JOHN LUCAS: Negotiating with the Iranian scorpions. I think Trump is stringing them along, the way they’ve traditionally strung U.S. negotiators along. He knows they’ll break any agreement.

OPEN THREAD: Ring out the weekend.

GOOD THING HUMAN BEINGS DIDN’T EXIST YET I GUESS: Dinosaur-killing asteroid may have caused firestorms 17 times hotter than the thermal limit lethal to humans.

And how’s that space program coming along? Because there will be a next time.

CHANGE: Hell-World Venus May Have Once Had Oceans Across 90% of Its Hot, Dry Surface.

ANDY KESSLER HAS A NICE COLUMN ABOUT MY SEDUCTIVE AI BOOK IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

Archived version here.

MICROBIOME NEWS: Study Finds a Surprising Link Between Gut Microbes and Aging.

INVESTIGATE THEIR FINANCES.

Read that again; Republicans are the ones blocking this. https://t.co/WNACYZb22O

— Lara Logan (@laralogan) August 1, 2026

PILLS NOT SHOTS? The new weight-loss pill vs. the shot: A doctor’s honest answer on oral Wegovy.

REVIEW: 2027 Tesla Model Y L In-Depth Review: Tesla’s Bestseller Gets Longer and More Useful.

GOOD: A Fifth Circuit Case Could Jeopardize the Feds’ Commerce Clause Grip on Guns. “The court has agreed to rehear United States v. Squire en banc, reopening a major fight over whether Congress can use the Commerce Clause to criminalize firearm possession simply because a gun or ammunition once moved in interstate commerce. The Fifth Circuit’s rehearing order even drew a warning from Judge Stephen Higginson that the court had ‘welcomed the possibility’ of holding that Congress’ Commerce Clause power can’t support § 922(g).”

NO. NEXT QUESTION? Schools are rethinking whether every student needs a laptop.

MY DOC IS SUSPICIOUS OF THIS CHANGE: Considering statins? New US cholesterol guidelines may change your decision. “An estimated 21.5 million additional adults in the United States may now be eligible for statins under updated cholesterol treatment guidelines, according to a new study. The researchers aimed to estimate how many adults in the US would be considered eligible for statin therapy under the new 2026 blood cholesterol guidelines issued by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and nine partnering medical societies, compared with the previous 2018 guidelines.”

IT’S A MYSTERY:

Hillary lost and The Clinton Foundation went broke

Biden lost and he can't get money to build his library

USAID was shut down and the DNC had to mortgage their HQ for money

Anyone else seeing a pattern here?

— SaltyGoat (@SaltyGoat17) August 1, 2026

THE 21ST CENTURY ISN’T TURNING OUT AS I’D PLANNED: A 4,000-year-old disease is on the rise in this state thanks to armadillos. “Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is an illness many often relegate to the history books. Florida, however, has recorded 17 infections this year as of July 18, according to state health data. Of the 174 cases recorded nationwide in 2025, 36 occurred in the state, including 27 that were contracted locally rather than abroad.”

BEWARE: Study suggests the threat of mold-associated illnesses may be underappreciated.

I SUSPECT THIS IS LITERALLY TRUE:

More people would pay to see Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark play a game of HORSE than would pay to see the rest of the WNBA play all of their games combined. https://t.co/RC0ZzC8RdZ

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 1, 2026

RACISM: Oklahoma colleges face federal complaint over nursing scholarship only for Native Americans.

INDOCTRINATION: How college graduates became more likely to vote Democrat.

MARK JUDGE: Counterrevolution: Thirty Years of the Conservative Press.

LOOK AT HER EXPRESSION:

It will never cease to amaze me that people will debase and degrade themselves in this manner in favor of a nonsensical and toxic ideology or simply out of fear of the mob that furthers this idiotic mumbo jumbo. https://t.co/HDKjrdLBbO

— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) August 1, 2026

GOOD GUY WITH A GUN: Idaho Shooting: Man Exchanged Fire With In-N-Out Gunman, Witness Says. Civilian engaged him, then the gunman took his own life, as often happens when they’re met with fire.

HAHA:

Maine Dems Explain They Can Either Do 'No Rape' Or 'No Incest' But Not Both https://t.co/Hesc3tCv0B

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 1, 2026

Related:

Let’s take it from the top again. Here’s the Democrat lineup going into the midterms:

– A diagnosed-bipolar Asian chick with a history of self-harm who’s been institutionalized in a psychiatric ward and overdosed on lithium, and wants to get rid of Thanksgiving.

– A guy who… pic.twitter.com/OrYfvmwST6

— Bad Hombre (@Badhombre) August 1, 2026

Plus:

This might be the strongest piece Bill Maher has ever made.

The communists are here. They’re actually here. Right now. Taking power.

What are we going to do about it? https://t.co/Wuy6gUXOjw

— InfantryDort (@infantrydort) August 1, 2026

BRINGING BACK DRESS CODES: Alabama’s Tuskegee University demands students wear business suits, bans certain headwear in controversial new dress code.. “Dressing appropriately for class, meetings, and professional settings is not ‘White culture’ or an erasure of heritage. It is adult competence. Millions of Black professionals have long understood this without drama.”

NEWSWEEK: Trump Was Right. Six Months Post-Maduro, Venezuelan Recovery Defies Critics.

It’s amazing what getting rid of the communism will do for you.

OPEN THREAD: Do that comment voodoo that you do so well.