If it's Thursday, this must be Baku.
Only 1,430 days to go...
Living through these times…
Why Do We Wake Around 3am and Dwell on Our Fears (and what do we do about it)?
Finding the humor…
Danes offer to buy California to spite Trump’s Greenland aims: ‘We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’
More than 200,000 Danes have signed a satirical petition to buy California from the US. “Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates.’ Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality,” the petition reads. “Let’s buy California from Donald Trump!”
Jan. 6 Rioters Want Pardons to Cover Other Charges, Like Murder Plot and Child Porn
Several participants in the Jan. 6 Riots who had their convictions scrubbed by President Donald Trump are now arguing their pardons ought to cover a slew of other legal proceedings brought against them over the past few years.
Republican bill would make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) wants President Donald Trump’s birthday to be a federal holiday. On Friday, the New York congresswoman introduced in a news release what she called “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day Holiday Establishment Act,” which would “permanently codify” June 14 as a federal holiday called “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day,” according to the release.
Thought for the day in honor of her birthday…
“The doctrine of blind obedience and unqualified submission to any human power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, is the doctrine of despotism, and ought to have no place among Republicans and Christians.” ~ Angelina Grimke (1805-1879)
What I read every day…
Quote of the day:
“The mood is rather dark. It's not good. It felt as if Americans were stepping down. Europe is trying to figure out whether it can step up. Everywhere you look, the Chinese delegation clearly intends to take what's left.”
~ Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis
What I’m reading today…
Noem Directs Polygraph Use to Target Homeland Security Leaks
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned employees that polygraph tests will be used to help crack down on leaks that agency officials say have foiled immigration enforcement plans.
Stumbling upon, and reclaiming, trillions of fraudulently spent funds would be rather convenient, and crying “fraud” is a useful way for Musk and his defenders to cast DOGE’s actions as in service of the American people...Fraud does exist in parts of the government: Some people intend to defraud government programs; others accidentally sign up for benefits they’re not actually eligible for. And the government does sometimes make payment errors—federal agencies estimated that more than $200 billion was lost in fiscal year 2023 because of such mistakes, and in past years fraud losses accounted for 3 to 7 percent of the budget. But there is no evidence that lowering the deficit is as simple as tamping down on fraud—or that fraud exists to the extent Musk claims.
If Trump does make good on his promise of mass deportations, our research shows that removing millions of immigrants would be costly for everyone in the U.S., including American citizens and businesses. Overall, immigrants without legal authorization make up about 5% of the total U.S. workforce. But that overall percentage doesn’t reflect these immigrants’ concentrated presence within various industries. Approximately half of U.S. farmworkers are living in the country without legal authorization. Some of these immigrant farmworkers are skilled supervisors who make decisions about planting and harvesting. Others know how to use and maintain tractors, loaders, diggers, rakers, fertilizer sprayers, irrigation systems, and other machines crucial to farm operations.
A U.S. Betrayal Is Surreal for Europeans
It was one of a number of meetings with American officials in recent weeks that have had Europeans re-evaluating their relationship with their most important ally. Indeed, Europeans are waking up to the fact that they are entirely dependent on a foreign power that is no longer acting like itself. America, which once championed the liberal democratic world order, is now turning against it in ways that are shocking to its allies.
The rift between Europe and the United States is deep and historic. Even before the battle over tariffs, the Trump storm has swept across the Old Continent, and the damage is considerable. It was on full display from February 14 to 16 at the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of the Western political, diplomatic and defense establishment. Three days that shook the transatlantic relationship, a pillar of the international system since WWII. Le Monde: Europe's historic challenge
Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
Zelenskyy also said he would like Trump’s team “to be more truthful” as he offered his first response to a series of striking claims that Trump made a day earlier, including falsely suggesting that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week.
Trump’s firing of 1,000 national park workers raises concerns about maintenance and operating hours
Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts will leave hundreds of national parks — including some of the most well-known and most heavily visited sites — understaffed and facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection.
US Forest Service worker firings threaten Helene recovery in WNC, workers say
The U.S. Forest Service terminated approximately 3,400 probationary employees, including several in Western North Carolina working on Helene recovery efforts.
In many instances, the agency cited performance as the reason for the terminations, but many affected workers allege this is false.
The job losses come at a time when the U.S. Forest Service is already understaffed, some current and former employees say.
USDA Fired Employees Working on Avian Flu Outbreak in Latest DOGE Purge
The U.S. Department of Agriculture accidentally fired employees working to control the H5N1 avian flu outbreak and is now scrambling to reverse its blunder.
Bird Flu Outbreak Continues to Spread
While health authorities maintain that the bird flu currently represents a low risk to people, researchers warn the extended duration of the outbreak increases the potential of the virus mutating and leading to widespread human-to-human transmission. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has signaled a forthcoming change in strategy as the government response thus far comes under fire.
Former Social Security Head Blasts Musk and ‘19-Year-Old Nitwits’ at DOGE
The former Social Security Administration commissioner, Martin O’Malley, criticized the triad of government downsizing, describing Trump and Musk as the “biggest threat” to Social Security and brushing off DOGE as a home to a bunch of “19-year-old nitwits.”
Michelle King, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, has stepped down over the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to access sensitive government records. Elon Musk’s commission has in recent weeks accessed the Treasury Department’s payment system and is now attempting to obtain sensitive taxpayer data at the Internal Revenue Service as part of DOGE’s ostensible push to audit the federal government. With King’s departure, the White House reportedly appointed SSA employee Leland Dudek to take over as acting commissioner of the independent agency.
Abortions resume in Missouri as GOP lawmakers strategize possible repeal
Despite public support, GOP lawmakers have repeatedly pledged to go back to voters with another proposal to further limit abortions, although Republicans have not yet agreed on how far to go with more possible restrictions.
Kennedy says panel will examine childhood vaccine schedule after promising not to change it
As measles outbreak rages in Texas, RFK Jr. pushes anti-vaccine message. Kennedy’s remarks, which circulated on social media, were delivered during a welcome ceremony for the new health secretary at the agency’s headquarters in Washington as a measles outbreak among mostly unvaccinated people raged in West Texas. The event was held after a weekend of mass firings of thousands of HHS employees. More dismissals are expected.
Marco Rubio's Appalling Betrayal
"There was the craven Marco Rubio—confirmed as Secretary of State by 99 U.S. senators—sitting across the table from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud at the head of the table. No Ukrainians were invited. Nor were any Europeans. This has been described by many as a negotiating table. But the more accurate description: This was Rubio's collaboration on behalf of Trump with Lavrov on behalf of Putin. This disgusting act of betrayal to democracy—to our nation and to our democratic allies—secures Rubio’s infamous place in history.
DEI programs are designed to help white people too – here’s how
That said, DEI initiatives encompass a broad range of programs that support various underrepresented groups, including first-generation college students and students with disabilities. They also benefit women and veterans. Each of these groups invariably includes many white students.
What is the US inflation rate right now?
Based on data from January 2025 for urban areas tracked in the CPI, the Chicago area had the highest inflation rate at 4.3%.
Nationwide, the cost of eggs has increased by 53.0% compared to the previous year. On the other hand, prices for appliances were down 4.2%.
Motor vehicle insurance had the highest price increase at 11.8%.
Trump’s pardons solidified dangerous alliances with paramilitaries
Any plausible deniability Trump attempted to maintain between himself and those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 evaporated with the mass pardons. Trump’s act marked the first time in U.S. history that the leader of an insurrection pardoned insurrectionists, putting an American president in the column of other authoritarian leaders around the world who have used pardons to license lawbreaking by paramilitary actors and entrench themselves in office.
What I am reading…
As Tulsi Gabbard takes over as National Intelligence Director, I am enjoying reading about someone, who actually did care about national intelligence.
The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years. After World War I, Elizebeth Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing ever closer to the United States. As World War II raged, Elizebeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies.
What I am watching…
“There is not a lot of thought given to what they’re doing….”
the follow up: JFK Library Reopens