EARLY OPEN THREAD: Monday, Monday.

WOEING: Starliner to return from ISS without astronauts on board.

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Second Amendment Roundup: 8th Circuit Rules in Favor of Pistol Brace Owners.

THIS WOULD BE A SIGNAL TO START A LITERAL REVOLUTION: Could Elon Musk actually be arrested and X cancelled? “With each passing day, as the forces that control our nation and the world get more surreal and foreboding, the ‘unthinkable’ suddenly morphs into the ‘inevitable.’ At least for me. As someone who pays close attention to the politics and the media in the United Kingdom and Europe, I began to notice a shocking narrative emanating from a growing number on the left there calling for the arrest of Elon Musk as well as the cancellation of X, the social media site he owns.”

The governments of the West decided a few years ago to go to war against their own citizens. I’m not sure exactly why, though I have ideas.

THIS IS PITCHED AS A STORY OF INDEPENDENCE, BUT IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE IT’S ABOUT THE CONSTRAINTS OF HYPERGAMY: One Husband Is Enough: Women in Their 60s See No Need to Remarry.

Plenty of American women are finding that they don’t need a husband to enjoy their golden years. Both men and women in their mid-60s or older are more likely to be divorced or never married than at any time in the past three decades. But the women are much less likely than their male counterparts to get remarried.

Part of the reason is that women have a smaller pool to choose from. They on average live about five years longer than men, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . . .

After a divorce or bereavement, younger women are more likely than men to find a new partner. That trend shifts after age 35. By age 55 to 64, men are twice as likely to remarry, and more than three times as likely when they are age 65 and older. . . .

Rosemary Hopcroft, a sociology professor emerita at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, found that higher-income men are more likely to get married and remarried than men who make less money. For women, the effect is the opposite, at least for remarriage: Higher-income women are less likely to get remarried than other women.

“As women get older, the group of men they find attractive gets smaller and smaller; whereas for men, as they get older and more financially stable, the group of women they find attractive gets larger and larger,” said Hopcroft.

So independence, sure, but set against worse options.

CONGRESS LACKS THE CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO REGULATE ABORTION: Trump would veto legislation establishing a federal abortion ban, Vance says. “Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue.”

Flashback: Taking Federalism Seriously: Lopez and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

OUT: QUALITY IS JOB ONE. IN: DIVERSITY IS JOB ONE:

The Department of Homeland Security put out its Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2024-2028. Guess what @DHSgov’s #1 goal is…

It’s not to protect America and it’s not to advance our capabilities to beat our enemies. Nope.

Their #1 stated goal is advancing DEI. Insane. pic.twitter.com/twTGHDKAPr

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 24, 2024

ICYMI: MATT TAIBBI: Note to Philip Bump: The Washington Post columnist speaks on CNN; a brief reply.

Bump says the Twitter Files stuff has been “debunked a thousand times over.” In fact it caused Washington Post editors to append numerous corrections, including to Bump’s own work.

THE REST SHOULD JUST SHOW UP FOR WORK ON ELECTION DAY ANYWAY:

Breaking News: In Wayne County Michigan, over 700 Republicans applied to be poll watchers and out of the 2,350 poll watchers they hired, only 50 out of the 700+ applicants were Republicans.

— Wendy Patterson (@wendyp4545) August 25, 2024

A LOT OF THINGS DO, THESE DAYS: Why Kamala Harris’ DNC nomination reminds me of the Soviet Union.

OPEN THREAD: It’s there, it’s there for you, it’s what you want.

I WISH THEM LUCK: Blue Origin sets date for next New Shepard flight after completing parachute investigation.

OFF FOR SUSHI; BACK LATER. Eating Seaweed May Help Prevent Parkinson’s, Study Finds.

TRUMP IS SHOWING AN UNACCUSTOMED LEVEL OF SELF-DISCIPLINE THAT SHOULD WORRY HIS ENEMIES: Donald Trump Sensed a Trap by the Left and Didn’t Fall for It. “During presidential campaigns, candidates are typically briefed by the nation’s security agencies on critical matters they could face if they win the election. However, this week former President Donald Trump announced that he would refuse to take part in these standard intelligence briefings for candidates. And the reason is actually quite genius. He explained his decision by expressing concern that Democrats would leak classified information and then attempt to accuse him of being the source of the leaks. In other words, Trump knew a trap was being set for him.”

THE FOOD ON YOUR TABLE is literally at stake.

ALL TYRANNICAL GOVERNMENTS USE FOOD AS A WEAPON: ‘Are we not eating tonight?’ Myanmar’s military junta accused of using hunger as a ‘weapon’ by blocking vital food aid.

JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION: Free COVID-19 tests available for U.S. households in fall.

FALLEN ANGELS IS JUST A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL, RIGHT GUYS? RIGHT? GUYS? California experiences rare August snowfall in Sierra Nevada Mountains near Mammoth.

IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN IT SOUNDS:

S E V E N T E E N

So that brings us from 296 US Navy ship count down to 279?

China has what? 360 and growing

Dear @USNavyCNO, why have you not been fired yet? https://t.co/kdGAHa5tnY

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) August 24, 2024

It’s because they can’t man the ships because recruiting is going so badly. Some of this is just high workload, poor schedules and the aftereffects of dumb Covid policy. But I think there’s also the overlying effect of a bad leadership attitude in the military in general.

If our leadership class wanted us too weak to resist China, what would they do differently?

Plus: “A Navy official, when contacted by USNI News, acknowledged the service was working on a plan to retask civilian mariners but did not provide details. The new effort, known informally as ‘the great reset’ has yet to be adopted by the Navy and is awaiting approval from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, USNI News understands.” Um.

THEY RALLIED AROUND TEDDY WHEN HE KILLED AN INNOCENT WOMAN, BUT THIS IS BEYOND THE PALE:

Camelot pic.twitter.com/IDgZJdm46x

— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) August 24, 2024

UPDATE (From Ed):

For those who don't get the joke.https://t.co/cgGcVqOBda

— Holden (@Holden114) August 23, 2024

SELF-DEFENSE: Don’t look like prey, and the predators won’t mess with you.

NANOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE: A leap forward in nanotechnology: Growing special micro-crystals for better devices.

HOW TO REACT if your electric vehicle catches fire. “Also, you shouldn’t attempt to put out the flame yourself. This is a chemical fire, so a couple buckets of water won’t sufficiently smother the flames. EV battery fires can take first responders around 10 times more water to extinguish than a fire in a gas-powered vehicle. Sometimes the firefighters may decide to let the battery just burn itself out, rather than dousing it with water.”

Water isn’t great for extinguishing a gasoline vehicle fire, either. CO2 or halon or dry chemical extinguishers are better. And can you “turn off the engine” on an electric vehicle?

THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX shows off Dragon capsules for Polaris Dawn flight.

WELL, GOOD: New cancer drugs might also help treat Alzheimer’s.