I thank God she’s managing that insane asylum.”
— Steve Bannon, on Katie Miller, Elon Musk’s super controversial aide… who is also nutty. |
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Donald Trump seems to be taking Israel’s word and ignoring his own top spies, as he publicly flirts with bombing Iran.
- It doesn’t matter how high-stakes the issue — President Donald Trump loves keeping an audience in suspense. “I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m gonna do,” he told reporters this morning. He was referring to a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a scenario that would very likely drag the United States into another devastating war in the Middle East. Trump has already reportedly told aides that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but hasn't given a final order. “I like to make a final decision one second before it’s due," he said today.
- It’s unsettling that the president talks about going to war with the same nonchalance he’d show when deciding whether to put pickles on his Big Mac. What’s downright concerning, however, is that he seems to be shoving aside U.S. intelligence assessments as he makes his decision.
- Trump claims Iran is “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon. But U.S. officials don’t necessarily believe that Iran has decided to build a bomb, the Wall Street Journal reports. What’s more, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that Iran isn’t developing one and that the country hadn’t reauthorized its old nuclear weapons program. Asked about that discrepancy yesterday, Trump’s response was blunt: “I don’t care what she said.” Afterwards, Gabbard insisted that they’re on the same page… lol.
- Trump certainly does seem to be on the same page as someone else: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tehran is “marching very quickly” toward developing a nuclear weapon via its “secret plan,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. Sound familiar? He’s been warning about Iran building a nuke for 33 years. Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful energy production among other uses, though it might be able to quickly build a bomb if it wanted to.
- “There’s no reason that this war had to happen now … There’s a lot of echoes of the Iraq War here,” Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration, said on Pod Save The World. How does Iran feel about all this? There will be “irreparable damage” if the U.S. becomes involved, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today.
As Trump buddies up with Netanyahu, MAGAworld is becoming more divided over the possibility of U.S. military intervention.
- Some far-right hawks on Capitol Hill are foaming at the mouth over the idea of striking Iran. “Be all in, President Trump, in helping Israel eliminate the nuclear threat,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Fox News.
- And then there are the MAGA isolationist folks. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who’s best known for his staunch belief that the government is hiding aliens from us, described his pro-intervention Republican colleagues as “war pimps.”
- “I got a daughter, just turned 18 last week … I don’t want to see her go to war,” Burchett told CNN this morning. “I just don't see American boys and girls going to a faraway land that many of us couldn't even find on a map. Again, it's Israeli — the Israelis can handle this thing. Let's let them handle it.”
- You know things are getting weird when even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) starts making sense. “The American people have been brainwashed into believing that America has to engage in these foreign wars in order for us to survive, and it’s absolutely not true,” Greene said earlier this week, blaming “propaganda” on the left and right.
This stuff is downright scary. But Tucker Carlson — of all people! — brought some joy when he humiliated Ted Cruz over his lack of knowledge on Iran. Go watch, it’s incredible.
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There’s renewed focus on airplane safety following a string of deadly crashes this year. The world’s most awkward comedian is suddenly a leading advocate to solve the problem.
On the HBO show “The Rehearsal,” Nathan Fielder enlists longtime aviation expert John Goglia to figure out how to make flying safer. The plan? Use elaborate roleplaying (involving a life-size airport set and plane simulations) to study how pilots communicate with each other in the cockpit. Miscommunication between pilots is a major factor in many deadly crashes, Fielder says.
“The issue is on point,” Goglia, an 81-year-old grandpa who has become a minor celebrity since the show aired, told What A Day. “He is exactly right in what he identified. There's people criticizing him because of the way he portrayed it, but then they ignore the issue.”
The show has had an impact. Fielder met with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), a top lawmaker on aviation issues. During a recent hearing, Cohen asked about pilot communication, seemingly inspired by the television show. On CNN, Fielder called the FAA “dumb” after it refuted his claims that the agency doesn’t train pilots well enough on communication. Since the season ended, Fielder has been texting and calling Goglia more often than when they were filming, sometimes multiple times a day. It shows the comedian’s dedication to fixing the issue, Goglia said.
“He is pushing for it,” he told me. “Part of the conversation was just that: What do we do next?”
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Israeli attacks killed at least 140 people in the Gaza Strip in a 24-hour period, medics said this morning. Israel’s military defended its actions, saying that its troops are “operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” while taking “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”
The Supreme Court allowed a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors to remain in place, dealing a major blow to trans rights advocates. All six of the conservative justices ruled to uphold the law, which could set a precedent for similar cases in the future.
The Trump administration plans to extend TikTok’s deadline to divest from ByteDance, its Chinese-owned parent company, by another 90 days. “President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Trump simply isn’t enforcing the law, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. Awesome, I love that there’s no consequences for ignoring the law anymore.
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady again, despite Trump’s attempts to bully Chair Jerome Powell into lowering them. “So we have a stupid person,” Trump told reporters today. “I think he hates me, but that’s OK. I’ve been so nice to him, fellas... I do it every way in the book. I’m nasty, I’m nice. Nothing works.” I have an idea for the lead actor in the next “Mean Girls” reboot.
Former President Barack Obama warned that the U.S. is “dangerously close” to letting Trump officials act in a way “consistent with autocracies.” Hate to break it to ya, Barry, but if Donald tries to secure a third term in office, we’re tapping you in!
The Trump administration is expected to drop long-standing guidelines stating that people should limit their alcohol intake to a couple cold ones per day. The new recommendations are expected to encourage people to drink in moderation due to health risks, according to Reuters. |
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THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
If you’re looking for a deep dive on the G7 summit and how it fits into the bigger picture of global politics, check out this week’s Pod Save the World. Tommy & Ben tackle the big question: will Trump drag the United States into another war in the Middle East? Rep. Greg Landsman also joins for a candid debate on U.S. policy toward Israel, Iran, and Gaza — what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change. Plus, they discuss what the G7 signals about shifting global alliances. Listen to Pod Save the World now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s order that required Americans to choose their gender assigned at birth on their passport. District Judge Julia Kobick ruled that applicants can choose the gender they identify with, or mark “X” on the application form.
Modern humans in Africa started to migrate to more extreme environments around 70,000 years ago, according to a new study. “Effectively, what you’re talking about is a more connected species,” said Andrea Manica, the author of the study. “It’s really just a ramping up of social networks, of movement of ideas. And that suddenly allows you to be successful in quite a wide range of conditions.” That expansion helped pave the way to me living in Washington, D.C. today — and you living wherever you live!
Astronomers captured a stunning photo showing almost the entire Sculptor galaxy, spanning about 65,000 light-years. The galaxy is about 11 million light-years away from Earth, which is, exactly how far from here I’d like to be right now!
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