2026 What awaits Obama?

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But most of all, I remember Andy.*

*A takeaway from an earlier show called, "I Remember Mama"

The following from Wow Wonders

He walked away from his dream job on live television rather than say something he did not believe.

In 1970, Andy Rooney left CBS. Not over money. Not over career advancement. He left because the network would not allow him to tell the truth as he understood it.

Rooney had created a documentary titled An Essay on War, shaped by his experiences as a World War II correspondent. It was personal, direct, and unsparing. When CBS executives reviewed it, they decided it was too severe and too unsettling. They asked him to tone it down. When he refused, they suggested shelving it quietly.

Rooney refused that as well.  Instead, he quit.

Then he took another step few expected. He bought the rights to the documentary with his own money, took it to PBS, and for the first time sat before a camera to read his own words. The film went on to win a Writers Guild Award.

That recognition was never the goal. What mattered to Rooney was something he had learned decades earlier while covering the war in Europe.

During World War II, he reported for Stars and Stripes. He flew combat missions with bomber crews, watching young men barely out of their teens climb into planes knowing some would not return. He walked through barracks where beds were still neatly made and photographs sat untouched, and he understood exactly what that meant.

He was among the first journalists to enter Nazi concentration camps after liberation. What he saw stayed with him for the rest of his life. For his reporting under fire, he earned a Bronze Star and an Air Medal.

That war taught him a lesson he never abandoned. Truth matters more than comfort. Real stories are not found in polished summaries or statistics. They live in details, in faces, in moments that make your hands tremble as you try to write them down.

After leaving CBS, Rooney worked at other networks before returning in the early 1970s. On July 2, 1978, he sat behind a cluttered desk on 60 Minutes and delivered his first regular commentary.

He spoke about car accident statistics over the Fourth of July weekend.

It sounded small. But that was his gift. Rooney did not need grand topics to say something meaningful. He could look at bread, rubber bands, or a phone bill and uncover something honest about how people live. He found the shared truth in ordinary frustrations and the deeper meaning in everyday observations.

For thirty three years, he closed the most watched news program in America with three minute commentaries that amused, provoked thought, and sometimes unsettled viewers. He delivered more than a thousand of them before his final appearance in October 2011.

He died one month later at the age of ninety two.

Rooney once said that a writer’s responsibility is to tell the truth. Not the comfortable version. Not the popular one. The kind that weighs on you until you finally put it into words.

That is what he did for his entire life. From war zones to Sunday night television, he kept questioning, kept pressing, and kept insisting that words matter.

When he was told no, he found another path. When asked to compromise, he walked away and looked for people who would not demand it.

His legacy is more than a familiar face at the end of 60 Minutes or the gruff observations about modern life. It is the war correspondent who never forgot what he witnessed and the writer who understood that the strongest words are the ones that make people stop and listen.

He showed that you do not have to raise your voice to be heard. You only have to speak clearly, honestly, and without apology.

That is what courage looks like in journalism. That is what integrity sounds like when it refuses to be edited away.

Andy Rooney 

Comey, the Clintons, Obama, and Brennan are still walking free.

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THE APOSTLE LUKE DID NOT HAVE A SOLAR OBSERVATORY TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW

Blogpost by Norman E. Hooben 

The following generated from AI:

The primary Bible passage describing strange signs in the sky before the end times is Luke 21:25-26, where Jesus says, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken". Other verses like Acts 2:19 also mention signs in the heavens, but Luke details these cosmic disturbances as precursors to the Son of Man's return. 

Image credit:
NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScl)

Mysterious Radio Signals

(Image credit:
NRAO Outreach/T. Jarrett (IPAC/Caltech);
B. Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Since 2007, researchers have been receiving ultrastrong, ultrabright radio signals lasting only a few milliseconds. These enigmatic flashes have been called fast radio bursts (FRBs), and they appear to be coming from billions of light-years away (they're not aliens, it's never aliens). Recently, scientists managed to capture a repeating FRB, which flashed six times in a row, the second such signal ever seen and one that could help them unravel this mystery

Ref: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations..."

So I asked AI, "Is Germany, France, and England in distress?"

AI responds:

Yes, recent reports and polls indicate that Germany, France, and England (UK) are showing signs of distress, primarily driven by significant economic and political challenges. 

Economic Distress

All three nations are facing economic difficulties, with Germany and France performing particularly poorly within Europe. 

Germany: Once the engine of European growth, Germany has become one of the worst-performing G7 economies, experiencing stagnation since before the pandemic. Its large industrial sector has been hit hard by high energy costs and global shifts in demand.

France: France faces pressure due to high public spending (nearly 60% of GDP) and substantial debt levels, with a persistent fiscal deficit that breaks EU rules. This has led to the need for austerity measures, which are politically unpopular.

England (UK): While showing slightly fewer signs of distress than a year ago and performing better than Germany in some areas, the UK still faces economic pressures, including high inflation, increased cost of living, and a higher personal tax burden. 

A December 2025 Politico poll found that nearly half of adults in all three countries believe their nation is "generally falling behind other comparable economies". 

Political Distress

Economic woes are intertwined with political instability in France and Germany. 

France and Germany: Both countries have experienced recent government collapses or significant political turbulence as leaders struggle to agree on economic management and reforms. This political fragmentation creates uncertainty for businesses and hinders the EU's ability to make bold decisions, as the Franco-German axis has traditionally been crucial for European leadership.

England (UK): The UK, in contrast to France and Germany, has seen the election of a new stable government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer. However, it continues to deal with internal pressures and a new geopolitical role post-Brexit, though it is forging new bilateral partnerships, such as a major treaty with Germany on defense, security, and migration. 

Then what about the United States?

AI responds:

Yes, the U.S. shows significant signs of distress across mental, social, and economic spheres, with high rates of loneliness, deep political polarization, rising affordability issues for families, and economic instability concerns like debt and housing, all leading to widespread anxiety and a feeling of being disconnected despite ongoing resilience. 

Mental & Social Distress

• ** Loneliness Epidemic:** A major issue, with many Americans feeling isolated, left out, or lacking companionship, linked to societal division and disconnection.
• ** Political Polarization:** Political division is a significant stressor, creating social fragmentation and impacting well-being.
• ** Mental Health Crisis:** Especially pronounced in young people, with high levels of overall stress and a need for more emotional support than people receive, says the CDC and APA. 

Economic & Affordability Stress

• ** Affordability Crisis:** Middle-class families struggle with basic necessities, with significant racial disparities in financial strain, notes Brookings.
• ** Economic Instability:** Concerns about debt, housing costs, and labor market shifts persist, contributing to overall precariousness, says The Conversation. 

Environmental & Infrastructure Strain

• ** Climate Risks:** Major U.S. cities face high risks from climate issues like wildfires, sea-level rise, and air quality, impacting livability, notes this YouTube video. 

In summary, data from sources like the American Psychological Association, the CDC, and The Brookings Institution points to a nation under significant pressure, struggling with internal divisions and external challenges. 

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