Florida's anti-woke law restricting how lessons on race and gender can be taught in colleges and universities -- policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis -- violates the free speech rights of professors, a panel of appeals court judges ruled Tuesday. read more
The canceled USDA survey had tracked household food security for 30 years. The last report found 13.7% of US households were food insecure, a 10-year high. About 4.7 million people, or 11% of participants, have lost SNAP benefits since Trump cuts went into effect.
The robotaxi stopped, called 911, and waited for the San Mateo Police to show up. read more
Tesla CEO says work will soon be optional as AI takes over all labour. read more
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was leaving Turkey aboard an older Air Force One aircraft rather than a recently renovated Qatari-donated jet, an unexpected switch that renewed scrutiny of the costly, fast-tracked retrofit.
Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after sexual assault allegation
www.msn.com
... Democratic nominee Graham Platner said he would suspend his campaign for Senate in Maine, ending a run that had drawn broad grassroots support but was plagued by controversy.
Platner announced his exit in a video Wednesday night, in which he blamed the media and political establishment for acting as "judge, jury and executioner" and continued to fiercely deny the allegations against him.
"We are suspending campaign operations," said Platner, who added that he would file paperwork to officially withdraw from the race, giving the party the ability to put a new name on the ballot. ...
Crews work to shore up Midtown high-rise after buckling columns spark collapse scare
abc7ny.com
...Most residents who were forced to evacuate Tuesday have since been cleared to return to their homes. ...
Construction crews are continuing to install temporary supports to shore up a 37-story high-rise on Manhattan's East Side that sparked fears of a possible collapse when crews discovered buckling columns inside.
Crews worked overnight to install struts to bear the weight that caused columns to buckle and officials say the the building has not shifted since Tuesday morning.
By Wednesday, the frozen zone had shrunk and many tenants and residents were allowed back inside the evacuated buildings. Officials said 42nd Street has reopened in both directions, while East 43rd Street remains closed from Second to Third avenues. A vacate order remains in effect for five buildings. ...
Midtown Manhattan buildings evacuated after columns found buckling at high-rise construction site
abc7ny.com
... The effort to stabilize an under-construction high-rise in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday is underway and expected to last "into the night," keeping streets shut down and some buildings evacuated, officials said.
As of Tuesday evening, the prep work and staging have been completed and the installation of the temporary shoring is expected to begin soon, according to a city official.
Additionally, the official said residents in one of the evacuated buildings, 222 East 44th, have been told it is safe to return.
"We are continuing to evaluate and determine additional buildings that had been evacuated that can be repopulated," the official said. ...
The high-rise at 235 E. 42nd St., on the corner of East 42nd Street and Second Avenue, is a 1970s-era office building being converted into luxury apartments. The former global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is located in a busy corridor about a block from the landmark Chrysler Building and between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.
Around 8 a.m., construction workers noticed cracks inside the building. The FDNY say the workers spotted structural support columns beginning to buckle on the 21st and 22nd floors and self-evacuated. ...
[Videos and pictures in the article]
Platner's unraveling may keep the Senate in play for Democrats
thehill.com
... It looks like Graham Platner won't be putting oyster stew on the Senate Dining Room menu any time soon.
In the wake of the most serious allegations yet against the scandal-soaked Democratic Senate nominee -- this time that he raped an erstwhile girlfriend in 2021 -- the months-long drumbeat from party leaders to get him out of the race may yet succeed.
Platner vehemently denies the charge but given that his most recent scandals prior to the rape claim involved acknowledged misconduct in his marriage and prior relationships, he may have finally run out of goodwill among his supporters. When he posted his video dismissing the allegation, Platner was already speaking in the past tense about his candidacy and said that he would be evaluating the "best path forward."
That's candidate-ese for "I have to talk to my donors and prominent endorsers and see if they're dropping me."
Maine law gives him until July 13 to withdraw in favor of state Democrats' designated replacement. The first batch of post-primary polls in Platner's race against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) already showed him weighed down by his baggage, so if he did try to hang on, Platner would find that many of his onetime boosters -- folks who had developed an ethical relativism worthy of a Trump flak -- probably wouldn't be up for any more shucking on his behalf. ...
The smart play for Democrats, and probably Platner himself, is to try a do-over. Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who began her candidacy reluctantly, now seems like she's champing at the bit. If Platner goes quietly, Democrats could quickly get Collins and the GOP back on the defensive and keep the chance of retaking the Senate alive.
The math isn't great for Democrats. They have to win eight of 11 competitive Senate races this year to take back the Senate for the first time since 2014. ...
Trump says U.S. will win Iran war "one way or the other" as Tehran holds funeral for supreme leader
www.cbsnews.com
... President Trump said Monday the U.S. will win the Iran war "one way or the other." ...
Another view ...
Khamenei funeral signals Iran's defiance and new regional order
www.reuters.com
...Summary
- - - Khamenei's funeral becomes post-war show of defiance
- - - Sea of mourners deliver message that Iran survived
- - - Iran turns survival in war into leverage over Hormuz
- - - Hormuz now drives Tehran's strategy, not nuclear file
- - - Iran uses time, geography, leverage to reshape diplomacy
The funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was more than a national farewell. The sea of mourners in Tehran sent a message to the United States and Israel that their attempt to break the Islamic Republic had failed.
Rather than looking weakened by the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran presented itself as defiant, unified and determined to shape what comes next. ...
@#31 ... while several prominent supporters revoked their endorsements. ... ...
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Platner faces calls to withdraw after sexual assault allegation
abcnews.com
... Maine Democratic Party officials released a statement calling on Platner to withdraw as the party's nominee for Senate.
"Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today's statements take those allegations even further," party Chair Charlie Dingman, Vice Chair Imke Schessler and Exective Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a joint statement. "The Maine Democratic Party leadership stands with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation. We respect the women who made the hard decision to come forward. Speaking up is often costly."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called on Platner to withdraw and said the committee would not invest in the race if Platner doesn't. ...
Found this also. Basically the same info as above, plus ....
Trump Confidante Makes Jaw-Dropping Claim About McConnell's State
www.thedailybeast.com
... But Desiree Townsend, the journalist who first obtained a recording from emergency responders saying McConnell was unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest on June 14, wrote on X: "I have heard the same thing from my sources for days. At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to... cut him off of life support and move his body. His Capitol police detail is still here as of 3:39 p.m. ET."
"I think this whole situation surrounding Mitch McConnell just became far more serious," wrote Kylie Jane Kremer, the executive director of the MAGA organization Women for America First, in a post to X.
Later Monday night, Loomer followed up on her initial post, claiming that a White House source told her McConnell was in "organ failure." ...
Found this ...
'Mitch McConnell Is Not Coming Back:' Laura Loomer Makes Big Claim As Wife Elaine Chao's China Trip Draws Scrutiny
www.timesnownews.com
... Laura Loomer claimed on X that a source told her Sen. Mitch McConnell is "officially brain dead" and "not coming back," but the allegation has not been confirmed by McConnell's office.
Political commentator and top Trump ally Laura Loomer has claimed that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is "officially brain dead" and "not coming back," citing what she described as a "high level source close to the White House."
In a post on X, Loomer wrote, "NEW: High level source close to the White House tells me 'Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He's not coming back.'"
Neither McConnell's office nor official Senate sources have confirmed Loomer's claim. McConnell's office has not publicly commented on the allegation. ...
Graham Platner considering best path forward' in Maine Senate race after denying sexual assault claim
www.nbcnews.com
... Jenny Racicot, who once dated Platner, said he showed up at her home in 2021 and forced himself on her. Platner said the allegation is "categorically false."
Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is denying a new allegation of sexual assault, an explosive development injecting tumult into a race that is central to the Democratic Party's path to winning back the Senate.
Despite the denial, Platner said in a video that he is taking "time to reflect on the best path forward" with his candidacy, while several prominent supporters revoked their endorsements. ...
@#88 ... Plot twist: Balogun scores an own goal tonight.... ...
Another plot twist...
Mr Balogun is an American citizen because of birthright citizenship.
Folarin Balogun
en.wikipedia.org
... Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Yoruba Nigerian parents.[7][8]
His parents were living in London, and visited New York when his mother was seven months pregnant with him. Airline staff did not allow her to board the family's return flight to London due to safety concerns over the advanced state of her pregnancy, and Balogun was subsequently born in New York.[9]
He returned to the United Kingdom with his parents when he was two months old and grew up in London.[10][11][12] ...
Trump said more Covid-19 testing 'creates more cases.' (2020)
www.statnews.com