A dual-edged sword for Russia

This is a pretty good article from PJ Media: "What Epic Fury Means for Putin."

On the one hand, Russia loses access to Iranian-supplied drones used in Ukraine and also a source of cheap oil.  On the other hand, the regional instability will lead to a rise in crude oil prices which will provide more revenue for Russia's own oil supply.

You have to wonder if Trump's actions in Venezuela were some kind of precursor to Iran, in terms of stabilizing the oil supply.  That would be some 4D chess.

Thanks, Obama!

Powerline: "The U.S. strike on Iran is legal."  (Hat tip: Maggie's Farm).

Him and his buddies

Townhall: "Confirmed: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is Dead."

The report I'm hearing is that Khamenei was meeting with between five to ten high-level targets so the Israelis moved up the timeline of the attack.

Just reported: Now they're saying that FORTY senior officials were neutralized.

Strikes in Iran

This is very fog of war: "Here's What We Know About the Iranian Strikes So Far."

But - and this is a HUGE BUT - Israeli intelligence is saying Ayatollah Khamenei is likely dead.  Wow.

Extra - Instapundit is on the Ayatollah watch.

Taylor Sheridan paid for this takeover

Outkick: "Hollywood Liberals Devastated As David Ellison’s Paramount Wins Warner Bros Bidding War - 'Ellison scares the s*** out of me,' an anonymous A-list director reportedly said."

Somebody - I think it was the Critical Drinker - said that Paramount made bank on traditional male heroes such as those found in "Yellowstone" and "Top Gun: Maverick."  No wonder the soy boys are upset.

Related - Soy boys on NPR have low T.  Of course.

Don't know much

Twitchy: "Rep Plays 'Didn't Know About That' Card When Pinned Down About Epstein Files and Dem Doxxing."

The Left hates free speech

Jonathan Turley: "“Anathema in the University Mission”: Bari Weiss Canceled at UCLA." 

That's OK, she'll be running CNN soon.

This needs to stop

NY Post: "Somali trucker busted driving wrong way on Missouri highway couldn’t read road signs, failed English test."

The video is wild.  Somebody could have been killed.

Sea change in the media landscape

How's this for a bitter headline?  "MAGA billionaires win battle to buy CNN and turn it Trumpy."

We warned you that your biased coverage would destroy trust in the mainstream media and now you're all going broke and selling at bargain basement prices.  Our turn now.

Wow. Can you imagine a world where one political ideology dominates the arts and media?

I wonder what that would look like. Sounds horrifying. https://t.co/4VA4Dp7X3G

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) February 27, 2026

Running on nostalgia and Congressional graft

Issues & Insights: "Is It Time To Permanently Ground NASA?"

Yes.  That's coming from somebody who had a glimpse from the inside.  SpaceX is doing everything NASA is doing cheaper, faster, and better.

Black people rent apes?

The things you learn at the State of the Union.  Do they go to Aarons?  Anyway, here's Chuck Schumer furiously backpedaling: "Clean Up on Aisle TDS! Allow Chuck Schumer to Explain Why Dems Didn't Stand for Americans Over Illegals."

The "stand up for America" moment in the SOTU was so obviously a trap for the Democrats and they could have diffused the bomb by standing up.  But, as many have noted, Trump bet correctly that the Democrats couldn't stand up for it.  According to J.D. Vance who had the vantage point of watching the audience, the Democrats looked at each other for guidance as they were led into the box canyon since they can't think for themselves.

Schedule slipping another month

Earlier this month, I wrote that NASA's SLS/Orion program is a boondoggle and we should not "light this candle."

Today, Stephen Green writes "We need to talk about Artemis" which is the program associated with the SLS booster.  More problems, more delays and a program that's always a month away.

Now they tell us

NY Times: "The Epstein Files Should Never Have Been Released"

Every day seems to bring new reports of financiers, academics, politicians and royalty (among others) who cozied up to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose predation took a horrendous toll on innocent lives. With accountability for people in power in short supply, it can be hard to see a downside in the huge dump of documents relating to Mr. Epstein and his various associates.

But we should recognize the release of millions of pages of the Epstein files as both a sign of institutional failure and a cause for concern. If our justice system were working properly, the public would never have such access.

I have always believed that the reason the Biden Administration didn't release the Epstein files was because it was trying to avoid embarrassment to the British Crown.  If there's one villain in the files, it's Prince Andrew.  But so great was the impulse to "get Trump" the files were released and there was nothing remotely incriminating; in fact, there was evidence that Trump dropped a dime on Epstein in 2006.

The other day I was passing the nutcase protesters on the overpass over I-91 and their sign said: "Trump Epstein Coverup."  They invested so much into the belief the Epstein files would bring down the Donald and now they're in the "denial" stage of coping. 

Very on-brand

Sasha Stone: "Dems Are Behaving Like Spoiled Brats by Boycotting State of the Union." 

Decline is a choice

Just like New York City, you voted for this Colorado: "Californication Catches Up with Colorado - Blue-state governance has transformed this once-booming state into an economic and demographic laggard."

Is Mamdani actually a Republican saboteur?

It's a question that needs answering!  PJ Media: "Mamdani Is Collapsing Faster Than We Thought."

Extra - NY Post: "Mayor Mamdani’s spending frenzy will lead NYC into a rapid decline."

This is Inez, she was turned away from the NYC shoveling crews, she doesn’t understand how to get an ID after getting married because she is too stupid https://t.co/5KH3uH1Uem pic.twitter.com/5AA9YMysxq

— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) February 21, 2026

He really is dyslexic

Twitchy: "Dem Gavin Newsom Claims He Can’t Vote If the SAVE Act Passes Because He’s Misplaced His Birth Certificate."

I can't tell if Newsom is actually this dumb or that he says stupid stuff like this knowing the mainstream media will never call him out.

I've eaten at Chipotle exactly once

LA Times: "Chipotle just saw its worst year ever. It may not get any better."

Way too expensive for mid food.  I had a burrito bowl at BWI airport and found the experience so annoying that I've never been back.  Meanwhile, YouTube has dozens and dozens of videos showing you exactly how to make Chipotle's menu at a fraction of the cost.

The ol' "wanna be closer to family" excuse

Steven Spielberg leaves California for New York City for reasons, suspiciously timed to avoid California's pending billionaire tax.

I'm so old, I remember when paying taxes is patriotic. 

Journalists, man

You just don't hate them enough: "WaPo: Some Say Atlantic Story ‘Felt Misleading’ Once They Learned It Was Made Up." 

At least California has the wine industry

Not so fast: "America’s biggest wine maker shuts down production in Napa Valley in huge blow to wine heartland." 

Da Hammond Bears

Outkick: "Chicago Bears Poised To Become Latest Major Business To Leave A Blue State And Relocate In A Red State."

Let's recap!

In the last year:

Palantir Technologies moved its headquarters from Colorado to Florida.

Public Storage moved from California to Texas.

Elon Musk's X Corp. moved from California to Texas.

Chevron Corporation moved from California to Texas.

This month, Boeing announced its defense, space and security division is moving its headquarters out of Virginia, which went blue in the most recent election, and is headed to Missouri.

It now looks like the Bears will follow the wave.

I sense a Superfan trend.

Dogs are awesome

Red State: "Give That Pooch a Medal! Wolfdog Crashes Olympic Ski Race in Hilarious Fashion."

Fun videos at the link.  Unfortunately, Nazgul was disqualified from the women's cross-country event because 1) he's a he and 2) he wasn't wearing skis. 

Of course they are

Jim Geraghty: "Stephen Colbert and James Talarico Are Lying to You."

Colbert is circling the drain in advance of his May departure and he's flogging his bottomless victimhood.

Extra - NY Post: "Colbert wasn’t censored by Trump: he’s nothing but a desperate parasite living on Trump’s thin skin." 

Another tech giant heads to a red state

NY Post: "Palantir moves headquarters to Miami and joins growing tech exodus to Florida."

Palantir spent 17 years in California before leaving behind the crazy and heading to the relative sanity of Denver.  Still too crazy.  Miami will be this company's last stop.

Gavin Newsom: "Hold my beer, AOC"

Hot Air: "Gavin Newsom Gets Ratioed for His Dumbest Tweet Ever." 

The American media fails

Did you ever wonder why American Democrats get a harder grilling in Europe than they do in America?  How is it possible that AOC and Gretchen Whitmer are laid bare overseas while they manage to skate by in America?

This isn't the first time a European journalist has pushed back on a Democrat.

This is the thing about AOC and Gretchen Whitmer. They don’t try. They don’t even have to try. Because they normally are surrounded and protected by media that supports them and would never dare ask an even remotely difficult question https://t.co/Y9qpjwfYGf

— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) February 15, 2026

Maybe they're taking the hint

That Park Place: "Several Hollywood Actors Decline to Speak on Politics as Media Desperately Attempts to Bait Them Into Activist Soundbites." 

Viewership for the Oscars has halved since 2016, for some reason.

California and the wealth tax

LA Times: "Knives are out for California's golden goose"

We might as well run TV ads and erect billboards along the border proclaiming: “Welcome to California, the land of opportunity. Make a fortune so state politicians can grab a sizable chunk.”

We’ve already got by far the highest income tax rates in the nation, topping out at 13.3%. The top 1% of earners pay between 40% and 50% of the entire state income tax collected annually. The top 0.1% kick in about 20%.

California is infamous for its unfriendly business climate, with byzantine regulations and an agonizingly slow permitting system.

“It sends out the worst possible message to the people we need in the state, the people who produce jobs,” says Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable.

I know I keep commenting on this story but I love it on so many levels.  This ballot initiative is probably going to pass despite the objection from Gavin Newsom and California Democrats who cannot control the Frankenstein monster they've created.  As the stats above indicate, California was already heavily dependent on a top-heavy taxation system.  But the 13% (!!!) state income tax just wasn't enough to fund the profligate spending in Sacramento.

The hamster wheel in her head

Twitchy: "Kamala 2.0? AOC Faceplants In Germany While Trying to Answer a Question About China and Taiwan."

Pretty funny.  Very Kamala-esque. 

Damn, it's great to be a Democrat

Breitbart: "Media actively covers up Obama lawyer's chummy ties to Epstein."

Bad news about the Clintons?  Time to bury it in the Friday night news dump. 

Misleading headline

Townhall: "GOP Secures Votes Needed to Pass the SAVE Act."

This is not a HUGE VICTORY! nor is it MASSIVE!  The bill would still need to overcome a talking filibuster by the Democrats and - know what they're going to do? - talk and lie about married women needing to update their birth certificates.  They may take some heat for going against an issue supported by over 80% of Americans but they don't care.

It's not going to pass because of that Jim Crow filibuster.

Hmmm

Gateway Pundit: "Neighbor Says One Dead and Three Detained After SWAT Team Raids Home as Part of Nancy Guthrie Investigation." 

That's my idiot Senator

Hot Air: "The Sob Stories Always Fall Apart."  Back to Ireland.

Bending the cost curve down

Remember that old chestnut?  Ace: "Obama Architect David Axelrod: Confound These Republicans For Obamacare's Prices Skyrocketing and Them Refusing to Further Subsidize the Failing Program."

Resistance theater

Washington Post: "Partial government shutdown looms as ICE negotiations hit stalemate - Large swaths of the Department of Homeland Security are set to shut down Saturday unless lawmakers and the White House strike a last-minute deal."

"Large swaths" that will hit everything in DHS except ICE, which was funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill for the rest of Trump's term.  This is just another stupid and futile gesture by the Democrats to show the base they're fighting fighting fighting!

Americans love long lines at the airport.

It's disturbing if they really believe this

Twitchy: "CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Laughably Insists Her ‘News’ Network Is Fair, Accurate, and Not Out to Get Trump."

Uh-huh.  I'm not even going to debate on the bias of the mainstream media which is by now a proven and repeatable fact.  The question now is: do journalist really think they're unbiased or is it just something they say to protect their self-esteem?  They can't really have so little self-reflection.

Democracy dies in darkness

Pew Research Center: "Majority of Americans express low confidence in journalists to act in public’s best interests."

Since we first started asking this question in 2020, Democrats have consistently been more likely than Republicans to express confidence in journalists. This party gap has persisted over time, though it has decreased since 2020.

Gee, I can't imagine why.

This ridiculous framing is why Americans don’t trust the media.

President Trump securing the border, mobilizing federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and deporting the worst of the worst illegal aliens is EXACTLY what’s driving the massive drop in crime. pic.twitter.com/yfiC4BUHbt

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 11, 2026

There goes Zuckerberg

WSJ: "Mark Zuckerberg Is the Latest California Billionaire to Buy a Florida Home - Local real-estate agents say the newly completed mansion on Miami’s Indian Creek will likely fetch between $150 million and $200 million"

Great job, Gavin Newsom:

With Zuck’s move to Florida, California’s total taxable wealth from billionaires has plummeted to well under $1T from over $2T just a few weeks ago. 

The loss of this tax revenue was totally avoidable but is now forever. All because Gavin Newsom stood motionless as this stupidly written bill, from a fringe union and a handful of socialist academics with an axe to grind, meandered its way into the public conversation without any action from him and freaked everyone out. 

These were all people that were paying 13%+ in state income tax every year WITH NO COMPLAINTS UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO.

And now, for the rest of time, the lost tax revenues from these folks will have to be paid for by the middle class because they are the only group left in California large enough that you can tax to fill the hole. 

The wealth tax idea was always stupid because, as I like to say, it's coming into your house and taking the Picasso off the wall.  People understand the concept of taxing income but a wealth tax is an entirely different animal.

Intolerant crybullies

Yahoo: "Bill Maher and Adam Carolla Bash ‘Exclusionary’ Liberals for Sticking to ‘Groupthink’: ‘They’re Not That Bright!’"

Bill Maher and Adam Carolla took turns verbally whacking liberals for being closed-minded and unintelligent bullies who want nothing to do with Americans who do not share their “woke” political opinions.

“They are very exclusionary,” Maher said on the Monday episode of his Club Random podcast. “They really just don’t want to breathe the same air if you’re not exactly with the groupthink — while they’re not that bright!”

I regularly punish myself by watching Kaitlin Bennett on Liberty Hangout interviewing anti-ICE automatons who collapse at the slightest pressure.

They want Bluesky-style exclusion IRL.

Political earthquake in Japan

Ace: "Japan's "Ultra-Right-Wing" Extremist PM Wins a Shockingly Large Victory By Running on Promise to Seriously Restrict Immigration to the Island Nation."

Super Bowl Sunday

So, obviously, the Patriots are going to win.

I'll say 23-16.

So now we're going to ruin the Olympics

Washington Post: "Representing the red, white and blue is complicated for some Olympians - “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” says freestyle skier Hunter Hess."

They're going to Colin Kaepernick the Olympics and ruin it Hollywood-style.  We just can't have nice things anymore.

Extra - Here we go: "Team USA skiers spark Olympic boycott calls after saying they have ‘mixed emotions’ about representing America." 

CNN commits an act of journalism

Red State: "Watch: Liberal Media Nails Mayor Frey With an Inconvenient Question About Turning Over Illegal Aliens."

Democrats are always stunned when they're asked a tough question by the mainstream media, like it's a form of betrayal. 

Dow 50,000

Fox Business: "Dow closes above 50,000 for first time."

Democrats hardest hit.

Don't light this candle

Space.com: "NASA fuels up giant Artemis 2 moon rocket. Yes, it's a little leaky. So is it ready to fly?"

Nope: "NASA Moves Artemis II Launch To March."

I believe I mentioned this before but I briefly worked as a project engineer on the Orion program and it was - by far - the worst job I've ever had.  Whatever excitement of "working for NASA" was washed away in a sclerotic bureaucracy that throttled any real progress.  There were regular newsletters circulated that heralded how NASA programs were spread over every state in the Union which should tell you what you need to know: this is a jobs program, not a space program.

The SLS/Orion program is still dependent upon Space Shuttle technology from over 40 years ago.  Why?  Because some Congressman didn't want to see a NASA subcontractor in his/her district lose that sweet federal money.  This is all part of the grift along with the endless delays.  There are never any consequences for delay so why not keep your job going?  These programs achieve a kind of half-life behavior where progress slows the closer you get to the finish line.

I hope and pray I'm wrong, but I fear this Artemis launch will result in cataclysm.

That's why they're hiding the voter rolls

Federalist: "Democrats Hate The SAVE Act Because They Want Illegals To Vote." 

The Washington Post committed suicide

Washington Examiner: "Don't cry for the Washington Post, it helped destroy media."

Over the past decade, the Post has been one of the leading culprits in the collapse of public trust in journalism. The once-venerable outlet has spent the past ten years participating in virtually every dishonest partisan operation of the Left’s enemies, including giving legitimacy to the Brett Kavanaugh group rape accusations, delegitimizing the Hunter Biden laptop story, spreading the Gaza “genocide” lie, covering up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, sliming the Covington children, and countless others. You could write a book listing the Post pieces that were so biased as to be basically fictional.

The Washington Post has been coasting on the fumes of Watergate for almost 50 years and forgot what real journalism looked like.

Supreme impartiality

Miranda Devine in the NY Post: "Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson removed any shred of impartiality by applauding anti-ICE speeches at the Grammys" 

She was at the Grammys for a spoken-word nomination, which is fitting since she never shuts up.

It's all been downhill since that smarmy slogan

"Democracy dies in darkness." - "Downfall: Washington Post Lays Off 300 Staffers, Shuttering Sports Section and Gutting Foreign Desk as Once-Mighty Publisher Bleeds Subscribers and Money"

With the benefit of hindsight, it looks like the beginning of the end for the Washington Post was when they decided not to endorse Kamala Harris in 2024.  The #Resistance Leftists went wild and the paper lost a ton of subscriptions.  Very slightly moderating the paper's political bias?  Sacrilege! 

Just so we know who the real victim is

Twitchy: "Mayor Zohran Mamdani Visits Man Who Charged Cops With Knife, Consoles Him."

You'll rarely see a more clear-cut case of a guy begging to get shot.  It must be great to be a cop in NYC right now.

The People's Republic is emptying out

Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe: "Massachusetts keeps losing residents. That’s a choice. - When tens of thousands of people leave year after year, they’re answering a question with their feet."

For years, Massachusetts boosters have insisted that quality-of-life rankings tell the real story. But those are stated preferences. The census data, the moving vans, the shuttered facilities — those are revealed preferences, and they measure what people actually choose when forced to weigh costs against benefits. Policy makers can dismiss those choices as anomalies or distractions. But revealed preferences accumulate, and over time they deliver a verdict that becomes impossible to spin away. Massachusetts can either reckon with why so many residents and businesses keep leaving — or wait until the exodus makes the decision for them.

IIRC in a recent review of out-migration patterns the top 10 states were all deep blue with the exception of Louisiana.

No way will this stop with the billionaires

Reason: "'Billionaire' Tax is a Bait-and-Switch To Gouge the Middle Class" - "Supporters of a "billionaire tax"—an idea being pushed both nationally and in California—claim it will impact only those who can "easily afford it." In fact, it's a Trojan horse. The next step will be to come after middle-class retirement funds and middle-class homes."

Absolutely true, just like the federal income tax was only aimed at the "rich."  What's funny (to me) about the "one time" billionaires tax is that nobody believes it will be a one-off tax.  Everybody believes California will blow the cash on boondoggles like high-speed rail and then come back again.  Then when the "rich" can't be dinged any further, it's time to hit the middle class.

For the children.

Another dilatory tactic

The Corner: "The Iranians Aren’t Acting as Though They Want to Negotiate."

We've seen this movie before: the Iranians pretend they want to negotiate then they change conditions and terms in a bid to buy time.  Even if they sign a treaty, it's not worth the paper it's written on.

The Laffer curve wins again

Washington Post editorial: "Little to gain by raising taxes on the rich - New research shows the current top federal income tax rate is close to revenue-maximizing."

The study cited found that a top tax rate between 30% and 45% would generate about the same revenue over the long term and above 45% would reduce revenues.

And yet I am not stunned

Nor a little surprised: "Stunning number of California voters back wealth tax but admit it will kill jobs: poll."

No kidding: people want free money?  You could knock me over with a wrecking ball.

Extra - Powerline: "The adage holds that if you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always count on the support of Paul." 

Melania Derangement Syndrome

Sasha Stone: "The Critics Embarass Themselves With Their Melania "Reviews"."