DEEEFENSE!: The Seattle Seahawks crushed the New England Patriots 29-13 in a defensive battle to win the Super Bowl 29-13. The Seahawks picked apart the Patriots with field goals, scoring 15 points with five kicks, and running one interception  for a  touchdown. 

  The Patriots didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

  In the midst of a grinding defensive game, pop star Bad Bunny delivered a halftime performance that was funny, sexy, sexual, and thoroughly culturally Puerto Rican. Coming out of a sugar cane field established on the football grid, Bunny sang almost entirely in Spanish and danced through scenes of life in Puerto Rico, including a real couple really getting married, and surrounded by scores of booty-shaking dancers.

  It was a message that said Puerto Rico is a part of the US with a culture of its own and was rated as the most-watched halftime show ever, with 135 million viewers.

  Of course, America’s First Sourpuss said the show was out of touch with America. He posted: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”

  He also complained about the new NFL kickoff rule.

FIVE RINGS: American racer Breezy Johnson won the gold in Olympic downhill after the comeback kid Lindsey Vonn crashed only 13 seconds into her run.   Johnson beat the downhill field by only four 100ths of a second to become the first American downhiller to win gold since Vonn in 2010. 

  Vonn went off a jump and clipped a gate with her right shoulder, sending her into a spinning fall. Vonn was airlifted off the mountain and underwent surgery for a broken left leg, the same leg in which she tore her ACL just over a week ago.

  Vonn had retired six years ago following a series of crashes. She came back in the past two years with a partly titanium right knee to qualify again for the Olympics at age 41. With a reputation as one of the toughest and most competitive skiers ever, she started yesterday for what might be the last time.

  In other events, The US won gold in the team figure skating, put over the top by the performance of 21-year-old Ilia Malinin.

BLOOD SIMPLE: NBC morning anchor Savannah Guthrie said in a new Instagram video that she is willing to pay for the release of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who was kidnapped in the early morning hours of February 1^st.  Authorities continued to search the grounds round her house yesterday.

  Savannah Guthrie appeared to be responding to an note received by a local television station on Friday. The ransom is reported to be $6 million. “We received your message, and we understand,” Guthrie said, holding hands with her two older siblings, Annie and Camron. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

  In a previous video Guthrie asked for proof that her mother was alive, and stressed that she could die without her medication.

  One of the kidnapper messages had set two deadlines, one which passed without consequence on Friday and a second, described as more ominous, for today.

THE REGIME:

— Losing lawyers who refuse to follow questionable orders under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice is having trouble recruiting replacements who declare a loyalty to the President.

  Former DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle posted a help-wanted plea on Twitter/X saying, “If you are a lawyer, are interested in being an AUSA, and support President Trump and anti-crime agenda, DM me.” It was a private citizen acting as a recruiter for the government.

  Lawyers have quit the DOJ after refusing to press politically-motivated prosecutions or dropping cases against politically-favored defendants. The office in Minneapolis has been hit hardest by resignations during the administration’s immigration crackdown.

  The number of applications to be Justice Department lawyers is down significantly from previous years, The NY Times reports. Applications include questions about the Trump agenda including “How would you help advance the president’s executive orders and policy priorities in this role?” and “Identify one or two relevant executive orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”

— Donors who give at least $1 million to the Trump endorsed Freedom 250 initiative to celebrate the country’s 250^th birthday will get special access to the president, similar to those who give to his private fund for building a new White House ballroom.

  Rather than celebrating such events as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the money will go to Trump-branded  projects and events such as the his plans for a triumphal arch in Washington, an IndyCar race through the nation’s capital, a national prayer event, and an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on the White House lawn to coincide with the president’s 80th birthday.

STONED: Walk the streets of Manhattan and you can get stoned breathing the air. The NY Times, which supported legalized marijuana in its editorials, now says it’s time for the country to recognize that it has a marijuana problem.

  The editorial board writes that: “Each year, nearly 2.8 million people in the United States suffer from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which causes severe vomiting and stomach pain. More people have also ended up in hospitals with marijuana-linked paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders.”

  They say, “Much as the United States previously went too far in banning pot, it has recently gone too far in accepting and even promoting its use.” 

BELOW THE FOLD:  The right wing Turning Point USA put on a streaming alternative halftime show featuring the forgotten Kid Rock, calling to question who’s really out of touch with America.

-30-