Random News: August 15, 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 15, 2023, and it’s a Tuesday. It was a big, big news night last night, so buckle up, kids, and I’ll give you the speed run edition…

• Donald Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia last night, accused of scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. It’s the fourth criminal case to be brought against the former president and the second this month to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the vote.
• I read through the entire 98-page, 41-count indictment after it was released about 8PM Pacific. It is fucking brutal. It details dozens of acts by Trump and his allies to undo his defeat in the battleground state, including bullying Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to find enough votes to keep him power, pestering officials with bogus claims of voter fraud, and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electoral college electors favorable to Trump.
• Here’s a rundown on who these alleged felons are (all innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, of course).
• Donald John Trump, former US president
• Rudy Giuliani, Trump lawyer
• Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff
• John Eastman, Trump lawyer
• Kenneth Chesebro, pro-Trump lawyer
• Jeffrey Clark, top Justice Department official
• Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign lawyer
• Robert Cheeley, lawyer who promoted fraud claims
• Mike Roman, Trump campaign official
• David Shafer, Georgia GOP chair and fake elector
• Shawn Still, fake GOP elector
• Stephen Lee, pastor tied to intimidation of election workers
• Harrison Floyd, leader of Black Voices for Trump
• Trevian Kutti, publicist tied to intimidation of election workers
• Sidney Powell, Trump campaign lawyer
• Cathy Latham, fake GOP elector tied to Coffee County breach
• Scott Hall, tied to Coffee County election system breach
• Misty Hampton, Coffee County elections supervisor
• Ray Smith, lawyer
• What they’re being charged with: it varies from person to person, but most are charged with multiple felony crimes. 
• Trump himself is charged with a massive batch of extremely serious crimes. Sorry for the ALL CAPS but I’m not retyping all this shit and I grabbed it straight from the actual indictment for accuracy’s sake.
• VIOLATION OF THE GEORGIA RICO (RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS) ACT - O.C.G.A. § 16-14-4(c)
• FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS - O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT IMPERSONATING A PUBLIC OFFICER - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 & 16-10-23
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE - O.C.G.A. § 16-9-1(b)
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 & 16-10-20
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FALSE DOCUMENTS - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 & 16-10-20.1(b)(1)
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 & 16-9-1(b)
• CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-8 & 16-10-20
• FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS - O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20.1(b)(1)
• SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BY PUBLIC OFFICER - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-4-7 & 16-10-1
• FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS - O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20
• SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BY PUBLIC OFFICER - O.C.G.A. §§ 16-47 & 16-10-1
• FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS - O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20
• Like the previous indictments, I’m not going to recap almost 100 pages of accusations in these bullets I do in a half hour.
• One thing of note: every single one of the 19 defendants were charged under the RICO act. It seems that the old adage about Trump is more true each passing day: everything he touches dies, and he drags everyone around him down along with him, kicking and screaming.
• The racketeering charge alone (RICO) carries a minimum five-year sentence (maximum 20 years).
• Isn’t RICO just for crimes like murder, bribery, extortion, and fraud? At a federal level, typically yes, though it’s much more broad than just that.
• But the Georgia RICO statute is much broader than its federal counterpart in that it includes, as predicate acts, the crimes of forgery and false statements. For example, the coordination of fake electors created to sign false documents could bring them within the scope of the Georgia RICO Act, assuming the other requirements of the statute are met.
• And apparently they have been.
• Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the 19 defendants have until noon on August 25 to voluntarily surrender.
• Willis also stated that she intends to try all 19 defendants in the indictment together. Her office will be submitting a proposed scheduling order within this week. However, the trial date will totally be at the discretion of the judge. She would like it to begin within the next six months.
• Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has been assigned to oversee the case. His official biography says that he joined the bench of Superior Court of Fulton County in February of 2023. He received his JD from the University of Georgia School of Law and a BA from Emory University.
• This will be different than before. It has been said that the defendants will be fingerprinted and mug shots will be taken upon turning themselves in. Also, unlike the federal trials, it is likely that the Georgia courtroom proceedings will be shown live on TV.
• Furthermore, in addition to the 19 indicted above, there seems to be an additional 30 unindicted co-conspirators in the Georgia filing. Who they are is anyone’s guess for now. Take your pick.
• I can’t think of anything else that’s pertinent for the moment. Let’s move on.
• For the first time in United States history, as of yesterday, our three main branches of the military have no leader due to the antics of Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). 
• Yesterday, the Navy joined the Army and Marine Corps in operating without Senate-confirmed military leaders. Only one person is responsible for this and he takes full credit for leaving our country in a diminished state of preparedness.
• As defense secretary Lloyd Austin stated, "This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary and it is unsafe. And this sweeping hold is undermining America's military readiness.”
• Who is running the show in absence of confirmed leaders via Tuberville’s folly? The vice service chiefs for the Navy, Army and Marine Corps are now leading each respective service in an acting capacity and continuing certain responsibilities of their current role.
• All three of the vice chiefs have been nominated by President Biden for the top positions, so they’ll be ready to step up once we grind Tuberville into some kind of goo.
• In other news…
• Young environmental activists scored a groundbreaking legal victory yesterday when a Montana judge said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development.
• Fuck yes!
• The 16 plaintiffs range in age from 5 to 22. The ruling in this first-of-its-kind trial in the US adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change.
• If it stands, the ruling could set an important legal precedent, though state officials pledged to seek to overturn the decision on appeal, because of course they did.
• District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits — which does not allow agencies to look at greenhouse gas emissions — is unconstitutional.
• It marks the first time a US court has ruled against a government for violating a constitutional right based on climate change.
• Go kids go. So proud of this country’s youth! They are awake and involved and kicking ass. And more and more of them will be voters soon.
• Moving on…
• A Texas woman was awarded a $1.2 billion settlement after a Houston-area jury ruled she was the victim of revenge porn. 
• Per the suit, Marques Jamal Jackson posted intimate images of his ex-girlfriend, obtained while they were dating, onto social media platforms and adult websites "with the intent to embarrass, harass, torment, humiliate, and publicly shame" her.
• This prick also tapped into the plaintiff's mother's home security system to spy on her after the two broke up, as well as sending links to her friends and family to sites where intimate images of her had been uploaded. 
• She won’t get any cash; it’s a symbolic win and Jackson is a loser who doesn’t have any money anyway. But the ruling gives her back her good name and raises awareness of something that happens far too often.
• 48 states have passed laws banning revenge porn, with the only two exceptions being Massachusetts and South Carolina. Get on that.
• And now, The Weather: “Slide” by feeble little horse
• The death toll in the Maui wildfires is at 99, and will pass 100 before everything is sorted out. The fires have caused an estimated $6 billion in losses. Help in any way you are able.
• WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared all 50 states across 51 indicators to help Americans find the best and most affordable place to live next. Some of these indicators include average weekly work hours, percentage of insured population, income growth, and crime rates.
• Here’s their top ten: 1. Massachusetts, 2. New Jersey, 3. New Hampshire, 4. New York, 5. Wyoming, 6. Florida, 7. Virginia, 8. Idaho, 9. Wisconsin, and 10. Minnesota.
• Here’s their bottom ten, the worst of the worst… 41. West Virginia, 42. Kentucky, 43. Alabama, 44. South Carolina, 45. Arkansas, 46. Oklahoma, 47. Mississippi, 48. Louisiana, 49. Alaska, and 50. New Mexico.
• Here’s my researched opinion: no, fuck almost all those places.
• From the Sports Desk… Hats off to Spain. They sealed a place in their first-ever Women’s World Cup final with a dramatic 2-1 win over the experienced Sweden team. Spain will be playing the winner of the upcoming England/Australia match.
• Today in history… Starting date of the First Crusade (1096). The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a divine wind (1281). The Panama Canal opens to traffic (1914). Will Rogers dies in a plane crash in Barrow, Alaska (1935). ‘The Wizard of Oz’ premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood (1939). Hirohito broadcasts Japan’s surrender in WWII (1945). India gains independence from British rule (1947). South Korea is established (1948). The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, NY (1969). Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed with his family during a military coup (1975). The SETI project hears the “Wow! signal” (1977). Apple introduces the iMac (1998). Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021).
• August 15 is the birthday of general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769), actress Ethel Barrymore (1879), chef Julia Child (1912), graphic designer Paul Rand (1914), pianist/composer Oscar Peterson (1925), businessman Malcolm Glazer (1928), politician Maxine Waters (1938), songwriter Jimmy Webb (1946), singer-songwriter/guitarist Tom Johnston (1948), Princess Anne of the UK (1950), drummer Tommy Aldridge (1950), author Stieg Larsson (1954), philanthropist Melinda Gates (1964), actress Debra Messing (1968), actor Ben Affleck (1970), rapper Nipsey Hussle (1985), actress Jennifer Lawrence (1990), and rapper Chief Keef (1995).

So what’s going to happen next with the people who tried to subvert the 2020 free and fair elections and enact a coup in our country? I have thoughts on that, but I’ve already written far too much for 7:45am on a Tuesday. More stuff on another time. Enjoy your day.