Now I know what they do at faculty meetings on the humanities/social sciences side of campus » « They never learn

Infinite Thread XXXIX

It’s almost spring-like outside — the skies are clear, we’ve got cool breezes on a comfortable day, the plants are coming back… I know it can’t last but I’ll make the most of it. I’ve opened windows to let birdsong in and to drive the cat crazy.

Let the pleasant conversations flow!

Previous Thread

Now I know what they do at faculty meetings on the humanities/social sciences side of campus » « They never learn

Comments

  1. says

    Energy secretary says Trump was speaking ‘casually’ with claim about taking out oil. [WTF?]

    During an Oval Office event on Wednesday afternoon, a reporter asked Donald Trump for his reaction to the news that inflation has reached a three-year high. The president responded that the new data was “great,” adding, “I love the inflation.”

    And while that was strange, it quickly got worse. As part of his explanation for why he professed his “love” of inflation, Trump went on to say, “You know, I can say it now, something you didn’t know. You know we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil. Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran — until right now.” [WTF?]

    He said this operation involved 22 ships that traveled “with no lights” [JFC. Delusional, dementia afflicted Trump?] and went undetected because Iranians “don’t have any radar because we blasted the crap out of it.”

    Even at face value, this was difficult to understand. The president loves inflation because the United States is taking oil out of the Middle East?

    Complicating matters, there was also uncertainty about the nature and accuracy of Trump’s claims, even within his own White House Cabinet. MS NOW reported as part of the network’s liveblog coverage:

    Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who was simultaneously testifying before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, told lawmakers that he did not know of any such operation.

    Wright said he was not aware of “millions” of barrels of oil having been extracted from Iran, but he said earlier in the hearing that the U.S. military ‌had ⁠helped get some oil out of the Strait of Hormuz.

    As a rule, Wright can be counted on to toe the party line on pretty much anything Trump says, but when pressed by Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes of Ohio on the president’s public comments, Wright said Trump was merely “talking casually.” [social media post, with video]

    When Sykes followed up by asking about the propriety of a president speaking “casually” about a war, the energy secretary was reduced to saying, “I think you talk to all different audiences, and you talk in all different styles.”

    What did that mean in this context? Your guess is as good as mine. It’s similarly unclear whether Wright’s use of the word “casually” was meant to convey the idea that sometimes Trump just says stuff without any meaningful regard for accuracy.

    That said, it’s certainly possible that 22 ships moved through the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times noted, however, “He did not say what time period he meant. Ordinarily, dozens of oil tankers would pass through the strait each day, and thousands would have done so since the war began, if not for Iran’s blockade.”

  2. says

    For the convenience of readers, here are a few links back to the previous set of 500 comments on The Infinite Thread.

    https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-5/#comment-2303192
    OB-GYNs release their own vaccine schedule, rejecting RFK Jr.’s meddling

    https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-5/#comment-2303187
    Elon Musk stirs up more racist rage in Europe

    https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-5/#comment-2303186
    ‘A Crock of Shit’: Amid Misconduct Allegations, Broadview Six Transcripts Offer Rare Window into Grand Jury

    https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-5/#comment-2303182
    “Inflation heats up to highest pace in three years”

    https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-5/#comment-2303180
    Trump peddles more mixed messages after accusing Iran of downing a U.S. helicopter

  3. says

    Trumps find tacky new way to profit from White House cage fight

    […] This time, the grift is centered around the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fight on the White House lawn scheduled for President Donald Trump’s birthday on June 14.
    The “Trump Coins” website is currently selling UFC- and Trump-themed silver and gold coins. The site claims—without evidence—that the coins were “designed by President Trump.”

    The coins, which range in price from $250 to an eye-popping $11,999.99, also feature Trump’s signature and photos of him and UFC chief Dana White, a longtime Trump ally.

    CNN reported that, while the coins are not directly made by a Trump company, the Trump Organization is licensing the president’s name and image.

    […] By tying this new coin to the White House event, the Trump family is using public property to generate personal profits.

    […] Using the White House to supercharge sales of overpriced silver and gold coins falls right in line with his history of grifting […]

  4. says

    Given how these undeniable circumstances have all piled up on us –
    » The lies, murder and destruction of the tRUMP admin. and repugnantcant politicians
      (aided and abetted by the corruption of the DNC)
    » The incomplete, biased and inaccurate reporting by the mainslime news
    » The millions of ignorant people unquestioningly sucking down the toxic magat koolaid
    » Billionaires destroying the environment and peoples’ communities everywhere
    I can only reasonably conclude that a magat apocalypse must already be here
    Can anyone else hear Martha and the Vandellas singing: ‘nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide’?

    In spite of that grim reality, here are two sparks of light in the darkness enveloping us.
    John Oliver is a wonderful breath of sarcastic fresh air. Here is his report on florida destroying new college:


    and here is Jamie Raskin listing some of the tRUMP abuses of law and the nation:
    https://crooksandliars.com/cltv/2026/06/raskin-ticks-through-trump

  5. Reginald Selkirk says

    Squirrel poop dating back to last ice age is full of mammoth, horse DNA

    Scientists have reconstructed genomes of woolly mammoths, horses, steppe bison and ground squirrels that roamed the grasslands of the Canadian Arctic during the last ice age using DNA found in frozen squirrel poop from the Yukon.

    In fact, the fossil (though not turned to stone) feces or coprolites were full of DNA from animals, including wolves, predatory cats, mammoths, horses, birds, bats, grasshoppers and parasitic worms and 200 kinds of plants ranging from sages to sedges, reports the new study published Tuesday in Nature Communications. ..

    For hundreds of thousands of years, ground squirrels in the Arctic have dug burrows that include a toilet chamber.

    These poop-filled pockets have been eroding out of the valley walls along rivers. Murchie’s colleagues and co-authors in the Yukon have been collecting and preserving these burrows, which have other chambers full of fragments of snacks, ranging from plants to bones to insects, that the squirrels collected between 30,000 and 700,000 years ago.
    …
    At first, he was surprised by the amount of mammoth and horse DNA in the squirrel poop, but little research revealed that even modern squirrels will eat just about anything, from nuts to roadkill to smaller rodents, and clearly their prehistoric cousins weren’t picky.

    “If there happened to be nuts and seeds and their favorite plants, that was great. If there happened to be a dead mammoth over there or a dead horse or whatever else, they ate that. Or if there happened to be some poop of a horse over there, they ate that.” …

  6. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Always wash your fruits’: Calgary family finds black widow spider in grapes

    Grapes will never look the same to Sean Cardiff.

    The Calgarian had been eating out of a bag of red seedless grapes from a Calgary grocery store for two days before finding a highly venomous black widow spider in the bunch…

    Olds College entomologist Ken Fry says finding spiders in imported produce is “becoming more common” due to reduced pesticide use in grape production.

    “As growers and producers adopt more environmentally sensitive means of growing their food, that results in safer food for us, but then it also means that natural enemies like spiders and other predators will move into the crop,” he said…

  7. Reginald Selkirk says

    Southern Baptists vote to advance a formal ban on churches with women pastors

    Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance a formal ban on women pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, sending a clear message that men alone should preach to these conservative evangelical congregations.

    The amendment would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors.

    The vote at the annual meeting was 6,028 to 2,026 — a 3-to-1 margin — which easily exceeded the required two-thirds majority. It will require a similar two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the constitution…

    “The Southern Baptist Church. Come for the slavery, stay for the misogyny”

  8. Reginald Selkirk says

    Claude Fable won’t answer basic biology questions

    Anthropic just released Claude Fable 5, calling it the most powerful AI model it has ever made widely available and praising its skills in biology, among others. But the model won’t answer basic biology questions — the kind you’d expect a high schooler to handle. Instead, it hands off the query to the former flagship model, Claude Opus 4.8.

    It isn’t because Fable doesn’t know the answers. It’s because Anthropic won’t let it, by design…

  9. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Reginald Selkirk @5:

    he was surprised by the amount of mammoth and horse DNA in the squirrel poop […] If there happened to be a dead mammoth over there or a dead horse or whatever else, they ate that.

    Dead, oorrr… crazed fluffy piranhas were taking down mammoths.
     
    Wikipedia – Kea

    The kea is a large parrot measuring 46 to 50 cm (18 to 20 in) in length […] at least some kea will attack and feed on healthy sheep. The video confirmed […] the kea uses its powerful, curved beak and claws to rip through the layer of wool and eat the fat from the back of the animal. Though the bird does not directly kill the sheep, death can result from infections or accidents […] There are also anecdotal reports of kea attacking rabbits, dogs, and even horses.

  11. StevoR says

    A Chinese rocket has lit up the skies across Queensland and northern New South Wales overnight, as it passed over north-eastern Australia.

    University of Southern Queensland astrophysicist Jonti Horner said the Zhuque-2E rocket was launched about 6:20pm from a Chinese satellite launch centre and was visible over Queensland about 20 minutes later last night.

    “We got a spectacular light show,” Professor Horner said. Professor Horner said the rocket’s height meant it was lit by the sun, even though night had fallen on the ground.

    “The rocket was above the atmosphere, and it did what I’ve seen described by some people as passivation,” he said.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-10/rocket-sighting-lights-australian-skies/106779074

  12. Reginald Selkirk says

    Angry bug hunter with Microsoft beef drops new Windows 0-day

    They are angry at Redmond and will have their revenge. Nightmare Eclipse, the prolific bug hunter and possibly disgruntled ex-Microsoft employee, disclosed another zero-day vulnerability just hours after Redmond issued a record-breaking number of CVEs and fixes for June Patch Tuesday.

    The latest zero-day, RoguePlanet, targets Microsoft Defender and works against fully patched Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems, according to the researcher, who also released proof-of-concept exploit code for the security flaw. Assuming the attacker can win a race condition, this bug allows local privilege escalation and leads to SYSTEM-level control over an affected machine…

  14. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DailyBeast – Trump’s birthday cage fight is remarkably effective at repelling celebrities

    UFC President Dana White’s celebrity guest list, which he revealed included Adam Sandler, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Oscar winner Jared Leto, action star Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and TV host Mario Lopez, will come up empty for many—if not all—of those names.

    A source close to Johnson told the publication that the wrestler-turned-actor will not attend. Neither will Sandler, Leto, or even Lopez, who has publicly identified as a conservative. […] the remaining invitees had not responded to multiple requests for comment.
    […]
    On Friday, Trump announced that he would host a rally […] after most of the concert’s lineup backed out of the performance. Several of the artists—including Milli Vanilli, Bret Michaels, and Martina McBride—said they were told the show would be a nonpartisan event before pulling out. Others, like Vanilla Ice, were blindsided after they declined to leave with the mass exodus when Trump insulted all the performers and canceled the concert altogether.
    […]
    Trump’s presumably hand-picked artists include Lee Greenwood, the 83-year-old country singer whose signature hit, “God Bless the U.S.A.” was released in 1984 [and] Christopher Macchio, a 47-year-old opera singer who has just 571 monthly listeners on Spotify.

    Rando: “A-Lister, Mario Lopez.”

  15. says

    Sky Captain @13, thanks for adding that previous incident which involved Elon Musk inciting riots. Musk fueling riots should make a lot of people in the U.K. angry. It’s good to see some politicians speaking out against Musk’s tactics.

  16. says

    Basketball update from USA Today:

    OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history as the New York Knicks bolted back from a 29-point deficit in Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs, bringing them one step closer to their first championship since 1973.

    San Antonio was in full control for most of the game […]

    Jalen Brunson scored 36 points, including a 3-pointer with 2:21 left that gave New York its first lead (104-103). His five-foot floater in the lane a minute later gave it another one-point lead.

    Stephon Castle’s two free throws gave the Spurs their last lead at 106-105 with 30.3 seconds.

    The Spurs’ last shot at the buzzer missed, sending the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. New York takes a 3-1 series lead and Game 5 is Saturday night in San Antonio.

  17. says

    NBC News coverage of NBA Finals:

    Behind a soaring putback layup by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left, New York won Game 4 of the NBA Finals 107-106 to pull off the largest comeback in Finals history, overcoming a 29-point deficit to stun San Antonio and take a 3-1 series lead.

    Jalen Brunson’s deep 3-pointer on the Knicks’ final possession misfired but bounced high in the air, giving Anunoby enough time to tip the ball with his right hand and send a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd howling. Only nine minutes earlier in the fourth quarter, the Knicks still trailed by 20.

    San Antonio had one final chance to win on an inbounds play, but the Spurs could not get a shot off in the final seconds. Knicks owner James Dolan had guaranteed during a local radio appearance Wednesday that his team would win Game 4, and the series in five games — and now New York has the opportunity to do just that, and win its first NBA championship since 1973.

    “We’re resilient, we never gave up,” Anunoby told the ABC broadcast. “It’s a game of runs.” […]

    San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points, with 13 rebounds, but missed two key free throws with 1:47 remaining that would have pushed his team’s lead to three points. It was the second game of this series in which late-game errors cost San Antonio a chance to win, following a turnover by Wembanyama in Game 2.

    Sixty-five seconds into the first quarter San Antonio successfully challenged a foul that had been called on Wembanyama, a reversal that foreshadowed a half where everything went the Spurs’ way.

    San Antonio needed only seven minutes to lead by 13 points while making five of its first six 3-pointers. When it grew to 15 later in the quarter, it was the largest lead either team had built at any point during the Finals.

    Then the gap grew to 17.

    Then 21.

    Then 29 — the largest deficit New York had faced during its otherwise red-hot postseason, thanks to a Finals-record 14 3-pointers in one half.

    […] San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points, with 13 rebounds, but missed two key free throws with 1:47 remaining that would have pushed his team’s lead to three points. It was the second game of this series in which late-game errors cost San Antonio a chance to win, following a turnover by Wembanyama in Game 2.

    Sixty-five seconds into the first quarter San Antonio successfully challenged a foul that had been called on Wembanyama, a reversal that foreshadowed a half where everything went the Spurs’ way.

    San Antonio needed only seven minutes to lead by 13 points while making five of its first six 3-pointers. When it grew to 15 later in the quarter, it was the largest lead either team had built at any point during the Finals.

    Then the gap grew to 17.

    Then 21.

    Then 29 — the largest deficit New York had faced during its otherwise red-hot postseason, thanks to a Finals-record 14 3-pointers in one half. […]

    Videos at the link.

    It was nice to see that Trump was NOT there.

  18. birgerjohansson says

    More journalists need to challenge people who make blatant lies on television.
    “Journalist Gets Republican Donor To Melt  Down During Heated Debate.”

    .https://youtube.com/shorts/8bX7MSr8k0A
    “What are they hiding” -asked by a person that pretends to be a champion of the fourth amendment.

  20. birgerjohansson says

    ^ ^ ^
    If you have to borrow to finance this, the reduced cost of children with fewer conduct problems will finance the payments: Argument to the neoliberal stooges that hate public spending that makes things better for common people.

  22. Reginald Selkirk says

    Gaming PC deflects bullet shot through wall by neighbour, saving owner’s life — criminal negligence charges for culprit who claims ‘firearm was accidentally discharged by her dog’

    A Redditor and PC gaming enthusiast says their PC might have saved their life, after the rig deflected a bullet fired through the wall of their house by their neighbour. According to the post, the neighbour claims that the firearm was accidentally discharged by her dog, sending the projectile into the house. u/angelbabyzz says police state the PC changed the trajectory of the bullet — which she found under her pillow — and that it would have otherwise hit her while she was sleeping. On a positive note, Angelbabyzz is now planning how to spend their $3,500 insurance payout on a new gaming PC build.

    Tell us again how the dog loaded the gun and clicked off the safety.

  23. johnson catman says

    re Reginald Selkirk@22:

    Tell us again how the dog loaded the gun and clicked off the safety.

    Well, you were the one that reported this story on the previous set of 500 comments for The Infinite Thread: Dog in Car Shoots Woman With Shotgun, Nebraska Police Say. Maybe the dogs are getting smarter. Kristi Noem should definitely worry.

  24. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump threatens to seize ‘total control’ of Iran’s oil industry including key export terminal Kharg Island

    I don’t see how that can happen when he testified to Congress on May 1 that hostilities with Iran were ended. Iran will probably dismiss this as bluster.

    Hagen had learned the art of negotiation from the Don himself. “Never get angry,” the Don had instructed. “Never make a threat. Reason with people.” The word “reason” sounded so much better in Italian. rajunah, to rejoin. The art of this was to ignore all insults, all threats; to turn the other cheek.” – The Godfather, by Mario Puzo

  25. Reginald Selkirk says

    UK defence minister quits, plunging PM Starmer deeper into leadership crisis

    British defence ​minister John Healey quit on Thursday in a dispute over military spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit the resources that are needed ‌to keep the country safe from heightened threats.
    The unexpected resignation, accompanied by a scathing public letter, compounds the pressure on Starmer when he is facing a likely leadership challenge and exposes the crisis at the heart of the British government – how it can ramp up defence spending when there is little money to spare and the welfare budget keeps rising…

  26. Reginald Selkirk says

    Iran threatens Elon Musk’s companies in Middle East: Iranian state media

    Iran will treat all of Elon Musk’s companies in the Middle East, including SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, as military targets as it retaliates against the U.S., Iranian state media outlet Fars reported Thursday.

    Iran is targeting “all interests related to economic holdings managed by Elon Musk in West Asia,” including a regional Starlink ground station, according to a translated post on Fars’ Telegram page.

    Iran asserts that the U.S. has committed war crimes against it with the support of Musk-related companies, Fars reported, citing an “informed source.” …

  27. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Not on my bingo chart’ – Tharp smashes 110m hurdles record

    Ja’Kobe Tharp broke the 110m hurdles world record during heats at the American college championships on Wednesday.

    The 20-year-old, from Auburn, Alabama, clocked 12.75 seconds at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) event in Eugene, Oregon.

    The previous record of 12.80 was set by fellow American Aries Merritt in Brussels in September 2012…

  28. Reginald Selkirk says

    Part of Pentagon sheltering in place during hazmat incident

    Part of the Pentagon is under a shelter in place order during a “hazardous materials incident” Thursday morning.

    Arlington Fire said crews including their Hazardous Materials Team are at the Pentagon assisting the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s Hazmat Team. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said it stems from an “air quality issue.”
    …

  29. says

    Why Trump is the wrong messenger to make the case against Maine’s Platner

    “For the president to say the Mainer might be “worse than any human being that’s ever run for office” is a remarkable failure of self-awareness.”

    Related video at the link.

    Control of the Senate in the next Congress might very well come down to the closely watched contest in Maine, where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term. On the surface, Democrats have reason for cautious optimism: Collins is New England’s only remaining GOP senator, and recent polling suggests many Mainers are ready for a change in a year that’s shaping up to be a rough one for the incumbent’s party.

    But against that backdrop, Maine Democrats have decided to take a gamble on nominating oyster farmer Graham Platner, a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    The list of controversies from his background is not short: Platner has faced difficult questions about online comments downplaying sexual assault in the military, his since-removed tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, allegations he sent sexually explicit texts to several women who were not his wife and, most recently, allegations from three ex-girlfriends about volatile personal behavior, some of which he’s denied.

    Platner nevertheless easily won his party primary this week, and soon after, the National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated a memo warning donors and allies to take him seriously. […]

    With this in mind, Donald Trump decided to weigh in on the race during an unrelated White House event on Wednesday afternoon, formally endorsing Collins and condemning her Democratic rival in stark terms. The president told reporters in the Oval Office:

    I watched that thug that’s up in Maine. He’s a thug. … I mean, he’s worse than any human being that’s ever run for office, probably. I don’t know him. I don’t want to say bad, but I just, look, I mean, nobody’s ever had a record like that. […]

    I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s a thug. I know thugs. I had to deal with thugs. I built a lot of buildings, I dealt with the toughest people on earth. I dealt with worse than thugs. This guy’s a thug. He’s a low-level thug. … he’s just an outright pig. He’s like a pig; I watched him a couple of times. He’s like a pig, that’s what he reminds me of. I come up with good names for people.

    […] I’m not sure if Trump fully appreciates just how poor a messenger he is for his message.

    After all, the president is a convicted felon who was under federal criminal indictment as recently as two years ago. Trump also ran a fraudulent charity, a fraudulent “university” and his business was found to have engaged in systemic fraud.

    In the E. Jean Carroll civil case, a jury found him liable for sexual abuse, and Carroll is one of many women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Relatedly, much of the public is probably familiar with the infamous “Access Hollywood” recording in which Trump said, in the context of his aggressive pursuit of women, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

    This is just a small sampling of a record that includes countless examples of racism, in addition to remarks denigrating American military heroism. […]

    If Republicans want to make the case that Platner is a controversial candidate, there’s little point in denying the claim. But for Trump, of all people, to say the Mainer might be “worse than any human being that’s ever run for office” is a remarkable failure of self-awareness.

  30. says

    To build his ‘triumphal’ arch, Trump envisions 20 hours per day of construction

    “As the details of the administration’s plan come into focus, the arch controversy has taken an even more farcical turn.”

    Related video at link.

    The challenge in picking Donald Trump’s favorite distraction is that the competition is brutally fierce. The president’s ballroom vanity project, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the White House venue for the upcoming UFC fight are certainly near the top of the lengthy and growing list.

    But don’t forget about his interest in a massive “triumphal” arch just across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, in front of Arlington National Cemetery. The Washington Post reported:

    Federal officials are laying more groundwork to begin construction on President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, sharing additional documents that detail the project’s scope and an aggressive timetable for potentially completing work before Trump’s term ends.

    According to National Park Service documents posted this month, the administration envisions 20 hours per day of construction on the arch, year-round, in hopes of completing the project within two to three years. Construction experts said that timeline — which would involve two 10-hour daily shifts — is aggressive for a nonemergency project.

    To be sure, the controversy surrounding the arch was already messy. For one thing, there’s an ongoing lawsuit that may very well succeed. For another, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently told Congress that the project is only at the “discussion” stage, and when evidence to the contrary emerged, Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, argued that the Cabinet secretary came “pretty damn close” to committing perjury.

    In case that weren’t quite enough, the Washington Post reported last month that the administration was moving forward with plans to start work on the arch “by piggybacking on an existing, unrelated contract for engineering services” a mile away, which in turn would “allow the administration to bypass a potentially lengthy public bidding process.”

    As a rule, when a White House has to rely on subterfuge to advance its ambitions, it’s a bad sign.

    At this point, common sense might suggest that Congress would intervene, but the White House has already made clear that it intends to circumvent lawmakers. Trump was quite explicit on this point a few weeks ago, declaring at an Oval Office event, “We don’t need Congress to sign off on it. We’re doing it.”

    […] the controversy has taken an even more farcical turn. Indeed, Trump and his team don’t just want an arch; they want it to be built at extraordinary speed, as if there were some kind of emergency need for the project. (There is not.)

    The Post’s report added, “The arch also would be built with concrete clad in granite, unlike the nearby Lincoln Memorial and other monuments that were constructed with natural stone like marble and limestone — another way to expedite its construction, experts said.”

    […] there’s another element to this that’s worth keeping in mind: safety.

    Those familiar with the geography of the nation’s capital might realize that there’s a large airport in Arlington, just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., and that the flight path for many arrivals takes airplanes above where the proposed arch would sit.

    With this in mind, the Post went on to report, “The Park Service said the project would require large cranes, including one that may be 320 feet tall and another that could be as high as 300 feet. The planned site for the arch is on a flight path to nearby Reagan National Airport, where planes can sometimes fly at around 500 feet of altitude, raising concerns about safety.”

    […] if Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections, this would likely be one of many points of contention next year.

  33. says

    Followup to comment #1.

    Bursting through an open door, Trump hyped an already disclosed ‘secret mission’

    “When the president said ‘nobody’ knew of the operation, he apparently meant nobody except those who had read The New York Times two weeks ago.”

    Immediately after professing his “love” of inflation at a White House event, Donald Trump went on to tell reporters on Wednesday afternoon about an operation he’s been eager to disclose.

    “You know, I can say it now, something you didn’t know,” the president said. “You know we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil. Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran — until right now.” He said this operation involved 22 ships that traveled “with no lights” and went undetected because Iranians “don’t have any radar because we blasted the crap out of it.”

    Trump added, by way of a statement published to his social media platform, that this was “a secret mission.”

    Soon after, during a congressional hearing, Energy Secretary Chris Wright was asked if he knew what the president was talking about. The Cabinet secretary conceded he was “unaware” of the developments Trump described, and he assured lawmakers the president was merely “talking casually.”

    That wasn’t much of an answer, and it left unresolved the obvious underlying questions: Had Trump disclosed an actual secret mission? Had he kept it from his own energy secretary?

    The New York Times shed additional light on the subject soon after.

    As often happens with Mr. Trump, the truth was less dramatic. According to a senior U.S. military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the president was referring to an American effort to steer the passage of dozens of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

    While the operation was surreptitious enough — the U.S.-guided vessels have been turning off their transponders to avoid detection when crossing the narrow waterway — it could hardly have been news to Iran. Late last month, The New York Times published an article about the effort, reporting that U.S. Central Command had shepherded around 70 commercial ships through the strait. [True]

    In other words, when the president said “nobody” knew of the operation, he apparently meant nobody except everyone who read the Times’ article that was published on May 31.

    I had a professor in college who used to joke about politicians who “burst through open doors.” This comes to mind often when watching the current White House.

    Indeed, it came up last week when Trump said it was a “big thing” that he and his team had persuaded Iranian officials to agree not to pursue a nuclear weapon. Except, as anyone who’s followed the issue has long understood, Iran has been saying this same thing for more than a half-century.

    […] Trump, struggling in the polls and short on successes, appears desperate to share some good news, especially about a war that hasn’t gone according to his expectations. But pointing to meaningless accomplishments and disclosing operations that have already been disclosed aren’t going to turn things around for him.

  34. says

    As widely reported for years, the elongated muskrat has always been a criminal and an arrogant fraud. He has never created anything, he just buys innovative companies and dictates they degrade their products with his crappy, impractical, wasteful ideas. It is correctly alleged that he is an illegal alien from s. africa and there is credible reporting that he has prompted tRUMP to bring in thousands of bigoted, maga-like, white s. african criminals and give them lots of land and massive funding. He destroyed the lives of a residential community with his dozens of illegal noisy, polluting, gas turbine generators powering his data center.
    This is what AI is all about: using massive amounts of stolen works created by people, parroting human writing, encouraging people to commit suicide, turning out garish primitive and often fraudulent images, etc.
    His crappy cybertruk is supposed to be stainless steel, But, They RUST. Just another fraud.

  35. says

    Followup to Reginald @32.

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/why-does-trump-need-22-specialists

    “Why Does Trump Need 22 Specialists To Show Him Dementia Test Camels?”

    Here’s a weird one for you in the chronicle of Donald Trump’s ongoing health scares and hand bruises and apparently rapidly advancing dementia. Trump has reportedly set a new record for how many specialists looked at him a few weeks back, the last time he went to Walter Reed for his routine dementia tests/cankle exam […]

    Twenty-two. That’s how many.

    The Washington Post reports on this figure, comparing it to HW Bush seeing five specialists in 1989 and W seeing 12 on his first checkup as president. And sure, when you are the leader of the free world, we imagine there are certain times where they really want to get under the hood and make extra certain there are no surprises lurking beneath.

    […] So on one hand, it makes total sense that every specialist in the building would want to come by and look at how gross and fucked up his body and brain are.

    Of course it leads us to ask what else the White House is lying about.

    And they are lying. Jonathan Last stated the obvious after Trump’s confused, agitated, and angry Meet The Press interview when he wrote that “The president’s medical team is about as trustworthy as Vladimir Putin’s. No credible explanations have been given for any of his obvious physical problems. There are no explanations for frequent medical appointments. His health records are only selectively released. His physicians tend to be Rasputin-style quacks.”

    Likewise, in response to this news, Trump’s [spokespersons] released statements that say things like “The involvement of multiple specialists reflects a comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation consistent with best practices for executive-level medical care.” […]

    “We have nothing to hide,” [an] official said.

    Haha, OK. That must be why some of these specialists came from Harvard, Duke and other faraway places. [!] You know a man’s brain and body are healthy when doctors start getting on airplanes to come gawk at them.

    Meanwhile, a real doctor:

    “It is an extraordinary number,” said Jonathan Reiner, a longtime cardiologist for former vice president Dick Cheney. “What specialties do they represent? Why so many?”

    Doing more comparisons, the Post notes that Trump’s 22 break even his own number from last year, which was 14. Joe Biden in his last year in office saw 20. And thanks to Jake Tapper, it is now legal to admit that Joe Biden was very old.

    Trump is turning 80 this weekend […]. He falls asleep everywhere, including when he is ruining basketball games […]

    Why all these specialists? Why all the dementia tests? Why the MRI back in the fall? Why is he going to the doctor every five seconds? […] These are the real questions, and the American people deserve answers.

  37. says

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/brunson

    “Brunson,” by Josh Marshall

    I’m not a huge basketball fan. A casual one, mostly. […] But I’ve been pulled in the same way as the whole society has by the rise of American basketball over the course of my lifetime. And I’ve been pulled hard into Knicks’ destiny run. You’ll see other commentary about last night’s game, literally the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history. But I wanted to share one moment with you, one that came after the game when Knicks captain Jalen Brunson went on ESPN’s Inside the NBA post-game show.

    Brunson got asked about the game. And then he got asked a series of questions that were on the order of, was there a moment when you thought we’ve lost this game? that you started to lose hope? Brunson made some general comments and then he said this: “You’re allowed to think about the worst possible scenario. But you gotta go out there and do something about it.”

    I heard it and it immediately clicked for me on many levels […]

    When I heard this I thought, This is a good mantra for fighting fascism, too. But it applies to every part of life.

  38. says

    New York Times link

    “Trump and Hegseth Broadcast U.S. Military Strikes Before They Happen”

    In the U.S. military, commanders do not typically speak publicly about future operations to avoid tipping off an adversary or jeopardizing the mission’s success and, possibly, American lives.

    But that has not dissuaded America’s commander in chief from proclaiming when and how the United States will next attack Iran.

    For the second day in a row, President Trump on Thursday threatened in a social media post that the United States would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” and may soon take Kharg Island, the heart of Iran’s oil economy.

    Mr. Trump said the same thing on Wednesday, and hours later American warplanes and Tomahawk missiles struck dozens of Iranian radars, air defenses and other military targets in the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere around the country.

    On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has criticized reporters for asking about future operations, suddenly decided it was OK to forecast U.S. bombing raids.

    “So those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong. They will be clear,” Mr. Hegseth told reporters traveling with him to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., which oversees military operations in the Middle East. “If they happen to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong, and they will be clear.”

    Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth said they were telegraphing the American strikes […] to pressure the government in Tehran to reach a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked for months.

    “President Trump is a deal-maker, the best in the world,” Mr. Hegseth said. “He’s prepared to make that deal. Iran would be wise to take it. Otherwise, they would have to deal with the types of plans that I just had a chance to see inside Central Command.”

  40. says

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a contest to determine the 2028 Republican presidential nominee, on Thursday Donald J. Trump ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance to face off in a UFC cage match at the White House this weekend.

    Trump decided to replace the traditional system of primaries and caucuses with a mixed martial arts competition because, as he told reporters, “Unlike elections, UFC fights are never rigged.”

    “These are both tough guys,” he added. “Marco kidnapped Maduro, and JD killed the Pope.”

    According to sources, Rubio’s first attempt at kickboxing went horribly awry Thursday morning when one of his oversized Florsheims flew off and hit Stephen Miller in the eye.

    Satire

  41. KG says

    Reginald Selkirk@25,

    It might surprise some here that I do think the UK needs to undertake some rearmament. But the obvious threat is from Putin’s Russia (a secondary one is from Trump’s America), and it’s far from clear that the hugely expensive (and hugely profitable for the arms companies) projects currently at various stages of planning or construction (for nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement with the USA and Australia, two aircraft carriers, the GCAP fighter to be built in conjuntion with Italy and Japan, due to come into service in 2035 – please wait until then to attack us, Mr. P.!) are going to be of any use. What are needed are replacements for the missiles and ammunition sent to Ukraine, lots of drones, UAVs to patrol the cables connecting this island to the world, and satellites.

  42. says

    @39 birgerjohansson reported: Thomas Massie (R) Blasts Israel Over USS Liberty sinking.. . .I bet most Mericans have never heard about it.
    I reply: I learned about that Israeli war crime in a history course in college in 1969. It happened June 1967 during six-day Israeli war. Not all of us in this country mindlessly drink the toxic koolaid. Some of us work to learn the facts, think and reason critically, keep informed and express honesty and decency in our lives. However, too man here just slurp down the magat xtian terrorist koolaid. That’s what put the tRUMP and the repugnantcant magat plutocrat billionaire in power.
    P.S. Regarding mofo mike’s lies about cutting the social security ‘entitlements’, he can just jamb his face back into tRUMP’s ass; we PAID INTO social security and medicare for DECADES as an involuntary investment. If he succeeds in that, MOFO MIKE AND THE MAGATS WILL BE THIEVES!

  43. says

    oops, no sexist remark intended, I meant to write ‘too manY here just slurp down the magat xtian terrorist kooliad’

  44. JM says

    AP News: Trump calls off latest threats to strike Iran, citing progress in negotiations

    U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war by seizing control of the country’s oil industry.

    Apparently Trump talked with somebody other then Hegseth. Some of if may have been playing to the press also and Trump had no actual intentions of anything more then a few missiles and bombs.
    Or this reversal may be a setup for more attacks, or he may just be a confused old man who can’t keep a coherent thought for that long.

  46. Reginald Selkirk says

    Why Do Chatbots Keep Telling Stories About Someone Named ‘Elias Thorne’?

    Who in the world is Elias Thorne? He’s a regular fixture in stories told by chatbots, as first spotted by software engineer Daniel May, but no one knows why… until now. According to a new preprint research paper first reported by 404 Media, the proliferation of the legend of Elias might be related to guardrails put in place for AI models during safety and alignment training.

    If you need to catch up on the Elias Thorne of it all, the paper published by researchers at Cornell University is a good place to start. They gave several AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT-5.4 Mini, Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 4.5, and Google’s Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, five different prompts to generate stories. They looked at about 20,000 stories generated by the models and found a shocking amount of repetition: 11 words—Lighthouse, Keeper, Baker, Mayor, Clockmaker, Fisherman, Librarian, Conductor, and the names Mara, Elias, and Elara—appeared in a whopping 88% of all stories.

    No combination of that incredibly narrow pool of nouns for storytelling purposes appears more often than Elias the lighthouse keeper, which showed up in two-thirds of all stories generated. That’s pretty much in line with the anecdotal examples provided by May, who also prompted multiple different models to write stories and found the same Elias the lighthouse keeper pop up over and over again.

    So what exactly is the deal? The researchers posited that it might have something to do with the pre-training data fed into these models, but quickly ruled that out when they couldn’t find anything to suggest “Elias the lighthouse keeper” appears with excess frequency in pre-training data or literature used in training.

    Instead, they attribute the issue to the use of specific datasets that have become commonly used by AI labs. They cited WildChat, an open-source dataset of millions of conversations between people and a GPT-3.5-powered chatbot, as a possible example. The dataset was created to help researchers understand how people communicate with bots, but has since been used to train many different models. They theorize that alignment training meant to steer models away from copyrighted characters and adult content may have inadvertently given “safe” alternatives, such as “Elias the lighthouse keeper,” unusual prominence, causing them to appear repeatedly when users ask the model to generate a story.

    Elias Thorne, the lighthouse keeper, might be fine for a children’s bedtime story, but 404 Media reported that it seems the character name is spreading. The publication found examples of the name as the protagonist in fantasy books, as well as the “artist” listed on ambient music tracks available on Amazon. May also discovered examples of Elias Thorne as the author of books, including a handbook that claims to provide information on alternative cancer treatments. So, that’s not great.

    If nothing else, the strange quirk of LLM storytelling is a good reminder that AI is not creative. A study published last year found that image generation models repeatedly produce images that fall into one of just 12 specific motifs, no matter how out-there the given prompts. Basically, give AI a creative task, and it’ll give you the equivalent of elevator music.

  47. JM says

    CNBC: Trump picks former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton as national intelligence director

    Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and is the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. His nomination will require Senate approval.

    Bill Pulte must have stirred up too much trouble among Republicans. He was dropped from consideration before even being formally nominated but Trump grabbed somebody to fill the job immediately. Clayton doesn’t have an intelligence background either but is respected enough that Democrats are already talking like his passing is a given.

  48. Reginald Selkirk says

    Bipartisan bill would fight Trump censorship of broadcast TV and tech platforms

    US Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the JAWBONE Act, a proposed law that could fuel lawsuits against federal officials who try to coerce broadcasters or tech platforms into restricting speech.

    The Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression Act would prohibit federal agencies and employees from coercing or trying to coerce broadcasters and providers of online services or AI services into changing content. The bill could apply to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s repeated attempts to pressure TV networks and broadcasters, or government pressure imposed on social media firms and AI chatbot makers.

    The bill would create a private right of action for victims of “jawboning,” letting people recover compensatory damages in court. Individuals whose speech is stifled could bring cases against government officials, and the proposed law could be enforced by state attorneys general through civil actions.

    “Jawboning occurs when the government pressures private companies to censor speech protected by the First Amendment,” said a press release issued by Cruz and Wyden today. The JAWBONE Act is “legislation to hold the government accountable for censorship and violations of the First Amendment,” it said…

    What does a “law” mean when anyone violating it is likely to be pardoned?

  51. Reginald Selkirk says

    Large burning cross found in Chicago’s Grant Park

    Chicago police are looking for a person of interest following a disturbing incident in a downtown park where a large cross was set on fire in the middle of the day on Tuesday.

    Videos and images of the burning cross in Grant Park, which police say was discovered around 2:30 p.m., went viral, shocking onlookers…

    The Chicago Police Department released an image Wednesday evening of a person of interest allegedly connected to the incident…

  52. Reginald Selkirk says

    New Antibiotic Found in Dirt Targets Superbugs in a Way ‘Never Been Seen Before’

    … Biochemists and pharmaceutical scientists collaborating from the U.S., Canada, and Germany have discovered a new and naturally made antibiotic, manikomycin, produced by the same strangely aromatic soil bacteria that gave modern medicine the antibiotic oxytetracycline in the 1950s. Thus far, it’s proven effective at killing at least one notably antibiotic-resistant form of pneumonia (Klebsiella pneumoniae)—and it opens up an entirely new mechanism by which these drugs can fight bacterial infections.

    That’s what really caught the researchers’ attention: how manikomycin works. The antibiotic binds to ribosomes inside the infecting bacteria, interfering with their ability to make proteins and blocking important molecules from leaving these vital cellular organelles.

    “The ribosome is the target of about one third of all antibiotics prescribed currently,” study author Dmitrii Travin said in a statement put out by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where he teaches on the pharmaceutical applications of genomics.

    “This new antibiotic is amazing because it targets a site of the ribosome that has never been targeted by any other molecule before,” Travin said…

  53. Reginald Selkirk says

    US authorities investigate huge ‘8647’ marking on grounds of National Mall in Washington

    The U.S. Department of the Interior said on Thursday it is ‌investigating what appeared to be a large tracing of “8647” into the grounds of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
    A Reuters photographer atop the Washington Monument saw the apparent marking in the grass near the World War Two Memorial shortly before authorities arrived at the scene. ​It shows the numbers eight, six and seven, but a four is not clearly defined…

  54. says

    Still struggling with pop culture, Trump whiffs on point of ‘West Wing’ clip

    Although not all of the relevant details are yet clear, according to U.S. Central Command, an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed off the coast of Oman; the two crew members on board were rescued and are now in stable condition. Whether the incident was the result of a deliberate Iranian attack is the subject of some debate.

    One day after the developments, Donald Trump spoke to The Wall Street Journal and downplayed the importance of the incident. In fact, according to the Journal, the president “repeatedly” said the downing of the helicopter “wasn’t a big deal.” Hours later, the Republican did a 180-degree turn, decided it was a very big deal after all, and approved a new military offensive against Iranian targets.

    Trump offered additional insights on his perspective with a pop culture reference that he didn’t appear to fully understand. The Washington Post reported:

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday night appeared to defend his latest military strikes on Iran by posting a short clip from “The West Wing,” the popular NBC television drama about a fictional U.S. president, in which the show’s characters debate their own military action.

    In the video Trump promoted on his social media platform, he referred to an episode from the show’s first season in which Syria downed a U.S. military plane. The clip, which ran about a minute and a half, showed the fictional American president in the White House Situation Room, expressing his dissatisfaction with the idea of a “proportional response.”

    Voicing support for a “disproportional response,” the fictional president declares, “Let the word ring forth from this time and this place, gentlemen — you kill an American, any American, we don’t come back with a proportional response. We come back with total disaster.”

    This evidently resonated with Trump, who promoted the excerpt late Tuesday. What the incumbent president neglected to do, however, is to watch the rest of the episode.

    In the show, the president eventually concedes his initial reaction was reckless and overly emotional, and that the kind of “disproportional response” he initially envisioned would lead to civilian casualties. Indeed, the whole point of the episode was that responsible global superpowers reject the very idea of a “disproportional response.”

    Trump, in other words, got it backward.

    It wasn’t the first time. Exactly one year ago, my MS NOW colleague Hayes Brown noted that Trump had touted “Les Misérables” while clearly missing the point of the production. A month earlier, the Republican tried to have a little fun with “Star Wars” day, but he inadvertently promoted an image that presented him as a villain.

    These weren’t isolated incidents. In 2019, for example, the Republican White House tried to use “Game of Thrones” as part of a clumsy argument about the president’s border wall project, and the whole thing fell apart rather quickly. A year later, Trump talked about the Capt. William Bligh character from “Mutiny on the Bounty,” though it wasn’t altogether clear whether the president realized that Bligh is the villain of that story.

    After his defeat in 2020, Trump talked obsessively about fictional character Hannibal Lecter, including a weird instance in which he referred to the infamous cannibal from “The Silence of the Lambs” as “the late, great Hannibal Lecter” and “a wonderful man.”

    Maybe the president should just steer clear of making pop culture references? He’s clearly not good at it.

  55. Reginald Selkirk says

    A lack of sex held back life’s diversity for millions of years, fossil study finds

    The way that Earth’s first animals reproduced held back life’s diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution.

    Researchers from the University of Cambridge studied fossils from the oldest-known animals on Earth, dating from 574 million years ago, and found that asexual reproduction slowed the pace of evolution to a crawl, since it limited competition between different groups.

    Their results, reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, could help explain a longstanding puzzle in paleontology: why animal life appeared on Earth but then barely changed for millions of years, before a second wave of diversification gave evolutionary progress a major boost…

  56. says

    Talking Points Memo link

    The Corruption: Trump’s Crypto Craze

    It’s tails Trump wins, and heads investors lose, according to a new analysis from Reuters:

    A Reuters examination shows that the Trump family has used this template to generate at least $2.3 billion in profit from investors since Trump retook the presidency. On the other side of that cash bonanza for America’s first family: the more than a million investors whose net losses totaled $2.3 billion at the end of April, according to a Reuters analysis.

    […]

    Ebola Watch

    Slate’s Jill Filipovic reports from Kenya: “The demise of USAID did not cause this Ebola outbreak. But it is a gift to Ebola. It likely delayed its detection and hampered efforts to deliver tests and treatment to the affected areas. It has broken down meticulously constructed networks of trust and generally slowed the response to the virus.”

  57. Reginald Selkirk says

    Inflatable Elon Musk Appears in Times Square, Begs to be Popped like the AI Bubble

    Plenty of people have said that Elon Musk is full of hot air. This version of him actually is. On Thursday, a 40-foot-tall inflatable version of the billionaire popped up in Times Square in New York City, the same day the company’s initial public offering is expected to take off. You’ll be shocked to know the inflatable is not exactly celebratory.

    The balloon depicts Elon Musk shirtless (a thing we’ve all seen, so we can say that the inflatable is shockingly close to being an accurate representation of his physique) with tattoos on his body. On both his stomach and his back was the message, “SpaceX’s Grok Makes AI Child Porn.” That text was repeated on banners that surrounded the display…

  58. says

    Followup to shermanj @45.

    Excerpts from the article referenced in comment 45:

    SpaceX, arguably the most legitimate of Elon Musk’s businesses, is set to have the largest initial public offering ever.

    But even if you’re not someone whose heart goes aflutter at the prospect of a multibazillion-dollar tech deal, and even if you’re not some day-trader wannabe, you apparently get to care about SpaceX. A lot.

    Why? Because if you’re a normie with a 401(k), you’re probably going to own SpaceX—even if you never buy a share.

    A lot of retirement investing is done via nice, safe index funds, which track various stock indexes. […]

    those rules would have kept SpaceX out of the trading, and we can’t have that.

    So Musk trundled up to the major stock indexes and said that he really, really wants to be included, even though the rules don’t allow it. Typically, companies must be public for at least a year before being included in index funds, precisely to protect those funds.

    […] indexes made rules to ensure that stocks display profitability before joining the big boys.

    […] But now, as Harvard Law School professor Jesse Fried explained to Fortune, “Index fund investors are forced to buy shares that they did not sign up for.”

    While the S&P 500 declined to change its rules to accommodate Musk, Nasdaq did just the opposite, allowing SpaceX to begin trading on Friday.

    Now, while SpaceX is getting all of these breaks because it’s supposed to be the most valuable and successful company ever, it kind of isn’t.

    By late 2021, it had accumulated so many losses that it got to offset its future income for as long as it takes to run out of the $3 billion in previously posted losses. And in 2025, it reported a net loss of nearly $5 billion [!]—with only $18.67 billion in revenue […]

    Thanks to Musk making up with President Donald Trump, the company does have a direct line to pretty much whatever government grift contract it wants, so that’s one income stream. And, of course, it already has several billions in contracts for launch provider gigs and can probably get even more […]

    But no matter what, Musk—who under this arrangement retains more than 80% of the shares—will be just fine. Guys like him always are.

    Meanwhile, enjoy having your retirement dollars get hoovered up by exploding rockets.

  59. says

    Followup to comments 45 and 58.

    New York Times link

    “SpaceX Sets Milestone With World’s Largest I.P.O., Furthering Musk’s Power”

    “Elon Musk’s rocket company said it would sell more than 555 million shares at $135 each in its blockbuster initial public offering, which is set to begin trading on Friday.”

    […] On Thursday, SpaceX confirmed its I.P.O. price was set at $135 a share and that it would sell more than 555 million shares, according to a company statement. That means SpaceX would raise around $75 billion from its offering, putting its valuation at $1.77 trillion.

    With those numbers, SpaceX would shatter an I.P.O. record previously set by Saudi Aramco. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company was valued at $1.7 trillion and raised more than $29 billion when it went public in 2019. SpaceX will begin trading publicly on Friday under the ticker symbol SPCX.

    […] Anthropic, the artificial intelligence start-up that makes the Claude chatbot, and its ChatGPT-making rival, OpenAI, have both confidentially filed to go public in recent days. Each company has a valuation approaching $1 trillion. If Anthropic and OpenAI successfully pull off public offerings, it would mean another milestone: Three-trillion-dollar companies reaching the stock market for the first time.

    A defining trait of the offerings is that they are likely to make those who are already wealthy even wealthier. At $135 a share, the SpaceX stake controlled by Mr. Musk would be worth more than $860 billion. (He cannot sell some of the SpaceX shares he controls until the company hits various operational milestones, according to the firm’s filings.)

    And a slight increase in the company’s share price in its first days of trading — perhaps as soon as Friday — could turn Mr. Musk, 54, into the world’s first trillionaire. […]

  61. JM says

    Axios: Trump claims Iran deal reached, Tehran says no “final decision”

    President Trump announced that he canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday and claimed Iran’s leadership “approved” a draft agreement that would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch 60 days of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
    Why it matters: Trump has claimed an agreement was close multiple times before, and Tehran said in response to Trump’s latest claim that there had been no “final decision.” However, three sources briefed on the talks told Axios that key gaps were narrowed during talks between Iranian officials and Qatari mediators on Wednesday.

    This is following the usual pattern. The negotiators tell Trump things are going well, Trump takes this as everybody has agreed to his position and announces that to the world. Iran is far more suspicious of the situation and won’t make any definitive statement until the draft has been reviewed. The Iranian president supports the draft but he doesn’t have final say, Trump doesn’t understand this.

    The mechanism for releasing Iran’s frozen assets — the most important issue for the Iranians.
    Arrangements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day ceasefire period.
    How negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program would be conducted during the 60-day ceasefire period.

    If these are the changes then Iran’s negotiators are doing better then the US negotiators. The draft is slowly moving towards what Iran wanted, except for the US paying reparations for attacking Iran and the damages caused.

    The intrigue: Netanyahu did not have advanced notice and was caught by surprise when Trump released his initial statement about the deal, according to a source with knowledge.

    If that is really true then somebody may have convinced Trump that Netanyahu isn’t working towards peace. The large scale violations of the previous truce by Israel likely helped convince Trump.

  62. says

    Followup to JM @61.

    A senior Iranian official linked with the talks told MS NOW that Iran has not yet agreed to any framework of a deal with the United States.

    Trump threatens, then cancels new attacks on Iran tonight, June 11, 2026

    Related video at the link.

    […] Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, reported that Tehran has not approved the text of any memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and that no final agreement has been reached.

    […] Iran has not formally accepted any proposed peace agreement, according to Iranian state media and a source familiar with the negotiations who spoke to MS NOW. […]

    Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, also reported that Tehran has not approved the text of any memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and that no final agreement has been reached.

    But when asked if Iran’s supreme leader had approved a proposal, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “I understand the answer is yes.” [See JM’s comment 61 about that last bit.]

    […] According to MS NOW’s count, Trump has publicly delayed or canceled planned military action at least eight times since the conflict began, often citing ongoing negotiations or requests from foreign leaders.

    March 21: Trump issued his first ultimatum, giving Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks that would “hit and obliterate” its electrical power infrastructure.

    March 23: Trump delayed planned strikes by five days, saying negotiations were moving toward a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities.

    March 26: Trump pushed back a deadline for attacks on Iranian electrical facilities by 11 days, saying talks were progressing “very well.”

    April 5: A White House official confirmed to MS NOW that Trump had moved his deadline to April 7, one day before a previously announced cutoff, while threatening strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants.

    April 7: Trump delayed military action by two weeks, citing appeals from Pakistan’s prime minister and conditioning further action on Iran agreeing to the “complete, immediate and safe” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

    April 21: Trump indefinitely extended a deadline for military action at the request of Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying Iran must first submit a “unified proposal” and conclude negotiations.

    May 18: Trump said he halted a planned May 19 attack after requests from the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, claiming “serious negotiations” were underway.

    June 11: Trump announced he was canceling strikes scheduled for the evening, writing that “discussions and final points” had been approved by all parties, including the U.S.

  63. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Independent – Trump’s National Parks crackdown backfires in spectacular fashion

    Last year, the Trump administration launched an unusual appeal to visitors at US national parks: report any displays or exhibits that presented “negative” perspectives on Americans, whether living or historical.

    However, an extensive analysis of 35,000 public comments, recently disclosed through a lawsuit, reveals that the vast majority of respondents instead used the opportunity to sharply criticize the administration’s own initiative.
    […]
    Considering the National Park Service recorded some 323 million visits across more than 400 sites last year, the 35,000 initial public comments received from June to January […] represented a comparatively tepid response to such a broad directive.
    […]
    A dedicated watchdog group […] meticulously documented at least 59 instances of signs being removed or modified, drawing on photo submissions and news reports. These alterations notably affected content referring to slavery, climate change, women’s rights and their historical involvement in conservation, and Native American history […] While some of these exhibits were later temporarily restored by order of a judge, further work was halted after the administration lodged an appeal, leaving the future of these historical narratives uncertain.

  64. says

    New York Times:

    The war in Ukraine has often been compared to World War I for its brutal infantry assaults and heavy casualties. Yet the idea that it could, by any measure, surpass a conflict so long and bloody that French soldiers hoped it would be ‘the last of the last’ once seemed unthinkable. That is just what happened on Thursday. The war in Ukraine — which reached 1,569 days, or more than four years and three months — has now outlasted World War I.

  65. says

    Washington Post:

    Oil and gas executives have warned the White House that gasoline prices could surge in coming months as fuel inventories fall to critical lows […]

  66. says

    Wall Street Journal link

    “Jared Kushner’s $5 Billion Albanian Reality Check”

    “A luxury resort project in Albania triggers the ‘flamingo revolution,’ a prosecutor’s probe and an EU warning”

    For over three years, Jared Kushner has striven to build a set of luxury hotels and resorts in a corner of Eastern Europe that U.S. investors typically overlook. […]

  67. says

    New York Times:

    The U.S. Postal Service has proposed a new rule that would allow it to refuse to deliver mail ballots in states that don’t turn over voter rolls to the federal government.

    The rule, proposed last week, is vaguely written but appears to establish broad authority for the agency to intervene in the mail voting process. It calls on states to compile lists of mail voters that Postal Service employees would use to screen ballots for eligibility. If states refuse to comply, the agency could refuse to send their mail ballots.

    Democrats and voting-rights groups say the proposed rule is clear evidence that the Trump administration is trying to unconstitutionally intrude on state-run elections.

    Withholding some mail services in states where voters rely heavily on mail balloting could affect millions of Americans. And most of those affected would likely be Democrats, who disproportionately vote by mail because more Republicans have been convinced by Mr. Trump’s unfounded claims that mail balloting is not reliable and invites fraud. Screening mail ballots for voter eligibility, meanwhile, would amount to an unprecedented, and potentially unconstitutional, involvement of the federal government in the administration of elections. The proposed rule is vague, however, so it is unclear how the screening would work.

    In recent oral arguments before a federal judge in Boston, a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general and multiple voting rights groups said the rule amounts to a federal intrusion into the voting process, which the Constitution dictates is the domain of the states. They also argued that it would be expensive, cumbersome and chaotic to comply with the demand to create new lists of voters and, in some cases, to change mail ballot designs, with fewer than 150 days until the 2026 general election.

    “It’s just difficult to overstate the disruption that this will cause to election administration,” said Michael Cohen, the deputy attorney general in California, who was speaking on behalf of a broad coalition of states in federal court last week.

    The rule is consistent with an executive order Mr. Trump signed in March effectively instructing the Postal Service not to deliver election mail unless states comply with other aspects of the president’s order, including handing over the voter lists. [!]

    Postal experts said the order also threatens the service’s independence. Anton Hajjar, a former member of the Postal Service Board of Governors, said his main concern is that Mr. Trump’s order amounts to “political interference with the U.S.P.S., which by law is supposed to be independent.”

    The service, whose precursor predates the United States’ independence, was codified by Congress and signed into law in 1792 by President George Washington. The founders considered the service an essential pillar of the young country’s democracy that would protect the uncensored and affordable exchange of ideas. Congress passed another law in 1970 that converted the Postal Service from a cabinet-level arm of the executive branch to an independent federal agency.

    The proposed rule is currently open for a 30-day comment period. The executive order calls on the Postal Service to issue a final rule by the end of July.

    The proposal is in line with repeated attempts by Mr. Trump and his Republican allies to take over critical parts of the electoral process in the run-up to a challenging midterm election cycle for their party. […]

    New York Times link

    More at the link.

  68. says

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Musk’s ‘chainsaw’ meets the flesh-eating bug crisis

    Trump and Musk took a chainsaw to the obscure government programs that kept flesh-eating screwworms away from American farms. And now that failure could hit farmers, ranchers, and your grocery bill.

    Video is 7:08 minutes

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Trump is chasing good press with bombs

    “Trump wants a deal that makes him look better than Obama or a total conquest of Iran. And absent that, he just wants a few minutes or a few hours of some good press,” says Chris Hayes. “Whatever makes the headlines good.”

    Video is 8:53 minutes. The video shows an excerpt from an interview with Trump conducted by Fox News. In addition to other comments Trump made, he said, “We dropped $250 million dollars worth of bombs on them last night [Trump laughs].” Hayes makes the point that the stock market reacted favorably to Trump’s later announcement about an agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

  69. StevoR says

    Ouch. Our night sky. Plus the vastly increased chances of a Kessler cascade syndrome of satellite collisions and their consequnces.too..

    SpaceX CEO Elon Musk outlined more details for his company’s planned data centers in space ahead of a widely anticipated IPO on Thursday (June 11) expected to make him a trillionaire.

    A new half-hour video offers a typical Elon Musk fireside chat about where the billionaire founder of SpaceX wants to be taking his technology next. In the video posted on X on Monday (June 8), Musk described launching AI satellites, with “a lot of solar cells”, as well as radiators and high-speed optical (laser) links for communication. SpaceX also expects to launch an AI-satellite-focused production facility by the end of next year, to be “operating at some reasonable volume,” Musk said. “So, if anybody wants to work on AI satellites, this is kind of going to become the hub of that.”

    The common pitch among these companies is that space is necessary to generate AI capabilities because data centers on Earth are running out of physical space to host them, as well as lacking community support out of concerns about significant power and water usage by these big computing hubs. The challenge is that orbital data centers are mostly notional, and not actually demonstrated by operating tech — at least yet. But SpaceX is confident it can develop the necessary technologies to make an AI data center constellation a reality.

    Source :https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/elon-musk-wants-to-put-1-million-ai-satellites-in-space-heres-how-spacex-could-do-it

    Ouch. Our night sky..

  70. Reginald Selkirk says

    An Algorithm Determines How Fast You Should Drive On California’s I-15 Freeway

    Riverside County has launched an 8-mile “smart freeway” pilot on northbound I-15 near Temecula, using roadway sensors and an algorithm to coordinate ramp meters and suggest speeds rather than widening the freeway. Officials say the $33 million project could reduce stop-and-go traffic and travel times. According to SFGATE, similar systems in Australia and Denver reportedly cutting delays by 20% to 65%. From the report: …

  74. JM says

    RawStory: DOJ agency claims it has no records of Trump’s shady IRS settlement

    According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the DOJ’s Civil Division came up empty-handed when responding to a request for records related to the settlement that led to Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
    The $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund came out of a settlement in the case Trump v. IRS, a $10 billion lawsuit over the leaking of the Trump family and organization’s tax returns. CREW filed the request to see DOJ documents related to the settlement that created the fund, but “DOJ’s Civil Division claims to have no record of so much as being notified about Trump’s case,” the watchdog reported.

    Hard to tell if this is simple incompetence, intentionally trying to cover up the details, or the Trump administration implementing policy about not keeping records. It could easily be more then one at once. There are just so many ways they could have messed this up.

  75. StevoR says

    @73. Huh. Now fb is working again for me. Wasn’t for about half an hour or so tho’.. Just me? Dunno.

  76. StevoR says

    So here’s an internet thing over whether or not Die Hard is an Xmas movie or not but yet people haven’t realised that the original Lethal Weapon was definitely an Xmas one? Festive .. “fun”?

    Yeah, guess what they replayed tonight.

    (We near the Winter Solstice here.. My local creeks and lakes like a bread and butter sandwhich still need a lot of filling.)

  77. Reginald Selkirk says

    Accused scammer gets chocolate coins, not $700,000 in gold

    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Told her Social Security funds were being used to support terrorism, a widow was directed to buy $700,000 in gold — but an alert store owner intervened before crooks could make off with her money, records show.

    Instead, a young man reportedly sent to West Michigan from Illinois to fetch the gold ended up with a bag of chocolate coins and a pair of 20-year felonies…

  78. StevoR says

    DW news on telly just finished now locally (c24) has some great analysis in an interview on Musk being a trillionaire and SpaceX shareholders power – or rather lack thereof.

  80. says

    GOP advances push to rename the Defense Department (and spend a lot of taxpayer money)

    “At least for now, Republican lawmakers are taking the unserious ‘Department of War’ effort quite seriously.”

    Late last year, the public learned that the Trump administration’s drive to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War would be, among other things, very expensive. In fact, an NBC News report said the initiative “could cost as much as $2 billion” in taxpayer money.

    While that should have brought the conversation to a rather rapid end, the Pentagon nevertheless formally asked Congress two months ago to codify the president’s preferred branding in federal law.

    Unfortunately, Republican lawmakers are taking this unserious effort quite seriously.

    Last week, the House Armed Services Committee took up the idea, which Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the panel’s top Democrat, mocked as “one of the dumbest things that has been done by this administration.” Soon after, the GOP majority nevertheless voted to rename the department, adding the idea to a must-pass spending bill.

    This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee did the same thing. Politico reported:

    The Senate Armed Services Committee voted this week to formally change the Pentagon’s name to the Department of War, moving a significant step closer to solidifying President Donald Trump’s rebrand of the Defense Department as permanent.

    The move came during the committee’s closed-door deliberations over its defense policy bill, according to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who announced the name change in explaining his vote against the legislation.

    “It’s a juvenile move that sadly describes the reality of a president who has abandoned meaningful diplomacy in favor of starting doubtful wars in multiple locations and threatening even more,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.

    […] The proposed name change remains an entirely unnecessary priority that sends all of the wrong messages to the world about the United States and its intentions. Career military leaders didn’t ask for this, and for the past several months, the proposed change did little more than annoy Pentagon insiders.

    […] GOP members of Congress, at the White House’s behest, are embracing the scheme anyway.

    That said, it is not a done deal, at least not yet. At issue is a legislative package called the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets defense policy and authorizes military spending. Every year, some bad ideas work their way into the bill, and every year, when the House and Senate get together to reconcile the competing versions of the NDAA, many of those bad ideas get filtered out. That may yet happen to the whole “Department of War” gambit. […]

  81. says

    Republicans prioritize effort to ‘expunge’ Trump’s impeachments from the record

    “For six years, Trump has pushed Republicans to unimpeach him and wipe the slate clean. Now, the House speaker considers this twisted goal a ‘priority.’

    […] The Wall Street Journal reported:

    President Trump and his allies have discussed pushing lawmakers to pass a resolution aimed at voiding his first-term impeachments, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The resolution would allow Trump to claim a symbolic victory on a matter that has dogged him since his first term, part of a broader effort to burnish his presidential legacy. It would have little legal significance, however, because the Constitution provides no procedure for undoing an impeachment, according to experts.

    This is not simply a matter of backroom chatter and whispers from Capitol Hill hallways. Trump explicitly told the Journal, in reference to the efforts to “expunge” the record, “It should be done because I did nothing wrong.”

    House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly told the newspaper that he believes the effort “makes a lot of sense.” The Louisiana Republican, who called the president’s impeachments a “sham” and “a hyperpartisan attack job,” added, “It is a priority and something that Congress should make right.”

    […] On Feb. 5, 2020, Trump’s first impeachment trial concluded in the Senate. On Feb. 7, 2020, the president first broached the subject of trying to “expunge” the record, calling the effort to hold him accountable a “hoax.”

    […] then-Rep. Markwayne Mullin — years before the Oklahoma Republican moved up to the Senate, and more recently the White House Cabinet — introduced a resolution that would have declared Trump’s first impeachment “expunged.” Soon after, Mullin also took aim at Trump’s second impeachment, and that effort gained the support of, among others, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who made some amazingly misguided arguments in support of the idea.

    The effort was largely ignored by the Democratic majority in the House, but as 2023 got underway, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was willing to take a look at the idea, adding, “I would understand why members would want to bring that forward.”

    Several GOP members endorsed the move and unveiled legislation soon after. To the president’s chagrin, the last Congress nevertheless failed to take action on this.

    History buffs may recall that a related effort happened nearly two centuries ago. Lawmakers censured President Andrew Jackson in 1834, only to have his allies “expunge” the censure from the record in 1837 after control of the Senate switched party hands.

    The point at the time was for partisans to say that the congressional action happened, but for the sake of the historical record, it didn’t really count. Trump and his acolytes appear to have similar intentions now.

    Indeed, as recently as two months ago, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California introduced a measure to undo both of the president’s impeachments, which coincided with assorted items Trump posted on his social media platform endorsing the broader effort. The same week, as part of an effort that appeared quite coordinated, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard used her office to also take aim at the legitimacy of Trump’s first impeachment.

    Just so we’re all clear, this is entirely about Trump’s ego and hurt feelings. There is no mechanism in place that allows for a president to be unimpeached. But Trump sees this as a stain on his record, and he’s eager to have sycophantic GOP members do his bidding, rewrite the recent past, symbolically wipe the slate clean and make him feel better about himself.

    Whether such a campaign could generate majority support, however, remains to be seen.

  82. says

    […] During a phone interview that aired live on “Fox and Friends,” Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade asked about the war in Iran. Trump responded by immediately focusing on his 2020 election conspiracy theories, which naturally led to his California election conspiracy theories.

    “It was happening to Steve Hilton, and I went on a tear,” the president said. “And they said it was going to be two weeks and they’d know about Hilton, whether or not he’s going to make it. I went on such a tear, then they approved it immediately. They approved Steve. It’s such a rigged deal, it’s so crazy. They approved him so fast because everybody was watching.” [Lies]

    Hours later, at a White House event ostensibly about commercial fishing, Trump echoed his absurdities. [social post with video]

    “They said it’s going to take two more weeks,” the president said. “It was a week and it was heading south, and I started saying, ‘It’s a rigged election.’ And then they said it was going to take two weeks, one week, two weeks, and all of a sudden, [Hilton] was approved. You know why? Because the heat was on. They couldn’t get away with it. If I didn’t do it, I guarantee he wouldn’t be the nominee. It’s a rigged election.”

    To the extent that reality impinges in any way on these presidential conspiracy theories, none of Trump’s claims was true, but of particular interest was his vision of how election administration works in the nation’s most populous state.

    Hilton was already well positioned to advance to the general election when Trump started peddling baseless assertions. [True] Earlier in the week, it became clear based on the remaining outstanding ballots that it simply wasn’t possible for any other candidate to surpass him.

    But to hear the president tell it, election administration officials in California effectively told one another, “Sure, we planned to secretly arrange for Hilton’s defeat, but Trump is onto our nefarious scheme! It looks like we now have no choice but to let Hilton advance to the general election.”

    In other words, from Trump’s perspective, when a Republican falls short, it’s proof that his conspiracy theories are true, and when a Republican doesn’t fall short, it’s still proof that his conspiracy theories are true.

    This is madness, but a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in the Golden State nevertheless appeared on Glenn Beck’s program this week to ask Californians to help him uncover evidence (which he apparently lacks) that could lead to the kind of prosecutions the president wants to see.

    Link

  83. says

    Good news, for now:

    In a major blow to President Trump’s $1.776 billion anti-weaponization slush fund, a federal judge in Virginia issued a preliminary injunction blocking the fund. The Virginia case is just one of a handful of legal challenges to the slush fund, which was spawned by last month’s dubious settlement of Trump’s collusive lawsuit against the IRS.

    U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued her ruling from the bench after a brief Friday hearing in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria. The judge rejected the administration’s argument that the case was moot because it is no longer planning on proceeding with the fund, which would give the president unfettered power to distribute the funds to political allies, including Jan. 6 rioters, who improbably claim to be victims of the Deep State.

    While Brinkema ultimately found that all the elements were met to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the fund from going forward, she did give the administration one week to file a declaration from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, under penalty of perjury, formally rescinding the fund. Either way, the fund would be legally barred from proceeding.

    […] U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon had relied on the administration’s word that the slush fund was dead and found the case to be moot, although he warned it not “play possum” and just pretend it was dead.

    U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema immediately zeroed in on what she called a “considerable gap in the record,” the failure of the Trump administration to rescind the slush fund in writing under penalty of perjury.

    In a stroke of particularly bad luck for the administration, Brinkema said she had been reversed on appeal in a 2017 case that was “absolutely on point” in dealing with a similar mootness issue. It led to an amusing moment in court today where Brinkema called out to see if the lawyer in that earlier case was present. He raised his hand from the gallery. “There you are,” she said mischievously. “He got me reversed on this.”

    “Voluntary cessation of allegedly illegal conduct does not deprive the court of jurisdiction,” she read from the 4th Circuit opinion, which which rested on “the principle that parties should not be able to avoid judicial review by temporarily halting their problematic behavior.”

    The party has a “formidable burden” to show “absolutely clear” evidence that the behavior will not be resumed, Brinkema said, continuing to read the appeal court ruling overturning her nearly a decade ago. It needs to be an “irrevocable and irreversible agreement” not to resume the conduct.

    “The bottom line is I don’t have on this record that kind of incontrovertible evidence that this is not going to resume,” Brinkema said, before citing Blanche’s refusal to commit to rescinding the slush fund in writing and Trump’s statements the very next day extolling the slush fund.

    After quoting Trump, Brinkema said, “When the president of the United States says he wants something to happen, that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s going to happen.” [!]

    After rejecting the remainder of the administration’s jurisdictional arguments, Brinkema was ready to treat it as a hearing for a preliminary injunction and pressed DOJ attorney Andrew Block on what irreparable harm an injunction would cause the government. He struggled to provide an answer that satisfied her.

    Brinkema finally turned for the first time to plaintiff’s counsel Pooja Boisture, who pointedly wondered aloud how the government could be harmed by an injunction blocking a fund it insists is already dead.

    In short order, Brinkema ran through the other considerations for granting an injunction and issued her ruling in plaintiffs’ favor, with a caveat. “If the government truly means this fund is over, I’m going to give you a week,” Brinkema told Block, saying that filing a declaration under penalty of perjury from Blanche and Bessent would probably convince her the fund is dead for good and render the case moot.

    The concern remains, as The Atlantic reported yesterday, that the administration is already looking for others ways to use government funds to pay off Trump’s allies without congressional authorization or judicial scrutiny. [True]

    Link

  85. says

    Wall Street Journal link

    SpaceX Surges in Debut, Musk Becomes First Trillionaire

    ​The rocket maker’s shares are trading about 30% above the IPO price of $135 [graph]

    SpaceX shares opened trading at $150 as the largest-ever IPO gripped Wall Street and had investors around the world glued to their screens. That opening was 11% above the IPO price of $135.

    Elon Musk is officially the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX, trading under the ticker SPCX, went public. His SpaceX stake was valued at around $690 billion at the IPO price, while his Tesla stake makes up around $279 billion of his net worth.

    Lead banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will take home the biggest share of the IPO fees, getting a combined 40% or around $100 million apiece.

    SpaceX executives rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq, as Elon Musk looked on via a video link. “SpaceX wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to Mars, and ultimately beyond,” Musk said.

    The rocket maker derives most of its revenue from its satellite internet unit and has a nascent artificial-intelligence business.

    Some skeptics think SpaceX’s total valuation of around $1.77 trillion is much too high. […]

  86. says

    I have not been able to find a lot of detailed info on this, but, as I read it:
    » the recent plutocratic stock market rules mandate that 401K’s immediately buy stock in an ipo at the initial price (they used to be able to wait to see if it tanks or not before buying into it)
    » if space excrement’s ipo succeeds in gaining value over a long period of time the murderous elongated muskrat becomes even more obscenely wealthy
    » if space excrement’s ipo fails and loses value then the millions of people whose 401K’s were required to buy into it are royally screwed

  87. says

    On more careful consideration, I suspect that there are so many billionaire tech-bro cheerleaders they won’t let the murderous elongated muskrat’s ipo fail. That is a dismal thought.

  90. Reginald Selkirk says

    Ohio progressive group searched by FBI accuses Trump’s DOJ of intimidation

    FBI special agents searched an office of a progressive organization in Ohio on Thursday as part of a Justice Department investigation into its voter registration efforts, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
    The search at the Ohio Organizing Collaborative’s office comes as President Donald Trump continues to suggest without evidence that voter fraud is rampant, and repeats false claims about the 2020 presidential election…
    Haney said they were shocked by the FBI’s actions, which he said included sending special agents to the homes of people affiliated with the organization…

  91. coffeepott says

    @89 Reginald Selkirk
    damn so i can’t even see the 15 million dollar paintjob under all the algae??? but that was paid for with my stolen taxes!

  92. Reginald Selkirk says

    Goofus Cop Shoots Buddy In Parking Garage ‘Horseplay’ Incident

    Unfortunately for one Pasadena police officer and the colleague he accidentally shot in the shoulder, that wasn’t the case last September. Making matters even worse was the fact that this happened inside the department’s parking garage in an incident the police chief described as “unsafe, out-of-policy horseplay.” Yeah, I’ll say.

    Police cruiser dash cam footage — which lacks audio — shows the car pulling into the garage behind two uniformed officers standing behind a Ford Explorer police cruiser with the trunk open. As the cruiser approaches, we can see the officer on the passenger side of the Explorer pull out his gun and point it directly at the cruiser. Chief Gene Harris called this move “inappropriate,” according to the Los Angeles Times. After a few seconds, that officer reholstered his gun and his colleague smiled. That’s when things really turned sideways. We can’t see exactly what happened inside the cruiser, but this is when the officer driving the car, identified as Roy Alatorre, drew his gun and “pointed it toward the other officer, during this interaction, the driving officer’s firearm discharged.”
    The single round flew through his vehicle’s windshield and hit the officer about four seconds after he reholstered his gun. He then moved to the side of the SUV as other officers in the garage rushed to help him. The chief says he sustained serious injuries, but he has since recovered…

  93. says

    GOP stooge pumped to toy with Cuba ‘once we finish with Iran’

    GOP Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida appeared on Fox Business Friday, where he promised that Cuba is next on President Donald Trump’s invasion list.

    According to Giménez, Cuba has been biding its time since the last U.S. invasion in 1961.
    “Cuba has always been a national security threat to the United States,” he said. “The people of Cuba are starting to rise up.” [Video]

    Giménez continued, “President Trump has said that he’s got his eye on Cuba, and once we finish with Iran, then he’s going to turn his attention to Cuba. So hopefully the day of a free Cuba is close at hand.”

    […] Greenland will just have to wait its turn.

    From the readers’ comments section:

    Yes, Cubans in Cuba are weary and want relief from the oppression of the Castros and what’s left of the Communists. No, Cubans in Cuba don’t want a mostly white American army imposing a Trump/Rubio/Gimenez regime in Cuba. That’s why IMO Cubans in Cuba will resist strongly an American military takeover/presence in Cuba. I doubt Rubio is up for a protracted guerilla war in Cuba, but we will see. Also it is BS to say Cuba is a national security threat to the USA. […]
    ………………….
    Cuba is a threat to the US, in the same way that Poland was a threat to Nazi Germany.

  94. coffeepott says

    “during this interaction, the driving officer’s firearm discharged.”
    it’s never the shooter, it’s always the gun

  95. Reginald Selkirk says

    Among Christian conservative women, potential trouble in support for Trump

    When Savanna Stone first started publicly sharing her support for U.S. President Donald Trump, she says it was a dealbreaker for some members of her extended family.

    “It was my two uncles; they’re married,” said the 21-year-old social media influencer.

    “Because I said I was voting for Trump, they completely stopped talking to me.”
    …
    “I don’t even like Trump anymore, so it’s crazy.”
    …
    “He made it seem like everything was going to become more affordable; now the economy’s worse,” she said of the president. “He promised no more wars in the Middle East and we are in a war, so it’s disappointing.” …

  97. says

    Epstein Files Reveal Donald Trump Really Into Nipples.

    You want to know what’s the worst part of the last decade of thinking and writing about Donald Trump is for us? It’s not the terrible realization of just how many Nazis and Nazi-curious dildo-brains there are in this country. It’s not the depths of our countrymen’s gullibility. It’s not the cowardice and cynicism of our elected officials in going along with whatever the big orange oaf wants because their evangelical faith tells them he’s a necessary evil to bring about God’s Kingdom, or because they are afraid of getting yelled at on the Internet. It’s not the president and his family’s grifting and thievery that no one seems inclined to stop. It’s not this shit. It’s not the media that treats his administration and its spokespeople as if they are as legitimate instead of a bunch of irredeemable fascists. It’s not our wrecked mental and physical health, our ruined posture from days spent hunched over our laptop screaming into the void, What fucking fresh nightmare are we reading about now???

    Well, okay, it is all of those things and more.

    But the worst part? Easily, far and away, not even close, leading the field like Secretariat at the Kentucky Derby, it is everything we’ve ever learned or heard rumored about Donald Trump’s sex life. The grabbing of [P-word, plural]. The sexual assault. The alleged banging of teenagers on his buddy Jeffrey Epstein’s fuck-plane. […]

    So by the time we got to the part in this big New York Times expose where a witness statement buried in the government’s Epstein files alleged that our big baby of a president is really into nipple play, we hoped we had built up some sort of immunity, or at a minimum hardened the naturally low threshold of our gag reflex. Noooooope! The allegation came from emails sent to a journalist by one of Epstein’s victims, Sarah Ransome, who said a friend named Jen

    had told her that Trump had a predilection for nipples and that he had aggressively flicked and sucked hers. Ransome wrote that she had seen evidence when she shared a bathroom with Jen. “They looked incredibly painful as they were red and swollen and I remember wincing when I looked at them,” she wrote.

    […] A minute later, there was this:

    The vice president said he thought the president would be OK with releasing the nipple-related documents, arguing that Trump had been accused of worse. “I think we should put it out,” he said. “It would cause people to say we’re going further than we need to.”

    Vance is wrong. As Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told him in nixing the idea, Trump would very much not be okay with the world learning that he likes to abuse his partner’s nipples. He’d go apeshit in denying it. Melania Trump would never again be able to go out in public without someone asking her about her bruised nips.

    An adviser described as “surreal” having a conversation about the president’s nipple fetish in the Situation Room. […]

    Oh, we learned all sorts of interesting nuggets from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s deep dive. Even if all of it turns out to be bullshit, it’s entertaining bullshit.

    For instance, JD Vance? The callow and inexperienced ladder-climber one 80-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency? Huge conspiracy theorist, apparently:

    Some senior officials had the impression that Vance had bought into the darkest theories about Epstein and a cabal of predators hidden within the country’s ruling class. Wiles would tell others that the vice president had proved himself to be a major conspiracy theorist.

    […]

    Another interesting factoid is how the upper levels of the Trump administration were so clueless about the Epstein story’s importance to the base that they didn’t see the furious backlash coming. […]

    The only people who saw it coming? Ironically, […] it was Kash Patel and Dan Bongino. […] Bongino in particular told the White House it was making “a grave miscalculation” by thinking the story would fade quickly.

    Possibly worst for Patel and Bongino was that it meant their online followings were turning on them. That led Bongino, at least, to start lashing out, particularly at then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. In meeting after meeting, he yelled at her about fucking up the release of some of the Epstein material. Then he went and griped about her fucking up to other people. He and Patel told the White House she should be fired. He stormed out of meetings. He griped about how terrible his life had become:

    Privately, he seethed. In conversations with confidants, he lamented what the job had cost him: millions of dollars in podcast revenue, family time, his audience. He was getting torn apart over a strategy he had opposed from the start.

    We take issue with this. Bongino didn’t seethe privately. He seethed very, very publicly in interviews. We even mocked him at the time for whining on TV about how much harder his life was now that he had a full-time job […]

    Finally, the Genius Bar surrounding Trump came up with a great idea: they would release everything, put it all on a searchable website to “overwhelm the MAGAsphere with far greater volumes of information – in the form of a giant database.” Todd Blanche would then go on Joe Rogan’s podcast and brag about how transparent the administration was.

    We can think of a serious problem with this scenario. It severely underestimates the number of MAGA people who would be willing to devote hours and hours of each and every day to combing through the files in search of incriminating information. […]

    It might have taken a little longer, but eventually all sorts of stuff would have filtered out to the public. And there would be enough of it to keep the story going for months, maybe years. […]

    In fact, this is exactly where the whole nipple story comes into, uh, play. Everyone in the administration who had heard that story thought it was obvious nonsense. But:

    An administration official had already searched for Trump-related materials on the still-private test version of the website, and the nipple material was among the first items to show up. None of the credibility issues would come into consideration if a government-endorsed database gave Ransome’s claim about Trump a stamp of validity.

    […] Imagine if the nipple story seemed to have the imprimatur of the Trump-led government. What a mess.

    In the end, the database did not go online. […] As always, Trump is his own worst enemy because he goes into such a defensive mode that he sure makes it seem like there is in fact a there there.

    Of course if he had stayed away from the creepy pedophile thirty years ago, none of this would be a story at all. But if he had stayed away from the creepy pedophile and his stable of underage girls, he wouldn’t be Donald Trump. It’s quite a conundrum.

    All of this is in Haberman and Swan’s new book releasing on June 23, and there are reports that it is already pissing Trump off. So, look for some good meltdowns around then. […]

  98. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/hey-medical-debt-havers-what-if-instead

    “Hey, Medical Debt-Havers! What If, Instead Of Owing The Hospital Money, You Owed Your Insurance Company More Money?”

    […] 100 million people across the country — that’s 41 percent of working-age people, mind you — have medical debt. How much medical debt? Approximately $220 billion in medical debt.

    [….] This medical debt then affects their ability to get credit, to buy a home, to do a whole lot of things that they might have been able to do otherwise. So for a long time, a whole lot of us have been talking about what needs to be done about that.

    Well, it turns out that the Trump administration has a solution, and it is a very stupid one: allow people to pay off their medical debt by getting loans from their health insurance companies that, one would assume, they will have to pay back with interest. [OMFG. That really is a bad idea.]

    What will that do? Literally nothing except cost more in the long run.

    Via The New York Times:

    In the dense 1,121-page final rule issued last month about how the Affordable Care Act market will operate next year, the administration suggested that insurers consider offering loans to cash-strapped customers. […]

    Trump administration officials say the idea is a way to help people who chose a plan with a low monthly premium and high out-of-pocket costs, but unexpectedly encounter a devastating medical bill.

    This is because their plan for next year is to allow far more people to purchase “skinny plans” and “catastrophic plans” in which they pay less each month than they would for a normal plan, but are then completely fucked if something unexpected happens. By the year after that, they will be able to buy plans with a $31,000 deductible. You know, because people who already cannot afford to pay the monthly cost of health care premiums can totally pay up to $31,000 in health care costs if something really bad happens to them.

    This, to be clear, is their answer to helping people who can neither qualify for premium subsidies any longer but also cannot afford the very high cost of health insurance on their own.

    Chris Krepich, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Affordable Care Act, defended the broadening array of plans and the suggestion of a loan program.

    The catastrophic plans, he said, may be especially important for people who are not eligible for subsidies or cannot afford the cost of a more traditional plan. With insurers allowed to offer loans, patients would be able to spread out payments for high medical bills that occurred before they reached a plan’s deductible, Mr. Krepich said.

    A lending option offered by insurers is essentially a workaround to mitigate the high cost of A.C.A. plans, said Joel White, a health care consultant who advises Republicans. “With a higher deductible, you get a lower premium,” he said. “People are looking for any kind of relief.”

    Including “relief” that actually just takes advantage of the terrible situation they are in. [!!] So let’s take advantage of their desperation by letting them gamble on avoiding any serious illness or injury, while making even more money for our nation’s precious insurance companies. What could possibly go wrong? […]

    David Stahl, 48, a schoolteacher in Castroville, Calif., chose a high-deductible plan from his employer. He puts $875 a month into a health savings account that he uses to pay his out-of-pocket costs. He rarely, if ever, sees a doctor.

    “We did the math,” Mr. Stahl said. “If you don’t use health care, it makes much more sense to use the H.S.A.”

    But unforeseen accidents outstripped those savings because he had a $10,000 deductible. His son broke his arm, and he dislocated his shoulder. A trip to the emergency room alone cost $7,400. Mr. Stahl is now paying the hospital $175 a month to cover his bills.

    Republicans have been in love with the idea of catastrophic plans for some time now — which is not surprising. I kind of think that, in order to vote Republican, you’d really have to believe that you will never be economically fucked and have to rely on the social safety nets you once helped to destroy. You really have to believe that you are not one bad accident or cancer diagnosis away from losing everything.

    However, health insurance loans are an incredibly stupid idea that not only puts people in danger of losing everything, they are also an incredibly stupid idea that threatens our ability to require that health insurance companies cover “pre-existing conditions.” The fact is, if everyone who is “healthy” decides to go with a plan like that and then not sign up for a “regular” plan until they need it, it is not going to be possible to cover pre-existing conditions.

    It’s a stupid, stupid idea. But then again, let’s be real — it’s not as though there is going to be a “smart” fix to our healthcare system as it stands. A for-profit healthcare system is, ultimately, such an incredibly stupid, inefficient and illogical thing that any fix to it or justification for it is also going to be very, very stupid.

    […] As a result of our very stupid system, we are also frequently compelled to hear very stupid critiques of the obvious solution. Like “Oh, so you’re saying you’re entitled to other people’s labor?” as if doctors in every other country work for free. (Plus “Taxation is theft,” which it isn’t.) Or “Look, Americans want choice when it comes to their health insurance options” as if most of us have any choice other than what our employer provides […]

    Sadly, this is the predictable evolution of our healthcare system. We pay health insurance companies money so that they can pay people to figure out how to get out of giving it back to us, and then when something does happen, we pay for most of it out-of-pocket (or all, if our claim was denied), thanks to high deductibles, and then, if we don’t have the money to do that, we take out a loan from the health insurance companies, which we would then have to pay them interest on. […]

    Once you commit to a stupid premise, nothing smart can come of it. […]

  99. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    TheGuardian – Police were warned for months about addresses targeted in Belfast riots

    A monitoring group repeatedly warned the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the past eight months that anti-immigration activists [sic] were circulating the addresses of properties that were targeted

    TheGuardian – Elon Musk’s X not facing action from UK government over posts inciting violence in Belfast

    Keir Starmer vowed on Wednesday to crack down on anyone fuelling such divisions and said there was no justification for the scenes of violence and disorder. Ministers plan to amend the Online Safety Act to require social media firms to act more quickly to remove inflammatory content during riots or other crises, but this will not take effect until mid-July at the earliest.

    In the meantime, the government will leave any official reprimand of X to [Office of Communications]. The media regulator is awaiting a first quarterly report on compliance from the platform, but this is not due for at least two months. […] On Wednesday, Ofcom published an open letter to X and other online content providers, reminding them of their responsibilities under the law to not allow incitement to take place.
    […]
    Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, […] told the Guardian: “The system clearly isn’t fit for purpose. It builds in delay after delay so platforms can get away with breaching their duties for ages before Ofcom does anything about it.”

  100. johnson catman says

    re Lynna@93:

    Giménez continued, “President Trump has said that he’s got his eye on Cuba, and once we finish with Iran, then he’s going to turn his attention to Cuba. So hopefully the day of a free Cuba is close at hand.”

    Yeah, if that is the condition, Cuba shouldn’t be too worried. The Orange Turd has stepped in a pile of Iranian shit, and he isn’t going to shake that off anytime soon.

  101. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    CBC – Opening of the Gordie Howe bridge delayed ‘at the request of the United States’

    Earlier this year, Trump threatened to stall the opening of the bridge until the U.S. is compensated, despite Canada paying entirely for the construction of the bridge and it being jointly owned with the state of Michigan. […] Carney would not elaborate on what the outstanding issues are.

    CBC – The Ambassador Bridge has lost its spot as the busiest U.S.-Canada trade corridor

    High tolls at the Ambassador Bridge have driven record commercial traffic through the Blue Water Bridge, allowing the Sarnia, Ont., crossing to overtake Windsor as the busiest commercial crossing on the Canada-U.S. border for the first time in decades. […] up to $27 per axle—almost four times the $7 per axle at Blue Water Bridge and the proposed $12 an axle rate for Gordie Howe […] meant to modernize and decongest the Windsor-Detroit corridor

  102. JM says

    MSN: Russian troops retreat from key foothold in southern Ukraine, partisans say

    What forced Russian troops to abandon their positions?
    Russian units are leaving the Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region. Supply routes have been completely cut off, and nearly all Russian forces have already fled, according to Atesh.
    The actions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces blocked the supply routes used by Russian troops on the spit. According to Atesh, deliveries of ammunition, fuel, and food have completely stopped.
    As a result, units of the 337th Regiment found themselves isolated and began withdrawing from the northern and western parts of the spit.

    Not entirely confirmed but the withdraw is being reported by multiple independent sources. This is significant because it’s the first reported case of the Russians making a significant withdraw outside combat. The Ukrainians are not retaking this in a fight, rather they have cut off supplies and reinforcements for so long that the Russians don’t think they can hold it.
    The location is significant, the spit has line of fire on the exit of the Dnipro river into the Black Sea and Odessa. If Ukraine can retake the area it will simplify Ukrainian supply lines and put Odessa outside consideration for direct attack.

  103. Reginald Selkirk says

    Spencer Pratt responds to L.A. mayoral race loss in new video, says ‘it’s war’

    The Republican and former reality television personality Spencer Pratt responded to his loss in the Los Angeles mayoral primary in a video posted Friday morning, saying “you have no idea how bad things are about to get for the city.”

    In the video captioned “Saving LA-Phase III” posted on his social media, Pratt said he is not leaving town.

    “You thought you could get rid of me that easily?” Pratt said. “I didn’t get in this for political power, I got in this to expose this corrupt machine and nothing’s changed.”

    “And now I don’t have to worry about offending CNN viewers. I don’t have a campaign to hamstring me now. It’s war,’ he added.

    The three-minute video featured clips from movies, news broadcasts and even a UFC fight.

    Pratt went on to criticize the remaining candidates, City Councilwoman Nithya Raman and Mayor Karen Bass.
    …
    Pratt competed against Bass and Raman in the primary election for a spot in the November runoff. He was eliminated after failing to secure enough votes to advance…

  104. johnson catman says

    re Reginald Selkirk@103: So his statement that he would leave LA if he lost is just another lie by a republican.

  105. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Robert Downen (Texas Monthly):

    The Texas GOP just brought an elephant into the convention hall and it apparently pissed all over the place. It smells like piss in here.

    The video, via NYT reporter Lauren McGaughy.
    [It walks by wearing a “Unity drives victory” banner, with “Abbott” in the lower corner, and that’s where the stream comes from.]

    Commentary

    [Marenghi meme]: “I know writers who use subtext, and they’re all cowards.”

    I mean, this is pretty subtle compared to a special forces guy blowing himself up in a cybertruck outside of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

    Finally someone willing to talk about the elephant in the room.

    Whoa, that’s an African elephant.

    Putting the “P” in “GOP”.

    Standing around ignoring the smell of piss, just like a federal cabinet meeting.

    Yeah, the GOP always does that. Then they expect someone else to clean it up.

    Poor elephant. That is no place for such a lovely creature.

    Welp, it could have been worse.

    Also could have been much better.

  106. says

    New York Times link

    “Women Who Fled Iran Are to Be Deported to Central African Republic”

    “The women are among nearly two dozen people slated to be sent to a country where the U.S. government has advised ‘Do not travel for any reason.’ ”

    The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official.

    The flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to the Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict. The country is so dangerous that the U.S. State Department states on its website, “do not travel for any reason.”

    At least some of the migrants have received court orders in the United States prohibiting their deportation to their home countries because of the threat of persecution or torture, their lawyers said. Migrants face a higher burden of proof to win this “withholding of removal” status than they do to qualify for asylum.

    The Trump administration is working to find ways to deport people despite these court orders. [!!]The government is cutting deals with other countries willing to take them. The U.S. has sought or signed agreements with dozens of countries, including Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini.

    The Iranian women scheduled to be on Thursday’s flight have no criminal record and have been granted court protection against deportation to Iran, said Sahar Jalili Pawelski, one of their immigration lawyers. The precise circumstances of their cases were not immediately clear, but many Iranians who hold this protection fear persecution over their political beliefs or religious identity. […]

    The Department of Homeland Security said it would not confirm future deportations for security reasons. The planned deportations were confirmed by a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans were not public. A senior immigration official in the Central African Republic said he had no knowledge of any final agreement.

    The migrants have no ties to the country, and it is unclear where they will live or whether they could ultimately be sent back to Iran. The U.S. government has documented significant human rights abuses in the Central African Republic, including unlawful killings, torture and arbitrary arrest and detention.

    “It’s one of the hardest places in the world to live, and the idea that it would be considered a safe third country is absurd,” said Anjli Parrin, director of the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.

    The existence of a deportation deal with the Central African Republic was earlier reported by Reuters.

    […] Mr. Trump campaigned on a promise to curtail immigration, and the White House is looking to step up deportations to third countries as a way to make good on that pledge. […]

    The administration had been in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to deport more than 1,000 Afghans who had aided the U.S. war effort in their country, rather than allowing them to immigrate to the U.S. as planned. Negotiations stalled after a wave of public criticism, leaving the administration to seek new alternatives.

    Margaret Stock, an Alaska-based immigration attorney and a member of the legal team for an elderly Syrian man who was told he would be on the flight to the Central African Republic, said he has scars all over his body from being tortured in his home country. He feared returning to Syria because he is a Sufi Muslim, she said, and a U.S. immigration judge agreed that those fears were credible.

    The man, she added, suffers from diabetes — a grave risk in the Central African Republic, where medical care, even for routine ailments, is extremely limited.

    “He’s not going to be able to access his medication, and he’s going to die,” Stock said. “And they know he’s going to die if they send him there.”

    Ms. Stock said the man, who she said has no criminal record, had been released from immigration detention, but was later taken into custody again at a traffic stop.

  107. says

    Washington Post:

    When renovations of the Reflecting Pool were completed last week, President Donald Trump praised its ‘beautiful, clean water.’ Under his predecessors, Trump said, the pool was ‘Terrible. Disgusting … garbage ridden.’ Now, days after the pool was refilled, clumps of green algae have been spotted throughout the water.

  108. says

    ‘Spoiled, Adulterated’ Food: Trump Golf Club Hit With Health Violations

    “The president’s Hudson Valley golf club is one of several Trump properties hit with health code violations in the past year.”

    President Donald Trump vows to “make America healthy again.”

    But one of Trump’s golf courses risked making patrons sick, New York state health records indicate.

    A Dutchess County health inspector flagged the Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Hopewell Junction, New York, for a “critical violation” at its restaurant, according to New York State Department of Health inspection records from April 16.

    The violation stems from the restaurant having “food from [an] unapproved source, spoiled, adulterated on premises,” the inspection record states.

    […] Several Trump properties have been hit with health code violations in the past year.

    In December, Chicago health inspectors found flies, faulty dishwashers and wastewater flooding the floor of the main kitchen around three prep sinks at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, according to city health records first reported by NOTUS.

    When health inspectors returned a week later, the restaurants had resolved the issues, although an inspector again instructed management to replace a broken ice machine lid.

    In November, Westchester County Department of Health officials found insects and rodents at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, according to state health data first reported by NOTUS.

    The unwelcome guests comprised one of five violations cited by health inspectors, who also observed a laundry list of violations including “dirty surfaces,” “poorly constructed” rooms “in disrepair,” food “uncovered, mislabeled, [and] stored on floor,” and “missing or inadequate sneeze guards.”

    And in May 2025, health inspectors flagged 18 health code violations at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. The golf club manager said at the time that the citations were “politically motivated.”

    Health inspectors revisited the Bedminster golf club after Forbes first reported on the violations. Inspectors in June 2025 revised the golf club’s score from 32 out of 100, then the lowest grade in Somerset County, to 86.

  109. says

    Updates on the cult:

    […] Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas: “Donald Trump is the best thing to happen in this country in 100 years,” the retiring congressman said. “He was born a very special baby. I bet you the doctors said, ‘I can tell this is a very special baby.’”

    As HuffPost noted, this is the same Nehls who said in 2024, “If Donald Trump says, ‘Jump three feet high and scratch your head,’ we all jump three feet high and scratch our heads. That’s it.” Earlier this year, Nehls also wore a necktie with Trump’s face all over it to the State of the Union, then asked the president to sign it.

    More recently, Nehls said, “I believe that Donald Trump is better than sliced bread. I think he’s almost the Second Coming, in my humble opinion.”

    […] Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said, after winning his primary race, “I want to start with a bunch of thank yous. I want to thank the big guy, God. Trump comes later. Mr. President, you’re not far behind God, but we’re going to start with him.”

    Around this time a year ago, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas similarly told Newsmax, “With Trump, all things are possible.”

    Soon after, Republican Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri delivered remarks on the House floor alongside a poster board featuring images of Trump and fireworks. When he wrapped up his comments, Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts asked his GOP colleague, “Cult much?”

    The relevance of the simple question lingers for a reason.

    Link

  110. says

    The White House Is Attacking Progressive Creators Like Me.

    The White House recently published a new “Media Offenders” page on its official, taxpayer-funded [!] website with a list of reporters and independent media who have criticized President Trump or the administration. This website included progressive content creators that it refers to as “deranged leftists” and “known liars.” [!]

    My name is on the list.

    There are other independent creators […] on the list too. We dared to criticize this administration and disagree with its policies — and are now being targeted personally by the President of the United States.

    The White House wants you to see this list and ask: what did they do to get on the list? But what every American should be asking is: why does this list exist at all?

    In a democratic society, journalists, independent media, and content creators like myself are supposed to scrutinize government officials. We are supposed to ask difficult questions. We are supposed to challenge official narratives. We are supposed to investigate claims made by people who wield enormous authority over our lives.

    The real danger of a government-maintained list of media “offenders” is the message it sends. The message is that criticism is being tracked. That dissent will be categorized. That different opinions cannot be trusted and, in fact, are suspect.

    The goal of publishing a list like this is to silence voices […] those of us on the list are seeing an influx of hate comments and death threats, and within my own network, some creators are being advised to get legal counsel and lie low.

    […] Like their efforts to silence Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, this isn’t going to shut us up. We’ve been building a network of content creators through Chorus, a nonprofit learning community that is 165 creators and 180 million followers strong, and we are all ready to push back.

    Politicians always try to quiet their critics, but weaponizing government resources against opponents is different. The government commands vast institutional resources. When those powers are directed toward identifying critics, even symbolically, the consequences extend beyond the individuals named. Others watching take notice. It puts young journalists on notice. Independent creators on notice. Whistleblowers on notice. Sources deciding whether to come forward on notice.

    It should scare everyone that the administration is seeking to build a list of those who make or consume pro-democracy content. […] The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee is trying to get a list of every content creator who joined or applied to be part of Chorus through a subpoena. DOJ has also subpoenaed Reddit and X for the personal information of people who criticized ICE anonymously. […]

    This issue is not a partisan one. Constitutional principles protect people we disagree with. A government secure in its legitimacy does not need a roster of media offenders. It can answer criticism with facts. It can defend its record in public. […]

    […] Today my name may be on the list. Tomorrow it could be someone else’s.

    The real question is whether Americans are willing to accept a government that keeps such lists in the first place. Because once criticism becomes an offense, democracy itself becomes the target.

    […] build an opposition that is too strong for the Trump White House and his allies to shut up.

  111. says

    Washington Post link

    Exclusive: “Qatar pursued secret talks with Iran to shield gas complex from strikes, security officials say”

    “Qatar’s back-channel effort offers a glimpse into the hidden ways Gulf states have sought to spare themselves damage from the region’s worst war in a generation.”

    The missile attack that Iran launched against Qatar in mid-March sent plumes of smoke rising from the largest natural-gas production facility in the world.

    It destroyed sections of a plant that provides nearly a fifth of the globe’s gas supply, imperiled multibillion-dollar contracts with China and other clients, and damaged the prospects of finding an earlier end to the war by dragging Qatar, a key mediator between the United States and Iran, into the fight.

    There was an additional, hidden consequence. The strike also dashed secret efforts by Qatar to keep its gas complex, known as Ras Laffan, off Iran’s target list, according to Middle Eastern security officials and Western officials briefed on the intelligence.

    Seeking to protect its economic crown jewel, these officials said, Qatar approached Tehran at the start of the war to present a mutually beneficial arrangement: Iran would refrain from hitting Ras Laffan, and Qatar would halt gas production unilaterally — a move that would send energy prices soaring and put economic pressure on the United States and Israel to shorten the war.

    […] The officials were among several who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss information gleaned from intercepted communications and other intelligence.

    Qatar did not secure a commitment from Iran, officials said. The sequence that followed, however, indicated that the possibility of a tacit understanding remained on track, at least temporarily.

    Qatar closed Ras Laffan on the third day of the war as Iran launched hundreds of missiles and armed drones at targets across the Gulf. At the time, Qatar attributed the move to “military attacks on … operating facilities.” Satellite imagery later examined by The Washington Post showed no evident damage at Ras Laffan.

    […] In response to questions from The Post, Qatar denied pursuing any secret arrangement with Iran and said its decision to halt production at Ras Laffan was driven solely by the threat of attacks and concern for workers and infrastructure at a facility that is the lifeblood of the country’s economy.

    […] Qatar’s alleged back-channel effort, which has not been reported previously, provides a glimpse into what security officials described as the ways that Gulf states have sought to spare themselves amid the region’s worst war in a generation. Qatar, a tiny emirate that juts out into the Gulf, is more vulnerable than most but also has levers to pull on both sides of the conflict.

    Qatar maintains close contacts with leaders in Iran as part of its role as a regional mediator. It allows leaders of the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas to maintain a presence in Doha, and shares access to the world’s largest field of natural gas deposits with Iran.

    At the same time, Qatar has fostered deep ties to the United States. Its al-Udeid Air Base is the largest U.S. military compound in the region. Much of Qatar’s energy infrastructure is jointly owned and operated with ExxonMobil and other U.S. companies. After President Donald Trump was reelected, Doha presented a $400 million Boeing 747 as a “gift” that is now being refurbished as an upgrade to Air Force One.

    Qatar’s alleged outreach to Iran also underscores the extent to which Gulf countries viewed their sway over energy supplies as leverage from the war’s outset […]

    In a social media post last month, Trump said he had opted against resuming strikes on Iran after appeals from Gulf monarchs he listed by name, starting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

    Qatar has remained involved in peace talks with Iran — sending a delegation to Tehran as recently as this week — even after relinquishing its role as lead mediator to Pakistan.

    […] QatarEnergy, the state-run company that operates Ras Laffan, has for years been regarded as the world’s most reliable source of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, having never previously missed a significant shipment, according to Qatari officials and energy analysts.

    […] Qatar’s main motivation seemed to be “to avoid damage that would probably take 10 years to recover,” a regional security official said, adding that it was part of a broader pattern of quiet maneuvering by Iran’s neighbors. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other countries also sought ways to curb Iran’s retaliatory campaign, officials said, but Qatar’s attempt was perceived as more explicit.

    […] The country’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said in a separate interview that Ras Laffan had come under a “major attack” but “through a miracle” sustained minimal damage. The fallout would go beyond LNG supplies, Thani said, disrupting production of synthetic fertilizer and other products, threatening “the food security of many countries.” [Satellite imagery is available at the link.]

    […] A little more than two weeks later, on March 18, Qatar’s fears were realized when Iran delivered a series of damaging blows after Iran’s own natural gas infrastructure was crippled by Israeli airstrikes — an attack that prompted Trump to rebuke Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [Satellite imagery]

    Ensuing statements from Qatari officials were more detailed than those that accompanied the Ras Laffan shutdown. The attack destroyed critical infrastructure that accounted for nearly 20 percent of Qatar’s LNG exports, Al-Kaabi, the energy minister, said.

    The damage would “take between three to five years to repair,” he said, and cause years-long disruptions in deliveries to China, South Korea and Belgium. The strikes “weren’t just an attack on the State of Qatar,” he said, but “on global energy security and stability.”

  112. says

    New York Times link

    “Justice Dept. Clears Way for Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger”

    “The $111 billion deal would unite two major movie studios and put CNN under the same roof as CBS News.”

    The Justice Department will not challenge Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing a major hurdle for the $111 billion deal, the agency said Friday.

    The merger would consolidate the ownership of two major movie studios; two major streaming services, Paramount+ and HBO Max; and two television news networks, CNN and CBS News, under the leadership of the tech scion David Ellison.

    The scale of that combination has raised concerns that it could reduce the number of buyers for TV and movie scripts and potential employers for actors and crew members, driving down wages and the prices paid for creative material. The Justice Department blocked a publishing deal in 2022 over similar claims.

    In an unusual statement announcing its decision, the Department of Justice said its investigation of the deal had included hours of depositions, interviews and meetings that “all led to the same conclusion: The film and television industry is highly dynamic, and the proposed transaction is not likely to harm competition or American consumers.” [Sounds like bullshit to me.]

    That statement could help Paramount fight any future challenges. Some state attorneys general have pledged to take a hard look at the deal, and could bring their own case. Also, an antitrust regulator in Britain said this week that it would launch its own investigation of the deal.

    […] Larry Ellison is friendly with Mr. Trump, and has pressed the case for Paramount’s ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery with the president. In April, as the Justice Department was reviewing the deal, Paramount hosted a dinner for the purposes of “honoring the Trump White House” where Mr. Trump and David Ellison sat at the same table.

    Mr. Ellison acquired Paramount last year in an $8 billion deal, buying the company from its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone. Weeks earlier, Paramount had settled a lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump over an interview on CBS News’s “60 Minutes” for $16 million.

    With the Justice Department investigation now closed, the two largest potential obstacles to the deal are state attorneys general and overseas regulators. […]

    More at the link, including potential action planned or in-progress by state regulators.

  113. says

    FIFA World Cup 2026 live updates: U.S. leads 3-1 against Paraguay in first match

    “USA scored a goal in just the seventh minute of its opening match and then found the back of the net two more times before halftime.”

    United States vs. Paraguay (Group D) at 9 p.m. ET on Telemundo and Peacock.

    Earlier, Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina tied 1-1. For Bosnia-Herzegovina […]

    The World Cup will take place in three countries with 48 teams competing for soccer’s ultimate prize. […]

  114. says

    How Donald Trump’s son-in-law accidentally sparked an Albanian uprising

    “Flamingos, a pristine river and a glitzy resort backed by Jared Kushner prompted the biggest political demonstrations in Albania’s recent history.”

    When Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner decided to invest in a luxury holiday development on Albania’s idyllic southern coast, he probably didn’t count on provoking a national uprising.

    But Albanians, it turns out, weren’t crazy about wealthy foreign investors concreting over their natural treasures to build hotels for wealthy foreign holidaymakers.

    The proposed 10,000-bed resort near a protected wildlife area that’s home to flamingos, turtles and one of Europe’s most pristine river deltas ignited perhaps the biggest popular demonstrations since the small Balkan country abandoned communism more than three decades ago.

    Within two weeks the “flamingo revolution,” as it’s become known, has grown from a narrow environmental protest into a nationwide campaign directed at Albania’s entire ruling class.

    Years of perceived government corruption, unchecked tourism, frustration over Albania’s economic development (it’s one of Europe’s poorest countries) and a general perception that the nation is being run for the wealthy few rather than the general population, have tipped many Albanians over the edge.

    Demonstrators are now calling for the resignation and even imprisonment of Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader and former premier Sali Berisha — the two longest-serving leaders since the fall of the communist regime in 1991.

    […] “This is a protest against all the system, of the system after the fall of the dictatorship, and all the negative models that they have normalized in this country,” added Muço [Françeska Muço, a civil society activist],

    Olsi Nika, an Albanian biologist who led the campaign to designate the Vjosa River as a national park, says the campaign goes far deeper than anger at foreign investors.

    […] Albania’s ambition to join the European Union hangs in the balance. Long seen as a frontrunner alongside its northern neighbor Montenegro to join the EU by 2030, the country now risks seeing that goal slip out of reach as Brussels watches the political unrest and environmental destruction with concern.

    […] The Pishë Poro-Narta protected wildlife area is part of the river delta for the Vjosa, often referred to as Europe’s last wild river.

    […] A road now cuts through the land, police patrol the area, and cement foundations from removed fences mark the future site of the €1.4 billion luxury resort, that would carve a new “city” of 10,000 beds into one of Albania’s most biodiversity-rich areas.

    While the project has become synonymous with Kushner and his wife Ivanka, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, some recent reports suggest Kushner’s investment group Affinity Partners has pulled out of the project.

    […] Work on the resort was approved without any environmental impact assessment […]

    More at the Politico Europe link.

  115. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    HuffPo – An incredibly weird detail about Trump’s UFC event

    Who the children are or why they will be attending was not described. Neither the White House nor the UFC immediately returned requests for comment
    […]
    UFC/TKO intends to have each participant in the UFC event (i.e., fighters) enter the Lincoln Memorial chamber via elevator from a lower level, each accompanied by a child. Each fighter and accompanying child will be filmed walking through the chamber and descending the steps to the press conference area.

    The presence of children at the notoriously violent sport strikes a somewhat unusual chord. It is normal in soccer, however. The World Cup has done it for years, with professional players walking hand in hand with kids to the field before a big match.

    * From the linked soccer article: “Symbolically, the children on the field were ‘reminding football enthusiasts that they have a major role to play in building a world fit for children.'” That is not a priority for this administration.
     
    Motocross motorcycle rider Travis Pastrana set to do a backflip on South Lawn of White House on Saturday (June 13) ahead of UFC fight

    He will be joined by Ricky Carmichael, Brian Deegan, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Keith Sayers, and Jeremy McGrath as well. They will be jumping on the south lawn

    *sigh*
     
    MeidasTouch – White House UFC event lighting nearly blinded flight crew on approach to Reagan National

    A commercial airline pilot […] has filed aviation safety reports after powerful lighting used during the construction and testing of the UFC octagon on the White House grounds allegedly shone directly into their cockpit […] during the final stages of landing […] when pilots rely heavily on visual references. The pilot described the incident as “10 times worse than any laser illumination event” the pilot ever experienced. […] the pilot emphasized that this incident did not involve lasers. Instead, it involved powerful white event lighting that they said created a similar, and potentially more dangerous, effect
    […]
    FAA personnel advised them to contact the White House regarding concerns about the lighting. The reports raise questions about coordination between event organizers and aviation authorities given Reagan National’s unique location near some of the nation’s most sensitive airspace and busiest flight corridors. […] It is not yet clear whether additional flight crews reported similar visibility issues

  116. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DailyMail – Belfast rioter sets himself on fire as gang hurls Molotov cocktails at house: Police say 12 officers were injured and 16 people arrested during second night of violence

    [Video] The masked man’s lit Molotov cocktail spilled down the back of his hoodie […] his gang were caught on camera running to throw petrol bombs at police […] He ran away while trying to pat down the flames on his shirt.
    […]
    Police used water cannons on rioters, as officers were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs […] A Department for Infrastructure vehicle was left in flames […] Footage showed dozens of men dressed all in black and wearing face coverings […] they could be seen tearing bricks from properties and smashing paving stones with sledgehammers to create projectiles […] Rioters attempted to set fire to a derelict property […] They could also be seen taking wheelie bins from outside homes and lighting fires in them.

  117. StevoR says

    I mean there’s the idea that you should have balanced discussions and then there’s well, this :

    The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation declined to broadcast the film, “because it takes a strong position on nuclear arms and does not give a balanced and objective view of the subject”, and that they could not counter the film as it would be difficult to assemble a discussion panel including supporters of nuclear war.

    Bold emphasis added.

    Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Love_This_Planet?

    The thought that having everyone say “No!” to nuclear war would make a doco too one-sided.

    Just .. (Shakes head.)

  118. Reginald Selkirk says

    Workers begin removing Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, hours after a court-ordered deadline

    Workers began removing President Donald Trump’s name from the facade of the Kennedy Center early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue’s operations.

    Scaffolding was erected Friday around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name, but shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of thunderstorms that had swept through the Washington area, causing a delay.

    In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.” …

  119. Reginald Selkirk says

    Russia wrapped a whole building in an anti-drone cage, satellite imagery shows. Ukraine fired on it with cruise missiles.

    Russia attempted to shield a weapons production facility with anti-drone cage armor. Ukraine came for it with its new cruise missiles.

    A satellite image, collected by the US spatial intelligence firm Vantor in late May and shared with Business Insider, shows a cage surrounding part of the VNIIR Progress plant in Cheboksary, located more than 550 miles from the front lines in western Russia’s Chuvashia Republic…

  120. Reginald Selkirk says

    Earth’s largest waterfall is hidden underwater in the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland, where dense cold water plunges about 3,500 meters down the seafloor, far exceeding any waterfall on land in drop height and volume

    The tallest waterfall on Earth sits unseen on the seafloor between Iceland and Greenland, with no spray and no audible roar, and the water that pours over it moves not through air but through more water. The Denmark Strait cataract, as oceanographers call it, drops about 11,500 feet, down a slope on the ocean floor. That is more than three times the height of Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall on land.

    The mechanism turns on density, and it ends up shaping the circulation of the entire Atlantic…

  121. Reginald Selkirk says

    Meteorite may have ‘rained gold’ on Australia

    An ancient meteorite impact in Western Australia’s Goldfields may have redistributed gold while leaving behind rare geological evidence of one of Earth’s violent collisions.

    Researchers led by former Curtin University PhD student Raiza Quintero confirmed that the Ora Banda structure, a 5-km-wide, heavily eroded, and partially buried crater, was created by a meteorite impact after identifying microscopic shock features in minerals that form only under extreme pressures.

    The team also detected meteorite residue preserved in impact glass using Curtin’s laser ablation GeoHistory Facility at the John de Laeter Centre.

    “Large meteorite impacts don’t just leave craters — they fundamentally reshape the Earth’s crust, and some also host economic metal deposits,” co-author Dr Aaron Cavosie said. “In this case, the impact hit rocks in a mining district known to contain gold.

    While the rocks we studied did not contain economic concentrations of gold, we found evidence that some gold was locally mobilized during the impact. Determining if impact sites like this created concentrated gold deposits is why these ancient impact structures are so important to study.” …

  122. Reginald Selkirk says

    Paleodictyon Is A Living Fossil. We’ve Found It On Cliffs And The Seabed. Weird Thing Is, We Don’t Know What It Is

    In 1850, Italian palaeontologist Guiseppe Meneghini named a fossil from Eocene-aged deposits. He wasn’t describing an animal, but a bizarre print left behind by an unidentified creature.

    We have still yet to pin a firm identity on Paleodictyon, considered to be one of the ocean’s longest-running mysteries. Not only because it has eluded us for over 170 years, but because whatever it was, it’s been leaving its curiously honeycomb print on Earth for 500 million years.

    Yes, Paleodictyon appears to be a kind of living fossil that has been occupying the deep sea from half a billion years ago to the modern era. Its range is expansive temporally, but it has also been found all over the world, too, from sedimentary rocks in the Alps to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

    So, what is it?
    …

  123. StevoR says

    It’s hard to fathom how much $1 trillion is. But let’s give it a shot.

    No-one has ever been worth $1 trillion — until now.

    Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq exchange, making history as the world’s biggest stock market float and propelling the tech titan’s wealth to unfathomable heights.

    It’s a staggering amount of money. Just look at all these zeroes: $1,000,000,000,000.

    Of course, Musk’s wealth is not a pile of cash sitting in a bank account. It is tied to how investors might continue to value his companies, and there are plenty of questions about exactly how it all stacks up.

    But still, it’s a lot of money.

    You could think of it as 1,000 billions, or a million millions. Or you could think of it like this…

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-13/visualising-elon-musk-trillion-dollar-wealth/106780212

  125. JM says

    Politico: Trump’s GOP allies draw a line in the sand on Iran

    Republicans keep lengthening President Donald Trump’s leash on Iran.
    First, they hoped he would stick to his initial four- to six-week timeline for the war. Then, they gave him 60 days; then, until summer.
    Now, battleground GOP party chairs, campaign officials and strategists are coalescing around Labor Day as their hard deadline, according to interviews with more than a dozen people.
    It’s different this time, they say: September is the unofficial kickoff of general election season, when more voters tune in and the stakes get higher. Amid rising U.S. casualties, gas prices and fertilizer costs, these Republicans indicated the political risk of the ongoing war is heightening as the midterms draw near.

    Still, Naylor said he and many other Republicans believe Trump is doing what “needed to be done” in Iran and acknowledged the president is unlikely to “draw a line in the sand” for an end date given the complexity of the situation.

    At least the Republicans admit they have no real power or leverage in this situation. Trump has the US so invested in the conflict that options for the US to back out are limited. If Congress had forced Trump to back out early he could have declared the bombing a victory and the US could have left. Now with the Strait of Hormuz shut for an extended period of time there is no easy exit for the US.

    The cracks within the GOP have started to spill into public view, with some candidates emphasizing the need for the war to wrap up soon, even if they agreed with its initial goals.

    Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Iowa, acknowledged at a campaign event at the end of last month that the war would become a “political liability” if it drags on beyond “the next couple of weeks.” Sen. Jon Husted, who is running for a full term in battleground Ohio, said earlier this month he’s not sure how the war is going to come to an end but “it needs to,” referring to the stalled and uncertain negotiations with Iran. And Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is running for reelection in Nebraska, said on local radio this week that he wants to see “a diplomatic solution” to the war “as quickly as possible.”

    Political posturing at it’s best. None of these people are suggesting doing anything but they don’t want to lose all of those votes either. So they need to publicly look opposed to the war with Iran without suggesting Trump was wrong to begin it or getting pinned down on any actual action.

    Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who holds significant influence over the young, anti-interventionist wing of the GOP, said on his show Thursday that the president “is a spotty commander-in-chief and certainly no diplomat and obviously not a dealmaker.”
    “What we’re beginning to understand, unfortunately, for the rest of us, are not just the limits of Trump, but the limits of American power,” said Carlson, who has emerged as one of the most prominent anti-war voices.

    The experts and both Democratic and Republican advisors have been saying that for decades. This only a discovery for people that have refused to listen to anybody.

  126. JM says

    BBC: Israel carries out air strikes on Lebanon, state media says, as Iran claims deal with US near

    Iran’s foreign minister said earlier that a deal to end fighting with the US is close. The agreement also envisages an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Seyed Abbas Araghchi also said.

    Previous reports from the US have suggested Lebanon may not be part of this deal – with Iran reportedly insisting on it.

    High level acknowledgement from Iran that a deal is possible but arguing over what is in the deal is a bad sign.

    On Friday, Iranian media published some details from the alleged 14-point deal which Trump said had “nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to” and “bears no relation to the truth”.
    A few hours later, Pakistan’s prime minister said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran had been agreed and awaited finalising.

    The two sides seem to have moved on to a public round of negotiations. Both sides are claiming the parts they want from the deal are immediate while the parts the other side want are delayed and subject to reduction later. Some of this is posturing for national news but what the terms of deal and what the people understand the deal as saying does matter. Particularly in the US where public and congressional pressure is important for keeping Trump in line.

  127. says

    An Indian billionaire was targeted by Trump. Then he poured money into a startup secretly backed by Donald Trump Jr.,, by ProPublica

    In late November in Jamnagar, India, the scions of two of the most powerful families in the world stood face-to-face. On one side was 30-year-old Anant Ambani, son of one of the richest men in Asia. On the other was Donald Trump Jr. For months, the Trump administration had been on the offensive against the sprawling Ambani energy empire, placing it at the center of an escalating tariff campaign against India. But after Trump Jr. touched down, the two men toured the Ambanis’ private zoo, and at night they performed a Gujarati folk dance, grinning as they moved together to the music.

    Four months later, an obscure Texas startup called America First Refining announced that it had received a nine-figure investment from the Ambanis’ company. The deal puzzled numerous energy investors familiar with the project, which aims to build the first major new oil refinery in the U.S. in about 50 years. The company is run by a serial entrepreneur with a history of bankruptcy and lawsuits alleging fraud. [!] After more than a decade of failed attempts to raise money, blown deadlines and rebrands, it had been floundering.

    America First Refining’s unexpected breakthrough came after it forged a previously unreported relationship with Trump Jr., who secretly acquired a stake in the startup[…] [video]

    Over the past year and a half, Trump Jr. has amassed a fortune from stakes in companies ranging from crypto startups to a drone business to a firearms retailer. Some firms tied to the president’s son have received contracts or other support from the federal government, […] Trump family self-dealing. In December, Forbes estimated that Trump Jr.’s net worth had rocketed from roughly $50 million to $300 million since the election. But the Forbes figures were based on the investments that have been publicly disclosed. [!] The America First Refining episode suggests there is much about the family business that remains secret.

    […] after the Ambani investment was announced, Trump Jr.’s personal lawyer took credit on social media for playing a part in the deal.

    […] Early last year, Trump Jr. joined the company’s leadership for a meeting in South Florida with potential investors from Saudi Arabia [p…]

    The Ambanis’ investment coincided with the family’s securing major U.S. policy wins that their company, Reliance Industries, had been lobbying for. “Reliance Goes From Trump Foe to Friend With Refinery Pledge,” ran the Bloomberg headline after the deal was announced. […]

    [I snipped various denials from Reliance and Trump associates.]

    The Ambani family had long been cultivating its relationship with the Trumps. Reliance paid $10 million to the Trump Organization in 2024 as a “development fee” for a project in Mumbai, according to the president’s financial disclosure. (Despite the payment, Reliance has not yet announced a Trump project. Reliance told ProPublica that “the real estate project is real” and “remains under development.”) Ivanka Trump attended Anant Ambani’s wedding party in India that year, where guests were treated to a Rihanna concert. Anant’s father, Mukesh — who is worth an estimated $90 billion and lives in a 27-story home — came to Washington, D.C., for Trump’s second inauguration, posing with the president at a private reception. [social media post, with photo and video]

    But by the summer of 2025, the family was under attack from the White House. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Reliance had reportedly made billions in profits by purchasing vast quantities of Russian oil at a discount. In August, as Trump grew frustrated with his administration’s struggles to bring the war to an end, the president doubled his tariffs on India to 50%. The move was explicitly designed to force companies like Reliance to stop buying Russian oil. […]

    Amid this tension, Trump Jr. visited Anant Ambani on his November trip to India. […] The following week, the Texas startup — then called Element Fuels — filed paperwork to create America First Refining LLC. […]

    Anant Ambani, who helps run Reliance’s energy business, personally worked on the Texas refinery deal for months before it was announced, a major Indian newspaper later reported. [Video]

    […] In February, the Trump administration struck a trade deal with India, dramatically lowering tariffs, and also reportedly gave Reliance a license to buy Venezuelan oil. When the Iran war broke out and rocked global energy markets, the U.S. gave India a sanctions waiver to buy Russian crude. (The waiver was later expanded to all countries.)

    [I snipped various denials.]

    In March, President Trump personally announced Reliance’s deal with the Texas startup on Truth Social, thanking the Ambani company for its “tremendous Investment.” [!]

    [Isnipped denials from Trump-associated lawyers, as well as Wilding’s history. Wilding is Trump family lawyer]

    There are other fingerprints of the Trump world on the refinery deal.

    Howard Lutnick’s firm Cantor Fitzgerald — which his sons took over when Lutnick became Trump’s commerce secretary — is working as the financial adviser to America First Refining, including on the Ambani investment deal […]

    And the Trump administration played a direct role helping America First Refining find potential foreign investors, according to public comments from the company’s CEO, John Calce. “We have received support from the White House,” [!] he told a local news outlet. The National Energy Dominance Council, led by the interior and energy secretaries, has “helped us with, candidly, introducing us and helping us meet some of these people overseas,” Calce said on an industry podcast.

    America First Refining has recently explored going public, according to three people close to the company. That could allow its current investors to start cashing out even if the refinery never gets built — a milestone many energy industry insiders still view as a long shot. [!]

    Building a refinery at the Port of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast has been Calce’s mission for a decade. [I snipped other details of past business dealings, including multiple lawsuits.]

    […] Many energy investors told ProPublica there’s a reason the U.S. hasn’t seen a major new refinery in decades. “Refineries cost a lot of money and essentially make pennies on the dollar,” said Ed Hirs, an energy economist in Houston. “Wall Street is not going to finance a new refinery.”

    Even after the start of the second Trump administration, the company was in jeopardy, according to interviews and documents. It laid off workers last year, and, by late 2025, with delays continuing to plague the refinery, officials at the Port of Brownsville believed the project looked to be dead, according to records reviewed by ProPublica.

    That has not stopped Calce and his team from making grandiose claims to the public. Earlier this year, a website went live for another Calce company called Brownsville Energy Storage Terminals. It claims to have a far-flung network of oil storage terminals in places like the Netherlands and Singapore, more than 850 employees and a C-suite of experienced energy executives. But ProPublica could find no evidence that the executives are real people or that the storage terminals actually exist. [!!] The phone numbers on the website are also currently listed online as the contacts for a Houston baklava caterer, a Dallas-area taxi service and an OB-GYN office. The numbers are dead. [Scam alert.]

    America First Refining’s political ties, though, may have boosted its standing with Texas state regulators. In February, shortly before the Ambani investment became public, the company sought an extension on its permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

    Inside the state agency, emails obtained by ProPublica show, officials scrambled to approve the request.

    “Need to get this one logged and processed asap,” wrote one official

    “You are going to have to do this one. I will explain why in person in a few,” wrote another. “You can guess if you check out the name.”

    America First Refining got its approval the next day. A spokesperson for the Texas agency did not address questions about the emails. “This request was processed quickly due to the quality of information provided,” the spokesperson said.

  128. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/surprise-theyre-still-planning-payouts

    Last week, (acting) Attorney General Todd Blanche said to a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee that there’s no need for Congress to put any kind of limits on the big $1.776 billion slush fund he created to pay January 6 chuds for their service to the nation in trying to overthrow the government. No sirree, he said, “We’re not moving forward with the fund,” so you people can just stop talking about blocking it or limiting who can get money. The fund will be going away, for real, so there’s nothing for Congress to limit, OK?

    Of course, Blanche wasn’t under oath for his testimony, and he refused to put any of that in writing […] the fund was officially very very dead, and by Friday, the Justice Department even promised a federal court that the deal to compensate “victims of weaponization” was so completely no longer a thing that the judge could go ahead and dismiss a lawsuit filed to stop the scheme. […]

    That’s just logic: if there is no fund, the lawsuit is done.

    But in a twist that absolutely everyone saw coming, the Atlantic reports[…] that administration insiders have “quietly assured allies that plans for some form of payout remain on track,” according to “eight people familiar with the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund” who spoke to reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick. The administration is simply trying to keep it as quiet as possible this time around, so the brave insurrectionists and cop-beaters of January 6 can get their payouts without interference from meddling courts […]

    Those anonymous insiders — who include “current and former Justice Department officials, current and former members of Congress, a defense attorney, and political operatives close to the administration” — said that it’s unclear whether the Cop-Bashers’ Compensation Fund would be resurrected in part or in whole, or whether some sort of “alternative arrangements” might be made. But one way or another, the thugs will get the payout Trump thinks they deserve. Fitzpatrick’s sources told her that

    the work is being kept quiet while the Trump administration waits for opposition to the fund to blow over. Crucially, the administration is also trying to avoid a fight over the payout plan, which has been deemed a political slush fund by critics, while the Senate considers Blanche’s nomination for attorney general.

    Even a few Republicans — including senators on the Judiciary Committee, like retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, who is all out of fucks to give — have said they’re considering holding up Blanche’s confirmation until they see proof that the slush fund [is] most sincerely dead. Blanche’s job is now apparently to show them a blurry photo of a corpse in a coffin and hope they don’t notice it’s just Stephen Miller napping while the sun is out.

    Regardless of Blanche’s ass-covering assertions to Congress, the administration hasn’t actually renounced the slush fund, and doesn’t intend to. […] White House officials “didn’t think the fund was a bad idea; they just regretted that the rollout […] had been too public and invited too much scrutiny.” […]

    One Republican who’s no longer a member of Congress told Fitzpatrick that “he and others had been assured that the administration’s public statements about the weaponization fund being abandoned were “all part of the plan; nothing has changed.” Other sources made clear that the talk about the scheme being dead was simply a strategy to get Blanche confirmed, after which compensation to criminal Trump loyalists would be arranged.

    […] The exact details […] are still being worked out, but it might involve putting together a way to streamline payments from the DOJ’s “judgment fund,” an uncapped appropriation that’s normally used to pay out claims in lawsuits against the government. Normally, those funds are only paid out after the government loses in court or reaches a formal settlement with the plaintiff, but Fitzpatrick reports the administration is “exploring proposals to facilitate litigation and to expedite payments without requiring an expensive and lengthy process that might draw attention.”

    One former DOJ official summarized it as a very simple plan: the J6ers and others will sue, and the DOJ will settle, easy peasy […]

    Donald Trump is, of course, doing his usual dance around the status of the treason compensation fund, insisting to NBC news that “If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” and refusing to say whether the payoffs are dead. […]

    Friday, the federal judge in the case, Judge Leonie Brinkema, made permanent her earlier temporary injunction against the fund, noting that the DOJ hasn’t pledged under oath that the fund is dead dead, or that it won’t be resurrected in another form […]

    Brinkema extended her initial injunction until further notice, noting that the government’s “mootness argument, in my view, doesn’t go anywhere,” unless the assurances about fund being cancelled are made “under the penalty of perjury,” […]

    Judge Brinkema also cited Trump’s statements in support of paying off insurrectionists as evidence that the administration may yet attempt to go forward with the payouts by other means, which would still be a no-no. […]

    Brinkema […] did, however, give the government a chance to prove giving the administration a week to file a declaration from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, stating under penalty of perjury that the fund is dead and won’t be revived in any form.

    […] Keep your eye on this case; it’s probably not over.

  129. says

    Washington Post link

    “Congress has lost its grip on funding the government”

    “The legislature showed again this week it is really struggling to follow its own normal budget-making process, and programs Americans love could be at stake.”

    […] The breakdown in bipartisan budgeting every year threatens public programs that millions of Americans rely on and further endangers the government’s long-term fiscal health.

    “The process at this point is completely broken, and the political environment is completely poisoned,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “There needs to be a group of lawmakers who are willing to work together to say: getting the budget done, the government funded, and being willing to compromise to do so is more important than the political food fight that the annual appropriations process has become.”

    […] Trump is also urging Republicans to again sidestep negotiations with Democrats and pursue a new set of spending priorities, including $350 billion in defense funding, outside of the traditional appropriations process.

    […] Also, things are looking bad when it comes to the regular appropriations process for next year, which lawmakers are already behind on. This week, Senate appropriators traded public criticisms as they deadlocked over the budget, which must be passed by Sept. 30, leading them to cancel meetings to revise the legislation for a second week in a row. Key Senate Republicans said this week that they are not on board with Trump’s ongoing push to go it alone with another reconciliation bill.

    Already, the Trump administration has taken bold efforts to wrestle appropriation power from Congress, withholding billions of dollars from low-income housing services, education assistance, medical research grants and other programs approved by Congress […]

    Trump has requested $1.5 trillion [!] in military funding for the next fiscal year beginning in October, a 44 percent increase from 2026 fiscal year funding levels. He has only asked for $660 billion for nondefense funding, a 10 percent cut compared to the prior year.

    […] Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Thursday using reconciliation removes accountability and erodes Congress’s constitutional spending power. [I snipped a lot of text explaining the reconciliation technicalities and the history of its use.]

    “The power of the purse resides in the Appropriations Committee, and this administration has been trying to eviscerate that power from the outset,” DeLauro said.

    More at the link.

  130. Reginald Selkirk says

    Missing woman found alive after being stuck in mud puddle for days

    A missing woman was found in a Minnesota puddle of mud where she told her rescuers she had been stuck for days.

    Kathryn Woessner, 68, was last seen on June 3 before her rescuers found her on June 6, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

    Woessner did not have any personal belongings with her, according to the sheriff’s office.

    Woessner told the men who rescued her that her car was stuck and she was trying to get out when she went around to the other side, slipping and falling into a puddle that was probably 2 feet deep, according to Mike Gravalin and Adam Sandbeck, the two men who saved her.

    Woessner told the men the mud was like quicksand, they told KSTP. ..

  131. Reginald Selkirk says

    New UK Referendum Would Flip ‘Brexit’ Result of a Decade Ago, Poll Finds

    It’s the 10-year anniversary of Britain’s “Brexit” vote withdrawing from the European Union. But a new UK poll “shows that a new Brexit referendum would reverse the vote that led to Britain’s departure,” reports Bloomberg:

    Fifty-two percent of Britons think the UK should rejoin the EU, according to an Ipsos survey of 1,137 British adults conducted between May 14 and May 20. That’s the inverse of the mood in June 2016 when a comparable share of the electorate backed Brexit… Younger voters overwhelmingly favor reversing Brexit, whereas half of those ages 55 and above oppose returning to the bloc.

    …

  132. says

    […] Trump wanted some sort of legal support for his penchant for doing everything in secret and tearing up presidential records. So he got the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, a real true-believer type named T. Elliot Gaiser, to bang out a couple dozen pages saying it was Unconstitutional, […] for Congress to pass a law saying the president had to retain records.

    This time around, it’s that Trump wants a little piece of paper to wave around to justify basically ending most employment discrimination claims. Yes, according to Trump and Todd and Gaiser, because the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, that meant that any other form of protections against racial discrimination in entirely different settings have also been made to disappear. Sure, yeah, that is definitely how law works.

    Hopefully, this meets the same fate as Gaiser’s memo about presidential records: a lengthy benchslap from a federal judge.

    Link

  133. JM says

    @129 Lynna, OM: This has been true for some time. The procedural rules for the Senate need to be fixed so that minority parties are guaranteed time to speak but can not hold up votes indefinitely. The current filibuster rules essentially let single members jam up bills without risk forever unless there is a super majority that wants to vote.
    Honestly I would like to see them go back to the old rules, where you can filibuster bills but only as long as you can keep speaking and hold the floor. It does let an activist minority hold things up but it doesn’t let them stop everything and it quickly becomes obvious they are intentionally trying to wreck the country.
    The House also looks super useless right now but that isn’t a procedural problem. It’s because Mike Johnson has a super small majority and refuses to negotiate with Democrats to pass bills. Because Trump is looking over his shoulder he would rather things fail then negotiate.

  134. says

    A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from continuing to remove information about slavery, civil rights, climate change and other topics from national parks.

    Angel Kelley, a U.S. District Judge for Massachusetts, on Friday issued a preliminary injunction directing the National Park Service to stop taking further action to implement an executive order issued by President Donald Trump aimed at scrubbing sites of “partisan ideology” and descriptions that “disparage” Americans.

    Responding to a lawsuit filed by a coalition that includes national park and history advocates, Kelley wrote the policy “sets a dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization.” She gave the federal government 21 days to restore and reinstall all interpretive materials at park sites managed by the NPS that have been altered, removed or damaged as a result of the executive order. [!] […]

    Washington Post link

  135. says

    JM @133: “Because Trump is looking over his [Mike Johnson’s] shoulder [Johnson] would rather things fail then [than] negotiate.”

    Yes. I agree with that summary. All too true.

    Meanwhile, Mike Johnson is afraid of, and is supporting no matter what, this loser:

    President Donald Trump’s approval rating is steady at about 35%, near his career low, as a Reuters/Ipsos poll attributes disapproval largely to rising food and gas prices linked to the ongoing Iran war. […]

    This week Mr Trump’s net approval stayed at a record low of -25, according to The Economist’s tracker of polling conducted by YouGov. That means he is still the most unpopular president since our survey started in 2009. […]

    According to the latest YouGov/Economist poll, conducted between June 5-8, just 29 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 63 percent disapprove, giving him a net approval rating of -34 points on an issue that has long been one of his political strengths. […]

    When you throw in the indignity of seeing his name physically scraped off the Kennedy Center building, the cancellation of musical has-beens from his cheesy, self-referential 250 Freedom bash, and the entirely expected torrent of boos from Knicks fans, you have the pathological narcissist’s worst nightmare: public humiliation.

    […] The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 16 percent of Americans thought it was appropriate for the president to hold such an event at this time.

    Only a third of Republicans approve of the massive America 250 Ultimate Fighting Championship event, taking place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, which also happens to be Trump’s 80th birthday. […]

    Trump is a Pathetic Loser

  136. Reginald Selkirk says

    @134

    A federal judge has barred the Trump administration…

    This is only a temporary roadblock, when you consider who has the power to appoint federal judges.

  139. Reginald Selkirk says

    @130

    A missing Minnesota woman was stuck in mud for 3 days before being found

    …
    The two people who found her, Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin, told NBC affiliate KARE if Minneapolis that they had been riding an off-road vehicle on trails around Backus and Hackensack on Saturday when they found Woessner’s van stuck in the muddy area.

    A closer examination showed that there was more than just a vehicle — what they said they thought was a body in a puddle next to the van.

    “And then she whispered, ‘Help me,’ and it scared the crap out of me,” Sandbeck told KARE…

  141. StevoR says

    Good article complete with aerial map here :

    Project by project, Donald Trump is altering the US capital, disrupting views and design that, in some cases, date back more than two centuries.

    There are legal challenges, but for many projects, work is well underway.

    The No Kings protests will return to American streets this weekend — aimed at the president and, once again, held to coincide with his birthday.And while the United States will mark 250 years of independence from King George III next month, Washington DC is being remade in one man’s image.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-14/donald-trump-washington-dc-projects-250-year-anniversary/106771456

  142. StevoR says

    In a new photograph snapped by astronauts on the International Space Station, you can see pieces of the Tyndall Glacier splintering off and floating out into the lake Lago Geikie. Even from space, the chunks of ice falling from the glacier can be seen floating away.

    The Tyndall Glacier in southern Chile is part of the Southern Patagonian Icefield. Located between Chile and Argentina, this is the second-largest continuous ice field like it in the world. It measures at over 5,000 square miles of ice (13,000 square kilometers).

    … (Snip)..

    The Tyndall Glacier has been shrinking for about 150 years; as more and more pieces of this glacier break off or melt, Lago Geikie continues to grow and expand. In the past four years alone, Tyndall has lost 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) in length, according to glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nicholas College.

    Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/astronauts-watch-from-space-as-ice-splinters-from-a-glacier-space-photo-of-the-day-for-june-11-2026

  143. StevoR says

    Hoipefully we’ll soon see if this is actually correct or not :

    Competing drafts of the supposed deal have since surfaced in the media.

    The semi‑official Mehr News Agency published what it described as a 14‑point draft MOU, citing a source close to Iran’s negotiating team and stressing that the document still awaited final approval in Tehran.

    Axios, quoting US negotiating sources, reported on a different version said to reflect Washington’s position, with both sides’ texts framed as preliminary and politically unratified.

    Trump officials have previously claimed a deal with Iran was close, only to walk such statements back as talks faltered.

    But reports that US Air Force planes departed on Thursday to move equipment ahead of a possible trip by Vice President JD Vance to a signing ceremony in Geneva have fuelled speculation that this round is more advanced.

    The New Arab breaks down where we stand with the supposed agreement.

    Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/what-we-know-so-far-about-reported-us-iran-mou

  144. StevoR says

    UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski has defended his support for imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti after being targeted by pro-Israel activists over a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Free Marwan”, telling The New Arab that Barghouti was denied a fair trial and remains a symbol of Palestinian self-determination.

    Polanski’s comments came after pro-Israel activists launched a backlash against him on social media after photographs emerged showing him wearing a “Free Marwan” T-shirt, a reference to Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian political figures of the past three decades.

    The image was quickly seized upon by pro-Israel commentators, who sought to portray Polanski’s support for Barghouti as an endorsement of violence.

    “What really unsettles critics isn’t the shirt. It’s the idea that Palestinians might have a leader capable of uniting their people and leading the fight for liberation from apartheid the same way Nelson Mandela did,” Polanski told The New Arab.

    Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/uks-zack-polanski-row-over-his-marwan-barghouti-t-shirt

  146. Reginald Selkirk says

    Royal Marines board Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel

    Royal Marine Commandos have boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning.

    Marines, joined by National Crime Agency officers, with the support of the RAF, intercepted and boarded the vessel in a six-hour operation – the first operation of its kind by UK armed forces.

    The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD said…

  147. birgerjohansson says

    ‘Airplane’- style comedy with drag actors. The Guardian:

    “A movie for everyone, not just Drag Race fans”: stars of drag comedy Stop! That! Train! on making the summer’s funniest film. .https://share.google/wY4Q00aB1C9D3JbGK

    ‘Stop! That! Train! is set in a parallel America where railways are the dominant mode of transportation, “stormaganzas” are recognized (if infrequent) extreme weather events, and seemingly everyone is an amoral maniac dedicated to acting out on their worst behavior.’

  148. says

    The White House UFC fight is a grand pageant for an 80-year-old boy king

    “A $60 million price tag outstrips even the most lavish spectacles that medieval tournaments provided for feudal lords.”

    Related video at the link.

    On the White House South Lawn, rising high above the Executive Mansion, a battlefield awaits. The temporary coliseum erected for Sunday night’s Ultimate Fighting Championship promises a spectacle unlike any ever held on a president’s doorstep. The Trump administration insists the event is part of the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, unironically linking the country’s founding with an evening of violence on an altar to hypermasculinity.

    But the timing of the event, taking place on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, is no mere coincidence. As with last year’s military parade, ostensibly in honor of the U.S. Army’s 200th birthday, the president has seized on the opportunity to disguise a taxpayer-funded gift to himself as a present to the nation. While the administration attempts to link these fights to the revolutionaries who rebelled against a monarch, Sunday’s event more closely resembles a king and his court attending a tournament in the late Middle Ages. The federal government has spent an embarrassingly large sum in the hopes of providing a diversion for America’s would-be king as the country’s greatest ills go untreated.

    […] Abraham Lincoln was known for being a wrestler in his youth, while Theodore Roosevelt’s love of boxing followed him to the White House. Trump is neither. He is a man who has late in life gravitated towards mixed martial arts and in particular its blend of pro-wrestling’s dramatic characters and the bare-knuckled beatings its practitioners administer. […]

    Trump’s presence in the hastily constructed arena, known as “The Claw,” lends itself perfectly to the image of a feudal lord observing most modern conceptions of medieval tournaments. Unlike the recreations seen at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Times outposts around the country, the original tournaments focused on warriors clashing in a massive melee. Knights and other men-at-arms could display their battlefield skills in a more contained setting to win renown and ransom from their defeated opponents. Only over time did tournaments shift to emphasize the more scaled-down, but still dangerous, events like jousting.

    By the 16th century, tournaments had also become a way for their noble organizers to show off their vast wealth or herald auspicious moments in their lives. When King Henry VIII of England held a royal summit with King Francis I of France in 1520, it took place at the “Field of the Cloth of Gold,” so named for how much of the expensive fabric was used in crafting the tents and costumes assembled there. Both royals took part in the tournaments to show off their own athleticism as a stand-in for their military prowess. Prof. Glenn Robinson of St. Mary’s University estimated in 2020 that the whole shebang roughly cost the equivalent of £15 million pounds — roughly $25 million in 2026 dollars.

    Trump will not be following Henry and Francis’ lead; the octogenarian president will not be competing in the Octagon, even though 25% of Republican men in a recent YouGov survey claimed they’d be unable to beat Trump in a fight. But the price-tag of the UFC event dwarfs that of the Tudor-era spectacle. According to documents filed in response to a lawsuit that attempted to halt the fight, the Trump administration says that it has already spent a jaw-dropping $60 million pulling together the presidential fight night.

    That absurd amount of money befits an absurdly grotesque event. It feels surreal that a cage match will be held on the White House lawn in honor of a man holding thousands of immigrant men, women, and children in cages around the country. It feels bewildering that Trump will be on hand to watch displays of martial excellence even as the actual war he started with Iran simmers unresolved in the background. And it seems likely that this event will yield a hefty profit for Trump’s allies like UFC CEO Dana White — and Trump himself, given his purchase of stock in UFC’s parent company before announcing the event last year.

    The Roman Empire famously provided the plebians free wheat and gladiatorial games to keep them in check and keep them from wanting more. The White House likewise hopes that the showcase of sweaty brutality will help lure back the young male voters who’ve grown disillusioned after voting for Trump in 2024. But for today’s masses there is no bread, only circuses, as underscored by an event held by the rich, for the rich, with another estimated 120,000 crowding to watch from the Ellipse.

    All of this is being done not as a celebration of America’s origins but in the name of providing amusement for the aging boy king and his retinue. Given his professed love of the sport, maybe Trump will manage to stay more engaged throughout the title card fight than he was during the NBA Finals game he attended last week. At least the commute home for him, after the lights have dimmed, the victors named, and his birthday wish already granted, will be a short one.

  149. says

    A message for Southern Baptist women who’ve been betrayed once again

    “The convention already had a statement of faith opposing women in ministry and had already expelled individual churches that ordain women. But that wasn’t enough subjugation.”

    The Southern Baptist Convention dug deeper into its hole of misogyny Wednesday when, after only a brief debate, the denomination voted to advance a formal ban on women pastors. The amendment, approved with a roughly 3-to-1 vote, says that Southern Baptist churches may not act “to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”

    If you’ve been following the Southern Baptists, then you know the convention already has a statement of faith opposing women in ministry and has expelled individual churches, including the one founded by Rev. Rick Warren, that ordain women. The convention’s seeming obsession with subjugating women and arguing their inherent unfitness for leadership may help explain a May report from Lifeway Research that 2025 marked the denomination’s “19th consecutive year of membership decline.” [Good news] According to that Lifeway report, the denomination’s membership is consistent with “levels last seen in 1973.”

    But the stronger argument against the Southern Baptists’ even louder declaration against churches with women pastors is that they’ve rejected the Baptist value of individual church autonomy and soul liberty. Baptists don’t have creeds. It is a cruel distortion of Baptist belief, then, to have a top-down process that targets individual churches and limits the pastors they may call.

    Consider the response by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, which is predominantly Black and has 2.5-million members. “The Progressive National Baptist Convention affirms that God calls whom God calls,” Rev. Dr. David R. Peoples, the PNBC president, said in a statement. “Throughout Scripture and throughout the history of the Black Church, women have preached, taught, organized, led, and transformed communities in the name of Jesus Christ. We celebrate their gifts and remain committed to creating space for all whom God has called into ministry.”

    Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson, second vice president of PNBC, added, “We celebrate the women who have gone before us and remain committed to opening doors for those who will follow.” […]

    [I snipped personal stories; I snipped a lot of folderol about “soul liberty”; I snipped history of Southern Baptists supporting keeping black people enslaved.]

    Though the Southern Baptists represent the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., it should be noted that fewer than half of the Baptists in the United States belong to the SBC. […]

    It always seems a bit weird to me when various religious sects argue over details like creeds or “soul liberty,” but I do see positive trends when sects that denigrate women lose congregants.

  150. says

    @103 Reginald Selkirk informed us: Spencer Pratt responds to L.A. mayoral race loss
    I reply: Well that is what used to be called a prat fall by a stupid clown.

    Also, I want to know: spaceXcrement, is it dead yet? And, stupid starmer blew a great opportunity to slap the muskrat for promoting violence in N. Ireland.

  151. says

    @147 birgerjohansson mentioned – the drag comedy Stop! That! Train!
    It is a production by RuPaul who is a fascinating person. It should be just the fun sort of comedic break we need now to interrupt our doom scrolling.

  153. says

    McConnell admitted to hospital

    Retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was admitted to a hospital on Sunday, according to a spokesperson.

    “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” said David Popp, a senior adviser to the Kentucky senator.

    Popp did not provide further details on why McConnell was admitted to the hospital. McConnell voted on the two Senate roll calls held on Thursday.

    McConnell, 84, has dealt with multiple health issues in recent years. The former Senate GOP leader is the third-oldest member of the Senate, behind 92-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 84-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

    In February, McConnell spent more than a week in the hospital due to flu-like symptoms. Last October, he fell after being heckled […] at the Capitol complex.

    McConnell survived polio as a child and has referenced “lingering effects” in his left leg after previous incidents. He also fell down a small set of stairs while leaving the Capitol in February 2025.

    The Kentucky Republican also had two freezing episodes in 2023. Earlier that year, McConnell suffered a concussion and fractured rib after falling at a private dinner in Washington, D.C.

    The chair of the Senate Rules Committee, McConnell will depart the upper chamber when his term ends in January. The 84-year-old led the Senate Republican Conference from 2007 to 2025, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. […]

  154. says

    Trump, bald eagles and Zac Brown Band: Inside the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest

    “Ahead of the UFC fight card on the White House lawn, thousands descended on Washington, D.C., to celebrate.”

    Lots of photos at the link.

    […] look past the Monster Energy-branded main stage and you’ll see in the distance — past the motocross bikes doing jumps and flips-off of a ramp, and past the 600-ton, 92-foot “Claw” — there’s the Truman Balcony of the White House, where tonight UFC fighters will step in before heading down toward the South Lawn Octagon to fight until someone is knocked out.

    Tens of thousands of people — mostly young men — have traveled from across the country to be here this weekend. They’ve flown from Ohio or Tennessee, and driven from New Jersey, and are now standing in line for a chance to meet a fighter they have spent years watching — some even idolizing. For a chance to see Zac Brown Band. For a chance to see a bald eagle fly across the crowd. And for a chance to watch history unfold Sunday night.

    “Americans,” Landon Higdon from Kentucky said, “We like watching people fight.”

    While UFC CEO Dana White has said he would be paying for the event’s production — more than $60 million — one look at the hundreds of federal law enforcement officers from every agency you could think of roaming the crowd makes it clear there are significant government resources going toward this event.

    [Photo of National Guard members posing for a photos with the “Monster Energy girls.” ]

    Everywhere you looked, there was a sponsorship: the “Monster Energy” booth, where attendees could get a free can of Monster and a photo with “Monster Energy girls,” the Bud Light bar, the Jose Cuervo stand and the Dodge Ram truck “experience.” For $16, you could stand in line at the New Amsterdam Vodka booth for a “Jalapeño Slam” — $28 if you wanted a “Final Round Espresso.”

    The UFC also had several booths where they were selling limited-edition “UFC Freedom 250” apparel.

    And then there was the main stage — with more Monster Energy signage — sandwiched between two massive Jumbotrons where fans will watch the main event Sunday night, beginning at 8 p.m. ET, rain or shine. […]

  155. says

    He profits off raw milk that’s making people sick. The government isn’t stopping him. By Pro Publica

    A white Ford pickup truck broke through a thick curtain of fog one morning in February, winding its way down a muddy farm road in California’s Central Valley. From it emerged a 64-year-old dairyman, burly and tan, who left the engine running as he lumbered toward me with open arms.
    “You must be Mark,” I said, warning him I wasn’t one for hugging.

    “I’m a hugger,” he said, pulling me in anyway. “I feel like I’ve known you for a lifetime.”

    I had spent the past couple of weeks corresponding with Raw Farm founder Mark McAfee, who’d filled my inbox with messages and PowerPoints extolling the virtues of his most important, and controversial, product:

    It is delicious.
    It makes you feel good (the gut-brain serotonin and dopamine cycle).
    It’s great for asthma and literally saves lives.

    He was talking about raw milk, which, if you trust 150 years of bedrock science, offers little reason to consume. By definition, it has not been pasteurized, the simple process of heating milk to kill off harmful bacteria. Before the practice was widely adopted a century ago, thousands of babies died each year from illnesses linked to contaminated dairy. Today, most scientists and health experts agree that raw milk has no significant, proven nutritional benefits over its sanitized counterpart, cannot treat or cure disease and subjects its consumers to over 100 times the risk of foodborne illness, which can be especially dangerous for young children.

    And yet, McAfee’s farm, the largest raw-milk dairy in the country, is pulling in about $30 million a year, meeting a growing demand from customers who say they want food that hasn’t been robbed of health benefits by industrial processing. Once drawing a fringe crowd, raw milk has been thrust into the mainstream in recent years by a potent mix of politics, wellness culture and a wave of suspicion that health institutions have been compromised by Big Pharma and Big Food. Its proponents have turned it into a symbol of freedom and defiance. More than 10 million Americans now drink it; national weekly sales rose by 65% from 2023 to 2024 alone.

    Raw milk’s success confounded me: How had it gained such a foothold in this country, despite regular outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli, and even the discovery of bird flu in Raw Farm’s milk? More pressing still, what was the government doing to protect the public amid demands for products that scientists warn are risky, even deadly? Speaking with McAfee seemed like a good place to start […]

    “I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered,” McAfee acknowledged before my visit. “But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer. And I’m going against the grain here. I’m climbing a mountain they say you can’t climb.”

    McAfee isn’t any ordinary farmer. He is a raw-milk zealot who has escaped serious sanctions despite two decades of skirmishes with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Justice, which have repeatedly accused him of breaking federal laws and regulations. The Biden administration was on the verge of a crackdown against his farm when President Donald Trump assumed office and turned over leadership of the nation’s health agencies to one of McAfee’s most notable customers.

    The year before he was confirmed as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president, using his campaign platform to decry the government’s “aggressive suppression” of raw milk. In his new role, he said he was “advocating” for it and celebrated the release of a federal report to Make America Healthy Again with a toast of raw-milk shooters in the White House.

    For his part, McAfee isn’t just selling Kennedy’s favored milk. He is selling the notion that his dairy products are safe and healthy — for you, your kids, your grandparents — because his farm thoroughly screens its milk for bacteria.

    […] The farm screens each batch for four types of bacteria: salmonella, E. coli, campylobacter and listeria, all of which thrive in the intestines of cattle and can contaminate milk through microscopic flecks of infected feces. The microbes can cause a constellation of symptoms in humans, from vomiting and diarrhea to sepsis, kidney failure and even death.

    “We catch these things and divert the milk immediately,” McAfee said of the pathogens.

    I assumed that after diverting batches, the farm discarded them.

    Later that day, I learned otherwise.

    “We have a red-flag system here, where if there’s anything that gets really out of whack, they can immediately tag the milk, and it doesn’t go to anything but cheese,” McAfee told me. “Because, you know, cheese is resistant to pathogens.”

    Research has shown that raw cheese is not, in fact, resistant to pathogens; while aging can mitigate some risk, harmful bacteria can still survive the usual 60-day maturation process.

    Hearing about the practice took me by surprise — the farm did what with that milk? — so I asked about it again. McAfee confirmed that milk with pathogens was used to make cheese, except for batches with salmonella, which he said were dumped or sent out for pasteurization. (I later learned the FDA knew he was doing this and had told him to stop two years ago. But no one had alerted the public.)

    “Our cheese is just wildly successful across America,” McAfee said, noting it was sold in hundreds of stores from natural food shops to chains like Sprouts Farmers Market. “H-E-B down in Texas sells 50,000 bucks a week.”

    I wondered how long it might take for the cheese to be linked to another outbreak.
    Unbeknownst to me, one was already underway.

    [I snipped a lot of details.]

    […] McAfee told me that when he learned of the two sick children, he “wanted to know the truth.” So he took his wife’s Volvo and drove four hours to the hospital. Then, somehow, he found a way into the ICU. […]

    […] Mary McGonigle-Martin was shopping in a Southern California grocery store in 2006 when she spotted ads suggesting McAfee’s milk could treat allergies and digestive problems. She thought of her 7-year-old son, Chris, who she suspected was dealing with dairy sensitivity, and later visited McAfee’s website to learn more. She knew the risks of forgoing pasteurization, but the site eased her concerns: It said the farm tested its milk and had never found a single pathogen. […]

    […] Chris had a dangerous strain of E. coli, known as O157:H7, which led to hemolytic uremic syndrome. This rare condition, which mostly impacts children, occurs when bacterial toxins spread throughout the body and damage red blood cells, causing clots in the organs, primarily the kidneys. With quick intervention, most people survive. But it can cause lifelong complications.

    While sitting in the intensive care unit, Martin overheard another mother mention her daughter had the same condition. It turned out the young girl had also drank milk from McAfee’s farm. Hoping to intervene before others got sick, the families reported the illnesses to the dairy and the state, which quickly issued a recall and quarantine order, suspending distribution of the farm’s products. […]

    Martin told me she was surprised when McAfee introduced himself in the waiting area [of the hospital], but nonetheless she shared details of her son’s ordeal. “I listened to her as compassionately as I could,” McAfee told me. But in his recollection, he observed that Martin’s son was not as critically ill as he’d been led to believe. “He’s eating McDonald’s, watching cartoons, doing just great, and they’re telling the story to the world that he’s ready to die,” claimed McAfee. “I was really upset about that.”

    McAfee’s version of events was impossible, Martin told me: When he appeared at the hospital, Chris had just been taken off the ventilator and still struggled to breathe on his own; reams of her contemporaneous notes confirm this. Even after being extubated, he couldn’t have solid food for weeks due to severe pancreatitis. “I was so hungry,” Chris told me. “I started crying because I couldn’t eat.”

    When I asked Martin why she thought McAfee gave such a different account of their meeting, her response was simple: “Mark is the master of spin.” (McAfee maintained that his recollection was accurate: “This is not spinning; this is simple truth.”)

    [I snipped a lot of details]

    At least 233 people have been sickened in eight outbreaks that federal and state regulators have connected to McAfee’s farm since 2006, and at least 40 of them have been hospitalized. […]

    Just last week, Idaho’s health officials announced that nearly 60 people had become ill after consuming raw milk. […]

    Without publicly stating a reason, this past January the government dropped its efforts to take action against the farm. A former federal employee with knowledge of the suit told me that cases involving raw milk were deprioritized in the new administration because of Kennedy’s stance on it. […]

    On March 15, federal regulators publicly linked its cheese to yet another E. coli outbreak.

    Nine people were infected across three states; more than half were younger than 5. Of the three people who had to be hospitalized, according to regulators, one developed the same severe kidney condition that Martin’s son had battled two decades earlier.

    Initially, federal health agencies didn’t urge the public to avoid the cheese or throw it away, as they had under previous administrations. Instead, a CDC notice said consumers should “consider” not eating it; the FDA gave no consumption guidance at all. Three federal health employees later told me political appointees had watered down the original language.

    […] U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., asked Kennedy whether in the face of these new, serious illnesses, it wasn’t time for a shift in his messaging: “You are the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Is there not some moral responsibility or compunction to say, ‘Don’t drink raw milk’?”

    “Every product can contain contaminants,” Kennedy replied. “What we do is inform the public, and we let people make the choice.”

    On April 30, the FDA closed its investigation without taking any enforcement action. […]

    “I’m seven months pregnant, and I drink raw milk because that’s how God has created it to be,” said Lindsay Espinoza, 34, reclining on a bale of hay with her husband and young son […]

    Some, like 58-year-old Melanie Copeland from Huntington Beach, questioned whether the outbreak had occurred at all. “The odds of it being true are slim to none,” she said, “and people need to do their research.” […]

    Much more at the link.

  158. Reginald Selkirk says

    11 skydivers and pilot killed in US plane crash

    Eleven skydivers and one pilot have been killed in a plane crash in the US state of Missouri, officials said.

    The airplane, which was leased by a skydiving company, took off around 11:20 local time on Sunday, according to a Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson.

    After failing to gain altitude, it made a sharp left turn and crashed about 200 yards away from Butler Memorial Airport, the spokesperson told the BBC. All 12 people on board died, he said…

  159. birgerjohansson says

    I see even the thunder gods disapprove. 😀
    .
    In the oldest OT scripture El/Jahwe has some of the attributes of a storm god – important, as storms provide rainfall in an arid region. Tonight, Jehova is dumping on the White House from a great height.

  160. says

    United States and Iran reach agreement to end war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz

    “A document signing will take place Friday, with ‘pre-implementation discussions’ expected in the interim, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.”

    An agreement has been reached between the United States and Iran to end fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to President Donald Trump and details of a draft memorandum of understanding released by Iranian state-affiliated media Sunday.

    The agreement includes a provision that Iran reaffirm its commitment to abstain from producing nuclear weapons, according to Iranian media. Trump has repeatedly said during negotiations that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

    “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a similar announcement minutes before Trump’s statement.

    “Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED,” Sharif said on X.

    He continued, “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”

    A signing was scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, Sharif said. He said “pre-implementation discussions” would take place in the interim. It was not clear what that entailed.

    The Iranian Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council said via semi-official state news Tasnim late Sunday that, according to the agreement, all warfare between the parties would cease “immediately and permanently from tonight” and that the naval blockade would end.

    U.S. commitments under the memorandum would have to be met before negotiations for a final agreement could begin, the council said.

    […] It’s unclear when the strait will be fully open. Trump said in a post on Truth Social later Sunday that the channel would open “upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal.”

    NBC News has reported that the U.S. military has not confirmed that Iran placed mines in the strait, according to sources. […]

    Memorandum of understanding

    The memorandum of understanding draft is composed of 14 points, and includes an end to the war, including in Lebanon, and the withdrawal of U.S. forces around Iran, according to reporting from Iranian state affiliated Mehr News. […]

    Under the memorandum, Iran will also reaffirm its commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to abstain from producing nuclear weapons, Mehr reported.

    Also included are points that oil and some financial sanctions on Iran will be lifted, the U.S. and allies will submit plans for reconstruction, Mehr reported.

    Final negotiations will have a 60-day window and focus on nuclear weapons development, remaining sanctions, and United Nations Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions regarding Iran, Mehr reported.

    An estimated $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds are to be unfrozen during the window, half before final negotiations begin, Mehr reported. […]

    The 14th point summarizes crucial elements of the memorandum, saying that a final resolution hinges on certain commitments, including the unfreezing of some funds, suspension of oil sanctions, and lifting of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian port traffic. Other points in the draft stipulate the blockade will be lifted and the strait will reopen within 30 days, according to Mehr.

    It also says, according to Mehr News report, that the final agreement will be limited to the fate of enrichment activities, sanctions relief, and Iran’s war reconstruction. Left out, it reports, is discussion of Iran’s missile program and its support for “resistance groups.”

    Signing ceremony

    In a story published Sunday, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that the deal would either be signed by the president electronically or by Vice President JD Vance in person.

    […] “I’m not going to say that everybody is going to sing Kumbaya tomorrow. It’s going to take a little bit of time to learn the ways of peace, but I do think we took a major, major step tonight,” Vance said.

    Beirut strikes

    The Lebanese government and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have not made any public comment on the agreement as Israel has targeted parts of Lebanon […]

    Israel, the United States’ partner in the war with Iran, said its military attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday in retaliation an earlier attack on Israeli territory. Lebanon’s Civil Defense Ministry said three people were killed.

    Speaking on Truth Social earlier Sunday, Trump said the strikes on Beirut “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”

    “All sides should stand down,” he said. “There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon.”

    There was no immediate public comment from Israeli leadership.

    Reaction to the agreement

    Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign affairs said on Sunday the country welcomes the agreement as “an important step towards consolidating sustainable peace and promoting economic growth” and as a means to “de-escalate tensions and bring viewpoints closer together” in the Middle East.

    The price of U.S. crude oil fell more than 4.5% to $80 per barrel, its lowest level since the first week of March, as trading opened Sunday evening, shortly after the announcement. […]

    U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the agreement and progress toward easing tensions in the region and economic impacts with the reopening of the strait.

    […] In the U.S., GOP lawmakers showed support for the agreement Sunday evening. […]

    The U.S. and Iran had for weeks appeared to be nearing a deal, but reopening the strait had become a major sticking point in talks between the two nations. Iran briefly agreed to do so last month, bringing some relief to the oil-trading Gulf states that rely on it, but closed it again when the U.S. launched a blockade barring ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports.

    […] Thousands have been killed in the wider war that has consumed the region, with the highest death tolls reported in Iran and Lebanon.

    The U.S.-based rights group HRANA documented more than 3,600 people killed in Iran, including more than 1,700 civilians, since the U.S. and Israel first launched their attacks in late February, sparking a wider conflict in the region.

    More than 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, 36 have been killed in Gulf states, and 20 have died in Israel. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and two more died of noncombat causes.

  161. Jean says

    So the Iran war will have accomplished nothing other than having a more radical Iran leadership, having the US and allies pay for reconstruction, and have more lifting of sanctions. That of course is on top of the thousands of people killed, the billions spent on the munitions and other expenses, and the entire world sent into chaos with prices skyrocketing (which will never come down to where they were even if inflation were to come down to 0 which it won’t).

    All thanks to a narcissistic imbecile who thinks he’s a genius and a big enough part of the US population which has created a cult that is blindly following the idiot and a whole crew of nasty people pulling the strings behind the scene to enrich themselves obscenely. USA! USA! USA!

  162. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Lynna @160 quoting NBC: “There was no immediate public comment from Israeli leadership.”

    Al Jazeera – Israel far from war goals in Lebanon and Iran

    Netanyahu boxed himself into very unrealistic expectations that he planted in the minds of the Israeli public. He promised them that the Iranian government would collapse. He promised them a new Iran, a pro-Israel Iran. He promised them an Iran that would not only lack the capacity to enrich uranium but would also lack the capacity to develop ballistic missiles. It would not be funding any allied groups or proxies, as Israel calls them.

    In Lebanon, he said that Hezbollah had been defeated back in November 2024, and yet now small, inexpensive drones launched by Hezbollah are pursuing Israeli soldiers, while casualties among those soldiers are arriving at hospitals every day.

    […] if he has to acquiesce to Donald Trump, none of them will be achieved, especially in Lebanon. That will carry a heavy political cost for him, with elections right around the corner.

    Al Jazeera – Israel’s right wing sees this agreement as ‘strategic defeat’

    In the Israeli media, particularly right-wing outlets that are usually closely aligned with the Israeli prime minister, there has been an attack against the US president, which in itself is very unusual. The US president was more popular in the polls than the Israeli prime minister until a very short while ago.

    […] the announcement of this deal by Donald Trump, could force Israel to stop bombing Lebanon and perhaps even withdraw from Lebanon, or at the very least halt its invasion.

    Al Jazeera – Trump describes Netanyahu as ‘difficult’, says he ‘should be very thankful’ for US

    The US president, speaking with the New York Times after announcing the deal with Iran, has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for mounting attacks on Lebanon, which nearly derailed the final agreement. […] He also threatened to resume attacks on Iran if the two sides fail to reach a final agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme. […] Trump insisted that it was the missile and bombing attacks on Iran that made agree to the deal.

    Al Jazeera – More from Trump

    The US president has told the New York Times that the final deal with Iran would limit Tehran to enriching at low levels that “could never be used by the military”. […] when asked whether that limit was the same as in the Obama-era deal—which limited enrichment to 3.67 percent—Trump said only that the new deal would assure that “they can only enrich for nonmilitary purposes. Forever.”

    The US president also said that Iranian leaders killed anti-government protests, it would prevent them from getting full sanctions relief. That’s despite this requirement not being included in the MoU.

     
    The Guardian – What do we know about the US-Iran peace deal

    exactly what had been agreed remained unclear, with the final text of their memorandum of understanding unpublished and details scant about key issues including access to the strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program and Lebanon.
    […]
    Israel […] has not been included in the Iran peace negotiations

    ‪Heidi Feldman (Law prof): “Is there any deal at all in actuality? Nothing of importance has been detailed or confirmed.”

  163. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Jean @161: For as we know, Trump’s peace deal signings definitely stop wars. /s
     
    Lynna that other time:

    so it is all just theater. Trump gets to pose as a peace maker while Congo and Rwanda continue to fight. Eventually, Trump will blame someone else for his failures in this instance. As an aside, I find it hard to characterize how much I despise Trump spouting flapdoodle and bunkum like “a glorious triumph.”

  164. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Still bombing Venezuela, btw.

    CBS – Trump says U.S. killed Tren de Aragua leader in airstrike in Venezuela

    Venezuela’s communications ministry confirmed in a statement that Guerrero Flores was killed in a “combined operation” between U.S. forces and Venezuelan security services […] Mr. Trump’s social media post included a video that showed a projectile hitting a building, causing it to erupt
    […]
    He was indicted late last year in New York federal court […] The State Department offered up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.

    They skipped a step between indictment and execution.

  166. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    TheGuardian – Kyiv monastery set on fire in night of Russian attacks across Ukraine

    a massive Russian missile and drone attack […] Damage was reported at 16 locations across the capital […] at least 10 people were reported injured. […] Outside the capital, at least five people were killed in the city of Kharkiv in what appeared to be a double tap strike targeting emergency responders.

    Olga Nesterova (ONEST):

    NOOOOOO! Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra—a UNESCO World Heritage site and priceless cultural landmark—has been struck and is burning. [Video clip]

    It houses Ukraine’s oldest historical records. Nestor the Chronicler, famous Lavra monk, wrote Primary Chronicle here in the early 12th century, which is the foundational historical text for history of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Destroying this is literally destroying all historical records and evidence.

    The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was founded in 1051 AD during the golden age of Kyivan Rus’. […] it served as the cradle of East Slavic Orthodoxy, a center for early literacy and chronicle-writing, and a premier medical and cultural hub for Eastern Europe.

    Following the Christianization of Kyivan Rus’ in 988 AD, the Lavra quickly grew into the most influential monastery in Eastern Europe, shaping the religious and political landscape of the entire region.

    Aleksander Bajrak (Cosmopolitan):

    For those wondering: Russia, in the 5th year of this war:
    – attacked the Orthodox monastery in Kyiv [with a necropolis] that holds Ilya Muromets, Nestor the Chronicler, and *checks notes* Yuri I Vladimirovich (“Founder of Moscow”) Dolgorukiy.

    Don’t think people fully comprehend the ramifications to this (see the ongoing Moscow–Constantinople schism). Whatever remaining religious influence the Russian government had in Eastern Ukraine is now likely gone.

    * Atlantic – Clash of the Patriarchs (2024)

    In late August of 2018, Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, flew from Moscow […] to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the archbishop of Constantinople and the most senior figure in the Orthodox Christian world. Kirill had heard that Bartholomew was preparing to cut Moscow’s ancient religious ties to Ukraine by recognizing a new and independent Orthodox Church in Kyiv. For Kirill and his de facto boss, Russian President Vladimir Putin, this posed an almost existential threat. Ukraine and its monasteries are the birthplace of the Russian Orthodox Church; both nations trace their spiritual and national origins to the Kyiv-based kingdom that was converted from paganism to Christianity about 1,000 years ago.

    If the Church in Ukraine succeeded in breaking away from the Russian Church, it would seriously weaken efforts to maintain what Putin has called a “Russian world” of influence in the old Soviet sphere.
    […]
    In the end, […] Bartholomew approved the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Kirill issued an order to cut the Russian Church’s ties with the Phanar [the Orthodox Vatican]. (Confusingly, the Moscow-linked Church is called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.) […] Putin later cited the Church schism as part of his justification for the 2022 invasion, and he and Kirill continue to speak of the breakaway Church as an assault on Russia’s national identity.
    […]
    On one side, Bartholomew has spent three decades trying to make Orthodoxy more compatible with the modern liberal world. […] Kirill, who heads by far the largest national Church, has made it into a bastion of militancy. […] Kirill’s tediously Manichaean tirades—about saintly Russia defending “traditional values” against the gay-pride parades of the decadent West—are much more than a justification for Putin’s autocracy. His anti-modern ideology has become an instrument of soft power that is eagerly consumed by conservatives across the Orthodox world […] Kirill has also launched an aggressive effort to capture Orthodox parishes allied with Bartholomew, allegedly with the help of the FSB, Russia’s intelligence apparatus, and of the Wagner Group, Russia’s mercenary arm. The Russian Orthodox Church has used bribery and blackmail, threatening to undermine churches that do not adopt its policies

    /The article is much longer.

  168. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Benjamin Alvarez (DW): “Meanwhile on the White House South Lawn [June 13th].
    [Photo: Motorcycles jumping over humvees, behind a row of marines, sponsored by Nitro Circus and Black Rifle Coffee.]”

    A June 13th thread liveskeeting Day 1 of “UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest”.
    Laura Jedeed (FirewalledMedia):

    awaiting the ceremonial weigh-in […] to make weight, fighters cut weight by dehydrating, then rapidly rehydrate to prepare for the fight. These men have dehydrated themselves to the point of illness. Tomorrow, they will fight outside, in 90 degree heat and very high humidity. This is not just unhealthy, it’s dangerous.

    Commentary

    Honest to God, all I keep thinking is, “What 80-year-old wants all THIS for their birthday? This is preteen boy shit.”

    Occasionally, you want an image to be AI-generated and not a record of something really happening.

    it’s no tan suit but it does seem a little crass.

    when Obama had an event at the WH rose garden for his 50th birthday, right-wing media unloaded on his “hip-hop BBQ” (because Jay-Z was there, I guess?).

    Remembering a multi-day conservative freakout because Lizzo [a classically trained flutist] briefly played a founding father’s flute.

    the right-wing press criticized Obama for asking Marines to hold umbrellas over people when it was raining on his diplomatic guest. (Who was, gulp, Erdogan.)

    Many comments were classist, overlooking that these are rich larpers without taste.
     
    Laura Jedeed on June 14th:

    The UFC is doing a very clever thing: they have given each fighter an honor guard that includes a Medal of Honor recipient, which means every service member must salute as the fighter walks past.
    [Video clip: A fighter flanked by two escorts walking at the camera down a hallway lined with military.]

    (I should probably stress that clever is not a compliment in this context.)

    Commentary

    Every time I think we’ve hit rock bottom, they find new depths to plumb.

    I’m a retired Australian Paratrooper… I’d have refused this… ask? If it was an order then I’d have taken it as an illegal order, fuck that shit that has nothing to do with their duties!

    I just realized something I hate about this admin so much. Nothing is important any more. Nothing has weight or meaning or history. Nothing has honor or pride. They just pervert everything that we are for cheap, crappy optics. They ruin who we are to our core.

     
    Olga Nesterova (ONEST):

    If you thought this couldn’t go any lower.
    [Video clip: UFC fighter in the White House ring tells Joe Rogan, “Mochelle Obama is a man! Am I right America? *cheers*”]

    Rando 1: “He can’t pronounce Michelle properly.”

    Rando 2: “Joe Rogan constantly refers to himself as ‘politically homeless’.”

  169. StevoR says

    ABC Op-ed and analysis :

    At a global level, the deal, as outlined by Trump, only offers to restore a less certain version of the pre-February 28 world of an open Strait of Hormuz. But at a regional level, it has only re-escalated and concentrated the ongoing struggle between Iran and Israel in southern Lebanon.

    Iran has not only won de facto recognition of its control over the strait and the prospect of having crippling sanctions lifted.

    The Iranian regime has been further empowered by its neighbours and the rest of the world. That greater power must also get reflected at home. That means that the Iranian people — to whom Trump had promised “help was on its way” — likely face a future of even further repression of their rights.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-15/trumps-iran-deal-stumbling-blocks-lebanon-nuclear-weapons/106798144

  174. Reginald Selkirk says

    Norwegian crown princess’s son found guilty of two counts of rape

    Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison.

    The three judges in courtroom 250 at Oslo District Court cleared him of two other counts of rape, but found him guilty of many of the other offences of which he had been accused…

  177. says

    Followup to comments 160, 162, 163, and 169.

    Thanks, Sky Captain, for resurrecting in comment 163 (in reference to a comment from Jean—thank’s to Jean for added perspective) that older review of Trump’s bunkum concerning the conflict between Congo and Rwanda.

    StevoR made a good point in comment 169 about repression of Iranians being now more likely than ever.

    With tentative Iran deal, Trump secures breakthroughs that he already had

    “Last month the president said he wanted Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and a “perfect” deal. As the war nears an apparent end, he’s achieved neither.”

    After far too many instances in which the White House told the world that an agreement with Iran was imminent, only to see those hopes dashed soon after, there actually appears to be something resembling a deal to end the monthslong conflict. MS NOW reported:

    Iran and the United States reached a deal Sunday aimed at ending the Middle East war, according to President Donald Trump and Tehran’s deputy foreign minister, marking a major breakthrough after months of conflict and on-again, off-again negotiations.

    The statements from Trump and Tehran raised hopes for an end to fighting that has left more than 7,500 dead, most of them in Lebanon and Iran, and rocked the global oil market.

    In an item published to his social media platform, the American president boasted, “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!”

    Neither Donald Trump nor anyone in his administration has been willing to share any of the details surrounding this apparent breakthrough, which makes it effectively impossible to evaluate it on the merits. That said, a few things stand out.

    Trump’s many unmet goals: On Feb. 28, when Trump announced the start of the U.S. offensive in a prerecorded video filmed at his glorified country club in Florida, the president didn’t explain why he’d decided to launch the war, but he did present the public with five objectives.

    The Republican’s goals were relatively straightforward: (1) destroy Iran’s missiles and missile industry; (2) annihilate the Iranian navy; (3) sever the ties between Tehran and its proxies in the Middle East; (4) prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon; and (5) create the conditions necessary for regime change. More than three months later, Iran’s navy has certainly been decimated, but the other four objectives have plainly not been met.

    Similarly, in May, the American president said he wanted Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and a “perfect” agreement, and as the war nears an apparent end, he’s achieved neither.

    It’s not entirely clear if Trump understands his own deal [!!]: On Sunday afternoon, at 5:29 p.m. ET, the president wrote online, “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz.” Just 58 minutes later, he added that the Strait of Hormuz would open “on Friday.”

    Around the same time, he spoke to The New York Times at some length about the deal, though the newspaper’s coverage noted that he “seemed to be describing Iranian concessions that the country has not yet made.”

    It’s something to keep in mind in the coming days: Trump, who has long struggled to familiarize himself with policy details, may say all sorts of things about the burgeoning agreement, but it would be a mistake to accept his descriptions and assessments at face value.

    The deal appears to give Trump what he already had: In his Times interview, the Republican boasted that the strait would soon be open, there would be no tolls for passing ships, and Iran’s nuclear program would be limited to enriching uranium at low levels.

    What he neglected to mention is that the strait used to be open, there were no tolls for passing ships, and Iran’s nuclear program used to be limited to enriching uranium at low levels [!]. As the Times summarized, “the president is essentially celebrating a return to the prewar status quo,” which in turn raises questions anew about why the United States went to war in the first place.

    The deal isn’t quite done: It’s impossible to say what will happen between now and Friday, when the burgeoning agreement is scheduled to be signed, but more important is the fact that the deal sets the stage for a 60-day window to negotiate additional details [!] regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

    The process, in other words, is ongoing.

    Tehran has reason to be pleased: As The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols summarized, “The reality is that the war will close with the regime in Tehran intact and in the grip of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Strait of Hormuz will remain under the threat of Iranian attacks; Iran will continue to possess significant drone and missile stocks; the regime will maintain the capability to be a state sponsor of terror; and many sanctions will be lifted and billions of dollars in unfrozen assets will flow to Iran. In other words, the Iranians have achieved their key strategic aims — regime survival above all — while the Americans have achieved none of their own.”

    Given everything we know about Trump, he will almost certainly characterize the latest developments as a breakthrough for the ages. While we wait for additional details to come into focus, it seems those claims will be impossible to take seriously.

  178. says

    Followup to comment 177:

    Josh Marshall:

    […] this is the U.S. agreeing to end the war in exchange for nothing but going back to the way things were before Trump started the war. He achieves none of his objectives and managed to strengthen Iran in important and durable ways. It’s a total failure by any definition.

    Link

  179. says

    Juan Cole is a highly respected professor of middle east studies. His latest article explains the ‘US-Iran MOU is a mere Agreement to Keep Talking’
    https://www.juancole.com/2026/06/iran-agreement-talking.html
    And, that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted on an International Criminal Court, attempted to derail Sunday’s talks by bombing Beirut (including Lebanese World Heritage City, Sacred Shrines)

    I have posted many factual reasons why I despise the criminal elongated muskrat. Here is one more:
    https://emptywheel.net/2026/06/15/elon-musk-is-the-election-cheat-harmeet-dhillon-and-bill-essayli-claim-to-be-hunting/

  180. JM says

    New Republic: Israel Threatens to Blow Up Trump’s Peace Deal With Iran

    Israel is refusing to remove its IDF troops from Lebanon, even after the U.S. and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding that hinges on the withdrawal. The move could once again jeopardize any chance of a peace deal, as one of Iran’s primary demands is the end of Israel’s bombardment and occupation of Lebanon.

    Netanyahu’s coalition government depends on far right parties that will not want to give up anything. This is likely to become one of the sticking points for any final treaty. With big conditions on both “final” and “treaty”, final meaning until next time and treaty likely to be some agreement not run past congress. Not putting it past congress means it will have some other title and it has less formal power but is also easier to keep secret and open to more flexibility.
    I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Israel about this but I’m also aware that Trump is likely to have negotiated this without telling Netanyahu first.

  181. says

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Taking his milestone birthday in stride, on Sunday Donald J. Trump told reporters, “I may be eighty, but I have the brain of a four-year-old.”

    “People who think I’m too old should take a look at this UFC fight,” he argued. “That’s an idea that could only come from a four-year-old’s mind.”

    Trump said his self-assessment was corroborated by doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, who told him at his most recent exam that his cognition had scored at a four-year-old level.

    In the first official act of his ninth decade, the president renamed RFK Jr. “The Donald J. Trump Robert F. Kennedy Junior.”

    https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-turns-eighty-but-claims-he

  182. Reginald Selkirk says

    Scientists Have a New Origin Story for Giant’s Causeway

    … It’s a fantastic story, but science offers a different explanation. After studying this unique geological site for centuries, researchers believe its 40,000 black basalt columns formed during intense volcanic activity that forced magma up through cracks in Earth’s surface. They thought this activity took place over the course of about 13.5 million years, but new research suggests Giant’s Causeway actually formed much faster, taking shape over just 5.5 million years…

  184. birgerjohansson says

    Neal Asher’s thick (640 pages) SF novel Dark Agent is now available. I could not resist quoting this review.
    .
    Goodreads Review ‘What the cosmos really needs is more megalomaniac artificial intelligences, belligerent alien crustaceans, and protagonists who treat death like a minor inconvenience’ – 5* Goodreads Review
    .
    Also, I just finished Platform Decay, the latest title in the Murderbot novels. A darn good read, as always.

  185. says

    Trump’s MMA Extravaganza Was The Ultimate Symbol Of Our Dark American Moment

    Like so many moments in the second Trump administration, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “Freedom 250” event on Sunday night began with money flowing to the president’s allies. The night of mixed martial arts bouts, which were staged on the White House’s South Lawn, was billed by President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as a “gift to the American people.” However, the public was only able to watch it with a subscription to Paramount Plus, the streaming arm of the media conglomerate owned by billionaire Trump backer Larry Ellison.

    As TPM’s resident martial arts correspondent, I dutifully ponied up my subscription fee and tuned in for the more than five hour spectacle. […]

    By the time the last punch landed and the blood was wiped away, the night included suspicious stiff armed salutes, transphobic insults, and fresh allegations of sexual assault as well as pitches for Silicon Valley AI, crypto, prediction markets, and the Saudi regime.

    “Freedom 250” took place on Trump’s 80th birthday and was reportedly fully funded by the UFC. It also gave the president an opportunity to personally cash in. The broadcast consistently featured ads for RealTrumpCoins.com, a venture from the president’s licensing company that is selling UFC branded medallions purportedly “authorized and endorsed/designed by President Trump himself.” This “official President Trump gold and silver,” which costs between $249.99 and $11,999.99 was adorned with the president’s face. […]

    [Photo] long with all that, there is also a strong relationship between Ellison’s media empire and Trump. Last July, just before the mogul purchased Paramount, the company made a questionable $16 million payment to the president. The following month, Paramount unveiled a multibillion dollar exclusive streaming deal with the UFC. And, as this was all unfolding, Ellison and his son pushed the company’s CBS News arm sharply to the right as Trump began floating the idea of fights on the White House lawn.

    […] At the White House, Pereira [heavyweight Alex “Poatan” Pereira] was defeated by Cyril Gane via TKO in the second round after weathering a series of overpowering strikes. There were seven bouts on the Trumpian card and — for the first time in UFC history — each of the fights on the card ended in a knockout or TKO.

    [I snipped details of one fighter calling Michelle Obama a man.]

    […]The audience, which included a large contingent of military service members, generally cheered for their countrymen with chants of “USA!”

    One of the Americans who received this treatment was Sean O’Malley, who had announced that he planned “on hitting a little salute to Trump” in the leadup to his bout. After O’Malley defeated Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, he repeatedly made a gesture that started with a typical salute, hand to forehead, and ended with his arm stuck straight forward at an angle. The move sparked debate online over whether it was intended to resemble a Nazi salute. At one point, O’Malley, who has a history of alleged racism, delivered the “salute” directly in front of the president. […] [Photo]

    […] The UFC’s signature caged “octagon” was festooned with ads for the Silicon Valley weapons manufacturer Anduril, Meta AI, multiple gambling and cryptocurrency ventures, including one owned by the Trump family, and a festival in Riyadh that has been criticized as part of the Saudi regime’s “sportwashing” attempts to paper over their human rights abuses. The display of these ads for questionably ethical enterprises on the White House grounds would seem to be a clear violation of federal regulations against the use of public office to promote or endorse commercial enterprises. […]

    By the end of “Freedom 250,” along with all the ads, the octagon was covered in blood after Ilia Topuria suffered a brutal beating at the hands of Justin Gaethje. According to the ringside commentators, the ringside doctor tried to stop the fight but was overruled. Afterwards, the announcers reported that Topuria had been taken to the hospital and they speculated he had suffered orbital fractures. With the White House fully turned into a venue for blatant profiteering and sneering gladiatorial spectacle, it was clear that the fighter’s face wasn’t the only thing that had been broken.

  187. says

    Both President Trump and Vice President Vance electronically signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran on Sunday, while Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian Parliament, signed for the Iranian side, senior U.S. officials said Monday.

    The details of the memorandum will be released Tuesday or Wednesday, the officials said.

    The agreement is only the first step, one said, and then “real technical discussions” will begin later this week and will be led by Vance.

    “We’ll be releasing the text this week, and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations, and the money that we’re talking about is fundamentally sanctions relief,” Vance said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday.

    Trump echoed those sentiments while meeting with French President Emmanual Macron in France for the G7 later Monday, saying the full agreement would be released “sometime after Friday.”

    The physical document is set to be signed this Friday, with Vance and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, present in Geneva, Switzerland. Trump himself suggested he would not be in attendance.

    The officials told reporters that the U.S. will maintain its current force posture in the region during the 60-day negotiation period.

    One official said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already increased and will “ramp up slowly over time.”

    […] The deal with Iran also does not include a requirement for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.

    “The deal is a ceasefire, and it will not be a one-way ceasefire, meaning that if Iran is not able to control Hezbollah, and if they attack, you know, Israeli positions or Israeli towns, Israel will have the right to defend themselves and respond,” the official said. […]

    Link

  188. says

    US strategic oil reserve hits lowest level since 1983

    The U.S. supply of emergency oil has hit its lowest level since 1983, according to newly released federal data.

    The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is down to 340.3 million barrels, according to the data released on Monday.

    The last time that levels were this low was 1983, when the Reagan administration was filling up the reserve for the first time. The U.S. established the emergency oil reserve in 1975 after an oil producer embargo against the country triggered an energy crisis.

    The low SPR level is not a shock — the Trump administration announced in March that it would release 172 million barrels from the reserve over the course of 120 days.

    Levels were also lowered recently after the Biden administration released 180 million barrels in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices spiking. The administration said in 2024 that it had replenished the reserve.

    The reserve can hold up to 714 million barrels of oil.

    The U.S. consumes about 21 million barrels of oil on any given day. […]

  189. birgerjohansson says

    Jesse Dollemore talks about the wild reporting from the New York Times concerning an effort in the White House by Stephen Miller and JD Vance to suspend Habeas Corpus and invoke the Insurrection Act, both in an effort to cancel Constitutional rights of immigrants and American citizens alike.

    .https://youtube.com/watch?v=NO7yLHxFdMQ

  190. birgerjohansson says

    I just watched footage of Trump at the event, eyes closed, stooped over and unresponsive.
    You know, an 80 year old dude that has had a long day and fallen asleep at the event honouring him.
    That is in itself not remarkable, it is the hypocrisy about Biden that is upsetting.

  192. birgerjohansson says

    Animal Expert Jarod Miller: Fennec Fox & Chimpanzee | Late Night with Conan O’ Brien 

    (Original airdate: 11/21/00) Jarod Miller introduces Conan to a fennec fox, a turkey, a chimpanzee, and the deadliest snake in Africa.

    .https://youtube.com/watch?v=qPtgEhuwY_I

  193. Reginald Selkirk says

    Neanderthals Ate Flies, New Study Reveals

    Neanderthals ate flies, we learn from a new paper published on Friday based on the detection of insect DNA in their dental calculus. They consumed other insects too but the chief signal in their plaque was Diptera – flies and mosquitoes. But early modern humans in Europe living contemporaneously with Neanderthals didn’t eat insects, or if they did, it was apparently rarely and by accident…

  194. Reginald Selkirk says

    Eight feared dead after US Air Force B-52 bomber crashes in California

    Eight people are feared dead after a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber plane “crashed shortly after take off” from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California, the base said in a statement.

    The incident occurred at 11:20 local time (19:20 GMT). The aircraft was on a routine test mission before the crash, which sent a huge plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

    The base said that initial indications are that the crash “was not survivable” and emergency crews immediately responded to the scene. They are “working to account for all personnel”. …

  195. Reginald Selkirk says

    Only one Dan Sullivan can run in Alaska’s primary election, official says

    How many Dan Sullivans are allowed to run in a Senate race in Alaska? According to the state’s election authority, just one.

    Alaska’s elections director has deemed retired schoolteacher Dan J Sullivan – who has the same name and party affiliation as incumbent Senator Dan S Sullivan – ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot in August.

    She concluded that his declaration of candidacy was designed “to confuse or mislead” voters, compromising the ballot’s fairness. He has 30 days to appeal the decision…

  197. Reginald Selkirk says

    Gavin Newsom says Trump ordered DOJ to investigate him and his wife

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused President Donald Trump of ordering the Department of Justice to investigate the Democrat and his wife.

    Newsom said in a post on X that Trump was motivated to target the governor and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom with the probe because of the fact that “I am considering running for President.”

    The governor did not say what he understands the DOJ to be investigating, or if he even knows what it is.

    ″One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list,” Newsom said in a video statement. “And today, I proudly join that list.”

    “After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me,” Newsom said. “They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one.” …

  199. says

    Politico Europe:

    Hungarian lawmakers on Monday passed a constitutional amendment that would ban Viktor Orbán from returning to power. The amendment, approved by 135 votes in favor and 50 against, would limit prime ministers to just eight years in office if it becomes law. The amendment is written to apply retroactively, meaning that Viktor Orbán could not return as Hungary’s prime minister. Orbán served as prime minister for a total of 20 years.

  200. StevoR says

    Aussie journo John Lyons op-ed / analysis :

    The agreement between the United States and Iran fits with a pattern from Donald Trump where the signing of a deal appears to be the major goal and the details often seem a distant secondary consideration.

    Overall, this war has been a disaster. More than 3,400 people have been killed, tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and havoc wrought across the globe through reduced food and energy supplies, particularly in some of the poorest parts of the world.

    It has also been a disaster for Trump. It’s been hugely unpopular with Americans, even with some of his own working-class constituency who have been hit hard by higher petrol and food prices.

    With this new Iran deal, it’s worth remembering this is the same president who hosted the first meeting of his new Board of Peace on February 19 this year.

    Nine days later, on February 28, the inaugural host of the Board of Peace chose to begin a war against Iran that engulfed many in the Middle East.

    He made that choice on the claim that Iran posed “an imminent threat” to the US. That’s a claim that many prominent figures in the US, including Trump’s now-former director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, have since distanced themselves from or refused to endorse.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-16/donald-trumps-deal-with-iran-analysis-john-lyons/106801618

    Obvs Iran did NOT pose such an “imminent threat” to the USA and had the effective Obama deal that Trump later ripped up.

    Listening to Netanyhau on the news saying israel isn’t bound by it and is staying in southern Lebanon I wonder how long the deal will last assuming it even is signed. If war resumes then what?

  201. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/all-hail-great-leaders-concept-of

    “All Hail Great Leader’s Concept Of A Framework Of An Iran Peace Deal! (It Is Not A Deal)”

    Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday with a kickwrasslin’ match and also with a very important announcement on his bot-filled Twitter knockoff, proclaiming to the world:

    The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow! President DONALD J. TRUMP

    There were only a few little problems with Trump’s announcement, like the tiny detail that it’s not really a peace deal at all, just a “memorandum of understanding” in which the US and Iran will agree to a 60-day ceasefire during which they’ll try to come up with a “framework” for negotiations over the actual issues, like Iran’s nuclear program, international sanctions against Iran, and security in the region.

    No text of any “agreement” has been released yet, and the memorandum of understanding won’t actually be signed until this Friday, by which time Crom only knows what further military shenanigans may have transpired. But hey, it’s a cease-fire, or at least it will be. If anything is actually ready to sign Friday. Seems like it might be a bit early for any celebrations. […]

    Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said Sunday a deal had been reached, though his statement hedged a bit, saying that both sides had “declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” but adding that between now and Friday, “pre-implementation discussions” will take place, without any details. Sharif also said Monday that Pakistan will host a signing ceremony Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. If that actually happens, it’s not yet clear whether Trump, currently in Europe for G7 meetings, will show up […]

    He said JD Vance has to go, though. If that tells you anything about this thing’s likelihood for success.

    Related, Trump insisted today that the Strait of Hormuz is already “partially opened,” while Iranian state media said it remains “closed until further notice,” and that there is “zero passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” […]

    What about Israel And Lebanon?

    Also on Sunday, Israel launched an airstrike on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which really rustled Trump’s jimmies. The Great Man, apparently still unaware that the agreement (should there be one) is supposed to be signed Friday [!], griped in a phone call to Axios that the attack “delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now.” He also grumbled, “It is so bad — I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal,” and then got super mad at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whining, “Why did Bibi have to do a fucking attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no fucking judgment. I let him know that.”

    Why no, Israel hasn’t been a party to the US-Iran negotiations yet, either. Seems like a bit of an oversight.

  202. says

    Well, this magat run nation IS a huge fraud:
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/15/trump-name-removed-kennedy-center-tarp/90557455007/
    Trump’s name is off Kennedy Center, but a tarp still blocks public view
    Joey Garrison USA TODAY Updated June 15, 2026, 4:17 p.m. ET

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/06/15/trumps-name-is-off-kennedy-center-tarp-is-still-hiding-proof/
    June 15, 2026 at 5:21 p.m. EDTToday at 5:21 p.m. EDT
    Some spectators have continued to hold watch at the center days after a tarp obstructed the view of workers removing President Donald Trump’s name from the building. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
    By Jonathan Edwards
    President Donald Trump’s name came off the Kennedy Center in the dead of night Saturday. More than 60 hours later, almost no one has seen it gone.

    Around 3 a.m. Saturday, a 14-member crew pried the 18 letters “The Donald J. Trump and” off the building’s exterior, after a thrumming crowd of more than 200 chanting “Take it down!” had dwindled to a dozen or so die-hards. Then, the workers climbed down and left — without removing the scaffolding they’d erected or the massive tarps they’d draped over it. Security guards have flanked the barricaded scaffolding ever since.

  203. says

    @194 Reginald Selkirk reported a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber plane “crashed shortly after take off”
    and:
    https://taskandpurpose.com › news › marine-corps-fa-18-crash-washington
    Marine Corps F/A-18 crashes in Washington state, sparks wildfire 1 day ago
    and:
    https://mybaseguide.com/military-aircraft-accidents
    Major u.s. military aviation crashes 2025
    January 28, 2025, USAF F-35A
    January 28, 2025, USAF F-35A
    January 29, 2025, US Army UH-60L
    February 12, 2025, USN EF-18G
    March 4, 2025, USAF C-17
    April 28, 2025, USN F/A-18E
    May 6, 2025, USN F/A-18E
    June 11, 2025, US Army AH-64
    July 8, 2025, USAF KC-46 Pegasus
    July 30, 2025, USN F-35C
    August 20, 2025, USN F/A-18E

    I won’t take the time to dig up all the documentation, but when you include incidents like the world’s most is expensive aircraft carrier with toilets backing up and serving sailors food unfit to eat, becomes clear that the inept military in this country does more damage on their own, than foreign adversaries.

  204. StevoR says

    Clashing views here via AJ

    The accomplishments of 100 days of war on Iran are undeniable
    The US has not just decimated Iran’s nuclear programme and military, it has also degraded the power of its regime.

    By Adolfo Franco, Republican political strategist, foreign policy analyst and former surrogate for Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns.

    Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/6/7/the-accomplishments-of-100-days-of-war-on-iran-are-undeniable

    Versus

    Iran after 100 days of war: The triumph of survival
    Tehran sees its ability to preserve its governing system amid a regime-change war as a clear victory.

    By Mahjoob Zweiri, Academic and senior political analyst specializing in Iran and Middle East Politic

    Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/6/7/iran-after-100-days-of-war-the-triumph-of-survival

  205. says

    Two more perspectives on the israel/tRUMP war:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/opinion/-trump-lost-war-iran.html
    Trump Lost The War He Started In Iran – The New York Times
    Today The United States is emerging weaker — militarily, diplomatically and economically — than at the start of the war.
    and
    Lhttps://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5802158-trump-war-fiasco-iran/
    How Trump lost the war with Iran
    Mar 27, 2026 Trump’s decision-making has led to a disastrous war with Iran, causing global economic chaos. Iran emerges stronger, dictating the war’s end.

    But, we can be proud, since tRUMP sold all his tacky merchandise, sold the whitehouse lawn for beer and energy company ads and had all those macho ufc fighters drooling and calling the matches off before they were to end.

  206. StevoR says

    @204. Yeah the Repug op-ed there really was written by Adolfo Franco. I know people generally can’t help and don’t choose their names (with a few exceptions) but the Trumpist having the names of two fascist dictators in his own name does seem apt.

  207. StevoR says

    WARNING : Contains SWEARING but Kyle Kulinski has this latest video – Total Iranian Victory As Trump ‘Peace Deal’ Instantly Falls Apart! lasting twenty mins and making some good points despite the title being rather contradictory in that it can’t really be a “victory” yet if the war has actually resumed. Still.

    PS Tangential but I wonder if Trump realises he stole the “Let the oil (spice) flow!” line from Dune or imagines that he invemnted it?

  209. Militant Agnostic says

    U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas death row inmate’s appeal challenging hypnosis testimony

    Charles Flores is clearly innocent.

    Flores was never accused of shooting Black, did not match the description of the accomplice, had an alibi, and someone else confessed to the murder.

    Penn and Teller filed a brief in support of the appeal, arguing that the police used the same techniques that they use to fool audiences to get a witness to change her testimony.

    Wikipedia article on case

  212. StevoR says

    A good news story here :

    A football-sized relative of kangaroos, the burrowing bettong once thrived across much of Australia’s arid and semi-arid interior. Then, within a century of European settlement, the marsupials vanished from most of the mainland. Like many native animals, the population was decimated by feral cats and foxes.

    But now, after two years of breeding behind pest-free exclosures in the far north-west corner of New South Wales, a team of ecologists has released a handful of bettongs beyond the fences.

    Bettongs have a pouch, hop like roos, dig warrens like rabbits and per animal, shift about 3 tonnes of soil a year. Combine this with the clicking and fart noises they use to communicate, the marsupials are considered one of the country’s most unique native species.

    That last line sure is saying something!

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-16/bettong-release-wild-deserts-sturt-national-park-after-extinct/106755452

  213. Reginald Selkirk says

    @212
    “decimated” – so only one in ten was killed?
    “most unique” – gah!
    The language police are not amused.

  214. Reginald Selkirk says

    A Chinese Rocket Breaks Apart Dangerously Close To the Starlink Constellation

    A Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket’s upper stage broke apart shortly after last week’s June 9 launch, likely creating 100 to 150 pieces of debris in a busy region of low-Earth orbit crossed by the ISS and lower-altitude Starlink satellites. Most fragments should reenter within months because of atmospheric drag, but experts say the incident adds to a worsening trend as China leaves more large rocket bodies in orbit while expanding its launch rate. Ars Technica reports: …

  215. Reginald Selkirk says

    Finland charges Russian captain and crew member of ship suspected of damaging undersea cables — prosecutors claim ship had eight more targets before it was stopped by coast guard

    The Russian captain and Azerbaijani bosun, the most senior unrated crew member, of a cargo ship suspected of cutting two undersea cables between Finland and Estonia at the turn of the year has been charged with “aggravated criminal mischief” and “aggravated interference with telecommunications.” According to The Maritime Executive, the Fitburg, a 9,900 deadweight tonnage (DWT) vessel owned by a Turkish entity with Russian links, allegedly dragged its anchor for over 80 miles (130km) and hit undersea cables operated by Finnish telecom company Elisa and Swedish firm Arelion.

    Prosecutors also say that the ship intended to target eight additional subsea cables in the area before it was stopped by the Finnish Coast Guard. Two other crew members of the Fitburg remain in detention in Finland as prosecutors determine if they will be charged in relation to the suspected sabotage. The lawyers of the accused say that Finland does not have jurisdiction over the crew, but the authorities say that it will leave it up to the courts to decide…

  216. Reginald Selkirk says

    Elon Musk Says He’s Not a Killer, Journalists Would Be Dead if He Were

    Elon Musk took issue with a recent article by the Verge on Monday that referred to the trillionaire oligarch as a “killer.” The article explains that Musk took a chainsaw to the federal government and slashed foreign aid spending, cuts that have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. But Musk rejects the idea that he’s a killer.

    “If I were [a killer], the douchebags at Verge would have been dead long ago,” Musk wrote on X, along with one of those crying-laughing emojis he uses all the time.

    Nilay Patel, the editor-in-chief of the Verge, took Musk’s threat in stride, tweeting, “Oh hey thanks for the shout here’s a gift link so everyone can read it.” …

    Idiots idioting.

  218. Reginald Selkirk says

    FBI foiled alleged plot to attack White House UFC event, Kash Patel says

    The FBI foiled an alleged plot to attack Sunday’s UFC fight at the White House, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday morning in a post on X.

    The FBI director shared a story from Fox News, which reported that a group allegedly planned to use drones with explosives to hit buildings near the fight and target the crowds as they fled with a sniper team. Fox News also reported that other alleged perpetrators then planned to storm the White House gate. NBC News has not confirmed the details of the alleged plot.

    A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the plot was “quite serious.”

    Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on “Fox and Friends” that he believed the FBI was informing the public “because the scale of the planned attack is so significant,” adding that he had only just heard about the foil plot this morning.

    Asked at the Group of Seven summit in France about the alleged plot, President Donald Trump said, “I haven’t heard about it.”

    “The attack that I watched was the fighters,” he added.

    Reached for comment, an FBI spokesperson referred NBC News to Patel’s post. The Justice Department declined to comment, and the White House did not immediately provide comment…

    Three separate modes of attack, being discussed by people who were not even in the area? The president allowed to attend the event without being warned? The only announcement being made on the Nazi channel? We’ll see how serious this is.

  219. JM says

    MSN: Scoop: CIA director doubts Iran’s intentions on deal, sources say

    CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raised serious doubts about Iran’s willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, according to three sources familiar with those discussions.
    Friction point: Ratcliffe isn’t the only skeptic in Trump’s top team. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both expressed concerns and raised questions about the deal in internal discussions, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it, according to two of the sources.

    Looks like somebody in the White House is setting Vance, Witkoff and Kushner up for taking the blame if/when the deal fails. With an outside chance this is Vance trying to position himself to get as much credit when the deal passes. That would be very risky but if Vance goes in person to negotiate he will be closely associated with the deal anyways.
    Most of the CIA worries fall into the obvious category. Trump threw away a tight deal with international supervision, Iran is not going to trust the US and what Trump wants is very strong.

  220. says

    The cowardly magat government is still protecting the magat-in-chief’s feelings WTF!
    It is a minor transgression, compared to the millions tRUMP and his cockroaches have murdered, but, as of the date and time of this comment:

    https://www.joemygod.com/2026/06/guards-are-now-protecting-kennedy-center-tarp/
    Guards Are Now Protecting Kennedy Center Tarp
    June 16, 2026 Trump Corruption, Trump Lies
    USA Today reports:
    President Donald Trump’s name is no longer on the Kennedy Center, but no one can see the change because a massive tarp is in the way. More than three days after crews removed Trump’s name in the predawn hours, the public still hasn’t gotten a daylight glimpse of the Kennedy Center’s restored facade with Trump’s name scrubbed from it.
    On Tuesday, June 16, the curtain remained attached to the scaffolding. In addition, the facility mounted fence barricades to block access to the area near the restored sign that now reads, “THE JOHN F. KENNEDY MEMORIAL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.” Three security officers are manning the secured area.

  221. says

    RACHEL MADDOW: Trump’s corruption is why we can’t have nice things

    Rachel Maddow tells the story of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would be the biggest U.S. border crossing in Candana and one of the most important routes for trade in the entire world, except that Donald Trump refuses to open it. And it so happens that the family that owns a competing bridge gave a large amount of money to Trump’s super PAC.

    Video is 7:52 minutes

    RACHEL MADDOW: Donald Trump lost the war he started with Iran

    Rachel Maddow lists the goals Donald Trump set for the war he started with Iran, from regime change to obliterating Iran’s nuclear capacity, none of which have been met as Trump announces an agreement that reportedly will at least re-open the Strait of Hormuz, though apparently with some fees attached. MS NOW’s Ayman Mohyeldin joins to discuss.

    Video is 12:28 minutes

  222. birgerjohansson says

    Germany lost the Battle of Britain, in that the intended collapse of RAF and opening of the channel to invasion did not take place.
    .
    USA lost the war because the intended collapse of the regime did not happen, the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian influence and the fate of existing uranium has not yet been determined. Iran lost more people (mostly civilians) but the coherence of the military and the police apparatus remains.
    So nothing was accomplished.

  224. Militant Agnostic says

    Reginal Selkirk @218

    Three separate modes of attack, being discussed by people who were not even in the area? The president allowed to attend the event without being warned? The only announcement being made on the Nazi channel? We’ll see how serious this is.

    Don’t hold your breath waiting for arrests eh.

  225. says

    A Muslim Texan sought to find his place in the party at the state GOP convention. He left in tears.

    “Muslim delegates and attendees hoping to participate in the state Republican convention were shunned and rejected by members as they espoused themes of party unity ahead of the November election.”

    To some extent, Mohamed Hussein knew he was preparing to enter the lion’s den.

    But he made the decision to attend the Republican Party of Texas Convention to confirm for himself that he had a place in the GOP, even as members of the party have railed for months about the urgency of ending Sharia Law and the so-called “Islamification” of Texas.

    What he found was a party that didn’t want him. He arrived with hope but left in tears after being told explicitly that he should leave the country.

    Hussein was among at least four Muslims who arrived at the convention in earnest — not as protesters, but as delegates or attendees — to participate in the annual meeting of the state’s most hardlined Republicans as they vote on the party’s priorities and hear from GOP leaders. Two prevailing themes from the Houston gathering were party unity and combatting Sharia Law, a movement that veered into outright Islamophobia by members of the convention.

    “When they say Sharia-free, that means Muslim-free, no practices of Islam,” Hussein said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “No one is calling for the state to implement Sharia laws.”

    […] On Saturday, outgoing GOP chair Abraham George addressed two Muslim delegates from the stage, who members tried to expel from the convention because of their ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group the GOP and Gov. Greg Abbott have deemed a terrorist threat.

    “I would strongly advise you to leave our caucus,” George said. “There is a Democrat convention happening in a couple weeks. Join them.”

    “There’s no place in America for you”

    On Saturday, the last day of the convention, Hussein attended a panel from the Judeo-Christian Caucus moderated by Dr. Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor and the president of Recover America, an organization to engage ministers and pastors in politics.

    Speakers told the audience that immigrants who don’t believe in Judeo-Christian values will erode those values and create problems for America. Scarborough accused Muslims of lying to win political power.

    “You’re going to find Muslims that aren’t being antagonistic or mean, at least not publicly. But I’ll guarantee, if they get power, they’ll cut your head off as believers of Christ,” he said. […]

    Texas Tribune link

    More at the link.

  226. says

    Yet another “all the best people” story: new details make Markwayne Mullin look even worse.

    When the Senate was still considering Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, there were plenty of reasons to pause before confirming the Oklahoma Republican. He was, after all, perhaps best known for threatening to get into a fistfight with the head of a labor union during a Capitol Hill hearing in late 2023. He also suggested that journalists would write fewer “false stories” if violence were used to handle disputes.

    Nevertheless, Mullin was confirmed with relative ease in March — and he’s now facing a new controversy that has nothing to do with his temperament, and everything to do with ethics. The New York Times reported:

    For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths. [!]

    Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns. [!]

    The Times’ investigation […] highlighted the kratom industry’s “sprawling influence campaign,” which has courted a variety of officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vice President JD Vance.

    But it’s Mullin who stands out for a specific reason. During his tenure as a U.S. senator, he attended a Food and Drug Administration press conference and endorsed new federal restrictions on supplements that compete with kratom for shelf space. [!] “In explaining his position,” the Times noted, “Mr. Mullin pointed to a history of addiction in his family, though health experts say kratom products have also been shown to be addictive.”

    What Mullin did not mention was his financial investment in a kratom company, Botanic Tonics, that stood to benefit from the changes he recommended. [!!]

    What’s more, the disclosure of the financial connection didn’t happen until it was included in financial records that emerged after his Cabinet nomination.

    […] it’s clear the White House didn’t need another Cabinet-related headache. Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem, left her office under a cloud of scandal, as did former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

    […] a 52% majority of Americans said they were disappointed with the people the president had appointed to posts in his administration, the highest number the network [NBC] found across the past four administrations.

    It’s a safe bet that if the question were included in a national survey now, the number would be even higher.

    Link

  227. says

    Why the White House’s use of military personnel at the UFC bout was so offensive

    “It seemed as if Trump and organizers were trying to borrow some of the military’s stature to add an air of legitimacy to the head-spinning circus.”

    Related video at the link.

    For the most part, the UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House was exactly what critics expected it to be: It was vulgar and obnoxious. It was violent and tacky. It was classless and unbecoming of a once-great institution. It even faced credible allegations of corruption.

    For Donald Trump, who threw this ridiculous birthday party for himself, it was an expensive and needlessly self-indulgent circus. The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg made a compelling case that the gathering was “a garish spectacle of American decline,” […]

    one element of this gathering continues to stand out.

    In an opinion column for the Times, New York magazine’s Will Leitch noted, “In many ways, the sight of blood-spattered U.F.C. fighters kicking and punching each other was less jarring than seeing them do it while members of the military stood by and saluted the fighters.”

    Sunday night’s gathering was not merely a UFC event; it was an event that intertwined the sport and the armed forces in ways that were tough to defend. Historian Heather Cox Richardson noted the trouble began the day before the fights. From her Substack column:

    [On Saturday night], while workers were putting up scaffolding at the Kennedy Center, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters held a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial in advance of the UFC cage matches to be held at the White House on Trump’s 80th birthday on Sunday. Trump sent the United States Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army ensemble chiefly responsible for playing the entrance and exit fanfares for the President of the United States, to open the event.

    The fighters walked from Lincoln’s statue down the steps of the memorial through the Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon, a pathway formed between two groups made up of sixteen service members in dress uniforms. This is the U.S. military’s highest ceremonial formation, usually reserved for heads of state, foreign dignitaries, senior officials, and funerals for military heroes.

    A day later, the event began in earnest with the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. Writing for The Bulwark, Mark Hertling added, “This was not just a matter of military musicians (in this case, the Marine Band and Army Band), a flyover (in this case, both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels), and a joint color guard representing each service branch presenting the flag. There were also officers serving as aides to VIPs, standing in formation and escorting civilians. There were members of the National Guard providing site security alongside various federal civilian police.” [!!]

    At one point, Goldberg’s column noted, the audience saw “a Marine Corps honor guard onstage with ring girls in sparkly red hot pants and a human-size Monster Energy Drink can.” [!]

    It was difficult not to get the impression that Trump and the event’s organizers were trying to borrow some of the military’s stature and credibility to add an air of legitimacy to the head-spinning circumstances. But neither the president nor the UFC have earned any such right, and the use of troops as props in the president’s spectacle was hard to swallow.

    In September 2022, Joe Biden delivered memorable remarks on the threats to American democracy while speaking in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A brief controversy soon erupted after observers noted the Democratic president delivered political remarks flanked by two Marines who were both visible in the background. It led some to argue Biden breached protocol and broke with “White House traditions.”

    Where were those same critics over the last few days?

    Speaking at the G7 summit in France the day after the event on the South Lawn, Trump described the UFC gathering as “maybe one of the most incredible evenings in the history of the White House.” [Oh, FFS]

    Oddly enough, I think Trump might’ve been right about this — but not for the reason he intended.

  228. says

    President Trump’s oft-repeated claims that no public monies will be involved in his vanity ballroom project appear to be untrue, according to a new Washington Post report that also reveals the cost of the project has ballooned.

    The newspaper obtained copies of detailed project summaries prepared for the White House by its contractor, Virginia-based Clark Construction. One summary from March estimated the cost of the project at $600 million, 50% more than the $400 million price tag Trump has repeatedly given publicly for the project.

    More than half of the $600 million cost for the project would be covered by public funds [!], according to the March summary:
    $155 million from the Secret Service
    $149 million from the White House Military Office
    $3 million from the Executive Residence

    Congress has not authorized the project or allocated monies for it.

    The alleged private funding for the project was itself problematic, a prime opportunity for corruption, with little transparency. In the end, it turns out to be problematic in every way.

    In response to the WaPo story, the White House was still insisting on the $400 million figure: “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million …”

    Link

  229. says

    Headline of the Day

    I didn’t touch the reported deal with Iran in yesterday’s Morning Memo because so much of the reporting relied on President Trump’s own characterizations of it. I don’t grasp the editorial decision-making that leads major news outlets to take Trump’s statements on the Iran negotiations at face value, given his abysmal track record on exactly this topic.

    A day later, the details remain sketchy. It’s not clear, for example, whether the two sides are even working from a common draft document. But what already seems to be unraveling is the initial round of misinformation from Trump that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened with the same free passage that existed before the war.

    This NYT headline captures the inanity: Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Won’t Have ‘Tolls’ but It Will Have ‘Fees’

  230. says

    Trump’s birthday cage match was even grosser than you think

    […] “I can’t afford it,” said Dana White, who is literally worth more than $600 million.

    White also thinks that this gross chest-beating display of fascism somehow brought Americans together.

    “Hopefully tonight created some unity. Even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn’t,” he said. “This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday.”

    Setting aside the fact that the nation has never celebrated a sitting president’s birthday, this is a ridiculous statement.

    Perhaps White would like to explain how the declaration from Josh Hokit, one of the fighters, that “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” created unity.

    Also not really unifying? The deeply unpatriotic move of letting the fighters warm up—barefoot and shirtless—in the White House’s historic Indian Treaty Room. […]

    Between fights, the UFC announcer shouted out the names of sponsors like crypto.com and Ram trucks. And sports merchandise behemoth Fanatics gave each fighter custom USA 250 apparel that somehow honored the nation’s birthday?

    The octagon itself featured the logos of Polymarket, Monster Energy, Starlink, Bud Light, and more. Bud Light even had an actual commercial air during the fight.

    That’s quite the reversal from conservatives boycotting the beer because it dared post on Instagram with a trans influencer. But now Bud Light is back in Trump’s good graces after undertaking a comprehensive eradication of Pride event sponsorships and partnering with homophobes like “comedian” Shane Gillis.

    All of this was unbelievably scuzzy, but it doesn’t even come close to the scuzziness of how the fighters were paid: by World Liberty Financial, the Trump family crypto grift company that also sponsored the event. But the fighters don’t get actual money, heavens no. Instead, the Trump family decided to pay bonuses in World Liberty Financial crypto coins, because of course.

    It isn’t really possible to catalog all of the ways that this thing was illegal, unethical, and gross—because it really exceeded all expectations of how bad it would be. […]

  234. Reginald Selkirk says

    @224 Militant Agnostic

    Don’t hold your breath waiting for arrests eh.

    <a href=”https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/california/2026/06/16/california-suspects-bryan-omar-roa-michael-alan-thomas-charged-in-ufc-white-house-plot/90574749007/Who are the California suspects charged in foiled UFC attack?

    Two California men have been arrested in connection with the alleged plot to target the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House in an attack involving drones and snipers over the weekend, which was thwarted by the FBI after a teenage suspect’s mother tipped off authorities, according to court documents.

    Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement on June 13. They were identified by law enforcement through their interactions on social media with one of the suspects allegedly involved with the plan, 19-year-old Tycen Proper, according to court documents.

    During the warranted arrest, federal law enforcement seized an AR-style rifle, a Glock 19 handgun, a tactical belt, an ammo can full of bullets, a two-way radio, a PEQ15 (an infrared laser target pointer), and a rifle magazine from Roa’s residence. While conducting an arrest at Thomas’s residence, agents seized a hunting rifle, an AR-style rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the AR-styles rifle filled with approximately 180 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol, according to court documents.

    Roa and Thomas were federally charged on Monday, June 15, with one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the United States District Court of the Central District of California, according to court documents.
    …
    The investigative team tracked down a chat on the platform Signal and arrested five people, a federal law enforcement official briefed on the matter told USA TODAY. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing multiagency investigation, said that the suspects were in their teens to early 20s. The Signal chats involved discussions about drones and potential mass violence, including luring out the crowd at the UFC event, the official said…

  236. Reginald Selkirk says

    Russian warship fires warning shots near UK-registered yacht in Channel

    A Russian warship fired warning shots near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning after the two vessels came into close contact.

    The incident, involving Russian frigate the Admiral Grigorovich, happened between the Isle of Wight and Normandy shortly before midday.

    BBC News understands that the small, motor-less yacht had drifted towards the warship in foggy conditions after setting off from the UK.

    The Russian Defence Ministry said the yacht had been on a “dangerous approach” towards the warship, and its crew fired into its path with rifles after making several attempts to contact it over the radio and after launching warning flares.

    It also said its sailors had acted in “strict accordance with international shipping regulations”, while the British Ministry of Defence said it was investigating the incident.

    A UK government source told BBC News a couple in their 60s were on board the yacht at the time. They said they did not hear when the Russian frigate sounded its horn. No injuries or damage have been reported…

  237. Reginald Selkirk says

    Ukraine’s newest attack drones are delivering the kind of strikes that its HIMARS couldn’t for years

    …
    Mid-range HIMARS strikes were key to undermining Russia’s attack style early in the war, but Russia was able to curb that threat after the first year, analysts told Business Insider. Now, they said, the new drones are bringing that strike effect back in a way Western arms have not been able to do at scale.
    …
    These cheaper, medium-range drones can travel roughly 30 to 300 km, carrying heavier explosive payloads built to devastate command posts, supply trucks, and air defense assets. Some, equipped with artificial intelligence systems, can overcome Russian jamming by autonomously locking onto their target if they lose the pilot’s signal…

    Mid-range drones give Ukraine several new advantages: Kyiv can now conduct intermediate-range strikes at much lower cost, independently decide what to target, and hit those targets more effectively despite jamming…

    Therein lies another advantage over HIMARS, Bielieskov said. The smaller, more nimble drones can strike moving targets, whereas rocket systems like HIMARS typically attack fixed positions…

    Another major advantage is the cost. A single Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, the standard HIMARS munition, costs about $187,000 per rocket, while its extended-range version costs an estimated $479,000 per rocket. The Army Tactical Missile System, the longest-range HIMARS-launched weapon provided to Ukraine, costs about $1 million per missile.

    Mid-range drones, meanwhile, can reach targets at a similar depth while typically costing as little as $5,000 each, though some advanced models are sold for up to $50,000. Spring, the Typhoon drone pilot, said that she’s flown about 10 types of mid-range drones, which cost between $1,000 to $15,000…

  238. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump admin abandons fight against wind energy as clean energy output surges

    The Trump administration has abandoned its effort to halt wind energy projects across the United States and dropped its challenge to the court ruling that tossed President Donald Trump’s order freezing federal permitting and leasing for wind projects. States that challenged the order hailed the development as one of the most significant legal victories against the Trump White House’s campaign against the energy transition.

    On Monday, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit dismissed the appeal after the Justice Department filed a motion for its voluntary dismissal on June 10…

  242. says

    Reginald @238, that’s good news!

    More good news (albeit “preliminary”), as reported by the New York Times: “Federal Judge Blocks Idaho Law Criminalizing Transgender Bathroom Use’

    “Six transgender residents claimed that the bathroom ban, the most restrictive in the nation, violated their constitutional rights.”

    Idaho cannot immediately enforce its new law criminalizing the use of certain restrooms that do not match an individual’s sex at birth, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

    The ruling provides a temporary reprieve for transgender people in Idaho, who faced up to five years in prison for using restrooms that match their gender identity. The state’s law, which is seen as the most restrictive measure on this issue in the country, was to go into effect on July 1.

    Six transgender Idaho residents brought the case, arguing that the statute violates their constitutional rights to equal protection and to shield personal information from disclosure. But Judge Amanda K. Brailsford of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho said it was not necessary to consider those claims, because the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their third claim: that the law is unconstitutionally vague.

    In granting a preliminary injunction, Judge Brailsford wrote that the law is likely to be unconstitutional because it requires individual officers to make subjective decisions, including an assessment of a person’s biological sex.

    The decision blocks a portion of the Idaho law from being enforced while the case proceeds. The ruling allows transgender people to use single-stall restrooms that correspond to their gender identity, or multi-user restrooms when single-user restrooms are occupied or there are none available on the same floor. The plaintiffs are not challenging the portion of the law that covers locker rooms and showers.

    Twenty states besides Idaho restrict transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks state-level legislation on L.G.B.T.Q. issues. But the restrictions elsewhere apply only to schools and colleges, government-owned buildings and public places like parks and airports.

    Idaho’s measure is viewed as the most restrictive such law in the nation because of its broad application and because of the penalties it imposes. Repeat violators face up to five years in prison. The law covers restrooms in all publicly owned buildings as well as privately owned settings such as restaurants, retail stores and business offices. It includes bathrooms with a single stall. […]

  243. JM says

    MS Now: Kash Patel ‘jumped the gun’ with announcement of UFC plot arrests, sources say

    Secret Service officials are angered that FBI Director Kash Patel prematurely announced on Tuesday the details of a largely sealed and ongoing criminal investigation into an alleged plot to attack Sunday’s White House UFC event with drones, according to three people familiar with the incident.

    The problem with Patel’s social media announcement, the sources say, was that the case had been sealed in court and roughly 10 suspects had not yet been arrested and placed in custody at the time Patel shared his post. The people said Secret Service and FBI officials were surprised by Patel “jumping the gun.”

    Huge mistake and major headline scandal that should leave people asking if he gets removed from office. With the Trump administration it barely qualifies as news because it doesn’t seem to have messed up the case.

  244. JM says

    Political Wire: Trump Tries to Coax More Tankers Through Hormuz

    “President Donald Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles have called for ideas to convince ship owners to take the risk of transiting the strait as the United States and Iran continue peace talks, said two energy industry officials familiar with the talks. The discussions so far have centered on ways to convince insurance companies to offer coverage to travel through a narrow waterway in which Iran has successfully attacked vessels.”

    So far there has been no commercial traffic through the Strait and nobody is showing interest either. The deal is very uncertain and ready to fall apart at any movement. So nobody is ready to move a tanker through the Strait and no insurance company ready to cover it. The Trump administration wants to get things moving but without a signed and published deal not much is likely to happen.

  245. JM says

    Yahoo News: Republicans and Democrats unite: Trump’s Iran nuclear deal needs a vote in Congress

    Republicans who pressed Congress to debate then-President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal 11 years ago say the law requiring congressional review of US-Iran nuclear accords will apply to anything Trump settles on during the 60-day negotiation window.

    “It’s very clear in federal law that the Senate gets to weigh in, and we will,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told Semafor, but “I think they are absolutely going to try to circumvent it. … They don’t want this thing to be on the floor of the Senate.”
    Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., countered that the Trump administration has “good lawyers; they can read the law,” which clearly calls for submission to Congress.

    Reading the law hasn’t stopped the Trump administration before now. However, the law and constitution is pretty clear on this, Trump is in charge of negotiations but it doesn’t hold legal force in the US until Congress signs off. In practice there are a bunch of agreements at less then formal treaty level but Iran isn’t likely to accept a deal that has nothing but Trump’s really double cross heart promise on it. It’s also possible that by the time the deal gets that far that Trump wants to wash his hands of the whole thing, so letting Congress make a final vote might appeal to him.

  246. StevoR says

    @239. Reginald Selkirk :WTF?! Was that supposed to be funny?

    An Asians eat pets “joke?”

    Also no, that line of yours in NOT what it said in the article. What the Vietnamese Police actually did from there :

    Around 40 of the stolen cats have since been reunited with their owners, Humane World for Animals said in a statement on Tuesday.

    The organisation praised local authorities for “decisive action that has saved the lives of so many animals”, but said “a number had later died as a result of their ordeal.It added that it was providing food and other supplies for animals still being held by police as evidence while the case continues.

    Police said the investigation was ongoing and urged residents who believe their pets have been stolen to come forward to help identify recovered animals.

    An estimated five million dogs and one million cats are captured, stolen, trafficked and slaughtered for meat in Vietnam each year, according to Humane World for Animals.

    …(Snip) .. While the consumption of dog and cat meat remains more common in Vietnam than other Asian countries, campaigners say attitudes are changing.

    Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20yzm58vk3o

    So, again, What the actual fuck!?

  249. StevoR says

    Whether its signed and whether it lasts FWIW a good breakdown on the agreement Trump has signed w Iran here :

    Donald Trump says both he and JD Vance have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war the United States and Israel launched on Iran more than 100 days ago.

    The US president said he signed a “great deal” with Iran and promised the Strait of Hormuz would soon be opened.

    The speaker of the Iranian parliament, and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, is believed to have signed on behalf of the regime.

    In announcing the deal, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said both sides had declared an immediate and permanent end to all military operations.

    But what is in the deal, and how much has Iran gained in negotiations?

    ..(Snip).. Either way, some material is being shared now that helps us understand the deal’s possible scope.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/donald-trump-iran-deal-points-circulated-by-tehran/106799598

  251. StevoR says

    In bizarre would be funny were it not serious South Aussie politics news – but part of the global reichwing Christianist move to remove the right of people to control their own bodies and what happens to and inside them :

    South Australian MP Sarah Game has abandoned the political party she founded to join the conservative Family First brand, marking the third time she has changed parties in less than two years.

    Ms Game was elected as the state’s first One Nation MP when she won her upper house seat at the 2022 state election.
    She quit to become an independent in May last year, citing problems with the way its brand was being perceived at the time, before forming Sarah Game’s Fair Go for Australians party.

    …(Snip)..

    … “I think that there’s differences with One Nation, I mean, certainly in the delivery style … Family First doesn’t have the same antagonistic delivery style,” she said.(So, literally style NOT substance and also really? Dunno bout that -ed.)

    ..(snip)..

    Family First made the announcement late Tuesday evening ahead of an expected vote on Ms Game’s latest bill which proposes new limits on late-term abortions in South Australia, just months after a failed attempt to change the laws.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/sarah-game-joins-family-first-party/106805904

  252. StevoR says

    Day of shame for Aussie politicans as a fringe racist extremist spewer of hatred and lies is given an undeserved platform at the National Press Club :

    Pauline Hanson’s first National Press Club address has been interrupted by a protest banner

    Earlier, the prime minister questioned One Nation’s policy positions on the minimum wage and workers’ rights ahead of the speech.

    Follow all the updates in our live blog.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/federal-politics-live-blog-joyce-cautions-pauline-hanson/106805372

  253. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    JM @244:

    [Trump Tries to Coax More Tankers Through Hormuz]
    nobody is showing interest […] no insurance company ready to cover it.

    Last week.
    BBC – Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on oil tanker

    the US military struck a tanker in the Gulf of Oman [a wider body of water adjacent to the Hormuz entrance] which it accused of violating its blockade on Iranian ports. The MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday, with 24 Indian crew on board, of whom 21 were rescued.
    […]
    The US has struck three ships in the Gulf this week, all with Indian crew on board. On Thursday, Delhi said all 20 crew on the Jalveer were safe after a strike off Oman. Three days earlier the 24 Indian crew on sanctioned oil tanker the Marivex were rescued before it sank.
    […]
    [the operator company of Settebello] denied Centcom’s accusation that the tanker ignored warning calls. […] the tanker had “remained stationary at its position for approximately 10 days prior to the incident and had made no movement whatsoever during that period”—and was hence, not transitioning through the area or “engaged in any aggressive or evasive manoeuvres”.
    […]
    US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April, according to Centcom.

  254. StevoR says

    Scientists may have finally seen the sun telegraph an eruption hours before it happened — and the one caught was one of our star’s most powerful explosions.

    Drawing on a rare dataset collected in the hours leading up to a massive solar flare, scientists identified a series of changes in the sun’s atmosphere that offer new clues about how major eruptions begin. Eventually, these results could help improve space weather forecasting.

    ..(Snip)…

    In the new study, Seyfritz and his colleagues were able to take advantage of an unusually fortuitous dataset that captured the buildup to an X9-class solar flare that erupted on Oct. 3, 2024.

    Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/scientists-find-strange-changes-on-sun-hours-before-a-powerful-x9-solar-flare-i-was-not-expecting-what-i-found

  255. birgerjohansson says

    Film nostalgia.
    The 1981 film Excalibur launched or greatly boosted the careers of five people: Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne and Ciaran Hinds. Helen Mirren helped Neeson get his first agent by making introductions.
    .
    Ironically, I was not that fond of the film, I found it a bit bombastic and without humor, but it is fascinating to read what happened behind the scenes.
    Helen Mirren and actress Nicol Williamson had had a falling out years before but became friends during the time on the set. Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren fell in love, resulting in him finding an agent.
    .
    The film was nominated for the Gold Palm in Cannes 1982 but old-timers who were reading MAD Magazine may better recall the parody, illustrated by Don Martin (King Arthur had an unsteady hand when dubbing people to knighthood, and kept accidentally lopping their heads off).

  257. JM says

    CNN: US officials downplay text of the Iran agreement, saying it doesn’t account for back-channel commitments

    US negotiators are working to quickly release the text of the agreement between Washington and Tehran, even as they downplay the significance of the specific language in the document, US officials told CNN.
    The officials described the text of the agreement as incredibly vague, mainly intended to create a more favorable environment for the highly technical, in-person talks to come. They added that the framework is aimed at providing Iran the ability to sell it politically to their internal audience.

    US officials are already downplaying the significance of the agreement already, before it’s even been released. It shouldn’t take long to release the text and selling it politically internally is less important in Iran then in the US.

    Additionally, the officials said that the text of the memorandum of understanding — which Vice President JD Vance told CNN Monday is one-and-a-half pages long — didn’t reflect critical back-channel commitments Iran has made to the US, which they argued gave them more confidence in signing on to the arrangement.
    “People shouldn’t read too much into the language of the MOU,” one of the officials said, describing the agreement as a “political document.”

    That are are unwritten agreements along with the written promise is expected. That all the stuff favorable to the US is in the unwritten parts is bad negotiations and/or lies they are peddling in the US.

    “What’s more important than the actual document is the understandings we have with each other, and that’s why it’s important to get it done, that we can create the environment to go and talk about all these things, because it basically says we will release sanctions, we will do a deal with nuclear, we will unfreeze funds,” the same official said. “But we’ll release sanctions when, you know, based on progress. We’ll release funds once we’ve agreed on the mechanisms to do so.”

    And Iran is telling their internal audience that the release is immediate. When the entire document says one thing to one side and a different thing to the other there isn’t much actual enforceable agreement.

    By contrast, the text does spell out in some detail what financial relief Iran can expect if it fulfills its commitments, including the ability to tap into a $300 billion development fund in the future, according to the officials. Both Trump and Vance have been adamant that the fund will not be financed by American dollars.

    Exactly who will be financing it? Does the Trump administration expect the EU to kick in $300 billion to help pay of an entirely US mistake?

  258. Reginald Selkirk says

    @246 StevoR

    An Asians eat pets “joke?”
    Also no, that line of yours in NOT what it said in the article.

    I never commented on the ethnicity of anyone involved, that is your own invention. Shame on you for your presumptive racism.
    In a country where eating cats and dogs is legal and “An estimated five million dogs and one million cats are captured, stolen, trafficked and slaughtered for meat each year.” on cannot make a joke about eating pets? Don’t be a sour puss.

  259. johnson catman says

    re JM@257:

    Exactly who will be financing it?

    I believe that The Orange Turd expects Mexico to pay for it.

  260. Reginald Selkirk says

    Brazil convicts Jair Bolsonaro’s son of pursuing US help in father’s legal battle

    The son of jailed former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted by Brazil’s highest court of pursuing US intervention during his father’s coup trial last year.

    Eduardo Bolsonaro, 41, was charged last year with lobbying US authorities to help the ex-president by imposing tariffs or sanctions on Brazil.

    A former congressman in Brazil, Eduardo relocated to the US in 2025 before his father, who governed the country from January 2019 to December 2022, was found guilty of plotting a military coup and given a 27-year sentence…

  261. says

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Collins wins GOP nomination for Georgia senate race against Ossoff

    AP projects Rep. Mike Collins to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia. The far-right congressman will face Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

    Video is 1:22 minutes

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Trump’s Big Beautiful Pool is turning into a swamp

    Trump spent millions to make the reflecting pool “American flag blue.” Now it’s green, full of algae, and become the latest taxpayer-funded cleanup job.

    Video is 5:15 minutes. The videos of Trump speaking about the pool are unintentionally hilarious.

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Trump team fears leak of Epstein Situation Room tapes: Report

    According to Axios, Trump aides are worried that recordings of Situation Room meetings about the Epstein files made their way to New York Times reporters. Rep. Ro Khanna joins to discuss.

    Video is 6:33 minutes. Trump was on Epstein’s plane many times, contrary to Trump’s repeated claims that he was never on the plane.

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Vance pushed for troops to invade Minneapolis to crush protests, new book says

    According to a new book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, JD Vance urged Trump to consider invoking the Insurrection Act to quell the anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joins to discuss.

    Video is 6:51 minutes. The video also features Gavin Newsom discussing Trump’s Justice Department coming Newsom himself and his family.

  262. says

    TEHRAN (The Borowitz Report)—In an astounding achievement for a first-time author, on Wednesday Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei nabbed the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list with a business book entitled The Art of the Deal.

    The publicity materials provided by the publisher tout, “From the mind of a man who negotiated the sweetest deal in the history of the Middle East, learn how to fend off a hostile takeover—and win!”

    “Don’t just be a leader,” the book jacket urges. “Be a Supreme one!”

    Among the topics covered, the book “shows, in five easy steps, how to turn a tiny body of water into a money-spinning goldmine.”

    An advance excerpt from the book’s first chapter begins, “Rule #1: Only negotiate with morons.”

    https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/ayatollahs-art-of-the-deal-becomes

    Satire

  263. says

    Washington Post:

    The coronavirus vaccine reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events linked to covid-19 — strokes, heart attacks, and hospitalization from heart disease — by about 40 percent, according to a new study. … The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, also suggested the vaccine has a broader public health benefit. The vaccine modestly reduced cardiovascular conditions, hospitalizations and deaths of all causes, including those not linked to covid, researchers said.

    Amazing.

    Washington Post link

  265. says

    Oh FFS. More tacky projects from Trump … an update:

    […] Trump’s proposed statue garden […] is one of the ugliest things Trump is doing—albeit on a much smaller scale than tearing the entire East Wing down or wrecking the reflecting pool.

    Trump wants to erect 250 statues in his “National Garden of American Heroes,” but several plaintiffs—including multiple organizations dedicated to cultural preservation of the capital—sued to stop him.

    And it isn’t just about the statues. Trump is proposing to entirely redo West Potomac Park to add restaurants and an amphitheater. In other words, he wants to turn it into some sort of private event space where he gets to build whatever he wants.

    And the proposed American “heroes”? The list honestly seems to have been generated by ChatGPT, particularly because there are some folks on the list who are very much not American.

    Ingrid Bergman? Alfred Hitchcock? It’s a mishmash of famous entertainers, athletes, a few Supreme Court justices, and some people that the administration is actively working to erase from history, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

    Some presidents are included, but not all. Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the cut, but not George H. W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Gerald Ford.

    You won’t be surprised to learn that there are laws specifically prohibiting what Trump is trying to do. In 1897, Congress mandated that this land “be forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people.” [!]

    Congress also passed the Commemorative Works Act in 1986, which set statutory requirements to “ensure the continued public use and enjoyment of open space in the District of Columbia” and that any future works “are appropriately designed, constructed, and located [and] reflect a consensus of the lasting national significance of the subjects involved.”

    There is no wiggle room here. The CWA explicitly defines statues as commemorative work, period.

    Congress also amended the CWA in 2003 to create the reserve, extending from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial. They also prohibited any new commemorative works in that space because it was a “substantially completed work of art.”

    Of course, Trump isn’t following any required procedures or acknowledging that a law literally forbids him from throwing up his ugly statues. Instead, he’s taking secret, anonymous bribes—er, “donations”—and refusing to consult with Congress. [!]

    The administration won’t address the fact that this is wildly illegal either. Instead, we get an Interior Department spokesperson complaining that “it is beyond comprehension why anyone would sue over an exhibition that celebrates American greatness by highlighting some of the most pivotal figures in our nation’s history.”
    How dare anyone follow the law when Trump wants his little statues, right?

    Look, if this is all so terrific, celebratory, American, and great, why not just go to Congress and get a law passed to allow a new commemorative work?

    Trump wants to put his stamp on everything in Washington, but all he’s doing is making it barren and unsightly.

    And one day, we’re going to tear it all down.

    Link

  266. says

    It Was Not Leftists Who Plotted To Attack The White House UFC Event With Drones

    The FBI affidavit in support of the indictment of Tycen Proper makes rather clear that the people behind the planned drone attack on the UFC event were not leftists. Rather, they were ultra-right Christians with Nazi and fascist leanings who viewed the Trump Administration as a continuation of corrupt regimes. The FBI was tipped off about Proper by his mother who was concerned about his recent relations with people via secure messaging apps. According to the FBI affidavit her son:

    “had recently begun interacting with a group online that was comprised of individuals who claimed to be ex-military and Christian based. She didn’t know the name of the group, but they expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions.”

    Proper’s family also expressed concern about his “making sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler and posting anti-Semitic comments.” Consistent with this anti-semitism the group intended to target a large number of politicians and wealthy individuals who they believed had “taken money from the pro Israel lobby and supports” and supports Israel. [!]

    The FBI interviewed Tycen Proper who said:

    “The members of the group stated they they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction. Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt. Some expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.”

    According to Proper:

    “This attack was designed to ‘jumpstart’ a revolution in the United States.”

    This is just what Trump DOJ allows us to see about Proper and this group. It’s quite likely their communications also reveal white nationalist and anti-immigration leanings that we are not being told about. As you can see Tycen Proper is not a black or brown foreigner. [photo]

    These people are the classic mega-maga conservative “the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants” crowd. They are not who Trump trains Americans to fear. They are not immigrants, they are not Muslims, and they are not “Antifa.” These are white conservative Christian fascist monsters that Trump helped create. That they turned against him does not change what they are.

    […] Trump has directed the DOJ to deemphasize the terrorist threat from the radical right claiming the true threat is from the left. That approach could obviously lead to disaster. The plot in this case, interrupted only two days before its planned fruition, was remarkably sophisticated and could have killed scores of people. The perpetrators planned to strike the UFC event with explosive laden drones and then kill those attempting to flee with sniper fire from multiple people […]

  267. says

    Eyeing an end to the war, Trump tries pretending his Iran goals weren’t worth pursuing

    “The president is slowly, grudgingly coming to terms with the fact that his original objectives won’t be met, so it’s time to rewrite history.”

    Related video at the link is hosted by Rachel Maddow.

    On Feb. 28, when Donald Trump announced the start of the war against Iran in a prerecorded video filmed at his glorified country club in Florida, the president presented the public with five objectives, including creating the conditions necessary for regime change in Tehran. This was the opposite of what his own team had told Americans, but the president said it anyway.

    In the days and weeks that followed, Trump repeatedly insisted that he had successfully secured “regime change” in Iran despite the fact that the country, which has been led for decades by religious clerics and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, was still led by religious clerics and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

    This week, however, two days after announcing a purported framework to end the war, the Republican told reporters during the G7 summit, “You talk about ‘regime change.’ I never cared about regime change. It was never a part.” [Scoff. Bitter LOL]

    It was like listening to the guys I knew in high school who asked out girls, got shot down and said, “I really didn’t want to date her anyway.” It is classically what is known as “sour grapes.”

    And these grapes were not the only example of the problem to emerge Tuesday. MS NOW reported as part of the its liveblog coverage:

    Trump had repeatedly said that Iran handing over its enriched uranium stockpile was one of the goals of the war. After the memorandum of understanding was signed Sunday, Trump appears to have changed his tune.

    At the G7 summit … he downplayed the importance of destroying Iran’s enriched uranium, or “nuclear dust,” as he calls it, which is believed to be buried deep under a mountain.

    [social media post and video]

    The president has insisted throughout the conflict that any agreement to end the war must include Iran turning over its highly enriched uranium. He also recently said the opposite, arguing that Iran’s uranium stockpiles are really just a “public relations” issue and the goal isn’t altogether “necessary.”

    Now, he’s been reduced to asking rhetorically “why even bother?” [eyeroll]

    It’s tempting to think this is the result of an easily confused president who meanders between competing positions depending on the last person to have his ear, but I think there’s something else happening here: Trump is slowly and grudgingly coming to terms with the fact that his original objectives won’t be met, so it’s time to rewrite recent history, to pretend he was never fully committed to the goals he himself outlined and to hope just enough people have short memories. [Yep]

    Trump had no clear idea about the what the fuck he was doing. He got a lot of people killed anyway.

  269. says

    Trump keeps making things weird at G7 summit

    […] Trump can’t stop saying strange things about world leaders he likes.

    While sitting next to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Trump waxed about meeting the Egyptian leader at a hotel when he was a presidential candidate.

    “So he was in a hotel,” Trump told reporters. “And I met him and we fell in love, deeply in love— and he didn’t even want to see Hillary. He said, ‘You’re gonna win. I don’t wanna meet her.’ He said, ‘You’re gonna win.’” [video]

    A true meet-cute moment. But Sisi better watch out for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom Trump described as “the most beautiful looking man.” [photo of hand-holding]

    “He looks so nice. He’s like an angel, but actually he’s as tough as he’s a killer,” and that is clearly something Trump finds … beguiling? [video]

    One can jump to conclusions about what is and what is not going on in Trump’s mind, but his proclivity for fawning over world leaders—usually authoritarians—goes back to his first term in office, when a small country’s dictator wrote him “beautiful letters” that made him fall “in love.” […]

  270. says

    The U.S. is expected to lift sanctions on Iran and unfreeze funds and assets linked to the country’s regime, under a 14-point memorandum of understanding provided to NBC News by a senior U.S. official.

    The interim agreement declares an intent to bring about an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations” in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which began Feb. 28 […]

    Both sides will commit to further talks toward a more substantive “final deal” within 60 days, “extendable with mutual consent.”

    The MOU stipulates that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen, with Iran agreeing to allow “safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only [!],” followed by negotiations with Oman to “define the future administration” of the vital trade route […]

    Under the agreement, the U.S. will “terminate all types of sanctions,” will “make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets,” and will begin the removal of its naval blockade of Iran’s ports.

    Iran also “reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons,” with a mechanism to be “mutually agreed” upon relating to its “enriched material” stockpile.

    The senior U.S. official said that Iran’s commitment to the destruction of its enriched stockpile is “a major, major win for the United States of America,” adding that sanctions relief will be tied to the nuclear settlement and “to the extent” that Iran fulfills its obligations.

    One point in the memorandum that could draw criticism is a commitment for the U.S. to work with regional partners to develop a plan for at least $300 billion to be distributed to Iran for “reconstruction and economic development.” The draft memorandum notes that the mechanism for the distribution of these funds will be hammered out during the 60-day negotiation period.

    The senior U.S. official downplayed this point and noted that the U.S. is not required to contribute to the fund.

    “What it says is that if we get to a final deal and if the Iranians behave, we will permit the sanctions relief that would allow, for example, the Emiratis to build a power plant in Iran. That’s all it says,” the senior official said. “If they do what they have to do, we will permit the investment in the reconstruction of their country.”

    A second senior U.S official said the agreement is the same text agreed on Sunday, adding that Iran had requested it not be released until now. […]

    They added: “If we’re not able to make a great deal, President Trump’s very clear that he’s a lot of tools at his disposal, and he will not be afraid to use them.” [Every agreement is accompanied by a threat.]

    […] World leaders attending the G7 summit in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains threw their support behind the agreement early Wednesday. […]

    Trump administration officials have for months said that the primary objective of the war is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and have maintained the issue will be central to any deal, eight years after Trump’s decision during his first term to withdraw from a previous agreement reached under former President Barack Obama, known as the JCPOA.

    That deal saw Iran agree to limit its nuclear program, with compliance checks from U.N. inspectors, in return for a “comprehensive lifting” of sanctions and an unfreezing of assets.

    “His deal was really dangerous, what he did, he gave them everything including a lot of money,” Trump said on Wednesday. He later added that his own deal would see frozen Iranian funds released “only if they’re doing things right.”

    Iran has always insisted that it does not want to develop nuclear weapons, although U.S. officials say it has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade, well beyond that needed for civilian uses, and has a history of noncompliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    One of the most delicate parts of the agreement calls for an immediate end to all fighting, including in Lebanon, where multiple ceasefire efforts have failed to bring about an end to strikes between Israel and the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

    “The Lebanon peace is something we’ll have to work on a little bit,” Trump said Wednesday.

    Israel is not a direct party to the U.S.-Iran agreement. “We’ve had very, very constant contact with the Israelis,” the second U.S. official said. “They remain skeptical, as we remain skeptical, and obviously they’re preparing for what will happen in the event that Iran does not make the concessions in the final deal.”

    They added: “We were very clear with Iran that this will not be a one-sided ceasefire, you know, they have to get a collar on their dog in Hezbollah, and they’ve got to hold them back. And if Hezbollah attacked Israel, Israel’s going to have the full ability to go and attack back.”

    Iran has said that under the deal, Israel must withdraw its forces from the south of Lebanon, where nearly 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, have been killed and more than 1 million people displaced since fighting there began on March 2. [!]

    Israel has maintained it will continue to defend itself and to occupy [!] vast swaths of Lebanon, and some strikes have continued this week despite the agreement. [!]

    An executive mechanism “will be established to monitor the successful implementation” of the U.S.-Iran deal, which will be endorsed via a binding U.N. Security Council resolution, according to the text of the MOU.

    Link

  271. says

    G7 promises to support Ukraine and sanction Russia in joint declaration

    “U.S. President Donald Trump signed the common statement after leaders in Evian unexpectedly converged on backing Kyiv.”

    EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — G7 leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump have backed a joint declaration promising to boost military support to Ukraine and to strengthen sanctions against Russia.

    “We, the Leaders of the G7, stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” they said in a declaration published on Wednesday shortly after midnight.

    G7 leaders “commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy” and to “strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors,” they said.

    The declaration name-checks Trump three times, saying that with the U.S. and Iran having reached an agreement to end hostilities, it is now easier to take more economic measures against Russia.

    “We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as President Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” the declaration reads.

    The leaders, who are meeting in Evian-les-Bains for a three-day G7 summit, also committed to “increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities” to Ukraine and “to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.”

    The declaration comes at the end of a day marked by an unexpected convergence between Trump and other G7 members. On Tuesday, Trump also hinted that he was ready to reinstate sanctions on Russian oil, which Washington previously suspended until mid-June. […]

    Finding alternatives to Hormuz
    The document also welcomed the U.S.-Iran agreement and backs an international mission, led by the U.K. and France, to protect ships and facilitate trade in the Strait of Hormuz.

    Leaders also called for an alternative energy supply route and mentioned “the potential for Canada to deliver significant additional capacity to global markets in coming years.”

    The declaration also covers China, opposing “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force or coercion, in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait.”

    […] The leaders meeting in Evian have also agreed on thematic policy declarations on global partnerships, fighting cancer, coordinating the response to Ebola, the fight against drug trafficking and tackling migrant smuggling. On Wednesday they are also expected to agree on declarations on critical minerals and the protection of children online.

  272. Reginald Selkirk says

    Undersea cable connecting Egypt and Syria has been cut, state-owned telecom operator says — Damascus blames ‘systematic sabotage campaign’ as cause of damage

    Syrian Telecommunications Company (SyTC), the state-owned enterprise that operates the country’s internet infrastructure, said that an undersea cable connecting Egypt and Syria was cut and that it would take time before the “full resumption of services” could take place. While the country hasn’t named any possible culprit, Arab News reports that the Damascus government has blamed a “systematic sabotage campaign” as the cause of damage. It’s now routing data through another undersea cable that connects to Cyprus and through a 1 Tbps overland cable that goes through Turkey. Despite that, the incident is still affecting internet users across Syria…

  273. Reginald Selkirk says

    Massive breach spills credentials for thousands of sensitive networks

    Researchers have uncovered a massive breach of Fortinet firewalls that has given Russian-speaking attackers near-unrestricted access to some of the world’s largest and most powerful organizations, including Oracle, Chevron, Lenovo, Federal Express, a NATO defense contractor, and Fortinet itself.

    Nearly 74,000 Fortinet devices from more than 21,000 IP addresses in 194 countries have been compromised and their plaintext credentials exposed online, Bob Diachenko, a security researcher and head of SecurityDiscovery.com, said online and in an interview. He said he found the data after gaining access to the attackers’ command-and-control server and other infrastructure. The exposed data also included the industry, revenue, and employee count for each compromised organization…

  274. Reginald Selkirk says

    “Truly evil” FDA rejection of gene therapy overturned after Trump official ousted

    A gene therapy for Huntington’s disease has a new path toward approval from the Food and Drug Administration after the ouster of several Trump officials, particularly Vinay Prasad, who rejected the therapy in a shocking move one former FDA official called “truly evil.”
    …
    Gene therapy company UniQure developed a one-time treatment, AMT-130, that aims to lower brain levels of the mutant protein behind the disease, called huntingtin. Data from a small, early trial suggested the drug could slow the progression of the disease up to 75 percent, and patients and advocates have closely watched the drug’s development in hopeful anticipation.

    In 2024, the FDA indicated to UniQure that it could file for accelerated approval of AMT-130 without a placebo control arm in its trial. While having a placebo control offers a high-quality comparator in a trial, it raises unique ethical concerns for UniQure’s gene therapy. Delivery of AMT-30 requires a 10- to 12-hour brain surgery, which means a placebo-control arm of a trial would require patients in a control group to undergo a lengthy sham surgery that could involve drilling a superficial hole in their skulls.

    UniQure moved forward without a placebo control, using external, untreated patients as a comparator control group for their trial, believing the FDA backed the plan. But during Prasad’s tenure as the FDA’s head regulator of gene therapies, the agency tossed the agreement and demanded that UniQure conduct sham surgeries as controls.
    …
    A day after that press briefing, then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that Prasad would depart the agency by the end of April. Makary and another Trump official, Tracy Beth Høeg—who was the top drug regulator—have also since departed amid intense controversy.

    In a press release today, UniQure said that in a recent meeting with the FDA, the agency once again agreed that the company could move toward accelerated approval with trial data that includes a control group composed of patients receiving standard care, not sham surgeries. The company expects to file for accelerated approval in the third quarter of this year…

  275. Reginald Selkirk says

    Stanford scientists regrow lost cartilage and reverse arthritis in major breakthrough

    A treatment that targets a protein linked to aging has restored lost knee cartilage in older mice and prevented arthritis from developing after serious joint injuries, according to a Stanford Medicine-led study.

    Researchers also found encouraging results in human tissue. Samples collected during knee replacement surgeries began producing new, functional cartilage when exposed to the treatment.

    The findings raise the possibility that damaged cartilage caused by aging or osteoarthritis could one day be repaired with either a local injection or an oral medication. If successful in people, the approach could reduce the need for knee and hip replacement surgeries.

    An oral version of the treatment is already being tested in clinical trials for age-related muscle weakness…

  277. StevoR says

    Good that it failed, a worry that it was ever considered :

    South Australia’s lower house has voted down a bill to restrict access to late-term abortion, after the legislation had earlier passed the upper house.

    The bill was defeated 36 votes to 9 shortly after 9:30pm ACST, following less than two hours of debate.

    Only 12 of the 47 MPs in the lower house spoke on the bill.

    Both premier Peter Malinauskas and opposition leader Ashton Hurn voted in favour of the bill, but did not speak.

    The matter was a conscience vote for Labor and Liberal MPs. The Greens voted against it, while One Nation supported it.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/abortion-bill-voted-down-in-lower-house/106808360

  278. StevoR says

    Seen on fb last night by author Jermaine Fowler :

    June 17, 2026 (Wednesday)

    The cesspool is the perfect metaphor for America right now, and it is not a metaphor. It is a literal body of standing water on the National Mall, gone the color of a neglected aquarium, and the government is pouring bleach on it so the photographs will come out blue.

    This week, National Park Service workers slogged into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in rubber boots, lugging gallon jugs of hydrogen peroxide and tipping them into the water by hand. The pool had curdled into the color of pond scum: bright chartreuse, fish-tank green, the shade of water left too long under glass. A man rolled his pant legs to the knee and waded out to set a tube in the muck while tourists took pictures. A worker on the scene said the cleanup could take a lifetime. Someone watching the chemical go in called it a bad day to be a duck. The ducks live there.

    The job was supposed to cost a million and a half, maybe two. Federal records show the contract reached fourteen million, awarded with no bid, and a Washington nonprofit sued to stop it, calling the new color a theme park dropped onto the Mall. The work went ahead anyway. They lacquered the bottom American flag blue, and on June fourth a video of the water flowing in went up from the Oval Office. Clean, beautiful water, the caption ran. Within days it was green.

    The pool was built to echo the long water mirrors of Versailles, designed by Henry Bacon to reflect, never to clean. It has bloomed green since 1923, because a shallow shelf of still water, baking in the sun, does the oldest thing a pond knows how to do. Every president’s pool turns green; the difference is this one painted the bottom blue, spent ten times the estimate, and called it fixed for good. Trump decided clean means blue, means still, means a surface with nothing living under it. That is the lie. The water keeps exposing it.

    Algae is what healthy water turns into when it stops moving and keeps being fed. The green has a name. Eutrophication, a body that has taken in far more than it can use, the nutrients settling where the water sits warm and slow and never circulates. They painted the floor blue, and the bloom answered by spilling its own paint across the top, bright streaks of it, the way a pond does when it has been fed too long. A river runs clear because it moves. Force water to sit and it tells you, in green, how long it has been sitting.

    The bloom flares, swells, dies, and rots, and the rot eats the air. Below the bright surface the water falls past the line life needs. A dead zone. The fish attempt to flee the scum but suffocate beneath it. What gorges on top starves everything under it. The scum dries on the bank and stays poison for months, the heat only making it stronger.

    This is a feast floating over a famine. Wealth pools at the top, warm and still, fed and fed and never flushed, and it grows in green abundance. Under that abundance the people promised the water cannot breathe in it. A country run like a stagnant pond breeds a beautiful surface and a dead floor. Those who own the surface look down at the green, that proof of how long the water has sat still, and they reach for the bleach. They painted the bottom to make it read clean from above. The bottom is where the oxygen runs out. The bottom is where the things that cannot breathe are kept. They painted over the floor and called the water fixed, and the green rose anyway, because the green was never about the floor.

    Eutrophication is what happens when a body is fed past the point of life. Oligarchy is what happens when a country is.

    Stillness this deep takes feeding. He promised to drain the swamp, then upgraded the slogan by the sixth month to drain the sewer, because the rot ran deeper than anyone knew. He drained neither. He turned the office into the inflow.

    The House counts more than two billion dollars routed to his family while he held the office, much of it foreign, moving through a crypto coin that let any government on earth feed him without a name. He fired seventeen inspectors general in a week, the people whose only job was to find the rot. He put his own lawyer in the ethics office. He opened a side door for wealthy foreigners and called it a gold card. In ICE custody people kept dying, and the agency stopped counting the ones who died after release, the bodies cleared off the ledger the way bleach clears a bloom.

    A law forced out the Epstein files. Half came, three million pages of six million, much of it blacked out, and the president’s old lawyer stood up and called the job complete. The rest stayed sealed.

    We have not seen corruption like this since Watergate entered the language. A century ago they sent the Interior Secretary to prison for leasing the Navy’s oil reserves to his friends, the first cabinet member ever to go. The country was no more just then than now. It simply still jailed a man for this. The crimes are bigger now. The cell stays empty.

    That is the surface. Wealth gathered at the top at a height no American century had reached, and the rest of the rot never broke into view at all.

    And under it, you. The water that will not move is the water you live in. The starter home, the shallow end, the place a life was supposed to begin, now costs a million dollars in two hundred and forty-two cities, triple what it was five years ago. The rent takes the check before the check has cleared. The second job pays for the ground the first job used to cover. You work the way the pumps were meant to work, moving everything, moving nothing, while the green climbs the walls around you and a man on a screen calls the water clean.

    You cannot paint your way out of biology. You cannot bleach your way out of a system that breeds what it refuses to drain. The green keeps coming back because the source went untouched. The swamp stayed a swamp. Sealed, painted, photographed, praised, it seeped anyway.

    The trouble with a reflecting pool is that it does what it says.

    It shows you what stands over it.

    .- Jermaine Fowler

    Source : https://www.facebook.com/thehumanityarchive/posts/pfbid02FKZhYXW64YZvEWwgTD2VwDF3obmETpp1vMirQts3dA1zHdx3cN5m6ZA5XvPnbfTel

  279. Reginald Selkirk says

    Georgia Republican lawmakers scrap redistricting plans

    Georgia lawmakers scrapped plans to redraw the state’s congressional district maps intended to help Republicans retain control of the narrowly divided U.S. House following a major Supreme Court ruling.

    The lawmakers’ decision came hours before a special session was scheduled to begin on June 17. Outgoing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, called the session to try drawing new legislative maps ahead of the 2028 election, hoping to create boundaries more favorable to Republicans.

    But Georgia state House Speaker Jon Burns, also a Republican, said in a letter to Kemp that wasn’t happening because state lawmakers have always given considerable time for public input regarding redistricting.

    “Changes to Georgia’s maps should take place only when members of the General Assembly and citizens have been given ample opportunity to gather the facts, provide input, and engage in meaningful discussion,” Burns wrote. “For this reason, we will not be taking up congressional or legislative redistricting for the 2028 election cycle during this special session.” …

  280. Reginald Selkirk says

    If the Illuminati Were Real, Peter Thiel Wouldn’t Have to Start His Own

    Imagine amassing more wealth and power than even kings of old would know what to do with, waiting for your invitation to the Illuminati, and learning that it’s never coming because it doesn’t exist? Something along those lines appears to be what happened to PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who got to the top of the totem pole only to find there was no secret clubhouse…

    Hmmm. I received an email invitation to join the Illuminati about 6 weeks ago. I presume it was some sort of scam; I’m not going to click the link to find out. But… what if the Illuminati are real, and they are just too smart to want Peter Thiel as a member?

  281. Reginald Selkirk says

    Second carcass-eating fly species cleared by FDA for maggot wound therapy

    The Food and Drug Administration this week cleared a second carcass-feasting fly species for use in maggot wound therapy, according to an announcement from Cuprina Holdings, a Singapore-based company that has dubbed its new therapeutic larvae MediFly Maggots.

    With the clearance, Cuprina appears to be the only company to have FDA clearance to sell two species of fly larvae—and it’s abuzz with the potential to dominate the global maggot market.

    The new species is Lucilia cuprina, or Australian sheep blowfly. It’s a close relative of Lucilia sericata, or the common green bottle fly, which is the fly species most often used for wound therapy, often called biosurgery or maggot debridement therapy (MDT). L. sericata is the only other fly with FDA clearance, which the agency first granted in 2004 to Ronald Sherman, who is now Cuprina’s Medical and Scientific Director…

  282. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Independent – Ohio will continue to allow child marriage after push to end practice fails in legislature

    Senate Bill 341 would have ended a loophole letting 17-year-olds marry legal adults up to four years older than them with court approval and seemed bound for passage. No one testified against it during its five public readings, and it had the support of youth advocates and the Catholic church.
    […]
    campaigners and lawmakers said it was “mind-boggling” that the bill has not progressed. “It’s just unbelievable that a bipartisan common sense bill that has no opposition from the public, that costs nothing, it has a $0 price tag… it harms no one except creepy men who prey on teenage girls,” […]

    “It’s unfair to have young women be the wards of their husbands […] If you’re not 18, you have no rights. You can’t go to a shelter, you can’t have an attorney. […] it just leads to such bad, bad outcomes.”
    […]
    Republican Sen. Sandra O’Brien said […] “I have a lot of Amish, over 40,000 Amish in my three counties […] they have a whole different religious setup.”

    Amish advocate Jasper Hoffman testified on Tuesday that the state’s Amish and Mennonite communities, which do not promote child marriage, were being used as a “prop” to distract from legislators’ own slow progress on the bill. […] Senate President Rob McColley has said he expects further action on the bill once lawmakers return later this year.

    […] Between 2000 and 2015, 4,443 girls age 17 or younger were married in Ohio, an investigation by the Dayton Daily News found, and 59 of these girls were 15 or younger.
    […]
    a group of activists and child marriage victims [gathered] earlier this month at a protest […] “So, a month after my 16th birthday, I stood in an Ohio courtroom, four months pregnant, and got married to this 19-year-old man […] I didn’t know the dangers […] he turned abusive and I had no legal rights.”

    Rando: “Republicans are further to the right than the Amish”

  283. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Reginald Selkirk @280.
    Mitchell and Webb – Inebriati (6:09)

    Suffice to say that at all major historical events, we’ve been in the background, gently swaying from side to side.

  284. StevoR says

    If you thought summer here on Earth could get pretty brutal, spare a thought for the extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, designated HD 80606 b. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered that this gas giant exoplanet, located 217 light-years away, is being roasted by its host star.

    The planet, it seems, really puts the “hot” in “Hot Jupiter,”

    Siource : https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/james-webb-space-telescope-discovers-extreme-exoplanet-being-roasted-by-its-home-star

  285. StevoR says

    Following months of unsuccessful recovery efforts, NASA has officially begun decommissioning the MAVEN orbiter, bringing to a close an 11-year mission that transformed scientists’ understanding of Mars and became one of the agency’s most valuable assets at the Red Planet.

    The decision follows the loss of contact with the spacecraft in December 2025. That loss happened after a routine communications blackout while the probe passed behind Mars. Mission controllers spent months attempting to restore contact, including sending commands designed to reboot the spacecraft’s computers, but MAVEN remained silent.

    …(Snip)..

    For more than a decade, MAVEN circled Mars in a highly elliptical orbit, measuring particles escaping into space and observing how the atmosphere responded to solar activity. Among its most significant findings was evidence that solar storms can dramatically accelerate the loss of atmospheric gases, helping explain how Mars evolved from a potentially habitable world into the cold, barren planet seen today.

    Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/best-mars-mission-ever-scientists-hail-mavens-legacy-as-nasa-retires-red-planet-orbiter

  286. StevoR says

    Following months of unsuccessful recovery efforts, NASA has officially begun decommissioning the MAVEN orbiter, bringing to a close an 11-year mission that transformed scientists’ understanding of Mars and became one of the agency’s most valuable assets at the Red Planet.

    The decision follows the loss of contact with the spacecraft in December 2025. That loss happened after a routine communications blackout while the probe passed behind Mars. Mission controllers spent months attempting to restore contact, including sending commands designed to reboot the spacecraft’s computers, but MAVEN remained silent.

    …(Snip)..

    For more than a decade, MAVEN circled Mars in a highly elliptical orbit, measuring particles escaping into space and observing how the atmosphere responded to solar activity. Among its most significant findings was evidence that solar storms can dramatically accelerate the loss of atmospheric gases, helping explain how Mars evolved from a potentially habitable world into the cold, barren planet seen today.

    Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/best-mars-mission-ever-scientists-hail-mavens-legacy-as-nasa-retires-red-planet-orbiter

  287. StevoR says

    This new research suggests that the reason for the metal enrichment of HD 81809B is that this star has consumed an exoplanet which was between 50 and 75 times the size of Earth.

    …(snip).. “It could be very hard to distinguish the two scenarios, but the main evidence for a planet’s engulfment is the high abundance of lithium in HD 81809B that is not normal,” Moedas said. “Lithium is a very volatile element, and it is easily destroyed in stars, so we expect very low abundances of this element when observing stars. For the case of HD 81809B, the most viable explanation for the large presence of lithium is an ingestion of a planet.”

    The team isn’t quite sure how HD 81809B came to feast on one of its planets, but Moedas suggests it could be the result of gravitational interactions between the binary stars disrupting the orbit of the unfortunate planet, resulting in it falling into one of its stars. The question also remains of how many planets HD 81809B has devoured.

    “We can only estimate the amount of planetary material required, which we find to be 75 times the mass of Earth. It is possible that the star ingested three planets, each 25 times more massive than Earth,” Moedas said. “The event happened a few million years ago, and there are physical processes in the star that will ‘clean up’ the evidence and try to make the star’s chemical abundance similar to that before the event.”

    Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/one-of-these-twin-stars-has-likely-been-snacking-on-exoplanets

  290. Reginald Selkirk says

    Moscow hit by largest Ukrainian attack since start of Russia’s full-scale war

    Moscow has come under the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones hitting targets around the Russian capital and setting columns of thick smoke billowing high into the sky.

    Seventeen people were wounded in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov.

    Almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, Russia’s defence ministry was quoted as saying. An oil depot was struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed…

  291. Reginald Selkirk says

    The Obama Presidential Center will be dedicated Thursday. Here’s what to expect

    Nearly a decade in the making, the Obama Presidential Center will have a star-studded dedication ceremony Thursday.

    The grand opening, which will host “global leaders, artists, changemakers, and citizens,” will feature musical performances and appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera and John Legend, among others.

    Every living president will be in attendance except one: President Trump…

    Since Trump is a demented narcissistic fuckwit who is also racist and jealous of the praise Obama gets for his superior competence, you can expect a series of mean tweets as Trump tries to make this about himself somehow.

  294. Reginald Selkirk says

    Simpler, older version of Stonehenge found three miles from famous site

    Archaeologists believe they have discovered an earlier, much simpler version of Stonehenge about 3 miles (5km) away from the prehistoric monument.

    All that remains of the older structure is two holes in the ground, but the team says they held wooden posts that lined up with the Sun on the summer and winter solstices – the longest and shortest days of the year – in the same way as Stonehenge.

    The site has been dated to about 5,000 years old, which predates Stonehenge by 500 years.

    Artefacts were also found at the site, including pottery, flint tools and animal bone, suggesting prehistoric people held gatherings there…

  296. says

    Team Trump keeps using tax dollars to scuttle renewable energy projects

    “It is hard to imagine a more backwards use of taxpayer money,” one key Democratic member of Congress said.

    As the war with Iran moves toward a possible end, one of the many takeaways of the conflict is that it’s clearly in Americans’ interest to embrace renewable energy, not only because it’s cleaner and cheaper, but also to help shield U.S. consumers from international turmoil.

    It’s a basic idea the Trump administration doesn’t want to understand.

    In March, the Republican administration announced it had agreed to pay a foreign company almost $1 billion in American taxpayer money to abandon two wind farm projects that would have produced enough electricity to power more than 1.3 million homes and businesses across New York, New Jersey and North Carolina.

    At the administration’s insistence, the company will instead proceed with different energy projects that will cost more and pollute more. Or put another way, thanks to a model imposed by President Donald Trump, many American consumers will pay for the privilege of paying more to turn on the lights, all while polluting our own air. [!]

    In April, it happened again, when the Republican administration announced plans to pay energy companies nearly $900 million to abandon plans for two offshore wind farms.

    The pattern is ongoing. The Associated Press reported this week:

    The Trump administration said Wednesday it’s buying back another energy company’s U.S. offshore wind leases for four more wind projects, as it seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels.

    The latest deal brings the total amount spent on these agreements to nearly $2.6 billion.

    This latest move, which came with a $765 million price tag, affects plans for planned projects off ​the coasts of New York, California and Maine.

    I’m mindful that the president has been on a personal crusade against wind power since he lost a fight a decade ago to block a project visible from one of his golf courses in Scotland. This generated such hysterical hatred for wind power that Trump, in 2019, publicly suggested that the sound generated by wind turbines “causes cancer.” (It does not.)

    […] At a time when the U.S. would benefit from more renewable energy projects, the Trump administration is spending roughly $2.6 billion in taxpayer money to scuttle renewable energy projects.

    It’s a detail consumers should keep in mind the next time they’re writing a large check to their utility company.

    Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on House Natural Resources Committee, issued a written statement that read in part, “Donald Trump is using your tax dollars to make America more dependent on dirty, volatile fossil fuels. He is paying energy companies to kill homegrown offshore wind that will put electricity on the grid, lower energy bills, and create good jobs, and he is funneling that money straight back to fossil fuel, leaving families at the mercy of every price spike and global shock. It is hard to imagine a more backwards use of taxpayer money.”

    The Coloradan added, “[…] These deals are illegal, and they make our country weaker.”

  299. Reginald Selkirk says

    Ketchup confidential: FIFA is even hiding brand names on World Cup condiments

    First they came for your stadium. Now they’re coming for your ketchup.

    In the press box of “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium,” the Santa Clara venue usually known as Levi’s Stadium and rebranded for (opens in new tab) the World Cup, would-be hot dog and hamburger condiments were rendered anonymous Saturday by thick strips of black tape.

    FIFA, in its quixotic quest to protect the sanctity of paid sponsorship, had apparently dispatched workers to obscure the brand names on ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, and hot sauce. The exhaustive effort went so far as to affix black tape on the top half inch of a bottle of Tabasco. The result was a master class in futility that delighted observers far more than any logo.

    The Standard’s Kevin V. Nguyen kicked things off with a photo (opens in new tab) posted to X, noting the “Epstein file condiments.”
    …

  301. says

    Justice Department inspector general nominee refuses to call the Jan. 6 attack an ‘attack’

    “A Democratic senator said the question was intended as a ‘as a test of your prospective independence, and so far I think you’re failing that test.’ ”

    Inspectors general tend not to have especially high profiles, but these officials are responsible for rooting out corruption, ethical lapses and mismanagement in federal agencies throughout the government. It’s one of the reasons Donald Trump’s decision to fire so many inspectors general last year was so indefensible.

    Making matters worse are some of the controversial figures the president has nominated to fill the vacancies he created. The Guardian reported this week, for example:

    Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a top independent watchdog at the Department of Justice has refused to call the January 6 insurrection an “attack” during questioning by US senators.

    Don Berthiaume, a career justice department employee who has been serving as inspector general at the agency, faced senators as part of his confirmation process to take up the role permanently on Wednesday.

    […] Berthiaume wasn’t considered a particularly controversial pick, at least not by the standards of this administration. But when Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut asked the nominee whether the Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6, the hearing went in an unexpected direction. [social media post, with video]

    “I don’t know if I would use the term ‘attack’,” Berthiaume replied. “I mean, we had activity outside the Capitol, protests and such.”

    Pressed further, the nominee again referenced “protest activity,” adding, “People entered the Capitol building, which is contrary, as far as I know, to law.”

    Berthiaume simply wasn’t comfortable, however, describing the attack as an “attack.”

    Blumenthal said questions like these were intended as a “as a test of your prospective independence, and so far I think you’re failing that test.”

    As the Connecticut senator’s time wrapped up, he added, “I hope my colleagues will agree that the inspector general of the Department of Justice should recognize reality and facts for what they are.”

    Berthiaume, who is already acting inspector general at the DOJ, is looking to succeed Michael Horowitz, who became the inspector general for the Federal Reserve and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last year.

  302. says

    […] Trump’s admiration for pastor Jackson Lahmeyer began in earnest nearly four years ago when he celebrated the Oklahoman’s decision to create what was billed as the “Pastors for Trump” coalition.

    […] Last month, the president issued an enthusiastic endorsement of Lahmeyer’s congressional campaign. As recently as four days ago, Trump reiterated his support in another lengthy online endorsement, touting the Oklahoman as a “MAGA Warrior.” One day later, Lahmeyer fared well enough to advance to a congressional runoff primary. Early Wednesday morning, Trump celebrated Lahmeyer performance, emphasizing his endorsement of the pastor yet again.

    Then, hours later, Trump endorsed Lahmeyer’s opponent. [!]

    […] MS NOW reported:

    Republican congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer has dropped out of a runoff for a House seat in Oklahoma following reports that he sent intimate text messages to a woman who was not his wife. […]

    Lahmeyer dropped out of the race after the Daily Mail reported Sunday that he had exchanged numerous romantic text messages with Caitlin Simmons Key, who worked as a fundraiser for his campaign. In one text message obtained by the Daily Mail, Lahmeyer allegedly invited Key into his hotel room. Key also alleged that Lahmeyer once professed his love to her.

    Lahmeyer, the report added, had “centered his congressional campaign around his Christian faith.”

    If the circumstances sound at all familiar, Lahmeyer is not the first Trump-aligned pastor to face scandal.

    Let’s not forget that Robert Morris, the founding pastor of a prominent Texas megachurch, served as a “spiritual adviser” to Trump, joining the Republican’s spiritual advisory board during the 2016 campaign and being welcomed at the White House during Trump’s first term. In June 2020, Trump visited Gateway Church in Texas and touted Morris as a “great” person.

    Four years later, Morris confessed to having engaged in “sexual behavior” with a child and resigned. Trump’s campaign soon after emphasized that Morris would not be part of the 2024 operation.

    Link
    Unethical behavior related to sex … and from Christian leaders that Trump admired. Big surprise. Not.

  303. says

    Oh FFS.

    Trump praises Putin’s neutrality on Iran, despite the obvious lack of neutrality

    “One foundational problem with the American’s newest compliment of his Russian counterpart: Putin wasn’t ‘neutral’ in Iran at all.”

    As the Group of Seven summit in France wrapped up, Donald Trump covered a lot of ground in an hourlong press conference, including extending some curious praise to his friend in Moscow. [social media post, with video]

    “I want to thank Vladimir Putin, he was very neutral,” the American president said, referring to the Russian leader’s role in the war with Iran. “They could have made it much more difficult for us.”

    Whether Trump realizes this or not, there was a foundational problem with his compliment: Putin wasn’t neutral at all.

    Just days into the war with Iran, multiple news organizations, including MS NOW, reported that Russia provided Iran with information that could help it strike American targets. One U.S. official told MS NOW point-blank that Russia was “providing intelligence help to Iran.”

    It wasn’t long before any doubts about the accuracy of the reporting evaporated. Iranian officials publicly confirmed Russia’s “military cooperation” [!]; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz acknowledged Russia’s wartime “strategic partnership” with Iran [!]; and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said matter-of-factly that Russia was “providing intelligence to Iran to better attack and kill American troops.” [!]

    The Wall Street Journal soon after advanced the broader story, reporting that Russia expanded its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, “providing satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Tehran’s targeting of U.S. forces in the region.” [!]

    In theory, this should have been the sort of news that sent shockwaves through Washington. In the middle of an ongoing and deadly hot war in the Middle East, the administration had reason to believe one U.S. adversary (Russia) was helping another U.S. adversary (Iran) facilitate attacks against us.

    […] Trump and his team chose not to care.

    The initial reaction from the American president and his team to the original allegations was to express total indifference. This was followed by news that the Republican administration agreed effectively to reward Putin’s regime by easing oil sanctions on the country. [!]

    […] The American president managed to make the problem worse during a Fox News interview, conceding that he believed Russia “might be” assisting Iran but adding that Putin’s regime deserves a pass because the U.S. has assisted Ukraine.

    […] In other words, the incumbent American president, during a war, both echoed Putin’s talking points and excused an adversary for helping a different adversary target American troops and assets.

    All the while, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared publicly that his country’s government had “irrefutable” evidence that Russia had provided intelligence to the Iranian regime during the war, but he simply couldn’t get the White House to take an interest in the proof. [!]

    A simple question appears unavoidable: When Trump said Putin was “very neutral” in the war with Iran, was the American president ignorant about recent events he ought to understand, or does he not know what “neutral” means?

  304. says

    Bits and pieces of news, as summarized by Steve Benen (he writes for the Maddow Blog):

    * The saber-rattling continues: “President Donald Trump said Wednesday at the G7 conference that the U.S. will ‘go right back to dropping bombs’ if he doesn’t like the Iran deal.” [summarized from CNBC]

    * If White House officials were counting on a interest rate cut, they have reason to be disappointed: “Federal Reserve officials signaled Wednesday that their next move may be to raise interest rates, not cut them, a striking reversal at Kevin Warsh’s first meeting as chairman and a sign of how sharply the inflation outlook has turned. The Fed held its benchmark rate steady, in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, in a unanimous vote.” [summarized from the Wall Street Journal]

    * On a related note: “Asked about the Fed’s decision to maintain interest rates, President Trump told reporters, ‘It’s alright, whatever.’” [summarized from New York Times]

    * An intensifying crisis: “Health officials on Tuesday warned that the Ebola outbreak in East Africa could significantly worsen, saying it could last as long as a year and infect thousands of people if current transmission rates go on unabated. The outbreak is already one of the largest on record, and has spread most in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where distrust of the authorities and violence in eastern regions have hampered health workers’ ability to help people.” [summarized from New York Times]

    * Adding insult to injury: “Even as the world is racing to contain the deadly Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Trump administration is moving ahead with a plan that could decimate support for programs that detect and snuff out exactly such outbreaks. [my bolding]” [summarized from New York Times]

    * It’s about time: “All detainees at an immigration detention center in an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades, known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ have been transferred to other facilities, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said, citing concerns related to the hurricane season.” [summarized from Associated Press]

    * The first named storm of 2026: “Tropical Storm Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and it’s already bringing heavy rains to the northwestern Gulf Coast. Arthur is currently 170 miles west-southwest of Lake Charles, La., according to a National Hurricane Center advisory.” [summarized from NPR]

  305. says

    DOJ Invokes McCarthy-Era Law to Strip Somalia-born Minnesotan of Citizenship

    The federal government is applying a McCarthy-era law to strip a Somalia-born Minneapolis man of his citizenship over actions that took place after he became a citizen.

    It’s a fundamental break with how the government has attempted to denaturalize people. Bound by extensive Supreme Court precedent, the DOJ has long pursued these cases against people who lied on their citizenship applications or omitted something significant enough that, had the government known, it would have declined the person’s citizenship application: war criminals who did not disclose atrocities in which they were involved, for example, or people who omitted serious crimes they committed from their applications.

    Now, Salah Osman Ahmed stands to lose his citizenship not because of any allegation about something he did before he became a citizen. Rather, under a 1952 statute that’s almost never been used, Ahmed stands to lose his citizenship because of actions he took while he was a citizen.

    The McCarthy-era statute grants the government enormous powers over recently minted citizens: it can revoke their citizenship if, in the five years after they become naturalized, they join an organization that, had they been a member at the time they applied for citizenship, would have caused the U.S. government to reject their application. Ahmed traveled to Somalia intending to join the militant group al-Shabaab, which would later be designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government. The law frames these actions as proof that he willfully misrepresented his state of mind when he took an oath of allegiance to the U.S.

    I was unable to find any other case in which the government solely relied on this law to strip someone of their citizenship.

    Ahmed’s case comes after Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate directed the DOJ last year to focus on people deemed to be a “national security concern” for denaturalization. Experts in immigration law and denaturalization told TPM that they hadn’t heard of anything like it. […]

    “So this idea that somebody could not join a group or express a political point of view for a period of time after they’re naturalized — that violates the First Amendment, and I suspect courts would agree,” she [Cassandra Robertson, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University]continued.

    The law […] would likely run afoul of a 1943 Supreme Court decision that barred the government from stripping people of their citizenship over political associations, Patrick Weil, a visiting professor at Yale Law School who wrote a book on the history of denaturalizations in the U.S. told TPM.

    […] The law has not been challenged in part because it’s been so rarely applied. In 2020, a judge denaturalized Iyman Faris, who plotted to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge on behalf of al-Qaeda […] He appealed, but his attorneys dropped the case after he returned to Pakistan and became unreachable. [I snipped another example.]

    […] A DOJ official conceded to TPM that this was the first time the government had sought to strip someone of their citizenship using the 1952 law alone […]

    Daniel Gerdts, an attorney for Ahmed, told TPM that there were no grounds to revoke his client’s citizenship, and that his client had never been disloyal to the United States.

    “This is shameful,” he said of the case.

    Looks to me like Trump and his compliant Department of Justice sycophants are trying to set up a test case they can use in the future to denaturalize a lot of American citizens.

  306. Reginald Selkirk says

    After Senate vote, Trump admin backs off plans to kill ocean monitoring

    In May, the federal government announced without warning that it would take apart a network of ocean monitoring systems that it had spent over $350 million to build. No reason was given for the decision to shut down the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), but suspicion immediately focused on the network’s role in tracking climate change.

    But the OOI also provides data that’s useful for weather forecasting and fisheries management, leading to widespread opposition. Today, it appears that the opposition has won, as the government will announce that it’s reversing the decision. The big remaining question is how much damage the OOI took during the intervening month.

    As of now, there is no formal statement available from the federal government. However, The New York Times reports that the decision will be announced later today, and Ars received a statement from Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee, indicating that the decision has been made…

  307. KG says

    G7 leaders “commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy” and to “strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors,” they said.

    The declaration name-checks Trump three times, saying that with the U.S. and Iran having reached an agreement to end hostilities, it is now easier to take more economic measures against Russia.

    “We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as President Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” the declaration reads. – Lynna, OM@271 quoting politico.eu.

    I suspect the other six told him: “Be a good boy and sign what’s put in front of you, or we’ll tell the truth about what an utter shitshow your stupid war was and your worthless ‘deal’ is.” But I wonder how long Trump will remain docile.

  309. says

    Two months after Hegseth’s regressive move, Air Force base faces major flu outbreak

    “Eight weeks after flu vaccines became optional in the armed forces, we’re already seeing the consequences of the Pentagon chief’s shortsighted policy.”

    The latest flu season generated 340,000 hospitalizations and 21,000 deaths in the United States. Nevertheless, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, instead of focusing his energies on the ongoing war, came up with a bold idea in April: The Pentagon he leads would no longer mandate flu vaccines for service members.

    While service members could voluntarily get a flu vaccine, Hegseth decided to reverse the military’s longstanding policy and end the requirement as a condition of service.

    The change led to a variety of questions, including the obvious one: How long would it take before this misguided, regressive and unnecessary decision backfired on the armed forces? The answer, it turns out, is not quite two months. The New York Times reported:

    A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said.

    The outbreak at the base in San Antonio raced through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where new recruits sleep on bunk beds in open bays and share meals at large communal tables.

    The Times’ report noted that one trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill late last week, although the exact cause of death is still under investigation.

    The report added that only about 40% of Air Force trainees have opted to take the flu vaccine — a total that used to be 100%, because it wasn’t optional. In response to the outbreak at Lackland, the base received an exception from Hegseth’s policy and is now requiring recruits to get vaccinated.

    Of course, by that reasoning, it’s unclear why every other base wouldn’t take similar steps to prevent its own outbreak. Everyone really should’ve seen this coming.

    During the Revolutionary War, smallpox took such a brutal toll on the American military that George Washington believed he had no choice but to “inoculate all the troops.” The general did exactly that in 1777, and as historian Craig Bruce Smith explained in a memorable piece for Time magazine in 2021, Washington’s decision helped save the lives of countless patriots and “undoubtedly helped ensure the survival of the United States.”

    In the generations that followed, the American military has looked out for its troops in the same way Washington did. And in contemporary times, service members have long been required to get plenty of shots as part of their service, including protections against ailments such as diphtheria and measles.

    […] The point is not to intrude on “medical autonomy,” a phrase Hegseth emphasized when he made the change in April. Rather, military leaders, during Democratic and Republican administrations, have long understood that readiness requires healthy troops, many of whom often serve in close quarters with fellow service members, here and abroad.

    As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer noted, “Nothing has killed more soldiers in the history of humanity than disease.” American leaders have wisely taken steps for generations to try to prevent this from happening.

    It might be tempting to think officials at the Defense Department would see what happened at Lackland Air Force Base and reassess Hegseth’s mistake from two months ago. But that’s apparently not going to happen: The Pentagon’s chief spokesman told the Times that the department stands by the secretary’s decision.

    Well that was stupid.

  310. says

    Republicans’ reliance on fake historical quotes goes from bad to worse

    When it comes to prominent Republican officials getting caught peddling fake historical quotes, Sen. Rand Paul tends to be in a league of his own. The Kentucky Republican has, after all, been caught pushing fake quotes from Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

    Paul, however, is not without company. On the Fourth of July in 2023, for example, Sen. Josh Hawley promoted a fake quote from Patrick Henry. (When he got caught, the Missouri Republican boasted that the “the libs” were “major triggered” by his willingness to amplify misinformation.)

    Last year, it happened again when House Speaker Mike Johnson, shortly before he was sworn in for the new Congress, shared a quote from Jefferson that’s popular in conservative circles but is entirely made up. [embedded links to all of the references above are available at the main link]

    With a track record like this, it’s tempting to think officials would take better care to avoid similar mistakes. And yet, the hits just keep on coming. The Washington Post reported:

    A giant banner bearing the face of Theodore Roosevelt decorates the facade of the Office of Personnel Management in downtown Washington and carries an inspirational quote it attributes to the late leader. There’s one problem: Historians say the 26th president never uttered the phrase.

    “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength,” says the quote, which is overlaid in serif font under Roosevelt’s portrait and attributed to him.

    It’s certainly a nice quote, but there’s just no evidence to suggest Roosevelt ever said it. [Social media post, with photo]

    Michael Patrick Cullinane, co-director and public historian of the Theodore Roosevelt Center, told the Post, “What I can say for certain is that the quote did not originate with Theodore Roosevelt.”

    A search of the database maintained by the Theodore Roosevelt Center, housed at North Dakota’s Dickinson State University, confirmed he simply never said this.

    When the Post asked for comment from the Office of Personnel Management, a spokesperson didn’t defend the quote, saying instead it was “surprising” to learn of media interest in an OPM banner.

    That missed the point: If Republican officials are going to try to rewrite history to suit their purposes, the least they can do is start quoting historical figures accurately.

  311. says

    MS NOW:

    After more than a decade of planning and construction, the $850 million Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago hosted its grand opening ceremony today. Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama delivered speeches that urged Americans to embrace hope. Three other former presidents — Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — attended. (President Donald Trump was not invited.)

  312. says

    MS NOW:

    […] in a major turnabout, the ICE is planning to offload seven warehouses purchased for more than $700 million by either giving them to other federal agencies or selling them outright, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

  313. says

    Followup to Reginald @306.

    New York Times:

    The Trump administration is abandoning its plan to dismantle a $368 million ocean monitoring system critical to understanding climate change and marine ecosystems, bowing to a bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill.

    Good news.

  314. says

    Followup to Reginald @89, Lynna @107, Chris Hayes video @261, and StevoR @278.

    In addition to all of the problems associated with Trump having ordered the Reflecting Pool painted “American Flag Blue,” (“biggest Reflecting Pool algae bloom in years” according to the Washington Post), that blue paint is starting to peel off the bottom of the pool.

    https://bsky.app/profile/jbendery.bsky.social/post/3moljdlmmec24 [Photo at the link]

    Does Trump know what the word “fiasco” means?

  316. johnson catman says

    re Lynna @311:

    President Donald Trump was not invited.

    I am sure he is totally butt-hurt by this. /s What I expect is that The Orange Turd will rage-tweet about the event overnight while the rest of us are sleeping. He HATES Obama. Mainly because a black man was elected POTUS and 1) is WAY smarter than him, 2) accomplished WAY more than he will ever dream to do, 3) NEVER went bankrupt, and 4) isn’t a racist, misogynistic, corrupt, grifting, rapist piece of orange shit. The Orange Turd is the worst president this country has ever seen, and the republicans who have licked his boots all this time will be vilified by historians (if the country survives it).

  317. says

    Former presidents and famous friends help Obama celebrate museum opening, by Associated Press

    Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends, including three former presidents, in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago.

    The guestlist for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono. Obama posed for pictures before the ceremony with former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

    Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to give remarks. The invite-only celebration will be livestreamed and kicks off a weekend of events centered around the Obama Presidential Center, which opens to the general public on Juneteenth. [Photo of statue representing former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.]

    […] Those in the audience included California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate; civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton; Oprah Winfrey; comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert; tennis legend Billie Jean King and Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts.

    Other celebrities slated to perform on Thursday include Common, Eddie Vedder, Marc Anthony and The Roots, which was serving as the house band. [The Roots! Yay]

    [Video of Grand Opening ceremony]

    The Thursday celebration “will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”

    General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. But tens of thousands of people have already been offered a sneak peek of the nearly 20-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side in Jackson Park.

    The center, located near where Obama lived and began his political career, is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually. It is adjacent to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in the lakefront park, and not far from the University of Chicago.

    The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president and first lady, while public spaces include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a playground and athletic center, basketball courts and a picnic area with grills.

    The tower’s design is meant to depict four hands coming together in solidarity. Wrapped around one side are 5-foot tall concrete capital letters, an excerpt of Obama’s 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. It begins, “You are America.”

  318. says

    Trump says the quiet part out loud about his Iran ‘deal’

    On Wednesday, President Donald Trump all but admitted that Iran outmaneuvered the United States in the idiotic war Trump started without a plan, forcing him to sign what amounts to an unconditional surrender to the adversarial nation to avoid “economic catastrophe.”

    “I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened,” Trump said Wednesday at a news conference in France during the G7 gathering. “But all I know is, every time we talked about the possibility of peace, the stock market shot up like a rocket ship.” [video]

    […] “What this does, it allows the ships to go. If we keep bombing, those ships won’t be going,” Trump added, saying that the U.S. would run out of oil reserves in four weeks, which would have caused fuel shortages and even more pain at the pump. […]

    French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the signing-of-the-deal event in Versailles. That looks like an epic trolling of Trump by Macron.

  319. johnson catman says

    re Lynna@318:

    That looks like an epic trolling of Trump by Macron.

    And The Orange Turd is too stupid to even realize this.

  320. says

    Ossoff on Trump calling him “Os(jerk!)off” — “I didn’t think it was his best work as far as nicknames go. But more to the point, he is increasingly unstable. And I think it flows the fact that he is globally humiliated from this failed war.”

    From Aaron Rupar, posting on Bluesky.
    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3mojopp4e7v23

    In the video, Jenn Psaki interviews Ossoff.

    From the viewers’ comments:

    Ossoff is a wow candidate. He’s whip smart and fcking bold. Got me to donate tonight. Very impressive.

    I agree.

    Commentary:

    […] Speaking of Collins [Mike Collins, Ossoff’s opponent], Os(jerk!)off has a new ad about Collins, and it is brutal. Here is the Washington Examiner to explain how it targets directly Collins’s myth of himself as some kind of self-made businessperson. (All these MAGA men with their businesses we’re supposed to be impressed with, that their dads gave them!)

    In the new ad, Ossoff’s reelection campaign targeted the Republican challenger’s history in the trucking business, specifically how Collins didn’t work his way from the ground up in the trucking industry. “Truth is, Mike took over his dad’s trucking company and followed in his footsteps straight to Congress,” a narrator said in the two-minute video.

    Former Rep. Mac Collins, who served in the House between 1993 and 2005, once owned Collins Trucking in Jackson, Georgia, before his son inherited the business. “His rich daddy, a former congressman and career politician himself, handed Mike the keys to a company with dozens of employees, making multimillionaire Mike richer, while real truckers did the actual work,” the narrator continued.

    Yeah that’s rough. Watch it: [video]
    […]

    Wonkette link

  321. Reginald Selkirk says

    A Monolith Designed to Record Civilization’s Downfall Is Finally Taking Shape

    It’s been nearly five years since the Australian non-profit Rouser Lab unveiled its plan to build Earth’s Black Box, a flight recorder-like device designed to document humanity’s spiral into environmental destruction. Now, its creators say they will install their doomsday tracker in Tasmania before the year is out.

    Parts assembly is underway, and Rouser Lab plans to install the device on the edge of a remote Tasmanian airfield in December, The Guardian reports. The 52-foot-long (16-meter-long), 13-foot-high (4-meter-high) monolith will be made of reinforced steel and concrete, “designed to withstand every possible threat including cyclone, earthquake, fire, flood or attack,” Rouser Lab’s website states.

    The roof will be outfitted with 36 solar panels protected by layers of toughened glass. These will supply power to internal drives storing hoards of “data sets, measurements, and interactions relating to the health of our planet,” according to a separate site dedicated to the project. That data will come from space agencies, weather agencies, and universities, funneling continuously into the box via the internet to form “Earth’s Vital Index.”

    “The purpose of the device is to provide an unbiased account of the events that lead to the demise of the planet, hold accountability for future generations, and inspire urgent action,” the Earth’s Black Box website states. “How the story ends is completely up to us.” …

  322. Reginald Selkirk says

    Young women now have ‘close to zero’ risk of cervical cancer death after HPV jab

    Children vaccinated at age 12–13 against HPV (human papillomavirus) have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30, landmark new research reveals.

    The first study of its kind shows deaths have fallen sharply since school-age girls began being offered it in 2008, and around 200 lives have been saved in England so far thanks to the vaccine.

    Between 2020 and 2024, no cervical cancer deaths were recorded in women aged 20 to 24 – the first time that had happened over a five-year period.

    Without vaccination, around 23 deaths would have been expected…

  323. Reginald Selkirk says

    Japan raids ice cream giants over price-fixing allegations

    apan’s competition watchdog has raided some of the country’s biggest ice cream makers for allegedly forming a cartel to raise the price of their products.

    Some of the firms, including Meiji and Pocky maker Ezaki Glico, said this week that they have been subject to an “on-site inspection” by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) over suspicions that they fixed the prices of frozen desserts.

    The JFTC said it is not releasing a statement regarding the investigation.

    The companies are suspected of inflating ice cream prices beyond increases in the cost of raw materials, even as the country faces a hot summer with record high temperatures.

    The six firms that were raided on Tuesday were Meiji, Morinaga Milk Industry, Lotte, Morinaga, Ezaki Glico and Akagi Nyugyo…

  328. JM says

    @325 Reginald Selkirk: Something is up tonight, I have seen the Cloudflare error also. There are lots of possibilities beyond an attack on FTB. DNS screw ups and other programming/data errors causing routing problems are the most likely.

  329. JM says

    The Guardian: Iran announces plans to bring in maritime fees for strait of Hormuz

    Iran has announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

    Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the strait would not be welcome. The US on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the critical channel.

    Expect this to be a huge sticking point for negotiations. It drags everybody else into the situation, turning this into a multi-national quagmire.

    Iran insists the deal referring to territorial integrity of Lebanon requires a full Israeli withdrawal, making Donald Trump accountable for Israel’s withdrawal.
    Trump said on ⁠Thursday afternoon ⁠that the ​US expected “a ⁠complete ceasefire on all fronts, including ⁠Lebanon, Hezbollah, ​and Israel”.

    This being another huge sticking point for negotiations. I expect Trump will try to ignore this issue because he doesn’t have the will to directly order Israel around, and it isn’t clear if he has the political power in the US or Israel to do it anyways.

    It also emerged that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei approved the deal with the US and endorsed direct negotiations with the Trump’s team. Khamenei said Trump had “used all kinds of levers” to secure the deal “out of desperation”.

    There is something funny about how much the two sides are using the same propaganda. It’s a lie in different ways. Iran wasn’t a desperate as the US while Trump wasn’t using all sorts of levers. Trump in fact tends to forget, ignore or reject the levers available to him.

  330. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    sevensugars:

    [Video clip] the hydrogen peroxide bleach is only turning the Reflecting Pool blue around the perimeter

    Since I did do my PhD in cyanobacteria growth and treatment optimization modeling AND work in the water treatment industry, I’m gonna share my theory
    […]
    ANY water with enough nutrients will grow algae. Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) isn’t limited by temperature and light this time of year, it’s limited by nutrient availability (typically phosphate, sometimes but rarely nitrogen).
    […]
    My guess is they refilled it with city water [which] adds orthophosphate to the water for lead corrosion control. It works beautifully for this, but orthophosphate is also a bioavailable form of phosphate, aka algae food! […] water treatment plants typically dose it […] more than 10-20x the amount needed to cause an algae bloom.

    This pool is 6.9 million gallons. Typically, only a relatively small amount of water is added to top off the pool, so orthophosphate is diluted to levels low enough […] But because they refilled the entire pool at once, they had high phosphate levels and caused this bloom. This theory is consistent with the fact that we ALSO saw an algae bloom in 2012 after it was entirely refilled following repairs and renovations.

    So, what could be done about it? Actually, the hydrogen peroxide was NOT a bad idea to start with, it was just poorly executed. […] Typically you’d want a dose of 10-20 mg/L of H2O2 […] Since they used 12% H2O2, that would be at least 600-1200 gallons for this pool. I don’t know how much they applied, but I doubt it was that much.

    […] they only applied to the edges, and peroxide breaks down before it has time to reach the middle, as we saw it was only effective at the edges. […] I would have recommended they use a stabilized form (such as sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate) labelled as an algaecide and distributed it evenly across the entire pool.

    But that’s not enough. Even if they apply more and manage to kill back the algae, ALL of that phosphate that was bound up inside the algae cells is immediately released BACK into the water. They will see rebound growth within a week or two.

    So, obviously they need to treat the cause of the problem: the phosphate. I have seen interviews and articles claim it’s not possible to remove [phosphate] to a low enough level to prevent a bloom, but this is simply not true. […] Phosphate removal and sequestration is done in wastewater treatment and to manage recreational and drinking water lakes and reservoirs all the time. […] While wastewater typically only treats down to around 1.0 mg/L phosphate, lower levels are achievable with the right coagulants. The phosphate will […] precipitate, collect into clumps called floccs, and settle to the bottom of the pool. From here, it can be vacuumed into the filters
    […]
    Many species of cyanobacteria are capable of producing cyanotoxins, which can be fatal if ingested. People, wildlife, pets, all can come in contact with this water. If it contains cyanotoxins such as microcystins, which is more likely than not given it’s appearance […] let’s hope these folks get their shit together quickly!

    * Wikipedia: “The pool’s water supply system was updated [in 2009] to eliminate stagnant water by circulating water from the Tidal Basin; the pool was formerly filled using potable water from the city.”
     
    Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance:

    To the best of my knowledge, the source water is the Tidal Pool of the Potomac. Perhaps relatedly there was a nutrient discharge to these waters recently when the wastewater treatment plant dumped sewage into the Potomac. More likely than orthoP I think. [Article]

    On January 19, 2026, a 6-foot wide interceptor pipe […] collapsed in Montgomery County, MD, releasing an estimated 243 million gallons of untreated sewage directly into the Potomac River. This sewage spill has been marked as one of the worst, if not the worst, sewage spills in U.S. history.

    [Good Place meme]: “Okay, but that’s worse.”
     
    Rando 1: “‘kill pets and wildlife and hurt people’ is basically the Trump motto.”

    Alejandra Caraballo: “It’s the perfect metaphor. Fix something that isn’t broken. Ignore experts and scientists. Spend tons of public money enriching Trump’s friends. Reveal the fix as superior. Watch in the following days as it immediately becomes extremely clear how they made everything worse.”

    Rando 2: “I feel like that amount of peroxide would need more than ‘a few blokes pouring some bottles in at the edges’. Like the myth of people putting LSD in a reservoir […] but someone would notice the tankers of LSD!”
    * Yep, gallon jugs, a brand for cleaning not registered as an algaecide.
     
    sevensugars:

    Would those nanobubblers they were boasting about increase available oxygen and nitrogen in the water, in a really counterproductive way if you want the pool to be a dead zone?

    The concept behind nanobubblers is they create oxidants in the water, which is basically the equivalent of applying hydrogen peroxide. I’m not sure how well they work, but if they do it seems reasonable.

    A dead zone is produced when the algae dies and heterotrophic bacteria starts to break it down, consuming oxygen. I am not sure how the nanobubbler would affect that process, but I wouldn’t wait for this bloom to die off naturally, I think it’s too much of a health and safety risk.

    Lizzie O’Leary (Slate): “I still can’t believe people haven’t taken up my idea of TWO TRUCKLOADS OF SNAILS.”
    Philip Bump (Ex-Wapo): “Lizzie, it takes time to find that many snails.”
    Lizzie O’Leary: “There are snails on the internet, Philip.”
    Rando 3: “But they still have to be delivered by snail mail.”
    Rando 4: “You don’t need two truckloads. You need a few. You’ll have the truckloads in a week. The damn pond and bladder snails are hermaphroditic little shits”

  331. JM says

    AP News: Vance delays trip to Switzerland to lead new US talks with Iran on its nuclear program

    The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland, where he’d been set to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program — raising questions about what’s next for the tentative agreement to end the war.
    The team led by Vance had been ready to leave but was postponing, the White House said, citing difficult logistics for negotiations. The announcement followed a report from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.

    Delaying starting the sure to be complex negotiations is a bad sign. The US and Iran are already arguing about what the MOU actually means.

    And Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had seemed to endorse direct negotiations for his officials.
    “It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” he said in a statement read by state media.
    It was Khamenei’s first reaction to the agreement, and it was interpreted as a shift in Iran’s approach. Hard-liners, especially Khamenei’s father, the previous supreme leader, have long opposed direct talks, especially after the U.S. pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

    That is positive though, support for direct negotiations from the top will smooth over some of the complaints in Iran.

  332. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Financial Times – The world may not like Trump’s Gaza plan—but there is no alternative.

    If even I, an implacable opponent of the president, can accept this as the best option, then surely others can too?

    /Op-ed by Hillary Clinton.

    Tim Onion: “Fucking what? By who???”

    Commentary

    Trump’s Gaza plan is literally get rid of all the people and turn it into beachfront property.

    When the FT out-Onions the Onion.

    Nevertheless, she persisted.
    Go back to the woods.

    Hillary Clinton has been scolding younger people for supporting Gaza and thinks they are all just too dumb to understand politics and are being influenced by TikTok. What I don’t understand is the timing of this. Why did she write this now?

    There is no alternative to the plan of this convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, significantly alleged child sexual abuser (release those files),charity grifter, business fraud, tax fraud, election fraud, marriage cheat, six time bankrupt charlatan.

    “Trump was exactly who I said he was. Also, I support him.” —HRC

    What does she think ‘implacable’ and ‘opponent’ mean?

  333. Jean says

    All this reflecting pool clusterfuck (which is only the latest and very publicly obvious event) shows how badly DOGE missed the worst offender in terms of waste, fraud and abuse: it should have fired Trump on day one. This would have actually saved a ton of money for the government and the US taxpayers and consumers. It would also have saved thousands of lives. And in general, the world would be a better place. (And, on a more personal note, I wouldn’t get up every morning wondering what new stupid thing has he done or said since I went to bed and what will he fuck up next.)

  335. Reginald Selkirk says

    @330 pool expertise – thanks, that was very interesting.

    My non-expert understanding of a bubbler (@227) is that it would actually encourage algal growth by aerating the water so that aerobic algae could make use of the nutrients. It would only clear the water if coupled with a filtration system to remove the resulting growth.

  337. Reginald Selkirk says

    South Dakota man charged in death of 14-year-old niece after his life sentence was commuted by Kristi Noem

    Two men, including one whose life sentence was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, have been charged in the death of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a rural area five days after she went missing in March.

    McKenna Wendel was reported missing March 13 and last seen alive in her hometown of Sioux Falls early on March 14. Her body was found outside Brookings, an hour’s drive north of Sioux Falls, on March 19.

    Wendel’s uncle, Mark Milk, 51, also of Sioux Falls, now faces five counts related to her death. Milk was almost three decades into a life term on a manslaughter conviction when Noem commuted his sentence in 2023…

    Milk faces five counts including possession with intent to deliver cocaine that caused Wendel’s death. He is also charged with transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to court documents…

    All charges occurred within the Northern District of Iowa,” U.S. attorney in Iowa Ron Parsons said. “The charges that we brought are the most serious, readily provable.” …

    In February 2023, Noem commuted Milk’s life sentence for a manslaughter conviction in an October 1993 stabbing death. Milk, then 19, had been involved in several altercations in the city of Winner that ended with the death of Shawn Peneaux, according to records.

    According to KELO-TV, Noem’s order granting commutation reads, “The application of Mark Milk for commutation of sentence having been presented to me, together with facts pertaining to this case, and it appearing there from that the ends of justice would be best served by granting the Commutation of Sentence requested.” …

    Milk was in jail on unrelated allegations of driving under the influence and eluding police when Wendel’s body was found. ..

  338. Reginald Selkirk says

    Mayor accused of faking her kidnapping in $2 million embezzlement scheme in Mexico

    A Mexican mayor allegedly faked her own kidnapping to embezzle $2 million worth of government funds disguised as ransom, local authorities said Thursday.

    Nancy Napoles, the municipal president of Tenancingo, several hours outside Mexico City, has proclaimed her innocence in a video posted to social media, calling the accusations “politicized.”

    Napoles belongs to the ruling Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has made combating corruption one of the pillars of her administration.

    Prosecutors said they requested Napoles give testimony on July 9 for the “simulation of a kidnapping.” There are no arrest warrants against her, unlike her husband and brother-in-law, who are on the run.

    Armed men forced Napoles out of her car at gunpoint, according to the prosecutor’s office, basing the case on the testimony of three now-arrested “kidnappers.”

    Authorities suggested that during her captivity her captors threatened to kill Napoles and her family if they didn’t pay “40 million pesos in exchange for her freedom,” advising her that if they couldn’t pay the ransom — equivalent to $2.3 million — she would need “to take resources from the local government.”

    But an unsuspecting witness who saw the mayor being forced into a car upended the plan when he tipped off the police, who started a search and forced the mayor to abandon the mission…

  339. Reginald Selkirk says

    Man investigated for bias crime in fruit stand attack shot and killed by police

    A man wanted for allegedly destroying a roadside fruit stand last week and yelling racist insults at the woman running it died Wednesday in an apparent shootout with police in Lincoln County.

    Authorities on Thursday identified the man as Daniel Edward Noonan, 49, and said state police and Newport police officers had planned to arrest him in a bias crime investigation when he “immediately engaged them in gunfire.”

    Officers exchanged gunfire with Noonan, according to a statement by Lincoln City police, but investigators didn’t say how many officers fired or how many times. Noonan was declared dead at a nearby hospital.

    The shootout happened on what appears to be Noonan’s property, according to public records…

  342. says

    Reginald at 322, that’s good news.

    Jean @333, yes, I’ve thought many times that just voting Trump out of office would have saved the U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars … and it would have saved a lot of people’s lives (in terms of lives, I’m thinking of war with Iran, decimating the USAID program, putting RFK Jr. in charge of healthcare decisions, cutting off funds to social safety net programs, etc.). DOGE should have focused on disqualifying Trump. The Reflecting Pool fiasco is just one small part of a much bigger waste, fraud, and abuse tale for which Trump is responsible. Plus, that narcissistic doofus is making money off the presidency.

    In more pleasant news: ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: ‘One of the best days of my life’: Mamdani on Knicks ticker-tape parade

    “This team has electrified the city in a way that we just haven’t seen before, and it was truly one of the best days of my life,” says New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the Knicks historic championship parade.

    Video is 8:33 minutes

    More on the Reflecting Pool: ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Trump’s Reflecting Pool makeover fails in spectacular fashion

    Chris Hayes: Trump’s reflecting pool is looking a lot less “American flag blue” and a lot more “Iranian flag green.”

    Chris Hayes also briefly covers Barack Obama opening his presidential library.
    Video is 8:39 minutes

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Ta-Nehisi Coates: Democrats have ‘no choice’ on Gaza

    Ta-Nehisi Coates says Democrats can’t outrun the base on Gaza. “There is very real political energy, around this that, as far as I’m concerned, has the right and correct moral view. So, I think even from a practical perspective, there’s no choice,” says Coates.

    Video is 7:49 minutes

  343. KG says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain@332,

    Could Clinton be dipping a toe in the water for a presidential run in 2028? The Zionist wing of the Democratic Party (well, it’s a wing if a wing can be bigger than the rest of the body!) needs a candidate of experience and gravitas to fight off the anti-genocide extremists who the foolish voters might go for – and she’d only be 81 at inauguration!

  345. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Missouri judge strikes down nearly all state abortion regulations

    One of the few laws upheld Thursday by Zhang is a requirement that patients meet with a doctor in-person before being prescribed medication abortion. Zhang also upheld a requirement that only physicians can perform abortions.
    […]
    Medication abortion appointments will be available at the Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City and St. Louis on Monday and in Columbia on Wednesday
    […]
    In 2022, Missouri became the first state to ban nearly all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2024, Missouri also became the first state to overturn an abortion ban by the vote of the people [to add a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability.].

    In response, lawmakers sent voters a new proposal that would ban abortion with limited exceptions for survivors of rape and incest. Missourians will vote on the measure listed as Amendment 3 in November.

  346. says

    Excerpt from an article by David Corn:

    Donald Trump’s war in Iran is one of the stupidest foreign policy ventures in US history.

    I know that’s not a new or hot take. When he attacked Iran on February 28, it immediately became clear that he had no idea what he was doing. Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary, said he had initiated the attack based on a “feeling”—while negotiations to limit Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs were ongoing.

    Trump then had a tough time explaining to the nation what the hell this war was for. To eliminate a nuclear program he had claimed was obliterated by a previous bombing raid? To address an “imminent threat” because Iran was, he falsely claimed, within two weeks of developing a nuclear bomb? To achieve regime change? To wipe out Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles? To protect Iranian anti-government protesters? To diminish Iran’s ability to strike at US allies and bases, if Israel attacked Iran? To end Tehran’s support of terrorism? To “get rid of evil”? […]

    Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, which was an easy-to-foresee possibility, and sparked a global economic crisis. Trump had no plan for that […]

    So dumb. Trump spent gazillions of taxpayer dollars on this endeavor, only to end up fighting for a return to the status quo. […] thousands of Iranian civilians—including an estimated 168 schoolgirls—have been killed, as well as 13 American servicemembers. It’s a pointless loss of treasure and lives. With the higher gas prices, the war so far has cost Americans $132 billion. This folly has also raised food prices—which has an especially dramatic impact on poorer, food-stressed nations. It further strained US ties with its closest allies.

    The signing this week of a memo of understanding between Washington and Tehran to end the war highlighted the imbecility of this action. The terms met none of the revolving goals Trump had tossed out. It kicked down the road any discussion of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs. But the deal handed the repressive government of Iran much-desired deliverables, such as an end to sanctions, an unfreezing of assets, and a $300 billion reconstruction fund. Iran could immediately start to sell oil.

    […]\ Trump signed the MOU during a trip to Versailles, which in a previous era hosted the signing of a notoriously lousy accord that led to a conflagration we call World War II.

    […] At the start of the war, Trump said, “We’re now totally independent of the Middle East. We don’t need their oil.” A few weeks in, he reaffirmed this: “It doesn’t really affect us. We have so much oil. We have tremendous oil and gas, much more than we need.” On Wednesday, he asserted that if he didn’t agree to the MOU, we “would run out of reserves at about four weeks…We would really run out, and there’ll be a time when you wouldn’t be able to get it.”

    […] No sane person expects consistency from Trump. But during a war, erraticism is particularly dangerous and idiotic. His impulsive attack on Iran has accomplished none of his stated objectives. It’s been a foolish waste.

    […] Trump had no vision of what this war was for, of how to wage it, or of how to win it. This was a vanity project for him. [!] He thought he could unleash violence and chaos—threaten to commit war crimes and destroy an entire civilization—and end up the star triumphantly bathed in military glory and, oddly, deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

    […] It was a foolhardy move from a narcissistic numbskull who now cares more about a ballroom, an arch, and a reflecting pool than the carnage and damage he wreaked. A stupid war is yielding stupid results—and with Trump its author that’s no surprise.

    Link

  348. birgerjohansson says

    “Once Around (the Jupiter moon) Amalthea”
    .https://youtube.com/watch?v=i42truqNi8Y
    Isaac Asimov once wrote an article titled “View From Amalthea”
    .
    Consiering the dimensions (roughly a potato 250 km long and 100 km wide) I amused myself with working out the velocities you could reach if you drilled a hole and inserting an electromagnetic catapult, accelerating objects at 8 g (well within human tolerances).
    At the short axis, a 100 km catapult would reach 4 km/s. At the long axis, 6.3 km/s.

  349. Pierce R. Butler says

    JM @ # 331: … support for direct negotiations from the top will smooth over some of the complaints in Iran.

    You may want to reconsider: remember, the Iranians will have to go face-to-face with J.D. Vance! For hours!

  350. Pierce R. Butler says

    birgerjohansson @ # 348: … 8 g (well within human tolerances)

    Well within fresh-off-Planet-Earth tolerances, perhaps. After months (at minimum) of low-g travel to Jupiter, with predicted calcium depletion, I hope the dauntless astronauts in question will have brought a CT scanner to re-estimate how much their bones can handle.

  351. JM says

    @343 KG: There are parts of the Democratic party that might be thinking about it. The Zionists probably like the idea, she was generally friendly to corporations and there is a chunk of Democrats that are getting nostalgic about her. They should reconsider, they need to remember that Hillary was so unpopular that she lost to Trump. She is going to be less popular now. The only route she has to victory is if Trump forces one of his kids on the Republicans and it becomes another contest to see who is less unpopular.

    @249: Pierce R. Butler:

    JM @ # 331: … support for direct negotiations from the top will smooth over some of the complaints in Iran.

    You may want to reconsider: remember, the Iranians will have to go face-to-face with J.D. Vance! For hours!

    As weird as it is, the Iranians have requested Vance at points in these negotiations. The Iranians realize they need a high level figure to lead the US negotiations and apparently they consider him better then Trump, Rubio or the Witkoff/Kushner pair.
    I wasn’t talking about the suffering from having to deal with Vance anyways. What I was talking about is that previously the religious leadership in Iran had rejected direct talks after Trump ripped up the first treaty. As long as those statements were still in effect the political and military leadership would take flak just for talking with the US.

  352. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Samantha Montano – Disasterology Newsletter June 2026

    Cameron Hamilton has officially been nominated to be the next FEMA Administrator.
    […]
    American Emergency: The Movement to Kill FEMA is a four-part series put together by On The Media. It covers the history of FEMA and the agency’s current status. […] It is episode four that you have to listen to. […] This is the only sit down interview Hamilton had done about his time at FEMA (January-May 2025). The timing is critical. It was recorded in December 2025 which is a good seven months after he was fired, but before he was nominated to be administrator. I’m going to spoil the episode
    […]
    the episode opens with Hamilton insinuating he wants to wrap his hands around Corey Lewendowski’s neck over his accusation that Hamilton leaked the contents of a meeting to a reporter. I am not exaggerating.
    […]
    Hamilton covers a lot of ground including: his fighting with Noem, leaks to the media, the lie detector test and how as a Navy Seal he has been training to beat them (but don’t worry, he didn’t use that training this time), his pre-FEMA podcast interviews where he discussed “dismantling the administrative state”, his decision to give Elon Musk and DOGE complete access to FEMA, removing addressing “climate change” as a primary goal of the agency, his memo on (illegally) abolishing FEMA, and the circumstances around his firing.

    He even confirmed the rumor we thought was a joke about how they were considering renaming FEMA, the National Office of Emergency Management… i.e., NOEM… was true. It was in Hamilton’s damn abolishing FEMA memo!

    The most damning revelation was his admission that his tweets during Hurricane Helene about the Biden administration using funding from the Disaster Relief Fund for immigrant sheltering and housing was a lie for political expediency. […] It has become the standard line of the republican party. […] This is the first time I have ever heard anyone publicly admit this is a lie and acknowledge it is being used for political purposes. […]

    The plot twist, of course, is that in the time between recording this explosive interview in December and it being released in May, the President nominated Hamilton for FEMA administrator. This poses a problem for Hamilton. Blasting the administration that values loyalty above all else is one hell of a choice. I have to imagine Hamilton did not consider he might, in the future, be nominated to officially lead FEMA. In fact, it would seem he had not considered that he ever might work in right wing politics again.

    The episode ends with Hamilton calling the reporters and asking them to not release the interview until after his Senate Confirmation Hearing! Incredible behavior.
    […]
    Hamilton’s decision to do this interview demonstrates his profound lack of judgement. It was so optional!! As a far right politician, you can simply not go on *checks notes* National Public Radio!?!? Is wanting to strangle Corey Lewendowski relatable? Sure! Would you ever say that to a journalist? Is wanting to delay the release of an interview where you directly insult the administration that you now want to work for again relatable? I guess! […] Would you openly admit members of your political party are knowingly lying to the public to gain political points? Sure! At the bar over some drinks. Would you ever say that to a journalist?
    […]
    Recent reporting suggests he will be confirmed. I hope he isn’t.

    Natalia Santana-Pollard (Emergency Manager): “‘Hey homie, you mind waiting until after I’m nominated to publish this?’ If I had that kind of audacity, I’d be unstoppable.”

    Samantha Montano: “I will never get over how much better the world would be if unqualified men were told ‘no’.”

    Rando: “He’s qualified. To do what the people appointing him want him to.”
     
    On the Media podcast – American Emergency 4, The Movement to Kill FEMA (51:37)

  353. birgerjohansson says

    Keir Starmer has no authority left as prime minister and may be replaced within weeks.
    In Colombia a far-right leader with ties to paramilitary death sqads is posed to win the presidential election.

  355. says

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Italy’s PM slams Trump for ‘made up’ story that she ‘begged’ for a photo

    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says President Trump fabricated his claim that she “begged” him to take a photo with her at the G7 summit.

    Video is 6:00 minutes, and Hayes covers other subjects.

    ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: Trump’s reflecting pool fiasco gets a ‘Greenwatergate’ twist

    The New York Times reports that Trump’s green reflecting pool mess now has a swampy new twist: a no-bid cleanup contract tied to a Trump donor and Mar-a-Lago neighbor. [The donor looks like a classic evil villain.]

    Video is 7:50 minutes

  357. JM says

    MSN: Kennedy Center refuses to take tarps off where Trump’s name was removed

    President Donald Trump suffered a severe humiliation this month when the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was finally ordered by a federal court to remove Trump’s name from the side of the building, clarifying that Congress only allowed Kennedy’s name to be on the facility.
    Now, days later, tarps are still covering the spot where Trump’s name was, and, according to The New York Times, it’s starting to arouse suspicion. Some are even questioning whether the name was in fact fully removed at all.

    The Kennedy Center will not give a direct explanation for why the tarps aren’t coming down, with one spokesperson saying, “The scaffolding and tarp will remain up as crews address maintenance needs of the marble and soffit panels. Best, Public Relations.”

    CBS News: Kennedy Center says it’s still weighing whether to carry out a “partial closure”

    The Trump administration told a federal judge late Friday that the Kennedy Center is still weighing whether to offer a full slate of performances or more limited programming over the coming months, as the government grapples with a court order requiring the institution to stay open.

    These are both Trump appointees playing legal stalling names. You ordered us to remove Trump’s name from the building but not to show the sign so we are leaving it covered up. You ordered us to keep the Kennedy Center open but the court order didn’t specifically order us to actually have any shows, so it’s just going to be a big gap in the schedule. This is a technique Trump’s lawyers are well experienced with and they are probably advising the Kennedy Center officials on this. Do the absolute minimum that can be said to be complying with the court order and force the court to individually spell out every single step in detail, through multiple court orders. If the court gives you 30 days to do something, wait 28 day without doing anything and then file an emergency appeal. Make everything take as long as physically possible just to stall the eventual actual loss.
    Unlike a lot of other government screw ups the Trump administration is involved in, the courts are likely to let them stall on the Kennedy Center matter. There are not fundamental questions of justice, law and Constitution at hand. The Trump administration is likely to get away with stalling this until Trump is out of office.

  358. says

    Iran says it’s closing Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes on Lebanon

    Iran’s top joint military command said on Saturday morning that it will close the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading corridor, due to ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon during a ceasefire agreement.

    Khatam al-Anbiya Central ‌Headquarters said the attacks violated the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Israel targeted Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah hours after the two sides agreed to halt fighting.

    “In view of the United States’ bad faith and its clear breach of its commitments by failing to implement the first article of the memorandum ending the war, and in response to the continuous and ongoing violation of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon… It hereby announces that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to the passage of vessels,” the military command said in a statement reported by state broadcaster IRIB.

    The announcement comes just days after President Trump signed a framework agreement with Iran that authorized the reopening of the critical waterway. […]

    Trump said in a speech at Joint Base Andrews on Friday that “ships are flying out of the Hormuz Strait like nobody’s ever seen before.”

    […] Following Iran’s announcement, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said commercial ship travel through the waterway “increased” on Saturday due to support from the U.S. military and that safe passage through the strait “remained intact.”

    […] Iran’s move also comes amid confirmation that a U.S. delegation is in Switzerland ahead of planned technical-level talks on Sunday to reach a peace deal to end the war.

    Vance said in the Fox News interview that special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are present for these discussions.

    The foreign ministry in Pakistan, which has been a mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran, said in a statement that officials from Qatar will also participate in the gathering in Bürgenstock.

    Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed to the semi-official Fars News Agency on Saturday that the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is headed to Switzerland with an Iranian delegation to participate in these negotiations.

  359. JM says

    NBC News: Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed over ceasefire violations after continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon

    The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned ships not to approach the waterway, which Iran had committed to reopening under the interim peace deal signed this week. It said in a statement that vessels’ safety would be at risk if they did so.
    Iran’s top joint military command said the ⁠closure was the “first step” in response to what were described as ‌breaches of ⁠commitments by the U.S. and Israel, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency.

    If Iran is allowed to control the Strait expect a lot of this. The Strait in Iran’s one point of leverage and they have a lot of enemies, justified and not.
    I expected them to close the Strait at least once during negotiations just to make the point that they could but doing it this soon is because they want the US to lean on Israel to stop.

    Iran and the U.S. have both shown frustration with Israel for continuing to strike Lebanon despite the deal signed this week, which specified that fighting must end on all fronts, including Lebanon. Though Israel was not a direct party to that deal, Iran has warned that it would consider Israeli strikes a violation of the terms.

    A cease fire in Lebanon is in the MOU terms. If the US agreed to an Israeli cease fire that Israel neither agreed to nor will abide by then it’s another huge failure by the Trump administration. And that certainly seems to be the case right now.

  360. says

    Before SpaceX IPO, investors in China secretly acquired stakes, by ProPublica.

    A businessman with ties to Chinese military contractors was among the overseas investors who acquired stakes in SpaceX while it was still a private company. An entity linked to the Qatari royal family also took a stake.

    The new details come from a private investor list obtained by ProPublica that sheds light on a particularly delicate issue for Elon Musk’s rocket company: which people in countries like China bought into the company, and how. SpaceX built its business off sensitive U.S. government work like making spy satellites for the Pentagon. While there is no ban on Chinese investment in U.S. military contractors, such investment is heavily regulated.

    In a sign of its sensitivity to the concerns, SpaceX barred investors from China and Hong Kong from buying shares in its initial public offering last week due to “regulatory and compliance risks,” Bloomberg reported. The U.S. government alleges that China has a strategy of using investments in sensitive industries for espionage and to get access to cutting-edge technology.

    The company’s IPO last week was the largest ever, making Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Musk has extensive business interests in China, where Tesla builds many of its cars.

    The new records detail at least a dozen investors with addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong or Russia who acquired stakes in SpaceX years ago through a middleman firm in the U.S. called Tomales Bay Capital. The investments are relatively small, ranging from $800,000 to $40 million, and were made between 2018 and 2021.

    One investment came from an entity owned by David Su, the co-founder of the prominent Beijing venture capital firm MPCi. The Su entity invested $15 million in a SpaceX fund in 2020, according to the investor list. It was not Su’s only foray into the space industry; his company has been a high-profile backer of some of SpaceX’s Chinese competitors. Two satellite companies that Su’s firm invested in were sanctioned by the U.S. government for allegedly assisting the notorious Russian mercenary organization the Wagner Group. One of the companies was sanctioned again last month for allegedly helping Iran attack U.S. military forces during the war. [!]

    MPCi has also worked with Chinese government investment funds. Last year, the website for China’s Ministry of Science and Technology named Su’s firm as a partner in a state-backed effort to develop the country’s aerospace industry.

    There is no evidence that Su did anything improper. But the key question from the U.S. government’s perspective would be whether China-based investors got access to nonpublic information about SpaceX’s technology or strategies, said Sarah Bauerle Danzman, an Indiana University professor who has worked for the State Department scrutinizing foreign investments. “If an investor has conflicts of interests with other companies in China — if they could feed that information to competitors — it could be a national security concern,” she said.

    […] The new documents come from a corporate dispute in Delaware involving Tomales Bay Capital. The court records were unsealed this month after ProPublica moved to make them public, with the help of attorneys from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the law firm Shaw Keller. Tomales Bay Capital appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of ProPublica.

    Tomales Bay Capital is run by an investor named Iqbaljit Kahlon, who has long been close to SpaceX’s leadership and even involved in the company’s operations. SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen, who’s worked there for 15 years, testified that Kahlon “has been with the company in one form or fashion longer than I have.”

    Before SpaceX went public, Kahlon made a fortune by acting as a middleman for investors hoping to add the rocket company to their portfolio. His firm regularly bought SpaceX stock, packaged it into investment funds and then charged fees to investors who bought pieces of those funds.

    […] While ProPublica and other outlets have previously reported on the existence of Chinese investors in SpaceX, the identities of most of the rocket company’s investors have been closely guarded. The Kahlon investor list adds hundreds of names to the public picture of who owns SpaceX. […]

    Some of the SpaceX investors on Kahlon’s ledger are easy to identify: the Indian politician Abhishek Singhvi; Betsy DeVos, the former U.S. secretary of education; a British Virgin Islands company owned by Indonesian billionaires. But others on the list are shell companies whose ultimate owners remain hidden.

    […] One such company is a Delaware LLC called HAL9001 Partners Fund I, which invested roughly $10 million in a SpaceX fund in 2020. The incorporation documents for HAL9001 were signed by the venture capitalist Roman Sobachevskiy. The Treasury Department recently fined a company that was co-owned by Sobachevskiy hundreds of millions of dollars for managing a different investment on behalf of a sanctioned Russian oligarch. Sobachevskiy has not been personally accused of wrongdoing.

    […] The records also shed some light on the connections between SpaceX and Qatar. Funds affiliated with Bracket Capital — an investment firm with offices in Los Angeles, London and Qatar — invested about $48 million through a series of deals from 2017 through 2020, the documents show. Bracket has money from the Qatari royal family, according to an email that Kahlon sent to SpaceX’s CFO. The ledger also lists Doha, Qatar, as the address for a mysterious entity called AM FIG Cayman Limited, which invested around $10 million in 2020.

    he documents do not specify whether the Bracket investments were made on behalf of the royal family or some other client. […]

    The investments covered in the ledger were tiny percentages of SpaceX but would have generated windfalls. The company’s valuation has exploded in recent years, from $33.3 billion in 2019 to $2.7 trillion as of Wednesday morning.

    Last year, ProPublica reported on SpaceX’s unusual approach to accepting money from Chinese investors. According to testimony from the Delaware case, the company allowed Chinese investors to buy stakes in SpaceX so long as the money was routed through the Cayman Islands or other offshore secrecy hubs. [!]

  361. says

    All this is scary:

    Trump May Be Drawing Down Iran War, But He’s Demanding Billions More for Bombs
    The GOP is souring on Trump’s $1.5 trillion military budget as the president pushes for yet another reconciliation bill.
    https://truthout.org/articles/trump-may-be-drawing-down-iran-war-but-hes-demanding-billions-more-for-bombs/
    ALSO:
    Steve Witkoff, Araghchi Head to Switzerland as Iran Talks Resume Fresh Israeli strikes in Southern Lebanon By Reuters June 20, 2026
    https://www.globalvillagespace.com/steve-witkoff-araghchi-head-to-switzerland-as-iran-talks-resume-amid-lebanon-ceasefire-strains/

    I ask: How can the negotiations continue when Iran demands Israel stop bombing Lebanon and israel says this:
    ‘Psychopath’ Ben-Gvir Slammed for Demand That ‘All Lebanon Must Burn’
    https://www.commondreams.org/news/ben-gvir-burn-lebanon

    So, let’s compare AF1 projects:

    This figure below is an understated fantasy from the magat admin. It will likely will be over $1.5billion per an aviation contract consultant I know.
    The jet Qatar gave Trump could cost taxpayers $1 billion to upgrade to …
    May 23, 2025 https://fortune.com/2025/05/23/airplane-qatar-air-force-one-cost/

    According to an aviation contract consultant I know: In 2018 Boeing was contracted to produce two new AF1s. under a fixed-cost contract with no room for increase $1.8 Billion each for two including purchase and upgrades superior to the qatari jet. And, the qatari jet violates u.s. policy since it has NO backup aircraft. Boeing has invested over $7billion in advanced features, but won’t/can’t charge over the $1.8 contract limit per aircraft.

    I have not had time to read all 360 comments and apologize if I’ve repeated anything.

  362. Pierce R. Butler says

    JM @ # 351: As weird as it is, the Iranians have requested Vance at points in these negotiations.

    This reminds me of Putin “suggesting” Trump make Steve Witkoff his envoy to Moscow, per the Wall St Journal (amazing how little discussion that revelation provoked).

    If I were wheelin’ ‘n’ dealin’ in any business, I’d want the other side to send Barney Fife to represent them too. Rough on the negotiators, but everyone engaged in “diplomacy” with the US runs that risk these days.

    shermanj @ # 361: I have not had time to read all 360 comments and apologize if I’ve repeated anything.

    It takes only a few seconds to search the page for keywords relevant to whatever you intend to post.

  367. says

    DOJ is cool with monopolies, and federal judges slam immigration courts

    This week, the DOJ was bold enough to say that antitrust law is for suckers, right? Also, the government just can’t stop stepping on rakes when forced to actually defend their actions in court.

    The Trump administration has eagerly backed Paramount’s effort to buy Warner Bros., just ignoring that whole antitrust problem that arises here. Paramount is one of the oldest and biggest movie studios, and so is Warner Bros. A merger also puts two major news organizations—CNN and CBS News—under one roof. Oh, and also, two huge streaming services, Paramount+ and HBO Max.

    […] while career lawyers at the Department of Justice did their jobs, investigating for months and reportedly coming close to suggesting the DOJ file a lawsuit challenging the merger, higher-ups at the department understood the assignment, which is to let the Ellisons, the Trump pals who own Paramount [give Trump] $16 million to bless Paramount’s last giant merger with Skydance, [and to, once again do] whatever they want. So, without consulting with those staffers […] the DOJ just closed the investigation, smoothing the way forward for Paramount to gobble up even more outlets.

    Can’t wait to see how CBS News head Bari Weiss will bring her bold vision to reshape news or whatever to CNN, which is reportedly in the works as a part of this deal. Perhaps she’ll bring her outstanding ability at driving ratings into the cellar.

    [I snipped a discussion of the Trump administration losing in court when they attempted to strip Haiti of Temporary Protected Status, which would have resulted in the deportation of over 300,000 Haitians.]

    Trump sneakily redefines what it means to be a child

    […] It’s likely you’ve never heard of the Embryo Adoption and Awareness Services Program, which sounds creepy, but it’s really just a program making people aware of the donation of embryos, such as when people have surplus embryos after going through IVF, and the adoption of those embryos by, for example, infertile or same-sex couples.

    […] groups can apply for federal money to raise awareness of embryo adoption opportunities.

    Tucked away in there, however, in one slim sentence, is an absolute bombshell: “OPA’s Embryo Adoption Awareness and Services program recognizes embryo adoption first and foremost as a response to the needs of children who already exist and are in need of a family.”

    […] it is actually a sideways way of saying that embryos are…already children. Yes, it’s time for fetal personhood again! Anti-choice activists have a holy grail, so to speak, which is getting laws that say that a fetus is a “person” from the moment of conception. Now, they’ve got just the administration to make their dreams come true.

    Fallout from the Broadview case will haunt the DOJ for a long time

    Last month, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros, was forced to drop the laughable charges against the Broadview 6 when it became clear that federal prosecutors had manipulated the grand jury proceedings and were then dumb enough to lie to the court about it.

    Boutros presumably thought that would be the end of the matter. Nope. The Broadview 6 defendants just filed a motion asking for a special counsel to investigate whether those government attorneys should be prosecuted for criminal contempt, and they really, really should. There have to be some consequences for the DOJ continually lying to courts, and this just might drag all that into the open.

    Federal judges are sick of immigration courts
    […] Federal judges have ruled against ICE over 13,000 times in immigration cases. Well, likely much more by now, as that number is from May. The reason there are so many cases, and the reason the government keeps losing, is that immigration judges are doing Trump’s bidding rather than following the actual law. [True]

    Immigration judges are not Article III judges nominated and confirmed by the Senate. Rather, they’re just DOJ employees. Trump has forced out longtime, evenhanded, nonpartisan people from those roles and substituted them with deportation-frenzied types like himself. [!] Those folks have been happy to follow Trump’s demand that detainees be denied bond, full stop, which means that every detainee stays confined no matter what.

    However, by simply rubber-stamping decisions, immigration judges aren’t making findings based on any particular factual or legal reason to deny bond. Which means that the federal judges have to clean up their mess. Lower court judges are buried under hundreds, if not thousands, of unnecessary habeas corpus cases filed by detainees who are locked up for no reason.

  368. says

    Russia has been trying to capture the village of Mala Tokmachka, which is near Zaporizhzhia, literally for years and has been unable to do it.

    This time they sent a motorcycle assault force like something out of Mad max — and it ended badly for the bad guys.

    Thirty bikes and an assortment of quad bikes were mowed down. [video, plus social media post with photos of “a cemetery for Russian motorcyclists]
    […]

    Link

    More news about Ukraine is available at the link, including several discussions of the president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, deciding to strip the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The decision to strip the Ukrainian president of the Order of the White Eagle is a strategic mistake by the Polish president, from which only Moscow will benefit,” said Foreign Minister Sybiha.

    And this: “Russia published photos of its strike on postal distribution centers as if they were proud of it. What military value is there in destroying a post office?”

    And this: “Russia used glide bombs on civilians in Kharkiv.”

    And this: “The Kapotnya refinery in Moscow, Russia, has suspended all operations. The annual production of 12 million tons in oil products has stopped working Russia’s capital. “

  370. says

    Interior Department announcement:

    “The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening — most infamously Obama’s reopening — since 1922,” Interior posted on X. “The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”

    Ummm… nope. See the Chris Hayes video in comment 355.

    Commentary:

    […] Even when Trump starts with a glimmer of truth — that many iconic spots in D.C. had been allowed to shamefully deteriorate — he goes overboard in such a Trumpian way that he often ends up making things worse.

    He orders up bulldozers in the middle of the night, arrogantly refusing to get input from planning experts or Congress in this most meticulously and symbolically arranged federal city.

    His habit of rushing in unilaterally, refusing to consult anyone except sycophants, insisting the results are amazing even when we can see that they’re not, also led to the debacle of Elon Musk and DOGE and the humiliation in Iran.

    He imposes his rococo, Brobdingnagian taste on our fabled buildings, crashing around ruining the classical style and perfect proportions of a city design inspired by Paris. Trump engages in cronyism on contracts and profligacy and, for all his gushing about THE BEST, he allows inefficacy to flourish.

    […] When those he hasn’t consulted complain about the misguided schemes, he lambastes and gaslights them on Truth Social, insisting that everything will be AMAZING. As the rival developer Leona Helmsley once said of Trump, “I wouldn’t believe him if his tongue was notarized.”

    […] A lot of Americans miss the days when we built grand things. So it’s appealing on its face that this crazy president can squash the bureaucracy and get it done. But as usual with Trump, you eventually have to accept that he’s incompetent and corrupt and tacky, and just an all-around mess.

    New York Times link

  371. says

    Al Jazeera cameraman killed in Gaza months after his journalist brother died in a separate strike

    Ahmed Washah was killed after an Israeli drone targeted a home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Al Jazeera said in a statement.

    […] Ahmed Washah, a cameraman for Al Jazeera Mubasher — the network’s Arabic-language live channel — died when an Israeli drone struck a home in the Bureij refugee camp, the outlet said in a statement. Two other people were also killed and others were wounded in the attack.

    It is not clear whether the cameraman was the intended target of the strike. NBC News reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

    Washah’s brother, Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Washah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 8 that struck his car in western Gaza City.

    According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the IDF said Mohammed Washah was the intended target of that strike. IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that Mohammed “was a senior figure within Hamas’ military wing.”

    Al Jazeera has denied those claims and condemned Mohammed Washah’s killing, calling it an attempt by Israel to silence and intimidate journalists. A source close to Hamas also told the CPJ that the correspondent had no affiliation with the organization.

    Al Jazeera says Ahmed Washah became the 13th network employee to be killed by Israel. He had covered numerous stories for the outlet, including what Al Jazeera described as “several massacres” committed by Israel in Gaza.

    This most recent strike comes despite a purported ceasefire. While the most intense combat has subsided, Israeli forces have continued launching airstrikes and opening fire on Palestinians, leaving more than 1000 people dead since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel and Hamas have accused each other for violating the truce and failing to uphold its terms.

  373. KG says

    Trump signed the MOU during a trip to Versailles, which in a previous era hosted the signing of a notoriously lousy accord that led to a conflagration we call World War II. – Lynna, OM@36 quoting David Corn in Mother Jones

    The Treaty of Versailles is being unfairly maligned! It was far from perfect, but the negotiators had an enormously difficult task, and it didn’t lead to WW2. Germany was a reasonably stable democracy doing well economically by the late 1920s – it was the crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression that brought Hitler to power, and he was likely the only man who would have launched the European component of WW2. The “War Guilt Clause” and the reparations imposed on Germany were the worst features of Versailles, but it was mildness itself compared to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which Germany had imposed on Bolshevik Russia the year before.

  374. Reginald Selkirk says

    The Word of God Now Comes With Bitcoin Rewards and an $8.99 Premium Tier

    Sorry, can’t afford it. I gave all my money to the poor, as Jesus instructs.

    At first glance, Orange Bible looks like a standard scripture app. But this app is not just for followers of Jesus Christ, it’s also for followers of Satoshi Nakamoto. On top of that, it shows that even religious practice is now being pulled into our increasingly gamified app economy.

    Orange Bible is an iOS Bible app (an Android version is in the works) built around a simple hook: read scripture, keep a streak, and earn small amounts of bitcoin. The app uses both the public-domain Berean Standard Bible and the King James Version, packaging them with the familiar features of a modern Bible app, including search, highlighting, note-taking, reading plans, a prayer journal, and syncing across devices…

  375. Pierce R. Butler says

    KG @ # 373: The Treaty of Versailles … didn’t lead to WW2.

    John Maynard Keynes, and others directly involved in the negotiations, predicted at the time it would have that effect.

    After numerous twists and turns in the road, it ended up where they said it would, only more so.

    For once, the US learned from history, and next time it won a war responded with the Marshall Plan (after which it forgot, apparently, everything).

  376. Reginald Selkirk says

    You’re invited! Oregon’s Herman the Sturgeon celebrates birthday this Sunday

    Oregon’s most famous fish has a birthday coming up, and he wants to invite you to his party.

    Herman the Sturgeon, a 10-foot-long white sturgeon who’s estimated to be around 90 years old, currently lives at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery in Cascade Locks, where two parties will be thrown for him on Sunday.

    The free events will feature birthday sing-alongs, cupcakes, raffles, and activities.

    “Herman has become an ambassador for white sturgeon and Oregon’s aquatic ecosystems,” said Tim Greseth, executive director of the Oregon Wildlife Foundation. “The birthday celebration is a chance for us to celebrate a remarkable fish, learn a bit about the species, and recommit ourselves to their long-term conservation.”

    There will be a morning and afternoon party, with morning festivities beginning at 10 a.m. and the afternoon party starting at 12:30 p.m…

  377. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Newsweek – National Guard deployed at Reflecting Pool

    In multiple photographs, several National Guard personnel in full camouflage uniforms patrol the steps leading down from the Lincoln Memorial toward the pool […] Some groups are seen walking in formation, while others stand at intervals along the stone edges of the basin.
    […]
    Engineer Tyler Dailey added that reflecting pools are not designed with filtration systems typical of swimming pools, meaning “there’s no sanitization of any kind,” which can make controlling algae more challenging.

  379. Militant Agnostic says

    Barii Weiss has achieved the full enshitification of 60 Minutes

    60 Minutes ran a full on infomercial for the Payam piano teaching method which turns out be more of an MLM scam. Franchise Teachers using the system get $25 per hour while the student pays the company $100 to $110 per hour.

    George Hrab did a segment on this on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe Podcast Starts at 1:10:35

    The required qualifications for teachers do not include “experience teaching piano, experience teaching children or even being able to play the piano” although these are preferred qualifications.

    A piano teacher comments

  380. KG says

    John Maynard Keynes, and others directly involved in the negotiations, predicted at the time it would have that effect. – Pierce R. Butler@375

    Well, they were wrong. It’s clear enough that without the Great Depression, no WW2. Hitler’s (and many other Germans’) real beef was that Germany lost WW1 (hence all the “stab in the back” stuff). That would have remaind the case whatever the terms of Versailles. He and his followers wanted a replay, but they’d never have got the chance if Germany had remained reasonably prosperous. Keynes’ objection was to the reparations, but they were largely inflated away during the early 1920s.

  384. StevoR says

    HAPPY JUNE SOLSTICE Y’ALL!

    Our daytime star is now at its furthest north from the celestial equator and another quarter of the year – Solstice to Euqinox to Solstice to Equinox to Solstice is up.

  385. StevoR says

    @ ^ Locally, it is South Oz’s Winter one – along w rest of Southern hemisphere – but much more locally here esp, its so great after a few weeks of welcome rain to have our creeks flowing wonderfully well,our lakes full or fast filling up and some native orchids (eg Urochilus sanguineus, Acianthus pusillus or maybe A collinus or both! Maroon / Red-banded Greenhood & Mosquito orchids respectively)* flowering with our many of our wattle species budding and getting ready to soon bloom. Especially after a very dry Autumn again and with ominous warnings and forecasts looming ahead.

    .* See wikipages :

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterostylis_sanguinea (Huh? They renamed it again?)

    Plus :

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acianthus_pusillus

    As well as :

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acianthus_collinus

  387. StevoR says

    Seems Starmer is probly gone – and going soon. Like in hours or tomorrow Aussie time given its now after 10 pm here:

    The signs are growing that Monday could see the prime minister set out a plan to stand down. Sir Keir Starmer has always insisted he will not walk away and will fight any leadership challenge. But the mood in government has shifted in the past 48 hours. Several government insiders now think that the prime minister could announce a timetable to quit – as soon as Monday. The signs were clear that things are moving quickly in what Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC this morning.

    Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql10wwy69zo

  388. Reginald Selkirk says

    Sooryavanshi, 15, hits record-breaking 11-ball fifty

    Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck a remarkable 11-ball 50 for India A, breaking the record for the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket.

    The 15-year-old’s latest remarkable feat came for India A against Sri Lanka A as he made 94 off 29 balls in a total of 377-9, a knock that included 10 fours and eight sixes.

    He faced just one dot ball in his fifty and hit five fours and five sixes from the other 10 balls to bring up the landmark.
    …
    Sooryavanshi’s knock came on the same day that he was not included in India’s full squad for the upcoming one-day international series against England…

  390. KG says

    StevoR@387,
    I think Starmer was more or less toast after the May 7th elections. The main question was whether Burnham would get into the Commons in time to succeed him. If he’d lost the by-election, I think Streeting, Rayner, Mahmood, probably others would have fought to get the necessary 81 sponsors (plus some number of local branches and affiliated organizations) for a vote among the membership, in which admittedly Starmer could also have stood for re-election and might have won – but I have a feeling the anti-Starmerites would have managed to coalesce around a single candidate, perhaps most likely Rayner. But now, it looks like Burnham will be substituted for Starmer without any electoral contest at all, either national in a general election, or across the membership of the ruling party. There’s nothing illegal or unconstitutional about that, but it’s a weakness Burnham’s political opponents and enemies (the latter of course being mostly located within the Labour Party) will use.

  392. says

    […] On Saturday afternoon, the deflector-in-chief revisited the subject. He posted:

    The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations [sic] magnificent Reflecting Poll [sic]. Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair. President DJT

    [FFS]

    The “multiple individuals” likely refers to a single 67-year-old bicyclist who was arrested by the US Park Police. David Hearn, the man in question, was on a lengthy ride when he was passing the Reflecting Pool. He noticed, as many others have, that part of the ‘American Flag Blue’ lining was detached from its substrate and was wafting gently in the ‘Mountain Dew Green’ water.

    Hearn says he was not the cause of the lining’s failure. However, he was curious to know what it felt like. So he touched it. Alerted to this insult to the national honor, the feds arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property. Wrote him a ticket. Detained for almost five hours at a Park Police facility. And finally released him on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9. [photo of the arrest]

    Hearn version of events contains no destruction of government property. He told the Washington Post, “I didn’t vandalize anything. I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.” [!]

    He added: “I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything.”

    […] Will Trump’s blame-shifting succeed?

    There is no dispute that the Reflecting Pool is a swamp populated by loose bits of pool lining. But given the DoJ’s failure to win cases against individual citizens previously charged with similar offenses, the odds are that Hearn will beat the rap. Unless the prosecutors present evidence of Hearn or other citizens doing what Trump has accused unamed vandals of doing.

    However, as he hasn’t, logic says there isn’t any.

    Addendum 1
    Like every citizen, Hearn has a history. Unlike most of us, he has represented the US in international competitions. Hearn is a three-time Olympian who competed in the canoe slalom. He won two world championships in whitewater racing before retiring from active competition in 2002.

    Trump claims to celebrate American greatness. Yet he is scapegoating someone who contributed to that greatness.

    Addendum 2
    In his Friday night post, Trump also accused his antagonists of herbicide. He wrote: “They destroyed the grass outside of the pool.” It was another example of the man’s propensity for projection. [!] The temporary structure built to showcase Trump’s 80th birthday present to himself – a UFC event – has been removed.

    The ground on which it stood was a verdant expanse of grass. It was appropriately called the South Lawn. It is now a bare patch of scrubby dirt with no lawn in sight. [!] An estimate for its repair pegs the cost at $1 million. [!] But numbers relating to Trump projects always start ‘low.’ And then the check comes. [Photo of the decimated South Lawn.]

    Link

    I wondered about the damage to the South Lawn that “The Claw” arena would cause. Now we know.

  394. says

    Washington Post link

    Intense heat dome will bake Spain, France and the U.K.

    “Temperatures some 20 degrees above average are common so far, and that’s just the start, as the atmospheric oven is about to get turned up.” [Map]

    A significant heat wave is baking Europe.

    Stifling heat is already underway in Central Europe, and will swell into Western Europe, the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula in the coming days. Temperatures some 20 degrees above average are common, and a few severe thunderstorms are likely, too.

    On Friday, several June high-temperature records were set, including in France; Paris’s Luxembourg Gardens hit 101.1 degrees, according to climate historian Max Herrera. Saint-Florent on the island of Corsica hit 106.2 degrees.

    That’s just the start. The heat will expand Sunday and especially Monday.

    Spain and France will be running 15 to 25 degrees above average, and southern England should teeter about 15 to 20 degrees above average. The United Kingdom Met Office has hoisted amber warnings for extreme heat Monday and Tuesday.

    […] Only about 20 percent of European households have air conditioning, compared to nearly 90 percent of U.S. homes.

    In London, a typical June or July high temperature is in the mid-70s. Tuesday could reach 91 degrees, and Wednesday may hit 95.

    […] Each day through Friday should exceed 90 degrees in Paris, and Wednesday and Thursday could nick 100. […]

    The exceptional heat is tied to a heat dome, or a ridge of hot, sinking air and high pressure. Like an atmospheric force field, the high pressure deflects storm systems and inclement weather, allowing persistent sunshine to bake the landscape. The sinking air, meanwhile, dries and heats up even more.

    On Saturday, that heat dome was centered over Germany and the Baltic Sea. It will retrograde westward and intensify on Monday, parking over the English Channel between Tuesday and Thursday before relenting some and shifting east late in the week.

    Since warm air expands, the heat dome is literally causing the atmosphere to bulge upward. Meteorologists look at the height of the 500-millibar level, or the approximate “halfway point” of the atmosphere’s mass. At the core of the heat dome, it’s more than two football fields higher than average. That’s because the air is physically expanding and bulging.

    […] Heat domes are part of the normal summer climate in Europe.

    However, there have been a lot of them over the last few years.

    There was one in June 2025 that sparked a record-breaking marine heat wave in the Mediterranean Sea. Then there was another one a few months later in August. Fast-forward to 2026, and this latest heat dome is Europe’s second in as many months. It follows a record-breaking event in May.

    Could these heat domes have a counterintuitive connection to a mysterious cold blob of ocean water in the North Atlantic that could eventually cause the European climate to cool?

    That cold blob of water, which may be influenced by a mix of natural variability and melting ice from human-driven warming, is contributing to stronger jet stream winds in the western Atlantic. Those stronger winds are being fueled by larger temperature differences between the cold blob and warmer waters to its south.

    This has led to persistent low-pressure and stormy weather in the North Atlantic.

    But the atmosphere tends to seek balance. As storminess deepens over one region, conditions often shift elsewhere to compensate.

    Some 2,000 miles away from the cold blob, Western Europe has been experiencing weaker jet stream winds over the last year as a whole.

    These weaker winds have caused more frequent areas of high-pressure, which can grow into heat domes, particularly when they form in summer. And those heat domes can now produce higher temperatures than in the past, nudged up by the long-term tailwind of rising global temperatures.

    The cold blob shows no signs of easing this summer. That may counterintuitively connect to even more heat domes in Western Europe during the months ahead.

  395. says

    Dad jokes for Fathers Day in the USA:

    […] Eric Capellari, who spoke to The Washington Post while traveling in France, tripped up this reporter: “We are hoping to get to Switzerland. Do you know why? Because the flag is a big plus.”

    More dad jokes […]

    Where do fish keep their money?
    In the river bank. —Jay Holt

    How do you catch a unique bird?
    Unique up on it. —Bill Davis

    [..] Did you get your hair cut?
    No, I got them all cut! —Chip Snyder

    […] I was wondering why the Frisbee kept getting bigger and bigger.
    Then it hit me. —Stephen Dudzik

    Termite walks into a bar and says, “Where’s the bar tender?” —Robin Stuart
    Me: “Dad’s hearing isn’t what it used to be.”

    […] How do churches make holy water?
    They boil the hell out of it. —Mary Mahr

    […] What do musicians do in a cemetery?
    They decompose. —Calvin Finley

    […] What did the letter O say to the number 8?
    Nice belt. —Loren Watts
    […]

    Washington Post link

  396. Pierce R. Butler says

    KG @ # 380: … Germany lost WW1 (hence all the “stab in the back” stuff).

    From the German point of view, particularly the general public German POV, that “stuff” must have seem well justified. Not only had no foreign boot ever trod German soil throughout the war, they’d been fed 4 years of propaganda about glorious victories, then seen a supposed temporary ceasefire turn into a collapse, then an occupation. (And that exacerbated by the French bringing in Black African troops specifically to humiliate Germans. One historian I read about this period noted that while there was no hard evidence to support the inevitable accusations of rapes and molestations by the Africans, there was plenty of same committed by white French troops…)

    He and his followers wanted a replay, but they’d never have got the chance if Germany had remained reasonably prosperous.

    Sheer speculation. The underlying dynamic of British/German competitive imperialism would have remained, as would the “vibes” (as we’re apparently supposed to call them now) of perceived grounds for resentment and jingoism.

    … the reparations… were largely inflated away during the early 1920s.

    A good and realistic point, but I don’t get any impression any German leaders or media conceded that at the time. Realism works better epistemologically than politically.

    Per Wikipffft:

    Due to the lack of reparation payments by Germany, France occupied the Ruhr in 1923 to enforce payments, causing an international crisis that resulted in the implementation of the Dawes Plan in 1924. This plan outlined a new payment method and raised international loans to help Germany to meet its reparation commitments. Despite this, by 1928, Germany called for a new payment plan, resulting in the Young Plan that established the German reparation requirements at 112 billion marks (US$26.3 billion) and created a schedule of payments that would see Germany complete payments by 1988. As a result of the severe impact of the Great Depression on the German economy, reparations were suspended for a year in 1931, and after the failure to implement the agreement reached in the 1932 Lausanne Conference, no additional reparations payments were made. Between 1919 and 1932, Germany paid less than 21 billion marks in reparations, mostly funded by foreign loans that Adolf Hitler reneged on in 1939.

    So the issue remained a serious sore spot all the way up until the fighting started again. Should the US end up rendering reparations to Iran as per the Khamanei-Trump™ Memorandum of Misunderstanding, we can surely expect the demagogues to inflame the boil well past the payment of the last penny (insert sardonic laughter emoji here).

  397. JM says

    The Guardian: Iranian negotiators suspend talks with US in protest over Trump threats

    Iranian negotiators have suspended high-stakes talks with the US in Switzerland in protest at a stream of threats issued by Trump to bomb Iran, and even to kidnap the Iranian negotiating team unless the strait of Hormuz is reopened.

    Threaten to kidnap the Iranian negotiating team out of Switzerland? Trump still manages to find new ways to be tasteless on a regular basis.

    It was not clear if the Iran walkout was permanent or a symbolic show of protest. But before leaving the face-to-face talks in Burgenstock, Iran reached a draft agreement over how the US will issue a waiver lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports, one of the key preconditions before Iran will open talks on its nuclear file.

    We shall see how long the walk out lasts. Negotiations seem to have stuttered in public multiple times already but backroom talks seem to be continuing.

    Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said: “Don’t they think to themselves that if their threats had any effect, they wouldn’t have reached the desperation they face today? We don’t take the Americans’ threats into account at all.”
    But the delegation felt compelled to walk out in protest partly because there is domestic political pressure on the negotiators to show they distrust the Trump negotiating team.

    Some of the complaints and disruptions are just playing to national press. Both sides are very sensitive to anything that could be perceived as rolling over for the other side.

  399. JM says

    @396 Pierce R. Butler and #380 KG: Hitler was not the only party pushing for war. The German military had been planning and preparing for WWII as soon as WWI ended, breaking the terms of the peace treaty from the start. The rest of the German governments had to be aware of at least some of what the military was doing.
    A lot of Germans were envious of the French and British colonial empires and felt that Germany could only catch up if they could reestablish themselves as a military power.
    WWII in some form was likely inevitable. The League of Nations was failing and conflicts rising in general. Germany was going to get involved somehow.
    How it would play out would vary widely though. A more stable Germany might have settled for absorbing some of the border regions that were German speaking majority and some bits of the old Prussian territory. If Germany had turned it’s eyes toward Russia from the start they might have been able to ally with some of the European powers against Russia.

  400. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Aaron Rupar:

    FOX & FRIENDS: Do you have any immediate plans to join Jared and Steve?

    JD VANCE: It’s always a delicate coordination dance with the diplomatic protocols. I’ve gotta be honest with you—I don’t really understand these things.

    Aaron Rupar: “JD Vance is on his way to Switzerland to negotiate with the Iranians but tells reporters he can only stay ‘a day or two’.”

    Rando 1: “He’s literally in the middle of a book tour. The Vice President is shortening a trip to negotiate with Iran so that he can do more podcasts to promote his memoir, using his office for personal profit.”
     
    Anjali Dayal (Intl relations prof):

    Leah McElrath (Human rights activist): Qatar announced the start of the “Lake Lucerne Summit” with the US, Iran, and Pakistan participating. The announcement says specialized expert technical groups have been formed to negotiate the terms of the final agreement and follow-up groups have been established to oversee its implementation.

    It’s objectively good to seek peace instead of waging war, but these negotiations have two separate sets of spoilers who are not at the table: the Israeli government, and the US president, who functions separately from his representatives, running in his own realm of impulsive and erratic choices.

    Of course another notable issue is that we sent the president’s Victorian ghost son-in-law, the president’s real estate agent, and the most embarrassing man in the world to do the work of diplomats.

    MeidasTouch: Iran’s negotiators have LEFT the venue in protest of Trump’s threats, per Tasnim. Trump is single-handedly destroying the entire peace process.

    No kidding. Hard to overstate the gap in intention and skill between these negotiating parties, not in the least because you can’t negotiate with someone who doesn’t have a clear sense of what negotiations are.

    Trump threatened to resume bombing and threatened to murder Iranian negotiators. Killing negotiators under the flag of truce is pure perfidy.

    “You close it, and you won’t have a country,” Fox News said, quoting Trump. “You won’t even make it back to your f—ing country.”

    [Different outlet]: Trump posted several threatening tweets. He said the US could take control of Strait of Hormuz if necessary and impose tariffs. He also threatened to wipe out Iran

    Is threatening to kill negotiators an effective negotiating tactic? Only to the extent that you’re demonstrating you’re willing to do anything, which was already clear from you being the batshit bastard who started this war for no clear reason and with apparently absolutely no plan.

    Aaron Rupar: “JD Vance as Trump threatens to occupy Iran and ‘blow the shit out of them’—’What has brought us to this moment is the president’s leadership … what we have already seen back home in the US is lower gas prices, we’ve seen the free flow of oil and gas, we’ve seen peace.'”

    Aaron Rupar: “JD Vance: ‘I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re keep on working at it.'”

    Rando 2: “Ladies and gentlemen, the man that was out of his depth when he bought donuts.”

    Cheryl Rofer: “‘No threats’ is in the first paragraph of the MOU.”
     
    Aaron Rupar: “President Trump told Fox News ‘the US may take over the strait in the future if they have to & collect tolls. The president described this as the US being the guardian angel of the Strait of Hormuz & Middle East. He said that would involve the US taking 20% of the oil that passes through the strait.'”

    Aaron Rupar: “[Fox]: The president told me he’s disappointed Israel can’t put Hezbollah away. He went on to say, ‘They can’t do anything without knocking buildings down’ & that he is close to giving it to Syria. He’s talking about empowering the Syrian president to actually go into southern Lebanon and fight Hezbollah.”
     
    Nicholas Grossman (International relations prof):

    Trump got the the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a big new revenue stream. The apparent White House plan is to pretend that “new required insurance coverage approved by Iran” and “maritime fees to Iran” are somehow not tolls to Iran, or blatantly lie that the US gets the tolls, and hope people buy it.

    Sanho Tree (Institute for Policy Studies):

    Trump is just mad the Iranians stole his “protection” plan. Trump has been peddling his protection racket idea since the 1980s! He called for ending defense alliances unless they paid for protection during the Iran-Iraq tanker war in the Persian Gulf. Trump spent more than $100,000 for a series of full page ads in the NYT & other major papers to promote it. [Image]

  403. birgerjohansson says

    Bovine social interaction. Notice he is careful to keep the cows or the vehicle between himself and Rufus the bull. Bulls are not ‘mean’, they just follow the instinct. And if you are not a cow, that means they may attack.

    “Ro Ro and Ruth my dogs. 🙃 Rufus not my dog”
    .https://youtube.com/watch?v=6AYqGqKUruo

  404. JM says

    404 Media: Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People
    This is on archive to get around ads, the article is from 404 media.

    For months during the summer of 2024, Jarmarus Brown, an Orange City, Florida police officer, ran his ex-girlfriend’s license plate through the Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) system lookup database at least 69 times. He searched for the license plate belonging to her mom at least 24 times, and searched for the license plate belonging to her dad at least 15 times. Brown’s searches were happening so often, and were so commonplace, that even one of his colleagues noticed Brown researching his ex-girlfriend’s whereabouts while the law enforcement officers sat in their police cruisers, according to court records obtained by 404 Media.

    Brown’s case was not a one-off. Local news reports from around the country repeatedly detail police abusing the Flock surveillance systemic order to stalk their partners or ex-partners. The contours of each story are much the same, with the police officer in question using their access to the system to repeatedly track a specific person over the course of weeks or months. The cases highlight the fact that Flock can be used to track the whereabouts of individual people, that police do not get a warrant in order to use the system, and that, if they have access to the system, they have the technical ability to look up any license plate they want for any reason they want. An April study by the civil rights group Institute for Justice found that at least 18 police officers have been caught around the country using Flock to stalk a romantic interest in the last few years; another database, called the ALPR Abuse Library, has documented 20 specific cases of “stalking/targeting” around the country.
    The known cases of police stalking are almost certainly a vast underreporting of the overall abuse, because they largely include only cases in which the behavior was so egregious that it led to police officers being fired, arrested, or both.

    This shouldn’t be a surprise. Cops get caught semi-regularly using police resources to track ex-girlfriends, ex-wives and others even when it’s difficult, involves multiple cops and should require a warrant. Given access to a system where they can easily do it on their own and only the rules in police handbook limit them stalking becomes a regular problem.
    And this is for a system that is not in widespread use. This will become an ever bigger problem as larger networks are built.

    It is definitely the case that Flock’s audit tools have proven useful in holding police accountable, because journalists, activists, and concerned citizens from around the country have pored through Flock audit logs that they have obtained through public records requests to document abuse. But it is also the case that Flock has strenuously fought against lawsuits and potential regulations that are seeking to require police to get a warrant to use the system. And many cases of abuse have not been detected by police departments themselves but by those private citizens, journalists, and stalking victims who have found patterns of abuse in public records files they have obtained from their local police departments. In most cases of Flock-related stalking reviewed by 404 Media, the abuse occurred over the course of months or years, and the victims were subjected to dozens or hundreds of lookups.

    Flock does internally keep a record of everything but getting those records is hard. It’s clear from looking at the records that many police forces don’t audit how the police use flock at all.

  405. JM says

    Tech Times: Linux 7.2 Closes Memory Bug Class With strncpy Removal After Six Years

    Phoronix Linux 7.2’s merge window closed out a cleanup campaign on Friday that most kernel developers had stopped expecting to see end: the complete removal of strncpy(), a C string-copy function that the kernel’s own documentation labels “actively dangerous,” from every subsystem, driver, and architecture-specific file in the kernel source tree. The merge landed June 20, 2026. After around 362 commits spread across six years of incremental work, no call site using the function remained, and the function itself — including the last per-CPU-architecture optimized implementations — was struck from the source.

    It took 6 years but finally all use of strncpy has been removed and the function itself removed. Strncpy is fundamentally unsafe at the kernel level because it can be used to peek at memory and overwrite memeory. The Linux kernel ended up with 3 slightly different string copy functions and 2 other functions that do things strncpy was used for but shouldn’t have at all.
    This is the sort of thing that never gets fixed in Windows or most other OSs, it’s a lot of work to fix various potential issues. For this type of issue Windows just patches specific problems as they turn up.

  406. Reginald Selkirk says

    Could lightning-inspired fertilizer be a climate-friendly option for Canadian farmers?

    But an emerging crop fertilizer technology is gaining interest amid an acute shortage caused by wars in the Middle East. Though research is in early stages and has not yet been peer-reviewed, the method is also being explored as one possible way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traditional chemical fertilizers.

    The cold plasma method essentially replicates lightning, similar to the novelty lightning globes popular in the ’90s.

    The fertilizer is made on site at individual farms, a potential advantage as geopolitical conflicts disrupt supply…

    Lightning is a natural fertilizer because its energy converts nitrogen in the air into a form plants can absorb, Reuter told What on Earth. That combines with rainwater to make nitric acid, and falls onto soil as liquid fertilizer…

    A plasma reactor inside each machine creates the kind of colourful lightning seen in novelty globes. From there, it breaks apart nitrogen molecules to make nitrous oxide, Nykolaishen said.

    That is sent into a special chamber, where it is infused into water to make nitric acid, becoming liquid fertilizer…

    The cold plasma method uses only a small amount of electricity to create those molecules, he said.

    Nykolaishen said the company’s environmental pitch is simple: “Your inputs into making the product are air, water and electricity — so not using natural gas to make the nitrogen. You’re not shipping it across the world. You’re not hauling it from a retailer onto your farm.” …

    Of course the electricity has to be produced somehow. They don’t discuss that.

  407. Reginald Selkirk says

    Separation of Church and State: America’s Best Idea

    America is not, has never been, and was never intended to be a Christian nation. To modern Christian nationalists, that sounds like heresy. They’ll argue that all of our presidents have been Christian, the majority of our citizens are Christian, our elected officials swear their oaths on a Bible, and politicians and preachers alike cry out God’s name during sex with their mistresses and male escorts. Everyone knows we were founded by the Puritans, right? And they were so religiously uptight they got kicked out of England. How can we not be a Christian nation?

    But the truth is that America is something far more ambitious, and far more fragile: a secular republic where every belief is protected, because none is imposed…

  408. StevoR says

    If Anthony Albanese is looking for a blueprint to combat One Nation, the results of a by-election on the other side of the world this week may hold some clues.

    Like Australia, the United Kingdom’s political status quo has been up-ended by a populist, right-wing party enjoying a surge in support.

    On Thursday however, voters in a working-class constituency in north-west England made a statement when they delivered Andy Burnham, the candidate for Britain’s deeply unpopular Labour government, a crushing victory.

    Reform UK, a rising anti-establishment force that has dominated national opinion polls for months and shares multiple similarities with One Nation, was a distant second.

    Notwithstanding the significant differences between the politics of Britain and Australia, and the incomparable systems of how people cast their ballots, some experts believe analysing the Makerfield by-election could be of some use to Albanese and his team.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-21/makerfield-by-election-could-be-warning-for-albanese/106766750

  409. Reginald Selkirk says

    Your brain was never designed for this much bad news

    Humans evolved to pay close attention to danger, but today that instinct is being overwhelmed by an endless supply of bad news from around the world. Researchers say the answer isn’t to stop following current events—it’s to build healthier habits around how, when, and where we get our news…

    Or, you know, just stop electing fascists.

  410. Militant Agnostic says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @400

    He (Trump) said that would involve the US taking 20% of the oil that passes through the strait.

    How the ever loving fuck would that be accomplished? Does he think that each tanker will stop and pump 20% of it’s cargo into a tanker that will sail to the U.S. once it is full or will every tanker be force to sail to the U.S and offload 20% of it’s cargo before sailing to their intended destination. Oh, I forgot he doesn’t think.

  417. birgerjohansson says

    Reginald Selkirk @ 414

    Wasn’t Alan Greenspan close friends with Ayn Rand, back in the day?

  418. Reginald Selkirk says

    @415

    One X user wrote: “It’s a picture of Margo Casimatidis in Camp David during Bill Clinton’s term.

    This makes sense if you notice the state seal of Arkansas on the couch cushion to the left.

  419. Reginald Selkirk says

    @417 yes

    Greenspan’s Folly: The demise of the cult of self-interest

    I was wrong, Alan Greenspan said in so many words. Seated before his congressional inquisitors in October 2008, with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression cascading down Wall Street, Mr. Greenspan confessed that the philosophical principle upon which he had based his highly influential professional judgment is—flawed…

  420. Reginald Selkirk says

    In a first, scientists find evidence of fungi hiding inside moss cells

    More than 85% of land plants partner with fungi to pull nutrients from the soil in exchange for sugar, but never before has science witnessed a relationship between moss and fungi—until now.
    …
    However, a new study published in New Phytologist found that Earth’s green carpet may host fungi in its tissues, which had never been documented before.

    UCR doctoral researcher Kian Kelly investigated this curious absence of fungi in moss by visiting scorching deserts, like the Mojave and Sonoran, where temperatures climb over 100 degrees Fahrenheit; there, he discovered that fungi were living inside mosses in both desert and less harsh conditions…

  421. says

    I’ve always really enjoyed Wiley Miller’s non-sequitor comic strip. He has always been astute. But, today he takes a direct swipe at tRUMP. I’m glad he has done this, but I don’t know if there will be any repercussions with the corporations that carry his strip. There have been in the past when he created a ‘coloring book’ page that had ‘fuck trump’ hidden in it.
    https://featureassets.gocomics.com/assets/3a628f00465a013fc18c005056a9545d?optimizer=image&width=1200&quality=85

    And, if you want accurate insight on the peace talks, read this:
    https://www.juancole.com/2026/06/progress-sanctions-relief.html

  423. says

    Sky Captain @400, that’s a good collection of comments concerning the negotiations (and lack thereof) between Trump and Iran. I won’t say “between the USA and Iran,” because Trump seems to be making all of the mistakes, and making all of the undiplomatic moves.

    Followup:

    As last week’s G7 summit in France got underway, a reporter asked Donald Trump whether his purported deal with Iran was final. “No, it’s not final,” the president replied. Later that day — during a visit to Versailles, of all places — he signed the framework anyway.

    But moments after signing his name to the memorandum of understanding, Trump offered an unsubtle hint about what he was thinking at the time. Amid applause from those around him, the American president pointed down and then up while saying, “Oil down, stocks up.”

    In other words, Trump’s focus had nothing to do with natural security and everything to do with the economy. What’s more, the four-word phrase was part of a larger and underappreciated pattern. The Washington Post reported:

    In the more than 100 days since President Donald Trump launched a war with Iran, he has offered a shifting list of reasons for why he started the conflict. But in explaining his push for peace, he named a priority much closer to home: protecting the stock market.

    “I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe,” Trump told reporters gathered in the Alpine spa town of Évian-les-Bains, France, after the Group of Seven summit.

    […] The comments came days after Trump similarly argued, “The alternative to this deal was a global recession. There are stupid people who want to see a global recession. They are just stupid people.”

    Whether the president fully appreciates the implications of his own rhetoric, this string of comments doesn’t just shed light on his motivations for accepting a defeat, it also suggests he saw his failed policy in Iran as pushing the global economy toward a dangerous cliff.

    In other words, based on Trump’s own comments, the war he started was poised to create an “economic catastrophe,” which he was desperate to avoid — and which led him to accept a framework that empowered Iran to get what it wanted in exchange for effectively no concessions at all.

    Link

    Republican criticism of Trump’s Iran policy intensifies as White House pitch falls flat:

    As last week neared its end, JD Vance was asked for his response to Senate Republicans who have criticized the Trump administration’s deal with Iran. “I guess I would say to anybody, any of the critics, is No. 1, have a little bit of faith in the president of United States,” the vice president replied. “The idea that he is going to strike a deal that’s been bad for the American people, it’s preposterous.” [LOL, ROTFL. “Faith” is earned.]

    […] Almost immediately after many on Capitol Hill started learning about the contours of the agreement, some Republicans joined Democrats in denouncing the policy. Retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, for example, described the administration’s approach to Iran as “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas added, “History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea. I think the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal.”

    As the week progressed and lawmakers learned more details, the scope of the intraparty criticisms intensified. Politico reported:

    Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker on Thursday panned the Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump this week, saying the agreement “negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the president’s goals.” […]

    In a statement, Wicker criticized the $300 billion fund for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development, even if the money is not supplied by American taxpayers.

    […] The same day, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, came to a very similar conclusion, sharing concerns that “certain aspects of this deal are a step in the wrong direction.”

    As The Washington Post summarized, “The pushback was notable because neither Cotton nor Wicker are frequent critics of the administration.” [understatement] […] despite being conservative Republicans who nearly always toe the party line, they feel compelled to tell the public that Trump’s deal is a bad one […]

    Link

    On the White House’s Iran policy, JD Vance finds the truth isn’t good enough

    As the diplomatic process advances, the official overseeing the United States’ role is an inexperienced vice president who keeps saying false things.

    […] JD Vance — whose last attempts at diplomacy amounted to nothing — was on hand for the talks, and the vice president was joined by a team of White House envoys.

    […] Even if we put aside the inconvenient fact that Vance is a young and inexperienced politician with no background in diplomacy or international affairs, there are broader questions about his competence. During a Fox News interview last week, for example, before the White House shared the contents of the MOU framework, the vice president was asked why the administration was reluctant to release the document.

    He replied that there was “some diplomatic procedure,” though he conceded, “I don’t understand it.” [!] On Saturday morning, before departing for Switzerland, he returned to Fox News and was asked about his planned interactions with Donald Trump’s other dubious diplomats, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really understand these things,” Vance said. “I’ve never been particularly into diplomatic protocols.” [!!]

    […] Making matters significantly worse, there are other elements of the discussion that Vance says he does understand but that have fallen apart under routine scrutiny. The New York Times reported:

    Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the preliminary deal to stop the war with Iran as a “win for the American people.” But he relied in part on a string of aspirational, vague and misleading claims about the agreement. [!]

    […] Seven days ago, for example, Vance said details surrounding the destruction of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are “spelled out very clearly” in the deal that Donald Trump announced a day earlier. That wasn’t true: The MOU includes no such provisions. [!]

    Even after the claim had been discredited, the vice president repeated it anyway.

    On Thursday, JD Vance also insisted that the Obama-era Iran deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) gave Iranians “over a billion dollars of American money.” That wasn’t true, either: The actual total was zero. [!]

    In other words, as the diplomatic process slowly advances, the official overseeing the United States’ role is an inexperienced vice president with a worrisome track record, who admits he’s “never been particularly into diplomatic protocols,” and who, on too many occasions, has presented the public with factual claims that were wrong.

    […] his boss continues to make new threats, telling Fox News that he had spoken to Iranian officials on Saturday night and warned them not to close the Strait of Hormuz, which the White House claims is under U.S. control.

    “You close it, and you won’t have a country,” Trump claimed he told Iranian officials, referring to the strait. The American president added, “You won’t even make it back to your f–––ing country. We may take over the strait, if we have to. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls. I’ll blow the s––– out of them.” [The full quote is even more disturbing than the excerpt that is making the rounds of mainstream media.]

    The trouble is, Trump’s credibility is about as horrible as Vance’s, if not worse: The president has made a series of related threats, only to back down later […]

    Link

  424. says

    Tulsi Gabbard Was Not Acting Alone

    The Washington Post’s Jon Swaine has a shocking, meticulously reported story about former Congresswoman and now former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her lifelong relationship with the Hare Krishna breakaway group, the Science of Identity Foundation. Swaine’s investigation makes the case that Chris Butler, the group’s guru, directed many of Gabbard’s legislative and media actions throughout her tenure in Congress — if not longer.

  425. says

    RFK, Jr. Holding Up Crucial Social Services Funding

    The Department of Health and Human Services, now under a directive that all funding be approved by the White House and Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to states and social services organizations that provide suicide prevention, opioid addiction, disease outbreak, and other crucial public health interventions, NOTUS reports.

    The first step in this new review system requires all funding Congress has already appropriated to “first clear an AI screening which flags certain keywords that the administration finds unacceptable, such as culture, harm reduction, gender and transgender.”

  426. says

    New York Times link

    “Going to a National Park This Summer? Here’s What to Expect”

    “Huge visitor numbers, sharply reduced staffing, scrapped reservation systems and higher entry fees for nonresidents could make your trip a bit less serene.”

    Soaring international airfares and other fallout from the war in the Middle East have many Americans looking to stay closer to home this summer, and the 433 National Park Service locations are looming large in those plans.

    A summer travel industry forecast […] said that interest in national parks and other outdoor hot spots has spiked 65 percent over last year, and that seems to be bearing out: Last month was Yellowstone National Park’s busiest May on record.

    […] This year, staffing remains sharply reduced, and some parks have scrapped their reservation systems, already leading to gridlock at popular sites. In addition, steep new fees for foreign visitors have caused confusion at entry gates, resulting in delays.

    […] the Park Service has now reduced permanent agency workers by 25 percent, which could cause problems like long waits at entry gates, uncleaned restrooms, understaffed visitor centers, more traffic jams, slower emergency responses and fewer ranger-led interpretive services this summer.

    The cutbacks could also have lasting effects, as workers prioritize visitor-facing services over long-term stewardship. For example, specialists like wildlife biologists and structural engineers may have to pitch in on tasks like cleaning bathrooms and directing traffic.

    […] May visitation at Yosemite increased more than 12 percent over last year, with especially large crowds over Memorial Day weekend. Numerous local media outlets, including the ABC News affiliate in Los Angeles and The San Francisco Chronicle reported issues like entry delays of 90 minutes or longer, clogged trails at popular sites and widespread illegal parking in sensitive areas.

    […] “We’ve never seen anything like it,” Ms. Williams, who has been visiting Yosemite several times each year since 2018, wrote in an email. Parking areas were full by 7 a.m. on weekdays, and shuttle buses were “stacked up three deep with no room for anyone to board,” she said.

    “Timed entry wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing,” Ms. Williams added.

    Yosemite managers eliminated the reservation system in February after a study last year found that it was “not the most effective approach for the coming season,” Superintendent Ray McPadden said in a statement announcing the changes.

    […] However, not all parks have ended reservation systems. A few that had formally adopted them as part of visitor management plans — including Acadia, in Maine; Rocky Mountain, in Colorado; and Zion, in Utah — are keeping them.

    To avoid crowds and complications, consider visiting quieter parks; avoiding weekends and holidays; arriving before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m.; buying advance passes online at recreation.gov; using shuttles; and seeking out less popular park entrances like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and at Yellowstone, the Northeast Entrance near Cooke City, Mont.

    […] A new entry surcharge for non-U.S. residents has caused widespread confusion and frustration in trip planning and at entry gates among international travelers, tour operators and park staffers, said Lisa Simon, the chief executive of the International Inbound Travel Association, a nonprofit U.S. trade group.

    Nonresident visitors 16 and older are now required to pay an extra $100 [!] plus the standard $35 entry fees at each of 11 marquee parks: Bryce Canyon, in Utah; Everglades, in Florida; Grand Teton, in Wyoming; Sequoia & Kings Canyon, in California; and Acadia, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.

    They can also buy a $250 nonresident annual pass — available online or at park gates. The same pass costs $80 for U.S. residents.

    […] “The parks have not been operating consistently because they don’t have good guidance,” Ms. Simon said, adding that she hopes a workable system will soon be adopted to help avoid further delays.

  429. says

    Starmer quits as Labour leader and paves way for contest for new prime minister. That is a BBC link.

    Video at the link.

    Sir Keir Starmer has said he will quit as Labour Party leader, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister.

    Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and he had informed the King of his decision to step down.

    Sir Keir added he has asked Labour’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, with nominations opening on 9 July and ending by the summer recess on 16 July.

    He said if there was a contest then a new leader would be in place before Parliament returns in September, and he will “do everything” he can to ensure an “orderly” transition of power.

    Sir Keir said he would remain as prime minister until the leadership contest is complete.

    He added he would also give his successor “my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago”.

    Andy Burnham is regarded by many as the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir after he secured an emphatic win over his Reform UK rival in last week’s Makerfield by-election.

    Burnham announced on Monday that he would put himself forward as a candidate in the leadership contest, before he boarded a train to London to take his parliamentary seat.

    His chances were given an immediate boost by former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who had been viewed as his main rival, offering his backing to the former Greater Manchester mayor.

    […] On being formally sworn in as an MP in the House of Commons, Burham was greeted by loud cheers from Labour benches and a few heckles from the opposition, with one MP shouting: “He’s not the messiah.”

    After taking his seat, he joined around 200 Labour MPs in Westminster Hall to take a group selfie. [photo]

    […] Sir Keir’s decision to step down also means the UK will soon have its seventh prime minister since 2016. […]

  430. says

    ‘A huge grab of power’: Trump is defying congress on foreign aid

    After the Trump administration upended the world’s largest foreign aid provider last year, terminating thousands of programs and firing nearly all of its staff, its plan for the agency was clear: Eliminate it entirely.

    But because it is a congressionally created agency, […] Trump needed lawmakers’ permission to do so. So this year, Trump officials asked Congress for permission to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development and dramatically reduce federal spending on food, medicine and lifesaving work around the world.

    Congress said no. Lawmakers, who hold the government’s purse strings and have oversight of federal agencies, wanted USAID to remain, even in its diminished form. They detailed precisely how much the State Department should spend on foreign aid and for what, including $9.4 billion on global health to treat and prevent maladies like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and more than $5 billion on emergency humanitarian aid. They also insisted on regular, detailed reports about how the administration was spending the money.

    Trump signed the bill, enshrining their orders into law.

    Now, eight months into the fiscal year, Trump officials are failing to follow many of those orders, ProPublica has found. Officials have delayed spending on global health, have not issued funds for some projects and have labeled money destined for humanitarian aid as “unallocated” to control how it can be spent […]

    Last year, the administration took the unprecedented step of gutting USAID, terminating thousands of aid programs and letting funding expire, all without permission from Congress. Lawmakers did little to stop it.
    Now, in defying Congress on foreign aid that Trump himself agreed to spend, the administration is escalating the battle. [True]

    “It is a huge grab of power from the president […] when Trump officials dismantled the agency last year, stopping payments on thousands of lifesaving programs that provided food, medicine and other supplies to impoverished nations, many people died, including children.

    Even with USAID in shambles, Congress has made clear that it expects the administration to continue providing foreign aid — in some cases, at nearly the level it did in previous years.

    […] The Office of Management and Budget, run by Russell Vought, was instrumental in blocking the spending of aid money last year. This year, it has labeled both humanitarian aid and global health money as “unallocated,” meaning the OMB must approve how it is spent.

    Legal scholars say such moves, and the delayed spending by the State Department, likely violate the law. […] Where Trump officials have made plans to spend funds, it’s often spurred outrage. Under the new America First Global Health Strategy, Trump officials are signing bilateral deals with poor countries, asking for access to health data as a condition for receiving lifesaving medications the U.S. once donated.

    Jeremy Lewin, a 29-year-old lawyer who came into government via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency with no prior humanitarian experience, is in charge of foreign aid. […]

    Lewin insists that he approve even routine payments, creating a stranglehold on funding and information.

    And all the while, Trump appointees have failed to answer basic questions from Congress about what they are doing. […]

    In response to a series of detailed questions about this story, OMB spokesperson Rachel Cauley said, “This is patently false,” adding that “USAID was a weaponized government agency.” [WTF?]

    […] After nearly all of USAID’s employees were fired and the majority of its programs closed down last summer, the agency’s remnants were transferred to the State Department. Despite repeated promises from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that lifesaving aid would continue, the State Department began winding down many of the remaining programs earlier this year.

    […] Lewin has been increasingly leaning on large international organizations to deliver aid once managed by USAID employees.

    Earlier this year, Lewin funneled $3.8 billion to a small arm of the United Nations, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, quadrupling the budget of the agency.

    Trump has frequently criticized the U.N. as ineffective. But after nearly all of USAID’s staff was fired, the skeleton crew at the State Department doesn’t have the capacity or expertise to manage so much humanitarian aid themselves, according to a dozen people familiar with the new system.

    […] Under Trump, the OMB, led by Vought, has repeatedly blocked funds approved by Congress from going to agencies using legally dubious maneuvers […]

    Several people inside and outside the government told ProPublica they fear that the administration is withholding the funds because it is planning not to spend them at all. They have good reason to be concerned: That’s exactly what Trump did last year. [!]

    […] In 2025, the administration clawed back some $13 billion in foreign aid that Congress had passed into law, some of it by using a maneuver widely understood by legal experts to be illegal.

    That maneuver, which Vought calls a “pocket rescission,” essentially asks Congress to cancel funds so late in the fiscal year that there isn’t enough time for them to be spent if Congress says no. The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ watchdog, has said pocket rescissions are illegal, and several constitutional scholars told ProPublica the move violates the Impoundment Control Act. That law, passed in 1974 in the wake of disputes with President Richard Nixon, restricts the president’s authority to withhold, or impound, funds approved by Congress.

    A federal court initially blocked the maneuver as part of ongoing lawsuits related to the dismantling of USAID. But the administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which issued an emergency ruling split along ideological lines that allowed the clawback to continue, though it did not rule on the merits.

    […] Budget watchers say there are concerning signs that the administration plans to withhold more funds.

    In April, the OMB announced to Congress that it was withholding funds earmarked for global health to pay the hefty bills for severance fees and other costs for the thousands of USAID programs Trump officials terminated last year.

    OMB officials told lawmakers they were setting aside $19 billion to cover those costs […]

  432. says

    Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo outbreak top 1,000, with more than 250 deaths

    Because contact tracing remains a major challenge, officials say there could be many cases they don’t know about and that the peak of the outbreak is still ahead.

    Confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths, officials said, as tracing those who had been in contact with patients remains a major challenge.

    A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo’s Ministry of Health said Sunday. At least 365 patients are in hospitals or in isolation, it said.

    The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, was the worst ever in its first month […]

    [Details and graph]

    [….] “If you want to control an outbreak, especially Ebola outbreak, you must know the index case. We don’t have confidence on when this outbreak started,” the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya told The Associated Press last week.

    Officials also are yet to identify the patient zero and trace more than 35,000 people who have come in contact with infected individuals as of last week, authorities said.

    That’s partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels. In Ituri, attacks by the Islamic State group-backed Allied Democratic Force have cut off access to many villages and forced people to flee their homes, including those sheltering in overcrowded camps and others constantly on the move.

    […] At the Kigonze displacement camp in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, camp officials said Friday that 10 people had died last week in unusual circumstances, raising the fear of a possible outbreak in the camp of over 20,000 displaced people.

    […] The U.N. refugee agency has said at least 2 million people forcibly displaced from their homes, including over 320,000 refugees, live in areas at risk of Ebola in Congo. […]

  433. Reginald Selkirk says

    Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI reportedly breached ‘almost all’ NSA classified systems within a few hours during red-team test — report sheds more light on the U.S. government’s sudden ban on the flagship models

    According to a report by The Economist last week, Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI model was able to break into “almost all” classified systems belonging to the National Security Agency (NSA) — one of the highest-ranking and most powerful intelligence agencies in the U.S. government — within hours during a controlled security evaluation. The claim came from Sen. Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who said Gen. Joshua Rudd, the head of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, briefed him on the model’s capability…

  434. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Blatantly unlawful’: Judge blocks DOJ subpoenas aimed at Tim Walz

    A federal judge has thrown out Justice Department grand jury subpoenas aimed at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his allies, calling them an abusive and retaliatory process to punish Walz based on his refusal to assist President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

    In a blistering ruling, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said there was “no doubt” that the subpoenas were issued to damage Walz — part of what he said was a pattern of Trump administration efforts to use criminal process to punish the president’s adversaries…

  435. birgerjohansson says

    British singer Jimmy Sommerville (Bronski Beat, The Communards) turns 65 years today.
    [I am exactly twenty days older but I have more hair left]

  438. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Lawyers, Guns & Money – A possible design for Burevestnik

    Jake Hecla and Scott Kemp at MIT have done a detailed study to figure out how such a nuclear-powered cruise missile might be built. […] Hecla and Kemp also estimate the radioactive trail that such a missile would leave
    […]
    They conclude that this is a “prestige weapons system,” something for the Russians to show off and perhaps cause fear in their adversaries. The subsonic speed makes it relatively easy to shoot down, and the capability touted by Putin to fly for many hours is of questionable value. Whether or not Burevestnik has flown, I’ll continue my suggestion that it’s a boondoggle sold to Putin in the same way Star Wars was sold to Ronald Reagan […] The Russians have claimed to have built and tested the concept but have provided little confirmatory information.

  439. Reginald Selkirk says

    Jimmy Kimmel announces longtime Trump adversary Rosie O’Donnell to guest host during two-month hiatus

    Jimmy Kimmel is taking a two-month break away from his late-night show and has tapped none other than comedian and Donald Trump’s longtime nemesis Rosie O’Donnell as one of several guest hosts taking the reins during his hiatus.

    “I hope you’re paying attention during this summer because I will be taking the next two months off, this time voluntarily,” he joked during Thursday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! — referring to ABC pulling his show last September over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s death.

    Kimmel said “a potent group of hosts” will begin filling in starting July 6, including Colman Domingo, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll…

  440. Reginald Selkirk says

    Danish Privacy Activist Arrested for Posting Prime Minister’s Phone Number

    Danish right-wing privacy activist Lars Kragh Andersen posted a video Friday of his arrest by police in Denmark—a video that has now racked up over 8 million views on X. Andersen says he was arrested for posting his two favorite numbers, the social security number of Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, along with her phone number.

    Andersen, a self-described anarcho-capitalist who opposes efforts to ban encryption in Denmark, says that in publishing the numbers, he didn’t explicitly say they were the Prime Minister’s phone and civil registration numbers (basically a social security number). Masked men, who identified themselves verbally as police but were dressed in civilian clothes, can be seen busting down the door as Andersen stands there naked with his hands raised…

  441. says

    Reginald @434, glad to see that good news.

    In other news, Wonkette has an interesting take on Tulsi Gabbard being a puppet for her cult leader. This is a followup to comment 424.

    “Who Represented Hawaii In Congress, Tulsi Gabbard Or Her Weird Toenail-Eating Cult?”

    “As if we didn’t need another reason to celebrate her leaving.”

    About halfway through the big new Washington Post deep dive into Tulsi Gabbard’s tangled relationship with the cult to which she has allegedly belonged since childhood, we found ourselves pondering this question: Does Tulsi Gabbard exist?

    […] What we mean is, would Tulsi Gabbard do or believe anything if she did not have her cult there to tell her what to do or believe? Would she be a sentient and independent-minded creature in the Cartesian sense of “I think, therefore I am”? Or would she simply have never been?

    […] What we do know, based on the story, is that Gabbard reportedly had nearly constant guidance from the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), the breakaway Hare Krishna sect to which she has long been connected. (We’ve written about SIF in depth before.) And when we say guidance, we mean the sect/cult leader reportedly told her what policies to embrace, what legislation to introduce when she was in the House of Representatives, what to say in media appearances and speeches, and how to act on camera.

    Of course, lots of elected officials have image consultants and handlers and advisers without whom they might be lost all day. But in Gabbard’s case, the flurry of orders was so all-encompassing that it is hard to see her as anything other than an empty vessel serving her mysterious and reclusive guru’s wishes. It was as if the Tulsi Gabbard we all saw yammering about the aloha spirit and America’s misunderstanding of the humanity of Bashar al-Assad was basically just Chris Butler, AKA Guru Dev Srila Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa […], in a Tulsi Gabbard skinsuit.

    Spokespeople for Gabbard and for SIF deny it, but one of the big questions raised by the story is whether Butler is for sure the one behind all these memos and all this advice. The whistleblower who provided this trove of memos to Jon Swaine of the Post says duh, yes:

    But the main speaker in each memo — the person who appeared to be issuing directives and sometimes castigating Gabbard — wasn’t named. There was simply no attribution or mention of who they were.

    When I asked [whistleblower Rebecca] Saltzburg about this, she seemed amused. It was Butler, of course, she said. No one else could speak to Gabbard like that, she added. Saltzburg said the memos were unattributed precisely to mask Butler’s identity if they ever became public.

    Whether it was Butler or one of his minions, the memos could be harsh. Swaine quotes one memo telling Gabbard “nobody gives a shit” about her opinions of a Barack Obama State of the Union speech. The memo goes on to sneer that “You’re not even trying. You’ve become really intellectually lazy.” Another memo calls her “chickenshit” and “mealymouthed” about a policy proposal.

    If you have read about the psychology of cults, you know that one method leaders use to ensure loyalty from members is to destroy an individual’s self-esteem. This makes that person more desperate for and dependent on the cult leader’s approval. The disparagement continues forever, and the person is forced to prove her loyalty over and over. [Yep. All too true.]

    This is also why commentators often dismiss Donald Trump’s fans and enablers as cultists of a sort. How often have we seen his staffers debase themselves for the sentient tube of bronzer, smiling as he insults them in the most personal and crude terms. The difference is, those people are on his payroll. Butler, as far as anyone can tell, isn’t on Gabbard’s. […]

    Swaine has several examples of times when Gabbard received instructions on which policies to back from Butler and SIF, what talking points to use in media appearances, and what bills to introduce in Congress. But when he asked anyone in Gabbard’s orbit about any of this, the answers when he got them were mostly of the The Washington Post hates Hindus variety:

    A vice president at a Manhattan-based public relations firm also contacted me on SIF’s behalf … [H]e provided me with a statement: “Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu religious bigotry, that’s all this is,” the statement said. “When a Hindu public figure has a spiritual teacher or shares views with a Hindu religious figure, that alone is somehow evidence of sinister control.”

    The “sharing views” with her alleged guru isn’t the issue. It’s the “this weirdo guru whose followers reportedly eat his toenails seems to control every part of her life from what she says on TV to what policies she pursues in office” that’s the issue.

    You know who else of all damn people is accusing the media of “anti-Hindu bias” in talking about Tulsi Gabbard? Meghan McCain, who is a Gabbard friend and also the daughter of John McCain, in case you hadn’t heard her mention that before: [Social media posts]

    What’s this about Gabbard’s release on Dr. Anthony Fauci?

    Oh well, her last day as DNI this past Thursday, Gabbard released a whole tranche of documents rehashing the old conspiracist claims that Fauci fund gain-of-function research at the same lab in Wuhan that some people think the COVID virus leaked out of, and Fauci wouldn’t admit he kicked off the whole thing and the intelligence community covered it all up while Americans died and everyone had to stay home and Bethany Mandel’s kids cruelly had to wear masks […]: [video]

    […] this is the same usual mash-up of conspiracist thinking and baseless smearing of Fauci that we have been hearing for six years now. We propose that the media paid no attention to it for the following reasons:
    – It’s bullshit.

    – It’s bullshit that has been debunked about a gazillion times, including by congressional committees, and the only people who still buy it are cranks and idiots.

    – There is a lot else going on — war with Iran, the World Cup, Donald Trump turning the Reflecting Pool into a fetid, algae-ridden, duck-killing swamp. Our media is pretty busy!

    – It’s bullshit.

    The people who still buy this stuff are, unfortunately, in charge of our government right now. Like this asshole: [social media post from RFK Junior, praising Tulsi Gabbard for falsely maligning Dr. Fauci. “Thank you, Tulsi, for documenting Dr. Fauci’s central role in causing the COVID-19 pandemic [What the fuck!?] —among the most consequential crimes in human history.” [eyebrows raised maximally]]

    Gabbard has supposedly been on the outs with Trump and much of the administration for quite some time over her position on the Iran War (she’s opposed) and her inability to prove that George Soros and his secret antifa army committed voter fraud on a massive scale to steal the 2020 election from Herr Trump. Could this video be one last desperate grasp for Trump’s approval on Gabbard’s way out the door? Maybe! But based on everything else we’ve talked about, we can’t say whose approval is most important to her.

    In any case, Gabbard is out of government. We wish her a (hopefully) permanent retirement surfing and yammering about aloha and snacking on her leader’s toenails if she finds ‘em tasty (allegedly!) and whatever else she wants to do that will never, ever again bring her to our attention.

  442. birgerjohansson says

    Voter turnout: “Washington Post Report Predicts Democratic Landslide”

    .https://youtube.com/watch?v=sTo4By_jPzY

    (FYI USA is unique among developed nations in making voting so difficult. I mean, Germany is a federated nation but getting registered there is apparently not a problem. A cynic might suggest the difficulty is a feature, not a bug.)

  444. Reginald Selkirk says

    What Would Jesus Do? Invest in Palantir, Apparently

    Investors should ask a lot of questions before deciding to bet any portion of their future on a company. For the folks at Inspire Investing, one of those questions is apparently, “What would Christ invest in?” According to Business Insider, the Lord’s only son would draw the line at buying stock in SpaceX.

    Inspire Investing, which engages in what it calls “biblically responsible investing,” told Business Insider that it won’t be buying up any shares of Elon Musk’s now publicly traded rocket, AI, and social media company because it fell short of the firm’s “moral audit.”
    (lengthy discussion of CSAM and other X.com issues)
    …
    While it’s great that Inspire Investing does seem to have enough of a moral compass to steer it away from Musk, it apparently has no objection to pouring money into other extremely dubious firms like Palantir. “There is risk with a business like Palantir, for their surveillance technology, and for work that they do to be misused, greatly misused,” Netzly told Business Insider. “A business like that needs to be paid special attention to, but similar to a firearms manufacturer, we don’t hold the manufacturer guilty for customers who may misuse that firearm.”

    That analogy doesn’t quite work, given that Palantir’s CEO is out here marketing his company as a mass surveillance tool that can be used for tracking down immigrants and cracking down on protesters. Imagine if gun manufacturers were basically bragging about how many people get killed by their products, and you’d be closer. Also, apparently, no points were deducted in the Inspire Investing audit for having your technology used to contribute to a genocide. Not sure how Christ would feel about that one.

  445. Reginald Selkirk says

    “I’m out”: Tucker Carlson says he’s done with the GOP

    Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson says he’s “out” of the Republican Party moving forward, arguing the GOP no longer reflects his views.
    …
    “I would not support the Republican Party. There’s no chance I would support the Republican Party,” Carlson said, adding that the GOP has “betrayed” voters by prioritizing Israel’s national security over America’s…

    That is the only issue they mention.

    He says he also won’t support Democrats and is unsure how he’ll vote moving forward.

    I expect he will continue to be an awful person.

  447. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: birgerjohansson a while back.

    That Witch Hat Atelier anime was very well done. The finale ended with a cliffhanger. Luckily it closely followed the manga, so the story continues from chapter 24.

  448. says

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Desperate to distract from the algae overwhelming the expensively-renovated Reflecting Pool, on Monday Donald J. Trump ordered Marco Rubio to skinny-dip in the green murk.

    Reportedly, Rubio was taken aback by the extraordinary demand, but Trump roared, “Little Marco, you’ve got to take one for the team.”

    By mid-morning, tourists gawking at the pool fiasco were stunned to see the Secretary of State doing a backstroke entirely naked except for his oversized Florsheims, which he appeared to be using as flippers.

    Harland Dorrinson, who had traveled with his family from Akron, Ohio, initially recoiled at the sight of the nude Rubio, but later noted, “At least it wasn’t JD.”

    https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-orders-rubio-to-distract-from

  450. says

    THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Haberman and Swan react to Trump’s attacks on them ahead of damning book, ‘Regime Change’

    Three days before The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan met with Donald Trump at the White House, Trump posted on social media that Haberman and her “associates” could be added to a lawsuit. In their first television interview with MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell for their new book “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” Haberman and Swan discuss interviewing Trump after that attack.

    Video is 11:11 minutes

  451. says

    MS NOW:

    The U.S. Treasury has suspended restrictions on the sale, production and delivery of Iranian oil for 60 days, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a short time ago.

    As Steve Benen noted: this is a significant economic boost for Tehran.

  452. says

    Politico:

    The Trump administration has decided to start phasing out HIV funding for South Africa following the country’s ‘failure to make demonstrable progress on policy requests by the administration,’ a State Department official told Politico on Thursday.

    Regressive and stupid.

  453. says

    USA Today:

    A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from using a database of Americans’ Social Security numbers and citizenship status, saying the administration has knowingly given inaccurate data to states that are now ‘actively’ and ‘haphazardly’ purging purported non-citizens from voter rolls.

    Good news.

    Reuters:

    A federal appeals court on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s plans to immediately slash the workforce at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection ​Bureau by about two-thirds, delivering a setback to the White House’s protracted ‌efforts to shrink the consumer watchdog. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit came in response to a revised plan the Justice Department submitted ​in late March following repeated legal defeats over its plans to decimate ​if not eliminate the CFPB.

    Good news.

  454. says

    CBS News:

    Companies hired by the state to operate the Florida immigration facility known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ were notified Monday morning to begin ‘full demobilization’ of the facility, quietly bringing an ignominious close a $1.2 billion experiment that had once been hailed by Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump as a model other states should pursue, four sources familiar with the operations of the detention center told CBS News Miami.

    Good news.

  455. says

    Followup to Reginald @445.

    A Definitive History of Tucker Carlson’s Shapeshifting Politics

    “Carlson’s latest anti-Israel pivot is born out of a three-decades-long track record of shapeshifting and lying in accordance with one highest purpose: doing what is best for Tucker Carlson.”

    “I don’t agree with everything Ron Paul thinks,” Tucker Carlson said in an interview at the 2008 Republican National Convention. “I don’t agree with everything I think!”

    Over the past three decades, Carlson has been saying whatever he thinks, even the things he doesn’t think, also the stuff he apparently does think but doesn’t agree with, even though he thought of it himself. Somehow, this has placed him at the very top of the right-wing media heap. It’s a godforsaken story of constant evolution, always optimizing his positions to retain and grow his audience. His latest act playing a Trump traitor and anti-war commentator is his most explosive chapter yet.

    I’ve been covering Carlson on and off for most of the last decade. For two years I watched Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight live as a researcher for Media Matters for America every night. I covered his efforts to mainstream the white supremacist “great replacement” conspiracy theory. So watching some credulous liberals embrace his recent reinvention as some kind of principled intellectual has been frustrating, to say the least.

    The son of journalist and diplomat Dick Carlson, Tucker became a pundit straight out of undergrad, and has since sold himself to the public as a libertarian intellectual, a digital news entrepreneur, a boundary-pushing cable news racist, and now a woodsy podcaster on a never-ending fishing retreat, dispensing his hard-earned wisdom from his cabin in Maine after taking an honest accounting of his wild and wonderful life.

    The question is not, What does Tucker Carlson believe? The question is, What does Tucker Carlson do? Without fail, Tucker Carlson does what is best for Tucker Carlson.

    […] Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson first made a name for himself as a “high-browed” conservative intellectual. He was well positioned to do it. His father was Richard Carlson, an anchor for ABC News, U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles, then CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As Carlson wrote in his father’s obituary, “He knew virtually every compelling figure of the time.” Money was never an issue either: A product of private boarding school, Carlson’s stepmother is the heir to the Swanson frozen food empire.

    Carlson started as a fact-checker at the Heritage Foundation, a gig reportedly arranged by his father-in-law. That turned into a writing career at the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard and other publications across the ideological spectrum. His profile subjects were a who’s who of the era: then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, billionaire and then-presidential candidate Steve Forbes, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist.

    The most famous of these longform pieces was for Esquire, an award-winning profile of Al Sharpton written on a trip they took to Liberia with a group that included Cornell West and what Carlson describes as a “busload of black nationalists.” His writing is sharp, with a lot of colorful details. […]

    More at the link.

  456. StevoR says

    A bizarre species of spider from the remote rainforests of Far North Queensland springs a nasty surprise when its prey is lured into its web. The tiny and newly discovered ballista spider — named after an ancient Roman weapon that used a spring to launch a stone — uses an ingenious method to literally launch its prey into the air.

    A fussy eater, the spider targets a single species, the territorial and aggressive green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, which it lures with a fragrant pheromone.

    And its hunting technique is extraordinary.

    First, the nocturnal spider builds an anchor point on a leaf, a branch, or the forest floor, before spending up to four hours spinning up to 60 vertical tension lines bundled together in a cone near the ground.

    The spider then wraps the cone with extra silk before retreating upwards.

    When the ant is attracted, it reacts aggressively, biting the cone — and detaching it from the anchor point. The ant is then catapulted more than 30 centimetres upwards into the spider’s core web, at an acceleration of more than 1,300 metres per second. Once entangled, the spider then wraps the ant in silk to be devoured.

    The unique arachnid was first observed by spider taxonomist Greg Anderson, who is also an emeritus fellow at the Berghofer Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/ballista-spider-new-discovered-web-traps-green-ants-queensland/106831796

  457. JM says

    @449 Lynna, OM: That is pretty debatable. Yes Trump is bad at implementing his illegal plans but he is bad at everything, including having some sense of the limits of his power. Even Dick Cheney decided that using direct force against Iran was a losing strategy. Trump has gotten the US into a mess that will probably screw up foreign policy for a couple of generations.
    The only way I really hold hope in that regards is that Trump is also bad at covering his tracks. If the next president is aggressive enough and the DOJ appoints multiple special prosecutors to investigate and bring appropriate cases to court it may work in the US’s favor for cleaning up the mess. It’s rather a remote hope though, as congress will likely lack the spine for more then one or two investigations, and are likely to throw a big showboat investigation at the reflecting pool while overlooking Epstein again.

  458. StevoR says

    Private firms are making plans to cool the planet by releasing reflective particles high into the atmosphere, an approach known as solar geoengineering or solar radiation modification (SRM). With a war chest of private capital estimated at more than the entire globe’s SRM research budget, the US-Israeli startup Stardust Solutions has unveiled a proprietary engineered particle it hopes to begin testing outdoors and is calling on governments to regulate the technology before it does.

    Currently, there is no international regulatory framework for SRM, and many scientists have called for its ban altogether. While computer modelling shows the technology might work to offset global heating in the short term, it also points to risks for global weather systems, particularly in South and South-East Asia, where billions of people depend on the annual monsoon.

    Andy Parker, who leads an NGO supporting SRM research in the developing world, said Australia’s neighbours faced disproportionate climate risks whether the technology was used or not. “There are risks if you use SRM [or] reject SRM and choose warming,” he said.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/solar-geoengineering-srm-private-companies-monsoon-india/106805998

  463. StevoR says

    @459. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain : I guess, I don’t recll seeing or hearing of Redbacks using snares before – cheers for that.

    @460. Jean : Yeah – with themselves in first calss and control. Or be like Monty Burns with his solar shade plan as seen here – 44 secs long.

    @ 458. On Geoengineering as awhiole concept and issue, I highly recomend Clive Hamilton’s Earthmasters book which I read many years ago – maybe over a decade now probly but still. Dunno if there’s been an updated issue :

    What if there were a magic bullet to fix our ailing planet? What if it meant seizing control of Earth’s climate? Clive Hamilton investigates the huge risks of reaching for desperate measures to save the planet, explains the science accessibly and uncovers the worrying motives of those promoting them.

    While Washington, London and Canberra fiddle, the planet burns. It has become painfully clear that the big democracies won’t take the hard decisions to halt climate change. Climate scientists now expect the worst, and they’re considering a response which sounds like science fiction: climate engineering.

    This means large-scale manipulation of the Earth’s climate using grand technological interventions, like spraying sulphur compounds into the upper atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the planet, or transforming the chemistry of the world’s oceans so they soak up more carbon. The potential risks are enormous:.. (snip)..

    Source : https://clivehamilton.com/books/earthmasters-playing-god-with-the-climate/

  464. Reginald Selkirk says

    With Starfall, SpaceX eyes an edge in global cargo delivery from orbit

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Tuesday to test a new reentry vehicle designed to deliver cargo anywhere in the world from low-Earth orbit.

    The company developed the new saucer-shaped reentry pod, called Starfall, under a veil of secrecy. Its purpose is to support the “transport and delivery of goods through space,” according to an environmental assessment published by the Federal Aviation Administration last month.

    The first demonstration of the Starfall vehicle began at 6:53 am EDT (10:53 UTC) with liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. At least one Starfall reentry pod rode to orbit on the Falcon 9, perhaps alongside another undisclosed payload. After circling the planet two times, the Falcon 9’s upper stage was expected to release Starfall for atmospheric reentry, targeting a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean around 800 miles west of California.
    …

    It is difficult to imagine that the market for this is very large.

  467. StevoR says

    .. recently, a team of scientists identified an absorption line coming from Saturn’s moons Titan and Pluto that has not yet been seen anywhere else. This means scientists don’t know which atom or molecule it originates from, but whatever it is, it might indicate a unique shared chemical pathway between the two worlds, according to a new research published on the arXiv preprint server.

    Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-06-titan-pluto-mysterious-spectral-feature.html

  468. StevoR says

    For those in Europe or large parts thereof about now this may perhaps help I hope :

    So how can you sleep better in hot weather?

    Air conditioning is one answer, but it is not affordable or practical for many households. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the electricity unit rate under the July-September 2026 price cap is 26.11p per kWh for direct debit customers. A small portable air-conditioning unit using about 1 kW for seven hours a night over 30 nights would cost around £54.83 in electricity alone, before buying the unit.

    Research on overheating in homes shows that shading and ventilation can be important passive cooling strategies, reducing indoor heat without mechanical cooling. Before cooling the air, then, it helps to reduce the heat entering the home. Overheating usually comes from sunlight entering through windows, known as solar gain, and warm outside air.

    These eight steps can help keep bedrooms cooler before nightfall. ..(snip)…

    (List of measures follows.)

    Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ways-hot-weather.html

  469. Reginald Selkirk says

    Supreme Court rules against Rastafarian man over religious rights claim against prison officials

    The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a devout Rastafarian who sought damages after Louisiana prison officials cut his dreadlocks despite his claim that it violated his religious rights.

    The court ruled 6-3 that Damon Landor cannot seek damages under a law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA. The court was divided along ideological lines, with conservatives in the majority and liberals dissenting.

    The ruling saw the conservative majority depart from its regular support for religious claims, although recent high-profile wins tended to involve conservative Christians.
    …

  470. says

    RACHEL MADDOW: Trump’s agenda falls apart as pushback strategy spreads

    Rachel Maddow looks at fresh examples of the Trump administration backing down in the face of pushback in matters ranging from science to media as Trump’s extreme unpopularity saps his power and more people understand that pressure works on Trump. [Includes a discussion of ABC News, the Georgia State legislature, etc.]

    Video is 9:45 minutes

    RACHEL MADDOW: Trump’s pet projects leave Washington trashed

    Rachel Maddow looks at before and after photos of Washington, D.C. landmarks that have been at the center of Donald Trump’s attention and have suffered as a result. [The presentation includes a lot of photos; and before/after comparisons; and coverage of the fact that NOT all 50 states will be participating in Trump’s “The Great American State Fair” event for the 4th of July; and more coverage of people dropping out.]

    Video is 3:36 minutes

  471. says

    JM @457, I would also add that sometimes Trump manages to NOT sabotage his own plans, while someone else who is more competent achieves Trump’s goals.

  472. says

    As Trump eyes new lawsuit against ABC, the network turns to viewers for support

    Related video hosted by Chris Hayes is available at the link.

    Under normal circumstances, television networks turn to the public in the hopes that people will watch their programs, but they don’t seek political support against heavy-handed government tactics. Unfortunately, there’s nothing about our current circumstances that’s normal. MS NOW reported:

    ABC began airing advertisements on its local stations Monday, asking viewers for support amid investigations launched by the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission. [Rachel Maddow compared the ABC approach to CBS’ cowardly, despicable, and failed approach to being pressured by Trump.]

    The advertising campaign comes as the federal agency pushes investigations into the network’s shows and after the federal agency’s atypical demand in April that stations owned by the network seek early renewal of their broadcast licenses. [!]

    “‘The View’ has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years,” one of the ads aired during the daytime talk show said. “Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Tell the FCC to let the viewers decide.”

    […] After Donald Trump targeted ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, […] the president’s FCC chairman appeared on a far-right podcast in September and discussed his agency’s role in granting broadcast licenses. Referring specifically to a Kimmel monologue that Republicans didn’t like, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr added, “When we see stuff like this — look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

    Roughly seven months later, the public got a better sense of what “the hard way” looks like. In April, the FCC launched a highly unusual early review of ABC’s broadcast station licenses. Although the commission claimed the review was related to the network’s efforts to hire a diverse workforce (which the Republican administration apparently finds offensive), the developments came immediately after the White House condemned a joke Kimmel told about the age difference between the president and the first lady.

    In an online statement, Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, wrote, “This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere. This political stunt won’t stick.”

    ABC nevertheless felt compelled to follow through on the review process, albeit grudgingly, alongside accusations that the FCC was engaged in a campaign of “unconstitutional retaliation and coercion.” The same filing made the inescapable observation that the timing of the FCC’s demand “makes the retaliatory purpose unmistakable.”

    As The New York Times reported, ABC also noted that the FCC “had not called for an early station renewal in more than 50 years and had never done so for an entire group of network-owned stations at once.”

    All of this coincided with Carr’s FCC launching an investigation into “The View,” sparking related accusations of government censorship.

    It’s against this backdrop that ABC is seeking viewer support, pushing back against alleged federal abuses.

    For his part, the president published an item to his social media platform on Monday night saying he’s prepared to sue the Disney-owned network for its coverage of his Reflecting Pool fiasco. [OMFG]

    Time will tell whether Trump follows through on these threats, adding to his list of lawsuits against independent news organizations that ran reports he didn’t like. That said, if the president does sue ABC, it’ll be his second bite at the apple: When Trump filed a weak case against ABC News two years ago, the network agreed to a controversial $15 million settlement with the president.

    If recent events are any guide, ABC appears unlikely to do this again. […]

  475. says

    ‘There are no limits’: Trump’s views on presidential powers take an even more radical turn

    “In January, Trump said the scope of his powers was constrained only by his ‘own morality.’ Six months later, he answered a similar question in a worse way.”

    In theory, there are a great many lessons Donald Trump should have learned after launching a failed war against Iran. In practice, however, the president appears to have learned effectively nothing. [As usual.]

    In fact, by some measures, he appears to have come away from the conflict having learned the wrong lessons.

    In an interview with “The Axios Show” that aired over the weekend, Marc Caputo asked the president, “What have you learned about not just the exercise of power, but the limits on your power as a result of the conflict?”

    It was a good question that received an unfortunate answer. “There are no limits,” Trump replied.

    Pressed further, Trump added: “I haven’t learned that lesson yet.”

    It was a bizarre answer, in large part because presidents are supposed to recognize legal limits, but also because common sense suggests he would also be aware of practical limits. The president launched the war convinced that he could simply bomb Iran until it agreed to an “unconditional surrender.” He similarly set out to achieve five specific objectives, nearly all of which went unmet when he decided to accept a rather pathetic deal that forced Iran to concede effectively nothing.

    […] Complicating matters, The New York Times asked the president a similar question in January about the scope of his powers as commander in chief, and he responded at the time that he was constrained only by his “own morality,” not international law or other potential checks on his ability to use force around the world.

    When the newspaper specifically asked whether there were any limits on his global powers, Trump replied, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”

    In other words, six months after saying he was constrained by his own sense of morality — an unfortunate concept, given his ugly and scandal-plagued background [True] — Trump has apparently convinced himself that there “are no limits” to his presidential ability to exercise power at all.

    Trump has occasionally complained about being referred to as a “dictator.” But if he wants such talk to stop, he probably ought to start recognizing the limits of presidential powers.

  476. says

    The problem(s) with the White House’s boasts about weapons inspectors in Iran

    “At first blush, this might seem like evidence of constructive progress, but the closer one looks, the less impressive it appears.”

    Critics of Donald Trump’s deal with Iran have focused on its many shortcomings, but near the top of the list is an unavoidable flaw: To end the war, Iran simply didn’t have to make any meaningful concessions.

    The White House has pushed back against this, arguing that officials in Tehran, as part of the agreement, reopened the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to never pursue nuclear weapons. But these hardly constituted real breakthroughs: The strait was open before the war, and Iran has reiterated its commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons for more than half a century.

    In other words, what the Republican administration characterized as concessions were really just a return to the pre-combat status quo.

    This week, however, according to the White House, a third element was added to the list. MS NOW reported, as part of the network’s live blog coverage:

    Vice President JD Vance [announced Monday] in Switzerland that the Iranians have agreed to invite inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the country “at the minimum of this week.” The IAEA would likely monitor Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    Hours after the vice president’s announcement, Trump similarly declared by way of his social media platform that Iran “will agree” to have “major” weapons inspectors in the country, as part of the larger goal of ensuring “nuclear honesty.”

    At first blush, this might seem like evidence of constructive progress, but the closer one looks, the less impressive it appears. There are four key elements to keep in mind.

    Iran’s side of the story: The Republican administration characterized the developments as a done deal, but as MS NOW went on to report, Iran has not announced a commitment to nuclear inspections.

    Uncertain details about the future of the policy: The fact that Trump used the future tense (Iran “will agree” to have weapons inspectors) was emblematic of the fact that the White House made this announcement before working out the specifics. […]

    Premature sanctions relief: Despite the uncertainty about the future of the inspections, the Republican administration went ahead and suspended U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and derivatives until late August, creating a significant economic boost for Tehran.

    In other words, Trump and his team are already allowing money to flow into Iranian pockets before working out the relevant details and ensuring compliance, which reinforces concerns about amateur hour at the White House.

    We already had IAEA weapons inspectors in Iran: For all of Trump’s hysterics about the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it ensured that weapons inspectors were able to conduct reviews of Iranian facilities — an actual breakthrough the Democratic administration secured without firing a shot.

    What Vance announced, in other words, was possible progress toward weapons inspections that were already happening before Trump abandoned the JCPOA for no good reason […]

  477. says

    […] a group of 101 former federal and state judges filed a complaint against Blanche [Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche] with the New York State Bar, which included a formal request for an ethics investigation.

    The 73-page complaint specifically focused on three areas of alleged misconduct:

    – Blanche’s role in orchestrating the creation of a $1.776 billion compensation fund, widely panned as a “slush fund,” and an IRS audit shield for the president and his family.

    – Blanche’s role in “abusing the investigative and prosecutorial powers” of the Justice Department to target the president’s perceived political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey.

    – Blanche supervising the DOJ’s “flawed response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including the disclosure of thousands of records containing sensitive victim information.” […]

    Link

    More at the link.

    Related video at the link, Andrew Weismann is interviewed.

  478. says

    Whoa. This is bad news. Prairieland ‘Antifa’ Activists Sentenced to Decades in Prison on ‘Terrorism’ Charges

    Federal judges in Fort Worth handed down maximum sentences to eight people charged in connection with a July 2025 demonstration outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center that devolved into vandalism and the shooting of a police officer.

    Benjamin Song was sentenced to 100 years in prison and Maricela Rueda to 70. Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto, Meaghan Morris, Autumn Hill, and Zachary Evetts each received sentences of 50 years. Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who was not at the demonstration, was sentenced to 30 years on charges relating to concealing documents in the investigation. Judges in the Northern District of Texas ruled that each defendant will serve their sentence on each charge consecutively, dramatically lengthening their time in prison.

    The case has been seen as a barometer for how far the Trump administration can go in its campaign to crack down on political opponents, in part by using broad conspiracy statutes to sweep people accused of very different conduct into one single alleged terrorism plot.

    Officials at DOJ and DHS have held the case up as a prime example of their fight against the broad cohort of anti-administration activism that they deem “Antifa.” […]

    The prosecution focused on events that took place at ICE’s Prairieland Detention Facility on July 4 of last year. There, demonstrators arrived dressed in black to hold a “noise demonstration” involving fireworks to show support for those detained in the facility. A group of demonstrators broke off from the group; they began to vandalize cars and surveillance infrastructure outside the facility. After a police officer arrived, Song picked up a rifle and shot the responding officer in the neck, wounding him. [So, prosecute Song for that crime, yes.]

    Federal prosecutors initially charged the group with attempted murder of a federal officer and use of a firearm. But after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the White House issued sweeping directives to stage a crackdown on Trump’s political opponents, and federal prosecutors in Dallas-Fort Worth ramped up the charges. They framed the group as the “North Texas Antifa Cell,” and brought charges of material support of terrorism against the activists. [Needless bullshit]

    The DfW Support Committee, a group advocating for the defendants, expressed horror at the sentences in a statement to TPM.

    “Our loved ones did nothing wrong and they are being thrown away for the rest of their lives,” a committee representative wrote. “Not only does the evidence prove their innocence, but the actions of ICE and the federal government over the past year have proved the righteousness of their actions. This sentencing is a punishment for solidarity itself. We will continue to fight to bring our loved ones home.”

    [I snipped details of another instance in which prosecutors brought material support for terrorism charges against protestors.]

    In Prairieland, prosecutors folded defendants who were not alleged to have committed any act of violence into a case that centered on allegations around the attempted murder of a responding police officer. Savanna Batten and Elizabeth Soto, two area activists, were not alleged to have belonged to discussion groups where the demonstration was planned. In Batten’s case, prosecutors relied on her black garb as a means to tie her to the conspiracy; in Soto’s, prosecutors argued that her black clothing and her operation of a small printing press that produced anarchist “zines” tied her to the conspiracy. Both received sentences of 50 years on Tuesday. [yikes]

    […] Last week, some defendants were reassigned to the district’s chief judge, Reed O’Connor. At sentencing, he reportedly called the events of July 4 not a protest, but an “assault on Democracy.” He described the case as sending a message to “anyone who shares a similar ideology,” the defendants’ committee said.

  479. says

    Washington Post link

    “DOJ issued subpoenas to force Post, WSJ reporters to testify before grand jury”

    ‘The extraordinary actions against the national security reporters were withdrawn by the Justice Department after legal challenges by the news organizations.”

    The Justice Department took the extraordinary step of seeking to force reporters for The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal to testify before a federal grand jury — but withdrew the subpoenas earlier this month after they were challenged by the news organizations, according to a Justice Department official familiar with the matter.

    The grand jury subpoena to Washington Post reporter Ellen Nakashima this spring was related to sensitive reporting about a national security matter, the person said. The Justice Department also issued subpoenas to appear before a grand jury to three Wall Street Journal journalists, who also reported on national security issues.

    The Washington Post was fighting the demand in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia in sealed proceedings when the government rescinded Nakashima’s subpoena, according to the official familiar with the matter. The Justice Department also withdrew the Wall Street Journal subpoenas, which the news organization had challenged in the same federal court, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss proceedings that are not public. None of the journalists testified before the grand jury, the official said.

    […] the Justice Department’s action reflected a new front in the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics toward the media as it attempts to crack down on government leaks to the press and content that administration officials think is unfair to the president. […]

    the grand jury subpoenas marked the first publicly known instance in which the Trump Justice Department sought to compel journalists to testify under oath in front of a grand jury. […]

    The Wall Street Journal reported in May that the Justice Department had issued subpoenas to reporters seeking documents related to the paper’s coverage of the conflict in Iran […]

    “The administration has taken a number of extremely aggressive steps in respect to the press,” Rottman [Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the advocacy group Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] said. “These are all aggressive attempts to target journalists reporting on the actions of the Trump administration. They are a dangerous intrusion of the independence of the press.” […]

  480. says

    Josh Marshall:

    […] We’ve discussed in the past Donald Trump’s penchant for creating spurious backstories to justify his various building projects. We were told last year that presidents and executive branch officials had been complaining for decades — or centuries! — about the need for a White House ballroom. “For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc,” he claimed at one point. […]

    Rinse and repeat: these absurd fairy tales are always part of the Trump sales job. With the Reflecting Pool it’s apparently been in crisis for the last century. Only Trump is going to be able to fix it for good.

    Everyone sees these absurd stories and mostly recognizes them as such. What I wanted to highlight is the ways this seeps into a lot of coverage. So, for instance, this story in the Times reports that the manager of Trump’s Bedminster golf club apparently directed the current “repair.” But there’s this aside in there which I see in almost every report on the topic …

    The Reflecting Pool is not a swimming pool, and repairing it is not an easy task. The iconic site has been plagued for decades by leaks and algae blooms, which various administrations have been unable to permanently fix.

    Obviously, things just need to be repaired. And algae blooms happen. But the idea that this has been some out-of-control or bedeviling-for-generations problem, as opposed to just a matter of repairs and renovations, just doesn’t add up. I’ve certainly stopped by the Reflecting Pool from time to time. I even lived in the nation’s capital for five years. It always seemed more or less fine: water, reflecting, no evident swampiness. I started googling at first and Google AI told me how this has really been a big deal for ages and no one had been able to fix the problems. But when I looked at the articles they were getting this from it was all stuff from the last month, with sections that were longer versions of the snippet I just showed you. [!!]

    The last major renovation was part of the Obama stimulus package, which budgeted $750 million in renovations nationwide and assigned about $55 million to National Mall, of which $18 million was budgeted to refurbish the Reflecting Pool. Notably, at the time, an Interior Department spokesman had to explain that these repairs were really important. Hugh Vickery told the AP in an April 22nd 2009 article: “The sea wall (protecting the Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin) is crumbling and the Reflecting Pool is cracking. Anybody who tours the Mall know this work needs to be done.”

    I don’t doubt it. Repairs are important. But I’d say that Vickery’s comments suggest that these were important repairs and upkeep even though that might not be obvious to a casual observer — not a response to some Reflecting Pool crisis bedeviling the capital. In 2016 a donation from billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein funded renovations of other parts of the Lincoln Memorial. A February 16th, 2016 Times article described these new renovations and mentioned the 2009 restoration of the Reflecting Pool in passing, but without any mention that it hadn’t worked or had been some big failure.

    I’m certainly not claiming that there aren’t structural flaws with the Reflecting Pool or leaks or occasional algae blooms. Hundred year old things need repairs.

    […] Trump appears to be retroactively grabbing on to the limited issues with the Reflecting Pool when his proposed fixes didn’t address those at all. He was just fixated on having what he calls “flag Blue” as the color. […] We don’t need to buy into Trump’s inane legends or — as seems to be the case here — prophylactically anticipate his goon’s criticisms by leaning into this idea that the Reflecting Pool has been this running national wound that Trump was trying to fix, rather than just another ego trip gone wrong.

    Link

  481. says

    Musk would rather sue than hear about how many kids he’s killed

    Trillionaire Republican donor Elon Musk is threatening to sue California congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat, after Khanna mentioned the death toll associated with Musk’s actions at the Department of Government Efficiency.

    […] Khanna said that DOGE, the project launched by President Donald Trump and overseen for most of its existence by Musk, has to be a major target of investigation if Democrats win a congressional majority in this year’s midterms.

    In particular, Khanna referenced cuts to international aid via the United States Agency for International Development, which has effectively been shut down at DOGE’s direction.

    “There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk. You know, they’re celebrating that he created 4,400 millionaires, but they don’t talk about the 4.5 million children around the world who he possibly sentenced to death by dismantling USAID,” Khanna said.

    As he often has in the past, Musk lashed out at Khanna via his account on X, the social media platform that he owns.

    “Time to sue this liar,” Musk wrote. In another post he protested, “There is not even a single dead child! If there were, it would be worldwide headline news!”

    […] A peer-reviewed study published last year in The Lancet medical journal determined that the cuts to USAID will lead to over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children.

    USAID contributions have been vital in global efforts to help 133 low- and middle-income countries with development and humanitarian aid. From 2001 to 2021, the study estimated that 91 million deaths were prevented thanks to USAID intervention. After the Trump/Musk cutoff, those vital lifelines have been destroyed. [True]

    Cuts initiated by DOGE will reduce testing and treatment for HIV, tuberculosis, and other major ailments. In November last year, a model created by Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols had already estimated that 600,000 people had died with two thirds of the deaths being children. [!]

    […] as Musk’s attack on Khanna reveals, he is extremely litigious when faced with factual information.

  482. says

    Washington Post link

    “EXCLUSIVE: New photos show first look at Kennedy Center facade without Trump’s name”

    The images were taken from inside the tarp-covered scaffolding that has blocked the public’s view for more than a week.

  483. says

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3movoowmnif2t

    incredible things are happening with Trump’s hair today

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:kjjhbsc3pp3vkqjsivk6z2yd/post/3movpkjjahc2t

    There’s a big splotch of bronzer over Trump’s left eye — just below the wide part in his hair. […] Trump compares Vance and AOC: “What a difference a brain makes” [video]

    Why are we covering this trivia? With his personal grooming going even more haywire than usual, combined with Trump’s uncanny ability to issue unintentionally funny remarks about Vance v. AOC, we have yet another dementia alert. Trump also said, “[…] You have Omar, who married her brother […]”

    JFC.

  484. says

    New York Times link

    “China Takes Supercomputer Crown From U.S. for First Time Since 2017”

    “A supercomputer in Shenzhen was declared the world’s fastest. It uses only standard microprocessors and not the special-purpose chips called graphics processing units.”

    China took back a coveted computing crown from the United States on Tuesday, ratcheting up a fierce technological competition that has implications for science, national security and geopolitics.

    LineShine, a massive computing system in Shenzhen, China, was declared the world’s fastest by a group of researchers using a set of standard tests for supercomputers. Besides raw speed, the system stood out because it uses only standard microprocessors and not the special-purpose chips called graphics processing units, which most high-end supercomputers rely on for heavy number crunching.

    That underlying design could point to a better way to blend artificial intelligence with traditional scientific tasks, said Jack Dongarra, an organizer of the so-called Top500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. […]

    More at the link.

  485. JM says

    The Moscow Times: Russia Lets Private Firms Buy Heavy Weapons to Defend Sites From Drone Attacks – RBC

    Russian authorities have approved a mechanism allowing private companies to purchase heavy weaponry to defend industrial facilities against drone attacks, the RBC news website reported Thursday, citing sources linked to the Defense Ministry.
    The new system will allow companies to procure anti-aircraft artillery systems, turrets, radar equipment, specialized vehicles and electronic warfare systems, RBC reported.

    The apparent goal here is transfer some of the cost of air defense to industry. It’s one of the those last stage moves by a government that is losing control of the situation. In reality it isn’t about money or air defense, it’s transferring blame for failing air defense from the government to the industry. If the government had the capacity to deal with the air control problem they could tax the industries to get the money. The problem is that effective air defense systems, high powered missiles and personal to run them are running short and no amount of money can buy enough to protect effectively.
    Washington Times: Report: Russia using air defense assets from the front line to protect Moscow from Ukrainian drones

    Russia appears to be strengthening its air defenses around Moscow at the expense of the front lines in its war against Ukraine, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War think tank.
    The move comes as Kyiv continues firing attack drones at targets in the capital region, prompting emergency flight restrictions and temporary shutdowns at all of Moscow’s major airports.

    Another sign of a government that is losing and knows it. They are pulling air defense from the front lines to protect Moscow and key locations (industry and political) around Moscow. Protecting the capital is important of course, but doing so at the expense of protecting the front line means they are giving up. Protecting the reputation of the government in the capital has become more important then protecting units on attack or defense.

    The think tank said online imagery of the deployed Pantsir system shows it has only two of the standard launch missiles on one side, suggesting that Moscow may be contending with a shortage of interceptor missiles.
    The think tank cited a recent report from CBS News that said Russia is experiencing a shortage of S-300 air defense missiles due to Western sanctions limiting its supply of key components.
    Analysts say Ukraine’s airstrike campaign has forced the Kremlin to make difficult decisions about where to allocate its limited air defense systems.

    The size of Russia and the spread of industry across it has become a strategic disadvantage. During WWII and the cold war the raw area over which Russian industry was spread was one of their advantages. It was difficult to bomb it because it was so spread out and so far from anything. Long range drones is wiping out that advantage by making precision strikes deep inside Russia. Now all of that territory is a problem for Russia, Ukraine can flood one location with drones one day and another the next. Modern air defense depends on difficult to build and expensive missiles that Russia can’t afford to spread out over all of that territory.

  486. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    She changed her ID to comply with Kansas’ new anti-trans law. Now, the state is trying to put her in jail for having an ‘inaccurate’ license.

    Good news: the charge against Ripper has been dismissed by the county prosecutor! The original story […] has been preserved below.
    […]
    On May 5th, Ripper was driving home from work in the rain. Because it was sunny, her car’s headlights had automatically turned off. That caught the attention of a cop, and she was pulled over.

    “After seeing my license, he spent like 10 minutes questioning me on if my license was real before I explained to him that I am a transgender woman,” Ripper said. “It has to say ‘M’ legally.” “He just awkwardly gave it back to me and sent me on my way with a verbal warning,” she added. Ripper maintains that she wasn’t issued a citation of any kind.

    But yesterday, she received a notice in the mail that she had failed to appear before her county’s court for an arraignment. Her charge? Operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, a class B misdemeanor that carries 6 months of jail time and/or a $1,000 fine, as well as a permanent criminal record.
    […]
    Just this year, a record 6 states have passed laws or adopted policies restricting gender markers on driver’s licenses, bringing the total number of states with these policies from 4 to 10.
    […]
    Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach recently defended SB 244 in court, saying that Kansas driver’s licenses must “contain objective, accurate [sex] information” because they are used to “identify the individual in a variety of situations, including interactions with law enforcement.” The irony isn’t lost on Ripper, who, after hearing the quote, said that “they just don’t believe trans people can actually pass as their preferred gender.”

  487. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Kyiv Independent – South Korea to accept all North Korean POWs from Ukraine at their request

    The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to hold two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast to fight alongside Russian troops. The two soldiers had previously expressed their intention to defect to South Korea rather than return to North Korea.
    […]
    U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the principle of non-refoulement applies to the North Korean prisoners held by Ukraine. The principle prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face a risk of persecution, torture, or other serious harm.

    North Korea deployed an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast in late 2024, with South Korean intelligence estimating that roughly 6,000 had been killed or wounded by early 2026.

    North Korean troops sent to support Russian forces were reportedly ordered to avoid capture under any circumstances, including by killing themselves if necessary rather than be taken prisoner. The North Korean military is also promoting what it describes as the “heroic actions” of soldiers who killed themselves in Ukraine rather than be captured, according to Daily NK.

    Two still sounds awfully low for a count of NK POWs in all that time.

  489. birgerjohansson says

    The local sunset in Umeå today is 23:07 with sunrise 02:14 , giving a day length of almost 21 hours.

    This is better than being beyond the Arctic circle, as we will get at least three hours of sunlight during winter.

    And while the sun is nominally down three hours you can still go outside and read a newspaper by the ambient light.

  490. says

    Years later, Obama enjoys a level of public support that Trump can only dream of

    “The latest national poll suggests Trump’s yearslong smear campaign against Obama has failed spectacularly.”

    About a year ago, a national YouGov poll found that Barack Obama was “by far” the nation’s most well-liked political figure. A national CNN poll released last week pointed in a similar direction. From the network’s report:

    Obama is viewed positively by 57% of Americans, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, far surpassing the ratings for his two Oval Office successors. Only 34% of the public offers a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump […]

    Obama’s standing among political independents is more than twice as high as either Biden’s or Trump’s.

    (The poll was conducted before the recent coverage of the opening of the Obama Center in Chicago, which offered the former president a hearty dose of positive coverage.)

    […] As for Trump — who, incidentally, finished dead last in the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey — the Republican incumbent didn’t comment on the CNN poll, though it stands to reason that he found it disappointing, not just because of his poor showing, but because it suggests his yearslong smear campaign against Obama has failed spectacularly.

    As recently as last week, Trump participated in the G7 summit in France and continued to fixate on his Democratic predecessor, falsely declaring on the world stage that Iranians considered Obama “a stupid son of a b—-.” [JFC] (In reality, Obama negotiated a far better deal with Iran, and he succeeded without having to start a deadly and destabilizing war.)

    The New York Times reported soon after, “The focus on Mr. Obama on Wednesday underscored Mr. Trump’s obsession with persuading people he is a superior leader to the former president. Over the course of the 3-day summit, Mr. Trump — who has had a fixation with the nation’s first Black president for more than a decade, starting with pushing a racist lie that he was not American — mentioned Mr. Obama by name nearly two dozen times.” [!]

    The more Trump tries to convince people to prefer him to Obama, the more we’re confronted with evidence that most Americans still have far more favorable views of the former president than of Trump.

  491. says

    Senate votes to direct Trump to withdraw troops from Iran conflict; four Republicans break ranks

    The Senate on Tuesday approved a House-passed resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran after four GOP senators broke ranks and voted to undercut Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief.

    The Senate voted 50 to 48 to approve the resolution, which passed the House 215-208 earlier this month.

    The measure came straight to the Senate floor Tuesday for an up-or-down vote on final passage. It does not need Trump’s signature because it is a concurrent resolution.

    But it does not have the force of law, even though it’s been approved by both chambers.

    It directs Trump under the 1973 War Powers Act to remove U.S. troops from hostilities against Iran except for elements of the armed forces that would be necessary to protect U.S. assets or allies from imminent attack.

    Four Republicans voted for the measure: Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowsi (R-Alaska) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

    The same four GOP senators voted last week to discharge a similar resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but it failed to advance because of Democratic attendance issues.

    Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a swing vote who said last week that he’s open to hearing arguments from both sides of the debate, voted “no” on Tuesday.

    Critically, two Republicans missed the vote: Sens. David McCormick (R-Pa.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). They have previously voted multiple times against Iran war powers resolutions.

    Centrist Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) was the only Democrat to join the majority of Republicans in voting against the measure. […]

    The Senate voted on the measure two days after Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it doesn’t rein in its militant proxies in Lebanon.

    “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on Sunday. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

    Iranian state media said those comments violated the memorandum of understanding, which in the first paragraph bars the two sides from making threats against each other.

  492. says

    The national crisis on the National Mall continued into another week, with the president of the United States insisting Monday that knife-wielding terrorists had attacked the newly installed lining of the Reflecting Pool, which was just renovated at a cost of more than $16 million.

    President Sundowner also claimed he’d personally seen evidence that vandals “cut it, they cut it very violently. The same thing with the floor, they cut it, and then they lifted it. They pulled it. And it is what it is.” He added, “we also have pictures.” But really, you don’t need proof, because the huge 350-foot slit in the lining is all the proof you need.

    Yes, even if reporters looking for the huge slit haven’t seen any such thing. [social media post, with video]

    America doesn’t have a “parks department,” but it does have a National Park Service, which also has not responded to journalists asking for proof of these knife-wielding frogmen or whatever.

    For what it’s worth, Trump claimed on May 4 that the new liner was nigh-invulnerable, bragging, “You’ll never have a leak, it’s very strong. […] You couldn’t, if you had a knife — I don’t want to give anybody ideas — if you had a knife, you can’t even cut it. So strong, so powerful. It’s like powerful rubber. It is beautiful. Sealed. Like a piece of glass.”[LOL, LOL] […]
    [Photo]

    Asked if he would share proof of that very violent assault on the lining of the Reflecting Pool, Trump should have shown this video from May, showing a crazy person being driven around in a motorcade of six-ton armored Suburbans on the floor of the empty pool while the resurfacing work was still underway. [video of Trump motorcade]

    Instead, Trump said that the shocking proof would be revealed when the time is right, don’tcha know, but you can also get it right away if you just ask, OK?

    “Yeah, at the right time you’ll see it,” Mr. Trump said. “You’ll see it in court. You’ll see it in court, but all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior.”

    In a further sign of his cognitive decline, Trump completely forgot to say the pictures or proof […] would be released in a week or two, his usual disclaimer when he’s lying.

    Trump also went on to speculate — we mean, to reveal a very real conspiracy — blaming unidentified evildoers for causing the trouble, explaining without a shred of evidence that “If you put fertilizer in the water, you get algae, but somebody said they might have put fertilizer, they did something to create the algae.” That’s a bit different from the earlier official explanation that the algae was introduced to the newly renovated Reflecting Pool by “residual algae in the supply lines.”

    Actually, if you want to see a disaster at the Reflecting Pool, it was caused by Barack Hussein Obama, Trump lied, repeating his lie that Obama had “spent two years and over $100 million” renovating the reflecting pool, but that it “never even opened.” [OMFG] The AP already fact-checked that lie back in May, noting that Obama’s reconstruction ran around $34 million on a project that was completed (with the pool reopened) in 2012. (Trump was then lying that Obama and Biden had both spent “hundreds of millions” and made the pool worse.) That project also included new landscaping and walking paths, if you’re comparing costs. [social media post, with video]

    Also too, Trump had a nice crazy freakout Monday afternoon when a couple of goofballs paraded around with signs saying they were “pro-algae,” including one goofball in an inflatable frog costume that had “AMPHIFA” painted in colorful letters on its belly. Trump took the comedic protest completely seriously, of course: [social media post, with photo of “AMPHIFA”]

    […] To cap it all off, here’s White House Lie Secretary Karoline Leavitt explaining to Sean Hannity Monday night that there IS TOO a serious crime spree at the Reflecting Pool, and that it’s being perpetrated by some of the worst scum possible, like even worse than the single-celled kind!

    Fact Check: Reporters covering the Reflecting Pool all weekend didn’t see any dastardly knife attackers or algae dumpers, just lots and lots of cops. But then, Antifa may have a lot of invisible ninja operatives. [video]

    LEAVITT: The vandalism is very real, despite what Tim Walz wants to say: “It’s an imaginary problem.” No, it is not. It’s a very real problem. In fact, I spoke with the National Park Service just before joining the show. They now have 17 police reports that have been filed in just a matter of a few days.

    There’s actually been six arrests at the reflecting pool where, again, these deranged individuals, many of them longtime donors to the Democrat Party, to Barack Obama, to Act Blue, that have been vandalizing and desecrating our federal monument, one of the most beautiful monuments in the world, the reflecting pool.

    Look, just because the White House hasn’t actually proven any of these monstrous protesters from the Black Lagoon have done a damn thing, that doesn’t mean that the administration is just arresting people willy-nilly and accusing them. Only fascists would do such a thing!

    Leavitt vowed that the algae vandalizers would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law — meaning that no grand jury is likely to indict them, or that the prosecution will fall apart faster than a Subway sandwich splatting on an ICE goon — and this “despicable vandalism” will be fixed before July 4, […] for the 250th anniversary Donald Trump’s writing and signing the Declaration of Independence and then posting it on King George III’s Twitter account.

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/barack-obama-with-a-knife-at-the

  493. Reginald Selkirk says

    @ 491 Lynna, OM

    … and voted to undercut Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief.

    No! The constitution is very clear that the power to declare war rests on the Congress, not the president. That is like saying you are undercutting a bus driver’s power by making him stick to his route.

  494. says

    Reginald @493, good point.

    In other news: Andy Burnham feared Brexit. Soon he may have to fix it.

    “Keir Starmer leaves his successor three half-finished agreements with the EU, a postponed summit, and a discredited political strategy.”

    Cautious optimism gradually turned to despair at the Remain campaign’s official results party on June 23, 2016.

    Activists and door-knockers mingled with government ministers over a curry buffet and warm wine, at first paying little attention to the televisions dotted around the Southbank Centre’s conference suite. While the EU referendum result looked close, the final polls had given their side — which included the leaders of all four of the U.K.’s biggest political parties — the advantage.

    By 4 a.m., when Nigel Farage appeared on television to declare that “honesty” and “decency” had won the day for Brexit, just a few were left. Some were quiet and ashen-faced. Others were yelling at the television; a few had obviously been crying.

    But it wasn’t a surprise for everyone. Andy Burnham, then Labour’s shadow home secretary, had broken ranks weeks before to warn that the Remain campaign was getting things wrong and in serious danger of throwing away the referendum.

    […] on the verge of becoming prime minister, one of Burnham’s first tasks if he ascends to No. 10 will now be to get Britain’s relationship with the EU back on the road. His predecessor leaves him three half-finished agreements, a postponed summit, and a discredited political strategy — all of which will need fixing.

    The EU-U.K. summit, originally scheduled for July 22 in Brussels, was meant to take the EU relationship to the next level.

    “Now, for sure, we need to postpone it,” European Council President António Costa told reporters on Monday after Keir Starmer announced his resignation. “But we are reassessing the opportunity of this new summit. My wish is that his successor could give continuity on this good path to reset our relationship with the United Kingdom.” […]

    More at the link.

  495. Reginald Selkirk says

    One of Wikipedia’s Cofounders Banned From the Site Over Influence Campaigns

    After years of criticism and complaints about the direction of the site, Larry Sanger, one of Wikipedia’s cofounders, has been banned from editing articles.

    Sanger was indefinitely blocked from editing privileges on Wikipedia after volunteer editors accused him of violating the site’s rules by trying to get his online followers to influence an internal discussion on the platform.

    A Wikipedia page showing Sanger’s contributions says he is currently blocked, with the expiration set to indefinite. That page links to a discussion over whether Sanger committed what is known as off-wiki canvassing, which broadly refers to trying to bring people from outside Wikipedia into an internal discussion to influence its outcome…

    The discussion focused on Sanger’s efforts to get his WikiProject on intellectual diversity officially recognized. WikiProjects are groups of volunteer editors who work together around specific topics or issues on Wikipedia. Sanger’s proposed group purportedly aimed to bring more viewpoints to the encyclopedia, particularly perspectives he argues have been pushed out by what he sees as Wikipedia’s left-leaning bias…

    Poor guy. The left-leaning bias of reality is well-known.

  496. birgerjohansson says

    France records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across country (chilling themselves by swimming in unsupervised waters).

    [France has > 40° C, Britain 30-35° C]
    .https://share.google/DoLMuNoV93dtl3t2h

    This is a gift from the fossil fuel lobby, which has opposed action ever since the days of Bill Clinton.

  497. StevoR says

    In a new paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Jacob Haqq‐Misra and Eric Wolf of Blue Marble Space in Seattle determined the future of plants by looking at the long-term future of solar luminosity and CO2 levels in the atmosphere, using a three-dimensional general circulation climate model and considering whether future silicate weathering will be strong or weak.

    The research required looking at the three broad classes of plants, depending on how they photosynthesize sunlight: C3 plants, C4 plants and CAM photosynthesis plants. Their relative vegetation abundances on Earth, by number of species, are about 95%, 3% and 2%, respectively. Each has a different CO2 starvation limit: C3 plants fail below about 50 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in the atmosphere, C4 plants fail below about 10 ppm, and CAM species even lower.

    When will these CO2 values occur? The silicate weathering rate depends on temperature. How do these 3-D model results compare to earlier, simpler models?

    … (Snip)..

    Their result shows ample habitability with slowly increasing temperatures up to about 1.5 billion years from now, followed by significant warming up to 2 billion years. By then, surface habitability peters out, with no regions left of complex habitability such as plants. Earth would come to be dominated by microbes.

    Source : https://phys.org/news/2026-06-survive-earth-billion-years.html

  498. StevoR says

    @483. Lynna, OM : “Trump also said, “[…] You have Omar, who married her brother […]”

    Which ofc is a racist lie.

    In response to the rumor, Omar issued a statement in 2016 describing the issue as one based on “a difficult part of my personal history that I did not consider relevant in the context of a political campaign,” and she labeled accusations that her former husband was also her brother “absurd and offensive.”

    ..(Snip)..

    We found no public records or credible sources contradicting Omar’s account of her past, nor any substantive evidence corroborating claims that Elmi is her brother or that their marriage was otherwise fraudulent. In addition, some of the claims offered in support of the rumor don’t seem to add up.

    Source : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ilhan-omar-marry-brother/