THE LID: There Is No Alternative To Israeli Victory.

OUT ON A LIMB: Jake Tapper Admits There Is A ‘Very Ugly Side Of The Left’ That Shows Up When Nikki Haley Runs For Office. “The attack that went unmentioned during the panel discussion came from Tapper’s own colleague, ‘CNN This Morning’ host Don Lemon, 56 — who sparked outrage when he claimed during a recent broadcast that Haley, 51, was ‘past her prime.'”

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND: Fashion designer finds photos of Sam Brinton wearing custom dress from her ‘lost’ luggage.

Related: Annnd it gets worse: Vanity Fair actually featured pic of Sam Brinton in allegedly stolen dress and OMG-LOL.

Needless to say, if the parties were reversed, this story would be playing on a loop on the cable and nightly news.

21st CENTURY HEADLINES: Pentagon releases U-2 pilot’s Chinese spy balloon selfie.

ROGER KIMBALL: Don Lemon gets away with a slap on the wrist.

As for promoting policies that actually harm women — for example, encouraging confused men to parade around in women’s clothes, compete on sports teams against women, and even mutilate themselves in a vain attempt to become women — well, such insane policies have the bad housekeeping seal of woke approval. So they are firing on all cylinders in politically correct redoubts like CNN.

So Licht welcomed Lemón back from his little timeout. This morning, Lemón issued one of the those grating mock apologies that minor celebrities emit when caught out in some misdemeanor. “I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning, today,” the mildly chagrined mouthpiece tweeted. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better.”

Note that Nikki Haley was not mentioned in this mock apology.

Not that it matters, of course. Nikki Haley is not going to be president, but she is still very much in her prime. Something that no one would say about the pathetic Don Lemón.

Considering the question was asked in August “Is Don Lemon the Next to be Purged from CNN?,” he really must know where all of the bodies are buried at CNN in order to not lose his (low-rated) job.

DID ANDREA MITCHELL CLIMB DOWN TO FAKE A GROVEL TO RON DESANTIS? Why, yes — yes, she did.

Once again, @mitchellreports is "imprecise" in her description because she relies on unnamed "historians and teachers."

Florida statute requires the teaching of slavery and its aftermath. We just know that "queer studies" has nothing to do with Jim Crow.https://t.co/tHKJW30L9l pic.twitter.com/h6l1RDsC4f

— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) February 22, 2023

She was “imprecise” in her language, and Gov DeSantis is “not opposed to teaching the FACT [emphasis hers] of slavery in schools,” but the “governor opposes” books that “historians and teachers say…” argle-bargle-BS-bargle. She’s trying to do an end run while doubling down, and DeSantis Deputy Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern truth nails her, brutally.

After that miserable exercise in arrogance, subterfuge, and evasion, if I bet on more than the occasional Mega-Millions, I’d say patience has probably run out in the DeSantis camp. Lemme go check.

Um…yup.

OF COURSE, YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR

This is the way.

WATCH: Marxist Angela Davis, who teaches that America was built by racist colonizers, finds out her ancestors were on the Mayflower.

Angela Davis' ancestors arrived in America on the Mayflower. pic.twitter.com/dnwrG6fB6U

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2023

JIM GERAGHTY: Why the Ohio Train Derailment Is Becoming a Bigger Story.

Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg — who is rapidly accumulating a reputation for being in over his head and promising more than he can deliver — conceded a few days ago that he wishes he had addressed the public more quickly about the derailment and its consequences:

HUEY-BURNS: And I just have to ask, because it did take you a couple of days to respond publicly or several days to respond publicly to this particular incident. Do you wish you would have spoken out sooner?

BUTTIGIEG: Yes, I was focused on just making sure that our folks on the ground were all set, but could have spoken sooner about how strongly I felt about this incident. And that’s a lesson learned for me.

Buttigieg’s first public comments about the derailment, a series of tweets, came ten days after the disaster.

A Bloomberg headline declared that “Buttigieg Bashing Over Response to Ohio Derailment Turns Bipartisan,” but it’s worth noting that the Democrat they cite, David Sirota, is a former speechwriter for Senator Bernie Sanders, who has been a vociferous critic of Buttigieg since Day One. Then again, just because Sirota has a beef with Buttigieg going back to the 2020 presidential primary doesn’t mean that his criticisms aren’t valid. Sirota points out that Buttigieg’s public statements flipped pretty quickly from insisting he was “constrained” in regulating safety on railways to announcing a slew of new rules.

Buttigieg didn’t help himself last night: WTF Alert:  Pete Buttigieg Asks To Photograph Young Female Reporter Asking Him About Ohio Chemical Disaster.

I asked Secretary Buttigieg about the crisis in East Palestine and I guess he didn’t like that so he took a pic of me. Im just doing my job, sir. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/HjKNgF25FJ

— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) February 22, 2023

In reaction to the bizarre behavior from the Secretary of Transportation, DCNF managing editor Mike Bastasch told me, “We are damn proud of Jennie Taer for asking a powerful government official tough questions. As for Secretary Buttigieg’s photo request, only he can tell us the real reason behind it, but if it was meant to intimidate us, it’s not going to work.”

What was Buttigieg thinking with this question?

Of all the insanely weird things to say to a reporter, asking to photograph them late at night on a street is right near the top of the list.

Is this how Biden administration officials treat the press? They get a question they don’t like and the strategy is to stonewall, deflect and then make the interaction as uncomfortable as possible? Am I understanding this correctly?

Why, yes you are. That’s been Biden’s pattern when talking with journalists for decades, when he’s not locking them into closets.

UPDATE: East Palestine Mayor: Biden ‘Doesn’t Care About Us.’

GOODER AND HARDER, SAN FRAN: San Francisco Boycott of Pro-Life States Backfires, City Costs Increase 20% as Government Crippled. “By refusing to outsource or partner with red states, San Francisco’s contracting costs went through the roof — up 10-20% just over the past few years. ‘It’s an ineffective policy that complicates the business of San Francisco government,’ Supervisor Rafael Mandelmanm insisted, ‘and makes it very likely that we pay more than we should for goods and services.’ In a state where residents are already running for the exits, the last thing cities should be doing is giving people another excuse to leave. And a 20% surcharge for San Francisco’s intolerance is just one in a long line of absurdities. Since COVID, the moving vans have been in a perpetual, one-way convoy out of California, as 508,903 people called it quits on the state with sky-high costs, crime, taxes, and regulation.”

THIS WILL REALLY LIMIT APPLICANTS: “Now hiring non-stupid people.” Controversial sign at Ohio pizzeria draws social media attention.

NO. NEXT QUESTION? The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?

EP_C FA_L: We have a new all-time greatest Wheel of Fortune fail.

I’m really concerned about the future of our country… pic.twitter.com/MCcQuKxNvD

— BJ Symons (@BJSymons) February 21, 2023

FINLAND TAKES ANOTHER LOOK AT YOUTH GENDER MEDICINE:

Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala knows gender medicine. She is the top expert on pediatric gender medicine in Finland and the chief psychiatrist at one of its two government-approved pediatric gender clinics, at Tampere University in Helsinki, where she has presided over youth gender transition treatments since 2011.

* * * * * * * *

Kaltiala was a major force behind the decision to reverse course in Finland. More recently, she testified before the Florida medical boards in support of their decision to restrict access to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors.

Asked by Helsingin Sanomat what she thought of gender self-identification for minors—a proposed element of the new Finnish law that did not ultimately pass—Kaltiala emphasized that it is “important to accept [children] as they are,” but this means neither pressuring a child to conform to behaviors traditionally associated with the child’s sex nor “negating the body” by confirming that the child’s gender self-identification is real. “In either case,” said the psychiatrist, “the child gets a message that there is something wrong with him or her.” Evidence from a combined 12 studies to date demonstrates that when children with cross-gender or gender variant behavior are left to develop naturally, the vast majority—“four out of five,” according to Kaltiala—come to terms with their bodies and learn to accept their sex. When they are socially transitioned, virtually none do.

It’s an idea so crazy it just might work — even in America.

JON GABRIEL: Teens spent the pandemic in front of screens. And we wonder why they feel hopeless?

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, found that adolescents face challenges with social comparison, social pressure and negative peer interactions on their app. The internal studies showed that “teens who struggle with mental health say Instagram makes it worse.”

A university study from Singapore showed that teens who received fewer “likes” reported more negative emotions and thoughts about themselves.

As Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer of the American Psychological Association, put it, “kids have a biological vulnerability to want social rewards, and now we’re handing them a way to get it – on steroids.”

Then, COVID-19 entered the picture. Beginning in 2020, teenagers were locked out of schools and extracurricular activities to embrace a life mediated entirely by screens.

More from Ace of Spades: Depression and Suicidality Surge Among Teenage Girls and This Correlates With Smartphone Usage. Internet Addict Taylor Lorenz Says It’s Just “This Late-Stage Capitalist Hellscape” That’s to Blame, Not My Precious TikTok!

I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M DEFENDING THE NEW YORK TIMES NOW:

I know it’s hard to believe, but I must defend the New York Times.

Has the sky fallen? Have I gone crazy? Believe it or not, that’s not the case. There has been no love between the New York Times and me, well, pretty much ever. The paper once heralded as the nation’s paper of record is now nothing more than your garden variety liberal rag. Yet, it’s currently under attack, and I have to speak out in its defense.

The radical left is criticizing the New York Times for its coverage of transgender issues, and in the past week, they’ve been the target of an open letter from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and other organizations for their “irresponsible, biased coverage of transgender people.“ (RELATED: The Trans Cult Will Never Stop Silencing the Opposition)

What did the New York Times do that was so horrible? According to the GLAAD letter, the paper dedicates “so many resources and pages to platforming the voices of extremist anti-LGBTQ activists who have built their careers on denigrating and dehumanizing LGBTQ people, especially transgender people.”

Translation: They have balanced coverage of transgender issues by presenting both sides. 

Which itself is a remarkable achievement given the current working environment at 620 Eighth Avenue: Ex-NY Times staffer: ‘It was like a Maoist struggle session.’

JAY LENO’S GARAGE: The Beginning of the Z Cars: the Nissan Fairlady Z (Video).

BUGATTI CHIRON SUPER SPORT REVIEW: a historic moment for mankind — and the combustion engine. 5/5: Here’s why a top speed of 273mph allied to a price of £3.2 million is neither vulgar nor despicable

BOTTOM STORY OF THE DAY: Meghan Markle ‘has been upset and overwhelmed by her depiction on South Park for DAYS’ after it described her as ‘sorority girl, actress, influencer, victim’ in scathing episode.

Related: Megyn Kelly: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘won’t recover’ from South Park dig.

OH, BOTHER! Winnie the Pooh and Piglet star in a R-rated horror flick.

Say it isn’t so. A much-beloved childhood literary character and his sidekick have become the stars of a dark and grisly movie. It’s all because of the end of copyright protection and its entrance into the public domain.

In the 1920s, many copyright protections on content were introduced in the pop culture of the era. They were set up to expire 95 years later. That’s now. The characters of our childhood, and the childhoods of other generations, are in the public domain. Without copyright protection, it’s open season for screenwriters.

It’s not just Winnie the Pooh and his friend, Piglet, that have gone dark and murderous. The filmmaker behind “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” also has two other movies planned based on characters that are entering the public domain. Rhys Frake-Waterfield has “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare” and “Bambi: The Reckoning” in the works. Next year, Disney will lose Mickey Mouse. The exclusive rights to Mickey’s likeness as depicted in his first cartoon, Steamboat Willie will be in the public domain. In the next 10 years, Bug Bunny, Batman, and Superman will be up for grabs in the public domain, too.

To be fair, we’ve already had Yogi and Booboo star in an R-rated horror flick over a decade ago:

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: Kamala Disappointed To Learn President In Hospice Is Just Carter.

BAIT AND SWITCH: Sen. Vance Asks Biden’s FCC Nom Whether Flipped Racist Tweets are Problematic.

Why is the left so obsessed with race?

UNEXPECTEDLY: CBS News’ forum on ‘election deniers’ will have a VERY isolated time frame. “There’s a reason CBS News is isolating the “election denier” focus to only 2020. It’s so as to avoid feeling compelled to cover Dems such as Hillary Clinton:”

But wait, there’s more:

And at least one more prominent Democrat, who at the time was employed by CBS News: Bush Wins? Not As Democrat Dan Rather Sees It.

Katherine Harris may have certified George W. Bush as President-Elect last night, but don’t expect the liberal media to concede this official result any faster than their friends in the Gore campaign will. Last night in live coverage on CBS, Dan Rather identified Harris as a Republican at least six times, and questioned the finality of her finding at least ten times:

Rather began: “Nineteen days after the presidential election, Florida’s Republican Secretary of State is about to announce the winner — as she sees it and she decrees it — of the state’s potentially decisive 25 electoral votes. Katherine Harris will officially certify the state’s election returns…The believed certification — as the Republican Secretary of State sees it — is coming just hours after a court ordered deadline for counties to submit their hand count and recount totals.”

“The reason we’re on the air right across the board nationally right now is because Florida’s Secretary of State — a Republican, as we’ve mentioned before — campaigned actively for George Bush, well-connected to Governor Bush’s Governor brother Jeb Bush in Florida, but a woman who has consistently said ‘I’m trying to do my job, right down to the letter of the law, as best I can’…She will certify — as she sees it — who gets Florida’s 25 electoral votes. Those 25 electoral votes potentially will be decisive.”

Rather explained the signing: “What’s happening here is the certification — as the Florida Secretary of State sees it and decrees it — is being signed…After this, it will be, at least in the opinion of the Secretary of State, that the results will be final…The Secretary of State, as she has restated here, in effect believes that the election certification she gives should stand.”

—The Media Research Center, November 27th, 2000.

REPORT: James O’Keefe to leave Project Veritas following Board dispute.

MARK STEYN’S SONG OF THE WEEK: Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”

Sinatra alone recorded the song a gazillion different ways: As a dreamy ballad in the bobbysoxer Forties. As a ring-a-ding-dinger in the swingin’ Fifties. He did it big and stately and formal with an army of strings. He did it with Latin bongos. He did it as a kick-around jump tune with trios and quartets. He sang it variously with the intro verse at the intro, and with the intro verse in the middle, and with the intro verse booted outro entirely. And, having exhausted all other options, in 1977 he did it as a disco number:

Finally, the long-awaited mashup of “Night and Day” and “The Theme from Shaft!”

Sinatra’s drummer and conductor hated the arrangement; read the whole thing.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: ‘Large white balloon’ spotted northeast of Hawaii.