Author: condor

Here’s A Taste — Of The Baseless Noem / Miller Claims Made, To Try To “Bootstrap” Summary Deportations — Of Guatemalan Children Without Guardians In The US… Damn.

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As the fast moving case protecting the Guatemalan kids rolls forward in DC, we read a silly Saturday declaration filing — by the Noemites.

The agent purports to say that she (alone?) is tasked with deciding “due process” rights for under age people on US soil.

That is transparently silly.

Article III judges are the ones empowered, exclusively, to make those determinations — about the “best interests of the child” found on US soil. Guatemala doesn’t decide that — and the guardians in that nation do not decide that. If either wishes to assert interests in the due process proceedings, they may travel to the US, and appear in a US District courtroom, to make their claims. Short of that, there is not much else to be said.

In very unusual situations, a diplomatic solution might arise, for (say) the child of a foreign president or king. But even then, the arrangement must be blessed in a federal district court. So, this all is just mostly. . . non responsive:

…ORR is statutorily responsible for the care and placement of unaccompanied alien children. [Ed. Note: “placement” does NOT include deportation decision-making!]

With respect to Guatemala’s request for repatriation of UACs, ORR made individualized determinations based on a review of its records to identify children who met the above criteria. These children do not have a parent or legal guardian in the United States who can sponsor them, meaning they will either need to remain in ORR care and custody in a group care setting, or be released to non-parent sponsors. Further, ORR verified based on its records that each of the identified children do have a parent or legal guardian in their home country of Guatemala and their government is requesting that the children be returned to their parent or legal guardian in Guatemala. ORR’s statutory authorities contemplate reunification with a parent abroad in appropriate cases, and in ORR’s view, given these facts and the other criteria identified above, it is appropriate and in the best interests of these children to reunite these children with their parent or legal guardian in their home country….

[Ed. Note: It is absolutely clear that ORR LACKS that power — to decide removal of unaccompanied minors on US soil, without an Article III judge holding a true due process hearing. Damn.]

Based on the aforementioned criteria, as of August 29, 2025, ORR initially identified a total of 457 Guatemalan UAC in ORR care and custody as potentially appropriate for reunification with a parent or legal guardian as requested by the Government of Guatemala. After individualized case review, 91 children were removed from eligibility for reunification. ORR reviewed the children’s cases for claims of fear of persecution with DHS’s verification, as well as whether there were any pending asylum applications. Moreover, any child with other pending forms of immigration relief or human trafficking indicators were also removed from consideration. DHS also performed its review of the same case files for fidelity with their records. Any child under 10 years of age was further removed from consideration. 327 children were determined to be ultimately eligible in the end. Based on available information and belief, five of the ten named plaintiffs were included among these 327 UACs….

Again — Trump/Noem/Salazar here pretend that they are allowed to serve as the cop, the judge, the jury — and effectively, the executioner — all in one moment. That is precisely what the Founders wrote we would never again accept: no “Star Chambers“.

Every person (young or old) present on our soil has full 14th Amendment rights. Full stop.

नमस्ते

While The Global Concern Is Abating — Mpox Clade 1b Remains Of Significant Concern On The Continent Of… Africa: WHO

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This is good news, to be certain.

And there will still likely occasionally be cases, dotting the globe — from recent travels to or from Africa. But the pandemic concern — internationally, is now abated. Africa — specifically, sub-Saharan Africa still faces a daunting epidemic of Mpox Clade 1b. Here’s the latest, from PBS reporting:

…The World Health Organization no longer considers the mpox outbreak in Africa to be an international health emergency, the U.N. agency’s director said Friday.

The new form of mpox emerged in early 2024 in Congo and neighboring African countries, spread through close contact including sex. WHO declared it a global health emergency in August of last year.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Friday that an emergency panel created after the outbreak has advised that the situation is no longer an international emergency, and “I have accepted that advice….”

The international emergency declaration, the agency’s highest level of warning about threatening health issues, triggers the release of resources and enhanced public awareness campaigns, among other measures.

“Of course, lifting the emergency declaration does not mean the threat is over, nor that our response will stop,” the WHO chief said….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely — all of the above, after an appeals court ruled yesterday (agreeing with the trial court / USDC Judge Amir Ali) that Trump’s gutting of USAID was unlawful.

This is ANOTHER one that will have to ultimately be decided in the Supremes. Out.

नमस्ते

Trivia: Bill Glahn Is Out Of Date; As Is Faux News.

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Tonight Bill quotes Faux (Entertainment Fictions) as claiming Noem is moving to dump Abrego in South Africa… somewhere.

Bill and Faux both seem unaware that at least four federal court orders in Maryland and Nashville (both from highly esteemed judges) expressly and clearly prohibit ANY move outside the continental US as to Mr. Garcia.

Damn Bill — do try to keep up.

Onward, resolutely.

A Puzzlement: How Is It, That Mirengoff Can See This — But Not See How It Applies To Civil Rights, For Black And Brown People — In The US?!

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Paul decided overnight to explain his understanding of the roots — and causes — of… Antisemitism. It is a long form piece — and his thesis is correct, despite minor side-digressions that are ill-founded.

The thesis is that the nation we call Israel (after 1948)… was itself an attempt to “cure” or blunt Antisemitism — or at least provide people with a relatively-safe haven from its pernicious effects.

He is correct.

But it puzzles me that he cannot see that his same argument would apply to civil rights in the US — and yes, to the innocent civilians of Gaza. The faithful, peaceful, tolerant Palestinians — who simply want a land to call their own. A small portion of the lands they once controlled [for almost 2,000 years] right in that region.

Geez Paul… spare me your blind hypocrisy.

Out.

नमस्ते

You May Recall That The Last DRC Ebola Outbreak Ended With Only Four Deaths (2023); Now 15 Already, In A Month — And 28 Cases, Including 4 Health Care Workers. DAMN.

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This is the barbarous outcome… of Trump’s — and Musk’s — feckless lack of empathy for their fellow humans. They together conspired to effectively end all USAID relief efforts in Africa, earlier this year. Now what might have been a much smaller outbreak of Ebola in DRC, Kasai Province… is claiming scores of victims. Damn them. [My 2023 Mothers’ Day backgrounder on the prior DRC outbreak is here.]

Here is the breaking story — in black and white. These are facts, not Tangerine fantasies. He is killing children, and women and young and old men — with his despicable racism, put into action:

…The presence of the virus had been confirmed in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital last month after showing symptoms that included a high fever and repeated vomiting, the ministry added. She died a few hours later from multiple organ failure.

This will be the 16th outbreak of the deadly virus in the vast central African state that has poor health services, and is hit by conflict in the east….

The latest outbreak is in central Kasai province, with 28 suspected cases recorded (and 15 people confirmed dead of Ebola), the ministry said.

Officials have urged strict adherence to preventive measures, including frequent handwashing and social distancing in high-risk areas.

Tests identified the Zaire strain of Ebola, a rare but often deadly disease, officials said….

Four health workers were among the 15 people who had died, it said.

“Case numbers are likely to increase as the transmission is ongoing. Response teams and local teams will work to find the people who may be infected and need to receive care, to ensure everyone is protected as quickly as possible,” WHO added in a statement….

I am simply out of adjectives for this sort of wanton, knowing… depravity — from Trump-World. Dammit.

नमस्ते

If Trump Prevails On His Chaotic Tariffs Gambit @ The Supremes, It Will Mean That John Roberts Now Believes Statutes Do Not Mean What They Say, On Their Faces… Yikes.

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To be clear, though — I think this case will break 6-3, saying the IEEPA does not authorize Trumpian tariffs.

The statute could not be much clearer, on its face — that Congress specifically withheld this sort of chaotic, random taxing / tariff power from the Executive — and kept it where it belongs… that is, in Congress’s hands. I’ll not quote any of the silly filing the Manchurian Cantaloupe made yesterday, as it is poorly reasoned and largely based on preposterous fictions — of undeclared wars and faux) national emergencies.

I will link it for the sake of a complete record.

Onward, to the last full day with my youngest son at home, and then headed back to Oregon, tomorrow after about 15 days (counting the time in Vermont with all of them, as well). Now you know. Grin!

नमस्ते

Harvard Shows Trump… How American Viewpoint / Teaching / Research Actually Works, And How… The Government May Not Suppress Peaceful (Even If Controversial) Thoughts / Expressions.

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Well. That any 21st Century US preznit would need to be told — in a court of law — that he cannot suppress peaceful free speech or thought… is rather astonishing. But this is the (second) time… of the Manchurian Cantaloupe. So it goes.

You likely already saw the headlines, in papers around the East Coast — but here’s the excellently-reasoned 84 page opinion — and the sharpest end of this spear, below:

…[Harvard challenges] the decision to freeze and ultimately terminate nearly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard.

More specifically, Plaintiffs collectively challenge the decision to freeze and then terminate the grants on three primary grounds, contending that (1) the funding decisions were made in response to Harvard’s refusal to capitulate to Defendants’ content- and viewpoint- based demands and its subsequent decision to file a lawsuit, in violation of the First Amendment; (2) the grant terminations did not comply with the procedural requirements of Title VI and are thus invalid; and (3) Defendants acted arbitrarily and capriciously when they froze and subsequently terminated funding to Harvard, as they failed to provide a reasoned explanation for how or why freezing and terminating funding would further the goal of ending antisemitism, to weigh the importance of the grants they sought to terminate, and to consider decades of reliance engendered through their prior practice of funding research at Harvard….

For the reasons stated herein, Harvard’s motion for summary judgment, [Harvard, ECF No. 69], is GRANTED IN PART….

Hilarious — put that in your pipe and smoke it, you faux would-be / autocrats!

नमस्ते

She’s Logged More Space-Walk Time, And More Hours In Space — Than Any Woman, Ever: Suni Williams Reflects On Her Record-Breaking NASA Career…

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To be certain, she is already a true American icon — of space science. And she rode to the ISS on one of the most hair-raising missions (you see what I did there?!) ever flown (at least since Apollo 13), in June of 2024 — as her Boeing built Starliner capsule had thruster malfunction issues, coming in for the docking maneuver. Her fellow pilot, Butch Wilmore, expertly flew manual for a chunk of the approach, using other thrusters to compensate for the BO ones. That’s all detailed in the below.

She talks a fair bit about the minute-to-minute on that episode, and her space-walks — as well as the long time (over a year and quarter, across her career!) spent in orbit, and the physical rehab needed, afterwards… on this podcast. Do give it a listen — but here’s a bit:

…NASA and Boeing witnessed issues with the spacecraft thrusters on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. Engineering teams reviewed a collection of data, conducted a variety of testing, hosted independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developed various return contingency plans. The uncertainty in data did not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, so NASA decided to return the Starliner safely to Earth uncrewed and move Butch and Suni to return on the SpaceX Dragon as part of Crew-9. Starliner undocked without the two astronauts and landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 7.

Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov launched September 28 on the Crew-9 mission with two empty seats to return with Butch and Suni later aboard Dragon. The quartet remained on station until April 2025 as part of the space station’s mission of research and discovery. Butch and Suni conducted more than 150 experiments and logged over 900 hours of research. Suni Williams set the record for the most cumulative spacewalking time by a woman at a whopping 62 hours and 6 minutes.

These NASA astronauts are among the few humans to pilot a human-rated spacecraft for the first time. Much was learned from the flight test that is leading to continued work on the commercial spacecraft….

Now you know — and no, Manchurian Cantaloupe… she is not blonde, or blue-eyed. Her ancestors are not… from one of what you called “the good countries“. She is just a purely… American HERO! One we all are immensely proud of. Out.

नमस्ते

[U] Another Loss For Trumpie/Noemites: Conservative Fifth Cir. Says No To Use Of Alien Enemies Act.

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Decidedly good news — and again, this is very much as we have repeatedly predicted. Here is the full 55 page opinion, from a very conservative Fifth Circuit. Trump does not possess any lawful power to falsely claim that all persons coming from Venezuela must be gang members and drug dealers, and deport them without process.

While we are certain the Noemites will appeal this loss to the Supremes, here’s the Wa Po on it all:

…The Supreme Court did step in. In an extraordinary middle-of-the-night order, the justices temporarily barred Alien Enemies Act removals in Hendrix’s district while they considered whether the migrants had been granted enough time to challenge their removals.

Weeks later, the justices renewed that hold on deportations as they sent the case back to the 5th Circuit, setting up Tuesday’s ruling….

Now you know — in under a year on the job, the Manchurian Cantaloupe has been told over and over again (even by jurists he appointed) that he is no king.

Onward.

नमस्ते