DON SURBER: Why Democrats hate Hegseth. “Trump hired Hegseth to change the military back into a lean, mean, fighting machine. That is what true warriors want. The president did not have the military behind him in his first term. This time he will succeed because he will have the military on his side instead of the future members of Boeing’s board of directors.”

WAIT, IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE BAD? Fourteen States Sue DOGE, Claim Musk is a ‘Designated Agent of Chaos.’

WATCH LIVE: VP Vance speaks in Munich as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war.

UPDATE: He’s giving the Euros and UK what-for over their retreat from liberty and their bending over backwards for Muslim immigrants’ sensibilities. And boy is he good: Clear, strong, and direct. “If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing that America can do for you. . . . You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opposition.”

He’s also subtly warning the EU not to meddle in Germany’s election.

WELL, BYE: Roughly 75,000 federal employees agree to Trump’s buyout offer.

Roughly 75,000 federal employees have accepted President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program, after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offered more than two million federal civilian employees buyouts in January to leave their jobs or be forced to return to work in person.

Employees who accepted the so-called “fork in the road” offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sept. 30, a move that’s part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government.

“We have too many people,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in a press briefing. “We have office spaces occupied by 4% — nobody showing up to work because they were told not to.”

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning.

You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.

SHOCKER: Judges blocking Trump government efficiency moves have history of liberal activism.

COMMENTING ON YESTERDAY’S COLLISION of the USS Harry S Truman with a civilian bulk freighter, a friend writes: “USS Harry Truman looks like shit in the linked photo. Don’t know when that was taken, but I’ve seen a lot of US Navy ships at home and abroad. Don’t recall seeing one with that kind of rust on the hull.”

Here’s the pic:

Carrier USS HARRY S TRUMAN CVN75 has been in collision with merchant bulker BESIKTAS-M in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt, US Navy said ca 1130 EST 13 Feb. No word on extent of damage but no reports of flooding or damage and propulsion plants are unaffected pic.twitter.com/P20cyVXndf

— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) February 13, 2025

I hear people say this a lot about naval vessels in general lately, because it’s true. I believe it’s due to a combination of very long deployments brought about by an understrength Navy, reduced standards, and, I believe, new, inferior “eco friendly” paint. There was always time and money for pronoun training though.

Related: “One of the top priorities of the President and the Secretary of Defense is to excise the cancer that is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s (DEI) cultural-Marxist, socio-political worldview from our military.”

ALMOST SOON ENOUGH: Trump Calls Education Department a ‘Con Job,’ Wants It Closed ‘Immediately.’

JIM MEIGS: Time to Pull the Plug on “Environmental Justice:” Biden’s agenda was really a way to funnel billions of dollars to progressive activist groups.

KEEP YOUR VALUABLES SAFE: DocSafe 5200°F Document Organizer with Lock. #CommissionEarned

APPROVE HER ALREADY: Trump Nominee For Education Sec. Goes All In On Protecting Girls, Title IX.

“We are really back to what Title IX was originally established to do, and that was to protect [against] sexual discrimination,” McMahon said. “And women should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn’t have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them — I think I heard one person the other day say, ‘Well, the guys should hold a shower curtain in front of them so that they aren’t exposing themselves.’”

“I mean, really, that’s just not what we should be doing,” she continued. “We want to make sure Title IX, which is the law, is enforced.”

Former President Joe Biden attempted to unilaterally rewrite Title IX to hinge on gender identity rather than biological sex, but his changes were rejected in court.

They were rejected by the American people, too.

I’M AGAINST IT, BECAUSE I ASSUME IT WOULD EVENTUALLY LOOK LIKE USAID 2.0. An American sovereign wealth fund is risky, but not crazy.

THE GUAM BEFORE THE STORM: Yes, THAT Hank Johnson Is Calling Elon Musk a ‘Taliban Terrorist.’

🚨Deranged Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson — who once thought Guam might "tip over and capsize” —

— compares @elonmusk to a “Taliban t*rrorist."

“What does that mean when an unelected billionaire can waltz into our agencies and slash and burn the whole thing to the ground like a… pic.twitter.com/4bxBbe3EzQ

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 13, 2025

But Musk is trying to cut government waste, not give it away to our enemies, unlike Joe and the Taliban: Biden Has Handed Taliban Over $2 BILLION In 2 Years. Not to mention a massive arsenal of US materiel:

I DUNNO, I’M A FAN OF BOTH: Defunding the UN’s Woke Organizations Would Be Better Than Leaving the International Body Altogether.

ICYMI: FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS MORE AMERICANS THINK THE COUNTRY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK:

Breaking: A 20 year daily trend ends, this is a big one. https://t.co/5XImapgWHr pic.twitter.com/IrSmJt08bx

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) February 13, 2025

OPEN THREAD: Make me proud.

PROFESSOR CARRINGTON, CALL YOUR OFFICE: Solar flares in May 2024 revealed Earth’s vulnerability to space weather.

JOHN LUCAS: Must the President Cooperate with an Attempted Coup?

SCIENCE, UNSETTLED: Huge Study Shows Where Gout Comes From – It’s Not What We Thought. “Gout is often associated with drinking too much or not eating healthily enough, but research suggests genetics play more of a factor in developing the arthritic condition than previously thought.”

HEADLINE OF THE DAY, 1982: Moo, Moo, Moo, Blah, Blah, Blah, Is All I Want to Say to You.

“LEARN TO CODE” WAS BAD ADVICE, GIVEN IN BAD FAITH BY PEOPLE WHO ARE USUALLY WRONG.

Don't learn to code https://t.co/fkIrzikTs7

— Noah Smith 🐇 (@Noahpinion) February 12, 2025

YOU’D THINK THIS WOULD BE A BIGGER STORY BUT… NO, YOU WOULDN’T:

Did you know about the anti-Trump gunman who tried a mass sh—ting in Milwaukee on Feb. 12? Of course not!

There's a reason the MSM didn't cover this extensively. Up until the shooting, Isaiah Stott urged his followers to "stay woke" & he also ranted in support of trans issues. pic.twitter.com/H1577I4Jbo

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) February 13, 2025

SMITH AND WESSON WALKS AWAY FROM the built-in gun lock that nobody wanted.

LIGHTNING DEAL: Under Desk Elliptical Machine, Electric Seated Pedal Exerciser. #CommissionEarned

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Senate Bill Would End Bank Discrimination Against Firearms Industry.

TOO MUCH TIME IN YOUR HANDS: Ban phones: Teens spend a quarter of the school day on their phones, says study.