“Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense systems. … Early Thursday, a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire at an oil depot in the city of Tver in western Russia, according to acting regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov. And in the southern Stavropol region, Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs has been set ablaze by Ukrainian drones in Vyazniki. … In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said that one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated.” (07/09/26)
“Inflation has hit grocery bills hard over the last four years, making it incredibly difficult for middle- and lower-income families to stretch a budget. For $4.99, a family can provide a meal by buying a whole, fully cooked, three pound chicken. Pound for pound, it is one of the most efficient, nutritious, and accessible sources of lean protein available in the modern marketplace; it costs significantly less than one Big Mac while providing vastly superior nutritional value. … When describing my observation to a group of academics, rather than commenting on the economics of this phenomenon they angrily asked, ‘Do you consider the treatment of all those chickens to be fair?’ Huh?” (07/08/26)
“Graham Platner announced Wednesday he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall. The announcement by the populist [sic] progressive [sic] came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
“Her plan is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy, but half the burden would fall on businesses. That would have dire consequences for the economy.” (07/08/26)
“US President Donald Trump says he plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to rehear a recent case which struck down his order to end birthright citizenship for all individuals born in the US. The court last month rejected Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, but speaking on Wednesday, the president said he will ask for the case to be heard again. … Trump called the latest ruling ‘too bad for our country’ and appealed to Republicans in Congress to pass legislation constricting birthright citizenship. That will likely prove to be an uphill battle, with public opinion polls regularly showing strong public support for the practice and the Supreme Court’s majority opinion [noting that] a constitutional amendment would be required.” (07/09/26)
“Can we all agree that Todd Lyons is kind of a sissy? The former acting director of ICE, the immigration enforcement agency that Donald Trump uses as his personal, occasionally homicidal goon squad, received an email nastygram from the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut, David Streever, who is exactly the kind of imposing, Jason Statham-esque tough guy you’d figure the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut is going to be. The email was pretty mild stuff—Shame on you, basically. Compared him to a Nazi, etc. Lyons, who has 22,000 armed agents at his disposal, was so freaked out that he sent ICE agents to Streeter’s house and then tracked him down while he was traveling with his 7-year-old daughter.” (07/08/26)
“A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll three years after the jury awarded payment for damages caused by President Trump. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Carroll should receive the funds, which were placed in an escrow account while Trump appealed a verdict that found him liable for defaming Carroll. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump said Carroll’s claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan were a ‘con job’ and ‘hoax.’ A jury determined his statements were defamatory and negatively impacted Carroll professionally. The Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal to overturn the case without an explanation or reasoning last week. … Trump’s lawyers appealed Kaplan’s ruling less than an hour after it was issued.” (07/08/26)
“The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money by 2032. Without legislative reforms, retirement benefits for tens of millions of Americans could face significant cuts. As lawmakers debate how to preserve the program, most proposals focus on raising payroll tax revenue or making other budgetary adjustments. But these discussions miss a larger point: The program itself is increasingly ill-suited for younger generations. Rather than forcing Americans into a system that may not deliver on its promises, policymakers should allow young workers to opt out and prepare for retirement in their own way.” (07/07/26)
“A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes. The 41-year-old doctor, who has only been identified as Johannes M. in line with Germany’s privacy rules, went on trial nearly a year ago at a Berlin state court. Part of an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, he was initially suspected of the deaths of four patients. Prosecutors eventually accused him of the deaths of 15 people between September 2021 and July 2024. The Berlin court found the physician administered a lethal mixture of various medications to 12 women and three men, German news agency dpa reported.” (07/08/26)
