Random News: May 1, 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 May 1, 2025, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. I'm your news man, bring you news as best I can, sometimes listen to Steely Dan, I have three cats — Grace, Dash, and Pan.

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• Yes, we start each month with that nonsensical, superstitious saying. I’m not willing to find out what happens if we don’t.
• Today is May Day, also known as International Workers' Day. It celebrates laborers and the working classes… basically, anyone who actually works for a living, as do most of us.
• It’s not just a holiday for blue-collar workers, I should note. If you do a job and get a paycheck, it’s for you.
• Here in the USA, we have a separate Labor Day holiday toward the end of summertime. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan also do not celebrate May 1 as a holiday. pretty much everywhere else does.
• Fun fact: the actual OG May Day holiday is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
• Ironic Fact: I can’t celebrate this day on May 1 because I am super busy working. Womp womp, sad trombone plays.
• But I am taking to the streets this coming Saturday May 3 for the national day of action. You can head over to maydaystrong.org to find a local event.
• Let’s do some news.
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford released Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University.
• As you may recall, Mahdawi was arrested by immigration officials after being fooled into attending an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.
• Mahdawi was detained in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights. He cofounded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S. and graduate student who was detained by immigration authorities.
• We have the right to free speech and peaceful assembly in the USA. It’s literally written in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
• The judge has allowed Mahdawi to leave his home state of Vermont and attend graduation next month at the Ivy League school in Manhattan. Mahdawi recently completed his coursework at Columbia and planned to begin a master’s degree program there in the fall.
• Outside the courthouse yesterday, Mahdawi directly addressed Dump and his Cabinet, saying “I am not afraid of you.”
• Fuck yes.
• And speaking of another person who’s been wrongly persecuted due to immigration paranoia…
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele have been directly in touch about the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the US mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s notorious mega prison.
• According to some reports, Dump administration has been working closely with El Salvador and asked for Abrego Garcia’s return, but insisted that Bukele has made clear that he’s not returning him to the US.
• It is unclear what the goal of the discussions was, since Dumpy himself openly admits that he is not seeking to return Abrego Garcia to the US or grant him any additional due process in either country.
• And that open admission also says that Dump is purposefully violating the Supreme Court order that the USA facilitate his return.
• No surprise from a wannabe dictator who has no respect for the rule of law.
• Moving on.
• Yesterday, Ukrainian and U.S. officials signed a joint economic investment deal that includes granting the U.S. access to Ukrainian rare earths minerals.
• Can you imagine if WWII had gone that way? “We’ll send troops and save England and France, but we want all the valuable resources from your countries first.”
• Disgusting.
• Still, they seem cool with it. Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's economic development minister, described it as a 50/50 partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine that includes development of mineral, oil and gas projects.
• She also said the deal does not set up any Ukrainian debt obligations. 
• So this entire deal is largely symbolic. But that’s all Dumpy needs. He wants to say he was the mastermind of this great deal. And that’s fine — I don’t give a single shit about Dumpy and his ego, as long as Ukraine gets the help the need to fight Russia.
• A note from the Health Desk…
• Sometimes you hear about an outbreak of a disease you definitely don’t want, like measles. And you think, “Well, it’s super unlikely I’m going to cross paths with someone who has an active case, right?”
• Allow me to tell you about Denton County, Texas, where an adult — one with an unknown vaccination status, cough — went all over the fucking DFW area spreading their measles around from April 19-22.
• And that included to the Rangers/Dodgers game last week along with 39,244 other people.
• Oh, and they also went to a burrito restaurant, a bakery, a craft brewery, a pho place, and Walmart.
• This is how big outbreaks happen.
• Texas state health officials said as of Tuesday, the number of measles cases in the state has grown to 663 since January.
• Sigh.
• And in other Health Desk news…
• Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to shift the way vaccines are tested.
• He says all new vaccines will be required to undergo placebo testing.
• What the actual fuck? Why do we allow idiots to (waves hand around in all directions) do this shit?
• And speaking of idiots…
• Florida is poised to ban fluoride from its drinking water under new legislation passed by state lawmakers.
• The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk for a signature. If signed, Florida would become the second state after Utah to ban fluoride from its public water supply.
• As if Florida needs any extra help with bad teeth.
• Relevant note: Calgary, Canada, voted in 2011 to ban the mineral from its water supply, but after a notable spike in dental cavities in the city's children, the legislature reversed its decision.
• Let’s move on to the Economy Desk.
• Do you buy stuff from Temu or Shein, the Chinese e-commerce sites with crazy low prices and questionable business practices and products?
• As one consumer pointed out, “Everything here has come in from overseas anyway, so you’re just cutting out the middle man, like the Walmarts, the Amazons.”
• Valid point.
• But Dumpy’s tit-for-tat trade war is now impacting those who rely on these relatively cheap Chinese products. He slapped 145% tariffs on imports from China and a 10% minimum tax on all other countries.
• So what? Well, the “de minimis” exemption, which allowed goods less than $800 to pour in duty-free to the United States, is expiring tomorrow on May 2.
• That’s why last Friday, Temu and Shein raised their prices on a large number of items, from lawn chairs to swimsuits, ahead of new tariffs set to take effect this week.
• Lower-income households will suffer the most from the end of cheap Chinese e-commerce sites. About 48% of de minimis packages shipped to the poorest zip codes in the United States.
• Those are also the places most likely to have supported Dumpy. As usual, he screws over his supporters first.
• In other business news…
• U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has strongly rebuked Apple, finding they willfully violated a court injunction in an antitrust case filed by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games.
• She had previously ordered Apple to lower the barriers protecting its previously exclusive payment system for in-app digital transactions and allow developers to display links to alternative options.
• Yesterday, she found that Apple violated a 2021 injunction that sought to restrain and prohibit the iPhone maker's anticompetitive conduct and pricing.
• The judge referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California to investigate whether criminal contempt proceedings are appropriate.
• Yikes! Tim Apple better be careful.
• Let’s move on.
• I greatly enjoyed this rather salty message from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to the guy who calls himself the president.
• Bernie wrote, “Congratulations to President Trump for drawing 4,000 people last night to a rally in Warren, MI. Keep it up. You brought out almost half as many people as we did in the same city last month! Americans are fighting back against authoritarianism and attacks on the working class.”
• Ha! Fuck him up, Bernie.
• Moving on.
• Do you drive a big-ass truck or SUV? Is it made by General Motors?
• Better take a look at this.
• GM is recalling 597,630 of its full-size U.S. trucks and SUVs because the vehicles' V8 engines can fail without warning, raising the risk of a crash. 
• The recall includes the following V8-engine models: 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV; Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL.
• To fix the problem, dealers will inspect the engine for repair or replacement free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed June 9, 2025. 
• And now, The Weather: “Skyline” by SLEEP CLUB
• Let’s do a chart.
• It’s 50 years ago in May 1975. I am about to turn six years old, and in a couple of months my family will move from Massachusetts to Southern California.
• Here’s the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at the time.
• 1. He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (Tony Orlando & Dawn). 2. Before The Next Teardrop Falls (Freddy Fender). 3. Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils). 4. Shining Star (Earth, Wind & Fire). 5. Only Yesterday (Carpenters). 6. Walking In Rhythm (The Blackbyrds). 7. Thank God I'm A Country Boy (John Denver). 8. How Long (Ace). 9. I Don't Like To Sleep Alone (Paul Anka with Odia Coates). 10. (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (B.J. Thomas). 11. Philadelphia Freedom (The Elton John Band). 12. Killer Queen (Queen). 13. Sister Golden Hair (America). 14. Old Days (Chicago). 15. Bad Time (Grand Funk). 16. Love Won't Let Me Wait (Major Harris). 17. When Will I Be Loved (Linda Ronstadt). 18. Hijack (Herbie Mann). 19. Shoeshine Boy (Eddie Kendricks). 20. Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) (Leo Sayer).
• From the Sports Desk… don’t turn the dial; you’re listening to KZRN Sports Radio. Big Z here, bringing you the scores from yesterday’s basketball and hockey playoff games that you probably already saw elsewhere!
• In the NBA: the Rockets beat the Warriors 131-116, forcing a game six with Golden State still ahead 3-2. But the Lakers couldn’t do the same, losing 103-96 to the Timberwolves, who win the series 4-1 and move on to the conference semis.
• In the NHL: the Capitals beat the Canadiens 4-1, simultaneously winning their playoff series 4-1 and advancing to the 2nd Round. The Panthers beat the Lightning 6-3, also wrapping up the series 4-1 and going to Round 2. And the Jets beat the Blues 5-3, and now lead the series 3-2.
• Today in history… Wars of Scottish Independence end: England recognizes Scotland as an independent state (1328). Christopher Columbus presents his plans discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile (1486). The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect (1707). The Slave Trade Act 1807 takes effect, abolishing the slave trade within the British Empire (1807). The Memphis Race Riots begin (1866). Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day in many countries (1886). "Pluto" is officially proposed for the name of the newly discovered dwarf planet. (1930). The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public (1956). Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis (1960). Amtrak — the National Railroad Passenger Corporation — takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service (1971). In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended” (2003). Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden (2009).
• May 1 is the birthday of painter Jules Breton (1827), physician/activist Emily Stowe (1831), frontierswoman Calamity Jane (1852), singer Kate Smith (1907), comedian/TV host Jack Paar (1918), novelist Joseph Heller (1923), novelist Terry Southern (1924), NFL player Chuck Bednarik (1925), singer-songwriter Judy Collins (1939), singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge (1945), actress Joanna Lumley (1946), songwriter/producer Glen Ballard (1953), singer-songwriter/guitariist Ray Parker Jr. (1954), bass player D'arcy Wretzky (1968), director/film producer Wes Anderson (1969), NFL player Wes Welker (1981), and MLB player Marcus Stroman (1991).

As I mentioned, today being May Day, there will be plenty of protest actions happening around the world. Without these people fighting for you, children would be working in mines, there would be no limitations to how many hours your were forced to work, there would be no such thing as a weekend, you would be subject to abuse at work with no recourse, and you would never get any benefits from your employer. Be grateful for their efforts and support their continued fight. Enjoy your day.