Random News: June 30, 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 June 30, 2024, and it’s a Sunday. It seems fairly pleasant thus far today. I slept in until the luxurious time of 7:30 and now, with my coffee and ensconced in a robe, I will try to make some sense of the world. I have no better chance of that happening now than ever, which is not at all, but I’ll try anyway.

• I’d rather not keep talking about last Thursday’s abysmal presidential debate, but the media wants to keep it on the front page, and I don’t want you all to think I’m purposefully burying it.
• I’m not. In fact, there’s some factual metrics to take into account, via a 538/Ipsos poll of likely voters. And yes, obviously, a majority of likely voters who watched the first 2024 Presidential debate felt that Dump performed the best.
• That should be no surprise to anyone who saw it.
• Even so, less than half of these debate watchers felt that Trump’s performance was good or excellent. And in spite of Biden’s low-rated performance, many likely voters report that they are still likely to consider voting for Biden.
• Separately, Ipsos also held a focus group immediately after the debate with six undecided voters. The discussion found that while Biden clearly lost the debate, Trump didn't necessarily win it.
• People are smarter than we tend to believe. 
• Per the focus group, Trump was seen as lacking on substance and avoiding questions which turned some respondents off.
• Respondents found Biden to be more prepared, surprising some, but his poor delivery overshadowed his wins on substance.
• I agree with all that.
• Here’s the deal: there are always things that aren’t in your control, and with everything that leads up to a national election, you are primarily a bystander, or a spectator.
• But much like a person in a crowd at a sporting event, your cheers can inspire your team. And that’s what I recommend you do.
• If you’re watching your football team and your quarterback is injured on a dirty play, you might get mad, but you don’t stop cheering… especially when your team has a lead.
• The game goes on. Maybe your guy returns to the game and kicks ass. Or maybe the backup QB comes in and shocks everyone.
• So keep cheering. No matter what happens moving ahead, what we root for is a better world in which we can all live in harmony.
• We don’t vote for a person; we vote for a school of thought, a philosophy, a worldview, a set of ethics. And I’m very willing to bet every penny I have that when you look at the choices, one of them will be more aligned with your own set of values than the other.
• No matter who the person is.
• Let’s move on.
• It’s the final day of June, and hence the final day of Pride Month, so it’s time to salute our last Gay of the Day honoree… and today’s Gay of the Day is… You!
• Yes, you. The person reading the words.
• Why? Because I imagine that there’s a high percentage chance that as someone who reads this silly news report, you have a higher degree of empathy than the average bear.
• And that means you probably support and encourage people to be their true selves and live their best lives, which is better for literally all of us.
• Love is love.
• And no matter who you are or whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally who’s supportive of others, you’re important and you matter.
• Your small efforts to let people know that you like them exactly the way they are is a more important job than most people realize.
• It may be the most important one of all. You may be saving lives of people you care about, along with those don’t even know. You’re the Gay of the Day, and I’m proud of you too.
• Happy Pride 2024 to you all.
• Moving on.
• Beginning tomorrow, a California law that I happily voted for will require credit card networks like Visa and Mastercard to provide banks with special retail codes that can be assigned to gun stores in order to track their sales.
• Sadly, new laws will do the exact opposite in Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee, and Wyoming by banning the use of specific gun shop codes.
• Some lawmakers and gun-control activists hope the new retail tracking code will help financial institutions flag suspicious gun-related purchases for law enforcement agencies, potentially averting mass shootings and other crimes.
• Lawmakers in Colorado and New York have followed California’s lead. It’s a smart idea; it doesn’t prevent anyone from purchasing weapons. It honors the Second Amendment.
• But it also means that if some piece of shit is buying up multiple weapons and tons of ammo, we’ll be able to be aware of them before they use it to commit an atrocity.
• That’s a common sense gun law like I’ve been talking about for (checks watch) about 40 years.
• Let’s move on.
• I need to tell you about the first possibly casualty of the Supreme Court’s repeal of the Chevron doctrine on Friday: OSHA.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the agency that helps make sure your job takes steps so you won’t get sick, injured, or killed by going to work.
• OSHA allows government to regulate workplace safety, and its been effective by fining companies when they endanger their workers.
• The greedy folks don’t like that. OSHA survived challenges to its rulemaking authority in 1978 and 2011.
• And we now have a Supreme Court that has members who are beholden to the wealthiest members of society. They would love to remove any and all workplace regulations that protect the workers.
• And now they have a receptive audience in this Supreme Court's conservative supermajority, which has reined in what it views as regulatory overreach by executive branch agencies.
• And that’s just one area of fallout from Friday’s ruling in Loper v. Raimondo. All federal agencies from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to the Department of Labor (DOL) and many more will get challenges in coming months.
• All at the expense of you, the American worker. And those of you who vote Republican are the ones that helped yourself get fucked over by your employer.
• Way to stand up for “freedom,” dumbasses.
• Let’s move on to Sunday Gunday, where I look at some of the incidents of gun violence in the USA over the past two days.
• Note that I never include police shootings or suicides. This column would be way, way longer if I did that.
• Four dead in a shooting at a home in Coweta County, GA. Two people dead, one injured in a shooting in Tarboro, NC. Two men dead after a shooting at a gym in Alexandria, VA. Two employees killed in a shooting at a Chick-fil-A in Irving, TX. One dead, one wounded in a shooting in a business in Louisville, KY. One dead, one wounded in a shooting over a gambling debt in a park in Houston, TX. One dead, one wounded in a shooting in Hazlehurst, MS. One dead, one wounded in a shooting in Annandale, VA. One woman dead after a shooting in east Denver, CO. One woman dead after a shooting in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA. One shot dead at an apartment complex in Washington, UT. One shot dead in northwest Washington, D.C. One shot dead in Ocala, FL. One shot dead in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago, IL. One shot dead in West Philadelphia, PA. One shot dead in Livingston, CA. One shot dead in Huntington, WV. One shot dead in north Portland, OR. One shot dead in Jacksonville Beach, FL. A 14-year-old shot dead in South Seattle, WA. One shot dead in Scottsville, NY. One shot dead in northeast Indianapolis, IN. One shot dead in the Chinatown International District neighborhood of Seattle, WA. Four children and three adults wounded in a shooting in Crete, NE. Two shot in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. A woman and a child shot in Horry County, SC. One shot and in critical condition in Kansas City, MO. One shot and in critical condition in Goldsboro, NC. A teenager shot and in critical condition in the Nippers Corner area of Nashville, TN. A teenager shot at a shopping mall in Glendale, AZ. One shot in northeast Oklahoma City, OK. One shot in Conway, SC. A teenager shot at a park in Queens, NY. A man shot at a pizza place in Mobile, AL. A woman shot in west Phoenix, AZ.
• That’s just some. It would take all day to do them all.
• Many people support this level of death and the destruction of families by supporting organizations like the NRA and by voting for candidates who won’t support common sense gun laws.
• So this is what they want.
• And now, The Weather: “Wishing” by Human Barbie
• In actual weather news, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, named Beryl, intensified to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph this morning.
• Beryl is now the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean, and the only Category 4 storm ever recorded in the month of June.
• The average date for the first hurricane is August 11.
• Global climate change will affect all of us for the remainder of our lives.
• From the Sports Desk… we’re not far off from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. They start in Paris, France on July 26, and run through August 11.
• It will be, perhaps, a nice distraction from the world going insane in the meantime.
• As opposed to some analysis of the zillion different events, instead I’d like you to meet Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever.
• Beacon works for USA Gymnastics, and is the organization's first therapy dog, and its only part-time, four-legged staff member.
• His job? He comforts athletes and coaches, most recently calming members of the women's national team before their first night of competition at the Olympic trials.
• His handler Callahan Molnar states, "Science shows petting a dog, or even watching someone pet a dog, can lower blood pressure and anxiety, help increase the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine and lower cortisol levels. We all need a certain amount, but too much isn't healthy."
• I agree.
• Today in history… King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel, comte de Montgomery (1559). French acrobat Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope (1859). U.S. President Abraham Lincoln grants Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort and recreation” (1864). Charles J. Guiteau is hanged in Washington, D.C. for the assassination of U.S. President James Garfield (1882). Albert Einstein sends the article 'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies’, in which he introduces special relativity (1905). The United States Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act (1906). U.S. President Warren G. Harding appoints former President William Howard Taft as Chief Justice of the United States (1921). U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and Dominican Ambassador Francisco J. Peynado sign the Hughes–Peynado agreement, which ends the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1922). The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line in Flint, MI (1953). The National Organization for Women, the United States' largest feminist organization, is founded (1966). The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Bowers v. Hardwick that states can outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults (1986). East Germany and West Germany merge their economies (1990). Protests begin around Egypt against President Mohamed Morsi and the ruling Freedom and Justice Party, leading to their overthrow during the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état (2013). Donald Trump becomes the first sitting US President to visit North Korea (2019).
• June 30 is the birthday of author Georges Duhamel (1884), car designer/engineer Archibald Frazer-Nash (1889), businessman/philanthropist Dan Reeves (1912), singer/actress/activist Lena Horne (1917), singer-songwriter/guitarist Dave Van Ronk (1936), bass player Stanley Clarke (1951), actor/comedian David Alan Grier (1956), conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen (1958), actor Vincent D’Onofrio (1959), guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen (1963), boxer Mike Tyson (1966), MLB player Chan Ho Park (1973), NBA player Trevor Ariza (1985), and businesswoman Allegra Versace (1986).

There’s always more news, but never more time. I’m going to go make breakfast. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 29, 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 June 29, 2024, and it’s a Saturday. I’m in my blue bathrobe and enjoying some Peet’s organic Las Hermanas medium roast. So far, so good. Let’s take about stuff.

• I have a pretty broad circle of friends and acquaintances and other points of contact that spans multiple social nets.
• As such, I saw a wide range of reactions to the admittedly awful debate on Tuesday night.
• These ranged from, “Who cares? Not one person’s vote is going to be swayed by one stupid debate,” to “We have to get someone today to replace Biden or Trump will win in a landslide!"
• I genuinely don’t believe either of these sentiments to be accurate.
• One thing that stood out were the fact checks in all the news stories yesterday… the ones it would have been great to see while a certain smelly fat guy was spewing lie after lie to the American public unchecked.
• Dump claiming "we had the greatest economy in the history of our country” during his presidency: False.
• Dump claiming he did not refer to U.S. soldiers who were killed as "suckers and losers": False.
• Dump claiming that a former Democratic governor supported killing babies: False.
• Dump claiming Biden has the "largest deficit" in history of U.S.: False.
• And these aren’t matters of opinion or interpretation. They are provably false statements. Lying is for assholes, because it’s the easiest thing to do.
• It’s what Dumples has done his whole career. Why would he change now, going on 80 years old?
• One thing you may have missed was yesterday’s Biden rally in North Carolina. I really wish that Biden had been available the night before.
• Joe was fucking fired up. He was defiant. He spoke loudly and clearly. Biden vowed he will beat Donald Trump in November, making clear he has no plans to end his reelection campaign.
• ”I know I'm not a young man − to state the obvious. Folks, I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back," Biden said, with the large crowd enthusiastically cheering the whole time.
• He was simply a different man than he was on the debate stage the night before. Go watch it if you want and tell me I’m wrong.
• As long as we’re harping on this shit, I’d like to remind you that two of our most esteemed Presidents for their oratory skills — Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama — had absolutely awful debates.
• Reagan got his ass kicked in a debate versus Walter Mondale in 1984. It was so bad that Reagan — who’d been leading the polls in huge margins — was faced with headlines about whether he could beat Mondale. 
• He ended up crushing him in one of the most lopsided elections in history.
• Who recalls Barack Obama having an awful debate night against Mitt Romney in 2012? Obama himself called it a stinker. The headlines the next day stated predicting a one-term presidency.
• That November, Obama had 332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206.
• Anyway, I remain in support of Joe, his fine administration, and the Democratic Party. One off night isn’t going to change that for me.
• Moving on to something much more important: yesterday’s Supreme Court rulings.
• You’d probably think I’d be focused on Fischer v. United States, the decision that weakens the obstruction charges against January 6 insurrectionists.
• Nah. I mean, it’s fucked up, but I see how they were following the letter (though not the spirit) of the precedent case.
• The one that’s going to be a very big deal for all Americans was Loper v. Raimondo, aka overruling the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine.
• Chevron has been in the sights of conservatives going back to the ‘80s. With this new ruling, the federal government has almost no ability to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety, and consumer protections.
• It’s a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests, at the expense of the people who it previously protected.
• In some ways, this will have a bigger negative impact on more Americans than any of this court’s most horrifying decisions, including overturning Roe v. Wade.
• The heart of the now-defunct Chevron decision says federal agencies should be allowed to fill in the details when laws aren’t crystal clear.
• It’s a huge power grab by the courts, with judges now in control of decisions that they may know nothing about, as opposed to dedicated experts.
• Environmental, health advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, organized labor, and Democrats on the national and state level had urged the court to leave the Chevron decision in place.
• Oh well. Gone now.
• Interestingly, by tossing out Chevron, the SCOTUS not only handcuffs Biden but every future President coming from any political outlook.
• My last note on the SCOTUS for the time being: they have issued decisions on all but four cases that came before them this term. Those are coming Monday. Pretty late in the season, coming July 1. Hmm.
• And one of them is Trump v. United States, asking the question whether — and if so to what extent — does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?
• Depending on what the answer is, American history will change at that moment.
• Let’s move on.
• With our penultimate entry in our month-long Gay of the Day column, recognizing key figures in the LGBTQIA world, let’s put our hands together for one of the most well-known and beloved members of that community: actor, author, and activist George Takei.
• Takei rose to fame in the late 1960s for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the original series of the Star Trek franchise.
• Born in Los Angeles in 1937 to Japanese American parents, Takei and his family faced horrible anti-Japanese discrimination after the start of WWII.
• They were forced to live in the converted horse stables of Santa Anita Park before being sent to the Rohwer War Relocation Center for internment in Rohwer, AR. The family was later transferred to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California.
• After being released from the internment camp, Takei’s family was left without any bank accounts, home, or family business; they were forced to live on Skid Row in Los Angeles for five years.
• In 2005, Takei publicly revealed that he was gay and had been in a committed relationship with his partner, Brad Altman, for 18 years at the time.
• This was of no surprise to the Star Trek community, who’d been aware of Takei's sexuality since the 1970s. Takei had long been actively involved in LGBT organizations previous to his announcement in a magazine interview.
• In 2008, Takei and Altman were the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage license in West Hollywood.
• A memorable moment with Takei happened in 2011, when a Tennessee State Legislature bill prohibited school teachers or students from using any language that alludes to the existence of homosexuality.
• In response, Takei offered his name as a substitute for the word “gay,” as in supporting “Takei marriage” or watching “Takei pride” parades; or even via slurs such as, “That's so Takei.”
• Takei currently serves as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign "Coming Out Project.”
• He has been the recipient of multiple honors for his tireless work in defense of the LGBT community. His humor and kind personality have endeared him to millions, and help ease the stigma associated with admiration of gay people.
• Perhaps this quote from Takei in reference to gay people says it all: “”We are masculine, we are feminine, we are caring, we are abusive. We are just like straight people, in terms of our outward appearance and our behavior. The only difference is that we are oriented to people of our own gender."
• Hats off to George, and here’s hoping you have a Takei day!
• Let’s move on. I think we all need some happy news to brighten our day. Aha! Here’s the perfect thing.
• Yesterday the Supreme Court turned aside Steve Bannon’s last bid to delay his July 1 deadline to report to prison. Ha!
• The gelatinous Dump political strategist and right-wing podcaster has to turn himself in to a low-security federal prison by Monday.
• The court didn’t state its reasons for denial, but lower courts had already said that Bannon failed to raise substantial legal questions over his two-count conviction for refusing to provide documents or testimony to a House committee probing the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol.
• Do you want to know why Bannon thinks he should remain out of jail? He argued that he was relying on advice from an attorney and did not “willfully” break the law by ignoring the congressional subpoena.
• Try that next time you get a court date, folks. See how well that works when you don’t show up. Lordy.
• Moving on.
• With the flurry of headlines on Thursday, you might have missed something super important on Wednesday.
• President Joe Biden pardoned potentially thousands of former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.
• He is “righting an historic wrong” to clear the way for them to regain lost benefits.
• Biden’s action grants a pardon to service members who were convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s former Article 125, which criminalized sodomy. The law, which has been on the books since 1951, was rewritten in 2013 to prohibit only forcible acts.
• Those covered by the pardon will be able to apply to receive proof that their conviction has been erased, petition to have their discharges from the military upgraded, and move to recover lost pay and benefits.
• That is the right thing to do, and something only a President like Joe Biden would bother doing.
• Let’s move on.
• With the recent news in states like Louisiana and Oklahoma mandating Christian biblical study in public schools, I wanted to ask a quick question about one simple and oft-quoted three-word phrase.
• “Love thy neighbor.”
• I believe the full phrase is, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” It’s Matthew 22:39, if you give a shit.
• What if we describe the neighbor in question? Does it make s difference?
• Love thy Black neighbor? Love thy gay neighbor? Thy homeless neighbor? Immigrant neighbor? Muslim neighbor? Trans neighbor? I mean, are you supposed to love your atheist liberal Democrat neighbor, for Christ’s sake (literally)?
• Yep, all of those and more. I mean, as long as these states are forcing Bible study in a country where one of our top laws says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” they should then require it to be followed literally.
• I should also ask the question whether students who are not Christians will be allowed to attend schools in those states, or if so will still be required to study Christian doctrines, or if they will be made to feel unwelcome in any way, while being legally required to go to those schools?
• Because if it was my kid, I’d already have teams of lawyers lined up and ready to sue the state for millions the moment an incident occurred.
• And it’s the people of states like Louisiana and Oklahoma who will foot the bill for those suits.
• And now, The Weather: “SEA” by Aaberg
• A sad Rest in Peace going out to droll funnyman Martin Mull, who died yesterday at 80.
• I still love Mull’s breakthrough role from the late ‘70s as Barth Gimble on the satirical TV series “Fernwood Tonight,” alongside Fred Willard.
• You probably know him for more recent stuff, like roles on “Arrested Development” and “Roseanne.” Truly enjoyable actor and a good musician too. RIP.
• From the Sports Desk… let’s check in the the WNBA and see who’s atop the standings.
• 1. New York Liberty (15-3). 2. Connecticut Sun (14-4). 3. Minnesota Lynx (13-4). 4. Seattle Storm (11-6). 5. Las Vegas Aces (9-6).
• So now you know.
• Today in history… Sverre is crowned king of Norway, leading to civil war (1194). English crown bans tobacco growing in England, giving the Virginia Company a monopoly in exchange for tax of one shilling per pound (1620). Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population at the time (1889). The first Miss Universe pageant is held and Armi Kuusela from Finland wins the title of Miss Universe (1952). The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System (1956). Prior to re-entry, the crew capsule of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft depressurizes, killing the three cosmonauts on board (1971). The United States Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment (1972). Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with the Kirov Ballet (1974). Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir for the first time (1995). The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President George W. Bush's plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law (2006). Apple Inc. releases its first mobile phone, the iPhone (2007).
• June 29 is the birthday of Aragon queen — and my 28th great-grandmother — Petronilla (1136), diplomat/statesman Peter Agricola (1525), Japan emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596), poet Lavinia Stoddard (1787), poet Celia Thaxter (1835), activist/politician Julia Lathrop (1858), physician/clinic founder William James Mayo (1861), writer/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900), actor Slim Pickens (1919), actor/producer Robert Evans (1930), singer Little Eva (1943), actor Gary Busey (1944), actor Richard Lewis (1947), drummer Ian Paice (1948), NFL player/sportscaster Dan Dierdorf (1949), sportscaster Craig Sager (1951), singer-songwriter Don Dokken (1953), singer-songwriter Colin Hay (1953), MLB player Pedro Guerrero (1956), actress Maria Conchita Alonso (1957), actress Sharon Lawrence (1961), NHL player Theoren Fleury (1968), actor/musician Bret McKenzie (1976), writer/comedian Colin Jost (1982), NBA player Kawhi Leonard (1991), and NBA player Michael Porter Jr. (1998).

I have a few things to do today, just little things around the house that I never have time to do during the week. But mostly, I’m just chilling. At least I hope that’s the case. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 28, 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 June 28, 2024, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! And let me tell ya, Friday couldn’t come at a better time. I really need a weekend.

• And here come today’s round of SCOTUS decisions, right at 7AM as usual.
• First up: City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. The Supreme Court upholds an Oregon city’s ban on camping in public spaces even if there’s no shelter space or anywhere else for them to go, finding it doesn’t unconstitutionally criminalize the status of being homeless. So, let’s make life worse for the unhoused. Assholes.
• Obviously this now applies across the country, so folks who are down on their luck are now all more imperiled than they were yesterday. It’s said that over half of Americans are less than two paychecks from being homeless.
• That decision is written by Gorsuch, and the vote is 6-3 with the conservatives winning and Sotomayor dissenting, joined by Jackson and Kagan.
• Second decision: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. In another 6-3 vote along idealogical lines, the Court has overturned the Chevron doctrine.
• This is horrible. By overruling Chevron, the Supreme Court has just pickpocketed Congress and stolen power from them. It’s a huge power grab by the Supreme Court… probably the biggest since 1803 when the court decided in Marbury v. Madison that they were going to review and strike down acts of Congress.
• The question in this case was whether to overrule the court's 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which held that courts should defer to an agency's reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute.
• It’s a huge win for business interests over the people. Fucking awful.
• Third and final decision today: Fischer v. United States. This 6-3 vote significant weakens the obstruction charges against January 6 insurrectionists. The opinion was written by Roberts. Oddly, the vote tally had Barrett joining Kagan and Sotomayor in dissent, and Jackson joining the other conservatives.
• So that, too, is awful. No more decisions until Monday, when they’ll drop the presidential immunity ruling on us.
• Moving on.
• I encouraged you all to watch the presidential debate last night.
• I am very, very sorry. No one should have had that inflicted upon them. It was far worse than I thought possible.
• Joe Biden looked to be 137 years old. He’s had a cold, and his voice was gone before the thing even started, adding to the effect.
• His entire demeanor was frail and elderly. His verbal gaffes and stammers were as bad as I’ve ever seen in a major address. Completing a single goddamn sentence was a challenge for him.
• Meanwhile, the Orange Menace spewed lie after lie, with no moderation or fact checking. I thought I mostly remembered how horrible he was, but no… he’s far worse.
• By the way, Dump says that Democrats abort children after they’re born. He said that several times. He’s very proud of having killed reproductive rights of women. He said it was a great thing.
• Here’s my basic reaction: nothing about my stance on the issues facing the US change because of a single debate. All of my values and core beliefs are in line with Biden’s.
• Yes, he’s old. They’re both old. They’re two old-ass men who are not really representational of the type of person nearly any of us would prefer leading the country.
• And yet, those are the choices, and my support remains strongly behind Joe Biden.
• I’m not gonna blame CNN, Jake Tapper, or Dana Bash (though they were fucking trash).
• And frankly, I am truly not sure either of these guys will be alive at the end of this presidential term, and it’s a good thing I truly like Kamala Harris.
• And people do care about optics… especially shallow people, which is frankly a whole lot of us. I do see the panicky headlines this morning, but I’m not buying into their freakout.
• So yes, of course, I’m voting for Biden. I vote for an entire administration, with ideals that match my own. That’s Joe Biden, and of story.
• Moving on.
• We’re getting toward the end of June and Pride Month, so let’s honor a special Gay of the Day today: activist Allan Horsfall.
• Known today as the grandfather of the gay rights movement, Horsfall openly campaigned as a gay man starting in the 1950s, when homosexuality was still very much illegal in his native UK and much of the world.
• In 1964 Allan Horsfall and a group of friends set up the North West Homosexual Law Reform Committee. The base location of the organization was publicly listed as his home address — a very brave action even now, but especially so at the time.
• The work of his committee directly led to homosexuality no longer being illegal.
• The North West Committee was eventually transformed into the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE), which was the largest-ever LGBT organization in the UK, with thousands of members and 120 local groups all over the country when it was at its biggest.
• Its role in the removal of the stigma of criminality from homosexuality remained his crowning achievement.
• Horsfall had a long life and died in 2012 at age 84. Hats off to him!
• In other news…
• Yesterday, Oklahoma’s state superintendent mandated that all public schools teach the Bible.
• Yes, the First Amendment has been canceled in Oklahoma, it would seem.
• It was not immediately clear how the Bible would be taught or what instructional standards around it would require. A memo to Oklahoma school districts said schools “are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments,” into curriculum for fifth through 12th grades, effective immediately.
• So they’ve lost their fucking minds, and I look forward to the pending lawsuits.
• Moving on.
• U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon said yesterday that she will hold a hearing for El Dumpo’s lawyers to challenge some of the evidence gathered against him for mishandling of classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them.
• Dump is seeking to suppress much of that evidence by arguing that the search warrant was faulty.
• As part of her ruling, Cannon also said Dump’s defense lawyers were entitled to a hearing on whether prosecutors had misused statements by one of Trump’s former lawyers.
• You can see where this is headed. We’re supposed to live in a nation where the same laws apply to all the people equally, but we constantly see evidence that this is not the case.
• If you or I had literally ONE page of the documents that Dump had boxes of, we’d be in prison for decades.
• And now, The Weather: “Alligator” by Canty
• A rest in peace going out to singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist Kinky Friedman, leader of the alt-country band Texas Jewboys. He yesterday died at 79.
• Friedman toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, ran for governor of Texas, and much more. RIP.
• Let’s do a chart. It’s the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles from this date in June 1971. I am two. I’m not doing too much cool shit yet. The music is mostly good, though.
• 1. It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move (Carole King). 2. Rainy Days And Mondays (Carpenters). 3. Want Ads (The Honey Cone). 4. Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) (The Raiders). 5. Treat Her Like A Lady (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose). 6. Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones). 7. It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr). 8. Don't Pull Your Love (Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds). 9. When You're Hot, You're Hot (Jerry Reed). 10. Sweet And Innocent (Donny Osmond of The Osmonds). 11. I'll Meet You Halfway (The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones Featuring David Cassidy). 12. Joy To The World (Three Dog Night). 13. Don't Knock My Love - Pt. 1 (Wilson Pickett). 14. You've Got A Friend (James Taylor). 15. Double Lovin' (The Osmonds). 16. Nathan Jones (The Supremes). 17. She's Not Just Another Woman (The 8th Day). 18. Mr. Big Stuff (Jean Knight). 19. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be (Carly Simon). 20. Funky Nassau-Part I (The Beginning Of The End).
• From the Not-Sports Desk… yesterday a jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay nearly $4.8 billion in damages after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on their premium "Sunday Ticket" subscription service.
• Ouch!
• The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million in damages to the commercial class. It covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV.
• Unsurprisingly, the NFL said it would appeal the verdict. That appeal would go to the 9th Circuit and then possibly the Supreme Court.
• Because we know the Supreme Court will definitely always act in the interest of the people right? Right?
• From the actual Sports Desk… welp, I guess it’s “Bring Your Child to Work Day” all next year for the Los Angeles Lakers.
• They selected Bronny James — the eldest son of LeBron James — in the second round with the 55th overall pick.
• Bronny, 19, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game in his lone season at USC. I mean, not that great, really.
• Before yesterday, there had never been a father-son duo playing in the NBA at the same time, much less on the same team.
• And while I don’t know this for sure, I have a pretty good suspicion that their choices were to draft Bronny or lose LeBron, so they went with the former. Either way, I’m telling you, it’ll be weird.
• Today in history… The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse resulting in standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness (1778). Coronation of Queen Victoria of the UK (1838). The first conformation dog show is held in England (1859). The US Congress establishes the first federal holidays - New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (1870). Labor Day becomes an official US holiday (1894). The U.S. Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal (1902). Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, leading to WWI (1914). The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I (1919). Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merge their two car companies and call the new one Mercedes-Benz (1926). The Korean People's Army kills almost a thousand doctors, nurses, inpatient civilians and wounded soldiers in the Seoul National University Hospital massacre (1950). Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity (1964). The Stonewall Riots start in New York City, launching the Gay Rights Movement (1969). Mike Tyson is disqualified in the third round of a match for biting a piece off Evander Holyfield's ear (1997). 
• June 28 is the birthday of Frankish king Carloman I (751), English king Henry VIII (1491), painter Peter Paul Reubens (1577), playwright/composer Richard Rodgers (1902), actor/director/screenwriter Mel Brooks (1926), actor Pat Morita (1932), US secretary of defense Leon Panetta (1938), comedian Gilda Radner (1946), actress Kathy Bates (1948), actress Alice Krige (1954), NFL player John Elway (1960), actor John Cusack (1966), actress Mary Stuart Masterson (1966), NBA player Bobby Hurley, and businessman Elon Musk (1971).

I know a lot this is depressing shit, but you know what they say: when the going gets tough, the tough get going… and I am a tough motherfucker and so are you. Don’t lie down and surrender. Stand up and be strong, and get ready to kick some ass. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 27, 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 June 27, 2024, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. Today is going to be a huge news day; I’m sipping my coffee a bit before 7AM and await some potential huge Supreme Court decisions in a few minutes, and like it or not, tonight is the Biden/Dump debate. Yikes. Well, let’s jump in.

• Okay, here we go. We won’t have much time for analysis, but let’s list them as they come.
• First up: Ohio v. EPA. The Court votes 5-4 to grant states application to put "good neighbor" policy on hold while litigation goes through the courts. That policy requires upwind states to reduce emissions in downwind states. Not good news. Gorsuch wrote the opinion. Amy Coney Barrett joins the liberals in dissent, interestingly.
• Second decision: Harrington v. Purdue Pharma. This is the big opioid case, and it ends in a 5-4 decision, again with the opinion by Gorsuch. Weirdly, Kavanaugh dissents, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, and Kagan. I don’t get it.
• Third decision: SEC v. Jarkesy. Vote is 6-3 with the three liberals dissenting. This was a case about whether the enforcement powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court holds that when the SEC seeks civil penalties against a defendant for securities fraud, the Seventh Amendment entitles the defendant to a jury trial.
• Fourth and final decision for today, and the big one of the day: Moyle v. US in a 6-3 decision, with Barrett, Roberts, and Kavanaugh joining the liberals. Idaho hospitals must, at least for now, provide emergency abortions despite their state ban. This is a win for women, for the Biden admin, and the EMTALA law.
• However, it does not resolve the issues at the heart of the case, meaning the same justices who voted to overturn the constitutional right to abortion could soon be again considering when doctors can provide abortion in medical emergencies.
• Whew, that’s a lot of both good and bad news.
• Let’s move on for now.
• Pride Month is winding to a close, but we still have a few more days to honor people. Today’s Gay of the Day is Navy veteran and activist Monica Helms.
• In 1970, at age 19, Helms entered the Navy, attending Naval Nuclear Power School. She served from 1970-1978, while living and working on two missile-carrying submarines, the USS Francis Scott Key and the USS Flasher.
• She underwent the process of gender transitioning in 1997, and reapplied to join the Phoenix chapter of the US American Submarine Veterans Group.
• After not-unexpectedly encountering resistance, she was admitted as the first women to ever join the organization. Monica co-founded It's Time Arizona, an Arizona-based organization advocating for equal treatment for trans people in the military.
• In 1999, Helms created the iconic Transgender Pride Flag. In 2003, she co-founded the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA). In 2014, the Smithsonian accepted Monica's original trans flag, so it may be preserved for future generations.
• Moving on.
• You know assumes that Dump is getting elected again? Iran.
• They are also holding presidential elections tomorrow, and all six candidates are using the same talking point: how they will handle Dump as the next president of the USA.
• They are speaking about Dump’s election as a foregone conclusion.
• They hardly ever mention President Biden, and they never bring up the many polls suggesting that the American election will be extremely close.
• This kind of thing is pretty typical in politics in every nation, including ours. Use a boogeyman as your scapegoat, and claim to be the only person who can defeat him.
• One Iranian candidate, cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi, has campaign posters showing himself and Dump eye to eye, staring each other down. “The person who can stand in front of Trump is me,” it reads.
• Okay then. Let’s move on.
• A little follow-up from a story we covered not long ago.
• Five people have been indicted for their roles in the $120,000 bribery attempt of a juror during the Feeding Our Future fraud trial earlier this month.
• As you may recall, a juror was dismissed after reporting that a woman dropped a fat bag of cash, 120 large, at her home and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.
• The scheme is estimated to have diverted $250 million in federal funds in the largest pandemic fraud in the United States.
• The five defendants targeted the 23-year-old juror because she was the youngest, and because they believed her to be the only juror of color.
• Fortunately, she was a woman of principle. The five charged — Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Said Shafii Farah, Abdulkarim Shafii Farah and Ladan Mohamed Ali — found the juror's information online, including her home address.
• That’s a fucking problem. We need to start taking greater steps to ensure jury anonymity. Obviously the current system isn’t working in this age of too-readily-available information.
• In other news…
• Maybe you didn’t hear the news about a president who’s going to prison for 45 years.
• No, not that one. Not yet, anyway.
• Juan Orlando Hernández served as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022 for two consecutive terms. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison and given an $8 million fine by a US judge for drug trafficking offenses.
• In March, a jury in New York found Hernández guilty on three drug trafficking charges after a two-week trial in Manhattan federal court. He denied the charges. He had been extradited from Honduras after the US Department of Justice filed three drug-trafficking and firearms related charges against him in 2022.
• What did he actually do? Oh, just moved more than 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras toward the United States, and received millions of dollars in bribes that he used to fuel his rise in Honduran politics.
• Ha ha… what an asshole. Enjoy prison.
• Moving on with a whole different thing happening in Latin America.
• Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia’s government palace yesterday in a coup attempt. President Luis Arce said “irregular” deployment of troops was taking place in the capital.
• That sounds pretty irregular to me.
• Arce called for “democracy to be respected” as Bolivian television showed two tanks and a number of men in military uniform in front of the government palace.
• News of a coup anywhere is never good news.
• The coup ended after a few hours, with hundreds of Arce’s supporters rushing the square outside the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.
• The soldiers’ retreat was followed by the arrest of army chief Gen. Juan José Zúñiga, after the attorney general opened an investigation.
• Yikes.
• In happier news from points south, Brazil’s Supreme Court voted this week to decriminalize possession of marijuana for personal use, making the nation one of Latin America’s last to do so, in a move that could reduce its massive prison population.
• Good move.
• It took them nine years since deliberations began in 2015 for a majority of the justices on the 11-person court to voted in favor of decriminalization.
• While they are not legalizing weed per se, they removed criminal penalties for possession of up to 40 grams of the sweet leaf.
• If you were unaware (I was), Brazil is the seventh most populous country in the world with more than 215 million people, but has the world’s third largest prison population at roughly 840,000, trailing only the U.S. (1.8 million) and China (1.7 million).
• Relevant side note: seventy percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal, according to Gallup, up from 31 percent in 2000.
• Recreational weed is legal now in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
• But it remains illegal on a federal level. I think that will change soon enough.
• Moving on, but speaking of legal matters…
• Gregory Bombard lives in St. Albans, VT. Back in 2018, State Trooper Jay Riggen stopped Bombard’s vehicle because he believed Bombard had shown him the middle finger.
• Bombard was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, and his car was towed. He was jailed for over an hour and cited to criminal court.
• While it’s probably a bad practice in general to flip off cops, it’s not illegal per se. Yesterday, Vermont agreed to pay $175,000 to settle the lawsuit brought on behalf of Bombard by the state’s ACLU chapter.
• They said Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated via both the unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest. I agree.
• I still highly advise you don’t point your middle finger at angry people with guns and badges. Just from a self-preservation standpoint, it’ll probably make your day worse rather than better.
• Moving on…
• I advise that you do watch tonight’s debate on CNN or wherever.
• I think it will be good for you to see the dynamics and interactions for yourself. Obviously I’ll be describing the event tomorrow, but you should get your own take on it.
• It starts at 9PM EDT.
• And now, The Weather: “Precious” by Lozenge
• Rest in peace to actor Bill Cobbs, who died yesterday at 90. You don’t know his name? I 100% promise that you know his face.
• Cobbs didn’t even try acting until her was 36 years old. Since then, he’s had roles in over 100 films and nearly as many TV shows. RIP.
• Let’s do a chart. It’s this week in June 1980, and I’ve just finished my first year of middle school. I am already playing guitar and am definitely aware of all of this music.
• 1. Glass Houses (Billy Joel). 2. Just One Night (Eric Clapton). 3. McCartney II (Paul McCartney). 4. Against The Wind (Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band). 5. Mouth To Mouth (Lipps Inc.). 6. Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back (London Symphony Orchestra (Williams)). 7. The Wall (Pink Floyd). 8. Let's Get Serious (Jermaine Jackson). 9. Empty Glass (Pete Townshend). 10. Middle Man (Boz Scaggs). 11. Women And Children First (Van Halen). 12. Christopher Cross (Christopher Cross). 13. Duke (Genesis). 14. Heroes (Commodores). 15. Scream Dream (Ted Nugent). 16. Sweet Sensation (Stephanie Mills). 17. Off The Wall (Michael Jackson). 18. Trilogy: Past, Present And Future (Frank Sinatra). 19. 21 At 33 (Elton John). 20. The Rose (Bette Midler).
• From the Sports Desk… um, soccer, I guess?
• Georgia got a massive win over Portugal in a 2-0 game that is being called the biggest upset by FIFA rankings in European Championship history.
• The punched their ticket to the last 16 of Euro 2024 in their debut appearance at a major tournament. It should probably be noted that the win was against a largely second-string Portugal team who had already made it into the next round.
• Regardless, it was the greatest result for Georgia since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
• Good job, Georgia. Still many games to go, but Euro 2024 has its final on Sunday July 14.
• The Sports Desk should note that soccer is overwhelmingly the most popular sport in the world, with some four billion fans (like, half the fucking planet). The Sports Desk also notes that he played AYSO soccer for five years in his youth, in positions including goalkeeper, fullback, midfielder, and striker.
• The Sports Desk now acknowledges that he doesn’t follow soccer or really know shit about who’s good and who’s not in soccer, or football, or futbol, or whatever you want to call it.
• Today in history… The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs (1556). In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate in a battle (1743). Cherokee warriors defeat British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, NC (1760). The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia (1898). Romanian authorities launch one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history in the city of Iași, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews (1941). The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War (1950). U.S. president Richard Nixon visits the Soviet Union (1974). France grants independence to Djibouti (1977). Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final research and development flight mission, STS-4 (1982). Tony Blair resigns as British Prime Minister (2007). NASA launches the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun (2013).
• June 27 is the birthday of French king Louis XII (1462), French king Charles IX (1550), anarchist/activist Emma Goldman (1869), author/activist Hellen Keller (1880), pool player Willie Mosconi (1913), philosopher/activist Grace Lee Boggs (1915), singer-songwriter Doc Pomus (1925), businessman/politician Ross Perot (1930), fashion designer Norma Kamali (1945), fashion designer Vera Wang (1949), singer-songwriter Lisa Germano (1958), film director/producer J. J. Abrams (1966), actor Tobey Maguire (1975), businesswoman Khloé Kardashian (1984), actor Drake Bell (1986), singer-songwriter/guitarist H.E.R. (1997), and NFL player Will Levis (1999).

Okay, that’s way too much news. Lots to absorb. We’ll be here early tomorrow to await the remaining Supreme Court decisions and talk about whatever insanity happens tonight in the death. See you then. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 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 June 26, 2024, and it’s a Wednesday. I’m here and alive and well for the most part, ready to take a look around the latest news that impacts all of us in various ways. Let’s go.

• Starting with some breaking news from the Supreme Court.
• By a 6-3 vote, the justices sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.
• They threw out lower-court rulings that favored Louisiana, Missouri, and other parties in their claims that officials in the Democratic administration leaned on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view.
• Ha ha, you fuckers.
• Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the court that the states and other parties did not have the legal right, or standing, to sue. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented.
• Excellent. That’s all the decisions for the day; expect some big stuff tomorrow and Friday.
• Side note: today is a big anniversary in happy SCOTUS rulings. It was on June 26 that they 1) ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional (2003), 2) ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional (2013), and 3) ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage (2015).
• Moving on to a couple of interesting congressional primary races from last night.
• In Colorado, America’s favorite handjob queen handily won her primary in the 4th district. Lauren Boebert will likely be re-elected to Congress as a result in that very red eastern Colorado territory.
• She’ll face (and likely beat) Democrat Trisha Calvarese in the fall.
• In New York’s 16th district, incumbent progressive Democrat Jamaal Bowman was soundly defeated by establishment liberal George Latimer.
• Latimer had the backing of other centrist Dems like Hillary Clinton as well as pro-Israel groups. The district includes wealthy areas in Westchester County; it’s not shocking that Bowman had trouble winning re-election.
• Latimer will beat Republican Miriam Flisser (who ran uncontested) in the fall. The district is D+20 on the Cook PVI sale.
• In New York’s 1st district, loaded on the eastern tip of Long Island, former CNN host John Avlon clinched the Democratic nomination to face off this fall against GOP Rep. Nick LaLota in a battleground district.
• This is a winnable race for the Dems. Before LaLota, the district had a Democrat rep for over a decade. Time to flip it back. 
• And in South Carolina’s 3rd district, Republican Sheri Biggs (a nurse practitioner) just barely won her runoff against Mark Burns (a pastor). I mean, really? Those were your choices?
• Of note: Burns, the guy she beat, was backed by Dump.
• She’ll easily win the solidly red seat in November to succeed retiring Rep. Jeff Duncan (R).
• Utah had its Senate primary, replacing Mitt Romney (R) who is retiring. John Curtis, a current congressional rep and former mayor of Provo, won. 
• Of note: Curtis beat Trent Staggs, who was endorsed by Dump. Sensing a pattern here?
• He’ll face (and almost certainly beat) Caroline Gleich (D) in November.
• Enough on that.
• Our Gay of the Day, celebrating Pride Month, is singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Her music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock.
• Carlile has received ten Grammy Awards and earned 27 Grammy nominations.
• She was the most nominated woman at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards; she received six nominations, including nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
• Throughout her career, Carlile has been involved in activism and fundraising on various issues, including humanitarian aid, COVID-19 relief, racial justice, and LGBT rights.
• Carlile is a Christian who lives in Washington. In a 2002 interview, Carlile identified herself as a lesbian. She later said, "I don't have to have a lot of formality around it… there were people before me who paved the way."
• Brandi and her wife Catherine were honored amongst People's “2023 Women Changing the World” for their work with the Looking Out Foundation that Carlile established.
• Looking Out gives financial support to and raise awareness of causes including Honor the Earth, the Bridge School, Children in Conflict, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, the Women's Funding Alliance, Doctors Without Borders, and the Human Rights Campaign.
• Salute to Brandi Carlile, a great musician and, more importantly, a great person.
• Moving on.
• Seems like folks are indeed pretty interested in tomorrow’s first — and, for all we know, only — presidential election debate between President Joe Biden and his Republican challenger, some orange-tinted fool.
• According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, most U.S. adults plan to watch at least some of the debate, and many think the event will be important for the campaigns of both men.
• Both men remain broadly unpopular as they prepare to face off for the first time since 2020.
• About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they are “extremely” or “very” likely to watch the debate live or in clips, or read about or listen to commentary about the performance of the candidates in the news or social media.
• Both Biden and Dump supporters view the debate as a major test for their candidate — or just a spectacle not to miss.
• And I think it comes down to that more than anything. The assumption is that one or both of these guys will do or say something incredibly weird or dumb or astonishingly wrong that it’s more like watching a car accident in progress.
• I’ll watch it, though — knowing myself — I will probably get up and leave the room several times.
• In somewhat related news…
• Dumples the Clown is partially ungagged.
• Judge Juan Merchan has ended parts of a gag order on the former president and current convicted felon, letting him speak about witnesses and jurors, but shielding others involved in the case until his sentencing next month.
• It was just about four weeks ago that Dumpy was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money scheme involving a porn star before the 2016 presidential election.
• Merchan said he reluctantly lifted the part of the gag order applying to jurors, but kept in place a March order that requires their identities to remain private.
• The gag order still applies to some lawyers and prosecutors, but Dump can have a field day on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, court staff and Bragg’s staff, and family of any of those people.
• Because Dump loves going after people’s family members. It’s his favorite thing.
• Let’s move on.
• If you’re like me, you’ve probably noticed a flurry of people with positive COVID tests happening this summer so far.
• In a way you’re likely NOT like me, you probably don’t mask up in public settings. Let me tell you, I still put that sucker on when I go grocery shopping or anywhere else with a crowded, closed setting.
• I haven’t had a cold since 2019. Longest period of my life. I may keep wearing that mask forever. Doesn’t bother me one bit, and fuck everyone else if they don’t like it.
• You’re probably under the impression that it’s only in deep red states that mask use is frowned upon, but you’re mistaken.
• While COVID cases rise here in the Los Angeles area, mayor Karen Bass announced that city officials were exploring the legality of wearing masks at demonstrations.
• Unsurprisingly, the announcement came as a response to a violent pro-Palestinian protest last weekend outside a Los Angeles synagogue.
• Bass, a Democrat, said at a press conference that she would talk to the city attorney “around what are the parameters with protests: when permits are needed, whether or not people should be masked, and establishing clear lines of demarcation between what is legal and what is not.”
• Sigh.
• And now, The Weather: “LET THE VIRGIN DRIVE” by SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
• From the Sports Desk… okay, so basketball and hockey are finally over, and NFL football is still a good month away before preseason even starts.
• I guess that means we have to cover baseball and assorted weird sports for the time being. Sigh.
• Here’s who’s hot in Major League Baseball’s last 10 games…
• Red Sox (8-2), Mets (8-2), Guardians (7-3), Twins (7-3), Astros (7-3), Braves (7-3), Cardinals (7-3), Dodgers (7-3).
• And here’s who’s not…
• Blue Jays (2-8), Yankees (3-7), Royals (3-7), Tigers (3-7), White Sox (3-7), Athletics (3-7), Giants (3-7), Rockies (3-7).
• Before the Sports Desk goes back to sleep, though… congrats to the seven-person 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame class announced yesterday.
• The inductees include iconic NHL players Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, and Shea Weber, as well as former Olympians Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl.
• Also in the class are Colin Campbell and David Poile, who were selected in the Builders category.
• Clap clap clap clap.
• Today in history… Roman emperor Augustus adopts Tiberius (4). Richard III becomes King of England (1483). The Battle of Fleurus marks the first military use of aircraft — balloons in this case (1794). The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans (1906). The American Expeditionary Forces begin to arrive in France for WWI (1917). The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, CA (1945). William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor (1948). Shirley Jackson's short story ‘The Lottery’ is published in The New Yorker magazine (1948). Madagascar gains its independence from France (1960). U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall (1963). The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, OH (1974). Elvis Presley held his final concert in Indianapolis, IN (1977). The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1997). J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ (1997). The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional (2003). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution (2013). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution (2015).
• June 26 is the birthday of astronomer Charles Messier (1730), novelist Pearl S. Buck (1892), engineer/businessman Willy Messerschmitt (1898), US Marine Chesty Puller (1898), singer-songwriter Big Bill Broonzy (1903), actor Peter Lorre (1904), athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911), illustrator/designer Milton Glaser (1929), pianist/composer Dave Grusin (1934), singer-songwriter/politician Gilberto Gil (1942), singer-songwriter Mick Jones (1955), singer-songwriter Chris Isaak (1956), singer-songwriter Patty Smyth (1957), singer-songwriter Terri Nunn (1961), NFL player Shannon Sharpe (1968), actor Sean Hayes (1970), actor Nick Offerman (1970), MLB player Derek Jeter (1974), NFL player Michael Vick (1980), actress Aubrey Plaza (1984), NBA player Rudy Gobert (1992), and singer Ariana Grande (1993).

That’s enough for now. Look, lots of news things will be happening over the next couple of days. I’m going to go work out to make sure my typing fingers are ready for the onslaught of information. No matter what transpires, we’ll be ready to fight for the good things, and you’ll be there with me. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 25, 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 June 25, 2024, and it’s a Tuesday. These long days at the start of summer kinda weird me out. I go to bed seemingly not long after sunset, and it’s back up well before my 6AM alarm goes off. I miss the night. But for now, let’s forget that and get into the shit-ton of news that’s happening.

• Looks like we’re finally going to get some resolution in regard to the long-running legal prosecution against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
• He’s agreed to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act and is expected to appear in a U.S. courtroom on the Northern Mariana Islands in the coming days, per court info revealed yesterday.
• The guilty plea is supposed to be finalized tomorrow. The Justice Department has recommended a prison sentence of 62 months in custody as part of the plea agreement.
• That’s on the high end for a single-count violation, but Assange will not spend a day in prison or any time in U.S. custody because, under the plea agreement, he'll receive credit for the approximately five years he has spent in a U.K. prison fighting extradition to the U.S. 
• Assange is expected to return to his native Australia after the court hearing. That’s it.
• You may recall that Assange was indicted in 2019 by a federal grand jury with more than a dozen charges that he illegally obtained and disseminated classified information about America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on his WikiLeaks site.
• Prosecutors accused him of recruiting individuals to hack into computers and/or illegally obtain and disclose classified information.
• He’s faced legal troubles for more than a decade, beginning in 2010 when a Swedish prosecutor issued an arrest warrant related to rape and sexual assault allegations by two women.
• And WikiLeaks was a key player in the 2016 presidential election, publishing thousands of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee that had been stolen by Russian government hackers.
• It could be said that one of the main ways Dumples the Clown got elected in 2016 was with the help of Assange. I’m a free speech and transparency proponent, but he’s really no hero of mine.
• Let’s move on.
• Less than a week left in June, and Pride Month is winding to a close, so for today’s Gay of the Day I have a special entry: activist Jeanne Manford, founder of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
• PFLAG is the United States' largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
• In April 1972, Manford and her husband were at home when they learned from a hospital's telephone call that her son Morty, a gay activist, had been badly beaten while distributing flyers at a political gathering in New York City.
• She wrote a letter of protest to the New York Post that identified herself as the mother of a gay protester and complained of police inaction.
• The letter had the famous phrase, “I have a homosexual son and I love him.”
• On June 25 of that year, 52 years ago today, she participated with her son in the New York Pride March, carrying a hand-lettered sign that read "Parents of Gays Unite in Support for Our Children.” At the time, homosexuality was still considered a mental illness and sodomy a crime.
• The first meeting of “Parents of Gays,” as it was known, had 20 people in attendance. Today, PFLAG has nearly 400 chapters across the United States, with more than 350,000 members and supporters.
• Manford was named grand marshal of the New York City's Pride March in 1991, as well as for the first Queens, NY pride celebration in 1993. 
• She died on January 8, 2013, aged 92. A collection of her papers is archived at the New York Public Library.
• Jeanne Manford was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal — the second highest civilian award given by the United States — by President Obama in 2013, honoring her for her work in co-founding PFLAG and ongoing years of LGBT advocacy.
• Moving on.
• Today, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis and called on the nation to address it with the same vigor used to reduce deaths and injuries from tobacco and motor vehicle crashes.
• Good.
• The surgeon general’s advisory marked the first time the nation’s leading voice on public health — the same office that in the 1960s highlighted the lethal consequences of cigarette smoking — had issued an urgent pronouncement on deaths related to firearms.
• Deaths caused by guns rose to a three-decade high in 2021, driven by increases in homicides and suicides. In 2022, more than half of all gun deaths were from suicide, while 40 percent of firearms deaths were homicides.
• I actually wasn’t expecting this, but it’s super smart if you think about it.
• It’s been very difficult to slow down the widespread and frequent instances of gun violence through laws and policing. But treating it via public health measures might be way more effective.
• Key statistic: in a study of 29 countries, 90% of children under the age of 14 who are injured or killed via firearms live in the USA.
• If you don’t give a shit about American kids dying, nothing I say will help you change.
• Let’s move on. 
• You know who’s killing babies? The state of Texas and their abortion ban.
• Since the state’s ban went into effect, Texas's infant death rate increased and more died of birth defects.
• The analysis out of Johns Hopkins University is the latest research to find higher infant mortality rates in states with abortion restrictions.
• The researchers calculated that there were 216 more deaths in Texas than expected between March and December the next year.
• In Texas, the 2022 mortality rate for infants went up 8% to 5.75 per 1,000 births, compared to a 2% increase in the rest of the U.S.. Birth defects showed a massive 23% increase, compared to a decrease of about 3% in the rest of the U.S.
• How did the abortion ban have this impact? The Texas law blocks abortions after the detection of cardiac activity, usually five or six weeks into pregnancy, well before tests are done to detect fetal abnormalities.
• Way to be baby killers, Texas (slow clap).
• Over in Arizona, they’re making their game plan clear for women seeking reproductive rights.
• Jeff Durbin, an ally of Donnie Dump, is the leader of the Republican opposition to the Arizona abortion measure which is currently on the ballot this November to codify the right to an abortion into Arizona's state law.
• In a video clip, Durbin states that, "If you take the life of a human being unjustly, then what the state owes you is capital punishment. You forfeit your right to live."
• Durbin made this claim in relation to anyone who receives an abortion, comparing abortion to murder, and calling for capital punishment for those who get or help someone get an abortion.
• So to be clear: they will hunt you down and kill you if they can’t force you to deliver children. Vote accordingly this fall, Arizonans. It doesn’t have to be that way.
• Let’s move on with some excellent news.
• Conspiracy theorist and textbook asshole Alex Jones’ Infowars media empire will be shut down and sold off, per a bankruptcy court in an emergency court filing.
• As reported here, earlier this month, a bankruptcy judge ruled that Jones’ personal assets would be liquidated to help pay off the nearly $1.5 billion he owes the families of victims of the Sandy Hook massacre.
• But at that time, the judge ruled Jones’ media company Free Speech Systems, the parent of Infowars, would not be liquidated partly because the process would be costly and lengthy.
• Tough shit.
• There are still many details to wrap up regarding the Sandy Hook families in two cases in Texas and Connecticut.
• Moving on, for now.
• In international news, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for compulsory service.
• It’s a landmark decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.
• The historic ruling ends a decades-old system that granted ultra-Orthodox men broad exemptions from military service while maintaining mandatory enlistment for the country’s secular Jewish majority.
• That seems pretty discriminatory to me, at least by US standards.
• However, the ultra-Orthodox parties are politically powerful in Israel, and they’ve been key partners in Netanyahu’s governing coalition. They strongly oppose this change, and may bolt the coalition, causing the government to collapse and likely leading to new elections at a time when its popularity has dropped.
• I would not be upset should Bibi be kicked to the curb.
• Let’s move on.
• I try not to mention horrifying shit here unless there’s something to be learned.
• Thirty-eight-year-old Arntanaro Nelson lost his keys on the Banshee roller coaster at the Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio over the weekend.
• Instead of asking an employee for help, he hopped two fences and went into a restricted area to try and get them back. What he got was plowed by the coaster, which hit him at 70 mph.
• And now he’s dead.
• I am a person who is often guilty for trying to do everything myself and never asking for help. But it’s really not always the best idea, and there have been times when things got worse rather than better as a result.
• Side note: I loved Kings Island when I was little and would visit my grandparents in Cincinnati over the summer.
• In other news…
• Something that happened over the weekend made me sort of throw up in my mouth a little, so I thought I’d pass along the good feelings to you.
• At one of his rallies on Saturday, Donnie Dump had this fascinating statement…
• “Together, we stood up to the communists, Marxists and fascists to defend religious liberty like no other president has ever done. And I have the wounds all over my body. If I took this shirt off you’d see a beautiful, beautiful person but you’d see wounds all over me. I’ve taken a lot of wounds, I can tell you. More than, I suspect, any president ever.”
• Okay, so first of all, Don, never take off your shirt. Certainly not where I can see you. I don’t need to see that. Neither does anyone else.
• As to your having more wounds than any other president ever, Lincoln and Kennedy were both shot in the fucking head.
• Garfield was shot in the shoulder and back, eventually dying weeks later. McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen at close range and also died.
• Teddy Roosevelt was shot in the chest and did a speech after. Reagan was moments from death after being seriously wounded by a bullet that hit him in the left underarm, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding.
• Donald Trump would burst into tears if he ever had a splinter. Please spare us this bullshit about your imaginary wounds considering how many real Presidents suffered real wounds.
• And now, The Weather: “Orange-coloured day” by liana flores
• Let’s do a chart. This is the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts for late June 1970. I have recently turned one year old. I believe my family is, at this moment, living in the Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn, OH.
• 1. The Long And Winding Road/For You Blue (The Beatles). 2. The Love You Save/I Found That Girl (Jackson 5). 3. Which Way You Goin' Billy? (The Poppy Family (Featuring Susan Jacks)). 4. Get Ready (Rare Earth). 5. Mama Told Me (Not To Come) (Three Dog Night). 6. Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) (The Temptations). 7. Love On A Two-Way Street (The Moments). 8. The Letter (Joe Cocker with Leon Russell & The Shelter People). 9. Hitchin' A Ride (Vanity Fare). 10. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) (Melanie With The Edwin Hawkins Singers). 11. Ride Captain Ride (Blues Image). 12. Everything Is Beautiful (Ray Stevens). 13. Up Around The Bend/Run Through The Jungle (Creedence Clearwater Revival). 14. My Baby Loves Lovin' (White Plains). 15. The Wonder Of You/Mama Liked The Roses (Elvis Presley). 16. Make Me Smile (Chicago). 17. Band Of Gold (Freda Payne). 18. United We Stand (The Brotherhood Of Man). 19. American Woman/No Sugar Tonight (The Guess Who). 20. Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel).
• From the Sports Desk… congrats to the Florida Panthers, winners of the 2023/24 NHL championship. They beat the resilient Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in a historic Game 7 last night.
• The Oilers had fought back from a 3-0 deficit to become one of just three teams to do so in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
• However, the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the postseason, went to the most well-deserving player, and he wasn’t on the winning team.
• Connor McDavid of the Oilers is only the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe from a team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final. He's only the second skater (non-goaltender) in history to win the MVP from a losing team, the other being Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976. 
• Today in history… Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy when she graduates from the University of Padua (1678). Virginia becomes the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution (1788). The United States Congress passes the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transport of women or girls for "immoral purposes"; the ambiguous language would be used to selectively prosecute people for years to come (1910). Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird is premiered in Paris, bringing him to prominence as a composer (1910). Jews in the Częstochowa Ghetto in Poland stage an uprising against the Nazis (1943). Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ is published (1947). The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea (1950). The rainbow flag representing gay pride is flown for the first time during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade (1978). The breakup of Yugoslavia begins when Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence from Yugoslavia (1991). 
• June 25 is the birthday of cartoonist Rose O’Neill (1874), novelist George Orwell (1903), director Sidney Lumet (1924), actress June Lockhart (1925), illustrator Peyo (1928), singer-songwriter Carly Simon (1943), actor Jimmie Walker (1947), singer-songwriter Tim Finn (1952), keyboardist/composer David Paich (1954), SCOTUS justice Sonia Sotomayor (1954), chef/author Anthony Bourdain (1956), actor/comedian Ricky Gervais (1961), singer-songwriter George Michael (1963), NBA player Dell Curry (1964), singer-songwriter John McCrea (1964), NBA player Dikembe Mutombo (1966), and actress Angela Kinsey (1971).

That’s way more than enough news for a day. I was pretty productive yesterday and I’d like to carry that forward today without going nuts. That’s the balance I try to achieve daily, sometimes more successfully than others. Enjoy your day.

Random News: June 24, 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 June 24, 2024, and it’s a Monday. It’s finally heating up here in my lovely beach city, and the shorts have come out from their long hibernation. I’m waking up today with a very clean office space, the unintended side benefit of the massive ant attack that happened yesterday. Let’s see what’s happening.

• Today is the two-year anniversary of an infamous day in American history, when the Supreme Court made their landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
• In that moment, the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), returning to individual states the power to regulate any aspect of abortion not protected by federal statutory law.
• We are obviously at a precipice where one wrong move could place the draconian control of women’s reproductive rights fully into the hands of the government for every state in the nation… or for the rights of women to be retained as a choice for each individual.
• Nearly all conservatives said we were being alarmist when we said for years that they were going after Roe v. Wade. Now it’s been two years since then, and you’ve seen the terrifying results.
• This election between Biden and Trump isn’t some football game where you pick a team and the winner gets a trophy. It’s a matter of stopping the direction of the USA from spiraling into religious totalitarianism and extreme nationalism.
• I have faith that the kind people of this country will step up and not allow that to happen. It’s time to send a message about who we are as a country… and that message will be contained within your vote this Roevember.
• Let’s do some news.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down.
• Yay?
• Instead, Israel will be sending more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
• Ugh.
• Tensions were already high between Israel and Hezbollah. Netanyahu also made it clear that he’s going to continue the inhumane war in Gaza.
• If you need a little background, Hezbollah is backed by Iran and is much, much stronger than Hamas.
• It would mean a much higher risk of a larger, region-wide war involving other Iranian proxies and perhaps Iran itself could get involved. That could cause heavy damage and mass casualties on both sides of the border.
• So that’s really not good at all.
• We’re down to the final week of Pride Month, and today’s Gay of the Day is American artist, designer, and activist Gilbert Baker, best known as the creator of the rainbow flag.
• Born in 1951 in Parsons, KS, Baker served in the U.S. Army between 1970 and 1972. After an honorable discharge, Baker taught himself to sew.
• In 1974, Baker met Harvey Milk, the topic of yesterday’s honors, who challenged Baker to devise a symbol of pride for the gay community.
• Baker’s first rainbow flag design had eight colors with specific meaning behind each one: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic/art, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit.
• Baker chose the rainbow motif because of its associations with the hippie movement of the Sixties, but noted that the use of the design dates all the way back to ancient Egypt.
• Thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the first two flags for the Pride parade in 1978.
• Due to manufacturing difficulty, Baker’s flag eventually settled a couple of years later on six of the original colors.
• It was a decade later in 1989 that Baker’s rainbow flag came to further nationwide attention after John Stout sued his landlords and won when they attempted to prohibit him from displaying the flag from his West Hollywood, CA apartment balcony.
• The original flag has been modified and repurposed in various times, such as in 2018 when designer Daniel Quasar released a redesign incorporating elements from both the rainbow flag and trans pride flag to bring focus on inclusion and progress within the community.
• In June 2019, Baker was posthumously named of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.
• Moving on.
• While we’re still awaiting some very important Supreme Court decisions later this week, and new case was taken up just this morning.
• Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Biden administration’s challenge to a transgender care ban in Tennessee, delving into the complicated and politically fraught issue of gender-affirming care in a substantive way for the first time.
• Tennessee’s law, enacted last year, bans hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors and imposes civil penalties for doctors who violate the prohibitions. It is among a growing number of state laws enacted in recent years targeting transgender care.
• Per the Human Rights Campaign, nearly half of US states have enacted bans on transgender care for minors.
• The case will be heard this fall. It’s going to be another landmark-level case of high importance.
• In other news…
• Some shitty news out of here in Los Angeles, where a pro-Palestinian protest held outside a synagogue devolved into chaotic street violence yesterday.
• The LAPD had to respond to two protests in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Pico Robertson, just south of Beverly Hills. Multiple altercations broke out in the middle of the street and on sidewalks.
• A violent protest at an actual place of worship isn’t acceptable for any cause under any circumstances. LA mayor Karen Bass agrees: “Violence in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood today was abhorrent, and blocking access to a place of worship is unacceptable.”
• So does Governor Gavin Newsom, who wrote, “The violent clashes outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles are appalling. There is no excuse for targeting a house of worship. Such antisemitic hatred has no place in California.”
• I should note that these kinds of actions tend to end up turning the public against what might otherwise be a worthy cause. Bad idea all around.
• Let’s move on.
• A quick reminder that there are some primary elections to keep an eye on tomorrow.
• One is in Colorado, where Lauren Boebert is looking to hang on to her job. New York has both House and Senate primaries, South Carolina has a runoff, and Utah has Governor and Senate voting.
• Hate to say it, but Boebert — the lady who gives handjobs in theaters with kids present — will likely win her primary. Guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow.
• While we’re talking about elections, I thought I’d throw in this tidbit.
• A new poll gives President Biden a massive lead over former President Dumples the Clown among voters younger than 30.
• The CBS News/YouGov poll found 61 percent of likely voters younger than 30 surveyed support Biden, while just 38 percent support Trump.
• What are the issues these young voters care about? Far more of them say abortion, climate change, and race and diversity issues would impact their vote compared to those older than 30.
• Woman and young people may save us yet. Now everyone just has to actually vote. Only 66 percent of the under-30 group said they will vote in the 2024 election, while 94 percent of those 65 and older said they would vote.
• Sigh. C’mon people!
• Moving on.
• We have a new entry in the Asshole Files. Meet Elizabeth Wolf, 42, of Euless, TX.
• Wolf saw members of a Palestinian family in an apartment complex pool and questioned where she was from, adding in racist statements about her not being American.
• Then she grabbed the family’s 3-year-old child and pulled her underwater and held her there, trying to drown her.
• Wolf was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication as she tried to leave the scene, and was charged with attempted capital murder and injury to a child.
• Side note: the victims are all American citizens. Wolf’s attack on the child may be considered as a hate crime. Sure looks like it.
• And now, The Weather: “Those Goodbyes” by Katy J Pearson
• Here’s a topic I wish we didn’t have to return to in our weather news.
• More than 1,300 people have now died so far during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extreme high temperatures at Islamic holy sites.
• Apparently there’s an official process to be a hajj pilgrim, but some 83% of the 1,301 fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures.
• Sigh.
• Meanwhile, back in the USA, 100 million people across 27 states are on alert for extremely high temperatures coast to coast.
• A number of states are also experiencing tornadoes, flooding, and other severe weather.
• I was very glad this weekend to be home in Redondo Beach (high of 78º F) as opposed to, say, Palm Springs (high of 113º F). 
• Stay safe from this climate change-inspired extreme weather, folks. Or do your best, anyway.
• I would be remiss not to mention that 25 years ago today, on June 24, 1999, I got a call at work in the midst of an important business event to tell me that I’d better get my ass to the hospital in Torrance, CA.
• I had just enough time to fight traffic from Santa Monica to the South Bay where that evening, my son was born.
• I’ve said it before and will say it again: being a dad has been nothing but good for my life, and while I’m probably not the world’s best dad despite what it says on the coffee mug he once gave me, I think I do pretty well at it.
• Let’s move on.
• For no reason at all… my list of top 20 Presidents of the United States of America, ranked in order by me.
• 1. George Washington. 2. Abraham Lincoln. 3. Franklin D. Roosevelt. 4. Thomas Jefferson. 5. Dwight D. Eisenhower. 6. Barack Obama. 7. Harry S. Truman. 8. John F. Kennedy. 9. Theodore Roosevelt. 10. Joe Biden. 11. Bill Clinton. 12. John Adams. 13. James Madison. 14. Lyndon B. Johnson. 15. Ulysses S. Grant. 16. Ronald Reagan. 17. Andrew Jackson. 18. James Monroe. 19. Jimmy Carter. 20. Woodrow Wilson.
• And the five worst…
• 41. Franklin Pierce. 42. Warren G. Harding. 43. James Buchanan. 44. Andrew Johnson. 45. Donald Trump.
• From the Sports Desk… tonight’s the night, winner takes all.
• Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals starts at 8PM EDT/5PM PDT between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
• In the past 100 years, only two other teams fought back from a 3-0 deficit in the Finals to get to a Game 7, and only one of them — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs — won the Cup.
• If the Oilers somehow win this after being down 3-0, this “reverse sweep” will be one for the ages.
• In non-sports Sports Desk news, I found it beyond annoying that six climate protesters stormed the 18th green while the leaders were lining up their putts for the final hole of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship yesterday.
• They delayed the finish for about five minutes after waving smoke bombs that left white and red residue on the putting surface before Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia finished their rounds.
• I’m a climate change activist. In what way did these people think this would be helpful to our cause? Now they just look like assholes.
• Today in history… The Vikings sack the French city of Nantes (843). John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings (1497). Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England (1509). The first Republican constitution in France is adopted (1793). Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract (1916). The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League (1922). Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister (1939). Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington (1947). The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC (1949). In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment (1957). South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment (1995). In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional (2004). In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 that the U.S. Constitution does not assign the authority to regulate abortions to the federal government, thereby returning such authority to the individual states and overturning the prior decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (2022). The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government (2023).
• June 24 is the birthday of explorer John Ross (1777), psychologist Ernst Heinrich Weber (1795), businessman Roy O. Disney (1893), boxer Jack Dempsey (1895), basketball player/businessman Chuck Taylor (1901), astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915), actor Al Molinaro (1919), astronomer Carolyn S. Shoemaker (1929), actor/director Robert Downey Sr. (1936), singer Arthur Brown (1942), guitarist/composer Jeff Beck (1944), saxophonist Chris Wood (1944), economist Robert Reich (1946), drummer Mick Fleetwood (1947), actor Peter Weller (1947), singer-songwriter Curt Smith (1961), singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval (1966), singer-songwriter Ariel Pink (1978), actress Mindy Kaling (1979), NBA player JJ Redick (1984), soccer player Lionel Messi (1987), and my son Nick (1999).

Time to start this work week up, beginning with a workout that I’d rather not do but will anyway. Enjoy your day.