In a valiant effort not seen since the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, The Washington Post outdid itself with an obituary for Iran’s deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Post described the longtime Iranian Supreme Leader — who oversaw the murders of thousands of his own people — as “avuncular” in comparison to his “constantly scowling” predecessor, commenting on his “bushy beard and easy smile” and his predilection for Western literature.
“With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut a more avuncular figure in public than his perpetually scowling but much more revered mentor,” one paragraph read. “And he was known to be fond of Persian poetry and classic Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s &#8216;Les Misérables.’”
“Some Iranians who knew Ayatollah Khamenei before he became supreme leader described him as a &#8216;closet moderate,’” it continued.
Critics slammed the paper almost immediately, mocking the conciliatory tone of an obituary for the man who kept his own country oppressed for decades. Khamenei was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989, when he became the regime’s Supreme Leader until his death on Saturday.
Actor James Woods shared a paragraph from the obituary, commenting, “This is how the Washington Post eulogized the dirt bag who murdered 40,000 innocent civilians this month. This is not satire.”
“This reads like a dating app profile,” The Heritage Foundation’s Mary Vought observed.
“To Washington Post: What is wrong with you?” another asked. “Why are you describing the mass murdering terrorist Khamenei like he was a harmless old grandpa?”
“Yes, the Washington Post actually eulogized Khamenei by admiring his ‘bushy white beard and easy smile.’ The man was a terrorist, not Santa Claus!”
“The Washington Post just published a loving eulogy for terrorist dictator Ali Khamenei—like he&#8217;s a sweet grandfather, not the butcher who slaughtered thousands of Iranians and 600+ Americans,” podcast host Alec Lace posted. “Shame on WaPo. Pure disgrace.”
“Nice of the Washington Post to let Khamenei write his own obituary,” Doug Powers added.
“Washington Post: man who had women beaten and shot for not wearing hijab was merely an ‘avuncular figure’ with a ‘bushy white beard’ who liked ‘classic Western novels’; a Persian Santa Claus rather than one of history&#8217;s most despicable creatures,” Ryan O’Connor posted.
The outlet faced similar backlash in 2019 when American military forces, on orders from President Donald Trump, eliminated terrorist leader al-Baghdadi. That obituary described the brutal terrorist and Islamist leader as an “austere religious scholar.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

WaPo Shocks With Glowing Obit Of Iran’s Khamenei, Praises His ‘Easy Smile’

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Global Politics

Iran

Iran Airstrike

Media

Washington Post

Several prominent Democrats decried the fact that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a number of DACA (Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals) recipients during the first year of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, demanding that they be given a &#8220;path to citizenship&#8221; in spite of data showing the &#8220;vast majority&#8221; of them had criminal histories.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kelly-durbin-padilla-blast-dhs-for-wrongfully-targeting-and-removing-daca-recipients/">joint statement</a> with Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), protesting the arrests and casting doubt on Homeland Security&#8217;s assertion that 92% had criminal histories outside of immigration-related civil violations.
<blockquote>News of DACA recipients being arrested and deported is deeply troubling. These arrests disrupt families, harm communities, and inflict unnecessary social, emotional, and economic costs. And it is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Secretary Noem’s response to our letter claims that 241 of the 261 DACA recipients arrested had ‘criminal histories,’ without providing any further details. DACA recipients go through strict background checks every time they renew this protection, and the Trump Administration has not hesitated to arrest immigrants with no serious criminal convictions and falsely label them the &#8220;worst of the worst.&#8221; In the face of this Administration’s actions, it is important for Congress to protect young people who know no other home than the United States and continue the critical work to find a pathway to citizenship for them. We won’t accept partial information, and we demand that Secretary Noem provide more information on their basis for arresting and deporting DACA holders immediately.</blockquote>
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in her letter to Durbin, explained, &#8220;[DACA] comes with no right or entitlement to remain in the United States indefinitely. Aliens with certain criminal histories will not be considered for DACA. Further, those who violate the terms are also subject to termination and removal.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daca-recipients-ice-arrested-2025-trump-administration/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=911656717">data compiled</a> by the federal government and shared in Noem&#8217;s letter to Durbin, immigration agents arrested 261 DACA recipients in the first ten months of 2025 — and 241 (92%) of those arrested had criminal histories apart from civil immigration violations. Just over one-third (86) of those arrested were subsequently deported.
Durbin responded by claiming that the arrests were &#8220;wrongful,&#8221; despite the overwhelming number with criminal histories, and that &#8220;Dreamers&#8221; should be given a path to citizenship.
&#8220;The Trump Administration just admitted to wrongfully arresting 261 DACA recipients. 86 were deported. Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship, not deportation,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/SenatorDurbin/status/2027074465197174847">posted</a> on X on Thursday.
DACA was a program implemented by former President Barack Obama&#8217;s administration, and offered work permits and temporary deportation protections for those who either entered the United States illegally or overstayed their visas when they were children. President Trump&#8217;s first-term attempt to terminate DACA altogether was blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020.

US-NEWS-TRUMP-BIRTHRIGHT-LAWSUIT-FR

Dems Want DACA Recipients With Criminal Records Given A Shot At Citizenship

CBS News

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Politics

Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that during Tuesday evening&#8217;s State of the Union address, he had only one thought running through his head the entire time: &#8220;Don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours.&#8221;
Vance, who sat directly behind President Donald Trump with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) during Trump&#8217;s record-setting speech, knew that he was going to be on camera the whole time the president was speaking, and was absolutely set on not making a fool of himself.
WATCH:
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Vance: I have one thought in my head the whole time which is don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours, which is hard for me. <a href="https://t.co/zqkUWPZyXo">pic.twitter.com/zqkUWPZyXo</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2027078078241861707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The vice president revealed his &#8220;inner monologue&#8221; while speaking in Wisconsin on Thursday, saying that when congressional Democrats began saying and doing things in an attempt to disrupt Trump&#8217;s speech, he was worried that he might struggle with keeping a straight face.
Vance began by explaining that as he watched the events of the evening unfold — and as Democrats in the chamber shouted things at the president and one was even escorted out — he thought to himself what President Trump eventually said out loud: &#8220;These people are crazy!&#8221;
In that context, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVOzVPIgSUy/">he added</a>, &#8220;I have the best seat in the house in many ways. I&#8217;m sitting right next to the Speaker of the House, I&#8217;m sitting right behind the President of the United States, and I&#8217;ve got one internal monologue going on, one thought in my head the whole time, which is, &#8216;Don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours,&#8217; which is hard for me.&#8221;
&#8220;When you&#8217;re on TV for two hours, and the Democrats are doing crazy things — so I&#8217;ll give you a little lay of the land,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So to the left, my left, is all of the Republicans, okay, because I&#8217;m sitting right behind the president. And to my right is some Republicans but mostly the Democrats. So I see the reaction of all the Congressional Democrats, and it&#8217;s one of the most amazing things I&#8217;ve ever seen &#8230; they&#8217;re just scowling. They cannot clap their hands for a six-year-old who survived an attack from an illegal alien. What is that? What kind of a person can&#8217;t stand up and cheer for an innocent young girl who&#8217;s doing well and showing the entire country strength and resilience?&#8221;

Vice President JD Vance Speaks In Allentown, Pennsylvania

What Was Going Through JD Vance’s Mind When Dems Lost It At SOTU

Congress

Democrats

Donald Trump

JD Vance

State of the Union

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) admitted during a Wednesday interview that Vice President JD Vance &#8220;scares&#8221; him as the potential heir apparent to helm the Make America Great Again movement going into the 2028 presidential election.
Newsom voiced his concerns to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on MS NOW, calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio &#8220;a complete fraud&#8221; and telling her that Vance, in particular, worried him &#8220;almost more than&#8221; President Donald Trump.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Marco Rubio is a complete fraud. But no one tops JD Vance. Talk about a guy who put a mask on his face and grew into it. Pathetic. <a href="https://t.co/fNbTEYJY4z">pic.twitter.com/fNbTEYJY4z</a>
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/2026863309660492132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;There are some people waiting in the wings in the MAGA world who would love to be the chosen ones of the Trump orbit,&#8221; Psaki began, adding, &#8220;JD Vance is one of them. Marco Rubio is one of them. Do you think they can carry on the MAGA flame here?&#8221;
&#8220;No. But Vance, for whatever reason, scares me,&#8221; Newsom volunteered.
&#8220;Why?&#8221; Psaki pressed.
&#8220;Almost more than Trump. I don’t know. I just — I mean, talk about a guy who put a mask on and his face grew into it,&#8221; Newsom said, complaining that Vance and Rubio — as well as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — had been &#8220;effective&#8221; critics of Trump before coming around to his way of thinking.
&#8220;What frauds, what phonies. But JD is a unique fraud and phony. And he’s a little more dangerous. And — and the folks around him, these are not folks that believe — I mean, listen to some of its biggest funders, the way they talk. There’s a nihilism to the way they talk about the world,&#8221; Newsom continued, adding, &#8220;I know these guys. I literally know them, not figuratively know them. Some of them are in the book, knew them back when.&#8221;
&#8220;So, again, I don’t want to be overly hyperbolic about this,&#8221; Newsom said, just as he pivoted to be more hyperbolic: &#8220;So [Trump&#8217;s] going to try to run this out until right after the end, until he can pick and choose who goes behind him. Or, God forbid, we don’t take back the House of Representatives, he may be on that ballot.&#8221;
Psaki agreed, &#8220;He&#8217;ll try.&#8221;
&#8220;I just wouldn’t put it past him,&#8221; said Newsom.
Trump has repeatedly said that he will not seek a third term in the White House, and has demurred when asked who he might want to see replace him. Touting the skills of both Vance and Rubio, Trump has only said that either would be a good choice.

Governor Newsom And San Francisco Mayor Lurie Announce New Funding For Homelessness And Mental Health Ffforts In The City

Gavin Newsom Reveals The MAGA Successor Who Would Scare Him ‘Almost More Than Trump’

Gavin Newsom Admits He's Scared Of JD Vance

Gavin Newsom

Jen Psaki

MAGA

Tampa International Airport announced a total ban on pajamas in an X post on Thursday, saying that they had &#8220;seen enough&#8221; and calling on travelers who came through the western Florida hub to dress like it was daytime.
Citing a previous successful ban on Crocs, the statement said that it was finally time to tackle the &#8220;much larger crisis&#8221; of travelers who move through the airport dressed like they were headed to the refrigerator for a late-night snack.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/mjHyM5KZkG">pic.twitter.com/mjHyM5KZkG</a>
— Tampa International Airport ✈️ (@FlyTPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyTPA/status/2027037182091731286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen enough. We&#8217;ve had enough,&#8221; the announcement read. &#8220;It&#8217;s time to ban pajamas at Tampa International Airport. After successfully banning Crocs and giving everyone the amazing opportunity to experience the world&#8217;s first Crocs-free airport, it&#8217;s time to take on a much larger crisis. Pajamas. At. The Airport. In the middle of the day.&#8221;
&#8220;We know this decision could be disruptive to someone in your life. It&#8217;s time to have a difficult conversation with them. You can do this. We (and Phoebe) believe in you,&#8221; the statement continued, referencing the airport&#8217;s giant pink flamingo statue named Phoebe. &#8220;The madness stops today. The movement starts now. Help Tampa International Airport become the world&#8217;s first Crocs-free AND pajama-free airport. DO YOUR PART. SAY NO TO PAJAMAS AT TPA.&#8221;
The announcement certainly made a splash on X, but was it real? The @FLYTPA account has a reputation for posts that lean into the silly and fun.
On December 26, for example, a post read, &#8220;Happy National Pretend to Work Day™ to all who celebrate!!!&#8221;
On January 5, another read, &#8220;Did you know??? The Tampa Airport gets its name from Tampa, Florida, the city where the airport is located.&#8221;
&#8220;Good afternoon to everyone except the person who left their freezer open,&#8221; a post read as frigid winter weather stretched across the southern United States in late January.
&#8220;GOOD MORNING FROM ANTARCTICA,&#8221; was the follow-up post a few days later.
Social media manager C.J. Johnson said the silliness was <a href="https://people.com/did-the-tampa-airport-really-ban-pajamas-11915218">all part of his strategy</a> during a speech at the University of South Florida: &#8220;If I got on every day at Tampa International Airport and tweeted we have flights today, who would care? No one. If we do funny silly stuff like this with targeted messages that grow your audience and then I say, ‘Hey guys, by the way, we are closing the airport due to a hurricane,’ then people lean in and listen.&#8221;

Measures taken in Florida for Hurricane Elsa

Florida Airport Slaps Blanket Ban On Traveling Staple: ‘The Madness Stops Today!’

Florida Airport Slaps Blanket Ban On Traveler Staple: 'The Madness Stops Today!'

Air Travel

airport

Florida

Sean Duffy

The day after President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2026 State of the Union address, the hosts of ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; first made it clear that they were not impressed with him, but then reserved some of their sharpest critiques for Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who &#8220;gave him his moment.&#8221;
Cohost Joy Behar complained that the whole thing had made her &#8220;furious and scared,&#8221; adding that she was &#8220;physically ill from it and more nauseous than usual watching him.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sunny Hostin whines about Trump using the term &#8216;illegals&#8217; to accurately describe illegals and falsely claims everyone had stopped using it before Trump came along. She also complains that Democrats even attended the address because they looked bad: 
&#8220;That saying that people are… <a href="https://t.co/zqUlybiz1c">pic.twitter.com/zqUlybiz1c</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2026697528079515709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, began her review by complaining that the president insists upon using the term &#8220;illegal&#8221; when referring to people who have entered the United States illegally.
&#8220;That saying that people are illegal, illegal aliens. That really matters,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We haven&#8217;t used that term for so long. Now it&#8217;s back in vogue. You are not illegal as a human being just because you&#8217;re undocumented, and so that for me, that felt dehumanizing to our immigrant population.&#8221;
Hostin then recalled a conversation from the day before — when Behar argued that Democrats should boycott the speech entirely to avoid giving Trump the appearance of legitimacy — and said that although she&#8217;d disagreed at the time, watching the president speak had changed her mind.
&#8220;Someone like Ilhan Omar, who fiercely is protective of Minnesotans and Somalians in particular, she gave him that moment that he wanted when the Democrats wouldn&#8217;t stand because he was calling people illegal aliens, they didn&#8217;t stand, and he called them crazy. They gave him all these moments,&#8221; Hostin complained. &#8220;They were used as props. It was disgusting.&#8221;

The View’s “Behind The Table” Podcast

WATCH: The Day After Trump’s SOTU Address, ‘The View’ Hosts Are Mad At Democrats

WATCH: The Day After Trump's SOTU Address, 'The View' Hosts Are Mad At ... Democrats

Sunny Hostin

The View

The Cuban government claimed on Wednesday that a speedboat bearing a Florida registration crossed into Cuban waters and then fired on Border Guard Troops as they approached the vehicle. The resulting firefight left four dead on board the speedboat.
The Cuban Embassy in the United States shared a <a href="https://x.com/EmbaCubaUS/status/2026732911114760673">statement</a> on Wednesday afternoon, attributed to the Ministry of the Interior, detailing a confrontation that took place early that morning.
&#8220;On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province,&#8221; the statement read.
The Ministry of the Interior went on to assert that those on board the speedboat fired the first shots when Border Guard Troops approached to request proof of identification.
&#8220;When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured. The injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance.&#8221;
The statement concluded: &#8220;In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region. Investigations by the competent authorities continue in order to fully clarify the events.&#8221;
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the still-unfolding situation, saying, “We’re going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we’ll respond accordingly.”
An unnamed U.S. official told The New York Times that the speedboat was a civilian vessel and was &#8220;part of a flotilla to get relatives out of Cuba&#8221; — and also clarified that the boat did not belong to either the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Coast Guard.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeir issued a statement on the incident: &#8220;I’ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation. The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable.&#8221;
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), former Mayor of Miami-Dade, also issued a statement: &#8220;I am calling for an immediate investigation into this massacre. United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred. The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity.&#8221;

Border Guard Touts Drug Enforcement Program

Deadly Gun Battle Off Cuba’s Coast — Florida-Registered Boat At Center Of Clash

Cuba's Coast Guard Engaged In Deadly Firefight With American Vessel, Cuban Government Says

Cuba

United States

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) voiced his frustration on Wednesday after most of his party effectively sat on their hands during President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union address, refusing to stand or even applaud issues he believes stretch across party lines.
Fetterman defended his own decision to applaud a number of key moments during Trump&#8217;s speech, saying he was always going to clap for the things he believed were worth applauding, regardless of the party of the person delivering the remarks.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) says he was one of the Democrats to stand up for Iryna Zarutska and Erika Kirk at Trump&#8217;s State of the Union
&#8220;Even Erika Kirk. Can&#8217;t we just be more kind to a WIDOW? How can&#8217;t we acknowledge that?&#8221; 💯
&#8220;I clapped for the family that lost… <a href="https://t.co/VMCMIBY8VC">pic.twitter.com/VMCMIBY8VC</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2026670101206814804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Fetterman noted that most of the Democrats in the chamber on Tuesday evening — those who did not attend an alternate event or boycott the evening&#8217;s festivities altogether — had chosen not to stand or applaud during Trump&#8217;s remarks, even when he discussed issues both parties wanted addressed.
&#8220;I clapped for a lot of those things &#8230; like I stood up and I clapped to recognize the family that lost their daughter, the Ukrainian girl that was stabbed to death in North Carolina,&#8221; Fetterman explained. &#8220;And I stood up, and I clapped for that political prisoner from Venezuela, you know, how you can&#8217;t celebrate those kinds of things. I also celebrated all the veterans that were in the audience as well.&#8221;
Fetterman went on to say that even when things got political, he still stood and applauded when he felt it was appropriate to do so.
&#8220;Like Erika Kirk, I stood up, and then I clapped for her &#8230; can&#8217;t we just be more kind to a widow?&#8221; Fetterman asked, noting that Kirk had just lost her husband — murdered Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk — very recently, and still had young children to care for. &#8220;How we can&#8217;t just acknowledge that?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m always going to stand up and clap for things I agree with, like striking the Iranian sites,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And if I don&#8217;t agree with it or whatever, I&#8217;m certainly not going to yell and scream and disrupt the whole thing.&#8221;

President Trump Delivers The State Of The Union Address

Once Again, Fetterman Breaks With Theatrics To Stand For American Values

WATCH: John Fetterman Baffled As His Party Refuses To Stand Up For American Values

Charlie Kirk

John Fetterman

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was the subject of multiple federal raids on Wednesday.  Multiple reports confirmed that authorities conducted searches of both his home and his office.
An affidavit was filed in connection with the <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/lausd-superintendent-carvalho-raid/3853654/">searches</a>, but officials stated that the details remain under seal. Another search was executed at a Miami property also connected to Carvalho, who has been the head of the second-largest school district in the United States since 2022. Carvalho previously worked for 14 years as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
No details have been released regarding the reason for the searches, but the FBI Los Angeles office released a statement confirming the action: &#8220;We can confirm that the FBI is serving a court-authorized warrant at those locations. However, the affidavit in support of the warrant has been sealed by the court and we, therefore, have no further comment.&#8221;
According to a <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/fbi-raids-lausd-headquarters-superintendent-alberto-carvalho-home">report</a> from local FOX affiliate FOX11, employees were evacuated from the Los Angeles school district offices while officers searched the premises. Other officers searched his home in San Pedro, California. Drone footage captured by local news outlets showed multiple FBI agents entering and leaving the properties, some carrying boxes.
Complicating matters further, President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration joined a lawsuit against LAUSD alleging that the district discriminates against white students by funneling money and resources to schools based on the racial demographics of the attending students.
The lawsuit, filed by the 1776 Project Foundation, states that LAUSD uses a race-based label to designate certain schools as &#8220;PHBAO&#8221; (Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other non-Anglo). The complaint then argues that schools without that designation — meaning they are predominantly white — often do not receive the same funding considerations or allocation of resources. The DOJ asserts that, in addition, students from &#8220;PHBAO&#8221; schools receive preferential treatment when they seek to transfer to magnet programs.
The FBI has not indicated whether the searches are related to the lawsuit and the school district as a whole or are directed specifically at Carvalho.

LAUSD, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho,

FBI Raids Home And Office Of Los Angeles School Superintendent

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Schools

Schools

When CNN anchor Jake Tapper contrasted President Trump’s blunt remarks with those of past presidents, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t hesitate. He delivered a sharp counterpunch that instantly reframed the moment.
Tapper glossed over the behavior of Democrats at Tuesday evening&#8217;s State of the Union address by suggesting that the real problem was the fact that President Donald Trump had noticed — and dared to say something about it. Speaking to Duffy after the speech, he complained that Trump effectively shattered the fourth wall when he spoke directly to the American people about the Democrats in the chamber who refused to stand for even the most basic of shared values.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JAKE TAPPER: &#8220;He said, &#8216;these people are crazy I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy.&#8217; That&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that that stage.&#8221;
SEAN DUFFY: &#8220;We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either&#8221;
This is why Trump likes TV guys in his cabinet. <a href="https://t.co/4c2NrUvHGu">pic.twitter.com/4c2NrUvHGu</a>
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMHern/status/2026524857668649365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;He said, quote, &#8216;These people are crazy, I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy,'&#8221; Tapper said, referencing Trump&#8217;s brief departure from his remarks to call out Democrats who would not stand in support of key policies. &#8220;I mean, but that&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that stage.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah. We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either,&#8221; Duffy punched right back, referencing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s performance during the 2020 State of the Union, when she dramatically ripped up her copy as Trump concluded his remarks.
Duffy went on to argue that what Trump was saying at the time — addressing concerns about illegal aliens being given commercial driver&#8217;s licenses and putting American citizens at risk — should not have been a partisan issue.
&#8220;You have states that are issuing driver&#8217;s licenses to illegals — illegals who haven&#8217;t been trained to drive an 80,000-pound truck on an American road,&#8221; Duffy continued. &#8220;We have a little girl that has been — had her life impacted for the rest of her life — and she&#8217;s five years old, it was an illegal who hit her. I think the question becomes, why doesn&#8217;t every Democrat stand up and go, &#8216;No, we want well-qualified drivers on American roads.'&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s not partisan,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want illegals who can&#8217;t speak the language, contrary to American law for decades, to be on American roads. I think these are easy issues, Jake, and I don&#8217;t think we saw Democrats stand up and support them.&#8221;
Duffy noted that there was one truly bipartisan moment during the speech — when the U.S. Olympic hockey team entered the chamber after winning gold for the first time in 46 years — and said that was truly &#8220;too bad.&#8221;
&#8220;If inflation is down, Democrats should applaud it. If real incomes are up, Democrats should applaud it. Those are good things that we should support as Americans,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Just because Donald Trump&#8217;s in office doesn&#8217;t mean you have to sit on your hands.&#8221;

WATCH: Sean Duffy Torches Tapper With One Brutal SOTU Reminder

Jake Tapper

Nancy Pelosi

Former Vice President Kamala Harris hinted on Tuesday at a possible return to the presidential campaign trail in 2028, saying that she &#8220;might&#8221; throw her hat into what&#8217;s likely to be a crowded Democratic primary ring.
Harris spoke with podcast host and author Sharon McMahon, and was asked point blank whether she planned — after bowing out of the 2020 primary before the first vote and then losing in spectacular fashion in 2024 — to run for president a third time.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Harris on running in 2028: “I might” <a href="https://t.co/PbPalTRHsw">pic.twitter.com/PbPalTRHsw</a>
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp/status/2026408268155740247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Will you run again?&#8221; McMahon asked.
&#8220;I haven&#8217;t decided,&#8221; Harris replied.
&#8220;You&#8217;re still thinking about it,&#8221; McMahon added.
&#8220;I might,&#8221; Harris said, her voice creeping up an octave as she shrugged.
McMahon said she&#8217;d expected no less, adding, &#8220;That&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve been saying. That&#8217;s what — I&#8217;m like — I closed the book and I&#8217;m like, oh, she wants to, she&#8217;s just thinking about it.&#8221;
Early polls, according to CNN chief data analyst <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/theyve-lost-cnn-chief-data-guru-says-2028-democrat-bench-is-a-total-clown-car">Harry Enten</a>, have not been kind to the twice-failed candidate. He told host John Berman that Harris, polling at just 18% — and second to Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — was in a precarious position if she intended to drop in on a Democratic primary. In addition to Newsom, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are polling at 13% and 12%, respectively.
&#8220;Quite a weak number for [Harris], given that, of course, she was the nominee last time around,&#8221; Enten said, adding, &#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear frontrunner at this particular point on the Democratic side. Who the heck knows who the nominee is going to be in two years?&#8221;
Enten also suggested that flagging interest in Newsom — despite his new memoir just hitting bookstores — meant that even the likely favorite was &#8220;flailing&#8221; a bit.
Newsom, during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-laughs-off-potential-face-off-with-kamala-in-2028-thats-fate-if-it-happens">recent interview</a>, spoke with CNN anchor Dana Bash about the upcoming presidential election cycle and how he might handle it if his career path ended up on a collision course with that of his old friend, Harris.
&#8220;That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” Newsom shrugged. “And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future. But I don’t —”
&#8220;But if you run against each other for president —” Bash tried again.
&#8220;That’s fate,” Newsom said again.
But during another recent interview, the California Governor took a swipe at Harris — and attributed her rapid rise in the California political world to her romantic relationship with then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
WATCH:
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Governor Newsom tonight: &#8220;You would not know Kamala Harris without Willie Brown&#8221;
Fact-check: TRUE 😂🤣 <a href="https://t.co/VEoRtcyGLB">pic.twitter.com/VEoRtcyGLB</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2026092664546799693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;For those that don&#8217;t know Willie Brown — you wouldn&#8217;t know Kamala Harris without Willie Brown,&#8221; Newsom said during a recent book event.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris Fuels 2028 Speculation With Two-Word Tease

2028 presidential election

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is not impressed with the Democratic bench going into the 2028 presidential election cycle — and he&#8217;s not holding back his overall assessment of the likely candidates: &#8220;a total clown car.&#8221;
Enten joined CNN anchor John Berman on Tuesday to discuss the likely candidates just as a new memoir from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — considered a heavy favorite to jump in the race — hit shelves, and his take was that Newsom was &#8220;flailing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN&#8217;s Harry Enten just ROASTED Gavin Newsom&#8217;s 2028 ambitions &#8220;He&#8217;s definitely flailing&#8221;:
&#8220;This is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side.&#8221;
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear front-runner at this particular point on… <a href="https://t.co/TYijTMGKWt">pic.twitter.com/TYijTMGKWt</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2026310210013286885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Enten&#8217;s concern, as he broke down the numbers for Berman, was that there was no clear leader in the Democratic Party — and no one seemed poise for the kind of surge that would be necessary to push them to the front of the pack going into the 2028 primaries.
&#8220;Yeah, they’re all running and this is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side,&#8221; Enten said, noting that the early polls showed Newsom (at 19%) just barely in the lead over former Vice President Kamala Harris (at 18%) and that his advantage was slim enough to be within the margin of error.
&#8220;Quite a weak number for [Harris], given that, of course, she was the nominee last time around,&#8221; Enten noted.
He went on to say that other likely contenders — such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who polled at 13% and 12%, respectively — were not doing any better.
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear frontrunner at this particular point on the Democratic side. Who the heck knows who the nominee is going to be in two years?&#8221; Enten added. &#8220;It was been a long time, this is very unusual for the Democratic side to not have a clear frontrunner at this point. You have to go all the way back, all the way back from when I wasn’t even in elementary school yet, not even in pre-K yet, to 1992, that was the last cycle in which there was no clear frontrunner at this point. Very unusual.&#8221;
The analyst then singled out Newsom, saying that in particular, he appeared to be losing ground — and popularity — even as he moves to market his memoir.
&#8220;It seems to me that Gavin Newsom is flailing a little bit, at least compared to where he was prior,” he said, explaining that betting markets were cooling off as far as Newsom was concerned. &#8220;Three months ago, according to the prediction market, look at that, it was a 37% chance, now it’s just at 28%. Down he goes. He’s definitely flailing a little bit.&#8221;

California Governor Gavin Newsom Interview

They’ve Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A ‘Total Clown Car’

They've Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A 'Total Clown Car'

Democrat

Harry Enten

Pete Buttigieg

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Virginia Kruta