Random News: June 24, 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 24, 2025, and it’s a Tuesday. Seems like a nice day so far. I mean, for me. Not for many other people, but I seem fine at the moment.

• A Pride Note…
• What’s something you can do as a straight person to show your support of LGBTQIA+ people around you?
Well, you could do what I do if you want, which is to make it blatantly clear that you support and defend those people. That’s a start.
• Like, I’ve spent every fucking day this month opening my Random News with a Pride note. I think that helps reinforce the idea that I am open in my alliance.
• But you can also take steps to grow personally. Know the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity. Make it known that you’re willing to listen and learn, and that you accept your LGBTQ friends as they are.
• Something to NOT do?
• Don’t ask asshole questions about their sex life (“Are you a top or a bottom? Which one of you is the man?”). Don’t be rude or condescending. Don’t spew your religious bullshit.
• And if someone comes out to you, be aware they are taking a big risk and entrusting you as a person. It’s an honor. Give them respect for their bravery. And never, ever assume that they are harboring feelings for you.
• Another way to be a good ally?
• Don’t be silent when people talk shit about gay people behind their back, the same way you wouldn’t accept open racism. We all know the type of person who appears kind until they get behind closed doors, and then they’re spewing hateful f-words and n-words.
• Call their asses out. Let them know it’s not acceptable.
• Let’s do some news.
• After the USA bombed Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend, Iran retaliated yesterday with a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar.
• The attack came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran. The U.S. confirmed the air base in Qatar was targeted by a missile attack from Iran and said no casualties were reported.
• Iran said its missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was limited to the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites this weekend. This is a signal that Iran does not want to escalate the conflict.
• Iran also gave advance notice of the counterattack, and said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
• I mean, obviously they had to retaliate in some way. If you don’t, then the bomb-dropping country — in this case, us — just walks in and takes over.
• We still live in a time of violent, pointless aggression. It’s silly to think otherwise, as if we’ve grown as a species in some way since our caveman days.
• Nope.
• Sometimes I skip over things that I think are obvious to everyone, and then I realize that not everyone thinks the same way or has access to the same information as I do.
• So I’ll point out to you that Dumpy’s bombardment of Iran is the most cliche action that a U.S. president can do while facing a huge drop in popularity.
• See, while all the headlines for the past four days have been about Iran, what news stories from the previous few weeks are being buried?
• On June 5, Elon Musk claimed to have proof that Dump is an integral part of the “Epstein files” that detail the illegal sex acts — including pedophilia — that Dump did as a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein.
• On June 14, the largest public protests in American history against a sitting president was successfully enacted.
• That same morning, a far-right Republican maniac hunted down and killed Democratic politicians in Minnesota.
• And later that day, Dump’s birthday parade was a completely humiliating fiasco. He wanted those images of sad squeaky tanks off the news ASAP.
• And meanwhile, there’s the tremendously unpopular images of masked federal thugs assaulting and abducting American citizens and hard-working immigrant people.
• And the last thing he wants is people looking too deeply into his Big Bullshit Bill which will remove healthcare and essential government services — the stuff we pay taxes for — in order to finance a huge tax break for his wealthy pals.
• Dump’s poll numbers are in the toilet. This bombing and talk of regime change is purely a distraction.
• Yesterday morning, Dumpy sent out a warning to everyone.
• “EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO
• THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!”
• Um. Okay, Don. I’ll keep oil prices down.
• Wait, were you talking to the oil companies? Because they don’t give a single fuck about you. They will laugh all the way to the bank as gas prices go through the roof due to your little stunt.
• Next, Dump decided it would be good to get everyone thinking about a nuclear holocaust that would destroy our entire planet.
• “Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the "N word" (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The "N word" should not be treated so casually.”
• You know what the real problem is with Dumpy?
• He’s an old man who has already passed the typical life expectancy of human beings. And the idea is slowing seeping into the mush that functions for his brain that the world will continue on after he’s gone.
• He can’t handle that thought, so he’s thinking about taking out the entire world via nuclear obliteration before he goes.
• He must be stopped.
• One more note here. What became quite obvious was that Dumpy was gunning for a Nobel Peace Prize.
• Yes, by dropping bombs.
• See, yesterday, he made a big deal about announcing an immediate ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Which would be great news, of course.
• But it’s apparent that no one told Iran or Israel, or if they did make any kind of agreement, it was lip service at best.
• Both countries violated the ceasefire almost immediately, and Dump’s dream of his Nobel Prize disintegrated. So this morning, outside the White House, Dumpy made a comment that will surely find its way into the annals of presidential history.
• When asked why his peace deal seemed to have fallen apart, Dump bitterly replied, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
• Wow, so Dump just this moment realized that bringing peace to the Middle East is challenging, I guess? And it’s not something you can just sign an order and have happen? Holy shit, who would have thought?
• Let’s move on.
• In a shameful moment in the history of the United States of America, yesterday the
• Supreme Court made it easier for the Dump administration to deport convicted criminals to "third countries" to which they have no previous connection.
• In a brief unsigned order that did not explain its reasoning, the court put on hold a federal judge's ruling that said those affected nationwide should have a "meaningful opportunity" to bring claims that they would be at risk of torture, persecution, or death if they were sent to countries the administration has made deals with to receive deported immigrants.
• So now, Dump is empowered to be able to put anyone anywhere. He can take a person from Switzerland and jail them in South Sudan.
• All three liberal justices on the conservative-majority court dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissenting opinion that the court had stepped in "to grant the government emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied."
• She added, correctly, that the court was "rewarding lawlessness" by allowing the Dump administration to violate the due process rights of immigrants.
• Fucking vile and un-American, like many things about this regime.
• In more SCOTUS news of a very different variety…
• Yesterday, the Supreme Court said it will consider a religious rights case brought by a former Louisiana inmate who is seeking to sue Louisiana prison officials for money damages for shaving his dreadlocks in violation of his religious beliefs.
• That’s right. They shaved a Rastafarian. Fucking pricks.
• The high court will review a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that said the former inmate, Damon Landor, could not seek monetary damages against the officials in their individual capacities under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA.
• Landor is a devout Rastafarian who pledged to "let the locks of the hair of his head grow," known as the Nazarite Vow. Landor upheld that pledge for nearly 20 years, until he was nearly finished with a five-month prison sentence in Louisiana.
• During the final part of his sentence, two guards — who were well aware of Landor’s religious beliefs — handcuffed him to a chair, held him down, and shaved his head.
• Fucking pricks. I don’t know if the SCOTUS will side with this man, but I know they should.
• One final SCOTUS-related note for now…
• Yesterday, Florida officials asked the Supreme Court to allow the state to enforce a new immigration law that makes it a crime for people in the United States unlawfully to enter Florida.
• The Dumbshine State made an emergency appeal to the high court, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asking the justices to put on hold a federal judge's decision preventing law enforcement officers from enforcing the new law, known as SB 4-C.
• Yes, that guy. The one who has already been found in civil contempt earlier this month for enforcing the law despite U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams having ruled that the measure is likely unconstitutional.
• Florida state officials have said the measure aims to help the Dump administration enact his cruel immigration scheme.
• I can no longer predict how this Court will rule on any topic, be it Constitutional or otherwise.
• Let’s do some more immigration news. Similar to yesterday, it’s about a member of our military whose own country is destroying his family.
• Alejandro Barranco, a Marine Corps veteran, says he feels betrayed after his father was beaten and arrested by masked federal agents from ICE while working at his landscaping job.
• His dad was doing landscaping work at an IHOP in Santa Ana, CA. He has no criminal record, his son said.
• “He was always a good dad,” says Alejandro about his father. “He always made sure we had food on the table. He always taught us to respect, to love our country, to always give back.”
• But video of the incident shows several masked men in tactical gear pinning the elder Barranco to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck.The ICE gestapo then forced Barranco into an unmarked vehicle, holding his arms behind his back.
• The son, Alejandro, served four years in the Marines. His two younger brothers are currently active duty Marines. Their dad is now in ICE detention in an unknown holding facility.
• In a call with his son, Narciso Barranco said he was very sad and in pain, as well as being thirsty and hungry.
• This is how we treat people in the USA, if they have brown skin.
• I’ve got one more immigration note for now.
• Podcaster Joe Rogan — who exerts a high level of influence over the young men who make up his large audience — has had a realization about Dump’s vile anti-immigrant actions.
• He stated, "These ICE raids are fuckin' nuts... if Trump had said we're gonna go to Home Depot and arrest everyone, tackle people at construction sites, I don't think anyone would’ve signed up for that... It's crazy."
• Correct.
• Moving on.
• I want to mention something that I find extremely disturbing. It happened on June 13, right before Dumpy’s birthday parade, and kind of flew under the radar.
• Let’s fix that.
• Four senior executives at huge tech companies — Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI — have been formally appointed lieutenant colonels in the US Army following the creation of a “special” unit created for rich Big Tech mavens seeking military leadership roles.
• We’re living in dystopia. I’m telling you.
• The Army’s Detachment 201, otherwise known as the “Executive Innovation Corps,” is described as “a new initiative designed to fuse cutting-edge tech expertise with military innovation.”
• And then these four ultra-wealthy executives from top tech companies were sworn in to the unit ahead of Dump’s parade… which was itself sponsored by Palantir.
• If you’re unfamiliar, Palantir is by far the S&P 500’s top performing stock of the year, thanks in large part to the gargantuan contracts it has raked in from the Dump administration.
• What does Palantir do? According to the company’s founder, Alex Karp, Palantir “is here to disrupt… and when it’s necessary, to scare enemies, and on occasion, kill them.”
• Maybe someday, someone will look back on my random writings and see that there were at least a few people who saw the writing on the wall before everything went to shit.
• Let’s keep on keeping on… for a little while before AI-powered robots start murdering us all.
• I’m going to make an official endorsement of a political candidate from 3,000 miles away: Zak Claxton endorses Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of New York City.
• The Democratic primary is today, pitting Mamdani against Andrew Cuomo and some less-likely candidates. Why do I support Mamdani?
• His platform includes making city buses fast and free; creating city-owned grocery stores with lower prices; creating a Department of Community Safety; guaranteeing universal, free childcare; and freezing the rent for two million rent-stabilized tenants — and building more housing.
• Mamdani also just grabbed key endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
• The winner of this primary will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat but is skipping today’s primary to run as an independent in November.
• Adams was indicted in a 2024 corruption case that Dump’s Justice Department mysteriously dropped.
• Curtis Sliwa, founder of the anti-crime patrol group the Guardian Angels, will once again be the Republican Party nominee, and will lose by a large margin. I think whoever wins today’s primary between Mamdani and Cuomo is the next mayor of the Big Apple.
• And now, The Weather: “Silver Spoons” by Portugal. The Man
• And in real world weather news… be careful, people affected by the horrid heat dome in the Midwest and Northeast. Drink water, stay in shade, all that.
• RIP going out to guitarist Mick Ralphs, the legendary founding member of both Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. He died yesterday at 81.
• Talk about underrated. Mick’s guitar sound defined album-oriented rock for years. He did that terrific melodic guitar line on the David Bowie-penned “All The Young Dudes” in 1972, and then was the driving force behind Bad Company tunes like “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy,” and many more.
• In tribute, let’s do a chart.
• It’s the end of June 1979, and I am on summer vacation, having finished my time in elementary school and getting ready to start middle school. But I have a whole summer ahead of me.
• When you’re that age, summers last the adult equivalent of several years. That summer, I was playing guitar, roller skating, bodysurfing, skateboarding, bike riding, and occasionally going to the mall and so on. Normal shit for that era.
• I may have also visited my grandparents and other relatives in Cincinnati that summer. My parents used to throw me on a plane, telling me to take care of my little sister. That’s very normal in the ‘70s world of Gen-X kids.
• Here’s the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart at the time.
• 1. Breakfast In America (Supertramp). 2. Bad Girls (Donna Summer). 3. Rickie Lee Jones (Rickie Lee Jones). 4. I Am (Earth, Wind & Fire). 5. Cheap Trick At Budokan (Cheap Trick). 6. Desolation Angels (Bad Company). 7. We Are Family (Sister Sledge). 8. Van Halen II (Van Halen). 9. Songs Of Love (Anita Ward). 10. Monolith (Kansas). 11. Discovery (Electric Light Orchestra). 12. Spirits Having Flown (Bee Gees). 13. Dynasty (KISS). 14. The Gambler (Kenny Rogers). 15. Minute By Minute (The Doobie Brothers). 16. Winner Takes All (The Isley Brothers). 17. Flag (James Taylor). 18. State Of Shock (Ted Nugent). 19. Sooner Or Later (Rex Smith). 20. Look Sharp (Joe Jackson).
• From the Sports Desk… oh no.
• It’s that time of year. Basketball and hockey are over. Football is still months away. Baseball won’t matter a lot until September or so.
• So now every damn day until the NFL preseason begins, I have to find something sporting to discuss.
• Um… okay. Deep breath. I got this.
• Here are the current top-ranked women’s boxers in the heavyweight (175+ pound) division.
• 1. Claressa Shields (16-0, 3 KO). 2. Danielle Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs). 3. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (7-2, 2 KOs). 4. Minellis Blanco (6-0, 6 KOs). 5. Giovanna Gonzalez (6-3-1, 4 KOs).
I went to YouTube and checked out the fight between Shields and Perkins from February. Shields is a fucking monster. It’s no wonder she’s undefeated. She’d knock my head clean off my body in the first 20 seconds of round one.
• Today in history… The Vikings sack the French city of Nantes (843). John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings (1497). Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England (1509). The first Republican constitution in France is adopted (1793). Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract (1916). The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League (1922). Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister (1939). Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington (1947). The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC (1949). In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment (1957). South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment (1995). In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional (2004). In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 that the U.S. Constitution does not assign the authority to regulate abortions to the federal government, thereby returning such authority to the individual states and overturning the prior decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (2022). The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government (2023).
• June 24 is the birthday of explorer John Ross (1777), psychologist Ernst Heinrich Weber (1795), businessman Roy O. Disney (1893), boxer Jack Dempsey (1895), basketball player/businessman Chuck Taylor (1901), astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915), actor Al Molinaro (1919), astronomer Carolyn S. Shoemaker (1929), actor/director Robert Downey Sr. (1936), singer Arthur Brown (1942), guitarist/composer Jeff Beck (1944), saxophonist Chris Wood (1944), economist Robert Reich (1946), drummer Mick Fleetwood (1947), actor Peter Weller (1947), singer-songwriter Curt Smith (1961), singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval (1966), singer-songwriter Ariel Pink (1978), actress Mindy Kaling (1979), NBA player JJ Redick (1984), soccer player Lionel Messi (1987), and my son Nick (1999).

In personal news, as mentioned above, it was 26 years ago today that I got a phone call in the middle of a big business event, telling me to get my ass to Torrance Memorial hospital, where my then-wife (after about five false alarms in previous days) delivered my son late that evening. I’m a lot of things in life, but being a dad is my most important role by a long way. Happy birthday to Nick. Enjoy your day.