Random News: August 14, 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 August 14, 2023, and it’s a Monday. I am kinda whiny because I had to do a thing this weekend and couldn’t do nothing for two straight days, but I will survive this. I’m sure some things have happened, so let’s see what they are together…

• Something happened on Friday that I should have mentioned.
• In Marion, Kansas — a town of about 2,000 — law enforcement officers raided the office of a local newspaper and a journalist's home, prompting outrage over what First Amendment experts are calling a likely violation of federal law.
• The local police department raided the Marion County Record under a search warrant signed by a county judge. Officers confiscated computers, cellphones, reporting materials and other items essential to the weekly paper's operations.
• Local authorities said they were investigating the newsroom for "identity theft," according to the warrant. The raid was linked to alleged violations of a local restaurant owner's privacy, when journalists obtained information about her driving record.
• Publisher Eric Meyer’s mother, Joan Meyer, collapsed and died one day after police raided her home. She was the newspaper's co-owner, and was 98 but was otherwise in good health for her age. She had been unable to eat or sleep after police entered her home Friday.
• Obviously a lot more details needs to be revealed before we make a judgement here, but newsroom raids are rare in the United States, said Lynn Oberlander, a First Amendment attorney. "It's very rare because it's illegal," Oberlander said. "It doesn't happen very often because most organizations understand that it's illegal."
• Federal law protects journalists from this type of action. The Privacy Protection Act of 1980 broadly prohibits law enforcement officials from searching for or seizing information from reporters.
• So we’ll be keeping an eye on that, as well as any repercussions to Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody and his team, who very likely are now being investigated for federal crimes, ironically.
• Moving on…
• As we’ve mentioned frequently, former president and current alleged felon Donald John Trump could face an unprecedented fourth indictment over his alleged efforts to overturn his loss in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
• Prosecutors in Atlanta reportedly possess text messages and emails that directly link a January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County to members of Trump’s legal team.
• “I think people are going to be surprised at the level of preparedness and the level of sophistication of the prosecution.” — Clint Rucker, former prosecutor in Fulton County
• The special grand jury in the Georgia Trump investigation heard evidence for roughly seven months and recommended indictments of more than a dozen people including the former president himself.
• We should find out the details soon. A lot of people seem nervous about Trump turning himself into a pitiful martyr over this, and that the possibilities of violent reaction are high.
• Fuck them all. Can you imagine living in a country where people are too scared of a violent thug and his minions to prosecute them for crimes? There are indeed places like that.
• America isn’t one of them. Get his ass. Moving on.
• Want to hear how Republicans act in government? A great case in point is Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
• Not even a year ago, in September 2022, Cruz, along with several other Republicans, authored a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting that U.S. Attorney David Weiss be given “special counsel protections and authorities to conduct the Hunter Biden investigation.” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was a signee of that letter.
• So Garland did what they asked. He appointed Weiss to special counsel to continue investigating Hunter Biden. Cruz and Blackburn are outraged.
• “David Weiss either was an active participant in covering up this criminality and protecting Joe Biden in engaging in an obstruction of justice — that is option one — or option two, he wasn’t the driver, he was just complicit.” - Cancun Cruz
• “I think everyone knows that David Weiss is not a prosecutor, he is not a special counsel, he is a collaborator.” - Rat’s Nest Marsha
• Make up your minds- oh wait, you don’t have minds. Sorry about that.
• Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers accused of torturing and abusing two Black men are set to appear in court today, when they are expected to plead guilty to state charges.
• Former Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke and ex-Richland Police officer Joshua Hartfield, have each been charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
• Additionally, Dedmon is charged with home invasion and Elward is charged with home invasion and aggravated assault, the release says. McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield each face an additional charge of first-degree obstruction of justice.
• All six pleaded guilty last week to federal charges stemming from the January 24 incident, in which US prosecutors said the former officers kicked down the door of a home in Braxton, MS, where the Black men were living and assaulted them for two hours.
• They didn’t have a warrant and entered the home because of a report that Black people were staying with a white woman.
• Moving on to some other scum.
• Alleged members of a global sextortion operation that targeted more than 100 victims and led to the death of a 17-year-old boy were extradited to the United States yesterday to face federal criminal charges.
• Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, both of Lagos, Nigeria, were arrested following a joint investigation by the FBI and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and are now in federal custody in Michigan.
• Both men were indicted in May by a federal grand jury on charges including conspiracy to sexually exploit minors and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Their actions resulted in the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, who died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scam.
• I’m going to tell you right now: I don’t care if someone has pics of you masturbating in a neon pink corset while riding a camel. Do not give in to extortion, and definitely do not harm yourself to avoid it.
• And now, The Weather: “Pocket Change” by Mind Shrine
• A plane crashed at the Thunder Over Michigan air show yesterday.
• Two occupants parachuted from the MiG-23 fighter jet south of Willow Run Airport and landed in Belleville Lake. The plane's occupants were being treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. Nobody on the ground was injured, amazingly.
• From the Sports Desk… I know I wasn’t going to talk about NFL preseason, but thought this was surprising.
• Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell was known for his efficiency when he was at Purdue, and he even set the school record for career completion percentage. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to translate into the big leagues.
• But O’Connell completed 15 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown as Las Vegas beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-7 in the preseason opener for both teams.
• Today in history… Huh Guang presents articles of impeachment against Liu He for 1127 offenses that included sexual debauchery and fiscal negligence (74 BC). Duncan I is killed in battle against his cousin and rival Macbeth, who replaces him as King of Scotland (1040). The Second Seminole War ends, forcing the Seminoles from Florida (1842). France becomes the first country to introduce motor vehicle registration (1893). The Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium raises the then-new Olympic flag for the first time ever (1920). Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act (1935). Pakistan gains independence from Britain (1947). Founding of the American Football League (1959). Bahrain declares independence from Britain (1971). Lech Wałęsa leads strikes at the Gdańsk, Poland shipyards (1980). Big power blackout in the NE USA and Canada (2003). Egypt declares a state of emergency as security forces kill hundreds of demonstrators supporting former president Mohamed Morsi (2013).
• August 14 is the birthday of Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici (1642), dentist/gunfighter Doc Holliday (1851), architect Amaza Lee Meredith (1895), businessman Wellington Mara (1916), MLB manager Earl Weaver (1930), singer-songwriter David Crosby (1941), actor/comedian Steve Martin (1945), cartoonist Gary Larson (1950), film composer David Horner (1953), actress Jackée Harry (1956), actress Marcia Gay Harden (1959), NBA player Magic Johnson (1959), singer Sarah Brightman (1960), actress Halle Berry (1966), NFL player and coach Mike Vrabel (1975), actress Mila Kunis (1983), and NFL player Tim Tebow (1987).

I think it’s going to be a rather normal week, but how could I possibly know that? And what the fuck is normal, anyway? I suppose I mean that my current personal schedule looks to have the things that I usually expect to see on it, but really, no one ever really knows. All kinds of crazy shit might happen. Enjoy your day.