Wednesday Overnight Open Thread - February 25, 2026 [TRex]

—Open Blogger

Good evening Horde. The time has come for very random mid-week shenanigans of the post-cafe overnight variety.

Welcome to the Wednesday night ONT which means another edition of overnight fun and games. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. Good will offerings of amusing puns are happily accepted. Pants are optional. Giraffes are excused. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors.

[Top photo: Texas State Capitol Dome, Austin, Texas]

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VW Blackhawk?

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The F-4 seems to be a favorite of the Horde:

I know what you are going to say. What about the F-14? Ok. Here you go:

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Are you wise in the ways of the US Navy's Carderock facility in Maryland? They have a lot of water.

This tour of the indoor ocean involves a little math in the context of wave amplitude, but the scale of the place is impressive with or without math.

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This is remarkable - World War I on the western front - daily time lapse:

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There's a lot going on here:

pic.twitter.com/OHQtXB8rR6

— NO CONTEXT HUMANS (@HumansNoContext) December 23, 2025

Hat tip: Biden's Dog

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Computing the optimal road trip across the U.S.

What's the most efficient way to see the US?

Criteria:

- The trip must make at least one stop in all 48 states in the contiguous U.S.
- The trip only makes stops at National Natural Landmarks, National Historic Sites, National Parks, or National Monuments.
- The trip must be taken by car and never leave the U.S.

The author and his wife compiled a list of 50 major U.S. landmarks - one in each state excluding Alaska/Hawaii and including D.C., and two in California. The used a computer optimization tool to map it all out.

The complete trip around the U.S. takes 13,699 miles of driving. Assuming no traffic, this road trip will take about 224 hours (9.33 days) of driving in total. The author estimates the trip will take at least 2 to 3 months to complete. You can start anywhere on the route as long as you follow it from then on.

Click on the link for the 50 landmarks. The link also has the Python optimization code if you want to make your own trip with your own criteria. With AI, you probably don't even need to know how to work with Python code.

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

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Dos Gringos for the big ONT finish:

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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

Giraffe MMA Cafe

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Not giraffes

This cold has me flat on my back.

Smol. Also smol.

Not smol.

Cat is 20 years young. Joe Scarborough just emailed me to call this "the most cogent, most aware, best version of this cat, ever, and f*** you if you disagree."

Bear and cub.

Puppy needs to calm the hell down.

Fetch the stick.

Sheep does not go easy on the baby. Head-butts will be given freely to all.

On to the giraffe MMA.

Sparring by male giraffes has been commonly reported since its first description in 1958 and is believed to play a role in establishing male dominance hierarchies. However, despite being often documented, quantitative investigations of sparring behaviour are currently lacking. Here, we investigate the factors affecting the frequency, duration and intensity of sparring bouts in a population of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa living on a private fenced reserve in Limpopo, South Africa. We show that sparring bouts were most frequently observed in young adults, and between males that were more evenly matched in size. Sparring bouts between males of similar body size were also characterised by being of high intensity and of short duration. Taken together, these results support the suggestion that sparring functions principally to provide maturing males a means of testing their competitive ability without escalating to full-scale fights. Additionally, mature bulls intervened on young adults possibly to disable any winner effect achieved by the latter, with the most dominant bull being responsible for the majority of interventions. For the first time, we also show that individuals displayed strong laterality when engaged in sparring: individuals consistently preferred delivering blows from either their left or right side, and these preferences dictated the orientation of sparring bouts (whether head-to-head or head-to-tail).

Quick Hits

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Outstanding: One of the women who was terrorized, along with her children, by Don Lemon and his femcel/incel antifa pals is suing him for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

And unlike the last time he committed Gay Crotch Battery on an innocent victim, he doesn't have CNN's malpractice insurance backing him up and paying the victim off.

[TMZ:] A woman who claims to have been attending service during the Minnesota church protest covered by Don Lemon last month is now suing Lemon and other protesters, saying she suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the incident.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Ann Doucette claims she was attending a worship service at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18 ... when she alleges Don and others "unlawfully interfered" with her ability to "freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship." ...

Doucette is suing for an unspecified amount, claiming she suffered "severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma" as a result of the protesters' conduct.

Doucette claims Don acted with the group of protesters, and that one protester admitted on social media to assisting Don with "logistics and local contacts in support of the operation."

Gay communist Jihadi Theater Kid Zohran Mamdani's "low-cost state-run grocery stores" got a try-out as a private communist party gave the concept a test-run by opening a "free grocery store" pop-up.

The "free grocery store" was exactly as you'd expect it to be.

It wasn't a Mamdani Mart, but it was a good indication of what the socialist grocery stores that Comrade Mayor promised to bestow upon New York City will be like. Last week, the cryptocurrency outfit Polymarket opened, for five days only, what it billed as "New York's First Free Grocery Store." And so the triumph of socialism was on full display in the Big Apple, right? Well, socialism certainly was, but "triumph" wasn't exactly the word.

Fox News reported Thursday that "in a busy stretch of restaurants and boutiques in the West Village, hundreds of New Yorkers queued up outside a pop-up shop offering free groceries."

That's right: the first glory of socialism that New York's First Free Grocery Store brought to Gotham was long lines. As one of the last sclerotic rulers of the declining Soviet Union, Konstantin U. Chernenko told the Politburo in 1985: "Comrades, it is not unusual for one type of merchandise or another to disappear from shop counters, goods that are often the easiest to make and the most needed on a daily basis."

...

And so in New York's First Free Grocery Store, the demand far outstripped the supply, and the lines were Soviet-length....

New York's First Free Grocery Store hit the wall of reality quite early in the day. One woman recounted: "I literally got here at 9:00 ... and basically what they said is that they ran out of tickets." A man said: "They told me that they ran out of tickets. I couldn't get no more food.... I couldn't get access to the store." A beleaguered security guard shouted just after 9 a.m.: "Let's go people, let's go. Go home. Do not linger, do not look, do not watch. Please go home." But ultimately, they will not. Aside from the gulags, the line is the most distinguishing feature of socialist life.

If Mamdani holds true to his promise and opens his low-cost grocery stores, we will see all this again, and likely with greater intensity and hotter tempers. Socialism is beautiful, comrade!

Democrats literally want no illegal aliens deported, ever.

"A Tough Immigration Case," Byron York (a good reporter) writes.

But is it? Democrats think so. York points out they're leaving out most of the story.

A TOUGH IMMIGRATION CASE. Two U.S. senators and two members of the House from Arizona are pressing the Trump administration to intervene in the deportation case of a restaurant owner in the Phoenix area. As sometimes happens in these stories, there has been a lot of heart-tugging rhetoric. But sometimes a heart-tugging story is not exactly what it seems.

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Now she is fighting deportation. She has on her side Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Reps. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ). Last September, when she was in detention, the lawmakers wrote to President Donald Trump asking that he release her.

...

So why was Yu held? She was held because there is more to her story than the Democratic lawmakers said. The following is from a number of news reports on Yu's case.

After entering illegally with the aid of a human smuggler in 2004, Yu applied for asylum in the U.S. on the basis of her desire to escape China's one-child policy. In 2005, she was denied asylum and given a final order of removal by an immigration judge. That indicates that Yu was given full due process and should have left the country voluntarily or been deported at that time.

But Yu did not leave, and she was not deported. The news reports say that Yu appealed her order of removal several years later, in 2013, and lost. She appealed the order again in 2016 and lost again. Still, more legal process did not change her status.

In October 2024, when Joe Biden, not Donald Trump, was president, ICE arrested Yu and sent her to a detention center in Prairieland, Texas. In January 2025, Yu, still in detention, married U.S. citizen Aldo Urquiza, with whom she worked at her restaurant...

So what to make of all this? First of all, U.S. authorities should have deported Yu two decades ago, when her asylum claim was denied and she received a final order of removal. Failing that, they should have deported her 10 years ago, when she lost two appeals of that order of removal. But the authorities did not act on either occasion.

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On the other hand, can anyone deny that Yu has treated U.S. immigration law with contempt for more than twenty years? First, she crossed illegally into the U.S. Then, having been denied asylum, she defied a final order of removal. Then, in 2013, she defied the loss of her appeal of that removal order. Then, in 2016, she defied another loss in another appeal of that removal order. Finally, in custody and with removal looming, she married a U.S. citizen, who immediately began petitioning authorities that his immigrant wife should not be deported.

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So Yu has options. They are not the options she wants right now, but if nothing else, her case proves there can be a price for defying American law for more than two decades.

Arrest in Terrorist Attack on Boise ICE Office: It's an AWFUL
Plus: FBI Raids LA School Superintendent's Home, School District Offices

—Disinformation Expert Ace

They say it's a woman but they talk a lot of horse-shit about sex now.

Federal prosecutors are calling an Idaho woman's alleged decision to steal an ambulance and crash it into a Meridian building leasing office space to immigration officials a "brazen, dangerous, unprovoked, premeditated attack," according to newly released court records.

In a 15-page affidavit, investigators outlined the evidence that local and federal law enforcement agencies collected against Sarah George, 43, of Boise, before arresting her Monday. Over the course of five days, officers located surveillance footage, financial records and social media posts that they say prove George purchased gasoline cans and lighter fluid, filled them with fuel and stole a Canyon County ambulance before crashing it into the Portico North building with the intention of setting it on fire. T

he building, owned by St. Luke's Health System, included office space that was being leased to the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Posts on George's Facebook page had "adverse political positions" against the agencies, the affidavit alleged.

Oh really, this ugly AWFUL has a FaceBook page where she shares her deranged mentally-ill political opinions? I never would have guessed.

Assistant United States Attorney David Robins, in the District of Idaho, said the attack wasn't random. He wrote in a motion arguing that George should be held "in custody" that based on the woman's social media posts, the attack was over her "perceived grievances" of law enforcement.

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"The defendant's devil-may-care attitude towards the extreme public risk can hardly be overstated," Robins wrote in his motion. "She stole an ambulance -- a tool by which first responders save lives -- and damaged it while trying to destroy it. By attempting to burn the building, she showed no regard for the potential occupants (e.g., night workers, janitors, first responders) and the mortal risks she inflicted.

She then approached the parked ambulance and drove off wearing a dark beanie and face covering, according to the affidavit.

You can't hide ugly.

Gee, I wonder what her husband thinks about all this.

Just kidding. She looks like my less-attractive testicle. Not the one I send people pictures of.

That photo is, I believe, from a cop's bodycam camera as he pulled her over for a traffic stop. He realized "Holy shit, this looks like Ace's 'not my bad side' ball! Must be the terrorist!"

I need to stop sending that to everybody. Especially family members.

He recognized her from a store's surveillance camera video, showing her buying the gas cans used in the attack.

She's a real gem:

According to the affidavit, investigators found a social media post allegedly made by George the morning of Feb. 18 depicting an AI-generated image of the White House on fire with the caption, "If it can be destroyed by truth then it should be destroyed; it was built in lies anyways."

No but seriously what's her husband think?

God spare us the wrath of ugly, unfuckable femcels who have nothing to contribute to the world except for deranged social media posts about Trump.

BAFTA Tourettes Incident Pits the People Who Cancel Over #Racism Against the People Who Cancel Over "Abelism"

—Disinformation Expert Ace

The BAFTAs are a low-rent knock-off of the Golden Globes for the UK only.

A film had been nominated for an award, called I Swear. It's about a Tourette's syndrome advocate, who happens to be afflicted with Tourette's himself. The movie shows him being beaten up and otherwise suffering because the Tourette's causes him involuntarily to curse or otherwise say inappropriate, offensive things.

(I think he may be a commenter here.)

Two Americans, Michael B. Jordan and Deroy Lindo, were presenters at the awards show. They had to import two Americans because Britain only has like six "stars" and they were all busy filming Poroit episodes or Doctor Who.

These two Americans are black. Black people were presenting awards in front of man suffering from Tourette's. A man who frequently gets beaten up because his brain unconsciously decides what would be the worst possible thing he could say in a situation, and then makes him say it.

So what do you think he shouted at the black men?

Answer below, but it's not bleeped out at all, so have a care about playing it. The text headline tells you the answer, though.

CNN: The Economy Is Doing Pretty Well, Just as Trump Claims.
Too Bad It's a Boomcession That Is Leaving So, So Many People Behind.

—Disinformation Expert Ace

I suppose a grudging admission with lots of defensive Democrat Talking Point caveats is still an admission.

CNN Fact Check: Trump told the truth when he said the economy is solid. (But sad about the boomcession!)

President Donald Trump made a passionate defense of the US economy during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

"Inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before."

Hyperbole aside, he's right: America's economy is strong. But Trump is missing the point.

Ah, he says the economy is strong, but he's... missing the point.

What?

Affordability, not economic strength, drives voters to the polls. Most Americans don't care a lick about GDP, CPI, PCE or any of the other acronyms or data points that show the economy is on the right track. They care about their job security and those financial fears that keep folks up at night: figuring out how to to pay for groceries, housing, health care, car payments, college and child care -- all of which keep getting more expensive.

But inflation has fallen from Biden's 10+% to 1.7% over the past three months.

As for "worrying about job security:" Americans have felt insecure about their jobs since the seventies. This is not a Trump thing. This is a secular shift in the economy that happened after the 1960s boom and continues to happen.

This hack then compares Trump to Biden -- without revealing that CNN vigorously echoed Biden's false claims of presiding over a strong economy.

"I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now our economy is literally the envy of the world."

There's a problem with that strategy, though.

Want proof? That last quote wasn't from Tuesday's speech. That was from the 2024 State of the Union, delivered by former President Joe Biden, whose party lost the election eight months later.

Yeah but who caused the inflation? Is Trump lying that that is a hangover from Biden?

Trump's message, at least on paper, is largely correct. Jobs, wage growth, consumer spending and inflation under Trump look pretty decent or have been mostly stable. The stock market is near a record high.

"On paper," he's right. I mean, if you look at the facts.

But if you look at liberals' feeeeeeelings -- the true determinant of Truth -- then it's a different story.

The US economy grew 2.2% in 2025, very much in line with the last three years of robust economic growth. The economy slowed down more than expected at the end of the year, but the longest-ever government shutdown stymied growth that should be made back this quarter.

Last year wasn't a great year for the labor market by any stretch. But unemployment remains low, and stronger-than-expected hiring in January suggests 2026 could be a much better year for job creation.

...

Trump on Tuesday blamed Democrats for the inflation crisis that sent prices surging more than 20% during Biden's term, a shock that Americans are still adjusting to.

Oh, so Biden did cause the rampant, remorseless inflation.

But still, Trump is lying or something.

The left has another way to denigrate the strong economy, aka "the boomcession" -- it's K-shaped economy, CNN's Democrat whisperers tell them. Meaning, some are going up, like the top stroke on the K, and some are going down.

Let's ignore the fact that most see their fortunes rising -- that's what a strong economy means -- and focus on those who are remaining flat.

In fact, CNN wants you to become Junior Reporters and write to them explaining your own Tales of Boomcession Woe so that they can put those quotes together and write a downer economic story.

They're literally blegging internet randos to send them quotes they can knit together for a pre-fab story.

Where do you land in the K-shaped economy? Do you think that will change in 2026?

By Alicia Wallace
Feb 18, 2026

How do you anticipate your household financial situation will fare in 2026 and beyond? We'd like to hear from you.

There's a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots in the United States, and economists are increasingly sounding the alarm. Income inequality has expanded in a short timeframe, and various economic indicators -- including rising delinquency rates -- are flashing a warning sign.

The "K-shaped" economic recovery may be working for some Americans, but not all.

LOL.

The boomcession, don't you know.

Democrat "Counter Event" To the SOTU Is, Literally, a Zoo of Lunatics

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Hakeem Jeffries apparently told his animals that they should not heckle or scream during the SOTU, because it would make them look bad.

They did not listen. Deplorable, deportable foreign Islamofascist traitors Rashid Tlaib and Ilhan "Omar" Nur never stopped squawking and shrieking throughout the speech.

The degenerate Al Green was forcibly ejected from the Speech for his constant disruptions. He was also ejected from last year's speech.

I don't know why the two Muslim sows were permitted to stay.

But fifty Democrats boycotted the speech. Instead of attending, they staged various communist clown shows.

As WLT Report previously reported, nearly 50 Democrat lawmakers opted not to attend President Trump's State of the Union address.

Instead, many of them attended their counter State of the Union event.

Dozens of Democrats attended their own State of the Union Address, called the "People's Address," located at the National Mall.

To begin the event, Democrats welcomed on stage the Portland ant-fascist frogs to dance on stage.

Trump Directs and Films the Main Political Advetisement for the Midterms

—Disinformation Expert Ace

I personally thought the speech started well but then got tedious and meandering. Then again, I know the economy is doing pretty well. Thanks to the propaganda Nazi media, most citizens don't.

Many observers, including Democrat spinners, think it was effective.

Trump needed to sell strengths on economy, border. He did.

Ahead of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, he promised he'd discuss how we are a country "that's now doing well with the greatest economy we've ever had."

That's what he needed to do, and overall, he did.

"Our nation is back," Trump said at the start of his speech Feb. 24, marking the secure border, reduced crime, falling inflation and improving economy. "The state of our union is strong."

During his roughly two-hour address, the president stayed mostly upbeat and on message (for Trump).

His theme was "America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected," with the country's 250th birthday and the midterm elections just months away, and polls showing Americans are concerned with the direction of the country.

"Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages," Trump said. "We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago."

In the past year, he has delivered on some of his top reelection campaign promises, chief among them securing the southern border and reviving the economy.

Yet, there remains a disconnect between how things are improving and how voters are feeling.

Trump's job was to make them feel at ease. He remains defensive on affordability, however, putting the blame during his speech for remaining problems squarely on Democrats.

No matter how much fault the Biden administration holds for the economy's struggles in recent years, voters now consider it Trump's economy. He needs to own it.

...

Trump may not have stellar approval ratings (who does in their second term?), but congressional Democrats are suffering far worse.

A Wall Street Journal poll from January found that voters think Republicans in Congress are best able to handle major issues facing the country, including immigration and the economy. When it comes to border security, Republicans outpace Democrats by 48% to 20%. In regard to immigration in general, the GOP still holds an 11-point advantage.

Even with other key issues, like inflation and the economy, Republicans have a 6-point edge.

Other polls confirm the unease with Democrats. A recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that more Americans trust Trump (33%) over Democrats in Congress (31%) to handle the country's major issues.

I didn't realize why Trump kept attacking the Democrats for not standing. I thought he was just grousing.

I didn't know he was building towards his campaign message for the midterms. He was conditioning them to not stand, so he could get the perfect video for campaign ads.

First, they refused to stand to honor the Ukrainian immigrant butchered on a Charlotte train by a Democrat released from jail a dozen times by other Democrats.

Wednesday Morning Rant

—Joe Mannix

This is not going to be a SOTU post. I managed to stay awake for it - and it was very good and I recommend you watch it if you missed it (or at least watch the conclusion) - but it's too late to write anything about it that will be worth reading.

While "government efficiency" is usually viewed as an oxymoron and said with one's tongue firmly planted in his cheek, it does exist in some cases. Where the thing in question is something that the citizens of the country might want or - even worse - need, the wheels of government tend to grind very, very slowly. These things are also how most people interact with the government and so it is the most common perception. There is, however, an opposite scenario.

When the thing is for the government's own benefit, it can move quite quickly. When the thing is for the government's own benefit and bad for the citizens, it can move in the blink of an eye. It's all about motivation. For a prime example of this, we can cast our eyes north and look at Canada, and specifically at Canadian medicine. Medicine, after all, is something people tend to want and need - and in Canada, it's mostly state-owned.

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Untitled
Beulah Loomis Hyde

The Morning Report — 2/25/26

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. In the lead this morning, of course, is the State of the Union. No, I don't mean President Trump's SOTU speech from last night but the actual state of our union which, were it not for this president's mere presence in the Oval Office would be hurtling at light speed straight off of a cliff.

The speech itself was yet another solid performance and demonstration of this President's ability to communicate and connect with the American people, which is due in no small part to his delivering on policy success after success both at home and abroad in this his second term — And that dovetails perfectly with my initial assertion, insofar as the disastrous state of our Union. That is solely because of the demonic, diseased, deviant diabolical Democrat Party and everything it stands for. Or as in the case of last night everything and everyone it refused to stand for.

During President Trump’s State of the Union Address, Democrats refused to stand for Anna Zarutska, the mother of Iryna Zarutska – signaling the moral state of the American Left.

As a refresher, a subhuman degenerate beast named Decarlos Brown (another potential Barack Obama mythical son if he had one)

Slaughtered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska looked up at her killer with terror in her eyes after he repeatedly stabbed her with a pocket knife, as no light-rail passengers came immediately to her aid, according to disturbing, newly released surveillance footage.

The new extended clip from the Aug. 22 attack on the Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte, North Carolina, shows the 23-year-old cowering in fear and covering her face with her hands after the shocking, unprovoked attack, allegedly carried out by homeless repeat felon Decarlos Brown Jr.

Zarutska, who had come to the US in 2022 seeking safety after Russia invaded her country, pulls up her legs, which can be seen spattered with blood in the video.

When the Democrats, especially the foreign Muslim contingent like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, weren’t screeching their heads off, they were sitting it out.

They didn’t stand for the U.S. hockey team. They refused to stand for the idea that the duty of the United States government is “to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

The anti-American Left and its epicenter in the Democrat Party have spent the better part of 200 years attempting to seize absolute power by tearing this country and our society apart by any and every means at their disposal. They are the moral (amoral) equivalent of so-called "generation ships" of science fiction sailing off into deep space towards some distant galaxy. As the crew die off one by one, their progeny take over the mission and sail off into the unknown. Meh, perhaps that's too romantic an analogy but they must be stopped before it's too late, unless we've already passed the point of no return and we just don't realize it, MAGA and Donald Trump being mere speed bumps on the road to hell.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps there has been a sea change in our societal/political trajectory back towards sanity and we won't see it for years or depending on how old you are in our lifetimes.

But for anyone with eyes to see and a functioning brain to process the words and optics of last night, the Democrat forces of darkness and evil did themselves no favors last night. And then there's Eddie Munster's Woof-Woof doppelgänger Al Green:

Video footage shows the moment the Democrat was walked out of the room and again held up the sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes!”

Attendees continued applauding in response to the president’s address as Green made his way toward the exit. When he held up the sign a second time, it was pulled down:

We'll never have a moment's peace or any semblance of normalcy unless and until the Left is completely removed from any position of power and influence. They must be utterly defeated for all time. We cannot rest, we cannot falter and we cannot fail in that holy cause, or it will be our undoing.

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.

2026 TRUMP STATE of the UNION ADDRESS
• The first State of the Union address of 'what should be' the president's third term went as expected: Trump honored great Americans, and Bro-Fo Omar made a scene
  Pride and Petulance: Trump Touts American Triumph as Democrats Seethe
  
• President Donald Trump gave one of the best — and most strident — speeches of his career on Tuesday when he delivered the first State of the Union of his second term. Trump always excels in these set-piece performances. He knows how to use the whole room as an instrument — even the halls behind the chamber, where troops returning home sometimes wait to surprise tearful spouses.
  Trump’s most partisan State of the Union ever still appeals to unity
  
• "One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe," Trump said. "So, tonight, I'm inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens." Republicans exploded. They stood, clapped, and whistled for a solid two minutes. It was the kind of raw, spontaneous reaction you can't manufacture. Democrats didn't move.
  This Moment of the State of the Union Just Lost the Democrats the Midterms
  
• Not for Team USA, for murder victims or American citizens.
  Democrats ‘Sit Out’ the State of the Union Address
  
• Trump: "How do you not stand?"
  Video: Democrats Refuse to Stand for Anna Zarutska, the Mother of Iryna Zarutska
  
• The president credited his tariffs with bringing America’s economic “turnaround” and blamed Democrats for having “caused” the affordability crisis.
  Trump plays economic cheerleader-in-chief at State of the Union — using hockey champs to show USA ‘winning’
  
• Virginia governor cites the walkouts, which have led to suspensions in Virginia and which a Marxist group has helped organize in Georgia, as an example of 'determination'
  ‘Moderate’ Abigail Spanberger Endorses Anti-ICE School Walkouts in Otherwise Dull SOTU Rebuttal
  
• Sen. Padilla’s address was one of two official responses to the State of the Union on Tuesday, alongside that of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger. While Padilla’s was intended to be the Spanish-language response, he veered into English on several occasions and used strange grammatical constructions in others, attempting to identify with his audience by referencing Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny and “faith” and church.
  Sen. Alex Padilla’s Unhinged SOTU Response en Español: Trump Will Use ICE to ‘Steal the Midterm Elections’
  
• Video footage shows the moment the Democrat was walked out of the room and again held up the sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes!” (Dr. Zaius betray us! - jjs)
  WATCH: Democrat Rep. Al Green Removed for Protest Sign During Trump’s SOTU

Daily Tech News 25 February 2026

—Pixy Misa

• AMD and Meta have entered into another of those infamously vague and circular deals with an estimated value of, well, nobody knows. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  The Wall Street Journal puts it at $100 billion, which used to be the cost of a world-changing merger of megacorporations, not a bunch of server equipment.
  
  At the heart of the deal is 6GW of AMD graphics cards for running AI - it would be funny if AMD produced a single graphics card that ran hotter than core of the Sun but they probably won't - and options for Meta to buy 10% of AMD at a penny per share that are only executable under complicated conditions that would require AMD's market cap to triple to around a trillion dollars.
  
  At least Meta has a revenue stream, even if at this point it's mostly entirely foisting ads on people watching AI-generated slop. Unlike OpenAI was has only an expense stream.

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - February 24, 2026 [Doof]

—Open Blogger

Ladies and gentlemen, the State of the ONT is good!

Open thread, as always. Wanna discuss the SOTU and/or Dem response? Have at it. Other stuff on your mind? Let's hear about it!

***

Gold Medal Fever Hasn't Broken Yet!

The Mens team at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Team USA Men’s Hockey at the White House?

Let’s go!!🔥 pic.twitter.com/iHwcQT631o

— Sarah Sizzle (@sizzle_sarah) February 24, 2026

How cool is this? Kiddos playing hockey stop their game to celebrate the gold medal.

This is the moment that peewee players in North Carolina found out MID GAME that Team USA won the Gold Medal at the Olympics!pic.twitter.com/TsRBfiBCGG

— AmericanPapaBear™ (@AmericaPapaBear) February 23, 2026

More kewl stuff! Synching up the final seconds of the 1980 "Miracle" game with the final seconds of the 2026 Gold Medal game

I promise you this will be the best thing that you watch all day long. pic.twitter.com/tkZQoMokdO

— Mr. Star Spangled MAGA (@4thOfJuly365) February 24, 2026

OK, one more. How strange is this coincidence with the name Jack Hughes?

This is insane!

🤯pic.twitter.com/c9UHrylZJi

— C3 (@C_3C_3) February 24, 2026

-----

Emotional support *checks notes* --- cock??

Professor Finds Comfort and Connection With Her Emotional Support Chicken

A Canadian psychology professor who researches the role of pets in healthy development has an unusual therapy animal of her own: an emotional support chicken that helps her manage daily life.

Sonia Kong adopted the 11-month-old chicken from a farm near Prince George, British Columbia. She named the bird Saturday, after the day she brought her home. Kong says the emotional support chicken is attentive and responsive to her feelings.

According to Kong, the bird appears to notice when she is upset. She recalled a moment when she was crying and the chicken quietly stayed beside her, watching her closely. Kong said the gesture felt meaningful and comforting.

To make it easier to bring the chicken into public spaces, Kong designed a small diaper so the bird can travel with her around the city.

Ummm - OK.

-----

Outstanding X post from John Cameron - a J6'er

I am a J6er. I went to DC to protest a stolen election.

I realized Communism was here under the familiar name of the Democratic Party. Now it's called Democratic Socialism.

Lenin's party was called the Social-Democrat Party until he renamed it Bolshevik until he renamed it again Communist.

I didn't vote for Trump but against Communism and the radical ideology and policies that are systematically destroying our country.

I saw Communism steamrolling over America when...

Churches and AA meetings were shut down while pot shops and liquor stores were allowed to remain open.

I was kicked out of a park while playing catch with my son for my own health.

The NY Post was deleted from Twitter for an article harmful to Democrats.

A sitting President was deplatformed from social media.

His press secretary was deplatformed.

Cities were allowed to burn over the death of a drug addict, but Americans were rounded up for protesting a stolen election.

Dying loved ones were separated from family in the name of Science.

Tip lines created for family, friends, and neighbors to report one another and drive the wedge.

The government tried to force an experimental gene therapy injection on the entire country.

Government agencies were captured by for-profit corporations.

The government used law enforcement watchdogs to censor speech.

Political leaders knelt to the corpse of a drug addict.

Children learning to speak were masked and unable to watch lips move or see the joy of a smile.

Crime was condoned and criminals were set free while the law-abiding were persecuted and prosecuted.

Americans were tased at sporting events and kicked out of beaches for not wearing masks.

Half the country was told "Move along, nothing to see," after vote counting was stopped and insurmountable leads vanished overnight.

Entire social media platforms were shut down.

Propaganda so endless, that dancing nurses and puppet syringes filled the airwaves, while mayors gave out free fries for complying.

Communism is Satan's religion. Worship of the State.

God Bless the J6ers.

***

DJ Doof - Relevant Tonight Edition

***

Weekly commenter stats for week of 2-22-2026

AoSHQ Commenter Statistics:
Number of posts: 96
Number of comments: 22565
Number of unique hashes: 1742

Top 10 commenters:
1 [525 comments] 'TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films' [74.57 posts/day]
2 [362 comments] 'Bulg'
3 [354 comments] ' Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _'
4 [339 comments] 'Sponge - F*ck Cancer'
5 [301 comments] 'Boss Moss'
6 [273 comments] 'I used to have a different nic'
7 [254 comments] 'Aetius451AD work phone'
8 [246 comments] 'Alberta Oil Peon'
9 [246 comments] 'Aetius451AD'
10 [241 comments] 'JQ'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [227 names] 'Uncle Pervy!' [32.24 unique names/day]
2 [95 names] 'It's certainly not impossible'
3 [74 names] 'Quarter Twenty '
4 [62 names] 'Hell's bells Miklos'
5 [46 names] 'Muhammed El Muhammed Muhammed'
6 [33 names] 'mindful webworker - she's a wonder that woman'
7 [29 names] 'Duncanthrax'
8 [29 names] 'pookysgirl, groggy froggy '
9 [29 names] 'teenage Miklos double dog dares'
10 [26 names] 'Count de Monet'

***

Tonight's ONT brought to you by real Americans' message to haters home and abroad

***

Doof Enterprises, LLC is aware that some may be sitting out tonight's ONT in some sort of silent protest. You do you.

Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.

Close it up

Trump SOTU Thread 2: "How Do You Not Stand for That?"

—Disinformation Expert Ace

I see the thread has gotten a bit long.

Trump's State of the Union Address

—Disinformation Expert Ace

PJ Media's live blog for those who would rather read than watch.

Pre-SOTU Cafe

—Disinformation Expert Ace

The Life and Happenings around Blejoi Bridge by Andrei Baciu

Dog is so happy to see the garbage men.

Senior dog has the heart of the puppy but the cardio of a blogger.

DaVinci's simple but clever self-supporting bridge.

Dogs being adopted.

This dog knows what he likes and that's all he likes.

Dog responds to Alexa.

Rescuing a terrified "broken" dog.

Quick Hits

—Disinformation Expert Ace

We'll see:

Paul Sperry
@paulsperry_

BREAKING: Hillary Clinton insists she had "no links" to pedo pimp Jeffrey Epstein and his groomer Ghislaine Maxwell--and never even met Epstein--yet Maxwell has testified: "I went to the [Clinton] house in Chappaqua a few times...as a friend," and Hillary appears in the Epstein files >1,000 times

Mike Benz: Conservatives are dispirited because the revelations they were expecting about Jeffrey Epstein weren't revealed. If Trump wants to boost conservative enthusiasm, he must open the books on all the other betrayals and crimes of the Deep State.

"I don't think that the base would even flirt with voting for Democrats. The question is, 'Is their disenchantment enough to sit home?'" he continued. "And that's the thing the admin really has to solve. And I think the only way forward is by doubling down on the energy it had in the first four months of the admin rather than the last four months."

Benz also specified Trump's base is "looking for something transformative in these four years, rather than something that's pure economic."

"Those would include everything from major transparency drives around USAID, the State Department, the CIA and the FBI, things like continued Russiagate disclosures ... things like Fast and Furious, things like the malfeasance of the John Brennan CIA, the Bill Burns CIA," he continued, referring to the intelligence agency's directors under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively.

Benz highlighted the importance of the Epstein files, the release of which authorized by a bipartisan bill Trump signed uncovered several stunning revelations. He also told the DCNF, however, the "collective fixation" with the files "is because there are not other disclosures of considerable consequence."

"We should be having five million CIA files. We should be having five million State Department files. We should be having five million USAID files," Benz emphasized. "The fact that it's only the Epstein files -- and even that at the barrel of a gun by congressional bill -- is not as much as we could do."

"I think those things-- something that shows that ... it's okay to trust these institutions again," he continued. "I think right now, a lot of people feel they're being asked to trust without the reforms and accountability that a lot of people expected to be the antecedent."

...

When asked specifically to list what he would like to see exposed, Benz named former Special Counsel Jack Smith's Arctic Frost investigation -- during which the FBI obtained phone records of Republican members of Congress -- as well as "the censorship-industrial complex, issues around Russiagate, I would argue issues around Ukraine as well."

Fired 60 Minutes propagandist Anderson Pooper claims that Trump lied when he claimed that 1000 white South African farmers had been killed in racist attacks.

For proof of this, Anderson Pooper interviews white South African farmers... who say that they themselves have been assaulted in racist attacks, and that they know many farmers who were murdered.

This, in Anderson Pooper's eyes, constitutes some kind of refutation.

Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke

This has to be one of the most spectacular self-owns in media history, and that's saying something given the competition. Anderson Cooper's entire narrative hinges on a supposed gotcha attacking Trump over the white crosses. Then you watch the video and every single farmer Anderson met over there was either viciously attacked themselves, knew multiple farmers who were murdered, or both.

Post here, with the semen-colored propagandists' claim that white farmers backing Trump's claim somehow undermines Trump's claim.

Gavin Newsom took flack for telling a room of black Democrats, "I'm just like you, I got a sub-average 960 on my SATs and I can't read."

He's fighting back by saying: "OMG mean Republicans are making fun of my Suddenly-Discovered Adult Rapid Onset Dyslexia!!!"

This is exactly what the left did when Biden's dementia became obvious: "OMG mean Republicans are making fun of Biden's 'Childhood Stutter' that was never once mentioned (or proven) until Biden needed an excuse for his inability to speak!"

Colin Wright
@SwipeWright
Did you know that Gavin Newsom was "dyslexic" before he brought it up last week?

It's obvious what he's doing. He knows that the woke left is going to heavily penalize him for being a straight, white guy. He desperately needed to surface some "oppressed" intersectional identity.

He's going with "disabled" and will start "calling out" his opponents for "abelism" now.

The only other option he had was some "trans" identity like "nonbinary." But he knows he couldn't pull that off, and gender ideology is increasingly cringe and politically unpopular. Although I wouldn't totally write off the possibility of him flirting with this.

His best bet was "disabled." You could tell he was itching to bring it up, as his recent call-out was a serious stretch. The last time he mentioned it on X was 10 years ago.

Expect to see him bring it up more and more during his presidential campaign.

Councilwoman Vickie Paladino
@VickieforNYC

In one video, this leftist 'scholar of the far right' who 'fled' the United States (for completely imaginary reasons) has admitted:

- The cost of living crisis is worse in Canada

- The housing crisis is worse in Canada

- Non-citizens should not be entitled to free healthcare

- She cannot get health care without paying for it

- She and her partner cannot survive unless people give them a place to live for free

Just pure cinema.

Let's also note that Canada is where progressives have run everything for decades now. They're the model government American leftists point to as an example of how to do things right. Yet it's even less affordable and more difficult to survive than the United States.

Yet all of this STILL won't give them a single moment of pause to reconsider their commitment to an ideology that has LITERALLY NEVER WORKED. Everywhere these people are in charge is more expensive, more dangerous, less free, and wildly dysfunctional. But they just keep on believing.

Trump Will Focus on the Economy and Affordability in Tonight's SOTU

—Disinformation Expert Ace

And making the case for his policies.

President Donald Trump's State of the Union address will put the economy front and center, pairing working-family guests with a data-driven case on affordability -- while also making economic policy announcements, Fox News Digital learned.

Trump is slated to begin his speech at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday evening from the U.S. Capitol. The State of the Union is equal parts constitutional check-in between the president and Congress, as well as a political showcase that gives the president a national stage to claim wins and set the agenda for the coming year.

The 2026 address will be forward-looking but rooted in what the White House described as measurable progress on cost-of-living pressures, with Trump expected to list off statistics and data on the economy following the sky-high inflation rates of the Biden administration, while showcasing everyday Americans who have benefited from Trump policies, Fox News Digital learned.

"President Trump's State of the Union Address will celebrate 250 glorious years of our nation's independence and excellence, highlighting incredible stories of American heroes throughout the speech," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital ahead of the speech.

"In one year, President Trump has turned our country around from the brink of disaster, and he will rightly declare the State of Our Union is strong, prosperous and respected," she continued. "The president will proudly tout his administration's many record-breaking accomplishments, and also layout an ambitious agenda to continue bringing the American Dream back for working people."

...

Across Trump's first year of his second administration, the president's economic vision has focused on evening the U.S. trade field with tariffs, "unleashing" U.S. energy in the oil, coal and natural gas sectors, lowering drug costs on consumers, as well as other efforts aimed at Trump's vision of ushering in a "golden age" for the U.S.

Trump is expected to tout his efforts to lower drug costs Tuesday, including giving a shoutout to the White House's recent launch of TrumpRx.gov, which aims to deliver the lowest-priced pharmaceuticals to American patients.

...

Tariffs are a key piece of Trump's overarching economic plan for the U.S., touting the duties since the start of his second administration as bringing parity to foreign nations "ripping off" the U.S. for decades via "unfair" trade policies, while simultaneously promoting manufacturing on U.S. soil.

In response to the Supreme Court's decision, Trump imposed a 10% global tariff on foreign nations under a different law -- specifically, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 -- before upping that global tariff to 15% Saturday as the administration maps out "new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Erika Kirk, currently being defamed by "Charlie's best friend" Candace Owens as a sex trafficker, will be among Trump's guests. He will of course tribute Charlie Kirk.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt retweeted a Daily Wire story about the invitation, including the quote: "The president will call on Congress to 'firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens' with Charlie Kirk's widow in the chamber."

If you can believe this -- and I'm sure you can -- Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) are calling the Trump economic boom a "boomcession," conceding the economy is growing while insisting that it feeeeeels like a recession for most Americans. Mostly blue-haired nose-beringed Americans.

Incredible.

Nicole Shananan Commissions Movie Script to Lampoon the Establishment's Unhinged Response to Covid, to be Called "The Rash"

—Disinformation Expert Ace

I was literally just thinking about this over the weekend.

Every supposed "right wing" scandal gets left-wing movies made about them. And those movies, of course, become the "Real Story" for most of the country, who doesn't read the news.

Left-wing scandals don't get movies made about them. They just get covered up and then forgotten, as the left wants.

I think I actually thought of COVID in thinking about a left-wing scandal someone should make a movie about.

Nicole Shanahan, RFKJr.'s one-time running mate, has a lot of money thanks to her divorce from Google pussy Sergei Brin.

And she thinks the COVID lunacy is the perfect fodder for a satire.

So it won't actually be about covid. At least not in name. It will be about a completely different foreign virus, one that apparently produces "The Rash," that official DC and Hollywood and all left-captured institutions absolutely freak out and melt down over.

Sounds like a movie which needs to be made, about a grotesque and lethal case of Stage IV groupthink and hysteria.

Politico, of course, disagrees.

RFK Jr.'s billionaire running mate is making a comedy about the pandemic

Nicole Shanahan has recruited a top screenwriter and enlisted Covid contrarian Jay Bhattacharya.

"Contrarian"? You mean the guy who was contrarian against the left's COVID lunacy and was proven right on every single claim? You mean the guy who, unlike Anthony Fauci, actually is an epidemiologist and currently serves as head of the NIH?

That "contrarian"? That crank, which is of course what you mean?

Covid contrarians tight with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are pitching Hollywood on an unlikely leading man: National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya.

You mean "Covid truth-tellers and heroes and vindicated True Men of Real Science."

Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign, is searching for investors to fund a movie that pokes fun at the pandemic response with a star based on Bhattacharya, who rose to prominence with his anti-lockdown manifesto and relentless tweets opposing social distancing.

The script for the satirical comedy, "The Rash," is by renowned author Walter Kirn, who wrote the novel "Up in the Air" that became an Oscar-nominated movie starring George Clooney. The new Kirn screenplay stars a "no-nonsense" public health professor at a Stanford-like California university -- mirroring Bhattacharya -- who speaks out against mass hysteria amid a mysterious outbreak of a contagious skin condition.

The story of the pandemic is one "of great heroes who stood up and said no" to "dangerous scientific experiments mixed with misleading propaganda, mass psychosis, and outright lies," says the Brownstone Institute in a recent appeal sent to potential funders of the film.

The think tank that once counted Bhattacharya as a senior scholar added that "investors are terrified of the topic and Hollywood elites don't even want it made."

...

Since 2020, a number of figures in Trump's orbit have been involved in the creation and promotion of films criticizing public officials' response to the pandemic or pushing fringe theories about it or vaccines.

Jeffrey Tucker, Brownstone's founder and president, didn't respond to requests for comment. In October 2020, he convened a group of scientists, including Bhattacharya, who wrote the Great Barrington Declaration opposing Covid lockdowns. It set off a vigorous debate about the pandemic response and prompted Bhattacharya's predecessor at NIH, Francis Collins, to call him a "fringe epidemiologist."

Bhattacharya, whom Kennedy also named acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, is on board with the movie, an NIH spokesperson told POLITICO.

"Dr. Bhattacharya has spoken positively about the work Walter Kirn is doing, noting that the project reflects a strong commitment to free speech and open inquiry, and he welcomes thoughtful creative efforts that engage with these issues," the spokesperson said.

Of course, the left-wing network of basket-case lefties who usually fund movies have no interest in funding a sure-fire 10x budget hit.

Funding for "The Rash" nonetheless remains an obstacle. The estimated production budget is close to $6 million, according to a slide deck on Brownstone's website.

Brownstone "is well-positioned to be a fiscal sponsor of this effort," and the project "already has a top production company lined up along with some notable talent to make a first-rate film," the website says.

Six million? The thing will probably make $300 million.

Tucker Carlson: Jews Should be Forced to Undergo DNA Testing to Prove If They're Really Jews

—Disinformation Expert Ace

Tucker Carlson continues pimping for his paymasters in Qatar.

First up, he continues peddling his lie that the Christian population of Israel is shrinking, which proves Jews mistreat Christians. When Huckabee points out the Christian population has in fact multiplied sixfold since the founding of Israel, Tucker Carlson says the numbers don't matter and his General Point is still valid.

During Tucker Carlson's disturbingly dishonest, ultra-combative interview with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Carlson replayed his biggest tropes: America's "toxic relationship with Israel." Israeli leaders were in league with Jeffrey Epstein and had visited Epstein Island. (After Huckabee suggested a defamation lawsuit, Carlson immediately backtracked and uploaded an apology video.) Israel was "purging Christians from the Holy Land," with those dastardly Jews scheming "to keep Americans from noticing." (No apology for that one.)

And Carlson, of course, included his standard Qatari bootlicking, culminating with this fascinating exchange:

Huckabee: Tucker, Christianity is growing in Israel.

Carlson: Okay, but --

Huckabee: There is a big lie that goes out there --

[crosstalk]

Huckabee: No, let me finish this: I keep hearing Christians are really not treated well in Israel. That's simply... that's a lie.

[crosstalk]

Huckabee: There were 34,000 Christians in Israel in 1948. There are 184,000 Christians today.

Carlson: And by Israel, what are you counting?

Huckabee: The land.

Carlson: Are you counting Israel proper? Are you counting the West Bank and Gaza? I mean, when you say Israel, those numbers apply to what land mass?

Huckabee: It would be in Israel proper.

Carlson: Okay.

Tucker Carlson then changes the terms of the debate, and says he wasn't really arguing about how many Christians were or were not in Israel (even though that is what he was arguing, and has been claiming now for years.)

The important thing is that their are more Christians in Qatar.

And to get to that number, Tucker Carlson counts... Christians literally enslaved in Qatar.

Because they're being treated better, in slavery, by Qatar then free Christians are by Israel.

Huckabee: There are 184,000. Now, I'll tell you where Christians are not doing very well: They're not doing very well in Muslim-controlled countries. There's almost no Christians in Qatar, for example, except those who live in the Christian ghetto, who are the service workers.

Carlson: I'm sorry, I don't want to argue with you, but there are many more Christians in Qatar than there are in Israel.

After more back-and-forth bickering:

Carlson: There are about twice as many Christians [in Qatar as in Israel]

Huckabee: They live in an enclave. They are not native Qataris.

Carlson: Okay, we're mixing so many categories. I'm just saying, I get things wrong all the time. You've just gotten something wrong and I think it's important to acknowledge it: There are many more Christians in Qatar than Israel. Fact.

Huckabee: How many?

Carlson: Now you got me, I don't know, I can [look at] my phone, but I was just there and there were many more -- look, whatever.

See the post for the video. Among the people who push the lie that Christians are fleeing Israel -- Tucker Carlson. He has claimed it multiple times.

...Christians living in Qatar make up 13.1% of the Qatari population. Most of them are migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or the Philippines. [emphasis added]

They don't vote. Human rights abuses are rampant.

Many live as slaves.

See the post for more about that.

Tucker Carlson thinks it's better for a Christian to be a non-voting slave in Qatar than a voting citizen in Israel. Because he's a nasty antisemite who doesn't read anything but Unz and Stormfront and has a brain addled from years of hardcore alcoholism.

By the way, he also lied about what he said when he said that Israel's president (not the PM, Netyanhu) had visited "Pedo Island." Now he says he's sorry if he implied that.

His defamation was based on some internet rando peddling an AI fake of the president at pedo island.