Bayard
Bayard's JournalSupreme Court Upholds Block to Trump's Chicago Military Takeover
President Donald Trump’s military takeover of Chicago will not go forward after the Supreme Court Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling halting his attempt to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the city.
The court’s long-awaited 6-3 decision deals a significant blow to Trump’s authoritarian goal of exerting military control over cities and integrating soldiers into routine policing. The ruling will likely also undermine his military intervention in Los Angeles and his attempted deployment in Portland, Oregon.
(snip)
The Supreme Court Tuesday determined that because the term “regular forces” in Title 10 likely refers to the traditional forces of the U.S. military — such as the Army, Navy and Air Force — Trump did not have authority to federalize Illinois Guard members.
“This interpretation means that to call the Guard into active federal service under §12406(3), the President must be ‘unable’ with the regular military ‘to execute the laws of the United States,’” the unsigned majority opinion reads.
The majority further stated that because the Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits using the military in civilian law enforcement purposes under normal circumstances, Trump likely would be unable to use the traditional military in Chicago.
“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the majority said. “The President has not invoked a statute that provides an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act.”
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/supreme-court-trump-national-guard-chicago-deployment/
Gov. Beshear: Kentucky, States Win Challenge
From official email:
Gov. Beshear: Kentucky, States Win Challenge Against Trump’s Dangerous Housing Policy; $21 Million In Funding To Be Restored
Governor joined lawsuit to protect housing for 700 households and 1,200 Kentuckians
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 23, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Kentucky, 19 other states and the District of Columbia and demanded that the Trump administration restore federal funding for housing support through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). More than $21 million in unlawfully held funds will now be processed for housing efforts in the commonwealth, supporting veterans, seniors, families with children and individuals with disabilities.
“We should be finding ways to solve homelessness, not cause it, and unlawfully holding this congressionally approved funding was a dangerous step that would put thousands of Kentuckians and millions of Americans at risk of losing their home,” said Gov. Beshear. “As Governor, it’s my job to stand up for our people and I am thankful that today’s ruling will protect housing for 700 households and 1,200 Kentuckians.”
In November, the Governor joined the lawsuit, which focused on proposed changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, a federal program that directs funding to keep families with children, seniors, veterans and disabled persons housed. The changes would have put a 30% cap on funding that states can receive for permanent supportive housing projects and would have required states to re-apply for money previously approved by Congress and awarded in 2024. Now, that funding will be processed without the need to re-apply.
Kentucky was at risk of losing 70% of the more than $15 million currently approved that supports permanent supportive housing in 118 of the state’s 120 counties. The cap would have also negatively impacted more than $20 million in federal funding for rental assistance and supportive assistance for homeless Kentuckians.
The other states represented in the challenge are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia.
Time for a review of this little 1950's trump gem
Just glue a yellow hamster on this guy's head.
Blathering lies
We knew that's what trump was going to do, but OMG! Every single sentence is a lie. Black is white, and white is black. Biden and the Dems are just incredibly corrupt, and left the country in harrible shape. Then, we got a, "real president," where we now have the greatest economy the country has ever had. There's no unemployment. We're making tons of money off tariffs. Yada, yada, and more yada.
Since the sound of his voice makes me nauseous, I was watching closed caption, and lasted about 15 minutes.
All 1,600 Kentucky battery plant employees laid off as Ford pivots away from EV business
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- All 1,600 employees of the brand new electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky will be laid off before Ford converts it to manufacture batteries for data centers and other utilities.
Ford will turn the Glendale factory into a battery-storage business for customers such as utilities, wind- and solar-power developers, and massive data centers that train artificial intelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. And Ford announced Monday it plans to begin shipping the battery energy storage systems from its Kentucky and Michigan plants in Late 2027, a shift to "higher-return opportunities." In total, the company said it'll take a $19.5 billion hit to its profit as it transitions away from the EV business.
"Instead of plowing billions into the future knowing these large EVs will never make money, we are pivoting," Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said in an interview with the WSJ. In a video statement sent to employees Monday, Michael Adams, CEO of BlueOval SK — the original joint venture between Ford and SK On — said this shift would lead to "the end of all BlueOval SK Positions in Kentucky." Adams didn't give a timeframe for those layoffs, though he said employees will have access to benefits and continue to receive paychecks for the next 60 days.
Ford plans to hire 2,100 employees for the new iteration of the Glendale plant, and a company spokesperson said Monday that all those laid off will have the "opportunity to apply" for those new jobs. "This is a customer-driven shift to create a stronger, more resilient and more profitable Ford," Farley said in a news release Monday. "The operating reality has changed, and we are redeploying capital into higher-return growth opportunities: Ford Pro, our market-leading trucks and vans, hybrids and high-margin opportunities like our new battery energy storage business." In an interview with WDRB News in June, Adams said they were prepared to pivot away from their original business if the demand for EVs proved to not meet their production."
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said through a spokesperson Monday that the state will remain the "EV battery capital of the U.S. ... despite the President's shortsighted attacks on the industry." Beshear said he's in direct contact with Ford leadership on a restructured future project. "Right now, our primary focus is helping the affected BlueOval employees find new jobs," he said. "Team Kentucky is coordinating with company and community leaders to directly support these employees, in addition to planning job fairs and creating a website offering resources." Beshear's office said the terms of the incentive agreement are being renegotiated. "We are talking with Ford about it right now," Beshear said during an event in Louisville Monday evening.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ford has lost $13 billion on its EV business since 2023.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/ford-will-lay-off-all-1-600-kentucky-battery-plant-employees-as-it-pivots-away/article_32ef2a58-eb9d-4bf4-820d-c2417b6793ea.html
Thanks again, Big Orange Turd.
In Major Escalation, Trump DOJ Sues Fulton County, Georgia for 2020 Ballots
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Fulton County, Georgia, seeking ballots and other election records from the 2020 presidential vote. The lawsuit, which a pro-voting group condemned as a “terrible overstep of power,” is a major escalation in the Trump administration’s dangerous effort to revive President Donald Trump’s fraudulent claims that the election was stolen.
In reality, Trump lost the race by a significant margin and his repeated allegations of fraud have been widely debunked. In a new lawsuit, the DOJ is demanding “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County.” The suit, filed Friday on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s behalf by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, marks the first time the DOJ has sued to obtain actual ballots from state or local officials as part of its pursuit of a myriad of election conspiracies.
The lawsuit is also the latest move in an effort backed by far-right members of the State Election Board of Georgia and anti-voting allies of the president to probe false claims of voter fraud in Fulton County, the state’s largest county and a Democratic stronghold. Over two years ago, the State Election Board cleared Fulton County election workers and officials of alleged misconduct after a lengthy investigation. However, the Republican-controlled state election board sought to reopen a probe into Fulton County over the summer by asking the DOJ for assistance in obtaining voting records and documents related to the 2020 contest. Election conspiracists, too, have urged the DOJ to get involved in efforts to obtain the records.
While Dhillon’s lawsuit makes the demand for Fulton County ballots official, it wasn’t the DOJ’s first attempt at securing access. In August, Ed Martin, head of the DOJ’s vague weaponization task force, reportedly sent a letter to a Fulton County judge demanding to “immediately access” 148,000 absentee ballots being stored in a ballot warehouse. In October, Dhillon, again on Bondi’s behalf, sent the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections a letter demanding the records.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/doj-fulton-county-georgia-demands-2020-election-ballots/
Gray hair may have evolved as a protection against cancer
Aging comes with graying hair, which may be a sign of the body lowering its risk of cancer, a study suggests.Cancer-causing triggers, such as ultraviolet (UV) light or certain chemicals, activate a natural defensive pathway that leads to premature graying but also reduces the incidence of cancer, the research found.
The researchers behind the study tracked the fate of the stem cells responsible for producing the pigment that gives hair its color. In mouse experiments, they found that these cells responded to DNA damage either by ceasing to grow and divide — leading to gray hair — or by replicating uncontrollably to ultimately form a tumor. The findings, reported in October in the journal Nature Cell Biology, underline the importance of these sorts of protective mechanisms that emerge with age as a defense against DNA damage and disease, the study authors say.
Graying hair as cancer defense
Healthy hair growth is dependent on a population of stem cells that constantly renews itself within the hair follicle. A tiny pocket within the follicle contains reserves of melanocyte stem cells — precursors to the cells that produce the melanin pigment that gives hair its color. "Every hair cycle, these melanocyte stem cells will divide and produce some mature, differentiated cells," said Dot Bennett, a cell biologist at City St George's, University of London who was not involved in the study. "These migrate down to the bottom of the hair follicle and start making pigment to feed into the hair." Graying occurs when these cells can no longer produce sufficient pigment to thoroughly color each strand.
"It's a sort of exhaustion called cell senescence," Bennett explained. "It's a limit to the total number of divisions that a cell can go through, and it seems to be an anti-cancer mechanism to prevent random genetic errors acquired over time propagating uncontrollably."
When the melanocyte stem cells reach this "stemness checkpoint," they cease to divide, meaning the follicle no longer has a source of pigment to color the hair. Ordinarily, this occurs with old age as the stem cells naturally reach this limit. However, Emi Nishimura, a professor of stem cell age-related medicine, and colleagues at the University of Tokyo were interested in how this same mechanism operates in response to DNA damage — a key trigger for cancer development.
https://www.livescience.com/health/ageing/gray-hair-may-have-evolved-as-a-protection-against-cancer-study-hints
Mysterious X-ray signal from deep space may be the scream of a star ripped apart by two black holes
A strange X-ray signal spotted decades ago may be the result of a star that got attacked by two black holes, one after the other.About 3 billion years ago, a hapless star got caught in a twisted tug-of-war between two gigantic black holes — and now, we are seeing the faint screams of X-rays emanating from this violent event. If confirmed, it could be the most distant episode of two black holes attacking a star ever seen.
An international team of astronomers reported their decades-long observation of the faintest known variable X-ray flare in a paper accepted for publication in the journal The Innovation in November. The X-ray source, named XID 925, was first spotted in 1999 within the Chandra X-ray Observatory's Deep Field South survey, the deepest and most complete X-ray survey ever taken. Since then, astronomers have kept a close eye on it, watching as what was initially a bright pinprick of radiation fell dimmer and dimmer, reaching just a paltry one-fortieth of its initially observed peak.
Making stellar spaghetti
A bright surge in X-rays followed by a long span of dimming is exactly what astronomers expect from violent encounters called tidal disruption events (TDEs), which happen when a star wanders too close to a supermassive black hole. Before the star is swallowed by the monster's event horizon (the point of no return), the black hole's enormous gravity rips the star to shreds — a process cutely dubbed "spaghettification," as if the star were being pulled into a thin strand of pasta.
The stellar material then settles into a thin, rapidly rotating disk just outside the black hole. The energy released by this process makes the gas so hot that it emits X-ray radiation that's visible even from the other side of the universe. Then, the material funnels its way to the gaping maw of the black hole itself, and the disk loses brightness. XID 925 was already remarkable, as it was one of the most distant and faintest known TDEs ever recorded. But in 1999, it all went haywire. Between January and March of that year, XID 925 rapidly and unexpectedly brightened by a factor of 27. Then, the X-ray brightness collapsed just as quickly as it appeared, and XID 925 continued to fade from the scene.
https://www.livescience.com/space/black-holes/mysterious-x-ray-signal-from-deep-space-may-be-the-scream-of-a-star-ripped-apart-by-two-black-holes
'It's heartbreaking': how 30 captive beluga whales have become pawns in row over animal cruelty
As the government, Marineland of Canada and activists remain at loggerheads over whales’ fate, health and freedom of beloved animals hangs in balance Jelly Bean’s son Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.
Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists. But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.
After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, Marineland of Canada, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held, threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation. Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand at Marineland.
Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators. “Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust and understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/26/canada-captive-beluga-whales
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