Trump will be joined in China this week by 16 chief executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook. read more
Whether it's Bigfoot, the Big Muddy Monster, creatures from the watery deep among urban legends, Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Sharp Museum wants all artists to put their best work on display in celebrating hidden or unknown animals and creatures. "Spooks or Spoofs," a national juried cryptid-themed exhibition will run Aug. 11 through Dec. 21 in the museum. All media are eligible, but artificial intelligence-generated images will not be allowed. read more
According to International Business Times, more than half a million people ponied up, pouring an estimated $59 million into Trump Mobile's coffers. But no phones have arrived, the "made in America" promises have vanished, the launch date keeps sliding back, and this week, Moneywise.com reported on a quiet change made last month to the company's terms of service. read more
Leon Panetta, who helped locate Osama bin Laden, believes the war will continue for months because the US president has few options to end it. read more
Trump and his family have repeatedly disregarded Washington's ethical guardrails aimed at preventing government officials from profiting from public office, including by pushing for more than $200 million in a separate administrative case with the Justice Department. But a settlement payment even a fraction of the size of Mr. Trump's requested $10 billion could be much larger than his other attempts at private gain, potentially doubling his net worth. read more
Here's a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months
Note to politicians: you can just do stuff regular people actually need and want and it's OK
www.theguardian.com
"When we understand string theory, we will know how the universe began. It won't have much effect on how we live, but it is important to understand where we come from and what we can expect to find as we explore."
Stephen Hawking
www.theguardian.com
Personally, I'm still stuck at the shave and a haircut two bits stage.
" ... and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Donald J. Trump to Jeffrey Epstein
www.pbs.org
I get the argument Tillis advances about how he's somehow been somehow effective in achieving ... well, you can read his side of it at time.com which is actually a pretty interesting take. Mine, however, differs. Given that Tillis is not running again and this is his last year in the Senate, why not apply some serious accelerant to that wee tinder fire you keep barely alive in a corner? Light it up, get things going, make a good goddamn difference. Is that too much to ask?*
*(Rhetorical question)
HL Mencken wrote about the tribal ancestors of these folk in his razor sharp reporting from Dayton, TN, back in 1925 during the Scopes "Monkey" Trial (see, for example, www.famous-trials.com). A few potholes may have been filled during the interim, new paint sloshed on the courthouse, but Mencken, risen today from the ashes, would find himself in familiar territory.
Nancy Jacobson os a fairly a predictable source for the piece.
A bipartisan centrist organization led by the wife of Mark Penn, the CEO of Stagwell Group that was recently a paid foreign agent for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced plans to launch a working group focused on strengthening U.S. ties in the Middle East, including with Israel.
Nancy Jacobson, the founder and CEO of No Labels, announced the initiative last week in a speech at the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit, which she co-chaired alongside Penn.
The announcement comes on the heels of a months-long period when Penn's firm and its subsidiaries conducted public relations, messaging, and research work on behalf of the Israeli government, including work that required registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Penn has said he has no formal role in No Labels, which he describes as his wife's independent project, though he remains the president of a nonprofit called The New Center, which was formerly known as the No Labels Foundation and functioned as No Labels' education arm.
From: "No Labels' Israel Push Follows Foreign Agent Work by Spouse's Firm" by Donald Shaw, Jan 20, 2026 " readsludge.com
Helipad? Who said "helipad"? I don't wanna goddamn helipad at the White House! I wanna heavy-lift, 175-acre launch pad site like at Cape Canaveral, with a 347-foot-tall Trump Launch Tower. POW, right to the moon!
~ Donald J. Trump
Lunatic