“In the 1830s, a French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled through the United States and returned home with Democracy in America, a penetrating analysis of a society marked by energetic voluntary associations and a restless spirit of enterprise. Tocqueville admired much of what he saw, but his verdict was not uncomplicated. Near the end of the book, he wrote, ‘I feel full of fears and full of hopes.’ Two centuries later, another European visitor is offering a portrait of America. Freddy (@FreddyLA7), a German soccer fan road-tripping across the country for the 2026 World Cup, has become an enthusiastic chronicler of American life. Where Tocqueville wrote volumes about institutions, Freddy posts photographs and exclamations about Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, and enormous houses. He’s also documenting the kindness of strangers.” (07/03/26)
“The FBI says it has [stolen] more than 600 drones near FIFA World Cup sites after authorities determined the devices violated restricted airspace since the tournament began on June 11. The total number of [stolen] drones nationwide has doubled in less than two weeks. The FBI, along with accredited operators from local and state law enforcement around the country, is monitoring drone activity near World Cup competitions and related fan fest events.” (07/04/26)
“Congress was in Philadelphia, and Lafayette landed in South Carolina—he was an idealist, not a geographer. But with a letter of recommendation from Ben Franklin in his hand, he made his way up to Philadelphia, where Congress, grateful for the services of an enthusiastic young aristocrat who had the good taste to bring along his own money, commissioned the 19-year-old as a major general. … Lafayette was wounded at Brandywine, endured the hardships of Valley Forge, and was one of the key players when the tide was turned at Yorktown. Lafayette also provided a critical channel between the upstart Americans and the French monarchy, whose financial and naval power were simply indispensable to the project of American independence. No Lafayette, no United States of America. Spit hot contempt at foreign aid all you like: No foreign aid from France, no United States of America.” (07/03/26)
“U.S. power grid operator PJM, the nation’s largest covering much of the East Coast and Midwest, on Friday ordered customers in emergency electricity-reduction programs to curb their use, as it battled generator outages, overloaded transmission lines and surging air-conditioning demand during a prolonged heat wave. In an emergency alert, activated in line with utilities’ conservation programs, PJM said the order applied to industrial and residential electricity users with contracts that pay them in return for mandatory consumption cuts during emergencies. … The power grid operator serves 67 million people in the Mid-Atlantic, South and Washington, D.C., areas. Even before this week’s heat wave, it had been straining to overhaul a system pushed to the brink by surging energy demand from data centers and electric vehicles.” (06/03/26)
“This weekend, to celebrate Independence Day — our outdoor Thanksgiving — families across the country will gather around picnic tables piled with potato salad and sweet corn and, for my family, Midwestern broccoli crunch salad slick with Miracle Whip. But we Americans rarely make room for observances that turn our attention back to the reason we are celebrating. For years, my own family and many others have filled that vacuum by reading the Declaration of Independence aloud, passing a copy with each person reading a sentence before handing it to the next, parents helping younger readers stumble through words like ‘unalienable.’ … On this semiquincentennial, I urge people to do more than read and hear it. We should talk about what it means.” (07/03/26)
“Dealers who invested in Polestar won’t be able to sell in the US next year after the federal government denied an authorization that would have allowed the company to avoid a Chinese tech ban.” (07/03/26)
“After months of speculation and predictions, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A representative for Swift confirmed in a statement provided to CBS News that the two were married in a ceremony officiated by comedian Adam Sandler. He was described by the representative as a ‘friend’ of the couple. … The duo announced their engagement last August in a joint Instagram post captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.'” (07/04/26)
“TJ the Spy back in his true home in the Shire for a week :: TJ’s experience being forced to testify to the feds in Ian’s case :: Ian’s railroading :: freeiannow.org :: Porcfest drama :: Public schooling is getting us fleeced :: Forkfest a success :: If your man isn’t cheating on you then he has a porn collection :: Mr.Bitcoin and Bitcoin Ghandi’s activism before Ian’s trial :: Try not to take the plea deal :: True spirituality rejects the violence of the empire :: 2026-07-04 Host: Bonnie, TJ The Spy, Uber Jorge, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (07/04/26)
