Exploding Rockets and 'Gay' Bombers

Plus music from Willie Nelson, Sinead O'Connor, Paris Paloma and Joan Armatrading, hot cartoons and a Colbert monologue. Whew!

Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books and now writer/director of three award-winning films aired via PBS, including “Atomic Cover-up” and “Memorial Day Massacre.” Now watch trailer for acclaimed 2025 film “The Atomic Bowl.” Before all that, he was a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy. At Blue Sky and Twitter: as @gregmitch. You can still subscribe to this newsletter for FREE. Sustain this newsletter by ordering one of his books.

Before we get going, I’m asking a favor here. I noted last week that this Substack had experienced an unprecedented growth in subscribers over the past month, increasing the total number by over 25%. It has now tailed off, which is fine, but since we continue to bring this to you free, and now almost every day: Please recommend this to your friends and followers—however you choose to do it on Substack and via links and other sites. Thank you. For example:

As you may know, I have written three books and directed two films on this subject, so I was sure it was a joke last night when it was reported that as part of Pete Hegseth’s purge of “DEI” images in the Pentagon vaults (mainly involving women and blacks) they had pulled photos that show the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima—the Enola Gay. You can guess the reason. Of course, the name comes from the name of the mother of pilot Paul Tibbets (who I have interviewed). Next: Delete everything related to The Battle of the Bulge?

Sundowning, you better take care: Trump late yesterday afternoon cited the two astronauts stuck in space for a few more months: "Maybe they'll love each other, I don't know. But they've been left up there. Think of it. And I see the woman with the wild hair. Good solid head of hair she's got. There's no kidding. There's no games with her hair." He said Elon Musk promised to send his rocket to bring them back. Then, a few minutes later: whoops. The NY Times:

Air traffic was disrupted across Florida when a SpaceX Starship, a prototype of the spacecraft that Elon Musk says will one day take people to Mars, disintegrated during its latest test flight.

For the second consecutive time, the upper stage of the most powerful rocket ever built malfunctioned. It started spinning out of control after several engines went out and then lost contact with mission control.

South Carolina plans to execute a man today. The inmate chose to be executed by firing squad, the first use of the method in the country in 15 years.

Stephen Colbert’s monologue last night:

Now on to music. Major US network debut on Wednesday night for UK singer-songwriter Paris Paloma, on Colbert, with her feminist anthem “Labour.” It became a sensation abroad going back two years ago but now may do the same here as she is finally launching an American tour this month here and boosting her “Cacophony” album. I can’t speak to the rest of her music, but “Labour” is something, here with the Resistance Revival Chorus.

This brought to mind the great, and greatly underrated pioneer, Joan Armatrading and her “Barefoot and Pregnant,” here live way back in 1979 (the year my long stint with Crawdaddy ended):

Last week I noted that Paul Krugman usually includes a music video at the end of his new Substacks, sometimes tied to the subject of his post. I usually read Paul but it was my wife who directed me to one this week where he posted a version of the Willie Nelson with Sinead O’Connor version (from early 1990s) of Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up,” a message for today:

Don't give up
'Cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not beaten yet
Don't give up
I know you can make it good

Willie originally chose Dolly Parton for this but she had to bow out. Sinead had just been booed off stage by the crowd at Madison Square Garden—at the major Dylan tribute, no less—in the aftermath of her Pope-photo-ripping moment on SNL. Kris Kristofferson had rushed to comfort her that night, and just a few days later suggested to pal Willie that she take this part:

From Tunes to Toons

Clay Bennett, “Tariff War”

Matt Davies on WWE chief Linda McMahon taking over Dept of Education:

A little belatedly, from Barry Blitt: