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office in the use of such broadcasting station.” Note that this applies to broadcast television stations include NBC, CBS, and ABC. The FCC’s equal time rule does not apply to cable channels like Fox News Channel, CNN, or MSNOW, because they don’t go out over public airwaves. (There are professional political pundits out there who don’t know or understand that distinction.). . ." At Hat Hair, a Chloe video reveals Democrats Just Humiliated Jasmine Crockett (And She Is PISSED) and Larry sees Crockett Rages As Colbert's Staged Coup Comes Crashing Down. At Althouse, The real victim is Jasmine Crockett. "I'm reading "The Colbert-CBS spat is about overregulation/Keeping the equal-time rule in place is a political choice" — gift link. That's by the Editorial Board of The Washington Post."

Matt Margolis at PJM, CNN Panel Explodes After Kevin O’Leary Calls Them ‘Nuts.’ From Hollywood in Toto, ‘Free Speech’ Bullying Shows Sorry State of Hollywood, Journalism "Berlin Film Festival under fire for refusing to take Legacy Media's bait."

Open Source Intel @Osint613, "French President Macron: Free speech is a pure bullshit if nobody knows how you are guided through this so-called free speech, especially when it is to be guided from one hated speech to another hated speech. I just want to have a transparent road through these different speeches, and I want, by the way, to have a sort of public order. I want to avoid a racist speech, hated speech, and so on."

And more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.18.26 (Morning Edition).