Author: condor

About An Hour And A Half Ago, Crew-12 Left The Cape… Docking At ISS Tomorrow Around 3 PM EST.

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Excellent — and a clean ride — into orbit!

Now its chosen trajectory will, by Valentine’s afternoon, let it “kiss” the ISS, and start a planned nine month stay:

…Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14….

Onward, as a much needed Homeland Security zero budget shutdown looms. [Karma is. . . a wheel, to be sure.]

नमस्ते

Good Riddance — And As Gov. Walz Just Said “You Must Pay, To Fix What You… Broke.” ICE, Out — Of Minnesota, Now.

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I’ve been detained in the courts today, but I am certain most of you have already seen this. Homan is turning tail (just as Bovino & Noem did, at the end of September, in Chicago)… and running away.

But that will not be the end of it — the feckless and lawless federal government agencies (and the agents who committed crimes) will be embroiled in litigation now, for years — here in Minneapolis and in Chicago. Here’s the latest, via CNN:

…A bitterly divided Washington is headed for its third government funding lapse of President Donald Trump’s second term — this time, a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security over the issue of federal immigration enforcement.

With lawmakers leaving town Thursday, funding for the department is set to expire Friday at midnight.

GOP leaders sent their members home after the two parties made no concrete progress toward a deal that Democrats are demanding must rein in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations after last month’s fatal shootings by federal agents of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota….

What a horribly tragic episode this all has been, in our nation’s history. It dishonors the legacy of the Lady in The Harbor, to be certain. Onward, resolutely — just the same. Onward — to find more chocolates… smile.

नमस्ते

I Deeply Hope That 84-Year-Old Mrs. Guthrie Is Returned Home, Safely… And I Do Wonder About… Nearly 95,000 “Missing” Young Black Girls In America…

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I absolutely understand why the public becomes fixated, when a relative of a celebrity goes missing. And certainly, this one has been full of dramatic twists and turns — and involves a deeply-sympathetic 84 year old mom of outstanding character. I fervently hope she is returned home, safely. [But candidly, the statistics would sadly say that each day now that she remains unfound… increases the odds that she is never found — at least not… alive.]

And… I think we all should take a breath, and realize there are probably now over 100,000 young Black and brown women who’ve also “disappeared” in America (just since 2022) — and we do not even know their names, let alone their stories. And in point of fact, far fewer resources are moving toward finding any of them. [There are also over 200,000 white women (most of limited means) similarly missing, too — and none of us know even 1% of those names… and stories.]

I want these faceless ones to matter, too. We all do. And we need to allocate AWAY from ICE interdiction slush funds, and deploy those billions to finding the missing women and children. That is what a humane society would do. Here’s a now-rather-dated Biden era explainer from the DoJ. Trump hasn’t bothered to update anything like this, since taking office (as it doesn’t fit into his narrative of imagined other-ness and divisiveness):

…[A]ccording to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed general medical journal The Lancet, Black women are six times more likely to be murdered than their white peers. These stark and tragic statistics reveal and underscore systemic issues of bias, neglect, and a lack of resources that hinder effective responses to this crisis….

According to the National Crime Information Center, in 2022, of the 271,493 girls and women reported missing, 97,924, or over 36 percent, were Black, despite the fact that Black women and girls comprised only 14 percent of the U.S. female population at the time….

Tell the Congress — that money we are going to allocate AWAY from ICE — ought to go, at least in part, to these efforts. And to feeding the one in five Americans who regularly go hungry, here in this privileged society. Onward.

नमस्ते

Look — All Mass Shootings Are Horrible. But Actual *Facts* Still Matter, Hinderaker.

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Hinderaker is yet again trying to speciously blame “most” school shootings on the fact that some of the shooters were either trans-, or transitioning, in the last few years.

So… I feel compelled to note that — far and away — the mass murderers, in these highly-targeted multi-victim shootings… are Whyte males.

And far and away, even the trans- ones… were Whyte — and assigned the gender of male, at birth.

I might add that a majority of them… also come from military backgrounds.

And still — no matter does the shooting — one… is one too many.

But the deplorable way Hinderaker rushes to lie about the facts — to drive his own awful wedge issue agenda… is sickening.

Here endeth my sermon.

And eat sh!t, John.

As We Said, On Monday… Gilead Is A Very Fine Company: Up 5% On NASDAQ, After Solid Q4 Print…

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And Needham has now posted a near term $170 price target for the maker of what is effectively an AIDS cure.

This is all great news — and yes, this is power alley stuff, for us. In any event, here’s the latest:

…While late-stage, big-ticket acquisitions remain possibilities for Gilead, the pharma is not as pressed as its peers to ink major deals to beef up its product pipeline.

“We may not have the urgency of other companies in this sector,” CEO Daniel O’Day told investors in a call Tuesday afternoon to present the company’s full-year 2025 earnings results. But, he added, “we’re very proactive and disciplined.”

However, the pharma isn’t completely closing its doors on takeovers. O’Day noted that Gilead will “continue to add to our pipeline with appropriate M&A over the course of the coming years.”

Analysts at BMO Capital Markets echoed the sentiment, stating in a note to investors Wednesday morning that M&A for Gilead would be “nice to have” but not a necessity. If M&A were on the table, the analysts would look for activity “in core areas: liver disease, oncology, and inflammation….”

Onward, smiling into a warming sunshine… be excellent to one another.

नमस्ते

[U: For Hinderaker’s Lies] Pirro’s Latest Farce — Against Free Speech — Was “No Billed” Tonight.

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Updated: a day later, John Hinderaker claims the result here is proof that all of New York is biased against Trump and (whatever he might mean by) “the rule of law.”

He would prefer to claim — and pretend to see — a vast well organized left wing conspiracy to prevent Trump from achieving his autocratic goals, than to admit what we all know: the unanimous “no bills” are the result of a careful application of the law by a well seasoned prosecutor explaining it to the thoughtful grand jury. Peaceful dissent against the policies of an administration one opposes can never be a crime. Period. Suck that John — end update.

This result (no indictments — inaminously, against six people, in an attempt to criminalize peaceful but dissenting speech) is not remotely surprising to anyone who understands the United States Constitution. And not, to anyone who understands that the federal criminal justice system is not a political tool to be weilded by a psychopath — at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

These are dark times — but the system of checks and balances is — in general — working. Tangerine 2.0 is increasingly being shown for the petulant sociopath he is. Moreover, no one he is seeking retribution against is ever gonna’ go to jail. [But he still might, after 2028.] Here’s the latest:

…Sen. Kelly denounced the administration’s repeated efforts to target him and his colleagues.

“This is an outrageous abuse of power by Donald Trump and his lackeys,” he said in a statement. “Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.”

Time and again, the Justice Department under Mr. Trump has brought questionable criminal cases against foes of the president — among them, James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and Letitia James, New York’s attorney general.

Even though many of these cases have been weak, the department has apparently determined that it may be better to fail in court rather than push back against Mr. Trump’s well-known desire for revenge….

Geez — what a waste of skin that codger is. Out.

नमस्ते

In The Hudson Tunnel Matter — An ALJ May Rule By March 10, But That Doesn’t Stop A USDC Judge, Tonight…

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The construction companies / contractors and their workers are owed over $220 million — from the federal government’s Dept. of Transportation. And… Tangerine is refusing to to pay them because they won’t rename the project the Trump Tunnel.

This is patently lawless. And 100% Trump’s four decades long M.O. Disgusting.

But there is no valid procedural reason, for the US position before an ALJ to take front seat, over the existing USDC [full court] proceedings in Manhattan, before a real Art. III judge. None. But that’s what the Tangerine 2.0 forces are pushing, tonight:

…This Office represents defendants-appellants (the “government”) in the above-named appeal. The government respectfully writes pursuant to Rule 28(j) to apprise the Court of the expedited briefing schedule in Gateway Development Commission v. United States, No. 26-176, the related action before the Court of Federal Claims.

On February 10, 2026, a status conference was held in that court. During that conference, the court ordered an expedited briefing schedule on Gateway Development Commission’s (“GDC’s”) motion for partial summary judgment seeking immediate payment of past-due money, i.e., $205 million—the same relief plaintiffs in this action demand. The court indicated that after briefing is completed, it would issue a ruling from the bench on March 12, 2026.

The expedited schedule in the Court of Federal Claims demonstrates that that court is moving quickly to resolve the issues before it. Given that plaintiffs in this case are seeking the same relief as GDC is pursuing in the Court of Federal Claims, an administrative stay and stay pending appeal of the district court’s order is especially warranted to avoid interfering with the pending parallel litigation in the GDC matter….

Ridiculous. Out.

Don Lemon Has Hired A Top Notch Defense Lawyer — But He Won’t Need Him.

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Joseph Thompson — who, as of last month, became a criminal defense lawyer — is the former US Attorney for Minneapolis. He was previously a prosecutor in Chicago — and had clerked for Judge Pallmeyer here… all of which reflects very well on his abilities.

The Boys from Main Justice will lose for certain now.

Don Lemon doesn’t need such high-powered help — given that his First Amendment / news gathering defense is iron clad — but I think he just wants to “run up the score”, against the MAGA idiots.

Flawless.

In Which “ICE Barbie” Thinks She Can DICTATE What Congress May And May Not Do, As “Oversight” Of Her [To This Point, Largely Unaccountable] Militia…

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Welp. She is “an inferior officer” — in both the Constitutional sense — and plain English parlance. She is plainly… inferior, in every sense of the word.

She has no authority to countermand, disobey or revoke a federal court TRO. But she thinks her Black Sharpie has that power. Not so. [Now we need the Democrats in Congress to hold the line — and let the GOP shutdown the government, until the same are ready to zero out ICE Barbie’s budget — and start over. Killings via a vastly slush-funded, largely unaccountable private militia [ICE / DHS] are not what the founders had in mind.]

In any event, here is her patent-lunacy in full — pulled from an exhibit (in the federal litigation that has preliminarily enjoined her attempts at bossing the Congress around, in DC), and filed in open court:

…On January 8, 2026, I issued a new policy directing that requests by Members of Congress to visit an ICE facility be submitted at least seven days in advance of the visit.

On February 2, 2026, in Neguse v. ICE, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily enjoined DHS from enforcing that policy or otherwise requiring any plaintiff to provide advance notice before conducting oversight visits for a period of 14 days….

The court concluded that DHS’s policy remains inconsistent with Section 527(b) of the Department’s appropriation [funding]. It is odd that the court issued this decision given the appropriation containing Section 527(b) lapsed on January 31, 2026. [Note that Noem has no standing to call a USDC court’s order “odd”. She may appeal it, but she cannot just sign a new memo (ignoring it). That is the stuff of… Putin.]

As a result of the [funding] lapse, Section 527 is not currently in effect. Therefore, as of this date, I am issuing this new policy that is identical in substance to the January 8 access policy. The General Counsel will provide further guidance regarding the effective date of this policy in light of the court’s order….

What an idiotic faux cowgirl she is. Sit your leather-tanned face self down, ICE Barbie.

Now Likely Friday Morning — Weather At The Cape — Delays Crew 12 Launch, Off Of Thursday…

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As is often the case — Florida weather can be… dynamic, this time of year. So we push a day (or a few days, even).

We will keep you informed, but here is the latest — from NASA:

…NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5:15 a.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 13, for launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Mission teams completed a weather review Tuesday morning and have waived off the Thursday, Feb. 12, launch opportunity due to forecast weather conditions along Crew-12’s flight path.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev remain in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida until the next launch opportunity.

Crew-12 will lift off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40, and would then dock to the space station’s Harmony module at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. The commercial crew quartet will stay in space for a nine-month microgravity research mission….

Onward, resolutely.

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