This is an astounding loss for the US if it comes to fruition. One of the biggest strategic losses the US has ever endured—perhaps biggest?—and all from a war the US chose to start for no reason, illegally.

Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 5h ago

Iran and Oman have reportedly agreed that all ships transiting Hormuz have to go through an Iran-controlled corridor, and are finalizing tolls of 3, 5, or 7%. This would close off the path outside Iranian waters the US encouraged ships to use during the MOU, then started bombing again to keep open.

Work for Musk until they die? www.space.com/astronomy/ma...

Mars dust is toxic. How will future astronauts deal with it?

"The best strategy is prevention first. Keep as much dust as possible outside the habitat, remove it quickly when it gets in, monitor airborne particles, and design the system so crews are not relying...

space.com

From the Center for Strategic and International Studies: Six Reasons Why the United States Is Low on Munitions www.csis.org/analysis/six...

Six Reasons Why the United States Is Low on Munitions

The Iran war has exacerbated the Pentagon’s shortage of key munitions, but it is not the only cause. There are also longstanding strategic, operational, and institutional reasons.

csis.org

Scott Horton@robertscotthorton.bsky.social · yesterday

The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon's munitions stockpile is "dangerously low," according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. cnn.it/4yZ1UWn

Don't look now, but the world has now installed 3TW of solar. Took 10 years to get from 100GW to 1TW. Less than 3 years to get to 2TW. Less than 2 years to get to 3TW. Analysts expect *9TW* by 2036.

The World Crossed a Major Solar Milestone. No One Noticed

The next phase of the boom may reveal a shift in who is gaining access to the technology.

bloomberg.com

“Radioactive Contamination Fears Grow in Niagara County as Residents Demand Answers, Cleanup and Superfund Designation” #nuclear #MED #NY www.niagaraaction.com/radioactive-...

Radioactive Contamination Fears Grow in Niagara County as Residents Demand Answers, Cleanup and Superfund Designation

Calls for action are intensifying in Niagara County after more than 120 homeowners were notified that elevated levels of radioactive contamination may

niagaraaction.com

Relax! "Currently, facilities such as #nuclear plants, hospitals or academic institutions that use #radioactive materials must ensure radiation exposures are kept ‘as low as reasonably achievable — the #ALARA principle. The NRC proposal would abandon that philosophy” apnews.com/article/nucl...

As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety practice

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to eliminate a foundational safety principle that has for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to, and that has been ...

apnews.com

“A global threat for millennia: experts warn Australia’s nuclear submarine legacy will be weapons-usable uranium cache” #AUKUS #Australia www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

A global threat for millennia: experts warn Australia’s nuclear submarine legacy will be weapons-usable uranium cache

Exclusive: Uranium waste from Aukus submarines will be enriched to an estimated 80%: the same level as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima

theguardian.com

#Nuclear not coming to save the world, edition #23430: "Hungary PM flags 'critical' days ahead with looming nuclear shutdown” www.reuters.com/business/ene...

Hungary PM flags 'critical' days ahead with looming nuclear shutdown

The drying out of the Danube forced the country's sole nuclear power plant to shut for the first time in over four decades, with a new ​heatwave looming.

reuters.com

Meanwhile, where they have been dealing with this for a while rather than biting at dangled money: “Nevada senators want to ensure Yucca Mountain #nuclear repository ‘remains dead’” www.reviewjournal.com/news/politic...

Nevada senators want to ensure Yucca Mountain nuclear repository ‘remains dead’

U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto want to ensure that Yucca Mountain, located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, never serves as a nuclear waste dump site.

reviewjournal.com

Same vibes. Nazi Germany prioritized using limited railway resources to transporting Jews to concentration camps over transporting military equipment and troops to battlefields bsky.app/profile/greg...

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · yesterday

Don't miss this vile story: MAGA is raging at DHS chief Markwayne Mullin for admitting migrant farmworkers can beneft our economy. This means his devotion to ethnic cleansing is in doubt. He must be excommunicated! I wrote about the collapse of MAGA mythology here: newrepublic.com/article/2138...

Watch @natogreen comedy special!! It is so insanely good!! Free on YouTube! youtu.be/_er-hJ8nZh0?...

Nato Green - The Darkest Hour | Full Comedy Special

YouTube video by Blonde Medicine

youtu.be

The Marx Bros' film debut THE COCOANUTS was released #OTD in 1929. It's public domain and widely available. I'm so happy to see films age out of copyright protection, but still stream in pristine transfers. It's such a paradigm shift from the days when P.D. often meant poor quality dupes. #FilmSky

The Forest Service wants to move ahead with a plan for a radioactive rare earth mine fourteen miles from Devil’s Tower, with no environmental impact statement or public hearings. You should tell them how you feel about that:

BREAKING: USDA Pushes Forward on a Radioactive Open Pit Mine Miles From Devils Tower

The Forest Service won’t publish a draft study and won’t let anybody object. Michael Boren signs the decision himself. You have until August 28.

morethanjustparks.substack.com

i also always wanted there to be STS work on this research reacting to community chemical exposure via policing (again, for all i know someone's worked on it) www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Feds used toxic smoke grenades during summer protests in Portland, researcher finds

“This is a complete and utter misuse of a chemical weapon that could be lethal,” the researcher said.

oregonlive.com

Wow. "the Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to divert a large volume of water to the Old Danube and the Cernavodă nuclear power plant to help with its cooling" www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

South-eastern Europe faces heatwave energy crunch as Romania detonates Danube rock to increase water flow – Europe live

Explosives used to move a large rock and let more water flow to cool nuclear power plant

theguardian.com

"Trump’s deportations are badly underwater in polls, including in swing states." @gregsargent.bsky.social links to this poll from @gelliottmorris.com www.gelliottmorris.com/p/even-repub...

Even Republicans in Congress can see how unpopular Trump's immigration agenda is

Trump's deportation agenda is underwater in every swing state. Plus, Sabato moves 13 House ratings toward Democrats. Your weekly political data roundup for August 2, 2026.

gelliottmorris.com

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 2d ago

MAGA is raging at DHS Sec Markwayne Mullin for discussing immigration reform. But the real reason MAGA is so furious is he admitted immigration can be managed in a way that benefits our country. This is absolutely lethal to white nationalist ideology. New from me: newrepublic.com/article/2138...

“Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected” “25 percent of the radioactive particles are transported further than 2,000 kilometres” www.mpg.de/5809418/reac...

Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected

Western Europe has the worldwide highest risk of radioactive contamination caused by major reactor accidents

mpg.de

Excellent open access articles: "Technology And The Future Of War Memory” special new issue of the Asia-Pacific Journal edited by: Maika Nakao, Ran Zwigenberg #Hiroshima #Holocaust #memory #memorystudies apjjf.org/technology-a...

Cowards. The agreement still immunizes Trump and his kids from IRS audits and any other government action for financial crimes they committed prior to this year. The only "limitation" is that it doesn't also immunize anyone and everyone else with whom they associate.

Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · 2d ago

John Cornyn & Thom Tillis issue a joint statement announcing they will support Todd Blanche for AG. He's now in good position to clear the Judiciary Committee tomorrow and head to the full Senate.

Nate Silver thinking (in 2022) that this guy could someday be the Democratic presidential nominee is the gift that keeps on giving.

Jessy Edwards@jessyedwards.bsky.social · 2d ago

A video taken Saturday shows former NYC Mayor Eric Adams in sales pitch mode in Wisconsin Rapids, as he's heckled by residents opposed to the data center he's trying to sell them on. "My name is Eric Adams," he begins, as the boos begin to rain down. "You belong in prison!" one attendee shouts.

PENTAGON: Anyone got any ideas? @cnn.com www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/p...

“Nuclear energy is one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity. Investing in cheaper low-carbon sources of energy will provide more emission reductions per dollar... it takes about a decade to build a nuclear plant…This timeline is incompatible with the urgent demands of climate science.”

Why Nuclear Energy is Not the Solution to the Climate Crisis: Q&A with M.V. Ramana | School of Public Policy and Global Affairs

SPPGA Professor M.V. Ramana elaborates on his new book "Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change".

sppga.ubc.ca

One in seven units of electricity used in Britain in July came from solar power As @solarenergyuk.bsky.social say: “15 years ago solar was a footnote in the electricity mix - now it’s a major player” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Solar powers record share of Britain’s electricity mix in July

Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid – and figures reveal a surge in new installations

theguardian.com

"Outrage Over Apparent US Use of 2,000-Pound Bomb on Iranian Family Home Builds" When you have a "Secretary of War" who regards avoiding civilian casualties as "woke" and effeminate, this is what you get. www.commondreams.org/news/trump-i...

Outrage Over Apparent US Use of 2,000-Pound Bomb on Iranian Family Home Builds | Common Dreams

"Everyone in the chain of command who authorized this should be charged with murder."

commondreams.org

NEW: Mike Lindell and Amy Klobuchar are the favorites to win their Minnesota gubernatorial primaries. Both have had ties to the secretive, right-wing Christian group popularly known as "The Family."

Klobuchar and Lindell: A “Family” Feud

Both Minnesota gubernatorial candidates have had ties to the right-wing Christian group known as “The Family”

jonathanlarsen.substack.com

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3d ago

Sen. John Kennedy on Trump's blatant reflecting pool lies: "The president says it was caused by vandals. I don't know if he really believes that or it's part of his political messaging or he's just thinking out loud ... he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought."

Here is the link for my brand new standup special The Darkest Hour. Album version out 8/14. It is not for everyone but it is extremely for who it’s for. I hope that is you. I’m quite proud of it. Please give it a watch and share etc. youtu.be/_er-hJ8nZh0?...

Nato Green - The Darkest Hour | Full Comedy Special

YouTube video by Blonde Medicine

youtu.be

#OtD 2 Aug 1944 on the second day of fighting in the Warsaw uprising against Nazi occupation, Krasinski Palace was captured by soldiers of the 104th Company of Syndicalists – a unit of revolutionary Polish workers stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9170...

Some smart folks in #Delaware! www.delawarebusinessnow.com/news/technol...

Task force rules out  small nuclear power plants  as short-term solution

The final report of a task force studying small nuclear plants did not close the door on future use, but concluded that the technology wouldn’t address near-term power shortages.

delawarebusinessnow.com

The @500songspodcast.bsky.social episode on Dark Star is an epic history of the Dead and probably my favorite episode of the series so far. It's pretty long (4.5 hours!), but it's well worth the listen, if only for the explanation on how Silicon Valley got to be the way it is.

Episode 165: “Dark Star” by the Grateful Dead

Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Star” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even longer than the previous episode, but don’t wor…

500songs.com