Random News: March 3, 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 March 3, 2025, and it’s a Monday. I slept so hard last night that I felt like I was on some kind of alien planet when I awoke today. Who am I? What am I? How do I do things? Then I managed to shower and dress and get coffee and remembered that I’m just another life form on this silly rock. Let’s do some news.

• Starting today, unfortunately, with some natural disaster news.
• Wildfires raged across North and South Carolina yesterday, compelling officials to order evacuations near Myrtle Beach and in the Blue Ridge Mountains as dry and windy conditions whipped up flames over the weekend.
• South Carolina’s Republican Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency yesterday afternoon to rally resources as more than 175 wildfires claimed about 4,200 acres, mostly in the Pee Dee region in the northeast corner of the state.
• Low humidity, gusty winds, and dry landscape created the dangerous wildfire conditions there, something we know all too well here in Southern California. So far, there are no known deaths, injuries or reports of structure damage.
• Moving on.
• Our asshole country of the day is, surprisingly, not the USA.
• It’s Israel, who faced sharp criticism as it stopped the entry of all food and other supplies into Gaza yesterday and warned of “additional consequences” for Hamas if a fragile ceasefire isn’t extended.
• Mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of violating humanitarian law by using starvation as a weapon.
• Fucking pieces of shit.
• The ceasefire’s first phase saw a surge in humanitarian aid after months of growing hunger. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the next phase yesterday hours after its first phase had ended and called Israel’s decision to cut off aid “a war crime and a blatant attack” on a truce that took a year of negotiations before taking hold in January.
• In the second phase, Hamas could release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire. Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago but haven’t begun.
• What did the USA have to say ab out this? No comment, but Netanyahu said Israel is fully coordinated with the Dump administration.
• But U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called Israel’s decision “alarming,” noting that international humanitarian law makes clear that aid access must be allowed.
• Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of using aid as a bargaining chip, calling that “unacceptable” and “outrageous.”
• People just fucking suck, you know? And those who profit of the death and suffering of others are the worst of them all.
• Let’s move on.
• In another major piece of evidence that Donnie Dump is bowing down to Vladimir Putin, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
• The suspension of offensive cyber operations against Russia is a major blow, since planning for such operations takes time and research to carry out.
• The US is now much more vulnerable to potential cyberattacks from Moscow, which has a formidable cadre of hackers capable of disrupting US critical infrastructure and collecting sensitive intelligence.
• As I said before… just think of it like we don’t have a government or a military. We’re on our own.
• Moving on.
• Congress has less than two weeks to extend federal spending laws and keep the government open.
• Unfortunately, Dumples the Clown’s attempt to seize powers that the Constitution gives to lawmakers — not presidents — threatens to stall talks and force a shutdown.
• Republicans think they love government shutdowns until that check they need to survive doesn’t arrive at their bank.
• Republican negotiators walked away from talks over the weekend to reach a deal on a top-line number on how much the federal government should spend for the rest of the 2025 fiscal year, which runs through September 30.
• Democrats said that number is irrelevant if Trump refuses to spend the money in accordance with the law — or if he empowers Musk and his DOGE Nazis to terminate federal contracts and lay off tens of thousands of federal workers without regard to Congress’s wishes.
• They are correct.
• In other news, a note from the Economy Desk.
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said yesterday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Musk’s bullshit could possibly cause an economic downturn.
• Doing so will distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits, and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth.
• GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists. That transparency on government spending will now be removed.
• You people voted for this shit. Don’t say you didn’t; I still see your little red hats in your profile pics.
• And speaking of money…
• I think that most people are aware of this next tidbit, but it doesn’t hurt to mention anyway.
• Elon Musk’s open admiration of far right-wing politics is having a huge effect on his car company. And it’s not good.
• And I think it’s only just begun.
• Tesla sales plunged 45% in Europe in January, even as overall electric vehicle sales rose. That comes after a report of falling sales in California, its biggest U.S. market, and the first annual drop globally for the company last year.
• The sales numbers were particularly bad in Germany and France in January, down roughly 60% each.
• More worrisome for President Musk was the breakdown for Tesla’s individual models. Sales of Tesla’s Model 3 dropped 33% across all European countries even though that car is not being updated and there is no reason for buyers to wait.
• Around the world, many Tesla buyers used to be wealthy, environmentally-conscious professionals, often liberal, who were attracted to Musk’s talk about how his EVs could help save the planet from fossil-fuel destruction.
• Those days are long gone.
• Let’s move on.
• As you recall, we would often post “fuck around, find out” reports of the people involved in the failed coup attempt at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
• Then Dumpy pardoned every one of those criminals who attacked our nation and injured and killed cops. So that ended the legal cases and accountability for nearly 1,600 people, shutting down the largest federal prosecution in U.S. history.
• But one case with a connection to the insurrection remains, and the Texas woman involved still faces the prospect of prison time.
• A federal judge in Texas has scheduled sentencing for Abigail Shry. Shry pleaded guilty in November to a threat charge — for making a vulgar, racist, and violent threat in 2023 against the judge handling Dump's criminal case in Washington.
• Shry made the threatening phone call to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan just hours after Chutkan was assigned to handle Trump's election subversion criminal case. She called Chutkan's chambers from Shry's hometown of Alvin, TX.
• She threatened to kill anyone who went after Dumpy and then referred to Chutkan as a "slave nigger" in the message.
• And then this lovely Republican lady also left a message for a member of Congress in which she said, "If President Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly."
• Ladies and gentlemen, there’s your MAGA mentality.
• Moving on.
• You may or may not be aware that Dumpy is addressing Congress tomorrow night. I will 100% absolutely not be watching that shit.
• It’s not officially a “State of the Union” speech; presidents don’t give those when newly elected.
• But surprising no one, a large majority of Americans say the state of the union is not strong, that the country is headed in the wrong direction, and Dump is rushing to make changes without considering their impact, a new poll finds.
• There are some real warning signs for Dump, particularly with independents, who oppose his cuts to the federal government, as well as his approach to foreign policy and the economy.
• Most respondents expect prices to go up. They also believe federal workers are essential to making the government function and are not huge fans of Elon Musk, who is shepherding Dump's government overhaul.
• They don't think Trump would follow court orders springing up from his slew of executive orders, and don't believe that the U.S. system of checks and balances is working well.
• I agree with every one of those statements. The USA is weaker and its people less likely to be successful and happy than any time in my life.
• We’ll hold off on more discussion of that speech for tomorrow.
• Let’s move on.
• Last night was the Oscars. I don’t watch awards shows. I did see a recap of Conan O’Brien’s opening segment, and it was cute. I like Coco.
• Here are the winners, if you’re interested: Best Picture: “Anora.” Best Actor: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist.” Best Actress: Mikey Madison, “Anora.” Director: Sean Baker, “Anora.” Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez.” Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain.”
• You can find the rest of them in plenty of online lists.
• And now, The Weather: “Seasons Turning Blue” by Pocket Sun
• From the Sports Desk… let’s see who things are going in the NBA.
• Eastern Conference: 1. Cavs (50-10). 2. Celtics (43-18). 3. Knicks (40-20). 4. Bucks (34-25). 5. Pacers (34-25). 6. Pistons (34-27).
• Western Conference: 1. Thunder (48-11). 2. Nuggets (39-22). 3. Lakers (37-21). 4. Grizzlies (38-22). 5. Rockets (37-23). 6. Clippers (32-27).
• Today in history… The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau (1776). The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise (1820). Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state (1845). The Territory of Minnesota is created (1849). The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any "obscene literature and articles of immoral use" through the mail (1873). John D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he can devote all his time to philanthropy (1910). US magazine Time publishes its first issue (1923). The United States adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem (1931). Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia (1938). In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic rule in British India (1939). NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module (1969). An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers (1991). 
• March 3 is the birthday of author/journalist William Godwin (1756), engineer/businessman George Pullman (1831), engineer Alexander Graham Bell (1847), businessman/con artist Charles Ponzi (1882), actress Jean Harlow (1911), actor James Doohan (1920), actress Diana Barrymore (1921), singer-songwriter/guitarist Doc Watson (1923), fashion designer Perry Ellis (1940), singer-songwriter Jennifer Warnes (1947), singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock (1953), radio host Ira Glass (1959), NFL player and failed political candidate Herschel Walker (1962), rapper Tone Lōc (1966), physicist Brian Cox (1968), actress Jessica Biel (1982), and NBA player Jayson Tatum (1998).

That’s enough for a Monday morning. Time for me to work out and then do whatever I do to be productive and earn a living. Enjoy your day.