Random News: November 11, 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 November 11, 2023, and it’s a Saturday. It’s kinda chilly but my coffee is hot and my blue robe is sufficient for now until I get some news on this currently-blank page. Let’s go.

• Since the Veterans Day holiday falls on a Saturday this year, the official federal holiday was observed yesterday. But I will still use today, being 11/11, to send my respects to all people who served in the US military.
• My annual reminder: Veterans Day is NOT Memorial Day; it’s for anyone who has ever served in any capacity in any brand of the military, living or dead or active or retired, with a short amount of service or a lifetime.
• I want to thank every person who served, which includes many of my close friends and family members.
• One thing I’ve noted in researching my ancestry: it is chock full of people who’ve served the USA (including a bunch in the Revolutionary War), and in centuries before this country was established, served their own native lands.
• Salute to them, and to all veterans! Thank you for your service!
• Let’s do the news.
• Days after a raid at New York City mayor Eric Adams’s chief fundraiser’s home, federal agents took the mayor’s phones and iPad.
• F.B.I. agents seized Adams’s devices this week in what appeared to be a dramatic escalation of a criminal inquiry into whether his 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel money into its coffers.
• Wow man. The devices — at least two cellphones and an iPad — were returned to the mayor within a matter of days. In case you’re wondering, yes… law enforcement investigators with a search warrant can make copies of the data on your devices after they seize them.
• Adams’s lawyers and campaign said the mayor was cooperating with federal authorities, and had already proactively reported at least one instance of improper behavior.
• Welp, no one is above the law. If he fucked around, he’ll find out.
• Let’s move on to something horrible yet totally on brand.
• Republicans in the Ohio state legislature are threatening to strip state courts of their authority to review cases related to Issue 1, the ballot measure approved by voters on Tuesday that established a right to abortion in the state constitution.
• That’s right. Despite the overwhelming will of the voters of the state, Ohio Republicans will try and subvert the popular vote. That’s called fascism, kids.
• Republicans hold wide majorities in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly. The state's governor is a Republican, and the seven-seat Ohio Supreme Court has a 4-3 Republican majority.
• So first, Ohioans will fight any effort to sabotage their vote. Second, they will vote out any politician who supports this plan at the earliest opportunity. End of story.
• Got some good political news here.
• Yesterday, an appeals court rued that the Louisiana Legislature has until January 15 to enact a new congressional map after a lower court ruled that the current boundaries weaken the power of Black voters in the state.
• The order by a three-judge panel in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals tosses out the 2022 ruling, and it is the latest in the state’s redistricting fight, which could determine which party controls the state House following the 2024 elections.
• Before this ruling, only one of the state’s six districts would have had a majority-Black population despite Louisiana being at least 33% Black.
• Fuck yes. Vote, Louisiana. We believe in you.
• Some encouraging news, I guess, out of the Catholic church. Texan bishop Joseph Strickland has been a fierce critic who has questioned the Pope's leadership of the church. Strickland lobbed a series of attacks on the Pope's attempts to update the Church's position on social matters and inclusion, including abortion, transgender rights and same-sex marriage.
• So today, Pope Francis fired his ass. His removal comes after Francis spoke of the backwardness of some US Catholic church leaders.
• Fuck that bishop.
• The country is waiting for House Speaker Mike Johnson to release his plan to keep the government funded past Friday. Johnson and other GOP leaders are supposedly briefing House Republicans in a 3pm call today.
• Given the timetable (less than a week), Johnson’s experience dealing with shutdown politics (near zero), and the level of disarray in the GOP conference (high), the chances of a shutdown are growing.
• No one, and I mean no one, likes government shutdowns. It’s entirely up to the Republican leadership in the House to avert one. So we’ll see how that goes. There are a couple of options that would work, but it’s unlikely the House GOP is cohesive enough to make them happen.
• Moving on.
• Yesterday was the first test flight of the new B-21 Raider next-generation stealth bomber of the U.S. Air Force.
• Designed by Northrop Grumman, the B-21 looks similar in shape to its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit. Note: just 20 of those remain in service.
• The B-21 can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons around the world. The military intends to acquire at least 100 of the planes at a price tag of about $692 million each. It's expected to become fully operational in a few years, bolstering what is already the largest air force in the world.
• Big ol’ flyin’ death dealer, I tell ya.
• And now, The Weather: “Once In” by Space Equator
• The Grammy nominations have been announced. Lots of stuff in there that ranges between good to forgettable to utter shit, as usual.
• I giggled at the responses from the members of Boygenius — Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus — when asked how it felt being nominated alongside artists and bands like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, The Rolling Stones, and the Foo Fighters.
• Bridgers: Pretty dope. I think we’re gonna have to fight Dave Grohl in the parking lot.
• Baker: Yo, we should do that. We should challenge him to beef.
• Dacus: Hey, I’ve seen in-person how hard he hits the drums; I’m not gonna fight Dave Grohl. His arms are something else. Like, he’s got the muscle and he’s scrappy.
• Probably a goo idea. Anyway, that was cute. Anyway, I’m not going to talk about Grammy shit here because I have to for work, and I don’t like working weekends.
• Here’s a chart. It’s November 1993, which is AAAAAAAAA, 30 years ago, oh shit. I’m an adult person and working at a manufacturer of music and audio gear. I have no interest in pop music of the time, and while I’m cognizant of these songs, I didn’t like a single one of them at the time.
• 1. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) (Meat Loaf). 2. All That She Wants (Ace Of Base). 3. Again (Janet Jackson). 4. Just Kickin' It (Xscape). 5. Gangsta Lean (DRS). 6. Dreamlover (Mariah Carey). 7. Shoop (Salt-N-Pepa). 8. Hey Mr. D.J. (Zhane). 9. Whoomp! (There It Is) (Tag Team). 10. Anniversary (Tony Toni Tone). 11. What Is Love (Haddaway). 12. Hero (Mariah Carey). 13. The River Of Dreams (Billy Joel). 14. Breathe Again (Toni Braxton). 15. Can We Talk (Tevin Campbell). 16. Another Sad Love Song (Toni Braxton). 17. Right Here (Human Nature)/Downtown (SWV). 18. Two Steps Behind (From "Last Action Hero") (Def Leppard). 19. If (Janet Jackson). 20. Sweat (A La La La La Long) (Inner Circle).
• From the Sports Desk… here’s a weird list. It’s the NFL standings ranked by the difference of “points for” versus “points against”.
• 1. Ravens (+115). 2. Bills (+80). 3. 49ers (+78). 4. Cowboys (+72). 5. Chiefs (+65). 6. Dolphins (+60). 7. Eagles (+57). 8. Browns (+42). 9. Jaguars (+37). 10. Lions (+35).
• Today in history… Tycho Brahe observes the supernova SN 1572 (1572). The Mayflower Compact is signed in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod (1620). Gottfried Leibniz demonstrates integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of ‘y = ƒ(x)’ (1675). The State of Washington is admitted as the 42nd state of the United States (1889). Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies (1918). The United States Numbered Highway System is established (1926). NASA launches Gemini 12 (1966). 
• November 11 is the birthday of novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821), general George S. Patton (1885), author/activist Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896), novelist Kurt Vonnegut (1922), actor Jonathan Winters (1925), politician Barbara Boxer (1940), songwriter/guitarist Chris Dreja (1945), actor Vincent Schiavelli (1948), music producer Mutt Lange (1948), golfer Fuzzy Zoeller (1951), singer-songwriter/guitarist Marshall Crenshaw (1953), singer-songwriter/guitarist Andy Partridge (1953), singer-songwriter/guitarist Dave Alvin (1955), actor Stanley Tucci (1960), actress Demi Moore (1962), actress Calista Flockhart (1964), actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974), and singer/pianist Jon Batiste (1986).

Whoo, managed to get these finished two minutes before noon. On to other weekend projects. Enjoy your day.