Random News: July 19, 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 July 19, 2023, and it’s a Wednesday. Some people call this humpday; I think every day can be humpday if you’re motivated enough.

• It’s the 200th day of 2023. This doesn’t matter in any way for any reason. Just thought you might like to know. And now, the news…
• Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges yesterday against 16 Republicans who acted as fake electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, accusing them of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
• Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that all 16 individuals would get eight criminal charges, including two counts of forgery, which is a 14-year felony. The group includes Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden and Meshawn Maddock, former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
• Good. Fuck those criminals and anyone who would attempt this shit in future elections.
• But wait! In addition to the 16 charged in Michigan, fake Electoral College certificates were also submitted declaring Trump the winner of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
• I hope those folks slept well last night. I think they’re all going to be facing big felonies and jail terms eventually. Fuck around and find out, folks.
• Moving on with more good news…
• Illinois is set to become the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail after the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a landmark criminal justice reform law did not violate the state’s constitution. 
• In its 5-2 ruling, the court said the state’s constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public.”
• I think cash bail should be eliminated nationwide.
• The problem with cash bail is pretty obvious. It disproportionately victimizes people from low-income backgrounds.
• People who can’t afford bail spend long periods in confinement before they’ve been found guilty of any crime. That can lead to them losing their jobs and dramatically disrupting their lives.
• Speaking of jobs…
• A little tidbit about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Disney CEO Bob Iger whined in the news this week that the writers and actors aren’t being realistic about their expectations, and that he was disturbed by their desire for fair compensation.
• The average Hollywood writer makes $69,510/year. Bob Iger makes $74,175/day. Every day. Fuck you, Bob.
• I want to tell you something about federal indictments. This is straight factual info backed by very specific data.
• More than 90% of defendants who get federally indicted plead guilty before any trial is needed because the feds don’t bother indicting unless they feel they have absolute proof of guilt, and the defendant will only get a higher sentence by trying to defend in court.
• Of those who make the foolish move to have a trial by judge or jury, only a tiny fraction of them are found not guilty.
• A recent year of judgements had 79,704 total federal defendants, and only 320 of them – fewer than 1% – went to trial and won their cases, at least in the form of an acquittal.
• As you learn more about these federal indictments coming down against the former president, be aware that this is all extremely serious shit.
• And now, The Weather: “Phaser Days” by Vaega
• Phoenix has broken an awful record: 19 straight days above 110 degrees.
• Little personal side note: we have some of the best weather in the world in my coastal city of Redondo Beach, CA. That being said, we generally don’t need air conditioning throughout the entire year.
• But we are now looking into some portable systems because when it does heat up in September, we’re concerned about being in 100+ heat for days on end with no relief.
• This is a time we should note that it’s not “US Climate Change”. It’s global climate change.
• It hit 85°F at the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d'Huez, at about 6,100 feet above sea level. It was 103°F in Rome.
• And China? Yeah, they set a provisional record for the highest temperature on record, with a reading of 126°F in Sanbao.
• It’s on every continent and there’s no escaping it. Let’s get off this depressing shit for now.
• In what might be my favorite political jiu-jitsu maneuver I’ve ever seen, yesterday the Biden/Harris campaign put out an online ad that was simply Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaking at a recent conservative event.
• In her speech, Sporky compared Biden to Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, describing Biden’s “Build Back Better” policy as, “The largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started that LBJ expanded on.”
• She also accused Biden of continuing LBJ’s “The Great Society” program which, as MTG pointed out, addressed “education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and welfare,” as well as the Office of Economic Opportunity and labor unions.
• These are all things that sane people appreciate. So they took that speech… and just made it into an ad. For Biden. Love it.
• Here’s a weird one: former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met China’s top diplomat in Beijing today.
• US officials say that Kissinger is acting in his capacity as a private citizen and not as a messenger for the Biden administration.
• Uh huh. By the way, if you think Biden is old, Kissinger turned 100 in May. He was 20 when Biden was born. Lordy.
• Here’s something. Mobile is now the second-largest city in the state of Alabama.
• The city grew by a voter-based annexation of several smaller adjacent communities. As a result of the vote the population of Mobile is now 208,830, more than 8,000 residents above the now third largest city of Birmingham.
• Okay then.
• From the Sports Desk… the Women’s World Cup kicks off Thursday in New Zealand and Australia. The USWNT has won the past two Cups; no team, women's or men's, has ever won three straight World Cups.
• Regardless, they are the bettor’s favorite this time as well. Caesars Sportsbook has the U.S. at +225 to win the Cup, followed by England (+450), Spain (+500) and Germany (+750). France is +1,000, with Australia next at +1,200. Sweden is +2,000 and the Netherlands are +2,200. The U.S. was an even-money favorite to win the 2019 World Cup.
• The USWNT opens play in Group E versus Vietnam on Friday.
• Today in history… The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city (64). The attempt to install Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England collapses after only nine days (1553). Representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy sign the Nanfan Treaty, ceding a large territory north of the Ohio River to England (1701). Coronation of George IV of the United Kingdom (1821). The last great fire to affect Manhattan kills four firefighters and 26 civilians and destroys 345 buildings (1845). A two-day Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, NY (1848). Maurice Garin wins the first Tour de France (1903). Opening of the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland (1952). Joe Walker flies an X-15 aircraft to 106,010 meters, qualifying as the first human spaceflight under international convention (1963). Ted Kennedy crashes his car at Chappaquiddick Island, MA, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne (1969). The world’s first GPS signal is transmitted and received (1977). Opening of the Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union (1980).
• July 19 is the birthday of sultan of Egypt Baibars (1223), painter/engraver John Martin (1789), businessman Samuel Colt (1814), painter Edgar Degas (1834), accused murderer Lizzie Borden (1860), surgeon Charles Mayo (1865), animator/producer Max Fleischer (1883), politician George McGovern (1922), animator/producer Arthur Rankin Jr. (1924), businessman/engineer Gaston Glock (1929), tennis player/politician Ilie Năstase (1946), guitarist/composer Bernie Leadon (1947), guitarist/astrophysicist Brian May (1947), keyboardist/composer Keith Godchaux (1948), guitarist/composer Allen Collins (1952), businessman Howard Schultz (1953), actor Anthony Edwards (1962), Scottish prime minister Nicola Sturgeon (1970), actor Benedict Cumberbatch (1976), and soccer player Nené (1981).

Today should be a normal day. I’ve got some stuff to create. That’s what I do. I create shit. Without people like me, nothing gets created. You’re welcome. Enjoy your day.