Law, Power, and Justice

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  • AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN ELDERLY, OVER-EDUCATED CHILDLESS (AS PER J.D.VANCE) CAT LADY BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK

    Saturday 8 August 2026

    BOOKS: Unger, Craig (2024) “Den of spies: Reagan, Carter, and the secret history of the treason that stole the white house.”

    · “As the 1980 presidential campaign neared the end, Republican LIFE operatives did something extraordinary to make sure the hostage crisis played out in the favor; they made a secret deal to send weapons worth millions of dollars to Iran.”

    ART: Rey, Jean-Dominique (2010) Berthe Morisot.

    https://www.artchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Summers-Day-Berthe-Morisot-1879–scaled.jpg

    This is Berthe Morisot, one of my favorite painters. Born in 1841, she was one of two famous women who were part of the Impressionist movement. She was selected six times to exhibit her work in the Salon, an esteemed exhibit of painters chosen by a panel in Paris. Then in 1874, she joined the “rejected” Impressionists, a group of more daring painters which included Paul Cezanne, Edgar Deas, Moet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

    Saturday 8 August 2026

    RUSSIA

    ARTICLE: Seligman, Lara and Shelby Holliday (8/8/26) “U.S. intel links Russia to explosive drone at German airport. Wall Street Journal.

    · The explosive-laden drone discovered at an airport in Germany is reported by the Wall Street Journal as likely belonging to the Russians.

    · The drone was spotted on the tarmac in a secure area near a Ukrainian cargo jet. The airport was shut down for the night. There was also a second unidentified object that collided with a cargo plane aborted its landing due to the closure of the airport.

    · The sightings of drones is not new, but an explosive-laden drone is new. German publications reported that the drone’s detonator failed.

    According to a report. Last month from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, from August 2024 to February of 2026, suspicious drones were spotted at least 144 times in 13 countries.

    ARTICLE: AFP and Reuters (8/8/26) “Drones spotted in Bulgaria and Germany raise concerns of Russian escalation.

    · A drone exploded in Bulgaria near the Trans-Balken gas pipeline. “…the rone exploded near the Romanian border and the gas pipeline, which links Turkiye to Ukraine.”

    · Two drones were spotted on Thursday (8/6/26) at a military base in Merhernich in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, a few miles from the Belgian border. The site in Merhernich has “a high security underground storage facility for equipment and spare parts for military hardware ad is a base for personnel responsible for the maintenance of US Patriot air defense systems.”

    · Officials believed up until recently that Russia would not dare to provoke NATO by risking small scale incursions, but this changed recently as Russia came under increased pressure. “NATO Members believe Putin is already conducting probing attacks to test and fracture the alliance.”

    · Speculation is that Putin’s troops could cross over into Poland and target vital infrastructure. The plan is to scare Western nations into stopping their support for Ukraine.

    · In 2024, a parcel containing a sophisticated incendiary device caught fire at the airport’s DHL hub shortly before it was loaded onto a plane. Similar packages then ignited in the UK and Poland, causing extensive damage.

    · Last September. Lithuanian prosecutors said that investigators had also seized RDX explosives meant for other terrorist attacks. The amount was significant, equivalent to 6 kilograms of TNT.

    · Germany is one of Kyiv’s biggest suppliers of military aid.

    · “It’s a message. You get something like that bomb into one of the biggest European airports and you send the message that guys, we can do that, remember?

    NEWS NOTES: SHORTS

    · Private prisons are making more profits then ever.

    · After Supreme Court win, there is pressure to deport Haitians.

    CUBA

    ARTICLE: Pager, Tayler et. al., (8/7/26) “U.S. squeezes Cuba even as it searches for a new regime leader. New York Times.

    · The Trump administration is looking for a new official who might be persuaded to take over Cuba, something like they did in Venezuela.

    · The administration is pressuring spy agencies to identify such a person but the consensus is that this will be much more difficult than Venezuela.

    · The plan is to capture Raul Castro, former president of Cuba. “The Trump administration has oscillated between wanting to work with Cuba’s communist government and developing plans to overthrow it. U.S. officials presented a list of demands to Cuban leaders in recent weeks, offering incentives if Cuba made progress.”

    · “The Trump administration wants Cuba to liberalize its economy. Open up to American businesses, buy oil from the United States and push out Russian and Chinese intelligence operatives.”

    · “Cuba has announced major economic changes allowing in more private enterprise, but the measures appear to have fallen short of what the Trump administration has demanded.”

    · The Cuban government appears to be supporting Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, a grand nephew of Fidel Castro, as a potential successor. He would almost certainly be unacceptable to the United States. The United States might be acceptable to another Castro relative., Raul G. Rodriguez Castro, Raul Castro’s grandson.

    Boys going out for morning walk.

  • Blog Art 8 August 2626

    Berthe Morisot

    This is Berthe Morisot, one of my favorite painters. Born in 1841, she was one of two famous women who were part of the Impressionist movement. She was selected six times to exhibit her work in the Salon, an esteemed exhibit of painters chosen by a panel in Paris. Then in 1874, she joined the “rejected” Impressionists, a group of more daring painters which included Paul Cezanne, Edgar Deas, Moet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

  • Friday 7 August 2026

    Mike this morning: Didn’t we just do Friday?

    Me: Yes.

    It is indeed Friday and cleaning day. No matter how much I love having the house cleaned, I dread it with every fiber of my being. We finally got Eddie to eat yesterday afternoon. For those who weren’t with us yesterday, Eddie is the gray and white autistic kitty who just had a tooth removed. He is still extremely skittish, but at least he ate. He came and rubbed heads with me in the middle of the night.

    The rest of the kitties are outside this morning. Mike didn’t let them out yesterday and Sam, especially, was on a rampage all day. He was bouncing off chairs and (literally) the walls. It takes a lot of hours and a lot of activity to wear Sam out. But the good news is that he stayed with me almost all day. I loved that.

    Lisa Murkowski has announced that she will not vote for Todd Blanche. The Congress is on the verge of a five-week vacation. God, those people never work. It’s amazing. No wonder they fight so hard to keep their jobs. All they do is show up for a vote now and again and get their money-making side hustles going.

    NEWS NOTES

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN OVER-EDUCATED, CHILDLESS, CAT LADY (AS PER J. F…ING D. VANCE) BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE SUB-BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK.

    · Murkowski’s announcement about Todd Blanche leaves Trump dependent on Bill Cassidy’s vote. Why Cassidy would vote for Blanche I have no idea. Trump endorsed a challenger that cost Cassidy his primary this year.

    · Late afternoon yesterday I heard “Ukraine: the Latest” a podcast put out by the Telegraph, talking about a bomb, an explosive bomb found in a German airport. It’s obvious that it’s another of Russia’s attempts to push, to see how far they can get. But on the legacy news in the U.S., I didn’t hear a word. Not one word. Pathetic. It is as if the war against Ukraine wasn’t even going on even though my friend and her children are being bombed almost every night.

    ARTICLE: Sabbagh, Dan (8/5/26) The Leipzig drone bomb marks a dangerous escalation for Europe. The Guardian.

    · As the Guardian reports, “the initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot.”

    · The drone with explosives did not go off but it was found inside the airport a few meters from a Ukrainian cargo plane. The German media reported that the bomb was made of PETN and Semtex plastic explosive, the second, Semtex, is the munition that exploded inside Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie. A faulty detonator prevented the bomb from exploding.

    · Plastic explosives of any kind of typically only available to militaries or well-established terror groups, not amateurs.

    · NATO only stated it was aware of the situation, but it is notable that “the western alliance appears to have not been able to prevent drones from flying into and over a strategic airport.

    · The presence of the Ukrainian planes indicates that the airport may have been being used as transport or as a “node for supplies to Kyiv.”

    · There has been a string of drone incursions into Europe over the past year. Around 20 unarmed Russian delta-wing Gerbera drones crossed into Poland last September. A US thinktank concluded last month that the Kremlin was behind a concerted drone surveillance campaign that targeted US airbase at Lakenheath and other key military sites in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Nato jets have not been able to shoot down the drones.

    True to form, the Trump administration tries to dilute the effectiveness of one of the most successful federal programs in existence, Head Start.

    ARTICLE: Carrillo, Sequoia (8/6/26) “Trump administration moves to deregulate Head Start opening door for sweeping change.” NPR.

    · “The move would diminish the program’ federal standards and give states and parents more control.”

    · Limiting items like administrative costs, not only saves money, it prevents individual programs from bringing in teachers to deal with students with special needs.

    · The changes leave quality dependent on the zip code within which the child lives.

    · The message in Project 2025 is clear, eliminate Head Start. The decrease in standards is seen as the first step in eliminating the program.

    ARTICLE: Swaim, Barton (8/6/26) “El-Sayed’s deflected bigotry.” Wall Street Journal.

    · A Wall Street Journal opinion piece assumes that El-Sayed is bad news for the country and will probably lose in November.

    · El-Sayed wants to get big money out of politics and there is noting that illustrates big money better than AIPAC, which gave an enormous amount of money to his challenger, Rep. Haley Stevens.

    · The Journal criticizes El-Sayed for campaigning with podcaster Hasan Piker who it says makes his antisemitism explicit. I have no idea who Piker is. And the Journal takes as evidence of the lack of concern of Democrats for antisemitism the fact that 750000 Michiganders voted for El-Sayed at a time “when violent assaults on Jews and synagogues crowd the headlines.”

    · And, the Journal notes that “The succession. Of progressives who’ve won Democratic primaries in New York, New Jersey and Colorado road to victory on the strength of their anti-Israel tirades.”

    RUSSIA

    ARTICLE: Seligman, Lara and Yoko Kubota (8/7/26) “U.S. Intel finds Putin could test NATO’S resolve with limited incursion.” The Wall Street Journal.

    · A U.S. intelligence report notes that Putin could try to test NATO’S resolve with a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years. The possible scenarios range from cyberattacks to small-scale land incursions.

    · The projection that Russia might try something like this even before fighting ended in Ukraine changed because analysts see Russia under pressure for a victory of some kind. Probing attacks (like that at the german airport) to test NATO’S resolve include “Russian. Cruise missiles that have landed in Poland and drones flown into Romania.” The goal of these attacks would be to fracture the alliance.

    · The possibilities are outlined as cyberattacks on a NATO country, a limited incursion on the alliance’s eastern flank. The likelihood of a limited

    RECOMMENDED PODCASTS

    POLITICAL THEORY

    Guerrilla History Podcast

    https://guerrillahistory.libsyn.com/

    Episode: Free Speech and Michael Fox (This is a fascinating podcast episode. Don’t miss it.)

    https://guerrillahistory.libsyn.com/the-battle-for-free-speech-w-michael-fox

    DSR Daily: Episode Russia and US

    https://thedsrnetwork.com/the-dsr-daily-for-august-6-russia-and-us-hold-talks-on-ukraine

    UKRAINE

    Ukraine the Latest, the Telegraph

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ukraine-the-latest/id1612424182

    Episode: Moscow blamed for the Drone in Germany

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/moscow-blamed-for-explosive-drone-at-german-airport/id1612424182?i=1000780278232

    ISRAEL

    Haaretz

    https://www.haaretz.com/

    Eddie

  • Thursday 6 August 2026

    They are trying to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress this morning. And, the government evidently is telling people that if they join the military, their families won’t be deported. First of all I don’t even think this is true. Second, this is not the best way to recruit quality soldiers. Good God. Every morning, I say this: “Good God.”

    Alva Edison is home from the vet minus one tooth. Mike said he sat in his lap on the staircase this morning, but he’s still very skitzy. Poor Eddy, life is just so perplexing for him. We hope we are going to be able to get him to eat something today.

    Since Eddie can’t go outside, nobody can go outside and they are all very unhappy about the change in their morning routine. Sam has been with me in the bedroom almost all morning, watching the squirrels and the birds at the feeder. Earlier he was wild because he couldn’t go outside, literally bouncing off the walls and the chairs.

    ARTICLE: Volz, Duston (8/5/26) “Hacks on U.S. water supply follow years of warnings and neglect.” New York Times

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN OVEREDUCATED CHILDLESS (PER J. F…ING D. VANCE) CAT LADY BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE SUB-BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK

    · (Note: Donald Trump blamed the hacking of the water system in Minnesota on the governor rather than foreign hackers.)

    · The Biden administration proposed creating stronger cyber security guidelines to safeguard the nation’s water supply. “Many municipalities lacked even basic protections, and the computers that monitor and adjust water quality…were easy-to-find targets for a would-be intruder.”

    · Republican-led states and industry groups sued to block the enforcement and the EPA rescinded he order.

    · In 2023 a few weeks after the efforts were blocked, a small town in Pennsylvania disclosed that “a hacking group tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps briefly took control of equipment used to adjust water pressure.”

    · Last week at least seven states reported incidents which, in some cases, degraded water operations.

    ARTICLE: Jimison, Robert (8/5/26) “Why congress wants a closer U.S.-Israel defense partnership. New York Times.

    · In the annual defense policy bill, there is a proposal which lays the groundwork for “melding U.S. and Israeli defense and intelligence capabilities in profound ways that some critics find alarming.”

    · As lawmakers are becoming increasingly more hostile to sending money to Israel, this shift undertakes a “far more integrated defense and technology partnership built around legally mandated defense industrial cooperation between the two nations.”

    · Critics argue that this effectively allows Israel’s military to become intertwined with the Pentagon.

    · The proposal gives control of sensitive U.S. defense matters to a foreign nation.

    · Chris Van Hollen called the proposal “jaw-dropping.” The government can always choose to enter into a joint production agreement, but this mandates it.

    · Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, has called the provision “a betrayal of American sovereignty.”

    ARTICLE: Goldmacher, Shane (8/6/26) “Moderate democrats prepare for ‘war’ against an ascendent left.” The New York Times.

    · A centrist Democratic group, Third Way, is planning a $15 million effort to discredit democratic socialism. (Note: Great, just great. Why when it’s us, it’s time to work together, but when it’s them that’s losing, we are organizing efforts to “discredit.”) Jonathan Cowan, president of Third Way called it a “war.”

    ARTICLE: Entous, Adam (8/5/26) “CIA sets up secret Cuba task force as Trump pressures Havana.” The New York Times.

    · The task force aimed is aimed at “creating fissures among the Cuban political elite.” (Note: Quote from article.) It is intended to “allow the agency to quickly direct more financial, human and technical resources at Cuba,” according to the NYT.

    · This is part of a more concerted campaign to pressure the Cuban government to make changes demanded by Trump.

    · The task force is, according to the Times, “adding case officers who recruit and manage spies, intelligence analysts, officers who conduct cyberoperations and officers who specialize in…influence operations.”

    · The CIA organized another secret task force in 1960 which orchestrated the Bay of Pigs.

    · “Cuba has long been the target of the CIA’s efforts at espionage, subversion and destabilization, including terrorism,” said deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio. “And yet the state Department has the audacity to call Cuba a threat for exercising its right to legitimate self-defense.”

    · This may represent a “protracted covert campaign” according to the Times.

    · “The intelligence will help the US military update its options for potential military action against Cuba if Mr. Trump opts to go that route.”

    TRUMP: ADMINISTRATION

    ARTICLE: Khardori, Ankush (7/31/26) “There are so many reasons to reject Tod Blanche. Here’s another one.” The New York Times.

    · Blanche has targeted Trump’s political enemies, and over seen an exodus of some of the most experienced of the Justice Department’s lawyers, and to top that, he is “also embarrassingly bad at lawyering.”

    · The Justice Department’s credibility and legitimacy is draining with the courts and with the public. Lawyers with the Justice Department have had to correct factual misrepresentations apologize for failing to meet deadlines and retract their own legal positions.

    · Jeanine Pirro released a “juvenile video” taunting a man they accused of assault for throwing a sandwich at a federal agent. They failed to convict the man.

    · They have filed court documents filled with Trumpian flourishes, arbitrary capitalizations and references to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” One lawyer was found to have been improperly appointed. One judge criticized the government for a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps.”

    · In another case, prosecutors were forced to drop charges when the judge learned that they manipulated the grand jury process.

    · The Times called them “basic factual legal and professional errors; sloppy and unprofessional legal filings; the public taunting of criminal defendants” have all damaged the department’s reputation.

    · Grand juries are refusing to return indictments, a once unthinkable problem. The phrase “indict a ham sandwich” comes to mind.

    · “Mr. Blanche and other senior Justice Department officials have proved willing to cut legal and ethnical corners to please the White House.””

    · “Mr. Blanche is no star. He’s not even a very good lawyer.”

    ARTICLE: Cohn, Nate (8/5/26) “El-Sayed got a big win for the left. Can it win like this nationally?” The New York Times.

    · In this article in the New York Times, the author points out that the victory was “narrow.” But, if you look at the amount of money invested by the center Democratic-establishment crew, it is impressive indeed.

    · Ed-Sayed won in areas where there were more young voters, well-educated liberals and Muslim voters. Ms. Stevens, however, son a “coalition of majority black areas, high-income voters, Jewish voters, older voters and rural white working-class areas.”

    · Sayed failed to win in working-class Black areas and most white working-class rural parts of Michigan where “progressives ague that a populist economic message can resonate.”

    · The narrowness of the coalition is supposed to be a worry.

    ·

    Alva Edison

  • Wednesday 5 August 2026

    We just came back from taking Eddie to the vet to have his teeth cleaned. What a ruckus. The cats were everywhere, saying “What’s up?” “Mom, why are you up?” “Why is everybody walking so fast?” “What did Eddie do?” “You’re taking him away without even giving him a last supper?” “Why are you walking towards me?” And I spilled cat food all over the floor. Every time they started eating, something would happen and they would scatter.

    Eddie is our autistic cat. My friend Mitzi says he’s definitely “on the spectrum.” She was an elementary school teacher, so she should know. Another reason we know is that we knew his father, who was Jake’s brother. Jake and his brother showed up at our house, tall and lanky, needing food.

    We fed them, but if you even opened the door, they scattered and disappeared. We wound up with Jake because right before we left on a vacation, Jake showed up with a facial abscess. I told the cat sitter to try to trap him and take him to the vet. Amazingly, he did, and Jake got fixed up. We thought we’d never see him again, but we did. His brother came around now and then after that, I suppose not wanting to be trapped himself.

    Jake came closer and finally let me pet him, and then he quickly moved onto the front porch. But we had fixed him when we took him in to take care of the abscess, and he domesticated quickly But, Elrod (what we named the brother) didn’t. He was still out there roaming and fighting. He even got into a terrible fight with Errol Flynn one of our cats.

    Nobody seemed to like Elrod except his brother Jake. He had a strange look in his eyes all the time, squirrely, I suppose is the right term. And Eddie has that same look.

    We know Eddie is his son because he looks exactly like Elrod, the exact same markings. None of the other kittens have that marking and none of them are autistic. So, have I convinced you yet?

    So, when we take Eddie to the vet, I have to try to convince them that even though he is enormous and in as good a shape as an athlete, he won’t bite and he won’t scratch, he just needs some extra reassurance because he’s just a little bit confused all the time.

    So, we left him. I hate leaving them at the vet. I want to sit in the waiting room, even if it’s hours, but they frown on that, so we will have to wait for the phone call telling us he’s out of surgery. They are going to do some blood work as well to make sure his kidneys are working fine. There’s some blood indicator that is a little bit over normal. Being a parent is a thankless job.

    It’s almost 10 AM, and the Michigan race is still too close to call. El-Sayed is supposed to be on Morning Joe this morning. Joe and the dreadful Mika are nowhere to be seen. Strange.

    I’m watching the recording of Morning Joe and El-Sayed is next. It’s just after 7 AM on the recording.

    He is being called the “likely nominee” by the desk at MSNow. $70 million dollars was spent against him. Good God. El Sayed wants money out of politics, Medicare for all. You got me already. He’s got a great class line. A lot of Republicans think he will be easy to beat. He’s running against Mike Rogers.

    El-Sayed says that Rogers served special interests, pharmaceutical interests. “He never saw a corporate dollar he didn’t use.” “You actually have to stand for something.” Why is Rogers supporting Trump on the Iran war? El-Sayed supports abolishing ICE, got me there. You can’t reform or retrain an agency like that. “You have to start from scratch.” Supports making Medicare whole, including visual and dental. The power of “big medicine” is what’s holding us back. We need to get money out of politics.

    APIAC spent a lot of money against El-Sayed. Unconditional foreign aid is not acceptable. “I believe in international law.” “Israel has conducted a genocide.” “…treat Israel the way we treat any other country.” We have to follow our own laws, the Leahy laws, with all countries.

    Divisions in the Party. How are the fences mended? “We’re against the way that outside money can buy politicians.” Take our democracy back from huge corporations.

    NEWS NOTES

    EL-SAYED WINS PRIMARY FOR SENATE SEAT IN MICHIGAN.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

    · Collective bargaining rights for everybody.

    · Universal healthcare

    · Abolish ICE

    Artile: Cappelletti, Joey et. al., (8/5/26) “Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary in major victory for Democratic’ progressive wing.” AP News.

    · The news media is calling this a “bruising primary.” El Sayed is a former health official campaigning on an end of aid to Israel, and campaign finance reform. He has support from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez.

    · Sen. Chris Van Hollen, another progressive leader called it a “wakeup call to the Washington Democratic establishment.”

    · Democrats consider Michigan a must-win if they are to flip control of the Senate this year. Stevens, El-Sayed’s competition, benefited from the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

    · El-Sayed says he is not a Democratic Socialist but received support from some of the group’s members.

    · One of the voters interviewed said that he voted for El-Sayed because is willing to fight a party “on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism.”

    ARTICLE: Somasundaram, Praveena (8/5/26) “Takeaways from a big primary night…” Washington Post.

    · In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, voters chose a progressive over two centrist candidates. William Lawrence, Sunrise Movement co-founder, said in a statement: People are “…tire of Silicon Valley billionaires and D.C. insider determining the future of our towns and our country…..They want an unbought representative who isn’t afraid to stand p to leaders of both parties and fight for working people.”

    · In Michigan’s 13th District a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Donavan McKinney, won.

    This is our sweet Alva Edison. Je is out of surgery

  • MICHIGAN PRIMARY, IMMIGRANT DEATHS, EBOLA, RUSSIA, LIFE WITH CATS

    Tuesday 4 August 2026

    Tillis and Cornyn are thanking Blanche for setting to writing a non-binding agreement to ditch the slush fund or the January 7 trash. It is revolting, just revolting. I think the news got to me last night in a way it hasn’t in a long time.

    Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia an Washington are holding contests today which will be influential in who holds Congress next year. The Michigan race is probably the most important one. There, two Democrats vie for a senate seat, one a progressive and one a traditional democrat.

    The proresssive, El-Sayed, is leading in the polls, but the moderate, supported by party elders, Haley, has raised much more money. The Democrats have to have the Senate seat in Michigan to win back control of the Senate.

    Joe and the dreadful Mika are not to be seen this morning. They haven’t hosted Morning Joe since an explosive melt down Joe had on Friday.

    NEWS NOTES

    Article: Warren, Michael Sol and Arya Sundaram (8/3/26) “Second detainee dies after being held at Delaney Hall ICE detention center.” Gothamist.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

    · A citizen of El Salvador who had lived in the country for twenty years was confined in the ICE facility when he experienced a “medical emergency.” (Note: quote from article).

    · His mother said he had been prescribed medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures and she believes he was not receiving that medication while he was detained for more than six weeks. ICE says he was receiving proper medication.

    · Cornejo is the second detainee to die after being held at Delaney Hall since the center reopened in May 2025.

    · ICE reported 22 deaths in custody this year.

    · More than 70 detainees filed federal lawsuits alleging medical neglect at Delaney Hall.

    · Delaney Hall is a private, for-profit prison. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said: “Corporatioins should not have the right to monetize imprisoning people while avoiding public accountability.” There is a proppsal to open another private, for-profit prison in New Jersey.

    · “This Tragedy. Is another devastating result of the rampant, inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall and detention centers across the country, including the routine denial of proper medical care. Sanitary conditions and food.” Amol Sinha, ACLU of New Jersey said in a statement.

    EBOLA

    Article: Ngorrora, Prosper Heri (8/4/26) “Ebola kills 1700 in eastern Congo as the fastest-growing outbreak surges. AP News.

    · There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus.

    · Armed conflict and illegal mining have made it difficult to trace the thousands who come in contact with infected individuals.

    · The latest outbreak has killed people at a quicker rate than any previous outbreak.

    RUSSIA

    ARTICLE: Bendett, Samuel and Maria Snegovaya (8/3/26) “The Cure for Russia’s labor shortage is worse than the disease.” Foreign Policy.

    · Mass emigration and recruitment of hundreds of thousands of men into the army had worsened the problem.

    IRAN

    ARTICLE: Suleiman, Rawan (8/4/26) Iran threatens to target US. Warships if Strait of Hormuz blockade continues. Haaretz.

    LIFE NOTES

    All the cats are in except Capt. Chaos (Sam Clemens). I walked down to the dock and didn’t even get a glimpse of him. Mike’s outside now trying to scare up an appearance. I was just bragging on how much better he was getting staying around the back door when we let him out every morning.

    All the cats get to go out for (we hope) an hour or two in the morning. Nobody is excited like Sam about this possibility. He won’t even eat breakfast anymore, and he is an eater extraordinaire. We have to save his breakfast until he comes back inside.

    We ordered one of those collars that tracks your cat, but I haven’t gotten up enough courage to put it together and put it on his resisting neck. I’m sure he’ll figure out a way to get it off while he’s five miles away.

    Ah, I’m too old to be a mother. I worry too much about them. Mike calls me a “helicopter mom.” I;m always thinking somebody’s going to get their eyes put out.

    I got my black sandals, walking sandals for the cruise in February to Spain and Portugal. I’ve already started packing. My Duolingo talking partner (AI) already asks questions about the trip, what cities we are going to, what I like to do on trips. It still shocks me a little when she comes up with these questions she’s remembered from conversations we had weeks ago.

    Well, I’ve got to cut New and Life notes short this morning. We are going to try to remodel five bathrooms. Have we lost our minds? Yes, is the answer. I have to make myself get to work. Have a good day, decent people. I look forward to comments and suggestions.

    Dr. Christina Johns

    Yes, Sam Clemens is the one we are still looking with. The black one is Nicki D his step sister

  • KENNEDY, ISRAEL AND WAR.

    Monday 3 August 2026

    After an extraordinary rant on Friday, Joe Scarborough is nowhere to be seen this morning.

    Trump has backed off a major attack on Iran again. He has little option but to declare victory and get the hell out. Trump has lost control of this war.

    David French of the New York Times calls it the war that could “swallow the world.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/opinion/iran-war-russia-ukraine-world-war-threat.html

    More than 4 million people are no longer receiving food aid after changes to SNAP. Just think about that – 4 million people.

    Wall Street is paying for early access to Trump’s posts. The country has become a casino.

    Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. claimed in an interview that the U.S. had the highest death rate in the world for COVID. We aren’t even in the top ten. He also claimed that businesses were shut down without “due process of law.” This was not a criminal case, it was a pandemic.

    Word that needs to be eliminated from the language: “concerning” “deeply concerning.” While I’m at it, “politicization” has six syllables, not five.

    Uganda took patients showing Ebola symptoms seriously. The Democratic Republic of Congo did not. Uganda has released from hospital what it thinks is the last of the Ebola cases. In the DR Congo, cases are spreading much faster than in previous outbreaks.

    Article: Soy, Anne (8/3/26) “why Uganda is winning the battle against Ebola as virus spreads in DR Congo. BBC News.

    Sam Clemens, our youngest rescue cat, figured out early this morning that I had treats left over in my pajama top pocket. He was nuzzling and kneading and burrowing into my breast trying to get them out before I woke up and provided him with a 4 AM snack. But, I didn’t get up this morning and work with Popsicle Pete (the orange and white kitty) as I usually do. Pete knows that we bought that day bed in the library for him and he loves to flop down beside my leg and work with me in the early morning hours.

    So, here we go…

    NEWS NOTES

    ARTICLE: Latschan, Thomas (8/3/26) “Russia: Bridge-building with North Korea. DW.

    Russia shares a 10.5 mile border with North Korea in the far east of the country. The two countries are cooperating on building a bridge across the Tumen River which Ukraine is afraid will serve to ferry North Korean troops to the front lines of Ukraine.

    ARTICLE: Lepiarz, Jacek (8/2/26) “Poland: Prime minister Tusk defies anti-Ukrainian violence.” DW.

    The Polish leader warned against increasing violence against Ukrainians in Poland. This comes after a video circulated of young men beating a Ukrainian man and his girlfriend in the street. The reputation of Poland was greatly enhanced by its willingness to accept Ukrainian refugees at the beginning of the war with Russia. But now, four and a half years later, the attitude has changed. According to one survey, Polish citizens were for the first time opposed to taking in more Ukrainian refugees (54%). 54% of respondents in another poll opposed Ukraine joining the E.U.

    On 30 July 2026 a Russian rocket crossed into Polish airspace, landing inside the Polish border. Tusk commented on the mutual dependence of the two countries: “Poland’s security directly depends on the effective actions of Ukrainian forces, including in the air.”

    ARTICLE: Guardian Staff (8/2/26) “Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv’s forces hit Wildberries again amid deadly trade of strikes with Russia.” The Guardian.

    Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least nine people in Russia on Sunday, with targets again including retail giant Wildberries. Often described as the Russian Amazon, Wildberries attacks are an attempt to bring the war to Russian citizens and also to disrupt a chain of supply.

    ARTICLE: Grove, Thomas and Daria Matviichuk (8/3/26) “the Kremin is bullying more Russians into fighting in Ukraine.” The Wall Street Journal.

    As voluntary military service flags, Russia is trying to push more military age men into service. (note: The pressure campaign is an attempt to avoid a formal military callup, which would be extremely unpopular.)

    Even after offering what are called “life-changing” sums of money to people to sign up, it has become harder and harder to recruit military age men. The Wall Street Journal attricutes some of this to “tales of abuse inside the Russian military and Ukraine’s increasingly lethal capabilities.”

    Various tactics are used such as calling men into the police station to check their papers. There they are beaten until they agree to sign up.

    ISRAEL

    ARTICLE: Cohen, Moshe (7/31/26) “Eisenkot leads Netanyahu by 10 points Likud gains two seats…” Jerusalem Post.

    ARTICLE: Levy, Yasmin (8/2/26) “The way Netanyahu treated his brother’s partner is the way he treats Israelis. Haaretz.

    In a televised interview, Bruria Shaked-Okon, the partner of Yoni Netanyahu who was killed in the Entebbe raid, describes what Haaretz calls “the callousness that has defined Benjamin Netanyahu’s treatment of bereaved families and hostage relatives.”

    “Instead of embracing the woman their brother had chosen to love, the Netanyahu family kept her as far away as possible…”

    “Netanyahu’s treatment of Shaked-Okon Is no different from the way he treats Israel’s citizens like her, they simply do not interest him. The callousness, detachment, lack of empathy and absence of conscience he showed towards a young woman whose heart had been shattered. Or the same qualities he has displayed towards bereaved parents and the families of hostages since October the 7th.”

    “… If there is anyone who deserves to be driven from power in disgrace, it is him.”

    ARTICLE: Shpigel Noa (8/2/26) “Likud circulates alleged Netanyahu quotes distancing himself from ultra-Orthodox allies.” Haaretz.

    “… Netanyahu allegedly said he intends to introduce a comprehensive conscription bill that meets the ID FS needs in the next government, adding that ‘anyone who is not studying Torah will either be drafted or imprisoned’..”

    Shortly after the end of the Knesset session in 2026, the Likud party circulated quotes attributed to Netanyahu distancing himself from his ultra-Orthodox partners. These remarks are consistent with Likud’s election campaign messaging which conflicts with the legislation passed during the Knesset’s summer session.

    As part of a deal between Netanyahu and the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox parties, the ultra-Orthodox backed the government’s judicial overhaul legislation (which brought hundreds of thousands of Israelis onto the streets to protest before October 7) in exchange for measures including the law preventing the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, and the Basic Law on Torah Study, which “grants special status to yeshiva students…”

    ARTICLE: Editorial Board (8/3/26) “Netanyahu can’t campaign against draft-evasion law he just backed.” The Jerusalem Post.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

    Sam Clemens

  • NETANYAHU CANT CAMPAIGN AGAINST LAW HE JUST SUPPORTED

    apple.news/ASvwvgqu6Rri3k_lTbml79Q

  • Cuba

    Sunday morning 2 August 2026

    TOPICS:

    · The Democratic Party

    · DSA

    · Cuba

    · Israel

    · Trump: Biggest Scam Artist EVER

    · Trump: Putin’s Puppet

    · Russia

    · Ukraine

    · Podcasts

    · Books

    · Art

    · Life with Nine Cats

    It is smothering hot outside. I just tried to go for a walk. No-go. I can’t believe the cats put up with it. They stayed outside for over an hour.

    A report which appears to be the brainchild of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presents Cuba, in the throws of a humanitarian crisis caused by U.S. sanctions and fuel blockades, as a major threat.

    The report, published Monday, without an author, says Cuba is the “capital of 21st century communism,” ideologically immovable, and a permanent enemy committed to the destruction not just of the U.S. but also of “Western civilization” through the spread of something called “third Worldism.”

    The report is described as “feverish paranoia” by the publication, the Intercept. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) went on a fact-finding trip to Cuba recently, and his reaction to the report was: “It may be the stupidest, most fantastical, most biased thing I’ve ever read from a governmental agency.” “…the State Department uses this report to say that this impoverished nation is responsible for everything from Black lives Matter to Antifa the anti-ICE protests and more.”

    Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) said that the report was aimed at manufacturing consent for an invasion of the island and to crack down on dissent at home. Ramirez told the Intercept: “This report was intentionally designed to instill fear of the Cuban people and to justify a military attack on Cua….while criticizing the regime in Cuba, it instead attacks Americans’ constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly.”

    Cuba, the report says, is “less a nation-state than an all-encompassing intelligence and subversion operation, focused around its existential revolution against the United States.”

    The report lists a slew of left-wing groups and individuals as accomplices of a Cuban intelligence operation. The list includes the DSA, Code Pink, Karen Bass and Hasan Piker.

    The report implied that exchange programs and partnerships with U.S. universities functioned as feeding grounds for Cuban agents looking to recruit spies and fellow travelers.

    Rep. Ramirez said that the reports notion of Cuba as a central node in some threatening conspiracy

    was a “fiction.”

    Ramirez’ voice was on the verge of tears as she described the humanitarian crisis she witnessed in Cuba. Ramirez said: “…what I witnessed was a war on the Cuban people by the United Sates and specifically by Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.

    Article: Horowitz, Noah (7/26/26) “Rubio’s Paranoid Cuba report designed to “justify a military attack on Cuba,” says Democratic rep. The Intercept.

    Additional Articles

    Haltiwanger, John, et. al., (7//2026) “Is Cuba Trump’s next target?” Foreign Policy.

    “House Democrats return from Cuba visit, decry Trump’s sanctions on the communist island.” The Washington Times.

    “Trump administration attacks U.S. left, alleging Cuba ties: key takeaways. Aljazeera.

    “Waltz clashes with Rep. Jackson on Cuba () CBS News.

    “US sends food for Cuban residents while still pressuring island’s government. () Apple News.

    “Why the State Department’s new report on Cuba matters. () Washington Examiner.

    () “Caritas starts distributing US humanitarian aid in 2 towns near Havana.

    Acosta, Deborah () “Cuban-Americans who lost property in 1959 revolution seek compensation.” The Wall Street Journal.

    () “Cuba will not be starved into submission. The Nation.

    () “Marco Rubio’s Cuba fantasies are more dangerous than they seem. The Nation.

    () “Former Cuba police officer alleges retaliation in whistleblower lawsuit.” KOAT7

    () “The U.S.-imposed fuel crisis in Cuba is inhumane and immoral. The mirror

    Gamez Torres, Nora () “U.S. targets Cuba’s medical missions, energy companies and GAESA with new sanctions. The Island Packet.

    Associated Press (7/26/27) “Raul Castro absent as Cuba celebrates important anniversary. Politico.

    Di Martino, Daniel (7/25/26) “Cuba may pay for incubating far-left terror attacks and dissidents across the United States. The New York Post.

    Laffer, Arthur and Stephen Moore (7/27/26) “Trump can finish what 12 presidents failed to do in Cuba. The Washington Times.

    ___ (7/28/26) “We can’t be intimidated: Code Pink slams Rubio-led campaign against Cuba solidarity groups. Democracy Now.

    WLRN News Staff () “Estamos conectados: New film documentary chronicles persecution and triumph of exiled Cuban artist. WLR South Florida.

    Bruneau, Leon and Gerard Martinex ( ) “Secretary of State Rubio’s obsession with Cuba is part of his American dream.” AFP.

    ( ) “Petro urges Trump to hold talks, calls for averting US invasion of Cuba. AFP.

    Diaz, Rigoberto ( ) “Five of Cuba’s 15 provinces without power as grid fails again. AFP.

    Saperstein, Danya (8/2/26) Cuban spy one of U.S.’s biggest intelligence failures, Rubio says, accuses Cuba of funding protesters. The Jerusalem Post.

    Crozier, Hudson (7/31/26) “Elite U.S. schools cozy with Cuban university linked to ‘intelligence network’” The Washington Examiner.

    “The disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 aimed to force Marxist revolutionaries such as Che Guevara from power in Cuba.” History Extra Magazine.

    Kemp, Danny (7/ /2026) “Rubio got Cuba, but Vance got Iran: Trump auditions his successors.” The New World.

    Lopez, George A. (7/28/26) “US siege on Cuba is making a terrible situation worse.” USA Today.

    Starling, Mike (7/30/26) “Cuba tourism crisis: An industry brought to ‘almost total analysis’” Euronews.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN OVER-EDUCATED CHILDLESS OLD LADY (ACCORDING TO J. F….ING D. VANCE) BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE SUB-BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK.

    The magnificent Jake da Mouth
    Jake trying to get early breakfast

  • TRUMP SCAMS, ISRAEL

    Sunday 2 August 2026

    Saturday afternoon, 8/1/26

    TRUMP: SCAMS

    Trump’s fascination with Arctic Icebreakers, which he views as crucial in dominating the Atlantic (or so we are told), led him to make a deal for 11 icebreakers worth almost $7 billion. The contract was to be awarded without competitive bidding (just like the Reflecting Pool and we see how that turned out).

    1) The first four ships are to be built in Finland, which would require waving a law that prohibits the constructure o national security vessels overseas. (Note: It is easy to see why this law exists and it has just cost us an enormous amount of money refitting and refitting again the Quatar Air Force One plane “given” to Trump). There is also a recent $1.3 billion deal to build a migrant detention center.)

    2) This is twice the number of icebreakers the Coast Guard says we need.

    3) There is evidently no plan to pay for the infrastructure required to support the new ships or the crews to sail them.

    4) Much of it is thought to be set to come from “money set aside for border security in the Republicans’’ spending las passed last year, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which gave the administration wide latitude to pour billions into its priorities with little oversight.” (Note: Quote from article).

    Article: Flavelle, Christopher, et. al., (8/1/26) “Trump’s fixation on Arctic ships led to billions in no-bid contracts.” New York Times.

    LIFE NOTES

    The afternoon gradually darkened and now, the live oaks and the Spanish Moss are dancing in the wind. I think that was the cushion for the upstairs patio sofa that just took off on a jolly ride across the yard. But, the brave little squirrel is still hunkered down just outside the bedroom window, calculating his chances of eating more seeds before he takes off.

    I suppose the boy cats, the mob of six, is still out on the downstairs catio, keeping an eye on the weather to see if they should move in. Jake da Mouth, former cat mob boss and accountant, used to get really spooked when it stormed, especially when there was thunder. He would retreat immediately to the upstairs walk-through closet, one of the only rooms in the house with no windows. But, seven years later, he’s not so worried that he is going to be swept away by the rain or electrocuted by the lightning. He watches, mildly interested and moves into a chair in the library, but he doesn’t get scared. That’s a victory for us.

    There comes the rain, ah, and the thunder. I had better go downstairs and check on them.

    Everybody is alright. The males ganged up on me in the kitchen – five of them, and then Myra came wandering in, so I gave up. It’s a rainy dark Saturday so why not eat supper early and find a place to sleep out the rest of the afternoon. They get treats and kibble at 8 PManyway. They certainly will not starve to death.

    Trump is going to ruin the economy before we get him out of there, if we ever get him out of there.

    Podcast: The Times of Israel Daily Briefing (8/1/26) “Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz: Nothing is black and white in Israel’s religious societies.”

    Different religious and cultural groups in Israel. Two of them are crucial in October’s election.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN OVER-EDUCATED, CHILDLESS OLD CAT LADY (PER J. F…ING D. VANCE) BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE SUBBASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK

    · National religious or Modern orthodox is a group that comprises about 13,14 percent of Israel. These are people who are religious, but orthodox religious, they are part of Israeli life.

    · They work. They serve in the army, or they do volunteer jobs in the gap between high school and college. Most of this group are right-wing. For a long time they were a swing group, could go with the right or left. But this ended a few years ago and now they are consistently on the right side of the political map.

    · Some of the schools teach boys and girls together and others do not. More and more high schools (not so much elementary) are separating gender. They are not just doing religious study, they are also studying sciences and English and modern topics. Many will go on to be lawyers, doctors.

    · Politically and culturally, they have to make decisions about when they are part of the modern Democratic world and when they are religious Jews, or Orthodox Jews.

    · Take the settler movement. There is the Mitzvah, the commandment to settle the land. About half of the settlers are ultra-Orthodox, most of the others are religious. And there are also secular and traditional groups that are part of the settlements.

    · Some people go to the settlements because it is more convenient, bigger houses, gardens and so on. For others it is an ideological move in order to declare Jews as living and holding parts of Israel. Some of the land was bought, and some of it was taken after the Six-Day War. This is a way of holding the land and making sure it stays Jewish and not Arab.

    · Difficult moral questions arise, for example, when you have an Arab family that has left land they inhabited for generations and now wants it back. The question must be what is moral, not just what is legal. “we see a lot of immoral behavior in these areas. And it’s problematic to democracy, but it’s also problematic to Judaism.” You must be a moral person. It is a conflict with liberal values, “but also with the Jewish values.”

    · For the people who moved for ideological reasons, they believe that it is a commandment to move for ideological reasons and they would give priority to the mitzvot. Have they become a new kind of national theological movement? Can they be still considered as part of the national religious movement?

    · There is a triangle – the land if Israel, the people of Israel and the Israeli and the Jewish Torah. There are people declaring themselves religious but doing things which contradict the Torah.

    · There are three parties which reflect the national religious ethos – Religious Zionist Party led by Bezalel Smotrich; Otzma Yudit led by Itamar Ben Gvir; Noam Party, Avi Maoz (the very homophobic single man leading that party which is irrelevant).

    · These parties are making alliances with ultra-Orthodox parties and letting them go without participating in the military just to stay in power. What kind of morality is that?

    · There are different types of settlements, and the Israeli people see different settlements for what they are. There can be a lot of left-wing voters and central voters in those settlements.\

    · This is an interview with Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz.

    · Haredi (referred to as Hasidic in the U.S.) composes about 12-14% of the Israeli population. Around a third are Sephardic Haredim, another third is Hasidic and another third is Lithuanian.

    · And there is a small Haredi modern faction.

    · These are people committed to living according to the Torah. Most of them are not trying to be part of modern life. They do not see Zionism and the “foundation of the Israeli state as something important…” “It is like being in exile just in the Holy Land in their ways.” This group is becoming larger and larger.

    · There are on average six children per family and the mothers are the providers. They are the ones working and providing for the house. The men are mainly just learning Jewish studies.

    · They learn in private schools funded by the state. They are not studying the state curriculum, however. Only half the men are part of the workforce. They, however, earn very low salaries because they have no skills. And, they learn a very strict gender separation. So when they’re 18, they have had no regular schooling and know nothing about the army.

    · If they go into the army they will be considered as leaving their community. They live in poverty by choice.

    · So, half of this ultra-Orthodox community is under the age of 19 and increasingly exponentially with no skills. So, Israel has a big problem with sustaining this model.

    · The Haredi people are saying we are willing to live in poverty to live our way of life.

    · But it’s the secular and the religious and the traditional Jews that are funding this way of life. Once this was a very small group. It is no longer. Many point out that if the Haredi were willing to go on their own like the Amish, it might be alright. But even Arabs in Israel are paying for their lifestyle.

    · There are three main points 1) the country needs the contribution of all the people, 2) It’s unfair, a matter of equality, and 3) It’s an unfair interpretation of the Torah.

    · The Haredim argue that they are shouldering the burden of security because God will provide for a country where there are people learning the Torah.

    · For many years, the Haredim thought that the secular Jews would become, after coming to Israel, Haredi. The secular Jews thought the Haredim would join the modern life and become secular. They both now realize that this is not going to happen.

  • ISRAEL AND TRUMP SCAMS

    Saturday 1 August 2026

    ISRAEL

    Trump announced an agreement for Hamas to disarm and Israel to pull out of Gaza. Now, there is disagreement on both sides about what was actually agreed to.

    Article: Ayyoub, Abeer (8/1/26) “Latest Gaza Peace plan runs up against reality. Wall Street Journal.

    Hamas is demanding that Israel withdraw from Gaza before it disarms.

    Article: NPR Staff (7/31/36) “Trump announces deal…” NPR.

    TRUMP: SCAMS

    The Justice Department is going to dismiss a criminal case against a former Olympian for deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool. A court filing showed that the damage was the result of a botched installation by the contractor partically in a “rush to complete the project.” (Note: Quote from report).

    Article: Tucker, Eric (7/31/26) Justice Department moves to drop case…” AP News.

    TRUMP: MISMANAGEMENT

    Trump, of course, blamed the hacking of water utilities in Minnesota on Gov. Tim Walz. U.S. and industry officials, however, suspect that Iran is behind an expanding campaign of digital disruption that is spreading to at least seven other states. Walz responded by pointing out that “this is what modern warfare looks like.”

    Note: Successful hacking of essential infrastructure is a nightmare. Instead of spending time trying to figure out who to blame (besides himself) Trump should be trying to protect us from this and future hacks which are guaranteed to occur.

    Article: Sakelladariadis, John (7/31/26) “Trump blames Minnesota…” Politico.

    The breach in Minnesota happened days after U.S. officials publicly warned that Iran-backed hackers were targeting the nation’s critical infrastructure amid the escalating military conflict with Iran.

    Article: Arkin, Daniel, et. al. (7/31/26) “Hackers target…” NBC News.

    TRUMP: MISMANAGEMENT

    ISRAEL

    Use of the Iron Dome air defense system, paid for by the United States, is bound by an agreement with Israel which gives Israel final say over the system’s use. (Note: Netanyahu vetoed its transfer to Ukraine.)

    Rather than seeing this as a mistake, or an unnecessary agreement, Republicans are now looking to expand that relationship to encompass a “range of technological areas, including bioweapons, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and directed energy systems.”

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen pointed out that: “It compromises our sovereignty and hurts our national security by limiting our options.” In an interview, Van Hollen noted: “The missile systems we wanted to transfer to Ukraine were stationed in the southwest U.S and paid for by U.S. taxpayers, but Israel vetoed it.”

    Marco Rubio supports the idea of a closer partnership with Israel.

    (Note: This is part of the defense budget now before Congress. The agreement is an insane blending of the security services of Israel and the United States. It is receiving almost no coverage in the legacy media.)

    Leading proponents of the measure include Republicans Mike Rogers (Alabama), Sen. Ted Budd (North Carolina), and Ronny Jackson (Texas) (Note: The ambien handing-out doctor who used to be Trump’s personal physician).

    The measure is viewed by Republicans as a way of continuing U.S. support of Israel even if Congress chooses to discontinue the $3.8 billion in aid the U.S. sends to Israel every year.

    Earlier in the year, over 100 Democrats voted to end all U.S. aid to Israel.

    Josh Paul, a former State Department official who resigned during the Biden administration in protest over the war in Gaza, noted that this bill would undermine distancing of Israel from the U.S. By promoting defense production in the United States and creating jobs, it makes it harder for Congress to vote against appropriations. In addition, Paul said, “Israel could also retain leverage over the U.S. because Israeli technologies would be integrated into future U.S. weapons systems.”

    Van Hollen said that he worries that Israel could block third party transfers to even more types of U.S. weapons.

    (Note: This provision is part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is likely to be voted on around the time of the midterms.)

    Article: Hudson, John (7/31/26) “House push to integrate defense industries of Israel, U.S. draws scrutiny.” The Washington Post.

    OTHER ARTICLES

    Gurley, Lauren Kaori (7/31/26) “Airports, nursing homes and schools brace for disruption without Haitian workers.” The Washington Post.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

  • Ruins by a Forest Pathway Greeting Card by Christina Johns

    Purchase a greeting card featuring the painting “Ruins by a Forest Pathway” by Christina Johns. A serene scene features a rustic gate amidst lush greenery. A curious black cat sits near the gate, adding to the tranquil atmosphere.
    — Read on fineartamerica.com/featured/ruins-by-a-forest-pathway-christina-johns.html

  • THE TRUMP SCAM MACHINE AND ISRAEL

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN OVER-EDUCATED, ELDERLY, RED-HEADED CHILDLESS CAT LADY (PER J. F. F…ING VANCE) BEAVERING AWAY IN ONE OF THE COLD SUB-BASEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY OF SNARK.

    TRUMP: THE MOST CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION EVER

    Article: Roebuck, Jeremy (7/29/260 “Blanche’s attorney general nomination paused as 2 Republicans hold out. Washington Post.

    · The delay in the vote for Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General was announced just hours before it was to take place. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) insisted that the administration provide in writing guarantees regarding the Trump IRS settlement. The first guarantee involved a $1.8 billion taxpayer pool of money to compensate people who claim to have been victims of political prosecutions. Even though Blanche pledged publicly that the administration would not go ahead with the fund after bipartisan objections, he refused to put this in writing.

    · The second guarantee involved the time period coered by the ‘get out of jail free’ tax coverage. Blanche has continued to maintain that the Justice Department “will honor…” a provision of the bill that “purported to shield Trump, his family, and their business from past tax claims…” but is refusing to stipulate what is covered exactly in the future.

    · NOTE: Both proposals are outrageous and in any other administration would never be considered in any form. To be arguing about the particulars says so much about how far down the political structure has fallen.

    · No doubt, Blanche didn’t sell his soul to become acting Attorney General, but he could remain in this position until the end of Trump’s term.

    ISRAEL: ANTISEMITISM

    Article: Andrews, Frank (7/29/26) “2025 was the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks outside Israel in 3 decades…” CBS News.

    · According to a study from the J7 Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, more than 90% of the Jewish diaspora lives in the countries of Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and U.K. and the U.S.

    · In these seven countries, the J7 group documented over 23,000 antisemitic incidents.

    · A group with purported links to Iran, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous) promised to “keep threatening U.S. and Israeli interests…until they had “…avenged every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations.”

    · The J7 report called the surge in violence in the seven countries “the new normal.”

    Article: Braunstein, Mellissa Langsam (7/16/26) “Fighting the new antisemitism.” National Review.

    · In a recent poll published by the Manhattan Institute, 26% of Republican voters younger than 50 “believe that Jews receive too much favorable treatment.”

    · According to the report of the poll, “…54 percent of Republican men and 39 percent of Republican women under 50 said that “the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe.”

    · “Among Democrats, 24% of 18–29-year-olds agree that “the Holocaust…was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe.””

    LIFE NOTES

    It’s cooler than usual this morning which is a blessed relief. I came down at around 3 AM and worked for a few hours with Popsicle Pete flopped down next to me. There is something so comforting about having a cat beside you when you work. While you are paused, thinking, you can run your hand down his so soft orange and white fur while he pats his tail on the daybed.

    BOOKS: POLITICS

    Unger, Craig (2024) “Den of spies: Reagan, Carter, and the secret history of the treason that stole the white house.”

    As Unger notes in the Prologue of his book, “Den of Spies: “I’d been unable to get out of my head about a covert operation in which the Reagan-Bush campaign made a secret deal with Iran that sabotaged the 1980 presidential election.” It was “a hall of mirrors designed to obscure the truth, it was a case study in his to hijack American foreign policy, steal the presidency, and get away with it.”

  • Israel and treason LIFE AND NEWS NOTES. BY CHRISTINA J JOHNS

    Wednesday 28 July 2026

    It is beautiful this morning. The wind is blowing and the Live Oak branches and the Spanish Moss are wafting across the luminous moon.

    Oh Good Grief. Morning Joe is showcasing Joe Machin this morning. Great, after spending almost the entire show yesterday dissing the Democratic Party. Great. Now Joe is arguing that it’s hard to see if the Democrats have what it takes when you see all their advantages and the fact that some polls show them not way out in front of Trump.

    I do not know why I start every morning of the week with this schizophrenic. I told Mike yesterday when he got up and trailed downstairs to join the kitties and I in the library that Joe Scarborough could make me madder than Trump. This is a campaign by the Republicans, the Never-Trumpers and the centrist Democrats to ruin what little momentum there is in the party and this momentum is coming from the left.

    It reminds me so much of Bernie Sanders’ run. They all come together (Joy Reid and most of the MSNBC commentators) doing their darndest to ruin the left, anybody on the left. This new resurgence is driving them crazy. They are driving me crazy and they are going to lose this coming election for us.

    I am not f…ing listening to Joe Machin. Sleazy, mercenary, traitorous Republican.

    Article: Shtrasler, Nehemia (7/17/26) “Israel needs a ballot-box revolution to rid itself of Netanyahu.” Haaretz.

    LIFE AND NEWS NOTES

    · Sounds familiar?

    · “Despite his obvious responsibility for the October 7th, 2023 debacle. Despite his failure in managing the war and despite the deaths. Of 1080 civilians. And 964 soldiers. Benjamin Netanyahu did the impossible and completed a four year term. Netanyahu did so not because he’s a political magician. But rather because he’s an unscrupulous crook ready to pay any price. He’s even willing to destroy his country and its democracy to remain in power.”

    · As Shtr points out, the judiciary has no police. In fact, Netanyahu recently announced that he will not obey the Israeli High Court of Justice. This week he passed a law “weakening the attorney general’s authority.”

    · This week leading up to a supposed election, he has made another “corrupt alliance” with the ultra-Orthodox giving them everything they wanted: 1) the Basic Law on Torah Study (making them superior to secular Jews, 2) the law halting arrests of draft dodgrs (against which the Hih Court issued a temporary injunction) and 3) the law torpedoing kashrut reform.” He also gave out handouts of several hundred millions of shekels to yeshiva students and Haredi education. He is, Shtrasler writes, “absolutely unfit to be prime minister.”

    · The IDF chief of staff’s warning that the army will collapse from a shortage of soldiers didn’t seem to bother him. His sons have even changed their names to avoid the shame.

    · Israelis consider their position as being a “vassal of the United States.” Israel has lost the support of the Democratic party and even some of the Republican party.

    · There has been an increase in domestic violence. Emigration has increased. The very existence of Israel is threatened if doctors, engineers, mathematicians and high-tech professionals leave.

    · He has turned Israel into a “weak pariah state”

    · (Note: Remember that before October 7, hundreds of thousands of Israelis were in the streets protesting Netanyahu’s attempts to weaken the judicial system.

    Article: Ravid, Barak (7/16/26) “Inside Bibi’s mystery Trump meeting.” Axios.

    · “Our impression was that Bibi was trying to will a meeting into existence.” One official told Axois.

    · The entire series of events where Netanyahu tried and failed to secure a meetingn with Trump demonstrates “Netanyahu’s increasingly precarious standing in Washington.”

    Article: Solomon, Feliz (7/20/26) “The clock is now ticking on Netanyahu…” Wall Street Journal.

    · The vote in Israel is scheduled for late October.

    · Former army chief and political newcomer Gadi Eisenkot is Netanyahu’s biggest challenge. His centrist party, Yashar, is polling roughly equal with Likud.

    (Note: So many times when I’m writing some notes about Netanyahu, I think about a student I had years ago who got an interview for a job at NPR as a newsperson. We were thrilled and I couldn’t wait until she finished up and phoned to tell me when she would start. It was a shocker. She phoned, but she was irate. When I finally got through all the anger, I found out that first of all, she had worn a halter top and low cut pants to the interview. She sent me a photo. But the real kicker was that she didn’t know how to pronounce Netanyahu. They told her that she would be expected to pronounce correctly all the names of important people in the news to have the job. SHE OBJECTED. She told them that Netanuahu was not part of her culture and she should not be expected to know how to pronounce his name or the names of other world leaders if they were not part of “her culture.” Oy vey. I remember sitting at my desk with my head in my hands. Twenty-five years later, Netanyahu is more in the news than ever.)

    · Both are projected to win 20 seats, far short of the 61 needed to form a government. If neither party wins enough votes, Netanyahu will stay leading a caretaker government “keeping him in power even if he doesn’t win.”

    · In order to try to form a coalition, Netanyahu has rushed through a slate of divisive laws designed to cater to the far right and the Ultra Orthodox parties.

    · The new legislation, according to critics (Note: according to critics? It either does or it doesn’t) “The new legislation could curb. The power of the judiciary give the government greater influence over the media. And effectively exempt haredi men from mandatory military service..”

    · Opinions of the Attorney General are currently binding, but a new law set to take effect in January allows the government to disregard some opinions of the AG.

    · Another law enshrines Torah study as a “fundamental value under Israel’s Basic Laws. This bolsters the argument against military conscription of the ultra-Orthodox. A separate order seeks to stop the ability of the government to arrest ultra-Orthodox Haredi “who refuse to complete compulsory military service.”

    · (Note: Joe Scarborough: “The Republicans will do whatever it takes to win. The Democrats will do whatever it takes to lose.”)

    Article: Shipigel, Noa (7/19/26) The four defining failures of Netanyahu’s coalition…” Haaretz.

    · “By the time Netanyahu’s government leaves office, Israel will no longer be the country it was.”

    · This Knesset ended by “…passing a law that undermines the principle of equality and explicitly discriminates between one person’s blood and another’s.”

    · During these final years, “…it steadily Emptied itself. Of power and stature. The opposition was silenced, the coalition became little more than a rubber stamp for the government, and the government pursued its agenda largely unchecked under a prime minister’s standing trial on criminal charges.”

    · Haaretz outlines four defining characteristic of this last term. The Netanyahu government “fundamentally transformed Israel.”

    · The 2023 plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary included Abolishing the reasonable this standard. Introducing an override clause that would allow a majority of 61 MKS to overturn Supreme Court rulings. Politicizing the Judicial Appointments Committee and implementing other sweeping changes.”

    · Defense Minister Yoav Gallant opposed the changes and was subsequently fired, only to be reinstated after public protests. The public protests grew larger, but the government took no heed.

    · Then, ten months later came the October 7 massacre. “After a brief period of paralysis, during which civil society organizations stepped in to fill functions the state had abandoned, the coalition resumed pursuing the same agenda. Neither the war with Hezbollah nor the war with Iran slowed it down. Judicial overhaul bills returned to the Knesset one after another, all aimed at weakening the judiciary. Professional gatekeepers and the system of checks and balances. Along the way. Came efforts to trample press freedom. Weaken civil society organizations, target government critics, restrict freedom of expression, and strengthen anti-liberal values.”

    · In the final days of the Knesset, they approved legislation allowing gender segregation in graduate-degree programs. Then, they passed a bill allowing greater control over public broadcasting.

    · “Once there is an external enemy, anyone who opposes the government is portrayed as helping that enemy.”

    Article: Hauser, Michael (7/19/26) “Netanyahu threatens to cancel Likud primary amid Iran escalation.” Haaretz.

    · Netanyahu is trying to tighten control over his party’s Knesset slate. He is making efforts to cancel the primary and personally determine the placement of Knesset candidates on the Likud list.

    Article: Lis, Jonathan (7/22/26) “Netanyahu rejects October 7‘treason’ theory, says security failures must be investigated. Haaretz.

    · In a study conducted in late 2025, it was revealed that 56.7 percent of coalition voters believe that “some Israelis knew ahead of time about Hamas’ attack or enabled it.”

    · “Nearly 50 percent of coalition voters believe that former Israeli security officials helped Hamas in order to overthrow Netanuahy, while slightly more than 20 percent reject this theory.

    · “Among opposition voters 23% believe that Israelis enabled the attack. In the public as a whole, the rate of those believing in the treason from within theory nears 50%.”

    qw