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April 11, 2025

No more extensions. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirms on X that May 7 remains the deadline.

Starting May 7, you will need a Real ID to travel by air or to visit federal buildings in the United States. These IDs keep our country safe because they help prevent fraud and they enhance security. Please do your part to protect our country. Go today, and don’t delay.

May 6, 2025

Noem tells members of the House Appropriations Committee that travelers who have not obtained a Real ID will still be able to fly after the May 7 deadline. However, they will be subject to additional security screenings.

Noem says, “If [a traveler’s ID is] not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly.”

She does not indicate how long this arrangement will last.

Virginia and Steve from Macro N Cheese Podcast/Real Progressives join Justin and Jeremy in a discussion of Modern Monetary Theory, how it can be used as a radicalizing tool, as well as what it means in the grand scheme of global economics.

The episode intro tries to summarize what modern monetary theory (MMT) is, but unfortunately somewhat flubs it by framing it in return on investment (ROI) terms.

Some relevant YouTube videos:

• The United States can always pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that.
  — Former Fed. Res. Chair Alan Greenspan
• Why The Government Has Infinite Money
• Your Taxes Pay for Nothing
• What Caused Hyperinflation In Weimar, Zimbabwe And Venezuela?

Virginia and Steve from Macro N Cheese Podcast/Real Progressives join Justin and Jeremy in a discussion of Modern Monetary Theory, how it can be used as a radicalizing tool, as well as what it means in the grand scheme of global economics.

The episode intro tries to summarize what modern monetary theory (MMT) is, but unfortunately somewhat flubs it by framing it in return on investment (ROI) terms.

Some relevant YouTube videos:

• The United States can always pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that.
  — Former Fed. Res. Chair Alan Greenspan
• Why The Government Has Infinite Money
• Your Taxes Pay for Nothing
• What Caused Hyperinflation In Weimar, Zimbabwe And Venezuela?

On April 8, a bipartisan commission chartered by Congress warned that China is rapidly advancing a terrifying new military threat: genetically engineered “super soldiers.”

The report by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) urges the U.S. to respond with a sweeping effort to militarize biotechnology. It offers little concrete evidence that such Chinese programs even exist.

In the name of national security, Washington is now pushing for deregulation, massive government investment, and human experimentation. Experts say this effort echoes Cold War-era paranoia and threatens to erode ethical boundaries in science and warfare.

A Congressional Research Service fact sheet on the report claims its contents “describe how biotechnology could potentially revolutionize agricultural production in the U.S., transform U.S. health care, and change the future of computing power.” While that may sound promising, the report’s focus is overwhelmingly on using biotechnology for military purposes, including the creation of “genetically enhanced soldiers.” The report also states that “biotechnology’s impact on surveillance could be … transformative.”

The report argues that biology could revolutionize warfare just as airpower did in the 20th century, promising new advantages in stealth, logistics, and real-time physiological monitoring of soldiers. It calls for “a fundamental rethinking” of how the U.S. uses biotech in combat.

“Biotechnology also promises new advantages in stealth and mobility. Dynamic biological camouflage, for instance, could shield warfighters from thermal detection, while wearable biosensors could adjust mission parameters based on real-time physiological data. Taken together, these advances demand a fundamental rethinking of how biology supports sustained, agile military operations, revolutionizing what it means to defend the U.S., including building for, nourishing, and healing forces in the field.”

The report argues that “winning” the global biotech race will “require de-risking the domestic production of defense-related biotechnology products” and changing “military specifications” to enable biotechnology companies to sell their products to the Pentagon more easily. Repeated references are also made to the need to “reduce or remove regulatory hurdles for familiar products.” Although the report never defines “familiar products,” the term may refer to controversial and experimental technologies such as CRISPR gene editing and mRNA therapeutics.

This video is about why people who claim that the end of woke is good for the left are wrong and why I'm going to get woker than ever

Cinco de Mayo (Mexican Spanish: [ˈsiŋko ðe ˈmaʝo]; Spanish for 'Fifth of May') is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, however, and a larger French force ultimately defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla and then occupied Mexico City.

More popular in the United States than in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo became associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. Celebrations began in Columbia, California, where they have been observed annually since 1862. The day gained nationwide popularity beyond those of Mexican-American heritage in the 1980s due to advertising campaigns by beer, wine, and tequila companies; today, Cinco de Mayo generates beer sales on par with the Super Bowl. In Mexico, the commemoration of the battle continues to be mostly ceremonial, such as through military parades or battle reenactments. The city of Puebla marks the event with various festivals and reenactments of the battle.

Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken for Mexican Independence Day—the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16, commemorating the Cry of Dolores in 1810, which initiated the Mexican War of Independence from Spain.