Random News: June 23, 2022

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s June 23, 2022, and it’s a Thursday. Here come some things that are whatever they are…

• The fifth session of the House Select Committee is today, starting at 3PM EDT. Scheduled witnesses against Donald Trump’s attempted coup against the United States include his former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue.
• Before we get to that, let’s talk about the Fake Elector scheme being handled by the DOJ. It’s so incredibly stupid, it’s hard to imagine that anyone came up with it other than the former President and his equally-capable pals.
• Yesterday, the Department of Justice issued criminal subpoenas to people like Brad Carver, a lawyer from Georgia who signed a document claiming to be a Trump elector (he wasn’t). Similar subpoenas were issued in Arizona, New Mexico, and possibly Michigan.
• Long story short: we elect Presidents with a count of votes from the Electoral College. There are 538 total votes available. The elector’s votes are determined by the popular vote in their respective territory. The candidate to reach 270 votes wins.
• Trump’s plan was to replace the legitimate authorized electors with fake electors, who would cast votes for Trump despite the popular vote being for Biden in their districts.
• This plan was so beyond stupid, it’s mind boggling. There was zero legal possibility of fake electors submitting fake votes and having it be accepted.
• There were even lists of these fake electors and their fake votes that went all the way to the Vice President when the vote was formally counted on January 6, 2021.
• Two of the people who allegedly were integral to carrying out this plan are RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, among many others.
• So, not to dwell on this one topic, but this is a major expansion of the DOJ’s investigation into the failed January 6 coup attempt, which is fully separate and additional to the work of the House Select Committee. Actual people are going to be arrested and tried.
• Wow.
• In other news, the House Republicans say they are united in the effort to kill the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the gun safety bill which is on track to be passed by the Senate. The three top House GOP members — Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik — will vote no on this effort to curb the epidemic of gun violence.
• They do not have the votes to stop it. Other Republicans say they are voting yes regardless. This is going to pass the House by a good margin and go to Biden to sign.
• In the “took ya’ long enough” folder… Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo was placed on leave yesterday. At this point, I can’t trust anything that department says about the response to the shooting at Robb Elementary.


• Sigh.

• There’s a giant sunspot, about three times the size of Earth, pointed at us. The sun has been very active in the past few months. The good news: it probably won’t kill us all.


• From the sports desk: the Colorado Avalanche are one win from the Stanley Cup championship, having beaten Tampa Bay at home in Game 4 in a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. Game 5 is tomorrow in Denver.


• Quote of the Day: “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” - Dalai Lama XIV


• Today in history… Henry Hudson’s crew mutinies and sets him adrift in a boat (1611). Empress Catherine II of Russia allows Jews to settle in Kyiv (1794). Christopher Sholes gets a patent on an invention he calls the Type-Writer (1868). The Antarctic Treaty System, which sets aside the continent for scientific research (and not military use) is established (1961). Warren Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the SCOTUS (1969). Nixon and his chief of staff Haldeman are taped talking about using the CIA to obstruct the FBI (1972). Sonic the Hedgehog is released in North America (1991). A soccer team in Thailand is trapped in a flooding cave (2018).


• June 23 is the birthday of Egyptian king Caesarion (47 BC), sexologist Alfred Kinsey (1894), UK King Edward VIII (1894), genius who helped create the computing device you are looking at this moment Alan Turing (1912), choreographer Bob Fosse (1927), singer-songwriter June Carter Cash (1929), original Beatles bass player Stuart Sutcliffe (1940), super giant asshole SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas (1948), musician Glenn Danzig (1955), bass player Randy Jackson (1956), amazing actress Frances McDormand (1957), and NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson (1979). 


I hope you find some good things to do on this Thursday. Here’s an idea: sign up to be a poll worker, or assist at an animal shelter, or give blood, or help someone with the dishes, or make a plan to use less plastic, or clean out the trunk of your car, or watch the Jan 6 hearings, or compliment a stranger, or make a music playlist for a friend… I mean, there’s an endless list of ways to make the world a better place for yourself and others. Enjoy your day.