Random News: August 11, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s August 11, 2023, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! I’m feeling pretty good thus far today, and no matter what, it’s better to be awake and aware than ignorant, so let’s do some news…

• Democratic lawmakers called for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign from his position yesterday after a new ProPublica report revealed he had taken more unreported luxury vacations funded by billionaires than was previously known.
• Wealthy benefactors have gifted Thomas at least 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights, multiple VIP passes to sporting events and two resort stays during his time on the court. Ethics experts said the failure to disclose travel and sports could amount to a legal violation.
• “Justice Thomas has brought shame upon himself and the United States Supreme Court with his acceptance of massive, repeated and undisclosed gifts. No government official, elected or unelected, could ethically or legally accept gifts of that scale. He should resign immediately.” - Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA).
• In addition to my congressman Lieu, others calling openly for Thomas’s resignation include Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Hank Johnson (D-GA).
• We’ll see if anything ever happens to this corrupt piece of shit (it almost certainly won’t).
• Moving on…
• The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s prosecution for criminally conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory is set to preside over her first hearing with prosecutors and the former president’s attorneys this morning in D.C.
• Trump is not expected to attend the proceeding, called by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to resolve an early battle over limiting what the former president and his defense can potentially reveal about government evidence in the case.
• That hearing is going on right this moment, and from what I’m reading, it may not be going well for Donnie.
• Special counsel Jack Smith’s team has proposed a start date for Trump’s trial: January 2, 2024. An innocent person always wants an earlier trial. Guilty suspects always try and delay them.
• Moving on…
• You know Craig Robertson, the Utah guy who made online threats to Joe Biden and other officials and then died in a firefight with the FBI?
• The FBI found out about him after being tipped off by Donald Trump’s Truth Social. They first notified the FBI in March after Robertson made threats on the platform to kill Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.
• I’d say that every social network had a legal obligation to report credible threats made on their platform, from Facebook to YouTube to X to Truth to whatever.
• In other news…
• Yesterday I’d mentioned that the DOJ had subpoenaed Trump’s Twitter account, completely with draft Tweets and DMs. Later in the day, unsurprisingly, I found out they also already had his email and phone records relating to the failed coup attempt on January 6, 2021.
• Yup.
• Moving on…
• Yesterday the Supreme Court blocked Purdue Pharma from going forward with bankruptcy proceedings, an arrangement that would ultimately offer the Sackler family broad protection from opioid-related civil claims.
• In agreeing to pause the settlement, the court also said it would take up the case and hear arguments this December.
• The case arose after the reorganization in bankruptcy of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma – stemming from litigation arising from claims over its role in fueling the opioid addiction crisis.
• Fuck the Sacklers. I hope they end up personally bankrupt instead of remaining billionaires as they would have under the original deal.
• Let’s talk about the 2024 election just for a moment, Yes, it’s far too early.
• But as I’ve mentioned many times, the abortion issue is now an additional weight around the necks of Republican candidates, leaving the Biden world with the potential of a wider margin of victory than he had in 2020.
• The strategists assume that 2024 will look a lot like 2020, but that voters’ enthusiasm about abortion rights could also unlock new roads to another term. yes, there will be repeat battles in places like Georgia and Arizona.
• But due to draconian abortion bans in places like North Carolina (which the president only lost by 1 percentage point in 2020), and even Florida and Ohio, there is a new set of swing states that could turn blue primarily based on their attempts to force women to give birth.
• Maybe let women be in control of their own bodies if you want them to vote for you? What the fuck were all those forced-birth Republicans thinking?
• And now, The Weather: “PLPH” by Lutalo
• The situation in Hawaii is just tragic. Wildfires on Maui have killed at least 55 people and wiped out a historic town. Think good thoughts for them, please.
• RIP to Johnny Hardwick, the voice actor who played Dale Gribble on the animated series ‘King of the Hill’. He’s the third major cast member of that show who has passed away since the show originally ended: Britney Murphy (Luanne), Tom Petty (Lucky) and now Hardwick.
• In other morbid news, a total of 49,449 Americans died by suicide in 2022. It’s the highest number ever recorded.
• The greatest increase was seen among adults aged 65 and older, which was up 8.1% from 2021, and the second highest increase was in those aged 45 to 64, with a 6.6% rise.
• If you or a loved one are struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• A fourth person is now in custody and charged with third degree assault in connection to a brawl that broke out last weekend on a riverfront dock in Montgomery.
• In addition to 48-year-old Richard Roberts, 25-year-old Zachery Shipman and 23-year-old Allen Todd, Mary Todd, 21, turned herself in yesterday. She is currently being held in city jail. are also facing third-degree assault charges.
• Good.
• Let’s do some charts. I’m posting this one from August 2003, 20 years ago this week, to prove my opinion that the early 2000s had some of the worst fucking music of my lifetime.
• 1. Crazy In Love (Beyonce Featuring Jay Z). 2. Right Thurr (Chingy). 3. Never Leave You - Uh Ooh, Uh Oooh! (Lumidee). 4. P.I.M.P. (50 Cent). 5. Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) (Ashanti). 6. Unwell (matchbox twenty). 7. Magic Stick (Lil' Kim Featuring 50 Cent). 8. Where Is The Love? (The Black Eyed Peas). 9. Into You (Fabolous Featuring Tamia Or Ashanti). 10. In Those Jeans (Ginuwine). 11. Get Low (Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz Featuring Ying Yang Twins). 12. Shake Ya Tailfeather (Nelly, P. Diddy & Murphy Lee). 13. Frontin' (Pharrell Featuring Jay-Z). 14. Drift Away (Uncle Kracker Featuring Dobie Gray). 15. Like Glue (Sean Paul). 16. Are You Happy Now? (Michelle Branch). 17. Bring Me To Life (Evanescence Featuring Paul McCoy). 18. Miss Independent (Kelly Clarkson). 19. So Gone (Monica). 20. Get Busy (Sean Paul)
• God, that’s just…. awful shit.
• From the Sports Desk… two NFL preseason games were played yesterday. To repeat my statement on the preseason, this is basically a try-out to make the team’s 53-man roster, and about half of the people playing in these games will either never play in a regular season NFL game, or may never play a snap in an actual game.
• That said, the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots 20-9, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-13.
• No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud got his first NFL reps in a start for the Texans. He went 2-for-4 for 13 total yards and an interception before coach DeMeco Ryans turned to incumbent starter Davis Mills.
• Seahawks' backup Drew Lock took the start for their team. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the second of Seattle's two first-round picks, got his first NFL action Thursday night, along with Vikings first-rounder Jordan Addison.
• Today in history… The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar begins (3114 BC). Claudius Silvaneous proclaims himself Roman Emperor despite being accused of treason… hmmm (355). The Great Famine of Europe becomes so dire that even the king of England has difficulties buying bread for himself and his entourage (1315). Babe Ruth hits his 500th home run (1929). Actress Hedy Lamarr gets a patent for a frequency-hopping communication system that’s the basis for all wireless phones and Wi-Fi (1942). Chad declares independence from France (1960). Cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity (1962). The Watts Riots begin in Los Angeles (1965). The last US ground combat troops leave Vietnam (1972). The Mall of America opens in Minnesota (1992). 
• August 11 is the birthday of physician and contagious disease scholar Richard Mead (1673), talk show host Mike Douglas (1920), historian and author Alex Haley (1921), televangelist Jerry Falwell (1933), journalist Marilyn vos Savant (1946), singer-songwriter Eric Carmen (1949), computer scientist Steve Wozniak (1950), musician/composer Bob Mothersbaugh (1952), wrestler/actor Hulk Hogan (1953), singer-songwriter/pianist Joe Jackson (1954), podcasterJoe Rogan (1967), actress Anna Gunn (1968), singer-songwriter/guitarist Ben Gibbard (1976), actor Chris Hemsworth (1983), political commentator and my former neighbor - ew… Tomi Lahren (1992).

Okay, so now I have to go work out, but first I’m going to see what’s happening in that Trump hearing. I’m already gleeful. Enjoy your day.