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. 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀