Team Hegseth, And Team Noem: Supposed To Wear Same Color Jersey. Seems… They Don’t, Really. Feuding Cabinet Lackeys Edition.

This is eventually going to get US service members killed — mark my words.

Yesterday, it was only a “dead” drone.

But apparently the “Dept. of War” fired on one of its own: a US Border Patrol drone near Fort Hancock, Texas — with a laser: “Pew-pew-pew!” End, drone patrol mission. [And. . . we know Tangerine 2.0 is thinking of actions into Iran?! How many own goals to come there? Damn.] Here’s that from the NYT, tonight:

…The closure of airspace near the U.S.-Mexico border for the second time over the use of lasers to shoot down drones is the latest evidence that some powerful government agencies seem to be at war. With each other.

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration closed air travel over the small town of Fort Hancock, Texas, after soldiers fired a high-energy laser on a drone they deemed threatening. The drone was later determined to have been flown by Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

A preliminary internal report on the incident said Customs and Border Protection had not notified the Defense Department it was launching a drone in that area. So to the military, it was an unknown drone, a Pentagon official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation into the matter….

This is what happens when deeply incompetent people lead organizations — everything starts to fall… apart. Out.

नमस्ते

NASA Admits: There Will Be No Artemis “Boots On Moon” Before Late 2028 — If Ever.

This very morning, Trump’s guy at NASA — after the dual disappointments, on the two most recent “wet” dress rehearsals we detailed — has made it clear that Trump is unhappy that we won’t have some goofy show-boat junk-mission surrounding the Moon, for this coming Fourth of July (250th).

So he is announcing a hiring jamboree of some sort — and the goal is to increase the number of missions per year. Yikes. To be clear, I am all for increasing NASA’s science and engineering team budgets. [But I favor safer, robotic missions of high science value — to Mars, and beyond.]

In any event, here is the presser, but not too much of this will get funded after the mid-terms — and almost certainly not, when there is a new occupant at 1600 Penn.:

…As teams prepare to launch Artemis II in the weeks ahead, the Artemis III mission, now in 2027, will be designed to test out systems and operational capabilities in low Earth orbit to prepare for an Artemis IV landing in 2028. This new mission will endeavor to include a rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, in-space tests of the docked vehicles, integrated checkout of life support, communications, and propulsion systems, as well as tests of the new Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) suits.

NASA will further define this test flight after completing detailed reviews between NASA and our industry partners. The agency will share the specific objectives for the updated Artemis III mission in the near future.

NASA’s recently announced workforce directive is a key factor in enabling this acceleration. NASA will rebuild core competencies in the civil servant workforce including more in-house and side-by-side development work with our Artemis partners, enabling a safer, more reliable, and faster launch cadence….

Now you now. Onward.

नमस्ते

In The Appeal Of The Hudson Tunnel Payments Awards / Prelim. Injunction… A Stay Motion Filed In Second Cir. — To Be Heard Tuesday.

Just a smallish update — on this “Tangerine’s Vanity” case.

The upper court will hear argument next week, on Tuesday, as to whether the already contracted-for, but future payments due may be stayed, during appeals:

…NOTICE OF MOTION PLACED ON THE CALENDAR

A motion for stay pending appeal filed in the above-referenced case has been added as a submitted case to the substantive motions calendar for Tuesday, March 3, 2026….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

CIDRAP: At Fighting Mpox, Tecovirimat (Tpoxx) No Better Than A Placebo… Disappointing.

But this is why we do actual… [bio-]science. Why we run independently-monitored, generally double-blinded clinical trials — with peer reviews, before publishing.

Knowing the actual facts… matters. Even when it means we need to look in other directions.

Heres’ the latest, from CIDRAP:

…The antiviral drug tecovirimat (Tpoxx) is no better than placebo in achieving a shorter time to clinical resolution, reduced pain, or increased viral DNA clearance in adults infected with clade 2 mpox virus, per a phase 3 randomized controlled trial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

An international roster of investigators in the Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally Study of Tecovirimat for Human Mpox Virus (STOMP/A5418) group randomly assigned 412 participants in a 2:1 ratio to receive either tecovirimat (275 patients) or a placebo (137) for 14 days from September 2022 to October 2024….

At 29 days, the estimated cumulative rate of clinical resolution was 83% in tecovirimat recipients and 84% in those given placebo, and 79% of tecovirimat recipients and 81% in the placebo group had clinical resolution of skin lesions. The competing-risks hazard ratio (crHR) for clinical resolution was 0.98. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in pain reduction in participants reporting severe pain (difference, 0.1 point) or in complete lesion healing (crHR, 0.97)….

Onward, resolutely just the same. [And yep — this is power alley stuff.]

नमस्ते

[U] So… Hinderaker And Noem: Telling Tall Tales?! Again?!

Hilarious!

Here’s Hinderaker’s highly dubious claim:

HOLY CRAP! Secretary Noem just revealed @ElonMusk helped find that a few DHS staffers installed SPYWARE on her phone and computer, as well as on the devices of of other political hires….

So… we are to believe that Noem handed her phone over to a DHS career employee who then was able to install spyware on the phone without her detection. Actually that’s pretty believable because she’s an idiot (at least insofar as the frother would suggest she didn’t know it had happened).

But if this were true, why would it be that we’re only hearing about Elon’s great (and sly anti-spy) efforts… a full year later?

Updated: with the benefit of eight hours sleep, it occurs to me that it is equally likely (if it happened at all), that Trump/MAGA loyalists at DHS were the ones who did it – after all, he is requiring loyalty oaths, and it is pretty well known in Republican circles that Noem fancies herself a presidential candidate for 2028. End update.

And isn’t it so… convenient that Noem may be on her way to being canned (as Abrego goes entirely free!) — she’s “sh!t through a goose” (in Tangerine’s eyes) and she’s trying to save herself?! Seems… plausible!

Inquiring minds wish to know. And of course, John suggests that it is only leftists that would’ve done this. Preposterous.

But not John — he’ll believe anything.

Out.

[U: Complete.] Live Notes — From Courtroom 5D, In The Morning…

This will go live (assuming lawyers’ cell-phones are permitted inside the well) shortly after 9 AM Central on February 26, 2026.

Hopefully the day ends in a dismissal — on all counts.

… ➢ We are about halfway through Mr. McGuire’s testimony… And it is not going well for him. He hasn’t been cross examined yet and it’s 11 AM. Cell phones are not permitted inside the court so only when we break will there be updates.

➢ Acting US Atty. Robert McGuire has claimed on cross-examination, that when the liaison with Main Justice was emailing him about including “the Baltimore information” in his speaking indictment, that he did not take that as anyone trying to help him draft his indictment.

➢ Yet in the next breath, he admitted that in high profile cases, he would expect to be submitting an indictment like this up the chain for “approval” — in other words, that Pam Bondi or Todd Blanche (or someone) was suggesting that counts should be added, even though there was no competent proof for allegations like “MS 13 — or gun trafficking.” That’s pretty explosive.

➢ And, in fact, this speaking indictment contained at least three clearly false statements about Mr. Abrego Garcia, which were never actually made part of any included charge. More as we get it.

➢ Supervisory Special Agent John VanWie, Homeland Security Investigations was on the government’s witness list, but the AUSA rested without calling him. Hmm….

➢ We learned that he was the conduit and keeper of the “Baltimore information“. Question: is it at least possible that the entirely sealed proceeding we mentioned early in the week has to do with VanWie, and how it came to be… that Kristi Noem herself repeated several of his lies — at a press conference she called, in Nashville? [It is nearly unheard of for a Cabinet level official like Noem, to traffic in lies in public press conferences — about a regional ICE indictee.] We shall see, but she’s never set the record straight….

➢ We are done — post hearing briefs in three* [nope; 30] days; then Judge Crenshaw will rule….

Onward — but now, I must sleep. ✈

नमस्ते

~~~~~~~~~~~~

* The New York Times reporter in the well thought Judge Crenshaw said “30 days”. Updated: he heard correctly; paper order entered 02.27.26 — but that would be the typical rule for full post trial briefs (of perhaps 30-50 pages…) this should come in at under 10 pages — as today’s two witnesses appeared merely at an evidentiary hearing. Moreover, a man has been indicted for felonies, and quite possibly the DoJ was acting vindictively (lawlessly) — in the judge’s own prior orders. I thought I heard three days, but I was wrong. Could the delay in Judge Crenshaw’s ruling indicate that the sealed matter involves a consensual transfer to Costa Rica — for Mr. Abrego Garcia? We shall see.

Mpox WHO Global Situation Report: As Of February 24, 2026

Globally, there are now over 54,000 active cases of Mpox (all Clades) — and 221 verified deaths, as all clades of mpox/sq-pox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate.

This will be a long, winding road ahead. Here is the latest, from WHO:

…In January 2026, 50 countries across all WHO regions reported a total of 1334 new confirmed mpox cases, including three deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] 0.2%). Of these cases, 66% were reported in the African Region.

➢ Four regions observed a decline in confirmed cases in January, compared to December 2025, while the European Region reported an increase in confirmed cases.

➢ Twenty countries in Africa reported active transmission of mpox in the last six weeks (5 January – 15 February 2026), with 1142 confirmed cases, including four deaths (CFR 0.4%). Countries reporting the highest number of cases in this period are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, Liberia and Ghana.

➢ One country, Comoros, and one territory, La Réunion (Overseas Department of France), have reported mpox due to clade Ib MPXV for the first time.

➢ Outside Africa, reports of community transmission of clade Ib MPXV continue in France, Portugal and Spain, including in sexual networks of men who have sex with men.

➢ WHO conducted a global mpox rapid risk assessment in February 2026; the overall global public health risk associated with the mpox multi-country outbreak was assessed as moderate.

➢ India has reported a case of mpox with the clade Ib /IIb recombinant MPXV. The strain sequenced is closely related to the first clade Ib / IIb recombinant strain reported by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in December 2025. As both cases are travel-related, these case reports suggest wider transmission of the recombinant strain, implicating four countries in three WHO regions….

Onward — headed… south — smiling, and hoping for a good outcome in federal court, tomorrow.

नमस्ते

[U] Hmm. There Is A Separate, Entirely SEALED Case — 26-mj-4029 — In The USDC In Nashville, Now Lised As “Associated” With Abrego Garcia’s…

Updated | 02.25.2026 @ 5 PM: Tomorrow we will undoubtedly find out more over in Courtroom 3D. Nothing at the court live, this evening, on paper. Onward. End update.

[Originally @ 02.24.2026 PM:] When I get situated tomorrow afternoon, I’ll go by the live in person docket, and see what I can find out. Likely not much — but it could be one of the cases against one of the supposed govt. “cooperating” witnesses. We shall see.

In any event, I am pretty sure it will all be made clear shortly after 9 AM on Thursday, in USDC Judge Waverly Crenshaw’s courtroom.

…26-mj-4029 | Sealed v. Sealed. This case is SEALED….

Onward, resolutely. On the Southwest small-jet by 2 pm….

नमस्ते

The News Is… Clearly Immaterial, Today. [Power Alley]

Merck is taking steps to segment the oncology wing of its businesses into a separate operating group.

Yawn. As I understand it, the team hasn’t even set up a separate holdco subsidiary for the pembrolizumab franchises. That is, these are simply spreadsheet entries at this point — not legal entities. [It will make it much easier for the internal management teams to track the fully-loaded profitability of the oncology wing, though — to be certain.]

The move is to make the company both more agile and “ready to go”, should someone be willing to pay the very last, tip-top dollar for those businesses. But until then — I can all but guarantee Rob Davis is not going to sell-, or spin- the franchises. [Query: I suppose he could sell the rest of the company off, and keep oncology… but that too is perhaps a decade away, yet. He could fund the dividend forever, with the oncology earnings.] So yes, all of this is definitively immaterial, today.

Here’s the stuff, from Fierce:

…Merck is reorganizing its current human health business into a distinct oncology division and a separate specialty, pharma and infectious diseases unit, the company said in a Feb. 23 release.

The oncology unit will, naturally, oversee Merck’s roster of current and experimental cancer meds, including Keytruda, which Merck has predicted will collect $35 billion in peak annual sales in 2028. . . .

Non-cancer products — including newer growth driver Winrevair and aging diabetes stalwart Januvia — will go over to the other unit, which will also oversee Merck’s portfolio of vaccines, according to The Wall Street Journal….

Largely a yawner — for the next five to ten years. Onward, to Music City, manaña… smile.

नमस्ते

Take A Dangerous Ride Around… A “Dark Matter Dominated” Galaxy, 600 Million Lightyears Off, In Perseus…

William Butler Yeats had different beasts in mind, when he first penned the below — after WWI. That much is certain.

But consider that entirely dark galaxies are out there — and should you be unlucky enough to miss the gravitational waves, it might just swallow you… whole. But fret not — this one is over 600 million light-years out, in Perseus. We won’t fall in — by anyone’s accident or inattention.

“…Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere….

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That [six million] centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare
by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards [Perseus] to be born?

William Butler Yeats (1919)

Hah! [Pretty… dark, and foreboding — like our current moment.] Yet, in any event, here’s the far more cheerful latest-, and a video- explainer, from NASA (on these stealthy enigmas):

…NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an exceptional discovery in the Perseus galaxy cluster: CDG-2, an ultra-low surface brightness galaxy composed of 99% dark matter.

This elusive galaxy remained hidden until astronomers detected a slight increase in globular cluster density, suggesting the presence of an underlying galactic structure.

Observations from Hubble, ESA’s Euclid observatory, and the Subaru Telescope confirmed a faint halo of diffuse light surrounding these ancient star clusters.

Analysis indicates CDG-2 has the luminosity of approximately six million Sun-like stars, with the clusters comprising about 16% of its visible matter. The galaxy’s normal matter was likely stripped away through gravitational interactions within the Perseus cluster….

नमस्ते