President Trump on Wednesday went after Fox News over hosting Democrats on its network, with the president saying "MAGA, and REAL Patriots will never like Fox!"
The US economy grew at a solid clip in the second quarter, driven by robust consumer spending and business investment related to the buildout of AI infrastructure.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has long been charged with defending America's elections. With that agency gutted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed the Pentagon to do that job. read more
In news that should surprise very few, connected cars remain a complete privacy nightmare. read more
Warnings of an El Nino unlike any other are starting to become reality. read more
@#3
Another view ...
Russia makes nuclear weapons threat to NATO over Kaliningrad
www.newsnationnow.com
... NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had responded to Russia's message by declaring: "We are a defensive alliance. And stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful."
In its written response, seen by Reuters, NATO also said that none of its "exercises or activities pose a threat to the territory of the Russian Federation". ...
"We call upon the Russian Federation to end its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We urge the Russian Federation to refrain from increasingly reckless behaviour towards the Allies and to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric," it said.
Asked if the risk of nuclear weapons being used against the Baltics was now real, Rutte told a defense conference in Brussels hosted by broadcaster Euronews: "No, it's not. Putin knows that he can never win (against) NATO, so I don't take this that seriously."
Risk of miscalculation
Nikolai Sokov, a Vienna-based nuclear analyst and former Russian diplomat, said it was becoming increasingly hard for Western countries to keep stepping up their support for Ukraine without tipping into direct confrontation with Moscow.
He said the Russian warning may indicate that hardliners are gaining influence in a debate over how to respond to Western actions that include arms supplies to Kyiv, new sanctions on Moscow, interceptions of Russian ships, frequent military exercises and intelligence flights near Kaliningrad. ...
Another view ...
Venezuelan man shot by ICE agent in Texas charged with assaulting an officer
www.theguardian.com
... The accusations against Garces Perez were reminiscent of previous claims made by immigration agents after high-profile shootings, in which officers have similarly accused drivers of weaponizing their vehicles. In a handful of cases, those allegations have been undermined or walked back after the release of body-worn camera footage, and have renewed scrutiny about the DHS's reliance on vehicular stops to execute arrests. ...
Related ...
US Goods Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Widens
tradingeconomics.com
... The US goods trade deficit widened to $132.6 billion in August 2026 from $118.9 billion in July, according to preliminary data.
It was the largest deficit since March 2025, when the gap reached a record $158.7 billion, and came well above market expectations of a $115 billion shortfall.
Imports rose 5.5% from the prior month to a 17-month high of $336.1 billion, driven by a 16.6% surge if inbound shipments of industrial supplies (16.6%), while capital goods, which include computers, semiconductors and telecommunications equipment, also rose 4%.
Meanwhile, exports increased 1.9% to $203.4 billion, ending three consecutive months of declines, also picking up in outbound shipments of industrial supplies (8.3%) and capital goods (2%).
However, exports of automotive vehicles fell 6.9%. ...
Related ...
NATO condemns Russian 'nuclear rhetoric' after Kaliningrad threat
www.bssnews.net
... NATO on Tuesday condemned "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" by Russia, after Moscow warned it would "deploy its entire arsenal" if the alliance threatens its exclave Kaliningrad.
"I can confirm that Russia sent a non-paper to NATO and that we have sent a response, noting that NATO is a defensive Alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said.
"We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine."
The NATO statement came after Russia's embassy in Belgium said it had contacted the alliance to complain about "the provocative statements and actions of the North Atlantic Alliance's leadership and NATO member states with respect to the Kaliningrad Region".
"We have warned that the aforementioned reckless and irresponsible course of action sharply increases the risks of a direct armed conflict with our country," the embassy said in a statement released Monday.
"We have emphasised that Russia possesses the necessary means to repel any potential aggression and is prepared to deploy its entire arsenal to defend its territory should NATO countries attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of our country."
The warning from Moscow came as NATO accused the Kremlin of stepping up a campaign of sabotage and interference against Ukraine's backers to try to put them off supporting Kyiv. ...
@#9 ... I read that even suggesting to wipe out the entire population of a country is a war crime. ...
Well, there's this ...
Rule 156. Definition of War Crimes
ihl-databases.icrc.org
... (iii) Declaring that no quarter will be given.
This war crime is listed in the Statute of the International Criminal Court.[129] It is not referred to in these terms in Additional Protocol II but is in practice the same as the prohibition of ordering that there be no survivors in Article 4(1) as well as in Article 4(2)(h), which prohibits threats to kill persons hors de combat. ...
@#27 ... He likes Gaga as a musical artist, just not Swift, with which I could agree. ...
I've watched them both in concert.
Lady Gaga seems to draw me into her songs. There is more there than just the performance.
Ms Swift, well, my most positive opinion would be, looks good, but lacks depth.
On the other hand, regarding Ms Swift ...
Taylor Swift becomes most-awarded artist in MTV VMAs history, dedicates top prize to Dolly Parton
apnews.com
... Taylor Swift broke records at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, as she is known to do.
The pop powerhouse received the inaugural Artist Director Honors on Sunday night, becoming the most-awarded artist in VMA history.
Previously, she was tied with Beyonc for the title, with 30 VMAs each. The new award is meant to recognize artists "whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling."
"I got to start making music videos and being a part of music videos 20 years ago," Swift said in her speech, adding that she's been involved in making roughly 60 music videos, 18 of which she wrote and directed. ...
@#2 ... As I may have mentioned before, DJT is a classic example of a Dark Triad Personality: ...
Or maybe ...
OpEd: Malignant Narcissism: Does the President Really Have It? (2019)
www.psychologytoday.com
... Erich Fromm was a psychiatrist in the United States who immigrated from Hitler's Germany in the 1930s. He was a world leader in many aspects of mental health and diagnosis. ...
Fromm said that benign narcissism focuses on pride in one's work, one's effort. In the process of achieving something, the person has to stay in touch with the reality around the task in order to accomplish it. "The energy which propels the work is, to a large extent, of a narcissistic nature, but the very fact that the work itself makes it necessary to be related to reality, constantly curbs the narcissism and keeps it within bounds. This mechanism may explain why we find so many narcissistic people who are at the same time highly creative."3
On the other hand, there is a malignant narcissism. This is not about achievement, but rather something the person thinks they inherently have that's special, "for instance, his body, his looks, his health, his wealth, etc. ... Malignant narcissism, thus, is not self-limiting."4 ...
The essence -- and biggest danger -- of malignant narcissism is that it keeps growing, like malignant cancer.
Fromm wrote: "It is a madness that tends to grow in the lifetime of the afflicted person. The more he tries to be a god, the more he isolates himself from the human race; this isolation makes him more frightened, everybody becomes his enemy, and in order to stand the resulting fright he has to increase his power, his ruthlessness, and his narcissism."6
Does This Fit President Trump?
Some mental health experts say "Yes;" some say "No;" and many say they can't say because they have never done a clinical interview with him and so it would be unprofessional to state an opinion about his mental health.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I am in the third group, so I will not be saying whether he meets this diagnosis or not. But I am clear that he has a high-conflict personality, which is a description of conflict behavior -- extremely concerning conflict behavior -- but not a mental health diagnosis. (See my other posts here for more on high-conflict personalities.) ...
