Random News: May 30, 2023

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 May 30, 2023, and it’s a Tuesday. It’s time to get back to work, and I’m not looking forward to it, but having three whole days off in a row is extremely rare for me, so I’ll just appreciate that instead of whining about this. Let’s see what’s up…

• Should we bother talking about the actual details of the tentative debt ceiling deal that Biden and McCarthy worked out?
• It’s hilarious listening to the wide range of reactions of the various Republican factions.
• “This is a historic Republican victory. It will cut spending year-over-year.” - Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
• “This “deal” is insanity. A $4T debt ceiling increase with virtually no cuts is not what we agreed to. Not gonna vote to bankrupt our country.” - Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC)
• "Conservatives have been sold out once again!" - Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
• “Oh, this thing will absolutely pass. There’s no question about that. I’ve talked to dozens of members — and listen, not every single member is on board. But when was the last time that every single member of Congress agreed on anything?” - Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
• “I will use all powers available to me in the Senate to have amendment votes to undo this catastrophe for defense.” - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
• Are conservatives the only ones disappointed in this budget? No, of course not.
• Progressive liberals have serious problems with Biden having acquiesced to things like SNAP work requirements and more.
• Much like their far-right counterparts, politicians like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chairwoman of the House Progressive Caucus, have indicated the White House and congressional Democrats should have worries that her group won’t support the debt ceiling deal.
• My take? I think it will pass via the centrist factions of both parties in both the House and Senate, and they’ll get it done before the June 5 deadline. 
• In Florida, the new laws say that anyone over 21 can carry a concealed weapon with no kind of permit required. I guess we’ll be seeing more of what happened yesterday near Miami.
• Nine people, including four minors, were transported to area hospitals following a mass shooting at the Hollywood Broadwalk yesterday afternoon. The minors shot were age 1-17, while the adults range from 25-65. One is in surgery and the others were in stable condition.
• At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured via gun violence over the holiday weekend.
• Happy Memorial Day, y’all.
• Some reasonably good news in regard to this past holiday weekend: holiday travel is back up to pre-pandemic levels. I guess that’s a positive step in this long haul back toward whatever normalcy is.
• Per the TSA, a total of 12.4 million people were screened at airports between Thursday and Monday. The busiest day was Friday when the agency screened 2.72 million travelers – levels not seen since before COVID.
• Authorities are also expecting the trend of travel to be high this entire summer. Plan accordingly.
• In other news…
• The USA and a number of other countries are considering restricting visas for some Ugandan officials after the country adopted the most draconian anti-LGBTQ laws in history.
• The European Union, United Kingdom, UNAIDS, the Global Fund, human rights groups and LGBTQ organizations also expressed their shock at the adoption of the law.
• As I mentioned previously, while same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, the new law imposes capital punishment for some behaviors including “aggravated homosexuality”, and 20 years in prison for “promoting” homosexuality.
• Uganda currently receives billions of dollars in foreign aid each year. They may want to rethink this.
• In related news, Texas passed two “anti-woke” laws. One of the bills, Senate Bill 12, bans minors from attending drag shows. The other, Senate Bill 17, bans offices and programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion at publicly funded colleges and universities.
• Make Texas Uganda!
• Moving on…
• China launched its Shenzhou-16 spacecraft crewed by three astronauts today. The spacecraft is heading to China’s space station and will relieve the crew of Shenzhou-15, who have been living there since November.
• The launch marks China’s fifth crewed mission to its space station since it first sent astronauts in 2021. China aims to launch a crewed mission to the moon by 2030.
• Cool. Good luck, China.
• And now, The Weather: “Prophecy of The Dragon” by The Voidz
• From the Sports Desk… we finally have an NBA Finals matchup. The Miami Heat were too much for the Bottom Celtics in game 7, winning handily by a score of 103-84. The NBA Finals start Thursday June 1, with the Heat traveling to face the Nuggets in Denver.
• In the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights completely dominated the Dallas Stars in their game, winning 6-0 and winning the Western Conference 4 games to 2. They go on to face the Eastern conference champion Florida Panthers in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, with game 1 on Saturday June 3 in Las Vegas.
• Today in history… Beginning of the Peasants' Revolt in England (1381). In Rouen, France, the 19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake by an English-dominated tribunal (1431). Johann Sebastian Bach assumed the office of Thomaskantor in Leipzig, presenting his first new cantata, ‘Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75’ (1723). The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the U.S. territories of Kansas and Nebraska (1854). Decoration Day — the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day” — is observed in the United States for the first time (1868). At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race (1911). The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. (1922). Chicago police shoot and kill ten labor demonstrators (1937). Mariner 9 is launched to map 70% of the surface, and to study temporal changes in the atmosphere and surface, of Mars (1971). Spain joins NATO (1982). Nigeria passes a law banning same-sex marriage (2013).
• May 30 is the birthday of mathematician Grace Andrews (1869), film director Howard Hawks (1986), voice actor Mel Blanc (1908), clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman (1909), NFL player Gale Sayers (1943), actor Colm Meany (1953), drummer Topper Headon (1955), actor Ted McGinley (1958), singer-songwriter Wynona Judd (1964), songwriter/guitarist Tom Morello (1964), singer-songwriter Stephen Malkmus (1966), singer-songwriter Idina Menzel (1971), MLB player Manny Ramirez (1972), and singer CeeLo Green (1974).

I have a bunch of work projects to keep rolling today, but that’s fine. I prefer knowing what I’m going to do work-wise than waiting for some mystery bomb to drop. My schedule is pretty full as-is. Enjoy your day.