SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

REMARKABLE – FROM CNN:   Washington (CNN) Wreckage from the USS Lexington -- a US aircraft carrier sunk by the Japanese during World War II -- has been discovered 500 miles off the Australian coast by a team of explorers led by billionaire Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder announced on Monday.  One of the first US aircraft carriers ever built, the vessel dubbed "Lady Lex" was located at the bottom of the Coral Sea -- nearly two miles below the surface -- by the expedition crew of Research Vessel Petrel on Sunday, Allen said.  The Lexington was lost in May 1942 along with 216 of its crew and 35 aircraft during what is considered the first carrier battle in history -- the Battle of the Coral Sea.  We are reminded that the generation that fought World War II is fading away very quickly.  Paul Allen is doing great work in keeping their legacy alive.

SICKENING – FROM FOX:  A former criminal justice adjunct professor whose social media posts proclaimed his “privilege to teach future dead cops” has doubled down, this time referring to “pig death stats” in reaction to a recent spate of police officers killed on duty.  “My favorite thing about pig death stats is how they just lump all deaths on duty together whether they're killed or just have a heart attack from all the donuts,” read a tweet from @ve_unblockedt, one of two known accounts for Michael Isaacson. The tweet was posted the same day a police commander was shot and killed in downtown Chicago, making him the 11th officer to be killed by gunfire across the country this year.  Isaacson, who has used the hashtag #abolishpolice, most recently taught at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, one of the nation’s highest-profile schools for students planning careers in law enforcement.  You wonder how a jerk like this ever got a teaching job at John Jay.  We should demand answers.  Standards keep getting lower in the academic world.

ANOTHER BUSH WINS – FROM THE TAMPA BAY TIMES:   Writers of the Bush family political obituary can stand down after George P. Bush, son of Jeb Bush, outright won the GOP primary for Texas Land Commissioner on Tuesday night, effectively assuring another term and keeping future ambitions in good standing.  The younger Bush had to swallow Donald Trump's taunts of his father and offer the backing of Trump. It was a gesture the president did not overlook.  "This is important work, and sometimes when you make bold decisions and you're a leader, you get criticized. Speaking of criticism, I want to thank my opponents," Bush said with a smile. "Some ran more spirited campaigns than others."  And while thanking supporters for their work on the campaign, he also took a jab at the news media.  "Many of the critics, including those in the media, had doubts that we would even be celebrating tonight, but you didn't doubt me," he said.  We'll have more on Texas tomorrow.  In the early voting, Democrats came to the polls in heavy numbers.  Apparently, the Dem onslaught faded later in the day.  But we'll be able to be precise tomorrow.

March 6, 2018