HUCKABEE: 'THERE IS ONLY ONE NATION [ISRAEL] WITH WHICH WE [THE U.S.] HAVE A GENUINE BOND, A PARTTNERSHIP UNLIKE ANY OTHER'

Huckabee: US-Israel partnership more necessary than ever

As US-Iran tensions escalate, a caucus at the Knesset brought together Israeli and American officials to discuss the countries' alliance. Huckabee emphasized the value of the United States' investment in Israel, saying, "People like Tucker Carlson will never understand."

 

by Adi Nirman  

 

Israel Hayom

Feb 25, 2026

 

 

 

Mike Huckabee

With large American forces massed across the Middle East and US-Iran tensions at a boil, the Knesset convened an Israel-US Parliamentary Caucus on Wednesday. The gathering was initiated by the Ruderman Family Foundation, chaired by Members of Knesset Ohad Tal, Boaz Bismuth, Michal Shir, and Moshe Tur-Paz, and attended by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and senior officials. 

 The session – which also marked 250 years since the founding of the United States – focused on the US-Israel alliance, particularly the cooperation surrounding October 7 and the operations against Iran as a mutual adversary: Operation Rising Lion and Operation Midnight Hammer.

Huckabee opened his remarks with a dig at Tucker Carlson – the right-wing political activist known for his criticism of US-Israel ties – referencing the three-hour-long interview he had given him. "I wanted to bring Tucker Carlson – he would not leave the airport. I think he still thinks he's being harassed... I don't know what it was. Maybe they didn't give him the snacks he wanted in the lounge," he said of the anti-Israel figure, who had claimed he and his team were harassed upon landing in Israel.

"One of my jobs is to obviously represent the US government to the State of Israel, but the other part of my job is to represent the value of the partnership back to the US and its people," the ambassador said, adding, "There are hundreds of good-paying jobs in the United States that are the direct result of the money [invested in Israel], that people like Tucker Carlson will never understand, is a very smart investment."

The ambassador's interview with Carlson made waves both in Israel and the US. According to Politico, the Trump administration has had to engage in diplomatic damage control after Huckabee suggested that Israel has a right to sovereignty over extensive parts of the Middle East.

In her speech, Member of Knesset Sharren Haskel also addressed Carlson's interview, during which he suggested conducting DNA tests to verify the origins of Israeli citizens. "About 5 years ago, I decided to test my bloodline – the result was 90% Israel."

Beyond the economic aspect, Huckabee added, "There are many countries around the globe with which we have alliances. There is only one nation with which we have a genuine bond, a partnership unlike any other," he emphasized, adding the US-Israel relationship is "more necessary than it's ever been." 

The ambassador emphasized Iran as a mutual enemy: "Americans often don't think about it because… to them, Iran is just a faraway place. The people who lead the government issue chants like 'death to America.' They may not understand it, but they've been bringing death to America for 47 years, having killed thousands of Americans." 

Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of deceased hostage Omer Neutra, shared: "Omer chose to become a combat officer out of a sense of duty," they said, "and on October 7, he was among the first to race toward the fence in an attempt to stop the terrorist infiltration. For us, Omer was a living bridge between Israel and the United States, and as was said at his funeral – 'a hero of two nations.'"

"The campaign to bring Omer home taught us that the battle for Israel and for the hostages is also fought in Washington, and that American public opinion is a strategic arena," they continued. "As the war dragged on, we saw cracks in support – especially among young Americans – and that is something that cannot be ignored."

Shira Ruderman, CEO of the Ruderman Family Foundation, addressed a worrying trend among young Americans. "About 45% of Gen Z support Hamas," she said – a figure she called deeply alarming. "The future of the relationship between our countries cannot depend solely on individuals or shifting political dynamics," she continued. "Both sides have an enormous influence on how our shared future will look, and that requires a sustained and conscious investment in shaping it." She emphasized the critical role of American Jews, emphasizing to "remain confident in their Jewish identity, to express it openly, and to take pride in their connection to Israel."

HOW WOULD JORDAN REACT IF THE KNESSET WERE TO STRIP JORDAN FROM OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS?

Jordan strips Israel from official documents

Parliamentary decision in Amman contradicts the spirit of the peace treaty – and shows how fragile the “cold peace” in the Middle East remains

 

By Dov Eilon 

 

Israel Today

Feb 25, 2026

 

The Jordanian parliament in Amman passed a resolution to remove the name Israel from official documents.

 

Sometimes it is not military threats or diplomatic crises that reveal the true state of relations between states. Sometimes a seemingly formal, almost incidental parliamentary decision is enough.

The Jordanian parliament has decided to remove the name “Israel” from its official records. A state with which Jordan has maintained a peace treaty since 1994 will no longer be explicitly named in parliamentary documents. Some members of parliament even went further, proposing to refer to Israel with terms that fundamentally question its state legitimacy.

One might dismiss this step as mere symbolic politics. Yet in the Middle East, symbols are rarely without meaning.

Because in the Middle East, peace is not created by signatures alone, but only where the other is also accepted as a legitimate partner.

A stable treaty, yet distance remains

The Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty remains one of Israel’s most strategically important agreements to this day. For more than three decades, the shared border has remained calm. Security issues are coordinated, water resources are shared, interests are aligned—often discreetly and far from public attention.

Anyone familiar with the region knows how extraordinary that is.

And yet this peace has always remained a sober, frequently described “cold peace.” While governments cooperated, societal acceptance in Jordan remained limited. Israel was an official partner, but rarely an accepted neighbor.

The current decision makes visible what has long existed beneath the surface.

Between strategic reality and public pressure

Jordan has been under considerable domestic political pressure for years. A large part of the population strongly identifies with the Palestinian cause. Developments in Gaza or Judea and Samaria have an immediate impact on the political mood in the kingdom.

The leadership in Amman therefore tries to maintain two realities simultaneously: strategic cooperation with Israel on one side, and demonstrative political distance toward its own public on the other.

The parliamentary decision fits precisely into this pattern.

Behind the scenes, Israel remains a partner. Publicly, distance is demonstrated.

Trigger or pretext?

There was, however, a specific trigger.

The debate was sparked by statements from the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who referred to areas in Judea and Samaria as part of Israel. Several Arab states reacted with sharp criticism; Washington later clarified that this did not represent a change in official US policy.

Yet the step from Amman can hardly be explained by that alone.

Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war, the political room for open relations with Israel has narrowed in many Arab societies. Even states with clear shared security interests must act more cautiously domestically.

Normalization remains fragile.

The real significance of this step

Israel responded accordingly sharply, stating that the decision contradicts the spirit of the peace treaty. This assessment is understandable. The Israeli Foreign Ministry declared on X that the step contradicts the spirit of the peace treaty that has existed for over three decades and must be condemned by all who seek a region of tolerance and understanding.

Because peace treaties are not based solely on strategic interests. They also rest on mutual legitimacy.

When a parliament begins to remove the name of its treaty partner from official documents, it sends a message—both inward and outward.

The peace continues. Cooperation continues as well.

Yet the step once again reveals a reality that repeatedly becomes visible in the Middle East: treaties can create stability. Trust, however, develops more slowly and can disappear just as quietly.

Sometimes all it takes is a name crossed out in a protocol.

HELL WILL FREEZE OVER BEFOR TRUMP AND VANCE DENOUNCE TUCKER CARLSON ..... HE AND VANCE ARE CLOSE FRIENDS, AND TRUMP IS NOT GOING TO PISS OFF HIS 21 MILLION FOLLOWERS

What’s the real point of Tucker Carlson’s obsession with Israel?

The antisemitic podcaster’s joust with Mike Huckabee showed that his goal is to sabotage the administration. Will Trump and Vance finally denounce him? 

 

By Jonathan S. Tobin 

 

JNS

Feb 24, 2026

 

 

From left: Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Tucker Carlson

 

Anyone who had watched Tucker Carlson’s podcast over the last 18 months knew that the former Fox News host was both obsessed with Israel and had long since crossed over from strident criticism of the Jewish state to flagrant and often manic antisemitism. From the moment he hosted faux historian and Holocaust denier Daryl Cooper in September 2024 to his equally fawning interview with groyper neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes in October 2025, and on to the present, Carlson’s popular program has increasingly become the home of increasingly extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and rhetoric.
 
But his interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, conducted at Ben-Gurion International Airport (so Carlson would not have to actually spend any time in Israel), was the CliffsNotes version of the previous year-and-a-half worth of videos he’s produced. It consisted of Carlson spewing out scores of antisemitic lies and myths about Jews and Israel, demanding that Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, refute them. As JNS senior contributing writer Ruthie Blum noted, Huckabee did an excellent job of keeping his temper in the face of Carlson’s infuriating mendacity and conspiracy-mongering, as well as refuting many of them (while noting afterward that in the heat of the moment, he understandably didn’t explode all of them).
 
While Huckabee won the debate by any objective standard, Carlson wasn’t there to engage in an exchange of ideas or get to the truth of any of the “questions” he was asking. His goal was to undermine Huckabee and, by extension, the pro-Israel policies of the administration the ambassador represents. And it’s likely that, as bad as he looked in the video, Carlson may think he’s succeeded in doing just that.
 
Smearing Huckabee
The Jewish and Israeli media have been filled with reports about the encounter, with numerous attempts to compile and debunk the long list of untruths Carlson sought to popularize. The only angle of it that interested most of the mainstream liberal corporate media in the United States and elsewhere was a story generated by Carlson’s release of an edited clip from the interview, which attempted to claim that Huckabee favored Israel taking over all of the Middle East. Huckabee said nothing of the kind; in fact, he made the point that whatever conclusions one could draw from parts of the Bible, all Israel wants is for the Arab and Muslim world to recognize the right of the Jewish people to live in sovereignty and security over that portion of their ancestral homeland where they currently reside.
 
But in a blatant example of the horseshoe politics in which the far left and the far right—not to mention the red-green alliance of Marxists and Islamists join hands—liberal media outlets like The New York Times, Politico and the BBC jumped on the distorted Carlson clip to attack the Trump administration and Huckabee. Though none of those outlets claim to have much use for an extremist right-winger like Carlson, they were happy to take his lead if it meant allowing them to take a shot at the familiar object of their hostility: Trump. The upshot of the story was that Carlson had managed to gin up a controversy and to incite various Arab and Muslim countries to condemn Huckabee and demand explanations from Washington.
 
Equally unsurprising was the way Al Jazeera—the massively influential internet and broadcast giant owned by the Qatari government that dominates media in the Muslim world—embraced the story and claimed that Carlson deserves credit for exposing the way Trump was undermining U.S. national interests by supporting Israel, even if the truth is just the opposite.
 
That a notorious supporter of the Islamist emirate like Carlson would be on the same page as an outlet renowned for its reflexive and vicious anti-Americanism is no surprise to those who have followed his recent career. And it puts his astonishing claim to be the person who knows the meaning of “America First” better than Trump in perspective.
 
More importantly, it may force Trump and Carlson’s heretofore close friend and ally, Vice President JD Vance, to finally draw a necessary conclusion about their dealings with him.
 
Trump is fed up
Over the course of the last month, I had heard from various informed sources that while many people have been voicing outrage about Carlson still being welcome in the White House despite his vile Jew-hatred, the inside story was that Trump is deeply unhappy about his onetime ally’s behavior. Administration staffers were telling Trump and Vance that Carlson’s war on the tens of millions of evangelical Christians who are Zionists, and as a result, making common cause with anti-Israel left-wing Democrats like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, had the potential to cost the GOP seats in the midterms later this year. As has now become public, the president has told him in no uncertain terms that he expected him to stop attacking Israel and the Jews.
 
Instead of doing that, Carlson is doubling down on his anti-Israel crusade. He’s also seeking to take down a Trump loyalist like Huckabee and, by extension, derail the entire thrust of U.S. policies aimed at ensuring that the Islamist regime in Iran cannot continue to threaten the region with nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and terrorism.
 
The focus on his slanders and smears of the State of Israel, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and traditional tropes of antisemitism, such as those that claim that Jews today are not descended from their ancestors in antiquity, is understandable. But serious observers need to acknowledge that the only real fallout from his battle with Huckabee is that Carlson is forcing Trump and Vance to make a decision about their continued association with him.
 
In the past year, Trump has brushed back Carlson’s attacks on his Iran policy by terming the podcaster “kooky.” And as the grandparent of Jewish children, the president said he didn’t like antisemites or want them in his coalition.
 
Nevertheless, Carlson has managed to hang on inside the Trump inner circle, maintaining his friendship with Donald Trump Jr. and with Vance, even if at times that has seemed to be more in the guise of the court jester of Mar-a-Lago than someone with any influence on policy.
 
Does the GOP agree with Tucker?
Carlson did, after all, get a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in 2024. More importantly, Vance took a stance of neutrality about the debate over Carlson’s antisemitism last December at a Turning Point USA gathering.
 
That Carlson has a large audience of viewers and listeners can’t be denied. So, too, have fellow Jew-haters like far-right commentator and podcaster Candace Owens, and even Fuentes. The question is whether their followings are considerable enough for the administration or Vance to think that they don’t wish to alienate them, even if this association is damaging them with evangelicals and working-class Republicans who put Trump back into the White House in 2024.
 
Even as polls have shown a steep decline in support for the Jewish state among Democrats and even among some Republicans, and especially among young people, the vast majority of Republicans remain pro-Israel. That is demonstrated by the fact that the GOP caucuses in the House and Senate are almost unanimous in their backing for Israel, with only libertarian outliers like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) or Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) being the exception, now that the loony former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green has left Capitol Hill, to the relief of her former colleagues.
 
It is possible to imagine a scenario where the groypers take over Turning Point USA in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and use it to create a political movement that will, as the progressives have done with the Democrats, change the composition of the GOP congressional caucuses to reflect their anti-Israel and antisemitic views. Indeed, some have estimated that up to 40% of those young people now working for the administration in Washington are influenced by Carlson, Owens and Fuentes. As the Carrie Prejean Boller debacle showed this month, some of them have wormed their way into Trump’s appointments to various federal commissions. While that can’t be entirely ruled out as something that might happen in the future, so far, there is little evidence that the Republican Party is changing direction on Israel.
 
Just as crucial is the decision facing Vance.
 
He may owe Carlson a lot—both for his crucial support for his Senate primary campaign in 2022 and for helping to convince Trump to tap him as his running mate only two years after he first won electoral office. And, to date, he’s been stubbornly reluctant to cut him loose, despite the increasing evidence of his extremism, antisemitism and determination to undermine the administration he ostensibly supports.
 
Vance must decide
Still, Vance, a rare intellectual in the world of politics, is not unaware that this friendship is now costing him dearly in terms of his ability to widen his base of support in advance of an expected presidential run in 2028. The vice president may currently be the frontrunner for the GOP nomination to succeed Trump by a wide margin. But he has to understand that Carlson is an albatross that could hurt among Republicans and eventually sink him in a general election.
 
Trump and Vance would have preferred not to have been put in this position. All winning electoral coalitions, whether led by Republicans or Democrats, are inevitably diverse and include some people not in the mainstream for one way or another. Part of the reason why Democrats lost in 2024 was the way former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris seemed in thrall to woke left-wing extremists, though their party has concluded that her defeat at the hands of Trump reportedly claimed that she lost because she was insufficiently anti-Israel to please the Democrats’ intersectional left-wing base.
 
As for Carlson, his over-the-top antisemitism and willingness to attack Trump administration policy have gotten to the point where it is more than an embarrassment to Trump and Vance.
 
Simply put, their association with him has become political poison. The notion of continuing in their confidence at this point isn’t just offensive to Jews and the majority of Americans who support Israel. It’s a clear threat to their ability to govern effectively, as well as to hold onto Congress and secure another GOP victory in 2028.
 
At some point—and it can’t be too far into the future—they need to cut him off and make it clear to the public that they have done so. If they don’t, it will be a decision that will come back to haunt their party in 2026, 2028 and beyond. 

ME THINKS THAT JESSICA TISCH AND ZOHRAN MAMDANI WILL SOON BE PARTING WAYS

‘Kids throwing snowballs,’ Mamdani says 15 hours after NYPD head decries ‘criminal’ attacks on cops

The NYPD told JNS that "multiple uniformed officers were struck in the head at close range with snowballs causing injuries to the head, face and neck area." 

 

JNS

Feb24, 2026 

 

 

 

“The NYPD is aware of certain videos taken earlier today in Washington Square Park showing individuals attacking cops. I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal,” police commissioner Jessica Tisch said after a snowball attack on the police.

 

But Mayor Zohran Mamdani later said that it was just “kids throwing snowballs.” 

 

Nearly 15 hours after Jessica Tisch, the New York City Police Department commissioner, decried attacks on police officers in Washington Square Park, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that it was just “kids throwing snowballs.”

“The NYPD is aware of certain videos taken earlier today in Washington Square Park showing individuals attacking cops. I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal,” Tisch stated at 9:55 p.m. on Monday. “Our detectives are investigating this matter.”

At 11:46 a.m. on Tuesday, Mamdani, who has drawn criticism for campaign promises to downgrade policing in the city, said that he had “seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park.”

“Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving,” he wrote. “Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.”

Many, including the Israel Heritage Foundation, were quick to point out that the offenders, who pelted the policemen repeatedly in the widely circulated video footage, weren’t children.

“This wasn’t ‘kids being kids,'” the New York state Republican Party stated. “It was a violent mob inspired by Zohran Mamdani’s anti-police rhetoric.”

David Carr, a Republican and minority leader of the New York City Council, stated that “this wasn’t just kids in a friendly neighborhood snowball fight.”

“These officers were assaulted, and it’s under criminal investigation,” Carr said. “Minimizing it only serves to encourage more attacks on the NYPD and law enforcement generally.”

Vickie Paladino, a Republican on the City Council who represents parts of Queens, responded to Mamdani’s statement.

“What an absolute child. Just a complete lack of responsibility or even acknowledgement of what really happened,” she wrote. “The cops are just completely on their own. We all are.”

Mamdani was asked about the incident during a press conference on Tuesday at NYC Emergency Management headquarters.

“Regarding the snowball incident, are people overreacting to it?” a reporter asked the mayor.

“You know, I’ll leave it to others to share their opinions, but I’ve shared mine,” Mamdani said.

“I want to follow up on the snowball incident. The head of the PBA,” the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, “says the people who were involved in attacking the police officers should be charged criminally with assault on a police officer,” a reporter said. “I wonder if you agree with that, if the people can be identified.”

“I don’t—from the videos that I’ve seen—it looks like a snowball fight,” the mayor said.

At the end of the press conference, a reporter asked if the NYPD officers had any injuries.

“I think that there were two officers who were facing lacerations on their face,” Mamdani said. He was asked if he would call for those who aided the attackers to be prosecuted.

“Look, I’ve seen the videos of this snowball fight,” he said. “I think that it was a snowball fight. Thank you.”

The NYPD told JNS that police officers responded to a 911 call about a disorderly group inside the park at around 4:15 p.m. on Monday.

“Upon arrival, officers observed a large crowd of people throwing snowballs. Multiple uniformed officers were struck in the head at close range with snowballs, causing injuries to the head, face and neck area,” the department told JNS. “The officers were transported by EMS in stable condition to Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital for treatment.”

“No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing,” it told JNS.

Scott Munro, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, a union that represents 20,000 current and retired detectives in the city, stated before Tisch’s and Mamdani’s statements that “what we saw in Washington Square Park today was not harmless fun. It was a deliberate, outrageous and dangerous attack on uniformed police officers.”

“The Detectives’ Endowment Association is calling on Mayor Mamdani and District Attorney Bragg to ensure every individual responsible for this illegal behavior is prosecuted,” Munro said. “No free pass. No get out of jail free card.”

“Make no mistake. Detectives will do what they always do. They will identify those involved, and they will apprehend them. Our men and women in blue deserve to be safe. They deserve to be protected, and they deserve to be respected,” he added. “They earn it every single day.”

Benny Polatseck, a Chassidic Jew who was a multimedia producer in the prior mayoral administration and who is a frequent critic of Mamdani, wrote that the mayor’s was the “weakest, most pathetic condemnation I’ve ever seen, if you can even call it that.”

“They were not all kids,” he said. “Ending with ‘if anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me’ makes it crystal clear he thinks all this is a joke.”

FBI RAIDS L.A. SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICES AND HOME OF SUPERINTENDENT

By Bob Walsh

 

 

Alberto Carvalho is the head guy of the L.A. Unified School District.  The FBI raided his personal home this morning and various properties owned by the district, including the district headquarters.

So far nobody has leaked what the feds are looking for.

My guess it is financial fraud related to Covid funds, but that is a WAG based on nothing whatsoever.

SOME ELECTION STUFF FROM CALIFORNIA

By Bob Walsh

 

The mandatory voter ID and Save Proposition 13 ballot initiatives are both heading for the ballot, probably.  There is some reason to believe the Democrats are making some sort of sleaze move against them.  This sleaze move almost certainly will involved misleading title once the initiatives actually hit the ballot and misleading summaries, both of which are controlled by hard-core Democrat partisans.  Also it seems likely the legislature will come up with competing measures to muddy the water and mislead or confuse voters, some of who are actual citizens.  

Also, the Tax Those Billionaire Bastards initiative, being pushed primarily (at least officially) by labor unions, is running way behind the curve.  It is completely possible it will NOT get enough legal signatures to make the ballot.  That of course doesn't mean it won't be on the ballot.  The Democrat super-majority in the state house has very much a FUCK YOU attitude towards the voters.  

FIRED L.A. FIRE CHIEF SUES MAYOR

By Bob Walsj

 

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley and Mayor Karen Bass speak to reporters at a news conference on devastating wildfires around the LA area, on Jan. 11, 2025.

 

Kirsten Crowley was formerly the Fire Chief of Los Angeles.  She was sacked by Mayor Karen Bass, allegedly for incompetent response to the L A fires 13 months ago.  There is some reason to believe she was actually fired for having the affrontery to call out the mayor for inadequate funding of her department and refusing to go along with whitewashing a report on the fire response to make Mayor Bass look good, or at least less bad.  

She has just filed suit against the mayor asserting that she was fired inappropriately and illegally.   

I VOTED FOR SEN. JOHN CORNYN TODAY

By Howie Katz

 

 

I voted in the early election today and cast my ballot for Sen. John Cornyn.

I usually do not vote in primary elections because I an neither a Democrat or a Republican. But this year was different because knucklehead gun owners are trying to unseat Sen. Cornyn because he voted for some reasonable gun legislation in response to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting which left 19 children and two teachers dead. And so I voted in the Republican primary.

 

The 19 children and two teachers that were killed in the Uvalde school shooting.

 

 

The legislation Cornyn voted for was very reasonable in light of the Uvalde shooting and in no way hurt any law abiding gun owners. But apparently the majority of Texas gun owners are a bunch of knuckleheads who are determined to run Cornyn out of office because of this one vote.

 

Polls indicate that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running ahead of Cornyn among Texas Republicans. What a shame. Paxton is a crook who ought to be in jail instead of in public office. Yet Texas Republicans prefer a crook over an honest politician.

 

There will probably be a runoff because there is a third candidate in the race. Wesley Hunt, currently a Congressman, seems like a decent man but is trailing far behind the other two contenders.

 

Sen. Cornyn deserves to be reelected. He has been good for Texas and for our country. And he has seniority in the Senate, which is important and beneficial for Texas.

 

If Paxton turns out to be the Republican nominee for the Senate, there's no way on earth that I would vote for him in the November general election.

 

I pray to God that the Texas Republicans regain their senses and vote to return Sen. Cornyn to his seat in the Senate, a seat he so richly deserves. 

CJNG FLEXES ITS MUSCLES, MAKES MEXICO PAY FOR ITS KILLING OF EL MENCHO

Did Mexico WANT cities to burn? Ex-CIA chief RICK DE LA TORRE's revelations will challenge everything you thought you knew about cartels

 

By Rick De La Torre 

 

Daily Mail

Feb 24, 2026

 

 

Smoke over Puerto Vallarta. Tractor-trailers burning across major highways. Gunmen erecting checkpoints (Pictured: Puerto Vallarta on February 22)

 

Smoke over Puerto Vallarta. Tractor-trailers burning across major highways. Gunmen erecting checkpoints as if they were a sovereign authority collecting tolls in fear. Tourists confined to resort hallways. Police units pinned down. Soldiers ambushed in broad daylight. Guadalajara's airport, in Mexico's second largest city, thrown into chaos as armed convoys moved with confidence.

That is what happens when a state strikes the head of a cartel machine.

The fall of Jalisco New Generation Cartel's (CJNG) longtime leader, known by his nom de guerre 'El Mencho,' born Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, was never going to pass quietly.

CJNG is not a personality cult orbiting one man. It is a vertically integrated criminal enterprise that operates as a parallel regime. It taxes territory, controls ports, runs industrial-scale fentanyl labs, fields drone units and armored vehicles, and deploys disciplined hit teams with military-grade coordination. It has penetrated municipal governments, state police commands, and segments of the federal structure.

When an organization like that loses its apex figure, it does not retreat. It demonstrates continuity. It burns highways to signal succession is already in motion. It ambushes soldiers to show the chain of command survives the man.

The polite narrative says this is contained fallout. A bold raid. Proof that Mexico can act under pressure from Washington. A decisive blow delivered in a new era of seriousness.

That storyline protects the political class in Mexico City. It avoids the harder question: if retaliation was inevitable, why was it not anticipated and contained?

If Mexico's defense establishment executed the raid with full awareness of CJNG's reach then that demanded preparation.

 

The fall of Jalisco New Generation Cartel's (CJNG) longtime leader, known by his nom de guerre 'El Mencho,' born Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, was never going to pass quietly

 

Vetted rapid-response units staged in likely flashpoints. Coordinated corridor lockdowns across cartel strongholds. Immediate financial seizures to choke liquidity. Follow-on arrests targeting second- and third-tier leadership. Hardened perimeters around airports, ports, refineries, and major commercial arteries.

If those layers were thin, delayed, or symbolic, that is not bad luck. It is the consequence of years of accommodation.

Perhaps even a purposeful Mexican government demonstration of their own fecklessness. A cry for help.

Cartels of this scale do not thrive in a vacuum. They thrive inside political tolerance.

Governors accept geographically contained violence so long as it does not spill into tourist districts or financial centers. Municipal police collect plazas and pass intelligence in exchange for local calm. Judges convert procedural delay into practical impunity. Federal authorities manage criminal power rather than dismantle it because open confrontation carries political cost. Electoral incentives reward short-term quiet over structural reform.

That is how a criminal enterprise matures into a parallel authority.

Now it is asserting itself in daylight.

The consequences do not end at Jalisco's beaches, like Puerto Vallarta. Tourism contracts as travelers rethink risk. Commercial corridors slow as blockades and uncertainty ripple through supply chains. Rival factions probe newly exposed territory, and fragmentation often produces bloodier competition.

Fentanyl production does not pause during that chaos. It recalibrates. American communities absorb the overdoses.

 

That storyline protects the political class in Mexico City. It avoids the harder question: if retaliation was inevitable, why was it not anticipated and contained? (Pictured: President of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on February 23)

 

CJNG and its competitors already maintain operational nodes inside the United States. They manage distribution networks, enforce debts, intimidate witnesses, and launder proceeds through American financial channels. The violence in Mexico and the damage in the United States are not separate phenomena. They are extensions of the same criminal enterprise.

Cartel leadership will now reassess risk. If calibrated intimidation north of the border could slow or complicate sustained pressure, they will study that option. These organizations are rational. They prefer profit to chaos and generally avoid actions that invite overwhelming U.S. retaliation.

But they probe.

Probing has historically meant targeted violence, intimidation of witnesses, or settling internal disputes on American soil. It has meant threats against family members to silence cooperation. It has meant subcontracted crews and intermediaries to create distance between command and act. None of it resembles an invasion. All of it is designed to protect revenue and test resolve.

Deterrence works when the cost of probing is clear and immediate. The United States is not a permissive battlespace. Federal, state, and local law enforcement capacity is deep. Intelligence authorities are expansive. Financial monitoring is sophisticated. Cartel networks operating inside the country understand this and generally calibrate their activities accordingly.

Which brings us back to the central question.

Was this a headline operation or the opening move in a sustained campaign?

 

That is what happens when a state strikes the head of a cartel machine

 

Mexico must decide whether it intends to dismantle the machine or merely disrupt it. Leadership decapitation without financial strangulation is temporary relief. A serious effort requires coordinated asset seizures inside Mexico, aggressive prosecution of political facilitators, federal intervention in compromised local police forces, judicial reform that ends impunity by delay, and permanent territorial control rather than rotating deployments that concede ground once headlines fade.

Anything less signals the endurance of the cartel and the fatigue of the state.

The United States can reinforce that effort. Continued indictments. Aggressive Treasury designations. Enforcement actions against facilitators operating inside U.S. jurisdiction. Intelligence sharing that enables follow-on arrests. Relentless extradition demands. Economic leverage that ensures cooperation does not drift once public attention moves elsewhere.

Leverage matters. But sovereignty requires will.

Mexico will either be governed by its constitutional authorities or by armed criminal enterprises that burn infrastructure to set the rules.

If the state cannot impose sustained cost on organizations that challenge it with open warfare, it is not asserting control. It is conceding it.

 

                                      

Rick de la Torre is the founder and CEO of Tower Strategy, a federal lobbying firm in Washington. A retired senior CIA operations officer and former Chief of Station, he specializes in national security, energy, trade and geopolitical risk. 

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A HOCKEY FAN TO BE PROUD OF TEAM USA ..... THE DEMOCRATS WHO REFUSED TO STAND FOR THE TEAM HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLASS

Democrats spark fury for refusing to stand for the US Olympic hockey team at Trump's State of the Union

 

By Max Winters 

 

Daily Mail

Feb 24, 2026 

 

 

Trump gave the team a rousing reception as defening 'USA' chants filled the chamber

 

Democrats attending the State of the Union have been blasted after they refused to give the Team USA men's hockey stars a standing ovation.

The Winter Olympics champions were given a rousing introduction into the US Capitol by Donald Trump, prompting wild 'USA' chants among Republicans and others in attendance. 

But Democrats inside the room refused to stand up for the team, sparking fury across social media. However, they did stand up when Trump later announced the women's Winter Olympics team would visit the White House after rejecting his initial invite.

Referring to his political rivals, Trump quipped: 'That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up and actually not all of them did get up.'

Former Trump advisor Jason Miller led the fury on social media, calling Democrats who snubbed the team 'terrible human beings' and 'really pathetic'. 

Others watching on at home labeled them 'disgusting' and 'pathetic' and claimed they 'hate American greatness'. 

 

Some Democrats refused to give a standing ovation to the Team USA men's hockey stars

A large number of Democrats (left) stayed seated when the US hockey team was introduced

Players pumped their fists and posed with their gold medals as Republicans went crazy 

The Winter Olympics champions were given a rousing introduction from President Trump

 

During the celebrations Trump announced he was awarding goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who remarkably saved 41 of 42 shots in the 2-1 overtime win over Canada, the Presidential Medal of Freedom following a vote by the players. 

Trump said: 'They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everybody saw. As did the American women, who will soon be coming to the White House.

'They were in the Oval Office before and I just want to say a second big congratulations to Team USA. We took a vote and I said "if anybody votes no, I'm not doing it." They said they weren't about to say no because they've never seen a goaltender play as well as Connor Hellebuyck.

'I asked him, "the one shot where you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off, did you practice that or was it a little lucky? He refused to answer that question.

'But I just want to tell you that the members of this great hockey squad will be very happy to hear, based on their vote and my vote and in this case my vote was more important, that I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor which is the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

'What a special job you did. What special champions you are. Thank you very much.' 

The men's team has spent the day in Washington DC after being invited by Trump in the celebratory locker room phone call that has since divided America.

Trump joked he would 'be impeached' if he didn't extend the same invite to the women's team, who also won gold in Milan, and they later chose not to accept.

 

Former Trump advisor Jason Miller called them 'terrible human beings' and 'really pathetic'

Trump awarded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (right) the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Connor Hellebuyck makes a stick save, one of 41 saves he made to seal Team USA's victory over Team Canada

 

Following a riotous night of celebrating in Miami, the men's team flew to Washington DC on Tuesday morning. They met Trump in the Oval Office as he prepared to deliver his State of the Union address.

Moments before Trump arrived, Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy was seen entering the US Capitol with his gold medal hanging around his neck. 

There are 20 members of the 25-man Winter Olympics roster in Washington DC but it remains to be seen how many will attend the State of the Union. 

Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides throughout Tuesday documented their trip to the White House. They showed hockey team members posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. 

They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.  

As they approached the Oval Office, some of the players popped into the press office's open door to flash the medals from their 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Sunday.

It was the Americans' first gold medal in men's hockey since the 'Miracle on Ice' group won in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980. Staffers applauded and shouted, 'We love you!'

'I recognize every one of you. I know every one of you,' Trump said as the players entered the Oval Office, which he has redecorated with numerous flourishes of gold that matched the players´ medals.

'Big guys,' he said, standing near his desk and shaking hands with the players, who wore dark tops with 'USA,' the American flag and the Olympic rings on the front and light colored pants.

The one Team USA star who was instantly recognized by Trump was Panthers veteran Matthew Tkachuk, who recently made flattering comments about the President as Florida celebrated its latest Stanley Cup title at the White House last month. 

 

President Trump welcomed 20 of the 25-man roster into the Oval Office earlier on Tuesday

The Republican leader slipped on a gold medal before posing for pictures with the team

They showed hockey team members posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico

They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has portraits of every president

Stars leaned into the press office's open door to flash the medals from their win over Canada

 

As a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, Tkachuk was making his third White House trip in just over 12 months. 

'There's my friend,' Trump told the elder Tkachuk brother. 'You've come a long way since I last saw you.'

While 20 members of the 25-strong squad were in attendance, five players chose not to go to America's capital to continue the celebrations.

According to The Athletic, Kyle Connor, Jake Oettinger, Brock Nelson, Jake Guentzel and Jackson LaCombe have all opted against spending time with Trump and their teammates in Washington DC.

Connor, who didn't see any action in Milan after their first game, practiced with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday ahead of their next NHL game on Wednesday. 

Oettinger was scheduled to arrive back in Texas on Tuesday and should be at the Dallas Stars' morning skate on Wednesday before they play the Seattle Kraken.

Nelson is back in Denver to see his family and should be back with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Guentzel has arrived home in Tampa Bay but skipped Lightning practice on Tuesday.

Meanwhile LaCombe was heading back to California from Miami on Tuesday as he prepares to reunite with his Anaheim Ducks teammates for their game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Interestingly, all but Connor grew up in Minnesota. There have been violent clashes in Minneapolis between immigration enforcement agents and anti-ICE protesters following the deaths of two Americans, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, last month.

AS USUAL, HOUSTON'S AL GREEN MAKES AN ASS OUT OF HIMSELF ..... AND HIS LOCAL CONSTITUENTS ADORE HIM

Democrat lawmaker is THROWN OUT of Trump's State of the Union

 

By Ross Ibbetson and Victoria Churchill 

 

Daily Mail

Feb24, 2026

 

 

Rep. Al Green holds up his, 'Black people aren't apes' sign, a referennce to a recent social media post Trump made about the Obamas

 

Texas Democrat Al Green was ejected from Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday after brandishing a placard reading: 'Black people aren't apes.'

Green's protest was in reference to a recent social media post Trump made featuring an AI video depicting Barrack and Michelle Obama as primates. 

Trump kept walking as GOP Senators Markwayne Mullin and Roger Marshall moved swiftly to stand in front of Green, blocking his sign from view. 

Green, a long-serving member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was swiftly ushered out of the House Chamber as Republican lawmakers erupted in heckles. 

Trump's arrival was otherwise smooth as he delivered a landmark congressional address to reset his agenda ahead of November's midterms. 

The President is staring down the barrel of his lowest approval numbers with the economy and his immigration crackdown at the top of voter grievance lists.

Trump's speech focused on his domestic accomplishments following his first-year in office, including a rate payer pledge to keep energy prices down amid soaring costs due to AI data centers.

The President also touted his TrumpRx initiative to deliver affordable pharmaceuticals to American families.

 

Rep. Al Green holds a sign which reads, 'Black people aren't apes' as Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday

Republican lawmakers surround Al Green as he holds a sign protesting the president

Green is ushered out of the House Chamber holding his incendiary sign

Republican lawmakers swat down Green's placard 

Green engages in a tug of war with furious Republicans trying to snatch his sign

Trump carries on walking as Green holds up his protest sign

 

Green's protest was rooted in a February 5 Truth Social post in which Trump shared a video about voter fraud that included a two-second clip depicting the Obamas as apes. 

The 62-second video, posted during a late-night spree, featured the segment with the former president and first lady's faces superimposed onto the bodies of primates to the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight.' 

The White House initially attempted to downplay the post, with Karoline Leavitt dismissing the backlash as 'fake outrage' and labeling the clip an innocent meme.

But the administration swiftly blamed it on a junior staffer after outcry from senior Republicans, including Senator Tim Scott, who called it 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.'

By midday, the post was deleted - a rare admission of a misstep.

Trump later explained that he had no idea that the video featured the AI clip at the end.

He told reporters on Air Force One he had only watched the opening section of the video, which focused on his 2020 election fraud claims, before passing it to his team.

Trump said he condemned the racism in the clip but refused to apologize, blaming a staffer for failing to check it before posting. 

NO SURPRISE HERE BECAUSE THEY ARE SOCIALISTS

Fury as AOC and Mamdani urge illegal migrants to sign up for free childcare

 

By Phillip Nieto 

 

Daily Mail

Feb 24, 2026

 

 

The advertisement triggered the wrath of conservative influencers on X who accused the progressive pair of prioritizing migrants over American citizens

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Zohran Mamdani have sparked backlash after urging undocumented migrants to sign up for free childcare in a Spanish advertisement.

The New York mayor was joined by his socialist congressional ally in a video warning migrant parents that this is the last week to sign their kids up for free childcare in NYC

'My Spanish is not very good,' Mamdani says before introducing AOC. 'But the fight for universal childcare? That is very good. So I brought a friend to help me share why signing up for free 3-K and Pre-K this week matters.'

Ocasio-Cortez then steps into the frame, continuing in Spanish as she outlines the February 27 deadline for parents to enroll their children.

'Any New York City parent, regardless of your occupation, income or immigration status is eligible to sign their child up.'

'We've made the application process easy, no matter who you are,' Cortez adds before explaining the online process for registering children, noting it is open to more than 200 languages. 

'Because no family should be shut out from our programs just because of the language they speak...we can make our city more affordable for everybody.'

The video with AOC high-fiving Mamdani and shouting, 'Muy bien!' 

 

The New York mayor was joined by his socialist ally AOC in a video urging migrant parents to sign up their kids for free childcare

Mamdani's Spanish advertisement for undocumented families comes amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in major US cities

 

The advertisement triggered the wrath of conservative influencers on X who accused the progressive pair of prioritizing migrants over American citizens. 

'Hey AOC imagine you put this much effort into ideas to help working Americans earn more money,' one X user wrote in response to the video. 

Another right-wing influencer reacted by telling his followers, 'Nothing is “FREE."'

Other critics mocked AOC, claiming her Spanish was not “much better” than Mamdani’s.

Not all the reaction migrant childcare video was negative. One uses named Rachel Bedard wrote, 'UGH my heart is FULL because it’s so CUTE when the government loves the people and works for the people!'

Mamdani's Spanish advertisement for undocumented families comes amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in major US cities.

New York City is one of the largest urban centers in the country refusing to cooperate with the administration on the mass detentions of migrants.  

He successfully ran for New York mayor last year on a platform focused on making healthcare and the cost of living more affordable for working families, regardless of immigration status.

US INCHING CLSER TO WAR WITH IRAN

US deploys F-22 fighter jets to Israel

Bloomberg reports NATO steps up E-3 surveillance flights to monitor Iran, as the US confirms at least 12 stealth F-22s that took off from base in UK have landed in southern Israel. 

 

Israel Hayom

Feb 24, 2026

 

 

F-22 Raptor

 

 

Tensions between the US and Iran are nearing a boiling point, with diplomatic efforts continuing even as Washington ramps up its military posture across the region and issues direct threats toward Tehran. 

 

President Donald Trump has set an early March deadline for reaching a deal and warned that if no agreement is achieved, "bad things will happen." Writing overnight between Monday and Tuesday, Trump said he would "prefer a deal, but if not, it will be a very bad day for Iran." 

Meanwhile, At least 12 F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets landed Tuesday at an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel as part of the US regional deployment in the Middle East, a source at US Central Command confirmed to Kan News.

The F-22 is a strategic stealth fighter aircraft operated by the US. Unlike the F-35, Washington has not sold the F-22 to any other country. Much of the aircraft's capabilities remain classified and it is considered a state secret in the US, with abilities unmatched by any other fighter jet.

The aircraft's structure and composite materials enable it to evade radar detection, allowing it to fly covertly toward its target. To preserve its stealth profile, the missiles it carries are stored internally rather than mounted under its wings until the moment of launch. The F-22 is also equipped with a low-observable radar system that allows it to detect adversaries without exposing itself while in stealth configuration, along with advanced self-defense capabilities.

According to Bloomberg, Trump has assembled the largest US military force in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Officials in Tehran reportedly assess that if the Islamic Republic of Iran withstands a possible strike, it would be able to claim victory.

At the same time, The New York Times reported that the president is considering an initial strike in the coming days. If that fails to break the regime's resilience, a broader military campaign could follow, even as Pentagon officials warn of the risk of a prolonged confrontation.