Random News: June 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 June 11, 2025, and it’s a Wednesday. It's a remarkable and unprecedented time in US history. That sounds cool on the surface. In reality, no one wants to live in an era that will be whole chapters of history books.

• A Pride Note…
• One of the reasons we celebrate Pride is to clarify what LGBTQIA+ people do. It’s human nature to try and define everything in life with a narrow scope.
• So I did intensive research about the gays, and I have uncovered the truth, which I will share with you now.
• Gays work. They go to church. They shop for groceries. They complain about high prices. They drive cars, or ride motorcycles.
• They watch news. They go out to restaurants. They vacuum their carpets. They have sports teams they support. They parent children. They travel. They file taxes.
• They exercise. They enjoy art and music and movies. They go on dates. They get married. They make and eat sandwiches.
• If you do any of the above things, you might be gay. Or a human being. Or both.
• Let’s jump in on some news.
• Last night, the head of the most populous and wealthy state in the USA, California, accused the president of taking a wrecking ball to democracy and urged Americans to stand up against him.
• Gavin Newsom is now the leader of a nationwide resistance to the president.
• In a short speech that was streamed live last night, the point he made most clear: this attempt at a militaristic fascist takeover of the US has only just begun.
• He said, ”This is about all of us, this is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived."
• So don’t think this is something happening in a state far away from you. Dumpy is salivating at seeing active duty military troops in the streets of every state in the nation.
• Is Dump doing this with partisan politics involved? Of course he is. 
• ICE is now getting ready to send tactical units to five sanctuary cities led by Democratic mayors: Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, and Northern Virginia.
• Texas won’t have to worry about Dump sending in the troops… because Gov. Greg Abbott is doing it. He said yesterday that he’ll deploy the National Guard to locations across the state “to ensure peace and order” ahead of a planned protest in San Antonio.
• It’s the exact scenario that the big Second Amendment supporters said they were arming themselves for: the deployment of military by a tyrannical leader who ignores the Constitution. Where are they and their guns now?
• In any case, please take the eight minutes and 39 seconds to watch Newsom’s address to the nation.
• Toward the end, Newsom stated, ”What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.”
• So from here on out, my actions of activism and resistance are under direct orders from my governor.
• And to that end, this coming Saturday is “No Kings,” a nationwide day of defiance. It’s now up to almost 2,000 events spanning all 50 states.
• PLEASE GO TO YOUR LOCAL EVENT. Link in the comments.
• Moving on.
• I want to discuss the difference between peaceful protest and unlawful assembly, and explain why the far-right is lying to you about the nature of the current situation in and around Los Angeles.
• We obviously have the right to peaceably assemble and protest. It’s right there in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
• I am a veteran protestor. I’ve done dozens of in-person protest actions over many years. I fiercely believe in using that right so we don’t lose it.
• But I take part in nonviolent protest. By doing so, I don’t give authorities any reason to violate my civil rights.
• There are people out there who are agitators, nihilists, and false flag agents who purposefully goad crowds into turning their protest events into riots.
• If you’re one of those people, you’re an asshole.
• If you’re looting and/or vandalizing your neighbor’s stores, you’re definitely a fucking asshole.
• And those people make it easier for Dumpy and his Evil Pals to paint a false picture of the protests, which then turns public opinion against your cause.
• It’s counterproductive in every way. Don’t be an asshole. Be mad, be loud, taunt authorities, block streets, wave signs, make yourself an inconvenience that can’t be ignored. That’s all part of legit activism.
• But throwing rocks, or lighting things on fire, or attempting to attack cops or troops… that won’t do any good for what we want to accomplish.
• In related news…
• Yesterday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass enacted a curfew for a small area in downtown Los Angeles from 8pm to 6am amid the ongoing anti-ICE protests.
• The curfew took affect last night, and will likely be in effect for several days. Last night, law enforcement arrested people who broke the curfew. 
• There are exceptions in place for residents, media and people traveling to and from work.
• The thing I like about the curfew: the designated area covers the entire range of where Dump’s military troops are stationed, meaning there will be little reason for direct interaction between them and the protestors.
• Let’s move on with more news in this regard.
• A federal judge will hold a hearing tomorrow on Gavin Newsom’s request to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles.
• Newsom filed the emergency request yesterday, seeking to immediately block the administration from sending troops to help support immigration raids. The governor correctly argued it would only escalate tensions and promote civil unrest.
• Meanwhile, the protests to the immoral actions of ICE against hard-working people are now indeed spreading across the nation, I’m happy to say.
• Yesterday, more than a thousand people rallied in lower Manhattan, NYC to protest deportations and the federal crackdown on immigration.
• Demonstrators gathered at Foley Square near ICE’s offices and began marching amid a heavy police presence. Some protesters held signs reading “ICE out of New York” and others chanted “Why are you in riot gear? I don’t see no riot here.”
• I like that. I’m filing that one away for next time I’m next to law enforcement in “hats and bats.”
• In Chicago, a driver plowed through a group of protesters yesterday in the Loop, striking at least one pedestrian as thousands marched through downtown, protesting ICE.
• I think it’s safe to say that we’re in a cold civil war that is heating up as each day passes.
• As of today, anti-ICE protests have taken place in at least 35 U.S. cities since Friday, with the majority occurring on Monday and Tuesday.
• And with more planned today.
• More immigration notes…
• Dump and the far-right promised you that ICE would be going after criminals and gangsters and rapists.
• But instead, they’re grabbing maids, factory workers, seamstresses, car wash employees, day laborers, and landscapers. Hard-working people and taxpayers with no criminal record.
• What are they doing about this shit in Washington, D.C.?
• Yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quickly met with sharp questions and criticism by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles, fire key military leaders, and purge diversity programs.
• And both sides of the aisle expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full defense budget from the Dump administration.
• “Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) told Hegseth. Others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as Dumpy’s desire for a $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense system will get broad congressional scrutiny.
• After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million.
• $134 million fucking dollars??? For what?
• Hegseth sent troops here to LA without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep.
• Those Guardsmen and Marines have been sleeping on the cold floor in a basement of a federal building. This was so poorly planned, it boggles the mind.
• As Governor Gavin Newsom posted yesterday, “If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump,” tagging the asshole-in-chief.
• Yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson sided with Dump's criticism of Gavin Newsom, adding that the California governor should be "tarred and feathered."
• Do you know what that actually means?
• Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture where a victim is stripped naked while hot wood tar is poured onto the person.
• The victim is then rolled around on a pile of feathers so that they stick to the tar.
• Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has called for Newsom to be arrested.
• Tubby the former football coach wrote, “Lock him up. LA looks like a third world country — anarchists are in charge, law enforcement is being attacked, and the rule of law is nonexistent.”
• Newsom’s response was award-worthy.
• “Alabama has 3X the homicide rate of California. Its murder rate is ranked third in the entire
• country. Stick to football, bro.”
• Hahahahahahaha!
• Following up on a very local immigration story we mentioned recently.
• A Torrance Elementary School fourth grader, alongside his 50-year-old father, have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and will soon be deported.
• 9-year-old Martir Garcia Lara and his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, were taken into custody at the Enforcement and Removal Operations Los Angeles field office last Thursday, May 29.
• Torrance is the city directly east of my own. I could throw a rock and hit the western border of Torrance right now. Maybe I will, if I see any ICE fuckers. Despite my own non-violent advice, it’s hard not to be angry.
• Martir will be held in custody for the foreseeable future, ICE said — until he’s deported to Honduras.
• I thought you guys were gung-ho to go after gang members, rapists, sex traffickers and the like? Oh wait, no… it’s fourth graders.
• You MAGA people love being lied to and made fools of.
• "What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.” — William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 1.
• Let’s move on. Sorta.
• Yesterday, a New Jersey grand jury indicted Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) on three charges of assaulting federal law enforcement officers during a clash last month outside of a Newark ICE detention center. 
• As you likely recall, on May 9, McIver and two other members of Congress went to Delaney Hall and attempted to conduct federal oversight of the 10,000 bed detention center.
• That is part of their responsibilities in their job as congressional reps.
• During their visit, protesters — including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — scuffled with law enforcement, resulting in Baraka's arrest for charges of misdemeanor trespassing. Charges against him have since been dropped.
• Fucking pricks. I’m going to enjoy every minute of their inevitable demise.
• Moving on to other news.
• Yesterday, Dumpy the Racist Clown announced the Pentagon will restore the names of the seven remaining military installations formerly named after Confederate generals after two others had been reverted back earlier this year.
• “For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Picket, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rutger, Fort Poke and Fort AP Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” said the Dumpster.
• These bases were named after Confederate generals who opposed freeing slaves. With Dump’s latest decision, Black members of our military are forced to honor the men who whipped their ancestors — as they do their duty to our country.
• Moving on to another follow-up story…
• Yesterday, Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on with 11 other people was seized by the Israeli military.
• Thunberg left on a flight to France and was then headed to her home country of Sweden.
• She was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza with a mission to protest Israel's ongoing war there and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
• Funny to see how much a 4’11” 22-year-old young woman scares the world’s most awful people.
• Moving on.
• From the kind-of Entertainment Desk…
• The artist formerly known as Kanye West has apparently changed his name yet again. Following his legal switch to Ye in 2021, he reportedly will now go by the name of Ye Ye.
• Documents filed in California list the musician’s new name as “Ye Ye,” after he had previously been listed as “Ye West.”
• No word yet on whether Ye Ye will continue being insane and sabotaging his career and business interests by spewing Nazi-sympathizing hate speech, among other misguided actions.
• And now, The Weather: “Crosses (Bibio Remix)” by by José González
• Let’s do a chart.
• It’s June 1998. My life, as a guy in his later-mid 20s, is getting weird. I’m doing well by most measures, but I’m also experiencing certain kinds of conflict in my personal and professional life for the first time.
• Looking back, if I had the perspective and experience I have today, that shit would have seemed easily solvable. But then, it seemed insurmountable. Funny how time works in your favor that way.
• Here’s the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at the time. Most of it was complete shit.
• 1. The Boy Is Mine (Brandy & Monica). 2. Too Close (Next). 3. You're Still The One (Shania Twain). 4. My All (Mariah Carey). 5. I Get Lonely (Janet Featuring BLACKstreet). 6. Everybody [Backstreet's Back] (Backstreet Boys). 7. All My Life (K-Ci & JoJo). 8. Truly Madly Deeply (Savage Garden). 9. The Arms Of The One Who Loves You (Xscape). 10. Sex And Candy (Marcy Playground). 11. Adia (Sarah McLachlan). 12. They Don't Know (Jon B). 13. It's All About Me (Mya & Sisqo). 14. Body Bumpin' Yippie-Yi-Yo (Public Announcement). 15. Let's Ride  (Montell Jordan Feat. Master P & Silkk The Shocker). 16. I Want You Back (*NSYNC). 17. Say It (Voices Of Theory). 18. Frozen (Madonna). 19. Gettin' Jiggy Wit It (Will Smith). 20. I Got The Hook Up! (Master P Featuring Sons Of Funk).
• From the Sports Desk… no playoff games yesterday, so let’s look at MLB standing in a different way.
• Here’s who’s leading each division in their respective leagues.
• AL East: Yankees (40-25). AL Central: Tigers (44-24). AL West: Astros (36-30).
• NL East: Mets (43-24). NL Central: Cubs (41-26). NL West: Dodgers (40-28).
• Tonight, the Thunder and Pacers have their Game 3 of the NBA championships.
• Today in history… Henry VII marries Catherine of Aragorn (1509). James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef (1770). The Broad Street Riot occurs in Boston, fueled by ethnic tensions between Yankees and Irish. (1837). Paris–Bordeaux–Paris, sometimes called the first automobile race in history, takes place (1895). Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown (1919). Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States at Alpine, NJ (1935). Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin allegedly become the only prisoners to escape from the prison on Alcatraz Island (1962). Governor of Alabama George Wallace defiantly stands at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending that school (1963). After being appointed on May 15, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington officially receive their ranks as U.S. Army Generals, becoming the first women to do so (1970). Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant are elected as the first black MPs in Great Britain (1987). Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing (2001). 
• June 11 is the birthday of poet/playwright Ben Jonson (1572), astronomer Johann Georg Palitzsch (1723), painter John Constable (1776), composer Richard Strauss (1864), politician Jeannette Rankin (1880), businessman Kiichiro Toyoda (1894), NFL coach Vince Lombardi (1913), actor Gene Wilder (1933), race car driver Jackie Stewart (1939), mobster Henry Hill (1943), actress Adrienne Barbeau (1945), drummer Frank Beard (1949), NFL player Joe Montana (1956), actor Hugh Laurie (1959), surgeon/failed political candidate Mehmet Oz (1960), actor Peter Dinklage (1969), WNBA player Diana Taurasi (1982), actor Shia LaBeouf (1986), and WNBA player Brittany Boyd (1993).

It’s not a time to cower in fear. It’s time to stand the fuck up. Stand up for yourself, for your family, for your friends and coworkers. For your community. Do not accept this lying down. Get up. Stand up. Stand up. Stand up. Enjoy your day.