Monday: Hili dialogue

June 8, 2026 • 6:45 am

Welcome to Monday, June 8, 2026, and Jelly-Filled Donut Day. The prime species in this genus is the Pączki, filled yeast-risen donuts popular in Poland. Here’s a store selling them in Katowice, Poland, where I gave a talk in December of 2024.  So many to choose from! Also, a cross-section of one from Krakow. You might be able to read some of the fillings:

It’s also Best Friends Day, World Oceans Day. and Thomas Paine Day, honoring the great thinker and founding father who died on this day 1809. Here’s a portrait from 1792, so he presumably looked like this at 55:

Laurent Dabos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the June 8 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*Breaking Nooz: Iran launches missiles at Israel, Israel retaliates.  See if you see anything about who fired first in the NYT report:

President Trump said on Monday that Israel and Iran should “immediately stop” striking each other after the two sides traded attacks for the first time since April, as an uneasy truce that had suspended the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran appeared to break down.

Mr. Trump’s brief social media post did not elaborate on what the United States might do to cool the escalation between the two adversaries, which has propelled the Middle East back to the precipice of the full-scale war that began in February with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iranian ballistic missiles sent sirens wailing in central and southern Israel and booms from air defenses could be heard overhead. Israel’s air force bombarded sites in western and southern Iran, including a petrochemical factory and Iranian air defenses, the Israeli military said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps threatened energy infrastructure across the region in response to the Israeli attack on the petrochemical complex, saying that Israel had “initiated a dangerous game.” Earlier in the war, Iran had fired volleys of missiles and drones at Arab states throughout the Gulf, including at critical energy depots and refineries.

The renewed fighting could tie up Mr. Trump’s efforts to extricate himself from the war with Iran, which has proved politically costly at home and jacked up global oil and gas prices.

The NYT doesn’t mention that the first strike came from Iran, of course, and Israel was retaliating. From the Times of Israel:

Israel launched strikes on Iranian military targets and a petrochemical plant on Monday morning in response to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile attacks on northern Israel hours earlier, defying public calls from US President Donald Trump not to retaliate.

After threatening continued barrages if Israel retaliated to its initial attack on Sunday evening, Iran launched more ballistic missile attacks on Monday morning after Israel’s airstrikes on military targets overnight, and was joined by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who also fired a missile at Tel Aviv.

Israel is the only country in the world that, when attacked by an enemy, is sternly warned not to retaliate!  That is simply ridiculous.

*Over at It’s Noon in Israel, Amit Segal takes a page from James Carville in a piece called, “It’s the Iranian economy, stupid!”

After 55 days of hemorrhaging an estimated $500 million daily in blockaded revenue, economic pressure has begun to manifest. According to a senior Iranian official speaking to CNN, a potential peace agreement with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump now hinges on the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

Does this mean the nuclear issue has been settled? Unlikely, but it does reveal that other priorities are taking precedence.

At the onset of Operation Epic Fury, the United States outlined four primary objectives: dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, destroying its ballistic missile capacity, severing its support for regional proxies, and stopping the violent crackdown on protesters. As negotiations progressed, the protesters appeared to have been the first abandoned, quickly followed by the proxies and missiles. Now, only the dismantling of the nuclear program remains on the negotiating table.

However, what diplomacy has omitted, military intervention has largely addressed. The bombing campaign left Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure—and the primary industries supplying it—in ruins. The state’s oppression apparatus also suffered a severe beating, while crippling sanctions and the blockade have handicapped Iran’s ability to fund its proxy networks. Repair costs have been estimated at a minimum of $144 billion. However, Iranian government spokespeople claim that direct and indirect damages have reached up to $270 billion. The regime is teetering over an economic abyss that only liquidity can bridge. This is why two weeks ago Qatar offered to sweeten an agreement with a $6 billion “humanitarian” loan, and why “peace” now comes with a $24 billion price tag.

Meanwhile, domestic unrest continues to simmer. According to a Saturday report by Iran International, high school students have organized mass protests across roughly 20 provinces. Authorities have met several of these demonstrations with immediate violence and arrests.

Although the students’ grievances currently focus on educational reform rather than explicit anti-regime sentiment, the potential remains. All it took was one Tunisian street vendor protesting local corruption to ignite the Arab Spring and topple four established regimes. Perhaps the treatment of an as-yet-unknown student could be the catalyst for an upheaval no one could have predicted.

Well, one could hope, but hope is scarce when the existing regime was willing to kill over 30,000 protestors to stay in power. And what about the “nuclear issue,” which to Trump was (and, he says, still is) the paramount issue to be resolved: “Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.”

*The Trump administration has quietly begun fast-tracking immigration hearings (article archived here).

Federal officials have quietly begun fast-tracking cases through immigration courts, pushing dozens of additional cases onto the dockets on certain days in an effort to more quickly process asylum and other claims.

The fast-tracking, which is also intended to increase the pace of deportations, started without any formal notification or announcement from the Trump administration, according to immigration lawyers and court officials interviewed by The New York Times. But a surge of cases has been apparent in numerous courts around the country. Some judges have seen their caseloads double and triple, prompting worries that cases are being rushed through, violating due process rights.

At separate courthouses in Annandale and Sterling, Va., in recent days, Times reporters observed long lines and packed dockets. Some immigration judges saw their caseloads more than double, with as many as 100 adults waiting for their cases to be heard. In Annandale, the caseloads have included dozens of unaccompanied minors.

Lines were also evident at a courthouse in downtown Chicago on a recent weekday, with families spilling out of waiting areas and into hallways. Many cases were being processed in small groups, or in several instances with more than two dozen people appearing at once.

And in New Orleans, lawyers saw the number of cases increase to more than 200 on Monday and Tuesday in one courtroom alone. The judges at that courthouse typically take only about 30 to 40 cases per day, lawyers said. The morning dockets were so packed and chaotic that lawyers wishing to observe or monitor the proceedings were not allowed in to watch.

Federal officials say that speeding through cases will help alleviate backlogs that have led some asylum and immigration relief claims to languish for years. The slow pace of the process, they contend, creates incentives for people to enter the United States to file claims that may be weak or invalid.\

. . . . But immigration lawyers and rights groups counter that the sudden acceleration of the process risks errors, denies immigrants due process and leaves people with little time to find lawyers.

“Everything related to these large dockets or mass dockets is shrouded in such a strange secrecy,” said Gracie Willis, an attorney with the National Immigration Project, a nonprofit that provides legal services for immigrants. “Our confirmation that they were even happening really came from going to the court on Monday and seeing the large lines of people standing outside,” she added, referring to the proceedings she observed in New Orleans.

One would think this is a good thing, but of course the cases have to be decided fairly, and speed may conflict with fairness. But to those of us who are Democrats but see our party as seeming to favor unlimited immigration and open borders, this may be a good thing.  Other “progressives” will oppose it because they really don’t want vetting at all.

*Reader David sent a link from Field and Stream (the first link on this site to that magazine) describing a ballot initiative in Oregon that would ban all hunting and fishing. David added, “Sometimes I think the woke liberals in this state actually want to turn Oregon into a Red state. I suspect we will have a Republican governor elected in November, for the first time since the 1980’s, I think.  Many of my friends, who are center left Democrats, are fed up with the the Democratic Party.”  (JAC: Yes, look at Portland!)

An extreme initiative in Oregon that would ban hunting and fishing is one step closer to making the November ballot. Oregon Initiative Petition 28—which would categorize hunting, fishing, trapping, and farming as forms of animal cruelty—has now garnered more than 117,000 signatures, making it eligible for ballot consideration by the Secretary of State.

According the Oregon Hunters Association (OHA), the so-called PEACE Act would eliminate legal exemptions that currently protect hunting, fishing, trapping, and farming from prosecution under Oregon’s animal abuse statutes. If passed, the referendum would open more than 330,000 licensed hunters and 500,000 anglers to criminal liability. It would also jeopardize the treaty-protected hunting-and-fishing rights of nine sovereign tribes.

OHA says out-of-state animal rights organizations are organizing and driving the ballot push. A broad coalition of conservation and special interest groups—from the Oregon Farm Bureau and the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association to Ducks Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers—has come out against it. The Oregon Sportsmen Legislative Caucus, made up Democrats and Republicans in the Oregon State Senate, has also issued a joint statement opposing IP28, calling it an attack on the state’s rural economy and cultural heritage.

. . . . The attempted ban has been in the news on and off since it was first introduced in 2020 as Initiative Petition 13. It failed to qualify for the ballot in 2022 before supporters reintroduced it with the same core language in 2024. When it failed again, in July 2024, the groups immediately reintroduced the measure in its current form.

It looks as if the measure is not going to pass, and yes, the animal-rights groups lean left. I’m not so sure, though, whether banning hunting and fishing is a really bad thing, because animals feel pain and it’s often cruel (yes, fish feel pain). How I come down on a bill like this depends on whether there is a need to control animal populations through hunting, in which case not controlling them could be cruel, but I don’t know of any fish whose populations need to be controlled. (I’m told that it’s useless to control animal populations through hunting, and of course no traps should be used.)

*After a number of participants in the 250th anniversary of America concert pulled out because it became political, Trump has created a new lineup starring–guess who?–HIM.

President Donald Trump has revealed the lineup for a rally celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary days after a slew of musicians pulled out of performing at a Freedom 250 multi-day concert event.

In a June 4 social media post, Trump announced country singer Lee Greenwood will sing his 1984 hit “God Bless The U.S.A” at the June 24 rally before introducing the headlining act: the president himself.

“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home. All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!” Trump wrote.

Freedom 250, the quasi-government group Trump formed to mark America’s 250th birthday, was originally planning a 16-day concert series as part of an event coined the “Great America State Fair.” But last week, a slew of musicians backed out of performing, with several citing the event’s perceived political affiliation and confusion around what they signed up for.

As a result, Trump decided to nix the performances and instead give a speech himself, a White House official previously confirmed. The rally is scheduled for June 24.

Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, also confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY that Trump will be kicking off the Great American State Fair at the June 24 event.

Although the president is positioning the June 24 event as a rally rather than a concert, several musical acts are part of the lineup, according to Trump’s Truth Social post.

In addition to Greenwood, opera singer Christopher Macchio will perform before Trump’s headlining speech.

The U.S. Army Band, Armed Forces Choir, U.S. Marine Band and Joint Armed Forces Chorus will perform as well, Trump said.

Oy vey!  I’m not impressed by the lineup, but it would be better if it didn’t have a speech by Trump, who you can be sure will bloviate and emphasize what a great President he is.  Oh, and don’t forget the cage match on June 14, Trump’s 80th birthday.

*Weight-loss drugs like GLP-1 are touted as a miracle (I have friends who are contemplating taking them even though they aren’t overweight), but they’re a nightmare for retailers, or so the Wall Street Journal says. The problem is that GLP-taking customers are buying clothes in multiple sizes, planning to return all save the one that fits, and that hurts retailers.

America’s apparel companies are fighting increasing returns. The problem is the soaring use of weight-loss drugs.

Farnam Elyasof, founder of online budget suit retailer FlexSuits, has seen a 50% increase in returns in the past year. When a customer orders the same suit in two or three sizes, “it’s a red flag,” Elyasof said. In such instances, he is likely to check measurements, ask the client if they are losing weight or advise them to wait to purchase until closer to their event. It helps, but the returns keep coming.

“It’s becoming a real issue,” Elyasof said. “It’s a loss for me.”

Shoppers are increasingly buying multiple versions of the same garment, and then sending back those that don’t fit. They are also sizing down through exchanges, returning larger sizes in favor of smaller ones. The share of apparel exchanges where shoppers sized down has risen in each of the past three full calendar years, hitting a high of 14.6% in 2025, according to a review of 38 retailers by Narvar, which manages returns for retailers.

Returns are among the biggest profit-killers for retailers, particularly online businesses. Shipping, labor and warehousing costs add up. And items sent back might be out of season, meaning retailers have to resell them at a discount.

For a $1 billion company that typically sees around 20% of items purchased returned, a 5- to 10-percentage-point increase in returns can slash gross margins by $20 million, according to Prashant Agrawal, chief executive at Impact Analytics, which helps retailers manage their inventory. “It’s a huge headache,” he said.

At peak weight loss, those taking GLP-1 medications can drop a clothing size every month. Jeans, bras and athleisure wear are often the first items replaced. Then come tops and dresses, as well as adjustments to rings, bracelets and shoe sizing. Retailers from Levi Strauss to Costco Wholesale and Walmart are working to understand the shift.

The returns trend is particularly acute in larger sizes. Returns for medium, large and extralarge items jumped the most, according to Impact Analytics. “As you lose weight or you have a shift, you’re, like, ‘OK, I need to buy medium and large to see what fits better,’ ” said Agrawal.

I don’t know the solution to this problem, as when you take weight-loss drugs I don’t think you can predict what weight (and what size) you will settle at.  Still, those on a chemical diet should not be encumbering retailers in this weigh.  Just like kids keep buying larger sizes as they grow, dieting adults can buy smaller sizes as they shrink.

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is tending the garden:

Hili: Now water that young peach tree.
Andrzej: You’re right, I forgot about it.

In Polish:

Hili: Teraz podlej to młode drzewko brzoskwini.
Ja: Masz rację, zapomniałem o nim.

*******************

From Funny and Strange Signs:

From This Cat is Guilty:

From Bad Spelling or Grammar on Signs and Notices. The “grocer’s apostrophe” is not the only error!

From Masih, a hideous explanation of mansplaining. Afghanistan in fact prohibits women from going to secondary school, making it the world’s only country where secondary and higher education is forbidden to women.

From Luana (I may have posted this before).  And yes, that’s AOC speaking to a sex-segregating crowd.

The Number Ten Cat was patriotic on D-Day:

Two from my feed.  This is amazing—particularly the first run:

It’s Grandpa!

One I reposted from The Auschwitz Memorial

Two from Matthew (on holiday in France and Switzerland). First, a mantis invades the diamond:

Victor Robles found a new coach… and he’s a bit tiny! 🦗⚾️#MLB #Baseball #VictorRobles #Nationals #WashingtonNationals #PrayingMantis #ViralSports #FunnyMoments #SportsHighlights #Gameday #BaseballLife #Insects #MLBHighlights #FunnySports #SportsFans #RallyMantis

— TheScoreBoardHQ (@thescoreboardhq.bsky.social) 2026-05-10T20:41:36.560Z

. . . and a dad joke. which Matthew characterizes as “stupid”:

I met a microbiologist yesterday. He was much bigger than I expected.

— 𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚍 𝙼. 🌎 (@davidpmolina.com) 2026-06-05T19:14:59.275Z

2 thoughts on “Monday: Hili dialogue”

  1. A bit more on Katelyn Ohashi and her gymnastics story: she left the USA elite gymnastics world, eventually “dropping back” to ncaa competition representing ucla. My granddaughter, several years ago, followed a similar route when faced with a third elbow surgery at age 14, her mother pulled her from USA gymnastics and she “dropped back” to high school varsity competition at a public high school. This was a great decision for her to grow up as a well rounded teen, studying, playing other sports, dating. We watched Olympian Gabby Douglas in her formative years at our gym and we all saw the incredible public life of the remarkable Simone Biles the last few years. A six- minute video from Ohashi tells her story from ten years ago. Url should be

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  2. Pingback: Iran, Israel clash after major strikes break fragile ceasefire - Globally Pulse

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