MY THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Washington Post: “Activists sat atop a 'grandmother' tree for 10 weeks. Border agents knocked it down.” The tree is a centuries-old Fremont cottonwood tree. I get it. Anyhow, the raid on the "grandmother tree" protest camp was conducted to clear the path for the construction of a new double-layer border wall. That is The Story: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated that the tree, located on federal land in Lochiel, Arizona was one of four trees officially identified as needing removal to fulfill a wall construction.

       Environmental sentimentalism is a usual dramatic pitch by many eco-activists to gain public sympathy. But I favor practicality. U.S. borders need to be fortified, following unbelievable illegal crossings from 2021 to 2024. No sovereign country maintains a completely open international border with zero controls or regulations for all arrivals. 

       True, many countries share open-border agreements where internal border checks are removed while the outer perimeter is strictly monitored. But it’s not like you are crossing from New York to New Jersey, or South Carolina or Georgia. There is no such thing as “no borders.” You may probably cite the Schengen Area “open border” arrangements instituted by the EU (from 1995), involving over 29 European countries. 

       The EU abolished internal land, air, and sea border controls among themselves. You can travel freely between countries like France, Germany, or Spain without showing a passport. But here’s the Catch: External borders of the Schengen zone are heavily guarded and regulated by a unified system and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). Non-EU/Schengen citizens still undergo immigration checks when entering the outer perimeter. 🤨😞🤨

Detroit News: “GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers breaks with Trump as Michigan voters sour on tariffs.” For whatever reason these so-called “Never Trumpers” Republican politicians say, crossing party-lines per specific policies is a fact of politics. Especially these days that Mr Trump's playbook “controversially” cuts across traditional Blue/Red standards.

      Life and living have changed and geopolitical facts tilted or wobbled or immensely altered and reconfigured the world’s power grid as the 21st century strode in. Note China’s trade expansionism and the advent of the BRICS trade bloc as counter-balance to the G7’s domination for centuries. In other words, we are not what we were anymore.

      Even the Left which I virulently aligned myself with for most of my life has massively changed. I got out of the bus in the late-1990s as the Organized Left back home (in the Philippines) split into two quarreling forces. My (ideological) frustrations heightened when I tried to work with Left-wingers in New York City in the early 2000s, and altogether, I gave up my Leftist musings after I covered the Occupy protest in NYC in 2011. These are not the (political) principles and ideals that I fought with in the past, primarily during the dictatorship regime. 🏛🗽🏛

USA Today: “Trump says Iran bombing San Diego and LA would be 'small price to pay'.” Sure, hate-Trump media delivers the quote literally and angled to the demonization-liking. This: President Trump stated during a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska that rising economic costs from the U.S. war with Iran were a "small price to pay.” And then, Don’s oblique analogy comes to play, which reporters savor as another “quotable quote.”

      Yet, tell me, wouldn’t Mr Trump’s actual message be an obligatory retort or SOP statement from any POTUS, to justify Washington’s exponentially spiking military budget and/or continuous military aid to many allies? You see, since the First Barbary War (1801–1805), when America fought against the North African state of Tripoli, the U.S. always had a foreign war to deal with. Let’s just say “defense” expenditures started to significantly rise from the 1950’s Korean War.

      Of course, the media knows that. Unless they feign cluelessness or they're simply blinded by their utter hatred for Donald Trump that anything that he says are words of evil. 🏛🗽🏛

Associated Press: “Inside the Iranian drone strike that left U.S. soldiers questioning Army leaders.” Again, this is how Left-wing media covers the news. A major reason why Iran’s hardliners stay defiant to sit and negotiate the end of the war. They get ample propaganda push from America's Left.

      Anyhow, apart from historical facts, the IRGC has ample recent reasons why its hate for the U.S. or Donald Trump are high. Examples: Quds chief Qassem Soleimani was taken out in 2020, and of course, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was erased in February. (Trump years.)

      But, at least, since Iran joined the BRICS trade bloc (in 2024) and China heightens purchase of the Shia country’s oil, Tehran’s leadership “mellowed down” a bit. But still, the government is torn between Conservative hardcores and moderate reformists. Meanwhile, this to and fro, or inconsistently confused (sic), coverage of the Iran crisis serves billions$ profit to business, apart from the obvious (Big Oil and “Big Defense”).

      Here comes “prediction markets,” right? Kalshi and Polymarket. You may toss a bet on the Iran war, which is covered like a play-by-play soccer game. You see, the founders/CEOs of both outfits publicly describe their platforms as “non-partisan market-forecasting tools,” although both have engaged heavily in political lobbying, strategic alliances, and campaign contributions tied to Washington policy debates. Don’t tell me they are Conservatives either.

      These: Shayne Coplan donated nearly $100,000 to Democrats, including Kamala Harris's campaign, and attended fundraisers for Democratic figures like Tim Walz. And the co-founders of Kalshi—Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara—have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns, committees, and related political action committees. 🇺🇸☮️🇮🇷

Associated Press: “Anger in Japan grows after U.S. Marine is arrested over the killing of a woman.” I was and still am anti-U.S. military bases overseas. Washington operates approximately 750 to 800 military base sites outside its national borders across roughly 80 countries. However, while I am anti-war, I am not anti-military or against a military base (abroad) per se, by any country or superpower. These are geopolitical imperatives, obviously.

      But America’s arms clout is an overkill. Too much. Among other reasons, I protested the R&R culture, which brings situations such as this news above. And it brings me back to the case of Jennifer Laude.

      Jennifer was a Filipina transgender woman who was killed by the U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton on October 11, 2014, in Olongapo in the Philippines. Olongapo was the site of Subic Naval Base, which was (supposedly) closed in 1992. But many American soldiers stayed because U.S. military “installations” still existed in the archipelago. Anyhow, Mr Pemberton strangled and drowned Ms Laude in a hotel bathroom after discovering she was transgender. The serviceman was charged with murder but he was later convicted of the lesser offense of homicide.

      Joseph received a prison sentence of 6 to 12 years, which was later reduced to a maximum of 10 years. Then Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte granted him an absolute pardon on September 7, 2020. Pemberton was deported back to the U.S. in 2020. Yet, recall that Mr Duterte was massively seen or regarded as a staunch anti-U.S. President. His decision on this one doesn't say that, apparently.

      I believe, incidents like the recent one in Japan and the 2014 tragedy in the Philippines, happen all the time, albeit unreported and/or hushed. (Japan hosts the largest concentration of U.S. troops, overseas.)

      America’s excessive military presence abroad should lessen, at least. Note that China only has 1 military base (in Djibouti), and Russia operates approximately 15 to 21 significant military facilities and bases outside its borders. (Visual: Al Majalla.) ☮️💝☮️

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Reuters: “Trump, Greenland and Denmark to sign deal in bid to end Arctic standoff.” The trilateral security agreement signed today between the U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen granted the United States significantly expanded military access and permanent control over the security of Greenland.

       So would this diffuse an intense diplomatic crisis within NATO triggered earlier in the year when Mr Trump repeatedly “threatened to acquire or seize the mineral-rich, semi-autonomous territory by economic or military force,” which was mostly a media rabble-rouse? Don’t today’s self-righteous journalists re-check history? Same with the U.S. acquisition (via purchase) of several territories elsewhere, this new Greenland pact is the same as other arrangements inked many years ago before there was a Trump in White House.

       A complex deal that I remember was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement” with Great Britain in 1940. Prior to entering WWII, the U.S. sought to fortify its eastern maritime border. FDR rejected purchasing Caribbean territories outright to avoid anti-colonial backlash. Instead of transferring sovereignty, the U.S. traded 50 mothballed destroyers to the British in exchange for 99-year rent-free leases to establish naval and air bases in GB or UK territories (including Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the Bahamas). You may also google details of the U.S. lease of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 1903. And so on and so forth. 🏝️🇺🇸🏝️

Reuters: “After Trump reportedly calls off airstrikes, Houthis push for control of Yemen highlands.” As I noted in previous posts, the (historical) conflicts in the Middle East are a complex beast, that attempts from global leaderships find it so hard to contain them. You see, the Zaydi Shia Houthis (like Iran) are not the majority in Yemen; the country’s population is 65 percent Sunni. The Shias are more adversarial with the West/U.S. but major anti-U.S. groups, such as al-Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas, are essentially Sunni hardliners. Complicated, ain't it?

      While the Zaydis are a minority nationwide, they have historically been the majority in the mountainous northern and western regions of Yemen. Pretty much like the Taliban (which is Sunni) in Afghanistan. They control the countryside. The Taliban draw their membership and leadership primarily from ethnic Pashtuns, who make up the largest ethnic group or a plurality in Afghanistan.

      President Trump and Xi Jinping will be meeting on Thursday in Washington, D.C. on an obviously high-stakes bilateral summit. The Middle East crisis is a no-brainer top agenda. These facts: China and/or the BRICS bloc are the top trading partners of the countries concerned: Iran and Yemen. Yemen's main trading partners are the UAE, China, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt: All BRICS. (Afghanistan’s top business buddies: India, Iran, China. BRICS.) ☮️☮️☮️

The Hill: “Jeanne Shaheen holds up $2.8 billion Israel arms sale that includes 40,000 bombs.” Since its birth in 1948, the U.S. has been handing huge military aid to Israel, and I don’t think this will ever end. Israel ranks #1 among U.S. arms aid recipients. So I don’t get why lawmakers are whining now. Because we are talking of Donald Trump? Hey, before he left White House in 2016, Barack Obama signed a historic 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing Israel with $38 billion in military assistance. (That’d be $3.8 billion a year. An obvious upgrade)

      Aid and sale? The core difference is that a military sale is the commercial or government-brokered transaction of transferring weapons, while military aid is the financial assistance provided by the U.S. government to pay for those or related defense items. In practice regarding Israel, these two concepts heavily overlap because U.S. military aid frequently funds U.S. arms sales. Weird, isn't it? Washington hands out American taxpayer money (as aid) then the receiving country spends it to buy U.S. weapons. (American-owned corporations dominate the Top 10 largest arms manufacturers in the world.) 🏛🗽🏛

Politico: “News outlets that Trump banned from the White House announce lawsuit.” If this happened in pre-Trump years, I’d join the protest, being a journalist myself. I mean, we weren’t even banned from covering press conferences by the dictatorship then. Why? It’s no brainer. Journalists are no different from ordinary people with the primal reflex for common decency and professional respect. But the media’s demeanor has gone down in these years. 

       Quantitative content analyses and public polling show that media coverage of Donald Trump has been significantly more negative and adversarial than that of his recent presidential predecessors. Content studies by organizations like the Media Research Center report that major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) featured overwhelmingly negative coverage—exceeding 90 percent during distinct periods like his first 100 days in office. 📰💻📰

Yahoo: “Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber dies at 27.” Presley died from a drug overdose, while staying at a rehabilitation facility in California. The young man, who worked primarily as a fashion model and runway star, had been in a decade-long battle with substance abuse, depression, and mental health struggles. I am very personal about (illegal) drugs. I say to those who get hit in the crossfire, mostly street pushers/couriers, don’t mess with it–just don’t. 

       Hence, I am all-go regarding the government’s pursuit of drug cartels. The U.S. is the single largest market for international narcos monsters. Millions of regular and heavy drug users spend tens of billions of dollars each year on illicit substances. Major groups like the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) supply massive quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin. These crime organizations generate an estimated $19 billion to $29 billion annually from drug sales in the United States alone. ✝️☮️✝️

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

A day’s BAD news or "Trump demonization imperatives" in today's journalism, and my response/s: <>Politico: “Urgent motion filed to stop carving of Trump's name into Institute of Peace building.” Again, what’s the big deal? Fact: Numerous landmark U.S. structures, federal buildings, and facilities are named in honor of Presidents of the United States (POTUS). <>Associated Press: “Senators from both parties unsettled by lack of clear answers from Pentagon.” The SOP (that journalists like me are aware of): The Pentagon does not reveal everything to lawmakers, and communication is heavily restricted and filtered through official channels. Especially in these internet/partisan fire days.

      <>Associated Press: “Trump's new rule reverses decades of endangered species enforcement.” Historically, the U.S. position on endangered species enforcement has evolved from early localized game management into one of the most stringent, legally binding federal frameworks in the world. This evolution is marked by a shift from loose, voluntary interstate trade coordination to strict federal mandates that prioritize species survival over economic and industrial interests. (Most of these words are “googled” from previous media data.)

      <>CBS: “Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are all just in survival mode.” Survival mode, uh huh? Fact: An average of roughly 100,000 undocumented border encounters or apprehensions are tallied per year, until the Joe Biden years when the numbers spiked to 1 million+ average. (But note that online data has been “edited,” saying a million cross each year.) Ergo, as Mr Trump’s ICE brought back numbers to pre-2021-2024, apparently farmowners (and factory owners) lost their “illegal” laborers that they used to pay measly coins with no benefits. And so on and so forth. 📰💻📰

Politico: “House passes Russia sanctions bill, overcoming significant Democratic opposition.” Political blah. The fact is, the U.S. still trades with Russia (war or no war), though at significantly reduced levels compared to past years due to ongoing sanctions and restrictions. Official data from the U.S. Census Bureau: The U.S. continues to record monthly transactions. For instance, U.S. goods exports to Russia were around $66 million last month. Direct trade is largely restricted to non-prohibited goods, such as specific agricultural products, fertilizers, or certain raw materials that are exempt from broad sanctions.

       You might argue that the House bill is more recent, right? How much “more recent” news the media tossed to blur the facts, anyway? In fact, the Trump administration disclosed months ago that the U.S. has resumed importing oil from Russia. (Russia was ranked 4th in oil imports to the U.S. during Mr Trump’s first POTUS years.) And during the first year of the Ukraine war, Russian processed oil products were still finding their way to America, via India. You may also Google EU countries that haven’t really stopped buying oil/natural gas from Moscow, regardless of so-called sanctions. 🏛🗽🏛

Associated Press: “Hundreds of thousands rally in Iran amid call to take up arms.” So what is this? Propaganda war, AI-induced “visuals,” or the world is simply whacked? This photo tells the world that the Iranian people (mostly women?) have forgotten the IRGC savagery in January? Iranian security forces committed widespread mass killings and crimes against humanity during the suppression of countrywide anti-government protests that escalated dramatically early this year. That’s according to a report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. 

       Moreover, human rights organizations have documented that thousands of protesters and bystanders (12,000 and 30,000) were killed by state security forces using live ammunition, sniper fire, and heavy weapon crackdowns across all 31 provinces. Additionally, tens of thousands were arbitrarily detained, facing severe torture and expedited execution sprees. This massive wickedness, I insist, forced the U.S. or President Trump to launch a military hit in February–but only after negotiations to avoid it didn't work. 

       So what is this AP “report” actually saying? I get the “anti-U.S.” hate ingrained in Shia Iran’s hardliners. That is a historical given, but it doesn’t mean I’d just bite an obvious “doomsday pitch,” such as this. ☮️🇮🇷☮️

Reuters: “Trump responds to the EU suggesting Canada could be an associate member.” Says The D: “A hostile act.” Uh huh. As for my take on this drama, I am baffled that the EU, while lodged in individual internal strife and a collective economic “growth” steady at below 1 percent, still entertains Mark Carney’s whinings (versus Mr Trump). Clearly, the West is into political Netflix-styled episodes, while "rival" China and the BRICS bloc remain hot and high on trade, quietly.

       Sure, G7 still rules the global economic roost, but BRICS is relentlessly progressing, or expanding. BRICS member countries control approximately 24 percent to 25 percent of total global exports and trade. So while the EU’s NATO upgrades the military expansion and wastage of resources, China and India et al focus on business. 

       As of 2026, BRICS comprises 11 official member countries: Founders Brazil, Russia, India, and China, plus South Africa (joined 2010), and recent buddies Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. Partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

       But these “rivals” don’t need to fight or be quarrelsome with each other. Yet they may compete or be partners in trade, regardless of political “differences.” ☮️☮️☮️

Deadline: “Sydney Sweeney’s sports betting ad has female athletes pushing back.” I reckon, those females are driven by the culture war caterwaul, and that Ms Sweeney is essentially stereotyped as a Conservative. The whiners argue that the ad “sexualizes women's sports and undermines years of work to be taken seriously on athletic merit rather than physical.” Come on now, let’s not be hypocrites, okay? Must I start my rant by pointing at women’s gear in athletics? This is a non-issue to me.

      Or maybe some women are “pushing back” because they don’t admit to the fact that they (also, like men) gamble? So just for the sake of data, here: Gambling Commission surveys show that about 42 percent to 44 percent of women have gambled within a four-week period, largely driven by lotteries, scratchcards, and bingo. Meanwhile, women now make up roughly one-third (around 32 percent) of all sports bettors in the U.S., according to recent data from industry surveys like Morgan Stanley and the American Gaming Association. Those are significant percentages.

      But then, if you got extra dough, just place a bet and enjoy. Okay? Let Sydney earn some endorsement $. It's legal. (Photo: Yahoo.) 🤨😞🤨

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

In my younger years, when I was so busy with so many activities (personal, professional), I didn’t really pay much attention to animals. I wasn’t dismissive or unconcerned of them, but I wasn’t as attached as I am these days. Never did I imagine that I’d be living under one roof, 24/7, with dogs and cats in my old age. They are now my daily life.

      And I can’t deny their sensitivity to us. Oh yes, Arrow is so showy of her love. Fizz never leaves the bed with me, especially when I am sick or feeling down. And Ching could be everywhere, but when it’s time to cuddle with Cindyrella, she’s there, no time. And when I stay out longer than a few minutes, on Arrow’s last bathroom time at night, she cries by the door, calling us. 🐕🥰🐈

Politico: “Senate Democrats shrug off John Fetterman party-switch chatter.” Mr Fetterman can be a bit weird to many, of course. Different? Unique? Yet I see a politician who precariously straddles the polar extremes in Congress, and I see why. Sure, party switchers or turncoats are a fact of traditional politics, nothing so big a deal. But John exemplifies the disrepair in the Left. They say the JF chatter is “a waste of energy.” Indeed. But the Democratic Party’s bigger problem isn’t about the “floor-crossers.” But the two main conflicting groups inside the organization.

       The centrists and moderates or the "establishment" Democrats versus the left-wing progressives and new democratic-socialists. Meanwhile, the Republican Party contends with its internal schism as well. MAGA loyalists versus the Never Trumpers, but their quarrel is mostly within Congress, not outside or among their voters. 🏛🗽🏛

I am not affected at all by today’s so-called "cancellation" of writers, musicians, artists, actors/actresses, sports people etcetera. I judge them by their work. Beyond their work, they may espouse contrary politics or against my own personal politics but still I consume their work (Neil Young, Bruce S., Clint Eastwood etcetera). It’s their art, their craft that matters to me. Or I don’t really give a hoot about how they lived their life, unless they have been convicted of a crime. 

       You see, I believe Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso have also “played around” or had unpopular sexual shenanigans in their days but why is it they aren’t “outed” by the new moralists? Meanwhile, how many rock songs have “my little girl” (little girl as love interest or pedophilia) on them but the songs and singer-songwriters aren’t cancelled? 

       Moreover, there are many super-popular (younger) musical artists these days but I don’t like their music, that’s all. And I am not a fan of hip hop or rap. Whether these younger artists hate Trump or they are MAGA, I don’t pay attention to their work at all. I still go for 1960s-1970s or before 21st century work. And since I have erased my “ideological paradigm” or politics (from the mid-1990s), I don’t go by Left or Right anymore. I judge politicians by the effectiveness of their specific policies or if their programs favor the majority. I still define “populism,” the way it was defined. The people. (Visual: Rolling Stone.) 🙂🙃😎

USA Today: “A Virginia mom's conviction is reigniting the debate over free-range parenting.” I guess, “free-range” parenting is simply just letting moms and dads do whatever? Of course, you may do “whatever” in the house, that is your family. What can we do? (Unless you get reported to DSS?) Anyhow, this is the issue: Mom Karyann Parkinson was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing her 5-year-old son to walk about half a mile alone to a neighborhood pond in their gated community to collect goose feathers.

       The case: Karyann’s son Samuel walked along a familiar sidewalk with crosswalks in their secure neighborhood. A passerby spotted him and called private security, who walked the boy home. Police and Child Protective Services (CPS) investigated the home. CPS substantiated a finding of lack of supervision. The Sentence: A six-month jail sentence (which was suspended) and placing her name on the Virginia Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry for seven years.

       I don’t agree with the “punishment.” I think it is too harsh. However, I ain’t diggin’ “free-range parenting” on this one. Whether their area is “secured,” letting out a 5-year old is still a no-no to me. As though predators don’t live in gated communities? Come on. Anyhow, we don’t know what was found inside the house after the probe, so I can’t judge that. Oh well. Fundamental right and wrong is now very complex. Complicated. Primal common sense or basic reflex is gone. Parenting? Need we intellectualize or politicize, or toss this in the culture war arena? 🤨😞🤨

Fox: “After 'Lake America,' Trump suggests a new name for the state of New Mexico.” Another name-change drama that Left-wing media love to exaggerate. My thing? When I was in grade school in the Philippines, I actually wondered about the names of states in America. New Mexico? But it is not located in Mexico. We have a New Manila somewhere but I don't think there was a New Madrid or New America in the Philippines although we were colonized by Spain (over 300 years) and the U.S. (more than 50 years). Just saying. 🏛🗽🏛

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Yahoo Sports: “2 former NBA players declared for the WNBA draft. The league says they're ineligible.” Of course, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are just obviously rabble-rousing for media/public attention. Yet who started the fire? What has league commissioner Cathy Engelbert gotta do about this “defocus” from the actual game? All the culture war drama! 

       Anyhow, per that Chicago Sky/Indiana Fever incident the other night that gained another one-click brouhaha for Enes? This: Mr Freedom (ha!) clapped or applauded after the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham scored. Sky’s Natasha Cloud didn’t like that, and so she yelled at the dude: “She's not gonna sleep with you!" Okay now. Should pro athletes at play engage hecklers like that? Of course they do. Go ask Russ Westbrook and Draymond Green, for example. But is that smart at all? Nope. 

       Hecklers are, sadly, parts of the game. But let the arena/field security and officials deal with them. Of course, we know the mere presence of Enes in the crowd pissed off some of the WNBA players, but as long as the guy didn’t crash into the event or he paid to get in, let that be. You see, there’s a lot more infuriating heckles, for sure. 

       Meanwhile, can we just stick to this ball game-related news? Yahoo Sports: “Angel Reese sets WNBA single-game rebound record, 26.” That was last night’s Atlanta Dream/L.A. Lakers game. Okay? 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀

ABC: “Family of Alex Pretti speaks out in interview.” They said: “The videos are pretty clear.” I do understand the grief of losing a loved one, especially in a violent manner that could have been avoided. Now let’s talk about the “videos” or the events that led to the tragic day.

      On January 13, Alex Pretti broke a federal immigration agent's vehicle taillight during a protest in Minneapolis. Alex shouted at ICE officers and kicked their SUV. Yes, the videos were “pretty clear.” Ergo, Mr Pretti was already sort of “marked” for any untoward shenanigan (sic). On the 24th of the month, he again showed up in a protest rally, with a handgun (concealed or not), and then he approached an active federal operation. Since he’s already on a “watch list,” what do you expect? What’d I expect? But Alex resisted attempts to disarm him. Whether there was a firearm involved or not, can’t activists simply chill? Comply.

      I was a longtime activist (and organizer) until the late 1990s. My obligatory reminder to my colleagues? Stay on our side of the line, yell but don’t engage. Don’t resist when approached by a riot cop. Don’t get hurt, don’t die. On top of these, no deadly weapon in your backpacks or hidden in your body. I was a Left-winger person from age 16 to almost 40. I never stopped “protesting” even after I gave up my Leftist “tag” to be unaligned in the late-1990s.

      Deaths in legit protests or civil disobedience won’t happen if we observe common sense. That’s all. ☮️🗽☮️

The Wrap: “Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist fired over Charlie Kirk comments.” Whether the columnist or opinion-sharer maligns or mourns the death of Mr Kirk is an internal company (or organizational) matter. Employees and management agree on rules and regulations before a contract is signed. The editorial board decides. The First Amendment is a rationale, of course. 

       But reportage or news reports are a different matter. It has evolved into “cool murk-throw” that was unimaginable in my time. That is my problem with current journalism. News feeds aren’t 4 Ws and 1 H or “spade is a spade” anymore. News now is highly-opinionated, partisanship-bias, and mostly about disparaging or insulting the POTUS. ☮️🗽☮️

CBS: “White House set to unveil major Iran sanctions as Tehran warns countries not to join.” The gargantuan, bizarre stupidity of war! This is all geopolitical narcissism that Big Business (Wall Street, arms manufacturers, and oil giants) take advantage of. Oh well, yeah? Regional bilateral agreements are signed on the basis of “protection from security threats,” with emphasis on “threats.” Need I go on? Shall we discuss “arms for oil” that exponentially heightened from (Western) discovery of oil in the desert in the 1920s? Oil: The grand excuse for armed conflicts that are not that easy to erase, of course! 

       Yet the end of a war means the immediate obvious: Human (+ animal life) collateral damage and environmental destruction stop. Billions of dollars, or taxpayer money, saved for gut-level imperatives. “Reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz isn’t just good for the global humanity but good as well to Iran, whose economy has been in the pits for decades–the reason why Iranians were protesting in the streets (and then wasted by the IRGC in thousands early this year). Meanwhile, before this crisis, the region was hot and high with renewed business and fun (showbiz and sports), which is the Arab League’s major playbook. And didn’t Iran join the BRICS trade bloc in 2024? 🇺🇸☮️🇮🇷

NBC: “White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will return to Trump super-PAC,” By now, in case you are paying close attention, that's President Trump's style. “You’re fired!” Then the “terminated staff” is moved elsewhere. Shuffling, reassignments, role modification. Nothing’s wrong with that. I would probably do the same if I were the POTUS, uh huh. Until you place an individual in a designation/assignment, you will never know if that person is effective or not. Or maybe they’d be better off somewhere? (Photo: CNN.) 🏛🗽🏛

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

This sort of journalism isn’t really about providing “spade is spade” info, but a clear tactical feed on “influencing” viewership a-la supermarket tabloid distraction. Flash over facts. <>NBC: “DOJ says Trump admin. was warned about peeling Reflecting Pool before blaming vandals.” Isn’t it easy to tell of a “peeling” paint or whatever from a vandalized spot? / Washington Post: “Trump wants a ballroom in Ireland. One man is having a ball fighting it.” Left-wing media can easily ask Mr Trump, “What about a ballroom in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil?” Don would smirk and say, “Why not!” LOL! 🏛🗽🏛

If my grandchildren ask me about my opinion or insight on these news, I’d tell them to either ignore the news or dig up more information. The pragmatic youth will just shrug and return to texting a friend about stuff; the smarter youngster would google some more, read old magazines and books, and educate themselves. Why? I don’t recommend today’s journalism to the young, unless they research more and just take what the media tosses at them, with a grain of salt. Dig up some more.

      Today’s news examples: <>AFP: “North Korea fires suspected missiles hours after Trump says he’ll meet Kim.” A surefire pitch to ruin POTUS’s talks with the strongman. / <>CBS: “ICE emails show Iran had a say in who was put on deportation flights.” I mean, really? LOL! <>BBC: “Trump says he's launching 'economic D-Day' on Iran and warns other countries.” This is the same media rabble-rouse that Trump will invade any country on a whim.

      We need to be more than “grownups” to bite such a proliferation of tabloid journalism. Are these just juvenile rationales as tips to bet on Polymarket and Kalshi? 📰💻📰

Page Six: “Taylor Sheridan kills 'Yellowstone' spinoff '6666' for a deeply personal reason.” Taylor got enough of “Yellowstone” stuff already? The franchise had 5 seasons. Then there’s 2 prequels, 2 direct spinoff/sequel series, plus another prequel in development.

      I do enjoy Mr Sheridan’s work, seriously. But not 100 percent. “Tulsa King,” I didn’t like. The sappy “The Madison” was a huge, unexciting bore (sic!) And although I do like the overall writing (and action sequences) in the “Lioness” series, the first episode of the current Season 3 turned me off. The use of dogs in assault sequences isn’t based on actual military practice. Etc etcetera. Yes, I don’t like animals used for “extreme” cinematic bombast, just because. 🎥📺📽

CNN: “Election takeaways: Progressive Angie Nixon scores an upset victory in Florida.” I needed to remind some friends that this is Democratic Party Primary. Not a midterm (national) election. In all, this is not really good for Blue. A proof that the Left is self-destructively divided now. Would the other (Primary-defeated) side vote for the progs in the midterm or 2028 POTUS run? (Think about the Bern lesson.) Or will they go Right, or boycott the election? Then Red takes advantage. 🏛🗽🏛

Reuters: “Trump's order on U.S.-South Korea drills came without advance notice to either side.” So what? Although I don’t bite the (news)-feed that Seoul et al weren’t advised, what's the big deal? War games per se aren’t good. (Google why.) I covered the same decades ago, how this grand silliness destroyed a tiny coastal town in the Philippines.

      Meanwhile, here are more related negativity BS or “but…” in Left-wing media's Trump coverage. Associated Press: “North Korea shrugs off Trump's scaled-back military drills with South Korea.” Well, I also shrug off this so-called report. And CBS: “Iran says it will not accept a ceasefire as Trump downplays hope for a deal.” Oh well. As though anti-Trump “journalists” have an "inside-line" on Tehran's hardline leadership or chills over tea with the IRGC. ☮️☮️☮️

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Associated Press: “Why the U.S.-Iran war is suddenly spreading far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.” Iran is obviously widening its leverage, before it again sits to discuss another deal, more to its (political) favor and less about economics, I guess. Tehran’s hardline leadership knows it can always prolong its war via the IRGC’s proxy armies, regardless of cessation of hostilities, if ever. So this is a tough bitch for both the U.S, and the Arab League, whose pumped-up economic projects are continually threatened by the war’s escalation. It’d seem only a regime change could “fix” this crisis? 

       Meanwhile, this news. BBC: “Hamas official says group agreed to disarm under U.S. plan. Israel has yet to comment.” As we know it, the IRGC funds Hamas. Weapons and military training, to support its operational and structural capabilities. So Hamas temporarily disarming is good news. Next issue: How Bibi Netanyahu responds. And when we say Israel’s next stance? That’d be Washington’s other side of the divide. Yes, tough. ☮️☮️☮️

NBC: “Men detained in Guthrie investigation file notice of claim against Pima County sheriff.” It has been over six months since the disappearance of 84-year old Nancy Guthrie. The most current official report: The forensic testing on a recovered hair sample came back inconclusive with no suspect profile. This high-profile, massively-publicized case baffles me. With an array of technological advances and intel capabilities that law enforcement now employs, still no break in the investigation. Something in this story that fishy. ⚖️😒⚖️

Rolling Stone: “Willie Nelson releases statement about environmental concerns with data centers.” Data centers evolved as imperatives of current life, much like gasoline stations or grocery stores. Data centers pile up, process, and send vast amounts of digital information that we consume, 24/7. The activism pushback pretty much is a standard protest narrative: <>Massive electricity consumption strains power grids and raises residential utility bills. <>Heavy water usage. <>Constant industrial noise pollution and heavy construction traffic. The same objects of dissent per Big Oil etcetera.

      Meanwhile, as Big Tech upgrades their R&Ds and Artificial Intelligence mojo, annual budgets spike. Microsoft’s AI allotment, for example, is a lot more than the yearly spending money of smaller nations Tuvalu, Nauru, and Kiribati combined. Sure, these data centers also generate thousands of jobs. Same as other companies. I don’t intend to exude pragmatism over the issue but can’t dissent instead level the trajectories to what matters more, such as anti-war advocacy? 🦿🤖🦾

Associated Press: “At least 34 die as 60,000 migrants surge into Spanish enclave on the Morocco border.” Europe’s migrant crisis officially started in 2015 as thousands fled Syria, although the problem actually started to grow as the Schengen Area’s idealistic border laxity commenced in 1995. In 2016, the EU and Turkey struck a deal to stop illegal migrant crossings from the latter into Greek islands. The EU handed Turkey 6 billion euros for refugee aid and border control.

      Greece designated Turkey a "safe third country" for certain asylum seekers to facilitate deportations, but legal challenges culminated in formal rulings (such as political actions by Greek and European courts) that stalled sending asylum seekers back, ending regular operational returns. Etc etcetera. Ergo, the original 2016 vision of a smooth, reciprocal swap and containment pact has largely disintegrated into fragmented border management.

      And then top EU members prioritized other matters, such as their continued support of Ukraine in its war versus Russia. Then the economy stalled at 1 percent or below. Add the region’s pesky quarrels with Donald Trump, which pretty much occupy public discourse. And so here comes another surge of migrants into Spain as the country faces wildfires. I believe Europe “knows” what to fix first but the region’s baffling choice of priorities in the last few decades continues to weaken their once formidable stature. (And then Trump is blamed.) 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

Yahoo Sports: “Cunningham rips Storm co-owner for confronting teens.” Without me necessarily commenting on whatever the issue was, we are now reading more of Sophie The Politician or Sophie The Influencer rather than Sophie The Basketball Player. Not because she prepped herself up to be in the limelight beyond the game, but that’s how today’s media works. 

       Although Ms Cunningham is not a starter for the Indiana Fever, she’s not a mediocre athlete either. Yet she gained prominence not for her good points, such as her tough D and 3-point shots, but more as a vocal enforcer of Caitlin Clark (you know why). From that point, the media did the rest. Then Soph carried on. Like a fine click-bait fodder, she “plays along” with the attention. Of course when the media focuses on you, the crowd (or Social Media) would savor you like ice cream. Regardless you are a good frolic or a bad pitch. 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀