FLAG OF UKRAINE

An agreement between the United States and Ukraine that would smooth American access to “rare earth minerals” has reportedly been reached.

According to The Associated Press, the arrangement would cover the reserves in Ukraine of natural gas, oil and certain minerals. President Donald Trump called the agreement “a very big deal” that could be worth a trillion dollars.

The deal does not include – the AP reports –a provision that would require Ukraine to give the U.S. $500 billion of profits in compensation for wartime military assistance. The alternative is that the two nations would have joint ownership of the fund and would contribute 50 percent of profits.

Ukraine’s leadership is hoping that the deal will increase the chance that “security guarantees” will emerge from negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.

Judge blocks suspension of refugee program

An executive order by President Donald Trump to suspend a program that admits thousands of refugees into America was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Seattle.

According to The New York Times, Judge Jamal N. Whitehead issued a preliminary injunction to restore the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program as well as its funding.

The judge ruled that “it appeared likely” that Trump had exceeded his legal authority over a program established by Congress in 1990 and that the plaintiff’s argument that the order was an “effective nullification of congressional will” was “likely to prevail.”

Since its inception more than 3 million refugees have been admitted to the U.S.

Elon Musk and the R-word

ELON MUSK, CEO of Tesla (Wikipedia/NORAD).

Billionaire Elon Musk and semi-official trimmer of the nation’s budget is at the center of a new controversy.

USA Today is reporting that his use of “the R-word” as an insult to his critics is offensive to people with mental disabilities.

The term, originally a medical term, is now being seen as a slur, and the authorized substitute is now “intellectual disability.”

In the last week, Musk used “the R-word” in tweets on his X social media site (formerly “Twitter”).

Musk has not formally responded to requests to him to cease using it publicly.

Weather: Nice now, cooler weekend

We in our West Orange County cities can enjoy a gradual cooling period through Thursday and then grab a jacket afterwards for chilly weather and a chance of rain. The forecast for Wednesday is for a daytime high of 77 with an overnight low of 52 with fog in the morning followed by sun in the afternoon. Thursday will drop to 75 (54) under partly clouds skies and a 14 percent chance of rain. Friday and Saturday will be 65 (53) with a 15 percent chance of rain on Saturday.

Great Thoughts

“In the war between falsehood and truth, falsehood wins the first battle and truth the last.”
– Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh patriot

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face … You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt, First lady, writer and diplomat