May Imports Drop 9% Year-Over-Year, 19% Decline From April
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. read more
Firearms are now the leading cause of death in children and teens in the U.S. read more
The director of national intelligence said the world is "closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before." read more
After many hours of staring unblinking at a small patch of sky, JWST has given us the most detailed map ever obtained of a corner of the Universe.
I saw this OpEd...
OpEd: MAGA to Trump: Supporting Israel attacks is a 'middle finger' to voters
responsiblestatecraft.org
... The Republican president who vowed to "Make America Great Again" by ending "endless wars" now finds himself on the precipice of a potential new one.
Israel's airstrikes on Iran Thursday came after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a nuclear deal and made clear publicly that he did not want Israel to interfere by acting militarily.
Israel defied Trump. Trump now says he knew about the strikes all along.
The president wrote on Truth Social early Friday, "I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to just do it,' but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done." He went on:
"Certain Iranian hardliner's spoke bravely, but they didn't know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!" Trump said. "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."
Trump's next move is unknown. ...
@#22 ... You said that you participated in the anti Vietnam war movement. Do you not realize you were a Communist stooge? ...
I protested the Vietnam War because I wanted our troops to come home safely. In that respect, the war-hawks of the time greed with me.
Apparently, the US Government seemed to agree when it eventually gave up in Vietnam.
Now, fast-forward a few decades, look at the US-Vietnam relations ...
Readout of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Vietnam's Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang
www.defense.gov
...On May 31, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with Vietnam's Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang. Both leaders appreciated progress in the bilateral defense relationship, reflecting that 2025 is the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The leaders discussed opportunities to deepen defense cooperation, including on defense trade and information sharing, and reaffirmed that war legacy issues are a top priority of the Trump Administration. ...
And that cooperation is not something new ...
U.S., Vietnam Deepening Defense Cooperation
www.defense.gov (October 2024)
... Defense cooperation and shared security interests in Vietnam have been expanding, said Jedidiah P. Royal, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.
On Sept. 9, 2023, President Joe Biden traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, where the two countries took steps to elevate relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing cooperation across a range of diplomatic, economic and defense industrial endeavors, among others, said Royal, who spoke today at the U.S. Institute of Peace's 3rd Annual Dialogue On War Legacies and Peace in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. ...
So, did my protests back in the 1970's against the Vietnam War result in A Good Thing in the long term regarding Vietnam?
Tangentially related ...
Hegseth does not deny the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland and Panama if necessary
www.stripes.com
... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday avoided answering lawmakers whether the Pentagon has plans to take Greenland and Panama by force, saying the Defense Department develops plans for "any particular contingency."
Hegseth's refusal to give a direct answer to the House Armed Services Committee alarmed Democrats and Republicans, who repeatedly asked him to clarify the Pentagon's stance toward two territories eyed by President Donald Trump.
"It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?" said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. "Because I sure as ---- hope that it is not your testimony."
Hegseth responded: "We look forward to working with Greenland to make sure it is secured from any potential threats."
Trump has said he wants to annex Greenland, a territory of Denmark, "for national security purposes" and expressed desire to reassert American control over the Panama Canal, by military means if necessary.
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee, asked Hegseth whether it was the policy of the Pentagon that the U.S. needs to be prepared to take Greenland and Panama by force.
"Our job at the DOD is to have plans," Hegseth said, referring to the Defense Department. "I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for any particular contingency and thankfully we are in the planning business."
Smith said he did not believe the American people voted for Trump "because they were hoping we would invade Greenland."
The tense exchange began a series of other confrontations between Hegseth and Democrats, who demanded the Pentagon chief stick to simple "yes" or "no" answers as they questioned his controversial tenure. ...
@#2 ... TACO!! ...
Yeah, this is looking like just yet another instance of TACO.
Was it the ICE visit to the meat-packing plant that triggered this backing down from what he said?
ICE detains workers at Omaha meat plant, drawing hundreds of protesters: What we know
www.farmersadvance.com
... An immigration raid at an Omaha meat-packing plant June 10 prompted protests after dozens of workers were detained.
The raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted Glenn Valley Foods, which said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status, Reuters reported.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at 9 a.m., and a busload of workers was driven away to an unknown destination, according to the Omaha World-Herald. The activity led to protests involving hundreds of people who gathered along nearby streets. ...
... No One Cares About Trump's Parade ...
I disagree.
Most Americans seem to care about Pres Trump's parade.
Why?
They seem to view it as a waste of money.
Poll: 60% of Americans says Trump's military parade is a waste of money
www.msn.com
So, to characterize the parade as something that Americans do not care about is wrong.
They do seem to care about it, but as a waste of money.