\n
![\"space](\"https:\/\/kewus.net\/yesterday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/space-shuttle-abstraction.webp\" "\\"space")
<\/a>\n<\/center><\/p>\n
Bill Nelson: In the Quest to Shrink NASA, Trump Forgets National Security<\/a><\/h2>\nMr. Nelson, a former Democratic senator from Florida, was the administrator of NASA from 2021 to 2025
\n…
\nThe Trump administration\u2019s proposal to cut NASA to the bone<\/a> \u2014 including a nearly 50 percent reduction in science funding<\/a> \u2014 jeopardizes the country\u2019s pursuit of discovery and undermines capabilities that are essential in an era when rivals are advancing in terrestrial and extraterrestrial arenas. Far from a bold vision for American leadership, the administration has presented Congress with a blueprint for falling catastrophically behind on space exploration just as China and other nations are surging ahead.
\n…<\/p>\nBut this isn\u2019t just about the race to shape humanity\u2019s future as a multiplanetary species. It\u2019s about threats that are already here, as we witnessed over a year ago at Langley. In places like Ukraine<\/a> and the Middle East<\/a>, we\u2019re witnessing the dawn of autonomous drone strikes as a new paradigm of war \u2014 launched from hidden compartments, capable of punching through even the most sophisticated air defenses. Against this backdrop are reports of Chinese-owned companies purchasing farmland near U.S. military bases \u2014 at least 350,000 acres in 27 states \u2014 raising urgent questions about espionage and threats not just to military installations, but also critical systems like energy grids. A strong civilian space program doesn\u2019t just advance technologies needed to detect these threats, but also helps ensure supremacy over the skies and in orbit.
\n
\n(Bill Nelson more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n- \n
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – June 28, 2025<\/a><\/h2>\n…
\nAfter forcing changes to the measure through challenges accepted by the Senate parliamentarian, Democrats tonight called out Republicans for releasing the new bill in the middle of last night and then trying to call a vote on it in the middle of tonight. They are demanding that the entire 940-page bill be read on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n
As the Republican attempt to hide the budget reconciliation bill suggests, it is enormously unpopular.<\/p>\n
In 1890, the Republicans forced through Congress a similarly unpopular measure: the McKinley Tariff, the law President Donald Trump has spoken of as a model for his economic policies. Like today\u2019s budget reconciliation bill, the McKinley Tariff skewed the country\u2019s economy even more strongly toward the very wealthy, putting more money in the pockets of the richest Americans at the expense of the poorest.<\/p>\n
The McKinley Tariff passed in a chaotic congressional session in May 1890, with members shouting amendments, yelling objections, and talking over one another. All Democrats voted against the measure, and when it passed in the House, Republicans cheered and clapped at their victory. \u201cYou may rejoice now,\u201d a Democrat yelled across the aisle, \u201cbut next November you\u2019ll mourn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats were right. In the November 1890 midterm elections, angry voters repudiated the Republican Party, giving the Democrats a two-to-one majority in the House and preserving Republican control of the Senate only because three Republican senators had voted against the tariff.
\n(Heather Cox Richardson more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Atlantic: \u2018I\u2019m Not Quite Sure How to Respond to This Presentation\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\nThe discomfiting spectacle of RFK Jr.\u2019s new vaccine-advisory committee
\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/kewus.net\/yesterday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Malone.avif\" "\\"The")
<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n(Atlantic more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Reuters: U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites set up “cat-and-mouse” hunt for missing uranium<\/a><\/h2>\nCNN: UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran could again begin enriching uranium in \u2018matter of months\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n- \n
Jamelle Bouie: We Know Exactly Where the Supreme Court\u2019s Change of Heart Has Come From<\/a><\/h2>\nThe heart of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson\u2019s dissent in Trump v. CASA<\/em> is that the Constitution does not permit the exercise of arbitrary power and is certainly not a document that gives to any single individual the authority to rewrite the law.
\n…<\/p>\nIt is hard to know for certain whether the Republican majority understands the legal world it\u2019s building and the power it has given to the president. My view, like Jackson\u2019s, is that it is laying the groundwork for the exercise of arbitrary power, unaccountable save for the next election \u2014 an American-style presidential dictatorship.
\n(Jamelle Bouie more…)<\/a><\/p>\nAllison Gill: John Roberts: “I Never Thought the Leopards Would Eat *My* Judiciary”<\/a><\/h2>\nThe chief justice who handed an oligarch a crown is once again surprised by the consequences of his own actions
\n(Allison Gill more…)<\/a><\/p>\nRebecca Solnit: “An Existential Threat to the Rule of Law” (Some Notes on the Supreme Court and the War on Immigrants)<\/a><\/h2>\n…
\nAfter a lifetime in a relatively predictable country, one governed by norms as well as laws set down in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all bets are off as to what will happen next, both with what the Trump junta does and what civil society does. We make the future in the present with how we show up or don’t, and while that’s always true, it’s never been more urgently so.
\n(Rebecca Solnit more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Closer to the Edge: No flowers for fascists<\/a><\/h2>\nYou don\u2019t have to serve seditionists. You don\u2019t have to bake cakes for coup apologists. You\u2019re allowed to say no. And it\u2019s time you did.
\n
\n![\"Kristin](\"https:\/\/kewus.net\/yesterday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kristin-Wolter.webp\" "\\"Kristin")
<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n(Closer to the Edge more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Jess Piper: Three Messages Democrats Should Bring to Rural America<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n![\"Story](\"https:\/\/kewus.net\/yesterday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Story-County-gathering.webp\" "\\"Story")
<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n…
\nA study by the University of New Hampshire stated:<\/p>\nHow much would a small incremental change of plus or minus 3 percent in support in rural areas over 2020 levels influence the outcome of the 2024 election? Enough to make the difference between victory and defeat in several of the battleground states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We could have made a massive difference in 2024 if we could have turned out just 3% more Democratic voters in rural areas across the country.
\n…<\/p>\n
As an experienced organizer, these are the three things I would talk about on repeat in rural communities: Medicaid and schools and jobs.
\n…<\/p>\n
There will be some who will read this post and be ready with the statement: why even try in rural areas? They always vote against their self-interest.
\n…<\/p>\n
Missouri, like many GOP-dominated states, isn\u2019t red. It is uncontested.
\n(Jess Piper more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Closer to the Edge: The court that watches porn so you don’t have to<\/a><\/h2>\n…
\nHere\u2019s where the ruling jumps the shark and lands right in the clown tank. Because Texas\u2019s new law mimics old Supreme Court language about what is and isn\u2019t protected sexual expression, judges now have to do what their predecessors did in the \u201870s: watch porn and decide if it\u2019s \u201cserious.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nYou can\u2019t make this up. Judges may be required to screen porn and determine whether it has \u201cserious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value\u2026 for minors.\u201d Not adults\u2014minors. Imagine the federal court transcript: …
\n(Closer to the Edge more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n- \n
Citizen Watch Report: ICE and border agents use explosives to break into LA home of US citizen while she was inside with her two children<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n
\n…
\nThe Trump administration\u2019s proposal to cut NASA to the bone<\/a> \u2014 including a nearly 50 percent reduction in science funding<\/a> \u2014 jeopardizes the country\u2019s pursuit of discovery and undermines capabilities that are essential in an era when rivals are advancing in terrestrial and extraterrestrial arenas. Far from a bold vision for American leadership, the administration has presented Congress with a blueprint for falling catastrophically behind on space exploration just as China and other nations are surging ahead.
\n…<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t just about the race to shape humanity\u2019s future as a multiplanetary species. It\u2019s about threats that are already here, as we witnessed over a year ago at Langley. In places like Ukraine<\/a> and the Middle East<\/a>, we\u2019re witnessing the dawn of autonomous drone strikes as a new paradigm of war \u2014 launched from hidden compartments, capable of punching through even the most sophisticated air defenses. Against this backdrop are reports of Chinese-owned companies purchasing farmland near U.S. military bases \u2014 at least 350,000 acres in 27 states \u2014 raising urgent questions about espionage and threats not just to military installations, but also critical systems like energy grids. A strong civilian space program doesn\u2019t just advance technologies needed to detect these threats, but also helps ensure supremacy over the skies and in orbit. … As the Republican attempt to hide the budget reconciliation bill suggests, it is enormously unpopular.<\/p>\n In 1890, the Republicans forced through Congress a similarly unpopular measure: the McKinley Tariff, the law President Donald Trump has spoken of as a model for his economic policies. Like today\u2019s budget reconciliation bill, the McKinley Tariff skewed the country\u2019s economy even more strongly toward the very wealthy, putting more money in the pockets of the richest Americans at the expense of the poorest.<\/p>\n The McKinley Tariff passed in a chaotic congressional session in May 1890, with members shouting amendments, yelling objections, and talking over one another. All Democrats voted against the measure, and when it passed in the House, Republicans cheered and clapped at their victory. \u201cYou may rejoice now,\u201d a Democrat yelled across the aisle, \u201cbut next November you\u2019ll mourn.\u201d<\/p>\n Democrats were right. In the November 1890 midterm elections, angry voters repudiated the Republican Party, giving the Democrats a two-to-one majority in the House and preserving Republican control of the Senate only because three Republican senators had voted against the tariff. The discomfiting spectacle of RFK Jr.\u2019s new vaccine-advisory committee The heart of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson\u2019s dissent in Trump v. CASA<\/em> is that the Constitution does not permit the exercise of arbitrary power and is certainly not a document that gives to any single individual the authority to rewrite the law. It is hard to know for certain whether the Republican majority understands the legal world it\u2019s building and the power it has given to the president. My view, like Jackson\u2019s, is that it is laying the groundwork for the exercise of arbitrary power, unaccountable save for the next election \u2014 an American-style presidential dictatorship. The chief justice who handed an oligarch a crown is once again surprised by the consequences of his own actions … You don\u2019t have to serve seditionists. You don\u2019t have to bake cakes for coup apologists. You\u2019re allowed to say no. And it\u2019s time you did. How much would a small incremental change of plus or minus 3 percent in support in rural areas over 2020 levels influence the outcome of the 2024 election? Enough to make the difference between victory and defeat in several of the battleground states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We could have made a massive difference in 2024 if we could have turned out just 3% more Democratic voters in rural areas across the country. As an experienced organizer, these are the three things I would talk about on repeat in rural communities: Medicaid and schools and jobs. There will be some who will read this post and be ready with the statement: why even try in rural areas? They always vote against their self-interest. Missouri, like many GOP-dominated states, isn\u2019t red. It is uncontested. … You can\u2019t make this up. Judges may be required to screen porn and determine whether it has \u201cserious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value\u2026 for minors.\u201d Not adults\u2014minors. Imagine the federal court transcript: …
\n
\n(Bill Nelson more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – June 28, 2025<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nAfter forcing changes to the measure through challenges accepted by the Senate parliamentarian, Democrats tonight called out Republicans for releasing the new bill in the middle of last night and then trying to call a vote on it in the middle of tonight. They are demanding that the entire 940-page bill be read on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n
\n(Heather Cox Richardson more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAtlantic: \u2018I\u2019m Not Quite Sure How to Respond to This Presentation\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n(Atlantic more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nReuters: U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites set up “cat-and-mouse” hunt for missing uranium<\/a><\/h2>\n
CNN: UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran could again begin enriching uranium in \u2018matter of months\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nJamelle Bouie: We Know Exactly Where the Supreme Court\u2019s Change of Heart Has Come From<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n…<\/p>\n
\n(Jamelle Bouie more…)<\/a><\/p>\nAllison Gill: John Roberts: “I Never Thought the Leopards Would Eat *My* Judiciary”<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n(Allison Gill more…)<\/a><\/p>\nRebecca Solnit: “An Existential Threat to the Rule of Law” (Some Notes on the Supreme Court and the War on Immigrants)<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nAfter a lifetime in a relatively predictable country, one governed by norms as well as laws set down in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all bets are off as to what will happen next, both with what the Trump junta does and what civil society does. We make the future in the present with how we show up or don’t, and while that’s always true, it’s never been more urgently so.
\n(Rebecca Solnit more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCloser to the Edge: No flowers for fascists<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n(Closer to the Edge more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nJess Piper: Three Messages Democrats Should Bring to Rural America<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n<\/a>
\n<\/center>
\n…
\nA study by the University of New Hampshire stated:<\/p>\n
\n…<\/p>\n
\n…<\/p>\n
\n…<\/p>\n
\n(Jess Piper more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCloser to the Edge: The court that watches porn so you don’t have to<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nHere\u2019s where the ruling jumps the shark and lands right in the clown tank. Because Texas\u2019s new law mimics old Supreme Court language about what is and isn\u2019t protected sexual expression, judges now have to do what their predecessors did in the \u201870s: watch porn and decide if it\u2019s \u201cserious.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n(Closer to the Edge more…)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCitizen Watch Report: ICE and border agents use explosives to break into LA home of US citizen while she was inside with her two children<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n