“Lukashenko instructs border guards to completely close the border with Ukraine ‘A huge amount of weapons comes from Ukraine to Belarus. Therefore, I instructed the border troops to completely close the border with Ukraine,’ the President of Belarus said” reports, um, Дождь.

Separately, TASS reports Lukashenko claimed to have “exposed” terrorist cells sent by Germany, Ukraine, USA, Poland and Lithuania. “The purpose of these cells is a violent change of power on X-day. They themselves do not yet know what kind of X-day it is: our people must be brought to it,” said Lukashenko in what was probably not a very accurate translation from Russian by Google, but it sounds kind of interesting, so we’re going to go with it.

Take grilling to a whole new level. #WhatWouldPopTartsDo pic.twitter.com/zWg0DhlTCX

— Pop-Tarts (@PopTartsUS) July 2, 2021

“The Italian government blocked UK residents from attending Saturday’s Euro 2020 Ukraine v England match in Rome, asking the European football’s governing body to cancel their tickets as concerns mount over another wave of Covid-19 in Europe. A statement from UEFA on Thursday said the Italian authorities had ‘specifically asked UEFA to cancel tickets sold to UK residents as of 28 June, stopping sales and transfers as of 21:00 this evening.’ Under the measures, UK residents who bought their tickets before June 28 were given one hour to transfer their tickets to Italian residents or return their tickets to UEFA” CNN reports.

“A statement from the Italian Interior Ministry on Thursday said the block on ticket sales had been decided ‘following a proposal from the Public Safety Department.’ The Euro 2020 Championship has so far triggered significant spikes in Covid-19 infections from fans returning home to countries including Scotland and Finland. The World Health Organization warned Thursday that Europe risked a new wave in August due to the relaxation of restrictions, the spread of an infectious Covid-19 variant and low vaccination coverage. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said while he hoped the championship matches were not acting as superspreader events, the prospect could not ‘be excluded,’ Agence France Presse reported.”

In a heart wrenching moment, a Florida firefighter discovered his daughter’s body in the rubble of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside Thursday night, WPLG ABC-10 in Miami reports.

The firefighter and his son, who is also a firefighter, worked with other first responders to free the girl’s body.  She was put on a stretcher and her father covered her with his jacket.  The two then escorted the body down the pile, as firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers formed a pathway onto the street.

The sad discovery was made after first responders restarted work combing through the remains of the collapsed building after efforts had been halted due to fears the portion of the building that remains standing could collapse.  Engineers on scene approved continuing the efforts at 4:45 p.m. Thursday after doing an assessment of the scene. 

Orlando Sentinel: “A federal judge on Thursday blocked a new law that would cap contributions to political committees backing ballot initiatives, saying the law runs afoul of the First Amendment. The law, passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature this spring and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would impose a $3,000 limit on contributions to political committees collecting petition signatures to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. The law came to be nicknamed the ‘John Morgan law’ because of the Orlando attorney’s financing of successful medical marijuana and minimum wage amendments to the tune of millions of dollars.”

“‘Citizens United made this law blatantly unconstitutional, yet our Governor, a very smart lawyer, signed it,’ Morgan said, referring to the Supreme Court decision that gave wide leeway for campaign contributions. ‘Democracy is under attack in all 50 states. Many would prefer an autocracy to a democracy.’ Relying on previous court decisions, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor issued a preliminary injunction as he found the law (SB 1890), which was slated to go into effect on Thursday, improperly curtails political speech. ‘First, contributions to political committees that advocate for ballot initiatives are ‘beyond question a very significant form of political expression,’’ Winsor wrote, partially quoting from legal precedent. The state ‘bears the burden of justifying restrictions on political expression by advancing at least ‘a significantly important interest’ that is ‘closely drawn to avoid unnecessary abridgment of associational freedoms,’’ Winsor, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote.”

After 20 years, the United States military has left Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, turning the base that was the epicenter of American military involvement over to the Afghan defense forces, the Associated Press reports.

Originally a relic of the Cold War, the airfield was built by Afghans with the assistance of the US in the 1950s.  It was the initial point of landing for Soviet troops during its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and used throughout its occupation of Afghanistan that ended in 1989.

US forces upgraded the runways to more than two miles in length on the 38,000 acre facility.  Located 40 miles north of Kabul, it was the central staging point for military operations in the region, including the mission that led to the elimination of Osama bin Laden.

US adds 850000 new jobs in June The pre pandemic best economy in 50 yrs started by Trump tax cut is roaring back after a virus interlude

— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 2, 2021

“Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin later this morning in portions of the Windward and Leeward Islands. Tropical storm conditions are expected and hurricane conditions are possible over southern portions of Hispaniola on Saturday. Tropical storm conditions are possible over Jamaica beginning Saturday night. Heavy rainfall from Elsa will move quickly across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands today, including Barbados. Outer rain bands will impact Puerto Rico late today into Saturday, and southern Hispaniola and Jamaica Saturday into Sunday. Flooding and mudslides are possible. There is a risk of storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts in the Florida Keys and portions of the Florida Peninsula early next week. However, the forecast uncertainty remains larger than usual due to Elsa’s potential interaction with the Greater Antilles this weekend. Interests in Florida should monitor Elsa’s progress and updates to the forecast” – National Hurricane Center.

“Since Feb. 15, when she first called for a bipartisan commission to look into the insurrection by supporters of former President Donald Trump, Pelosi has repeatedly forced McCarthy back on the defensive. Pelosi has tried to push him into a political choice she knows McCarthy can’t make: between Trump, still the most powerful figure in the Republican Party and someone McCarthy can’t afford to alienate if he ever wants to become speaker, and his own responsibility toward the Congress as an institution. Pelosi, in fact, has tried to make McCarthy himself the issue, and to a point, she’s succeeded. McCarthy has faced numerous questions about his interactions with Trump on Jan. 6. Many Democrats want to see him interviewed by the select committee, although it’s unclear whether that will happen” Punchbowl News reports.

“McCarthy initially objected in February to the number of GOP and Democratic seats on the proposed panel, and on how subpoenas would be issued, Pelosi agreed to his suggestions, only to have McCarthy change his position and raise a completely different objection over the scope of the investigation. When Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the Homeland Security Committee, cut a deal in mid-May with GOP Rep. John Katko (N.Y.), ranking member on Homeland, over legislation to create a bipartisan commission, McCarthy ended up publicly repudiating the agreement his own member made. Thirty-five House Republicans voted for the bill anyway, only to see it blocked by Senate Republicans. And now with Cheney on the select committee, Pelosi has once more forced McCarthy into a tough situation. Compared to the proposal that Thompson and Katko hashed out – or the compromise floated by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) – the select committee approved by the House is bad format for McCarthy and the Republicans. There’s no time limit on the investigation, Republicans have no say in who or how many subpoenas can be issued and Pelosi has a veto over McCarthy’s appointments. Even Republicans’ best arguments – that Democrats are just trying to use the Jan. 6 attack against the GOP in 2022 and the current standing committees, as well as the FBI and Justice Department, could handle the probe – have been blunted by what’s happened during the last four-plus months.

“US added a robust 850,000 jobs in June as hiring rebounded in a strengthening economy” – AP.

New York Post: “A Washington state lawmaker apologized Thursday after he wore a yellow Star of David at an event to make a statement against COVID restrictions. Republican state Rep. Jim Walsh faced fiery criticism for giving a speech Saturday while wearing the star, evoking those that Jews were forced to wear by the Nazis. ‘This gesture went too far,’ Walsh said during a radio interview with host Jason Rantz. ‘It was inappropriate and offensive and I’m terribly sorry that it happened and that I was a part of it.’ Walsh’s apology was a turnaround from earlier in the week, when he defended wearing the star. He engaged with critics on the Facebook video of the speech.”

“‘It’s an echo from history,’ Walsh commented on Saturday. ‘In the current context, we’re all Jews.’ Organizers of the event were ‘concerned about vaccine passports and vaccine segregation,’ he told The Seattle Times. ‘I won’t say publicly whether I’m vaccinated or not,’ the lawmaker reportedly said, telling the publication ‘some people are offended by having to provide vaccine documentation at their work.’ On Thursday, Walsh called he and others wearing the star ‘a dumb idea.’ ‘The imagery is intense and can’t effectively be used to make points like this,’ he said. ‘You can’t use some things as a metaphor because they go beyond the pale. They go beyond what people can accept – will accept – as a metaphoric point.'”

“While there is no indication that Mr. Trump himself will face criminal charges anytime soon, the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., has said that ‘the work continues,’ and the former president will remain the focus of the investigation as prosecutors exert pressure on Mr. Weisselberg to cooperate. Mr. Trump has escaped numerous law enforcement inquiries over the better part of three decades, and he could well do so again. Even so, the case brought by Mr. Vance on Thursday has already struck at the heart of Mr. Trump’s public image – the business of the businessman – in a way no other investigation has done. The fallout could be significant. An indictment against a company – let alone a conviction – can jeopardize relationships with banks and business partners. The former president is facing down hundreds of millions of dollars in loans that need to be repaid, and the legal threat to his business could deal a blow to his finances.”

“And the charges could play into Mr. Trump’s decisions about his political future. In the past, his grievances have served as both personal motivation and political tool, and as he fought Mr. Vance’s subpoenas for his tax returns all the way to the United States Supreme Court, he added the investigation to the laundry list of legal troubles he recited for supporters. Indeed, some Republicans close to the former president believe he will now be better insulated from those he calls ‘New York radical-left prosecutors’ if he campaigns for president in 2024, and aides said that anger over the indictment could well motivate him to run. But several allies and advisers believe he would not risk losing another general election. On Wednesday, shortly after the indictments were filed, Mr. Trump said at a Fox News town hall that he had made a final decision on whether to run. He did not say what the decision was” – New York Times.

USA Today: “When workers from Concrete Protection and Restoration and Morabito Consultants arrived to investigate and remediate work at Champlain Towers South, they found such extensive concrete deterioration and corrosion of reinforcement that some of the repair work couldn’t be performed for fear it might affect the stability of nearby areas. In a summary of work performed produced by Morabito Consultants on October 13, 2020, the company reported it had discovered several issues, including potentially deep deterioration of concrete near the pool area.”

“Full restoration and repair work ‘could not be performed’ because the pool ‘was to remain in service for the duration of the work’ and because the necessary aggressive excavation of concrete at the pool ‘could affect the stability of the remaining adjacent concrete constructions.’ Experts caution that it’s unlikely the findings in the report reveal the root cause of the building collapse, which remains unknown. However, documents obtained exclusively by USA TODAY reveal new clues about the building’s dramatic state of disrepair,which may have been one of the causes of the collapse that killed 18 people and left 150 still missing as of Thursday afternoon.”

No need for the video or audio here, folks.  Ewic was repeating his minamalization of the crimes his company has been charged with.  But I do want to say that Laura Ingraham’s new look is bold.  She looks good with her natural hair color and wearing a tie.  I hope she keeps it up.

In what looked like a mad dash to clear out of the Coliseum today, observers reported that Cyber Ninjas have resorted to weighing stacks of ballots to fill out the official manifest of what is being returned to the county. Raising the question– do they even have an actual count? pic.twitter.com/XENokRBVRe

— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) July 1, 2021

Thursday was a hell of a week. There’s too much going on for we three mere mortals to tackle appropriately and give the proper love and care. So here’s a roundup.

Nick Fuentes, the quite openly anti-semitic white nationalist 4chan bro who’s about to host a fundraiser for MAGA Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar got into a pretty vicious Twitter fight with Breitbart editor Joel Pollak (whom I’m going to assume is Jewish). The last exchange was Pollak saying “Jews don’t believe in hell, dumbass” and Fuentes responding with “You better start believing in hell piece of shit traitor”, so that’s some fun MAGA-on-MAGA violence to start with.

GETTR is already completely flooded with trolls pretending to be MAGA media personalities.

It gets even BETTR: “QAnon fans were initially excited about new MAGA social app Gettr, but they’re growing irate as moderators fail to keep lewd anime pics and the ‘pig poop balls’ meme out of the QAnon hashtag. One of the top results now features Sonic the Hedgehog crushing a guy with his feet” reports The Daily Beast’s resident QAnon expert Will Sommer.

It gets even extra BETTR: “A new social media network led by Donald Trump adviser Jason Miller is backed by a fugitive Chinese billionaire who once invited Steve Bannon to live on his yacht. On Thursday, Miller announced the launch of ‘Gettr,’ a new social media app aimed at conservatives that promises to be ‘cancel-free.’ Trump fans wary of social media censorship on more prominent platforms like Twitter and Facebook started to sign up for the platform after Politico reported on the existence of the new site” also reported by Will Sommer at The Daily Beast.

More than one year after filing for bankruptcy, the Boy Scouts of America late Thursday offered to set up an $850 million fund to compensate tens of thousands of victims who were sexually abused at BSA facilities and events, USA Today reports.

Nearly 90,000 individuals had filed complaints before the window to join the class action lawsuit closed, making it the largest number of sexual assault complaints against a single national organization.  (While the Catholic church faced innumerable lawsuits for sexual abuse, those were typically filed against local parishes or dioceses, not a national organization.)  When the abuse scandal hit national media, in February 2020, 275 lawsuits had been filed and about 1,800 victims had come forward.  Currently, 82,000 abuse survivors are part of the suit.

The $850 million offer, made to a coalition of groups representing victims, more than doubles the previous amount offered by the Boy Scouts.  The offer has to be approved by both the victims coalition and the bankruptcy court.

Here’s what the top three cable news networks decided were the top news stories on Wednesday.

Washington Post: “Former president Donald Trump has offered to give House Democrats a peek at financial statements related to his complex business empire from before his 2016 presidential bid and eight years of contracts with his accounting firm, but refused to divulge more sensitive source data or internal communications, his lawyers told a federal judge Thursday. The disclosure of the offer, made in late June in unsuccessful court-ordered mediation, came as Trump urged a federal judge in Washington to end a stalemate and toss out a 2019 House subpoena for eight years of his financial records, calling the congressional demand unconstitutional and unenforceable. ‘The Committee on Oversight and Reform doesn’t need a decade’s worth of the former president’s sensitive financial information to legislate new financial regulations for all future presidents,’ attorney Cameron T. Norris argued., saying lawmakers have plenty of power to gather data from other sources to overhaul disclosure rules.”

“Trump is no longer president, but the threat to the separation-of-powers if the court rules otherwise remains, Norris said. Enforcing the subpoena could unconstitutionally weaken every future president in dealings with Congress, raising the prospect that once he or she leaves office, lawmakers could compel and post for the world to see their most sensitive data, Norris said. The fight over the subpoena for Trump’s records from 2011 to 2018 from accounting firm Mazars USA reached the Supreme Court last year, which ruled that congressional subpoenas seeking a president’s information must be ‘no broader than reasonably necessary’ and returned the question to lower courts to work out the standard. The battle is just one front in clashes over Trump’s tax information. After a separate Supreme Court ruling in March, Mazars turned over related documents to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D), whose prosecutors on Thursday charged the Trump Organization with a 15-year ‘scheme to defraud’ the government and its chief financial officer with grand larceny and tax fraud.”

Apparently very, very upset that his company has just been criminally indicted, Ewic Trump went on fired Fox News sexual harasser Eric Bolling’s show on Newsmax to proclaim that his family is the epitome of purity when compared to… Hunter Biden.

“We’ve always lived clean lives,” Ewic claimed.   “The difference is, I’m not Hunter Biden.  I’m not selling paintings to undisclosed people for half a million dollars apiece.  [Ed. note:  … but Ivanka is getting millions of dollars in Chinese trademarks.]  I’m not doing drugs in, in, in shady hotels.  [Ed. note:  That’s Don Jr.]  I’m not, I’m not going out soliciting prostitution.  [Ed. note:  That’s his father.]  And I’m not going out and selling influence to Ukraine and China [Ed. note:  That’s family lawyer Rudy Giuliani.] and having lavish trips paid for [Ed. note:  that’s his step-mother… his second step-mother.] while ya, ya, y’know, my father is commander-in-chief.”  [Ed. note:  neither is Hunter Biden.]

“No, I’m not doing that.  Y’know, what we do?  Don, Ivanka and I live, like, really nice, clean lives and we work very very hard,” Ewic said, claiming that they’re not involved with “prostitutes, hard drugs and money laundering.”