U.S. Government is Accelerating Coral Reef Collapse

Widely referred to as the “tip of the spear” in the American arsenal, Guam—which is smaller than New York City but home to a military community of nearly 23,000—is a dichotomy of majestic nature and military might.  But the real powerhouse of the Pacific exists not on land but just below the water’s surface in its biological resilience, which is now threatened by the Pentagon’s quest for strategic deterrence. The weapons that miss their target on the testing range will soon find a different one, sinking down to the most diverse coral reef of any U.S. jurisdiction. A battle between the two is now emerging.

The U.S. government is accelerating coral reef collapse around Guam, alleges a team of international researchers in a letter released this month in Science. They warn administration pressures to prioritize national security—through dredging projects, increased military infrastructure and live firing ranges—will cause harm to endangered habitats.

Additionally, a fundamental misunderstanding of coral taxonomy in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is exacerbating the ecological harm to fisheries and reefs. Without intervention, these Pacific habitats now risk the same “functional extinction” experienced in Florida.

The Summer Set - America!

Draft-Dodging Son of Netanyahu Safe in the U.S.

Photo: Yair Netanyahu's Instagram

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's son is avoiding military service in sunny Miami while his war-criminal father wreaks havoc in the Middle east.  The 34-year-old is reportedly engaged in "non-profit charity work" in Florida, while approximately 360,000 reserve soldiers have been mobilized to join the Israeli army against the war in Iran, temporarily abandoning their other responsibilities.

Questions are emerging about why he hasn't joined his fellow countrymen.  The situation has also sparked fury among Israeli soldiers who feel Yair should be contributing to the war effort.  One soldier stationed on Israel's northern front told The Times in London: "Yair is enjoying his life at Miami Beach whilst I'm on the front lines. 

"It's us who are leaving our work, our families, our kids, to protect our families back home and the country, not the people who are responsible for this situation.

"Our brothers, our fathers, sons, are all going to the front line, but Yair is still not here. It does not help build trust in the leadership of the country."

Meanwhile, Back at the Office . . .

 

Texas Town Revolts Against Kirk Memorial

Locals filled a recent Bastrop County commissioners meeting to push back against a proposal to memorialize bigoted far-right pundit Charlie Kirk.   

After County Commissioner David Glass proposed a “Charlie Kirk Corridor” in the up-and-coming tech hub neighboring Austin, over a hundred people aired their grievances until the motion was inevitably tabled.  "I'm going to take a breath and have some more conversations with my constituents," Glass told the Austin American-Statesman. It’s unclear why Glass would be vying for a Kirk memorial in his county, of all places, but the area isn’t a nobody on the map. Bastrop County is home to about 115,000 residents—as well as many of billionaire Elon Musk’s corporations.

Though Bastrop County used to be a quieter area, it has shot up in growth since Musk packed up what was once known as Twitter from its home in California and relocated it to the little-known area. Now, Bastrop and nearby counties and towns are home to X, Starlink, and the Boring Company, Musk’s environmentally stained tunneling outfit.   The unstable Tesla CEO built residential and commercial areas for his employees throughout the area. Residents now have Musk’s company towns. They even have Ad Astra, Musk’s attempted Montessori-style school that seems to be operating today as a “licensed child care program” for roughly 10 children under the age of 5, according to The New York Times. 

 

You Don't Say

 

Another Salvo in the War of Hate

Transgender people living in Kansas have been ordered to hand back their driver’s licenses if they do not reflect their assigned-sex-at-birth, under a new law.  Residents received letters informing them that the controversial House Substitute for Senate Bill 244 would take effect immediately.

The letter, seen by Erin In The Morning, a website dedicated to covering issues impacting transgender people, says that drivers will be issued a new license upon handing in their old one.

“Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials,” the letter reads. “That means that once the law is officially enacted, your current credentials will be invalid immediately, and you may be subject to additional penalties if you are operating a vehicle without a valid credential.”  The legislation was vetoed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, earlier this month, but was then overwritten by a Republican supermajority in the state legislature.

However, the rapid enactment of the new law has left transgender residents across the state scrambling to get the correct identification.  Iridescent Riffel, a transgender woman who commutes to work, says that she is now worried about getting into her car.  “I don’t want to get a misdemeanor just trying to go to work,” she told The Kansas City Star. “I’m salaried. I’m not working hourly, and not everyone has that same privilege as me.”

SB 244 also requires transgender Kansans to use bathrooms and multi-occupancy private spaces in accordance with their sex assigned at birth, while in government buildings.  The bill allows private citizens to take legal action against someone if they suspect them of not using the bathroom that is in accordance with their assigned sex at birth. If successful, someone who files a complaint against a transgender person in a public bathroom could stand to gain $1,000.

Anyone found to have used a bathroom not in accordance with their assigned sex at birth will be given a written warning on their first offense. On their second offense, they will receive a $1,000 fine. A third offense carries a $ 1,000 fine and a six-month prison sentence. Another change enforced by the sweeping bill relates to the term “gender,” which has now been defined as a person’s “biological sex at birth.”

As the law continues to be rolled out, Democratic Representative Abi Boatman has slammed the new legislation.  “The persecution is the point,” Boatman told The Kansas City Star.

Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, also accused Kansas’s lawmakers of choosing “politics over people.” “Forcing people into the wrong bathrooms, stripping them of accurate IDs, and allowing government-sanctioned harassment doesn’t make anyone safer - it targets transgender Kansans for no reason and will undoubtedly impact many others who are targeted with animus whether or not they are transgender,” Robinson said in a press release.

Governor Kelly vetoed SB 244 earlier this month, describing it as poorly drafted legislation.  “Not only will this bill keep brothers from visiting sisters’ dorms and husbands from wives’ shared hospital rooms, it will cost Kansas taxpayers millions of dollars to comply with this very vague legislation,” she added.