Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 3/04

[SVPete]

Suspected Drone Attack on Sanctioned Russian LNG Tanker Sparks Serious Concern UPDATE

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/03/03/suspected-drone-attack-on-sanctioned-russian-lng-tanker-sparks-serious-concern-n3812492

Not because it is a big flaming ball of glowing gas afterward, which, sadly enough, is nothing really new when things are spicy in the Middle East, or in the Black Sea area when the Ukrainians have theirs flying straight and true.

No, it's more WHERE this happened - in the central Mediterranean between Malta and the coast of Libya.

And, yes - that was a collective gulp you heard as the initial fireball went skyward.

It's real, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oveaAP_ICPo . I "get" the potential enviro-consequences and the general hazard of this, but F Putin and his tanker-scow fleet.

[SVPete]

CBS boss 'OUTRAGED' by clip showing Texas TV reporter being told not to cover jubilant Iranian protests after Trump had Ayatollah killed

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/article-15607837/cbs-austin-iran-protests-coverage-bari-weiss.html

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss is 'fuming' over a viral video that appears to show a CBS Austin reporter being instructed to downplay coverage of a pro-Israel-US protest then occurring behind him, it is claimed.

Weiss, 41, saw the footage and wants a network-wide crackdown as a result, a well-placed source told the Daily Mail.

CBS affiliates will not be exempt from the effort, the insider said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

If Weiss seriously attempts to correct this bias, many CBS stations' "news" rooms will be empty/emptied.

[enslaved1]

DOJ admits 47,635 Epstein files — including Trump allegations — were removed

The ragebait headline that is all so many will read....

A spokesperson for the Justice Department told the outlets that “47,635 files were offline for further review and should be ready for re-production by the end of the week.”

Those offline files include materials connected to unverified allegations against President Donald Trump, The Independent previously reported.

“Our team is working around the clock to address victim concerns, redact personally identifiable information and any images of a sexual nature,” according to Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre. “All responsive documents will be repopulated online once proper redactions are made.”

The context, with a little emphasis from me.  The TDS crowd is really willing to try and turn years of horrible abuse of so many by so many into a weak "gotcha Orange Man!!!!11!!".  If Trump is guilty of any of the atrocities, he needs hung from battery connected jumper cables by the testicles and dunked into an iced horse tank, just like the rest of the pervs.  But logic says as much as the US and world political machine hates the man, if there was really anything available that could tank him/convict him/throw him in jail, it would have come out a long time ago.  Get over trying to get Trump, and take out the sickos. 

[SVPete]

Jasmine Crockett Goes Full Stacey Abrams in Election Night Meltdown

https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/03/04/jasmine-crockett-goes-full-stacey-abrams-in-election-night-meltdown-n4950222

Jasmine Crockett didn’t simply lose her Senate primary. She staged a slow-motion meltdown on the way out the door, complete with preemptive claims of cheating and “disenfranchisement,” long before the votes were even done being counted.

Early Tuesday evening, while ballots were still being tallied across 254 Texas counties, Crockett started laying the groundwork for an excuse. She told supporters there had been “a lot of confusion” in Dallas County. She insisted that “people have been disenfranchised,” blaming Republicans for supposedly targeting Dallas and hinting darkly at votes that might not count. Then she left her own watch party early and told the crowd not to expect results that night, saying, “We’re not gonna have election results tonight, in my opinion,” and declaring she wouldn’t be back.

The story she spun was simplistic: It was the Republicans’ fault. Republicans messed with the rules, voters got confused, and now the integrity of the election is in doubt. Oh, and blame Republicans!

It was a true Stacey Abrams-level election conspiracy theory, as if Republicans were desperate to stop her from winning her primary. ...

Sadly, from an R POV, unlike Crickett, Talarico seems insufficiently insane to think, "I hate Trump," is the only campaign message he needs.

[SVPete]

U.S. Sub Sinks Iranian Warship, First Such Hit Since WWII

https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/03/04/us-sub-sinks-iranian-warship-n4950226

A United States submarine successfully sank an Iranian regime warship, according to a Wednesday morning update from the secretary of war.

The American submarine using a torpedo to sink an Iranian ship is particularly historic because, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, this is the first such sinking of a ship since World War II. And just as the USA demanded unconditional surrender during World War II, Hegseth emphasized, now the U.S. is in it to win it again.

The U.S.-Israeli joint Operation Epic Fury continues to claim prizes, including a warship named for the terrorist Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leader (Qasem Soleimani) whom Donald Trump eliminated during his first term and on behalf of whom the likewise assassinated Ayatollah Khamenei repeatedly vowed to assassinate President Donald Trump.

“The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” Hegseth confidently announced. “[It’s] combat ineffective, decimated, destroyed, defeated, pick your adjective. In fact, last night, we sunk their prize ship, the ‘Soleimani’.”

Looks like the Mark 48 torpedo is more reliable than the WW2-vintage Mark 14 ... not that the Mark 14 was a high standard of excellence.

Because of the strategy around which the Iranian navy was designed - commerce raiding and piracy with small ships, patrol boats, and mini-submarines - it needs to be literally reduced to rowboats and dhows, and facilities capable of building speedboats flattened.

[SVPete]

BREAKING: Border Patrol Shoots Armed Man at Checkpoint

https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/03/04/breaking-border-patrol-shoots-armed-man-at-checkpoint-n4950244

Federal officers reportedly shot an armed man who opened fire at a Texas border checkpoint Wednesday.

Fox News national correspondent Brooke Taylor broke the news about the March 4 shooting on X. “Multiple sources from various agencies involved confirm a man is dead after he fled a border patrol checkpoint and fired at officers,” she posted at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Taylor, who is based in the Dallas area, added, “Sources tell me the pursuit started when he fled Sierra Blanca Checkpoint (a remote area between El Paso and Van Horn), crashed his car, then fired at officers, who returned fire, and killed him.”

She indicated that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) was involved in the event along with federal and local authorities: “I am told this involves local police, DPS, and Border Patrol but it is not clear yet which agency returned fire and shot him. No reported injuries on officers or agents," she wrote.

Dems have a new martyr. I wonder whether the deceased is an illegal alien martyr or a local resident martyr.

[SVPete]

Forget Iran. Trump's Blowing Stuff Up Elsewhere Too.

https://pjmedia.com/sarah-anderson/2026/03/04/forget-iran-trumps-blowing-stuff-up-elsewhere-too-n4950236

UPDATE, 6:00 p.m. EST:

The U.S. Embassy in Ecuador has announced more details: "Ecuadorian authorities, in close cooperation with the United States and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), dismantled a large-scale international drug trafficking network linked to the Ecuadorian cartel 'Los Lobos' in the provinces of Guayas, El Oro, and Loja. This successful joint operation, conducted since January 2025 with the coordination of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), resulted in the arrest of 16 suspects, including a high-value target, the seizure of significant quantities of cocaine and more than $800,000, and the disruption of a complex money laundering and corruption scheme.

This criminal group was responsible for large-scale cocaine trafficking to Europe, using fruit exporting companies as a front for its illicit activities. The drugs were concealed within legitimate export shipments, especially refrigerated fruit containers, and strategically positioned to evade detection."
...
On Monday, Noboa announced via X that "We are launching a new phase against narco-terrorism and illegal mining."

"In the month of March, we will conduct joint operations with our regional allies, including the United States. The security of Ecuadorians is our priority, and we will fight to achieve peace in every corner of the country," he said. "To achieve that peace, we must act forcefully against criminals, wherever they may be. The pursuit of justice and national dignity will never be persecution, but rather a promise that we will keep to Ecuadorians."

My emphasis ... did something happen in January 2025 that led to the start of this operation? (Excuse me while I pry my tongue out of my cheek)

[SVPete]

House Democrat who has repeatedly tried to impeach Trump heads to runoff election amid tight primary

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrat-who-has-repeatedly-tried-impeach-trump-heads-runoff-election-amid-tight-primary

Eleven-term Veteran Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, and newly minted Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, will face off again after neither Democrat captured over 50% of the vote on Tuesday evening in their bids to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District.

Under Texas law, if no candidate has captured a majority of the vote, the race will head to a runoff election. On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Menefee received 46% of votes and Green 44.2%.

Green has served in Congress since 2005, representing the Lone Star State’s 9th Congressional District. This year, because of redistricting changes advanced by Republicans, Green announced he would pursue reelection in the state’s 18th Congressional District, putting him on a collision course with Menefee.

Menefee is as bad, policy-wise, as Green, but would be less entertaining. I almost prefer Green.

[ADsOutburst]

Jasmine Crockett Goes Full Stacey Abrams in Election Night Meltdown

https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/03/04/jasmine-crockett-goes-full-stacey-abrams-in-election-night-meltdown-n4950222

Sadly, from an R POV, unlike Crickett, Talarico seems insufficiently insane to think, "I hate Trump," is the only campaign message he needs.

Crockett was cheated, but by Democrats.

Talarico seems like a classic example of how Democrats socially engineer their way into positions of power. He falsely claimed Trump suppressed his interview with Colbert, and I'm sure he'll try to present himself as a moderate to get elected. Many commentators have pinpointed the interview as the turning point in the primary.

They might not have used fraudulent ballots this time, but they cheated just the same.