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

There Are No More Criminal Proceedings Which Might Assert... Anything, Against Mr. Abrego Garcia. Justice... Has [Finally] Come.

Just as we've predicted for months on end -- we've now finally arrived at. . . justice, in Music City. Well done, USDC Judge Waverly Crenshaw! He is a free man.

And now, very shortly in Maryland, the able USDC Judge Xinis is likely to rule that ICE/DHS possesses no right to deport him, in any event. Not without an all new set of proceedings -- and its specious claim to be able to remove him to Liberia, or the Sudan. . . is going to fall apart.

There is no procedural hook, upon which to hang it. And his own suit against the government agencies -- for their attempt to punish him for having the temerity to assert his Constitutional rights. . . just got a BIG boost, from the Nashville dismissal. Excellent. Here's that well-reasoned, careful. . . and precise opinion, just entered:

. . .[T]he Court must consider the full evidentiary record to determine if the Government has carried its burden of rebutting the presumption of vindictiveness.

In short, the timing of Agent VanWie’s decision to reopen the closed HSI investigation of the November 2022 traffic stop and [Now Acting US AG Todd] Blanche’s now unrebutted public statements tying the reopened investigation to Abrego’s successful lawsuit taints the investigation with a vindictive motive. That vindictive taint continued with Singh’s close substantive oversight of McGuire’s and his prosecution team’s work leading to the indictment. Finally, after the indictment was presented, the Executive Branch found a way to return Abrego to the United States to comply with the District of Maryland’s order to facilitate his return. While the Court finds insufficient evidence of actual vindictiveness, the Court concludes that the Government has failed to rebut the presumption of vindictiveness. The evidence it labels as newly discovered was available to be obtained with due diligence long before April 2025.

Even more, it does not explain the Government’s change in position to remove Abrego and not prosecute him to then prosecute and not remove him. McGuire’s subjective explanations also do not cure the retaliatory taint that set the investigation and resulting indictment in motion.

Because the presumption of vindictiveness remains unrebutted, the indictment must be dismissed. . . .

The Government chose to pursue that evidence only after Abrego’s successful lawsuit and the ongoing requirement to report daily to Judge Xinis on efforts to return Abrego to the United States. This supports the inference that the Government would not have reopened the investigation or secured testimony from Hernandez-Reyes but for Abrego’s successful lawsuit. Bragan, 249 F.3d at 481 (citing Adams, 870 F.2d at 1145); see also Carey, 816 F. Supp. 3d at 141–42. . . .

The evidence before this Court sadly reflects an abuse of prosecuting power. . . .

Since he is now a free man, he may choose -- on his own -- without fear, to move his family to Costa Rica -- until Tangerine 2.0's time is at an end. And he may return with his US Citizen wife, without any trouble then -- in early 2029. I think that might be where he lands. In any event, this is an important victory. . . for justice, without fear or favor in the US. A long time coming, but the right result. And yes, just to avoid more vindictive BS, I might counsel a voluntary move. . . to the island nation, temporarily.

Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते

Very Ominous News, Out Of Rwampara, DRC -- And, Ebola '26 Has Now Afflicted Over 750 People; More Than 177 Are Dead, Already.

And. . . because this provincial area lies in a remote, largely hilly and forested civil war/conflict zone -- still highly influenced by very poorly informed / fundamentalist "christian" religious leaders running mega-churches. . . highly unscientific rumors are often accepted as fact.

Thus, some remote pastors are telling their faithful on Sundays that the outbreak is a hoax, and divine protection is all they need (for a price, of course). So much so, that some young people burned a treatment center down, when they were refused in a request to take a friend's body for burial. The young person had died of Ebola, and unsafe burials are a prime way that the virus is spread.

Here is the latest, very disturbing news, from AP reports:

. . .The World Health Organization chief said Friday that the Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading rapidly and now poses a “very high” risk there, as a lack of medical resources and anger among the population hamper the response in a vulnerable and conflict-ridden region.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of global spread remains low, but that the U.N. health agency was revising upward its assessment of the risk within Congo from its previous categorization of “high. . . .”

Frontline medical staff have struggled with a lack of resources and, in some cases, pushback due to what has been characterized as misinformation or situations where medical policy has clashed with local customs such as burial rites. . . .

On Thursday, an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara was set on fire by youths who were angered when they were blocked from retrieving the body of a friend who apparently had died of Ebola, according to witnesses and police.

Bodies of Ebola victims can be highly contagious, and medical authorities are trying to control burials whenever possible.

Julienne Lusenge, president of Women’s Solidarity for Inclusive Peace and Development, a local aid group, said the population’s anger is mostly due to misinformation.

“We have lived through years and years of conflict and hardship so rumors spread easily,” she said.

She said some churches have told their large congregations that the outbreak is fake and that divine protection makes medical care unnecessary. . . .

Yikes. This could easily begin to approach the 2012-14 outbreak -- when over 12,400 ultimately died and over 25,000 were ill. Truly. . . tragic.

नमस्ते

The "Direct Corollary Effects" -- Of Allowing Trumpian Lies To Fester -- In Circles Where Education... Is Undervalued: Knox County, TN Edition.

First -- the good news: I am 100% certain the ACLU will be able to win -- if/when it files a case against this small-minded attempt at the repression of US history.

The ACLU will win all the way through the United States Supreme Court, and have this local Tennessee law invalidated, as both impermissably vague -- and as contrary to nearly 100 years of clear Supreme Court precedent.

These cases say the work as a whole must be considered, even before taking only the least restrictive means of addressing a compelling state interest. See, Island Trees, et al., 457 U.S. 853 -- decided 1982. None of that has happened in Knoxville, Tennessee. Obviously.

And, moreover, all of this would be unthinkable, prior to the "time of Tangerine" -- looking back, given Supreme Court black letter law -- of at least 60 years' standing:

. . .Roots: The Saga of an American Family, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alex Haley that helped shape public understanding of slavery and inspired generations of Americans to trace their ancestry, has been banned from library shelves in Knox County Schools under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. . . .

"Roots" was among the first widely read works of fiction to offer a detailed account of the Middle Passage, the horrific transatlantic journey to America endured by enslaved Africans between the 16th and 19th centuries. . . .

Roots had recently been elevated to the district’s review committee for consideration over a passage in the novel’s 84th chapter, which it determined was not “age appropriate” under Tennessee law. “Broader themes or historical significance of a work as a whole is not a consideration under the law,” Harrington added. [Then this Tennessee law plainly violates the Supreme Court's cases on the First Amendment; Chapter 84 narrates the forcible rape and beating of an enslaved woman -- by a white domestic terrorist / plantation owner.]

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the KCS book-banning committee had previously reviewed an excerpt from Roots and did not recommend banning it. KCS did not answer questions. . . on what new concerns had been raised.

The decision means the material can still be taught in classes; it just cannot be available on library shelves. . . .

This is why no preznit should be allowed to endlessly lie -- about the uglier aspects of our shared US history. Before long, the acolytes of such a demagogue will seek to erase that uglier history entirely, from written records.

That is exactly what hard right / faux-Xtian Tennessee legislators are vainly attempting here. Damnation. It will not stand, in any event.

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Friday Early AM Tangent: About $25 Billion In Bitcoin Derivatives Expire Next Friday — Likely Drags BTC Down To Around $75,000.

Nothing about life in even the near future is mathematically certain (especially going into a long holiday weekend) -- but absent some other monumental shift in the existing macro-catalysts, the ratio of puts-to-calls at various strike prices, both in- and out- of the money, would suggest that the spot price for Bitcoin will fall about $2,000 to $3,000 -- by next Friday, early morning US time.

Here’s that story -- and a bit of it:

. . .The put/call ratio of 0.86 reflects a modestly bullish market, though with max pain sitting $2,000 below the current price, a gravitational pull toward $75,000 remains a real risk heading into 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. . . .”

Hilarious.

And all of this coincides with Mark Cuban admitting he has sold off almost all of his Bitcoin stack (mostly, in the lower ranges of this downturn), now that the supposed “Bitcoin as a hedge against traditional finance excesses” narrative. . . has been proven to be a lie. Just as Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have said -- for more than a decade.

Look out below, in seven days. Or sooner.

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It Seems RFK, Jr. Just Figured Out That A US Passport Or Green Card... Does NOT Imbue A "Magical Pixie Dust" / Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccination.

Well. . . there is some sanity, slowly returning, to MAGA leadership at the CDC. As we mentioned this morning, until earlier today, if you were carrying a US Passport, but had been to South Sudan, DRC or Uganda in the past three weeks -- you could come right home.

But now -- after mine of this morning pointing out the jingoistic lunacy in that policy set -- the federal government will now require ALL air arrivals to the US from those countries (in the last 21 days) to be "enhanced checked / screened" through Dulles, before ANY onward travel.

In any event, here's the latest -- from the NYT reporting:

. . .Earlier this week, the C.D.C. invoked an emergency public health rule to block entry into the United States by travelers who had been in the three African nations in the past 21 days. That restriction did not apply to American citizens or U.S. service members.

The restrictions came after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency last weekend. The outbreak is suspected to have caused more than 130 deaths and nearly 600 infections, according to the W.H.O. The agency’s head said on Wednesday that there was little risk of the outbreak developing into a pandemic, even as the number of suspected cases and deaths continued to climb. . . .

At least that makes. . . some logical sense. Onward -- fingers crossed.

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What To Make Of The Coming SpaceX ~$2 Trillion IPO? Will Goldman Really... Lead?!

Okay. It is time to look (well past the hype, and nonsense) -- and decide, whether Elon Musk can make anything sensible, financially -- for the investing public, not just himself(!) -- out of what is slated to become the largest IPO in history.

The SEC Rule 424(b) red herring is here. Mr. Musk will hold 85% voting control over the company and be its CEO, chairman and chief technology officer, post the IPO. In this preliminary SEC prospectus, we see -- minus the shineola -- that. . .

SpaceX lost over $4.9 billion in 2025 and $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, during which the company acquired xAI, the owner of the digital artificial intelligence assistant Grok. [Yikes.]

Starlink is the most profitable segment in the SpaceX fold, with net income from operations of $4.4 billion in 2025 [and adjusted EBITDA of nearly $7.2 billion, including an add-back of ~$2.4 billion in depreciation and amortization].

In the first quarter of 2026, Starlink generated an operating profit of nearly $1.2 billion and similarly adjusted EBITDA of over $2 billion.

Nice. But the satellites must be completely replaced every three to five years -- so the cap ex burden is. . . staggering. And much of the networks is now approaching the end of its useful life. He needs lots more launches, and deployments -- without explosive failures -- just to keep the treadmill rolling, here.

And, ominously, he's dropping the per customer revenue from $86 per month, to about $66 per month outside the USA. [The rest of world won't pay what these stupid Americans will, it seems.] No, in the US, his market will remain wealthy people who live in remote / mountainous areas of the west, mostly. . . where traditional wi-fi / cell towers are. . . still scarce.

Sorry -- that is a market far too narrow (and increasingly shrinking -- as cell towers and cable lines reach deeper and deeper into the mountain west, year after year), to support the vast and continual cap ex burden, me thinks.

In 2025, the worst performing segment -- his AI boondoggle -- posted an operating loss of nearly $6.4 billion. In the first quarter of 2026, those numbers improved to a $936 million operating loss, but the AI segment too is a very heavy capital spender, with significant research and development expenses. AI spent $12.7 billion of capital ex, in 2025 and over $7.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026. This is not sustainable -- when added to the aggregate cap ex figures for Starlink, and space-launch operations.

So. . . while this might make him personally the world's first trillion-aire -- I think he is (once again) -- as he did in Twitter / X-itter -- taking on massive obligations, and telling us to just "trust him".

[X-itter (according to some pretty good intel) is still hemorrhaging money, now four years later, BTW. But it is private, so there are no complaining public shareholders -- or really much, in the way of vetted, audited financial metrics about his X-itter forray.]

All while he looks to / works his Trump-World connections for SpaceX, to try to win lots of NASA / federal government funding -- which he hopes will have an endless on ramp for the forever money-losing, cash flow burning SpaceX launch segment / now a lumbering colossus.

Me?

I'll. . . pass.

Hard pass, in fact.

This is -- when all the smoke and mirrors are moved to the side -- simply Musk, laying a vast amount of his personal fortune's risk profile. . . off -- on a gullible public investor populace.

Enrich him, by funding his money-losers, if you like. But you do so at your considerable peril.

You cannot afford a perhaps $100 billion negative liquidity event.

Most of all, not year after year. But that is what he is facing.

If you all don't come to his rescue, that is.

H I L A R I O U S.

Out.

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