Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Face Congressmen on the Rampant Fraud They Encouraged and Enabled

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Full hearing here. A bunch of clips are below the fold.

Tim Walz says that Trump is "terrorizing" his state and he believes that Minnesota should to be able to defraud the American taxpayer without consequence.

Here's Politico, whining:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told lawmakers Wednesday that his state has been terrorized by the Trump administration over mass welfare fraud allegations, pointing to the killing of U.S. citizens in the midst of an immigration enforcement surge around Minneapolis.

"Let me be clear: In Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we'll find you, we'll prosecute you, we'll convict you, and we'll throw you in jail," the Democrat said in his opening remarks at a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

But, he added, "the people of Minnesota have been singled out and targeted for political retribution at an unparalleled scale, including blocking Medicaid reimbursements to our state just last week."

Walz, the 2024 nominee for vice president, is fending off accusations from congressional Republicans that he didn't do enough to prevent a scandal that has embroiled his state. Prosecutors have charged more than 90 people with defrauding the government, and two individuals connected to the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future were convicted of stealing federal nutrition funds in March.

The revelations have led the Trump administration to take drastic, punitive measures, such as prompting the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze its child care funding and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to cancel hundreds of millions in Medicaid money.

Walz, alongside Minnesota's Democratic attorney general, Keith Ellison, have been hauled to Capitol Hill to testify before the committee about the scandal -- and also to respond to an interim report committee Republicans released early Wednesday morning alleging that Walz and Ellison "knew about the fraud in federal programs administered by the State of Minnesota much earlier than they told the American people."

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) asked why Walz did not order the stop or suspend welfare program payments, despite warnings of fraud.

"We're not going to stop payments to feed children until we have the proof that things happen," Walz said.

Comer objected: "You didn't stop payments because you didn't want to rock the boat."

In his opening statement, Ellison maintained that his office has pursued fraud convictions aggressively where it has the jurisdiction to do so.

Republicans have homed in on the welfare scandal as an opportunity to disparage the state's Democratic leadership, but it also has fueled anti-immigrant rhetoric within the GOP -- specifically against Minnesota's large Somali community. At one point, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, who is also a member of the Oversight panel, asked Walz whether he knew how many of those indicted have been Somali-American.

"We don't investigate or prosecute people based on ethnicity, religion--," Walz said, before Jordan interrupted him.

"Neither do I, we shouldn't do that," Jordan responded. "85 percent of the people indicted were Somali-American, a key voting bloc, and I think that's what drove this whole thing."

The White House quickly amplified video of the exchange on X.

The House Oversight Committee released a report revealing that Walz knew of the rampant fraud long before it was exposed -- but covered it up to keep the federal money flowing to his Somali Pirate Supporters.

Senior Minnesota government officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, were aware of claims of widespread fraud in the state's federally funded welfare programs for years, but failed to act other than to retaliate against whistleblowers, the House Oversight Committee concluded in a report released Wednesday.

Both Walz and Ellison are scheduled to testify before the committee on Wednesday at 10:00 AM, the committee previously announced. They are likely to face questions from the committee about fraud schemes estimated to have cost taxpayers as much as $18 billion and that were first reported by Just the News in summer 2024.

Dozens of defendants, many of them Somali immigrants who settled in Minnesota, have been indicted or convicted in a sweeping federal fraud investigation.

Walz and Ellison were aware of fraud

"Testimony obtained by the Committee reveals that Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison were aware of widespread fraud in social service programs, lied about their knowledge of the fraud, and retaliated against employees who dared to raise concerns," Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement.

"Instead of protecting vulnerable Americans, they handed over billions in taxpayer dollars to fraudsters and threw their own state employees under the bus," Comer added.

...

The new video evidence allegedly showing empty daycare facilities registered to serve hundreds of children aligned with warnings from the state's legislative auditor dating back to 2018 that there were persistent signs of fraud in the program, Just the News reported.

The investigation also centered on a Minneapolis fraud ring connected to the state's Somali immigrant community that exploited the state's federally-funded food program. The Department of Justice first charged 47 people in 2021 as part of a $250 million scheme involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future that prosecutors alleged diverted federal COVID-19 relief funds for personal gain.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who served during the Biden administration, called it the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme ever identified.

Testimony from nine state officials

Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, previously acknowledged there is fraud in his state, but said his administration has made it a priority to root out for years.

However, the Oversight Committee believes the evidence shows the opposite, that Walz and his senior officials knew about the fraud concerns from the very beginning of his tenure and ultimately failed to act to address it before facing public backlash and pressure from the federal government in recent months.

...

Though Walz originally said that he was informed about suspicious activity related to Feeding Our Future in November 2020, but he could not recall the precise date, one MDE official told the Oversight Committee that the Minnesota government had received complaints about the program as early as 2018.

MDE Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte, whose agency oversaw the money funneled to the Feeding Our Future food program from federal pandemic-era relief funds, confirmed that such complaints were received between 2018 and 2021.

He testified that Gov. Walz's office would have been informed of the concerns by April 2020 and that Attorney General Keith Ellison's office would have received a notice also.

When threatened with a lawsuit, Minnesota officials resumed funding

Once MDE found in March 2021 that Feeding Our Future was in "serious deficiency," the agency moved to cut off all funding to the organization. However, despite officials acknowledging the agency's authority to unilaterally cut funds, it resumed payments by April 30, 2021 over fears that the nonprofit would sue, Korte told congressional investigators.

"[We] could unilaterally make that decision, but we just knew, with Feeding our Future, it was going to end up in court and had the potential to be overturned," Korte testified.

Feeding Our Future's founder and executive director Aimee Bock -- who was eventually charged and convicted as part of the million dollar fraud scheme -- threatened MDE with a lawsuit in April 2021 claiming racial discrimination if funding was terminated. The nonprofit formally filed the lawsuit in November that year alleging violations of state law.

Minnesota official approved more food program sites after fraud concerns

Because of the threat of the lawsuit, MDE approved an additional four sites administered by Feeding Our Future even after fraud concerns had been raised by the agency. Korte said the agency did this because the U.S. Department of Agriculture refused to provide a justification under federal law for the state to cut off the funds.

Read the whole thing.

Tim Walz is doing his typical Blustering Homosexual Retard act, claiming simultaneously that he knows nothing about any of this but also that he knows enough that he can guarantee that everyone in his government acted perfectly.

Tim Walz can name every illegal arrested by ICE, but says he has no idea who two of his constituents murdered by illegal aliens are.

Jack @jackunheard

3h

Tim Walz might have just landed himself in prison.

He just got exposed for RESTARTING taxpayer payments to Somali fraudsters tied to 'Feeding Our Future'

This is so damning...

Jim Jordan: "Why didn't you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?"

WALZ: "The agency believed the court required them to make those payments."

JORDAN: "That was false. The court says the judge never ordered you to resume Feeding Our Future payments. So the court's lying?!"

WALZ: "I can't tell you!"

JORDAN: "Somebody's lying! Either you're lying or the court's lying. Which one?"

WALZ: "I just know what the attorneys said."

JORDAN: "Are you hiding behind the court? Is this about politics?!"

Insane @Jim_Jordan

That Thing That Never Happens Happened Again

—Disinformation Expert Ace

larrymaloney @larrymaloney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shakir Khan Sentenced Following Denial of Motion to Withdraw Plea

On March 2, 2026, the Honorable Judge Northup sentenced Shakir Khan, who pled no contest to criminal counts that include election fraud and money laundering, underscoring the San Joaquin County District Attorney's firm commitment to safeguarding election integrity and holding accountable those who attempt to undermine our democratic process.

Khan was sentenced to three years under AB 109, to be served in county jail, with one year suspended and served on mandatory supervision. In addition, the court imposed an eight-year state prison term that is stayed, contingent upon Khan's successful completion of mandatory supervision. If Khan violates the terms of his supervision, the stayed prison term may be imposed.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said, "Today's sentence shows the seriousness with which we take efforts to tamper with the electoral process in San Joaquin County. Accountability includes honoring the plea and fulfilling the terms of supervision. If Mr. Khan fails to comply, the full consequences of his sentence will be enforced."

The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office remains committed to enforcing the rule of law and ensuring that all defendants adhere to their court-ordered obligations.

Stephen Colbert's Election Interference Stunt/Hoax Works as the Democrat Establishment Fights Dirty to Block a Proud Black Woman from Attaining Higher Office

—Disinformation Expert Ace

The Free Beacon's top Anti-Racism Reporter, Andrew Stiles, reports on the disgusting White Supremacy Plot to deny the Democrat senate nomination to the feisty, capable, Proud Black Woman Jasmine Ratchet (whom he erroneously calls Jasmine "Crockett," for some reason).

Mess in Texas: Billionaire-Backed Talarico Shrugs Off Racism Scandal To Steal Senate Nod From Jasmine Crockett

The media and Democratic elites got what they wanted: an unemployed black woman.

Andrew Stiles
March 4, 2026

James Talarico pulled off what is sure to be a controversial upset on Tuesday, defeating Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Democratic Senate primary. It was a contest marred by bitter infighting. Talarico faced credible accusations of racism, but still prevailed thanks to a billionaire-funded, establishment-approved, and media-facilitated push to brand Crockett as "unelectable." Many considered that code for black and proud.

Journalists and other Democratic elites fawned over Talarico, a state lawmaker with the looks and demeanor of a fifth-grade boy giving an oral report for extra credit. They adored his "aw shucks, why can't we all just get along?" routine. In glowing profile after glowing profile, they marveled at his Christianity-themed rhetoric. (He once declared that "God is non-binary" while arguing that men should be allowed to compete in women's sports.) Former president Barack Obama called him a "terrific, talented young man." He was Beto O'Rourke 2.0--a new and improved version of the liberal darling who could "finally turn Texas blue" by appealing to normal Americans.

Meanwhile, a billionaire-funded super PAC linked to Talarico--who repeatedly assailed the influence of billionaire-funded super PACs--relentlessly attacked Crockett on the airwaves. The Lone Star Rising PAC, started by a longtime friend of Talarico just days before the candidate launched his Senate campaign, spent millions on negative ads against Crockett over the past few weeks. LinkedIn founder and Jeffrey Epstein pal Reid Hoffman was among the billionaires who bankrolled the super PAC, along with hedge fund titans Stephen Mandel and Mark Heising. The group also received millions via the same "dark money" networks Talarico had promised to ban via "anti-corruption" legislation.

Eyepatch John McCain also lost, but that wasn't due to racism. That was due to Able-ism. We were able to kick his ass to the curb, so we did.

Wednesday Morning Rant

—Joe Mannix

It is no secret to anyone who has been paying even a modicum of attention over the past fifty years that the primary purpose of international organizations is to interfere with and obstruct any action taken by the United States that could arguably be in its own interest. If the US acts as if its own interest is irrelevant - or even better, acts against its own interests - then the much-vaunted "international community" is usually indifferent or even sometimes supportive - so long as a check is involved. The moment the US has the audacity to act in its own interests, however, the wailing and gnashing of teeth can be heard the world over.

Putative ally or declared enemy, the behavior is fairly consistent. There is a reason Trump and Rubio withdrew the US from dozens of international organizations earlier this year. It was a long time coming. For far too long, the "international community" has taken for granted its right to bite the hand that feeds it and then complain if a check doesn't come. So it goes with international organizations, and this sadly does not extend merely to the irrelevant ones.

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Cossack Fighting off a Tiger
Alexander Orlowski

The Morning Report — 3/4/26

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. Obviously, the continued military strikes on Iran are in the lead, and yet while that's happening there is more action to report elsewhere in the world.

On Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that U.S. and Ecuadorian military forces launched joint operations against “Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador,” saying the narco-terrorist group had “long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere.”

This announcement marks a significant shift from training missions to active engagement. SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan praised the “unwavering commitment” and “courage” of the Ecuadorian armed forces, characterizing the collaboration as a decisive strike against the “scourge of narco-terrorism” that has destabilized the hemisphere through violence and systemic corruption.

Regardless of our large-scale military operations over Iran, despite this operation being much smaller in scale and limited in scope, it is good to know that the US military can still engage in multiple operations simultaneously and on different fronts many thousands of miles apart. Of course the Ecuadoran mission is in keeping with and follows close on the heels of our removal of the Chavez/Maduro regime in Venezuela and the disruption/destruction of its narco-trafficiking operations, as well as a warning to the world to stay the hell away from the Western Hemisphere and perhaps as a warning shot to the still extant Cuban Communist junta that they might be the next domino to fall, so to speak.

At the risk of causing whiplash, we shift back to the Middle East/Near East/South Asian region where we have a definite pass-the-popcorn situation brewing there.

There have been other intra-Muslim fights: the war of West Pakistan on East Pakistan in 1971, with East Pakistan successfully resisting the West Pakistani troops who engaged in genocide as they murdered 3,000,000 Bengalis; the continuing war in Yemen between the Shia Houthis, backed by Iran, and the Sunnis of the National Government, backed by Saudi Arabia, that so far have resulted in 377,000 deaths; the current war in Libya between the rival forces based in Tripoli and Tobruk; the war, now subsided, between Morocco and Algeria over control of the Western Sahara; the genocidal war in Sudan between Muslim Arabs and black, mostly Muslim, Africans, leading to the breakup of Sudan into two states — Sudan and South Sudan; the war unleashed on Kuwait by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, who briefly annexed it as the “19th province of Iraq”; the war of Arabs against Kurds in Operation Al-Anfal, in Iraq, and now, we can add another war, still small but likely to grow bigger, between Pakistan and Afghanistan. . . Tit-for-tat attacks — Pakistani planes striking the Taliban in Afghanistan, Afghani Taliban setting off bombs inside Pakistan — have been going on for months. Now they seem to becoming more frequent, and more deadly. Pakistan has just announced that in a cross-border strike it killed 80 people in an attack on Taliban outposts in Afghanistan. And the Taliban have announced that they will soon launch an “appropriate response.” Don’t be alarmed. Just pull up a chair, and root for both sides.

Yeah, pass the popcorn! Guess we can thank Joey Sponge-Brain Shits-Pants and his wizards of smart when they auto-penned our ass out of Afghanistan in a lickety-split bug-out that no one either understood or gave a shit about the consequences other than a political gambit to bolster electoral advantage by taking credit for bringing the boys home.

Yes, leaving, and abandoning the insane delusion of nation-building is always desirable, but doing so in such a way that does not create an even worse situation had we not gone in in the first place. The issue of our being in Afghanistan in the first place is something else entirely. But be that as it may, let's head back to Iran where a potential power vacuum is a distinct possibility now that we have essentially wiped out any successors to Khameini, not that another Mullah or an IRGC commander would have been desirable or acceptable.

It will be and must be solely up to the Persian people to install leaders that will respect their rights and freedoms and also not pose a threat to the rest of the world. Can that happen and will that happen are still very big question marks. As the last vestiges of the regime lash out at their nighbors as well as Israel, they're not gaining friends or influencing people, other than negatively.

Friend and friend of the blog Robert Zimmerman's latest essay focuses mostly on the insane reaction by the Democrat/Left to President Trump's decapitation strike on the Iranian Mullahocracy, mostly in their support for the mullahs (especially their hatred of us and Israel/Jews), but as he gazes into the crystal ball, he seems to have a very rosy outlook:

I would not be surprised if Saudi Arabia soon signs the Abraham Accords. Nor would I be surprised if most of the last remaining Arab nations that have not yet done so join Saudi Arabia. We could very well be seeing a major realignment of alliances in the Middle East that could really really harbinger the beginnings of real peace in that region. Imagine: Israel at peace with all its neighbors, because the Arabs have finally recognized that it is to their own best interest to do so as well.

Even with a defanged Iran that morphs into a nation with a government that perhaps resembles something akin to the Emirates, I will have to disagree with my friend insofar as the one thing that overshadows all of this is ISLAM. My personal view is that unless and until the Islamic world, from governments down to individual Muslims renounce the teachings in the Koran that call for the death of Jews, Christians and infidels or their subjugation into the global Islamic Ummah/caliphate, then all of these accords are just not worth the paper they're written on. All of it to me is merely part and parcel of the concept of Taqqiya so that Shiites and Sunnis can gain an advantage over each other for control of Islam and then ultimately gain control of the infidels on the way to global conquest for all time.

Sign all the treaties you want, but the notion that the Arab Muslim world will live in peace with Israel let alone recognize its right to even exist is a pipe dream. That said, even a cold peace as exists with Egypt and Jordan is the best that can be hoped for, and even then, those two nations with their borders on two massive "palestinian" abcesses (Gaza and the West Bank) have done less than zero to legitimately normalize their relations with Israel in all these years of so-called "peace." And have actively worked against the accords they signed.

All that aside, prior to Jimmy Carter stabbing the Shah and Iranian people in the back by paving the way for the Mullahs, Iran and Israel did have close strategic and diplomatic ties. Can that be resuscitated come the final downfall of the Mullahs and please God the installation of a sane government, we'll have to wait and see. Considering Israel vaporized a meeting with many of the leading candidates to be he next leader, The IRGC awaits Al Franken's '77 Buick Le Sabre to deliver a load of ballots!

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

Daily Tech News 4 March 2026

—Pixy Misa

• Apple has announced its new MacBook Pro range with update M5 Pro and M5 Max CPUs and faster SSD speeds. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  The SSD speeds are simple: They're still Apple's awkward proprietary solution, but the speed has been increased to PCIe 5.0 levels. I'm not sure how much difference that makes to a laptop, but it's not unwelcome.
  
  The CPU story is a little more complicated. Both the M5 Pro and M5 Max feature up to 18 cores, though only 6 of those are performance cores, or what Apple has retroactively renamed "Super" cores. They are the same as the performance cores in the existing M5 chips, which we know because those cores have also been renamed.
  
  But the other 12 cores aren't efficiency cores, they're "Performance" cores, though precisely what that means we don't know.
  
  Also, there's no longer a 512GB option; the price has been increased by $100 but the base model now comes with 1TB of SSD.
  
  Most importantly, the price of memory hasn't increased. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not much more than the market price for regular DDR5 modules now, and provides a lot more bandwidth.
  
  
  
• There's also a new MacBook Air and, expected tomorrow, the entry-level MacBook Neo. (Notebook Check)

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - March 3, 2026 [TRex]

—Open Blogger

Good evening Horde. The time has come for very random mid-week shenanigans of the post-cafe overnight variety. Disco is handling the Wednesday ONT this week which leaves you stuck with the Dino tonight.

Welcome to the Tuesday night ONT which means another edition of very random overnight fun and games. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. i will be disappointed if the gray boxes are not full of puns and innuendo. Pants are optional. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors. Bonus points if you can ignore Tucker Carlson, Candice Owens, etc. in the comments.

[Top photo: Bone take-off from Nellis AFB. Photo by Camden Thrasher. He's pretty good with a camera.]

***

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Meat Shower. The what?

From Wikipedia:

On March 3, 1876, a farmer's wife, Mrs. Crouch, was making soap on her porch when she reported seeing a piece of meat fall from the sky. She said she was 40 steps from her house when the meat began to hit the ground. Mrs. Crouch and her husband believed the event was a sign from God. Mrs. Crouch is on record saying that it was "snowing meat" and that "the meat fell with a snapping-like noise when it struck."

The source of the meat and specific meat in question were never determined. The shower reportedly lasted about ten minutes.

You may be asking "Did the locals celebrate the anniversary?" Yes they did.

150 years later, Meat falls from the sky again in this Kentucky county

More than 600 people watched the skies over Bath County late Saturday afternoon as tiny bits of meat fell to the ground. When they landed, onlookers strolled down the hill of Tom Byron's property to retrieve them.

What's for certain is the source was far different and much less sanitary than the 1,876 mini-meat sticks dropped by a small plane Saturday.

Then the plane arrived and over three passes, dropped the meat, which fluttered to the ground like autumn leaves. As soon as it flew away, folks of all ages began to pick up the packages, lured in part by a chance to win prizes.

Among the gatherers was Arliss Shelman of Woodford County, who tallied eight. "It's been a great meat shower," said the third-grader, before admitting it was the only meat shower he could remember.

***

Pet peeve and first world problem:

"How are WE doing today?"

"Are WE interested in ordering appetizers?"

"Did WE decide what WE would like to order?"

"Are WE celebrating any special occasion?"

"Are WE having dessert?"

Grrr....

***

Did you know the Venus flytrap has one of the most restricted natural habitats of any plant on Earth? There is only one place in the world where they grow naturally.

Venus flytraps are native only to a tiny region of the U.S. East Coast, specifically:

- A 75-mile radius around Wilmington, North Carolina
- Extending slightly into South Carolina

But why?

For millions of years, the Carolina coastal plain stayed:

- Geologically stable
- Mildly temperate
- Wet but not tropical

This stability allowed an unusual plant lineage to survive long enough to evolve complex snap-trap mechanisms.

Venus flytraps thrive in:

- Nutrient-poor, acidic, sandy peat soils
- Constantly moist but not submerged ground
- Open, sunny environments like wet pine savannas

These conditions occur only in specific coastal wetlands.

If you remove any of these factors, flytraps cannot survive.

Their habitat depends on frequent natural fires, which:

- Clear out competing shrubs and trees
- Keep the soil open to sunlight
- Maintain high water levels in the bogs

Now you know.

***

Have you seen the "green flash" at sunset?

***

***

What is the lifespan of U.S. paper money (per the Federal Reserve)? In this case, lifespan applies to the piece of paper rather than how quickly money disappears from your pocket.

$1 - 7.2 years
$5 - 5.8 years
$10 - 5.7 years
$20 - 11.1 years
$50 - 14.9 years
$100 - 24.0 years

The $2 bill circulates so infrequently that the Federal Reserve makes no estimate of lifespan.

***

Hmmm....

***

The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving. Thank you people of Pittsburgh!

***

The Gap Band for the big ONT finish:

***

Prayers and blessings to all who are in harm's way and those who support them. Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Are you lurking ?? Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Close it up

Goodnight Cafe

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Lindisfarne Castle, under a very Northumberland sky.
by Northumberland Photography/@PaulAppleby_01

Dogs get more loyal as they age.

Little Punch stands up to a bully.

It takes a village to raise some puppies.

Cocaine's a hell of a drug, man.

River otter is up to something.

Dog won't stop breaking into the neighbor's pool.

Neglected local door asks nice couple to adopt her.

Stupid pet tricks.

Posting again: Orphaned baby rhinos are the cutest horny puppies.

180 pound boerboel is a velcro dog.

Quick Hits

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Looks like Tucker Carlson was half right about teams of Demolition Jews sneaking around Qatar and Dubai planting explosives.

Agents were in fact arested.

Agents of his patron Iran, that is.

Max 📟 @MaxNordau

37m

BREAKING: Foreign agent Tucker Carlson lied that Qatar had arrested Mossad agents.

Turns out that Qatar had actually arrested 10 IRGC agents.

Allah has a sense of irony!

--

State of Qatar

Doha, March 3 (QNA) -- As part of ongoing efforts to protect the security and stability of the state, the competent authorities were able to arrest two cells working in favor of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the State of Qatar.

Monitoring and follow-up operations resulted in the arrest of ten suspects: seven of them were assigned espionage tasks to gather information about vital and military facilities in the country, and three others were assigned to carry out sabotage operations and received training in the use of drones. They were also found to possess locations and coordinates of sensitive facilities, as well as communication tools and technical devices.

The suspects admitted during investigations to their connection with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and to being tasked with espionage and sabotage activities.

The State Security apparatus calls on citizens and residents to remain vigilant and cautious and to report any suspicious activities to the competent authorities.

May God protect Qatar, its Emir, and its people from all harm, and may He grant us the blessing of security and safety.

Here's video from Sky News (I think) to prove this isn't just more Zionist Lies, as Tucker would say.

Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby

9m

To recap:

Yesterday, Tucker Carlson that Qatar arrested Mossad agents planting bombs.

This morning, Qatar stated that Tucker's claim was entirely false.

This evening, Qatar announced they arrested IRGC sleeper cells.

Baba Banaras @RealBababanaras

BREAKING: Esmail Qaani, head of Iran's Quds Force, has survived all assassination attempts so far, and was even with Khamenei yesterday but escaped again. Now he has allegedly been taken into custody by the IRGC on suspicion of being a Mossad agent and working for Israel.

PoIiMath @politicalmath

4h

You either die an Ayatollah or you live long enough for them to suspect you're Mossad

Fetterman's Lump had control of the body today, and spoke wisely.

Communist jihadist Zohran Mamdani announces free child care -- meaning, babysitters -- for illegals. I'm sure it's his idea that he'll pirate federal money to pay for this.

Regime thugs are shooting at protesters in Iran again. Send in the drones!

A very patriotic left-wing influencer says Trump should have allowed Iran to bomb US servicemen first, which would have given him a perfect justification to hit Iran and a "PR victory." He faults Trump for being so stupid as to not see the benefits of this awesome "let American soldiers die for PR points" plan.

In the previous post, Trump mentioned his anger at the UK for denying us the use of our own base at Diego Garcia.

Is this his vengeance? He wants the US government to create a corporation to insure cargoes going through the Strait of Hormuz. (Shipping companies will pay for the insurance, Trump just wants to spin up a company to provide it.)

This would have the effect of hurting the current main insurer, the UK super-insurer Lloyd's of London.

Check out Bill Kristol's opinion on Iran -- use military force to crush the regime -- from January 8, 2026, when he was attacking Trump for not attacking Iran, with his current opinion, that Trump must not be allowed a "blank check" to fight an illegal war in Iran.

Wow! What a difference fifty days makes!!!

HOLY SH*T: The police officers who STOPPED the Islamic terrorist mass shooter in Austin, Texas, are being put before a Grand Jury for potential criminal charges.

RIDICULOUS

These officers are HEROES

Democrats are insane https://t.co/rFgjHwaixJ pic.twitter.com/hcjCaj4YDo

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 3, 2026

BREAKING: Black Lives Matter founder in IL, Clyde McLemore caught beating his female employee

She accused him of embezzling grants pic.twitter.com/U2Tb8AN0DS

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 3, 2026

BREAKING: Black smoke signals that the College of Mullahs has not reached a decision on the new Ayatollah today. pic.twitter.com/AU8MGzcfRX

— Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) March 3, 2026

Official Muslim Brotherhood clerics:

“Tucker Carlson is an important person, we need to follow him this guy is the strongest guy in the media.”

pic.twitter.com/YPWINFF07F

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 3, 2026

This is pretty amazing. Earlier, even Al Jazeera had to fact-check Tucker Qatarlson and report that that the Qatar Foreign Minister had no evidence of Tucker's "Mossad agents planting false-flag bombs" conspiracy theory.

The pro-Iran conspiracy theorists, in turn, are now denouncing Al Jazeera as "a tool of the Trump regime."

Things are not going well on Iranian propaganda Twitter pic.twitter.com/IUg6ApKfGG

— Kareem Rifai 🌐 (@KareemRifai) March 3, 2026

Tucker's favorite "foreign policy guru" announces that Trump is a "puppet" of "the CIA, Mossad, and Miriam Adelson."

Tucker Carlson has hosted Jeffrey Sachs five times and reveres him as a foreign policy guru, whose “expertise” Tucker has used to shape many of his own views.

Earlier today, Sachs said Trump is a “puppet” of the CIA, Mossad, and Miriam Adelson pic.twitter.com/eCCZKD12xx

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) March 3, 2026

Tucker's Baghdad Buckley conspiracy theories are finding an appreciative audience among the jihadis:

Israel is planning to bomb the Gulf states, and the Gulf states are also facing attacks from Iran. Why? Because Israel’s vision is not to eradicate Iran, but to secure the goal of Greater Israel and to become the only dominant force in the Middle East.
https://t.co/fUq0ygZtkO

— Abdifatah Mahdi (@Avv_Abdifatah) March 3, 2026

Sachs is also a big promoter of Red China's "peaceful technological advancement," contrasting that to America's warmongering "decay."

Close it up

Trump: I Told Scott Bessent to Cut Off All Trade with Spain

—Disinformation Expert Ace

He says that Spain wouldn't let us use our bases in Spain, but then adds: "We could have used the bases, we could have just used them, no one's going to say anything about it."

In other words: Just try stopping us, Spain.

Netflix Head Ted Sandaros Tried to Convince GOP Congressmen His Company Wasn't a Woke Groomer Propaganda Outfit.
Then Legislators Visited Netflix HQ, and Found Tampons in the Men's Bathroom.
Plus: Megyn Kelly, The Chameleon Princess of Pop Politics

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Well, maybe we're a little woke.

Netflix tried to sweet-talk Congress into letting them gain near-monopoly power in the entertainment space. GOP Congressmen feared another woke propaganda monopoly. Ted Sanadaros lied, claiming Netflix was just an entertainment company with no interest at all in grooming children.

Well, maybe a little. (Caution: Links to poster for Netflix's 11-year-old-girls sex-twerking movie "Cuties.")

Charlie Gasparino reports that Netflix betrayed its woke agenda when they let Congressional investigators use the men's room.

There were many defining moments featured in the months-long battle for the ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery: sit-downs to woo President Trump, high-profile congressional hearings, a brutal bidding war, and a tampon.

Yes, a tampon.

During the negotiations, while Netflix was telling skeptical GOP lawmakers that it wasn't a left-wing company looking to get more powerful by snapping up WBD, a delegation of legislators paid a visit to its headquarters, and one was both shocked and disturbed to find a basket containing tampons in the men's restroom.

To be clear, there are other factors involved in CEO Ted Sarandos' decision to cancel his nearly completed purchase of WBD's studio and streaming service. But the "tampon incident," as it has become known on Capitol Hill, does carry some weight in the unwavering political opposition from the GOP to Sarandos' ambitions.

"This is 2026, not 2020," said one GOP staffer with firsthand knowledge of the matter. "What were they thinking?"

...

During the six-month bidding war, many Republicans in Congress, state AG offices and of course the White House came to believe that Netflix was seeking to create a monopoly in streaming -- an increasingly important way Americans consume entertainment.

Netflix denied this, arguing it faces competition for consumers from social media and YouTube, though opposition only seemed to intensify in recent weeks. One big worry: Netflix would use the market clout that WBD would give it to further push progressivism in its programming.

Sarandos has long argued that Netflix programming appeals to all political tastes, but conservative-leaning advocacy groups have produced research that its programming and documentaries more often push themes such as transgenderism, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and other issues near and dear to the cultural left.

Sarandos and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, meanwhile, are both big supporters of Democrats and progressive policies. Susan Rice, a top official in the lefty Obama administration and a staunch critic of Trump, sits on its board. It was Rice's inopportune comments on a podcast attacking companies that do business with Trump that is also said to have cost Sarandos more White House support for the WBD deal.

Now that Paramount (almost) owns WB, John Oliver will probably be the next to join Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel in the podcasting world.

"We might be getting a new business daddy!," Oliver quipped at the beginning of Sunday night's show. "Last Week Tonight" airs on HBO, which sits within Warner Bros. Discovery. Under the announced terms, Paramount plans to buy all outstanding WBD shares at $31 per share in cash, with the companies saying the deal is expected to close in Q3 2026, subject to regulatory clearances and WBD shareholder approval.

"Yeah, not great news," he went on to say. "In fact, if I may quote anyone who's ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote, I'm in Paramount now...how the f-ck do I get out of here?'"

Speaking of left-wing media that endlessly promotes the grooming of children: Highly Alleged Born-Again Catholic and #SuddenOnsetBasedWarrior Megyn Kelly, everybody, when someone else was signing her checks. Here she welcomes "transgender" children, between 11 and 13 years old, and a transgender agitator for "the Gender-Cool Project."

Bin the Navy: Trump Announces Iran's Navy Now Sleeps With the Fishes;
US Bombs the "Assembly of Experts" As It Attempts to Choose a New Ayatollah

—Disinformation Expert Ace

I mean, come on. Even if you're a pro-Iran antisemite like Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly, you have to admit it's pretty funny to bomb the "Assembly of Experts" as they debate who should be the next Ayatollah to be killed within days.

As Iran's ruling clerics moved to fill the power vacuum left by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, Israeli warplanes struck at the heart of the regime's leadership -- targeting a gathering reportedly convened to choose his successor.

Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force hit a site in the city of Qom where members of Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts had assembled. The 88-member clerical body is constitutionally responsible for appointing the country's supreme leader, and according to Fox News, the strike came as votes were being counted to name Khamenei's replacement.

Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency claimed the structure struck overnight was an outdated building no longer used by the assembly. Images circulating online from Qom show a heavily damaged structure reduced to rubble.

Khamenei's death Saturday triggered immediate constitutional procedures requiring the Assembly of Experts to act "in the shortest time possible" to select a new leader. Iran's ISNA news agency reported that the body had indicated the process "won't take long." Still, Reuters noted that officials may delay announcing a successor amid fears that any newly elevated figure would quickly become a target for U.S. or Israeli forces.

Trump: Tucker and Megyn Aren't MAGA -- Trump Is MAGA. Whatever Tucker Carlson Says It Has No Effect On Me.

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Tucker is literally repeating the exact same propaganda as the pro-Ummah communist Ryan Grim. Over the past few days, Iran has shot missiles and sent its Shahid drones to attack all of the Gulf States.

In fact, Iran officially announced this was their policy: To attack all "economic zones" in the Middle East, chiefly energy production, I guess to compel the Gulf States and Saudis to rescue them from the US and Israel. Or to just punish them for supporting the war against them.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have long been not-too-secretly acting with the US and even Israel against Iran, the real country that's "at war with seven of its neighbors," as Nazi crank and fat nepo baby drunk Tucker Carlson would say.

🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 IRGC threatens to strike all economic centers in the region

Iran warns Gulf energy infrastructure, ports, and power stations could be targeted as retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes, signaling potential wider economic warfare and pressure on allies.

Source: Al Arabiya https://t.co/XPSPrIOLRT pic.twitter.com/lyIy1yriVG

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 3, 2026

This is inconvenient to the Gay Communists' claims that Iran is an innocent victim who Didn't Do Nuffin', so they're claiming that Akshually, all of those attacks by Iranian Shahid drones and missiles are False Flag Israeli attacks:

Saudi Arabia will eventually be able to figure out where the missile came from that struck their oil field, and if it's confirmed it was Israel, that'll have regional implications for a generation https://t.co/qooRUUT05n

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) March 2, 2026

Drop Site news is funded by George Soros and foreign Islamists.

And that's exactly what Tucker Carlson is claiming. His paymasters in Qatar were hit by Iranian missiles and drones, so Tucker claims... akshually there are Mossad agents planting bombs in the country where I'm "buying" a house to blame it on Iran.

Tucker is an absolute lunatic.

1) He blames the damage against the Gulf States on Israel, even when those themselves are blaming The Islamic Republic.

2) He claims that the Saudis & Qatar arrested Mossad agents that planned to bomb those countries. This is completely made up pic.twitter.com/eNrmNUu95H

— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 2, 2026

Inconvenient to his claim: Qatar's own Foreign Minister addressed this made-up slander he's pushing and said there is no evidence nor any reports of "cells" of Mossad agents planting bombs.

And Qatar is announcing they'll be taking action against Iran, too.

Not Israel. Iran.

Is he going to issue a correction? Maybe delete and reupload his latest video? pic.twitter.com/vX4L84benI

— Max 📟 (@MaxNordau) March 3, 2026

Qatar’s FM spokesperson adds that there is no information on Mossad cells operating in the country.

This comes after US broadcaster Tucker Carlson claimed that Qatar and Saudi Arabia have arrested individuals linked to Mossad.

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/mSvQSyvKdN pic.twitter.com/38103mltme

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 3, 2026

Megyn Kelly, who enthusiastically supported transgenderism for children when she was being paid by NBC "News," now eagerly pushes Nazi claims now that she's in with the Nazi podcast bros.

I watched 1.5 mins of Megyn Kelly's podcast, she's so angry and bitter *all the time* - she hates this job, she hates her own audience, she looks like a mortician going to a sex party, it's just really depressing what happened to this woman. SMH. pic.twitter.com/HSFOg4vRcd

— Ron M. (@Jewtastic) March 3, 2026

Lee Smith @LeeSmithDC

She's saying Trump is controlled by Jews. She's an anti-Jew fanatic. And it doesn't matter to me whether she's sincerely antisemitic or if she's jumped on the Jew hate bandwagon to profit from Jew hate -- Megyn Kelly is a pig alongside the rest feeding from the same trough.

Now Trump makes it clear to MAGA -- Tucker and Megyn are not MAGA.

Ryan Saavedra @RyanSaavedra

16h

🚨 President Trump torches Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson in new remarks on Monday night:

"MAGA is Trump -- MAGA's not the other two," Trump said in reference to Carlson and Kelly.

Trump says Carlson "can say whatever he wants; it has no impact on me."

On Kelly, Trump said: "Megyn was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time and nothing stopped me. And so, you know, some people are against -- and they always come back. She came all the way back. But now I guess she maybe doesn't like the idea of this war, but I do because I have to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Iranians."

For years, I was told that if I had any criticisms of Trump at all, or had any questions about his policy choices, I was a neocon traitor who just wanted to make Bill Kristol the president.

Well, for the "Trump Is Always Right" Contingent -- doesn't opposing Trump now and claiming he's Controlled By Jews make you the neocon Jew Traitors who just want Bill Kristol as president?

Nah, let me guess: You guys know exactly when disagreeing with Trump is treason, and you also know the exact moment that agreeing with Trump is also treason. And of course you know that Trump is now a Traitor to MAGA.

You guys just know. It's not that you have stunted, childlike intellects and make up whatever illogical "rules" needed at any moment to just claim you're right, no matter what the facts are. It's not just that you're immature, unsophisticated morons who cannot "think" in any terms except for endless embarrassing Appeals to Authority, and you just pick which Authority is actually authoritative depending on who you need to be the authority. Yesterday, Trump was the Highest Possible Authority, today, Tucker Carlson is, and Trump's a traitor.

Now go ahead, Tucker Suckboys, tell me that Tucker Carlson passing around claims he got off of Stormfront and from the Unz reader doesn't make him a Nazi-Nazi.

And then tell me that Cavernous Nostrils makes some really good points about Erika Kirk helping the Jews murder her husband because only Charlie Kirk stood in the way of strikes on Israel.

Close it up

Supreme Court Votes 6-3 to Suspend California Law Which Permits Teachers to "Trans" Students Secretly Without Telling Their Parents

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Two liberals and one libertarian joined the two conservatives and the pudgy RINO.

This is not a final order. However, it reverses a Ninth Circus appeals court ruling that would have put this lawless "law" into effect during the litigation.

The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for California schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student's approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group.

The order blocks for now a state law that bans automatic parental notification requirements if students change their pronouns or gender expression at school.

The split decision comes after religious parents and educators challenged California school policies aimed at preventing schools from outing students to their families. Two sets of Catholic parents represented by the Thomas More Society say it caused schools to mislead them and secretly facilitate the children's social transition despite their objections.

California, on the other hand, argued that students have the right to privacy about their gender expression, especially if they fear rejection from their families. The state said that school policies and state law are aimed at striking a balance with parents' rights.

The high court majority, though, sided with the parents and reinstated a lower-court order blocking the law and school policies while the case continues to play out.

Supreme Court rules against private prison firm facing forced-work suit from
"The parents who assert a free exercise claim have sincere religious beliefs about sex and gender, and they feel a religious obligation to raise their children in accordance with those beliefs. California's policies violate those beliefs," and burden the free exercise of religion, the majority wrote in an unsigned order.

The court's three liberal justices publicly dissented, saying the case is still working its way through lower courts and there was no need to step in now. "If nothing else, this Court owes it to a sovereign State to avoid throwing over its policies in a slapdash way, if the Court can provide normal procedures. And throwing over a State's policy is what the Court does today," Justice Elena Kagan wrote.

Groomer ghouls. They want all children to be gay or trans, and they want the state to impose this on them.

All of the communist groomer outlets claimed the Supreme Court blocked "protections" for "transgender youth" and diminished their "rights." In fact, the law was about ordering teachers to transition children against their parents' wishes and in secret.

All parents should adopt a minimum level of religiosity, even if they're nonbelievers. The Court keeps ruling that only a religious objection is valid when objecting to the state grooming your children to be trans. If you're like me and you object for non-religious reasons, they say "Fuck You, that's not a good enough reason to be a transphobe, bigot. Unless you have some kind of religious basis for your trans hate, you have to let us groom your children."

So everyone with kids should just make sure they go to church or temple once a month.

Video of Bill and Hillary Clinton Depositions Released

—Disinformation Expert Ace

It's pretty meh.

They lie and lie and lie, but the lies are not proven to be lies in the deposition videos themselves.

The deposition also included "Pizzagate." Asked whether she had ever seen Epstein-related files referencing coded language tied to the claim, Clinton dismissed it outright. "Pizzagate was totally made up," she said, noting it led to a 2016 shooting at a Washington, D.C., restaurant.

Hillary Clinton repeatedly denied ever knowing Epstein personally.

Bill Clinton, meanwhile, faced extended questioning about his interactions with Epstein, including multiple flights aboard Epstein's private jet.

Asked directly whether he had ever discussed young women or girls with Epstein, the former president responded, "No."

He told lawmakers he had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct at the time and insisted nothing in his past correspondence reflected awareness of illegal behavior. Clinton acknowledged traveling with Epstein in the early 2000s in connection with foundation-related work, including trips to Africa, Asia, and Europe. He said he believed he first met Epstein in 2002.

He confirmed Epstein had visited the Clinton Foundation office in Harlem and that he had made a brief visit to Epstein's Manhattan residence.

Lawmakers also pressed him about a photograph showing him in a hot tub with an unidentified woman at a hotel in Brunei. Clinton said the stay occurred at the invitation of the sultan and that members of his team, along with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, were present. He said he did not recognize the woman and denied any sexual relationship.

"I had forgotten that there was anybody in the hot tub," he said.

He also read aloud a note he had written for Epstein's 50th birthday, describing Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and wide circle of friends. After reading it, Clinton remarked, "Not a bad letter," while maintaining it did not reference or imply knowledge of criminal conduct. "I thought Epstein was interesting and curious," he said.

The Morning Rant: Marco Rubio Is A Star, And He Isn't The Only One In The Cabinet!

—CBD

Our current Secretary of State may be the most consequential one in the last 50 years. Marco Rubio is teaching a master class in how to be a statesman, a diplomat, and a powerful and unapologetic defender of the president's policies.

And as JD Vance dabbles in partisan politics, and perhaps even flirts with the lunatic faux-right, Marco Rubio is cementing his position as an indispensable part of President Trump's administration, and perhaps a rising star for the 2028 Republican Presidential nomination.

Here is Marco Rubio's press conference on March 2nd, 2026, which has been butchered by the mainstream media to make the administration sound as if it is flailing. But a full listen will reveal a perfectly prepared presentation of the rationale behind our preemptive strikes against the Iranian theocratic maniacs.

Secretary Rubio has full command of the facts, and presents exactly the correct tone of deference to the President without sounding like an apparatchik. There is no parallel foreign policy being conducted on the sly...he is a proud American, a proud member of the Trump administration, and gives the impression that he is 100% on board with the President's goals.

It is a testament to President Trump's resolve to be a different president than in his first term; he has chosen a far more impressive cabinet, with a few bona fide stars. Rubio, Scott Bessent at Treasury, Doug Burgum at Interior, Pete Hegseth at War, Lee Zeldin at EPA, RFK Jr. at HHS, and several others who are comporting themselves well.

Sure, we can bitch and moan about a few others, in particular Bondi at Justice, but President Trump has constructed a superb cabinet without any of the political turmoil of his last administration and, more importantly, without the disloyalty that was rife among the GOPe-chosen officials.

I look forward to these people continuing their work for years, if not in the next Republican administration, then in Congress or their state houses or governor's mansions!

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter and X/Twitter]. If you folks who are on X/Twitter would follow us it would be much appreciated!

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

The Cathedrals of Broadway
Florine Stettheimer

[Hat Tip: All Hail Eris]

The Morning Report — 3/3/26

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. And so, despite President Trump serving up heaping helpings of KABOOM to Iran's leadership . . .

President Donald Trump said Monday the initial strikes targeting Iran killed dozens of Iranian leaders during a breakfast meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death in a post on Truth Social Saturday, hours after he announced the commencement of Operation Epic Fury early that morning. “Special Report” host Bret Baier told “America’s Newsroom” co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino that Trump was “pleased”with the progress of Operation Epic Fury.

. . . over here it's turning into déjà vu all over again. Or is it? Has the President betrayed the MAGA movement and one of its bedrock principles of no more endless and pointless wars? Obviously the usual suspects on the Left and Right are bleating this out to sow political division for their own advantage . . .

As an aside, I have neither seen nor heard of any reaction from John Kerry. Considering he was one of the chief architects of Obama's nuclear deal that put Iran squarely on the path to getting the bomb, and was often parlaying and paling around with Javad Zarif and other big wigs of the Iranian regime, Even post his tenure at Foggy Bottom, his silence is interesting. Imagine if his rotten criminal corpse turned up in a Tehran mortuary!

But, it may be semantics but in my estimation what we're seeing with Iran is not going to be endless and certainly it's not pointless.

The two questions, which most of us outside the government simply do not have answers to, are: First: Was the threat posed by Iran really that great? Second: Can we effectively and efficiently install a friendly regime in Iran? Those are the two questions. Everything else is noise. . .

. . . This is not being pitched as Iraq 2.0. It is being pitched as a decisive, overwhelming, time-limited force. The early days have been extremely successful. Military leadership decapitated. Key targets neutralized. A regime that has openly threatened American interests for decades suddenly thrown off balance. But early success does not guarantee long-term success. A billion things could go wrong.

Indeed. And so far, so much has gone so incredibly right, the deaths of US servicemen as well as any innocent civilians notwithstanding, but such is the nature of war. As I and others have said and written here and on the podcast as well as elsewhere, The Iranian regime such as it was (and I hope and pray my use of the past tense is correct) had already spent the better part of nearly 50 years spilling rivers of blood, quite a bit of it American, all over the world as far and away the number one state sponsor of terrorism and also in that time had been hell bent for leather in building and acquiring nuclear weapons and sophisticated missile delivery systems, all of which to bring about Armageddon as the precursor to Shiite paradise on Earth and the final conquest of the world, capping off the 1,500-year crusade to make it Islamic from pole to pole and ocean to ocean.

Whether or not President Trump truly understands the existential threat that Islam poses to global peace and the advancement of civilization and human development from an historical, ideological and intellectual perspective I can't say. But that he does take that 50 year chants of "Death to America" and the regime's bloody history is self-evident insofar as where we are today.

And of course there are other considerations vis a vis this President's desire to see America's status in the world as its preeminent power and the driving force of its destiny, not merely for his own place in history but for the sake of ensuing America's security and prosperity well past its 250th anniversary this coming July.

With Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export terminal, in flames after Saturday’s US-led attack, China’s energy lifeline is going up in smoke.

Ignoring international sanctions, oil-thirsty China had long been the Ayatollah Khamenei regime’s main buyer.  

To be sure, China was a cheap customer, paying well below the going market price for Iran’s bootleg oil.  

Not only that, it insisted in paying in Chinese yuan, not dollars, ensuring the money would flow back to China.   

Beijing’s slick sales pitches convinced the Iranians to spend their oil billions buying China’s military and telecommunications equipment — like the “state-of-the-art” radar systems that now lie in smoldering ruins after failing to detect the incoming American air strikes.

But the decapitation of Iran’s leadership and the destruction of its Chinese-made defense arsenal aren’t the worst of Beijing’s Middle East woes.  

Iran’s reckless missile barrages have united the entire region against it — causing an enormous loss of face for its chief international backer.

Two years ago, China was riding high in the Arab world.  

In March 2023 it brokered a normalization agreement between Shiite Iran and its longtime Sunni adversary, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih praised the new Middle Eastern power broker.

A multipolar world had emerged, he declared — and cooperation between the Gulf states and China would be “a significant part of the new order.” 

A year into President Donald Trump’s second term, China’s role in that new order seems to be shrinking by the day. 

It’s not just that Iran, the anchor of China’s Middle East ambitions, is now an international pariah.  

That’s only the latest in a long series of recent geopolitical setbacks for America’s chief adversary. . .

. . . From Panama to Venezuela, from Greenland to Iran, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. 

Trump is thinking very bigly.

As US energy production ramps up, China is not only deprived of cheap oil from Venezuela and Iran, but also the ability to pay for it by printing renminbi.  . .

. . .His goal is to transform the global order to America’s advantage — which necessarily means greatly reducing the malign influence of Communist China.  

“Winning without fighting is the acme of warfare,” the ancient Chinese strategist Sunzi famously said.

And where China is concerned, it seems that one of Sunzi’s best students is a yangguizi — a “foreign devil” by the name of Donald J. Trump.

Have a great day!

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s doctrine is simple: strike first at the guilty, strike hard from afar, skip the nation-building, and end wars on America’s terms.
  Trump’s Way of War

Daily Tech News 3 March 2026

—Pixy Misa

• Motorola and GrapheneOS have announced a partnership to produce Motorola phones running GrapheneOS. (Liliputing)
  
  Though I'm not sure what else they would announce.
  
  GrapheneOS is a version of Android without Google's proprietary software. It currently only runs on, uh, Google's proprietary hardware, which I'm not sure is entirely helpful.
  
  Having it run on something else as well might be a useful option if you want to steer away from the Apple / Google duopoly for security and privacy reasons but aren't still looking for something officially supported.