Author: nick

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damaging the new blue lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is now peeling, as well as for algae in the water. But the administration has not provided evidence to back up the president’s claims. Experts say the pool’s ills have a variety of plausible explanations that do not involve intentional harm. Installing linings on pools and making sure they properly adhere is challenging, experts in pools and waterproof coatings have told news outlets, and improper surface prep or water intrusion can cause peeling, they said. Meanwhile, algae would be expected…

Last Independence Day, several protesters were arrested following a demonstration that turned violent outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Prairieland Detention Center. On Tuesday, nearly a year later, eight individuals were given their sentence from a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas: a combined 450 years in prison. The defendants, whom federal prosecutors argued were part of an “Antifa Cell” and provided “material support to terrorists,” were convicted earlier this year on charges ranging from rioting to attempted murder.  “The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law…

The roughly $735 million pediatric and $505 million adult COVID-19 vaccine grants cover 2026 and 2027, according to federal records. The monetary infusion has revived debate among critics and public health experts around the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and reliance on mRNA technology. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent decision to award Pfizer $1.24 billion for COVID-19 vaccines has renewed debate over the government’s continued investment in mRNA technology. The contracts, awarded on June 1, include about $735.7 million for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and nearly $505.3 million for adult doses for fiscal year 2026-2027. Critics say the funding reflects a continued…

There’s no question that the debacle surrounding President Donald Trump’s rehabbing of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool doesn’t rise to the level of, say, his choice to wage war with Iran, his dumb and legally challenged imposition of tariffs, or his insistence on socializing businesses. But it’s equally true that this fetid little episode, not yet fully resolved, provides a shorthand of everything cloudy and foul-smelling about his so-far terrible second term, especially his unwillingness to own his failures (such as admitting he lost the 2020 election). Jimmy Carter fought killer rabbits. Gerald Ford fell down staircases. And George H.W.…

Iranian officials are in negotiations with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) about creating a system to charge fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran is seeking to impose a toll on vessels entering and exiting the Persian Gulf similar to how Turkey taxes ships transiting the Dardanelles. China is involved in the talks.  On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that GCC states would not make a deal that allowed Iran to charge shipping fees. Additionally, the State Department issued a joint statement with the GCC Foreign Ministries, which…

Well, I suppose it’s symbolic and fitting that Sanity Goddess and I ceased being residents of New York—that is, we sold our house—on the day the Democratic Socialists romped in Congressional elections in the city. We were leaving anyway.Read Full Article ⟶ Source link

Senate Republicans would do well by the country and themselves to heed Trump’s political instincts on this one. Source link

Kbiros | Dreamstime.com I am one of the few people who believe the Supreme Court was very right in its Second Amendment ruling today, in Wolford v. Lopez, but badly wrong in its ruling allowing abolition of TPS status for Haitian migrants in Mullins v. Doe. Both majority opinions were written by Justice Alito; but he did a way better job in one than in the other. In this post, I assess Wolford. I will try to cover Mullins v. Doe later. In Wolford, the Court struck down a Hawaii law that barred people carrying guns from entering private property…

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington is questioning its involvement in the North Atlantic Alliance after some members of the bloc refused to allow the US to use their bases to attack Iran.  “One of the reasons I’ve been a strong supporter of our presence in NATO is because it allows us these basing rights that allow us to project power,” he told reporters on Thursday. “But if you are not going to be allowed the use of bases by these countries, then it puts into question the entire alliance.” The war against Iran has caused a rift…

First it was FISA, then a housing bill that overwhelmingly passed. Now it’s going to end congressional lawmaking for the rest of the year. Source link