A group called Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom say they’ve made an appointment with the Secretary of State’s office to deliver 350,000+ petition signatures required for a November ballot measure to legalize abortion in the state, KNPX’s Brahm Resnik reports. Should the referendum appear on the ballot it would seriously complicate the prospects of dangerous MAGA scumbag candidates Kari Lake, Blake Masters, and Mark Finchem for Governor, Senator, and Secretary of State, respectively. A November 2020 ballot measure to legalize marijuana in the state was seen by the Trump campaign as bad news ahead of the election as it would increase youth turnout, though it passed by a far wider margin (655,018 votes) than his loss to Biden (10,457).

The discovery of smallmouth bass in a section of the Colorado River concerns marine biologists because the fish are natural predators of the humpback chub, an endangered native fish, another potential disaster caused by ongoing climate change and poor water management policy, the Associated Press reports.

The smallmouth bass were found south of the Glen Canyon Dam last week.  The area above the dam is stocked with smallmouth bass, a popular sport fish, but with the water level above the dam so low, the bass are able to get around the dam and inhabit the lower river, the habitat of the humpback chub.

“It’s pretty devastating to see all the hard work and effort you’ve put into removing other invasive species and translocating populations around to protect the fish and to see all that effort overturned really quickly,” National Park Service fisheries biologist Jeff Arnold said.

The US Department of Education continues to take applications for a student loan forgiveness program that will wipe out all or a portion of student loans for people who work at schools or for nonprofits, the Associated Press reports.

The Biden Administration introduced an expansion to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program last October to ease student loan debt for people in public service jobs.  Some people who were eligible for the loan forgiveness after the October expansion were deemed ineligible because they did not have complete paperwork or their employers inadvertently didn’t submit proof of employment to the proper officials.  Others could not prove they were eligible under the rewritten eligibility guidelines.  Still, the acceptance rate for loan forgiveness exceeded the previous benchmark of 10% in 2019.

With the deadline for applications coming up at the end of October 2022, the Department of Education is encouraging people who may have applied improperly earlier to resubmit their applications.

A Texas man was utterly stunned and left breathless by an incredible, dazzling 4th of July fireworks display early Monday, KSAT San Antonio reports. Pablo Ruiz, 43, was drinking heavily and lighting off fireworks with friends when he decided to make things even more exciting by placing a mortar upright on his head and lighting it… and yeah Ruiz was pronounced dead at the scene by police.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet has seen a real Brexit (hahaha aren’t we clever?) with a shit ton of ministers resigning Wednesday over Pinchygate. But Sky News reports one guy, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, whose job title sounds like he’s in charge of video games but is apparently pretty important, was fired by Johnson for urging the assclown Prime Minister to quit.

Reminiscent of the insane wartime adage, “We must destroy the village to save it,” an Arizona Republican says she would undoubtedly become a family annihilator to “protect” her grandchildren rather than see them grow up.

“I rise in opposition to HR 2377,” declare Arizona Republican Congresswoman Debbie Lesko.  “I have five grandchildren.  I would do anything–anything–to protect my five grandchildren, including as a last resort, shooting them, if I had to, to shoot protect the lives of my grandchildren.  Democrat bills that we’ve heard this week wanna take away my right–my right!–to shoot protect my grandchildren [by shooting them].  They want to take the rights of law-abiding citizens to shoot their grandchildren protect their own children and grandchildren and wives and brothers and sisters.”

Thanks to Curious TEAM SOROS™ for the tip.

Kanye West wants to build an American car made of foamhttps://t.co/GSZGrj7gbn

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 6, 2022

Sixty-one-year-old John Gouveia, the former president of the governing body of girls’ softball competition in the United States, was charged in April for sexual offenses involving a child that were just disclosed, CBS News reports.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post says Gouveia has been charged with eight counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.  He was booked into the county jail, but later released on a $250,000 bond.  Police say the investigation is ongoing and they ask people with information to come forward to see if there are additional as-yet-unknown victims.

Gouveia worked with USA Softball since 1991, going on domestic and international trips with multiple teams until he left the organization in 2019.  He was also an employee of a local parks and recreation agency for more than 25 years before retiring in 2016.

Eric Holder has been Fast and Furiously convicted of murder! He’s going to prison for the rest of his life for his gun crime! Isn’t that awesome for Republicans?!? They hate that fucker! And they’ll hate National Zero even more for clickbaiting them with this headline because it isn’t former Obama Attorney General Eric Himpton Holder Jr going down for his “crimes” but some gangbanger asshole Eric Ronald Holder Jr for the 2019 shooting death of Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle. Lolz.

The not-former-AG Holder was reportedly angry at being accused by Hussle, whose real name is Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, of being a snitch. After an argument at the store earlier in the day, Holder returned to the store and shot Hussle ten times while he stood in front of the store. Holder was convicted of one count of first degree-murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for wounding two people who were standing with Hussle when Holder opened fire.

Acting on a warrant from Maryland, DC Metro cops on Wednesday arrested “1776 Restoration Movement” leader Dave Riddell as he was protesting the capital’s non-existent COVID-19 restrictions on the National Mall, the Daily Beast reports. The remnant of the once much-larger “People’s Convoy” that did effectively jack shit in its few weeks of existence this spring, a pale imitation of the Great 2022 Canadian clustertruck that actually paralyzed Ottawa for weeks last winter, blocked traffic on I-95 in Maryland for all of about 30 minutes on Monday, leading to Riddell’s arrest on the outstanding warrant for failure to obey a police officer.

White House press release: “President Biden, joined by Vice President Harris, spoke today with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner who is wrongfully detained in Russia under intolerable circumstances. The President called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world. He also read her a draft of the letter the President is sending to Brittney Griner today. The President offered his support to Cherelle and Brittney s family, and he committed to ensuring they are provided with all possible assistance while his administration pursues every avenue to bring Brittney home.”

“Today’s call follows recent calls that National Security Advisor Sullivan and Secretary of State Blinken have had with Cherelle in recent weeks and this past weekend. The President directed his national security team to remain in regular contact with Cherelle and Brittney’s family, and with other families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, to keep them updated on efforts to secure the release of their loved ones as quickly as possible.”

Pope Francis announced Wednesday that he will break two millennia of Church tradition and invite two women to join the panel that advises the Pope on the selection of new bishops, Reuters reports.

“Two women will be appointed for the first time in the committee to elect bishops in the Congregation for Bishops,” the Pope said.  “This way, things are opening up a bit.”

Francis has been more aggressive in integrating women into the administration of the Vatican, appointing women to positions such as the second-highest job in the government of the Vatican.  He also named French Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart to be co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, which scheduled and manages the biannual meeting of bishops.

Former Trump White House Counsel Patsy Baloney will testify to House January 6th Select Committee investigators on Friday, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports. Baloney faced a Wednesday deadline which has now been extended two days. The interview will be recorded.

“In my conversations with Fulton County investigators, I have been informed Senator Graham is neither a subject nor target of the investigation, simply a witness. This is all politics. Fulton County is engaged in a fishing expedition and working in concert with the January 6 Committee in Washington. Any information from an interview or deposition with Senator Graham would immediately be shared with the January 6 Committee. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham was well within his rights to discuss with state officials the processes and procedures around administering elections. Should it stand, the subpoena issued today would erode the constitutional balance of power and the ability of a Member of Congress to do their job. Senator Graham plans to go to court, challenge the subpoena, and expects to prevail” say Graham Attorneys Bart Daniel and Matt Austin in a statement. What a fucking worm.

Loser Wisconsin 2018 Republican Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson on Tuesday dropped out of the 2022 Republican governor primary before he could lose that election too, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. “Over the past week, I have assessed the state of the primary race, and it has become clear to me and my team the only path forward for our campaign is attacking the other candidates in the race on the airwaves and running a very negative campaign,” said the loser in statement, as if negativity and lording over defeated rivals is not the very essence of Republican politics in the MAGA era. Dropping out of a race before a primary even happens still counts as a loss, making Nicholson 0-2 lifetime for statewide Wisconsin elections. It would seem very accurate to describe Nicholson as losing so much he was sick and tired of losing.

The Democrats in the Senate are buzz something talks quotes from anonymous sources are on the 20 yard line something extra innings Obamacare expansion Manchin to the table something legislation sounding out options whatever details remain in flux, NBC News reports. A source familiar with Manchin’s thinking something looking at options sufficiently scaled back Schumer low hanging fruit something whatever. Reconciliation something on the table healthcare Obamacare.

Punchbowl News reports economy healthcare Manchin Schumer. Something reconciliation is clearly back in play. Prescription drugs savings whatever. On the table something Senate Democrats deal making. Deal making Manchin something hardball. Whatever sources say savings for struggling Americans. Concern inflation something midterms. Democrats economy.

A Tuesday report in Grid.News examining the “Conservative Policy Institute,” a group of Trump Regime scumbags in exile – Stephen Miller, Mark Meadows, Cleta Mitchell – plotting ways to return to power opens with a description of a cocktail party they held in Summer 2021 to celebrate the Capitol riot, one that if we had reported it our readers would just assume it was National Zero’s wacky hyperbolic bullshit parodies we publish whenever the fancy strikes us.

“‘Hot Gulag Summer,’ held at the nondescript Capitol Hill town house leased by the Conservative Policy Institute, advertised Jan. 6, 2021-themed cocktails, including the ‘Capitol Attaquiri,’ ‘Insurrection on the Beach’ and the ‘Mostly Peaceful Mojito.’ ‘We’re all going to be sent to the gulag eventually,’ the invitation read. ‘We might as well party and get to know each other before we are all reeducated,'” is seriously what Grid wrote in their story.

Cheerio guvs! National Zero is covering our bloody first ever Limey Prime Minister’s Questions livestream whilst knackered clunge Boris Johnson faces some serious fucking wobbly from his own party for ignoring credible reports of that “poof” MP Chris Pincher getting all wankered on Scotch and sexually assaulting other blokes. Tis quite a row, so let’s crack on with the PMQs all right!

Process servers for Trump’s lawyers representing the disgraced fat former president in his moronic lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and dozens of other defendants over the 2016 election and the Russia probe have been unable to find former FBI officials Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, having failed six times since the lawsuit was filed in March to locate the two “lovers,” Insider reports.

Even dumber is the fact that the notoriously incompetent MAGA lawyers Alina Habba and Peter Ticktin know full well where the two of them live and work, having repeatedly failed to properly redact Strzok and Page’s home addresses in filings. “I don’t know why they haven’t served me. I don’t know if they’re not serious. I don’t know if it’s incompetence. I don’t know if they’re playing games. I just don’t know – but of course, with Trump, it could be all of those things,” Strzok told Insider, adding that he also works at CNN and can be regularly found at their DC studio.