THE NEW RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ARE “HAVE AT IT, FELLAS”: Israeli leadership give military blank check to target any Iranian official without additional approval.

YEP:

Republicans to Hochul: “what’d you do with the other $20 billion we gave you? Oh right, you stroked checks to NGOs who, among other things, fucked off to third world countries with it.” https://t.co/jFHAe8WhBk

— George MF Washington (@GMFWashington) March 19, 2026

MEANWHILE, DOWN SOUTH: There’s Been a Major Venezuelan Regime Shakeup. But Is It a Good Thing?

THAT’S BEEN THE HOPE FROM THE BEGINNING…:

My own sense is that we are reaching the point of maximum danger in OEF as the US/Israel campaign relentlessly grinds its foe down. The Islamic Republic represents a 49 year investment, not only by Shia radicals but also by Russia and China.

The loss of that giant edifice means…

— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) March 19, 2026

“My hope is that the Iranians themselves can take a hand and lessen the trauma.”

…but hope is not a plan.

HMM: California plots return of 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters to Indigenous tribes.

This part looks good: “The new Tribal Stewardship Policy lets tribes reclaim land, co-manage public spaces and return to sacred sites. It also revives long-banned practices like controlled burns, a technique experts say is critical for stopping wildfires.”

The tribes used to take much better care of California’s forests than anyone in Sacramento has allowed in a long time.

YOU CAN BARELY KEEP TRACK OF THE PLAYERS EVEN WITH A SCORECARD:

He was Muhammad Abu Shahla, the commander of Hamas’s military intelligence in the Khan Yunis Brigade. He dreamed of burying all Jews in the Dead Sea. The IDF buried him three feet under the ground. pic.twitter.com/yXBGmamEC6

— Baba Banaras™ (@RealBababanaras) March 19, 2026

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Perhaps the ‘Squad’ Progs Peaked Too Early. “In most discussions about the potential 2028 field for the Democratic presidential nomination, AOC is mentioned prominently. Even though she’s not at the top of most polls, there are many people on the left who think she’ll finish strong. The Democrats, however, are very good at mobilizing their power structure against candidates they would prefer not to win. If the money people and the old guard are trying to keep the prog kids in their places, the path to the nomination could get very bumpy for America’s Dumbest Bartender.”

OUR INTEL COMMUNITY HAS ISSUES:

The fact that the Director of the US Counter-terrorism center was in *any way* taking cues from an openly antisemitic, pro-Islamic *podcaster* with a history of insane fabulism, has for me entirely shattered the illusion that the US government is sober and serious in its overall… https://t.co/Jme4jihOB4

— Mulder’s Long Fight for Account Reinstatement (@proteinwisdom) March 19, 2026

Exit quote: “There’s no telling how close we’ve come to having our country taken from us by Duginite alt-right identity Marxist authoritarians who’d insinuated themselves into positions of power.”

And do read the whole thing.

WELL, GOOD: China’s Air Displays Fail to Deter Emerging Taiwan–Japan Alignment.

Meanwhile, it must be noted that Japan is stepping up as a regional ally to both the U.S. and Taiwan.

A senior Japanese lawmaker visiting Taipei recently defended Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s earlier comments that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could be a situation “threatening Japan’s survival,” which, under Japan’s security laws, could justify military action in support of a partner.
​
He criticized China’s foreign minister for “distorting” Takaichi’s remarks and described Beijing’s response (e.g., diplomatic protests, economic pressure, and public criticism) as China’s “usual tactics.”
…
Intriguingly, Taiwan’s Premier made a personal trip to Japan and appeared in public to watch the island’s baseball team in action. This was the first such visit from the Taiwan leadership since 1972.
…
Despite renewed Chinese air activity and maritime maneuvers around Taiwan, both Taipei and Tokyo appear unmoved by Beijing’s displays.

Those two together could make a regional powerhouse.

NEXT!

🚨 Breaking: Hossein Dehghan replaces Ali Larijani.

During Dehghan's time as Defense Minister, Israel stole the regime's entire nuclear archive. Khamenei was so enraged that he demanded the sacking of Dehghan.

They have officially hit the bottom of the talent barrel 🤡 pic.twitter.com/F0G9Sncj0T

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) March 18, 2026

ICYMI: Israel Is Now the Regional Hegemon Iran Wanted to Be.

SOON…:

Initial Super Heavy V3 and Starbase Pad 2 activation campaign complete, wrapping up several days of testing that loaded cryogenic fuel and oxidizer on a V3 vehicle for the first time. While the 10-engine static fire ended early due to a ground-side issue, we saw successful… pic.twitter.com/uHGji17srv

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 18, 2026

MEHDI PARPANCHI: What Looks Like Resilience in Iran Is Its Collapse Plan.

Eighteen days after the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28, 2026, many of the usual signs of state continuity are still visible. The Islamic Republic is still firing missiles and drones at Israel and other targets across the region, including advanced systems such as the Sejjil ballistic missile. State television is still broadcasting. Basij and IRGC units are still present on the streets. Mojtaba Khamenei has been installed as successor. No major elite split has yet surfaced. Parts of the regime’s regional network still exist. Shops still carry basic goods. And the nationwide uprising many expected has yet to materialize.

For many observers, these signs point to one conclusion: the regime has taken a severe blow, but it is still holding.

That reading may be fundamentally wrong.

These indicators are not false; they are simply being read through the wrong framework. They are taken as evidence that the system has absorbed the shock and remains solid. In reality, they indicate the opposite. The Islamic Republic prepared for the moment when its center would be hit, and its command structure would fracture. In that scenario, regional units keep firing, security forces keep repressing, and the state projects fragments of normality even as central control collapses. The activation of these mechanisms is evidence that the system has entered its collapse phase, not escaped it. What we are seeing is not resilience, but a regime preserving violence and surface function long enough to outlast the political patience of its adversaries.

That is the essence of Tehran’s calculation. It does not believe it can defeat the United States and Israel in a long conventional war. It believes Washington will not fight such a war for long. Its strategy, then, is not victory but endurance: keep shooting, keep coercing, keep signaling continued function, and keep imposing costs until the Americans decide the game is no longer worth the price.

Short version: This is no time to go wobbly.

TO BE FAIR, HE’S A MORON: Mamdani Compares Irish Experience in America to Palestinian ‘Oppression.’

UNVERIFIED BUT TOO GOOD TO CHECK:

🔴 پزشكيان يتنصل من أي مسؤوليات ويقول إنه "بلا صلاحيات ومنقطع تماما عن الأطر القيادية ولا مبرر لاستهدافه".

دولة خليجية – خاص

أكد مستشار سياسي في دولة خليجية أن الرئيس الإيراني مسعود پزشكيان أبلغ عددا من نظرائه في الخليج العربي ودول أخرى منها روسيا وتركيا أنه "في ظل انهيار… pic.twitter.com/g9W01v27Vm

— أنور مالك (@anwarmalek) March 18, 2026

Translation:

[President of Iran Masoud] Pezeshkian disavows any responsibilities and says he is “without authority, completely cut off from the leadership structures, and there is no justification for targeting him.”

A political advisor in a Gulf state confirmed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian informed a number of his counterparts in the Arab Gulf and other countries, including Russia and Turkey, that “in light of the collapse of the constitutional leadership structure in the country and his disconnection from communicating with its components, he absolves himself of responsibility and emphasizes that there is no justification for targeting him.”

Pezeshkian fancies himself a moderate — whatever that means in the Islamic Republic regime — so who knows?

THIS ISN’T JUST AN EMBARRASSMENT, IT INVITES AGGRESSION: 82 Percent Of U.S. Navy Warships Being Built Are Behind Schedule And It Won’t Be Easy To Solve.

Not only do we have too few ships, but in a major war, each one lost to enemy action is almost certainly an irreplaceable lost within the duration of the war.

I WANT TO BELIEVE:

🚨Well this is interesting… https://t.co/FxX7z1YCjY

Name: https://t.co/3BsAKAvqOx
Registry Domain ID: DF133F918-GOV
Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited

Nameservers:https://t.co/But0rJixvU
Dates

Registry Expiration: 2027-03-17 18:55:49 UTC

Updated:… pic.twitter.com/1xy3e1YrGn

— Skywatch Signal (@UAPWatchers) March 18, 2026

ICYMI: Israel Is Now the Regional Hegemon Iran Wanted to Be.

THANKS, FELLAS:

Ukraine has deployed roughly 200 personnel across the Middle East to aid gulf countries in shooting down Iranian drones

Ukrainian teams are already in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and are on the way to Kuwait -Zelensky to the British Parliament

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 18, 2026

SAY ANYTHING:

Raskin: "Thomas Paine was an undocumented immigrant."

Jordan: "How was he an illegal immigrant? He was born in the UK and came to America, then a British colony."

Raskin: "I didn't say he was an illegal immigrant. He was an undocumented immigrant." pic.twitter.com/3H6fDV02rf

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 18, 2026

Kyle Becker summed it up best in the replies: “These people are absolute freaking morons.”

JOANNE JACOBS: Why teachers quit: ‘It was the wild West.’ “Another complained that behavior expectations kept changing. Instead of automatic punishments for disrespect, insubordination and violence, teachers were told to ‘have a buddy role.'”

DON’T GET COCKY:

Eugene is great. Best thing to happen for the state party Democrats in 15 years.
But the emphasis on this just as emphasis are on all special elections are often overblown.
Per the great Kyle Kondik there have been nearly 300 U.S. House special elections since the mid-1950s more… https://t.co/pfQldkO96f pic.twitter.com/jDPBtINJxO

— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) March 18, 2026

I DUNNO, ASIDE FROM A TEMPORARY SPIKE IN OIL PRICES, SO FAR THEIR FREE-RIDERSHIP SEEMS TO BE WORKING FOR THEM: Trump Wonders if Crushing Iran Would Wake Up U.S. ‘Allies.’

Maybe this might wake them up: What are the odds that Trump puts a tariff-like “security fee” on all oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz? . . .

MUCH MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE:

A federal court revoked the U.S. citizenship of a man who orchestrated a massive $3.8 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme, ruling he obtained naturalization through lies while actively committing fraud. The defendant submitted numerous fraudulent loan applications using false… pic.twitter.com/K9o80N2tPP

— US Attorney Reding Quiñones (@USAO_SDFL) March 17, 2026

CHRISTIAN TOTO: Trump Effect? Oscar Ratings Crater in Second Term.

These celebrity galas often feast on anti-Trump lectures, be it those “ICE out” pins or mocking the First Family. The messages may differ, but the target is typically the same.

President Trump.

And, as a result, Hollywood, Inc. watched awards show ratings slump.

Their ratings stabilized somewhat during the Biden years, but with Trump back in office, the ratings decline resumed. Just look at the just-released Oscar numbers.

Also, Hollywood largely stopped making (and awarding) movies people want to see. Trump or no Trump, why tune in to see which movie you never even heard of won Best Picture?