Brianna Chesser

@chessercat.bsky.social

2080 Followers 1423 Following

Not the character of the day 🫶 “That’s a matter between me and my grammarian”

Beginning of an episode of King of the Hill on Disney/Hulu It’s RATED TV-14, and shows a warning or information about | Strong Coarse Language, Intensely Suggestive Dialogue Hank Hill looks dubious. .
P. Tour de France: Stage 13 Cyeling • July 17, Cyclists embark on a 205 km hilly journey from Dolo to Belf n Stago 13 of the Tour de France Caption of commentary by Phil Liggett: > YEAH, THAT WAS PRINCE ALBERT IN THE CAR. 00:28.56/04:54.35 of the peacock replay. Just before that, you can see Prince Albert of Monaco riding alongside Christian Prudhomme, the Tour de France director. .
Jewish Donations to Democratic Party Running at 70% to 80%, GOP... davidduke.com › michael collins piper jew... I’m not clicking on that, so I don’t know what it says, beyond the same thing as AIPAC obsessives. .
The survey's most interesting findings were about how respondents understand the meaning of term "Zionism." There is a broad consensus that it means "the right of the Jewish people to have a Jewish state." Most Anti-Zionists and Non-Zionists, however, defined Zionism as also meaning "Israel has a right to the West Bank and Gaza Strip"; "supporting whatever actions Israel takes"; and "believing Jews are superior to Palestinians." Respondents who identified as Zionists tended not to identify with these additional statements. This suggests that the share of respondents who identify with Zionism depends on the understanding of the term as much or more than it does than on actual support for Jewish nationhood. ぶ surprisingly, the youngest age group, 18- 34 year olds, were the most likely to identify < ti-Zionist (14%) or N G C .
The survey's most interesting findings were about how respondents understand the meaning of term "Zionism." There is a broad consensus that it means "the right of the Jewish people to have a Jewish state." Most Anti-Zionists and Non-Zionists, however, defined Zionism as also meaning "Israel has a right to the West Bank and Gaza Strip"; "supporting whatever actions Israel takes"; and "believing Jews are superior to Palestinians." Respondents who identified as Zionists tended not to identify with these additional statements. This suggests that the share of respondents who identify with Zionism depends on the understanding of the term as much or more than it does than on actual support for Jewish nationhood. .
Velora 'He knows what the record is’: Armstrong predicts Pogačar will chase seven Tour wins Five victories would match cycling's official benchmark, but Armstrong believes the stripped total associated with his own career will keep Pogačar returning to the Tour. BY PETER STUART • 13 JULY 2026 - 9:35 AM - 3 MIN READ . .
Black text on a marbled background: MOST OF THESE PEOPLE WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT SOCIALISM IS EVEN IF THE MAILMAN DELIVERED THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK ON A ROAD JUST PLOWED BY THE CITY, PAST A FIRE STATION FUNDED BY THEIR TAXES, ON THE WAY TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL WHERE THEIR GRANDKIDS GET A FREE LUNCH, WHILE THEIR MEDICARE-COVERED AMBULANCE WAITED AT A STOPLIGHT MAINTAINED BY PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS. .
“At the Dunbar Store, a grocery just down the road, one of the deli sandwiches is named after Platner — the Graham: roast beef, pepper jack cheese, horseradish mayo, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles and a dash of oil. Platner is a regular customer who used to supply the store with five dozen oysters a few times a week.” One of the deli sandwiches at the Dunbar Store is named after Platner. (Joanna Slater/The Washington Post) Sign taped to deli case: SPECIAL The Graham On a 6" or 12" sub roll Roast beef, pepperjack, extra horseradish mayo, Splash of oil, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles "The bread is just a vehicle for the condiments." $8.99/$14.99 Excerpt From “Graham Platner’s small hometown in Maine will never see him the same way” Joanna Slater The Washington Post https://apple.news/A17pWx47kThmsOMXFOJ4IMQ This material may be protected by copyright. .
From a New York Times/Siena poll conducted 19-26 June, 2026 Support for Platner and Collins among white voters was even, and it was overwhelmingly college educated white voters Combined Senate ballot (includes leaners) If this November's general election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you be more likely to vote for? Graham Platner [PLAT-ner), the Democrat Susan Collins, the Republican MAINE LIKELY VOTERS 49% Platner, 47% Susan Collins WHITE 49% Platner, 48% Susan Collins OTHER NON-WHITE 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins B.A.+ 66% Platner, 32% Susan Collins NO B.A. (working class, all races) 37% Platner, 58% Susan Collins WHITE, COLLEGE 68% Platner, 31% Susan Collins WHITE, NO COLLEGE (working class white) 36% Platner, 59% Susan Collins NONWHITE (no education breakdown) 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins NORTHERN DOWN EAST (rural) 25% Platner, 75% Susan Collins . .
From a New York Times/Siena poll conducted 19-26 June, 2026 Support for Platner and Collins among white voters was even, and it was overwhelmingly college educated white voters Combined Senate ballot (includes leaners) If this November's general election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you be more likely to vote for? Graham Platner [PLAT-ner), the Democrat Susan Collins, the Republican MAINE LIKELY VOTERS 49% Platner, 47% Susan Collins WHITE 49% Platner, 48% Susan Collins OTHER NON-WHITE 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins B.A.+ 66% Platner, 32% Susan Collins NO B.A. (working class, all races) 37% Platner, 58% Susan Collins WHITE, COLLEGE 68% Platner, 31% Susan Collins WHITE, NO COLLEGE (working class white) 36% Platner, 59% Susan Collins NONWHITE (no education breakdown) 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins NORTHERN DOWN EAST (rural) 25% Platner, 75% Susan Collins . .
New York Times / Siena poll taken over 19-26 June 2026 and published July 1st: Support for Platner and Collins among white voters was even, and it was overwhelmingly college educated white voters Combined Senate ballot (includes leaners) If this November's general election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you be more likely to vote for? Graham Platner [PLAT-ner), the Democrat Susan Collins, the Republican MAINE LIKELY VOTERS 49% Platner, 47% Susan Collins WHITE 49% Platner, 48% Susan Collins OTHER NON-WHITE 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins B.A.+ 66% Platner, 32% Susan Collins NO B.A. (working class, all races) 37% Platner, 58% Susan Collins WHITE, COLLEGE 68% Platner, 31% Susan Collins WHITE, NO COLLEGE (working class white) 36% Platner, 59% Susan Collins NONWHITE (no education breakdown) 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins NORTHERN DOWN EAST (rural) 25% Platner, 75% Susan Collins . .
From a New York Times/Siena poll conducted 19-26 June, 2026 Support for Platner and Collins among white voters was even, and it was overwhelmingly college educated white voters Combined Senate ballot (includes leaners) If this November's general election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you be more likely to vote for? Graham Platner [PLAT-ner), the Democrat Susan Collins, the Republican MAINE LIKELY VOTERS 49% Platner, 47% Susan Collins WHITE 49% Platner, 48% Susan Collins OTHER NON-WHITE 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins B.A.+ 66% Platner, 32% Susan Collins NO B.A. (working class, all races) 37% Platner, 58% Susan Collins WHITE, COLLEGE 68% Platner, 31% Susan Collins WHITE, NO COLLEGE (working class white) 36% Platner, 59% Susan Collins NONWHITE (no education breakdown) 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins NORTHERN DOWN EAST (rural) 25% Platner, 75% Susan Collins
Support for Platner and Collins among white voters was even, and it was overwhelmingly college educated white voters Combined Senate ballot (includes leaners) If this November's general election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you be more likely to vote for? Graham Platner [PLAT-ner), the Democrat Susan Collins, the Republican MAINE LIKELY VOTERS 49% Platner, 47% Susan Collins WHITE 49% Platner, 48% Susan Collins OTHER NON-WHITE 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins B.A.+ 66% Platner, 32% Susan Collins NO B.A. (working class, all races) 37% Platner, 58% Susan Collins WHITE, COLLEGE 68% Platner, 31% Susan Collins WHITE, NO COLLEGE (working class white) 36% Platner, 59% Susan Collins NONWHITE (no education breakdown) 60% Platner, 36% Susan Collins NORTHERN DOWN EAST (rural) 25% Platner, 75% Susan Collins https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/polls/times-pph-siena-maine-poll-crosstabs.html . .
From “Graham Platner, isolated, defies Maine Democrats as they try to hatch a plan” in the Washington Post: "People who have made their political careers decrying a rigged political system are now trying to rig the political system," quipped a Democratic operative who works in Maine. National Democrats, led by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have said that they will not spend money in Maine if Platner remains the nominee. But their role in selecting his successor is minimal, beyond supporting the Maine Democratic Party's currently unknown plans for selecting a replacement should Platner drop out. There is belief within the committee that any nominee, at this point, will be stronger than a scandal-plagued Platner, said one person familiar with the committee's thinking. .
Conservative columnist Carine Hajjar opinion piece at the Washington Post (she’s not wrong): But people in Maine did get to know him, and the gruffness wasn’t translating into actual working-class appeal. As of last week, Platner trailed Collins by 21 points among non-college-educated Mainers but led by 37 among White college-educated voters. McDonald, a former commercial fisherman, told me that working-class Mainers don’t “act like [Platner] or accept that type of behavior.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/07/08/drop-out-graham-platner-jenny-racicot-is-final-straw/ .
Washington Post article from this morning, before he FINALLY dropped out like he should have done two days ago, headlined “Graham Platner, isolated, defies Maine Democrats as they try to hatch a plan” Abstract:
People close to the Senate candidate’s campaign say that they know he has to drop out but that Platner has struggled with the decision. "Unfortunately, Graham Platner's team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like," Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said in the video. "We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner's team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate." That posture incensed Platner's more dedicated supporters, some of whom have felt aggrieved by how quickly Democrats turned on him after the sexual assault accusation and who argue that any replacement candidate must be aligned with the populist politics that fueled his rise. Party officials are sensitive to the fact that, despite Platner's downfall, they need to keep the political movement that emerged around him intact in order to win. .
This is Ben Chin, Graham Platner's campaign manager. We've said from the very beginning that this campaign was never about Graham but about a movement of working people united to take back power. But yesterday, the Maine Democratic Party said that our movement will "have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like." Instead, under their watch and direction, they allowed the DC-based Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to send staffers to plan a potential nominating process behind closed doors. Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers, and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely. We firmly believe that the supporters and volunteers who built this movement deserve to have a real role in any nomination process. If the Maine Democratic Party hopes to harness our movement, and avoid disillusioning the hundreds of thousands of supporters who came into the fray because of our movement's policies, it must consult the feedback and proposals of the people who built and sustained this. Your feedback will be sent to the Maine Democratic Party via this form: www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XL7GGG? (Linked in my previous post). .
Pull quote from the essay by Olúfémi Táíwô: Common decency stigmatizes people who do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply.
Exclusive 1h ago Ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner says he removed condoms without consent during sex . .
A support beam in midtown manhattan buckling during a construction project to convert it to housing. There are other undamaged beams and industrial spools of wire. .
“Her therapist responded that Racicot shouldn't have to speak publicly about a traumatic incident in order to be believed,” highlighted by me. POLITICO Racicot showed POLITICO recent emails with her therapist in which Racicot explained she was talking to the media about her relationship with Platner and the "sa/rape," using an abbreviation for sexual assault. In the message, Racicot was not ready to go public and was seeking help corroborating her account in conversations she was haying with reporters on condition of anonymity. Her therapist responded that Racicot shouldn't have to speak publicly about a traumatic incident in order to be believed, without referencing details of any particular incident. The therapist, who POLITICO agreed not to name at her request, declined to comment when reached on Monday. .
In the winter season of 2020/2021, as Covid restrictions lessened, I decided I was going to Maine for the summer. Working seasonal jobs since 18, I quickly secured a job working housekeeping for a glamping resort in Maine outside of Acadia National Park. There was just one problem: I had never been to Maine. I had never even been to the Northeast or farther than Maryland. Having had success making a couple of friends during the stricter COVID protocols of 2020 using Tinder, I gave it a try. I figured it would function as a way to meet people in the area and learn more about it ahead of moving. That's when I matched with Graham. I had things like "support IWW" and my specific political inclinations listed in my profile intentionally to steer clear of people I couldn't see myself agreeing with, and he gravitated towards this. Things started out friendly enough, but then quickly became sexual in nature. But I thought he was hot and he was a leftist, and I was 27 and freshly out of an incredibly tumultuous time politically and a global health crisis. I'm not sure exactly when we matched because Tinder will not let me go back that far, but l know that it was at *least" early march. When I finally arrived in Maine for my job mid April, I was excited to meet in person as we had been talking, exchanging photos etc since we had matched. He told me that he was actually in DC for a wedding the week arrived and said we'd make plans once he returned. (We'll revisit this later) We went on dates in public, out in the open. I went to his house. When we finally got intimate, I was lying my head on his chest and, like the well-informed leftist I am, but the swooning young woman / was, I asked him point blank: "Uhhhhh omg crazy question, but is that a totenkopf tattooed on your chest?! Hahahah no worries if not lol." I remember this plain as day. He sighed and put a hand to his forehead and pushed his hair back and said "Yeah." He explained that he didn't know what it was .
A screenshot from Facebook or twitter of a post by Lyndsey Fifield after the NYT article was published that gives more context from her perspective 1 of 4: Anyone who has ever extracted themselves from a relationship with a narcissistic abuser knows it isn't clean or easy. I cringe remembering how many times I tried to play the "cool girl" or fawn in response to what was clearly abusive, coercively controlling behavior by Graham. I also know how dangerous it is to become the target of a narcissist - so even long after our relationship ended I continued to be upbeat any time he reached out, though I would also immediately shut down any attempts on his part to initiate flirting or romanticizing of the past. Yes, the day I saw him announce he was running I wanted to make sure people knew he had a Nazi tattoo - and I was terrified he would find out it was me. But of course he knew it was me. What's ironic is I absolutely never would have shared my story if he hadn't been relentlessly attacking my character behind the scenes for months once the tattoo story came out. I tried to signal that I wasn't the source and stayed completely silent about him on social media even as most of my friends posted regularly about what a bad person he is. But then in early April the New York Times came to me. I asked how they got my number. I said I was not interested in sharing my story. They said but wait-there are other women. Women terrified to tell their stories, too, and you need to band together. WE will help you. We will protect you. Men can't keep getting away with this. Hours before their first call to me I saw Eric Swalwell's name plate get removed from his office door in Cannon. It felt like fate. .
From the Politico article: “He has not previously been accused of sexual assault,” always what you want to hear about a candidate, is highlighted by me. The full excerpt follows. = POLITICO Platner, an oysterman and political newcomer when he launched his Senate campaign last August, easily won the Democratic primary last month to face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation's most highly watched Senate races. His remarkable rise has been tainted by controversies, including offensive online comments and allegation of past mistreatment of women. He has not previously been accused of sexual assault. .
From the Politico article: “He has not previously been accused of sexual assault,” always what you want to hear about a candidate, is highlighted by me. The full excerpt follows. = POLITICO Platner, an oysterman and political newcomer when he launched his Senate campaign last August, easily won the Democratic primary last month to face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation's most highly watched Senate races. His remarkable rise has been tainted by controversies, including offensive online comments and allegation of past mistreatment of women. He has not previously been accused of sexual assault. .
“Jeffries’s antipathy toward the D.S.A. stems from a larger concern that many Black working-class people like his parents—“Did they ever make more than fifty thousand dollars a year?” he wondered—can no longer afford to rent apartments, much less buy brownstones, in the neighborhoods where he spent his childhood. Someone close to Jeffries told me, “For a child of central Brooklyn who grew up at a time when, frankly, white people would not dare set foot in Bedford-Stuyvesant or Crown Heights but who now have the temerity to not only want to live there but then be critical of those who stayed there when no one else would—that to him is personal.” At one point, when I was riding with Jeffries through Brownsville, after he’d appeared at a public-housing complex with the district’s assemblywoman, Latrice Walker, I asked if the D.S.A. had ever tried to primary her. He shook his head and gestured at the passing projects. “From a D.S.A. standpoint,” he said, “there’s nothing here for them.”” Excerpt From “Can Hakeem Jeffries Lead a Democratic Takeover of the House?” Jason Zengerle The New Yorker (May 25, 2026) https://apple.news/A20jqKZJlQ7uAhP_gjyv2uQ This material may be protected by copyright. .
From the biography section of the Kevin Fagan for Congress website with the note “*I have no relation to former Spokane City Council Member Mike Fagan,” a right wing politician who moved to Arizona mid-term highlighted by me. Kevin for Congress I’m Kevin Fagan. I’m a resident of Downtown Spokane, a Gonzaga graduate, and I have spent the last 5 years improving our community through climate and sustainability work. I currently work at Resource Synergy, and serve on the City of Spokane's Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and since coming to Gonzaga I have chosen to call the Inland Northwest my home. *I have no relation to former Spokane City Council Member Mike Fagan . .
News+ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Let Folarin Balogun Play! Calling America's Other National Team: Lawyers 1d ago • Jason Gay . .
Aspen Ideas Festival, which didn’t use to have the Atlantic involved, so had more interesting guests. Former United States Senate Majority Leader (R-TN); Standing in the exact same cross-armed position as his former senate photo in front of a house with what appears to be a confederate flag, but that’s the Tennessee state flag, which is an orange background with a blue circle with theee stars in the center, it’s totally different, wink. I assume that the confederate flag is on the other side of the porch. .
Fig median total value of health care-related assets per member per year, by party among those holding at least one health asset in a given year https://dol.org/10.1371/joumal.pone.0253624.g002 Off the top of my head, these members include former senate majority leader Bill Frist, who founded HCA, a for-profit hospital chain, and Rick Scott, who bilked Medicare for hundreds of millions, so even the median number is guaranteed to be extremely high. a notable rise in the share of health care-related assets attributable to the health care services sector (inc hospitals, amb care, dalysis, labs, physican practices), which increased by a factor of 7 from 4% in 2004 to a high of 29% in 2011. No other sec-accounted from more than 25% of health care-related assets during the study period. The authors fail to note that it shrank after that. In both the House and Senate, members of committees and subcommittees with responsibility for health care legislation and oversight were no more likely than other members of the same chamber to hold health care-related assets (highlighted by me). Fig 4 compares health care-related asset holding among members of the health care-focused ommittees of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. .
For many Parisians who are not physiologically vulnerable, the past week hasn't been nearly as apocalyptic as media accounts have suggested. Parisians have rolled with the heat; it certainly hasn't kept them from carrying on with their lives. Cafés and ice-cream parlors are packed. The roving outdoor Fête de la Musique last Sunday drew half a million revelers. Throughout the heat wave, men's fashion-week parties have spilled onto the streets. My son's school, like many in France, asked parents to keep children home due to a lack of climate control. Yet everyone I know found a way to manage, and some took turns shepherding groups of kids to pools and museums. .
7:16 Customer Service Chat You can tell us what you need in your own words. How can we help you today? Me: I received several deliveries today, and the delivery person was friendly and helpful. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream - Order was missing from the package it was supposed to be shipped in. I would like a refund. I can't return it because I don't have it. When I visit the Order Details page for this order, there is no option for "Problem with order" for me to select and choose "Item missing" or "Item never arrived" and then follow the prompts to request a refund or replacement. If you cannot process a refund for Order, I would like a customer service rep to contact me. Alexa asks me which order. Again. After I wrote it twice. On the order page. We'd like to help you with this. Can you let us know which item you need help with? Is it one of your.recent orders? Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum... Delvered Today And tells me that it was delivered. I didn’t know that I could die more inside. .
Me, after getting a refund from Alexa, and then being told to do it the same way for an item without that option, asking to speak to customer service it, getting connected to AI, and having AI repeat what I said back to me only way longer: That's literally not a choice. Every day I become more radicalized against Al Amazon: I can't help with this type of request. I mean, fair, but it could still connect me to a person. .
The end of the overly verbose response, which restates what I just wrote using five times as many words, and a million times as much energy. absolutely handle all three items together. Unfortunately, I can't process refunds directly, but | want to get you to someone who can help immediately. Given the problems you're experiencing with the Ul and the fact that you have three separate items needing resolution (the missing Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, plus the other missing item, plus the defective item, I strongly recommend contacting Amazon Customer Service directly. A customer service agent can: • Process refunds for all three items at once in a single conversation • Handle the missing item report without you needing to navigate the broken Ul • Issue refunds immediately without requiring you to go through the return process Your order details for reference: • Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream - Order # ) - Delivered today The customer service team has the authority to issue refunds on the spot, especially for missing items where you have photo proof of delivery. They'll save you from wrestling with the Ul any longer. Customer Service Chat Me: That's literally not a choice. Every day I become more radicalized against Al Alexa: • Thinking... Which, no you’re not, motherfucker. .
Useless LLM telling me what I already know in a summary that’s longer than the information, and doesn’t actually address my question: Price: • Issue: Item missing from package • Return Eligibility: You're eligible to return or replace items through. • 2026 Since the item was missing from your delivered package, here's what I recommend: To report the missing item and request a refund: 1. Visit your Order Details page 2. Select "Problem with order" 3. Choose "Item missing" or "Item never arrived" 4. Follow the prompts to request a refund or replacement (literally what I did) If you continue to experience issues with the UI, I strongly recommend contacting Amazon Customer Service directly - they can process the refund for you immediately over chat or phone, without you having to navigate the return interface. (Literally my request) Would you like me to provide you with information on how to reach customer service? I keep doing that. The choice isn't available to me. When I did get that choice on another missing item, I didn't think to choose this and the other item that is defective, so I have just spent an hour with garbage, overly verbose Ul trying to get a refund for 3 items. This ludicrous and inefficient and ineffective! A human being would just st do all three at once. And trying to connect to customer service connects you to an LLM, so idk wtf I’m supposed to do with that. .
Me searching Amazon for “where's my stuff item missing” alexa for shopping • Checking Amazon programs and policies... followed by a blank screen until the bottom menu, because they don’t even give you the choice NOT to use AI. .
Amazon customer service chat which is somehow more frustrating than being asked to please hold for a customer service agent, when you can at least do something else. Customer Service Chat Photo of delivery in a generic apartment hallway in as many boxes as possible because amazon is going to amazon. In the background are a woman’s feet in purple flip flops because I helped the delivery person, obviously. And for the record, I stock up on pantry staples during sales, although I also bought some sunglasses and moisturizer, which for whatever reason weren’t there. Okay, the moisturizer was there, but they sent me the wrong size, and I don’t want to go to the ups store to exchange a thing of moisturizer, that’s bullshit, and the sunglasses weren’t there. The soda was there, but it rolled behind something and I was annoyed. Based on this delivery photo, I'd like to help you locate your package. Could you please check around the area shown in the photo? Me: As you can see from my legs in the photo, I am aware of the fact that the packages were delivered, but thank you for gaslighting me. Two items were missing, and a box of soda was opened, and one of the cans was missing. .
“More ominously for Putin, the mood in Russia is changing. For years, most Russians supported the invasion of Ukraine because of the relentless patriotic news they’ve been subjected to by Kremlin-controlled media and the limited impact that the war had on most Russians’ daily lives. Now, however, Ukraine has brought the war home to Russia. Kyiv’s new, domestically produced long-range drones, such as the FP-1, FP-2, and Hornet, are proving extremely effective in hurting Russia economically, strategically, and psychologically. Ukraine now regularly strikes targets deep inside Russia, including a massive attack on Moscow in mid-June that has apparently disabled the Russian capital’s largest oil refinery until 2027.” Excerpt From “As the Tide Turns Against Putin, Beware the Drowning Man” Peter Frankopan Foreign Policy https://apple.news/Aq5QVsCl2RSCEyTM3zUeWkA This material may be protected by copyright.
A movie poster for the 80s b-movie Deadly Prey starring no one you’ve ever heard of and available on rifftrax. This was made by a Ghanaian artist for the Chicago gallery and printshop Deadly Prey, which has the movie as its namesake. It shows the main guy, a Chuck Norris wannabe, wearing cargo fatigues, a bandolier and no shirt, waving a machete above his head in triumph. That actually does happen in the movie, but I don’t think he sets the forest on fire as shown here. It’s kind of a Rambo meets Falling Down, but in no way a satire, and filmed entirely in Southern California iirc, and mostly in a park. An incredible piece of cinema. The guy is a special forces soldier or spook who gets a burn notice, and takes revenge on his former boss, as in that show, but with no sense of irony, or justice for anyone but himself. And no Bruce Campbell, so what are we even doing. I’ve seen it several times, possibly while high, but not always. I guess I know what I’m doing tonight. Anyway, it should be Hegseth, but he’s every guy who dies gratuitously. .
A model ship on Amazon that is supposed to be of one of Columbus’s ships, but uses a sail plan that was designed for navigation in the Caribbean, and manages to get it wrong. Nifeliz Nifeliz Visit the Store 4.8*1 * (33) Nifeliz Nina Sailing Ship Building Set for Adults, Room Decor for Office, Bedroom or Shelf, Display and Collectible Gift for Ship Fans (1,402 PCS, NF10352) Nina $59.99 . .
my mom: First kill all the lawyers me: Kill all the federalist society members gif of Troy McClure, horrified, when he says, “imagine a world without lawyers,” and he imagines a world of peace and harmony, with people of every race and nationality holding hands and singing under a rainbow. my mom: smiling emoji me: So glad I’m sleeping better to be awake for this news me: Remember when Israel exploded all of the Hezbollah pagers? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 me: Like, there’s gotta be a way to distribute a similar virus on their racist signal chats me: I think the Israelis actually got to the physical devices, but I’m not a miracle worker here . .
left: Tonbili is a chonky calico cat, who is mostly white with gray spots, from what we can see. He is leaning on a stone bench like he’s people, the way cats and dogs sometimes do, so we mostly see his belly and the front side of his legs. Gray fur is on his right shoulder, and on his head almost in the shape of a widow’s peak with side bangs over his right eye. The bench is on a pleasant tree-lined, cobbled street with ground floor shops in buildings where the higher floors overhang the street to shade it, as is common in many Mediterranean and Caribbean countries. right: the neighborhood has put up a statue of Tonbili the cat in the same spot and position, and they even made him a little thinner. .
left: Tonbili is a chonky calico cat, who is mostly white with gray spots, from what we can see. He is leaning on a stone bench like he’s people, the way cats and dogs sometimes do, so we mostly see his belly and the front side of his legs. Gray fur is on his right shoulder, and on his head almost in the shape of a widow’s peak with side bangs over his right eye. The bench is on a pleasant tree-lined, cobbled street with ground floor shops in buildings where the higher floors overhang the street to shade it, as is common in many Mediterranean and Caribbean countries. right: the neighborhood has put up a statue of Tonbili the cat in the same spot and position, and they even made him a little thinner. .
Vance Downplays Watergate and Compares Himself to Nixon The vice president said that the scandal that ended Richard Nixon's presidency would be "like a 12-hour news story" if it happened today and that the "deep state" had taken down Nixon. Listen • 2:16 min Vice President JD Vance in Maine last month. He’s wearing a suit and has his hands shoulder length apart, underestimating how much he’s like Nixon. At an event on Thursday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, he compared himself to the former president: “Young senator, vice president, writes some best-selling books, is hated by the media.” Credit...Tierney L. Cross, New York Times . .
INTERESTING TIMES WITH ROSS DOUTHAT Is It Time for a New Sexual Revolution? The last man anyone wants to have sex with leans into the mic, while everyone else once again questions the pivot to video. .
BRET STEPHENS If You Love America, Cringe for It 4 MIN READ . .
New York Times: Gracie the Giraffe Goes Missing in Texas The giraffe wandered off a private ranch more than a week ago. Her owner is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her return. .
iMessage between me and my Mom Me: Oh neat, Supreme Court cases are dropping. Like a ton of bricks. Photo of a skeet from Leah Litman and a reply: And the final case, 6-3 (usual split) - SCOTUS says immigration officers can deny admission to lawful permanent residents *without having clear & convincing evidence that the LPR committed a crime that renders them inadmissible https://www.supremecourt.gov/ opinions/25pdf/25-429_h3ci.pdf www.supremecourt.gov C What? @curt19.bsky.social - 17m © Almond 6 people who every time they watch a dystopian future movie think the corporations running everything are getting it right. Alien? Eff yeah. Kill those colonists so they can weaponize monsters Blade Runner? Ha ha slaves! Awesome. Elysium? Well duh. Of course the "smart" rich Me: Factcheck: true My mom: First kill all the lawyers Me: Kill all the federalist society members Me: gif from the Simpsons of Lionel Hutz imagining a world without lawyers. .
This submission fails as well. Mr. Landor would have us hold, for the first time, that so long as a penny of federal spending makes its way to an individual, however indirectly, Congress can regulate his conduct directly based on the fiction that he has consented to regulation. None of that is consistent with our precedents holding tha unding conditions in Spending Clause legislation lack independent regulatory force but instead derive their effect from "voluntar[y] and knowin[g]" assent. Pennhurst, 451 U. S., at 17. Notice too where Mr. Landor's theory would lead. Given the "explo[sion]" of Spending Clause legislation in recent decades, Medina, 606 U.S., at 373, Congress would enjoy an effectively unbridled police power. Federal authorities would have no need to show that their regulations represent proper exercises of Congress's limited and enumerated powers found in the Commerce Clause, the Bankruptcy Clause, or any other. All they would have to show is that a recipient who consented to a funding condition spent some formerly federal money in transactions with a third party. .
The Spending Clause of the Constitution Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; ... In its modern understanding, the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution ranks among Congress's most important powers. The Clause appears first in Article I, Section 8's list of enumerated legislative powers. It states in relevant part that "Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States."' Explanation by the Library of Congress: The Court has construed the Spending Clause as legislative authority for federal programs as varied and consequential as Social Security, Medicaid, and federal education programs. The spending power also underlies laws regulating local land-use decisions and the treatment of persons institutionalized by states, as well as statutes prohibiting discrimination on certain protected grounds I linked to the complete LOC analysis in my previous tweet, and this is the link here, and the end of the text, if you’re using a screen reader: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C1-2-1/ALDE_00013356/ . .
Some critics call Science of Identity a cult, in part because Mr. Butler, 77, demands total obeisance. His followers cook, clean and drive for him. Previous disciples talk about competing to wear his castoff clothing and eat his leftovers, and a few have sprinkled his toenail clippings in their food. .
I spoke with a family member of one of the candidates who had run for Independents for Godly Government in 1976. She said she feared retribution from SIF and agreed to talk with me as long as I didn't publish her name. She told me that Butler had advised the IGG candidates while working to hide his connections to them, and that he avoided written communications, instead using intermediaries to deliver his campaign advice. She said Butler was obsessed with politics. He wanted, she said, "to rule the world." . .
"Could you please explain that to me?" the person asked. "I don't have an explanation," she replied. "Well, maybe you ought to think of one," the person replied. "If you don't know what you're doing, why are you doing it?" . .
The people in the email are discussing their fake social media accounts and accounts for commenting on news sites for boosting Tulsi Gabbard’s profile and popularity: "Why didn't we get our talkers to comment?" a message from her account asked in one chat, after no one replied to a 2018 article about what it called her "loony foreign policy positions." In several exchanges, Gabbard appeared to tell commenters to tone down their criticism of Assad as they responded to claims that she was an apologist for him. "There's no need to call him a brutal dictator," said one such message. .
RAW STORY Are Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's loony foreign policy positions making her scared to debate her challengers? By Tana Ganeva August 3, 2018 1:45PM ET Part of a photo of her, because I only looked at the article preview. .
Tulsi Gabbard and her husband Abraham Williams both grew up in families who were members of the Science of Identity Foundation. (Eugene Tanner/Civil Beat/2018) . .
"The CIA is the one that started this thing," the person said. Gabbard made that claim publicly three years later. As I examined the document, eight months after Gabbard's confirmation as director of national intelligence, I found it striking that such deep suspicion of U.S. intelligence appeared to have been fed to someone who would later coordinate the CIA, the National Security Agency and more than a dozen similar agencies. Butler had expressed similar skepticism of the national security establishment. I had been reading SIF transcripts of his lectures, an archive of nearly 7,000 pages that a former member had shared with me. Butler claimed the CIA and other spy agencies had bugged his family home to monitor his father when he was a child. In one lecture, he warned the agencies were filled with demonic "power-hungry madmen" and wanted to use psychic powers to control people. .
This is how I found out that two girls could not, in fact, get married (at the time): In the early 1990s, the Gabbards stepped into the political spotlight. With SIF's backing, the family launched a forceful campaign against same-sex marriage in Hawaii. It included a TV ad that featured Tulsi, then a teenager, and that warned legalization would lead to people marrying their dogs. (Tulsi later declared her support for same-sex marriage and apologized for her past stance.) . .
Among Butler's disciples were Mike and Carol Gabbard, who moved to Hawaii in the early 198os with their children, including young Tulsi. Mike Gabbard for a time also oversaw Butler's personal affairs - until he was fired for lapses that included failing to ensure a supply of fresh mangoes for Butler's breakfasts, according to an internal SIF memo. .