Dear Everybody,

Here’s the news for August 9.

Do you feel lucky, punk? Trump has triggered 21 straight court losses in his quest for federal control over states’ rights to conduct elections as yet again the supposed champions of “States’ Rights.” try to steamroll over them. The administration argues that the states can’t be trusted to vet voter registrations on their own. It’s a shame to see this much of our taxpayer money being spend on undermining the Constitution, but Trump’s inability to hear “No” and his determination that every last defeat has to be elevated to the Supreme Court are attributes that make him occasionally succeed, much like someone who uses up $87 in tokens to “win” a $6 stuffed toy.  https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-loses-21-straight-court-battles-state-voter-rolls-midterms-near-2026-08-07/

DC Power Amplification.  A presidential power grab is growing on another front. Trump and Musk’s xAI are arguing that private citizens suing the government for violating federal laws are improperly intruding on the president’s Article II executive power. The initial challenge is in the environmental arena, but I think this is potentially a very big deal and would open the door for the Supremes to say a win would apply to many other avenues where citizen watchdogs try to keep the government honest.   https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-xai-environment-citizen-lawsuits-a46d8e3f20d0500175fe2ee981998323

“Yes, Sir, May I Have Another?” The Federal Communications Commission voted 2–1 to rescind a rule that capped the share of U.S. television households a single company can reach. The agency will now consider cases individually. One step closer to a day where a half-dozen mega corporations are all that’s left. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/06/fcc-plows-ahead-with-scrapping-tv-ownership-cap-01027287

Putin’s Folly. Russia and Ukraine are increasingly going after infrastructure. Ukraine attacked an Odesa Black Sea port, and Russia attacked a multi-story apartment building in Kharkiv.    https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraines-odesa-port-sustains-damage-russian-attack-zelenskiy-says-2026-08-09/  Zelenskyy says intelligence indicates 30,000–50,000 additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-up-50000-north-korean-troops-be-deployed-russia-2026-08-09/

Less Fat Man and More Little Boy. One outgrowth of Ukraine’s success in leveling the fighting field with drones is that Taiwan is building up their drone fleet to help discourage an attack from China. The government says it wants to make 100,000 drones per month by 2030. Somewhere in a lab, Skynet version 0.8 is making notes.  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/world/asia/taiwan-drone-china-invasion.html  And Mexican cartels are already using drones. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-mexican-cartels-are-using-drones-now-and-in-the-future/ The flying car future embodied in the Popular Science image is slipping away as we head for something much different.

One Step forward, One Step Back. Israel’s PM Netanyahu publicly rejected key provisions of Trump’s new 15-point Gaza plan, particularly the timetable for Israeli withdrawal.  This looks like a chicken-egg situation with withdrawal vs disarmament.   https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-rejects-trumps-15-point-plan-gaza-pm-netanyahu-says-2026-08-09/

The Great Satan vs the Strait Satan. Iran says the strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the U.S. “corrects its behavior.” It demanded that the U.S. never threaten Iran again, a permanent end to the war with Iran, a lifting of the naval blockade, and a withdrawal of the U.S. military from the area. The U.S. also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. And they want a puppy.   No, I made that up about the puppy. But the whole mess is obviously complicated by the fact that they must realize they are negotiating with someone who breaks almost every promise he makes.   https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-iran-hormuz-mideast-roundup-aug-9-2026-6c5aa0c5debcca3fa36316a8b0b67400

Battleship, 2026 Edition. Extreme heat in Europe is having multiple unanticipated consequences. One of them is that the Daube water levels have dropped so much that German vessels sunk during WW II are an increasing hazard to navigation.  Loose ships sink trips. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/world/europe/danube-germany-ships-serbia.html

History. August 9, 1173, construction was started on a bell tower in Italy that ultimately became known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. One thinks today of lofty and inspirational modern architectural dreams, including the Reflecting Pool and the East Wing. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/opinion/trump-washington-landmarks-arch-pool-east-wing.html

Revolutionary Finding. According to a study published in Onion, the explosive power of a rocket launcher can be increased by an astonishing 35 percent by shouting, “Suck on This!”  https://theonion.com/study-explosive-power-of-rocket-launcher-increased-35-by-shouting-suck-on-this/

This is John Stith, filling in for Connie Willis through the 12th.

As Connie says, keep calm and carry on,