MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT [VIP]: Blue States Advance From Slow-Motion Suicide to Fast-Action.

Upon hearing word of the English defeat at Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War, a young nobleman named John Sinclair wrote to his friend, the Scottish economist and political philosopher, Adam Smith.

“If we go on at this rate, the nation must be ruined!”

“Be assured, my young friend,” Smith calmly assured Sinclair in his reply, “that there is a great deal of ruin in a nation.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron, traveling back through time, wrote, “Hold our beers!”

Much more at the link.

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN: Vote Now in the PJ Media Veepstakes.

RABBI MICHAEL BARCLAY: A Big Victory Against Grooming in Public Schools. “The fight for religious freedoms in the United States has become progressively more intense in the last three years, as the government has been chipping away at the Establishment Clause by catering to special interest groups that champion causes like child gender mutilation, sexual grooming of children, prohibition of public prayer, and more that are antithetical to many mainstream religious doctrines.”

THIS IS WHAT THEY DO: Democrats Spin Weiss’s Latest Indictment Into New Russia Hoax To Let Biden Skate In 2024. “In contrast to the Russia-collusion hoax, which rested solely on the Steele dossier to paint Trump as a Putin patsy, evidence of Biden family corruption is comprehensive, diverse, and comes from their own mouths, texts, emails, and loyalists.”

WHAT’S THE GERMAN IDIOM FOR “THE DOGS DON’T LIKE THE DOG FOOD?” The Latest Carmaker to Accept the New EV Reality Surprised Me.

“I’M DONE WITH GOOGLE.”

I'm done with @Google. I know many good individuals working there, but as a company they've irrevocably lost my trust. I'm "moving out". Here's why:

I've been reading Google's Gemini damage control posts. I think they're simply not telling the truth. For one, their text-only… https://t.co/dMbKLf6fV1

— Mario Juric (@mjuric) February 26, 2024

Plus: “To revise history, to obfuscate the present, and to outright hide information that doesn’t align with the company’s (staff’s) impression of what is ‘good’. I don’t care if some of that ideology may or may not align with your or my thinking about what would make the world a better place: for anyone with a shred of awareness of human history it should be clear how unbelievably irresponsible it is to build a system that aims to become an authoritative compendium of human knowledge (remember Google’s mission statement?), but which actually prioritizes ideology over facts. History is littered with many who have tried this sort of moral flexibility ‘for the greater good’; rather than helping, they typically resulted in decades of setbacks (and tens of millions of victims).”

Read the whole thing.

SAYING WHAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SAID: Gov. Brian Kemp Takes on Biden Border Policy After College Student’s Murder.

SUCK-UP: Gavin Newsom: Biden’s age is an asset. “As a top Biden-Harris campaign surrogate, the 56-year-old Newsom often faces questions from the media about Biden’s fitness, as well as his own White House ambitions. He has gushed excessively about the president’s devotion to the country and capacity for empathy and declared himself ‘mesmerized’ by the ‘masterclass’ Biden has put on in Washington.”

WATCH: Biden Says ‘I Wanna Get This Quote Exactly Right’ Before Hillariously Failing.

HEH: Judge cuts law firm’s legal bill in half after it used ChatGPT to calculate ‘excessive’ amount.

HMM: Is Sotomayor’s Time on the Supreme Court Nearing an End? “According to a recent report from HuffPost, Sotomayor travels with a medic — something no other justice does.”

GROWTH: Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession.

Getting approval from the Hungarian parliament was the final hurdle for Stockholm joining NATO. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Budapest on Friday to discuss defense and security cooperation with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. The two sides appeared to reconcile, agreeing on a deal that would see Hungary acquire four new Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession.

“Today is a historic day,” Kristersson said on X shortly after the vote. “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”

Sweden will formally join the alliance after it submits its instrument of accession with the United States government, which is the depository of the North Atlantic Treaty. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join.

Last week: B-1 Lancers Make Rare Landing in Sweden to Kick Off Bomber Task Force.

Plus: NATO Members Suddenly Poised To Meet Military Spending Targets Days After Trump Railed Against Alliance.

If Putin is unhappy with his neighbors joining defensive alliances, maybe he should try not invading his neighbors.

THE ENEMY WITHIN: Dems Worried Biden Will Lose Michigan if He Doesn’t Cave to Pro-Hamas Wing of Party.

FEBRUARY: Qatar announces new gas output boost with mega field expansion. “The overall expansion of North Field from 77mtpa currently to 142mtpa by 2030 represents an 85 percent increase in production.”

For export, of course.

January: Joe Biden Halts Natural Gas Exports Over ‘Existential’ Climate Threat. “The move was welcomed by environmentalists as a step toward tackling climate change that would incentivize other nations to switch to renewables, but one urged the Biden administration to consider broadening the measure to other fossil fuel exports.”

It’s fair to ask if the Big Guy got a cut for crippling US exports.

EVERYTHING IS RACIST, INCLUDING Taylor Swift Fans, Chiefs Winning the Super Bowl, Says BLM Leader. “I know I mentioned the part where she’s a professor. Now I’d like to remind you that she’s teaching her students to swim neck-deep in grievance culture.”

CHANGE: CRE vet who advised on $8 billion of deals says 30% of office buildings are ‘basically worth nothing’ and ‘just have to be torn down.’ “‘There will be a bifurcation… The product in a good location with a good, safe environment will recover. And then you’ve got another group that will somehow hang in there and get reset in pricing,’ said Cordova, who is CEO of the real estate consultancy. ‘And then you have the others that are basically worth nothing—the D class. Those just have to be torn down. That’s probably at least 30% of all offices in the country.'”

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The 2024 Trump Train Isn’t Slowing Down for Anything in Its Path. “Trump would end up defeating Haley in her home state by more than 20 percentage points. That’s not merely a convincing victory, that’s an electoral bloodbath, especially given how much more money Haley spent in the primary than Trump.”

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Millennials Are Losing Their Cars.

Billing disputes surged year-on-year among Gen X and Millennials, LegalShield said, who have experienced a 96 percent increase in billing inquiries. Calls are up across the board as well, with a 53 percent increase among all LegalShield members, indicating a broader rise in billing-related issues.

John Saltarelli, a LegalShield provider attorney from Texas, identified three primary factors contributing to the surge in inquiries regarding bankruptcies, repossessions, and billing disputes.

Credit card defaults, intensified collection efforts, and the impact of inflation.

“Consumers we talk to only have enough money to cover some of their bills, so they prioritize a roof over their head ahead over other expenses, racking up high-interest credit cards,” Saltarelli said in a statement. “Collectors are turning up the heat after the pandemic, and increasing inflation makes what money people do have, worth less.”

Beyond individual mismanagement, the growing number of individuals seeking legal advice on repossession and bankruptcy signifies a broader economic distress, according to LegalShield CEO Warren Schlichting.

The White House and the talking heads keep telling my how great the economy is doing but I keep finding stories like this one.

INCENTIVES MATTER: Business Owners Have the Blue State Blues. “According to the Freedom Economy Index (FEI), only 13% of employers in California are happy with their location. Forty percent are either planning a move or considering it. Another 27% want to move but can’t make the business case. Yet. And the results in California are seen nationwide. While over 75% of red state business owners say they are happy in their current location, only about 30% of blue state employers say the same.”

TO BE FAIR, WHAT’S THERE TO CHECK? McCaskill: Media Must Stop Fact Checking Joe Biden.

MSNBC contributor and former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill has been one of the most vocal voices attacking critics of Joe Biden and opposing any investigations into his family or his policies. She attacked journalists and others who spoke in favor of free speech, calling them “Putin apologists” and Putin lovers. Now she is lashing out at the media for fact checking Joe Biden’s false claims . . . any false claims.

McCaskill called The New York Times “ridiculous” for a story correcting Biden’s false claims about the economy. She warned the media that they are only helping Trump by pointing out Biden’s false or misleading claims.

“Facts are good for Trump!” might not be the endorsement of Biden she thinks it is.

CPAC: ‘Make Argentina Great Again’: Trump and Milei Embrace at CPAC.

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY: This Dashcam Video Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity (Really!). “This week we have the most embarrassing way to get caught ever, the finest sheriff’s deputy in the world, and the Texas Man who won’t let you see kilts the same way ever again.”

HE’S FINE: Biden’s cheat sheets at fundraisers worry donors. “Biden’s reliance on notecards to help explain his own policy positions — on questions he knows are coming — is raising concerns among some donors about Biden’s age.”

SARAH HOYT’S SHOCKED FACE IS STUCK LIKE THAT: Cell Phone Data Appears to Prove Fani Willis and Nathan Wade Lied Under Oath About Relationship.

HMM: History repeats? Why Chinese companies are establishing private armies. “China appears to be going back to its old ways. Its companies are reportedly setting up volunteer armies, something which was more common in the 1970s. Several of the country’s state-owned enterprises and a private firm have established in-house fighting forces over the last year.”