Pelham

I’ve said before that the most surprising thing to me about Americans’ reaction to the Trump era has been the relative indifference to flagrant corruption. I didn’t expect it and I don’t understand it. It’s the deadliest poison they’ve injected into the Republic’s bloodstream.

This is stupid. The 10 people represent vastly fewer deaths and missing people than you'd expect from the population represented by those 10 people, whichever way you slice it. Doocy's framing is "access to classified nuclear or aerospace material." The relevant population is the cleared workforce in those sectors. Conservatively: - Los Alamos National Laboratory: ~16,000 employees and contractors - Sandia National Laboratories: ~17,000 - Lawrence Livermore: ~8,000 - NASA (full agency + contractors): ~60,000 - Kansas City National Security Campus: ~7,000 - Air Force Research Laboratory and associated contractors: ~10,000+ - Aerospace defense contractors with nuclear/classified aerospace roles (Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop, Boeing, Aerojet, etc.): several hundred thousand A conservative minimum for "access to classified nuclear or aerospace material" is at least 500,000 people. The actual figure using Doocy's framing is arguably closer to 1–2 million if you include all cleared aerospace and defense contractor personnel. Expected deaths over ~2 years The ages of the 10 average around 59. For educated US professionals aged 45–70, annual all-cause mortality runs roughly 0.7–1.0% per year. Using 500,000 people at 0.8% per year over 2 years: Expected deaths = 500,000 × 0.008 × 2 = 8,000 Even in a far more restricted population of 50,000 the expected deaths are 800. Finding 10 is not anomalous — it is a near-invisible fraction of expected mortality. Expected homicides US homicide rate is approximately 6 per 100,000 per year. In 500,000 people over 2 years: Expected homicides = 500,000 × 0.00006 × 2 = 60 The list contains at most 2 genuine homicides (Loureiro and Grillmair) with identified perpetrators and no UAP connection. That is below the expected rate. Expected missing persons Roughly 600,000 people are reported missing in the US annually — about 0.18% per year. In 500,000 people over 2 years: Expected missing = 500,000 × 0.0018 × 2 = 1,800 The list contains 5 missing persons. Again, well within expectation. You can restrict the calculation to just "scientists"; it does not change anything. It's just cherry-picking some cases from the expected thousands and calling it a pattern.

NEW: Iran war powers resolution fails in House vote, 213 to 214 Democratic Rep. Jared Golden voted w/ the GOP against the measure, while Republican Rep. Thomas Massie voted with Dems for it. GOP Rep. Warren Davidson, who previously voted yes on it, voted "present" this time.

We are spending at least $500 million a day to bomb Iran. Imagine how many teachers we could hire, how many public housing units we could build, how many bridges and roads we could fix, if we spent that kind of money on improving life for working people?

A 25-year old married couple earning $150k will pay over $3k more in federal income tax for 2025 than a 65-year old married couple with the same income (note: assumes no social security - 65-year old couple is waiting to age 70 to get max benefit). This is a fair tax policy?