Weekend Update: Tuesday Evening February 24, 2026 (Iran, Tariffs, Texas Senate Race, and Greenland)

The first Weekend Update ironically on Tuesday night, timed with the State of the Union and Gaslight on TCM, soon on all channels

I have decided to publish the inaugural issue of Weekend Update on Tuesday Evening the night of the State of the Union. I thought it would be humorous to publish the first Weekend Update midweek.

The topics in this column – Iran, the Texas Senate Race, America providing health care to Greenland are not -- Ha-Ha – funny, but there is some black humor here.

Iran: Ongoing suppression inside Iran is one of the most horrific events of the century, witness this WSJ footage. I watched some Democrats (respected members of my own party) whine about the need for diplomacy, how military action could accomplish nothing and how any military action would be illegal.

There is no pure diplomatic solution to what is happening in Iran. On the alleged illegality of Presidential action, previous cases suggest that unless Congress cuts off funding the president’s actions are likely legal even after 60 days of combat, something that has not yet happened with Iran.

Thank God for the court’s ruling letting Clinton to proceed in Kosovo because who know how many people would have been slaughtered and what the world would look like if it had gone the other way.

I am actually quite confident that, in the current situation in Iran, limited actions by the CIA and Mossad with some backup air support could turn the tide and create a free Iran very quickly.

The Democrat party’s reaction to what is happening in Iran reminds me of the first part of the movie Remains of the Daywhere a British lord in early 1930s attempts to persuade his peers that the Germans were the good guys. One big difference from today, in the movie the American (played by Christopher Reeve) was the good guy.

Tariffs: The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on February 20, 2026, striking down the administration’s global tariffs, is a landmark for the separation of powers. It also serves as a significant validation of the analysis I published here months ago. In my previous post, The Legal Case Against Tariffs, I argued—well ahead of the current headlines—that these levies, like Biden’s student debt discharges, did not address a bona fide emergency.

The court wisely placed an injunction on the loan discharges but did not do so on the tariffs. The remaining question is who gets the refund, the company paying the tariff initially or the consumer who paid part of the tariff through a higher price.

Texas Senate Seat: Nate Silver wrote a column today stating that Republicans could lose the Texas Senate seat by nominating Ken Paxton. This is possible but I think an equally important point is that the Democrats have no chance of victory if they nominate Crockett, who has argued that Hispanics who vote for Donald Trump have a slave mentality.

The Democrat nominee will be the underdog whoever they nominate. Nether potential Democrat nominee has won a statewide race (no Democrat has in Texas since Ann Richards) but Paxton’s statewide victories were before his impeachment.

James Talarico, a religious teacher who loves the Ten Commandments but does not want them in the schools comes off as a good match for Texas but I am not sure that this is the most important issue. (Even most atheists don’t disagree with six of the ten commandments.) However, if the allegations and adultery claims raised in the impeachment trial are true, Ken Paxton has violated four of the commandments same number as an atheist, just different commandments.

Meatloaf would say Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad but six out of ten is a bit lower than two out of three. A Talarico-Paxton match up gives the Democrats a real shot at victory, but in my view Talarico would be the underdog.

America Providing Health Care to Greenland? So, trump announced plans to send a navy health care ship to Greenland, a country with universal health, care after letting the enhanced ACA premium tax credits expire, an action that is causing a substantial increase in premiums and loss of coverage.

Authors Note: I am committed to keeping most of the material on this blog free to all readers. This post is free. Most of work on how AGI linked programs are distorting incentives and altering financial behavior is free, but I am beginning to put some of my more technical research behind a paywall. Please consider either the free or paid subscription. I appreciate your support. Go here for Not Your Father’s Marriage Penalty.