Former special counsel Jack Smith warns that rule of law is 'under attack'
In his first public remarks since leaving the Justice Department, Smith said he's sad and angry about the dismissals of career public servants and the loss of credibility the DOJ has suffered.#news #npr #publicradio #usa
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Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military’s generals and admirals to gather on short notice — and without a stated reason — at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration’s firing of numerous senior leaders this year.The highly unusual directive was sent to virtually all of the military’s top commanders worldwide, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. The directive was issued earlier this week, as a government shutdown looms, and months after Hegseth’s team at the Pentagon announced plans to undertake a sweeping consolidation of top military commands.
In a statement Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell affirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” but he offered no additional details. Parnell, a senior adviser to the defense secretary, voiced no concerns about The Washington Post reporting on the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday in Quantico, Virginia.
There are about 800 generals and admirals spread across the United States and dozens of other countries and time zones. Hegseth’s order, people familiar with the matter said, applies to all senior officers with the rank of brigadier general or above, or their Navy equivalent, serving in command positions and their top enlisted advisers. Typically, these officers each oversee hundreds or thousands of rank-and-file troops.
Top commanders in conflict zones and senior military leaders stationed throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region are among those expected to attend Hegseth’s meeting, said people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue. The order does not apply to top military officers who hold staff positions.
None of the people who spoke with The Post could recall a defense secretary ever ordering so many of the military’s generals and admirals to assemble like this. Several said it raised security concerns.
“People are very concerned. They have no idea what it means,” one person said.
Two others expressed frustration that even many commanders stationed overseas will be required to attend. One said, this is “not how this is done.”
“You don’t call GOFOs leading their people and the global force into an auditorium outside D.C. and not tell them why/what the topic or agenda is,” this person said, using an abbreviation for general officer or flag officer.
“Are we taking every general and flag officer out of the Pacific right now?” one U.S. official said. “All of it is weird.”
The orders come as Hegseth has unilaterally directed massive recent changes at the Pentagon — including directing that the number of general officers be reduced by 20 percent, firing senior leaders without cause and a high-profile new order to rebrand the Defense Department as the Department of War.
Top administration officials also have been preparing a new national defense strategy that is expected to make homeland defense the nation’s top concern, after several years of China being identified as the top national security risk to the United States. Some officials familiar with the order to travel said they thought that may come up.
Hegseth’s directive in May to slash about 100 generals and admirals also has generated concern among top military leaders. He called then for a “minimum” 20 percent cut to the number of four-star officers — the military’s top rank — on active duty and a corresponding number of generals in the National Guard. There also will be another 10 percent reduction, at least, to the total number of generals and admirals across the force.
Last month, Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, the chief of the Navy Reserve; and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversaw Naval Special Warfare Command. No specific reason was given in those cases.
The firings were the latest in a wider purge of national security agencies’ top ranks. Since entering office, the Trump administration also has fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.; the chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti; the commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Linda Fagan; and the Air Force vice chief of staff, Gen. James Slife among others. The list includes a disproportionate number of women.
Gen. David Allvin, the chief of staff of the Air Force, announced last month he will step down in November, after he was asked to retire.
Trump Admin Tears Down Trump-Epstein Statue In The Dead Of Night
The anonymous group that erected the statue said it was removed due to "internal pressure" from the Trump administration.Brandi Buchman (HuffPost)
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Mindfulness won’t burn calories, but it might help you stick with your health goalsMindfulness won’t burn calories, but it might help you stick with your health goals
A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness has applications well beyond mental health, and that people who meditate are more likely to fulfill their health goals.The Conversation
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Building Your Own DVB-S2 Receiver
#homeentertainmenthacks #radiohacks #dvbs2 #satellitereceiver #satellitetv #tv #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2Building Your Own DVB-S2 Receiver
Generally, a digital TV tuner is something you buy rather than something you make yourself. However, [Johann] has always been quite passionate about the various DVB transmission standards, and deci…Hackaday
Hamburger HelperHamburger Helper sales are spiking, what does that mean for America’s economy
Hamburger Helper – a boxed pasta dish launched in the economic turmoil of the early 70s – is back on the menu as the US economy faltersHarry Cockburn (The Independent)
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Burner Phone!!!
(I've been learning a bit about these recently...burner phones, burner sims, burner e-sims, etc)Posting this right now using an old phone with data e-sim based in China but using the T-Mobile cell network.
(and it works faster than T-Mobile Home Internet ever did. :) )This Is How You Stop Border Agents From Snooping Through Your Phone
The best travel accessory for protecting your privacy isn't a fancy RFID wallet -- it's a $50 burner phone.Palash Volvoikar (CNET)
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It's all about buttholeshttps://www.sciencealert.com/fish-buttholes-may-be-the-reason-we-now-have-fingers-study-finds
Fish Buttholes May Be The Reason We Now Have Fingers, Study Finds : ScienceAlert
The reason we humans have fingers today may all be thanks to a fish's clacker.Michelle Starr (ScienceAlert)
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Lubach does it again
For everybody, but especially for people in the US: this is what we in the Netherlands had on TV last Thursday: comedian Arjen Lubach explains how Agent Orange is changing "Free Speech" to "Me Speech".Warning: free speech in this country is a bit more direct than in the US, but the subtitles use rather eufemistic translations for the names he calls Orange 😏
#USpol #OrangeFascist #NSGOP #Lubach #FreeSpeech #censorship #Kimmel #ABC #Disney #Epstein
Canada recognizes Palestinian state
Come on Europe, if the UK, Canada, Spain and other countries can do this, why can't the rest of us do it?We all know it's either that, or standing by idly and watch #Israel complete its #genocide.
Downshift 🍁 wrote the following post Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:35:42 +0200
Today, Canada recognises the State of Palestine.Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Canada’s recognition of the State of Palestine
Since 1947, it has been the policy of every Canadian government to support a two-state solution for lasting peace in the Middle East.Prime Minister of Canada
This Device Is A Real Page Turner
#peripheralshacks #3dprinter #arduinopromicro #promicro #thumbwheel #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2This Device Is A Real Page Turner
You can read e-books on just about anything—your tablet, your smartphone, or even your PC. However, the interface can be lacking somewhat compared to a traditional book—on a computer, you have to u…Hackaday
Slightly better than living in your carMore Americans are living in RVs as housing costs rise
Moving into an RV may seem like a way to save money, but it can come with unexpected costs and trap families in a cycle of debt.Shannon Pettypiece (NBC News)
"Bikes at FreeRange"
My Romanceur is still awaiting fenders.
#333fabsporttouring #bicycle #biking #crustromanceur #cycling #mywork #photog #photography
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https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-oldest-warning-sign-how-history-c94?r=qtl66&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseThe Oldest Warning Sign: How History Links the Death of Comedy to the Death of Democracy
The past teaches us one truth: when laughter dies, liberty soon follows...hartmannreport.com
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Timo Geusch
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