OPEN THREAD: Ring in the weekend.

SPACE: ‘A new mission starting today’: 8 years after launch, BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival.

THEY’RE ALWAYS IN THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK: The US Could Have a $100 Billion Stash of Rare Earth Elements – Hiding in Coal Waste.

UPDATE: Reader John Steakley writes: “Be it lumber, coal, granite, marble, natural gas, rare earth elements, or just indefatigable young soldiers, America always returns to Appalachia for its most valuable resources. But as John Denver reminded us, where the mountains are older than trees, such returns are to be expected . . .”

So true. John and I were on the National Space Society board together. I had dinner with him not long before he died. He was much buffer than in his 1970s era, and very interested in aviation. Though perhaps not as safety-conscious as would have been ideal.

THE LONELY LIVES OF SCIENTISTS: Soil Scientists Buried 2,000 Pairs of Underwear to Prove a Point.

SETTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS BACK 200 YEARS: How Some Female Lindsay Clancy Jurors Reacted to the Mistrial Declaration. It’s Not Shocking.

PROFESSOR CARRINGTON, CALL YOUR OFFICE: Scientists Expose Unexpected Driver of the May 2024 Superstorm.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: What college students really need in their first aid kits.

SAFETY: Kia and Tesla sell two of the safest new vehicles on the market, based on the latest IIHS tests.

BUY PLENTY OF AMMO: August Was the Seventh Straight Month With a Year-Over-Year Gun Sales Increase.

THAT’S NOT HOW YOU SPELL “BIGGUS DICKUS.” Ancient ring supposedly tied to Pontius Pilate may include a typo.

MYSTERY SOLVED: Fossilized tissue reveals largest known T. rex died from broken rib.

GOOD NEWS ON JOBS: Today’s jobs report was very strong, at 162,000 new payroll positions. That tripled economists’ expectations.

Related:

This is an incredible story almost nobody knows … Trump & the GOP have prioritized private sector payrolls over government. https://t.co/W0QObDjODM

— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 4, 2026

SCIENCE MARCHES ON: Transplanted pig kidney works in US man’s body for record 271 days.

MISTRIAL:

"Basal testosterone renders individuals more receptive to minority positions." Men with more testosterone are more likely to stand up and express unpopular opinions in the face of pressure from the majority. The collapse of testosterone is a grave social & political problem. https://t.co/uMrA2d4E4c pic.twitter.com/rlyqjHbQ6m

— RAW EGG NATIONALIST (@Babygravy9) September 4, 2026

Plus:

State Of Massachusetts Declared Incompetent By Reason Of Insanity https://t.co/UadGKYACav

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) September 4, 2026

It’s a fair cop.

UPDATE: Such a fair cop:

I would like to publicly apologize to everyone I made fun of for the Longhouse. https://t.co/KR5q51n7AR

— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) September 4, 2026

🚨 BREAKING: MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME COURT GRANTS HEARING FOR LINDSAY CLANCY'S DEFENSE

This is absolutely ABSURD. The Supreme Court shouldn't even be ENTERTAINING the idea of removing a juror simply because he won't budge on his decision.

This could set a BAD precedent.

Hearing… pic.twitter.com/8aNLXUTaYl

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 4, 2026

HMM: Peppermint Oil Lowered Blood Pressure by 8 Points in Just 20 Days, Trial Finds.

FLASHBACK: Rural Trump Voters Already Live in the Safe, Tolerant Utopia Leftists Claim to Want.

Life in Rural America (where Republican Trump voters live and govern), is clean, safe, and racially tolerant. On the other hand, most of the places in America where life is dirty, polluted, dangerous, and violent, where people are plagued with racial hate and race riots, are cities populated by and governed by Democrats.

What’s more, if you remove Democrat-run cities from our national statistics, you will find an overall America that is overwhelmingly peaceful, safe, clean, and racially tolerant.

True. Read the whole thing.

A GENERATION OF VIPERS: Nearly half of young adults call Luigi Mangione’s actions ‘acceptable’ in new poll.

THE LEFT IS ALL ABOUT EMOTIONAL INCONTINENCE: ‘I hit you…because you made me upset,’ student says after striking cameraman.

SO THEY ARE: Victor Davis Hanson: The Left Is Dragging America Back to the Dark Ages.

IT’S A HARSH LESSON: Don Surber: Journalists learn what a job is.

SAY ANYTHING: Democrats: ‘Pro-Oil’ Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola Rakes in Cash From Rich Environmental Activists Who Fiercely Oppose Energy Projects She Claims To Champion.

ICYMI: HIRE SECURITY FOR YOUR SECURITY, ELON:

It’s assassination prep. They’re hoping some far-left deranged lunatic watches it and decides that Elon is a threat that has to be eliminated and then follows thru with it.

Pray for Elon. And pray for the country. Dark times ahead

— Obi_1_D_AllKnowing (@obiopiah) September 3, 2026

Related thoughts from Spencer Pratt: “Commies call you ‘dangerous’ so they can kill you. Every DSA candidate has a 2:1 fundraising advantage over their anti-communist opponent, because we have to spend half our funds on 24/7 campaign security & they don’t cuz communists are violent murderous animals and we aren’t.”

(Originally posted by Stephen Green.)

LOL, JEMELE HILL.

Brazil had more slaves, for longer. Brazil did not become a world economic power. https://t.co/vMTViUIKbw

— David Bernstein (@ProfDBernstein) September 3, 2026

NOTHING IS MORE RADICALIZING THAN PICTURES OF THE OLD AMERICA:

Also note how clean the subway is and how nicely dressed everyone is. A shocking decline across society. https://t.co/69QyB5Jfeg

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 3, 2026

THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW:

BREAKING: Tesla has officially started offering Cybercab rides to the public.

I’ve been waiting years to say that!

I took one of the world's first public rides. The cabin is comfortable and spacious, the suspension is soft, and FSD is VERY smooth. It’s an incredible vehicle.… pic.twitter.com/XBzJI9EVQm

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 4, 2026