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 Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes on Russia hit a major natural gas plant and satellite centers
The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons.


Ukrainian forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in their latest nighttime attacks on Russia, Ukraine’s General Staff said Wednesday.

The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.

In response, Moscow has ordered the redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland.

“It is important that as many Russians as possible come to understand that it is the Russian leadership’s rejection of diplomacy that is prolonging the war,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Zelenskyy has accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused.

In northern Ukraine, meanwhile, military officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for communities and settlements in the Chernihiv region bordering Belarus starting July 1, according to Viacheslav Chaus, the head of regional military administration, in a statement on his Telegram channel.

Last month, Zelenskyy said his intelligence services had learned Moscow recently stepped up efforts to “draw Belarus much deeper into the war” and launch operations from Belarusian territory. He said he ordered the military and security agencies to prepare a response and strengthen northern defenses. Belarus and Russia denied Zelenskyy’s claim.

Last paragraph. Don't want you to miss it-short. Constitution gives states and Congress power over running elections, but NOT the president

Trump can't require voters to present citizenship docs to register, judge says-USA Today

A Massachusetts federal judge ruled June 24 that President Donald Trump's requirement that potential voters present documentation proving their citizenship in order to register to vote exceeded his authority.

The ruling marks the latest legal blow to the requirement, which was part of an executive order Trump signed in March 2025. The provision would have required state and local officials to report details of citizenship documentation on a national form used for voter registration applications.

U.S. citizenship is a requirement to vote in America, and registration forms already require people to attest to being a citizen. Some states have argued that requiring applicants to provide documentary proof of their citizenship could pose a significant barrier to voting because several forms of government ID don't include citizenship information, and many Americans don't have passports.

Judge Denise Casper, an Obama appointee, agreed with several Democratic-led states that the requirement exceeded Trump's presidential authority under the Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 law that establishes voter registration procedures.

The Constitution's first article explicitly gives states and Congress power over running elections, but not the president.

In case you needed any more proof Trump was a white supremacist racist

Trump is planning white nationalist goodie bags for Afrikaner refugees
Trump intends to inculcate incoming white South Africans with right-wing propaganda, according to a New York Times report.
Jun. 24, 2026, 5:39 PM EDT

When white South African refugees enter the United States in the coming weeks, they reportedly can expect a special treat: a gift bag containing an Android tablet, copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and an American flag. Oh, and one more perk: literature that argues white people in South Africa and the U.S. are victims of discrimination — and that the U.S. Civil Rights Movement was misguided.

That’s the plan that’s being finalized in the Trump administration, according to a new story from The New York Times, which cites government documents and an official familiar with the matter, and observes that welcome gifts of this kind are “unusual.” These welcome bags are a brazen expression of white nationalism. And remarkably, they represent the White House doing exactly what MAGA conspiracy theorists love to (ludicrously) accuse the left of trying to do: Use immigration policy to boost its political fortunes.

Literature reportedly included in the bags encourages incoming Afrikaners to align themselves culturally and politically with the MAGA movement.

My dad and I were playing my aunt and black sheep bro in pinochle, until he had a melt down and quit.  Then my boys, who had never played before played with me and my aunt.  I hadn't played since I was maybe 16 or 17 years old, but it came back quick. 

My German side used to play a similar game called 66.

We played euchre in Ohio.

My folks and aunt came for trivia with my black sheep bro.  I didn't think he was coming cause my sister doesn't like him.  My hulk bro and his wife came too.  With me and my son there too, we had to have two teams.  You can only have 6 people on a team.  I was on my sister's team with my hulk bro and his wife and my sister's kids. 

My sister and black sheep bro had a heated rivalry and we were up by about 3 points for final jeopardy, where you can bet how ever many points you have or less than the total that you have.  The topic for the final question was "empires".  The final question was this famous director, despite being world renowned for creating 100s of characters, has only directed 6 films since 1971.  My hulk bro who loved Star Wars as a kid whispered to my sister.  Then, I whispered to her George Lucas, which is what my hulk bro just whispered unbeknownst to me.  That was the answer.

My black sheep brother and folks guessed Alfred Hitchcock and lost.

My sister was so happy we won.

Trivia was all about movies, which isn't my strong suit.

Our team placed 6th and there was probably 18 teams. 

I told my sister, who asked me, what the two teams should be, that the best team would have her, me, and my dad on it.  She laughed and said we can't put the 3 most knowledgeable of us on the same team and do that to the other team of my family members.  We had to be split up, but she was adamant I was on her team.  I am not terribly great at movie trivia.  I watch a lot less movies than I did 15+ years ago.

The bartenders were happy to see me.  They hadn't seen me since after my accident, when my arm was in a cast.

I actually had pinochle in my hand, which is having both queen of spades, and both jack of diamonds.  I had both queen of spades and jack of diamonds in my hand.  That's 40 points.  I had never had that before when I had played.

My aunt and uncle were friends with Ron Santo.  He was in or at their wedding.  He was on my uncles bowling team.  She said that's how they met.  If you don't know them already, how the eff do you get put on an MLB player's bowling team, even back then?

This is my uncle who knew the Spilotro brothers.

I didn't know they knew Ron Santo, much less that he was at their wedding.

Senate walks back rebuke of Trump over Iran war

A vote on War Powers Resolution failed

Cassidy voted against it despite voting for yesterday and tense exchange with Trump today. He said he needed more information on war. Received briefing claims satisfied him from Vance and Witkoff

Paul voted present saying position on war not changed but in respect of Trump wishes to help negotiating position.

Collins and Murkowski voted for it and Fetterman again only Democrat voted for war.

Final vote was 47-50-1