Critics argue that neither the French nor British deterrents could fully replace the American guarantee under NATO. Yet in unpredictable times, Emmanuel Macron’s shift in strategy is significant
Kristi Noem has done a stunning amount of damage and it’s good she’s gone.
But this doesn’t change the fact that we need a complete overhaul of DHS, impartial investigations into the killings of two American citizens, and information on children that were taken from Minnesota.
This is a marvelous change not only for the Humpback whale 🐋 population but for all of us. We need to keep our gentle giants from going extinct.
Fifty years after New Zealand stopped whaling, humpback population showing signs of recovery | RNZ News share.google/X1HB3JFgaePK...
Pyramidion of the royal scribe Ramose (Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (1275-1240 BCE)) Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Pyramidion of the royal scribe Ramose (Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (1275-1240 BCE))
Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
“anger is real, and so is resolve” goes pretty damn hard
The mother is an asylum seeker. Her 7-year-old is deaf and didn’t have his hearing aids when he was detained.
Historians looking back on the 2026 midterms and trying to explain how the Democrats managed to thrash Republicans will point to many causes—but let me suggest that they should pay attention to these two words right here:
"I guess."
Page 2 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: constructive suggestions regarding how the already remarkable institutional efficiency and societal impact of NCAR could be further enhanced through increased (not decreased) federal support in the years to come. Please note: To ensure the highest level of technical rigor, this response focuses exclusively on the core atmospheric and natural hazard science topics within the author’s primary domain of expertise; for this reason, I have omitted a response to Topic 4 (Space Weather)." NCAR weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities a) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as a stand-alone activity. The proposed management of weather-related research as a stand-alone activity is a scientifically regressive path that ignores the fundamental physical reality of the Earth system. Modern atmospheric science has demonstrated (largely, it is worth noting, due to groundbreaking researc
Page 3 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: b) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as combined with other NSF investments/facilities. The highly specialized nature of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) infrastructure represents an extraordinary value proposition that cannot be replicated by combining it with more generalized NSF programs. The NWSC is not a generic high-performance computing (HPC) facility; it is a laboratory uniquely optimized for atmospheric science workflows, with a hardware and storage architecture specifically designed to handle the massive, high-bandwidth data demands of Earth system modeling. Furthermore, its model of providing an excellent, free-at-point-of-use technical support team ensures that the focus remains on the science rather than the overhead of systems administration. This centralized expertise allows individual researchers, smaller labs, and even entire universities—who would otherwi
Page 4 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: NCAR Mesa Lab (located in Boulder, Colorado) a/b) Ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab building for public and private use. Far more than just an office building, NSF NCAR Mesa Lab is an iconic and purpose-built facility designed specifically for the study of atmospheric science. Its position at the physical interface of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Great Plains is a deliberate reflection of its mission, serving as a visible symbol—in an iconically American setting—of the federal government's enduring commitment to science in service of society. For many in the field, including myself, the Mesa Lab holds singular importance as a focal gathering point for the global atmospheric science community. My own early career exposure to weather and Earth system modeling, in fact, occurred within these walls, and I have long felt that the facility’s architecture and location inspire a necessary sense of awe regarding the atmosphere’s complexity a
Page 1 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: Dear Acting Director Stone and the NSF NCAR restructuring team: I am writing to provide a formal response to the Request for Information (RFI) regarding the proposed restructuring of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its critical weather science infrastructure contained within the January 23, 2026 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) entitled “NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure.” I submit these comments in my professional capacity as an atmospheric research scientist within the University of California, where my research focuses on the physics and dynamics of atmospheric processes related to extreme weather events and their role in shifting natural hazard and disaster risk. My perspective is informed by a public-sector career dedicated to bridging the gap between fundamental atmospheric research and real-world application in an academic context, with a particular focus on understanding and mitigating
I just submitted my letter to NSF responding to its proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I argue that doing so would be an astonishing and avoidable misstep, and that federal support for the institution should in fact be *increased.* [1/4]
Celebrate the positive when it comes along:
Two charismatic marsupial species that had been thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in rainforest in remote West Papu
www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🧪
Pizza Man
Amery, WI
Bernard LaFayette, the advance man who did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has died.
Good speech. Most US press got bamboozled by Bill Barr's scheme. Trump's collusion with Russia was always real, continues to be. www.youtube.com/live/ylvTFvJ...
Justin Sun and Tron // Benefit to entity: SEC enforcement case stayed pending resolution, Criminal investigation likely ended, Justin Sun added to World Liberty Financial advisory board, Tron to go public in the US in a $100 million deal brokered via Dominari Securities (where Eric and Donald Trump Jr. are board members) // Benefit to Trump and family: $100 million to purchase $TRUMP memecoins (announced but unconfirmed), $75 million to purchase $WLFI tokens from the Trump family's World Liberty Financial, $37.7 million to purchase $TRUMP memecoins (via HTX), Listed USD1 for trading on HTX
Today the SEC filed a proposed final judgment to settle their lawsuit against Justin Sun and his businesses for $10 million and no admission of wrongdoing.
Sun has spent between $112 million and $233 million on contributions to Trump-linked crypto firms.
And, yeah, if you missed it, the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission delayed the vote on the ballroom today because there were so many opposed comments/speakers.
Mullin is the guy who tried to fight a witness at a Senate hearing. www.axios.com/2023/11/14/m...
Moskowitz: "Let me congratulate the former Homeland Security Secretary on her appointment to be the Shield of Americas, which I'm pretty sure the president came up with when he watched the last Avengers movie"
LEGO Icons - Star Trek: The Next Generation "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D" 10356 Building Set (3,600 Pieces) is AVAILABLE NOW amzn.to/40vbyjH #ad
I hope Ted lasso season 4 is about a Scottish premiership coach just fucking breaking the spirit of an earnest NFL team
a learned co-conspirator just perfectly phrased it thus: "the horrors of giving the angry vibrating crystals agency in an adversarial environment"
grith.ai/blog/clineje...
correct
there is no reason for a single one of them to vote for Mullin (yes, Mr. Fetterman, that means you) and they should make this as embarrassing as possible - which, given Mullin’s extensive track record of putting his foot in his mouth, shouldn’t even be that hard
Violet hated other cats and when she saw them, her tail would get all big and puffy.
The moment she died, her tail did exactly that - so we are taking that as proof that there is a cat heaven and Violet is there and she’s fucking pissed lol.
Fetterman is basically a reactionary now: there is no real effort to explain why Mullin - a buffoon who spent the week insisting we are not at war with Iran - is qualified. Trump nominated Mullin, and that’s good enough for him.
Statement from Christopher Parente, attorney for Chicago's Marimar Martinez:
"Everyone involved in the spreading of lies about Marimar Martinez is out of their job. Now it is time for the FBI to do their job and investigate."
CNN: Approval for President Trump's East Wing ballroom project – from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings and land in the nation's capital – is delayed after it received over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction.
Democrats may not be able to prevent Mullin's confirmation, but they can certainly turn his track record of offense and stupidity into two days of televised humiliation so spectacular that he is wounded in Trump's eyes from day 1. That is the job.
Please report any dead birds found on @birdtrack.bsky.social Very straightforward to use.
By a vote of 51-45, the #Senate did not invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.7147, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, upon reconsideration.
BREAKING: U.S. Central Command is now saying internally that this war against Iran is likely to last through September, per POLITICO
so, uh, how does transitioning the secretary of a department work when that department has no budget
