Source: ABC News
“A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland has once again forced the evacuation of tourists at the internationally known Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, the national broadcaster RUV reported. The eruption began around 4 a.m. following an intense seismic swarm on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, Iceland’s Met Office said. … Lava from the eruption is flowing southeast from a fissure in the barren landscape that is 700 to 1,000 meters (2,296 to 3,280 feet) wide, but the molten rock isn’t threatening any infrastructure, the Met Office said.” (07/16/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/southwestern-iceland-volcano-erupts-prompting-evacuation-town-geothermal-123791996
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Launches 51st Airstrike in Somalia of 2025, Trump Asks Zelensky If He Could Hit Moscow, and More.” (07/16/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyQiH66fhJU
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Half of the world thinks America has become a fascist state. Half of the world thinks America has finally turned away from fascism. Almost none of them can define ‘fascism.’ And I know all government is fascist at its foundation, no matter how it’s set up or who’s in charge of it. Around half of the voters think the 2020 election was rigged; the other half thinks the 2024 election was rigged. I know all elections are rigged so government wins and individual liberty loses. As long as ‘None of the above; eliminate the office’ isn’t the default on every ballot, the election is rigged in government’s favor.” (07/16/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/07/16/voices/opinion-political-drama-equally-bad-positions/231266.html
Source: Fox News
“In his first week as head of President Donald Trump’s U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Scott Kupor issued new guidance to executive agency directors cracking down on religious discrimination in the federal workforce. The memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, encourages the use of telework, flexible schedules and leave options to meet ‘reasonable’ religious needs while maintaining efficient agency operations. The new guidance instructs the heads and acting heads of executive agencies and departments that they must make certain religious accommodations for workers, such as abstaining from work during specific times or participating in religious observances or practices.” [editor’s note: It would interesting to start a new religion based on maximum historical court interpretations of what’s “reasonable.” Or maybe those whose religions are incompabitle with the demands of their jobs could just pick one or the other? – TLK] (07/16/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-trump-admin-strengthens-religious-accommodations-federal-workforce
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Cuomo Goes Third-Party! Democratic Power Vacuums and Death of the Monoculture (with Emily Jashinsky).” (07/15/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/cuomo-goes-third-party-democratic
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“When the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project offered its report on the Biden Administration’s use of the presidential ‘autopen,’ in March, the legality of many of President Joe Biden’s signatures were placed in jeopardy. Since then, Republicans in Congress and Trump in the White House have been pushing the case that White House staff often used the autopen sometimes without the presidential awareness. If so, with the non-stroke of a non-pen, could much of what came out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four years be un-done?” (07/16/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/07/16/autopenq/
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Republicans in Texas are apparently going all in on an unusual, high-stakes mid-cycle redistricting effort to bolster their chances of holding the House of Representatives next year. But redrawing the maps could just as easily backfire and cause Republicans to lose otherwise impregnable seats, leading to a situation worse than the status quo. President Trump said on a private call on Tuesday that he believes Texas could redistrict in such a way that would provide a net gain of five Republican seats. The White House has been pushing for such a plan for weeks. If successful, that could offset the usual losses for the party in power in the midterms. State leaders like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) have signed on to the effort. State officials in Texas have readied a special legislative session that starts next week, which will include redistricting.” (07/16/25)
https://prospect.org/politics/2025-07-16-texas-redistricting-maneuver-may-harm-republicans/
Source: Wired
“Newly uncovered metadata reveals that nearly three minutes of footage were cut from what the US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation described as ‘full raw’ surveillance video from the only functioning camera near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The video was released last week as part of the Trump administration’s commitment to fully investigate Epstein’s 2019 death but instead has raised new questions about how the footage was edited and assembled. Wired previously reported that the video had been stitched together in Adobe Premiere Pro from two video files, contradicting the Justice Department’s claim that it was ‘raw”’ footage. Now, further analysis shows that one of the source clips was approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds longer than the segment included in the final video, indicating that footage appears to have been trimmed before release.” (07/15/25)
https://archive.is/YWcU5
Source: Lions of Liberty
“I’m joined by anti-feminist psychiatrist, Hannah Spier. In today’s session we talk about Feminism’s impact on therapy and how ‘neurodivergence is a costume worn by narcissists.'” (07/15/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/the-lou-perez-podcast-cluster-bitches-with-hannah-spier
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Doug Bandow
“The president dramatically broke with precedent during his first term, holding two summits as well as a brief meeting at the Demilitarized Zone with the North’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Unfortunately, engagement crashed and burned in Hanoi. The DPRK then pulled back, essentially severing contact with both the U.S. and South Korea. … The North has so far demonstrated no interest in reviving the two leaders’ relationship. However, Trump remains the only sitting American president to reach out to the North, and thus apparently willing to consider relaxing economic sanctions, a major North Korean objective. Pyongyang has reason to both play hard-to-get for negotiating purposes and pursue diplomacy if Trump again opens Washington’s door.” (07/16/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-kim-jong-un/
