Drudge Retort: Oneironaut's blog

Water main breaks raises concerns over infrastructure

oneironaut — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:18:39 -0400

A series of water main breaks across Los Angeles in recent days is raising concerns about the city's aging infrastructure and whether more failures could occur. Crews continued working to repair the massive trunk line that ruptured Thursday in West Hollywood, leaving behind a large sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard. The break is the latest in a string of water main failures that have flooded streets, damaged homes and businesses, closed roadways and disrupted water service. In Studio City, an 8-inch water main failed, flooding a street and temporarily leaving about 60 customers without water while crews completed repairs.

Nicaraguan Leader Says He Plans to Abolish Elections

oneironaut — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 07:33:07 -0400

President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua said on Sunday that he would abolish his nation's elections ...

Canadian Wildfires Force Millions in US Indoors

oneironaut — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 22:30:13 -0400

Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. on Thursday from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast ...

CA Forever loses shipyard to TX

oneironaut — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:21:25 -0400

"While Texas moved quickly and aggressively, California could not provide the clear, expedited approval process needed to compete. This is an enormous loss for Solano County, California workers and our state's manufacturing economy." "Joshua Arce, executive director for the California Alliance of Jobs, which represents thousands of union construction workers across the state, confirmed that "10,000 permanent jobs and thousands of union construction jobs" that would have accompanied Saronic's Port Alpha shipyard in California are headed to Texas instead. He said "state leaders failed to act with the urgency this project demanded."

Southern Blacks let down by Democrats

oneironaut — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:26:27 -0400

Black lawmakers and activists across the Deep South argue they have been abandoned by the Democratic Party to fight an existential crisis on their own. They say they've been let down by nearly all corners of the party: would be-presidential hopefuls who have flocked to early and swing states but don't bring their megaphones elsewhere; congressional leadership focused on majority-making battlegrounds while safe Black seats are drawn out; and years of chronic underfunding that has allowed local party apparatus to wither away.

Bison Throws Tourist 8-Feet Into Air

oneironaut — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 08:30:38 -0400

A tourist was seriously injured Friday evening after being thrown 8 feet into the air by a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park.

Paramount weighs leaving California

oneironaut — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:07:30 -0400

As California tries to derail Paramount's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount CEO David Ellison's friends and advisers have been pushing the media executive to consider shifting his business out of the state. Ellison's confidantes have pushed him to consider moving its corporate headquarters and reallocating much of its $30 billion in planned spending outside the state if California Attorney General Rob Bonta were to sue to stop the merger, according to people familiar with the discussions. No decisions have been made, these people said, and the considerations may just be a show of brinkmanship, given so much of the industry's production takes place outside of Hollywood already. Under the current deal, Paramount has committed to keeping both companies' lots operational if it remains in California.

NOW Egypt refuses the LGBT+ cruise boat

oneironaut — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:59:44 -0400

An LGBTQ cruise that was prohibited from stopping in Turkey earlier this week was not allowed to dock at its substitute port in Egypt on Thursday, according to the company that planned the trip. Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell, who is on Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady with nearly 2,000 passengers, called the move "really unheard of" and "strange and sad" in a message to The Washington Post. He said that the approval to dock in Alexandria was pulled at the last minute.

Another Graham Platner Allegation

oneironaut — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:31:31 -0400

A woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.

Turkey denies LGBTQ+ cruise docking, cites "moral standards"

oneironaut — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:35:11 -0400

Turkish authorities have banned a cruise ship catering to American LGBTQ+ travelers from docking in the country's ports, citing "moral standards" and "family values," the CEO of the events company behind the upcoming Mediterranean tour said Thursday. The "Athens to Venice" cruise, which departs from Greece on July 5, was expected to dock in the vibrant Turkish port town of Kuadas two days later, followed by a trip to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, which is organizing the voyage.

France Heatwave Death Toll Rises

oneironaut — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:33:21 -0400

Temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Europe on Sunday as storms moved into other areas, with France reporting 1,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave.

WC breaks attendance record before group stage even ends

oneironaut — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:03:08 -0400

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially become the most-attended tournament in the competition's history with weeks of matches still to play. FIFA announced Thursday that attendance surpassed the previous record of 3,587,538 fans set during the 1994 World Cup in the United States. By the end of Thursday's matches, total attendance had reached 3,605,357 spectators.

Earthquakes Strike Venezuela

oneironaut — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:33:50 -0400

Back-to-back earthquakes: A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck near the northern coast of Venezuela ...

Socialists Won Big in NYC & Aren't Done Winning!

oneironaut — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:46:58 -0400

With a clean sweep of electoral wins for Zohran Mamdani's endorsees and nine out of ten victories for NYC Democratic Socialists of America last night, it's clear the socialist mayor and socialist movement are major political forces to be reckoned with.

CA: new taxes affecting health insurance & software

oneironaut — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:29:44 -0400

Lawmakers in the state Senate took the final vote on these taxes on Thursday morning, sending them to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk where he's expected to sign the legislation before the end of the month. One proposal involves an increase in taxes on health plans, which experts say will raise rates for individuals with private health insurance by an average of $100 per year. This tax is expected to generate $2 billion annually to help fund Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for low-income residents. The second tax increase would impose a new sales tax on digital software, including programs like Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, Slack, and Workday. This tax, starting at 7.25%, could vary depending on the region of California where the software is purchased or used. The measure is projected to bring in approximately $900 million annually for the state's general fund.