Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News

Drudge Retort

User Info

LAMPLIGHTER

Subscribe to LAMPLIGHTER's blog Subscribe

Menu

Special Features

Monday, January 12, 2026

As the Hubble Space Telescope faces the end of its mission, experts predict that it could reenter Earth's atmosphere earlier than predicted.


A reading from Plato's "Symposium" has been removed from the syllabus of a philosophy course in order to comply with revisions to Section 8.1 of Texas A&M's Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure policy, fostering national attention and online controversy.


Some in the Trump administration are reportedly concerned with the speed at which officials claimed "domestic terrorism" in the aftermath of the ICE-involved shooting death of Minnesota mom Renee Good. read more


A measles outbreak in South Carolina that began in October continues to rage, with the state health department reporting Friday that nearly 100 new cases have been identified just in the last three days. read more


The Trump administration is taking a $150 million equity stake to build the US's only big producer of gallium, a critical mineral used in satellite systems and military radar.


Comments

More from the article ...

... The Hubble Space Telescope has long been a cornerstone of our understanding of the universe, unveiling awe-inspiring images and groundbreaking data about galaxies, black holes, and the origins of cosmic structures. However, the clock is ticking on this iconic observatory, as recent studies suggest that Hubble could be on the verge of its final years.

The End of an Era: Hubble's Declining Orbit

Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has reshaped our understanding of the cosmos, capturing stunning images of distant galaxies, nebulae, and planets. Its contribution to astronomy cannot be overstated. Yet, all good things must come to an end, and as the years pass, Hubble's aging infrastructure has led to its gradual decline. One of the most pressing concerns for scientists today is the deterioration of the telescope's orbit.

While Hubble was initially launched into low Earth orbit at an altitude of around 360 miles, it has since descended to approximately 326 miles, and it continues to fall.

In a recent update from the Hubble Reentry Tracker, researchers have estimated that Hubble could reenter Earth's atmosphere as soon as 2029, with a worst-case scenario indicating a reentry date as early as 2029.

"The solar flux levels are currently longer in duration and more elevated than previously anticipated, resulting in an earlier reentry forecast for the Hubble Space Telescope if no reboost mission is conducted," says the Hubble Reentry Tracker. ...




@#2 ... four week old story to post. ...

It's older than four weeks. I've been hearing of this for months, possibly years.

Found this ...

Alberta separatism
en.wikipedia.org

... As of early 2026, Elections Alberta has approved a petition which, if garnishing enough signatures, will lead to a separation referendum. [1][2] ...

Separatism emerged in the 1930s within the Social Credit Party, which formed the Government of Alberta after the 1935 election. ...

Support for separatism spiked sharply after Pierre Trudeau became prime minister once again after the 1980 federal election. A 1981 poll by the Canada West Foundation found that 49% agreed that "Western Canadians get so few benefits from being part of Canada that they might as well go it on their own."[12] ...


The 'Sell America' market returns after DOJ's criminal probe of the Fed ------ investors
www.nbcnews.com

... The U.S. dollar fell and market barometers for interest rates rose, both trends that run directly counter to the Trump administration's affordability push. ...

I couldn't find that cartoon, but I ran across this ...

Statue of Liberty shown cuffed and arrested by immigration officials in new mural (2019)
www.theguardian.com

... A mural of the Statue of Liberty, handcuffed and slammed on the hood of a police cruiser, is drawing attention in downtown Las Vegas, a day after a top Trump administration official in charge of immigration suggested the statue's famous inscription be amended to include a test of means. ...


Former Fed chairs, Treasury chiefs condemn Trump administration's Jerome Powell probe
www.cbsnews.com

... Three former chairs of the Federal Reserve and other top former economic officials are rebuking the Department of Justice for launching an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, saying the probe will undermine the central bank's independence and hurt the U.S. economy.

The statement, posted on Substack on Monday, was signed by former Fed Chairs Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan, as well as by former Treasury Secretaries Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew, Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin.

"The reported criminal inquiry into Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell is an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine that independence," the signers of the statement said. "This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly.

President Trump has pushed the Fed to more aggressively cut interest rates, arguing that the U.S. economy would benefit from lower borrowing costs. ...


More from the article...
www.npr.org

... Find a running list of these cancellations below. ...

The list is too long to cite, scroll down a bit to see it ...

GOP angst grows over Powell investigation
www.politico.com

... A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill are expressing unease with the Justice Department's move to investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a sign that the probe could become a major inflection point over GOP lawmakers' concerns about central bank independence.

Powell announced Sunday that the DOJ is investigating him over statements to Congress about renovations of the Fed's headquarters in Washington. He said the issue was a pretext to target him in response to President Donald Trump's frustration over the Fed's hesitance to aggressively lower interest rates.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Powell critic who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement Monday that "Jerome Powell is a bad Fed Chair who has been elusive with Congress, especially regarding the overruns of the elaborate renovations of the building."

"I do not believe however, he is a criminal," he said. "I hope this criminal investigation can be put to rest quickly along with the remainder of Jerome Powell's term. We need to restore confidence in the Fed."

Separately, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Monday offered among the harshest GOP rebukes yet on X, writing that "the administration's investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion."

"If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns"which are not unusual"then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice," she said. "The stakes are too high to look the other way: if the Federal Reserve loses its independence, the stability of our markets and the broader economy will suffer." ...

The investigation is also a concern for some House Republicans. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, told POLITICO: "While I fundamentally believe Chairman Powell was late in addressing inflation under Joe Biden and has been woefully slow in lowering interest rates over the past year, the independence of the Federal Reserve is paramount and I oppose any effort to pressure them into action." ...



Cuban president responds to Trump warnings over island
www.upi.com

... Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel has responded harshly to public warnings issued by U.S. President Donald Trump as tensions between Havana and Washington escalated. ...

Daz-Canel replied on X. In a series of posts Sunday, the Cuban leader rejected the U.S. warnings and defended the country's sovereignty.

"Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do," he wrote.

With that message, Daz-Canel made clear the Cuban government will not accept external pressure or ultimatums to define its political or economic direction.

He also said the United States "has no moral authority to lecture Cuba about anything" and accused Washington of turning even human lives into a business and acting out of "rage" toward the political system chosen by the Cuban people.

Daz-Canel said the island's severe economic hardships are the result of "draconian measures of extreme suffocation" imposed by the United States for more than six decades and now being intensified.

He added that Cuba "does not attack anyone, it is attacked by the United States," and said the Cuban people are prepared to defend the country "to the last drop of blood." ...


Cartoons
www.usnews.com

It hasn't been updated yet for January, but some good cartoons there nonetheless ...

Drudge Retort
 

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy