Random News: February 17, 2024

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 February 17, 2024, and it’s a Saturday. I’m feeling pretty close to normal today, which is very much appreciated. It won’t last long; I have another series of dental procedures coming up next week. But soon enough this will all be behind me. I think it’s important to note that whatever you’re going through, it will eventually get better. Keep it in mind.

• Let’s start with the big news.
• Former president Donald John Trump was ordered yesterday by judge Arthur Engoron to pay nearly $355 million in penalties in a civil fraud case.
• But that’s actually just the start. Let’s do the full play-by-play here.
• Dump was fined yet he state of New York because he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The fraudulent documents were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals.
• The reason Engoron had sole discretion at determining the amount of the penalty was that Dump and his attorneys did not request a trial by jury.
• The judgement also blocks Trump from participating in New York business for three years.   
• Additionally, the sons of Dump, Dumpy Junior and L’il Eric Dump, were ordered to pay more than $4 million each, and were both barred from serving as officers or directors of any New York corporation or other legal entity for two years.  
• Ex-chief financial officer of the Dump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, was ordered to pay $1 million. Weisselberg was also blocked from New York business for three years, and both he and former controller Jeffery McConney were barred for life from serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or business entity.
• But that’s not all.
• It was ordered that the independent monitor who oversees Dump’s business would continue operating for three years, in addition to the installation of an Independent Director of Compliance.
• Before we even get to the next part, be aware that the penalty is more than it seems. 
• The actual total as it stands right now is $463.9 million. That represents $363.9 million in disgorgement, plus $100 million in interest, which will continue to increase every single day until it is paid.
• Dumpy, as he’s apt to do, said immediately after the judgement was issued that he’s going to appeal the case, which, of course, is his right to do.
• Except New York law wants guilty people to pay up while their appeal is in process, and they usually require somewhere in the range of 110-120% of the judgement up front.
• That would mean El Dumpo would need to come up with (pulls out calculator) at least a half billion dollars immediately just to start his appeal.
• Keeping in mind that he’s also on the hook for another $83.3 million in the defamation judgement in the E. Jean Carroll case from last month, does he have that kind of scratch? 
• In a word, no. But let’s be clear here; a typical billionaire could liquidate some of his assets or borrow even more money to cover his short-term obligations.
• Dump claimed in a deposition last year to have $400 million in cash. Even that amount isn’t nearly enough to pay off his current lawsuits. What about all the fundraising for his presidential campaign?
• On a general basis, it would be illegal for him to use campaign funds to pay his personal debts. Despite that, 84 percent of spending from Dump’s “Save America” political action committee has gone toward covering his legal expenses.
• So now, everyone who donates while thinking they are supporting his re-election are more and more aware that they’re just paying for the penalties based on his terrible life choices.
• And keep in mind; Dumpy is often in a ton of debt, and his ability to borrow even more money from US entities is becoming more and more limited. It is more likely that he’ll turn to rich friends and foreign entities to help raise the cash, which puts him in a position of owing them favors.
• And that is precisely the kind of person who you’d never, under any circumstances, want to be the POTUS. Even without the myriad of aspects that make Dump a terrible leader, this is one that endangers the safety of every American citizen.
• Let’s move on to an entirely different story about Donnie Dump.
• Anti-abortion groups are very happy today after a published report states that Dump has told people he supports a national ban on abortion after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
• So much for “states’ rights”, eh Donnie?
• If Dump is elected president, women’s reproductive rights will be extremely limited in all 50 states. Women will be forced in many situations to prove that they are not pregnant, or will be forced to give birth.
• Dump has long taken full credit for appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion.
• No matter how you feel about abortion, please support the rights of women to make their own decisions about their reproductive plans. The only way to do that is to elect candidates who believe women are capable of making their own choices.
• Thank you. Now let’s do some other news.
• Police in Russia have detained more than 350 people across the country at memorials and rallies to honor opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who died the week in a remote penal colony after having been poisoned with a toxic nerve agent several years ago.
• Typical Putin action. The next election, where the dictator is already guaranteed a win, is less than a month away.
• That’s how Dump would like the USA to run, where he could simply murder his political opponents with no one to stop him.
• As long as we’re discussing Russia, I can offer an opinion as to the next country Russia will annex should their invasion of Ukraine not be stopped.
• It’s Poland. And yes… Poland has been a NATO country since 1999, meaning the USA will be obligated to directly come to Poland’s aid with direct military action should that happen.
• Save Ukraine now, or face an all-out, boots on the ground war in Europe in a couple of years.
• Let’s do some good news.
• Taylor Swift donated $100,000 to the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the woman killed in the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade.
• Two $50,000 donations were posted yesterday under the singer's name on a GoFundMe page. Swift's representative confirmed the donations.
• ”Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss. With love, Taylor Swift," read the messages accompanying the posts.
• In case you were unaware, Swift is tremendously generous with her wealth, which is in excess of a billion dollars. She’s donated millions to various causes including schools, animals shelters, food banks, and disaster relief, paid off fans’ student loans and medical expenses, and given bonuses to her employees like roadies and other tour support personnel to the tune of $100,000 each.
• Most of her altruism has been done quietly and without fanfare or personal aggrandizement. She’s an extraordinarily impressive woman regardless of whether you personally enjoy her music.
• Moving on.
• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced yesterday that he will not mount a 2024 campaign for president.
• This upsets my plans for definitely not voting for him.
• While he may have been able to gain some momentum as a centrist, Manchin stated that he wouldn’t make any move that could assist Donnie Dump in his effort to be re-elected, so good for him, I suppose.
• In other news, here’s a follow-up story on some news I reported this week.
• Officials have ordered that all children be removed from a North Carolina wilderness camp for troubled youths following the death of a 12-year-old in the camp’s care earlier this month.
• Trails Carolina in Lake Toxaway, NC has also been accused of covering up sexual assault of children.
• Yesterday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that the children at the camp were being moved elsewhere. The department also suspended new admissions to the camp.
• Good. That whole place sounds like a horror movie.
• Moving on.
• Major technology companies signed a pact yesterday to voluntarily adopt reasonable precautions to prevent artificial intelligence tools from being used to disrupt democratic elections around the world.
• Executives from Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and TikTok gathered at the Munich Security Conference to announce a new framework for how they respond to AI-generated deepfakes that deliberately trick voters. Twelve other companies — including Elon Musk’s X — are also signing on to the accord.
• I still don’t trust any of them, but at least this leaves them in a position of being accountable for at least attempting to do the right thing.
• Another follow-up item for you…
• The House Ethics Committee has issued a subpoena for the testimony of a former girlfriend of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as part of the panel's ongoing investigation.
• The committee is demanding Gaetz's ex-girlfriend appear before the committee over a Zoom call on February 29. The unidentified woman has already announced that she will appear but will plead the fifth on any questions related to the congressman.
• As a reminder, people use their Fifth Amendment rights so that they aren’t forced to incriminate themselves. Gaetz is under investigation for having paid a child to have sex with him as well as allegations of drug use and potential lobbying violations.
• And now, The Weather: “Sea of Glass” by Gracie Gray
• Let’s do a chart.
• It’s February 1986, and I am in my final semester as a senior in high school. Things are pretty, pretty good. I drive a Volkswagen Rabbit convertible that had previously been my mom’s, I smoke way too much weed and binge drink on weekends, and my little rock band is playing at local parties all the time.
• But I also have some great friends with whom I remain close to this very day, 36 years later.
• 1. That's What Friends Are For (Dionne & Friends Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight And Stevie Wonder). 2. Burning Heart (Survivor). 3. I'm Your Man (Wham!). 4. Talk To Me (Stevie Nicks). 5. Say You, Say Me (Lionel Richie). 6. My Hometown (Bruce Springsteen). 7. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going (Billy Ocean). 8. Spies Like Us (Paul McCartney). 9. Walk Of Life (Dire Straits). 10. Go Home (Stevie Wonder). 11. How Will I Know (Whitney Houston). 12. Conga (Miami Sound Machine). 13. Kyrie (Mr. Mister). 14. I Miss You (Klymaxx). 15. Living In America (James Brown). 16. The Sweetest Taboo (Sade). 17. Goodbye (Night Ranger). 18. Sidewalk Talk (Jellybean Featuring Catherine Buchanan). 19. Party All The Time (Eddie Murphy). 20. Life In A Northern Town (The Dream Academy)
• From the Sports Desk… some NHL standings, in the midst of a season I’ve pretty much ignored thus far. Here’s the leading team in each division…
• Eastern Conference… Atlantic Division: Florida Panthers (35-15-4), Metropolitan Division: New York Rangers (35-16-3).
• Western Conference… Central Division: Dallas Stars (34-14-6), Pacific Division: Vancouver Canucks (37-12-6).
• As long as we’re talking hockey, here are the points leaders at the moment…
• 1. Nikita Kucherov (TB): 93. 2. Nathan MacKinnon (COL): 89. 3. Connor McDavid (EDM): 80. 4. David Pastrnak (BOS): 78. 5. Elias Pettersson (VAN): 72
• Today in history… Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America (1621). A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives (1801). The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time (1819). A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross (1863). Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces (1865). The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century (1913). Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel (1949). Cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T (1972). World champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match (1996). Kosovo declares independence from Serbia (2008). Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime begin (2011).
• February 17 is the birthday of Chinese empress Wu Zetian (624), astronomer Tobias Mayer (1723), businessman Aaron Montgomery Ward (1843), physicist Otto Stern (1888), singer-songwriter Tommy Edwards (1922), actor Hal Holbrook (1925), NFL coach Buddy Ryan (1931), model/actress Mary Ann Mobley (1937), activist Huey P. Newton (1942), actor Lou Diamond Phillips (1962), NBA player Michael Jordan (1963), NHL player Luc Robitaille (1966), model/actress Denise Richards (1971), singer-songwriter/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong (1972), singer-songwriter/drummer Taylor Hawkins (1972), actor Jerry O’Connell (1974), actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1981), socialite/businesswoman Paris Hilton (1981), NBA player Marcin Gortat (1984), and singer-songwriter/guitarist Ed Sheeran (1991). 

It’s time to eat some breakfast, take a shower, dress myself, and then… I have no idea. Enjoy your day.