[NYPost] The accused hate-fueled antisemite who ripped out the hair of a female Jewish straphanger while screaming, "Jews are eating kids!’’ landed $10,000 bail at her arraignment from a Manhattan psych ward this week. OR, just take her swimming with bricks. Episode over Diana Smith
..the talented, Black artist who has struggled with increasingly severe bipolar disorder for over a decade, her deterioration ignored by her family. She beat up a young Jewish nurse half her size on the subway while the other riders watched without intervening until the damage was done, though some filmed it on their phones and others later expressed concern to the young lady…
— a 45-year-old unhinged ex-artist who racked up at least six run-ins with cops for disturbing behavior before the May 31 incident — appeared virtually from Bellevue Hospital in a purple medical gown for Monday morning’s hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court.
She pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." to charges of felony assault, harassment and criminal obstruction of breathing as a hate crime.
Manhattan prosecutors had asked Judge Dan Quart for $30,000 cash bail for Smith, while her lawyer sought for her to be freed on her own recognizance, claiming she had no means of making bail.
Either way, it was unclear when or if Smith would be released from Bellevue anytime soon.
The judge went with something in between both sides in terms of bail, settling on $10,000.
Smith, a Bronx resident, was arrested shortly after she allegedly began an antisemitic tirade that ended with her ripping out the hair of a young Jewish nurse riding the C train in Lower Manhattan, according to cops and video from the victim.
"You could always see the reflection of a Jew," Smith sneered to a nearby couple on the subway before spotting the 23-year-old victim, who asked her name be withheld.
Smith then creepily smiled at the young woman, an Orthodox Jew from Montreal, and allegedly spewed antisemitic remarks.
She’s mentally ill. The creepiness is baked in.
“Jews are eating kids!” Smith shouted before placing her hand on the victim’s throat, authorities said.
“It’s OK for Jews to eat kids, but I can’t choke her down,” Smith continued after bystanders jumped in.
Smith then knocked away the victim’s phone, grabbed her by the throat, kicked her, knocked her to the ground, pulled out a clump of her hair and left her with a concussion, the victim said.
Manhattan ADA Sarah Csanadi claimed in court Monday that Smith then fired off another barrage of antisemitism in an interview with cops after the attack.
The buried lede:
“I am sick of Jewish people eating kids and then playing in my face and acting like I don’t have my own rights on this land,” Smith ranted.
“My father is a moor from Jamaica, West Indies, and he owns the land that we are on right now.”
Oh — she believes the Indigenous Moor nonsense. No wonder she went nuts.
Moor is a Middle Ages term for the Muslim inhabitants of both North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, which is modern-day Spain and Portugal.
The mystical African-American national separatist movement of the turn of the 19th century that called itself the Indigenous Moors, claiming that they are the actual natives of North America instead of the so-called American Indians. Their congregations range from pushing reasonably normal Black self-improvement/self-sufficiency with a mystic frosting to batshit crazy, violent Black supremacist racist antisemites. Nation of Islam is another descendant of the same movement, but claiming to be the true Muslims like Black Hebrew Israelites claim to be the true Hebrews. The Black Sovereign Citizens movement, which claims that they don’t have to pay taxes or obey local laws and regulations, are another branch — usually encountered in groups carrying unregistered guns or after moving into strangers’ homes and changing the locks. On their Washington, DC school trip Nick Sandman and his Covington Catholic classmates encountered an abusive group of BHIs, just before they were confronted by that obnoxious professional “Native American” activist. There is also a group of BHIs who moved to Israel a generation ago; they are slowly assimilating into regular Jewish Israeli society, going to local public schools and volunteering for the same IDF service as their Jewish neighbours. Some of their kids have formally converted to mainstream Judaism, some have just joined informally.
Smith’s post-attack remarks also came with some nonsense.
“The disgusting part is that we are not eating the kids in our hamburger meat,” the suspect strangely said.
**Antisemitism is not officially classified as a mental illness** in major diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5, though some researchers argue it can be a **symptom of underlying psychopathology** such as delusional or narcissistic personality disorders. Neuroscientist Mortimer Ostow found a **statistical link** between antisemitic beliefs and psychotic thinking, suggesting extreme racism could be recognized as a **delusional psychotic symptom**. However, critics emphasize that **hatred of Jews is not a diagnostic criteria** for mental illness and note that many perpetrators of antisemitic violence are not mentally ill, asserting the impulse stems from **ideological bigotry** rather than pathology.
**Psychological impacts on victims** are well-documented, with studies showing experiences of antisemitism are significantly associated with **poorer mental health outcomes** for Jewish individuals, including increased anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Research indicates that perceived antisemitism acts as a chronic stressor, leading to **heightened cortisol levels**, inflammation, and social withdrawal among affected populations. Conversely, a controversial perspective frames antisemitism itself as a form of **"societal self-sabotage"** or collective madness, particularly when analyzing persistent, irrational fixations on Jewish people despite historical consequences.
**Debate continues** within the psychiatric and academic communities regarding the classification of extreme prejudice.
* Proponents of the mental illness model advocate for the **American Psychiatric Association** to designate extreme racism as a mental health problem to help curb it.
* Opponents argue that labeling antisemitism as mental illness risks **stigmatizing the mentally ill** while excusing willful ignorance and cultural bigotry as rational choices.
* Recent reports highlight concerns that **Zionism is being incorrectly framed** as a psychological pathology by some academics, which advocates describe as a moral crisis within the mental health field.
#7
how do you get bail at a "psych ward arraignment?"
First you find a sympathetic judge and in New York they're probably not hard to find. A reasonable judge would have denied bail because the woman is obviously a mental case who can be reasonably expected to fly off the handle again. Then have your lawyers arrange a Zoom call and, like it says in the article:
(she) appeared virtually from Bellevue Hospital in a purple medical gown for Monday morning’s hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/16/2026 11:50 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Not sure why a bail bondsman were agree to act on her behalf.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2026 12:25 Comments ||
Top||
#9
^^^ OR bond
Posted by: Chris ||
06/16/2026 16:18 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Solar flares of the penultimate power class may occur on June 15 and 16, the press service of the Institute of Applied Geophysics reported.
According to scientists, solar flare activity will be low, but M-class flares are possible. The geomagnetic field is expected to be calm on June 15 and 16, with isolated periods of instability.
On June 5, a plasma cloud from solar flares reached Earth. According to the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a second and third cloud later reached Earth. They caused a moderate-intensity magnetic storm that ended on the night of June 6.
On May 15, a magnetic storm also hit the Earth. Initially, its intensity was G2, classified as moderate. Afterward, its strength began to wane.
Earlier, the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported a solar flare of the highest class, X2.5, the most powerful in nearly two and a half months. The event was accompanied by a plasma ejection, but experts estimate that it posed no threat to Earth due to the direction of the material's movement.
[ToloNews] Officials from the Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. Public Health Directorate say a seven-day polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain... vaccination campaign has been launched in the province. During the campaign, 450,000 children under the age of five will be vaccinated in Jalalabad city and the districts of Behsud, Surkh Rod, and Bati Kot.
Aminullah Sharif, Director of Public Health in Nangarhar, said: "During this campaign, 450,000 children under the age of five will receive polio vaccines through oral drops and injections. We will reach all designated areas and strive to eliminate environmental polio cases across all target locations."
Hukam Khan Gulabzoi, head of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the eastern region, said: "The campaign will continue for seven days and will be implemented with the support of 2,200 volunteers, 216 supervisors, 43 coordinators, and 1,100 female vaccinators."
Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths... local residents of Nangarhar welcomed the launch of the campaign and urged families to ensure their children receive the polio vaccine.
Ehsanullah, a resident of Nangarhar, said: "I urge all citizens to vaccinate their children during the polio campaign so that this unfortunate disease can be eradicated from our country."
Shafiq, another resident of Nangarhar, said: "Religious scholars and community elders should encourage families that do not vaccinate their children and raise awareness so that all children receive the polio vaccine."
During the launch of the campaign, a public awareness workshop was held for local, national, and international journalists in Nangarhar to help them play a positive role in informing the public and raising awareness about polio prevention.
If they’re exceedingly lucky, they can get away with having someone read the Koran and such to them, giving them a pittance of the education they used to get when they were permitted to go to school with the boys, but at least they’re getting a salable skill for as long as the workshop is permitted to remain open — so much more than most of their Afghan sisters are permitted under the Taliban.
[ToloNews] A young woman in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, has established a carpet-weaving workshop, creating employment opportunities for 50 women and girls who have been deprived of education.
The workshop manager says the initiative was launched to provide job opportunities for girls and support women's economic participation.
Mushtari Shewon, manager of the carpet-weaving workshop, said: “Currently, around 50 women and girls work in this workshop. Of them, 40 are girls between the ages of 18 and 25, while 10 others are women.”
Girls who have been unable to continue their education and are now learning carpet weaving at the workshop say they are grateful for the opportunity and have called on the Islamic Emirate and aid organizations for greater support.
Roya, a carpet-weaving trainee, said: “I came here to learn the art of carpet weaving. Once I learn it, I want to establish my own carpet-weaving workshop and provide work and training opportunities for women and girls.”
Muniba, a carpet-weaving trainee, said: “Our request to the Islamic Emirate and organizations is to support us more so that our business can grow.”
The Badakhshan Carpet Weavers Association says many girls who have been excluded from formal education have turned to carpet weaving, contributing to the growth of the industry in the province.
Abdul Ali Yaftali, head of the Badakhshan Carpet Weavers Association, said: “One of the main reasons for the growth of carpet weaving in Badakhshan is that girls have turned to this profession. Since many of them are educated, they learn carpet designs more quickly. As a result, the carpet-weaving industry has grown significantly, and Badakhshan carpets have both domestic and international markets.”
According to the provincial Department of Industry and Commerce, more than 1,000 women are currently engaged in small and large business activities across 15 districts of Badakhshan.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Andrey Bulkin
[REGNUM] Taiwan conducted live firings of US HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems for the first time on the island's west coast facing mainland China.
The exercises were intended to demonstrate the Taiwanese military's readiness for a hypothetical conflict, as well as to confirm the effectiveness of one of the key weapons systems that Taipei relies on in its defense strategy.
However, instead of a convincing demonstration of force, it only resulted in questioning both the level of American combat readiness and the viability of the American concept of arming the island.
SHOTS WITH A SUBTEXT
The firings took place near the mouth of the Dajia River. According to the local Ministry of National Defense, six HIMARS launchers conducted a series of launches as part of a simulated intrusion repellent exercise.
The military practiced the "fire and run" tactic,
…shoot and scoot?
which involves quickly changing positions after firing to avoid a possible retaliatory strike.
The exercise was scheduled to use 36 M28 unguided rockets, but only 32 were actually fired. Four of the munitions failed, reported Colonel Wen Yimin, chief of staff of the 58th Artillery Command. He added that the cause of the malfunctions is currently under investigation.
This episode itself might have remained a minor technical detail if it had been a routine shooting exercise. However, the exercise had serious political and military significance.
They marked the first time HIMARS were used on Taiwan's west coast, an area considered the most likely target for a Chinese landing operation in the event of an armed conflict.
While previously tests had been conducted in the east of the island, facing the Pacific Ocean, now missiles were launched towards the Taiwan Strait and mainland China.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities tried to pretend nothing out of the ordinary had happened, justifying the shootings in China's direction by claiming there was nowhere else to shoot on the island. "We're an island; we can only shoot east or west, so we chose west," said Taiwan's representative to the US, Alexander Yu, somewhat silent on the other directions.
In the United States, however, the exercises using American systems were received with enthusiasm.
"This will send a signal to the Chinese that if they try to cross the strait, they're going to face a serious blow - and they're going to end up with far fewer ships than they started with," said Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine colonel who held a number of positions in the Indo-Pacific.
This formulation is surprising in its shamelessness—the retired American military officer doesn’t even try to hide the fact that the United States is interested not so much in defending Taiwan, but in the opportunity to inflict as much damage on China as possible.
A PORCUPINE WITH ALIEN QUILLS
However, it's not just the targeting, but also the weapons used. For Taipei, HIMARS is not just another piece of weaponry, but a symbol of its defense strategy.
In recent years, the island's leadership, under US influence, has been emphasizing so-called asymmetric defense. The idea is not to try to match China in numbers of ships, aircraft, and tanks, but to compensate for this difference with precision missiles, drones, mobile strike systems, and other means capable of inflicting unacceptable damage on the enemy.
It's no coincidence that Taiwan's national defense report last year identified the HIMARS system as a key component in strengthening the capabilities of troops stationed on the island's west coast. The document noted that these launchers will enable "long-range strikes against enemy forces and high-value targets, as well as enhance the effectiveness of defensive operations."
Taiwan initially purchased 29 HIMARS systems from the US, with the first batch of 11 vehicles arriving in 2024 and another 18 scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. However, plans are already underway to expand the purchase, bringing the number of systems in operation on the island to 111. There are also plans to acquire over 500 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 km, which Taiwan's leadership believes will enable it to strike targets in China in the event of a conflict.
Apparently, the shootings were intended to target both China and the United States. On the one hand, Taipei sought to demonstrate its strength and readiness to defend itself in the event of a conflict. On the other, it sought to demonstrate the importance of US-supplied weapons and its willingness to use them for their intended purpose, which would serve as an argument in favor of further military support.
The higher the political stakes, the more painful the problems revealed. If some missiles fail to launch during firings, the focus shifts from the system's mobility and range to the reliability of the equipment, ammunition, and the quality of the crews' training. This is especially true when it comes to weapons positioned as a cornerstone of the island's defense.
These problems are even more pronounced given China's capabilities. In late 2025, the People's Liberation Army conducted its largest-ever military exercise around Taiwan, dubbed Justice Mission 2025.
The maneuvers involved naval, air, missile, and ground forces. Chinese troops practiced encircling an island, blockading ports, striking infrastructure, and coordinating various branches of the armed forces in a single operation.
Against this backdrop, the June HIMARS firings seemed more like a localized demonstration of the capabilities of a pair of rocket artillery batteries than a show of force. While Beijing is demonstrating its ability to simultaneously deploy all branches and arms of the armed forces in a comprehensive operation, Taipei is demonstrating the operation of six American launchers—and even then, not without technical snags.
The problem is that Washington has been urging its ally for years to focus on mobile missile systems and precision-guided weapons, which could turn the island into a so-called "porcupine," an attack that would be too costly and therefore impractical. However, even Western experts disagree on the effectiveness of this strategy, especially given that all of this "porcupine's" quills are imported.
PLAN B
Despite rising military spending, Taiwan remains significantly inferior to China in terms of military force size, industrial capacity, and weapons stockpiles.
An article published in 2026 by the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy at West Point emphasizes that viable modern defense concepts for the island require large-scale American support. The authors note that without US participation, Taiwan lacks the military capability necessary to independently confront China.
Moreover, Taiwanese society itself shows no signs of resolve, let alone readiness, for war with mainland China. In a 2025 survey conducted by Duke University, 37% of respondents said they would "go with the flow" in the event of a conflict, 17% would support the government's decision, 11% would leave Taiwan, and only 20% would resist or join the military.
Many ordinary Taiwanese are generally inclined to believe that a military conflict will not occur, but they are still preparing a backup plan in case of emergency.
"The likelihood is slim. But if it does happen, the losses will be enormous, so I think I need a plan B," the 51-year-old Taipei resident, who has already transferred some of his savings abroad and obtained a second citizenship, told CNN. "My reasoning is this: if I go abroad, I'll need money and a passport. Everything else is out of my control," he admitted.
That is, the Taiwanese themselves, despite the so-called “shows of force” and traditional talk about a powerful ally and the might of its weapons, do not really believe in the prospects of their armed forces.
And the island's dependence on American supplies further confirms their correctness. As early as 2024, serious delays in arms transfers to Taiwan were reported, due to the combined effects of the pandemic, support for Ukraine, and conflicts in the Middle East. Even then, Taipei's backlog of unfulfilled arms orders exceeded $20 billion. Given the conflict with Iran, which has further depleted US arsenals, the situation is unlikely to have improved since then.
What happened on Taiwan's west coast was a painful blow not only for Taiwan itself, but also for Washington. HIMARS is an American system used by many US allies, meaning any problems with it automatically become a subject of discussion across a wide range of countries.
Moreover, we are not talking about combat operations or work in extreme conditions, but about pre-prepared exercises where the equipment must demonstrate its best qualities.
Of course, four failed missiles in themselves don't signify the degradation of Taiwan's armed forces; misfires are common with any such system. However, the political and informational damage was significant. The exercises, intended as a show of resolve, only underscored Taipei's weakness, dependence, and vulnerability.
[Reuters] The Trump administration's push to boost critical minerals production by regulating prices is facing skeptical G7 allies and a divided mining industry, with negotiations for a Western trading bloc stumbling over concerns about the plan's cost and governance, according to diplomatic sources and a Reuters analysis of corporate policy recommendations.
First proposed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in February, the trading bloc aims to help the West wean itself off China, which became the world's largest minerals producer by operating at a loss and dampening prices for the building blocks of semiconductors, computer servers, military equipment and myriad other products.
Artificially low prices for cobalt, lithium, nickel and other minerals have made it harder for Western mining rivals to compete, inhibiting new development and driving some companies out of business — a tactic Beijing has used repeatedly in other industries.
The trade bloc, as envisioned, would explore price supports, market standards, subsidies, or guaranteed purchases to encourage and financially underpin production across multiple countries. The measures could be enforced by "adjustable tariffs to uphold pricing integrity," Vance said at the time.
At present, many niche minerals critical to tech and defense are traded over-the-counter with minimal transparency and linked to Chinese prices, which de facto set the global market due to China's dominant production.
Since Vance's announcement, G7 members have pushed back against U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in private negotiations and cooled on the idea of the bloc relying on a price scheme derived from a Pentagon AI model, three sources told Reuters.
Key concerns center around who would pay a premium for minerals, how far down the supply chain those subsidies should go and how governance would work, according to European officials.
The U.S. mining industry is divided on what steps Greer should push allies to support, a disagreement that is clear from more than 230 public submissions sent to Greer's office by a range of miners, refiners and their customers reviewed by Reuters.
Allied and corporate concerns underscore the complexity of reinventing the way minerals are bought and sold. Yet how and whether the trade bloc ultimately shapes out could influence minerals markets for years to come, more than a dozen analysts and consultants told Reuters.
"It is a very hard thing to do, and I'm happy I'm not the one doing it," said Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, a minerals investor who ran the U.S. Department of Energy's batteries and critical minerals portfolio under former President Joe Biden.
The topic will be a key talking point as G7 members meet this week in France. Western countries face the difficult task of building up a supply chain from mine to end product all at once to diversify away from China.
The draft U.S. proposal, crafted using an AI pricing program created by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has been delivered to the White House and the National Security Council and U.S. representatives are expected to brief G7 allies on its contents in the upcoming meeting, according to a U.S. official.
European and industry officials said they want to study the impact of price supports on the medium and long-term rather than commit to quick deals — at odds with the faster-paced Americans.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is reluctant to embrace the idea pushed by France of a permanent administrative secretariat within the International Energy Agency (IEA) or OECD to track G7 initiatives on critical minerals as presidencies rotate, the sources added.
Adding to complications, Canada and France — which holds the G7 presidency — want to develop a trading bloc led by the G7 whereas the United States wants to avoid multilateral negotiations and forge fast concrete bilateral deals, and later expand them, three sources familiar with the matter said.
The push for a bilateral approach from Washington appears to indicate a shift in strategy from the plan first outlined by Vance earlier this year.
"What we're trying to do is take some of these approaches and turn them into an agreement," Greer told reporters in early June at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ministerial meeting in Paris.
The United States, Greer said, would use price supports "to protect production of critical minerals and derivative products. ... We want to phase it in. ... If other countries want to join us in that, they're welcome to do that."
Washington aims to present a proposal for binding bilateral agreements to Japan and the European Union before the end of June, two sources familiar with the matter said. The proposal would be the first concrete step built on action plans announced earlier this year, one with Japan and the other with the EU.
The first binding agreement could extend to five to 10 minerals, the sources said. The minerals under consideration include heavy rare earths, antimony, graphite and tungsten, all subject to Chinese export bans or restrictions.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
06/16/2026 01:54 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1795 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 15 (Reuters) - The Trump administration's push to boost critical minerals production by regulating prices is facing skeptical G7 allies and a divided mining industry, with negotiations for a Western trading bloc stumbling over concerns about the plan's cost and governance, according to diplomatic sources and a Reuters analysis of corporate policy recommendations.
First proposed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in February, the trading bloc aims to help the West wean itself off China, which became the world's largest minerals producer by operating at a loss and dampening prices for the building blocks of semiconductors, computer servers, military equipment and myriad other products.
Since Vance's announcement, G7 members have pushed back against U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in private negotiations and cooled on the idea of the bloc relying on a price scheme derived from a Pentagon AI model, three sources told Reuters.
Key concerns center around who would pay a premium for minerals, how far down the supply chain those subsidies should go and how governance would work, according to European officials.
The topic will be a key talking point as G7 members meet this week in France. Western countries face the difficult task of building up a supply chain from mine to end product all at once to diversify away from China.
The draft U.S. proposal, crafted using an AI pricing program created by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has been delivered to the White House and the National Security Council and U.S. representatives are expected to brief G7 allies on its contents in the upcoming meeting, according to a U.S. official.
Somebody is going to realize that a solution for the US to pricing and producing rare mineral products is separable from the G7.
[BBC] In a carefully locked laboratory rows of metal kegs are arranged on shelves and linked together with spindly copper pipework.
The containers aren't loaded with prize beer but rather a gas called helium-3, one of the most expensive materials in the world. A single litre costs roughly $2,000 (£1,500), though the price can fluctuate.
"The lab has been going for 50 years or so. Back then, the helium was quite cheap," says Dima Zmeev, senior lecturer. "Our very wise predecessors stocked up."
In the near future, more people could be looking to build up such a stockpile. Helium-3 has applications in quantum computing and nuclear fusion. However, the main source of it today is tightly controlled – it comes from nuclear weapons. Specifically, from the decay of tritium, a form of hydrogen, inside those weapons.
Around the world, tens of thousands of litres of helium-3 are likely to be produced this way every year, estimates David McCollum, distinguished scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. But future demand could far exceed that supply.
#1
Does helium 3 still make you sound like a munchkin?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/16/2026 12:27 Comments ||
Top||
#2
^ Bottle up Chuck Schumer speeches
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/16/2026 12:37 Comments ||
Top||
#3
According to anonymous sources, there are vast quantities of helium-3 stored in that old Nazi base on the dark side of the Moon. This could explain the sudden interest in establishing a permanent manned* Moon base.
* By "manned" we mean predominately male, but with sufficient girls to keep the feminist harpies quiet.
[Bing] Brief CNN news video. A second, longer CNN report can be watched here. Subsequent update here reports eight presumed dead in the crash of a flight testing radar modifications — a mixed crew of military and civilian contractors. Next of kin is being notified, names will be announced after that is complete.
Courtesy of Dopey Photch2701, Ay Pee has all the details for those who prefer to read for information rather than watch:
[AyPee] 8 people died in B-52 bomber crash at US Air Force base in Southern California, officials say
A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert and burst into flames Monday, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said.
Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of Los Angeles. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near the runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby.
Those on the B-52 included government contractors and uniformed military. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing confirmed Monday evening that two of its employees were on board.
After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference.
“We lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, Hayes said, but shared that the B-52 was supporting the “radar modernization program.”
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has been used in conflicts involving the U.S. military from Vietnam to Iran.
In 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with a new, modernized radar system. A test team planned to conduct ground and flight test activities on the aircraft throughout 2026 to feed a production decision, the air force said in a 2025 news release. The modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system replaced the aircraft’s antiquated radar for efficacy. It was unclear if that was the same aircraft involved in Monday’s crash.
Edwards Air Force Base is home to a large portion of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts and is about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles. The 412th Test Wing, which runs the base, also conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their lifespan.
The way the B-52 crashed so quickly after takeoff without getting very high or going far makes aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suspect some kind of flight control malfunction.
It’s possible the controls were rigged wrong after maintenance, he said, or a catastrophic engine problem or a failure of a piece of equipment that was being tested.
“I think it was definitely a controllability issue. Now, whether that was tied to an engine failure, a flight control failure, or some new testing device failure, I’m not sure,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although the Air Force has been flying B-52 bombers for more than 70 years, testing out new equipment on a plane can create new challenges.
“A flight test is always riskier than normal operations, so that’s why you have specially trained test pilots, and you should have other safety protocols,” Guzzetti said.
The Air Force is pursuing a sweeping modernization effort for the B-52 fleet, including new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, upgraded avionics and a new AN/APQ-188 radar intended to keep the bomber flying into the 2050s.
In January, the Air Force awarded Boeing a roughly $2 billion contract to modify and test two B-52s equipped with the new engines ahead of a planned fleetwide upgrade.
The B-52 typically operates with a crew of five, including two pilots, a radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer.
The aircraft is one of 76 B-52s remaining in the Air Force inventory. The fleet is expected to remain in service for decades as the Air Force pursues extensive modernization upgrades.
The nuclear-capable bomber first entered service in the 1950s and remains a central component of the U.S. strategic bomber force.
#2
Well as CNN tells it , it's still being used from the 1950's. Pretty sure they are very reliable with their info. sarc/ w/that otherwise RIP to the soldiers and condolences to their families!
Posted by: Chris ||
06/16/2026 0:28 Comments ||
Top||
#3
1 Is this a plane with the old engines or the new TurboFans?
Posted by: 3dc 2026-06-16 00:03
3dc,
This particular ship was a standard B-52H being used as an avionics and radar test bird; it still had the original TF-33 engines. There was a report early on that this had been the engine test aircraft, but it was clarified soon afterwards.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
.jpg "polio")
...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain...
