Random News: June 1, 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 June 1, 2023, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. Welcome to a new month and hopefully some optimism and positive energy that comes along with it. Let’s find out some stuff…

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• I’m truly not a superstitious person, nor do I believe that I am capable of making magical incantations that provide tangible results. But I do like being consistent.
• Since it’s June 1, let’s talk about the start of Pride Month. Pride is designated to bring self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other people.
• Not long ago, homosexuality was considered either a mental illness or a criminal offense — or both — in most parts of the world, and remains so in some places.
• I am proud to have many great friends who do identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ world, and my life is better for having known them. Happy Pride to you all.
• Okay, some news…
• Last night the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, passed by a large bipartisan margin of centrist Democrats and Republicans. The vote tally was 314-117, with Republicans voting in favor 149-71, and Democrats in favor 165-46.
• As expected, the dissenting votes came from a batch of both the most hardcore right-wing conservatives and left-wing progressives.
• Do I like everything about this budget? Of course not. But from time to time, even the most polarized populace has to make compromises to avoid even worse results.
• At the moment, the fact that more Democrats than Republicans voted in favor is deeply upsetting to the MAGA base, many of whom are calling for Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) immediate removal from his Speaker role. I very much doubt that will happen.
• The bill now heads to the Senate where it is expected to breeze through for the most part, with passage expected by week’s end.
• Moving on…
• Federal prosecutors led by Jack Smith have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran.
• This destroys his claim that he’d somehow waved a wand and declassified the documents before stealing them.
• On the recording, Trump’s comments suggest he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records.
• Get ‘em, Jack. In other news…
• The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled yesterday that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in most cases.
• In a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are unconstitutional because they require a “medical emergency” before a doctor can perform an abortion. The court said this language conflicts with a previous ruling it issued in March. That ruling found the Oklahoma Constitution provides an “inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life.”
• More of this, please.
• I reported a few days back that Texas AG had been temporarily replaced by his assistant, Brent Webster. That was wrong.
• Yesterday, Gov. Greg Abbott picked John Scott, a longtime ally who oversaw Texas' elections in 2022, to temporarily serve as attorney general after Paxton's humiliating and historic impeachment on allegations of misconduct and crimes.
• Scott was Texas’s former Secretary of State who stepped down after the 2022 election. He takes over as the state's top lawyer while Paxton awaits a trial in the state Senate that is set to begin no later than August 28.
• Jumping to something entirely different, a jury found "That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape yesterday. Masterson was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. The 47-year-old actor faces up to 30 years in prison.
• Prosecutors said that officials from the Church of Scientology protected Masterson for years after he drugged and sexually assaulted the women. The women, who were also Scientologists, testified that the church barred them from making reports to police.
• Disgusting cultist pigs. Moving on…
• In news that will not affect your life in any possible way, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum are all expected to formally launch Republican presidential campaigns next week.
• An LGBTQ Pride flag was burned at an elementary school in North Hollywood and police are now investigating it as a possible hate crime.
• A new larger flag is now on display outside the classroom.
• A few days before the burned flag was discovered, an Instagram page was created by a group of parents encouraging others to keep their kids home to protest a Pride Day assembly on Friday.
• Piece of shit parents. Keep your own kid home if you want instead of literally burning down the tiny bit of symbolism that scares you. Fuck you all.
• Another “fuck you” to Rick Chow, the South Carolina gas station owner who chased down a 14-year-old boy and fatally shot him in the back.
• The reason? Chow thought the boy had shoplifted four bottles of water. But, as it turns out, he hadn’t. Chow will be tried for murder.
• In other news, Twitter is now worth only $15 billion, just about one-third of the $44 billion that Elon Musk paid for the platform in 2022.
• LOL.
• In shitty rich people news, the Sackler family who have owned a controlling share of Purdue Pharma since 1952, have receives full immunity from civil suits stemming from their role in the US’s opioid crisis. 
• Purdue, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019, made drugs like OxyContin and is blamed for fueling the crisis. In exchange for the immunity, they will pay $6 billion to help address opioid addiction.
• They are collectively worth $11 billion. As a part of the settlement the Sackler family will give up ownership of the company, which will be rebranded as Knoa, and send its profits to a fund to help treat addiction.
• And now, The Weather: “loveseat” by two blinks, i love you
• In more proof that anyone who aligns themselves with the former president will eventually get thrown under the bus, the Orange Anus angrily disowned his former press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, after she claimed on Fox News that Ron DeSantis was closing in on him in the polls.
• "Kayleigh 'Milktoast' McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews," Trump wrote. "I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up. While 25 is great, it's not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll. The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!"
• Okay then, fat man. Calm down.
• From the Sports Desk… nah.
• I was going to talk about Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his opposition to the team’s decision to welcome an LGBTQIA+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the team's annual Pride Night.
• But honestly, fuck that guy. His opinion is not worth the effort to mention, really.
• Today in history… Zhongdu — now called Beijing — is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan (1215). A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky (1495). The court-martial for malfeasance of Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, begins (1779). Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state of the United States (1792). Tennessee is admitted as the 16th state of the United States (1796). U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom (1812). James Clark Ross becomes the first European at the North Magnetic Pole (1831). Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey declared the Territory of Minnesota officially established (1849). The Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico (1868). The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to count census returns (1890). Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court (1916). Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as its first President (1964). The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine (1974). Cable News Network, aka CNN, begins broadcasting (1980). George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production (1990). Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole (2004). A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios breaks out, destroying the attraction King Kong Encounter and a large archive of master tapes for music and film, the full extent of which was not revealed until 2019 (2008). General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the fourth largest United States bankruptcy in history (2009).
• June 1 is the birthday of painter Frans Post (1612), missionary/explorer Jacques Marquette (1637), religious leader Brigham Young (1801), Confederate general John Bell Hood (1831), chemist William Standish Knowles (1917), bandleader Nelson Riddle (1921), actor Andy Griffith (1926), actress Marilyn Monroe (1926), singer-songwriter Pat Boone (1934), illustrator/animator Gerald Scarfe (1936), actor Morgan Freeman (1937), actor Cleavon Little (1939), actor René Auberjonois (1940), guitarist Ronnie Wood (1947), politician Lucy McBath (1960), NHL player Paul Coffey (1961), model Heidi Klum (1973), singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette (1974), singer-songwriter/guitarist Brandi Carlile (1981), actress Amy Schumer (1981), comedian Nikki Glaser (1984), and actor Tom Holland (1996).

Well, it’s been a busy week thus far, which is pretty typical after a three-day weekend. Same amount of work to do, less time to do it. That’s fine. I’m just cranking shit out as fast as my fingers and mouse will allow. Enjoy your day.