Random News: March 26, 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 March 26, 2024, and it’s a Tuesday. I am definitely looking forward to a normal day, as yesterday was… not. More on that somewhere below. For now, let’s news it up.

• Starting with a horrifying event last night when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship struck a support column, sending at least seven cars into the Patapsco River.
• There was no indication that the event was intentional. Search and rescue teams were working to save people who’d been traversing the bridge.
• You can see in the video that the vessel loses power multiple times before slamming into the column.
• Crazy. Hoping the best for all impacted. Let’s move on for now.
• Yesterday was one of those sorta good, but really bigly bad days for the former president and current accused multiple felon named Donald John Trump.
• I saw a lot of people in full freakout mode yesterday morning after an appeals court lowered El Dumpo’s bond requirement for appeal to only $175 million, and gave him another 10 days to come up with it.
• Broke Don said he will cover the bond using cash as a collateral. So, MAGA people: your guy made bail. Congratulations, Donald. Quite the accomplishment.
• But this changes nothing about the actual $464 million New York civil fraud judgment against him. It will go through the typical process. Obviously, Dumpy’s immediate goal of delaying the judgement and the asset seizure that was about to begin was successful.
• This is all just temporary stuff, and all he’s done is momentarily pushed back his inevitable fate.
• However…
• Within the same hour yesterday morning, Judge Juan Merchan confirmed that Big Smelly’s historic criminal trial in the hush money case will begin with jury selection on April 15.
• This is really bad news for Dumperino. 
• The Tangerine Twat was visibly agitated as Judge Merchan shot down his lawyers’ accusation of misconduct, saying they’d presented no evidence of anything.
• So mark your calendars for Monday April 15. The first criminal trial of a former US president in history. Be there, will be wild!
• Moving on.
• In a change from its former position, the USA did not veto the UN Security Council when it called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
• The UN also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It is the first time the council has called for a ceasefire since the war began in October after several failed attempts.
• Israel got mad. Bibi Netanyahu decided to cancel meetings between an Israeli delegation and US officials in Washington that were scheduled for this week.
• And Israel’s defense minister said they would not stop the war in Gaza while hostages were still being held there.
• But for those of you who’ve been awaiting a strong show of support for a ceasefire to allow the people of Palestine at least some peace, that’s now happened. Hopefully Israel will abide by the UN resolution.
• Let’s move on to another very important topic.
• One of the biggest cases of our lifetimes is in front of the Supreme Court today. They are weighing restrictions on mifepristone, the drug that is most widely used in the United States to terminate pregnancies.
• This same conservative-dominated court overturned the constitutional right to abortion nearly two years ago when it reversed the landmark Roe v. Wade at the urging of Donnie Dump, removing reproductive freedom from millions of American women.
• They are hearing oral arguments today. Anti-abortion groups are seeking to have the drug banned, claiming that despite its long track record it is unsafe.
• Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 and the FDA estimates that more than 5.9 million Americans have used it to end pregnancies since then.
• Joe Biden is doing everything in his power to appealed the lower court's restrictions on mifepristone to the Supreme Court, who are expected to issue a decision in the abortion pill case by the end of June.
• It would be a devastating blow to women’s health and women’s choice if they restrict the lifesaving drug’s use, which is what Dumpy is hoping.
• Moving on…
• I don’t cover celebrity news much, if all, but this is too bizarre.
• The Department of Homeland Security raided multiple homes belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs yesterday morning. Puffy faces several lawsuits over accusations including physical abuse, sexual assault and sex trafficking.
• The federal raid follows months of allegations of sexual abuse against Combs. Per lawsuits, Combs forced women to participate in sex parties with male sex workers, flying them to multiple cities in the United States as well as abroad.
• For awhile, it looked like Diddy had tried to flee the country, with his private jet tracked to a Caribbean island, but then he was spotted yesterday afternoon at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
• As you’ll see below, I was in the area of his Holmby Hills mansion that was raided, and saw the cops and helicopters involved.
• Moving on for now.
• Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed sweeping social media restrictions into law also requiring age verification to access pornographic websites in his state.
• Under the new law, which would commence in 2025, minors under 16 would be barred from social media platforms.
• Florida will join several other states with new age-verification requirement laws that have led Pornhub to block user access in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Utah, Montana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia.
• And now, The Weather: “Imago” by Julien Chang
• A quick mention of a remarkable experience I had yesterday.
• My ladyfriend Kat had a medical procedure yesterday. She’s fine, so let’s get that out of the way. It was a standard preventative procedure that most people do at some point in their lives.
• Anyway, it did require her to be driven there and back, which I did… and it was my first time setting foot in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
• Holy fuck. I didn’t know there were, like, luxury hospitals. 
• It was like getting concierge service at every step of the process. I suppose that’s why it’s ranked as one of the best hospitals in the world (and the very best on the West Coast of the USA).
• While waiting, I got continuous text alerts about Kat’s status before, during, and after the procedure. Meanwhile, the place is filled with art and sculpture. The cafe was like a nice restaurant filled with really delicious food choices. The visitor waiting room was beautifully designed with plush carpeting, large, soft chairs, and a friendly staff.
• I gotta say, if health care could be like that for everyone, we’d all live a lot longer. I was blown away. Downside: now, every other hospital I ever visit in my life is going to suck by comparison.
• I’ll reiterate the most important point to all this: Kat is fine and should stay that way for a long time.
• And yes, while I was there on the UCLA campus in Westwood, I saw the commotion of law enforcement as they raced to Diddy’s mansion just a short distance away. Weird.
• From the Sports Desk… the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament are all still in play.
• For the Women, they are Texas, USC, South Carolina, and Iowa.
• In the Men’s tournament, they are North Carolina, Purdue, UConn, and Houston.
• All of them are sports powerhouse schools, No surprise.
• Today in history… William Caxton prints his translation of ‘Aesop's Fables’ (1484). Utrecht University is founded in the Netherlands (1636). A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coins the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection (1812). The Vancouver Millionaires win the 1915 Stanley Cup Finals, the first championship played between the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association (1915). The Battle of Iwo Jima ends as the island is officially secured by American forces (1945). Ten thousand people gather for one of many Central Park be-ins in New York City (1967). East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Liberation War begins (1971). Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Egypt–Israel peace treaty in Washington, D.C. (1979). Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven's Gate mass suicides (1997). 
• March 26 is the birthday of socialist/visionary Edward Bellamy (1850), poet Robert Frost (1874), first president of South Korea Syngman Rhee (1875), socialist activist Kate Richards O’Hare (1876), engineer Othmar Ammann (1879), fashion designer Guccio Gucci (1881), mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904), playwright Tennessee Williams (1911), US general William Westmoreland (1914), actor Strother Martin (1919), SCOTUS justice Sandra Day O’Connor (1930), actor Leonard Nimoy (1931), actor Alan Arkin (1934), physicist Anthony James Leggett (1938), actor James Caan (1940), politician Nancy Pelosi (1940), novelist Erica Jong (1942), journalist Bob Woodward (1943), singer-songwriter Diana Ross (1944), singer-songwriter Steven Tyler (1948), actress/singer Vicki Lawrence (1949), singer-songwriter Teddy Pendergrass (1950), actor Martin Short (1950), composer Alan Silvestri (1950), politician Elaine Chao (1953), actress Jennifer Grey (1960), NBA player John Stockton (1962), actor Michael Imperioli (1966), singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney (1968), guitarist James Iha (1968), computer scientist/businessman Larry Page (1973), actress Keira Knightley (1985), and NFL player Von Miller (1989).

As I said up top, unlike yesterday, today should be pretty normal. I like normalcy. I do. Enjoy your day.