One thing that tell me that the Supreme Court knew what they were doing when they waved the 32-day certification period that normally delays the court ruling... they want the states to wipeout the Black vote for the November elections!
The Supreme Court’s decision to effectively gut the Voting Rights Act has set off a scramble of Republican-led Southern states rushing to redraw their congressional maps before this year’s midterm elections. After a subsequent Supreme Court decision helped speed along this process of eliminating majority-Black districts, the court’s only Black woman has issued a scathing dissent criticizing her colleagues.
The fast-tracking led Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who dissented on the original case, to issue a scathing rebuke of her colleagues.
In her latest dissent, Jackson said, “The Court’s decision in these cases has spawned chaos in the State of Louisiana.” Jackson noted that mail-in ballots in Louisiana had been distributed and some had already been completed and mailed back by the time the court made its decision. By speeding up the implementation process of its ruling, Jackson argued that the court is going beyond the requirements of the ruling to influence a political outcome. Their decision to waive the usual 32-day certification period “is tantamount to an approval of Louisiana’s rush to pause the ongoing election in order to pass a new map.” Jackson called out the Supreme Court for violating two of its principles by inserting itself into a partisan redistricting process and by not following its own “Purcell principle,” by which the courts are generally hesitant to implement last-minute rule changes for elections. “The Court unshackles itself from both constraints today and dives into the fray,” Jackson wrote. “And just like that, those principles give way to power.”
The court went beyond the ruling on the constitutionality and entered realm of politics
Students have been practicing instrumental piece all year
Wisconsin Public Radio
By Corrinne Hess
May 13, 2026
Board Vice President Sam Ouweneel said the decision to pull the music six days before the concert reflects the platform board members campaigned on.
“This is a perfect example of what everyone here ran on, which was ending indoctrination and radical curriculum,” Ouweneel said.
Board member Christina DeGrave said political violence should not be celebrated through music or song.
Camila Siebenlist, seventh grader who plays the trombone, asked the school board to reconsider.
“I don’t think you guys understand how hard it is to listen to you guys not accept them, because I know it’s like to not be accepted,” Camila said.
[...]
Thomas dedicated the work to transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, a key figure in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising against police raids in New York City. The uprising is considered a milestone in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and its site is recognized with a national monument.
But because it is about LGBTQ+ history it got axed!
“The purpose behind studying Mother of a Revolution is not to provoke controversy, but to deepen students’ understanding of how music reflects the diverse experiences of humanity,” LaDew wrote. “Engaging with this piece helps foster empathy, cultural awareness, and respect for the stories and struggles that shape our shared history.”
One citizen said this about the Board little narrow minds...
Watertown resident David Mazzie played “A Mother of A Revolution!” while speaking to the board.
“I’m sorry that you get your collective panties in a bunch because you are offended by this,” Mazzie said. “I’m sorry that our idea of what’s fair and what’s right only includes the little bubbles that you live in.”
I never even knew about this but thanks to the Watertown school board now I do!
All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.
The collision involved two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
I am extremely glad that no one got hurt!
However, is it time to end military participation in air shows altogether? Back when I used to go to these shows, the planes were just airplanes. Now, they are so stuffed with electronics that a new F-18 Growler costs between $100 million and $125 million! That crash not only put four lives in danger but also cost taxpayers around $250 million—that is a quarter of a billion dollars!
Meanwhile, these assets are desperately needed for the war in Iran. Taking elite pilots and highly specialized aircraft away from active duty or combat readiness to perform stunts can easily be viewed as a misuse of vital resources. They say that air shows are the military's most powerful recruiting tool, and I totally agree! But that recruitment should happen on the ground, not in the air—except for simple flyovers.
Trump... The law and order president, you all heard his boast Trump made during the elections. However, the first thing that he did when he took office is to pardon all the mob that tried to take over the government.
By Linnaea Honl-Stuenkel, Sophia Barriga Hernandez and Alyssa Meiman
December 18, 2025
At least 33 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since January 6, 2021, according to new analysis by CREW. Four pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since receiving their pardons. Several have argued that the pardon should cover unrelated criminal convictions, and in one case last month, Trump explicitly re-pardoned one insurrectionist for his unrelated weapons charges.
Six of the pardoned January 6th insurrectionists are charged with committing child sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography. At least five were charged with illegal possession of weapons, including at least two who had a previous domestic violence conviction. Five were arrested or charged with driving while impaired or under the influence. In two of these cases, the defendant’s reckless driving resulted in a fatality. Two were charged with rape.
In four cases, the insurrectionists allegedly reoffended after receiving their pardons from Trump. Most recently, Christopher Moynihan was charged with a felony for threatening to murder House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in October. John Andries was convicted in June for violating a peace order by following the mother of his child in violation of a court order. Brent Holdridge and Zachary Alam were charged in May with burglary and breaking and entering, respectively.
What I can't figure out is how the voters could ignore Trump first term and think this time it would be different.
Trump went to China groveling at their feet; his bottom line was getting China to end the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. That put Trump in a weakened position.
President Donald Trump’s ambitions for his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping have shrunk from ‘grand bargain’ to a plea for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a push for small trade deals.
Politico
By Phelim Kine, Megan Messerly and Ari Hawkins
05/13/2026
President Donald Trump is arriving in Beijing in a role that he isn’t used to — a supplicant asking for favors.
The White House has said the meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday will focus on trade, fentanyl and the war in Iran — all areas where the Trump administration has had little luck getting deals or concessions from China.
That means Trump will be hard-pressed to deliver the big outcomes he has promised for weeks. Trump pitched the meeting as “a Monumental Event” in March and announced on Truth Social last month that he expects nothing less than a “big fat hug” from Xi.
President Donald Trump is arrived in Beijing in a role that he isn’t used to: a supplicant asking for favors.
The White House has said the meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday will focus on trade, fentanyl and the war in Iran — all areas where the Trump administration has had little luck getting deals or concessions from China.
That means Trump will be hard-pressed to deliver the big outcomes he has promised for weeks. Trump pitched the meeting as “a Monumental Event” in March and announced on Truth Social last month that he expects nothing less than a “big fat hug” from Xi.
The meeting got off on the wrong foot with a snub. Chronology writes:
President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for one of the most important diplomatic meetings of his presidency — but within minutes, critics were already calling the visit a humiliation.
The reason?
Chinese President Xi Jinping did not personally greet Trump at the airport.
Instead of being welcomed by Xi himself, Trump stepped off Air Force One to meet lower-ranking Chinese officials, including Vice President Han Zheng and diplomats from both governments.
And online, the reaction exploded instantly.
There are also rumors that the Xi chair was higher than Trump's and that the long stairway was designed to get Trump huffing and puffing so that Xi had to step in to steady him
Political commentators immediately framed the airport moment as a symbolic power play by Beijing. Trump, in round one, was a supplicant to Xi.
The British media outlet Reuters also saw it as a win for China.
U.S. President Donald Trump's two-day state visit to Beijing featured wide-ranging talks on Taiwan, Iran and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping but yielded few concrete outcomes on the issues dividing the world's two largest economies.
Here are some takeaways from Trump's trip to China, the first by a U.S. president since 2017.
NO BREAKTHROUGH ON IRAN
Trump downplayed the need for China's help with Iran ahead of the trip, even as his aides said Beijing - a major buyer of Iranian oil - could play an influential role in brokering a path to ending a conflict that has created the biggest crisis of Trump's presidency.
[…]
MORE PAGEANTRY THAN POLICY
Trump touted deals with Xi on Chinese purchases of farm goods, opens new tab, beef and Boeing aircraft, but the details were thin.
He departed Beijing without extending a trade truce due to expire later this year. Markets were disappointed that a deal reported by Trump for China to buy 200 Boeing jets wasn't bigger, and traders said U.S. soybean futures fell to their lowest level in more than two weeks on Friday after the summit failed to produce specific deals for American farm goods.
[…]
STRATEGIC SILENCE ON TAIWAN
When Trump emerged from his first round of talks with Xi on Thursday, reporters wanted to know one thing. What did they discuss on Taiwan?
Standing at the ancient Chinese Temple of Heaven, opens new tab alongside Xi, a president known for his loquaciousness opted for an almost spiritual silence. Trump said nothing.
By that point, China had already released an extended summary of Xi’s own comments on Taiwan in the private meeting with Trump. The Chinese leader warned that mishandling the countries' disagreements over Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by Beijing, could push China-U.S. relations to a "dangerous place."
As Xi and Trump walked through the Zhongnanhai gardens, Trump asked for some rose seeds, and Xi promised to send them for the White House Rose Garden. However, because the Rose Garden had been paved over by Trump, the offer was widely seen as a subtle dig against Donald “The Art of the Deal” Trump.
Trump left with nothing! All that his prostrating himself got him was nothing. China gave Trump the equivalent of some beads and trinkets. And what about the Strait of Hormuz? Well, China escorted tankers through the gulf... Chinese warships with the red star, escorting tankers through the gulf. That said it all!
Even the King of England got in a few digs at Trump when the King visited the White House; Trump has become the laughingstock of the world.
Loyalty to Trump means everything to Trump, but it is not a two-way street. If there is a way to make a buck off a friend, Trump will make the buck and toss the friendship away.
Recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that arms sales to Taiwan are a “very good negotiating chip” in the United States’ dealings with China are heightening anxieties on the island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.
Trump made the comment in a Fox News interview with Bret Baier that aired right after the U.S. president wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China on Friday.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary. The U.S., like all countries that have formal ties with Beijing, doesn’t recognize Taiwan as a country but has been the island’s strongest backer and arms supplier.
Trump is now suggesting that is open to negotiation.
Asked if he would approve a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan that has been held up for months, Trump said that’s up to China.
“I’m holding that in abeyance and it depends on China,” he said. “It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.”
For Trump, friendship is nothing more than a bargaining chip.
There are times when your life takes a turn, and you can look back and see how a single word changed everything.
The first turn: I had been seeing the handwriting on the wall. When you work for a company that is going down the tubes, you can see it coming. My boss, the head engineer, was leaving, so I gave him my resume. For nearly the next 30 years, I worked at that next company—until it was sold, and the new buyers didn't want us.
The second turn: In 2006, we were heading back from a hearing on the gender-inclusive non-discrimination bill, and we all went out to eat at the Wood & Tap in Hartford. There was Jerimarie, Amy, and one other person. I mentioned that they were closing the company where I worked and that I was looking for a career change. Amy suggested social work. I said, "I’m not a people person. I couldn't just sit there and listen to other people's problems, I’d be right there crying with them!"
Amy replied that she was a social worker... a community organizer.
In 2007, I was laid off and I transitioned!
A couple of days later, I was picking up the mail for a support group that I ran, and there was a flyer from the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work. It described a program where you could take non-matriculated classes; if you did well and liked it, you could transfer your credits over to a degree program.
In 2011—the very same year the gender-inclusive non-discrimination law was passed—I got my MSW.
1) This song is about a girl who borrows her father's Ford Thunderbird. When is the last time you drove someone else's car?
I can’t remember. Last July someone drove my car. There is a summer party up in Vermont and I drove up but a friend drove my car home.
2) The teen in question is well known for ability to drive "like an ace." If we were to ask your high school classmates what they remember most about you, what do you think they'd say?
Science Club… we weren’t just a bunch of nerds, we did so many pranks.
3) She told her father she needed the car to go to the library but used it instead to meet friends. Can you recall a time your parents caught you in a fib?
When I didn’t want to mow the lawn and I oiled the belt.
4) For this girl and her friends, fun centered on cars and fast food. What did you and your friends do for fun during your teen years?
All the gearheads hung out at McDonald’s, we would disappear foe a race on a back road and then head back to McDonald’s.
A bouncer, Joe would come around and say… “Order or leave!”
Many year latter I was the head of an electronic test department, the guy who worked in the equipment cage look familiar but I couldn’t place him.
He saw me looking so one time as he walked by my desk and said “Order or leave!” JOE!!!!!
Sadly, shortly after he retired he has a massive a brain aneurysm and died in mid sentence.
5) Legend has it songwriters Brian Wilson and Mike Love got the idea for this song from a Salt Lake City disc jockey. He told them he'd lent his T-bird to his daughter so she could go to class at the community college but discovered her deception when the car was ticketed in front of a fast food restaurant. Can you think of another song inspired by true events?
Four dead in Ohio!
I heard that song a lot after the two protesters were murdered in Minneapolis.
6) As in the song, the disc jockey punished his daughter by taking her driving privileges away. Were your parents strict when you were growing up?
Not really… there was a lot of rebellion there on my part in my teenage years. One thing that I still rebel at being on time. If the invite said at 7PM… we would be there at 7PM. Not 6:59. Not 7:01PM but at 7PM. Maybe it had something to do with being a Lt. Col.
7) This song was recorded on January 1, 1964. The Beach Boys had to work on the holiday because they were under pressure to meet a February release date. How did you spend New Year's Day 2026?
Sleeping and reading… I think I stayed up late on New Year’s Eve. I think that I made it up to 9PM.
8) 1964 was a great year for Capitol Records. They had chart-topping hits by the Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand and, most spectacularly, The Beatles. The Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles is considered iconic and it's a stop on tourist bus tours. Have you ever been to Southern California? If yes, what did you do?
Nope, only as far south as San Francisco. I learned a valuable lesson though. Drive up the coast on Rt. 1 not down the coast. Why? Because going down the coast you are on the outside on the way down the coast and some of those places had no guardrails, We joked that they only put up guardrails where they found a car at the bottom of the cliff… “Yup, I guess we need some here!”
9) Random question: What's the last compliment you received?
For a summer “Embroidered Top Flowy Floral Shirts Loose Dressy Casual Blouses “ I just bought a couple of weeks ago. But then it got cold again.
