Random News: December 2, 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 December 2, 2022, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! Here’s a cascade of newsy tidbits…

• Do you like the rule of law? Do you think nobody is above the law?
• Then, my friend, it’s a good day for us both.
• Yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Judge Aileen Cannon was drastically wrong in ordering a special master for the review of the stolen classified documents found at FPOTUS’s golf motel.
• The special master: gone. All restrictions on DOJ use of recovered Mar-a-Lago documents: gone. The DOJ can now go in with access to 100% of the documents and make whatever criminal case against Trump that is appropriate.
• They said, “The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so.”
• The timing couldn’t be more perfect, with special prosecutor Jack Smith having been appointed by the DOJ to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
• Enough on that for now. Let’s talk about that rapper called Ye.
• He went on Alex Jones’ InfoWars show yesterday along with his anti-Semitic pal Nick Fuentes and somehow managed to make Alex Jones look like the sane guy there.
• “Well, I see good things about Hitler also. Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler. Also, Hitler was born Christian.” - Kanye West, 12/1/22
• That same day, the conservative social network Parler announced that the deal they’d made with Kanye to purchase the platform is now off.
• And later that same day, Ye started posting pictures of swastikas on Twitter, and was making violent statements to the point that even his best pal Elon had enough and once again suspended him from the platform.
• Anyway, I’m sure based on his anti-Semitic and violent behavior, he’ll now be the GOP frontrunner in 2024. Republicans will say, “He tells it like it is,” and so on.
• Okay then.
• In semi-related news, Alex Jones declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy this morning, presumably to shield himself somewhat from the millions and millions of dollars of legal judgements against him. So sad, too bad.
• Congressman Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) longtime wingman Joel Greenberg was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison — one of the many crimes he was charged with was sex trafficking a minor.
• It seems unlikely that Gaetz will face any charges for having had sex with a minor that Greenberg procured for him, but you never know.
• And now, The Weather: “Petrichor” by Golden Days
• Cochise County, AZ finally caved in regard to certifying their vote in the 2022 Midterms. They did so after being notified by a court they were committing a felony by refusing. All Arizona counties have now certified and the election is officially over.
• In their attempt to illegally install Kari Lake as governor, they would have also caused one of the congressional seats to flip to Democrat, among other things. I’m sure the national GOP had a foot firmly in their asses.
• The Sports Desk has a couple of items, not directly related to sports.
• First, a picture surfaced recently of longtime Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in his youth. He is standing on the steps outside the doors of North Little Rock High in Arkansas in September 1957, protesting against the school being integrated with Black students. 
• Shortly after the photo was taken, the Black students were pushed back down the stairs to the street, their effort to integrate the school rejected by force.
• The past is the past, and Jones is now 80. But he is still the same person, and the Dallas Cowboys have had fewer Black coaches than almost any other NFL franchise. Makes you think.
• Second, former NFL player Antonio Brown is being charged with domestic battery, and cops have been in a standoff with him outside his Florida home.
• Brown is currently the president of Kanye West’s Donda Sports business. Funny how these things all tie together, huh?
• Today in history… The University of Leipzig opens (1409). Swedish parliament approves the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act and implements it as a ground law, thus being first in the world with freedom of speech (1766). In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas (1823). In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West (1845). Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16 raid on Harpers Ferry, WV (1859). Alabama ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed by North Carolina, then Georgia; U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks (1865). Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile (1927). In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy (1930). New York City's LaGuardia Airport opens (1939). During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction (1942). In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba will adopt Communism (1961). The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations (1970). Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart (1982). NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope (1993). Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (2001).
• December 2 is the birthday of lawyer/politician John Breckinridge (1760), painter Georges Seurat (1859), businessman Charles Edward Ringling (1863), general/politician Alexander Haig (1924), actress Julie Harris (1925), lawyer/politician Harry Reid (1939), fashion designer Gianni Versace (1946), actress Lucy Liu (1968), bass player Nate Mendel (1968), rapper Treach (1970), tennis player Monica Seles (1973), singer-songwriter Nelly Futado (1978), singer Britney Spears (1981), NFL player Aaron Rodgers (1983), and bass player Tal Wilkenfeld (1986). 

Okay well… that’s all a bunch of crazy shit, and I have a seriously busy day ahead, so I’ll leave it at that. It’s Friday, so maybe we’ll all be happy and everything will go well today. Ha! It’s okay to be optimistic, even when it’s kinda silly to do so. Enjoy your day.