The Trump administration is, again, trying to impose a $100,000 fee for H1B visas.

 

Reuters. 

The Trump administration is again trying to impose a $100,000 fee for the controversial H1B visas. Reuters. President Trump attempted to impose the fee last year, but a judge ruled it was unconstitutional as the court considered it a tax. The new effort would allow a notice and comment rulemaking demanded by the judge and would be framed as recovering costs for the Department of Homeland Security. 344,000 people were approved for H1B visas so far this year, down dramatically from a peak in 2023 with 794,000 visas sought. It is unclear if the new rule will survive lawsuits. 

My Comment:

I still say that the entire H1B visa program should be scrapped. I don't believe that any of the jobs that are held by H1B visa holders are so impossible to staff that an American couldn't be found to work them. Indeed, in many cases, Americans would love to work those jobs, especially in the tech sector. And in the few cases that there aren't we could use the other visa programs, like the O-1A, O-1B and EB-1A visas. 

But this is probably the only way we are going to get any reform on this issue, unfortunately. In theory, this would cut down the most excessive abuses in the H1B program, you wouldn't see jobs like a gas station cashier or hotel worker going to H1B visa holders. $100,000 is not chump change and would ensure that the employers couldn't staff these jobs with foreigners. 

The problem is that it's unclear what the courts are going to say. Congress does have jurisdiction over taxation. Is this new effort a tax? I am sure a left wing judge would argue so, but I would say no. The Federal government is allowed to collect fees and doing so with these visas would at least help fund immigration. But who knows what the courts will do?

What is frustrating is that the Democrats effort at lawfare have been effective. I don't really think it matters too much if the rule is just or now, the Democrats will judge shop until they find another one that will rule this new effort unconstitutional as well. And it won't get fixed until it reaches the Supreme Court. 

Regardless, even if this new rule only goes into effect for a few months, anything that reduces the number of H1B visa holders is a good thing. Like I said, these jobs should be going to Americans. There's zero reason for someone from India to take a job that an American would be very happy to have if the wage was fair. 

Syria and Israel hold high level talks after airstrikes.

 

A Syrian Soldier manning a machine gun at the disused Abu Duhar airbase. AFP.

Syria and Israel held high level talks after Israel bombed a disused airbase in Northern Syria. AFP. Israel bombed the Abu Duhar airbase in Northern Syria in an effort to deny the base from Turkey. Turkey denied it was going to take the airbase. Tensions between Israel and Turkey are high and the strikes are the most recent strike among hundreds since the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The talks, which was brokered by the United States and hosted by Jordan. Syria is an ally of Turkey but tensions between Turkey and Israel have left Syria in the crossfire. 

My Comment:

These talks were moderately successful. Israel and Syria seem to have made some progress, but not so much that tensions went down all that much. It does seem that Syria wants a security agreement with Israel, but the absolutely terrible relationship between Turkey and Israel is complicating things dramatically. 

Indeed, the entire incident was based on the fact that Israel attacked an airbase just because they suspected that Turkey was going to use it. If there was any real relationship between Turkey and Israel at all, then that absolutely would not happen. Indeed, we aren't even sure that Turkey was going to actually use the airbase. 

It fits a habit that Israel has fallen into. They often tend to strike first and ask questions later. It's one of the reasons why tensions are high with Turkey and in the region generally. I can understand why they wouldn't want a regional rival take an airbase that could be used to strike Israel's interests, but the evidence that Turkey was going to do so is pretty difficult to prove. 

Why are tensions so high between Turkey and Israel in the first place? It goes back to the October 7th attacks and the Gaza war that resulted. Turkey and Israel traded diplomatic insults since then, with Erdogan calling Netanyahu "Hitler" while Israel recognized the Armenian Genocide. I have to say that i think the Israelis were right, given that Hamas are terrorists and are hardly the "freedom fighters" that Turkey calls them. 

Things have gotten worse, not better, since Iran was humbled in the Iran conflict. There was a power vacuum that resulted from the conflict that both Israel and Turkey have tried to take advantage of. Both countries want to lead the Middle East and both are making major diplomatic push to do so. 

And Syria? They got caught in the crossfire. Syria is the buffer zone between the two countries. Turkey has a lot of influence over the Syrian's new former jihadist government and is arming and training them. But Israel does not want to end the progress it made by simply letting Turkey replace Iran. Israel has a long history of dealing with terror attacks coming from Syrian territory, and does not want Turkey to become the new Hezbollah. 

Regardless, it's not surprising that the Untied States is trying to ease tensions. We are in the unfortunate position of being allied with both Israel and Turkey. Israel was our partner in the Iran conflict and we provide them with billions of dollars in aid. Turkey is the largest member of NATO after the United States and is, arguably, the one with the most competent military.  

The FBI has arrested a woman for a plot to attack the New York State capitol for ISIS

 

FBI photo of the suspect buying bomb supplies from Home Depot. BBC.

The FBI has arrested a woman for a plot to bomb the New York State Capitol building for ISIS. BBC. Jessica Bowie, a 35 year old woman, had converted to Islam five years ago and pledged allegiance to ISIS. Bowie had surveilled the building several times in preparation for her attack. Bowie was going to use a Door Dash bag to smuggle a bomb into the building and she was given fake weapons and bomb making materials from the FBI before she was arrested. Bowie had a large social media presence and had been banned from several platforms for extremist statements. 

My Comment:

The actual chance of an attack happening here was pretty small. Bowie did not strike me as someone that was capable of actually planning an attack on her own and the only real way she would have been a threat is if she found an actual terrorist to pair up with. She did attempt to do that but was sold out by an FBI informant. Once the FBI was involved the chances of her actually doing something went down dramatically. 

It's another example of a stupid terrorist failing horribly. Had she simply bought a gun and waltzed into the Capitol, something bad could have happened. But she had ambitions beyond her abilities and she absolutely could not pull of the complicated bomb plot she wanted by herself. 

I don't believe she had any real ties to ISIS itself. ISIS is a shell of its former self and does not control much territory anymore. They probably would have tried to help this woman if they were able to contact her, but I doubt there were able to. They simply don't have the resources now and most ISIS related attacks these days are like this one, lone wolf nutjobs inspired by their propaganda and actions. 

I would be very interested in figuring out what on earth went wrong with Bowie. A white woman converting to Islam, walking around in a full naqab and then trying to pull off a major terror attack is unusual to say the least. If I were to speculate, I am guessing her life did not turn out the way it wanted and she was desperate for something to belong to, and she fell into Radical Islam. 

Regardless, if she wasn't a woman this wouldn't be notable. Folks that convert a religion become extreme in it so often it has a term, the Zeal of the Convert. Though that is found in many religions, it's especially true for Islam, and it's probably worth finding out why. This does happen fairly frequently after all. 

Fired Ukrainian Defense Minster calls for new elections

 

Former Defense Minster Mykhailo Fedorov. BBC/Reuters.

Fired Defense Minster Mykhailo Fedorov has called for new elections in Ukraine. BBC. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia invaded in 2022 and President Zelensky has overstayed his term by two years. Fedorov was fired six months after his appointment and is still extremely popular. And though he hasn't said that he wants to run against Zelensky, many people are interpreting the criticism as an announcement. His criticism echoes calls from the United States and Russia for the country to have new elections. Zelensky has long avoided holding elections, citing the difficulty of doing so during a major war. 

My Comment:

I agree that elections would be difficult during an active conflict, at least at the national level. They could certainly hold local or oblast level elections in western Ukraine, which has not been affected by the war anywhere near as much as the other parts of the country. 

But nationally? It would be difficult to say the least. You would need to somehow get absentee ballots to the men on the front line. And there is the simple fact that many Ukrainian citizens have fled the country and you would have to figure out if their votes should be counted and somehow get them ballots too. Plus you would have to wonder if Russia would play along, it's hard to go to the polls if you are worried you are going to get bombed. 

With that being said, I absolutely think that Ukraine should deal with it regardless. I don't know how you can call Ukraine's current government legitimate if it's got a de jure ban on elections. Under current Ukraine law, if the country is in martial law, elections cannot be held. They just keep extending the emergency and prevent any elections. 

Keep in mind that Russia has been able to conduct elections. They might not have been the most legitimate elections in the world, but they are probably at the same level as the ones here in the United States. And Russia had many of the same issues and they were able to hold elections in 2024. We had elections in 2020 during the pandemic and also during World War II. Though I agree that elections would be difficult, both legally and logistically, they should be done regardless and I don't really buy Ukraine's excuses here. 

Regardless, I do think that this could be a bad sign for the Zelensky government. Though I tend to think this is more about Fedorov trying to make a bigger name for himself, and perhaps getting his Defense Minster post back, it is a sign that cracks are starting to form for Zelensky. Folks there aren't blindly worshiping Zelensky anymore and it's clear that his government has some major flaws. Fedorov is right, elections should be held and corruption is a massive problem for Ukraine. 

Finally, I think this is a case of too-little too-late. The problem with having elections now is that Ukraine's air defenses have crumbled. Ukraine has used up all their Patriot missiles and those are the only weapons they have that can credibly counter Russia and North Korea's ballistic missiles. This is very different from earlier stages of the war, especially in 2024 when Zelensky's term expired. But now, things would be a lot more difficult and it would require at least some kind of cease fire with Russia to pull off. 

Polling firm admits that polls in Wisconsin Democratic Primary and LA Mayor race were totally fake.

 

File photo of Francesca Hong. Fox News.

A polling firm called Median Strategies have admitted that two polls in the Wisconsin Democrat Primary and the LA Mayor race were fake as a "social experiment". Fox News. The polls had Francesca Hong in Wisconsin and Karen Bass far ahead of their opponents. However, the polling outlet said it was an experiment to see how false information could spread and then shut down their doors. Both polls ended up bein inaccurate, as Hong lost her race in the primary while Bass won by a much slimer margin. 

My Comment:

This is one of the more irresponsible things a polling outfit has done. Putting out entirely false polls is, quite frankly, disgusting. And it calls into question the very concept of polling. If there are outfits out there fabricating data, do we really have any idea of how is winning and losing our political races?

Calling it a social experiment is nonsense as well. And it is funny that the experiment failed in the Wisconsin Governor's race. From what I understand, that poll was largely ignored as larger and more reliable outlets dominated the news. 

Regardless, there were absolutely other ways to demonstrate that false information is a problem without contributing to it. Indeed, that's exactly what they did. These polls probably didn't have too much of an effect, as the Wisconsin one was ignored and the LA one only got a little coverage. But it's pretty easy to think that it could have affected things, especially in a race as close as the Wisconsin Democrat primary was this year. 

But I also think that the "experiment" excuse is probably false. This was probably a scam of some kind. What is likely is that the firm was just lazy and didn't want to do the actual work. By faking the polling results they could get attention and funding, but it fell apart when the LA Times investigated the whole thing. 

It's also possible that this was a scam based on prediction markets like Polymarket or Khalshi. Large amounts of money is bet on the results of these races and by putting out false info they could affect the odds and get a bigger payout. Given that bets can be on just about anything, even overstating a poll could cause a lot of people to place bets that they otherwise would not, so faking numbers might have been a way to increase the payouts of opposing bets. 

If this sounds like a good argument to ban these kinds of prediction markets, I would agree. I hate the incentives that the existence of these prediction markets creates and we have already seen the effects. And this could be another example, and it shows it goes far beyond just sports betting. 

Regardless, this story is going to further erode confidence in American polling this cycle. We have already seen some massive upsets, even beyond the Wisconsin race. The Michigan Senate race is another example and even tonight we saw something similar in Florida's Senate Race for the Democrats. People have already lost faith in the polls and having an outlet out and out faking results is not going to help things. 

President Donald Trump seems to be reaching out to North Korea for a diplomatic win.

President Trump shakes Kim Jong Un's hand on a TV in South Korea. Reuters. 

President Donald Trump seems to be reaching out to North Korea in search of a diplomatic win. Reuters. Trump made a major diplomatic push during his first term to try and warm relations with North Korea, which remains a pariah state. However, Trump appears to be renewing focus on North Korea now. He has scaled back US participation in a major military drill with South Korea, due in part to their refusal to help with the Iran conflict. Trump and Kim Jong Un do have a respectful relationship and both men claim to understand each other. North Korea is in a better negotiating position, due to an economic boom from participating in the Russia-Ukraine war. 

My Comment:

I speculated yesterday that Trump's canceling of the exercise with South Korea had less to due with South Korea and more to do with North Korea. Given Trumps statements about Kim Jong Un, I think that is the case. South Korea did anger the United States by not helping in Iran, given that they too have an interest in keeping the oil from the Middle East flowing, but it's really not about them, that much. 

The cynics are saying that this is just a ploy to get some positive media coverage for Trump ahead of the midterms. There is probably some truth to this, a diplomatic win would probably be helpful for Republican chances in November. But I also don't think that's the only factor. Trump wanted a deal during his first term, and if 2020 had gone different, he probably would have gotten one. He also seems to genuinely like Kim Jong Un, and he has a good relationship with him. 

Kim Jong Un has good motivation to at least talk to Trump. Doing so would be a win for him too, largely because it would give him quite a bit of prestige and legitimacy. It would also bring some predictability to the relationship between the United States and North Korea, which is a major concern. 

The problem is that North Korea really is in a good position right now. Their participation in the Ukraine war has been an absolute economic boom for them, funneling billions of dollars into their economy. They have sold billions of dollars worth artillery shells and missiles and are getting paid for every soldier they deploy in Russia to help defend the country from Ukrainian attacks. 

This means that Trump and Kim Jong Un will probably meet each other as equals and any diplomatic deal will have to be limited in nature. Getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons are not a realistic goal for Trump if they do meet. However, a test ban, an official de jure end to the Korean war and/or a ban on missile tests in exchange for sanctions relief could be a real possibility. 

I do think that this is a positive thing. Korea has been a tinderbox for far too long and ratcheting down the temperature again would be useful. Indeed, it was something that should have been done during the Biden administration, but Korea was just yet another issue that Joe Biden was out to lunch on. I don't think a major deal is likely, but any kind of talk is a positive. 

 

Pentagon downplays reports of bad conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln.

 

The USS Abraham Lincoln. Fox News/Reuters.

The Pentagon has downplayed reports of bad conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has set modern records for length of deployment. Fox News. The Lincoln has been deployed for 260 days in support for the Iran conflict  and has faced allegations of plumbing issues, supply shortages and even crew members threatening to jump off the ship. However, the Pentagon says that the Lincoln's mental health issues are among the lowest in the carrier fleet. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that many of the issues that had been reported, like the plumbing issues and food quality, have been fixed for some time. Long sea deployments are challenging, Cooper claims, but credited the ships petty officers for focusing on mental health. The Lincoln is now heading back to port and will be replaced by the USS George Washington. 

My Comment:

For context, in World War II, the USS Essex was deployed for 495 days and participated in several massive battles, including the battles of the Philippines Sea, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Operation Ten-Go, the Japanese attack that ended with the destruction of the Yamato, the biggest battleship ever made. Other carriers and other US Navy ships faced similar lengths of deployment overseas.

Marines and Soldiers might be confused by the complaints as well. In Vietnam the US Army required a 12 month deployment while the Marines faced a 13 month one. And in Iraq and Afghanistan? The Army still required a 9 to 12 month deployment while the Marines often did 6 to 9 months. And unlike the Lincoln, they faced enemy fire and extremely poor conditions. I know if I had the choice of where to serve, I'd rather be a Sailor on the Lincoln over a Marine or Soldier any day of the week. 

That isn't to denigrate or downplay the service of the Sailors and Marines, they have conducted their deployment with honor and do have my praise. But context is important and it's clear that folks are exaggerating just how bad things are. Indeed, the people deployed on the Lincoln are mostly likely just griping. 

Did the Lincoln have issues during this deployment? Of course. From what I understand the plumbing issues were serious and the did have to operate at a high during the Iran conflict. And by modern standards the deployment is long, 9 months at sea is longer than the modern US Navy is used to. Though the ship never came under fire, carrier work is dangerous and so is just going to sea. The air wing especially had a high tempo deployment and I bet they need a break. 

Are there mental health problems on this deployment? Sure, but that's true for every military deployment. Indeed, folks go postal or harm themselves during leave and on base as well. Are they worse than normal because of the long deployment? CENTCOM says otherwise and it's very possible they are right. 

I think the real difference now is that Sailors and Marines are able to contact home very easily. I guarantee that the USS Essex had similar issues during it's 495 day deployment but the general public never heard about it because they didn't have any way to contact home other than highly censored mail. Now anyone on the Lincoln can call their parents and gripe and many of those parents don't really know the reality of deployments. 

Has the Trump administration handled this well? Not really. Trump put his foot in his mouth, as he is wont to do, by saying the deployment should be even longer, which the media, of course, latched onto. I kind of see his point, I doubt that the USS George Washington would be pulled out of the Pacific if it wasn't for this bad press, but it's not something he needed to say. 

I do think there is something to be said for the fact that we only really have three carriers deployed right now, the Lincoln, the Washington and the Bush. The other eight are in port, either being repaired, upgraded, refueling or in training. I know that having large numbers of ships down for those reasons, but that seems like a lot. Usually we have 2-4 deployed but given the active conflict with Iran, you would think that more of them would be deployed. 

DSA candidate Francesca Hong loses against more centrist Democrat David Crowley in Wisconsin Democrat governor primary.

 

David Crowley (background) with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (foreground). Fox News/AP.

DSA candidate Francesca Hong lost in a shocking upset against center left Democratic candidate David Crowley. Fox News. Crowley won by .4% and will face Republican Tom Tiffany in November. Crowley had dropped out but came back into the race as a "never-Hong" candidate and got the endorsement of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. Hong was polling 20 points ahead of Crowley and other candidates in the field, but suffered several major setbacks in her campaign, most notably not getting endorsements from prominent leftists like AOC and Bernie Sanders. She also had several controversies over her social media statements, such as wanting to cancel Thanksgiving or defunding the police. 

My Comment:

I'm pretty conflicted about this one. Francesca Hong was almost beyond parody in how bad she was as a candidate and I didn't want even a chance of her winning. She's a DSA commie that would destroy the great state of Wisconsin assuming she got any kind of power. But I also think she would have been a lot easier for Tom Tiffany to defeat. 

A big question of this race is how bad the polling was. They actually got Hong's level of support correctly, but they had absolutely no idea how popular Crowley was going to be. He barely won, but you would have thought that they could have detected the support gathering around him and at least given him a decent chance of winning. That didn't happen and it shows that polling is having a terrible moment. They missed several other primary races, most notably the Senate one in Michigan, and it makes the 2026 midterms very hard to predict. 

It does make me wonder if I shouldn't have tried the "pied piper" strategy in Wisconsin. I voted yesterday for Tom Tiffany, but it was barely a contested primary and most of the other races in my district were uncontested. Perhaps I should have voted for Hong because she was easier to beat? But I also know that the potential for that backfiring is high, how many Democrats pushed Donald Trump in 2016, and look how that turned out for them?

As for Hong herself, she's everything wrong with the Democratic Party right now. She cares more about hating Israel than anything else and her actual policy positions (which were so toxic she had to back off of them) were so bad that it's insanity. Which makes sense because Hong was actually hospitalized for her bipolar disorder when she was 18. Indeed, she has all the worst qualities of the Democrat's younger voters and I am very glad that she is gone now. 

Crowley seems like he's a lot more moderate and will likely be Tony Evers 2.0. That's not as bad as it sounds. Evers is probably the best of the Democrats Midwestern Governors, not because he's good, but because he's such a non-entity that he had little chance to screw up the state. Crowley seems to strike me as the same type, someone that could be elected, but wouldn't be able to get much done if he gets in, especially if Republicans retain control of at least one house of the state legislature. That's extremely likely so Crowley getting elected is more status quo antebellum than any kind of actual change. 

But I should not that it's not a sure thing that Crowley will win. Tiffany is a strong candidate and I tend to think the idea of a "blue wave" in 2026 is overstated at best. The main difference is that Tiffany might be the candidate that "scares the normies" now that Hong is out of the race. Tiffany is pretty MAGA and how big of a deal that is will be the main question of 2026. I'm not going to go as far as the polling agencies (because they beclowned themselves enough in this race that I don't trust them at all), but I think Wisconsin is now a true toss up, and it's probably going to be a coin flip as to which party wins in Wisconsin. 

Analyzing the new defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

 

The leadership of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. AP. 

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have joined a new defensive pact. AP. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement would treat an attack on any member as an attack on all members. The members say that the pact isn't directed at any specific country, but many feel it could be directed at Iran. The alliance is powerful, Turkey has huge conventional military, Saudi Arabia has a lot of soft power in the region and is rich, while Pakistan has nuclear weapons and an experienced military. However, the agreement is not as strong as a formal alliance like NATO. 

My Comment:

This news broke a few days ago, but the news cycle is slow today and there isn't much else to talk about besides primary election results. And it is a huge story, this is a large alliance and could have serious implications down the line. 

This is a very powerful alliance, and I think only one country could realistically challenge it, and that's the United States. All three of these countries have huge amounts of troops, large professional militaries and some limited power projection. And, of course, they have nuclear weapons. 

The alliance faces major logistical issues though. None of these countries share a border and Turkey and Pakistan aren't even in the same region. They could support each other in a war against Iran, obviously, since all of them are in striking range of Iran, but what if they get into a conflict with another country? I think they would have extreme difficulty in accomplishing much. 

And honestly, I think that Iran is the least likely country to trigger this alliance right now. Iran has largely been degraded in terms of military power and could not afford to launch a war against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan any time soon. I guess they could continue to launch attacks against US bases in Saudi Arabia and that could trigger the pact, but I honestly don't see the Saudis calling people into the war given they haven't really joined it in the first place. 

The real threats to a larger regional war are India and, to a much lesser degree, Israel. Pakistan and India have had several conflicts in the last decade and all of the conditions that led to that conflict (terrorism, border disputes, religious differences) still exists. Should a conflict break out, it's very possible that Pakistan could call their allies into the conflict, leading to a larger regional war. 

However, this scenario would be the most difficult for the Saudis and the Turks to help out. They don't really have a land route to send troops, so they would have to go by see. Even assuming they had the shipping capability, they would have to somehow evade Indian attacks on their supply convoys. And given that Turkey and Saudi Arabia have closer ties to India than Pakistan, obviously, it's possible the alliance could fall apart.

And Israel? A war between Turkey and Israel isn't as unlikely as you think. There has been tensions over Turkey's actions in Syria and there is evidence that Israel no longer considers Iran to be their number one rival. But a conflict between Turkey and Israel, perhaps in Syria, would be difficult for the other members to help out with. The Pakistanis are too far away, and while the Saudis could help, they have closer ties to Israel. 

Regardless, I don't think too much will come from this pact, barring a major war between India and Pakistan. It's mostly symbolic in nature and is probably more about keeping Iran from dragging them into the war than anything else. 

Teenagers faced a tight job market in 2026.

 

A teenager that was able to find a job. Fortune.

Teenagers faced a tight job market in 2026. Fortune. Around 790,000 jobs opened up for teenagers in May, June and July this year, down from 801,000 last year. Teenagers are popular hires for low skill jobs, but competition this year has been fierce. Teenagers report "ghosting" for applications and larger numbers of rejections for even low skill jobs. Some teenagers have resorted to going door to door, handing their resumes in person and even starting their own businesses. 

My Comment:

This is a disturbing trend and it shows that teens are one of the bigger losers of a changing economy. Teens should be able to work basically at will and it builds character to have a first job before they hit 20. If that doesn't happen, than a lot of teens are going to miss out and growing up. 

Teens working is also a good way for them to help pay for college or even help their parents if they are having a tough time. With college prices out of control, it's disturbing that a lot of teens can't even attempt to help pay for it because they can't find steady work. And it's even worse for kids not going to college, they simply can't find work. 

So why is this happening. A lot of it is automation, including AI. You can see this in fast food. The McDonalds around here largely have reduced their staff and installed order kiosks. Though I haven't seen any AI order bots yet, they have rolled out in some places. This means instead of a half dozen teens and a manager, there are usually only two or three employees. Indeed, this is why I tend to go to Culvers, a regional burger chain, because they don't do this, every time I go they have half a dozen employees at the counters, one or two at the drive through window and one or two running burgers out to cars. Plus, the service and quality is dramatically better. 

There were always going to be winners and losers of the AI revolution and teenagers as a group seem to be one of them. McJobs were a great job for kids as it's hard enough that they develop, but not so hard that teens can't handle it. But a lot of these jobs are gone. 

Another problem is, of course, immigration. Many of the jobs that were once dominated by teenagers have been taken by immigrants instead, be they legal or illegal. Most articles downplay this, for obvious reasons, but you can't tell me that bringing in 10 million immigrants during Biden's term didn't tighten up the job market. Deportation is helping this, slowly, but it hasn't been enough to overturn the trend. 

Some of this is on the teenagers themselves. A lot of them aren't even trying to find jobs. Boomers tend to think that this is because the Zoomers and Generation Alpha are all lazy, and there might be a little truth to it, but I think it has more to do with them just being discouraged. 

And I think modern HR practices are a big problem too. There's so many jobs posted that HR managers don't even pretend they are going to hire for, many of which end up going to H1B visas. And the new AI guided HR also tends to filter out low skill workers like teens. This makes it feel like the game is rigged against teenagers, and it's hard to argue otherwise. 

I don't think this is going to get better any time soon. AI and automation is getting worse, not better. And even though immigration enforcement is working a little, it's not fast enough to actually do much. And neither party really seems to care about what is happening with teenagers and young adults, if you aren't over the age of 65, they don't care about you at all. 

Bipartisan opposition to Flock cameras has led to communities abandoning the controversial technology.

 

A Flock camera. Politico/AP. 

Bipartisan opposition to Flock cameras has led to communities abandoning the controversial technology. Politico. In July alone, 20 communities have ended the use of the cameras, which track vehicles and record their license plates with AI. Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized the cameras saying that the potential for abuse by the government is too high, though they disagree who the targets would be. Flock says their cameras don't violate civil liberties and help solve crimes, but some local leaders have said the cameras were not as useful as sold. Efforts to expand Flock devices beyond fixed locations, such as by using drones, have increased the backlash. 

My Comment:

The opposition to Flock cameras has to be one of the most bipartisan things I have seen in America today. Nobody seems to like these devices and it's one of the few things that both Republicans and Democrats (and Libertarians) agree about. Everyone hates these cameras. 

Why? I think most people understand they could be used against them. Republicans fear that their travel habits could expose to the government things like trips to church or the gun range. They also fear that such cameras could restrict their freedom of movement if a civil war were to happen. 

The Democrats fear that these cameras could track people leaving the state for an abortion or track folks like Antifa. They also fear that it could be used to track and deport illegal immigrants, despite the fact that the federal government does not use these cameras in the DHS. 

And both sides are right. There was a case in my state where a man was traveling to Michigan and was tracked by these cameras. This was used as a pretext to pull over and arrest him as they claimed traveling to Michigan was probable cause for a stop. He got arrested for marijuana possession, which is legal in Michigan but illegal in Wisconsin. 

And that's just government over reach, these cameras are being abused in other ways. There have been many cases where folks have been tracking their spouses or exes with these cameras. There is no law enforcement excuse there. 

What does get me about Flock is how it seems to have been a final straw when it comes to Americans. Folks hate these things and are aggressively vandalizing and taking them down wherever they show up. Folks are showing up to city council meetings and are successfully lobbying to get these cameras taken down. And there is even talk of jury nullification for the folks taking down the cameras! 

I've got mixed feelings about that. I do view these cameras as a civil rights violation, if they are allowed to continue, do we even have a 4th Amendment right? I know it's generally accepted that you don't have a right to privacy while in public but I doubt the founding fathers would have wanted the government to be able to track your every move. So I am glad that these cameras are getting a backlash. 

But why not everything else? Flock cameras are hardly the only thing recording me when I go to work. There's ring cameras on my neighbors houses, people filming while I drive by, regular surveillance cameras on the highway and my phone is tracking me too. And sure, it's not the government doing those things, but then you get things like Digital ID which has bipartisan support. So if the government tracks your movement, it's a problem, but if they track you online it's suddenly ok? 

Still, I am glad that there is a backlash. America is in the position where we seem to take two steps back for every one step forward and I think people are sick and tired of the way the government is behaving at the local level. It doesn't have to be this way and the opposition to flock cameras is refreshing. 

However, will things actually change? Who knows? For every city that abandons Flock, a few more pick it up. I think it's probably going to require legislation or a major court case in order to actually stop these cameras, and I don't know if there is the political will or a legal argument that will actually end this. 

President Trump has denied that US munitions stockpiles are depleted and vowed to punish leakers.

 

US President Donald Trump. BBC/Getty.

President Trump has denied reports that US munitions stockpiles are depleted and has vowed to punish leakers. BBC. Reports earlier in the week said that the US was running low on certain important weapons, including long range attack missiles and anti-air defense missiles. President Trump denied reports that he confronted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for the supposed shortfalls. Trump also said that the leakers were "treasonous" since information on American weapons stockpiles are classified. 

My Comment:

This story is a mess on multiple levels and it's very hard to determine what the actual truth of this story is. I do know that all of the reports are from anonymous sources and none of them provided any documents that prove their claims. It's also very clear that Trump still has many enemies in the defense department and they absolutely could and would make things up to hurt Trump and his Administration. 

On the other hand, it's also very clear that a lot of weapons have been expended in the Iran conflict, most notably the anti-air defenses, like Patriot missiles and THAAD. They are our premier anti-air defenses and the Patriots were already low, due in part to the previous Iran conflict, our support of Ukraine and sales to allies. I would also believe that we have used a lot of our long range missiles, the ATACMS and the new PrSM weapons, which we never had many of in the first place. 

But even if the reports are true, Trump is also right in that we are in no way low on weapons. We still have plenty of Tomahawk missiles and our air and naval assets are, if not unlimited, enough to conduct a war for a very long time. Plus, stockpiles are expected to draw down during a conflict, especially one where we have launched as many major attacks as we have in this one. 

What is clear is that President Trump is angry about these stories. And he is absolutely right to be. It's clear that Iran was happy to hear this and though they probably have a more accurate ability to judge US firepower, having this story out there may give them some false hope that they can outlast the United States. And it's going to complicate any possible peace deal. Indeed, news broke today that Iran is making unreasonable demands for peace again, and these stories might be why. 

Keep in mind that information warfare is real too. By any rational standard, Iran has been utterly destroyed in this conflict and has no real hope of winning the war. But there is a lot of noise out there about how Iran is going to outlast the United States, and this release is absolutely going to fuel that. 

So will the leakers be charged with treason? Almost certainly not. Finding them will probably be difficult in the first place, assuming the media isn't making the sources up. But even if they are, treason charges are very unlikely. Constitutionally, treason is extremely hard to prove and this conduct doesn't reach that standard, plus there is unlikely to be two witnesses willing and able to testify. They absolutely could be charged with espionage, but treason? Not unless we change the constitution. 

What is my take on US stockpiles? I think we have drawn them down quite a bit, but not so much that we can't conduct war. I would believe that we are out or basically out of PsRM's since they are new weapon that hasn't been produced for very long, but I think we should have enough of the other weapons cited for a longer conflict. 

Still, I do think that even if it isn't a problem now, it could be if the war lasts much longer. If, God forbid, we are still talking about the conflict with Iran by the end of Fall, or even worse, next year, then yeah, we will probably run out of these weapons, maybe sooner if the conflict escalates. It's a good non-political reason to try and end the conflict, but the problem is that the Iranians are insane. 

Regardless, the real losers here are Ukraine. Even if we do run out of some weapons, America will be fine and will be able to continue the war. But Ukraine? They are basically out of Patriot missiles, and that is a huge problem for them because Patriots are the only weapon that even has a chance at shooting down Russian ballistic missiles. Regardless of the actual numbers, we absolutely have used a lot of our patriots and the cupboards are bare for Ukraine, and that's probably true to a lesser degree for our ATACMS. 

Of course, our support of Ukraine is a major reason that our stockpiles have been depleted. The weapons we gave to Ukraine did deplete our stocks and though those gifts aren't going to be equal to what we have used in the conflict, it's unquestionable that if we had a more sane Ukraine policy over the past decade, we would be in better shape than we are now. Indeed, I warned about this very possibility when we started giving Ukraine these weapons. 

As for the Iran War, I do think it will end sooner, rather than later. No matter how much the media and the Democrats want Iran to win the conflict, they absolutely cannot do so. This report may have delayed a deal by a few weeks, but I do think that it will end. And, of course, Trump can always throw up his hands and unilaterally end the war himself. 

A federal judge rules section of the National Firearms Act regulating suppressors and short barreled rifles is unconstitutional.

 

Firearms, two of which are equipped with suppressors. New York Times/Reuters. 

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the section of the National Firearms Act regulating suppressors and short barreled rifles is unconstitutional. New York Times. The NFA was always justified under tax law, but once Congress removed the $200 tax stamp for suppressors and short barreled rifles, it was no longer constitutional. Gun rights groups sued after Congress acted and this is the first victory against the NFA. The Judge did stay the order to give the defendant, the ATF, a chance to appeal the order, though it is not known if they will do so. 

My Comment:

Some clarifications are in order here. This ruling didn't suddenly rule the NFA act null in void. It only applies to the parties to the lawsuit, which includes several gun rights groups, most notably the Gun Owners of America, manufacturers and dealers, most notably the Palmetto State Armory, and 15 States that join lawsuits, including Texas, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming. 

For an individual that wants to buy an NFA restricted item, your options would be to either join one of the gun rights groups or purchase from one of the companies that were involved in the lawsuit, like Palmetto State Armory and Silencerco. And even then, it would have to be legal in your state, some states bar possession of all NFA items, even ones that are legal to own federally. And, of course, you would have to pass the normal background checks you have to do when you buy any new firearm.

Also keep in mind that this doesn't go into effect just yet. The judge gave the federal government seven days to appeal and until then, nothing changes. And there is a good chance that the government will indeed appeal.

There is a chance they won't. The Trump Administration is generally pro-gun and Trump himself signed the bill that caused the lawsuit in the first place. They have even filed lawsuits against gun laws in blue states so it's very possible they will just let this ruling stand. 

However, there is also a good chance they will appeal. It's possible the intuitional inertia will force an appeal. The lawyers at the ATF might not want to give up the power they get from the National Firearms Act and won't want the order to stand. And, given this is the deep state we are talking about, it's possible someone will go rogue. 

Regardless, I think this is a victory. The rules against suppressors and short barreled rifles were always nonsensical. Indeed, suppressors are a safety feature that protects hearing and some countries, notably France, require their use. And short barreled rifles? You can buy a "pistol" that is a de facto SBR anyways, so the regulation is pointless. Especially after last week's incident where a man helped stop a mass shooter with a suppressed FN Five-seveN. 

Time will tell how this plays out. I do think that this portion of the NFA will eventually be destroyed. I guess it would be easy for this specific ruling to be reversed by Congress putting back the stamp tax, but that seems unlikely given the political realities of the foreseeable future. I do hope that the entire bill is removed eventually, I consider the regulations on destructive devices and fully automatic weapons to be just as tyrannical. 

Spokane wildfire arsonist suspect had been linked to two more fires.

 

A statue that survived the wildfire. BBC/Getty.

The suspect in the Spokane wildfire arson has been linked to two more fires. BBC. Aaron Farinacci, a 37 year old who had a conviction for manslaughter for killing his own father, was found kneeling near the site of the blaze. He had a lighter and matches on him. The fire he started, the Autumn Lane fire, is still uncontained and destroyed 700 homes and forced 60,000 people to evacuate. No fatalities have been recorded in the three fires near Spokane, but there are some people that authorities have not been able to contact. The suspect was initially let go but fire inspectors discovered that the cause of the blaze was human activity. 

My Comment:

Wildfires are a major concern lately, especially with much of the country facing dry conditions, both seasonally and this year specifically. There have been major fires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. They have caused billions of dollars worth of damage and cause quite a bit of human misery, as I can attest to with the horrible wildfire smoke from Canada that choked Wisconsin. 

Wildfires are an inevitability. Many of them can happen with no human involvement whatsoever, and they can even happen in forests that are properly managed. However, human activity is a major cause of wildfires. Some of this, like many of the wildfires in Canada and California, is due to human incompetence. Things like not managing forests at all, or failing to clear trees that are near major powerlines, are a major cause of fire. 

But what is starting to worry me are these arsons. Spokane is not the first city to face major damage from a human started wildfire. The Palisades fire that wrecked thousands of homes and killed people was allegedly started by a person (a mistrial was declared in the case and a retrial has been scheduled). And now we have this fire as well. 

It makes me concern that a meme is forming. Disturbed people can see that absolutely devastating damage and, given the right weather conditions, they can do the same thing. It might be why the media was lying about the cause of the Palisades Fire when it happened, they really didn't want the idea of arsonists starting wildfires like this to spread.   

What about this case? I think it's a strong circumstantial case. Carrying matches and a lighter when you are a smoker isn't uncommon, especially for a smoker, but doing it right where a major wildfire starts is at least confirmation that you have the means to start a fire. And witnesses saw him kneeling near the site if the fire. Unless there is some kind of exonerating evidence put forth at trial, it seems very likely he will be convicted.  

What is frustrating is the fact that Farinacci was out in the first place. 12 years for manslaughter for killing his own father over an argument about washing the dishes is obscene. He did serve his time and was released from probation, but still, if he had gotten a longer sentence for killing his own father, he wouldn't have been on the streets in the first place, which may have prevented this fire. 

Embattled Congressman Max Miller (R) facing calls to step down over domestic abuse allegations.

 

Congressman Max Miller. Official portrait. 

Embattled Congressman Max Miller, Republican from Ohio's 7th district, is facing calls to step down and withdraw from the race after serious allegations of domestic abuse have surfaced. Politico. Miller was married to the daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno, Emily Moreno and is in the middle of an acrimonious divorce. Miller was accused by Moreno of spraying her with scalding water and pointing a gun at her head while also breaking the collarbone of their daughter. Miller has denied the accusations. In addition to Senator Moreno, other prominent Senate Republicans have called for Miller to step down before Wednesday's deadline for a new primary. 

A new report from Axios says that President Trump has expressed skepticism of Miller's chances in November.  Trump reportedly didn't call for Miller to drop out but said that his reelection chances, against Democrat Brian Poindexter, were "not looking good". President Trump has remained neutral in public comments about Miller.

My Comment:

There's nothing worse than a he said she said situation. It's very hard to tell if the allegations against Miller are legit or just the result of an acrimonious divorce. There is some documentation to favor both Miller and Moreno's claims. The evidence in both sides isn't conclusive and there isn't a smoking gun for either side. 

Which means that folks are conflicted about this. If the allegations are true, than there is no reason for Miller to be in the House. Indeed, if he pointed a gun at his then-wife, he should be in prison. And he's already faced allegations of abuse from a woman before, former White House Secretary Stephanie Grisham also accused him of abuse, to the point where a settlement was made. 

But there is, of course, the idea of reasonable doubt. Folks do indeed lie during these kinds of horrible divorces and some of the allegations are ridiculous (spraying someone with a sink hose is not going to cause any damage). And there is no iron clad proof that Miller actually did anything wrong. 

What I do know is that these allegations are turning what should be a solid Republican seat in Ohio into one that Democrats could conceivably win. Polling has shown that Brian Poindexter, Miller's Democratic opponent, is close to overtaking Miller in the polls. And the only real reason for that is folks think that Miller is guilty of the accusations against him. 

It's telling that someone named Poindexter, who looks like the name, even has a chance in a safe Republican district. Poindexter is another attempt, like Graham Platner in Maine, to get a "manly man" into office to try and win back Republicans. Normally it wouldn't work at all, why would men vote for a party that hates them? But if the choice is between someone who may have beaten up two women and injured a child? I personally would vote for the Devil himself over even the most moderate Democrat, but a lot of folks aren't going to make that trade. 

Miller has to drop out by the 5th if there is going to be a primary and I think the Republicans have until the 10th to replace him. Miller, for his part, seems determined to stay in the race. He thinks he can still win, and I think there is a chance, folks might not believe his ex-wife. But the fact that several senators are calling for him to step down and the fact that Trump has expressed doubt makes me think that he could be forced to leave, much like Graham Platner was in Maine for the Democrats. 

Finally, I have to say that if I had married the daughter of a Senator, I'd be treating her with kid gloves. If these accusations are even close to being true, than Miller is crazy. Bernie Moreno is a popular member of the Senate, and though he's a freshman Senator (he replaced Democrat Sherrod Brown), he's not a man I would make upset. Indeed, the fact that he ended up speaking out at all is pretty damning and it alone makes the accusations more credible. 

Armed civilian and off duty cop confront mass shooter in Idaho.

 

Screenshot of video showing the civilian opening fire on the attacker with a suppressed FN Five-SeveN pistol. USA Today.

An armed civilian and off duty cop confronted a mass shooter in Idaho and drove him off. USA Today. The attack occurred at a busy In-N-Out burger restaurant in Twin Falls and resulted in two deaths and seven injuries. The suspect was armed with a long gun in an AR-15 variant. Video showed him shooting into parked Tesla cars at a charging station. However, the actions of the civilian an the off duty police officer forced him to flee and he ended up taking his own life. The civilian and officer also helped treat and evacuate the wounded and are being hailed as heroes. The suspects motivations are still unknown.

My Comment:

Another example of a good guy with a gun stopping a mass shooting. Again, you don't have to kill the attacker to stop him, often, resistance is enough. The civilian and the off duty cop were able to drive this attacker away and the attacker ended up killing himself. 

That's usually what happens when a mass shooter is confronted. Very few of them are competent and almost none of them have ever been in combat before. They weren't banking on someone fighting back and when someone does, they usually fold. 

It's pretty clear that the guy shooting the pistol had more experience with his weapon than the shooter. Indeed, this is a guy that his whole life is guns. The FN Five-SeveN pistol is not cheap, the MSRP is around $1500, and he had to buy a version with a threaded barrel and the suppressor. The can itself was probably around $500 and, depending on when he bought it, he might have still had to pay the now-revoked $200 tax stamp. Plus, he was using subsonic rounds. 5.7 is already an expensive round. It seems likely that the civilian (who has been identified on social media but not by new organizations) was pretty rich and was very experienced with his firearms.

For folks not in the gun community, it's probably important to explain that this is probably unprecedented. Very few people bother to carry a FN Five-seveN, given the price of the firearm and the cost per round. It's not a carry gun, it's a full sized pistol and probably gave the shooter a much more even playing field against the attacker. And very few people bother to carry subsonic rounds or a suppressor as an every day carry option. Indeed, it's pretty uncommon for home defense or any other usage. 

Idaho is a red state with good gun laws and it's not at all surprising that there were two people willing to fight back at a busy In-N-Out restaurant. Like I said before, fighting back is about the only way to end mass shootings before fatalities reach the double digit range, and Idaho was uniquely qualified to facilitate that. They are a pro-suppressor state and have very loose open carry laws and I think that's a major reason why this attack failed. 

As for the shooter, it's clear that he didn't really seem competent with his firearm. The suspect has been named as Chad Williams and we don't know too much about his background and motivations. But from the video I have seen of him, he did not seem to have much in the way of confidence and it's clear that he wasn't expecting to come under fire so quickly. It's absolutely tragic he was able to shoot a few people, killing two of them, but it does go to show that training and confidence trump simply owning a rifle. 

Indeed, if the identification of the civilian is correct, he is a GunTuber on YouTube. He has several videos showing him training with his pistol (and an FN-FS2000 rifle, I told you he had money) and it's abundantly clear that he knew what he is doing. We don't know much about the off-duty cop, but it's clear that both men are heroes and did exactly what you should do if confronted by a mass killer. 

Thousands of migrants invade Ceuta in Spain.

 

Migrants rush into Ceuta after crossing the border. Fox News/Reuters. 

Thousands of illegal aliens have invaded Ceuta in Spain, causing a major immigration crisis. Fox News. At least 2,000 migrants crossed over the border of Ceuta from Morocco. Ceuta is a Spanish enclave in Africa. Footage shows the illegal aliens bypassing border fences and swimming in from the sea. President Trump criticized Spain's leftist government for the crisis, saying it could lead to destruction. Spain's conservative opposition agreed and said that guaranteeing social services for underage illegal immigrants obviously incentivized the situation. However, Spain's leftist Prime Minster Pedro Sanchez refused to declare an emergency and said that immigration was necessary to deal with low birthrates.

INSANE FOOTAGE: Thousands of migrants continue crossing from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, as local officials reportedly urge Madrid to declare a national emergency. pic.twitter.com/dlbbKOjBV1

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 30, 2026

 

My Comment:

This is entirely due to Spain's leftist government, who absolutely incentivized this invasion. When you tell people that if you break into the country they can get free stuff, it's like putting a steak in front of a hungry dog. It's no surprise that thousands of people, mostly military aged men, have showed up. 

I also don't buy Spain's argument that these people are needed because of low birth rates. If low birth rates are a problem, and they absolutely are, they should be trying to solve that by getting people together and having kids. I know it's very difficult to increase the birthrates, but Spain hasn't even tried to do so, it's just going with the immigration angle. 

The problem with this is that the quality of people is going to be extremely poor. At the very least, the underage ones are going to be a huge drain of resources until they turn 18, and even beyond that, I see most of these men not working and continuing to drain welfare for many years. And the ones that do work? They are going to mostly be doing so under the table, contributing very little to the tax base. And, most importantly, they will be depressing wages and taking jobs from Spanish civilians. These aren't going to be the upper crust from Morocco, who could potentially contribute, but the lower classes who haven't been able to secure any kinds of ties to their community. 

I feel bad for the Spanish civilians. Their ancestors suffered under Islam for many centuries and a lot of people had to die in order to take back the country from their Muslim overlords. The Reconquista was one of the few examples where Islam was pushed back and our of Europe but it's insane to me the obvious consequence is going to be the same thing. 

I honestly think that conflict in Europe is inevitable. Europe's leftist leadership is all out of ideas and nobody is willing to actually get rid of these people and prevent them from coming. At some point folks are going to get tired of it and with right wing governments unlikely to form (and if they do, they betray the people that put them in power), what other outcome is even possible?  

Tensions between Iran and Ukraine could escalate after Ukraine struck an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea.

 

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. New York Times/AP.

Tensions between Iran and Ukraine have increased after Ukraine struck an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea. New York Times. Ukraine drones attacked an Iranian freighter and killed a civilian sailor. Iran had vowed to retaliate and considered a strike on an Ukrainian port on the Black Sea. The attack would be a single missile and would be considered symbolic in nature. However, the foreign ministers of both Ukraine and Iran talked and deescalated the situation. Iran and Russia are allies and the Caspian Sea has become a critical route for Iran, and any involvement with Ukraine could complicate both wars. 

My Comment:

For now, it seems that cooler heads are prevailing. From what I understand, the phone call between Iran and Ukraine was promising, and it does seem like Iran has backed down from any retaliation. The hope is that this will be the end of it, and Iran's protests over the strike on their ship will remain diplomatic in nature. 

And I don't really think that any of the parties in either conflict would benefit from an actual war between Iran and Ukraine. Seriously, it poses problems for basically every party to both wars. Iran has barely enough weapons to strike targets at this point, most of their launchers are destroyed and they only have a few weapons left. They also would risk having their last major sea route for trade with Russia cut off entirely, due to Ukrainian strikes. 

Ukraine? It has huge manpower problems of their own and they too are just barely able to keep up pressure on Russia. Having Iran join the war on Russia's side would further stretch their resources and they would have difficulty with their air defenses, which have already largely been depleted. 

Russia? They absolutely don't want their sea route with Iran closed. It's absolutely an important corridor for them, and though they are no longer reliant on Iran for their Shahed drones, having Ukraine possibly closing the sea route would be bad for them. 

And America? They want both wars to end. That gets a lot harder to do if both wars are connected. Indeed, the Iran War almost ended once already and it could happen easily again, but not if Ukraine is party to the war. And given that I don't consider the leadership of Iran or Ukraine to be rational actors, diplomacy might be extremely hard to pull off. 

Given the incentives here, I would expect that diplomacy will prevail. I do fear that the leadership of Iran and Ukraine are both, quite frankly, insane, for continuing wars that they lost a long time ago. But even they have to have some rational actors that would consult against this, right? 

So what would a war between Iran and Ukraine look like? I am guessing it would largely be similar to what the Iran war has devolved in, only without the involvement of US Airpower. Both sides have long range missiles and drones and I can see both sides using them to strike targets. Iran would likely target Ukranian ports while Ukraine would likely continue to target Iranian ships in the Caspian Sea. 

There's a small chance that Iran could deploy ground troops to the front lines in Ukraine, but that seems unlikely. Logistically it would be a nightmare because there would be no likely ground route to transport troops and supplies from Iran to Russia, not to mention troop ships would be vulnerable in the Caspian Sea. Plus, Iranian troops are not a good match for the grinding attritional warfare against Ukraine. 

Regardless, I think that even with the irrational leadership of Ukraine and Iran, that there won't be a real conflict between them. Nobody really benefits and both sides would have serious consequences for doing so. There is still some chance of it happening, but I am glad that there is diplomacy happening. 

Destructive tornado hits Northeast Wisconsin, causing major damage to Appleton, Menasha and Neenah.

 

A destroyed gas station in Menasha Wisconsin. ABC News/AP.

A destructive tornado has hit Northeast Wisconsin, causing major damage to Appleton, Menasha and Neenah. ABC News. The tornado struck southern Appleton before moving through eastern Menasha and Neenah before moving over Lake Winnebago. Many businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed and several injuries were reported. 

Menasha was especially hard hit and was declared a disaster area, along with Neenah and Appleton. WBAY. Menasha was forced to close all vehicle traffic to the city and issued a curfew. Boil warnings for water are in effect and shelters have been set up for victims of the storm. 

The Post Crescent has a gallery showing the damage in the area. 

My Comment:

I don't usual cover local stories but this is one that affected me. I live in Northeast Wisconsin and grew up in he area affected in this storm and I have many friends and family members that were affected by this tornado. Indeed, I've been to that gas station that's destroyed in the picture attached to this post, I've bought minnows there for fishing. Thankfully, everyone I know appears to be safe and sound, but this was still a devastating disaster. 

It's unclear how bad of a tornado this was. It was either an F-2 or an F-3 on the Fujita scale. I am guessing it was an F-3 due to the huge amount of damage done to houses and businesses, though probably not through the whole storm. 

As bad as this tornado was, it could have been worse. The tornado's track moved east once it hit Lake Winnebago, which probably spared lakeshore Neenah from worse damage than it had. The tornado stayed out on the lake and turned into a waterspout, thus sparing the east side of Neenah from damage, aside from Doty Island. 

Tornados aren't uncommon here in the Northeast Wisconsin, but they usually aren't on this scale. The worst tornado I have ever seen was many years ago, also in Neenah, and that was only an F-0, barely a tornado at all. That one was weak, but it was strong enough to rip tiles off of the roof of the house I was renting back then, along with utterly destroying my screen door. And that was an F-0! This storm was a lot bigger and it did a lot of damage. We aren't surprised by tornados here, but one this damaging is extremely rare, and not something I have seen in my lifetime.

I also don't recall a natural disaster in our region where travel was suspended like it is in Menasha. Even during previous tornados or our occasional blizzards in the winter, there is usually some form of travel allowed. But right now there isn't a way to get to Menasha. It's not like there is a good way to get there right now anyways, for me at least, because as of this writing I believe Highway 441 is still closed, due to disabled and damage vehicles clogging up the roadway as well as fuel spills. 

I am thankful that it appears nobody was killed in this disaster. This storm happened around noon, and most people weren't home, which may have saved some lives. Still, folks know what to do when storms hit here so that might have helped things. I am extremely thankful that none of my friends and family were hurt in this disaster. 

Suspect in Berlin pride car ramming attack shot by police after brief escape.

 

A memorial in Berlin after the attack. NPR/AP.

A suspect in the Berlin Pride car ramming attack has been shot and killed by police after initially escaping them. NPR. A 21 year old man named Abdul Ballout was shot as he charged at police with a bladed weapon. Ballout was the main suspect of an attack on a Pride festival's closing party, killing one person and wounding at least 29 people. The attacker rammed a van into the crowd and then got out of his vehicle and slashed people with his machete. The attack was an example of Islamic terrorism. Ballout was born in Germany but had Lebanese heritage.

My Comment:

Ballout was a classic example of a long term terrorist that was somehow out on the streets despite a long criminal and terrorist history. He was posting pro-ISIS content on social media and had traveled to Lebanon in a failed attempt to join ISIS directly. He was imprisoned briefly in Lebanon but was released and came back to Germany where he was arrested and convicted, again, on terrorism charges. He was released on a suspended sentence and was supposed to be attending a deradicalization programs but was not. 

In short, he is the kind of guy that should have been, at best, in prison for a very long time. Instead he was out on the streets and was able to attack a pride parade with the predictable result of a bunch of people getting hurt and one person getting killed. Had either Germany or Lebanon had the realization that a guy that tried to join ISIS in 2025 is not someone that should be free because this is the obvious result. 

So why was he free? I am guessing Lebanon didn't want to keep him for pretty obvious reasons. He wasn't a citizen and it was a lot easier for them to send him back to Germany. But the Germans? They were just being weak on crime and weak on terrorism. Ballout made some comments about giving up terrorism. But obviously, he was lying. 

Having this attack happen at a Pride festival is also telling. Obviously, the motivation is that in Islam, homosexuality and other LGBT behavior and beliefs, are haram, forbidden for good Muslims. This isn't a fringe thing, it's a core belief of Islam. So it's no surprise that Germany is having problems with their LGBT community coming under attack from radical Muslims. 

The police response here was a bit puzzling. The suspect was able to escape after the attack and was on the run for hours. He was shot and killed after being at large for almost a day. You would have thought he would have been caught on scene, but he was not. 

There does seem to be some mitigating factors for the police response though. This attack occurred outside of the festival and was targeting people who had left. The festival itself had good security, but the attacker was unfortunately smart enough to attack outside of those defenses. It also occurred near a large park and the suspect was able to get into after he was done with his attack. In short, it wasn't quite as bad as it seemed. 

Still, it's not surprising that this attack occurred. Even if you ignore the fact that this guy was on Germany's radar and shouldn't have been on the streets in the first place, it does show that the problem with many of these immigrants is their kids. Instead of assimilating to German culture, Ballout stuck with his Islamic beliefs and was radicalized. This is a known phenomenon and it's fairly common for 2nd generation immigrants.