Pete Hegseth, when he was an Army National Guard major, was one of 12 Guard members removed from duty at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021 following vetting by the FBI and military officials.
Those were all the credentials he needed for Trump to appoint him Defense Secretary.
BALDWIN: Will you use the CDC's wastewater monitoring program to track the use of mifepristone?
RFK Jr: I have no plans to do that at the moment
This is your reminder that it's been ten months since the assassination of Melissa Hortman, her husband and her dog, and there hasn't been even a hint of justice for her family, friends or colleagues.
Italy summons Russian ambassador following Solovyov’s insults against Giorgia Meloni.
During his program Full Contact, Solovyov addressed Meloni, calling her "Italian shame of humanity," "wild animal," "certified idiot," "Giorgia the whore," "ugly little mean woman," and "fascist creature."
Only 151 bugs, I'm surprised
For a codebase that size, that's small beer
I really love it when my MP, as the Home Secretary, jokes about physically assaulting and deporting her political rivals, all of whom are British citizens.
Just Dan Hannan quoting Enoch Powell on the subject of immigration [two dark screenshots]....
Hannan has previously said multiple times over multiple years that he *disagreed* with Powell on immigration [white screenshot - example from 2018].
So that's that then.
Fifteen minutes before the President announced he was pausing strikes on Iran, somebody moved $500 million in oil futures. Somebody knew. Somebody told them. Or somebody is them.
New piece ↓
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
This artwork by Goyō Ōtake, titled Maiko with Autumn Leaves, is a delicate example of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) from the early 20th century. The composition centers on a young maiko (apprentice geisha) dressed in a deep plum-colored kimono adorned with vibrant red and orange maple leaves, signaling the autumn season. Her hair is elaborately styled with traditional kanzashi hairpins, including small floral ornaments and dangling metallic chains. In her hand, she holds a small, black lacquered insect cage, a common accessory in Taishō-era art that suggests a refined appreciation for the ephemeral sounds of nature.
"Maiko with Autumn Leaves," created in the early 20th c by the Japanese artist Goyo Otake.
I will vote for the political party that puts it into its manifesto that they will upon winning the election will abolish the Home Office
𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗞𝗢, Untitled (White Cloud Over Purple), 1957
Oil on canvas
© 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
☼𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚒𝚘
Trump has created a defence crisis for the US. The military has heavily depleted key missile stockpiles during the Iran War, raising concerns about readiness for another major conflict, CNN reports.
One expert warned it has opened “a window of increased vulnerability”.
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photo of part of national theatre on southbank. from this pov it looks mostly like a jumble of shapes, under a level of one of the staircases a worker in a hi-vis jacket takes a smoke break and looks at his phone
smoke break
📷olympus xa
🎞️kentmere 400/ilfosol 3
📍southbank
#filmphotography #streetphotography #architecture #b&w
RFK Jr. just said that immigration is to blame for the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S., not him.
I did so when they voted to trigger A50.
This is not a Labour Party, @damedianajohnson.bsky.social: it is a toxic Reform warm-up act that prefers to pander to fascists than to stand up for its core values & members.
Russia, the USA and to some extent Britain, seem to be going in for a large amount of self harm
a photo of a small grey dog, named Baxter, laying flat on his stomach on a white couch covered with a dark grey blanket. the photo is taken from a distance while Baxter stares directly into the camera. the most notable part of Baxter's pose is the fact that his legs are comfortably propped up behind him at a 90 degree angle, creating an illusion that he's kicking up his feet like a teenage girl.
This is Baxter. He’s thinking about his crush. No he won’t tell you who it is. 12/10 (TT: jayshaun077)
1908 map of Barcelona from the Baedeker guide to Spain and Portugal.
"...Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."
Yeats, 1889.
The Italian Army Band celebrates Rome’s 2,779th birthday with a performance of the Superman soundtrack at the Spanish Steps #NatalediRoma
Q: On Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has just announced that Druzhba pipeline will resume operations very soon. Do you now expect an agreement on the €90 billion loan tomorrow?
KALLAS: Yes, we expect an agreement within 24 hours.
Billie Holiday by Charles Hewitt (probably from 1954).
And now for something completely different…
Peder Mørk Mønsted 1859-1941
Danish painter
Garden in bloom, Aalsgaarde - 1933
Oil on canvas - 61 x 40 cm
Private Collection
The Lunar Reflection of Mount Fuji This landscape photograph, titled The Silent Trinity, captures a fleeting celestial alignment over the iconic silhouette of Mount Fuji. Taken by photographer Yuga Kurita, the scene features the moon partially veiled by a soft cloud, positioned directly above the mountain's peak, with the bright point of Venus visible further to the left. In the foreground, a still body of water acts as a mirror, creating a perfect vertical reflection of the mountain, the moon, and a solitary tree that stands prominently on the left bank. The deep blues of the night sky and the dark silhouettes of the forest create a sense of profound stillness and cosmic order.
The Silent Trinity. Photography by Yuga Kurita on 500px (Mt. Fuji, Venus and Crescent Moon)
Ed Miliband has said he'll “double down, not back down” on government’s clean energy mission in the face of critics calling on him to change course
The Energy Sec said "solar panels, heat pumps and EVs are not woke, or a left-wing conspiracy, or even a Marxist plot. They're actually common sense"
Donald Trump has mocked the Pope, insulted him, militarily threatened him, and is now digging into his old Tweets to attack him some more.
I read the Pope's entire Twitter history, and this is what I found — including what scares Trump the most about Pope Leo.
Funnier than SNL, although that's not a high bar
How fucking bad has Trump been that he is allowing Iran of all regimes to be able to claim the moral high ground?
