July 1, 2022

Beau of the Fifth Column: Let's talk about a meme and question for conservatives....

July 1, 2022

Revealing the hidden casualties of one elite Russian regiment in Ukraine - BBC News

Amid reports of low morale and high casualty numbers in Ukraine's Donbas, BBC Newsnight revisits Russia's 331st Guards Parachute Regiment, considered "the best of the best."

The Donbas has become a battle of attrition with high casualties on both sides, BBC Newsnight charts the impact of the war on the Russian side from the 331st regiment's home in Kostroma to the evolution of symbols painted on their tanks.

In April, we confirmed 39 soldiers had been killed but now BBC Newsnight estimates the total number of casualties to be between 400-500, almost half of the regiment's strength from the beginning of the war.

Newsnight's Diplomatic Editor Mark Urban analyses official and social Russian media to continue the story of the elite unit who are still trapped in a conflict that's claiming more and more lives.

This film was produced by Louis Harris-White and Maria Jevstafjeva.

July 1, 2022

Ukraine war: A virtual testing ground for cyber-warfare - Al Jazeera

Experts say the war in Ukraine has become a virtual testing ground for Russian and Ukrainian experiments in cyber-warfare.
And this will have implications for global security, as Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports from Kyiv, Ukraine.

July 1, 2022

Hong Kong: What's happened in 25 years of Chinese rule? - Al Jazeera

Since China took over in 1997, Hong Kong has gone from promises of democracy to a crackdown on dissent and uncompromising rule by Beijing. Here’s a look back at what’s happened.

July 1, 2022

Rep. Liz Cheney is 'confident' in former aide's testimony - ABC News

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said she is “confident” in former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's “credibility and testimony,” during an interview on “This Week.”

July 1, 2022

What's next for Russia? - ABC News

Is Russia on the verge of becoming a pariah state after invading Ukraine or will it be welcomed back by the international community?

July 1, 2022

Three Austin-based advocacy groups sue TxDOT over I-35 expansion through Central Texas

Three Austin-based advocacy groups are suing the Texas Department of Transportation over plans to expand 28 miles of Interstate 35 through Central Texas, claiming that the agency improperly split the project into three parts and has failed to properly study its overall impact.

Rethink35, Texas Public Interest Research Group and Environment Texas filed the lawsuit, which asks the court to require TxDOT to reassess the entire project, consider its environmental impact and present meaningful alternatives to the current proposal.

TxDOT’s current plan — which calls for expanding 28 miles of I-35 from the south end of Round Rock to just north of Buda — has been in the works for years, with funding approved for parts of the project in 2019.

Adam Greenfield, executive director of Rethink35, said his group's position is that the project can't legally be split into north, central and south segments because all three are connected as part of a larger single project.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2022/06/29/austin-advocacy-groups-sue-txdot-i-35-expansion-traffic-congestion/7757674001/

July 1, 2022

Grand Prairie man requested public records -- and got $406,386 bill from school district

The request is overly vague and would take employees more than 22,000 hours to fulfill, Grand Prairie ISD says


Malcom Chakery is no stranger to Grand Prairie politics.

Chakery is editor of the online Grand Prairie News and founder of a 26,000-member Facebook page dedicated to all things Grand Prairie.

He is also a frequent critic of the school board for Grand Prairie ISD, where his two children attend school.

So when Chakery received an anonymous tip about a discrimination complaint involving a district employee, he shot off a public information request.

The school district’s reply? The records would cost Chakery $406,386.

“Receiving that cost estimate wasn’t all that shocking. Disappointing, yes, but in past dealings with Grand Prairie ISD, I have come to expect curveballs,” Chakery told The Dallas Morning News.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/06/30/grand-prairie-man-requested-public-records-and-got-406386-bill-from-school-district/

July 1, 2022

Without authority, Attorney General Ken Paxton declares an 'agency holiday'

Watchdog Dave Lieber: Paxton’s whim could cost taxpayers a half million dollars in lost work.


The one time I’ve seen embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was when I was leaving a luncheon and he was walking in. His face was familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I thought that he’s a Dallas Cowboys assistant coach or something.

When I got in the car, my wife Karen said, “That’s Ken Paxton.”

To me, he looks like a little man in his photographs, but he’s actually much taller than I imagined.

He’s still a little man.

The chief state law enforcement lawyer has faced legal troubles since before he took office almost eight years ago. My beef with him is he’d rather step into national politics (he spoke at the Jan. 6 rally before the attack on the U.S. Capitol: “We’re Texans. We’re Americans, and we’re not quitting,”) than work harder to protect Texas consumers from scammers and criminals.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2022/06/30/without-authority-attorney-general-ken-paxton-declares-an-agency-holiday/

July 1, 2022

Beau of the Fifth Column: Let's talk about finding your community network....