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INTERIOR WARMING with generally minor HeatRisk through Thursday. Stronger coastal northerlies expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Cooler temperatures with strong west and northwest winds expected for interior valleys and ridges Thursday through Saturday. (NWS)
STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): It was certainly a beautiful day yesterday but the wind never did come up? Our forecast remains the same for clear skies & breezy into the weekend but the fog has rebuilt just offshore so . . . 48F with clear skies this Wednesday morning on the coast.
AMY BALLEW KELLEY
It is with a very heavy heart, but also a joyful one, that I let y’all know that Mama went home to her Daddy, my Daddy, her precious Randy, her mama and all her family that went before her on Sunday, Father’s Day.
Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7 at Smith Family Funeral Home. Services will be Friday at 11 at Avant Community Church in Avant with burial to follow at Oakwood Cemetery.
I will post the obituary and video tomorrow when it is available. Mrs. Ballew is a former resident of Boonville where her son, Vince Ballew, still resides.
CALTRANS HAS PAVEMENT PLANS FOR BOONVILLE.
A semi-formal group of about two dozen Boonville residents and business owners (most with gray hair) met Monday afternoon on the deck behind the Paysanne ice-cream shop to discuss Caltrans’ plans to re-pave most of downtown Boonville with wide sidewalks and other “improvements.” Speaking for himself (and not the Communty Services District where he is a board member) organizer Sash Williams, a structural engineer by profession and downtown Boonville resident acting as a private citizen, said he had been working with a Caltrans rep who seemed receptive to local input. Based on experience, locals are skeptical of Caltrans’ plans and hope to have some influence on the plans. Williams said the repaving schedule at the moment looks like, maybe 2029, but is subject to change due to many factors, chief among them the possible installation of a water-sewer project over most of the same downtown area. A volunteer architect (first name Ned, last name illegible) has also been working with Williams laid out some topo maps of the area showing the 80-foot wide Caltrans swath down the middle of town, as measured from the center-line of Highway 128 to 40 feet on either side (basically the outside edge of where most of the existing private sidewalks are. Caltrans wants eliminate the current head-in diagonal parking along most of downtown and replace it with either parallel parking or back-in diagonal parking. Locals seemed to agree that they preferred to breakdown into at least three zones where the central area would be diagonal and the further north and south would be parallel. They also agreed that existing sidewalks should be incorporated, not destroyed; that as much permeable/non-concrete area as possible be left unpaved, that traffic calming and lane narrowing downtown would be safer. Other considerations might include a roundabout at the corner of Highway 128 and 253, more off-street parking, especially in underutilized areas, undergrounding of utilities and bike lanes, perhaps on one side only. Apparently there’s some kind of “time crush” to influence Caltrans even though the schedule seems pretty far off. More meetings are planned. Perhaps in the future organizers and/or Caltrans will put out a press release, develop a website, and invite Caltrans to a future meeting.
(Mark Scaramella)
IN CUSTODY DRUG OVERDOSE DEATH CONFIRMED BY TOXICOLOGY
Original Press Release:
On 02-26-2025 at approximately 7:40 P.M., Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Brush Street in Ukiah, CA for a reported 9-1-1 hang-up.
Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call in the area of Brush Street in Ukiah, and nothing was heard on the line. Using GPS technology, the call was traced to the area of an apartment complex in the 300 block of Brush Street in Ukiah. Deputies responded to check for any signs of a disturbance or for anyone needing law enforcement assistance. While checking the area of the 9-1-1 call, Deputies encountered a subject who immediately fled the area upon observing law enforcement personnel. Deputies recognized the male subject from prior law enforcement contacts and had knowledge he was on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS). Deputies pursued the adult male subject on foot but lost visual of the subject once he ran south of the complex and fled towards the apartments on North Orchard Avenue. The area was extensively checked for the subject with negative results.
Deputies continued to investigate the 9-1-1 call and reviewed video surveillance footage from the incident where the adult male subject fled from law enforcement. Upon reviewing the video surveillance footage, the male subject was positively identified as a 29-year-old male from Ukiah who was confirmed to be on active Post Release Community Supervision in Mendocino County. Deputies determined the male subject arrived at the apartment complex in a pickup that was reported as stolen to law enforcement in Contra Costa County. The stolen pickup was recovered and towed as a part of this continuing investigation.
After investigating the incident and reviewing all applicable footage, an order to arrest the adult male subject was issued to neighboring law enforcement agencies to include the charges of 496d(a) PC (Possession of a Stolen Vehicle), 148(a)(1) PC (Resist, Delay, or Obstruct a Peace Officer), and 3455 PC (Violation of Post Release Community Supervision).
On 02-26-2025 at approximately 10:15 P.M., Deputies responded to the area of the Orr Creek Bridge near Brush Street due to the Ukiah Police Department receiving reports of a male subject yelling in the creek area. This area is south of the apartment complex on Brush Street from the prior incident and in close proximity to the area where the male subject fled from Deputies earlier in the night.
Deputies, Ukiah Police Department Officers, and California Highway Patrol Officers all responded to the incident at Orr Creek to investigate and requested medical personnel to respond and stage in the area due to the nature of the call. Upon arrival, law enforcement located the 29-year-old male subject from the earlier 9-1-1 call and gave orders and commands for the subject to exit the creek. The male subject did not comply with the orders from Deputies, as a result law enforcement personnel entered the creek to arrest the subject and escort him out of the water and creek bed. The male subject was handcuffed and was exhibiting symptoms of an altered level of consciousness while being arrested.
Law enforcement personnel physically carried the male subject from the creek to the nearby bank and determined the subject was experiencing a medical emergency and became unconscious. Due to the medical emergency, the handcuffs were removed from the subject and numerous doses of Narcan were administered on the subject, who displayed a positive reaction to the treatment. Medical personnel were requested to the scene as the male subject continued to experience a medical emergency, so law enforcement continued life-saving measures on the male subject. Medical personnel arrived and continued emergency life-saving efforts on the male subject, who was immediately transported by ambulance to the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Room.
At the emergency room, life-saving efforts continued for approximately 30 minutes until the 29-year-old male subject was pronounced deceased by medical professionals at 11:04 P.M. on 02-26-2025. Due to the circumstances of this incident, Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office responded to take over the investigation and conduct the coroner’s investigation. The Sheriff’s Office contacted Investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office and administrators from other law enforcement agencies involved in this incident. The Mendocino County Officer-Involved Fatal Incident Protocol was initiated due to the decedent being in law enforcement custody at the time of death.
At this time, the official cause and manner of death is pending further investigation and a post-mortem examination (autopsy) has been scheduled for Monday 03-03-2025. This investigation will continue while awaiting the autopsy report and the results of other forensic examinations and tests. A Forensic Pathologist will determine the official cause and manner of death once the investigation has been completed.
The name of the decedent is being withheld at this time to properly identify and notify the legal next-of-kin for the 29-year-old male. Additional information will be released as it becomes available during this continuing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident and investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office who is the primary investigating agency for this case. Information can be provided by calling the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1) and can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.
UPDATES:
03-04-2025
As a part of this continuing investigation, the decedent from this incident was identified as Emil Redzic, a 29-year-old male from Ukiah, CA. The name of the decedent is being released after the legal next-of-kin and family of Redzic were notified of his death.
An autopsy was performed by a Forensic Pathologist on Monday 03-03-2025, but the official cause and manner of death will not be available until all forensic examination reports and tests have been completed. Additional information related to this investigation will be released as it becomes available.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office by calling the Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.
06-17-2025
As a part of this continuing investigation, the Forensic Pathologist performed an autopsy on 03-03-2025 and sent numerous biological samples obtained during the autopsy for further analysis and testing. The forensic examination reports have been completed, and the official cause of death for decedent Emil Redzic was determined to be acute combined methamphetamine and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) toxicity. The manner of death was classified as an accident based on the forensic pathologist’s findings and toxicology results that this was an unintentional drug overdose.
COMMENTS:
mendocino mamma: He was a refugee I believe from Slovakia or somewhere near there. Drugs have a way of sneaking and creeping up on you. Starts maybe as fun at a party, or friends “oh come on its okay” it’s not. Trying to fit in. We all want to fit in belong to something. Issue is far too many never are able to make connections, does that make a soul unworthy of empathy?
Country Joe: It makes them a person that continually makes bad choices and people run out of empathy for addicts.
mendocino mamma: Hey, hey, hey. THOSE USING POWDERS BEWARE. I do not think Malibu intentionally took the GHB. Now he is gone at a young age. They are mixing anything n everything. No idea what it is anymore. NOW WE ARE PAST NARCAN FOLKS. The shits more toxic and out there than ever before YIPPIE!!! Please support sober, find sober, help lived ones feel connected to be sober. High life ain’t no life.
ODD COUPLE on the Noyo River (Tina Tenzel)
COMMUNITY UPDATE: MENDOCINO EMERGENCY SHELTER AUDIT
by Supervisor Maureen Mulheren
Today at the Mendocino CoC meeting, we heard a powerful summary of ICF’s Emergency Shelter Evaluation, highlighting both strengths and gaps in our local shelter system. You can read the report in this album.
Key Takeaways:
- Three unique shelters—Building Bridges (adults), Ford Street (families), and Hospitality House (coastal)—each meet distinct needs in our community.
- Building Bridges is a model low-barrier shelter, serving the most individuals but challenged by limited space and funding.
- Ford Street Project shows strong outcomes for families, but serves the fewest people and operates with a sobriety-first model.
- Hospitality House is housing-focused but struggles with staff turnover and long stays due to lack of housing opportunities for exits.
What the Data Shows:
- Most shelter users are single adults, yet the largest share of resources goes to families.
- Exits to permanent housing are increasing, while exits back to homelessness are declining—proof that our system is making a difference.
- The #1 cause of homelessness among those interviewed? No support system when crisis hits—job loss, medical issues, or housing instability that leads to homelessness.
Meeting Highlights:
- From the conversation amongst the COC Members: We need to stop calling everything we see on the streets as “homelessness” and acknowledge mental illness and substance use disorders as distinct challenges.
- There’s no average cost per bed night as it relates to homeless shelters, but the audit shows that all programs are working hard within constraints in a rural community such as funding, employees, access etc.
- The biggest ask: diversify funding—our shelters can’t rely solely on dollars that come through the County and likely if we want them to continue the good work they are doing they need additional funding.
PIT Count Update: The Point-in-Time Count is submitted to HUD and will be presented at the July 21st Mendocino CoC meeting. Early data shows a 20% decrease in both unsheltered and sheltered homelessness. Improved data quality and expanded permanent housing options are making a difference; the full report will be posted two months late due to a change in Federal deadlines for reporting.
Moving Forward:
Let’s align our investments with data—should we prioritize adult shelter capacity, support long-term stays if they lead to housing? How do we continue to build a coordinated, compassionate response?
Stay informed. Stay involved. Strategic Planning Updates and next steps coming soon. Please use the MendocinoCoC.Org website to find additional information or watch the meetings on YouTube: MendocinoCoC
REDWOOD VALLEY TACKLES BIG IDEAS from Lake Mendocino revival to fire safety
by Monica Huettl
The Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) convened on June 11 to discuss a broad range of community matters, including ambitious plans to revitalize Lake Mendocino, law enforcement updates, local fire safety efforts, and looming state budget cuts. From regional recreation investments to grassroots initiatives, the meeting offered a comprehensive look at developments shaping Redwood Valley and beyond.…
SUPES TO OPPOSE TRUMP TUESDAY
AVA,
An action by Indivisible Ukiah is expected to bear fruit next week when the Board of Supervisors, on its consent calendar, will approve a Letter of Opposition to the SAVE Act. This cynically named ("Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility") bill is a piece of outright voter suppression that has already passed the House of Representatives. The Board is unanimous in opposition, presumably, because if put into effect the unfunded mandate would cost the County money. No matter what, we see it as an act of resistance.
Dan Hibshman (for Indivisible Ukiah)
SUPERVISOR TED WILLIAMS
At a recent BOS meeting, in response to my question about how homebuyers could avoid surprise supplemental tax bills, the County’s IT team developed a web-based estimator. It lets buyers enter a sale date and price to estimate what they’ll owe—bringing more clarity to property taxes.
CAT SPYDELL: I just happened to be in town in Fort Bragg when Cassidy ended up in the ER! I also just happened to arrive as the morphine kicked in. (She’ll be okay, she had an athletic injury).
ED NOTES
WHAT CRUEL COSMIC JOKER placed Netanyahu, Trump and a medieval Mohammedan in charge of the world’s fate? Small wonder the fundies are double-bubble wrapping their baseball cards as they queue up for the view seats on the Rapture Express.
NOT SO INNOCENT ABROAD. DA Eyster, apparently unaware that tourist excursions to the Middle East at this time are mos def contraindicated, especially tourists from the Great Satan, has safely returned to his bunker in the County Courthouse. May his lawn be forever free of dandelions as the rest of us await publication of his deposition in the Cubbison Case. Former Supervisor McGourty’s oughta be a howler, too.
INTERESTING ARTICLE on Reading, How To, in this morning’s collection about a return to phonics. I almost jumped out of my catheter when I read this follow-up comment because it exactly mirrors mine, lo these many years ago: “See Spot run. Run Spot, run! I remember the instant I learned to read — a word I didn’t know. I knew many words by sight, but struggled with unknown words. I was sounding out the letters in my head. My friend said “say it out loud”. I said the sounds, instantly recognizing the word. (First grade, 1959)” SOMEONE, probably my mother, advised me very early on to “sound out the words you don’t know,” and I can’t imagine any other way of learning to read.
ON A RECENT SATURDAY afternoon, I was walking on California between 7th and 8th when a leashed, medium-size dog, maybe a fifty pounder, leaped out from behind his inattentive owner at a passing Hispanic woman. She just kept going, probably thinking to herself, “One more bummer here in Gringolandia,” as the trendo-groove-o dog owner remarked to me, “Gee, he’s never done that before.” I’d like to see a law banning big dogs from The City. Period. It’s not fair to the dog to keep him cooped up in an apartment. Your little yappers, while annoying, are at least apartment-sized. And you shouldn’t be allowed to own a dog at all if you have to hire someone to walk it. (A trendo-groove-o, btw, is a young guy with a little pork pie hat, stovepipe jeans, a t-shirt emblazoned with a corporate logo, a tattoo of a cartoon character on his forearm. They’re coming in the windows!)
LGBTIQA2S
WOT THE HELL? I can’t keep up. No sooner had I mastered LGBT than the gender benders add on IQA2S! The whole of it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and between you, me and the apocalypse, expecting John and Jill Q. Public to take it all seriously is also self-deluding. The people who thusly self-satirize themselves might want to come up with a new ID.
MATT LAFEVER
Hey folks — I’m a reporter working on a story about the possibility that Cow Mountain in Mendocino County could be sold off and privatized if Trump’s “Big Beautiful Land Act” passes.
I’m looking to hear from off-roaders, hunters, campers, hikers, and anyone who uses Cow Mountain — how would losing public access affect you and your community? What does this place mean to you?
If you’re open to sharing your thoughts, comment (on MendoFever.com) or shoot me a direct message (on facebook). Would love to include voices from people who actually use and care about the land.
Thanks in advance!
CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, June 17, 2025
DANIELLE COSTA, 41, Galt/Ukiah. Attempt to obtain stolen property, metal knuckles.
SEAN FLINTON, 44, Fort Bragg. Under influence, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)
TIMOTHY HARRIS, 67, Laytonville. Failure to appear.
BENJAMIN KING, 44, Ukiah. Taking vehicle without owner’s permission, stolen property, controlled substance, paraphernalia, suspended license, false ID.
LUNA MAGDALENO, 34, Ukiah. DUI, Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, probation revocation.
DANIEL MORSE JR., 48, Rio Lindo/Ukiah. Domestic battery, battery on peace officer, child endangerment, county parole violation, resisting.
PEDRO SALDANA-SALDANA, 31, Elk. Controlled substance for sale, county parole violation, resisting.
EARTH ON FIRE
Dear Editor:
Earth is the third planet from the sun, the only known planet to harbor life, and a unique ocean world with liquid water on its surface. It is the fifth largest planet in our solar system. Earth’s atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, and it protects the planet from harmful solar radiation and other space objects. So why, you have to ask, are burns allowed?
These prescribed burns are polluting the environment! When we burn, we are introducing contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution sources, such as prescribed burns, have widespread consequences on human and environmental health. These particulates are released into the atmosphere. These burns are a danger to the population and to the earth!
The carbon released from wildfires can add to greenhouse gas concentration. Burns release large amounts of carbon dioxide, black and brown carbon particles, and ozone precursors such as volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. These emissions affect radiation, clouds, and climate on regional and even global scales.
The health effects of wildfire smoke, such as worsening cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, extend beyond immediate exposure, contributing to nearly 16,000 annual deaths, a number expected to rise to 30,000 by 2050. The economic impact is also significant, with projected costs reaching $240 billion annually by 2050, surpassing other climate-related damages.
While other people claim that controlled burns and a policy of allowing some wildfires to burn is the cheapest method and an ecologically appropriate policy for many forests, they don’t take into account the economic value of resources that are consumed by the fire, especially merchantable timber.
In Northern California, goat herds have been used in many communities to reduce the amount of fire fuels on the outskirts of those communities. It is estimated that 60-80,000 goats were thus employed by 2024.
Wildfire prevention policies must consider the role that humans play in burns.
Gino N. Zalunardo
Willits
AIN’T SO
Editor:
While I welcome John Reid’s recognition of climate impacts as a significant issue for the decision whether to expand our local airport, I disagree that “Sonoma County is a leader when it comes to climate change.” The county’s Climate Action Plan, which Reid refers to, was invalidated in court in 2017 under CEQA, primarily for failure to account for emissions from export by air and sea of Sonoma County wines and other produce, and emissions from air travel by Wine Country tourists.
This county has issued permits for destruction of thousands of acres of trees for vineyard development, vast deforestation resulting in massive loss of carbon sequestration. Vineyard development has displaced local food production. The increase in the scale of wine production and tourism has grossly exceeded any reasonable ecological balance.
As the lead attorney in the case that invalidated the county’s Climate Action Plan, which has no legal status, I find it highly questionable and misleading to see it cited as evidence of the county’s leadership when it comes to climate change.
Jerry Bernhaut
Santa Rosa
TOTALLY BLISSED
Warmest spiritual greetings,
Just sitting here at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. totally blissed out while listening to rousing bhajans celebrating the flute playing blue skinned god Sri Krishna. Enjoyed a superb breakfast at Whole Foods earlier, consisting of a volcanic rainbow roll and chopped up squid, with a cold Vietnamese coffee. Looking forward to my next visit to one of the district’s excellent watering holes. Hey, it could be worse. I could be unenlightened, with some insane psycho condition like many of Chocolate City’s residents, and most of the Washington, D.C. political establishment.
I’d like cooperation to move on from here. I do not need to be in Washington, D.C. any further. My sixteenth trip to America’s national capitol in support of the William R. Thomas Memorial Anti_Nuclear Peace Vigil has been successful. Thanks to Catholic Charities for giving me a free bed and locker at the Adam’s Place Homeless Shelter, which made possible using the Social Security benefits to donate money and provide food and beverages to the vigilers for the past ten months.
I’ve got $1,901.30 in the checking account. There is presently $104.85 in the wallet. I am accepting donations at Paypal.me/craiglouisstehr
Craig Louis Stehr
STEVE DERWINSKI
Can you say TURP?
Somewhere into my fifties I noticed I was getting up in the middle of the night sometimes to pee. Twenty years later it had escalated to two or three times with not much of what they call “flow”. My doctor gave me some pills but they really didn’t help the situation and so it seemed like I was jumping out of bed every ten minutes.Finally one morning I had a pain so fierce in my abdomen that the local clinic shoved a catheter
up my pee pipe and sent me to the emergency room in a nifty white and red ambulance.
The catheter—which I would wear with the accompanying pee bag for about ten weeks was a hassle to say the least but I didn’t feel so bad after the cute young nurse In the emergency room confided that she’d had her own catheter to contend with.
So I was a candidate for the TURP. Which turns out to be a fairly standard procedure for old guys like me. It stands for TransUrethral Resection of the Prostate and while they’re “dicking” around with a special ”tool” —you won’t feel a thing cause the anesthesiologist has sent you to La La Land for about an hour or so.
My urologist was a straight ahead kind of guy and the few times I visited him before my surgery I tried to chat him up to no avail–no small talk–no joking around–this prostate/penis/bladder stuff is serious stuff.
But I never gave up hope I could get him to crack a smile.So when I was in pre-op and he came to check on me I told him my friends had wished me luck with the surgery but I’d told them I hoped it wasn’t luck–I hoped it was skill. He actually broke into a big smile and walked around the bed to give me a fist bump on my shoulder.
CALIFORNIANS NEED NEARLY 110 HOURS OF WORK JUST TO PAY FOR HOSPITAL BED
California healthcare costs: Workers need to work 109.9 hours to pay for a day in the hospital
California comes fifth, with 109.9 hours of work needed to pay for a day in the hospital. New Mexico residents need to work 117.2 hours to pay for a single day of hospital care. Idaho and Utah come second and third, requiring 116 hours and 114.6 hours, respectively, to cover one day of hospital care.
New research has revealed the states where workers need the most hours to pay for hospital care, with New Mexico coming out on top.
The study by Shane Smith Law compared the average daily cost of hospital expenses against the average hourly pay by state, to see how long workers earning the average amount would need to work to pay for one day of hospital care.
Lee Beardsley, [email protected]
SONOMA COUNTY JOINS LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S NEW ICE MANDATE AND ANTI-DEI LIMITS ON FEDERAL FUNDING
Critical funding for runway upgrades at the growing county airport as well as federal support for other costly projects and programs is at stake, officials said.
by Emma Murphy
Sonoma County has joined a lawsuit by dozens of local governments across the country accusing federal departments of coercing them to comply with the White House’s political agenda via new requirements attached to federal funds.
The lawsuit, led by Washington’s King County (Seattle), comes in response to notices issued earlier this year by several federal departments, including those overseeing transportation and housing, that outlined new criteria for pending and future grants distributed to local governments, including Sonoma County.
The new criteria broadly prohibit local governments from using diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies and promoting “gender ideology” or “elective abortion” and require cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The lawsuit, which the county joined this month, argues that the new conditions are “illegal” and leave plaintiffs with the difficult choice of either forgoing the funding or accepting terms that are “contrary to the Constitution” and increased the risk of penalty under the False Claims Act, which holds anyone who submits a false claim to the government liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty.
Critical funding for runway upgrades at the growing Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport as well as federal support for other costly projects and programs is at stake, county officials said.
“We’re taking action to protect our financial interest as well as upholding our Sonoma County values,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Lynda Hopkins. “We have literally hundreds of millions of dollars on the line in terms of federal funding.”
The county’s move comes in response to an April 24 letter sent by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the county that outlined the requirements and stated that enforcement could include “comprehensive audits” and a clawing back of issued funds.
Other plaintiffs in the suit include San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, San Jose, New York City and Boston. The complaint names several U.S. departments including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration and their respective department leaders as defendants.
Sonoma County officials say funding for historically nonpartisan public initiatives like road and bridge repairs would affected if the requirements were enforced.
“We need to take care of our communities in spite of our ideological differences,” Supervisor James Gore said. “Roads need to be paved, people need to be housed, permits need to be processed and that is what our community members deserve as tax payers and as citizens.”
Officials say the stakes stretch even farther than immediate impact to funding. Other concerns include the potential impact to future audit requirements, heightened liability risk for any county official who has to sign for the funds and the possibility that complying with federal requirements would violate state law.
California, for example, has passed several laws over the past decade that generally restrict local and state coordination with federal immigration authorities. The Trump administration is seeking to use federal funding as leverage to undermine that legal stance.
On June 3, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara J. Rothstein granted the plaintiffs’ request for an preliminary injunction preventing the new requirements from being enforced, a ruling the administration is appealing.
Meanwhile, funds awarded for runway infrastructure projects at the county airport remain in limbo.
The airport has six pending grants totaling $7.7 million that could be impacted if the new requirements are enforced. The money is intended to cover costs for several key projects, including reimbursement for the $860,000 in repairs made to the main runway last year, the $45 million repaving project planned for the 2026-27 fiscal year and the second phase of a project to rehabilitate a portion of the airfield where planes park.
The Trump administration has no legal basis to claw back or encumber those funds to achieve its anti-DEI and mass deportation initiatives, said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.
“An agency can’t impose new conditions without statute, yet the Trump administration, through HUD and DOT, are once again illegally adding requirements to grant programs,” Huffman said in an emailed comment. “In the meantime, Sonoma County Airport needs these funds to improve its runway and infrastructure for public safety and operations. This has nothing to do with ICE, and it’s good to push back.”
Local officials also are raising concerns about the potential personal legal liability should they be force to vouch for use of federal funds tied to such sweeping requirements.
When grants are distributed, local officials such as a county attorney or a department head must sign for the grants and attest under penalty of perjury that the receiving agency meets all requirements.
But the federal agencies in their directive have not specified what would constitute a violation of those requirements, the lawsuit contends.
Sonoma County’s infrastructure projects do not deal with “gender ideology” but local officials worry that the county’s work in other areas, for example its contracts with local nonprofits that serve the LGBTQ+ community, would be considered a violation, Gore said.
The breadth of the federal terms and the potential penalties for local officials should those blurry lines be crossed amounts to a “legal game of gotcha,” Gore said.
“This administration is looking for standoffs at every step, is instigating fights and waiting for people to swing back at them,” Gore said.
Sonoma County Airport Manager Jon Stout said he has been told not to sign for the latest grants while the appeal unfolds.
“We’re in a waiting game at the moment,” he said.
If funding falls through, the airport will have to “juggle some things in the budget” to cover the expected reimbursement for last year’s runway repairs, Stout said. Current projects, like the ongoing rehabilitation of the airfield’s parking, may be delayed if those grants are impacted, he added.
Another concern, Gore said, is if Sonoma County tried to comply with the new requirements it could wind up violating state law, particularly when it comes to complying with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
Under California’s 2016 Truth Act, local law enforcement agencies may comply with ICE detainer requests for people in custody at the county jail only if they are supported by a judicial warrant.
California limits local responses to cases involving serious or violent felonies. Sonoma County goes further and now requires convictions for those instances when ICE requests notification of someone’s pending release.
The new federal requirements also put the county’s status as a “low-risk” grant recipient in jeopardy, said Amanda Ruch, assistant auditor-controller-treasurer-tax collector.
The low-risk status means the county has met specific criteria during two consecutive annual audits. It also means that any audit of the county will look at a maximum of 20% of federal funds, a ceiling that jumps to 40% if the county loses that designation, Ruch said.
“We dot all our I’s, we do everything properly and that’s evidenced by the fact that we’re a low risk auditee,” Ruch said.
But with the new requirements, she added that she was not certain if the county would pass future audits.
Another troubling question is whether there will be any mechanism to compel the federal government to make good on its funding promises if the court’s ruling is upheld, Gore and Hopkins said.
“It’s not just the money is being pulled off the table, even if we’re winning the legal cases they are still not writing the checks,” Gore said.
The issue “goes back to the balance of powers and the integrity of our governance in this,” Hopkins said.
She said her “hope lies in collective action” as local governments and allied states push back through the courts.
Separately, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Petaluma all recently joined a lawsuit led by San Francisco to challenge the Trump administration’s threats to withhold funding jurisdictions deemed uncooperative with federal immigration authorities.
Sonoma County so far has not joined that lawsuit.
(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
RAFAEL DEVERS HAS 2 HITS IN S.F. DEBUT, but Giants lose to Guardians
by Shayna Rubin
Despite the intensifying buzz around the San Francisco Giants, a Tuesday night game against the Cleveland Guardians wouldn’t typically bring a robust crowd out to Oracle Park.
On this night, 36,222 fans, including San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie, showed up to see their team’s newest star, Rafael Devers. An anticipatory crowd stood and chanted “Rafi” for the designated hitter when he came to bat, but took a deafening silence when the at-bat began. The former Boston Red Sox star has had his fair share of bright-light moments; he’s won a World Series and became the face of a historic franchise.
But this kind of reception from the fans, not to mention a whole afternoon the organization spent singing his praises with his face plastered all over the ballpark, had Devers “overwhelmed.” He struck out swinging hard in his first at-bat with a runner on.
“My first at-bat, I was nervous because of the ovation. I wasn’t expecting that,” Devers said with Erwin Higueros interpreting. “Afterwards, I felt a little more comfortable and it was great seeing the fans welcome me that way.”
Nerves shaken loose in his next at-bat, Devers got to show the adoring crowd his stuff. With the game knotted at 1-1 and Willy Adames aboard in the third inning, Devers smoked Guardians starter Slade Cacconi’s 2-0 fastball into the Triples Alley. Adames easily scored from first and Devers pulled into second base having recorded his first hit and RBI as a Giant. The crowd went wild.
That hit gave the Giants a one-run lead starter Robbie Ray would give up the following inning as the Giants dropped their first game against the Guardians, 3-2. Though Ray’s six innings were uneven, he said the only mistake pitch he made was the four-seamer Jonathan Rodriguez hit for a triple. He eventually scoring on a sac fly.
Ray gave up the lead in the fourth, when David Fry doubled the fourth changeup he saw in the at-bat and Carlos Santana hit a game-tying RBI single. In the sixth, Gabriel Arias launched a go-ahead home run. Ray struck out five with two walks while allowing three runs on five hits.
The biggest flop of the otherwise electric evening was the Giants’ production, or lack thereof, with runners in scoring position — a trending issue for the Giants that Devers should help remedy. In each of the last four innings, the Giants got the game-tying run into scoring position, but didn’t score any of them.
Dom Smith’s RBI single in the first inning was the Giants’ only hit with runners in scoring position in 13 opportunities.
Devers was part of the Giants’ few opportunities to tie it — or win — when he collected his second S.F. hit in the ninth inning against closer Emannuel Clase, advancing Jung Hoo Lee into scoring position. A walk loaded the bases with one out, but Smith’s would-be sac fly didn’t travel far enough to counter Steven Kwan’s strong arm in left and Casey Schmitt — who hit grand slams in back-to-back games over the weekend against the Dodgers — struck out to end the game.
Devers was introduced to the Bay Area earlier Tuesday and slotted in as the No. 3 hitter. He took ground balls at first base prior to the game and is expected to play there some — a position he refused to play in Boston — in addition to being the DH.
Devers’ double came off his bat at 111.4 mph. Not only was it the loudest pop of the night, it was one of the hardest hit balls by a Giant this year. Overwhelming as it was, the 28-year-old was adjusting quickly to his new surroundings. He’s still working up the courage to pick Barry Bonds’ mind, though, but is brimming with confidence about how he’ll impact this team.
“I hope to accomplish the same thing (Buster Posey and Bonds) did,” Devers said. “I think I have enough talent to do it.”
Encarnacion injury: Jerar Encarnacion landed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left oblique strain. Outfielder Daniel Johnson, who had been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday with Devers’ arrival, was recalled to San Francisco as the corresponding roster move.
(sfchronicle.com)
TOO MANY CALIFORNIA KIDS CAN’T READ. WILL PHONICS HELP?
by Denise Amos
At a minimum, schools should teach children to read. But for years California’s elementary schools have been failing many of them.
The results are so obvious even those who struggle to read can see them: Nearly 6 in 10 third graders scored below grade level on California’s reading tests during most of the last decade. That includes about three quarters of lower-income Black or Latino students.
Meanwhile, a decades-long conflict raged among California educators and equity advocates about how to teach reading. Simply put, they battled over phonics, the 17th-century system of sounding out letters and words. The reading technique fell out of favor in most American schools in the 1980s, but now it’s experiencing a comeback.
Parents, advocates and educators have been urging the state to return to teaching phonics to all kids, as a foundation for reading. Some brought up racial equity issues that seemed to pit one under-served group of children against another.
Groups supporting Black students, such as the state’s NAACP chapter, urged a switch to phonics. But other groups supporting English learners and bilingual students wanted to keep the state’s current, flexible instruction system, which features other disciplines that also help kids pick up English.
The result: inertia and stagnant test scores. California ranked 40th last year in fourth grade reading on national tests. For Black fourth-graders, California tied for last place with only 7% proficient, and for Latino students it tied for 24th place with 19% proficient.
This isn’t just an academic problem. Kids who don’t read by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. We know what follows.
When the California Assembly passed a bill last week adopting the so-called “science of reading,” a literacy approach that emphasizes phonics, it was a sign of progress. More than 40 states have taken similar measures, but California was one of the last holdouts. Now it’s up to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It shouldn’t have taken so long.
Until now, most of California’s districts used one of a handful of reading instructional systems. Mostly they encouraged students to recognize words via memorization, or guess words based on the context of a sentence or the pictures illustrating the text.
That works for some young readers, but for many others the system hid their struggles. Youngsters could look like they were learning to read, even though they weren’t. In later grades, when there are no pictures or too many unfamiliar words to memorize, these readers would falter, and their reading troubles would hinder learning in other academic subjects.
This is California’s reading crisis. But even with this new bill, the state is not moving far enough, fast enough.
The bill advances phonics and other skills like comprehension and reading fluency, but its adoption is only voluntary. The state would only be encouraging school districts and teachers to revamp their reading instruction, not mandating it.
That was the compromise needed to pass the measure, bill proponents said. Two similar attempts to make it mandatory failed in prior sessions, after opposition from teachers unions and some education groups.
That’s where the risk lies. Without a mandate that lays down deadlines, it’s hard to predict how widespread the science of reading will be and how quickly it could take hold.
Louisiana and Mississippi, two states not usually known as academic frontrunners, experienced meteoric rises in reading test scores a few years after adopting similar literacy systems. Mississippi moved from 49th in the nation in fourth-grade reading in 2013 to ninth in 2024. Louisiana jumped from last place in 2019 to 16th last year.
Both states made their science of reading training mandatory and required districts to adopt the related instructional materials.
California is trying to entice districts with funding. Newsom has budgeted $200 million to pay for teacher training, as part of several literacy initiatives he touted during a recent press conference. The Assembly just passed a budget proposal that includes the funding.
“It’s not just rhetoric; there’s $200 million to reinforce that cause,” Newsom said.
Also part of those plans, all of California’s youngest elementary students will be screened for reading issues starting this fall, and Newsom vowed to spend $500 million to send literacy coaches and specialists to hundreds of schools around the state.
This certainly sounds good, but as always, the follow-through will determine whether it’s politicking or progress.
Districts will need more support, because many may not be ready to make a switch. Schools will have to foot the bill for new books and teaching materials. Many districts don’t have that kind of money. Some are tackling their own budget deficits and making sacrifices, including laying off teachers.
This is going to take a great commitment. The least-resourced districts will need state help affording it. And the state should do some of the work early by vetting the growing list of reading programs being offered to districts, so millions more dollars aren’t wasted on curricula and materials that don’t move reading scores.
Some school districts have already started transitioning to a more phonics-friendly curriculum, including Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles Unified.
Antoine Taylor, a literacy coordinator for Los Angeles Unified School District, offered a glance at how the science of reading could look in schools. Out of about 20 students in his classes, half are at different stages of learning to speak English. He estimates he’s spent about 30 minutes daily working in small groups, much of it on phonics, spelling and learning words.
He said he has folded it into daily reading sessions, but he also continues practicing other skills, such as reading aloud, asking students questions about texts, and getting bilingual students to speak and demonstrate comprehension.
Other teachers, when they get exposed to phonics, will embrace it too, he predicts — as long as they get the training and the books and supplies they need.
“Most of the teachers in the district are aware of the science of reading,” said Taylor, who has taught 28 years. “Most teachers want their students to do better.”
California’s schools have their work cut out for them, educating about 3 million students from low-income families and 1.1 million English learners.
Phonics proponents are optimistic California’s teachers will be receptive, though it’ll still be years before we see any changes, at least in test scores.
As Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, recently put it: “We have one of the greatest gaps between high-income kids and low-income kids of any state in the country. This is a civil rights issue that demands urgent action and collective action.”
(CalMatters.org)
CALIFORNIAN’S NEW LAWS AS OF JULY 1
by Aidin Vaziri
Beginning July 1, a new wave of California laws will go into effect, impacting everything from court access and student mental health to pet insurance regulations and local minimum wage hikes.
Enacted as part of a broader legislative agenda approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom, these measures aim to enhance consumer transparency, expand public health protections and improve access to the judicial system.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most notable changes:
Canceling subscriptions will be easier and more transparent
Businesses offering subscription services must provide cancellation options in the same manner used to sign up — whether online, by phone or otherwise. They must also send annual reminders with pricing and cancellation details, and offer a simple “click to cancel” option. (AB2863)
Airbnb and other rentals must disclose cleaning fees up front
Platforms such as Airbnb must disclose any additional fees or penalties related to cleaning tasks required at checkout. Failure to comply could result in civil penalties of up to $10,000. (AB2202)
Pet insurers must now explain premium hikes and exclusions
Pet insurers must now disclose whether premiums increase based on a pet’s age or a change in geographic location. Policies must also clearly state any exclusions for preexisting conditions and detail waiting periods or required medical exams. (SB1217)
Insurance plans must cover fertility treatment, including IVF
Most health insurance plans will now be required to cover infertility diagnoses and treatments, including in vitro fertilization. The mandate applies to both large and small group plans, though religious employers are exempt. (SB729)
Student ID cards must include the suicide and crisis lifeline
Middle and high schools that issue student ID cards must now include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number. Cards may also feature a QR code linking to local mental health resources. Schools can continue distributing noncompliant cards until current supplies run out. (SB1063)
Special needs planning starts earlier in high school
Postsecondary transition planning for students with exceptional needs will begin earlier — at the start of high school rather than at age 16 — if deemed appropriate by the student’s Individualized Education Program team. (AB438)
Family members must be kept in the loop on CARE Act cases
Under the CARE Act, which allows family members and first responders to petition for court-mandated treatment plans for individuals with certain mental illnesses, courts will now be required to keep those petitioners informed of key case updates, including continuances and dismissals. (SB42)
Remote court access expands, with new tech standards
Remote hearings in juvenile and civil cases will be extended through 2027. Starting July 1, courtrooms must meet new minimum technology standards to support virtual proceedings. Judges will also be required to report technical issues encountered in criminal remote hearings. (AB170)
Several local cities and counties will see minimum wage hikes
Numerous cities and counties will see minimum wage increases on July 1. Sonoma County leads the way with a 28% jump to $23.15 per hour. San Francisco and Berkeley will rise to $19.18, while Emeryville is at $19.90 per hour.
(SF Chronicle)
EXACTLY WHY THE LEFT HATES LIBERALS
ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
What was Saturday’s “protest” about? I saw signs disparaging Israel. I saw signs in support of Ukraine. I saw signs supporting abortion, I saw signs against ICE. I saw some signs that didn’t make any sense at all. There were signs insulting President Donald J Trump. Seems to me these staged and planned astroturfing events are more of an opportunity for the people who were there to post on Social Media saying, “I was there!”, than anything substantial. Like their leaders in the Democratic Party, the people “protesting” have no coherent message, no plan, no vision. Nothing of interest to everyday Americans. The Left’s platform has nothing of substance. Just pissed off people screaming into the void. They’re AGAINST everything but can’t explain, coherently, what they are for.
“Orange Man Bad” is not a winning platform. That was evident during the 2024 election.
ON LINE RESPONSE:
I’ll tell you what most of them are for, despite their apparent inability to clearly say it.
Single payer health care, higher taxes on the rich, an end to US support of Israel’s Genocide, jail for bank fraudsters, a functioning opposition party, an end to gerrymandered elections, greatly reduced Pentagon spending, real assault weapon control, etc.
The trouble is, as an organization, the Democratic Party leadership is against all these things and they tend to dominate (and fund) the protest organizers.
‘I WANT TO GIVE A PICTURE of Dublin so complete that if the city one day suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book.’ James Joyce.
Happy Bloomsday from all of us here at Faber.
LATE NIGHT THINKS TRUMP’S MILITARY PARADE WAS KIND OF DULL
Trump’s Sad Birthday
President Trump hosted a military parade in Washington on Saturday — either for the Army’s 250th anniversary or for his own birthday, depending on who you believed. The crowds seemed underwhelming.
On Monday, Jimmy Kimmel called it Trump’s “much-anticipated Stupid Sweet 16 disguised as a tribute to the U.S. Army he bone-spurred his way out of.”
“You know, after all his talk about how this wasn’t a birthday party for him, it kind of seemed like a birthday party for him.” — Jimmy Kimmel
“The White House is now claiming that over 250,000 people attended the parade. Yeah, it was an estimate, give or take 250,000.” — Jimmy Fallon
“This was less a show of overwhelming force and more like a military museum getting in its steps.” — Jon Stewart
“It was boring. It was basically a $50 million version of when a 5-year-old shows you every car in his Hot Wheels collection.” — Jimmy Kimmel
“You can be the president of the United States, you can have an entire political party and a global media apparatus at your disposal. You can cow the media and the wealthy into obedience. You can command an army and deploy troops and have unlimited wealth and power, but you still can’t force people to come to your [expletive] birthday party. And what is more American than that?” — Seth Meyers
The Punchiest Punchlines (Can You Hear Me Now Edition)
“The Trump Organization today unveiled plans for a new Trump mobile phone service. Best of all, you won’t have any need for a friends and family plan.” — Seth Meyers
“That guy will do anything to try to get his father to answer his phone calls.” — Jimmy Kimmel, on Donald Trump Jr.’s introduction of Trump Mobile
“A lot of words come to mind when you think of Trump, but ‘mobile’ isn’t really one of them.” — Jimmy Fallon
“Trump was like, [imitating Trump] ’It’s called Trump Mobile. But for short, I’m calling it T-Mobile.” — Jimmy Fallon
“Meanwhile, Boost Mobile heard and was like, ‘Hey, we’re no longer the worst wireless company.’” — Jimmy Fallon
“The new Trump phone is going to take some getting used to, though. If you think green texts are annoying, wait until you start seeing them in red.” — Jimmy Fallon
“It’s the perfect phone to call your friends and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m at the parade. There’s no one here.’” — Jimmy Fallon
“So if you’re keeping track, Trump sells hats, watches, cologne and now cellphones. Yeah, he’s one loopy airplane away from being every mall kiosk rolled into one.” — Jimmy Fallon
A FORMER COPY EDITOR SUGGESTS:
(Chris Hedges is the (strike: former) Pulitzer Prize—winning former Middle East Bureau Chief for The New York Times. An Arabic speaker, he spent seven years covering the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, much of that time in Gaza. Author of 14 books, his most recent are The Greatest Evil Is War and A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine.)
LEAD STORIES, WEDNESDAY'S NYT
Trump Calls for Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’ and Threatens Its Supreme Leader
‘I’ll Never Try Again’: For Some Gazans, Seeking Aid Is Just Too Risky
Russian Drone and Missile Strikes on Kyiv Kill at Least 10
As G7 Talks End in Canada, Ukraine Comes Away With Little
Members of Congress Press for More Security After Minnesota Attacks
An Expensive Alzheimer’s Lifestyle Plan Offers False Hope, Experts Say
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Get a 400 Percent Pay Raise
PERTINENT ON-LINE COMMENT: Here's the truth. There are maybe a few hundred people in the world that know what's occurring. The rest of us are trying to piece it together. Believing the Mullahs are some anodyne misunderstood misdirected fellas is absurd, but if Tucker Carlson said it, you can bet there are people who believe it.
NYT: WIDER WAR FEARED IN MIDDLE-EAST
President Trump on Tuesday called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” cited the possibility of killing Iran’s supreme leader and referred to Israel’s war efforts with the word “we” — all apparent suggestions that the United States could enter the war against Iran.
Mr. Trump’s comments, in social media posts, came as Israel has been pressing the White House to intervene militarily in the conflict with Iran to put an end to that country’s nuclear program. The president has long professed opposition to getting involved in foreign wars and has expressed hopes for a negotiated agreement with Iran. He was holding a national security meeting on Tuesday afternoon in the White House Situation Room.
As the conflict between Israel and Iran has intensified, one central character has remained out of the public eye: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s reclusive supreme leader.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out targeting Ayatollah Khamenei, who has led Iran for more than three decades. Mr. Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that any strike on Iran’s supreme leader would not kindle a wider war but could instead prove decisive. “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” he said.
IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER declares ‘The Battle Begins’ after warning Israel about ‘great surprise… that the world will remember for centuries’ as Trump weighs whether to order US strikes
by Melissa Koenig
Iran’s Supreme Leader sent a series of apocalyptic messages as US President Donald Trump continues to weigh his options for the US role in the ongoing war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened Israel on Tuesday night by posting a disturbing image that showed balls of fire raining down upon an ancient city as a sword-wielding man enters the gate.
‘In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,’ he wrote in Farsi, referring to Ali - whom Shia Muslims consider the first Imam and the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed.
Khamenei also shared a separate message in English, saying: ‘We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.’
He also said that: ‘We will show the Zionists no mercy.’
Meanwhile, Iranian state television ominously reported that ‘tonight, a great surprise will occur - one that the world will remember for centuries.’
Amid the threats, Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisers.
Inside sources say the US President is weighing up whether to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear sites, CBS reports.
Iran’s Supreme Leader sent a series of apocalyptic messages as US President Donald Trump continues to weigh his options for the US role in the ongoing war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened Israel on Tuesday night by posting a disturbing image that showed balls of fire raining down upon an ancient city as a sword-wielding man enters the gate.
‘In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,’ he wrote in Farsi, referring to Ali - whom Shia Muslims consider the first Imam and the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed.
Khamenei also shared a separate message in English, saying: ‘We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.’
He also said that: ‘We will show the Zionists no mercy.’
Meanwhile, Iranian state television ominously reported that ‘tonight, a great surprise will occur - one that the world will remember for centuries.’
Amid the threats, Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisers.
Inside sources say the US President is weighing up whether to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear sites, CBS reports.
Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched a ‘more powerful’ new wave of missiles at Israel.
Yet Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, claimed that all of the attacks ‘carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence.
‘The punishment operation will be carried out soon,’ he warned.
Residents in Tel Aviv have already been seen running for shelter as missiles rained down on the city and the Iron Dome sprang into action.
At the same time, Israel’s military said it killed Iran’s wartime chief of staff and carried out extensive strikes on Iranian military targets.
The International Atomic Energy Agency even reported that there appears to have been a ‘direct impact’ on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
The hostilities first erupted on Friday, when Israel launched a massive pre-emptive strike on Iran, hitting nuclear and military facilities and killing top military brass and nuclear scientists.
Iran has claimed its nuclear program is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.
But the IAEA has repeatedly warned that the country already has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs.
US President Trump has repeatedly argued that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon - and members of his administration were set to meet with their Iranian counterparts to iron out a new deal in which the country would not develop any nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief when Israel attacked.
Trump has since said he does not believe Israel will slow its assault on Iran, as Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said ‘this is the war to end wars’.
‘This is the war to engender peace in the Middle East,’ he added. Harking back to the audacious bombs-in-pagers plot against Hezbollah last year, Mr Leiter said: ‘We’ve pulled off a number of surprises.
‘When the dust settles, you’re going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday, that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple.’
Foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar also noted that Israel’s goals were to severely damage the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program and to ‘severely damage Iran’s plans to eliminate the state of Israel.’
Israel would be greatly helped in those efforts if the United States did get involved, as American GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs are capable of striking deep underground - raising the possibility it could penetrate the Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep in a mountain south of Tehran.
The United States also already has a Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean, including an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, with nine squadrons of fighter jets, as well as frigates and destroyers.
And as Trump continues to deliberate on his options - after previously saying it was ‘possible’ that the United States get involved in the regional conflict - the Pentagon has sent more than 40 additional US jets to the UK and Europe.
They are thought to include stealth bombers and air-to-air refuelers - which could be critical for any operation in the Middle East.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group also headed to the region from the South China Sea Monday.
Vice President JD Vance has since issued comments that appear to brace Trump supporters for possible military action.
‘He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,’ Vance said. ‘That decision ultimately belongs to the president.’
Vance also praised Trump for taking ‘remarkable restraint’ in focusing American troops on the defense of American interests in the Middle East.
(DailyMail.uk)
THE US MUST NOT BE DRAGGED INTO NETANYAHU’S WAR ON IRAN
by Bernie Sanders
Netanyahu started this war with a surprise unilateral attack against Iran, which has already killed hundreds of people and wounded many more. This attack was specifically designed to sabotage American diplomatic efforts: Israel assassinated the man overseeing Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, despite the fact that further talks with the United States were scheduled for Sunday. Whatever you think of the corrupt and authoritarian Iranian regime, this attack clearly violates international law and the United Nations Charter.
The United States must not be dragged into another of Netanyahu’s wars — not militarily or financially. The U.S. Constitution is crystal clear: there can be no offensive use of military force — against Iran or any other country — without an explicit authorization from Congress. No such authorization exists, and any such involvement would be illegal. Congress must not yield on this issue of enormous consequence.
And let’s remember who Benjamin Netanyahu is: He is a war criminal under indictment by the International Criminal Court for the use of starvation as a method of warfare and directing attacks against the civilian population in Gaza. At this very moment, in Gaza, Israel continues to prevent the U.N. and other aid groups from delivering desperately needed humanitarian aid to starving civilians. In just the last two weeks, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of civilians trying to reach the few militarized aid distribution sites the Israeli government has permitted to operate.
Netanyahu’s illegal, unilateral attack on Iran is just his latest violation of international law. Under his extremist government, Israel is increasingly becoming a rogue state and a pariah among nations. The United States must not be a part of this war.
LET'S HAVE A WAR
En route to England, a brief note about brewing hostilities with Iran
by Matt Taibbi
I’m headed out of the U.S. early tomorrow, to attend the third annual Westminster Free Speech forum in London. I’ll send updates from the old country, and America This Week will come out as usual Friday. In the meantime, a brief and likely unpopular note on developing chaos in the Middle East:
Donald Trump used Truth Social last night to suggest “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”:
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, still unindicted for the theft of Sam Elliott’s mustache, may finally get his war with Iran. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, he declared Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” attacks on Iranian targets a step toward the necessary, long-awaited goal of toppling Iran’s Islamic revolutionary government. “The only lasting foundation for Middle East peace and security is overthrowing the ayatollahs,” Bolton wrote. He added in a NewsNation interview that Iranian nuclear capability is “really close” and “Israel really has to make an existential decision.”
In response to a question about the risks of action against Iran, Bolton said, “I think one question for the Gulf Arab States and for the United States and others as well is, ‘Would you rather face Iran before it gets nuclear weapons, or after it gets nuclear weapons?’” However even Bolton, perhaps the most unapologetic supporter of the use of force in the American policy arena, hastened to reassure audiences this wouldn’t be America’s fight. “I don’t think this is a question of widespread war,” he said. “It’s very unclear what Iran will do other than retaliating against the Israelis.”
Hiding behind Israel and insisting “It isn’t us!” while pitching a tent over regime change is an awfully wimpy take from a supposed super-hawk like Bolton. Same with G7 leaders who crowed, “Israel has a right to defend itself!” after the strikes. Europe would be a primary beneficiary of any blow to Iran, whose support of Houthi rebels in Yemen led to a halving of oil exports to Europe via attacks on tankers last year. Pretending Iranian nuclear capability is solely about an “existential threat to the region” (read: Israel) in the face of such obvious self-interest is laughable. Europe, like the U.S., wants Iran tamed, but both are letting the currently most loathed state on earth use Western weapons and support to attack Iran for them. Like a bar loudmouth who pretends buddies held him back from a brawl, even Trump beat his chest after Israel’s bombing about how Iran should “make a deal before it’s too late.” It all makes Donald “Really Good at War” Trump and Keir “War Readiness” Starmer look like Bibi Netanyahu’s house pets.
If this thing goes the way some imagine, with the conflict escalating to the point where America has to cap Israel’s war with B-2 deliveries of “bunker buster” bombs over Iran’s underground Fordo enrichment facility, the world will correctly see us as lapdogs working on Israel’s schedule. From Israel’s perspective, the way this is playing out is win-win-win: they got to light up Teheran, make the U.S. Air Force look like second-raters who can’t hack the hard stuff, and undercut any leverage our State Department might have had over Israel’s behavior in Gaza, assuming we ever wanted to exercise any. It’s the worst possible outcome, and if this was the plan all along, we might as well have done the operation ourselves.
Racket readers know I’m generally opposed to military force, particularly when it’s for an alleged “preventive war” in this volatile part of the world. After 9/11, when too many pornographic slo-mos of exploding towers were shown on American television, the population got so geeked for conflict that Condoleezza Rice’s “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud” actually worked as a casus belli for invading Iraq. That turned a small problem into a huge one, transforming what was essentially a policing problem involving one terrorist group (al-Qaeda) into a global war against “Evil.” We congratulated ourselves for toppling the “murderous tyrant” Saddam Hussein, then watched as the Artist Formerly Known as Iraq morphed into an “unrecognized quasi-state” called ISIL that became a staging area for terror attacks around the world, as well as the informal leader of a spiraling coalition of jihadist provinces in Africa and the Middle East.
It would be hard to imagine a more severe FUBAR-ing of what was supposed to be a simple mission to contain a rumored nuclear program. In this case we haven’t even formally entered the war and already suffered a high-profile cucking by Israel, while letting Iran ignore our “before it’s too late” warnings and threaten us with “painful responses.” Wasn’t Trump elected on a mandate to get us out of this stupidity? We should probably either kick ass ourselves or get out, but a sinking feeling tells me to expect more of the same. Does anyone else sense the same outcome?
(racket.news)
AMERICA IS IN A LATE REPUBLIC STAGE—LIKE ROME
by Niall Ferguson
I recently sat down with Noema magazine editor in chief Nathan Gardels to discuss the Trump agenda, the conflict with China, polarization in America, and his own conversion to Christianity. This interview is excerpted from a forthcoming Berggruen Institute podcast, and has been edited for length and clarity.
Nathan Gardels: Under the Trump administration’s radical sovereigntism, it appears America is joining the other axes of upheaval, China and Russia, in seeking to build its own sphere of influence, one that challenges the liberal world order founded by the U.S. after World War II. How do you see this unfolding?
Niall Ferguson: Well, I don’t agree that the United States is somehow aligning itself in any way with the axis of whatever you want to call it, authoritarians, upheaval, or ill will.
What’s odd about the last four years before Trump is that the Biden-Harris administration came in and was welcomed by liberals around the world. “The adults were back in the room.” American foreign policy was going to respect alliances again, and it all went disastrously wrong.
The allies have been sorely disappointed. The net result of the Biden administration’s foreign policy was that an axis formed that didn’t exist in 2020, an axis that brought together Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. And unlike the axis of evil of 2002 around the Iraq War, it actually exists. It’s not just an idea for a speech. These powers cooperate together, economically and militarily.
What went wrong? The answer is a disastrous failure of deterrence that really began in Afghanistan in 2021, got a lot worse in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, and got even worse in 2023 when Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacked Israel. So I think one has to understand the reelection of Donald Trump as partly a public reaction against a very unsuccessful Democratic administration, a little bit like what happened in 1980 when Americans voted for Ronald Reagan and repudiated Jimmy Carter during the Iran hostage crisis.
I don’t think Donald Trump’s reelection is a big win for China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Quite the opposite. I think it’s bad news for them.
Let’s just break it down briefly. Many people wrongly thought that it would be beneficial to Vladimir Putin if Donald Trump were reelected. I don’t think this war is going to be ended on Putin’s terms, if it’s going to be ended. Secondly, maximum pressure is now back on Iran.
That’s important. Thirdly, tariffs have been increased on China, so the pressure is on China. Little Rocket Man in North Korea is still waiting to get whatever is coming to him, but I don’t think it’s going to be a love letter from the Trump administration.
In short, for the axis of ill will, it’s bad news that Trump is back.
NG: I didn’t mean it in that sense. I meant upheaval in the sense of the liberal international order of free trade and trusted alliances across a unified West. America is moving toward a way of governing itself that is unencumbered by a rules-based system in global affairs that takes into account the interests of others. Trumpist America is leveraging its mercantile might to get its way.
NF: I am always reminded when people talk about the liberal international order of what Voltaire said about the Holy Roman Empire: It was neither holy nor Roman, nor an empire. And the same is true of the liberal international order. It was never very liberal, very international, or very orderly. It’s actually an illusion that such a thing ever existed after 1945…
B
14
1/2
19
Yep
We who were wrong didn’t see the multiplier sign….it’s 60!!
B
60
60
1/2
And 19
21
19
B/19
Numbers
The numbers set forth—
Mind’s twisted, tossed
Failing in the math—
Alas, old man’s real lost
I think the saying goes: “I went to journalism school because I was bad at math.”
Yep, social work education–the very same.
The Holy Roman Empire wasn’t Roman, and the Roman Empire followed the end of the Roman Republic.
RE: May his lawn be forever free of dandelions
– ED NOTES
—> June 11, 2025 Anchorage Daily News
In their defense, dandelions have a host of uses and benefits. They are summer’s first food for bees and other insects. I’ve seen black bears eat them.
Dandelions can be used to make wine. Young leaves can be made into salads. It’s even said that once the dandelions’ roots are baked and ground, they can made into a form of coffee. No import tax, but no thanks.
And there are documented medicinal uses, such as a diuretic and laxative. The milky substance of dandelions has been used as a mosquito repellent, but I’d advise checking with a physician or a qualified expert before trying dandelions for home remedies.
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2025/06/11/opinion-dandelions-the-invincible-plant-colonists-of-our-time/
Last fall, while I was fast asleep, a black bear destroyed 3 of my beehives, after my bees had feasted on the dandelions. I did my best to picture poo bear in my mind. Hoping he was blissfully muttering honey honey honey in the same voice I read that classic to my grandson.
19
B and 20
I had to look up “cryo cannon”. They spew CO2 just for fun. WTF?
Hmm, after applying PEMDAS I am changing my answer to 15.
B (1/2) and 15 (order of operations … 5 + 5 x 2 = 5 + 10 = 15)
Right On Bonnie!
On-Line Comment Of The Day
“Nothing of interest to everyday Americans. The Left’s platform has nothing of substance. Just pissed off people screaming into the void. They’re AGAINST everything but can’t explain, coherently, what they are for.”
This might help explain it: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/asra-nomani-2-1-billion-machine-behind-spontaneous-anti-trump-protests
I read that. It’s garbage. Nobody on the streets in my town was “bankrolled”. I didn’t even see any signs that weren’t made by hand. We paid for our own gas and spent part of our Saturday on the street without payment and I guarantee you it was the same in every town. How would that even work? Some shady guy in the crowd handing out white envelopes? Come on, man.
Who coordinated it? Who called for action? Who came up with the messaging?
You tell us. If there’s a claim the international boogie man George Soros had a hand in the plot, I want to see the cancelled checks.
LOL. Faux nooze, among the leading proaganda peddlers of the world.
Meanwhile, 6 of 10 4th graders in California can’t read at grade level. But I bet when they turn 18 they’ll be able to protest with the best of them.
I’d like to see you on Jeff Foxworthy’s game show about old farts who think they’re smarter than a Third grader. Ever see that show? Funnier than a Brad Paisley song, ISYN!
yeah, 60