— Sandra Bullock on what hasn’t changed since she and Nicole Kidman made Practical Magic nearly30 years ago. OK, what spell does that?
We’re Tired
Fast & Furious: the White House Edition
What’s going on: Feeling whiplash from the Trump administration’s updates this week? Us too — there’s confusion about military leadership, the US Postal Service, and even what’s happening to our national forests. Here’s what you need to know…
Who’s the Army boss?: After 18 months on the job, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has officially resigned. The news follows reports he repeatedly butted heads with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose overhaul of the Pentagon and Army forced Driscoll to bring concerns to President Donald Trump. Guess we know who the president sided with. Driscoll, who's expected to leave in the coming days, joins a long list of top military officials who have departed (by choice or otherwise) under Hegseth — who’s still out here blocking promotions. It leaves the Army in a precarious state amid the war in Iran and US involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War. And some say Hegseth's latest hires don't exactly instill confidence.
A USPS whistleblower comes forth: ...And says the agency defied court orders to build a new computer ballot system that could reject thousands of mail-in ballots or delay delivery to eligible absentee voters. The Postal Service built it in a matter of weeks — rather than the usual nine months — to accommodate a Trump executive order that could restrict mail-in ballots. The whistleblower says the rush job has the potential to "derail" the midterms. Probably not the news you want to hear the week that mail-in voting for November kicks off in certain states.
Tree huggers, assemble: As if encroaching on Big Bend and Yosemite wasn’t enough, Trump shared plans in August to get rid of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (aka the “roadless rule”). In place since 2001, the statute limits developers from touching 45 million acres of national forest. For years, the logging industry has advocated for its repeal, and Republican lawmakers have supported these efforts. If this plan goes through, it directly benefits companies that US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz — a former timber industry lobbyist and executive — once represented. Conflict of interest much? While he says the rule change protects forests’ “long-term health” by deterring wildfires, studies show such development could put 400 threatened and endangered species at risk.
