Random News: November 7, 2024

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s November 7, 2024, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. I’m still absorbing what’s happened in the USA since Tuesday night, so we’re going to be brief for awhile as I continue to sort things out.

• I actually feel a good deal better today than yesterday. I slept better last night, for one thing.
• For another, I am starting to refocus my thoughts and energies toward fighting against the demise of democracy. I prefer to focus on proactively taking steps to make things better, rather than wallowing in what’s gone wrong.
• But for now…
• Lots of finger pointing going on right now in terms of who’s to blame for Trump’s victory.
• I’m sure that it does indeed matter for future elections but it won’t change a damn thing about this one.
• I will say this: assuming the election was fair — and I can’t be one of those people who automatically believe it was stolen — the fact is that Trump had fewer voters come out for him this year than when he lost in 2020.
• But Democrats had more than 16 million fewer voters take the time to vote this election cycle. 
• So one way or another, the reason Trump will be the next president is that not enough Democrats gave a shit. It is what it is.
• For now, let’s just stick to the tangibles. Note that much of the incoming information is highly discouraging, and I won’t sugarcoat it.
• It should be no surprise that Trump will not face justice for pretty much any of his crimes.
• The Department of Justice is in talks with the office of special counsel Jack Smith over winding down the two federal cases he is overseeing against president-elect Donald Trump.
• Last year, Smith brought charges against Trump over the alleged mishandling of classified documents and his suspected role in attempting to thwart the transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election.
• But the DOJ has a long-standing policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted — which will apply when Trump returns to office in January.
• So that’s gone.
• What about his conviction on 34 felony counts in New York state? He couldn’t pardon himself from those, right?
• The word on the street is that New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will announce next week if Trump’s felony convictions will still stand.
• If you have some kind of memory loss, allow me to remind you that Trump was facing up to four years in prison after being convicted of 34 counts of felony falsifying business records to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
• Merchan had already delayed sentencing by more than four months to come after the election — and gave himself until next Tuesday to decide if the conviction should be tossed.
• I think it’s the safe bet to assume that this entire conviction will be thrown out as well.
• I doubt Trump will ever face any kind of justice for anything at all. By the way, I was doubtful of that regardless of whether he was elected or not. Now I’m pretty much 100% sure that will be the case.
• Moving on.
• As you recall over the summer, many of us tried to warn you about something called “Project 2025,” a manifesto from the Heritage Foundation that would guide the USA into Christian Nationalism.
• And then you heard Trump say that he doesn’t know anything about it or who is involved in it, despite the fact that it was written by many of his close allies.
• Democrats pointed to the 900-page wishlist as proof that a second Trump term would upend American life and be a threat to democracy.
• And as soon as the election ended, the MAGA team admitted that was the plan all along. Less than 24 hours after his victory, Trump’s allies and other right-wing commentators began to gloat about implementing the radical policy agenda.
• “Now that the election is over I think we can finally say that yeah actually Project 2025 is the agenda. Lol,” said Matt Walsh, a right-wing podcast host.
• Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson also chimed in yesterday “It is my honor to inform you all that Project 2025 was real the whole time.”
• Again, I see little good about saying, “We told you so,” over and over.
• Let’s move on. Again, I’m not doing any analysis of all this just yet. Only reporting the news as it comes.
• I’m not ready to report on who will have control of the House. The votes are still being tallied and some of the results so close that I don’t want to give anyone a false sense of optimism.
• I would not be shocked if Republicans end up controlling all branches of the federal government. You shouldn’t be either.
• The only saving grace in that regard is that they will no longer have anyone to blame but themselves for what happens next.
• I don’t find that very comforting, but watching their infighting will at least be somewhat entertaining while the world burns.
• I do promise that over the coming days, we will be talking about the specific effects of the coming Trump presidency, which range from skyrocketing consumer prices due to his tariff plans to his promise of mass deportations, the strong possibility of a national abortion ban, and much more.
• We have plenty of time to review that info.
• For the moment, I want to tell you a couple of encouraging words.
• My governor, Gavin Newsom of California, issued a barely-concealed warning to Trump yesterday. It merits being read in its entirety.
• “Kamala Harris set out to fight to defend our fundamental freedoms and build a country that works for everyone. She stood up for working families, decency, and opportunity.
• “Though this is not the outcome we wanted, our fight for freedom and opportunity endures.
• “California will seek to work with the incoming president -- but let there be no mistake, we intend to stand with states across our nation to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law.
• “Federalism is the cornerstone of our democracy. It's the United STATES of America."
• If you don’t know what that means, well… let me know and I’ll be happy to explain.
• Finally, I’ll quote Kamala Harris herself. Her concession speech was classy, elegant, and remained full of the sense of hope we got from her throughout the campaign.
• “Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it, but we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”
• “I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and for the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best — that is a fight I will never give up.”
• “You have power, and don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. This is not a time to throw up our hands — this is a time to roll up our sleeves.”
• “I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here's the thing, America: If it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”
• And I’m onboard with all of that.
• You thought the fight ended on Tuesday night? No, the fight has just started, and it will manifest itself in ways that you can’t even imagine at the moment.
• And now, The Weather: “Mouth Of A Flower” by Haley Heynderickx
• From the Sports Desk… week 10 of the NFL season starts tonight with the Bengals visiting the Ravens. The betting line favors Baltimore by -6.
• Today in history… The London Gazette, the oldest surviving journal, is first published (1665). The Battle of Tippecanoe is fought near present-day Battle Ground, Indiana, United States (1811). Abolitionist printer Elijah P. Lovejoy is shot dead by a mob while attempting to protect his printing shop (1837). A cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly, is considered the first important use of an elephant as a symbol for the United States Republican Party (1874). Women in the U.S. state of Colorado are granted the right to vote, the second state to do so (1893). Jesús García saves the entire town of Nacozari de García by driving a burning train full of dynamite 3.7 miles away before it could explode (1907). Jeannette Rankin is the first woman elected to the United States Congress (1916). Woodrow Wilson is reelected as President of the United States (1916). In New York City, the Museum of Modern Art opens to the public (1929). Fiorello H. La Guardia is elected the 99th mayor of New York City (1933). Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected for a record fourth term as President of the United States (1944). US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1967). U.S. President Richard Nixon is re-elected in the largest landslide victory at the time (1972). A bomb explodes inside the United States Capitol causing an estimated $250,000 in damage (1983). Magic Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive and retires from the NBA (1991). The controversial US presidential election is later resolved in the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court case, electing George W. Bush as the 43rd President of the United States (2000). Joe Biden is elected the 46th president of the United States (2020).
• November 7 is the birthday of captain James Cook (1728), chemist/physicist Marie Curie (1867), political theorist Leon Trotsky (1879), philosopher Albert Camus (1913), activist/politician M. Athalie Range (1915), televangelist Billy Graham (1918), trumpet player Al Hirt (1922), singer Gwyneth Jones (1936), singer-songwriter/guitarist Johnny Rivers (1942), singer-songwriter/guitarist/pianist Joni Mitchell (1943), MLB player Joe Niekro (1945), journalist Lawrence O’Donnell (1951), general/CIA director David Petraeus (1952), DJ/Producer John Benitez (1957), actress Dana Plato (1964), DJ David Guetta (1967), and singer-songwriter Lorde (1996).

That’s plenty for now… more than I thought I had to say, really. And again… we’ll be getting much more specific in coming days and weeks about what’s going to happen next, how to prepare for it, and how to fight against any and alll attempts to destroy our Constitution and our country. When we fight, we win… but we gotta fight. Enjoy your day.