Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel, President Trump’s selection to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation has just been confirmed.
The final confirmation vote totals were 51-49, with the vote largely falling along party lines. Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted against Patel, joining all 47 Democrats in opposition. The remaining 51 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, voted in favor of his confirmation.
Patel, 44, is a former federal prosecutor and was chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.
AuntiE is feeling under the weather, so your editor is pinch hitting this morning.
Speaking of pinch hitting, pitchers and catchers have reported for Spring Training all across MLB. Your editor is an inveterate baseball fan and thinks you should be too. It is America’s Pastime™ after all.
Steinbrenner Field Tampa. Yankees Spring Training facility
On this day in 1945 Operation Detachment kicked off. Detachment was the amphibious assault on the Japanese held island of Iwo Jima. It was to become one of the bloodiest battles of World War Two.
The island was home to a pair of Japanese airfields. Capture of those two airfields were part of the primary objectives for the invasion. The other objectives were to remove the Japanese garrison that was providing early earning of B-29 Superfortress raids en route to Japan and to establish the island as an emergency landing place for the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Capturing Iwo Jima would also protect the right flank for a future American invasion of Okinawa and provide air fields to support long-range fighter escorts for bombing missions over the Japanese home islands.
At 08:59, one minute ahead of schedule, the first wave of Marines landed on the beaches of the southeastern coast of Iwo Jima. For nearly an hour the Marines seemed to be landing unopposed. It wasn’t until just after 10:00 that the Japanese defenders opened fire.
After crossing the beach, the Marines were faced with 15 ft-high slopes of soft black volcanic ash. The ash made for tough going. Marine AMTRACs struggled to move and it wasn’t until the SeaBees of of Naval Construction Battalions 31 and 133 landed with a couple of bulldozers and cut roads through the ash that the Marines started to make progress.
In the left-most sector of the landings, the Americans did manage to achieve one of their objectives for the battle that day. Led by Colonel Harry B. “Harry the Horse” Liversedge, the 28th Marines drove across the island at its narrowest width, around 870 yd, thereby isolating the Japanese dug in on Mount Suribachi.
By the evening of 19 February, 30,000 Marines had landed. About 40,000 more would follow. The intense combat would continue for more than a month. The famous photo of the Flag raising on Mt. Suribachi was taken on 23 February 1945. It depicts 6 Marines from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, raising a U.S. flag.
By the end of the Battle on 26 March 1945, the Marines would suffer 6,821 dead and another 19,217 wounded. The Japanese would suffer between 17,845–18,375 killed and wounded out of a pre-battle strength of about 21,000.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has decided on investigators to look into the mess that was the Afghanistan withdrawal.
In an interview with Breitbart, Hegseth said “We’ve already identified folks that’ll be in charge of that full investigation inside the Pentagon . . . I don’t have a timeframe on it. Sadly, we’ve already waited two-and-a-half years, three years since what occurred. I don’t want to wait longer, but I always want to get it right,”
The entire withdrawal was screwed up and Hegseth wants answers. “So, we’re going to drive that full investigation and get a sense of what happened. And as I stated to the workforce on Friday, I guess less than a week ago, accountability will be coming for what happened in Afghanistan, and that’s important to reestablishing trust at the Defense Department,” he said.
As of right now, the only officer to be punished for the withdrawal that cost 13 US service members their lives, was LtCol Stuart Scheller. Except Scheller wasn’t involved directly in the debacle. His sin was making a video complaining about the lack of accountability at the flag levels in the military. He has been named as a senior advisor to the DOD under Hegseth.
Word has come out that Hamas plans on releasing the bodies of the Bibas family. The terrorist organization has been very tight lipped about the fate of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel who were taken. along with their father and husband, Yarden. Yarden Bibas was released as part of the hostage deal earlier this month.
This week’s exchange will include 6 living hostages and 4 bodies. Khalil al-Hayya, the senior Hamas negotiator, said the bodies to be released would include those of the Bibas family – Shiri and her young children Kfir and Ariel, who were aged nine months and four years when Hamas kidnapped them.
In exchange, Israel will free all women and those under the age of 19 arrested since last October and is allowing some rubble-clearing equipment into Gaza through the border with Egypt.
Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, and Hisham Al-Sayed will all be released this Saturday. Mengitsu and Al-Sayed have been held in Gaza for around a decade, having crossed into Gaza on their own accord.
A Delta Airlines CRJ 900 LR crashed on landing at Pearson Airport (YYZ) just outside of Toronto this afternoon. The incident occurred at 1413 local time. The flight originated in Minneapolis. As of this writing, three hours after the incident, there are no fatalities among the 80 passengers and crew but 8 people were injured.
Early speculation points to the weather being a factor. Pearson Airport had severe winds with gusts up to 33 miles per hour at the time of the crash. The aircraft came to rest upside down on the runway.
The Bombardier CRJ-900LR is owned by Endeavour Air, who flies short haul routes for Delta. This aircraft type has a very good safety record and is popular with regional and short haul airlines.
“The [National Transportation Safety Board] is leading a team of U.S. investigators to assist the Transportation Safety Board of Canada with their investigation of today’s accident of a Delta Air Lines Bombardier CRJ900 at Toronto Pearson International Airport,” NTSB said in a statement. “Per international protocols under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13, any information about the investigation will be released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.”
The Airport has reopened for traffic as of 1730 local.
Border Czar Tom Homan has officially referred Alexandria Occasional Cortex to the Department of Justice. He want’s the DOJ to look into her violations of title 8 US Code §1324(a)(1)(i)-(v).
That subsection prohibits alien smuggling, domestic transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and abetting any of the preceding acts.
AOC, Dumbass-NY, held a webinar detailing how to evade ICE enforcement as an illegal alien under a deportment order. That would seem to be a direct violation of §1324 and as such would land any of us in the federal slam for up to 10 years.
I have no doubt that she will attempt to evade any responsibility via the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution. However, that clause does not protect her from prosecution for illegal acts committed while not engaged in the course of normal Congressional duties. Hosting a webinar on how to break federal law is most certainly not an activity protected by the Speech and Debate clause.
We’ll have to see where this goes. I for one have hopes that she’ll learn a harsh lesson about life.
Featured Image: B-2 Spirit stealth bombers prepare for departure during exercise Bamboo Eagle at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 10, 2025. The exercise provides a realistic training environment to test and refine bomber force tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Bryson Sherard
Army
Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) run in snowshoes to keep warm during the Cold Weather Indoctrination Course at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, ahead of Arctic Forge 25, Feb. 8, 2025. Arctic Forge 25 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led biennial exercise held in Finland and Norway from Feb. 17 to Feb. 28. Arctic Forge 25 ensures that U.S. joint forces are ready and postured with combat-credible capability to assure, deter, and defend in an increasingly complex security environment. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Salvador Castro)
Navy
Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 came to the aid of stranded motorists off of Interstate 10 East outside New Orleans, Feb. 6, 2025. Read more HERE
Marine Corps
U.S. Marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit paddle away from the stern gate in an enhanced combat rubber reconnaissance craft during a launch and recovery sustainment training aboard amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22), in the Philippine Sea on Jan. 29, 2025. This training was conducted to rehearse and improve launch and recovery procedures during small boat operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gerardo Mendez)
Air Force
A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord prepares to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing during an incentive flight over Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Jan. 13, 2025. Fairchild AFB provides incentive flights to showcase the KC-135’s aerial refueling capabilities and enhance the Air Force’s ability to accomplish its Rapid Global Mobility missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Arachikavitz)
Coast Guard
Coast Guard repatriates 31 aliens to Bahamas
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell transferring interdicted aliens to Bahamian authorities, Feb. 14, 2025. A total of 31 aliens were repatriated in Nassau. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
(L-R) Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn, and Alexander Sasha Troufanov on stage with Hamas terrorists in Khan Yunis, February 15, 2025.
Despite saying they would not release any hostages this week because Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released three hostages today. Alexander Sasha Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Iair Horn were transferred to Israeli custody after 498 days in the hands of Hamas.
Today’s release was uncertain until it actually happened. As I wrote the other day, Hamas was not going to release any hostages this week. It looks like they blinked, at least a little. Considering the statements from President Trump about the situation of late, I’m surprised they did not release more.
In a statement released on Truth Social, the President made it clear he thought Hamas should have released all the hostages today, but three is better than none. He also made a point of saying that Bibi Netanyahu and Israel had the lead in the decisions about it and the US would have Israel’s back regardless.
Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their statement last week that they would not release any Hostages. Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!
According to the Jerusalem Post, the hostages appeared thin and pale but were able to stand, support their own weight, and walk independently.
These initial signs suggest their medical condition is stable and does not require emergency hospitalization at Soroka Medical Center or Barzilai Medical Center in the South.
At the reception point in Re’im, military doctors conducted initial medical examinations, accompanied by a mental health officer who will continue to support them until they reach Ichilov Hospital and Sheba Medical Center.
There are 73 hostages, including 5 Americans, still being held in Gaza. At least 35 of them are dead.
