Americans think cash rules more of the political system than it should -- a concern that crosses party lines as midterm spending is projected to once again shatter records.
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources said, in a tactical shift after weeks of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the U.S.-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
Introducing Moltbook, an AI-only social network: Launched in January 2026, the Reddit-like platform lets autonomous agents post, comment, and interact while humans observe. Agents share more than jokes and code: Posts range from bug fixes and workflows to leaked credentials and even an AI-created religion.
Three children have died in Connecticut after overdosing on diphenhydramine, commonly sold as Benadryl. read more
A measles outbreak in Buckingham County, Va., has grown to nearly 90 confirmed cases. State health officials are asking anyone who may be sick or who is not vaccinated to avoid large gatherings.
@#8
and ...
Georgia's GOP House Speaker says vote-by-mail system would be 'devastating to Republicans' (April 2020)
thehill.com
..."... a multitude of reasons why vote by mail in my view is not acceptable," [Georgia state House Speaker David] Ralston went on, before adding "the president said it best, this will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia." ...
"The things they had in there were crazy. They had things, levels of voting that if you ever agreed to, you would never have a Republican elected in this country again," Pres Trump said...
@#7 ... They will prevent counting actual votes? How obscene. ...
I have not said anything about counting actual votes.
What I have said was about the apparent prevention of those votes being cast.
For example ...
U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down North Carolina's Voter ID Law (2016)
www.npr.org
...The appeals court noted that the North Carolina Legislature "requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices" -- then, data in hand, "enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans."[emphasis mine]
The changes to the voting process "target African Americans with almost surgical precision," the circuit court wrote, and "impose cures for problems that did not exist."
The appeals court suggested that the motivation was fundamentally political -- a Republican legislature attempting to secure its power by blocking votes from a population likely to vote for Democrats....
@#161
Yup.
Kudos to S&P for not placing SPCX in the S&P 500.
SpaceX blocked from early U.S. benchmark index entry as S&P reaffirms existing rules
www.cnbc.com
As I noted on a back-page thread ...
Local coverage ...
Knicks win first NBA title in 53 years
abc7ny.com
... For the first time in 53 years, New York rules the NBA. Brunson scored 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
The Knicks won the series 4-1, rallying from double-digit deficits in all four of those victories. The deficit was 16 on Saturday night. Brunson and the Knicks were never fazed. ...
Local coverage ...
Knicks win first NBA title in 53 years
abc7ny.com
... For the first time in 53 years, New York rules the NBA.
Brunson scored 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
The Knicks won the series 4-1, rallying from double-digit deficits in all four of those victories.
The deficit was 16 on Saturday night.
Brunson and the Knicks were never fazed. ...
@#9
Agreed.
But then there's things like this ...
Trump plans to accept plane to replace Air Force One from Qatar as personal gift (2025)
www.wcnc.com
... For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer.
"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer," the Republican told reporters on Monday. "I could be a stupid person and say, No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'"
Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.
"This is unprecedented," said Jessica Levinson, a constitutional law expert at Loyola Law School. "We just haven't tested these boundaries before."
Trump tried to tamp down some of the opposition by saying he wouldn't fly around in the gifted Boeing 747 when his term ends. Instead, he said, the $400 million plane would be donated to a future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece.
"It would go directly to the library after I leave office," Trump said. "I wouldn't be using it." ...
@#6 ... Subtle difference ...
Yeah, subtle or technical?
US begins preparing Qatari jet to be used as Air Force One (2025)
www.bbc.com
... News that the US was accepting the Qatari plane earlier this year sparked fierce and immediate backlash from both sides of the US political spectrum - including from Trump's conservative base.
"I think the technical term is 'skeezy'," said conservative Daily Wire commentator Ben Shapiro on his podcast.
"Qatar is not allegedly giving President Trump a $400m jet out of the goodness of their sweet little hearts," he said. "They try to stuff money into pockets in totally bipartisan fashion."
Laura Loomer, an influential right-wing social media influencer, has said that accepting the plane would be a "stain" on the administration. ...
@#2
But more to what I see as the point of your comment ...
The Emoluents Clause in the Constitution.
What Is the Emoluments Clause?
www.britannica.com
... The emoluments clause, also called the foreign emoluments clause, is a provision of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 8) that generally prohibits federal officeholders from receiving any gift, payment, or other object or service of value from a foreign state or its rulers, officers, or representatives. ...
@#18 ... FIFA ...
FIFA
en.wikipedia.org
... The Fdration Internationale de Football Association[a] (FIFA;[b] lit.'International Association Football Federation'[6]) is an international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. ...
FIFA is a sports governing body that organizes association football events all over the world. FIFA outlines several objectives in its organisational statutes, including growing the game internationally, ensuring it is accessible to everyone, and advocating for integrity and fair play.[7]
It is responsible for organising and promoting association football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup which began in 1930, and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991.
Although FIFA does not solely set the laws of the game, that being the responsibility of the International Football Association Board of which FIFA is a member, it applies and enforces the rules across all FIFA competitions.[8]
All FIFA tournaments generate revenue from sponsorships; in 2022, FIFA had revenues of over US$5.8 billion, ending the 2019"2022 cycle with a net positive of $1.2 billion, and cash reserves of over $3.9 billion.[9] ...
@#1
moltbook
www.moltbook.com
... A Social Network for AI Agents
Where AI agents share, discuss, and upvote. Humans welcome to observe.
...
U.S. Measles Cases Hit Highest Level Since Declared Eliminated in 2000 (2025)
publichealth.jhu.edu
... The United States surpassed a milestone in reported measles cases, with 2025 now having the most cases since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 and the most cases in more than three decades. ...
@#4 ... See you in another 50 years. ...
OK, I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of professional "sports."
imo, they, like most professional sports, are a profit-making business that exploits their employees.
That view aside ...
One thing I noticed was Pres Trump's sleepy attendance at a game, and how his snoozing seemed to have affected the outcome of the game.
The Knicks team seemed to be grateful for his attendance, but when he seemed to have fallen asleep, he showed his actual level of interest to the Knicks team.
And their game suffered.