Author Archive: Stephen Green
August 25, 2025
VICTORIA TAFT: Why Don’t We Know What Caused the L.A. Fires?
WASTE: U.S. already has the critical minerals it needs – but they’re being thrown away, new analysis shows.
All the critical minerals the U.S. needs annually for energy, defense and technology applications are already being mined at existing U.S. facilities, according to a new analysis published today in the journal Science.
The catch? These minerals, such as cobalt, lithium, gallium and rare earth elements like neodymium and yttrium, are currently being discarded as tailings of other mineral streams like gold and zinc, said Elizabeth Holley, associate professor of mining engineering at Colorado School of Mines and lead author of the new paper.
“The challenge lies in recovery,” Holley said. “It’s like getting salt out of bread dough – we need to do a lot more research, development and policy to make the recovery of these critical minerals economically feasible.”
Exit quote: “The analysis in Science looks at a total of 70 elements used in applications ranging from consumer electronics like cell phones to medical devices to satellites to renewable energy to fighter jets and shows that unrecovered byproducts from other U.S. mines could meet the demand for all but two – platinum and palladium.”
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Dank Gavin Takes the Fight to… Blue City Dems?
SHE DID MANAGE TO FAIL HER WAY ALMOST TO THE TOP:
Cuban frames Harris as a victim. But if she couldn't overrule her own campaign team and consultants, that shows she lacked the leadership needed to be President.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) August 25, 2025
From the replies: “I actually agree that Harris appeared over-handled, and may have done better had that not been the case. But she also seemed incredibly insecure to me. Scared of saying/doing the wrong thing. Perhaps bcz her party is now full of vicious radicals one dare not offend, ever.”
SARAH HOYT’S SHOCKED FACE IS IN A MEDICALLY INDUCED COMA: Ghislaine Maxwell was celebrated at posh Clinton event years after sex crimes accusations emerged, bombshell report reveals.
Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was an honored guest at an exclusive Clinton Global Initiative conference in September 2013 — more than five years after sexual abuse allegations first surfaced against her, according to a new report.
Maxwell — who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges — was recognized and applauded at the event as a “Commitment to Action” leader for founding the TerraMar Project a year earlier, a now-defunct nonprofit that focused on ocean sustainability, CNN reported.
A source familiar with the Clinton Global Initiative told the network that, “It was rare, prestigious and an honor to be acknowledged the way Ghislaine was at the CGI annual meeting.”
REDNECK RISING: Why Competence Beats Credentials.
A MILLION HERE AND A MILLION THERE…: California ‘Anti-Poverty Activist’ And Dem Mega-Donor Pleads Guilty To Massive Carbon-Credit Scam.
Joe Sanberg, a top California Democrat activist who decried the corruption of big Wall Street banks and started a company marketed as the “cleaner” alternative, actually propped that company up through blatant fraud, he admitted Thursday.
Sanberg and other high-profile Democrats started the carbon-credit platform and online banking app Aspiration Partners Inc., promising to plant trees and not invest in polluting industries. Its motto was “clean rich is the new filthy rich.” It was once a star of the “environmental, social, and governance (ESG)” movement that blended corporate finance with leftist politics, and counted actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. as investors.
But it was instead a scheme as corrupt as any on Wall Street, with Sanberg concocting fake customers for his tree-planting services to try to dupe investors into a $2 billion valuation, the Department of Justice said. Sanberg faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, according to the Department of Justice.
Sanberg is a key player in California politics, a Gavin Newsom donor who personally spent $11 million backing a ballot initiative to raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour. Voters blocked the initiative by one percentage point in 2024. A 2019 Atlantic story headlined, “Joe Sanberg Dares Trump to Call Him a Socialist,” said “the multimillionaire investor says the Democrats’ progressive agenda is best for jobs and economic growth.”
Nah — graft and corruption are where it really shines.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Trump Is on a Roll and Dems Are Morons for Not Enjoying It. “Because the Democrats are mentally unwell, they can’t enjoy things like greatly reduced chances of being raped, robbed, or murdered. Even though I am an avowed political partisan, if a Democratic politician did something to make my life safer I would tip my cap in appreciation and revel in all of the not getting killed.”
NOBODY WANTS THE PALESTINIANS, BUT “WHY?” IS THE QUESTION WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK:
The Egyptian Army is reportedly reinforcing its forces along the border with Gaza ahead of Israel's expected operation to take over Gaza City. According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Egypt fears the Israeli operation will push some one million Gazan civilians towards the Egyptian… pic.twitter.com/IV27kyzOV6
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 24, 2025
BEGUN, THE GERRYMANDER WARS HAVE: Missouri GOP leader says redistricting effort starts with congressional map drawn in D.C.
Jennifer Bukowsky of Columbia, vice chair of the Republican State Committee, said she expects a special session of the legislature to be called after there is agreement between the Trump White House and the Republican National Committee on how to revise current boundaries.
President Donald Trump and his political advisers are pushing Missouri to join Texas in redrawing districts to favor the GOP. Any proposal is likely to split the 5th District, which is mainly in Kansas City, by adding Republican voters in sufficient numbers to take it away from incumbent U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
That would give Republicans seven of the state’s eight seats in the U.S. House instead of the current six.
To be fair, the Gerrymander Wars started long ago — it’s just nice to see the GOP finally hitting back.
I MEAN, HE ISN’T WRONG:
The CIA must arm and give logistical support to the moderate rebels. This is a people who are ready to overthrow their tyrannical government and embrace Western democracy. https://t.co/T9tjMhZnok
— Pine Baron (@SpiritofPines) August 24, 2025
CHANGE: 4 African countries get official hometowns, special visa category in Japan under migration deal.
Announced on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held in Yokohama from August 20–23, 2025, the initiative forms part of Japan’s strategic effort to strengthen bilateral ties with African nations, promote cultural exchange, and address labour market challenges arising from its rapidly declining population.
Director of Information at the State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, confirmed for the Nigerian side that the partnership will include a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians wishing to live and work in Kisarazu. Artisans and other blue-collar workers willing to upskill will also benefit from the special dispensation visa.
Similar arrangements are anticipated for Tanzania, Ghana, and Mozambique, providing structured pathways for professional development while supplying Japan with needed workforce talent.
Japan faces an aging population, with nearly 30% of its citizens aged 65 and above, and fewer than 60 working-age individuals per 100 retirees. This demographic shift has intensified the country’s need for foreign labour to support key sectors such as technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare.
Gaijin are increasingly Japan’s future, but if it goes for them anything like it’s gone for Europe…: “Japan should take a look at Western Europe and see how that strategy worked out for their diminishing native populations. Hope you like riots and massive social upheaval, because that’s what’s coming. Japan, you just should have had more kids.”
DAVID MANNEY: From Little Rock to L.A. to Chicago: Strong Presidents Act, Not Dictate. “This is the situation President Donald Trump faces with Baltimore and Chicago, where local leaders downplay crime or refuse to take action. The president offers to send in the National Guard, acting not as a tyrant, but as the man fixing the streetlight before the neighborhood falls into chaos.”
August 24, 2025
THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX eyes Starship reusability milestones in rocket’s tenth flight test.
Launch is scheduled for 7:30pm Eastern, weather permitting.
You can watch it live here.
August 22, 2025
IT’S TIME FOR VICTORIA TAFT’S West Coast, Messed Coast™: Border Czar Tom Homan Mocks Antifa in Surprise Visit to Sanctuary Cities.
FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY [VIP]: Drug Delivery by Drone, What Could Go Wrong? “It’s time for your much-needed break from the serious news, and this week, we’ll learn when not to try and recover your drone, how not to dress for a police chase, and what they do for fun in Slovakia.”
CHANGE: Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million in value as stock plunges after new logo release.
Wall Street’s reaction to the logo redesign comes as Cracker Barrel has been working to refresh its image through new menu items and redecorated stores that eschew the 55-year-old chain’s old-timey approach in favor of a more modern look.
According to the company’s website, the man and barrel in the old logo represented “the old country store experience where folks would gather around and share stories.”
It’s unusual for a company’s share price to plunge dramatically due to a logo redesign, although marketing missteps can cause investors to question a company’ strategy. Cracker Barrel’s overhaul has been overseen by CEO Julie Felss Masino, who last year described the chain as “not as relevant as we once were,” and announced plans to update its down-home menu.
I’m not a customer, so the change doesn’t affect me — but I’m certainly enjoying the memes.
Related (From Ed): Same here:
THE ROUND OF CHOICE FOR GANG-BANGERS EVERYWHERE: California’s Lead Ammo Ban Working as Intended, With Copper .22LR Ammo Expensive and Hard to Get.
THINGS WON’T RETURN TO NORMAL UNTIL THE LEFT FEELS THE PAIN OF THE NEW RULES THEY WROTE:
If actually happened here. In this country to Trump. And you applauded it. Get fucked. https://t.co/AYZW4xHQPF
— Chris Barron 🇺🇸 (@ChrisRBarron) August 22, 2025
BIDEN’S WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN SAYS THEY SPOKE IN PERSON ONLY TWICE.
A White House spokesperson for President Joe Biden has testified that he only spoke to the then-chief executive in person twice, Republican Rep. James Comer told reporters Thursday.
Ian Sams, who testified in front of a House committee about the MAGA-led conspiracy surrounding an autopen Biden used to sign legislation and pardons, was a spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office from mid-2022 to August 2024.
Sams was one of Biden’s staunchest defenders last year, combating claims that the former president displayed signs of significant cognitive decline in his final year in power.
Comer, of Kentucky, countered on Thursday that it would be difficult for Sams to know the actual state of Biden given their limited interaction.
“He communicated with Joe Biden two times,” Comer said, citing Sams’ testimony, which has not been made public. “He saw Joe Biden—talked to Joe Biden—two times, the entire stint as White House spokesperson, but yet he would, every day, tweet and issue statements from the podium of the White House.”
The lawmaker clarified in a statement to Fox News that Sams also spoke to Biden once over the phone and on a virtual call in another instance. That raises their total interactions to four — about one every six months.
Biden being unable or unwilling to communicate with his own spokesman is some “MAGA-led conspiracy” about autopen abuse how, exactly?
NOT REALLY FEELING THE SHOCK: We Elect Psychopaths — And Then Act Surprised When They Act Like Psychopaths.
WHERE’S THE WINDOW? Passengers sue United and Delta for selling ‘window’ seats next to blank walls. “The lawsuits allege that United and Delta long have been aware of consumer complaints posted on social media about the windowless seats yet continued charging extra for window seats without windows.”