Pope Leo Wishes Us A Happy Birthday July 9, 2026July 8, 2026 Yesterday: Bill Clinton on Trump’s Mt. Rushmore Address. Today: Pope Leo on the 250th anniversary of our founding. . . . Also among the principles that have guided the development of this country is the God-given dignity of every human life, each person being endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care. In this spirit, a full understanding of this dignity leads to recognizing the importance of safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death, and of building a society in which the vulnerable, the suffering and the forgotten are always met with compassion, solidarity and love. Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning. In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person. . . . May this milestone renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy. May Americans honor the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union. EPSTEIN Any news? Are those Republicans rightly concerned about Graham Platner’s behavior toward adult women and his problematic choice of tattoos (when young and drunk) not even more concerned with Trump’s 38,000 mentions in the redacted Epstein files thus far released? With his having been adjudicated a rapist and, separately, accused of raping a 13-year-old? With his having had dinner (when sober and in his seventies) with white nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes? Platner, had he been elected, would have been one-hundredth of one-half of one-third of the government. Trump is a full third and largely controls the other two. It does not bode well for the rest of us that, according to one close observer, everything he touches dies. BONUS Rahm’s 23-state solution.