I Love Lucy!

Entertainment 9 Minutes

Today s Lucille Ball’s birthday.  She was born August 6th, 1911 and passed away April 26th, 1989 and in between those years, she made us laugh!  I found this article on yahoo.com about some surprising facts we might not have known about this wonderful redhead comedienne.

From yahoo.com:

The one, the only Lucille Ball. Groundbreaking, fearless, timeless, supremely talented… and magical. We salute her today in honor of her birthday, Aug. 6 1911, with a bevy of facts you probably didn’t know about the beloved “I Love Lucy” star. From real-life antics on the set of her iconic sitcom (that grape stomping scene turned into a wrestling match) to superstitions (keep away all pictures of birds!) to a long-kept secret (Lucy had no eyebrows — really!), we go through it all. So sit back and celebrate the icon known as Lucille Ball with this deep-dive into her life.

• The grape stomping scene turned into a real wrestling match     

“I got into the vat with one, and she had been told that we would have a fight,” Lucy said on “The Dick Cavett Show.” She continued, “I slipped and, in slipping, I hit her accidentally and she took offense, until she hauled off and let me have it. Now this was supposed to happen — that she got right.” But when she hit Lucy, it took the wind out of her. “She had been told that we were to stay down for a while, give me a chance to get my legs way up, so that they’d show in the camera, then up would come an arm and then both of them– my head was supposed to—but, well, my head never popped up. She’d get me down by the throat! I had grapes up my nose, in my ears, and she was choking me, and I’m really beating her to get her off…she didn’t understand that she had to let me up once in a while. I was drowning in these grapes!” Apparently, the woman spent so much time “beating the hell” out of Lucy that they had to cut half of it.

• Desi Jr. and Little Ricky were delivered only 12 hours apart   

You want to talk publicity stunt to end all publicity stunts? Well, on Jan. 19, 1953, Lucille Ball delivered a doozy of one. Literally. On that day, Lucille Ball delivered Desi Jr. just 12 hours before Lucy Ricardo delivered Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy.” It was all very brilliantly planned that way, with Ball being scheduled for a cesarean delivery of Desi Jr. to coincide with Little Ricky’s birth on TV. And, boy, did it payoff ratings-wise – 44 million “I Love Lucy” fans tuned in for that episode (equivalent to 72% of American households). To put that in additional perspective, the following day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower first took the oath of office, and only 29 million tuned in for that. People like Ike, but they LOVE Lucy.

• Lucy went by the name Diane Belmont in her early years    

As a model, Lucy wanted to change it up a little so for a short period of time, she went by the name Diane Belmont. “I was driving in Long Island and I saw the Belmont Race Track and I loved the name Diane,” Lucy explained. “People, to this day, think my name was Diane Belmont and I took Lucille Ball.”

• Lucy gave Vivian Vance a contract ordering her not to gain weight    

True – but it was a gag gift. Vance, who played Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” was 22 years younger than her TV husband, William Frawley. And although she agreed to go with the Plain Jane look, she refused to wear padding to make her look plump.  According to Ball, Vance told producer Jess Oppenheimer, “If my husband in this series makes fun of my weight and I’m actually fat, then the audience won’t laugh. They’ll feel sorry for me. But if he calls me a fat old bag and I’m not too heavy, then it’ll seem funny.” In 1975, Vance and Ball appeared on Dinah Shore’s daytime talk show – and Vance brought with her a mock contract Lucy had drawn up some 20 years earlier. 

Vance read it to the studio audience: “Party of the first part must promise to never dye her hair within five shades either way of the party of the second part, also known as ‘the lovable natural redhead.’ Part two: Party of the first part must also agree to put on an additional five pounds every month [within] next year, otherwise this contract shall be terminated at the whim of the party of the second part by 1) a phone call or the more generous option of 30 minutes notice. Lucille Ball.”

• Ginger Rogers’ mother Lela groomed Lucy for stardom  

During the 1930s and early ’40s, Ginger Rogers’ mother, Lela, was known in Hollywood as quite a stage mom, molding her daughter into a star with a controlling, demanding fist on the throat of the studios. While Ginger was a contract player at RKO, Lela ran an acting school on the lot and one of her students was Lucille Ball.

“Lela advised us to work on ourselves and pay no attention to those corporate machinations. Lela wouldn’t tolerate anyone taking advantage of her charges,” Lucy said of Lela’s protective nature. And Lela also saw something in Lucy that the studios didn’t… yet.  “She told me years later, ‘I noticed the twinkle in your eyes and the mobile face, which is a must for comedy. I also sensed depth and a great capacity for love,’” Lucy said. “Lela was the first person to see me as a clown with glamor. She pulled my frizzy hair back off my brow and had a couple of my side teeth straightened. Then she sent me to a voice teacher and told me to lower my high squeaky voice by four tones.”

• After Carole Lombard’s death, she came to Lucy in a dream and encouraged her to do “I Love Lucy”  

If it wasn’t for a “message from beyond the grave” from the Queen of Screwball Comedies, Carole Lombard, “I Love Lucy” might never have happened. Lombard and Lucy struck up a close friendship in her early days struggling in Hollywood, as Lucy studied Lombard’s comedic style. “When I’m weighing a particularly difficult decision. sometimes I ask myself what Carole would’ve said, and it helps. She gave me lots of pointers on what she called studio behavior,” Lucy said of Carole.

In 1942, Lombard, who was married to Clark Gable, died in a plane crash while touring the country selling war bonds. More than a dozen years later, when Lucy was weighing whether or not to give up her highly-paid movie career and Desi’s band commitments to go for broke on TV, Lombard visited Lucy in a dream and encouraged her to take a leap of faith. “Carole Lombard appeared to me in a dream. She was wearing one of those slinky bias-cut gowns of the ’30s, waving a long, black cigarette holder in her hand. ‘Go on. kid,’ she advised me eagerly. ‘Give it a whirl.‘”

• Lucy had no eyebrows  

The studio star system of the Golden Age was all-controlling. The first order of business was always walking potential starlets into the hair and makeup departments for a makeover, usually to glam them up. And Lucy was no different. “One of the worst things the studio people did was shave off my eyebrows,” Lucy remembered. “We were all trying to look like Jean Harlow. Now, God forbid that I should ever find myself on a desert island without an eyebrow pencil. It’s the first thing I reach for every morning. The only girl I know who managed to grow hers back again was Ginger Rogers. And even then it took her years.”

• Lucy’s mother would tie her in their yard so she wouldn’t run wild  

Throughout her life, Lucy would talk lovingly about her mother, DeDe, who lived with her famous daughter and was her biggest cheerleader. Lucy recalled that when she was three and her mother was pregnant with Lucy’s little brother Fred, DeDe would tie up the rambunctious Lucy in the yard with a dog leash so she wouldn’t run around the neighborhood. Ball wrote in her autobiography “Love Lucy,” “Every time somebody would pass by on the sidewalk, I’d beg to be released.” Forty years later, DeDe would attend every taping of “I Love Lucy.” In fact, that “Uh oh” you hear when Lucy Ricardo gets into one of her predicaments, that’s DeDe.

• Desi and Lucy were TV’s first interracial couple   

If Lucy had not been persistent about wanting her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, to be her TV hubby on “I Love Lucy,” it would not have happened. Before “I Love Lucy,” CBS was so impressed by her comedic performance on her radio program “My Favorite Husband” that they wanted to adapt it for television. Lucy agreed under one condition – Desi would play the role of her husband. CBS wasn’t thrilled with the idea, believing that no one would tune in to watch an “all-American red-headed woman with a Cuban,” especially a Cuban with a thick accent. But Lucy wouldn’t budge. To prove her point that America would love them as a husband-wife team, Lucy and Desi toured the country in sort of vaudeville act. Her fans couldn’t get enough, and CBS agreed.

Lucy was superstitious about pictures of birds  

Lucille was only 3 years old when her father died of typhoid fever at age 27. Because she was so young at the time, she later said that she remembered very little of that day — but one thing she did remember was a picture frame falling off the wall and a bird flying into her house. And that memory scarred her for the rest of her life. Although she was able to be in the vicinity of a bird, she couldn’t look at pictures of them and had even refused to stay in a hotel room with artwork of birds on the walls.  

• Lucy became the first woman to run a major TV studio 

Lucille Ball took her Hollywood know-how to an all-new height, crashing right through that glass ceiling to become the first woman to run a major TV studio. In 1962, Desi Arnaz resigned as the studio’s president, and Lucy bought out his holding in the company. Four years later, CBS turned down the original “Star Trek” series pilot, fearing the weekly budget to produce it would be too high. But Lucy stood behind it and gave the crew the finances needed, and it was made. So, Trekkies, you’ve got Lucille Ball to thank for your obsession. (Desilu also went on to produce the TV series “Mission: Impossible.”)

• Lucy and Desi once owned Tara, Scarlett O’Hara’s plantation in “Gone With the Wind”  In 1957, Desilu Productions bought all of RKO Pictures properties for $6.15 million. Quite a steal, actually. According to Ball, “We now owned 33 more sound stages, or 11 more than 20th century Fox and four more than MGM. We had fabulous permanent sets, including the Southern plantation exterior from ‘Gone With the Wind,’ fire-scarred and weather-beaten, but still majestic.”

• When TV Superman George Reeves appeared on “I Love Lucy,” she insisted his real name not be mentioned in the credits 

  Lucy put thought into the wants and needs of her audience of all ages. In an episode of “I Love Lucy” in which she promises Little Ricky that she’ll get Superman to attend his birthday party, TV’s Man of Steel himself, George Reeves, made a guest appearance. But to keep the fantasy alive that it was really Superman (not an actor), Lucy insisted Reeves name not appear in the episode credits.

• A “Simpson” character was made in her honor  

“The Simpsons” has paid homage to Lucille Ball on more than one occasion. In the episode titled “Little Big Mom,” Lisa is visited by Lucy’s ghost, who is named Lucy McGillicuddy Ricardo Carmichael (Ball’s maiden and married names on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”) There was also an episode that had Moe selling clams that look like Lucy, and a parody of “I Love Lucy” called “I Lost Lucy,” in which a character visits Lucille Ball’s grave.

• Lucy taught a class in “Television and Film Aesthetics” at California State University, Northridge  

You can add college professor to Lucy’s resume. In 1979, California State University, Northridge hired her as an assistant professor to teach a three-unit class called “Television and Film Aesthetics,” which included showing and analyzing film and television programs. “I try to teach them the art of taking care of themselves in every way so someone else doesn’t have to,” she told The Los Angeles Times. “All they hear about is rejection. I try not to talk about rejection. I teach how to do the best for you — don’t be a patsy, a pushover — and to take that step ahead every day.”

SOURCE: YAHOO.COM

Unknown's avatar

Published by pat frederick

Published

109 thoughts on “I Love Lucy!”

    1. Good morning! Another storm blew thru last night – really windy, thunder, lightning, rain…..Lucille Ball was a VERY smart, canny woman – I loved watching her show when I was young!

      Wheezer is wet….I do not understand that cat – I put his canned food out but he still sat at the door, looking in at me, so I went back outside. He just rubs and rubs against my leg, arches up against my hand, purring but still whips his head around as if he is going to claw me or bite. It’s tempting to try to pick him up but…..I do NOT like being clawed!!! He is now hunkered down in front of the door, no doubt hoping I’ll come back out and pet him some more. I opened the door wider to see if he would come inside – he stepped up on the sill but didn’t come any further.

      Not sure if the power company will show up today or not – still pretty windy out there, altho the rain has stopped – cool at 65. Guess I’ll find out…..

      Liked by 1 person

    1. We didn’t go into DC much at night and even then, ONLY in certain locales that were safe – definitely never alone!!! I did pass thru DC on my way to the Egyptian embassy a few times but that was always in the daytime.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    August 6, 2025 01:20

    Hans Mahncke:

    Most people still don’t get what Russiagate actually was, so here it is in one sentence: The Trump–Russia narrative was a Clinton-manufactured smear that Obama officials and intelligence agencies turned into an operation to sabotage and ultimately unseat a duly elected president.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Beto O’Rourke funded the “getaway” plane

    FTA

    Now We Know: Beto O’Rourke’s PAC Funded Texas Dems’ Private Jet to Illinois

    State lawmakers in Texas make just $7,200 a year. A group of Democratic legislators spent roughly four times that amount to take a private jet to Illinois in an attempt to block their Republican counterparts from passing a new congressional map. But they didn’t have to worry about the price tag—because Beto O’Rourke’s PAC picked it up.

    That’s according to a report in the Texas Tribune, which cited two people involved in the effort to raise funds for Texas Democrats’ walkout. O’Rourke’s PAC, Powered by People, is “armed with a $3.5 million war chest” and has covered most of the costs associated with the walkout so far, including “air transport, lodging, and logistical support,” the outlet reported. Every dollar the group receives going forward will go toward supporting the walkout.

    O’Rourke’s emergence as the walkout’s financier could land him in legal trouble. Lawmakers who flee Texas to prevent the state legislature from having enough members to pass laws are subject to $500-a-day fines under Texas house rules, which also prevent walkout participants from soliciting political contributions to pay those fines. Republican governor Greg Abbott has said that “any other person who ‘offers, confers, or agrees to confer’” such contributions to the “fleeing Democrat House members” may be in violation of state bribery laws.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/report-plane-that-carried-texas-democrats-illinois-was/

    Liked by 1 person

          1. Not bad – a lot of teeth, short, red-head but super nice guy. I showed him a picture of Egor, the kickass bong we used to have, as well as a picture of Zaarouf, my horse. We talked a LOT – I’ll say this – he said 11:00 and it was 2 minutes before that the power was back on. Efficient, too – he was the supervisor of the group. The company they work for is based in CO so all of the crew is from CO.

            Liked by 1 person

  13. Just The News: “Conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch on Tuesday said it had received another 485 pages of the manifesto belonging to transgender shooter Audrey Hale, who killed six people in the Covenant School shooting in Nashville two years ago.

    Hale, who was born a white female but identified as a male, notoriously slammed white privilege, women, and Christianity in writings prior to the attack. However, the Metro Nashville Police Department, in their final report earlier this year, said notoriety was Hale’s primary motivation. 

    Judicial Watch claimed the new pages, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, detailed Hale’s “violent thoughts, the targeting and planning of the shooting attack on The Covenant School, and transgender-related obsessions.”

    “These are the writings of a deeply disturbed individual,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “However, there was no point in the Biden FBI hiding them. We appreciate the Trump administration’s transparency. This information may possibly help Americans avoid tragedies like this in the future.”

    The FBI started producing the documents for Judicial Watch in April and has given them 828 pages out of 2,056 so far. They are also requesting documents provided to the FBI from local law enforcement officials.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA: Including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations”

    Robert W Malone MD, MS, Aug 05, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “This amazing announcement has just been published. Hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars in mRNA vaccine development contracts are being canceled and redirected. An unambiguous statement that these mRNA-based products are failing to meet efficacy standards.

    “The data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.” —Secretary Kennedy.

    This is a historic moment, the likes of which I never expected to see

    Secretary Kennedy and his team are changing the world. As I keep saying, have faith. Things take a bit of time, but the Secretary and his team are really making a difference on both smaller as well as the big issues.

    Making America Healthy Again. One step at a time.

    Press Release from HHS

    August 5, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

    “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

    The wind-down affects a range of programs including:

    • Cancellation of BARDA’s award to Moderna/UTMB for an mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine.
    • Termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech.
    • De-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus.
    • Rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) and VITAL Hub.
    • Restructuring of collaborations with DoD-JPEO, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with AAHI, AstraZeneca, and HDT Bio.

    While some final-stage contracts (e.g., Arcturus and Amplitude) will be allowed to run their course to preserve prior taxpayer investment, no new mRNA-based projects will be initiated. HHS has also instructed its partner, Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC), which manages BARDA Ventures, to cease all mRNA-based equity investments. In total, this affects 22 projects worth nearly $500 million. Other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement.

    “Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them. That’s why we’re moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions,” said Secretary Kennedy.

    The move signals a broader shift in federal vaccine development priorities. Going forward, BARDA will focus on platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices. Technologies that were funded during the emergency phase but failed to meet current scientific standards will be phased out in favor of evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions – like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. “Senator Cotton’s Bill S. 2202 MUST BE DEFEATED”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Aug 05, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas is leading the charge to reduce President Trump’s oversight over the intelligence community through his legislation – S.2202 – Intelligence Community Efficiency and Effectiveness Act of 2025 – that would severely reduce the power of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). This is part of Sen. Cotton’s ongoing crusade against DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

    Under Sen. Cotton’s bill, the FBI and NSA would receive additional new powers and new authorities reassigned from the vastly-reduced DNI. This is being done to hamstring Director Gabbard’s important work in declassifying documents showing immense failures by the intelligence community that occurred throughout the Obama administration which had a cascading impact on the first Trump administration, tarring it with the brush of Russian collusion based on a pack of lies.

    It is not a coincidence that Sen. Cotton is attempting to cripple Director Gabbard right as she announces her landmark investigations of Obama, his DNI James Clapper, his CIA Director John Brennan, his National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and other key officials with these seismic changes to the ODNI that would be implemented over the course of just a few months. Sen. Cotton’s devious scheme would put Director Gabbard’s important work in unearthing the origins of Russia-gate with hard, unassailable evidence in serious jeopardy.

    The purpose of the ODNI is to coordinate intelligence across the various agencies and departments, giving any president oversight so they can understand what is really going on within the vast bureaucracy in order to make better more, informed decisions. President Trump and Director Gabbard have effectively used this her office to rein in some of these deep state thugs and uncover past crimes, including President Barack Obama’s illegal coup against our duly-elected President, Donald J. Trump. Without a Gabbard-run ODNI with its appropriate powers intact, there is no hope and no prospect for reform of America’s intelligence apparatus.

    Other offensive provisions from Sen. Cotton’s bill are its Orwellian contorting of language to remove oversight from deep state entities. The legislation generally demotes ODNI key staff, cleverly allowing subordinate agencies’ staffs to outrank ODNI employees when they are searching for materials needed by the President or the Director. For example, Sen. Cotton’s legislation removes deputies and reclassifies them as “assistants.” He takes away “principals” and changes “directors” to “heads.” This would allow bureaucracies like the FBI and CIA to evade necessary oversight authority.

    The legislation takes away various authorities and responsibilities over bio-threats, narcotics, and terrorism from the ODNI and hands them back to the existing intelligence community apparatus. In a particularly appalling and disingenuous provision, Sen. Cotton added in some redundant language banning DEI from hiring practices in an attempt to bait conservatives and the MAGA base into supporting his measure. These are policies that Director Gabbard already put into place on her first day on the job.

    Sen. Cotton uses the rhetoric of government efficiency to justify his measure, but Director Gabbard is already making great progress in this regard. Director Gabbard is dedicated to meaningful and intentional reforms which reduces the DNI office by as much as half to reduce bureaucratic bloat. Sen. Cotton’s proposed legislation is irresponsible and guts the office to an extent which would give a substantial power grab to the FBI, NSA, CIA and the 18 separate intelligence-related entities under the jurisdiction of the ODNI that have been weaponized and managed from afar by the Obama administration.

    Before Director Gabbard became head of the ODNI, the agency never uncovered or released the documents implicating Obama and his top apparatchiks in Russia-gate. It cannot be taken for granted how integral Director Gabbard’s role at the helm of the ODNI is when it comes to draining the swamp. If her authority is removed or she is neutered, this could prevent major changes and prosecutions that would put fear into the hearts of the deep state hacks, which is the only way to get them to stop their continuous plot of undermining President Trump’s agenda and the very constitutional order that guides the United States of America.

    I am signing this letter because those of us who have endured immense persecution as part of this conspiracy perpetrated by the Obama administration and enforced by the deep state cannot sit idly by while Sen. Cotton’s subversive actions undermine the importance of the DNI’s work. This is an existential crisis for America, and how it is handled will determine whether America can be truly great once again. Director Gabbard must have all the tools at her disposal to expose this conspiracy and serve justice to its perpetrators and S.2202 MUST be defeated in the Senate.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Oh, my! I just had a long convo with one of the guys working for the power company. Young guy who lives in CO, married w/4 kids – he loves my Willow tree and told me he took a picture of it to send to his wife – now they want to get one! Very interesting convo about religion and spiritualism, life goals, etc., etc. He studied the Eastern religions and we discussed merging those beliefs with the Western religions, among other things. Super nice guy!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. EXCERPT: “How do the American people get justice for arguably the greatest political scandal in U.S. history? This question looms over the Trump administration as Russiagate — or Obamagate, as it perhaps should be known — continues unraveling.

    At least nine years after this sordid scandal began, it has become ever clearer that, at the direction of President Barack Obama, the leaders of his national security and intelligence apparatus used and abused their awesome powers to baselessly frame Donald Trump as a traitor. They did this in seeming coordination with foreign governments, the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, and regime media.

    This domestic regime change operation — or domestic regime preservation operation — aimed to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in any meaningful sense, delegitimize and destroy Donald Trump and his first presidency, and protect the ruling class status quo. All the while, it disenfranchised the tens of millions of Americans who had rejected that status quo by way of electing Trump.

    Absent justice for Obamagate, the lesson to the conspirators is that they should go even bigger next time. This would be catastrophic.

    Theoretically, justice would consist of several parts. The starting point would be providing total transparency into the investigations, and investigations into the investigations, into Trump. This is necessary to expose the full scope of the fraud, corruption, and criminality foisted upon our republic and the associated cover-ups. Next, those complicit in the conspiracy would face justice to the maximum extent possible.

    Then, as a further deterrent, our leaders would restructure the institutions party to the conspiracy and implement dramatic changes to personnel and policy, including imposing severe criminal penalties for acts akin to those undertaken in Obamagate. Lastly, those whose lives were upended, reputations destroyed, and rights violated in the commission of the conspiracy would receive restitution. 

    Practically, achieving justice is a much thornier proposition. The Trump administration has begun lifting the veil on Obamagate with its recent disclosures regarding the fraudulence of the hoax’s origins. The revelations have been resisted at every turn by the hoax’s perpetrators, who have also had a years-long head start in burying evidence and covering their tracks. What’s more, acolytes of John Brennan, James Clapper, and James Comey are likely still burrowed in the primary agencies behind Obamagate today — some in perhaps significantly more senior positions. 

    The Trump administration has put reform-minded leaders in charge of many of these agencies. But it remains to be seen whether they will be able to fundamentally transform them — and if they can be fundamentally transformed at all. 

    As for making the aggrieved whole, the Mike Flynns, Carter Pages, and countless other nameless and faceless individuals who were targeted for destruction and incurred incalculable personal, professional, and financial damage have received no recompense.

    Perhaps the most consequential acts of justice, however, concern the pending prosecutions of the Obamagate ringleaders. Reports indicate CIA Director John Ratcliffe has criminally referred the likes of John Brennan and James Comey to the Justice Department. For top deep state figures like these to be prosecuted, let alone convicted, would prove an incredibly powerful act. It would show that truly no one is above the law, just as Donald Trump should not have been treated as below the law. It would show that authorities are serious about rooting out deep state rot at the highest level. And it would show that our ruling regime-in-exile will face real costs for its tyrannical acts, perhaps the only thing that will cause it to cease such acts in the future.

    But when you dig deeper into what prosecution entails, the picture becomes considerably more fraught…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/06/why-raining-justice-on-the-russia-hoaxers-is-so-tricky-and-so-important/

    Liked by 1 person

  20. EXCERPT: “The FBI never investigated explosive allegations that Attorney General Loretta Lynch coordinated with the Clinton campaign to suppress Hillary Clinton’s email server scandal. Those allegations stem from a secret Russian intelligence memo that circulated inside the U.S. government in 2016. The memo was so concerning that it pushed FBI Director James Comey to break ranks with Lynch during the Clinton email probe. Now, thanks to the newly released appendix of Special Counsel John Durham’s report on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, that memo is public, and it appears to confirm long-held suspicions about how the Clinton investigation was handled.

    Some of the same intelligence recently appeared in the “Clinton annex” released by Sen. Chuck Grassley on July 21, but the newly released Durham Appendix provides a more comprehensive account of this intelligence stream, tracing it from early allegations involving Lynch through to the later scheme to frame Donald Trump as a Russian agent.

    While much attention has focused on the Clinton plan to smear Trump, the alleged coordination between Lynch and the Clinton campaign to suppress the email server scandal has so far received less scrutiny.

    The intelligence detailed in both the Clinton annex and the Durham Appendix originated from Russian sources who had hacked various government and private entities, including the Open Society Foundations, formerly the Soros Foundation. This intelligence was based on intercepted communications among senior Open Society official Leonard Benardo, fellow foundation figure Jeffrey Goldstein, and then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The intelligence was considered significant enough to be briefed directly to President Obama and credible enough that Comey regarded it as “one brick in the load,” leading him to effectively sideline his boss, Attorney General Lynch, and bypass the Justice Department when announcing that no charges would be brought against Clinton.

    Durham’s report acknowledges that while some of the phrasing in the intelligence may have suffered from translation issues or conflation, intelligence officials deemed it to be authentic.

    According to one of the newly released memos, in a Jan. 12, 2016 conversation with Goldstein, Wasserman Schultz revealed that the Obama White House was applying pressure on Comey via Lynch to shut down the email investigation because the scandal was damaging the Democratic Party and threatening Obama’s legacy:

    “Obama has no intention to darken the final part of his presidency and ‘legacy’ by the scandal surrounding the main contender from the DP [Democratic Party]. To solve the problem, the President puts pressure on FBI Director James Comey through Attorney General Lynch, however, so far without concrete results.”

    Wasserman Schultz also allegedly noted that the FBI lacked strong evidence against Clinton due to the “timely deletion of relevant data from mail servers.”

    But it’s the March 5 alleged follow-up conversation between Benardo and Wasserman Schultz that contains the most damning allegation: “The political director of the Hillary Clinton staff Amanda Renteria regularly receives information from Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the plans and intentions of the FBI.”…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/06/fbi-never-investigated-evidence-for-obama-ags-role-in-clinton-email-coverup/

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Just The News: “Fort Stewart, Ga., went on lockdown on Wednesday due to an active shooter.

    “Fort Stewart is in a lockdown status due to an active shooter incident in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area. The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and law enforcement is on the scene at the time,” the base posted on Facebook.

    “Casualties have been reported and the situation is ongoing. Follow our platforms for more information,” it concluded.”

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Just The News: “President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50% as part of an ongoing row with New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil, Forbes reported.

    The move came the same day that special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump previously castigated India for purchasing Russian oil below market rate and reselling on the open market, asserting that India’s operations were helping to fund the Russian war machine.

    Trump has, in recent weeks, made something of an about face on the Ukraine conflict, embracing secondary sanctions on Russian trading partners and furiously condemning Putin over his unwillingness to commit to a ceasefire.

    Likely motivating some of Putin’s hesitance is Russian success on the battlefield. In recent days, Russian troops have broken into the fortress cities of Pokrovsk and Kupyansk, the capture of which are expected to supply Russia with key logistics hubs to take more territory in the Ukrainian East.”

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Liked by 1 person

  27. Nick Sortor
    @nicksortor
    🚨 JUST IN — IT’S OFFICIAL: The State Dept. will begin requiring a $15,000 BOND for visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates

    Should’ve been done a LONG time ago!

    Visa overstays are a HUGE vector of illegal immigration. 560K visa overstays in FY 2023 ALONE, per @BillMelugin_

    The pilot program starts August 20th, with nationals of Malawi and Zambia requesting B-1 and B-2 business and tourist visas being required to post a bond of up to $15,000

    If they leave on time, it’s returned to them. If not, the US keeps it and DEPORTS them!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. “Research Increasingly Links Pesticides to Neurological Disorders — About a third of the world’s population suffers from some nervous system disease. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to pesticides in all forms contributes to the disorders. Eliminating these chemicals could go further in protecting public health than simply treating the symptoms once a disease takes hold.”

    by Beyond Pesticides, August 4, 2025

    pesticides and mri scan

    EXCERPT: “Are neurological diseases increasing around the world? Yes and no, according to a report published by The Lancet in 2024 on the global burden of nervous system diseases between 1990 and 2021.

    About 3 billion — a third of the world’s people — suffer from some nervous system condition. These diseases cause 11 million deaths and 443 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which are a measure of the years lost to illness, disability or early death. Neurological disorders are now the world’s largest source of disability.

    The Lancet report does not include an analysis of the role of pesticides in the burden of neurological disease worldwide, although environmental health research continues to expand the evidence that pesticide exposure is a major contributor to that burden. The Lancet report indicates that DALYs from Parkinson’s disease have increased by 10%, and autism spectrum disorder and dementia by 2% each.

    Multiple sclerosis has declined by 1%, according to the report. Importantly, most of the improvement has come from medical interventions, not prevention — in other words, people are living longer with the diseases rather than avoiding them altogether.

    But this is not true globally: The burden of disease, and particularly premature death, rests most heavily on the developing world, where medical interventions are much more scarce.

    A focus on prevention would be a more equitable approach to the problem. See Beyond Pesticides’ deep archive of the evidence on pesticides and neurological diseases in “Pesticide-Induced Diseases: Brain and Nervous System Disorders” section. Our Gateway on Pesticide Hazards is also invaluable for information about specific pesticides and their adverse health effects.

    The Lancet’s big picture does not demonstrate that the burden of pesticide-induced neurological disease is declining.

    Such a decline seems a logical impossibility, given that more and more people are chronically exposed to more and more pesticides, and more and more research is establishing both population-level and mechanistic evidence of pesticides’ influence on disease induction and outcome, including neurological disorders.

    A recent review by Chinese researchers demonstrates that there is no category of pesticide — not herbicides, not fungicides and not insecticides — that does not contribute to neurological dysfunction. The authors recite numerous examples: the herbicide glyphosate affects both cognitive and motor functions……”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/research-increasingly-links-pesticides-neurological-disorders/

    Liked by 1 person

  30. EXCERPT: “A prominent signer of the baseless October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop letter — explicitly designed to provide Joe Biden with a “talking point” in his presidential debate with Donald Trump — is continuing to suggest, without any credible evidence, that “the Russians played some role” in the incriminating laptop.

    Larry Pfeiffer, the former chief of staff to then-CIA director Michael Hayden (who also signed the laptop letter), made the claim during a SpyTalk podcast episode earlier in August amidst a broader discussion where the former intelligence official also sought to downplay the revelations from recent declassifications made by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

    Pfeiffer, the director of the Hayden Center at George Mason University, repeatedly told the podcast hosts — journalists Jeff Stein and Michael Isikoff — that he and other signers still believed the Russians may have been behind the Hunter Biden laptop, which first emerged publicly in mid-October 2020. The New York Post stories detailing the shady business dealings of Joe Biden’s son in China and Ukraine were subsequently banned from social media and self-censored by legacy media who only admitted the authenticity of the laptop after Biden won election.

    Rewriting history

    “We never said the laptop was fake, in fact, I think we said the laptop and the emails may very well be real,” Pfeiffer said in the August 1 episode. “In fact, the fact that they are and were real smacks even more of a Russian information operation, because most Russian information operations, most good information operations, have some base in truth.”

    Isikoff seemed taken aback and asked if Pfeiffer was still suggesting that the Russians played a role in the Hunter Biden laptop.

    “Honestly, to this day, and granted you’d think I’d follow this assiduously and moment by moment, but I don’t, but several of us who signed the letter haven’t seen anything to completely refute the idea that the Russians played some role in that material,” Pfeiffer replied.

    Michael Morell, the main author and organizer of the letter, is also a distinguished fellow at the Hayden Center run by Pfeiffer. Just the News  recently detailed Morell’s key role in promoting the baseless idea that Trump was an agent of Vladimir Putin’s Russia during Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful bid against Trump in 2016, in addition to helping Biden obtain a last-minute “talking point” in his successful race versus Trump in 2020.

    IRS whistle-blowers previously revealed that the FBI had verified the authenticity of the laptop by November 2019 – nearly a year before its existence was made public.

    Morell drafted the letter with Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA operations officer, who later admitted that he and Morell helped put the laptop letter together. Morell told House investigators that prior to his mid-October 2020 phone call with Blinken, he had no intention to write the Hunter Biden laptop letter, and testified “yes” and “absolutely” when asked if a call with future Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was then a top advisor for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, was what “triggered that intent in you.”

    Morell said one of the reasons he crafted the letter was to help Joe Biden since he “wanted him to win the election” against Trump.

    The recruitment email that Morell had sent to prospective signatories made that clear: “Marc and I drafted the attached because we believed the Russians were involved in some way in the Hunter Biden email issue and because we think Trump will attack Biden on the issue at this week’s debate, and we want to give the Vice President, VP, a talking point to use in response.”

    Pfeiffer said in the early August podcast episode that “I signed the letter at the time” and stressed that “there were others” who signed it anonymously….”

    https://justthenews.com/government/security/hunter-biden-laptop-letter-signer-doubles-down-false-claim-russia-may-have-been

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Just The News: “Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., revealed Monday that there will likely be more information coming out about the autopen scandal involving President Joe Biden and a possible revamping of the 25th Amendment powers to  president who is mentally incapacitated.

    The House Oversight Committee is conducting an investigation into the alleged cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline and his use of an autopen to sign sweeping commutations and executive actions. Department of Justice records show that Biden granted more than 4,000 pardons and commutations. By contrast,, Barack Obama issued slightly less than 2,000 during his eight-year tenure, and George W. Bush issued a scant 200.

    “I think what you’re going to find is that Joe Biden was a wanderer in the White House, [and] that there was no communication with anybody else of authority,” Biggs said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast. “I’m talking about cabinet-level officials. All this is starting to be revealed there.”

    Questioning authority

    Biggs said that it was very likely that Biden had no idea who was using the autopen much of the time. “What else is going to happen is you’re going to find that Joe Biden didn’t know who all was running the autopen,” he said. “I think you’re going to find out that people were doing some things with the autopen that they absolutely had no authority to do.”

    Biggs, who has been sitting in on interviews with former Biden aides, said there may also be criminal culpability. 

    It was reported in June by Just the News that former Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden, former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady Anthony Bernal, former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations Ashley Williams, and former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini would appear for interviews to answer questions about Biden’s health and usage of the autopen while he was president. 

    Biden’s former White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor, last month invoked his Fifth Amendment rights in deciding not to comply with a House subpoena to give scheduled, closed-door testimony about the former president’s alleged cognitive decline while he was in office. In response, Biggs suggested O’Connor’s Fifth Amendment rights be obviated in order for him to testify.

    The 25th Amendment

    Biggs said that the 25th Amendment should potentially be revamped following what he has learned from conversations with the Biden aides.

    Section 1 of the 25th Amendment states that if a president dies, resigns or is removed from office due to impeachment proceedings, the vice president will take over as president. The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. 

    “I also think you’re going to need to revamp the 25th Amendment, because the way it is now, it incentivizes Cabinet members to protect and hide a debilitated president,” Bigg said. Biggs added that the Biden autopen situation could also be used as a basis to have Congress weigh in on when an autopen can be used.

    “I know we’re going to be told that we have a separation of powers issue, but I do think that you can finesse that and get that through and say, ‘Look, there has to be some kind of communication to Congress about the parameters of how the presidency is using the autopen,'” Biggs said. “Otherwise, that’s an abuse of separation of powers.”

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Just The News: “Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday filed an emergency petition to the state Supreme Court, asking it to remove state Rep. Gene Wu from office after he fled with other Democrats to block the chamber from advancing its redistricting bill. 

    Wu was one of dozens of Texas House Democrats to flee the state over the weekend to deny Republicans the quorum they needed to pass its congressional map that would give them five additional pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterms.

    Abbott argued in the filing that Wu, the Texas House Democratic Caucus chair, violated the state Constitution when he fled and failed to return for the vote, and that his absence amounted to abandoning office, per NBC News.

    The emergency petition claimed that the quorum made attendance in the chamber “an affirmative constitutional obligation,” and that Wu “openly renounced these constitutional mandates by fleeing the State of Texas to break quorum.” 

    “Absconding from the State during a constitutionally mandated session, not for lawful cause, but for the very purpose of subverting the Legislature’s ability to function, constitutes a flagrant violation of Wu’s oath and is an intentional abandonment of his constitutional duty,” the lawsuit states.

    Wu denied allegations that he was abandoning his office in a statement obtained by Houston-based KHOU. “Let me be unequivocal about my actions and my duty. When a governor conspires with a disgraced president to ram through a racist gerrymandered map, my constitutional duty is to not be a willing participant,” Wu said.

    “Denying the governor a quorum was not an abandonment of my office; it was a fulfillment of my oath,” he continued. “Unable to defend his corrupt agenda on its merits, Greg Abbott now desperately seeks to silence my dissent by removing a duly-elected official from office.”

    The emergency petition comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, teased that he would seek legal action from the courts over the scandal. 

    Texas House Republicans are expected to try and reach a quorum again on Friday. They failed to reach the quorum on Monday and Tuesday.”

    Liked by 1 person

  33. “Will Zelensky be forced to step down? Former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and current ambassador of Ukraine to London, Valeriy Zaluzhny, may be the preferred candidate”

    By Remix News Staff, August 6, 2025

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk attend a news conference as they meet in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, July 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Rumors are swirling that Volodymyr Zelensky, the current president of Ukraine, will indeed be replaced, with the most recent reports indicating pressure from the West was in high gear at a secret meeting in the Alps. 

    Karin Kneissl, former Austrian foreign minister and head of the GORKI research center in St. Petersburg, told RIA Novosti that she does not “rule out” Zelensky being replaced, adding that “this could happen by the end of the summer.”

    Kneissl specifically drew attention to the Alps gathering. Those present included the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, the head of military intelligence of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, and the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current ambassador of Ukraine to London, Valeriy Zaluzhny.

    Previous reports, specifically from the press bureau of the SVR, have stated that the United States and the United Kingdom no longer want Zelensky as the leader of Ukraine. Instead, Zaluzhnyi is their preferred leader, someone they believe may be better suited to handle the war situation.

    Kneissl is known for her criticism of Western political narratives. In this current context, she has expressed concern regarding Ukraine maintaining its independence, directly indicating that many Ukrainian officials at the meeting cited are “largely influenced by various Western figures.”

    “And how can (they) preserve independent room to maneuver? How can (they) act for the good of the country, without being on the payroll, without receiving certain orders or directives? Right now, many Ukrainian officials are in a very, very difficult situation,” she said.

    Zelensky cancelled elections after his term was up in May 2024, using the ongoing war as an excuse, a move many disliked, with U.S. President Trump calling him a “dictator without elections.” 

    Meanwhile, Zelensky called his conversation with Trump yesterday “productive,” and Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with Moscow, noting that its economy is suffering and further sanctions could help achieve a ceasefire.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Liked by 1 person

  35. Shooting at Ft. Stewart – 5 casualties (don’t know if any died), shooter is in custody, base on lockdown, as are the schools around the base.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. IDK – I switched from Fox and am watching an episode of Castle. No deaths, tho, shooter in custody – I believe he is a soldier but not positive.

        Like

  38. “The test revealed that Red Lobster’s Lobster Bisque did not consistently contain lobster. One out of three tested locations had no lobster in the bisque at all. The other two locations had a mix of lobster and “mystery crustacean,” identified as langostino. Langostino, a cousin of the hermit crab, is commonly used as a substitute for lobster. 

    This issue of mislabeling cheaper fish as lobster has been a point of contention for Red Lobster in the past. Their ‘endless shrimp’ promotion drove them into bankruptcy back in 2024. No geniuses at that joint. I have never been to one.”

    “Elvis Presley’s estate continues to generate significant income through various ventures, including music sales, merchandise, licensing, and the Graceland attraction. Forbes consistently ranks Elvis among the top-earning deceased celebrities, demonstrating the enduring financial power of his legacy. 

    While he died with a relatively modest net worth, his estate has been successfully managed to achieve substantial earnings in the decades following his passing. These earnings highlight the lasting cultural impact of Elvis Presley and the effective management of his intellectual property and assets.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  39. “Hollywood has shaped how many people imagine a heart attack—someone clutching their chest and collapsing dramatically. But those portrayals are misleading and shouldn’t be expected, says Ann Eckhardt, a nursing professor and researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington.

    “We did ourselves a disservice in the 1980s and 1990s with what’s known as ‘The Hollywood Heart Attack,’” Dr. Eckhardt said. “That’s unfortunately not real life. It’s not always intense. Sometimes it’s just discomfort that doesn’t feel quite right, so people tend to wait to see a doctor. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to have negative consequences after your heart attack.”

    Eckhardt and her colleagues are working to set the record straight by first understanding how the public perceives chest pain. In a recent article in Heart & Lung, they explore the common misconceptions about heart attack symptoms. Many patients don’t experience the dramatic, big-screen version of a heart attack. Instead, symptoms can be complex and even mild. Another widespread myth, the researchers note, is that heart attacks look drastically different in men versus women.

    “We used to say men have typical symptoms and women have atypical symptoms,” Eckhardt said. “We’re trying very hard to move away from that language now. The most common symptom for men and women is chest-related. We created confusion by saying women are somehow completely different.” More info on this is here.”

    Liked by 1 person

  43. ISS passes over the face of the moon

    IDK WTH kind of boat this is….???

    Nash Healey

    Pan Am Atlantic Clipper docked in Baltimore

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Just The News: “Fort Stewart, Ga., went on lockdown on Wednesday morning due to a shooting incident that saw five soldiers shot.

    “Five Soldiers were shot today in an active shooter incident in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area. All Soldiers were treated on-site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. There is no active threat to the community,” the base posted on Facebook.

    “Law enforcement was dispatched for a possible shooting in the 2nd ABCT complex at 10:56 a.m. The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m.,” the post continued. “The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and Fort Stewart lifted the lockdown of the main cantonment area at 12:10 p.m. 2nd ABCT complex is still locked down. 

    “Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to treat the wounded Soldiers at 11:09 a.m. The incident remains under investigation and no additional information will be released until the investigation is complete.”

    Brigadier General John Lubas told the press Wednesday afternoon that the five wounded are in stable condition and expected to fully recover. Three needed surgery. The alleged shooter has been identified as Sgt. Quornelius Radford. 

    The names of the victims have not been released so far and no motive has been disclosed. But the victims were some of Radford’s coworkers.

    “We will not speculate as to any intentions, motives or back stories, given that this is an ongoing investigation,” Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told NBC News. Lubas also confirmed that the suspected shooter did not use a military weapon to shoot the soldiers, and it was likely a personal weapon.”

    Like

  49. Nu-uh!!! 🤨😒🙄 My Ford is still running, in relatively good shape, and it’s over 20 years old!!! Well, except for the A/C…..

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.