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Thomas Jefferson letter goes on the market – containing a prescient warning for Trump today
Third US president wrote in 1787 about importance of peace, paying off debt and supporting agricultureA remarkably prescient letter written by Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, advising how the newly created country could prosper, has been put up for sale by a private collector. The handwritten document from 1787 warns specifically against many of the missteps Donald Trump has taken to drag down his own second term of office.Written in Paris, where Jefferson was the fledgling government's minister to France, the note to David Rittenhouse, a friend and fellow member of the American Philosophical Society, muses on the priorities and principles he believed future presidents should follow. Continue reading...
Pope Leo celebrates open-air mass before 700,000 people in Paris
Crowds line Place de la Concorde on second day of pontiff's first official papal visit to France in 18 yearsHundreds of thousands of people lined the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in ⁠Paris on Saturday to attend an open-air mass with Pope Leo, on the second day of his visit to France.The Vatican estimated 700,000 people turned out for the outdoor mass with the 71-year-old American pope – about 100,000 more than the number of people who had registered to attend. Continue reading...
Trump rejects Iran's seven-day peace deal to reopen strait of Hormuz
US president is said to expect renewed strikes after midtermsUS president Donald Trump has said he has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz within a week and resume nuclear talks in return for the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports."They made a proposal but I reject it," he told reporters at the White House. Continue reading...
RCMP respond to scene of police investigation in Moncton on Friday night
Codiac RCMP said in a social media post at 9:09 PM Friday that they were currently on scene of a police operation on promenade Léopold-F.-Belliveau in Moncton.
'The weaker he gets, the more dangerous he gets': Trump lashes out as his power wanes
Trump tries to dominate at the UN as his approval ratings plummet and even some Republicans stray from the scriptDonald Trump stood before the United Nations on Tuesday and threatened to "annihilate" Iran. Yet even as the most powerful man on the planet flexed his military muscles, he was powerless to keep the gravitational pull of domestic politics at bay.Heading into the UN building in New York, the US president was questioned by Kaitlan Collins, an anchor at CNN, which he had banned from the White House before a judge ruled against him. "I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me," the 80-year-old snapped. "You should not be here covering me." Continue reading...
New investigative piece into ChatGPT shines new light on the actions of Tumbler Ridge shooter
News that OpenAI failed to alert authorities about the disturbing ChatGPT interactions of the Tumbler Ridge shooter before the massacre took place set off a flurry of lawsuits against the tech giant. But the nature of those interactions wasn't publicly known – until now.
Trump says he has rejected Iranian proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after Iranian officials indicated that shipping through the critical waterway could resume within days if a deal was sealed."I rejected their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they're losing so badly," Trump told reporters as he boarded Marine One on the White House lawn, after indirect talks between the two countries were held on the sidelines of this week's United Nations General Assembly in New York."What they wanted is to immediately open the Hormuz Strait. You know why? Because they're dying. You know why they're dying? Because they have no money coming in because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait," he continued. "They outsmarted themselves. They said, 'Let's close it and cause a problem for the world.' And I came along, and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history."The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump had rejected Iran's offer to revive a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said Friday that the choice "rests with the United States.""If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days," Araghchi told reporters.He said a "concrete seven-day plan" that includes reopening the strait had been conveyed to the U.S. through mediator Qatar and was ready to start "as soon as the United States accepts this plan."Araghchi said the actions required of the U.S. in Iran's proposal were commitments already agreed to in the June memorandum of understanding between the two countries that laid out plans for a temporary ceasefire. That agreement, signed in June, collapsed within days after fresh strikes were exchanged.One of the conditions of the plan is for the U.S. to accept a maritime transit route through the Strait of Hormuz that has been agreed upon by Iran and Oman, Araghchi had said Thursday.A U.S. official said on Friday that the Trump administration was having positive and constructive discussions through the mediators but that it was not in any hurry to reach an agreement."The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz, so we are not in a rush," the U.S. official said. "Over the last 48 hours, nearly 40 million barrels of oil have transited the Strait."Early Saturday, President Donald Trump posted an image to Truth Social of the Strait of Hormuz labelled the "Trump Strait."Earlier this week, Trump said he was still considering whether to "annihilate" Iran or make a deal. Early Saturday, he posted an image to Truth Social of the Strait of Hormuz labeled the "Trump Strait."In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that resolving the Hormuz issue "is possible through negotiations, not the use of force," but warned that his country does not "trust" talks with Washington.Trump has repeatedly said that the goal of attacking Iran was to prevent the development of a nuclear weapon. Soon after the war started, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20% of the world's oil flowed before the conflict, sending shock waves through the world economy.Pezeshkian on Thursday suggested his government was willing to make a deal with the U.S. to end the war before Americans head to the polls this November."We don't want it to get to the midterm elections," Pezeshkian said in a brief meeting with NBC News and other news organizations, two days after Trump said that he believed the Iranian regime would not make a deal to settle the conflict until after November's elections."I believe we'll make a deal right after the election because it doesn't make sense for them not to," Trump said. "They're waiting to see how I do in the midterm election."Polls show Democrats with an advantage heading into the November midterms. The latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll found 31% of respondents approved of Trump's handling of the Iran war, while 69% disapproved.The U.S. this week announced it would put sanctions on any global companies doing business ​with Iranian airlines, with the aim of grounding Iran's entire civil fleet worldwide.Iraq said Saturday that it was engaging with the U.S. in an effort to restore humanitarian flights to and from Iran, after Iranian airlines were barred from neighboring countries in response to the sanctions. Efforts were ongoing to "secure exemptions for certain Iraqi airports from these measures" in order to enable "the resumption of flights for humanitarian reasons, such as medical treatment, education, religious pilgrimages, and the interests of civilians," the Iraqi prime minister's office said.Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that flights had also been shut down to Oman, Georgia and Azerbaijan.Abigail Williams, Monica Alba, Megan Shannon, Patrick Maguire and Betsy Mahoney contributed.
Trump's security lie creates the building blocks for his own prison
Sabrina Haake is a political analyst and 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. You can subscribe to her free Substack, The Haake Take.Veterans are standing in the middle of D.C.'s Memorial Circle at rush hour with banners denouncing plans for Trump's arch. Their continuing protest, which started on Memorial Day, features a replica arch and an urgent plea to "protect and defend the solemnity and honor of this hallowed ground."The veterans have a point the rest of us need to hear, including 'unitary executive' nonsense-spouting Supreme Court justices who think the madman at the helm is free to take a wrecking ball to our nation's historical monuments. At 25 stories tall, Trump's arch would deliberately diminish the stature of monuments around it, and would forever obscure historical sightlines, laid after the Civil War to symbolize national healing.At the protests, Retired Army Colonel Ann Wright, a 29-year Special Operations officer, carries an "over our dead bodies" banner for "Mr. Bonespurs, with five deferments from the military." The veterans' spokesperson explained that, "To place a memorial that would obstruct the unbroken viewshed from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington Cemetery would totally destroy all that this space represents."Trump's sacrilege The targeted sightline, unbroken across the Potomac River via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, was rendered two generations after the Civil War as a symbol of national reconciliation. The memorial to Abraham Lincoln, preserver of the Union, deliberately overlooks Arlington, the estate of Confederate Robert E. Lee and the hallowed burial grounds for both sides, to symbolize the enduring triumph of national unity over the tragedy of division. Alignment of those monuments was key. Lincoln's memorial ('A house divided against itself cannot stand') solemnly overlooks the shared blood and soil of Arlington's dead. Veterans are concerned that a giant arch dominating Arlington, now the final resting place of more than 400,000 war veterans, many of whom died in battle, would overpower the significance of their sacrifice.Retired Army Major General Paul Eaton called the arch "entirely inappropriate, (bordering) on sacrilege to the men and women buried" there. A Gold Star mother whose son is buried at Arlington lamented grievously that the arch's planned observation deck means tourists will be able to take selfies while burials are happening. "We don't need tourists overlooking funerals. I'm just appalled," she said. "We need everybody to speak out about this."The legal battleIn May, a federal panel packed with Trump appointees approved plans for the arch, then in August, the National Park Service found the monument would have "adverse effects" on several historic sites. Although aviation experts noted the hazards of a 250-foot arch near the runway of one of the nation's busiest airports, last week Trump's FAA approved the plans.Meanwhile, Vietnam War veterans have sued to stop the project, challenging the arch for both lacking congressional authority and blocking historically significant monument sightlines. Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered the administration to provide at least 48 hours' notice before conducting any activities on the planned arch while the case is pending. After that order, over a year after revealing plans for the arch, and after the Supreme Court let Trump get away with his ballroom on manufactured national security grounds, Trump then raised a national security rationale for the arch. Last Sunday, Trump claimed that he'd "agreed" to convert the proposed arch, at the "strong request" of the military, "into a top grade Military Complex/ Triumphal Arch," alleging that:"(F)or National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch, planned since the Civil War Era many years ago, (laughably false)… into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch…" Trump said his arch would "house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage." Arlington's historic message of national healing — and the devastation of its opposite — is sadly lost on the most divisive president in our nation's history. He also seems to miss how a Hitler-inspired monument would discourage tourists who may not want snipers aimed at their heads.Ye old national security ruseCourts have long given deference to the executive on matters of national security. In 1936, the Supreme Court said presidents must have 'wide latitude in security affairs,' reiterating the same in 1988, and again in 2018. Small wonder Trump is now claiming that his decorative arch is "necessary to protect US national security." Never mind that it took Trump over a year to manufacture a "national security" rationale for his obviously ornamental arch.Trump's security claim is just another well-worn litigation ruse. He also cited national security to defend both unconstitutional immigration tactics and his ban of several media outlets from the White House. He even claimed that trade relations posed an "unusual and extraordinary threat to national security" to defend his tariffs, an argument the Supreme Court rejected.The ballroom decision illustrates the flaw of the "unitary executive" theoryAfter the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump's sprawling ballroom, however, the same flawed analysis could protect Trump's arch. Even after Chief Justice Roberts wrote that Trump's ballroom was "likely unlawful," the other conservative justices determined that the National Trust for Historic Preservation couldn't block it, because "mere offense, disagreement, or distaste" wasn't enough to constitute an injury for purposes of standing, trashing decades of legal precedent whereby historic preservationists successfully sued to protect historic landmarks. The question now dangling before a nation dreading a Hitlerian arch in D.C. is this: If a National Trust created by Congress to act as guardians of historic monuments doesn't have standing to sue to protect those monuments, who the hell does? If SCOTUS approves this arch, under its misguided 'unitary executive' theory that contradicts the founders' intentions of never having a king again, wait for Trump to sandblast his name into all four sides of the Washington Monument, install a statue of himself sitting in the Lincoln Memorial, and carve his own face on Mount Rushmore. The only silver lining of such a ruling would be that the next president would then possess the legal authority to build another monument on the basis of national security: a permanent prison cell around Trump, open for public viewing at feeding times. Only then, the security justification will be real.
US supreme court rejects Republican-drawn midterm map in Missouri for third time – as it happened
Long-running fight over Trump-backed maps takes another turn as absentee voting is already under way in Missouri. This blog is now closed.Sign up for US Breaking News emailsXi Jinping and his wife are back at the White House for the final day of the Chinese president's pageantry-filled visit to Washington, where President Trump has given him an unexpectedly warm welcome.The itinerary for the final day of Xi's visit – which included a red carpet welcome on the tarmac on Wednesday, then a full day of talks followed by a lavish state dinner on Thursday – included an appointment for tea at the White House, followed by a tour of the National Archives, where the nation's founding documents are on display. Continue reading...
Kiké Hernández hits tiebreaking home run leading off 9th to lift Dodgers over Giants 4-3
Kiké Hernández hit a tiebreaking home run leading off the ninth inning, Mookie Betts also homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Saturday.Bo Davidson hit a tying sacrifice fly off Evan Phillips (3-2) with two outs in the eighth for San Francisco before Hernández answered against Trent Harris (0-1) for his fourth homer.Tanner Scott closed out a second straight game, earning his 25th save.Betts homered with two outs in the third inning for his team’s first hit before Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman added RBI singles the next two innings.Betts' blast to the bleachers in left-center sent the large contingent of Dodgers fans in the sellout crowd of 40,124 at Oracle Park into a frenzy on a beautiful sunny afternoon in the Bay Area.Shohei Ohtani, playing for a fourth straight day following a 13-game absence with right biceps discomfort, went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts after an 0-for-4 showing with three Ks on Friday night.When Camilo Doval pitched the seventh for San Francisco, he became the 71st player used by the club this season — matching Atlanta’s MLB record set last year.Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell struck out three and didn't walk a batter, allowing one run on five hits over four innings in his final playoff tune-up.The Giants lost their fourth straight, seventh of eight and seventh in a row to the rival Dodgers after taking four of five in the series to start the year.Los Angeles earned its 14th shutout of the season in a 2-0 win Friday, then manager Dave Roberts rested first baseman Freddie Freeman and gave Hernández a start. The Dodgers improved their majors-best road record to 48-32.Up nextNeither team had announced its starter for Sunday’s regular-season finale, when beloved Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow will be celebrated before he retires from the booth after nearly four decades.
On TV
The Simpsons — 38x1: "The Children's Book Job" (FOX)
A British children's book author comes to Springfield to give a talk at Springfield Elementary School. Homer is tasked with picking her up from the airport, but things go bad from there.
New Music

No new drops today. Go rediscover something in your old playlists.

In theaters

No new releases hitting theaters today. Your popcorn can wait.

Launching today

Nothing launching today. Every rocket is staying grounded and behaving.

Useless Fact

Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7070
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CAD → EUR
0.6203
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Today In History
2019 — Global Climate Strike Led by Greta Thunberg
A week of international climate change protests—led by youths, notably Swedish activist Greta Thunberg—ended, with millions having participated in the demonstrations
2008 — Chinese Astronaut Zhai Zhigang Performs First Spacewalk
Chineseastronaut Zhai Zhigangperformed China's first spacewalk
1996 — Taliban Seize Kabul, Declare Islamic State in Afghanistan
In 1996, the Taliban, led by Mohammad Omar, seized control of the capital city of Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban then declared that all of Afghanistan was now an Islamic state under their rule.
1964 — Warren Commission Releases Findings on JFK Assassination
Following months of investigation into the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Warren Commission released its official findings in 1964.
1962 — Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring published, sparking the modern environmental movement
1954 — The Tonight Show Premieres with Steve Allen as Host
The landmark late-evening talk show and variety program The Tonight Show premiered (as Tonight!), with Steve Allen as host
1918 — British Forces Assault Hindenburg Line in WW1
British forces attacked the Hindenburg Line, a key German defensive position, in the final major offensive on the Western Front during World War I.
1777 — Continental Congress Holds One-Day Session in Lancaster
During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress, having fled Philadelphia, held a session in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making the city the capital of the American colonies for one day
1601 — Birth of Louis XIII, King of France
Louis XIII, king of France from 1610 to 1643, was born. How much do you know about French history?
1590 — Urban VII's Extremely Brief Papacy
Twelve days after being elected pope, Urban VII died, making his papacy the shortest in the history of the Catholic Church.
1540 — Founding of the Jesuit Order Approved by Pope Paul III in 1540
The Jesuitorder, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, was approved by Pope Paul III
1066 — Norman Conquest begun
On this day in 1066, after being delayed by bad weather, William, duke of Normandy, embarked his army and set sail for the southeastern coast of England in what would be known in history as the Norman Conquest

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.