DYSPEPSIA GENERATION

CNN, a Voice of the Crust.

This Is CNN—so check another source before you believe it.

Iranian bombers came within minutes of striking the largest military base housing US troops in the Middle East before Qatari planes shot them down in their first aerial combat mission, two sources briefed on the operation told CNN.

On Monday morning, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dispatched two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers toward al-Udeid Air Base, which typically houses 10,000 US service members, and Ras Laffan, a key natural gas processing facility and a bedrock of the Qatari economy.

The Iranian jets were “two minutes” away from their targets, one of the sources said. A second source told CNN that the planes were visually identified and photographed “carrying bombs and guided munitions.”

The Qataris issued a warning over radio but received no response from the jets, which had switched to a flying altitude of 80 feet to evade radar detection, the second source said.

Due to “time constraints” and “based on the available evidence,” the aircraft were “classified as hostile,” the second source added. Qatar then dispatched its warplanes, and a Qatari F-15 fighter engaged the Iranian jets in “aerial combat” before downing them, the second source added.

The Telegraph (UK).

Labour has told employers not to use the word “competitive” in job adverts because it is too masculine.

I can see why Labour would have a problem with that.

Companies should not use “terms associated with male stereotypes” when writing job adverts, including words such as “competitive” and “ambitious”.

I can see why they would have a problem with that, too.

In new guidance from the Office for Equality and Opportunity, bosses have also been told to use “neutral job titles” to ensure a greater gender balance among applicants.

No, they want men to lose and women to win. That’s not ‘balance’.

Judge: Trump Effort to End NYC Congestion Pricing Unlawful

Smoothie King fires employees who refused to serve couple with Trump merchandise (Brady Knox/Washington Examiner)

Trump’s MAGA base wrestles with Iran strikes launched by an ‘America First’ president (Matt Dixon/NBC News)  No, they don’t. They’re behind him. Narrative Media sock-puppets just don’t want to believe it. (Why didn’t we do this to Iran long ago?)

New Jersey Faces Structural Deficit Crisis And Democrats Blame Trump

The Trump administration still can’t decide why it’s doing this (Cameron Peters/Vox)  Sure they did, you just can’t admit it.

Trump is running out of time to sell his rationale for Iran war (Politico)  He’s got three years left.

House Dems fume at Trump admin’s “bullsh*t” Iran briefing (Andrew Solender/Axios)  Fuming is about all they’re good for.

Jeffrey Sachs: ‘Trump Is An Utter Disgrace To Our Nation – He Lied To Us’

O’Donnell Suggests Trump’s Military Operates like Hitler’s WW2 Forces

Texas primary shows that MAGA loves a villain (Amanda Marcotte/Salon)  Amanda Marcotte loses her shit. No, MAGA doesn’t so much love a villain as hate a RINO. Amanda, of course, hasn’t the wit to perceive that.

So much for affordability: Trump’s war with Iran exposes the deceit of ‘America First’ (Max Burns/The Hill)

Right-wing pundits want Trump to heal the MAGA rift over the Iran war via the mass deportation of American Muslims (Matt Gertz/Media Matters for America)  Sounds like a plan.

Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers (Molly Taft/Wired)  As if anybody who writes for WIRED knows shit about farming.

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The collapse of Hollywood has been on the radar for some time now, though the industry consistently and vehemently denies they are in decline. The movie industry Titanic is sinking fast and the celebrity rats are abandoning the ship. Some of are even leaving the US for foreign shores. The media claims that the death of Hollywood is a signal that America is “no longer the cool country.”

This was the narrative of Fortune Magazine in a recent article discussing the celebrity exodus from America and it’s effect on the US as a center of “global culture.” The platform argues:

“An odd thing is happening as America, long a beacon worldwide as the defining destination for people in search of a new hope and a new life, is starting to feel like the “old country” that people quietly plan to leave behind. More than that, to be American is downright uncool…”

What? Are they not sticking around in California so that the state can tax their wealth? What a bunch of fascists!

(Hey, guys. don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out….)

Read it.

In a rare and controversial move, New York Attorney General Letitia James has ordered a Manhattan hospital to resume offering gender-transition treatment to transgender youth. NYU Langone had discontinued such treatments after funding threats from the Trump administration. It is now caught between the proverbial rock (HHS) and a hard place (NYAG).

Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” seeking to restrict gender-transition treatment for people under 19. HHS then threatened hospitals with a cut off of federal Medicaid and Medicare funding for continuing such treatment for children.

Various European countries have also halted certain procedures after countervailing studies suggesting that the risks are too high. England’s National Health Service 2024 report on the subject, known as the Cass Report, found concerning evidence of harm for minors and inconclusive benefits.

Watch it.

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A total of 746 rapes were recorded in London in January, according to publicly available crime data from the Metropolitan Police Service.

The figures mean that, on average, one rape was reported roughly every 60 minutes in the British capital during the first month of the year.

The data, broken down by borough, show particularly high numbers in several inner-city districts. Southwark recorded 41 cases—the highest total—followed by Tower Hamlets and Haringey with 40 each, and Croydon with 39. Newham, Lambeth and Lewisham also reported more than 30 cases each. Even in boroughs with lower totals, double-digit figures were common. Kingston upon Thames recorded 12 cases, Richmond upon Thames 11, and Bexley and Harrow 10 each.

Separate data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that in 2023, 780 individuals were investigated for rape offences. Of those, 544 were British nationals, 229 were foreign nationals and seven were of unknown nationality. The statistics do not clarify whether British nationals were born in the UK or naturalised.

Organised group-based sexual abuse in London, often referred to as ‘grooming gangs’—with its existence denied by Labour mayor Sadiq Khan—may well be a contributing factor to the grim statistics.

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MEP Charlie Weimers has long worked towards limiting what he describes as Europe’s (especially Iranian) Islamist threat. Now he is going further, demanding that lawmakers across the continent clamp down on the construction of new mosques.

The Sweden Democrats (SD) MEP has submitted a “mosque ban” motion to the European Parliament after last month saying that “the expansion of mosques and other radicalisation centres must be actively countered at national, local and EU level.”

Weimers has pointed to examples of mosque officials in Sweden preaching about “how men should beat their wives” and mosques in Brussels functioning as “recruitment centre[s] for Islamic State fighters.” He also last month wrote to the European Commission, highlighting that “several European countries have closed mosques and Islamic centres after it came to light that they were being used as instruments of radicalisation, recruitment and terrorist financing.”

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A lethal knife attack in downtown Kaiserslautern, southwest Germany has left one young man dead and another critically injured. On the evening of Saturday, February 28th, two men were stabbed during a dispute in the town center. The 22-year-old victim succumbed to his injuries late Monday in hospital, while the 20-year-old remains in critical condition.

The suspect, an 18-year-old Syrian, was arrested on the scene and is currently in pre-trial detention, charged with manslaughter. According to police reports, the attacker stabbed the 22-year-old in the back and the 20-year-old in the chest during the altercation.

Several emergency calls were made, and passers-by, along with police officers, provided immediate care before paramedics arrived.

Reports indicate that all parties involved are Syrian nationals. The public prosecutor’s office has confirmed the suspect’s Syrian nationality but has not released further details regarding residency status.

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Armed police in Edinburgh arrested a 23-year-old immigrant from Chad following a violent knife rampage and a tense seven-hour standoff at a high-rise building in the Calder district. The incident, which unfolded on Monday morning, left two people hospitalized—a man with stab wounds and a woman with a head injury. Fortunately, both victims have since been discharged. The suspect, who has reportedly lived in the city for three years, is accused of roaming the streets with weapons and ransacking a local shop, an ordeal that forced nearby schools and a nursery into an emergency lockdown.

Edinburgh Knife Attacker Stabs Two, Barricades Himself in Flat

As the situation developed, local authorities had to contend with a surge of social media rumors. Chief Inspector Scott Kennedy addressed the community to debunk claims of hostage situations or attempts to breach educational facilities, stating: “I’m aware misinformation continues to be shared online about this incident which could cause further distress in the local community.” He urged the public to refrain from speculation to avoid compromising future legal proceedings.

The Home Office also weighed in on the case, emphasizing its commitment to firm immigration enforcement. A spokesperson declared, “We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws,” while highlighting ongoing reforms to speed up the deportation of foreign offenders.

Although police confirmed the incident was not terror-related, the suspect remains in custody ahead of his appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

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A 17-year-old boy’s night out in Florence turned into a “horrifying ordeal” after he was abducted and raped on the night of February 14th. After spending the evening with friends, the teenager consumed enough alcohol to feel dizzy and eventually fell asleep on a seat aboard atram. According to surveillance footage, a 32-year-old Moroccan national took advantage of the boy’s state, lifting the unconscious youth onto his shoulders and carrying him off the vehicle.

The victim eventually came around under an overpass on Viale Guidoni, near the T2 tram terminus, where he was stripped and raped. Following the attack, the teenager managed to escape his tormentor around 5:00 a.m. and sought help at a nearby petrol station. After contacting his parents, he was rushed to the emergency room at Meyer Hospital for treatment.

Police investigators managed to reconstruct the events of the incident with the help of CCTV footage, which led the swift identification and arrest of the suspect. The 32-year-old migrant, who has resided in Italy for three years and has a prior criminal record, is now in custody facing charges of sexual assault on a minor. While he has partially confirmed the allegations, he claimed his actions were the result of being under the influence of alcohol.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was aware of the widespread welfare fraud in his state “for years” and “repeatedly failed to act,” alleges a congressional report released on Wednesday.

Walz and the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison are set to testify Wednesday about the $9 billion scandal before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The report, which also alleges that Ellison knew of the welfare fraud in Minnesota, draws from interviews with state employees and whistleblowers.

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Whatever one’s view of the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the United Kingdom and the United States (and I, for one, think it’s non-existent and embarrassing), the UK’s refusal to support American action against Iran marks a troubling moment in British foreign policy. The decision to prevent the United States from using joint UK-U.S. bases while simultaneously (and endlessly) stressing Britain’s non-involvement signals a government more concerned with internal community relations than strategic reality.

Close Commonwealth allies such as Australia and Canada, not natural bedfellows of the Trump administration, recognised the necessity of confronting Iran’s aggression. Britain and its Labour government, yet again, chose hesitation. The government has suggested that legal constraints made participation impossible. That claim does not withstand scrutiny.

Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, has outlined a clear legal basis for action. He stated that the right of self-defence exists against an imminent threat from a hostile state with a consistent record of aggression. Also, there have been Iran’s sustained campaigns against British interests, including assassination plots, cyber-attacks, and threats to UK forces—not least the six-year insurgency against the British military in southern Iraq by Iran-backed Shia militias. There is also the moral obligation to assist allies acting in self-defence, particularly where Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose an existential threat to Israel.

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In June 2025, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told his regime at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini that Iran’s nuclear program would go on regardless of President Trump. “Our response to the US nonsense is clear: they cannot do a damn thing in this matter.”

A few weeks later, Iran’s underground nuclear program was rubble and a year later, Khamenei, who mocked any American efforts to negotiate, has joined his beloved nukes under the ground.

In early February, a top adviser to the commander of the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps dismissed the buildup of U.S. forces. “Even if America brings 12 aircraft carriers to the region, it can’t do anything,” he bragged. “America is defeated and incapable of any aggression.”

His commander is now dead along with Khamenei and elements of the regime’s leadership.

Read it.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill faces an ethics complaint after she asked Garden State residents to report on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the state government.

“In a seemingly unprecedented move, Governor Sherrill is using official state resources to coordinate the potential obstruction of federal immigration enforcement activities,” Curtis Schube, director of research and policy at the Center to Advance Security in America, told The Daily Signal in a statement on the complaint Tuesday. “Her administration created an official portal for members of the public to upload personal videos of ICE officials conducting their official duties.”

“This outrageous conduct is not in accordance with the rules of the New York Bar, nor is it appropriate for any legal professional or government official,” Schube added. “CASA is filing a bar complaint today and is hopeful that an investigation into this matter will be initiated immediately.”

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The U.S. has formally notified the UN that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

According to the UN, the U.S. will officially be out of the UNFCCC on February 27, 2027. A withdrawal takes effect one year after the UN’s receipt of the notification of withdrawal (which in this case was February 27, 2026) or on a later date specified in the notification.

The American Mind.

While many of us are currently monitoring the situation in the Iranian fog of war, other pressing questions at home remain. What sort of victory against foreign enemies will we have if we end up losing our country to internal threats?

I am speaking, of course, of the migration crisis, which has thrown the very concept of American citizenship itself into doubt. After decades of treating citizenship like some ethereal idea, theoretically extendable to anyone who wants it, Americans have finally woken up to the fact that citizenship must be more than a piece of paper. New questions, as well as new battle lines, have emerged not only around illegal and legal immigration—but even the idea of birthright citizenship is now up for legal reexamination.

It’s against this larger background, then, that we should view Trump v. Barbara, a case the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing on April 1. At stake is whether our laws permit Americans to have a country or not. The Court will hear the government defend the proposition that birthright citizenship does not include children born to parents who are “unlawfully present,” or who have only “temporary” status. Such conditions on citizenship are very common among many nations, including numerous historically Christian nations.

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Gee, I wonder why?

Import Turd World people, gt Turd World problems.

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During his Tuesday State of the Union address, President Donald Trump issued a challenge to the members of Congress before him.

“If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support,” he said. “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

Republicans stood and applauded. Democrats didn’t budge from their seats. It was a striking contrast. Trump knew it, too.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” he told Democrats.

Imagine telling someone a week ago that congressional Democrats wouldn’t publicly agree with that statement. He or she would have laughed at you because it was so absurd. Even Democrats who prioritize illegal immigrants over Americans would have the political sense not to admit it openly. Right?

Wrong. This wasn’t the only moment like this.

The Hill, a Voice of the Crust.

Gotcha, bitch….

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While Sacramento legislators debate how to extract more money from residents who are already leaving, Tallahassee legislators are moving in the opposite direction. The fiscal philosophies now playing out in California and Florida represent the starkest tax policy divergence in modern American history—and the numbers tell the story.

In California, there is a $12 billion budget deficit, the product of spending commitments that expanded faster than the revenue base meant to fund them. The legislative response, rather than spending restraint, has been a parade of wealth tax proposals. The latest—Initiative 25-0024, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act—would impose a one-time 5 percent excise tax on the net worth of California residents exceeding $1 billion as of Jan. 1, 2026. Applied to the state’s approximately 200 billionaires, the measure is projected to raise roughly $100 billion, with 90 percent directed to Medi-Cal.

…

Now consider Florida, in which the policy signals are vastly different. The state already has no income tax—a structural advantage that has driven a decade of net migration from high-tax states. Governor Ron DeSantis is now pushing further: a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would eliminate property taxes on homesteaded primary residences. The Florida House passed HJR 203 on Feb. 19, 2025, by an 80–30 party-line vote. If the Senate concurs and 60 percent of voters approve, Florida would become the first state in American history with neither an income tax nor property taxes on primary residences.

Cardio is a good way to get a heart attack.

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Last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a referendum for October 19. It will ask Albertans a slate of policy and constitutional questions. Independence, she said the next day, will be added to the ballot if the requisite number of signatures is met in the petition drive, which is likely.

Albertans will get their chance to say if they want to leave Canada.

But Canadian federalists can relax. The Alberta premier is one of them.

The referendum is the fix to defeat Alberta independence.

It will undermine the separatist cause and split the independence vote.

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Rep. Nancy Mace obliterated Ilhan Omar on X after the Somali-born Democrat raged about U.S. strikes on Iran during Ramadan, escalating calls to expose Omar’s alleged immigration fraud and boot her back to Somalia.

Sounds like a plan….

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Los Angeles schools were thrown into chaos after the FBI raided the home and office of embattled Superintendent Alberto Carvalho in connection with a widening investigation into a $6 million deal between the nation’s second-largest school system and an AI startup. Days later, the district’s board put him on paid administrative leave (he makes $440,000 a year).

According to federal officials, the agency executed a series of search warrants which included Carvalho’s home – during which they seized Carvalho’s work phone and other devices during Wednesday’s raid, according to district insiders. By Friday, the Board of Education voted unanimously to sideline him. Veteran administrator Andres Chait, the district’s chief of school operations, will step in as interim superintendent.

At the center of the FBI probe is a collapsed ed-tech startup called AllHere, which was given a $6 million LAUSD contract to build an artificial intelligence chatbot named “Ed,” pitched as a revolutionary tool to “democratize education.” Carvalho personally championed the project after arriving in Los Angeles in 2022, touting it at tech conferences as a game-changing way for students and parents to stay connected.

And of course, the bot was bullshit, and AllHere’s founder – Joanna Smith-Griffin, now faces federal fraud charges for allegedly inflating revenues and exaggerating the company’s client base. The criminal case remains unresolved as both sides discuss a possible deal, court records show.

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The House Oversight Committee dropped more than nine hours of raw video from Bill and Hillary Clinton’s closed-door Epstein depositions on Monday, where the pair were questioned over their longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

1. Bill Clinton Smirks While Flipping Through Epstein Photos; The #1 clip on the entire internet: Bill casually thumbs through old pictures with Jeffrey Epstein, nodding and smiling – until his lawyer lunges in and yanks them away.

2. Bill Explains the Hot Tub Photo from the Epstein Files; Lawmakers press Clinton on a specific photo of him in a hot tub with Epstein associates. His awkward answers and body language have everyone talking.

3. Bill Says He Felt “Closer” to Ghislaine Maxwell Than Epstein Because She Was ‘good friends with Evelyn Rothschild and his wife, Lynn.’

4. Hillary’s Full “I’m Done” Table-Pounding Meltdown; After learning Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked a photo of her testimony, Hillary explodes, pounds the table, screams “I’m done with this!” and storms out threatening contempt.

Bill is a horndog and Hillary is a bitch. No news here.

UPDATE: Hillary Clinton’s team demanded ‘beauty lighting’ and custom background for Epstein deposition: source (Ryan King/New York Post)

Politico, a Voice of the Crust.

My, what a surprise….

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Indeed, they are not.

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In a betrayal of trust that has siphoned billions from American taxpayers, New York state officials were accused of gaming the Medicaid system for decades — forcing hospitals to fund their own federal matches in a scheme that authorities under President Donald Trump are none too pleased with.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Tuesday fired off a scathing letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, obtained by Newsmax, demanding answers to 50 questions about the state’s bloated $124 billion Medicaid program.

Oz painted a picture of rampant waste, fraud, and abuse, noting that New York spends a staggering $12,528 per beneficiary — 36% above the national average — and nearly 80% more per resident than any other state.

NBC News, a Voice of the Crust.

Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested Wednesday, London police said. One of the three men is the husband of a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party.

The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said.

Police did not name the suspects because they haven’t been charged. They said one was a 39-year arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales and the third, a 43-year-old, was arrested in Pontyclun, Wales.

My, what a surprise.

Read it. Really—read it.

Welcome to the “Rhythms” home page, a blogvel of sorts in several parts. The author’s attempt was to reveal elements of life aboard an aircraft carrier on the line. He had no idea it would take so long, and leave so very much untold.

This was my life for four and a half years aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67). Even after fifty years, I can still hear the sounds, smell the smells, and appreciate how that life formed my character, for better or worse. (My wife still rolls her eyes when I insist on folding my underwear.)

Read it.

A 59-year field experiment in northern China suggests that seeding desert dunes with cyanobacteria can reduce soil recovery time from 15 years to as little as one or two.

The method, based on induced biological soil crusts, offers a new way to slow desertification without relying only on trees.

For years, the response to advancing deserts has been straightforward: plant more vegetation. China has done exactly that along the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, building green belts to anchor shifting sand. The results are visible, though the approach demands time and resources.

Cornyn, Paxton in ugly runoff: 5 takeaways from Texas, North Carolina primaries (KRON4)

Texas warning signs: 4 takeaways from the first primaries of 2026 (Axios)

Big Senate race takes shape in North Carolina, and other primary night takeaways (Washingtoon Poop)

Just call this the Takeaway Election. (You want fries with that?)

The Telegraph (UK).

The chief executive of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been arrested on suspicion of corruption, The Telegraph can reveal.

Mukund Krishna was arrested with two other senior figures by officers from City of London Police.

The arrests followed an investigation into allegations of financial wrongdoing at PFEW, which represents 130,000 rank-and-file officers.

Mr Krishna, a former management consultant, is the first chief executive of the PFEW, and is reported to earn more than £700,000 a year.

On Wednesday, officers carried out a series of raids on premises in Wales, Somerset, London and Surrey to arrest suspects and gather evidence.

Import Turd World people, get Turd World problems.

The Telegraph (UK).

Footage shows the moment Hillary Clinton stormed out of a Congressional hearing about her links to Jeffrey Epstein after her picture was leaked online.

The former secretary of state and first lady was questioned by the House oversight committee for more than six hours on Feb 26.

Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, was questioned the following day.

Footage released by the committee on Monday showed Mrs Clinton becoming irate after it became clear that a photograph had been taken of her and leaked to Maga influencer, Benny Johnson, who posted it on X.

“I’m done with this if you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home,” she says in the clip, thumping the table with her palm.

I guess she doesn’t like being treated the way Democrats usually treat Republicans.

The Telegraph (UK).

Few countries on earth can claim to have a navy with a longer history than that of Iran, whose heritage dates back to the First Persian Empire of 500BC.

One wonders what that era’s great and terrible warriors would think about the state of the Iranian navy now.

Four days into the United States-Israeli war on Iran, the Islamic Republic’s naval headquarters is in ruins, one of its elite admirals is dead and its finest warships are ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, home to its southern fleet.

Donald Trump has made the annihilation of the Iranian navy a key goal of his campaign, with the US boasting on Monday that all 11 of Iran’s vessels stationed in the Gulf of Oman have been destroyed.

It don’t take long when you’re good.

The Telegraph (UK).

An Iranian warship has been sunk by a submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka.

At least 101 people are missing, with one dead and 78 injured, Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry said.

It was not immediately clear who had attacked the ship, which the Sri Lankan authorities identified as the IRIS Dena.

The vessel was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes and could carry a helicopter.

Earlier, the US military said it had already destroyed 17 Iranian vessels and that its goal was sinking “the entire navy”.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said its navy had responded to a ?distress call from the ship and launched rescue operations at 6am (12.30am UK).

UPDATE: US submarine sank Iran’s warship off Sri Lanka coast, says Hegseth

The Times (UK).

MPs have been urged to address the £100,000 tax trap before they fall victim to it themselves, with their pay expected to reach £110,000 a year by the end of this parliament.

Gee, I wonder whether this could be why so many rich people are bailing out?

Members of parliament earn a basic annual salary of £93,90, which is set to go up to £98,599 from April. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which sets their salaries, yesterday said it expects MPs’ basic salary to reach £110,000 by 2029.

For every £2 of income you earn (excluding pension contributions) over £100,000 you lose £1 of the £12,570 tax-free personal income allowance. Once you earn £125,140, you get no personal allowance at all.

It means that those earning between £100,000 and £125,140 face a marginal income tax rate — the amount they will pay on the next £1 they earn — of 60 per cent (62 per cent if you include national insurance).

Britain now is where the U.S. will be in future under the Democrats. Let us learn from their mistakes, shall we?

The Times (UK).

British fighter jets shooting down cheap Iranian drones with expensive air-to-air missiles is akin to “firing golden bullets at plastic targets”, weapons experts have said.

RAF Typhoons and F-35s have been scrambled from airbases across the Middle East to intercept waves of slow-flying kamikaze drones launched by Iran.

On Sunday a Typhoon pilot blasted a one-way suicide drone out of the sky with a high-tech missile as it headed towards Qatar.

Well, that’s always the problem with asymmetric warfare, isn’it? You’d have thought that The Lesson of Ukraine would have gotten home by now. Time to get hot on developing lasers and other directed energy weapons.

The Times (UK).

Rachel Reeves has increased taxes to the highest level in postwar history in a move that risks damaging economic growth and disincentivising people from trying to earn more money, the official forecaster has said.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said taxes would hit 38 per cent of national income in 2030-31, a postwar record. It said the level of taxation could “distort or constrain economic activity by more than expected”.

The spring forecast highlighted soaring tax revenues after the chancellor’s decisions to increase the employers’ rate of national insurance and freeze income tax thresholds. It said that revenues from the two taxes would rise from £480 billion in 2025-26 to £600 billion in 2030-31.

The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.

Iran is not Venezuela as much as Trump wants it to be (Politico)

Death toll rises in Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ military campaign (Ellen Mitchell/Associated Press)  Soon they may match the typical transgender or Muslim mass shooting.

Trump: Dems Would Back Iran Strike If Not Done By Me Of course they would; who doesn’t know that?

Witnesses Describe Horror Scene After “Double-Tap” Bombing Kills Over 20 at Popular Tehran Square (Drop Site News)  You’d think they would jihadist terrorists or something.

Doctors Sound Alarm on White House ‘Secrecy’ Over Trump’s Neck Rash (Laura Esposito/The Daily Beast)  Maybe they ought to worry about him getting athlete’s foot, too. I mean, all that golf….

Can Donald Trump Win a War with Iran If He Can’t Explain Why He Started It? (Susan B. Glasser/New Yorker)  Yes.

MAGA Already Hates Trump’s Iran War (Will Sommer/The Bulwark)  As if anyone writing for the Bullshitwark has a clue as to what MAGA hates. (Hint: The Bullshitwark.)

MS NOW Itches for High Casualties to Hurt Trump, All Operation Plans

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus (Jonathan Larsen/Jonathan Larsen’s …)  Ah, ah, ah, ah, yankin’ their chains, yankin’ their chains….

Box-Cutter Thug Gets 16.5 Years In Prison After Framing Immigrant With Fake Trump Death Threats

‘Pretty Bad for Vance’: The VP’s Silence on Iran Peeves Allies (Ian Ward/Politico)  Boy, this molehill sure looks like a mountain if you squint properly.

Clinton says Trump told him of ‘some great times’ with Jeffrey Epstein (Andy Sullivan/Reuters)  Epstein! Epstein! Epstein!

Is America sliding into autocracy | FT #shorts

Rubio’s war remarks blow open MAGA’s Israel divide (Axios)

Trump’s Iran War and the Article One crisis (Lisa Needham/Public Notice) What crisis?

Minnesota Sues Trump Admin Over $243M Medicaid Freeze

Donald Trump’s dangerous ‘war of whim’ (Edward Luce/Financial Times)  The Financial Times is what the Wall Street Journal would be if it were run by the staff of Mother Jones.

Pete Hegseth’s Crazed, Angry Tirades on Iran Give Dems a Big Opening (Greg Sargent/New Republic)  Greg Sargent loses his shit.

We’re witnessing the birth of the Trump Doctrine (Marc A. Thiessen/Washington Post)  At least that’s what we’re going to tell you.

In Plunging Into a Mideast Conflict, Trump Gambles His Presidency (Tyler Pager/New York Times)  A gamble that no Democrat would risk, even one that was compos mentis, as Joe Biden notoriously was not.

On MS NOW, Reza Aslan Compares ‘Authoritarian’ Trump to Iran Regime

In Anti-Trump Rant, Politico Finally Admits Biden Administration Was ‘Dysfunctional’

Comedy Shows Claim Iran War Is a Distraction From Epstein  EpsteinQ Epstein! Epstein!

What Is the Point of This War? ??? A vignette from the end of the U.S.-led global order, per Reuters: (William Kristol/The Bulwark)  Wonder of wonders: Bill Krisol has found a war he doesn’t like. History is being made.

FAKE NEWS: ABC’s Bruce Falsely Claims Rubio Said Israel Dragged U.S. into Iran War

Chris Hayes Compares Trump Bombing Iran to 9/11 Terrorists

Trump has cornered himself with his war in Iran (Sidney Blumenthal/The Guardian)  Didn’t know that Sid Vicious was still alive. He and Robert Reich must have a lot to talk about.

Axios,  a Voice of the Crust.

An expensive Democratic civil war is brewing this election cycle, with a staggering 30 House Democrats facing at least one primary challenger who has raised $100,000 or more, an Axios analysis found.

Why it matters: These primaries are drawing tens of millions of dollars from Democrats’ efforts to retake the House while priming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to inherit a rebellious class of new freshmen.

Well, if crazy people are your base, you have to cope.

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Our new poll finds question wording can swing opinion by 20-60 points on immigration, the budget, and transgender rights. That’s a problem for people who use polls to tell politicians what voters want.

You can be sure that proglodytes, Democrats, and the Narrative Media know that very well, and take advantage of it to deceive low-information voters and moron politicians.

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Golden State groomers were dealt a devastating blow on Monday after the Supreme Court sided with parents challenging school policies in California that restrict when educators may disclose changes to a student’s name or pronouns, handing parental rights advocates an early but significant victory in a closely watched culture-war dispute.

In an unsigned ‘shadow docket’ order, the justices restored a lower court’s injunction blocking enforcement of policies that prevent teachers from informing parents when their child socially transitions at school. The Court said the parents are likely to succeed on their claim that the policies violate their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion.

“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,” the Court wrote. “California’s policies violate those beliefs.”

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A North Dakota judge officially ordered Greenpeace to pay $345 million to the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline following a nearly yearlong tug-of-war over a Morton County jury’s verdict.

The jury in March 2025 originally ordered Greenpeace to pay Energy Transfer about $667 million, finding the environmental group at fault for harming the company during anti-pipeline protests in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017 and for publishing false statements that harmed the company’s reputation. Greenpeace denies these allegations and says Energy Transfer’s lawsuit is a veiled attempt to punish the environmental group for supporting the demonstrations.

Southwest Judicial District Judge James Gion in October slashed the jury’s award to $345 million, though he didn’t finalize the amount until Friday.

The final judgment also orders Greenpeace to pay 11% interest on the sum, starting from March 19, the date the jury announced its verdict, until the full amount is paid.

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Germany’s Green Party has presented a 24-point plan in the Bundestag aimed at promoting a “diverse Muslim life” across the country, including in schools, prisons, hospitals, and the Bundeswehr.

The motion calls for expanded Islamic religious education, nationwide Islamic pastoral care, and the removal of headscarf bans in public institutions. The Greens argue that Muslim life is an integral part of German society and that structural discrimination and lack of recognition have historically marginalized Muslim communities.

Lamya Kaddor, the Greens’ domestic policy spokeswoman, called for stronger state support and civil society initiatives to ensure “real participation” and counter stigmatization.

I wonder whether they would support such a program for Jews. I suspect not.

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Amid the chaos of a deadly mass shooting that rocked Austin in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 1, a self-driving vehicle company is facing scrutiny after one of its cars got caught up in the aftermath. Waymo, the self-driving cars that recently launched in San Antonio, have made their presence known in Austin over the past few years, notoriously causing traffic jams whenever the robots get confused. Such was the case on Sunday in the wake of the traumatic mass shooting.

The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on West Sixth Street in Austin. The incident left three dead, including the gunman, and dozens more injured. But as first responders rushed to the scene and patrons fled to safety, a Waymo went viral after blocking an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance as the self-driving car attempted a U-turn and proceeded to get stuck in Austin traffic.

The moment was caught on video by Austin realtor Matthew Turnage, whose video has since been viewed over 250,000 times. In the video the Waymo is shown in the middle of an Austin street, apparently unable to complete the U-turn as the ATC EMS ambulance inches closer. The Waymo slightly moves up but freezes at the most inopportune time.

Still not ready for prime time. Police ought to be given an override code so that they can take control of such vehicles and get them out of the way.