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Ukraine-Russia. From Politico.EU: Russia wants 30,000 more troops from North Korea, Zelenskyy says. Moscow and Pyongyang in 2024 signed a pact of “mutual assistance in case of aggression.” [Ed: I don't believe anything Zelensky says. On the other hand, the agreement with N. Korea is well established.]

From Pupvine: California Great Dane Learns To Trust Again And His Transformation Leads All The Way To National TV

From Reason: In 39 States, People Can Be Sentenced to Life for Murders They Did Not Commit. The Sentencing Project highlights the perverse consequences of the felony murder rule, a vestige of British law that still prevails in federal courts and all but two states. [Ed: a must read.]

Trump Tariffs. From Cato Institute: Trump’s New Tariffs Aren’t About Forced Labor—They’re About Restoring the Tariff Wall. [Ed: Trump has lawyers pouring over old law books to uncover plausible pretexts on which to impose tariffs.] AND "During fiscal year 2025, the federal government collected an average of about $7.3 billion per day in individual income taxes, $4.8 billion in payroll taxes, and $1.2 billion in corporate income taxes. Customs duties averaged about $534 million per day." From Reason:Trump's Newest Tariffs Are Likely Illegal Too. The Section 301 tariffs announced on Thursday overstep the powers granted by Congress and likely run afoul of the major questions doctrine. [Ed: by the time a Court strikes the tariff, however, the tariff will have been in force for months.]

From the Manhattan Contrarian: Yet Another Embarrassment From The National Academy Of Pseudoscience. [Ed: recommended.]

From Politico.EU: Massive forest fires reignite political tensions in Spain. Devastating blazes raging around Madrid, Ávila, Toledo and Castellón have displaced more than 100,000 people, exposed gaps in firefighting capacity and reopened a familiar feud between the left and the right. From AFP: France, Spain battle ‘monster’ wildfires with more heat on the way.

From Futurism: Eye Implant That Restores Vision to the Blind Cleared for Sale.

From Zero Hedge: India's Education Minister Resigns, Delhi Protests End As Modi Caves To 'Cockroach' Youth Movement's Demands. Pradhan's exit was the core demand of the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)... "...the youth movement that has camped at Delhi's Jantar Mantar since late June over the leak of medical school entrance exam papers. The May leaks forced the cancellation of results and a retest for some 2 million students, and have been linked to several student suicides." [Ed: BTW, it is called the cockroach movement because it adopted an insulting remark by a Supreme Court official and ran with the insult.]

From Responsible Statecraft: Can Cuba outlast Marco Rubio?

From the Babylon Bee: Old Spice Introduces New Libertarian-Strength Deodorant.

From YouTube: All Aboard the Dog Bus.

Fraud. From FOX News: Alleged $32M COVID-19 fraud fugitive captured in Jamaica and returned to US, FBI says. Elaine Angene Escoe was charged in a $32M COVID-19 pandemic relief fraud scheme allegedly involving wire fraud, money laundering. [Ed: for this much fraud to occur, it almost had to be encouraged.] From the Daily Wire: Ilhan Omar’s Sister Linked To Central Figures In Minnesota’s Fraud Scandal.

From Zero Hedge: Catherine Herridge Uncovers Shocking Revelations About The Biden Family. All this was ignored and buried...

Upcoming Election. From the Hill: Trump Loses on Mail-in Voting. Appeals court won't remove order blocking rule changes. [Ed: probably the largest conduit of fraud in elections.]

From the Kitty Cat Breeders: “He Snores Loudly”…So They Left Him at a Laundromat Until a Kind Stranger Stepped In to Save Him

From Remix: No-Go-Zone: Rotterdam Imposes Unprecedented Nighttime Exclusion Area. [Ed: to prevent what are described as migrant youth gangs from taking over at night.] Anyone found in large parts of De Esch between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a legitimate reason now risks a fine and a criminal record...

Iran. From Son of the New American Revolution: Did Trump TACO Again on Iran? Why? [Ed: I'm not sure Trump has a real 'why"--that is, a strategy. He seems to just have reactions.] From Zero Hedge: Iran Blasts "Freeloader" Zelensky For Ordering Deadly Attack On Caspian Vessel "At Israel's Behest". A dangerous merging of conflicts? From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Trump Dithers as Strait of Hormuz Damage Compounds; Ansar Allah-Saudi Conflict Spirals, Adding to Economic Harm; Iran Threatens Retaliation Against Ukraine
From the Business Times: Iran says it will halt strikes as long as US bombing pause holds

From First Post: ‘Ready for everything’: Zelenskyy says he is not worried about Iran’s retaliation after Caspian Sea debacle. [Ed: what me worry? It's the Ukrainian people who will pay any price that's exacted.]

From Zero Hedge: Demand For "Squatter King Removal" Erupts As Maryland's Left-Wing Housing Utopia Backfires. [Ed: thank God for the free market.]

From Tom Elliot Substack: Fauci Files: A Megalomaniacal Egomaniac Milking Covid For Everything It's Worth. Anthony Fauci's personal diary reveals an obsession for soliciting awards, squelching dissent, & and circumventing independent agencies. [Ed: remember, Fauci is testifying before Congress on Wednesday.]

From Toronto Sun: Family dog saves young boy from charging bear: 'DIDN'T GET ME'

From Reason: The 'App Store Freedom Act' Would Be Bad for Freedom. And for competition and innovation too. [Ed: a lot of legislation is perversely titled contrary to its purpose/effect.]

From Quora: He had no home, no money… but he refused to leave his injured dog alone.

White House Correspondence Dinner Redux. From FOX News: Here's what you missed from Trump's first WHCA Dinner as president: 5 takeaways from his night with the press. President Trump joked with the press at Friday's WHCA Dinner, and even pledged to return next year. From CNN: Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point. [Ed: two different views.]

From the Rutherford Institute: Getting Away with Murder: Under Trump, the Buck Stops Nowhere.

Upcoming U.S. Elections. From the Post Millennial: Software company blamed for 6,600 noncitizen voters says New Jersey approved illegal alien registrations. “All 6,600 individuals indicated ‘Yes’ to wanting to register to vote and ‘NO’ to being a US Citizen. This information was recorded correctly and always available." [Ed: yep, That's what happens when you blame people. They defend themselves.] From Jonathan Turley: The Jurisprudence of Shenna Bellows: Will the Secretary of State Bar Another Candidate from the Ballot? From Chronicles: Hollywood’s Electoral Reckoning

From Reason: For Thousands of New York City Apartment Buildings, the Math Doesn't Math. This year’s rent freeze is just the latest regulation pushing New York City’s rent-stabilized housing stock toward financial and physical collapse.

From the DoDo: Stray Dogs Sleep On Porch Of Woman's Airbnb For 4 Days Until She Adopts Them All

From the Independent: BBC Demands Trump Hand Over January 6 Texts in Bid to Prove He Incited Riots. [Ed: I understand some very important events in the past need to be relitigated. But EVERYTHING?]

AI. From Zero Hedge: Humanoid War Robot Gets Advanced AMD-Powered AI Brain. Skynet? From Washington Examiner: Hugging Face hack shows why we shouldn’t trust AI. [Ed: but we should trust it in a war robot?]

Fauci to Testify Before Senate, Rand Paul Overseeing. From the Hill: Fauci to Face Rand Paul in Senate Hearing Next Week. [Ed: on Wednesday. when is Fauci going to jail. Oh yeah, I remember, never. Does his pardon under Biden extend to lying under oath to Congress?] From the MAHA Report: Senator Rand Paul to Oversee Anthony Fauci Testimony on July 29. Sen. Rand Paul tells MAHA Media Hub that Anthony Fauci, once known as ‘America’s Doctor,’ will testify July 29. He'll be questioned about his role funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan - and more.

From FOX News: Obama Presidential Center subcontractors file fresh payment claims totaling nearly $900K. The payment claims relate specifically to Home Court, the center's basketball facility hosting WNBA All-Star Weekend events.

From Orvis News: A Unique Dog Finds a Best Friend. [Ed: my fav dog story of the day.]

A Broadening/Combining of War(s). From Mish Talk: Ukraine Fires on Iranian Ships. Russia and Ukraine Dragged Into the Iran War? [Ed: this was a commerical vessel in the Caspian Sea.] From ANI News: Iran warns of retaliation after Ukraine confirms attack on vessel in Caspian Sea, call for UN, EU action. [Ed: it will be interesting to watch the UN, EU response.] AND Zelenskyy claims Russia providing satellite intel on US bases and Gulf states to Iran. [Ed: Zelensky sees the U.S. focus shifting to Iran and he wants to stay in the spotlight.] From the Jerusalem Post: Zelensky: Ukrainian long-range strikes hit Russian warship, vessels transporting Iran-linked cargo. Zelensky hailed a long-range operation in the Caspian Sea, claiming Ukrainian forces struck a Russian warship and vessels tied to Iran-linked military logistics. [Ed: I doubt Trump was informed of this. Trump does not like surprises.]

From Bob Gelfond: Free-Market Money Redux [Ed: agreed.]

Iran. From Zero Hedge: US Pauses Iran Bombing Campaign As Saudi-Houthi Red Sea Front Erupts. "Smoke has been seen coming from a Saudi Arabian oil refinery..." [Ed: so far it is 13-days (or nights) in a row. Will the pause continue into next week?] From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – Silence Before The Storm Or Ongoing Negotiations? From Insurance Business Magazine: Shipowners weighing whether to pay Iran to let their tankers through the Strait of Hormuz now face a much starker choice: do it, and risk losing your insurance cover altogether. The Lloyd's Market Association (LMA), the trade body behind underwriters in the world's oldest marine insurance market, has drawn up model clause wording that insurers can add to policies letting them cancel a vessel's cover the moment a toll payment for Hormuz passage comes to light.

Cost of Living. From AOL: Food price fears after Europe’s heatwave destroys estimated €2bn of crops. From the Epoch Times: Young Middle-Income Buyers Frustrated As US Home Costs Rise Faster Than Incomes. Many middle-income first-time homebuyers do not qualify for affordable housing programs, yet cannot afford market-rate homes...

From Cato Institute: Is Debanking the New Immigration Policy?

From Zero Hedge: "Hell Of A Great Day For Starship": SpaceX Tests Megarocket In First Time Since IPO. "SpaceX launched Starship on its 13th test flight on Friday evening, the first since the company's massive IPO, successfully deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites while demonstrating further progress with its largest rocket."

From Daily Paws: Anyone Home? Watch This Dog Ring His House's Doorbell After Escaping Daycare. Dexter's Kansas family was on vacation in Las Vegas when he escaped his pet hotel and walked 90 minutes back to his house to ring the doorbell.

From Life Hacker: You Can Now Verify Your Facebook Account With a Video Selfie. Upload a selfie video and earn a white check mark. But is that a good idea? [Ed: no brainer. Don't give Meta more personal data.]

Mamdani's NYC. From City-Journal: Mayor Mamdani’s Relentless War on Landlords. The Rental Ripoff Hearing Report’s recommendations would harm the private rental housing sector New York City needs to thrive. [Ed: amazing recommendation that take ownership away from Landlord.] From the Manhattan Contrarian: Rolling Blackouts Hit New York [July 2 and 3]. [Ed: of course, nothing of this was reported in MSM.]

From Give It Love: Dog Helps Comfort His Adorable Friend, A Baby Giraffe

From Red State: World Cup Freddy Finally Makes It to the White House. [Ed: that's the Freddie from Germany who raved about how wonderful America was. Looks like Trump is going to put Freddie's popularity to use.] From Townhall: Freddy, Everyone's Favorite German Tourist, Bids America Farewell. [Ed: I'm posting this without taking down the first one because everyone, including me, is a bit too cynical sometimes.]

From Zero Hedge: James Carville Calls On Democrats To Cave On Voter ID. [Ed: Carville has an interesting line of argument.]

From Politico.EU: EU’s Google fine risks triggering Trump as he gears up for more tariffs. The fine against the U.S. tech giant lands just as Washington prepares new duties that could put last year’s fragile trade truce to the test.

The Saudis & Trump. From CNN: Trump places new condition on signed Saudi nuclear deal, says country must join Abraham Accords. [Ed: he is doing the same thing to Canada on the Gordie Howe Bridge; change a deal after it was signed...and signed by him.] From Al Jazeera: Trump says Saudi nuclear pact hinges on kingdom joining Abraham Accords. Claim casts further confusion over deal to launch US-supported civilian nuclear programme in Saudi Arabia. [Ed: the new demand came only 1 day after Trump publicly announced the done deal.] From the Cradle: Trump ties Saudi nuclear deal to normalization with Israel.

Misc. Russia. From Reason: Russia Labels Libertarian Party a 'Foreign Agent,' Effectively Ending Its Political Activity. The Libertarian Party of Russia is pessimistic about the chances of overturning these restrictions through the courts or any other legal means. From Zero Hedge: EU Approves Biggest Russia Sanctions Yet After Holdout Greece Secured LNG Exemption. the 21st package... From The Duran: Lavrov Defies Rubio; West Ships Avoid Odessa Belitskoye Falls Dobropilia Collapse; EU Sanctions Bust. From Andrew Korybko: Five Takeaways From The Secret Russian-German Talks In Baku

From Good News Network: Watch the Moment a Dog is Rescued by Volunteers After 26 Hours Down an Old Mine Shaft

Russia-Ukraine. From Politico.EU: Russia chokes Ukraine’s lifeline Black Sea export corridor. Moscow “is holding global food security hostage,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday. [Ed: after the St. of Hormuz, all bets are off.]

From the Epoch Times: Behind America's Growing 'Food Freedom' Movement. For every dollar spent on food in the United States, farmers pocket just 5.8 cents. In the mid-20th century, that figure was 40 cents. [Ed: the same thing is happening in Canada.]

From the International Man: Erdogan’s Ottoman Gambit: Turkey Prepares for a New Regional Order. Turkey is simultaneously dumping US Treasuries, deepening Russia’s energy embrace, rolling out a tax regime to poach capital fleeing the Gulf… and squaring off against an Israeli political class that now speaks openly of Turkey as an enemy. It’s strategic.

Upcoming U.S. Elections. From Newser: USPS Changes May Be Behind Surge in Rejected Mail Ballots. Almost 150K ballots were rejected in California primary, most of them for lateness

From Reason: Brendan Carr Says ABC's Refusal To Air a Trump Speech Could Affect Renewal of Its Broadcast Licenses. [Ed: all gov. broadcast licenses violate the 1st Amendment.]

From the Washington Times: Obama Center subcontractor shuts down amid $4 million dispute over unpaid work. [Ed: from what I hear, many of Obama's contractors on the hideous monument to himself are unpaid.] From Fact Check: Explaining What We Know About the Obama Presidential Center Contractor Disputes. [Ed: and now he disavows all responsibility.]

From Wazim: Dog show brought to a halt when judges see what the Afghan Hound is doing. [Ed: do yourself a favor and watch the embedded YouTube.]

From ABC News: Trump Returns to Rescheduled Correspondents' Dinner. Event moves to Waldorf Astoria with heightened security after a shooting interrupted April 25 dinner. [Ed: should be good theatre. Better than Monty Python.]

From Reason: The Trump Coin Case Ends, but Legal Questions Remain. As the coin moves closer to production and distribution, it will be up to the American people to decide whether the controversial coin is deemed a success.

Iran. From Al Mayadeen: IRGC finishes off Amazon data center, says US fatalities in hundreds. The IRGC says wave 27 of Operation Nasr 2 targeted an Amazon data center and an ammunition depot at the Ali Al-Salem US base. [Ed: the base is in Kuwait.] From Anadolu Agency: Iran claims it hit US air base in Kuwait. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says advanced 'super-heavy' attack drones 'completely destroyed' US-used Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. [Ed: no way this will not receive massive retaliation. Pickaxe mountain?] From Breitbart: Trump May Order ‘Massive Attack’ on Iran ‘Bigger Than Ever Before’ as U.S. Weighs Next Move.

From MultiPlanet: A SpaceX intern once described eating lunch next to Elon Musk in the company cafeteria. [Ed: apparently, there is only one cafeteria and Elon eats in it alongside secretaries and new hires. As Brad commented, Now *this* is a side of Elon Musk that I can relate to.]

From Politico.EU: Merz ally challenges Germany’s far-right firewall ahead of crucial state elections. The far-right AfD is set to perform well in elections in September in its political heartland in the eastern part of the country. [Ed: the status quo is so afraid of the AfD that they tried to outlaw the entire party.]

From People: Woman Is ‘Brought to Instant Tears’ After Making Unexpected Discovery While Looking at Childhood Home on Google Maps. [Ed: in old google maps sees beloved belated dog running at her old home.]

Brad here. Our friend "Bitjuggler" sends this delightful musical parody, with the following explanatory comment:

Ron Paul Forums has been taken over by paleo-conservatives and White Christian Nationalists. There's a thread titled "Invasion U.S.A." that's reached 115 pages; that makes me think of the Beach Boys every time I see it (you know, Surfin' U.S.A.).




[ Read the rest ... ]

BREAKING. From the Associated Press: 80 Nations Face 10% Tariffs on Exports to US at Midnight. Critics say forced labor rationale masks broader protectionist trade agenda. [Ed: that's midnight Thursday...so the tariffs are already here.] From Zero Hedge: Trump's Tariff Wall Returns With Forced-Labor Duties On 60 Countries.

From RSC: RSC Members Applaud Passage of the Stop Insider Trading Act. [Ed: note that this bill further limits insider trading; it does not stop the practice. And, since the SAVE Act is included in this Act, it will meet real resistance in the Senate. The applause is premature.]

From X, Massimo: Just a Dog Having the Best Day of His Life.

From International Man: Doug Casey on Fort Knox, America's $1 Trillion in Gold, and the Question No One Is Asking

Immigration. From Just the News: Federal appeals court pauses lower court order on releasing illegal migrants into US without hearing. The unsigned order centers on three men in Texas who were arrested by state troopers between November 2025 and February 2026 during routine traffic stops. [Ed: Pauses the ban on release & clears the way for the three men to be taken back into immigration custody.] From Newser: Overstaying Can Now Cost Immigrants Up to $1.8M. Administration launches fines for those ordered to leave US. [Ed: $1,000 a day for up to 5 years.]

From the Hill: Jordan accuses Smith of lying to Congress in criminal referral to DOJ. [Ed: the odds of the DOJ running with the referral are excellent, don't you think?]

Big Picture Economics. From the Associated Press: Oil Just Hit $100 a Barrel Again. Spike comes as violence escalates in the Middle East, as stocks are set to drop on Wall Street. [Ed: gas here was up .04 cents.] From Newser: Stocks Drop as Oil Hits Highest Price Since May. Tesla, Alphabet were heavy weights on the market. From Naked Capitalism: The Global Food Crisis. "A global food crisis is likely approaching — driven by the collapse of supply chains feeding the agri-food system, a consequence of the war against Iran and the resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.'

From the Good News Network: Beluga Whales from Shuttered Canadian Park Arrive at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium After Rescue

From Calgary City News: Dog named ‘Hero’ kept stuck owner warm and safe from coyotes for 2 days: police. AND Southern Alberta man reunites with dogs who kept him warm, safe from coyotes while stuck in a ditch.

From Lew Rockwell:The American Presidency and Perpetual War. [Ed: by Judge Napolitano.]

Russia. From Politico.EU: EU countries clinch deal on Russia sanctions. The agreement resolves a dispute over shipping Russian gas to third countries and freezes the bloc’s price cap on Russian crude oil for 12 months. From NBC News: U.S. committed to helping end Ukraine war but no quick deal, Rubio says after meeting with Russia’s Lavrov. [Ed: at this point, I don't think Putin and Lavrov are open to a deal. And they know Zelensky will keep a deal only while people are looking or it is to his advantage.]

From Tampa Bay: 3 US Airports Look to Give TSA the Boot. Union warns that move toward privatization could revert airport security to patchy pre-9/11 system. [Ed: Libertarians usually call for the privatization of everything, everywhwhere but there is a big exception...services or goods that would not exist on the free market because they involve an involuntary exchange. Don't privatize TSA. Abolish it.]

From Purina Hall of Fame: Foreman.

From the Organic Prepper: Here’s What a Prepper Learned Surviving a Flood of Biblical Proportions. [Ed: with flooding in W. Virgina and so many other places (it seems) this dated article still offers great advice.]

The Gordie Howe Bridge. From the National Post: Text of Gordie Howe Bridge deal with U.S. contradicts Carney's initial description. Missing from the document released on Tuesday is any reference to Canada recouping debt-servicing costs, an issue of conflicting comments. [Ed: Canada and US to split 50/50 the fees from the bridge even tho' Canada fronted 100% of the cost of $6.4B.] From CBC News: How does the new Gordie Howe bridge deal compare to the original one? There's a 2012 deal but Canada released text of new pact late Tuesday night. [Ed: in the original and unilaterally broken deal, tolls would have been collected only on the Canadian side, with the revenue used to pay down the cost of the project — something the agreement said could take at least 50 years.] The Gordie Howe International Bridge Site. [Ed: opening keeps changing. Now it is August 5th.]

From APN News: New Free Speech Concern: When AI Chatbots Won't Criticize Leaders from Repressive Regimes. "Ask Claude to make a pamphlet critical of China's leader, Thailand's king, or Saudi Arabia's crown prince — and it will decline, reports the Associated Press."

From Jonathan Turley: Boasberg’s Law: Chief District Court Judge Under Renewed Scrutiny Over Pattern of Unilateral Actions. "While accusing President Trump of a sweeping view of his power, the court seems to have an equally expansive view of its own power." [Ed: Boasberg is one of the most activist judges in America.]

From Reason: From Weed to Whiskey: Is This the Supreme Court's Next Big Commerce Clause Case? What’s at stake in Ream v. U.S. Department of the Treasury. [Ed: At issue is the constitutionality of the federal ban on home distilling for personal use by federal law.]

From City-Journal: California’s Civil Rights Mafia..Gavin Newsom is running a shakedown campaign against major companies. [Ed: a must read.]

From CBC: Meet Hulk, the biggest puppy you'll probably ever see. The 18-month-old dog is more than double the size of the largest pit bulls. [Ed: I had to check out that this was actually true. It is.] From ABC News: 175-Pound Pit Bull Hulk Shatters Misconceptions About the Breed. The massive dog looks scary, but he's sweet with his owners' 3-year-old son.

Israel-Gaza. From the Libertarian Institute: Gaza’s 1,000-Day Siege. From X, Shaiel Ben-Ephraim: Israel is intentionally destroying hospitals and not allow patients out, letting them die. From +972 Magazine: Nearly half of Israel’s government joins march vowing Gaza settlements [Ed: a must read.]