Wondering on Wednesday 7/15/26

 

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Today I learned (from reporting by The Guardian) that Secretary of Manly Manliness, Defense, and War Pete Hegseth is "authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members," to ensure they "have the right testosterone levels to operate at (their) absolute best.” 

As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” he added. “It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness, and by addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality, and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation – the absolute best.”

The plan will require "warfighters" who are at least 30 years old to have the test as part of their regular health assessment; folks younger than 30 who are, um, 'T-curious' can also participate. His announcement video says that treatment for those with low levels is optional, but I can't help wondering what'll happen the first time someone says 'no thanks' to the T tea, or however they treat it. 

And if you had to guess if there were any other members of the 'Make America' hat letters administration who know anything about this, I wonder if you'd be surprised to learn that RFK, Jr. has talked about getting testosterone injections as part of his "anti-aging' regimen? 

Nah... didn't think so.

Remember all the folks getting doxxed, or censured, or even fired for expressing opinions after the murder of Charlie Kirk? Well, it seems that some folks who got caught up in the "Don't Speak Ill of Charlie" mania are getting their just rewards.

According to The Hill and others, the Sunshine State must make a sizeable payment to a biologist at a state agency.

Brittney Brown lost her job at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in September after reposting a message to her private Instagram account claiming Kirk did not care about children being shot in their classrooms. 

The post read: “The whales are deeply saddened to hear about the shooting of Charlie Kirk, haha just kidding, they care exactly as much as Charlie Kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say not at all.”

Her repost of someone else's words was seen by "popular conservatives" on social media, which, according to her lawsuit, cost Brown her job. The settlement requires Florida to pay a total of $485,000 to cover the loss of her job, back pay, and legal fees. 

And it turns out Brown is not alone. A retired law enforcement officer in Tennessee was paid $850,000 after being jailed - for more than a month - after sharing a post about Kirk on social media. And a teacher's union has filed a lawsuit against Texas for investigating teachers who shared comments about Kirk online. 

And, with the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had a long career and left plenty for people on both sides of the proverbial aisle to be grumpy about, I'm wondering how folks will be treated if they post their honest opinions about him on social media? 

Will they fall victim to the massive cancel culture machine that the FOTUS himself has promoted for years, and which was perfected by those "popular conservatives" on social media? Or will they get a pass and be allowed to say what they want without being reported to their employer, their church, their golf league, and the rest?

Last but not least, here are some of the remarks the FOTUS made when talking about experimental medications and the 'right to try' them. Here's what he said about one unnamed drug:

We've taken people that were dead. We had a person given the last rites - gone; the kids were crying and everything - and started him on this drug. And the person became better. It works.

The wondering here is rampant, as you might imagine, and honestly, some of what I'm thinking would probably get me in trouble with some agency or other, in DC, or Kentucky, or Iran, or... 

Anyway: what's on your wondering mind tonight? Drop a comment!

Breaking Fake News Update (v21)

Fake News Broke on September 22, 2025!

What's up with this bit of fake news?  Let's dive in.

You may recall hearing about companies making 'contibutions' to the FOTUSential library, after entering into 'discussions' or 'settlements' or 'negotations' with the government to resolve 'issues' impacting the firms. In case you don't remember who paid what, here's a refresher:

• ABC: $15,000,000;
• Paramount Global:$16, 000,000; 
• Meta: $22,000,000; and
• X, formerly known as Twitter: $10,000,000, some for legal fees and some for the libary.

And, of course, ABC's back in the news on the extortion front, after Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting, two of the biggest carriers of the network and its nighttime flagship show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, reacted to the backlash following Kimmel's alleged 'celebratory' comments after the murder of Charlie Kirk. 

Kimmel was suspended 'indefinitely,' (although real news is breaking that he'll be back on the air tomorrow), and during the time he was off, People.com reported that Kimmel had been given a "list of demands" from Sinclair, including that he

issue an apology to Kirk's family and make a "meaningful personal donation" to Kirk's family and Kirk's nonprofit, Turning Point USA.

So, there's that part of the fake news. Next up? Eric Trump, who has been noodling around about possibly running to replace his father in the White House. The linked Guardian article mentions an interview Trump did, in which he said

The real question is: 'Do you want to drag other members of your family into it?... You know, if the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning I think I could do it.

He apparently hasn't made up his mind, but we'll hear more from him on his decision-making process, I'm sure, over the coming weeks and months.   

And, we'll hear much more from Erika Kirk as well, after she was tapped to lead TPUSA, as her husband wanted, and, in a moving social media post shortly after her husband's death said

They have no idea what they just ignited within this weife. If they thought my husband's mission was big now... you have no idea. 

She's vowed to continue he campus campaign, engaging and recruiting young conservatives into the movement. She will be, I'm sure, a force to be reckoned with - and more of a forc thatn Eric Trump ever dreamed of being. 

And that leaves us Brendan Carr, Trump's FCC head, Like others in the administration, he'll do anything to help his boss, including extorting companies with business before the FCC.  For those companies, including Nextstar, which is working on a $6.2B merger with TEGNA, Carr had this message: 

We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.

Seems pretty clear the administration is going to continue to be hands on with everyone, and will be putting a thumb or two on the scales to make sure that there's funding available for pet interests the FOTUS is interested in.

As always, we'll be keeping an eye out for fake news like this, and if it breaks, we'll bring it to you here. 

Breaking Fake News Update (v20)

Fake News Broke on September 19, 2025!

It seems we're going to be in for a continuing bumpy ride with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting in the coming weeks or months. Well, truth be told, it's already a bumpy ride there, as the FOTUS told us the numbers we'd received this week were bad and he fired a BLS official, or the fault of the Federal Reserve, and that we have to wait a year for the good numbers. And now, we have new concerns that have led to today's fake news update.

Since the shocking murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk - just the latest episode of political violence in the US - there's been a concerted effort on the part of the FOTUS and his administration (JD Vance, Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi, and others), Republican elected officials, talking heads (including Miller's wife), and just regular Joes to root out so-called 'haters' of Kirk and 'celebrators' of his murder, and get them fired for comments they made primarily, but not exclusively, on their personal social media pages. 

Between the folks doing the doxxing and those getting doxxed, there's lots of lost productivity, fewer people in the workforce, and a potential for the unemployment rate to increase.

Educators, reporters, editors, analysts, moms and dads, government employees, employees of private companies, comedians, medical professionals - pretty much across the board, folks are being doxxed and blasted for ALLEGEDLY making negative comments. Some clearly did, according to reports. But others? Not so much. People are being investigated, disciplined, or fired simply for quoting Charlie Kirk's own words. A favorite? His comment about some gun deaths being OK to protect the Second Amendment.

And it goes further than that - tourists may be refused entry to the US; a Congressman has suggested anyone who speaks ill of Kirk's death be banned from all social media platforms, and that media companies can be shut down if they don't comply. 

It's out of control, folks, it truly is. Again, there's no question some people have reacted with joy at Kirk's death, as is their right. Many others, though, have merely expressed an opinion that's not to the liking of the powers-that-be. I have no idea when this will stop; it likely won't until everyone in the universe who is not celebrating the life of Charlie Kirk or mourning his death in a manner deemed appropriate by folks who haven't issued any guidelines on what exactly we're allowed to think or say about this issue.  

Honestly? it's a #goodthingimretiredtheycantgetmefired

Who knows how many will lose their jobs, and who knows what kind of celebration will be hosted at the White House when the scope of this effort is realized? I suspect we won't know that until next year, when the "good numbers" are issued.

In the meantime, when fake news breaks, we'll have it here.