Maps and Images Show the Devastation in Nepal’s Flooding
What the Measles Betting Market Does Not Measure. Polymarket is currently running a $7.8 million betting option on the number of measles cases in the U.S. in 2026. It runs a detailed analysis of the bets. It does not measure the real impact of those numbers.
Texas became a powerful magnet for American Muslims seeking affordable homes, good schools, and thriving congregations before Islamophobia’s rise there.
Police Chief in Mississippi Regularly Used Racist Slurs, Private Texts Reveal. Exchanges obtained by reporters show troubling messages sent by the chief of a Mississippi police department facing an uproar over the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy in June.
Flock Cameras. Canoodling Lawyers. How Much Surveillance Are We Comfortable With?
The Average ACA Marketplace Deductible Grew by About $1,000 Per Person in 2026, With More Enrollees Shifting to Higher-Deductible Plans as Enhanced Tax Credits Expired. Marketplace Enrollment Could Fall to About 17.5 Million in 2026
The Pentagon Fired the Editor and Publisher of Stars and Stripes, which also claimed a Middle East correspondent. They are the Pentagon’s latest effort to diminish the news outlet’s editorial independence.
The regime is planning to remove the name of an aircraft carrier meant to honor a pioneering Black military hero, a report from CNN revealed. The USS Doris Miller is currently under construction, but Navy leadership is reportedly discussing removing the name and possibly using FOTUS’s name on the ship instead.
Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless. The leadership vacuum comes as the Army is trying to adapt to a new kind of war dominated by deadly drones.
Tacky Superstore closes because the economy sucks for MAGA too
New album by Peter Sprague features Rebecca Jade
Peter Sprague Plays Guinnvere. The title track of the new album features Rebecca Jade, the first niece. Sprague: “In learning to play Guinnevere, I got a closer look into how they came up with such a unique sonic vibe. The main guitar part is played in a special ‘tuning’ that delivers gorgeous chords that aren’t available in standard tuning. I call them ‘magic chords,’ and it happens when most of the strings are not fretted and instead are ringing free. Mix that in with a few fretted notes that rub against the other notes in a good way — cluster chords as they’re known, and the whole sum sparkles in the air. The Guinnevere recording is available at all of the streaming services, including:Spotify, Apple Music, PS Online Store, and YouTube Music
Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares. Shelley Fabares, ‘Donna Reed Show’ Actress, Dies at 82. She also starred in Elvis Presley movies and the sitcom “Coach.”
Catbird: “When I viewed it again, it looked like a heart that had been run over by a tire, which reflected my yet-unrealized reaction to what doge had just started. My conscious mind didn’t know yet, but my hand did. What a revelation!”
First Came the Flock Cameras. Now Local Cops Want Autonomous Drones. Hundreds of local police departments have received waivers to fly surveillance drones that navigate with AI. Also, are Flock cameras in your neighborhood?
The Manosphere and MAHA Have Merged. I Worry for My Pre-Teen Son
FDA Approves First mRNA Flu Vaccine — Approval is for people 50 years or older
‘The Good Maharaja’: How an Indian Prince Saved Hundreds of Polish Children During WWII. When the world looked away, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Jadeja stepped forward to provide refuge and hope to young castaways
A High Schooler Invents a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades.
Waiting for a Library Book? This Man Makes Sure You Get It
Sydney Towle, who chronicled her cancer on TikTok, dies at 26
Tommy John, Dodgers pitcher and medical pioneer, dies at 83. After tearing an elbow ligament, he underwent a risky procedure and returned at his best, changing baseball and giving new hope to injured players.
Why Gen Z and millennials are embracing “grandma hobbies”
When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin
The Enduring Power Of Stevie Wonder’s “As,” R&B’s Greatest Song Ever, and you could make a strong case for it being the greatest song ever recorded, period.
As Data Centers Sidestep Tribal Consultations, Tribal Nations Are Fighting Back
A gripping documentary about the most courageous, legendary clean water activist anywhere: Texas’ own ‘Hellcat’ Diane Wilson
The Disappearing Las Vegas Buffets Hold a Mirror to the American Soul
Civil war erupts between Disabled American Veterans and its local chapter over $39k bequest
Hiker trekked 10 miles to safety after immpaling himself on pole
Some of the US aid money which left Afghanistan over the peaks of the Hindu Kush would eventually return to the UK, finding an unlikely safe haven on the streets of London.
“I just enjoy the moment I’m in. For me, life is a whole experience, not just a series of isolated moments. It’s like submerging yourself into a warm bath rather than sticking your toe under the faucet.” – Alex Trebek
A Date with Destiny and A Hateful Glass of Wine and Wheel of Fortune… or Divorce? and The Pokémon That Got Banned for Something It Didn’t Do
Internet
The internet can belong to all of us. Code for the People is a new documentary short about the fight for the open web. Who built it, who’s trying to close it, and what you can do about it.
Directed by Bao Nguyen (Be Water, The Greatest Night in Pop, BTS: The Return) and featuring Matt Mullenweg, Linus Torvalds, Jensen Huang, and builders from around the world, the film is now streaming free at codeforthepeople.com.
The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come; the worst year since 1991
He Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum
Army scales back legal services for soldiers in disability evaluation process
Regime narrows Endangered Species Act protections by removing habitat destruction rule
Regime Taps Climate Science Critic to Oversee Flagship Report
Republicans Are Trying to Give Big Oil Immunity for Causing Climate Chaos
Visiting the Forgotten Stars page recently, I see HEY ROGER!!! The post, based on a YouTube video, asks, Is Binghamton the ‘weirdest’ town in Upstate NY? Kelly knows that I originally hail from Binghamton, so he’s going to let me weigh in.
Okay then.
Gab Small posted the piece on July 8, 2026, and had already gotten over 50,000 views in two days.
Let me get some minor stuff out of the way. While she refers to Binghamton proper, she really means the city metro. This doesn’t bother me much. She noted that the Whittman Dam is “normal.”
She’s right to appreciate the MLK Park promenade that runs along the Chenango, as well as the bridge near the confluence of it with the Susquehanna, a place I used to hang out as a teen. However, Chenango, one of two rivers that converge in Binghamton proper, is pronounced as though it started with Sh. NOT WEIRD.
The area having the largest Dick’s Sporting Goods in the world is NOT WEIRD, since, as she notes, the store opened in the area, and I had been there several times growing up, long before the expansion. A full-turf running track.is unusual, to be sure.
The Lost Dog Cafe, where I have I have eaten, is a nice place but NOT WEIRD.
A great sandwich
Gab says, “They are weirdly obsessed with a local sandwich called the spiedie.” It’s delicious when made correctly. I’ve had sandwiches that purported to be spiedies, but they didn’t do the marinade right (2019 NYS Fair in Syracuse; dreadful!). NOT WEIRD, though her have a vegetarian one, instead of chicken or lamb, is a little weird; I did not know that was a thing.
There are six carousels in Broome County, completely free to ride. NOT WEIRD. As a result of these, the minor league baseball team (Double A, Mets affiliate) is called the Rumble Ponies, which is SLIGHTLY WEIRD.
I’ll admit that I had never heard of Binghamton Jellystone Park, which is in Endicott. It is a themed campground based on Yogi Bear. But there are Jellystone Parks in about 30 states and four Canadian provinces. So can’t be that weird.
The stinky corpse flowers at Binghamton University. Okay, SOMEWHAT WEIRD.
TZ
Of course, Binghamton is weird because Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, lived there. There is no doubt of that in my mind. The first time I saw the episode Mirror Image (Season 1, Episode 21), I KNEW that the bus station where a young woman was waiting had to be the Greyhound station downtown. And I was only six. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (Season 1, episode 22) featured streets similar to those near Rod’s home on the West Side of the city.
Serling’s inspiration for The After Hours (Season 1, episode 34), when a store mannequin came to life, was inspired by the old Fowler’s department store. I frequented the place as a child; it had the first escalator I can remember! I wish that Gab Small, when mentioning the current store, Boscov’s, had given a touch more history.
And of course, Walking Distance (Season 1, Episode 5) has an overworked New York executive inexplicably transported back to his idyllic 1934 hometown, coming face-to-face with his younger self. I didn’t know that at the time, as I was more prone to go to the carousel at Ross Park than Recreation Park, which was very close to Serling’s home when he grew up in the city. The statue of him is is in Rec Park.
(I suppose I should mention, yet again, that I sort of introduced Rod Serling in 1970.)
Now, the Bundy Museum is WEIRD. A museum inside one of the country’s most haunted houses. I’ve been there a couple times, and while I didn’t see/feel ghosts, it did have an otherworldly feel. AND it has Serling memorabilia.
As it turned out, I was in the Binghamton area on July 12 for the Olin reunion. Whether it is WEIRD or not, it’s my hometown, and I’ll likely come back now and then.
There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of centrists who bemoan “political polarization” and call for a politics that abandons the “tribalism of left and right.”
Incarcerated People Lose Treasured Media When Prisons Change Tablet Contracts
Why most Black Americans say they never fly the American flag, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
Texas Public School Students Will Be Required to Read the Bible. The state passed what may be the first state-mandated book list for public school students. It focuses on classic literature and includes Bible excerpts.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for a ban on data centers in rural areas.
Might as well
A list of resources for people and organizations involved in, or interested in, one or more operations for the 2030 Census.
May as Well Get COVID and Flu Shots on the Same Day, Study Says — Coadministration was not associated with an increased risk of side effects
The A.I.-Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over the Internet. How Anthropic’s new tool, Claude Design, is creating overnight web-design clichés.
Street photographer Ray Di Pietro focuses his work sharply on his adopted hometown of Nashville. With little fanfare, he has attracted tens of thousands of devotees. His images are artfully composed, spontaneous, honest, and, well, kind.
DJT airport could spell doom for Palm Beach. Via Heather Delaney Reese: The agreement gives the Trump Organization control over which vendors can manufacture and sell merchandise at the airport. It gives Trump veto power over any biographical material displayed inside the building. A non-disparagement clause bars the airport from publishing anything that could tarnish his reputation. His own staff writes the version of his story that travelers see. And the trademark applications cover watches, jewelry, collectible coins, cufflinks, purses, backpacks, suitcases, umbrellas, tote bags, clothing, robes, neckties, belts, and plastic slippers designed for use at security checkpoints. They trademarked slippers at a public airport.
Air Force officer arrested at Capitol after calling for FOTUS impeachment, a civil-disobedience story
He Bought Hundreds of Stocks the Day Before He Paused Tariffs and Sparked a Historic Rally
Caught by gangland-style squeeze play/ Damned if they do, damned if they betray. (poem)
JD Vance appears most agitated because he believes America is engaged in a civilizational struggle — and it is losing.
MUSIC
The Washington National Cathedral marked the 250th anniversary of the United States with an interfaith service on July 3. Lifting themes of pluralism and the common good, We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident celebrates the nation’s ideals alongside an honest reckoning of its history and unfinished work.
Visiting the Forgotten Stars page recently, I see 