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Everything posted by bolverk
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Should've just said to them, "Kojak! Bang bang!"
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Wordle 1,515 3/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #793 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🙂 Daily Quordle 1296 4️⃣7️⃣ 8️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/11/us/trump-news The U.S. military is preparing to activate several hundred National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Monday, a Defense Department official said. President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened a federal takeover of the nation’s capital, was expected to announce the deployment at a White House news conference on Monday. Mr. Trump has claimed that crime is “totally out of control” in Washington, even though officials announced in January that violent crime in the city was at a 30-year low. On Monday, Mr. Trump is expected to say that up to several hundred District of Columbia National Guard personnel will be sent to support law enforcement officers in the city, the Defense Department official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. No other details were available early Monday. Here’s what else to know: D.C. deployment: Mr. Trump had not approved any official deployment orders for Washington as of early Monday. In a Truth Social post Monday morning, Mr. Trump said: “I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN!” Unlike a state’s governor, the District of Columbia does not have control over its National Guard, giving the president broad leeway to deploy those troops. The Trump administration also plans to temporarily reassign 120 F.B.I. agents in Washington to nighttime patrol duties as part of Mr. Trump’s crackdown, according to people familiar with the matter. Read more › Viral claim: Mr. Trump’s most recent threats to take control of Washington came after a prominent member of the Department of Government Efficiency reported being beaten in an attempted carjacking. Mr. Trump shared a photograph of the victim, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer, on social media last week and wrote, “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City.” Other deployments: The troop activation in Washington comes after the deployment this summer of nearly 5,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles with orders to help quell protests that had erupted over immigration raids and to protect the federal agents conducting them. All but about 250 of those National Guard troops have since been withdrawn. And in his first term, Mr. Trump called up National Guard soldiers and federal law enforcement personnel to forcibly clear peaceful protests during the Black Lives Matter protests after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
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Wordle 1,514 3/6 🟩⬛⬛🟩⬛ 🟩⬛⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #792 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🙂 Daily Quordle 1295 4️⃣8️⃣ 6️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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Wordle 1,513 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ 🟨🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #791 🟦🟪🟩🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🙂 Daily Quordle 1294 4️⃣9️⃣ 6️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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Wordle 1,512 4/6 🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩⬛🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #790 🟨🟪🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🙂 Daily Quordle 1293 7️⃣5️⃣ 8️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟨🟩🟨 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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Wordle 1,511 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟩 🟨🟨⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #789 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🙂 Daily Quordle 1292 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/nyregion/cuomo-trump-mamdani-mayor.html Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has positioned himself as the only candidate in the New York City mayor’s race who can forcefully go toe-to-toe with President Trump. But in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with some of the city’s biggest business leaders, Mr. Cuomo suggested he might adopt a more conciliatory strategy. As he made a case for his candidacy, Mr. Cuomo said he was not “personally” looking for a fight with the president and compared their yearslong relationship to a “dysfunctional marriage.” “I think he wants to be accepted by New York City, and I think there’s an opportunity there,” Mr. Cuomo said, according to four people who shared accounts of the private meeting with 50 corporate executives gathered at Rockefeller Center. He added: “I know, personally, he doesn’t want to fight with me. Personally, I don’t want to fight with him, right? So I don’t think he’s going to be eager to create a conflict with us.” Mr. Cuomo also made the case that Mr. Trump cared about his hometown and wanted to “find a way to be a hero in New York City.” Mr. Trump knew, he said, that confronting Mr. Cuomo would lead to a “nasty, ugly, drawn-out fight.” Just hours after the Wednesday meeting, which was organized by the Partnership for New York City, The New York Times reported that Mr. Cuomo had in recent weeks spoken privately to the president about the race. Like many of the city’s business leaders, the president has expressed alarm about Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee who has proposed raising taxes on the wealthy and freezing rents for some tenants. The remarks to the Partnership speak to the sometimes divergent stances Mr. Cuomo is adopting around Mr. Trump publicly and privately as he seeks to revive his campaign after losing the Democratic primary to Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist. Mr. Cuomo has previously said the White House is working to “undermine our democracy” and has criticized Mr. Trump’s immigration policies. Mr. Cuomo needs to court business leaders, voters and potential donors who are friendlier with Mr. Trump or fear his influence. But inching too close to him could alienate Democrats in a city where the president is overwhelmingly unpopular. Mr. Mamdani and his allies quickly seized on The Times’s report. At a news conference on Thursday morning, Mr. Mamdani called the conversation between the two men “a betrayal” of the city by Mr. Cuomo. He held the event outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, the hub for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city. “The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a want-to-be king,” Mr. Mamdani said. “It is to be the person who stands up for the values of this city, the fabric of this city and the people of this city." Mr. Mamdani said he had not spoken to Mr. Trump and played down concerns that his election could put a bigger target on New York City’s back, given the president’s virulent criticism of him. He said he would fight Mr. Trump at all costs if he sought to harm New Yorkers, but was open to collaboration to help the city. “If the president and the administration is looking to work for the benefit of New Yorkers, which is what he spent so much of his campaign speaking about, that is a different conversation,” Mr. Mamdani said. Mr. Cuomo was scheduled to hold an event Thursday afternoon. His meeting with business leaders was intended to make a case for why he, rather than Mayor Eric Adams or the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, was the best positioned to defeat Mr. Mamdani and guide the city through a tumultuous era. The former governor is leading Mr. Adams in the polls, but has said candidly that Mr. Mamdani, the race’s front-runner, will prevail if opposition to him remains splintered. Among the attendees were the head of Pfizer and Tishman Speyer, the real estate giant. In a statement on Wednesday, Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, did not deny that the former governor and the president had spoken, but sought to put distance between them. He said the two men had not spoken “in some time” and that “as far as I know,” they had not discussed the race. Mr. Azzopardi suggested Mr. Trump would be more likely to prefer that Mr. Mamdani or Mr. Adams win. “He believes Mamdani would serve as a political boon to Republicans nationwide in the midterms, symbolizing what he sees as the Democratic Party’s extremism,” he said. He called Mr. Adams, who worked with the Trump administration to get federal corruption charges dismissed against him, as a “wholly owned subsidiary of the president.” Mr. Cuomo said in a recent interview on WNYC that the best way to handle Mr. Trump was with a confrontational approach. “I don’t know there is a strategy besides being very aggressive because he’s a very aggressive personality,” Mr. Cuomo said. “He comes in very strong. His tactic is just to overpower you, and you have to meet force with force.”
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The data and surveys I've seen showed that in-migration to Texas, before the pandemic, was pretty much a 50/50 ideological wash among likely Republicans and Democrats. However, that balance tilted more Republican during the pandemic, but I haven't seen data on those trends for the past couple of years. I imagine that in-migration is likely still somewhat balanced with a bit of tilt, but out-migration data are probably showing that a lot more Democrat-leaning voters are leaving than before. So, the net migration figures probably favor the Republicans.
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Renewable Energy Saving Texas' Ass Right Now
bolverk replied to Horn Under a Bad Sign's topic in Daily Texan
We'll be seeing a lot fewer renewable projects in Texas, but what will replace them to save our ass won't make us breathe any easier, literally or figuratively. Suddenly, the Trump Administration Tightens the Vise on Wind Farms Federal agencies have recently issued a barrage of restrictions that could halt construction of solar and wind farms on public and private lands. The Trump administration has sharply escalated its attacks on wind and solar power in recent days, issuing a barrage of policies that could halt the construction of renewable energy projects on public and private lands across the country. The Interior Department is now requiring dozens of formerly routine consultations and approvals for wind and solar projects to undergo new layers of political review by the interior secretary’s office, a policy that is causing significant permitting delays. The agency is also opening investigations into bird deaths caused by wind farms and withdrawing millions of acres of federal waters previously available for leasing by offshore wind companies. The Interior Department also signaled that it would review wind projects that have already been approved by the federal government but are being sued by opponents, and consider rescinding their permits, a step that could halt projects already under construction. On Wednesday, the agency said it was reversing a Biden administration decision to approve the Lava Ridge Wind Project, a giant wind farm planned for southern Idaho that was opposed by state lawmakers because, among other things, it would be visible from the Minidoka National Historic Site, a World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans. The Trump administration said it had discovered “legal deficiencies” in the original approval but did not provide details. At the same time, the Transportation Department is recommending minimum setback requirements for wind farms near federal highways and railroads, requiring them to be placed 1.2 miles away. And it ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to re-evaluate whether wind farms pose a danger to aviation, a potentially momentous step since nearly every wind farm in the country requires height clearance approvals from the agency. Taken together, the policies amount to a far-reaching crackdown on wind and solar power, which provided 16 percent of the nation’s electricity last year and were two of the fastest-growing sources of power. Wind power is a major source of electricity in Republican-led states like Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas. “These actions are so extreme that one can only hope that they reconsider once they see the impacts here,” said Jason Grumet, chief executive of the American Clean Power Association, which represents renewable energy producers. “This is going to dramatically affect our ability to develop energy in this country.” President Trump has repeatedly expressed his distaste for both renewable energy technologies, calling them ugly and inefficient. His interior secretary, Doug Burgum, has adopted Mr. Trump’s rhetoric, referring to wind and solar as “gargantuan, unreliable, intermittent energy projects.” Dozens of wind and solar projects that sit on both public and private lands nationwide are now stalled while waiting for what were once ordinary approvals from the federal government, Mr. Grumet said. While fewer than 5 percent of solar and wind projects are on public lands directly overseen by the Interior Department, many projects on private lands often need federal approvals to comply with wildlife protections or other laws. One planned solar facility on private land in the Upper Midwest is currently delayed because federal agencies have halted all discussions over a needed water permit. Another large solar farm on private land in the West is being held up because it must now undergo three layers of political review, including by Mr. Burgum’s office. “Projects in the late stages of development are suddenly getting their meetings with federal agencies canceled and can’t move forward,” Mr. Grumet said. “It’s costing companies tens of millions of dollars.” Elizabeth Peace, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, declined to comment on the delays but defended the agency’s stricter reviews. “Evaluating land use efficiency and environmental impact isn’t partisan, it’s responsible governance,” she said. -
Everything is Shit: Tracking the Great Enshittening
bolverk replied to 956 Worldwide's topic in Daily Texan
I guess this is the best active thread for this. Using AI to monitor kids’ online text/speech is being abused. Of course, I understand concern on the other side of the argument, but the big, bolded last sentence quoted below (there's more at the link) is a broad societal problem, imo. Normalizing Big Brother shit. Let's train the next generation to "watch what they say." Yeah, that's not an original sentiment or statement, but I don't get why we're putting up with all of this stuff, as it's increasingly being spread throughout all aspects of our lives and disturbs my libertarian nature, in the free speech and civil liberties sense. It's not really an AI issue per se, except for how the tech can be abused, which I guess you could argue is the whole AI problem thing. https://apnews.com/article/ai-school-surveillance-gaggle-goguardian-bark-8c531cde8f9aee0b1ef06cfce109724a Lesley Mathis knows what her daughter said was wrong. But she never expected the 13-year-old girl would get arrested for it. The teenage girl made an offensive joke while chatting online with her classmates, triggering the school’s surveillance software. Before the morning was even over, the Tennessee eighth grader was under arrest. She was interrogated, strip-searched and spent the night in a jail cell, her mother says. Earlier in the day, her friends had teased the teen about her tanned complexion and called her “Mexican,” even though she’s not. When a friend asked what she was planning for Thursday, she wrote: “on Thursday we kill all the Mexico’s.” Mathis said the comments were “wrong” and “stupid,” but context showed they were not a threat. “It made me feel like, is this the America we live in?” Mathis said of her daughter’s arrest. “And it was this stupid, stupid technology that is just going through picking up random words and not looking at context.” Surveillance systems in American schools increasingly monitor everything students write on school accounts and devices. Thousands of school districts across the country use software like Gaggle and Lightspeed Alert to track kids’ online activities, looking for signs they might hurt themselves or others. With the help of artificial intelligence, technology can dip into online conversations and immediately notify both school officials and law enforcement. Educators say the technology has saved lives. But critics warn it can criminalize children for careless words. “It has routinized law enforcement access and presence in students’ lives, including in their home,” said Elizabeth Laird, a director at the Center for Democracy and Technology. -
corporation for public broadcasting shutting down
bolverk replied to Hagbard Celine's topic in Daily Texan
Midland’s got the money, but my gawd, not the will. Not having cable, I can’t access it anyway because the OTA signal’s too weak. Regardless, I would’ve liked to have seen the raw numbers appear alongside the percentages as well. Undoubtedly, for the smaller stations with massive funding losses, they could likely be made up for at relatively low cost. Having brought up Marfa Public Radio previously in this thread as a real gem, it’d be a shame to see the quality of their programming diminished, but they’ll likely survive out there okay since some relatively deep pockets are probably willing to step up to the plate. But what the hell are these income-deprived folks living out in the middle of nowhere on a reservation -- because our federal government forced them there -- going to do? And I highly doubt many have access to decent internet -- could be wrong, of course. Then, you’ve got all those super-duper isolated people up in Alaska losing funding. Maybe I’m erroneously overstating what a lifeline I assume those terrestrial stations are, and I guess they’ll all manage somehow, but this seems so stupidly pointless over such a paltry sum. -
Wordle 1,510 4/6 ⬛🟨🟨⬛⬛ 🟨🟩⬛🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #788 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🙂 Daily Quordle 1291 5️⃣4️⃣ 7️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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I'd never heard of this show until a couple of weeks ago (haven't had cable since the aughts) when Netflix prominently displayed that it was leaving soon. I'm bingeing it as much as I can before it leaves in a couple of weeks and almost through the second season. Really digging it.
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Just watched the first one. Starts off kind of slow with the prolonged introductions, but that last half was outstanding.
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https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-08-05/trump-l-a-2028-olympics-task-force-billion-dollar-security-effort We need to open a betting line on which sellout is going to play the part of Riefenstahl.
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Ukrainian raid behind enemy lines kills 330 Russian troops Ukrainian Saboteur Blows Up Russian Mi-28 Attack Helicopter Deep Inside Russia
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In their bid for a little Lebensraum, the Gaza ghetto idea didn't pan out very well, so the creation of a concentration camp just happens to be the next logical step, I suppose. Here are some possible implications of them occupying all the territories "from the river to the sea." What to know as Israel considers reoccupying Gaza in what would be a major escalation of the war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering ordering the full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media, a move that would draw fierce opposition internationally and within Israel. It would mark a stunning escalation of the nearly 22-month war in the territory that has already been largely destroyed and where experts say famine is unfolding. It would put the lives of countless Palestinians and about 20 living hostages at risk, and deepen Israel’s already stark international isolation. It would also face fierce opposition within Israel: Families of the hostages would consider it a virtual death sentence, and much of the security establishment is also reportedly opposed to an open-ended occupation that would bog down and further strain the army after nearly two years of regional wars. The threat to reoccupy Gaza could be a negotiating tactic aimed at pressuring Hamas after talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar appeared to have broken down last month. Or it could be aimed at shoring up support from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners. His governing allies have long called for escalating the war, taking over Gaza, relocating much of its population through what they refer to as voluntary emigration and reestablishing Jewish settlements that were dismantled when Israel withdrew in 2005. Whether they prevail will likely depend on the one person with leverage over Israel — U.S. President Donald Trump. Asked Tuesday whether he thought Israel should reoccupy Gaza, he said he wasn’t aware of the “suggestion” but that “it’s going to be pretty much up to Israel.” Ground operations in the most densely populated areas To take full control of Gaza, Israel would need to launch ground operations in the last areas of the territory that haven’t been flattened and where most of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians have sought refuge. That would mean going into the central city of Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, a so-called humanitarian zone where hundreds of thousands of people live in squalid tent camps along the coast. Such operations would force another wave of mass displacement and further disrupt aid deliveries as the U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations are already struggling to avert famine. Israel already controls around 75% of the territory, which has been declared a buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders. With Israel also largely sealing Gaza’s borders, it’s unclear where civilians would go. It would also pose a major risk for the remaining 20 or so living hostages, likely held in tunnels or other secret locations. Hamas is believed to have ordered its guards to kill captives if Israeli forces approach. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war and killed around 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians. They are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, and recent videos have shown emaciated captives pleading for their lives. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and run by medical professionals, is seen by the United Nations and other experts as the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. International outrage and further isolation Israel’s wartime conduct has shocked much of the international community, and prompted even close Western allies to call for an end to the war and to take steps to recognize Palestinian statehood. The International Court of Justice is considering allegations of genocide, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a method of war. Israel has rejected the allegations and accused those making them of antisemitic “blood libel.” It says it has taken every effort to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants are deeply entrenched in heavily populated areas. Israel has said it will keep fighting until all the hostages are returned, Hamas is defeated or disarmed, and Gaza’s population is given the option of “voluntary emigration,” which the Palestinians and much of the international community view as forcible expulsion. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. It says it is willing to give up power but will not lay down its arms as long as Israel occupies territories the Palestinians want for a future state. Another open-ended occupation Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The United Nations, the Palestinians and others continued to view Gaza as occupied territory after the 2005 withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers, as Israel maintained control of its airspace, coastline, most of its land border and its population registry. The full reoccupation of Gaza would pose long-term challenges that Israel is well aware of given its long history of occupying Arab lands, including the likelihood of a prolonged insurgency. Israeli support for the war already appears to have declined since Netanyahu ended a ceasefire in March, as soldiers have been killed in hit-and-run attacks. As an occupying power, Israel would be expected to maintain order and ensure the basic needs of the population are met. In the West Bank, it has largely outsourced that to the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in population centers. But in Gaza, Netanyahu has ruled out any future role for the PA, accusing it of not being fully committed to peace, and has not produced any plan for Gaza’s postwar governance and reconstruction. Long-term repercussions Even if Israel succeeds in suppressing Hamas, the reoccupation of Gaza could pose an even more profound threat to the country. It would leave Israel in full control of the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, which is home to around 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians — most of the latter denied basic rights, including the vote. Even before the war, major human rights groups said the situation amounted to apartheid, something Israel vehemently denies. Unless large numbers of Palestinians are expelled — no longer merely a fantasy of Israel’s far-right — Israel would face an all-too-familiar existential dilemma: Create a Palestinian state in the 1967 territories and preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or rule over millions of Palestinians indefinitely and hope they never rally behind the idea of equal rights in a binational state. Israel would no longer be able to point to Hamas’ rule in Gaza, or factional divisions among Palestinians, as reasons to avoid such a reckoning. And when Trump leaves office, it may find it has few friends to back it up.
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Long article about this, but these seem to be some of the key passages: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases. It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions [No, it's not]. The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who worked on the missions. An official review by NASA in 2023 found that "the data are of exceptionally high quality" and recommended continuing the mission for at least three years. Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe. They use identical measurement devices, but one device is attached to a stand-alone satellite while the other is attached to the International Space Station. The standalone satellite would burn up in the atmosphere if NASA pursued plans to terminate the mission. ***** Three other academic scientists who use data from the missions confirmed that they, too, have been contacted with questions related to mission termination. All three asked for anonymity because they are concerned that speaking about the mission termination plans publicly could endanger the jobs of the NASA employees who contacted them. Two current NASA employees also confirmed that NASA mission leaders were told to make termination plans for projects that would lose funding under President Trump's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, or FY 2026, which begins Oct. 1. The employees asked to remain anonymous, because they were told they would be fired if they revealed the request. ***** In July, congressional Democrats sent a letter to acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy warning his agency not to terminate missions that Congress has funded, and arguing that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and its director, Russ Vought, are overstepping by directing NASA and other agencies to stop spending money that Congress has already appropriated. "Congress has the power of the purse, not Trump or Vought," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., one of the authors of the letter and the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in an email to NPR. "Eliminating funds or scaling down the operations of Earth-observing satellites would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters. The Trump administration is forcing the proposed cuts in its FY26 budget request on already appropriated FY25 funds. This is illegal." ***** The missions are called Orbiting Carbon Observatories because they were originally designed to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But soon after they launched, scientists realized that they were also accidentally measuring plant growth on Earth. Basically, when plants are growing, photosynthesis is happening in their cells. And that photosynthesis gives off a very specific wavelength of light. The OCO instruments in space measure that light all over the planet. "NASA and others have turned this happy accident into an incredibly valuable set of maps of plant photosynthesis around the world," explains Scott Denning, a longtime climate scientist at Colorado State University who worked on the OCO missions and is now retired. "Lo and behold, we also get these lovely, high resolution maps of plant growth," he says. "And that's useful to farmers, useful to rangeland and grazing and drought monitoring and forest mapping and all kinds of things, in addition to the CO2 measurements."
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From the article: The charges include human trafficking, rape, sodomy and sexual torture, Sheriff Wade said. Two women and five men were charged. A full list of the suspects’ names was not available. “I’m afraid there’s going to be more victims and many more suspects,” he said.
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corporation for public broadcasting shutting down
bolverk replied to Hagbard Celine's topic in Daily Texan
Here's a handy guide to the loss of funding for public TV and radio stations in Texas. The drop-down menu shows other states, plus there's a random station generator thing at the bottom showing the most drastic cuts. It looks like stations in the bigger markets are losing about 5-10%, while the smaller ones are losing up to a third or more. The public TV stations look to be the worst affected. For example, the PBS station in Midland has a 46% loss in funding. https://adoptastation.org/texas -
Cloudburst that caused flash flooding. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78zjd8xj2xo
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