Random News: July 16, 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 July 16, 2025, and it’s a Wednesday. I had a night packed with weird dreams to the point that while I got plenty of sleep, I woke up feeling like I’d run a marathon. Perhaps things will get better as the day goes on. And once again, coffee is my savior.

• Remember yesterday, when I told you that late Monday night, Republicans in the House Rules Committee voted 7–5 to block the release of the Epstein files?
• But Dump and Bondi say there are no Epstein files. How can they block something that doesn’t exist?
• Yesterday, the Democrats tried once again to bring the Epstein files out into the open, and held a procedural vote.
• But every single Republican in the House voted to bury the Epstein files, bringing the tally to 211-210 along party lines.
• It seems to me that Republicans are covering for a rapist. And they’re also covering for Epstein.
• Zing!
• Yesterday, Republican Nikki Haley posted, “Release the Epstein files and let the chips fall where they may. This is why people don't trust government. You can never go wrong with being transparent. Redact victims' names but release the rest.”
• Why is that so hard?
• What’s amazing is how a good number of Republicans are trying to ride on top of a fence in regard to Dump and Epstein.
• One of them is House Speaker Mike Johnson, who yesterday became the highest-ranking Republican to say he, too, wants to see more details from the investigation.
• Johnson is dealing with congress members from his own side of the aisle — including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) — who want him to take more actions like subpoena the Justice Department for the documents or appoint a special counsel.
• Johnson said, “I’m for transparency. It’s a very delicate subject. We should put everything out there and let the people decide it.”
• And yet, every single Republican, not wanting to incur the wrath of their maniacal rapist boss, went on record in voting against the release of the Epstein files yesterday.
• One more note I want you to remember in the media’s way of discussing Epstein and his crimes.
• An “underage woman” is a child. A “young woman” is often also a child. A “teen model” is nearly always a child.
• Sex with a child is, by definition, rape. A child is not legally able to consent to sex. That’s where the term “statutory rape” comes in.
• So when Donnie Dump said about his friend Jeffrey Epstein, "He likes them on the younger side and so do I,” that means, “We like to rape children.”
• How incredibly ironic is it that what QAnon claimed was going on in the basement of a pizza place is actually happening on the floor of the House: Republicans are protecting actual pedophiles.
• Dumpy himself is making it clear that anyone who wants to even mention Jeffrey Epstein in any way is his enemy.
• He’s panicked and is calling in favors to every media outlet to try and get them to bury the news.
• Yesterday, the Orange Rape Guy said, “I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going.”
And then he added, “I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
• So count me among the people that Dumpy describes as a bad person. I wear the title with honor.
• For now, let’s move on.
• Another reminder about tomorrow evening’s “Good Trouble Lives On” action event.
• How do I know there’s probably one near you? Because I can look at the map and see more than 1,600 events spread across all 50 states.
• Why should you go?
• Because you believe in an America where people aren’t rounded up in the street and jailed due to the color of their skin. Because you’ve paid a lot of taxes into programs like Medicaid and SNAP and want to see that money going to the people who need it most. Because you will not stand for your rights — including voting rights — to be restricted or removed.
• Go to the link in the comments, find your local event, and plan on being there tomorrow night.
• My plan is pretty simple. Work my usual day, chomp down some dinner, and roll to the event, which is fortunately (for me) just a couple of miles away.
• I don’t have any preconceptions of how this one will go, being in the evening on a weekday. But I will be there to show my support.
• Someday, we may not have the choice of going or not. I’m using my rights while I still have them.
• Moving on.
• Yesterday, an appeals court temporarily blocked the Dump administration from revoking deportation protections and work permits for thousands of people from Afghanistan.
• Dump had planned to end temporary protected status for Afghanistan on Monday, part of a broader push to cut back a program that gives migrants reprieve from deportation if their home country is deemed unsafe.
• Some 11,700 Afghans are enrolled in temporary protected status. The program was extended for Afghanistan in 2023, under the Biden administration, which cited a "deepening humanitarian crisis" and "economic collapse" in Afghanistan since the U.S. military's 2021 withdrawal led the Taliban to retake the country.
• Many of these people were of tremendous help to U.S. military forces during years of the war on terrorism. Many acted as translators and guides, supporting U.S. missions, while others fled under deadly Taliban persecution.
• Dump knows very well that sending them back is a death sentence.
• Which is why it’s good news, at least for the moment, that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit blocked the Dump administration from putting into place its withdrawal of temporary protected status for one week.
• What did the White House say about these people who put their lives on the line to help America?
• ”Once again, a rogue judge is trying to infringe on the separation of powers and impede the Trump administration's rightful ability to carry out its immigration policy,” said Dump spokesperson Anna Kelly.
• These really are some of the worst human beings that ever existed.
• Moving on.
• In related news, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead barred the Dump administration from using its ban on travelers from some countries to keep 80 already-vetted refugees from entering the United States.
• Whitehead said Dump’s June order banning the entry of people from 12 countries “expressly states” that it does not limit the ability of people to seek refugee status.
• He ordered the administration to immediately resume processing 80 “presumptively protected refugees” that were rejected based on the travel ban.
• Good.
• Let’s keep moving on.
• Yesterday, the Senate voted to advance a package that would roll back $1.1 billion in funding to PBS, NPR and public media that had already been allocated over the next two years.
• They had to call in Vice President Jackoff Dickface Vance to break a tie, 51-50, to move the rescissions package to the floor. Three Republicans — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — joined with all Democrats and independents against it.
• A final vote is expected in the next couple of days.
• These fucking pricks. Genuinely, the worst U.S. administration ever, without a doubt, by a mile.
• In other news…
• The Pentagon announced yesterday that some 2,000 California National Guard members are being withdrawn from Los Angeles about a month after their deployment for (checks notes) no reason at all.
• As you recall, Dump mobilized more than 4,000 Guard troops and roughly 700 Marines in response to LA protests over federal immigration raids.
• City and state leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, decried the federal government's deployment of the military.
• Bass said, "This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong. We organized peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court — all of this led to today's retreat."
• She’s right. And we’re not done.
• A related note: yesterday, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX): “Earlier someone was talking about cities being hellholes. Los Angeles contributes almost 20 billion in taxes. That's more than all states in this country except for four.”
• Keep it in mind, you pieces of shit. My city funds your whole-ass country. Better hope we choose to keep doing so. Keep LA’s name out of your MAGA-ass mouth.
• Let’s move on.
• A story to definitely keep an eye on…
• The Dump administration and its allies have launched a multipronged effort to gather data on voters and inspect voting equipment, sparking concern among local and state election officials about federal interference ahead of the 2026 midterms.
• The most unusual activity is happening in Colorado — a state that then-candidate Donald Trump lost by 11 points — where the White House is asking county clerks whether they will allow the federal government or a third party to physically examine their election equipment. 
• Federal agencies have long offered technical assistance and cybersecurity advice to election officials but have not examined their equipment because election laws tightly limit who has access.
• Separately, the Justice Department has taken the unusual step of asking at least nine states for copies of their voter rolls, and at least two have turned them over.
• If we lose free and fair elections, democracy is done and the United States is done.
• Let’s… just move on, for now.
• From the Entertainment Desk… the Emmy nominations are out.
• This gives me the opportunity to talk about — not in a snobby way, mind you — how I do not watch television.
• I just don’t. I used to. I probably should watch more, because there’s definitely some great entertainment I’m missing.
• But the idea of sitting in front of a TV watching a thing for an hour? My life is not set up that way. And you should think of it this way: some people absorb content, others generate it.
• And I write words and create music and do art — both for my job and because I enjoy it. And I simply don’t have the time — or take the time — to absorb what other people create.
• Anyway, I’ve never seen even one episode of any of these shows, though many people say they like them. Here are some nominees…
• Outstanding Drama Series: "Andor" (Disney+), "The Diplomat" (Netflix), "The Last of Us" (HBO Max), "Paradise" (Hulu), "The Pitt" (HBO Max), "Severance" (Apple TV+), "Slow Horses" (Apple TV+), "The White Lotus" (HBO Max).
• Outstanding Comedy Series: "Abbott Elementary" (ABC), "The Bear" (FX), "Hacks" (HBO Max), "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix), "Only Murders in the Building" (Hulu), "Shrinking" (Apple TV+), "The Studio" (Apple TV+), "What We Do in the Shadows" (FX).
• Lead Actress Drama: Kathy Bates, “Matlock”, Sharon Horgan, "Bad Sisters”, Britt Lower, “Severance”, Bella Ramsey, "The Last of Us”, Keri Russell, "The Diplomat”.
• Lead Actor Drama: Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”, Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses”, Pedro Pascal, "The Last of Us”, Adam Scott, “Severance”, Noah Wyle, "The Pitt”.
• Lead Actress Comedy: Uzo Aduba, "The Residence”, Kristen Bell, "Nobody Wants This”, Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary”, Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear”, Jean Smart, “Hacks".
• Lead Actor Comedy: Adam Brody, "Nobody Wants This”, Seth Rogen, "The Studio”, Jason Segel, “Shrinking”, Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building”, Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear”.
• Overall, “Severance” led all Emmy nominees with 27, and “The Studio” topped the comedies with 23. Both series stream on Apple TV+.
• And now, The Weather: “Red Flowers” by Autocamper
• An RIP going out to a musician you may not have known was a musician.
• David Kaff was a versatile musician and actor most renowned for his role as Viv Savage, the keyboardist in the seminal 1984 mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.” He died last week at 79.
• I actually met David some 25 years ago. Super nice guy, and most people who just thought of him as the keyboardist for a fictional band aren’t aware that in the ‘70s, he was a member of prog rock group Rare Bird.
• They had a hit called “Sympathy” which topped charts in France and Italy and sold over one million copies globally.
• From the Sports Desk… last night’s MLB All-Star Game ended in the weirdest possible way.
• For the first time in All-Star Game history, a Home Run Derby-style swing-off determined the winner — and it was the National League that came out on top 4-3 in the swing-off thanks to Kyle Schwarber hitting three home runs.
• The game itself ended in a 6-6 tie before it was resolved via the swing-off for the first time ever. Fascinating!
• Today in history… The Hijrah of Muhammad begins, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar (622). King Richard II of England is crowned (1377). Jacques Cartier returns home after claiming a bunch of now-Canada for France (1536). Father Junípero Serra founds California's first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, which evolves into the city of San Diego, CA (1769). The District of Columbia is established as the capital of the United States (1790). The world’s first parking meter is installed in Oklahoma City, OK (1935). Joe DiMaggio gets a hit in 56 consecutive games, a record that still stands today (1941). The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, NM (1945). J.D. Salinger publishes ‘Catcher in the Rye’ (1951). Apollo 11, the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Kennedy, FL (1969). Saddam Hussein becomes the president of Iraq (1979). Comet Shoemaker-Levy crashes into Jupiter (1994). John F. Kennedy Jr. and several others die in a plane crash (1999). 
• July 16 is the birthday of religious leader Margaret Baker Eddy (1821), journalist/activist Ida B. Wells (1862), explorer Roald Amundsen (1872), MLB player Shoeless Joe Jackson (1887), farmer/businessman Orville Redenbacher (1907), actress Barbara Stanwyck (1907), actress/dancer Ginger Rogers (1911), tennis player Margaret Court (1942), NFL coach Jimmy Johnson (1943), singer-songwriter/guitarist Rubén Blades (1948), musician Pinchas Zukerman (1948), drummer/composer Stewart Copeland (1952), actress Phoebe Cates (1963), actor/comedian Will Ferrell (1967), NFL player Barry Sanders (1968), actor Corey Feldman (1971), singer-songwriter Ed Kowalczyk (1971), NBA player Zach Randolph (1981), and singer-songwriter/rapper Kevin Abstract (1996).

That’s enough news. Remember: tomorrow night, be there with us in the streets. Do not go gently into that good night. Enjoy your day.