“Farmland across the Sacramento Valley sank rapidly as water was drained from underground aquifers during the historic 2020 drought, a new study found, a sign that the Central Valley’s water problems could be spreading north. Satellite observations over the Sacramento Valley detected ‘irreversible deformation’ from 2020 to 2022 due to increased groundwater pumping, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. The study found that land did not rebound following the extreme drought years. The rapid and extensive land subsidence in the region pointed to a loss of storage capacity in the aquifer system, which researchers said poses ‘a serious threat to California’s water resources and infrastructure.'” (08/02/26)
“The Justice Department admitted Friday that President Donald Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was ‘hasty and botched,’ and it is dropping the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn that accused him of vandalizing the pool, according to a new court filing from DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. … Three other people have been swept up in the administration’s push to blame the pool’s problems on alleged vandals — each pleading not guilty to lesser, misdemeanor charges. Federal prosecutors dropped the charges against at least one of those people as well Friday, according to DC court records.” (07/31/26)
Yep, it’s another FIREHOSE FRIDAY at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper. We’ve got more than 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for you today, but only here at our web edition.
The reason for the string of “web-only” Fridays was that Steve was traveling and I was covering the whole daily feed … so I felt entitled to save a little time on formatting, etc. once a week. If everything went well, Steve got home late last night and we’ll be back to “normal” as of Monday.
And, of course, a secondary reason for ANY “web-only” edition is to get in your face a little and remind you that we’re a reader-supported publication 😉
“Iran said U.S. strikes killed three of its soldiers Thursday as the latest round of attacks threatened to engulf more countries in the region. Jordan said it intercepted Iranian missiles for a second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike there killed one person. The Senate on Thursday again narrowly rejected an effort to limit President Trump’s Iran war powers. The resolution, brought by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, lost 49-50. Three Republicans voted in favor of it. Drone strikes at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta sparked fires on two natural gas vessels Wednesday, in what appeared to be the first time Egypt has been targeted.” [editor’s note: There was no need for the Senate to vote again. The war was already illegal absent a congressional declaration of war, and Congress also passed a concurrent resolution under which Trump is required to end the conflict. IF Congress isn’t impeaching and removing him, Congress is just play-acting on the subject – TLK] (07/31/26)
“A drone attack set ablaze an energy facility and warehouses in Russia’s Volgograd region on Friday, injuring five, the regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, said, but stopped short of giving details of the facilities. The region is home to a Lukoil-owned oil refinery. Five people are seeking medical help after the attacks, Bocharov added on Telegram. Top online retailer Wildberries said in a Telegram statement that one of its logistic hubs in the city of Volgograd caught fire following the attack, but there were no injuries. In the neighbouring southern region of Rostov, a woman was injured after a drone attack in the town of Gukovo, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on the messaging app.” (07/30/26)
“A federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Justice Department from gaining access to the state’s unredacted voter rolls on Wednesday. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, a Biden appointee, ruled that handing over the rolls could give rise to privacy concerns for voters. The ruling is the latest defeat for President Donald Trump’s administration after the DOJ sued Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and New Jersey for access to their voter rolls earlier this year. The administration argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act granted federal authorities access to the lists, but Quraishi disagreed.” (07/30/26)
“Roughly 594 bitcoin, worth about $38 million, was swept out of around 500 separate wallets between 01:31 and 01:56 UTC on Friday in an attack traced to a flaw in how Coldcard hardware wallets generated their keys. The theft moved 1,324 chunks of bitcoin across 500 transactions inside a three-block window, with 562 BTC then consolidated into a single address that has not moved. … Coldcard is a hardware wallet built by Canadian firm Coinkite, a small standalone device that stores bitcoin keys offline, away from internet-connected computers. Mk2, Mk3, Mk4, Q and Mk5 are successive generations of that product, released over several years the way a phone maker ships numbered models. Exposure depends on the firmware the device was running at the moment the wallet was first created, not on when the hardware was bought.” (07/31/26)
“President Trump on Thursday evening announced a deal for Hamas to disarm in ‘carefully structured phases,’ which, if carried out, would address one of the main sticking points for a broader peace deal in Gaza. … Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel’s N12News, outlined some terms earlier in the day, saying Hamas would surrender all weapons within ‘weeks’ to depots guarded by multinational forces, as well as ending all military activity and recruitment. Israel would not withdraw its military behind the ‘yellow line,’ the demarcation that has divided Gaza since a peace framework was announced in October, until disarmament is complete.” (07/30/26)
“President Donald Trump said Thursday he may pull acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination for the full-time post to avoid making concessions to a few Senate Republicans who want him to scale back protections for his family business and potential payouts for his allies that the president negotiated with his own Department of Justice. Trump doubled down on choosing his former personal lawyer as the nation’s top lawman, calling him ‘a STAR,’ and said he will keep him in the role as acting attorney general until Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office. … Cornyn and Tillis, who both leave office next year, have sought additional assurances in writing spelling a final end to that an ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ as part of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.” (07/30/26)
“The Senate health committee approved the nomination of Erica Schwartz for Centers for Disease Control director Thursday, a step toward refilling the depleted ranks of the Trump administration’s health care leadership. The committee also approved the nomination of Sean Kaufman, who’s in line for assistant secretary for preparedness and response and had been in trouble because of past anti-vaccine statements. The votes showed Republicans, at least, are still willing to accept the administration’s assurances about the nominees even though committee chair Bill Cassidy has made it clear he’s uneasy with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policies. The narrow committee endorsements put both nominees in line for votes to be confirmed by the full Senate, which have yet to be scheduled.” (07/30/26)
