Dear Everybody:
There were several big news stories today:
The first one is there was a terrible flash flood in the Grand Canyon yesterday:
–It tore through the Grand Canyon after a thunderstorm dumped a ton of rain in an hour. The ground was already saturated with previous rains from the monsoons the area has been experiencing, so almost all the water ran off immediately, sweeping through the main canyon, side canyons, and slot canyons where lots of tourists were hiking, with logs and debris rolling down the river.
–The flooding has caused rockslides, too, and dangerous, slippery trail conditions. Historic Bright Angel Lodge and campground at the bottom of the canyon were particularly hard hit.
–Two people have been found dead and more than a dozen others are missing. (The exact number isn’t known because the canyon is full of tourists at this time of year, and they don’t have to register before hiking down into the canyon. Scores of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter.
–The flood tore out several bridges across the Colorado River and severely damaged the only water pipeline into the canyon, making the supply of potable water for tourists and staff iffy. Officials barred tourists from staying at lodges and hotels inside the national park and issued emergency water restrictions for year-round residents.
–Forecasters warned Monday that more flooding was possible as heavy rain continued. (Note: People who don’t live in the West don’t understand how quickly these flash floods can develop after a sudden downpour from a thunderstorm. We were in a deluge like that just east of Globe, Arizona, once, with the rain pelting down so hard we couldn’t see to drive. We later found out that the flood had devastated Globe, where we’d just been, with cars washing down the city streets.)
The second news story was that the Supreme Court ruled on Trump’s ballroom, and, surprise, surprise, ruled that he had the authority to continue building it:
–The Court ruled against the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had argued that Trump had no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which included completely demolishing the East Wing. They ruled that the Trust had no legal standing to bring the complaint. The ruling did not say whether Trump actually has the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.
–The interesting thing is that the decision was five-four, with Roberts not only ruling against it, but writing in a dissent, that the construction “is likely unlawful.” Roberts cited the law that states it is illegal to construct any building or structure on any reservation, park, or public grounds of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress…Congress has not passed any law resembling ‘express authority’ for the Executive’s construction of it.”
–Former prosecutor Joyce Vance: “The Court’s conservative majority can’t find the spine to tell Trump no about the ballroom.”
–Congressional scholar Norm Ornstein” “Five lawless partisan hacks.”
–Former GOP Rep Joe Walsh: “Here’s the Supreme Court once again allowing the President of the United States to be a lawless dictator.”
–Trump took a victory lap after the ruling, calling the ruling “a gift,” and gloating that “this building will be one of the Greatest ever constructed in Washington, DC.”
The third news story was that just when you thought all was quiet on the Western front, Trump escalated the war in Iran again:
–The US military launched new strikes on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the first strikes in over a month. They struck rocket launchers that were about to launch sea mines into the strait from Larak Island.
–In retaliation, Iran launched drones at a UAE air base which targeted technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and enemy fighter jet positions at the US-operated base.
–Then Trump posted AI videos of Kharg Island with numerous explosions happening and the caption, “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens.” It would have been HUGE news if Kharg Island, which is responsible for 90% of Iranian crude oil exports, had been attacked, but it hadn’t. (It was not clear whether Trump–or Natalie, who does all his posting–knew that or not.)
–The top military brass has been privately warning Hegseth that the war in Iran is unsustainable and is draining America’s ability to defend itself from threats elsewhere and at home. Several four-star commanders reportedly filed “non-concur” objections to Hegseth’s actions, saying that they can’t sustain the war effort as ordered.
–Hegseth paid no attention to them. He dismissed their objections as Pete Derangement Syndrome.
–One of the moves they objected to was the new Acting Army Chief of Staff’s reassigning three heavy divisions from focusing on the Russian threat in Europe.
–Their biggest objection is to Hegseth’s maintaining 50,000 troops in the Middle East, which they said is completely unsustainable.
–Meanwhile, Trump spends most of his time golfing. Democratic Rep Don Beyer: “Trump’s war is a debacle, and he barely seems to care. He spends his days raving about his ballroom and alienating our allies with tantrums and stunts. At night he posts bizarre AI slop over and over again.”
In Trump Tries to Destroy Washington, DC news:
–Trump’s newest target is the iconic cherry trees given to us by Japan. He tore down an iconic cherry tree that dated back to one which was a gift from the Japanese emperor in 1912. Why? To build a new golf course, of course.
–He also cut down more than 60 other trees on Hains Point for a golf course that hasn’t been approved yet. (He’s following the same playbook as for his ballroom–do it first and then let people try to stop it.)
–Advocates have filed a lawsuit to force a full environmental impact study to protect the groves. The court told Trump he was allowed to cut down no more than ten and he destroyed 60.
–sunny: “I’m a native Washingtonian and worked my entire life in DC…Those trees are timeless and priceless and this piece of shit destroyed them. I couldn’t hate him more for what he has done to my hometown. It looks like a dump. Shameful.”
–Beth F: “He’s a madman, and someone/something needs to end this destruction.
JD Vance: “The gig is up–commit fraud against America and go to jail.”
In Trump’s dementia/madness news:
–Trump gave an interview to Trey Gowdy on Sunday night which didn’t do anything to change the view that he is, in fact, a madman. The interview was, in the words of Aaron Rupar, “pathetic.” Trump looked and sounded terrible.
–Trump: “If I weren’t President, Israel would be gone. There would be no Israel. And there would probably be no Middle East.”
–Julie Hotard, PhD: “He’s both cognitively impaired and narcissistic. He thinks nothing exists without him, because he thinks he’s the center of everything and responsible for all the good in the world.”
–Trump on Canada: “They think they’re a state, but they’re not a state.”
–Trump: “The only reason that communities should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.”
–Trump bragged about his golf game and talked about making really difficult shots (even though everyone knows he has his caddies move the ball out of the rough and cheats like crazy.)
–Josh Marshall: “It’s almost like an anti-jazz improvisation. His words even more than before have no meaning. What do these words even mean? The words have no connection to anything in the real world. They’ve achieved escape velocity from any connection to reality.”
–Trump: “The people that are opposing the ballroom are people that in my opinion are very disloyal to our country. Very, very disloyal to our country.”
–And, apropos of nothing, what happened to Trey Gowdy’s nose? He has always had an odd, narrow face with a small nose, but now he seems to be approaching Michael Jackson territory. Several journalists commented on it.
–post malone ergo propter: “Trey Gowdy’s always been a strange-looking mf, but press play for a jump scare if your anchor image for him is c2018.”
On Friday, Tucker Carlson weighed in which his opinion on Trump’s madness:
–He declared that Trump should be immediately removed from office if he is considering the use of nuclear weapons in Iran.
–Carlson: “That person is by definition a lunatic, a dangerous lunatic, who should not only be removed from any decision-making authority but should properly go to jail. Any leader of a country who suggests first-use of nuclear weapons has forfeited his right to lead. He has to be removed immediately.”
–And just a reminder, the definition of a narcissist is if he meets 5 of the following 9 criteria: grandiosity, fantasies of success, belief in being unique, excessive need for admiration, sense of entitlement, exploitative behavior, lack of empathy, envy, and/or arrogance. (Remind you of anybody we know?)
In Dolly Parton/Tim Curry news:
–One of the nicest tributes after Dolly Parton’s death was sent by the Muppets: “There will never be another quite like Dolly Parton. She was the ultimate singer, songwriter, actress, performer, and philanthropist. She filled this world with light and we are so grateful for every second we got to spend with her onstage and off.”
–Miss Piggy appeared with Dolly Parton several times on Dolly’s show. They sang “Friendship” together. You can watch it here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcgUQDJu3Xc/
–Dolly was named an honorary Muppet in 1986.
–New York Times: “They were two brassy blondes, outspoken and no-nonsense, trailblazing women in a world where men often pull the strings. Fond of flashy outfits and supported by quieter men, they wore their hearts on their spangled sleeves and sang about it, although in truth–one was more often in tune than the other.”
–The Muppets sent a lovely message on Tim Curry’s death: “We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s Crew. Thank you for everything, Tim.”
–Tim Curry wrote an autobiography, but it wasn’t a kiss and tell sort of book. He gallantly refused to talk about any of his love affairs–except the one with Miss Piggy. He said she was the great love of his life. When asked, “Was she everything that people said she was?” Curry said, “Everything and more.”
–Several people posted, “Has anybody checked on Miss Piggy this week to see if she’s okay? She’s suffered two great losses.”
–And you need to watch this lovely duet between Dolly and Kermit the Frog singing “Everyday People”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egN7l793DyU
In other news:
–The US Treasury is blocking journalists from covering the G20 financial conference. Among the organizations not being allowed to attend are the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg.
–The US says Chinese hackers broke into the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the Senate.
–Kentucky Republicans expect Mitch McConnell to return to the Senate to vote the farm bill out of committee in September–without him there’s an 11-11 tie. (No idea as to whether this expectation comes from inside knowledge of some kind or just wishful thinking. Or someone on Mitch’s staff lying to them.
In good news:
–Thousands marched in Washington, DC this weekend on the anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Bernie Sanders, AOC, and Martin Luther King III spoke at the march.
–New York just became the first state to ban data center construction.
–And in GREAT NEWS, the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope successfully launched this weekend. It will cast the widest gaze yet on hidden parts of the universe. NASA: “It’s going to find thousands of supernovas, tens of thousands of planets, billions of galaxies, and tens of billions of stars. It’s going to be able to do things that we’ve never been able to do before with its massive field of view.”
Best comment of the day from Quinn O’Flynn: “We live in a country where an alcoholic from Fox News runs our military, a former heroin addict is in charge of our health, and they both report to a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist. And Christians support them all. What a time to be alive!”
Keep calm and carry on,
Connie Willis
