Random News: December 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 December 11, 2023, and it’s a Monday. I’m trying to not stress about things. What things? All the things. It’s not an uncommon feeling this time of year for a lot of people. I guess that’s somewhat helpful, knowing that I’m not the only one. Let’s see what’s happening in the world and thereby take my focus off my own problems.

• Jury selection begins today in a high-profile defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani, the guy who once called himself “America’s Mayor” and then had a historical downfall by aligning himself with Donald John Trump. Today’s trial is tied to Giuliani’s efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
• Rudy was sued by two former Fulton County, GA election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss. They alleged Giuliani mounted a smear campaign against them by repeatedly falsely accusing them of committing election fraud to change the outcome of the 2020 election in their state.
• They’re seeking from $15.5 million to $43 million for damages from Giuliani. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell already found earlier this year that Giuliani was liable for several claims of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. The jury trial that begins today will determine the damages to be awarded to Freeman and Moss.
• In other trial news, on Friday, Dumpy lawyer Alina Habba made a firm statement about El Dumpo testifying in his own defense in the NY civil fraud trail. She stated, “He will open himself up to whatever they want because he’s not afraid. People that are afraid cower. President Trump doesn’t cower."
• And then yesterday, he cowered, and decided not to testify. He knows he’s incapable of not lying, and doesn’t want to have perjury charges added to his already massive legal issues. His statement yesterday said that he "already testified to everything" and had "nothing more to say."
• Wouldn’t that be nice?
• In other news of political genius, let’s talk about Casey DeSantis, the wife of Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis.
• During an appearance with her husband on Fox News on Friday, she wrongly stated it was legal for out-of-state residents to participate in the Iowa caucus.
• “We’re asking all of these moms and grandmoms to come from wherever it might be, North Carolina, South Carolina and to descend upon the state of Iowa to be a part of the caucus,” she said. “You do not have to be a resident of Iowa to be able to participate in the caucus. So moms and grandmas are going to be able to come and be a part and let their voice be heard and support Ron.”
• That’s… 100% not true, and completely illegal. Iowa law, as the state’s Republican party was forced to point out in a tweet, restricts caucus voting to legal residents of the state with photo ID, and Iowa students living out of state who can choose where they register.
• Even more ironic is the DeSantis himself has opened a whole-ass office to clamp down on things like illegal out-of-state voting in his home base of Florida.
• A side note to all of this: Trump maintains a huge lead over all other Republican primary opponents and some polls show him having a sizable lead over Joe Biden in swing states like Michigan and Georgia.
• I hope you’re ready to fight like hell as we move into this coming election year.
• This is probably a good time to remind you that should Trump win in 2024, it may be the last election the USA ever has, and that women’s reproductive rights will be removed in all 50 states.
• Maybe you want to put together some plans in that regard.
• Or you might end up with a leader very similar to Vladimir Putin, who seems to have disappeared his main political rival in advance of their elections next year.
• Lawyers for Alexey Navalny said today they have lost contact with the jailed Russian opposition leader, who was believed to be imprisoned in a penal colony about 150 miles east of Moscow, and his whereabouts are unknown.
• Supporters of Navalny claim his arrest and incarceration are a politically motivated attempt to stifle his criticism of Putin.
• Moving on.
• In news from the Israeli-Hamas war, Palestinians and international relief agencies said public order was disintegrating as hunger spread, fueling fears of a mass exodus to Egypt.
• Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, and residents say it is impossible to find refuge, or increasingly food, in the densely populated enclave, with around 18,000 people already killed and conflict intensifying.
• Sigh.
• The Air Force today disciplined 15 members of the Air National Guard after an internal investigation found that a “lack of supervision” and a “culture of complacency” helped enable a 21-year-old airman to share hundreds of classified documents online in the sprawling leak of U.S. military secrets that rocked the national security establishment this spring.
• In a report delivered to Congress this morning, the Air Force blamed Airman 1st Class Jack D. Teixeira’s superiors for failing to restrict his access to classified systems and facilities and to alert appropriate authorities during the time that he was alleged to have been illegally sharing government secrets.
• The Air Force inspector general found that while Teixeira is believed to have worked alone to smuggle classified documents from his workplace at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, and post photographs of them online, other members in his unit “had information about as many as four separate instances of his questionable activity.”
• Moving on.
• On Saturday, a couple were targeted for their Jewish faith in an assault and attempted robbery as they walked to a synagogue in Beverly Hills, CA.
• Responding officers arrested Jarris Jay Silagi, 44, and booked him on allegations of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery and elder abuse, with the added allegation that he was motivated by hate.
• "When he came up to them, he screamed at her, 'Jew, give me your jewelry,' and then started hitting him on the head," said Rabbi Pini Dunner. The attacker took off his belt and used it to strike the husband, 75, who was with his 70-year-old wife as they walked to the synagogue.
• Not acceptable toward any person of any background, anywhere ever.
• Let’s move on to some health news.
• The FDA has approved the first gene-edited treatment for a human illness. This is a landmark decision, approving two gene therapies for people 12 and over suffering from the most severe sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that affects about 100,000 Americans.
• And, as you already guessed, the treatments are very expensive and require complicated procedures many hospitals will not be equipped to provide.
• And now, The Weather: “Throwing Stones” by Richie Quake
• The 2024 Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were the leading nominees in film, with nine and eight nods respectively, with “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things” following close behind. “Succession” dominated television. Netflix led film distributors with 13 nominations, and Max led TV with 17.
• From the Sports Desk… major upsets rocked the NFL this weekend, with unexpected losses by the Chiefs, Eagles, Lions, and Jaguars.
• Anyone who tells you they know right now how the playoff picture will turn out is full of shit.
• Today in history… King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention (1792). Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state (1816). Guglielmo Marconi transmits the first transatlantic radio signal from England to Saint John's, Newfoundland (1901). More than two years after it was stolen from the Louvre, Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa is recovered in Florence, Italy (1913). The British Parliament establishes legislative equality between the UK and the Dominions of the Commonwealth—Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland (1931). Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the final time (1934). Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans' declaration of war on the Empire of Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor (1941). Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City (1964). The Lufthansa heist, the largest cash robbery ever committed on American soil at that time, is committed by a group led by Lucchese family associate Jimmy Burke (1978). Bernard Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme (2008). The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency (2020).
• December 11 is the birthday of founding father George Mason (1725), composer Hector Berlioz (1803), physicist Max Born (1882), politician Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882), farmer/businessman Walter Knott (1889), Nazi criminal Amon Göth (1908), singer-songwriter Big Mama Thornton (1926), actress/singer/dancer Rita Moreno (1931), pianist/composer McCoy Tyner (1938), actress Donna Mills (1940), politician John Kerry (1943), singer-songwriter Brenda Lee (1944), actress Teri Garr (1944), bass player Nikki Sixx (1958), actress/comedian Mo’Nique (1967), NFL player Willie McGinest (1971), rapper/actor Mos Def (1973), comedian/actor Roy Wood, Jr. (1978), and NBA player Roy Hibbert (1986).

I guess that’s it. I’m gonna go work out as I do every morning whether I want to or not. Fun fact: I never want to. Never ever. Enjoy your day.