Althouse: Sunrise, between the rains..

June 8, 2026

Sunrise, between the rains..

Write about whatever you want in the comments.

68 comments:

gilbar said...: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/08/utsunomiya-city-japan-bear-sighting-all-primary-secondary-schools-shut

Japanese city shuts down nearly 100 schools after unprecedented bear sighting
Police and hunters in Utsunomiya, 100km north of the capital, resume their search for animal that is not usually seen so close to Tokyo

Officials "took action after a medium-sized black bear – estimated to be about one-metre-long – was seen near a park in the city on Saturday. The bear was spotted again on CCTV running just in front of two startled young men in the city centre.."

to REPEAT!
a medium sized bear.. the size of a medium sized bear!; 6/8/26, 7:13 PM
Eva Marie said...: That’s barely a bear.; 6/8/26, 7:15 PM
narciso said...: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/first-us-test-of-modular-reactor-reaches-criticality/; 6/8/26, 7:17 PM
rehajm said...: …It’s like a bulked up mosquito that skips leg day wearing a mask and a nun habit flowing in the wind like Sally Field…; 6/8/26, 7:18 PM
narciso said...: Grin and bear it; 6/8/26, 7:19 PM
rehajm said...: Nobody told us Rosie was back in the US for the summer…but Trump is still President.; 6/8/26, 7:32 PM
rehajm said...: what did we do to deserve that?; 6/8/26, 7:32 PM
narciso said...: ☕️ CHINKS IN THE PLOT ARMOR ☙ Monday, June 8, 2026 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠 https://share.google/gbpVHKwtRmeuU9cqG; 6/8/26, 7:34 PM
narciso said...: Snakes...you know the drill; 6/8/26, 7:35 PM
Christopher B said...: I'm with Eva and rehajm. A 3 foot and change "long" bear? I suspect some translation hallucination by AI.; 6/8/26, 7:37 PM
narciso said...: Thats a bit bigger then bubu; 6/8/26, 7:37 PM
tcrosse said...: Is this one of those bears moving out of Chicago?; 6/8/26, 7:39 PM
tcrosse said...: Does the bear shit in the tatami?; 6/8/26, 7:41 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: World Cup about to start. USA v. Paraguay tickets only $200, but Switzerland v. Qatar is almost $500. Lot of wealthy shieks no doubt showing up to see their team.

NBA finals are still going. NK knicks are incredibly boring team but seems on their way to victory. NBA needs another superstar like Lebron, Magic, MJ.; 6/8/26, 7:42 PM
Quayle said...: A Texas State Court enjoined the NCAA from banning Texas Tech quarterback from playing this season. The Texas Tech quarterback admitted to gambling chronically for years and even gambling on games in which he was playing. The once unthinkable is becoming, sadly, more believable.; 6/8/26, 7:42 PM
narciso said...: Qatar owns two teams paris st germain and barcelona; 6/8/26, 7:43 PM
Humperdink said...: Not sure why Japanese black bears are different (read: aggressive) than the Pennsylvania variety. I’ve had multiple run-ins with black bears. They took off at the sight of me. Thankfully no cubs or it may have a different story.; 6/8/26, 7:49 PM
Achilles said...: And now Europe has surrendered to Trump.

Lloyd's of London bends the knee as the British citizens start sharpening the pitchforks.

This is what America First actually looks like.; 6/8/26, 7:54 PM
narciso said...: Its about time; 6/8/26, 7:56 PM
narciso said...: I dont recall if the bears in the pocono zoo (a lifetime ago) were from pennsylvani; 6/8/26, 7:57 PM
Mason G said...: File under "Who Could Have Seen *That* Coming?"...

🚨 SOCIALIST SEATTLE MAYOR CRIES as Largest Bagel Franchise OFFICIALLY Shuts Down For Good! 🔥 👉

After 25 years and serving over 7 million bagels, Blazing Bagels — Seattle’s iconic local chain with 5 locations — has collapsed. Employees were stunned when they received a sudden email Thursday night: effective immediately, all locations closed, no warning, no severance.

The family business survived recessions and a pandemic, but couldn’t survive Seattle’s crushing $21.30 minimum wage, skyrocketing taxes, and anti-business policies. With downtown office vacancy at a record 35.6%, more restaurants are shuttering while Mayor Katie Wilson responds to fleeing businesses with one word: “Bye.”

Hardworking employees are now jobless, and communities are losing beloved institutions.

https://x.com/GOP_is_Gutless/status/2063744203054882876; 6/8/26, 8:06 PM
narciso said...: Stephen L. Miller on X: "False. https://t.co/MTKDMiwlib" / X https://share.google/DSbK44vOPBdINXoct; 6/8/26, 8:08 PM
Humperdink said...: Things I didn’t know: Private shareholders own 22.8% of Mercedes Benz. The two largest private shareholders are Beijing Automotive Group which owns 9.98% and Li Shufu who owns 9.69%. Li Shufu is a Chinese billionaire, who also owns Geely.

Trump has stated no Chinese autos in the U.S. Mercedes is sweating a bit about that pronouncement (Chines content). This will be fun to watch. Canada has already caved to their Chinese friends importing their EV’s. No surprise.; 6/8/26, 8:09 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...: How closely will Trump’s makeup tonight match the Knicks orange logo?

If Trump can avoid falling asleep or shitting himself during tonight’s Knicks game, he can win the expectations game.; 6/8/26, 8:11 PM
narciso said...: Much like deutsche bank and hna one of chinas largest bank

They owned a piece of rosneft (the russian oil company); 6/8/26, 8:14 PM
Humperdink said...: You’re a real of work Excursion.; 6/8/26, 8:16 PM
narciso said...: Remember how the journalists looked on obama (the general concensus was nc 17); 6/8/26, 8:16 PM
Big Mike said...: Humperdink said...

Not sure why Japanese black bears are different (read: aggressive) than the Pennsylvania variety.

Different species, for one thing.; 6/8/26, 8:18 PM
Humperdink said...: “piece of work”; 6/8/26, 8:23 PM
James K said...: One thing we can be sure of is that if the Knicks lose, it will be Trump's fault.; 6/8/26, 8:26 PM
Meade said...: Piece of something.; 6/8/26, 8:30 PM
Humperdink said...: Spurs up by 14, middle of the second. Meaningless though. Just watch the last 5 minutes of the game.; 6/8/26, 8:31 PM
Beasts of England said...: June is my tag renewal month and I decided to get a customized plate. There’s a website you can apply for the tag type and verbiage and reserve it for five days. I entered my data (an abbreviation of my favorite Widespread Panic song) and received an email that it was on hold but that it was not approved, and I needed to apply in person.

I went to the courthouse and told them about the hold and they called down to Montgomery for clarification. The tag people at the state wanted to know what the letters meant. I explained it to the clerk who relayed it to them. Still not good enough.

Since it’s a Gadsden Flag plate, they wanted to make sure it wasn’t a secret alt-right message or something. I’m not kidding. They searched the web, googled the band and the song, and even checked the Urban Dictionary before finally approving it. Too funny…

Next time I’ll just pick a J.J. Cale tune and apply for COCAINE. :); 6/8/26, 8:32 PM
narciso said...: In montgomery they give you guff; 6/8/26, 8:34 PM
Big Mike said...: Fun fact: the Asian Black Bear is also called the “Moon Bear” because it has a cream-colored patch high on its chest, shaped between a shallow V and a quarter moon.

Another fun fact: the species is comfortable walking bipedally for hundreds of yards at a crack, and some zoologists have expressed a belief that the Tibetan Yeti tracks might have been made by an Asian Black Bear.; 6/8/26, 8:34 PM
narciso said...: Heh

ICC Anti-Israel Prosecutor Karim Khan Suspended In Sexual Misconduct Probe https://share.google/QbRot8yWlNTqcrNaS; 6/8/26, 8:39 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...: The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. Trump doesn’t yet have a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So why does it feel like he does?; 6/8/26, 8:40 PM
Iman said...: C’mon Spurs!!!; 6/8/26, 8:40 PM
narciso said...: Carrie Severino on X: "The violent rhetoric aimed at the Supreme Court has inspired a pattern of intimidation, threats, and attacks against the justices, with the latest being the swatting incident at Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home. The justices are public servants. The ongoing harassment of https://t.co/UrKrbsrM6l" / X https://share.google/E8tcxprJVHdVklOxt; 6/8/26, 8:45 PM
narciso said...: Were they favored?; 6/8/26, 8:47 PM
bagoh20 said...: "Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has a secret “break the glass” plan to prevent California from electing a Republican governor. He recently signed a law that states mail in ballots signatures do not have to match.
SB73 Section 3. Clause F reads : (f) A vote by mail voter observer shall not be permitted to challenge a signature on a vote by mail ballot..."

What we mean by Make America Great Again is getting clearer every day. We are at a crossroad.; 6/8/26, 8:49 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Meanwhile; "Georgia has not eliminated property taxes, but Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to provide homeowner relief by capping annual property tax assessment increases at the rate of inflation. Local municipalities may also hold referendums to implement a sales tax to further offset property taxes."

"Georgia’s population increased to over 11.3 million residents. The state's growth is accelerating at a rate of 0.88% annually, adding over 98,500 new residents. This outpaces the national growth average, and is driven primarily by international immigration and domestic migration."; 6/8/26, 8:55 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...: State election officials testifying under oath say that voting by mail is secure. But an AI video in the MAGA2028 Facebook group says it’s rife with fraud. For the busy Althouse commentariat, it can be hard to know who to trust.

All the election fraud nonsense from MAGA for 6 years -- court cases, airtime, hearings, investigations, conspiracies, audits -- all due to one single reason:

Trump has never admitted that he lost a contest in his entire life.

So an entire party must sound like idiots.; 6/8/26, 9:01 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I saw something about using a death certificate as an identity proof of eligibility to vote. I couldn't look into it until now.

"No, it is not true that any state has approved death certificates as a valid form of identification to vote."; 6/8/26, 9:02 PM
Original Mike said...: "For the busy Althouse commentariat, it can be hard to know who to trust."

Easier to know who not to trust.; 6/8/26, 9:03 PM
bagoh20 said...: Gong to the Stanley Cup Game in Vegas tomorrow. I picked game four hoping for a Golden Knights sweep, but the Hurricanes pulled out the second game after trailing most of it. A great series so far: high scoring, going back and forth, and 2 of 3 games have gone into sudden death overtime. Vegas is great place to see a hockey game. Fans are loving and well behaved, even friendly with opposing fans. You walk out of the game and you are right on the Vegas strip. Same with football games, and soon, baseball as the new ballpark is going up fast on the former sight of the Tropicana. Vegas know how to build stuff, and fast. Go Knights Go!!!; 6/8/26, 9:08 PM
Aggie said...: "....ICC Anti-Israel Prosecutor Karim Khan Suspended In Sexual Misconduct Probe....."

Suspended how? What kind of probe, exactly?; 6/8/26, 9:13 PM
bagoh20 said...: "... it can be hard to know who to trust "

Yea, that's not the problem. Election integrity should not be on the honor system. BTW, who do you trust?; 6/8/26, 9:13 PM
bagoh20 said...: CA already turned down the signature verification system sensitivity to 40%, and now you can't even dispute signatures that fail that. Yep, very secure. I mean, the bureaucrats in the one-party government said so. You would have to be dumb to not trust them.; 6/8/26, 9:20 PM
Achilles said...: Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

State election officials testifying under oath say that voting by mail is secure. But an AI video in the MAGA2028 Facebook group says it’s rife with fraud. For the busy Althouse commentariat, it can be hard to know who to trust.

LOL!

Imagine being this fucking stupid.; 6/8/26, 9:21 PM
Humperdink said...: California State Portal: “Yes, you can mail your California vote-by-mail ballot to any county elections office, but it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after Election Day to be counted.”

Or I suppose all of the counties, assuming you have a copy machine.; 6/8/26, 9:23 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: The California Democrats have made if clear they can be trusted to do only one thing - make sure the Democrats win. There's a lot of $$ at stake. General Fund spending for Calf is expected to be $250 billion.

Its just the old Chicago/NJ/Tamney Hall machine. Only on a massive scale. And the political crooks have tans and College degrees.; 6/8/26, 9:23 PM
bagoh20 said...: I could defend myself against a 3-foot bear with a 1 foot cat and a pair of welding gloves.; 6/8/26, 9:24 PM
Humperdink said...: Commies in California and on the AA blog defend the indefensible. Platnikov also comes to mind.; 6/8/26, 9:29 PM
bagoh20 said...: Who believes that ballots that arrive without a postmark in California are being discarded? If you do, I wonder if you might be willing to invest is a new CA bullet train. Plan is to finish it by Christmas.; 6/8/26, 9:30 PM
Original Mike said...: "State election officials testifying under oath say that voting by mail is secure. "

Well, if they say so.
Good grief.; 6/8/26, 9:35 PM
Big Mike said...: bagoh20 said...

I could defend myself against a 3-foot bear with a 1 foot cat and a pair of welding gloves.

You can show us any time you’d like. Just make sure we know how to reach your next of kin.; 6/8/26, 9:46 PM
bagoh20 said...: "Imagine being this fucking stupid."

I think I actually was that dumb back in the 70's. I voted for Jimmy Carter after all. I also rode my motorcycle on THC and Quaaludes, so...; 6/8/26, 9:47 PM
Iman said...: Michael Bloomberg caught a mini-beatdown on the sideline… yes!!! (h/t EdMcMahon); 6/8/26, 9:48 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Speaking of facelifts and trust issues. 2 days ago I reposted somebody else's post on Reddit and it has ex*plo*ded (222k views) like nothing I've ever posted there before.
Maybe ai is finding ways to increase "engagement" and this is how they are going about it? I'm suspicious of it. Reddit wouldn't puff up a post, with fake view numbers, would they?

link to my repost on Reddit; 6/8/26, 9:48 PM
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...: "Look, some of these efforts are so diabolical and so far upstream it's impossible to prove. But I think everybody knows instinctively that something is wrong here." ~ Speaker Mike Johnson

Democrats are so diabolical and ingenious at rigging elections that Republicans control the presidency, house and senate.; 6/8/26, 10:09 PM
Peachy said...: The left have stolen our elections thru dem power sanctioned open fraud laws.; 6/8/26, 10:10 PM
bagoh20 said...: Who is going to stop the counting of invalid votes that come in a few day past the deadline or have late postmarks, or no signature? By some chance there might be someone there who would refuse, but there will be someone else, likely a supervisor, who will make sure they get run through.; 6/8/26, 10:16 PM
bagoh20 said...: "Democrats are so diabolical and ingenious at rigging elections that Republicans control the presidency, house and senate."

Nobody said ingenious. Nobody even thought that. What they are is shameless, and it's the only reason they ever win much at all. The dumb are not a majority. It's a big number, but not enough on it's own.; 6/8/26, 10:21 PM
hanuman_prodigious_leaper said...: I may have seen that on wuthering heights; 6/8/26, 10:47 PM
Aggie said...: As I alluded to a day or two ago, what is striking to me is the complete abandonment of the principle that elections should be held to a high standard, one that obligates the officials to ensure that all citizens have faith in their electoral processes - that they can trust the outcomes are fair. We do not live in that territory any longer.

Many lessor-developed, poorer nations are able to process elections in 24 hours and have provable processes that can withstand an audit, and voter identification processes that eliminate the need for challenge. They have oversight that confirms this, independently.

Yet, in Progressive strongholds, these principles are fought tooth and nail, and anyone that objects is dismissed as a crank. There is a steadfast refusal to acknowledge a problem with election integrity. The question of whether citizens trust their electoral process is completely rejected. In effect, they are told that they do.

The fact that this dichotomy exists is a red flag. One side of the political divide insists there is fraud and proposes actions to investigate and correct it; the other insists that there is no fraud, hiding behind rhetorical devices with phony language like 'debunked' and 'without evidence', while stubbornly refusing to allow the process required to debunk or examine the evidence. They avoid any acknowledgement of actual, verifiable evidence as being 'evidence', while refusing to recognize dozens of criminal convictions on exactly these charges. The very fact of this dichotomy should compel honest leaders to address the problems head on until they are resolved, one way or another. The legitimacy of the electoral process should be elevated above the pettiness of campaigns, in importance.

The continual refusal to do so illustrates that our leadership does not truly care whether the populace trusts their elections or not. Trust no longer matters, on a local basis, in places like California.

The driver of the bus controls the machine. The needs and preferences of the passengers are irrelevant; they are simply a source of fares.; 6/8/26, 10:51 PM
hanuman_prodigious_leaper said...: If it was a cub won't mama not far away?; 6/8/26, 10:52 PM
hanuman_prodigious_leaper said...: Player jersey numbers can now be adjusted to odds offered; 6/8/26, 10:55 PM