Random News: October 2, 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 2, 2023, and it’s a Monday. I’ve got a typical Monday ahead, which is chock full of work stuff as usual, so let’s dive in…

• California has a new Senator.
• Governor Gavin Newsom has chosen Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Dianne Feinstein. As I mentioned on Friday, it was entirely necessary for Newsom to fill Feinstein’s role quickly, given the current situation in the Senate.
• Most recently, Butler has held the role of president of EMILYs List, an organization devoted to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights. Butler was the first woman of color to lead Emily's List when she joined the organization in 2021.
• She previously served as a senior campaign adviser to Kamala Harris during her 2020 presidential campaign. She also served as director of public policy at Airbnb, and has a long history as a labor leader.
• Butler was elected president of the California SEIU State Council in 2013. She undertook efforts to boost California's minimum wage and raise income taxes on the wealthiest Californians. She has also served as a regent of the University of California.
• Frankly, having a highly-qualified, super effective, very liberal Black lesbian as our Senator is just about perfect as far as I’m concerned. I send her all the best luck in her new job.
• Before anyone gets pissy about this, yes, Butler moved to Maryland to run EMILYs List in 2021. She will be reregistering as a California voter before swearing in, and does own a home here in the Golden State.
• Will she keep that job? It depends. We live in a democracy, so in the 2024 election at least three previously-declared candidates — Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) — will be vying for the position. If Butler seeks to keep the role, there’s nothing preventing her from also running,
• Let’s move on for now.
• The trial of former President and current accused felon Donald John Trump began today in New York. He, along with his company and his two adult male children are accused of perpetrating years of fraud, and vastly overrepresenting both Trump's wealth and the values of many of his properties on financial statements.
• El Dumpo is in attendance at the court proceedings right now.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James' office is seeking $250 million and a slew of sanctions designed to severely limit the Trumps' ability to do business in New York. Because this is a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case, there is no possibility of jail time.
• You may be asking yourself, “Wait, didn't the judge already rule on these fraud allegations?”
• Yes, on some of them. Last week, Judge Engoron issued a ruling finding that Trump overvalued the properties by hundreds of millions of dollars — and misrepresented his own worth by billions — while pursuing bank loans.
• That ruling was in response to a motion by James' office asking him to rule on certain allegations before the trial, which will now focus on other allegations in the lawsuit related to falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy.
• Engoron has already ordered the cancellation of Trump Organization business certificates and for an independent receiver to dissolve some of Trump's companies.
• In some breaking news…
• Conservative SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas for the first time recused himself from a case involving the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt on the U.S. Capitol as the Supreme Court this morning rejected an appeal brought by former Trump legal adviser John Eastman.
• Thomas is under fire over claims of ethical lapses. As is typical for justices, Thomas did not explain why he recused himself.
• Huh. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…
• As expected, the Court also said this morning that it will not take up a longshot challenge to Donald Trump’s eligibility to run for president under the 14th Amendment because of his alleged role on January 6, 2021.
• The case was denied without any comment or recorded vote. Again, no surprise there.
• Also breaking this lovely morning…
• The Fulton County, GA district attorney’s office has issued a subpoena to former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik to testify in the trial starting October 23 in the case stemming from election subversion plots in Georgia.
• But lawyer Tim Parlatore is demanding that his client be granted immunity in exchange for testifying.
• They call him Flipppperrrrrrr…
• You love to see it. Let’s move on.
• As we mentioned over the weekend, Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has confirmed that he will be entering a motion to vacate against Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) this week.
• Ironically, McCarthy’s fate will largely rest in the hands of Democrats. If Democrats vote to table the resolution, or vote against the motion, McCarthy could keep his job. But if Democrats decide to oust McCarthy, and enough Republicans follow suit, the California Republican could lose the Speaker’s gavel.
• Democrats in Congress aren’t super happy with McCarthy after he launched an impeachment investigation against President Biden with no evidence and without having help a procedural vote to do so.
• Guess we’ll see how that goes, and soon.
• Let’s do some science news.
• This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA vaccines, a crucial tool in curtailing the spread of COVID-19.
• The Nobel Prize committee announced the prestigious honor today. It praised the scientists’ groundbreaking findings, which the committee said “fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system.”
• Karikó and Weissman published their results in a 2005 paper that received little attention at the time, it said, but later laid the foundation for critically important developments that served humanity during the coronavirus pandemic.
• A lot of us — maybe even you, person reading this — are alive right now thanks to them.
• Moving on to the world of business and labor. A coalition of eight unions representing 75,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente said over the weekend that is has not reached an agreement with the company, setting the stage for the largest healthcare strike in US history on Wednesday.
• The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which has workers at hundreds of hospitals and medical offices in California, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, Washington and Washington, D.C., said in a statement that it remains far apart with the company on important issues but still has had “good discussions with Kaiser.”
• Their contract with Kaiser officially expired after 11:59 pm PT on Saturday night. Regardless of what happens, hospitals and emergency departments will stay open.
• And now, The Weather: “Easy Thing” by Snail Mail
• From the Sports Desk… it was a wacky weekend in the NFL, with even some generally good teams playing like shit. Tonight’s Monday Night Football game has the Seattle Seahawks visiting the New York Giants.
• That game, like many this week, has only a -2 point favorite for Seattle. It should be close, but no one ever really knows. That’s why they play the games.
• Also from the Sports Desk… the MLB regular season ended yesterday, and the playoff matchups are set. Wild-card games starts on Tuesday October 3.
• American League: Wild-card round - (6) Astros at (3) Twins, (5) Blue Jays at (4) Rays. ALDS - Twins or Astros vs. (2) Rangers, Rays or Blue Jays vs. (1) Orioles.
• National League: Wild-card round - (6) Diamondbacks at (3) Brewers, (5) Marlins at (4) Phillies. NLDS - Brewers or D-backs vs. (2) Dodgers, Phillies or Marlins vs. (1) Braves.
• And also from the Sports Desk… RIP to former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who died at the age of 57 from brain cancer. Wakefield spent 29 years with the organization as a player, special assistant and broadcaster, and won World Series titles with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.
• Wakefield’s health challenges came to light last week when complete asshole Curt Shilling announced it on his podcast against the family’s wishes.
• Today in history… The United States Bill of Rights is sent to the various States for ratification (1789). The citizens of the Papal States accept annexation by the Kingdom of Italy (1870). Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court (1967). The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton (1996). The Beltway sniper attacks begin in Washington, D.C., extending over three weeks and killing 10 people (2002). The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey (2018).
• October 2 is the birthday of king Richard III of England (1452), American slave and uprising leader Nat Turner (1800), sociologist Patrick Geddes (1854), activist Mahatma Gandhi (1869), actor Groucho Marx (1890), MLB player Maury Wills (1932), lawyer Johnnie Cochran (1937), film critic Rex Reed (1938), director/producer Steve Sabol (1942), singer-songwriter Don McLean (1945), actor Avery Brooks (1948), fashion designer Donna Karan (1948), singer-songwriter/bass player Richard Hell (1949), photographer Annie Leibovitz (1949), guitarist/songwriter Mike Rutherford (1950), singer-songwriter/bass player Sting (1951), singer-songwriter/guitarist Gillian Welch (1967), TV host Kelly Ripa (1970), and guitarist/songwriter Jim Root (1971).

I guess that’s enough. I’m going to go work out, hit my deadlines, have some meetings, and try to be a relatively decent human being. Enjoy your day.