Links 7/26/2026

Subscribe to Post Comments

78 comments

1. ilsm July 26, 2026 at 7:25 am

   Musk Matters

   Weymo hit 20 million rides last month! Tesla missed a march.

   Under reported. Morning 25 July Falcon launched, first stage landed on ship. Deploy 24 Starlink satellites and completed mission. The whole thing looked easier than flying out of National!

   I watched the Starship flight 13. Note it was suborbital! It did launch 20 satellites. The Starship landing was excellent. The Super Heavy landing a bit hard with some issues again with raptor engines.

   You can view current launches on spacex.com “current launches”. A boomer I find them interesting!

   Musk is likely to buy T-Mobile and integrate Starlink to cell business. If China entered the EV market!

   My strike price for SpaceX is $20.

   Reply ↓
   1. tegnost July 26, 2026 at 10:19 am

      the authoritarian gambit to track/control/eliminate all human activities continues apace.
      And I suppose after musk pollutes near space with his ubiquitous junk there will need to be laws to prevent other countries doing the same because it’s too crowded up there.
      A despicable fantasy lorded over by a despicable fantacist.

      Reply ↓
      1. ilsm July 26, 2026 at 1:19 pm

         Also the antenna on both ends of the starlink to earth link are small phased arrays, theoretically the constellation can “see” all over the world.

         Reply ↓
         1. urdsama July 26, 2026 at 2:43 pm

            But that is not how it works in practice. Theory is great, reality is quite different.

            In any case, Starlink is not a long term company. It ekes out a profit by offering very low cost subscriptions which cannot be maintained and is based on a horrible concept in any case.

            The sooner Musk and his companies go under, the better.

            Reply ↓
2. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 7:52 am

   “China lures away 105 top American minds in bid to dominate med, tech fields”

   Wow. The New York Post is really b**-hurt at the thought of all those Americans ‘deserting’ to go to China to join ‘Communist Party-funded institutions.’ They call them ‘defectors’ and ‘turncoats’ before settling down to some actual reporting. From the sounds of some of those fields, many would have lost their positions under Trump cutting back on research and development so it was either go overseas to get work, live eventually out of their cars or if young enough go back to live with their parents. I’d say many chose Door Number One here and I can’t blame them. if America does not want them, China will say ‘Give me your huddled scientists yearning to breathe free.’

   Reply ↓
   1. GlassHammer July 26, 2026 at 8:14 am

      “many would have lost their positions under Trump cutting back on research”

      ^This.

      “Brain drain” was the most likely outcome, of various funding cuts.

      I guess the play is to live off legacy tech/patents while utilizing just enough talent to hold it all together with zip-ties, duct tape, and high hopes.

      Reply ↓
      1. Michael Fiorillo July 26, 2026 at 9:01 am

         With zip ties, and worse, for the rabble who complain.

         Reply ↓
      2. John k July 26, 2026 at 1:35 pm

         It’s the neolib way. All investmentbsubtracts from this q bottom line. Where’s the bonus for that?

         Reply ↓
   2. KLG July 26, 2026 at 10:33 am

      The final paragraphs of this article are classic American dumbassery:

      The FBI has repeatedly warned Chinese talent programs are part of a broader push to obtain foreign technology and expertise to bolster China’s strategic and military ambitions.

      “Time and time again, the Communist government of China has proven that it will use any means necessary to advance its interests at the expense of others,” FBI counterintelligence assistant director John Brown had told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

      “Beijing aims to acquire our technology — often in the early stages of development — as well as our expertise, to erode our competitive advantage and supplant the United States as a global superpower.”

      Except for the unemployable convicted criminal Charlie Lieber, formerly Chair of Harvard Department of Chemical Biology IIRC, the current exodus is 100% due to the current administration’s devastation of the system set up after WWII by Vannever Bush of MIT. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, along with smaller agencies such as the Energy Research and Development Administration (now the Department of Energy) made the United States the leader in scientific research and development the world had never seen. Did this establishment need to be incrementally improved? Yes. But that is not the goal here. The goal is to prevent any research that conflicts with the current administration’s “priorities.” The funding of scientific research has always had a political component, but that was far removed from the actual mechanisms of awarding grants (also in need of improvement instead of destruction). That has changed.

      I am old enough to remember one of the first Chinese scientists to come to the US in the late-1970s after being sent to the provinces for re-education during the Cultural Revolution. Before Mr. Hu, all Chinese students and scientists in the US were from Hong Kong or Taiwan. Mr. Hu was grateful to be “here” so he could carry new knowledge back to his home and restart Chinese science. Well, he did a good job. And now those ungrateful dastardly Communists are stealing our precious bodily fluids (sorry, wrong movie). No, in this documentary they are recruiting our best scientists to lead the way through the 21st century. This is what the USA did beginning in the 1950s, when there were strong reciprocal links between and among the scientific establishments of the USA, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

      My, how the worm has turned. And you would have a better chance at teaching a particularly dense Golden Retriever (previously the PMC dog of choice) to solve a differential equation using separation of variables than explaining to our current leadership what is really going on here. Of course they already know the answer: Communists!

      Reply ↓
      1. Glen July 26, 2026 at 12:57 pm

         As an engineer that has both been in the military, and then heavy manufacturing for all of my career, this article grates with the double standard being applied to us all.

         I remember commenting on some blog over ten years ago (maybe as long as twenty years ago) that the off shoring of American manufacturing was bad, very bad, should be considered unpatriotic. I was at that time receiving relies that it’s just capitalism, and the way our system works so shut up and move along, nothing to see here:

         The Chinafication of Walmart
         https://www.npr.org/2026/07/21/nx-s1-5888726/the-chinafication-of-walmart

         We think of Walmart as ultra-American, but its business relationship with China has fundamentally changed how American retail operates.

         In this episode, how one retailer helped turn China into the world’s factory, eventually becoming the single largest U.S. importer of Chinese consumer goods.

         So, some people have gotten “a better deal” and have taken advantage of that. Isn’t that what our President professes to do every day, and has done his whole life? Or maybe we should start looking at the people that really [family blogged] American, and calling them traitors too?

         Reply ↓
         1. GF July 26, 2026 at 2:39 pm

            Inquiring minds want to know if Walmart pays the Chinese tariffs Trump mandates?

            Reply ↓
      2. lyman alpha blob July 26, 2026 at 2:51 pm

         And hasn’t China kept the US university system afloat in recent decades? My understanding is many wealthy Chinese families pay full freight to send their kids to the US for an education. Taking a walk through the university section of Boston (a large portion of it) would seem to validate that.

         It’s the same stupidity that blames China for having a burgeoning economy when the US voluntarily sent industry there. Now we blame China for gladly taking billions of their dollars to educate their kids.

         Reply ↓
   3. Chemistry Nerd July 26, 2026 at 10:46 am

      Turn about is equitable play. The US (and the collective West) did the same to the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. American doctoral students found their job prospects dimmed by all the soviets becoming available for hire. We (PhD Chemistry, UOhio) used to say that every project we applied to or interacted with haid their own “pet russian” on staff.

      Reply ↓
3. .Tom July 26, 2026 at 8:11 am

   Yesterday Yves posted in Links comments the tweet saying: “The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said continuous and targeted fire by Iranian fighters will continue until the enemy’s complete surrender.”

   Here it is from Press TV https://www.presstv.co.uk/Detail/2026/07/25/772994/Strikes-will-continue-until-enemy-complete-surrender-Iran-security-chief

   Reply ↓
4. flora July 26, 2026 at 8:19 am

   File under Big Brother is watching you.

   Flock cameras are adding drones to surveil you, and tapping into door Ring cameras, too.
   From the Jimmy Dore show with guest host Garland Nixon.

   Flock Cameras Add UNMANNED DRONES For Even MORE Surveillance! w/ Steve Poikonen

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFJxg9RRzbE

   Reply ↓
   1. JohnM_inMN July 26, 2026 at 9:01 am

      Flora, note that there could be a nefarious agenda behind the anti-flock movement. Just because your local authorities oppose flock does not necessarily mean they oppose mass surveillance. Turf wars?

      James Li:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP54OpXeJ30&t=3s

      Reply ↓
      1. flora July 26, 2026 at 11:23 am

         Oh, indeed. It could be a competitor’s sabotage. Some of the cities that have ended Flock deals have happily added surveillance cameras from a competitor that isn’t as widely known by the public.

         “Yes! We got rid of Flock.” (We installed a different company’s surveillance camera system instead. We listen to our voters.) / [-(

         Reply ↓
      2. flora July 26, 2026 at 11:52 am

         Thanks for the link.

         Reply ↓
5. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 8:30 am

   “US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a ‘duress’ password during border search”

   Now this is interesting. ‘Prosecutors later charged Tunick under a federal statute that makes it unlawful to knowingly destroy or damage property to prevent authorities from seizing it. Tunick has pleaded not guilty.’

   But it wasn’t property that he came across belonging to somebody else but his own personal data. Not the same thing. Look at it this way. This guy has some dope which is illegal where he lives. He spots the FBI rocking up to his door so he runs to the bathroom and flushes the dope down the toilet. Now there is zip for the Feds when they come in. So would those very same prosecutors charge that guy too with destroying property even though there is no proof of anything that was destroyed? Actually it is worse. The dope was still illegal whereas that guy’s data was innocent until proven guilty.

   Reply ↓
   1. Carolinian July 26, 2026 at 8:46 am

      Despite the very dubious Fed grounds for the case the article makes a key point

      “I have not seen this before, though I’ve discussed the potential scenario with activists and journalists over the years,” said Sandvik. “I think this case serves as a reminder that authorities may argue you knowingly destroyed data, so it’s better to not have that data on you when you cross certain borders.”

      “With a little planning ahead of time, you can always download the data you need once you get to where you’re going,” said Sandvik.

      And if you are tech savvy enough to have a “duress password” then you have the skills to do the above.

      Of course by the Trumpie logic of guilty until proven innocent crossing the border with an already reset phone would be taken as some sort of implied guilt so the result might be the same–until courts rule otherwise.

      Smartphones are by their nature spybots. Perhaps using a dumb phone while traveling is an obvious choice for those out to poke the authorities in the eye (as the “Atlanta forest” movement was).

      Reply ↓
      1. Expat2uruguay July 26, 2026 at 9:41 am

         I can’t imagine traveling without my smartphone, particularly in foreign countries. I use it to translate languages, call ubers so that I’m not ripped off by taxi drivers, read reviews to select restaurants and then navigate in real time to get where I need to go. A dumb phone wouldn’t do any of that and would leave me at risk. We need better solutions, specifically rights given by legal powers.

         Reply ↓
         1. Carolinian July 26, 2026 at 10:22 am

            This may change but for the time being you can buy a prepay company smartphone for thirty bucks that will do all of that. The key is not to establish a Google account but to acquire needed apps as .apk files that can be sideloaded (that may change too).

            Then as suggested above reset the phone before passing through customs or just toss the thing. IMO the takeaway from our digital age is that it provides better ways to spy but also better ways to evade. But that last depends to a great deal on open source hardware which may be blocked when it comes to devices that depend on cell towers.

            Reply ↓
         2. tegnost July 26, 2026 at 10:27 am

            specifically rights given by legal powers.

            You are losing rights every day, not the other way around.
            More likely you will be required to have cell device and keep it on 24/7 and it will have all of your money and biometrics so if you dare to misbehave, well…
            It’s incredible that before cell phones anything ever happened, that must have been when god was still alive and he kept his all seeing eye on us from the heavens, protecting and guiding us…

            Reply ↓
         3. Spastica Rex July 26, 2026 at 10:40 am

            At risk of a crummy meal?

            Reply ↓
         4. thoughtfulperson July 26, 2026 at 12:58 pm

            Get a cheap phone and lical sim card as soon as you arrive, leave it when you leave. If you bring a phone from where you live and want to bring it back, know it will be searched so don’t bring one with anything other than a few mainstream news sites etc.

            Reply ↓
   2. ThirtyOne July 26, 2026 at 3:18 pm

      I wonder how a “gag PIN” would go over with the jackboot crowd:
      Subject hands over phone, give the nazi his gag PIN.
      Nazi enters PIN, screen goes black, a countdown timer appears, indicating time remaining before SELF DESTRUCT.
      Hilarity ensues.

      Reply ↓
6. Chas July 26, 2026 at 8:34 am

   “Can Cuba outlast Marco Rubio?”

   The article pointed out in detail all the dirty deeds the USA is doing to ruin the Cuban economy, but not one word about what Cubans are doing to counteract those dirty deeds.

   I’m sure a major, coordinated effort is underway in Cuba to expand their urban gardens, grow more food in the countryside, install solar electricity systems, and probably many other efforts to re-establish their economy. Perhaps something is going on in Cuba now similar to the literacy campaign of the early days of the revolution when thousands of young people went throughout the island to teach people how to read and write.

   In order to answer the question “Can Cuba outlast Marco Rubio” we need to know what the people of Cuba are doing to try to outlast Rubio. Why are no reporters going to Cuba to find out the real story?

   Reply ↓
   1. vao July 26, 2026 at 10:15 am

      There is this relevant comment from yesterday’s links — but it does not address the agricultural and energy sectors directly.

      Trendwise though, the situation is dire; Cuba is slowly collapsing and the authorities no longer seem able to undertake the necessary steps to reinforce the system, while the population is increasingly becoming sceptical of the political system.

      My guess is that Cuba will end up as Venezuela v2.

      Reply ↓
      1. Gretzn July 26, 2026 at 11:22 am

         Not a snowball’s chance in hell of the US allowing Cuba to get away as comparatively easily as Venezuela did (so far).
         Cuba must be totally crushed, made an example of, have the empire’s frustrations acted out on it and punished without for many years to come.

         Reply ↓
         1. vao July 26, 2026 at 11:53 am

            I agree this is the intent; the issue however — touched in the linked article — is whether the USA can muster the necessary resources (military and administrative) to exact revenge to its full extent.

            I would not be surprised if the Cubans are hoping that the Iranians continue thrashing the US forces till they are so mauled they cannot even mount a credible intervention — let alone an occupation.

            Reply ↓
      2. dommage July 26, 2026 at 12:47 pm

         See this for a viewpoint diametrically opposed to the point of view – Cuba run by a much hated corrupt (new sneakers!) elite – in the link you provide.

         Reply ↓
      3. John k July 26, 2026 at 1:52 pm

         I dunno. Us supporting Batista was overthrown in 1959 by a ragged band coming out of the mountains. Batista had a fairly well-equipped army, Castro did not.
         In a replay the current well equipped army would likely retreat into the mountains if Havana etc is bombed, but imo us troops would not long try to hold ground positions.
         And the west is undergoing what looks to me to be accelerating decline. Imagine how Russia beating nato in Ukraine and Iran driving us out of west Asia would to to encourage Les autres.

         Reply ↓
         1. vao July 26, 2026 at 2:23 pm

            “Us supporting Batista was overthrown in 1959 by a ragged band coming out of the mountains.”

            Batista had no popular support, and the Cuban military was marred by corruption and used for racketing and other trafficking. Besides, Castro and his pals only managed to overthrow Batista after a first, completely failed attempt, which forced them to recast their strategy and tactics into an innovative (and successful) form — under the coaching by a veteran of the Spanish civil war.

            “Imagine how Russia beating nato in Ukraine and Iran driving us out of west Asia would to to encourage Les autres.”

            Those other parties will also have a very close look at the price Iran and Russia had to pay to beat their enemies.

            Reply ↓
   2. ISL July 26, 2026 at 2:38 pm

      Here is China acting not mercantilistic:

      https://socialistchina.org/2026/02/25/with-chinese-support-cuba-triples-solar-power-in-one-year/

      In a few years a fuel blockage would be irrelevant.

      I think that also is why the US is pushing hard now.
      -ira

      Reply ↓
7. .Tom July 26, 2026 at 8:45 am

   Re today’s Guillotine, looks like Hamza Khan has an image of the wrong rug. The actual Clark Sickle-Leaf (which is red) sold for $9.6 million in 2010, a record for a rug at the time, and recently for around $30 million. It’s a lot, of course, but if I were wealthy I’d rather collect Islamic rugs than Damien Hirst.

   The Qing dynasty vase (1735–96) is a much wilder story than the tweet suggests. It was lost for 75 years and emerged in 2010 as the ultimate Antiques Roadshow-type “I found it in the attic” story. “Bainbridge’s sold it for $69.5 million” (the GBP50M the Daily Mail mentions?)

   https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-2263411/20m-Chinese-vase-finally-paid-solicitor-half-50m-went-auction.html

   Ms. .Tom is an accomplished potter (modestly priced too!) so we’ll follow this story later.

   Reply ↓
   1. Pat July 26, 2026 at 9:17 am

      I will have to read about that vase as well. Thank you.

      And while I don’t know 22 million pounds, it is gorgeous and amazing it survives.

      Reply ↓
   2. mrsyk July 26, 2026 at 11:16 am

      If I was wealthy I’d rather collect Islamic rugs…. I collect them anyway. Some of my favorite carpets have been found on the sidewalks of NYC, discarded and out for “big trash” pickup day, and at the exchange shack at the local landfill.

      Reply ↓
   3. John k July 26, 2026 at 2:04 pm

      My small collection was inherited from my mother, who collected them during her time in Tehran.

      Reply ↓
8. flora July 26, 2026 at 8:50 am

   File under MSM goes nuts. / ;)
   From Useful Idiots.

   2 grown men playing bombing games touching a big screen

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCzH44mqxNY

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 8:56 am

      I notice that the guy on the right suspiciously has his hand in his left trouser pocket all the time while they are discussing what to blow up. Just sayin’.

      Reply ↓
      1. flora July 26, 2026 at 11:25 am

         / heh.

         Reply ↓
9. mrsyk July 26, 2026 at 8:58 am

   About the Clark Sickle Leaf Carpet, the photo in the tweet is a different rug. Here is a description and a photo from Jozan,

   “The ‘The Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet’ is a 17th century Persian Kerman vine scroll and palmette carpet with a size of 8ft. 9in. by 6ft. 5in. (2.67 by 1.96m.).”

   I believe it claims the highest price ever fetched for a piece of Islamic art.

   Reply ↓
10. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 9:10 am

    “Trump says full-scale war with Iran ‘if we don’t get 100% of what we want’: Report”

    Blah! Blah! Blah! Newsflash for Trump. He’s going to get nothing from this war. It is going to be all losses across the board and he is going to go into the Midterms with nothing to show for this totally unnecessary war. No doubt that he will rage and bellow and take it out on anybody weaker than himself while trying to come up with a big victory elsewhere to distract form the Gulf but it won’t help. After November his domestic agenda will be toast which is at least something for most people.

    Reply ↓
    1. Michaelmas July 26, 2026 at 9:29 am

       Rev Kev: He’s going to get nothing from this war.

       I disagree. I’d say at the very least he’s going to get a place in history as one of the primary movers in the Fall of the Moron Empire.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 26, 2026 at 1:07 pm

          Welcome new term:
          F.M.E. or “FOME”

          Reply ↓
    2. flora July 26, 2026 at 11:32 am

       Trump’s toddler tantrum. / ;)

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeucrVLMuLs

       Reply ↓
       1. .Tom July 26, 2026 at 3:19 pm

          That boy is at least 17 today. What a thought. To know that the video your parents made of you while laughing at you has 434,563 views on YouTube.

          Reply ↓
11. Pat July 26, 2026 at 9:11 am

    That MTG video should be required viewing for everyone. It is very clear about the two votes.

    Of course there should be a follow up about the other side of the performative nature of the House involving the horse trading that led to the exchange of the six votes between the Democrats and the Republicans, but that is the step two of their performative nature of our one party Congress.

    Reply ↓
    1. Mark Gisleson July 26, 2026 at 10:07 am

       Just me or does it seem like all the vilified nutters of the MAGA/Tea Party movement (MTG, Ron Johnson, Nunes, Jim Jordan, Anna Paulina Luna, etc.) currently all seem maybe a little less crazy (at least on some topics) while the Democrat leadership comes across as much more corrupt and aggressively deceitful?

       Not that this flip wouldn’t script back with ‘necons bad, NGOs good’ if given half a chance. The Blobsters must laugh their butts off at the hoops they make their bought and paid for political leaders jump through.

       Reply ↓
       1. KLG July 26, 2026 at 10:47 am

          FWIW a work colleague who is a member of the Georgia General Assembly reports that MTG, for all her previous performativity, some of it nonsense (Jewish space lasers), is well liked and well respected among her business associates and former constituents. She has been a successful business owner for a long time. Unlike the current occupant, bankruptcy and stiffing contractors have not been among her “smart” business strategies. MTG also had the guts and good sense to leave rather than put up with the nonsense emanating from the current administration. I anticipate her return in one role or another.

          Reply ↓
    2. ChrisFromGA July 26, 2026 at 1:12 pm

       I can’t help but observe that if M T-G hadn’t resigned, she might have been the vote to kill the rule and stop the NDAA from passing.

       I don’t blame her for getting off the crazy train, though.

       Reply ↓
12. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 9:51 am

    “Why Israel now sees Turkiye as a strategic threat”

    Israel would like to go after Turkiye but they still need that Azerbaijani crude which goes through Turkiye. if they get an alternative, then all bets are off. Regardless, there are two major reasons why Israel is itching to attack Turkiye. One – Turkiye is within 1,000 kilometers of Israel’s borders which makes them a threat. Two – they are one of the few countries in this reagion which can shoot back if attacked which as far as Israel is concerned, makes them a clear and present danger. Can’t get to Greater Israel if you still have a strong Turkiye in the neighbourhood.

    Reply ↓
    1. vao July 26, 2026 at 10:36 am

       Egypt has a large, well-equipped military and can shoot back too, but:

       (a) its leaders are more afraid of their own population than of Israel;

       (b) economically, Egypt is utterly dependent on the investments of USA-allied Gulf states, of remittances from Egyptian workers in those same Arab states, and on yearly subsidies from the USA;

       (c) Egypt, which was previously an energy exporter, is now in energy deficit, and must increasingly import natural gas from Israel.

       Turkey is in a much better position and can do things its own way. This greatly displeases Israel, since there is always the possibility that Turkish aims in the Mediterranean (offshore gas fields) or territorial aspirations (e.g. in Syria) will clash with those of Israel — and unlike with Egyptians, a phone call from the White House may not be enough for the Turks to bow to Israeli claims.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 26, 2026 at 1:05 pm

          It is kind of absurd though:
          population
          Iran: 85M
          Turkey: 85M
          Egypt: 107M
          Israel: 10M

          Reply ↓
          1. vao July 26, 2026 at 1:36 pm

             But see this:

             Country / PPP GDP per capita / PPP GDP

             Iran / 20279 / 1784305
             Turkey / 46672 / 4025249
             Egypt / 23321 / 2566688
             Israel / 59095 / 609411

             Economically, Turkey is truly a challenger.

             Reply ↓
    2. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 11:32 am

       “Can’t get to Greater Israel if you still have a strong Turkiye in the neighbourhood.”

       This mess is a dangerous game with too many parties involved thinking they have the other party believing they are fooled.

       “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported the US-led “Greater Middle East” initiative and publicly described Turkiye as one of its co-chairs.”

       Who really believes Z lovers think” Greater Israel” is different from “Greater Middle East”?

       Too much of this could be about global leadership of career and money focused people getting what they can for their circles and selves and saying what ever “rhetoric” gets them through the day. As for the fallout down the line…they think IBGYBG.

       And eyes glaze over while reading statements from oblivion…like this:
       “Washington and other major NATO states would work to prevent a direct conflict that could destabilize the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia. “

       The following sentence shows it’s not necessarily about what people in those countries may want for themselves:
       “The global consequences for energy routes, commerce, and financial markets would give outside powers an additional reason to intervene before escalation reached that point.”

       Reply ↓
13. ChrisFromGA July 26, 2026 at 10:33 am

    Sunday morning concert retro: Whitesnake live in Sweden, 1984

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k6NMsI1LK0

    Jon Lord, John Sykes, Cozy Powell RIP.

    Reply ↓
14. The Rev Kev July 26, 2026 at 10:45 am

    ‘In 2016, 18-year-old Andrej Ciesielski secretly climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza with a GoPro, filming the whole thing.’

    I can see why it is illegal to climb the Pyramid. You would have thousands of idiots and influencers – or do I repeat myself – and one wrong step and they would be dead as that climb looks treacherous. Then there would be those who climbed to the top and realized that they could not climb back down again requiring a helicopter to lift them out. It would be as chaotic and ridiculous as the climbing trail to Mt. Everest – but without the snow.

    Reply ↓
    1. lurker July 26, 2026 at 11:28 am

       There’s also this minor point: They may be a pile of rocks, but those pile of rocks have been around for thousands of years. Maybe we should try to keep them around for future generations instead of letting adventurers destroy them so that they can post their reels on instagram or wherever. Of course I would deeply sympathize with those who make them climb but cannot get down on their own, thus winning the Darwin award.

       Reply ↓
    2. John k July 26, 2026 at 2:30 pm

       In 1960, when I was 15, my mother and I stopped in Cairo on our way to her new posting. While visiting the pyramids a boy, about my age or a little older, offered to bet my mother he could climb the great one and be back in 15 minutes. She declined.
       During a return around 2014 all the main tourist sites were swarming with tourists. The rules had to change.

       Reply ↓
15. Jason Boxman July 26, 2026 at 12:15 pm

    So there’s much of Twitter on ships hitting Iranian mines, per sources adjacent to Iran. I don’t think I’ve actually come across any establishment journalist sites talk about this; Has it actually happened yet that any ships have hit Iranian mines? Or are we still in the “maybe they did maybe they didn’t” mine the strait?

    Reply ↓
    1. TonyJ July 26, 2026 at 12:48 pm

       Tasnim News (usually reliable IMHO) has just reported that a ship in the Hormuz Strait has been damaged by a mine:

       https://www.tasnimnews.ir/en/news/2026/07/26/3656892/oil-tanker-explodes-in-strait-of-hormuz-after-leaving-designated-route

       Reply ↓
       1. TonyJ July 26, 2026 at 1:00 pm

          The original report from Defa Press (another Iranian site):

          https://defapress.ir/en/news/88141/exploding-oil-tanker-in-the-strait-of-hormuz

          Reply ↓
          1. Jason Boxman July 26, 2026 at 1:24 pm

             Yeah, that came up on Twitter, and a week ago supposedly another ship hit a mine. But I haven’t noticed this in western coverage, hence my confusion. Particularly that, if there be mines, why are ships making the run. Are they just not aware, or is the US military whispering sweet honey into ships ears that there are no mines to worry about; trust us.

             Reply ↓
16. ciroc July 26, 2026 at 12:48 pm

    New Study Finds That A Minimum-Wage Worker In 1971 Had A Lifestyle Affordability Similar To Someone Making $100K Today
    https://theleadingreport.com/article/new-study-finds-that-a-minimum-wage-worker-in-1971-had-a-lifestyle-affordability
    The term “six-figure salary” has become a synonym for poverty.

    Reply ↓
    1. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 1:52 pm

       In the early 2000s I remember watching an old movie on TCM called “Divorce American Style”. Late 60s – not too far from 1971.

       I was knocked off the couch at the prices of things in Los Angeles at that time.
       I couldn’t tell you what happened with the relationship, I just remember THOSE PRICES.
       A dude getting a divorce, made way less than 100,000K a year. He kept up payments on the apartment he got for himself during the separation, the house the wife (no job) still lived in, son in school and bought the son a car (so also think of insurance), and paid divorce attorney. Just broad strokes of some of the things witnessed.

       It’s on YouTube for a head-spinner.
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfj1_Xl-e1A/

       Reply ↓
    2. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 2:12 pm

       “In 1971, the federal minimum wage was $1.60 per hour, allowing a full-time employee working 40 hours per week to earn approximately $3,328 per year.

       While that figure appears modest by today’s standards, the purchasing power of those wages relative to life’s biggest expenses was dramatically stronger.”

       🤣🤣”Appears modest” by today’s standards? WTF? Really? No.. by today’s “standards” in the USA that’s IMPOVERISHED or PAUPERIZED. No cautious understatement needed.

       This is beyond the realm “affordability” language.

       Reply ↓
    3. John k July 26, 2026 at 2:16 pm

       In 1966 the minimum us wage was 1.60/hr. I was making 2.35/hr. I was renting a room in Denver and eating at McDonald’s, I could not afford new clothes. I assure you my standard of living then is not what I would have today if making 100k/yr.

       Reply ↓
       1. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 2:33 pm

          Doing the “Divorce American Style” math…47 min mark….
          The sweet spot back then for living like you were making well into the six figures today was somewhere just over $30,000 at that time. (and like today, depending on which region of the country)

          Reply ↓
       2. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 3:19 pm

          Yeah, but the McDonald’s then had a better quality of food AND cheaper.

          Reply ↓
       3. ISL July 26, 2026 at 3:21 pm

          If you take 100k, and assume with federal taxes + state + local + things like social security, you have less than 50k or around 4 k per month. If rent is 2.2k, you have 1.8k per month for utilities (easily 300) food ( a few hundred if beans and Ramen and some meat, and then there is the car – 500/mo… Hmmm doesnt fit and cant get to work without one…. And if you do not have a cell (100/mo) you will have trouble keeping a job. And clothes that look good enough to not get fired… The killer is rent. Of course, you can live in an area where the rent is cheap (and risk getting shot). And this assumes no health care costs (getting shot is very expensive).

          Of course in a small US city you do not have the same crime worry if you are in rundown slumlord apartment. You also may not be able to get a job that is above minimum wage.

          Reply ↓
17. praxis July 26, 2026 at 12:49 pm

    The Marc Cucurella statements regarding Lionel Messi are fabricated.

    Reply ↓
18. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:54 pm

    re: ICC vs. Karim Khan

    Been waiting for this:
    Craig Murray comments

    Narratives of Moral Conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez
    26th July
    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2026/07/narratives-of-moral-conflict-karim-khan-and-delcy-rodriguez/

    “(…)
    The very well-connected Israeli journalist Guy Azriel, from right-wing Israeli TV channel i24NEWS, has posted that a team of Israeli diplomats was involved in promoting the allegations against Khan. Azriel is a former Israeli diplomat himself and well plugged in.
    (…)
    The ICC has of course suffered from massive pressure from Israel and the United States
    (…)
    Karim Khan has stated that his family were threatened by Israel
    (…)
    the allegations against Khan only emerged after the obtained arrest warrants against Netanyahu
    (…)
    Yet none of this makes the allegations against Karim Khan automatically untrue. All of that could be true, but the sexual harassment genuine.
    (…)”

    He then quotes an op piece in THE CANARY which however suggests that “appearance” of inappropriate conduct is enough. That of course is an insane position.

    Murray correctly comes to the core problem of the matter:

    “(…)it (Canary) argues that where the truth of the sexual abuse allegations is not plain, the appearance of impropriety is sufficient to warrant dismissal.

    What? This is extraordinary. “It doesn’t matter if you did it, it looks like you could have done it” is an extraordinary measure of guilt. What does it mean in practice?

    In my diplomatic career, I frequently travelled in many countries and to many conferences with female staff who often were subordinate to me, and we would quite normally stay in neighbouring hotel rooms. I never had any non-professional relationship with any of the staff concerned and no allegation was ever made against me. But if one had been, I don’t see how I could have avoided Colquhoun’s appearance test.

    What would be the consequences in practice? A man could never be alone in a room with a junior colleague, could never travel for work with one? Otherwise there is the appearance of impropriety?

    This is nonsense. It is not just nonsense, it is nonsense of a return to Victorian societal standards and actually a threat to the advances in women’s professional status.(…)”

    He gives an account of his personal experience where the system tried to destroy his life and career with such allegations based on lies because he had uncovered inconvenient truths.

    Then sums up his position:

    “(…)
    We do not know how events in the ICC will play out. There is no doubt whatsoever that the UK, EU and allies will seek to obtain the appointment of a Zionist prosecutor who will deprioritise or even drop action against Netanyahu. I expect they will succeed; but we shall see.
    
    I do not know the truth about the Karim Khan allegations. It is important to repeat that. But I am deeply, deeply suspicious of their timing. Any abuse of power imbalance at work, if it existed, is very bad. It has come to be a part of the narrative surrounding the ICC’s actions against Netanyahu. We also have the facts of the Genocide in Gaza and Lebanon, and the scale of the everyday sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees. (…)”

    The second half is mostly about Delcy Rodriguez (including a CIA Note of June 29, 2026 about Venezuela´s “Electronic Voting Manipulation”).

    Reply ↓
    1. Mikel July 26, 2026 at 2:53 pm

       Think about it: weaponizing “protection” of women for as long as its useful, then being able to get away with treating women abusively when the backlash effect happens.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 26, 2026 at 3:06 pm

          The problem is that it works. I know from my own circles. Of course most will concede “We have no proof”, “innocent until proven otherwise”, blablabla….”but”.

          Again: this is an elite culture built on privilege of not having to cope with serious hard working life (incl. manual, often demeaning labour) and creating and selling BS. It´s the curse of the “virtual” where the privilege however turns “virtual” into the guarantee for a rather comfortable life.

          The worst thing about this mass psychosis, it concerns dozens of millions of people in the West (I don´t know about the other parts of the world and don´t want to exempt them automatically, that´d be naive too) and they get used to it and eventually inertia sets in. Even if they know about the false nature. It´s all too convenient. Cynicism and double standard become unofficial norms.

          Reply ↓
    2. AG July 26, 2026 at 2:55 pm

       p.s. complete CIA title says Venezuela´s “Electronic Voting Manipulation Capabilities” from 2004 – 2020.
       That´s important difference. But I had run out of editing time.

       Reply ↓
19. In Cold Chud July 26, 2026 at 1:46 pm

    CNN/White House Correspondents’ Dinner

    Members of the media mocking a leader’s dismal performance on live TV and all across the internet? In some other countries, that’s a criminal offense. But in the US, it’s the norm, so maybe Trump’s speech unwittingly underscored the theme of the dinner: America’s robust First Amendment protections.

    What they have to do for that American exceptionalism hit, these days.

    Reply ↓
20. lyman alpha blob July 26, 2026 at 3:11 pm

    RE: Iran slams Ukraine’s ship attack

    Firstly, more evidence that we are already in the midst of another global war (if the first two ever really ended).

    And secondly, what could be dumber than Ukraine being the ones to prove it? Despite the correctness of NC views on how the Russia/Ukraine war has played out, due to massive anti-Russian propaganda by the Democrat party and the current conflict having started during Biden’s administration (as far as most are concerned anyway), the majority of USians I speak to seem to think the evil Putin is the aggressor here and Ukrainians are plucky little freedom fighters. And due to the current Iran war being linked to Trump by the media (despite it being an extension of the conflict started during Biden’s term), world opinion apart from Western leadership seems to favor Iran. So let’s have the defenders of democracy from Ukraine attack Iran! Especially since the Zionist entity and the Trump administration are both held in such high esteem globally right now for their ongoing slaughters in the Middle East.

    This is the kind of strategy you get when pliable, coked-up nazis are running things in a crappy little proxy nation. Losing the PR campaign is presumably not what Ukraine wants right now. Probably why this was reported in Al Jazeera and is currently on its front page while a glance at the more widely noticed by USians CNN and MSDNC shows no mention of it.

    Winston Smith to the white courtesy phone please.

    Reply ↓