It’s currently 34 degrees in Tampa Bay. And as a Floridian, I’ve got to say, this is NOT what I signed up for.
Normally, when the weather drops to the 50s, the only ones on Tampa’s beaches are the Canadian tourists. (“Whatcha talkin’ aboot, eh? This-a wea-therr is a-mazin’! Ahm workin’ on my tahn, don’tcha know.”) You can spot ‘em miles away, with their pale, pasty skin and Toronto Maple Leafs hats.
Locals avoid the beaches when the weather turns: Real Floridians have no tolerance for the cold.
And, yes, the 50s is flippin’ cold!
But the 30s?! That’s polar bear temperature, man. It’s so cold, not even the Canucks are at the beach anymore. (They’re still wearing shorts, though. Canadians are weird.)
After living in Florida for 20+ years, 90% of my clothes are t-shirts. I only own one pair of dress shoes, one pair of “normal” shoes — and dozens upon dozens of flip-flops. Typically speaking, “bad weather” in Tampa isn’t cold weather.
(It’s hurricanes.)
I’m honestly mystified by all the billions of people who voluntarily choose to stay in cold climates: Why?! Don’t you like beaches, girls in bikinis, and warm, sunny days?!
Aren’t you aware that Florida exists? You can literally drive here!
My car has a seat warmer. Other than keeping my fast food meals warm, I almost never use it. Because, other than hurricane season, the weather here is AMAZING.
Except for a few weeks out of the year, I mean. Like, right now!
But according to the weather report, by Wed. afternoon, Tampa Bay will be back in the high 60s. Thank goodness!
‘Cause 72 hours of winter is enough. (Brr.)
There’s a political component, too: I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but using ICE to target northern cities in wintertime was a stroke of Trumpian genius.
Because, as bad as the Minn. riots have been, they’d almost certainly be significantly worse — and far more deadly — if the weather was warmer.
Which means, ICE has a good, solid month to wrap up its operations in Minneapolis and elsewhere. After that, it might be smarter to refocus on other cities.
And in March or April, if all the big-hearted, politically correct liberals of Minneapolis want to burn their own city down, for PR reasons, it’s probably better just to pull back and let ‘em.
No need to be their foil. No reason to participate in the umpteenth burning, looting, and destruction of Minn. cities.
If the libs wanna own it, let ‘em own it.
And instead, the GOP should focus on publicizing the contrast: Who’s side are you on?
Are you on the rioters’ side? Do you want to see MORE cities burnt to the ground?
Or do you believe that destroying other people’s property — in order to shield illegal aliens from obeying federal immigration laws — is a stupid, self-defeating policy that does more harm than good?
The Democrats win if we focus on the individual trees: Look at Renee Good! Look at Alex Pretti! Look at this illegal alien and his cute, adorable daughter!
Their PR objective is to humanize as many “victims” as possible.
Meanwhile, the Republicans win by focusing on the forest: Take a step back, look at the big picture, and ask yourself, are we a nation of laws or a nation of rioters? Do angry, middle-aged white Minn. liberals have veto power over federal immigration laws? Who’s responsible for the loss of life from migrant-related crimes?
And who’s responsible for the BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars that Somali immigrants have, allegedly, already stolen?
The Somali fraud scandal still isn’t receiving the media attention it deserves. We need to change that ASAP.
PRedictions: Over the next few months, the Trump administration will refocus on the Somali fraud scandal, directly connecting it to ICE’s operations in Minn. and other blue states.
They’d be foolish not to. Content-wise, there’s just so much overlap: illegal immigration, Blue State geography, do-nothing Dems, and runaway crime — with the American people stuck paying the price (yet again).
Normally, whoever controls law enforcement and/or the judicial process has the PR upper hand, because they control the news: Attorney General Pam Bondi can exercise vast influence over the timing of court filings, news briefs, and news leaks.
Which means, if they want to “engineer things” so, in the 90 days prior to the 2026 midterms, there’s gonna be a slew of court dates regarding the Somali fraud scandal, we could easily turn it into a major Election Day issue.
This ought to be a highly executable PR plan.
But there’s one problem.
PRojections: Can we trust Pam Bondi not to bungle the Somali fraud case?
Based on her previous year as attorney general, probably not. Sadly, she’s demonstrated very little ability to oversee, manage, and communicate complex legal stories to the American people.
But on the other hand, Bondi isn’t a dim bulb; she was attorney general of Florida for a very long time (and if you know anything about Florida Man, you know that ain’t a dull job). Very few A.G.s came to office with her level of experience — and presumably, a smart, career A.G. can learn from her (many) mistakes.
Yet it’s difficult to trust her after she so spectacularly botched the Epstein saga. More than anyone else, Bondi’s overpromising, underdelivering, and PR missteps turned a fringe conspiracy scandal into the lead story of every newspaper.
Hopefully, she’ll redeem herself.
If not, we need a new A.G. as quickly as possible.
PRaise: To Stu Burguiere, for leaving The Glenn Beck Program after nearly a 30-year run. Just as Bo Snerdley became a household name as a producer on The Rush Limbaugh Show, Stu Burguiere was just as synonymous to millions of Beck fans.
Possibly more so, because Limbaugh didn’t use Snerdley’s voice on-air. (Although Limbaugh’s audience was, of course, significantly larger.) But Glenn Beck, who graduated from the “morning zoo” radio tradition, was far more comfortable giving airtime to producers, guests, and staff. He gave Burguiere oodles of airtime — and for the most part, Burguiere hit it out of the park. He was funny with a lighthearted touch, fully capable of “illustrating absurdity by being absurd” — but also knew when to dial down the humor and aim for the emotional heartstrings.
In today’s media marketplace, keeping the same gig for 28 years is a hell of an accomplishment.
I am rarely at a loss of words. But getting ready for today’s show, the final show with my producer/partner for 28 years, STU, has me grappling with words and emotion. Pat, who has been with me off and on since 1989, will be joining for this final farewell to Stu as he leaves…
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) January 30, 2026
But Burguiere won’t be leaving the media world for long: He’s launching his own prediction market company.
“One of my roles here in the program has kind of been chief data nerd guy who looks at the elections and tries to predict the outcomes to them and analyzes all that stuff,” Burguiere began. “So I’m starting a new company that is revolving in the world of prediction markets … The company’s going to be doing a few different things, but the one that’s probably interesting to the audience is we’re going to have a show. It’s going to be called Predictable with Stu Burguiere.”
He continued by noting what his vision for the new program is.
“The show is going to analyze the news, the things that we talk about every day, with a special focus on the elections, considering we’re going into election time,” Burguiere said. “And that’s been somewhat of an expertise of mine for a while. We’re going to be talking about all these news events as they relate to these prediction markets.”
Stu Burguiere has been with The Glenn Beck Program for 28 years. Upon making his announcement, Beck shared that he believed this enterprise fits Burguiere extremely well, and heaped praised on his longtime colleague.
On behalf of PJ Media, congrats to Burguiere on 28-years of radio excellence: We salute his contributions to conservative media and wish him continued success.
PRedators: I’ll be honest: I’m getting tired of talking about Candace Owens, because her “Nazi Alex Jones” schtick has gotten long in the tooth. How many times can you call out the same person for the same reprehensible behavior?
For the most part, we’re probably better off ignoring her: Who cares if she’s convinced Mrs. Marcon has a willy? Who cares if she believes Charlie Kirk was a time traveler?
But some conduct is so sick and so depraved, you’re morally required to call it out.
A few days ago, Owens leaked a conference call that Erika Kirk conducted with Turning Point USA staff.
Candace Owens has leaked a conference call of Erika Kirk talking to Turning Point USA employees around two weeks after her husband, Charlie, was assassinated.
The conservative provocateur told viewers Erika is 'extraordinarily upbeat' and criticized the widow for laughing as she pushed her conspiratorial agenda against the mother-of-two, repeatedly branding her 'weird' and 'strange.'
Owens, who hosts one of the largest podcasts in the world, attacked Erika for discussing merchandise sales and donations following Charlie's memorial in Phoenix, Arizona.
'We are not even two weeks after watching your husband be assassinated. We're talking about numbers and metrics that have been hit,' Owens said, claiming she had spoken to employees who said they found Erika's tone 'off-putting.'
[…]
Owens said in response: 'All of this makes my skin crawl.'
[…]
Owens targeted Erika over [offering grief counselors to TP USA staff], claiming it would put employees in an uncomfortable position because they would compare their grief to the widow's.
'Imagine you're the employee. You're like, 'Okay, well, this is his wife saying this, so am I weird? Would I be like, I would be pretty weird if I needed to take time off and his wife is saying she's full steam ahead?'' Owens said.
[…]
Owens' criticism of Erika on the call is the latest in an onslaught of public attacks that has seen her podcast rake in extraordinary viewing figures, with tens of millions tuning in every week.
She has accused the widow of using Charlie's legacy to promote and enrich herself, and take TPUSA in a direction its late founder never intended.
Grief isn’t a straight line. If Erika Kirk wants to dedicate herself to fulfilling her late husband’s lifelong mission, who the hell is Candace Owens to condemn her for it?
She laughed too much on a phone call?! She was too upbeat?! WGAS!!
If Candace Owens was donating to charity all the millions she’s made by gossiping about and disparaging Charlie Kirk’s widow, I certainly haven’t heard about it. Have you?
My suspicion is, she’s exploiting Charlie’s murder — and mocking his widow — for her own financial gain.
Erika Kirk has every right to grieve however she wants. Condemning her for not displaying enough public pain, heartache, and sorrow reveals more about you than it does about her.
So what if she’s weeping her eyes out in private — and not in public? That’s her right!
To most conservatives, Mrs. Kirk has already demonstrated great poise and dignity through an unspeakable tragedy. Advancing her late husband’s legacy, hopes, and dreams while shouldering the burden of his loss isn’t easy, and shame on the emotional vultures who insist otherwise.
There are no rulebooks or how-to guides for navigating her heartache.
If anyone deserves our compassion, protection, and kindness, it’s Erika Kirk and her children. Charlie isn’t there to protect his family anymore; the burden falls on the rest of us. They’re vulnerable and in pain.
And if anyone deserves our condemnation, it’s Candace Owens.
