February 16, 2026

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BUYOUT MADNESS. There is too much money sloshing around in college football. I think it’s time for a minor league, and a return to “students who happen to play football.”

Posted at 2:17 pm by Robert Shibley

18 MONTHS SEEMS A LITTLE OPTIMISTIC… ER, PESSIMISTIC? Microsoft AI Head: Most White Collar Jobs Automated In 18 Months. “There are places where where AI might replace experts, namely those that use wide but highly structured datasets for narrow decision points, like some areas of regulatory law. But are decision makers really going to remove the ability to blame underlings for mistakes?’“Sure we lost $100 million, but the AI told me it was OK!’ is probably not going to wash as an adequate ass-covering maneuver. And, as I noted before, who is going to put an AI in charge of Accounts Payable when a single glitch could drain your entire bank account?”

Posted at 1:44 pm by Stephen Green

BLUE STATES ARE MOVING LEGISLATION FORWARD TO RESTRICT HOW MUCH YOU CAN DRIVE:

The “15 Minute City” concept is gaining traction on the left, especially in Great Britain, where the Labour Party and leftist cities are seeking to impose harsh restrictions on vehicle use.

Here in the U.S., blue states are pivoting toward mileage caps, which would establish maximum “vehicle miles traveled” (“VMT”) allowed for an entire state, with regulators then creating “incentives” to reduce individual driving so as to achieve the VMT objective. From News Nation: “Massachusetts bill aims to reduce driving to meet climate goals”:

A bill in Massachusetts aims to reduce how much driving occurs as part of the state’s climate strategy. The legislation, spearheaded by Democratic State Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, would require transportation officials to set goals for “reducing the number of statewide driving miles.”

Because this is such an unpopular idea, Democrat politicians in Massachusetts are trying to hoodwink their voters by naming this legislation the “Freedom to Move Act.” There is just an amazing level of duplicity in the name of that legislation, since the specific intent is to limit individuals’ freedom to move about as they choose.

As Lauren Fix correctly notes about The Freedom to Move Act, “When reducing driving becomes a formal state objective, personal mobility inevitably becomes something to be managed.”

Meanwhile, over on the left coast, California is working on further punishing its citizens for the sinful act of driving a car. The deep blue state already has the highest gas taxes and most expensive gasoline in the country, with consumers paying about $1.50 more per gallon than the national average. The state Assembly (the lower house in the California legislature) has now approved a bill that would “study” the implementation of a mileage tax. From NBC San Diego: “California Proposal Causes Confusion Over Future of Road Mileage Tax; A California bill studying a potential mileage tax has passed the state assembly.”

The study would explore the concept of a road usage charge, where drivers could one day pay based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they purchase.

Rest assured that any California mileage tax will be in addition to gasoline taxes, not in lieu of them.

Flashback to Charles Cooke in 2017: The War on Driving to Come. Or as Iowahawk warned right around the same time, America “needs a Second Amendment protecting the right to keep and bear cars.”

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

YOU HATE HAVING TO RELY ON THE COURTS, BUT…: The Silver Lining in New Mexico’s and Virginia’s Current Move to Ban ‘Assault Weapons.’ “It’s in jurisdiction of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Unlike the circuit courts covering, say, California or New York or Massachusetts, the Tenth Circuit might strike down an AWB. That could generate a circuit split, since other circuit courts to look at the issue have upheld AWBs. And a circuit split makes it likelier for the Supreme Court to accept an AWB case.”

Posted at 12:42 pm by Stephen Green

WAS IT OVER WHEN THE VENEZUELANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR?

Related:

UPDATE:

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

SAVAGE. AND FAIR.

If you don’t like tit-for-tat, don’t start things.

Posted at 12:26 pm by Glenn Reynolds

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Spike Lee Makes Anti-Israel Statement at NBA All-Star Game.

Deni Avdija is the first Israeli basketball star to play in the NBA’s All-Star Game, as a starter for Team World. Avdija is proud to be there, telling the media, “It’s a dream come true,” to represent Israel on the court.

But because sports cannot be free of politics, this is how filmmaker Spike Lee showed up at the game, decked out in “Free Palestine” garb.

Exit question: “If he’s that desperate for an invite to dinner with [Mamdani] why not just buzz the guy?”

Well, he’s already endorsed him, and the two would likely get on very well: NYC Health Department staffer wished Israelis were wiped off Earth in vile resurfaced X post: report.

Posted at 12:00 pm by Ed Driscoll

IT AIN’T OVER YET: Warner Bros. may reopen sale talks with Paramount following new deal terms.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s board is considering reopening sales talks with Paramount Skydance after recently receiving an amended offer with sweetened deal terms, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources.

Warner Bros. in December agreed to sell both its film studio and HBO Max streaming service to Netflix for $27.75 per share. Paramount, which owns CBS and MTV, in December launched a hostile bid for Warner Bros., promising its shareholders $30 per share in an all-cash deal.

Last week, Paramount upped the ante, saying it would add a ticking fee of 25 cents a share to its offer for any delay in regulatory approval of the deal.

The ticking fee would be approximately $650 million in cash value per quarter for every quarter the deal has not closed by Dec. 31, 2026, CNBC.com previously reported.

Paramount also said it will cover a $2.8 billion termination fee paid to Netflix if the Warner Bros. deal is terminated. Paramount also said it will eliminate $1.5 billion in possible debt refinancing costs.

That’s a pretty sweet offer.

Posted at 11:40 am by Stephen Green

#JOURNALISM: LOL, John Harwood.

Tweet continues:

The fact was Obama got a greater percentage of white voters than Gore, Kerry, or Dukakis and then trump in 2016 won almost a third of the counties that had gone for Obama in both his victories…

Harwood should keep his race baiting leftist tripe over on blue sky…

Obama was the inflection point…finally, a black president to put an end to the last vestiges of the Left who continued to whine about racism…

Instead, the Press went on permanent holiday, anointed Obama the black messiah, even Jesus didn’t have someone waxing poetic about the crease of his slacks, and spent eight years becoming younger, more left, and less enamored of even a modicum of belief in free speech.

Flashbacks:

● CNBC Hack John Harwood Is Really, Really Upset That Al-Baghdadi Was Killed.

● NYT/CNBC’S John Harwood Advises Hillary Campaign, Gloats About Provoking Trump At Debate.

● CNBC’s John Harwood Has No Business Moderating A GOP Presidential Debate.

● CNBC Alters Transcript of John Harwood Question About Hillary’s Email.

● “Everyone in the [CNBC] newsroom knows [John Harwood is] extremely far left.”

● Tool de Force: CNN’s John Harwood Defends Biden, Insists Inflation Pain Is a GOP ‘Charade.’

Posted at 10:55 am by Ed Driscoll

JON CALDARA: Michael Bennet blundering to defeat in Colorado’s primary. “The election for Colorado’s next governor does not take place in November. It’s in fewer than five months, on June 30. That’s the state’s primary election. Whoever wins the Democratic primary is the next governor (with all apologies to the seeming 328 Republicans running for the seat). So, out of a state of 6 million people, we must choose between an affable socialist and a tired Washington, DC liberal. Aren’t we the lucky ones.”

I keep saying that as bad as Gov. Polis is, whoever follows him will be worse — the only question is how much worse.

Looks like Colorado Dems are ready to push the limits.

Posted at 10:38 am by Stephen Green