Random News: September 1, 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 September 1, 2023, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! My name is Zak, and I’ll be your server of information. Let’s find out what’s been going on since we last met…

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• I’m just saying, a lot of good shit has happened since I started writing this magical new month incantation in these bullets. What if I’m the one saving the world? You can’t prove I’m not.
• Okay, seriously now…
• Two former Proud Boys leaders who had been convicted of seditious conspiracy for their actions during the Jan. 6 failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol were sentenced yesterday. 
• While the judge handing down some of the longest sentences yet for someone charged in the January 6 attacks, a lot of people don’t feel the punishment was strong enough… including the DOJ.
• U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Joseph Biggs, the former leader of the group's Florida chapter, to 17 years in prison. He sentenced Zachary Rehl, the former leader of the Proud Boys' Philadelphia chapter, to 15 years in prison.
• Prosecutors had sought 33 years in prison for Biggs. Biggs' sentence is the second longest for any defendant charged in connection with the Capitol attack; Rehl’s sentence is the third longest.
• Next Tuesday is the sentencing for the Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.
• While we’re on the topic of shithead insurrectionists, a bunch more have just been arrested. Over 1,100 have been charged so far, including the former president.
• Nathan Earl Hughes of Fayetteville, AR was arrested Wednesday and is charged with a felony offense of civil disorder along with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.
• William Frederick Beals II, 52, of Ringgold, GA  is charged with a felony count of knowingly making false statements, along with several misdemeanor offenses. Beals wore a black helmet with a "FUCK ANTIFA" sticker on it when he stormed the Capitol. He was at the front of the mob, climbing scaffolding to get toward the building. This was also the genius who posted a video screaming that rioters "took the White House.”
• Peter Willey, 37, of Virginia, and Ethan Mauck, 31, of Pennsylvania were arrested on charges that include felony obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder along with a slew of misdemeanors. Willey and Mauck were both arrested in Roanoke, VA.
• Philip Anderson, 28, of Mesquite TX was rested Tuesday and charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, along with misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
• As promised, justice will not rest until every single one of the anti-American scum who tried to forcibly overturn our free and fair election of January 6, 2021 answer for their crimes. Believe it!
• Moving on… sort of.
• Yesterday, the criminal mastermind Donald John “El Dumpo” Trump pleaded not guilty in the sprawling Fulton County election interference case. He’d been scheduled to be arraigned in person on Wednesday but Georgia law allows criminal defendants to waive their in-person appearance and enter a formal plea through court filings.
• This is the fourth time that Dumpty Dump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges since leaving the presidency. In this case, Trump is charged with racketeering in his alleged efforts to upend the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
• After a judge last week set a trial date of October 23 for co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who had requested a speedy trial in the case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked the judge overseeing the case to schedule a trial for all 19 defendants for the same date of October 23, 2023.
• But just hours after entering his “not guilty” plea, Felon Don filed a motion to sever his case from the other defendants. In the filing submitted yesterday, Trump's attorney Steve Sadow said that he "will not have sufficient time to prepare" for the case.
• In important news regarding the Georgia case, Gov. Brian Kemp says ill-fated attempts by state Republicans to call a special session to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are not going to work.
• Kemp rejected Republican Sen. Colton Moore, who called for a special session to punish Fani Willis for prosecuting the former president and 18 co-defendants. Holding a special session by the end of the year would have required the governor’s support as well as three-fifths of both the House and Senate to sign on.
• ”I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis' actions or lack thereof warrant action by the prosecuting attorney oversight commission. As long as I'm governor, we are going to follow the law and the Constitution — regardless of who it helps politically.” - Gov. Brian Kemp
• Let’s end this topic with some juicy and delicious news.
• Yesterday, Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee — I like that guy! — said that all proceedings in his courtroom related to the case will be livestreamed and allowed to be televised.
• McAfee said he would make all hearings and possible trials available to be broadcast on the Fulton County Court YouTube channel.
• Transparency will really help people understand this case.
• Okay, let’s do other news.
• A Missouri judge ruled yesterday that the 84-year-old white homeowner who shot a Black teenager after he mistakenly went to the man’s house must stand trial.
• Judge Louis Angles issued the ruling after hearing from several witnesses at a preliminary hearing, including Ralph Yarl, the teenager who was shot by Andrew Lester on April 13 when Yarl went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.
• But in another “went to the wrong house” case…
• The fatal shooting of a University of South Carolina student this week who was trying to enter the wrong home on his own street has been deemed a justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed.
• I guess I get it. And please everyone… don’t enter the wrong house. Don’t even pull in the wrong driveway. There are so many people who are ready at a moment’s notice to try out the shiny new gun they bought and bring death, pain, and suffering to other people. That AR-15 cost about $1000, and what’s the point if you can’t kill someone for making a U-turn on your property?
• In related news, the Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.
• People who sell firearms online, at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
• Let’s hope it happens.
• Meet Chad Christopher Stark, 55, a man from Texas.
• He pleaded guilty yesterday to making threats against public officials in Georgia following the 2020 election. A sentencing date has not yet been set for Stark, who was indicted in January 2022.
• Stark posted a threatening message that said in part: “It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges. It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts. If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people.”
• That’s the MAGA mindset. We’re trying to do things like encourage voter drives and raising awareness about climate change, and they want to “exterminate these people”. There’s no way to compromise or meet in the middle. There is no middle.
• You tell me what the center point is between “People should have health care” and “Jews will not replace us”.
• And now, The Weather: “Heavy Water” by feeble little horse
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday that restoring power and clearing debris would be a key priority in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. There are also concerns over flesh-eating bacteria, carbon monoxide, and other health risks in the state, because Florida.
• Analysts are now estimating that Idalia may become the most costly climate disaster in the US this year. President Joe Biden has requested billions of dollars more in extra disaster relief as part of a supplemental funding request.
• Joe will visit Florida on Saturday morning to survey the recovery efforts.
• Heading to a barbecue or block party this coming Labor Day weekend? You may be being watched.
• Those attending outdoor parties in New York City may notice an uninvited guest looming over their festivities: a police surveillance drone. The NYPD plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings.
• The plan drew immediate backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates, raising questions about whether such drone use violated existing laws for police surveillance. In most places in the USA, you can’t be spied on unless there is a reasonable cause for suspicion.
• Moving on…
• I’m going to make a vast sweeping generalization now, so prepare to be butthurt.
• The grand majority of the YouTube “life advice” people are full of shit and potentially dangerous spreaders of misinformation and false information, and have a bad influence on the world at large.
• Case in point: Ruby Franke, the Utah mom behind the family YouTube channel "8 Passengers," was arrested Wednesday on child abuse charges after authorities found a malnourished minor with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities.
• The channel was known was promoting a strict parenting style and was popular with Christians and conservatives. It had nearly 2.3 million subscribers before it was taken down earlier this year.
• Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also arrested on the same charges. The two regularly collaborate on relationship and parenting advice videos for Hildebrandt's life counseling service ConneXions.
• The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local area hospital.
• Frankes’ eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother's arrest to her Instagram Story on Wednesday night with the caption, "Finally."
• Don’t ever base your child-rearing decisions on something you saw in a Mommy Blog. Never ever.
• From the Sports Desk… as we’re less than a week out from the first NFL game, a point where I tend to forget that any other sport exists, here are the leading MLB teams from both leagues with their current record and projected chance of making the playoffs.
• AL: Baltimore Orioles (83-50, 99.9%); Tampa Bay Rays (82-52, 99.8%); Seattle Mariners (76—57, 86.6%); Houston Astros (77-58, 94.6%).
• NL: Atlanta Braves (88-45, 99.9%); Los Angeles Dodgers (83-50, 99.9%); Milwaukee Brewers (74-59, 96.8%); Philadelphia Phillies (74-59, 96.5%).
• Today in history… A 9.4 earthquake nails Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunamis in Chile as well as Hawaii and Japan (1420). Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of England (1532). Louis XV becomes king of France at age 5 (1715). The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is founded in San Luis Obispo, California (1772). The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America (1897). The Great Kantō earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama, killing about 105,000 people (1923). Nazi Germany and Slovakia invade Poland, beginning the European phase of World War II (1939). Adolf Hitler signs an order to begin the systematic murder of mentally ill and disabled people (1939). A coup in Libya brings Muammar Gaddafi to power (1969). The SR-71 Blackbird sets the still-current record for flying from New York to London in the time of one hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds at a speed of 1,435.587 mph (1974).
• September 1 is the birthday of Liao Dynasty emperor Jing Zong (948), organist/composer Johann Pachelbel (1653), MLB player Jim O’Rourke (1850), author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875), writer/activist Liz Carpenter (1920), boxer Rocky Marciano (1923), saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Art Pepper (1925), politician Ann Richards (1933), singer-songwriter Conway Twitter (1933), lawyer Alan Dershowitz (1938), actress Lily Tomlin (1939), singer-songwriter Barry Gibb (1946), drummer Russ Kunkel (1948), singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan (1957), NBA player Tim Hardaway (1966), and NFL player Clinton Portis (1981).

Well, that’s a lot of important stuff to know. I think you’re better off knowing more than knowing less. If I have inadvertently made you “woke”, I don’t apologize… and it wasn’t inadvertent, I promise. Enjoy your day.