Random News: October 1, 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 October 1, 2024, and it’s a Tuesday. We have a ridiculous amount of news to get through, so let’s jump right in.

• But first…
• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• True Story: I have been saying “rabbit rabbit rabbit” at the start of every month, and I’ve never died. Not even once. Therefore, that saying must be what’s keeping me alive and well.
• This might be a good time to look into the truism, ”Correlation does not imply causation.”
• Let’s get rolling with some news.
• Days after Hurricane Helene’s deluge, hundreds of people are still missing in the Asheville, NC area. Thousands more remain imperiled due to lack of water and power or safe living conditions.
• Emergency workers have toiled around the clock to clear roads, restore power and phone service, and reach people stranded by the storm.
• At least 133 people are confirmed dead so far across the Southeast, a toll expected to rise by a lot.
• And making matters worse: yesterday, Donald Dump went out of his way to repeatedly spread falsehoods about the federal response to the disaster as he toured hard-hit areas in south Georgia.
• He claimed that President Joe Biden was “sleeping” and not responding to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, claiming Kemp was “calling the president and hasn’t been able to get him.” He repeated the claim at an event with reporters after being told Kemp said he had spoken to Biden.
• In reality, Biden had been in touch with Kemp over the weekend, as well as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Scott Matheson, mayor of Valdosta, GA, and Florida Emergency Management Director John Louk. Kemp confirmed yesterday morning that he spoke to Biden the night before.
• Biden is pouring federal help and resources into the affected states. Keeping my thoughts with everyone who is dealing with the whole mess.
• And one thing that’s being noted today: the aftermath of Helene might have a big impact on the coming elections, in states where voting could determine the outcome of the entire presidential race.
• Let’s move on to some breaking international news.
• Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, per a senior U.S. administration official who warned today of severe consequences should it take place.
• The U.S. is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations.
• This comes after the Israeli military warned people yesterday to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing ground operations against Hezbollah.
• This whole thing could blow up very soon in a way that involves much more than Israel. Let’s hope for some way that peaceful solutions will be chosen… through I think it’s well past that point already.
• Okay, back in the USA…
• Yesterday, a Georgia judge struck down the state’s abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy.
• Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order that “liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.”
• Thank you Judge McBurney!
• When the U.S. Supreme Court, on the direction of Donald Trump, overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ended a national right to abortion, it opened the door for state bans.
• Fourteen states now bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions. Georgia was one of four where the bans kick in after about the first six weeks of pregnancy — often before women realize they’re pregnant.
• So that’s the good news. But in Louisiana, the fight for women’s reproductive rights was made all the more urgent via a controversial new law that takes effect today.
• Two drugs that can be used to induce medicated abortions are now classified as controlled substances in the state. Doctors have said the new restrictions will delay life-saving care for some patients.
• As of today, Louisiana is the first state to label the two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, as controlled substances. Abortion has been illegal in Louisiana since a trigger law went into effect with the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
• But the two drugs are also useful for inducing labor, preventing ulcers, and treating constipation and postpartum hemorrhages. Misoprostol is often one of the first drugs doctors look for if a woman begins bleeding out after giving birth.
• With this cruel new law, a person caught with the drugs without a prescription could face up to five years in prison and have to pay a fine of up to $5,000.
• As President, Kamala Harris has vowed she would sign legislation that enshrines the right for women across the nation to make their own reproductive choices.
• Let’s move on.
• Tonight’s the first and presumably only vice presidential debate before the November election.
• I don’t have much to say. Watch and see for yourself how Tim Walz stacks up against JD Vance. It starts tonight at 9pm ET/6pm PT, and runs for 90 minutes (the same length as the two presidential debates).
• It will be moderated by Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, though CBS has stated that little moderating or fact checking will happen.
• Campaign staff are not allowed to interact with the candidates during the breaks. There will be no audience — a measure also implemented during the two previous presidential debates. 
• Candidates cannot bring pre-written notes or props on stage. Unlike the presidential debates, a candidate's microphone will not be muted when their opponent is speaking, but CBS News reserves the right to turn off the microphones.
• In other news…
• Yesterday the New York Times endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “the only patriotic choice for president” while painting a grim picture of a second term for Dumpy.
• “This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election. For this reason, regardless of any political disagreements voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president,” wrote the NYT opinion board, made up of 14 journalists.
• Let’s move on.
• Happy 100th birthday to US President Jimmy Carter. He was born on October 1, 1924.
• Carter is the longest-lived US president by far. Behind him are George H. W. Bush (94 years, 171 days), Gerald Ford (93 years, 165 days), Ronald Reagan (93 years, 120 days), and John Adams (90 years, 247 days).
• Three US presidents died at a younger age than I am now: John F. Kennedy (46 years, 177 days), James A. Garfield (49 years, 304 days), and James K. Polk (53 years, 225 days). Kennedy and Garfield were assassinated; Polk most likely died of cholera.
• President Carter, who’s battled cancer and age-related health issues, has been miraculously keeping himself alive for one purpose: to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
• Georgia early voting begins on October 15. I sure hope he makes it.
• Moving on.
• You may have noted that I’ve pretty much stopped repeating the insane ramblings of the Fat Orange Turd who called himself the president for awhile.
• Unless it’s something that I feel is pertinent to the election or could affect your lives, I see no reason to help spread his madness. I wouldn’t have done it for Jim Jones or Adolf Hitler; there’s no reason to do if for Dumpypants.
• But a couple of the things he said over the past few days are so fucking horrible, I’ll tell you just as a means of illustrating why it’s essential that Kamala Harris become the 47th POTUS instead of him.
• Commenting Sunday during one of his rallies, Dump opined that police should be given “one really violent day” to combat retail crime.
• He cited examples of people shoplifting and raised the possibility of allowing police to get “extraordinarily rough” — and respond with “one real rough, nasty day.”
• He then shortened the period in question to an hour and said: “One rough hour — and I mean real rough — the word will get out, and it will end immediately. End immediately.”
• Critics noted the parallels between what Dumpy was suggesting and “The Purge,” a horror movie series in which a new political party allows all crime for a 12-hour period every year.
• Fucking demented scumbag.
• Back on the abortion topic for a moment. If you think that liberal states don’t have to be concerned about the post-Roe world, think again.
• CA Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing a rural Catholic hospital for refusing to provide an abortion to a patient even though her pregnancy was not viable and her health was at risk.
• Bonta said, “We’ve heard tragic stories from across the country of women denied life-saving treatment, but it usually comes out of states that have outlawed abortion. We’re not immune from this problem.”
• This is the first time a state has gone after a hospital for violations of post-Roe abortion protections. The federal government has sued hospitals in Texas and Idaho, but no state has tested abortion-rights protections in this way.
• Here’s what happened.
• Anna Nusslock’s water broke in February when she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins. Though doctors told her her pregnancy was no longer viable, Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka would not terminate her pregnancy because of a hospital policy.
• Nusslock says she was sent away with a bucket of towels to help with her bleeding.
• A bucket of fucking TOWELS? That was their medical treatment for this woman?
• What is wrong with this world? I hope that Providence St. Joseph Hospital gets sued into oblivion and is forced to sell the facility to a provider who will prioritize the best interests of their patients.
• Moving on.
• At an arraignment hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, FL, Ryan Routh pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of attempting to assassinate Dumpy.
• In addition to attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, Routh faces four other charges: possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and the obliteration of a gun’s serial number.
• Shrug.
• In other news, a businessman in Springfield, OH has received death threats and been labeled a traitor after defending his Haitian employees. 
• Jamie McGregor first hired Haitian workers after a large population of Haitian immigrants settled in the Ohio town in 2020. They now make up 10% of McGregor’s team of over 300 employees.
• Chaos and violence descended on Springfield after a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in the town were eating local pets was spread nationally by Dumples the Clown and his running mate, Sen. JD “couch fucker” Vance (R-OH).
• Since then, McGregor — a lifelong Republican and two-time Trump voter — has faced a number of death threats, including posters around town with his face printed alongside the word, "traitor," forcing him to increase security at his business.
• In the last month, schools, hospitals and government buildings have received over 30 bomb threats due to Dump and Vance spreading 100% verifiably false information.
• And now, The Weather: “Firefighters” by Being Dead
• Rest in peace to two huge figures in the world of professional sports.
• Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader who was banned from baseball for betting on the sport, died yesterday at 83.
• I was born in Cincinnati and would visit my grandparents and extended family there each summer. As a kid, I got to see Rose play with the “Big Red Machine," which won back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976. Rose was the World Series MVP in '75.
• Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball — committing the egregious sin of wagering on baseball games, including on his own team — remained intact. I can say with all certainty that he will finally make the Hall of Fame, albeit posthumously.
• Also, rest in peace to NBA great Dikembe Mutombo. The Hall of Famer passed away yesterday at age 58 from brain cancer.
• The 7-foot-2 Mutombo played 18 NBA seasons for the Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers, Nets, Knicks, and Rockets before retiring after the 2008-09 season.
• He was the league's top defensive player four times, earned three All-NBA selections, and played in eight All-Star Games. He ranks 20th in rebounds (12,359) and finished with 3,289 blocks, second only to Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830).
• But Mutombo also worked extensively for charitable and humanitarian causes, and served as an ambassador for the sport, particularly in the development of the Basketball Africa League.
• From the Sports Desk… we have MLB playoffs set. In fact, the first games of the Wild Card round happen today.
• American League: Tigers (6) at Astros (3), and Royals (5) at Orioles (4). Guardians (2) and Yankees (1) will face the winners in the ALDS.
• National League: Mets (6) at Brewers (3), and Braves (5) at Padres (4). Phillies (2) and Dodgers (1) will face the winners in the NLDS.
• There were also two NFL games on Monday Night Football. The Titans (1-3) handily beat the Dolphins (1-3) 31-12, and the Lions (3-1) manhandled the Seahawks (3-1) 42-29, with Detroit quarterback Jared Goff having a near-perfect game, going 18 for 18 and garnering a 155.3 QB rating, the best possible.
• Today in history… Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC). Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England (959). Coronation of Queen Mary I of England (1553). Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to redraw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleon the previous spring (1814). Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress (1890). Stanford University opens its doors (1891). The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series (1903). Newark Liberty International Airport opens up being the first airport in the New York City metro area (1928). The George Washington Bridge, linking New Jersey and New York, is opened (1931). The Pennsylvania Turnpike, often considered the first superhighway in the United States, opens to traffic (1940). Nazi leaders are sentenced at the Nuremberg trials (1946). The People's Republic of China is established (1949). First appearance of In God we trust on U.S. paper currency (1957). James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules (1962). Concorde breaks the sound barrier for the first time (1969). Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida (1971). Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines (1975). Sony and Phillips launch the compact disc in Japan (1982). Denmark introduces the world's first legal same-sex registered partnerships (1989). Fifty-eight people are killed and 869 others injured in a mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, NV (2017).
• October 1 is the birthday of Roman emperor Alexander Severus (208), painter Giulia Lama (1681), physician/politician William Shippen (1712), First Lady Caroline Harrison (1832), engineer/businessman William Boeing (1881), pianist/songwriter Cliff Friend (1893), martial artist Ip Man (1893), actor Walter Matthau (1920), US president Jimmy Carter (1924), SCOTUS chief justice William Rehnquist (1924), actor Tom Bosley (1927), actor George Peppard (1928), actor Richard Harris (1930), singer-songwriter/guitarist Albert Collins (1932), actress/singer Julie Andrews (1935), MLB player Rod Carew (1945), actor Randy Quaid (1950), UK prime minister Theresa May (1956), MLB player Mark McGwire (1963), actor Zach Galifianakis (1969), actress Brie Larson (1989), and college basketball player Lauren Hill (1995). 

Well, that was so much news that I was forced to skip a bunch of items that I’d normally include. But that’s life; we do what we can with the time we have. Oh, and for those of you who do Second Life stuff, I’ll be performing at 5PM tonight at Hotel Chelsea, in the hour directly before the debate. Yes… it’s going to be a busy day for me. That’s okay. Enjoy your day.