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.
It wasn’t that long ago that Florida was considered a swing state. But MAGA and Ron De Santis have, as you’re well aware, turned it into the current right-wing nightmare that we all seem to think is past the point of no return.
National Democrats had all but written off Florida as a lost cause. However, citizen initiatives dealing with abortion rights and recreational marijuana legalization could fuel turnout and boost the party’s chances.
Some are skeptical that the initiatives will change the fortunes of the party in that godforsaken state But Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried thinks it’s the perfect storm.
She said that Democratic volunteers and paid canvassers will help gather signatures for the weed and abortion amendments when they go out into the field. The party does not plan to help fund either initiative, but Florida Democrats are promoting the abortion rights initiative — as well one dealing with clean water — on the party’s website.
She’s probably right. So that’s a little glimmer of hope. The weed initiative has already gotten over a million signatures, and the abortion rights initiative has over 400,000 and is on track to hit a million.
In other news…
Per a federal ruling yesterday, Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks issued a preliminary injunction against the law, which also would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible by kids. The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year, was set to take effect this Tuesday, August 1.
Yes. Be it Florida or Alabama, Texas or Arkansas, I know it seems like the places that were already bad are getting worse. But there’s also systems in place to keep America being the land of the free, and none of these evil motherfuckers can easily negate those systems.
Moving on…
I’ll bet you think that Supreme Court justices have a pretty good understanding of US government and the Constitution. I mean, I’d think that.
So I was a little tiny bit surprised on Friday when SCOTUS justice Samuel Alito said in an interview, “I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period.”
Oh?
Shortly after, my congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) posted, “Dear Justice Alito: You’re on the Supreme Court in part because Congress expanded the Court to 9 Justices. Congress can impeach Justices and can in many cases strip the Court of jurisdiction. Congress has always regulated you and will continue to do so. You are not above the law.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had some feelings as well.
“What a surprise, guy who is supposed to enforce checks and balances thinks checks shouldn’t apply to him. Corruption and abuse of power must be stopped, no matter the source. In fact, the court should be *most* subject to scrutiny, bc it is unelected & life appointed. Alito’s next opinion piece in the WSJ is about to be ‘I am a little king, actually. The Constitution doesn’t explicitly say I’m not.”
Alito is on the defensive after accepting gifts without disclosing them, and then refusing to allow any ethics regulation for the Court. There’s a name for a guy like that, and that name is “asshole”.
Sunday is our day to discuss gun violence in the USA. Why Sunday? Because Americans tend to shoot each other a lot on Friday and Saturday. It just works out that way.
One dead and 17 wounded at a party in Muncie, IN. Five shot with two in critical condition at a community event in Seattle, WA. Four dead, 36 injured in Chicago, IL. Two dead and four injured in Oakland, CA. Five shot with two in critical condition in Lansing, MI. Someone opened fire on a Best Western in San Antonio, TX, striking seven rooms and wounding one woman in her hotel room. One guy in critical condition after being shot in a Phoenix, AZ dog park. One dead in Huntsville, AL. Three shot at a 7-11 in Arvada, CO. One shot at a P.F. Chang’s in Chino Hills, CA. One shot in Brownsville, PA.
There are more, but I guess you get the idea. The United States has surpassed 400 mass shootings in 2023, setting the stage for a record-breaking year in gun violence. Including homicides and suicides, nearly 1 in 5 US adults has had a family member killed by a gun.
And, over the past few years, firearms contributed to the deaths of more children ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness. When you vote for candidates who don’t support common-sense gun control, like universal background checks, waiting periods, and limits on ammunition capacity, you are part of the system that’s killing these children.
Don’t be surprised when your choice affects you personally.
And now, The Weather: “Soft Like a Flower” by Cherry Glazerr
The social network formerly known as Twitter has completed its transition to its new brand, now called X.
As I’ve been participating more on the Threads app, I find myself barely ever visiting X anymore. When I do stop in, it’s a horrible cesspool of Nazis and porn. Sad.
I guess that’s what Elmo wanted.
Want to send money to Donald Trump for his re-election efforts? Well, his political action committee, Save America, has spent more than $40 million on legal fees since the start of this year.
The PAC, which raises most of its funds through small-dollar donations from Trump’s supporters, is expected to report to the Federal Election Commission tomorrow that it spent $40.2 million on legal costs in the first half of the year – more than double the amount the group spent on legal fees in all of 2022.
So that’s what you’re paying for. Hundreds of lawyers for a rich guy. Does that make you a smart person? Should people respect you for that? Are you so wealthy that you can afford to pay legal fees for a wealthy criminal?
In personal news, I spent the whole day yesterday on the Ancestry site, finding a string of direct relatives going back to the early 1500s.
Without going into much detail, a little over a year ago, I got some rather surprising news about my genetic makeup. With both of my parents now dead, I’m using multiple tools to explore both my familial and biological background.
It’s pretty fascinating. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it.
From the Sports Desk… running back Sony Michel has decided to retire on the opening weekend of training camp with the Los Angeles Rams. He’s only played for five years and is a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Running backs do not typically last long. It’s a grueling position on the body, with constant violent collisions and high changes of concussions and sinew injuries. He was a first round pick of the Patriots in 2018.
In other sports news, the USWNT will determine its fate Tuesday with a final group-stage match against Portugal. USA! USA!
Today in history… Baghdad is founded (762). The Virginia General Assembly convenes for the first time (1619). Founding of Baltimore, MD (1729). Uruguay wins its first FIFA World Cup (1930). Congress decides that “In God We Trust” is the new national motto (1956). Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act, establishing Medicare and Medicaid (1965). Apollo 15 lands on the moon with the first lunar rover (1971). Jimmy Hoffa disappears and is never seen again (1975). 50,000 people demonstrate in Communist Poland (1981). NASA's Mars 2020 mission was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral (2020).
July 30 is the birthday of Ming emperor Hongzhi (1470), pianist Maria Anna Mozart (1751), novelist Emily Brontë (1818), engineer/businessman Henry Ford (1863), MLB player Casey Stengel (1890), banker Henry W. Bloch (1922), puppeteer Sid Kroft (1929), guitarist Buddy Guy (1936), director Peter Bogdanovich (1939), singer-songwriter Paul Anka (1941), saxophonist/composer David Sanborn (1945), actor/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947), drummer Rat Scabies (1955), actress Delta Burke (1956), lawyer Anita Hill (1956), NBA player Bill Cartwright (1957), singer-songwriter Kate Bush (1958), actor Lawrence Fishburne (1961), actress Lisa Kudrow (1963), NBA player Chris Mullin (1963), actress Vivica A. Fox (1964), director Christopher Nolan (1970), actress Hilary Swank (1974), and soccer player Hope Solo (1981).
I need to take a shower and do various things. Enjoy your day.
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