Flotsam and Jetsam - Supes Rule Prez can Fire Any Agency Head Except Fed

A number of case came down from on high at the Supreme Court yesterday, and it was a mixed bag for the President (as it usually is). The court ruled in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v Wilcox that the President was free to fire the head of any executive agency, including those the Congress attempted to designate as "independent", but quickly tempered that by ruling in Trump v Cook that Trump could not fire Janet Cook from the Federal Reserve board without some kind of due process. Weird, but as my Daddy used say, consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. In Watson v. RNC they also ruled that states could count mail-in ballot that arrived after election day, as long as they were postmarked by election day. Althouse spent the day Waiting on the Supreme Court. I didn't. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair VIP, SCOTUS Slaughters Humphrey's Executor – But the Fed ... Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "In a stunning blow to Our Democracy™, SCOTUS has ruled that unelected bureaucrats can’t do whatever they want and run federal agencies like their personal fiefdoms in perpetuity," Quote Benjamin Ryan @benryanwriter, "NEWS: Supreme Court overrules a 90-year-old precedent and frees the president to fire independent agency heads The Supreme Court ruled today that President Trump can remove Federal Trade Commission members at will, and in doing so it overruled Humphrey's Executor, the 1935 decision that has protected independent agencies for nine decades. The case is Trump v. Slaughter, and it reshapes the federal bureaucracy..." Sundance at CTH, Supreme Court Rules 6-3 That President Can Remove Any Agency Head in Executive Branch. At Ace, Supreme Court Rules That the Chief Executive Does In Fact Have the Power to Fire His Own Executive Branch Employees. "Liberal congresses passed laws to establish so-called "independent agencies," which are executive branch agencies intended to be independent from the very executive they're part of." Insty, NOW ON SUBSTACK, MY THOUGHTS ON THE SUPREME COURT’S SLAUGHTER OPINION: Bringing Back the ‘Spoils System?’ Yes, Please. A better name would be an “accountability system.” And it’s just the beginning. Sundance is not so happy about Supreme Court 5-4 Ruling Creates Fourth Branch of Government – Trump v Cook and Supreme Court Rules States Can Decide How Long After Election Day Ballots May Be Received. Cathy Salgado at PJM, Supreme Court Decides Crucial Mail-in Ballot Case. Capt. Ed calls it a Stunner: SCOTUS Whiffs on Election Day Showdown, 5-4. TownHall's Matt Vespa says The Amy Coney Barrett Problem Reared Its Ugly Head Again, after she wrote the majority opinion in that case. At Nevada News, How Did We End Up With ACB Instead of Barbara Lagoa on the Supreme Court? I Have Thoughts. Sundance hosts President Trump Giving Remarks and Opinion on Three Supreme Court Decisions.

In other Supreme Court news, Matt Margolis is pissed SCOTUS Just Let a Rigged Verdict Against President Trump Stand, E Jean Carroll. Althouse also reports on Chatrie v. United States: "Police officers conducted a Fourth Amendment search when they acquired Chatrie’s location data from Google because an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in his cell-phone location information. Justice Kagan writes the majority opinion, joined by the Chief and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, and Jackson. Justice Gorsuch writes a concurring opinion, and Justice Alito has a dissent joined by Thomas and Barrett." From Ace, Supreme Court May Decide Birthright Citizenship Case This Week; RNC Sues Colorado Over Allowing Birth Tourism Foreigners Who Never Even Set Foot in Colorado to Vote There "In the next few days, we may find out if we have a country or not. May be. The Disney Groomer Corporation is sad."  I expect the Court to rule against Trump on birthright citizenship, and throw it back to the Congress, which never does anything.

Joe Chalfant sees the The Alaskan Supreme Court Just Gave Democrats a Lifeline With This Insane Ruling. "The Alaskan Supreme Court issued a shocking decision Monday evening that will allow a Democrat-recruited sham candidate to appear on the upcoming ballot against Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan." Can we run 12 AOCs in her district?  Beege Welborn is In a Bit of a Surprise when the CO Supreme Court Knocks Down Dem Redistricting Plan. Breaking911 @Breaking911, "BREAKING: The Colorado Supreme Court has unanimously blocked a Democratic-backed congressional redistricting proposal in Colorado that could have resulted in Democrats gaining three additional seats in the U.S. House."

At TownHall Kurt Schlichter observes The Socialists Are Coming... for the Democrats. From Da Signal, The Democratic Socialists of America’s Platform Explicitly Aims to Destroy the Constitution. Capt. Ed, CNN: DSA Nominee Suuuuuure Likes Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and ... CNN admits Deleted tweets on Darializa Avila Chevalier’s account had favorable references to communist leaders and Marxism. From Fox, Bill Maher calls Mamdani-backed socialist ‘patient zero’ of the ‘woke mind virus’. ""The New York Times asked her, 'If someone murders someone randomly, should they go to jail?' Couldn't get her to say yes for that," Maher said. "So, there is a woke mind virus, and I think we found patient zero. Her name is Darializa Avila Chevalier." Derek Hunter at TownHall wonders Has the ‘Revolution’ Already Passed AOC By? "AOC seems quaint compared to these people." NYPo, Gavin Newsom — once a capitalist, now a socialist. 

From Campus Reform a POLL: Most Democrats say they'd rather live outside the United States. Oh, please do! From Ace, Nine Democrat-Led States, Plus Vermont, Refuse to Send any Delegation to the Nation's 250th Anniversary "National State Fair." At Althouse "At a time of fierce debate over how to teach American history, particularly around issues of race, the Freedom Trucks weigh in squarely on one side of the argument..." ""... telling a patriotic, positive story of core American values and exceptionalism. They stand in sharp contrast to liberal efforts in recent years — in classrooms, museums, national parks and media — to lift up discussion of systemic racism and highlight chapters where America has failed to live up to its ideals." From "Trump-backed ‘Freedom Trucks’ tell a sanitized story of the country’s founding/At a time of fierce debate over how to teach American history, the mobile exhibits weigh in squarely on one side of the argument." (WaPo)(gift link)." Someone has to counter WaPoo's negativism. 

Jonathan Turley notes ‘You’re Next!’: Democrats Discover the Mob has a Mind of its Own. Ben Shapiro @benshapiro, "No one more richly deserves this humiliation than Scott Wiener, who learns the hard lesson that you can be a militant for trans radicalism, a full-scale Israel-hater, and an all-around moral derelict...and the hard Left will still yell at you for being a Jew. 10/10, no notes." Quote Dimitry Yakoushkin @decadimitry "Scott Wiener showed up to the trans march and for the first time we kicked his ass out. It's sad because while he's written some good legislation for queers, hes ultimately a genocidal-supporting center right shill. Trigger warning: broken man walking away defeated. Vote Connie!" Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Hey, Wiener guy! Remember when you called me a "McBigot"? How does it feel now that the Frankenstein you created is coming for you? Every stupid communist learns this history lesson the hard way. Enjoy!"  John Poretz at The Freep explains How the Left Abandoned the Jews.

@instapundit @instapundit, "Were any of them raped by dogs, Nick?" Quote Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof, Replying to @elonmusk, "Elon, I can give you many, many names of people who have died because of your aid cuts.: *Yamah Freeman was a 23-year-old woman who died in childbirth because you stopped paying for the diesel for ambulances in her part of Liberia. ..." Elon Musk @elonmusk, "The hard truth is that USAID, with its constant support of often violent leftist regime change, caused a lot of death!" Quote amuse @amuse, "USAID: The data show that dismantling USAID did not result in ANY increase in African mortality much less the four million Democrats claim Elon Musk is responsible for killing. It was all a lie. In fact, the UNAIDS/SAMRC data show that mortality declined after." Cernovich @Cernovich, "We were forced to pay for diesel in ambulances in Liberia? What in the world? Show this stuff to normal voters and watch their (and my own) befuddlement. "Wait, we were doing WHAT?"" Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "Africa wanted its independence, they got it, but somehow I am still obligated to buy them diesel fuel. Neat." Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Correct." Quote Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "Turns out defunding USAID did not kill Africans. Because the money wasn't going to Africa. It was going to buy elections and burn Tesla dealerships. x.com/arctotherium42…" @instapundit @instapundit, "They don’t call you a murderer because they think you murdered people. They call you a murderer to encourage people to murder you."

At PJM VodkaPundit has the sads that California Dems Solve a Fictional Water Crisis by Taxing Wine. John Lott at RCP sees CA Lawmakers Seek To Ban Popular Handgun, Glocks. 

PJM's Scott Pinsker thinks Something Is Very, Very Strange About the Media’s Fixation on Pete Buttigieg’s CPS Swatting Story. They don't care when conservatives get SWATted. Speaking of something strange, Twitchy cites Nate Silver Looking at Sales Figures for Dr. Jill Biden’s Memoir. The Free Bacon is strangely satisfied, America Dodges Bullet: Congress To Remain Kennedy-Free After Jack Schlossberg Fails in New York "'America's babygirl' will have to keep looking for his first real job."

Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "The Senate is on vacation for the next two weeks. Sorry folks, no SAVE America Act right now… It’s mind boggling that having secure elections is not the #1 priority."

PiptheCowboy @AeroSpaceShark, "The Chaplains didn't have their "rank taken away" I work with them daily, they replaced their rank on their uniforms with chaplains corp insignia to make them more approachable. The Chaplains corp likes this change. They're foremost counselors, not officers with command." Quote Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | @ChuckPfarrer, "THIS JUST IN: Pete Hegseth has decided to take away the rank from all military Chaplins- because they're not ‘warfighters’. Since WW One, US Chaplins have won 5 Medals of Honor, 26 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1 Navy Cross, 45 Silver Stars and 719 Bronze Stars for valor."

Hat Hair's John Sexton sees Lack of Gasoline Getting to Russians, Part Two.

Duane Patterson at Hat Hair, has a long post, After A Little Weekend Warrior Work, Iran Is Back In the M.O.U. Box. Sundance reports U.S. and Iran Schedule Deconfliction Meeting in Doha. Dick Pollack at The World in Crisis thinks he detects A Civil War Between Vance and Rubio? "The two are following distinctly different Middle Eastern paths over Iran."

Buck Throckmorton at Ace's MORNING RANT: is teed off that Trump-Bashing Felon John Bolton is Scheduled for a Fireside Chat Today with National Review to Discuss Character and Leadership "The National Review Institute is hosting an “American Leadership & National Security” seminar in Newport Beach today. Jim Geraghty, Noah Rothman, and other Trump-hating “conservatives” are scheduled to join Mr. Bolton in discussing character and leadership."

CIS touts Two SCOTUS Victories: One for Trump on TPS, the Other for the English Language on Asylum "Two SCOTUS Victories: One for Trump on TPS, the Other for the English Language on Asylum The ‘TPS case’ and the ‘asylum entry case’ are in; only the ‘birthright citizenship case’ remains." Ilya Shapiro, Supreme Court Confirms Broad Executive Power Over Immigration "In three rulings last week, the justices turned back left-wing lawfare against President Trump’s policies." At Am Mind, Blood, Soil, Creed—and the Immunities of American Citizenship. Prowler @derzum_, "As of May, 93% of asylum is being denied in immigration courts—record high—amounting to hundreds of thousands fewer lawful migrants. ‘Immigration judges are now issuing denials in virtually every case’ after rule changes and mass firings by the Trump admin cleaned the system." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair says Lemme 'Splain - Heads Exploded in Vain Over Mullins' TPS Comments Yesterday. People whose TPS was terminated can apply for visa; but most won't qualify. C3 @C_3C_3, "Want some truth? If Haitians started voting Republican the Democrats would have them back in Haiti faster than you could say Port-au-Prince." Publius @OcrazioCornPop, "Trump, 2018: "Haiti is a sh!thole country." Hollywood Libs: "Haiti is a great, truly beautiful country. Trump is a r*cist!" Trump (& SCOTUS), 2026: "Temporary means temporary, Haitians have to return home to their great, truly beautiful country." Hollywood Libs: "Haiti is a sh!thole country. They must be allowed to stay forever." CHECKMATE, LIBTARDS. WHY ARE HOLLYWOOD LIBS LIKE THIS?"

Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Extremely troubling." Quote iamyesyouareno @iamyesyouareno, "“We will kill the white man’s children, we will kill their woman, we will kill anything that we find in our way!” —Andile Mngxitama, member of parliament in South Africa. This is what happens to Whites when they become a minority. Prepare."

Fire argues about  How does the First Amendment apply to AI? "Far from authorless, AI models are built by a long chain of expressive decisions meriting First Amendment coverage." The old rule "garbage in, garbage out" still applies. 

"I’m pleased that the D.C. police recognize their part in violating my rights." "Said Sam O’Hara, quote in "Man who played Star Wars music at National Guard members receives settlement/The ACLU announced it had reached a financial agreement with the D.C. government and four of its officers, resolving part of the case" (WaPo)(gift link)." Sue and settle.

From NYPo, Oh baby! New York Times is losing its mind because Republican women are … having children and CNN star Anderson Cooper told colleagues he doesn’t want to work for Bari Weiss. Well at some point you've made enough money.

Ace, Another (Expected) Deadly Heat Wave Hits Europe, With Some Beginning to Doubt the Green Left's Dogmatic Opposition to Air Conditioning. "Europe is so beaten by the heat that they're willing to entertain embracing the unfashionable American preference for air-conditioning. How will they reverse their decades-old determination to let the elderly die in heat waves?As the BBC shows us: Simple! They'll now say that air conditioning is a sad but necessary response to global warming!" Tablesalt @Tablesalt13, "NEW - Paris morgues ARE OVERFLOWING from heat-related deaths morgues are now seeking permission for refrigerated containers The mayor of Paris has also authorized additional body storage units at City morgues. In Europe, you only get A/C once you're dead." Polymarket @Polymarket, "JUST IN: Paris’ deputy mayor says the U.S. bears “a significant amount of responsibility” for the deadly heatwave gripping France." Absolute Resolve Fella @mack_a_d00, "Good one." Insty adds F OFF, FROGGIE: DC_Draino @DC_Draino, "Make no mistake about it. If Kamala had pulled off the steal in 2024, America would be banning A/C right now too." Quote DC_Draino @DC_Draino, "Europe is starting to ban A/C for 2 reasons: 1. To kill old people with heat stroke who use up all the tax dollars in socialized medicine. 2. To make everyone feel hot and miserable so the “global warming” scam feels more real and they can pass more tax increases. These globalist elites are truly evil." Saffron Sniper @Saffron_Sniper1, "Chinese people are trolling Europeans by posting videos on social media showing that even their pigs have air conditioning, while many Europeans can’t because of government rules." Save the bacon! In Chicago, they'd still be voting for universal health care. Matt Whitlock @MattWhitlock, "In the UK, between 9/2024 and 8/2025, roughly 79,130 names were removed from healthcare waiting lists because patients died before getting care. 28,908 had been waiting longer than the 18-week standard, and 7,737 had waited more than a year. Does that feel “universal?“" Quote Scott Robertson @sarobertson_, "McGowan: Every single country in the World Cup has universal health care except us. That's not a far left position."

Steve Milloy @JunkScience, "New York State celebrates the 250th by trying to force Catholic nuns to use 'preferred pronouns': "The sisters have received three letters from the state’s health department, in effect, explaining that they’re not complying with provisions of a “Bill of Rights for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers” that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed in 2023. "The text stipulates that long-term care facilities must use patients’ preferred pronouns, even when they’re not present; defer to their choice of bathroom; and refuse to assign rooms based on biological sex. Staff must also undergo “cultural competency” training.""  Jennifer Sey @JenniferSey, "A hybrid Trans/Palestinian flag. Like it's a thing."

Los Angeles 2021

At NottheBee, Los Angeles man arrested for shooting BB gun at naked bike riders taking over the city. Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "Anarchotyranny is when sexual deviants are allowed to break the law while police stand by to protect them from any consequences from outraged citizens." Quote Collin Rugg @CollinRugg "NEW: Los Angeles man arrested after shooting naked people with a BB gun as they rode their bikes through downtown Los Angeles. Hundreds of people were spotted riding without clothes for the World Naked Bike Ride." I suppose it depends who's riding naked. 

Josh Weiner looks at The Unchecked Politicization of Chicago Classrooms. From RCM, America Didn't Lose Its Tradesmen by Accident. They were "educated" away. 

Stacy McCain is shocked, shocked Woke ‘Supergirl’ Bombs Badly "Let’s start by stating the obvious: Sixty-six-year-old grandpas are not the target audience for super-hero action movies and, even when I was part of the target demographic, age-wise, I really never was much of a fan of movies about comic-book characters."

Still more the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.29.26!

A Tuesday Tune - A Hazy Shade of Winter

MonaLisa Twins are a pop rock band, fronted by twin-sister singer-songwriters Mona Wagner (vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion, harmonica, flute, recorder, accordion) and Lisa Wagner (vocals, lead guitar, ukulele, cello).

The twins were born in Vienna, Austria on June 16, 1994 and are based in Liverpool, in the United Kingdom. Known for their YouTube covers of songs by the Beatles and other 1960s bands, many of which have been issued on a series of albums, they also release original music, inspired by the 1960s. They have toured with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and performed with them at the Glastonbury Festival in 2017, collaborated with American musician John Sebastian, as well as held a two-year residency at the Cavern Club

Their father, Rudolf Wagner, is the band's producer; he also plays bass, piano, co-writes, and arranges their music, which is recorded in the family's own studio. Rudolf's wife and the twins' stepmother, Michaela Wagner, is the band's manager and assistant. The family lived in a small village in the Groß-Enzersdorf municipality near Vienna until 2014, when they moved to a suburb of Liverpool.

 

In Your Eyes

Another quick update on the the 8th week of my recovery from the 2nd retinal detachment/reattachment surgery in my left eye.

Honestly, other than the supposedly 6 week freon bubble being still there, and still shrinking, there's not much to report. No pain, except a rare twinge. There's still a trace of redness in the white of the eye, particularly in the far left corner.

The bubble occupies an increasingly smaller arc in my lower vision while looking forward, and an increasingly smaller circle when I look straight down. I judge it's size day to day by comparing that circle to familiar objects, a small plate, a toilet bowl, my feet. I'm hoping before the next week is done, I can report the dissipation of the bubble. It may not happen, though.

Not much has changed in my vision. The left eye remains (as expected) quite nearsighted, as a result of the rubber band (scleral buckle) they put around it to help keep the retina attached. It also appears slanted slightly to the right (my Fox News eye), and straight lines are a bit wavy. I still see two horizons, but the left one tends to be overridden by the the right because the right forms a sharp image, and the left does not. The left eye is too nearsighted for easy use on the computer, but useful reading the tablet or phone. This of course, is subject to change when I get a new prescription and new glasses. I'm still a little worried about what happens when the two eyes agree on a focal plane. 

The Monday Morning Stimulus

 With the help of the triple threat Sarah Harris:

Kazinform, Scientists convert coffee waste into premium fuel in under two minutes

Researchers from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and partner organizations reported that wet spent coffee grounds can be transformed directly into high-quality biochar using a flame plasma process, eliminating the need for the energy-intensive drying steps typically required in biomass recycling. 

Coffee consumption generates more than 10 million tons of spent coffee grounds worldwide each year. Most of this waste ends up in landfills or is incinerated, contributing to environmental problems and greenhouse gas emissions.

The new technique uses a high-temperature flame plasma jet fueled by liquefied petroleum gas. The process heats coffee grounds containing about 55% moisture to temperatures of roughly 800°C to 900°C, rapidly evaporating water and converting the material into biochar. Unlike conventional methods, which often require lengthy drying and processing times, the conversion is completed in just 90 seconds.

According to the study, the resulting biochar reached a heating value of 29 megajoules per kilogram, about 33% higher than untreated coffee grounds and comparable to, or even exceeding, the energy content of standard anthracite coal. Researchers said the process reduced the original mass of the coffee grounds by more than 83% while producing a sulfur-free fuel that could generate fewer harmful emissions when burned.

One of the key discoveries was that the moisture naturally present in the coffee grounds actually helped improve the process. As water rapidly turned to steam under the intense heat, it created what researchers described as a "popcorn effect," forming a highly porous structure inside the biochar and increasing its quality as a fuel.

Very interesting, but I wonder why they aren't telling us the net heat value after subtracting the energy input from the "flame plasma process." Plasmas take power.