If I had a million tabbies (if I had a million tabbies) ...
Former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the release of the Epstein files linking him to Jeffrey Epstein.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 23, 2026
Police said: “This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.” pic.twitter.com/9tZE2Ywnct
Ed: The progressive Left in the UK is having a very bad month. Keir Starmer may find it difficult to survive this as PM. And he shouldn't.
===
NBC News: Peter Mandelson was arrested amid an intensifying scandal after the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of documents, some of which appear to show him leaking sensitive political and market information to Epstein.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a news release that it was an update on an investigation into misconduct in public office offenses “relating to a former government minister.”
“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the force said in a statement, adding that he had been taken to be interviewed at a London police station. The statement did not name Mandelson, as is standard practice under British law.
Ed: That's somewhat puzzling. Everyone knew who got arrested. It was on video. The same thing happened last week wth the Perv Formerly Known As Prince Andrew. I get that it's the tradition in the UK, but it seems like a pretty useless tradition ... like the peerage and the monarchy.
===
NEW FROM TSA — a policy shift:
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 22, 2026
At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public. As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly. Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of… https://t.co/M2saix6iBd
Ed: I think the White House got caught unprepared for the backlash of the initial shutdown. They would be better off picking and choosing sites for TSA closures rather than all at once. Start with the DC area, move out to places where Senate Dems needs to run for re-election, and slowly increase the pressure.
===
WSJ: The Dow dropped about 1.6%, more than 800 points, in afternoon trading, with declines in American Express, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan weighing on the benchmark. Software companies took another hit, after a report by Citrini Research sparked new worries about the economic fallout from AI. AppLovin and Intuit both lost more than 7%,
Trade-sensitive stocks also slumped, including American Eagle Outfitters, Ralph Lauren and Yeti Holdings. Bonds rallied, benefiting from investors' flight to safer assets.
Over the weekend, Trump said he would increase to 15% his new global tariff aimed at replacing many of the duties ruled illegal by the Supreme Court last week. His latest threats suggest the administration will pursue trade duties by other means, which could result in more volatility for markets. Other questions remain, including whether the administration will refund businesses that paid levies.
Ed: The more unpredictability one creates, the more disincentives one creates for investors. This isn't a massive drop, considering the scale of the market indices; the Dow fell by less than two points, and the other markets fell back by smaller percentages. But it is a signal that investors would like to see more stability and predictability, and that Trump's hopes for solid growth as midterm messaging may rely on that.
===
You didn’t give a shit about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations shitholes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 23, 2026
Spare me your fake fucking outrage,… https://t.co/ABNZJQJLcj
Ed: Oh my ... did that hit a nerve, Gavin? Boo hoo.
===
John Hinderaker at Power Line: Note that Newsom doesn’t try to address the criticism that many made of his speech–that it was racist because it assumed that blacks can’t read and have low SAT scores. On that, Newsom’s position is: no comment. Instead, he pretends, absurdly, that he was criticized for being dyslexic.
As to the “ape video,” I am not sure what happened. Reportedly, the White House posted a video on election fraud that for some reason had a brief still image at the end. The image apparently came from a video that depicted many Democrats (not just the Obamas) as various jungle animals, with Trump as a lion. Joe Biden was a monkey, Hillary Clinton was a warthog. So the video wasn’t racist, even if the White House had posted the whole thing. As for the “sh*thole countries,” which were not necessarily African, the truth hurts.
In any event, “so’s your old man” is not an effective response. Newsom is running for President, Trump isn’t. And Trump has never done anything as overtly racist as Newsom’s insulting remarks in Georgia.
Ed: My thoughts on this can be found at this link. I did note Newsom's dyslexia, but Newsom wasn't speaking to an audience of dyslexics, and he wasn't basing his argument on dyslexia. He was trying to paint himself as an ordinary joe of the same caliber as that which he presumed the audience to be. Newsom's retconning the argument to deflect from the obvious message he sent.
===
Gavin Newsom tells Jim Clyburn that he’d have trouble complying with the SAVE Act because he doesn’t know where to find his birth certificate:
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 19, 2026
“You've got to find your birth certificate. I have no clue where mine is."
Good lord. Just beyond parody. pic.twitter.com/mQZqQSXPVF
Ed: This is from last week, but it's the same faux self-deprecating paternalism and condescension. Newsom knows precisely where his birth certificate is: in the records of the county in which he was born. Even if he wasn't the governor, Newsom can get a certified copy easily and quickly, just as Americans all across the country do when they want to apply for a passport or get a driver's license in states that require Real ID compliance. Newsom's not an idiot, but he's convinced you are.
===
Kira Davis: Think about what this man just said. Perhaps it would be easier for me to interpret, although his comments seemed pretty clear.
“I’m like you. I’m no better than you.”
But what did he say about himself?
undereducated
intellectually disabled
struggles with literacy
not very sophisticated
And the Mayor laughed. He laughed at that as did many others in the crowd. I’m not sure which is worse - a Governor who wants to be President who thinks the way into the hearts of voters is to identify as an idiot, or the people who actually found that argument to be charming.
Ed: Six of one, half-dozen of the other. The mayor isn't running for president, though. Kira clearly isn't buying Newsom's spin attempts. Be sure to read it all.
===
A 2018 Yale study found that when white liberals talk to Black people, they dumb down their vocabulary. It's the beating heart of wokeness: Minorities are oppressed and in need of your beneficence. Here is Gavin Newsom literally presenting himself as dumb to appeal to Blacks. https://t.co/LakQPhRWGO pic.twitter.com/yQgFabSzx9
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) February 23, 2026
Ed: Yes, this pattern goes far beyond Newsom. Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris did this all during their campaigns.
===
Axios: Top Democratic officials who worked on the party's still-secret autopsy of the 2024 election concluded that Kamala Harris lost significant support because of the Biden administration's approach to the war in Gaza, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Democratic National Committee's research on what went wrong in 2024 has been under lock and key since party leaders decided last year to hide it from the public — a reflection of how explosively it could resonate within the party and beyond. ...
NC aides putting together the report on Harris' loss to Donald Trump had a closed-door conversation with a pro-Palestinian group about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Activists from the IMEU Policy Project told the DNC that the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel was a factor in the party's losses because it drained support from some young people and progressives.
Ed: Well, that's what they WOULD claim, no? The problem with that analysis is that is doesn't account for how many didn't vote for Harris because of the Biden Regency's moral idiocy on limiting Israel's response to the worst massacre of Jews since World War II, and the clarity it provided on the impossibility of a two-state solution with Hamas in control of Gaza.
===
Kash Patel celebrating USA Hockey Team historic win
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 23, 2026
Democrat Senator sipping margaritas with a foreign gang member and alleged human trafficker and wife beater
Guess which one Democrats are more upset over pic.twitter.com/LqCrl88exe
Ed: Oh, let's not always see the same hands ...
===
Eli Lake at The Free Press: Donald Trump has a Tucker Carlson problem. Since January, the president has privately urged the popular podcast host to end his battle with prominent pro-Israel MAGA influencers, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations.
People close to Trump have routinely brought Carlson’s attacks on Israel to his attention. And they have warned, as one Republican fundraiser close to the White House said, that the split Carlson was creating in Trump’s coalition was “destroying the chances of winning the midterms and the next election.”
The interview that Carlson aired on Friday with Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, could have been a chance for Carlson to create a reset. But instead of marking a truce, Carlson used the combative three-hour interview to open up a new front.
Ed: I don't know if Trump has "had enough" of Carlson, as the FP's headline reads. Lake doesn't actually reach that conclusion either, which leads me to believe someone else wrote the headline. Trump should definitely put some distance between Carlson and his White House at this point, especially after the interview with Huckabee, and should advice Vance to do the same.
===
Newsom’s dyslexia is the Biden stutter, a sympathetic catch-all excuse for mistakes of all kinds that can be turned against anyone who notices said mistakes. Making laying the groundwork for it this obvious is a choice. I’d play it a little more subtle if I were him.
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) February 23, 2026
Editor's note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you're digging these Final Word posts and want to join the conversation in the comments -- and support independent platforms -- why not join our VIP Membership program! Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code POTUS47 to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 74% off!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member