“Jeff Bezos’[s] Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion, in its first outside funding round that will value the rocket company at $130 billion, sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. Bezos is set to contribute $2 billion into the round, along with about $4 billion from hedge fund Coatue Management, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private. The remaining $4 billion has seen significant demand, with several major investors expected to participate, the people said. … Bezos has in the past funded Blue Origin solely through sales of his Amazon stock. In 2024, Bezos said he believed Blue Origin will one day be a bigger company than Amazon.” (07/08/26)
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the new allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, which have led to many Democrats calling for him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
“Why was this horrific allegation the threshold when [Graham] Platner had so obviously transgressed so many times before? Perhaps Platner’s Nazi tattoo should have been a sufficient indicator that he lacked the character to be a senator. Perhaps maintaining that SS logo for two decades, covering it up only when it became politically inconvenient, demonstrated that he lacked the judgment for national office. Perhaps a multiyear history of not just having abhorrent views about women and minorities, but feeling the need to post them for the world to see, could have told us that he is not the person to be Maine’s voice in Washington. Maybe a well-documented history of contemptible behavior in his personal life should have been enough, when taken with everything else, for Democrats to conclude that Platner was exactly the person he appeared to be.” (07/08/26)
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at a NATO summit on Wednesday that her country would defend its territory as President Donald Trump revived his longtime demand for control of Greenland. Earlier this year, Trump sharply raised tensions with allies and seemed to push NATO to a breaking point with his threats to seize Greenland …. Allies stood up to the president and Trump backed down, saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached the framework of a deal brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But almost as soon as he arrived to meet NATO counterparts in Turkey, Trump restarted the fight, telling reporters that Greenland ‘should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ … Asked if Denmark would defend its territory from friend or foe alike, Frederiksen said, ‘Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark.'” (07/08/26)
“Can the transformation of America into a ‘State without freedom’ be stopped? Is it possible to learn of the dangers to freedom and human progress without first living through our own bitter experiences? I know it is fashionable to believe that the new wave of communist/Islamist candidates is hardly a threat to become mainstream outside of blue urban centers in the United States. History says we are one economic crisis away from that view being proven wrong.” (07/08/26)
“Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon. Ellis was hanged at London’s Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Her family have campaigned for her murder conviction to be overturned, arguing she was a victim of domestic abuse and was physically and emotionally abused by Blakely before shooting him. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told MPs the King had granted the pardon, saying that the death penalty had been replaced with a sentence of life imprisonment.” (07/08/26)
“One of America’s most talented antiwar artists and political satirists passed away last week. Tom Blanton did one of the best daily roundups of government oppression and outrages stories on the Internet. His Project for a New American Revolution was an inspiration for me and thousands of other folks over the years. Tom was also one of the best and funniest headline writers I knew. He was principled, courageous, and talented as the day is long. He was 68 years old and a lifetime resident of Richmond, Virginia. His Flickr page showcases his political art and other smackdowns of contemporary culture from the last 15 years. His artwork is shareable under a C.C. 4.0 license.” (07/08/26)
