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Weather: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 109. West wind 5 to 7 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a chance of showers between 2am and 5am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
- Drought conditions here. (What is the Keetch-Byram drought index?).
- Check today’s tides in Daytona Beach (a few minutes off from Flagler Beach) here.
- Tropical cyclone activity here, and even more details here.
Today at a Glance:
In Court: Felony court is not in session but Mary O’Hara’s 2022 civil suit and trial against Publix–a slip-and-fall case–continues before Circuit Judge Chris France.
The three-member East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets at 10 a.m. at District Headquarters, 210 Airport Executive Drive, Palm Coast. Agendas are available here. District staff, commissioners and email addresses are here. The meetings are open to the public.
Nar-Anon Family Groups offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts through a 12-step program, 6 p.m. at St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. Find virtual meetings here.
Editorial Notebook: I was struck by the cynicism of a full-page ad by the American Friends of the Hebrew University in the New York Times yesterday. The ad notes the centennial of the Jerusalem university. No dispute there. But the second paragraph starts, “As our friends and colleagues across the Hebrew University and all Israeli universities confront the aftermath of war and continue efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, we stand with them–with profound respect, unwavering support, and deep concern.” The aftermath of war. Even here, Israelis deny not only Plestinians’ right to exist, as they have been doing in those hundred years, but they deny their suffering, their deaths, their massacres, the right to exist. There has been no aftermath. The war is raging, as are Israel’s war crimes. The ad appeared on page 9. On page 4, the paper reports on the latest Israeli execution of civilians approaching a food site, 32 this time, to add to the 670 Palestinians “killed in similar episodes,” according to the United Nations, or more than the number of civilians Calley’s American boys murdered at My Lai. Obviously this atrocity is not worthy of page one, where an old and tired story about Jeffrey Epstein dominates. Even though it’s a mere sideshow of Israel’s continuing genocide, nopw past the mark of 55,000 Palestinian killed. The 32 were murdered at the food distribution point on Saturday. As I was writing this–as I went to the Times site to pick up the link for the story–the paper was reporting at the top of its webpage the Sunday massacre of more than 60 Palestinians This is what friends of a university, of all things, are calling the aftermath of war. A university, I have no doubt, founded and later peopled by Zionists who, had they lived to see the killing fields of Gaza, would have abjured their Zionism and called it the betrayal it continues to be.
—P.T.
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The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
August 2025
Palm Coast City Council Workshop
Community Traffic Safety Team Meeting
Disaster Preparedness Expo
St. Johns River Water Management District Meeting
Flagler County School Board Workshop: Agenda Items
Flagler Beach Library Book Club
Flagler County Planning Board Meeting
Random Acts of Insanity Standup Comedy
River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine Visits Palm Coast’s Oldest Sewer Plant
Separation Chat: Open Discussion
The Circle of Light A Course in Miracles Study Group
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library
For the full calendar, go here.
Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles thus had no military purpose. It can best be thought of as a counterdemonstration. For Trump, those who protest against him are “paid troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists.” He cannot imagine large-scale dissent as anything other than a professionally organized conspiracy. The US Army, by this logic, is his own professionally organized crowd. It must be seen on the streets to demonstrate his personal power. That military presence in turn redefines peaceful protesters as enemies of the United States. They cease to be citizens exercising constitutionally protected rights to free speech and assembly and become outlaws and aliens. Moreover, Trump’s lawyers pleaded in court that protesters need not engage in rebellion to be rebels. Breyer noted in his ruling (which was overturned on appeal) that “in a short paragraph, Defendants suggest that even if there was no rebellion that would justify federalizing the National Guard, there was still a ‘danger of a rebellion.” The intent could hardly be clearer. So long as Trump has political opponents, their dissent alone makes the danger of rebellion timeless and ubiquitous. What Trump was trying to demonstrate in Los Angeles is that he can project his armed power into every American community at any time. This is a form of wish fulfillment that has deep roots in his psyche. Everything in Trumpworld happens twice—the first time as performance and the second as reality. In The Art of the Deal (1987), the best seller that formed his personal creation myth, Trump, who dodged the draft for the Vietnam War because of “bone spurs,” included three photographs of himself in military uniform. The attire is that of a dashing officer in some Ruritanian operetta rather than of a soldier in the US Army. In the first two pictures, taken in 1964 to mark his high school graduation from the New York Military Academy, he is the Student Prince. We see him gloriously arrayed in a tall parade hat with a feather plume and a chin strap, a waist-length jacket with rows of brass buttons crossed by a white shoulder belt and adorned with elaborate epaulets and decals, white gloves, and a ceremonial saber. He is a toy soldier in a make-believe army.
–From Fintan O’Toole’s “A Show of Force,” New York Review of Books, July 24, 2025.
Pogo says
@https://www.google.com/search?q=the+aftermath+of+trump
First hand from the tree — no middleman:
https://www.google.com/search?q=middleman
THE NEW ARAB
https://www.newarab.com/
MIDDLE EAST EYE
https://www.middleeasteye.net/
PALESTINE CHRONICLE
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/
In remembrance — RIP:
Once upon a time
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+was+fairness+doctrine
Ibid
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+was+establishment+clause
Laurel says
Personally, I cannot believe anyone would want to be ICE Agents, or help them out, these days. They are disappointing people.
RCONS protect says
They hired thousands of the pardoned proud boys! That’s why they wear masks to cover their Nazi faces. When tyranny becomes law…..
Ray W, says
Carscoops just revealed first half 2025 worldwide EV car sales figures by region.
Here are a few bullet points from the article:
– EVs include all types of battery powered vehicles, such as extended range vehicles (EREV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and battery powered vehicles (BEV).
– 5.5 million EVs were purchased in China over the first six months of the year, up 28% from the first six months of 2024.
– 2.0 million EVs were purchased in Europe over that time span, up 26% compared to 2024.
– 0.9 million EVs sold in North America thus far, up 3% over 2024. Canada, after incentives were stopped, saw a 23% decline, year over year, while Mexico saw a 20% increase. American sales rose by 4%.
For the rest of the countries around the world?
– EV sales rose 40% to 0.7 million units.
– Total worldwide EV sales through June 30 are up year-over-year by 28% to 9.1 million vehicles.
Make of this what you will.
Ray W, says
A few days ago, I commented from a Newsweek article that focused on falling median home prices in Florida metropolitan areas.
I found a different Newsweek article devoted to median condominium prices in Florida, headlined “Florida condo prices plunge in multiple cities.”
Here are some bullet points from the story:
– Overall, May condo median sale prices are down year-over-year by 6.1%, nearly twice that for the drop in home prices over the same timeframe.
– Florida condo prices have been continuously falling since July 2024.
– Safety regulations introduced after the 2021 Surfside building collapse – regulations that require regular inspections of aging buildings, regulations that require associations to set aside funds for “crucial” repairs and other maintenance, and regulations that require increases in HOA fees – are thought responsible for the decline.
– Said Tim Weisheyer, 2025 Florida Realtor President, to the Newsweek reporter:
“These reforms, including structural inspections and reserve funding requirements, are critical steps to ensure long-term safety and financial stability. But they’ve added complexity, especially for older buildings and associations still working to meet the new standards.”
– As the December 31, 2024, deadline for aging condo building inspections loomed ever closer, more and more condo owners began listing their units for sale, leading to many listings sitting idle on the for-sale lists.
– Condo insurance costs are rising, particularly in southwest Florida, with the average annual cost for the insurance now at $1,130, according to Nerdwallet.
– Condo sales totals in May dropped by almost 20% over sales for May 2024, to 8,345 units for the month.
– 19 of 22 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported year-over-year median price drops in May.
– Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin experienced a 32.0% decline to $475,000.
– Sebastian-Vero Beach sales prices dropped 29.6% to $220,000.
– Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach was down 15.2% to $278,000.
– Condo prices in Flagler County are not listed in the story, suggesting that the median sales price for the country is neither up nor down.
– Florida’s legislature passed HB 913 to address the costs of previously passed expensive condo safety regulations; among other steps, it extends the time necessary for condo associations to adequately fund repairs, and it includes the ability of associations to establish lines of credit with lending institutions. On the other hand, the legislation provides steeper penalties, including criminal penalties, for those HOA board members who fail to take steps to raise funds sufficient to cover repairs.
Make of this what you will.
Sherry says
trump’s “Big Ugly Bill” which increases the deficit by “Trillions”. . . as scored by the CBO. . . this from Politico:
Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeeper released its final prediction Monday for how President Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement will grow the national debt and affect U.S. households.
Over the next decade, the megabill Trump signed on July 4 would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts. While the newly enacted legislation would save more than $1 trillion by cutting federal spending on health care — with the majority coming from Medicaid — CBO predicts that the package’s costs will far outweigh its savings.
The bulk of the red ink from the package comes from the GOP’s permanent extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. The analysis finds that the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, enacted policies that would decrease the incoming federal cash flow from taxes by a total of $4.5 trillion. That sum includes the cost of tax cuts Republicans added during Senate floor debate of the package.
CBO’s new uninsured figure is below its prior estimate of 11.8 million people. The agency said it will offer details on the differences in the coming weeks, but one source of the reduction is removal of a policy in the final version of the megabill that would have led to an estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants losing coverage.
The budget office also recalculated savings from agriculture policies. In the final days before the bill cleared Congress, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) led negotiations to soften a requirement to make states pay for part of SNAP food assistance, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.
Cuts to federal agriculture spending and the bill’s overhaul of the food aid program will save $120 billion over the next decade, CBO predicts.
A prior version of the legislation also offset costs with policies intended to penalize states that offer coverage to undocumented immigrants out of their own coffers. Undocumented immigrants are prohibited from getting Medicaid coverage, but a dozen states and the District of Columbia pay for services with their own funds.
The bill originally cut funding for states that had opted to expand Medicaid under the Democrats’ 2010 health law, but the provision was dropped in the final version due to an objection from the Senate parliamentarian.
At the request of Senate Republicans, CBO also included an analysis using a new accounting tactic that zeroes out the cost of permanently extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Senate Republicans have argued that merely extending current tax rates shouldn’t be counted towards the deficit and that traditional accounting used by CBO biases against preventing tax increases.
Under the separate analysis, also released on Monday, the sweeping domestic policy bill would increase the federal deficit by only $366 billion.
Ray W, says
On several occasions, I have commented on Chevron’s effort to acquire Hess’s 30% stake in a joint project off the coast of Guyana that is just now coming up to full production. Currently at 650,000 barrels per day, the Guyana project is expected to reach 1.2 million barrels per day by 2027, from a pool of oil estimated at 11 billion barrels of “oil equivalent.”
This past Friday, says the Wall Street Journal, an international arbitration panel approved Chevron’s $53 billion bid; it rejected Exxon’s “contractual challenge” to the acquisition.
Said Chevron’s CEO, it is now “a premier international oil company.”
In the Journal’s estimation, Chevron’s successful acquisition more completely evens its international oil portfolio with that of Exxon, long the world’s leading exploration company. Chevron is producing crude oil from its Tengiz, Kazakhstan project; its Permian Basin projects; its “emerging” shale project in Argentina; and its “promising” oil project in the eastern Mediterranean.
As for Chevron’s Venezuelan extraction project, despite lobbying efforts, the company could not overcome Florida legislator’s lobbying effort to bar Chevron from importing Venezuelan oil from being imported into America; the Florida legislators threatened to withdraw support for Trump’s tax bill unless he denied the import license to Chevron.
Said Chevron’s CEO:
“We have growth in the portfolio both in the near term and the long term, and obviously the addition of Hess just makes that even stronger.”
He added that the acquisition will reduce its break-even price point to extract crude oil to less than $50 per barrel.
According to the reporter, Chevron “is cutting spending in the Permian for the first time since the pandemic”, and that Chevron has “signaled” that Permian production growth could peak earlier than once thought.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
If what the Journal reports is true, in that some or many of Florida’s federal legislators threatened to withhold support for Trump’s recent tax bill unless Trump agreed to deny to Chevron its application for a license to continue extracting Venezuelan crude oil, then who is twisting what about the energy industry story?
Taking 300,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day out of the international energy marketplace just to satisfy Florida Republican legislative demands will not bring down gasoline prices at the pump, supply and demand being what it is.
Don’t get me wrong. I agree with sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil, for multiple reasons. And I acknowledge that Venezuelan oil could be sanctionable, particularly since Venezuela now claims that the Guyana oil reserve belongs to Venezuela and it is threatening war with Guyana to gain access to the find.
But the Trump administration just went on record as falsely claiming responsibility for the recent drop in gasoline prices. Guyana’s extra oil production, Brazil’s extra oil production, OPECs extra oil production, including Kazakhstan’s; each entity has a role in the recent drop in gasoline prices. American is not producing more oil; it is producing less oil, if only slightly less, compared to the record high set last December. America is not responsible for the recent drop in gasoline prices.
Ray W, says
Euronews reports that a Canadian-based, Norwegian-investor-majority-owned oil exploration company named Central European Petroleum, through a subsidiary Polish company, just located some four miles off the northwest Polish Baltic Sea coastline, and more than 8,000 feet below the sea surface, an oil deposit of 22 million tonnes of crude oil and 5 billion cubic feet of “commercial-grade” natural gas. Company CEO, Rolf G Skaar, announced: “This is a historic moment for both Central European Petroleum and the Polish energy sector.”
The find, dubbed Wolin East, more than doubles Poland’s estimated known crude oil reserves and it constitutes one of the largest European oil finds in the last 10 years.
According to Poland’s Undersecretary of State and Chief National Geologist, Krzysztof Galos, “[t]he discovery of the Wolin East hydrocarbon deposit (…) could prove to be a breakthrough in the history of hydrocarbon exploration in Poland, especially in areas still insufficiently explored, such as the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
Proven oil reserves consist of oil that can feasibly be extracted, not of oil that is pie-in-the-sky.
Ever-improving drilling techniques and better designed equipment permit ever deeper exploration for oil. But no one will drill five miles down to find a small pool of oil. The low-hanging fruit of pooled oil in America was found long ago. It wasn’t until new fracking fluids, when coupled with breakthroughs in 3-D seismic imaging and improved horizontal drilling techniques, that engineers could begin to direct drill bits into the most lucrative shale rock formations, so that the Shale Revolution could begin in 2008-09.
I will repeat this over and over again.
American crude oil production peaked in 1971 at barely over 10 million barrels per day. It slowly declined to just over five million barrels per day in late 2008. Then the Shale Revolution began. By 2016 or so, crude oil production was up to more than nine million barrels per day. Under Trump, it broke 13 million barrels per day. Under Biden, it hit a record 13.5 million barrel per day in December 2024.
There is no “War on Oil” by either party’s administrations; the phrase is a political lie.
A government cannot wage war on an energy sector and steadily see the growth in the production of oil from five million barrels per day to 13.5 million barrels per day in 15 years, all the while seeing substantial industry extraction cost reductions. Natural gas production has been steadily rising for the same 15 years. Pipeline capacity has been steadily rising for the past 16 years. American exports of liquified natural gas were zero in 2013. Since 2014, America has become the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas.
If an oil extraction company holds a lease on private land in Texas’ and New Mexico’s Permian Basin and in North Dakota’s Bakken Formation, it can drill for oil so long as a state agency gives it a permit to drill. Over five million of the new daily barrels of oil come from these two shale rock formations alone.
There was for nearly 40 years a lack of new extraction capabilities, a lack that was solved by research and development in three different areas of oil extraction. 3D seismic imaging permitted engineers to better direct drill bits into deep underground shale rock formations. Horizontal drilling improvements allowed for longer and longer sideways bores into those shale rock formations. Experimental fracking fluid formulations released more and more oil from that shale rock when hydraulic impulses fractured it and released the oil.
The only contribution made by any government agency that I have found to these three technological improvements was W’s Department of Energy grant to a researcher who used the money to develop a new fracking fluid compound. It was, perhaps, one of the better investments in research in recent government history from an energy extraction perspective.