|
 |
A few days ago, the most powerful superpower in the world evacuated 12 of the most powerful aircraft in its military from the base of a strong ally because of the threat of a drone attack from a country we’ve been repeatedly told has been completely defeated. NYT (Gift Article): Potential Iranian Drone Attack Led to Exit of U.S. Aircraft From British Air Base. “The rushed order to withdraw the [12 B-1] bombers was highly unusual: Such moves are rarely made so quickly from an allied air base in a peacetime country thousands of miles from a combat zone. Indeed, the need to move the bombers from the base was deemed so urgent that some of the planes and their flight crews left while aerial refueling aircraft were still being deployed to support their flights to the United States.” While small devices have been used to defeat larger enemies since David aimed his slingshot at Goliath, it would have been hard to imagine, even just a few years ago, a drone threat chasing B-1 bombers off of an American base. But times and tech have changed, and as Anne Applebaum recently remarked, “Nobody is prepared for the world of drone warfare that is coming, in fact is already here.” It doesn’t inspire great confidence that preparing for these rapid changes is currently in the hands of a commander in chief who rambles about letting Iran take out a city such as Los Angeles or San Diego, and a testosterone-obsessed secretary of defensewho’s more obsessed with winning the culture war than the real war he’s supposed to be managing. From Ukraine to the Middle East to the American B-1 bomber heavy tarmac of a British Airbase, we are in the middle of a serious and urgent global military inflection point, and we have exactly the wrong people in charge.
2
Afterschool Job
“They are too young to buy a beer and barely old enough to drive, yet these four teenage boys have already found their way into the criminal underworld ... These teenagers are part of a growing network of American high school students and young adults who are helping to arm some of Mexico’s most powerful and violent cartels, according to U.S. officials and trafficking experts who are tracking the trend. They source weapons like handguns and high-caliber rifles, and sell them almost exclusively to cartel operatives based in the United States.” NYT(Gift Article): American High School Students Are Selling Guns Bound for Cartels. “Sometimes, they said, they steal the guns and then resell them. They aren’t loyal to one criminal group or another; instead, they say, they are motivated by making money, gaining status and having a sense of belonging.” (Whatever happened to joining a club?)
3
Assault in the Wound
“The administration’s lack of action so far on the Cornell case comes amid an apparent drop from Mr. Trump’s first term in resolved investigations of sexual assault, which are cases that end with a signed agreement to remedy violations of civil rights law, according to a review of public records. The administration has largely used Title IX to open dozens of investigations aimed at removing protections for transgender students, blocking transgender athletes from participating on female sports teams and eliminating gender-neutral bathrooms from schools.” Cornell Case Highlights Drop in Resolved Sexual Assault Cases Under Trump. (I wonder why Trump and his enablers wouldn’t want to hold sexual assaulters to account?) “In 2011, Mr. Obama’s administration issued a public letter telling colleges that sexual harassment and assault create an environment so hostile that women’s access to education is jeopardized and violates their civil rights. Mr. Trump’s administration rescinded that letter in 2017 and rewrote the guidelines, providing more protections for people facing accusations.” (If they really want protections, they should run for president...)
4
Flights of Fancy
“The champagne is chilled, the caviar is served, and you don’t have to worry about your luggage. Pink couches covered in green palm trees are very Miami. Lounge chairs around a reflecting pool offer a quiet escape. From a private suite with a balcony, you can order croquetas and Cuban panzanella, or request a massage, manicure or haircut. When it’s time to board, a driver is waiting to chauffeur you in a BMW across the tarmac, directly to your commercial flight at Miami International Airport. It’s the perks of flying private, without actually flying on a private jet.” Airports want more revenue. The economic divide is growing. Enter exclusive terminals. Bloomberg (Gift Article): A $5,000 Private Lounge With BMW Tarmac Drop-off Is the New Airport Luxury.
5
Extra, Extra
Class Struggle: “Demonstrations swept across France on Tuesday as labor unions rallied in solidarity with high school students who have spent two weeks blockading schools to protest understaffing, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings. Marches were held in more than 40 cities, from Caen in the north to Marseille in the south, as activists, teachers, parents and university students joined swelling protests that had spread to hundreds of schools across the country.” Thankfully, President Trump is adding his calming and reasoned voice to the chaos. “What’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!” Here’s the latest from the NYT and The Guardian.
+ Measles and Chumps: Pennsylvania measles cases reach more than 1,000. And Gov. Hochul Declares a Measles Emergency as Cases Rise in Rural New York. Meanwhile, Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children.
+ Brad’s Pit: “A new video from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was standard issue Republican messaging for promoting her state’s stricter rules for people on Medicaid. No more could able-bodied people lounge around while receiving taxpayer-funded healthcare, she said — they needed to work.” But she made a big mistake for the MAGA-minded. The example she used was a white guy named Brad. Arkansas campaign ad sparks conservative backlash for portraying lazy welfare recipient as white.
+ On the Rocks: “Francis Halzen won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and his discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.” (The fact that you don’t understand what that means is evidence that he deserved it.)
+ Justice Denied: This seems worrisome. “President Trump invited infamous election denier Tina Peters to the White House to discuss plans for the midterms.”
+ You Don’t Know Me But I’m Your Brother Father:“Goessling, who recently went public with his story, had seen the Doobie Brothers perform twice, once in the 1980s and again in the early 1990s, without knowing that the man onstage was his biological father.” Adopted man discovers Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers is his biological father.