26 thoughts on “At Sea”

  2. South of Eden by Jesse Welles Aug 23, 2026
    I limped out of paradise
    with a half eaten peach
    a snake on my head
    and a curse on my feet

    three years no water
    three years without food
    three years in the desert
    with nothing to do

    hope was stupid
    dumb and naive
    in those days there were no kings

    I went from village to village
    and I heard all their tales
    reasons for suffering
    reasons for failure

    success is a diamond
    it’s for one man to keep
    but failure’s communal
    we all get a drink

    the things you think you possess you can keep
    in those days there were no kings

    everything you’ve ever heard
    is just a feeling put to words
    the grass is green
    the sky is blue
    and that’s the best that they could

    all of humanity sings
    “everyone’s a fool but me”

    I came to a river
    and the trees grew so high
    there were people down there
    they were mostly kind

    and they were drunk
    and laying in bed
    comfort’s so cruel
    she’ll strangle you dead

    it’s hard to swim where they teach you to sink
    and in those days there were no kings

  3. Canada’s Mark Carney has a message to all Americans: this madness is on you if you don’t do something. Let’s do something in November. Send the whole world a message: we will fix this.

  5. https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/24/europe-ukraine-russia
    Andy Burnham arrives in Ukraine with plans to share UK blueprints for long-range missiles – Europe live
    Kremlin warns move would ‘add fuel to fire’ in British-Russian relations, as UK PM visits capital ahead of coalition of the willing meeting
    Burnham compares Ukraine’s war against Russia to Britain’s fight against Nazi Germany and vows continued support despite ‘outrageous’ threats from Moscow
    During the ceremony in central Kyiv, Britain’s prime minister Andy Burnham compared Ukraine’s resistance against Russia to Britain’s fights against Nazi Germany, and vowed to help Kyiv bolster its air defences ahead of the winter, PA reported.
    “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st,” Burnham said in a speech in front of St Sophia cathedral in Kyiv to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
    “Despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine.”
    Burnham also praised “the sheer strength” of the Ukrainian people, and insisted “this is the moment to keep up the pressure on Russia, the moment to squeeze their ability to fund this illegal war”.
    If you’re following our stream, keep watching: given the delay, Burnham’s speech will be coming up soon.

  6. Bid, you mentioned yesterday that the race in DC looked poorly attended. There were about 150000 people attending. Not a bad showing, about on par for a big car race in the US. F1 races in Europe draw 300k – 400k over the 3 days of the event, depending on the track’s spectator capacity. The British Grand Prix is the most well attended, with 500,000 people attending over the weekend

  8. I noticed local news last night wasn’t quoting those official crowd estimates — maybe they finally figured out Trump world lies about that. All I heard in the local coverage was “thousands” in attendance. DC police has offered no estimate so far.

  9. I have felt sorry for them in my chats around the neighborhood. They didn’t say anything this direct, of course, but it’s obvious they are really uncomfortable.

    NPR: Inside the National Guard D.C. deployment

    “I will say very frankly that the bad taste that this mission left in my mouth, it actually embarrasses me to be involved in any way,” one guard member who was part of the deployment for several months recently told NPR.

  10. “thousands” in attendance
    craig, how much of that includes nat’l guard, park service, Cap Police, SS and ICE as well as the local cops?

  11. I noticed NBC News this morning quoted Mayor Bowser estimating 140,000. But the link on their website points to a tweet she wrote 20 days ago predicting the crowd size.

  15. He Waited For His Son To Return From The USS Lincoln. Then Border Patrol Arrested Him.

    When Luis Manuel Aviles was arrested by immigration authorities, his son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy — a vessel that set a U.S. military record for uninterrupted time at sea, stirring concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among soldiers.

    Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested after leaving his house to take his car to the mechanic, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles. She said her husband, a handyman in Key West, Florida, has a permit to work in the United States. Originally from Nicaragua, he has lived in the U.S. for 19 years.

    More at link

  16. A few thoughts wandering through my precoffee brain

    AIPAC took tactics that worked well in national/eastcoast politics to the heartland and they fell flat on their face. They are obviously outsiders trying to influence what most consider a local election. Notice how many elections in this cycle, where obvious outside money was used as a rallying cry for the person being attacked.
    Platner in Maine is a good example, National Democratic spending against him did more harm to the spenders than it did against Platner. He used the obvious outside interference to his advantage. The same thing happened with AIPAC in Michigan.
    2 thoughts:
    Nobody wants outsiders sticking their nose in “our business”. and big money is not necessarily smart money.

    Jack

  18. https://wapo.st/3SrqTRB 8/24/26
    Secret White House bunker undercuts Trump’s ballroom lawsuit, ex-officials say
    The White House already has a nuclear-proof facility buried deep underground and built in secret after 9/11.
    By Noah Robertson and Dan Diamond
    President Donald Trump has claimed that the White House needs a massive new ballroom because it would provide him and future presidents with a secure, hardened facility. But former officials say the argument fails to acknowledge that the presidential complex already has one.

    More than a decade ago, federal officials built a highly protected bunker, embedded deep underground, that can shelter the president and his top aides in a national security emergency, according to three former officials.
    The facility, which was secretly completed during the Obama administration, can house dozens of people for up to multiple weeks, two former officials said. It’s buried more than 60 feet underneath the White House complex and built to withstand a nuclear blast, two of the officials said, ensuring the president and his team have a secure command center to run the country in times of extreme duress.
    The bunker’s existence, the former officials said, undercuts the Trump administration’s emerging legal argument in the ongoing lawsuit over the $600 million ballroom complex’s construction: that the facility must be completed due to its significance for U.S. national security.
    The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss elements of the secretive facility, some of which have not been previously reported.
    The Washington Post is withholding some details of the bunker and its construction in order to not compromise sensitive White House security protocols. [continues]

  19. Another thought. after reading this WaPo article.
    Americans don’t vote for losers. Ya gotta be a winner to get our vote.
    With the war in Iran Trump is quickly becoming a loser in American’s eyes. AIPAC is closely tied to the failed war, As is Israel.

    Jack

  20. Katie – Do we know who funds Jake Lang’s escapades (vehicles, travel, security detail) and/or his legal fees?

    Cops protecting him and that official-looking SUV behind him, using the cross and the US flag to cosplay Christianity and patriotism…it made me wonder if our tax dollars are funding this garbage.

  22. Best thing I can think of to put on that green (screen) starter flag tRUMP was waving is an arrow pointing to him that says “I’m in the Epstein files & sold little girls.” Or, if it’s an action video, make his a N&zi flag.

    By the way, that was the worst colour guard performance ever. No more flags for you, ~Sir~

  23. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. ENTER Chatroom Here. WATCH Current Replay Here.

    What is Actually Clicking: August 24, 2026

    • US strikes another boat in eastern Pacific, killing two, Pentagon says – AP News
    • Trump admin’s ‘economic D-Day’ to hammer Iran with new sanctions – Fox News
    • New Fed chair faces critical test at Jackson Hole as inflation fears mount – The Guardian
    • Trump’s continued distrust in election integrity has experts eyeing his next move – The Guardian
    • Transcript: Dr. Mehmet Oz on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Aug. 23, 2026 – CBS News
    • Why 2026 Could Be a Bigger Blue Wave Than 2018 – The Dispatch
    • The Plight of America’s Overextended Carrier Fleet – The Dispatch
    • US military kills two in ‘lethal kinetic strike’ in Pacific Ocean – Washington Examiner
    • Lindsay Clancy trial: Lawyer threatens custody action against moms supporting her on TikTok – Hindustan Times
    • Washington, D.C.’s first IndyCar race packed the National Mall – Iowa Public Radio

    — Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted (Gemini Pro).

    These are the stories driving the most traffic right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent. Sign Up Here to receive daily briefs.

  26. Today in the Diner…
    Mark Carney Warns Canada: America Wants To Break Us

    Mark Carney warns Canada that America intends to break them. Plus, Sid Miller attacks Greg Abbott over Texas data centers and Ken Paxton drama.

    We are serving up a massive plate of political dysfunction today at the Digital Diner. Up north, Mark Carney is issuing a stark warning to Canada that Donald Trump and the American political machine intend to break their economy to own it. It is a sobering look at how our closest allies view the current state of our Democracy. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg is spending his weekend trying to win over voters in South Carolina, though a trip to Gary Indiana might have been a better use of his time given the massive power outages being ignored by the national media.

    Down in Texas, the infighting is getting loud. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is publicly calling out Governor Greg Abbott for his sudden flip-flop on data centers, demanding a special session before the midterm elections. If that was not enough Lone Star State drama, James Talarico has a new line of attack against Ken Paxton over his record on animal abusers, launching the viral Puppies for Talarico campaign.

    Finally, we track the ongoing collapse of Walgreens at the hands of private equity, discuss the frightening ICE retaliation against a sailor on the USS Lincoln, and try to decode whatever JD Vance was talking about during his baffling Ohio rally.

    Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
    Website: https://trailmix.cc
    Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    00:05 Mark Carney Warns Canada on Trump
    09:27 Sid Miller Attacks Greg Abbott
    12:44 William Love Spider-Man Arrest
    15:30 USS Lincoln Sailor ICE Retaliation
    23:38 Walgreens Private Equity Collapse
    31:58 Pete Buttigieg in South Carolina
    36:08 JD Vance Ohio Rally Confusion
    58:56 James Talarico vs Ken Paxton
    — Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (Gemini Pro).

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