Random News: August 3, 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 3, 2023, and it’s Thursday for some reason. I have a pretty typically busy day ahead, so let’s jump into the world of current information…

• Today at 4PM ET/1PM PT is the scheduled arraignment of alleged felon Donald J. Trump.
• It will happen at the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.. Per my report yesterday, Trump is being arraigned on four new felony charges related to his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election.
• A brief refresher: in the 45-page indictment, Trump is charged with Conspiracy to defraud the United States; Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; Obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and Conspiracy against rights.
• Per the indictment, Trump, along with six as-yet unnamed co-conspirators schemed to overturn the election results, despite losing to Joe Biden and knowing that there was no credible evidence of widespread fraud.
• It also accuses Trump of seeking to exploit the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt at the Capitol in a bid to stop the certification of electoral votes.
• Trump does not have to appear in person. You would and I would. He doesn’t.
• He has the option of appearing at today’s arraignment via video feed. As of yesterday afternoon, the decision had not yet been made, purportedly due to questions about security arrangements.
• Either in person or on video, the official charges will be read, and then Trump is expected to enter a not guilty plea. Side note: an arraignment is also when the judge decides if the defendant will be jailed or released on bond prior to trial.
• Remanding him to custody and sticking him in a cell would be the funniest thing that ever happened in the history of the universe, but I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.
• Fun fact: Trump is the 1,097th person indicted for January 6-related crimes. As you know, we diligently report on all significant January 6 cases here. So the ironic thing is that more than a thousand people have already been charged in connection with the disruption he allegedly exploited—and who went to the Capitol at his direction.
• Welp.
• One very, very, very important point I want to make: Trump is claiming that his indictment is a political attack on him staged by Democrats. 
• Except for one important fact: the hundreds of hours of grand jury testimony that led to the indictment were given by Republican witnesses, many of them former members of Trump's Republican administration, and many of the people in the DOJ who are handling the prosecution are also Republicans.
• The people who gave testimony that led the grand jury to indict Trump include Mike Pence, Mark Meadows, Greg Jacob, Marc Short, Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, Rudy Giuliani, Boris Epshteyn, Pat Cipollone, Ken Cuccinelli, John Ratcliffe, Newt Gingrich, Michael McDonald, Nick Luna, John McEntee, Gary Michael Brown, Ali Alexander, and Brad Raffensperger, in addition to numerous fake electors from multiple states.
• ALL OF THEM ARE REPUBLICANS.
• And finally, this morning on his social network, Donnie Dump wrote the following…
• “I have called for a federal TAKEOVER in order to bring our Capital back to Greatness."
• Um… isn’t that why you’re on trial in the first place, you stupid prick? You think that calling for another coup will help? Fuck right off.
• Moving on, for now.
• Robert Bowers, the man who in 2018 committed the deadliest-ever attack on Jewish people in the United States via a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, has been sentenced to death. It’s the first federal death sentence under the Biden administration, which has imposed a moratorium on executions.
• Today, the families of victims that include 11 dead and six others wounded will share impact statements one last time. A federal jury unanimously agreed on the death sentence after spending just over 10 hours deliberating over two days.
• “Hate crimes like this one inflict irreparable pain on individual victims and their loved ones and lead entire communities to question their very belonging. All Americans deserve to live free from the fear of hate-fueled violence and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who perpetrate such acts.” -  US Attorney General Merrick Garland
• From the “Pointless News” files, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has agreed to debate California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
• Newsom’s campaign said it's offered DeSantis either Nov. 8 or Nov. 10 as dates for this debate.
• One of these governors is running a hopeless race for presidential election in 2024. The other is already a presumed candidate for 2028. I have no idea why they’re debating each other in fall 2023.
• In other news…
• Waves are getting bigger and surf at least 13 feet tall is becoming more common off California’s coast as the planet warms, according to new research that tracked the increasing height from historical data gathered over the past 90 years.
• I can tell you right now, waves over 10 feet are scary to surf. Well, they were for me. I was never a great surfer. I can have a superb time in  four- to five-foot waves. Taking off on a 13-foot wave feels like jumping off a two-story building.
• And now, The Weather: “Far Away” by Self Love Club
• Patrick Wojahn, who served as the mayor of College Park for about eight years, pleaded guilty yesterday to 60 counts of distribution of child pornography, 40 counts of possession of child pornography, and 40 counts of possession of child pornography with the intention to distribute.
• Wojahn is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20.
• Let’s do some good news.
• Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed seven bills into law yesterday, approving upwards of $10 billion to improve K-12 education and childcare.
• The funding will boost K-12 teacher and staff salaries and prevent layoffs, while other bills incentivize Oregonians to become teachers, encourage diversity, and includes pay bumps for special education teachers and staff.
• “My vision for Oregon is a state where every child has a safe place to receive a high-quality, culturally responsive public education, and every family has access to affordable childcare. While I will always push for more, I can stand here today saying we made progress for our kids. We have built a strong foundation for the work ahead.”
• Nice work.
• I really don’t give two shits about the personal lives of political leaders. If they’re not doing something that impacts the country, I don’t care about their personal relationships and so on.
• I guess it’s still surprising that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he and his wife Sophie are separating after 18 years of marriage. I think it’s because it’s rare for a world leader to end a relationship while in office. I can’t think of very many instances of it.
• Let’s head back to August 1967. I was… not yet born, and yet I love a lot of music from this era and many other time frames before I existed. As was often the case for many years, this Billboard chart shows a diverse range of genres, from rock to country to soul to psychedelic to R&B to singer-songwriter to contemporary and traditional pop.
• 1. Light My Fire (The Doors). 2. I Was Made To Love Her (Stevie Wonder). 3. All You Need Is Love (The Beatles). 4. Windy (The Association). 5. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Procol Harum). 6. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli). 7. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (The Buckinghams). 8. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane). 9. Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees). 10. Little Bit O' Soul (The Music Explosion). 11. A Girl Like You (The Young Rascals). 12. I Take It Back (Sandy Posey). 13. Silence Is Golden (The Tremeloes). 14. Jackson (Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood). 15. My Mammy (The Happenings). 16. Carrie-Anne (The Hollies). 17. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) (Scott McKenzie). 18. Soul Finger (Bar-Kays). 19. Up -- Up And Away (The 5th Dimension). 20. For Your Love (Peaches & Herb)
• From the Sports Desk… here the full Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup…
• Sat Aug. 5: Switzerland vs. Spain, Japan vs. Norway
• Sun Aug. 6: Netherlands vs. South Africa, Sweden vs. United States
• Mon Aug. 7: England vs. Nigeria, Australia vs. Denmark
• Tue Aug. 8: Colombia vs. Jamaica, France vs. Morocco
• USA! USA!
• Today in history… Christopher Columbus sets sail from Spain (1492). The first known letter from North America is sent by John Rut while at St. John's, Newfoundland (1527). The La Scala theater in Milan is inaugurated (1778). The first ever American intercollegiate sports event happens when Harvard beats Yale in a yacht race (1852). The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is founded (1900). Germany declare war on France in WWI (1914). MLB bans eight members of the Chicago “Black Sox” (1921). Jesse Owens wins the 100m at the Berlin Olympics (1936). Niger gains independence form France (1960). Tandy Corporation announces the TRS-80, one of the world's first mass-produced personal computers (1977). Twenty-three people are killed and 22 injured in a mass shooting in El Paso, TX (2019).
• August 3 is the birthday of politician Hamilton Fish (1808), UK prime minister Stanley Baldwin (1867), educator John T. Scopes (1900), NFL coach Marv Levy (1925), singer Tony Bennett (1926), actor Martin Sheen (1940), businesswoman Martha Stewart ((1941), director/producer  John Landis (1950), NHL player Marcel Dionne (1951), bass player Lee Rocker (1961), singer-songwriter/guitarist James Hetfield (1963), guitarist/composer Stephen Carpenter (1970), DJ/producer DJ Spinderella (1971), politician Chris Murphy (1973), NFL player Tom Brady (1977), actress Evangeline Lilly (1979), swimmer Ryan Lochte (1984), model Karlie Kloss (1992), and NFL player Todd Gurley (1994).

Alrighty then. I’m going to work out, do some work, eat some food, have some meetings, monitor the news as Trump gets arraigned for the third time in four months, do more work, and then whatever the fuck comes after that. Enjoy your day.