Random News: May 7, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s May 7, 2024, and it’s a Tuesday. It’s gonna be a busy day for me with meetings, work, grocery shopping, and a live music show to perform. I can do this. I can do this. I… need a lot more coffee and then can do this. First, let’s check the news.

• Yesterday morning, Hamas accepted a a three-phased deal for a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap proposed by Egypt and Qatar.
• It was as follows: phase one would have a 42-day ceasefire period, with Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from Israeli jails. Israel would partially withdraws troops from Gaza and allows free movement of Palestinians from south to north Gaza.
• The second phase included an agreement to restore a "sustainable calm" to Gaza, the complete withdrawal of most Israeli troops from Gaza, and Hamas releasing Israeli reservists and some soldiers in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from jail.
• The third phase would be the completion of exchanging bodies and starting the implementation of reconstruction according to the plan overseen by Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations, as well as ending the complete blockade on the Gaza Strip.
• As news spread of Hamas’ announcement, Palestinians began to celebrate in parts of Gaza.
• What was Israel’s response?
• No, basically.
• Throughout the day and night, the Israeli air force struck more than 50 targets in the Rafah area.
• Twenty-three people were killed, including six children, in the Israeli strikes.
• Israel's military then seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a vital entry point for aid to Gaza on the Egyptian border.
• Today, President Joe Biden will deliver a speech as he aims to issue a call to fight antisemitism amid these Israeli strikes on Palestine.
• Sigh.
• There’s still no way to know how the war will transpire, if or when any real ceasefire will happen, or what kinds of sustaining effects will be reflected here in the USA in the less than six months before the election.
• Moving on.
• A U.S. Army sergeant stationed in Korea has been detained in Russia, accused of stealing from a woman. 
• That is NOT good.
• Staff Sgt. Gordon D. Black was arrested on May 2 in Vladivostock. It is unclear how he got there but he was in the process of changing duty stations from Korea back to Fort Cavazos (Ft. Hood) in the U.S. He was not there on official travel.
• The U.S. had already long been trying to secure the release of two other Americans who it considers to be wrongfully detained in Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 on espionage.
• Let’s review some Trials of Dumpy news.
• Yesterday during the testimony of Jeffrey McConney, the former corporate controller of the Trump Organization, new details came out about the mechanics of the reimbursement payments.
• McConney noted how the reimbursement of Michael Cohen for hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, which was paid in installments, came initially from a Trump trust and later from Dumpy’s personal account.
• In total, of the $420,000 ultimately paid to Cohen, $105,000 came from the trust and $315,000 from Trump’s personal funds.
• Some of the personal checks had to be sent from New York to the White House for Dumpy’s signature.
• Last week, Dumpy was complaining the trial was moving too fast. Yesterday, he complained it was moving too slowly.
• In fact, the trial was widely forecast to last about six weeks. It still seems broadly on course for that time frame.
• This morning, Dump found another reason to complain.
• He found out Stephanie Clifford — aka Stormy Daniels — would be testifying. She’s on the witness stand right now as I write this. Here’s one of the many funny parts about it…
• Dump’s defense team made a last-minute bid to block the porn star from offering up lurid details of her sexual encounter with Dump. His lawyer Susan Necheles said such details would be “unduly prejudicial” to Trump.
• She’s probably right. But Dump still to this day says the encounter never happened. Why is he so worried about the details of something that, according to him, never happened?
• Anyway, the prosecution said Daniels could omit certain details that might be too salacious, while still offering general details of what occurred.
• “In terms of the sexual act, it will be just very basic. It’s not going to involve any descriptions of genitalia,” they added.
• Thank God for that. And I’ll bet Dumpy will manage to stay awake in court today.
• Moving on.
• I should note that pro-Palestine campus protests continue at colleges and universities across the USA, and now in Europe. Some updates…
• Police cleared a tent encampment at the University of Chicago today. The Rhode Island School of Design held talks with protesters occupying a building. MIT dealt with a new encampment on a site that was cleared but immediately retaken by demonstrators.
• In Europe, police arrested about 125 activists today as they broke up a camp at the University of Amsterdam, and German police dismantled an occupation at Berlin’s Free University. 
• Students also have held protests or set up encampments in Finland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France, and Britain.
• Various schools are trying different tactics, from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action, to resolve the protests against the Israel-Hamas war and clear the way for commencements.
• I don’t think they’re going to have much success in calming things down until the actual situation in Palestine is resolved, and based on Israel’s response above, it’s probably not going to be any time soon.
• One thing I will mention… a good number of these college students will be leaving campus after the end of the semester, which in many cases has just happened or will imminently. That will affect the scope of the protests as well.
• Indiana has its primary elections today. Not much mystery there; Indiana is a solid red state. But once again, it will be interesting to note the vote tally for Biden and Dump.
• The state also has primary voting today for Governor, Senate, and House seats. We’ll report back on the results tomorrow.
• And now, The Weather: “Sallow” by Winter
• Speaking which, extreme weather continues to pummel the USA and the world… tornadoes, flooding, high winds, and more. Get used to that; it will only get worse.
• Want me to weigh in on the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake? Why? Why do you want a middle-aged white guy to offer an opinion?
• Well, I’m happy to regardless. Kendrick is from Compton and is a genius who’s won a Pulitzer Prize and is widely regarded as one of the most creative and artistic people who ever worked in the hip-hop realm. Drake is some guy from Canada. There’s my hot take.
• Fun fact: I live in Redondo Beach, a mostly affluent, low crime, family-oriented area next to the Pacific Ocean. Must be a long way from the notoriously gang-infested, gritty city of Compton, right?
• Nah, Compton is like a ten minute drive slightly northeast of here. That’s how neighborhoods be. You cross some invisible barrier and stuff is different. Ask people in Manhattan, NYC about that. You can be in a different world a few blocks away.
• From the Sports Desk… round two of the NBA playoffs are well underway.
• In the East, the Knicks lead the Paces 1-0. Out West, the Timberwolves already have a commanding 2-0 lead over the defending champs, the Nuggets.
• Games in the other two series — Celtics/Cavs and Thunder/Mavericks — start today.
• Today in history… State funeral of James VI and I is held at Westminster Abbey (1625). World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria (1824). During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships (1942). Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering is founded and is later renamed Sony (1946). The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer (1952). Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law (1992). Edvard Munch's painting ‘The Scream’ is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February (1994). Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history (1998). Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia (2000).
• May 7 is the birthday of politician Stephanus Van Cortlandt (1643), composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840), politician Josip Broz Tito (1892), actor Gary Cooper (1901), actress/Argentina first lady Eva Perón (1919), NFL player Johnny Unitas (1933), singer Jimmy Ruffin (1936), singer Thelma Houston (1946), drummer Bill Kreutzmann (1946), journalist Tim Russert (1950), actress Traci Lords (1968), singer-songwriter Eagle-Eye Cherry (1969), NBA player Shawn Marion (1978), NFL player Alex Smith (1984), drummer Matt Helders (1986), actress Aidy Bryant (1987), and NFL player Earl Thomas (1989).

Okay, time to continue my insanity. Come see me tonight at 5PM at Hotel Chelsea in SL if you want. Enjoy your day.