The Trump administration has dropped its case against a former Olympic canoeist charged in connection with damage to the Reflecting Pool, acknowledging their allegations against David “Davey” Hearn don’t hold water. In a filing Friday afternoon, a supervisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is headed by Jeanine Pirro, wrote that officials obtained information that undermined “the evidentiary basis for the indictment” against Hearn. Prosecutors said that after the indictment came down on July 2, the Interior Department provided additional documents to the U.S. Attorney’s Office “indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.” DOJ said it “first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism” after reviewing more documents. “Had [the Interior Department] been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment,” the filing said. DOJ said when it presented the case to a grand jury, it was “not in possession of any information from DOI indicating that any damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by anything other than the actions of the defendant and other vandals who damaged the pool’s lining.” The Justice Department filing said that based on its review of evidence, “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-administration-drops-reflecting-pool-case-blaming-damage-botched-rcna590303

For the preppers: https://waterbob.com/

@wtg OMG I forgot all about that!!!

Republican Sen. John Cornyn continues to block Todd Blanche's path to confirmation as attorney general, saying Thursday morning that there were "new complications." Cornyn is demanding the Department of Justice put in writing that the nearly $1.8 billion so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is officially dead, and that the scope of President Donald Trump's immunity deal with the IRS be narrowed. "I know that Todd Blanch understands it, but I think he's probably getting some pushback from the White House, and that's making things more complicated than there needs to be," Cornyn told ABC News. https://abcnews.com/Politics/gops-cornyn-continues-block-todd-blanche-attorney-general/story?id=135228494 Too bad it took getting primaried for him to develop a spine....

A man from India told a group in Moab. People in the western world spend too much time thinking about death. You will die, successfully.

Very clever, especially if you’re heating your entire town by burning wood chips.

Around here I see only walleye and lake perch. I wonder why no one talks about whitefish?

My fellow Chicagoans will recognize the name... Ann Sather's Cinnamon Rolls https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/01/11/on-a-roll-56/ ANN SATHER’S CINNAMON ROLLS Makes 12 rolls 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees) 1 cup milk, scalded, cooled 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon Powdered sugar glaze, optional, recipe follows In a large bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in milk, melted butter, 1/3 cup sugar, salt and 1 cup flour. Beat with a spoon or an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in 11/2 cups flour, keeping the dough smooth. If the dough is still moist, stir in 1 tablespoon flour at a time to make a soft dough. Cover with a dry cloth and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the raised dough in half. On a lightly oiled board, roll out (with a lightly floured rolling pin) and stretch 1 piece of dough to make a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Spread 2 tablespoons of the soft butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Beginning on the long side, roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion. Repeat with remaining dough. Cut the dough into 2-inch slices. Place on greased and floured baking sheets. Let the dough rise (in a warm place) until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Take the baking sheets out of the oven and place the cinnamon rolls on a wire rack to cool. Top rolls with a sugar glaze immediately, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. POWDERED SUGAR ICING Makes 1/2 cup 1 cup sifted powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon milk, plus additional as needed Combine sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing is loose enough to drizzle.

Impeachment? Does he have a way to get the Senate to vote for impeachment?

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/climate/trump-federal-data-centers.html Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.

@AndyD Very beautiful house and location. Isn't all that far from Glasgow--as a crow flies, but 3 hours one way due to waterways. $10.5K/month for 30 years. Yikes.

At least give him that cognitive test that Trump always says he aces.

Not sure I should be surprised. I thought it's well established that sleep duration is not the same as sleep quality. There has got to be better comparisons than to sleep duration.

He can afford them now

@AndyD Beautiful!

The 2026 Fields Medal Link to video

In New York harbor it’s about more than shells. Oyster farming has come back in a big way. . It’s partly a method of having oysters clean the water, but oysters were a significant food source here decades ago.

No real harm done as long as no genetically compromised offspring is conceived.