Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that during Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address, he had only one thought running through his head the entire time: “Don’t make a stupid face for two hours.” Vance, who sat directly behind President Donald Trump with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) during Trump’s record-setting speech, knew that he was going to be on camera the whole time the president was speaking, and was absolutely set on not making a fool of himself. WATCH: Vance: I have one thought in my head the whole time which is don’t make a stupid face for two hours, which is hard for me. pic.twitter.com/zqkUWPZyXo — Acyn (@Acyn) February 26, 2026 The vice president revealed his “inner monologue” while speaking in Wisconsin on Thursday, saying that when congressional Democrats began saying and doing things in an attempt to disrupt Trump’s speech, he was worried that he might struggle with keeping a straight face. Vance began by explaining that as he watched the events of the evening unfold — and as Democrats in the chamber shouted things at the president and one was even escorted out — he thought to himself what President Trump eventually said out loud: “These people are crazy!” In that context, he added, “I have the best seat in the house in many ways. I’m sitting right next to the Speaker of the House, I’m sitting right behind the President of the United States, and I’ve got one internal monologue going on, one thought in my head the whole time, which is, ‘Don’t make a stupid face for two hours,’ which is hard for me.” “When you’re on TV for two hours, and the Democrats are doing crazy things — so I’ll give you a little lay of the land,” he continued. “So to the left, my left, is all of the Republicans, okay, because I’m sitting right behind the president. And to my right is some Republicans but mostly the Democrats. So I see the reaction of all the Congressional Democrats, and it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen … they’re just scowling. They cannot clap their hands for a six-year-old who survived an attack from an illegal alien. What is that? What kind of a person can’t stand up and cheer for an innocent young girl who’s doing well and showing the entire country strength and resilience?”

In a stunning twist in the months-long war between Netflix and Paramount over which company would purchase Warner Bros., the streaming giant has bowed out. After Warner Bros. released a statement on Thursday saying that the company’s board of directors viewed Paramount’s latest offer as a “superior proposal,” and that Netflix had four days to respond, the streamer backed out of the bidding war. “Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a ‘Company Superior Proposal,'” Warner Bros. stated in their press release. Netflix Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters responded in a statement of their own. “The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid,” Sarandos and Peters said. The company heads added that they believe Netflix would have taken good care of the Warner Bros. IP (intellectual property) and “strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.” “But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” they concluded. Paramount’s most recent bid raised the per-share price to $31, and featured a ticking fee, which would have paid shareholders if the deal took too long to come to fruition. Additionally, the company offered a $7 billion breakup fee, which would be paid if the deal were to fall through due to regulatory issues, and a nearly $3 billion fee that Warner Bros. owes Netflix as a result of their prior deal not materializing. Netflix’s last offer was valued at $82.7 billion, and was aimed at purchasing Warner Bros.’ film and streaming divisions (HBO Max), as well as DC Comics. Paramount, on the other hand, would be purchasing all of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its linear and cable TV networks. There has been much consternation in Hollywood, especially following the Disney-Fox acquisition, over the Warner Bros. bidding war, with many in the industry voicing concerns that further media consolidation would do irreparable damage to the movie and TV business, with lost jobs and fewer options for creatives. Though neither company (Paramount or Netflix) were favored by those in the industry, Netflix was viewed with a particularly skeptical eye as some questioned the streaming giant’s commitment to the theatrical experience. Others view Paramount CEO David Ellison’s apparently close relationship with the Trump administration as a reason for pause.

Several prominent Democrats decried the fact that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a number of DACA (Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals) recipients during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, demanding that they be given a “path to citizenship” in spite of data showing the “vast majority” of them had criminal histories. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a joint statement with Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), protesting the arrests and casting doubt on Homeland Security’s assertion that 92% had criminal histories outside of immigration-related civil violations. News of DACA recipients being arrested and deported is deeply troubling. These arrests disrupt families, harm communities, and inflict unnecessary social, emotional, and economic costs. And it is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Secretary Noem’s response to our letter claims that 241 of the 261 DACA recipients arrested had ‘criminal histories,’ without providing any further details. DACA recipients go through strict background checks every time they renew this protection, and the Trump Administration has not hesitated to arrest immigrants with no serious criminal convictions and falsely label them the “worst of the worst.” In the face of this Administration’s actions, it is important for Congress to protect young people who know no other home than the United States and continue the critical work to find a pathway to citizenship for them. We won’t accept partial information, and we demand that Secretary Noem provide more information on their basis for arresting and deporting DACA holders immediately. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in her letter to Durbin, explained, “[DACA] comes with no right or entitlement to remain in the United States indefinitely. Aliens with certain criminal histories will not be considered for DACA. Further, those who violate the terms are also subject to termination and removal.” According to data compiled by the federal government and shared in Noem’s letter to Durbin, immigration agents arrested 261 DACA recipients in the first ten months of 2025 — and 241 (92%) of those arrested had criminal histories apart from civil immigration violations. Just over one-third (86) of those arrested were subsequently deported. Durbin responded by claiming that the arrests were “wrongful,” despite the overwhelming number with criminal histories, and that “Dreamers” should be given a path to citizenship. “The Trump Administration just admitted to wrongfully arresting 261 DACA recipients. 86 were deported. Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship, not deportation,” he posted on X on Thursday. DACA was a program implemented by former President Barack Obama’s administration, and offered work permits and temporary deportation protections for those who either entered the United States illegally or overstayed their visas when they were children. President Trump’s first-term attempt to terminate DACA altogether was blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) admitted during a Wednesday interview that Vice President JD Vance “scares” him as the potential heir apparent to helm the Make America Great Again movement going into the 2028 presidential election. Newsom voiced his concerns to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on MS NOW, calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio “a complete fraud” and telling her that Vance, in particular, worried him “almost more than” President Donald Trump. WATCH: Marco Rubio is a complete fraud. But no one tops JD Vance. Talk about a guy who put a mask on his face and grew into it. Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/fNbTEYJY4z — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 26, 2026 “There are some people waiting in the wings in the MAGA world who would love to be the chosen ones of the Trump orbit,” Psaki began, adding, “JD Vance is one of them. Marco Rubio is one of them. Do you think they can carry on the MAGA flame here?” “No. But Vance, for whatever reason, scares me,” Newsom volunteered. “Why?” Psaki pressed. “Almost more than Trump. I don’t know. I just — I mean, talk about a guy who put a mask on and his face grew into it,” Newsom said, complaining that Vance and Rubio — as well as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — had been “effective” critics of Trump before coming around to his way of thinking. “What frauds, what phonies. But JD is a unique fraud and phony. And he’s a little more dangerous. And — and the folks around him, these are not folks that believe — I mean, listen to some of its biggest funders, the way they talk. There’s a nihilism to the way they talk about the world,” Newsom continued, adding, “I know these guys. I literally know them, not figuratively know them. Some of them are in the book, knew them back when.” “So, again, I don’t want to be overly hyperbolic about this,” Newsom said, just as he pivoted to be more hyperbolic: “So [Trump’s] going to try to run this out until right after the end, until he can pick and choose who goes behind him. Or, God forbid, we don’t take back the House of Representatives, he may be on that ballot.” Psaki agreed, “He’ll try.” “I just wouldn’t put it past him,” said Newsom. Trump has repeatedly said that he will not seek a third term in the White House, and has demurred when asked who he might want to see replace him. Touting the skills of both Vance and Rubio, Trump has only said that either would be a good choice.

Block, the parent company of Cash App and Square, announced Thursday it will be laying off more than 4,000 employees — a move that sent the company’s stock up 25% in after-hours trading. For most companies, laying off nearly half the workforce would send stockholders into a panic, tanking the stock within minutes of the announcement. But in 2026, investors in Block appear to have the opposite perspective — viewing humans as a liability in the modern economy, thanks in large part to the AI revolution. Block CEO Jack Dorsey said in a statement on X that the layoffs did not happen “because we’re in trouble,” but rather because “something has changed.” “We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company [sic]. and that’s accelerating rapidly,” Dorsey said. Dorsey viewed job cuts resulting from AI implementation as inevitable and chose to rip off the band-aid. “i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now [sic]. i chose the latter,” Dorsey said. “repeated rounds of cuts are destructive to morale, to focus, and to the trust that customers and shareholders place in our ability to lead [sic].” The layoffs are part of a broader shakeout in tech, where companies including Salesforce, CrowdStrike, Pinterest, and Chegg are shedding workers as AI absorbs key functions. In a letter to shareholders, Dorsey predicted that, within the next year, “the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes.” Block’s Q4 numbers were otherwise in the green, with gross profit increasing 24% year-over-year. Block CFO Amrita Ahuja told investors that the cuts are necessary “for our next phase of long-term growth.” “We are choosing to shift how we operate at a time when our business is accelerating and we see an opportunity to move faster with smaller, highly talented teams using AI to automate more work,” Ahuja said.