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Via Esta

Weather

The Guardian -   As the US prepares for hurricane season and a summer of record-breaking heat, experts fear the Trump administration’s cuts to climate and weather data programming could make the federal government’s weather forecasts less reliable when they are needed most. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) late last year launched a suite of artificial intelligence-powered global weather forecast models which it said would improve “speed, efficiency, and accuracy”. In March, an agency official said those models were being trained with centuries of weather data.

Artificial intelligence is a valuable tool for weather prediction, but only when it is well-trained with ample data, said Monica Medina, who served as Noaa’s principal deputy undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere from 2009 to 2012.

Under Trump, climate and weather data collection has declined, said Medina. This year, the Trump administration proposed a modest budget increase for the National Weather Service, but a 40% cut to Noaa overall.

Bad stuff

Independent, UK -  Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is launching an unprecedented effort to reward those friends and supporters of the president who were prosecuted or investigated for crimes under previous Democratic administrations by doling out as much as $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds in a new “anti-weaponization fund.”

The new initiative was announced Monday by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was Trump’s personal defense counsel in the multiple criminal cases that were brought against the then-former president for allegedly unlawfully retaining classified documents after the end of his first term and attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 election to avoid leaving office after losing that election to Joe Biden.

Blanche said the new compensation fund is being established to settle a $10 billion lawsuit that Trump, his children and his eponymous real estate and hotel company had filed against the IRS after a contractor for the agency leaked his tax returns to the New York Times during his first term.

According to the Justice Department, the fund will be administered by a five-member commission appointed by Blanche, with one member chosen in consultation with Congress.

Alternet America - This week, another Republican official arrested in a child predator sting. Hunter Rivera, the 24-year-old chairman of the Weld County Republican Party in Colorado, was arrested Thursday during an undercover operation targeting child predators. Investigators posted ads online posing as minors offering sexual acts; several dozen people responded. Rivera was one of two men who arrived at the agreed-upon location.

Rivera faces four felony charges: soliciting a child prostitute, internet luring of a child, cybercrime solicitation involving a minor, and attempted sexual assault on a child. He was held on a $6,500 cash-only bond,

Artificial intelligence

Deep State Tribunal -   A French artificial intelligence boss is warning Europe it has just two years to avoid becoming a digital “vassal state” to American tech giants, and his plan says a lot about the new global power struggle over who controls the machines shaping our lives.  The “two-year deadline” and “vassal state” language are not backed by hard numbers, highlighting how much of this debate is political positioning.

China

 Jim Smith, Talking Turkey -  In January, a university think tank in Beijing published a report with a title that should make Americans sit up straight: “Thank Trump.” According to The Economist, the scholars offered sarcastic but sincere gratitude for what they called Trump’s contributions to China’s rise: “driving away America’s traditional allies,” proving that China is “more trustworthy and stable,” and even pushing Chinese innovation through his tariff wars.

Chinese commentators now routinely describe Trump as an “accelerator of American political decay,” a phrase reported by the New York Times. In their telling, Trump hasn’t just weakened America — he has strengthened China....

How Chinese analysts are framing Trump’s second term:

“Accelerating American political decay.”

Chinese commentators quoted in The New York Times argue that Trump’s rhetoric and institutional attacks validate their long-held belief that the U.S. is in decline.

Driving allies away.

The report claims his confrontations with NATO partners and other allies “weaken America’s global coalition” and leave China looking more stable by comparison.

Supercharging Chinese innovation.

Tariffs and tech restrictions are framed not as setbacks but as pressure that “forces China to innovate faster,” according to summaries of the report.

Strengthening China’s global image.

Chinese state-linked analysts argue that Trump’s unpredictability makes China appear “more trustworthy and stable,” a contrast they are eager to highlight.

Reinforcing China’s narrative of inevitability.

The NYT notes that Chinese media now pair Trump-era U.S. dysfunction with imagery of China’s technological prowess — drones, EVs, robotics — to underscore a message: China is rising; America is faltering.

Russia famously supported Trump’s 2016 and subsequent campaigns, knowing that Trump’s rise would contribute to America’s downfall. Will we see China contributing to MAGA campaigns for the same reason — to “polish us off”?

Workers

Shortlysts _ A new survey of corporate CEOs conducted by Oliver Wyman suggests artificial intelligence may be changing hiring plans in a way that could hit younger workers first. While public discussion around AI often focuses on mass automation or dramatic job losses, executives appear to be making more targeted decisions.

Many companies are reconsidering whether they need as many entry-level workers if AI systems can handle portions of beginner-level tasks.

The numbers changed sharply over the past year. Roughly 43% of CEOs said they expect to reduce hiring for junior positions, up from 17% previously, while only 17% of CEOs surveyed said they planned to increase focus on bringing in more entry-level staff.

Instead of focusing on entry-level hires, many companies are placing much greater emphasis on experienced workers, with 30% reporting they are increasing hiring at the mid-level, up from 10% last year.

The survey also found that more than 90% of CEOs say their companies are already using AI in some form. Despite that, many firms are still early in the process, as 67% said that AI projects are still in either planning stages or pilot programs rather than full implementation.

Jeffrey Epstein

NY Times -   All 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files have been printed, bound and put on display at an art gallery in Lower Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, in the "Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room."  The files — organized in 3,437 volumes totaling more than eight tons — are located blocks from the jail where Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in 2019, the N.Y. Times' Jesse McKinley notes.

Best and worst states for military retirees

WalletHub has released its report on the 2026’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees...
WalletHub evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of veteran retirement-friendliness. The data set ranges from job opportunities for veterans to housing affordability to the quality of VA hospitals.
 

Best States for Military Retirees		Worst States for Military Retirees
1. South Carolina		42. New Mexico
2. North Dakota		43. Colorado
3. Wyoming		44. Nevada
4. New Hampshire		45. Montana
5. Maryland		46. Mississippi
6. Alaska		47. New Jersey
7. Florida		48. Washington
8. Massachusetts		49. District of Columbia
9. Minnesota		50. Vermont
10. South Dakota		51. Oregon

 
Memorial Day Facts

• 100M+ – Households worldwide will watch the National Memorial Day parade broadcast on TV.
• 3.7M – People are expected to travel by plane over Memorial Day weekend (up 0.3% over 2025).
• 818 – Number of hot dogs consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day (seven billion total).

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank

Immigration

NY Times - More than 100,000 children, about three quarters of them likely U.S. citizens, have been separated from their parents under Trump’s immigration crackdown, a report found.

The Guardian -   The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown could cause the US to potentially lose up to $479bn in lost tax revenue over the the next 10 years, with enforcement deterring undocumented workers from filing their taxes this year, according to tax experts.  Tax advisers say major changes, including proposed data sharing with immigration enforcement, have made filing taxes risky for undocumented immigrants. Tax benefits for immigrant parents have also been removed, further removing incentive to file taxes at all.

Iran war funding squeeze

The Hill -   America’s military has growing budget problems because of the Iran war, and Congress is unlikely to help the situation anytime soon. Those were two key takeaways from Capitol Hill last week, as President Trump’s trip to China provided some distraction but little help in finding a way out of his quandary in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Naval Operations Chief Adm. Daryl Caudle said Thursday that without supplemental funding for the U.S. war in Iran, he will have to implement cuts in training, routine operations and personnel by July. 

“The [fiscal 2026] budget didn’t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury,” Caudle said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. “You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we’re burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs.” 

However, the administration has yet to send an Iran war funding request to Congress, and whenever that happens, it faces a tough path ahead, as The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reported. 

The gambling intrusion into major sports

The Hill -  Congress appears poised to intensify its scrutiny of major sports leagues and their gambling partners in response to a growing number of scandals involving illicit wagering that have rocked college programs and professional teams in recent months.  An explosive scandal that hinged on point shaving and leaked injury information in the NBA last fall resulted in federal charges against a number of current and former players.  

Major League baseball recently suspended a pair of pitchers charged with throwing balls and strikes at certain times to benefit gamblers. 

And the NCAA says it is investigating a handful of athletes at smaller college basketball programs who reportedly took bribes to benefit bettors as well as a top quarterback who checked himself into rehab for gambling addiction earlier this year after reportedly wagering on a former team while with the school. 

The growing prevalence of gambling culture in sports, along with the booming business of legal sports wagering in the U.S., is sparking concern from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that the leagues and sportsbooks are not doing enough to protect game integrity and athlete safety. 

Letter from a journalist

Rachel Leingang, The Guardian -    I attended my first White House correspondents’ dinner last month, and I admit I felt like a fish out of water. I’ve covered politics my whole career, but always from outside Washington – Arizona for many years, and now Minnesota. The thought of dressing up to eat lobster with a president whose attacks on the press are sustained and escalating was anathema to me.

But my Guardian colleagues didn’t attend the dinner to celebrate: our editor-in-chief declined the invitation, and instead sent four of us reporters to cover the event for our readers. We also went to show our immunity to intimidation: the guests we invited to our table were press freedom advocates, including a journalist I’ve interviewed from here in Minnesota who is being charged by the Trump administration.

We were finishing our salads when I noticed people start ducking under the tables. There was yelling I couldn’t quite hear – “stay down” or “shots fired” perhaps – but it was clearly gun-related. I climbed under the table too, texted my husband that I might be going through a shooting, and waited.

Looking back, what was most jarring was how I felt both very scared about what was happening but also not particularly surprised. Violence is foundational to America. And professionally, I’ve been around so much of it in the past year.

I’m a politics reporter, but living in a suburb of Minneapolis, what I have spent much of my year doing is reporting on political violence. I was out with groups that were on ICE watch as Renee Good was shot. I got there right as the police line went up. I saw the pepper balls from federal agents and heard the screams from everyone who turned up in the streets, yelling that ICE agents were murderers.

But even before the ICE surge, a Democratic lawmaker and her husband were assassinated in the suburb next door to mine. I went to several vigils for that. Soon after, there was a school shooting at a local Catholic school. I went to vigils for that too.

I’m the Guardian’s US democracy reporter: I’m not equipped to be reporting from a warzone. But as I’ve discovered this year, there are very few places in America where it is safe to report on politics. I know that violence is a feature of American life, but our nation’s blasé attitude toward gun violence, and political violence, is something I refuse to adopt as my own. To me, that’s a ruinous position, both as a journalist and as a human. I am fighting tooth and nail to not be desensitized to the violence all around me, and I’m unwilling to accept it’s not changeable. I will keep my hope, and I will keep reporting.

After we were cleared to come out from under the ballroom tables at the White House correspondents’ dinner, the black-tie after-parties went ahead as planned. I didn’t go. I went straight back to my hotel and wrote my news story for our readers. The next day, I flew home to Minnesota, and hugged my family with relief.

Donald Trump

President Trump moved on Monday to dismiss his extraordinary $10 billion lawsuit against the I.R.S. that claimed the tax agency had improperly released some of his financial records. The move comes after the White House floated a proposal to end the lawsuit in exchange for creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate supporters of the president who felt they had been mistreated by Democratic administrations. Read more ›

Health

Antidepressants in pregnancy don’t cause ADHD or autism. (Read on The Guardian) 

 A study of 600,000 patients in Sweden indicate gaining weight as an adult increases cancer risk. In fact, men in the study who became obese before 30 had five times the risk of liver cancer, double the risk of pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer, and a 58 percent increased risk of colon cancer than those who maintained a healthy BMI. (Read on The Guardian)

We plan our funerals. But the act of dying is what needs attention

Youth views

CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) at Tufts University has a 25-year history of probing patterns of youth and civic engagement. “We conduct extensive research on youth participation,” said Leela Strong, CIRCLE’s director, “and we leverage that research to improve opportunities for all young people to acquire and use the skills and knowledge they need to meaningfully participate in civic life.”

According to CIRCLE, just 47 percent of 18-29 year olds voted in 2024, the lowest turnout of any age demographic. Why? CIRCLE’s research offers clues, while its “Youth Political Homes Toolkit” offers a resource for planning and action. . Among the questions are:

Do you feel like you understand what’s happening in the country?

Does this organization help you with that? Why or why not?

What kinds of conversations about politics and the news would you be interested in having with people in this organization?

Can you talk about politics with people in the organization with different views from you? Why or why not?

CIRCLE’s research on young voters in 2024, 2025, and 2026 is especially fascinating. First off, although millions of young people are not in college, CIRCLE notes, the opinions of four-year college students capture more than their share of attention. To correct this bias, Leela explained, CIRCLE over-samples low-income black and brown youth to make sure those who have been marginalized are well-represented.

CIRCLE has identified 3 broad archetypes of Gen Z attitudes toward democracy.

Passive Appreciation: The majority of youth (63%) values the basic principles and practices of democracy, but are relatively disengaged from civic action and even passive in the face of current threats to democracy.

Dismissive Detachment: Nearly a third of young people express less support for core democratic principles. This group is “checked out” of a democracy that they feel has neither served them well nor met their needs.

Hostile Dissatisfaction: A small number (7%) of young people believe in the principles of our government, but are extremely dissatisfied with our democracy as it exists today and are even willing to consider political violence to achieve change. “This is the first time we’re seeing such dissatisfaction since the Vietnam War,” Leela stated.

.....CIRCLE’s survey shows that the economy is a salient issue. Among youth’s economic concerns, Leela said, are achieving stability and economic well-being. Issues like education, abortion, health care and housing all have an affordability angle. While this survey was conducted in 2024 and the numbers on immigration or voting rights may have changed, it still provides a starting point for conversation. “You learn about how to make change,” one young person told Leela “but it’s hard to do that if you’re hungry.”

Word

Violence isn’t power. Someone should tell Trump. “The Trump administration, however, has shown nothing but contempt for the patient work of building durable power based on consensus, preferring the blitzkrieg of violence.” - — Lydia Polgreen, NY Times

Money

Representative Ro Khanna - The split screen in our politics this past week was particularly stunning. Inflation rose to 3.8% as President Donald Trump’s illegal war against Iran drove gas prices to $4.53 a gallon. Under Trump, gas is up 28.4%, airfares are up 20.7%, energy costs are up 17.9% and beef and veal are up 14.8%. Yet when questioned this week about Iran, the president said, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”

Americans are hurting in this economy. From farmers to manufacturers to working-class families, people are struggling to get by.  The reality is that Trump has no vision to improve Americans’ lives.

Trump promised to lower costs, bring back American manufacturing and end overseas wars. But the reality is that Trump has no vision to improve Americans’ lives. Americans are tired of his chaotic economic policies. Recent polling found that 77% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, say Trump’s policies have made the affordability crisis worse in their communities.

Housing

Hayes Brown, MS NOW - It’s a rare thing for everyone in Washington to agree on anything these days, but it’s undeniable that the cost of housing has become untenable. Homeownership is considered out of reach for millions of Americans, with renters increasingly being priced out of major cities. To paraphrase a sage from over two decades ago: The rent and mortgages alike are too damn high around the country.

For the last several months, a bipartisan push has been underway in Congress to change that — with full backing from the White House. The Senate passed a bill in March that President Donald Trump has urged the House to pass without changes. But the one thing that could potentially grind the whole process to a halt is a divide over how much to rein in corporate investors buying up housing stock. It’s a gap that will have to be bridged before a new construction boom can begin to finally relieve the pressure that’s been building on renters and owners alike for years.

Trump’s been narrowly focused on the demand side of the housing market, looking for ways to help potential homeowners borrow and otherwise finance their purchases. As with many of his supposed priorities, though, there’s been more posting than action from the White House on the housing front. MORE

 

Polls

The Hill -   President Trump’s job approval is hitting the danger zone. For the first time in his second term, his approval dipped below 40 percent in the Real Clear Politics average, slipping to 39 percent.  It’s not just one metric: His approval rating sits at a low 36 percent in CNN’s average of recent polls. And it’s hovering around 38 percent, according to Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin...

And he’s losing ground on one of the biggest issues that won him the presidency — the economy: Just 33 percent of voters approve of how the president is handling the economy. And just 28 percent of voters approve of his handling of the cost of living.  

Nearly half of voters rate economic conditions today as “poor.”  

Word

Via ANNIE

Worker dangers at airports

Deep State Tribunal - Hundreds of New York airport workers are accusing powerful contractors and bureaucrats of creating “life‑threatening” chaos on the tarmac while travelers and taxpayers are kept in the dark.|

Workers at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardiasay broken equipment and missing safety gear are putting lives at risk on the airfield. A new complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleges “life-threatening” conditions, while a union-backed rally amplifies the charges.

The Port Authority touts high pay and leadership on worker issues but offers little concrete rebuttal to the specific safety claims. 

What the Iran war has cost us

TomDispatch  - [The National Priorities Project] has a new fact sheet that offers a breakdown of how the cost (so far) of Trump’s Iran “escapade” could have been so much better spent:

+ Covering Medicaid for all 14 million people at risk of losing their insurance,

+ AND the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, for all four million people at risk of losing food assistance, including 3.5 million due to new work requirements for older people and caregivers,

+ AND expanding Medicaid to an additional 10.3 million people.

Those numbers are based on the Pentagon’s request for $200 billion in supplemental funding for the Iran war effort. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill on April 30th, supporting a lowball estimate of the war costs as a mere $25 billion (and worth every dollar!) and asking for support for an inconceivable $1.5 trillion for Trump’s war machine in fiscal year 2027. 

What nature does for us

Time -  In the largest survey of its kind, researchers at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, asked over 50,000 people between the ages of 18 to 99 from across 58 countries about their experience with nature. What they found is that, regardless of age or gender identity, connecting with nature unlocks a more positive body image of one’s self. And it’s this relationship that supports a better life experience.

It’s about more than just feeling good about the way you look though. “Positive body image refers to a love, respect, and care for the body,” says Viren Swami, the lead author of the new study and professor of psychology at Anglia Ruskin University. “People who are high in positive body image value their physical selves, appreciate the unique characteristics of their bodies, and respect and care for their bodies.”

The black vote

Live with Robert B. Hubbell

Ebola virus declared a global health crisis

NY Times -  The World Health Organization declared on Saturday that the spread of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was a global health emergency.

The announcement was made a day after Africa’s leading public health authority reported that an outbreak in a province in the northeast of the country was linked to dozens of suspected deaths. By Saturday, cases had also been confirmed in Kinshasa, Congo, and in Kampala, Uganda, the capital cities of each country, the W.H.O. said.

In Congo’s Ituri province, where the outbreak was first identified, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths attributed to the virus had been reported, although only eight cases had been definitively linked to the virus through laboratory testing. There is no approved vaccine or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the outbreak, according to the W.H.O.

Taiwan

Boldfront News -   President Donald Trump declined to give a direct answer when asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression after his meeting with Xi Jinping, instead steering away from a public commitment. In the exchange, he said he did not want to discuss the issue openly, and the available clip shows him using unclear language rather than a firm pledge. For readers who want straight answers on national security, that kind of dodge invites more questions than it settles.

Bad stuff

Republican Informer - DHS is turning warehouses into immigration detention hubs, and the scale alone should alarm anyone who still believes government power needs real limits. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has already spent more than one billion dollars buying warehouses for detention use.

Homeland Security is now pausing new warehouse purchases while it reviews contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem.  Local resistance is growing over water, sewage, floodplain, and zoning concerns tied to the sites.

Headline USA   FBI Director Kashyap Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, is being protected by agents on the bureau’s Nashville SWAT team. According to the New York Times, such measures are costing the taxpayers an estimated $1 million per year.

“A former senior official who has hired such agents said Ms. Wilkins’s Nashville detail — two SUVs and four agents — costs about $1 million a year, with additional overtime, vehicle and other expenses,” the Times reported Friday.

The Times added that FBI officials recommended a threat assessment to see if Wilkins, who doesn’t even live with Patel, really needs that kind of protection. But Patel “berated” them, saying his authority was all that was needed.

The Congressional Insider -   A New York jury just confirmed what many Americans feared: Beijing was running a secret police station on U.S. soil to keep Chinese dissidents in line.

A Bronx resident, Lu Jianwang, was convicted of acting as an illegal agent for China and running a covert police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Prosecutors say the outpost helped the Chinese Communist regime track and pressure pro-democracy advocates who fled to America.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found a banner marking the site as a “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station” and uncovered deleted messages with a Chinese security handler.  The case highlights how foreign authoritarian regimes exploit our freedoms and why strong enforcement is essential to protecting U.S. sovereignty.

Democratic Assn of Secretaries of State - Ohio's outgoing Secretary of State has drawn serious backlash for handing over the private voter information of roughly 8 million Ohioans to the Trump administration — including driver's license numbers and partial Social Security data. He did it without a subpoena or any legal requirement to do so.  This is what happens when a Secretary of State prioritizes partisan loyalty over the voters they were elected to protect.

MS NOW - Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is one of the last Republicans in Congress who supported Trump’s impeachment over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. On Saturday, Trump got his revenge, as Cassidy lost the Republican primary, ending a two-decade career in politics... Rep. Julia Letlow, whom Trump endorsed, will face Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming in a run-off on June 27. Cassidy is the latest Republican to face Trump’s wrath after the president successfully ousted five Indiana state senators who opposed his call to redistrict the state

Buying Homes

NPR - Buying a home feels out of reach for many Americans — but Gen Z is defying the odds. The average age of first-time homebuyers has risen to 40. But a growing number of Gen Zers are successfully buying homes in their 20s, outpacing millennials, who had a hard time purchasing homes at the same age. Gen Z is taking advantage of down payment assistance programs, and they're saving for retirement earlier than previous generations. NPR spoke with two young homeowners about how they achieved the milestone of buying their first home.

GOP Senator goes after Hegseth

The Hill -   Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) offered harsh criticism for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday over reported changes at the Pentagon, including a shift in U.S. military posture around the globe and the exits of multiple senior military officers in recent months.

“The careless decision to reduce our force posture in Europe, along with moves by Pete Hegseth and his political henchmen to force out some of our finest general officers is amateur hour at best and deadly at worst,” Tillis wrote on the social platform X.

The North Carolina Republican’s comments came after NOTUS reported that the Pentagon plans to downgrade the Army’s top command overseeing Europe and Africa by mid-summer. The command is led by four-star Gen. Christopher Donahue, who was photographed as the last American to leave Afghanistan in 2021.  

....Tillis described Donahue as “one of our nation’s finest warfighters” and argued any rumored decision from Hegseth to “sideline” him would mark “another step down a dangerous path” if true.