Dave Brown

I read about this years ago and set a calendar reminder for myself. Pretty horrified to find out it was today

Big news: Today I crossed the Brimley/Cocoon Line, which means I'm the same age that Wilford Brimley was when "Cocoon" was released in theaters

brimleyline.date

Duffy vs. Hegseth: Friction over air safety erupts in Trump’s Cabinet www.politico.com/news/2025/05... @oriana0214.bsky.social @politico.com

Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials tell AP President Donald Trump plans to announce next week that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials tell AP
apnews.com/article/trum...

Supreme Court lets Trump ban transgender people from military Neither the majority nor the dissenters provided any reasoning for their positions.

BREAKING: Trump can proceed with his plan to ban transgender people from the military, including by removing those currently serving, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

YouTube video by United States Space Force The US Space Force - America's Invisible Front Line (A Documentary Film)

You can see it at the 2-minute mark

youtu.be/Qn938Gm6axQ...

The Space Force has released a video that uses stock footage from Russia

The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon A feud between the secretary's advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon www.politico.com/news/2025/04... @politico.com

Group boosting Hegseth goes quiet The Defense secretary has come under heavy scrutiny amid reports of dysfunction at the Pentagon.

NEW TODAY: A MAGA-aligned group that pledged last month to take a “smash-mouth” approach to defending Pete Hegseth and have his back “100 percent” has all but gone silent www.politico.com/news/2025/04... @adamwren.bsky.social

Think he means a force TO BE reckoned with

Top Pentagon official at center of Jackie Robinson controversy to resign John Ullyot’s departure comes during a week of upheaval at the Defense Department.

NEW TONIGHT: John Ullyot, the former DOD spokesperson who was sidelined over the Jackie Robinson flap, is leaving the Pentagon
www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

Third top Pentagon official suspended in leak investigation Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was suspended a day after two other political appointees were placed on leave.

BREAKING: A third DOD official has been put on leave and escorted out of the Pentagon on suspicion of leaking. Colin Carroll is chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

Two top Pentagon officials placed on leave in leak probe The disclosures under investigation include Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon.

SCOOP: Not one, but two top advisers to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been marched out of the Pentagon following a leak investigation www.politico.com/news/2025/04... @politico.com

Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world It’s a more extensive use of the app than previously reported and sheds new light on how commonly the Trump administration’s national security team relies on Signal.

NEW: Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world www.politico.com/news/2025/04... @politico.com

Some context from Grok

Boundaries

“Reports of the alleged 'encirclement' of Ukrainian units in the Kursk region by the enemy are untrue and are being created by the Russians for political purposes and pressure on Ukraine and partners," the Ukrainian Army General Staff said

Trump says ‘thousands’ of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kursk; Ukraine says that’s ‘untrue’ Ukraine insists its troops aren’t surrounded, but they are pulling back from areas they captured last summer.

Trump says ‘thousands’ of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kursk; Ukraine says that’s ‘untrue’
www.politico.eu/article/dona...

Greenlanders say no to Trump as rare earths loom over coalition talks Election throws up surprise result as independence from Denmark remains tough to define.

Greenlanders say no to Trump as rare earths loom over coalition talks
www.politico.eu/article/gree...

The Netherlands doesn’t plan to cancel F-35 deals.

Asked whether the Dutch government would consider cancelling contracts for the warplanes, Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans replied: “No. Our entire air force and fighter jet fleet is based on the F-35.”
pro.politico.eu/news/195353

IKEA beds? Dressers? Inside the ‘exceedingly odd’ DOGE office setup Details of the arrangements at GSA offer a window into the lifestyle of DOGE workers.

“It’s exceedingly odd. I have never heard of any such thing. I can’t even imagine what the purpose is, other than to terrorize the civilian workforce.” www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

This Pentagon press secretary has a long history of bigoted and xenophobic posts “Be unapologetically right-wing. It will pay off.”

This Pentagon Press Secretary Has a Long History of Bigoted and Xenophobic Posts
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

America’s Friends Are Not Amused by Trump’s Bravado The president’s speech offers no reprieve for countries that have long relied on Washington.

NEW COLUMN: Trump has yet to create a new world order. Instead, what we have is a period of disorientation. And countries (like, say, Lesotho) need to prepare for worst-case scenarios. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Trump touts DOGE success, but the numbers are fuzzy The president touted "hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud" uncovered by DOGE.

Trump touts DOGE success, but the numbers are fuzzy
www.politico.com/live-updates...

If you put "Doja Cat" in place of "DOGE cuts" in headlines, it makes her seem quite powerful

Zelenskyy says it is ‘time to make things right’ after Oval Office blowup The Ukrainian president said he and his team is “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts."

Zelenskyy says it is ‘time to make things right’ after Oval Office blowup www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

Caine will have to “explain what happened,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the Senate Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat. “If it happened the way the president said, well, that’s completely unprofessional. And that, I think, would question his ability to stand up to the president.”

“He’s going to be asked about it,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.), a Senate Armed Services Committee senior member. “He’ll go through the normal vetting … we are going to have a patriotically apolitical, stridently constitutional military.”