Random News: February 11, 2025

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 February 11, 2025, and it’s a Tuesday. Seems sort of dark and overcast here in lovely Redondo Beach, CA this morning. I know we have rain on the way. Let’s look at some news in any case.

• For everyone who continues to post these ridiculous, panicky “why isn’t anyone doing anything?!?!?!” statements, I’m going to continue giving you evidence every day of the USA trying to save itself from the wannabe dictator, Donnie Dump.
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island said that the Dump administration has not complied with an earlier order that blocked its freeze on federal assistance and ordered agencies to immediately restore any paused or withheld dollars during continuing legal proceedings.
• The move comes in a case brought by a group of 22 states and the District of Columbia challenging the legality of a memo based on Dump's executive orders and issued by the Office of Management and Budget last month, which directed federal agencies to temporarily pause grants, loans or federal assistance programs.
• McConnell, who is overseeing the case involving the states, issued a temporary restraining order late last month that forbade Dumpy from stopping federal dollars from flowing to states, nonprofits and other entities that had been receiving assistance. 
• But last week, the states told the judge in a filing that the Dumpster was not complying with that order because they continued to be denied access to federal funds.
• Fucking pieces of shit.
• Let’s move on for now to see if there’s peace in the Middle East.
• Checks.
• Nope.
• A spokesperson for Hamas says it’s postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages, blaming what he said were Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal.
• Three hostages held in Gaza are due to be freed in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, but Abu Obeida said the releases would not go ahead until Israel complied with its obligations.
• The violations included delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to the north, firing on people, and failing to allow into Gaza humanitarian aid "in all its agreed-upon forms".
• And now, of course, the IDF is ordered "to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities.”
• Sigh.
• Hamas has said the door remains open to the exchange going ahead if Israel complies.
• Since the ceasefire began on January 19, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released in exchange for 566 prisoners.
• Let’s move on.
• Dumpy had said he would end the ongoing war that happened when Russia invaded its neighboring country Ukraine in 24 hours.
• But he’s been president for over three weeks. What’s his plan?
• Oh, I see. It’s to allow Russia to take over the country.
• “They (Ukraine) may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday,” said that old fat piece of shit.
• So his plan is simply to extort Ukraine until they can’t pay more, and then give the country and its people to his great friend Vladimir Putin.
• The current price tag? $500 billion worth of mineral riches.
• “I told them [Ukraine] that I want the equivalent like $500B worth of rare earth. And they've essentially agreed to do that so at least we don’t feel stupid.”
• I don’t know why he feels he needs help in feeling stupid.
• But any kind of blackmail and/or extortion is never worth it. Dump will keep demanding more and more until Ukraine has nothing left to give, and after that he’ll abandon them anyway.
• Let’s move on.
• During Dumpy’s first term, his daughter Ivanka championed women's economic empowerment. Now Dump and his boss Elon Musk are cutting millions of dollars for said programs.
• The Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative was intended to help 50 million women "realize their economic potential" by 2025, an issue the president's daughter called at the time a crucial area in which Republicans and Democrats could find common ground.
• They were, at the time, invited to the White House, where Dumpy signed the memorandum in the Oval House on February 7, 2019. Dump's administration pledged $50 million to W-GDP — to be allocated by USAID.
• I don’t have to tell you the rest. Dumpy and Musk have killed USAID, and hence ended the chances for women to have economic equity.
• They never really wanted that anyway. Soon enough, women won’t be able to get a credit card or bank account without a man permitting it.
• That’s what you voted for, remember?
• Moving on.
• A sort of bizarre story popped up about Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who accused four men — including her former fiancé — of rape, physical abuse, and sexual misconduct during a nearly hourlong speech last night on the US House floor.
• Obviously, that’s terrible if true.
• She said that Patrick Bryant, her ex-fiancé, “physically assaulted” her at the end of their relationship. Mace also claimed that she discovered Bryant had filmed her naked and without her consent.
• She went one to criticize South Carolina attorney general, Alan Wilson, for failing to prosecute the men after she presented evidence to authorities.
• But Wilson’s office called the congresswoman’s accusations against the attorney general categorically false, saying, “At this time, our office has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.”
• Hmm. I don’t know what the truth is, but if I were a betting man, it seems to me that perhaps Rep. Mace — an absolutely terrible person who does whatever Dumpy wants — suddenly became aware of some nakie vids going public, and is looking for a way to justify them.
• Moving on.
• Hey Catholic friends, I’m sure you’re interested in how Pope Francis feels about the current state of the world, right?
• The pontiff issued a major rebuke today to Donnie Dump’s plans for mass deportation of migrants, warning that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.”
• Francis took the remarkable step of addressing the U.S. migrant crackdown in a letter to U.S. bishops in which he appeared to take direct aim at Vice President JD Vance’s defense of the deportation program on theological grounds.
• Keep supporting Dumpy and end up in hell, I guess.
• And in related news…
• More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists — filed a federal court lawsuit today challenging Dump’s move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.
• The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, contends that the new policy is spreading fear of raids, thus lowering attendance at worship services and other valuable church programs.
• The result infringes on the groups’ religious freedom — namely their ability to minister to migrants, including those in the United States illegally.
• Dump is shitting all over your religion. What kind of sick fucks are onboard with this guy?
• And now, The Weather: “Hide Your Navel” by Acidclank
• In real weather news… snow! Ice! Rain! Flooding! Where? Pretty much everywhere.
• Stay safe, peoples.
• From the Sports Desk… there was a euphoric atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA last night, with the sold-out crowd finding 18,997 gold No. 77 T-shirts lining their seats.
• It was the debut of superstar Luka Doncic, who ended up scoring 14 in 24 minutes in a win with the Lakers, who beat the Utah Jazz 132-113.
• How are things going on the other end of the blockbuster trade?
• Dallas Mavericks star power forward/center Anthony Davis is expected to sit out multiple weeks because of a left adductor strain that happened in his first game with his new team. 
• Yikes!
• Today in history… Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England (1534). Sir Francis Drake with an English force captures and occupies the Spanish colonial port of Cartagena de Indias for two months, obtaining a ransom and booty (1586). Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry is accused of "gerrymandering" for the first time (1812). Giuseppe Verdi's opera ‘I Lombardi alla prima crociata’ receives its first performance in Milan, Italy (1843). The United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state (1861). LAPD Red Squad raid on John Reed Club art show in the U.S. results in the destruction of a dozen political artworks (1933). The Flint sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers trade union (1937). The Beatles record their first album ‘Please Please Me’ (1963).The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1979). Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner (1990). Buster Douglas, a 42:1 underdog, knocks out Mike Tyson in ten rounds at Tokyo to win boxing's world Heavyweight title (1990). Pluto crosses Neptune's orbit and is not expected to interact with Neptune's orbit again until 2231 (1999). The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests (2011). The World Health Organization officially names the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2 (2020).
• February 11 is the birthday of English queen Elizabeth of York (1466), SCOTUS chief justice Melville Fuller (1833), physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839), engineer/businessman Thomas Edison (1847), boxer/actor Max Baer (1909), actress Eva Gabor (1919), politician Lloyd Bentsen (1921), actor Leslie Nielsen (1926), actress Tina Louise (1934), politician Manuel Noriega (1934), singer/guitarist Gene Vincent (1935), actor Burt Reynolds (1936), songwriter Gerry Goffin (1939), pianist Sérgio Mendes (1941), politician Jeb Bush (1953), singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow (1962), politician Sarah Palin (1964), actress Jennifer Aniston (1969), surfer Kelly Slater 91972), conspiracy theorist Alex Jones (1974), musician Mike Shinoda (1977), singer-songwriter Brandy Norwood (1979), singer Kelly Rowland (1981), and singer-songwriter Khalid (1998).

Okay. Plenty to think about for now. Enjoy your day.