Did the US destroy Iran’s nuclear sites?

Spoiler alert, it is still too early to tell. While that may be the short version, here is more detail.

Following the massive attack on key nuclear sites using the biggest bunker busters ever, all the pundits have been voicing their opinions. President Trump has announced it an unqualified success with total destruction of the sites and Iran's nuclear ambitions eliminated forever. Ok, I am exaggerating, but that is the spirit of his commentary. The left-leaning newspapers have doused these claims as being too optimistic and cited various 'leaked' security services' assessments as questioning the success of the mission. The bombing has not destroyed all the sites, and some 40kg of 60% enriched Uranium was transported from the sites and hidden elsewhere.

Clearly, we have Trump and his team with a strong interest in owning a successful mission. At the same time, the anti-Trump brigade, including most Democrats, the left-leaning media and some isolationist Republicans, want to prove it a failure. 

As always, it is challenging to glean truth from the cacophony of claims.  But there is one party that has a strong interest in the truth. That is Israel. Israel, under an existential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, certainly wants to know whether Iran's nuclear ambitions have been thwarted for keeps. 

So what does Israel say?  Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said 

 "It is too early to fully assess the operation's achievements, which will be discussed for years to come. Even at this moment, we maintain high alertness. Our missions are not complete, and we will continue to act for our future."

He stressed that Iran's nuclear program, according to Israeli assessments,  "has been set back for years."

 So there you have it, 'too early to tell the details, but successfully put back for years. That is good news.

You can read more about the assessment in Israel Hayom's article "Did Trump's Iran strike do its job? New information sparks controversy"

I guess time will tell.

https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/06/25/did-trumps-iran-strike-do-its-job-new-information-sparks-controversy/

Premature Ceasefire?

It has been messy. After widespread acclaim for the US operation to end Iran's nuclear program through intensive strikes by the US, including the deep penetration MOPs, Trump has been speedy in announcing a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. 

It was not a fully negotiated affair, with Iran denying, then accepting, Israel accepting, then accusing Iran of breaking, and with missiles killing Israeli civilians. It also had a rather truculent Trump denouncing both Israel and Iran as if they were equally guilty of the violations. Bibi complied but was most probably smarting. It was another unedifying Trump performance. But, so far, the ceasefire is holding.

That seems to have been Trump's objective, but is it wise?

Israel had total control of the air and was systematically disarming the IRGC. The ceasefire stopped their momentum. Had they continued for a few more days, the regime may have suffered terminal damage and allowed for a popular uprising to replace the regime that has terrorized its people for over four decades.  Now, that may not happen. The IRGC has already been out rounding up anyone who showed support for the Israelis and could pose a threat to their rule. 

Equally significantly, there have been reports that the IRGC relocated enriched Uranium before the attacks on the known nuclear sites and even claims that the level of destruction of the sites was not as extensive as has been reported. If there is truth to such claims, it would make all that Israel and the US have invested into this battle be for naught.

Given the bombing occurred quite recently , it is too early to evaluate the veracity of such claims, but they are important. Once a ceasefire is in operation it becomes far more difficult to assess the truth, and more difficult to react if further bombing is required.

I am generally a Trump supporter, but I really cannot see the urgency in pushing a ceasefire before assessing the status of the nuclear program after the bombing.  Also, Trump has made it clear that he forced Israel to accept this ceasefire. Given Israel had taken all the risks of attacking Iran, executed the battle over 12 days, and had suffered 1000 missiles raining on her civilians, Israel should have had the choice of whether it wanted a ceasefire and when it should have been called.

Not good, Mr Trump!

The Doctor Who Spoke Out — And Paid the Price

I recently came across a compelling interview with Dr. Aseem Malhotra titled “The Doctor That Got Banned For Speaking Out: ‘We've Been Lied To About Medication!’” and felt it deserved a wider audience, not for sensationalism, but because it raises questions we’re too often told not to ask.

Malhotra is no crank. He’s a respected British cardiologist who once enthusiastically promoted pharmaceutical interventions, including the COVID-19 vaccines. But as he tells it, experience — and personal tragedy — led him down a very different path.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Big Pharma's Influence
  Malhotra paints a disturbing picture of an industry with far too much sway over medical research, publication, and guidelines. The result? Not only overmedication and an ignorant public, but poorer health outcomes.

• COVID Vaccine Concerns
  Initially supportive, Malhotra changed course after his father’s sudden death — a cardiac event he now believes was linked to vaccination. He points to multiple studies that show that the COVID mRNA vaccines carried a greater risk of serious harm than benefits, and believes that vaccination should not never have been mandated and that no one should continue to be vaccinated.

• Lifestyle Over Medication
  A longtime advocate of healthy living, Malhotra argues that we’ve become too reliant on drugs — particularly statins — when the better solution is staring us in the mirror: diet, exercise, and stress control. He argues that if patients are properly advised about the risks and benefits of a medications such as statins, they would be able to make an informed consent to their treatment. 

• Speaking Out Comes at a Cost
  Unsurprisingly, his public stance has made him a target. He’s faced professional backlash, regulatory scrutiny, and the full force of the modern "consensus machine."

• A Call for Transparency
  At heart, his message is simple: stop censoring debate. Let people hear the whole story, even if it makes us uncomfortable.

Now, you don’t have to agree with everything Malhotra says, but in an era where dissent is often treated as heresy, voices like his deserve to be heard, questioned, and debated — not silenced.

You can watch the interview below.

https://youtu.be/R87QLweXl1A?si=MtZTJqepu6wtIZsc

Weekly Roundup – Top Articles & Commentary (Week 26, 2025)

 Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week.

• Maher Telling it straight
  
• Scientists shocked as glass bottles found to shed 50x more microplastics than plastic
  
• The Doctor Who Spoke Out - And Paid The Price
  
• Insights of an ex KGB Russian Spy
  
• Premature ceasefire?
  
• Did the US destroy Iran's nucelar sites?
  

We welcome all feedback, so please feel free to submit your comments or communicate with me via email at grappysb@gmail.com or @grappysb on X.

Maher telling it straight!

Liberal comedian Bill Maher has been a favourite of the Democrats for many years. His caustic humour can tear apart many Republican policies, and when targeting an individual, it is at its best. After all poking fun at your enemies is a powerful weapon. How can anyone respect a politician who has been totally ridiculed? Indeed, for many years, Donald Trump has been the target of Maher's barbed humour. But not all is well in Liberal land. Maher is an old-fashioned liberal of the type that has been dying out with the capture of the Democrats by Wokism. So Maher has transgressed on occasions, pointing his barbs at Woke extremists. It was tolerated, firstly because he is always funny, but more so, because it was balanced by at least as many strikes on the Republicans, and of course, Trump.

Then Trump did the unexpected! He extended an invitation to Bill Maher to the White House for a dinner with a group of commentators and naysayers. Maher, true to his independent spirit, accepted the invitation. His summary of the evening revealed that Trump had made an impression on him, not completely, but significantly.

Judge it from this piece that Maher presented after the dinner.

 

Subsequently, Maher's stance has shifted. He appears to have softened towards Trump, a change he attributes to his own consistency. However, his increasing criticism of the Woke extremists suggests a more complex evolution.

Again, here is a sample.

The Democratic party's shift to the left has led many traditional liberals to reconsider their allegiance.  The list of defectors is long, stretching back decades and including names like Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Dave Rubin, Alan Dershowitz, and Joe Rogan. Could Bill Maher be the next to leave the Democrats?

Thank You Mr. President, Thank You America, Thank You Israel

It happened! After what looked like endless vacillation, Trump gave the order to destroy Iran's nuclear sites using the US's bunker buster munitions. The reports to date indicate it was a total success. But let's be a bit cautious, it will require verification. No doubt it will be confirmed or otherwise in the coming days.

Hopefully, the sites are truly inoperative, but even if not, Trump, the US and Israel have had a significant victory. After decades of threatened terror by Iran's Islamists, the West has fought back.

Why did it take so long? A good question. I think the reaction from the world is at least a part of the story. Instead of universal acclaim for making the world safer, the media keeps giving mixed messages. Sure enough, there are plenty who do recognise the importance of the action and welcome it. But many nay-sayers seem to spout an endless stream of negative consequences. Yes, some are voicing fears about what may happen, and this would be reasonable if it gave some recognition to the necessity of the strikes. But no, they claim the strike was unjustified and cite the consequences that have not yet occurred as justification for not striking. Mmm, sounds like cowardice. It is an argument for inaction for fear of potential negative impacts. That is called appeasement, and we know what happens to appeasers. I think it was Churchill who said it best,  "An appeaser feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last".  It is that same cowardice that tries to appease bullies, and is at least one reason that Iran's Islamists have managed to get away with it so long.

But today we can celebrate. The world is a safer place due to the courage of Israel, the US and Donald Trump in facing up to the bullies. 

The Gatestone Institute has the moral compass to recognise this in its article "Thank you, Mr. President, Thank You, America, Thank You, Israel."

Not all Musims hate Israel

It is unusual for prominent Muslims to put their head above the parapet and expose themselves to the Islamists who threaten physical violence against those who do not follow the Islamists' dogma. Yet, a prominent and outspoken Imam in France has broken the spell. Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, of Drancy near Paris, has penned a piece praising Israel and the Jewish people.

It is a short piece but well worth a read, especially as such direct praise of Israel and Jews is so rare in our hate-driven world. Read the article "Israel: A Nation of Miracles"

He who hesitates..

Israel has , once again, had the courage of its convictions, attacking Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. This was high risk and fraught with uncertainty. It was done after extensive planning and executed with precision and professionalism. Given the task's difficulty, long distances, the likelihood of retaliation, and catering for massive barrages of ballistic missiles, the decision to act was not easy.  It was made at what Israel thought was the latest time possible to avert an even worse scenario, Iran developing nuclear weapons that would have put Israel at existential risk. 

While it would have preferred for the US to join in the attack, Israel decided that it could not wait and went in alone. It had advised Trump and his team, and unlike the Biden administration, Trump accepted Israel's decision and provided assistance in mitigating Iran's missile attack on Israeli cities.

This was just six days ago, and Israel's IDF's performance has been exemplary. Israel has achieved air supremacy; they have destroyed aerial defences, damaged many of the nuclear sites, and eliminated senior military and nuclear personnel. The Ayatollah has passed control to the next in charge, and he is hiding outside Tehran. Israel has freedom of the skies to destroy the IRGC military, communications, and energy infrastructure. Tehran is in chaos with long queues of citizens leaving the city.

On the other hand, Israel has suffered significant damage. Despite the Iron Dome's defence system's 90% success rate, 40 of the over 400 ballistic missiles sent by Iran have got through. They have inflicted damage to Tel-Aviv, Haifa and many other towns. Fatalities amount to some 30 people, but this number is increasing, and some 1000 Israelis have been wounded. These figures are far lower than expected, but the war is not yet over. Israel estimates they have destroyed some 40% of Iran's missile stocks. 

There is, however, a serious issue. Israel's attack's key objective was to destroy Iran's nuclear ambitions. While Israel is in the process of destroying all the known sites except Fordow, it has limited capability to attack Fordow, which was built inside a mountain. Israel has limited options for the Fordow site. They lack the US's bunker-busting munitions that can penetrate some 200 feet underground. The US is needed to destroy Fordow.

As of this minute, Trump has been hesitating. His team has developed the plans for such an attack, but says he has not decided to give the go-ahead. 

Why? While I understand that such decisions should not be made lightly, consider the alternative. If Fordow is left intact nothing is stopping Iran, no matter what regime takes over, from developing nuclear weapons in the future. If Iran did so, all Israel's efforts would be wasted, Trump's legacy would be shot, and Iran would again threaten the rest of the Middle East, Israel and the whole world with nuclear terrorism. 

This decision is not difficult. If Israel could make the decision to attack, given all that it had to lose, why can't Trump make the decision when he has nothing to lose; it only requires dropping some bombs in undefended skies. It does not need troops on the ground. Sure, the US could face attacks on US bases worldwide, but that has always been the case.

I believe Trump will make the right decision, but he should do it now. As soon as the US destroys Fordow, it will destroy the IRGC's dreams and precipitate an end to the war. While Fordow is intact, it keeps alive Iran's dream of nuclear weapons.

Don't take my word for it. Here is a short video by Historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson on this topic.

Police Pandering to aggressive crowds

Consider this. There are two demonstrations in town at the same time. One is a rather aggressive, large group of protestors threatening violence against citizens; they should shout slogans and carry signs that incite violence. The other is a smaller group of ordinary citizens, walking quietly; they, too, carry flags and some signs, but none incite violence. There are no speeches or chants, just a quiet demonstration.

Which would you prefer in your city? If you went to the city and happened to pass by one of these demonstrations, would you want to be confronted by a screaming mob or a quiet group of peaceful demonstrators?  

Yes, I have loaded the question to absurdity. No one who is not part of the screaming mob or strongly aligned with their motivation would want their peaceful city taken over by loud, aggressive mobs. No matter the cause.

And what would you want the police to do if the two demonstrations converged on each other?  I guess that would be more difficult, as it would depend on police resources at the time and the size of the two demonstrations. You would not want to have them merge, as we know what would happen. But, and this is important, if a demonstration was planned and authorised at a specific location, then the Police should ensure that that demonstration had the priority at that location. Moreover, the Police should ensure they have sufficient resources to protect the demonstrators from aggressors.

Unfortunately, for many Western Cities, aggressive and unseemly demonstrations have become a weekly occurrence. They have been called pro-Palestinian demonstrations, but in practice, they would be better characterised as anti-Israel or pro-Hamas demonstrations. No matter the justification, no one would have cared had they been peaceful. But no, their marches were provocative, specifically targeting synagogues and Jewish-dominated areas. The chants were genocidal and anti-Semitic. It was not just Israel they demonised, but Jews. Also, they incited violence against Jews, and they were themselves violent. 

What did the police do to ensure the many laws against hate speech, incitement to violence, and to protect the rights of non-demonstrators to use public roads and parks? In Australia, they did nothing.  They allowed the demonstrators to take over the streets. They allowed racist anti-Semitism and genocidal chants to continue. They allowed the flags of Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, contrary to the law. They only acted when there was property damage and seemed reluctant even then. When pro-Israel demonstrators happened to be in the same areas, the police invariably forced the peaceful demonstrators to leave. Why? They were afraid they could not enforce their will on the aggressive mob. That is the epitome of police failure. 

No society can survive if those charged with protecting the rights of all citizens simply abandon their jobs when they are needed most. 

A recent episode was recorded by Rebel News' Avi Yemini and is well worth a view.

Iran's collapse frightens Russia

Israel has pulled off a spectacular pre-emptive assault on saber-rattling, terrorist-supporting, theocratic dictatorship. It has managed in just a few days to win dominance in the air, and is in the cleaning-up stages. This includes further attacks on nuclear-related sites, the IRGC assets, and some infrastructure. The latter is specifically to discourage Iran from using its ballistic missiles against civilian targets.

The war has not been all one-way. Iran showed a surprising lack of resistance to Israel's air attack. More on this later. On the other hand, it has launched multiple waves of drones and ballistic missiles against Israel's largest cities. Despite a highly efficient protective dome, destroying some 80-90% of such missiles, the remainder do penetrate, and we have seen substantial damage to buildings, and some casualties. The number of civilians who have lost their lives is relatively small, especially given the size of the onslaught. It was only possible due to Israel's defensive infrastructure, with shelters built in or near virtually every building.

Iran has targeted a few strategic sites, Israel's defence departments' building and an Oil Refinery in Haifa, but its primary targets have been residential areas. I expect that we will soon have the ICC issue warrants for the Iranian military leaders and the Ayatollah for such war crimes. And of course, the UK, Australia, Canada and Norway will put sanctions on these people. SO that will teach them. Of course, I don't really expect any such actions. But it does show the hypocrisy of the ICC and those virtue-signalling morally blind leaders of the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and shamefully Australia.

While all freedom-loving people will applaud the success of Israel, and indeed thank them for taking the action against Iran. While Israel has done this as it faced an existential threat in Iran's moves to develop nuclear weapons after they had threatened Israel's destruction often enough. They had even boasted that Israel was a one bomb state. So they only had to make sure they managed to get one through, and Israel would be destroyed. So Israel had little choice, and they took the brave steps to protect their country. Yet, we have to accept that they have done us all a favour. The Islamists who rule, perhaps I will soon be saying ruled, but not yet, have threatened not only Israel but the West in general. A nuclear-armed Iran would have perpetuated a regime that had already supported terrorism around the world, through proxies, it had fought civil wars in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. It was a force for evil and should never have been accepted in the community of nations. The world could isolate such rogue states, but I will leave that for another day.

While the West celebrates Iran's now-likely fall, its allies, China & Russia, have a lesson to learn. Iran's inability to prevent Israel's air superiority despite anti-aircraft defence systems provided by Russia is sobering. While Russia did not supply many batteries of its best system, the SU-400, it had provided the SU-300. They turned out to be totally ineffective against Israel. To our knowledge, after 5 days, Israel has not lost a single aeroplane. That is remarkable.

So Russia's confidence in its ability to defend itself has taken a blow. Equally important, Iran was a major source of the drones that Russia had been using against Ukraine. That supply line has now been broken. Israel's success against Iran has dealt several blows to Russia.

Here is a video providing far more detail on the impact of Iran's failure on Russia.

Weekly Roundup – Top Articles & Commentary (Week 25, 2025)

 Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week.

• Lies, Damn Lies & our MSM 
  
• Net Zero must go. Hear Matt Ridley's comments about the farce that is the quest for net zero. This is a rather long one, but worth the investment.

• Iran's failure frightens Russia
• Police pandering to aggressive crowds
  
• He who hesitates
• Not all Muslims hate Israel
  
• Thank you Mr Trump, Thank you America, Thank you Israel
  

We welcome all feedback, so please feel free to submit your comments or communicate with me via email at grappysb@gmail.com or @grappysb on X.

Lies, Damn Lies and our MSM

I almost feel guilty pointing out the same issues post after post. Yes, I am criticising the MSM (Main Stream Media) again. No surprise that much of the MSM is left-leaning. Sometimes we can adjust for the known bias. If we see any article about Israel in the NY Times, we can completely discount what they say. They not only always take a view that is critical of Israel, but also, too often, they simply print lies. Even when this is pointed out later, they will take no steps to correct the lies. 

Consider the case where a misdirected rocket fired from Gaza towards Israel fell short onto a hospital parking lot, killing many people. Hamas claimed Israel had bombed the hospital, killing some 500 people. All are simply anti-Israel propaganda. You guessed it, most MSM printed the propaganda as fact. When the truth was discovered, most of the media printed retractions, pretty weak ones, but of course not the NY Times.

But that is not my focus today. Today it is about the LA riots. The anti-Trump MSM, together with the Democrats, have tried to portray these riots as 'mainly peaceful'. That description is, of course, now infamous after we experienced the summer of love in 2020 with mainly peaceful demonstrations, causing the destruction of billions in property, looting, fires, and even deaths. All mainly peaceful.

Thankfully the LA riots have not been allowed to get out of hand. After what happened in 2020 Donald Trump was not going to allow these riots to continue without direct and forecful action. He called out the National Guard and sure enough the LA police also started doing their jobs. 

The media, however, was once again at their worst. Instead of reporting the facts, they acted like cheerleaders for the rioters.  If only there could be some way to punish the media for inciting illegality. But I note that with some hesitation, as I know what would happen if Congress were tasked with framing such a law. No, the better way is to enforce the laws as they stand. 

Dr Phil presents an enlightening perspective on how the media handled the LA Riots.

 

Dancing Dogs, sort of.

In the "now for something completely different" file, I have included this video clip of the appearance of Boston Dynamics' robotic dogs in America's Got Talent reality show. They made quite a splash and were certainly a popular act. These types of casual, friendly introductions of robots are important. They serve to demystify the machines that will no doubt integrate ever more completely into our daily lives. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptYDWP9uTis&pp=4gcMEgpzdXBlcmh1bWFu

Israel Pre-emptive Attack

 A few hours ago, Israel launched its much-anticipated surprise attack on Iran. It was not unexpected, but its timing may have been. It is too soon to gauge its success, though initial reports show -

• a large operation with some 200 planes
• Minor reported damage to Israel from Iran's defence systems
• widespread damage in many locations in Iran
• targets included anti-aircraft defence, high-value military personnel, missile manufacturing sites and most importantly, nuclear weapons factories
• The 'neutralization' of some senior personnel has been acknowledged by Iran, including the head of the IRGC
• Iran, Khamanei has vowed retaliation, and drones have been launched against Israel

These are but a few hours after the attack, so much too early to draw conclusions.

Israel has been a victim of unwarranted aggression by Iran for decades. Iran has been threatening, has been using proxies for direct attacks and just a few months ago launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles against Israel. Iran has declared war on Israel and has used everything in its power to attack Israel for decades. Israel has taken this step only due to the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons. 

So, by any fair evaluation, Israel was justified, and the free world will be better off if it succeeds. Success would be the elimination of Iran's nuclear threat. Even greater success would be the elimination of the terrorist theocracy that took control of Iran in 1979.

We can all hope that Israel achieved the former, and that the freedom-loving people of Iran take the opportunity of Iran's weakness to overthrow the regime.

A recent update.

Autopen-gate scandal plot thickens

Biden's Autopens are multiplying. As Congress delves into the use, or likely abuse, of Biden's Autopen, we are learning more. Congressman Comer has reported that there was not a single Autopen but three. One of these was only discovered recently, and more importantly, that the 3rd Autopen had been used for signing 'hundreds of proclamations'.  We have also learned that four people were involved in using the Autopen, including Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.  This is building the case for legal action against some of these for usurping the power of the President. 

It now seems that, due to cognitive issues, Joe Biden was not in control of his faculties throughout much of the later years of his presidency. His 'minders' should have reported his condition and had him replaced under the 25th Amendment. Instead, they lied about his condition and usurped his power, using the autopen to forge his authorisation.

If this can be proved, it will invalidate a large number of Autopen-authorised proclamations, executive orders, and pardons and launch a myriad of court cases and prison terms. Oh, 'tis a tangled web.

The media is starting to pick this one up, so many people are covering the Autopen-gate scandal.

Here is one from Fox News.

UN in cahoots with Hamas

Given the history, I guess we shoudl not be surprised, but the IDF has uncovered the UN working with Hamas to smuggle aid to Hamas for re-sale. Israel Hayom reports that 

"Newly obtained data reveal a systematic mechanism by which the Hamas smuggled goods using UN aid trucks, enriching its coffers by millions of dollars during wartime. The documentation shows direct "under-the-table" cooperation between Hamas operatives and staff of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP)."

Read more at UN aid trucks reached homes of senior Hamas terrorists

Renewables' Achilles heel

After much protest by the climate zealotry fraternity that the Spain /Portugal blackouts at the end of April were caused by unusual atmospheric conditions and were not an ongoing issue with a high proportion of renewables in the electricity grid, everyone has gone shtum. While many knowledgeable analysts at the time pinpointed the cause as the instability caused by fluctuations in the output of renewables in the grid, the zealots rejected that this was a serious concern for renewables. The media has quickly moved on, and once more, the warnings of the experts have been ignored. 

Yet, given the experts' concerns, when intermittent renewables become a significant energy source of the grid, fluctuations in the energy generated will cause a cascade that is very difficult to limit. Sophisticated automated grid management systems operate to ensure that fluctuations in frequency, which would damage the grid, are detected and the offending generators are switched out of the system. 

The cascade occurs when the consequence of switching one generator out of the system, in turn, causes a fluctuation that is transmitted across the next component and so on. It is just this type of process that resulted in all of Spain and all of Portugal having a blackout. Given that Spain's grid is connected to France, why didn't the cascade continue to France? The difference is that France has sufficient non-intermittent nuclear generators that ensure that the fluctuation of losing Spain is relatively small, and gives adequate time to France's grid management system to switch Spain out of its network.

So the Achilles heel of renewables is the fluctuations that occur with changes in solar output due to clouds, or just the natural changes in wind strength. The fluctuations can be handled when renewables are a relatively small proportion of the total power, but become unstable when the grid is majority renewables. 

This is the canary in the renewables coalmine! Countries that have bet the farm on 100% renewables must return to the drawing board.

Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann has followed renewables technology and government policies for some time. He has developed healthy scepticism about current Australian policies. Here is a short video of his interview with John Anderson. It is well worth a view.

Weekly Roundup – Top Articles & Commentary (Week 24, 2025)

 Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week.

• Autopen-gate is bigger than Watergate
  
• Russian bear is fighting a canny fox
  
• Sight returned to blind mice
  
• Intermittency is renewables' Achilles heel
  
• UN in cahoots with Hamas
• Ukraine is in the ascendant, with more attacks deep inside Russia.

• Autopen-gate plot thickens
• Israel Pre-emptive Attack
  
• Contrary to the popular press in the UK, "Britain Has Never Been a "Nation of Immigrants" A short but poignant video by one of my favorites Konstantin Kisin.

• Dancing Dogs, sort of
  

We welcome all feedback, so please feel free to submit your comments or communicate with me via email on @grappysb@gmail.com

Sight returned to blind mice!

Mixing some good news with the constant stream of bad, comes a recent breakthrough in medical technology. Interesting Engineering magazine's article " China’s scientists use tellurium to restore vision in mice, let monkeys see infrared" tells the story. Researchers at Fudan University of Shanghai have used the rare element Tellurium to create an artificial retina. After implanting the device into blind mice, the mice regained vision. Tellurium was used because it has the unusual property of creating electrical signals in response to stimulation by light. Since the tellurium also responds to infrared light, the artificial retina allows its recipient to 'see' infrared signals too. Of course, this is brand new technology and will take some time to reach human use; it is a breakthrough. 

Read more at " China’s scientists use tellurium to restore vision in mice, let monkeys see infrared"

Russian bear is fighting a canny fox

The past 2 weeks have seen a dramatic demonstration of Ukraine's technology and strategic cunning. In multiple attacks on Russian soil, it has decimated Russia's strategic bomber fleet, destroyed a Black Sea gas platform, annihilated a strategic Black Sea communications hub responsible for coordinating attacks on Ukraine and most recently, a train carrying some hundred military vehicles, including 7 tanks. The attacks have used high-tech special-purpose drones, and with the actions spreading from the Arctic to the Black Sea and inside Russia, demonstrate an unexpected reach. Russians are now well and truly aware of this war. 

Of course, Russia is a formidable bear, and they have launched multiple attacks against Ukraine's civilians, costing lives and damage to infrastructure. Ukraine has focused only on military targets and has used precision targeting, limiting casualties but destroying expensive military assets. 

Who will win this battle, the fox or the bear?

Here is another video giving details of the most recent drone attack on a train.

Autopen-gate is bigger than Watergate

Although the Watergate scandal is now some 50 years old, it has become the standard by which all more recent scandals have been judged. It is the scandal of all scandals, having taken the scalp of a US president together with a whole range of accomplices on the way, many having served jail sentences. A more recent scandal is threatening to take the mantle from Watergate. It is the Autopen scandal, henceforth Autopen-gate. The questions surrounding the unprecedented use of an Autopen by the Biden administration for multiple executive orders and pardons. 

Why is this a scandal? While the use of an autopen goes back to the very early years of the US. Thomas Jefferson had an early version of an autopen. So that is not an issue. While it has generally not been used for executive orders, only for routine correspondence, its use is legal whenever an Autopen is authorised by the POTUS. But there is the problem. Given Biden's now accepted cognitive issues, there is serious doubt as to his conscious authorisation of its use. Did he understand what the autopen was signing? Did he even authorise its use? If he did not authorise its use, on some pardon or executive orders, are those orders, or pardons valid? If used without authority, those who used it are guilty of serious crimes.

Autopen-gate has yet to play out. The Watergate scandal took years to run its full course, and Autopen-gate will also take some time. The potential for jail terms, cancelled pardons, and revoked executive orders is evident. At this stage, Congress and Trump have also raised the issue and are asking questions. 

If it is pursued, multiple court cases will likely end up in the Supreme Court. My guess is that the use of an Autopen on executive orders and pardons will be banned. 

Bill O'Reilly recently covered the Autopen scandal well in a recent video. Well worth a view.

https://youtu.be/ShRRlqwzm7U?si=L-ylW7RhSUtmEEu-

The era of laser warfare has arrived

Science fiction stories are replete with laser weapons. They are the weapon of choice in space, depicted as coloured beams of light shot like arrows at enemy spaceships to invariably turn the target into explosive debris, often with unscientific thunderous noise. Even land-based confrontations use laser pistols to shoot at enemies, again with immediate dramatic annihilation. The enemy is frequently vaporised, sometimes exploded or just eviscerated. These weapons have, however, remained science fiction until now.   

Israel, among many other countries, has been experimenting with so-called directed-energy weapons, laser guns, to destroy enemy projectiles, be they aircraft, missiles, or drones.  However, such laser weapons have remained experimental despite some successful testing. That has now changed. In the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, Israel used its Iron Beam laser weapon to destroy incoming missiles and drones.  Despite some limitations, it was a valuable asset in preventing missile penetration into civilian areas. 

Israel's much-vaunted Iron Dome system has one major shortcoming: cost. The rockets used to destroy incoming missiles cost $50,000 each. This is a relatively expensive defence system because incoming drones may cost only a few hundred dollars.

However, Laser Weapons redress this imbalance. A single shot that can destroy an incoming drone costs only a few dollars of electric energy. This rebalances such warfare towards the defending side.

Given the widespread aerial attacks on Israel, this is a most welcome development. 

However, laser weapons will not be limited to defensive roles. They can be equally used for offence and no doubt they will be. 

For some more background on Israel's Iron Beam see Israel just used a laser weapon in combat - here's what happened!

Weekly Roundup – Top Articles & Commentary (Week 23, 2025)

 Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week.

• CDC removes children and pregnant women from COVID Immunisation Schedule
• Russia suffers greatest military defeat since WWII
• Open questions on Biden's presidency
  
• World Health Organization About to Give Itself Unlimited Power (The Gatestone Institute)
  
• For the technically inclined, here is an article on how AI will evolve to rewrite its own code. The Darwin Godel Machine: AI that improves itself by rewriting its own code
• Ukraine's second blow against Russia
  
• What drives Putin?
• The era of laser warfare has arrived
  
• Watters on Trump-Musk fracas see Watters:Elon Musk wants to DOGE Trump
• A story that seems to have had too little attention - FRIGHTENING': FBI says China targeted US food supply in 'agroterrorism' plot
  

• Another Ukraine drone attack this time on a Black Sea gas platform, see Ukrainian Drones STRIKE Russian Gas Platform

We welcome all feedback, so please feel free to submit your comments or communicate with me via email on @grappysb@gmail.com

What drives Putin

 Yesterday, Donald Trump revealed that he had an extensive telephone conversation with Putin regarding several topics, including Ukraine's much publicised successful attacks on Russia's strategic military assets, and Putin's prized bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia. Putin threatened retaliation, of course. 

We are yet to see the response, but no one will be surprised, after all, Putin does not have the same values that we have in the West. Is it because he is crazy? It appears not. However, his actions over the past two decades show he is a ruthless dictator who does not hesitate to use force to achieve his ends. He has taken complete control of Russia, and all opposition has been vanquished by fair means or foul. Journalists, politicians, and those opposing his rule have been disappeared or poisoned. His military opposition had fatal accidents. He has used his military to attack his neighbours, with great success, prior to the current Ukraine invasion. What are his objectives? Most pundits believe he wants to recreate the glorious days of the USSR. He wants Russia to have the power and respect that the USSR, achieved in its heyday. Given what we now know about the hollow carcass that regime had turned out to be, this does sound hollow. It is hard for us Westerners to understand the Russian culture and how they can tolerate Putin's brutal dictatorship. Why don't they rebel? Some insight into the Russian mind was given by Konstantin Kisin in his short but forthright presentation titled  "Why Americans Don't Understand Putin".

Ukraine's second blow against Russia

It has only been a few days since Ukraine's remarkable surprise attack on Russia's strategic military assets, when it has pulled off another significant attack. This time it was an underwater drone that delivered structural damage to the Kerch bridge. The bridge that connects the Russian-annexed Crimea to Russia. 

The extent of the structural damage to the bridge is yet to be fully assessed, but the damage to Russia's military is clearly visible. Putin, instead of delivering his planned rapid takeover of the whole of Ukraine, has been bogged down in a war that is in its 4th year. Along the way, it has lost up to 1 million men, dead and wounded, many billions of roubles worth of armaments, and incalculable political capital. Russia's military has dropped from being regarded as one of the top military forces in the world, and is now considered as an outdated paper tiger. Its only asset is its nuclear arsenal, which, although untested, remains its major deterrent from NATO's even more aggressive actions.

Again, we have to be cautious about over-cheering Ukraine's success, as we can anticipate some reaction from Russia. 

In the meantime, here are some of the reports on the recent attack.

and 

Open questions on Biden's presidency

Given the Trump tornado's dismantling of Biden's 'legacy', it is not surprising that the news media have had their hands full. Never does a day pass without many opportunities for outrage at Trump's policies. Whether it be another on/off on a tariff, a district judge putting a stop order on an executive order, a failed ceasefire negotiation, the anti-Trump forces have been too busy attacking Trump to look for defending Biden's legacy. There are signs that that will change soon. There are many open questions on the Biden Presidency, including:- 

• Who was aware of Biden's cognitive decline and when?
• Who was 'running' the country over the period when Biden could not do so?
• What role did his immediate family, Dr Jill Biden, and his disgraced son, Hunter, have?
• Who was in charge of the auto-pen used for signing executive orders? Many were signed by auto-pen.
• Are the auto-pen executed orders legal? 
• Are auto-pen executed pardons legal?
• Did Biden's doctor do a PSA test? If not, why not? If yes, what was the result?
• When was Biden's prostate cancer diagnosed?
• Who was the source of the cocaine found in the White House? 

While Trump's Justice Department and FBI have been busy settling into their new roles and implementing the changes required by Trump's executive orders, there are now signs that the questions circling about Biden's presidency are receiving attention. Republicans in Congress, many of whom have been doggedly pursuing Biden's questionable business dealings, are pressing for more action, oft repeating the Democrats' mantra, 'no one is above the law. ' What goes around comes around.

I expect there will be plenty of circus in the coming months. 

Here is a discussion on these questions.

Russia suffers greatest military defeat since WWII

The mouse that roared

Yesterday's surprise ambush by Ukraine of Russia's strategic military assets reminded me of a movie from the 60s by that title. A small principality in Europe decides to declare war against the US. Why? It fully expects to lose the war, but then receive the generous aid that the US was seen to bestow on countries it conquered. Obviously, it is a comedy and pretty memorable for its premise. Ukraine is far from a small principality, and it certainly did not start this war, but yesterday it certainly roared. It pulled off a massive surprise attack on Russia's most strategic assets. The extent of the damage has yet to be determined, but the attack targeted 4 separate military sites and destroyed some 40 strategic bombers, some of which were located thousands of kilometres from Ukraine's border. By all accounts, and there are many, this was a military masterpiece, executed in total secrecy despite an 18-month implementation schedule. Experts cite this as the greatest military loss by Russia since WWII. 

Here are a couple of reports on the attack. 

and this; -

This is a major setback for Russia, but even a greater embarrassment for Putin. So we can expect a reaction. One could ask, "What is worse than an angry bear?", and the answer would be "A wounded bear"

CDC removes children and pregnant women from COVID Immunisation Schedule

CDC removes children and pregnant women from COVID Immunisation Schedule

It has been some time coming, perhaps late, but the US CDC has removed COVID mRNA vaccines from the CDC's recommended immunisation schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. The announcement was reinforced on X. This is a short one, just 37 seconds.

Today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from @CDCgov recommended immunization schedule. Bottom line: it’s common sense and it’s good science. We are now one step closer to realizing @POTUS’s promise to Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/Ytch2afCLP

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) May 27, 2025

I am guessing there will be more of these to come.