More Proof That ICE/CBP And DHS Agents Regularly Lie To Federal Judges, In Under Oath Filings And Live Testimony -- USDC Judge Cummings Orders The Immediate Release Of "JCC", Overnight.

"JCC" is to be released without bail, bond or any other condition -- by Monday. What a pack of a-holes these Noem-hired ICE/DHS agents are (just like Greg Bovino before them, last summer).

[While I have retained a full PDF of USDC Judge Cumming's current order, here -- I will not link it, as malign forces could glean enough detail about JCC so as to lawlessly re-arrest him, or even -- in the case of some known private militias -- maim or kill him. Trust me: that order from yesterday in Chicago. . . reads as below.] Consider this:

. . .JCC did not attempt to flee [contrary to the CBP agents' statements, filed in court -- and thus, under oath] as the CBP agents approached and the agents were not compelled to chase him to arrest him [the body cam footage of JCC's "arrest" shows almost exactly the opposite]. . . .

[P]laintiffs have shown that he is entitled to relief.

JCC was doing landscaping work on a valuable piece of equipment when the agents encountered him. Contrary to the I-213, JCC did not attempt to flee when the agents ran towards him. Instead, he was cooperative and answered the agents’ questions to their satisfaction. It is also clear that the agents were not worried that JCC (a 63-year-old) would escape because they uncuffed him to allow him to relieve himself. Moreover, as courts have consistently held, the fact that JCC is in the country without documentation to be here legally does not provide probable cause that he was an escape risk. Finally, the handwritten I-200 warrant states that it was served on JCC in Broadview, which is consistent with the I-213’s statement that JCC was arrested in a public place without a warrant and supportive of a finding that the I-200 did not exist at the time JCC was arrested. [Ed. Note: doing paid yard / landscaping work will never be probable cause, in the US to arrest someone on ANY immigration matter, ever. See, Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387 (2012); and Margarito Castanon Nava v. DHS, here.]

For these reasons, the Court finds that plaintiffs have proven by a preponderance of the evidence that the CBP agents subjected JCC to a warrantless arrest without probable cause that he posed a risk of escape before a warrant could be obtained. Accordingly, JCC is entitled to relief under the Consent Decree, and he shall be released without bond and without conditions no later than noon on Monday, June 1, 2026. Defendants shall certify their compliance with the terms of this Order by Wednesday, June 3, 2026. . . .

These miscreants are simply lying crooks, with badges -- for the moment, only. This too will end -- with many of these abusive agents on trial for perjury, before the Chicago federal courts. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

Massachusetts, Generally -- And Boston, Specifically -- Sees An Uptick In Mpox Cases: Thus, Free Vaccines, At Pride Events Throughout June 2026.

This is regrettable -- but clearly needed. We need public outreach and on-site vaccination trucks -- in Boston, Chicago, Houston, SF, LA and NYC among many other locales, this June. . . .

Public awareness campaigns, from private NGOs, and state level agencies -- are having to fill the gaps created by the Musk / DOGE / Tangerine 2.0 malfeasance and budget-cutting in federal public health resources.

Despite all of that, Pride Month is a particularly-apt moment, for these efforts, as the outbreaks rumble ever onward, through at-risk communities.

Here's that, out of local TV News, in Boston overnight:

. . .Mpox vaccinations will be available at the Pride flag-raising at [Boston's] City Hall on June 1 on the 3rd Floor Mezzanine from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Additional clinics will be hosted with city partners throughout the summer; dates will be available at boston.gov/vaccine as they are scheduled.

Mpox vaccinations are also currently available at Mass General Hospital, Boston Medical Center and Fenway Health. Recently, numerous pharmacies in Boston have also begun administering mpox vaccine. . . .

And again, perhaps as many as 32 of 33 current cases are. . . undiagnosed -- but circulating in secret, around the nation -- due in no small part to Trump's demonizing of the afflicted.

People are (reasonably) afraid to admit their viral status -- sometimes, even at private clinics. Damnation -- what a backwards time. [Not entirely unlike the early days of AIDS, under Ronnie Reagan -- 1980-85.]

नमस्ते

Rocketry, At Interplanetary Scales... Is Hard. Very Hard. Sorry, Jeff Bezos.

As many have already read -- and watched -- Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin suffered an on pad explosion yesterday -- never clearing the tower.

I wish that effort no ill, but this is perhaps (along with Elon's manifold launch / orbit failures). . . a sobering lesson.

This is not any old school Estes model rocketry class. And these disasters spew toxic waste for many miles around. The race between Musk and Bezos, as to which of them will first put "commercial" boots on Mars. . . as we've said before -- is largely a silly one.

There is simply very scant real reason to send humans to Barsoom -- at all. The real science (almost every bit of it) may be more economically and safely done -- with robotics and autonomous vehicles -- and helicopters, out on Mars.

These are immutable facts. There will be no surreptitiously discovered -- but to now, wholly-hidden "ruins" of a some long past sentient civilization to explore -- that is an Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy, exclusively.

Now, there may be evidence, already, in the Perseverance core samples -- of past microbial life. But those tubes may be brought home with a robotic helicopter mission. Forgive me the vulgar turn of phrase, but in my opinion -- this is (mostly) a pair of billionaires, in a pissing- / d!ck-waggling contest. Nothing more. Ugh.

And the failure / event has badly damaged US government / NASA launch facilities at Cape Kennedy. Damn -- here's that story, with the attending video snippet, below the pull quote:

. . .A New Glenn rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral during a launch pad test firing on Thursday, May 28, 2026. The U.S. Space Force said there were no injuries at the Florida space port following the incident.

The rocket was being prepared for a launch carrying a batch of satellites for Amazon's Leo internet constellation. The satellites were not on rocket for the launch pad static fire.

The explosion at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station caused extensive damage to the launch pad facility, toppling one of the 600-feet high lightning towers. . . .

Dammit -- guys, give it a rest. You may soon get several people killed, with this nonsense.

नमस्ते

Yup. See Ya’, Slush Fund! TRO Entered, In Virginia USDC...

Well, this is good news!

Yup — his corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund plan. . . is toast.

Here's a bit of the brief but correct order:

. . .ORDERED that defendants be and are ENJOINED from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund. . . .

Onward. As expected -- now you know.

नमस्ते

I Am Not A Huge Fan Of "AI-In-The-Wild". But Using -- And Controlling It, In The Below Manner... Seems Sensible To Me.

In sum, if one builds solid paddocks, and operates from an "it is just another tool" in the system architecture point-of-view. . . I think it can be helpful.

But one must likely invest billions, first (as Merck has) -- to build both the plumbing, and the guard-rails -- to prevent it from "wilding / slopping / hallucinating" in any final product or document. And human beings -- with deep experience and critical eyes -- must closely review all its output. That's a given.

Specifically, note that Merck is seeing it as being most-effective, in writing FDA compliant marketing materials, with a 99% accuracy experience. [It seems far less useful, in discovering and designing actual chemical entities -- i.e., drugs.] Why? Because that process relies on. . . the creativity of a very very experienced mind, or set of minds -- after exploring and abandoning perhaps thousands of blind alleys.

We shall see. In any event, here is the slightly-breathless piece, in a tech mag booster report:

. . .Merck’s plumbing-first strategy comes from lessons learned during the early days of cloud in the 2010s “when nobody knew what the heck was going on,” Finnerty said.

Getting the cloud right meant building from the ground up; at Merck, that infrastructure now supports 2,500 AWS accounts, numerous Microsoft Azure subscriptions, and new Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integrations.

“AI is gonna be the same exact thing,” Finnerty said. “We're going to have thousands and thousands of agents.” The questions then pile up: How do you register them? How do you secure them? How do you ensure they're connected to the right tools, and have access to the right data and the right context?

Context delivery is also critical; Merck works with three hyperscalers and has forty-seven edge locations and hundreds of databases. “Many, many petabytes” of structured and unstructured data are stored in Oracle databases, SQL databases, Excel spreadsheets, phone transcripts, and other repositories, Finnerty said. . . .

His team is building scaffolding to deliver meaningful context in various situations, he explained. Data must be organized and ingested into various platforms, because “there’s no one solution to solve every single problem.” Sometimes it's Databricks, other times it's Amazon Redshift, “plus four other things. . . .”

It is cool that both Amazon and Oracle win shout-outs, in the VentureBeat piece. Heh. Onward, smiling -- just the same.

नमस्ते

TRO Entered In Kenya, Until Next Week, At A Minimum -- Against The Supposed US Ebola Treatment Facility In Kenya...

Not at all surprising -- the local courts in Kenya have heard a motion, and ordered a TRO -- against Tangerine 2.0 using the nation to act as a sick-paddock, for US people in Africa.

Ebola is not a case of the flu. Not even remotely. Here's the latest:

. . .A Kenyan court has suspended a plan to establish an Ebola quarantine facility for United States nationals exposed to the virus following a backlash from health workers and rights activists.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi on Friday ordered a halt to the agreement on the facility, pending a ruling in a legal challenge brought by activists. The case should be heard next week. . . .

As countries seek to avert the spread internationally, the US struck a deal to isolate and monitor potentially exposed citizens in Kenya rather than transport them directly home for treatment.

The Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights group, said in a petition challenging the planned facility, which was due to start operating on Friday, that it was being established in secrecy and unilaterally and that it “raises grave constitutional concerns”. . . .

Onward -- smiling in the sunshine -- on, to baby ice-capades, this weekend, on Sunday afternoon!

नमस्ते

Mr. Abrego Garcia Has Filed A "Killer" Habeas Update, Before USDC Judge Xinis In MD Overnight...

Do go read it all -- but the Trumpian/Todd Blanche lying we saw in Nashville, before USDC Judge Waverly Crenshaw (resulting in a dismissal of the purported "indictment") was also underway, with thundering hooves, in Maryland, before the able USDC Jugde Xinis.

She will soon put an end to Blanche's odious charade -- but do consider these particularly egregious bits:

. . .The official whose conduct the court found initiated that “taint” was Todd Blanche -- then Deputy Attorney General, now Acting Attorney General, and a named defendant here.

Blanche declared that the Government began investigating Abrego Garcia only after “a judge in Maryland ‘questioned’” the decision to remove him to El Salvador. Id. at *5. As the Tennessee court found, and the Government has failed to rebut, those statements “directly establish that the motivations for Abrego’s criminal charges stem from his exercise of his constitutional and statutory rights.” Id. The court concluded: “Blanche’s words directly confirm that the Executive Branch reopened the criminal investigation because the Judicial Branch required the Executive Branch to facilitate Abrego’s return from El Salvador. . . .”

After the Court unsealed these papers and the Government’s assertions became public, Costa Rica confirmed its continued, unwavering, and unconditional commitment to accepting Abrego Garcia. ECF No. 110 at 14; ECF No. 108 at 1. That was the third foreign state to undermine the Government’s representations to this Court. ECF No. 110 at 14. At a November 20 hearing, the Government produced the declarant who had signed the submission claiming Costa Rica would not accept Abrego Garcia. He testified that he had no knowledge of Costa Rica’s position and could not explain the contents of his own declaration -- ignorance the Court described as “planned and purposeful.” Id. at 13–14 (quoting ECF No. 107 at 26:8–27:12). Ultimately, the Court concluded that the Government had “affirmatively misled” the Court about Costa Rica’s willingness to accept Abrego Garcia. . . . .

Ahem. It seems this is all just "the worst of the worst". . . doing their collective. . . worst. But soon, Abrego will be a free man (and paid box-car damages), either here in the States, or in Costa Rica -- for this shocking misuse of governmental powers. Onward.

नमस्ते

Meanwhile, Tangerine Intends To Force US Citizens In DRC & Uganda Who Contract Ebola... Into Kenyan (As-Yet-Unbuilt) Facilities, For Treatment?!

The US has already built, long vetted and fully-staffed, various highly specialized treatment facilities -- for just these sorts of outbreaks. We used them in the 2012-14 outbreak, for physicians and nurses who fell ill, while working for Doctors Without Borders in DRC, Uganda and Liberia.

But we all remember, from Trump 1.0, this guy is well-known as a largely-irrational germ-a-phobe. So he is "constructing" a holding pen, essentially, in Kenya. [We also know, however, after 13 outbreaks, globally -- that the Ebola virus is very likely transmitted only by close contact with blood or bodily fluids, from an acutely suffering (or already dead) viral host.] Certainly, American diplomats and doctors deserve better -- from the government, they serve -- than this:

. . .The American Foreign Service Association on Wednesday urged the State Department to authorize the departure of U.S. diplomats and family members from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan because of Ebola concerns.

The union in a statement cited reports about the Kenya facility, calling it a “stark departure from how every previous administration has handled Ebola exposure.”

“Foreign Service employees are there because the U.S. government sent them. They are entitled to the same standard of care that has always applied, including the right to come home,” the union said. . . .

Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for National and Global Health Law and a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said it’s “unprecedented” to quarantine Americans overseas without bringing them home.

“I think it’s potentially a life sentence for Americans,” Gostin said.

He noted that during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, two nurses at a Texas hospital who became infected while treating a patient were transferred to other specialized facilities, including the National Institutes of Health. . . .

Onward, resolutely just the same.

नमस्ते

Over 535 Cases Of Mpox Clade 1b In The US This Year -- With A New Cluster Of 5 -- In Wisconsin...

Do recall that a carefully reviewed study we mentioned about ten days ago points to the inference that something like 32 of each 33 cases in the US remain "hidden" -- that is, undiagnosed as the sufferer does not seek treatment. And each of those may well infect. . . others.

In any event, here is the latest -- from the Wisconsin public health authorities:

. . .The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed five mpox cases in the state this year, with a cluster identified in southeastern Wisconsin and cases in northern Wisconsin.

Although mpox has been circulating at low levels since 2022, DHS says current surveillance data show an uptick of infections nationwide in recent weeks. As of May 3, 535 cases have been confirmed across the United States. . . .

Now you know. We're headed to the Math Academy, and then park-play -- with the grand-nieces tonight. . . may grill some lemon infused brats, for them as well (their favorite!). . . then we'll walk to get some Cold-Stone ice cream blends, after all that, at around sunset. . . smile. Almost-end of school year fun.

नमस्ते

I Was Wrong: Not $75K Bitcoin. Likely Sub-$73K, By Friday…

This is hilarious.

It seems that most of the prediction narratives -- for this coming week's end (on Friday morning US time) were all too optimistic -- relative to a quadruple witching hour that will befall Bitcoin derivatives in about 28 hours.

. . .Bitcoin fell below $73,000 amid U.S. airstrikes on Iran, triggering a broad sell-off in cryptocurrencies and other risk assets.

Nearly $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated in 24 hours, with long positions making up 93 percent of the wipeout. . . .

[Earlier: a] $2,000 plunge below . . . $75,000 remains a real risk [Ed. Note: now a realized FACT] heading into the May 29 settlement. . . .

Tim Sun, senior researcher at HashKey Group, told CoinDesk “The bigger problem, is macro: investors are de-risking as long-term yields rise, oil and inflation risks remain in focus, and there is currently no compelling reason for new capital to enter the market. . . .

Disclosure: I hold long dated out of the money puts on stocks that trade in tandem with Bitcoin, so I enjoy the down-bubbles in BTC. G'night, all of good will. . . smile.

नमस्ते

The SPLC Has Moved To Dismiss The Purely Political, And Thus Vindictive US DoJ "Indictment". It Will End This Malign Idiocy.

It may take a few months, but this is highly likely to result in a dismissal. [My prior backgrounder here.]

The entire process was fundamentally flawed -- infected with impermissible political biases (masquerading as supposed misdemeanor violations of law, at best), and makes entirely false claims about the organization's workings -- and whether the same is. . . lawful (as will be established in discovery, should we get that far). Here's the well-reasoned motion to dismiss -- and a bit of it:

. . .President Trump [made false and defamatory statements about the SPLC]. . . on April 24, 2026, three days after an indictment was unsealed against the Southern Poverty Law Center (“the SPLC”), [in] the latest manifestation of a top-down, retributive campaign in which he directed his Justice Department to go after those individuals and groups he deemed his political enemies, including the SPLC.

To carry out the President’s directive, others in the Administration targeted the SPLC, which now faces criminal charges for exercising its First Amendment right to identify, report on, and criticize extremist hate groups. The Administration has falsely accused the SPLC of being “anti-Christian,” of aiding the Biden Administration’s “weaponization” of the Department of Justice, of participating in political violence, and, most recently, of helping to “rig” the 2020 election against President Donald Trump. . . These examples of this Administration’s animus over the past year culminated in the criminal charges against the SPLC -- an indictment premised on conclusory accusations but devoid of provable facts or a proper statement of the law. . . .

[Trump] publicly proclaimed the improper political motive behind the case, branding the SPLC a “Democrat Hoax, along with Act Blue and many others” and claimed that when the allegations are proven “the 2020 Presidential Election should be permanently wiped from the books and be of no further force or effect!” President Trump doubled down on these farcical claims on a nationally televised 60 Minutes interview a few days later. He falsely proclaimed that the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia “was all funded by the Southern [Poverty] Law [Center].” President Trump asserted that the SPLC had funded this “total fake” event “to make me look bad. . . .”

But he said -- of the Unite the Right rally, in real time -- that there "were very fine people on all sides."

That scarcely sounds like he ever thought it was a false-flag operation. What a lying putz. This indictment will end just as the ones against Jim Comey have -- and Mr. Abrego Garcia, as well: dumped out of court, for lies -- by the US DoJ.

नमस्ते

UPDATE: NASA's Ultra High Altitude "Zero Pressure" Balloon Instruments Have Been Recovered, Near McMurdo Station -- On The Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica...

We now have seen news that the team has recovered the payloads, from late last year -- on the ice shelf at the bottom of the world.

Here's that, from NASA and NSF:

. . .The first of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers missions to launch, PUEO took off Dec. 20, 2025, from NASA’s Long Duration Balloon Facility near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and flew for 23 days before landing approximately 120 miles (200 km) from the South Pole. The full payload has been recovered, including the data drives. The PUEO team is currently analyzing the data collected—an undertaking that may take up to a year due to the complex nature of the task. . . .

To improve sensitivity to extensive air showers produced by cosmic rays and potentially neutrinos, PUEO incorporated a new low-frequency instrument that deployed once the payload reached float altitude (it would have been much too large to fit in the allowable launch volume in its flight configuration). This new low-frequency instrument incorporated antennas that are sensitive down to 50 MHz, and extended PUEOs sensitivity to air showers. . . .

Now you know. All as the Russians are spacewalking on NASA+, live at the ISS this late morning. Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते

As Uganda (Unwisely) Shuts Its Formal, Monitored Borders With DRC -- Known Cases Rise, To Well Over 1,000 Afflicted With Bundibugyo Ebola... And Over 220 Deaths.

Overnight, the Ugandan government has closed its borders to DRC travelers. The nation has cut off overland crossings, and will not accept air-travel from DRC. This, as well over 1,000 are now ill in this the thirteenth Ebola outbreak in Africa -- and well over 252 are considered fatalities from it.

Yes, this is what Elon's -- and Donald's -- handiwork looks like, as it comes to ripened fruition -- about a year later. Here is the latest, from Vox (news summary and analysis):

. . .Shortly after brandishing his infamous chainsaw on a conservative conference stage last February, Elon Musk attended a Cabinet meeting where, giggling slyly, he admitted to having “accidentally canceled” Ebola prevention in his haste to obliterate the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

“We restored the Ebola prevention immediately,” he added coolly at the time, “and there was no interruption.” That claim has since proven to be disastrously, profoundly untrue.

On May 17, the World Health Organization declared a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern. . . .”

[For its part, the WHO strongly disfavors closed borders. Here's that:] “No country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade. Such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science,” the World Health Organization said in its declaration of this outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, while acknowledging that neighboring countries are at high risk.

The WHO added: “They push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease.”

It said infected people or those who have been in contact with them should not undertake international travel unless it’s a medical evacuation. . . .

What a supremely unscientific -- and evil -- cabal these folks represent. Damn. Time for a sunny warm ride by the glassy lake, I guess. . . smile.

नमस्ते

Who On Earth ARE These... Awful Reprobates -- This Is Some 1980-85 "Ronald Reagan-Level" Suppression, Of Targeted Public Health Information...

This is so. . . deplorable -- and yet, so. . . unsurprising: Trump's G*d Squadders are removing US CDC public health web-explainers -- ones that were aimed at helping the higher risk communities stay safe, in the time of Clade 1b Mpox.

Damn these evil, and malign false x-tains. This is unscientific, unsafe -- and perhaps most of all -- means all taxpayers will foot larger public health bills, for people who come down with severe Mpox Clade 1b. Insane -- but here is LGBTQNation, on it all tonight:

. . .The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed a page from its website that featured guidance on how to avoid contracting mpox that spoke implicitly to the LGBTQ+ community. . . .

The removal has sparked outrage among public health experts and LGBTQ+ advocates, who say the page was deleted for political reasons and represents a further erosion of trust in public health information under the Trump administration, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community. . . .

What a disgusting crew of small, bitter, and clearly. . . evil people, these are. Out.

नमस्ते

Encouraging Bundibugyo / Ebola Vaccine Candidate News, Out Of Oxford University... While I Think Moderna Is A Few Steps Ahead Here, Already...

Both the Moderna and Oxford / Astra approach rely on mRNA vaccine tech, which proved both safe and effective in COVID-19. For its part, Oxford is today saying it will start animal models shortly, but since Moderna has been working on it since 2023, I am given to understand that their animal models already turned out well -- showed no safety signal.

So I think Moderna may already in Phase I/II in humans. That's about a year ahead of Oxford, if accurate. Either way, it is very good news that the "bigs" are targeting a Bundibugyo species with an mRNA vaccine candidate. This is the wave of the future -- for both speed and reliability, in very large scale production. The mRNA approach need not rely on growing up a live virus, in an egg proteins culture, which is -- at scale -- as hard as making a perfectly rising soufflé. So mRNA just isolates a dead section of the virus genetic code, and replicates it over and over, to cause a human anti-body response, when the purified version is injected. Here's the Oxford news, in any event:

. . .Production of an experimental Ebola vaccine from the developers of a Covid-19 shot is expected to begin soon, with animal studies underway as researchers race to bring a much-needed tool to the spiraling outbreak. . . .

Clinical trials for the shot could begin in two to three months, said Teresa Lambe, head of vaccine immunology, at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute. “We are cautiously optimistic around that timing,” she said at a briefing. Animal studies, which are required for a vaccine to be tested in humans, have begun and more will get underway soon. . . .

The more shots on goal. . . the better, me thinks! Onward, smiling in the hazy heat here.

नमस्ते

In Maryland, The Todd Blanche / Kristi Noem / Stephen Miller Cabal Is Likely Going To Be Caught In ANOTHER Sworn Lie -- Even As Abrego's Tennessee "Indictment" Is Now "Just Dust In The Wind..."

As we said late last week, Mr. Abrego Garcia is now free of all criminal charges -- but his own personal federal habeas suit against DHS, ICE and the Tangerine 2.0 crisis actors is still in high gear, in the able USDC Judge Xinis' courtroom, out east.

To wit, later this week, she is likely to grant Abrego's counsel the right to get documents, and depose various government agents, about the details of why it would not allow a settlement -- in which Mr. Abrego Garcia could peacefully, and willingly, relocate to Costa Rica -- which nation had offered him a job, and a place to stay -- for his young family, and himself. . . at least until Tangerine departs office.

The immigration rules have long allowed detainees to voluntarily depart the US to a jursdiction of their choosing, so long as the new country is willing to accept them -- and be responsible for their safety, primarily. Trump has intentionally, and repeatedly, denied detainees this right, long conferred. And now, Abrego's counsel will likely be able to prove that Sudan and Liberia (the government's supposed "only" places available to send him off to). . . were ginned up primarily to punish him, for catching these feckless agents of chaos in multiple lies, under oath in federal court [Blanche, Noem, Miller and Lyons all plainly included, here].

So, do look for this motion to be granted in his habeas prceeding, and rather shortly. Here's just a bit of the seven pages of well-taken argument:

. . .Good cause exists to grant Abrego Garcia’s request to serve the targeted discovery in connection with the merits of the unresolved counts of the habeas Petition. As this Court has already recognized, the requested discovery is “plainly relevant to Abrego Garcia’s constitutional challenges to Respondents’ demand for removal to Liberia over Costa Rica. . . .”

In addition to the indisputable relevance the requested discovery has to the question of why the Government is seeking to vindictively remove Mr. Garcia to Liberia -- as opposed to Costa Rica -- in retaliation for exercising his constitutional rights, the Government’s submissions raise new factual issues that warrant discovery, including factual assertions that contradict prior sworn testimony and representations by the Government to this Court.

The Lyons Memorandum makes factual assertions in the course of questioning the removability of Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica. Yet Mr. Schultz previously testified -- as the Government’s sworn designee -- that he knew of “no impediment to remove Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica, including no statement from Respondents that effectuating such removal would run contrary to ‘U.S. interests’” and that he had “been told nothing about why Respondents had not yet processed Abrego Garcia’s removal to Costa Rica.” ECF No. 110 at 10–11 (citing ECF No. 52 at 105–06). The factual inconsistencies between the Government’s prior representations to this Court and the Lyons Memorandum supply good cause to take discovery on this issue.

Were that not enough, the Government recently formalized plans to remove to Costa Rica other individuals who are citizens of third countries, which further calls into question the assertions in the Lyons Memorandum. Discovery into the factual basis for the memorandum is, thus, directly relevant to Count Three of the Petition, which is Abrego Garcia’s due process claim that the Government’s insistence on Liberia is retaliatory and vindictive in purpose and effect rather than a legitimate exercise of removal authority. . . .

Now you know -- probably taking the little ladies to see the Michael movie, come this Thursday -- as an end of school year treat. But they have already requested reserved seating, at the "leftover ribs banquet", again tonight after elementary school lets out. Grin -- then park fun -- since it is likely to touch a sunny 80 degrees again, by then. Onward -- to the Rockies again in seven days, then Eugene, for more Olympic tri- racing. Smile. . . .

नमस्ते

A Hong Kong Doctorate, 黎嘉英, Has Been Allowed To Fly To Tiangong, On Shenzhou 23, Overnight: Softening Science Relations -- In Mainland China?

Lai Ka-ying, 黎嘉英, is the first Hong Kong native to be allowed to fly a space mission for Xi's China. She will be aboard the Chinese space station Tiangong by the afternoon today, US time.

This flight also brings some human stem cells, a live and dividing line -- to the Chinese space station -- for the study of zero-g and radiation effects, on such things as human embryoes -- to inform some hundreds of years distant mission -- to transport dividing zygotes in space (to ultimately colonize an exo-planet, presumably).

Here is NPR, on all the latest:

. . .China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft Sunday night with three astronauts heading to its space station, including one set to stay in space for a year.

The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The much-anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030.

The astronauts on the mission are Zhu Yangzhu, the commander, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, also identified by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying using the Mandarin transliteration of her name. . . .

Now you know -- with two hefty slabs of Genghis Khan's Mongolian Ribs^® ahead on the grill -- along with three slabs of regular western BBQ ribs, brats, chicken and cheeseburgers -- I predict a meat poisoning, later this afternoon. . . but a root beer float to finish all the excesses off with, to be certain. [Still, some shaved brussel sprout salad, and quinoa salad to offer some greenage.] Family fun ahead on the deck -- should be 80 degrees by 4 pm. Woot!

There will be no news of ebola deaths reaching 220, nor gunfire at treatment centers, to break up arsonists' attacks. No, not today. No hantavirus or mpox. Nope. Onward. Today is for barbeque -- and then some ice skating with grand-nieces, at the rink about a quarter-mile up the street, to cool off. . . Out.

नमस्ते

Second Update Of Sunday: Ebola Totals Now -- 204 Are Dead -- 867 Are Believed Ill With The Virus...

That's up from 177 dead, and 750 ill -- as of Friday.

This is plainly out of control, in Ituri Province, DRC. The two burnt treatment centers were the focus of my last post -- this updates the epidemic figures, as of this morning. Here's NPR, on it:

. . .According to Congolese government figures released on Saturday, health workers have registered 867 suspected cases of Ebola and 204 deaths.

The Congolese government first declared an outbreak on May 15. Since then, confirmed and suspected cases have popped up across an area of Congo larger than the state of Florida.

Neighboring Uganda has also registered five confirmed Ebola cases.

On Friday, the World Health Organization raised its risk level for the disease at a national level to "very high". . . .

In better news -- at this Memorial Sunday noon-time -- I'm now off for a bike ride, to go see the babygrrls' "ice - capades" last Spring practice -- before the recital next Sunday. Woot!

After that, I then fly back to the Rockies a week from Monday, and on to Eugene, for more Olympic triathalon racing that Friday through Sunday night. Excellent!

नमस्ते

Now A SECOND Ebola Treatment Center In Ituri Province, DRC Has Been Set Ablaze: Tragic Misinformation At Work.

This time, it was in the small town of Mongbwalu -- last time, on Wednesday night, it was in Rwampara. But locals (driven by misinformation from pulpits, mostly) are attacking and burning Doctors Without Borders' Ebola treatment / isolation tent facilities -- having been convinced that the virus is a hoax, and that "divine healing" is all the afflicted need. Damn.

All the while, USAID is nowhere to be found. This is already the third worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history -- and may ultimately reach over 1,000 deaths -- before it is all over. Here's the latest, from CBS.com:

. . .Angry residents of a town at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo attacked and burned a tent that was part of a health center where people are being treated for the virus, the staff there said Saturday. It was the second such attack in the region in a week.

No one was hurt in the attack, according to initial reports but as patients ran out to escape the fire, 18 people with suspected Ebola infections left the facility and are now unaccounted for, a local hospital director said.

The angry residents had arrived at the clinic in the town of Mongbwalu on Friday night and set fire to a tent set up for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases by the Doctors Without Borders humanitarian group, Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of the Mongbwalu hospital, told The Associated Press. . . .

In the mean time, a US citizen / medical doctor who is gravely ill with Ebola (he apparently operated on a patient later found to be suffering from Ebola, as a part of his missionary / medical work) has been refused the right to return to the States, to a CDC approved treatment center / isolation unit. . . by the Trump [Mal-]administration.

Thankfully, the Germans agreed to take him in. And so, he has to be flown to Germany, where he is receiving excellent care in Berlin. What is wrong with the goons manipulating Trump's irrational fears? We built these US treatment / containment centers for just this sort of an outbreak, in 2016. Damn.

नमस्ते

There's Been Another Awful Coal Mine Flash-Over / Explosion, In Northern China -- In Tongzhou's Liushenyu Mine. 84 Miners Are Confirmed Dead.

As many here know, these largely-avoidable tragedies recall my own youth -- and are especially poignant -- for me, personally. Awful. I feel it, viscerally, for the families.

My opinion? After 137 dead in three years, Xi needs to crack down on these lax mining conglomerates. Here's the Beeb -- on it all [with my editorial comments, in brackets]:

. . .At least 82 people have been killed and two are missing after a coal mine blast in northern China, according to state media.

Rescue officials revised down the death toll in an update late on Saturday, having earlier said at least 90 people had died.

The gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Shanxi province is the worst mining disaster in China since 2009.

There were 247 workers reportedly on duty when the blast happened at 19:29 local time (11:29 GMT) on Friday, with more than 100 people said to be saved and hundreds of rescuers sent to the site.

Some of the management team at the mine have reportedly been detained. The cause of the gas explosion has not yet been revealed, but state media reported that the levels of carbon monoxide -- a highly toxic, odourless gas -- in the mine were found to have "exceeded limits". [Ed. Note: carbon monoxide is not an explosive gas, in any sense. It is one end result / by-product, from the explosion / flash burning of unacceptably high levels of unvented coal-dust. So, this is a red herring. These miners were killed by an explosion of very fine coal dust (the result of unsafe mining practices; Tongzhou having upped production quotas), almost certainly.]

China's Ministry of Emergency Management has sent 345 personnel from six rescue teams to help with the operation. [It is true that dangerous carbon monoxide levels would rapidly build up in / sink into the lower levels, after a large blast -- especially if electric ventilation fans had been destroyed in the original blast, mine wide.]

State media said the rescue operation had encountered difficulties as water has built up near the explosion site [Ed. Note: which would be consistent with the electrical being cut off; water pumps stop running -- and the mine. . . rapidly floods], preventing access to certain areas, while blueprints provided by the mine did not match the actual conditions [Ed. Note: this would mean that there was far more underground mining, likely with less pillar support, and slower ventilation -- than even China regulators allow. This may well be the proximate cause of the flash-over]. . . .

Now you know. So. . . disheartening. This is all. . . avoidable.

नमस्ते