The White House cat thinks she owns the place From NY Magazine: When discussing life in the White House during another town hall in July 2021, [Biden] remarked, “It is very hard to get comfortable.” While you might think the addition of a cat would make the White House feel more like a home, it seems that hasn’t solved the problem. In January 2023 the president revealed that his new cat Willow is adding to his discomfort. “Willow may walk in here any time now. She has no limits,” Biden said. “You think I’m kidding, I’m not. Especially in the middle of the night when she climbs up and lays on top of my head.” Of course she has no limits. She’s a cat.
Reading
One plaintiff vomited while recounting her ordeal. The case marks the first time patients denied abortions have sued a state since Roe was overturned.
The post Testifying Against Texas, Women Denied Abortions Relive the Pregnancies That Almost Killed Them appeared first on The Intercept.
This exoplanet’s sun should have obliterated its atmosphere. It's still going strong.
The post The Shiniest Planet Has Clouds of Metal and Glass appeared first on Nautilus.
Remember this? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign is planning a reboot, top campaign officials said, with a significant shift on messaging, events and media strategy. Expect fewer big speeches and more handshaking in diners and churches. There will be more of a national focus than constant Florida references. That was just a couple of days ago. Today: He an’t help himself. He’s still chasing the culture war fanatics. It isn’t a strategy. It’s him.
The US House held a “hearing” yesterday featuring “Democrat” RFK Jr. It was, as you might expect, a total shitshow. Some highlights. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said he compared COVID policies to the Holocaust. He got very indignant, denying it: He is a wack job. And so are his biggest fans — MAGA Republicans:
For the first time in centuries the ordination of women is on the table in...
The story behind the scare that an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere into a fireball.
The post The Day Oppenheimer Feared He Might Blow Up the World appeared first on Nautilus.
Photos taken by The Intercept show dozens of people trapped with little shade in a lethal desert.
The post Border Patrol Is Caging Migrants Outdoors During Deadly Arizona Heatwave appeared first on The Intercept.
Ya think? Current and former leaders from the U.S. and around the world are gathering this week at a Colorado geopolitics conference to address some of the dangers facing the world such as Russia’s war on Ukraine and the unknowns surrounding AI. But if the response of those attending the Aspen Security Forum to questions from reporters over the the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency is any indication, the topic appears to be off limits for public consumption, Politico reports. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s Trump-averse response to a question from a Politico reporter typified the mood at the forum. “Ha! Thank you. I have enough problems at home,” Livni said walking away from the reporter. Stephen Hadley, a former national security adviser to President George W. Bush said, “I don’t do politics.” “I haven’t even begun to think about 2024,” said Stephen Biegun, who served as deputy secretary of State in Trump administration.
The world stands in urgent need of a universal accord to ensure it remains a Planet that our children and grandchildren can inhabit and enjoy, far into the future. At present the Earth system is breaking down, due to ten massive threats that are the direct result of human activity, our excessive numbers, over-consumption and Continue reading »
One morning in February 2021, I was woken by a WeChat call from my brother in China. Mum had died the previous night, he told me. I wasn’t shocked to hear about Mum’s death – she had been very ill for a couple of years. In fact, for months before she died, our weekly WeChat Continue reading »
Ukraine and Georgia’s NATO aspirations not only touch a raw nerve in Russia, they engender serious concerns about the consequences for stability in the region. Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia’s influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests. Continue reading »
Increasing interest rates hasn’t quite done the job; now we are told we need to increase unemployment to curtail inflation! Roll on the lunacy of conventional central banking and treasury inflation policy. Can some lessons never be learned? In 1989, I was a junior member of the Hawke Government Caucus Economic Policy Committee. We regularly Continue reading »
The Voice “Yes” campaign is actually supported by parliamentarians from all main parties; Unemployment kills Australians; The Fadden by-election – no winners, but a strange electorate. Read on for the Weekly Roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy. Economics The Reserve Bank – Continue reading »
The Mandarin and Crikey’s ‘revolving door’ list: The PwC tax leak scandal has renewed focus on the close links between politicians, public servants and consultancy firms. Sometimes that relationship takes the form of a “revolving door” when former consultants are hired as public servants or elected to political office — or when former politicians and Continue reading »
It’s hard to know whether to cry or laugh reading the highlights of the hour-long conversation Joe Biden had with the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman on Tuesday, after meeting President Isaac Herzog. One can cry over the impotence and uselessness of the strongest superpower in the world when it comes to its protégé, Israel. Continue reading »
The upcoming Spanish elections indicate the unthinkable – the resurrection of Franco’s influence within a new government. But perhaps it could be the last of his death throes. When I was five years old and lived in Argentina, my capacity for political analysis was even more limited than today. But that little boy from Buenos Continue reading »
With apologies to Aqua.
- - -
She would collect name tags and uniforms like a poacher collects tusks. She was many things. She was a ballerina and a lawyer and a flight attendant and a pilot. When we first met, she was a model by trade. It was an occupation viewed by many as unskilled, but I found beauty in its simplicity. Her profession did not define her.
“Hiya, Barbie,” I said.
“Hi, Ken,” she replied.
There is a hollow empty fear a man can have when he sees an old friend. A fear of not knowing the conversation’s direction. A fear of being rudderless. I was singular in my focus for the night. One last glam adventure before I re-enlisted.
“You wanna go for a ride?”
The blonde was once the life of the party. She was out of practice. She lived in a Malibu Dream House but was a prisoner of her own device.
“Sure, Ken.”
Kristian Andersen had a major grant proposal on Anthony Fauci’s desk while writing a paper exonerating an NIH-funded lab in Wuhan, documents show.
The post Key Scientist in Covid Origin Controversy Misled Congress on Status of $8.9 Million NIH Grant appeared first on The Intercept.
Ryan Grim and Beth Miller of Jewish Voice for Peace Action discuss the House resolution declaring unconditional support for Israel’s government.
The post Congress Melts Down Over Israel Again appeared first on The Intercept.