Kiko remains a hurricane , but should by tomorrow weaken into a tropical storm.  If the eye went over Hawaii, there would still be some devastation and a lot of flooding.  However, the track has been predicted to pass sufficiently north of the state such that high surf and associated damage might well be the only problem. In the West Pacific is  Typhoon Tapah,  which just attained typhoon strength today and made landfall over China well away from Macao. The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America are eerily quiet as high season begins.  No serious ocean storms are predicted for at least the next week. In the East Pacific is  Post-Tropical Cyclone Lorene  so inconsequential that it is not even shown on the map. She was a hurricane on September 3, strengthened to 85 MPH on the 4th, but later that day lost hurricane status. Almost all ocean storms in the East Pacific threaten Mexico, especially the Baha Peninsula, but only very rarely extend into California....

But first, tidbits about Juneteenth ( today is a national holiday, and tomorrow will be the first day of summer ) and the Israel-Iran War. Time  magazine agrees with my  Tuesday posting  that, Juneteenth or not,  the struggle for civil rights still continues . President Donald Trump has said his decision to join Israel on strikes against Iran will wait for two weeks. He  says Iran needs some time to decide for itself if it really wants to be decimated .  Fat chance that they will agree to stop trying to become a nuclear power.  And, by the way, there are now nine of them:  US, Russia, China, France, UK, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea. The Gerald Ford Task Force has not left Norfolk, Virginia yet, and will probably arrive in the Mediterranean in just about two weeks. Trump seems to be facing some MAGA backlash.  Important elements don't want to join a foreign war.  Yet, most probably would also like to see Iran drop their nuclear...

  These President Trump actions were reported the past few days by the   New York Times .  The Interior Department says the Gulf of Mexico is now, officially, the   “Gulf of America.”    Is this legal?  Apparently yes .  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum  earlier this month, JOKINGLY, suggested North America be renamed Mexican America, a name used in early maps. Trump’s retreat from clean energy makes the U.S. an outlier in the world and   risks ceding a global market to China . House Republicans are considering   tariffs and Medicaid cuts   to pay for Trump’s tax cuts and immigration bill. About mass deportation. I've long wondered how people can support Trump when he almost always lies or exaggerates.   For example,  during his presidential campaign, he made it clear that his campaign had little to do with  Project 2025 , the controversial conservative policy blueprint created by the Heritage Foundation....