The Morning Report — 3/12/26

Good morning kids. Well, I'm sure you're all familiar with the expression "Paper Tiger." Given the current situation, my first instinct is to laugh.

With so much AI material circulating nowadays, it was easy to assume that the photos were fake, but they apparently were real. Only Mojtaba Khamenei, the new head of Iran’s Islamic regime, was slightly less than real. Photos began circulating Tuesday of Iranians straight-facedly presenting a large cardboard cutout of Mojtaba at a ceremony celebrating his appointed as the country’s supreme leader. . . problem: how could they have a ceremony to celebrate Mojtaba Khamenei becoming the new supreme leader if Mojtaba himself, despite being “safe and sound,” had been injured so severely that he was unable to attend?The solution to this problem that the Islamic Republic’s best minds hit upon owed more to Monty Python than to the subtle principles of high-level statecraft. The ceremony went on as planned, but Mojtaba Khamenei wasn’t there; in his stead, Iranians displayed a large cardboard cutout of a man, with a photo of a glum-looking Mojtaba’s face at the top. . . That doesn’t mean, however, that it is a nonexistent regime, or that it cannot survive through this period of crisis. American actions always take place within the election cycle, and that cycle wields immense influence over them. Adding to the unpredictability of all that is Trump’s mercurial nature. Right now he is committed to striking Iran, but that’s no guarantee that he will continue to do so until the regime is no more. The Israelis, meanwhile, are more likely than ever to act without American approval, but still reluctant to antagonize their foremost friend in this world. Thus Cardboard Khamenei and his regime have a chance to remain in power for decades to come. All the need to do is survive the present crisis. They may not face a similar challenge, and the Iranian people may not have an opportunity to rid themselves of the regime that is as good as the one they have now, for many, many years.

All too true. So you laugh, and then all things considered it's not really all that funny given the Shiite goal of world conquest via armageddon, which may once again blow up right in our faces. They hate us and have already spilled rivers of American blood for 47 years, and now they're cornered like rats in a cage. And so, anything can happen:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a threat alert in early March to California law enforcement detailing intelligence pointing to the potential of Iranian drone strikes launched against the West Coast of the United States. According to the memo, Iran was believed to be seeking to position an unidentified vessel off California’s coast with the intent of using it as a platform to launch suicide drones. The threat alert appears to be more of a situational awareness notice than a warning of an imminent Iranian attack.“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” the FBI threat alert states, adding, “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”There are additional concerns that Iranian agents or proxies operating in Central and South America could coordinate with Mexican drug cartels to launch suicide drone attacks across the U.S. southern border, especially targeting American military bases in Texas and California.

Don't be shocked if one day you hear the Amish phrase "Allahu Akbar" right before a bomb explodes...and you're showered with Jello Salad or Shrapnel

We are at the point where The New York Times, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and USA Today will downplay, obfuscate or even justify an ISIS terrorist attack in New York City simply because it was aimed at people they loathe. Never mind that we saw video all over social media Saturday showing one of the ISIS-radicalized suspects yelling “Allahu Akbar” as he tossed a bomb packed with shrapnel and “Mother of Satan” explosives into an anti-Islam protest near Gracie Mansion.

Just because the bombs thrown into the crowd that afternoon fizzled out before exploding does not make the terrorist attack any less ominous.

In the hometown of 9/11 heroes, the Times framed Saturday’s attack in a way deliberately designed to mislead the reader into thinking the offenders were anti-Islamic protesters and that Mayor Mamdani was their intended victim.

And considering that an Iranian was sentenced for an attempted assassination of Donald Trump we still have this to contend with:

Attorney General Pam Bondi has moved to a military base in Washington, D.C., after federal investigators flagged credible threats related to her work at the Justice Department, the New York Times reports. The move happened within the past month, after law enforcement warned her team that the danger had reached a level serious enough to force action. . . This isn't an isolated case. It's a pattern: Several senior officials have already made similar moves amid increased threats against members of the administration. Among them are Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s top domestic policy adviser; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Of course, we have a probable recent graduate of the Renee Good driving school . . .

The United States Secret Service (USSS) detained an unnamed driver early Wednesday morning after they crashed their vehicle into an outer perimeter barricade near the White House. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, stated that officers from the agency’s uniformed division are “looking into a suspicious vehicle.” He added, “Various entrances and the streets are temporarily closed as teams conduct their work.”Notably, the crash occurred at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and H Streets, just outside Lafayette Square, according to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). No injuries have been reported in connection with the collision.The incident has resulted in streets north of the White House being temporarily closed as law enforcement and National Guard troops secured the area.

Have a great Day!

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AMERICA & ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN!
• Heightened concerns over drone warfare and national security, with warnings extending to Mexican cartel drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border.
  FBI Warns Iran Plotting Drone Strike on California.
  
• The attacks have disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil and fertilizer supplies, and raised concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
  Three Vessels Hit in Strait of Hormuz.
  
• Iran’s supreme leaders used to be made of stronger stuff.
  Cardboard Khamenei
  
• Flat Stanley was born in 1964. The brainchild of children’s author Jeff Brown, Flat Stanley was originally a bedtime story for Brown’s kids: When his son fretted about being smooshed by the big noticeboard hanging above his bed, Brown joked about the upside of being flat — and in the process, Stanley Lambchop, a.k.a. Flat Stanley, was introduced to the world.
  Iranian Supreme Leader ‘Flat Stanley’ Versus America
  
• Iran after the mullahs: the time to plan is now.
  A South Azerbaijani Dissident’s Appeal to President Trump
  
• Thus, airpower — and the Iranian people as “boots on the ground” — may usher in the greatest change in global history since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
  What History Tells Us About Trump’s Plan To Defeat Iran By Air
  
• David Harsanyi: Breaking the foreign-policy “norms” that kept the Mullahs dangerous.
  Trump Eradicates 47 Years of Feckless Foreign Policy
  
• And the taboo truths the West still just can't confront.
  The Arab Response to the War on Iran
  * * * * *

• The release is intended to address supply disruptions caused by the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Oil flows through the strait have fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-conflict levels, the IEA said, forcing producers across the region to shut in or curtail output.
  IEA Members Unanimously Approve 400 Million Barrel Oil Reserve Release, Largest Ever
  
• "I think they’re not cooperating at all."
  Trump Slams Spain, Threatens Trade Cutoff As He Touts Massive Military Success In Iran
  
• Graham’s asinine rhetoric about the Iran war is making it more difficult for the Trump White House to develop a coherent message on the subject.
  The Best Thing Trump Can Do For The Iran War Effort Is Shutting Up Lindsey Graham

  
  CIVIL WAR 2.0, LEFTIST PERSECUTIONS, DEMOCRAT PUTSCH, AMERICAN DISSOLUTION

• Streets north of the White House were shut down, with police and security forces securing the area.
  Car Hits White House Barricade, Secret Service Investigating.
  
• This isn't an isolated case. It's a pattern: Several senior officials have already made similar moves amid increased threats against members of the administration. Among them are Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s top domestic policy adviser; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
  Another Trump Official Moved to Military Base Amid Threats
  
• Vasquez replaced George Soros-backed leftist Mike Schmidt, who rolled out a policy in August 2020 to not prosecute several protest-related crimes. Under Trump’s second term, Portland’s city council has publicly thanked protesters for defying his “fascist agenda” while Democrat Mayor Keith Wilson’s administration imposes guidelines for city workers to protect migrants from ICE. The surge in rioting came after Trump launched mass deportation efforts that have swept through so-called sanctuary jurisdictions such as Portland. (RELATED: ‘Where Are We Looting?’: Meet The Portland Leftists Who Keep Getting Arrested And Released)
  Anti-ICE Rioters Thought They Were Above The Law — One Man Is Showing Them Otherwise

• A government that can peer into your medical file, your legal records, your spiritual life, and your finances without resistance is not a guardian of rights but rather an overlord.
  Whatever Happened to Confidentiality?

  
  "DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST/GLOBALIST BORDER BLOODBATH," AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, BORDER SECURITY

• Officials said the number almost doubled that of predators arrested during the final year of former [so-called quote-unquote] President Joe Biden’s (D) junta.
  ICE: 414 Illegal Alien Child Sex Offenders Arrested in Houston During President Trump’s First Year
  
• "It has been absolutely successful."
  Illegal Aliens Found A New Way To Get Released From ICE Detention

  DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE COURTS, WASTE/FRAUD/ABUSE

• Mirabelli offers important signals regarding the state of our highest court, but its most important effect is making sure that vulnerable kids are not abandoned to the state.
  What To Know About SCOTUS’ Mirabelli Decision And How It Protects Parents And Kids
  
• On Tuesday, the Democrat-run State of Washington passed a massive wealth tax. Hours later, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced his move to Republican-run Florida.
  Hours After Democrat-run WA Passes Wealth Tax, Former Starbucks CEO Flees to FL

  WE-ALL-SLAM-FOR-I-SLAM

• Is it the man? Or the rule-book?
  The Endless Search for the “Moderate” Islamic Leader
  
• Mamdani released a statement the day after the attempted attack, saying that “white supremacist Jake Lang” had organized a protest “rooted in bigotry and racism.” He failed to name the terrorists or their affiliation with Islam.
  Mamdani runs cover for Islamic terror by blaming white supremacy
  
• Police say this is the first time a march has been banned in London since 2012, but note there is no law in Britain to prevent a static demonstration, which will be going ahead despite the ban.
  London Police Ban Al Quds Day March This Weekend, First Time Protest Banned Since 2012
  
• British schools “have been advised that children’s drawings could be considered blasphemous under Islamic law,” according to The Telegraph. The outlet cites a school guidance document called “Sharing The Journey” issued “to teachers by Labour councils in northern England.” 
  Liberals, Muslims Teaming Up To Stifle Little Kids’ Joy In British Schools
  
• The prophet of destruction is among us. He operates in the shadows and in the light of day. He is livid and vituperative. He is the Mahdi.
  Is the Twelfth Imam Already Among Us?

  FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, MEDIA, BIG BROTHER TECH

• The media predicted a gas price apocalypse. It’s not happening. Think they’ll give Trump credit?
  Gas Prices are Coming Down and the Media are Bummed
  
• In the hometown of 9/11 heroes, the Times framed Saturday’s attack in a way deliberately designed to mislead the reader into thinking the offenders were anti-Islamic protesters and that Mayor Mamdani was their intended victim.
  Miranda Devine: The far-left media showed just whose side they’re on during coverage of the NYC ISIS-inspired bomb attack
  
• Sportswriters are out of touch with fans.
  How Sports Journalism Lurched Leftward
  * * * * *

• “We’re not going to change our principles because of technology.”
  Josh Hawley: We Must ‘Bend’ AI to Serve the Good
  
• In a world where AI-generated media can blur the line between authentic and fabricated events, the challenge facing democratic societies is to establish reliable methods of verification.
  Fake News and AI

  THE ECONOMY, STUPID

• While the threat of inflation has largely subsided for now, ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran have caused significant volatility in energy markets, which could temporarily push some prices higher for a short period.
  DATA: Inflation Stable in February, But Iran War Could Cause Spike.
  
• When Bracero ended, critics forecast collapse, but what followed was mechanization and growth. Big Agriculture is wrong again, and it’s time to call the bluff.
  Trump Needs To End Big Agriculture’s Cheap Foreign Labor Racket
  
• A net gain for the reds, and a net loss for the blues.
  Bye bye blue

  CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY

• Meta investigators disabled more than 150,000 accounts associated with scam centers.
  WATCH: Trump DOJ Teams Up With Meta, Thai Police To Bust Scammers Stealing From Americans

  RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,

• Newly uncovered documents lay out a highly organized influence scheme that targets judges who are overseeing major environmental cases
  Inside the Left-Wing Operation to ‘Train’ Judges About Climate Change: Free Trips to Napa Valley, Palm Beach, and Hawaii Fuel a Secret Judge Recruitment Operation

• Energy prices are too high in Europe, which harms both consumers and industrial competitiveness, and this is partly because several European nations destroyed their own nuclear energy industries, leaving the continent dependent on imported gas and oil, a nuclear energy conference in Paris heard on Tuesday.
  Whoops! Ending Nuclear Power May Have Been a Mistake After All, Says EU Chief
  
• For most people, climate policy still sounds like something debated at environmental conferences or negotiated in international treaties but increasingly, it is being implemented somewhere else entirely.
  How Climate Policy Is Being Built Into The Financial System
  
• Washington’s climate crusaders obsess over carbon while ignoring a real environmental disaster in their backyard: hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage pouring into the Potomac.
  Potomac Disaster Demonstrates Environmental Hypocrisy
  
• . . .the West risks awakening to a world powered by Beijing’s reactors, not its own ingenuity. Green China is a sham — but it’s time for the West to emulate Beijing’s real playbook, by ramping up energy use and investing in nuclear R&D.
  Don’t buy the ‘green China’ hype — here’s Beijing’s REAL energy agenda

  EDUCATION, AND WHAT PASSES FOR IT

• The role of education is not to enforce political consensus but to encourage critical thinking.
  Blue State Moves To Muzzle Oral History Of J6

  SECOND AMENDMENT

• The Virginia Senate passed SB 749 along party lines on Tuesday in a 21-19 vote after the House approved it in February. The bill, authored by Democrat Virginia State Sen. Saddam Salim, a Bangladeshi immigrant, will head to Spanberger’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law, as she previously advocated supporting “common-sense proposals.”
  Virginia Democrats Close To Making Gun Owners’ Worst Nightmare Reality

  AMERICA AND THE WORLD IMPRISONED: CHINESE+Fauci-created CORONAVIRUS FICTIONS AND FACTS

• Congress has created a Leviathan too big to manage, giving fraudsters an easy opportunity to pick taxpayers’ pockets by the millions and billions.
  Labor Dept. Has Done Nothing To Recover Half-A-Billion Dollars In Suspected Covid Fraud

  THE 2020 and SUBSEQUENT ELECTION HEISTS , SHENANIGANS/FRAUD and AFTERMATH

• So why hasn't congress even had a vote on the popular measure?
  Two-Thirds Back ‘SAVE Act’ To Require Voter ID — And Support Is Bipartisan: I&I/TIPP Poll
  
• ‘It’s not enough for him to kill the SAVE America Act. Thune has to kill it while also protecting his worst RINO colleagues,’ Sean Davis said.
  Thune Is Sabotaging SAVE Act While Pretending He Tried Everything

  DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST AND RINO SCANDALS, MESHUGAS, CHUTZPOCRISY, INSANITY

• NBC News captured Cornyn blocking its camera with his hand, an image likely to intensify grassroots opposition to Cornyn and skepticism of his empty election season parroting of MAGA talking points.
  Filibuster Bluster: John Cornyn Flip-Flops Again on Filibuster Hours After Promising ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Pass SAVE America Act
  
• Every neighborhood has that property-line fight. In this one, the neighbor runs the state.
  The Backyard Battle Between Dem Governor And Couple Next Door

  POLITICS

• The incident saw attorney Joe Joplin leaving the pen in a tray as he rushed through courthouse security. Sometime after, Paxton also passed through security and mistakenly picked up the pen along with the other items he had placed in the tray. After courthouse security realized the error and contacted Paxton, it was returned to Joplin.
  WATCH: Cornyn Drops Panicked Attack Ad Claiming Ken Paxton Stole a Pen.
  
• The competitive three-way primary between former football coach Derek Dooley and Republican Georgia Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins is hardly a surprise, as Georgia has remained contested terrain over the past three election cycles.
  Trump Faces His Next Midterm Powder Keg In Georgia
  
• Illinois now stands alone with two blue-haired lawmakers—an unusual political first that says less about fashion and more about the strange signals today’s political class chooses to send.
  Analysis: Illinois Has Most Blue-Haired State Lawmakers in the U.S.

• History called. Trump answered.
  Donald Trump: A Great Man of History

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL

• Restraint-mongers ‘depressed’ as Trump praises FDD’s Goldberg, Iran nears freedom
  ‘Fear and Paralysis’ Grip Right-Wing Isolationists
  
• China has been chasing the title of world superpower for over a decade. Trump is still holding Xi back.
  Trump Is Dismantling Xi’s ‘China Dream’ One Piece At A Time
  
• A Trump administration official told Breitbart News that Chinese officials have now threatened to detain Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, something that could disrupt global commerce and represents retaliation against Panama for recent developments taking control of the two ports on either end of the Panama Canal out of the hands of a Hong Kong company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
  Exclusive— Trump Administration Official: China Threatened to Detain All Panamanian-Flagged Vessels at Chinese Ports
  
• China’s infiltration of Canada has become dangerously widespread, presenting a major threat, and the U.S. has every reason to reevaluate its policies toward its northern neighbor.
  Why America Must Defend Itself From The China-Canada Alliance

• "At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus."Six dead in Switzerland after man allegedly set himself on fire on bus
  
• The deeply controversial measure, concocted by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy, would upend a millennium of English legal tradition in a supposed bid to reduce the backlog of cases currently waiting to be heard by courts.
  British Gov’t Plan to Scrap Jury Trials Clears First Hurdle Despite Opposition
  
• The decision ends over 50 years of featuring British historical figures on banknotes.
  Britain to Remove Churchill from Banknotes.

• Thankfully, despite the language he uses publicly, Trump hasn't been persuaded. Thankfully, he has the man in U.S. politics who knows more about Venezuela than anyone else whispering in his ear: Secretary of State Marco Rubio... Machado was the favorite to become Venezuela's president in 2024 before Maduro banned her from running. Polls out of there today show that nothing has changed. If anything, people are losing their fear and speaking up even louder in support of her. She's the most popular politician in a county where the opposition is more united than anything I've ever seen. She's ready to return home and have elections as soon as possible, so that her country can be free and its people safe and prosperous. 

  And the Next President of Venezuela Will Be...

• We’ve poured billions into a country too weak to break Hezbollah and, worse, headed by a political class unwilling to do so.
  Hezbollah’s Lebanon: America’s Failed Experiment

  ACTUAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

• The super-Earth has a mass estimated to be anywhere from two to ten times that of Earth, so if any life could exist on it that life would have to be adapted for an extremely strong gravitational field. The star itself appears to be relatively benign for an M dwarf, having a “low level of magnetic activity”, though it does exhibit some flaring that could pose a threat to the development of life on the planet.
  A nearby red dwarf star has a solar system of four planets, one in the habitable zone
  
• Iapetus, about 912 miles in diameter, is one of the strangest objects in the solar system. As it orbits Saturn, its leading hemisphere is very dark, covered with almost pitch black material, while its trailing hemisphere is very bright. This picture captures a bit of both, with the dark leading hemisphere visible along the right edge.
  Iapetus: Saturn’s ying-yang moon

  FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY

• “Kansas is one of five states to prohibit trans people from changing the gender marker on their licenses, but it is the first to pass a law that retroactively cancels licenses that were already changed,” NBC News reported. “The law also invalidated birth certificates for those who updated their gender markers.”
  Report: Kansas Revokes Drivers’ Licenses of 1,700 Trans-Identifying Individuals

  CULTURE WARS, NATIONAL SUICIDE

• After debuting in theatres across the country in late January, becoming the biggest box office opening for a documentary in over a decade, Melania has moved to Amazon Prime as of March 9 with a docu-series to follow.
  ‘Melania’ Film Debuts as #1 Movie in America on Amazon Prime
  
• Spoiler alert: It was never “all about that bass.”
  Hollywood’s ‘Heroin Chic’ Comeback Has One Not-So-Secret Ingredient

  HITHER & YON

• Christian Toto: Ryan Gosling's star power, combined with Andy Weir's imagination, power sci-fi epic
  ‘Project Hail Mary’ Takes Aim at A.I. Slop, Sequelitis

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posted by J.J. Sefton at 07:21 AM

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