Chloë M. Smith Ph.D., Sc.D.

ISRAEL’S ARAD IN RUINS AFTER IRANIAN MISSILE STRIKE AND HUGE SHOCKWAVE

#Yemen: The Foreign Ministry in Sana'a: The Americans are trying to implicate others and drag them into the quagmire they themselves entered. #IranUSWar #IranIsraelWar #IranWar #Iran #USA #Israel #TelAviv #Haifa

⚡️BREAKING Yemen to close Bab al Mandab strait if US forces try to capture Iran's Kharg Island It will cause devastating economic consequences - Tasnim

I beg everyone to watch All the Empty Rooms on Netflix, which just won the Oscar for Documentary Short. It is 35 minutes of incredible journalism. It is unbearably sad, but it is beautifully done. If you want to help prevent school violence, please visit @sandyhook.

The former officer now faces 14 charges across five cases involving girls and women ages 15–23 — including 5 kidnappings, 8 first‑degree sexual assault counts, and 1 third‑degree count from incidents between 1999 and 2003. wxyz.com/news/ex-detroi…

Any cop apologists want to answer this?

3 Cops smash man's face, knee him repeatedly, grind his head into the ground for nearly a minute and only stop once they see someone is recording their brutality. What part of 'protect and serve' is this?

This is a great checklist from Tom Santos for when Trump finally leaves office 👇 When Trump leaves office: The Department of War will go back to being the Defense Department. The Trump Kennedy Center will go back to being the Kennedy Center. The Gulf of America will once again be the Gulf of Mexico. The unfinished East Wing (it won't be finished by the end of Trump's term) will be rebuilt by the next president, and it will not be a ballroom. Federal agencies packed with unqualified loyalists will fire those people and rehire the career experts Trump fired. The Department of Justice will go back to enforcing the law instead of protecting the president. Scientific agencies like NOAA, the EPA, and the CDC will go back to publishing research without political interference. The U.S. will re-align with its allies and not with its enemies. The presidential pardon power will stop being used as a rewards program for loyalists. Inspectors General will go back to investigating corruption instead of getting fired for it. The White House press room will go back to having briefings, with real journalists and not podcasters. U.S. foreign policy will stop revolving around flattering dictators. And the world will progress as though Donald Trump never existed.

Chopper door gunner post-mission, Vietnam 1965. Can’t imagine the weight these guys carried after every mission. They need more care than we can give.

The Chilean father Danny Valdebenito moved thousands of people after sharing on social media the story of the special bond he has with his son Tomás, a boy who lives with severe autism and needs constant support in his daily life. For Danny, walking while holding his son’s hand is a simple, natural gesture. It is a way to protect him, guide him, and make him feel that he is never alone. But that normal gesture has sometimes become a reason for comments and judgmental looks from strangers. Often, when they walk down the street together, people stare at them with curiosity or make unkind remarks without knowing their story. Words that hurt, especially when they come from those who do not understand what it truly means to live alongside a person with autism. One day Danny decided to share everything in a Facebook post—not to seek sympathy, but to help people understand what it really means to be the father of a child like Tomás. In his message he wrote words that touched the hearts of thousands of people: “It’s hard to walk while holding the hand of your son with severe autism and hear cruel comments from people who don’t know how to stay silent. But I want you to know this, my son: I will never let go of your hand.” Those words quickly spread across the internet. The post went viral, and hundreds of people left messages of support, sharing similar experiences and thanking Danny for giving a voice to many parents who live with situations like this every day. But in his story there is also a very deep confession. Danny shared his greatest fear, one that many parents of children with disabilities often carry. “My greatest fear is not knowing what will happen to him when I am no longer here. We live in a society that can sometimes be frightening, and I worry about the future of my angel, Tomás.” Behind those words is the immense love of a father who knows he is the most important point of reference in his son’s life. The person who protects him from the world, helps him feel safe, and walks beside him every day, step by step. The story of Danny and Tomás is not only a story about autism. It is a story about a father’s love, the strength of family, and a simple yet powerful gesture: holding the hand of someone who needs us—and never letting go. ❤️

Admiral Alvin Holsey was Forced to Resign After Refusing to Carry Out Illegal Boat Strike Orders from Trump Administration. Admiral Holsey expressed concern for civilian casualties. Secretary Hegseth pushed back and reminded the admiral of his sworn duty. Admiral Holsey informed Hegseth that he had no intention of carrying out an illegal order after 40 years of service in the U.S. Navy. In response, Hegseth threatened to strip Holsey of his command. The meeting became heated and quickly adjourned. Less than 15 minutes later, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth received Admiral Alvin Holsey's letter of resignation. In recent days, members of Congress have reached out to Admiral Holsey requesting him to testify on events surrounding his resignation. Admiral Holsey has receipts and has agreed to testify. Holsey is recognized for breaking barriers as the first Black commander of SOUTHCOM and for his dedication to partnerships and strategic challenges in the Americas.

Two countries with nuclear weapons are bombing a country without nuclear weapons to prevent nukes, then tell the world to support the war to reopen a strait that wasn’t blocked before they started bombing it and now Trump is golfing at his shitty resort again.

Trump attacks Texas Democrat James Talarico — and gets a fiery sermon in response he won’t soon forget. Donald Trump apparently thought he could score cheap political points by calling James Talarico “an insult to Jesus,” because the Texas Democratic Senate candidate is “too progressive” and believes that God does not discriminate based on gender. Unfortunately for Don the Demented, he picked the wrong person. Standing in an African American church in Texas, Talarico didn’t just respond — he delivered a moral reckoning. “The President of the United States just said that I insulted Jesus,” Talarico began. “You know what insults Jesus? Denying healthcare to the sick while cutting taxes for billionaires.” And that was only the beginning. “You know what insults Jesus?” he continued. “Deporting strangers and separating babies from their mothers.” Then he went even further, turning his anger toward war, corruption, and hypocrisy. “You know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent schoolchildren in Iran and sending our brave men and women to die in yet another endless war… Covering up the Epstein files and then refusing to hold a single person accountable.” This wasn’t ordinary politics. It was a full-scale moral indictment. Talarico, whom Trump criticized for supporting transgender Americans and for saying that “transgender kids are God’s children,” completely flipped the script. Instead of backing down, he built his argument on the very teachings Trump tried to weaponize. “I’m not a perfect Christian,” he said. “There was only one perfect Christian, and he was crucified 2,000 years ago.” And then came the most powerful line: “Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves… Can we imagine war in heaven? Can we imagine intolerance in heaven? Can we imagine poverty in heaven? Then why do we tolerate it here on Earth?” This is how you respond. Not with insults. Not with fear. But with clarity and conviction. Trump tried to smear him. Instead, Talarico delivered a sermon that is now echoing far beyond that church.

Obama took down Bin Laden with a precise, surgical operation. No war. No civilian casualties. No energy crisis. Trump started a full-scale war with Iran. No exit strategy. No allies. Strait of Hormuz closed. Oil at $112 a barrel. One was a Commander in Chief. The other is a bull in a china shop. 🇺🇸

61 years ago today, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of people on a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama.

"We don't take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator ...we take an oath to the Constitution ... and we're willing to die to protect it". - Mark Milley (2023)