Flotsam and Jetsam - Spent Sparklers and Fireworks

Bob Spencer at PJM thinks Trump's Mount Rushmore Speech Outrages the Media Like Nothing Since the Days of Reagan. Wrong, they're way more outraged by everything and anything Trump does since he beat their anointed one, Hillary. I remember back to the days of Reagan; they were nasty, but not this nasty. Sundance hosts Secretary Rubio: “250 Years of America” “America has never been merely a proposition. It has always been a very real and living civilization. A unique and distinctive people, unlike any nation or people in the history of the world.” And Happy 250th Birthday America from the White House. At Data Republicans substack, On Our 250th Anniversary: The History Jefferson Warned Us Not to Forget "A Fourth of July reflection on what every American should study." History, especially the parts they don't want you to know. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, 'The Enemy of 1776': Trump Celebrates America 250 While Rebuking Mamdani. At No Pasaran! Trump's Outstanding Speech for America at 250: "Communism is an ideology of mass theft, mass control, mass lies, and mass murder—It is the Enemy of July 4th, 1776."

Hat Hair cites CBS, A Look at 'the Good Stuff' About America. Maybe Bari Weiss is having some effect! BostonWriter@bostonwriter, "If this sort of thing doesn’t stop you in your tracks and make even the slightest twinge of pride rise in your soul… well… I feel sorry for you."

Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "Happy 4th of July, SPLC." Quote Mitchell Miller @mmillerwtop, "A group of masked men gathered at Union Station today and called for reclaiming the country and getting rid of immigrants. Some held Confederate flags. They have been marching across Capitol Hill."Steve Guest @SteveGuest, "Can’t wait to find out which left wing NGO is footing the bill for this nonsense." Quote philip lewis @Phil_Lewis_ "Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro as a commuter looks on, during the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr" Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "Which woman was safer on the metro?" The black women between the PFers, or Iryna Zarutska? "Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch, "I just think it’s funny that the “Patriot Front” jabroneys are too embarrassed to show their faces carrying the American flag. Not very patriotic. Likewise, it’s funny that people who call themselves American patriots carry flags for a cause that sought to destroy America. But, hey, if they want to march in equatorial heat to be mocked by pretty much everyone that’s cool. I just don’t think they’ve thought through any of this very well." Quote Mitchell Miller @mmillerwtop, "The group marched away from Union Station, carrying various flags, including Confederate flags." Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "I’m entirely in favor of a law making wearing a mask in public without a documented medical reason a misdemeanor and believe such a law would have broad bi-partisan support. I want these guys unmasked as much as I want Antifa unmasked, no one ever wore a mask like this to do good. I want to know who they are as well, and who is paying for the 'uniforms.'

From Twitchy, 'You Showed Us EXACTLY Who You Are'! Zohran Mamdani Tries Again and NOBODY Is Buying It. Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "So Mamdani is now trying to clean up after himself following that horrifically hateful speech he gave. Yet he still cannot help himself. Even on his best behavior, with an army of advisors undoubtedly telling him not to further besmirch America on the Fourth of July, he still cannot resist dwelling on America’s flaws. ..." Quote Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "Today marks 250 years since a small group of newspaper editors, farmers, and soldiers signed a document declaring our nation’s independence — a truth that feels self-evident now but was revolutionary then. ... Today and all days, let us remember that patriotism is not pretending our nation is without flaws. Patriotism is every act of righteous dissent — because loving our country means fighting for the best version of it." David Burge @iowahawkblog, "America is exceptional because the people who bitch about it the loudest refuse to leave." Nick Arama at RedState thinks Elon Decimates Mamdani's America 250 Speech With 1 Simple Fact - Then DeSantis Drops in Off the Top Rope. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Mamdani has built nothing. He is a taker, never a maker." Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "NOW: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis NAILS IT PERFECTLY "When I see the Mamdanis of the world, they're basically offering these ideas, they claim they're progressive. They're really REGRESSIVE. These are things that the founding fathers REJECTED!" "Their ideas have FAILED throughout history. And we have a chance now with 250 to look back and say — we're inheritors of an awfully GOOD legacy. We got LUCKY to have founding fathers pledge their lives, fortune and sacred honor the way they did when they did it!"" Comfortably Smug @ComfortablySmug, "Turns out like all communists, Zohran lies and demands the people sacrifice while he is blasting the A/C in his office." Young Americans for Liberty @YALiberty, "Mamdani demands the peasants turn their thermostats to 78, cracks the A/C at City Hall to 63. Rules for thee, not for me! An absolute commie classic."New York Post @nypost, "Mandani's wife Rama Duwaji ditches America 250 bash for Islamic 'spiritual wellness' retreat in Spain https://trib.al/ehm1Vuk." TownHall's Scott McLallen reports Ellison's Independence Day Video Sparks Backlash Amid Pardon Scandal. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Minnesota AG Keith Ellison shares a message for 4th of July suggesting we import millions more foreigners and grant them citizenship This comes just says after he pardoned a foreign child rapist to shield him from deportation." James Lindsay, anti-Communist @ConceptualJames, "Amazing." Quote political jew @PoliticalJewTT, "David Duke, the former KKK Grand Wizard, has now endorsed Ilhan Omar, Zohran Mamdani and Darializa Avila Chevalier. No, this is not a joke."

Matt Margolis at PJM asks if you Need Another Reason to Loathe Michelle Obama? I can't say I really loathe her; I don't think about her all that much. Hannah Knudsen at Flopping Aces likes hos America 250 Exposed the Democrats: They Want to Rule a Country They Don’t Love. At Am Great, Roger Kimball tells a A Tale of Two Countries. "On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, America’s story is cast as either triumphant inheritance or unfinished grievance, with no neutral ground in between." RazörFist @RazorFist, "Communism isn't popular. Never has been. Hence all Communist revolutions are spearheaded by a small number of academic elites, while the underlings—the ones who invariably perish in such a revolt—must be manipulated into participating with some other pet issue." Quote Count of Andria @RaymondBerengar Replying to @RazorFist, "The problem we have today is that, as ever, Communism is really, really popular... before it's implemented. You would think people would learn from history, but I can assure you, they don't." Steve Moore at Hat Hair tells us What England Can Teach Us About 'Democratic Socialism'. It's not democratic and it makes the common people lives worse.

Rusty Weiss at RedState hears Top Dem Admits They’ll Nuke the Filibuster—But Trump Has Plan for GOP to Win Elections for ‘100 Years.’

Don Surber asserts Girls sports is for girls only, "5 middle school girls helped convince the Supreme Court to stop the transgender madness" while still allowing it, if that's what a state decides.

Joe Chalfant at TownHall reports Illegal Alien CDL Holder Kills Pennsylvania State Trooper in Horrific Accident. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "BREAKING: DHS confirms to @FoxNews that the semi-truck driver charged w/ killing PA State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. in a crash in PA on Wednesday is a Haitian illegal alien who flew into the US via the Biden administration's CHNV mass parole program in 2024 & received his CDL from the state of Massachusetts. ..."

Althouse is amused by the usual suspects whinging about how bad July 4 celebrations are, now that Trump is in office, "Fireworks release tiny particles that can irritate lungs and trigger asthma attacks, along with gases like carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide..." "... and sulfur dioxide and metals including aluminum, manganese and cadmium, according to the American Lung Association. Even Freedom 250, the Trump-backed group that helped organize the event, acknowledged on its website that 'air quality will decline' and visibility 'may become compromised.'" and "Visitors in red, white and blue darkened with sweat stood in lines for hours, sometimes screaming in frustration and other times collapsing from exhaustion." ""The Independence Day parade was canceled and the Great American State Fair delayed. Steel fences and closed roads made photos of iconic monuments hard to capture. Both white supremacists and liberal activists marched through the city, each demanding their country back...." I'm reading "America’s 250th celebrations marked by severe weather, political division/Officials ordered thousands of people to evacuate the National Mall after a severe weather warning that delayed President Donald Trump’s speech." That's in The Washington Post (not the NYT, as I'd accidentally had written)." Tim Young @TimRunsHisMouth, "A special Happy 4th of July shout out to the patriots at @JimmysSeafood who expanded their business this year by telling anti-American trash to go fuck themselves. This was one of my favorite X moments ever…"

Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "Finally, scientific backing to my long held belief that the Spanish aren’t real Europeans."

Hat Hair's John Sexton reports the NY Times Defends Organizer of 'Muslims Only' Swim Party. Some pigs are more equal than others.

At Twitchy, Variety: Rob Reiner Gets the 'Last Laugh' Against Trump With Secret Final Role. Sadly that may be his lasting legacy.

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn is laughing as Merriam-Webster - Yes, the Dictionary People - Dunk on the British: Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster, "Why is it ‘cancelled’ in the U.K. but ‘canceled’ in the U.S.? Because we gave them that L in 1776."

Stacy McCain discusses Our Patriotic Duty to Fill the Sky with fireworks. I hope his went off better than ours. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Slowly I Turn up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - It's War on Iran

Yesterday, from the Brussels Sign, As the US and Israel prepare for war, the EU sinks into irrelevance, then at Hat Hair, Capt. Ed hears US Evacuates Embassies in Israel, Iraq; UPDATE: China Urges Citizens to Leave Iran and Ace, US Evacuates Embassies in Israel and Iraq, China Orders Citizens Out of Iran as Strike Appears Imminent. "But joking aside, it looks like Trump's had enough. Iran once again pretended to "talk" while conceding nothing. The USS Ford is now in place for a strike." Shanaka Anslem Perera @shanaka86, "At 10:24 this morning, Friday February 27, the United States Ambassador to Israel emailed his own staff and told them to leave the country today. Not next week. Not when convenient. Today. . . " 

Then, this morning, Capt. Ed BREAKING: Trump Launches Strikes; Tells Iranians to 'Seize Control of Your Destiny'. Matt Vespa at TownHall, US-Israel Launches Major Airstrikes on Iran, Extensive Strikes Slated to Continue. Philip Melanchthon Wegmann @PhilipWegmann, "Trump outlines war aims: --destroy and "raze their missile industry to the ground" --"We're going to annihilate their navy" --Hamstring terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize --"Ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon." Jen van Laar at RedState, President Trump Confirms 'Major Combat Operation' in Iran. Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The United States and Israel Are Lighting Up Tehran. Althouse quotes Trump, "Eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard terrible people." I would not be surprised to see embedded terrorist cells from Iran (who probably slipped through Biden's open borders) to open up terror campaigns in the US. I hope the FBI has been secretly mopping them up. I also hope the Iranian opposition takes advantage of the action to rid themselves of the theocratic regime.

At PM, Rubio Doesn’t Trust Cuba’s ‘Highly Unusual’ Account of Deadly Shootout With U.S. Boat. Althouse found Trump saying "We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba." ""The Cuban government is talking with us, and they're in a big deal of trouble. As you know, they have no money. They have no anything right now. But they're talking with us, and maybe we'll have a friendly takeover of Cuba. We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba...." Colin Dueck at Am Mind is Defending Trump’s Latin America Policy. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Hegseth: Department of War 'Convinced' Boy Scouts to Drop DEI, Gender Policy.

Stephen Kruiser declares a A Pox on Everyone Who Keeps Hillary Clinton in the News. Breitbart, Hillary Clinton Claims She ‘Had No Idea’ of Jeffrey Epstein’s Crimes, or Harvey Weinstein's, or Anthony Weiner's, just to name a few of the sexual predators she hung around with. Ace, Hillary Clinton Claims She Never Even Met Epstein, Had No Idea About Any of His Crimes "Hillary Clinton testilied yesterday. Bill Clinton is testilying today." (yesterday). The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Hillary Clinton Says She Only Recalls Meeting Epstein That One Time When She Murdered Him." Capt. Ed calls it Bill Clinton's Sgt. Schultz Act: I Knew Nothing, I Saw Nothing About Epstein, so obviously he has no knowledge of any misconduct by Donald Trump. Althouse, "But even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that ever gave me pause." ""We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long. And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him." Said Bill Clinton, in his opening statement." "imTay said... “I did not have sex with that woman either.” - Bill Clinton" Don Surber tells us just The facts about Trump and Epstein, "Trump molested no one. In fact, he helped victims collect $500 million in damages." From Twitchy, Peddling ‘Pedo’: Rachel Maddow and Other Media Hacks Toss Their So-Called Principles to End Trump. But PJM's Scott Pinsker worries It’s a Trap: The Republicans Are Sleepwalking Into a Clinton Ambush. 

Matt Vespa at TownHall Is Stunned USA Today Published This Op-Ed From a Dem About Trump's State of the Union. "I appreciate his businessman's approach to the economy and tariffs. I loved that he celebrated the people directly affected by his policy changes and celebrated the economy wins by putting America first. I am disappointed in all the elected leaders who refused to celebrate the people who have been sacrificed because of the policies brought about by the Biden administration. The speech improved my opinion of Trump, and I believe he has only the best interests of the United States at the core of all his decisions. I do believe the changes he has made are working, and I wish the Democratic Party would give him the same courtesy they gave the Obama administration with illegal aliens." Scott McKay at Am Spec on SOTU 2026: Now There Are Truly Two Americas, "And it was on display during this year’s State of the Union." At State of the Day, Just When You Think They Can’t Possibly Get Crazier, They Do "It has not been a good week for Democrats." Noah Pollak @NoahPollak, "This is a special genre of leftist fake journalism in which some normal people do something completely normal that commie journos don't like, and instead of just being honest and saying (in this case) "It really triggers us to see Americans happy about a win for our country, because we're unhappy people and we hate our country" they make up a tedious self-licking ice cream cone narrative in which the same people "reporting" that hockey players are "facing questions" are the ones asking the questions in the first place." Quote The New York Times @nytimes "From @TheAthletic: As U.S. hockey players returned to their NHL teams, they faced questions about the politicization of their Olympic win and their association with President Trump. Here were their responses: https://nyti.ms/4rJzBao." From Da Blaze, Team USA captain goes full feminist over Trump's 'distasteful' invitation: 'It's a great teaching point'. Get a life. Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed say Don’t Let Miserable Media Hacks Suck The Joy Out Of U.S. Hockey’s Gold Medal Wins. Stacy McCain explores The Worst People in the World (Part II).

A Larry vid at Hat Hair, Republican Senators Slow Walking the SAVE Act Get a Rude Awakening. Kevin McCullough at TownHall declares ID to Vote! Checkmate. "What Leader Thune is pulling right now isn’t just politics as usual — it’s strategic brilliance in a moment when checkers players think they’re playing chess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has committed to forcing a vote on the SAVE America Act — legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register and voter ID at the polls — and in doing so he’s exposing the absurdity of Democratic obstruction in the face of overwhelming bipartisan public support." I'll believe it when I see it. At Da Caller, Kamala Harris Says SAVE Act Must Be Stopped Because ‘40% Of Americans’ Don’t Have Birth Certificates, Passports. WJ sees a Black Republican Nukes Liberal for Implying the SAVE Act Targets Minorities: We're 'Educated Enough' to Get an ID. At ET, Justice Department Sues 5 More States for Refusing to Provide Voter Rolls. "In total, the department has filed lawsuits against 29 states and the District of Columbia over voter roll access." Also, Researchers Identify Chinese Influence Network That Targeted Trump, Japan Elections, "The researchers found six distinct clusters pushing pro-CCP narratives."

Buck Throckmorton at Ace's MORNING RANT: Following SNAP Restrictions on Junk Food, Pepsico Cuts Prices Due to Softening Consumer Demand. Ashley Evdokimo at TownHall claims MAHA Isn’t a Movement Anymore, It’s an Agenda. Althouse finds "I had not spent a lot of my life hanging out with Republicans, and what I imagined they were talking about was exactly the opposite.", ""Now I'm in an administration surrounded by immensely talented people who are immensely idealistic. I always imagined Republicans would get together thinking about how to screw the poor and reduce taxes on the rich, but they're actually narrowly focused on how do we solve these big problems and make our country work. The level of idealism that I see at every level in the White House and in my agency is inspiring. And then the level of capability—the competence of the people I'm surrounded with...." said RFK Jr. on Rogan.

On the Fox Bus, Mortgage rates fall below 6% for first time since 2022 "Average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.98%, Freddie Mac says." At ET, Recurring Unemployment Claims Decline to 1-Month Low "Continuing jobless claims remained below 1.9 million for the seventh straight week." John Eastman at Am Mind notes The Tariff Wears Two Hats: What the SCOTUS Majority Overlooked.

Althouse says in wonder, Is the California open primary going to produce 2 Republican candidates for Governor? I expect Democrats to pull a dirty maneuver to fix that. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn is seething: The Video Depositions of Whistleblowing LA Firefighters Will Have You Seething. Vicky Taft at PJM sees West Coast, Messed Coast™ — Members List of Secretive 'Bohemian Grove' Men's Club Is Leaked.

Guy Benson @guypbenson, "Virginia Democrats, in the midst of pushing a wild gerrymandering scheme and a blizzard of tax increases, vote to ~triple their own pay:" Quote VA Senate GOP @VASenateGOP, "Virginia Democrats just voted to give themselves a 300% pay increase. Teachers got a 3% raise. But Democrats give themselves 300%." Josh Monnington at Da Fed worries Americans Can’t Afford To Keep Letting Leftists ‘Learn’ From Their Mistakes. Literally. 

Jonathan Turley thinks Jack Smith’s Secret Orders Targeting Patel and Wiles Should Alarm Us All. Tim Murtaugh @TimMurtaugh, "This is one of the most breathtaking scandals in U.S. history. The incumbent admin eavesdropped on a phone call between a key leader of the opponent’s campaign and her lawyer. It’s outrageous. The only reason it’s not treated as a scandal that ends careers is because Trump." Quote Alex Bruesewitz @alexbruesewitz, "The near-total blackout by mainstream media on the Biden FBI's illegal surveillance of phone calls involving President Trump's then-campaign manager @SusieWiles is nothing short of disgraceful. This is one of the biggest political scandals in American history!" Capt. Ed cites Wiles' Attorney: No, I Did Not Give FBI Consent to Wiretap Our Call. Geller Reports Susie Wiles Lawyer Categorically DENIES He Allowed Biden FBI To Secretly Record Their Conversations. Sundance at CTH, Lawyer for Susie Wiles Categorically Denies Knowledge of Phone Call Recording by FBI and Explosive Revelations – Patrick Bet David Interviews DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. From Da Blaze, 'My own employees ... had downloaded software on my phone': Kristi Noem claims Elon Musk helped expose spyware inside DHS.

Ace says Surprise! Even as Fani Willis and Her Monster Box Pursued Trump on Specious RICO Charges, Biden Encouraged Her to Apply for Free Federal Graft-Money "Weird how the Biden Administration targeted its political enemies and also paid off its Soviet Secret Police using taxpayer funds." DC_Draino @DC_Draino, "Biden’s DOJ secretly wired $2 million to Fani Willis in Georgia to arrest President Trump during his re-election. True banana republic tactics." Quote Bridgett Fertig @LightOnLiberty, "New documents reveal that while Fulton County DA Fani Willis was building her RICO and conspiracy case against President Trump and 18 allies, the Biden Justice Department secretly wired 2 million dollars directly to her office! "This looks like a gift grant to Fani Willis while she's doing the bidding of Joe Biden to pursue and tie down Donald Trump and his friends in a criminal prosecution in Atlanta! Evidence shows CLEAR coordination between Willis, the Biden White House, DOJ, and J6 Democrats to create double jeopardy prosecutions, draining Trump's resources across jurisdictions in violation of justice principles!"

Bonchie at RedState, New: Trump DOJ Drops the Hammer on Anti-ICE Activists Who Invaded Minnesota Church. Attorney General Pamela Bondi @AGPamBondi, "Today, @thejusticedept unsealed an indictment charging 30 more people who took part in the attack on Cities Church in Minnesota. At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day. YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith."

From the Center Square ND, Judge says Greenpeace will have to pay $345 million over pipeline protest. They claim not to have that much money. So I guess they're (or will be) bankrupt. Insty notices ENVIRONMENTALISTS NEVER PROTEST CHINA BECAUSE CHINA ALREADY HAS A COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT. Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "China has absolutely decimated the oceans, yet you never hear a word about it from Western so-called environmentalists who lecture the rest of us about paper straws. That is because it was never about the environment. For them, it was, and always will be, about the grift." Quote Dr. Minh Tran @MinhDr18 " Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for life. Let Chinese illegal fishing fleets into your waters and soon there’s nothing left for anyone to catch."

At Hat Hair, Dave Strom is worried about, Democrats Plotting to Destroy Companies for Cooperating With Trump Administration and looks at Tucker's New Buddies: Obama's Intelligence Community Shills.

PJM's Matt Margolis notices Even CNN Admits That Democrats Are in Big Trouble on This Key Issue. illegal immigration and Scott Pinsker looks at How Much Was the Government LYING About the Illegal Immigrant Crime Wave? You can't lie if you don't know the truth, and they have conspicuously avoided finding it. Twitchy sees a Trio of Democrat Senators Double Down on Making Illegal Aliens 'Numero Uno' Over American Citizens.

From NYPo, Somali trucker busted driving wrong way down highway failed English test and couldn’t read road signs. Ace, Trump, GOP Push "Dahlia's Law" to Block Illegal Aliens from Getting Commercial (Tractor Truck) Drivers Licenses; Democrat Says That the Injuries Suffered by the Child Dahlia by the Third-World Driver Are No Big Deal. "Dahlia is one of the lucky ones -- she survived her encounter with Third-World Highway Safety Protocols, albeit with serious injuries. Many other Americans are not so lucky. A GOP Senator answered Trump's call to pass Dahlia's law, and introduced it in the Senate." Eggs, omelets. 

Capt. Ed hears Netflix to Paramount: Uncle! Sundance, Following White House Visit Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Withdraws from Warner Bid, Clears Path for Larry Ellison to Take Control of CNN. From The Wrap, CNN Anxiety Mounts as Paramount Nears Control: ‘People Think It Could Be the End’ "David Ellison’s expected takeover of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is stoking fears that Donald Trump would gain influence over his longtime cable news nemesis." At Insty, GREAT MOMENTS IN GASLIGHTING: Nicholas Fondacaro @NickFondacaro, "What is she talking about? CBS has been taking aim against the right for decades. CBS the network of Dan Rather, who fabricated paperwork to smear Bush. The network of Gayle King, who goes on vacation with the Obamas and donates to Dems. The network that backed a Hamas simp." Quote David Folkenflik @davidfolkenflik, "Veteran CBS News producer Mary Walsh takes leave (first reported by Guardian) "We've been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum. Honestly, I don't know how to do that."" Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "Translation: Only raging democrats are allowed to own legacy media outlets and if anyone we don’t like buys one, we will use the state to try to steal their business or destroy their business. Sounds a little communist to me." Quote Chris Murphy @ChrisMurphyCT "Paramount should enjoy its growing news monopoly while they have it because when Democrats win back power we are going to break up these anti-democratic information conglomerates. All of them." 

At PsyPost, New research: AI models tend to reflect the political ideologies of their creators. Well, knock me over with a feather.

At AMAC, The Mass Shootings the Media Wants You to Ignore, those committed by transgenders and their fellow travellers. From Da Caller, It’s Been A ‘Historic’ Week For Transgender Politicians, three arrested in a week.

PJM's Greg Byrnes wonders Is There Such a Thing As Nazi Milk? "Under consideration is his public assessment of the properties of whole milk. “Nazis were enamored of whole milk as well,” he wrote in his blog. “I am suspicious. Milk drinking is political. Drinking whole white milk has played a big role in racist and far-right thinking. In America, drinking whole milk has for years been a part of alt-right, white nationalist messaging in tweets, memes, and videos.”" From Shooting News Week, Hoplophobic Harridans Plan to Protest Minnesota High School Clays Fundraiser This Weekend…Here’s What You Can Do. "A bunch of teenagers who like to shoot clays for sport and are conducting a fundraiser for their club will likely face a passel of hoplophobic harridans and a sprinkling of hen-pecked beta males this weekend. These scolds think that’s the perfect venue to scream about “gun violence,” as if these kids are somehow the equivalent gang-bangers that turn cities like Minneapolis into war zones."

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.27.26 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 02.27.26 (Evening Edition), but the sun is out so it's time to go. Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Better Than Expected up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Hillary Testilies in Epstein Probe

But first, it's day 3 of post SOTU commentary. Hopefully, this may be the last of it. Dmitri Bolt at TownHall sees Democrats Race to Do Damage Control After Refusing to Stand for Americans First. Driscoll at Insty, PAST PERFORMANCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF FUTURE RESULTS:

Wait a minute… pic.twitter.com/tZIykIg9LS

— AG 🔥 (@Yolo304741) February 26, 2026

Rusty Weiss at RedState, Furious Ilhan Omar Demands Probe After Her Radical SOTU Guest Is Arrested—She Might Look Familiar to You. Ace, When Congressmen Began Chanting "USA! USA!," Deportable Treasonous Jihadi Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib Began Shouting "KKK! KKK!", "The NY Post, again:" TownHall's Amy Curtis wonders Did Rep. Seth Moulton Commit a Crime at Trump's State of the Union Address? Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "WTF?! Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton SMUGGLED IN an illegal alien to Trump's State of the Union address, then had his Chief of Staff HARBOR the illegal in Moulton's office to SHIELD him from police Harboring an illegal is a FEDERAL FELONY ARRESTS need to be made! Or our laws are MEANINGLESS." Althouse finds "It begins with one — one frog...." "I found the Portland Frog Brigade via this NY Post column, "Dems ditched American heroes for adults in frog suits and tiresome De Niro — all we can do is pity them." Dave Harsanyi at WaEx, Yes, Democrats are crazy. PJM's Stephen Kruiser says I Blame Obama for the Churlish Behavior of Today's Dems. Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "Jimmy Kimmel slams President Trump’s State of the Union address in a monologue he recorded hours before President Trump’s State of the Union address. I’m truly embarrassed by how much I once looked up to Jimmy Kimmel. I promise, he wasn’t always… this." To be fair, he knew he would hate it regardless of what Trump actually said.

The Epstein war has heated up again with charges that the Trump admin removed files in which a woman claimed to be molested by Trump at an Epstein party and Hillary being forced to testify to Congress (Bill is today). At Twitchy, NYT, WSJ Confirm NPR Report About Missing Epstein Files Tying Trump to Sexually Abusing a Child. Roger Sollenberger @SollenbergerRC, "NEW: The New York Times confirms my reporting that the DOJ is withholding several FBI interviews with a woman who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her as a child." Dan Nelson @IlliniDan2, "So two news agencies with suspect editorial practices are checking each othwrs work?" Jim Muessig @JimMuessig, "I’ve heard 51 former intelligence officials will confirm it soon too."

But, but, but…Hillary doesn’t know
Epstein, never met him.

Althouse, "The Clintons are likely to be asked why, long after Maxwell had been publicly accused of trafficking girls with Epstein in 2009, she was still welcome at events with the couple." "In 2010, Maxwell attended the wedding of the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea, and in 2013 was a guest at the Clinton Global Initiative conference. The former president Clinton also attended a dinner with Maxwell in Los Angeles as late as 2014, according to reports.... Speaking to Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney-general, Maxwell said Bill was 'my friend, not Epstein’s friend.' She said: 'President Clinton liked me, and we got along terribly well. But I never saw that warmth with Mr Epstein.'" From "The questions Bill and Hillary Clinton need to answer about Epstein files. The couple will be questioned, starting on Thursday, over pictures with the paedophile and emails to Ghislaine Maxwell. What will they have to explain?" and "For almost the entirety of her married life, she has had to answer questions about her husband’s action." From sundance at CTH, Clinton Deposition on Epstein Briefly Halted Due to Leaked Photograph of Events. Hat Hair's John Sexton notes Hillary and Republicans Offer Different Takes on Her Testimony. Now there's a big surprise.

The Beeb, World Economic Forum boss quits after review of Epstein links. Sundance, After Being Named in Epstein Files WEF President and CEO Borge Brende Resigns. Just gonna guess he's not MAGA. Ace, Another Harvard Professor Exposed as Friend of Epstein. "We already knew that Harvard's Larry Summers, who was also Obama's chief economic advisor, was a close pal of Epstein's. He resigned from the school a few months back. Now we find out aHarvard math professor was also a FoJ." Also, Bill Gates Is Very, Very, Very Sorry He Inadvertently Consorted With a Convicted Child Trafficker and Banged Russian "Dates" Procured by Jeffrey Epstein, UPDATE: President and CEO of the WEF Resigns Over Epstein Ties. "You wouldn't believe how sorry he is about the "mistake" he made in becoming BFFs with a guy who just got convicted of soliciting a 14-year-old girl."

Smearing people as ped*philes wasn't always in style. In fact it was just a couple years ago that they were calling it unacceptable, evil, and dangerous.

Then Trump got into office again and it's anything goes, no holds barred again. pic.twitter.com/qeZas5kldG

— MAZE (@mazemoore) February 27, 2026

Sundance, Typically, Republican – It Sounds Like John Thune is Using SAVE Act as Leverage to Reopen Govt. Twitchy finds DataRepublican PERFECTLY Breaks Down Why Republicans Are Slow-Walking the SAVE Act in MUST-Read Thread. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "On the SAVE Act specifically: "The uncomfortable synthesis: these senators have more in common with their Democratic counterparts than with their own voters. Not because of a coordinated network... just because they've lived in the same city, breathed the same air, and attended the same events for 30-40 years. The filibuster is the excuse. The real answer is they don't feel the urgency their base feels, because Washington DC doesn't feel that urgency."" Here, let me try. All the Republicans currently in office have already been elected, mostly in safe seats. They're not worried about voter fraud. The Redheaded libertarian @TRHLofficial, "Forcing senators to talk during the filibuster is literally how the filibuster is supposed to work. Republicans either don’t want to sit through another 25 hour speech by Cory Booker or are being paid off by lobbyists. Either way, they’re betraying us for personal gain or comfort." Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: At least 4 REPUBLICAN SENATORS are NO or leaning NO on a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act with 50+1 votes, per Punchbowl Sen. Thom Tillis is currently NO unless he sees a "clear plan" to pass the bill without nuking the filibuster Sen. John CurtisShow more" Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Absolutely. Otherwise, the filibuster will be killed immediately if Dems get the House, Senate and Presidency in 2029. They already tried to do it and were stopped by Manchin & Sinema, who were then kicked out of the Dem party." Quote Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "22hFor those who want to preserve the filibuster, the best way to do that is to use the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act/" From the Chronic, The Talking Filibuster Is the ‘Anti-Nuclear Option.’ Elon Musk @elonmusk, “Best in Show” Quote Right Angle News Network @Rightanglenews "BREAKING - Just days after Senator John Thune said there was no time to debate and vote on the SAVE Act, it was revealed that senators held a dog parade inside the chamber, bringing their pets in for photos and celebration instead of moving forward on the election bill."

VodkaPundit at Insty sees CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN: Over a quarter million federal jobs reduced in 2025 from nearly two dozen agencies. "That’s still too many. Keep cutting until NoVa is practically emptied out and Virginia is red again." Amen, brother. 

I&I, Voters Give ‘Thumbs Up’ To Trump’s Foreign-Policy ‘Donroe Doctrine’ Activism. Sundance, Secretary Rubio Responds to Report of Cuba Shooting Speedboat, Killing 4, Wounding 6. Sarah Anderson at PJM, Cuba Gets Oil? Boat Story Busted? And Marco Meets The Crab? "First of all, one of the guys listed as a passenger is not in Cuba. He's in the United States alive and well. He was not on any sort of boat. He has no injuries. He said it could be some sort of administrative error or a mix-up with someone with a similar name, but it's not him. Second, the family who owns the boat used in this "terrorist infiltration" claims it was stolen by an employee from their construction company. They had no plans to use it for any such activity, and they say the boat registered under that license isn't a speedboat, but a small fishing boat with one engine. The owners doubted it could hold 10 people and all that gear, much less make it to Cuba on its single engine. Third, the regime has produced no evidence of anything. No photos of the boat or gear. No access to those injured. No witnesses. As Marco Rubio said yesterday, we don't believe anything they say until we can verify it independently. The U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security are looking into the matter, as is Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has opened an investigation." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Rats on Sunken Drug Ship: Regime Capos Turn Informer on Maduro. At Althouse, "Trump’s goalposts are infinite." "I'm listening to the NYT "Daily" podcast, "Inside the Operation to Take Down Mexico’s Biggest Drug Lord" (transcript and audio at Podscribe)." NewsWax hears Iran to Offer 'Commercial Bonanza' to US Companies in an attempt to not get blown back to the stone age. 

Capt. Ed, Federal Judge: The Hacks In the Back Filed a Silly Attack, And It Turned Into a Ballroom Blitz! Bob Spencer at PJM, Trump Racks Up Another Victory Over Leftist Crazies Trying to Stop His Ballroom. Althouse likes her NYT spin "A federal judge on Thursday declined to halt construction of the ballroom President Trump plans to build over the demolished East Wing of the White House..." "... concluding that the lawsuit, as filed, focused on the wrong questions about the president’s authority.... Judge Richard J. Leon of the Federal District Court in Washington wrote that the group that had filed the lawsuit could amend the claim to focus more squarely on the president’s power to make sweeping changes to the building without input from Congress...."

PJM's Athena Thorne hears Black Americans Are Fed up With Democrats Calling Them Stupid and Ignorant, and It’s Hilarious. Dan McCarthy at RCP on How a Party Offends Its Voters. Hat Hair's Dave Strom puts Newsom's California in a Nutshell. Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "The fact that possessing child porn can be pled down to only a misdemeanor in Gavin Newsom‘s pedo-protecting California is a far bigger story than this waste of oxygen running for office." Steve Soukup at Am Great claims AOC’s Ignorance Is No Laughing Matter "Ocasio-Cortez’s Munich performance was laughable—but her nostalgia for workerist politics ignores a century of Marxist failure, revisionism, and the authoritarian wreckage that followed." But we can still laugh. Brit Hume @brithume, "Quote: "From this day forward you will never see a headline in the political press referring to Graham Platner, the candidate in question, as a communist, though that’s how he described himself as recently as 2020."

Dave Strom, The CIA Democrats... UPDATE...Data Republican Is on the Case. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "I already generated a dossier on Spanberger, but the most interesting part of it is that she is part of a cohort of 50+ military-intelligence veterans that have been recruited to run as Democratic candidates starting in 2018. @SomeBitchIIKnow first hypothesized this, but my new dossier pipeline independently captured them. A Democrat retires. A CIA member takes over. Spanberger is part of a much deeper, much more disturbing story here." Quote John Fisher @JohnFisher9372, Replying to @DataRepublican and @jammles9, "Well done! I have a request. At some point do the same for Abigail Spanberger. I believe she is much more likely to claim the 'moderate' lane in 2028, and I think this kind of deep dive would be 'interesting'." The woman is a wizardess behind a keyboard. 

Scott Johnson at Power Line likes Dr. Oz’s prescription for Minnesota. "We learn via X that Dr. Oz has deferred $259.5 million of quarterly federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota to prevent payment of questionable claims while further investigation is completed. The related press release explains . . ." Jeff Charles at TownHall, thinks Democrats Will Lose Their Minds After JD Vance's Announcement About Minnesota Fraud. Aaron Rupar @atrupar "JD Vance: "We're announcing today that we have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that is going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people's tax money.""

Beege Welborn is happy to see A Wee Bit O' Justice at Last Meted Out In NYC. From WJ a Priceless Video: Woke Woman Fled to Canada Because of Trump - Now She's Reduced to Begging Because She Had No Idea How Bad It Would Be There.

Capt. Ed has Today's Deep Question: Why Did Biden-Era DoJ Spy on Wiles' Call With Attorney? The same reason a dog licks it's ball; because it can. Sundance, FBI Investigated Susie Wiles and Kash Patel Phone Records, Secretly Recording Wiles Conversations with Her Lawyer in 2022 and 2023. Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Joe Biden’s FBI spying on Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Susie Wiles — and even listening to her phone calls with her lawyer! — makes Watergate look like jaywalking." Ace,
Biden's Corrupt and Soviet FBI Wiretapped Key Political Opponents Kash Patel and Suzie Wiles (Trump's Chief of Staff). "Weird how all of the targets of Biden's FBI just happened to be political opponents he wanted dirt on. This is Nixon Squared. And the leftwing media insists this is all perfectly normal, and that Trump is The Real Authoritarian Here. News Wax catches the AP whining, FBI Fires Agents in Trump Classified Docs Case "“These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau's ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk,” the association said in a statement." Eggs, omelets. Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "HOLY CRAP! Secretary Noem just revealed
@ElonMusk helped find that a few DHS staffers installed SPYWARE on her phone and computer, as well as on the devices of of other political hires These people need to be JAILED! There HAVE to be consequences, or they’ll keep doing it! In addition, Noem and her team found "secret, secure rooms with hidden files that we turned over to attorneys." I don't care what anyone says: the deep state is alive and well." Sundance hears Democrats in Intel are Big Mad That Tulsi Gabbard Will Not Share Details of Gossip About Jared Kushner. Jeff Lord at Am Spec, Susan Rice Goes Full Fascist. "Threatens Trump supporters."

Steve Richards and John Solomon at JTN report As Georgia prosecutor pursued Trump, Biden DOJ 'invited' her to get lucrative grant, memos show, "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ records, turned over to Just the News after an open records lawsuit, show her office received millions of dollars from the Biden Justice Department as she built her case against then-former President Donald Trump." Dave Strom, Biden Justice Department Funneled $18 Million to Fani Willis.

At Insty, FOLLOW THE SCIENCE: Crémieux @cremieuxrecueil, "Holy shit If your town elects a Republican prosecutor, firearm homicides go down and young men have MUCH lower death rates. As it turns out, you can just choose to prosecute criminals and that saves lives!"

Matt O'Brien and Am Mind is Refuting the Media’s Latest Immigration Propaganda. Everybody is Insane @colorblindk1d, "The New York Times ran a piece on their homepage about a guy getting deported even though he had lived in the US since a teenager and had been here for 20 years, and waited until the end of the article to mention that 19 of those years were spent in prison for murder." 

VodkaPundit at Insty, IS IT REALLY AS HIGH AS 10%? Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "CNN and MSNBC are running constant hit pieces on @NICKIMINAJ over her support for President Trump. But Nicki has ALREADY told them to screw off: “I am probably the President’s NUMBER ONE fan, and that’s NOT going to change!” “The hate motivates me to support him MORE!”" Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "The Washington Post is now doing PR for Candace Owens, and you still think you aren't the mark?" Quote, The Washington Post @washingtonpost "Right-wing influencer Candace Owens released the first episode of a new video series focused on the widow of Charlie Kirk. The series promises to unearth secrets from Erika Kirk’s past relevant to her stewardship of the powerful conservative nonprofit." 

Charles Gasparino at NYPo, Paramount Skydance victory in Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war came after failed Netflix exec visit to win over White House. Hollywood Reporter, Netflix Backs Out of Warner Bros. Bidding, Paramount Set to Win, "In a stunning twist, the streaming giant's co-CEOs say the major studio "was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price."" Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "Wow. Can you imagine a world where one political ideology dominates the arts and media? I wonder what that would look like. Sounds horrifying."

Jonathan Turley is pissed “Anathema in the University Mission”: Bari Weiss Canceled at UCLA. Bob Shibley at Insty asks HAVE EMPLOYERS FORGIVEN COLLEGES? “[S]eventy percent of employers have either ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in U.S. higher education,” according to Morning Consult. I am gonna have to press X to doubt this finding given what Americans generally are thinking. Dave Strom finds A Perfect Encapsulation of Why Nobody Trusts the Establishment Anymore. Campus Reform, New report alleges key evidence behind medical DEI push is misleading. Alec Stapp @AlecStapp, "This is a really astonishing claim: Students in Mississippi & Louisiana score higher on reading tests than students in California & New York despite spending way less money per pupil and having higher child poverty rates. Decided to double check the data because, if true, this should be alarming for blue state leaders. And yup, it checks out . . ." 

Harold Hutchinson at Da Signal, Trans Lawmaker Wants You to Believe Porn Sites Are ‘Educational’ for ‘Queer Kids’. Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet, "To understand this, I think we need to remember the famous quote by Theodore Dalyrimple: "In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better . . . . The point of transgenderist propaganda isn't to persuade, but to degrade, humiliate, and destroy." Quote Wesley Yang @wesyang, "Transgenderism is an ongoing project of attempting to normalize a bizarre subculture built around esoteric pseudo-medical practices from the outermost fringe of human extremity and make it compulsory for every American to join that subculture and to make that subculture the . . ." 

Stacy McCain has An Odd Sequel to the Bubba/‘Brittni’ Saga. "It’s been more than two years and most readers have probably forgotten the disturbing story of the late Fred “Bubba” Copeland: "Copeland was the mayor of Smiths Station, a town of less than 7,000 people in Lee County, Alabama. He was also a freakazoid, secretly pursuing transgender fantasies that he posted online using a persona he called “Brittini Blaire Summerlin.”| Habitually working in “file-it-and-forget-it” mode, the tragic tale of Bubba/“Brittini” hadn’t crossed my mind recently, but then Glenn Reynolds called attention to a campus controversy . . . "

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Maintaining the Balance up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - The View from Stolen Land

We get to start with something light today. I was going to save this for "random celebrity news", but it blew up yesterday: Breaking911 @Breaking911, ""Billie Eilish at the Grammys: "Nobody is illegal on stolen land. We need to keep fighting and speaking up. Our voices do matter...f*ck ICE."" Kind of cold, no thanks. James Lindsay, anti-Communist @ConceptualJames, "Let's talk about the opening part of this statement: "nobody is illegal on stolen land." We can break it down, but we should also know what it
is. What we are looking at is Chinese-style political sloganeering called "tifa" (提法). Communist communications ever since Mao took over China (and the CCP before that) almost always follow this kind of formulation, called 提法 (tífǎ), which literally translates as "watchwords" or "slogans." Literally, it means to lift up or present or highlight the core message or political principle in play through a charged slogan. . . . " But Metro remembers Billie Eilish gets permanent restraining order against man who repeatedly turned up to her home. A little casual hypocrisy is common in celebrities, as well a most humans. 

From NYPO, Native American tribe that owns land under Billie Eilish’s LA mansion has message for virtue-signaling singer "Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, we do value the instance when public figures provide visibility to the true history of this country,” a Tongva spokesperson told the Daily Mail. “It is our hope that in future discussions, the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles Basin remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory,” the spokesperson added." Insty says THIS IS THE MOST ENTERTAINING TIMELINE: Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "A Native American tribe says that Billie Eilish’s mansion is on their stolen land. She must immediately hand title to her mansion over to the tribe and move. She stole their land. Unacceptable." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "BREAKING: Tongva Tribe says Billie Eilish is living in a mansion built on "ancestral land" taken from them." And has A QUESTION THAT ALL BLUE STATE PROPERTY OWNERS SHOULD BE ASKING: The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "If I’m on stolen land why the F am I paying property taxes?" CSPAN @cspan, "@SenTedCruz: "Are we right now on stolen land?" Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos: "I have no idea of the history of this land." Warner Bros. Discovery exec Bruce Campbell: "Nor do I." Cruz: "That speaks volumes...that neither of you are willing to say 'hell, no.'" The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Here Are 12 Fun Crimes You Can Get Away With If You Just Say 'We Are On Stolen Land' https://buff.ly/zszCW3c"

From Da Signal, House Passes Shutdown-Ending Package. At News Wax, Trump Signs Bill Ending Partial Government Shutdown. Did you notice the shut-down? Can I get a refund for what they didn't do? Also, Dems Seek Delay in Nomination Proceedings of Warsh for Fed Chair. It's what they are, it's what they do. Industry Week touts an ISM Report: Manufacturing Activity Returns to Expansion in January. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell, "I asked the Post reporter if she knew what debt reserves were. She didn’t. She was reporting on an Arts Institution in financial crisis, paying staff with debt reserves, and didn’t even know what that meant. Reporters don’t care that they don’t know the subject matter they report on." Quote Josh Kraushaar @JoshKraushaar "“The Kennedy Center is not closing because of any structural necessity. The situation is far simpler: This is a self-inflicted crisis created by Trump and Ric Grenell, for which they bear full responsibility.”

Jeff Charles at TownHall reports US Fighter Jet Shoots Down Iranian Drone. Bob Hoge at RedState, US Blasts Iranian Drone Out of the Sky, Blocks Attempted IRGC Takeover of Oil Tanker. Fox News @FoxNews, "BREAKING: The U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone after it "aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent," a U.S. Central Command spokesman told FOX News. "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship," the spokesman added." James Woods @RealJamesWoods, "Are you the guy who sent pallets of cash to Iran to fund their nuclear weapons program?" Quote Barack Obama @BarackObama "If Congress doesn’t act, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia will expire. It would pointlessly wipe out decades of diplomacy, and could spark another arms race that makes the world less safe. This piece is worth the read..." Reuters whines Musk says steps to stop Russia from using Starlink seem to have worked. From CEPA, If NATO Dies, Long Live NEATO. "It is time for Europe to bite the bullet and build a new defensive alliance because the alternative of inaction is unthinkable." "Given the geography (and Canada notwithstanding), the new alliance might reasonably be termed the North-East Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NEATO for short."

From Twitchy, One of the BIGGEST Bombshells Yet Buried in Latest Epstein Doc Dump and MUST-Read Thread Breaks It Down. Sayer Ji @sayerjigmi, "1/ The DOJ just released thousands of pages of Epstein files. And buried inside them may be one of the biggest bombshells no one is talking about: The blueprint for a 20-year financial architecture designed to turn pandemics into a profit center. Offshore vaccine funds. Pandemic reinsurance triggers. Donor-advised fund structures designed to profit under the cover of charity. Simulation programs. Career pipelines into pharma and the World Economic Forum. All built years before COVID-19. All running through Gates, JPMorgan, and Epstein. We now have the documents." PJM's Scott Pinsker enjoys a little schadenfreude, The Worldwide Humiliation of Bill Gates: From Tech God to Global Embarrassment. Althouse is struck by Fresh muffins and steaks. "If I'm reading this right, both victims and predators were conceptualized as food to Epstein and whoever Susan Hamblin is. Many of the commenters over there at X seem to think they are talking about actual food." And, Politico chooses the photograph with the blue dress. From Ace, Under Threat of Criminal Contempt, Bill and Hillary Clinton "Agree" to "Testify" about Jeffrey Epstein... But Won't Set a Date to Testify. "They claim that they'll testify -- but it's a stalling tactic. Now they want to set up a date for their testimony, but they can't commit to any particular date. So this is more contempt. Even if it happens, it will be a festival of perjuries that will make "it depends on what the meaning of 'is' is" look bush-league."

In misc. Trumpiania, Don Surber puns Trump: The Wizard of Ours, "Scott Adams called him a wizard of persuasion and the cartoonist was right." At NYPo, the Divine Ms. Devine, thinks ‘Melania’ serves as a dainty middle finger to Trump’s media tormenters — who were wrong about everything. Sundance at CTH presents a Remarkable Rendering of White House Ballroom Currently Under Construction. PJM's Stephen Kruiser says Hide Your Bunnies — Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Now MAGA's Crazy Ex.

Betsy Stauffer at LI has a New Poll that Shatters the Narrative: Voters Overwhelmingly Back Deportations and ICE. “Americans support deporting those in the country illegally by a [nearly] 2-to-1 margin, 61% to 34%.” From OTP, More Than 60% Of Midterm Voters Support Deporting Illegal Immigrants, Poll Finds. Bonchie @bonchieredstate "So…wouldn’t that mean it…hasn’t become politically toxic?" Quote Eric Levitz @EricLevitz, "Donald Trump's immigration agenda has become politically toxic. And yet, as of mid-January, voters still felt the GOP was "better equipped" to handle immigration than the Democratic Party by an 11-point margin, according to a WSJ survey."

From Twitchy, a Black ICE Agent Hit With Racial Slurs After Asking Trans Agitator, ‘Are You a Man?’ Brandon Straka #WalkAway @BrandonStraka,"This scene is from an old miniseries called “Holocaust”, showing in the early days of the Nazi takeover citizens breaking windows, looting, burning things, and beating innocent people. At the time this aired this behavior was shocking to see. It literally looks exactly like how the left behaves on a regular basis now." Tom Knighton at TAW, This is who they're protecting. Cathy Salgado at PJM, New York Released Almost 7,000 Criminal Illegal Aliens. Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "Mamdani is also telling the Queens DA not to prosecute the knife-wielding criminal. Good job, New York." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Mayor Mamdani just visited a man who got shot while charging at a cop with a knife." Driscoll at Insty, THE LEFT DOESN’T WANT TO DEFUND THE POLICE, THEY WANT TO BE THE POLICE: Border Control. At Border Control, A reminder, should one be needed, that we live in an age of ironies: Minneapolis Spring @mpls_spring, "WATCH: Community defenders stop an out of state vehicle at the filter blockade, run the plate through a database, and confirm whether the vehicle is affiliated with abductors before letting it through." J Michael Waller @JMichaelWaller, "This "checkpoint" looks lame, but it's the start of a network of what will become stronger and more numerous checkpoints. Such illegal checkpoints are early nodes of an illegal policing system characteristic of insurgencies worldwide. Loyal citizens should take them down." Nick Arama at RedState sees the Anti-ICE Crew Is Not Happy at All About What Just Happened to Their 'Checkpoint' in Minneapolis Minneapolis Spring @mpls_spring, "Defenders report: Everyone's safe, but they rolled up pretty heavy, stole the barricading materials and most of the supplies." johnny maga @_johnnymaga, "Some patriot purchased a pro-ICE billboard in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl declaring them the “Defensive player of the year” and it’s triggering all of the libs. “It made me sick to my stomach.” This is awesome." Jonathan Turley, The Remaking of Alex Pretti: Imperfect Times Demand the Perfect Hero.

At the College Fix, a Trio of Minnesota law professors decry arrest of Don Lemon: ‘attack on free press.’ Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "BREAKING: William Kelly who filmed himself storming a church in Minnesota and harassing congregants has been ARRESTED by the FBI." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn has the Video of the Bearded, Snaggle-Toothed Terrorizer of Small Church Children Foaming at the Mouth.

Shipwreckedcrew writes about "Judges Gone Wild" -- On The Question Of Ending "Temporary Protective Status" For Venezuelans and Haitians. "Nothing is "temporary" -- it all depends on correctly crossing and dotting the "t's"and "i's" after the right calls and emails are exchanged with enough agencies to make a judge happy months later." NYPo reports the Judge who blocked Trump’s Haitian deportations bankrolled Dems — including Biden who let migrants in.

Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "White progressive rediscovers slavery from first principles." Quote Mass Daily News @MassDailyNews, "Boston-area woman is thrilled after taking in a Haitian migrant and says it’s like having your own personal chef." Just AWFL. 

Dave Strom at Hat Hair, The SAVE Act Is Popular, and Democrats Are Terrified of It. Chris Queen at PJM points out Voter ID Isn’t Racist — Democrats’ Arguments Against It Are. Ace, Chuck Schumer: Requiring Voters to Show ID to Vote Is "Nothing More Than Jim Crow 2.0" "Everything's Jim Crow. No, man, it's worse than Jim Crow. It makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. Malarkey!" Also, CNN: The Flight From Blue States Will Net Republicans +7 House Seats and +7 Electoral College Votes in 2032; Even if Democrats Win All Three "Blue Wall" States, They'll Lose the Presidency "Unfortunately, the census won't be taken until 2030 and reapportionment won't happen until the following election in 2032. It's something, I guess."

John Sexton at Hat Hair sees Gavin Newsom Wants to Be President, But thinks It Could Be a Tough Sell. The Center Square CA, Medi-Cal spends $608M monthly on cooking, cleaning home services, even for illegal immigrants. Dean W. Ball @deanwball, "In all seriousness: the fundamental practical message of the Democratic Party is that you should expect to pay European-level taxes for South African-level public services. Nobody in the Party really offers a solution, though their brightest think we should build more housing." Quote Mayor Muriel Bowser @MayorBowser "Just announced: 5 pop-up salt distribution locations this weekend! Bring a bucket, a wagon, a box—anything to come pick up salt to address icy and hazardous conditions near your home."

At Althouse, "Jill Biden’s ex-husband was arrested Monday on charges he murdered his wife in their Delaware home in December...." "The NY Post reports."Jill Biden, 74, divorced Stevenson in 1975 after a five-year marriage. Two years later she wed then-Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.). Stevenson has accused Jill of having an affair with the one-term Democratic president prior to their divorce...." She has questionable taste in men.

Stacy McCain is saddened by the ‘End of Watch’ for a Georgia Cop "When you think of law enforcement in Georgia, you might think of guys named Bubba or Roy, but probably not Pradeep Tamang, a native of Nepal, a small country wedged between India and Tibet. More than 10 years ago, when Pradeep was still a child, the Tamang family came to America and settled near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he later worked as a corrections officer at Dauphin County Prison." Nepal produces the Gurkhas, soldiers known for their ferocity in battle. 

Cam at Bearing Arms sees Pirro Attempts Damage Control After Controversial Carry Comments.

Sundance at CTH, Senate Intelligence Vice-Chair Mark Warner Holds a Press Conference, Extremely Concerned About Intelligence Community Control of Govt Being Weakened. He's very upset Tulsi may dig into the role of foreign agents in Democrat's 2020 election "win."

From Fox, Top teachers union under fire as lawmakers push to strip union of unique federal charter: 'Lost their way' "GOP Reps Buddy Carter and Mary Miller spoke to Fox News Digital about why the NEA's charter should be revoked." News Wax hears Trump Seeks $1 Billion From Harvard University in Damages.

Ace, Jury Awards $3.2 Million Judgement to Man in Defamation Case Resulting From, Get This, Yet Another Race Grifter Hoax "Andrew Kerr:" at the Free Bacon, Mainstream Media Breathlessly Covered an Alleged Hate Crime in Which White Kids Forced a Black Classmate To Drink Urine. It Was a Giant Hoax. "Texas judge orders $3.2 million judgment against black mother and attorney who falsely alleged her son was 'tortured' by white friend."

Cathy Salgado cites War Department Says Scouting America Must Reform, Reject DEI. At Hollywood in Toto, Controversial Comic Cancelled for Outrageous Renee Good Joke "Ben Bankas routinely pushes boundaries of stand-up comedy and bad taste." An obvious play on words with her last name. I saw it and refrained. But I don't make my living as a stand-up comedian, thank God.

From Da Caller, First Major Medical Org Comes Out Against Trans Surgeries for Minors "The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released new guidance on Tuesday cautioning physicians against performing gender-transition surgeries on minors, marking a significant breakthrough for critics of the procedures who have long called on major medical associations to be transparent about the harms associated with medicalizing gender dysphoric children." T. Adams at And Another Thing sez Let's Talk About Left-Wing Quackery, in general. You're going to need a bigger blog. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Boots & Bikinis and FMJRA 2.0: Better Late Than Never up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.