Why Charlie Gard is an argument against single-payer health care

The one reason why the left is so disconcerted about the case of Baby Charlie Gard is that he provides such a searing, personal argument against #Single Payer, government-run #health care. Ruth Graham, writing for Slate, laments the fact that “the right” is already citing the atrocity that is being visited upon Charlie and his parents by the bureaucrats of the British National Health Service. Nicole Russell, writing in the Federalist, suggests that is the very point. Human rights violations of the sort that Charlie is suffering is inherent in socialized medicine.

American missile defenses cannot reliably stop a North Korean attack

The recent test of a #North Korean ICBM had highlighted the need for developing an effective missile defense system. Thus far, results have been mixed. While the #United States had gotten a handle in warding off the short range and medium range missiles, defenses against longer-range missiles that the North Koreans are developing to strike the American homeland has proven to be inadequate at best.

Democrats are having problems going into the 2018 mid-terms

While the #democrats are pretty sure that they hate President #Donald Trump and all of his works, they are having problems figuring out what they are for. Their development of policy issues, candidates, and even slogans are proving to be less than fruitful. The failure could prove to be devastating for both the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election.

Kathy Griffin gets a visit from the Secret Service

#Kathy Griffin has certainly learned the cost of folly in the weeks after she held up what appeared to be the gore-soaked head of President #Donald Trump, thus scaring to death his son Barron and outraging the nation. She has lost her gig at CNN and a number of stand-up comedy appearances. The press conference during which she tearfully pronounced herself “broken” did not win her any sympathy. Hot Air now reports that Griffin has received the long anticipated visit by agents of the #Secret Service.

Virgin Galactic to start powered flights of SpaceShipTwo

Sir Richard Branson’s #Virgin Galactic has been trying to start a #Space Tourism business ever since SpaceShipOne won the Ansari XPrize in 2004. Branson’s predictions of an imminent beginning of commercial operations with his much larger SpaceShipTwo have come and gone with regularity. His plan suffered a major setback in 2014 when an accident took the life of one pilot and injured another.

Is regime change in Iran drawing nigh?

Iran has been a problem country for the #United States ever since the Islamic Revolution changed it from a reliable American ally to an implacable enemy in a matter of months in the late 1970s. The theocratic government in Tehran has been sponsoring terrorism and is embarked on building a nuclear arsenal with which to threaten its neighbors and the United States. The choice with which to deal with Iran has always been cast between appeasement, the policy followed by Barack Obama, or war. However, Amir Basiri, an Iranian human rights activist, suggests that #Regime Change may be closer than many people think.

Newly discovered photo may reveal the fate of Amelia Earhart

The mystery of what happened to #Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan on July 2, 1937, has puzzled historians for 80 years. All that was known for certain was that the plane the world famous female aviator and Noonan were flying in vanished and all communication ceased while over the #Pacific on a round the world flight,. A massive air and naval search failed to turn up either the plane or its occupants. Both Earhart and Noonan were declared dead. However, a newly found photograph from the National Archives may have at least solved the mystery.

Trey Parker promises no more Donald Trump jokes on ‘South Park’

“#South Park” has always been on the cutting edge and far past the envelope where humor is concerned. So when #Trey Parker, one of the purveyors of the long-running hit show, suggested that the upcoming season will avoid #Donald Trump jokes, he may have been signaling a seismic shift in popular culture. It could be that bashing the president as a ratings booster may be over.

India’s Narendra Modi visit to Israel facilitates military and commercial ties

According to the American Interest, when Indian Prime Minister #narendra modi visits #Israel it will constitute a breakthrough in relations between the two countries. The visit will represent a diplomatic triumph for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a defeat for the Palestinians and the Arab Middle East states. Israel and India will forge military and commercial ties that will profoundly change the geopolitical position of both countries.

CNN discovers who created the Trump clotheslining GIF

#CNN has announced that it has identified the person who created the #Gif that depicts #President Donald Trump clotheslining a person with the cable news logo superimposed on his head.The GIF was used by Trump in a tweet, It reports that the network has extracted an apology from the prankster and that he has taken down this and a number of other offensive GIFs. CNN has agreed not to publish the personal information of the person, though it reserves the right to do so “should any of that changes.” The cable network has created a social media firestorm as a result of its action.

Ted Cruz goes to McAllen, Texas for the 4th of July

The Texas Tribune notes that Sen. #Ted Cruz, R-Texas spent his #4Th Of July in McAllen, a heavily Hispanic and Democratic community in the Rio Grande Valley. Besides riding in the traditional parade in the back of a convertible through downtown McAllen, Cruz got to experience something that too many politicians have endured in the past year, which was to get yelled at by some of his constituents.

V. A. Shiva Ayyadurai trolls Elizabeth Warren with a DNA test kit

V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai is a legal immigrant who is setting out to do what so far no native-born American has managed to do, which is to end the political career of Sen. #Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. However, Ayyadurai has not let political differences stand in the way of showing courtesy. When Warren turned 68 in June, he sent her a #Dna Test kit. The senator and presidential candidate refused the kind gift and returned it.

North Korea launches another missile the day before American Independence Day

The North Koreans decided to commemorate #American Independence Day in their unique way by launching a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan the day before the holiday. The North Koreans claimed that the Hwasong-14 was an ICBM that could potentially reach Alaska. #President Donald Trump was, understandably, not amused.

Loss of the Chinese Long March 5 places its ambitious space schedule in doubt

The Chinese #Long March 5 suffered a launch failure, according to Space News, tumbling down into the ocean, and taking with it an experimental communication satellite. A previous Long March 5 failed to put a Shijian-17 satellite into proper orbit. However, the upper stage of the rocket managed to put the satellite into the right orbit later. The failure, the cause of which has yet to be determined, places the schedule of China’s #Sample Return Mission to the moon, a probe to Mars, and its first large space station at risk. The failure also places the United States, which plans to have several heavy-lift rockets available for deep space exploration, at a competitive advantage

Stephen Hawking says Trump is going to turn Earth into a new Venus

The famed theoretical physicist #Stephen Hawking has raised some eyebrows in the scientific community with a claim to the BBC that American President Donald #trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord will cause the Earth to become a like #Venus. That is to say, Earth would become a planet with an average of 250 degrees (according to Hawking) and raining sulfuric acid. According to the Daily Caller, as a number of climate scientists and environmental accidents are wondering why Hawking would say such a thing.

ZME asks whether a believing Christian should have anything to do with NASA

ZME Science recently posed a no doubt burning question. Can a believing #Christian be trusted to run the space program? The article comes down on the side of no when it comes to #Vice President #Mike Pence, slated to head the National Space Council.. At issue are some statements that Pence, a devout Christian, has made about the role of God in the creation of the universe.

President Donald Trump offers help for critically ill British baby Charlie Gard

#President Donald Trump tweeted a message offering help to Charlie Gard, the British infant who is suffering from a rare genetic disorder and who the UK #National Health Service prevent from undergoing an experimental treatment. An #NBC News correspondent based in London suggested that the president has sinister, political motives in giving the offer. The world awaited with baited breath for Trump’s reaction on Twitter.

Plot details of the second ‘Fantastic Beasts’ revealed

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the sequel to “#Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has started shooting and is aiming for a November 2018 release. It looks like that the stakes have risen with the big bad of the roaring twenties era of the American wizarding world, Grindelwald, is on the loose and up to no good.

NASA developing mini-nuclear power plants for deep space exploration

For most of its history, NASA has used three types of power generation technologies to provide energy to its spacecraft. These technologies include solar panels, RTGs, which use the decay of plutonium fuel to provide heat to generate electricity, and hydrogen fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water using a catalyst. Now, according to NBC, the space agency is looking at nuclear fission to provide power for future spacecraft and surface bases on the moon and Mars.

President Trump depicts himself clotheslining CNN

The latest tweetstorm that had the media all atwitter, as it were, resulted from a video President Donald Trump posted that depicted Trump clotheslining someone with a #CNN logo photoshopped over his head next to a wrestling ring. The uproar that resulted was either entertaining or appalling depending on one’s point of view. The incident raised a number of questions.

NASA’s DART to test an asteroid defense technique

The scenario in which an asteroid or a comet hit the Earth and destroys civilization, and much of the life on the planet, has been the stuff of scientific nightmares as well as science fiction drama. Several past asteroid impacts suggest that Earth changing events have already occurred and will likely happen again unless they are stopped. #NASA is setting about testing one way to ward off an asteroid impact.

Why the ‘red team vs. blue team’ approach to climate change is in order

The Washington Examiner is reporting that the EPA’s Scott Pruitt is contemplating forming a #Red Team vs. #Blue Team approach to examining the theory that human-caused climate change is real. And that it constitutes a clear and present danger to the planet. The idea is that a group of #Climate Change believers would go head to head with a group of climate change skeptics and each would present their case in public. The proposal is getting a lot of pushback from some in the scientific community.

4th of July barbecue can be more than just hamburgers and hot dogs

For most people, barbecue for the #4Th Of July or any other day consists of slapping a few #Hot Dogs or hamburgers on the grill and flipping them once to create meat kissed by fire. However, proper barbecue can be so much more, albeit time-consuming. What follows is how our Revolutionary War ancestors did when they barbecued meat.

Ted Cruz healthcare compromise gains support

The Washington Examiner is reporting that #Ted Cruz’s proposed amendment to the Senate version of the healthcare bill is gaining some support, at least among conservatives. This development occurred when President Donald Trump tweeted that if the Senate could not manage to come to an agreement on the bill, it should just repeal Obamacare at once and then replace it at a later date.

President Trump signs the order recreating the National Space Council

Before departing for his 4th of July vacation, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reviving the #National Space Council. The Space Council will consist of the heads of NASA and various cabinet departments and will be chaired by Vice President #Mike Pence. The council will coordinate the implementation of space policy across the government and provide the president advice for the development of the same.

Tesla’s Model Y Will Be Built Entirely By Robots

Washington Redskins wins its trademark battle

As Hot Air reports, the Department of Justice has given up a court battle that would have forced the #Washington Redskins football team to give up trademark protections for its name. The case was started when the Patent and Trademark Office that revoked the team’s trademark for its name citing the disparagement clause that prohibits trademarks that disparage people or groups of people. A #Supreme Court case that involved an Asian band that wanted to trademark its name, “The Slants,” found the clause to be unconstitutional.

Report: Bernie Sanders’ wife tried to evict disabled residents of a group home

The story of Jane Sanders, the wife of Sen. #Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, a former presidential candidate, who is under FBI investigation for bank fraud keeps getting worse. Judicial Watch claims that it has obtained documents that prove that Ms. Sanders tried to evict the residents of a #Group Home for disabled people. The evidence includes emails between Ms. Sanders and two mayors of Burlington, Vermont.

House Armed Services votes to create United States Space Corps

In a move that is being compared to the 1947 law that created the Department of Defense, the House #Armed Services Committee has voted as part of the 2017 Defense Authorization Bill to create the #United States Space Corps. By 2019, the United States #Air Force will spin off all of its space warfighting assets to the new branch of the service. The Air Force is not happy with the move.

How government-run healthcare in Great Britain is killing a baby

With the debate on health care still raging in the United States, and politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders [VIDEO], I-Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanding the imposition of single payer, government-run healthcare, it may be useful to examine how such systems work where they have been instituted. Hence, we have the case of little Charlie Gard, an infant suffering from a rare genetic disorder who has been condemned to die by #great britain’s socialist health system.

Fury over Trump tweet storm proceeds apace

The firestorm that is consuming Washington, but amusing the rest of the country, over President #Donald Trump’s Twitter broadside [VIDEO]against Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski is proceeding apace. An argument has broken out about whether Trump is mad or really a mad genius. Cogent arguments have been advanced for both propositions.

Senate Republicans struggle to come to yes for health care reform

As of this writing, Senate Republicans are still struggling to find a formula for a #Health Care Reform bill that at least 50 senators can accept. Senate Majority Leader #Mitch McConnell has taken $188 billion from the bill and is using the money to in effect bribe senators to come on board. In the meantime, Sen. #Ted Cruz, R-Texas has a compromise that might bring conservatives and moderates together.

Two strange Mars conspiracy theories

The folks at NASA are familiar with the conspiracy theory that men never went to the moon and that it was faked on a sound stage, likely by Stanley Kubrick. Now, however, a couple of other theories have risen from the media ooze concerning Mars, still the official target of NASA deep space exploration. The space agency has been obliged to deny both #Conspiracy theories.

Are you ready for the James Bond Cinematic Universe?

The Playlist is reporting that the producers of the #James Bond films are considering creating what would be, in effect, a Bond #Cinematic Universe, similar to the Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Wars universes. That means that along with the movies focusing on the iconic British secret agent, spinoff movies could happen starring supporting characters such as Q, Felix Leiter, or even Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The possibilities could be endless.

President Trump hits back at Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski

The good news, from President Donald Trump’s perspective, is that the media is no longer obsessing about Russia or the healthcare mess in the Senate. The bad news (though there is some argument about that) is that the media is now ablaze with outrage about what Trump tweeted about #Joe Scarborough and #Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC’s famous power couple.

Japan announces a plan to land people on the moon

The UK Daily Mail is reporting that the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has proposed that #Japan mount an effort to land an astronaut on the #moon by 2030. The effort would likely be part of an international effort. The proposal was probably made in response to an announcement by Japan’s Asian rival China to land astronauts on the moon, also by 2030.

Failure of single payer health care in California leads to death threats

The fallout of the collapse of an attempt to impose a single payer #health care system in California is proceeding apace. Various interest groups, such as the #California Nurses Association, are unhappy. Sen. #Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont has expressed his displeasure. Now, according to the Sacramento Bee, California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Reardon, who pulled the bill from this year’s legislative schedule, is the object of violent protests and even death threats.

Recall of California State Sen. Josh Newman advances

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that anti-tax activists in California have gathered more than enough signatures to place a recall vote on the November ballot to remove Democratic State Sen. #Josh Newman from office. At issue is an increase in the gas tax and car licensing fees passed by the California state legislature to pay for an infrastructure program that has sparked a #Tax Revolt that has the potential to rival the one that roiled the state’s politics in the late 1970s.

House proposes a big funding increase for NASA over White House proposal

The House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA plans to propose a massive increase for the #Space Agency, according to Space News. The proposed increase is above the level suggested by the Trump administration for FY 2018.

Companies are working on the next generation solar electric propulsion engines

The future of space propulsion may well be new technology being developed by two #Companies called 'MSNW' and 'Aerojet' under a NASA program called 'Next Step Technologies for Exploration Partnerships' (NextSTEP.) The technology is similar to the electric propulsion system that has sent a number of NASA probes throughout the solar system, including Dawn, which explored Vesta and Ceres, but with many times the power put into it. The program was going to be used for the now defunct Asteroid Redirect Mission but will soon be utilized for the moon and Mars, according to GeekWire.

Of ‘Rogue One’, Donald Trump, and ‘the Resistance’

I recently had a chance to watch “#Rogue One,” the Star Wars movie that appeared on the big screen around the holidays. The movie came out soon after the election of #Donald Trump as well as the untimely death of Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in many of the films. So apparently a lot of Trump’s enemies now identify with the characters in the movie and consider themselves as part of “the Resistance” against Emperor Trump.

Antifa may go to the Gettysburg battlefield to protest

The Gettysburg National Military Park is one of the most visited Civil War battlefields in the United States, for the excellent reason that the battle that was fought for three days in July in and around the formerly sleepy Pennsylvania town may have decided the course of the war. Of course, one of the peak visitation times is the anniversary of the battle, July 1 through 3. According to the Harrisburg 100 blog, there is social media chatter that some #Antifa protesters are planning to show up as well.

‘Mayday 109’ to depict the World War II heroics of John F. Kennedy

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Ansel Elgort, who is appearing in the current film “Baby Driver,” has been tapped to play Lt. JG John F. Kennedy in the upcoming “Mayday 109.” The film will tell the true story of the future president’s #World War Ii heroics when his PT boat was sunk by a #Japanese Destroyer. The movie was written by Samuel Franco and Evan Kilgore, who also wrote the script for “Keeper of the Diary,” the real story of how Otto Frank published his daughter Anne’s diary after World War II, now being directed by Kenneth Branagh.

‘1984’ play causes vomiting, screaming, and at least one fist fight

By all accounts that stage version of #George Orwell’s “1984” is not an easy night at the theater. The Washington Post reports that the torture scene, where the story’s protagonist Winston Smith is beaten and tormented with live rats, is causing people to vomit, scream, and in one case engage in a #Fist Fight.

Disturbed man rams 10 Commandments monument in Arkansas

The state of Arkansas recently erected a six feet tall monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitol, paid for with private funds. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, an apparently disturbed man named #Michael Tate Reed rammed the monument with his vehicle and destroyed it, yelling, “Freedom!” Reed was taken into custody immediately afterward and is being held without bail pending charges of defacing objects of public respect, trespassing on Capitol grounds and first-degree criminal mischief.

I appeared on a broadcast of the Texas Standard in which I discussed the issues I raised in my Forbes piece. I am at about the 24 minute mark. I need to make a minor correction. I referred to an "elliptical orbit" where I meant to say equatorial orbit in one of my answers. regret the error.

Addendum: Here is the rocket tax story.

Hugh Jackman to play Gary Hart in ‘The Frontrunner’

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that #Hugh Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in a number of Marvel Comics movies, is in talks to play #Gary Hart, the Democratic politician who was brought low because of an alleged affair with a woman named Donna Rice in a movie called “The Frontrunner.” The #Rise And Fall of Hart, who had started his career as George McGovern’s campaign manager in the 1972 presidential campaign before running for president in his own right in the 1980s, will serve as the basis of the movie.

Sarah Palin slaps a defamation suit against the New York Times

#Sarah Palin, following the “common sense suggestion” of a particular journalist, has decided to file suit against the #New York Times for defamation. At issue is an editorial the newspaper published that falsely linked her to the shooting of Gabby Giffords and several other people several years ago by a deranged gunman. The piece was published in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, a Republican, by another mentally disturbed shooter. The Times later issued a correction that Palin and her lawyers found to be inadequate.

What’s wrong with Barack Obama vacationing around the world?

When he was president, Barack Obama came under considerable criticism for his frequent vacations, not to mention golfing outings. Now that he is no longer distracted by public office, the former president has embarked on a series of vacations that are so opulent that he is getting ire directed at him from the left, according to Fox News.

Another attempt to bring Isaac Asimov’s ‘The Foundation’ to television

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Skydance Television is having a go at adapting #Isaac Asimov’s iconic science fiction series, “Foundation,” to the small screen. David Goyer, who was involved in the “Batman.” “Ghostrider,” and “Blade” series of films and Josh Friedman, who did the “War of the Worlds” remake and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” will develop the project. The deal has been reached with the Asimov estate, but thus far the project has not come to the stage of pitching it to markets.

Donald Trump gloats over CNN fake news scandal

President #Donald Trump took the occasion to gloat on Twitter in the wake of the resignation of three CNN staffers after a story linking one of his supporters to a Russian bank was retracted, according to the Hill. “Wow, CNN had to retract a big story on "Russia," with 3 employees forced to resign. What about all the other phony stories they do? #fake news!” The tweet came out the same day that an Operation Veritas video was released of CNN Supervising Producer John Bonifield admitting that the story about Russian collusion with the Trump administration is “b---s---.”

NASA denies claim by Anonymous that it has discovered alien life

Last week the hacking organization that goes by the name of #Anonymous claimed that #NASA was prepared to make an announcement about the discovery of #Alien Life. However, the space agency has been obliged to state that no such news is forthcoming at least for the time being. The item is an example of fake news derived from a part of a sentence uttered by NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen taken out of context.

Bernie and Jane Sanders under investigation for bank fraud

These days, it is not fun to be Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. This time last year, the elderly socialist was the hope of the progressive movement, albeit someone who had just got beat by Hillary Clinton. Now, though, Sanders and his wife are under investigation by the FBI for #Bank Fraud, a peculiar crime for someone who rails against capitalism for a living [VIDEO]. The turn of fortune is almost Shakespearean in its dimensions.

Jewish marchers expelled from a gay pride parade for carrying Star of David flag

A gay pride festival in Chicago, called “Dyke March,” that takes place annually before the official #Gay Pride Parade took an ugly turn when a group of Jewish marchers was expelled for carrying a flag with the #Star Of David on it. The reason, apparently, was that many at the parade were made uncomfortable by the presence of the universal symbol of Judaism. The march was considered pro-Palestinian and the flag, in the minds of its organizers, represented Zionism and thus a symbol of oppression.

More of my wisdom from Forbes Why The Proposed California Tax On Rockets Is Good For Texas

Supreme Court partly restores Trump travel ban pending review

During the final day of its current session, the #Supreme Court provided #President Donald Trump a clear victory by partly reinstating a #travel ban from majority Muslim countries that are centers of terrorism. The Court promised to rule on the full ban in the new session that starts in the fall. But since the travel ban was meant to be temporary pending a system of deep vetting of travelers from the countries in question, the ruling may be moot by the time it is made.

The Supreme Court makes decisions on two cases involving religious liberty

#The Supreme Court, on the last day of its current session, struck two blows for religious liberty. The first case involved a dispute between the #Trinity Lutheran Church and the state of Missouri. The other involves a Colorado bakery called Masterpiece Cakeshop that refused to bake a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding based on religious objections.

Blue Origin to build rocket engine factory in Huntsville, Alabama

L.com is reporting that #Blue Origin, the space launch company run by Amazon.com’s founder Jeff Bezos, intends to build a rocket engine factory in Huntsville, Alabama. The plant will manufacture 30 BE-4 engines per year for Blue Origin’s upcoming New Glenn rocket and United Launch Alliance rockets, the latter replacing Russian-made rocket engine. For various reasons, the move is considered shrewd from both a business and political perspective.

President Donald Trump to make United States an energy super power

According to Bloomberg, #President Donald Trump intends to roll out a new energy policy that will turn away from the Obama-era drive to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Instead, the policy goal is to establish American “dominance” in all forms of power generation, oil, gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables. The new policy will not only reflect the president’s skepticism about human-caused climate change but aligns energy policy more toward market realities.

SpaceX launces and then lands two Falcon 9s in just over 49 hours

Over the weekend, #SpaceX accomplished the rare feat of launching two #Falcon 9s within a little more than 49 hours and landing the first stages on separate sides of the United States. The first launch happened on Friday at the Kennedy Space Center, launching Bulgaria’s first communications satellite using a “fight proven” first stage. The second launch happened on Sunday and featured a new first stage with titanium fins to facilitate the landing to put 10 Iridium satellites into orbit from Vandenberg in California. Both launches and landings were brilliant successes.

‘Veep’ ends in a twist that sets up a political race for the ages

“#veep,” that marvelously funny satire on politics about a former president and vice president with a more than passing resemblance to Hillary Clinton, ended with a twist into some familiar and yet much-anticipated territory. The last episode of the season contained a number of flashbacks and ended with #Selina Meyer throwing away happiness to go after, once again, for that thing she craves more than anything.

Rand Paul willing to deal on Senate GOP healthcare bill

Sen, #Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, one of the conservative holdouts against the Senate version of the healthcare reform bill, signaled his willingness to make a deal that will allow him to switch his vote to a yes. While he favors a 100 percent repeal of Obamacare, he stated that he would certainly vote for 90 percent repeal and might be willing to accept 80 percent repeal. While he declined to reveal what percentage the current bill represented, it is clear that it is still below that threshold, the Washington Examiner suggested.

Vice President Mike Pence confronted by characters from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

n what must be considered a bit of creative, albeit, over the top street theater, a group of protestors showed up at a speech that Vice President #Mike Pence was giving to a social conservative group wearing the red robes and white bonnets of characters from “#The Handmaid’s Tale.” The costumes, from a novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, which has been turned into a series on Hulu [VIDEO], is set in a future world where radical Christians have overthrown the United States and had renamed it the #Republic Of Gilead.

Hugh Hewitt interviews CIA Director Mike Pompeo on his TV debut

Conservative radio commentator #Hugh Hewitt’s new MSNBC show debuted Saturday morning, June 24, with a half hour long interview with #Cia Director #Mike Pompeo, with aa discussion of national security issues ranging from ISIS to North Korea. Meanwhile, the left-wing rage over Hewitt’s invasion of the MSNBC safe space continued unabated.

California steps back from the brink of universal health care

When we last left the #California State Legislature, it had discovered, much to its horror, that its plan to impose a government-run, Canadian-style health care system would essentially triple the state budget and hence the tax burden for Californians. The left-leaning lawmakers in Sacramento really want universal healthcare as much as Christians crave salvation or a drunkard needs his next drink. But that kind of tax and spending increase was too much, even for them. So California decided to punt.

Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones voyage to a Heart of Darkness in ‘Ad Astra’

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that #Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Pitt are set to costar in a movie that has been described as “#Heart Of Darkness” in space entitled “Ad Astra.” The film, due to go into production in September. James Gray co-wrote the film and will direct.

Lunar exploration is a path to 'something wonderful'

Nancy Pelosi fights to keep her job

House Minority Leader #Nancy Pelosi, beset by a growing revolt within the #Democratic Party, has tried to justify her persistence in remaining in the House leadership. However, an increasing number of #democrats are demanding that she step aside and make way for younger leaders.

Going to Mars? This Astronaut Says We’re Not Ready Yet

How Donald Trump is helping Mexico meet its Paris emissions targets

In a weird convergence, the #Natural Gas fracking boom and Mexico’s adherence to the #Paris Climate Accord are going to cause that country to be dependent on American natural gas to meet the emissions targets, according to the Washington Examiner. Also, if President Trump builds to the southern border wall and covers it with solar panels, Mexico will likely buy the electricity from that combination solar collector/border barrier, in effect paying for the wall. As the president had been given to say, “Winning. So much winning.”

A professor of physics lists three problems for Elon Musk’s Mars colony

#Elon Musk’s vision of building a self-sustaining city of a million people on Mars has excited the imagination of the world and has caused considerable debate as to its feasibility and desirability. Andrew Coates, Professor of Physics, Deputy Director (Solar System) at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL is the latest to enter the fray, via the pages of the UK Daily Mail. Coates foresees three problems concerning Musk’s Mars colony idea, which can be labeled contamination, temperature, and radiation.

Johnny Depp imagines an actor assassinating Donald Trump

#Johnny Depp, the actor, best known for playing Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the #caribbean” films, just imagined a new role, if not for himself then maybe some other actor, that being a presidential assassin. He asked a crowd at Glastonbury 2017 music and arts festival, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” then he seemed to backtrack from the implication is a rambling, confused speech in which he claimed not to be an actor.

Elizabeth Warren did not get the memo on toning down rhetoric

When Rep Steve Scalise and several other people were shot during baseball practice by a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, many in the media and the political realm began to meditate how superheated rhetoric could inspire the mentally unhinged to take violent action. The idea is if one accuses one's opponents of wanting to starve children and kill old people, somebody is going to take such statements as fact and not just political hyperbole. Some talk actually occurred about softening the tone and restoring, to the extent possible, comity between the two political parties. Sadly, some people have not gotten the message.

House members mandate reusable rockets for the military

Eric Berger at Ars Technica notes that an amendment was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act that requires the government to consider the utility of reusable rockets for launching military payloads by #House lawmakers. The amendment represents a win for companies such as SpaceX and #Blue Origin which are developing reusable rockets and a challenge to United Launch Alliance to start doing the same. Congress was not always keen on reusability. What changed?

Why teleoperated reports are no substitute for humans on the Moon and Mars

IEEE Spectrum discusses a new debate that has arisen among scientists over the question of sending #people to explore other worlds such as the Moon and #Mars. The discussion is a twist on the ancient humans vs. robots debate that was actually resolved by a British Royal Astronomical Society study in 2004 in favor of people. The twist argument is that sending robots to the surface of a planet that is teleoperated by humans in orbit will be cheaper than sending people but just as effective as the human element is still present. The proposition has a number of flaws.

Wisconsin mulls bill to sanction people who disrupt campus speakers

One of the sad facts of life in modern America is that conservative speakers venture onto college campuses at their peril. The extreme case of what can happen took place at the University of California at Berkeley when Milo Yiannopoulos who was chased off campus by a mob of black-clad rioters who broke windows and set fires. Usually, student protestors will just scream and yell until the speaker gives up and leaves the stage or campus police to show up to escort the disrupters away. Now the #Wisconsin State Legislature is proposing to do something about these disruptions.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s new age website runs afoul of NASA

#Gwyneth Paltrow’s website, Goop, is a very fountain of strange advice for women’s health, along with fashion and travel tips. However, a company advertising what seems to be “healing stickers” has gone beyond the beyonds with a false claim that its product is based on NASA space suit technology, according to Gizmodo.

Chinese buy Soviet-era technology for a lunar lander

A deal reported by Popular Mechanics between the #Chinese and a Ukrainian aerospace firm suggests that #china may be aiming to put people on the moon sooner rather than later. Beijing has purchased the technology that the Soviet Union once developed for its version of the lunar module, the Lunny Korabl or Lunar Ship. The deal is likely to cut years off of the development of a Chinese lunar module.

Senate Republicans roll out ‘Obamacare Light’ bill

The Senate Republicans have rolled out their version of what they called Obamacare #Repeal and Replace. No one seems to be entirely satisfied with the work product that was done in secret by a group of senators. The right is calling it “Obamacare light.” The left predictably, is claiming that the bill will kill people. Hot Air suggests that it is all a ploy by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that will lead to something different being negotiated before the expected vote next week.

Hugh Hewitt given Saturday morning show on MSNBC

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt is being given his own Saturday morning show on MSNBC. Hewitt, who already contributes commentary to other programs on the left-leaning #Cable News Network, will premiere on Saturday, June 24 at 8 a.m. Eastern. His radio talk show airs on the weekday morning on 6 a. m. Eastern.

Even without the Paris Accord the US is already lowering carbon emissions

When President Donald Trump pulled out of the #Paris Climate Accord, informed opinion suggested that the end of the world was nigh. Without official federal government policies encouraging lower #Carbon Emissions, climate change caused by human action would proceed apace with resulting disasters decades hence.

Is Nancy Pelosi finally on her way out?

The recent special election for the Georgia 6th congressional district was billed as a referendum on #President Donald Trump. However, it looks like it may be one for House Minority Leader #Nancy Pelosi instead. In the wake of the latest defeat of Democrats at the hands of Republicans more voices are being raised for Pelosi, age 77, to retire and make way for a younger generation of Democrats in leadership, according to in NBC News. While the discontent over the aging House leader is indicative of general divisions within the party, Pelosi will be staying around, at least for now.

Is the former Obama administration about to get a special counsel?

The New York Post is reporting that the Obama administration may be about to get its own special counsel. The issue at hand is accusations of #Obstruction Of Justice by then Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Ironically, the origin of the drive to examine Obama era legal practices originates, as with Robert Mueller examining Donald Trump, former FBI Director James Comey.

Could olive oil be effective against Alzheimer’s?

Could extra virgin #Olive Oil be an effective treatment against the onset of Alzheimer’s? That conclusion was reached by a group of researchers at #Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine, according to USA Today. The findings could have a beneficial impact on since an aging population is expected to result in an explosion of people who suffer from the disease that robs them of memory and then their self-identity before killing them. Alzheimer’s takes the great, including former President Ronald Reagan and actors Charlton Heston and Gene Wilder, and the small alike. No cure currently exists, so some treatments are available that alieves some of the symptoms and even slows the progress of the disease.

Operation Highjump: When the US Militarized Antarctica

Democrats struggle to understand why they keep losing

In times past when #democrats lost special congressional elections in places like Montana and Kansas, they consoled themselves with the idea that they had won “moral victories,” the idea being that they had lost by less of a margin of error than usual. But with twin defeats in South Carolina and, especially, Georgia, that particular illusion is no longer possible. Now Democrats are scrambling to figure out why they are persistent losers, but in so doing are forming a classic circular firing squad, according to NBC News.

Team Indus still does not have a mission approval to shoot for the moon

#Team Indus, the Indian contestant in the #Google Lunar Xprize, seems to be ready for a planned December 28, 2017 launch to the moon. The group has secured a launch contract for a PSLV XL rocket, courtesy of Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO, the Indian equivalent of NASA. It intends to share the cost of the moon shot with Team Hakuto, the Japanese entrant to the private moon race. However, Team Indus as of this writing lacks official government permission to go to the moon, according to the Indian Express.

The European Space Agency greenlights two space missions

The #European Space Agency has just approved two major #Space Missions, according to Science magazine. One, the Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO), is designed to find planets in orbit around other stars, similar to NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. The other, Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), will detect gravity waves caused by interstellar catastrophes such as collisions of galaxies and the creation of supermassive black holes.

Directors out from the untitled Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ project

One of the more anticipated films to come out of the Star Wars universe has been the as yet untitled #Han Solo origin story. The film, starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, has been before the cameras since early 2017 and is scheduled to be released in May 2018. But now the project has lost its two directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, most famous for having made “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street.”

Karen Handel triumphs over Jon Ossoff in the Georgia 6th congressional election

The Democratic Party is currently 0 for 5 in special congressional elections, thanks to defeats in South Carolina and, especially, Georgia. The Democratic candidate #Jon Ossoff poured $30 million into the race for the Georgia 6th congressional district with a result that he lost to #Karen Handel by almost four percentage points, 51.9 to 48.1 percent according to the New York Times. The Democrats claimed that the race was a referendum on President #Donald Trump, an assessment that the president’s partisans were pleased to agree with.

Gamblers make their predictions for the 2020 presidential election

Even though the first term of the Trump administration is just five months old, many people do not think it is too soon to look forward to 2020. The folks at the Washington Examiner have taken a look at a site called Betonline.ag to see who might come out on top during the next presidential election. The long list of candidates and their odds are illuminating.

Dracula being brought to television by the guys who brought us ‘Sherlock’

Variety is reporting that the BBC is in the early stages of developing “Dracula” for television. The exciting part of the project is that it is going to be run by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who brought the world “#sherlock,” a modern retelling of the tales of the consulting detective written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The series will come out in limited seasons of feature-length episodes.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is racist

A lot of leftist commentators have praised the Hulu version of “#The Handmaid’s Tale” as being a dystopian horror story that has relevance for our times. The theory is that President #Donald Trump will, in short order, relegate all women to chattel [VIDEO] where they will be used as nothing but baby factories for the wealthy elite, the system justified by a peculiar reading of the Bible that most believing Christians cannot imagine, but that the book’s Canadian author, #Margaret Atwood, could. However, one of the sharp-eyed media critics at IO9 has discovered something unsettling about the Hulu series. It seems that “A Handmaid’s Tale" is racist.

Stephen Hawking wants to unite the world by exploring space

#Stephen Hawking, considered by some to be one of the most intelligent people in the world, has a bright idea to unite the world. The leading nations should combine their resources and effect a return to the moon by 2020. The effort would be followed by an expedition to Mars in 2025 and a lunar base in 30 years. He made this proposal at the Starmus Festival, which celebrates the sciences and arts in Trondheim, Norway according to the BBC.

Pay gap for Henry Cavill as 'Superman' and Gal Gadot’ as 'Wonder Woman' reported

Proving that the drama surrounding “#Wonder Woman” is almost as entertaining as the movie itself, the latest viral news to set social media on fire is the story that while #Henry Cavill made $14 million for “Man of Steel,” while Gal Gadot only made $300,000 for the much better performing “Wonder Woman.” Clearly, or at least uninformed opinion suggests, Hollywood sexism is in play. Actually, according to Vanity Fair, the comparison is #Apples To Oranges.

In the wake of Otto Warmbier’s death what is to be done with North Korea?

The sad and horrible death of #Otto Warmbier, held captive by #North Korea for 17 months before being returned with severe brain damage to his family, elicits the natural question, what should be done about it. The North Korean regime has slaughtered millions and has blighted the lives of tens of millions more during the hellish existence. However, an adage states that a single death is a tragedy but a million is a statistic, applies here. Warmbier’s murder cries out for retribution. However, as the Atlantic points out, there are no good options for dealing with North Korea, because of its immense military power and the insanity of its leadership.

NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope discovers 219 possible new worlds

#NASA has announced the recent discovery of what is calls 219 planet-candidates thanks to ongoing analysis if observations of the #Kepler Space Telescope. Of those possible planets, ten are thought to be rocky, near #Earth-sized worlds that are in orbit around their home stars where liquid water could occur on their surface, meaning life could exist on them. Follow-up observations by ground-based telescopes will now seek to verify these newly discovered planet-candidates.

‘Killjoys’ is coming back to SyFy at the end of June

One of the great aspects of summer for the past two years has been the fact that the SyFy Channel has run that great Canadian space opera, “Killjoys.” This year promises to be no exception, as the show returns for its third season on #June 30. The teaser trailer promises banter violence, intense heat, and unnecessary nudity as our heroes pursue the coolest job in the universe.

You will not believe what Lena Dunham tweeted about fathers

“Girls,” the HBO show that celebrated millennial dysfunction and vulgarity, is finally on the ash heap of history. However, its creator, Lena Dunham, seems to unwilling to follow the series that made her infamous into obscurity. Her latest atrocity was a snarky #Tweet that was apparently inspired by Father’s Day.

Russia threatens American aircraft over Syria

#Russia has issued a threat that all American aircraft operating west of the Euphrates River will now be considered “targets” by its forces in Syria. The warning stopped short of a promise to shoot #United States planes down. But, the threat demonstrates Russian anger at the downing of a Syrian bomber by the United States Navy F/A-18 while attacking Syrian Democratic Forces positions. The Russians are also suspending a communications line between its military and the American forces operating against ISIS in Syria.