WendyMcElroy.com

Lindsay Graham. From Politico: Graham’s death leaves Senate agenda in limbo. The South Carolina Republican was a key player at the center of several major legislative battles. [Ed: this may doom the SAVE Act.] From Son of the New American Revolution: UPDATE: The Lindsey Graham Timeline Does Not Work… He Died in Kyiv. [Ed: ?] From FOX South Carolina: Who is Darline Graham? Lindsey Graham’s sister named interim senator. [Ed: she will serve until Jan. 3.]

From the Epoch Times: Kitten Plays with Wagging Dog's Tail.

The Coming U.S. Election. From Just the News: Evidence mounts of noncitizens reaching voter rolls, casting ballots as DOJ speeds crackdown. [Ed: the next to last Presidential election (Biden won) was the dirtiest I have ever seen.] From Post Millennial: States asking for $1 billion+ in DHS grants will be forced to verify voters' US citizenship. "Election security is national security, and protecting the Nation's critical infrastructure is a top priority."

Iran. From Zero Hedge: Trump Reinstates Iranian Blockade, Stuns With 20% 'Reimbursement Plan' On Cargo Transit, Oil Prices Surge. "Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that." [Ed: U.S. wants 20% on cargo that goes thru the Strait. Wow!] From Newser: Iran Mocks Trump's Hormuz Fee Announcement. Foreign minister says Iran will provide security in the strait, but '20% is of course too much'. [Ed: links to various news sources embedded.] From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: Escalation – Saudi’s Block Oil – Alleged Recruiting Of Ahmadinejad. From You Tube: Iran's Bridges Are Down, Its Power Grid Is Next — Here's What the U.S. Just Hit.

From the Post Millennial: Sheriff warns Somali gang violence is rising in Minnesota's ethnic enclaves. "If you stay in denial, you’ll never fix the problem." [Ed: the DHS's "Deportation Airlines"?]

Mamdani. From Zero Hedge: Mamdani's Affordability Agenda Flops As NYC Rents Surge To Record Highs. "We don't have a housing shortage. We have an illegal alien invasion." From the Post Millennial: MAMDANI’S NYC: Homeless encampment with drug trafficking, prostitution reaches 12 blocks. “People stopped parking here. People are scared to park here.” From the New York Post: NY sees dramatic exodus of US millionaires — causing nearly $11B loss in tax revenue: study.

From Doog Lovers: From a Concrete Pit to a Loving Home: Leroy’s Rescue Story.

From Good News Network: Simple Shot Shows Promise to Reverse Osteo-Arthritis Within Months, Following Animal Treatments

Everyday Finances. From FOX: America’s retirement system is broken. Trump may have found a bold fix. Trump is eyeing Australia's retirement system as a model for portable retirement accounts. From Moneywise: I’m a 50-year-old man and want to retire by 62. I’m contributing 6% to my 401(k) and have $500,000. Will I reach my goal?

Fraud. From the Washington Examiner: SNAP wasn’t cut. It was caught. [Ed: huge amount of fraud.] From Newsmax: Labor Dept Targets New York Unemployment Fraud. "...unemployment insurance fraud that the department says is costing taxpayers an estimated $2 million a day."

From Townhall: The NYT Tried to Do Damage Control Over Their Whitewashed Graham Platner Story, But It's a Trainwreck. [Ed: it is journalistic misconduct, deliberate and politically motivated.] From the Hill: Graham Platner may turn from a nightmare to a blessing for Democrats. [Ed: no, I don't think so, but it is a different perspective.] From the Post Millennial: Big tech suppressed negative Platner stories. Apple and Google featured virtually no reporting on Platner's controversies for six months, despite numerous outlets covering his Nazi tattoo, Reddit posts and other damaging allegations.

Ukraine-Russia. From Politico.EU: Captured African recruits say they want to go home — to Russia. African POWs have become pawns in Moscow and Kyiv’s battle for influence. From Gilbert Doctorow: Russia is losing the war! [Ed: not a podcast, text.]

From Yahoo: Trump birthright citizenship fight comes roaring back with ‘invaders’ play after Kavanaugh roadmap. [Ed: intoruduced Citizenship Act in Congress.]

From Courthouse News: Judge voids Trump's $1.8 billion settlement with IRS. Trump sued the IRS earlier this year over a leak of his tax returns and settled for $1.776 billion in a deal shot down by a federal judge Monday as "collusion." From MS Now: Judge slams Trump-IRS ‘settlement,’ refers attorney for possible disciplinary actions. The president probably thought his $10 billion case against the IRS was over. That was before a federal court found his lawyers acted in “bad faith.” [Ed: widely viewed as a “slush fund” that would be used to benefit the White House’s political allies.]

From Glambun: Border Collie and Girl Steal the Spotlight at Dog Dancing World Championship. A Performance You Can’t Miss!

From the Epoch Times: Minnesota Gov. Walz Declares Emergency, Calls Up National Guard to Battle Wildfires. The Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota has reported 16 wildfires burning, including four within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. [Ed: it will be a record summer for wildfires, I'm afraid.]

From Townhall: Marco Rubio Just Declared War on the International Criminal Court and International Law From Al Jazeera: Trump administration vows to ‘disable’ International Criminal Court. US State Department ups pressure campaign on international tribunal, threatening allies who support investigations. [Ed: not fond of the global enforcement agency myself. And, no, not an endorsement of Trump.]

From Bangor Daily News: Video shows federal agents pulling man from car after fatal Biddeford shooting. [Ed: ICE kills 26 yr old Columbian man who is here legally. Details are not clear to me yet.]

From the Washington Times: Grateful dog owner describes mountain rescue after canine apparently ingests cannabis

Ukraine/Russia. From Zero Hedge: Ukraine Prime Minister's Shock Resignation Marks Start Of Broader Zelensky Cabinet Reshuffle. Zelensky says Ukraine is "changing its political strategy." From Euromaiden: Russia halts Don-Azov Channel shipping, closes Kerch Strait after Ukrainian tanker strikes. Russia’s border guards, who report to the FSB, gave shipping firms no date for when the Kerch Strait halt would be lifted. [Ed: about 1/4 of Russia's wheat goes thru this Strait.] From Andrew Korybko: Western Officials Should Listen When Trenin Of All People Warns Of Russian Escalation. [Ed: President of the Russian International Affairs Council Dmitri Trenin.]

From the DoDo: Dog Steps Out To Pee, Ends Up Saving A Stranger's Life

From the Daily Bell: Brandon Smith: Why Have Central Bankers Gone Radio Silent On The Digital Currency Agenda?

From Reason: John Fetterman Says He's 'Very Libertarian in a Lot of Ways'. [Ed: I am amazed at how Fetterman turned out to be such a reasonable, even admirable, person.]

From the Daily Caller: Camera Operator Accidentally Reveals Alleged Handwritten Admission of Guilt From Tyler Robinson.

Graham Platner. From Zero Hedge: Maine Dems Will Pick Platner Replacement At Rushed Convention This Month. [Ed: on July 25.] From Financial Times: Democrats’ strategic misfires laid bare by Platner’s implosion in Maine. The party faces a void in its bid to reclaim the Senate after missing warning signs about a flawed candidate. [Ed: they did not miss warning signs. They chose to ignore them.]

From Simple Flying: DHS to Create Its Own Airline for Round-The-Clock Deportations. [Ed: also respond to emergency situations, like tornadoes.]

From Politico.EU: 4 key questions hanging over a Le Pen candidacy. Jordan Bardella has pushed France’s National Rally party in one direction. How far will Le Pen pull it back the other way?

Rubio v. Antifa. From Zero Hedge: Rubio Convenes 60-Nation Summit To Confront Transnational Far-Left Terrorism. "... setting his sights on Antifa." [Ed: currently treated as domestic threat, will now be treated as transnational one.] From Raw Story: Trump admin insiders fear Rubio's antifa hunt will boomerang on them: report

From Nancy Bates: Red Dog: Facts, fiction and folks around the Pilbara Wanderer.

From Al Jazeera: Cuba suffers second island-wide blackout in a week amid Trump fuel blockade. From News.au: ‘Cruel and ruthless’: Nation accuses US of ‘unconventional warfare’ after millions plunged into darkness. A nation has accused the United States of waging “unconventional warfare” after 10 million people were literally left in the dark. [Ed: I hate the policy of making the people suffer in order to slap at the leaders.]

From the Conversation: Why an EU ruling about a traffic app could have major implications for big tech companies.

From Reason: States Will Soon Face Huge Penalties for Their Food Stamp Mistakes. More than $1 of every $10 in SNAP benefits went to people who didn't qualify in 2025. "Thanks to a provision included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act...some states might be required to fund a portion of SNAP benefits from their own budgets."

From Mises Institute: Murray N. Rothbard: Toward a “Science of Liberty” AND Get Your Free July Rothbard Giveaway The Origins of the Federal Reserve! [Ed: highly recommended.]

Iran. From Zero Hedge: US Unleashes More Attack Waves On Iran As Trump Boasts 'We Bombed The Hell Out Of Them'; 5th Fleet Navy HQ Reportedly Struck. Reports of IRGC continuing to fire at commercial shipping... From antiwar: Trump’s New Iran Strikes Are Turning Failure Into a Wider Disaster. "The deeper problem is that Trump has no visible theory of how escalation ends." From Al Mayadeen: IRGC destroys strategic US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan. The IRGC announces four retaliatory operations targeting US military facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, including strikes on fuel depots, drone command centers, Patriot systems, and radar installations. [Ed: how long can the retaliation go on without calling this a full-on war?]

Israel. From Anadolu Agency: Israel launches fresh airstrikes in southern Lebanon despite US-brokered deal. [Ed: Netanyahu will do whatever he wants or needs to do ...especially given that he goes to jail once he is no longer in charge.] From Politico.EU: Israel-critical capitals force von der Leyen showdown over illegal settlements. A push for tougher limits on trade with West Bank settlements is set to dominate a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. From antiwar: Strikes on Lebanon Continue as Israeli DM Says They Are ‘Applying Rafah Model’ Antiwar

From CNN: Mitch McConnell Breaks Silence. McConnell says after fall he suffered mild pneumonia, remains in rehabilitation care.

From Guiness World Records: This good boy loves tennis balls so much he broke a record

Graham Lindsey. From Politico: ‘A key link’: Trump’s Senate whisperer is gone. Lindsey Graham’s death deprives President Donald Trump of one of his most effective Capitol Hill operators — and leaves Senate Republicans without one of their strongest links to the White House. AND The Many Lives of Lindsey Graham. A look back at one of the Senate's most influential and complicated figures. [Ed: unfortunately, one of his main influences was as a warhawk.]

Germany. From DW: Are German companies leaving the country? [Ed: they should be.] From Responsible Statecraft: Euroskeptics in France, Germany suddenly gain steam in elections. From Counterfire: Class and war on the shop floor: German car workers up in arms. [Ed: Germany is deliberately destroying its industries/economy in pursuit of insane Green goals.]

Farage. From Politico.EU: Whitehall blob — and neutralize Farage. The war on civil service consensus is deeply personal to Britain’s incoming prime minister — and aimed at seeing off right-wing populism. From the Independent: Reform leader acted incorrectly over gifts, says new poll as approval ratings slip. Mr Farage is facing scrutiny over a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire and a £1m donation from convicted fraudster George Cottrell’s mother. [Ed: I hate to say it, but Farage may have put himself out of the running. An unforced error.]

From Venezuela Analysis: Who Is in Charge in Venezuela? VA columnist Jessica Dos Santos explains how the Trump administration is increasingly running Venezuelan affairs, from hijacked export revenues to boots on the ground.

From FOX 2: Canine bite expert says ‘Phineas the dog’ not guilty of biting child.From the Kansas Star: Dog at the center of Missouri legal case apparently safe.

Hat tip to David.

The Declaration of Independence reads: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

According to Roger Williams in Free and Unequal: The Biological Basis of Individual Liberty, . . .[the] “free and equal” phrase in the Declaration of Independence was an unfortunate paraphrase of a better statement contained in the Virginia Bill of Rights. . .“all men are by nature equally free and independent.” In other words, men can be equally free without being uniform.

I vote for #2.

BREAKING. From NBC News: Sen. Lindsey Graham Passes Away Unexpectedly at 71 Following “Sudden Illness”

Iran. From US Central Command: U.S. Forces Finish Latest Round of Strikes Against Iran. [Ed: hit approximately 140 targets.] From Al Jazeera: Iran war live: Tehran attacks Jordan, Gulf states after US bombardment From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Iran Rejects Trump 24 Hour Ultimatum; US Launches Intense Attacks With Kuwait and Bahrain; Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz, Starts Counter-Strikes; Rumors of Mining of Oman Channel

From Simplicius: Russian Oligarch's True Warning Hidden in Plain Sight [Ed: a must read.]

From Esquire: The State of The American Dog, the Pit Bull.

Farage. From the Independent: Nigel Farage latest: Britons back Count Binface in new Clacton by-election poll amid Reform donations row. Mr Farage is facing scrutiny over a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire and a £1m donation from convicted fraudster George Cottrell’s mother. From Harwich and Manning Standard: Nigel Farage: New game with Binface for Clacton by-election. [Ed: if this becomes a farce, it could really damage Farage.] From Craig Murray: The Ditching of Nigel Farage.

Fraud. From Gulf Today: Medicare’s approach to halting fraud is paying off. [Ed: prevention.] From Indian Express: ‘American jobs not for foreign fraudsters’: JD Vance as US launches major H-1B visa fraud probe. The investigation is being led by the Department of Labour's Office of Inspector General, which said it has uncovered alleged schemes involving fraudulent visa applications, exploitation of foreign workers and practices that may have undercut American workers. [Ed: you can have welfare or loose/open borders but not both. Anyone coming to work should not be a problem.]

From AP News: Detroit-Canada bridge to open by late July after delay due to issues between countries, sources say. [Ed: Trump is what happened. He wanted to cut the profits on something built with Canadian money. As it is, they sruck a deal to share tolls.]

AI. From the Washington Examiner: Americans still believe in work. The AI crowd hasn’t gotten the memo. [Ed: I doubt the universal gov. checks recommended will ever materialize.] From Inside Higher Ed: Brown Professor Suspects Majority of His Class Used AI To Cheat. [Ed: tests have to be in-person.] From Financial Post: AI Echoes the Dot-Com Market Split as Iran Threat Creeps Back.

From Cato Blog: Settle v. Collier: Juries, Not Judges, Should Decide Factual Disputes Surrounding Police Use of Force

From the DoDo: Man Checks His Security Camera — And Sees A Bin Full Of Babies In His Driveway. He immediately rushed home.

Ukraine-Russia. From Andrew Korybko: The European Parliament’s Criticism Of Zelensky’s OUN-UPA Glorification Is A Positive Step

From Indian Express: Why Trump administration subpoenaed New York Times reporters over Air Force One security report. NYT reported that the subpoenas relate to two reports published this week examining security concerns surrounding Trump's new Air Force One, a Boeing aircraft gifted by Qatar that entered service last week. [Ed: looks like they want to ID the leak in security.]

From the Daily Economy: ‘Guns Versus Butter’: Tracing the Dark Origins of a Classic Economic Model. The phrase’s apparent origins in Nazi Germany — and its grim use during the 1930s and 1940s — highlight a basic truth: prioritizing guns over butter ultimately imposes the cost of lower living standards on ordinary citizens.

Housing. From CBS: Bipartisan housing bill automatically becomes law after Trump refuses to sign it. [Ed: from what I hear, it is not an awful bill. But Trump is threatening to leave everything unsigned until the SAVE Act goes through.] From Time: We’re Conservative Republicans. The SAVE Act Is a Mistake. From Wolf St.: Supply of Existing Single-Family Homes Jumps to 10-Year High, Condo Supply to 14-Year High. Sales Slip Deeper into Deep Freeze. Mortgage Rates Rise to 6.49%

From People: Florida Inmates Will Cuddle Shelter Dogs Who Are Distressed by Fireworks this Fourth of July.

From ABC: More Americans say the country is in cost of living crisis, doubt government can fix it From David Oks: Why American ambulance rides are so expensive

From Sam Husseini: Plans to End Aid to Israel — and Replace it with Something Worse. Rahm Emanuel saying this basically tells you that anyone else saying this now is actually a genocidal maniac (or a total fool). Obvious cover for their crimes. [Ed: a must read.]

From Newsmax: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Illinois Ban on Semiautomatic Weapons. [Ed: probably will go to SCOTUS which will probably reverse the decision.]

Graham Platner. From PJ Media: QUELLE SURPRISE! New York Times Blames Platner on — You Guessed It — President Trump. [Ed: yep. This kneejerk reaction takes the place of real analysis that could correct mistakes in approach and help the situation.] From Naked Capitalism: The Graham Platner Affair. "Watch how the Party decides, and whom they nominate. Will Maine get a Harris-like coronation? A loyalist, solid pretender, or someone more real?"

From Newsweek: Nurse adopts the patient's 13-year-old dog after ill health forced him to give it to the local humane society. She now gives him daily visits with his pup while he is in rehab.

From Ars Technica: Humanoid Robots Controlled By Surgeons Did World-First Operation On Live Pigs

From American Humane Society: Lieutenant Dan [Ed: Lieutenant Dan's webpage.]

From NBC News: Platner Follows Through, Files Paperwork to Quit Race. The ballot vacancy is now Maine Democrats' to fill. [Ed: they have until July 27 to find a replacement.] From Maine Wire: Maine Democrats Release U.S. Senate Replacement Rules as Party Scrambles to Recover From Platner Collapse.

From the Hill: Senator: Trump's New Move 'Should Concern Every American'. Mark Warner, other Dems miffed that president ousted Dems on Election Assistance Commission. [Ed: the remaining Republican resigned. the optics of this are bad.]

Israel. From antiwar: Israel Debated: Why Palestine Is Rewriting the Rules of Domestic US Politics. According to a watershed Gallup poll published on February 27, a plurality of Americans now sympathize more with the Palestinians than the Israelis, leading by a margin of 41 percent to 36 percent. [Ed: it is difficult not to harden against Israel...given Gaza and how it is dragging the U.S. into so much warfare.]

From TASS: Russia no longer trusts West’s declared readiness to negotiate — Lavrov. [Ed: Trump is notorious for breaking or just forgetting deals. Alaska is a lesson Russia will not forgive.]

From Yahoo Finance: Home prices across the U.S. hit an all-time high. [Ed: scroll down.]

Canada's Defense Bank. From the Washington Times: Canada says 8 countries are joining the international defense bank it will host From the Prime Minister of Canada: Declaration on the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. [Ed: without the U.S., it will go nowhere.]

AI. From Billboard: RIAA, IFPI & More Come Together to Create System for Tagging AI-Generated Songs. Working similarly to explicit labels on records, the tags will distinguish between "AI-generated" and "AI-assisted" songs.

From iHeartDogs: Saint Bernard Tries to Beat the Heat and Accidentally Floods the Yard

Nick Shirley. From New York Post: Minnesota daycare owner outed by Nick Shirley admitted to filing more than $4.6M in false claims. From Yahoo: ‘Major Red Flags’: Dr. Oz Joins MAGA Influencer Nick Shirley to Confront Alleged Fraudsters. [Ed: in New York.]

From the Mediaite: Scott Jennings Calls on Hospitalized McConnell To Release Statement Because People Think He’s ‘Dead’ [Ed: if his is recovering, it is difficult to understand why a medical statement has not been forthcoming.]

Iran and the U.S. From Press TV: IRGC Navy: Foreign powers have no role in Strait of Hormuz. [Ed: IRGC=Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.] From the BBC: US wants Iran to pledge to stop shooting at ships in Strait of Hormuz. From Moon of Alabama: How Israel Could Push The U.S. Into Further Bombing Iran

Iran Assassinating Trump?. From the Hill: Trump threatens Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral saw open calls for his killing. [Ed: Trump is demanding a statement from Iran that the Strait will remain open.] AND Trump ‘left instructions’ to bomb Iran ‘at levels that they’ve never seen’ if he’s assassinated. [Ed: well, they've been trying since 2020 ] From Mish Talk: Israel Claims Iran Hatched Fresh Plot to Kill Trump. Is this Believable?

Monaco Assassination. From Andrew Korybko: The Botched Oligarch Assassination In Monaco Turned Into A Reputational Disaster For Ukraine. [Ed: only for those who viewed Ukraine authorities with any respect at all.] From the Guardian: Monaco bomb mystery deepens as Ukraine’s security services are linked to murder of prime suspect. [Ed: sounds like an officially sanctioned, if not planned, assassination.] From the BBC: Ukrainian agent accused of murdering Monaco bomb suspect changes story. Military intelligence officer admits witnessing killing of woman believed to have left explosive device outside oligarch’s home. [Ed: scuttlebutt is that the murdered man was about to go public with damning information and the Kiev regime wanted to stop him.]

From People: Dog Being Hailed a Hero After Alerting Her Owners to a Neighbor in Distress

From Son of the New American Revolution: Part II: The Sour Crude Problem: How Long Can the Salt Caverns Keep Bridging the Gap? [Ed: Part I is here.]

From Found Animals: For the Love of a Pit Bull.

From DW: Orban's State Media Goes Dark, Apologizes for Lying 'for So Long'. 'They lied at night, they lied during the day': Magyar begins drastic overhaul of Hungary's public media. [Ed: part and parcel of being state media.]

From the Greater Good: Shelter Dog Loses It When She Realizes She Is Going Home

From USA Today: White House Pushing 'Freedom Fuel' Gas Stations. Discount network offers $3.47 gas, a nod to Trump, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. [Ed: disturbing trend of Trump buying into what should be entirely private ventures. Expect to see these especially in swing states.]

Iran. From Zero Hedge: Return To War: Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles At Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, After US Struck 170 Iranian Targets. [Ed: both sides have chosen violence.] "Hormuz recovery stalls. Oil has rebounded as renewed...." From UN Diplomat: Ceasefire? The Iran War is Permanent Un-Diplomatic. [Ed: and unpopular in the U.S.]

[bStrait of Hormuz. ]From Zero Hedge:[/b] "Deepening Dark Trend" Emerges On Hormuz As Ship Traffic Slows. From Responsible Statecraft: Hormuz Chokepoint? Turkey Wants to Be King of the Middle Corridor. From National Security Journal: Iran Making Putin’s Mistake: Tehran’s Bid to Blackmail World Over Hormuz Could Leave It Controlling Nothing


From Headline USA: Tennessee Congressman Demands FBI Unseal Everything On Seth Rich. Nearly a decade of stonewalling meets fresh congressional pressure... [Ed: since Obama was President when he was murdered, I think the documents will be released.]

Canada. From Liberty Nation: Canada Just Admitted Justin Trudeau's Climate Agenda Was A Scam. To make Canada great again, Prime Minister Mark Carney is abandoning climate alarmism and embracing what made the country wealthy in the first place: crude oil... "Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Canada a lost decade." [Ed: Canada's economy is so bad right now, I'm not sure he has a choice.] From Zero Hedge: Canada Just Unleashed Its Fastest-Growing Oil Boom In A Decade. Alberta approved 1,764 drilling licenses between Jan. 1 and June 12, the busiest start to a year since 2014... [Ed: I wonder how this will impact the rising secession movement in Alberta.]

Cost of Food. From Zero Hedge: Cocoa Prices Rally As Jefferies Warns Of "Perfect Storm" In West Africa. Food inflation... From the Libertarian Institute: The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken From Zero Hedge: Strongest El Nino In 75 Years Sets Off Food Supply-Chain Alarm Bells. "Global agricultural supply is highly concentrated geographically. Across key crops such as soybeans..."

From the DoDo: Dachshund Meets Orphaned Piglet — And Immediately Assumes He's Her Puppy

Israel-Gaza. From the New Arab: Israeli settlers now control a fifth of the occupied West Bank From Euro Med Monitor: Israel turns Gaza into death camp denser than Srebrenica, forces displacement under guise of voluntary emigration. [Ed: I find it wrenching to comment on these items, so I won't...] From antiwar: The Commies Are Coming! The Israel Factor Behind the New Red Scare. Whistleblower Annelle Sheline and Erik Sperling join us to talk about the biggest issue roiling Democratic politics and the MAGA movement today.

From ProPublica: Wall Street Wants to Change the Rules for Your 401(k). It Could Put Your Retirement at Risk. Financial firms want a bigger piece of the $10 trillion in America’s 401(k) plans, and the Trump administration is planning a regulatory rollback to encourage less-regulated — and often riskier — investments.

NATO. From NATO: The Ankara Summit Declaration. [Ed: NATO makes the world far less safe.] From Kautilya the Contemplator: The Ankara Summit: NATO’s Strategy is No Longer Victory But Attrition From Yonhan News: S. Korea, NATO to launch negotiations on basic procurement agreement: Seoul official. S. Korea to enter NATO? I guess the "A" no longer stands for Atlantic.] From antiwar: Eight Contradictions Behind NATO’s Summit of ‘Love’

Ukraine-Russia. Kyiv Post: Trump Says US Will Let Ukraine Build Patriot Systems: ‘We’ll Show Them How to Make Them’ [Ed: currently only Japan and Germany have this license.] From Intellinews: Trump’s Patriot licence will help Ukraine in its next war with Russia, not this one

From AOL: Trump admin uncovers 7,100% surge in Medicare transplant claims, says anti-fraud crackdown blocked millions

From the Cold Down: Hero dog Duke yanks sleeping owner awake as fire destroys home, 3 vehicles in Canada. "I opened the window and broke the screen, and we escaped out onto the roof."

From Jonathan Turley: Post-Platner Politics: The Democrats Fight for Wales After Shedding Their Values.

Guns. From Reason: Trump Administration Continues Push for Liberalized Gun Rules. The ATF is reconsidering some of its dumber regulations as the feds sue states with restrictive gun laws. [Ed: by the excellent J.D. Tucille.] AND The Supreme Court Agrees To Address the Constitutionality of 'Assault Weapon' Bans. The case could settle the long-simmering issue of whether the Second Amendment covers commonly owned but politically disfavored rifles.

Le Pen. From Reuters: France's Marine Le Pen says she will run for president in 2027, appeal her conviction. From US News & World: Opinion Polls See France's Le Pen Winning 2027 Election Despite Guilty Verdict [Ed: it is early in the game but I think she;ll win.] From Politico.EU: Le Pen’s strategy to win French presidency: Bring Bardella everywhere. The 30-year-old may not be his party’s nominee for president, but it appears he’ll be campaigning as if he was. [Ed: Bardella is more popular than Le Pen and would have been the Presidential candidate is Le Pen was barred.]

From the Babylon Bee: Nazi Really Regretting Getting Graham Platner Tattoo

From Evie Maagazine: Everything We Know About the Tyler Robinson Case So Far. Nearly ten months after Charlie Kirk was murdered while speaking at Utah Valley University, prosecutors have begun presenting their most detailed account yet of the case against Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old Utah man accused of carrying out the assassination. [Ed: still in pretrial hearing.]

From Dogman Ray: Hercules and Ned