NewsFlash

A message from President Obama [to Texas Democrats]  - https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3lwh266ba7c2q

None of the above posts negates the following:

Non sequitur -

This last week was the sad 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One can almost excuse the dropping of the first one on a basically civilian target, given that, except for the people who had actually seen the tests, they wouldn't have known how catastrophic it was going to be. The second one.... Yes, it ended the war. But the cost in civilian lives remains inexcusable. A sad commemoration this week. So very sad.

Speaking of people who were unaware, it looks like the government didn't even protect the people of New Mexico. [Surprise there, right? Some things never change.] I can again award some moral leeway in that they really didn't know what the literal first explosion of an atomic bomb would do. But the actions thereafter are despicable.  https://thebulletin.org/premium/2023-07/collateral-damage-american-civilian-survivors-of-the-1945-trinity-test/     https://realclimatescience.com/2025/03/manhattan-project-victims/#gsc.tab=0      https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2018/07/16/dancing-in-the-dust-of-death/

It took the survivors 80 years.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/16/trinity-test-radiation-nuclear-bomb-compensation-cancer/84608252007/

Armored ICE agent standing in a group of Armored ICE agents assaulted with a "Deep State" sub sandwich by sandwich-wielding DOJ employee wearing shorts in DC.  https://san.com/cc/footlong-felony-doj-worker-fired-after-sandwich-assault-on-police/

Bondi overreacts ["Respect mah authorahteee" - ref Southpark] https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5452487-bondi-alleged-dc-sandwich-thrower-doj-employee/

Judge rejects felony assault charge for sandwich thrown at armored ICE agent as "excessive" -   https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/dc-man-faces-serious-federal-assault-charge-after-throwing-subway-sub-at-federal-officer/65-df40e8da-febf-44ef-8ebd-4f3d190974be

Court hearing scheduled for September.  DOJ fired Mr. Dunn (the sandwich-wielder), who was released on his own recognizance. "I did it. I threw the sandwich."

Locals/FansChant at DC Spirit football game -

Trump told Zelenskiy that Putin wants more of Ukraine, source says - Donald Trump said Ukraine should make a deal to end the war because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after hosting a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land.  https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-told-zelenskiy-after-summit-that-putin-wants-more-ukraine-source-says-2025-08-16/

[Jeezus f'ing Christ. A sellout.] 

So what happened to:   Trump was asked on Wednesday if Russia will face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after Friday's meeting in Alaska. "Yes they will. Yeah. There will be consequences," Trump said. The reporter followed up by asking if those actions would include more tariffs or sanctions. "I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences," Trump said.  https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates?id=124535213     and   https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-warns-of-severe-consequences-if-putin-does-not-agree-to-stop-war-after-summit   Oh, wait.  Maybe Putin has something better than the Epstein papers?




EDIT - LATE BREAKING:

Government papers found in an Alaskan hotel reveal new details of Trump-Putin summit - "Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage."  https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind [Sounds worse than it is, but still... it's like we've got the proverbial clown car running things, some days.]

Uh, oh.  Weapons. [Like what use would the NG be without them?]  "National Guard to carry weapons in D.C. as 400 additional troops brought in at Trump’s request" - to the place that had the lowest crime rate in thirty years last year. - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/national-guard-carry-weapons-d-201330719.html

The feds had to return control of the local police to the local authorities by order of a judge, though. - "Pam Bondi returns control to DC police chief after city sued Trump over ‘hostile takeover’"  https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dc-sues-trump-over-hostile-131034049.html

Trump says he will seek 'long-term' takeover of DC police force - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates?id=124535213

Gov. Phil Scott rejects Trump administration request to use Vermont national guard in president’s DC crackdown - https://vtdigger.org/2025/08/15/phil-scott-rejects-trump-administration-request-to-use-vermont-national-guard-in-presidents-dc-crackdown/   South Carolina, Ohio governors say they're sending National Guard members to DC - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates?id=124535213  West Virginia governor sending state National Guard to DC - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates?id=124535213

And the locals say - https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3lwe4ezeptk2y


 “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive & judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” James Madison - https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0266

Fox fell for it.

More on Alligator Alcatraz

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/09/nx-s1-5479213/this-is-a-death-camp-advocates-and-detainees-warn-about-conditions-at-alligator-alcatraz?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bsky.app

https://www.wflx.com/2025/07/25/wife-alligator-alcatraz-detainee-describes-conditions-inside-detention-facility/

https://www.wisn.com/article/alligator-alcatraz-detention-center-detainees/65528522

They're building a second one in Florida.

And the height of tacky - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/florida-gop-removes-immigration-merchandise-225818393.html

Nazis again.  https://bsky.app/profile/iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social/post/3lwkbom4a722q  Indianapolis, Indiana? Really?

Sigh.

Ok, well then - https://archive.org/details/the-blues-brothers-and-the-american-cons

I hope this guy's opinion is wrong. "Trump Is Ready to Invade U.S. Ally if It Doesn’t Cave to His Demands" - https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-ready-invade-u-ally-154132932.html

but

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/more-us-navy-destroyers-arrive-at-the-mexican-border

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/politics/us-military-deploying-caribbean-latin-america-cartel-mission





EDIT: Except the movement of military equipment 18 Aug by train late at night in California (headed south from NorCal) - https://www.tiktok.com/@i_like_pinball/video/7539845554596089118

Oh, he damned well better not!


[Then again, it could be us - even if writing that makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist - https://reason.com/2025/08/13/pentagon-draws-up-plans-to-send-troops-to-american-cities/ ]

What countries' imports will Americans be paying tariffs on, and how much? [Hmmmm, I see one missing. Now I wonder which huge European country could possibly be missing from this list?]

https://worldscorecard.com/world-facts-and-figures/us-tariffs-and-the-world/

If you're planning to send gifts to people in the USA, they're going to be subject to the tariff. There is no minimum value exemption. (What I've read says this is regardless of the carrier used.)

19 August EDIT:  I've been told that it's up to $100 and you have to be extremely thorough stating what's in the box, and it must be clearly a gift, and then you get an exemption.  Sorry for the mis-information above.

Mark Hamill has posted some of the latest Gav X-Trump posts.

Enjoy.

https://bsky.app/profile/markhamillofficial.bsky.social/post/3lwm2csnknk2a

To wrap up the week appropriately:




PS = OHTHANKGODS, someone's got his back, so Trump can't pull what he did on Zelenskyy last time.

New Analysis Finds Trump Family Has Raked in $3.4 Billion Off the Presidency -  https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-family-billions-presidency-1235405843/   [Infuriating if true. ]

And having done massive damage to the US economy (if not the global economy), The Orange One is now saying that if his tariffs are ruled unconstitutional (which has been the case so far - the case is still on track at the Supreme Court) that the country "can't pay back" all those tariffs and we'll be going into a 1929-style depression because of the ruling. - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/us/politics/trump-tariffs-case-federal-court.html

And who would the tariffs have to be refunded to?  US. Americans. American Businesses.  I think, rather, that we're flirting with a 1929-style depression because of The Orange One's tariffs and other policies.

But if it blows up, he's already laying the groundwork to shift the blame off of himself. And he's already made his money off it all. Jeez-us. What a sleeze.