WendyMcElroy.com

Farage. From the Guardian: Could Farage quit? Questions swirl over Reform UK leader’s future. From the Independent: Nigel Farage ‘did not declare financial support from convicted criminal’. Reform UK has denied that its leader breached the code of conduct. [Ed: it would be a shame if Farage was brought down by this.]

From the DoDo: Dog Is So Excited To See Snow That He Has To Show His Tiger Toy

AI. From the Journal of Belligerent Pontification: Why AI Doesn’t Think, Cannot Reason, Isn’t Intelligent and Will Never Achieve Consciousness. A Bundle of Algorithms is Like a Rock in Certain Respects. [Ed: pretty much captures my attitude toward AI.] From Of Two Minds: Risk and AI: It's Tricky From Almost Timely News: The Biggest Problem With AI Today. We’ve abdicated far too much of our executive function to AI. We’ve surrendered our thinking.From The Guardian: Short Story Accused of Being AI-written Goes on to Win Contest's First Prize

Iran. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Iran Stance Hardening in Connection with Funerals for Supreme Leader and Other Martyrs; Strait of Hormuz Dominance Struggle Continues; More on Oil Price Anomalies

From Issue Insights: Canada Shows The Gruesome Side Of Socialized Healthcare "MAID is already big business in Canada. Nearly 100,000 Canadians have availed themselves of this form of “healthcare,” and it now accounts for more than 5% of all deaths in the country."

From the New York Post: Mamdani can’t even get City Hall to stick to his 78-degree AC rule — as temps in building hit as low as 54. [Ed: does the hypocrisy surprise anyone?] From Just the News: Mamdani's thermostat moment draws conservative backlash, flashbacks of Carter's 'sweater speech'. President Carter gave his thermostat speech in 1977 while wearing a sweater and sitting by the White House Library fireplace.

From Spiked: Standing up for Jews, one gag at a time. Al Murray and a stellar line-up of comedy heroes reminded us that humour is our best weapon against hatred.

Cost of Living. From Jalopnik: Average New Car Prices Hit Record High Of $51,974, But People Are Still Rushing To Buy Them. From MSN: Grocery prices climb nearly twice as fast as inflation in Canada. [Ed: I expect this is happening in other nations, as well.]

From Politico.EU: Von der Leyen admits ‘technical problems’ with new EU airport border checks. Airlines blame the Entry/Exit System for hours-long queues and missed connecting flights.

From News Orvis: These Dogs Are Heroes. . .And They Are Pit Bulls

From Zero Hedge: Japan Bankruptcies Surge To All-Time High As A Result Of Plunging Yen. "The weak yen is one contributing factor. Combined with inflation and rising labor costs, it is creating a cumulative burden on businesses." [Ed: I cannot forget the compelling article I read on how Japan will be the trigger for global recession.]

Fraud. From Townhall: Obamacare's Fraud Bill Just Came Due. [Ed: a must read.] From Inc.: DOJ Seeks Surprisingly Lenient Sentence in $100 Million Deli Stock Fraud. Federal prosecutors have recommended a prison term of as little as 1 year for a man whose penny-stock scam turned a small New Jersey deli into a $100 million shell company. Sentencing guidelines call for up to 87 months. [Ed: maybe this is one reason why there is so much fraud. Next to no penalty.]

From CNN: Paul Pelosi involved in hit and run in California and could face charges, authorities say. [Ed: a test of how powerful Nancy Pelosi still is or is not.]

From Doog Lover: Devoted Poodle Saves Owner From Fiery Destruction Turning Tragedy Into a Tale of Survival and Love

From Tass: EU Court of Justice allows criminal prosecution for reposting RT videos — judgement. The court ruled that the EU sanctions ban on RT broadcasts "applies also to a website accessible to the public free of charge" [Ed: they are that afraid of people hearing different views.]

From Andrew Koryobko: Why’d Putin & Lavrov Send Such Pleasant Greetings On The US’ 250th Independence Day? [Ed: a must read.]

Israel-Gaza-Palestine. From Karen Kwaitkowski Substack: Explaining the Numbers in Gaza. A well-supported analysis concludes that “well over a million” Gazans have died from Israel’s campaign. [Ed: a must read.] From X, Breaking the Silence: The IDF's Yellow Line in Gaza has shifted again. From Middle East Eye: Palestinian goalkeeper killed by Israel in Gaza as Fifa faces fresh calls to act. Tributes poured in after the Palestinian Football Association said Saleem al-Ashqar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. From Mondoweiss: A new ‘strategic’ plan being pushed by the Israeli settler movement would establish 100 outposts in the heart of Palestinian cities. The Israeli settler movement and its allies in the government have submitted a plan to build 100 new outposts in Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank. The move would effectively eliminate the Oslo Accords.

From the Legal Insurrection: Scientific American Sold as Publisher Divests Itself of the Bud Light of Science Journals.

From CBC: In Quebec Town, the Trees Have ... Rights? Terrasse-Vaudreuil grants them the right to life, natural growth, integrity, and regeneration

Immigration. From Center for Immigration Studies: DOJ Vows to Crack Down on Birth Tourism in Response to ‘Birthright’ Opinion. The silver lining in the dark Barbara cloud. [Ed:Trump v. Barbara was the SCOTUS case that affirmed birthright citizenship.] From the Babylon Bee: Sad: Woman Gives Birth On Border And Now Only Baby's Top Half Is American

From People: 3 Pups Get ‘Happy Ending’ After Finding Homes with Police Officers Who Saved Them from Neglect. “Thanks to the teamwork of our officers, Jefferson County Dog Control ... these puppies were given a second chance,” the Watertown Police Department said

From Cato Blog: No Free Lunch on the Moon

From the Washington Examiner: Jayapal tells murder victims’ parents Congress has other things to do. [Ed: the congressional panel was hearing from the mother and others about her daughter who was murdered by an illegal migrant. And, yes, Jaypal did pretty much say they were wasting her time.]

From IHeartDogs: It Took A Very Big Village To Give Dozer His Happy Ending, But The Hero VIP Club Came Through

Ali Khamenei's Funeral. From CBC: Crowds mourn Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran begins days-long funeral ceremonies. Khamenei to be buried in the city of Mashhad, his place of birth, on Thursday. [Ed: volatile.] From CNN: Whereabouts of Iran’s new supreme leader unknown as public mourning of Khamenei continues. [Ed: lends credence to reports that he has been badly disfigured.] From Sky News: Ali Khamenei supporters in Iran want revenge for supreme leader's killing. Large crowds gather in Tehran for the funeral rites of Ali Khamenei, some with vengeance on their minds.

From Newser: Iranians Mourn Ayatollah With Purpose. Millions are expected for 6-day mourning rites projecting unity. "...serve as a show of resistance to the US and its allies."

From Zero Hedge: Canada Was A Liberal Paradise... Until The Liberals Took Over. [Ed: having lived in Canada for decades...yes. Canada was not a paradise or rather *only* a paradise as compared to now.]

What is Hillary Trying to Hide? From Politico: Pulte to Be Acting DNI for ‘A Month or Two’ and Can ‘Declassify Almost Everything,’ Trump Says. [Ed: hmm. Sounds like Trump is encouraging the declassification.] From Just the News: Hillary Clinton urges federal employees to “refuse to share information with Pulte”, Former Secretary of State Clinton called Pulte “very dangerous” and a “loose cannon.” She also called his appointment “deeply insulting to the intelligence community,” noting Pulte has no intelligence experience. [Ed: what does she not want to be declassified? Documents that would incriminate her?] From MSN: Clinton urges lawsuit over Trump's acting intel chief pick [Ed: I repeat the question.]

From Law and Liberty: Ayn Rand's Italian Debut.

From the Guardian: Bankers and unions set for clash over possible Burnham tax raid on UK banks. City bosses say move would be economically disastrous, but union leaders urge likely new PM to ignore ‘vested interests’

Antifa. From the Washington Examiner: Seven more members of Texas antifa terrorist cell handed lengthy prison sentences [Ed: nothing less will stop the violence.] From the Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis to declare antifa a terrorist organization. What does that mean?

From Dog Heirs: Dog Who Survived Fiery Crash That Killed Her Owner Makes Emotional Journey Home

Cuba. From Sky News: Cubans face endless blackouts, collapsing salaries and empty shops – but they're refusing to give up. Hundreds of thousands have left Cuba in recent years, but those who remain often do so because they still believe their country is worth staying for.

The Upcoming Election. From Louisiana Radio Network: Registered Republican Voters Surpasses Democratic Voters for the First Time in the State’s Modern History [Ed: a harbinger or too early to matter?]

From Truth on the Streets: Dying in Plain Sight. How Passive Outreach, Excuses, and a Lack of Accountability Turn Homelessness Into a Death Sentence. [Ed: this is one of the best articles on homelessness that I've ever read.]

Bad Optics for Trump. From CNN: OpenAI in talks to give Trump administration a 5% stake in the company, FT reports [Ed: and when Trump is out of office, will the 5% belong to the U.S. Gov. or to Trump? Troubling trend.] From Newser: Group Thanks Trump for Tariff Break With Gold, Diamonds, Rubies. Antwerp organization says ring celebrates 'true partnership'. [Ed: actually, this one goes beyond bad optics.]

From Jonathan Turley: Survey: Democrats Turning Heavily in Favor of Socialism. From Townhall: Where Are the Obamas and the Clintons on the Monsters Taking Over Their Party?

From Dogman Ray: Remi the Sniffing Super Sleuth

From Politico.EU: The EU has a window of opportunity. Can Ireland deliver? Dublin takes on the six-month presidency just before the French election grinds EU decision-making to a halt. [Ed: Ireland takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1.] AND How to navigate Ireland’s EU presidency policy agenda like a pro. Ireland takes the reins of the Council’s policy negotiations at a moment of political possibility.

From Justor Daily: Dorm Life Forever? The Problem with Micro-Living. Research suggests compact housing may normalize economic insecurity rather than address the roots of the affordability crisis.

From Zero Hedge: These Are The World's Top Destinations For Wealth Migration

Trump Accounts. From Good Morning America: Trump Accounts start July 4: What parents need to know From Forbes: Trump’s Investment Accounts For Kids Launch Tomorrow—How To Register.

From the Babylon Bee: Nation Agrees To Let Biden Be President For One Day To Hear Him Attempt To Say 'Semiquincentennial'

From the Bored Panda: This Dog Sanctuary Honored Its Supporters By Making Them Part Of The Story

From Science Daily: This spray-on powder can stop life-threatening bleeding in 1 second

From Son of the New American Revolution: Only 9 Days of Sour Crude Left in the US SPR? "Why is sour crude more important than sweet crude to the US economy?"

From Glambun: Shelter Dog Who Refused To Look At Anyone Makes The Most Amazing Transformation

From Naked Capitalism: The UK’s Latest “Debanking” Scandal Should Give Everyone Pause, [Ed: outrageous. Banking, as we know, it must end. Crypto, instead.] From the Telegraph: ‘Debanked’ customers face being blocked from setting up new accounts. Data-sharing plan raises fears customers could be locked out of financial system unfairly

Citizen Vigilante. From PTTL: Citizen Vigilante: How Elon Musk turned a controversial film into a global talking point. Uwe Boll’s heavily criticized film starring Armie Hammer gained worldwide attention after Musk promoted it on X. [Ed: applause for Musk.] From Movie Web: Armie Hammer's Divisive 2026 Action Thriller Already Has a Sequel Coming. [Ed: 2027.]

From Reason: My Very Long Ride on the MAGA Ferris Wheel. The Great American State Fair promised a celebration of freedom. So why was I stuck in the air?

From Good News Network: New Solar Tech Makes Desalinating Seawater Cheaper Than Producing Bottled Water

All Things Voting. From the Epoch Times: Judge Blocks USPS Ballot Rule Tied to Trump’s Election Integrity Order. The Trump administration said the rule would improve ballot tracking and verification, but the court found it conflicted with a USPS election-mail settlement. [Ed: Trump is keeping SCOTUS busy.]

From Zero Hedge: FBI Mole Wore Wire Inside Newsom's Inner Circle: Lawyer. "All of this stuff just raises so many questions..." [Ed: this should make the corruption case against Biden and his wife et al more interesting. They also have criminal activity by Becerra, the Democratic nominee to succeed Newsom as governor.]

From Dogster: Remembering Tika the Iggy: Tiny, Mighty, Wise.

Israel. From the New Arab: US Presbyterian Church votes to recognise Gaza genocide. The Church voted on Sunday to divest from Palantir Technologies and GE Aerospace and voted to recognise the genocidal war and boycott Israeli products. [Ed: the entire denomination, not just one church.] From +972 Magazine: The divestment drive that could shake Israel’s economic foundations. To fund perpetual war, Israel has grown ever more reliant on issuing bonds. Relinquishing these holdings, often invested passively, disrupts that equation.

From International Business Times: The European Heatwave in 2003 Killed 20,000+ People: Why Is AC Still a Foreign Concept on the Continent? [Ed: the answer is obvious, of course. The EU sees being 'green' as a religion. Nothing comes before it.]

NC Gov. Veto Overridden on 2 Bills. From FAIRus: North Carolina Immigration Enforcement Bill Becomes Law After Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto. [Ed: bill allowed greater cooperation with federal immigration agency.] From USA Reference: North Carolina Legislature has OVERRIDDEN the Democrat governor's veto, law will block public funding for illegals

From Human Events: Mamdani's 250 speech signals plan to 'start something new' and reject America’s founding, "They’re gonna say, we need a new American founding, an America that's better, an America that is better than 1776."

From Paws So Cute: Grandfather Makes Adorable Race Car Bed for Granddog

Iran. From Israel National News: Trump: Iran agreed to 'just about everything we need'. [Ed: Trump wants to get out this hugely expensive and unpopular war.] From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Philip Pilkington, Nate Wade Debunk Oil Cliff Hopium; Pilkington Explains Prices Derived from Crack Spreads are $100 to $115 a Barrel; US Declares Fertilizer Emergency.

From Down to Earth: Around 41% of sowing area under drought by June end; Kharif sowing sees sharp drop. Rice, one of the major kharif crops, has seen its sown area shrink by 0.865 mha compared to last year. [Ed: in India. There are going to be global food shortages later this year]

Russia-Ukraine. From Simplicius: Another Massive Strike on Kiev, as Konstantinovka on the Brink. [Ed: there is a real danger of NATO getting involved, which could lead to a world war scenario.] From Savage Minds: NATO 3.0/ Alliance or Military-Industrial Investment Fund? [Ed: a must read.] From Reuters: Germany Charges Former Ukrainian Officer Over Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage

From the AP: Colorado Wildfire Forces Thousands to Evacuate. Crews use water from Pueblo Reservoir to fight one blaze

From Sunny Skyz: German Soccer Fan Moved to Tears After Discovering the America He Never Expected

From the International Man: The Coming Crash in Private Equity.

Happy July 4th. From the Mises Wire: Writing the Declaration. Tracing Jefferson’s Libertarian Thought in the Declaration of Independence. "Many largely accept Jefferson’s statements about rights, liberty, consent, criminality, and the role of government, however, many come short of adopting Jefferson’s radical libertarian political convictions." From the Daily Economy: The American Revolution Redefined Freedom Itself.
Since 1776, at least 120 peoples have declared independence, echoing Jefferson’s universal claim about natural rights, self-government, and political legitimacy.

From Cato Institute: White House Self-Dealing in US Trade and Investment Policy

From Dog Beast: Watch What Happens When An “Aggressive” Pit Bull Feels Love For The Very First Time

From CNBC: Trump says outside funds ‘run my money’ after disclosure shows billions in 2025 revenue. [Ed: hat tip to David who comments, Trump is skating on thin ice.]

From USA Today: Service dog saved his owner's life in an unusual way. Watch as he gets his reward.

The New Democrats. From the New York Post: Gen Z socialist who ousted 15-term Colorado incumbent has cutting message for Hakeem Jeffries: ‘Dead serious’. From Townhall: The Socialists Are Coming... for the Democrats. [Ed: dead-on analysis.]

From Human Progress: Surprising Capitalist Makeover Is Under Way in Sweden

Ukraine-Russia. From Lew Rockwell: Ukraine and the End of NATO. by Scott Ritter. From the New York Post: Russia’s top banker begs for Putin end to Ukraine war, issues stark warning: ‘Economy simply cannot survive’. [Ed: he cannot quit while Zelensky is still bombing. The war is Zelensky's source of wealth & status, so he won't stop. And, no, I am not pro-Putin.] From Son of the New American Revolution: The NY Times LIes About Russian and Ukrainian Casualties. AND An Inside View of Western Consumers of the Anti-Russian Propaganda

From the Future of Freedom Foundation: To Thomas Sowell, A Salute. [Ed: June 30 was Sowell's 96th birthday.]

From No Time for Bull: The Austrians Saw It Coming. [Ed: hat tip to David who comments, Very good piece, although the following statement is erroneous: Voluntary social arrangements also produce coercive consequences — loss of social standing, exclusion from communities, denial of economic opportunity — and some of these can be as severe in practice as the formal coercions the state deploys.]

From Judicial Watch: Trump administration seeks to halt first US reparations program for Black people AND DOJ takes rare step in Evanston reparations case. [Ed: pleased to see this. Reparation programs are prone to spread.]

Mamdani's NYC. From the New York Post: Google billionaire Sergey Brin exits NYC real estate as landlords suffer from rent controls, explosive costs: report. AND Mamdani’s NYPD cut ‘blindsided’ City Council — leaving pols bracing for other surprises in $126B budget they passed. From FOX News: Mamdani ripped for claiming victory over capitalism after NYC's multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded bailout. New York City received billions from working-class taxpayers across the state before Mamdani's pronouncement

From Judge Andrew P. Napolitano: A Nation of Suspects

From Politico.EU: Russia shuts railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia. Moscow gave no explanation for the move nor any indication of when the restrictions might end. "Russia on Wednesday shut down traffic through some of its last remaining railway border crossings with the European Union."

SSPX Breakway from Pope. From the Associated Press: Breakaway Catholic Group Ignores Leo's Plea. Traditionalist Society of St. Pius X goes right ahead with consecrating its own bishops. From NBC News: Pope begs breakaway traditionalist group to back off plan to consecrate its own bishops. Under church law, the consecrations are a schismatic act and incur automatic excommunication for the four bishops and the bishop administering the consecration. From CBS: Catholic Church excommunicates 6 bishops from ultra-conservative society.

From X: A Mexican family spotted their missing dog on live TV

From Military.com: Israel Defense Provision Blocked From House Vote Despite Bipartisan Push. "Congress blocked a bipartisan amendment to remove a provision expanding US-Israel defense integration, preventing a recorded House vote." From Ashes of Acacia: Congress Blocks Amendment To Stop Integration of U.S. And Israeli Militaries. [Ed: good breakdown.] From antiwar: War Crimes, War Powers, and American Sovereignty by Dennis Kucinich

From Moon of Alabama: English Outsider: Why Europe’s Provocation Of Russia Is Likely To Fail. [Ed: a must read.]

From Campaign Legal: How the SAVE Act Threatens the Freedom to Vote [Ed: I was unaware of the change in mail in voting requirements that are included in the Act. Resistance to it makes more sense to me now.] From X, Real Robert: Gary Berntsen explains how ballot images are swapped, source code is hidden, and fourteen methods of fraud are mixed so that no pattern is ever found. The same engineers later moved into U.S. counties and flipped long?red districts overnight.

From Bored Trash Panda: Shelter Dog Panics When He’s Given New Leash – Watch How He Reacts When He Realizes He’s Been Adopted

From the International Man: Doug Casey on the Private Equity Takeover Nobody Is Talking About.

From Straits Times: Iran prepares for late supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral. AND Iran warns US, Israel against attacks ahead of funeral processions for Khamenei [Ed: they finally are burying the fallen leader.]

From Canada Free Press: Crown appeals against Tamara Lich, Chris Barber expected to be heard in spring 2027 [Ed: they are the leaders of the Freedom Convoy that went to Ottawa. Crown is appealing their acquittals and sentences.]

Citizen Vigilante. From JoBlo: Why Uwe Boll’s ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Is the Most Controversial Movie of 2026
From Vgen: "Citizen Vigilante" .2026. [+!FullMovie!+] Online 4KHD! Free Available Now?

From Glambun: Couple Adopts Rescue Dog, Never Realizing He’s Actually Related to Their Other Dog

Hat tip to David. From Stansberry Research on May 26.

Here's a new wrinkle to the White House portfolio story...Earlier this month, a filing from the Office of Government Ethics showed that President Donald Trump (either personally or through a financial adviser) placed more than 3,600 trades in the first quarter. And a few of those trades were in companies that the president has mentioned publicly...

For one, Trump bought at least $1 million (and as much as $5 million) in Dell Technologies (DELL), with the last trade coming on March 23. That puts his entry price somewhere between $125 and $160 per share. Last week, Dell's stock shot up to a new all-time high above $260 per share after Trump said to "go out and buy" Dell computers during an event at the White House.

The president's account was also shown to have added up to more than $6 million in Nvidia (NVDA) shares while Trump approved the company's chips for export licenses to China, asked China to open up its economy to companies like Nvidia, and described Nvidia's CEO as the "Great Jensen Huang."

Those are just a couple of the president's trades. He also bought much smaller stakes in defense contractors after the start of the conflict with Iran, as well as placing a buy of up to $5 million in an S&P 500 fund days after the Iran conflict began.