Random News: December 23, 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 23, 2023, and it’s a Saturday. Unlike typical Saturdays, I’m actually out of my robe and showered and dressed, for I have things to do. Let’s see what’s going on in this world on a rather chilly Christmas Eve Eve.

• Starting with some news that seems not very good on the surface…
• The Supreme Court has denied special counsel Jack Smith's petition for a fast-tracked dispute about whether former President Donnie Dump should enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution for misconduct during his time in the White House.
• The court did not offer a reason for its decision. The action now gets bounced downward to the federal appeals court in Washington, which is set to hear argument in the matter on January 9.
• If this seems like a delay tactic that would help a guilty criminal, that’s correct. The oldest rule in law is that innocent people want their trial as soon as possible; guilty defendants want to delay it by any means necessary.
• But Jack Smith is playing the long game. He moved for the SCOTUS to intervene sooner in large part to underscore the urgency of deciding the presidential immunity issue quickly — and nudging the DC Circuit to move faster.
• And what happened? The DC Circuit oral argument is now set for January 9. In essence, Jack Smith achieved his objective.
• Conservative attorney George Conway agrees that this isn’t a win for Dump. “I think it’s not a big deal because I don’t think it’s going to affect the schedule that much, and I think it actually shows the likely, I think it shows the weakness of Donald Trump’s immunity claim,” he said.
• Conway knows a bit about this, being the only person who has written a Supreme Court brief that successfully won immunity for a president.
• The question of immunity will almost certainly reach the SCOTUS eventually, just on a longer timeline.
• The Court has been clear in the past that a President is not immune from prosecution. While the appeal proceeds, Dump’s federal election interference trial in Washington, D.C., originally set for March, is on hold, but it’s not going anywhere.
• Jack Smith pointed out that the high court took just two months to hear and decide another landmark case about whether then-President Richard Nixon needed to turn over Watergate tapes back in 1974.
• As a reminder: Dump is fighting 91 criminal charges across four different jurisdictions. He is trying to delay each of these trials until after the election, but they loom over the election season and any courtroom proceedings will likely dominate the campaign.
• Meanwhile, El Dumpo is bigly mad about a new 2024 primary poll after it showed that Nikki Haley is now trailing him by a mere four points in New Hampshire.
• The December 21 poll conducted by the American Research Group indicated that 33 per cent of likely New Hampshire GOP primary voters support the former president, while 29 per cent support Ms. Haley.
• Haley has recently received notable endorsements from New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity Action. Interestingly, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, a Democrat, has also donated a quarter of a million dollars to a pro-Haley super PAC. His donation followed JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s plea to Democratic donors to back Haley’s campaign.
• I don’t have to tell you why. But I also am doubtful that anything close to a majority of Republicans will cast a vote for any female human being. Women are viewed by the GOP as second class citizens who aren’t as smart or capable as men.
• Let’s move on.
• The U.N. Security Council voted yesterday to speed up the process of delivering aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. They also demanded that all the hostages held by Hamas be released immediately and without conditions.
• The resolution was adopted by a vote of 13-0 with 2 abstensions, by the U.S. and Russia. Although the final text does not make a renewed call for a pause in the fighting or demand a cease-fire, it creates a pathway to expedite food, water and fuel to Palestinian civilians. 
• So that’s good.
• Back in the USA, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state’s legislative maps, which give Republicans the advantage, are unconstitutional and ordered new lines drawn for the 2024 election.
• The 4-3 decision overturning the current maps in a key battleground state carries major implications for the 2024 election and comes after liberals won control of the court this spring.
• That case is among a slew of redistricting fights across the country that could determine control of governing bodies from local governing boards to state legislatures and the US House of Representatives.
• This is also good. Very good.
• Joe Biden is getting stuff done. He signed an $886 billion defense bill into law yesterday that extends Ukraine aid and joint programs with the Israeli military.
• The legislation authorizes funding and sets policy for the Pentagon without including conservative provisions on abortion; diversity, equity and inclusion programs; or transgender health care.
• Let’s contrast that with the absolute ineffectiveness of the GOP-led Congress. Fact: The last 10 Congresses averaged 391 bills signed into law per term.
• This past term with a Republican majority and under leaders Kevin McCarthy and now whatshisface Johnson, a grand total of 27 bills were signed into law.
• 27. That’s all. Of those 27, one law created a commemorative coin and two renamed medical centers. It’s the least productive year in our country’s legislative branch since the Great Depression.
• These are people you voted for to ensure you had the best possible life, and you got… nothing.
• Moving on.
• Here’s a good idea: don’t be a hacker and don’t share shit you steal. Arion Kurtaj of the UK found that out the hard way.
• The 18-year-old hacker leaked footage of the unreleased video game ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ has been sentenced to indefinite detention in a secure hospital. He leaked 90 clips from Rockstar Games' forthcoming game and also launched cyberattacks on Uber, Nvidia, and other corporations.
• The judge presiding over the case ruled that Kurtaj should be placed in a secure hospital until mental health professionals decided he no longer poses a risk to the public. Doctors had deemed Kurtaj, who is severely autistic, unfit to stand trial. 
• Let’s go back to the Dump for a moment. Yesterday I mentioned news about a newly unearthed recording of Dumpy and Ronna McDaniel pressuring two county officials in Michigan not to certify the 2020 election.
• While the news of yet another illegal act by Dump is hardly surprising, several prominent lawyers say the November 17, 2020 phone call presents new and significant legal peril to the former president and current GOP frontrunner.
• Former DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said that the recording could open the door to a federal bribery charge: “Trump and Ronna McDaniel — Offering a thing of value to a public official to violate oath of office = a crime.”
• In our final mention of that smelly man, yesterday Dump defended his recent remarks about immigrants "poisoning the blood" of America, saying he never knew it was language used by Adolf Hitler.
• Sure, Donnie.
• And now, The Weather: “goo lagoon” by EKKSTACY
• How heavy were the rains in SoCal this past week? Thursday's rainfall set records in Oxnard with 2.78 inches. The previous record? 0.75 inches, in 1945. 
• Let’s do a chart. It’s late December 1985. I’m a senior in high school, trying to make plans for the near future that will undoubtedly affect the rest of my life despite my being about 17 years old and not knowing shit about shit. These are the rock radio charts.
• 1. Talk To Me (Stevie Knicks). 2. Silent Running (Mike & The Mechanics). 3. Face the Face (Pete Townshend). 4. Alive & Kicking (Simple Minds). 5. Sex As A Weapon (Pat Benatar). 6. Tonight She Comes (The Cars). 7. Go (Asia). 8. Can’t Stop Rockin’ (ZZ Top). 9. Stages (ZZ Top). 10. Small Town (John Cougar Mellencamp). 11. Burning Heart (Survivor). 12. Please And Pain (Divinyls). 13. Sleeping Bag (ZZ Top). 14. Give Blood (Pete Townshend). 15. Kyrie (Mr. Mister). 16. Strength (The Alarm). 17. Change It (Stevie Ray Vaughn). 18. My Hometown (Bruce Springsteen). 19. One Vision (Queen). 20. Manhattan Project (Rush).
• From the Sports Desk… if the NFL playoffs started today, here’s who’d be in them and at what seed.
• AFC: 1. Ravens. 2. Dolphins. 3. Chiefs. 4. Jaguars. 5. Browns. 6. Bengals. 7. Colts.
• NFC: 1. 40ers. 2. Cowboys. 3. Lions. 4. Buccaneers. 5. Eagles. 6. Rams. 7. Vikings.
• Word to the wise: the final playoff picture we’ll see in just over two weeks will look very different from this. Only four teams between both conferences from he list of 14 above have already sealed playoff spots.
• Today in history… King James II of England flees to Paris after being deposed in favor of his son-in-law and nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary (1688). George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, MD (1783). The novel ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen is first published (1815). The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System (1913). Sex Disqualification Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom (1919). The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories (1947). First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray (1954). The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, NY is topped out at 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world (1970). The Immaculate Reception is caught by Franco Harris to win the Pittsburgh Steelers their first ever playoff victory (1972). An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state (2007).
• December 23 is the birthday of painter/sculptor/architect Giovanni Battista Crespi (1573), businesswoman Madam C. J. Walker (1867), trumpeter/singer Chet Baker (1929), NFL player Paul Hornung (1935), computer scientist Bob Kahn (1938), singer-songwriter/guitarist Jorma Kaukonen (1940), singer-songwriter/guitarist Tim Hardin (1941), actor/comedian Harry Shearer (1943), guitarist/songwriter Adrian Belew (1949), journalist William Kristol (1952), guitarist/songwriter Dave Murray (1956), NFL player/coach Jim Harbaugh (1963), singer-songwriter Eddie Vedder (1964), and actor Corey Haim (1971).

So, I need to go brave being part of the human race once again today, picking up the ingredients for my Christmas feast at the grocery store, as well as getting a couple of gift cards that will help make up for the rather crappy job I did of present purchases thus far. I want to do that soon because the longer I wait, the more likely that people will be absolutely insane at the store. Plus, I want a nice roast while it’s still available. Enjoy your day.