“RFK Jr. Insists Vaccines Cause Peanut Allergies Despite All Evidence (It Is All The Evidence) To The Contrary”
[…] after decades of increasingly prevalent food allergies among children, the scientific journal Pediatrics published a study last month showing that peanut allergies have actually decreased significantly over the last several years.
The most likely cause? Early exposure. Doctors went from discouraging parents from giving their kids any peanut products early in life (in case they have allergies already and something goes wrong) to actually encouraging them to do so, and the rate dropped from 1.5 percent of all American kids to 0.9 percent.
This is, of course, very exciting news for all of the children who will not be deprived of the majesty that is chocolate-peanut butter anything.
However, one person is not very happy about this, and that person is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Asked about the study and the theory behind it during an appearance at the Food Allergy Fund Leadership Forum, RFK Jr. said “To me, that is not a convincing hypothesis.”
You see, he already has an explanation for why kids are allergic to peanuts. Guess what it is! No, really, guess!
It is vaccines.
[…] In a previous discussion on the subject at the National Governors Association’s Colorado summit in July, Kennedy explained that one time back in the 1990s, he took a field trip to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York with a group he co-founded called the Food Allergy Initiative and learned all about it. According to him, a mysterious, unnamed scientist told him that the way to “induce” an allergy is to combine aluminum with a protein of the thing you want them to be allergic to, and KABLAM! Allergy!
“I asked the scientist there, ‘How do you induce an allergy in a rat?’ And he said, ‘It’s formulaic. You take aluminum adjuvant and inject it into that rat with a protein. If it’s a peanut protein, that rat will have a lifetime allergy to peanuts. If it’s a dairy protein, you’ll have a lifetime allergy to dairy. If it’s a latex protein, you’ll have a lifetime allergy to latex.’ That’s the same aluminum adjuvant that’s in the hepatitis B vaccine, and many of those vaccines contain peanut oil excipients.”
Reporters from Mother Jones looked into this claim, and, incredibly enough, could not find anyone who knew what the hell he was talking about.
Curiously, though, a researcher who has been intimately involved in allergy studies at Mt. Sinai told Mother Jones in an email that he wasn’t sure what Kennedy could have been referring to. Dr. Hugh Sampson, a pediatrician who specializes in allergy and immunology, said he came to Mt. Sinai in 1997 to help found the institution’s Jaffe Food Allergy Institute. Dr. Sampson, whose lab used cholera toxins, not aluminum, to study anaphylaxis in mice, said his group had worked with the Food Allergy Initiative and that he recalled seeing Kennedy at Mt. Sinai. Possibly, Kennedy was referring to a different lab, but “I am not aware of any other lab at Mount Sinai that was doing this kind of work at that time,” he wrote.
[…] Does RFK Jr. have proof beyond that? He does not. […]
Via NDTV:
Kennedy acknowledged there is no science backing the connection, but said he wanted researchers to study aluminium adjuvants in childhood vaccines because he believes their use “fit the timeline perfectly” with an increased prevalence of food allergies. He added that pesticides and ultraprocessed food also could be contributing factors, without providing evidence.
“We don’t have the science to say this is an effect or not, or maybe other things like, for example, pesticides that fit the same timeline,” he said at the Washington conference, which was focused on food allergies.
It’s true. He’s frequently cited a 2011 study that suggested a link, but that always gets a little awkward because the World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety determined that the study was “seriously flawed.”
And yet, Kennedy would very much like to ignore all of the studies that have found that the aluminum in vaccines is perfectly safe and not more than a baby might be exposed to otherwise.
Via Mother Jones:
Dr. J. Andrew Bird, a pediatric immunologist and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Allergy and Immunology, told Mother Jones via email that there is “no credible evidence from high-quality studies that aluminum adjuvants in vaccines contribute to the development of any food allergy, including peanut allergy.” [True]
Rather, Dr. Bird wrote, allergies are thought to be “influenced by factors such as genetic predisposition, delayed introduction of peanut in infancy, and disruption of the skin barrier associated with eczema.” He pointed to a Danish cohort study of 1.2 million children, which found no link between aluminum in vaccines and the development of food allergies. [!]
Kennedy asked the journal that published the study, Annals of Internal Medicine, to retract it for him [embedded link available at the main link], because he did not like the result, but they refused […]
In addition to his vaccine-related comments, Kennedy also used the conference to announce the thrilling news that the HHS will now encourage people to eat a diet high in saturated fats, which pretty much any nutritionist or doctor or random person on the street can tell you is a bad idea if you value your heart. [!!]
“We’re ending the war on saturated fats in this country. So, we’re going to publish dietary guidelines that are going to stress the importance of protein and saturated fats. And those will come out, I think, next month. And I think that will really revolutionize the food system in the country, the food culture in this country,” Kennedy said.
[…] This would be a fun thing to laugh about, except for the fact that it could impact what is served at school lunches across the nation […]
Reselling tickets for profit is to be outlawed under plans due to be announced this week, the Guardian has learned, as the government goes ahead with a long-awaited crackdown on touts and resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub.
The decision, due to be announced on Wednesday, comes a week after dozens of world-renowned artists – including Radiohead, Dua Lipa and Coldplay – issued an open plea to Keir Starmer to make good on Labour’s general election manifesto pledge by stopping “pernicious” touts.
This is an issue for everything that sells tickets but it in general you hear about it most for music. The various resellers drive up prices and get in the way of fans. The issue arises because the bands often would rather keep prices somewhat reasonable and keep fans happy, the resellers then grab those tickets and price to maximize profits no matter who it irritates.
This is one of those things that has always been an issue but computers made it worse. When people had to buy tickets in person there was a practical limit to how many tickets the resellers could tie up. With computers the resellers can try to lock up all of the tickets and then resell them into an artificially scarce market.
How well a ban works depends on how reasonably the government implements a ban. The government shouldn’t waste it’s time with individual resellers unless they get too big but the online automated ones are the ones that need shut down.
As a presidential candidate last year, Donald Trump never came up with a detailed plan related to education policy, but he did make one thing explicitly clear: He wanted to shut down the Department of Education. The president has ignored a great many of his campaign promises, but this one he was apparently quite serious about.
While it would take an act of Congress to shut a Cabinet agency, Trump nevertheless signed an executive order in March to begin the process of dismantling the Education Department, shifting its responsibilities to other agencies.
Eight months later, the regressive plan is ongoing. The Associated Press reported:
The U.S. Education Department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan to shut down the department. … Six new agreements signed by the Education Department will effectively move billions of dollars in grant programs to other agencies.
[I snipped detail.]
Helping to execute the plan is Lindsey Burke, who serves as Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s deputy chief of staff for policy and programs and who helped write the Project 2025 chapter on education policy. (The right-wing blueprint endorsed shuttering the federal department.)
The latest moves also come on the heels of the Republican administration slashing the Education Department’s workforce, leaving it nearly hollowed out. [!]
[…] the American public is broadly against scrapping the Education Department. […] “Indeed, it appears to be among the more unpopular things Trump has pushed for.”
[…] On Capitol Hill, some GOP members from competitive districts are starting to push back. [I snipped details.]
There’s no reason to believe the president or his team has the slightest interest in Congress’ objections, and with Republican majorities in both chambers, it’s unlikely that the public will see any organized effort that would curtail the administration’s ambitions.
Yesterday President Trump met in the Oval Office with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and, in the midst of defending him over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said that MBS “knew nothing about it.” Last night Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) went to the well of the House and gave a brief speech in which he said that the two most troubling presidential calls he had reviewed while serving on the National Security Council staff were the infamous one with President Zelenskyy and another heretofore unknown call with MBS. Vindman then goes on to imply that the call showed Trump not only knew MBS ordered the murder but likely supported it. Vindman first posted the video on Twitter last night. This morning he posted the same video on Bluesky. But in the caption he writes in the post — as opposed to the video — he zeroes in specifically on Trump’s claim that MBS “knew nothing about it.”
Based on Vindman’s statement and what we already know about Trump generally and the U.S. intelligence community’s verdict on the murder, it seems clear that MBS admitted to ordering the murder — that he admitted it to Trump and that Trump was completely fine with it. He did everything he could to protect MBS after the fact. The last point is a matter of public record. […] Trump did MBS a very, very big solid.
A couple other points are important to note here. I don’t know if those call transcripts are technically classified. But they’re definitely among the most prized secrets of the U.S. government and for good reason. Vindman was clearly making use of the Constitution’s “speech and debate” clause to get around whatever legal repercussions there might be for discussing this call publicly. I’ll note that he says very little directly about the call. But you can’t be cute about discussing this stuff. Discussing anything about the call could give the White House a big opening to go after Vindman. But the “speech and debate” clause closes that off. I note this just to make the point that he didn’t just happen to mention this in a floor speech. That was by design.
[…] We saw what Trump stumbled into with the Epstein Files. The public doesn’t like being left out of the loop when there’s clearly something big to know. No one could force Trump to release those files (as I’ve noted, Trump will stiff Congress if he wants to …). But he also couldn’t blunt the force of public opinion. This is the paradox of Trump’s rule in his second administration. Thanks to the corrupt six Republican members of the Supreme Court his executive power is totally unrestrained. But he still can’t control public opinion. And more specifically the nature of his power is not great enough to make public opinion not matter. In this case [the Jamal Khashoggi murder case] he’s brought the matter right up to the present with a categorical statement and exoneration. This isn’t something he said way back in 2018 or 2019, in the distant before times no one remembers.
Now, I don’t think there’s anywhere near as much public outrage and juice behind the Kashoggi murder as there is behind Trump’s relationship with Epstein. But it’s not nothing. And the public knows a fair amount about it.
[…] Trump has been very, very specific. He hasn’t spoken vaguely about this. He says MBS knew nothing about it. He says MBS knew nothing about it and that he Trump knows nothing to the contrary. It now seems clear that there’s a phone call transcript exploding each of these points. People are going to want to see that. […] remember, Trump now isn’t as powerful as he was back in July when this latest chapter of the Epstein saga first started.
Even in the house of horrors that is vaccine-preventable illnesses, polio stands out as particularly terrifying. Before the rollout of the vaccine in the 1950s, the disease paralyzed or killed more than 500,000 people worldwide every year. The disease was especially catastrophic for children […]
it’s polio’s turn to be downplayed.
Over the last few months, a handful of influential anti-vaccine activists have dabbled in polio denialism. In September, for example, Larry Cook, founder of the anti-vaccine group Stop Mandatory Vaccination, falsely claimed to his 137,000 followers on X that polio “was cured with high dose vitamin C” and that “the polio vaccine NEVER stopped polio. We’ve been lied to for decades and decades.” [social media post]
Then, in October, Suzanne Humphries, a holistic medicine practitioner and anti-vaccine activist, appeared on Joe Rogan’s wildly popular podcast. “The early injection caused more paralytic polio than it prevented,” she told Rogan. “And that’s the part that people don’t understand when they say, ‘What about polio? Because there’s no more iron lungs, there’s no more crippling, there’s no more of these poor little kids walking around with their casts.’ Well, that’s not true because the iron lung is now called a ventilator.” She went on to argue that “we still have polio that we had in 1953” because many of the cases back then weren’t technically polio but rather paralysis triggered by vaccines, tonsillectomies, and exposure to toxic substances like arsenic. [JFC]
To call those claims dangerously misleading is an understatement, so let’s briefly dispense with them. The early injections were, in fact, remarkably effective, with cases declining by 90 percent within the first three years of the vaccine rollout; ventilators are not the same as iron lungs; polio was a distinct virus that scientists successfully isolated in stool samples. [All true.]
Humphries isn’t the only one spreading misinformation about polio on Joe Rogan’s show. A month after her appearance, Gavin de Becker, a security specialist, mega-donor to RFK Jr.’s failed presidential campaign, and anti-vaccine activist, made similarly specious claims on the show. “Here’s the reality of polio, right from the CDC website: 99 percent of people who get polio never have any symptoms,” he said. What’s more, he said, polio killed just 500 people last year and paralyzed an additional 500, and many of the cases were actually caused by the live virus contained in vaccines. He went on to claim that historic cases of polio paralysis were actually caused by exposure to the pesticide DDT.
Again, a real grab bag here. First off, let’s address the outright falsehoods: polio paralysis, as Politifact and Factcheck.org confirm, was never caused by DDT. Now, for the more slippery assertions: Yes, it’s true that 99 percent of polio cases are asymptomatic and that only 1,000 people last year died of or were paralyzed by the disease. True as well that today, most polio cases are caused by the live virus in the vaccine.
What de Becker conveniently ignores is that all these current realities are actually strong arguments in favor of vaccination. The fact that the yearly death toll and paralysis numbers are so low is because of widespread vaccination efforts, which have resulted in polio infection decreasing by 99 percent worldwide since 1988 and led to it being considered as eradicated in all but two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan). [!] Even a paralysis rate of one percent is catastrophic at scale—let’s remember that the disease killed or paralyzed half a million people every year before vaccines. As for vaccine-derived polio, ironically, it is much more likely to spread and mutate in undervaccinated populations.
Anti-vaccine advocacy groups were quick to amplify Humphries’ and de Becker’s claims. Children’s Health Defense, the organization Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. founded, jumped at the chance, as did the MAHA Institute, a group that focuses on fundraising and policy around Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again initiative.
Then, earlier this week, a video of a man holding a baby while talking about polio made the rounds. In addition to repeating Humphries’ and de Becker’s dubious talking points, he claims that modern sanitation could stop the spread of polio. “You have to literally put the feces of a polio-infected human being into your mouth to contract polio,” he announces. “And that sounds more like a sanitation issue rather than a vaccination issue.” (Presumably the baby this guy is holding does not attend daycare, where the fecal-oral route of disease transmission is, uh, robust.) The video has been viewed 376,000 times on X and counting.
Only a generation or two back, someone who claimed that polio wasn’t so bad would have been swiftly shouted down—because most people knew someone for whom polio had indeed been very bad. It is precisely because of the success of vaccines that polio misinformation can now find a foothold. Last month, infectious disease doctor Neil Stone tweeted a photo of an iron lung. “This is an iron lung for polio victims,” he wrote. “Remember these? Me neither. It’s now in a museum…where it should stay. Why? Because vaccines work.”
A bankruptcy judge says he will make it official: Purdue Pharma — in business in some form since 1892 and wholly owned by members of the Sackler family since 1952 — shall soon be no more, dissolved, and it and its soon-to-be-former owners the family shall pay some $7 billion over 15 years for their aggressive role in getting America dopesick pushing OxyContin with lies.
Your reminder, the evil narco-cartel getting Americans like JD Vance’s momma addicted to pain pills are not Venezuelans bringing over fentanyl in drug boats! Your pushermen, pusherwomen, and pusherpeople are right here in the US of A, in white coats, suits and ties. An estimated 13.8 million Americans abuse prescription drugs every year, and fill 125 million opioid prescriptions, versus about 660,000 people a year estimated to use heroin. And one often leads to the other, especially where people lack access to medical and mental health care, and heroin is cheaper and easier to get.
And about 80 percent of the drugs intercepted at the border are being smuggled by Americans.
Remember how when Vance was a boy, his momma got addicted to prescription drugs from the ones she stole from her job as a nurse? From a New York Times profile of her:
[Beverly] Aikins’s struggle with addiction began many years ago one day at work. She was a nurse. She got a bad headache and took a Vicodin pill [made by Abbott Labs of Chicago, Illinois]. She loved the way it made her feel. She went home, bathed her children and cleaned her house. Soon she began to purloin stronger pharmaceuticals, such as Percocet [made by Endo Labs of Malvern, PA]. She lost her job and her nursing license and, with it, her access to prescription pills. She began to snort heroin.
And then, in 1996, Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin came on the scene, billing itself as a safer, less addictive alternative, even though no long-term studies and no assessment of its addictive capabilities had been conducted. Nevertheless, the company touted lied that OxyContin “might be less likely to cause abuse and addiction than shorter-acting painkillers like Percocet and Vicodin” and claimed that the risk of addiction to the painkiller was less than 1 percent, and took Percocet and Vicodin’s whole market of hurters. It was a blockbuster, making $2.8 billion in 2001, and by 2017 it had made the company $35 billion and the Sacklers among the 20 richest families in the world. [!]
But then came the deaths. Between 1999 and 2017, 200,000 deaths had occurred from overdoses of OxyContin and other prescription opioids, and by 2022, 145 people a day in the US were dying of overdoses.
The alarm bells rang early: In 2001, Connecticut’s then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued a statement urging Purdue to do something about OxyContin abuse, and the company first began to be investigated by the DOJ in 2002. And in 2004 (more than 20 years ago!), West Virginia sued.
In 2007, the company pleaded guilty to felony criminal misbranding for their lies that OxyContin tastes great and is less addicting, and the company’s president Michael Friedman, top lawyer, and former chief medical officer pleaded guilty as individuals. But did the company fix the error of its ways? It did not! In 2020 the company pleaded guilty to three felonies, related to mislabeling and illegal kickbacks, activities that they not only failed to quit but crushed, snorted, and turbocharged after the 2007 pleas, wooing prescribers with luxury vacations and perks, and funding grants to advocate for more aggressive treatment of pain. With opioids, of course!
And then a tsunami of lawsuits […] Which Purdue Pharma has fought tooth and nail for the past two decades, all the way to the Supreme Court. While at the same time, say plaintiffs, the Sacklers began a “milking program,” taking $11 billion — about 75 percent of Purdue’s total assets — out of the company over the next decade. Then in 2019, the then-drained Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the Sacklers proposed to generously return approximately $4.3 billion to Purdue’s bankruptcy estate in exchange for the family being released from all future opioid-related claims, and enjoining any victims from bringing such claims against them in the future.
A bankruptcy court approved that, but the Second Circuit was like, Bankruptcy Court doesn’t have the power to let some non-party to the bankruptcy off the hook, and the Supreme Court agreed. So back the case went, to Judge Sean H. Lane of the US Bankruptcy Court for the SDNY, and now cometh the largest pharmaceutical settlement in history. One that holds those sleazy Sacklers personally responsible, requiring them to relinquish ownership and pay up to $7 billion out of their personal fortunes, and the company to pay $900 million. Then Purdue will be dissolved and reborn as a public benefit company called Knoa Pharma, making small amounts of opioid painkillers and also opioid overdose-reversal medications, with profits to go to addiction remediation-type programs.
Still, the gross amount for each claim is expected to range from $7,000 to $16,000, which is hardly the value of a life lost. [True]
And the Sackler family has destroyed their once-classy name. [The Sackler name has been stripped] from the Met, the Tate, the Louvre and the Guggenheim, as documented in the fantastic documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. [video]
So, goodbye Sacklers. Off back under your rock you go, billions poorer (but surely still in the 1 percent).
And stay away from the opiates and opioids, kids. […]
[I snipped history of the Paris Agreement in 2015.]
Despite some remarkable leaps in climate action since that moment in Paris, experts warn the world stands at a critical juncture. As countries continue to burn oil, gas and coal, temperatures are rising, causing deadly storms, flooding and heat.
The past decade has been the hottest on record, with last year topping the grim streak.
As world leaders gather in Belem, Brazil, for this year’s global climate summit, COP30, scientists warn that, however warm the world has already become, every fraction of a degree still counts — making the difference between the safety and suffering of millions of people.
[I snipped some economic details.]
[…] critical ecosystems are being pushed beyond their limits. This year, the world passed its first climate “tipping point,” a threshold that triggers irreversible change, with warming oceans causing mass coral die-offs. Coral reefs are one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems, supporting a quarter of marine life.
Scientists warn other tipping points, such as the dieback of the Amazon rainforest and collapse of vital ocean currents, are dangerously close.
This critical state has been driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels in the decade since the Paris Agreement was reached. Last year, greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels and are now 65% higher than 1990 levels.
To keep the Paris Agreement goals within the world’s grasp, emissions should already be peaking and beginning to plummet. But a recent analysis revealed no sign of a slowdown.
Absolute emissions soared last year, with human activities — namely, the burning of coal, oil and gas — sending a record of 53.2 gigatons of CO2 equivalent emissions into the atmosphere.
Two-thirds of this came from just eight economies: China, the US, the European Union, India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil and Japan. Of those big polluters, only the EU and Japan decreased their annual emissions compared to 2023.
The vast majority of this comes from the energy sector, which powers our lives and economies.
While climate action overall is critically lagging, there are pockets of striking progress.
Global growth in renewables has skyrocketed, even exceeding the expectations of optimists. Plummeting costs are helping to drive the boom, with investments in clean energy growing and now doubling those going into fossil fuels.
The share of global energy provided by renewables has more than tripled since the Paris Agreement.
[…] Global solar capacity is over four times what was predicted in 2015, doubling every three years. Wind has tripled, according to analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a UK-based non-profit.
Solar panels on hilltops at the Yinchuan Fourth Photovoltaic Power station in China’s northern Ningxia region [photo]
China is leading the pack, having last year installed more solar capacity — now 1,000 times greater than it was in 2010 — than the rest of the world combined.
In the last decade, electric vehicles have surged from around 1% of car sales to almost a quarter. The world is on track to reach the Paris Agreement target of 100 million vehicles on the road by 2030 ahead of schedule.
Yet there are important caveats to this progress. Renewables might be breaking records, but so is coal: the dirtiest fossil fuel hit a record high in overall global use last year. And while more money is pouring into green energy, public finance for fossil fuels has also increased to $1.6 trillion (€1.37 trillion) per year.
[…]
The world needs to see an enormous acceleration […] in emission reductions across all sectors, according to the recent State of Climate Action report.
This includes phasing out coal 10 times faster this decade, increasing efforts to halt deforestation by nine-fold, doubling renewables growth, increasing global climate finance by nearly $1 trillion per year, and rapidly expanding public transport infrastructure in the world’s most polluting cities.
[I snipped history of the Paris Agreement in 2015.]
Despite some remarkable leaps in climate action since that moment in Paris, experts warn the world stands at a critical juncture. As countries continue to burn oil, gas and coal, temperatures are rising, causing deadly storms, flooding and heat.
The past decade has been the hottest on record, with last year topping the grim streak.
As world leaders gather in Belem, Brazil, for this year’s global climate summit, COP30, scientists warn that, however warm the world has already become, every fraction of a degree still counts — making the difference between the safety and suffering of millions of people.
[I snipped some economic details.]
[…] critical ecosystems are being pushed beyond their limits. This year, the world passed its first climate “tipping point,” a threshold that triggers irreversible change, with warming oceans causing mass coral die-offs. Coral reefs are one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems, supporting a quarter of marine life.
Scientists warn other tipping points, such as the dieback of the Amazon rainforest and collapse of vital ocean currents, are dangerously close.
This critical state has been driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels in the decade since the Paris Agreement was reached. Last year, greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels and are now 65% higher than 1990 levels.
To keep the Paris Agreement goals within the world’s grasp, emissions should already be peaking and beginning to plummet. But a recent analysis revealed no sign of a slowdown.
Absolute emissions soared last year, with human activities — namely, the burning of coal, oil and gas — sending a record of 53.2 gigatons of CO2 equivalent emissions into the atmosphere.
Two-thirds of this came from just eight economies: China, the US, the European Union, India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil and Japan. Of those big polluters, only the EU and Japan decreased their annual emissions compared to 2023.
The vast majority of this comes from the energy sector, which powers our lives and economies.
While climate action overall is critically lagging, there are pockets of striking progress.
Global growth in renewables has skyrocketed, even exceeding the expectations of optimists. Plummeting costs are helping to drive the boom, with investments in clean energy growing and now doubling those going into fossil fuels.
The share of global energy provided by renewables has more than tripled since the Paris Agreement.
[…] Global solar capacity is over four times what was predicted in 2015, doubling every three years. Wind has tripled, according to analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a UK-based non-profit.
Solar panels on hilltops at the Yinchuan Fourth Photovoltaic Power station in China’s northern Ningxia region [photo]
China is leading the pack, having last year installed more solar capacity — now 1,000 times greater than it was in 2010 — than the rest of the world combined.
In the last decade, electric vehicles have surged from around 1% of car sales to almost a quarter. The world is on track to reach the Paris Agreement target of 100 million vehicles on the road by 2030 ahead of schedule.
Yet there are important caveats to this progress. Renewables might be breaking records, but so is coal: the dirtiest fossil fuel hit a record high in overall global use last year. And while more money is pouring into green energy, public finance for fossil fuels has also increased to $1.6 trillion (€1.37 trillion) per year.
[…]
The world needs to see an enormous acceleration […] in emission reductions across all sectors, according to the recent State of Climate Action report.
This includes phasing out coal 10 times faster this decade, increasing efforts to halt deforestation by nine-fold, doubling renewables growth, increasing global climate finance by nearly $1 trillion per year, and rapidly expanding public transport infrastructure in the world’s most polluting cities.
Apologies for the double post above (comments 8 and 9). I don’t know how that happened.
In other news: “Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza Amid Truce, Officials Say”
“Israel’s military said it had launched attacks across Gaza after Palestinian militants shot at its troops. The six-week-old cease-fire has been pierced periodically by bursts of violence.”
New York Times:
Israel launched a series of strikes on Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 25 people, according to the local health ministry, and piercing a cease-fire in the territory that has mostly held for the past six weeks.
The truce between Israel and Hamas has been punctuated by occasional eruptions of deadly violence. Both sides have said, however, that they are still committed to maintaining the cease-fire.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said several militants had opened fire on its forces near the southern city of Khan Younis in Gaza without causing injuries. In response, Israeli forces were “striking Hamas terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip,” the military’s statement said.
Hamas said Israel’s assertion that its troops had been targeted was a “transparent attempt to justify its ongoing crimes.” The Palestinian militant group called on the United States to rein in Israeli military actions.
[…] Israeli forces have come under fire multiple times since mid-October, killing at least three soldiers. Blaming Hamas for the attacks, Israel has responded with great force, killing more than 280 Palestinians since the truce went into effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry’s toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
In late October, Israeli forces killed at least 100 people across Gaza, including children, in a single night of strikes, according to Palestinian health officials. Israeli officials said they had been responding to an attack that killed an Israeli soldier, as well as Hamas’s failure to promptly hand over the remaining bodies of hostages still believed to be in Gaza.
Since the cease-fire came into effect, Israeli forces have also attacked Gazans that the military said had crossed the line that now divides the territory, in violation of the agreement. One attack struck a civilian vehicle carrying several members of an extended family.
At least nine people were killed in that strike, including several children, according to relatives. The Israeli military confirmed firing on the car, saying the driver had ignored warning fire and crossed the cease-fire line.
“The object is the third interstellar visitor to our solar system ever confirmed. It will reach its closest point to Earth next month.”
NASA released new images of an interstellar comet — just the third visitor from elsewhere in the galaxy ever confirmed — on Wednesday, showing the comet as a bright point of light surrounded by a blurry halo of gas and dust.
In the long-awaited photos, the object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, mostly appears as an illuminated dot, but some images also reveal the comet’s tail as a faint, elongated smudge.
The images were taken by various NASA spacecraft in recent weeks, as the mysterious comet swung through the inner solar system. But they were not made public until now because of the government shutdown, which put work at NASA and other federal agencies on hold.
Comet 3I/ATLAS was first detected in July, sparking a flurry of interest among scientists and in amateur astronomy circles. Much of the intrigue stems from the extremely rare chance to get a relatively up-close view of an interstellar object.
Before this one, the only two objects ever confirmed to have entered our solar system from someplace beyond in the galaxy were the cigar-shaped ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019.
While 3I/ATLAS’s visit to our cosmic neighborhood has fueled wild theories that the comet could be extraterrestrial technology or an alien spacecraft, there has been no scientific evidence to support such claims. NASA has said that 3I/ATLAS is “consistent with what we expect from a comet.”
In the weeks ahead, scientists will have more opportunities to study 3I/ATLAS and better characterize its features, including its appearance, speed and possible place of origin. […]
“Agnès Callamard, now the secretary general of Amnesty International, wrote arguably the most detailed and authoritative report on Khashoggi’s killing.”
A former United Nations investigator who wrote the authoritative report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi told NBC News on Wednesday that she was “shocked and angry” at President Donald Trump’s dismissal of intelligence saying Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the killing.
Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of the watchdog Amnesty International, said there was “no doubt whatsoever” that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s grisly bone-saw killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018. American intelligence said that the crown prince personally approved the operation to kill or kidnap the Washington Post columnist, something the de facto Saudi leader has denied despite apologizing for the murder by his officials.
As the Saudi leader visited the White House on Tuesday, Trump disavowed the findings by his own intelligence agencies, saying the crown prince “knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that,” even chiding the enquiring reporter for trying to “embarrass our guests by asking a question like that.”
Trump called Khashoggi “extremely controversial” and claimed that “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about.” He added, “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”
The remarks surprised Callamard, who while serving as the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings investigated Khashoggi’s murder and in 2019 wrote arguably the most detailed and authoritative report about what happened.
“I was astonished, shocked and angry,” Callamard said of Trump’s comments. “What’s controversial is flying 15 operatives from Saudi Arabia to a foreign country to commit a murder.”
There is “no doubt whatsoever” that Crown Prince Mohammed ordered Khashoggi’s murder, she maintained. “And frankly, there is no doubt in the mind of anyone who knows Saudi Arabia.”
Trump’s remarks have provoked widespread outrage. […]
More at the link.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna @2 quoting Wonkette:
allergies are thought to be “influenced by factors such as genetic predisposition[“]
Kennedy asked the journal […] to retract it
Y’know for folks who are so obsessed with having good genes and culling the weak, they refuse to acknowledge bad genes in the constituents they claim to care about and instead blame environmental factors a lot.
/Genetics = racism.
/Environmental = purging scapegoats for profit; while curiously preserving actual hazards and sabotaging efforts to fix those.
HHS will now encourage people to eat a diet high in saturated fats
*headdesk* Soon from the CDC’s guidelines for public pools: chlorine shall be replaced with sewage.
I find the quote (as has been used by so many main slime news outlets, too) “The six-week-old cease-fire has been pierced periodically by bursts of violence.” sickening. With so many tens of thousands of palestinians slaughtered and all the ongoing violence, I can only assert that NO CEASE-FIRE exists.
I am sad and angry. Hamas is NOT supported by all the palestinian people. The IDF is NOT supported by all the israeli people. If you study the languages and the fact that they are both ‘peoples of the book’ there is so much in their heritage that is common. So I find it abhorrent that this conflict has been going on for centuries and that there is NO honest solution to the carnage.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
@shermanj #14:
there is so much in their heritage that is common. So I find it abhorrent that this conflict has been going on for centuries
There is a tendency to erase the colonial aggression and recency of the conflict.
The conflict has its origins in the rise of Zionism in the late 19th century in Europe, a movement which aimed to establish a Jewish state through the colonization of Palestine, synchronously with the first arrival of Jewish settlers to Ottoman Palestine in 1882. The Zionist movement garnered the support of an imperial power in the 1917 Balfour Declaration issued by Britain […] In 1936, an Arab revolt erupted, demanding independence and an end to British support for Zionism, which was suppressed by the British. Eventually, tensions led to the United Nations adopting a partition plan in 1947, triggering a civil war. During the ensuing 1948 Palestine war, more than half of the […] predominantly Palestinian Arab population fled or were expelled by Israeli forces.
[…]
it was not until the arrival of more ideologically Zionist immigrants in the decade preceding the First World War that the landscape of Ottoman Palestine would start to significantly change. Land purchases, the eviction of tenant Arab peasants and armed confrontation with Jewish para-military units would all contribute to the Palestinian population’s growing fear of territorial displacement and dispossession. From early on, the leadership of the Zionist movement had the idea of “transferring” (a euphemism for ethnic cleansing) the Arab Palestinian population out of the land for the purpose of establishing a Jewish demographic majority.
While there is a huge amount of trash in manga, there are so many genres and sub-genres the media are quite inclusive.
Here is for instance a title I found at a swedish book shop (english text)
.
“How My Daddies Became Mates Vol. 1 – Mikkamita ”
The build-out of computing power for AI needs about $2 trillion in annual revenue by the end of the decade to justify the current and planned investment. It’s an insane amount of money, nobody has it—nobody may ever have it—and so everything being constructed now, from the GPUs needed to train AI models to the data centers housing them to the energy supplying those data centers, needs some creative financing. […] OpenAI lost more than $11.5 billion last quarter, and wants to spend far more in future years. The potential revenue to make up the gap is not anywhere on the horizon.
[…]
We have a 2000s housing bubble level of financial engineering on top of a 1920s level of private unregulated lending on top of something bigger than a 1990s internet (or 1870s railroad) level of technology and infrastructure build-out. It’s one bubble to rule them all.
[…]
That puts the effort by Trump’s financial regulators to deregulate traditional banking, including the Federal Reserve slashing bank supervision, in a different light.
An American delegation arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday to ‘discuss efforts to end the war’ as American efforts to revive peace negotiations appeared to gain momentum. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was joined by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and other top Army officials, Col. Dave Butler said in a statement, hours after Ukrainian police said at least 25 people were killed in a heavy overnight Russian missile and drone attacks.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have entered into a security agreement that will ease weapons transfers and elevate the relationship between the two countries. Under the agreement, Saudi Arabia would be designated a ‘major non-NATO ally,’ a formal relationship that deepens defense cooperation but does not include a security guarantee.
Israel launched an airstrike on a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon late Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding several others, according to Lebanese officials. It was one of the deadliest Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a cease-fire with Hezbollah went into effect about a year ago, ending a short but devastating war against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Amid steep cuts to U.S. foreign assistance, the Trump administration is touting a new plan to provide a powerful HIV prevention drug to countries most affected by the disease in an ambitious push to end the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.
But the program, which saw the first donated doses of lenacapavir delivered to Eswatini and Zambia last week, is already facing criticism from patient advocacy groups because the Trump administration refuses to provide the lifesaving antiretroviral medication free to South Africa, the country with the world’s largest HIV-positive population. Critics say the move appears politically motivated.
[…] President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February that halted all U.S. aid to the country, citing what he alleges is the mistreatment of White Afrikaners in the majority-Black nation — claims that experts have said are exaggerated or false. In May, Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in an Oval Office encounter, displaying video of crosses and earthen mounds that Trump falsely said represented more than 1,000 grave sites of slain farmers. (The images depicted a protest against the violence, not actual graves.)
[…] The administration has reshaped the U.S. refugee program to focus almost exclusively on Afrikaners and withdrew its senior-level participation in the Group of 20 summit in South Africa this month, renewing Trump’s claims about alleged anti-White violence and persecution and undermining the first African host of the annual meeting of the world’s top economies.
During a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his criticism of South Africa, saying that “their policies on the extermination of people are unacceptable” and that the government is behaving “extremely badly.”
[…] moves like cutting South Africa out of the lenacapavir initiative illustrate how Trump’s foreign policy is actively undermining the goals of U.S. foreign assistance.
They note that the Trump administration has set a target of a 90 percent reduction in HIV infections globally by 2030.
“They are sabotaging their own efforts to defeat new infections. This is wasteful, cruel and self-defeating,” said Asia Russell, executive director of Health GAP, a group that campaigns for access to HIV/AIDS treatment. […]
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas declared on Tuesday that one of the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy and civil rights groups is a foreign terrorist organization, saying the move will prohibit the organization from acquiring land in Texas and authorize the state attorney general “to sue to shut them down” in Texas.
ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
[Details of Tierra Walker’s story and of her death are available at the link.]
The reality: In states that ban abortion, patients with chronic conditions and other high-risk pregnancies often have nowhere to turn.
They enter pregnancy sick and are expected to get sicker. Yet lawmakers who wrote the bans have refused to create exceptions for health risks. As a result, many hospitals and doctors, facing the threat of criminal charges, no longer offer these patients terminations, ProPublica found in interviews with more than 100 OB-GYNs across the country. Instead, these women are left to gamble with their lives.
As Walker’s blood pressure swung wildly and a blood clot threatened to kill her, she continued to press doctors at prenatal appointments and emergency room visits, asking if it was safe for her to continue the pregnancy.
Although one doctor documented in her medical record that she was at “high risk of clinical deterioration and/or death,” she was told over and over again that she didn’t need to worry, her relatives say. More than 90 doctors were involved in Walker’s care, but not one offered her the option to end her pregnancy, according to medical records.
Walker’s case unfolded during the fall of 2024, when the dangers of abortion bans were a focus of protests, media coverage and electoral campaigns across the country. ProPublica had revealed that five women — three in Texas alone — had died after they were unable to access standard reproductive care under the new bans.
[…] In Texas, the law bars “aiding and abetting” an illegal abortion. As a result, many physicians have avoided even mentioning it, according to interviews with dozens of doctors.
In her condition, Walker couldn’t fathom leaving the state. When her aunt suggested ordering abortion medication online, Walker was worried she could go to jail. She was spending so much time in the hospital; what if she got caught taking the pills?
[…] In Idaho, an anti-abortion leader testifying at a state Senate hearing suggested doctors would use health exceptions to give abortions to patients with headaches.
[…] Other countries give pregnant women and their doctors far more control over the medical decision to terminate. Across Europe, for example, most laws permit abortion for any reason through the first trimester, when more than 90% of abortions occur. After that gestational limit, their statutes also tend to include broad health exceptions that can be used for chronic conditions, illnesses that develop in pregnancy, fetal anomalies and, in some countries, mental health.
U.S. abortion bans generally restrict interventions to a far more limited set of health risks, like a “life-threatening medical emergency” or “substantial and irreversible” harm to major organs. A small subset of lawyers and doctors argue that the law can and should be interpreted to cover patients with chronic conditions that are worsening in pregnancy. But the vaguely written bans threaten criminal penalties for performing an illegal abortion — in Texas, up to 99 years behind bars. In practice, few hospitals grant health exceptions, ProPublica’s reporting has found. […]
in South Carolina […] OB-GYNs who want to provide an abortion to a patient with a health risk now need to get a maternal-fetal medicine specialist to explicitly write in the chart that it is necessary, in compliance with the law. Not many doctors are willing to do so.
[…] After Walker died, her family felt bewildered by her medical care. The doctors had assured them that her baby was healthy and she would be fine. The autopsy found that the fetus was indeed healthy, at just under a pound and measuring 9 inches long. But it showed that Walker had hypertensive cardiovascular disease with preeclampsia, along with an enlarged heart, dangerously full of fluid, and kidney damage — signs that her condition had declined even more than she knew.
[…] “They didn’t want to offer to end the pregnancy, because the government or someone says you can’t? So you’d rather let somebody die?” […]
@15 CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain wrote: There is a tendency to erase the colonial aggression and recency of the conflict.
I reply: I agree, you’re correct. The article below that I’ve kept for a while supports your assertion. https://classroom.synonym.com/the-roots-of-conflict-between-islam-judaism-12085895.html
MICHAEL BRENNER 29 SEP 2017
Judaism and Islam are monotheistic faiths, and both claim heritage dating back to the ancient figure of Abraham. Despite this, the two faiths have been in conflict intermittently for 1,400 years, and the most notable periods of antagonism were at the start of Islam and in the last 100 years. Common issues of conflict have historically been theological issues, acceptance of Muhammad as a prophet and competition over holy land.
@26 Lynna, OM wrote: ProPublica: ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
A swirl of speculation around a purported US–Russia peace blueprint that would hand Moscow full control of the eastern Donbas and force Ukraine to cut its military in half jolted Washington and European capitals on Wednesday.
But officials on both sides of the Atlantic are scrambling to put distance between themselves and the alleged plan, refusing to confirm whether anything resembling the proposal exists.
One senior US official, speaking on background, brushed off the document as a “maximalist Kremlin fantasy,” the kind of outlandish wishlist Washington believes Moscow circulates to test Western nerves.
This looks like a repeat of Russian position from previous negotiations laundered as new negotiations by the Russians. The Trump administration has implied they are open to negotiations but this isn’t something they did. The Europeans have dismissed it out of hand. Ukraine is not interested in talking about it. At this point they are not that interested in negotiations at all, after several rounds where the Russians have just repeated the same demands that amount to surrender by Ukraine.
When rumors surfaced I was worried that Trump might be looking for something to distract from Epstein. This is just too pro-Russia to take seriously though. Trump might think it’s a good idea but the other officials would know it’s a non-starter.
birgerjohanssonsays
New Research Findings Rewrite the KPg Extinction Event!
“I Can’t Believe This is a Real Movie Title | Lesbian Space Princess – Movie Review”
It seems to be a good comedy… The protagonist is escaping the white Maliens, weird stuff happens.
“In theory, the Democratic video shouldn’t have been especially controversial. In practice, Team Trump’s pushback has been over the top.”
As the Trump administration continues to carry out deadly military strikes against civilian boats in international waters, a great many legal experts have argued that the White House policy of extrajudicial killings is plainly illegal. Evidently, the senior military lawyer for the combatant command overseeing the lethal strikes has come to the same conclusion.
NBC News reported that the lawyer, who serves as the senior judge advocate general (or JAG) at U.S. Southern Command in Miami, “raised his legal concerns in August before the strikes began in September,” though his views were ultimately sidelined and overruled.
Acting on those concerns, six Democratic members of Congress, who served in the military, the intelligence community or both, appeared in a video this week to remind current service members that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders. The New York Times reported:
The stark message, posted on Tuesday, was organized by Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former C.I.A. analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq. … ‘Our laws are clear,’ said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran and former astronaut. ‘You can refuse illegal orders.’ ‘You must refuse illegal orders,’ added Representative Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who also served in the Navy.
In an interview with Times, Slotkin said she’d heard from active-duty troops who were concerned about the legality of the administration’s boat strikes, with some wondering whether they could be held personally liable for the operation’s many deaths.
In theory, the video shouldn’t have been especially controversial. After all, the Democratic veterans are correct: Service members aren’t supposed to follow illegal orders.
In practice, the partisan pushback has been ferocious.
On social media, for example, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote, “Democrat [sic] lawmakers are now openly calling for insurrection.” He pushed the same line on Fox News. [1]
The claim is substantively absurd — there’s nothing “insurrectionist” about telling service members to refuse illegal orders — but hours later, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also appeared on Fox News and said the Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video “should be held to account” for their comments.
And then, of course, there was Donald Trump himself, who predictably took matters in a still more hysterical direction.
On Thursday morning, the president published an item to his social media platform responding to the message from the Democratic veterans, saying, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
This dovetailed with a similar message, also posted on Thursday morning, which read, “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.” [JFC]
Soon after, the Republican added, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
Trump similarly amplified an online message written by someone else, who wrote, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
So, to recap: Democratic veterans reminded service members to follow the law and their oath and refuse illegal orders. Trump responded by accusing them of sedition, labeling them “traitors” and suggesting that they’re subject to prosecution — all before raising the possibility of capital punishment.
In the recent past, many leading GOP voices warned that rhetoric like this was corrosive to society and heightened the risk of political violence. Evidently, the incumbent president, outraged by calls in support of the rule of law, doesn’t care.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joins Chris Hayes to discuss a White House meeting with Trump, the AI slop sent in his family group chat, the “Mamdani Maga” coalition, and more.
New reporting from Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng reveals a rattled Trump plans to lean on increasingly brazen “dirty tricks” to keep damaging disclosures from the Epstein files out of sight.
johnson catmansays
re Lynna @34:
New reporting from Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng reveals a rattled Trump plans to lean on increasingly brazen “dirty tricks” to keep damaging disclosures from the Epstein files out of sight.
[…] In remarks delivered on the Senate floor in early February, Cassidy [Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy] — a physician prior to his political career — told his colleagues that if Kennedy [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] was confirmed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Take a wild guess what happened to the CDC website nine months later.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage that previously made the case that vaccines don’t cause autism now says they might. … The revised webpage says: ‘The claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism. Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.’
In related news, the claim “the Tooth Fairy does not actually take lost baby teeth from under pillows” is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that magical beings are secretly thieving teeth in the dead of night.
All joking aside, a little critical thinking goes along way. There is no evidence connecting vaccines and autism. Kennedy and his allies have invested an enormous amount of time and energy trying to uncover proof to substantiate their meritless claims, and they’ve failed.
The CDC, under the direction of the nation’s unqualified health secretary, has changed the information it shares with the public to promote an idea that flunks Logic 101.
Demetre Daskalakis, who formerly led the agency’s center responsible for respiratory viruses and immunizations, told The Washington Post that the online revisions show that the “CDC cannot currently be trusted as a scientific voice.”
[…] The change to the website is important in its own right, but more important still is the systemic damage that Kennedy and his team are doing to federal agencies and public health resources.
[…] former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden appeared on MS NOW and told viewers, “I never thought I would see the day when you couldn’t trust what’s on the CDC website, but that day has come.”
That was soon followed by a New York Times op-ed co-authored by Frieden and several others who had held the same office. NBC News reported:
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership is ‘unlike anything our country has ever experienced,’ nine former directors and acting directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in a scathing guest essay Monday for The New York Times. […]
The mere existence of the opinion piece is itself notable: There is no precedent for nine former CDC chiefs — including Dr. Anne Schuchat, who served as an acting director during Donald Trump’s first term — linking arms to alert the public to a public health menace like this.
[…] Under a headline that read, “We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health,” the op-ed was unreserved in its criticisms of the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who is currently serving as the nation’s health secretary.
“Mr. Kennedy has fired thousands of federal health workers and severely weakened programs designed to protect Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, lead poisoning, injury, violence and more,” they wrote. “Amid the largest measles outbreak in the United States in a generation, he’s focused on unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines. He canceled investments in promising medical research that will leave us ill prepared for future health emergencies. He replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views. He announced the end of U.S. support for global vaccination programs that protect millions of children and keep Americans safe, citing flawed research and making inaccurate statements. And he championed federal legislation that will cause millions of people with health insurance through Medicaid to lose their coverage.”
Eleven weeks later, conditions are worse, not better.
As unsettling as these developments have been, none of what’s transpired at the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services this year is surprising. Kennedy’s anti-science reputation was well established long before Trump nominated him. […]
The fact remains, however, that 52 Senate Republicans were given an opportunity to protect Americans from Kennedy — and they failed spectacularly. The more steps that Kennedy takes to put people at risk, the more GOP senators bear responsibility for his radical and dangerous decisions.
Do CBP agent thugs think women are easier to bully? Our society is dying because of all the bigotry of all types.
https://digbysblog.net/2025/11/20/oh-those-threatening-women/
Oh, Those Threatening Women!
Published by Tom Sullivan on November 20, 2025
Manly CBP agents run amok
Border Patrol agents smashed a car window with a rifle before hauling out two female U.S. citizens accused of honking their horn to warn others that federal immigration officers were in the area, according to relatives and a witness.
[…] “Information,” the attorney general [Pam Bondi] said. “That has come, information. There’s information, new information, additional information.”
As for what “information” she was referring to, neither Bondi nor Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would not say.
It’s certainly possible that the Justice Department’s and the FBI’s “exhaustive review” missed important detail, which emerged four months later, but there’s a more logical explanation.
With last week’s disclosures in the Epstein scandal adding fresh fuel to the political fire, Donald Trump took an extraordinary step late last week, directing the Justice Department and the FBI to launch a new investigation into the case of the convicted sex offender — though the president said he wanted federal law enforcement officials to only investigate his perceived Democratic foes and critics, not himself, despite the frequency with which Trump was referenced in Epstein emails.
Four hours later, Bondi did as she was told, discarding her own declarations from the summer.
The new line is that the series of events is merely coincidental. Sure, the president who has effectively taken control of the Justice Department barked a foolish order. And sure, his loyalist AG acted four hours later. But what really happened, according to Bondi, is that officials just happened to learn of new “information” she wasn’t at liberty to share at the same time as Trump published a silly tweet telling the DOJ what to do.
Maybe that’s true, or maybe the attorney general wasn’t comfortable saying “I do whatever Trump tells me to do, regardless of merit” during an on-camera press conference.
Prosecutors move to abandon case against woman who was shot five times by a federal agent.
Federal prosecutors are beating a broad retreat from cases they had brought against people protesting the surge of CBP and ICE agents into Chicago.
It is a stunning comedown. Prosecutors moved to abandon on Thursday three cases brought against protestors, two of which DHS described as being brought against “domestic terrorists” as part of a national media campaign to portray the situation in Chicago as demanding a military deployment.
Now, the cases have come to nothing amid increasing scrutiny from the courts.
In the case of Marimar Martinez, the 30-year old Chicagoan shot five times in October by a Border Patrol officer, DHS officials accused her of being part of a convoy of “10 cars” that “rammed” and “boxed” agents in. Those allegations were contradicted by an affidavit filed by federal agents in the case and evidence that was introduced later.
The motion to drop the charges against Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, another protester, comes at a critical time in the case.
Text messages from the Border Patrol officer involved in the shooting, Charles Exum, appeared to show him bragging about the incident. “Read it … I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” one text from Exum read.
Attorneys for Martinez had planned to discuss more text messages they received from officers involved in the shooting at a hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The judge in the case had reviewed the texts in her chambers before ordering them released.
Prosecutors moved to dismiss the case hours before the hearing.
[…] Chicago federal prosecutors also moved to dismiss a case on Thursday against Dana Briggs, a 70-year-old Air Force veteran initially charged with felony assault over an Oct. 4 incident. Per a charging document, Briggs brushed against a Border Patrol officer as he tried to hand his phone off to another protestor while being placed under arrest.
Prosecutors first downgraded that case to a misdemeanor. On Thursday, they moved to dismiss the matter entirely.
The dismissals come after CBP commander and mass deportation hype man Greg Bovino left Chicago for an operation in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bovino was accused multiple times of violating a court order barring him and other federal officials from using tear gas unless absolutely necessary; Briggs had asked for him to testify in his case.
Cases against several other protestors, including a man accused of injuring Bovino’s groin, have been dropped by prosecutors or no-billed by grand juries in recent weeks.
Per a report in the South Side Weekly, federal agents in Chicago used tear gas and pepper spray more times in one day in October than Chicago Police did all year. [!!]
To me, it looks like Greg Bovino (CBP Commander) and some of his minions are cosplaying being tough, but they are really just bullies filing unreasonable charges in courts. They are failing in the courts.
Also, who shoots a woman five times and then brags about it online? Border Patrol officer Charles Exum.
“Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a top appropriator, tried to add guardrails from ‘pocket rescissions’ in an appropriations bill. But then Office of Management Budget Director Russ Vought talked to him.”
Democrats have long expressed concern about the Trump administration’s efforts to withhold congressionally appropriated funding, arguing that the White House is attempting to circumvent Congress’ power of the purse.
But so far, their demands to add guardrails to funding bills to stop the administration from engaging in so-called “pocket rescissions” have gone unanswered.
One senior House Republican, though, did try to add such a provision to an appropriations bill — only for the White House to intervene and stop him, NOTUS has learned.
The Office of Management and Budget’s director, Russell Vought, is the mastermind behind the administration’s pocket rescissions strategy which involves a request from the president to withhold money already appropriated by Congress. But the request comes so late in the fiscal year that Congress doesn’t have enough time to act within the allotted timeframe. and the administration considers the money rescinded once the fiscal year ends. [Sneaky, and not really complying with the regulations that say Congress has the power of the purse.]
The Trump White House had so far used pocket rescissions once, when it withheld nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid in August. The Supreme Court allowed the move, effectively greenlighting Vought’s strategy for the near future. [!!]
But in July, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee […] quietly added a provision to the fiscal 2026 bill for the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee — which funds the agencies most impacted by Trump’s two rescissions requests […]
The clause, Sec. 7065, would have given Congress an extra 45 days to consider rescissions requests submitted late in the fiscal year.
After the bill text was released, Vought reached out to Díaz-Balart, explaining that the White House was concerned about the provision, one senior White House official told NOTUS. The official said that after Vought relayed the issue, Díaz-Balart removed the provision.
The White House did more than just reach out to Díaz-Balart. Republican appropriators started receiving pressure from the White House to not support the bill if the provision remained, according to a source familiar with the matter. [!]
[I snipped additional details regarding the pressure campaign.]
[…] The Government Accountability Office has said pocket rescissions are an attempt by the executive branch to circumvent Congress’ power of the purse and unilaterally withhold congressionally approved funding, and are therefore unlawful. Díaz-Balart did not address their lawfulness but Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, the latter of whom chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, believe they are illegal.
[…] Ultimately, Republican appropriators passed the manager’s amendment, and the pocket rescissions provision was removed from the bill. […]
President Donald Trump on Thursday accused Democratic lawmakers of sedition and openly called for them to be put to death—employing some of the most vile and incendiary rhetoric he’s used to date.
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, referring to a video a group of Democratic lawmakers who served in the military released on Tuesday, in which they urged troops not to follow illegal orders from Trump. [social media post and video]
[…] He also reposted an account that called for the lawmakers to be hung.
[…] “The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. ‘HANG THEM,’ he posted. If you’re a person of influence in this country and you haven’t picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) wrote in a post on X.
“From pardoning MAGA insurrectionists who brought a noose to the Capitol, to urging that members of Congress be hanged, Trump is dangerously spiraling,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote in a post on X. “What have Republicans in Congress got to say about this?”
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Lynna @36 quoting WSJ:
The revised webpage says: The claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim
Reminder: restoredcdc.org continues to independently preserve the CDC website as it existed on Jan 19th.
The imposter website hosted and altered by Kennedy’s antivaxer org is thankfully down. At this point, it would be redundant.
It’s hard not to feel a little bad for Natalie Greene.
The 26-year-old Rutgers law student, a now-former aide to US Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey), probably had a reasonably pleasant future ahead of her before she and an unnamed co-conspirator got together and faked an elaborate assault and kidnapping by three imaginary evil anti-Republican criminals who knew exactly who she was and whom she worked for and wanted to make her pay. Why?
Well, I would assume that, like so many of her ilk, she is mad about the fact that the oppression and violence faced by other groups frequently engenders a sympathy of which they are deeply, seethingly envious and hoped that a vicious “crime” against her would do the same for white Republicans.
Unfortunately, for a Rutgers student, she was not too swift and made the whole thing a little too obviously fake for anyone to take seriously. So instead of a mass outpouring of pity and goodwill across the land, she ended up in federal court on Wednesday, being arraigned on charges of “conspiracy to convey false information and hoaxes” and giving false information to federal law enforcement. Awkward!
On July 23 of this year, the aforementioned co-conspirator called 911 to report that the two of them had been attacked by three terrifying anti-Trump radicals who told them they had guns. She explained that she had escaped the one who had her, but that the other two had Greene zip-tied and she could tell that they knew who she was, because they were referring to her by name and mentioning her work for Rep. Van Drew. You know, because such hooligans always know all about the aides to random New Jersey congressmen. [LOL]
Let’s go to the transcript, shall we?
Operator: 911 what’s your emergency?
Co-Conspirator 1: I’m here at the EHT nature preserve, I came here with my friend and three guys just attacked us.
Operator: OK you’re at the nature preserve?
Operator: When you said they attacked you, what do you mean?
Co-Conspirator 1: They were attacking her. They were like talking about politics and stuff. They were like calling her names.
Operator: Did they physically touch her?
Co-Conspirator 1: And they said they had a gun and they had a gun. And they said that, and they said that. They said that if we don’t be quiet they were going to shoot us. […]
Co-Conspirator 1: I don’t even think they were worried about me. Like they wanted, they were like
Operator: Why did you think they wanted your friend? What’s your friend’s name?
Co-Conspirator 1: They were talking about politics, she works for [Federal Official 1]. They were like calling her like racist, calling her a whore, like like.
Operator: OK. What was her name? What was her name?
Co-Conspirator 1: Natalie Greene
When the police arrived, Greene told them that “one or more of the men who had attacked her said he had a gun and threatened to shoot her, and that one or more of the attackers had held her down and restrained her movement, cutting her body and writing on her body.”
And what did they write on her body? TRUMP WHORE on her stomach, and “Rep. Van Drew is racist” somewhere else.
The cops, however, seemed to think something was up and said that they had to search Greene’s Maserati, whereupon they found more of the zip-ties that had been used to secure Greene. What an incredible coincidence!
Two days later, Greene went to the FBI and made the following statements:
– that GREENE was approached by three unknown men who physically restrained GREENE on the ground, pulled Greene’s arms behind her back, and tied her ankles together with zip ties;
– that one or more of these men struck GREENE in the head;
– that one or more of these men cut into her with a sharp object;
– that one or more.of the men told GREENE that he had a gun and ordered GREENE not to move; and
– that one or more of the men told GREENE to be quiet or he was going to shoot her.
Greene’s body was indeed severely cut up all over her shoulder and even up to her face, as you can see in this picture. [Photo at the link]
When asked why she thought she was targeted, Greene told police and the FBI that there had been threats to her boss’s office.
There’s so many. I mean. Yeah, racist um. Windmills belong on your grave. Like stupid, I mean like there, they have a bunch of little things on there that they’ll write on there. We have them all, you can look at all of them. But um. Yeah we keep em just. We keep all of our hate mail. We recently got like, a letter with like powder in it and stuff.
[…] Rep. Van Drew, notably, has been a strong ally in Trump’s war on windmills, but even in that context, it’s hard to imagine anyone constructing that particular sentence as a threat.
Soon enough, though, it all fell apart. Police found that Co-Conspirator 1 had looked up “zip-ties near me” on her phone. They then went to the Dollar General Store near where Co-Conspirator 1 lived, saw that they sold the same zip-ties that were used, and saw actual video footage of Co-Conspirator 1 in the store.
On Greene’s phone, they found that she had contacted a body modification and scarification artist on Instagram and paid them $500 to cut her up in the exact manner in which she was found.
That is a goddamned commitment. I mean, I guess I would go through with something like that if I had an absolute guarantee that it would result in the end of genocide, war, police brutality, poverty or something. But to pay $500 and be literally scarred for life just so that people think some imaginary anti-Trump people are bad? […]
Of course, it’s not the first time something like this has happened. Some of you may recall that in 2008 (2008!) McCain supporter Ashley Todd claimed to have been assaulted by an evil, violent Obama-lover who carved a B (for Barack Obama!) on her face … backwards. [photo]
[…] If convicted on both charges, Greene could serve up to a decade in prison, which is a lot of time for a person to serve for a crime in which they were the only one who got hurt. […]
Frankly, I think she’s likely not all there and should probably be committed to a mental institution instead, but I’m the exact kind of scary bleeding heart liberal that she was clearly trying to warn the world against, so maybe she’d prefer the prison time, after all.
In other news: “EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols”
“The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items ‘potentially divisive.’ ”
The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 U.S. troops who died fighting in World War II — as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month.
Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as “potentially divisive” under its new guidelines. The new policy, set to take effect Dec. 15, similarly downgrades the definition of nooses and the Confederate flag, though display of the latter remains banned, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
[…] Though the Coast Guard is not part of the Defense Department, the service has been reworking its policies to align with the Trump administration’s changing tolerances for hazing and harassment within the U.S. military. In September Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a review and overhaul of those policies, calling the military’s existing standards “overly broad” and saying they jeopardize U.S. troops’ combat readiness.
[…] A Coast Guard official who had seen the new wording called the policy changes chilling.
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisal.
[…] “At a time when antisemitism is rising in the United States and around the world, relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to the men and women of our Coast Guard, but it puts their safety at risk,” Rosen [Commerce Committee member Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada)] said in a statement to The Post.
In Germany, public display of certain Nazi emblems, such as the swastika, is illegal and can be punished with a fine or imprisonment of up to three years. Exceptions are made if the symbols are used for educational, artistic, scientific or journalistic purposes.
[…] “If you are at sea, and your shipmate has a swastika in their rack, and you are a Black person or Jew, and you are going to be stuck at sea with them for the next 60 days, are you going to feel safe reporting that up your chain of command?” this Coast Guard official said.
Previous guidance put in place in 2019 said Coast Guard commanders could order swastikas, nooses or other symbols to be removed even if it was determined the display did not rise to the level of a hate incident. That policy was enacted months after a Coast Guard officer, Lt. Christopher Hasson, was charged with plotting a large-scale attack on Democratic lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In securing his conviction, prosecutors cited evidence in his case showing Hasson to be an avowed white nationalist.
[…] That summer [2007], a Black cadet at the service’s officer training academy found a noose in his sea bag while aboard a Coast Guard vessel. The next month an instructor discussing race relations in response to the first incident reported a noose was left in her office.
More at the link.
There are 788 comments attached to the article.
The comments overwhelmingly criticize the U.S. Coast Guard’s decision to reclassify swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive” rather than hate symbols. Many express outrage, viewing the decision as a normalization of hate and a betrayal of the sacrifices made during World War II. Commenters frequently link the decision to broader criticisms of the Trump administration, suggesting it reflects an endorsement of white supremacy and a departure from American values. There is a strong sentiment that these symbols are unequivocally hateful and should not be tolerated.
America is experiencing a five-alarm cybersecurity fire. Cyberattacks were up an astonishing 85 percent from September to October during the government shutdown, according to the cybersecurity firm The Media Trust, reaching into the hundreds of millions of sophisticated, targeted attacks aimed at federal workers at many agencies. In recent weeks, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an emergency notification after a “nation-state affiliated cyber threat actor” compromised devices and software widely used in government. [Embedded links to sources are available at the main link.]
Clearly, cybercriminals and nation-states sought to exploit the longest shutdown in American history. But the crisis only exposed the broader vulnerability of U.S. government agencies, as well as local government and private operators of critical infrastructure providing vital services such as water, electricity and telecommunications. Addressing these short- and long-term vulnerabilities demands urgent action from the Trump administration.
How did the United States arrive here? The civilian bureaucracy is experiencing unprecedented upheaval this year, and the workforce performing key cybersecurity missions protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure has been sharply reduced. More than 200,000 workers have left the federal civil service since January. By year’s end, Trump officials want that number to be 300,000. At CISA, which is the nation’s civil cyberdefense agency, 65 percent of staff were furloughed during the shutdown, which was on top of the many whose jobs were cut previously. The number of cyber defenders at CISA could be further depleted, as more job cuts are planned. […]
JMsays
@33, @34 and @41 Lynna, OM: I was wondering what would qualify as “increasingly brazen “dirty tricks”” for the Trump administration because they have already violated the law, lied in court and triggered a riot in DC. I guess directly calling for the death of his opponents qualifies, up until now he has just insulted them and made indirect threats.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Paul Offit – See No Evil
(Offit is a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, vaccines, immunology, and virology)
Recently, [RFK] Jr. limited the CDC’s role in monitoring foodborne outbreaks by making it optional to report infections caused by Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and toxin-producing E. coli. Why these specific bacteria? The answer can be found in RFK Jr.’s love of raw, unpasteurized milk.
[…]
If raw milk is more dangerous, why does RFK Jr. drink it? RFK Jr. believes that raw milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk, which isn’t true. Although pasteurization kills bacteria, it doesn’t denature proteins or destroy the nutrients in milk.
[…]
RFK Jr. also eliminated the Milk Quality Testing branch at the FDA. No need. All you need to do is look the farmer in the eye and pet his cow. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. In some studies, up to a third of raw milk samples contain harmful bacteria, even when sourced from clinically healthy animals
MicrobeTV had him on to talk about this for 14 minutes.
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad.
a wide range of sites, including facilities that handle sewage, toxic waste, oil and gas, and other industrial pollutants, posing serious threats to public health and neighboring communities.
[…]
“This analysis makes it clear that these projected dangers are falling disproportionately on poorer communities and communities that have faced discrimination and therefore often lack the resources to prepare for, retreat, or recover from exposure to toxic floodwaters.” […] seven states—Florida, New Jersey, California, Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts and Texas—account for almost 80% of the hazardous sites
[…]
moderate cuts to climate pollution could reduce the number of sites at risk by more than 300
With a newly developed nanofiber filter, air conditioners, heaters and other HVAC systems could remove airborne carbon dioxide while cutting energy costs.
[…]
On the largest possible level, replacing every building air filter with this new model could remove up to 596 megatonnes of carbon dioxide from the air—the equivalent of taking 130 million cars off the road for a year.
But on the individual level, every home, office or school that switch to direct air capture filters should expect lower energy bills. One study from 2024 indicated those savings could be up to about 21.6%. “Normally, air-conditioning systems need to pull in a lot of outside air to keep indoor carbon dioxide levels low,” Wu said. “Our filter removes carbon dioxide inside the building, so the system doesn’t have to bring in as much outside air. That means less air needs to be heated or cooled, which reduces the energy consumptions in HVAC.”
Sky Captain @48, I have friends and relatives who take the “if you just took better care of yourself you wouldn’t need health insurance” approach. However, that unrealistic attitude goes right out the window when they get sick, or if they need surgery after an accident for example. Luckily, none of them have chronic diseases … yet.
Dr. Oz is a clueless doofus who is also puffed up with self-importance … arrogant, pompous.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington, D.C., illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.
Iran said Thursday that it was withdrawing from an agreement to allow a resumption of international inspections of its nuclear sites. The decision came hours after a U.N. watchdog agency demanded information about the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stock and its nuclear sites that Israel bombed in June.
The Trump administration unveiled plans Thursday to open the coast of California to offshore drilling, a major provocation against a state that has for decades fought to protect its coastal waters.
Months after fighting to keep secret the emails exchanged between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, state officials released nearly 1,400 pages to The Texas Newsroom. The records, however, reveal little about the two men’s relationship or Musk’s influence over state government. In fact, all but about 200 of the pages are entirely blacked out.
The White House […] nominated a new permanent director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a tactical move that will extend Russell T. Vought’s time as the acting director and help the Trump administration push ahead with efforts to shut down the consumer watchdog agency. The nominee, Stuart Levenbach, was not expected to actually fill the role.
The Trump administration will freeze potential plans to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House this year, new court filings show, granting a temporary victory to historic preservation groups who sued to block renovation of the 137-year-old building.
whheydtsays
Re: Lynna, OM @ #54…
When isn’t Abbott hiding something?
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump boasted on Thursday that his funeral will draw a “much bigger crowd” than former Vice President Dick Cheney’s.
“Dick Cheney, who was a loser and a terrible person, will be lucky to get a thousand people at his funeral,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “My funeral will draw MILLIONS!”
Remarking that “nobody cares” about Cheney’s funeral, Trump said he expects the turnout at his funeral to set records, noting, “Every day, people say to me, ‘Sir, I can’t wait for that day to come.’”
“Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group, said the site is around 1,800 dunams (450 acres) — Israel’s largest seizure of archeologically important land.”
Israel plans to seize parts of a major West Bank historic site, according to a government document, and settlers put up a new outpost overnight, even as the country faces pressure to crack down on settler violence in the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s Civil Administration announced its intention to expropriate large swaths of Sebastia, a major archaeological site in the West Bank, in the document obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday. Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group, said the site is around 1,800 dunams (450 acres) — Israel’s largest seizure of archeologically important land.
The move came as Israeli settlers celebrated the creation of a new, unauthorized settlement near Bethlehem, and a Palestinian lawyer said a West Bank activist has been detained and hospitalized.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said Israel may have committed war crimes when it forcibly expelled 32,000 Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps this year.
The Israeli order released Nov. 12 lists parcels of land it intends to seize in the Sebastia area. Peace Now, which provided the document to AP, said the popular archeological site, where thousands of olive trees grow, belongs to the Palestinians.
The capital of the ancient Israelite kingdom Samaria is thought to be beneath the ruins of Sebastia, and Christians and Muslims believe it’s where John the Baptist was buried.
Israel announced plans to develop the site into a tourist attraction in 2023. Excavations have already begun and the government has allocated more than 30 million shekels ($9.24 million) to develop the site, according to Peace Now and another rights group.
The order gives Palestinians 14 days to object to the declaration.
The largest parcel of historical land previously seized by Israel was 286 dunams (70 acres) in Susya, a village in the south of the West Bank, Peace Now said.
Israeli settlers said they established a new unauthorized outpost close to Bethlehem. The chairman of the local Etzion settler council, Yaron Rosenthal, welcomed the settlement as a “return to the city of our matriarch Rachel, of King David.” Rosenthal said the new community would “strengthen the connection” between Etzion and Jerusalem.
[…] Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza — areas claimed by the Palestinians for a future state — in the 1967 war. It has settled over 500,000 Jews in the West Bank, largely on unauthorized settlements, in addition to over 200,000 more in contested east Jerusalem.
Israel’s government is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler movement including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who formulates settlement policy, and Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the nation’s police force.
Israel’s president and high-ranking military officials have condemned a recent wave of settler violence in the West Bank. […]
“An analysis by researchers at Cornell University is the first comprehensive look at Grokipedia since Musk launched his project last month.”
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s online encyclopedia, Grokipedia, cites the neo-Nazi website Stormfront as a source 42 times and relies on other websites that experts have shunned as unreliable or hate-filled, according to an analysis by two researchers at Cornell University.
Grokipedia, which Musk launched last month as a competitor to what he called the “woke” Wikipedia, also cites the conspiracy theory website Infowars as a source 34 times and the white nationalist website VDare 107 times, the researchers found.
Those citations make up a small percentage of Grokipedia’s overall sourcing, but they are notable because Wikipedia, by contrast, does not treat those sources as credible. Wikipedia generally does not allow contributors to use them as references, even as primary sources of information about racist ideas or conspiracy theories […]
[…] Overall, the researchers found that Grokipedia includes 12,522 citations to online sources that previous academic research has deemed as having very low credibility. And they found that Grokipedia cites those domains three times as often as Wikipedia.
Unlike Wikipedia, Grokipedia centralizes its editing process. Users can submit suggested edits to Grokipedia, but instead of assigning a group of volunteer community editors to decide on the edits, xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence company, controls whether or not a certain edit is approved and implemented on the website. The process of review is not entirely transparent, but the company has suggested that Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot, plays a part in reviewing edit submissions. When a user submits an edit, it is approved or denied with “Grok Feedback.”
[…] The Grokipedia version also uses euphemisms such as “advancement of peoples of European descent” in place of labels such as “white nationalist” […]
[…] The research from Triedman and Mantzarlis is a preprint, meaning the paper has not been vetted by other academic researchers, but NBC News was able to verify some of the findings by searching Grokipedia and checking references for individual articles. The authors also published their data and methods online.
The analysis is the first comprehensive attempt to comb through Grokipedia’s more than 880,000 articles, and it says that, on some topics, Musk’s site uses sources that have explicit racial prejudice, treating them as authoritative. […]
Musk and xAI, which released Grokipedia, did not respond to a request for comment on the Cornell analysis. The email inbox at xAI for media inquiries has an autoreply that says: “Legacy Media Lies.”
Stormfront, created by a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, is one of the internet’s oldest and most prominent neo-Nazi message boards. Several mass shooters, including a Norwegian neo-Nazi who killed 77 people, have been registered Stormfront users, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization. […]
Musk has a history of expressing antisemitic and racist theories. In 2022, he endorsed the “great replacement” theory that Jews were plotting to bring nonwhite immigrants to the United States. (His post about it is still up.) He has smeared Haitian immigrants as cannibals and attacked airlines for trying to recruit Black pilots. In January, Musk used a gesture at a rally that many historians viewed as a Nazi salute, and days later he urged Germans to “move beyond” Nazi guilt. Musk later said those framing the gesture as a Nazi salute were using “dirty tricks.”
Musk’s social media app, X, formerly Twitter, has also become a hub for neo-Nazi influencers, after Musk restored some previously banned accounts. […]
Grokipedia used articles from Wikipedia as a foundation, republishing some of them word for word with a disclaimer saying the content was “adapted from Wikipedia” under a Creative Commons license. But it also rewrote other topics top to bottom with the help of Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok. […]
Many articles have a different slant from Wikipedia. The Grokipedia entry for Adolf Hitler, for example, goes for 13,000 words before it mentions the Holocaust by name, according to an NBC News count, while Wikipedia mentions it in the first paragraph of its article.
[…] Infowars is generally prohibited as a source on Wikipedia, and its founder, Alex Jones, faces a $1.5 billion defamation judgment over false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut was a hoax. But Grokipedia cites Infowars and links to it as a source, including for a baseless conspiracy theory that the Clintons are murderers who have a “body count.” […]
VDare is likewise generally banned as a source on Wikipedia, but Grokipedia cites it for several articles, usually about white supremacists or about VDare itself. […]
“U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s ceasefire blueprint is a blow to dismayed Europeans who thought Trump finally understood that you can’t trust Putin.”
European and Ukrainian officials have rejected Donald Trump’s latest proposal for a lopsided peace deal that favors Moscow, warning that caving in to Russia will only encourage Vladimir Putin to attack NATO next.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, told the U.S. president’s team that their 28-point blueprint for a ceasefire will fail without support from both Kyiv and European governments, which are now the biggest donors to Ukraine’s war effort.
The U.S. proposal has triggered alarm in European capitals, in part because they were completely cut out of the process of drafting it, and mostly because, in the view of one official, it amounts to nothing more than Putin’s wishlist.
Under the terms of the outline agreement reported by various international media outlets, Ukraine would be forced to give up occupied territory in the east of the country, cut its military in half, and surrender some powerful weapons. [!]
“For any peace plan to succeed, it has to be supported by Ukraine and it has to be supported by Europe,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. “The pressure must be on the aggressor, not on the victim. Rewarding aggression will only invite more of it.” [Good point]
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told European ministers at a private meeting in Brussels that it was obvious Russia had dictated the terms of the new proposals. “[…] This could only bring more war and brutality to Ukraine and all of Europe.”
The latest proposal comes at a precarious moment in the almost four-year-long conflict. Ukraine has suffered intensified bombardment and losses in recent days, while Moscow is due to be soon hit by the implementation of Trump’s sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil firms.
In Kyiv, a sprawling corruption scandal has engulfed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government and put him under pressure to overhaul his administration, just as European governments struggle to agree on measures to keep Ukraine supplied with weapons and cash.
[…] Less than a month ago, it seemed as if Trump had finally accepted that Russia’s leader was not to be trusted. When he announced sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil firms, Trump said: “Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere.”
ut the points contained in the latest plan amount to handing Putin his key demands: Giving the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia and cutting the size of Ukraine’s military.
Officials and diplomats, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, voiced their frustration with the Americans’ shift in approach back toward imposing a “bad deal” on Ukraine.
“Of course, this is worrying, but we need to stick to our position,” one EU diplomat said. “If Russia gets away with it, it’s only a matter of time before we see more Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also into EU and NATO member states.” […]
Mosses thrive in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the sands of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra to the lava fields of active volcanoes. Inspired by moss’s resilience, researchers sent moss sporophytes—reproductive structures that encase spores—to the most extreme environment yet: space.
Their results, published in the journal iScience on November 20, show that more than 80% of the spores survived nine months outside of the International Space Station (ISS) and made it back to Earth still capable of reproducing, demonstrating for the first time that an early land plant can survive long-term exposure to the elements of space.
While it is well known that climate change is heating the world’s oceans, it was thought that the deep sea was safe from its effects—until now. Researchers have discovered that a rapidly warming part of the Atlantic is leading to the heating up of Arctic Ocean depths.
For years, scientists had thought that any warming of these cold depths was due to geothermal heating, that is, heat slowly seeping upward from Earth’s core. However, recent observations showed that the warming rate in some deep areas was greater than what geothermal heating alone could explain. So researchers from Ocean University of China and Laoshan Laboratory decided to investigate. Their study is published in the journal Science Advances.
..(Snip)..
The team concluded that the extra warming is due to the Greenland Basin, which used to be the Arctic’s main source of cold water. It is now warming so quickly that it is no longer performing that role.
The Coast Guard swiftly reversed course and reclassified the swastika and the noose as prohibited hate symbols, after a WaPo report that it had downgraded them to just “potentially divisive” symbols. [Steve Benen’s earlier summary]
Wait for it: “In reversal, Coast Guard again classifies swastikas, nooses as hate symbols”
In a stunning and lightning-fast reversal of policy, the U.S. Coast Guard late Thursday said the swastika and noose were indeed hate symbols that are prohibited and have no place in the military branch.
The fast-moving developments evolved over less than a day after The Washington Post first reported that the service was about to enact a new harassment policy that downgraded those symbols of fascism and racism to just “potentially divisive” symbols — that might not be required to be removed even if a Coast Guard member reported them.
While the Coast Guard has now come out strongly against the incendiary wording in the now defunct policy — which was completed under Adm. Kevin Lunday, its acting commandant — there are still significant questions as to who approved reclassifying both a noose and swastika as just potentially divisive in the first place.
[…] “A symbol or flag is prohibited as a reflection of hate if its display adversely affects good order and discipline, unit cohesion, command climate, morale, or mission effectiveness,” Lunday said in the late Thursday memo.
“Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited. These symbols and flags include, but are not limited to, the following: a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, anti-semitism, or any other improper bias,” the memo added.
Lunday is up for confirmation to become the Coast Guard’s commandant. His confirmation hearing was Wednesday and he spent Thursday meeting with lawmakers to secure their support.
The changes came only after the White House and Department of Homeland Security had falsely claimed The Post’s reporting was inaccurate, with DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin calling the story “fake crap.” [!]
The Post had reported earlier Thursday that the Coast Guard would no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 U.S. troops who died fighting in World War II — as a hate symbol, under a policy that had been set to take effect Dec. 15.
Lunday has emphasized that the late Thursday memo now supersedes all previous guidance on the issue. […]
In a reversal from what the Department of Justice represented in court and in written filings Wednesday, federal prosecutors said Thursday that the full grand jury reviewed the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
In court filings Thursday, DOJ officials reversed course.
“The official transcript of the September 25, 2025, proceedings before Magistrate Judge Vaala conclusively refutes that claim and establishes that the grand jury voted on — and true-billed — the two-count indictment,” prosecutors wrote in a filing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons had also attested in court Wednesday that the full grand jury did not see the final indictment.
The DOJ is now flailing around. I’m not even sure what their goal is at this point. They have presented multiple versions of events in court as official. They fundamentally disagree and the DOJ has had enough time to straighten out their stories. It appears this is the DOJ being too disorganized at the top and individual lawyers doing what they can to protect their reputation and law license.
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
“His co-teachers will complete the remaining three class sessions of the courses he has been teaching with them this semester, and he is not scheduled to teach next semester,” a spokesperson for Summers wrote in a Wednesday statement to The Crimson.
Summers will also immediately go on leave from his role as the director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has led the center, which focuses on studying policy issues in the public and private sector, since 2011.
[…] On Monday, Summers — who served as United States Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration — said he would step back from all public commitments, while continuing to teach undergraduate and graduate students and leading the Mossavar-Rahmani center, according to a spokesperson.
But by Wednesday night — just one day after Harvard announced that it would probe his ties to Epstein — he had changed his mind amid mounting pressure.
[…] The unprecedented move comes days after The Crimson reported that Summers confided in Epstein about his romantic pursuit of a woman he described as his mentee. In messages and emails over seven months, Epstein workshopped Summers’ texts and interactions with the woman, calling himself Summers’ “wing man.” At one point, the two discussed the probability that Summers would have sex with the woman, a prominent Chinese economist.
In the aftermath of the exchanges between Summers and Epstein becoming public, Summers relinquished or was let go from several roles he held with prominent organizations, including his position on OpenAI’s board of directors and as a contributor to Bloomberg News and the New York Times.
Summers has had a long and high-profile history with Harvard spanning several decades. He served as its president from 2001 to 2006 and has held the title of University Professor — Harvard’s highest faculty distinction — since 2011.
Summers resigned from Harvard’s presidency in 2006 after facing national uproar over his remarks on women in science at an economics conference in 2005 and discontent among Harvard faculty over his management of the University.
Outside of brief stints in Washington, he has continued to teach at Harvard in the years since.
The Department of Education has excluded nursing as a “professional degree” program as it sets about implementing various measures regarding student loans laid out in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The move has sparked significant uproar among nurses and nursing groups, with the American Nurses Association saying, as reported by Nursing World, that “limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care.”
Department of Education press secretary for higher education Ellen Keast told Newsweek: “This is fake news at its finest. The Department has had a consistent definition of what constitutes a professional degree for decades and the consensus-based language aligns with this historical precedent. The committee, which included institutions of higher education, agreed on the definition that we will put forward in a proposed rule. We’re not surprised that some institutions are crying wolf over regulations that never existed because their unlimited tuition ride on the taxpayer dime is over.”
The administration is probably within in rights to exclude nursing because the definition of professional degrees doesn’t explicitly list nursing. Though there is sure to be a lawsuit over it.
As a general point though it’s just stupid, there has been a national shortage of nurses for over a decade, it is a job that requires a degree and demand is expected to rise for the foreseeable future. The government should be working to subsidize people getting nursing degrees, not making it harder.
“The president insists he’s scored $21 trillion in foreign investment. It’s gobbledygook.”
“The Economy of His Dreams,” by Andrew Egger
As thunderheads gather over the U.S. economy, Donald Trump has fallen back on a familiar claim: Trillions of dollars in foreign investment are pouring into the U.S. thanks to his dealsmanship. And they’re adding rocket fuel to our HOT new Golden Age.
This week, we got to watch the sausage-making on that foreign investment happen in real time.
It went down Tuesday, during Trump’s goopy bilat with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman. Trump was waxing lyrical about all the foreign money pouring in: “We expect to be around $20 trillion, $21 trillion in one year, and that’s many times bigger than—in history the highest number was $3 trillion, and we’re going to be at $21 trillion.”
He then turned to MBS: “And I want to thank you, because you’ve agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States. And because he’s my friend, he might make [it] $1 trillion, but I’m going to have to work on him. But it’s 600—we can count on $600 billion, but that number could go up a little bit higher yet.”
Now, MBS didn’t get where he is today—the personal best friend of the president of the United States—with just a few bonesaws. No. He recognizes that you have to tell Donald Trump what he knows he wants to hear. “We believe in what you’re doing, Mr. President,” he replied, “and tomorrow we’re going to announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion of investment.” [cringe]
“So you are doing that now?” Trump said, in apparent surprise. “You’re saying to me now that the $600 billion will be $1 trillion? Good, I like that very much.”
Donny Deals does it again, folks! An extra $400 billion. And all he had to do was ask.
The important thing to understand here is that both these numbers—the $600 billion and the cool $1 trillion—are fake. [!]
They’re monopoly-money promises. Saudi Arabia is a staggeringly wealthy country, but its entire GDP is something like $1.2 trillion. The country’s sovereign wealth fund contains an estimated $925 billion. The idea that MBS plans to sink the entirety of his nation’s accumulated petro-lucre into building factories in the United States is laughable on its face.
And yet the White House’s messaging apparatus treated MBS’s fanciful promise as though it were a check they’d already cashed. “This massive $1 TRILLION investment will drive business in the United States, maintain American national security, create jobs and support American needs,” the official White House account tweeted. “The Dealmaker-in-Chief is at it again.” [cringe, and cringe again]
The faithful right-wing infotainment apparatus was happy to play along too. “America is the hottest country in the world,” exulted former Trump adviser Larry Kudlow in his show on Fox Business. “MBS comes here and he’s going to pony up another trillion dollars. . . . That doesn’t happen during the Biden years. What does that tell you that money is pouring in here and that Trump has such an easy time persuading people to invest in America?”
It’s all like this, of course. In the months since his Liberation Day tariffs, Donald Trump and his allies have gone around the world shaking a hat, and world leaders—either eager to curry favor or just to find a way to get Trump’s tariff boot off their neck—have been happy to throw large numbers around for his enjoyment.
India, for example, was said to have pledged a $500 billion investment. But it turned out that was a goal for a bilateral trade agreement between the countries. And as for the $21 trillion aggregate figure, that was actually $17 trillion according to Trump himself just a month and a half ago. As CNN’s Daniel Dale noted, the White House website, at the time, had the figure at $8.8 trillion—though it appears that page has been removed.
[…] you’d be hard-pressed to find a more speculative, less reliable indicator of actual future economic prosperity than these sorts of vague promises, as anyone who remembers the Foxconn boondoggle of Trump’s first term could tell you.
Meanwhile, the investment promises Trump is extracting from other world leaders are about as abstract, gauzy, and speculative as it’s possible for a handshake agreement to be. This summer, when Trump struck a tentative trade agreement with Japan, the White House printed off documents for the announcement event boasting of $400 billion in promised Japanese investments in America.
Then, before the event started, someone—Trump himself?—crossed out “400” with a Sharpie and wrote “500” down instead. When Trump took to Truth Social to spike the football, the number became $550 billion. The rules are made up and the points don’t matter; when the point of the exercise is just to get Trump in a good mood, you’ll let him say any number he likes. This behavior is not limited to foreign leaders: Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg made up a $600 billion Meta investment on the spot to please a nearby Trump, and then got caught on a hot mic admitting it.
[…] In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly scoffed at the idea that the economy is worsening, suggesting that polls showing American economic anxiety is on the rise are fakes cooked up by his adversaries. Every time he does, he makes the same pivot—would a bad economy have all this investment coming in?
“I don’t know that they are saying [they’re anxious about the economy],” Trump told Laura Ingraham this month. “I think polls are fake. We have the greatest economy we’ve ever had—we will have over $20 trillion coming into our economy.”
By all appearances, Trump has cut himself off from every source of information that could theoretically undermine this total certainty. He is, of course, in no position to feel any worsening of the economy personally. He has enclosed himself in a hermetically sealed information chamber in which aides try hard only to tell him information that they know he’ll find flattering. He has sealed his own mind off from macroeconomic indicators, which he believes are cooked. […]
But eventually, reality has to set in. September’s jobs report dropped this morning after a brief blackout due to the shutdown. The headline numbers were . . . okay: Payrolls up 119k, which is enough to quell recession fears. But the unemployment rate ticked up ever so slightly. Revisions to prior months showed payrolls came in worse than initially reported. And there are real signs that the labor market is not in a good place.
[…]last timeTrump got a jobs report he didn’t like, he just fired the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump seems unlikely to be shaken out of his fantasy that the golden age is already upon us. […]
JMsays
@61 Lynna, OM: This proposal is so pro-Russia that I accepted it was bogus when it first appeared. I was afraid something like this might happen. This is likely happening because Trump is in such a bad situation he will agree to anything that pulls the spotlight off him.
The proposal not only makes absurd demands of Ukraine but it demands that Russia suffer no consequences. The exact terms are not public but Russia has to have sanctions lifted, be admitted to G8, trade opened, etc.
birgerjohanssonsays
I never played Dungeons and Dragons, so… is “Chaotic Evil” ever a winning thing? It looks like DJT and the republicans are about to D & D themselves to the dustbin of history.
The job numbers for September were significantly delayed by the recent government shutdown, but when the data finally reached the public, the White House appeared eager to celebrate. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a written statement issued to news organizations:
The September jobs report more than doubled market expectations — adding 119,000 new jobs to the American economy. In stark contrast to the disastrous Biden economy, almost all of these new jobs were in the private sector and went to American-born workers instead of illegal aliens. … This strong report is more proof that President Trump’s pro-growth, America First agenda is already making great progress, and it will continue to deliver positive results for American families and businesses.
Someone who didn’t know better might see this and think the U.S. job market is in great shape. Reality tells a very different story.
Some of the details in Leavitt’s statement, for example, were a mess. The Biden economy that Team Trump inherited, for example, was pretty great, not “disastrous.” Similarly, there’s nothing wrong with public sector jobs.
Even the top-line takeaway wasn’t quite right: The White House might consider 119,000 new jobs in September evidence of “great progress,” but this total fails to keep up with population growth, and it pales in comparison to the kind of monthly totals we saw during Joe Biden’s term.
And while the details from the White House were wrong, the bigger picture is worse.
Job growth in the first year of Donald Trump’s second term is on pace to be the worst since the Great Recession (excluding 2020, when the pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy). We’re also seeing increased corporate layoffs and weak retail hiring as the holiday season approaches.
What’s more, the unemployment rate has reached a four-year high, job openings are at a four-year low, and leading members of Trump’s own economic team have gone so far as to concede in recent weeks that parts of the U.S. economy are already in recession.
Confronted with these facts, the White House press secretary boasted that Trump’s “America First agenda is already making great progress.” If the goal was to make the nation’s job market worse, then yes, the administration’s “progress” is remarkable. But if the point was to improve economic conditions, Leavitt and her colleagues appear to have things backward.
As the so-called Trump slump continues, the White House’s strategy appears to be rooted in the idea that the president and his team can simply play make-believe and sell the public on an alternative reality in which Americans “have the greatest economy we’ve ever had.”
The latest polling suggests the strategy is failing badly, but Leavitt’s reaction to the latest employment report makes clear that the White House intends to keep telling the public not to believe what is plainly true: Trump’s agenda isn’t working.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Re: birgerjohansson @76:
is “Chaotic Evil” ever a winning thing?
tl;dr Evil societies thrive in D&D, if for no other reason than to generate foils for players.
D&D is open ended, so ‘winning’ is only meaningful in a limited context of setting and achieving goals. One basic goal is of course, persisting. With sufficient funds/magic, death can be reduced to an inconvenience, or a lost player can jump back in with a new character.
The corebooks assign a typical alignment for each intelligent species, and generally those creatures have breeding populations: civilizations or roving barbarian hordes.
For the most part, players are WAAAY more powerful than peasants but not of geopolitical significance. The plot may contrive to allow players to save the world from a cult trying to awaken a dormant evil god, but Dungeon Masters don’t want players to destabilize the world.
Player parties are generally good or neutral aligned—maybe a tolerably-utilitarian evil member—and Dungeon Masters pit them against competitively evil baddies with the expectation that boss baddies ultimately stop what they’re up to or the whole party dies fighting their way to reach them (frequently the latter). Good and evil are detectable, mechanically real qualities in D&D. There are planes of existence inherently saturated in evil and chaos infusing such qualities into their inhabitants. You could wax philosophical about whether good characters’ behavior is really good, however.
Note that you can fairly describe a pretty traditional D&D character as a “murderhobo” even when that character is acting perfectly normally for a D&D character. D&D is a game which is mechanically focused on combat and combat is the expected solution to most significant problems a character faces; even the most noble Paladin can usually be summarised as a travelling itinerant who routinely kills things for money.
[…] “murderhobo” describes a spectrum of possible character types, ranging from traditional wandering mercenaries at the milder end all the way up to travelling serial murderers who recklessly slaughter NPCs at the extreme.
* According to a Pharyngula thread last year, Pathfinder 2e (a fork of D&D) has done away with alignment, and D&D 5e tried to be a little less racist but didn’t follow through.
“Coast Guard Announces It Is Super-Duper Double-Plus Sure Swastikas Are Bad”
“Apparently there was some confusion.”
After some actual debate about this on Thursday, it now looks as if the United States Coast Guard will continue classifying swastikas as hate symbols after all.
[…] What caught the eye of the Post was the softening in the language of certain policy documents’ guidance on the display of hate symbols. This changed in November, after the American people in their genius voted in a president who surfaces Nazis wherever he goes […]
First, from the last guidance, in February 2023:
The following is a non-exhaustive list of symbols whose display, presentation, creation, or depiction would constitute a potential hate incident: a noose, a swastika, supremacist symbols, Confederate symbols or flags, and anti-Semitic symbols. The display of these types of symbols constitutes a potential hate incident[.]
Compare that to the guidance as revised and released this month:
Potentially divisive symbols and flags include, but are not limited to, the following: a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, or other bias.
Note the difference: We go from displaying a swastika in 2023 being a “potential hate incident” to calling displaying a swastika in 2025 “potentially divisive.” [!]
Potentially divisive! This is a bit like going from saying nuclear holocaust will kill all life on Earth to saying that nuclear holocaust might disrupt agricultural production and make eating a bit tougher.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, responded on X with mockery. As did the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs, whom we already thought about enough this week: [social media posts, including: “Y’all are just making things up now.” […]]
First, y’all are in Washington DC, so y’all don’t get to say “y’all.” Nowhere north of Richmond gets to use “y’all,” […]
Second, we do not recommend y’all take DHS spokesnazi Tricia McLaughlin’s word on this one. Even by the standards of officials in Donald Trump’s government, that woman’s lying is in a league of its own. She makes White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt look like George Washington in the honesty department.
The official propagandists at DHS can complain, but you can’t blame people for being unsure. Not with Donald Trump in power. The list of Nazi-adjacent personnel who work for the Trump administration is entirely too long for them to get the benefit of the doubt.
How did this change even happen in the first place? Like all Trump policies, it seems to have come about from the usual bull-in-a-china-shop approach that this administration takes towards everything. First, Trump fired the commandant of the Coast Guard on his first day in office, because the commandant was a woman and therefore by default a DEI hire to the racists and misogynists who chirp about that acronym […]
Under the commandant’s acting replacement, Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard had reworked its policies “to align with the Trump administration’s changing tolerances for hazing and harassment within the U.S. military.” In other words, it was caught up in the chest-thumping, empty-headed faux-tough-guy posturing about warfighting mentality and ending political correctness that mediocrities like Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth think signals strength.
For all the sneering from DHS and Frau McLaughlin, the Coast Guard on Thursday night recognized that whoops, this needless bureaucratic rewriting had left a little too much wiggle room if you are Nazi-inclined or Confederacy-curious. So the service cleared up any confusion with some new guidance that states unequivocally, “The Coast Guard does not tolerate the display of divisive hate symbols or flags,” and “divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited.”
Incredible that it needed to be said, but it needed to be said.
On Friday, DHS was trying to cover its ass by blaming reporters for being idiots: [social media post]
We have our own issues with a lot of mainstream reporting, but pointing out that official government policy documents have some unclear language that could be misinterpreted is one good thing journalists can do. The Coast Guard took it seriously, even if the bigots and sociopaths running DHS social media sites [did not] […]
“U.S. pushing Ukraine to sign peace deal by Thanksgiving or lose support”
“The U.S. is sending ‘signals’ that everything could be off the table if Kyiv does not quickly sign a proposal, which was drawn up by special envoy Steve Witkoff.”
The White House is pressuring Ukraine to sign on to its new peace proposal by Thanksgiving or lose U.S. support in its war with Russia, according to five people familiar with the talks.
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday with a version of the 28-point plan President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff recently drafted with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
That plan, leaked to the news media and confirmed by several officials, includes several red lines for Ukraine, including a significant reduction of its army size and ceding territory to Russia that Moscow has not conquered militarily.
[…] “Ukraine may face a very tough choice — either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelensky said.
Although Trump has lessened direct aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has brokered deals for Ukraine to receive U.S. weapons through European partners and continues to share intelligence that is crucial to Ukraine’s survival on the battlefield.
The U.S. is now sending “signals” that everything could be off the table if Kyiv does not quickly sign the proposal, two officials said, even as Driscoll took a lighter tone in Thursday’s meeting. The two officials, like others quoted in this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic discussions.
Trump told Fox News Radio on Friday that next Thursday would be “appropriate” to reach agreement on the proposed deal.
“I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday is what we think is an appropriate time,” he said, adding that Ukraine was losing land and “will lose in a short period of time.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of his security council on Friday that the new peace plan could serve “as the basis for a final peace settlement,” though he claimed that the U.S. had not yet discussed the proposal in detail with Russia. “Russia is ready for peace talks and peaceful resolution of problems. But this requires, of course, a substantive discussion of all the details of the proposed plan,” Putin said.
The plan is “pure Russian,” a senior European diplomat said, confirming the Thanksgiving deadline and threat to cut support. European leaders plan to meet Saturday on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg to put together a counterproposal that they believe will be more favorable to Ukraine.
Another diplomat involved in the discussions said Ukraine is under “extraordinary pressure” to agree to a deal. A separate person said that while Washington’s vow to withdraw support from Kyiv is real, it probably would not be implemented for another two weeks at the earliest.
[…] The leaders of France, Britain and Germany held a joint phone call with Zelensky on Friday and appeared to push back on several of the plan’s key points. German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said the leaders had agreed that “vital European and Ukrainian interests” must be safeguarded.
Breaking with the major European powers was Hungary, Russia’s closest partner in the European Union, which Trump has said could host a peace summit to end the war. “We are very supportive of this proposal, which we believe is the only credible alternative on the table,” Hungary’s minister for European Union affairs, János Bóka, told The Washington Post in an interview.
Bóka said he had just completed meetings with Trump’s top aides for Europe, including the National Security Council’s Charles McLaughlin and the State Department’s Brendan Hanrahan, who have continued to encourage Hungary’s role in the peace process.
Zelensky said in his address Friday that it was his duty to uphold his pledge to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and that he would offer alternatives to the U.S. plan. The Ukrainian leader, one official said, had requested changes Thursday and Driscoll’s team agreed some could be made.
[…] Following the Thursday meeting in Kyiv, Julie Davis, the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, said the timeline for signing is “aggressive.”
The plan contains elements long pushed for by Moscow, including a full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the heavily fortified Donetsk region in the east of Ukraine, granting Russia full control of territory it has not been able to conquer in nearly four years of war. Russia would receive “de facto recognition” of its control of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as of the areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia it seized illegally, with the conflict in these regions frozen on the current front line.
Ukraine would be forced to enshrine in its constitution that it will not seek to join NATO, while agreeing to significantly reduce the size of its armed forces from between 800,000 and 850,000 military personnel to 600,000.
In return for making such sweeping concessions to an armed invader, Ukraine is to receive “reliable security guarantees,” although the plan does not contain any wording on what that would mean.
Ukraine has long insisted that its best security guarantee is its own military, which should not be reduced to accommodate Russian demands.
In addition, the proposed settlement would bar the presence of any NATO troops on Ukrainian soil, effectively nixing European proposals to send troops to deter Russia from attacking again.
The document would be signed by Zelensky and Trump before being presented to the Russians.
[…] analysts say Moscow does not have the military capacity to make major gains, and it could have to launch a politically difficult mobilization next year to continue the conflict, while sanctions are forcing the government to make painful tax hikes and spending cuts.
The proposal also calls for reintegrating Russia into the global economy as a result of the settlement of the conflict, with sanctions to be lifted “in stages and on a case-by-case basis.” If Russia were to attack Ukraine again, “in addition to a decisive coordinated military response, all global sanctions will be reinstated” and recognition of the seized territories would be revoked, the plan states.
Elements of the agreement appear to take inspiration from the White House’s recent efforts to strike a peace deal in Gaza, including the establishment of a council to monitor violations of the agreement that would be personally chaired by Trump. [!]
Other ideas read like a wish list of long-standing Russian demands, including an end to further NATO expansion, which Washington and its allies have long said would impose unacceptable limits on the sovereign desires of European nations to join the alliance.
Russia would also win reintegration into the Group of Eight world powers from which it was expelled following its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
And the U.S. would get a 50 percent cut of the profits of investments made in Ukraine with $100 billion in frozen Russian government assets [!], while the rest of the frozen assets would be handed back to Russia — forestalling an ongoing European effort to use those assets to pay for Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction. [!]
[…]
birgerjohanssonsays
“Scathing Atheist 664 Cried Wolf Edition”
At the 32 minute mark Michael Marshall tells the story of Naomi Wolf, a now disgraced intellectual.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=kgIWwVD1Kgg
It seems that the current administration is firmly in the “chaotic evil” corner, creating a foil for anyone who are objectively “good”, as in “opposing fascism”.
As for barbarian hordes and murderhobos, they have been absorbed by the MAGA movement.
johnson catmansays
re Lynna @80: The Orange Turd and his administration are total Russian assets. Putin says jump and The Orange Turd admits he can’t jump but he will get on his knees and service his Russian master.
“U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that keeping the migrants jailed without bond violated their due process rights.”
A federal judge has ordered the release of 16 people detained by immigration officials during an FBI-led raid at a rural Idaho racetrack last month.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that keeping the migrants jailed without bond violated their due process rights, and he ordered that they be released while they wait for their immigration cases to be resolved. Many of them have lived in the U.S. for decades and lacked any criminal history, Winmill noted. Some are married to U.S. citizens or have children who are U.S. citizens, according to court documents.
In an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents lawfully arrested the detainees during the raid, and added that “an activist judge is ordering lawbreakers to roam free.” […]
The Oct. 19 raid at the privately operated outdoor track in Wilder was led by the FBI as part of an investigation into suspected illegal gambling. More than 200 officers from at least 14 agencies, including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, participated in the raid, detaining around 400 people for hours, including many U.S. citizens.
Witnesses described aggressive tactics, including zip-tying children or separating young kids from their parents for an hour or more. [!] Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees Border Patrol and ICE, denied that children were zip-tied. FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker initially said no restraints or rubber bullets were used on children but later amended that statement, replacing “children” with “young children.”
The raid resulted in only a handful of gambling-related arrests, while 105 people were arrested on suspicion of immigration violations. Many of them signed voluntary agreements to leave the country before they were able to talk to immigration lawyers [!], said Nikki Ramirez-Smith, an immigration attorney whose firm is representing 15 of the people released this week.
[…] The federal judge in Idaho said that nearly all of his colleagues who have faced similar requests from immigration detainees have come to the same conclusion: That non-citizens who are detained while already present in the United States are entitled to due process rights.
[…]
“They’ll just stay home with their families, and we’ll file the applications for relief in immigration court, and they’ll get a court hearing. Those trial dates will probably be years out,” she [Nikki Ramirez-Smith, an immigration attorney] said, because of a hefty backlog of more than 3 million cases in immigration courts.
[…] Trump has taken steps to reduce the backlog, instructing judges during his first term to deny entire categories of asylum claims such as for victims of gang or domestic violence.
During his current term, the Trump administration has fired dozens of immigration judges, and authorized about 600 military lawyers to work as temporary immigration judges. The administration has also frequently turned what would normally be routine immigration hearings into deportation traps, with government lawyers quickly dismissing asylum cases so the migrants who sought asylum can be immediately arrested in the courthouse halls.
birgerjohanssonsays
Germany to classify date rape drugs as weapons to ensure justice for survivors
“Health secretaries tend not to order changes to guidance personally, but Kennedy made an exception to push misinformation on vaccines and autism.”
Related video at the link.
As recently as Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website reflected the scientific consensus, alerting the public to the fact that vaccines do not cause autism.
As of Wednesday, that was no longer the case.
Instead, the revised online resource told the public, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” This was a ridiculous assertion at odds with Logic 101, and it’s certainly unbecoming of the CDC, which used to represent the international gold standard in its field.
As for who was responsible for the change, the game of “Clue” has been resolved: It was Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in his powerful office, with his radical agenda. The New York Times reported:
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview that he personally instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to abandon its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism — a move that underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy and bend the health department to his will.
[…] RFK Jr., a notorious anti-vaccine activist known for peddling scientific nonsense (my personal favorite is his claim that Wi-Fi causes “leaky brain”) took a hands-on role in this instance anyway, ensuring that the CDC resources reflect his weird ideas, rather than the scientific cannon.
[…] As for conditions within the centers, Mother Jones spoke to several CDC officials who were mortified by the website changes that Kennedy ordered. “The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane,” one official said.
With Kennedy in the pilot’s seat, those concerns are unlikely to change anytime soon.
“On Thursday, the president accused Democrats of “seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!” On Friday, he kept the offensive going. [!]”
Related video at the link.
Even among those who’ve come to expect the worst from Donald Trump, his threatening rhetoric toward six Democratic members of Congress was extraordinary. On Tuesday, the Democrats, each of whom served in the military, the intelligence community or both, appeared in a video and reminded current service members that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders.
On Thursday morning, the president responded with over-the-top apoplexy.
[Trump] began by posting an item to his social media platform that accused the lawmakers of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR,” adding, “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. … An example MUST BE SET.” That was soon followed by a related message that read in part, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
Never one for subtlety, the Republican added, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” which roughly coincided with Trump amplifying an online message written by someone else, who wrote, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
Amid widespread concerns that Trump’s hysterics might put the Democratic veterans in danger, the president returned to the subject a day later during a Fox News Radio interview with Brian Kilmeade. It might’ve seemed like an opportunity for the Republican to walk back his rhetoric, but that apparently wasn’t part of his plan. [social media post]
“I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” the president said, referring to the Democratic lawmakers. “In the old days, it was death. I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble. I would say they’re in serious trouble.”
He didn’t elaborate on the nature of the “trouble,” or who might target them.
For good measure, he added, “But in the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death. What they said is, I mean, I don’t know about the modern-day things, because, you know, modern day is a lot softer.”
Trump concluded that the military veterans “broke the law,” though he didn’t explain which law was broken. (The president has a habit of defining “illegal” as “stuff I don’t like.”)
Right off the bat, it’s worth emphasizing that any sentence that begins, “I’m not threatening death, but…” is the sort of line a political leader shouldn’t deliver.
What’s more, his repeated references to “death” — in reference to Democratic comments that were entirely accurate — only make the underlying problem worse and seriously undermine his effort to claim that he’s not threatening them.
[…] Trump returned to the subject a day later to add fresh fuel to the fire.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado — a decorated military veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan — is seeking a U.S. Capitol Police investigation into Trump for what he described as “intimidating, threatening, and concerning” threats the president made. Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, an Air Force veteran who also appeared in the video in question, told The New Republic’s Greg Sargent that she made a similar appeal to the Capitol Police.
Whether such an investigation will actually happen remains unclear, though if a regular person sent members of Congress a message accusing them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” it’s a safe bet law enforcement would follow up and knock on the sender’s door. [True]
After months of racist smears and outright lies about communism and terrorism, President Donald Trump heaped praise on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during their Oval Office meeting on Friday.
“He really ran an incredible race,” said Trump, predicting that Mamdani would be “a really great mayor”—a 180-degree turn from his claims in recent weeks that the democratic socialist’s win was terrible for New York and that he would act to withhold federal funding to the city after the Democrat’s decisive win.
Trump even said he was happy to hear that one in 10 Trump voters in New York voted for Mamdani.
For his part, Mamdani said his discussions with Trump were productive. [video]
“We spoke about rent, we spoke about utilities, we spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out,” the mayor-elect said.
The meeting was a far cry from the showdown hyped up by the right. Hours before the two men met, Fox News claimed it would be a “Showdown With Socialism.” It was not, and if it was then Trump’s rhetoric seemed to show a clear win for socialism.
For the bulk of their comments to the press, Trump said he would work with Mamdani and even adopted much of the Democrat’s rhetoric on addressing the cost of living in the city and throughout the U.S.
When a reporter asked Mamdani if he stood behind his previous remark calling Trump a fascist, Trump interrupted and said, “That’s okay, you can just say yes.” [video]
Trump also claimed that some of Mamdani’s ideas are “the same ideas that I have.” Of course, Trump has focused on increasing the wealth of the already wealthy while Mamdani and other Democrats have focused on assisting the middle and working class—the opposite of Trump’s longtime focus.
Mamdani and other Democrats surged to victory in multiple states on Election Day by hammering at the cost of living, which has increased since Trump enacted tariffs on various goods, raising prices for consumers.
The encounter was an instance of Trump talking tough on social media and in comments to the press about a notable Democrat—only to wilt before him when meeting face-to-face.
Posted by readers of the article:
So indeed another TACO moment. I think the Felon wants to be associated with winners.
————————–
All Mamdani has advocated is a pilot program to establish five city-owned grocery stores — one in each borough — in neighborhoods that are considered food deserts.
————————
The biggest tell was when Trump started talking about how powerful the position of NYC Mayor is. Trump measures everybody by the power he thinks they have. […]
The second biggest tell was when Trump was asked if New Yorkers love Trump. This question cut deep unto Trump’s soul because that’s the one thing he has always wanted and will never have. […] he quickly deferred to Mamdani. And Mamdani smartly turned that into a face-saving thing with something like, “we have opportunities to accomplish important things for New York and I look forward to working with the President on that.”
The Trump administration’s promised overhaul of the nation’s largest food aid program will rely on existing policies rather than forcing people to reapply for benefits, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the plans.
Representative Eugene Vindman, Democrat of Virginia, called on Friday for the declassification of what he described as a ‘highly disturbing’ 2019 phone call between President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which oversees public buildings, is investigating leadership at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for what he says are “millions in lost revenue, luxury spending, and preferential treatment for Trump allies.”
birgerjohanssonsays
I realised the places in the Bible are really tiny. You could fit Palestine and the Sinai desert into Lapland.
The people was supported by low-yield bronze-age agriculture. No way the tiny Philistine city states and the tiny Israeli tribes could have mustered the large armies shown in biblical films.
A few RPG groups with knives and a time machine could have steamrolled the place (not that they would cherish the absence of hygiene and indoor plumbing, but you get the point).
Government employees asked a federal judge Wednesday to block the Trump administration from encouraging job applicants to demonstrate their loyalty to the president’s agenda.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, a group of federal labor unions argues that the White House’s “merit hiring plan” violates applicants’ First Amendment rights. The plan, put forth by the Office of Personnel Management, includes the following short essay question:
“How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”
The administration rolled out the question in May as part of its hiring plan. But following an outcry, the White House said answering the questions was optional and claimed applicants wouldn’t damage their prospects if they skipped them.
Democracy Forward, a legal group assisting the unions in the lawsuit, says the “loyalty question” is currently part of more than 6,000 federal job postings.
The unions claim the question creates an “unconstitutional” and discriminatory system in which job-seekers are rewarded or punished for their political views. The administration’s hiring plan is part of a broader effort by Trump to politicize the traditionally nonpartisan civil service, raising concerns he could return it to an old-style spoils system. […]
rival factions would compete for control of what Musk had built. Some sought to burrow deep inside the federal government and continue business as usual; others wanted to collaborate openly with the parts of government they previously eschewed. One of Musk’s chief lieutenants would openly defy White House orders to step down. At the same time, Musk was angling to lure remaining staffers to jobs at one of his private companies.
[…]
On May 31, after smiling with Trump for the cameras at an Oval Office farewell, Musk hosted his own private goodbye for DOGE team members
[…]
On June 3, [Steve Davis] strode into DOGE’s weekly Thursday evening meeting at GSA, assigning tasks as though he held the reins of the leaderless organization […] Even as the White House had announced his departure the previous week, Davis had steadfastly refused to acknowledge anything had changed, unwilling to give up any of the far-reaching authority he had amassed over the past six months […] “Steve Davis conducted an internal purge against anyone not completely loyal directly to him,” said a former DOGE official […]
Between May and June, dozens of DOGE employees left their posts. Some were pushed out by Davis’ allies after expressing concern about his authority. Some left because they had come to Washington only for Musk, and saw no point in staying once he was gone. Others told colleagues they were quitting out of exhaustion, drained by the drama at the top and disillusioned by the collapse of the political cover that once made their work possible.
[…]
As the White House became aware of Davis’ attempts to continue wielding power, the Presidential Personnel Office set to work rooting out Davis’ influence throughout the government. Trump’s appointees […] quietly contacted DOGE staffers […] with instructions to cease all communication with Davis. […] Personnel office staffers also began to conduct 15-minute interviews with DOGE staffers to determine what exactly each did.
[…]
A quieter, more dispersed version of DOGE began to emerge, its members plugging away at fairly specific policy areas with whatever authority and resources they had left. Forty-five DOGE employees remain as of October, a White House shutdown plan revealed, plus dozens more who have transitioned to working for an agency full-time.
[…] The animating impulse behind DOGE—to shrink government without regard for Congress’s spending decisions—may in fact be stronger than ever. Now that project is in the hands of Vought […] Vought’s methodical and relatively low-key approach—despite provoking legal challenges—has yet to inspire the type of media attention, or sustained public outrage, that DOGE did.
[…]
Though the firings and the cuts were reversed as a part of the deal that Republicans struck with Democrats to re-open the government, Oct. 10 marked the largest single day of cuts to federal personnel since Musk was at the peak of his powers in March. And helping to assemble the detailed “reduction in force” plans were some of the DOGE employees still working for the administration.
[…]
This weekend, many current and former DOGE members have descended on Austin for a DOGE reunion. It comes just days after Musk returned to Washington for his first public appearance in the nation’s capital since Trump’s farewell in May. At a White House dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman […] Both Musk and Davis are both expected to be at the reunion […] But those who maneuvered against Davis this summer? They were not invited to participate.
birgerjohanssonsays
“Dean’s Bloodline Ends Here !” Supernatural S09E04 #movie #shorts #supernatural
NB
Team Four Star has gifted us with another Abridged anime parody
(I recommend you check out their take on Dragon Ball Z Abridged and Hellsing Ultimate Abridged)
.
Toonami Abridged |
Sailor Moon (PART 1)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=rMhIUU_LX0w
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday cautiously welcomed a U.S. proposal to end Moscow’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement.”
Putin said Moscow had received the plan, which he called “a new version” and “a modernized plan,” which he said “could form the basis for a final peace settlement.”
“But this text has not been discussed with us in any substantive way, and I can guess why,” Putin said in Moscow. “The U.S. administration has so far been unable to secure the consent of the Ukrainian side. Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under illusions and the dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield.”
Putin says the plan could form the basis for a final settlement. I can see 3 reasons why Putin might take this position. First, he is laying a trap for Zelensky, say this plan is open to negotiations but jump in to sign if Ukraine agrees. The second is that there are points Putin wants to negotiate. Russia may not have treated the agreement seriously either and there may be things they want updated or changed. Third, they think they have Ukraine on the rails and Trump is open to anything. They may hope to negotiate even better terms. This option is unlikely because at some point Ukraine and the EU go ahead without the US.
Zelensky for his part is sounding out allies to see where everybody stands. In particular what the EU does if the US backs out. The EU states are not happy with this agreement not just because it’s a lot of capitulation, it also sets terms on the EU without them being involved in the negotiations. There will be a point where they are willing to jump in full force without the US.
birgerjohanssonsays
Let’s Talk Elections
“Shock Move Signals Democrats See a Shot in Tennessee Special Election.”
“The Georgia Republican’s resignation comes after recently butting heads with President Donald Trump.”
Related video at the link.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., announced on Friday that she is resigning from her seat, following weeks of clashing with President Donald Trump.
“If I am cast aside by MAGA Inc and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class that can’t even relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well,” Greene said in a statement posted to social media.
“Until then I’m going back to the people I love, to live life to the fullest as I always have, and look forward to a new path ahead. I will be resigning from office with my last day being January 5, 2026,” she wrote.
The stunning announcement comes one week after Trump officially declared he had had enough with Greene’s increasing criticism of him and said he was withdrawing support from his longtime ally.
Trump called her “wacky” and suggested he was open to backing a primary challenger against her.
Until recently, Greene — who said Trump had inspired her to first run for Congress — had been one of the president’s most outspoken allies in Congress. But in recent weeks, she began to break from him on issues including the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, his stance on the war in Gaza, extending Obamacare subsidies and, broadly, whether he was still the “America First” president the base believed in.
Greene was first elected to office in 2020. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will have to call a special election sometime in 2026 to fill Greene’s heavily Republican district, which she carried by 29 points last year.
In her resignation message Friday, Greene said she did not want her district to endure a “hurtful and hateful primary” led by Trump.
“I have too much self respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms,” Greene wrote.
[…] Greene’s decision will create even more headaches for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with a shrinking House Republican majority, which currently stands at 219 seats to Democrats’ 213. By the time Greene resigns, there will have been a Tennessee special election in December for a seat that the GOP is favored to win, but where Democrats see an outside chance. And there are two more special elections in blue-leaning seats that Democrats are heavily favored to hold early next year.
Greene did not give Johnson a heads-up about her resignation, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News. While the two did not have a good relationship, with Greene filing a motion last year to oust Johnson as speaker, members would typically provide their party’s leadership some type of advance notice about an announcement of this magnitude.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., another Republican who has drawn Trump’s ire after disagreeing with his agenda, expressed support for Greene on social media Friday night.
“I’m very sad for our country but so happy for my friend Marjorie. I’ll miss her tremendously. She embodies what a true Representative should be. Everyone should read her statement; there’s more honesty expressed in these four pages than most politicians will speak in a lifetime,” Massie wrote, reposting Greene’s statement with her resignation.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who partnered with Greene to force the release of the Epstein files said she could still have a bright future in politics.
“MTG is likely to be a formidable 2028 candidate,” Khanna told NBC News Friday night. “Her stances on Epstein, on regulating AI, and anti-war is more in touch with MAGA voters than JD Vance.”
My opinion is a professor in that department paid a journal $3000+ to publish that undergraduate research based on a faulty theory caused by some Russian dude who lied about where he sourced his foxes from, and now I have to write a whole professional response because I apparently can’t get on TikTok and just be like “Y’all are all dumbasses.” Because that would make me look “bad” or whatever.
/None of these people have even touched a raccoon, btw.
/None of them have ever worked with raccoons outside of looking at photos of them.
the Russian experiment fell short of proving the existence of domestication syndrome, they argue, because Belyaev’s first foxes were far from wild, and there’s no proof certain physical features are common to domesticated species. “The common story line is that when you select on tameness in an animal species, a whole suite of other traits change in a predictable way […] And we just couldn’t find convincing evidence for that.”
[…]
Genetic testing indicated they originated in eastern Canada, probably at a fur farm on Prince Edward Island, which means the animals were already on the path toward domestication. There’s also evidence that Canadian fur farmers were seeking to produce unusual pelt colors, including with white spotting, which might fetch higher prices. […] And those foxes’ tendency to produce white spots likely would have become greater when they arrived in Russia, because Belyaev started his experiment with a rather small population of 130 animals […] “You can get very rapid changes in the frequency or the prevalence of a trait without having done a whole lot of work, just by making the population really, really small,”
[…]
“The fox experiment is the most celebrated one in studies of domestication, yet details of it have never been fully published or explained, much less critically assessed,”
A 21 year old bug report requesting support of the XDG Base Directory specification is finally being addressed by Firefox. The Firefox 147 release should respect this XDG specification around where files should be positioned within Linux users’ home directory.
Not really of any great significance but I think it’s amusing that it’s a 20 year old issue that somebody finally got around to fixing.
China is replacing its diesel trucks with electric models faster than expected, potentially reshaping global fuel demand and the future of heavy transport.
In 2020, nearly all new trucks in China ran on diesel. By the first half of 2025, battery-powered trucks accounted for 22% of new heavy truck sales, up from 9.2% in the same period in 2024, according to Commercial Vehicle World, a Beijing-based trucking data provider. The British research firm BMI forecasts electric trucks will reach nearly 46% of new sales this year and 60% next year.
There are a lot of local delivery uses where an electric heavy truck makes sense. If the truck is always returned to the same warehouse at the end of the day being rechargeable is less of an issue. China also has more reasons to push people towards that technology because they don’t have good internal sources of diesel fuel. They have been pushing in the direction of rechargeable for some time for that reason, talk of it being green energy is secondary. I expect the numbers above are inflated because the shift is so sudden but it’s possible if the government is giving out big enough subsidies.
[Article: Full text of Trump’s 28-point Ukraine-Russia peace plan]
This is not a plan. It is maybe a concept of a plan. It would take a year or more to develop it into a plan. The summaries of meetings I had with Russians that everyone had to sign were more tightly written than this. The agreement with my realtor was tighter than this.
Put someone in who knows how to do this stuff. Witkoff, once again, is an embarrassment. […] There is nothing to agree to here, because so many things are undefined.
The Russian central bank said on Wednesday that its sales and purchases of gold in the domestic market for the budget reserve, the National Wealth Fund (NWF), have been increasing in recent years due to the enhanced liquidity of gold, opens new tab.
“Since the liquidity of the domestic gold market has increased in recent years, the central bank conducts equivalent operations not only through the purchase and sale of yuan for roubles but also partially through the purchase and sale of gold,” the central bank said.
As of November 1, the liquid assets in the NWF, comprised of yuan and gold, amounted to $51.6 billion, or 1.9% of the projected gross domestic product (GDP). These assets could be used to cover the budget deficit.
An announcement by the Russian government. This is an indirect way of saying the government is now selling gold bullion to support the war. They had previous been transferring gold to the central bank to prop up the bank but this was shifting around on paper which part of the government owned it. This is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a national government.
It also claims the Russian National Wealth Fund is at $51 billion. It can be assumed that is inflated and the actual figure is lower.
robrosays
Lynna, OM @ #104 — I woke up to this news a few minutes ago. I’m stunned.
The DOJ is trying to stack the immigration court system with new hires that it’s calling “deportation judges,” a branding exercise revealed in a recruitment ad and website that the Department posted on Thursday.
The ad is full MAGA. It reads “YOU BE THE JUDGE,” exhorting applicants to “help write the next chapter of America” and, again in all caps, “DEFINE AMERICA FOR GENERATIONS.”
What this partly advertises is the position of immigration judge. They’re administrative law judges who are empowered to decide deportation, asylum, and other immigration-related cases. They issue final orders of removal allowing DHS to deport someone from the country; the Trump administration focused on cowing them early on this year through mass firings, tightened regulations, and the broader assault on the concept that an employee of the executive branch — even if they’re an administrative law judge — might be empowered to disagree with the words of the President.
But the branding goes deeper. “DEFINE AMERICA FOR GENERATIONS,” “help write the next chapter” — these pose a few obvious questions: How might being a “deportation judge” accomplish that? Why would removing people from the country help “define America for generations”?
The answers are equally blunt, and go to the ugly demographic thinking and nods to white nationalist symbolism that pervade current DHS leadership.
But, names will only get you so far. If you want to apply, the vacancy is listed under “immigration judge.”
Nothing better illustrates the absurdity of the Trump administration’s immigrant crackdown than its recent show of force in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Border Patrol has ended their immigration enforcement operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, nearly a week after the agency first deployed agents to the state’s most populated city,” reported NBC News. “The operation dubbed ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by DHS resulted in the immigration arrests of more than 250 people.”
[…] it has always been difficult and wildly inefficient for federal authorities to stage mass roundups in hostile territory—blue states and blue cities where local law enforcement agencies refuse to play along. Immigration and Customs Enforcement claims roughly 20,000 employees, but that number includes an ocean of support staff. Even with the Department of Homeland Security desperately trying to hire more agents, the force’s size is nowhere near what would be required to execute […] Trump’s fantasy of deporting millions.
Charlotte puts that gap in stark relief.
DHS flooded the city with who-knows-how-many agents for an entire week, only to net about 250 arrests—roughly 35 a day. The cost of deploying, housing, transporting, and supporting those agents likely ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more!) for what amounts to a statistical blip in a city deliberately working to impede ICE’s operations.
Yet DHS now claims those same agents will be redeployed to Louisiana and Mississippi to arrest 5,000 people in the coming weeks. That’s the difference between operating with full cooperation from state and local authorities and operating in jurisdictions that resist. And it’s why the administration is so deeply frustrated that its mass-deportation fantasies of 3,000 arrests per day keep smashing into reality.
Meanwhile, Trump is sending an entirely different message when it comes to the immigrants he and his donors actually want. Just this week in Saudi Arabia, Trump told an audience of business executives that the United States needs immigrants who can train domestic workers in high-tech factories, insisting that doing so aligns perfectly with his political beliefs.
“I love my conservative friends. I love MAGA. But this is MAGA,” he said at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, appearing alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. These workers, Trump said, would teach Americans how to make computer chips, and then “those people can go home.”
Of course, H-1B visa workers aren’t being brought in to “train domestic workers.” They’re hired because tech billionaires like Elon Musk want a cheaper labor force that won’t complain, won’t organize, and won’t jump ship for better pay at a tech company across the street.
Which gets to the heart of the whole project: Trump isn’t crafting a coherent immigration policy. He’s staging a political stunt—punishing the immigrants his base hates while quietly protecting the ones corporate America finds useful.
The cruelty is for show, the favoritism is for his donors, and the whole thing collapses and beats a hasty retreat the moment it has to operate in the real world.
France has opened an investigation into billionaire Republican financier Elon Musk’s company after his AI chatbot Grok promoted Holocaust denial.
Officials in the French government told the Associated Press that the investigation began after a post circulated showing a Grok response to a user. That response falsely claimed that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were used for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus.”
In reality, the gas chambers were used for the mass murder of prisoners at the camp, who were mostly Jewish people. Historians estimate that around 1.1 million human beings were killed at the camp in less than five years.
After the incorrect response was publicly posted and shared, Grok was changed to respond with historically accurate information—without acknowledgement of its previous inaccurate and antisemitic response.
A complaint has also been filed against Musk’s company by the France-based League for Human Rights. In a statement the league said the Grok response was a “denial of crimes against humanity.”
Musk has had several instances of supporting or promoting antisemitism and racism. [video]
[I snipped many examples of Musk’s pro-Nazi efforts.]
[…] a new list of professions with degrees, greatly reduced and missing fields such as nursing, education, therapy and many other important fields, whose workers keep our society going.
List of Degrees Not Classed as ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin
– Nursing
– Physician assistants
– Physical therapists
– Audiologists
– Architects
– Accountants
– Educators
– Social workers”
What does this mean when these degrees are not considered to be “professional” by the dumbed-down and destructive Trump/Vance/Republican/Project 2025 regime?
It comes down to student loans and reimbursement (snip): “Students doing certain degrees may no longer receive the same amount of reimbursement for their studies now that the Department of Education is implementing various measures from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
One measure coming into action is that whether a degree is considered “professional” will influence how much reimbursement a student receives for their higher education.”
If you are in one of these fields, you know how fucking hard it is to complete these programs successfully, while holding down full or part time jobs to support yourself and your family. […]
I suspect that the Project 2025 folks see this as part of a greater social engineering program. Many of these programs are filled by women. […]
The fields such as nursing, which is already suffering from a shortage, will be decimated, which in turn will create a wider swath of much lowered life expectancy. […]
The teacher shortage will further be exacerbated, reducing schools to online education factories, where children will receive their daily rations of propaganda.
The Project 2025 folks who are making these changes see them as a long-term project to remake society into something akin to times of old […]
What demanded the dayslong presence [in 2024] of all these Trumpworld figures during some of the most important weeks of their careers? The fall gathering of a secretive group of wealthy tech executives and their allies who have ascended swiftly within the Republican Party’s donor class: the Rockbridge Network.
The group, which was co-founded five years ago by JD Vance, sprouted from an informal set of dinners into a powerful coalition of Republican donors who have given more than $100 million to Rockbridge projects since 2019, according to a person close to the group, helping lead Silicon Valley’s march to the right. For Rockbridge, Mr. Vance’s election as vice president was a crowning achievement — and a tantalizing opportunity to wield new national influence.”
They do believe that it’s the elite wealthy who know what is best for you and I — recreating the world as caste-based society, where people stay in their places.
[…] “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it “quits,” he wrote on Truth Social, using his new nickname for the Georgia Republican.
The president added, “Her relationship with the WORST Republican Congressman in decades [Rep. Thomas] Massie of Kentucky, also known as Rand Paul Jr. because he votes against the Republican Party (and really good legislation!), did not help her.” […]
“For some reason, primarily that I refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls, Marjorie went BAD,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, I will always appreciate Marjorie, and thank her for her service to our Country!” […]
“What to Know About the Nearly 10% Climb in a Key Medicare Expense for 2026”
“The rapidly rising premium for Part B, which covers retirees’ outpatient service”
If you’re enrolled in Medicare, you know that the cost has been hitting your wallet harder lately.
But the program’s rapidly rising premiums and out-of-pocket charges came into sharp relief last week when Medicare officials announced that the standard Part B premium, which covers services such as physician visits and hospital outpatient care, will be $202.90 a month — up 9.7 percent. Next year is the first time the monthly premium will exceed $200 — and it will be 66 percent higher than a decade ago.
The annual Part B deductible will also climb, to $283, up 70.5 percent over the past 10 years. [Pricing all of the poor or low-income people out of the health care market!]
The Part B premium is just one component of senior health spending, but it’s a closely watched number for many, because typically it is deducted from retirees’ Social Security checks. […]
“Many people will not receive the COLA [cost-of-living] they might be anticipating, because the premium eats part of it,” said Tricia Neuman, senior vice president of KFF, a health care research nonprofit.
[…] The new numbers reflect general increases in the cost of health care. National health expenditures rose about 8 percent in 2024, federal data shows, and are expected to outpace gross domestic product growth over the coming decade. Another cause for the rising Part B costs is a shift in health care delivery from hospitals to outpatient settings. […]
The growth of Medicare Advantage plans — which now account for more than half of total enrollment — plays a role as well. These privately offered alternatives to government-run traditional Medicare often reduce upfront costs by including prescription drug coverage. They also include out-of-pocket caps ($5,320 this year) without the Medigap policies that provide that protection in traditional Medicare. That comes with trade-offs, including health care provider networks and frequent red-tape hassles with coverage approvals, known as prior authorizations.
Medicare spends about $80 billion more annually for Medicare Advantage enrollees than it would if they were enrolled in traditional Medicare, leading to higher spending for both Part A (which covers hospitalization) and Part B.
[…] Lower-income seniors feel the burden of rising Medicare costs most. [!] Over seven million beneficiaries, more than 10 percent, spent at least 10 percent of their annual income on Part B premiums in 2024, according to KFF, not including other out-of-pocket costs such as dental or long-term care.
Federal programs can help. Medicare Savings Programs cover premiums and out-of-pocket costs for low-income seniors and automatically enroll them in the Low Income Subsidy program for Part D prescription drugs. Yet only about 60 percent of eligible seniors participate, often because they are unaware of the programs or find enrollment complex.
Wealthier seniors face the additional expense of surcharges […] These surcharges are based on tax returns from two years prior, but Social Security will recalculate for qualifying “life-changing events,” including retirement.
“If your income was $250,000 a year and now it’s going to be less than $100,000, that’s a lot of money you can save just by filing a two-page form,” said Dr. Carolyn McClanahan, a physician and certified financial planner in Jacksonville, Fla. To file an appeal, use Form SSA 44. […]
Israel’s military on Saturday launched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed and another 54 wounded, including children.
“The number is expected to rise as the airstrikes continue, and some of the wounded are in critical condition,” Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, told NBC News.
The Israeli strikes came as international momentum was building on Gaza, with the U.N. Security Council on Monday approving the U.S. blueprint to secure and govern the territory. It authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.
Israel has previously carried out similar waves of strikes after reported attacks on its forces. At least 33 Palestinians were killed over a 12-hour period Wednesday and Thursday, mostly women and children, health officials said.
One of Saturday’s strikes targeted a vehicle, killing 11 and wounding over 20 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of the wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said. Associated Press video showed children and others inspecting the blackened vehicle, whose top was blown off.
Another strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded 11 others, according to the hospital. It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people including a child and wounded 16 others.
And a strike targeting a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed three people, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
[…] “It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”
[…] The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
“An NBC News analysis of one month of Musk’s social media posts shows what’s been on his mind, including a broad cross-section of fringe political topics.”
[…] In recent weeks, the world’s wealthiest person used X to post about immigrants to Britain, saying they will cause the country’s collapse. He posted about examples of violent crime in Minnesota and South Carolina — where he does not live — and about judges in California and New York he believes are too lenient. Musk also smeared trans people, complained about Black-on-white crime, stoked fear about the end of civilization and shared his thoughts about the race of child actors.
Musk posted about all those topics and more in a recent one-month period, during which NBC News tracked and analyzed all of his posts for an in-depth look at where the tech billionaire focuses his attention online.
[…] Between Sept. 17 and Oct. 17, Musk posted, replied to or shared content 1,716 times on his X account — about 55 times a day, on average.
Some of his messages invoke extreme ideas, like the antisemitic “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which says there is a top-down plot organized by Jewish people to replace the white populations of the United States and Europe with nonwhite people. […] He also shared the baseless conspiracy theory that the FBI staged the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
[…] Nearly half of his posts, 49%, during the period reviewed by NBC News were about politically charged topics. NBC News classified a post as political if it related to a government official, a political commentator or a policy debate. [Graphic]
Musk’s presence on X serves to maintain his political influence as he considers whether and how to become involved in the 2026 midterms or the presidential campaign that will follow.
[…] “He’s not just the wealthiest person alive. He’s also one of the most influential, even if he has no formal role in government,” said Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University who studies the tech industry’s impact on politics.
[…] During the month that NBC News analyzed, Musk engaged with ideas on the fringe of politics, including an unapologetic attitude toward past British colonialism and a proposed nationwide purge of judges based on a Central American precedent. In an offhand remark, he appeared to claim Mars as legal territory of the United States.
[…] Musk, who said he voted for Democrats in 2016 and 2020, has shifted sharply to the right in recent years. During last year’s campaign, he aligned himself with Trump, made appearances in key swing states and poured more than $290 million into Republican efforts. He then joined Trump’s administration as a White House adviser and the head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
[…] Musk’s topics of interest [Graphic]
His posts were often targeted at influencing current events. In early October, before Trump decided against sending federal troops to San Francisco, Musk helped to fuel a narrative that crime was out of control in the city. He posted about crime there 13 times over two days, despite San Francisco experiencing the fewest homicides since 1954.
[…] Musk has gone after judges and prosecutors who he said were too lenient. He posted about judges 52 times, including twice when he called for the wholesale removal of “corrupt” judges and cited purges in El Salvador as a model for the United States.
Often, Musk focused on cases where the criminal defendants were Black, immigrants or both, and where the victims were white, appearing to play into narratives about interracial crime that are common in conservative media. Experts say there is no evidence of a migrant-driven crime wave, and most violent crime occurs between a victim and a perpetrator of the same race, according to Justice Department survey data.
[…] Immigration was the second-most frequent political topic on Musk’s mind. […] He shared immigration-related posts from Vice President JD Vance four times, from the official White House account twice and from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller once. Musk also accused officials in Democratic-led cities of “treason” for resisting immigration enforcement.
Musk’s opposition to immigration was global, criticizing politicians in Europe and Asia for allowing in migrants. He warned that mass immigration would “destroy Japan” and lead to “the end of Britain.” Musk, a native South African who became a U.S. citizen in 2002, is an immigrant himself.
Joan Donovan, an assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University, said Musk’s frequent posts related to the decline of Western civilization are a thinly veiled callout to racial politics.
“This is, of course, a dog whistle about white identity politics and for people who are expressly proud of being white and unapologetic about their own beliefs in white supremacy,” she said.
[…] Musk’s embrace of fringe topics, such as a purge of judges, is the kind of content that used to be confined to the internet’s darkest corners.
“It’s really reflective of some of the grossest places on Reddit or the type of posting you’d see on 4chan. It’s become a reality-distortion machine,” she said.
But lately, racist rhetoric has been surging in the open, with white nationalists such as Nick Fuentes finding more mainstream footing on Musk’s X and in other venues. […] Musk, or those whose posts he shared, often depicted Black people in a negative light, and they often did so regardless of the topic at hand.
[…] He posted about alleged Black criminals in Florida, Germany, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina and elsewhere, and in many of the cases the defendants were charged with harming white victims. Sometimes, Musk would include an ominous warning such as, “He will kill again.” One post from another user, the actor James Woods, had eight photos: four Black defendants and four white victims. Woods wrote: “Sad.” Musk replied: “Yes.” […]
“Von der Leyen’s right-hand man Bjoern Seibert is expected to put the EU’s case at a crunch meeting starting Sunday in Switzerland.”
The European Union and the U.K. will take part in high-level talks on Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine starting Sunday, in a significant breakthrough for Brussels and London, which had been shut out of the process until now.
Top security officials from France and Germany will also attend the negotiations, likely to take place in Switzerland, a senior European official told POLITICO, as Ukraine’s allies seek to re-write Trump’s proposal which they fear would favor Russia.
The fact that the Europeans will get seats at the negotiating table will be welcomed in Kyiv, Brussels and beyond, after Ukraine’s allies voiced their concern at being excluded from Trump’s most recent initiative. […]
“Diplomats and officials react with outrage to new details of the U.S. peace plan, warning it could wreck their efforts to help Ukraine survive the war.”
Donald Trump has hurled a wrench into one of the most sensitive negotiations currently under way in Europe, potentially derailing efforts to help fund Ukraine to stay in the fight against Russia.
For months European Union officials have been trying — and failing — to work out a way to use around €140 billion of immobilized Russian state assets held largely in Belgium to support Kyiv’s war effort. The cash is desperately needed as Ukraine is at risk of running out of money early next year.
Talks in Brussels are now at an extremely delicate stage, diplomats said, as top officials try to finesse a legal text that would enable the frozen funds to be used for a loan to the Ukrainian government.
But the United States’ new 28-point blueprint for a ceasefire includes a rival idea for using those same assets for American-led reconstruction efforts once a truce has been agreed. The U.S. would take “50 percent” of the profit from this activity, the document said. [!]
[…] Multiple EU diplomats and officials said they feared the proposals, from Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, would wreck their chances of the loan proposal being agreed by the EU’s 27 governments. European leaders had been hoping to finalize the so-called “reparations loan” deal at a crunch summit next month.
A former French official, granted anonymity like others to discuss sensitive matters, said the Witkoff idea “is, of course, scandalous.” [!]
“The Europeans are exhausting themselves trying to find a viable solution to use the assets for the benefit of Ukrainians and Trump wants to profit from them,” the person said. “This proposal is likely to be rejected by everyone.”
[…] One senior EU official in Brussels scoffed at the idea and noted that whatever he wants, Trump has no power to unfreeze assets held in Europe. [!] An official from an EU government resorted to colorful swearing to express their dismay, while a senior EU politician said: “Witkoff needs to see a psychiatrist.” […]
President Donald Trump said the US peace plan presented to Ukraine is not the final offer to end the war with Russia.
“No, not my final offer,” Trump told reporters just now. “We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago.”
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Thom Tillis, said in a statement on Saturday that they had “significant concerns over the details of the reported peace plan.”
Good news for Ukraine. The plan has gone over like a lead balloon. Trump is already walking back his position because nobody but Trump and Witkoff like the deal. Ukraine would reject it out of hand but sensibly are not that bluntly telling Trump he screwed up. The EU hates the deal and is refusing a treaty that includes them that they had no hand in negotiating. Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are not happy with the deal because they know the general population is heavily pro-Ukraine. Even Russia’s diplomats say the deal could be a basis for further negotiations.
One theory I have seen that looks reasonable is that Russia isn’t actually interested in any peace deal, they are only talking to tie things up. All of the money that would covered by the plan can’t go to Ukraine right now. This would hold up hundreds of million in sanctioned Russian money that the EU was planning to transfer to Ukraine.
*While I am sure there will be some here who won’t agree with what I write, these concepts must be understood accurately. Too many either ignorantly or intentionally use the two concepts interchangeably. While, according to Professor Juan Cole and other middle-east academics that I agree with, it is important that we differentiate between – antisemitism which should be defined in today’s world as a terrible, bigoted, unreasoning hatred of Jews
and expressing criticism of the zionist IDF slaughter of palestinians which should be considered an honest, responsible position that is not the same as antisemitism.
Kash Patel’s personal firing of the Pride flag-displaying employee was always absurd and unconstitutional, so I’m glad David Maltinsky is suing, but, wait. It was a flag FLOWN BY THE FBI that was given to him BY THE FBI?! Come on.
Rando: “And the flag was gifted to him after he received the FBI’s and DOJ’s highest awards for promoting equal employment opportunities in the agencies. Incredible model of exactly the type of person we want in government.”
Some thoughts [on the SCOTUS Texas map administrative stay]:
– Alito is the circuit justice, yes, but the full court will get this.
– There isn’t really any purpose to the admin stay. What was going to happen this weekend?
– The tight response timeline [Monday] does suggest to me that (1) he knows he can’t hold onto this & (2) it has to move quickly.
The White House has acknowledged Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s envoy, wrote the proposal together with Donald Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff. The pair hammered out the text during a meeting in Miami.
U.S. lawmakers attempted Saturday to reverse days of confusion […] [Marco Rubio] described the plan as a Russian proposal, they said, and not a U.S. initiative. “He made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). “It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it—and we did not release it. It was leaked.”
Their comments […] amounted to a massive U-turn […] Rubio told lawmakers that he was unaware of any plans by President Donald Trump to cut off intelligence sharing or military assistance if Ukraine rejected the terms.
[…] The State Department disputed the notion that the U.S. wasn’t involved in drawing up the proposal. “As the administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians,” the department said in a statement.
[…]
The lawmakers […] grew alarmed by the proposal and heard global leaders railing against it. Rubio, they said, agreed to walk them through the situation and gave the lawmakers permission to describe what he told them.
[…]
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) […] said the peace plan included elements Ukraine and U.S. allies would never accept, including restrictions on NATO adding new members and the size of Ukraine’s military.
The Secretary of State should have a word with Marco Rubio. /s
So, to recap, Ukraine and Europe understand that America has effectively endorsed a 28-point plan to force Kyiv to capitulate, set a Thursday deadline to accept it, and threatened to cut off all aid.
Now Marco Rubio says it’s all wrong, that’s not the plan, there’s no deadline and no threat.
[*4 hours later*]
What the actual fuck is going on.
America put forward a nearly carbon copy version of the Russian plan for Ukrainian conquest, admitted it and backtracked, then doubles down.
Rubio: The peace proposal was authored by the U.S.
Josh Marshall (TalkingPointsMemo): “We appear to be on to version six of this story.”
Rando:
no matter who you believe, it’s a clown show.
It’s clearly not *just* a Russian plan, because it contains things the Russians certainly wouldn’t volunteer (like Ukraine keeping 600K troops, DMZ, not giving Russia a veto on security guarantees) and also, *someone* [Trump] gave Army Sec Driscoll the order to shove it down Ukraine’s throat. But it’s also widely reported that State department officials and many others in the admin were not aware of it.
Many senior officials inside the State Department and on the National Security Council were not briefed […] Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, who had been working with the Ukrainians on negotiating an end to the war […] also was cut out of the talks led by Witkoff and [Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev], they said.
PwnAllTheThings: “They are somehow unable to even negotiate an agreement across their own government, never mind one for an actual war.”
StevoRsays
While last week’s stunning auroras delighted many people around Australia, the solar storm that created them was not on the same level as one that happened last year.
The biggest solar storm of the past two decades, known as the Gannon or Mother’s Day storm, lit up the sky in May 2024.
Not only did it dazzle the world for three days, it squeezed a layer of charged particles surrounding our planet known as the plasmasphere to a fifth of its size, according to a new study.
The fight over NASA’s premier center for space and Earth sciences trudges on, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill call for a formal investigation into the closing of critical campus facilities during the government shutdown.
In a letter sent today (Nov. 21), Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a top Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and 15 other members of Congress, ask NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) to begin an audit into ongoing lab closures and relocations at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, that began in September. The letter cites past Space.com reporting and NASA employee accounts that assert NASA’s actions are causing irreparable harm to critical projects and are crippling the center’s ability to fulfill its mission.
Trump faced mounting losses this week in court on numerous fronts, both personal and presidential. An appeals court rejected Trump’s efforts to revive his defamation suit against CNN, a federal judge ruled against his deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, DC, and another judge ruled he likely violated the law when trying to cut millions in funding to local governments unless they followed conditions related to immigration enforcement. Former White House lawyer during Trump’s first term, Ty Cobb, joins “The Weekend” to discuss.
[…] Trump faces an unexpected rift in the MAGA movement as Republican officials from statehouses to Capitol Hill warn his full-throated embrace of the tech industry’s artificial intelligence boom risks undermining Americans’ economic security and exposing their children to new harms.
Trump has appointed influential tech investors and entrepreneurs to key positions in his administration and backed the sector’s ambitions for AI, scrapping regulations introduced by President Joe Biden and facilitating huge investments from foreign companies and governments into American AI firms.
This past week, the White House explored using an executive order to quash state regulation on AI. The president has trumpeted the billions of dollars in investments flooding into the technology, which has propped up U.S. economic growth this year, as evidence his plan to reboot the American economy is working.
But a growing cohort of Republicans — including Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and prominent members of Congress like Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri — argue AI’s breakneck growth could undermine the party’s populist appeal. Some have called for regulation to protect Americans against job losses driven by automation, shield teenagers from harms caused by chatbots, and curb spikes in utility bills linked to the energy-guzzling data centers that power AI technology.
[…] Biden also endorsed the U.S. tech industry’s development of AI but sought to contain its potential downsides. In a sweeping 2023 executive order, he directed federal agencies to adopt the technology but also required tech companies to share data from safety tests on powerful AI systems with the government.
The policy was unpopular with many in the tech industry, with some citing it among their reasons for throwing their support or money behind Trump’s reelection bid last year. He wasted no time in delivering for the industry, repealing Biden’s AI executive order on the first day of his second term.
[…] Trump’s laissez-faire approach to AI has contrasted with developments outside Washington. AI laws have been proposed in every state and enacted in many, both red and blue. Laws include whistleblower protections for AI workers in California, a ban on governments using AI to decide who gets welfare benefits in Texas and an Ohio provision banning people from attempting to marry an AI system.
Support for the state laws has often been bipartisan […]
Republican division over AI came to a head last week after Trump and his administration urged Congress to pass a bill preempting state laws on the technology, even if doing so required adding it to a defense appropriations measure. It was a reprisal of an attempt by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to pass a “moratorium” on state AI laws over the summer, which failed in the Senate after other Republicans backed out.
As public opposition to the renewed push for preemption grew this past week, the White House floated an executive order that would direct the Justice Department to sue states that passed AI laws.
“Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World, but overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Major Growth Engine,” Trump wrote on social media […]
Trump and his administration have supported the AI industry by lifting restrictions on chip exports, moving to fast-track data center construction and giving a $1 billion loan guarantee to the company restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to supply electricity to Microsoft data centers. […]
Trump, the demented narcissist, has reverted to repeating the canard that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine does not express gratitude:
[…] “Ukraine ‘leadership’ has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media, “and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia.”
[…] Mr. Zelensky and other members of his administration have taken pains to express their gratitude.
[…] President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that Kyiv’s delegation — led by Andriy Yermak, his chief of staff — was “focused on working as constructively as possible on the steps proposed by the United States.”
[…] A flurry of other diplomatic efforts are expected for the coming days. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who has offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, said he expected to speak to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about the peace efforts on Monday. President Emmanuel Macron of France suggested there would be a meeting involving the leaders of Britain, Canada and several other nations on Tuesday. […]
[…] There also seemed to be continued confusion about the plan [see Sky Captain’s comment 130 and JM’s comment 127] including among lawmakers. A group of U.S. senators claimed on Saturday that Mr. Rubio had told them that the document “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.”
The State Department said that was “blatantly false,” and Mr. Rubio also rejected the characterization, writing on social media that “the peace proposal was authored by the U.S.”
“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” he added. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
“The children were among the more than 300 students and teachers taken when gunmen stormed the Catholic school in Niger state.”
Fifty of the 303 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state have escaped captivity and are now with their families, the school authority said Sunday, bringing relief to some distraught families after one of the largest school abductions in Nigeria’s history.
The schoolchildren, aged between 10 and 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday, according to the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the proprietor of the school. A total of 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still held by the kidnappers, he said in a statement.
“We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Yohanna said.
The pupils and students were seized together with their teachers by gunmen who attacked the St. Mary’s School […] on Friday. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue the children.
It was not immediately clear where the Niger state children were being held or how they managed to return home. Nigeria’s military and police did not immediately respond to an Associated Press inquiry.
[…] The Niger state attack happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 106 miles away.
Both states are in a northern region of Nigeria where dozens of armed gangs have used kidnapping for ransom as one way of dominating remote communities with little government and security presence.
[…] School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.
Niger state hurriedly closed down all schools after Friday’s attack, while some federal colleges in conflict hotspots across the region were also closed by the Nigerian government.
[…] internet outages severe enough to disrupt everyday services for many people have become more frequent and wide-ranging, experts say.
When internet services company Cloudflare crashed Tuesday — prompting significant, hourslong disruptions at companies ranging from X to OpenAI to Discord — it was the third major internet outage in the space of about a month.
While there’s plenty of finger-pointing to go around, two things are clear: Popular consumer businesses increasingly rely on a handful of giant companies that run things more cheaply in the cloud, and when one of those companies isn’t extraordinarily careful, an obscure software vulnerability or tiny mistake can reverberate through to many of their customers, making it seem like half the internet has been unplugged.
“This spate of outages has been uniquely terrible,” said Erie Meyer, the former chief technical officer of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the Biden administration. “It’s like what we were told Y2K would be like, and it’s happening more often.”
It’s become a common enough occurrence that jokes about the failures, rooted in an understanding of the basics of internet infrastructure, have become popular memes in the computer science world. [Example at the link]
Major cloud companies are often referred to as hyperscalers, meaning once they have established a viable business, it can be relatively straightforward to rapidly build out their infrastructure and offer those services at competitive prices. That has resulted in a handful of companies dominating the industry, which critics note creates single points of failure when something goes wrong.
[…] since late October there have been three major ones — an unprecedented number for such a short span of time — that caused serious problems for wide swaths of people.
The first was Amazon Web Services on Oct. 20, taking with it many people’s access to everything from gaming platforms Roblox and Fortnite to Ring cameras. […]
Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure, went down on Oct. 29, rendering a host of the company’s services inoperable around the globe just before its quarterly report. Those two outages each caused major headaches for at least two airlines, preventing passengers from checking in online: Delta, which uses AWS, and Alaska, which uses Azure.
Then came Cloudflare’s disruption Tuesday, which CEO Matthew Prince said was the company’s worst since 2019.
[…] The three companies each dealt with different issues. Cloudflare initially thought it was under a massive cyberattack, but then traced the issue to a “bug” in its software to combat bots. AWS and Microsoft each had different issues configuring their services with the Domain Name System, or DNS, the notoriously finicky “phonebook” for the internet that connects website URLs with their technical, numerical addresses.
Those issues come a year after a particularly unusual case, in which companies around the world that used both Microsoft-based computers and the popular cybersecurity service CrowdStrike suddenly saw their systems crash and display the “blue screen of death.” The culprit was a glitch in what should have been a routine CrowdStrike automatic software update, leading to flight delays and medical and police networks going down for hours.
[…] J.B. Branch, the Big Tech accountability advocate at Public Citizen, a progressive nonprofit that advocates for public interests, called for more government regulation of the cloud industry.
“There needs to be investigations whenever these outages happen, because whether we like it or not, the entire infrastructure that our economy is kind of running on, digitally at least, is owned by a handful of companies, and that’s incredibly concerning,” he said.
“Allowing Russia to change borders by force or letting Moscow veto Kyiv’s future membership in the EU are red lines, Brussels warns.”
A U.S. framework [more like a Russian framework, see comments 125, 127, 130 and 136] aimed at ending the war in Ukraine would leave the country more vulnerable to Russian aggression in the long term if it imposes limits on Kyiv’s armed forces, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Sunday.
In a statement following talks on the sidelines of a G20 summit of major economies in South Africa, von der Leyen laid out a series of red lines in response to proposals being put forward by President Donald Trump’s White House. The blueprint suggests Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Moscow, halve the size of its military and give Washington a 50 percent cut on profits from reconstruction.
“Any credible and sustainable peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and end the war, while not sowing the seeds for a future conflict,” von der Leyen said in the statement.
According to the Commission president, the EU has three key criteria for any peace deal: “First, borders cannot be changed by force. Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security,” she said
.
“Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected,” said von der Leyen. “Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.”
Allies held crisis talks during the summit in South Africa and EU leaders are due to hold further discussions on Monday during a joint visit to Angola. European Council President António Costa has welcomed efforts to end the war but warned the current proposal is merely “a basis which will require additional work.”
EU officials are in Geneva on Sunday for U.S.-brokered talks on ending the conflict, where they are hoping to convince American envoys to reflect European concerns in the negotiations. European capitals have reiterated that no peace agreement can be done without direct input from Ukraine.
European countries including Ukraine say they were effectively cut out of the development of the 28-point plan, which critics say rewards Russian aggression and would leave the door open to future invasions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday afternoon that progress was being made toward addressing Kyiv’s concerns over the U.S. plan. […]
Members of our organization have a combined 50+ years experience working in aerospace. Based on the success/failure ratio of aerospace companies over decades, comparing that to spacex and the muskrat, it is clear to us this is a true pattern of behavior of the muskrat and spacex:
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/first-spacex-booster-upgraded-starship-161455232.html
First SpaceX booster for upgraded Starship fails during test in Texas
By Joey Roulette
Fri, November 21, 2025 at 9:14 AM MST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A towering first-stage booster for an upgraded version of SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a predawn testing failure in Texas on Friday, potentially complicating the company’s push to prove the rocket’s moon-landing abilities for NASA, according to observers who captured it on video.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX had rolled the stainless steel booster out to a testing pad on Thursday at the company’s Starbase rocket facilities, saying it intended to test its redesigned propellant systems and structural strength.
During a test on the pad around 4 a.m. CT Friday, a zoomed-in live video feed from SpaceX-watching group LabPadre showed the booster suddenly buckle and release a cloud of gas from its sides, indicating a possible explosion under pressure had blown open its exterior.
Starbase, the sprawling SpaceX Starship facilities in south Texas, has had multiple testing explosions in the past. A Starship booster exploded in a giant fireball on its testing pad in June, sending debris across the U.S.-Mexico border two miles away and sparking political tension with the country’s president.
@138 Lynna, OM posted: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/internet-outages-aws-microsoft-cloudflare-rcna245043 Severe internet outages keep happening — and they might get worse
I reply: Our organization has been crafting websites since 1997. Our hosting company has only experienced 2 brief outages in over 25 years. However, we see broadcast TV and radio (using internet networking) having many more outages as time goes on. We have seen how internet outages are increasing. Our society seems to be so enamored with keeping their low-tech minds on their tiny phone screens that the reliability and usability of our ‘tech’ will keep deteriorating.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Cheryl Rofer: “Why is the Secretary of the Army negotiating on Ukraine?”
Brian Finucane (JustSecurity): “VP’s buddy from [Yale Law School] and potential successor to SecDef.”
During a recent press conference at the White House, First Lady Melania Trump announced a new initiative of her “Be Best” campaign, which she launched in 2018 […]
The original “Be Best,” which aimed to raise awareness about cyberbullying and other issues facing American children, was pilloried as a hypocritical project for the spouse of the country’s most powerful cyberbully.
But its latest offshoot, “Fostering the Future,” which seeks to expand access to educational and employment opportunities for kids aging out of the foster-care system, has been received much more positively, as having great potential to aid the more than fifteen thousand young adults who exit the system each year without being reunified with their families or adopted. (Twenty per cent of them face youth homelessness upon leaving foster care, and only three per cent graduate from college.)
After […] Trump signed an executive order backing the “Fostering the Future” initiative, Bloomberg quoted the President boasting that his executive order would help foster youth become “wealthy, productive citizens.” And yet Bloomberg didn’t include what Trump said just before that phrase. In a rambling moment, the President addressed an aspect of his executive order that makes clear that the child-welfare system it promises looks awfully like the system of the past.
“Faith-based non-profits are the nation’s most trusted institutions interacting with the foster-care system and practicing Christians and more. Think of this, more than twice as likely foster care, they’ll adopt the general population,” Trump said. “Yet radical left policies in states nationwide make it much harder, not easier, for those families to open up their homes,” he went on. “That’s why with the order that we’re doing today, we’re taking the ridiculous woke policies that discriminate against Christians and families of faith. As President I will always stand by us, we will stand by our country, and we will stand for religious liberty.”
Trump was alluding to language in the executive order that immediately set off alarm bells for me. The introduction seems to take issue with states and agencies requiring foster parents to affirm the gender identities and sexual orientations of the children in their care: […] Later, the order decrees that the government must focus on “Maximizing Partnerships with Americans of Faith,” both by addressing policies that bar religious homophobia and transphobia against foster youth, and by taking “appropriate action to increase partnerships between agencies and faith-based organizations and houses of worship to serve families whose children have been placed in foster care or are at risk of being placed in foster care.”
[…] Trump’s order will protect the right of these organizations to receive federal funding, even if they work with foster parents who discriminate against queer and trans youth. This is devastating, given that L.G.B.T.Q.+ youth—among them, the children whose existence Trump’s order denies with its mention of “basic biological truths”—are overrepresented in the foster-care population.
Surveys have consistently found that L.G.B.T.Q.+ preteens and teen-agers, who make up about eleven per cent of the national population of that age group, by some estimates, account for about thirty per cent of foster-care populations. [!] These kids often face rejection or harassment by their families, making them vulnerable to being placed in foster care, where they in turn are more likely to experience “victimization and abuse by social work professionals, foster parents, and peers, which has been shown to be related to a lack of permanency and poorer functional outcomes,” […]In a 2025 Senate Finance Committee report on the experiences of L.G.B.T.Q.+ youth in residential treatment facilities, queer and trans youth described being punished for their identities. Some maltreatment was cloaked in religious teachings [!] […]
[…] the “Fostering the Future” initiative that aims to ease their transition out of the system is paired with efforts to put the religious rights of people who wish to foster above the civil rights of L.B.G.T.Q.+ youth. [!!] In this way, Trump’s executive order reënacts the original sin of America’s child-welfare system. For many years, the federal government failed to take responsibility for dependent children, creating a vacuum that would ultimately be filled by religious groups. […]
Since the start, there has been a gap between the good intentions of faith-based charities—spurred by religious belief to take care of the poor and vulnerable—and the actual effects on the children in their care. At the turn of the twentieth century, Progressive activists argued that orphanages—which were virtually all operated by religious charities—were heavily regimented, overcrowded spaces that isolated children from society and deprived them of the benefits of family care. Children were underfed, heavily worked, and educated foremost in the tenets of faith. At Catholic orphanages, physical and sexual abuse were also widespread, well into the twentieth century. [!]
In 1950, foster care began to edge out religious orphanages. As states and the federal government gradually expanded the social safety net, religious groups fought to maintain their control, which came with access to government contracts. Speaking at a 1935 meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Charities, a bishop encapsulated this fight. “The poor belong to us,” he said. “We will not let them be taken from us!” [!]
[…] over the years, governments have occasionally excused instances of discrimination and unsavory practices so long as they are rooted in religious belief. […]
Wilder would become the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit brought against the city’s Human Resources Administration and private foster-care agencies, alleging that religious matching was unconstitutional. But the case never made it to trial because of judicial delays spurred in part by the court’s reluctance to challenge the primacy of religious charities in child welfare.
[…] The “Fostering the Future” order is not the first time Trump has jeopardized the well-being of queer and trans kids in foster care. During his first Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees foster care, allowed child-welfare agencies to claim religious exemptions to Obama-era non-discrimination rules that prohibited federal taxpayer-funded social-services agencies from discriminating on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. This waiver allowed federal funding to go to organizations such as South Carolina’s Miracle Hill Ministries, an evangelical agency which requires foster parents to sign a doctrinal statement of belief that includes “We believe God’s design for marriage is the legal joining of one man and one woman in a life-long covenant relationship.” [!]
In 2021, President Joe Biden reversed course, denying waivers of nondiscrimination protections. And last year, H.H.S. took a step to guard the safety of L.G.B.T.Q.+ foster youth by passing a rule requiring state child-welfare agencies to implement specific processes insuring that such youth would be placed with foster-care providers who were trained to meet their needs […] The rule was stayed and then vacated, however, following a lawsuit by the state of Texas, where a Trump-appointed district judge characterized it as “requiring experimental and controversial treatment on our nation’s most vulnerable: children in foster care.” […]
It remains to be seen if the “Fostering the Future” initiative will meaningfully help youth who age out of foster care in accessing education and employment—which they’ll now need to access snap assistance, since Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated an exemption that allowed former foster youth to receive food stamps for a sustained period without working or being enrolled in school.
[…] we already know that allowing faith-based organizations to exercise hegemony in a foster-care system that costs more than thirty billion dollars a year in state, local, and federal dollars comes with its own consequences.
[One day in Wisconsin,] Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, a Catholic congregation, had approached the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, a part of the Ojibwe Nation, and the original caretakers of the land, with an unheard of proposition: Would they like a piece of their land back? […] They had never had a private property owner offer up a piece of land […] The appraised value […] was $2.6 million. It was sold back to the tribe for just $30,000, the price the sisters paid to buy it. […] It is believed to be the first such transfer of land from Catholic sisters to a tribe in the country.
[…]
Between 1883 and 1969, the sisters operated the St. Mary’s Catholic Indian Boarding School, part of a larger project by the federal government and the Roman Catholic Church to forcefully assimilate Indigenous children and strip them of their culture. […] Over the last five years, the sisters have been on a journey to understand their history, educating themselves about the role their boarding school played in the cultural genocide
[…]
“Catholic sisters are the progressive edge of the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church is the largest private landowner in the world. So what sisters choose to do carries weight,” [said a co-founder of a landback/climate activism org that had been mentoring the sisters].
“Them choosing to move towards right relationship in a traumatized and hurting world, is cultural acupuncture.”
*groan* It was a good story until the end. There was no reason to conclude with a product placement for acupuncture. Worse, it inadvertently compares their own activism to a placebo. Ironically fitting given the scale of abuse and dispossession they’re trying to ameliorate.
[The] FBI jet flew to San Angelo, Texas. There, Patel visited the Boondoggle Ranch, a luxury hunting resort owned by the family of C.R. “Bubba” Saulsbury Jr., a GOP donor and friend of Patel’s.
Merriam-Webster: “boondoggle: a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft.”
Along with the occasional aches and pains, growing older can bring surprise setbacks and serious diseases. […] federal requirements are supposed to protect people with privately run Medicare Advantage coverage when contract disputes lead their health care providers and insurers to part ways.
But government documents obtained by KFF Health News show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request covering the past decade, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services produced letters it sent to only five insurers from 2016 to 2022 after seven of their plans failed to meet provider network adequacy requirements […]
Agency officials said some plans lacked enough primary care clinicians, specialists, or hospitals, according to the letters. And they warned that failure to meet the requirements could result in a freeze on marketing and enrollment, fines, or closure of the plan. […]
Medicare Advantage is an increasingly popular alternative to the government-run Medicare program, which covers adults 65 and older and some people with disabilities. Of the 63 million Americans who were eligible to join Advantage plans instead of traditional Medicare, 54% did so for this year. The plans usually offer lower out-of-pocket costs and extra benefits, like coverage for vision, dental, and hearing care, but typically require their members to stick to select networks of doctors, hospitals, and other providers. Last year, the federal government paid Advantage plans an estimated $494 billion to care for patients.
Traditional Medicare, by comparison, has no network and is accepted by nearly all doctors and hospitals in the nation.
Conflicts between Medicare Advantage plans and the doctors, hospitals, and other providers that serve their members are common. Just this year, at least 38 hospital systems serving all or parts of 23 states have cut ties with at least 11 Advantage plans after failing to agree on payment and other issues [!!]
[…] Over the past three years, separations between Advantage plans and health systems have increased 66%, said FTI Consulting, which tracks reports of the disputes.
After March, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are generally locked into their plans for the year until the annual open enrollment period happening now through Dec. 7, for coverage beginning Jan. 1. But hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and other health providers can leave plans anytime. [!]
[…] “Seniors deserve to know their Medicare plan isn’t going to pull the rug out from under them halfway through the year,” Wyden [Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden] told KFF Health News.
[…] The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a group created by Congress to monitor the program, said in a June 2024 report that “CMS has the authority to impose intermediate sanctions or civil monetary penalties for noncompliance with network adequacy standards, but it has never done so.” […]
“The state was to get $400 million for solar energy in disadvantaged communities. The Trump administration took it all back.”
[…] Solar energy has been on the rise in Texas for decades, but a dramatic shift in renewable federal policy and funding has left the industry unstable […] incentives that made solar energy installation and employment attractive, accessible and affordable have vaporized across the state — throwing a wrench in the growing market.
Before Donald Trump took office a second time, the Biden administration increased the renewable energy tax credit from 20% to 30%, and created Solar for All — a $7 billion federal fund designed to expand solar energy access to disadvantaged communities across the country through the administration’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. [!]
However, in an effort to halt the growth of renewable energy in favor of the oil and gas industry, the Trump administration is phasing out the tax credit by January 2026 and eliminating Solar for All [!] — stripping recipients of any initially awarded funds.{1} This includes nearly $250 million for California, $156 million for Pennsylvania and $400 million for Texas.
[…] In Texas, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee sued the Trump administration and Environmental Protection Agency in October, arguing that the administration’s decision to claw back the money is unlawful. In the meantime, the funding remains frozen. As for the loss of tax credits, solar companies are in a kind of purgatory, fighting to stay afloat for the foreseeable future.
[…] Texas has a large and growing renewable energy market.
The state is third in solar jobs behind California and Florida, and employment in the solar industry has increased by nearly 30% between 2018 and 2023, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. And, recent reporting by the United States Energy Information Administration found that in Texas, utility-scale solar — which is solar energy sold directly to the state electrical grid — generated 50% more energy within the first nine months of 2025 than in the same period in 2024, and nearly four times more than in the same period in 2021.
However, the state is not as far along when it comes to nonutility-scale residential installation and community solar programs […]
Solar for All was meant to help close that gap by expanding energy access to low-income and disadvantaged communities across Texas through various partnerships and programs. The eventual goal was to lower energy costs and create local job opportunities in the industry — meaning more affordable and accessible solar energy.
With the federal program in place, solar companies prepared for a huge influx of work by hiring more people to get ready for the expected increase in business. […] those are sunk costs since none of the companies will be receiving the grant money they were promised.
And it wasn’t just Solar for All. Other renewable energy funding eliminated or halted left numerous programs without funding.
[…] Before the Trump administration cut funds, Harris County — a leader in Solar for All in Texas — was planning for 4,300 projects across Texas that would aid 30,000 low-income households through the initiative, according to the Office of County Attorney Menefee. He sued the Trump administration and the EPA in October.
Initially, when the Big Beautiful Bill passed in early July, the administration repealed only the unobligated funds — the funds that had not yet been distributed. This came to only $19 million out of the total $7 billion allocation and wasn’t deemed a massive concern, said Menefee.
“But then in August this year, the EPA administrator announced that Solar for All, all $7 billion, would be eliminated,” Menefee said. “So that’s when we started getting ready to take action, which is what led to the lawsuit.”
In an August statement, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that the EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or to access the appropriated funds to “keep this boondoggle alive.” [In this case, “boondoggle” is used incorrectly. Solar for All was a good program. And, the Trump administration’s moves against solar and renewable energy are contrary to market demands.]
[…]The Constitution and the laws of this country don’t allow a president to unilaterally eliminate a program that was appropriated by Congress and for which the funds have been fully obligated, he said. And Texas isn’t the only state taking action: nearly two dozen other states have also sued the Trump administration over Solar for All. [!!]
[…] Energy prices across Texas are also increasing, widening the gap that already exists between those who can afford electricity and those who struggle to pay the bills. For years, renewable energy, like solar, has been a growing solution to this concern since solar has proven to be more cost effective than traditional energy in the long term — at least for those who can pay the upfront installation cost. […]
On May 25, 2024, my daughter was born […] A few hours later, my doctor noticed that my blood count looked strange. […] The diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia […] The [bone-marrow] transplant had put me in remission, but I had no immune system, and would have to get all my childhood vaccines again. I started a new round of chemotherapy to keep the cancer at bay. I relapsed. […] I joined a clinical trial of CAR-T-cell therapy […] I joined another clinical trial. [… ] I had graft-versus-host disease, in which new cells attack old ones, and then […] I was downed by a form of Epstein-Barr virus […] During the latest clinical trial, my doctor told me that he could keep me alive for a year, maybe.
[…]
Meanwhile, during the CAR-T treatment, […] my cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was in the process of being nominated and confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. […] My mother wrote a letter to the Senate, to try and stop his confirmation; my brother had been speaking out against his lies for months. I watched from my hospital bed as Bobby, in the face of logic and common sense, was confirmed for the position, despite never having worked in medicine, public health, or the government.
[…]
Columbia [where the hospital was] was one of the Trump Administration’s first targets in its crusade against alleged antisemitism on campuses; in May, the university laid off a hundred and eighty researchers after federal-funding cuts. […] As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers; slashed billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest sponsor of medical research; and threatened to oust the panel of medical experts charged with recommending preventive cancer screenings. […] I worried about the trials that were my only shot at remission. Early in my illness, when I had the postpartum hemorrhage, I was given a dose of misoprostol to help stop the bleeding. This drug is part of medication abortion, which, at Bobby’s urging, is currently “under review”
Additional comments regarding the Trump/Russia/Witkoff plan:
[…] This plan has already detonated like a Russian ammo dump meeting a HIMARS rocket. Typically when fuck ups as colossal as this one occur, heads roll.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff — a real estate mogul with no diplomatic background before his appointment — has emerged as one of the central architects of a new Washington peace proposal that Ukrainian officials say revives the Kremlin’s most sweeping demands.
[…] According to a source familiar with the power dynamics, Witkoff is running a broader operation with Dmitriev, trying to sideline the pro-Ukraine voices in the Trumpadministration.
One of the people responsible for communications for the White House is seen as “one of Witkoff’s people,” feeding media talking points favorable to Witkoff and his Russia-friendly approach, a source familiar with the matter said.
The White House right now is a mess of competing factions, each trying to present their version of events as the official administration line, the source told the Kyiv Independent.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Nov. 21 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff have been developing the peace plan together during the past month.
She said both have been “engaged with both sides” and that the president backs the effort. But a source familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent that Rubio — who once openly called Putin a “war criminal” — had no involvement in crafting the new plan.
According to a high-ranking U.S. official who spoke on conditions of anonymity, the current plan is supported by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, while other top U.S. officials were cut out of the negotiations process.
Ukrainian intel chief Kyrylo Budanov reveals that over 120 Russian troops are stationed in Venezuela, led by Col. Gen. Oleg Makarevich, who commanded Russia’s “Dnipro” group during the invasion of Ukraine and organized the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam
“The Israeli attack targeting Haytham Ali Tabatabai was the first strike on Beirut in more than five months and fueled fears that a wider war could be brewing.”
[…] The attack, which hit a residential building in the densely packed neighborhood of Haret Hreik in southern Beirut, targeted Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a Hezbollah veteran considered one of its highest remaining military officials. Israeli and Hezbollah officials confirmed Tabatabai’s death.
Coming without warning, the strike sent nearby civilians fleeing for fear of further attacks. Videos of the aftermath showed smoke pouring out of the fourth floor of one building and a huge plume rising above the apartment blocks. The Lebanese Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, said that five people were killed and 28 injured.
[…] The attack adds to a growing unease in Lebanon that Israel may renew a broader offensive against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon since a U.S.-brokered truce last November ended a two-month war, which devastated parts of the country and eviscerated much of Hezbollah’s military prowess.
But the strikes have intensified in recent weeks and their scope has expanded, with Israel increasingly accusing Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its strength and the Lebanese government of being too slow to disarm the group. […]
As journalists comb through the Epstein emails, surfacing the name of one fawning luminary after another, there is a collective whisper of “How could they?” How could such eminent people, belonging to such prestigious institutions, succumb to this?
A close read of the thousands of messages makes it less surprising. When Jeffrey Epstein, a financier turned convicted sex offender, needed friends to rehabilitate him, he knew where to turn: a power elite practiced at disregarding pain.
At the dark heart of this story is a sex criminal and his victims — and his enmeshment with President Trump. But it is also a tale about a powerful social network in which some […] were perhaps able to look away because they had learned to look away from so much other abuse and suffering: the financial meltdowns some in the network helped trigger, the misbegotten wars some in the network pushed, the overdose crisis some of them enabled, the monopolies they defended, the inequality they turbocharged, the housing crisis they milked, the technologies they failed to protect people against. […]
People are right to sense that, as the emails lay bare, there is a highly private aristocracy at the intersection of government and business, lobbying, philanthropy, start-ups, academia, science, high finance and media that all too often takes care of its own more than the common good. They are right to resent that there are infinite second chances for members of this group even as so many Americans are deprived of first chances. They are right that their pleas often go unheard, whether they are being evicted, gouged, foreclosed on, A.I.-obsolesced — or, yes, raped.
It is no accident that this was the social milieu that took Mr. Epstein in. His reinvention, after he pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges in Florida in 2008, would never have been possible without this often anti-democratic, self-congratulatory elite, which, even when it didn’t traffic people, took the world for a ride.
[…] The idea of an Epstein class is helpful because one can be misled by the range of people to whom Mr. Epstein ingratiated himself. Republicans. Democrats. Businesspeople. Diplomats. Philanthropists. Healers. Professors. Royals. Superlawyers. A person he emailed at one moment was often at war with the ideas of another correspondent — a Lawrence Summers to a Steve Bannon, a Deepak Chopra to a scientist skeptical of all spirituality, a Peter Thiel to a Noam Chomsky. This diversity masked a deeper solidarity.
What his correspondents tended to share was membership in a distinctly modern elite: a ruling class in which […] ancient caste boundaries have melted to allow rotation among, or simultaneous pursuit of, governing, profiting, thinking and giving back. Some members, like Mr. Summers, are embedded in all aspects of it; others, less so.
[…] t is not just a financial elite or an educated elite, a noblesse-oblige elite, a political elite or a narrative-making elite; it straddles all of these, lucratively and persuaded of its own good intentions.
[…] Many of the Epstein emails begin with a seemingly banal rite that, the more I read, took on greater meaning: [announcements about one’s current, prestigious or exclusive location; and inquires about meeting other elites in other prestigious locations] […] Gino Yu, a game developer, announced travel plans involving Tulum, Davos and the D.L.D. (Digital Life Design) conference — an Epstein-class hat trick.
[…] And the payoff can be real. Maintain, as Mr. Epstein did, a […] radar of what a thousand people are doing tomorrow and where, and you can introduce a correspondent needing a lending partner to someone you’re seeing today. Or let Ehud Barak know a Rothschild has the flu. Or offer someone else a jet ride back to New York and reward the journalist who tipped you off by setting him up to meet a Saudi royal.
[…] “Saw Matt C with DJT at golf tournament I know why he was there,” Nicholas Ribis, a former Trump Hotel executive, wrote to Mr. Epstein, making what couples therapists call a bid for attention. [I snipped more examples of swagger, thirst and desperate bids for attention or inclusion.]
[…] The smart need money; the rich want to seem smart; the staid seek adjacency to what Mr. Summers called “life among the lucrative and louche”; and Mr. Epstein needed to wash his name using blue-chip people who could be forgiving about infractions against the less powerful.
[…] In another email, Mr. Epstein offered typo-strewn and false musings on climate science to Mr. Krauss, including that Canada perhaps favored global warming, since it’s cold (it doesn’t), and that the South Pole is actually getting colder (it’s melting rapidly). Mr. Krauss let Mr. Epstein indulge in his rich-man theorizing while offering a tactful correction and a hint that more research funding would help. [Overly indulgent when misinformation or stupidity is offered by Epstein.]
Again and again, scholarly types lower themselves to offer previews of their research or inquiries into Mr. Epstein’s “ideas.” […] The earnest scientists and scholars type neatly. The wealthy and powerful reply tersely, with misspellings, erratic spacing, stray commas.
[…] the emails depict a group whose highest commitment is to their own permanence in the class that decides things. When principles conflict with staying in the network, the network wins. […] These are permanent survivors who will profit when things are going this way and then profit again when they turn.
[…] Now the people who capitalized on the revolt against an indifferent American elite are in power, and, shock of all shocks, they are even more indifferent than anyone who came before them. The clubby deal-making and moral racketeering of the Epstein class is now the United States’ governing philosophy.
In spite of that, the unfathomably brave survivors who have come forward to testify to their abuse have landed the first real punch against Mr. Trump. In their solidarity, their devotion to the truth and their insistence on a country that listens when people on the wrong end of power cry for help, they shame the great indifference from above. They point us to other ways of relating.
It’s hard for USGs to claim ‘mistake of law’ or ‘advice of counsel’—when they’re firing lawyers who wouldn’t sign off on the strikes.
WaPo’s new revelations on firings or removals:
1) CIA General Counsel
2) NSC Legal Adviser
3) CIA Mission Center’s lawyer
CIA Acting General Counsel, a career lawyer, “was among those who had raised questions about the legality of the agency’s use of lethal force.” What happened next? CIA Deputy Director Ellis stepped in to become acting General Counsel and still hold his policy position. He then approved the ops.
The National Security Counsel’s Legal Adviser Paul Ney (who earlier served loyally as Trump 1.0 Pentagon General Counsel) “had been among the lawyers who had raised concerns about the legality of lethal strikes.” He was cast out in May.
The CIA Americas and Counternarcotics Mission Center’s lawyer “who questioned the use of lethal force against drug traffickers has been reassigned and replaced.”
There’s even more. “Many of the lawyers and other career officials at the White House National Security Council, Pentagon and Justice Department who had … raised concerns about using lethal force against narcotraffickers had either left government or were reassigned or removed.”
A judge in [Rhode Island] issued a permanent injunction stopping the Administration from dismantling the Institute of Museum & Library Services and nullifying all actions taken to do so.
Judge McConnel, Jr.: “Defendants acted without constitutional or statutory authority”
birgerjohanssonsays
Laura Loomer (!) of all people has stated the Republicans have a nazi problem, after Tucker Carlson gave Nick Fuentes a platform.
the two are now completely estranged, and Fuentes wasted no words in a vulgar tirade against her […] It’s a massive turnabout from 2022, when Fuentes enthusiastically endorsed Loomer’s ultimately unsuccessful congressional campaign
[…]
Signs of the rift between the two far-right influencers, however, began showing as early as 2024. At the time, Loomer was working on a documentary called “The Great Replacement,” which promoted the conspiracy theory of the same name that America is being deliberately flooded with nonwhite immigrants to overthrow its political and demographic center of power. However, she came under heavy fire as a Jewish activist working alongside [Fuentes] a neo-Nazi, leading her to disavow his involvement and claim it was a “typo.”
She was integral to drumming up the hoax that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets […] she instigated a war on the right over high-skilled immigration […] Most workers on H-1B visas are from India, and Loomer posted that Indian immigrants are “third world invaders.” […] There is perhaps no one with direct access to the president who has been as outwardly and vociferously racist and bigoted.
In December 2017, anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer appeared on a podcast for the white supremacist website Amerika. […] called herself “pro-white nationalism” and said she was not opposed to an “ethnostate” for white people. […] months after the deadly white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA
[…] [“] I don’t see anything wrong with white nationalism. But you need effective leaders—people who aren’t Richard Spencer, people who aren’t James Allsup—to effectively convey that message.”
The Historian’s Craft:
“Elon Musk Doesn’t Understand Why The Roman Empire Fell”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wr7IeupZYII
(The final collapse of Western Rome may also have been caused by the loss of revenues from provinces outside Italy: the machinery of the state could not be financed.)
U.S. and Ukrainian officials are discussing the potential of bringing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the U.S. this week as part of President Trump’s push to get an agreement on Ukraine by Thanksgiving, according to multiple U.S. and Ukrainian officials familiar with the discussions.
There has been much retroactive policymaking and recasting of events as we’re seeing from the on camera remarks made by Rubio’s old colleagues who may recall he was a Russia hawk during his Senate days. Since his time in the Senate, Vance has been consistent in arguing that Ukraine should not be a top priority for the U.S. Meanwhile, Witkoff has been trying to get Mr. Trump the deal to end the war that he so desires.
Lots of things going on with a lack of clarity about why or who. I think the most interesting part of this is that Trump thinks bringing Zelensky to the US is important. He envisions all of this as important men getting together and deciding what will happen. That this deal involves a lot of states and states have multiple people with stakes doesn’t register with him.
The scary part is that Trump suddenly thinks this is an issue to push on. There have been years of negotiations that have gone nowhere and Trump thinks he can achieve peace in a few days. At best what Trump is going to do is a truce that will give Russia a chance to rebuild and prepare for the next invasion. Russia is in a bad way and may be willing to draw a borderline that gives them the territory they have invaded in exchange for a promise that Ukraine will not be allowed to prepare for the next invasion.
“The Department of Government Efficiency was hyped as a governmental game changer. Its doors are now closing as a pitiful failure.”
In September 2024, Donald Trump delivered a new campaign pledge: If elected to a second term, the Republican said, he’d appoint Elon Musk to lead some kind of government “efficiency” panel.
To hear the then-candidate tell it, the endeavor was going to work miracles: The Musk-led commission, Trump boasted, would save taxpayers “trillions of dollars” and implement “an action plan to totally eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months.”
For a variety of reasons, none of this made any sense, but in early 2025, the Republican White House followed through and launched the Department of Government Efficiency, which generated immediate hype.
The quasi-governmental DOGE operation, however, didn’t quite reach its first birthday. Reuters reported:
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate, ending an initiative launched with fanfare as a symbol of Trump’s pledge to slash the government’s size but which critics say delivered few measurable savings. ‘That doesn’t exist,’ Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOGE’s status.
According to the Reuters report […] Kupor went on to say that the department is no longer a “centralized entity.”
[…] As The New Republic summarized, “DOGE’s legacy is both very stupid and very sad: It decimated the federal workforce, including Social Security personnel at local offices, and made it easier for hackers to access your data. The agency tore apart USAID, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of lives lost globally.”
[…] the damage DOGE did made people’s lives worse — both in the United States and abroad.
[…] Amid all the hype and tumult, it’s easy to lose sight of DOGE’s original remit: Trump tasked Musk and his team with leading an effort to cut spending and make the federal government more efficient. As the department closes its doors, the facts show that government spending went up, not down, during Musk’s tenure, and the DOGE endeavor made the government less efficient, not more.
Even the “savings” the office touted proved illusory, misleading or both.
DOGE’s goals went unmet. Its promises went unfulfilled. It envisioned one set of results but delivered the opposite.
“On multiple fronts, Donald Trump and his team are failing for the most embarrassing of reasons: They don’t appear to have any idea what they’re doing.”
One of the keys to the Republican Party’s strategy to hold on to its congressional majority is a radical mid-decade redistricting gambit, intended to hand the GOP a series of victories long before voters cast any ballots. At the heart of this gerrymandering initiative was a Texas scheme that redrew the state’s district map to deliver five additional seats to the Republicans.
Last week, the Lone Star State’s new map, approved at the insistence of Donald Trump and his team, was rejected by a federal three-judge panel led by a Trump appointee. That ruling is currently on hold, but if the map is ultimately struck down, the GOP’s odds of holding on to its House majority will fall.
Republicans will have no one to blame but themselves. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explained:
As Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, explains in the court’s opinion, Texas lawmakers initially ‘didn’t have much appetite to redistrict on purely partisan grounds’ — even as Trump urged them to do so. But Texas Republicans appear to have changed their mind after the Justice Department sent a letter last July to Texas’s top officials, which demanded that the state redraw several districts to change their racial makeup. That letter … misread a federal appeals court opinion to mean that the state was required to remake its maps.
It led Millhiser to conclude that there is “a very real chance that Texas’s gerrymander will fall entirely because of inept lawyering by Trump’s Justice Department.”
Such a development would carry dramatic consequences, but just as notable is the familiarity of the circumstances.
The Justice Department’s case against former FBI Director James Comey also appears to be in serious jeopardy of collapsing, in large part because the prosecution was put in the hands of a rookie who’s made rookie mistakes.
This is just the start of a longer list. The White House has seen a variety of presidential nominees fail in recent weeks because of the officials’ incompetence. FBI Director Kash Patel has struggled through a series of embarrassing missteps resulting from his own incompetence. The White House’s trade tariffs have been executed in brazenly incompetent ways. The Kilmar Abrego Garica case has been hampered by prosecutorial incompetence. Elon Musk’s failed DOGE experiment was so incompetent that it repeatedly stepped on its own tail.
Over the course of 2025, Trump and his inner circle made a series of decisions to strip the administration of competent professionals and qualified experts. The results weren’t just predictable, they were also inevitable.
“The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda is riddled with a series of overlapping contradictions, which are becoming even more common.”
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on the campaign trail last year, the conspiracy theorist delivered a promise to voters: If he joined Donald Trump’s team, he’d “ban the worst agricultural chemicals.”
A year later, the Trump administration is advancing a plan to approve agricultural pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, despite concerns raised by some scientists and environmental activists. The Washington Post reported:
This month, the [Environmental Protection Agency] approved two new pesticides that meet the internationally recognized definition for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or fluorinated substances, and has announced plans for four additional approvals. The authorized pesticides, cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram, which was approved Thursday, will be used on vegetables such as romaine lettuce, broccoli and potatoes.
The Post’s report added that the Republican administration “also announced plans to relax a rule requiring companies to report all products containing PFAS and has proposed weakening drinking water standards for the chemicals.”
If the circumstances sound familiar, it’s not your imagination. In September, the health secretary who vowed to “ban the worst agricultural chemicals” unveiled a long-awaited “Make America Healthy Again” report that largely ignored pesticides.
[…] Kennedy’s MAHA agenda is rooted in part in the idea that Americans’ health would greatly improve through better nutrition and exposure to fewer environmental toxins.
Kennedy […] is nevertheless playing a leading role in an administration that’s “taking away nutritional assistance” and “expanding use of environmental toxins.”
[…] the Trump administration “fired everyone at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tasked with fighting lead poisoning. (It has since tried to rehire them.) Officials also attempted to purge toxicology researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency. (Litigation is ongoing.) And they paused a Biden-era rule that provided safeguards to prevent accidents at chemical plants and have proposed shuttering the agency tasked with investigating chemical accidents after the fact.” [!]
[…] Now Kennedy finds himself part of a Republican administration that’s actively opposed to efforts to reduce pollution — with nary a word from the nation’s health secretary.
A cynic might wonder if making Americans healthy again is the principal goal.
Indeed, if RFK Jr. and Team Trump wanted to admit that the MAHA agenda was largely focused on undermining vaccines, it would be impolitic, but far closer to the truth.
JMsays
@169 Lynna, OM: I’m pretty sure part of what DOGE did was intentional. It’s a well known corporate method for pushing unpopular decisions on a company. Hire outside consultants to make a decision about some issue and implement a solution. The decision and solution are already decided and told to the consulting firm, they are really there to do the unpopular part and then leave without as much stench being left on management. DOGE’s big cuts and entire department eliminations appear to be this sort of move.
@171 Lynna, OM:
The Kilmar Abrego Garica case has been hampered by prosecutorial incompetence.
This case is failing not so much because of incompetence but malice. They are so determined to deport him that they are ignoring basic procedure and blatantly evading court orders.
“The White House’s handling of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a mess for months. In recent days, it has gotten worse.”
As the weekend wrapped up, officials from the United States and Ukraine emerged from closed-door talks in Geneva sounding positive notes about diplomatic progress. Donald Trump wasn’t exactly playing a constructive role — the American president continued to whine online as the negotiations unfolded — but Secretary of State Marco Rubio boasted to reporters late Sunday, “This is the best meeting we’ve had so far” on ending Russia’s war.
But while those comments offered hints of hope, the days leading up to Sunday night’s comments were a shambolic mess, even by Trump administration standards.
Last week, details emerged about a 28-point “peace plan” that, according to multiple accounts, the White House had negotiated with Russia — without Ukrainian involvement. The blueprint was difficult to take seriously: It would not only require Ukraine to surrender a significant portion of its sovereign territory, it would also shrink the Ukrainian military and force the country to abandon weapons Russia doesn’t want it to have.
Despite the one-sided nature of the document, Donald Trump said Friday he wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept the pro-Russia deal by Thanksgiving.
And that’s when things started getting weird.
On Saturday morning, Trump undermined his own position by declaring publicly that the approach he supported wasn’t his “final offer,” even as he pressed Kyiv to accept it. Soon after, as the 28-point plan faced domestic and international pushback, Rubio briefed senators on the administration’s efforts and said that the blueprint wasn’t actually backed by the White House at all, but rather was simply a Russian wish list for peace negotiations.
By Saturday night, the secretary of state was contradicting members of his own party, declaring in a statement that that the U.S. had, in fact, “authored” the 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine that Democrats and Republicans both condemned. (Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it “would go down, frankly, as a historically bad deal, rivaling Neville Chamberlain giving in to Hitler before World War II.”)
The chaos did not go unnoticed. “Some people better get fired on Monday for the gross buffoonery we just witnessed over the last four days,” Republican Rep. Don Bacon wrote online. The Nebraska congressman, who’s retiring next year, added, “This hurt our country and undermined our alliances, and encouraged our adversaries.”
As this process advances (or at least tries to), there is another option on the table, which former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin summarized last week: “To end the conflict, Russia must leave Ukrainian territory.” [social media post, with video]
Though this often goes ignored, Russia’s Vladimir Putin could end the war he started at any time by simply withdrawing his forces from the neighboring country he invaded without cause.
If the White House doesn’t see this as a goal worth pursuing, perhaps it should explain why not.
Incisive new reporting from Charlie Savage on the sprawling investigate the investigators charade going on in South Florida puts U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon back in the thick of things.
What’s emerged in the last few weeks is that Miami U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones is overseeing a criminal investigation that stretches all the way back to the 2016 election. He has reportedly issued subpoenas to investigators of the 2016 Trump-Russia connection, including former CIA Director John Brennan and FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page. [head/desk]
What’s new from Savage:
– Reding Quiñones has empaneled an “extra” grand jury in Ft. Pierce, Florida, where only Judge Cannon of Mar-a-Lago case fame can oversee it. [!] “He has not said why he is putting an extra grand jury 130 miles away in Judge Cannon’s courthouse,” Savage reports.
– Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has been supervising Reding Quiñones’ investigation of the investigators through a low-level official in the DAG’s office named Christopher-James DeLorenz, who was a Cannon law clerk until August 2024, [!] according to Savage.
– Cannon’s oversight of the “extra” grand jury means she is “in charge of disputes like requests by recipients of subpoenas to quash them, on grounds ranging from an expired statute of limitations to claims of privilege, or requests by prosecutors to compel such witnesses to testify under threat of being jailed for contempt of court,” Savage reports.
If Mike Davis — the shit-stirring conservative legal activist — is to be believed, the Ft. Pierce grand jury is being used to advance a grand theory that the Deep State conspired to deprive Donald Trump of his civil rights. Davis was more coy with the NYT. Cannon, of course, interfered with the criminal investigation of Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case before he was indicted, then was randomly assigned his case and dismissed the indictment entirely, after slow-rolling the case for months. [And now she is back! And she has all manner of Trump lackeys supporting her.]
The chance to use a grand jury under Cannon’s auspices to run an open-ended investigation pegged to the Mar-a-Lago search that sweeps up Trump grievances, paybacks, and scores to settle dating all he way back to the 2016 election has the potential to be the most dangerous and damaging of Trump’s many investigate the investigator retributions.
A federal judge dismissed the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday.
The judge found that the appointment of interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Alexandria, Virginia, was invalid.
Sure to be appealed of course. The dismissal is without prejudice, meaning the government could file a new case for the same issue. That would be impossible against Comey due to the statue of limitations. Both of the cases face multiple grounds for dismissal and a reasonable government would let both drop but with the Trump administration who knows.
This case is failing not so much because of incompetence but malice. They are so determined to deport him that they are ignoring basic procedure and blatantly evading court orders.
I agree. Good point.
Here is an update:
Big Revelation in Abrego Garcia Case
In a statement to the WaPo on Friday, Costa Rica Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero blew up the Trump administration’s deeply misleading representations to the judge in one of the Abrego Garcia cases.
Zamora Cordero said Costa Rica’s offer from August to accept Abrego Garcia and give him legal status still stands — which flies in the face of claims by the Trump administration that Costa Rica will no longer accept him. The Trump administration is insisting on deporting him to one of several African countries, most recently Liberia, to which he has no previous ties. As I wrote at length last week, the Trump administration has repeatedly defied court orders to provide a fact witness who can attest in court to its representations about Costa Rica.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers immediately notified the judge in his civil case of the new reporting from the WaPo, and his lawyers in his criminal case cited the report as additional evidence that his prosecution is vindictive, punishment for having exercised his legal rights to challenge his wrongful removal from the United States to El Salvador earlier this year.
Same link as in comment 175.
Transparency is being forced on the Trump administration. They do not look good in this light.
Arizona Fake Electors Case Not Completely Dead Yet
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that she will ask the state’s Supreme Court to revive the Trump 2020 fake electors case that was tossed out by the trial judge.
The Trump administration is poised to affix the label “foreign terrorist organization” on Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, which experts says is neither a cartel, nor a group, nor even a hierarchy.
Please note: While this is a very good article, you should be aware of two problems. bill gates has ruined the farming communities in small countries by using tens of millions of dollars to push huge american agri-corporations and toxic chemicals on them. And, amazon wastes thousands of miles every day with their trucks wandering from house to house mostly dropping off one package to each of them. Only some of their trucks are electric. And, even those must charge up each night, almost all using electricity generated from fossil fuels. amazon being ‘climate friendly’ sounds like a bad joke.
JMsays
@174 Lynna, OM:
Though this often goes ignored, Russia’s Vladimir Putin could end the war he started at any time by simply withdrawing his forces from the neighboring country he invaded without cause.
If the White House doesn’t see this as a goal worth pursuing, perhaps it should explain why not.
Trump has explained this. He doesn’t care about right and wrong or what will work in the long term. He wants to end the war now because it looks better for him. Russia is powerful, Ukraine is not, thus Ukraine must concede on whatever point Russia wants them to. The reality on the ground doesn’t matter, Trump thinks Russia is much more powerful. The plan should preferably have some way for Trump to get paid also.
I wonder if Trump is still coherent enough to realize that stretching the negotiations out is even better for him. As long as the negotiations are ongoing it’s one of the few things that pulls attention away from Epstein but that ends as soon as negotiations do.
We all realize that as the magat admin plays deceitful, stalling games, putin is laughing and, at the same time, bombing the crap out of ukraine, killing more people.
I despise and condemn the plutocrats running this decaying world.
“More Americans are getting their power shut off, as unpaid bills pile up”
“Average electricity costs have risen 11 percent since January, more than three times the rate of inflation. ‘For the first time, we’re behind on all of our utilities,’ one Ohioan said.”
Misty Pellew’s family lived in the dark for several days this month.
Pellew’s power was shut off Nov. 13 because of $602 in unpaid bills, the latest in a string of financial humiliations that began six months ago after her husband lost his $20-an-hour excavation job in northeastern Pennsylvania. The recent government shutdown dealt another blow, delaying federal funding for programs that helped the family pay for food and utilities.
Although Pellew’s lights were temporarily turned back on last week, they were set to be disconnected again if she didn’t pay another $102. With an overdrawn bank account, she was bracing to be without power again. Last time, her family ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner and slept in hoodies and gloves to keep warm. [That wouldn’t be enough to keep warm where I live.]
Soaring electricity prices are triggering a wave of power shutoffs nationwide, leaving more Americans in the dark as unpaid bills pile up. Although there is no national count of electricity shutoffs, data from select utilities in 11 states show that disconnections have risen in at least eight of them since last year, according to figures compiled by The Washington Post and the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA). In some areas, such as New York City, the surge has been dramatic — with residential shutoffs in August up fivefold from a year ago, utility filings show.
In Pennsylvania, where Pellew lives, power shutoffs have risen 21 percent this year [embedded links to sources are available at the main link], with more than 270,000 households losing electricity, according to state data through October. The average electricity bill in the state, meanwhile, has risen 13 percent from a year ago, as utilities upgrade electric grids to accommodate a burst of new data centers […]
Overall, Americans are paying 11 percent more for electricity than they were in January, though that number varies widely: Costs have risen 37 percent in Missouri but have fallen in three states by as much as 13 percent, NEADA found.
[…] “And it isn’t just lower-income households anymore; it’s spilling into the middle class.” [Map showing rising costs]
Utility prices have risen roughly three times faster than overall inflation this year [!], at a precarious time for the economy. Businesses are announcing mass layoffs, and it’s taking unemployed Americans much longer to find new work. There are also signs that lower- and middle-class families are pulling back on spending.
[…] Nearly 1 in 20 households, or about 14 million Americans, were so behind on utility debt that it was reported to collections agencies or in arrears as of June, according to an analysis by the Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers, a nonprofit that advocates for consumers. Meanwhile, the average overdue balance of $789 has risen 32 percent since 2022 [!]. [graph]
Anthony Ponce, who lives in Pasadena, California, had his electricity disconnected in early October after falling months behind on his bill. Ponce makes $26 an hour working at Trader Joe’s but says almost all of that goes toward his $1,900 rent for the one-bedroom apartment he shares with his two children.
“I feel like every time I start to get on track with one thing, something else comes up to bite me,” Ponce, 46, said. “Every little thing you can think of — utilities, my car — is becoming delinquent or past due. I’m barely surviving.”
[…] government-shutdown-related lapse in SNAP benefits only added to his troubles. By the time his power got shut off, Ponce was eating just a hot dog a day to save money. He was able to get his electricity restored two days later, after raising $825 on GoFundMe. But even that was only enough to pay half his bill, so he’s still behind.
“I don’t know when I’ll have the extra money to put towards that because I just had to pay for my car’s registration and new battery,” he said. “It’s a constant question of: What’s most important at this point to focus my money on? Everything else has to wait.” [That’s the kind of reality for which Trump and his lackeys seem to have no empathy.]
[…] Bankruptcy filings are beginning to inch up, too, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
At Citizens Utility Board, an advocacy group for consumers in Chicago, the number of people calling with disconnection notices has risen 70 percent since last year, spokesman Jim Chilsen said, noting “intense consumer pain over power bills.”
[…] In New York City Con Edison spokesman Jamie McShane said the company is making “every effort” to offer payment plans and extensions before shutting off power. “Service termination remains a last resort,” he said.
Still, the utility has reported 111,000 residential power shutoffs so far this year, up from 30,000 in all of 2024 [!]
Utility costs have become a political flash point in recent elections across the country, emerging as a key issue in gubernatorial races in New Jersey (where the average bill has risen 24 percent since last year) and Georgia (up 10 percent). In Virginia, which has the highest concentration of data centers in the world, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger made energy affordability one of the cornerstones of her campaign.
A majority of Americans — 6 in 10 — say they are spending more on utilities than they were a year ago, and they blame President Donald Trump for the rising prices, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in late October.
The Trump administration says it is doubling down on coal, natural gas and nuclear power to keep up with rising demand and to help lower prices. It is also scrapping wind and solar investments, which the White House says are “unaffordable and unreliable” and have led to higher energy prices in “Democrat-led” states. [bullshit]
The incompetent Trump lackeys will of course appeal the decision, but it draws out the scrutiny of obviously political cases at a time the president is already losing his appearence of invilnerability.
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented. […] Elon is a white supremacist mass murderer and DOGE was not a failure. It functioned as designed. I wish people would cover this accurately.
JM @173:
a well known corporate method […] already decided and told to the consulting firm […] to do the unpopular part and then leave
Yep.
Militant Agnosticsays
Lynna @183
Pellew’s power was shut off Nov. 13
In Alberta (Canada’s most right wing province although Saskatchewan is a close contender), Electricity can not be cut off for non payment between October 15 and April 15
Gas can be not cut off between November 1 and April 14
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Breaking with a longstanding Thanksgiving tradition, on Monday Donald J. Trump refused to pardon the White House turkey after it failed to offer him an appropriate bribe.
“That turkey could have invested in Eric and Don Jr.’s crypto scams or given me a gold-plated 747, but it chose not to,” he said. “That turkey is a terrible person.”
Trump emphasized “the many great things I have done for turkeys,” including “making the price of them go up forty percent.”
It was nearly a week ago when six Democratic members of Congress, each of whom served in the military, the intelligence community or both, appeared in a video to remind current service members that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders. Donald Trump and his team were a little slow to respond, but once they caught up, their fury was unsubtle.
On Thursday morning, Trump published a variety of hysterical online missives, including one in which he said the Democratic veterans had engaged in “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He kept the offensive going on Friday, ahead of the weekend, when he published a series of bizarre items to his social media platform.
The Democratic veterans touched a nerve about Trump issuing illegal orders to servicemembers, which coincided with reporting suggesting that the Trump has already issued orders that were, at a minimum, legally dubious and rejected by top officials. [embedded links to sources are available at the main link]
But this is no longer just a story about the White House lashing out with over-the-top rhetoric at members of Congress, sparking threats of violence against the president’s detractors. The Pentagon issued a statement Monday afternoon that read in part:
The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added some related thoughts of his own via social media. “The video made by the ‘Seditious Six’ was despicable, reckless, and false,” the beleaguered Pentagon chief wrote. “Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline.’”
Specifically targeting Kelly, the secretary added that the Arizona senator’s conduct “will be addressed appropriately.”
To the extent that reality matters in the public debate over the issue, there are a few relevant details to keep in mind. The first is the Democratic veterans’ video wasn’t “false” at all. It told servicemembers that they shouldn’t follow illegal orders, which is precisely what the Uniform Code of Military Justice requires.
In fact, in an amusing twist, Trump personally published an item to his social media platform on Sunday that echoed the very point that he and his team have been so eager to condemn. [social media post, with photo]
Second, with the Jan. 6 attack still lingering in the minds of many, the president and members of his White House Cabinet should probably be a little less inclined to throw around words such as “sedition.”
But even if we put all of that aside, there’s a larger context that’s worth keeping mind in the near future: By targeting Kelly, the Trump administration isn’t just investigating yet another White House foe — it’s simultaneously sending a message to active-duty troops about the kind of reactions they should expect if they have legal concerns about the president’s orders.
The Pentagon announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona after he and several other Democratic lawmakers said that military troops should not obey “illegal orders.”
In a statement on X, the so-called Department of War said that Kelly may be recalled “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures” for his comments.
“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly wrote in response to the threat. “I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”
Kelly served as a captain in the Navy and flew 39 combat missions in the first Iraq War. He then went on to a distinguished career as a NASA astronaut and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame before successfully running for Senate.
[…] The Pentagon’s threat echoes President Donald Trump’s call for the execution of the lawmakers in the video.
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump falsely claimed in a Truth Social post.
In an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Kelly responded to Trump’s threat.
“He declared that loyalty to the Constitution is now punishable by death. Those are serious words coming from the president of the United States,” Kelly said. “He’s trying to intimidate us. But … I’m not going to be intimidated.” [video]
Military members take the oath of enlistment, in which they vow to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and to obey orders “according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
[…] Kelly not only gives factually correct advice in the video, but he is also protected from frivolous prosecution as a senator.
In addition to the action against Kelly, the Pentagon has reportedly been pressuring the House to launch an inquiry into Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman of Virginia, a retired Army officer. During Trump’s first impeachment trial, Vindman testified against the president’s attempts to pressure the Ukrainian government.
Both of these actions show that the administration is attempting to use the power of the government against military veterans who dare to speak out against Trump’s abuses. […]
Posted by readers of the article:
Just another Trump stunt that will fold like a house of cards once it’s faced with genuine resistance. Thankfully, Kelly has already set the tone for that in his immediate response.
———————–
This will not end well for the Cosplaying idiot in charge of the Department of Defense [Hegseth]. (I refuse to call it the “department of war”). Going after a war veteran and astronaut for being insufficiently loyal to a Russian asset [Trump and possibly some of Trump’s lackeys] is not the winning play here.
—————–
it is one thing to go after nameless, faceless people in the military that he doesn’t think should be there. It is another to go after someone like Kelly
———————–
President Bonespurs is going after a legitimate American Hero
During his Navy career, Kelly received two Defense Superior Service Medals; one Legion of Merit; two Distinguished Flying Crosses; four Air Medals (two individual/two strike flight) with Combat “V”; two Navy Commendation Medals, (one with combat “V”); one Navy Achievement Medal; two Southwest Asia Service Medals; one Navy Expeditionary Medal; two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons; a NASA Distinguished Service Medal; and an Overseas Service Ribbon.
All Trump received was a Dr’s Pass
He is one of my Senators and I am proud of him for his stance urging the Military to only follow legal orders
New York Times:
Mr. Kelly, unlike the other lawmakers in the video, is a retired naval officer and under the Uniform Code of Military Justice could be recalled to active duty and disciplined. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is a former C.I.A. analyst. The other four lawmakers are former military officers, but not retired and no longer subject to the court-martial proceedings.
“Zut Alors! Are The French Going To Assassinate Candace Owens […]”
“Obviously not, but it does seem like she might be having a full-on nervous breakdown.”
One thing you will notice about a lot of right-wing griftosphere personalities is that they are highly motivated by criticism and social rejection. We’ve seen it a bajillion times over by now — the guy who gets in trouble for sexual harassment or assault, disappears for a while and comes back sounding like Rush Limbaugh; the person who got criticized for saying something shitty and then turns their whole personal brand into “person who says shitty things and stands by them,” and so on.
But one of the most legendary tales in this genre is the Ballad of Candace Owens.
Owens, you see, originally attempted to be a left-wing influencer. […] as recently as 2016, Owens hoped to be the greatest social justice warrior of all. She attempted to launch a website called “Social Autopsy,” which was meant to be a database of the “digital footprint of individuals and companies,” for the purpose of doxing internet trolls. […] pretty much everyone on the left found the entire concept wholly disturbing and an invasion of privacy with the potential to cause serious harm.
Owens ended up getting doxed herself and — despite the fact that there had been criticism of her idea from all sides — decided it was “the left” what done it. She immediately lost her mind and transformed into the far-right grifter we all know […]
“I became a conservative overnight,” Owens later said. “I realized that liberals were actually the racists. Liberals were actually the trolls … Social Autopsy is why I’m a conservative.”
[…] So why am I telling you this story? Well, Owens has once again experienced some rejection and this time, it may have pushed her off the edge completely.
As you have probably blocked out, Owens has been spending a large part of her time these days transvestigating Brigitte Macron, wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, who she believes deep in her heart was assigned male at birth. She wasn’t, Macron is a cis woman, but even if she weren’t, who the hell cares?
Well, Candace Owens cares, and she’s been very frustrated lately that she cannot get many people to care along with her, not even her favorite president, Donald J. Trump, who told her to drop it earlier this year […] the Macrons filed a lawsuit against her. Perhaps that rejection is what has caused her to go fully off the deep end and announce that she has it on special authority that the Macrons hired a team of assassins to kill her … just like they killed Charlie Kirk.
On Sunday, she wrote:
URGENT
Two days ago I was contacted by a high-ranking employee of the French Government. After determining this person’s position and proximity to the French couple, I have deemed the information they gave me to be credible enough to share publicly in the event that something happens.
In short, this person claims that the Macrons have executed upon and paid for my assassination. Yes, you read that correctly. More specifically, that the green light was given to a small team in National Gendamarie Intervention Group. [sic] I am told there is one Israeli that is on this assasination [sic] squad and the plans were formalized.
Again, this person provided concrete proof that they are well placed within the French government apparatus.
Yes. The Macrons paid a group of GIGN agents — who are traditionally involved with counterterrorism, hostage negotiation and providing protection for government officials — to assassinate Candace Owens. The Israelis are in on it as well, which is pretty strange, given that France and Israel have not been on the best of terms ever since Macron recognized the Palestinian state earlier this year. […]
this person claims that Charlie Kirk’s assassin trained with the French legion 13th brigade with multi-state involvement.
[…] Journalist Xavier Poussard’s life is also at risk. This is deadly serious. The head of state of France apparently wants us both dead and has authorized professional units to carry this out.
I ask that every person RETWEET and share this.
I do not know who in the American government can be trusted, since this source claims our leaders are aware. But I have more specific information which is definitively verifiable, should they care to reach out to me.
To the brave official in France who did this because they were so moved by the evil of Charlie’s public execution to risk their own life— May God bless you. Truly.
Let all be revealed.
I am not entirely clear on why France would have devoted so many resources to training a random kid from Utah to kill Charlie Kirk, but clearly this is very reliable information. [satire]
To be clear, this was not just a one-off. She continued on this trip throughout the weekend and this morning.
On Saturday, she wrote:
I am told that payments for assassinations are running through the Club des Cent in France.
This means there is a paper trail and I encourage the patriots of France to do what you can to uncover it.
I would again like to stress that there was a French female assassin but also a male, Israeli assassin that were selected to kill me.
These are joint state operations.
It is not clear whether the Club des Cent she is referring to is the gastronomic club for fancy French men or the cycling club for bikers who have completed 100 mountain passes, but either would be hilarious. I’m also not clear why, if this is a government operation by a government entity, why additional payment would need to be involved. I mean, are they freelancing? How does this work, precisely?
On Monday morning, she posted the following missive twice.
When everything is said and done, and the public learns that Macron allegedly moved 1.5 million dollars for my assassination, how will the world respond?
Surely we will all cry out into the night “Sacre bleu! Je suis un ananas! Où est la bibliotheque? La vie en rose!” and every other phrase we remember how to say in French, while shaking our fists to the sky and mourning the loss of one of America’s premier hatemongering lunatics.
Owens has amassed some amount of support from a few of her fellow grifters, most notably Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested and indicted in France last year on charges related to the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and fraud that has occurred on his app. Durov finds Owens’s claims “entirely plausible” […] She’s also secured support from the equally relevant “ex-gay” Milo Yiannopoulos and Rogan O’Handley, better known as the right-wing Twitter personality DC Draino and, well, that seems to be it for now.
However, most of those responding to these posts, even those who share her politics, appear to be concerned for her mental welfare and the fact that she appears to be suffering from paranoid delusions or a psychotic break. […]
Either that or she just wants people to send her money for “protection” and is entirely aware that there are no French/Israeli special forces getting ready to kill her in exchange for $1.5 million provided by the president of France, his wife, and their friends in the club for fancy food snobs. […]
In other news, as reported by The Washington Post:
A staggering water shortage this year is throwing Iran’s future livability into question, with dozens of dams close to empty, residents of Tehran facing the possibility of running out of water within weeks and the president even floating the idea of evacuating the capital, though it is unclear where those millions of people would go.
Almost 200 countries gathered in Brazil acknowledged Saturday that their efforts to stop calamitous global warming were off pace — but geopolitical headwinds and fossil-fuel-producing countries snuffed out hopes of a meaningful commitment to move faster.
President Donald Trump’s pledge to terminate temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota is triggering fear in the state’s deeply-rooted immigrant community, along with doubts about whether the White House has the legal authority to enact the directive as described.
Trump is attacking Temporary Protected Status shields.
An alleged effort to promote ‘transparency’ on Elon Musk’s social media platform X recently exposed one of the worst-kept secrets of the MAGA movement: the raft of pro-Trump accounts apparently controlled by foreigners.
NBC News reported on the platform’s new “location transparency” feature, which in short order appears to have exposed some prominent MAGA-branded accounts as being based overseas.
Per the report:
As soon as it appeared live for users, X was flooded with viral posts showing that numerous high-engagement, MAGA-branded accounts that present themselves as those of patriotic Americans appear to instead be based overseas, including in Eastern Europe, Thailand, Nigeria and Bangladesh.
For example:
An account that calls itself ‘ULTRAMAGA 🇺🇸 TRUMP🇺🇸2028,’ claiming to be based in Washington, D.C., is listed as being based in Africa. Another now-deleted account with a President Donald Trump-inspired username — ‘Trump Is My President’ — was listed as being based in Macedonia. And an account with the username @American, complete with a profile picture featuring a bald eagle over an American flag, is apparently based in South Asia.
The disclosures themselves may be deserving of a degree of skepticism. X posted a disclaimer saying that “The country or region that an account is based can be impacted by recent travel or temporary relocation. This data may not be accurate and can change periodically.”
A Rolling Stone report from early October highlighted two popular, pro-MAGA accounts on X – one known as “Defiant Ls” and another known as “Resist the Mainstream” – that have been promoted by Republican lawmakers but are run by a man, Rumen Naumovski, who admitted he’s never stepped foot in the U.S. He even made an illegal campaign donation to a far-right political candidate in Arizona that Rolling Stone reports has since been returned.
Far-right, Malaysia-based influencer Ian Miles Cheong, a well-known MAGA influencer, is also a prominent example of a MAGA megaphone based abroad.
But foreign-operated, Trump-aligned social media accounts have been a growing concern since Trump’s first presidential campaign, when Russian-operated accounts boosted his campaign messaging and promoted pro-Trump misinformation. Trump’s more recent presidential campaign also benefited from Russian-based social media accounts, according to a CNN report last year. [!]
These facts provide helpful context for conservatives’ yearslong attempts to discredit disinformation experts and undercut efforts to stop foreign entities from using social media to influence U.S. politics. And they show why Americans would do well to question any suggestion that the president’s support on social media is an accurate measure of his support among the American public.
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
[…]
[In this example screenshot from someone in Africa,] 13k comments on one tweet is a massive payout. All of the tweets follow a certain formula, so the content is likely automated using AI […] Basically running it as a money printing machine. But for those in the US, it translates to low simmering rage.
Hard for me to say how this is different from Fox News’s entire business model, except that it’s less sophisticated. This is transparently and obviously bad
I had a popular account with a valuable audience and my Twitter payout was $80 a month-ish, to the point where I disabled monetization instead of uploading my ID. Payouts are only material if you live in a developing country, so “guy in Nigeria posting right-wing Amerislop” has taken over the site.
Combined with the algorithmic changes it’s a chicken and egg problem, the guy in Pakistan […] knows that Elon will boost his account and he’ll go viral if he complains about grooming gangs in England, so that’s the content that gets pumped out.
Literally the reason Twitter sucks now is all these foreigners logged on willing to do racism for pennies on the dollar and undercut our home-grown American racists. We need to erect serious trade barriers to protect the integrity of our domestic racism industry and preserve racist jobs.
StevoRsays
For at least the sixth time in as many weeks, parts of south-east Queensland have been lashed by hailstones causing widespread destruction to property and vehicles. On Monday, giant 14-centimetre hailstones were recorded in Chandler, in Brisbane’s south-east, while 11-centimetre stones fell on the city’s bayside. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) classifies giant hail as stones with a diameter larger than 5 centimetres. And while residents of the country’s most natural disaster-prone state are no strangers to wild weather, the spate of hailstorms has many questioning if it’s going to become a more regular occurrence.
The BOM’s Shane Kennedy said giant hail had appeared on its severe thunderstorm warnings 10 times since July, which was “unusually active”. He said about four giant hail warnings would be standard, and this time last year the BOM had issued seven for the region. But climate scientist Tim Raupach says it’s really just too early to make a call on whether there’s been more hail than “usual”.
Could satellite-beaming planes and airships make SpaceX’s Starlink obsolete?
News
By Tereza Pultarova published 16 hours ago.
“When the Stratomast is flying, all these old satellites are going to be in museums.”
A new generation of stratospheric balloons and high-altitude uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) could soon connect the world’s unconnected with high-speed internet at a fraction of the prices commanded by operators of satellite megaconstellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink. High-altitude platform stations, or HAPS, have been around for a while, but the technology hasn’t fully taken off yet.
Which ireckon is an under-rated serious threat more pppl need to appreciate.
birgerjohanssonsays
The Rachel Maddow Show
Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro was arrested after attempting to escape.
Trump confirmed he was involved by blurting out “I spoke to [Bolsonaro] last night, and we are going to be meeting, I believe, in the very near future ..”
Using NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, astronomers have obtained their first view of the inner region around a dead white dwarf star that is vampirically feeding on a stellar companion.
The team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was able to perform a detailed study of the previously inaccessible highly energetic region immediately surrounding a white dwarf in the system EX Hydrae, located around 200 light-years from Earth.
The system is part of a class called an “intermediate polar,” known for emitting a complex pattern of radiation, including X-rays. EX Hydrae comprises a white dwarf, the end stage of life for stars of similar masses to the sun, and its victim star, which completes an orbit of the dead star every 98 minutes. That makes EX Hydrae one of the closest intermediate polar binaries ever discovered.
Rachel Maddow shares reporting on bizarre behavior by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who tampered with his ankle monitor while on house arrest and was sent to jail. Donald Trump subsequently boasted of speaking with Bolsonaro and expecting to see him soon, apparently unaware of Bolsonaro’s incarceration. Did Trump accidentally reveal too much about why Bolsonaro was tampering with his ankle monitor?
“As Team Trump hits the brakes on a proposal to address premium spikes, the near future for consumers looks grim.”
A variety of factors led to the recent government shutdown, but at the heart of the matter was health care costs — or, more specifically, Democratic efforts to save tens of millions of American consumers from vastly more expensive premiums under the Affordable Care Act.
The good news is, the shutdown is over. The bad news is, the underlying issue on coverage costs remains entirely unresolved, and millions of families will soon have to choose between paying far more or going without.
Though there is no official Republican position on a possible solution, many GOP officials agree that doing nothing isn’t a tenable approach.
It therefore falls on the Trump White House to do something it doesn’t wan to do: take the lead on health care policy.
At a public event last week, JD Vance offered a curious boast on the issue. “I think that we have a great health care plan coming together,” the vice president said while failing to elaborate or offer any details. [Same as it ever was, more bullshit and gaslighting the public from the Trump administration.]
Three days later, MS NOW reported that Donald Trump was poised to announce “a general framework to address health care costs,” which would include calling on Congress to send a bill to his desk that would halt ACA premium spikes. [!] The rollout, described as imminent, would include a White House event featuring public remarks from the president and Mehmet Oz, who currently leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
But as Monday progressed, the plans were suddenly scrapped, […] the White House agreed to “delay” a planned announcement on a proposal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies “after congressional Republicans pushed back against the president’s sudden embrace of the expiring subsidies.” The report quoted one unnamed GOP lawmaker:
‘I wasn’t expecting the proposal to be Obamacare-lite,’ a conservative House Republican, who requested anonymity to discuss the yet-to-be-released plan. ‘Absolutely not supportive of extending ACA subsidies.’ … ‘I’ve talked to enough [Republicans] to know that people weren’t expecting this and aren’t happy about it,’ this lawmaker added. ‘I don’t see how a proposal like this has any chance of getting majority Republican support. We need to be focused on health care, but extending Obamacare isn’t even serious.’
[…] There’s been ample chatter in recent weeks about the White House unveiling a health care “plan,” but there’s nothing to suggest that Trump and his team were crafting a comprehensive proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act. That kind of sweeping blueprint, which the president has been promising — and failing — to deliver for many years, will almost certainly never materialize.
Rather, in this instance, we’re talking about a far narrower and more focused “plan” only to address dramatic price hikes that American consumers are poised to face in the coming weeks.
Trump […] doesn’t want to be on the hook for this affordability disaster, so he was prepared to pitch extending existing ACA subsidies — right up until his congressional allies […] told him they’re unwilling to take such a step.
[Republican] divisions and lack of direction are poised to lead to real adverse consequences for millions of families across the country.
When Donald Trump’s Justice Department filed dubious criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, they were widely recognized as some of the most obvious examples in American history of politically motivated prosecutions. The question, however, was whether the cases might succeed anyway.
On Monday, that question was answered in an emphatic way. My MS NOW colleague Jordan Rubin explained:
A federal judge has ruled that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, leading the judge to dismiss the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The indictments are dismissed ‘without prejudice,’ meaning they could theoretically be brought again by a lawful prosecutor.
[…] shortly after the cases were discarded, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt turned her attention to the one person she characterized as the real problem in the case: [social media post and video]
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, the president’s chief spokesperson told reporters [Karoline Leavitt], deserved to be dismissed as a “partisan judge” who’d taken “unprecedented steps to try to intervene in accountability.”
[…] the suggestion that Currie bears responsibility for this fiasco is foolish.
[…] The cases began with a flailing president, desperate to retaliate against his perceived enemies. It led to a pointless investigation, a baseless prosecutorial ouster, the installation of an unqualified White House aide in a key U.S. attorney’s office [Halligan], and a legal process that a Trump-appointed prosecutor bungled in every possible way.
A handful of figures deserve the blame. The judge isn’t one of them.
These cases were brazenly and transparently corrupt, for the sake of brazen and transparent corruption. Their dismissal wasn’t just an example of justice being served, it was also a timely reminder of a larger dynamic. After the Comey indictment, Alan Rozenshtein, a former department official who now teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School, told The New York Times, “What we are seeing is the almost wholesale collapse of the Justice Department as an organization based on the rule of law.” [!!]
[…] we can take some solace in knowing the condemnation doesn’t yet apply to the entirety of the federal judiciary.
Mike Huckabee remains a paid pitchman for the Florida-based American Behavioral Research Institute — makers of the Relaxium dietary supplement pill — even as he simultaneously serves as President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to Israel, one of the world’s highest-profile diplomatic posts.
Huckabee’s unusual arrangement that allows him to profit from hawking the sleep pills coincides with recent government scrutiny of Relaxium’s manufacturer, which describes the product as containing a “carefully formulated blend of drug-free ingredients known for their sleep-inducing and calming properties.”
In the bleary-eyed hours of several Washington nights, Huckabee’s face flickered across local television screens during commercial breaks for “Highlander,” “Renegade” and “Star Trek: Enterprise.”
“I trust Relaxium Sleep, and so should you,” he told Heroes & Icons network viewers earlier this month as an American flag flapped in the background. “Get the best night of sleep, guaranteed. Don’t wait another minute. Call now.”
Huckabee’s ties to Relaxium don’t end with television commercials.
Up until this weekend, Huckabee’s voice was on the other end of the phone, guiding callers through prompts for purchasing Relaxium.
“Press ‘1’ to place an order and trust your night to Relaxium Sleep like I’ve been doing for more than three years now,” Huckabee says.
The sleep supplement’s website homepage also featured a video of Huckabee — next to a similar video from conservative media personality Bill O’Reilly — praising Relaxium as something that’s “changed my life.”
[…] In the year prior to his nomination in February as ambassador to Israel, the makers of Relaxium paid Huckabee $414,683 for “spokesman endorsement fees,” according to a personal financial disclosure statement Huckabee filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
Huckabee separately disclosed that he “anticipated” he’d receive “residual payments for advertising” from Relaxium’s makers. The value of these anticipated payments is “not readily ascertainable,” Huckabee told the Office of Government Ethics upon his nomination to serve as ambassador to Israel, a post to which the U.S. Senate confirmed him in April in a 53-46 vote.
[…] Huckabee affirmed in a seven-page ethics agreement filed in March with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics: “I have licensed my name, image, and likeness. I will not enter any new licenses during my appointment to the position of ambassador. However, I will continue to get paid for previous licenses.”
While Huckabee this year agreed to certain financial limitations and divested of some personal assets to avoid conflicts of interest, including stock in Amazon, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, Warner Brothers Discovery and Wells Fargo, he has continued to financially profit from other private ventures, including the Huckabee Post, a pro-Trump news site on Substack that his adult son now operates, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.
[…] In April, the Food and Drug Administration under Trump formally warned the American Behavioral Research Institute of “objectionable conditions” observed during a Relaxium-related inspection. The FDA […] accused the company in April of failing to “adhere to the applicable statutory requirements” governing “clinical investigations and the protection of human subjects.”
In 2023, the American Behavioral Research Institute also paid a $925,000 court-ordered judgment stemming from a complaint by several California district attorney offices that accused the company of failing to properly notify Relaxium customers that their trial subscriptions would automatically renew. [Scam alert]
[…] The Code of Federal Regulations states, generally, that a federal employee “may not use their public office for their own private gain” or “for the endorsement of any product, service, or enterprise.”
But the code is largely silent on a specific scenario akin to that of Huckabee and Relaxium, where Huckabee is not identified in promotions by his current title — he’s introduced instead as a “2016 presidential candidate” — and there’s no overt mention of his current governmental service. [Still looks shady as hell to me.]
[…] But told of Huckabee’s continued association with Relaxium, former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, who served in that role during President Barack Obama’s second term and Trump’s first term, offered a brief response.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Shaub said. “These people.”
Peter Loge, director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at The George Washington University, took a similarly dim view of Huckabee peddling Relaxium while serving his country.
“Government officials should not, and should not appear to be, endorsing a commercial product. Full stop,” Loge said. “This could easily lead one to believe that Ambassador Huckabee is in public service for private gain.” […]
The U.S. military’s partnership with Scouting may be ending after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a draft memo to Congress criticized the group for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The memo, first reported by NPR, accuses the organization Scouting America — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — of attacking boy-friendly spaces and for being “genderless.” The memo has yet to be sent to Congress.
“The organization once endorsed by President Theodore Roosevelt no longer supports the future of American boys,” Hegseth writes.
The proposal calls for the Pentagon to pull medical and logistical aid to the National Jamboree, an event where up to 20,000 scouts gather at a remote site in West Virginia about every four years. It also looks to prohibit Scout troops from meeting at military installations in the U.S. and abroad.
Scouting America said in a statement that it was “surprised and disappointed” by the potential policy change, as the military has given its support to the Scouts since 1937. […]
A man charged with voting twice in the 2020 election has adopted a novel legal argument: that he’s covered by the pardon that President Donald Trump granted to allies who attempted to reverse his 2020 election loss.
Federal prosecutors charged Matthew Laiss in September with double voting in the November 2020 election. The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleged that Laiss moved from Pennsylvania to Florida in August of that year and voted both in person in Florida and via mail ballot in Bucks County. Both votes were allegedly for Trump.
Early this month, Trump issued a pardon to 77 people, including members of his legal team and the so-called fake electors, for their conduct in connection with the 2020 election. However, the pardon proclamation was written broadly, saying in part that Trump was granting “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all United States citizens” for conduct related to the 2020 election.
As far as I know this is a novel way of screwing up as president. The pardon he granted to people in connection to the 2020 election is badly enough worded it may cover additional people that Trump never meant to cover. It’s so broadly worded that if this argument makes it through it would also apply to people who did illegally vote for Biden.
Akira MacKenziesays
@ 213
What does one expect? He’s a minister, a professional and constitutionally-protected con artist. Grifter’s gotta grift, be it snake oil drugs or magical cosmic beings.
The finance minister from Yakutia said that troops from the republic in Russia’s far-eastern republic could not receive bonuses and one-time payments due to the shortfall.
The republic’s finance minister, Ivan Alekseev, announced the pause in payments during a local television broadcast in which he explained how it was impossible to calculate in advance how many people would need payments.
He did not specify what kind of payments had been suspended, but did say that the problems would be fixed and that the amounts would be made soon.
Since the beginning of October, four federal subjects—Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Mari El, and Samara—cut bonuses to recruits from more than two million rubles ($20,000) to 400,000 rubles ($4,000) with similar cuts in Belgorod oblast and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, according to Russian media sources cited by the Jamestown Foundation.
Russia depends on these bonus payments to recruit people. Even before the cuts they had trouble meeting quota, with cuts they will not be able to do so.
Putin has already planned for this, having changed the law to allow for broader drafts and make drafts easier for the government. It’s still a last resort move that will be terribly unpopular.
“When FEMA and Illinois officials learned immigration agents were working nearby, they stopped dozens of personnel from surveying storm-damaged homes in Chicago, messages show.”
In early November, Illinois and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials pulled dozens of personnel back from surveying flood-damaged neighborhoods in Chicago because immigration agents were conducting patrols nearby, according to messages reviewed by The Post and four people with knowledge of the situation.
The four individuals, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
The decision to halt the disaster assessment teams’ work on Nov. 6 came amid an ongoing immigration crackdown in the city, leaving the coordinating state and agency officials worried that FEMA’s efforts could put residents as well as the surveyors at risk. The shift meant about 10 groups of federal, state, county and local workers had to stop work surveying hundreds of homes that sustained heavy water damage in parts of the city hit hard by recent storms — assessments that help the federal agency document disaster impacts, and can help make a case for why an area may need help paying for recovery.
Last month, the Trump administration denied the state’s initial request for a disaster declaration meant to help its communities rebound from back-to-back punishing summer storms, concluding there was “insufficient severity,” according to a letter obtained by The Post. Illinois then asked FEMA to conduct additional damage analysis to further document the scores of homes still recovering, many with mold and other issues, in hopes the president would reconsider. Parts of Illinois, including Cook County’s Chicago, experienced severe flooding in July and again in August.
In meetings at the end of October, FEMA’s regional administrator notified Homeland Security officials overseeing the Chicago immigration operation about upcoming surveys in the area, according to a person with knowledge of the meetings.
It is unclear why immigration agents then ended up in the same place as emergency personnel. Multiple FEMA employees said there were discussions meant to prevent that from happening.
There was a decision to “keep our operations separate,” the person with knowledge of the October meetings said. It is possible that decision “was either ignored or didn’t make its way down the command structure.”
[…] Another FEMA worker who was out in Chicago said that at the beginning of the mission to conduct disaster assessments, the agency told the teams it had coordinated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement so there would be no overlap.
But while going house-to-house in some battered neighborhoods with many lower-income, Latino residents on Nov. 6, the emergency management groups spotted ICE vehicles or heard community members blowing whistles and honking their horns, signals meant to warn that immigration agents are nearby.
One FEMA team member who saw an ICE vehicle drive by that day said there were fears that members of the community might confuse them for the agents, potentially sparking chaos or conflict.
[…] Concerned, Illinois officials scrambled to prepare new work assignments to prevent “unnecessary risks,” the messages show. Ultimately, “out of an abundance of caution,” the coordinating federal and state agencies pulled about 50 people from the field for the rest of that day.
Near Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, a very “hard hit area,” nearly everyone who lived on one street “had sewer back up in basements, people were struggling with mold in their homes,” one FEMA staffer who was knocking on doors recalled. The teams were not able to return and survey those households in the following days.
[…] Jillian C. Kaehler, a spokeswoman for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), said in a statement that the summer storms’ impact “exceeded local and state capacities and underscore the ongoing need for additional federal support to bridge critical resource gaps.”
[…] Around lunchtime on Nov. 6, team members began flagging what they suspected to be ICE activity. One member messaged that “ICE just passed us again.” State and federal emergency management officials told the teams to stop what they were doing, and then directed them to stand down for the day.
The incident in Chicago is the latest example of how the Department of Homeland Security’s ramped up mission to detain and deport undocumented people has hampered FEMA’s work. The administration has reassigned hundreds of FEMA staff to ICE to assist on mass deportations, attempted to stop states and nonprofits from assisting migrants who have suffered in a disaster, and detained contracted firefighters in the middle of an active blaze.
[…] A federal judge condemned the federal immigration agencies’ use of force, saying it “shocks the conscience.” […]
This is also not the first time emergency responders have had to stop work over security concerns.
Following Hurricane Helene last year, FEMA and other agencies who were in western North Carolina grounded their teams in response to reports — which largely turned to be false — of armed militia hunting FEMA workers. In other instances, FEMA workers in disaster-stricken communities reported residents pulling guns on them and making racist comments, according to a former senior official involved in response operations.
When responding to disasters and assisting people who have sustained damage to their homes or lost everything, FEMA does not ask for or collect information about a person’s immigration status, multiple agency officials said. The agency’s priority, according to a senior employee in the region, is “assessing damages and unmet needs to ensure human beings can get what they need.” When FEMA goes to storm- or flood-battered neighborhoods where more undocumented people live, the residents are already nervous and hesitant to talk to the federal emergency responders, a FEMA official in the region said.
[…] The morning after the nixed operation, the groups gathered for a briefing. Teams learned that ICE was not supposed to be in those neighborhoods, and that their presence was “unplanned,” one staffer said. Another FEMA official in the region confirmed that the federal immigration agency was supposed to have steered clear of that area.
[…] “I have left an area before; my team we identified a slight concern and we left,” one FEMA employee in the region said. “But I have never seen every team called back.”
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump turned the traditional pre-Thanksgiving turkey pardon at the White House into a platform to rant about murder and to air his grievances about Democrats.
Historically the pardon has been a lighthearted affair launching the holiday season. But Trump chose a different path. [video]
As he stood with live turkeys nearby, Trump argued that his decision to send federal troops into Washington had a dramatic effect on crime—particularly homicide.
“We haven’t had a murder in six months,” Trump said. This is a lie.
On Friday, D.C. Metropolitan Police announced a shooting death in the Southeast region of the city. The department also announced on that day that an arrest had been made in a fatal stabbing.
Overall, homicides are down in Washington from a year ago—undermining the justifications Trump has made for invading the capital. In fact, there are over 70 fewer homicides for the year so far compared to 2020, the last year of Trump’s first term. But over the last six months there have been at least 70 homicides, much more than Trump’s statement. [video]
Trump also used the pardon to take a partisan shot, injecting party politics into what has usually been a nonpartisan event. Trump said when he first saw the pictures of the turkeys he was “first going to call them Chuck [Schumer] and Nancy [Pelosi], but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them,” adding, “I would never pardon those two people.”
His predecessors didn’t use the Thanksgiving pardon as a grievance platform or for the promotion of conspiratorial falsehoods.
In his final turkey pardon in 2024, former President Joe Biden urged the country to “never give up” and to “keep the faith.” Former President Barack Obama became known over his two terms in office for using the turkey pardon to read off a litany of dad jokes and puns that made his daughters, Malia and Sasha, cringe.
Obama joked about turkeys who “didn’t get to ride the gravy train to freedom.” Trump rants about murder and his political enemies. Happy holiday?
Back in June, the grifty Trump family launched its Trump-branded cell service and super-luxe Trump T1 smartphone with maximum hype and minimal details. Now, five months later, neither is anywhere to be found.
We were told that the phone would be sleek, gold, made in the United States, and somehow only $499. And you could use your Trump phone on the Trump Mobile service for a mere monthly fee of $47—yes, you know why it’s that number. All you had to do to secure one was put down a $100 deposit—because who wouldn’t want to do that?
NBC News actually tried to buy the phone, dutifully paying the $100 down payment back in August. Since then, the network has waited. And waited. And waited.
According to NBC, it received “no proactive updates” since placing the order. That seems to be just a fancy way to say that the company went radio silent after shaking down the rubes. NBC called the support line five times between September and November, only to get the runaround about the phone’s release.
In October, the support line said that the phone would ship on Nov. 13—which has come and gone with no Trump phone of any kind, much less a sleek, gold, American-made bargain.
After NBC followed up again, a customer service representative said that the delivery would be at the “beginning of December.”
Why the delay? Well, the government shutdown, according to the customer service representative.
[…] If it’s just a private project of President Donald Trump’s sons, then why would it be affected by the government shutdown?
The details of this excellent—yet somehow nonexistent—phone keep changing. References to the phone being made in the United States are no longer anywhere to be found on the Trump Mobile website. Now, it’s going to be “brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device” and with an “American-proud design.”
The phone itself is also in a state of flux. The original offering looked like a gold-plated iPhone, but when Trump Mobile started taking preorders in August, it changed to looked like a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, photoshopped with the T1 logo and an American flag. The phone also now appears to be in a Spigen case—because they literally forgot to remove the Spigen logo.
The dimensions of the phone also seem to have changed between June and August. In June, the phone had a 6.78-inch screen. But by August, it changed to a 6.25-inch screen. [Screenshot of phone]
But surely Trump Mobile is going gangbusters, right? Even if you can’t show your patriotism with an ugly Trump-branded phone, you can at least prove you’re a real American by using Trump Mobile cell service, right?
Wrong.
First of all, it’s not actually Trump Mobile’s network. It’s just a licensing deal, with the Trump family slapping its name on Liberty Mobile Wireless, which operates a mobile virtual network operator on the T-Mobile network. An MVNO is a carrier that buys bandwidth on large networks like Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T. So if you’re using Trump Mobile, you’re actually just using Liberty Mobile, which is actually just operating on T-Mobile.
And good luck finding out if Trump Mobile actually exists. News reports touting its existence are all from June, when the Trump sons first made their launch. Since then, the only development seems to have been the company deleting its coverage map because it failed to label the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of America.” […]
The Trump phone will join Trump University and the Trump video phone as a way to steal from MAGA’s most loyal suckers. It was bad enough when Trump did this as a private citizen—but it’s extremely gross watching him get away with it as president.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham promoted discredited treatments like ivermectin and, as Louisiana’s surgeon general, halted the state’s mass vaccination campaign.”
Dr. Ralph Abraham, who as Louisiana’s surgeon general ordered the state health department to stop promoting vaccinations and who has called Covid vaccines “dangerous,” has been named the second in command at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not announce the appointment, and many C.D.C. employees seemed unaware of it. But the C.D.C.’s internal database lists Dr. Abraham as the agency’s principal deputy director, with a start date of Nov. 23. The appointment was first reported by the Substack column Inside Medicine. […]
[…] During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Abraham backed the drug hydroxychloroquine, a medication normally used to treat or prevent malaria, and supported making ivermectin, a drug for parasitic infections in animals and humans, available over the counter. Both drugs have been shown to be ineffective against Covid.
Dr. Abraham was appointed as Louisiana’s surgeon general in 2024.
At the C.D.C., Dr. Abraham will be the highest ranked official with a medical degree. The agency does not have a permanent director and the acting director, Jim O’Neill, is a former biotechnology executive. [!]
As a top health official, Dr. Abraham halted the state health department’s mass vaccination campaigns. […]
Under his leadership, Louisiana’s health department waited two months to alert residents about a whooping cough, or pertussis, outbreak in the state that had caused two deaths. Health departments typically quickly alert the public about outbreaks and set up mass vaccination campaigns.
Dr. Nirav Shah, who served as the C.D.C.’s principal deputy director for two years before resigning this year, called Dr. Abraham “unqualified” for the post and said when he learned that he had been appointed, “My jaw hit the ground.”
“A large part of the principal deputy’s portfolio is emergency response,” Dr. Shah said. “Delayed notifying of the public of at least two pertussis deaths is not just unacceptable, it’s shameful,” he added.
Dr. Abraham has […] repeated misinformation about the Covid shots, including that they contain DNA contaminants and increase the risk of infection. And he has said that he sees people injured by the vaccine “every day” in his clinic.
“Within months of their approval, Covid vaccines were shown to have no third-party benefit in terms of reduced transmission, yet they were still mandated — through both policy and social pressure,” Dr. Abraham said in a statement in February. “That was an offense against personal autonomy that will take years to overcome.”
Hundreds of studies have shown that the Covid vaccines decrease the risk of hospitalization and death. The vaccines also prevented transmission of the virus before the virus began mutating significantly.
In January, he urged Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana and chair of the Senate health committee, to confirm Mr. Kennedy to lead the health department.
Although Dr. Abraham called Senator Cassidy his “friend” at the time, the two have since tussled publicly over vaccinations. Senator Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, is a staunch advocate for vaccines and has expressed deep misgivings about Mr. Kennedy’s stance on them. In February, he criticized Dr. Abraham’s decision to stop holding mass vaccination campaigns.
On Tuesday, Senator Cassidy said in a statement that he looked forward to having a productive relationship with Dr. Abraham in his new role.
“I am hopeful that the two of us as doctors can continue to engage in science-based conversations to protect children, including vaccinating children to prevent measles, whooping cough, and hepatitis,” Senator Cassidy said.
“A month after the president announced tariffs on our neighbors to the north, the White House has failed to follow through.”
In late October, months of trade talks between the United States and Canada came to an abrupt halt for the dumbest of reasons: Officials in a Canadian province aired a television ad that hurt Donald Trump’s feelings.
The commercial wasn’t especially provocative — it noted Ronald Reagan’s concerns about trade tariffs — but it apparently triggered the incumbent American president, who falsely accused our neighbors to the north of launching a “fraudulent” and “illegal” scheme to sway Supreme Court justices.
None of this made any sense at all, but in the days that followed, Trump kept the offensive going. “They cheated on a commercial,” he said, referring to the Canadians, adding, “I guess it was AI or something. They cheated badly. Canada got caught cheating on a commercial, can you believe it?” (Canada had not cheated, and the ad did not rely on AI.) [!]
On Saturday, Oct. 24, Trump took his whining to a new level, announcing that he would punish Canada with an additional 10% tariff on its goods as punishment for airing the ad he didn’t like.
But in the weeks that followed, a funny thing happened. Politico reported:
Trump’s announcement had Canadian exporters preparing for a worst-case scenario: a sweeping levy layered on top of existing double-digit duties, which would have been particularly painful for industries like autos, where components cross the border multiple times before reaching their final form. But to date, the Trump administration hasn’t sent any official documentation ordering U.S. Customs and Border Protection to enforce the new, higher duty, and U.S. importers have not received any new regulatory guidance.
Flavio Volpe, the president of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, told Politico, “We monitor the federal registry and follow executive order activity on a regular basis and haven’t seen any changes.”
The same report added, “The White House did not say whether it still plans to impose the tariff when asked for comment.”
In case this isn’t obvious, when the president first made his announcement, he declared via his social media platform, “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It wasn’t presented as a threat or a mere possibility. Trump, manufacturing an offense for reasons unknown, told the world in writing that he was imposing this economic penalty.
And then he didn’t. We were, after all, paying attention in this matter.
Let this be a reminder to all of us (including me, who foolishly assumed that the presidential announcement was legitimate): Watch what Trump does, not what he says.
“Almost a year into the president’s second term, he appears to be crossing a new Rubicon when it comes to the courts.”
Do you remember Kilmar Abrego Garcia? The man whom the Trump administration was forced to return to the United States after it admitted that it had wrongfully, illegally — and according to the federal government, accidentally — sent him to a weird black-hole terrorism prison in El Salvador.
It’s now been a little over five months since the administration had to bring Abrego back from that prison, and ever since, the government has been fighting in court to deport him again.
First, the government proposed Uganda, for some reason. Then Eswatini, which is almost 2,000 miles south of Uganda. Then it proposed Ghana, 5,000 miles north. Now the administration’s latest gambit is Liberia, 600 miles to the west.
Why do they want to send him to those places? Who knows. But lawyers for Abrego have said he would accept deportation if the Trump administration would send him to Costa Rica. However, the administration rejected that idea and told the court that it wouldn’t be possible because Costa Rica would not accept him.
Justice Department lawyers wrote to the judge, “It is now the assessment of the Department of State that the Government of Costa Rica would not accept Petitioner at this time without further negotiations and, likely, additional commitments from the United States.”
But that doesn’t appear to be true. [!] On Friday, Costa Rica’s minister of security, Mario Zamora Cordero, told The Washington Post his country would accept Abrego. “That position that we have expressed in the past remains valid and unchanged to this day,” he said. “Costa Rica’s offer to receive Mr. Abrego Garcia for humanitarian reasons stands.”
This kind of thing has become a pattern for the Trump administration in court. Take the federal government’s attack on Chicago. During a recent appearance in court, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official overseeing the administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in the city, said he had thrown tear gas into a crowd because protesters had become violent and he had been hit in the head with a rock.
However, he was unable to stand by his own story in court. In an order released last week, the judge in the case wrote that Bovino had “admitted he lied multiple times about the events … that prompted him to throw tear gas at protesters.”
On Monday, the Justice Department’s cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James fell apart. In the case against Comey, Trump’s handpicked prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, committed embarrassing error after embarrassing error during the grand jury process.
The Justice Department told the court not to worry, that Attorney General Pam Bondi had reviewed the grand jury material and signed off on it. But now, the judge in the case has effectively accused Bondi of lying [!] and said it was “obvious” that “the attorney general could not review the grand jury testimony.”
At the beginning of this administration, we were all watching to see if Donald Trump would defy court orders. While we have seen the administration do just that, almost a year in, the federal government also appears to be crossing a different Rubicon: blatantly and repeatedly lying to judges about what it is doing and how it’s doing it.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting what was effectively a coup after his reelection defeat a few years ago. Conditions for the authoritarian leader known as the “Trump of the Tropics” went from bad to worse over the weekend, when Bolsonaro was arrested again, this time accused of plotting to escape from house arrest days before his 27-year prison sentence was scheduled to begin.
[…] according to his own defenders, this guy took a soldering iron to his ankle monitor because some drugs left him confused.
And it was around this time that the story got even weirder.
[…] “I spoke last night to the gentleman you just referred to, and we’re going to be meeting, I believe, in the very near future,” Trump said.
When the same reporter told the American president that Bolsonaro had just been arrested again, Trump seemed taken aback. “What?” he replied. Told again about the overnight developments, Trump said he hadn’t heard about it, adding, “That’s too bad.”
But it wasTrump’s initial response that stood out. Trump himself claimed to have spoken to Bolsonaro on Friday night — the same evening the former Brazilian president took a soldering iron to his ankle monitor — and made plans to meet Bolsonaro “in the very near future.”
[…] it would suggest that Trump either was going to make a previously unannounced trip to Brazil, or the American president expected Bolsonaro to make his way to the U.S.
[…] On Monday afternoon, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt whether Trump did, in fact, speak with Bolsonaro on Friday night. “Not to my knowledge,” she replied. “I don’t know if that call took place or not.” […]
• Progress is being made on a draft proposal to end the war, but at least three crucial sticking points remain, according to a Ukrainian source
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated earlier that Moscow could reject an amended US peace plan if its terms are “fundamentally different” to the understanding reached during the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska a few months ago.
Hard to tell from the outside what is going on but this looks like Ukraine playing Trump. They are negotiating Trump into a position they know Russia won’t accept while still leaving themselves an out to refuse. This way it will look like Putin refusing peace instead of Ukraine.
Trump thinks he can split the difference because he has no positions or beliefs he wouldn’t sell out for cash. Both Ukraine and Russia still think they can win. Putin likely thinks he has to win to hold on to his position and doesn’t understand how bad the Russian army and economy are doing because people are feeding him bogus information. For their part Ukraine knows they are slowly giving ground but they know Russia is having trouble keeping up the war and would rather go down fighting anyways.
Akira MacKenziesays
@222
My only question is how much TrumpCoin the turkeys had to buy to get their pardon?
Followup to JM @228, as reported by The New York Times:
Russia launched a deadly barrage of missiles and drones on the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday, as Kremlin officials signaled they would resist changes negotiated by Ukraine to President Trump’s peace plan. The attack on Kyiv, the capital, killed at least seven people and injured 20 others, according to the city’s mayor.
The Trump administration plans a review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press, in the latest blow against a program that has for decades welcomed people fleeing war and persecution into the country.
Weak buyer demand, weakening home prices and overall uncertainty in the economy are combining to make home sellers change their minds and step out of the market. … Sellers are delisting because so many listings are going stale, sitting on the market longer and longer.
Viola Fletcher, who as a child in 1921 saw her affluent Black neighborhood torched by white citizens in what became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre — one of the most violent acts of racial violence in American history — and who, a century later, testified in Congress to the terror she witnessed in the hope of winning reparations, has died. She was 111 and the oldest survivor of the attack.
TPM Reader EB emailed today to tell me something that hadn’t come across my radar: the cost of computer memory is going absolutely through the roof. Just do a Google search for something like rising cost of computer memory and you’ll see a ton of articles.
To give you a sense of scale the cost increases are approaching 200% year over year and as much as 30% for certain kinds of gaming RAM recently in one week. The cause is what you’d expect: the insatiable demand for memory created by the AI server farm buildout. I buy computer memory too but I don’t think I’ve tried to buy recently enough to be aware of the surge.
I told EB that I continue to find all of this surreal.
Re: Lynna, OM @ #234…
The Register (https://www.theregister.com/) has been covering this issue for some time now. I guess Mr. Marshall doesn’t read tech news sites.
The following is a transcript of an Oct. 14 phone call lasting just over 5 minutes between Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s most senior foreign-policy adviser.
The transcript was prepared after Bloomberg reviewed a recording of the call.
Interesting. Witkoff’s conversation with the Russians has been leaked. Leak by the US is unlikely but there are people who would be happy to kill the deal. Leaks by the Russians is even less likely but it’s possible they wanted to embarrass the Americans and kill this deal. Most likely is somebody in Europe leaked the call to kill the deal.
The conversation itself is terrible as the most important part is Witkoff telling the Russians how to sell the deal to Trump.
birgerjohanssonsays
Gross. At the 11-minute mark Jimmy Kimmel reads the ‘erotic poetry’ by RFK Jr. the Health Secretary.
“Bible Belt Megachurches Are Imploding — The Collapse No Pastor Saw Coming”
Donate, donate, donate. God wants me to have $$$.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LtdI8nx8vB8
birgerjohanssonsays
Meidas Touch
“Trump gets shocking news in Florida as Voters TURN AGAINST HIM”
Scientists may have “seen” dark matter for the first time, thanks to NASA’s Fermi gamma-ray space telescope. If so, this would mark the first direct detection of the universe’s most mysterious substance.
… (Snip)…
There is one possibility that would result in dark matter producing light. If dark matter particles “annihilate” when they meet each other and interact, much as matter and its counterpart antimatter do, then it should produce a shower of particles, including photons of gamma-rays that, while invisible to our eyes, could be “seen” by sensitive gamma-ray space telescopes. One of the suggested “self-annihilating” particles theorized to comprise dark matter are so-called “Weakly Interacting Massive Particles” or “WIMPS.”
A team of researchers, led by Tomonori Totani from the Department of Astronomy at the University of Tokyo, trained the Fermi spacecraft on the regions of the Milky Way where dark matter should congregate, namely at the center of our galaxy, and hunted for this telltale gamma-ray signature.
Well, Totani thinks we finally found that signature.
For ten of the USoA states apparentlyand updated just an hour ago.
StevoRsays
Small icy moons in the outer reaches of our solar system may hide boiling oceans underneath their surfaces, a new study finds.
…(snip)..
To shed light on the buried oceans within these icy moons, geophysicist Maxwell Rudolph at the University of California, Davis, previously examined the forces that might result from changes in the thickness of the icy shells of these moons over the course of hundreds of millions of years.
… (snip)…
The scientists discovered that if these icy shells thin, the pressure they place on the oceans drops. On the smallest icy moons, such as Mimas and Enceladus or Uranus’s Miranda, the pressure could lower enough to reach a so-called “triple point” — a specific combination of temperature and pressure in which ice, liquid water and water vapor can all co-exist. This can lead the layers of the oceans closest to their icy shells to boil after the icy shells thin by about three to nine miles (five to 15 kilometers).
“This is the kind of boiling that happens at low temperatures, not the kind of boiling that occurs in kitchens when you heat water up to past 100 degrees C [212 degrees F],” Rudolph said. “It’s instead boiling very close to zero degrees C [32 degrees F]. So for any potential life forms below that boiling area, life could go on as usual.”
In contrast, on larger ice moons more than 370 miles (600 km) wide, such as Uranus’s Titania, the drop in pressure from melting ice would instead cause the ice shell to crack before the triple point for water is reached, the team calculated. The researchers suggest that features of Titania’s geology, such as wrinkle ridges, might have resulted from a period of ice shell thinning followed by re-thickening.
The gases from boiling might have a number of effects, such as the formation of clathrates…
In recent years, far-right extremist and hate movements motivated by white supremacy, xenophobia, anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs, antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, religious discrimination, anti-woman activity, and gender bias have been growing across the globe.
These movements share underlying discriminatory ideologies, and too often have been exported from the U.S. The consequence of the growth in these movements is violence and the dangerous integration of bigoted and racist ideas into societal discourse, government policies, and political platforms. Increasingly, as far-right extremist movements have gained in strength, established taboos around far-right extremism have collapsed as mainstream political parties cooperate with extremists once considered out of bounds.
Today’s growing far right—from white supremacists to far-right populist movements—poses an existential challenge to a more just and fair world. They are a root cause for why we cannot move forward on so many global challenges from racial and social justice to critical issues such as the climate crisis. This rise of white supremacy, transnational hate and far-right extremism is perhaps the greatest threat to inclusive societies and democracies worldwide. It cannot be allowed to grow unchecked.
I reckon. They’ve just added Pauline Hanson’s One Neuron party to their list for Oz FWIW apparently.
President Donald Trump is now personally helping revive his beloved Rush Hour franchise, according to new reporting. Michelle Goldberg and Alex Wagner join Chris Hayes to discuss.
“It’s clear that Trump’s special envoy “fully favors the Russians,” one GOP lawmaker said. ‘He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations.’ ”
When it came time for Donald Trump to choose a special envoy to work on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, the president had a small army of experienced, knowledgeable and qualified diplomats to choose from. He tapped Steve Witkoff for the job instead.
As The New York Times reported soon after, the choice “prompted head-scratching in diplomatic circles.” The report added, “Many foreign officials had never heard of Mr. Witkoff, a billionaire New York real estate developer who has known Mr. Trump since the mid-1980s. The president’s new envoy not only lacked expertise in the region apart from some business dealings, he had no diplomatic experience.”
It seemed pretty obvious that Witkoff was in over his head, and he effectively admitted as much to Tucker Carlson during an interview in March. “I underestimated the complications in the job, that’s for sure,” he said. “I think I was a little bit quixotic in the way that I thought about it. Like, I’m going to roll in there on a white horse. And no, it was anything but that, you know.”
Eight months later, with conditions in Ukraine arguably worse than when he started, Witkoff is still demonstrating that he is the wrong man for the job. NBC News reported:
Witkoff advised [Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide] on how to best appeal to Trump about a peace plan and suggested setting up a call with Putin prior to a White House visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a transcript of the Oct. 14 call published by Bloomberg News. Bloomberg said it had reviewed a recording of the call but did not say how it obtained access to it.
The White House made no effort to deny the accuracy or authenticity of the transcript. On the contrary, when a reporter asked Donald Trump about the revelations, the president characterized his envoy’s advice as “a standard thing.”
Fortunately, even some congressional Republicans knew better. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, for example, wrote online that Witkoff offering the Kremlin advice on advancing a one-sided agreement represents “a major problem.” The Republican added that the news was “one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop.”
Around the same time, Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who’s retiring next year, went even further.
“For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign [and] democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” the Nebraskan wrote via social media. “He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations.”
Bacon concluded, “Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”
There’s no reason to believe the unqualified special envoy will be fired, but the pushback offers a timely reminder that it’s not only Democrats who have a problem with the White House’s efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine on Russia’s terms.
birgerjohanssonsays
The transphobes and social media
(Check the long comment by Gisel Soto. Lots of good biology information)
The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.
Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.
After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.
It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, applauded the case’s dismissal: “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”
After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allow the case to be dismissed right away.
He said Willis’ office had only recently delivered the case file — 101 boxes and an eight-terabyte hard drive — and he hadn’t had a chance to review everything yet. Citing the public’s “legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he said he wanted to assess the evidence and decide on the appropriate next steps.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said in a court filing last month that he will get no extra pay for the case but that Fulton County will reimburse expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.
Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after one revealed in January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys alleged a conflict of interest and said Willis profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
During an extraordinary hearing the following month, Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship. They said the romance didn’t begin until after Wade was hired and that they split the costs for vacations and other outings.
The judge rebuked Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but found no disqualifying conflict of interest, ruling she could stay on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December 2024, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The state Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal.
Trump is reportedly obsessing over making his planned White House ballroom far larger than the project’s architect recommends [FFS], even as Americans struggle to afford food and electricity as the economy slows.
According to The Washington Post, Trump has been clashing behind the scenes with architect James McCrery about the size of the ballroom, with Trump pushing for the addition to be 90,000 square feet—nearly double the 55,000-square-foot White House.
Multiple administration officials have privately admitted that Trump is micromanaging the project, to the extent that a model of the ballroom is now prominently featured in the Oval Office, the Post reports.
Trump has circumvented the traditional approval process for a major construction project of this nature, which has involved the destruction of one of America’s most iconic structures. He failed to submit construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is tasked by Congress with oversight of federal projects.
Despite his disregard for this requirement, it’s important to remember that Trump does not own the White House; the American people do.
Trump previously discussed his desire for the ballroom to resemble his tacky, gold-covered Mar-a-Lago property—similar to his treatment of the rest of the White House. Not only does the Oval Office now resemble a Las Vegas casino, but there is even gold-painted signage on the exterior of the White House—and it looks awful.
The tacky transformation of the White House—which is being done on the taxpayer’s dime—was hailed by press secretary Karoline Leavitt as “the Golden Office for the Golden Age.”
But things are less than golden for the average taxpayer.
Americans are faced with rising food prices, in part thanks to Trump’s idiotic tariffs. Datasembly analyzed food costs at 150,000 stores and discovered that the costs for a collection of 11 staples used for Thanksgiving meals is up 4.1% over 2024. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that overall costs for food eaten at home are up 2.7% from last year.
Trump campaigned in 2024 on lowering food prices on “Day 1” of his presidency. Instead, things cost more now than they did under former President Joe Biden.
Simultaneously, electricity prices are going up, fueled by growth in AI data centers. Instead of conducting oversight of AI corporations, the Trump administration has been trying to circumvent regulation of the industry.
Trump has shown a tin ear for the problems Americans are facing. He recently bragged about the increased costs his tariffs are adding to consumer goods, touting “record-setting” tariff revenue. Those costs are being passed on to consumers, who aren’t obsessing over oversized golden ballrooms.
The net result of Trump’s economy is a downward trend […] when Trump is sitting comfortably in his new, enormous ballroom.
“Kilowatts or connections? Trump’s favored nuclear start-ups soar to riches.”
“Founders of politically connected nuclear companies that have never built commercial reactors are becoming billionaires.”
The fledgling Texas company Fermi America has yet to produce an electron, split an atom or survive the regulatory and manufacturing obstacles required to build a nuclear reactor.
But investors are betting big that the Trump administration will help Fermi turn from a glossy, aspirational marketing brochure into a cutting-edge nuclear operation to meet the rapacious energy needs of AI data centers. So much so that they catapulted its founders into the ranks of the world’s richest men a few months after Fermi filed paperwork with regulators to build the “Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus.” [head/desk]
[…] in the age of Trump’s promised nuclear revival, shareholders and backers see connections to the White House as the road to profitability […]
Fermi was founded by three men: Rick Perry, who served as Texas governor and was U.S. energy secretary during Trump’s first term; Perry’s investor son; and the son of a former Texas congressman celebrated by the right when he founded an “anti-woke” bank that later failed.
[…] Fermi’s corporate blueprint essentially signals to investors “we have no proven execution capabilities in this field but what we do have is a team of politically connected people who make us believe attaining the needed regulatory clearance should not be too much of a problem.”
Fermi is not an outlier. Other Trump-connected companies with untested business plans are brimming with cash infusions and winning regulators’ favor.
They include advanced reactor developer Oklo, where Energy Secretary Chris Wright was a board member; General Matter, a uranium enrichment start-up where former Trump megadonor and adviser Peter Thiel is a board director and funder; and Valar Atomics, a small California reactor company backed by major Trump donor Palmer Luckey and Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer of Palantir Technologies […]
“They assume there is something shiny, new and fancy just waiting for a Steve Jobs of nuclear,” said Chris Keefer, co-founder of Canadians for Nuclear Energy. “It is creating valuations that are probably wildly out of touch with what these companies are capable of.”
[…] These firms are far from the only ones working on advances in nuclear power. BWXT, a longtime military contractor, is developing new small commercial reactors. Industry leader Westinghouse recently signed an $80 billion deal with the Trump administration to build large legacy reactors across the nation. Even relative newcomer TerraPower, an advanced reactor firm founded by Bill Gates, is further along than other start-ups, having broken ground for a commercial plant in Wyoming.
[…] The start-ups chafe at the characterization that they’re merely trading on connections.
“Ask the world’s leading investors and potential customers who watch our site via satellite, and they will tell you they marvel at what we’ve already accomplished,” Fermi CEO Toby Neugebauer, son of former congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas), said in an interview.
Neugebauer, a GOP megadonor who lives in a home styled after the White House [red flag], is referring to a large patch of land near Amarillo where the company hopes to have reactors operating by 2032, a timeline experts say is unheard of, and has already started building gas plants to generate additional power.
He said he has hired highly accomplished nuclear executives […]
The combined net worth on paper of Toby Neugebauer and his father — a major investor in Fermi — surged to $5 billion when he and the Perrys took their company public nine months after forming it. Griffin Perry, the son of the former Texas governor, saw his net worth grow to $2 billion, according to Forbes. […]
Oklo is another darling of Wall Street speculators, despite zero revenue and no licensed reactors. Its effort to license a new form of nuclear energy technology failed during the Biden administration.
After Trump invited Oklo co-founder Jacob DeWitte to join him in the Oval Office for the signing of executive orders boosting companies developing advanced reactors, the firm’s stock surged.
Oklo, with its 188 employees, at times last month was valued higher than industry powerhouse BWXT, a nearly 10,000-employee company that has sold hundreds of reactors to the military over many decades. [That doesn’t sound like the Oklo valuation is based on facts.
DeWitte and co-founder Caroline DeWitte, his wife, are also on the Forbes list of billionaires now. The couple cashed out $90 million in Oklo stock this year […]
“If we look at all of Oklo’s insider activities, there is little to no purchasing of stock,” said Michael Seely, an industry consultant who advises investors on nuclear firms. “It is all selling, at somewhat regular intervals. If you were confident the company will succeed, you would not be doing that.”
DeWitte said in an interview that the stock sales were scheduled before the firm’s valuation surged, as part of the couple’s plan to unload a set amount of shares at fixed times. He said investors value firms like his higher than legacy government contractors because Oklo is oriented toward solutions for a potentially endless appetite for energy created by AI data centers.
BWXT, he said, “doesn’t necessarily have the same pace and rate of growth opportunity that I think investors are expecting and seeing from groups, like us, that are facing a lot more towards the AI side.”
BWXT does not agree. “BWXT has built an unmatched reputation in the nuclear industry through delivery, including the production of fuel and components for more than 420 nuclear reactors,” Joe Miller, who leads its government operations, said in an email
.
Wright has forfeited his interest in Oklo and, according to DOE, recuses himself from decisions involving the company. But Oklo’s White House ties remain strong: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Idaho Falls in September to help Oklo break ground for a pilot plant.
The Trump administration has fast-tracked some start-ups that are cagey about their technologies or reviving designs that have sputtered in the past.
Uranium enrichment company General Matter has not even disclosed which process it would use to enrich uranium. Yet, after its April public launch, the firm won a valuable federal land lease in Paducah, Kentucky, where enrichment took place during the Cold War. […]
[…] General Matter CEO Scott Nolan was one of only three nuclear executives, along with Oklo’s DeWitte and the CEO of Constellation Energy, invited to join Trump in the Oval Office when he signed executive orders in May and hailed a nuclear “renaissance.”
Newcomer Valar Atomics, where company leaders wear “Make Nuclear Great Again” hats, is partnering with DOE and Utah to build a test reactor there.
[…] Valar declares on a company webpage that “holding the spent fuel from [its] system for five minutes gives the equivalent radiation exposure to receiving a CAT scan.” Nuclear engineers were appalled by his claims.
“You would get acute radiation syndrome,” said Nick Touran, a nuclear reactor physicist, who called Valar out on X. “You would have a fatal dose within seconds. The gamma rays kill enough of your cells — white blood cells first — that your body loses ability to have an immune system and you would die a quite painful death in a couple of weeks.”
[…] Longtime nuclear proponents are bewildered to see firms that publicly have shared only vague safety plans and engineering blueprints getting expedited approvals.
Keefer, the Canadian nuclear energy advocate, warned that investors in these firms risk a major reckoning. Oklo, for instance, is trying to make commercially viable a new type of reactor that Keefer said even the government of China, with its advantages in nuclear energy, has struggled to make pencil out despite 15 years of effort.
In fact, during the Biden administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found a similar Oklo reactor plan inadequate.
[…] several conservative states have joined Valar and other nuclear start-ups in suing the NRC, arguing that the federal agency has overstepped its authority by regulating smaller nuclear reactors the companies claim are inherently safe. The plaintiffs say licensing for such plants should be left to the states. [What could go wrong?]
[…] Fermi argues it can build the same type of reactors already operating across the country — but do it exponentially cheaper and faster. […] The last such reactors were seven years behind schedule and $7 billion over budget by the time they went online in Georgia in 2023. South Carolina utilities burned through $9 billion before scrapping a similar project, and executives involved were later convicted of making false promises to investors. […]
You know what everyone loves heading into winter and the holiday season? The looming—and increasing—threat of having their power shut off.
And how is President Donald Trump going to deal with this? By lying, of course.
According to the Washington Post [see comment 183], surging electric costs nationwide are leading to a corresponding bump in power shutoffs. Somehow, it doesn’t really seem like “Make America Freeze to Death Again” is a winning strategy, but the administration is leaning into it.
It doesn’t really matter how you slice and dice these numbers: They’re terrible. New York City residential shutoffs have increased fivefold over the last year. And in Pennsylvania, power shutoffs are up 21%, which translates to 270,000 households losing electricity services.
The Trump administration has tried to spin this by pinning it on Democrats, claiming that energy costs are increasing in blue states because they refuse to adopt Trump’s “commonsense energy dominance agenda.”
Tell that to Montana, where costs are up an average of 25.3%. Or Wyoming, where they’re up 22.9%. Or in North Dakota, which has seen 30.3% higher electricity costs. Or Oklahoma, where residents get to pay 29.9% more. And in Missouri? Well, come on down and get your 37% increase.
The list goes on and on.
Overall, Americans are paying 11% more for electricity than we did before Trump took office in January. And people very much blame Trump for this.
Trump’s “dominance agenda” is definitely intended to hurt blue states that are pro-renewable energy, but the administration seems to have overlooked the fact that plenty of red states also use renewables. Thirteen red states that backed Trump in 2024 are actually high users of renewable energy, and Texas has long relied on renewables […]
Perhaps the most openly unhappy red state is Indiana, where Energy and Natural Resources Secretary Suzanne Jaworowski, who actually served in the first Trump administration, is angry that Trump’s hatred of renewables has led to 72 of 92 counties enacting moratoriums on energy or installation projects. [!]
But Jaworowski wants to be able to stop counties from doing that, apparently in the name of patriotism and AI:
What the president is saying—that we need AI data centers, and we need energy development—we’re creating our own little group and incentivizing that. We feel like this is part of America250. If you’re a patriotic community, and you want to stand up and show some unity, show some support for what the country needs to do right now, this is Indiana’s way of showing that.
Sure, everyone actually hates data centers, which hoover up all available power and raise electricity costs for surrounding communities. But if your state is going to give in to Trump’s vision, it requires energy—lots of renewable energy. Indiana knows that, if it’s going to woo big tech companies to set up shop, it can’t be done without wind and solar.
[…] Overall, the plan to push us all back to some sort of 19th century black lung coal existence is not going well. Even though the administration slashed the costs to extract coal on public lands, they aren’t leaping at the opportunity.
Earlier this year, the administration tried to win over companies with an opportunity to extract 167 million tons of coal on public land in Montana. At the most recent sale in the area, coal fetched $1.10 a ton. But this time around, the only bid was for $186,000—or a minuscule fraction of a penny per ton.
The Trump team is also forcing aging coal plants to remain open even when the owners want them closed. That’s resulting in increased costs to those companies, which inevitably gets passed on to consumers.
Trump doesn’t seem to have noticed that electric prices are soaring, bragging earlier this month that energy costs were plummeting. In the end, the administration doesn’t care about affordability.
But the numbers don’t lie: We’re all paying more. And it’s all Trump’s fault.
It was recently revealed that Larry Summers joked about women having lower IQs in an email to Jeffrey Epstein. I find Summers’ narrow fixation on biological determinism fascinating because it’s emblematic of the pseudoscience posing as “hard truth” at the center of the current reactionary moment. The above cartoon is actually from 2005 — I made a couple updates and colored the strip, which only existed in black and white. —Jen Sorensen
“2 National Guard members shot in D.C. near White House”
Two National Guard members were shot just outside the White House complex in downtown Washington on Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
The soldiers were in critical condition, he said. By 3 p.m., D.C. police said they had one suspect in custody.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump said on Truth Social. “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
The shooting happened at the corner of 17th and H Streets NW, and three gunshot victims were transported to the hospital, according to D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo.
“The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation. The president has been briefed,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
At the corner of 17th and I streets NW, dozens of police cars filled the roads as officers roped off the sidewalk with yellow police tape and onlookers stood watching Farragut Square’s park area. National Guard members stood guarding the park.
“Officials are looking at an EU bridging loan to help Kyiv stay afloat if they can’t agree on using Moscow’s frozen state assets in time.”
European countries are working on an emergency plan B to stop Ukraine running out of money early next year in case they cannot reach a deal on raiding Russia’s frozen assets to fund Kyiv’s war effort.
At a summit a month ago European Union leaders hoped to agree on a proposal to use Moscow’s immobilized reserves for a €140 billion “reparations loan” to Ukraine but the idea ran into fierce opposition from Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, where the money is held.
Now, with peace talks intensifying, and Kyiv running short of cash, the question of what to do with the Russian assets has taken on a new urgency. […]
The cash would only become repayable to Moscow in the unlikely future scenario that Russia agrees to pay war damages, under the plan.
EU diplomats expect European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to order her officials to present a draft legal text on the reparations loan within days as momentum grows for a solution. […]
But despite intensive talks between Belgium and Commission in recent weeks, De Wever still has concerns about legal liabilities and the risk of retaliation from Moscow if the Russian funds were used for the loan.
So policy specialists in Brussels are now turning to how to help Ukraine in the event that the reparations loan proposal does not come together in time for EU leaders to sign off on it at a summit on Dec. 18.
One option gaining support is for a “bridging” loan, financed by EU borrowing, to keep Ukraine afloat during the first months of 2026, according to four officials. That would allow more time to set up the full reparations loan using the Russian assets in a way that Belgium can live with, to provide a longer term solution.
Two diplomats said Ukraine could be asked to repay the initial bridging loan to the EU, once it has received funding from the long-term reparations loan. Another possibility would be a long-term solution involving a combination of the reparation loan and joint EU borrowing.
[…] The Commission is acutely aware of the need to get a solution in place urgently, with Kyiv warning it faces running out of money in the first few months of next year.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said EU allies will finalize “in the coming days” a solution that will “secure funding” and “give visibility to Ukraine.”
In the longer term, the reparations loan is widely seen as the only game in town. There is no appetite among EU member countries to dip into their own national budgets to send cash grants to Ukraine. Many are already struggling with budget deficits and high borrowing costs. Persuading the Belgians to come on board ultimately is therefore seen as key.
[…] Perhaps the biggest obstacle will be that this kind of EU borrowing would require unanimous support from the bloc’s 27 member countries and Hungary has long opposed new measures to help finance Ukraine’s war effort.
It is possible, however, that casting the bridging loan as designed for Ukraine’s reconstruction, rather than for funding its war machine, would help.
Another factor will be the renewed momentum for a peace deal as Trump’s team seeks to push officials from Ukraine and Russia closer to agreeing terms. The evolving drafts of a peace proposal refer to using the frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. European officials reacted with dismay last week to the idea contained in the original American draft for the U.S. to profit from the use of these assets.
EU leaders are now hopeful that they have convinced Trump’s team that they must have the final say over what happens to these assets, as well as over the timing of European sanctions on Russia being lifted and on Ukraine’s path toward membership of the EU, diplomats said.
Description
One of the cruelest pranks pulled by general society is convincing survivors of abuse that Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’ is a subversive critique of child predators, when that simply doesn’t line up with the evidence, including the author’s own declared intent.
Excerpt
J.K. Rowling read a story about a grown man kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl before going on Radio 4 to describe it as a ‘great and tragic love story’. […] clearly not realising that, most people, when they read that story, read it as a horror story in which a sexual predator attempts to win the audience over in justifying the unjustifiable.
[…]
Turns out that Vladimir Nabokov hates didactic fiction, that is to say, fiction intended to teach the readers something […] Fables, parables, those sorts of things. You know, the very thing people claim ‘Lolita’ is. And yet, in his own words: [“Lolita has no moral in tow. For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss”]
[…]
Soooo, there goes the argument […] It exists purely to invoke a sense of aesthetic bliss, of ecstasy. […] So in a horrific twist of irony, it turns out Rowling wasn’t ignorant of Nabokov’s intent, but rather everyone who told me to ignore my instinct as a CSA survivor.
[…]
I’m not angry at anyone in particular for repeating this claim to me, as angry as I am at society for allowing it to reach this point. Researching for this video showed me just how prolific the narrative is […] helped along by a number of rather famous individuals. The one who stood out […] [Christopher Hitchens]
[…]
“Nyphet” is the word Humbert uses throughout his story to blame Lolita, his victim, framing her, a 12-year-old girl, as the ‘sexual aggressor’. It is the embodiment of the very thing people like Nafisi and Hitchens claim that we, the audience, are supposed to ‘see through’ in order to realise just how much of a monster Humbert is. Yet, here is Nabokov, using that exact same term unironically to describe a child actor, a 14-year-old girl.
[…]
Nabokov wrote at least 11 books sexualising girls, many of them the exact same age as Lolita, including stories in which the child predator is the unambiguous hero of the story, completely disabling any argument about Humbert’s unreliable narrative being evidence of a condemnation. […] how rampant Nabokov’s lust for young girls was. It is horrifying, to say the least. Moreso on account of the way victims of child rape, such as myself, are gaslit into thinking Nabokov was some sort of champion for us
[…]
It’s okay to have been pressured into believing a myth only to later realise the truth, so long as we do whatever we can to break said myth.
[…] “We are now receiving conflicting reports about the condition of our two Guard members and will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” he [West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey] wrote. “Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
By 3 p.m., D.C. police said they had one suspect in custody.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday afternoon that President Donald Trump requested a deployment of 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington after news of the shooting.
“We will secure our capital. We will secure our city,” Hegseth said.
Many businesses near the White House have shuttered for the day, as streets remain closed off around Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street NW, and Secret Service and police block pedestrians from walking in some areas.[…]
The married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Stephen Paul came with his British wife and their 4-month-old baby. Audrey Hestmark arrived with her German husband, days before their first wedding anniversary. Jason Cordero accompanied his Mexican wife.
It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away.
“I had to take our baby from my crying wife’s arms,” Mr. Paul, 33, said, recalling the moment that agents said they were arresting his wife, Katie.
Ms. Paul was sent to an immigration detention center with hundreds of other people swept up in the Trump administration’s crackdown. Her husband had to take a leave from his job at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to care for their child and try to secure her release.
“It’s insane to have them rip our family apart,” Mr. Paul said. “Whoever is directing this has completely lost touch with their mission to the country.”
In recent weeks, immigration lawyers in several cities have seen a surge in arrests of foreign spouses of Americans during interviews at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices.
In San Diego alone, immigration lawyers in the region estimate that several dozen foreign-born spouses have been detained since Nov. 12, when the new tactic first surfaced, according to Andrew Nietor, an immigration lawyer. A former chair of the San Diego chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Mr. Nietor said the estimate was based on members’ communications about their clients. The exact number of spouses detained is unclear because many couples attend the routine interviews without lawyers, who would alert colleagues. The government has not disclosed a tally of such detentions.
In every case, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the applicants that they had overstayed tourist or business visas. An arrest warrant, reviewed by The New York Times, states that “there is probable cause to believe” that the named spouse is “removable from the United States.”
[…] the couples and their lawyers said they had followed the required steps: They had submitted extensive paperwork and paid fees. The foreign spouses had been fingerprinted and passed medical exams. None had criminal records. None had entered the country illegally. They had already been granted employment authorization.
“In 25 years of practice, I have never seen anything like this,” Johanna Keamy, the Pauls’ lawyer, said, echoing the view of other lawyers.
“The proper procedure was exactly what they did,” she said. “What’s next? Revoking green cards from millions who followed these same steps?”
Green-card applicants’ temporary visas often lapse while their “adjustment-of-status” proceeds over several months or longer.
An immigration statute passed by Congress in 1986 allows a spouse who entered the country lawfully to be eligible for a green card through marriage even if the person’s visa has expired.
“Congress was unambiguous — these people are eligible for green cards,” said Doug Rand, who was a senior official at Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration.
While federal law does not prohibit spouses with expired visas from being detained and placed in deportation proceedings, in the past they have rarely been detained while applying for green cards.
The Trump administration is carrying out such detentions without having announced any change in policy.
[…] Some U.S. citizens have hired lawyers to seek the release of spouses, through actions such as posting bond. Once released, the foreign spouses must try to pursue green cards through immigration court, where judges are grappling with yearslong backlogs.
Mr. Nietor, the immigration lawyer, said that the government’s strategy appeared to be to induce the couples “to give up and abandon their cases and accept the foreign spouse’s deportation.” […]
The Justice Department said Tuesday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was the Trump administration official behind the decision not to comply with a federal judge’s order to halt the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
If true, whoa! But I suspect this is not the whole story. Who are the people closer to Trump in the Trump administration that may also be responsible? Stephen Miller? Did someone throw Kristi Noem under the bus?
The U.S. Coast Guard must immediately return a rescue helicopter to the city of Newport as a court case challenging the aircraft’s removal gets underway, a federal judge has ruled.
In an opinion issued Monday evening, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken found that the sudden relocation of the helicopter last month could imperil lives as crabbing season gets underway, and that the Coast Guard had not provided legally required notice before moving the aircraft nearly 100 miles south to North Bend.
[…] the Coast Guard removed its helicopter from a base at the Newport Municipal Airport in late October without telling anyone in the community. Around the same time, federal defense contractors began making inquiries about leasing land around the airport. Want ads appeared for detention officers who could work for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
Those developments have led many in Newport to conclude the Trump administration is eyeing their city for an immigration detention center as it ramps up deportation efforts. Oregon is one of a handful of states without such a facility.
But ICE, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard have offered few details about why, precisely, the helicopter was moved. […]
A judge on Monday dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump’s media organization against The Guardian over reports on its ties to a Russian oligarch.
A former Justice Department lawyer who spoke out publicly about the Trump administration’s aggressive maneuvers to deport migrants has joined one of the legal advocacy firms challenging the administration’s approaches to immigration, benefits for the poor and civil rights. In an interview with The New York Times, Erez Reuveni said he decided to work for the group Democracy Forward because ‘this is really a make-or-break moment for the rule of law, for democracy, for the rights of all people who live in this country.’
New digital passes […] starting on January 1, passes can be purchased and stored virtually through Recreation.gov. They can also be linked to your physical pass, if you have one.
[…]
While the annual America the Beautiful passes will remain at $80 for Americans, nonresidents visiting national parks will face a much heftier price tag. […] Starting in 2026, international visitors will be charged $250 […] which “covers entrance fees and standard amenity (day-use) fees at thousands of recreation locations, managed by six federal agencies.”
Without the annual pass, international visitors will be charged a $100 per-person fee to enter the following national parks, in addition to the entrance fee the parks already charge: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. These are among the nation’s busiest parks.
[…]
The Interior Department is adding new “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” in 2026, which […] will bring the total number of free admission days to 10. […] only for U.S. citizens
Entrance fees for parks including Zion, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon range from $20 to $35. International guests without annual passes will pay an additional $100. An average ticket to Magic Kingdom in Florida starts at $119.
The shooter of two national guardsmen had been granted asylum in April, under the Trump administration
And Trump and Musk cut a lot of funding for agencies that look for terrorists.
The shooter came from Afghanistan with the refugees, after Trump had decided to pull out without consulting the Afghan government. And Trump decided to release thousands of Taliban fighters from prison, making the overthrow of the government easier.
According to new reporting from Punchbowl, a senior Republican warns GOP frustration is so intense that more members are ready to quit mid-term, leaving the conference on the brink.
“He’s just acting as a political operator on behalf of Donald Trump and rummaging through the mortgages of the president’s political enemies,” says Rep. Eric Swalwell, discussing his new lawsuit against Trump official Bill Pulte.
The man suspected of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday drove across the country from his home in Washington state with plans to carry out the attack, officials said at a press conference Thursday morning.
Earlier in the morning, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said the suspect, Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, 29, worked for the agency in Afghanistan prior to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the same year he immigrated to America.
During a press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed that the suspected shooter”had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces.”
Lakanwal faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the shooting, charges that carry up to 15 years in prison. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on Thursday morning that prosecutors would seek the death penalty.
Officials identified the victims as Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remain in criticial condition and were still undergoing surgery as of Thursday morning.
The charges against Lakanwal could be upgraded to murder if one of the Guard members dies, noted Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, during the press conference.
Both Guard members were shot at around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday near the Farragut Square Metro Station in the area of 17th and I streets NW, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stated.
Lakanwal, who was shot by a Guardsman near the shooting, was hospitalized and remains in custody. Lakanwal lived in Bellingham, Wash., with his wife and children.
“What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” Pirro added.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a statement Thursday confirming the suspect’s ties to the agency, but said Lakanwal “should have never been allowed to come here.”
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden Withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliffe said in a statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network.
“This individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here,” he added. “Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Authorities have been in contact with Beckstrom and Wolfe’s families, Pirro said.
“I also want to say that both Sarah and Andrew, I believe, were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” she added.
Patel said the FBI is working with the MPD, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in its investigation of the shooting. The FBI director called the shooting “a heinous act of terrorism here in our nation’s capital.”
Late Wednesday night, President Trump called the shooting “an act of terror” and said the suspected shooter would pay “the steepest possible price.”
President Trump on Wednesday called a New York Times reporter “ugly, both inside and out” after the outlet posted a story about his health, age and “signs of fatigue.”
In a post on Truth Social, the president claimed that the effort he puts into his policies “requires a lot of Work and Energy, and I have never worked so hard in my life.”
“Yet despite all of this the Radical Left Lunatics in the soon to fold New York Times did a hit piece on me that I am perhaps losing my Energy, despite facts that show the exact opposite,” Trump wrote. “They know this is wrong, as is almost every thing that they write about me, including election results, ALL PURPOSELY NEGATIVE.”
He also accused New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers of being “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out” and “is assigned to write only bad things about me.”
“There will be a day when I run low on Energy, it happens to everyone, but with a PERFECT PHYSICAL EXAM AND A COMPREHENSIVE COGNITIVE TEST (“That was aced”) JUST RECENTLY TAKEN, it certainly is not now!” he wrote later in the post. “GOD BLESS AMERICA & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
The New York Times defended Rogers’ story.
“The Times’s reporting is accurate and built on firsthand reporting of the facts,” Times spokesperson Nicole Taylor told The Hill. “Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this. Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders.”
Co-written with reporter Dylan Freedman, the article notes that Trump, 79, faces realities of “aging in office.” One of the instances they cite is a Nov. 6 event at the Oval Office, when the president’s eyelids “drooped until his eyes were almost closed, and he appeared to doze on and off for several seconds.”
The outlet reported that Trump’s schedule has included fewer public events, and the president has made fewer domestic trips, so far in his second term. Rogers and Freedman added that his public appearances also typically fall between noon and 5 p.m. […]
Happy Thanksgiving! The place is swept, there’s a distant descendent of dinosaurs in the oven, the pets want some of whatever you’re cooking even if it isn’t good for them, and the guests are on the way. […]
You might be with the family you grew up in, or you may be with the family you’ve constructed otherwise. However you do Thanksgiving, including not doing it at all, we love you and hope you are spending it with people who are good for you. Or you might be quietly by yourself this year, which how I’ve spent some Thanksgivings […]
This is another weird Thanksgiving in the Trump Era, which in this second term has become even more frightening than the first time around. We thought it was pretty awful then, and seems certain to require far more reconstruction than after the first ruinous round. We’re coming off a government shutdown that for the first time ever in the fairly brief history of federal shutdowns (since 1980) resulted in an interruption of already-meager federal food assistance programs. The Trump administration actually asked the Supreme Court to please please not make it use available funding to feed hungry American children, which in a year of incredible cruelties is both remarkable and more of the same.
I spent part of the Saturday before Thanksgiving waiting in line at a food bank with my Ukrainian friend, whose immigration status is in limbo. (She applied to renew her humanitarian parole last December before it expired, then Trump came to power and suspended parole renewals until June. Her various applications for legal status are crawling through the system.) Her son is a trucker, but food for the family isn’t always a given. There were lots of people in line, as there have been for all our visits to food banks in the last couple months. For many people in this Trump-blighted nation of plenty, the brink feels a lot closer this winter.
But in our trips to the food bank, I’ve also seen a steady flow of cars and pickups —even the occasional trailer — bringing supplies to donate to the food bank, too. Americans, even in goddamned Idaho, are in general better than the people some of us keep electing. […]
There are lights and warmth in the darkness.
With that in mind, let’s enjoy “Perhaps The World Ends Here,” an achingly lovely 1994 poem by Joy Harjo from her collection The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: Poems. It isn’t specifically about the Thanksgiving holiday but speaks to some of the things that make the holiday so resistant to commercialization.
Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke/Creek Nation who lives in Oklahoma, celebrates the kitchen table as the focus of everything we also think is important about the holiday: home, family, love, food and company, and yes, conflict and broken hopes, and the possibility — sometimes never fulfilled — of reconciliation […] [video]
Perhaps the World Ends Here. By Joy Harjo
The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.
At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.
Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.
This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.
Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.
We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.
At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.
That final line stays with us like the memory of a holiday gathering.
May your Thanksgiving table be surrounded by people you love, or can put up with at least. May you recharge your soul’s batteries, and if they don’t get fully charged, remember that for many devices, like EVs and phones, 80 percent state of charge is actually better for overall battery life. May you find joy where it can be found, and may we all work for a world where everybody’s kids will know they’ll get a good meal and have a roof over their heads.
A happy and safe Thanksgiving to all Wonkers everywhere, and remember to Buy (almost) Nothing tomorrow. We love you.
(Cross-posted from the Never-Ending Thread at Affinity)
Now, for something extremely nerdy.
In coming months, we’ll have the 57th anniversaries of the first Apollo flights that reached the Moon. I’m thinking specifically Apollo 8, which was the first crewed flight to visit near Moon and orbit it (for about 20 hours on 24-25 December 1968) and Apollo 11, which was the first crewed flight to land on Moon (for about 22 hours on 20-21 July 1969).
The most notable moment of the Apollo 8 was at about 16.40 UTC on 24 December, when the iconic “Earthrise” photo was taken as the spacecraft emerged from behind Moon’s far side:
Here, Earth is illuminated in its waning gibbous phase, which corresponds to the waxing crescent phase of Moon as seen from Earth (The apparent illumination phases of Earth and Moon are always opposite to each other.) The landing of Apollo 11 took place in approximately same phase, seven lunar cycles or almost seven calendar months later, at 20.17 UTC on 20 July. The famous first step took place at 02.56 UTC on 21 July, while it was still the evening of 20 July in North America.
I don’t know what constraints exactly affected the scheduling of Apollo 11. In any case it was convenient for PR purposes that the waxing Moon was visible in Earth’s afternoon and evening skies, easy to observe at nightfall. The landing was arranged while it was afternoon in North America. By the time Armstrong and Aldrin were ready to step out, several hours later, it was prime time for watching both TV and the Moon. Meanwhile, all that time it was morning (just after local sunrise) in the landing area on Moon. Apollo 8 was scheduled at the same part of the lunar cycle, which equals the lunar day, possibly because its main goal was to survey the future landing area, and the planners wanted the shadows on lunar landscape to look approximately the same.
Now, I noticed that these same dates, 57 years later, will have almost exactly the same lunar phase as in 1968-69. This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, because the lunar cycle repeats 12.37 times a year, and rarely matches any given number of full years. In 2025-26, the timing will be off by only about one day, and only because of the effect of Moon’s orbital eccentricity (which I won’t go into here). This type of match repeats every 19 years (or three times in 57 years), which is known as the Metonic cycle.
So if you’d like to re-enact specific moments by looking at the Moon and imagining the astronauts there, the Moon will be visible in almost same direction (and in almost exactly same illumination phase) as originally.
On 24 December at 16.40 UTC, you could imagine Apollo 8 just emerging from behind the crescent Moon’s illuminated side (which is the right side in Earth’s northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere). The Moon will be visible in daytime sky in most of Americas (with the exception of westernmost and northernmost North America), Antarctica, Atlantic Ocean and westernmost Africa. It will be visible in twilight/dark evening sky in almost all of Africa, Middle East and Europe. If you’re in this area, smile for the camera!
(If for some reason you’re busy on 24 December, or the weather is unfavorable, you could do this the next day. Then the solar year date will be off by one, but the lunar phase is quite precisely right).
On 21 July at 02.56 UTC, you could imagine the Apollo 11 lander sitting on Moon’s surface while Neil Armstrong steps down the ladder. The landing site will be very near Moon’s equator and very near the limit of the illuminated area on crescent Moon’s surface. This time, the Moon will be visible in daytime sky in most of Pacific Ocean and Australia (with the exception of westernmost parts thereof) and northwestern North America. It will be visible in twilight/dark evening sky in the rest of North America, southeastern Pacific and most of South America.
(The local date will be either 20 or 21 July, depending on which side of the international date line you’re on. The exact right lunar phase will occur one day earlier.)
Meanwhile in real time, NASA is trying to restart crewed lunar exploration, which has been on pause since 1972, with the new Artemis program. Artemis II might launch as early as 5 February 2026. It’s supposed to involve a single flyby behind Moon’s far side, so we can expect new photos similar to Earthrise. Some were already taken by the unmanned Artemis I test flight in 2022, but now we’ll hopefully get to observe the Moon while knowing there are humans nearby. A crewed landing on Moon with Artemis III might happen in 2027, at the earliest.
While previous research has indicated that cats arrived in Europe during the Neolithic expansion of Near East farmers about 6,000 years ago, new analysis indicates that pet cats arrived thousands of years later as a result of following Roman soldiers amid their quests, according to a paper published in Science on Thursday.
More in the article. The thought of Roman legions with cats in tow is somehow a little unsettling…
House Speaker Mike Johnson has built his career out of shamelessly protecting President Donald Trump’s authoritarian takeover, all while frequently claiming to be the least informed public servant in the history of the world.
And it has all been captured on video. [video]
When asked whether his weeks-long delay in swearing in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election for Arizona’s 7th District, was related to concerns about a forced vote to release the Epstein files, Johnson sounded like a man caught in a bear trap. [video]
A yelling match broke out in the House chamber after Johnson requested a prayer on behalf of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk after he was killed on Sept. 10. [video]
Johnson seemed rather anxious to defend his decision to block any votes related to the Epstein files before the chamber departed for its summer break. [video]
Johnson stammered through one of his many deflections when he was asked about Trump’s history of abusive and dehumanizing rhetoric. [video]
Johnson appeared on ABC News, and was asked by host George Stephanopoulos about Trump’s fascistic remarks to military leaders—and things went sideways fast. [video]
The speaker appeared on Fox News, where he tried—and failed—to reassure voters about the GOP’s government shutdown. [video]
During one of his daily government shutdown press conferences, Johnson was asked about the leaked racist group chat among Young Republicans and whether the GOP condones these Nazi assholes. [video]
Johnson suggested that the “ideas” Republicans are kicking around for how to make health insurance more affordable is basically just the Obamacare repeal plan that the GOP tried and failed to pass during Trump’s first term in 2017. [video]
After spending weeks blaming Democrats’ rhetoric for the murder of Kirk, GOP leaders began spouting their own dangerous rhetoric against thousands of people who planned to protest against Trump—and Johnson was no exception. [video]
As the federal government prepares for the next meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has intensified his attacks on aluminum vaccine components used in many shots to boost the body’s immune response.
Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist before seeking public office, claims that aluminum adjuvants are neurotoxic and tied to autism, asthma, autoimmune disease, and food allergies.
But science and medicine advances a different view. […]
Since taking office, Kennedy has ordered reviews of vaccine ingredients, citing aluminum as a top concern. A discussion of “adjuvants and contaminants” is on the vaccine advisory panel’s draft agenda.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage that for years has assured the public vaccines do not cause autism was updated Nov. 19 with new language stating that studies have not definitively ruled out a link between vaccines and autism.
He has also targeted scientists who have published studies showing aluminum adjuvants are safe. In August, Kennedy denounced a large Danish study finding no link between aluminum in vaccines and childhood disease, calling it a “deceitful propaganda stunt” and demanding its retraction. The Annals of Internal Medicine rejected the claim and refused to retract the study. [!]
[…] researchers across infectious diseases, immunology, pediatrics, and epidemiology say the data is clear: Aluminum adjuvants are safe.
[…] Vaccines add only a tiny amount of aluminum to the body — a combined total of about 8 milligrams — after the schedule of childhood vaccines is complete. Offit said that over the first 18 years of life, people naturally take in about 400 milligrams of aluminum from everyday sources.
“I don’t know why there is so much concern,” said Rajesh Gupta, a former FDA vaccine scientist. “Aluminum gets distributed in the body everywhere. It is ultimately excreted by the kidneys in the urine. So, it is not that aluminum stays in the body.”
The aluminum in vaccines isn’t foil or metal. It’s a compound of aluminum salts, such as aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate, that help the vaccine work better.
It’s a bit like zinc in cold tablets: Patients don’t swallow chunks of metal, instead ingesting a zinc salt that dissolves safely in the body.
In vaccines, these aluminum salts give the immune system an extra nudge so it learns to recognize the target germ more effectively.
When injected, the vaccine stays near the injection site and causes mild, short-lived inflammation that summons immune cells. Those cells pick up the vaccine antigen, a harmless piece of a virus or bacterium, and carry it to nearby lymph nodes. There, the adjuvants show it around like a wanted poster so the body can identify and destroy the germ quickly. [chart showing 1 in 6 parents are avoiding getting their kids vaccinated]
Harm HogenEsch, a professor of immunopathology at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, said that aluminum adjuvants work only when they’re injected in the same spot as the vaccine ingredient they’re meant to boost, to help nearby immune cells learn to recognize the germ. If the two shots are given in different places, he said, “you don’t see that effect.”
In response to Kennedy’s claims, scientists say that anything that acts as an adjuvant can, in principle, also boost an allergic response. But that doesn’t mean aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines are turning children into food-allergic time bombs. Antigens in vaccines such as the hepatitis B surface antigen or HPV proteins are not allergens, and no food proteins are put into vaccines.
Animal studies form the basis of Kennedy’s claim that aluminum adjuvants in vaccines can create allergies. In these experiments, scientists deliberately sensitize rats or mice by injecting them with a food protein mixed with aluminum. The aluminum strengthens the immune response, but it does not cause an allergy by itself.
“That’s the basis for a lot of the experimental mouse models, where you inject a food allergen with an aluminum adjuvant to sensitize the mice,” HogenEsch said. “I’m not aware of any food antigen being included in vaccines, and so I don’t really see a way by which this could happen.”
Ross Kedl, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, went further, noting that there is no plausible route for vaccines to create a peanut allergy out of thin air. “Someone would have had to mix peanut proteins in with the actual vaccine prior to injection.”
[Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does not pay attention to such details. I think he is incapable of doing so. Now we all have learn more than RFK knows about vaccines in order to counter so much disinformation coming from the Health and Human Services Secretary] […]
Human Studies
Beyond animal models and theoretical scenarios, scientists have looked hard for signals of harm in large human datasets.
In 2023, a study by the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaboration coordinated by the CDC, reported a slight increase in asthma among children with higher aluminum exposure before age 2, but the association disappeared in further analyses.
“That paper was roundly criticized,” Offit said. “When they controlled for breastfeeding, the association between asthma and receipt of aluminum-adjuvant-containing vaccines disappeared.”
“It should have never been published,” he said.
Kathy Edwards, professor emerita of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, said that false signals are common when large databases are mined for dozens of outcomes.
“When you look at a hundred different things, just by the law of percentages, some of those may look like there is a signal,” she said. “The whole RFK Jr. assessment is really prone to cherry-picking,” she said, adding that “there does need to be some kind of basic understanding of statistics for people to interpret this.”
[…] Hviid’s nationwide Danish study followed 1.2 million children over two decades, using linked national health registries that record every vaccination and diagnosis.
“Our health care system is quite egalitarian. It’s free, and there’s universal access. And everyone is in these nationwide registers,” he said. Their findings: no increased risk of these conditions associated with increasing amounts of aluminum received through the vaccines.
Rare Bumps
Doctors have documented one genuine reaction to aluminum adjuvants: itchy nodules at the injection site, called “pruritic granulomas.” These small bumps are so rare that most allergists and pediatricians will never see a single case.
This reaction “doesn’t lead to something bad, and it really isn’t associated with anything other than that local irritation,” Edwards said.
Researchers believe these bumps represent a localized immune response — meaning only in the area of the injection, not a body-wide allergy — that is very different from the kind of immediate allergic reaction people treat with antihistamines. These include the reactions driven by food or beestings, when histamine, the body’s own alarm signal, floods the system within minutes and causes hives, swelling, or breathing trouble. Kedl said that distinction often gets lost in public debate.
Eliminating Aluminum Adjuvants [No]
For many experts, the real issue is not just whether aluminum is safe but what happens to the entire vaccine program if aluminum adjuvants are stripped out. For many modern vaccines that rely on a single purified protein — such as those for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, hepatitis B, and HPV — adjuvants are crucial.
Edwards said that simply swapping in a different adjuvant isn’t realistic.
“They’re kind of all built on one another,” she said. Once a vaccine has been proved to work and become the standard of care, new or updated versions are generally no longer tested against a placebo in people who should be getting that vaccine. Instead, they’re tested against the existing product, which means each approval rests on the one before it.
Core childhood vaccines would probably have to be reformulated, and large clinical trials would have to be repeated to prove the new products are safe and effective. Meanwhile, production gaps and shortages would have to be managed, potentially for years, while manufacturers and regulators start over — all while diseases such as whooping cough, hepatitis B, and HPV-related cancers gain more room to spread.
“The aluminum adjuvants have sort of hit the sweet spot in terms of being effective at inducing a robust antibody response that is protective for those vaccines in which they’re being used and being very safe,” HogenEsch said. “It would be quite frankly foolish to try to eliminate them.” [True]
[…] If aluminum is falsely cast as the villain and vaccine uptake falls, experts warn, the consequences will not be theoretical: more measles in schools, more meningitis in college dorms, and more young adults dying of cancers that HPV shots could have prevented.
[…] the real danger isn’t the trace amounts of a metal that children already encounter every day. It’s rolling back the protection aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines have provided for generations. […]
[Local news]: A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts.
The woman, Bruna Ferreira, has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt’s brother. […] Michael Leavitt released a statement, saying that his “only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son.
Originally posted this as “Leavitt’s sister-in-law,” but there’s some strained language in there that makes it pretty pretty clear they’re estranged, which could make this story even gnarlier. Either way, this woman appears to be the mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew.
Rando 1: “I think it was her brother’s baby mama. Sounds like they aren’t married.”
Rando 2: “She would have been around the age of 9 when the visa expired. Like, wtf was she supposed to do at 9? Now her son is without his mother. Family values, yeah?”
Rando 3: “I also read [in the article] she is DACA. She is lawfully here and protected from deportation.”
Rando 4: “You’d think having his mom deported would be, you know, bad for his son’s well being. Unless the point here is that he wanted to get rid of his wife and have full unquestioned custody of his son and asked Pam to deport her. Which, given this administration, seems likely.”
[Trump’s ballroom architect James McCrery] has been credibly accused of violating every professional ethic under the sun, which threatens his architect’s license. He’s at best complicit with the destruction of the White House. At worst he’s orchestrating it.
It does seem like a good time to “anonymously” leak a claim that you’re concerned and have been arguing with your client about it. But obviously he’s not concerned enough to withdraw from the project.
Anyone with an ounce of integrity would have quit the project the moment it became clear that the East Wing was being razed to the ground. The “ballroom is too big” is not the main problem.
[…] here’s a direct link to the absolutely scathing letter [a pdf]. Hopefully they’ll take it to the next step of filing an actual complaint.
In a plot twist that seems like Ayn Rand on ketamine, Trump’s Energy Secretary wants to nationalize Walmart’s backup generators to keep the lights on. These free-market crusaders are now raiding the break room behind your local Supercenter for grid stability. Yes, Team Trump effectively proposes socializing private corporate infrastructure in the name of emergency energy production while screaming about the ills of socialism.
Chris Wright: “We will take backup generators already at data centers or behind the back of a Walmart and bring those on when we need extra electricity production.”
No word on whether they asked Walmart, or if the plan includes free rollback prices on kilowatts.
To say nothing of fuel guzzling, incompatibility with the grid, and pitiful output.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Indiana did something decent!? In 2023. It happens sometimes, despite being a Republican stronghold (with blue spots). In 2025, the legislature was fixated on annexing Illinois.
it takes effect in January. […] Indiana’s General Assembly passed the privacy law unanimously in 2023. […] The new bill of rights outlines 15 protections for Indiana consumers, including rights to delete personal data held by companies; opt out of targeted advertising and data sales; and request a copy of their information in a portable format. It also prohibits companies from discriminating against consumers who use those rights.
Sensitive information—like health, biometric, immigration, religious, or precise location data, as well as all children’s data—also can’t be processed without explicit consent.
[…]
[AG Todd Rokita] criticized exemptions in the law for nonprofits, utilities, banks and entities covered by […] HIPAA. [“They’re exempted from this law. Why? Who knows.”]
[…]
violators could face injunctions and fines of $7,500 an incident.
In a plot twist that seems like Ayn Rand on ketamine, Trump’s Energy Secretary wants to nationalize Walmart’s backup generators to keep the lights on. These free-market crusaders are now raiding the break room behind your local Supercenter for grid stability. Yes, Team Trump effectively proposes socializing private corporate infrastructure in the name of emergency energy production while screaming about the ills of socialism. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain@296 quoting boingboing
It shouldn’t really be surprising. The Trump project really is fascist, and fascism, while it is one of the forms capitalism can take, doesn’t give a shit about “free markets”. It allows for businesspeople to get extremely rich as long as they stay in line politically, it suppresses employee rights, unions, public health protections and other limits on their ability to do so; but the Great Leader can at any time decide he needs, or wants, something they have – up to and including their lives – and they have no legal recourse.
KGsays
Sorry, blockquote failure@298.
KGsays
Meanwhile, production gaps and shortages would have to be managed, potentially for years, while manufacturers and regulators start over — all while diseases such as whooping cough, hepatitis B, and HPV-related cancers gain more room to spread. – Lynna, OM@292, quoting a Daily Kos article on Professor Brainworm’s attacks on vaccines
But those are natural, healthy diseases, which will rid the USA of the weak and the immoral!
\s
“While insurers notify Americans of looming premium hikes, President Trump and his allies aren’t even on the same page.”
Related video at the link.
During the government shutdown, Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Though the subsidies expire at the end of the year, Republicans insisted that the issue could wait until after the shutdown. Now the shutdown is long over, the GOP’s health care homework is due, and they’re panicking.
While Democrats did not secure an extension, their intense focus on ACA subsidies highlighted the fact that when they expire, premiums for tens of millions of people are going to skyrocket. Not only that, but health care premiums are rising even for those who get their insurance from their employer. But even as insurers notify Americans of looming premium hikes, the president is proposing and withdrawing multiple plans, and Republicans in Congress are still holding hearings on the topic.
[…] We’ve been here many times before. At the beginning of Trump’s first term, Republicans realized they had to follow through on their promises to “repeal and replace” the ACA. As efforts to create a replacement dragged on, Trump claimed, “Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.” When Republicans eventually cobbled together some legislation, they held no hearings on it, and tried to jam it through Congress. When John McCain provided the final “No” vote with a dramatic thumbs-down, more than a few in the GOP were relieved, since they knew the upheaval their slapdash plan would have caused. [Yep]
[…] Trump proposed sending money to Americans instead of giving subsidies to insurance companies, then said he wanted us all to “feel like entrepreneurs” when we’re “able to go out and negotiate their own health insurance.” To anyone who has had to fight with an insurance company to get their care covered, that sounds less like an exciting opportunity and more like a nightmare. [Yes. Certainly!]
Then the White House came up with an idea to extend the ACA subsidies for two years, but tighten eligibility and require everyone to pay something (many lower-income enrollees previously wound up with zero premiums after subsidies). In addition, the plan would boost health savings accounts and encourage people to downgrade to policies with higher deductibles. That plan […] was supposed to be announced Monday.
[…] Faced with a revolt, the White House postponed the formal announcement and is now scrambling to figure out what to do. “I’d rather not extend [the subsidies] at all,” Trump said Tuesday, and yet “some kind of extension might be necessary to get something done.”
The truth is that conservatives just don’t think it ought to be the government’s job to provide health care access [!] — even though today, the U.S. government gives health care coverage to more people than ever. Add together Medicare, Medicaid and the TRICARE system for the military and veterans, and more than 150 million Americans, or nearly half the country, enjoy government health insurance.
[…] Republicans may have made their peace with not going after Medicare [sort of, and only some Republicans] – which seniors will defend furiously – but they’ll try to cut and privatize everywhere they can, especially Medicaid and the ACA.
Yet Americans want the government to help them with health insurance. Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA are all extremely popular. These premium increases are coming at a moment when the public is already worried about affording the necessities of life. Not only that, but health care is an issue where voters’ default assumption is that Democrats want to give them more and Republicans want to give them less — an assumption that was only reinforced by the shutdown. […]
Trump clearly understands that the pressure is building for him and his party to do something. But he may have an unsolvable problem on his hands. During the shutdown, Republicans got what they wanted – and now they’re reaping the consequences.
birgerjohanssonsays
Islamic Ruling on Keeping Dogs” (Youtube short) Another film trying to make damage control for religion.
I would interject that Muhammed had a strong aversion to dogs, and only permitted the ownership of dogs if the were “working dogs”[He likewise considered pictures haram]. I am not impressed by these exceptions, even if I am a ‘cat person’ myself. Religions have exactly the same authority over animal husbandry as your local insane street preacher; none whatsoever.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/MiCUtg8EMHA
-And f*ck the other “Abrahamaic’ religions, too.
For nine decades, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has stood as the federal government’s primary guardian of workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. Created in the depths of the Great Depression, the NLRB was designed to be a buffer between workers and the concentrated economic power of employers […] Its enabling legislation, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), is unambiguous […]
And yet, in one of the most striking ironies of recent years, under the Trump administration, the NLRB itself is suing states like California and New York that have asserted the right to protect their workers when the NLRB fails to do its job. [!]
How did it come to this? Almost immediately after taking office, President Trump illegally fired board member Gwynne Wilcox […] Wilcox’s removal left the board without the required quorum of at least three members to advance certain business. Without a quorum, the NLRB General Counsel can continue certain activities related to processing complaints and managing ongoing court cases. […] the quorumless Trump NLRB has paused all active investigations — including 24 into Trump megadonor Elon Musk’s companies [!] — and cannot open any new investigations when employers violate their workers’ rights.
With an underfunded, understaffed, and ideologically hostile NLRB failing to enforce the law, some states have stepped into the gap. Since Wilcox’s firing, New York and California have passed so-called “NLRB trigger laws” allowing their state labor agencies to monitor union elections, investigate charges of workplace retaliation, and address other issues in the event the federal labor board is unable to decide cases. [Necessary]
[…] while the Trump NLRB is unable to do its actual job of protecting workers, it has found time to make sure that the states don’t either. Acting General Counsel William Cowen has filed lawsuits against New York and California attempting to invalidate their NLRB trigger laws under the doctrine of federal preemption.
Under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, federal law is the “supreme law of the land.” The Supreme Court has interpreted this clause to mean that when Congress either explicitly or impliedly intends to create a uniform regulatory scheme where state-level regulations could create conflicting requirements, the federal law preempts the state law and renders it unenforceable.
This is not a legal technicality. Normally, preemption prevents overlapping regulation, but here, the Trump NLRB’s claim is both sweeping and deeply cynical. They say that states cannot protect workers in areas that could fall under NLRB jurisdiction, even when the NLRB declines to exercise that jurisdiction. In other words, the NLRB is asserting the exclusive right to not protect workers.
This runs contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the NLRA. Congress explicitly stated that the purpose of the Act was to promote collective bargaining and minimize industrial strife by empowering workers. There is nothing in the statute that suggests Congress intended the federal government to block states from acting when the NLRB is unable–or unwilling–to fulfill its mission.
The Trump Board’s theory of preemption effectively weaponizes federal inaction. […]
California’s AB 5 sought to address systematic misclassification of workers as independent contractors — an issue the NLRB had done little to address. New York established new remedies for wage theft, a crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of low-income workers. Both states acted because workers were falling through the cracks of an NLRB that had abdicated its responsibilities.
The Trump NLRB’s lawsuits attack these efforts not because they conflict with federal law, but because they succeed where the federal government has deliberately sided with corporations over workers. […]
The result is an agency using the very authority designed to protect workers to prevent anyone else from protecting them.
[…] If an anti-labor NLRB can interpret the statute as a tool for stripping away protections rather than expanding them, the pro-worker foundation of the Act will erode.
States will continue to innovate, because they must. Workers cannot wait for an NLRB that is out of quorum, out of resources, and, under certain administrations, out of alignment with its own purpose. The solution is not to restrict states but to restore the NLRB to its original mission: protecting workers, not preventing their protection.
“Zelensky’s top aide, lead negotiator resigns amid corruption probe”
“Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, had emerged as one of the most contentious and powerful figures in the country.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide and closest confidant — who also served as lead negotiator in talks with U.S. officials to reach a peace plan to end Russia’s war — resigned Friday, hours after authorities searched his home and office amid a widening corruption probe.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, has emerged as one of the most contentious figures in the country and has been widely blamed for consolidating power and undermining parliament and ministries.
[…] Yermak returned this week from Geneva, where he took on the role of chief negotiator with a delegation of U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as they worked through a proposed 28-point peace plan that made major concessions to Russia and deeply alarmed Ukrainian and European leaders. [AI Icon]
He was given that role even as rumors swirled over his potential involvement in a major corruption scandal roiling Ukraine’s government. Several people in Zelensky’s inner circle have been implicated in the allegations, including his former business partner Timur Mindich, who fled to Israel earlier this month.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies said they have uncovered a scheme involving significant kickbacks from Ukraine’s energy and defense sectors — the two most sensitive areas for the Ukrainian public as the war rages and power cuts leave major cities engulfed in darkness for much of each day. [AI Icon]
Zelensky announced Yermak’s resignation during his evening address on Friday, mentioning it unceremoniously between other points related to Ukraine’s war efforts.
“I am grateful to Andriy for ensuring that Ukraine’s position in the negotiation track has always been represented by him exactly as it should be,” he said. “It has always been a patriotic position. But I want there to be no rumors or speculation. As for the new head of the office, tomorrow I will hold consultations with those who may lead this institution.”
I hope this development does throw yet another wrench into the peace negotiations.
I do admire Zelensky’s efforts to reduce corruption in government.
I feel like this story is incomplete. We don’t have all the details. We don’t have a response from Yermak.
ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine — The Ukrainian soldiers sat huddled in their dark dugout, all focus and nerve — Viktoriia’s eyes shifting frantically between two screens, Tetiana’s hands clutching a drone controller.
In the fields beyond, a Russian howitzer was firing shells at Ukrainian positions. The women steered their explosive-packed drone toward it and dived.
Their screens blurred. The room went quiet. Then came the voice of their commander, Daria, from the trench outside: “There was a hit!”
The troops erupted in excitement: This was their first strike since they began fighting as an all-women’s crew this summer.
Nearly four years into Russia’s invasion, women here are increasingly taking on combat roles once reserved for men. Ukraine’s struggle to source personnel has forced its military to change. By early this year, more than 70,000 women had enlisted in Ukraine’s military — up 20 percent since 2022. Around 5,500 of those currently serve in combat roles.
But Daria’s crew is the first in Ukraine’s national guard to operate entirely without men.
She and the four women under her command drive their own vehicle, carry their own equipment, build their own explosives and launch armed drones along the southeastern front.
When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, such an arrangement would have been impossible.
Women were officially banned from combat roles, enlisting instead as medics and cooks, or working office jobs. Some women fought on the front line despite the restrictions but were denied the same benefits as male troops.
Reforms began in 2016, and in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine lifted further restrictions that had prevented women from serving in the same officer roles as men.
It was on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russian troops poured over Ukraine’s borders, that Daria, now 35, reported to a recruitment office in Kyiv.
A graduate of a volunteer sniper course, she was comfortable with assault rifles, and had completed first aid and battlefield tactical training. She was more prepared for the war than most of the men being handed guns. But officials took one look at her blond hair and the personal first-aid kit in her hands, and assumed she was a medic. Women, they made clear, would not be considered for any other combat job.
It took nearly all of 2022 for Daria to find a role in Ukraine’s military. She watched in horror as Russia seized her hometown in the southern Kherson region, further justifying her decision to abandon her old job marketing baby products.
“I decided not to be a victim but to be a predator,” she said. She joined the national guard, trained on attack drones and deployed to some of the toughest battles in the war, including Avdiivka, where she was the only woman among the 30 soldiers in her unit.
“I still see that operation in my nightmares,” Daria said. She and others spoke on the condition they be identified by only their first names, in keeping with military rules.[…]
“EXCLUSIVE: Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all”
“As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors.”
[…] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. “The order was to kill everybody,” one of them said.
A missile screamed off the Trinidad coast, striking the vessel and igniting a blaze from bow to stern. For minutes, commanders watched the boat burning on a live drone feed. As the smoke cleared, they got a jolt: Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck.
The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, two people familiar with the matter said. The two men were blown apart in the water. [!]
Hegseth’s order, which has not been previously reported, adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers. [AI Icon]
Some current and former U.S. officials and law-of-war experts have said that the Pentagon’s lethal campaign — which has killed more than 80 people to date — is unlawful and may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.
The alleged traffickers pose no imminent threat of attack against the United States and are not, as the Trump administration has tried to argue, in an “armed conflict” with the U.S., these officials and experts say. Because there is no legitimate war between the two sides, killing any of the men in the boats “amounts to murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised Special Operations forces for seven years at the height of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign.
Even if the U.S. were at war with the traffickers, an order to kill all the boat’s occupants if they were no longer able to fight “would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime,” said Huntley, now director of the national security law program at Georgetown Law. [!]
This report is based on interviews with and accounts from seven people with knowledge of the Sept. 2 strike and the overall operation. […]
The elite counterterror group SEAL Team 6 led the attack, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing sensitive operations.
The commander overseeing the operation from Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, told people on the secure conference call that the survivors were still legitimate targets because they could theoretically call other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo, according to two people. He ordered the second strike to fulfill Hegseth’s directive that everyone must be killed.
Later in the day, President Donald Trump released a redacted 29-second surveillance drone video showing the attack. The video does not include any footage of the subsequent strike on the survivors.
In the weeks following that attack, the Trump administration notified Congress that the U.S. was in a “non-international armed conflict” with “designated terrorist organizations,” supported by an opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that asserted that because the U.S. was in an armed conflict, personnel taking part in military strikes who were following orders consistent with the laws of war would not be exposed to prosecution.
“That’s one of the problems with the law of armed conflict — the state using force is judge, jury and executioner,” Huntley said. [True]
Since that first attack, the Pentagon has hit at least 22 more boats, including one semisubmersible, in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing another 71 alleged drug smugglers, according to officials and internal data seen by The Washington Post.
[…] If the video of the blast that killed the two survivors on Sept. 2 were made public, people would be horrified, said one person who watched the live feed.
The Intercept first reported that the survivors were killed in a follow-up attack.
In briefing materials provided to the White House, JSOC reported that the “double-tap,” or follow-on strike, was intended to sink the boat and remove a navigation hazard to other vessels — not to kill survivors, according to another person who saw the report.
“The idea that wreckage from one small boat in a vast ocean is a hazard to marine traffic is patently absurd, and killing survivors is blatantly illegal,” said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), a Marine Corps veteran […]
A similar explanation was given to lawmakers in two closed-door briefings, according to two congressional aides. That explanation has prompted frustration among some members of Congress who say they believe the Pentagon was deceptive in its description of events […]
[…] in classified briefings to members of Congress, Pentagon officials have not provided any specific names of traffickers or syndicate leaders they have targeted, lawmakers have said, nor have they publicly released further information beyond surveillance videos of the strikes themselves.
Current and former officials within the U.S. military and DEA have expressed doubt that all 11 people aboard the first vessel were complicit in trafficking.
[…] The lack of transparency is a major obstacle to government accountability for its use of force, Huntley said. “Really the only oversight,” he said, “is public and political pressure.”
“Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians After They Appear to Surrender, Video Shows”
“The Israeli authorities said they were investigating the shooting, which came amid days of extensive military operations in the West Bank.”
Israeli security forces shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday after they appeared to surrender, according to videos released by an international news agency and two Arab television networks.
The Israeli authorities said in a statement that they were examining the shooting and that the two men were involved in militant activity. Palestinian officials condemned the killings as a “field execution.”
The shooting came amid days of extensive Israeli military operations and raids in the Israeli-occupied northern West Bank. It prompted fresh accusations from Palestinian officials that Israel was using excessive force there.
Footage showed two men emerging from a garage in Jenin, who then lift their shirts, seeming to indicate they are carrying no weapons, and raise their hands. They are seen kneeling, while Israeli security forces point their weapons at them.
The Israeli forces kick the men, who shuffle back toward the garage. Moments later, gunshots are fired and, shortly after, the body of one of the men can be seen slumped on the ground. In one of the clips reviewed, Israeli forces can be seen continuing to shoot into the garage.
Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said the two men were killed and identified them as Al-Muntasir Billah Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37.
Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group, said Mr. Abdullah and Mr. Asasa were members of its military wing.
Ahmad Nazzal, a reporter for Palestine TV, one of the channels that shared the footage, said he was at the scene and watched the shooting unfold. He said in an interview that Israeli forces were operating in the area for hours before the shooting.
[…] Israel’s far right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, offered his support for the security forces. “The fighters acted exactly as is expected from them — terrorists need to die!” he wrote on X.
On Thursday, Volker Türk, the United Nations human rights chief, expressed outrage at the “apparent summary execution” of the two Palestinians.
The foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority condemned the killing as an “ugly field execution” and called on the international community to act.
[…] B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, said the shootings were the result of “an accelerated process of dehumanization of Palestinians
[…] The military intensified operations in a number of towns near Jenin in recent days, detaining and questioning dozens of people. Palestinians have reported Israeli security forces destroying roads and taking over homes.
JMsays
@301 Lynna, OM: The real stupidity of the situation is that the Republicans could have taken credit for the ACA. It followed a design setup by Mitt Romney. The Republicans were so determined to reject anything Obama suggested they rejected a Republican plan. This has left them with no sensible position to take, they have painted themselves into a corner. There is no functional plan to the right of the ACA other then no health care, and that is bad in a practical sense, politically unpopular and more expensive.
Details, and video snippets to back up the details, are available at the link.
Inauguration
Meeting Zelensky in the Oval Office
Trump insisting he is smart
TACO, chicken dance and Wall Street mocking Trump
Town Hall, audience laughs
Weirdest handshakes
CBS interview
Crazy shit Trump says is deleted from transcripts
Trump being creepy about “beautiful reporters” and Africa
Hot mic catches Trump’s take on Putin
Trump’s idiotic take on the Declaration of Independence
Trump claps and gives giddy greeting to Putin
Trump brags about invading California
“Trump’s Response to Shooting Shows Intensified Anti-Immigration Stance”
“The president is furiously demanding limits on migration and attacking ethnic groups as he steps up his efforts to equate immigration with crime and economic distress.”
This Tunnel System Changes How Chickens Are Raised! 🐓#farming #lifehack..
.https://youtube.com/shorts/NYxWRVQblOo
Anything that improves the quality of life for livestock is good.
“EU leaders say they don’t expect the Hungarian prime minister’s trip to Moscow to bring peace to Ukraine.”
European leaders slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow on Friday, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During a press conference with his Slovenian counterpart in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Orbán had showed up at the Kremlin “without a European mandate.”
Merz said he wasn’t surprised by Orbán’s actions, as this was not the first time he’s acted autonomously, but doubted that the Hungarian leader would help stop the war in Ukraine.
Orbán “has his own ideas about how to end this war. So far, they have not been realized,” Merz said.
[…] Orbán last visited Moscow in July 2024, portraying himself as being on a “peace mission.”
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob agreed with Merz, saying he hoped Orbán’s visit will “not cause any major damage.”
“We do not expect any benefits or advantages from this visit,” Golob said.
Meeting with Putin, Orbán said Budapest would be ready to host a summit between Russia and the United States to discuss a peace plan in Ukraine.
“Hungary is interested in peace … Hungary is ready to host such talks and to provide assistance in the successful completion of this process,” Orbán told the Russian president during the meeting.
Putin thanked the Hungarian leader, adding that the idea to consider Hungary as a possible spot for a meeting emerged from Washington.
“It was Donald [Trump]’s proposal. He said right away: ‘We [both] have good relations with Hungary, you have, and so do I, so I am proposing this option,’” Putin said.
Putin added that he would be “pleased” to come to Budapest in case “negotiations with the U.S. will lead to that.”
[…] European leaders, including Estonia’s then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, condemned the trip. Kallas is now the EU’s foreign affairs chief.
“He is exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion,” said Kallas at the time. More recently, Orbán blocked prolonging EU sanctions against Russia and financial support for Ukraine, which require unanimous support from member countries.
In an interview with Mathias Döpfner, CEO of German media group Axel Springer (which owns POLITICO), he criticized the EU for supporting Ukraine, saying that Kyiv has “no chance” at winning the war. [Doofus is an asshat]
The Hungarian leader, whose country is dependent on Russian energy supplies, has also secured a yearlong exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian oil. [!]
Before Friday’s meeting, Orbán said in a statement on X that he was going to Moscow to secure oil and gas deliveries to Hungary, in order to ensure they remain “secure and affordable.”
birgerjohanssonsays
Good urban planning.
“These neighborhoods built right next to each other are so different”
“The package includes drones, long-range missiles, soldier systems, logistics vehicles and critical radar upgrades.”
Germany’s Bundestag budget committee is planning to sign off on over €2.6 billion in new military programs, according to a confidential list seen by POLITICO.
The approvals, set for next week, mark another broad procurement round as Berlin ramps up defense spending and reenergizes its arms industry.
The 11-item package includes almost every capability area: drones, long-range missiles, soldier systems, logistics vehicles and critical radar upgrades.
For Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, it’s another step toward making the Bundeswehr a war-ready force while giving German manufacturers a steadier pipeline of long-term orders.
Some of the biggest checks are being written for drones.
MPs will clear about €68 million for Uranos KI, an AI-enabled reconnaissance network built in competing versions by Airbus Defence and Space and German defense-AI company Helsing. Another €86 million will keep the German Heron TP, operated by Airbus DS Airborne Solutions and based on Israel’s Heron TP, flying into the 2030s. Roughly €16 million will go to Aladin, a short-range reconnaissance drone developed by Munich-based startup Quantum Systems.
Air power also gets a significant boost.
MPs are set to approve around €445 million for a new batch of Joint Strike Missiles, produced by Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and integrated for Germany’s incoming Lockheed Martin F-35A fleet. Separate contracts worth €37 million will replace obsolete radar components on Eurofighter jets.
NH90 naval helicopters, built by NHIndustries — a consortium of Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and Fokker — will receive a parallel radar upgrade, as the model returned to headlines after Norway settled a long-running availability dispute with the manufacturer.
At the soldier level, the Bundeswehr will move forward with close to €760 million for new G95 assault rifles from Heckler & Koch, nearly €490 million for laser-light modules supplied by Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics, and about €140 million for headset-based communications systems produced by Rheinmetall Electronics with major subcontractors 3M and CeoTronics.
And in a sign of Berlin’s effort to rebuild military logistics at scale, MPs will approve roughly €380 million for off-road military trucks from Mercedes-Benz and around €175 million for heavy tank-transport trailers built by DOLL. These contracts directly feed Germany’s defense-industrial base as Berlin pushes industry to deliver at wartime speed.
President Trump said Friday that he’s canceling every executive order former President Biden enacted but didn’t personally sign.
“Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect. The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Friday afternoon post on his Truth Social platform.
“The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally. Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added. [FFS]
Before Trump pardoned turkeys Gobble and Waddle on Tuesday, he joked that his predecessor’s turkey pardons were invalid due to him using an autopen.
“After a thorough and very rigorous investigation … into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden, he used an autopen last year for the turkey’s pardon,” Trump said. […]
Humans first travelled to the ancient landmass that would become Australia and New Guinea about 60,000 years ago via two routes, a new genetic analysis suggests.
The findings, published today in Science Advances, bring the date of when the First Australians arrived in Sahul — based on genetic evidence — much closer to those in the archaeological record of about 65,000 years.
According to Christopher Clarkson, an archaeologist at Griffith University, the question of when First Nations people arrived in Australia has sparked ongoing “fierce debate” in the fields of genetics and archaeology.
Until now, dates based on genetics placed arrival between 47,000 and 51,000 years ago.
“We’ve been pointing to this mystery of why is there this time gap, and why does the genetics not match the older archaeological record?” Professor Clarkson, who was not involved in the new study, said.
“Now, with this new analysis … we can see for the first time that actually these two things do match very well.”
After decades of searching, it seems that lightning does occur on Mars — but it’s nothing like the large bolts we experience on Earth.
That’s according to a new study published in Nature today, which revealed audio recordings, captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover, of the atmospheric electrical phenomenon.
While lightning might invoke images of jagged lines of electricity arcing across the sky and accompanying booms of thunder, the lightning Perseverance recorded on the red planet was closer to a zap from touching a door handle.
The international team of researchers behind the finding suggested the dozens of instances of lightning captured were mostly caused by dust being whipped around and becoming electrically charged.
And while experts have labelled the rover’s audio data “persuasive”, it did not capture images or video of actual flashes, so the debate on whether Mars truly has lightning was still not settled.
he perpendicular arms of the humble backyard rotary clothesline have provided the inspiration for a newly named species of Australian bloodroot.
The native plant has been named Haemodorum collevatum, drawing on the Latin words “collis”, meaning hills, and “levatum”, to lift up (or, in this case, hoist).
The field of taxonomy sometimes look to popular figures, such as David Attenborough or a Star Wars character, when choosing scientific and common names for new species of plant or animal.
Other times, a name stems from a defining characteristic.
NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft captured stunning new images of Earth recently as it whipped past the planet during a high-speed slingshot maneuver, sending the probe on a fast track toward the famous asteroid Apophis.
The photos showcase Earth in striking detail during a flyby on Sept. 23 when OSIRIS-APEX — short for “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Apophis Explorer” — flew just 2,136 miles (3,438 kilometers) above the planet during its closest approach.
… (Snip!)..
The September flyby was designed to use Earth’s gravity to boost OSIRIS-APEX’s speed and redirect it toward Apophis, which will swing past Earth on April 13, 2029. That encounter will bring the asteroid closer than many satellites — close enough for Earth’s tidal forces to potentially reshape the asteroid’s surface, alter its spin or even shift its orbit. OSIRIS-APEX is scheduled to arrive shortly thereafter, making it the first mission to document how an asteroid responds to a close planetary pass, according to the University of Arizona’s mission overview page.
Most of the attempts were reported after the Senate on Tuesday voted to adjourn until January—rejecting Braun’s call for a special session focused on redistricting.
[…]
the most recent reports come after Trump posted multiple times this week on his Truth Social platform about Indiana [naming some of them, one of whom was swatted later that day.]
Me @ 327
Like # 45 & 47 to be precise. Except King Henry did launch some disastrous wars, because he had no social media where he could brag.
Before the internet, tyrants with small dicks had to wage wars to show the world how tremendously powerful they were.
Since the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered this past July — just the third confirmed object to arrive from another star — astronomers have been closely following its passage through our solar system.
..(Snip)..
Here are four key things the agency revealed about the interstellar visitor.
I assume Chuck Shumer will attempt to block any senate resolution condemning Israeli torture. The Republicans will of course block it, but the corrupt ones among the Democrats need to go on record for opposing the idea.
StevoRsays
A series of severe, decades-long droughts ushered the end of the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, a new study finds.
This Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the “Harappan” civilization) flourished between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago in a region that stretched across the modern-day India-Pakistan border. Its people created cities, such as Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, which had sophisticated water-management systems. They also created a written script, which remains undeciphered by modern scholars, and they traveled to Mesopotamia, where they conducted trade.
Why their civilization declined has long been a matter of debate. Now, in a new study, published Thursday (Nov. 27) in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, scientists say that lengthy droughts played a sizable role.
From his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, President Trump condemnedthe attack as an “act of terror” and blamed former US President Joe Biden’s administration for admitting the alleged shooter into the country after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Today, with voices on the right increasingly tired of foreign conflict and increasingly aware of the influence foreign lobby groups wield over our government, it’s a different story.
In the wake of the Gaza genocide, conservatives, especially young conservatives, are rethinking the bellicose foreign policy that characterised our nation for decades and the unconditional flow of money and weapons we have provided to the Israeli government. These conservatives are less concerned about the imaginary threat of “sharia law” taking over America, and more concerned about corrupt politicians who put a foreign nation’s interests before theirs.
So why are we seeing these stale conspiracies seemingly everywhere again? Why are influential (or more precisely, formerly influential) right-wing media institutions promoting them? Why are social media platforms like X boosting anti-Muslim content? And why are certain right-wing politicians spending time declaring American Muslim civil rights organisations as terrorist groups?
“Focusing on just prices misses the bigger picture.”
Affordability – or the lack of it – is dominating the public discourse. “Affordability, affordability, affordability: Democrats’ new winning formula,” proclaims Politico. “Trump tries to seize ‘affordability’ message,” reports The New York Times. Election results in New Jersey, Virginia, New York and elsewhere showed that voters are responding to candidates who speak directly to the cost of living.
Today’s affordability debate, however, focuses almost entirely on prices, as if the only way to make life affordable is to make things cheaper. But that approach misses the bigger picture. Affordability depends on both prices and wages. The roots of today’s affordability crisis actually lie not in recent price spikes, but in the long-term suppression of workers’ pay.
For more than four decades, employers have been actively suppressing the wages of working people, so that corporate managers and owners can claim an ever-larger share of the income generated by what workers produce. Government policies facilitated these efforts. Policymakers allowed labor standards such as the minimum wage to erode (and reduced enforcement of the standards we do have), blocked adequate protections for workers’ right to organize and promoted macroeconomic policy that allowed unemployment to remain too high for long periods, undermining workers’ leverage.
One way to see this shift is by comparing the growth in workers’ pay to the growth in productivity, which measures how much income is generated on average in an hour of work. If pay for typical workers had kept pace with productivity over the past 45 years, their paychecks today would be roughly 40% larger. That wage shortfall is what is really driving America’s affordability crisis – and reversing it must be central to any serious affordability agenda.
Policymakers who only look at prices and ignore paychecks are missing a huge set of affordability policy levers. Stronger labor law, which helps workers’ ability to unionize and bargain collectively, is affordability policy. A higher minimum wage is affordability policy. Macroeconomic policy that keeps unemployment low and protects workers’ bargaining power is affordability policy. A durable social safety net that keeps families from falling into poverty when they lose a job or get sick is affordability policy.
These reforms are also incredibly popular. […] Americans overwhelmingly back higher minimum wages. There is electoral gold to be mined by policymakers who show voters that they are pursuing policies that will make life more affordable by raising wages.
That’s not to dismiss efforts on the price side of the affordability equation. Antimonopoly policies can help keep large corporations from inflating prices. Building affordable housing can help reduce housing costs. Subsidies for – or public provision of – necessities such as health care, child care and transportation can provide families a crucial buffer. Those are all essential efforts.
But if policymakers promise they will lower prices enough to ensure affordability for U.S. families, they are setting voters up for disappointment. The vast majority of prices will never come down. We live in a mostly capitalist economy where prices are set by millions of private actors. Micromanaging them isn’t possible or even desirable in most cases.
What policy can do is ensure that the labor market delivers rising incomes: through better labor standards and collective bargaining rights, through macroeconomic policy that helps ensure a full employment economy and boosts workers’ leverage and through social policies that fill the gaps the market leaves behind.
Research consistently finds that voters blame inflation on government policy but take personal responsibility for what happens to their wages – good or bad. This perception is backwards, and especially so in the post-pandemic recovery. The inflation of the early 2020s was driven almost entirely by the Covid-19 pandemic and global conflicts, not U.S. government policy, and it receded as those shocks eased. By contrast, the rapid wage growth during the same period was driven almost entirely by a deliberate policy decision: using large-scale fiscal stimulus to engineer a rapid recovery from the Covid-19 recession.
As lawmakers grapple with the cost of living, they need to remind Americans – again and again – that pay is a policy choice. Making life more affordable means not just lowering prices where possible and necessary, but raising wages. True affordability comes when working people earn enough to cover the costs of living with dignity and security.
Nebraska has been on a roll. After voting big for President Donald Trump in 2024 and Republicans since forever, the state is now reaping what it so eagerly sowed.
Its economy is collapsing. It lacks the workers it needs. It is losing its medical facilities. And none of this is surprising given how dependent Nebraska is on federal subsidies, immigrant farm labor, and international trade—all things Trump and his party have targeted with budget slashing, mass immigration raids, and tariffs.
The latest blow is the announcement that Tyson Foods is closing its beef processing plant in Lexington. The facility employs around 3,200 workers—roughly a third of the town’s population.
A hit of that scale doesn’t land on Lexington alone, though. It sends shockwaves through the region: restaurants, grocery stores, landlords, schools, trucking operations, small suppliers, and everyone else tied to the local economy. With the closure slated for January, the message for the holidays and the year ahead is grim. Entire communities now have to brace for an economic crater their political choices helped create.
[…] for all the talk about putting America first, Trump was perfectly happy to boost Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, by cutting a deal to import Argentinian beef straight into the U.S. market. Trump got to help a fellow authoritarian, and Nebraska got undercut. [map showing GDP loss in 2025]
Tyson’s cuts aren’t limited to Nebraska. The company is also slashing another 1,700 jobs at its plant in Amarillo, Texas. In total, those cuts will slash the nation’s beef processing capacity by up to 9%. And when capacity drops that sharply across the country, the downstream effects show up exactly where you’d expect: higher prices at the checkout counter and fewer jobs in the places that can least afford to lose them.
There’s yet another layer to this crisis, one that Republicans pretend doesn’t exist.
Years of intensifying drought have helped to shrink cattle herds across the Great Plains. Climate change makes every part of the system more brittle—feed costs rise, grazing conditions worsen, ranchers liquidate herds, and the supply chain tightens even further. Instead of facing that reality, though, Republicans have spent decades mocking climate science and blocking any serious attempt to prepare for the future. That denial is now baked into the economic suffering states like Nebraska are experiencing.
None of these problems are abstract. They are the predictable result of a political movement that promises easy answers, scapegoats immigrants, attacks the very federal investment its states rely on, and refuses to accept the basic facts of a warming planet.
As long as Nebraskans keep voting Republican to, you know, keep some trans kid from a swim meet or whatever, this won’t be the last town in the state to face economic collapse.
“Trump says airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed”
President Donald Trump on Saturday said that commercial airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed, increasing pressure on the country’s leadership after weeks of escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas and the growing threat of a U.S. attack against the country.
Though Trump does not have the legal authority to close the airspace over another country, such a move is sometimes a first step ahead of airstrikes. His declaration follows a massive buildup of U.S. military forces in the region in recent weeks, as Trump has ramped up threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. And it is likely to disrupt the lives of Venezuelan citizens and the mountainous country’s economy.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Saturday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to explain why Trump was warning planes not to fly above Venezuela.
[…] A White House threat about airspace closure might be enough to prompt commercial airlines to halt flights over Venezuela, a nation of 28 million people. [AI Icon]
Actually enforcing a no-fly zone would require an extensive military campaign and a significant commitment of resources. A handful of commercial flights continued above Venezuela midday Saturday, hours after Trump’s post.
The Obama administration took part in an international coalition to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in 2011. [AI Icon]
But that came only after a U.N. Security Council resolution gave an international stamp of approval […]
The U.S. has about 15,000 troops in the region spread across about a dozen other warships in the Caribbean and support forces in Puerto Rico. It’s the largest military buildup there in decades.
A little more than a week ago, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning for pilots “to exercise caution” when flying over Venezuelan airspace “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity” in or around the country.
[…] Although Trump has linked his focus on Maduro in part to the drug trade inside the United States, very little of Venezuela’s drug production actually flows into U.S. borders […] Most goes to Europe or elsewhere in the Caribbean. Trump has also complained about Venezuela’s role in the flow of migration into the United States.
Trump has been ambiguous about whether he plans to strike inside Venezuela, even as he has increased pressure on Maduro.
“If we can save lives, if you can do things the easy way, that’s fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that’s fine too,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday.
“His intellectually challenging and verbally dazzling works, including ‘Arcadia’ and ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,’ were among the most acclaimed and oft-performed plays of the last half-century.”
Tom Stoppard, a Czech-born British dramatist whose intellectually challenging and verbally dazzling works included some of the most acclaimed and oft-performed plays of the past half-century, has died at his home in Dorset, England. He was 88.
[…] Mr. Stoppard’s most popular works — among them his Tony Award-winning plays “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Travesties,” “The Real Thing,” “The Coast of Utopia” trilogy, and “Leopoldstadt” — explored political, artistic and scientific questions, often in settings that permitted mash-ups of high and low culture. Topics ranged from Fermat to Pink Floyd to Sigmund Freud, and even his most demanding works were filigreed with comic flourishes.
[…] His first big success, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” (1966), was, according to New York Times theater critic Clive Barnes, “a very funny play about death,” […]
Its protagonists are minor characters from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” trying to interpret the events swirling around them. Though generally confused, they stumble onto certain important truths, a bit elliptically, as when Rosencrantz muses, “Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it going to end?”
[…] Mr. Stoppard contended with his own questions of identity as he transitioned from Tomáš Straussler (in Czechoslovakia) to Tommy Straussler (in India) to Tom Stoppard (in England). Though the adult Mr. Stoppard seemed quintessentially British — he was an avid cricket player and was knighted in 1997 — he said he often felt like an outsider. “I find I put a foot wrong — it could be pronunciation, an arcane bit of English history — and suddenly I’m there naked,” he told the Guardian in 2008.
Yet Mr. Stoppard was a devotee of English culture before he became a part of English culture. A film he co-authored, “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), may be the most popular work ever about England’s greatest writer, grossing nearly $300 million. A 16th-century romcom, it has Shakespeare falling for a would-be actress while writing a play called “Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate’s Daughter.” Love conquers, if not all, at least that star-crossed title. Mr. Stoppard and his co-writer, Marc Norman, won an Oscar for their original screenplay.
[…] “Jumpers” (1972) was described by theater critic Benedict Nightingale, writing in the New York Times, as a play “in which people variously perform gymnastics, dangle off chandeliers, commit murder, sing torch songs, deliver long monologues about religion, crack jokes, free-associate waking dreams, stage a coup d’etat and discuss the meaning of the first moon landing, all in the interests of establishing whether God-given ethics exist.”
Often his characters were, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, bit players caught up in momentous real or fictitious events. He once told Life magazine that he wrote “about human beings under stress — whether it is about losing one’s trousers or being nailed to the cross.”
[…] Though he got no billing on Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), the director told Empire magazine that Mr. Stoppard was “pretty much responsible for every line of dialogue.” He performed similar script-doctor duties on George Lucas’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” (2005).
[…] Late in life, Mr. Stoppard learned that all four of his grandparents were Jewish and had died in Nazi concentration camps. That discovery led him to write “Leopoldstadt,” a play about a Jewish family in Vienna before and after World War II.
In the play, a character based on the young Mr. Stoppard speaks of his good fortune in becoming a Brit, with his early life in a large Jewish family only a vague memory. A relative who wasn’t as lucky tells the young man, “No one is born eight years old.”
When “Leopoldstadt” opened in London in 2020, Mr. Stoppard told reporters that it was likely to be his last play. (After a pandemic delay, it opened on Broadway in 2022.)
It was an elegiac note on which to take his leave. “ ‘Leopoldstadt’ feels like an act of personal reckoning for its creator . . . one man’s passionate declaration of identity as a Jew,” Times theater critic Ben Brantley wrote in his review of the London production.
Mr. Stoppard told the Guardian, “It stole up on me. I didn’t think, ‘I must finish this off and have people sobbing,’ but in the end I was sobbing myself. . . . Honestly, nothing I have written has had that effect on me.”
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s briefing at the Pentagon next week will welcome a new crop of media that no longer includes the mainstream press.”
The Defense Department is set to play host to right-wing media at the Pentagon early next week for its first in-person press event and briefing since the mainstream press corps walked out in October rather than sign the department’s new press policy, according to two people familiar with the plans.
Shortly after the mass exodus of established Pentagon journalists, the Defense Department said a group of right-wing media outlets and influencers — who had not regularly covered the Pentagon under the Trump administration — would sign the new press policy, which prohibits soliciting any information that the government doesn’t authorize. [!] Those outlets include the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, Human Events and the National Pulse, along with far-right activist Laura Loomer. [!]
[…] Loomer confirmed that she would attend. Turning Point USA, the Daily Signal, and Tim Pool’s Timcast are also among those invited to attend, according to people familiar with the matter. […]
Pool previously had a lucrative contract with a group called Tenet Media that the Justice Department said in an indictment was operated by Russian government-funded media outlet RT. [!] Pool was not charged and has said he didn’t know about the outlet’s ownership.
[…] Loomer has called herself “anti-Islam,” and has urged a “national crackdown on Islam” in recent days after an Afghan national was charged in an armed attack on two National Guard members that left one dead and another in critical condition.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has largely shied from the mainstream press during his time as secretary. While he said in a statement in February that he would help usher in “the most transparent administration ever,” formal press briefings have been scarce.
[…] Before the new press policy and the resultant walkout, Hegseth and his staff spent months tightening restrictions on Pentagon reporters while limiting military personnel from directly communicating with the press. In February, Hegseth removed several major news organizations from their dedicated offices at the Pentagon to afford space for right-wing outlets OAN, Newsmax and Breitbart, as well as the left-leaning HuffPost. The briefing room, typically available for reporters to use for TV appearances, was also made inaccessible.
One America News is the only media outlet that previously regularly reported on the Pentagon in person and signed the document. OAN reporter Alexandra Ingersoll was granted a rare interview with Hegseth, which broadcast on Nov. 20.
“The Defense Department has avoided questions from the press, all while U.S. troops are operating around the globe, the Pentagon has conducted legally questionable military strikes that have killed people in international waters and the administration has deployed troops to American cities,” the Military Reporters and Editors, an association supporting military journalists, wrote in an October statement denouncing the press policy.
“Even if a peace can be reached, it won’t be easy to solve the problem of Ukrainian civilians languishing in Russian jails. This is one prisoner’s story.”
At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Mykola Zakhozhyi, a 37-year-old father of two young boys, jumped on his motorcycle and zoomed off from his house in the suburbs of Kyiv.
He told his wife he wanted to see what was going on with the Russian troops who had just invaded their area.
He did not come back that night. Or the next. Or that month. Or the month after that. […]
[He] had become one of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians taken by Russian forces from occupied areas of Ukraine and shunted through a constellation of Russian prisons in a new kind of gulag.
They are a class of prisoners languishing incommunicado deep within the penal system of an enemy state. Some have died in captivity, and relatively few have been released. Those who have been freed, like Mr. Zakhozhyi, say they were tortured, nearly starved […]
He described his nearly yearlong ordeal, which he said included regular beatings with a plastic pipe and a paltry diet of ground-up fish heads […]
He also provided paperwork showing he had been incarcerated in Russia. Ukrainian human rights investigators and government officials corroborated that he had been taken prisoner by Russian forces and the accounts of a half-dozen others like him who were interviewed by The New York Times.
The details of how Mr. Zakhozhyi said he was treated could not be verified independently, but everything he said fit with a growing body of reports and investigations into the abuse of prisoners in Russian custody. The other former prisoners interviewed by The Times shared similar stories.
The Ukrainians call these prisoners “civilian hostages.” Their fates are likely to be one of the most difficult issues to resolve if Ukraine and Russia ever agree on a peace deal […]
Uniformed soldiers captured on the battlefield are routinely exchanged between the two sides. They are P.O.W.s — prisoners of war — and there is an established channel for them. Trading them is part of modern warfare.
Captured civilians are a different story.
In the twisted logic of war, Ukrainian officials say that they cannot start trading the Russian soldiers they have captured for their civilians. It would only incentivize the Russians to scoop up more civilians. And the Russians, occupying 20 percent of Ukraine, have a vast population to choose from. […]
Ukrainian officials say they have confirmed that at least 1,700 civilians are in Russian captivity. “The actual number is likely significantly higher […]”
Russian authorities have shared very little about where captives are being held or even if they are still alive. The only information often comes from a patchwork of accounts and fleeting glimpses from released Ukrainian P.O.W.s who were kept in the same prisons. […]
[…] Mr. Zakhozhyi said the abuse started from the moment he was captured on March 2, 2022.
He had ridden his motorcycle to the woods outside his town, trying to spot the Russian invaders. But they spotted him first.
Mr. Zakhozhyi said that Russian soldiers had dragged him to a frozen pit and kicked him in the head so hard he was knocked out. When he came to, he saw Russian soldiers pouring diesel over him and some other captives, threatening to light them on fire.
One Russian soldier nicknamed Kliuch, or key, used a small wrench key to break people’s fingers, Mr. Zakhozhyi said. He wanted to cover his ears and block out the screams.
Under international law, Mr. Zakhozhyi fell into a gray zone. He was not armed when he was apprehended, nor was he part of any official military unit.
[…] The Geneva Conventions give occupying powers (like Russia in this case) the authority to detain civilians that they deem security risks. The conventions specifically refer to spies and saboteurs, and the Russians have put some Ukrainians on trial for espionage and sentenced them to years in prison.
But legal scholars say that Russia and Ukraine often disagree on who should be considered a civilian or combatant, and that the Russians flagrantly disregard international law.
The fact that Russia refuses to call the conflict in Ukraine a war, but rather “a special military operation,” complicates matters further.
[…] Regardless of a prisoner’s status, the Geneva Conventions call for humane treatment. That is not what they have received in Russia […]
“Ninety-four percent have claimed torture. It’s not rare cases. It’s policy.”
[…] Several weeks after that, a Ukrainian soldier who had just been released in an official prisoner exchange responded to a plea for information that Ms. Zakhozha had posted on Facebook.
The soldier told her that her husband was alive. He had shared a cell with him in a pretrial detention facility in Kursk, a Russian city not far from the border. […] She contacted every agency she could think of, but none could confirm the information. […]
At each prison he was taken to, Mr. Zakhozhyi said, he was treated to what was known as “the welcome beating.”
The guards would line up the incoming prisoners and force them to run a gantlet. The prisoners were knocked to the ground with punches and kicks. Sometimes, Mr. Zakhozhyi said, the guards jumped on their backs. Then they would march the prisoners through the corridors, taking special care to slam them into the metal door frames.
Mr. Zakhozhyi said he was held in half a dozen different places, including army camps, two detention facilities and an airfield that he believed was in Belarus — he was blindfolded at the time, but said he could recognize the accents.
In the Kursk jail, he said, he was beaten on the way to the showers, beaten on way to the yard, hit with electric shockers and beaten while waiting to be interrogated. None of this, according to other civilian prisoners, was unusual.
“They weren’t full of hate,” said Oleksandr Tarasov, a Ukrainian journalist who was held in Russian captivity. “They were coldblooded systematic professionals.” [I snipped additional details describing torture.]
[…] Even if the war comes to an end, […] Russians will keep holding these prisoners as bargaining chips.
[…] Mr. Zakhozhyi’s wife did not know it, but after about two months in Kursk, he said, he was transferred to another facility. This time, he was sent all the way to Tula, about 120 miles south of Moscow.
In Tula, the guards took a “white plastic pipe, maybe 30 centimeters diameter,” Mr. Zakhozhyi explained with an engineer’s precision. “Before they beat your back with it, they would tell you about the bruises they would leave. […]
In Tula, he got sick. He lost more than 60 pounds. A typical meal, he said, was a single slice of white bread or maybe, every once in a while, a mushy, hockey-puck-shaped lump of minced fish heads.
[…] When the guards were not watching, the Ukrainians sat quietly with their cellmates and whispered to one another their personal details. Name. Phone number. Girlfriend or wife’s name. Phone number. Facebook avatars. Place of capture.
The prisoners committed the details to memory. It was not an exercise just to kill time. It added up to a vital lifeline of information.
One night in early 2023, Mr. Zakhozhyi heard cell doors banging open and guards barking out names. […]
[…] They called his name.
He was marched outside to a bus, blindfolded, driven to an airfield and put on an aircraft. He emerged at a tented camp where instead of a welcome beating, he and the other prisoners were treated to powdered potatoes and noodles.
Apparently, the Russians were trying to fatten them up — or least make them look less sickly. Mr. Zakhozhyi ate till his stomach hurt.
He climbed aboard another bus […] He was released as part of an exchange of P.O.W.s. It is not clear if the mistake in categorizing him as a P.O.W. helped get him out; in other exchanges, a few civilians have been released along with many more soldiers.
[…] On the morning of Feb. 4, 2023, Ms. Zakhozha was anxiously monitoring a prisoner release broadcast online when she saw the image of a man who looked like a dying version of her husband.
[…] It has been more than two years since the Zakhozhyis were reunited but still, he says, he feels the presence of “a shadow” on his life.
[…] His ears continue to ring from the beatings. His back is so damaged from the time a guard jumped on him that he has trouble picking up his youngest son.
[…] After all he’s been through, what he really craves, he said, was “maximum silence.”
“Russia Bombards Ukraine for Nearly 10 Hours in a Deadly Assault”
“The attack came as U.S. officials were expected to hold peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in the coming days.”
Russia unleashed a nearly 10-hour air assault across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least two people in the capital and injuring dozens more, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
The attack, which involved dozens of Russian missiles and hundreds of drones, came as Trump administration officials were expected to meet with Ukrainian and Russian officials in the coming days as part of a diplomatic push to end the war.
The Russian assault started just before midnight, with the capital, Kyiv, coming under the heaviest fire. The all-clear was given around 9:30 a.m. Under a thick white fog, emergency workers scrambled to respond to fires and tend to the wounded in seven districts of Kyiv.
[…] two people had been killed and at least 37 injured. A third person was killed outside the city.
[…] President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said Russia had targeted energy infrastructure and “civilian facilities” in the sweeping attack, which involved 36 missiles and nearly 600 drones. More than 600,000 consumers were without power in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Saturday morning […]
When Mr. Zelensky later announced that a Ukrainian delegation was en route to the United States “to swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war,” rescue efforts at the nine-story apartment building in Kyiv were winding down. […]
birgerjohanssonsays
South Park Takes Saudi Money To Finance the Turkey Trot Race. (Cartman goes full Racist) Hegseth mistakes the race for a muslim insurrection. It is as beautiful as a head-on train collision!
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ACDndxXHFcI
“Lured by Jobs, They Ended Up ‘Going to War’ for Russia”
“The South African government is investigating how more than a dozen men unwittingly ended up on the front line in Russia’s war on Ukraine.”
When an unemployed father of three received a phone call in July, asking if he wanted to do a yearlong bodyguard training program in Russia, he says he jumped at the opportunity.
He said the woman on the other line identified herself as a daughter of Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s former president. He said she told him that after completing the program, he would be given a job working security for her father’s political party, for which she held a seat in Parliament.
But within six weeks of arriving in Russia, the man, 46, sensed that something was off. His supposed bodyguard trainers gave him military fatigues and a rifle and took him to the southern city of Rostov. A short time later, he said, he was on the front line of the war in Ukraine, sleeping in trenches in mud-soaked battlefields in the Donbas region and surrounded by tanks, drones and raging gunfire.
“We had been lied to,” said the man, who said he was still stuck in Russia and requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. “There was no bodyguard training. We were going to war.”
Seventeen South Africans have sent distress signals to their government this month asking to be rescued from the grinding battle in Ukraine, according to the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mr. Ramaphosa has announced an investigation into how the men ended up there, and an elite police unit says it is looking into criminal charges against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Mr. Zuma’s daughter, who has been accused by one of her own sisters of tricking the men into joining the Russian battle.
The scandal has exposed a rift among the Zumas, one of South Africa’s best-known political families. The sister filed a criminal complaint against Ms. Zuma-Sambudla, accusing her of handing the men over to a Russian mercenary group without their knowledge or consent, according to the police.
The sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, said in a statement that she had a “moral obligation” to inform the authorities about Ms. Zuma-Sambudla’s involvement in the scandal. Eight of her own family members had been “lured to Russia under false pretenses and handed to a Russian mercenary group to fight in the Ukraine war without their knowledge or consent,” Ms. Zuma-Mncube said in her statement.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, also filed a criminal complaint against Ms. Zuma-Sambudla, alleging that she had participated in the illegal trafficking of the South Africans who ended up in Russia. […]
[…] On Friday, uMkhonto weSizwe, or Spear of the Nation, the political party led by the father, announced that Ms. Zuma-Sambudla had resigned from her seat as a result of the investigation.
South African law criminalizes serving in a foreign military without the government’s approval. […]
Ms. Zuma-Sambudla has long been a lightning rod in South Africa. She is currently on trial for treason, related to deadly riots across the country in 2021. Her father has close ties to the Russian government, and Ms. Zuma-Sambudla has expressed support for the country on social media. [!]
Ukraine has accused Russia of using subterfuge to recruit fighters from across Africa [!], where many governments have close ties with the Kremlin dating to the Soviet Union’s support for various African independence movements.
[…] The 46-year-old South African, who spoke to The New York Times via text and voice notes, said he had trusted the trip to Russia would be legitimate because he believed that Ms. Zuma-Sambudla had personally assured him everything would be fine. He said he had been told that, after the training, he would get a job as a bodyguard for uMkhonto weSizwe.
[…] recruits were asked to sign a document consenting to military service under contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
[…] officials with uMkhonto weSizwe insisted that the party had no involvement in the recruitment of the men, and that Ms. Zuma-Sambudla had not implicated the party in her affidavit to the police alleging fraud.
The police did not elaborate on Ms. Zuma-Sambudla’s allegations of fraud and she has not spoken publicly about her complaint. A local news outlet reported that Ms. Zuma-Sambudla claims in her affidavit to have been manipulated into participating in a recruitment program she thought was lawful and safe.
The 46-year-old father of three sent The Times a photo of a military service certificate written in Russian with his picture on it. It describes him as a driver in a howitzer artillery platoon participating in Russia’s “special military operation” on Ukrainian territory, including Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. […]
“We don’t want to die here,” he said. “I am a shell of a human being, physically spent. It is complete misery.”
“The number has skyrocketed in recent weeks and includes at least 20 judges appointed by Trump himself.”
The Trump administration’s bid to systematically lock up nearly all immigrants facing deportation proceedings has led to a fierce — and mounting — rejection by courts across the country.
That effort, which began with an abrupt policy change by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 8, has led to a tidal wave of emergency lawsuits after ICE’s targets were arrested at workplaces, courthouses or check-ins with immigration officers. Many have lived in the U.S. for years, and sometimes decades, without incident and have been pursuing asylum or other forms of legal status.
At least 225 judges have ruled in more than 700 cases that the administration’s new policy, which also deprives people of an opportunity to seek release from an immigration court, is a likely violation of law and the right to due process. […] The number of judges opposing the administration’s position has more than doubled in less than a month.
In contrast, only eight judges nationwide, including six appointed by Trump, have sided with the administration’s new mass detention policy.
Courts […] have grown exasperated by the deluge of litigation that has flooded their dockets. […]
“The Court is unable to remain current on all new case authority supporting the Court’s conclusion, given the continued onslaught of litigation being generated by [the administration’s] widespread illegal detention practices,” U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder […] wrote in a Nov. 21 ruling.
[…] Because the cases are typically brought by individual detainees on an emergency basis, there have been few broad attempts to block the ICE policy. But that may be changing. Judges in Massachusetts and Colorado recently certified class action lawsuits against ICE’s new approach. And on Tuesday, a judge in California approved a nationwide class, which could immediately force the administration to provide bond hearings to those subject to the ICE policy.
[…] The Trump administration has asked appeals courts in the Texas-based 5th Circuit and the Missouri-based 8th Circuit for expedited rulings on the matter. But it has also asked appeals courts in other parts of the country to slow-walk their consideration […]
DHS officials expressed confidence that their view of mass detention would be upheld when it reached appellate — and perhaps Supreme Court — review […]
[…] At the heart of the issue are two complex provisions of federal immigration law that have confounded courts for decades.
One of them requires immigration officials to detain “arriving” immigrants who are “applicants for admission” and are also “seeking admission” to the United States. Judges and all previous administrations have interpreted these provisions to apply primarily to those who were apprehended at the border shortly after entering the country.
The second provision permits — but does not require — the attorney general to seek the detention of immigrants while they face deportation proceedings. It has long been applied to the millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the nation’s interior for years, often paroled into the country after encountering immigration officials at the border. […]
The Trump administration broke from 30 years of precedent when it concluded that millions of immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years could still be treated as “seeking admission” to the country — subjecting them to mandatory detention typically only meant for new arrivals.
[…] Until the administration’s new policy, the bulk of people facing deportation were allowed to remain free while their proceedings were pending in immigration courts — a distinct, executive branch-run network of courts meant to handle deportation matters.
[…] But that process is also in jeopardy: The Board of Immigration Appeals, the executive branch body that oversees immigration courts, recently adopted the administration’s policy as its own, concluding that immigration judges have no authority to release people detained under ICE’s new policy. [!]
That has left the federal judiciary as the last option for immigrants who have been locked up.
[…] while many of the cases were concentrated in major cities, where Trump’s mass deportation campaign has been most aggressive, the emergency lawsuits have cropped up in nearly every state. Judges have ruled against the administration’s position in red states such as Missouri, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Texas and others.
The White House launched a “media bias” tracker on Friday highlighting news publications that it has accused of “offenses” against the current administration after the president’s verbal clashes with reporters over their articles in recent weeks.
The live webpage features a list of articles from various outlets with links to stories the Trump administration claims have included an omission of context, lies, mischaracterization, bias or malpractice.
In a statement, the White House said the site is meant to be a “record of the media’s false and misleading stories flagged by The White House.”
It includes an “offender hall of shame” and leaderboard of publications with articles considered to be mistruths by the White House’s standards.
The Washington Post is listed first followed by MSNBC (recently rebranded as MS NOW), CBS News, CNN, The New York Times, Politico and the Wall Street Journal. […]
President Trump has lashed out against various reporters in recent weeks, calling a New York Times correspondent “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out” and telling a Bloomberg journalist “Quiet piggy” in response to a question about Jeffrey Epstein.
After being named in the president’s roundup of “repeat offenders” for reporting on White House controversies, The Washington Post quoted an internal spokesperson who said: “The Washington Post is proud of its accurate, rigorous journalism.”
The Hill is named as a “repeat offender” for one offense, which appears to be in reference to an opinion piece.
Michael W. Green did some math recently. For a family of four to afford housing, health care, child care and other necessities, he calculated that they would need at least $136,500 a year.
The U.S. poverty line, the number that the Department of Health and Human Services says is necessary to keep a family out of poverty, is $32,150 for a family of four. Green says it should be more than four times that — a figure that would mean the majority of American households are living “in poverty,” by his metric.
Green’s figures can be argued with on some points but he has an excellent point that the official figure is absurdly low. It should be noted that Green’s figures are for a middle of the road area in New Jersey, which is above average in terms of income and cost of living. The same calculation done on a national scale would be a bit lower but nowhere near the official figure.
So are his detractors: “It’s completely disconnected from reality,” American Enterprise Institute economist Kevin Corinth said. “It’s laughable to put a poverty line far above the median income in the United States.”
Corinth’s reply is typical of a whole group of replies that are themselves disconnected from reality. What the median income is has no bearing on what people actually need to function.
Green wrote that he “felt sick” when he recently learned how HHS calculates the poverty line: three times the cost of food for a family in 1963, adjusted for inflation every year.
“He is echoing some things that poverty scholars have talked about for quite a while — the official poverty measure being antiquated,” said Christopher Wimer, co-director of Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy. “Food in budgets has become a much smaller piece. Housing has gotten much more expensive.”
I agree with this point, the basis of the calculation is too simple and has become outdated. I have seen people complain that the poverty line calculation being outdated since the 80’s.
KGsays
But if policymakers promise they will lower prices enough to ensure affordability for U.S. families, they are setting voters up for disappointment. The vast majority of prices will never come down. – Lynna, OM@334 quoting MS NOW
And if they did, in any sustained way, it would be disastrous. Deflation leads both households and businesses to delay spending and hoard money, in the expectation that what they need or want to buy will be cheaper if they wait. So suppliers can’t sell what they expected, and have to cut prices further, keeping the deflation going. This is basically what happend to the Japanese economy from the 1990s onward. IIRC, most economists think a modern capitalist economy does best with an annual inflation rate of around 2% – but of course this must apply to wages and benefits as well as prices if it’s not to cause increasing hardship.
KGsays
Lynna, OM@338,
Stoppard’s political and cultural views were by his own description conservative, although I don’t imagine he approved of the latest manifestations of conservative “thought”. I’ve only ever seen two of his plays, both more than 50 years ago – Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which was a brilliant skit on the fate of these minor characters in Hamlet – who Shakespear has killed off-stage; and Jumpers, of which I retain little memory other than an amusing scene on the moon (using video) which riffs on the classic “Britsh pluck” (and sheer stupidity) story of Robert Falcon Scott and his unfortunate subordinates, who died on an attempt to be first to reach the South Pole because Scott was a twerp – and a naked Diana Rigg, definitely the highlight to my 18-year-old self.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked for a pardon from President Isaac Herzog relating to corruption charges against him.
“In accordance with the guidelines and procedures, the request is currently being transferred to the Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice which will gather the opinions of all the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Justice,” a statement from the president’s office said.
“Following this, their opinions will be transferred to the Legal Advisor in the Office of the President and her team to formulate an additional opinion for the President.”
Mr Netanyahu earlier this month insisted he would not be seeking a pardon after US President Donald Trump sent an official letter to Mr Herzog in support of one.
Mr Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 after being indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust the previous year.
Jim Wright of the Stonekettle Station blog has written this on facebook :
During Vietnam, the Army reported the daily body count up the chain of command. 50 Vietcong killed. 200 North Vietnamese soldiers killed. The army would report it to the Pentagon and the bean counters would report it to the Joint Chiefs and the Generals would report it to the President and Nixon would report it to the Press. Every night, my dad would have the news on at the dinner table and we’d hear 50 Vietcong killed, 200 North Vietnamese, whatever the count was. Good! We got ’em!
Except…
Except, what was the objective? What was the plan? How did those dead bodies further those goals and move us closer to the end point? To victory? To the defeat of Communism? To keep the dominoes from falling?
No one ever told you that.
Just, LOOK! Dead commies! Good! We got ’em. Yeah. That HAD to be good, right? And yet, all those dead bodies, all those body counts, every day at dinner, and yet, somehow, we lost. Or at least we didn’t win.
58,000 dead Americans, for what? No one knows.
It sure didn’t stop Communism. We left. Gave up, whatever you want to call it. 58,000 dead Americans, God know how many Vietnamese. Vietnam become communist anyway. Nowadays, they’re STILL communist, and for some reason they make all of our underwear. We’re capitalists and we just plain hate communism, but goddamn does capitalism love that cheap communist labor. Boy howdy.
We could have stayed out of Vietnam, saved 58,000 American lives, and gotten cheap underwear 20 years earlier.
A few decades later and it’s the War on Terrorism.
Yeah, you remember. The War on Terrorism. Again, 20 years of war. Thousands more dead American soldiers, hundreds of thousands dead Iraqis and Afghans. Every day, they’d report the victories up the chain of command. The Colonels told the Generals, the Generals told the President, the President told the Press, the Press told America, street by street, door by door, body by body, we’re winning!
And yet, somehow, we STILL have terrorism.
They never told you what the objective of the war was. What was the plan again? What’s the objective? No terrorism? Some terrorism? A little terrorism? What’s victory look like? How do you measure it? How do you know when you’ve won?
They never answered ANY of those questions. No one ever asked. Not the politicians. Not the press. Not the military. Not voters. No one.
Again, after 20 years of war, we just sort of gave up. Is the world a better place for it? Is it? Did we defeat terrorism?
Now, still, it’s the Forever War on drugs. War on narcoterrorism, whatever that is. Been going on since Nixon.
Every day, the Navy reports the body count up the chain of command. Blew up some boats. Killed some narcoterrorists. And the Admirals tell the Generals and the Generals tell the President and Trump tells the Press and the Press tells us: Blew up some boats! Killed some druggies! And America nods over dinner, well, all right! We got ’em! We’re winning! Yay!
Except…
We bombed some boats. We Killed some people. Captured some drugs. But what’s the OBJECTIVE? What are the measurables? How many boats do you have to blow up, how many traffickers to you have to kill, how many tons of drugs do you have to capture, to win?
What IS winning?
Are there less drug users? How do you know? Has the price of illicit drugs gone up on the street? How do you KNOW you’re having any affect? That’s not a rhetorical question. How do you know? How do you measure victory?
I joined the military not long after Vietnam ended, years later I fought in Iraq, and then spent the last part of my career hunting drug traffickers in South American waters. In between, among other assignments, I was a war planner. I wrote warfighting doctrine. It all starts with the objectives. You map out the measurables, the quantitative and qualitative metrics that determine how you meet the objectives. That determines the strategy and tactics and what victory looks like.
That’s what makes us different from our enemies. That planning. That clear focus on objectives, where measurables drive tactics, where victory is clearly defined…
What?
Heh heh, well, okay, you got me. That’s how it’s supposed to be. When we stick to it, we win. When we forget it, we lose.
Q.E.D.
We won nearly every battle in Vietnam, but lost the war. We won nearly every battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, but lost the peace. We win every engagement with the “narcoterrorists” but there aren’t any fewer drugs.
Because we never defined victory. We don’t even know what it looks like. We’ve never talked about it. Trump sure as hell doesn’t know. The military doesn’t know. Corporate America doesn’t know but goddamn are they ready to make a profit on whatever happens in the meantime. You, American Voter, you don’t know and you’ve never even thought about it.
Our wholes lives, with a few momentary exceptions, we’ve been at war.
We don’t know why. We don’t even know what victory looks like.
We never asked.
And here we go again. We bombed some boats, we killed some people, the Admirals tell the Generals the Generals tell the President the President brags to the Press and the Press tells us and NO WHERE in that entire process does anyone stop and ask: what the hell are we doing? What’s the objective? What’s victory look like? How do we measure it? How do we know when we’ve won? Is this a war we even want to fight?
Is there a better way?
Back during Vietnam, the children of rich cowards, Trump himself, avoided service while others went to fight and die in a war started by greedy selfish violent men all too willing to sacrifice other peoples’ children. Business grew rich. And we paid and we’re still paying.
But we never saw victory.
Round and round the cycle goes.
And here we are again. Are we going to spend another 20 years in the jungle just to give up with nothing to show for it but another generation of dead Americans — all while Trump grows even richer?
What’s the GOAL?
What does Trump expect to achieve by attacking Venezuela? No more drugs? An end to terrorism? A regime change? Peace in our time? What?
These are the questions CONGRESS must ask right now.
These are the questions THE PRESS must ask right now.
These are the answers AMERICANS must demand of their elected leaders and get those answers or throw the bastards from office right now.
It’s your goddamn kids who are going to have to fight Trump’s war. You want a better world for them, be a better citizen.
A narrow, brick-sided alley runs between the Republican Party headquarters in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, and its parking lot. The building also served as Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign headquarters in the city of Scranton, and the alley is where I came across a man in his 70s, and his wife, as they were heading back to their car.
They had come out that morning, the Saturday before Election Day, to aid Trump’s election by curing ballots and “cleaning voter rolls” — one facet of the lingering “stolen 2020 election” conspiracy theories that Trump’s imminent victory would soon put to bed. When I asked why they thought Trump’s election was important, they offered a few reasons. For one, they were worried about immigration. For another, local property taxes had gone up (which is admittedly outside of the president’s purview).
But, they said, it was also out of concern for someone they knew, a 24-year-old who could be at risk if the United States were sucked into a military conflict. “The potential for war has us stressed,” the man said.
This was not an uncommon sentiment among Trump’s 2024 supporters. Often expressed with the shorthand “no new wars,” many backers of the former and future president embraced his claims that he’d been the first president in a long time not to commit the military to armed conflict. The idea pops up regularly, from a New York Times survey asking people in May 2024 what they remembered about Trump’s first term to polling from Marquette Law conducted after Trump won last November.
“In foreign policy, we are more respected internationally,” a 60-year-old woman told the Marquette pollsters when prompted to say something she liked about Trump. “This means stopping wars and keeping enemies at bay.” She hadn’t voted in 2020 but cast a ballot for Trump last year.
The thing about the “no new wars” line, though, is that it was neither a central element of Trump’s rhetoric nor presented in the way that a lot of his followers understood it.
You might recall that Trump’s 2016 campaign was centered on the idea that he, unlike most prominent Republicans, had opposed the invasion of Iraq before it occurred. This wasn’t true: His comments generally tracked with public opinion over the course of the conflict, including initial support. But it was a useful argument: He was smart about conflict in a way that people such as George W. Bush and John McCain were not.
On the trail in 2024, Trump ran the same play. He would frequently insist that there had been no new wars during his first four years in office, a claim presented in order to attack or split his opponents. He would suggest that incumbent President Joe Biden was somehow at fault for the expanded Russian invasion of Ukraine (an event Trump said he would have somehow prevented). He elevated the conflict in Gaza because it was deeply divisive on the left.
Despite being repeated by various allies and Trump himself at the 2024 Republican National Convention, the retrospective “no new wars” claim is dubious, relying heavily on narrowly tailoring the murky definition of “war.” More important, Trump didn’t generally carry that line to its logical next step, pledging that he wouldn’t start new wars should he win reelection.
[…] Besides insisting that he would prevent a nebulously imminent World War III, during no speech in the 2024 general election did he promise that he wouldn’t start new wars. So “no new wars” caught on without much prodding from Trump […]
A review of 735 responses to that Marquette Law poll shows that only seven people mentioned new wars; of those seven, only two voted for Trump.
All of this context is useful when considering polling released earlier this week by CBS News. Conducted by YouGov, the poll found that most Americans oppose taking military action in Venezuela, something that the administration and its allies have moved from hinting at to talking about openly. It is the sort of conflict that a president and party that objected to new wars would presumably oppose — but it’s one for which Trump’s team is preparing and one that has the support of nearly six in 10 Republicans. [Graphs]
Nearly six in 10 Republicans still favor action. At least one in 10 Republicans thinks Trump hasn’t explained why conflict should occur but are OK with it happening regardless. Some new wars, apparently.
But hypocrisy is not the best way to understand what’s happening here.
First, 40% opposition among Republicans to a proposed Trump action is high, though that skepticism would likely wither should a military conflict actually begin.
[…] Trump never consistently committed to starting no new wars and, in fact, repeatedly suggested that he would use the threat of military action as a cudgel against foreign opponents. […]
Consider the gentleman with whom I spoke in that alley in Scranton the weekend before the election. Even without his stated concerns about that 24 year-old, he had plenty of other rationales ready to go.
Akira MacKenziesays
@ 357
“Not starting new wars,” always meant throwing Ukraine to Trump’s ally and conservative utopia, Russia. It didn’t at all mean not starting conflicts with non-nuclear nations l, especially those run by brown people.
As we get deeper into flu season, a new type of the influenza virus has been identified, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms.
The new strain is a variation of influenza A. Technically, it’s called the K subclade of influenza A’s H3N2 subtype, and it makes up a majority of the H3N2 cases we’re seeing right now.
H3N2 influenza has historically caused more hospitalizations and deaths in older people than other strains. Experts warn it could be an especially brutal flu season this winter, especially if vaccination rates remain low.
“I think we’re going to see a really severe season,” Asefeh Faraz Covelli, an associate professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing, told the Associated Press.
The K subclade doesn’t appear to cause markedly different symptoms than other types of flu; however, as a subtype of influenza A, its symptoms may be more serious.
“Influenza A typically causes worse symptoms compared to influenza B, and patients are more likely to get hospitalized with influenza A compared to influenza B,” Dr. Donald Dumford, an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic, told Nexstar.
Flu symptoms can be mild or severe, but they usually come on quickly, according to the CDC. Signs include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, body aches, headaches and fatigue. Not everyone with the flu will experience all the possible symptoms.
People who have trouble breathing, severe pain, weakness, or aren’t seeing symptoms improve should seek urgent medical care, the CDC advises. Younger children and older adults, who are more vulnerable to flu complications, may need care sooner.
[…] Experts say any protection that softens the blow of a flu infection is important to get. Even vaccines that aren’t perfectly formulated to match a new variant can often still give “cross-protection” and boost your immune response.
Public health experts are more concerned about vaccination uptake than vaccination matching.
“The thing that really concerns me most is the decreasing rates of influenza vaccination, particularly among children,” Andrew Pavia, a professor and pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Utah, told The Hill last week.
“We don’t claim the vaccine to be perfect, it’s not, [but] it works better at keeping you out of the hospital, the intensive care unit and helping keep you out of the cemetery,” Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Health Policy, added.
Scientists may have “heard” the first tantalizing hints of long-theorized primordial black holes born during the Big Bang. The potential detection of these tiny black holes that could be the size of a coin or even as small as a fraction of the size of an atom came from the detection of ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves by two Earth-based detectors, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), and Virgo.
…(Snip)…
When the signal from the event designated S251112cm was observed, it revealed that one of the objects involved had a mass way too small to be either a stellar-mass black hole or a neutron star, both of which are stellar remnants born from the collapsing core of a dying massive star and have masses greater than that of the sun. “If this turns out to be real, then it’s enormous,” Durham University theoretical physicist Djuna Croon, who was not involved in the gravitational wave observation, told Science. “This is not an event we can explain by conventional astrophysical processes.” However, that “if” is a very, very big one.
GOOD NEWS from the Pokrovsky-Dobropilya direction.
Remember the alarm back in August 2025 when Russia surprised and made a bee line towards Dobropilya in the hopes of creating a northern pincer against Pokrovsk as well as drive a wedge between Pokrovsk and the rest of the Ukrainian “Fortress Belt” in Donetsk oblast?.
Well, today Ukrainian forces officially announced(via Lt. General Oleh Apostol, commander of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces) that the job of clearing out and stabilizing the Dobropilyia direction … that once-upon-a-time source of much angst and doomsaying, has been completed. The erstwhile Russian salient at Dobropilya is no more: […]
the Armed Forces of Ukraine believe they have now stabilized the Pokrovsky front and intend to set up to turn it into another stalwart “meat grinder” fortress against Russian forces as has been the case at Toretsk and more importantly at Chasiv Yar. It is worth recalling that Chasiv Yar(“Quiet Ravine” hardly what it is today), a suburb just six miles west of Bakhmut, has withstood all efforts by the Russians to capture it ever since the fall of Bakhmut on May 21, 2023 … more than two years ago. As General Apostol emphasized […]
The other big news is that the Ukrainians have also defeated Russian efforts to break through from the Dobropiliya direction towards Barvinkove, thus thwarting the Russian aim of cutting off the Donetsk region from next door Kharkiv oblast. […]
Barvinkove, 76 miles as the crow flies northeast from Dobropiliya, is located in Kharkiv Oblast, near the administrative border with Donetsk Oblast and historically served as a strategic point between the two regions. It is part of Izyum Raion of Kharkiv Oblast. […]
While Barvinkove itself is not a political or administrative boundary, its geographical position along the road and rail routes between Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts makes it a key location during military operations, particularly in the context of Russian advances toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two of the Ukrainian “Fortress Belt” cities. The town’s proximity to the front lines and its role as a staging post for Ukrainian counteroffensives underscore its strategic significance in the war.
So in a week in which the news from Ukraine has been rather difficult, what with the Krasnov’-Witkoff shenanigans and the Energoatom bribery scandal costing President Zelenskyy his key aide, Andriy Yermak, ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE bucks the trend and launches operations to stabilize the situation around Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold their positions despite ongoing enemy attacks whilst setting up to make it clear to the Russians that Ukrainian units will maintain control over key areas in Pokrovsk and that Pokvrosk will not be a cake walk for the Russians […]
StevoRsays
A newly identified tectonic “regime” may rewrite our understanding of how rocky worlds evolve, scientists report in a new study.The findings may help to explain why Earth became geologically vibrant while Venus remained stagnant and scorching, with possible implications for our understanding of what makes a planet habitable.
When researchers used advanced geodynamic simulations to map diverse planetary tectonic regimes — distinct patterns that describe how a planet’s outer shell deforms and releases heat under different conditions — they discovered a missing link they’ve dubbed the “episodic-squishy lid.”
..(snip)..
The episodic-squishy lid builds on the traditional divide between plate tectonics or mobile lid regimes (like modern Earth) and stagnant-lid behavior (like Mars). It describes a state in which a planet’s lithosphere cycles between relatively quiet periods and sudden bursts of tectonic motion. Unlike a classic stagnant lid, this regime permits intermittent weakening driven by intrusive magmatism and regional delamination, temporarily softening the crust before it stiffens again.
This on-again, off-again behavior could be a missing link in Earth’s early evolution, the researchers said. The models suggest that Earth may have passed through a squishy-lid phase that gradually primed its lithosphere for full plate tectonics as the planet cooled.
The findings also help to clarify the “memory effect” — the idea that a planet’s tectonic behavior is shaped by its past — by showing that as a planet’s lithosphere weakens over time, as Earth’s did, the transitions between tectonic states become far more predictable.
In the depths of the 75-year-old Kendall Cogeneration Station along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a clean-heating transformation is underway.
For years, the facility has burned natural gas to produce steam for Boston and Cambridge’s century-old underground heating system. Now, it’s aiming to become a clean “district energy” system, capable of delivering warmth during bitter New England winters without baking the planet — a first for a citywide network in America.
Last year, Vicinity Energy, the owner and operator of the steam heating network, finished installing a 42-megawatt electric-powered boiler at the Kendall facility. Earlier this year, the company confirmed plans for its next step: installing a 35-megawatt industrial heat pump from Everllence, a German energy systems manufacturer formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions.
[…] The industrial heat pump will draw from the river water’s latent thermal energy to create boiling-point temperatures within the Kendall facility’s steam-generation complex. The technology will function even in the winter because the low-temperature refrigerant it uses is far colder than even the icy-cold Charles, creating a temperature differential that the heat pump can harness to produce steam.
All that steam flows through about 25 miles of piping to heat roughly 70 million square feet of buildings in Boston and Cambridge, including college campuses and biotech facilities. Vicinity has secured commitments to use the lower-carbon steam from its electric-powered heating systems from area customers such as Emerson College and life sciences real estate company IQHQ.
[…] The system will be among the biggest in the United States, which has roughly 900 district energy systems ranging from those in airports and on college campuses to the citywide steam network in Manhattan, the country’s oldest. District heating is also popular in European cities, where comparatively high fossil-gas prices are driving a more urgent embrace of large-scale clean-heating systems.
[…] Massachusetts has set mandates to expand its supply of carbon-free electricity and to reduce its use of fossil fuels in buildings. A preexisting, centralized system like the Kendall facility’s can convert to electric heat pumps and boilers far more cost-effectively than individual buildings could on their own […]
Most of those savings come from the fact that the Kendall facility’s electric grid substation and steam pipe network are already built, he said. [Yes, but don’t old steam pipe networks also need to be upgraded? What maintenance is needed on the steam pipe network?] That obviates the need to retrofit individual buildings with electric heating — or for utilities to make distribution grid upgrades to accommodate a heat pump at every building.
[…] Large, centralized networks can mix and match mutually reinforcing technologies like electric boilers and heat pumps. They can recapture waste heat from other parts of the system and use it to make more steam, as is being done with the Kendall facility’s gas-fired electricity-generation turbine, which provides peak power and “black start” services for the local grid.
District energy systems can also store and shift energy, as Vicinity plans to do with the thermal energy storage that makes up the next stage of its eSteam conversion plan. It’s looking at systems that can convert electricity into heat storage, which would “allow us to relieve the stress on the electric grid and be a lot more flexible,” he said.
[…] the Boston-Cambridge system is only starting to utilize the cost-effective decarbonization strategies that district energy systems enable […] Europe is leading the way on that front, with showcase projects such as the 70-megawatt industrial heat pumps now using the chilly water of the Baltic Sea as a thermal exchange to heat water to keep buildings warm in the city of Esbjerg, Denmark. […] Everllence is building a 150-megawatt heat pump for a similar project in Cologne, Germany.
[…] In much of the United States, where fossil fuels are abundant and power prices are rising fast, the math doesn’t favor heat pumps […] But for Boston and other cities that require building owners to reduce their carbon emissions, and for states like Massachusetts that aim to decarbonize their economies, district energy systems can serve as a “regulatory hedge for our customers,” […]
“They need to make decisions as to whether or not they’re going to heat their building with natural gas, because we’ve got regulations in place that are going to start enacting fines … Do they want to take the risk of spending millions of dollars on something that they may not be able to use in five to 10 years?”
For years, Norway has been the poster child for electric vehicle adoption, a perfect example of how a combination of ambitious goals and robust incentives can transform a nation’s entire automotive industry.
Now, with the country on the cusp of achieving its goal of 100% all-electric new car sales by 2025, the Norwegian government is signaling a new phase in its EV strategy, proposing changes to its incentive program […]
[…] They made it happen through a comprehensive package of incentives, including exemptions from purchase taxes and VAT, free access to toll roads and bus lanes, on top of properly taxing internal combustion engine vehicles.
This resulted in EVs being the preferred choice for a vast majority of new car buyers. In 2024, a staggering 88.9% of new cars sold in Norway were all-electric, a figure that has continued to climb in 2025.
Gasoline and diesel cars are now obsolete in the Norwegian new car market, with a few hundred new cars per month, while EVs represent roughly 95-97%.
Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg has announced mission accomplished (via Reuters):
“We have had a goal that all new passenger cars should be electric by 2025, and … we can say that the goal has been achieved.”
With the finish line in sight, the Norwegian government is now fine-tuning its approach.
The current incentive program maintains the crucial VAT exemption for EVs, but only up to a purchase price of 500,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately $49,000 USD). This move is designed to target more expensive, luxury EVs […]
However, the latest budget proposal aims to reduce the EV tax exemption to vehicles costing 300,000 Norwegian kroner (~30,000 USD).
This would apply for 2026, and then the tax exemption would completely end in 2027.
Additionally, the government plans to increase taxes on new gasoline and diesel cars, further widening the cost gap between polluting and zero-emission vehicles.
However, the proposal still needs to be adopted by Norway’s government, and there is some opposition.
EV associations are advocating for a more extended phase-out period to ensure that the adoption rate doesn’t decline.
[…] I do understand that Norway has a lot going for it. It is wealthy. And therefore, it made the transition easier than in most other markets.
Regarding the policy changes, I wouldn’t interpret them as a sign of retreat from the country’s electrification goals. Instead, they represent a maturation of Norway’s EV policy. […]
Wind power has slashed a jaw-dropping £104 billion off the UK’s energy bills since 2010, according to new research that turns the idea of costly green subsidies on its head.
The landmark study by University College London (UCL) found that far from being an expensive luxury, wind energy has been quietly saving British households and businesses billions—and could continue to do so for decades to come.
Between 2010 and 2023, the researchers discovered that electricity generated from wind farms cut bills by £14.2 billion compared with what Britons would have paid if gas had been used to generate the same amount of power. But the real surprise came from the impact on the price of gas itself.
By reducing the need for gas—and avoiding costly new gas-fired power stations—the report estimates wind power helped drive down the market price of gas, saving a further £133.3 billion.
Even after taking into account the £43.2 billion in green subsidies paid by consumers over the same period, the overall result was still a net saving of £104.3 billion to the nation’s energy costs. […]
The study casts fresh doubt on statements this summer from Dicey Ticey of Reform UK who said, “We know that the reason we have the most expensive electricity in this country, almost in the first world, is because of the cost of renewables”.
As always, it makes sense to follow the money. An exposé claims that Reform UK isn’t just a political party—but the secret puppet of the fossil-fuel lobby. More than 40% of the party’s 2024 funding came from donors tied to oil, gas and other polluting industries, while a previous investigation found £2.3 million from fossil-industry interests between 2019-24—a staggering 92% of its total donations. [!]
Reform UK’s anti-net zero stance and insistence on “unlocking Britain’s oil and gas treasure” align uncannily with the interests of its backers. In short, it’s oil execs pulling the strings of Four Homes Farage and Dicey Ticey. […]
With Britain’s coastlines already bristling with turbines and more on the way, one thing is clear: the winds of change aren’t just blowing—they’re paying off […]
JMsays
@356 StevoR and @357 Lynna, OM:
It’s interesting that Trump did stay out of wars during his first term. In his first term he was so afraid of ordering a conflict that the US didn’t clearly win that he did nothing but bomb a few obvious targets. He negotiated to get the US out of Afghanistan because he didn’t want to be associated with what was already a lost war.
Now his need to cement a legacy as a great president, being egged on by advisors with even less sense then him and his need to change the news cycle are leading him and the US to a war that can’t be won. No objective beyond kill bad people, no strategy to get there and no exit strategy at all. No real public support and international condemnation before we have even started. Trump is setting up Vietnam 2.0 without realizing it. He will start out bombing targets but that won’t achieve any goals and will produce lots of video of dead bystanders. Hegseth and Miller will push Trump into a ground invasion, the US will occupy a big territory if this happens but the back woods will be a chaotic mess. Then it will go badly, but how will depend on how the military tries to occupy and control the country. There is no strategy that works but lots of ways to fail.
Elisabeth Yoder’s son, Darragh, was 15 months old in August when he developed what at first looked to his parents like hand, foot, and mouth disease. The common viral infection generally clears up in less than a week, but Darragh’s condition worsened over several days. His skin turned bright red. Blisters gave way to skin peeling off his face.
An online search of his symptoms suggested he had staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, a serious bacterial infection. Yoder drove the toddler from their home in the small town of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, to the Mercy Health hospital in nearby Urbana.
Staff in the emergency room there quickly confirmed that Darragh had scalded skin syndrome and said he needed to be taken by a private company’s ambulance to Dayton Children’s, a hospital about 40 miles away.
“I asked them: ‘Can I take him? Can I drive him?’” Yoder said. “And they were like, ‘Oh, absolutely not.’”
So, Yoder and her son got into the ambulance, with Darragh strapped in his car seat. The ambulance driver didn’t turn on the siren or drive particularly fast, Yoder said. The trip took about 40 minutes, she said. “It was fairly straightforward transportation from Point A to Point B.”
Yoder had heard that ambulance rides can be pricey. But she didn’t know how much her son’s ride would cost.
Darragh was hospitalized for three days and recovered from the illness.
Then the bill came.
The Medical Procedure
During the ride, the ambulance crew monitored Darragh’s vitals and an intravenous line, inserted at the hospital, carrying fluids and antibiotics, but he received no other medical treatment, Yoder said.
The Final Bill
$9,250, which included a “base rate” charge of $6,600 for a “specialty care transport” and a mileage fee of $2,340, calculated at $60 for each of the ride’s 39 miles. It also included $250 for use of an intravenous infusion pump and $60 for monitoring Darragh’s blood oxygen. [screenshot of bill]
The Problem: No Insurance, Few Protections
The children’s hospital charged only about $3,000 more for the toddler’s three-day stay than the ambulance company charged for the ride, Yoder said.
Darragh’s family doesn’t have health insurance, leaving them on the hook for the full charges. Their income is a bit too high for them to qualify for Medicaid, the public health program that covers low-income residents, or for the Ohio Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers moderate-income kids.
The Yoders belong to a Christian health care sharing ministry, with members paying into a fund that helps reimburse them for medical bills.
Unlike health insurance, such arrangements do not offer members negotiated rates with ambulance companies or other medical providers. And there are no state or federal billing protections that would help an uninsured patient in Ohio with a ground ambulance bill.
The federal No Surprises Act protects those with insurance from large bills for air ambulance transportation provided outside their insurers’ network agreements. But ground ambulance services aren’t covered by the law — and even if they were, that wouldn’t have helped the Yoders, since they didn’t have insurance.
[…] patients rarely are told what the ride will cost until they receive a bill.
The Resolution
Yoder said she repeatedly discussed the bill with ambulance company representatives, including the option for charity care. They told Yoder the best deal they could offer was to reduce the total by about 40%, to $5,600, if the family paid it in a lump sum, she said.
After months of discussion, the family wound up agreeing to that deal, Yoder said. They put the charge on a new credit card, which gave them 17 months to pay it off with no interest.
They have agreed to payment plans with the two hospitals, which offered charity care discounts that dropped the bills to a total of about $6,800.
The Yoders expect the sharing ministry to reimburse them for about 75% of the payments they’re making to the hospitals and the ambulance service.
The Takeaway
Patients and their families should feel comfortable asking hospital staffers whether a recommended ambulance company is in their insurance network and how much the ride to another location will cost, said Kelmar, a national expert on such bills. “Shouldn’t the hospital know that?” she said. “I don’t think it’s that heavy of a lift.”
[…] Once consumers receive a bill for the service, she said, they often can negotiate the price down. It can help to look up what the ambulance service accepts as payment from government programs. Those rates are often much lower than the full-price charges patients see on a bill.
If the family had been covered by Ohio’s Medicaid program, the ambulance service would have been paid much less than it charged the Yoders. The public health program pays ambulance services a $413 base rate for “specialty care transports,” plus $5.05 per mile. Those rates would have added up to $609.95 for the transportation part of Darragh’s ambulance ride.
Yoder said she wishes she had driven Darragh straight to the children’s hospital. If she had skipped the local ER, she said, they would have arrived at the bigger hospital sooner and she would have saved thousands of dollars.
But she didn’t feel as if she had a choice about putting her son in the ambulance, she said. The doctor told her it was necessary, and the hospital staff had already inserted an intravenous line. “I wasn’t going to pull out his IV line and just leave,” she said.
Yoder said she remains uninsured because she hasn’t seen any private insurance options that suit her family’s circumstances. No matter who pays the ambulance bill, she thinks the charges were much too high. She understands that patients can often negotiate discounts, she said, “but you shouldn’t have to work so hard for it.”
“The Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago are hosting U.S. forces and facilities. Grenada is considering it.”
As the United States threatens to attack Venezuela, some Caribbean allies are offering support.
The United States has been amassing military forces and assets in the region since August. It has killed more than 80 people in strikes on boats it alleges are carrying drugs to the United States. The Trump administration has not provided evidence to support the claim.
Several airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela; President Donald Trump on Saturday said they should consider the country’s airspace closed.
Colombia’s president has accused the United States of killing an innocent fisherman. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has mobilized troops and urged citizens to join self-defense militias. Ordinary Venezuelans are anxious and uncertain about what might happen next.
But some countries are supporting the United States or considering it. Here’s how.
Dominican President Luis Abinader has authorized the U.S. military to operate within restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Americas International Airport in its fight against Venezuelan drug traffickers. [AI Icon]
U.S. military aircraft may refuel and transport equipment and technical personnel, he said at a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Dominican capital on Wednesday.
[…] Abinader described the agreement as temporarily expanding cooperation “to reinforce air and maritime surveillance against drug trafficking,” he said. The scope will be “technical, limited and temporary,” he said, and aimed at preventing the entry of narcotics and striking more forcefully at transnational organized crime.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has been a vocal supporter of the Trump administration’s actions off the islands. [AI Icon]
“I have no sympathy for traffickers,” she said after the first strike — in September — killed 11 people. “The U.S. military should kill them all violently.”
On Thursday, she said U.S. Marines were working at the airport on Tobago.
[…] But she has been circumspect in describing details. On Wednesday, she told a reporter that the U.S. military was “helping us with something to do with the airport” and mentioned “a roadway.”
“We’re not about to launch any campaign against Venezuela,” she said. “I’ve made that very clear. Trinidad has not been asked to be a base for any war against Venezuela.” […]
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, not an independent nation. It was used throughout the Cold War to support U.S. military action in Central and South America.
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, on the eastern end of the main island, was once one of the world’s largest naval facilities. But it was shut down in 2004, after the Navy stopped practicing air-sea-land assaults on nearby Vieques, and the military presence shrank.
Now Rosy Roads is back in business. In recent weeks, crews have cleared taxiways, and fighter jets and transport planes have landed. New aircraft has also been spotted at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The United States approached Grenada to request a temporary installation of radar equipment and associated technical personnel at an international airport, the island government said in October, and it was “carefully assessing and reviewing the requests in technical consultations.”
The decision is complicated by the history between the United States and Grenada. U.S. Marines invaded the small island in October 1983 after the assassination of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. […]
Posted by readers of the article:
“helping” is an interesting WaPo spin. Tolerating or keeping themselves off the target list is probably more accurate.
—————————–
Yeah, they’re concerned that they’ll be next if they don’t cooperate with the child bully. This all has nothing to do with drug trafficking, as witnessed by his recent pardon of convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez former president of Honduras.
——————————-
Just like his buddy and fellow war criminal Putin Trump wants to conduct a unwarranted and illegal invasion of another sovereign country. Trump is a criminal just like Vlad who has graduated to war criminal. This is a disingenuous move because if it is a war on drugs why prey tell is has he pardoned not one but two drug traffickers in this last week?No this is about Venezuela resources, it’s about the OIL, it is about money.
birgerjohanssonsays
Archaeologists discover solitary grave from ancient Kingdom of Kerma in remote Bayuda Desert (South of Egypt, ca. 2000 BC)
The textbook assumption is that when the first modern humans arrived in Europe, around 45,000 years ago, they quickly evolved pale skin to adapt to the region’s dimmer sunlight
[…]
However, […] By analyzing the genomes of 348 individuals who lived between 45,000 and 1,700 years ago, researchers have uncovered a surprising truth for some: for most of Europe’s history, the majority of its inhabitants had dark skin. Only around 3,000 years ago did lighter skin tones become dominant.
[…]
The first signs of lighter pigmentation appeared in the Mesolithic, around 14,000 to 4,000 years ago, with a few individuals in Sweden and France showing light skin and blue eyes. By the Bronze Age (7,000 to 3,000 years ago), the proportion of dark-skinned individuals had dropped to about half. It wasn’t until the Iron Age (3,000 to 1,700 years ago) that lighter skin tones began to dominate.
But the real turning point came with the spread of Neolithic farmers from Anatolia around 10,000 years ago. These early agriculturalists carried genes for lighter skin, which likely gave them an evolutionary advantage in the less sunny climates of Europe. Over time, their genes spread, but the process was slow and uneven. In some regions, dark skin persisted for thousands of years longer than in others.
The study also uncovered intriguing patterns in eye and hair color. Light eyes peaked in frequency during the Mesolithic, long before lighter skin became common. While dark hair remained the norm for most of prehistory, the first instances of blonde and red hair appeared in the Neolithic and Bronze Age.
the transition to food production also led to an increase in infectious disease and to a poorer diet […] Even under reduced UV radiation, then, food availability was a factor. Some hunting and gathering populations could still obtain sufficient vitamin D from dietary sources, such as fish and game. Only when farming settlements got larger and the fauna was depleted, pale skin colors replaced for good the dark phenotypes.
In July, David Sacks, one of the Trump administration’s top technology officials, beamed as he strode onstage at a neoclassical auditorium just blocks from the White House. He had convened top government officials and Silicon Valley executives for a forum on the booming business of artificial intelligence.
The guest of honor was President Trump, who unveiled an “A.I. Action Plan” that was drafted in part by Mr. Sacks, a longtime venture capitalist. In a nearly hourlong speech, Mr. Trump declared that A.I. was “one of the most important technological revolutions in the history of the world.” Then he picked up his pen and signed executive orders to fast-track the industry.
Almost everyone in the high-powered audience — which included the chief executives of the chipmakers Nvidia and AMD, as well as Mr. Sacks’s tech friends, colleagues and business partners — was poised to profit from Mr. Trump’s directives.
Disclosures.
His public filings designate 438 of his tech investments as software or hardware companies, even though the firms promote themselves as A.I. enterprises, offer A.I. services or have A.I. in their names, The Times found. […]
No event better illustrates Mr. Sacks’s ethical complexities and how his intertwined interests have come together than the July A.I. summit. Mr. Sacks initially planned for the forum to be hosted by “All-In,” [a podcast] which he leads with other tech investors. “All-In” asked potential sponsors to each pay it $1 million for access to a private reception and other events at the summit “bringing together President Donald Trump and leading A.I. innovators,” according to a proposal viewed by The Times.
The plan so worried some officials that Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, intervened to prevent “All-In” from serving as the sole host of the forum, two people with knowledge of the episode said.
Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Mr. Trump and a critic of Silicon Valley billionaires, said Mr. Sacks was a quintessential example of ethical conflicts in an administration where “the tech bros are out of control.” […]
Mr. Sacks has been allowed to serve in government while working in private industry because he is a “special government employee,” a title the White House typically confers on experts who temporarily advise the government. He is not paid for his work for the administration.
In March, Mr. Sacks received two White House ethics waivers, which said he was selling or had sold most of his crypto and A.I. assets. His remaining investments, the waivers said, were “not so substantial” as to influence his government service.
But Mr. Sacks stands out as a special government employee because of his hundreds of investments in tech companies, which can benefit from policies that he influences. His public ethics filings, which are based on self-reported information, do not disclose the value of those remaining stakes in crypto and A.I.-related companies. They also omit when he sold assets he said he would divest, making it difficult to determine whether his government service has netted him profits. […]
Last year, Mr. Sacks hosted a $12 million fund-raiser for Mr. Trump at his San Francisco mansion. The dinner made an impression on the presidential candidate.
“I love David’s house,” Mr. Trump said on “All-In” two weeks later. “What a house.”
After the election, Mr. Trump’s team asked Mr. Sacks to join the administration. He said he would, as long as he could continue working at Craft — and got his wish. [Craft Ventures, a firm that has invested in hundreds of start-ups, including some owned by his friends.]
[…] Allying With Nvidia
Mr. Sacks opened the door of the White House to Silicon Valley leaders. Among the most prominent visitors was Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive.
Mr. Sacks and Mr. Huang, who had not met before Mr. Sacks joined the administration, forged a tight bond this spring, said three people familiar with the men, who were not authorized to discuss their interactions.
Both stood to benefit. Mr. Huang, 62, wanted government clearance to sell Nvidia’s highly coveted A.I. chips around the world, despite security concerns that the components could bolster China’s economy and military. […]
In White House meetings, Mr. Sacks echoed Mr. Huang’s ideas that the best way to beat China would be to flood the world with American technology. Mr. Sacks worked to eliminate Biden-era restrictions on Nvidia and other American chip companies’ sales to foreign countries. He also opposed rules that would have made it difficult for foreign companies to buy U.S. chips for international data centers […]
Free of those restrictions, Mr. Sacks flew to the Middle East in May and struck a deal to send 500,000 American A.I. chips — mostly from Nvidia — to the United Arab Emirates. The large number alarmed some White House officials, who feared that China, an ally of the Emirates, would gain access to the technology, these people said.
But the deal was a win for Nvidia. Analysts estimated that it could make as much as $200 billion from the chip sales. […]
They duped Trump.
birgerjohanssonsays
Male skulls at Shimao gate, China, rewrite story of Neolithic human sacrifice 4200-3700 years ago
New York Times:” The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine”
“Juan Orlando Hernández, whom Mr. Trump called a victim of persecution, helped orchestrate a decades-long trafficking conspiracy. It ravaged his Central American country.
He once boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.” He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras. A man was killed in prison to protect him.
At the federal trial of Juan Orlando Hernández in New York, testimony and evidence showed how the former president maintained Honduras as a bastion of the global drug trade. He orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy that prosecutors said raked in millions for cartels while keeping Honduras one of Central America’s poorest, most violent and most corrupt countries.
Last year, Mr. Hernández was convicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. It was one of the most sweeping drug-trafficking cases to come before a U.S. court since the trial of the Panamanian strongman Gen. Manuel Noriega three decades before.
But on Friday, President Trump announced that he would pardon Mr. Hernandez, 57, who he said was a victim of political persecution, though Mr. Trump offered no evidence to support that claim. […]
The two-week trial in Manhattan, and those of Hernández’s associates before it, offered a glimpse into a world of corruption and drug running spanning several countries. Bags of cash, a machine gun with Mr. Hernández’s name emblazoned on it, and bribes from the drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, the Mexican kingpin known as El Chapo, featured heavily.
Prosecutors said Mr. Hernández was key to a scheme that lasted more than 20 years and brought more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States. […]
“India Is a Rising Power, but Its Capital Is a Lethal Gas Chamber”
“With little being done to clean the skies over New Delhi, the huge city struggles with its toxic air.”
New Delhi wakes up to toxic smog and goes to sleep in the same harmful conditions.
In the hours between, the 30 million residents of India’s capital region trudge along with chronic headaches and itchy eyes, symptoms of this rising superpower’s failure to provide its people with a most basic need: breathable air.
Experts at the nation’s top research hospital call the air “severe and life-threatening.” The level of toxic pollutants — from cars, factories and crop-waste burning by farmers — has been as many as 20 times above recommended levels for safe breathing.
The problem persists in New Delhi, even while other once-polluted capitals, like Beijing, have succeeded in cleaning their skies.
This past week, as the air grew so hazardous that the government was forced to order half of its workers to work from home, journalists for The New York Times traveled around the city, from the pre-dawn hours to midnight, to chronicle the struggle with bad air.
A daily PM2.5 level — a measure of the most harmful particulates — of 15µg/m³ is the standard for safe breathing. We used an air-quality monitor to take our own measurements of the PM2.5 at key spots, which we cross-checked against official data.
What we found was a city with no escape from severely toxic air, and a population resigned to a public health emergency as its everyday reality. [Photos and PM level results]
[…] We sighted the first of many “anti-smog guns” — sprayers that are attached to water tanks and deployed around the city, including near key landmarks like the prime minister’s residence and major embassies.
The guns have been a matter of political debate. Many experts say the government is trying to deceive the public by spraying water around the more than three dozen air-quality monitoring stations, to lower their readings.
Opposition leaders have accused the government of an even more brazen manipulation, saying data from several of these stations have gone missing during the worst hours of pollution.
[…] Education in New Delhi is disrupted every year by pollution emergencies, when the government tells students to stay home and take classes online because of peak contamination levels. For teachers and parents, the sudden moves add confusion to an already struggling education system.
[…] Doctors at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, India’s most prestigious health institution, have reported a 30 to 40 percent increase in patients arriving with respiratory complaints. Preventive measures at an individual level can only have “negligible effects” at best, they say.
[…] At L.N.J.P. hospital, one of the most crowded in New Delhi, attendants and families of patients were resting on blankets in the hospital yard, where the PM2.5 was about 17 times the recommended for safe breathing. Inside the hospital’s crowded halls, it was about 10 times the guideline.
[…] At opposite ends of a crowded market area in Old Delhi, we found a telling contrast.
At one end, traffic on the Chandni Chowk area’s main road has long been limited to cycle rickshaws and electric rickshaws. Because of a festival at a nearby Sikh temple, the traffic was further restricted, and the sidewalks washed twice a day for three days.
Near the temple, we measured PM2.5 at a little over 10 times above the level for safe breathing. But a mile down the road, where the traffic restrictions ended, the reading was nearly double. […]
Sky Captain @372, very interesting update on the DNA results. Thanks.
JMsays
@348 KG:
Deflation is also the source of a lot of China’s economic problems right now. Housing prices have come down in China and it wrecked the construction industry, which flowed into finance. The economy has been in shambles since 2020 because of it.
China is trying to fix the problem by increasing exports rather then depending on internal buying. This leads into a maze of other problems caused by trying to export on that scale, not all of which are entirely China’s fault.
JONATHAN KARL: Did you know about the judge’s order when you issued your order for the planes to continue?
NOEM: This is an activist judge. […] We comply with all federal orders that are lawful and binding. [Video clip]
Missing the Point:
The first clue you have to follow a judicial order is it’s called an “order.”
–
“It’s not like the judge ordered us to kill them all, which we would have happily done.”
–
“We comply with all federal [judicial] orders that are lawful and binding:” wise, sagacious.
“Comply only with federal executive orders that are lawful:” outrageous, treasonous.
Mueller, She Wrote: “Exhibit 926 in criminal contempt proceedings. Noem’s declaration is due Friday to Judge Boasberg.”
A chapter in Hegseth’s book is literally titled “More Lethality, Less Lawyers.”
It’s almost as if there were signs!
“Should we follow the Geneva Conventions?” Pete Hegseth asked in 2024. [“Hey, Al Qaeda: If you surrender, we might spare your life. If you do not, we will rip your arms off and feed them to hogs.”]
[the Greatest Generation … were two-time world war champions. … Two nuclear bombs ended a war … They won. Who cares.”]
[“Now persons and objects in combat zones … must be presumed to be civilian. They must be assumed to be innocent. In short, this means our troops are going to have to hesitate every time they fire.”]
Commentary
*cough* fewer *cough*
The lawyers who are left are definitely lesser as well.
He went to Princeton and Harvard. It’s deliberate.
Picking an example of a non Geneva signatory—the Imperial Japanese Army—it is noticeable to me that being utterly ruthless didn’t deter anybody from taking them on.
If we are extra barbaric to our enemies, “would that not be an incentive for the other side to reconsider their barbarism”? This question has been asked many times, and there are numerous historical cases. The answer is no. It would not be. Just makes you worse and often boosts enemy recruitment.
He can’t imagine these laws exist so that another country doesn’t come in and act like this towards the US.
brimming with contempt for the Geneva and Hague Conventions, which were, of course, largely written by the United States.
Mens Rea
Worth noting that the laws of war are *extraordinarilly* permissive in allowing violence to achieve a legitimate military objective. War crimes are almost definitionally unnecessary to win wars.
We needed to hear about this in his confirmation hearing.
Thing is, we DID hear about it at his confirmation hearing. Every single senator who voted to confirm Hegseth knew he held these views about the laws of war. They voted to confirm him anyway.
Remember, too, that Hegseth would have been rejected if a single additional Republican senator—or, JD Vance—had joined Sen. Collins, McConnell, and Murkowski in voting no with the Democrats.
Not one but *two* GOP senators flirted with opposing Hegseth, chickened out for fear of drawing a 2026 primary challenger, and then decided not to run anyway.
teenagers from Lambert High School in suburban Atlanta […] competing at a kind of science Olympics in Paris […] to use synthetic biology to solve real world problems.
[…]
Current tests make it difficult to detect Lyme in the first two weeks when it’s easiest to treat. Lambert’s big idea […] was to zero in on a protein generated by the infection. […] they were able to target specific DNA strands where the protein hides, then snip away extraneous genetic material to expose the protein, enabling them to detect it with a simple, kit-style test—like a COVID or pregnancy strip. […] they could detect Lyme as early as two days after infection
[…]
after securing federal funding to take synthetic biology to high schools all across Georgia […] the Trump administration cut the money, claiming it fell under DEI […] A judge temporarily restored the funding, but Standeven told us she’s not sure it will extend beyond 2026.
In rememberance: Happy Birthday, Richard Pryor.
(also, the only good thing in Superman III).
.
Yet another debunking of anti-vaxxer BS
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jr5aYHMau/
President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba, whom the administration has maneuvered to keep in place as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, is disqualified from serving in the role, an appeal court said Monday.
“It is apparent that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place. Its efforts to elevate its preferred candidate for U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, to the role of Acting U.S. Attorney demonstrate the difficulties it has faced — yet the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the U.S. Attorney’s Office deserve some clarity and stability,” the court wrote in a 32-page opinion.
Nothing unexpected, this part is legally clear and not new ground. The administration doesn’t get to keep appointing Acting US Attorneys, once one is rejected there is a different procedure to cover the gap. What happens is more interesting.
Unlike other cases the DOJ has not instantly jumped to appealing this. What they have in mind is not clear right now. With the identical Lindsey Halligan case they are trying a different route to go ahead and place Halligan in office. They may try that here also but in Halligan’s case they are desperate to keep the Comey indictment alive. They have other options in Habba’s case because no specific prosecution case depends on her appointment.
Donald Trump’s drive to secure peace in Ukraine must not let Vladimir Putin off the hook for war crimes committed by Russian forces, a top EU official has warned, effectively setting a new red line for a deal.
In an interview with POLITICO, Michael McGrath, the European commissioner for justice and democracy, said negotiators must ensure the push for a ceasefire does not result in Russia escaping prosecution.
“I don’t think history will judge kindly any effort to wipe the slate clean for Russian crimes in Ukraine,” McGrath said. “They must be held accountable for those crimes and that will be the approach of the European Union in all of these discussions.
This is really some political maneuvering. Any peace deal would have to let the Russians off the hook, if only because Russia isn’t going to turn them over. The EU is telling the US and Russia that any peace deal can’t just wipe the slate clean. If they want to set terms for the EU then the EU must be involved in negotiations.
Even if a deal is approved the people guilty of serious crimes will not be able to enter Ukraine or EU. Russia is not getting back all of the money and property the EU has seized or frozen. The previous trade deals and contracts will have to be renegotiated, many likely rejected because the EU has learned to get by with less oil.
FBI Director Kash Patel is facing withering criticism from an alliance of active-duty and retired agents and analysts, days after the White House denied media reports that the president is about to fire him.
A troubling new report card on the first six months of Patel’s leadership concludes he is “in over his head” and his deputy, Dan Bongino, is “something of a clown,” according to the alliance, which in two previous reports warned about crippling DEI and politicization of the FBI during the Biden administration.
The bits about Patel being a bad manager and bad leader are no surprise to anybody paying attention. This specific story is just absurd, the sort of thing I would assume was mud slinging if applied to most figures on either the right or left.
On Sept. 11, 2025, the day after Kirk was assassinated, Patel flew into Provo, Utah, on the FBI jet but “would not disembark from the plane without an FBI raid jacket,” according to ALPHA 99, a “highly respected” source who has served in the FBI for multiple decades.
“Patel apparently did not have his own FBI raid jacket with him and refused to step from the plane without wearing one,” according to the report.
“Almost two months later, the president said he’ll release the test results, though he still doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned.”
It’s been almost two months since Donald Trump went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his second physical of the year. Soon after the visit, an official White House summary released to news organizations noted that the president had undergone “advanced imaging” as part of that visit.
This one detail, mentioned in passing, generated some reasonable follow-up questions: Did Trump get an MRI? If so, why?
Remarkably, the story isn’t just lingering, it’s also getting weirder. The Associated Press’ headline summarized matters nicely: “Trump says he’ll release MRI results but doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned.” From the report:
President Donald Trump said he’ll release the results of his MRI test that he received in October. ‘If you want to have it released, I’ll release it,’ the Republican president said Sunday during an exchange with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Florida. He said the results of the MRI were ‘perfect.’
Let’s take a moment to review how we arrived at this point.
A week after the medical exam, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt conceded that she didn’t know why this specific test was ordered. A week after that, the president himself acknowledged during a brief Q&A with reporters that he’d undergone magnetic resonance imaging, but he declined to say why his doctors had ordered the scan.
The issue lingered in the background for a while. On Nov. 4, Leavitt boasted about Trump’s “optimal physical health,” although she didn’t know the reason for his MRI. On Nov. 12, the press secretary again insisted that the president is in “exceptional physical health,” adding that the results were reviewed by “radiologists and consultants,” but she offered no additional details.
Two days later, Trump boasted to reporters, “I had an MRI. The doctor said it was the best result he has ever seen as a doctor.” Asked whether the MRI was on his brain, Trump replied, “I have no idea what they analyzed, but whatever they analyzed, they analyzed it well. And they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen.”
Two weeks later, the president thought it would be a good idea to condemn Gov. Tim Walz as “seriously [R-word used to denigrate people who are mentally challenged],” which led the Minnesota Democrat to call on Trump to release the results of his MRI. The challenge led to a fresh line of inquiry. [social media post and video]
There may be nothing to this story, but given Trump’s unfortunate record, he hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt on questions of medical transparency. What’s more, Dr. Vin Gupta, a medical analyst for MS NOW, explained online, “Even if you are leader of the free world, you don’t just get an MRI without a clear reason to do so. There’s no such thing as a ‘screening’ MRI.”
That Trump still has “no idea” what the MRI was for doesn’t exactly resolve the underlying questions about what happened or why. Watch this space.
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Boasting about his cognitive health, on Monday Donald J. Trump asserted than an MRI performed on his brain found nothing.
“I had a perfect MRI,” he told reporters. “The greatest doctors in the country looked at my brain and came up empty.”
Trump said there was no point in releasing his MRI because “there’s nothing to see,” adding, “It’s like the East Wing.”
Sky Captain @381, that was great news/science coverage by 60 Minutes.
In other news:
Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced over the weekend that he will not seek re-election next year, joining a growing list of members giving up their seats. Among those looking to replace the far-right congressman: Nehls’ identical twin brother, Trever. [summarized by Steve Benen from an ms.now report]
[…] All things considered, we’re looking at a Capitol Hill landscape in which roughly 51 members are giving up their seats or have already done so. NPR reported:
[The number of congressional lawmakers who do not plan to run for re-election to their current seats in 2026] currently stands at 10 senators and 41 House members. There are 22 retiring from public office with the rest running for a different office — 16 looking to become governor of their state, 12 looking to make the jump from House to Senate and one, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, is looking to become his state’s attorney general. … There are more Republicans signaling their desire to exit Washington (28) than Democrats (23). […]
Lower court judges who rule against the Trump administration have faced a staggering increase in threats, often fueled by President Donald Trump. But thankfully, a huge boost in security funding was included in the deal to end the government shutdown.
Oh, wait. That was only for the Supreme Court.
An additional $28 million in funding will pay for around-the-clock protection and other enhanced security measures for Supreme Court justices. Similarly, the U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for guarding federal judges and courthouses, got a bump of $30 million for “protective operations”—whatever that means.
Meanwhile, lower court judges—the ones who are actually facing threats—received no additional security funds, despite having asked for a 19% increase. That might sound like a lot, but Congress has kept security funding for the courts flat for three years.
[…] The Trump administration couldn’t make it any clearer that the only court it cares about is the Supreme Court—because it reliably lets Trump do whatever he wants, including relentlessly attacking lower court judges who rule against him.
[…] designed to whip the MAGA base into a violent frenzy against lower court judges […] Trump keeps calling judges who have the gall to get in his way “lunatics, “crooked,” and “monsters” who hate the United States.
Similarly, Vice President JD Vance has incorrectly said that judges “aren’t allowed” to control the president’s “legitimate power” through rulings that temporarily block Trump’s executive orders. And Attorney General Pam Bondi has called judges “deranged.”
Congressional Republicans have also enthusiastically joined in, […] making “wanted” posters of judges.
After U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour ruled against Trump’s wildly unconstitutional attempt to eliminate birthright citizenship, he faced a swatting attack. And when U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell blocked Trump’s funding freeze, he received death threats. At least 11 other federal judges have had members of their families targeted, with threats of arrest and execution.
Judge John Bates, who ordered the administration to restore public health websites, was targeted by Elon Musk, who shared photos of Bates’ family on X.
But it’s not just on X. Far-right websites like Gateway Pundit have called for at least 51 federal judges to be fired, arrested, or killed. [yikes]
Trump and his supporters have no qualms about calling for violence against judges. Combine that with the Supreme Court constantly kneecapping the lower courts—overturning rulings and undermining their authority—and what you get is lower court judges being terrorized for doing their job. […]
“The deal concludes months of tough talks and will allow Ottawa to take part in procurements financed by the EU’s SAFE program.”
Canada has reached a final agreement to join the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe program, two EU diplomats told POLITICO, marking the first time a third country will formally participate in the bloc’s flagship joint procurement initiative.
The breakthrough follows months of technically complex negotiations and was communicated directly to ministers taking part in Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council; Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius informed delegations that negotiations with Ottawa had concluded.
Canada’s accession to the loan-for-weapons SAFE scheme gives Ottawa access to jointly financed defense projects and allows Canadian companies to bid into EU-supported joint procurement projects. For Brussels, securing a G7 partner strengthens the credibility of SAFE as it seeks to coordinate long-term weapons demand and ramp up Europe’s defense industrial base.
Under SAFE, third countries can account for a maximum of 35 percent of the value of a weapons system paid for by the scheme; Canada will be able to have a larger share but it will have to pay a fee “commensurate with the benefits the Partner Country and its entities are expected to derive,” factoring in GDP, industrial competitiveness and the depth of cooperation with European manufacturers.
Other issues tackled in negotiations covered conditions on intellectual property control and limits on non-EU inputs for sensitive systems including drones, missile-defense assets and strategic enablers.
Similar talks with the U.K. broke down on Friday.
The timing aligns with a major SAFE milestone: Kubilius announced on X that all 19 participating EU countries had submitted their spending plans that will be financed by low interest SAFE loans.
He added that 15 members included support for Ukraine in their plans, involving “billions, not millions” — something the Commission has been keen to encourage.
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captainsays
Re: Lynna quoting MS NOW @387:
“Even if you are leader of the free world, you don’t just get an MRI without a clear reason to do so. There’s no such thing as a ‘screening’ MRI.”
Then again, he’s surrounded by cranks and scammers…
In recent years, celebrities like Kim Kardashian [in 2023] have taken to social media to tout the supposed benefits of whole-body MRI scans.
[…]
doctors may recommend regular whole-body MRIs for certain patients as a preventive measure […] But this generally occurs only when patients are diagnosed with rare disorders that put them at high risk of developing cancer. […] “There is no scientific evidence that whole-body MRI in asymptomatic, average-risk patients improves health,”
[…]
In fact, full-body MRIs may actually do more harm than good […] a person might get an MRI of an injured rib and then have a suspicious mass pop up on the scan. […] just benign abnormalities in the body that pose no threat. About 15% to 30% of diagnostic imaging tests raise at least one incidental finding, estimates suggest. […] these results can prompt additional diagnostic tests, biopsy procedures and even unnecessary surgeries […] Full-body MRIs typically cost anywhere from $1,000 to over $4,000
/I thought I’d read that Kardashian was joining a Trump admin official to give a speech in another country on state matters recently, but I can’t find it now.
birgerjohanssonsays
The Roundworld Year of 2026 shall be known as : The Year of the Curious Squid
Bruna Ferreira was leaving her home in Revere to pick up her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr., from school in New Hampshire when her car was suddenly swarmed by [ICE] agents. […] “They were not the most gentle with her,” […] [Bruna] repeatedly told authorities the name of her son’s aunt: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt
[…]
After Ferreira was detained, [Bruna’s sister] said Michael Leavitt Sr. [Karoline’s brother] and his father, Bob Leavitt, reached out to her. “They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,'” she said. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.”
Republicans in the Indiana state House on Monday introduced a new congressional district map that seeks to oust the two Democrats in the state’s nine-member delegation, heeding President Donald Trump’s demand that state Republicans help him rig the 2026 midterm elections.
The map turns what is currently a 7-2 map in favor of Republicans to a 9-0 map in favor of the GOP. This would be in a state where Democrat Kamala Harris won roughly 40% of the vote in last year’s presidential election.
While the map is likely to pass the GOP-controlled state House, it’s unclear whether it has the votes to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate, where GOP lawmakers have slammed Trump’s effort and subsequent pressure campaign that’s led multiple lawmakers to receive death threats and attacks.
For example, Republican state Sen. Michael Bohacek on Friday said he will vote against any gerrymandering effort, pinning his opposition to a comment Trump made in which he called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “seriously [R-word that demeans people who are mentally challenged].”
“This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences,” Bohacek, whose daughter has Down syndrome, wrote in a Facebook post. “I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he [Trump] can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.”
Meanwhile, Republican state Sen. Jean Leising said on Sunday she was the target of a bomb threat due to her opposition to the gerrymander, but she said it will not change her stance on the effort. […]
Another GOP state senator refused a summons to the White House, saying he believed that being pressured to vote for the gerrymander was a violation of federal law. […]
However, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who is also opposed to the gerrymander, said the Senate will meet to consider the state House’s map. […] it’s not clear if the map will pass.
Ultimately, Trump is so scared of Republicans losing their House majority that he’s strong-arming state lawmakers into rigging their congressional maps. It’s just the latest in a long list of corrupt actions he has taken since reentering the White House.
During a Monday rally for Republican Matt Van Epps, whose Tennessee special election is on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson held his cell phone to the microphone so President Donald Trump could rant against Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn. [video]
Trump: If you can go Matt Van Epps, he’s a winner and he’s going to be great. Don’t let this stuff fool you. The Democrats are spending a fortune, and we don’t want people that want to raise your taxes. She wants to raise your taxes on top of everything else. But she said two things above all else that bothered me. Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that?
That’s culture war garbage from Trump. Mike Johnson smiled, and gave Trump’s comments a thumbs-up.
lumipunasays
Re: 356, on the US war on “narcoterrorism”
What IS winning?
Are there less drug users? How do you know? Has the price of illicit drugs gone up on the street? How do you KNOW you’re having any affect? That’s not a rhetorical question. How do you know? How do you measure victory?
Exactly! I’ve been waiting for the US media to ask these questions. And it’s still just some rando natsec blogger.
I sometimes rot my brain by reading Twitter discussions where US journalists, lawyers and political activists argue with MAGA trolls over the merits of blowing up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. The criticism of these boat strikes tends to focus on illegality, with frequent mentions of shoddy incriminating evidence, and alleged data (which I haven’t checked) showing that Venezuela actually exports only little cocaine and no fentanyl to the US.
The MAGA trolls most often retreat to utilitarianism – the notion that it makes perfect sense to kill a few score foreign criminals whose activities are killing 100,000 Americans a year (this figure sounds really wild to me, if true – and it’s supposedly almost entirely from fentanyl). Won’t you think of the grieving families of these American victims! It’s really heartwarming how the US society manages to awkwardly feign sympathy for drug addicts when there’s opportunity to inflict violence on someone else in their name.
There’s the occasional suggestion that blowing up some boats will act as a deterrence for the drug cartels. And if it doesn’t – who cares. The bad guys deserve to be killed whenever they choose to participate in pushing drugs. There’s the occasional insistence that, since decades of war against drugs hasn’t worked, you gotta try a new tactic in fighting the war.
Of course, after nearly three months of boat strikes, it should be possible to do some assessment on whether this highly controversial new tactic is actually working. At least the supposed drug boats don’t seem to have stopped, since the strikes continue at a fairly constant rate.
Some of the more snide trolls will respond to criticism of the boat strikes with some variation of “Lol, you must be really salty now that your personal cocaine supply has dried up”. Other than that, there’s a remarkable dearth of anyone suggesting – much less showing credible evidence – that the supply of cocaine, fentanyl or whatever drug on the US market has been actually affected. IIRC at some point several weeks ago Trump himself remarked in one speech that the amount of “sea drugs” has gone down to near zero. He doesn’t seem to have brought it up since, probably since the press isn’t pressing him on the matter.
The critics on Twitter aren’t talking about this, either. The Trump administration doesn’t seem to have even manufactured some dubious data it could tout to MAGA audiences as a sign of victory. It’s as if no one really cares.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September following a bombshell Washington Post report that claimed he ordered the military to “kill everybody.”
Leavitt told reporters at the White House press briefing that Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank Bradley to carry out the second strike, which reportedly killed two people who were hanging onto the burning vessel after an initial strike.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war. With respect to the strikes in question on September 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said.
“Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated,” she continued. “This administration has designated these narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations. The president has the right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America, if they are bringing illegal narcotics that are killing our citizens at a record rate, which is what they are doing.” […]
The chair of a federal vaccine advisory committee, himself a well-known vaccine critic, will be moving to an official role within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency announced Monday.
HHS announced Martin Kulldorff was appointed to be chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
[…] Kulldorff formerly taught at Harvard Medical School until he was fired in 2024 for what he claimed was his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He was also an author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for promoting herd immunity early on in the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing the virus to spread unmitigated. [I snipped laudatory comments from RFK Jr.]
[…] Pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon Kirk Milhoan will replace Kulldorff as chair of the ACIP. Milhoan is also an ardent vaccine critic and previously argued that vaccines were ineffective, arguing only natural immunity could end the COVID-19 pandemic. [JFC]
He is a senior fellow at the Independent Medical Alliance, an organization that has spoken out against mRNA vaccines and instead promoted the use of drugs like Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. [head/desk]
The History Chap: A Recipe For Disaster? The British Army’s Purchase System
An interesting history of the Purchase system, the period when the British army formally sold positions in the officers corp. He points out that the Purchase system actually worked for some of it’s primary goals, particularly insuring that the military couldn’t be used to overthrow the monarchy or parliament. However, as the modern professional army arose the system couldn’t keep up. It became more and more out of date and eventually had to be abolished.
Goes into the details of how the system worked and the myths that surround it. Along with discussing some of the great and terrible generals produced.
Rachel Maddow tells the story of one of the most shocking decisions in American history in her new podcast, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order.” This six-part series reveals how an executive order authorizing the roundup of innocent Americans came to be – and a bombshell discovery in the unlikeliest of places that would ultimately expose it all.
Listen to the trailer now and follow the series. [Link is available at the main link]
The transcripts for Episodes 1 and 2 are also available at the main link.
Jared Kushner and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff are heading to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin following a lengthy meeting with Ukrainian officials Sunday, according to a U.S. official familiar with the plans.
Witkoff, Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the U.S. delegation in a meeting with Ukrainian delegates in Florida to discuss a possible peace plan between the two warring nations.
New York Times:
Russia unleashed a nearly 10-hour air assault across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least two people in the capital and injuring dozens more, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
New York Times:
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s dismissal of his longtime right-hand man opens a window for a political overhaul that has been long deferred by the war in Ukraine. But it also injects uncertainty into Mr. Zelensky’s government at a delicate moment, leaving him without his key political enforcer as Ukraine is under pressure on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.
Israeli security forces shot and killed two Palestinian men who appeared to be unarmed and surrendering in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to video filmed by Palestine TV that was distributed by Reuters, and video shot by the news agency itself.
A shooting Saturday night at a children’s birthday party in California’s Central Valley left four people dead and 11 others injured, the local sheriff’s office said. About 15 people were shot near a shopping plaza in Stockton, Calif., Heather Brent of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday. Three children, ages 8, 9, and 14, were killed, along with a 21-year-old, Ms. Brent said.
Northwestern agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government in a deal reached on Friday with the Trump administration that restores hundreds of millions in research funding and closes multiple investigations into antisemitism on campus.
Sigh. Yet another attempt by a university trying to appease Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced the end of temporary immigration protections for Haitians, adding them to a growing list of immigrant groups seeing their protected status revoked by the Trump administration.
The decision, which becomes effective on Feb. 3, 2026, could affect more than a half million Haitians living in the U.S. under what is known as Temporary Protected Status.
Cantor Fitzgerald, the former firm of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has long been an afterthought on Wall Street. Now it is having its best year ever.
A little-noticed provision in the sweeping ‘One Big Beautiful’ legislation enacted by the GOP over the summer sharply limits the amount of federal student loans that students earning professional degrees — including medical school — can borrow. It also imposes even stricter borrowing caps for other health fields including nursing and public health.
President Donald Trump recently touted himself as the “AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT” and suggested this branding would help his fellow Republicans win in next year’s midterm elections. His comments clearly seem borrowed from the playbook of New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist whose upstart campaign was laser focused on addressing the affordability crisis in the Big Apple.
On Monday afternoon, TPM asked both Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), another Democratic Socialist who similarly homed in on income inequality during his two presidential campaigns, what they thought of Trump’s attempt to take the mantle of “affordability.”
“I will shock all of you in suggesting that the president of the United States is a pathological liar. He lies all of the time,” Sanders told us. [LOL]
We spoke to Mamdani and Sanders as they joined striking Starbucks workers on the picket line in Brooklyn Monday afternoon. As the strike at the brand’s unionized stores enters its third week, New York City just announced that Starbucks agreed to pay a $38.9 million settlement for violating local laws requiring fair working conditions when it failed to provide workers with stable schedules.
Trump’s latest branding move came in one of his trademark all caps declarations on his Truth Social platform last weekend.
“I AM THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT,” Trump wrote in the Saturday morning post.
Trump based that proclamation on his claim that “DRUG PRICES ARE FALLING AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, 500%, 600%, 700%, and more.” He also suggested that, “if this story is properly told, we should win the Midterm Elections in RECORD NUMBERS.” [Fecking doofus. Math illiteracy.]
Experts of all stripes have noted that Trump’s math doesn’t add up. If those numbers were true, it would mean that pharmaceutical companies were literally paying the government to distribute their drugs rather than charging anything for them. Furthermore, the policy Trump is touting that has led to some lower prices is one that was enacted by President Joe Biden. [!!]
In his comments to TPM, Sanders offered further Trump fact checking by pointing to rising health care costs stemming from the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and price increases tied to Trump’s tariffs.
“To tell the people of New York City and Vermont that you are the ‘affordability president’ at a time when legislation that you have passed will be responsible — if we don’t change it — in raising healthcare premiums for people on the Affordable Care Act on average doubling, in some cases tripling, and quadrupling … maybe Trump should go out to those people who are going to see a doubling and tripling of their premiums and explain to them how he is the affordablility president,” Sanders said, adding, “Not to mention that his tariffs all over this country have driven prices clearly up.”
Mamdani, who met with Trump in the Oval Office last month and indicated affordability was an area where they found common ground, was decidedly more diplomatic.
“I would say that our focus is less on who is described as what and more that we actually deliver for the people of this city,” Mamdani told us, adding, “The focus always has to come back to working people and, when you ask these Starbucks workers what the consequences are of a company that refuses to schedule them with any predictability, of a company that refuses to pay them a wage that they can actually afford to live in this city, it is that they do not know if they can call themselves New Yorkers any longer.”
Mamdani, who promised to continue joining picket line protests after he is sworn in next month, stuck to his message of addressing affordability in New York and said he was “tired” of meeting workers who have to commute from out of state. [Good point]
“They live in places that they can afford the rent, they can afford the mortgage. That place has to become New York City once again,” Mamdani said. […]
Mullen and Trump are laying the groundwork for shooting planes out of the sky on the mere suspicion that they’re carrying drugs. It’s madness.
The WSJ is manufacturing consent for an invasion of Venezuela by arguing that it’s too late now, Trump has already put American credibility on the line, so we can’t leave Maduro in power. Sick, sick, sick.
[Sen] Markwayne Mullin [R-OK]: “President Trump has tried to do this through closing down international water. They continue to ship drugs. Now they’re starting to fly them into the US through tail numbers that are being disguised as commercial flights or private flights.” [Video clip]
if Mr. Maduro refuses to leave, and Mr. Trump shrinks from acting to depose him, Mr. Trump and the credibility of the U.S. will be the losers. Mr. Trump chose this showdown, and it will cost America and the region dearly if Mr. Maduro emerges triumphant.
StevoRsays
Nearly 4.5 million years ago, two large, hot stars brushed tantalizingly close to Earth’s sun. They left behind a trace in the clouds of gas and dust that swirl just beyond our solar system—almost like the scent of perfume after someone has left the room.
That’s one finding from new research led by Michael Shull, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado Boulder, and published Nov. 24 in The Astrophysical Journal. The study sheds new light on the details of Earth’s neighborhood in space.
Earth’s solar system is surrounded by what scientists call the “local interstellar clouds.” These wispy clumps of gas and dust are made up mostly of hydrogen and helium atoms and stretch about 30 light-years, or roughly 175 trillion miles, from end to end. Zoom past that and our sun exists in a region of the galaxy known as the “local hot bubble,” where gas and dust are relatively scarce. Shull noted that understanding these features is important because they may have influenced the evolution of life on Earth over millions of years.
As pressure continues to mount on the Venezuelan president, the country’s allies and opponents have begun revealing where their support lies.
..(snip)..
Since the turn of the century and the election of former socialist president Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has expanded diplomatic ties across the world while distancing itself from the US.
Venezuela’s global alliances are with Russia, China, Iran and Türkiye, which are all countries Mr Maduro or representatives of his government have met or spoken with in recent months.
For perspective on all of this, we turn now to retired major general Steven Lepper. He served as the Air Force’s deputy judge advocate general and, as such, was the service’s second highest ranking uniformed lawyer.
DOJ says immigration judges, as “inferior officers,” may be fired on the basis of sex, religion, race, or national origin. Leaving aside the law, it’s *politically* remarkable they’re taking this position. [Screenshot of court filing]
an “at-will” employee, and your removal is beyond the purview of Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act]. […] Article II of the Constitution allows the President and heads of departments exercising his power to remove inferior officers
Rando 1: “That still seems illegal, right?”
Rando 2: “Yep. Still illegal even for an ‘at-will’ employee. They can be fired for *no* reason, but they can’t be fired for just *any* reason.”
Josh Marshall (TPM): “So they are arguing that no anti-discrimination law applies within the executive branch?”
Eric Columbus: “Somewhat narrower than that—it only applies to ‘officers,’ which are basically executive branch folks with significant discretionary duties and authority.”
Rando 3: “Isn’t their current position that civil service laws are unconstitutional because it restricts the unitary executive and so all federal employees are in reality officers?”
Rando 4: “Yes, more or less.”
It sounds to me like they’re making the (absurd) argument that the President’s constitutional removal power extends to inferior officers. Scalia himself says that the test for whether you can be tenure-protected is “do you have a boss who isn’t the president?”
[…]
(The idea that there’s an inherent Article II authority to fire people for reasons of race sex etc. runs into a brick wall called “the Fourteenth Amendment is adopted subsequent to Article II”)
Rando 5: “You know were are at most months away from this administration saying in court that the 14A isn’t valid because the Confederate states were forced to ratify it.”
Robert Black: “Oh yeah.”
Rando 6: “I’ve come to the amateur legal conclusion that the ‘principle’ on which they base their arguments is essentially ‘no law we dislike applies within the executive branch.'”
“Judges Are Getting Sick And Tired Of Dealing With Trump’s Illegal Orders”
220 judges – many Trump appointees -have ruled against the president in hundreds of cases.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=SioxtuyoyQg
KGsays
Venezuela’s global alliances are with Russia, China, Iran and Türkiye, which are all countries Mr Maduro or representatives of his government have met or spoken with in recent months. – StevoR@416 quoting ABC
I’m absolutely no admirer of Maduro, but Venezuela has been subjected to a quarter-century of US interference and hostility, so it’s hardly surprising its rulers take support where they can find it, or that American foes/rivals extend that support.
birgerjohanssonsays
KG 421
Let’s see… the country has mountains, bushland and tropical forests able to hide guerrillas. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe Hegseth, Rubio & might even give us a “Mission Accomplished” moment?
KGsays
if Mr. Maduro refuses to leave, and Mr. Trump shrinks from acting to depose him, Mr. Trump and the credibility of the U.S. will be the losers. Mr. Trump chose this showdown, and it will cost America and the region dearly if Mr. Maduro emerges triumphant. – WSJ Editorial Board quoted by CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain@414
“The Boss said we’d break his fingers and burn his shop down if he didn’t sell up to our guy – it would cost us and the neighbourhood dearly if he shrinks from doing it.”
birgerjohanssonsays
Those of you who are not Patreon members of God Awful Movies are missing out of the bonus episode “Jiu Jitsu” from 2020.
Cyprus partially funds films filmed in the country, but they flat out refused to pay for this piece of crap.
I am told it is perfect for those who like “so bad it is good” movies.
The special effects for the “invisible” alien in this 2020 film were worse than for the 1987 “Predator” !
KGsays
JM,
Thanks for the info on China@378, and the link @404.
StevoRsays
Two months old so Imight be a bit late with this one but anyway John Oliver Netanyahu: Last Week Tonight – 35 mins long.
birgerjohanssonsays
A lovely sight to help you forget about politics for a while.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is spending more than $7 million on a fleet of armored vehicles designed to protect occupants against bomb blasts and which can stop a .50 caliber round, according to federal procurement records reviewed by The Independent.
However, the 20 bulletproof personnel carriers ordered by the nation’s deportation agency are not coming from an American manufacturer, but a Canadian company headquartered in Ontario – the province whose recent anti-tariff TV ad so infuriated Donald Trump, the president threatened additional levies on all goods coming in from the country.
These are Roshel Senators. There are a bunch of different versions so I wouldn’t take the picture with the article as gospel, the ones being sold to ICE may not have the machine gun turret.
Typical of the Trump administration way of doing things, except there is no sign of a kickback yet. The Trump and officials talk about policy but each decision is made in the way most convenient at the moment. The speed of purchase requirement for this is likely so the entire purchase can be done before any oversight by Congress or public pressure can build up, not any actual deployment requirement. As a bonus, the reason Roshel has them sitting on the lot is likely because they were meant for Ukraine.
The APCs themselves are tougher then ICE should need, even protecting from a riot why does ICE need armor rated to stop heavy machine guns? Even protecting the southern US border has ICE ever come under machine gun fire? They do look impressive though, which was likely a primary buying criteria.
Rachel Maddow relays the details of a new Washington Post report that Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, former weekend cable news host Pete Hegseth, gave orders to kill everyone on board a boat he accused of running drugs to the United States, which meant finishing off the survivors of an initial strike that destroyed the boat — the literal textbook definition of an illegal order. Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee joins to discuss a new, bipartisan push to investigate Hegseth’s orders.
Rachel Maddow talks with Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of Russian dissident activism group Pussy Riot, about what it means that the Putin administration has declared her a member of an “extremist” organization, and the parallels to Donald Trump using a similar tactic to give himself the tools for targeting people he doesn’t like.
Rachel Maddow takes some time after Monday’s show to dig into the questions submitted by readers of MS NOW’s We The People newsletter, covering topics from history to protests to staying sane in the Trump era. Subscribe to the newsletter now: ms.now/wethepeople
“My Justice Department will continue to be the most pro-Second Amendment Justice Department in history,” Pam Bondi said.
In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi established a Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force within the Department of Justice, which proposed, among things, to make it easier for former prisoners to own firearms.
Nine months later, the Trump DOJ is taking another step in the same direction. The Washington Times reported:
The Department of Justice is opening a new office that will focus exclusively on gun ownership rights, bolstering the Trump administration’s effort to appease disgruntled Second Amendment proponents.
The office, named the Second Amendment Rights Section, will be part of the Civil Rights Division and dedicated to upholding the right to bear arms, according to Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the division.
“As I said soon after taking office, the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Bondi said in a statement. “My Justice Department will continue to be the most pro-Second Amendment Justice Department in history.”
As an abstraction, such rhetoric might appear meaningless, but it’s worth emphasizing the practical implications of Bondi’s boast.
Over the summer, for example, The New York Times reported that the Bondi-led Justice Department was moving forward with plans to slash the number of inspectors who monitor federally licensed gun dealers by two-thirds, “sharply limiting the government’s already crimped capacity to identify businesses that sell guns to criminals.”
A month earlier, the Trump administration had also decided it would permit the sale of “forced reset triggers,” which can turn semiautomatic weapons into guns that can fire more bullets, more quickly and easily. Bondi said the move would “enhance public safety,” [WTF?] which seemed to turn reality on its head.
Alas, we can keep going. After the 2022 massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, there was bipartisan support for significant new investments in improving mental health support for students as part of an effort to make future mass shootings less likely. The Trump administration, however, decided to block $1 billion in grants for student mental health programs, concluding that the programs to reduce gun violence in schools were no longer in “the best interest of the federal government.”
A week before these revelations came to light, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump’s Justice Department had canceled hundreds of grants to community organizations and local governments, “including funding for gun-violence prevention programs.”
Now a new Justice Department office will focus “exclusively” on the interests of gun owners.
[…] it was in the wake of a mass school shooting in February 2018 when Trump held an hourlong televised discussion with a group of lawmakers from both parties about gun violence. As part of the conversation, then-Vice President Mike Pence raised the prospect of empowering law enforcement to take weapons away from those who have been reported to be potentially dangerous, though he added that he expected to see “due process so no one’s rights are trampled.”
“Take the firearms first and then go to court,” Trump interjected. At the same event, the president endorsed a law enforcement model in which police officers confiscated some Americans’ guns “whether they had the right or not.”
When Republicans derailed those negotiations and nothing passed, there was another mass shooting a year later, at which point Trump again wanted a gun bill, including restrictions on assault rifles — which, according to multiple accounts, was one of his long-sought goals.
In other words, as recently as his first term, the president at least briefly sought ambitious gun reforms, up to and including extrajudicial gun confiscations.
[…] Now Trump and his administration not only don’t want to bother [with regulations], they’re also moving aggressively in the opposite direction.
[…] The denials came quickly. The beleaguered Pentagon chief [Pete Hegseth] called the article “fake news.” His top spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said the “entire narrative” presented by the Washington Post was “false,” adding, “These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth. Fake News is the enemy of the people.”
Three days later, the administration changed its story: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a Monday briefing that the U.S. military did launch a second strike, adding that it was ordered by Bradley. [social media post and video]
Soon after, Hegseth published an item to social media that read, “Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.”
On the surface, this might give the impression that the secretary was standing behind the admiral, but the context is everything: By referencing “the combat decisions he has made,” Hegseth appeared to be passing the buck to Bradley, rather than taking responsibility. [!! True.]
Indeed, a follow-up report in the Post noted that officials in Congress and the Pentagon expressed concern that the Trump administration “intends to scapegoat” Bradley, adding that Leavitt’s prepared comments “elicited a furious backlash within the Defense Department, where officials described feeling angry at the uncertainty over whether Hegseth would take responsibility for his alleged role in the operation — or leave the military and civilian staff under him to face the consequences.”
Complicating matters further, a video reemerged this week of Hegseth appearing on Fox News on Sept. 3, boasting that he watched the military operation unfold in real time a day earlier, making it more difficult for him to distance himself from what transpired. [video]
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, where the defense secretary was already lacking in allies, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the latest allegations by calling for Hegseth’s resignation.
“If the reports are true, Pete Hegseth likely committed a war crime when he gave an illegal order that led to the killing of incapacitated survivors of the U.S. strike in the Caribbean,” the senator said. “The American people deserve to know exactly what happened, which is why I’m proud to join colleagues on both sides of the aisle in calling for a thorough investigation and full transparency with Congress. It’s deeply shameful that the Secretary of Defense would violate the laws of armed conflict and put our brave servicemembers in this position. He should resign immediately.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut issued a similar statement soon afterward, insisting, “Hegseth needs to go. … He should resign or be fired — or at least be put on leave while investigations proceed. Our men and women in uniform, as well as the American people, deserve no less.”
On the other side of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader John Thune was also asked how comfortable he is with Hegseth’s leadership. “I don’t have, at this point, an evaluation of the secretary,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters. “Others can make those evaluations.”
A ringing endorsement it was not.
Bradley is expected to spend time on Capitol Hill this week to speak with senior lawmakers about what transpired. Watch this space.
@432 Lynna, OM: The whole situation with the war crimes is just hilariously sad. Hegseth was taking credit for the strikes right up until the possibility they might be war crimes surfaced. Then suddenly the senior military officer in the room was the one who ordered it. But the way Hegseth is you can’t tell if he was lying when he was taking credit or lying when he denied he did it, both possibilities are about equally likely right now.
It does demonstrate that Hegseth’s talk of courage is a lie. He was the senior official in the room, if the order was a bad one he would be the one to step in and countermand it. If he failed to do so then he should be stepping up to take responsibility for not doing his job. If he thought it was legal then he should be willing to say he ordered the strike and will defend himself and the DOD. All of the Trump administration figures are real big on being in charge right up until there is some blame to be assigned.
He [Hegseth] was the senior official in the room, if the order was a bad one he would be the one to step in and countermand it. If he failed to do so then he should be stepping up to take responsibility for not doing his job. If he thought it was legal then he should be willing to say he ordered the strike and will defend himself and the DOD. All of the Trump administration figures are real big on being in charge right up until there is some blame to be assigned.
“Trump’s pardon reeks of hypocrisy, it reeks of corruption, which is the M.O. of the Trump administration,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
When Donald Trump announced the day after Thanksgiving that he intended to pardon former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, part of me wondered if it might be a trial balloon. Maybe, I thought, the Republican president would float this as a possibility and back down soon after in the face of widespread outrage.
As ridiculous as American politics has become, it seemed implausible that Trump would free a notorious foreign drug trafficker, even as his administration claims to be engaged in a literal armed conflict against foreign drug traffickers.
Trump, however, was apparently sincere about his intentions. The Associated Press reported:
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández … was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate website showed that Hernández was released from U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia on Monday, and a spokesperson for the bureau on Tuesday confirmed his release.
Hernández was convicted last year in a sweeping drug-trafficking case and sentenced to 45 years in prison. […]
What’s more, the same Times report noted that Hernández “orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy” that benefited drug cartels, even as Honduras grew poorer, more violent and more corrupt.
Trump, however, freed him anyway — to the great surprise of both Hondurans and U.S. officials who had invested enormous resources in building a successful case against the former leader.
Pressed for some kind of explanation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was responding to “the people of Honduras,” who convinced Trump that the Biden-era Justice Department was being too hard on the notorious drug trafficker. [social media post and video]
For his part, Trump said late last week that he was taking this step on the advice of “people that I greatly respect.” He didn’t identify any of these people, but longtime Republican operative Roger Stone — a Trump confidant and himself the recipient of a scandalous pardon — claimed that the president made the announcement just “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from Hernández.
While it’s difficult to say whether (and to what degree) Stone was peddling self-aggrandizing claims, The Wall Street Journal reported that Stone has been railing against Hernández’s conviction for months. [Roger Stone] also has hosted Hernández’s family members on his radio program, and he has argued online that a Hernández pardon would undermine Honduras’ departing leftist government.
After the pardon news was formally announced, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered floor remarks in which the New York Democrat described the president’s move as “truly disgusting and alarming.”
“Pardoning one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers is egregious, shameful and dangerous, even for Donald Trump,” Schumer said. The senator also drew attention to an Axios report that quoted a Trump adviser who conceded, “How we justify this is really hard.” […]
[…] Former Navy JAG Todd Huntley, to the New Yorker: “Basically, this is the one strike that we know about where even if you accept the Administration’s position that the United States is in an armed conflict with these drug cartels, this would still be unlawful under the laws of armed conflict, because the individuals were out of the fight and shipwrecked, and thus owed protection.”
Associated Press: “It doesn’t matter whether the U.S. is in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels as the Trump administration asserts. Such a fatal second strike would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict, the experts say.”
Jack Goldsmith, Harvard law professor and former Office of Legal Counsel head: “[S]urely the warrior ethos, whatever else it means, doesn’t require killing helpless men clinging to the burning wreckage of a blown-up boat.”
Mark Nevitt at Just Security: “The United States, which has military forces deployed around the globe, cannot build a safer world for its own service members by discarding basic laws of war. History shows that when America blatantly abandons humane norms and the law of war, it ultimately endangers its own people.”
President Donald Trump went on a manic late night social media posting binge on Monday night, reinforcing concerns about how abnormal his behavior has been during this presidency.
Between the hours of 7 PM ET and midnight, Trump posted to his Truth Social account about 150 times. The posts were about a mishmash of issues including a healthy dose of conspiracism, racism, xenophobia, and cheerleading of Trump himself.
For instance, Trump amplified a post by MAGA influencer Mila Joy advancing the false conspiracy theory that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi “planned January 6th for two years.” In another post Trump promoted notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who pushed the nonsensical theory that former first lady Michelle Obama used former President Biden’s autopen “to pardon key individuals.” [raised eyebrows … really?]
Trump also posted a video making an anti-immigrant attack on Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a frequent target of Trump’s racism.
[…] past presidents have not engaged in the same sort of posting binges as Trump. Biden, his immediate predecessor, used social media for official statements and promotion of his administration’s policies. The same was true for former President Barack Obama. Neither leader used their accounts to amplify conspiracies, racism, or xenophobia.
Historically presidents have communicated with the public via press conferences and other media availabilities. While there have of course been moments of hostility and conflict between the press and the presidency, Trump’s predecessors didn’t refer to a female reporter as a “piggy.”
Trump’s unhinged posting adds to growing concerns […] worries about his mental health.
In June, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump had “lost it” and was “not the same person” he dealt with years ago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said over the weekend that Trump is “demented,” noting his confusion about locations in the state.
Hiding from the public and pushing conspiracies does little to counter the accusations from the governors.
The Institute for Supply Management released the results on Monday of its most recent survey of the manufacturing industry, revealing a loss of jobs for the ninth month in a row.
The trend under […] Trump reverses years of manufacturing growth under former President Joe Biden, and experts are blaming Trump’s embrace of increased tariffs for the contraction.
“The manufacturing sector is sick,” Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, told Reuters.
The job losses echo Trump’s weak record on job creation during his first term in the White House. Trump was the first American president since statistics on jobs have been collected to have a net job loss during his term. There were 2.7 million fewer jobs when Trump left office in January 2021, and about 178,000 of those were in manufacturing.
By contrast, Biden oversaw the restoration of the manufacturing sector during his four years in office. When he left office in January the 12.9-million worker strong manufacturing industry had been restored to pre-pandemic levels, only to see losses return under Trump.
Economist Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research told Newsweek that Trump’s tariffs are the crux of the problem.
“Companies are reluctant to invest in a context where they have no idea what tariffs will be in place six months from now, much less three to five years from now,” Baker said. He also noted that demand for products is down because tariff costs reduce consumers’ spending money.
The president’s executive actions have also hurt manufacturing. Trump has targeted green energy programs for elimination and defunding, but these were areas of growth for manufacturing. Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which funded manufacturing projects in the clean energy sector and contributed to job growth. […]
[…] Paul Krugman on his Substack provides an explanation which feels intriguingly correct […]
[W]hy pardon Hernández? [former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández]What’s the connection to the crypto/tech broligarchy? It’s called Próspera.
Próspera is a for-profit city being built off Honduras’s coast. Its charter largely exempts the island from Honduran law. Instead, the city is run by a governing structure that for the most part gives control to a corporation, Honduras Próspera Inc., which is in turn funded by a familiar list of Silicon Valley billionaires including Thiel, Sam Altman and Marc Andreesen.
So while the city is being marketed as a libertarian paradise, it’s best seen as an autonomous oligarchy, government of, by and for billionaires. And you won’t be surprised to learn that within Próspera, Bitcoin is legal tender.
The 2013 Honduran law that made the creation of Próspera possible was initially ruled unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme Court. But that ruling was reversed after Juan Orlando Hernández’s predecessor, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, managed to dismiss 4 of the court’s justices. Like Hernández, Sosa was a right-winger, who became president after a populist president, Manuel Zelaya, was overthrown by a military coup. Under both Hernández and Sosa, chaos reigned – corruption, criminal gangs, and drugs overran the country. The current president, Zelaya’s wife, has tried to claw back some sovereignty over Próspera, which has struck back with a mammoth lawsuit that could bankrupt the country. [eyebrow-raising details]
Yesterday Honduras held an election in which Trump backed Nasry Asfura, a member of the same right-wing party as Hernández. Early results show the governing left-wing party well behind, but Asfura in a virtual tie with another right-wing candidate.
In any case, the point is that while Trump threatens and fulminates against Maduro in Venezuela, he is openly backing the Honduran political party that has allowed massive drug smuggling into the U.S. Why? The only logical answer is because of the influence of the crypto/tech broligarchy and their interests in Próspera. [!!]
[…] Yes, this pardon stands in absurd contrast to Trump’s current spree of blowing up boats in the Caribbean region, and his general pretense of “tough on crime,” — but it cannot be limited to that contradiction. Dig deeper, and a lot of independently important and sordid stuff is lurking right there.
BTW — here is one obvious thread to pull. Trump says that the conviction of former-president Juan Orlando Hernández was somehow “unfair” and “unjust.” Where are the CIA and State Department files concerning whether Mr. Hernández was a drug dealer? Yes, we have a mountain of DOJ evidence from his trial — but in the pardon context there is no reason to exclude DoS, CIA and similar type evidence. Who in the government supports Trump’s position here?
Trump convened his Cabinet on Tuesday, amid controversy over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s role in authorizing in a Caribbean strike that killed two survivors of an initial hit on their boat.
Hegseth stood firm on the operations: “As I’ve said, and I will say again, we’ve only just begun striking narco folks and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they’ve been poisoning the American people,” he said, seated next to Trump.
The wave of strikes on alleged “narco-terrorists” is raising alarm inside the military and dividing GOP lawmakers.
Trump said the U.S. will begin land strikes on target drug cartels “very soon.”
“We’re going to start doing those strikes on land too. You know the land is much easier,” Trump said.
“We know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live,” he added. “We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon too.” [That’s Trump promising to make things even worse than they are now.]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Adm. Frank Bradley over the decision to carry out a second strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in September that killed two people.
“I wish everybody could be in the room watching our professionals, professionals like Adm. Frank Bradley and others,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth said he made the call on the first strike on Sept. 2 and that he watched the first strike live, but did not stick around for the second strike and learned of it a couple of hours later. [His story has changed.]
“Adm. Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” he said. “It was the right call. We have his back.” […]
In the days after Donald John Trump was elected again, a decision was made at the words factory not to cover every little dumb and crazy thing that comes out of Donald Trump’s bologna lips. Because that would be all we did all day, and who would even want to hear it? But on Monday the 79-year-old posted 160 times in five hours, crescendoing at one point to posting more than once a minute.
Later in the evening the posts became him re-posting, we mean re-TRUTHING, the exact same thing he’d just posted a second before, sometimes with an added comment on the re-repost, sometimes not. It’s getting kind of hard to ignore that his brain is … not what it once was. And by the person-woman-man-camera-TV standards of his first term, that is saying something.
[I snipped details concerning a post about Eric Holder]
He attacked Mark Kelly some more for being a TRAITOR, and Gavin Newsom, Tim Walz, etc. He posted a clip of himself with Macaulay Culkin in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He ranted about Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn hating Christianity and country music again, and rhapsodized about his beautiful ballroom some more, as is now his daily habit.
[I snipped details, social media posts, and videos showing how low Trump would go.]
[…] And how they hate Michelle Obama so, with burning and enduring passion! […]
Trump accused Honduras of election fraud.
Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election. If they do, there will be hell to pay! The people of Honduras voted in overwhelming numbers on November 30th. The National Electoral Commission, the official body charged with counting the Votes, abruptly stopped counting at midnight on November 30th. Their count showed a close race between Tito Asfura and Salvador Nasralla with Asfura holding a narrow lead of 500 votes. Their tally was stopped when only 47 percent of the Vote was counted. It is imperative that the Commission finish counting the Votes. Hundreds of thousands of Hondurans must have their Votes counted. Democracy must prevail!
Guess he is working on some kind of Art of The Deal with Honduras, following pardoning their drug-running former president. And speaking of drugs, looks like El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López just pleaded guilty. Remember when Trump gave his mother and 16 other members of the family golden visas to stay in the US as part of some kind a deal with his brother back in May? Seems rather under-reported. Then there’s Trump’s deals with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and those MS-13 gang members. Add pardoning Ross Ulbricht, and you’ve got a lot of drug dealer deals!
WE DIGRESS.
After that, Trump’s feed skidded off the rails. He re-shared a re-Truth of AI slop of a head in a Guy Fawkes mask, robotically intoning the 20-years-in-prison penalty for refusing an order. [social media post]
He re-Troofed the BOMBSHELL that he is going to RICO George Soros and Reid Hoffman for radicalizing America’s youth, and then he started re-Truthing the re-Truths he just Truthed. Site glitchy? Free Tina Peters! Free Tina Peters! Deport Ilhan Omar! Deport Ilhan Omar! Tom Homan! Tom Homan! Travel ban for everybody! No asylum! Arghablarghagarble! And he re-Truthed that Nancy Pelosi spent two years planning January 6.
[snipped MRI story details and more military-refusing-illegal-orders posts]
[…] Whatever the arrangements, they [Trump’s undergrunts] clearly give Poppy plenty of executive time, where he’s free to slip a Diet Coke, flip on the Fox News or scroll through whatever AI slop Stephen Miller’s Nazi elves have made for him, […] until it is time for another show at the Oval Office, or trip to the golf course. […]
“The face-palming reason Iran is running out of water”
“Turns out government-supported farming in arid climates uses up lots of water.”
[…] The Islamic Republic is big on economic self-sufficiency. The 1979 revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was based on a rejection of Western ideals, including globalization. One goal is to grow all its food domestically. Agriculture “must be the basis of everything,” Khomeini said. The problem is, water is the basis of agriculture, and Iran is running out of it.
The country of 90 million people has a mostly arid climate and not much comparative advantage in large-scale farming. The government has tried to create that advantage with fertilizer subsidies and promises to buy crops. It offers loans on favorable terms for farmers. It has nearly doubled the amount of irrigated land since 1979.
The policies created millions of agriculture jobs, and farms produce crops they couldn’t absent government support. Yet skeptics of Iranian central planning have long predicted that this collection of policies would inevitably lead to water shortages.
[…] markets were subordinated to ideology, which meant the farming had to occur no matter what. It was in the national interest, the politicians said.
The result has been predictable. Reservoirs around Tehran are at dangerously low levels. Water rationing is in effect. Iran’s president has even said the country’s capital city will need to move. […]
Texas’ massive new abortion law taking effect this week could escalate the national fight over mailing abortion pills.
House Bill 7 represents abortion opponents’ most ambitious effort to halt telehealth abortions, which have helped patients get around strict bans in Texas and other states after Roe v. Wade was overturned. The law, which goes into effect December 4, creates civil penalties for health care providers who make abortion medications available in Texas, allowing any private citizen to sue medical providers for a minimum penalty of $100,000. The bill’s backers have said it would also allow suits against drug manufacturers. It would not enable suits against the people who get abortions.
[…] the Texas law is novel in its approach to targeting the people who distribute them and its reliance on civil suits.
Medical providers say the law won’t stop them from providing abortions to people in Texas. Three major telehealth practices confirmed that they intend to keep prescribing and mailing abortion medications to patients in Texas, citing other states’ laws that would shield them from Texas-based suits. Elisa Wells, the director of Plan C, which lists abortion options for people across the country, said she has not heard from any providers about plans to stop offering telehealth abortions to Texans.
[…] anti-abortion activists who championed the law say they plan to launch civil lawsuits against health care providers who continue to mail medications to Texas. Those private suits could accelerate a clash between state abortion laws that is widely expected to be resolved by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
[…] medical professionals living in states where abortion is legal have continued to mail medications patients can use to end their pregnancies from home — a method that is well-studied and effective with rare complications. Research suggests that 1 in 4 abortions are now done through telehealth […]
HB 7 closely resembles a 2021 Texas law that effectively outlawed abortions after six weeks of pregnancies — the majority of abortions — months before the fall of Roe v. Wade. That law pioneered the use of private civil suits to stop the provision of most abortions.
Though the law halted abortion providers from operating in the state, there were no successful lawsuits against health care providers. That reality, coupled with the rise of blue state laws to protect health care providers, has left many who offer telehealth skeptical that the new Texas law will immediately reach them.
“We are confident this is exactly what the Massachusetts shield law is meant to protect us from: civil penalties related to providing legally protected reproductive health care, which is what we’re doing,” Foster said. “I’m not naive that there could easily be suits, and that means our lawyers will have to be involved in handling that. […] we’re not changing anything about our practice and not anticipating any changes to our practice in regard to HB 7.”
Trump: “To slash drug prices by 200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, 600%, 700%, 800%. Nobody’s ever heard of it before. Because I instituted favored nations, and no nation agreed to do it. And then I said to the nations, ‘If you’re not going to do it, I’m going to charge you a 100% tariff.’ “
Uh … okay demented Hair Furor. It’s time for you to retreat to your room now.
“The EU executive suggests legal fix to prevent Belgium from being on the hook to repay billiions in case Hungary vetoes sanctions renewal”
The European Commission is offering a legal fix to allay one of Belgium’s deepest fears of a nightmare scenario that could unfold if €140 billion of Russian assets frozen in Brussels are used as a loan to Ukraine.
The Commission wants the 27 EU member countries to agree to lend the immobilized billions to Kyiv at a European Council summit this month. Belgium is resisting, however, over its concerns that it will be on the hook if the cash has to go back to Russia.
Five diplomats and EU officials said a legal framework was now being drawn up to avoid that from happening. A full proposal on the loan is expected on Wednesday.
Belgium’s ultimate fear is that the €140 billion could be lent to Ukraine and then a single pro-Russian EU country, such as Hungary or Slovakia, could veto the renewal of the EU sanctions regime against Moscow. That would mean Belgium immediately having to send the missing billions back to Russia. [Yikes]
The Commission’s fix to keep Belgium happy is to avoid one EU country being able to overturn sanctions. Currently Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has the power to do exactly that, as sanctions require unanimity and must be renewed every six months.
The Commission […] wants to resort to a clause in Article 122 of the EU treaty, which allows governments to decide “in a spirit of solidarity between Member States, upon the measures appropriate to the economic situation.”
The Commission wants to interpret this to mean that the financial stakes are so high in this case that a qualified majority of nations will be able to approve a sanctions roll-over, robbing Hungary of a potential veto. […]
The EU’s lawyers agree the fluid language of Article 122 can justify overhauling the unanimity requirements because of a reversal of the sanctions would wreak havoc on the European economy. It could also be used to extend the vote on the sanctions renewals from the current six-month timeframe to three years […]
Time is now of the essence because failure to reach an agreement will leave Ukraine on a shoestring budget to fight Russian forces before its coffers run dry in April. The alternative is for EU taxpayers to shoulder the cost of Ukraine’s war, while Moscow’s sanctioned billions remain untouched. […]
“Some non-NATO countries like Australia and New Zealand plan to chip in to the PURL scheme, while other allies are doing much less.”
Pressure is mounting on NATO countries to spread more evenly the costs of buying desperately needed U.S. weapons for Ukraine, as the alliance looks to restructure its signature scheme.
Adding to that push is the expectation that two non-NATO countries, Australia and New Zealand, will contribute to the arms-buying program, according to two people familiar with the matter, who like others were granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive issue.
“The longer this continues, the clearer you can see who’s punching above their weight and who’s punching below their weight,” a senior NATO diplomat told POLITICO. The program is set to be a key point of debate as alliance foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Wednesday.
The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, was set up in July to allow continued U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine. Under President Donald Trump new military aid from Washington has dried up, but the White House is willing to sell arms paid for by other allies.
Since then, 11 out of 32 NATO allies have formally contributed to five separate packages worth a total of $2.5 billion — with alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week announcing countries would spend $5 billion by the end of the year. Another six countries have promised to take part. […]
“Kristi Noem Also Being An Evil Nazi, Please Give Her Attention Too”
“Calling immigrants ‘leeches,’ that’s on brand.”
While Pete Hegseth’s flailing attempts to escape responsibility for extrajudicial murders at sea are getting most of the attention, Homeland Security Reichsminster Kristi Noem has been making her own case for doing all the fascism, too. Over the weekend, Noem acknowledged that she ignored a federal judge’s orders not to send migrants to El Salvador’s torture prison, because he was an “activist judge,” so his order didn’t count. But she said the magic word “no” when asked whether the administration had ignored the order, so please ignore the DOJ court filing revealing that’s exactly what the government did.
Then yesterday, she called for a “full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” although we’re sure she’d be open to exceptions for oil company executives. DHS followed up today by recommending that the US end travel from another dozen or so countries, on top of the 19 already on the list.
The move comes as part of the regime’s ongoing attempt to use last week’s tragic shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC to demonize noncitizens in hopes of shoring up support for its ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign. Noem insisted that Joe Biden is actually responsible for the actions of the shooter, who came to the US after having worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. But she also said that the shooter “could have been radicalized” after coming to the US, which of course would be Biden’s fault for not seeing the future.
Here’s Noem admitting on NBC’s Meet The Press Sunday that damn right she called the Code Red on sending deportees to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March, ignoring an order from federal Judge James Boasberg that the planes must return to the US so the detainees could receive due process. [video]
Noem insisted that everything she has ever done on immigration is legal because, well, it just is, trust her, telling anchor Kristen Welker, “The decisions that are made on deportations, where flights go and when they go, are my decision at the Department of Homeland Security, and we will continue to do the right thing and ensure that dangerous criminals are removed.” And by definition, anyone who gets deported is a “dangerous criminal,” she just said they are.
Welker read from Boasberg’s order that the deportation flights return immediately so the detainees could get due process, and asked whether Noem had defied the order. Noem answered “no,” then explained why she had in fact defied the order: The nation is beset with “activist judges” who make “radical decisions that have no standing and no grounds,” and just get in the way of Trump doing what he must do to “keep Americans safe.” Court decisions are only valid when they affirm Trump, duh. [Yikes. Twisted logic. Malfunctioning brain?]
Then on Monday, Noem claimed on Twitter that she had advised Trump to broaden its travel ban to keep all the foreigns from stealing Americans’ jobs as “killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” [social media post]
[…] Noem didn’t attempt any explanation of how such countries would be identified, or whether it’s even possible the countries might also be home to any non-murdery, non-leeching residents, because the point here is to try to make Americans afraid. And don’t you dare point out that native-born Americans have a higher violent crime rate than immigrants, including undocumented immigrants. […]
The administration insists that the attack in DC was an act of terrorism, and has been painting the shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, as a radical Islamic terrorist who Biden should have recognized as dangerous. (That ignores the fact that Lakanwal actually received asylum earlier this year, under Trump.) But it’s increasingly looking like Lackanwal was, like lots of Americans who commit acts of violence, undergoing a personal crisis that worried those around him, but for which he didn’t get any help.
A refugee resettlement volunteer who worked with Lakanwal in Bellingham, Washington, told NPR that Lakanwal seemed to be optimistic and excited about a new life in the US when the volunteer first met him. In 2022, the volunteer said, “He was outside with his kids, laughing and playing and having animated conversations with other Afghan men,” and held gatherings at his home. But as time went on and he had trouble finding work and getting used to this country, the volunteer said, Lakanwal began isolating himself, which raised concerns that the volunteer shared in emails they shared with NPR.
“He spends most of his time in his darkened bedroom, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife and older kids,” one email said. “I personally believe that [Mr. Lakanwal] is suffering from both PTSD and from his work with the US military in Afghanistan,” the volunteer wrote […; not a healthcare professional]
In that Meet the Press interview, Noem claimed without any evidence that Lakanwal had become “radicalized” in the US, possibly “through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him.”
Far from seeing signs of radicalization, though, the volunteer said they saw Lakanwal spiraling into depression and hopelessness.
Instead they described an individual who seemed to be experiencing a deepening personal crisis, complicated by Lakanwal’s poor English-language skills and deepening cultural isolation. The volunteer said there were no organized resources for refugees beyond their initial welcome. [“No organized resources for refugees…” !]
“Families were just in my mind abandoned into the community,” the volunteer said.
In addition to the isolating at home, he would occasionally vanish on weeks-long road trips without telling anyone where he’d been. The volunteer added that others working with Washington’s Afghan refugee community were also worried about him, and tried to get him help, without success. […]
Fortunately, the administration has now stopped processing asylum applications and will make life even tougher for immigrants, even those it doesn’t deport, so everything should work out just fine. At least guns remain in steady supply.
“Usually, around the holiday season, you expect things to chill out a little bit, but that hasn’t been the case. Nobody’s being quiet right now.”
Donald Trump just got some terrible news. According to a new Gallup poll, the president’s approval rating is 24 points underwater. Only 36% of the country approves of him, while 60% disapprove. [Embedded links to sources are available at the main link.]
When it comes to specific policies, like crime, foreign affairs, trade and his signature issue, immigration, Trump is also underwater. The same applies to his handling of the economy, the budget and health care.
Last week, Trump and the Republicans said they would have a fix for the disaster they have created on health insurance premiums. But then they got shy and unveiled precisely nothing on the subject.
It’s been a week now, and still nothing. Tens of millions of Americans are going to see their health insurance costs spike through the roof at the end of the month, and Trump still apparently has no plan at all for how to fix that.
Monday marked World AIDS Day, a day when people remember the millions killed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and renew efforts to fight it. However, the Trump administration decided this year that the United States would no longer observe World AIDS Day at all.
Presumably, that’s because it has gutted America’s programs to fight AIDS, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the bipartisan George W. Bush-era program known as PEPFAR that has provided HIV treatment to people who can’t afford it, a program that has literally saved millions of lives.
On Monday, ACT UP Philadelphia, Health GAP and other groups shut down traffic near the White House to make clear that the American people aren’t going to go quietly on this.
Nobody’s being quiet right now. Usually, around Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season — the start of the real cold weather — you expect things to chill out a little bit, but that hasn’t been the case.
On Saturday in New York City, a crowd of protesters confronted federal agents in downtown Manhattan outside a parking garage, reportedly foiling an immigration raid. The Wall Street Journal reported that many of the people who joined that demonstration were passersby who weren’t setting out to protest that day but jumped right in when they saw it was Trump’s immigration agents in their city. […]
In New Orleans, residents lined up to buy out a beloved local taqueria in the city, Taqueria Guerrero, after it said it would close to protect its customers and staff until Trump’s agents are gone.
The Cincinnati Enquirer just profiled a very different kind of pushback. In Butler County, Ohio, where Trump won last year with 62% of the vote, a group “almost 70 strong shows up weekly to commissioner meetings in this conservative Ohio county to protest local officials’ agreement” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
As the Enquirer reports, the group protesting is “mostly grandmas.” Why are they such an older group? Well, one founding member of Butler County for Immigrant Justice told the paper that it’s because the county commissioners hold their meetings at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. Who’s available to protest every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.? Retirees, that’s who. Anne Jantzen, an 82-year-old from Seven Mile, Ohio, told the Enquirer: “I can do it; therefore I need to.”
In Indiana, protesters turned up at the statehouse to urge Republicans not to go along with Trump’s demands that they redraw the state’s congressional maps to take away Democratic seats. […]
Across the country, we saw protests against Home Depot, with Americans demanding the company stop letting its stores and parking lots be used by ICE agents.
There were also more protests targeting Avelo Airlines, which flies deportation flights for ICE. At Albany International Airport in New York, where it was very cold, people brought chains to show what it’s like for Avelo to have people chained up on a deportation flight and then try to sell you that same seat on that same plane for its next flight.
An Apple Store in Portland, Oregon, got a Black Friday picket and protest because that company has caved to the Trump administration’s demands that it take down apps that people have made to warn one another about where ICE operations are happening. […]
Monday marked 70 years since Rosa Parks refused a bus driver’s order to get up from her seat so a white person could take it. That was the start of the Montgomery bus boycott.
Less than a week after she was taken into custody, more than 5,000 people attended the first mass meeting to plan a boycott of the bus system. The boycott went on for 382 long days. That act of economic protest, and logistical and economic sacrifice by African Americans in Alabama, forced a change — public bus segregation was ruled unconstitutional.
As Americans, that’s not just something to be impressed by or something to learn by heart at school; that’s our moral foundation. That’s our strategic inheritance. We can learn from Americans who have gone before us and fought against long odds to stop our government from doing terrible things.
When this administration’s actions are inexplicable and mad in equal measure, it’s worth remembering that this guy is profoundly, deeply, wildly unpopular in this country. […]
It’s also worth remembering what we have inherited in this country: a rich, deep and fairly badass tradition of putting a stop to it, whether that comes from boycotting, protesting, showing up at every meeting or discovering the truth and holding wrongdoers accountable […]
“The Right seems to have decided that if they can’t stop him, they’ll have to normalize him.”
This past October, Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson drew a certain amount of criticism, even from his own side, for hosting […] Nick Fuentes on his show. […] now Fuentes’s dance card is getting more and more full by the day, both with new interview opportunities and with refusals to pointedly disavow him and his beliefs.
This week, Fuentes will not only appear on Infowars with Alex Jones, where he’s been a frequent guest for some time now, but on Louder with Crowder and Piers Morgan Uncensored as well. […]
On top of that, in an appearance this weekend on a talk show helmed by former Biggest Loser host Jillian Michaels (who can believe someone who was horrible to fat people for a living is a total wingnut?), Donald Trump Jr. refused to denounce Fuentes when given the opportunity.
Michaels, you may recall, was on Team Anti during the Right’s Great Fuentes Debate last month, though she dutifully blamed his ascendence on the Left for having been mean to Charlie Kirk. [social media post]
From the Michaels show:
“You’re starting to see some of the things in the alt-right fringe — the Nick Fuentes and the young Republican group chat — that is racist, and that is scary, and sexist to an alarming degree with someone like Nick Fuentes. And I’m wondering, you’re seeing this kind of fracture the left, I’m seeing people who are more moderate become alarmed. And people on the right are like, ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever, not a big deal.’”
“I’m here to tell you it’s a big deal. And I think it’s a big deal because all of those people that your dad invited in — Tulsi, Kennedy, myself, inadvertently, right? All of these more-, Rogan, all of these more moderate people who fled the crazy on the left are alarmed if the right doesn’t disavow the Nick Fuenteses,” she continued.
None of those other people she named, by the way, has said word one about Nick Fuentes. Also, they didn’t so much “flee the crazy on the Left,” as they were, themselves, too crazy for the Left. [True] It was apparent from the get-go that the “alt-right fringe” was delighted and emboldened by Trump, so this is nowhere near a new development. […]
Michaels continued:
“I’m wondering if you see it as a problem for the right in the midterms and in 2028. Because I think if this continues without it being fully condemned aggressively, I think you get Gavin Newsom for president. And I know what that looks like, and it’s scary stuff.”
Yes, because the real fear with not condemning people who talk about how great they think Hitler was is that Gavin Newsom, an actual moderate, might become President. [in smiling agreement]
Junior’s response was to go on a definitely-not-coke-addled rant about cancel culture and how he doesn’t want to say anything negative about Fuentes because people will hear him for themselves and decide if they want to listen to him or not.
“I think we have to have conversations, even conversations we don’t want to hear, or even conversations we think may be disgusting,” he said, after going on about how unfair it was that he didn’t get retweets sometimes, “And listen and then people will make up their own minds and they’ll sort of, you know, the way I look at it, you kind of vote with your wallet. You walk away from that and you figure it out on your own.”
Yeah, except that when you have those conversations with those people, you bring those ideas into the realm of acceptability and Republicans know this. They want to make these ideas acceptable because they know that people who hold such views are going to vote for them. They’re not going to have a two-hour interview with someone who believes in, say, universal healthcare, because they don’t want their constituents to understand what that’s actually about.
Duh.
“I’m just deeply concerned,” Michaels pressed, “that if there’s a guy who says, ‘women want to be raped’ and somebody does not say, ‘this is not who we are as a party. This is not conservatism. We find him repulsive.’ It’s … I’m telling you, it’s not (mumble mumble).”
Well, Jillian, I hate to break it to you, but it very literally is who they are as a party. In fact, I’ve maintained forever that the thing that won Trump the election in his first term was the “grab them by the [P-word]” rant. […]
Donald Trump Junior’s response to this was that, unlike the Left, the Right has many diverse viewpoints, claiming “we still have that discourse, we have those disagreements and we move on.”
While the idea that we don’t have a whole lot of disagreements is patently absurd, I do think it’s fair to say that we could probably all unite behind “women don’t want to be raped,” “the Holocaust happened,” and “Hitler was bad.” […]
As mentioned, Fuentes is set to appear on Louder With Crowder this week. According to Fuentes, he was previously “banned” from the show by a producer who reportedly said they should invite everyone but him. Somehow I doubt that Fuentes’s comments about rape were an issue for Crowder, who has a history of domestic violence and himself once said, “It’s always the blue haired would-be lesbian feminist who claimed they’re raped. As far as I know, not one Victoria Secret model has been raped.” [JFC]
For what it’s worth, Victoria’s Secret model Karen Mulder quite famously came out and said she had been raped by multiple men throughout her career as a model, including Prince Albert of Monaco. The first person to come forward as having been raped by Bill Cosby was Playboy model Victoria Valentino, and several models including “World’s First Supermodel” Janice Dickinson, came forward later. Beverly Johnson also accused Cosby of raping her.
But yeah, I don’t think that Crowder is going to be too bothered by Fuentes’s statements about rape.
Piers Morgan, I will say, might. […] That being said, interviewing Fuentes for two hours, regardless of how it goes, brings his bullshit into the realm of “reasonable debate,” and thus will help him more than hurt him.
For his own part, Fuentes is now trying to claim that he’s not actually all that extreme and that the perception that he is a racist, antisemitic misogynist white supremacist is due to campaigns against him by sites like Right Wing Watch, which literally does nothing other than quote him directly. [Good point.]
Via Right Wing Watch:
“I was not really controversial when I got started,” Fuentes insisted. “I didn’t really say anything that was that out there, but I was saying that Israel is not our ally, so they put somebody on me. In this case, it was Jared Holt at Right Wing Watch. Right Wing Watch is a subsidiary of People For the American Way, which is a [George] Soros-funded nonprofit. So, this guy would watch my show every night—he was paid to do this, it’s his job—and he was paid to look for every time I said anything controversial—anything that sounded controversial, any joke that sounded offensive—and his job was then to clip what sounded bad, post it on Twitter, and say that represented that I’m a white nationalist, I’m an extremist, neo-Nazi, Christian fanatic.”
For what it’s worth, no, he was most certainly not just criticizing Israel out of humanitarian concerns or anything like that — he was literally praising Hitler on a regular basis and saying horrific things about Jewish people that had absolutely nothing to do with Israel or any kind of foreign policy issues. […]
“And this has taken place over the course of 10 years,” Fuentes continued. “Ever since I was 18 years old, this is what I have been subjected to. And after 10 years, you get a profile as all your worst clips […]”
I have been writing on the internet and occasionally appearing on podcasts and livestreams and what have you for over 10 years as well. But you can search and search and search and you will not find one instance in which I said or wrote anything akin to “We love Hitler in a Christian way, you freak. Not in a gay way. In like an awesome way, OK? In like a ‘we love Trump’ way, you fucking liberal.” or “Women lose again! Your body, OUR CHOICE. that ceiling is made out of BRICK!,” or “I totally see myself accidentally killing my wife ’cause I just get mad,” or “’They had to drink out of a different water fountain,’ big fucking deal,” about Jim Crow laws. “‘Oh no, they had to go to different schools. Their water fountain in that famous picture was worse.’ Who cares? Grow up, drink out of the fucking water fountain. It’s water, it’s the same. Even it was bad, who cares. We all agree, it’s better for them, it’s better for us. It’s better in general.”
[…] I’m not a crazed neo-Nazi white supremacist or a misogynist, and those are only things you say if you are one. […]
The fact is, the Right doesn’t want to fully condemn Fuentes because they want the votes he brings in — and he knows this and brags about it. They know they need that incel vote, that angry 18 to 35 white male vote. They need it and want it a lot more than they need the Jillian Michaels’s vote, which they can count on getting anyway. […]
In another lifetime, I might have thought to myself, “In a way, this is good, because it will repulse people so deeply that they’ll vote against Republicans as a result.” I am no longer quite so naïve about people’s threshold for repulsive behavior. We do have to worry about this effort to normalize people like Fuentes, and we have to at least make it as unpleasant and awkward for the Right to do so as humanly possible — and we should use it to mobilize our own voters. It’s up to us to keep it from spreading […]
President Trump used a public cabinet meeting to call Somali immigrants “garbage,” saying that they did not belong in the United States. Even for a president who has frequently made derogatory comments about immigrants, the rant against Somalis was an alarming use of vulgarity from the White House against an entire community. The tirade came as Immigration and Customs Enforcement was planning an operation targeting Somali migrants in Minnesota. […]
Trump unleashed a xenophobic tirade against Somali immigrants on Tuesday, calling them “garbage” he does not want in the United States as he tried to refocus public attention on his anti-immigration themes.
“These are people who do nothing but complain,” Mr. Trump said at the tail-end of a cabinet meeting at the White House. “They complain, and from where they came from, they got nothing.”
“When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but [B-word meaning “complain”], we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it,” Mr. Trump added as Vice President JD Vance banged the table in encouragement.
[…] Mr. Trump said Somalia “stinks” and “we don’t want them.” He described Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat of Minnesota who came to the United States from Somalia as a refugee and became a citizen 25 years ago, as “garbage.”
“We could go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country,” Mr. Trump said. “She’s garbage. Her friends, garbage. These aren’t people who work. These aren’t people who say ‘let’s go, come on, let’s make this place great.’”
Mr. Trump has long been fixated on Somalis in the United States — and in particular Ms. Omar.
“The congresswoman thinks his obsession with her is unhealthy and hopes he gets help,” Jacklyn Rogers, a spokeswoman for Ms. Omar, said earlier on Tuesday.
The comments followed a familiar playbook for Mr. Trump. He has often sought to refocus attention on his exclusionary immigration policies and rhetoric, particularly when his administration is facing pressure or crises on other fronts. Mr. Trump has most recently faced pressure from Democrats, as well as some of his own allies, on the issue of affordability, as well as legally debated strikes against vessels in the Caribbean.
[…] “I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said of Somalis in Minnesota. “Their country is no good for a reason.”
Trump then added: “We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.” He said he believed Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, is “garbage.”
It is just the latest hateful, xenophobic tirade against Somalis from the president. The Trump administration has broadly attacked Somalis after reports of a fraud investigation in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora led to convictions for a small group of people. Somali Americans in the state say such broad accusations have unfairly pilloried an entire community. The latest rant comes as the administration is beginning an intensive immigration enforcement operation primarily targeting hundreds of undocumented Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. […]
Rand Paul just posted this letter from the Coast Guard confirming that 1/4 of the boats they stop [in the Carribean under suspicion of drug smuggling to the US] carry no contraband. The likelihood that Hegseth & Bradley ordered the murder of innocent civilians is very high. [Screenshot]
Commentary
Even this framing is garbage tho? By definition everyone is innocent ’til proven guilty. That’s *how legal systems work*. Extrajudicial killing isn’t a legitimate punishment for any crime.
Roughly half are interdicted without the use of force. The rest used non lethal. There was no reason to use deadly force to stop the boats.
I would like to see the geographic distribution of these USCG boat stops as well. I expect they are *much* closer to US waters than the coast of Venezuela. What is the fuel range of a fishing boat?? Who thinks you need to bomb one near Trinidad to stop it from reaching the US?? […] the logistics of the WH’s cover stories are so obviously false & someone should really be laying that out on every news outlet.
The funny thing is they’re in this mess largely because they immediately declassified the video and shared it far and wide, so they could remix it into epic TikToks. Live by the post, die by the post.
birgerjohanssonsays
News delivered with dark humor.
Stephen Colbert
“Our Unpopular President | Cabinet Meeting Nap Time | Hegseth Throws Admiral Bradley Under The Bus.
‘He wanted me killed’: Kelly rips Trump, Hegseth threats as boat strike scandal widens. “He didn’t like what I said, and because that, he wanted me killed. And now he wants me court martialed, and he’s going to force his Secretary of Defense to try to do it,” says Sen. Mark Kelly of Trump and Hegseth. “They know where to find me.”
‘Morale has never been lower’: More GOP reps reportedly plot early exits. According to new reporting from Punchbowl, a senior Republican warns GOP frustration is so intense that more members are ready to quit mid-term, leaving the conference on the brink.
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it “maybe the greatest honor in the world, quite frankly,” Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that the International Criminal Court in The Hague has invited him to receive an award.
“They said it was in response to things I’ve done as president,” Trump told reporters. “It will probably be some kind of medal or maybe a gleaming gold trophy.”
Trump revealed that he will not be The Hague’s sole honoree, noting, “They also invited Pete. They said he deserves special recognition.”
Calling The Hague invitation “much better than a stupid Nobel,” Trump quipped, “They never invited Obama!”
Crisis pregnancy centers, including the one at the heart of the case the Supreme Court heard Tuesday, operate on deception.
They use abortion rights keywords and images — the center in this case is called First Choice — to lure in pregnant women, the better to dissuade them from getting abortions. You have to scroll to the very bottom of the New Jersey center’s website to hit the disclaimer: “First Choice Women’s Resource Centers is an abortion clinic alternative that does not perform or refer for termination services.” They often set up shop nearby real abortion clinics, and peddle anti-abortion misinformation.
But recent blue-state efforts to regulate these outposts of the anti-abortion movement have run into the buzzsaw of the right-wing Supreme Court, as the crisis pregnancy centers shroud themselves in First Amendment protections. In 2018, the Court knocked down a California law that would have forced the pregnancy centers there to inform patients about their abortion options. Tuesday’s case seems headed for a similar fate.
In 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) issued a subpoena to First Choice, seeking a wide tranche of information — including donor identification — in its investigation into whether the center had misled both donors and potential clients. The subpoena is not self-executing, meaning the parties would then go to state court and fight to enforce or block it.
But First Choice — represented by the now-infamous right-wing legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom — wanted to have this fight in federal court from the jump, the better dice roll for an anti-abortion judge. The Trump administration, which helped stack the federal judiciary, has since joined the case on First Choice’s side.
“Do you think there is a credible chilling effect from the state seeking full names, phone numbers, addresses, present or last known place of employment of every one of their donors who gave through any means other than the one specific website?” Chief Justice John Roberts asked Sundeep Iyer, Platkin’s chief counsel. [Well that’s a telling detail. We know what John Roberts thinks.]
Even Justice Elena Kagan balked at the non-self-executing subpoena: “An ordinary person — one of the funders for this organization or for any similar organization — presented with this subpoena and then told ‘but don’t worry, it has to be stamped by a court’ is not going to take that as very reassuring.’”
The Court has been sparing in creating new abortion jurisprudence since the earthquake of Dobbs, but every right-wing justice was vehement in its defense of First Choice Tuesday. Meanwhile, red state funding continues to pour into the ruse, as crisis pregnancy centers populate like mushrooms in states cleared of all real abortion care.
The Virginia State Bar is the latest watchdog to turn tail and run rather than deal with the crime spree that is President Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
The bar, which theoretically investigates ethics complaints against attorneys and can discipline or disbar them, decided it didn’t really want to investigate one particular attorney: […] Lindsey Halligan.
Why not? Well, because a complaint about Halligan potentially lying to the grand jury to nab indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James is somehow not an ethics issue but a problem for the courts. [sheesh]
[…] So basically it says that it could initiate an investigation only after a court finds that Halligan lied and issues sanctions. What about potential violations of federal laws or agency regulations? Well, that’s “a matter for determination by federal law enforcement.”
When will the bar rouse itself to get involved? Well, it might feel like it “if a lawyer is charged with and convicted of a crime.”
These excuses are, in technical legal terms, some bullshit.
First, the bar ignores that the complaint wasn’t just about Halligan’s unethical behavior in securing those indictments, but it also covers her out-of-the-blue Signal texts to Lawfare’s Anna Bower, which was a textbook example of a prosecutor making extrajudicial statements about a case. [True]
And the complaint didn’t just allege that she violated DOJ regulations but also the Local Rules for the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia and the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct. [True]
The complaint also alleged that Halligan violated the ethical rule that prohibits lawyers from engaging in a “deliberately wrongful act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honest, trustworthiness or fitness to practice law.”
That’s thanks to Halligan setting her Signal chats to auto-delete, which violates the Federal Records Act. [True]
You’ll note that the little excuse list from the bar does not address those violations at all. That’s because the bar knows full well that its literal job is to investigate violations of the rules of professional conduct [!]:
Within the VSB, the Office of Bar Counsel reviews all complaints it receives to determine whether a lawyer might have violated one or more Rules. If a Rule might have been violated, the VSB investigates the situation.
Except when it doesn’t, apparently.
Part of why this is so galling is that the bar is well aware of how other mechanisms for controlling DOJ attorneys have already fallen apart. And saying that an attorney whipping up a prosecution based on lies isn’t an ethical issue unless and until a court throws out the charges is absurd. It robs ethics requirements of any teeth and requires a complainant to basically just wait out the court process, which can take years.
This is a particular issue for DOJ attorneys, as the department has already made clear it has no interest in complying with anything that would rein in its attorneys.
Indeed, after the court ruled that Halligan was not legally in her job, one of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s first actions was to get the Office of Legal Counsel to weigh in, saying that Halligan should still get to sign court filings as a “special attorney.”
[I snipped discussion of Judge Boasberg’s inquiry into whether those who defied his order to return deportation flights were in contempt.]
We also have clear evidence that, while serving as a government attorney, Emil Bove told attorneys to ignore that order [!], which would typically constitute an ethics violation. But the Trump administration made sure to ram Bove’s nomination through the very pliable Senate before he could be questioned about it. [True]
[I snipped an example of a Florida Supreme Court refusing to investigate Pam Bondi.]
[…] The Legal Accountability Center has asked the bar in Washington, D.C., to investigate Ed Martin, the special attorney tasked with handling “mortgage fraud,” which is really just a catchall term for anything he can dredge up to attack Trump’s enemies.
Martin is a walking, talking ethics violation—for everything from refusing to investigate or prosecute Republicans to making improper extrajudicial statements. […]
The state of play right now is that the courts can’t provide relief from these ethical nightmares because it just results in endless lawfare from the DOJ or help from Trump’s pals on the Supreme Court. […]
“There is no credible evidence that antidepressants cause violence, but the health secretary now vows a “massive” effort to prove the failed theory.”
As secretary of health and human services in the second Trump administration, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed an array of pseudoscience and misinformation, foremost about vaccines. His approach has been to promote claims that are unsupported by evidence or have been disproven by scientific research and to announce that the Department of Health and Human Services is pouring resources into studying those baseless claims. He also tends to imply that questions he raises have not yet been studied when, in fact, they have been. […]
Kennedy is now using his post as the highest-ranking US health official to spread the claim that psychiatric drugs are a key cause of mass shootings at the nation’s schools and beyond. The idea, essentially, is that antidepressants and other meds may inadvertently turn people into killers. There is no scientific evidence to support that theory, and extensive research indicates it is untrue. Nonetheless, Kennedy announced at a recent Turning Point USA event that “massive studies” of the theory are now underway at HHS. […]
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been gutting violence prevention programs and research since January.
“Everything we know suggests that these ‘massive studies’ do not exist—and there would be no scientific rationale for them even if they did,” DeGue, whose role at the CDC ended in June, told me. “This theory has been examined for decades. There is no credible evidence that antidepressants cause or contribute to mass violence.” [!!]
The generalized claim that commonly used pharmaceuticals known as SSRIs can make people violent—and that they supposedly gave rise to the shootings epidemic—has been around for a long time. It traces in part to an unscientific anti-Prozac campaign in the 1990s from the Church of Scientology and gained some traction in online forums after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Disgraced conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who helped create a miasma of lies claiming that the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was faked, has also peddled the theory. [That’s a lot of disinformation.]
Proponents of the SSRI theory use anecdotal, often unconfirmed details about shooters’ health histories to argue causation. […] independent researchers concluded from the FBI data that “most school shooters were not previously treated with psychotropic medications—and even when they were, no direct or causal association was found.”
My inbox has been peppered with questions about the alleged role of SSRIs ever since I began doing deep research on mass shootings and how to prevent them more than 12 years ago. The persistence no doubt owes in part to the fact that the circumstances and behaviors of mass shooters are complex and that the role of mental illness has long been widely misunderstood. But despite the SSRI theory failing under scientific scrutiny (additional details on that below), some commentators still use it to steer debate away from the regulation of firearms—including Kennedy, who has used that approach repeatedly in media and public appearances. [True]
He did so again on Fox & Friends in late August after the mass shooting of school children at a Catholic church in Minneapolis. In mid-November, Kennedy highlighted the same arguments during a Turning Point USA “fireside” chat at George Washington University.
A close look at Kennedy’s rhetoric on the subject is telling. Following are roughly two minutes of remarks at the Turning Point event, intercut with my analysis showing how he offered a barrage of misleading and false statements about guns, mass shootings, and psychiatric drugs.
When a young audience member commented that gun violence is the leading cause of death “for people our age” and asked why Republicans have not passed any legislation in response, Kennedy first insinuated that guns cannot be the source of the crisis:
Kennedy: “Is it really to do with the proliferation of guns? Because when I was a kid, we had roughly the same amount of guns per capita. And in fact, in some of the schools that I went to, there were gun clubs, and kids would come to school with their guns, and nobody worried that they were going to start shooting people.” [Not true]
That statement met with some applause from the young, conservative-leaning crowd, but for starters, Kennedy’s “per capita” preamble is flat-out wrong: In 1970, when he was 16, there were an estimated 104 million civilian firearms in the United States, amid a population of just over 203 million. Today, there are more than 400 million firearms in circulation—a fourfold increase—amid a population of roughly 341 million. In other words, when Kennedy was a kid, there were enough guns to arm about half the population; now there is a gun for every single person in the country and then some.
Moreover, Kennedy ignored the fact that the kinds of firearms widely available have changed dramatically. […] The culture of responsible gun ownership that he seemed to wax nostalgic about was supplanted decades ago, thanks in no small part to a lucrative business model built by the gun industry and the National Rifle Association that markets aggression and militarism to young and middle-age men.
Kennedy: “In all of human history, there’s never been a time when a stranger would walk into a school room or into a movie theater and start shooting strangers. Why did that start happening in the 1970s and only in this country?”
Answer: It didn’t start happening in the 1970s, and it hasn’t happened only in this country. [True]
[…] a young man carried out a suicidal gun murder on the campus of Smith College in Massachusetts more than a century ago, in 1909. A school principal went on a deadly gun rampage at a Los Angeles middle school in 1940. The infamous clock tower massacre at the University of Texas, Austin, happened in 1966. There were school and mass shootings in the 1970s, too. Incidentally, Prozac, the first SSRI to go on the market in the US, did so after being approved by the FDA—in late 1987.
[…] despite the common assertion that these attacks are unique to America (often repeated as a way to lament the recurring tragedies), many such attacks have happened elsewhere: in Canada, Australia, France, Norway, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, and beyond.
Kennedy: “One of the things that we’re looking at is SSRIs and other psychiatric drugs that have these black box warnings on them and that began proliferating in lockstep with the school shootings and mass shootings. I’m trying to look at this in a rational, objective way and say, ‘What changed?’ It wasn’t the proliferation of guns. We’ve always had guns. Something changed about human behavior. And it happened here, where we’ve got 20 percent of the population now taking these drugs. And the drugs, in their clinical trials, they saw suicidal, homicidal effects. There’s black box warnings on them saying, ‘may cause suicidal or homicidal ideation.’” [Disinformation from Kennedy.]
Kennedy’s premise is hardly subtle: The change is the drugs, ergo the drugs are likely the cause of the shootings crisis. But research 101 on any college campus would suggest the obvious first thing to ask here: Has this premise been amply tested?
Research has continued only to debunk the SSRI theory, as psychiatry experts Dr. James Knoll and Dr. Ronald Pies reaffirmed in an article in Psychiatric Times shortly after the mass shooting at the Minneapolis church earlier this year. “Our focused review of several recent studies,” they wrote, “finds no credible evidence for this claim.” (Emphasis theirs.)
They note that Kennedy’s version of the premise itself is even half-wrong. While labeling on some of these drugs cautions about possible suicidal ideation, “We can dismiss at once the false claim that any currently available antidepressants in the US have black box warnings regarding ‘homicidal ideation.’” Potential murder, in other words, is not a known risk factor. [!]
[…] the lifetime prevalence of antidepressant use among mass shooters over the past 30 years is 4 percent—which is much lower than the estimated 11.4 percent of US adults who took antidepressants in 2023. […]
Kennedy: “We’re now doing massive studies on this issue to try to figure out why it is that all these shootings are happening here and never happened before.”
Kennedy promising improbable new projects also fits a pattern. […] “In September,” he said, “we will know what has caused the autism epidemic.” But by late fall, the only substantive updates were dubious claims from the administration regarding Tylenol and a set of highly provocative, unscientific changes to language about vaccine safety on a CDC website.
[…] Kennedy is certainly correct to highlight mass shootings as a major public health problem and to raise questions around the crucial factor of suicidality. A majority of mass shooters end their own lives […] (This also should be put in relative perspective: Those shooters are a tiny fraction of the roughly 27,000 people per year who die by gun suicide.)
[…] “Secretary Kennedy likes to talk about ‘gold-standard science,’ but continuing to focus on a research question that has already been answered is not the practice of gold-standard science,” said DeGue, who has also long taught about public health and violence prevention at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “In this case, it is a distraction from the factors that truly drive mass shootings, like access to firearms, social and mental health crises, hate and racism, and violent extremism.”
“GEOGRAPHY QUIZ: Can You Find ‘Third’ Countries Trump Bribing To Take Deportees On A Map?”
“Hey, who ELSE made a habit of deporting people to random third countries?”
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, Tobi Raji and Sammy Westfall at the Washington Post [reported] details of the quid pro quos the Trump administration has made with Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, and El Salvador for accepting deportees who have no connection with said country, as part of its Cruelty Is The Point and Who’s Gonna Stop Us initiative […]
What did we learn about what those first five countries getting, and, um, where are they? Hint, all of them except El Salvador are in Africa! And what they are getting is money, with no oversight at all. […]
Eswatini
It’s tiny, it’s teeny, it’s Eswatini […] Landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique, it’s the last absolute monarchy in Africa, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. […]
In May, Eswatini agreed to take up to 160 deportees in exchange for $5.1 million. Eswatini says that it intends to then remove the deportees to their countries of origin. As it has already done with Orville Etoria, a 62-year-old Jamaican man who had lived in New York for almost 50 years, following a two-month stay for him in the maximum-security Matsapha Correctional Center. And it’s also accepted at least 14 others, including “three Vietnamese, one Filipino, one Cambodian” and 58-year-old Cuban national Roberto Mosquera del Peral, who claims he never committed a crime, and went on a month-long hunger strike to protest his detention. […]
Trump’s own regime has raised alarm over Eswatini’s “eroding human rights situation, noting arbitrary or unlawful killings; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and restrictions on freedom of expression,” [yikes]
Eesh, from blowing up boats […] in the Caribbean to this, the US sure has become a rogue nation in very short order. […]
What other country in the world even does this, sends people off to third countries? Only one immediately comes to mind, back in the 1930s and 40s. Your reminder that when MAGA talks about Western Culture, there’s only one Western European culture they mean!
Equatorial Guinea
Not to be confused with Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Western Guinea, or Western New Guinea, Equatorial Guinea is another tiny African country. It’s been led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema and his family since 1979, and is ranked 173rd out of 180 on corruption on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Marco Rubio’s own state department noted in 2025 that senior governmental officials were complicit in human trafficking. It has a Spanish Colonial prison from the 1940s that is considered the most brutal on the continent. [Amazing, and disturbing!]
And New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen says it got $7.5 million to accept deportees, though it’s unknown if any have actually been sent there yet.
Rwanda
In June, Rwanda agreed to accept up to 250 deportees in exchange for $7.5 million in cash, up front, and seemingly the US helping to negotiate peace with the neighbor it has a long-running conflict with, the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Congo has accused Rwanda of sending a rebel paramilitary group to terrorize Hutu communities and loot the country’s mineral reserves.) And in April, the United States made a one-time payment of $100,000 to the government to take an Iraqi deportee.
Ghana
Ghana agreed to accept, detain and deport at least 42 West African migrants sent by the United States, in exchange for relaxed sanctions, tariffs and immigration restrictions, according to a lawsuit filed in October by Democracy Hub. President John Mahama says he’s doing it as a gesture of Pan-African support:
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US, and we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable. West Africa has a protocol of free movement. Any West African is welcome in Ghana.”
El Salvador
In March White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the United States paid “approximately $6 million” to El Salvador to take 300 deportees. And September filings in a lawsuit showed a $4,760,000 contract for a new prison.
It’s corrupt, it’s wasteful, it’s inhumane, and also, if these deportees are truly the hardened criminals that Donald J. Trump claims they are, it is not justice to send them somewhere that will happily pocket the cash and then lose all track of them. […]
Panama, Honduras, South Sudan, Uzbekistan and Mexico have also reportedly stepped up to take third-country migrants, in exchange for who-knows-what. […]
And how did you do? [map]
birgerjohanssonsays
More archaic violence.
Tod’s Workshop has a look at a crossbow that was in use for 800 years.
“How Palantir shifted course to play key role in ICE deportations”
For years, Alex Karp, Palantir’s CEO, had declared the data management company to be “involved in supporting progressive values,” saying he has repeatedly “walked away” from contracts that targeted minorities or that he found otherwise unethical. Even as Palantir took on extensive data management contracts for the federal government, the company said it was not willing to allow its powerful tools to broadly track immigrants across America.
That commitment no longer holds. Palantir’s software is helping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement track undocumented immigrants and deport them faster […] The software, Immigration OS, plays a key role in supporting the administration’s mass deportation campaign, which […] Trump has stepped up in recent days with such measures as pausing immigration applications from nationals of 19 countries.
Karp, formerly an outspoken Democrat who a decade ago said that he respected “nothing” about Trump and that a deportation drive made “no sense,” has staunchly defended the president’s immigration policies in his second term. Declaring Palantir to be “completely anti-woke,” he has repeatedly praised Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigrants […]
That shift in political alliances in no way signals a change in his core beliefs, Karp said in a statement to The Washington Post, portraying his commitment to controlling immigration as of a piece with his long-standing devotion to social justice.
[…] “Unfettered immigration in Europe, where I lived for well over a decade, has been a disaster — depressing wages for the working class and resulting in mass social dislocation. I remain an economic progressive, isolated among self-proclaimed progressives that are anything but.”
The changes at Palantir have been driven by multiple factors, according to five of the people familiar with the company’s project. Palantir executives saw Trump’s election to a second term as a mandate from voters for stricter border control, the people said, and, like many other companies, Palantir has changed some policies in response to executive orders targeting diversity in hiring and other issues. […]
Palantir’s federal contracting business has bloomed during the Trump administration. Its September tally of new federal contracts was $128 million, its largest monthly sum on record, according to USASpending.gov. The company’s stock price is up more than 120 percent this year, as it rides its contracting wave and the boom in companies that, like Palantir, are centered on the development and use of AI.
[…] For years, it has worked with administrations of both parties on projects other Silicon Valley firms shunned, such as the Pentagon’s Project Maven AI target identification system. But its support for ICE on a deportation crackdown punctuated by violent clashes and stiff court challenges has sparked debate among current and former employees […]
some Palantir staff members have been discussing whether the contract should be discontinued if ICE’s use of the technology veers into extrajudicial actions or violate the company’s civil liberties principles. […]
ICE awarded Palantir a $30 million contract on April 11 to build an “Immigration Lifecycle Operating System,” or Immigration OS for short. Its aim, according to procurement filings by the agency, is to facilitate the “selection and apprehension operations of illegal aliens” based on ICE priorities, minimize “time and resource expenditure” in deportations, and track in “near real-time” which individuals leave the country voluntarily.
Palantir won the contract without a competitive bidding process […] ICE renewed the contract on Sept. 25, bringing its total value to about $60 million — a relatively small amount in the context of Palantir’s $2.87 billion revenue in 2024.
[…] ICE and Palantir have declined to disclose how many people the system tracks, which agencies it pulls data from, and whether there are safeguards against mistaken identity or overcollection of surveillance data. […]
ICE adopted Immigration OS as it rolled out a campaign to identify and detain what it calls the “Worst of the Worst.” […]
Trump said on Thanksgiving Day that he would “permanently pause” migration from “Third World Countries,” broadly deport undocumented immigrants, and end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens. That would mark an escalation of a campaign that federal judges have repeatedly ruled exceeds the administration’s legal authority, with one Chicago judge saying last month that the use of force involved “shocks the conscience.” […]
In an interview with Wired published in November, Karp said he had previously “pulled things” that he believed were being deployed in violation of the company’s code of conduct, while rejecting contentions that its immigration software is. Asked whether he needed to take a closer look at how Palantir’s products were being used in the United States, he called it “exactly the right question,” adding: “I’m telling you that I have done this, and I will continue to do it.”
[…] Palantir, founded by Karp and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel in 2003 in the wake of 9/11, has long drawn criticism from civil rights activists over the powerful data management tools it sold to the likes of the Pentagon, CIA and ICE
.
[…] In summer 2015, shortly after Trump announced his first major presidential run, Karp told his staff that he had turned down an opportunity to meet Trump, as “it would be hard to make up someone I find less appealing,” according to a leaked video published by BuzzFeed. Karp said he opposed Trump’s broad deportation platform, saying it made “no sense” to throw out hardworking people. He said blaming immigrants for the nation’s ills would bring up “the worst that a society can bring up.”
During Trump’s first presidency, Palantir said it would not work directly with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations arm on deportations, citing the risk of human rights violations. The company limited its contracts to the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations division, which worked on issues such as terrorism, sex trafficking and drug smuggling, though in practice there was at least some crossover with raids on undocumented immigrants.
[…] Critics say Immigration OS represents a breach of those principles. The project has drawn public backlash, including from Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, who wrote on X that Palantir was “building the infrastructure of the police state.” In a public letter, 13 of the company’s former employees accused Palantir’s leadership of being “complicit” in “normalizing authoritarianism” in America.
[…] The policy reversal prompted some employee resignations. Brianna Katherine Martin, who had been a U.S. government strategist at the company for almost three years, left in May, citing the recent expansion of the company’s work with ICE. […]
Palantir revised its employee code of conduct in March, removing pledges to avoid biased decision-making and eschew unfair action based on race or national origin. The “Protect the Vulnerable” section of the code previously said: “We will not create or perpetuate the unfair treatment and/or stigmatization of individuals or groups, particularly when such unfair action is based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, or sexual orientation.” The new version pledges more generally to avoid unfair action “based on any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.”
[…] The code-of-conduct changes were made in response to Trump executive orders unrelated to the company’s ICE business, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the shift. Trump had forbidden federal contractors from “illegal” diversity practices in January.
Karp biographer Michael Steinberger, whose book “The Philosopher in the Valley” was published last month, said his interviews revealed Karp’s increasing exasperation with what he saw as the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to control the border and Karp’s preoccupation with identity politics.
[…] In a letter in July to Amnesty International, responding to questions about its ICE contracts, Palantir said that although it took the human rights risks of its work with governments seriously, its role was to serve as a responsible federal contractor and uphold the law, not to set U.S. government policy.
“Palantir is not an oversight authority entrusted with scrutinizing or questioning executive branch actors,” the company wrote.
A new report released Wednesday shows that small businesses experienced a six-figure drop in employment in the month of November as millions of Americans struggle with a worsening economy under President Donald Trump.
Payroll processor ADP’s survey of private employers found that companies with fewer than 50 employees lost a total of 120,000 jobs in November.
Overall, private-sector companies shed 32,000 jobs in November, making for the largest one-month drop since May 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic. […] a survey of economists conducted by Dow Jones had expected a gain of 40,000 jobs in November. [graph]
During a conference call with reporters, ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said the employment data showed a “broad-based” economic “slowdown.”
[…] The negative jobs data comes just a few days after the Institute for Supply Management released a report showing nine straight months of job losses in the manufacturing sector. [!]
The small business and manufacturing job losses have occurred while Trump has pursued a strategy of increasing tariffs on goods imported to the United States. […] tariffs effectively work as a tax on consumers, raising the costs of goods and services […] Trump went ahead anyway, and many nations, like China, have not bent to his will. [video]
As concerns about affordability have increased, Trump has paid lip service to the issue. First describing himself as the “affordability president,” Trump lashed out on Tuesday by falsely alleging that the issue of affordability is a “fake narrative” and a “Democrat[ic] scam.”
When his first term ended in January 2021, Trump became the first president since World War II to experience a net job loss between his first and last days on the job.
Less than a year into his second term, Trump appears to be back on a similar path.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is still flogging her February demand that states give USDA data on SNAP beneficiaries like names and immigration status, threatening to illegally withhold federal funding. She’s just SO concerned about immigrants, dead people, and douple-dippers that she has to sabotage entire states just to look for it, redundantly (states already verify eligibility). 22 states sued and got it blocked for them for now. 28 and Guam have complied. Experts say the far bigger problem is organized crime stealing benefits cards or forging them for fake people.
“It’s a long and tortuous path to keeping Ukraine’s fight alive.”
The European Commission is adamant it has done what’s needed to address Belgium’s concerns about a financial package worth up to €210 billion to fund Ukraine’s defense against Moscow.
The EU executive unveiled the package on Wednesday […] which leverages the cash value of frozen Russian state assets across the bloc — with the lion’s share sitting in Belgium. The Belgian government fears the move would provoke Russian retaliation but, without support, Ukraine’s war chest is expected to run bare in April.
Diplomats are now in a race against time to scrutinize the proposal before EU leaders gather in Brussels on Dec. 18 […]
“I’m not impressed yet, let me put it that way,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said in televised remarks before the proposal was unveiled on Wednesday afternoon. “We are not going to put risks involving hundreds of billions … on Belgian shoulders. Not today, not tomorrow, never.”
[…] Responding to De Wever’s concerns, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that “we have put in place mechanisms that protect all our member states and this, of course, includes specifically also Belgium.” […]
What does the loan to Ukraine look like?
Under the proposal, the EU will lend €165 billion to Ukraine, which it will only have to repay once Russia ends the war and pays reparations. The loan includes €25 billion of immobilized Russian state assets held in private bank accounts in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Cyprus, in addition to €140 billion held in the Brussels-based Euroclear bank.
As part of the financial package, the Commission will set aside €45 billion to repay a G7 loan to Ukraine, which was agreed in 2024. This brings the total value of the package to €210 billion.
If all else fails, the EU executive said that it can issue joint debt to Ukraine through its multi-year budget. The main drawback is that pursuing this option requires unanimity, an unlikely scenario given Hungary’s repeated threats to block further financing to Kyiv.
How will the money be spent?
Within the reparations loan, €115 billion has been earmarked to finance Ukraine’s defense industry, while €50 billion will cover Kyiv’s budgetary needs.
The loan reserved for military spending will be disbursed over five years in cash envelopes, known as tranches, under certain conditions to avoid corruption. The bulk of the money, €90 billion, would be available over the next two years. Money reserved for the country’s budgetary needs could last until the end of 2055.
The proposal gives preference to military gear made in Europe or Ukraine, but also allows for buying equipment from foreign allies, such as the U.S., under certain conditions.
What safeguards does Belgium have?
EU governments will provide bilateral financial guarantees of up to €105 billion until 2028 to ensure that Belgium is not alone in handling the risks associated with the initiative. The underlying principle is that EU capitals collectively stump up the full amount of the loan should the Kremlin successfully claw its money back, which the Commission sees as unlikely.
Belgium is demanding that the guarantees exceed the total value of the EU loan and extend beyond the expiry of the Russian sanctions package — and will continue to push for this during the technical negotiations in Council. In further reassurance to Belgium, the Commission will set up a “liquidity mechanism” that can lend money to governments to ensure that the guarantees can be paid out at a moment’s notice.
The EU’s next seven-year budget will take over from national guarantees from 2028, and shoulder the burden through its “headroom,” a financial cushion that ensures Brussels can meet its obligations.
How will the EU keep the Russian assets frozen?
The biggest legal hurdle facing the proposal is the prospect of the assets being unfrozen if pro-Russia countries refuse to keep existing sanctions in place. Under current rules, the EU must unanimously reauthorize the sanctions every six months. That means Kremlin-friendly countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, can force the EU to release the sanctioned money with a simple no-vote.
The Commission suggested a legal fix that would make this scenario less likely. It aims to trigger a clause in Article 122 of the EU treaty that could make it illegal to return the assets to the Kremlin. The clause is legally uncertain and hinges on the argument that reversing the sanctions would wreak havoc on Europe’s economy. The Commission is confident that it can trigger this legal clause by a qualified majority.
Does this affect the peace deal with Russia?
De Wever claimed last week that the Commission’s proposal would derail a peace deal in Ukraine by removing leverage that might encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. But von der Leyen played down the argument, saying that the reparations loan will instead ramp up the pressure on Russia. […]
For Ukraine, meanwhile, the scheme would strengthen its negotiating position, ensuring it was not entering peace talks while facing a cash crunch. […]
In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a mandate requiring that all newborn babies receive the hepatitis B vaccine, reversing a prior recommendation to only give it to newborns at high risk of infection. Before that mandate, there were approximately 18,000 cases of hepatitis B in children under the age of ten — 9,000 of whom contracted it from their mothers at birth.
This was a bad thing.
Ninety percent of those newborns who contracted hep B at birth would also end up with chronic conditions that lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
This was also a bad thing.
However, a whole lot of people are very excited for a return to that, including those on the CDC vaccine advisory board in charge of issuing vaccine-related recommendations. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is preparing to vote on the hepatitis B vaccine recommendation and — given that it is now chock full of “vaccine skeptics” — it is highly likely that they will rescind it.
This is a bad thing.
There is no cure for hepatitis B. It’s also not always the case that there are symptoms, so kids that contract hepatitis B may very well end up spreading it to their friends, not through having sex or sharing needles, but through a million other possible childhood accidents like cuts and scrapes or forgotten toothbrushes at sleepover parties. Then, when they are older, they could spread it to their sexual partners if they’ve still never been tested. [True]
Via Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia:
In the U.S., about 1 in 2 people with chronic hepatitis B infections do not know they have this infection. They don’t have symptoms, and if they were exposed as children, they may be carriers able to unwittingly spread the virus throughout life. Given that their blood is highly contagious and the virus can remain on surfaces or items for up to a week, chronically infected people provide a way for hepatitis B virus to hide in plain sight. […]
The hepatitis B vaccine is an especially easy target for anti-vaxxers, as there is already a built-in animosity towards anything that prevents health problems believed to be largely caused by “bad behavior.” There are still people out there who think that HIV and AIDS are God’s righteous punishment on those who have sex, gay people in particular. [Isnipped other examples.]
So, in addition to the usual anti-vaccine hysteria, you’ve got thousands of people on social media talking about how newborn babies don’t need the vaccine unless they are having sex or shooting up, and so giving them this vaccine is tantamount to inferring that they either are slutty junkie babies or that they should be slutty junkies. […]
Except, again, the problem isn’t that slutty junkie babies are going around having unprotected sex or doing heroin, it is that they contract hepatitis B from their mothers, who may not know they are infected. […] 25 percent [of pregnant women] don’t get prenatal care in their first trimester, and the numbers of those not getting any prenatal care at all are increasing.
Not to mention the fact that they could also contract hepatitis after they are tested.
Of course, this does not bother newly minted ACIP member Dr. Kirk Milhoan, who thinks it’s enough to just recommend the vaccine to those babies whose mothers are most at risk of having hepatitis B (you know, like back when 9,000 babies a year were born with it).
Via NBC:
Milhoan said any decision to give newborns hepatitis B vaccines should be made based on clinicians’ individual assessments of the babies’ risk for infection — that is, whether a pregnant woman tests positive for the infection or has a “questionable infectious disease background.” At September’s ACIP meeting, the panel voted unanimously to recommend testing all pregnant women for hepatitis B.
But not all pregnant women receive prenatal care, and if they do, not all feel comfortable speaking frankly with their doctors.
Milhoan appeared to dismiss the argument that women may not divulge activities that could increase their risk for hepatitis B because of stigma.
“I hope they love their baby more than they love their pride,” he said.
And if they don’t, it’s the baby that should be punished? With an incurable disease?
To be fair, there is a risk of anaphylaxis with the hepatitis vaccine — a one in 600,000 or one in 900,000 risk, depending on the study — and it is, of course, possible to die from that. However, it’s also entirely treatable.
One study found that, from January 1, 1991, through October 5, 1998, there were 1,771 neonatal events that were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Savvy readers know that is not a reliable source of information, as literally any bad thing that happens after a vaccine (including a car accident!) can be listed as an “adverse event” after the fact. The vast majority of these were fevers and injection site reactions. Eighteen were deaths.
Does that mean the hepatitis vaccine caused 18 deaths? Nope. The causes of death were entirely unrelated: SIDS, other infections, intracerebral hemorrhage, accidental suffocation, and congenital heart disease. Call me crazy but I doubt that the vaccine grew legs, somehow exited the child and held a pillow over its face.
We do, however, know that not giving newborns the hepatitis vaccine will cause both death and lifelong chronic problems.
[…] if ACIP rescinds its recommendation, people will still be able to get the vaccine for their newborn babies, but — as has been the issue with the COVID vaccine — that can affect whether or not insurers will cover it. It will also mean that idiots who don’t want those smug doctors inferring that their precious newborns are slutty junkie babies, or who think vaccines cause autism, will not get their children vaccinated, and we will end up with a large population of hepatitis-carrying-and-spreading babies.
“Executives from Ford, GM and Stellantis will be at the White House Wednesday.”
The Trump administration plans to announce the rollback of fuel efficiency rules for U.S. cars and trucks at a White House event this afternoon attended by executives from the country’s biggest automakers.
President Donald Trump has long derided such rules as an “EV mandate” that hurts the auto industry and raises car prices. He teased the upcoming announcement at a televised cabinet meeting Tuesday, saying, “We’re bringing back the automobile business.”
“We appreciate President Trump’s leadership in aligning fuel economy standards with market realities,” Ford CEO Jim Farley, who will attend the announcement, wrote in a statement. “We can make real progress on carbon emissions and energy efficiency while still giving customers choice and affordability. This is a win for customers and common sense.” [Trump-worshipping speech from a lackey.]
White House officials did not answer questions about what changes they planned to make to fuel economy standards. But Trump’s signature second-term legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, eliminated financial penalties for car companies that don’t meet federal fuel efficiency standards.
[…] Although automakers can already ignore the rules without penalty, officially rolling the standards back makes it harder for a future administration to reinstate them, according to Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the environmental nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.
With weaker rules, car companies will “make more gas guzzlers […]
Trump signed a separate law in June to block California from enforcing a ban on new gas-powered car sales in 2035. Congress and the administration have also ended federal tax credits for EVs and pulled funding for building EVs and batteries.
Those policy changes have prompted car companies to walk back their commitments to sell more EVs, canceling planned factories and laying off workers. Analysts have slashed their predictions for future EV sales and raised their projections for greenhouse pollution. General Motors, which once vowed to only sell EVs by 2035, has shifted billions of dollars of planned investments from electric to gas-powered cars.
[…] The back-and-forth policy changes have put U.S. automakers in a difficult position, according to Rich Gold, a lobbyist who heads the public policy and regulation group at Holland and Knight.
“What the industry really needs is to be able to plan for a decade,” Gold said. “The auto industry doesn’t deal well with disruption and uncertainty. The infrastructure to build cars and get them to where they need to go takes a long time to build out.”
[…] “Today’s action is a win for American drivers,” American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers wrote in a statement. “We commend President Trump and Secretary Duffy for restoring commonsense fuel-economy standards that recognize the realities of today’s marketplace and the need to preserve affordable choices for families and businesses.”
Environmentalists, meanwhile, lamented the latest blow to U.S. fuel economy rules.
“They’re going to raise costs for consumers at the gas pump and they’re going to signal to the Chinese that the world market is open to you and we’re just going to abandon it,” said Becker.
The Pentagon’s top independent watchdog has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated security protocols designed to protect U.S. troops by using a personal device to share sensitive operational details on the unclassified messaging app Signal […]
The Defense Department inspector general report, due to be released on Thursday, appears certain to reignite an issue that has dogged Hegseth for much of his tenure in office.
The inquiry was requested on a bipartisan basis by top leaders in the Senate Armed Services Committee in March after The Atlantic magazine reported that then-national security adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently had added a journalist to a digital discussion in which Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, and numerous other Cabinet officials shared and discussed details of a bombing campaign in Yemen against Houthi militants.
[…] The defense secretary at one point even texted members of the group chat that they were “currently clean on OPSEC,” or operational security, despite Hegseth sharing sensitive operational details in the forum.
The inspector general’s office recognized that Hegseth is considered an “original classification authority” and has broad latitude to declassify sensitive information. The report did not wade into whether Hegseth handled declassification appropriately […]
But the inspector general did assess that Hegseth violated Defense Department policies by using his personal device for official business […]
That information Hegseth shared on the Signal chat derived from a classified email that Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, then the commander overseeing U.S. operations in the Middle East, had sent through secure channels to senior defense officials […]
As The Washington Post first reported in July, Kurilla’s message was labeled “SECRET/NOFORN,” a government designation meaning the contents were classified at a level at which unauthorized disclosure could be expected to cause serious damage to national security and was not intended to be read by any foreign national, including close allies of the United States.
The incident became a major political crisis for the Trump administration and for Waltz, who was eventually removed from his White House post. He now serves as U.N. ambassador.
The Atlantic’s disclosure that highly sensitive operations were discussed on an unclassified communications system raised questions about the Trump administration’s security practices and prompted Hegseth to attack the publication’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, in personal terms as a “deceitful” journalist who “peddles in garbage.”
[…] More recently, Hegseth has made light of the affair. Speaking before a crowd at a November event organized by Fox Nation, the defense secretary pointed Waltz out in the crowd and said, “Mike, I’ll hit you up on Signal later,” drawing both laughter and groans from the crowd.
“Too soon?” Hegseth added. “C’mon!”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) told reporters after reviewing the report on Wednesday that it was “very clearly stated” that Hegseth should not have been using his cellphone for such work. […]
Five hours of talks in Moscow between the U.S. delegation and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a U.S. plan to resolve the war in Ukraine ended without a “compromise option,” the Kremlin said Wednesday, adding that its military victories had swayed the Americans.
[…] Ukrainian and European officials expressed doubt on Wednesday about Putin’s interest in ending the war diplomatically.
“So far no compromise option has been found, but some American proposals appear more or less acceptable,” said Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, who attended the meeting and spoke to Russian media right afterward. “The president did not hide our critical or negative view of certain proposals.”
Later Wednesday, Ushakov said the Russian “successes on the front in recent weeks have had a positive impact on the course and nature” of talks and forced the United States and the West at large to make “more adequate assessments of the situation in Ukraine.”
His remark echoes Putin’s constant assertions that any deal must be based on “realities on the ground” and that he is not prepared to make concessions because he believes his army can succeed militarily.
[…] NATO officials have previously assessed that it would take Russia at least three to four years to fully capture Donetsk. One of Moscow’s demands for a ceasefire is for Ukraine to relinquish the remaining 20 percent of the region it still holds.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Wednesday that Witkoff had contact with the Ukrainian side after the talks with Putin and that a visit to the U.S. is being worked out for further discussions.
[…] Ushakov said the discussion touched directly on territorial issues, which Moscow considers essential to any resolution, as well as the “huge opportunities” for future U.S.-Russian economic cooperation, which is something Moscow has been pitching to Washington in a bid to expand the talks on a potential truce in Ukraine to discussions on restoring wider bilateral relations.
[…] Before the meeting, U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators had modified the proposal to make it more palatable to Kyiv, but it is not clear if that was the proposal presented to Putin.
[…] The Europeans, who have sought to sway the talks and retain their leverage, struck a deal early Wednesday designed to further reduce their dependency on Russian energy. The E.U. plan is to start banning Russian gas imports next year and bar them all by 2027. Europe’s imports of Russian gas dropped drastically after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but still represent about 19 percent of overall intake.
Russia, meanwhile, is also straining under war costs and declining oil revenue, with its newly approved three-year federal budget projecting a deficit.
[…] Tatiana Stanovaya, also of the Carnegie Center, said on X that Moscow’s main calculation in the talks with the U.S. is to get Washington to “pressure Kyiv to accept these terms as the only viable route to peace.”
I think the headline is somewhat misleading. Putin is projecting confidence more or less like a desperate man who wants everyone to believe him. Actually, he is on shaky ground.
Putin is not close to defeat, but he is not close to winning either. Meanwhile, the economic/financial straits in which Russia finds itself negatively affect all levels of Russian society, including education, fire-fighting, policing, infrastructure building or repair, and, of course, manufacturing war equipment and ammunition. Just to name a few.
Trump’s name was added to the exterior of the US Institute of Peace building ahead of Thursday’s peace agreement signing between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which will be held inside the building.
[…]
As a reminder: The USIP building was raided and taken over by DOGE (with assistance from federal and local law enforcement) despite being an independent agency and owner of the building. Litigation is ongoing, but Trump does not own this building. [USIP’s website is down for maintenance, with a blurb that it was founded as an independent nonprofit corp.]
[…]
The metal letters […] appear very similar to the ones DOGE pulled off the wall when they illegally took over the space in March.
Commentary
Hasn’t even been a year, and we’re at this point.
It’s like someone tagged a freeway sign with their name.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will be very impressed.
Makes the “George Bush Center for Intelligence” seem fitting by comparison.
Next: The Donald J. Trump Institute for Truth, Ethics, and Wakefulness.
I’m confused. Why aren’t the letters gold?
JFC, we are going to need to tear down everything Trump related like its the Saddam statues in Baghdad.
Don’t worry, those stone panels aren’t structural and can be removed/replaced if he gets the brilliant idea to have his name etched into the building.
WaPo: “diplomats and former staff say they are unsure what the building is used for now.”
The Department of Homeland Security launched an immigration operation on Wednesday in New Orleans, the latest in a string of Democratic-led cities that have been singled out by the Trump administration in recent months. It was not immediately clear how many federal agents were involved in the operation or how long it would last.
Sky Captain @479, that’s offensive. Trump’s name on the building? FFS.
In other offensive news, as reported by the Associated Press:
The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.
“Honduras was on edge after tallies showed two candidates separated by about 500 votes. Then President Trump claimed that officials were rigging results.”
Hondurans were heading to bed on Monday, with two candidates in a virtual tie for the presidency and election officials urging calm and patience as they finished counting tallies by hand.
Then President Trump intervened once more in the small Central American nation’s election.
“Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election,” he wrote online on Monday night. “If they do, there will be hell to pay!”
His evidence? He said Honduran election officials had “abruptly stopped counting” at midnight the night before.
In reality, Honduras’s election agency had updated the results at about noon local time on Monday, roughly nine hours before Mr. Trump’s post. And the delay since then was expected.
That is because Honduras employs an electoral system that reports a first tranche of votes — transmitted from polling stations digitally — as preliminary results. Workers then verify all vote tallies by hand, and there is often a delay in between. It is difficult to send all tallies digitally because internet connections can be sparse and unstable in some parts of the country.
The preliminary results on Monday showed a virtual tie in the race. With 57 percent of ballots reported, two right-wing candidates, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, each had 40 percent of the vote. Just 515 ballots separated them.
Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Asfura in the days ahead of the vote, warning Hondurans that the United States would “not be throwing good money after bad” at the country if his preferred candidate did not win. He called Mr. Nasralla a “borderline Communist.” And he also said he would pardon a former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been convicted of helping smuggle cocaine into the United States.
Mr. Trump’s post on Monday was another extraordinary intervention in the Honduran election, as he stoked controversy, without evidence, just as election officials were calling on citizens to remain patient and peaceful.
[…] on Monday, international election observers said that the election had few issues and that they would continue to monitor the count. Even with the razor-thin margin in the race, the nation was calm, and some businesses began to remove the plywood they had installed in windows in case of protests.
Ana Paola Hall, a top Honduran election official, said Monday afternoon that the National Electoral Council, or CNE, had finished reporting the digitally transmitted first tranche of votes from around the country.
She explained that officials were turning their attention to hand-counting remaining tallies, and then going back to verify all the results.
“In the face of this technical tie, we must remain calm, have patience, and wait for the CNE to finish counting,” Ms. Hall wrote online. She lauded the nation for its peaceful response.
On Monday night at a CNE office in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, election workers and military personnel unloaded sealed boxes from trucks as a man with a megaphone called out their respective numbers. The boxes were taped shut and labeled with the slogan “building democracy.”
A man who showed identification as an election official said that the vote count was on schedule and that workers had started counting the physical tallies at 10 p.m. local time, about an hour after Mr. Trump’s post. […]
The Trump administration indicated Tuesday that it will begin withholding SNAP benefits from recipients in most Democratic-led states starting next week after those states refused to provide the Agriculture Department with data including recipients’ names and immigration statuses.
Costco sued the Trump administration to get a full refund of new tariffs it paid so far this year, and to block those import duties from continuing to be collected from the retail warehouse club giant as a Supreme Court case plays out.
As experts have questioned the Trump administration’s legal arguments for airstrikes that have killed more than 80 alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media a contrived cartoon that shows children’s book character Franklin the Turtle firing a gun out of a helicopter at armed drug smugglers. Hegseth’s post, which includes the words ‘Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,’ is childish, demeaning, unprofessional and embarrassing to the nation.
The USG has a new explanation on why they (now admittedly) intentionally killed 2 shipwrecked men. It does not pass the laws-of-war smell test. Worse for Hegseth, NYT: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved contingency plans for what to do if an initial strike left survivors.”
The Hegseth-approved contingency plan: The U.S. military could try to kill shipwrecked survivors if “they took what the United States deemed to be a hostile action, like communicating with suspected cartel members.”
First it’s absurd on its face that communicating to be RESCUED is a hostile act. That’s the definition of being shipwrecked and helpless. The whole point of a legal prohibition on killing people who are shipwrecked is that they must be rescued or left to be rescued instead.
What about explanation that calling to be rescued might also allow cartel to retrieve some cocaine? It’s legally ludicrous to claim (as Hegseth et al would need to argue) that such conduct equals a failure to “cease all active combat activity.” [Per the Navy/Marines/Coast Guard Commander’s Handbook’s criteria to be ‘shipwrecked’.] Let Hegseth (or Admiral Bradley or General Caine) try to defend the idea that retrieving the cocaine is active combat activity. They can’t. They’re digging themselves in worse.
This next point gets deeper into some legal weeds […] The fact that the DOJ/USG wants to call these cocaine boats legitimate “war-sustaining” military targets, makes this new explanation fall apart. After serving in the Dept of Defense [under Obama], I wrote the law review article SUPPORTING war-sustaining targeting. But transporting/working on war-sustaining objects does not equal “active combat activities.” The 11 were civilians, and retrieving cocaine would not make the 2 less than shipwrecked.
A public service reminder: This entire exercise is an absurd, imaginary world for legal experts.
That’s because the truth is: It’s not an armed conflict. The laws of war thus don’t apply. The more restrictive rules of human rights apply. It’s extrajudicial killing under that law.
A shipwrecked survivor of a Hellfire missile strike on his small burning vessel is supposed to do… what, exactly, to show he is not “in the fight”? When there is no war, applying the law of war is an exercise in absurdity.
And what would it mean to call for “reinforcements” in this fictitious war? Get more cocaine that would likely be bound for Europe (per Sec. Rubio) where it would be sold to willing buyers? Including the actual facts when asking these questions makes it clear how absurd it all is.
The notion that the shipwrecked calling for help is a “hostile act” b/c it might enable salvage of part of the cargo (supposedly a military objective) strikes me as absurd. And would risk gutting the protection of the shipwrecked.
Rando 1: “Using this logic, if a combat aviator ejects from their aircraft, and while hanging in their parachute uses their emergency radio to call for help, they are now a legitimate target.”
Rando 2: “Using a parachute at all is a hostile act.”
Will Smiley (Historian): “Oh wow, they’ve reinvented the Kaiser’s justification for unrestricted submarine warfare from first principles. Famously, the US was not a fan.”
birgerjohanssonsays
Several Chinese reusable rockets in development! “Chinese Falcon 9-size Rocket ALMOST Lands on First Attempt! | Zhuque-3 Flight 1 Update ”
.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=qzJNrBmQrvw
birgerjohanssonsays
“Tailored single atom platforms hold promise for next-generation catalysis”
‘Single-atom’? That sounds like a misnomer, as the catalyst must be attached to something.
For the convenience of readers, here are a few links back to the previous set of 500 comments on The Infinite Thread.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/01/infinite-thread-xxxvii/comment-page-4/#comment-2284482
CNN: Lindsey Halligan says full grand jury never saw final indictment it handed up against Comey
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/01/infinite-thread-xxxvii/comment-page-4/#comment-2284462
Interesting results from Denmark’s regional and municipal elections.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/01/infinite-thread-xxxvii/comment-page-4/#comment-2284427
Marshall Islands becomes the first country to launch a Universal Basic Income program.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/01/infinite-thread-xxxvii/comment-page-4/#comment-2284399
A Tennessee judge on Monday temporarily blocked the deployment of the National Guard in Memphis
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/01/infinite-thread-xxxvii/comment-page-4/#comment-2284396
“Texas’s Water Wars,” by Rachel Monroe
Oh FFS. More disinformation from RFK Jr.
“RFK Jr. Insists Vaccines Cause Peanut Allergies Despite All Evidence (It Is All The Evidence) To The Contrary”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/rfk-jr-insists-vaccines-cause-peanut
Guardian: Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown
This is an issue for everything that sells tickets but it in general you hear about it most for music. The various resellers drive up prices and get in the way of fans. The issue arises because the bands often would rather keep prices somewhat reasonable and keep fans happy, the resellers then grab those tickets and price to maximize profits no matter who it irritates.
This is one of those things that has always been an issue but computers made it worse. When people had to buy tickets in person there was a practical limit to how many tickets the resellers could tie up. With computers the resellers can try to lock up all of the tickets and then resell them into an artificially scarce market.
How well a ban works depends on how reasonably the government implements a ban. The government shouldn’t waste it’s time with individual resellers unless they get too big but the online automated ones are the ones that need shut down.
Link
Josh Marshall:
Link
The Anti-Vax Movement’s Wildest Claim Yet: Polio Wasn’t So Bad
https://www.wonkette.com/p/purdue-pharma-we-will-see-you-in
Global emissions continue to rise a decade after the Paris Agreement. However, solar, wind and EV growth demonstrate that climate action can work. Here’s what has been achieved and what remains urgent.
Good news, with caveats.
Global emissions continue to rise a decade after the Paris Agreement. However, solar, wind and EV growth demonstrate that climate action can work. Here’s what has been achieved and what remains urgent.
Good news, with caveats.
Apologies for the double post above (comments 8 and 9). I don’t know how that happened.
In other news: “Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza Amid Truce, Officials Say”
“Israel’s military said it had launched attacks across Gaza after Palestinian militants shot at its troops. The six-week-old cease-fire has been pierced periodically by bursts of violence.”
New York Times:
NASA releases new photos of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
“The object is the third interstellar visitor to our solar system ever confirmed. It will reach its closest point to Earth next month.”
Followup to comment 5.
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-U.N. investigator ‘shocked and angry’ at Trump’s defense of Saudi crown prince over Jamal Khashoggi murder
“Agnès Callamard, now the secretary general of Amnesty International, wrote arguably the most detailed and authoritative report on Khashoggi’s killing.”
More at the link.
Lynna @2 quoting Wonkette:
Y’know for folks who are so obsessed with having good genes and culling the weak, they refuse to acknowledge bad genes in the constituents they claim to care about and instead blame environmental factors a lot.
/Genetics = racism.
/Environmental = purging scapegoats for profit; while curiously preserving actual hazards and sabotaging efforts to fix those.
*headdesk* Soon from the CDC’s guidelines for public pools: chlorine shall be replaced with sewage.
I find the quote (as has been used by so many main slime news outlets, too) “The six-week-old cease-fire has been pierced periodically by bursts of violence.” sickening. With so many tens of thousands of palestinians slaughtered and all the ongoing violence, I can only assert that NO CEASE-FIRE exists.
I am sad and angry. Hamas is NOT supported by all the palestinian people. The IDF is NOT supported by all the israeli people. If you study the languages and the fact that they are both ‘peoples of the book’ there is so much in their heritage that is common. So I find it abhorrent that this conflict has been going on for centuries and that there is NO honest solution to the carnage.
@shermanj #14:
There is a tendency to erase the colonial aggression and recency of the conflict.
Wikipedia – Israeli–Palestinian conflict
NB: A must-watch link!
.
Cthulhu’s ABCs: A Heavy Metal Muppet Parody Song about the Alphabet
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=cKTFaaF4T7Y
Democrats Lead by 14% NATIONWIDE in New Poll (generic poll)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=vaLK16O5MNc
While there is a huge amount of trash in manga, there are so many genres and sub-genres the media are quite inclusive.
Here is for instance a title I found at a swedish book shop (english text)
.
“How My Daddies Became Mates Vol. 1 – Mikkamita ”
.https://www.bokus.com/bok/9798891602335/how-my-daddies-became-mates-vol-1/
A new space radiation shield: Flexible boron nitride nanotube film shows promise
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-space-shield-flexible-boron-nitride.html
TheAmericanProspect – The AI bubble is bigger than you think
NBC News:
Politico:
New York Times:
Washington Post:
New York Times:
ProPublica:
Link
More at the link.
@15 CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain wrote: There is a tendency to erase the colonial aggression and recency of the conflict.
I reply: I agree, you’re correct. The article below that I’ve kept for a while supports your assertion.
https://classroom.synonym.com/the-roots-of-conflict-between-islam-judaism-12085895.html
MICHAEL BRENNER 29 SEP 2017
Judaism and Islam are monotheistic faiths, and both claim heritage dating back to the ancient figure of Abraham. Despite this, the two faiths have been in conflict intermittently for 1,400 years, and the most notable periods of antagonism were at the start of Islam and in the last 100 years. Common issues of conflict have historically been theological issues, acceptance of Muhammad as a prophet and competition over holy land.
@26 Lynna, OM wrote: ProPublica: ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
My wife (and I was there to hear it) experienced this chronic problem personally:
https://theconversation.com/when-doctors-dont-believe-their-patients-pain-experts-explain-the-all-too-common-experience-of-medical-gaslighting-250770
May 8, 2025 Women who see doctors for pain from reproductive health conditions are often advised to relax and get help for anxiety instead.
Kyiv Post: White House Scrambles to Quell Rumors of Russia-Friendly Donbas Proposal
This looks like a repeat of Russian position from previous negotiations laundered as new negotiations by the Russians. The Trump administration has implied they are open to negotiations but this isn’t something they did. The Europeans have dismissed it out of hand. Ukraine is not interested in talking about it. At this point they are not that interested in negotiations at all, after several rounds where the Russians have just repeated the same demands that amount to surrender by Ukraine.
When rumors surfaced I was worried that Trump might be looking for something to distract from Epstein. This is just too pro-Russia to take seriously though. Trump might think it’s a good idea but the other officials would know it’s a non-starter.
New Research Findings Rewrite the KPg Extinction Event!
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=GTyhl4rWsTY
“I Can’t Believe This is a Real Movie Title | Lesbian Space Princess – Movie Review”
It seems to be a good comedy… The protagonist is escaping the white Maliens, weird stuff happens.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=soewLoqGkR0
Poetry breaks the internet, at least the part dependent on LLMs for genAI. I assume song lyrics have the same effect.
Adversarial Poetry as a Universal Single-Turn Jailbreak Mechanism in Large Language Models
shermanji @28, sorry to hear that!
In other news: White House targets Democratic veterans who told troops to refuse illegal orders
“In theory, the Democratic video shouldn’t have been especially controversial. In practice, Team Trump’s pushback has been over the top.”
Zohran Mamdani on his White House meeting with Trump
New report on Trump’s ‘dirty tricks’ plan to keep Epstein files buried
re Lynna @34:
I’m shocked, SHOCKED I say!
Link
Do CBP agent thugs think women are easier to bully? Our society is dying because of all the bigotry of all types.
https://digbysblog.net/2025/11/20/oh-those-threatening-women/
Oh, Those Threatening Women!
Published by Tom Sullivan on November 20, 2025
Manly CBP agents run amok
Border Patrol agents smashed a car window with a rifle before hauling out two female U.S. citizens accused of honking their horn to warn others that federal immigration officers were in the area, according to relatives and a witness.
“Information,” this is truly laughable:
Link
Video can be viewed at the link above, and here: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:h7qtoo7nxqxarrsijohjhbw4/post/3m5yuhpad352s
Followup of sorts to shermanji @37.
Trump Admin Retreats From ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Cases Against Chicago Protestors
Prosecutors move to abandon case against woman who was shot five times by a federal agent.
To me, it looks like Greg Bovino (CBP Commander) and some of his minions are cosplaying being tough, but they are really just bullies filing unreasonable charges in courts. They are failing in the courts.
Also, who shoots a woman five times and then brags about it online? Border Patrol officer Charles Exum.
A Top Republican Wanted to Reclaim Congress’ Spending Authority. The White House Stopped Him.
“Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a top appropriator, tried to add guardrails from ‘pocket rescissions’ in an appropriations bill. But then Office of Management Budget Director Russ Vought talked to him.”
Followup to comment 33.
‘Punishable by DEATH’: Trump calls for Democrats to be killed
Lynna @36 quoting WSJ:
Reminder: restoredcdc.org continues to independently preserve the CDC website as it existed on Jan 19th.
The imposter website hosted and altered by Kennedy’s antivaxer org is thankfully down. At this point, it would be redundant.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/ex-gop-aide-does-terrible-job-of
Sky Captain @42, thanks. Good reminder.
In other news: “EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols”
“The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items ‘potentially divisive.’ ”
Washington Post link
More at the link.
There are 788 comments attached to the article.
Washington Post link
@33, @34 and @41 Lynna, OM: I was wondering what would qualify as “increasingly brazen “dirty tricks”” for the Trump administration because they have already violated the law, lied in court and triggered a riot in DC. I guess directly calling for the death of his opponents qualifies, up until now he has just insulted them and made indirect threats.
Paul Offit – See No Evil
(Offit is a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, vaccines, immunology, and virology)
MicrobeTV had him on to talk about this for 14 minutes.
Dr. Oz slammed after telling Americans to simply ‘Get healthier’ to reduce their healthcare costs
Commentary
Katie Mack (Cosmologist):
Scientific Frontline – 5,500 toxic sites in U.S. at risk of flooding by 2100 because of sea level rise
Scientific Frontline – Innovation turns building vents into carbon-capture devices
JM @46, good point.
Sky Captain @48, I have friends and relatives who take the “if you just took better care of yourself you wouldn’t need health insurance” approach. However, that unrealistic attitude goes right out the window when they get sick, or if they need surgery after an accident for example. Luckily, none of them have chronic diseases … yet.
Dr. Oz is a clueless doofus who is also puffed up with self-importance … arrogant, pompous.
Associated Press:
New York Times:
Washington Post:
Expect lawsuits. Expect a battle in the courts.
Texas Tribune:
Governor Abbott is hiding something.
New York Times:
Washington Post:
Re: Lynna, OM @ #54…
When isn’t Abbott hiding something?
Satire
Israel announces plan to seize historical site in the West Bank as a new settlement appears
“Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group, said the site is around 1,800 dunams (450 acres) — Israel’s largest seizure of archeologically important land.”
More at the link.
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times
“An analysis by researchers at Cornell University is the first comprehensive look at Grokipedia since Musk launched his project last month.”
Europe to Trump: Your Ukraine peace plan is no plan at all
“U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s ceasefire blueprint is a blow to dismayed Europeans who thought Trump finally understood that you can’t trust Putin.”
More at the link.
Follow-up to Lynna #44:
The Hill – Coast Guard denies report it won’t classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
Well, this is impressive :
Source : https://phys.org/news/2025-11-moss-spores-survive-months-international.html
78-year-old David Gilmore of Pink Floyd fights back at Pete Hegseth.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BfDkdQ2vJ/
StevoR@ 63
You beat me to it. We share the same taste for news. 🙂
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES: ‘HANG THEM’: Trump melts down, accuses six Dems of ‘seditious behavior’
Video is 9:48 minutes
Chris Hayes: Trump is in ‘worst political spell of his second term’
Video is 6:27 minutes
@65. birgerjohansson : Yup. We’;re both Colbert fans too.
From which this – which has had far too little publicity I reckon esp the bit right at the start WTF – “We’ve Gotta Have Their Backs” – Sen. Warren On Protecting Congresspeople Targeted By Trump. (5 mins 15 secs.)
Marine bacteria show potent antitumor effects against colorectal cancer
.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-marine-bacteria-potent-antitumor-effects.html
.
A two-minute fix for procrastination
.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-minute-procrastination.html
Also via Phys dot org and this is scary :
Source : https://phys.org/news/2025-11-climate-deepest-arctic-ocean.html
Followup to Sky Captain @62.
There’s now more to the story: Washington Post link
Wait for it: “In reversal, Coast Guard again classifies swastikas, nooses as hate symbols”
ABC News: In reversal, DOJ says Comey indictment was reviewed by full grand jury
The DOJ is now flailing around. I’m not even sure what their goal is at this point. They have presented multiple versions of events in court as official. They fundamentally disagree and the DOJ has had enough time to straighten out their stories. It appears this is the DOJ being too disorganized at the top and individual lawyers doing what they can to protect their reputation and law license.
“Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties”
The Harvard Crimson link
Newsweek: Nursing Is No Longer Counted as a ‘Professional Degree’ by Trump Admin
The administration is probably within in rights to exclude nursing because the definition of professional degrees doesn’t explicitly list nursing. Though there is sure to be a lawsuit over it.
As a general point though it’s just stupid, there has been a national shortage of nurses for over a decade, it is a job that requires a degree and demand is expected to rise for the foreseeable future. The government should be working to subsidize people getting nursing degrees, not making it harder.
JM @71, yes, it looks like chaos and confusion are the rule, not the exception. The DOJ under the Trump administration is mess.
In other news: Donald Trump Wants to Bullshit the Economy Into Greatness
“The president insists he’s scored $21 trillion in foreign investment. It’s gobbledygook.”
@61 Lynna, OM: This proposal is so pro-Russia that I accepted it was bogus when it first appeared. I was afraid something like this might happen. This is likely happening because Trump is in such a bad situation he will agree to anything that pulls the spotlight off him.
The proposal not only makes absurd demands of Ukraine but it demands that Russia suffer no consequences. The exact terms are not public but Russia has to have sanctions lifted, be admitted to G8, trade opened, etc.
I never played Dungeons and Dragons, so… is “Chaotic Evil” ever a winning thing? It looks like DJT and the republicans are about to D & D themselves to the dustbin of history.
Job growth in the first year of Donald Trump’s second term is on pace to be the worst since the Great Recession. So why is his team bragging?
Re: birgerjohansson @76:
tl;dr Evil societies thrive in D&D, if for no other reason than to generate foils for players.
D&D is open ended, so ‘winning’ is only meaningful in a limited context of setting and achieving goals. One basic goal is of course, persisting. With sufficient funds/magic, death can be reduced to an inconvenience, or a lost player can jump back in with a new character.
The corebooks assign a typical alignment for each intelligent species, and generally those creatures have breeding populations: civilizations or roving barbarian hordes.
For the most part, players are WAAAY more powerful than peasants but not of geopolitical significance. The plot may contrive to allow players to save the world from a cult trying to awaken a dormant evil god, but Dungeon Masters don’t want players to destabilize the world.
Player parties are generally good or neutral aligned—maybe a tolerably-utilitarian evil member—and Dungeon Masters pit them against competitively evil baddies with the expectation that boss baddies ultimately stop what they’re up to or the whole party dies fighting their way to reach them (frequently the latter). Good and evil are detectable, mechanically real qualities in D&D. There are planes of existence inherently saturated in evil and chaos infusing such qualities into their inhabitants. You could wax philosophical about whether good characters’ behavior is really good, however.
* According to a Pharyngula thread last year, Pathfinder 2e (a fork of D&D) has done away with alignment, and D&D 5e tried to be a little less racist but didn’t follow through.
Followup to comments 62 and 70.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/coast-guard-announces-it-is-super
“Coast Guard Announces It Is Super-Duper Double-Plus Sure Swastikas Are Bad”
“Apparently there was some confusion.”
Followup to comment 61 and to JM @75.
Washington Post link
“U.S. pushing Ukraine to sign peace deal by Thanksgiving or lose support”
“The U.S. is sending ‘signals’ that everything could be off the table if Kyiv does not quickly sign a proposal, which was drawn up by special envoy Steve Witkoff.”
“Scathing Atheist 664 Cried Wolf Edition”
At the 32 minute mark Michael Marshall tells the story of Naomi Wolf, a now disgraced intellectual.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=kgIWwVD1Kgg
CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @ 78
Thank you.
It seems that the current administration is firmly in the “chaotic evil” corner, creating a foil for anyone who are objectively “good”, as in “opposing fascism”.
As for barbarian hordes and murderhobos, they have been absorbed by the MAGA movement.
re Lynna @80: The Orange Turd and his administration are total Russian assets. Putin says jump and The Orange Turd admits he can’t jump but he will get on his knees and service his Russian master.
Federal judge orders release of 16 migrants detained in Idaho raid, citing due process violations
“U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that keeping the migrants jailed without bond violated their due process rights.”
Germany to classify date rape drugs as weapons to ensure justice for survivors
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/21/germany-to-classify-date-drugs-as-weapons-in-attempt-to-ensure-justice-for-survivors
RFK Jr. fesses up: He ordered the change to the CDC website on vaccines and autism
“Health secretaries tend not to order changes to guidance personally, but Kennedy made an exception to push misinformation on vaccines and autism.”
Related video at the link.
‘In the old days, it was death’: Trump rages again against Democratic military veterans
“On Thursday, the president accused Democrats of “seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!” On Friday, he kept the offensive going. [!]”
Related video at the link.
Mamdani tames Trump
Video at the link.
Posted by readers of the article:
Another good news roundup from Daily Kos.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/11/21/2354046/-GNR-for-Friday-Nov-21-2025-Their-Crumbling-Coalition
Good news, as reported by Politico:
You deserve something to cheer you up.
“Have I Got News for You S70E7” | Gabby Logan
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=7nOmIjfNrMo
New York Times:
NPR:
I realised the places in the Bible are really tiny. You could fit Palestine and the Sinai desert into Lapland.
The people was supported by low-yield bronze-age agriculture. No way the tiny Philistine city states and the tiny Israeli tribes could have mustered the large armies shown in biblical films.
A few RPG groups with knives and a time machine could have steamrolled the place (not that they would cherish the absence of hygiene and indoor plumbing, but you get the point).
Huffington Post: Federal Workers Ask Judge To Block Trump’s ‘Loyalty’ Question On Job Applications
More at the link.
Politico – Inside the DOGE Succession Drama
“Dean’s Bloodline Ends Here !” Supernatural S09E04 #movie #shorts #supernatural
.https://youtube.com/shorts/hx-nCDVdti0
NB
Team Four Star has gifted us with another Abridged anime parody
(I recommend you check out their take on Dragon Ball Z Abridged and Hellsing Ultimate Abridged)
.
Toonami Abridged |
Sailor Moon (PART 1)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=rMhIUU_LX0w
NPR: Putin says U.S. plan for Ukraine could form the basis for a final peace settlement
Putin says the plan could form the basis for a final settlement. I can see 3 reasons why Putin might take this position. First, he is laying a trap for Zelensky, say this plan is open to negotiations but jump in to sign if Ukraine agrees. The second is that there are points Putin wants to negotiate. Russia may not have treated the agreement seriously either and there may be things they want updated or changed. Third, they think they have Ukraine on the rails and Trump is open to anything. They may hope to negotiate even better terms. This option is unlikely because at some point Ukraine and the EU go ahead without the US.
Zelensky for his part is sounding out allies to see where everybody stands. In particular what the EU does if the US backs out. The EU states are not happy with this agreement not just because it’s a lot of capitulation, it also sets terms on the EU without them being involved in the negotiations. There will be a point where they are willing to jump in full force without the US.
Let’s Talk Elections
“Shock Move Signals Democrats See a Shot in Tennessee Special Election.”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=dk95IY6drtI
Meidas Touch
“Trump DOJ TORPEDOS Their OWN CASE with Desperate Filing”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=DcLxnREBdGA
A view from Britain
A Different Bias :
“Secret Russia-Ukraine Deal Exposed!”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=I8IHyI-5l4w
A protagonist in a D&D environment that is not controlled by the gods, or the dice they roll.
“How Strong is Goblin Slayer?”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=hiWtJazE9Q0
WTF?
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign in January
“The Georgia Republican’s resignation comes after recently butting heads with President Donald Trump.”
Related video at the link.
Follow-up on the Raccoon domestication story.
RaccoonMilf (Raccoon biologist):
WaPo – Tame foxes taught us about animal domestication. But did we get the story wrong?
Phoronix: Firefox 147 Will Support The XDG Base Directory Specification
Not really of any great significance but I think it’s amusing that it’s a 20 year old issue that somebody finally got around to fixing.
AP: China’s diesel trucks are shifting to electric. That could change global LNG and diesel demand
There are a lot of local delivery uses where an electric heavy truck makes sense. If the truck is always returned to the same warehouse at the end of the day being rechargeable is less of an issue. China also has more reasons to push people towards that technology because they don’t have good internal sources of diesel fuel. They have been pushing in the direction of rechargeable for some time for that reason, talk of it being green energy is secondary. I expect the numbers above are inflated because the shift is so sudden but it’s possible if the government is giving out big enough subsidies.
Gizmodo – AI-powered teddy bear caught talking about sexual fetishes and instructing kids how to find knives
/The bear instructed researchers testing it for a consumer protection group.
Molly Jong-Fast (MS NOW):
/It’s on the White House Flickr album.
Commentary
Cheryl Rofer (Retired nuclear scientist):
Reuters: Russia’s central bank says its operations with gold are increasing
An announcement by the Russian government. This is an indirect way of saying the government is now selling gold bullion to support the war. They had previous been transferring gold to the central bank to prop up the bank but this was shifting around on paper which part of the government owned it. This is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a national government.
It also claims the Russian National Wealth Fund is at $51 billion. It can be assumed that is inflated and the actual figure is lower.
Lynna, OM @ #104 — I woke up to this news a few minutes ago. I’m stunned.
Gov. Kathy Hochul blasts Elise Stefanik for “out-MAGAing” Trump as he dismisses her claims that Zohran Mamdani is a “jihadist.”
Video is 6:17 minutes
Chris Hayes hosts
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she is resigning from Congress on January 5. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) reacts.
Video is 4:01 minutes
Chris Hayes hosts
‘Truly improbable and hilarious:’ Hayes reacts to Mamdani-Trump meeting
Video is 8:47 minutes
Chris Hayes hosts
Ugly recruitment ads:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/the-weekender/lets-go-branding
Charlotte raids expose hollow core of Trump’s immigration crackdown
Cartoon: Moral bankruptcy is a wild ride
Cartoon: Recession recipes
What Nazi mess did Musk get himself into now?
Link
Followup to comments 104 and 112.
Link
New York Times link
“What to Know About the Nearly 10% Climb in a Key Medicare Expense for 2026”
“The rapidly rising premium for Part B, which covers retirees’ outpatient service”
Israel launches strikes in Gaza ceasefire’s latest test as hospitals say more than 20 killed
Elon Musk has left the White House, but he hasn’t left politics behind on X
“An NBC News analysis of one month of Musk’s social media posts shows what’s been on his mind, including a broad cross-section of fringe political topics.”
Europeans finally get seat at Trump’s table for Ukraine peace talks
“Von der Leyen’s right-hand man Bjoern Seibert is expected to put the EU’s case at a crunch meeting starting Sunday in Switzerland.”
‘Witkoff needs a psychiatrist’: Europeans fume at Trump’s plan to profit from frozen Russian assets
“Diplomats and officials react with outrage to new details of the U.S. peace plan, warning it could wreck their efforts to help Ukraine survive the war.”
NBC – SCOTUS Justice Alito temporarily reinstates Texas Republicans’ racially gerrymandered congressional map as the Supreme Court reviews the case
CNN: Trump says the US-proposed Ukraine peace plan is not final offer
CBS News: Some U.S. lawmakers say Ukraine-Russia peace plan appears to favor Moscow: “That is unacceptable”
Good news for Ukraine. The plan has gone over like a lead balloon. Trump is already walking back his position because nobody but Trump and Witkoff like the deal. Ukraine would reject it out of hand but sensibly are not that bluntly telling Trump he screwed up. The EU hates the deal and is refusing a treaty that includes them that they had no hand in negotiating. Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are not happy with the deal because they know the general population is heavily pro-Ukraine. Even Russia’s diplomats say the deal could be a basis for further negotiations.
One theory I have seen that looks reasonable is that Russia isn’t actually interested in any peace deal, they are only talking to tie things up. All of the money that would covered by the plan can’t go to Ukraine right now. This would hold up hundreds of million in sanctioned Russian money that the EU was planning to transfer to Ukraine.
With all the chaos surrounding us, I want to share two articles
One is a serious, thoughtful article written by a Jew about antisemitism*
https://www.juancole.com/2025/11/speech-ultimate-antisemitism.html
*While I am sure there will be some here who won’t agree with what I write, these concepts must be understood accurately. Too many either ignorantly or intentionally use the two concepts interchangeably. While, according to Professor Juan Cole and other middle-east academics that I agree with, it is important that we differentiate between –
antisemitism which should be defined in today’s world as a terrible, bigoted, unreasoning hatred of Jews
and
expressing criticism of the zionist IDF slaughter of palestinians which should be considered an honest, responsible position that is not the same as antisemitism.
Here is the other pointing out how stupid the magats are.
https://digbysblog.net/2025/11/21/5-4-3-2-1/
Chris Geidner (LawDork):
Rando: “And the flag was gifted to him after he received the FBI’s and DOJ’s highest awards for promoting equal employment opportunities in the agencies. Incredible model of exactly the type of person we want in government.”
Chris Geidner
The Guardian – US ‘peace proposal’ includes Russianisms prompting questions about authorship of text
Politico – Lawmakers say Rubio distanced US from peace plan
The Secretary of State should have a word with Marco Rubio. /s
Justin Ling (Wired):
Josh Marshall (TalkingPointsMemo): “We appear to be on to version six of this story.”
Rando:
Reuters – Trump officials’ meeting with Russian in Miami spurs questions about latest Ukraine proposal
PwnAllTheThings: “They are somehow unable to even negotiate an agreement across their own government, never mind one for an actual war.”
Latest Planet America ep here – Was sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein working for Israel? 50 mins long.
Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/members-of-congress-call-on-nasa-inspector-general-to-investigate-goddard-space-flight-center-as-agency-defends-campus-closures-exclusive
Former Trump lawyer: ‘The Constitution is not adequate to deal with a president as evil as Trump’
Video is 11:22 minutes
Washington Post link
Oh FFS.
Trump, the demented narcissist, has reverted to repeating the canard that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine does not express gratitude:
New York Times link
50 schoolchildren escape captivity in Nigeria, over 250 still being held, by Associated Press
“The children were among the more than 300 students and teachers taken when gunmen stormed the Catholic school in Niger state.”
Severe internet outages keep happening — and they might get worse
Europe lays down red lines on Ukraine in rebuke to Trump plan
“Allowing Russia to change borders by force or letting Moscow veto Kyiv’s future membership in the EU are red lines, Brussels warns.”
Members of our organization have a combined 50+ years experience working in aerospace. Based on the success/failure ratio of aerospace companies over decades, comparing that to spacex and the muskrat, it is clear to us this is a true pattern of behavior of the muskrat and spacex:
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/first-spacex-booster-upgraded-starship-161455232.html
First SpaceX booster for upgraded Starship fails during test in Texas
By Joey Roulette
Fri, November 21, 2025 at 9:14 AM MST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A towering first-stage booster for an upgraded version of SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a predawn testing failure in Texas on Friday, potentially complicating the company’s push to prove the rocket’s moon-landing abilities for NASA, according to observers who captured it on video.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX had rolled the stainless steel booster out to a testing pad on Thursday at the company’s Starbase rocket facilities, saying it intended to test its redesigned propellant systems and structural strength.
During a test on the pad around 4 a.m. CT Friday, a zoomed-in live video feed from SpaceX-watching group LabPadre showed the booster suddenly buckle and release a cloud of gas from its sides, indicating a possible explosion under pressure had blown open its exterior.
Starbase, the sprawling SpaceX Starship facilities in south Texas, has had multiple testing explosions in the past. A Starship booster exploded in a giant fireball on its testing pad in June, sending debris across the U.S.-Mexico border two miles away and sparking political tension with the country’s president.
@138 Lynna, OM posted: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/internet-outages-aws-microsoft-cloudflare-rcna245043 Severe internet outages keep happening — and they might get worse
I reply: Our organization has been crafting websites since 1997. Our hosting company has only experienced 2 brief outages in over 25 years. However, we see broadcast TV and radio (using internet networking) having many more outages as time goes on. We have seen how internet outages are increasing. Our society seems to be so enamored with keeping their low-tech minds on their tiny phone screens that the reliability and usability of our ‘tech’ will keep deteriorating.
Cheryl Rofer: “Why is the Secretary of the Army negotiating on Ukraine?”
Brian Finucane (JustSecurity): “VP’s buddy from [Yale Law School] and potential successor to SecDef.”
Cheryl Rofer: “Jaysus.”
By putting the religious rights of potential foster parents above the civil rights of L.G.B.T.Q. youth, a new executive order reënacts the original sin of the child-welfare system.
A very clever car designed in the 1930s produced until 1988.
“Ian McCollum’s Perfect Car: Driving His Citroen 2CV”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=duxdKap09e4
For the first time, Catholic sisters return land to a Tribal nation
*groan* It was a good story until the end. There was no reason to conclude with a product placement for acupuncture. Worse, it inadvertently compares their own activism to a placebo. Ironically fitting given the scale of abuse and dispossession they’re trying to ameliorate.
Southpaw:
Rando 1: “Bubba at Boondoggle Ranch. I wish I was making that up.”
Rando 2: “The writers are just getting lazy at this point.”
The Independent – Inside Kash Patel’s chaotic reign at FBI: Private jet flights, luxury hunting trip and tipping off suspects
Merriam-Webster: “boondoggle: a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft.”
Sky Captain @145, I was really glad to see the Catholic Sisters taking a step in the right direction.
In other news, and as a followup to comment 121.: Complaints about gaps in Medicare Advantage networks are common. Federal enforcement is rare. By KFF
More at the link.
Known for its oil, Texas became a renewable energy leader. Now it’s being unplugged.
“The state was to get $400 million for solar energy in disadvantaged communities. The Trump administration took it all back.”
Followup to comments 136, 139, and 142.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:6y3honhec2jch2ryrbuyx5a5/post/3m6ctczev5k2k
All 24 points can be read at the link.
Tatiana Schlossberg – A battle with my blood
Additional comments regarding the Trump/Russia/Witkoff plan:
Link
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4aqzua5vsewimmusg66fyajl/post/3m6cgfyyvrc2
Does this mean that Russia is playing the Venezuela/Nicaragua card with Trump?
Washington Post link
“The Israeli attack targeting Haytham Ali Tabatabai was the first strike on Beirut in more than five months and fueled fears that a wider war could be brewing.”
New York Times link
Scott Manley’s latest video here – Blue Origin FINALLY Reveal All Their Secret Projects – Deep Space Updates – November 22nd 2025 lasting 31 minutes.
Kyplanet’s latest in their series on the habitability around red dwarfs here – How Tidal Locking Affects Habitability which goes for 16 minutes.
Ryan Goodman (Just Security):
American Library Association:
Judge McConnel, Jr.: “Defendants acted without constitutional or statutory authority”
Laura Loomer (!) of all people has stated the Republicans have a nazi problem, after Tucker Carlson gave Nick Fuentes a platform.
“Republicans admit they have a MAJOR problem:
.https://youtube.com/shorts/6C_hr1J8Xmk
Re: birgerjohansson @159:
Loomer’s complaint isn’t that he IS a nazi. Just that he’s a kind that invites criticism that somehow embarrasses her.
RawStory – Nick Fuentes turns on fellow white nationalist MAGA ally (2025-06-24)
MediaMatters – Laura Loomer uses Nazi slogan to call for replacing Indian American congressperson (2025-05-05)
Atlantic – Laura Loomer is a warning (2025-05-05)
In unearthed audio, Laura Loomer calls herself ‘Pro-White Nationalism’
Democracy Docket
“Republicans FREAK OUT After Huge Redistricting Loss In Texas”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=HqMlZ0-Up4s
Meidas Touch
Trump used Google translate for a Russian list of demands (as seen by syntax and phrases) and made it the American plan.
“Trump Gets CAUGHT by HIS OWN Party FOR IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE”:
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q-Aa7QQQAwg
More DOJ screwups. Grab the popcorn.
.https://youtube.com/live/XYsqQaHXZA8?si=n0Vh6FNuzwK5dKnE
This is beautiful.😃
A Different Bias:
“Boris Johnson Caught LYING to Covid Inquiry UNDER OATH!!!”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=yXKOrwl3T5E
Iran/Britain
Prisoner 951 review – this defiant Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe drama makes Britain look ridiculous
TV drama about how Iran was holding a woman hostage for six years over a British arms deal that went bad.
.https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/23/prisoner-951-review-narges-rashidi-joseph-fiennes-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe
I hope this fan-based parody brings kids to the original.
“Sailor Moon Abridged REACTION – Part 1 | TFS Toonami Abridged”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=EwRl0QBCNQQ
The Historian’s Craft:
“Elon Musk Doesn’t Understand Why The Roman Empire Fell”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=wr7IeupZYII
(The final collapse of Western Rome may also have been caused by the loss of revenues from provinces outside Italy: the machinery of the state could not be financed.)
CBS News: U.S., Ukrainian officials discussing bringing Zelenskyy to U.S., sources say
Lots of things going on with a lack of clarity about why or who. I think the most interesting part of this is that Trump thinks bringing Zelensky to the US is important. He envisions all of this as important men getting together and deciding what will happen. That this deal involves a lot of states and states have multiple people with stakes doesn’t register with him.
The scary part is that Trump suddenly thinks this is an issue to push on. There have been years of negotiations that have gone nowhere and Trump thinks he can achieve peace in a few days. At best what Trump is going to do is a truce that will give Russia a chance to rebuild and prepare for the next invasion. Russia is in a bad way and may be willing to draw a borderline that gives them the territory they have invaded in exchange for a promise that Ukraine will not be allowed to prepare for the next invasion.
The White House’s failed DOGE experiment ends with a whimper, not a bang
“The Department of Government Efficiency was hyped as a governmental game changer. Its doors are now closing as a pitiful failure.”
“AI traces prehistoric trade routes of Europe’s prized ‘green gemstone’ (variscite) trade”
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-prehistoric-routes-europe-prized.html
Amateur hour: The White House keeps tripping over its own incompetence
“On multiple fronts, Donald Trump and his team are failing for the most embarrassing of reasons: They don’t appear to have any idea what they’re doing.”
The administration’s approach to ‘forever chemicals’ clashes with its purported MAHA plans
“The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda is riddled with a series of overlapping contradictions, which are becoming even more common.”
@169 Lynna, OM: I’m pretty sure part of what DOGE did was intentional. It’s a well known corporate method for pushing unpopular decisions on a company. Hire outside consultants to make a decision about some issue and implement a solution. The decision and solution are already decided and told to the consulting firm, they are really there to do the unpopular part and then leave without as much stench being left on management. DOGE’s big cuts and entire department eliminations appear to be this sort of move.
@171 Lynna, OM:
This case is failing not so much because of incompetence but malice. They are so determined to deport him that they are ignoring basic procedure and blatantly evading court orders.
‘Gross buffoonery’: Trump’s approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine takes an incoherent turn
“The White House’s handling of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a mess for months. In recent days, it has gotten worse.”
Aileen Cannon … aiyiyiyiyi!
Link
CNN: Federal judge dismissed indictments against Letitia James and James Comey
Sure to be appealed of course. The dismissal is without prejudice, meaning the government could file a new case for the same issue. That would be impossible against Comey due to the statue of limitations. Both of the cases face multiple grounds for dismissal and a reasonable government would let both drop but with the Trump administration who knows.
JM @133:
I agree. Good point.
Here is an update:
Same link as in comment 175.
Transparency is being forced on the Trump administration. They do not look good in this light.
Same link as in comment 175.
Same link as in comment 175.
Two articles I think are important.
PZ plays online games. I’m sure he is careful about investing any money in this scam. Others should be careful, too.
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/11/one-video-game-incident-sets-warning
One Video Game Incident Sets Off Warning Sirens On ‘Digital Assets’ $2B ‘Counter-Strike 2’ crash exposes a legal black hole: your digital ‘investments’ aren’t really yours.
and:
https://www.juancole.com/2025/11/hurricane-melissa-civilization.html
The Hot Tub of Death? Bill Gates, Hurricane Melissa, and a Civilization Under Threat
Please note: While this is a very good article, you should be aware of two problems. bill gates has ruined the farming communities in small countries by using tens of millions of dollars to push huge american agri-corporations and toxic chemicals on them. And, amazon wastes thousands of miles every day with their trucks wandering from house to house mostly dropping off one package to each of them. Only some of their trucks are electric. And, even those must charge up each night, almost all using electricity generated from fossil fuels. amazon being ‘climate friendly’ sounds like a bad joke.
@174 Lynna, OM:
Trump has explained this. He doesn’t care about right and wrong or what will work in the long term. He wants to end the war now because it looks better for him. Russia is powerful, Ukraine is not, thus Ukraine must concede on whatever point Russia wants them to. The reality on the ground doesn’t matter, Trump thinks Russia is much more powerful. The plan should preferably have some way for Trump to get paid also.
I wonder if Trump is still coherent enough to realize that stretching the negotiations out is even better for him. As long as the negotiations are ongoing it’s one of the few things that pulls attention away from Epstein but that ends as soon as negotiations do.
We all realize that as the magat admin plays deceitful, stalling games, putin is laughing and, at the same time, bombing the crap out of ukraine, killing more people.
I despise and condemn the plutocrats running this decaying world.
Washington Post link
“More Americans are getting their power shut off, as unpaid bills pile up”
“Average electricity costs have risen 11 percent since January, more than three times the rate of inflation. ‘For the first time, we’re behind on all of our utilities,’ one Ohioan said.”
More at the link.
JM @ 176
More here: Meidas Touch:
“🚨 BREAKING: COMEY & JAMES CASES DISMISSED”
Halligan was inappropriately appointed.
.https://youtube.com/live/lXO2yqnE5pg
The incompetent Trump lackeys will of course appeal the decision, but it draws out the scrutiny of obviously political cases at a time the president is already losing his appearence of invilnerability.
Strangulation laws potentially saved 1,500 lives
Making even non-fatal strangulation a serious crime.
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-strangulation-laws-potentially.html
Lynna @154
At least they didn’t participate in Sniper Safaris in Sarajevo – that we know of. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them did.
Re: Lynna quoting MS NOW @169:
Alex Winter (Actor):
JM @173:
Yep.
Lynna @183
In Alberta (Canada’s most right wing province although Saskatchewan is a close contender), Electricity can not be cut off for non payment between October 15 and April 15
Gas can be not cut off between November 1 and April 14
Sky Captain @187, and JM A173, good points. DOGE may well have succeeded in accomplishing it’s real agenda.
Militant Agnostic @188, Canada’s electricity regulations are more reasonable, and more humane.
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-refuses-to-pardon-turkey-after
In response to a video warning troops not to follow illegal orders, the Trump administration’s hyperaggressive response has gone from bad to worse.
Followup to comment 191.
Link
Posted by readers of the article:
New York Times:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/zut-alors-are-the-french-going-to
“Zut Alors! Are The French Going To Assassinate Candace Owens […]”
“Obviously not, but it does seem like she might be having a full-on nervous breakdown.”
Reaction To ‘Grotesco – Bögarnas Fel’ (Swedish Satire)
song: “It’s because of the f*gs”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=0XTiSq-SRZ0
NB
California just became the first US state to sell its own insulin- at just $ 11 per pen.
birger @195, Good news!
In other news, as reported by The Washington Post:
Politico:
Associated Press:
Trump is attacking Temporary Protected Status shields.
MS NOW:
https://www.ms.now/news/elon-musk-x-location-data-transparency
Derek Guy (Menswear writer):
Quantian:
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/south-east-queensland-hailstorms-frequency/106049808
Climate scientist Dr Gilbz I didn’t wanna make a COP30 video – 11 mins long.
^ Hopefully old satellites in museums rather than being space junk and causing a Kessler cascade..
^See : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome
Which ireckon is an under-rated serious threat more pppl need to appreciate.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro was arrested after attempting to escape.
Trump confirmed he was involved by blurting out “I spoke to [Bolsonaro] last night, and we are going to be meeting, I believe, in the very near future ..”
See video at 5 minutes in
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=56RdoYMxt8c
This is fucking amateur hour. Nixon or Reagan would have sent a team to Mission Impossible-out a friendly wannabe dictator from captivity.
This weeks – and this year’s final ep of Aussie ABC’s Media Watch here – How a fake mosque proposal duped the media – 15 mins long.
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/scientists-get-1st-good-look-at-a-vampire-star-feeding-on-its-victim
Viola Ford Fletcher dies st 111, more than a hundred years after surviving the Tulsa Race massacre.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17kSgTvNkL/
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/it-s-absurd-sen-kelly-bites-back-at-trump-hegseth-threats-over-illegal-orders-video-2470067779687
‘It’s absurd’: Sen. Kelly bites back at Trump, Hegseth threats over ‘illegal orders’ video
Video hosted by Rachel Maddow is 11:41 minutes
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-appears-to-blurt-out-secret-plan-not-knowing-it-s-already-a-bust-2470093379507 [As followup to birger @206]
Trump appears to blurt out secret plan, not knowing it’s already a bust
Video is 8:28 minutes
Why the planned rollout of the White House’s health care ‘plan’ was an embarrassing flop
“As Team Trump hits the brakes on a proposal to address premium spikes, the near future for consumers looks grim.”
As the president’s retaliatory prosecutions crumbled, Karoline Leavitt targeted a judge who did nothing wrong.
Mike Huckabee Is Peddling Sleep Supplements While Serving as Ambassador to Israel
Pentagon considers cutting ties with Scouts
re Lynna @213:
The same can be said of a great many of the present administration, especially The Orange Turd at the top.
Hossenfelder alert
“Huge Gravity Anomaly Discovered!”
It’s aliens! Or caused by ze Joos.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=_eMErDbifeI
Vote Beat: Man accused of double voting in 2020 election says Trump pardon applies to him
As far as I know this is a novel way of screwing up as president. The pardon he granted to people in connection to the 2020 election is badly enough worded it may cover additional people that Trump never meant to cover. It’s so broadly worded that if this argument makes it through it would also apply to people who did illegally vote for Biden.
@ 213
What does one expect? He’s a minister, a professional and constitutionally-protected con artist. Grifter’s gotta grift, be it snake oil drugs or magical cosmic beings.
Newsweek: Russia Has Run Out of Money to Pay Its Soldiers—Regional Finance Minister
Russia depends on these bonus payments to recruit people. Even before the cuts they had trouble meeting quota, with cuts they will not be able to do so.
Putin has already planned for this, having changed the law to allow for broader drafts and make drafts easier for the government. It’s still a last resort move that will be terribly unpopular.
Exclusive: FEMA workers pulled from Chicago storm damage surveys because of ICE
“When FEMA and Illinois officials learned immigration agents were working nearby, they stopped dozens of personnel from surveying storm-damaged homes in Chicago, messages show.”
Jimmy Cliff died.
Trump ruins turkey pardon tradition with unhinged murder rant
The Trump phone goes the way of all Trump scams
New York Times: Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham promoted discredited treatments like ivermectin and, as Louisiana’s surgeon general, halted the state’s mass vaccination campaign.”
On Canada and tariffs, watch what Trump does, not what he says
“A month after the president announced tariffs on our neighbors to the north, the White House has failed to follow through.”
The Trump administration can’t stop lying to the courts, by Rachel Maddow.
“Almost a year into the president’s second term, he appears to be crossing a new Rubicon when it comes to the courts.”
Sigh:
Link
More details and background:
CNN: Trump directs Witkoff to meet Putin as momentum builds on Ukraine peace talks
Hard to tell from the outside what is going on but this looks like Ukraine playing Trump. They are negotiating Trump into a position they know Russia won’t accept while still leaving themselves an out to refuse. This way it will look like Putin refusing peace instead of Ukraine.
Trump thinks he can split the difference because he has no positions or beliefs he wouldn’t sell out for cash. Both Ukraine and Russia still think they can win. Putin likely thinks he has to win to hold on to his position and doesn’t understand how bad the Russian army and economy are doing because people are feeding him bogus information. For their part Ukraine knows they are slowly giving ground but they know Russia is having trouble keeping up the war and would rather go down fighting anyways.
@222
My only question is how much TrumpCoin the turkeys had to buy to get their pardon?
Akira @229, LOL!
Followup to JM @228, as reported by The New York Times:
Associated Press:
CNBC:
New York Times:
Followup to birger’s comment 209.
Josh Marshall:
Cartoon: Lowering consumer prices
Re: Lynna, OM @ #234…
The Register (https://www.theregister.com/) has been covering this issue for some time now. I guess Mr. Marshall doesn’t read tech news sites.
Archive – Bloomberg: Witkoff Discusses Ukraine Plans With Key Putin Aide: Transcript
Interesting. Witkoff’s conversation with the Russians has been leaked. Leak by the US is unlikely but there are people who would be happy to kill the deal. Leaks by the Russians is even less likely but it’s possible they wanted to embarrass the Americans and kill this deal. Most likely is somebody in Europe leaked the call to kill the deal.
The conversation itself is terrible as the most important part is Witkoff telling the Russians how to sell the deal to Trump.
Gross. At the 11-minute mark Jimmy Kimmel reads the ‘erotic poetry’ by RFK Jr. the Health Secretary.
“Trump Hurls Insults & Pardons Turkeys, Hegseth Threatens Senator Kelly”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=OeKmypjn_YI
Akira MacKenzie @ 229
Jimmy Kimmel is ahead of you. See @ 238.
Hanging coffins in parts of China. -“The mystery of hanging coffins: Are modern Bo people the genetic heirs of an ancient burial tradition?”
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-mystery-coffins-modern-bo-people.html
Mafia-like protection rackets formed the embryos of the first states. -“The real reason states first emerged thousands of years ago: New research”
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-real-states-emerged-thousands-years.html
RFK Hospital: An Original Series Inspired by the Medical Advice of RFK Junior.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=HoMOdkqkhZc
“Bible Belt Megachurches Are Imploding — The Collapse No Pastor Saw Coming”
Donate, donate, donate. God wants me to have $$$.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LtdI8nx8vB8
Meidas Touch
“Trump gets shocking news in Florida as Voters TURN AGAINST HIM”
I had thought Florida was lost for Democrats. Now Trump is under by ten points.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZMbOtTz7pyU
Huge cosmological news if confirmed this :
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/scientists-may-have-finally-seen-dark-matter-for-the-1st-time
Another aurorae alert here for those with clear night skies :
Source : https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-14-states-tonight
For ten of the USoA states apparentlyand updated just an hour ago.
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/solar-system/icy-moons-in-our-solar-system-may-have-boiling-oceans-but-life-could-potentially-still-survive
Good site with resources and lists and info here :
https://globalextremism.org/
I reckon. They’ve just added Pauline Hanson’s One Neuron party to their list for Oz FWIW apparently.
Trump personally pushes ‘Rush Hour 4
Video is 7:39 minutes
Followup to JM @237.
Even some Republicans think Steve Witkoff went too far with advice for Russia
“It’s clear that Trump’s special envoy “fully favors the Russians,” one GOP lawmaker said. ‘He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations.’ ”
The transphobes and social media
(Check the long comment by Gisel Soto. Lots of good biology information)
.https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FzjDRNqgN/
What!?
New prosecutor won’t pursue charges against Trump and others in Georgia election interference case, by Associated Press
Americans are struggling but Trump’s too busy with his ballroom to care
Washington Post link
“Kilowatts or connections? Trump’s favored nuclear start-ups soar to riches.”
“Founders of politically connected nuclear companies that have never built commercial reactors are becoming billionaires.”
Affordability means freezing to death, right?
Cartoon: Science Korner
The cartoon features Larry Summers
Followup to comment 256:
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yazbevg3wkzp5llnzb44tqgh/post/3m6iggbijx22d
The link above leads to The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of Trump’s real estate buddy Steve Witkoff dissing Trump in a leaked conversation with the Russians.
Daily Kos has more details.
Washington Post link
“2 National Guard members shot in D.C. near White House”
From the New York Times, here is an update regarding comment 259:
EU countries seek urgent plan B to fund Ukraine
“Officials are looking at an EU bridging loan to help Kyiv stay afloat if they can’t agree on using Moscow’s frozen state assets in time.”
Everyone is WRONG About Lolita (29:38)
Followup to comments 259 and 260.
Reporting above is from The Washington Post.
New York Times:
Much more at the link.
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
A followup of sorts to comment 264.
As reported by Associated Press.
NBC News:
If true, whoa! But I suspect this is not the whole story. Who are the people closer to Trump in the Trump administration that may also be responsible? Stephen Miller? Did someone throw Kristi Noem under the bus?
Oregon and the Pacific Northwest (OPB.org):
ms.now:
New York Times:
The Hill – 3 changes coming to national park admissions in 2026
National Parks to cost as much as Disney for international guests
Toxic masculinity
.https://www.facebook.com/share/1SkJNtaVzr/
Male privilege
.https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17hp425n4f/
The success of HPV vaccination in Australia shows what can be accomplished with leaders that are competent!
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14ShhEHVNoh/
NB
The shooter of two national guardsmen had been granted asylum in April, under the Trump administration
And Trump and Musk cut a lot of funding for agencies that look for terrorists.
The shooter came from Afghanistan with the refugees, after Trump had decided to pull out without consulting the Afghan government. And Trump decided to release thousands of Taliban fighters from prison, making the overthrow of the government easier.
Trump allegedly had an affair in the White House with a woman that was 28 at the time.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/B4Ik4xcSdtw
Good yt channel Atlas Pro has this new clip – Earth 250 Million Years In The FUTURE on our planet’s next supercontinent. (20 mins length.)
“Trump THROWS Kristi Noem UNDER THE BUS in Contempt Hearing”
Always tape your conversations with Trump so you can prove he -not you- is the instigator of a crime.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ldzb2igdwiA
Well the title of this rather trippy clip – Flying Through Earth’s 4.5 Billion Year Evolution in 15 Minutes is misleading by 25 seconds extra but I’ll forgive it for introducing me to whole new geological periods that I didin’t realise existed before right now like the :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statherian
& the :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectasian
among others. (Stenian, Calymmian, Tonian plus more..)
Italy’s rape law stalls as Matteo Salvini claims it could be used for ‘vendettas’
.https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/27/italy-parliament-delays-new-rape-law-sex-without-consent
.
Australia | Large bull shark kills woman and injures man in attack at NSW beach
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/27/crowdy-beach-bay-shark-attack-nsw-mid-north-coast
Bird Flu Could Mutate Into Pandemic Worse Than COVID, Warns Leading French Scientist
.
.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bird-flu-warning-france-institut-pasteur_n_69284f1ae4b00aca68d476c1
The Insane Married With Children Butterfly Effect Nobody Talks About
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=uKlR7iaURpk
AstroCat notes something that I find fascinating although not entiurely sure its that much of an issue still – see here – Why Can’t a Planet Be Twice the Radius of Earth? FWIW. 9 mins 19 secs.
Guy Christensen The Cat’s Out of the Bag Now -On israel / Palestine almost 5 mins long.
‘Morale has never been lower’: More GOP reps reportedly plot early exits
Video is 8:39 minutes
‘Highly suspicious’: Trump official hit with lawsuit alleging abuse of power against foes
Video is 6:09 minutes
In the UK with a group called “terorists” for splashing paint over planesPalestine Action protest: half of those arrested were 60 or over yt Short
Plus An Actual Mannequin Just Got Arrested for Protesting Genocide another yt Short
DC shooting suspect worked for CIA in Afghanistan; drove across country before attack, officials say
Trump calls female reporter ‘ugly, both inside and out’ over ‘hit piece’
https://www.wonkette.com/p/no-matter-what-we-must-eat-to-live
“No Matter What, We Must Eat To Live.”
(Cross-posted from the Never-Ending Thread at Affinity)
Now, for something extremely nerdy.
In coming months, we’ll have the 57th anniversaries of the first Apollo flights that reached the Moon. I’m thinking specifically Apollo 8, which was the first crewed flight to visit near Moon and orbit it (for about 20 hours on 24-25 December 1968) and Apollo 11, which was the first crewed flight to land on Moon (for about 22 hours on 20-21 July 1969).
The most notable moment of the Apollo 8 was at about 16.40 UTC on 24 December, when the iconic “Earthrise” photo was taken as the spacecraft emerged from behind Moon’s far side:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise
Here, Earth is illuminated in its waning gibbous phase, which corresponds to the waxing crescent phase of Moon as seen from Earth (The apparent illumination phases of Earth and Moon are always opposite to each other.) The landing of Apollo 11 took place in approximately same phase, seven lunar cycles or almost seven calendar months later, at 20.17 UTC on 20 July. The famous first step took place at 02.56 UTC on 21 July, while it was still the evening of 20 July in North America.
I don’t know what constraints exactly affected the scheduling of Apollo 11. In any case it was convenient for PR purposes that the waxing Moon was visible in Earth’s afternoon and evening skies, easy to observe at nightfall. The landing was arranged while it was afternoon in North America. By the time Armstrong and Aldrin were ready to step out, several hours later, it was prime time for watching both TV and the Moon. Meanwhile, all that time it was morning (just after local sunrise) in the landing area on Moon. Apollo 8 was scheduled at the same part of the lunar cycle, which equals the lunar day, possibly because its main goal was to survey the future landing area, and the planners wanted the shadows on lunar landscape to look approximately the same.
Now, I noticed that these same dates, 57 years later, will have almost exactly the same lunar phase as in 1968-69. This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, because the lunar cycle repeats 12.37 times a year, and rarely matches any given number of full years. In 2025-26, the timing will be off by only about one day, and only because of the effect of Moon’s orbital eccentricity (which I won’t go into here). This type of match repeats every 19 years (or three times in 57 years), which is known as the Metonic cycle.
So if you’d like to re-enact specific moments by looking at the Moon and imagining the astronauts there, the Moon will be visible in almost same direction (and in almost exactly same illumination phase) as originally.
On 24 December at 16.40 UTC, you could imagine Apollo 8 just emerging from behind the crescent Moon’s illuminated side (which is the right side in Earth’s northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere). The Moon will be visible in daytime sky in most of Americas (with the exception of westernmost and northernmost North America), Antarctica, Atlantic Ocean and westernmost Africa. It will be visible in twilight/dark evening sky in almost all of Africa, Middle East and Europe. If you’re in this area, smile for the camera!
(If for some reason you’re busy on 24 December, or the weather is unfavorable, you could do this the next day. Then the solar year date will be off by one, but the lunar phase is quite precisely right).
On 21 July at 02.56 UTC, you could imagine the Apollo 11 lander sitting on Moon’s surface while Neil Armstrong steps down the ladder. The landing site will be very near Moon’s equator and very near the limit of the illuminated area on crescent Moon’s surface. This time, the Moon will be visible in daytime sky in most of Pacific Ocean and Australia (with the exception of westernmost parts thereof) and northwestern North America. It will be visible in twilight/dark evening sky in the rest of North America, southeastern Pacific and most of South America.
(The local date will be either 20 or 21 July, depending on which side of the international date line you’re on. The exact right lunar phase will occur one day earlier.)
Meanwhile in real time, NASA is trying to restart crewed lunar exploration, which has been on pause since 1972, with the new Artemis program. Artemis II might launch as early as 5 February 2026. It’s supposed to involve a single flyby behind Moon’s far side, so we can expect new photos similar to Earthrise. Some were already taken by the unmanned Artemis I test flight in 2022, but now we’ll hopefully get to observe the Moon while knowing there are humans nearby. A crewed landing on Moon with Artemis III might happen in 2027, at the earliest.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/domesticated-cats-arrived-west-previously-thought-study/story?id=127823619
More in the article. The thought of Roman legions with cats in tow is somehow a little unsettling…
lumipuna @289, very nerdy, but very enjoyable. :-)
In other news; 9 reasons to be unthankful for Mike Johnson
Kennedy sharpens vaccine attacks, without scientific backing
Here’s an extra helping of Thanksgiving cartoons
Tim Onion:
Rando 1: “I think it was her brother’s baby mama. Sounds like they aren’t married.”
Rando 2: “She would have been around the age of 9 when the visa expired. Like, wtf was she supposed to do at 9? Now her son is without his mother. Family values, yeah?”
Rando 3: “I also read [in the article] she is DACA. She is lawfully here and protected from deportation.”
Rando 4: “You’d think having his mom deported would be, you know, bad for his son’s well being. Unless the point here is that he wanted to get rid of his wife and have full unquestioned custody of his son and asked Pam to deport her. Which, given this administration, seems likely.”
Follow-up to Lynna @253.
Rando:
MeidasTouch – Trump’s Energy secretary wants Walmart backup generators powering U.S. grid
^ Twitter video clip of him on Fox News at the link.
BoingBoing:
To say nothing of fuel guzzling, incompatibility with the grid, and pitiful output.
Indiana did something decent!? In 2023. It happens sometimes, despite being a Republican stronghold (with blue spots). In 2025, the legislature was fixated on annexing Illinois.
Indiana prepares for 2026 data privacy law with new Consumer Bill of Rights
If it exasperates Rokita (the AG harassing doctors), it’s probably a good thing.
In a plot twist that seems like Ayn Rand on ketamine, Trump’s Energy Secretary wants to nationalize Walmart’s backup generators to keep the lights on. These free-market crusaders are now raiding the break room behind your local Supercenter for grid stability. Yes, Team Trump effectively proposes socializing private corporate infrastructure in the name of emergency energy production while screaming about the ills of socialism. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain@296 quoting boingboing
It shouldn’t really be surprising. The Trump project really is fascist, and fascism, while it is one of the forms capitalism can take, doesn’t give a shit about “free markets”. It allows for businesspeople to get extremely rich as long as they stay in line politically, it suppresses employee rights, unions, public health protections and other limits on their ability to do so; but the Great Leader can at any time decide he needs, or wants, something they have – up to and including their lives – and they have no legal recourse.
Sorry, blockquote failure@298.
But those are natural, healthy diseases, which will rid the USA of the weak and the immoral!
\s
Republicans’ health care homework is due – and they’re panicking
“While insurers notify Americans of looming premium hikes, President Trump and his allies aren’t even on the same page.”
Related video at the link.
Islamic Ruling on Keeping Dogs” (Youtube short) Another film trying to make damage control for religion.
I would interject that Muhammed had a strong aversion to dogs, and only permitted the ownership of dogs if the were “working dogs”[He likewise considered pictures haram]. I am not impressed by these exceptions, even if I am a ‘cat person’ myself. Religions have exactly the same authority over animal husbandry as your local insane street preacher; none whatsoever.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/MiCUtg8EMHA
-And f*ck the other “Abrahamaic’ religions, too.
The NLRB Is Suing to Keep States From Protecting Workers’ Rights
Washington Post link
“Zelensky’s top aide, lead negotiator resigns amid corruption probe”
“Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, had emerged as one of the most contentious and powerful figures in the country.”
I hope this development does throw yet another wrench into the peace negotiations.
I do admire Zelensky’s efforts to reduce corruption in government.
I feel like this story is incomplete. We don’t have all the details. We don’t have a response from Yermak.
Washington Post link
“We won’t win this war without women”
More at the link, including many photos.
Washington Post link
“EXCLUSIVE: Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all”
“As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors.”
New York Times link
“Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians After They Appear to Surrender, Video Shows”
“The Israeli authorities said they were investigating the shooting, which came amid days of extensive military operations in the West Bank.”
@301 Lynna, OM: The real stupidity of the situation is that the Republicans could have taken credit for the ACA. It followed a design setup by Mitt Romney. The Republicans were so determined to reject anything Obama suggested they rejected a Republican plan. This has left them with no sensible position to take, they have painted themselves into a corner. There is no functional plan to the right of the ACA other then no health care, and that is bad in a practical sense, politically unpopular and more expensive.
JM @308, I agree.
13 times Trump was a big, dumb idiot
Details, and video snippets to back up the details, are available at the link.
Inauguration
Meeting Zelensky in the Oval Office
Trump insisting he is smart
TACO, chicken dance and Wall Street mocking Trump
Town Hall, audience laughs
Weirdest handshakes
CBS interview
Crazy shit Trump says is deleted from transcripts
Trump being creepy about “beautiful reporters” and Africa
Hot mic catches Trump’s take on Putin
Trump’s idiotic take on the Declaration of Independence
Trump claps and gives giddy greeting to Putin
Trump brags about invading California
“Trump’s Response to Shooting Shows Intensified Anti-Immigration Stance”
“The president is furiously demanding limits on migration and attacking ethnic groups as he steps up his efforts to equate immigration with crime and economic distress.”
Link
Details at the link.
This Tunnel System Changes How Chickens Are Raised! 🐓#farming #lifehack..
.https://youtube.com/shorts/NYxWRVQblOo
Anything that improves the quality of life for livestock is good.
European leaders scoff at Orbán’s latest Putin love-in
“EU leaders say they don’t expect the Hungarian prime minister’s trip to Moscow to bring peace to Ukraine.”
Good urban planning.
“These neighborhoods built right next to each other are so different”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/2zu059dpTc8
German parliament to approve €2.6B in fresh military kit
“The package includes drones, long-range missiles, soldier systems, logistics vehicles and critical radar upgrades.”
Trump says he’s canceling all executive orders Biden didn’t personally sign
Baltic DNA Secrets: The Last Survivors of Prehistoric Europe (Annoying AI voice)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=0tDhbye1Yrs
Southpaw:
Commentary
Re: CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @ #317…
Go look up Ima Hogg.
80k Year Old Arrowheads in Uzbekistan (new find changes the timeline)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=q49VkkXByG0
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-11-29/sahul-aboriginal-australia-65000-genetic-evidence/106054352
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-11-27/mars-rover-lightning-perseverance-dust-devils-storms-audio/106049240
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-11-29/hills-hoist-clothesline-bloodroot-australian-invention-plant/106075212
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/nasa-probe-captures-stunning-photos-of-earth-and-moon-on-the-way-to-infamous-asteroid-apophis
CNN – Indiana’s governor and at least 8 lawmakers have been swatted or threatened (Nov 22)
This song – Warumpi Band – Black Fella White Fella (1987) -So. Much. Truth.
3 & a half mins approx
Henry VIII has character traits that sound familiar !
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1QA8PyCBMt/
Me @ 327
Like # 45 & 47 to be precise. Except King Henry did launch some disastrous wars, because he had no social media where he could brag.
Before the internet, tyrants with small dicks had to wage wars to show the world how tremendously powerful they were.
Washington attacker worked with CIA.
.http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx1Nl_bL_veqW2Q258VCORzhOGLwzHqFSO
Israel has de facto state policy of organised torture, says UN report.
.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/29/israel-has-de-facto-state-policy-of-organised-torture-says-un-report
I assume Chuck Shumer will attempt to block any senate resolution condemning Israeli torture. The Republicans will of course block it, but the corrupt ones among the Democrats need to go on record for opposing the idea.
Source : https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/decades-long-droughts-doomed-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-civilizations
DW news Fact check Trump here :
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-trumps-remarks-after-national-guard-shooting-in-dc-whats-true-and-whats-not/a-74924280
Op-ed from The New Arab :
Source : https://www.newarab.com/opinion/maga-turns-zionism-israel-first-right-stokes-islamophobia
Everyone is talking about affordability — and making the same mistake
“Focusing on just prices misses the bigger picture.”
Link
https://www.wonkette.com/p/happy-giving-saturday
“Happy Giving Saturday!”
Some charities to consider.
The list, and embedded links to charities, are available at the main link.
Washington Post link
“Trump says airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed”
Tom Stoppard dies at 88
“His intellectually challenging and verbally dazzling works, including ‘Arcadia’ and ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,’ were among the most acclaimed and oft-performed plays of the last half-century.”
Pentagon’s right-wing, pared press corps gets a meet-and-greet
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s briefing at the Pentagon next week will welcome a new crop of media that no longer includes the mainstream press.”
The Ukrainians Stuck in Russia’s New Gulag
“Even if a peace can be reached, it won’t be easy to solve the problem of Ukrainian civilians languishing in Russian jails. This is one prisoner’s story.”
New York Times link
“Russia Bombards Ukraine for Nearly 10 Hours in a Deadly Assault”
“The attack came as U.S. officials were expected to hold peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in the coming days.”
South Park Takes Saudi Money To Finance the Turkey Trot Race. (Cartman goes full Racist) Hegseth mistakes the race for a muslim insurrection. It is as beautiful as a head-on train collision!
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ACDndxXHFcI
New York Times link
“Lured by Jobs, They Ended Up ‘Going to War’ for Russia”
“The South African government is investigating how more than a dozen men unwittingly ended up on the front line in Russia’s war on Ukraine.”
More than 220 judges have now rejected the Trump admin’s mass detention policy
“The number has skyrocketed in recent weeks and includes at least 20 judges appointed by Trump himself.”
Propaganda alert: White House launches new ‘media bias’ tracker on site
The special election in Tennessee
.http://youtube.com/post/UgkxxibuAxtuEgp6TxJyrsJrNw5358rlzB5b
“Things About Nordic Countries That Really Confuse Americans”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=XM6KTuROJcA
Being silent together is a thing.
Washington Post: An investor called $140,000 the new poverty line. Experts disagreed but said he had a point.
Green’s figures can be argued with on some points but he has an excellent point that the official figure is absurdly low. It should be noted that Green’s figures are for a middle of the road area in New Jersey, which is above average in terms of income and cost of living. The same calculation done on a national scale would be a bit lower but nowhere near the official figure.
Corinth’s reply is typical of a whole group of replies that are themselves disconnected from reality. What the median income is has no bearing on what people actually need to function.
I agree with this point, the basis of the calculation is too simple and has become outdated. I have seen people complain that the poverty line calculation being outdated since the 80’s.
And if they did, in any sustained way, it would be disastrous. Deflation leads both households and businesses to delay spending and hoard money, in the expectation that what they need or want to buy will be cheaper if they wait. So suppliers can’t sell what they expected, and have to cut prices further, keeping the deflation going. This is basically what happend to the Japanese economy from the 1990s onward. IIRC, most economists think a modern capitalist economy does best with an annual inflation rate of around 2% – but of course this must apply to wages and benefits as well as prices if it’s not to cause increasing hardship.
Lynna, OM@338,
Stoppard’s political and cultural views were by his own description conservative, although I don’t imagine he approved of the latest manifestations of conservative “thought”. I’ve only ever seen two of his plays, both more than 50 years ago – Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which was a brilliant skit on the fate of these minor characters in Hamlet – who Shakespear has killed off-stage; and Jumpers, of which I retain little memory other than an amusing scene on the moon (using video) which riffs on the classic “Britsh pluck” (and sheer stupidity) story of Robert Falcon Scott and his unfortunate subordinates, who died on an attempt to be first to reach the South Pole because Scott was a twerp – and a naked Diana Rigg, definitely the highlight to my 18-year-old self.
4 billion years of tectonics in 17 minutes which is pretty much what it says inthe title but explaining how we know what we know here too.
Extinct Zoo answers the question Why Water Dinosaurs Never Happened here in 22 minutes.
Scott Manley’s latest video here – Russia Accidently Break Their Only Launch Pad To Space Station – just over 15 mins long.
Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo discusses the Standing Together group working for peace here – Is This Arab-Jewish Movement in Israel the Right Way to Fight Apartheid and Occupation? (35 mins long approx) with group leaders Alon-Lee Green and Sally Abed.
Kyplanet on the key question of Is the Solar System Rare? A dozen minutes long.
Hope they say “Fuck no!”
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-30/israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-asks-for-pardon/106084498
Jim Wright of the Stonekettle Station blog has written this on facebook :
Source : https://www.facebook.com/Stonekettle/posts/pfbid022yZtkf1qfNwFd3wJMgxRSJijdGrnxKNxUEFtW4WCCv85RskHj4tgNUAz6wgYNHjl
Many Trump supporters bought his questionable line about not starting any “new wars” — but new polling shows they’re supportive of military action against Venezuela.
@ 357
“Not starting new wars,” always meant throwing Ukraine to Trump’s ally and conservative utopia, Russia. It didn’t at all mean not starting conflicts with non-nuclear nations l, especially those run by brown people.
Link
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/have-gravitational-waves-provided-the-first-hint-of-primordial-black-holes-born-during-the-big-bang
ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE Clears Dobropilya. Pokrovsk Becomes New ‘Chasiv Yar’ Against Russia
Map at the link.
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/earths-newfound-episodic-squishy-lid-may-guide-our-search-for-habitable-worlds
Good news:
Link
Good news: Norway says ‘mission accomplished’ on going 100% EV, proposes incentive changes
Good news: Wind power saves Britain a staggering £104 billion: Study reveals clean energy’s hidden boost to UK economy
@356 StevoR and @357 Lynna, OM:
It’s interesting that Trump did stay out of wars during his first term. In his first term he was so afraid of ordering a conflict that the US didn’t clearly win that he did nothing but bomb a few obvious targets. He negotiated to get the US out of Afghanistan because he didn’t want to be associated with what was already a lost war.
Now his need to cement a legacy as a great president, being egged on by advisors with even less sense then him and his need to change the news cycle are leading him and the US to a war that can’t be won. No objective beyond kill bad people, no strategy to get there and no exit strategy at all. No real public support and international condemnation before we have even started. Trump is setting up Vietnam 2.0 without realizing it. He will start out bombing targets but that won’t achieve any goals and will produce lots of video of dead bystanders. Hegseth and Miller will push Trump into a ground invasion, the US will occupy a big territory if this happens but the back woods will be a chaotic mess. Then it will go badly, but how will depend on how the military tries to occupy and control the country. There is no strategy that works but lots of ways to fail.
JM @366, I agree.
Healthcare news: Not serious enough to turn on the siren, toddler’s 39-mile ambulance ride still cost over $9,000
Every Nation Is in Debt… So Who’s the Lender” | Paul Krugman
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=uYcLAVVWSpg
.
A very brief, 100% correct summary of Sweden.
“Sweden 101 #nordic #comedy #sweden #language #history”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/M__xeFiOwX8
Here are the Caribbean allies helping the U.S. against Venezuela
“The Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago are hosting U.S. forces and facilities. Grenada is considering it.”
Posted by readers of the article:
Archaeologists discover solitary grave from ancient Kingdom of Kerma in remote Bayuda Desert (South of Egypt, ca. 2000 BC)
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-archaeologists-solitary-grave-ancient-kingdom.html
Dating a North American rock art tradition that lasted 175 generations
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-dating-north-american-art-tradition.html
Ancient DNA reveals most Europeans had dark skin until just 3,000 years ago
From the paper
New York Times:
They duped Trump.
Male skulls at Shimao gate, China, rewrite story of Neolithic human sacrifice 4200-3700 years ago
.https://phys.org/news/2025-11-male-skulls-shimao-gate-rewrite.html
New York Times:” The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine”
“Juan Orlando Hernández, whom Mr. Trump called a victim of persecution, helped orchestrate a decades-long trafficking conspiracy. It ravaged his Central American country.
New York Times link
“India Is a Rising Power, but Its Capital Is a Lethal Gas Chamber”
“With little being done to clean the skies over New Delhi, the huge city struggles with its toxic air.”
Sky Captain @372, very interesting update on the DNA results. Thanks.
@348 KG:
Deflation is also the source of a lot of China’s economic problems right now. Housing prices have come down in China and it wrecked the construction industry, which flowed into finance. The economy has been in shambles since 2020 because of it.
China is trying to fix the problem by increasing exports rather then depending on internal buying. This leads into a maze of other problems caused by trying to export on that scale, not all of which are entirely China’s fault.
Follow-up to #266:
Aaron Rupar:
Missing the Point:
Mueller, She Wrote: “Exhibit 926 in criminal contempt proceedings. Noem’s declaration is due Friday to Judge Boasberg.”
Anna Bower (Lawfare):
Commentary
60 Minutes – Teens may have come up with a new way to detect, treat Lyme disease using CRISPR gene editing
Two Climataologists – Climate Adam & Dr Gilbz on ten years of the Paris Climate Agreement – Did It Do Anything? Almost twenty mins long approx.
In rememberance: Happy Birthday, Richard Pryor.
(also, the only good thing in Superman III).
.
Yet another debunking of anti-vaxxer BS
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jr5aYHMau/
AP: Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba disqualified as New Jersey prosecutor, US appeals court rules
Nothing unexpected, this part is legally clear and not new ground. The administration doesn’t get to keep appointing Acting US Attorneys, once one is rejected there is a different procedure to cover the gap. What happens is more interesting.
Unlike other cases the DOJ has not instantly jumped to appealing this. What they have in mind is not clear right now. With the identical Lindsey Halligan case they are trying a different route to go ahead and place Halligan in office. They may try that here also but in Halligan’s case they are desperate to keep the Comey indictment alive. They have other options in Habba’s case because no specific prosecution case depends on her appointment.
Politico: EU tells Trump: You can’t pardon Putin for war crimes in Ukraine
This is really some political maneuvering. Any peace deal would have to let the Russians off the hook, if only because Russia isn’t going to turn them over. The EU is telling the US and Russia that any peace deal can’t just wipe the slate clean. If they want to set terms for the EU then the EU must be involved in negotiations.
Even if a deal is approved the people guilty of serious crimes will not be able to enter Ukraine or EU. Russia is not getting back all of the money and property the EU has seized or frozen. The previous trade deals and contracts will have to be renegotiated, many likely rejected because the EU has learned to get by with less oil.
NY Post: Damning report labels FBI ‘rudderless ship’ under Kash Patel — with him and Dan Bongino more concerned with building ‘personal résumés’
The bits about Patel being a bad manager and bad leader are no surprise to anybody paying attention. This specific story is just absurd, the sort of thing I would assume was mud slinging if applied to most figures on either the right or left.
The lingering mystery surrounding Trump’s MRI takes a weird turn
“Almost two months later, the president said he’ll release the test results, though he still doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned.”
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-claims-mri-on-his-brain-found
Sky Captain @381, that was great news/science coverage by 60 Minutes.
In other news:
See also: Congressional retirements are on a record-breaking pace ahead of the 2026 midterms
Not good, not good at all:
Link
Christmas in Britain without the loons ?
.https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14Qbk7veUrE/
The Guardian: “The question isn’t whether the AI bubble will burst – but what the fallout will be”
.https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/01/ai-bubble-us-economy
Canada clinches deal to join Europe’s €150B defense scheme
“The deal concludes months of tough talks and will allow Ottawa to take part in procurements financed by the EU’s SAFE program.”
Re: Lynna quoting MS NOW @387:
Then again, he’s surrounded by cranks and scammers…
What are whole-body MRIs, and are they worth the hype? (2025)
/I thought I’d read that Kardashian was joining a Trump admin official to give a speech in another country on state matters recently, but I can’t find it now.
The Roundworld Year of 2026 shall be known as : The Year of the Curious Squid
.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/174AiaLN9o/
More on the Leavitt family dynamics @294.
Boston Globe
Yet another red state weighs passing an extreme gerrymander
Cartoon: Jealousy
Followup to comment 398.
See YouTube link to Seth Meyers segment with great photo of Trump looking at Mamdani.
Trump literally phones in rally appearance
That’s culture war garbage from Trump. Mike Johnson smiled, and gave Trump’s comments a thumbs-up.
Re: 356, on the US war on “narcoterrorism”
Exactly! I’ve been waiting for the US media to ask these questions. And it’s still just some rando natsec blogger.
I sometimes rot my brain by reading Twitter discussions where US journalists, lawyers and political activists argue with MAGA trolls over the merits of blowing up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. The criticism of these boat strikes tends to focus on illegality, with frequent mentions of shoddy incriminating evidence, and alleged data (which I haven’t checked) showing that Venezuela actually exports only little cocaine and no fentanyl to the US.
The MAGA trolls most often retreat to utilitarianism – the notion that it makes perfect sense to kill a few score foreign criminals whose activities are killing 100,000 Americans a year (this figure sounds really wild to me, if true – and it’s supposedly almost entirely from fentanyl). Won’t you think of the grieving families of these American victims! It’s really heartwarming how the US society manages to awkwardly feign sympathy for drug addicts when there’s opportunity to inflict violence on someone else in their name.
There’s the occasional suggestion that blowing up some boats will act as a deterrence for the drug cartels. And if it doesn’t – who cares. The bad guys deserve to be killed whenever they choose to participate in pushing drugs. There’s the occasional insistence that, since decades of war against drugs hasn’t worked, you gotta try a new tactic in fighting the war.
Of course, after nearly three months of boat strikes, it should be possible to do some assessment on whether this highly controversial new tactic is actually working. At least the supposed drug boats don’t seem to have stopped, since the strikes continue at a fairly constant rate.
Some of the more snide trolls will respond to criticism of the boat strikes with some variation of “Lol, you must be really salty now that your personal cocaine supply has dried up”. Other than that, there’s a remarkable dearth of anyone suggesting – much less showing credible evidence – that the supply of cocaine, fentanyl or whatever drug on the US market has been actually affected. IIRC at some point several weeks ago Trump himself remarked in one speech that the amount of “sea drugs” has gone down to near zero. He doesn’t seem to have brought it up since, probably since the press isn’t pressing him on the matter.
The critics on Twitter aren’t talking about this, either. The Trump administration doesn’t seem to have even manufactured some dubious data it could tout to MAGA audiences as a sign of victory. It’s as if no one really cares.
Link
More questionable moves by RFK Jr.:
Link
The History Chap: A Recipe For Disaster? The British Army’s Purchase System
An interesting history of the Purchase system, the period when the British army formally sold positions in the officers corp. He points out that the Purchase system actually worked for some of it’s primary goals, particularly insuring that the military couldn’t be used to overthrow the monarchy or parliament. However, as the modern professional army arose the system couldn’t keep up. It became more and more out of date and eventually had to be abolished.
Goes into the details of how the system worked and the myths that surround it. Along with discussing some of the great and terrible generals produced.
RACHEL MADDOW PRESENTS: BURN ORDER
Listen to the trailer now and follow the series. [Link is available at the main link]
The transcripts for Episodes 1 and 2 are also available at the main link.
New episodes drop Mondays.
ms.now:
New York Times:
New York Times:
NBC News:
New York Times:
New York Times:
Sigh. Yet another attempt by a university trying to appease Trump.
Miami Herald:
Wall Street Journal:
National Public Radio (NPR):
Bernie Sanders Definitely Doesn’t Think Trump Is the ‘Affordability President’
Lindsay Beyerstein (Journalist):
Aaron Rupar:
WSJ Editorial Board
Source : https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hot-stars-millions-years-left.html
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-02/us-venezuela-global-and-regional-alliances-amid-tensions/106086318
I mean we already kinda knew didn’t we but still?
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/that-2nd-strike-was-a-violation-of-the-laws-of-war-former-senior-military-lawyer-says
Eric Columbus (Obama DHS/DoJ):
Rando 1: “That still seems illegal, right?”
Rando 2: “Yep. Still illegal even for an ‘at-will’ employee. They can be fired for *no* reason, but they can’t be fired for just *any* reason.”
Josh Marshall (TPM): “So they are arguing that no anti-discrimination law applies within the executive branch?”
Eric Columbus: “Somewhat narrower than that—it only applies to ‘officers,’ which are basically executive branch folks with significant discretionary duties and authority.”
Rando 3: “Isn’t their current position that civil service laws are unconstitutional because it restricts the unitary executive and so all federal employees are in reality officers?”
Rando 4: “Yes, more or less.”
Robert Black (Constitutional scholar):
Rando 5: “You know were are at most months away from this administration saying in court that the 14A isn’t valid because the Confederate states were forced to ratify it.”
Robert Black: “Oh yeah.”
Rando 6: “I’ve come to the amateur legal conclusion that the ‘principle’ on which they base their arguments is essentially ‘no law we dislike applies within the executive branch.'”
Let’s Talk Elections
“Texas Republicans Can’t Save Their Star Candidate”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LcsWKxUavTg
Farron Cousins
“Judges Are Getting Sick And Tired Of Dealing With Trump’s Illegal Orders”
220 judges – many Trump appointees -have ruled against the president in hundreds of cases.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=SioxtuyoyQg
I’m absolutely no admirer of Maduro, but Venezuela has been subjected to a quarter-century of US interference and hostility, so it’s hardly surprising its rulers take support where they can find it, or that American foes/rivals extend that support.
KG 421
Let’s see… the country has mountains, bushland and tropical forests able to hide guerrillas. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe Hegseth, Rubio & might even give us a “Mission Accomplished” moment?
“The Boss said we’d break his fingers and burn his shop down if he didn’t sell up to our guy – it would cost us and the neighbourhood dearly if he shrinks from doing it.”
Those of you who are not Patreon members of God Awful Movies are missing out of the bonus episode “Jiu Jitsu” from 2020.
Cyprus partially funds films filmed in the country, but they flat out refused to pay for this piece of crap.
I am told it is perfect for those who like “so bad it is good” movies.
The special effects for the “invisible” alien in this 2020 film were worse than for the 1987 “Predator” !
JM,
Thanks for the info on China@378, and the link @404.
Two months old so Imight be a bit late with this one but anyway John Oliver Netanyahu: Last Week Tonight – 35 mins long.
A lovely sight to help you forget about politics for a while.
“Three Mountain lions walk up to our front door.”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=3HsMgc0hLHM
The Genius Disguised as a Fool
With an IQ of 178 and pretending to be stupid, Rowan Atkinson is the anti -BoJo / anti -Trump.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=PK0IWes3QZ4
Independent UK: ‘America, uh… First!’: ICE to buy $7.2 million worth of Canadian armored personnel carriers
These are Roshel Senators. There are a bunch of different versions so I wouldn’t take the picture with the article as gospel, the ones being sold to ICE may not have the machine gun turret.
Typical of the Trump administration way of doing things, except there is no sign of a kickback yet. The Trump and officials talk about policy but each decision is made in the way most convenient at the moment. The speed of purchase requirement for this is likely so the entire purchase can be done before any oversight by Congress or public pressure can build up, not any actual deployment requirement. As a bonus, the reason Roshel has them sitting on the lot is likely because they were meant for Ukraine.
The APCs themselves are tougher then ICE should need, even protecting from a riot why does ICE need armor rated to stop heavy machine guns? Even protecting the southern US border has ICE ever come under machine gun fire? They do look impressive though, which was likely a primary buying criteria.
Possible war crime puts Trump’s ‘illegal orders’ freakout in new context
Video is 9:16 minutes
Lesson in resistance: Hidden danger as Trump takes a page from Putin’s playbook
Video is 9:08 minutes
Rachel Maddow answers questions from readers of MS NOW’s We The People newsletter
Video is 11:07 minutes
Trump’s Justice Department launches a Second Amendment Rights Section for gun owners
“My Justice Department will continue to be the most pro-Second Amendment Justice Department in history,” Pam Bondi said.
Link
@432 Lynna, OM: The whole situation with the war crimes is just hilariously sad. Hegseth was taking credit for the strikes right up until the possibility they might be war crimes surfaced. Then suddenly the senior military officer in the room was the one who ordered it. But the way Hegseth is you can’t tell if he was lying when he was taking credit or lying when he denied he did it, both possibilities are about equally likely right now.
It does demonstrate that Hegseth’s talk of courage is a lie. He was the senior official in the room, if the order was a bad one he would be the one to step in and countermand it. If he failed to do so then he should be stepping up to take responsibility for not doing his job. If he thought it was legal then he should be willing to say he ordered the strike and will defend himself and the DOD. All of the Trump administration figures are real big on being in charge right up until there is some blame to be assigned.
JM @433:
All true.
Trump follows through on vow, pardons notorious Honduran drug trafficker
“Trump’s pardon reeks of hypocrisy, it reeks of corruption, which is the M.O. of the Trump administration,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Link
Cartoon: Executing the law
Link
Trump tariffs gut manufacturing as jobs shrink for 9 months straight
Followup to comment 435.
In Cabinet meeting, Hegseth stands behind boat strikes, with Trump’s backing
https://www.wonkette.com/p/uh-oh-dear-leader-posted-160-times
Washington Post link
“The face-palming reason Iran is running out of water”
“Turns out government-supported farming in arid climates uses up lots of water.”
Texas’ New Abortion Ban Aims to Stop Doctors From Sending Abortion Pills to the State
Uh … okay demented Hair Furor. It’s time for you to retreat to your room now.
Link
European Commission makes 11th-hour offer to win Belgian backing for Russian asset loan
“The EU executive suggests legal fix to prevent Belgium from being on the hook to repay billiions in case Hungary vetoes sanctions renewal”
NATO allies ‘punching below their weight’ face pressure to buy arms for Ukraine
“Some non-NATO countries like Australia and New Zealand plan to chip in to the PURL scheme, while other allies are doing much less.”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/kristi-noem-also-being-an-evil-nazi
“Kristi Noem Also Being An Evil Nazi, Please Give Her Attention Too”
“Calling immigrants ‘leeches,’ that’s on brand.”
Anti-Trump protests sweep the country as his approval rating sinks to new lows, by Rachel Maddow
“Usually, around the holiday season, you expect things to chill out a little bit, but that hasn’t been the case. Nobody’s being quiet right now.”
Cartoon: Fixed it
https://www.wonkette.com/p/nick-fuentes-is-magas-new-belle-of
“Nick Fuentes Is MAGA’s New Belle Of The Ball”
“The Right seems to have decided that if they can’t stop him, they’ll have to normalize him.”
New York Times link
“Trump Calls Somalis ‘Garbage’ ”
Sanho Tree (Institute for Policy Studies):
Commentary
News delivered with dark humor.
Stephen Colbert
“Our Unpopular President | Cabinet Meeting Nap Time | Hegseth Throws Admiral Bradley Under The Bus.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=2hD9o0wsuh4
Jimmy Kimmel: RIP TAN WINKLE
Trump Can’t Stop Falling Asleep at Cabinet Meeting & Goes Off the Rails With All-Night Posting Spree
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=1EYlkd5cdpc
‘Bad girls’ is how society labels women in prison. But what if that label is a lie?
.https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/03/prison-feminist-issue-jailing-marginalised-women-ruins-lives-children
Allan Lichtman – who is the historian here – Historian Ranks EVERY U.S. President! (Full Tier List) – An hour and 22 mins long. Haven’t yet seen in full myself.
@454 & 455 birgerjohansson : Colbert also had a great three part interview with Maddow and segment (intro?) on Trump falling asleep too..
^ See Maddow’s Colbert interview links here :
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/12/03/this-is-what-stupid-rich-means/comment-page-1/#comment-2285847
https://www.ms.now/all [main link to the All In show hosted by Chris Hayes]
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/he-wanted-me-killed-kelly-rips-trump-hegseth-threats-as-boat-strike-scandal-widens-2472360515582
Video is 8:28 minutes
https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/morale-has-never-been-lower-more-gop-reps-reportedly-plot-early-exits-2470705219852
Video is 8:39 minutes
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-boasts-that-international-criminal
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1995951762906513715
Link
Legal watchdogs won’t bite Trump’s corrupt pet lawyers
RFK Jr. Blames Pills—Not Guns—for School Shootings
“There is no credible evidence that antidepressants cause violence, but the health secretary now vows a “massive” effort to prove the failed theory.”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/geography-quiz-can-you-find-third
“GEOGRAPHY QUIZ: Can You Find ‘Third’ Countries Trump Bribing To Take Deportees On A Map?”
“Hey, who ELSE made a habit of deporting people to random third countries?”
More archaic violence.
Tod’s Workshop has a look at a crossbow that was in use for 800 years.
“This Chinese Crossbow is Insanely Complicated!”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=YqqzHwjiqQY
.
Joerg Sprave is loaded for zombies, fishmen and possibly xenomorphs : “Cyrusher Ranger 2.0: THE eBike for the Apocalypse?”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=uxbMj6lU7W4
Washington Post link
“How Palantir shifted course to play key role in ICE deportations”
Small businesses suffer under Trump
Cartoon: Following that logic …
Cartoon: The listeria league
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is still flogging her February demand that states give USDA data on SNAP beneficiaries like names and immigration status, threatening to illegally withhold federal funding. She’s just SO concerned about immigrants, dead people, and douple-dippers that she has to sabotage entire states just to look for it, redundantly (states already verify eligibility). 22 states sued and got it blocked for them for now. 28 and Guam have complied. Experts say the far bigger problem is organized crime stealing benefits cards or forging them for fake people.
Russian assets proposal: 5 main takeaways
“It’s a long and tortuous path to keeping Ukraine’s fight alive.”
https://www.wonkette.com/p/cdc-about-to-kill-lifesaving-hep
Trump plans to weaken fuel efficiency rules for cars and trucks
“Executives from Ford, GM and Stellantis will be at the White House Wednesday.”
Washington Post link
Confident of military success, Putin refuses compromise in Moscow talks
I think the headline is somewhat misleading. Putin is projecting confidence more or less like a desperate man who wants everyone to believe him. Actually, he is on shaky ground.
Putin is not close to defeat, but he is not close to winning either. Meanwhile, the economic/financial straits in which Russia finds itself negatively affect all levels of Russian society, including education, fire-fighting, policing, infrastructure building or repair, and, of course, manufacturing war equipment and ammunition. Just to name a few.
Just a fun video on perhaps the flattest, fastest and most flexible-shelled tortoise Pancake Tortoise Facts! Do They Smell Like Syrup just under 5 mins long.
Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket):
Commentary
ms.now:
Sky Captain @479, that’s offensive. Trump’s name on the building? FFS.
In other offensive news, as reported by the Associated Press:
New York Times: Trump Intervenes Again in Honduras Vote, Alleging Fraud Without Evidence
“Honduras was on edge after tallies showed two candidates separated by about 500 votes. Then President Trump claimed that officials were rigging results.”
Trump doesn’t know what he is talking about.
NBC News:
CNBC:
ms.now:
Ryan Goodman (JustSecurity):
Tess Bridgeman (Just Security):
Brian Finucane (Just Security):
Rando 1: “Using this logic, if a combat aviator ejects from their aircraft, and while hanging in their parachute uses their emergency radio to call for help, they are now a legitimate target.”
Rando 2: “Using a parachute at all is a hostile act.”
Will Smiley (Historian): “Oh wow, they’ve reinvented the Kaiser’s justification for unrestricted submarine warfare from first principles. Famously, the US was not a fan.”
Several Chinese reusable rockets in development! “Chinese Falcon 9-size Rocket ALMOST Lands on First Attempt! | Zhuque-3 Flight 1 Update ”
.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=qzJNrBmQrvw
“Tailored single atom platforms hold promise for next-generation catalysis”
‘Single-atom’? That sounds like a misnomer, as the catalyst must be attached to something.
.https://phys.org/news/2025-12-tailored-atom-platforms-generation-catalysis.html
Epigenetics linked to high-altitude adaptation in Andes
.https://phys.org/news/2025-12-epigenetics-linked-high-altitude-andes.html
I have an idea. Ask every candidate for congress to define how epigenetics differ from ordinary genetics. Put thei answers on social media for our entertainment.
Chesapeake Bay’s storm surge tides can be 47% higher than the open ocean
Can the storms flush away DC? Naah, that would be too good to be true.
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chesapeake-bay-storm-surge-tides.html
The hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Kc2EZUADR/
Chronic cannabis use, vomiting and compulsive bathing—symptoms of a hidden syndrome
.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-chronic-cannabis-vomiting-compulsive-symptoms.html
Normal things in the Nordic [and Baltic] countries (but nowhere else)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Qy5P35Lik
Husky Doesn’t Dare Touch the Kitten Without the Golden Retriever’s Permission
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=6s4WyZbZE2o
re CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @479:
The Orange Turd is just a dog pissing on everything to try to mark its territory.
Geo Girl
“What We Still Don’t Know About The KPg Extinction That Wiped Out The Non-Avian Dinosaurs”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=noB6aJHAyYI
“Bio-Essential Sugars Discovered in Samples from Asteroid Bennu”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=9LyH6jTefU8
.
Mark & Sam tests an old Swedish cartridge / rifle at 1 km.
“6.5 Swede at 1155yards”
Imagine trying that with ‘open’ sights.
Dang…I checked the link but accidentally deleted characters.
I will try to find out more about the asteroid sample.
Dr. Ben Miles
“Scientists Just Discovered How to Starve Cancer”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=ze2rmsLiTfA
Techxplore:
“A smarter way for large language models to think about hard problems”
.https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-smarter-large-language-hard-problems.html