Bennett

Can former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer define "Wokeism"? Consider the oxpecker bird. • Kansas Reflector Beyond the clichés, Jeff Colyer offered little in the way of substantive policy solutions to Kansas problems, most notably education.

"Think of the oxpecker bird perched on a rhino’s back, plucking off ticks in exchange for a safe perch and a free ride. For GOP politicians, it’s much the same. Hug the president close, polish his reputation and echo his talking points."

Trump’s tariffs and John Roberts’ credibility The Trump tariff case before the Supreme Court could force Chief Justice John Roberts to confront his own precedent.

"If Roberts now allows Trump to get away with the same kind of executive overreach that Roberts previously stopped Biden from getting away with, Roberts' credibility as a principled judicial arbiter will be sullied forever."

From the same report: "The vast majority of individuals participating in the program are children, older adults, or individuals with a disability. The report highlights that 39 percent of participants were children, 20 percent were older adults, and 10 percent were individuals with disabilities.

Keeping the House Absent, Johnson Marginalizes Congress and Himself

So very true.

What I want to know is who is paying the demo people? Are they government employees on furlough? Or is it some outside contractor and who's paying them? Because Trump has a long history of not paying his contractors and wouldn't that be fun!

I hate to break it to them, but AI-ing 30 years off Trump's face just makes him look even older and more tired in real life.

Hmm. They AI-ed Tump's face to make him look a good 30 years younger. No more realistic than the rest of it.

FEMA denied or didn’t advance most Kerr County flood requests Advocates are questioning why so many applicants from the flood-ravaged county have not received federal disaster help. Nonprofits are trying to fill in the gaps.

"Only about one-fifth of applicants for federal disaster assistance from Kerr County have been deemed eligible to get financial help so far, leaving hundreds without governmental aid more than three months after deadly floods ravaged the county on July 4."

Woman acquitted of assaulting FBI agent after 3 grand juries declined to indict Grand juries have declined to indict numerous times when Trump's prosecutors have brought excessive charges.

<snort>

JD Vance brushes off racist texts by adults in Republican group chat as ‘what kids do’ Vice-president downplays messages such as ‘I love Hitler’ in chat by 24 to 35-year-olds to ‘stupid jokes’

Really, it was just locker room talk. <snort>

A Very, Very Expensive Way to Reduce Crime The Trump administration’s National Guard deployments are highly inefficient.

No surprise there.

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

Someone who actually believes in states' rights and follows thru. Who knew? "Gov. Kevin Stitt, the current chairman of the National Governors Association, broke with Texas, saying, “Oklahomans would lose their mind” if Illinois sent troops to their red state."

Donald Trump’s approval rating Follow our presidential approval rating poll tracker to see how favourably Americans view Mr Trump

Interesting look at his approval ratings by on demographics and issues. I found the state-by-state comparison between all voters and 2024 voters especially telling.

Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them. The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...

No surprise there.

Just how much has DOGE exaggerated its numbers? Now we have receipts. A POLITICO analysis of DOGE data reveals the organization saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings from nearly 10,100 contract terminations.

"A POLITICO analysis of DOGE data reveals the organization saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings from nearly 10,100 contract terminations."

Some Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money. An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state law...

No surprise there:

Trump Delayed a Medicare Change After Health Companies’ Donations

That's Trump alright.

Dropped cases against LA protesters reveal false claims from federal agents Revealed: records show border patrol gave inaccurate testimony about people it jailed. Prosecutors now face ‘embarrassing’ dismissals

Surprise, surprise.

Ken Paxton investigating “potential noncitizens” for voting in 2020 and 2022 election cycles Most of those voters are in Harris County, home to Houston. Noncitizen voting is illegal and documented instances are rare.

Trying to distract from his personal scandals?

Republican leading inquiry into Biden’s autopen use has digitally signed letters James Comer has used a digital signature on documents throughout his investigation into Biden’s use of an autopen

<snort>

How a small East Texas town turned a devastating tornado into funding for sirens As the public scrutinizes parts of the Hill Country for a lack of sirens during the July 4 floods, Crockett turned its own tragedy into preparedness.

"Instead of preparing, communities often resort to reacting to disasters, which is costly. The National Institute of Building Sciences found that for every dollar spent by the federal government on mitigation, it saves taxpayers $6."

It's only going to get worse, alas. www.agweb.com/news/busines...

Under Attack by Trump’s Tariffs, Asian Countries Seek Out Better Friends

This is good - not for us, but for them. It may take a while to disentangle themselves from the US, but the rest of the world needs to realize that we are just not reliable.

The University where I USED to work had a President who said "Isn't everything online now?" <sigh>

Oh, it will raise prices, but he's also beating up on a lot of small countries that won't have much of an impact of inflation here in order to beef up his "deal" numbers.

Note the share of US imports. Only 3 are 4% or higher. Trump is picking his victims more for show than anything. We will certainly feel the impact of tariffs on Canada, Japan, and S. Korea. But the rest, NSM. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/b...

Rollins suggests Medicaid recipients can replace deported farmworkers Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins believes that Medicaid work requirements and artificial intelligence will help bolster the nation’s farming workforce, while President Trump has been weig…

Um, Medicaid is for health care. Do ANY farmers provide health insurance for their workers?

It occurs to me that the BBB has taught not only the American people, but also our enemies, who among the Republicans have guts and who are basically cowards afraid of Trump. So many cowards.

On a Quiet Southern Border, Empty Farms and Frightened Workers

Texas LIKES having a cheap underclass of workers. "But Texas lawmakers have overlooked one telling detail: They have failed to require most private employers to use E-Verify, a federal program that verifies workers’ legal status, an oversight not lost on farmers on the border."

The Trump Phone Is Already a Lot Different From Last Week WIRED had many questions last week about the Gold T1 Smartphone. Now we have even more—like where that “made in America” pledge went.

"The most notable change is the ... pivot away from a phone that the press release said would be “designed and built in the United States” to one that is “brought to life” in the USA, with “American values in mind” and with “American hands behind every device.” How conveniently vague."