Random News and Notes 4 March
We start in Texas where primaries were held yesterday. Suuuper Genius Jasmine Crockett managed to maneuver her way out of Congress all together by losing – and badly – the Dem Senate primary to James Talarico. She didn’t bother contesting her House seats and now she’s on the outside looking in. Also losing was Al Green, he of being ejected from the House Chamber twice for his antics Fame. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to Steve Toth, the Ted Cruz backed state Rep.
Governor Greg Abbott and Lt Governor Dan Patrick easily beat their opponents. If Abbott wins this fall he will become the longest serving Texas Governor.
John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General and Ken Paxton are headed for a runoff as neither secured the 50.1% of the vote needed for an outright win. The rematch will be May 26. As will the runoff for the 23rd house district. Brandon Herrera, the popular gun content YouTuber, beat incumbent and apparent sex pest Tony Gonzales in the popular vote, but not by the 50.1% he needed. This is the 2nd run off between these two. Gonzales won by a mere 200 votes two years ago.
A CBS News analysis found voluntary departures reached a record 28% of completed removal cases for detained immigrants in 2025, jumping to 38% in December. This option lets people leave without a formal deportation order or reentry bans, but requires dropping legal claims.
. ICE detention peaked at 73,000 by mid-January 2026a mid falling bond releases (30% from 59%) and asylum grants (29% by December).
All 39 protesters have been arrested in St. Paul church disruption case. You remember, the one that Don Lemon was involved in. On January 18, dozens entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, to protest ICE policies because pastor David Easterwood also directs the agency’s local office. They faced worshippers, including children, in what church leaders called a coordinated takeover that halted the service.
Federal charges include conspiracy to deprive civil rights and interference with religious exercise under laws like the FACE Act. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon pledged justice for the congregation as trials approach.
SCOTUS handed down a couple of decisions today. The one we’re interested in today is styled URIAS-ORELLANA v BONDI. The case centered on Douglas Humberto Urias-Orellana, his wife, and son, who claimed fear of a hitman after the murders of his half-brothers and repeated threats, but an immigration judge denied their claim.
In a unanimous decision written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court ruled that federal appeals courts must use a deferential ‘substantial-evidence’ standard when reviewing immigration judges’ findings on whether facts amount to ‘persecution’ for asylum.
The ruling sharply limits how and when federal district courts can intervene in immigration cases.
This ruling will speed up deportations and handcuff activist district court judges.
Epic Fury News
The first four soldiers killed during Operation Epic Fury have been Identified. All four were from a reserve unit – the 103rd Sustainment Command – based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are:
- Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida (some reports list Lakeland, Florida area)
- Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
- Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
- Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa (posthumously promoted from Specialist; some early reports list him as Spc.)
Until Valhalla
For the first time since WWII, a submarine has sunk a warship. The attack targeted the IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class vessel heading home from India’s MILAN 2026 naval exercise, with Pentagon footage showing the Mk. 48 torpedo exploding under its stern.
Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 injured sailors from the 180 crew, while at least 87 bodies were recovered and over 100 remain missing.
On a related note, at least 20 other vessels have been neutralized, including major assets like the drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, forward basing ship IRIS Makran, Iran’s best submarine IRIS Fateh, frigates from Bayandor/Alvand/Jamaran classes, and others at bases like Bandar Abbas and Konarak.
Rahman Mokadam, head of the IRGC’s special operations division, was taken out in a strike yesterday. He was the man responsible for at least one of the Iranian plots to kill President Trump.
Hope he enjoys his goats.
I don’t know what to make about this one.
Are they running out? Is the command and control so degraded the launch orders aren’t going out? Are the troops responsible for the launches dead/awol/hiding/defecting?