Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. What do you suppose caught people's attention this week as we round Winter's corner and head toward Spring? Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if you're so inclined — especially if you're taking off work tomorrow anyway), and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication.
#1 - POTUS and FLOTUS in Attendance at White House Governors Dinner — but Note Who Didn't Show Up — by Bob Hoge
There was plenty of back-and-forth talk throughout Saturday about which Democrats would come and which wouldn’t, but according to the Associated Press, not a single one could be spotted:
When the dinner finally rolled around, no Democrats were spotted in the room. Enjoying the black-tie affair, with tall candles arranged on tables, were just top administration officials and Republican governors.
#2 - Iran Update: Ayatollah's Compound Demolished and Some Big Iranian Leaders Bite the Dust — by Bonchie
Damage assessments are ongoing, but the expectation is that a significant part of Iran's military and political leadership has been taken out. That these strikes were launched in broad daylight, in mid-morning, was certainly part of that strategy. The Iranians likely believed that any attack would begin under the cover of darkness.
🚨 SOURCES: Israeli interception of communication signals inside Iran, including military landlines, major hospital CCTV networks, and other compromised intelligence assets, indicate a high success rate in eliminating Tier 1 officials across all verticals of the regime's…
— Nadim Koteich (@NadimKoteich) February 28, 2026
#3 - Furious Ilhan Omar Demands Probe After Her Radical SOTU Guest Is Arrested—She Might Look Familiar to You — by Rusty Weiss
The congresswoman invited 43-year-old Minneapolis activist Aliya Rahman — the same far-left agitator who went viral in January when ICE agents dragged her from her car during immigration enforcement operations in her home state — to sit in the gallery as her personal guest.
Wouldn't you know it, somebody as attention-seeking and willing to intentionally get arrested to interfere in law enforcement actions as Rahman, seated next to a lawmaker of an equal mindset, went and got herself arrested.
And Omar, the self-styled tough "Muslima," is big mad over the whole ordeal.
#4 - Pete Hegseth Comes Under Fire for Meeting the Standards He Demands of Others. Yes, You Read That Right — by streiff
The bottom line is that Hegseth is building a bond with the rank and file unlike any Secretary of War/Defense in our history. He's showing them that he can walk the walk he's imposing on them. He's laying down a marker for their bosses, because if SecWar presses 315, you can bet there will be pressure on lots of colonels and generals to be seen lifting weights at the gym. The services are recovering the professionalism destroyed by Lloyd Austin, and the cultural rot is being excised. The competence of the military makes Hegseth immune from attacks in that quarter, so the left has to find something else. And this is the crap they come up with: lying and mocking Heseth for lifting weights with the troops, when most of the critics would be hard-pressed to do a single rep of push-away-from-the-table, much less lift the plates. They do it because it is all they have left.
#5 - Absolute Heroes: Watch What Happens After Arizona Moving Crew Realizes They've Spotted a Kidnapped Girl — by Sister Toldjah
On Sunday, however, quick thinking by a security guard and a truck full of moving company employees who were stopped at a Phoenix QT convenience store led to Rogers' safe return:
Several employees from Camelback Moving were making a routine coffee stop at QuikTrip when the alert went off on their phones. Moments later, a security guard they knew approached them and said he believed the suspect had "just walked in with the child."
As the guard called 911, the movers positioned their trucks to block the vehicle he believed the suspect, Marina Noriega, was driving. Police arrived about 90 seconds later, a response that company founder Chad Olsen said likely helped ensure the child’s safe recovery.
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