https://apnews.com/article/vance-rubio-trump-iran-war-827d38a13661f5d3c1d637ac3fa8dd67
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Jane Doe 4 in the news.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/30/alleged-epstein-victim-trump-accuser
She is one of the only alleged Epstein victims to have directly accused Trump, and irregularities in the justice department’s handling of her case files have now become a rallying point for critics of the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, who is the US president’s nominee for permanent appointment.
A federal judge in Washington last week gave Blanche until 2 July to produce unredacted versions of files the justice department has already released, or provide an explanation for why it cannot produce the unredacted records. The Department of Justice was also ordered to release interview notes related to Jane Doe 4’s allegations. The decision was part of a civil case against Blanche brought by journalist Katie Phang.
Fraud on the court in the news.
https://www.amny.com/news/todd-blanche-judges-new-york-state-bar-complaint/
Over 100 current and former federal judges have sent a letter to the state’s court system raising serious concerns over acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and calling for a professional and ethics investigation into his conduct in office.
The judges allege that Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general after President Donald Trump fired Pam Bondi from the post in April, is operating with a conflict of interest because he previously defended Trump in criminal cases.
That is particularly concerning, the judges say, because Blanche’s day-to-day responsibilities involve overseeing investigations into the Epstein Files, where Trump, his former client, is referenced more than 5,300 times. Additionally, Blanche oversaw the questioning of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and co-conspirator, when he served as a deputy attorney general in 2025 before she was suddenly transferred to a minimum-security prison, going against the Bureau of Prisons’ policy for sex offenders.
The 73-page letter to the Attorney Grievance Committee within the state’s Office of Court Administration, authored jointly by the judges and legal advocacy groups Democracy Defenders Fund and Lawyers Defending American Democracy, expresses doubt he’s able to carry out his legal responsibility on that matter impartially, detailing roughly a dozen instances in which they’re concerned Blanche has acted improperly, mischaracterized something or violated professional ethical conduct.
It also calls into question Blanche’s participation in the recent settlement agreement that would have created a nearly $2 billion Anti-Weaponization slush fund, suggesting that while Blanche was supposed to be representing the people of the United States against the president in the matter, they’re concerned he was actually providing legal advice to Trump or throwing the case in the president’s favor.
When reached for comment, the Department of Justice charged that the judges’ complaint is a “pathetic stunt conjured up by activist judges” who are “desperate” for a “crumb of attention from the liberal media.”
Star Tribune, "Strib," drops a load on Tom Emmer saying, what Crabgrass has been seeing and publishing is correct. DC made the man worse than when he was saying crazy stuff while running unsuccessfully for Governor. A different man. DC got him, owns him. Finished as a human, even if he gets reelected. [UPDATED]
A short excerpt will do, from an unequivocal editorial -
Olson: Emmer drops to new low ― even for him
The cruelty of his “assimilate or go home” comment, directed at Minnesota’s Somali community, defies understanding.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Yes, the 65-year-old Republican remains the elected member of the Sixth Congressional District. He’s also the Majority Whip, the No. 3 spot, in the U.S. House hierarchy. He’s drawing a government check, and he’s got fabulous federal health insurance that likely covers the knee scooter he needs to get around the Capitol.
But Emmer’s no longer bothering to consider a portion of his district that includes up to 15% of the state’s Somali population, all but a tiny percentage of whom are here legally.
Emmer’s been in Congress since 2015 and he’s never flown higher than right now, thanks to his allegiance to every execrable utterance from President Donald Trump.
I’m obligated to remind you that Emmer has signed on with Trump after the president, with a single post on social media in 2023, spiked Emmer’s aspirations to ascend to the speakership of the U.S. House. At the time, Trump crowed, “He’s done. It’s over. I killed him.”
In response, Emmer transmogrified into the president’s permanent lapdog lest he be left off the list of bootlickers welcome at Mar-a-Lago on any given weekend.
No spine. No value. Showing a willingness to kiss Trump's ass. On cue, no questions asked. After Trump fucked him over on the speakership chance.
And the part of the headlining Strib added to the item, "[...] defies understanding." is untrue. We can understand precisely what we are seeing and called to deal with.
A willing racist demagogue barking dog, from a start years ago as a quaint local rural man.
He won Michele Bachmann's seat, and has found a way to outdo Bachmann in venomous publicly declared hate.
With Bachmann her scapegoat was gay people.
With Emmer it is Somalis. Ilhen Omar, a well assimilated Somali woman and Democratic House colleague of Emmer responded aptly, with grace, calmly noting that Doug Chapin is seeking the MN CD6 seat Emmer currently occupies.
Chapin has proven himself a gentleman in all aspects, experienced and well able to join Omar in Congress, with their joint goal being bettering the nation after Trump, Emmer and all Trump's allied others are replaced.
One final reflection back to the editorial -
Speaking at a “conservative town hall” sponsored by the nonprofit Faith & Freedom Coalition in D.C. last Thursday, Emmer punched down hard.
“Minnesotans are so afraid that you’re gonna call us ‘a racist,’ you’re gonna call us ‘an Islamophobe,’ you’re going to call us some name, that we just don’t want to get into that fight,” Emmer said. “You know what? I would argue that I never did care, but I’m done being careful, even the least bit careful.”
“They don’t assimilate,” he continued. “And if they don’t assimilate, then they should go the hell back to where they came from.”
I asked to interview Emmer on the topic. In response, his spokeswoman Sally Fox said, “That would be a total waste of his time. There’s nothing to add, and while it may come as a complete shock to the Star Tribune, most Minnesotans agree with Congressman Emmer.”
[...] History shows that assimilation takes time, at least a generation, and who does Emmer think he is to tell immigrants to give up their heritage?
Emmer’s led a good life. He grew up playing hockey in Edina and caddied at Interlachen Country Club. He’s married with children and grandchildren. He has a son with a high-profile job in Congress and a daughter who’s a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and the Wild.
At the peak of his professional life, with access to the nation’s highest office, Emmer’s focused on demeaning those with less rather then giving them a hand up.
Is this all just cynical performance politics to maintain his proximity to power? [...] In 2015, he and then-Democratic U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison created the Somalia Caucus, which sought to push for peace and defeat al-Shabab in that East African nation.
Ellison's kept the faith. Ellison remains who he's been.
It becomes undeniably clear Emmer set conscience aside to bare his worse racist teeth, in homage to Trump and Christian Nationalism in hope of being reelected as a racist fear-mongering regular Republican stiff. Seeking to keep a House seat by sacrifice of decency, for the Trump gutter. Emmer appears not to be as personally corrupt as Trump, but choosing to be a running dog nonetheless..
I believe in those of my neighbors who maintain the aggressive masked ICE melitiamen who invaded Minnesota for Trump and murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti have to be prosecuted. With Emmer, not surprisingly, by his absolute silence absenting himself from holding that group belief that justice be served. The man is done, as a man, even if racism reelects him. He sold out cheap. Win or lose, cheap.
We're absolutely lucky Chapin is such an exceptionally fit alternative.
Chapin, win or lose, is the better and more skilled human being.
UPDATE: The latest, Emmer reads a statement that perhaps Steven Miller wrote for him. Trashing Ilhen Omar. The unsaid part, she's got brown skin too. [CORRECTION. This item is dated April 21, 2026, months ago, and not current news. Crabgrass was in error to post it as current. Nothing current seems to be online about Emmer's assertions; see also, this April 2026 link,]
FURTHER: PiPress covers the Emmer racism, no paywall and with a CSPAN video clip of it, with the item noting midway -
“Minnesotans are so afraid that you’re gonna call us ‘a racist,’ you’re gonna call us ‘an Islamophobe,’ you’re going to call us some name, that we just don’t want to get into that fight,” said Emmer, the majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives. “You know what? I would argue that I never did care, but I’m done being careful, even the least bit careful.”
Emmer, who since 2015 has represented Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, went on to criticize what he described as a lack of assimilation among members of the state’s Somali community.
“And if they don’t assimilate, then they should go the hell back to where they came from,” he said.
Emmer has previously linked Minnesota’s recent public assistance fraud cases to members of the Somali community, drawing criticism from opponents who argue his comments unfairly characterize the broader community.
“I’m not afraid to stand up for what is right,” Emmer wrote in recent candidate questionnaire response to St. Cloud LIVE. “Whether it’s demanding answers from (Gov. Tim) Walz and (Minnesota Attorney General Keith) Ellison about their involvement in fraud or calling out Somali fraudsters who have ripped us off for too long, I’ll always fight for the men and women of our great state.”
Doug Chapin, a Democrat running to unseat Emmer, released a statement Thursday night criticizing Emmer’s remarks.
“If you’re more concerned about being called a racist than about saying racist things, you’ve lost sight of what public service is supposed to be,” Chapin said. “The problem isn’t that people might call you a racist. The problem is that using your position of authority to make statements dehumanizing an entire community makes you a racist.”
FURTHER: MSN reposts a Strib item with the repost, unlike the original, open and not behind a paywall. In closing it reported -
Before Trump was elected, the first-term Republican congressman defended Somalis against community pushback in St. Cloud. Emmer argued that as long as they moved into the community legally, “You don’t get to slam the gate behind you and tell nobody else that they’re welcome.”
But a decade later and now one of the most powerful Republicans in the country, Emmer was one of the chief defenders of Trump’s crackdown on Minnesota’s Somali community during Operation Metro Surge.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota’s highest-ranking Somali politician, whom Emmer and Trump frequently denounce, shot back at the congressman’s remarks.
“I assimilated all the way to Congress and this idiot still tells me to go back where I came from,” Omar said on X, urging her followers to support Emmer’s Democratic opponent, Doug Chapin, in the midterms.
Gov. Tim Walz also condemned Emmer’s remarks on social media.
“Imagine flushing your reputation down the toilet for the privilege of being Donald Trump’s skin tag,” Walz said.
The story has earned widespread coverage and for further links or future ongoing coverage readers can find more via
web search = latest news emmer remarks about somali residents in US
The Crabgrass guess is there will be a few more legs grown onto the story, but that Emmer may survive basically, with no law to back him up, on his bare opinion of Somali legal residents in the US, that they must "assimilate" with nothing further said by what he means by the word, or what authority is relies upon in pontificating "assimilation" is or should be some requirement of immigration law or that he'd like to make it so.
Emmer's mouth ran ahead of his brain. But now he willingly owns it. He is a bigot for what he said. He refuses to modify or recant. He went beyond criticizing immigrants who violate law, as problematic, to those simply not meeting has opinion of sufficient assimilation being demons. That was wrong. Wrong headed. Wrongful speech.
He was free to say it. We are free to judge from there to who Emmer really is and whether others might handle the Congressional seat better. Leave it there for now.
FURTHER: Emmer judges his intentional remarks enhance his chance of being reelected even with Trump polling numbers plunging while Trump says the same things.
What that says about Emmer's view of people in the district is vile. That one earlier quote, the spokesperson saying Emmer thinks most Minnesotans feel as he does. That hurts beyond any healing or change.
I am as upset as anyone else that criminals taking advantage of a program to see children in the nation are well fed was concentrated out of the Somali community, but there are thousands of Somali Minnesotan Americans, living and lawful, day in and day out; and to abuse and accuse each one of them, over bad conduct of tens of bad actors within their community, is to deny fairness to human beings with each as human as I am. That is not right. There is, after all, the golden rule, and a public official should never loose sight of that burden. That's a bottom line truth.
Now, leave it there. Enough has been written here, and other news exists and requires attention. There still is an unresolved war of choice.
Emmer is smaller than that. Less important.
Monday, June 29, 2026
In context, Iran is presently in a patient but insistent posture, insistance based upon reality. For background, Iran fought and won Dick Cheney's 8-year-long Iraq-Iran war. The US ate the cost of Sadam's defeat and rancor. Costring trillions. WMD lies and all. That is precursor to what seems one of the most intelligent analyses of post-war geo-truth so let's get to it.
https://www.techi.com/iran-economic-power-war-outcome/ - title - Could Iran Emerge as a New Economic Power? What the War's Outcome Means for Global Markets
The executive summary points at the beginning are all that need quoting
- Geography WinsIran's control of the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint for 20 million barrels of daily oil transit — has become its most valuable strategic asset.
- Five DemandsIran is negotiating sovereignty over Hormuz, war reparations, and security guarantees as the price of any ceasefire.
- Economic RealityDespite 40% inflation and a collapsing rial, Iran's foreign reserves, oil reserves, and BRICS relationships give it more staying power than Western analysts expected.
- Three ScenariosPost-war Iran can follow a sanctions-relief recovery path, a North Korea-style isolation path, or a Russia-style regional power path — each with distinct market implications.
- Investor WatchlistBrent crude spreads, Iranian oil export volumes, and BRICS settlement flows are the three signals that tell you which scenario is playing out.
==============================
War Risk PremiumsMarine war risk rates surged 5x after Hormuz closure, creating massive revenue opportunity for diversified insurers with government backstops. Chubb (CB)Lead underwriter on $20B government shipping insurance program. Combined ratio of 81-86% is best-in-class. Consensus target $338, Citi at $385. Berkshire (BRK.B)$373B cash and $176B float make it the most defensively positioned insurer. Greg Abel resumed buybacks March 4. Investment FrameworkTier 1 Buy: Chubb, Berkshire. Tier 2 Hold: Travelers, AIG. Tier 3 Avoid: Specialty marine/energy insurers with concentrated Gulf exposure. Hidden RiskPrivate credit defaults at 5.8% threaten insurers with alternative asset exposure. Watch BDC filings June 30 for potential write-downs.
You may only see the first set, but the second set is there too - showing up in a copy - paste first attempt. That is enough of an outline as each of the first set of headings gets fleshed out, sequentially, tightly, and logically.
There seems nothing there that is not evident when read, and presume the US and Iran understand this and Israel is either adrift entirely with nobody liking it; or the US continues a backstop function if the Israelis shut up the bitching and capitulate to what's going to be.
Yes, Israel has a nuke arsenal; yes, all of the Persian Gulf population and Israel relies upon desalination which is a constraining thought. And yes, Iran can hit Dimona and release some form of radiation horror that nobody wants to see.
The analysis cheats from "this will be," giving three alternative scenarios.
Perhaps a few other source links may update this post, but that's it for now.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten pointed to a poll from Marquette Law School that found the DSA now holds higher favorability than sitting congressional Democrats, from Democratic voters and leaners themselves. In his segment, Enten summarized it by saying: “Simply put, they’re more popular than the Democrats currently in charge.”
Amen. The headline is a run-together of two short paragraphs -
Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/29/centrist-democrats-democratic-socialists-backlash
MIght it touch upon trustworthiness? Mamdani more trustworthy than Schumer?
Or fundamental decency? Mamdani etc.
AOC etc.
"There are enormous ethical and legal concerns," said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who specializes in public health. "Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families."
The headline is an early paragraph in - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-launching-health-tracking-system-with-big-techs-help
Federal help, tracking your very own med records nationwide, or as Reagan said,
"I'm from the federal government and I'm here to help you."
Or not? They say it will be opt-in, whatever they mean by that, and who gets to see what if you're opting in or opting out is fuzzed around. You might think it over.
Is this done in other nations? How has it worked there, if it's done anywhere?
A federalized data bank of physician - patient interaction history sounds suspect.
UPDATE: Is this or this relevant? Isn't this we-aggregate-your-data off point on questions of medicare for all? Setting priorities before setting funding and implementation seems to have been done; data aggregation over fixing cost and delivery bottlenecks we all have been facing. Seems wholly inadequate and ass-backward to me. I wonder why they choose to move as they are doing.
Mr. Emmer writes " ***refuse to condemn him because *** scared of *** radical base*** ." He knows such fear?
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| click image to enlarge and read |
Looks fake. Either that is an AI Trump image, a cardboard prop left over from Trump U., or an inflatable party doll.
___________UPDATE__________
Mamdani is clearly more of an effective major nationwide political force than Emmer, and one of Emmer's major campaign paymasters in right in tune with Emmer against Mamdani as a threat to a status quo Emmer approves. The first of the two cited sources notes Schumer will be on the ballot in 2028. That Schumer might be vulnerable then could be major, Schumer being an entrenched conservative Dem, an enemy of progress, and an AIPAC-loving fool.
If the Mamdani effect can budge Schumer into retirement, it would be major. If AOC runs against Schumer, it looks much more likely that we might see reform.
Of interest, Mamdani is reported as unaggressive about Dem conservative Hakim Jeffreys' seat being at issue, this cycle. Which shows Mamdani is a practical progressive, not anybody's bomb thrower as Emmer wishes to paint him. Mamdani is a breath of fresh air. On the rise. A lasting power behind him is the hope.
_________________FURTHER UPDATE______________
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| click the image to read |
OR -- Read the full Guardian story, here. (The last time Emmer made it to mention in Guardian was when GOP House leadership futzed around in Speakeship jealosies)
Trump has a talent for causing memory of a word not used as much today as earlier: Schlock
Coverage here and here, renderings, here, from which this image was taken.
If it gets done, only one suggestion that Trump personalize it. Instead of golden lions at the four corners, make it gold-plated weasels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facepalm#/media/File:Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg
Sunday, June 28, 2026
It is appropriate to highlight something very promising and worthwhile happening in town, in Ramsey, MN, where I live and notice things going on.
Solar.
On otherwise unusable level wasteland, soil that cannot hold a building, the periphery of a closed landfill. The terraced main capped landfill is not something to be disturbed. Time works on the fill content, protectively capped, but there is an answer to what might we do to improve the town without damage to the fill?
The site - google map
The terraced landfill mound is south of the park area, with the ball diamonds for scale. That is the capped area - the main fill zone. The solar is located now at the intersection of Sunwood drive and Sunfish Lake Blvd, the lower corner half along Sunwood northward. Capped land and wetlands are left unchanged.
Solar installation in landfill areas are not new, the EPA has published Best Pratices guidelines dating back to 2022, if not earlier.
For the State of Minnesota, this is a pilot project - proof of concept.
A local newspaper has published detail:
Ramsey council OKs solar panels on closed landfill
The Ramsey City Council unanimously approved a site plan review for a Solar Energy System on its closed landfill.
The proposed site plan by Cedar Creek Energy is for a solar panel array on an approximately 24-acre portion of the landfill grounds, said Ramsey Planning Manager Todd Larson at the council’s meeting on April 8. The site is west of Sunfish Lake Boulevard, and north of Sunwood Drive.
“The site is basically all solar panels,” Larson said. “With a small area for some equipment.”
The site is zoned closed landfill, where solar energy systems are permitted; however, it is subject to a formal site plan review.
The site has some natural screening and will be secured by a 7-foot-tall galvanized woven-wire style fence.
[...] Alex Gast, Chief Operating Officer for Cedar Creek Energy in Blaine, spoke to the council about the project.
His office has been working with Conexus [the regional co-op energy supplier] to develop it and build the approximately 8,700 solar arrays, and they anticipate that they will work for more than 30 years.
“It’s frankly a really great use of the land,” Gast said. “With it being a closed landfill, the MCPA has ongoing monitoring requirements as part of this.”
Council Member Kirsten Bucher expressed support.
“I am really excited to see this, I think it’s incredibly important that we’re utilizing something like this to build our energy infrastructure on land that would not typically be able to be used,” Bucher said.
She then asked to hear about the company’s’ “community benefit plan for workforce development training.”
“As part of this project, Cedar Creek Energy intends to use our registered apprenticeship program,” Gast responded. “So we have a commitment for 15% on the job training to advance electricians in the field.”
Gast added the need for electricians in the state is “extremely high. We intend to use this project and others within our portfolio to advance these individuals.”
[...] “So what happens after the 30 years is a really good question, typically what we’re anticipating is repowering these systems,” Gast said.
Repowering entails recycling the module then installing new solar panels.
Council member Chris Riley asked staff what they are missing out on by allowing this.
“The land doesn’t have the soils that’s suitable to support a building, so we really can’t use it or get it turned back for building an industrial use on it,” Larson responded. “… Redeveloping into a parking lot and building just can’t happen.”
Council member Michael Olson asked if the panels would be secure enough given that the land isn’t stable enough for buildings.
“We have performed a substantial amount of geotechnical exploration on this site, …” Gast said. “What you’re going to see from a foundation type on this site is a driven I-beam or a pile system that’s going to go to a depth of around 10 feet.”
The site will have about 1,800 of those piles.
“Under high-wind events the tracking system itself goes into a wind stow mode to alleviate shear on the panels themselves, it goes flat, and essentially allows the wind to pass over it. Thus mitigating uplift and some of these other wind shear event type things that can happen.”
All that information has been confirmed by structural engineers, Gast said.
Mayor Ryan Heinemann asked if city residents will see any benefit from the project.
Brian Brant, CEO Connexus Energy, responded to the query.
“Ramsey’s growing, we have a greater electrical need,” Brant said. “Adding solar here negates the need to add additional substations and transmission lines for the city of Ramsey to meet their growing need. That’s the immediate benefit.”
An undated linkedin entry from roughly 2 months ago adds:
Built on a state-controlled brownfield site through the MPCA Closed Landfill Program, this 4.125 MW AC solar array is the first of its kind in Minnesota. It transforms previously unusable land into a productive source of renewable energy. The impact is real:
• Offsets 7,427 tons of CO2 annually
• Powers the equivalent of 830 homes
• Keeps the equivalent of 7.5 million tons of coal unburned each year
[...] Special recognition to Brian Burandt for his leadership and commitment in helping bring this project across the finish line.
Historical Background
For a general review nationwide try search = national efforts to add solar to landfills
With regard to Minnesota legislative history -
Thanks to legislation passed in 2019, the state commissioned a feasibility study on the subject. It concluded that it was very possible, but there are some barriers. Among the biggest: Of the 110 parcels of land in the Pollution Control Agency’s Closed Landfill Program, half have use restrictions from general obligation bonds used to fund their cleanup.
In other words, the solar arrays can’t go up until the bonds are retired. And some of them have 30-plus years left on their repayment schedule.
Could the process be sped up?
Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL-Northfield) sponsors HF1879 to create a pilot project to see if money from the state’s Renewable Development Account could be used to retire general obligation bonds on a closed landfill. The test case would be the Anoka-Ramsey landfill in Ramsey, and $3 million would be appropriated for the purpose.
With the removal of bonding restrictions, the site could be converted into a planned five-megawatt solar electric generation facility. According to the bill, the project must be owned and operated by an electric cooperative association that has more than 130,000 Minnesota customers.
The appropriation would be strictly to deal with the bonds, not to finance the project, procure land rights or manage the solar array.
[...] To briefly explain the Renewable Development Account: It’s a pot of state money that Xcel Energy pays into annually, set up in 1994 when Xcel was given permission to store nuclear waste at its Prairie Island plant in southeastern Minnesota. Storage at its Monticello plant was added in 2007. For each waste cask used, Xcel gives the state between $350,000 and $500,000 annually. The fund is earmarked for grants for the development of renewable energy sources in Minnesota.
“This pilot would make it possible for us to see if it’s possible for [Minnesota Management and Budget] to do this, and if this kind of model can work in the future,” said David Shaffer, executive director for the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association. “It’s outside Xcel service territory, but it would benefit Xcel customers in reducing their rates. It makes too much sense for Minnesota not to do.”
The company that wishes to build the solar facility is Connexus, an electric cooperative that serves the northern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. And that doesn’t sit well with Rick Evans, director of regional government affairs for Xcel Energy.
“Having Xcel customers pay for this would be like requiring you to pay off the debt on someone else’s mortgage,” he said.
Lippert responded that the pilot project could benefit Xcel Energy.
“There are 17 closed landfill sites within Xcel territory,” Lippert said. “That seems a good argument for use of the Renewable Development Account.”
Also - earlier this year naming of the program was dedicated to the memory of a Dem MN House Speaker who'd been gunned down in her home by a deranged Christian nationalist gunman.
Related legislative items, here and here. Familiarity with legislation archiving in Minnesota is needed on these links, which might only confuse those not so familiar.
BOTTOM LINE: This is, for Minnesota, a landmark first in what has proven nationwide to be sound repurposing of otherwise faulted land. Ramsey is first in proof of concept and implementation in State. City government and private sector firms making it work deserve recognition, which is the point of this post.
Crabgrass is unclear on this, but it appears the operation was completed and put onto the power grid in the last few days, but possibly that final step remains.
Without a link, Crabgrass has seen online that the local co-op has ceased a contract partial ownership of a North Dakota genco firm, now having customer status, so that the co-op doing community solar meets or assists meeting expanded electricity demand growth as more housing projects and business uses arise as the town grows.
Yes. From taking ideas from the same campaign site, and that should weigh on how you view things. That said - read about it -
https://www.chapinforcongress.com/events
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In person. You can see a calendar where you can attend an event and talk to Chapin, who will show up and want to hear your ideas and share his.
Emmer, you can see speaking at a Ralph Reed thing, about "assimilation" for people from all over the Christian nationalist world, while Chapin talks with Minnesotans who can learn about him and his thinking.
Ultimately, the MN CD6 election will be among those who share ideas face to face with the two candidates. Minnesotans. Not Ralph Reed activists.
Does Emmer think he can distant-propagandize the State? Are we like that?
Try this - and this is for Minnesotans who can and should go to one of Chapin's townhall scheduled events -
Chapin's issues page (https://www.chapinforcongress.com/issues) is complete and clear, organized that way. Not cutting corners. Direct, not cute or evasive.
Go to one of the events, pick any of the issues he summarizes on the page, one you think matters a lot, and talk to the man about it before the event begins, or during the event, ask about it for a detailed public answer. Hear the man out. It will be better than telling Somali people to "go back" if they don't "assimilate."
What Emmer means by assimilate is up for grabs, but it seems to involve being his view of a Catholic American middle class rural Trump supporter playing hockey and growing up in a family owning a lumber business. Less than that to Emmer would be failure to "assimilate." He appears that narrow and shallow. Buy into all "correct" propaganda, watch FOX. Think attacking Iran was smart. The right thing. And then wonder why the MOU is so favorable to Iran, wondering "who won?"
And don't think, Trump drags it out for his big-oil industrial buddies. He did it and does it and will do it for months, for you. That's how to "assimilate." Fool yourself, Emmer's way. Own a lumber yard
Guns and butter?
It would be nice to have decent healthcare and lower, more reasonable supermarket prices. Something better than paycheck to paycheck - is it possible, and who'd deliver it for us? Who has that simple direct vision?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37rV4AJvaxk
At the beginning you can spot the two teleprompters, which are giving us this speech.
This long repetitive speech. Teleprompter technology to you.
You can't eat AI. But the teleprompters, they can speak. Saying little.
UPDATE: You cannot eat a surveillance state or an F-35. An F-35, missile equipped, will not better your cancer survival odds. Your quality of life. Your disposable income levels.
There is a saying about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Heller, in Catch 22, had a character at the start, Lt. Scheisskopf, whose main skill was arranging parades. At the end, it was Scheisskopf, supreme commander.
Why does that come to mind - You tell me.
Demagogue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq3wnASvqJY
Joe McCarthy lives in GOP House whip land.
Doug Chapin is an answer to a question this hate-mongering pure idiot makes manifestly clear. The question? What's one simple thing to do aimed at bettering the nation?
Vote Doug.
Ralph Reed's kind, they should go back where they came from (Alexandria, MN, in Emmer's case).
Doug Chapin does not yell at you. He holds town halls. In Minnesota. No Ralph Reed. No hate. Simple, clear answers to what Minnesota and the rest of the nation needs to to improve, to be better than it is. He shuns long hate-thy-neighbor high volume ranting at people. He is as different from Emmer as light is from dark.
Thomas Emmer - How could my neighbors have elected this raving theatrical asshole? How?
Saturday, June 27, 2026
American Gothic -- When you lack, use two teleprompters. Let them talk - through you - to sincerely show who you are - a suit able to reed and say what the teleprompters say, and improvise.
If this is for you, enjoy it. You have the link -
 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FMbk7a2Sa0 |
How can paired teleprompters be that fatuous? Making it a contest for which is more dreadful as he pivots from one to the other, and improvises. Is "fatuosity" an actual word, or a concept some have it some not?
OED online
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun fatuosity. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
This word is now obsolete. It is only recorded in the late 1600s.
More than that, "see meaning and use," toggle that and get a subscription wall.
So much for the OED. The phrase "used to be."
Webster - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatuity -says
fatuity
noun
fa·tu·i·ty fÉ™-ˈtü-É™-tÄ“fa-,-ˈchü--ˈtyü-plural fatuities1a: something foolish or stupidb2archaic : the condition of being affected with intellectual disability or dementia
Crabgrass favors "fatuosity" anyway, but current usage seems "fatuity" when the speaker deserves it. Indeed, "fat-headed fatuity" says it all. While repeating itself.
And he's the President of the United States.
AI, or Steven Miller likely wrote the speech. I'd exempt AI, and take Miller authorship.
And it is all at a Ralph Reed presentation. Knock millions of doors for Jesus.
Poor man. Hung on a cross. And forever after abused by hucksters. Fatuity after fatuity dumped at the foot of the cross. As if what the Romans did was not enough, the torment of faith protestations for benefit goes on and on and on -
__________UPDATE_________
It is easy to stop there. It is enough to make the point, not overkill.
However, bear with me. Irony is its own reward.
Guardian on the Trump speech at the Ralph Reed event -
Donald Trump has previewed a Republican strategy for the midterm elections, seizing on a progressive sweep in New York to portray Democrats as “godless communists” who pose an existential threat to the nation.
The US president, who was a child during the “red scare”, seized on wins by democratic socialists backed by the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, to stoke fears that the Democratic party has embraced extremism that could lead to the violent persecution of Christians.
Remember that - red scare times, 1956 I-Like-Ike times. Red Scare days.
More -
[...] He focused on Tuesday’s Democratic primary election results in New York, where three leftwing [?] candidates endorsed by Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who is the city’s first Muslim mayor, upset incumbent or establishment rivals.The radical left “want to resume the transgender mutilation of children, they want to restart the war on Christians and churches, and as you saw with the communists elected in New York recently … they want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life,” Trump warned.
[...] Mockingly, the president said as a communist he could give free rent, houses and food, but the country would inevitably fail after two or three years. He said: “Everyone will suffer or die. That’s what happens.”
[...] He described the election winners in New York as “very troubling people” and claimed without evidence that they “want to destroy our country, and they hate our country and our people”.
Republicans have spent months trailing in the polls as voters accuse Trump of breaking his campaign promises to lower prices and keep the US out of foreign wars. But party strategists believe they have spotted an opening in the rise of Mamdani, giving them an opportunity to tag the entire Democratic party with the most extreme views of the left.
Put differently, the bull shits farther and farther to the Right, under the arrow of time, until falling of that edge of the earth by being too enamored with rightwing bullshit rhetoric over truth, first, and a disrespect for what some -indeed many - in the past have regarded as total reasonableness.
Consider:
Heather Cox Richardson, in turn, in addressing the podcast camera almost too tediously lays out what American tradition has been, the place of capitalism as a part of national heritage; Nineteenth Century leading into Twentieth; and a host other present day middle-road liberal ideology of arguably sound but conservative political management and goals - sounding at times too middle of the road from the Crabgrass view; while being of the stripe Trump stands at Ralph Reed's podium to label "marxist" as each of the two teleprompters tell him to say, Dems want to destroy the fabric of the nation.
At great length Richardson sets the table her way, sensibly so, pedantically so, until at about min 40:00 to 40:30 of the video she drops the hammer.
Take your choice, watch it sequentially or go to see the hammer drop first, whichever you've time or inclination to do, but she does construct a consistent coherent verbal structure, something Trump does not know the meaning of and JD shies away from as if it could give him a disease.
(Trump and JD in competition in moving with the bull rightward. Goosing the bull along. Marco a tag-along kid.)
And yes, the bull only moves Rightward, and fools never notice. And lo, we've got a trillionaire calling shots these days. A first. And groceries cost more, surprisingly so?
If you follow up on the Trump - Ralph Reed extravaganza speech, wear hip waders. It gets that deep.
Friday, June 26, 2026
Two links. Plus.
UPDATE: related, here, here and here
What's next is more important than what's been, although opinions can differ.
What's next has to be leading sane discussion. All else is smokescreen. Finger pointing. Shooting at Mr Pete is like saying Stephen Miller is a jerk - true but unhelpful. As to what's next.
Now that we are normalizing relations with Iran --
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| https://careers.cargill.com/en |
________________UPDATE________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y8ZfG6Ypdk
Monday, June 22, 2026
The Iranians seem to want JD front and center negotiating Trump's policy, and Trump is fine with that. JD spoke about Israel in Lebanon, and their having to recognize they have only one friendly head of state, Trump. One supportive nation, the US. Why exactly stress that truth? Publicly and in unequivocal words? Trump, and second in command?
Start with a Minnesota blogger putting up two recent sequential posts featuring links to FOX talking head Mark Levin. Here and here. Read the rest of this post, and then go back and check that out as much as you feel needed.
Trump is less of an assassination target if JD is on the identical page, chapter and verse, pushing things, in a way that if Trump were to be a target, nothing would change if JD stepped into the White House. Israel has its history. Stories exist suggesting Charlie Kirk's death happened after reexamining his stance on Israel.
Israeli airstrikes took out key Iranian figures in the recent past. A year ago, and then this February. Rabin was taken out by a faction in his own nation.
For a context, not as direct in speculation, The Young Turks, here and here.
More, here.
That is enough. So, with a mood brewing, Trump moving to end this war and bring Iran into the world's trading community; 300 billion investments in Iran by Gulf Arab states being allowed, Israel might not be happy if feeling differently than that it might be good with the new people doing the talking for Iran now, to try normalization.
Israel wants to continue its aggressive entry and war-making in Lebanon against Iran's proxy, Hezbollah. Iran and the US agree to negotiate about Labanon, and both belligerents there. It makes sense, Fox news talking heads saying otherwise or not, figure what's perhaps best long term if the new people talking for Iran negotiate reasonably.
What that means, is we have to wait and see. But JD is the man, Trump's and Iran's pick, and that means policy continuity whatever Trump's age and health may mean, or what other things could happen.
I do not believe this is an alarmist post. I think it makes sense.
___________UPDATE___________
Vance was publicly acknowledging what US officials have long preferred to leave unsaid: Israel’s international standing has deteriorated, its diplomatic isolation has deepened, and its dependence on the US has become increasingly pronounced. More importantly, he signalled that the Trump administration is no longer willing to treat Israeli objections as a veto over US policy – a potentially historic shift.
[,,,] The memorandum envisions sanctions relief, economic rehabilitation, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and restrictions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The administration argues that diplomacy offers a better path to regional stability than another cycle of confrontation.
For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, the agreement undermines a strategy he has pursued for years. Few foreign leaders have invested more effort than he did in convincing Washington that Iran should remain isolated, weakened, and constrained through sustained economic and military pressure. [...]
In effect, however Israel dislikes it, it is how it will be, and Israel, don't snuff Trump, is how Crabgrass views things. Israel has a history, almost call it a habit, and VERBOTEN is the message. Otherwise, things are not changed much. They still get US money, they still get US arms, so please behave for it to not be an issue.
More things, allusions to BDS would be merited, and might arise if Bibi's team fails to get their heads right. Crabgrass would favor worldwide BDS against Israel until certain clear things happen, but it's not to be. Too many bought or otherwise pro-Israel politicians in the US in the way. Sadly so. They've earned sterner measures.
See, also, this AJ post. It is relevant. Already posted, some Minnesota federal office holders have taken AIPAC campaign cash, over time, and that's a problem.
See, https://www.trackaipac.com/ for a view of AIPAC spending. Kennedy back then was right, and it still applies, AIPAC needs to register as an agent of a foreign government. Obviously, that's an opinion, not the law in the USA, which is highly unfortunate. No other nation gets such suck-up attention in the US, and no other one deserves it less. Opinions can range on such thinking.
________FURTHER UPDATE_________
Russia shares a protected Caspian trade route with Iran, and Russia has sanctions it would rather see dismissed. Russia is still at war with Ukraine, meaning Europe, the rest of it, likely is disinclined to cut Russia any slack. To the extent Google Analytics can be trusted for blog traffic, interest in what's posted here has peaked in recent days in Russia. Not world shattering numbers, but there has been some GA cataloging of traffic from there, on this blog.
There has been reporting of Russian and Iranian sharing of drone technology. Perhaps trade in actual weapons. With the ceasefire Iran may be more willing to ship a few more blow-it-up things to Russia, presuming Iran does have a surplus.
The volume and kinds of goods traded between the two nations would be interesting to track down, as best found on the web, but that's for others to pursue.
FURTHER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cPpKMMwXdI
Related to the question of giving Trump time and space to mop up the mess. Or you can say, "Now's the chance, we can get him while he's weak." That latter view would cause more death and grief, or could, and counterproductive paths are not good.
FURTHER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eamNmqJMngo -- more intelligent thinking over the next few months of international developments. The Iran nuclear posture is a real consideration and the oil market behavior too. However, what would be most encouraging would be for the US to shut down its bases in the area to leave people there to resolve their own futures; and if the Gulf Arab states wisely invest in and assist Iran in ways that generate mutual trust. If the US does not withdraw from the area, and reconcentrate upon renewable energy as a most sound direction, the nation will have lost a chance to better itself.
Trump's owing Big US Oil for his second term financing, partially so, is a problem.
Quietly, robo self-driving vehicles are proving less accident causing, statistically, than human drivers, and are catching on.
Try search = chinese self driving robotaxi efforts
We all know about Tesla because Musk has a big mouth and gets reported.
However, consider these four links, here, here, here and here.
A caveat, it is possible the US silence of spread of self-driving worldwide is only a US phenomenon, our people being told only what's "good" for them, and it is already an international realization otherwise. But in case not, the post is posted.
Friday, June 19, 2026
Go to the Whitehouse.gov site, and try this site search.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/?s=MOU
Well, the nation has other outlets for current event news, e.g.
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2067393004239814711
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-says-signed-iran-mou-002151037.html reports -
The White House shared a video on social media of Trump signing the document while sitting beside French President Emmanuel Macron in the historic palace that once housed the French monarchy. Maybe wistfulness.
The signing of the MOU puts the 110-day war, sparked by the U.S. and Israel launching a joint bombing campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, on pause while negotiations continue for 60 days on critical issues such as Iran's nuclear program.
Included in the terms of the agreement, other than the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts," is the termination of "all types of sanctions" against Iran, as well as the establishment of a $300 billion "reconstruction and economic development fund" for Iran.
Trump looks a bit bewildered by the palace, as if wondering about size and scope of his ballroom. Of course, that is but one guess at demeanor. More guesses are appropriate, unless he says something revealing his mood at the time.
_____________UPDATE___________
Crabgrass might be wrong thinking the White House is hiding from the deal. It was the White House posting on X.com, not on Trump's outlet, with millions of views.
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2067393004239814711
This will drag on, and how that all evolves will matter. We have to wait.
With the MOU text out, Guardian reports some Republicans are distancing themselves. What of Tom Emmer?
Emmer is as silent over this capitulation as he is silent about the ICE prosecutions that Trump/Vance are using as retribution against Emmer's state for opposing the Stephen Miller - Greg Bovino invasion by masked Gestapo.
Emmer is worthless. Emmer needs a job besides career politician. This election is one where it might happen. We hope.
Emmer seems happy to drag things out another 60 days, while the Minnesota and worldwide economies suffer. Why he feels that way is for him to explain.
Anytime, Tom.
Trump may have learned a lesson. Bibi, no learning curve. TOI has unkind words for Trump.
First two headline sentences are pure opinion. For the third:
A lot of death has arisen from Israel's "Greater Israel" advocates who are Bibi cabinet members because he needs them for a coalition, and does not find them odious.
Trump at least is flexible enough to alter a bad decision. He lost. But is cutting his losses. All the waste of killing many Iranians is showing up and Trump and Hegseth, whatever the motivation, have cut short the bad decision's consequences.
Crabgrass cannot fault JD for these true words.
But words are cheap, while actions matter. The action of the week is dialog with Iran, even if having to be conducted on Iran's terms. Where the Arab Gulf states are in things has been, and remains, unclear. China is China, and the US public educational system is lagging in the task of teaching and learning of Chinese within the nation. At least we are not all aflutter to learn Hebrew. For now.
Trump's surrender to Iran is not unconditional.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/14-point-draft-us-iran-deal-2026-06-17/
The big remaining question is how Trump and his offspring will monetize that surrender in their favor. Not whether, but how.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
While all this shit is happening they're coming for your Social Security.
Pioneer Press.
All this shit happening: https://www.twincities.com/2026/06/17/g7-leaders-trump-iran-war-deal/
They're coming: https://www.twincities.com/2026/06/17/lz-granderson-social-security-should-be-dominating-senate-campaign/
In Minnesota we know Peggy Flanagan is gold-star on not letting them get it.
Peggy's primary opponent? The DFL MN gov nominee? What I know is taking Israeli lobby money puts those two in the same camp as Tom Emmer (each of those two non-Peggy Dems at about half the MN leading Emmer take), per https://www.trackaipac.com/congress/#minnesota
Check it out. Figure it out. Money given Israel is money not for Social Security. Econ 101, guns and butter. That much is clear. Also, those three have been in DC some time while Big Pharma and Big Medicine have owned DC at the same time. But at least those two med-power lobby types will take Medicare money until it's taken away too.
Clean house. The nation can be better than it has been.
UPDATE: link There are governor choices of protest without voting for a Republican, or doing a primary write-in. A way to say to Amy in the primary that better is expected even when forced to go lesser evil and vote for her in the general election.
And there is Doug Chapin in MN6, a very sound DFL candidate with a chance to retire Emmer from a House seat and party whip to lobbying for crypto, or whatever.
FURTHER: pablum, not progress
Compare here, with detail, and teeth that bite. Amy is running on name recognition. Her dad, they say, was a good sports writer.
FURTHER: Critique this. Something missing?
Crabgrass is experiencing a headache and dazed confusion, to the tune of $300 billion. Is it there or not there?
“Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the U.S. is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, concluding the post with “President DJT.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump’s rebuke comes after a U.S. official told reporters earlier Monday, “We discussed the possibility of releasing frozen funds, sanctions relief, you know, a big $300 billion fund to rebuild their country, and all of these things are going to be tied to performance.”
Vice President Vance appeared to confirm the possibility in an interview with CBS News on Monday morning. When asked about the potential $300 billion to rebuild Iran, the vice president said, “that’s the sort of thing they could have access to, funded by the Gulf Coast Coalition, so long as they honor their end of the obligation.”
Vance is likely referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Aram [sic] Emirates.
We know Bibi and Hezbollah deny any role in the MOU. But these guys, they bought in? Or not? Quaint.
Continuing -
The New York Times previously reported the agreement included a provision for a $300 billion reconstruction investment fund for Iran, citing information from an Iranian official and a diplomat.
But senior U.S. officials also told reporters Monday that the memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed digitally over the weekend, is only the first step and that “real technical discussions” will begin later this week and be led by Vance.
"Senior U.S. officials" - who dat? "Real technical discussions," what dat?
Continuing - and this spikes the headache and confusion =
Before the MOU was signed over the weekend, the vice president said Tehran would not be “receiving any cash” under the agreement with the U.S.
SO - Tolls? Tolls not a part of the agreement, according to Vance? Or that just the U.S. will not be paying any, in that the U.S. does not move oil or LNG in and out of the Persian Gulf? It confuses.
What it seems to say is that Iranian tolls will cap out once they hit $300 billion, with no cash directly exchanged between the US and Iran; and that Trump knows no difference between million and billion, unless it's his take out from this and that.
Unfreezing Iranian assets would mean cash from impound released, so what does that Vance super-sized waffle mean regarding sanction relief to Iran?
Drip, drip, drip - slowly we learn what capitulation to Iranian demands means?
And TACO seems a part of the ambiguity. But what do I know?
____________UPDATE___________
Interesting, Sunni Pakistan and Shia Iran share a border, and in this currently unrolling situation they seem to be getting along fine. Pakistan being the one that has nukes, Iran being the one saying it has a right to enrich uranium 235 but has no bomb intention. There are kilograms of 60% enriched U-235, somewhere. And Trump emphasizes Iran says they have no bomb intentions, which they have said all along.
The difference is that earlier Obama had negotiated International inspections and Trump has not claimed the current understanding involves any such substantiation means. A lot of Iran remains as it was, and nobody has poisoned anybody else's desalination powers. This settlement situation is very curious. But don't look there much more, there are indictments of citizens in Minnesota. Filed under seal a few weeks ago, now being revealed. Timing? And the Pulte thing just reminds some of how Matt Gaetz was walked around the Senate by JD, before Pam Bondi.
Being played for fools is a judgment call. Circumstantial inferences can always have a range beyond what officials tell reporters.
FURTHER:
Why Trump’s proposal for Syria to fight Hezbollah will send shudders across Lebanon
 |
| https://time.com/article/2026/06/17/g7-leaders-call-for-immediate-ceasefire-lebanon-us-iran-peace-deal/ |
FURTHER:
If Syria and Iraq under current management are amenable, pick your pipeline routes into Turkey and the rest or Europe (including southern Caspian oil). If stability is expected, the Hormuz Strait remains a route to Asia, while new pipelines would be a route to Germany. Russia then having competition and ongoing pipeline reliance through Ukraine and repair of the Baltic blown-up lines. Who loses? Who wins? TAPI?
And AI players are queuing up for their IPO offerings to retail investors and pension funds. There could be no energy shortages, indeed, consumer nations playing one producer against others in a surplus scenario. Iran joining the game full time. Norway and Brazil players.
Brought to you by the peace President? But frack it, what do I know?
FURTHER:
Try search = china hydro river traffic lifts
The suggestion is China needs hydro because it lacks domestic fossil fuel resources for its needs.
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