Random News: February 2, 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 2, 2025, and it’s a Sunday. I’m your dude in a bathrobe, sipping my fresh cup of coffee and looking around at the things that affect our lives.

• I’ll start with a follow-up story on me.
• Yesterday was my first full day off work in the year 2025. And yes, I spent a portion of it doing as one would expect… sitting around lazily scrolling through YouTube videos, relaxing and generally enjoying every moment of not working.
• But I also unclogged two drains in my upstairs bathroom, cleaned my sink and bathtub, got on a ladder and replaced batteries in my outdoor security cameras, and fixed the solar lamps in my front entryway and driveway.
• Look, I’m just not good at doing nothing, okay? And getting that stuff done yesterday — after having to push back various household tasks for weeks while handling work responsibilities — also was fulfilling in its own weird way.
• Today I am actually relaxing. Except for laundry. And arranging some stuff in the bedroom. And helping my son with some employment plans. And… shhh you. Stop looking at me like that.
• Let’s do some news.
• Despite having been canceled last week by the US Department of Defense under Donnie the White Supremacist, February remains Black History Month, and perhaps we should look into its history.
• It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970.
• Celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, Black History Month has received official recognition from governments.
• The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the USA, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week".
• Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later.
• Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial.
• Ford urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
• Perhaps my favorite somewhat recent moment associated with Black History Month happened on February 18, 2016, when 106-year Washington, D.C., resident and school volunteer Virginia McLaurin visited the White House.
• When asked by President Barack Obama why she was there, McLaurin said: "A Black president. A Black wife. And I'm here to celebrate Black history. That's what I'm here for."
• Over the course of February, we’ll use this important opportunity to recognize the contributions of Black people in science, art, business, politics, sports, and other fields.
• Because if Donnie Dump doesn’t want us learning about Black history, you can bet your ass we’ll discuss it all the more in detail.
• Moving on.
• Yesterday, Dumples the Ass-Clown Fool signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China — ramping up the risk of sparking higher inflation and disrupting businesses across North America.
• His order also includes a mechanism to escalate the rates if the countries retaliate against the U.S., as they are likely prepared to do.
• This asshole’s decision throws the global economy and his own political mandate to combat inflation into possible turmoil.
• We’ve had a decades-long, successful trade relationship with Mexico and Canada, who are America’s two largest trading partners. Now, one of Dump’s main campaign promises — to bring down prices and inflation — seems doomed to immediate failure.
• Prices of groceries, gasoline, housing, autos, and other goods are almost certain to rise sharply.
• Keep in mind, it’s not just Dump who’s at fault; it’s every MAGA and Republican leader who enabled him.
• Dump declared an economic emergency in order to place duties of 10% on all imports from China, and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada. But energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas, and electricity, would be taxed at a 10% rate.
• Pretty weird that after all his tough talk on China, Dump chooses to prevent free trade with our neighbors here in North America. What an idiot.
• The tariffs go into effect on Tuesday. A new analysis by the Budget Lab at Yale laid out the possible damage to the U.S. economy, saying the average U.S. household would lose the equivalent of $1,170 in income from the taxes.
• Yesterday, the editorial board from the conservative Wall Street Journal called Dump's tariffs "the dumbest trade war in history."
• Even Dump himself is finally acknowledging what we’ve known all along… this is going to hurt Americans at a time when they least can deal with more economic pressure.
• "This will be the golden age of America. Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!). But we will make America great again, and it will be worth the price that must be paid,” he posted today.
• Between the higher costs of living and the sudden lowering or removal of government assistance, how will people — especially those in low-income red states — survive the coming years?
• Let’s move on.
• We need to talk about a recent event that’s an indictor of how the second Dump presidency will be viewed by future generations as a deep failure for the USA.
• Just a day before a deadly midair collision at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., employees at the Federal Aviation Administration were sent an offer to resign with eight months’ pay.
• The union for air traffic controllers recommended to its members that they not accept Tuesday’s offer, because the FAA had not decided which positions would be included in the resignation plan.
• As is typical with the Dump regime, there are conflicting messages. An official with OPM, which made the resignation offers, said air traffic controllers are exempt from a hiring freeze that Dump announced on taking office.
• He also claimed that they are not eligible for a buyout — even though they were sent the offer. They can’t do a single cohesive thing where everyone in this shitshow even seems in alignment.
• The crash Wednesday that killed all 67 people on board an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter shows the real-world implications of Dump’s push to slash the federal bureaucracy.
• And that kind of thing is just one example of how Donnie will do his very best to destroy America, with him and his wealthy friends stealing all of our assets, unless he’s fought every step of the way.
• Last year, President Joe Biden pushed for funding to hire 2,000 more controllers, and announced the hiring of 1,800 controllers in September. Dump, of course, has canceled that measure, and in doing so lessened the safety of Americans who travel.
• Moving on.
• I know I promised that I won’t constantly cover news of the completely incompetent pricks who are trying to take over our country and our way of life, and I really won’t.
• None of them deserve the attention.
• But I am obligated to mention things that affect you directly, and some of them are coming in hot in this early phase of the fascist takeover.
• The Department of Government Efficiency, run by Dumpy’s billionaire boss Elon Musk, has gained access to sensitive Treasury data including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.
• The move by DOGE, a non-regulated, non-government controlled task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs, and slash federal regulations, means it could have wide leeway to access important taxpayer data, among other things.
• On Friday, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, sent a letter to Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressing concern that “officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs.”
• “To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy,” Wyden said.
• Make no mistake: this is terrible news.
• We’ve told you for years that the big picture goals include taking away the Social Security that you paid into your whole life. It’s your fucking money, and Elon and Dumpy are going to steal it.
• Maybe they should start with the people who agreed to let them…. those who voted for Dump.
• As long as we’re on the topic of Elmo Muck…
• That asshole’s stupid social platform formerly known as Twitter broadened an existing lawsuit yesterday to include several major brands — accusing more companies of illegally boycotting the social media platform in 2022 following Musk's acquisition.
• Yes, to be clear: they’re suing companies who choose not to advertise on his social net. Imagine if you sued everyone who chose not to do business with you.
• The suit, which was filed last year in a federal court in Texas, initially targeted the boycott organizer, the World Federation of Advertisers, along with companies including CVS and video-streaming platform Twitch.
• But early yesterday, Musk's lawyers filed an amended complaint, adding several new defendants, including Lego, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Abbott Laboratories, Colgate-Palmolive, Pinterest, and Shell International.
• If I was a judge in this case, my ruling would be, “Fuck you,” after I finished laughing.
• Let’s move on.
• Dump did a lot of campaigning about how under his rule, the USA would not be involved in foreign wars.
• And then, less than two weeks into his second term, the U.S. military launched airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday that the strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by Dump and coordinated with Somalia’s government.
• An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that “multiple” operatives were killed. The Pentagon said it assessed that no civilians were harmed in the strikes.
• Yesterday’s operation followed military airstrikes on Thursday in northwest Syria.
• Just remember: everything Dump says, the opposite is true. And everything Dump supports dies. Same with everyone who supports him.
• Moving on.
• The 67th annual Grammy Awards are today.
• I don’t watch awards shows, and despite the fact that I work in the music industry, I definitely don’t watch the Grammys. 
• My reasons are pretty simple. First, I tend not to be a fan of pop music. That’s just a personal preference.
• But second is just the fact that the Grammys are — smartly — put on by the major record labels as a promotional opportunity to sell music by their top-tier artists. And really, all awards shows are just that. And that’s fine. It’s just not how I choose to spend my time.
• At this awards show, Beyoncé enters as the leading nominee for her acclaimed album, “Cowboy Carter.”
• Welp, there you have it.
• I do need to look at the winners list tomorrow morning… for work. I’ll be reporting on my clients whose gear got used by the winning nominees, writing up web article and social posts, and so on.
• And now, The Weather: “In Between” by Dlina Volny
• From the Sports Desk… when I woke up this morning and opened the news, a headline made me rub my eyes and assume I was still asleep and dreaming.
• It had nothing to do with politics or world events. Instead, it was…
• “Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to Lakers for Anthony Davis”
• Holy fucking shit. 
• Well, like all blockbuster trades in sports, it’s impossible to know how this will work out for both sides. But I will say this: while both players are all-stars, Luka is only 25 and may not have even reached his peak yet, while AD is 31 and is plagued by injuries. 
• How great is Doncic? He’s one of only three players in NBA history with career averages of at least 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game. The other two are LeBron James and Oscar Robertson.
• As a Lakers fan, I am pretty stoked at the possibilities here.
• Today in history… King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony (880). New Amsterdam is incorporated, and is later renamed The City of New York (1653). The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed (1876). In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed (1887). Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis agree to form baseball's American League (1900). ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce is published (1922). Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race (1925). The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling (1942). The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city (1943). Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men's singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks (2004). The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act, which becomes law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage (2005).
• February 2 is the birthday of France prime minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754), inventor/philanthropist William Stanley (1829), businessman Frederick William Vanderbilt (1856), businessman/philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861), novelist/poet James Joyce (1882), NFL coach George Halas (1895), businessman Howard Deering Johnson (1897), novelist Ayn Rand (1905), novelist/poet James Dickey (1923), journalist Liz Smith (1923), saxophonist Stan Getz (1927), comedian/activist Tom Smothers (1937), singer-songwriter Graham Nash (1942), actor/director Greg Antonacci (1947), actress Farrah Fawcett (1947), chef/author Ina Garten (1948), actor Brent Spiner (1949), bass player Ross Valory (1949), politician John Cornyn (1952), model/actress Christie Brinkley (1954), and bass player Robert DeLeo (1966).

That seems like plenty of news. I believe I will take a shower and get dressed, and then I’ll figure out whatever happens after that. Enjoy your day.