Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 2/23

[SVPete]

LA Schools Borrowed Over $1B to Pay Abuse Claims

https://www.frontpagemag.com/la-schools-borrowed-over-1b-to-pay-abuse-claims/

Another progressive policy is blowing up exactly as expected.

Last year I wrote about how California Dems had opened the door for endless billions in abuse claims.
...
Costs for the LA school system alone are set to pass $1 billion.

With costs mounting for alleged sexual misconduct cases, the Los Angeles school board has approved $250 million in bonds — on top of $500 million already authorized less than a year ago — to fund payouts to victims.

The cost of both bond issues, including financing, is expected to be more than $1 billion, based on cost estimates provided by the district, and will be paid out of the district’s general fund over at least a decade. The gradual repayment will lessen an immediate budget strain.

The board’s unanimous action this week authorized the administration to purchase a new round of “judgment obligation bonds.” This special instrument is essentially a loan from investors that can be drawn down as needed to pay off sexual misconduct claims as they arise.

The additional money is needed, said L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho, because “we are exhausting funds available to us to satisfy sex and molestation cases that have been brought against the district, in many instances, reflecting cases that go back decades, that the district is not willing — not able — to successfully defend.

So, several years ago, Sacto passed what was supposed to be a, "Get the Catholic Church," bill that did away with the Statute of Limitations for sex abuse civil suits. Whatever $$$-travail it has caused the Catholic Church, because the bill had to be all-inclusive to be constitutional, it ensnared, potentially, every public school and juvenile detention facility in the state.

Brilliant!

[SVPete]

Democrats Don't Know How to Get Their Birth Certificates?

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2026/02/23/democrats-dont-know-how-to-get-their-birth-certificates-n3812174

Do you have a driver's license? A passport? A RealID? A bank account? A Social Security card?

If so, you likely needed to prove your identity, which means you needed a birth certificate or an equivalent document.

Yet the new line that Democrats are using to fight the SAVE Act is that people have no idea how to obtain one.

Goobernor Noisome and The Bern claim they don't know how to get their birth certificate. Both have passports, which requires presenting one's birth certificate. Passports comply with the SAVE Act. There is a very high chance that Goobernor Noisome's drivers license has a star in the top right corner, which would mean it's a TRUE ID drivers license, which also requires a birth certificate and would be SAVE Act compliant.

As partisan lies go, this is stupider than most.

FWIW, my home county allows birth certificate requests in person or online, https://www.yolorecorder.org/233/Vital-Records . I'm sure most or all US counties do likewise.

[SVPete]

The Chicago Way Never Dies: Illinois CDL Scandal Demands Answers

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/02/22/the-chicago-way-never-dies-illinois-cdl-scandal-demands-answers-n4949816

The man running the office that issued noncitizen commercial driver's licenses, Alexi Giannoulias, is under suspicion because federal auditors later flagged those licenses as illegal.

Those findings weren't simple paperwork errors; nearly one in five nonresident CDLs reviewed failed to meet federal standards. The problems included missing lawful presence checks and licenses that stayed valid even after the drivers lost legal status.

Heavy trucks don't forget mistakes; families share highways with vehicles that weigh up to 40 tons. Competence and oversight matter.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Driver Services Director Kevin Duesterhaus 30 days to fix the mess or risk losing $128 million in federal highway funding. The letter he sent wasn't a friendly suggestion; it carried real consequences.

(Illinois Secretary of State) Giannoulias has positioned himself as a defender of the state’s trucking and logistics industries, arguing that the federal demands are damaging the state’s economy, its truckers, farmers, and others involved in the logistics sector.   

“A strong economy depends on strong logistics,” he said in a statement shared with Just the News earlier this week. “If trucks don’t move, supply chains fail, prices rise, and families feel it in their pocketbooks. We can see the actions by the Trump administration taking their toll on our truckers and our farmers, both of whom are essential to Illinois’ economy.”

Now, layer in the money: Giannoulias accepted over $300,000 in campaign donations from trucking and logistics groups between 2021 and 2025. His office regulates the same industry that funded his campaign.

[SVPete]

USA Wins Hockey Gold. M-SNOW (And Lemon) Hardest Hit?

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/02/23/usa-wins-hockey-gold-m-snow-hardest-hit-n3812173

So it's all champagne, beer, and American flags with the people and the media, right? Is this a moment when the Protection Racket Media aligns with, y'know, the normies? Not so fast. M-SNOW revealed that they are working on a major scandal involving USA Hockey and ... the FBI? Turns out FBI Director Kash Patel was in Milan and caught the game, and M-SNOW is all over it:
Embedded X post
Well, I for one am just waiting with bated breath for more ... on why this is a news story at all. Patel himself announced months ago that he would be in Milan when the Olympics took place, and specifically noted his plans to attend the games in some fashion. The FBI coordinated intelligence and counterterrorism with other global partners to protect the Olympics in the Milan Joint Operations Center, as Patel explained the day before the hockey final:

Nearly 100 US Government personnel have been surged to support the Olympics since the start of 2026 - with lessons we’ll take into the FIFA World Cup later this summer.

Thank you to Consul General Benning and the entire US Consulate Milan team for hosting - as well as DSS, FBI CIRG, and President Trump’s interagency teams for working around the clock to secure this incredible event

Are DUmmies howling about this?

[enslaved1]

USA Wins Hockey Gold. M-SNOW (And Lemon) Hardest Hit?

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/02/23/usa-wins-hockey-gold-m-snow-hardest-hit-n3812173


Are DUmmies howling about this?

Dunno about the DUmp, but reddit and twitter are all aflutter claiming he is there partying on taxpayer money. 

[ADsOutburst]

USA Wins Hockey Gold. M-SNOW (And Lemon) Hardest Hit?

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/02/23/usa-wins-hockey-gold-m-snow-hardest-hit-n3812173


Are DUmmies howling about this?

This raises serious questions.

Was Connor Hellebuyck informed as to where Canadian players would shoot?

Did Zach Werenski have inside knowledge about when to pressure Nathan MacKinnon into turning the puck over for the OT game-winning goal?

How deep does this go??

Hmm. HMMMMMMMMMM.

[SVPete]

Dunno about the DUmp, but reddit and twitter are all aflutter claiming he is there partying on taxpayer money.

Well:

1. By Federal law, he is one of a number of Federal officials who can only travel by US military transport;

2. Patel was in Milan to oversee the FBI's security operations. If his approval was needed for some action, he was right there, not thousands of miles and 7 time zones away. The victorious US men's hockey team invited Patel into their locker room, he was not there solely at his own initiative.