Random News: October 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 October 1, 2023, and it’s a Sunday. I’ve got my coffee, I’m at my desk, I’m wearing a robe; let’s see what’s next!

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• It’s October, a month that I tend to like.
• Let’s talk about what happened with the whole government shutdown.
• Just before noon PST yesterday, the House passed a continuing resolution that would fund the government for 45 days in a 335-91 vote.
• The short-term funding bill includes disaster relief funds, an extension of a federal flood insurance program and FAA reauthorization — but no Ukraine aid.
• The bill ultimately won much more support from Democrats than Republicans in the House. 90 Republicans voted against it, along with just one Democrat… Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), whose district has a large Ukrainian populace, and his no vote was to represent their disappointment of not having support for the country in the short-term budget. Understandable.
• Some six hours later, just three hours before the midnight deadline, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill by a tally of 88-9. The bill was signed by President Biden after passing the Senate, a few minutes before midnight ET.
• No Democratic senators voted against the measure, with all nine no votes from Republicans.
• So, what did all of this show us? Well, I think the biggest takeaway is that the far-right MAGA movement is smaller and far less powerful than they’d like you to believe. A majority of the Republicans actually prefer to be more moderate and to allow the government to function in ways that adults would understand.
• That having been said, as 100% expected, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is now planning to attempt to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the role this week, due to the House leader working with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.
• “I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that will be trustworthy,” said Gaetz.
• Is it possible? Sure. But something tells me that Gaetz and the rest of the far-right hate-mongers might not have the big picture GOP support that they assume they do. On the flip side, McCarthy’s recent actions, like opening an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, hasn’t gained him many friends on the Democrat side either. He could indeed go. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.
• McCarthy’s response was telling: “Yes, I’ll survive. You know, this is personal with Matt. Matt voted against the most conservative ability to protect our border, secure our border. He’s more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something. So be it, bring it on. Let’s get over with it and let’s start governing.”
• Welp. I guess the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex is doing their best to offer good theater.
• Another quick note about the shutdown negotiations. In the midst of the vote fight, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) seems to have purposefully triggered a fire alarm in a Congressional office building.
• Republicans alleged that Bowman was trying to delay the vote and have called for him to be punished. Bowman said in a statement that the incident occurred as he was rushing to cast his vote and arrived at a closed door that is usually open.
• “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused.”
• I think that’s probably bullshit, but whatever they want to do with him is fine with me. No one is above the law.
• Let’s move on.
• Happy birthday to former US president Jimmy Carter, who turned 99 today. He is celebrating with his wife, Rosalynn, and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Plains, GA.
• At 99, Carter is the longest-living US president by a good amount. The second longest was George H. W. Bush at 94 years, 171 days; third is Gerald Ford at 93 years, 165 days; fourth is Ronald Reagan at 93 years, 120 days.
• Impressively, at a time when average longevity was far shorter, President John Adams (who was born in 1735) lived for 90 years, 247 days.
• The shortest-lived President? It’s John F. Kennedy who was assassinated at age 46 years, 177 days. That seems very young to me now. I’m eight years older than JFK ever was.
• In other news, tomorrow marks the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court's new term as it prepares to tackle major cases.
• This SCOTUS term will include cases involving gun rights, the power of federal agencies, social media regulation, and Republican-drawn electoral districts. It will also consider taking up a dispute over the availability of the abortion pill.
• With this very conservative court, I wouldn’t count on happy outcomes to any of these measures. Remember, the only tool you really have to affect the laws that you and your families will be subjected to is your vote. Plan on using it whenever you can.
• It’s Sunday, so it’s Gunday here in my little news report. Let’s see what kind of gun violence has happened in the past couple of days.
• A man wearing a MAGA hat shot an Indigenous justice activist during a protest against the reinstallation of a statue honoring a Spanish conquistador in Española , NM. Two dead and another wounded in Fort Worth, TX. A boy shot dead in Aurora, CO. A man shot dead in St. Paul, MN. Another shot dead in Phoenix, AZ. One dead, two injured in Brooklyn, NY. A teenager shot dead and three other people wounded at a house in San Pedro, CA. One dead after being shot in a gas station parking lot in Hazelwood, MO. Four wounded in a shooting in Lexington, KY. One is critical condition after a shooting in Pineville, NC. Two hospitalized after a shooting in Rossmoor, CA. One shot near PNC Pavilion in Charlotte, NC. One shot in Norwalk, CT. One in Providence, RI. 
• And, of course, on this day in 2017, a gunman on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas opened fire on a crowd attending a country music festival outside, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others.
• This was a pretty typical weekend of gun violence in the USA. And as usual, this was just a brief scan of the shootings; there were many more.
• In related news, Connecticut's most wide-ranging gun control measure since the 2013 law enacted after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting takes effect today, with proponents vowing to pursue more gun legislation despite legal challenges happening across the country.
• The new law, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) in June, bans the open carrying of firearms and prohibits the sale of more than three handguns within 30 days to any one person, with some exceptions for instructors and others.
• Immediately after it was passed, the law was challenged in court by gun rights supporters. Connecticut’s landmark 2013 gun law, passed in response to the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown that claimed 26 lives, is also being contested in court.
• Of course it is. The ammosexuals will not easily have their favorite masturbatory material curtailed.
• Moving on.
• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee’s hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
• After several weeks of harassing a Muslim employee, the manager grabbed and partially removing her hijab. To a Muslim, this would be similar to your wife’s or daughter’s manager at work pulling up her top because he felt he deserved to see her breasts.
• Although the employee complained to another supervisor of the repeated incidents, no action was taken against the manager. I hope Chipotle has to pay this woman millions. they did eventually fire the piece of shit who was responsible.
• We should probably do some Dumpy McDumpkins news.
• He is is set to go to trial tomorrow in New York’s civil lawsuit accusing him of extensive business fraud. The outcome of the nonjury trial will be entirely up to Judge Arthur Engoron, who will make his decision on the heels of a series of fierce disputes with Trump.
• As I reported last week, Engoron delivered a ruling that may obliterate Trump’s family business. He found Trump liable for widespread fraud and revoked the licenses for some of his flagship properties, including Trump Tower and the Trump International Hotel.
• That ruling paves the way for much of the trial to focus on the punishments Trump will now face. Attorney General Tish James is asking for $250 million and a ban on Trump running businesses in the state.
• And now, The Weather: “Atlas” by Laurel Halo
• From the Sports Desk… of the 14 NFL games being played today, nine of them are expected to be so close that the point spread is around that of one field goal.
• Just five games are expected to be more open — Eagles (-8.5) over Commanders, Chargers (-5.5) over Raiders, Cowboys (-7) over Patriots, 49ers (-14) over Cardinals, and Chiefs (-9.5) over Jets.
• Today in history… Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC). Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England (959). Coronation of Queen Mary I of England (1553). Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to redraw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleon the previous spring (1814). Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress (1890). Stanford University opens its doors (1891). The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series (1903). Newark Liberty International Airport opens up being the first airport in the New York City metro area (1928). The George Washington Bridge, linking New Jersey and New York, is opened (1931). The Pennsylvania Turnpike, often considered the first superhighway in the United States, opens to traffic (1940). Nazi leaders are sentenced at the Nuremberg trials (1946). The People's Republic of China is established (1949). First appearance of In God we trust on U.S. paper currency (1957). James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules (1962). Concorde breaks the sound barrier for the first time (1969). Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida (1971). Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines (1975). Sony and Phillips launch the compact disc in Japan (1982). Denmark introduces the world's first legal same-sex registered partnerships (1989). Fifty-eight people are killed and 869 others injured in a mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, NV (2017).
• October 1 is the birthday of Roman emperor Alexander Severus (208), painter Giulia Lama (1681), physician/politician William Shippen (1712), First Lady Caroline Harrison (1832), engineer/businessman William Boeing (1881), pianist/songwriter Cliff Friend (1893), martial artist Ip Man (1893), actor Walter Matthau (1920), US president Jimmy Carter (1924), SCOTUS chief justice William Rehnquist (1924), actor Tom Bosley (1927), actor George Peppard (1928), actor Richard Harris (1930), singer-songwriter/guitarist Albert Collins (1932), actress/singer Julie Andrews (1935), MLB player Rod Carew (1945), actor Randy Quaid (1950), UK prime minister Theresa May (1956), MLB player Mark McGwire (1963), actor Zach Galifianakis (1969), actress Brie Larson (1989), and college basketball player Lauren Hill (1995). 

That’s plenty for now. I’m going to get dressed, check out football games, and whatever else. Oh, and in personal unhappy news, I developed a sore throat yesterday that has definitely carried over to today. I’ll probably be fine, but I’ll probably also complain about it. Enjoy your day.