Random News: April 10, 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 April 10, 2025, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. Greetings to you all from the left coast of Dumbfuckistan.

• I might be sorta busy for the next couple of Saturdays, heh heh.
• This coming Saturday, April 12, Bernie Sanders is bringing his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour here to Los Angeles. He’s going to be joined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as has been the case for their ongoing effort.
• But also appearing as part of this event are musical performances by Neil Young, Joan Baez, and smaller artists I like including Dirty Projectors, Indigo de Souza, and more.
• Why would I even consider not attending such an event?
• Those of you who don’t live in Southern California couldn’t possibly understand the level of pain necessary to endure getting in and out of downtown LA and finding parking, or trying to use our extremely limited public transportation options.
• And yeah, the event is smack dab in the middle of downtown, at Grand Park next to LA City Hall.
• But I did RSVP, and I really would like to be part of this special day. It’s kind of a once-in-a lifetime event. Yesterday we started looking at the details… mostly where to park. If you live in LA, you know.
• And then — while I don’t have any specific info or plan as of yet — it seems that the following Saturday (April 19) is apparently another national day of action in protesting Dumpy and the harm he’s inflicting on the people of the USA and the world.
• I will once again be active and involved if there’s a local event to support.
• And I’ll update you as I find out more, as always.
• Let's do some news.
• Imagine an abusive spouse who on multiple occasions threatened to beat you, or perhaps even kill you, unless you did something they required.
• And then, right before actually following through with it, they told you that they’d hold off for now, but you’d better continue to behave the way they want you to.
• And then they expected you to thank them for their generosity.
• In this case, you are every person in the world, and the gaslighting abusive piece of shit is Donnie Dump.
• Yesterday, after finding himself with almost no support from anyone in the USA on his remarkably moronic tariff plan, Dump caved.
• He announced a 90-day pause on most of his new tariffs, and a lowering of the "reciprocal tariff" rate to 10%, effective immediately. 
• And at the same time, Douchebag Don said he's increasing the tariff rate on goods imported from China to 125%.
• Because Dump is incapable of understanding (much less communicating) these concepts clearly, his treasury secretary and press secretary had to clarify to reporters that the universal tariff rate for the next 90 days will be 10% for virtually all countries, with the exception of China.
• Dumpy’s game is easy to plot. He’s looking for big personal pay-offs from countries and will dangle the tariff threat over them unless they pay up. It’s an old page out of any organized crime racket.
• So, some good news due to Donnie having blinked and backed down.
• Stocks surged yesterday after the pause was announced. The S&P 500 skyrocketed 7%, on pace for its biggest one-day gain in five years.
• The Dow rose 2331 points, or 6.1%, also its biggest gain since 2020.
• And the Nasdaq jumped 8.8%.
• Shares of the stocks hardest hit during this tariff battle led the comeback. Apple was up 7% and Nvidia surged 10%. Walmart gained 9%.
• While this is helpful in not completely destroying the retirement funds of many Americans, the numbers are still not up to the level they were when Joe Biden left office.
• And then this morning, reality set in after the initial euphoria of Dump’s tariff taxes being lifted, and the markets look volatile once again.
• The real story here is how Dumpy’s wealthy buddies were given inside information so they could buy stock at the lowest prices in years and gain immediate rewards.
• Isn’t that illegal? Insider trading? The rich don’t give a fuck. And Dumpy has already decimated the government agencies that would prosecute them for crimes, assuming they had the balls to even investigate them at all.
• Our collective losses are their gains. That’s how an oligarchy works.
• As you’ve all discerned by now, Dumpy’s game is pretty easy to read.
• Do something. Pull it back. Pretend whatever happens was the desired result. Say you’ve won after every humiliating loss.
• Do completely random shit. Tariff penguins. Primary members of his own party. Do literally anything. Bomb Lichtenstein. Tax only Oregon. Declare martial law but only between 4:17-4:20am in Kansas.
• And what that does is help obfuscate the only true goal of his presidency, which is to grift as much for himself from every possible avenue of revenue he can find.
• Yawn. One day we’ll all wake up to a headline we’ve waited on for many years.
• Until then, moving on.
• A brief reminder that Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Maryland father of three who was mistakenly deported — is still being held in a harsh prison in El Salvador for no reason at all, except that the Dump administration refuses to bring him back.
• The longer this goes on, the more I’ll tend to assume that they just killed Abrago Garcia and are trying to wait until he’s no longer in the headlines to minimize the impact of being murderers.
• In other news…
• Yesterday, House Republicans approved some absolutely ridiculous legislation to restrict federal judges from issuing opinions and directives that have immediate national consequences.
• Um… that’s called their jobs, you human hemorrhoids.
• The measure passed 218-214 along mostly partisan lines. It is the latest move by the Republican-led Congress to kiss Dumpy’s fat ass by restricting the federal judiciary, one of the only roadblocks stopping Dump’s full-fledged dictatorship.
• Should you be worried? I’d say yes but the bill is almost certain to fail in the Senate, which would require a 60-vote threshold to pass. They don’t have anywhere near the necessary bipartisan support.
• I enjoyed the statement from Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “Here’s a message: if you don’t like the injunctions, don’t do illegal, unconstitutional stuff. Nationwide injunctions play an essential role in protecting our democracy and holding the political branches accountable.”
• Of greater concern is the fact that Dump has also asked the Supreme Court to limit lower courts’ abilities to issue injunctions that broadly block his administration’s actions.
• His administration’s request is pending before the Court, which could issue a ruling at any time.
• Let’s move on with some welcome good news (for now).
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled for the Associated Press in its ongoing legal dispute with the White House.
• He ordered top officials to restore the news outlet's access to the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other spaces and events when they are open to White House reporters.
• Good. Now let’s see if Dump respects the requirements of the law, or if he’ll once again cry and run to the Supreme Court.
• McFadden granted the AP a preliminary injunction blocking the federal government from restricting its access to certain media events because of its decision to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico.
• Yes, that’s why they were banned.
• Side note: Judge McFadden was appointed to the federal bench by Dump. Hee hee. 
• But on the flip side.. in other news…
• Yesterday Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily halted lower court decisions that voided Dump's firing of a member of the National Labor Relations Board and a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board, allowing their removals to go back into effect for now.
• So once again, the Supreme Court is going to be the entity that ultimately enables Dump to continue with every illegal and un-Constitutional action he takes. No surprise, really.
• Roberts issued an administrative stay that gives the Supreme Court more time to consider a Justice Department request to allow Dump to fire Cathy Harris from the Merit Systems Protection Board and Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board.
• He gave lawyers for Harris and Wilcox until 5pm on April 15 to file a response with the court.
• It was just a month ago that U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said that the Constitution and past cases make clear that Congress can limit the president's removal power.
• She ruled that the president's firing of Gwynne Wilcox from the NLRB violated federal law that allows for a board member to be removed only for "neglect of duty or malfeasance in office," and declared her termination void.
• But Roberts was all too happy to let Dump circumvent the law.
• There will be no peace while these assholes remain in positions of power. Count on that.
• Moving on.
• FBI Director — and overall bag of shit — Kash Patel is back to having one job. 
• Yesterday, he was removed from his role as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and was replaced by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
• Driscoll is now serving as acting ATF director and will continue to hold both roles. What, they can’t find enough shitty people to hold these jobs?
• Apparently not. See, when Dump makes them swear loyalty to him over the Constitution, believe it or not there are still a lot of people who have problems with that.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a task force to make it as easy as possible for more and more people to buy more and more guns.
• She said the ATF would serve on the task force. And in fact, the ATF earlier this week formally repealed its so-called "zero tolerance policy" which called for revoking the licenses of gun dealers who willfully committed serious violations, such as failing to conduct background checks.
• So that oversight is gone now.
• Let’s move on.
• You’re likely reading this news on social media (like Facebook), or on a blog that was linked via social media (like Bluesky).
• If you were unaware that the silly shit you do on Facebook can have actual consequences to your life — which, I should add, is not a new concept…
• Yesterday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced they will begin screening immigrants’ social media accounts for antisemitic content as grounds to deny visa and green-card applications.
• Immigration-law and free-speech experts said the government could use this policy to target political speech it dislikes.
• That’s… exactly what they are doing. that’s all they’re doing.
• The guidance, effective immediately, affects immigrants applying for lawful permanent residence, foreign students, and immigrants “affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.”
• “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” said Tricia McLaughlin from DHS.
• So to be clear, that means every person who ever posted any “free Palestine” messaging or expressed sympathy for the thousands of women and children being killed in their immoral war with Israel is now on a watch list.
• And I include American citizens in that group.
• From the Enough Depressing Shit Desk…
• Yesterday, the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry announced 25 audio recordings to be preserved for future generations. 
• The list included Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black,” the debut albums from the band Chicago and singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, and many more.
• All recordings — not just music per se — are eligible. So also included were the music from the sandbox game Minecraft as well as Brian Eno's iconic chime heard when booting up Windows 95.
• Cool.
• And now, The Weather: “Swimming Pool” by HTRK
• Let’s do a chart.
• It’s 45 years ago in April 1980. I am in sixth grade at Margate Intermediate School. This is the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at the time.
• Side note: my elementary school, intermediate school, and high school are all long gone (or at least renamed or repurposed in various ways). I try not to take this personally.
• 1. Call Me (Blondie). 2. Ride Like The Wind (Christopher Cross). 3. Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) (Pink Floyd). 4. With You I'm Born Again (Billy Preston & Syreeta). 5. Special Lady (Ray, Goodman & Brown). 6. Lost In Love (Air Supply). 7. Fire Lake (Bob Seger). 8. I Can't Tell You Why (Eagles). 9. You May Be Right (Billy Joel). 10. Sexy Eyes (Dr. Hook). 11. Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, Girl (The Spinners). 12. Hold On To My Love (Jimmy Ruffin). 13. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer (Kenny Rogers With Kim Carnes). 14. Too Hot (Kool & The Gang). 15. Pilot Of The Airwaves (Charlie Dore). 16. Off The Wall (Michael Jackson). 17. Biggest Part Of Me (Ambrosia). 18. Hurt So Bad (Linda Ronstadt). 19. I Pledge My Love (Peaches & Herb). 20. Think About Me (Fleetwood Mac).
• From the Sports Desk… the NBA regular season is drawing to a close, and we’re just a few games away from having the playoff seedings set in stone.
• It’s interesting… the Easter Conference is totally sealed up.
• 1. Cavaliers (63-16). 2. Celtics (59-21). 3. Knicks (50-29). 4. Pacers (48-31). 5. Bucks (45-34). 6. Pistons (43-36). And competing in the play-in tourney: 7. Magic (40-40). 8. Hawks (37-42). 9. Bulls (37-43). 10. Heat (36-44).
• In the Western Conference, it’s so close that just the top three teams have secured actual playoff spots as of now.
• 1. Thunder (66-14). 2. Rockets (52-28). 3. Lakers (49-31). 4. Nuggets (48-32). 5. Clippers (48-32). 6. Grizzlies (47-32). Possible contenders for the play-in: 7. Warriors (47-33). 8. Timberwolves (46-33). 9. Kings (39-41). 10. Mavericks (38-42).
• Today in history… Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 3.2 million miles (837). The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America (1606). Robert Walpole resigns from the British government, commencing the Whig Split which lasts until 1720 (1717). The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, ultimately killing 71,000 people and affecting Earth's climate for the next two years (1815). The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh (1866). RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, England on her maiden and only voyage (1912). The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City (1925). Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.'s "Big Book", is first published (1939). Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons (1970). Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, which was located in the centre of the M87 galaxy (2019).
• April 10 is the birthday of naval officer Matthew C. Perry (1794), journalist Joseph Pulitzer (1847), actor Harry Morgan (1915), actress Liz Sheridan (1929), actor Max von Sydow (1929), activist Dolores Huerta (1930), actor Omar Sharif (1932), NFL coach/sportscaster John Madden (1936), singer-songwriter/drummer Bunny Wailer (1947), MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr. (1950), actor/Russian citizen Steven Seagal (1952), singer-songwriter/producer Babyface (1959), singer-songwriter/guitarist Brian Setzer (1959), guitarist Warren DeMartini (1963), drummer Tim Alexander (1965), rapper Q-Tip (1970), actor David Harbour (1975), and actor Haley Joel Osment (1988).

I’m going to end today with a reminder: we very clearly spelled out all the ways that the USA would suffer under a second Dump term, and now every one of those things is happening. I’m not trying to minimize them or say “I told you so” in any way. What I am saying is that they really are predictable — which is how we predicted them — and and random and shitty as things seem, they are following a game plan that they handed to us in their “Project 2025” manifesto. And the good news? They’re really fucking dumb, and many smarter people in the US and around the world have had plans in place in dealing with this piece of shit. Still, stay on your toes and be aware of what’s being taken from you. Maybe if you get mad enough, you’ll get up and do something. I sure am, and will continue as such. Enjoy your day.